Day 14 - Las Vegas, NV to Home

OK, this day was to be a drive through Death Valley and then an overnight in Bishop, California. So much for plans.

The day started off at 6:30, with packing, loading the car and checking out of the hotel. Not liking the looks of the continental breakfast we found The Original Pancake House about a quarter mile away. Our favorite place for Sunday breakfast in Redmond, it did not fail us in Las Vegas.

Finding highway 160 we headed for Pahrump and Death Valley Junction. The latter is home to the Amargosa Opera House and Hotel, an intimate theater and historic hotel. At that point temps were already in the low 80's, so our first stop at Furnace Creek Inn included a bottle of cold water as well as a walkabout. Next up was a stop and walk around at the Harmony Borax Works. Borax was refined on site by boiling cottonball borate ore and then hauled by the famous 20-mule teams 165 miles to the nearest railroad.

It was about here that the day started to go south on us. We both were a little anxious to get home, so we considered changing the overnight from Bishop to Carson City and then heading home, thus saving one night. With poor cell service in Death Valley Barb wasn't able to check on a reservation change until I got us out of Death Valley and over to highway 395. Once there she found nothing available in Carson City. So we arrived in Bishop at 2:00, way ahead of schedule. Our reservation there was a place we had stayed 20 plus years ago and age had not been kind. I was parking the car when I got a text from Barb saying the place was a dump inside, so I told her to cancel. Manages said she couldn't and we would have been stuck but for a copy of the email conformation saying we had till 4:00. Before leaving the Bishop area I want to mention some very dedicated high school students. They were standing by the road with signs and I took it to mean there was a car wash ahead. Not so. Upon closer examination the signs read "Senior Class Worm Sale". Yes worms. Seems there was some sort of fishing activity going on and worms must have played a big part. Being a fly fisherman I have no idea what part that would be.

So off we went toward Carson City and Reno with no reservation. Once in Reno I suggested, for some unknown reason, we just drive on. By then the "get home" fever was strong and a miscalculation suggested we could be home by 2:00 am. So we headed out on 395 to Susanville. Arriving in Susanville just before the 9:30 closing time at Starbucks we managed a pair of drinks and made tracks for Alturas. Tracks was going to become an appropriate description.

Several miles out of Susanville we encountered a very light snow/rain mix. Nothing to be concerned about. At about the halfway point, 50 or so miles out the snow was heavy and collecting on the roadway. Speed was down to about 25 MPH. The road was anything but straight. Elevation signs were in the 5,000 foot range. This sort of thing doesn't usually bother me much, but I wasn't too sure about summer tires even with AWD. Anyway, we struggled into Alturas way behind schedule. By that time the snow had let up a little and while Barb was thinking of getting a room for the night I was leaning more towards continuing on. While stopped deep in discussion a police cruiser made a quick u-turn, pulled along side and rolled down his window. Before he could get out the "what are you doing out here" question I told him we were trying to get home to Oregon. He said the storm was moving in and should be in Alturas in about 3 hours. He seemed to agree heading to Klamath Falls would keep us ahead of the snow, so off we went. Sure enough, while we had a little more snow/rain mix on the way most of the drive was a breeze. Of course we took the wrong highway, which added a very unnecessary 1:08 and and 51 miles.

So, 2:00 am we arrived in Klamath Falls rather than Redmond and 2:00 am is the magic for the bars to empty out. I gave every car a wide berth. We stopped in Klamath Falls at a Denny's for a cup of coffee and english muffin. Interesting crowd at 2:00.

The rest of the trip up highway 97 to Bend was uneventful. Somewhere near La Pine the sun came up and by the time we got home it was about 6:30 am.

980 miles today and 3,885 for the trip.

Harmony Borax Works

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Day 13 - Surprise, AZ to Las Vegas, NV

Breakfast with our hosts and then off for Las Vegas, but not before a quick stop at Starbucks.

