Far From the Pahk

Home Sweet Home

2013-05-06T17:07:00.002-07:00

Day 20: Burns, OR to White Salmon, WA via John Day Fossil Beds
312 miles

Our last day on the road. Of course, we did not go straight home. We had two more stops to make. The first was at the Visitor Center at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. We'd been there before, but it's such a great Visitor Center, we couldn't help ourselves. Then we detoured to the Clarno Unit , which we missed on our last trip here. When you see these palisades, you know you're in the right place!

"The Clarno Unit is located 18 miles west of the town of Fossil. The Palisades are the most prominent landform. 44 million years ago a series of volcanic mudflows, swept up and perserved a diverse assortment of plants and animals that inhabited a near-tropical forest. Tiny four-toed horses, huge rhino-like brontotheres, crocodilians, and meat-eating creodonts that once roamed ancient jungles are now found in the rocks of the Clarno Unit, as well as an incredibly diverse range of plant life. Leaves, fruits, nuts, seeds, and petrified wood from 173 species of trees, vines, shrubs, and other plants have been found here thus far."

Here's my personal geologist pointing out some fossils for me to see.

This little guy was just trying to blend in.

The trail was quite nice, as we walked from the parking area over to the palisades.

At the top of the trail was this great arch. Personal

Geologist for scale. Petrified logs stick out fo the rock walls.

It looked like we were going to get stormed on, but mercifully, it held off until we were on our way.

A few hours later, we pulled in to 1440 Brislawn Loop Rd. The daffodils greeted us.

As did our flowering plum tree. Ahhhhhh. Home at Last!

Grand Total: 5,274 miles, give or take a few!!

Liquid Sunshine

2013-05-06T16:37:00.002-07:00

Day 19: Bridgeport, CA to Burns, OR

476 miles north on 395

Another long day of driving driving driving. And it started to rain. First rain of the entire trip. How lucky are we???? Many miles of open spaces, with little towns barely alive. We worried at one point if we'd have enough gas to make Lakeview. We did. Ended up at a motel in Burns with winds and weather swirling about. Thought for a minute I was back in Texas!

Sub-Total: 4,962 miles

Out of the Valley of Death

2013-05-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Day 18: Texas Springs Campground to Bridgeport, CA
254 miles

It's about time I finished up this travelogue. Too many things getting in the way since the last post!

We left off in Death Valley. I didn't want to leave you there, but it's in the 80s here in the Gorge, actually warmer here than there lately, so you're okay.

Driving out of the park takes several hours. We made a stop at the Sand Dunes, and spent a little time roaming while it was still cool, checking out all the animal tracks imprinted in the sand. Looks like there was a party here last night!

The drive through Panamint Springs was lovely, and the narrow road through the pass had some construction stops so it wasn't a speedy transit. We got to the Father Crowley Memorial lookout and took a picture looking back from where we came.

We picked up good old Rt. 395 in the Owens Valley, and enjoyed views of salty lakes and Sierras along the west side of the highway.

We made a stop at the Manzanar National Historical Site. You know me and National Parks, Historic Sites, Monuments, Scenic Area...I have to stop and stamp my passport. Manzanar was one of camps where Japanese American citizens were held during WWII.

Not a particularly proud time for our country. The Visitor Center is fantastic, with a documentary film, interactive exhibits, photographs, personal stories, a model of the camp and some reconstructed barracks. If you are ever even close to this place, make it a stop on your itinerary.

We picked up some ice and gas in Bishop, but it was still early to stop. So on we went to the beautiful June Lake. We would loved to have camped here, but no campgrounds were open yet.

On we went to Lee Vining, near Mono Lake.

Side story: Way back in August 1985, when Lloyd and I (pregnant with Keara), Zack the cocker spaniel, and Groucho the cat drove from Houston to Danville, CA when Lloyd's job was transferred. We had a long day's drive from Grand Canyon area across Nevada. I remember getting to Lee Vining. It was late. There were no camping spots, and no hotel rooms. We went on to June Lake, where we found a welcome mat out at a pet friendly motel. A miracle I'll never forget.

This time, everything was pretty closed up. There was a private campground. Lloyd was so excited to find that for $5 he could have wi-fi. Then he told me, the showers aren't connected yet. No big. Then he told me neither were the toilets. HUH? Our little camper is NOT self-contained. The campground was very tidy, and I was not going to use the pet area or the Chevron Station down the street. So one we went to a motel that had a room, but before we plunked down our plastic, we were told there was NO DINING anywhere in town on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In between seasons, you see. So on we went to Bridgeport, sadly unable to find a place so we could explore Mono Lake.

Bridgeport had places to stay. People come there to fish and to see the ghost town Bodie. We chose the Bridgeport Inn, which had a 50s era motel (where we could park the car with camper by the door) next to an 1870's gold rush era inn. And a resident ghost. And one place to eat across the street, as their cook was off that night. And that place to eat had many TVs showing baseball games. Including Red Sox/Yankees. And the Red Sox won. All was finally right with the world.

