Monday, November 3, brought us to the end of our summer trip. We left the Monterey Bay area of California for our home just east of Sacramento, 215 miles away. While we are thrilled to see our friends and family, we are also sad to see the journey come to an end.
The statistics show that we moved about the country perhaps more than we should have. We were in Oregon, Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Illinois again, then Missouri, Kansas, back to Missouri and Iowa, then to Minnesota. On to Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio and a return to Indiana. Whew! Kentucky, Tennesee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and back to California. Wow.
We drove Nessie exactly 9,800.6 miles, taking 214 hours and 8 minutes, and using 1081.1 gallons of diesel fuel. Nessie averaged 9.1 miles per gallon at an average speed of 45 miles per hour. We were gone exactly five months to the day, arriving home just in time to vote in the November elections.
Gus, our tow car, not only followed along on the 9800 miles, but added another 7,277 miles on his own, traipsing about doing his sightseeing thing.
We have seen things that we never imagined that we would, accidentally been in the right place at the right time to see one of a kind events, and eaten in some of the most wonderful restaurants in the country. We've eaten in Mom and Pop diners, and pricey tourist spots. All had something to recommend them, from the Catfish in Grand Rapids, the Walleye in Minnesota, or the BBQ in Kansas City, but our favorite restaurants on this trip include From Scratch in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, and Double Eagle in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Navy precision parachuting team in Minnesota, the vistas of the Badlands in South Dakota, the nostalgia of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are all favorite memories, as are the sight of the freight traffic on the Mississippi at Canton, MO, and the huge ships traversing the locks in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan.
We have met many friendly and wonderful people, as we do on all of our trips. We were handicapped this time because we didn't have a canine companion to break the ice, so to speak, but a smile and a hello go a long way toward starting a conversation.
To all who have come into our lives: Thank You! To all the wonderful sights in this wonderful country: We're so glad you are protected so that we can visit you.
To our family and friends: Thank you for supporting us and making this possible. We can't thank you enough. We look forward to spending hours with you all catching up on what's been happening.
After last winter, when we worried that we may not be able to travel again, we have a renewed appreciation of our opportunities.
And yes, we are planning for next year…….!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Beachy
Today dawned bright, warm, and clear. After a few days of "iffy" weather, we were delighted to have an opportunity to put on sloppy clothes and go to the beach. All told, we walked about seven miles north toward Santa Cruz and back. The beach was nearly empty except for a few surf fishermen and a million birds.
The surf was high today, with at least four, and sometimes five or six sets of breakers crashing onshore.
And then, strangely quiet.
Pelicans and (baby pelicans?) claimed the higher elevations of the beach.
While other little guys fished the lower areas.
And thousands of little birds with long beaks and super fast legs fished the water line. These little guys could walk faster than most of the other birds could fly.
Later in the day, the park began to fill up with a group of rv'ers that are with a club. We seem to be one of the only non-members left. Things got a little noisy as the Feeblebums yelled at the Wishnwarts about dinner, and the Hocksnotters worried about getting the best site.
Donna and I went back to the beach.
The surf was high today, with at least four, and sometimes five or six sets of breakers crashing onshore.
And then, strangely quiet.
Pelicans and (baby pelicans?) claimed the higher elevations of the beach.
While other little guys fished the lower areas.
And thousands of little birds with long beaks and super fast legs fished the water line. These little guys could walk faster than most of the other birds could fly.
Later in the day, the park began to fill up with a group of rv'ers that are with a club. We seem to be one of the only non-members left. Things got a little noisy as the Feeblebums yelled at the Wishnwarts about dinner, and the Hocksnotters worried about getting the best site.
Donna and I went back to the beach.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Nostalgia in Carmel
It rained all night and into the morning. We had our coffee in the chairs at the front of the MH watching the neighbors pack up and leave in the bad weather. No, we didn't offer to help. But I did increase the set temp on the heaters so we would be comfortable in sock feet….
About eleven the skies cleared, and we took a short ride into downtown Carmel, CA. This is a small town made famous by Clint Eastwood, who once owned a restaurant here and was elected to a term as mayor. Neither the restaurant nor the city government can claim a relationship with Mr. Eastwood any longer, but the town continues to play on the "famousocity" as a New York couple that we had lunch with told us today.
We turned west off of California's famous Highway One on Ocean Street and followed it through the main streets of Carmel to it's end at the beach. The beach is beautiful and is dog friendly, so we took up a position at a strategic vista point and watched the Saturday morning activities.
This young man was tossing a bright green tennis ball for his Boston Terrier. Later on, while walking through town, we saw him and chatted for awhile. The pup is just a year old and needs "lots of frolicking time". It was great to see a healthy Boston is action!
Carmel has a number of unique shops, as well as the upscale jewelry and clothing stores that we expect in a wealthy area. We walked the downtown eight blocks, checking to make sure there wasn't anything that we needed….
After an early dinner at Flaherty's of seafood Paella, we slid back down to the beach at Marina Dunes State Beach in anticipation of a magnificent sunset. We were not disappointed.
As the sun set, we said a prayer for our dear friend Shirley who, we learned today, passed away last Thursday.
We've known Shirley and her family for almost 40 years, and she was always a gentle, steady, wife and mother. No matter the difficulty, Shirley always prayed for her family and friends and trusted that all would be alright at the end of the day. Shirley was the steady hand that guided her off times unruly family. She will be missed.
As we settled down for the night, we got word that Donna's brother had suffered a severe heart issue this afternoon. Bill was alone at home at the time, and had the presence of mind to call 911 who rushed him to the hospital where he underwent surgery for a blockage and the insertion of a stint. He is resting well and is in good hands, so we pray for his speedy recovery.
A day of highs and lows, wonder and sorrow. The sunset seemed to agree.
About eleven the skies cleared, and we took a short ride into downtown Carmel, CA. This is a small town made famous by Clint Eastwood, who once owned a restaurant here and was elected to a term as mayor. Neither the restaurant nor the city government can claim a relationship with Mr. Eastwood any longer, but the town continues to play on the "famousocity" as a New York couple that we had lunch with told us today.
We turned west off of California's famous Highway One on Ocean Street and followed it through the main streets of Carmel to it's end at the beach. The beach is beautiful and is dog friendly, so we took up a position at a strategic vista point and watched the Saturday morning activities.
This young man was tossing a bright green tennis ball for his Boston Terrier. Later on, while walking through town, we saw him and chatted for awhile. The pup is just a year old and needs "lots of frolicking time". It was great to see a healthy Boston is action!
Carmel has a number of unique shops, as well as the upscale jewelry and clothing stores that we expect in a wealthy area. We walked the downtown eight blocks, checking to make sure there wasn't anything that we needed….
After an early dinner at Flaherty's of seafood Paella, we slid back down to the beach at Marina Dunes State Beach in anticipation of a magnificent sunset. We were not disappointed.
A freshening breeze brought out the para sailers to enjoy the pristine beach.
As the sun set, we said a prayer for our dear friend Shirley who, we learned today, passed away last Thursday.
We've known Shirley and her family for almost 40 years, and she was always a gentle, steady, wife and mother. No matter the difficulty, Shirley always prayed for her family and friends and trusted that all would be alright at the end of the day. Shirley was the steady hand that guided her off times unruly family. She will be missed.
As we settled down for the night, we got word that Donna's brother had suffered a severe heart issue this afternoon. Bill was alone at home at the time, and had the presence of mind to call 911 who rushed him to the hospital where he underwent surgery for a blockage and the insertion of a stint. He is resting well and is in good hands, so we pray for his speedy recovery.
A day of highs and lows, wonder and sorrow. The sunset seemed to agree.
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