Arrive in the Northwest

Left Sac midday yesterday. Wound up camping in remote spot without much for facilities. First night in tent on whole trip so far, (except for the night the girls slept in the yard at grammy's house).

We toured Redwoods National Park today. Took a little of the coastal drive. Went to Trees of Mystery, and we went to the tree you can drive your car through. On the way up to Oregon, we found a nice crystal clear river with swimming available; spent some time there and then headed on up to Grant's Pass, Oregon where we got a room for the night.

Gene

And So We Did

Well, after a week and a half at mom's house, it is time to move on and give the fam here some breathing room; we are nearly four weeks into our vacation, and many places still remain on our to see and to do lists.

Went to Old Sacramento on Saturday. After visiting some of the shops, the girls took a riverboat cruise. (I stayed on land and fed the parking meters.) We all ate at Joe's Crab Shack when they got back from the cruise. Alie tried a steamed muscle after much coaxing that it would taste very similar to steamed clams, which she loves. My aunt Debbie's granddaughter Scout was made to do a hula dance as people sang "Happy Birthday." The day was very hot, over 100 degrees, so we made good time to get into the swimming pool back at the ranch. Then we watched an old movie on mom's new HD projector---nice.

Jessica needed to buy something in Old Sac, so she added a "Felix the Cat" stretchy toy to her growing collection of animals. All dogs 'til yesterday. There's Poncho, Leanne, Tooter, Macaroni, Brake, and others whose names are hard to spell or pronounce...She started this trip with only two dogs. Now she has eight dogs and one cat.

Sharon, Alie, Jess, and myself should be making our way to Redwoods National Park in the course of today.

Gene

Cosumne Preserve

Cosumne Wildlife Preserve...

Bunnies, lizards, mice, owls, and other animals and birds. It took us awhile to find but we got there a little bit before sunset and enjoyed scouting the trail a little bit. The Button Bushes gave off a very fragrant aroma.

The water was way down--gone. There wasn't the amazing gathering of birds that are common in the spring, but it made for a nice outing.

I didn't post yesterday, so to recount the day: some of us went over to Aunt Debbie's where Kelsie, Samantha, and Scout rode horses, and Jess got to ride a little herself; later, we all took mom out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant, for we felt she needed a little break from all the hard work she is putting in to make us feel at home; then I watched Jessica while the others went to a concert in Sacramento; some famous girl with a Disney channel show and some American Idol guy named David...From the report I heard, I am glad I didn't go, (the music was good, but the screaming was too crazy). Jess and I swam in the pool and watched tv.

Gene

Great Shot of the Three Girls

This photo was taken at the Bill Pickett Rodeo on Sunday afternoon.

After Sharon and I spent a few days alone, we felt it right to get back with the rest of the crew. We are back in Wilton now at my mom's house; it's much warmer here than it was on the coast. The swimming pool felt awesome this afternoon.

Gene

Still Roughing It

Finding out the value of Facebook when it comes to keeping in touch. Seeing photos of our "old" camping buddies back in Maine is making us look forward to the latter part of this summer. We look forward to sitting around some campfires back there and catching up. For almost five years now, there is a group of four + families, who have made quite a tradition out of frequent summer campfires at various locations around Maine and New Hampshire, and this summer one of the families is absent.

Just got a report that the girls are doing great at Grammy and Grampy's house. Alie is reading a lot, and Jessica is using her manners. Today, they are helping Grammy get beans out of the garden for canning.

Sharon and I left "River Beach" early this morning and went fishing on a good sized boat. Well, I fished. Sharon was smart enough to stay inside and rest. Let me just say it was a little too wavy to get any good pictures or video, so I am using a picture I took yesterday of the fun we had in a Walgreens.

Gene

Roughing It

After the rodeo Sunday afternoon, we let the kids go back to the ranch with grammy and grampy. Before we parted ways, Alie had to make sure we were "roughing it"--not doing anything fun. They are swimming, reading books, and relaxing. Sounds good to me. Sharon and I are out roughing it in Carmel and Monterey for a few days. Camped at a little place called River Beach, (the name of our cottage at the resort). Sharon woke up feeling cold, so she started the fire, (there is a little button on the side). Had to act fast to keep the crows and jays from eating our food this morning, (the staff puts a basket of food on the porch around 8:30am).