Total miles: 4,486

Hot Hot Hot

2013-04-14T18:01:00.001-07:00

Day 17: Death Valley Exploring

around 130 miles

After a stop at the newly remodeled Visitor's Center, we drove south along Badwater Rd to hike at Golden Canyon before it got too hot! More Geology Heaven for Lloyd.

It was a 2 mile round trip into the canyon along an interpretive trail that lead to spectacular views of Red Cathedral and Manly Beacon. By the time we were done, I'd finished the first of my recommended 4 bottles of water. One sure gets thirsty in the desert!

A few miles down the road we turned off onto a gravel road for Devil's Golf Course, where rugged jumbled blocks of salt surround the parking lot.

Badwater Basin is one of the world's hottest places, 282 feet below sea level. A sign marks sea level on the rock wall opposite the basin.

There's a shallow salty pool near the parking lot. An early surveyor of the area saw that his mule wouldn't drink from the pool and noted "badwater" on his map. The name stuck. We could see little insect larvae in the brine.

As we headed back towards Furnace Creek, we pulled off on Artist's Drive, a 9 mile one way road through some of the most beautiful low, narrow canyons cut into alluvial fan deposits. The brightly colored hillsides at Artist's Palette were incredible. Red, pink, yellow, orange, and bown colors are from two minerals common in rust: hematite, which is a red iron oxide, and limonite, a yellow iron oxide. The green and violet colors are from altered minerals in the volcanic ash. Mother nature is amazing!

By now we're thinking we need gas...and at well over $5 a gallon at Furnace Creek, we decided to leave Death Valley and head northeast to Beatty, NV, a little town we came through at the beginning of our trip. We got the gas, and some more ICE, and had a bite to eat at KC's Outpost Saloon and Eatery, a local establishment unabashedly proclaiming they had "The Best Food In Town". They roast turkeys for their sandwiches and make their own bread. Lloyd had a loaded BBQ sandwich, and I had the special, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, Best Foods mayo (she was specific)...basically Thanksgiving in a sandwich. It hit the spot. It was the waitress's first day. She was sweet.

All fueled up, inside and out, we headed back into the park via Rhyolite, a ghost town just outside of Beatty. Within a year after prospectors Shorty Harris and Ed Cross found gold in 1904, the town sprung up. It had a short life, with the 1906 SF Earthquake wiped out the financial district, mining funding took a hit. Then a financial panic in the east in 1907 pinched mining even more. By 1908, there were 8,000 people living there, and the mines began to fail. A few years later the exodus started and the mines did fail. The Post Office closed in 1919, and by 1920, there were only 14 people living there.

There still stands a fine Train Depot built in 1909,

the Kelly Bottle House (1906), which Tom Kelly built to raffle off,

and the Goldwell Open Air Museum with its outdoor sculptures.

Back in the park, we pulled over to take some photos of the sand dunes, and the valley towards Furnace Creek.

then stopped at Salt Creek Interpretive Trail to walk the half mile boardwalk for some pupfish viewing. The salty stream is full of the rare fish, which are very active in the spring (before the summer heat dries it up).

The Harmony Borax Works, famous for using 20 mule teams to move the borax from Death Valley to communities nearby, was an easy 1/4 mile walking trail.

I was waiting for some visitors to leave so I could get a photo without people in it, but they just wouldn't leave; a woman with long blonde hair who looked like a model, wearing a dress that was shorter than anything I ever wore in the days of miniskirts, a man who was dressed for a business casual affair, a little girl who looked bored by it all. From my perch I could hear what sounded like Russian. The woman kept posing, the man kept taking her picture. The man would point for the girl to get in the picture. She wasn't cooperating. The man and girl tried to leave but the woman kept finding new spots to pose, and wanted more pictures. Then they finally drove off in their convertible. To the fancy hotel, I'm guessing. They sure weren't camping at Texas Springs Campground! It was very amusing.

Death Valley Days

2013-04-14T15:21:00.004-07:00

Day 16: Tusayan AZ to Furnace Creek, CA

410 Miles

Going from the cold to the desert. No need to unpack the heavy down comforter here! It was 30 degrees when we got up in Tusayan, and 90 degrees when we arrived in Death Valley at 5 pm. Decided on the Texas Spring Campground, in the hills above the Visitor Center.

Got set up, enjoyed the sunset, and cooked up a delicious Green Thai Chicken and Veggie Curry (thanks Trader Joe) while Lloyd caught up with Bill and Celynn back in White Salmon.

My pinot gris needed ice. The cooler needed ice. One side benefit of the cold nights in Grand Canyon: the 20 lb bag of ice we put in the cooler as we left Texas did not need replenishing until we left for Death Valley.

No electricity, but I had my headlamp. Our lantern mantel broke so it was useless. Nice and dark, the stars were awesome up there, but clouds started coming in...we went to bed and the wind picked up. And up. And up. People went scurrying into their tents and campers. Some left altogether. It was pretty wild. At one point I got up to go to the bathrooms. I could almost hear Auntie Em calling “Dorothy! Dorothy!” Untended campfires were sending sparks flying all through the campground. Crazy! I made it back safely, and fell asleep eventually. It was beautiful the next morning.

subtotal: 4,102 miles

Day 15: Grandest!

