Category: Vacation 1

We’re in Columbia Missouri, our layover for tonight. It’s been a hot muggy run from our camp last night in Nebraska on into central Missouri. We’re 470 miles (8 hours) from our deestination.

The room we got here is pretty nice, great price ($44 total) and shower water so hard and slimy I was freaking out, I couldn’t get it off my body! I don’t know how people here deal with their water, but of course I’m spoiled with our well water at home that runs from the Grand Tetons 15 miles away:-)

The radio has been really entertaining as we rolled across the Heartland of America. Mike Huckabee started a revolution by stating that today was Chick-fil-A day and urged people to buy some chicken. This is all about same-sex marriage activists urging a boycott because the CEO stated he was against it.

Thousands of people in thousands of locations mobbed the stores and Huckabee urged them on his radio show to call in. It was cool to have those calls coming from states that we were either in or close to.

We got a nice early start this morning and I pulled into the Maverick gas station in Jackson Hole to fuel up before heading through the mountains to Pinedale.

It was only 0530 but they had this terrific hot dog layout and it caused me to crave a hot dog all thru the morning.

Laramie was our fuel stop around noon and we pulled into pump 23 and paid $3.23 for $23.00 of gas. Since 23 is my number I figured it was a sign, and they had hot dogs!

I knew something was amiss when I spotted the almost empty jar of un-refrigerated Mayonnaise. The clerk said “Oh, we never refrigerate that! Ok, skip that. There were little packages of Ranch, little packages of onions, a jar of ketchup an open container of relish and a chili dispenser. I used them all.

There was one hot dog left which I grabbed and Steph had a sausage dog, and thus was born the road dog from hell.

I figured if could just get an hour down the road without convulsions, I would be OK. I made it…

Just past North Platte Nebraska we spotted a camping sign off I80 which turned out to be a bible camp. We are now hunkered down in a cool spot by the camp, reading our bibles. (Update: Some folks have questioned this… It’s pure facetiousness of course :-)

We ended up dancing naked to Country music under a rising full moon and a setting sun. (Update: Some folks have questioned this… Yes, it happened :-)

I was having breakfast with my grand-daughter Shelby in Dana Point a few days ago and told her that I see her little mug every morning when I get out of bed. I told her it was a picture of her and brother John resting their heads on Riley’s shoulders.

Just in case she thinks I was kidding, here you go Shelbs:

Here’s the original :-)

And more from a road trip back in the previous decade…

All of the traveling I’ve done this summer has altered my perception of home. As I rolled through the beauty of the dry farms yesterday afternoon I thought of all the places I’d been recently and realized I hadn’t seen anything as beautiful as this.

I was also comparing the large cities that I survived and realized Teton Valley kicks their butt in so many ways! The people that live in these cities have lost sight of what living peacefully is like. Southern California is the worst: the fast cars, the silicone body parts and the general pretentiousness is really crazy. They fly around the freeways like lunatics while submitting themselves to hours locked in traffic just to reach their favorite giant multiple story fitness club.

San Francisco has charm but the traffic and the pace of life doesn’t allow them to enjoy it. Oregon has a beautiful coast but the cities (Portland, Salem, Eugene…) suffer from the same overcrowded strip-mall syndrome that seems to be synonymous with city life in America. Utah and Arizona are really just big hot deserts consisting of sand and sagebrush, with an occasional city.

All of that was in my head as I came into downtown Driggs and looked at our one stoplight with relief. Having seen life outside this valley I realize there is no other place I want to be. It’s great to be home.

I love driving my age. Owning two great old 5-speed Mazdas has taught me their sweet spot, which is three thousand RPM, equating to 65 MPH. These girls love to cruise at this level, they get terrific gas mileage, and last a long time. Steph’s Lucy sometimes gets 40 to the gallon and my new girl Jill gets 30.

Having just returned home from a wild west road trip I can attest to the sixty five philosophy! If you’re in a 70 or 80 MPH zone everyone passes and you can check them out! It’s entertaining and sometimes they make eye contact and share a hand gesture…

The wear and tear on the vehicle and tires is minimal and by going slower than traffic, they pass you and move on, creating a nice safety bubble on the highway.

I just turned 66 and I notice the speedometer has adjusted accordingly…

I pulled up to a gas pump off I-80 this morning, somewhere between the Bay Area and Sacramento, and had a funny thought:

“I don’t know where I am, but at least I’m out of there!”

My buddy Betty recently commented on the fact that I had no beach shots. Well, I was just waiting for the Pacific Ocean beaches to have nobody on them but me.

SlideShow (One Of Twelve)

It was 98 degrees as I pulled out of Lake Havasu City Arizona at 0430, determined not to stop until I found a stretch of land not comprised of sand and sagebrush. I think I overdid it because I just now ran out of land.

The homeless couple who visit Teton Valley in the summer told me to forget San Diego as a starting point for my cruise up the coast. They suggested La Jolla, so that’s where I went.

