Well we have been home sleeping in our own bed (and using our own private bathroom just steps from that bed, ah, luxury!) for just over a week now and the reality of retirement is starting to set in. We were able to spend most of the first week playing catch-up; with household chores, people we had been missing, finances needing to be attended, etc. What now?
We cleared things off the DVR watching more TV in the past week than we had seen in the past month and a half (funny we hadn't missed it much!). We cleaned the garage. We have gone through closets and bedrooms because amazingly it turned from summer to fall while we were away. What a tough transition that has been - I have been living in sandals except when we hiked and shorts except at night when it was too cold in our tent. Putting on jeans and real shoes was a shock to the system! I can't even imagine if I have to do heels and dress clothes again sometime.
I am trying hard not to feel like I need to "schedule" fun and activities for us. It was a real treat to live day to day like we did on our trip. But I also know that to spend time with others, especially those still working, we need to plan and put days / times on calendars. Part of this retirement transition will be to find a happy medium. But don't you worry about us :) We have several more trips coming up to look forward to! I just need to get used to some unstructured days at home without feeling like there must be a purpose or accomplishment for each of them (or dollars spent to entertain us). I will let you know how that goes and feel free to throw some ideas or suggestions our way.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Mission Accomplished
Home Sweet Home! For those of you who have been with us since the inception of this adventure, you may remember the original mission was simply to hit the road as school got started so it didn't seem so strange that we weren't going back there. We made that happen. If you are considering retirement ("going-thru-the-change" as I titled this whole blog) I highly recommend you do something off the cuff and out of your normal routine and comfort zone to get you going. It doesn't have to be a massive road trip but I can tell you it has been a heck of a ride!
The next part of the mission was to do a honeymoon of sorts making sure we could survive all this new togetherness. Once again, "winning!". It was remarkable talking about our adventure and our day, and making new memories together (even as they already start to blend and overlap) and not talk about work, money, politics - we really tuned out and focused on living in the moment for the most part.
Somehow over the last school year, what started as a joking comment of "wouldn't it be fun to do our own amazing race and let other people tell us where to go" became real so in summary, here goes:
40 days
17 states
29 National Parks and National Monuments visited
12 major cities explored
Over 600 photos
Just under 12000 miles
Things we "shoulda" done:
Packed binoculars
Taken a "welcome to ...fill in state name here" photo each time we entered a new one so our photos would be divided that way
Packed a set of flannel sheets
Kept track of each individual National Park entry fee so we knew what we saved with our Annual Pass purchase
Things we did right:
Let others make choices and plans - we did and saw things we never would have without their participation.
Lived without a long term plan - increased our communication and working together skills
Cooked meals - we lost weight!
National Park Annual Pass
Gas Buddy app - saved as much as $.40 a gallon in places
This blog - to help us remember each day
Now, on to new adventures. I doubt that we'll do another six weeks any time soon (we have too many short trips coming in the next 6 months and a grand baby on the way) but we'll certainly be willing to throw gear in the back, hop in the truck and hit the road on a minute's notice when an idea or offer crops up. We already are talking about a ballparks tour next summer :)
Our next challenge will be settling in at home together (getting back on a tight budget and paying off the credit card-if it wasn't for gas this trip would have been REALLY inexpensive), continuing to eat right, getting in some good hikes when their isn't something brand new and "way cool" to entice us on, and finding our new roles in our rural community. I promise to drop in here every so often to let interested readers know how it all progresses. Thanks for reading and for following us as we explored and learned!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The next part of the mission was to do a honeymoon of sorts making sure we could survive all this new togetherness. Once again, "winning!". It was remarkable talking about our adventure and our day, and making new memories together (even as they already start to blend and overlap) and not talk about work, money, politics - we really tuned out and focused on living in the moment for the most part.
Somehow over the last school year, what started as a joking comment of "wouldn't it be fun to do our own amazing race and let other people tell us where to go" became real so in summary, here goes:
40 days
17 states
29 National Parks and National Monuments visited
12 major cities explored
Over 600 photos
Just under 12000 miles
Things we "shoulda" done:
Packed binoculars
Taken a "welcome to ...fill in state name here" photo each time we entered a new one so our photos would be divided that way
Packed a set of flannel sheets
Kept track of each individual National Park entry fee so we knew what we saved with our Annual Pass purchase
Things we did right:
Let others make choices and plans - we did and saw things we never would have without their participation.
Lived without a long term plan - increased our communication and working together skills
Cooked meals - we lost weight!
National Park Annual Pass
Gas Buddy app - saved as much as $.40 a gallon in places
This blog - to help us remember each day
Now, on to new adventures. I doubt that we'll do another six weeks any time soon (we have too many short trips coming in the next 6 months and a grand baby on the way) but we'll certainly be willing to throw gear in the back, hop in the truck and hit the road on a minute's notice when an idea or offer crops up. We already are talking about a ballparks tour next summer :)
Our next challenge will be settling in at home together (getting back on a tight budget and paying off the credit card-if it wasn't for gas this trip would have been REALLY inexpensive), continuing to eat right, getting in some good hikes when their isn't something brand new and "way cool" to entice us on, and finding our new roles in our rural community. I promise to drop in here every so often to let interested readers know how it all progresses. Thanks for reading and for following us as we explored and learned!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, September 17, 2011
In a Day
Our Oklahoma destination, chosen by Bonnie Powell, was Oklahoma City. In April 1889, with the land rush, the population went from nothing to over 10,000 in one day! In April of 1995, the city (and we as a nation in many respects) changed in one day. Our assigned mission was to visit the Oklahoma City National Monument.