2013-04-14T15:11:00.002-07:00

Today we decided to explore further along the South Rim to Hermit's Rest.

Hiking the whole thing wasn't realistic, so we drove to the D lot, walked to the shuttle transfer station near Bright Angel. Got off at the first stop, Maricopa Point, then followed the trail around to The Abyss, where we mutually agreed we'd best hop shuttles to hit the last couple of view points. The 3.6 miles we did was enough, especially after all our foot time the day before.

It was beautiful, and so much fun to be right on the edge of the trail. Some of the drop offs were dizzying!

We were on our own a lot, especially where there was a mile between spots. People seem to be ok with .25 mile to .5 mile but more than that, they take the shuttle.

Grand prize for lack of manners goes to the hiker who had to defecate on the very edge of the trail, did not bother to try and cover it, except with toilet paper. Ugh. No, I did NOT take a photo.

This downward view is where a uranium mine was. If you know me, you are aware I do not particularly like heights. I think I had a rail for this one....or I just held the camera out and hoped for the best!

To celebrate our Grand Days, we had late lunch/early dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge restaurant. Lloyd had a burger, I had a turkey burger that was the best I've ever had. What was in that Cilantro sauce??? MMMMM. Shared a brownie pie and walked back to the D Lot happy. Several elk decided to stroll along with us, right down the street. Our last night in Grand Canyon.

I will put more pictures in an online album soon.

Day 14: GRANDER!

2013-04-14T14:46:00.001-07:00

Got in to the park early, snagged a spot in lot A, then hit the visitor center, and walked 0.7 miles to the Yavapai Geology Museum. Hiked the 1.9 mile Trail of Time along the Rim- Incredible!

Following the paved Rim Trail between the Yavapai Geology Museum and the Verkamp's Visitor Center on the South Rim, is an interpretive walking timeline that focuses on Grand Canyon vistas and rocks. It sure helps you to think about the magnitude of geologic time and the stories of the rock layers and landscapes. Brass markers every meter, representing one million years of time, keep you moving along. There are viewing tubes and displays of rocks related to the period, to help you connect the rocks visible in the Grand Canyon to their place along the geologic timeline. It was a very leisurely couple of miles!

We got to the Verkamps Visitor Center in time for another Ranger talk about the history of the Village area...then another Ranger talk about condors down near Bright Angel Lodge. Inside the lodge was a wonderful fireplace, built to show the different rock layers of the canyon.

We filled up our water bottles and headed to the Bright Angel Trailhead. This trail goes all the way to the bottom of the canyon. Since it was 4:45, we just did about a mile or so down, then the long climb back up as the sun got lower and lower in the sky. The rain managed to stay on the North Rim, away from us all day.

Lloyd accommodated my request for him to pose in a window.

It was a long day on our feet, but tonight we were not going to eat bad food. We got back to the campground, hit the grocery store for some Italian sausages, and made a nice spaghetti dinner with salad, and wine of course. And some online time for Lloyd, who is rocking my spare hat (he lost his).

Nights were cold (low 30s) and we were so glad we bought that little heater! It helped take the edge off in the evening, and made it easier to get that coffee going in the morning.

Day 13: GRAND!

2013-04-07T19:10:00.001-07:00

Prewitt, NM to Yusayan, AZ

300 miles

We made it to Grand Canyon! Though busy in the park for Easter Weekend, we found a spot at a quiet RV Park in Yusayan, just outside the south entrance gate. Not exactly scenic, but there were hot showers, food options, groceries and wi fi. Here's a creative traveler in the campground.

Lloyd's Senior Pass was used daily. Such a deal: turn 62, pay $10, you get in to National Parks free. Camp half price, which came in handy later in the trip. Nice.

After setting up, and having some refreshments (shown above), we headed to the Park and visited the Yavapai Geology Museum, caught a Ranger talk, and walked around a bit. LOTS of international visitors. Many Germans and Japanese. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Decided not to cook tonight, but went to a local steak house. Big mistake. Remind me to write that one up on Tripadvisor and Yelp.

Subtotal: 3,692 miles

Adios TX, Hello NM

2013-04-07T18:59:00.004-07:00

Day 11

551 Miles

Wednesday morning we set out for the return part of the trip. Our goal this day was the vicinity of Roswell, NM. Not too close, we didn't want to be abducted by aliens! We decided on Bottomless Lakes State Park, and it was lovely.

Believe it or not, it even had wi fi, much to Lloyd's delight. The full moon was beautiful, setting as the sun came up while Lloyd did his yoga.

We could have stayed longer...but we had to move on.

Subtotal 3,078 miles

Day 12: Roswell to Prewitt, NM

314 miles

Today we enjoyed back roads as much as possible to Bluewater Lake State Park.