A pretty place, but crazy. Maybe I’m not acclimated to Southern California yet but four-way stops with a lot of people crossing all directions just doesn’t work, and I’m just an old Idaho guy who yields to pedestrians instead of using them as target practice.

Speaking of traffic, I-5 was quite entertaining. I hung out in the outside lane doing 65 and watched the show. They drive real fast and aggressive, cutting each other off constantly, like this is just the way they drive here.

Anyway, it turned out I couldn’t find the Coast Highway from La Jolla so I moved North to Del Mar. A few things I observed: The beaches cost $7 dollars to use, per vehicle, and there were a ton of people paying that fee. The drive is tortuously slow with ill-planed stop signs and very long lights. Holy traffic issues, Batman.

Tomorrow, visiting grand-daughter Shelby :-)

Ahhh, having fun in the desert! I blew through Vegas during morning rush hour by following the route 93 signs to Kingman, AZ. The last time I came this way I had to grind over the Hoover Dam on a two lane road. I kept waiting to hit the dam site but they built a freeway over the mountain, sweet!

It’s been a year of extremes for me, from -35 in the dead of winter to, yes, you guessed it, 119 isn’t a mile marker :-) Coming out of Needles CA into the Mojave desert my car thermometer topped out at 119. The windows were down, doing 65, and the sun wasn’t shining on it. Crazy!

Dead tires litter the landscape everywhere. I’m not concerned, I have four sweet used tires I picked up in Kent, WA. Ok, make that two. I stopped in Kingman for an oil change and when Jill was up on the lift the owner of the shop called me over. He pointed out that two of those used tires were starting to fall apart. Why yes they were… Visions of me on the side of the road in the middle of the desert, unloading my truck to change a tire caused me to fork out my debit card for two new tires up front, with the two decent used ones in the back. It’s still risky, but check this out:

The name of the shop is All American Tire. That caught my attention as I do a lot of business with All American Tire and Brake in Victor, both with our Trpta busses and my personal vehicles. So I asked the owner if this is a chain. He said no, this is the original and we have another one in Victor Idaho. :-) What a small amazing world. The guys who started the Victor store all migrated from this little shop in Kingman Arizona. Everybody here knows everybody there and once the word got out shop people were walking up to me smiling and saying “So, you’re from Driggs?” Holy coincidence, Batman!

SlideShow (Marker 44)

SlideShow (Road Food)

We were driving back home on Sunday when I passed a Washington state trooper sitting in the median. He immediately pulled out as I drove by and then pulled me over. I knew I wasn’t speeding because it was a 75 zone and I keep my speed at 65. I had my license ready for him and Steph was gathering paperwork, as he approached my window.

I should note here that I have a super clean commercial license, I’ve passed an FBI fingerprint background check and the truck is licensed and insured, so I wasn’t sweating it. I should also note that I don’t wear a shoulder strap, which is why he stopped me.

I explained to him that I have a condition (known as Costochondritis) which emulates chest pain and is caused by irritation of the junction of the ribs and breastbone. For a long time I thought I had heart issues but by putting the shoulder strap behind my back, they went away. He told me I should go to my doctor and get a note. I told him I don’t have a doctor. Am I supposed to put the note up to the window every time I pass a cop?

Anyway, he gave me a warning and I proceeded on. It got me to thinking whether shoulder straps really are required by law. As far as I can tell, in Washington state, they are not. Here’s what the Washington State drivers manual says:

“If your vehicle has a two-part seat belt system, be sure to wear and properly adjust them both, with the shoulder belt over your shoulder and not under your arm or behind your back.”

The key wording there is “be sure to” as opposed to “you must”. That’s like your mom urging you to keep your gloves on while playing outside on a cold day. You’re not going to get spanked if you don’t!

btw: here’s the Idaho Law.

Well, we finally did the great Kent Cornucopia with Riley and Jessica today. This event is much bigger than I remember and a bunch of fun.

We’re now down in Bonney Lake eating burgers with Steph’s family and then on the way home tomorrow…

Hung out at Riley and Jessica’s house last night and a couple of Riley’s childhood friends (Andrew and Ilya) dropped by along with Andrews mom Sheila. I’ve known these guys for more than twenty years. It was great to see them! I hope the photos aren’t too dark, it’s hard to tell on my netbook. :-)

Washington State has lost it’s mind! I went to the store today and picked up a bottle of vodka. The price was $16.99, two dollars more than I pay in Idaho. Oh well, I thought…

When the lady said $27.02 I thought she had simply pressed the wrong key. Nope! Put this at the top of your list of reasons to stay out of the state of Washington:

$16.99 plus $6.60 WA LIQUOR TAX plus $3.48 SALES TAX (20.50%) = $27.02.

I knew when flaming liberal Christine Gregoire became Governor in that corrupt race a few years back, that taxes were going up, but this is Insane!

The voters in Washington State passed Initiative 1183 which effectively ended the states monopoly on liquor. Beginning June 1 you could buy alcohol in a variety of stores and everyone was happy, until the state got it’s revenge…