Spent a part of the day in thrift stores and grocery stores trying to find a good deal on clothes and food; what a drag if you ask me. Not much else worth mentioning today. Sharon thought we should do something fun while we are on this little mini-vacation, so she planned for us to go fishing early tomorrow morning. I talked to the fishing guide, and he says we are probably going to catch rock fish. In my opinion, there aren't many fish uglier than a rockfish. We can hardly wait for these few mundane and challenging days to be over so we can get back to the girls and resume our summer journey as a cohesive unit.

By the way, thanks Mom and John...

Gene

Bill Pickett Rodeo

Howdy Pardners!

Sharon, Jess, and Alie all saw their first rodeo on Sunday. Sharon says it was a moving experience. It was the Bill Pickett Invitational in the Bay area, and it really was a good rodeo. Kelsie rode in the opening procession on a friend's horse.

Her friend, Sonia, is the one riding in the barrel race in the photo. My mom made the shirt Sonia is wearing. Everyone is calling it "The Money Shirt." Sonia won first prize in two events on Saturday, and it seemed like everybody was commenting on the good luck of the shirt. Apparently there are at least four orders for my mom to make "money shirts." Guess she'll have her work cut out for her once we get out of the spare room where she does her sewing.

My mom has a webpage for her western shirts, which I will provide a link to as soon as I know it is operational. Here is a link to that webpage: http://jodanncreations.shutterfly.com/

Please check it out, and order a western shirt if it will fit in your wardrobe.

Gene

The Left Coast

Visited San Francisco today.

Saw a couple of "streakers" but they weren't in any hurry. They were more like naked window shopping. It's kind of crazy, I guess. Sorry, no pictures available. Anyways, the kids talk more about the naked guys than the Golden Gate Bridge or anything else. How is it you can't pee in your own backyard without getting arrested anywhere else in the country, but in San Fran"sicko" you can walk down the street nude to make some sort of statement? Shouldn't these guys at least have to go to court and face some sort of a charge?

We visited Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, and drove the van up a very steep hill. Sharon screamed like we were on a roller coaster when the van went backwards before going forward when I took off from a stop.

Took a picnic lunch and enjoyed that on the Sausalito side (north) of the bridge.

The girls are sleeping out in the yard in a tent tonight.

Gene

July Holidays

Some of our family back in New England are celebrating Christmas in July. Well, here in California at my mom's house today, we celebrated Halloween in July. No, we didn't dress up and go around to neighbors' homes begging for candy--that would not go over too well, I guess. We did, nonetheless, carve a few pumpkins. Mom's garden is growing quite well, and her timing for the pumpkin patch is admittedly a little off. Hey, they only moved down here from Idaho last year, so we should give her some slack. Her hearty and delicious home cooking more than makes up for any gardening "mistakes"; besides, the kids enjoyed the activity immensely.

We went to a local farmer's market today and bought fruits and vegetables. The plan is to prepare them up and pack them in a cooler for our day trip down to San Francisco on Saturday. Fisherman's Wharf, the Cable Cars, and the Golden Gate Bridge are a few of the things we would like to see. Earthquakes are the main thing we do not want to see...

Yesterday evening we went to watch Kelsie perform in a barrel race. She did quite well, although one of her practise runs was almost ten seconds better than the official ride. Today, she started a webpage with her horse and pets as the focus, and there is a video of her at the barrel racing event. I would encourage you to take a look at it: http://canyonspainteddevil.shutterfly.com/

She is well on her way to becoming a great rider.

Gene

Kelsie and Alie at Yosemite

A couple of lightning induced fires in the park made the scenery a bit hazy, but we like this picture of the girls.

Yosemite was pretty neat. First we stopped to look at some giant Sequoia trees. Then we stopped to look at El Capitan, (not visible in this photo). Finally, Sharon spotted some nice mule deer near our exit, so I turned around so we could get a look at them.