About 40 miles out, just past the town of Wickenburg, is a new Trilogy community. Trilogy is a step up from most communities and Trilogy at Wickenburg Ranch is no exception. The model homes are real standouts in design, with the best outdoor living we have seen. As expected, prices are somewhat higher. The only problem is location. It's a long way back to Phoenix for any significant shopping.

The rest of the trip was pretty much what you would expect when driving through the desert. Cactus and Joshua trees dominated the landscape and sagebrush filled in where necessary. After a brief rain storm we stopped for a Subway sandwich and gas in Kingman, Although not yet rush hour, Las Vegas freeways were busy and it seems turn signals are optional.

I know it was only an hour ago, but a can't remember the name of the Mexican restaurant where we had dinner and I can't find it on Google. But it was good. Very Good. If you are in Las Vegas, I recommend it highly.

Tomorrow will be another short drive, about 270 miles as I remember.

281 miles today.

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Day 10 to 12 - Surprise, AZ

These days were spent with more looking around at some to the retirement areas and then driving to Surprise for a three night stay with some old friends, who left Redmond years ago for Chicago and then Arizona.

In the greater Phoenix area there are four Dell Web developments. The first and oldest is the original Sun City, where my parents moved to in 1977. It is best described as dated and not for us. Next came Sun City West and Sun City Grand. Both have nice homes and lots of activities. The most recent and still building is Sun City Festival, which is a 13 mile drive from Surprise. We like that one, especially two of the model homes. All the homes emphasize outdoor living and, for a price, can be turned into practically anything you want in th way of creature comforts. Once back home we will be ablt to sit down and figure out if Festival is for us.

Earl and Nelsine are great hosts, great cooks and share a great home with their friends. If by some chance we do end up in Arizona Earl will be called upon to design our outdoor living areas.

One problem for me is temperture. Only April and the numbers are already in the 90's. A dry heat? Not for me.

Tomorrow we are off on a short drive to Las Vegas.

About 137 miles for the last few days.

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Day 9 - Flagstaff, AZ to Goodyear, AZ

Today was going to be a short driving day so we expected to try and sleep in. I say try because we forgot Arizona does not have daylight savings and consequently 7:00 was really 6:00. A quick breakfast sandwich at McDonalds and Starbucks next door and we were heading south on interstate 17.

Every time we head down to the Phoenix area there's a little competition as to who will see the first saguaro cactus. Today I won. Again. It was a great find on the passenger side exactly where Barb should have been looking. Someday Barb may win.

I can't begin to tell you how dirty the car was this morning and Barb said there was no way we were going into the resorts looking like someone from Oregon. After a good hour and a half we pulled into the Full Circle Car Wash #27. The guy taking money looked over the car, said "bugs", recommended the $8 wash and a short time later we left with a clean car.

First stop was our fourth visit at Pebble Creek, where we again went through the model homes and visited the Villas. I like the villas. The right size for the two of us and all outside maintenance covered by the HOAs. Next up was lunch and we headed for a sandwich shop we found last year. After parking the car we lost sight of the goal and wandered into Rubio's for fish tacos and a pair of Coronas. Attention span seems to be getting just a little short. By the time we ate the temprature was 88 degrees and would soon max out at 93.

After lunch we drove about 14 miles south to CantaMia. This is a gated community we had not visited before. Very nice facility with eight model homes to go through. We really liked one model in particular, but in the end it was just too far out of town.

A qjuick stop at our hotel to check in and then dinner at Red Lobster. Overall a very good day. Tomorrow we will do some more looking, but we have pretty much decided we will be staying put in Redmond.

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Day 8 - South Fork, CO to Flagstaff, AZ

First thing today was a quick check for overnight snow. None! Great relief as we would be heading over 10,856 foot Wolk Creek Pass later in the morning. 17 degrees made it a little cold loading the car, but once again the remote start warmed the car.

