HOME!!!!

May 3

Today makes four weeks we've been traveling. As usual, we'll be glad to get home but, as per ALL of our road trips, it's been a blast!!!  And we STILL understand that  there's so much more to see in the USA! 

We were up at 4:30 this morning. Matt drove us to the airport for our 7AM flight. We arrived in the Twin Cities on time, had a 90 minute layover before boarding our flight for Boston. We were late leaving so did not arrive at Logan until 5:45. Fortunately our 6:15 bus was late and we got on after retrieving our luggage at baggage claim. The stars were   aligned!  No traffic on Rt. 93!  Stars aligned again!  John G. picked us up in Barnstable.   But it was after 9 when we reached 658 Main St. Harwich!   And we have definitely left the warm weather in the West:  45 degrees and cloudy in Harwich!!

It wasn't necessarily planned, but the fact that we bookended our trip with birthdays made it extra special. And the fact that we were Kirsten and Matt's first guests in their new home added even more delight!  On top of that, we had the pleasure of getting to know and enjoy Kirsten's family who have welcomed Matt with open arms. This brings us much comfort. ❤️

Part of our vacation was a "barge trip" on which we barged in on some friends for a few days. Hearty thank yous to Helen and Paul in Sandia NM, to Bea and Tom in Indian Wells CA and to Francine and Bill in Tiburon ca. With our friends, we had some "down time!"  No driving, no navigating, no making peanut butter sandwiches or salads!

The rest of our time we were "on the road!"  Peter did ALL of the driving and he was totally enamored with our 2016 white Mustang convertible!  I was the navigator, blogger and personal assistant!  We have learned a lot from our many previous road trips and have gained a lot of tips for road tripping!  We never drove over 400 miles a day; most of our days were about 275 miles. We had an itinerary but we were flexible in using it. We had no prior reservations (except on the "barge" part of our trip) and that left us available to drive a little more or a little less or bypass some place completely!  And we never had trouble getting a room at the end of the day!!

For our daily routes, we had 4 resources:  a book entitled The Best  275 Scenic Routes in the U.S., cell phone GPS, a large print road atlas of the U.S., and individual state maps.  There were many times that we had NO SERVICE on our phones which inactivated the GPS......and, anyway, we LOVE maps!!  We did discover something new:  not only are there scenic byways but there are also "back country scenic byways!"

We stayed in several different motels, ranging in price from $50 per night to $160 per night. Each one was clean and the staff was pleasant. Only one did not have breakfast included and Peter said the coffee in each was "awful!"  One did not have a hair dryer but I had brought my own!  One had only one chair but Peter preferred being prone anyway!  Basically it didn't matter how much the room cost!

In summary, here are our stats for the 22 day road trip:

Total miles:  4900

Total gal. of gas:  195

Total cost of gas:  $470

Average cost of gas:  $2.42 per gallon 

Average mpg:  25

Cost of Mustang convertible rental:  $48 per day

Average cost of lodging:  $90 per day

Average cost for food on the road:  $40 per day

HAPPY ROAD TRIPPING!! 

Our Final Days

April 30, May 1, May 2

Saturday we had a work day!  BUT, first we did meet Ginny, Kirsten's mom, at Patty's in St. John's, a Portland neighborhood, for an old-fashioned breakfast. Then, Kirsten and Matt cleaned one final time at their Overton St. carriage house, I weeded at the new N Van Houten St. home and Peter took down the patio roof. For dinner Kirsten made pasta piselli with fresh peas.......mmmm good!

Sunday was a little more relaxing!  For breakfast, we walked to the new Portsmouth Pantry where I had a great latte with a fir tree design on the foam....unique!!  And the breakfast sandwiches were delicious!  After a few chores to get ready for a birthday dinner on the patio with Kirsten's family as guests, we drove to Kelley Point, a park situated at the point where the Columbia and the Willamette Rivers meet. We strolled around the park for an hour and Daisy, Kirsten and Matt's dog, even had a swim on the beach!  The weather had been warm and sunny since we arrived, high 70s, even low 80s, and sunny. 

Back at home, Ginny, Erik, Kirsten's brother, Marti, his wife and Birgita, their daughter, arrived at 5 for Matt and Kirsten's first dinner party at their new home. After cocktails and face-painting (Birgita is a "pro" at this), we ate chicken, grilled to perfection by Matt on their new Kamamodo grill, caprese salad made with the fresh mozzarella di bufolo we brought from California and a delicious salad made by Kirsten. For dessert we had poppy seed cake and ice cream to celebrate my birthday!  What a day!!!

Monday, our last day in Portland, Peter and I drove Matt's car into the Pearl, the downtown  Portland neighborhood, to meet Billy Norris, a friend from Beverly that I've known since first grade!  66 years!  Billy (known as Billy ONLY by his oldest friends) and his whole family are old Alexander family friends. We met him at the Daily Cafe for lunch, memories and "catch-up!"  After lunch, we walked the neighborhood with him, saw some nice city parks and ended up at Billy's high rise condo in the Pinnacles with a view if Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainer and Mt. Adams. Pretty spectacular!! 