Another lovely NM State Park. Early in the season, only part of the park was open. We did a little hiking around above the canyon, and down by the lake.

The rangers kindly waited to lock up the restrooms and showers until 9 pm (instead of 5 pm) eliminating the need to hike to the vault toilets in the closed area. There were enough of us there to warrant some extra consideration! Of course, my hopes that they would open them up again before 7 am were not realized, so at 6:50 I took the little hike to the vaults. Easier in daylight for sure.

We'd thought about going to Canyon de Chelly, but decided to spend the time at Grand Canyon instead. It would have taken us a bit out of the way, and we were carrying wine and beer that we didn't care to have confiscated or being fined for. It was a good call.

Subtotal 3,392 miles

Texas Days

2013-04-07T18:45:00.002-07:00

Houston side trip

Days 6-8

384 miles RT

While Lloyd was having too much fun tasting BBQ, hiking, and doing a 5K fun run with Keara, I moseyed on to Houston to see Alina and attend Rita's wedding. I enjoyed my little solo road trip in the Outlander. Lloyd had a little repair work to do on the Kia for Keara. It was a fine drive, and I was oh so proud of myself, thinking I was avoiding all the school time traffic as I rolled into Sugar Land via New Territory. Who knew that whole University area would be unrecognizable in such a short time?! I got totally turned around and ended up going through the dang school zones anyway. Good thing Jill had some nice cold wine waiting for me when I got out the other side. Had a great night with our old friends Seversons, with Roger's expertly made margaritas and take out Freebirds burritos. YUM!

The wedding in Alvin at Oakwinds B and B was lovely. Here is Steve with his beautiful daughter Rita on the way to meet her groom, Adam.

Alina and friend Gaby were among the bridesmaids for Rita. The bride, of course, was beautiful. Alina and Gaby looked pretty fine themselves, along with Rita's sisters Erin (maid of honor) and Zoe (bridesmaid). Here is the lovely Alina.

It was so much fun to see the Carlson-Stadler family again, and a few other of the FCST gang: Austgens (who hosted Alina and Conor), Landecks, Jameses, and Coach Tim with Shayla Hill. After the event, Alina, Conor and I sat up with the Austgens, savoring a glass or two of wine...of course. Here are Alina, Vivian Landeck and Gaby Austgen.

The kids had plenty of plans to work around. After a walk around the levy with Lupe, I dropped them in town to discover Downtown Houston, and went to have dinner with Melissa at a lovely Indian Restaurant near her. It was great catching up with another old friend. The night ended at Austgens again. More wine. Good times. Due to the obscenely early flights of Alina and Conor, they got a shuttle and I slept in. Met up with my Dem gals at Whole Foods for lunch, laughed a lot with Juanita Jean, Mojo and Geri, then headed back to Austin in time for dinner, stopping only for gas, coffee and some cinnamon rolls for Tuesday breakfast at Hruska's Bakery.

Keara and Lloyd had gone shopping, and she whipped up a fabulous dinner for us and her new roomies of pork tenderloin, asparagus, sweet potatoes and salad. Oh, and CHEESECAKE for dessert. Grandma's recipe of course. She's a chip off the old block. I think the roommates will keep her.

Our last day in Austin involved getting our coffee to go, and getting in line at Franklin BBQ so we'd be able to get in for lunch. It was an entertaining line, and we met a family just behind us from Alaska whose daughter had gone to school in Boston at Simmons, now living in Austin. Small world. The BBQ was fabulous. We followed that up with BYOB Mini Golf, then ran up to the cheap movies in Round Rock to see Django Unchained. Margs and a few appetizers at the Salty Sow, and we were done. A full day indeed! But why didn't I take pictures???

Subtotal 2,527 miles (not including gadding about)

Update

2013-04-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Haven't been able to post about Days 6-10 in Texas, 11-12 in NM, 13-15 in Grand Canyon, 16-18 in Death Valley. Motel last night with wifi, but Lloyd's computer crashed in Grand Canyon, so caught up with news on my Playbook, while he took care of business on the laptop. Not to worry, I'll fill you in as soon as I get home.

We drove through the Owens Valley yesterday after leaving Furnace Creek, and were unable to find a camping spot in June Lake (NFS and commercial places all still closed). Lee Vining had one RV park open with no 'facilities' (still winterized). Since we are not self contained in the sanitation dept, that was not an option. We checked a motel, but found out that there were NO dining options in town on Tues or Wed nights. Sigh. Onward another 25 miles to Bridgeport, which had motels, and ONE restaurant open til 8, which had a full bar, pool tables, burgers, pizza and 4 TVs with sports, including the Red Sox vs Yankees!!! Food, not memorable. Game? Priceless!

Road Trip: Day 5

2013-03-22T08:59:00.002-07:00

Abilene, TX to Austin, TX
235 miles
SHORT DAY!!!!