The monument and adjoining museum are not there to remind us of the tragedy of the bombing. It does seek to focus on the outcome of violence as a response to discord, but mainly it is a testament to the resilience and humanitarianism of our people in the most difficult of times. We spent hours there because we simply couldn't walk on without reading each piece or viewing each photo and artifact.
I don't think I can truly describe what this visit meant. Those of you who know me know what a stoic I am. I don't often cry in public. I spent most of these hours with my hand clasped over my mouth trying to hold back the loud sobs that kept rising up. I was unsuccessful. But in the midst of the heartache and gut-retching feelings I knew I needed to be here. Standing outside in the shade of the survival tree, viewing the empty chairs for each victim including the little chairs for the children, seeing the list of survivors on the piece of wall still standing, and knowing how precious every moment in life is. Thank you Bonnie for making sure we understood.
We had a very quiet lunch in the Bricktown area and took a long walk beside the canal that runs through it. Guess what I found; another bronze sculpture set depicting the land rush! This one is still in process and will be added to for the next 4 years until it reaches a length longer than a football stadium. The Bricktown area is filled with restaurants and you can ride water taxis on the canal similar to a small version of San Antonio. Very cute.
Our next stop, after a driving tour of downtown, was out to the park area where several museums, the zoo, and the racetrack are located. Although the thoroughbred races aren't live until the evening, it is a huge place and they were using the jumbotron that broadcasts the races to show college football. It wasn't the Mizzou game - go figure. Must be because that game doesn't start until this evening. Why else would they NOT be showing Mizzou football in Oklahoma?
Now that we have completed our assigned missions and destinations, we are pointing the truck toward home. We went as far as Stillwater, Oklahoma to spend the night with Caryne and Greg Salyer. It was so great to see them in their home environment! We got an upclose tour of the OSU athletic facilities that Greg takes care of. Then we took a short driving tour of some of Stillwater including the drive thru liquor barn; too funny! And we enjoyed dinner and great conversation for the night. We offered up a toast to her siblings, the newlyweds, Crystal and Troy, who were having their Chicago reception this evening that we missed.
Tomorrow we head for Missouri!
Stats:
207 miles
Gas $41.60
Lunch $14.72
Museum $20
Dinner $58.15
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The monument and adjoining museum are not there to remind us of the tragedy of the bombing. It does seek to focus on the outcome of violence as a response to discord, but mainly it is a testament to the resilience and humanitarianism of our people in the most difficult of times. We spent hours there because we simply couldn't walk on without reading each piece or viewing each photo and artifact.
I don't think I can truly describe what this visit meant. Those of you who know me know what a stoic I am. I don't often cry in public. I spent most of these hours with my hand clasped over my mouth trying to hold back the loud sobs that kept rising up. I was unsuccessful. But in the midst of the heartache and gut-retching feelings I knew I needed to be here. Standing outside in the shade of the survival tree, viewing the empty chairs for each victim including the little chairs for the children, seeing the list of survivors on the piece of wall still standing, and knowing how precious every moment in life is. Thank you Bonnie for making sure we understood.
We had a very quiet lunch in the Bricktown area and took a long walk beside the canal that runs through it. Guess what I found; another bronze sculpture set depicting the land rush! This one is still in process and will be added to for the next 4 years until it reaches a length longer than a football stadium. The Bricktown area is filled with restaurants and you can ride water taxis on the canal similar to a small version of San Antonio. Very cute.
Our next stop, after a driving tour of downtown, was out to the park area where several museums, the zoo, and the racetrack are located. Although the thoroughbred races aren't live until the evening, it is a huge place and they were using the jumbotron that broadcasts the races to show college football. It wasn't the Mizzou game - go figure. Must be because that game doesn't start until this evening. Why else would they NOT be showing Mizzou football in Oklahoma?
Now that we have completed our assigned missions and destinations, we are pointing the truck toward home. We went as far as Stillwater, Oklahoma to spend the night with Caryne and Greg Salyer. It was so great to see them in their home environment! We got an upclose tour of the OSU athletic facilities that Greg takes care of. Then we took a short driving tour of some of Stillwater including the drive thru liquor barn; too funny! And we enjoyed dinner and great conversation for the night. We offered up a toast to her siblings, the newlyweds, Crystal and Troy, who were having their Chicago reception this evening that we missed.
Tomorrow we head for Missouri!
Stats:
207 miles
Gas $41.60
Lunch $14.72
Museum $20
Dinner $58.15
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday Night Lights / Lightning
Well Gosh Dern-it! We could have slept in our tent last night; no rain after all and comfortable temperatures in the upper 60s. No matter, the campin' cabin in Abilene cost us a little more than a tent site but provided the longest night sleep I have had in years! Things really are bigger in Texas.
