Day 22 - The Road Home

After enjoying the ambiance and cool climate of Santa Fe, it was time to head back to Texas.  We had decisions to make.  Stop in Amarillo & see the sights there?  It was raining and too early to fit into our schedule.  Stay near Dallas and play golf in the morning?  It was too hot for that.  We finally decided that we were tired of being on the road and wanted to sleep in our own bed, so we drove the entire 867 miles to home.  We made a lot of stops along the way just for sanity's sake.  I had read in some Texas books about the Llano Estacado, and saw this sign at one of the rest areas.  We did see the Cadillac Ranch as we neared Amarillo, but would have had to backtrack some to get pictures, so we got a quick glimpse of 10 Cadillacs sticking up from a field along I-40.  We also had to stop for lunch at the Big Texan, Amarillo's most famous steakhouse.  After all that, the remainder of the trip was just long and tiring.  We arrived home safely at midnight and the cats were very happy to see us - demanding attention.  We're still kind of worn out today (Friday), but I have been able to get some laundry done, bills paid, a few groceries into the frig, and get through the mail.  Tomorrow should be back to normal.

Day 21 -Along the Sante Fe Trail

We did the Oregon Trail, so now we're on the Santa Fe Trail.  Hitting the home stretch, halleluliah.  I could love Santa Fe if it wasn't so full of tourists.    We enjoyed a late lunch at Tomasita's the "most famous" New Mexican restaurant in SF.  The building is the old depot for the Denver &Rio Grande railroad, and the food was excellent.  Afterwards we parked a couple of blocks from the Plaza and walked around old town Santa Fe.  We started with the Georgia O'Keeffe museum where we learned about her life as an artist and saw many of her works that normally are in private collections.  We then wandered past the history museum, where native artists are encouraged to set up shop along the paseo in front of the building.  Lots of beautiful jewelry.  Lots more in the shops lining the streets, and I was tempted but not in a spending mood today.  The plaza has a bandstand where there are free concerts each evening during July and August.  We listened to the first group, which was great, but decided to leave after that.  Too tired.  Tomorrow's destination will depend on how tired we Re and how far we feel like driving.

Day 20 - 66 Route on Kicks Your Get

Today we began our drive across Route 66 - backwards.  We began in Barstow, passed through Kingman and didn't forget Winona (although it is very forgettable - not even on our AAA map), and Flagstaff, Arizona.  Our stop for the day is Gallup, New Mexico.   Along the way we went from the bleak Mojave to interesting but dry landscape, to green and treed, to beautifully colored rock cliffs. Amazingly, it's fairly cool and has been raining for the past several days.  Lots of interesting names:  Roadkill Cafe, Baghdad Cafe (in a wrecked and rusted old trailer), and the Honolulu Club (no palm trees or ocean anywhere nearby).

Day 19 - East of Eden

Today's post brought to you by the Road Warriors...  Our title comes from Steinback's novel about the San Joaquin valley, as we drove most of the length of it today.  I have to say that I don't understand why people want to live in California.  It's dirty, dusty, the people are not friendly, plus it's expensive.  The predominant color is light, golden brown and the only farming areas are so because of irrigation.  In fact, there is apparently a water issue now, as we passed many signs accusing Congress of creating a Dust Bowl.
If the sky happens to be blue above the brown, it can be pretty, but much of the time the views are clouded by fog, smog, dust or fire smoke.  Today we drove through a lot of empty spaces (think Montana only hazy) and ended up in the middle of the Mojave, kimosabe, at Barstow.
Hence, East of Eden - outside of paradise...
Oh, one other thing.  We left Napa at 65 degrees and got to Barstow where it's 100...but it's a dry heat.

Day 18 - Winding Down in Napa

Today we enjoyed beautiful weather here in the Napa Valley.  It's probably the last cool weather we'll  feel for quite a while.  Breakfast at the B & B was gourmet - Mac & cheese and chilled strawberry soup.  We kind of lounged around for a while while we worked out a plan of attack.  The resulting plan included stopping at a gourmet grocery to pick up picnic food then continuing down the other main road that goes the length of the valley to visit a couple more wineries we were interested in.  We decided to skip Opus One, since their tasting was $40 a glass, but we did make it to Silver Oak.  Then we drove up the hillside to Rutherford Hill where we had our picnic with a view of the valley.  After that, we stopped at Mumm (known for sparkling wine) where we took their tour.
After walking to a pizza restaurant for dinner, we hit the dessert table (always chocolate) here at theB & B and relax for the rest of the evening.
Tomorrow we hit the road again.  Our destination will be either Barstow, CA or Kingman, AZ depending on how much driving we want to do.  Nothing but desert in between.