After a couple of stops to do errands, we returned to Matt and Kirsten's. Peter left again to pick Matt up at the "shop" and I stayed home to prep dinner, pesto sauce on fresh fettuccine and salad. We were all pretty tired and had to get up at 4:30 AM for our flight home tomorrow so after some chatting and repacking, we all retired!  What fun to visit Kirsten and Matt in their "new digs!"  They are great hosts and so comfortable to be with....and Daisy is a "love!"

Matt and Kirsten: AT HOME

April 30

Matt and Kirsten relaxing at home (after all chores are finished for the day!!!!!

8915 N. Van Houten Ave.

April 29

After getting organized, doing a couple of errands and having breakfast, we were on the road to Kirsten and Matt's new house in Portland at 10:15. Straight up I 5 north, 275 miles. No sightseeing today!  However, the scenery along this portion of I 5 north was as lovely as many of the scenic byways we traversed!  We drove through lush, green, rolling hills. 

We stopped about noon in Sutherland for a fast food lunch. The temp was 53 degrees with scattered showers. One of our few days with clouds and rain!  We made a stop in Albany to get the car cleaned up! After 3 weeks with the top down, the interior was gross!  We found a place that did a full serve car wash, inside and out, for $18! We wish there were a place like that near Harwich!  It is one of the best car wash places Peter's ever seen!  Congrats to Connie for finding it online!

On our way to Matt's shop, we encountered more clouds, some showers and pouring rain!  At 4:00 we arrived at Tonkin Gran Turismo and got the grand tour from Matt of the new facility. Very impressive! Peter was like "a kid in a candy store" with all of  the new and used Ferraris and Maseratis. We left shortly before 5 and soon.....downpour!!!! And ugly traffic!!  We finally arrived at 8915 N Van Houten Ave. just after 6 and just before Matt!!!  We got the grand tour from both of the new owners......and Daisy!!!

Impressive!!   

We had to get our Mustang back to the rental company so we drove to the airport in two cars, left the convertible and went to Handsome Pizza for dinner. Great pizza!! They have one named after the renowned Brooklyn pizza chef, The Di Dara pizza!!!  The chef and Peter had a long chat!  Back at home by 9:30 (past our bedtime!!) and chatted until 11. 

Crater Lake, a "Must See!"

April 28

We were up at 8, checked out at 9, and, with the top down and 60 degrees, we headed to Starbucks. Soon we headed for the Shasta Dam/Shasta Lake Scenic Byway. Shasta Dam is the second largest dam in mass in the U.S.  A 9 1/2 mile long conveyer belt was used to transport the building materials to construct the dam. We crossed the dam on foot.....STEPS!!  There we stood with the vista of Shasta Lake, Shasta Dam, snow covered Mt Shasta and the Sacramento River!  Awesome!  We left dam at 10:30 and came upon 2 deer crossing the road!!!

Then we proceeded  to I 5 and 44 west to the Volcanic Legacy scenic Byway  California.  It was now 70 degrees. We drove through green, rolling, forested hills with snow covered mountains far in the distance ahead of us. On the road we passed homesteads, vineyards, and an unusual statue. Climbing to an elevation of 2600 feet (65 degrees) we went through  Shingletown,  population 1000. Driving through Shasta National Forest the speed limit  was 65, 57 degrees and 3700 feet in elevation. This was very different road for us.....high, flat and very forested. We skirted Lassen Volcanic National Park where the road is closed until June. The next town was Viola, population 97. Soon it was jacket time, 51 degrees!  We saw trees with power lines on them. At elevation 5000 feet, in the  Lassen National Forest, there was a view of  Lassen Peak, 10,478 feet high and the centerpiece of the park. 

It was now 46 degrees with little patches of snow near the road. We were practically alone, yet on another great road!  We did try a couple mile detour, a dirt road over babbling Hat Creek. Rt. 89 has plenty of solitude, beautiful trees and nothing much else!  After the town of Old Station, we drove through a large area burned by forest fire. 

At 1:15 we stopped at Burney Falls just off 89. AWESOME!!! Just inside the entrance to the state park, we took a short, steep hike to the base of the Falls and back. We had a quick picnic lunch there and we were back on 89 at 2:00, 65 degrees. We drove on through beautiful, forested, dotted roads to Oregon with snow covered Mt. Shasta in the distance. Suddenly there was a deer in the shadows in middle of road!!  Quick brake!! We continued through Shasta Trinity National Forest where there were still very few vehicles and the Cascades ahead and to our left. 

Back on I 5, we drove north for 8 miles to 97 north. Mt Shasta was now to our right!  We were  still on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway through Weed where we passed Shastina Lake. "Little"  Lake Shasta?  Again we were on a different kind of road, open with strong cross winds.  We passed Juniper Valley and entered Klamath National Forest at  3:15, 59 degrees. Butte Valley National Grasslands is just what you would picture!  Unfortunately, then we passed hills ravaged by a forest fire on both sides of the road. We drove through Dorris, population 1000, at the Oregon border and entered Oregon at 4:00. 

