Wednesday, August 31

Today we went touring through the area.  Wayne drove us through some redwood forests, for lunch in Sausalito, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and through San Francisco.  We made a whole day of it!
Buster has taken possession of Uncle Tony's house, banning Lola to the back porch and back yard.
Our current plan is to leave Uncle Tony's on Monday, September 5.  By the end of the day on Labor Day we figure we should not run into too much traffic -- especially in the desert.
We don't have any specific plans, but stay tuned for the continuing saga once we are on the road.

Friday, August 19

We made it!  We got to Uncle Tony’s by about 2pm!
We got some coffee this morning and got going.  We passed through Reno and into California where the scenery was breath-taking.  We went right through Donner Pass.  It is full of rock formations and pine trees.  High peaks and deep ravines.  Fortunately, Uncle Don, the experienced truck driver, took us through there.  A 6 degree downhill incline doesn’t sound like much, but it is kind of like being on a rollercoaster.  You think you have everything under control, and then you aren’t sure.  Exciting!
Breakfast was kind of late; we had to wait until we were out of the national forest.  We found a great restaurant in a small town, and then got back under way.  Tom-Tom guided us along all the way to Uncle Tony’s house where he and Wayne were waiting.  Sherlee came in a few minutes later.
Buster seems to be doing okay, in spite of the fact that Uncle Tony has 3 dogs, Wayne and Shirlee have 2, and Nathan and Wayne each have 1.  (Hey, wait a minute.  I think the dogs have us outnumbered).  Buster was pretty ticked when Wayne and I got into the RV and took a short ride, but he adjusted his attitude when Wayne offered him a little food later.  Also, Uncle Tony has a cute little female, so Buster may be in love.
So we are getting settled in.  I am staying with Wayne and Sherlee; Uncle Don is staying with Uncle Tony.  Now, we will just play it by ear.  When I know more, I’ll post more.  Adios.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Utah tried to freeze us out last night.  It almost worked.  When I got up this morning and walked out of the RV, I could see my breath!  We weren’t expecting that in the middle of August.

So, we got some coffee, turned the heater on, and got on the road.  And it was quite a road today.  Mountains, Salt Lake City freeway congestion, the Great Salt Lake, the Salt Lake Desert, and then lots of scrub with mountains in the distance and an occasional train going past.  Oh, and we needed to put the air conditioner on once we left the mountains and got to the Great Salt Lake:  one extreme to the other.  We kissed Utah good-bye and went on to Nevada.

Nevada is mountains, scrub, a passing train, an occasional ranch or hay field where they were lucky enough to find some water, and of course casinos.  We ended up having breakfast in a casino restaurant in Wendover.  It was either that or McDonald’s.  No other choices.  The bonus was that between the two of us we put $5 in the slots and got back $9.

After stopping for gas in Winnemucca (isn’t that a great name?), we had supper in Sparks, just outside Reno, near the California state line.  After supper, we found an RV park in Sparks.  We pulled into a spot and of course the office was closed.  Following instructions on the door, I went across the street to a resort to do an after-hours registration.  It worked out just fine.  But the interesting part about registering is that the clerk was in the corporate office, wherever that is.  I stood at the registration desk and talked to him on a large flat screen TV.  I swiped my credit card and he verified it remotely.  Talk about Big Brother!

Once again the best part of the trip was Uncle Don telling stories.  He keeps me laughing!

Our mileage report is 540 today and 2,048 so far.  We have 211 miles to go.  We plan to be at Uncle Tony’s tomorrow afternoon! 

PS – We spent almost the whole day without cell phone reception.  AT&T better watch out.  Uncle Don is not amused.

Wednesday, August 17

Up and out about 8am, we got gas for the RV and coffee for us.  Do you see a pattern forming?  We were out of Nebraska and into Wyoming in no time -- official cowboys.  I even have a t-shirt to prove it. 

Eastern Wyoming had hay fields, a few oil wells, and cattle ranches.  As we got further into Wyoming, there we no more cattle and eventually no more hay.  Just rock and scrub and snow fences.  Some of the rock formations were impressive, but the scrub – not so much.

Just before we left Wyoming the terrain improved.  Now we are in Utah, near Park City – just outside of Salt Lake City.  So tomorrow I’ll be waving to Charlene as we pass.  (I didn't know I knew so many people along the way.)  The RV park is fine.  It is our second choice.  The first choice wasn’t there anymore; they got away from us.  This park, like the last one has free wireless Internet.  And this one has TV channels, so it is a step up from the one yesterday.

I sure hope Utah is more interesting than Wyoming, but I am not holding out much hope once we get past Salt Lake City.  Doesn’t matter, though.  The trip has been great fun.  Uncle Don is full of funny stories!

As for mileage, we (I) slowed it down a bit so we advanced less than yesterday:  547 miles.  That makes 1,508 for the trip so far.  But I figure that is plenty of progress for someone with no set goal!

Tuesday, August 16

We got up this morning, gassed up the RV, and got going at about 8am.  Checking in and out of the RV park was interesting.  There was no one in the office.  Business was transacted in cash on the honor system.  Not exactly like Chicago.

As we passed through Des Moines Iowa, we waved to Charity Randolph.  Later we passed through Omaha Nebraska and waved to the Levisons.  What a shame they never saw us, because we kept going.  We had a view of a lot of corn, beans, hay, and cattle.  Iowa was hilly, but so far Nebraska is really flat and as exciting as passing through Ohio.

Uncle Don called Uncle Tony today to let him know where we were.  Uncle Don told him I was driving, and Uncle Tony said we should take our time.  How did he know about my lead foot?

The campground tonight is in Chappell Nebraska, near where Colorado takes a bite out of Nebraska’s butt.  I just had a shower, and a quick storm just passed through.  So when I smell the fresh scent of fertilizer through my window, I know it isn’t me anymore.

Today, Buster didn’t snap or bark at me; he actually rubbed up against me and asked to be petted.  I guess he has decided I might be family after all.  Or is he setting me up for something big?  He doesn’t like the idea that I sit in the front seat and he gets the floor.  (He refuses to sit in the back seat.)

The mileage for today is 633, bringing our total to 961.  Not bad for two old men tooling along with no time table, eh?

Day 1

The plan was to leave early Tuesday morning.  But Uncle Don was ready early and so was I.  So we left my house at about 4:30 pm.

We found a camp ground near Iowa City (thank you GPS and wireless Internet) and stopped about 8:30.  We are plugged into the electricity so we have TV and all the comforts.  Buster snapped at me just once, so day #1 is a big success.

The mileage for toady is 328.  Stay tuned for further adventures.

Getting Ready

It is official:  we plan to leave for California on Tuesday.
Uncle Don will drive to my house on Monday evening, and we will leave early Tuesday morning.
Wish us luck, and stay tuned for more ........