Breakfast was at the Spruce Lodge. Originally built as a boarding house in 1926, it now has hotel rooms and cabins as well as the restaurant.

Say our goodbys to Frank, we were off at 8:25. The drive I was worrying about turned out to be a breeze. No snow, dry roads and very little traffic. 43 miles down the road we passed through Pagosa Springs, Colorado. Those of you who followed us in 2010 will remember Pagosa Springs as the site of the famous Honda vs Deer match, in which the Honda was severely beaten to the tune of over $9,000. Needless to say the town is not one of my favorites.

105 miles down the road we finally found a Starbucks in Durango, Colorado. That's a long, long way to go, but once a morning drink was in hand we could open the bag of cookies Pooh Bear had given us. Pooh Bear lives with Frank and, as it turns out, is a very generous bear.

Once out of Durango we headed for Cortez and then Four Corners. Four corners is unique in that four states (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah) all come together at one spot. Signs announced the Four Corners Monument just down the road and I thought that would be a good photo op. Turns out an indian tribe, not sure which one, owns the land and charges $5 per person to view the spot and oh by the way would you like to purchase a few of our trinkets at our genuine trading post. We along with the car in front of us made quick U-turns and escaped. I was a little confused as signs indicated we were in Ute territory yet the highway was The Navajo Trail.

Along the way we passed through Towaoc, Teec Nos Pos and Dennehotso before stopping in Keyenta, Arizona to split a 6" Subway sandwich. Tuba City was the only town of significance, or perhaps insignificance, before reaching Flagstaff. Dinner was not quite up to snuff italian and we are now getting ready for a drive to Goodyear, Arizona.

426 miles today.

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Day 7 - South Fork, CO

First thing I did this morning was take a look outside and sure enough there was a little snow. Not much and hopefuly, I thought, not a sign of what was to come.

Once dressed and downstairs I finished the blog for yesterday. Staying with friends and lack of WiFi are the usuall culprets when I'm not on time.

Breakfast and housekeeping, in this case laundry, took up the early part of the morning and then it was off to Creede, Colorado. No trip to South Fork is complete without taking the 22 mile drive up the Rio Grande to Creede. Although silver was discovered in 1869, Creede didn't become an offical Boom Town until the 1889 discovery of silver in Willow Canyon. When Denver underwent major legal reforms owners of major gambling houses moved to Creede. Amoung the more famous to hang out in Creede were Robert Ford, the man who shot Jesse James, and Bat Masterson. Over time silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper were mined in the area. While less than 300 inhabit the town now, the glory days saw more than 10,000.

Must stops while in Creede include San Juan Sports (open), Rio Grande Angler (closed), coffee shop (closed) and the old fashioned hardware store (open). This year we added the olive oil store. We saw a lot of "Closed For The Season" signs around town.

Lunch was at the Tommyknocker Tavern, a Tommyknocker being a mischievous spirit associated with mining. Anyway we were joined by Creede resident Sara, who we had lunch with two years ago, for a great lunch while watching it snow. Heading back to South Fork I had to make a quick U-turn for a photo op with a few big horn sheep.

Dinner was at the Windsor Hotel in Del Norte. Built in 1874, it ws saved from the wrecking ball in 1993. Restored to it's past glory, it is now known for fine dining and luxury accomodations. The great meal shared with Frank and friend Sally was finished with a one of a kind dessert.

Early to bed for the drive to Flagstaff.

51 miles today.

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Day 6 - Colorado Spring, CO to South Fork, CO

Woke up about 5:30 to snow coming down. Normally not a problem, but I'm driving my new car with summer tires. The radar map showed less chance of snow to the south, so we were up, packed and joining the morning commute on the interstate earlier than intended. While the car didn't have the right tires, I did discover one convenient feature. The night before I had parked it right below our second floor room window. Before heading downstairs I used the remote start and by the time I got to the car the windows were snow free. Pretty neat.