At Klamath Falls OR,  at 4:30, we decided to go on to Crater Lake, Rt. 97 to Rt. 62, much of the road on the Upper Klamath Lake, the largest body of fresh water by surface in Oregon. There were bugs all over windshield again. Back in Oregon!  We were all alone on the road in farm country with mountains in the distance and snow at the side of the road. It was 54 degrees when we entered Crater Lake National Park at the south entrance at 5:15. We followed a forested road and had to put the top up at 44 degrees at 5:25. A vista into a gorge was unbelievable!  We soon arrived at the turn into the road to Crater Lake.  Lots of snow!!!  Everything was closed but the road!  There was deep, deep snow on roadside up to the lake. At 7000 feet and 39 degrees we trudged through the snow to an incredible view at the rim of Crater Lake. Spectacular!!!! The annual average snowfall there is 43 feet!  The lake gets all its water from the rain and snow; it's the cleanest, clearest, deepest lake in U.S.  

Back down to Rt. 62 at 6:10 on a very twisty curvy road. By 6:20 the snow was practically gone and it was up to 50 degrees. We drove on a densely forested road following the Rogue River to Medford OR. We arrived there at 7:30, got dinner supplies, checked in, had dinner and fell into bed!

Sun, Clouds, Hail and Rain!

April 27

We said our goodbyes to Bill and Francine about 10:00 this morning after a breakfast of homemade waffles and Francine's signature cappuccino. What a comfortable stay with them in Tiburon, both relaxing and seeing new sites!  I will see Francine again in a couple of weeks as we attend our 50th reunion from Regis on the East Coast. 50 years!  Seems like yesterday!

We left Tiburon under cloudy skies and 60 degrees so the top was up!  We were heading for Redding CA. but we changed our itinerary slightly to include a dotted road!  From 101 we drove east on 37, then north on 80 and 505, then turned slightly west on 16 at Madison for a short scenic drive to Rt 20 and then on to Williams and I 5 north to Redding.

On Rt. 16 there were orchards on both sides of the road. In Esparto it was sunny and 67 degrees so the top went down!  We drove through some very small towns, saw farms, orchards, vineyards and an unusual statue of a person seated and reading a book!  In Cassini there was a huge resort. We passed an olive tree grove in Brooks where we also saw a herd of sheep. Our road was in a lush valley between green rolling hills hills. At Rumsey, the hills closed in around us so we stopped at 1:00 for lunch at Rumsey Canyon,  11 miles from the turn on Rt. 20. 

Our picnic lunch packed by Francine, was a true gourmet luncheon which we devoured at the side of the road from which could hear the nearby rushing river.  

We left at 1:15 and, uh-oh, rain! The top went up!  Good decision because hail  (reported at 1 1/2 inches) soon started along with some thunder. We stopped on a paved pull-off; the temp had gone down 15 degrees in 5 minutes with blue sky in the distance!  Holy smokes..,,what a storm!!!!!  We left after 20 minutes under drizzle and gray sky!  Exciting!  We turned east on Rt. 20 to Williams and were soon on I 5. The sky was clear at 2:00 and by 2:30 the temp was 69 degrees. Soon top was down again!

We entered Redding at 3:45 and 71 degrees and found our way to Sundial Bridge. This bridge which crosses the Sacramento River, is a one-of-a-kind glass decked pedestrian bridge, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It is the tallest working sundial in the world. We walked across and then hiked a couple of miles  along Sacramento River Trail, a 19 mile paved trail system. Got a lot of steps!  

After getting our dinner supplies at the local Safeway, we checked into La Quinta at 6:00. Ate our salads and collapsed!

6 Degrees of Separation

April 26

What a delightful day!  After breakfast, we left the house with a picnic lunch and headed north west. The day was beautiful, low to mid 60s. Once we arrived in Point Reyes Station the guys went for coffee; Francine and I headed out for a walk to "discover" the town. Essentially, the economy is driven by agriculture and tourism, both of which we saw evidence of in our walk in this west Marin County town. After meeting Peter and Bill talking to a fellow about his Austin Healey, we found the car and continued on our journey. 

We began to meander along Tomales Bay headed toward Marshall and the Hog Island Oyster Co. Stunning coastline ringed by green hills!  At Hog Island, we retrieved our picnic baskets which contained crusty bread, 2 kinds of cheeses, Genoa salami, roasted peppers and white wine. To this we added fresh oysters which Peter and Bill shucked at the table!  What a lunch!  Too bad it was too windy to light the candle Francine had brought. Talk about ambiance!

We continued our drive through green lush hills and dairy farms on the twisty, curvy road in west Marin. There were beautiful yellow California poppies growing wild at the side of road. We were looking for the Ramini Water Buffalo Farm that Francine had heard of and had called to inquire if we could visit. We DID have Mr Pizza with us and they DO make mozzarella di bufala at this farm!!