We packed up and headed to the big city for our missions from Lindsay Capobianco. We followed the interstate through Fort Worth, Arlington, and Dallas and arrived at the Park and Ride in Plano so we would be strategically located to catch a bus to our evening activity. We purchased our $4 day passes for the DART and hit the city of Dallas. (Have I told y'all how much I LOVE public transportation?!)
Our first assignment was lunch in Uptown Dallas. We hopped off the rail and onto the M-Line Trolley to get a look at Uptown. Lindsay's bud, aka The Texan, said the area has a great vibe and I needed to see how that compared to a Missouri vibe. He was dead-on. He also recommended Jake's Burgers for the best burger in Texas. He may have undersold it; it was possibly the best burger we've ever had! Top that with an excellent patio and you have a great lunch.
From there we were ready for our daily hike, city style, checking out the multiple suggested sites from Lindsay. We walked a few miles from Uptown to Downtown through the Dallas Arts district, past Dealy Plaza, the Grassy Knoll, and the Book Depository (we chose not to visit the 6th floor JFK museum - been there before and today was about being happy. That is still one of my earliest memories and such a sad one at that), and made our way past the Old Red Courthouse to Pioneer Cemetery. Low and behold I found another bronze settlers sculpture park. It is becoming my thing!
We caught the red line back to Plano and were set for our next assignment; the Plano BalloonFest! We haven't been to a balloon launch since the kids were young and I love the colors. I was so excited about the photo op, along with the skydivers, the balloon launch and glow, and the street dance. I was plumb parched so grabbed a nice strawberry lemonade, spread the blanket on the hill ready for the events to start and watched all the families around us including grandparents with their grandkids and couldn't help thinking about our future retirement adventures with AJ. The sky turned dark but not because of sunset. A storm brewed quickly and all events were cancelled. We caught a shuttle bus back to our truck just as the rain came. I hated not seeing the balloons but we had an excellent day in our Texas destination and appreciated all the suggestions from Lindsay and The Texan!
We decided to just start driving north until we were out of the rain, got too tired to keep going, or hit Oklahoma City (our next destination), whichever came first. As we drove through the heavy rain and lightning, we were seeing football stadium lights in all directions. We finally got right next to one and it is exactly as we had heard; HUGE fields, bigger than the high school it sat next to! Looking forward to an MCHS football game next Friday night. It may not be as grand, but there is something about high school football all the same.
We ended our night across the Oklahoma border at Lake Murray State Park. No rain right now but their is a chance of something cropping up. We could end this journey like we started, crawling in the truck in the middle of the night :)
Stats:
315 Miles
Gas $54.80
DART passes $8
Lunch $20
Festival $15
Dinner $8
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We packed up and headed to the big city for our missions from Lindsay Capobianco. We followed the interstate through Fort Worth, Arlington, and Dallas and arrived at the Park and Ride in Plano so we would be strategically located to catch a bus to our evening activity. We purchased our $4 day passes for the DART and hit the city of Dallas. (Have I told y'all how much I LOVE public transportation?!)
Our first assignment was lunch in Uptown Dallas. We hopped off the rail and onto the M-Line Trolley to get a look at Uptown. Lindsay's bud, aka The Texan, said the area has a great vibe and I needed to see how that compared to a Missouri vibe. He was dead-on. He also recommended Jake's Burgers for the best burger in Texas. He may have undersold it; it was possibly the best burger we've ever had! Top that with an excellent patio and you have a great lunch.
From there we were ready for our daily hike, city style, checking out the multiple suggested sites from Lindsay. We walked a few miles from Uptown to Downtown through the Dallas Arts district, past Dealy Plaza, the Grassy Knoll, and the Book Depository (we chose not to visit the 6th floor JFK museum - been there before and today was about being happy. That is still one of my earliest memories and such a sad one at that), and made our way past the Old Red Courthouse to Pioneer Cemetery. Low and behold I found another bronze settlers sculpture park. It is becoming my thing!
We caught the red line back to Plano and were set for our next assignment; the Plano BalloonFest! We haven't been to a balloon launch since the kids were young and I love the colors. I was so excited about the photo op, along with the skydivers, the balloon launch and glow, and the street dance. I was plumb parched so grabbed a nice strawberry lemonade, spread the blanket on the hill ready for the events to start and watched all the families around us including grandparents with their grandkids and couldn't help thinking about our future retirement adventures with AJ. The sky turned dark but not because of sunset. A storm brewed quickly and all events were cancelled. We caught a shuttle bus back to our truck just as the rain came. I hated not seeing the balloons but we had an excellent day in our Texas destination and appreciated all the suggestions from Lindsay and The Texan!
We decided to just start driving north until we were out of the rain, got too tired to keep going, or hit Oklahoma City (our next destination), whichever came first. As we drove through the heavy rain and lightning, we were seeing football stadium lights in all directions. We finally got right next to one and it is exactly as we had heard; HUGE fields, bigger than the high school it sat next to! Looking forward to an MCHS football game next Friday night. It may not be as grand, but there is something about high school football all the same.