Breakfast was to be on a food card at Cracker Barrel in The Springs, but I was anxious to get out of town. Barb, disappointed at my decision, quickly found one 44 miles down the road in Pueblo. By the time we got there the snow had stopped, the roads were clear and all was well.

Back on the road we continued south on interstate 25 to Walsenburg and then 160 east. 160 took us over La Veta pass through the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains, which run South-Central Colorado down to Glorieta Pass in New Mexico. With treee peaks over 14,000 feet and many more over 13,000, the Sangre de Cristos are a significant hunk of rock.

The rest of the trip into South Fork was an easy drive through the San Luis Valley, which is mostly farming and cattle country. The town of Alamosa provided a rest stop, walkabout, gas and a bottle of water. Points of interest along the way included a herd of bufflo, an elk farm and the Rio Grande River.

The afternoon was spent visiting with Frank reliving the past and guessing about the future. Dinner was at Ramon's Mexican followed by more conversation and a good nights sleep.

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Day 5 - Colorado Springs, CO

Well, after a good night's sleep I can finish up yesterday. Not much to add. Had a nice dinner with old friend and golfing buddy Steve. So much to talk about we probably could have kept going till they closed the place.

Once again we managed to sleep all the way 6:00. I just don't get this waking up so early.

A breakfast sandwich for each at Panera followed by a stop at Starbucks got us off to a good start. Most of the morning was taken up with a drive up to Cripple Creek and when I say up I mean up. An old gold mining town about 45 miles from The Springs it's at an elevation of 9,494 feet. In 1848, Winfield Scott Stratton discoved the Independence Lode, which would become one of the largest gold strikes in history. Over time an estimated 23.5 troy ounces of gold came from the Cripple Creek District. Today gold is around $1205 an ounce.

Not too long ago the Cripple Creek claim to fame was as a ghost town. That all changed in 1991, when Colorado voters legalized gambling and the town became an out of the way place to play the one armed bandits. As I remember when I lived in Colorado there were ony three towns with gambling, so out of the way really wasn't a problem.

I'm a reluctant gambler, cause I just don't like losing money. But I do like the slots. So, I will only play the penny slots and will play no more than $20. I like to quit a winner, which means when I get a few bucks ahead I quit. Today it was the Double Eagle Casino and after about 5 minutes I left with $23.05. Barb did her usual and lost $5. Pretty much business as usual. A quick drive through the six or seven blocks of downtown and we headed back to The Springs.

For lunch we headed back to the Marigold Cafe. Once again I had the French onion soup, while Barb opted for the split pea. Lunch converstaion centered around whether or not we should cancel Santa Fe and spend an extra day in Goodyear, Arizona, plus an overnight in Flagstaff, Arizona on the way. That conversation continued into the afternoon back at the motel. On the one hand Santa Fe is just about our favorite place to visit. So much to see on foot and great food. On the otherhand, an extra day in Goodyear would give us a chance to do a little more looking at some of our favorite retirement sites. About 3:00 the decision was made to skip Santa Fe. Barb switched reservations and I worked out a new travel route.

Dinner was with some old friends at Biaggi's. When I retired eleven years ago my retirement dinner was at Biaggi's. That dinner was the beginning of something wonderful. Barb and I split Chicken Parmesan, which was excellent.

Mike, I hear you are traveling along with us. Wish you were still in Olathe cause we would be there tomorrow.

Tomorrow we are off for a half day drive to South Fork, Colorado for a short visit with Frank, yet another old friend.

For some reason Day 4 seems to have disappeared. Here are a couple of photos from our visit to the Garden of the Gods.

Red Rocks and Blue Sky

Pikes Peak - 14,110 feet 

Been to the very top of that one

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Day 2 - Twin Falls, ID to Laramie, WY

Years ago we could do 10 or 12 hours a day on the road. Those days are gone. Now I like to stay around 7, plus what ever time for meals, rest stops and walkabouts. Walkabouts are just that. Walk around for a few minutes and then back into the car. Rest stops are...well, you know what they are. So where is this leading? I set the alarm for 5:30 this morning to give us an early start on what I thought would be about a 10 hour. As fate would have it we were both wide awake at 4:45 and in the car by 5:25. Great start for the day.