At 1:45 we finally found the Ramini Mozzarella LLC (googling it!). We met Audrey (née Hitchcock) Ramini, wife of the founder and she enchanted us. What charisma!  Her husband Craig started to build his dream, a water buffalo farm and making mozzarella, in 2009, after a successful career in the business world. They bought a total of 40 water buffalo, named them after rock stars and began their business. Unfortunately, a little more than a year ago, Craig died from an incurable cancer. Audrey decided to continue his dream and the farm/cheese business is now a "one woman show."  She sells only locally because of logistics but it seems her cheese is in high demand!  

Curiously enough, she has roots on Cape Cod:  Fancy's Farm in Orleans, an uncle Bill Hitchcock who carved many of the wooden signs still seen today and a bee farm on Nantucket owned by her Dave Hitchcock. She also lives in Tuburon!  And I later discovered that Craig grew up in Wehnam and his father was a doctor at Beverly Hospital. Maybe Amy knew him!!  

On the way home, we stopped at Rachel's for a short visit. Returning home, we had a caprese salad using Ramini mozzarella, then played a game of Hand and Foot; allow me to gloat.....the women were impressively victorious!  After a short visit to see Jason and his fairly new home, we went to Paxtis for pizza. Home, chat, then to bed!

Ahhhhhh!

April 26

After 3 days of long, exciting drives, we were ready for some "down time!"  Our dear, old friends, Bill and Francine, offered us that opportunity. Today we relaxed!  Francine and I walked the neighborhood, we all ate a great breakfast, Emma came and we played with her, played some Hand and Foot again, a walk along the bike trail to downtown Tiburon and its fountain, cards again. And then a JOB!!  Putting up the canopy over their table on the deck. It had been taken down and repaired. Now it was time to rethread the cord and get it secure over the frame. We did it....and it didn't even take much time!!  More cards, then dinner (delicious spaghetti with sausage and meatballs), more cards, then bed (on the early side compared with last night)!

Peter has known Bill for 58 years; I've known Francine for 54!  As couples we've known each other for 52 years!  Long time!  We were in each others' weddings 48 years ago!  WOW!  Time does fly!  We lived near each in Bowie for several years. Francine and I would talk on the phone EVERY DAY about 8 to plan our day!  Since the late 70s, we've lived on opposite coasts but that hasn't decreased our times together!  We have shared so many wonderful times on Cape Cod, in California, in Italy and in other exotic places, together, with our families and with the Arrows!  There's nothing like dear old friends!!

On to Tiburon

April 24

To the Osentons and the Bay area today. Yippee!!  Haven't seen them since last fall!  We left Bakersfield at 9:30, 62 degrees and cloudy. Days Inn was a great bargain and we had great accommodations there last night. We did have was a near disaster at Starbucks this morning!  I had left my wallet there, fortunately discovered it missing seconds after leaving, when Peter stopped at another coffee place and asked for some change. And then, seconds later, we were  back at Starbucks where I found my wallet on the floor!  Whew!!!  

We were on the road again, on I5 north through  the Central Valley, the most productive farming area in the world as long as they have water but water is a problem!  Into the hills, there was less crop farming but we did see  field after field of planted trees (fruit or almond?), some covered with netting. Signs we noted:  No water No work, Is growing food wasting water?

We found a dotted road on the map (dots=scenic) from I5 to 101:  Rt. 198 west to Coalinga, Rt 25 north to Hollister and then Rt. 101 north to Marin.  At 10 :30 and 70 degrees we put the top down!  On this route, once again, the terrain was different!  Oil rigs, rolling hills, more lush farm land and groves of trees. We passed through Coalinga and stopped for gas. Pretty up-scale town. Outside of town, heading into steeper hills, there were more oil rigs and scattered farm houses. The hills became greener and more treed as we climbed into the Coast Ranges. This is another Lou Combe motorcycle road.....he would love it!!!  Sparsely populated, very few vehicles! No service....again!  This is when we know we're on a road we'll enjoy!!  Peter was in heaven!!

At 12:45 we turned north on Rt. 25, another dotted road, toward Pinnacles National Park and Hollister. This road parallels the interstate but is a much nicer drive through the valley. Rolling golden hills, scattered ranches, another twisty, curvy road. We passed a small elementary school.....in the middle of nowhere!  It's yet another reminder that, although we're just passing through these beautiful countrysides, people do live, work and go to school here. We wondered how much time some of these elementary school kids spend on the bus each day.

A little further on, we passed more scattered ranches and a large vineyard. We interrupted an eagle's lunch as he was dining on roadkill!  More cars appeared near Pinnacles National Park where the Hollister Hills were to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. Absolutely stunning countryside!  Approaching Hollister, in Tres Pinos, we happened upon a lovely Catholic Church. Still on Rt. 25, just outside of the Hollister city limits, we arrived at traffic lights and subdivisions! We drove through Hollister, a decent-sized city and through more fertile farmland with crops growing. We stopped in Gilroy, the "garlic capital of the world."  Pistachios are also famed in this area. 