Took smaller highways, thru Coleman, Brady, and Llano. Relaxing drive through old cattle drive country. We made it to Keara's in early afternoon. Parked the camper in the front yard, temporarily, then took a walkabout over to the nearby Thunderbird Coffee House, then the LBJ Museum on the UT Campus. Too bad we only had an hour before it closed, but the nice lady at the desk gave us good advice: start on the 10th floor and work your way down. I will be back to spend more time there, guaranteed. It is a wonderful museum, so many memories of my growing up years...a must see, no matter what your political persuasion!

Keara was working/in class/at a meeting until 9, so after moving the camper to a better spot on the side driveway, we checked out a restaurant a few blocks away. El Chile was darn good. Had to evaluate their house margarita (two thumbs up), and the fajitas hit the hungry spot.

Nice visit with Keara, her roommate Olivia, and Olivia's bulldog Ruby, then we all went to bed. Yes, we slept in the camper. Lloyd slept fine. I will get some earplugs before I sleep out there again. Too much traffic noise for me. But that won't be until Monday...I'm off to Sugar Land today!!!

Subtotal: 2,143 miles

Road Trip: Day 4

2013-03-22T08:48:00.002-07:00

Rio Rancho, NM to Abilene, TX
499 miles

It was certainly a 'play all the music/start books on tape' kind of drive today. We listened to the first couple of discs of Molly Ivins' Who Let the Dogs Out, and all the Willie CDs again, several Paul Simons, plus Allison Krauss. I knew when Lloyd got to Texas, his zeal for road tripping would wane. But we pushed on, marveling at all the wind turbines (which don't look so bad here, as compared to in the Gorge).

Quit for the night just south of Abilene at a Best Western situated in a shopping area with walk to it food options. Outback Steak House...it had been a looooong time! One more leg to Austin!

Road Trip: Day 3

2013-03-22T08:40:00.004-07:00

Kingman, NV to Rio Rancho/Albuquerque, NM
474 Miles

Up an At 'Em, on the road again (yes, we did play our Willie Nelson cds). Today's drive was rather dull in comparison to the past two. Riding along Interstate 40, which is in serious need of maintenance. I actually felt bad for all the long haul truckers who have to drive it all the time. And there are a LOT of them. Just a reminder of how much of our commerce traverses the country on roads like these, along with the railway alongside. The investment our parents' generation made to build this infrastructure should be matched by our generation to maintain it. One only has to get off on one of the many Rt 66 exits to see the remains of those days, and how different things are now. We got gas in Gallup, NM, and drove through town just to get our kicks on Rt. 66.

The scenery improved greatly when we entered western NM. The roads, especially the bridge transition areas, did not. Thank God the trailer stayed on the hitch.

This night we met up for dinner with old Chevron friends Chuck and Linda Stelting, who retired to Rio Rancho, and our niece Faye, sister Janet's daughter, who teaches 1st grade in Albuquerque.

She's been in ABQ 14 years, when she transferred to UNM from her school in NH after freshman year. I think she likes it. Still felt like too much city for us. Spoiled by the State of the Gorge. But we did enjoy the heck out of seeing them all, and the margaritas at Sadie's really hit the spot!!! Another night at Days Inn down the road from Chuck and Linda's...and we were out the door early to see how close we could get to Austin...

Road Trip: Day 2

2013-03-22T08:27:00.002-07:00

Fernley, NV to Kingman, AZ
517 Miles

After a great night's sleep at the Best Western, we were up for another day's adventure. The only bad thing I can say: my personal hell is being stuck in any room, but especially a breakfast room, with Fox News. There is no news. All the snarky little insightful comments by the twinkie anchors makes a mockery of news reporting. Just give me the damn news and keep your comments to yourself, please. We slammed down our eggs and juice and coffee and hit the road sometime just after 8 am. Sadly, there is no NPR on the radio dial. All the lower end frequencies belong to Jesus.

We headed towards Fallon, and noticed interesting things along the way. Such as: there is a Naval Air Station in Fallon, Nevada. There is also a Coast Guard Station. What? So we decided to take note of interesting signs and places along the way. There is an Undersea Warfare Center in Hawthorne, NV, which is also home to the Army Ammunition Plant. There are acres and acres of ammo bunkers on both sides of Highway 95. (Sadly, that night there was a horrific accident with a mortar explosion during training. Seven Marines were killed.)

We stopped at a rest area and veterans memorial park in Hawthorne, mostly to deposit the remains of our morning coffee. The park was over run with Japanese tourists. I don't know where their bus was. Maybe getting gas.

Past Hawthorne, in Mina, we saw The Desert Lobster Cafe, and a sign on the road that said Lobster Crossing. Goldfield had the Santa Fe Bar and Saloon, with a sign proclaiming “the meanest bartender in Nevada”. And don't forget the brothels: The Mustang Ranch (Sparks), The Shady Lady Ranch (Tonopah), and Angel's Ladies (Beatty)- which was originally called Fran's Star Ranch...I do not lie. In Amargosa Valley (Area 51), DennisHof's Alien Travel Center boasted Brothel, Hot Sauce, Pictures and Souvenirs. The UK Daily Mail link for that was the funniest. I found it all very entertaining.