Day 17 - Napa

Today we had an easy drive - until we got to the Napa Valley, that is.  Seems like the thing to do is spend the week-end in wine country, so traffic was stop and go the entire length of the valley.  Our bed & breakfast is about 2 blocks from the historic part of Napa, so it's easy walking to restaurants.
We picked two of our favorite wineries to visit for tastings, and also stopped at two others where we had half off coupons.  We found several great wines that aren't available in Houston stores and decided to have some of them shipped home.
Enough wine for today.  I'm still tipsy.  Pictures are of Markham Winery entrance and casks at Peju Winery.

Day 16 a The Trail of the Tall Pines

This is written a day late, because the hotel we stayed at in Redding, CA, was full of pre-teens & teens in for a swim meets.  I couldn't get online access.
At any rate, the day was spent driving south thru Oregon amidst tall pines.  There's a reason the Oregon license plate has one on it.  Our destination for the day was Crater Lake National Park.  I expected a big lake, but this one is huge and a deep blue color.  Just before the lake, we passed through a pumice desert.  Very strange and bleak.  After a picnic lunch, we took the strenuous hike up Mt. Garfield.  I was huffing and puffing because of the altitude (and have I said I don't do up very well?), but we did make it to the first overlook, where we had a spectacular view.  We turned back because the clouds were looking threatening.
When we finally got to Redding and found a room for the night, I wasn't sure my body would work, but a good night's rest and a hot shower worked wonders.

Day 15 - W(h)ining around Eugene

Today's agenda was to spend some time alone with Suzan.  We accomplished that by visiting a few of the wineries in the Eugene area, including Saginaw and Chateau Lorane.  In between we went to King Estate for a lovely lunch, including tasting several of their wines.  King Estate is fun to go to because they have an Italian looking building sitting atop a hill.  The long, winding drive goes thru large fields of their well-tended vineyards.  Beautiful, even though the day was very cloudy.

Days 13 & 14 -The Oregon Trail

Not the historical one, just our personal one.  After leaving Pt. Townsend, Wa, we drove south, stopping in Portland to meet up with another childhood friend of mine and her husband for lunch.  Our table overlooked the Willamette River and we could see sailboats racing around on the water.  You'd think I was from this area with all the family & friends I now have here!
Our destination was Eugene, OR, where we are now visiting with Dan's older sister, Suzan, and her daughter and family.  Molly and Jesse have two beautiful little girls, ages 3 and 5. They are also very active and extremely smart.  They gave me a "fashion show" while the other adults were talking & fixing dinner in the other room.
Today, Jesse took Dan and me on his drift boat.  We drifted about 5 miles down the MacKenzie River.  I watched the scenery (wildly beautiful) whiled the guys fished.

Day 12 - Of Eagles wings and sailing things

Today we drove to just about the most northern point in the U.S. outside of Alaska - Neah Bay Washington.  Along the way we glimpsed views of snowy Olympic Mountains and lots of tall pines.  Lots of logging trucks carrying out harvested tall pines, too.
When we got to Neah Bay, we pulled into a restaurant next to the waterfront and immediately saw four bald eagles soaring over the water.  One dropped down and we could see a fish in his talons as he flew off.  We saw them fly around again while we ate lunch.
On the return trip we stopped at a Native American art gallery, so I had to get a totem pole picture!
When we got back to the Akers' house, we pulled in the drive to see another eagle fly up and sit in a tree I front of their house.
As to the sailing things, Neah Bay is on the northern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  We could see Vancouver Island, Canada, across the water.  We also saw several cargo ships as they entered the Strait from the Pacific.  Our cell phones, when we got coverage at all, thought we were inCanada and kept giving us instructions on how to call back to the U.S.
Beautiful weather so far - a marine fog in the mornings that burns off for a sunny day, temps in the 50s at night and maybe low 70s during the day - a nice break from the Houston heat.