Fairfield breakfast doesn't open on Sunday till 7:00, so we headed to Perkins down the road in Burley. Well, that was our intention. After a few minutes on Interstate 80 Barb suggested I was headed back to Oregon. Sure enough the GPS was prompting me to exit and correct my mistake. All I can say is that it was really dark.

By the time we finished breakfast, which didn't match Madaline's, it was getting light and I found 84 South with ease. Southern Idaho and Utah down to around Farmington is a great drive. Snow capped mountains. Farmland. Irrigation brough alive by the morning sun. Eye candy.

There is not one Starbucks between Twin Falls and Ogdon, Utah and I will hopefully remember to email them about this oversight. Anyway, we found our regular Starbucks in South Ogdon and headed out for Wyoming. Every time I knock a small part of Wyoming for it's scenery I feel bad, because afterall they have Yellowstone, the Tetons, Devils Tower and more. While Interstate 80 from the Utah border to about Sinclair is about as bland as scenery can get, you will find an oil refinery in Sinclair, a lot of trees at Little America and the largest deposit of trona in the world near Green River. Barb won't let me talk about trona anymore, so you will have to do a little research.

We stopped at Little America hoping to get a pair of their billboard advertised 75 cent cones. No luck, the place was packed.

Later we crossed the Continental Divide twice and finally came across mountains still showing snow. Common in the area are snow fences to keep blowing snow off the highways. Also present are swing down gates to close the interstate when the snow gets too deep. There are lots of fences and gates, which means a lot of snow in the winter.

We arrived in Laramie earlier than planned, which leads me to believe tht 80 MPH does make a difference. Tomorrow is a short drive to Colorado Springs and a few days with friends.

603 miles today.

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Day 1 - Redmond, OR to Twin Falls, ID

Well, it's been a long time since we've had a drive of more than just a few days, so we've really been looking forward to getting back on the road.

Up early and left home at 6:42 headed for breakfast at Madaline's in Redmond. I know six miles isn't much of a start, but we're hoping to skip lunch with a big breakfast. Anyway by 7:25 we're headed south on 97, with Starbucks in hand, for Bend and then east on 20 looking at a four an a half hour drive to Idaho. I may have mentioned before that at 3,365 miles US 20 is the longest highway in the country, starting in Lincoln City, Oregon and ending in Boston, Massachusetts. Along the way 20 passes through Plainview, Nebraska, hometown of a good friend.

Nothing has changed in Central Oregon. Sagebrush. Cattle. A lone tree now and then. Highlights include Brothers (population 87), Stinking Water Creek, Drinkwater Pass and the siamese twin towns of Hines and Burns. The Malheur River has always been a welsomed sight toward the end of Oregon, but not this time. A light showfall this winter has the water level down to the lowest we've ever seen it.

It's still early around Vale, but there are signs of onions and what Barb thinks are potatoes. Lots of fields look ready for planting, so corn should show up soon.

In Ontario we found our way onto Interstate 84 and headed for Idaho. Crossing the snake river I was in for a surprise. The speed limit is now 80 MPH on the interstate. Makes travel time quicker, but doesn't do a lot for gas mileage. Finished the day at 28.4 MPG, so I'm not too disappointed. Cruise control is a must or you will find yourself doing 90 and adaptive cruise is a plus with all the truck traffic.

Stopped in Nampa at Fred Meyer for gas and a walk about. I don't like the Nampa to Boise drive. Eight lane highway, but still too much traffic. On the other hand, at 80 MPH we were in Twin Falls by about 4:00.

Dinner was shared fajitas at Chili"s and the Fairfield Inn is new, so all in all the day was a good one and ended well.

470 miles today.

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