We reached Rt. 101 at 2:30. Enroute we drove through the heart of Silicon Valley, through the towns of Sunnyvale, San Jose and Mountainview. 

No fewer than three Teslas quietly passed us as we proceeded to Francine and Bill's. We arrived there a little after 4:30. After appetizers and a little wine, we sat down to a delicious dinner that Francine had prepared:  polenta, veal chops and broccoli rabe. Dessert was an orange cake using a whole orange in the making and no flour.   Fabulous!!  After 2 Games of Hand and Foot we reluctantly went to bed. 

Triple WOW!!!

April 23

This was a totally awesome day. Maybe our best EVER road tripping adventure! I hope I can do it justice!

We had a long day ahead of us so we were up and checked out by 8:00. Temp at our departure from Barstow was 57 degrees. We headed back to I15 north to head for Death Valley, the lowest and hottest point in the U.S.  Total desolate desert became rolling dark hills nearby and dark mountains in the distance. By 9:00 the temp had risen to 67.  Near Baker we passed an exit for  Zzyzx Rd.!!!  At 9:15 in Baker (population 735), the last populated area before Death Valley, we stopped to fill up.......$3.39 per gallon!!!! Two landmarks: the alien at Alien Jerky and  "the world's tallest thermometer" at 134 feet. 

We were on Rt. 127 north, Death Valley Rd., at 9:30. Flat desert with mountains in the distance, Shadow Mountains to the east and Soda Mountains to the west. There was no vegetation on the mountains. Only spotty cell service!  There was very little traffic on this flat road with call boxes every few miles. The terrain was wide open flat desert ringed by dark multi-colored mountains. There were white rocks that looked  like sand dunes near the road.  At Shoshone the gas was $3.89 per gallon. We stopped at the museum/visitor center where we learned about the early women in Death Valley and saw some mammoth bones. At 11:00 we left Shoshone where the temp was 71 degrees. 

We traveled on brand new pavement which was nearly deserted and, at 11:35, entered turned left on Rt 190 west into the Death Valley Scenic Byway. Death Valley is the largest national park in the

contiguous US and is twice size of Delaware. The highest temp recorded here was 134 degrees and the lowest elevation is -282 feet. The terrain on entering the park had no vegetation on rock mountains to the left and to the right dirt hills with very low vegetation. Interestingly, there were very few vehicles on the road. 

Our first side trip was to Dante's View, 13 miles off 190.  At  5400 feet and 58 degrees, there was AWESOME view into the valley. The road in and out had a 15% grade for last 1 1/2 mile. As we were leaving we saw a caravan of Subaru WRX sports cars approaching the view!  Peter read that there's about 3 degrees of change in temp for every thousand feet of elevation. Back on 190 the elevation was 2000 feet and the temp was temp 73 degrees. 

At 12:45 we decided to take a dirt road off the main road to see 20 Mule Team Canyon. Remember Borax?  It was 78 degrees on this one way dirt road. Dicey!!  "This takes the cake" was Peter's exclamation!  It was exciting to say the least!  It was 82 degrees and -200 feet elevation at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center where we took a pit stop.  At 1:45 we stopped to gawk at Mesquite Dunes to view sand dunes covering 14 square miles. By now it was 85 degrees. 

At Stovepipe Wells we stopped for lunch and left at 2:40, 90 degrees. We followed a long, beautiful climb out of the valley to an elevation of 4000 feet and 68 degrees.  At 2:55, to the driver's delight, the terrain changed again!  On a 9% grade, we drove with snow covered peaks way off to our right and absolutely stunning views everywhere. At 3:10 we were literally surrounded by mountains in the distance. At Panamint Springs we were again climbing with only occasional guard rails. Such varied topography,  up and down, in and out of mountains, the views shifting from one side of the car to the other. At Father Crowley Vista Point, elevation 4200 feet, what more can we say?  We did had a chat with a biker on a 2 week trip with a group. 

We officially left Death Valley NP at 3:45, following 190 to Olancha through the Tak City hills and the Lower Centennial Flat. It was time for jackets at 65 degrees with the snowcapped Inyo mountains ahead. We followed 190 until we could see Olancha 5 miles in the distance. There we turned south on 395 after a stop in Olancha for gas. At 4:30 we turned south on 395 and drove to 178 where we turned to go through the southern end of the Sequoia National Forest to Bakersfield. 

The South Sierra Wilderness was to our right as we followed 178 through the Forest. We saw multi-limbed cacti and drove on another twisty curvy beautiful road. It was 59 degrees and time to put on s scarf. There were few very small towns, cattle and horses grazing and green fields. Soybeans? There were steep hills in the distance totally surrounding us. In Mountain Mesa we saw a busy Eagles Hall. At Lake Isabella, RVs were parked at water's edge. The town of Lake Isabella is a metropolis with even a McDonald's!  From there we drove onto small section of freeway! And then, 15 miles of twisty curvy road again, along a canyon ridge between the Greenhorn Mountains following the Kern River. Spectacular!!!  At 6:50 we left Sequoia National Forest Land of Many Oaks WOW!!!