We ended our night across the Oklahoma border at Lake Murray State Park. No rain right now but their is a chance of something cropping up. We could end this journey like we started, crawling in the truck in the middle of the night :)
Stats:
315 Miles
Gas $54.80
DART passes $8
Lunch $20
Festival $15
Dinner $8
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Pushing Limits
We awoke to a sunny sky and psyched to complete our New Mexico missions. Our first stop was the Sandia Peak Tramway. It goes up almost three miles; thankfully neither of us is afraid of heights! As we approached it we could see that a huge cloud had settled into the peak and they warned of limited visibility from the very top but we headed up. The trip up and back was exceptional. Great views of the city and surrounding area plus the tram operator filled us in on a lot of info about the area.
As you can see, the closer we got to the top, the lines literally appeared to go nowhere! We entered a cloud and it was a little like the Twilight Zone; completely enveloped as if the outside world no longer existed. It cleared slightly at the top and there is a ski area there, a restaurant that would be spectacular for a clear night sunset and view of the city lights, and a visitor center with displays. The patio areas are set up for great views and I will come back here sometime (hopefully it will be clear and warmer than the 30s when I do :)
The trip down offered some impressive landscapes.
When we returned to Earth, we drove out to Petroglyphs National Monument on the west side of town across the Rio Grande before heading back to the downtown for our final mission. Jan and Alan Brake know our appreciation of food and sent us to Tuscano's Brazilian Grill. We have heard of these type places and always wanted to try one so now we had a good excuse to stuff ourselves! They bring skewers of grilled meats, vegetables and even pineapple to your table and carve it off for you. As long as you have the green sign showing they just keep coming. Dangerous. I waddled out of there so full it was a rough ride for the first few hours toward Texas but it was delicious and we appreciated the experience. Thanks to the Brakes for their great ideas in New Mexico.
By the way, people leaving this restaurant must have the same full feeling I did because this sign was across the street, I swear!!!! Classic.
We are now on our LONG journey to our Texas destination. Today we have driven our farthest leg of this race so far. Lindsay Capobianco is directing us to Dallas and Plano. We have made it most of the way there before dropping for the night. Our tent plan was in question because as soon as we left Albuquerque the fog, drizzle and grey skies set in and didn't leave us all afternoon and evening so we are opting again for a cute little KOA camping cabin. I'm not sure the weather obscured much of a view on the drive, but isn't Texas supposed to be warm and experiencing some sort of drought? Glad our presence can bring them some needed relief!
Stats:
550 Miles
Tram $40
Lunch $40
Gas $45.70
Postcard $.27
Camping cabin $47.10
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
As you can see, the closer we got to the top, the lines literally appeared to go nowhere! We entered a cloud and it was a little like the Twilight Zone; completely enveloped as if the outside world no longer existed. It cleared slightly at the top and there is a ski area there, a restaurant that would be spectacular for a clear night sunset and view of the city lights, and a visitor center with displays. The patio areas are set up for great views and I will come back here sometime (hopefully it will be clear and warmer than the 30s when I do :)
The trip down offered some impressive landscapes.
When we returned to Earth, we drove out to Petroglyphs National Monument on the west side of town across the Rio Grande before heading back to the downtown for our final mission. Jan and Alan Brake know our appreciation of food and sent us to Tuscano's Brazilian Grill. We have heard of these type places and always wanted to try one so now we had a good excuse to stuff ourselves! They bring skewers of grilled meats, vegetables and even pineapple to your table and carve it off for you. As long as you have the green sign showing they just keep coming. Dangerous. I waddled out of there so full it was a rough ride for the first few hours toward Texas but it was delicious and we appreciated the experience. Thanks to the Brakes for their great ideas in New Mexico.
By the way, people leaving this restaurant must have the same full feeling I did because this sign was across the street, I swear!!!! Classic.
We are now on our LONG journey to our Texas destination. Today we have driven our farthest leg of this race so far. Lindsay Capobianco is directing us to Dallas and Plano. We have made it most of the way there before dropping for the night. Our tent plan was in question because as soon as we left Albuquerque the fog, drizzle and grey skies set in and didn't leave us all afternoon and evening so we are opting again for a cute little KOA camping cabin. I'm not sure the weather obscured much of a view on the drive, but isn't Texas supposed to be warm and experiencing some sort of drought? Glad our presence can bring them some needed relief!
Stats:
550 Miles
Tram $40
Lunch $40
Gas $45.70
Postcard $.27
Camping cabin $47.10
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Enchanted
Even though it rained all morning as we made our drive from Colorado into New Mexico, it didn't diminish the Land of Enchantment. The colors of the cliffs and mesas we passed were extraordinary even through the grey skies and dreary weather.
We have multiple destinations and missions provided by Jan and Alan Brake, giving us the flavor of the southwest. Our first stop was Los Alamos. We kept seeing signs for the town and drove up through some gorgeous landscape and mesas and all of a sudden when we reached the top, it appeared. It was if it was hidden from view and as we watched the film at our first assignment, the Bradbury Science Museum, it made perfect sense. This community was created with scientists for the purpose of winning the race to build the atomic bomb so it truly was meant to be hidden! The museum was really informative. It provided the history of the Manhatten Project but also had exhibits on research and defense since then.