Kelsie was looking forward to get back on her horse, so we hurried to the homestead in Wilton, Ca. Swam a little, washed the cars, ate an excellent Mexican dinner (homemade); and then the girls all took turns riding Canyon.

It is nice to not be staying in a hotel tonight. Thanks mom.

Gene

Sha's Fav Pic of Trip So Far

The girls enjoying the Nashville scene. We were dining at this really neat aquarium restaurant that had the biggest fish tank in the middle of the dining room complete with sharks and even had a scuba diver in there swimming around the tank to boot!

So Close to a Food Fight

We came close to a food fight tonight at "John's Incredible Pizza Co." in Fresno, Ca. --Long story--let's just say a slice of Spice Peanut Butter pizza cause quite a ruckus...

The kids played air hockey and went on a ride. Sharon and Kelsie won a bunch of tickets, which we exchanged for a parachuting alien toy, a couple pair of chinese handcuffs, and a dolphin with a mechanical mouth.

Staying at a La Quinta hotel about an hour south of Yosemite Nat'l Park. Setting alarm for 5am, in an effort to get there before the big crowds that are a given this time of year.

Gene

Kickin' it Into High Gear

This Spurred Tortoise runs laps around his enclosure in Old Town of Alberquerque, NM. While at the snake museum there, I bought some "rattlesnake eggs" and gave the girls a bit of a fright.

We are now two weeks into our vacation and this is only our third post! Due to requests from some of the family, I am taking charge of keeping our trip blog up to date.

After nearly a week in Vegas, I think we are ready to head on down the road tomorrow. The plan is to head towards Yosemite National Park on our way to my mom's house, which is just a little southeast of Sacremento, Ca. Kelsie has some rodeo action going on later this week, so we need to get her back to her horse so she can get back in the saddle and warmed up for her barrel races. There is a Bill Pickett rodeo going on in Oakland, Ca. this weekend; we intend to do some touring of San Fran while down in the area.

Gene

Grand Canyon U.S. A.

July 3rd at the Grand Canyon...I am slightly freaked out standing so close to the edge-can you tell? This is by far the coolest so far on the trip. The girls were blown away by the beauty of the canyon at sunset.

Since The Night We Left

Wells Jr. High said good-bye to a couple of good looking and smart kids on Monday, June 22nd.

The past couple of weeks since that night, we have put over 4k miles on the van and have seen many interesting things. We broke up the first leg of the trip with a brief but interesting pit stop in Hershey, Penn. From there, we hurried on down to Tennessee. Nashville was super hot compared to the rainy and cool weather we had been getting in New England. Memphis seemed even hotter, and except for Graceland and the Peabody Ducks, the kids didn't seem to fully appreciate the depth of the culture that exists there.

We made good time getting from Memphis to Vegas with stopping only two nights. Oklahoma City was beautiful near sunset; the riverwalk area down by the Bass Pro Shop was really a relaxing evening for us, and we needed it. (Unfortunately, the Bass Pro Shop was closed.) The next day, we took a late afternoon siesta in Alberquerque, NM to explore Old Town, and then we stopped in Gallup, NM for the night. We drove by Hoover Dam on the way to Las Vegas, but we didn't stop to take the tour because we knew we'd be back in a day or two after meeting up with the people we planned on meeting there.

Stayed at the MGM for three nights. Got a surprise meeting with my cousin Angie and her husband Mike, who were staying at Mandalay Bay. On the fourth day, Jessica, Kelsie, Alie, Sharon, and I headed for the Grand Canyon. We stayed at a hotel just a few miles south of the park entrance. We saw much wildlife, and the kids all loved it, as did the adults. I went out to watch the sunrise the next morning, and then we all headed back to Vegas after breakfast. We spent one night at the Venetian and then a couple of nights at the Orleans. Now, our stay in Vegas is about done, and that is okay because staying here causes one to cast off restraint to some degree. And, well...with five or so more weeks to go on this vacation, we need to remember what sort of frugality it took for us to get here.

That is the last two weeks in a nutshell. Of course we have some pictures from many of the places mentioned and some from places I didn't mention. With a little effort, I think we can do a little better with keeping up to date for the rest of the journey.



Gene