Category: Vacation 1

The Columbia River.

Looking back on the Columbia.

My truck is waiting for me to quit shooting photos.

More of that cool formation.

Looking back at the raging river. Pretty calm here…

SlideShow (Missoula Run)

Breakfast = Shredded wheat, granola, bananas and powdered milk.

This view is better than sitting in front of my office monitor. :-)

Ok, the road is a bit boring…

SlideShow (East Oregon)

I’m at a rest stop just East of Ontario, Oregon. This is the place where Jack blew his original engine when we were moving to Driggs, and where he got his new boxed 360.

This is my first night in the new canopy layout and I have to say, pretty comfy! I truly have everything I need here, except a shower :-) I’m using an 11 Mbps connection called roadconnect and I’m assuming it’s a courtesy wi-fi for travelers.

Heading straight across Oregon tomorrow, through Bend and on to Eugene. I’ve been to both those towns before, but never taken this route. It should be beautiful country so I’ll grab some shots and post them tomorrow evening. Next day, the Oregon coast!

Steph and I have been prepping my new Home Away From Home for the last couple of days. The bed of the truck has a gnarly ribbed surface that has been totally negated with a nice piece of Mahogany. The tailgate ribs were replaced with a hand-made knee pad.

The sleeping unit consists of multiple foam layers. There are containers for my stuff, a shelf, with water and a single burner cooking stove rounding out the back.

Here’s a little composite video from my Seattle trip.

It starts out with an old couple posing with the Gold Guy. The man spots me video taping him so he figures he better offer up a tip :-)

Then there’s a brief look at the early Pikes Place Market crowd followed by a couple of clips of the Komen Puget Sound Race for the Cure that was happening up on 2nd.

Finally I do a walk through of the Market with camera held casually in my right hand. That handsome, broad shouldered young man at the beginning is my son Riley. Notice how he spots my camera (at 2:20) and smiles :-)

I left Kent, WA. early this morning in the rain. By the time I’d navigated up to the Pass I was surrounded by semis in a furious downpour when I hit standing water on the road. It was at that moment that me and my new little truck bonded.

The new used Goodyear tires with great tread that P.J’s mounted for me yesterday for $170 balanced, taxed and out the door, held their line and we made it through without a wiggle!

I’ve been cruising all day down the Southern route, through Boise and I’m now sitting at a Rest Stop due East of Twin Falls. I’m hoping to extract just enough juice from the distant neighbors to launch this post.

Bottom line: the truck is performing amazingly and if you’re reading this son, thank you and I love you!

Greyhound is just pathetic. The trips are long and drawn out and most of the passengers are just slow, sad and loud. Oh, and they all smoke!

Anyway, I’ve arrived in Seattle and I’m sitting at the Pike Place Market overlooking the waterfront. Not a bad day, a little overcast and the aromas are just driving me crazy. As soon as I post this I’m going to grab a pork Hum-bow for a morning snack.

Riley and Jess are heading up here this morning to grab me and maybe have some Chicken Adobo. They should be here in about an hour or so.

Sorry I can’t post any photos, all my connect tools are stashed away in my backpack but I’ll take a bunch today and post them tonight back at Riley’s place.

The truck is almost in my hands…

Update: I’ve just processed a set of photos I call Driggs To Market. These are shots of the Butte station, the diner across the street where I ate, along with some market shots and a couple from the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure that was happening up on 2nd.

I’ve been putting a lot of work into a program that presents lists of places, by state and category, that display on a Google map. You can load it up Here!

This is really a personal assistant to facilitate my travels this summer but if you venture out into the Western States you might find it of value.

Here’s an example of California State Parks:

Here’s my new truck. It’s a 1988 Mazda B2200 extended cab with 87K miles. Riley and his buddy installed a new timing belt along with points, plugs, rotor etc…

Tires are next, maybe a new battery. Steph’s creating black curtains all the way around and I’ll be putting a foam bed in, along with camping equipment.

It’s a 5-speed so the mileage should be great. Interior pictures forthcoming.

I love my old truck Jack but there’s no place to sleep, and he only gets 10 mpg…

The time is approaching… I will be quitting my job on June 1, 2012, cashing out my retirement and traveling around the warm part of the United States for three months.

This is the item at the top of my bucket list, and I’m pouring it all out! I’m sixty five years old, in questionable health, and I have no health insurance. Medicare? Don’t ask…

It’s not one of those ride off into the sunset scenarios. I have a home here in the valley, and a partner. It’s just something I need to do before I die. My employer has accepted my resignation and while they can’t guarantee my re-hire based on State rules, there is an understanding that I will re-apply the first of September.

My son Riley is prepping a sweet little 1988 Mazda B2200 pickup that’s a second owner vehicle and has been in the family since his grandmother acquired it from it’s first owner. 86K miles, 2.2-liter in-line four-cylinder sweety with a canopy for sleeping.

We’re going to make it extremely road ready and I’ll pick it up when I roll into Seattle on Sunday, June 3. I’ll stock up on travel supplies and depart Seattle on Tuesday, June 5.

The agenda is to hug the Pacific coastline heading south, all the way to San Diego, and then turning left, to the tip of Florida. I’ve done the Pacific run before and driven, flown and hitch-hiked the southern states, but I’ve never driven from San Diego to Miami.

I’m old and it will be my last run.

I’ll be living out of the truck, enjoying the beaches, showering at an occasional 24 Hour Fitness (getting a three month contract…) and maybe an occasional cheap motel.

I’ll also be borrowing bandwidth at every opportunity and documenting the adventure on this blog, which I started on June 6 last year after returning from Vegas.

Thanks for following my eclectic posts, and please stay tuned…