On our way to Bakersfield we passed the LA Aqueduct, then lush land where trees were planted in rows and then desert again. Soon we entered sprawling Bakersfield, one of the largest cities in California. At 7:00 we checked into our motel. It was 68 degrees and sunny. After take out for dinner, we collapsed!  What a truly stunning day!!!

The Rim of the World

April 22

We were up early to reorganize and repack.  Tom cooked breakfast:  bacon, sausage, eggs, fruit, toast. By 8:45 it was already 80 degrees!  At 10:00 we were off to the Rim of the World Scenic Byway after a stop at Starbucks! It is so comfortable being with Bea and Tom here and anywhere in our enduring 50 year friendship. We love their desert home especially all of the outdoor areas. And I was only in my "teacher mode" once when discussing our itinerary for today!

On I10 W there were many dense wind farms. It was 77 degrees but we could see bits of snow atop barren mountains. At the Mill Creek Ranger Station in Meltone the temp had gone down to 71 degrees as we drove through the lovely town of Yucaipa. At 11:30 we entered the San Bernadino National Forest, on Rt. 138 and the beginning of the Rim of the World Scenic Byway. We viewed rocky hills that were pine-forested and drove on a curvy well-maintained road climbing the San Gorgonio  Mountains that were snow topped in the distance. We drove to Onyx Summit at 8443 feet and at 12:10 it was 61 degrees. 

We saw a few very small towns and then arrived in Big Bear City with a population of more than 12,000. The city is mainly a recreation area with a small airport. We passed Madlon's restaurant with Swiss chalet architecture that was for sale. In this isolated mountain area, there are strip malls, fast food restaurants, ski areas, even a Starbucks!  At one point, top down of course, Peter's hat blew off!!! Rescue mission!  Bear Lake is obviously low; a ranger had told us the area had had 4 inches of rain when 14 is usual! 

We had lunch by Bea at Boulder Bay at 1:00 then started following Rt. 18, a narrow road with sharp curves and rock slide signs. At a scenic pull-over with a view of the rim, we drove over glass bottle as we were leaving. Peter got out to examine the tires; they looked okay; fingers crossed. We passed more small towns and nice vacation homes. 

At 2:00, we foundHeaps Peak Arboretum. There was a short, informative, quiet, beautiful walk through the forest. We were introduced to Black oak trees which are really gray, we saw burned logs lying on the ground and scorched tree trunks on living trees,  all caused by the Old Fire in 2003. We listened to birdcalls, we heard the trees quaking, we saw a grove of giant sequoias planted in the 30s, we were entranced by the yellow dogwood and we observed many nesting boxes used primarily by Western Bluebirds. 

Our next stopping place was Lake Arrowhead and the upscale outlet-city chalet type buildings. There are 6 villages here, some VERY private. From there we took 

Rt. 138 and saw the San Bernardino Valley below us. It was very hazy which apparently is not unusual. There was lots of traffic in the opposite lane....weekenders? 

From there Rt. 138 became a narrow twisty road with some hairpins. At the overlook for the Silverwood Lake reservoir we saw white caps on the lake and it was so windy, Peter had to hold onto his hat!  We exited the multi-faceted Rim of the World Scenic Byway at 4:00 and headed north on I15. toward Death Valley. It was 82 degrees!  We ended our day at 

5:15 in Barstow, checked into a motel and had our dinner salads!  Yum!  Early night!

A Day of Funk and Elegance!

April 21

Today we were up at 8 for laundry day!!  About 9:30 and 86 degrees, we left Bea and Tom's to go out for breakfast in Palm Desert. The place chosen by out hosts was

Keedy's, the "Best Greasy Spoon," once featured on the Food Network. Since 1957 this place has had the same Formica tables, counter, stools and fountain. The men ordered chicken fried steak!!!

At 11:00, we headed for Santa Roda and San Jacunto National  Monument where there was a short paved walk amid desert flora. At 11:45 we arrived at the Palm Springs Art Museum for a funky exhibit presented by collector Donna MacMillan. The exhibit demonstrates embellishment and excess, and is sub- titled "Baroque to Bling."  There is a bonnet with 31,000 corsage pins, a giant charm bracelet, a silver encased pillow entitled "Somewhere between Sleeping on the Streets and the Silver Clouds," and a necklace titled "Freud."  Shortly after noon left  the museum a 45 minute shopping spree at Barnes & Noble  and were home at 1. The temp was now in the mid-90s!

Our afternoon was very leisurely-naps, reading, laundry, chats, soaking up the desert air. I walked the 3 mile perimeter of Desert Horizons, the gated golfing community in which the Sextons live, in  hopes of getting 10,000 today.....I succeeded!

After showering, etc., we headed for the Desert Horizons Club for a Wine-tasting Dinner featuring Trentedue Wines, produced in a family owned winery off Rt. 101 north of Santa Rosa. When the family arrived at Ellis Island, the patriarch was asked a question and answered, "Trentedue."  He thought he was being asked how many there were in the family so the family name became "Thirtytwo!"  