Our second destination was Gabriel's for lunch - excellent authentic Mexican food. We shared a plate of fajitas.
We ventured on to our next destination, Santa Fe. Along the way, we noticed that the state of New Mexico decorates their overpasses, bridges, and retaining walls like works of art, but homes and buildings are designed to blend into their surroundings as if they are to go unnoticed. The city of Santa Fe has no tall buildings. Even it's Capitol is only a few floors with no dome. The rain cleared for awhile so we parked and wandered the old Plaza area, visited some missions and cathedrals, and made our way along Canyon Road rich with galleries, particularly outdoor art. It is truly like no other city I have visited.
LOVE all the hanging chili peppers you see throughout!
As we moved on toward our final destination, Albuquerque (and I finally learned how to spell that!), the rain came back. I invoked my exception to camping and we found a hotel room. My enchantment continued at the cheap cost of hotels and gas in Albuquerque! This is the least expensive city we've visited! We took time to do some driving exploration and found the Old Town. At the Art Museum, they have bronze figures depicting the early settlers similar to what we saw in Omaha - our trip has come full circle. We also drove through the downtown area and neon lit Nob Hill along Route 66. Tomorrow morning I hope the rain has cleared so we can complete our final missions here.
Stats:
323 miles
Breakfast $4.08
Lunch $20
Dinner $7.98
Gas $62.65
Parking and chapel donation $8
Hotel $43.08
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We have multiple destinations and missions provided by Jan and Alan Brake, giving us the flavor of the southwest. Our first stop was Los Alamos. We kept seeing signs for the town and drove up through some gorgeous landscape and mesas and all of a sudden when we reached the top, it appeared. It was if it was hidden from view and as we watched the film at our first assignment, the Bradbury Science Museum, it made perfect sense. This community was created with scientists for the purpose of winning the race to build the atomic bomb so it truly was meant to be hidden! The museum was really informative. It provided the history of the Manhatten Project but also had exhibits on research and defense since then.
Our second destination was Gabriel's for lunch - excellent authentic Mexican food. We shared a plate of fajitas.
We ventured on to our next destination, Santa Fe. Along the way, we noticed that the state of New Mexico decorates their overpasses, bridges, and retaining walls like works of art, but homes and buildings are designed to blend into their surroundings as if they are to go unnoticed. The city of Santa Fe has no tall buildings. Even it's Capitol is only a few floors with no dome. The rain cleared for awhile so we parked and wandered the old Plaza area, visited some missions and cathedrals, and made our way along Canyon Road rich with galleries, particularly outdoor art. It is truly like no other city I have visited.
LOVE all the hanging chili peppers you see throughout!
As we moved on toward our final destination, Albuquerque (and I finally learned how to spell that!), the rain came back. I invoked my exception to camping and we found a hotel room. My enchantment continued at the cheap cost of hotels and gas in Albuquerque! This is the least expensive city we've visited! We took time to do some driving exploration and found the Old Town. At the Art Museum, they have bronze figures depicting the early settlers similar to what we saw in Omaha - our trip has come full circle. We also drove through the downtown area and neon lit Nob Hill along Route 66. Tomorrow morning I hope the rain has cleared so we can complete our final missions here.
Stats:
323 miles
Breakfast $4.08
Lunch $20
Dinner $7.98
Gas $62.65
Parking and chapel donation $8
Hotel $43.08
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Our mission in Durango from Whitney and Kevin was to ride the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to Silverton, locate the Silverton Brewery and drink a Bear Ass Brown Ale. The train is an old steam train with passenger cars that have been carrying people up into the mountains since the 1800s. It was a cool experience and the scenery was spectacular.
Silverton was originally a mining town, and then became a tourist town full of taverns and houses of ill-repute. The taverns, restaurants, and gift shops still provide good service. We were able to complete the second part of our mission, no problem,
and after our Bear Ass, we did a sampling of their other brews.
After returning on the train, we decided to stay with this theme as Durango has several other brewpubs as well. Not only did we enjoy the sampling tour, each location, we sat at the bar and talked to the barkeeper and locals sitting around us. Great conversations, great suggestions for things to do and see in the area when and if we return, and an overall great evening, although those kinds of nights may make the need for Donnie's new belt a thing of the past.
We completed our night with a stop at Cuckoo's Chicken House and Watering Hole for wings and rings (homemade onion rings and fresh boneless seasoned wings).
In reflection of out trip thus far, we have now traveled by pickup truck, cars, shuttle busses, school busses, horses, raft, streetcar, trolley, ferry, cable cars, boat, train, and of course our feet. Although we haven't been on a plane on this trip, I did take time while we traveled to book flights to Aruba in November to celebrate Max turning 21.
Off to New Mexico in the morning!
Stats:
14 miles
Train trip $177
Camping Cabin $51.30
Lunch with Samples $32
More Sampling $30
Dinner $17
Traveling with the world's greatest partner - Priceless
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Silverton was originally a mining town, and then became a tourist town full of taverns and houses of ill-repute. The taverns, restaurants, and gift shops still provide good service. We were able to complete the second part of our mission, no problem,
and after our Bear Ass, we did a sampling of their other brews.