We decided to get as far past Vegas as we could, and aimed towards Kingman, AZ. After gassing up in Boulder City, we stopped at the Hoover Dam. We passed inspection at the security gate. I was relieved that when Lloyd opened the trailer door, a river of wine did NOT flow out, which means my case of camping wine is intact after the rogue camper adventure. We drove down to the dam and across the top on the old highway. There were tons of tourists, and a new visitor center. We had a great view of the new bridge, which opened in Oct 2010, to alleviate the traffic congestion, accidents and security problems that came from having the interstate highway go across the dam.

Deciding NOT to pay $7 to park, we headed back up to the new memorial park and walking path that takes you over the bridge. It had stairways and handicapped accessible ramping up to the display area and the bridge walk. Well done.

One of the displays told of the siting difficulties, and how they anchored the bridge in less than optimal rock. Below the examples of the embedded pins used to keep things in place are some of the actual cores, which kept my Geologist happy.

Beautiful geology, low Lake Mead, new visitor center on left. We'll save that for another time.

The views of the dam from the bridge were fantastic. I did look down, by the way, just a few times...

My Geologist says to note the fault blocks in the wall on the right. They match blocks on the other side as well. Who chose this damn dam site, anyways?

Here we are straddling AZ and NV. The two states matched the $100 million from the Feds, and another $50K came from other funding. A $250 million project that took 10 years, on budget, on schedule. And they chose the most difficult crossing to engineer, so that we, the people, could still see the dam. Thank you all for your cooperation. Made me think of the OR/WA CRC project, and what could be...

And here we are at the mid point of the span.

The arch isn't visible from this angle. The walkway is wide, and you are well protected from the traffic. When you are driving across, you cannot rubberneck to see the views (which is a good thing, remember: part of the reason for the bridge was all the accidents on the Dam road).

Bottom line, this is an excellent stretch your legs stop! I could have spent the better part of a day here, exploring the visitor center and taking pictures. Maybe on the way back?

The last 75 miles to Kingman were long, as the sun slowly set behind the Colorado River in the west.

The light was lovely for rock lovers, photo taken from a speeding car...

We found a room at a quiet Days Inn, at half the price of the Best Western across the street. A glass of wine, Chili's mango chicken with broccoli and rice, and I was ready for a good night's sleep. Again.

Road Trip: Day 1

2013-03-22T07:39:00.002-07:00

Sunriver, OR to Fernley, NV

419 miles

After a lovely weekend skiing and communing with the ONC-CGC gang, we departed Sunriver after breakfast on Sunday morning, St. Patrick's Day. Our plan was to be out by ten. We were all hooked up to the camper at the storage area and on the road just before the big hand hit the twelve. It was a beautiful, crisp cold day, with a fresh dusting of dry snow on the ground. No worries. Or so we thought.

We rolled down Hwy 97 to La Pine, affectionately known as LA Pine, where we turned east onto OR 31, a quiet two lane country road. All was going swimmingly, until we hit rail road tracks.

The camper which we thought was securely attached jumped the shark. The ball came out of the hitch. The safety chains flew off their slots. And the Coleman Destiny headed on a journey all its own, across the highway, soft landing in fresh soil on the side of the road. The tongue and battery were buried. The battery cover popped off, which made it handy for shoveling. The poor man following us pulled over to help (after his near heart attack). He and Lloyd engineered the extraction of the camper from where it was planted with our handy tow strap. It took several pulls on both sides of the axle from behind, a pull from the front (which only served to bury the tongue again), and magic levitation using 6 hands to get the tongue up and the wheel stand lowered. The only thing that was damaged was the rear bumper (which started pulling off during the first tow attempt) and Lloyd's pride. How did that damn thing come off? The good news (besides no one coming at the loose trailer head on) was that the ball bent up just enough that it now seats much better in the hitch cup. A slight delay, we were on our way in a lot less time than we thought.

The drive across SE Oregon was spectacular, especially for my resident Geologist. He wants to go back that way.

We stopped at a nice rest area in Summer Lake, where I got this picture of dust devils.

After crossing into NW California (east of Susanville...we did catch a glimpse of Lassen), we rolled on to Reno, where we originally planned to stop for the day. Reno was nuts. Reminded us too much of Houston. We pulled in to a BJ's Brewhouse for a cold one and some light appetizers for dinner, then drove on to Fernley, NV, a small military town east of Reno. A most hospitable and comfy Best Western meant a great night's sleep.

Darwin or Karma?

2013-03-05T09:49:00.001-08:00

Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People.

Time to retire that one.

In Polk County, OR, a guy was driving away in a stolen truck from the farmhouse he'd just burglarized. He was found dead at the wheel. Angry victim with a gun take him out? One of those young men who parade around town with their AKs happen on the scene? Nope, it's even better.