Day 11 - around Puget Sound

Today was an easy, relaxing day.  We started early to avoid traffic through Seattle and caught a ferry to Whidbey Island.  There, we visited one of my childhood friends and his wife, who have a gorgeous home on 10 acres of wooded land.  Bob and Elaine took us to their favorite pub for fresh, steamed mussels.  I mean really fresh - there are mussel beds in the bay nearby.  While we enjoy steamed mussels, we tried a new style, Thai curry, and found them delicious.
After lunch, they took us to Deception Pass on the northern end of Whidbey, where we walked across a bridge high in the air over one of the sea passages.  After sharing some wine on their back deck, we departed for our second ferry ride of the day.
This ferry took us to Pt. Townsend, where we were met by our friends, Mike and Carol, formerly of Houston.  These were our Texans tailgating partners and it is so good to see them again.  They, too, have a beautiful home built on a bluff overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We shared some fresh crab and wine while sitting on their back deck watching cargo ships and cruise ships go by.

Day 10 - Exploring Seattle and Puget Sound

Today was another day where the husbands went fishing and the wives had a "girls' day out".  The fishing wasn't very good - flounder, sharks and one small salmon, so no keepers.
Sally and I, on the other hand, had a great day.  We started by taking the water taxi from West Seattle over to the central city.  We proceeded to walk to the old Chinatown area, where at the Wing Luke Museum we signed up for the Bitter/Sweet tour.  For those of you who have read the book The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, this tour is IT.  We were guided around the district and shown various buildings that were referenced in the book.  Our tour concluded at the Panama Hotel, which was the impetus behind the book.  For those who haven't read Hotel, the Panama had been boarded up and abandoned until fairly recently, when the new owner started renovations.  In the basement, they discovered a lot of personal belongings left behi d by the local Japanese-American population when they were sent to "relocation" camps during WW II.  It was fun to relate the actual to the fictional.
After sharing a pot of tea at the Panama, we headed over to Pike Place Market.  There we discovered what everyone visiting Seattle does on a Saturday afternoon.  Talk about crowded!  The longest line was to order a coffee at the Original Starbucks.  We didn't even try to get in there.
We did go into a tea shop, where Sally bought me a Russian Imperial cup and saucer (long story). We also visited a quilt shop and a spice store.
Another water taxi back and we were ready to relax with our menfolk for a while.

Days 8 & 9 - Seattle

We left Eastern Idaho on Thursday morning and by evening we were walking on the beach beside Puget Sound.  Western Seattle (Alki) has beautiful views of Seattle downtown.
Today the guys went fishing.  Dan caught a salmon, which was what he was hoping for, and they got 6 crabs in the crab pots.  Mmm - fresh crab for dinner.
My sister -in-law, Sally, and I had a girls day out.  I tried water aerobics for the first time and got a good workout.  Then, we got manicures and pedicures followed by a lovely seafood lunch overlooking the sound.
The weather here in Seattle has been gorgeous.  Sunny and 85 but with lower humidity than Houston.    I'm still working on the binding of the king-sized quilt, but it's almost done.  Just need it finished by Tuesday, when we head down to Oregon.
Here's a picture I took at lunch today.

Day 7 - Going to the Sun

I take the title for today's post from the name of the road we traveled.  This is the road through Glacier  National Park that goes over the Continental Divide.  We saw breathtaking views (and we used to live in Denver, seeing lots of breathtaking views there), spectacular waterfalls, and wildlife.
Our first hike was a four-mile round trip to see St. Mary Falls and Virginia Falls.  They were different from each other, but both were well worth the hike.
We then drove on to our next hiking spot, pausing along the way to snap tons of photos.  Our second stop was at Logan Pass, where we joined the hoards hiking up above treeline to Hidden Lake Overlook.  This was a three-mile hike at higher altitude.  I don't do up very well but the end justified the effort.  Along the way we saw big horn sheep and quite a few mountain goats.  I'll have plenty of pictures to share when we get home.
I had planned on spending the night in Kalispell, but it was too early to stop for the day, so we pressed on.  Unfortunately, there is NOTHING for over a hundred miles, so by the time we stopped in Wallace, Idaho, we were hungry and exhausted.
Here are a few photos from Glacier, plus I finally was able to upload the pix from Great Falls, so they have been added to yesterday's post.