After returning on the train, we decided to stay with this theme as Durango has several other brewpubs as well. Not only did we enjoy the sampling tour, each location, we sat at the bar and talked to the barkeeper and locals sitting around us. Great conversations, great suggestions for things to do and see in the area when and if we return, and an overall great evening, although those kinds of nights may make the need for Donnie's new belt a thing of the past.
We completed our night with a stop at Cuckoo's Chicken House and Watering Hole for wings and rings (homemade onion rings and fresh boneless seasoned wings).
In reflection of out trip thus far, we have now traveled by pickup truck, cars, shuttle busses, school busses, horses, raft, streetcar, trolley, ferry, cable cars, boat, train, and of course our feet. Although we haven't been on a plane on this trip, I did take time while we traveled to book flights to Aruba in November to celebrate Max turning 21.
Off to New Mexico in the morning!
Stats:
14 miles
Train trip $177
Camping Cabin $51.30
Lunch with Samples $32
More Sampling $30
Dinner $17
Traveling with the world's greatest partner - Priceless
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Here We Go Again On Our Own
Our respite in Estes Park was brief but refreshing, not only because we got to rest our heads in the same place for more than a night, and not just because the setting of the cabin was spectacular (at sunrise, the mountain to the west lit up orange to welcome us to the new day),
and not just because we got in some gorgeous hikes, but mainly because Galen and Rose are such great company. We enjoyed chatting over meals, taking walks, and meeting some of their friends. Each time they went to introduce us, someone would look at Donnie and say "you must be one of Galen's brothers!". Yep, those Bethel genes run strong. Even watching them walk side by side, hands in pockets, there is no denying that resemblance.
We could have stayed much longer, but by not overstaying our welcome, we got an invitation to come back any summer and definitely will. Maybe we'll be able to stay long enough to see the various wildlife that shows up in their yard more than just the hummingbirds that we saw this visit.
Our new destination assigned by Whitney and Kevin Malick was Durango, Colorado. If you have a map handy you will notice that Estes Park is northeast Colorado while Durango is southwest Colorado and there are mountains in-between. We crossed the Continental Divide for the 9th time on this leg of the race! And if the route wasn't challenging enough, we decided to add on a side detour taking us to Great Sand Dunes National Park. This place was just odd; no other way to describe it. It is like a giant beach and a giant desert similar to photos I have seen of the Sahara but sitting at the base of mountains in the middle of nothing.
We hiked all the way out to the base of the dunes but didn't climb them. My calves were already on fire from walking through the loose sand and I thought I was in decent shape! Those little specks are people climbing up. We saw a guy with a sled. All I could think was "no thanks"! As with all our national parks, it was well worth seeing.
Next we were up and over Wolf Creek Pass and pulled into Durango in time to hit the SuperWalmart for our second oil change of the trip (yes, we have gone over 10,000 miles so far) plus we needed to buy Donnie a belt. I knew we had both been losing weight on this journey but seriously, the man now needs help keeping his pants up!
Stats:
478 miles
Camping cabin $51.30
Oil change $24
Gas $74.65
Groceries, ice, propane $38.83
Breakfast $18.56
Postcards $1.05
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
and not just because we got in some gorgeous hikes, but mainly because Galen and Rose are such great company. We enjoyed chatting over meals, taking walks, and meeting some of their friends. Each time they went to introduce us, someone would look at Donnie and say "you must be one of Galen's brothers!". Yep, those Bethel genes run strong. Even watching them walk side by side, hands in pockets, there is no denying that resemblance.
We could have stayed much longer, but by not overstaying our welcome, we got an invitation to come back any summer and definitely will. Maybe we'll be able to stay long enough to see the various wildlife that shows up in their yard more than just the hummingbirds that we saw this visit.
Our new destination assigned by Whitney and Kevin Malick was Durango, Colorado. If you have a map handy you will notice that Estes Park is northeast Colorado while Durango is southwest Colorado and there are mountains in-between. We crossed the Continental Divide for the 9th time on this leg of the race! And if the route wasn't challenging enough, we decided to add on a side detour taking us to Great Sand Dunes National Park. This place was just odd; no other way to describe it. It is like a giant beach and a giant desert similar to photos I have seen of the Sahara but sitting at the base of mountains in the middle of nothing.
We hiked all the way out to the base of the dunes but didn't climb them. My calves were already on fire from walking through the loose sand and I thought I was in decent shape! Those little specks are people climbing up. We saw a guy with a sled. All I could think was "no thanks"! As with all our national parks, it was well worth seeing.
Next we were up and over Wolf Creek Pass and pulled into Durango in time to hit the SuperWalmart for our second oil change of the trip (yes, we have gone over 10,000 miles so far) plus we needed to buy Donnie a belt. I knew we had both been losing weight on this journey but seriously, the man now needs help keeping his pants up!