Anyway, we were served an elegant five-course prepared by the Desert Horizons chef, each course served with a different Trentedue wine: a large scallop cooked with bacon and capers, a piece of crumb encased sea bass with roasted lemon slices, a small loin lamb chop served with polenta, a palate cleanser of sorbet, a piece of filet of beef with a dollop of pate and asparagus. Dessert was chocolate soufflé served with  Trentedue Chocolate Port. Quite delicious and classy!  

We sat with Bea and Tom's friend, Betsy and Jim Hansen, and conversed easily and comfortably with them and other Sexton friends. Peter chatted with a man who was born in the same hospital he was in Brooklyn!  I had an interesting conversation with Lee, the first female mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Quite an evening!

A Day in the Desert

April 20

Another leisurely morning, 79 degrees and sunny. There was lots going on at home:  Tom had board meeting on the phone, a plumber came to install anew garbage disposal, the TV guy arrived to do some repair, the gardener was watering. Bea and I left the confusion at 9 for our pedicure appointment which was a bit of a fiasco for Bea. Her pedicurist smudged her big toe and had to do repair work!  I was finished at 9:30; Bea was done at 10:15. We celebrated our pedicures at Starbucks before returning home!

At noon (94 degrees) we left for Palm Springs 94 and Bill's Pizza, one of top 10 pizza places in U.S.  Bill's definitely passed the Bebop "test" 1:45. However, it had advertised a brick oven and all Peter could see was a regular commercial pizza oven. We all enjoyed our lunch. 

Our next stop was the Palm Springs Air Museum, mainly featuring World War II exhibits. There were docents available to explain each model ship, each photo, each display. They were eager to share information. We watched an illuminated exhibit showing the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Outside there were many actual restored World War II and Vietnam era planes. At the end of our tour, we sat for a while reading original copies of Look, Life and Saturday Evening Post magazines dated the months we were born. What a hoot!

On the way home, we stopped for provisions for dinner. Peter was the chef for Burrata appetizer, pork Parmesan, fresh pasta with red sauce and Bea's salad. Delish!  After dinner we sat around the table on the patio and solved ALL the problems we could think of........we talked, laughed, grew somber, grew earnest, laughed some more and finally went to bed.....later than usual!!

 

Under the Desert Sky

April 19

We were up at 7:30 this morning to sunny skies and 70 degree weather. Tom cooked breakfast and we talked till 9:00. By 10:00  we were on our way to the Living Desert, the sponsor of our safari last June. It is a living desert botanical garden and zoo in a setting compatible with natural habitats. We reveled in seeing several big horn sheep atop a cliff. Two of them were at the edge of the cliff outlined against the sunny blue sky. We saw camels, giraffes, butterflies, warthogs, cheetahs and many more. At one point we wandered in on a program about cheetahs and ran into Alan Monroe, president and CEO of the Living Desert and the leader of our safari. 

After a lively chat with Alan and reliving some safari escapades, we left the Living Desert and drove back toward Indian Wells, current temperature 96 degrees!! Before returning to Bea and Tom's we stopped at Bella Cucina for lunch and Whole Foods for groceries. At home at 2:45 we relaxed a bit, read the paper, and Bea and I decided to get a pedicure. At the nail place there was a one hour wait so we made an appointment for tomorrow morning and did some more window shopping!

Back home we played some Hand and Foot.....Bea and I CRUSHED the guys!!!  After a collaboratively prepared dinner (Peter made an appetizer of Burrata and tomatoes and also cacio de pepe over fresh pasta, Tom grilled steaks, I made a salad and Bea set the table) we ate on the patio in candlelight under the desert sky!!  Beautiful.....and delicious!!!!

It's amazing that we've known Bea and Tom for 50 years. We met in 1966 when Bea and I were first year teachers in Marblehead MA. Shortly after Tom and Peter met, Tom introduced Peter as George Petero to a classmate at BC Law!!!  We often use that name when together!!!  And we are godparents to their son Mark!  And they are godparents to our son Matt!  All these years and we still talk and talk and talk and talk.......

California, Here We Come!

April 18

We had a leisurely morning in Lake Havasu City, a resort and retirement community. In 1958 Robert McCulloch purchased 3353 acres and in 1962 McCulloch Properties bought 13,000 more acres. In 1962 the city was established and in 1968 McCulloch purchased London Bridge when it was being demolished in London. He bought the bridge disassembled for 2.5 million dollars and spent 7 million more putting it back together over a channel in Lake Havasu. 

So, after breakfast, we headed to the bridge and took a long walk along the channel boardwalk in  the breezy high 70s. This is "boat heaven!"  We saw a guy "fly boarding!"  If you're interested, Google it!  After a stop at In and Out Burger and then at Starbucks, we left Lake Havasu City at noon intending to go south on 95 in Arizona, onto I10 and into California. 

However, as we approached Parker Dam, which is on the Colorado River and created Lake Havasu, we decided to take a short detour across the dam and found ourselves on the Parker Dam Back Country Byway along Rt. 62 and the Colorado Aqueduct. We knew there were scenic byways but, after yesterday's trip, we realized there are also Back Country Byways. Talk about desert!!  Sand dunes, cliffs in the distance, 90 degrees. 

