Retirement Road Trip

In Richardson, Texas, at Cheryl and Jackson's house, we are waiting for the mobile sun roof repair shop.  This has become a two-day process and quite an ordeal.  We have unpacked the entire car to give the repairman access to the interior so he can drop the roof to install the new sun roof.    The exposed hole waiting for the repairman: The unpacked contents, ready to be re-packed in a bit and then unpacked in two-days when we get home. Alan and I have had a fabulous time trekking across the continent. We visited some oldies but goodies where we have been before and some places where we have never been before but were on our bucket list.  We also just came upon places that felt right at the time and were fun, interesting adventures.   We are finally ready to head home, about a week sooner than expected.  I want to see "The Miracle Worker" at The Prizery which finishes this weekend.  But some other reasons why home is the right place to be are conf...

One of our pre-planned stops was to see Cheryl and Jackson in Texas.  They have lived in the Dallas area for 20 years and unforgivably, this is the first time that we have made time to come see them in Texas.  We have followed their efforts in buying land for a vineyard, planting grapes, learning how and getting certified to make wine, building a winery with tasting room, and finally opening the winery.  The operation is impressive.  And we got to help bottle wine. Cheryl and Jackson Anderson, both Halifax County natives, in front of their winery sign. The winery and tasting room and barn in the same building.   The fermentation and chilling tanks: Alan and I helped to bottle the wine.  I enjoyed the sipping while making sure that the PH was correct.  After bottling 1,000 bottles of wine, we looked forward to our own glass of wine with dinner.  We ate at 10 pm and to bed by 11. We learned way more about wine than we can retain.  Here is Alan ...

Before leaving Waco, we visited the Mammoth National Monument.  In 1978 two teenage boys found a bone sticking out of the ground in a ravine near where two rivers met.  They took the bone to the Baylor University Archeology lab where it was identified as from a Columbian Mammoth.  Nineteen mammoths were originally found in the ravine and more since in surrounding areas.  The first 19 were mother and offspring in what is called a nursing herd.  It is thought that the herd got stuck in mud and caught in a flood.  The bones are being excavated although many were removed from the area to be saved, sorted and catalogued because the area re-flooded while folks were working.  Since the park was designated as a National Monument a couple of years ago, the number of visitors has increased from10,000 per year to 10,000 per month.  The patience this type of work requires is extraordinary. On our way to see Alan's sister and brother-in-law in the Dallas area,...

Alan and I visited San Antonio, Texas yesterday and stayed at a wonderful inexpensive hotel kiddie-corner to the Alamo.  The hotel was built in 1909 and has kept its old charm with modern amenties.  We paid $94 per night plus taxes and parking, while nearby downtown hotels ranged from $250-$600. The Gibbs Hotel is a true bargain. The Alamo holds a special meaning to me as I am related to Davy Crockett.  According to the genealogical records, my sisters and I are first cousins to Davy, 6 generations removed.  [Alan checked and I have been wrongfully saying 7 generations removed.] I felt more awed and quiet in the Alamo church where the last stand took place.  Reading about the bravery of the 200 men who were defending the fort and trying to hold out for reinforcements against 6,000 of Santa Anna's men, I actually felt a bit weepy. I felt the urge to share my relationship to one of the volunteer docents and he took us privately to the possible site of Davy Crocket...

Albuquerque is on old Route 66. Some of the "campiness" of neon and tacky signs remain even though the flavor of much of the area is more artsy. We stayed at a wonderful motel with desert flowers and romance decorating the doorways to each of 20 units. Its sign, however, is true Route 66 form. Alan and I have come to depend on the internet to find the charming Mom and Pop hotels that are reasonably priced and get high marks for cleanliness and amenities. The guidance about what to do and where to eat from friendly owners has been invaluable. This hotel was on the edge of Old Town Albuquerque with quaint shops and lots of character.   Also, just down the street was a wonderful bike/walking trail following the Rio Grande.  We enjoying the ride and the setting.   The metalwork along the park gave me ideas to pass on to Alma and Svetlana.  We saw several groups of school kids on field trips. These kids were learning how to cast.  What a way to spend a school day....

One of my hopes on this journey was to learn more about our Native American brethren and their culture.  With that intent, we planned routes through tribal lands in Wisconsin and Minnesota.  We were surprised and disappointed that there were few signs or encouragements to come to the reservation townships or cultural centers.  We just drove through with little notice of where we were.  We were unsure of where we were welcome, if at all. Vancouver is very multi-ethnic and appears to the causal visitor to be fairly integrated in cultures.  Folks of every language, culture and ethnity are everywhere working and socializing together--at least where we went.  In Arizona, the Navaho are very visible and market their arts and crafts quite visibly.  (I love my tiger eye pendant.). The heritage and culture of the Navaho, however, is not apparent. I was thrilled to find the Puebla peoples in New Mexico (Hopi are in Arizona) where they try to retain some of there...

We took the "Loneliest Road" from Reno to Cedar City, Utah,  This road was aptly named.  The road is US 50 and stretches from Ocean City, Maryland to Sacramento, California.  We drove a boring, monotonous 300 miles or more on that highway.  Just nothing to look at at all.  We went tens of miles without seeing other cars.  We saw no human beings working or walking beside the roads or in the fields.  Except for the rare herd of cows or a couple of horses and the few other drivers, no animals were about.  The towns were few and far between and consisted of a few abandoned-looking store fronts or empty buildings, most in disrepair.  The road was flat and straight.  The "rest areas" consisted of gravel pull-offs equipped with a picnic table and trash can, sometimes a wooden roof over the table.  No bathrooms or "Port-a-potty"s and no trees at all or bushes high enough to squat behind.  Since no one was around, I guess it did not mat...

Two hard driving days got us through Southern Washington, Oregon, over the corner of California and to Reno.  Although we saw more lovely fall colors, smoke from the wild fires in California and south of Reno continued to obscure the horizon.  We changed our plan to go into California due to the  fires and smoke.   Hillsides of fall color thrilled us as we left the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. A tunnel that appeared to be made without the help of modern technology or equipment seemed as solid and safe as any modern one. Mt. Hood, east of Portland, was far in the distance and obscured by smoke. Visibility ahead on the road was often impaired. These pictures show the extent of the lava fields from volcanic action 1500 years ago south of Bend, Oregon and the smoke that shrouded ,over evergreens not so very far away. I am wearing out this coat.  We look forward to warmer weather during the southern stretch of our trip. We made one fun stop in California, t...