Stats:
478 miles
Camping cabin $51.30
Oil change $24
Gas $74.65
Groceries, ice, propane $38.83
Breakfast $18.56
Postcards $1.05
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Get-a-Move On
We have two Colorado destination, plus 3 more states to go, and 10 days left in our six weeks so we headed off. Our first Colorado destination, thanks to Bobbette Tucker is Estes Park, the summer dwelling of Galen and Rose Bethel. Our mission here is to enjoy the company and hospitality of siblings for a few days :)
From Wyoming we chose the scenic route through Steamboat Springs and up and over Rocky Mountain National Park from the west side. Since Galen and Rose were working for the afternoon, we had the full day to explore. Steamboat Springs is a cute town. They were having a market on Main Street so we stopped to browse and sample some local delicacies. Evidently we just missed the rubber ducky races on the Yampa River the hour before. Darn it!
We circled through the town of Grand Lake before heading into the National Park and finding a picnic spot. The sun went behind the clouds and although the temperature was at 65 degrees according to the truck, it felt much cooler so we dug out jackets. We watched the elk graze and got some good photos and then started the drive up and over. I was glad we got those jackets out because as we climbed above the trees, the temperature was a full 20 degrees colder!
As we made our way into Estes Park, we still had a few hours to spare waiting for Galen and Rose to finish work (we feel bad for the workers now!), so decided to spent a little time in one of our favorite locations; yes, the local laundromat. This should be our last time-woohoo!
We ended our day sharing a late dinner with family. This will be my last blog for a few days. I am grateful to be able to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9-11 with those we love. I hope all of you reading this will be doing the same.
I'll be back in two days as we journey to our next Colorado destination, Durango, chosen by Whitney and Kevin Malick. Until then, take time to hug someone you care about.
Stats:
382 miles
Gas $61.90
Ice cream $2.06
Laundry $6
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
From Wyoming we chose the scenic route through Steamboat Springs and up and over Rocky Mountain National Park from the west side. Since Galen and Rose were working for the afternoon, we had the full day to explore. Steamboat Springs is a cute town. They were having a market on Main Street so we stopped to browse and sample some local delicacies. Evidently we just missed the rubber ducky races on the Yampa River the hour before. Darn it!
We circled through the town of Grand Lake before heading into the National Park and finding a picnic spot. The sun went behind the clouds and although the temperature was at 65 degrees according to the truck, it felt much cooler so we dug out jackets. We watched the elk graze and got some good photos and then started the drive up and over. I was glad we got those jackets out because as we climbed above the trees, the temperature was a full 20 degrees colder!
As we made our way into Estes Park, we still had a few hours to spare waiting for Galen and Rose to finish work (we feel bad for the workers now!), so decided to spent a little time in one of our favorite locations; yes, the local laundromat. This should be our last time-woohoo!
We ended our day sharing a late dinner with family. This will be my last blog for a few days. I am grateful to be able to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9-11 with those we love. I hope all of you reading this will be doing the same.
I'll be back in two days as we journey to our next Colorado destination, Durango, chosen by Whitney and Kevin Malick. Until then, take time to hug someone you care about.
Stats:
382 miles
Gas $61.90
Ice cream $2.06
Laundry $6
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, September 9, 2011
Big Appetites
We spent over 6 hours in Yellowstone today and that was just a sampling. It wasn't nearly as crowded as I remember but that would be the difference between September and June. We saw a lot of older couples and realized how fortunate we are to be retired so young :)
We took time to walk through the geyser areas, watch Old Faithful perform, cruise the lake, and follow the Yellowstone River through the valley area to where we reached the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Falls. We saw 2 wolves and countless bison, but still no bear. Donnie is a little disappointed in that but I'm thinking that could be a good thing. All of this was enough to wet our appetite to stay longer but alas today was not that day. We had a Wyoming mission to complete.
Marta and Dave Deardeuff sent us to find Little America, described as an oasis in the middle of nowhere where we were to have the best cheeseburger EVER and get our picture taken with the green dinosaur.
We mapped out a route toward southern Wyoming to Little America through Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole. We stopped for our picnic lunch. What do you think of our view?
We have grown accustomed to dining with a nice view and fresh air. I am wondering how we will adjust to eating in the house with a view of the TV?
After leaving Jackson, we followed the Snake River for a spell (I am learning to speak western). After we turned from that, all I can say is Wide Open Spaces. We saw random ranches and a few other cars on the road, plus we saw an elementary school the size of a Caseys General Store. I always thought I would like the peace, quiet, and privacy of living in the country but this is taking it a little far for me.
By sundown, we had completed our mission. It WAS an excellent cheeseburger. Not sure if that is because it is the first one I've had in a month or we were so glad to be here but thanks Marta and Dave!
I did the weather search early in the day while I still had service. Good call because it didn't last long. After finding it was dropping into the low 30s in the vicinity of where we thought we stop for the night, I scored us an inexpensive hotel room (once again thank you AARP discount) and we are getting a warm, cozy night's sleep before we journey on to Colorado in the morning.
Stats:
443 miles
Days Inn Rock Springs $56.76
Gas $42.80
Coffee $2.58
Dinner $23
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
We took time to walk through the geyser areas, watch Old Faithful perform, cruise the lake, and follow the Yellowstone River through the valley area to where we reached the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Falls. We saw 2 wolves and countless bison, but still no bear. Donnie is a little disappointed in that but I'm thinking that could be a good thing. All of this was enough to wet our appetite to stay longer but alas today was not that day. We had a Wyoming mission to complete.