At 1:00 we decided to put up the top; we were frying in the sun!  67 miles through the desert, straight, flat, few vehicles, no cell phone service. This is about as desolate an area as we've traversed. These roads are 100% more fun, though, than the interstate and, except through the mountains, they're mostly 65 mph. NO TRUCKS!! It's 90 degrees in April.....can you imagine how hot it gets in July?  We hope the Mustang holds up!  So far, it's been perfect!  Oops!  Shouldn't have said that!  

At 2:20 we got on I10 in Desert Center and headed for Bea and Tom's in Indian Wells.   We arrived at 3:45, temp 96 degrees. We picked Bea up at the airport (she'd been in MN for Abe's first communion), had dinner at a French restaurant. After we got back to their hacienda, we gabbed for a short while but we were all tired!  Good night!

"Happening" and "Harrowing"

April 17

Up at 7:30 and left immediately for the closest

Starbucks. We left Sun City at 8:20, 72 degrees and drove on

Rt. 60 nw to Wickenburg. There were retirement communities lining the roadway on either side  and then open flat desert. It was a 

gorgeous day, not a cloud in the sky. Our first turn was at Rt. 89, north to Prescott to the longest remaining stretch of original Route 66. There were more desert mountains in the distance and the area was sparsely populated. It went down to 60 degrees as we went up a mountain and down to 57 degrees on a curvy road climbing out of the desert to 4700 feet. The road was less curvy through high desert with large prosperous horse and cattle ranches. We passed 3 small towns climbing again on twisting roads into the Prescott National Forest. Ten miles outside of Prescott we encountered a hairpin turn AMAZING ROAD!!!  7.6 miles outside of Prescott there was a stunning view and the temp went down to 53 degrees at 6100 feet. We saw the first evidence of forest fire

descending to Prescott. 

At 10:45 we arrived in downtown Prescott, a bustling vibrant city of 40,000. Many were out and about downtown, enjoying the day. The older Earp brother and Doc Holliday spent time here. Barry Goldwater, a native, announced his candidacy for president on the courthouse steps. Big Nose Kate, Wild West companion to Doc Holliday lived here. Fiorello LaGuardia was born here. Pretty cool history!  We took a 4000 step walk through the the downtown and saw many sandwich boards on the sidewalk inviting prospective patrons inside. We were 

very impressed with Prescott; it gave us a very warm comfortable feeling. Prescott is a "happening place!"

We left Prescott at 11:45, 59 degrees, to follow Rt. 89 north to Rt. 66. We passed through prosperous suburbs into Chino Valley, 64 degrees. The road went through ranch country and had many roundabouts. Back up into Prescott National Forest, we stopped for a picnic lunch on the back of the car at 12:45. We passed through the Kabib National Forest, got on I40 for one exit and at 1:23 we were driving on old Route 66 at its longest remaining stretch of the original road. Through the high desert, we observed several bicyclists who were geared up for a long ride. We saw many of the typical Burma Shave signs that we saw on our previous trip, spaced out for easy reading. 

Here are two examples:

If hugging on highway

Is your sport

Trade in your car

For a davenport 

Cattle crossing

Means go slow

That old bull 

Is some cow's beau

In Peach Springs there was a deserted old gas station. Is Radiator Springs named after this town?  Up in the mountains a huge train pulled by 5 engines then 137 cars was moving at 70 plus mph. We were racing  a train for 10 miles!  What a fabulous encounter!  The train then passed another train going the other way and pulled by 4 engines. It turned 75 degrees near Kingman. As we were approaching Kingman we saw our first traffic light, an airport and subdivisions. 

At 3:30 we were Kingman where Rt. 66 becomes County 10, a Back Country Byway. Driving south to Topock, the road was continuously twisting through tight switchbacks over Sitgreaves pass at 3652 feet. Suddenly we spotted our first roadrunner scooting across the road. The approach was a lonely rolling road that went over dry washes. All of a sudden there was no center line!  The white-knuckle road was not for the "faint of heart!" Switchbacks, one after the other, had posted signs of15 mph. No guard rails beside the deep canyons. OMG!!!  I'm not sure I'd do this drive again!  My hand ached from gripping the inside of my door. 

At the western-themed town of Oatman there were burros walking and posing along the main drag. People everywhere!!  One building even sported a Confederate flag!  Unfortunately there were no mock gunfights today! Outside town the road finally sported a center line!  We were now in the REAL desert, 86 degrees at 4:30. Soooo desolate descending to Golden Shores then Topock and the end of the the Rt. 66 Scenic Byway. 

At 4:50 we took I40 east to Rt. 95 south to Lake Havasu City, our stopping point for the day. Here it was low desert at 950 feet and still 86 degrees. We

checked in to our motel at 6 PM, had a yummy mixed salad for dinner, watched some TV  and soon went to bed. An impressive, amazing, harrowing day!!