This genius stole a couple of firearms, a rifle and a shotgun. They were found on the passenger side floor of the truck, barrels pointing towards the driver. A sheriff's spokesman said that a lever on the shotgun must have been jostled into the trigger guard of the rifle and fired it.

Yep, the guns got their revenge. For some strange reason, The Brave Little Toaster came into my mind. Are they coming alive when we aren't looking?????

How to Write a SOTU Response

2013-02-13T12:44:00.004-08:00

My friend Valerie has discovered the key to writing GOP speeches.

This could become the new Dem party game!

Now THIS is funny!

2013-02-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

As a marine biologist in another life, with a mother who STILL watches Lawrence Welk every Saturday night after her supper of hot dogs and beans...this one cracked me up yesterday. Thanks, Don Piraro.

It's wunnerful, wunnerful!

File in the "I can't believe someone thinks this is funny" category

2013-02-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

We got in late last night from Olympia and the Washington State Democrats Central Committee meeting, so I missed reading Saturday's paper. This morning I caught up before tackling the Sunday Oregonian. Front page, below the fold:

Gay bar drops blackface drag show after protests

Hundreds of people have protested the appearance of Chuck Knipp, a well known comedian from Texas. Why? Because Mr. Knipp performs as Shirley Q. Liquor, a character Knipp describes an "inarticulate black welfare mother with 19 children." Sorry, Texas friends, but another of your exports is not doing you proud. But it's not just him.

The manager of The Eagle was caught by surprise when regular customers spoke out against the booking on the bar's Facebook page. "I never in a million years thought there would be so much hate and anger over having Shirley Q. Liquor here. I didn't think this could be a huge race issue. But if this hurts one person, that's one person too many." Really? You didn't think it could be a huge race issue?

He's only trying to diversify the club, you see...to lose the bar's image as being hostile to women. (insert sound of me smacking my head). I turned to page 6 to continue...Mr. Manager hails from South Carolina, where Knipp often performs to packed houses. I'll bet. Shirley Q. shows have drawn protests in other cities. But he didn't see this coming in PORTLAND???

Still shaking my head in disbelief. I am 60 years old. It is 2013. And there are still people who think this stuff is FUNNY? Thank you to all those who stood up and said no.

Compensation on Display

2013-01-11T10:26:00.001-08:00

After my little post yesterday about Gun Appreciation Day, Juanita Jean went ballistic, so to speak, taking the gun nuts to task and renaming their celebration "I Have A Small Winkie Day".

While she was pondering the size of these crazy guys' privates, more evidence of her theory was being recorded in Oregon. A pair of 22 year olds, one from Medford so familiar to police that top officials know him by name and the other from Gresham. They took a few strolls- through downtown Gresham and Southeast Portland- with assault style rifles slung over their backs- an AR-15 and a similar long gun, plus a handgun on one guy's belt. The men marched up and down Powell Boulevard, passing West Gresham Grade School, the post office and other stores several times.

Why? The young man from Gresham was happy to oblige interviewers and get his 15 minutes of fame. The guy who declined to comment says it all on his FB page: He was home schooled (not very well, if you count all the spelling errors) and is "a full flesh libertarian and a gun right extremest. We the people should control our government and bring us back to when we had and own our Life, Liberty and Property."

Their intent was "to educate the public and open their eyes to something they could come up and talk about." And you know, open lines of communication with the cops so they don't over react to someone with a gun. And they video their adventures in education to post on youtube. Just to help educate us.

Yeah, right. I'm gonna walk right up to two young guys with semi automatic assault weapons on their backs and ask if I can touch one. I can just hear what Juanita Jean would say...

Well, it worked out really well, for the demonstrators of their Second Amendment Rights anyway. No one was hurt. No charges were filed because they were not doing anything illegal. Both have concealed hand gun licenses. They were simply making a political statement.

For the general public, and the police department, not so well. Their strolls prompted 10 calls to 9-1-1, scared the you know what out of customers (including mothers with young children) in a coffee shop, sent a shop owner and employees into hiding after locking the front door, and sent a day care center into lock down. No harm done.

These boys have a life threatening case of Stupid. Just because something is technically legal doesn't mean you should be doing it.

Timing is Everything

2013-01-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

In honor of President Obama's Inauguration and MLK Day, our County Democrats are holding an Inauguration Breakfast in the hallowed hall of our campaign HQ, which is conveniently attached to Katina's Cafe (where I gained my 5 Pounds for Obama, and a heavy caffeine habit over the course of the six weeks we were there). The President has called for a Day of Service on Saturday, Jan. 19th. We're working on something appropriate, but may move our efforts to post breakfast on Monday, while we have people gathered in one place.

Why, oh why, am I NOT surprised that the Pro Gun Nuts have decided to piggy back on January 19th with their very own Gun Appreciation Day ? Lock and Load at www.GunAppreciationDay.com.Gag.

On 01.19.13 go to your local gun store, gun range or gun show with your Constitution, American flags, and 'Hands Off My Guns' sign to send a loud and clear message to Congress and President Obama.