Marta and Dave Deardeuff sent us to find Little America, described as an oasis in the middle of nowhere where we were to have the best cheeseburger EVER and get our picture taken with the green dinosaur.
We mapped out a route toward southern Wyoming to Little America through Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole. We stopped for our picnic lunch. What do you think of our view?
We have grown accustomed to dining with a nice view and fresh air. I am wondering how we will adjust to eating in the house with a view of the TV?
After leaving Jackson, we followed the Snake River for a spell (I am learning to speak western). After we turned from that, all I can say is Wide Open Spaces. We saw random ranches and a few other cars on the road, plus we saw an elementary school the size of a Caseys General Store. I always thought I would like the peace, quiet, and privacy of living in the country but this is taking it a little far for me.
By sundown, we had completed our mission. It WAS an excellent cheeseburger. Not sure if that is because it is the first one I've had in a month or we were so glad to be here but thanks Marta and Dave!
I did the weather search early in the day while I still had service. Good call because it didn't last long. After finding it was dropping into the low 30s in the vicinity of where we thought we stop for the night, I scored us an inexpensive hotel room (once again thank you AARP discount) and we are getting a warm, cozy night's sleep before we journey on to Colorado in the morning.
Stats:
443 miles
Days Inn Rock Springs $56.76
Gas $42.80
Coffee $2.58
Dinner $23
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Yes We Can
Our first stop of the day, Promontory, Utah, holds the distinction of where the golden spike was driven to connect the transcontinental railroad. Joe Calhoun asked us to get a spike and he didn't even insist it be a gold one! This place sits in a remote spot in upper Utah but it is rich in history. What once took 6 months to travel by covered wagon now took only 6 days and it settled the frontier. We learned that there were actually 4 precious medal spikes driven but only the final one was engraved and gets recognition. It is housed at Stanford. We got to see a replica and they had other iron spikes there but if we took one we could be taken to jail thus ending our adventure.
With our Utah missions complete it was time to head to Idaho. Corey Felten chose 2 locations for us to explore. We headed first to the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Now I mentioned how remote Promontory was and it didn't hold a candle to this place. We traveled hours through nothingness and suddenly a rest stop appeared so we stopped for a quick lunch. As we were preparing lunch we noticed the big sign explaining the 50 nuclear reactors developed here, the signs to the Atomic Museum, and a few access denied roads where testing must still take place. Evidently we ate in the middle of a radioactive wasteland. Oh well, now people can now really take note of our glowing personalities.
Craters of the Moon was mesmerizing. 25 miles of a lava flow, lava chunks called aa, cinder cones, splatter cones that are like mini volcanoes, and landscape you wouldn't see anywhere else. It is evidently comparable to what the surface of the moon is like.
Our second destination from Corey was Mesa Falls. With a very short hike, we were able to stand on platforms right over the edge of the falls. The sounds of the rushing water was so powerful and yet soothing.
We covered some ground today and have settled into our camping cabin that we lucked into at the Yellowstone KOA just 6 miles from the West entrance to Yellowstone. It is supposed to be in the 20s tonight and hotel rooms are hard to come by up here plus expensive. This place has heat (plus an indoor pool and hot tub) but officially it is still considered camping because we furnish everything else (and half the cost of a hotel).
Tomorrow we are tackling our Wyoming mission after we browse 6 Yellowstone and Grand Teton. It has been 15 years since we've been here and we are excited to get another look.
Stats:
400 miles
Gas $78.75
Cabin $80
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
With our Utah missions complete it was time to head to Idaho. Corey Felten chose 2 locations for us to explore. We headed first to the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Now I mentioned how remote Promontory was and it didn't hold a candle to this place. We traveled hours through nothingness and suddenly a rest stop appeared so we stopped for a quick lunch. As we were preparing lunch we noticed the big sign explaining the 50 nuclear reactors developed here, the signs to the Atomic Museum, and a few access denied roads where testing must still take place. Evidently we ate in the middle of a radioactive wasteland. Oh well, now people can now really take note of our glowing personalities.
Craters of the Moon was mesmerizing. 25 miles of a lava flow, lava chunks called aa, cinder cones, splatter cones that are like mini volcanoes, and landscape you wouldn't see anywhere else. It is evidently comparable to what the surface of the moon is like.
Our second destination from Corey was Mesa Falls. With a very short hike, we were able to stand on platforms right over the edge of the falls. The sounds of the rushing water was so powerful and yet soothing.
We covered some ground today and have settled into our camping cabin that we lucked into at the Yellowstone KOA just 6 miles from the West entrance to Yellowstone. It is supposed to be in the 20s tonight and hotel rooms are hard to come by up here plus expensive. This place has heat (plus an indoor pool and hot tub) but officially it is still considered camping because we furnish everything else (and half the cost of a hotel).
Tomorrow we are tackling our Wyoming mission after we browse 6 Yellowstone and Grand Teton. It has been 15 years since we've been here and we are excited to get another look.
Stats:
400 miles
Gas $78.75
Cabin $80
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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