Day 6 - Playing A Round in Great Falls

We pushed hard driving to Great Falls so we'd have time to play a round of golf in Great Falls.  The course was beautiful and one side of it bordered the Missouri Rvier.  Amazingly, neither of us lost a ball.
What can I say about Great Falls?  Yes, there are falls, but they aren't so great any more since the river was dammed for hydroelectric power.
Three more hours of driving thru Montana wide open spaces and we arrived at our destination for tonight - Duck Lake Lodge.  Quite primitive by our regular standards (shared toilet and shower down the hall), but compared to what we passed on the way, it's quite luxurious.  Keep in mind that we are in the middle of the Blackfeet Indian Territory.
Temps here are hot - 90s during the day, but at least it cools off at night and there is no humidity.
Tomorrow we enter Glacier National Park.  One of the other guests here just got in from a week-long backpack in the park and was sharing his pictures with us.  Looks great!
I had a couple of picture I was going to add, but the wi fi isn't letting me upload them.  Maybe tomorrow.

Day 5 - Big Sky

The song for today in the cranial jukebox was "I can see for miles and miles..."  as we bid adieu to the Black Hills and crossed Northern Wyoming and most of Montana.  Before leaving South Dakota, however, we did a quick drive thru the historic district of Deadwood, then up the beautiful Spearfish Canyon.  The area is also home to Sturgis, SD, and we saw a lot of motorcycles (mostly Harley's) as they start to gather for their annual "thing".
We mostly were following Lewis and Clark's trail.  Although beautiful, it was a LOT of miles of open range with occasional bluffs.  I can't imagine doing this route on horseback or by covered wagon.  It seemed endless at 75 mph.  We crossed the Little Big Horn, going by the site of Custer's Last Stand.  I could picture the Sioux lining the top of the ridge.
Sorry - no pictures today.  We used the camera and neither of our tablet computers has a slot to download the memory card.
Tonight we are in Great Falls with less than a 3 hour drive to tomorrow's destination.

Day 4 - More Fun in the Black Hills

This won't be a long post because I'm really tired.  While on our way to South Dakota we discovered that one of our Houston friends was already where we were going to be.  We met up with Jenny for breakfast today and she told us her favorite places she'd seen.  After leaving her, we drove south of Mt. Rushmore and went spelunking (if that's what you can call being in a 25 person group and taking an elevator down the cave).  At an rate, after taking a 3.5 mile hike in hot sun, we went below ground to the chilly 49 degrees of Jewel Cave National Monument.  FYI, the National Park Service's senior pass is worth it.  $10 for lifetime access to National Parks & Monuments.  Good for the whole car.

Day 3 - being Good in the Badlands

A land of contrasts:  white then black, low then high...driving through the Badlands was like going through prairie only to stumble upon the Grand Canyon.  "I will find peace in the buffalo grass" -  lovely line from a song by our friend Andy Renfree.  We hunted the buffalo and found them.  A very large herd, in fact.
After lunch, we set off on the My. Rushmore Scenic Loop.  From white limestone to the Black Hills. Elevation and lots of trees.  Again, though, spectacular scenery.  Lots more bison.  Actually got to Mt. Rushmore around 7:30 pm and stayed for their show and lighting ceremony.  Very impressive to see the 4 presidents lit up against the night sky.
Now, we're dead tired after all the driving.  Tomorrow will be an easier day.

Day 2 - Salina, KS to Wall, SD

Random wandering a of the mind-Simon & Garfunkel's song "all gone to look for America" kept running thru my head.  Another day of pointing the car north, but today with occasional stints westward.  Once we got close to I-90, the views were of wide-open spaces.
Wall, SD has a 2 block business  area, of which half is the famous Wall Drug.  Interestingly, moat of the store workers seem to be from impoverished countries - Macedonia, Poland, Jamaica...  Guess there aren't enough locals to handle the tourist season?
At any rate, we are now in The Badlands and will see them up close tomorrow.  Butch Cassidy and Sundance?  Wild Bill Hickock?  Bury my heart at Wounded Knee.

Day 1 - Houston to Salina, KS

A beautiful day for a drive!  After running our heads off until 11 P.M. Getting packed and taking care of all those last-minute details, we still got up early and left by 7 A.M.  Got most of the way to Oklahome before lunchtime.
While driving past Norman, OK, we saw lots of wrecked buildings on both sides of I-35.  When we noticed the name "Moore" on the water tower, we remembered the devastating tornado that hit that area several months ago.
As for "where the wind comes sweeping down the plains",  that describes Kansas more than Oklahoma (at least today).
We're trying really hard to eat reasonably on this trip.  Logan's Roadhouse now has a "Health Nut" menu - who'd a thunk it?  Since we're not in a big hurry tomorrow, I think we'll just sleep until we wake up, then hit the health club at the hotel before we take off.
More tomorrow, from South Dakota.