I am beyond repulsed. If you are, too, then please join President Obama's call for a National Day of Service. Maybe, cue Steppenwolf, these insane people will go to their gun ranges, fire all of their guns at once, and..explode into space.

Just a Big Mistake. Really.

2013-01-08T11:57:00.005-08:00

I have never been a fan of Ticketmaster. I hate all the big 'transaction fees' and the snafus trying to buy tickets online. Why they need such a big transaction fee even when you are doing electronic tickets is beyond me. What a racket. Then they sell out almost immediately, but you can instantly find tickets at higher prices on the secondary sites. I hate that.

So when I read about this today, it made me really glad I wasn't joining many of my fellow National Delegates for the trip to DC for the Inauguration. Many of them were trying to get tickets to the Inaugural Ball. There are only two official ones this year, and one is the Military Ball, for servicemen and women. Several succeeded, while others sat forever online while their computers whirred hopelessly. If you thought, after a totally unreasonable amount of time, that your computer was locked up, and tried again, you'd lose your place in the virtual cue.

Some of the faithful were not happy that, after a year of time and effort working to reelect the President, after daily onslaughts of emails with updates, planning, and never ending requests for money, that they would have gotten the inside track on when tickets would go on sale. I suppose they should look at it as a very democratic process...with no inside track. Sadly, the people with the inside track were email subscribers to Ticketmaster.

I had no plans to fly to DC in January. I have been to DC in winter. My sister and brother in law flew out from PDX last time to attend the inauguration in the freezing cold, wrapped up in their most heavy duty winterwear. I prefer my winter outdoor exposure to include calorie burning exercise that allows me to wear thin layers of clothing even when the temps are in the 20s. And friends of mine know, I'm not much of a 'Ball' girl, unless it's the MLB kind of ball. Which reminds me of a story.

When we lived in Lagos (91-97), the big deal of the year was attending the Marine Ball. It was like prom. Everyone would get dressed to the nines and go to cocktail parties at each others' houses before heading in town for the big event. We were part of the Marine Ball Not gang. We'd have a big dinner party at one of our homes, and play board games until the wee hours. We didn't dress up. We didn't dance. We did eat, drink and listen to music. And play nerdy board games like Risk. Or my favorite, Songburst 50s and 60s edition, where teams had to correctly finish singing a phrase from a tune, given the year, the band, and the first few words. I still have it, by the way...it may be time to dust it off for a game night.

In 1995, I had to rethink our plan. Our Marine Ball Not Party was almost a disaster. My soon to be fired cook... who I hadn't wanted in the first place because I like to cook myself, but felt pressure to give him a job...had been told to make some aloo tiki (Indian potato fritters) with chutney dip as one of my appetizer contributions. I went next door to the Marine Ball party for a bit, took some pictures for them, had a few drinks, and came home to find no cook, and no appetizers. I looked in the oven, thinking maybe he had put them in there to keep warm. I could SMELL them, but I couldn't find them. Finally I looked in the trash can. There they were. They had exploded upon frying- he dumped them and ran. And never completed the other appetizers. Fortunately, the cocktail party next door had to leave with plenty of food uneaten. I collected their leftovers and our party was saved.

And so we were beholden to the Maurers, who told us that we WOULD be going to the ball in 1996 because it was the 75th anniversary of the Marine Ball. They would buy tickets for us if we didn't, so get prepared. I took them seriously, and gave the local tailor one of Lloyd's suits for size, and he made a tuxedo for him (for a whopping $50 or $60- Lloyd still has it). And I bought some nice fabric and a pattern while I was on home leave, to make a fabulous dress. It was OK. The cocktail party was great, I drank enough to dance a few times, the ceremony was awesome, and it was fun talking to some of the young Marines at our table, so far from home. We were transferred back to the States before the next one, so I was glad I went. Once.

The cook? Well, the holidays were approaching. I gave Victor his food basket, some severance pay, and sent him on his way. I took back my kitchen with Gladys, the housekeeper/nanny who could cook better anyway. And we all stopped gaining weight without Victor's killer croissants and breads.

Will They Get Continuing Ed Credit?

2013-01-03T14:59:00.000-08:00

Freshman legislator Liz Pike from Camas, WA (do I need to bother putting in the R?) is planning to file a bill to change state law and allow teachers to carry concealed weapons in the classroom.

In her bid to get lots of attention at the front of this issue, before she even takes office, she is proposing that teachers would (in their spare time?) undergo mental health screening and gun training at their own expense before they can carry their weapon on a belt or in a holster. Won't that make all the kids and parents feel safe??? And it won't cost the district a dime!

Don't worry, every school district would get to decide whether teachers can carry. Permits would be confidential- only law enforcement and the superintendent would know who's packing. I guess the principal, coworkers and parents don't need that info.

No doubt there will be plenty of dialogue to (hopefully) shoot down this trial balloon.

Resolutions 2013

2013-01-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

1. Do NOT ignore Far From The Pahk.
2. Keep stirrin' it. There's a ton of stuff to work on.

That is all.