Over 30 days during the trip from Jackson, NH to Portland, OR we had one rainy day. Upon our arrival in Portland, the weather changed to unsettled, wet and cold. As we pack up Stargazer tonight, the skies are clearing and Portland will soon be experiencing nice spring weather! Even with rain and cold our time in Portland with Paul, alias Yogi, and Sandy has been exceptional. Just spending time together talking is so wonderful; the bonus being amazing meals,…
We started by indulging in delicious donuts from Heavenly Donuts. The drive from Red Bluff, CA to South Beach, OR was incredible, but required Stargazer to be able to handle curves, falling rocks, steep hills, and much more. Melinda and I fully share the driving and each day we were exhausted, as full concentration was critical. Today we have been on the road for 30 days and we have been blessed with amazing weather. The only rain we experienced was…
We traveled from Boulder, UT to Baker, NV. Lots of long straight lonely roads with very few cars (no trucks) but continued outstanding views. Baker is a town of 86 people at the base of the Great Basin National Park. We were able to walk around the Park some, but overall the Park was closed. Locals report having three times the snow of normal years and on the mountains the snow will not completely melt until July. While in Baker…
Utah is quite spectacular and the drive from Canyonlands National Park to Boulder, Utah took us from warmer weather and desert conditions, to lots of snow, to no snow, but cooler temperatures. On the way we stopped at Goblin Valley State Park where we were amazed by incredible sandstone goblin formations. We then headed to Boulder, but first stopped at Stan’s Burger Shake for a very thick shake. Then over Boulder Mountain where we ran into many feet of snow….
After a final photo shoot, we left Tracy and Eric and headed to Utah. Along the way we traveled through Rio Grande National Forest, over Wolf Creek Pass (where we practiced downshifting), through Durango, and into Moab. Upon arriving in Moab we learned it was the beginning of the Moab Jeep Rally 2023! Our first day in Moab we were up early and headed to Dead Horse Point State Park where Melinda and I took a six mile hike following…
Our Crestone, CO visit has been a blast. Being with Tracy and Eric is always fun. I have known Tracy since 1978 when we and many others worked together positioning LERN to become the leading association in lifelong learning. We so much enjoy sharing what we have been up to and what its going on in our friends’ lives. Besides time together, the highlight of the visit was our time at the Great Sands National Park. The Park includes the…
From OKC we made our way to Colorado via Texas and New Mexico. For much of the way to New Mexico we followed Route 66. Sometimes we were on Route 66 and sometimes driving next to Rout 66. Over much of the terrain we saw no cars or towns. At one point we had to wait for a long train to rumble by. Prior to reaching Amarillo, we did see lots of signs for the Big Texan Steak Ranch where…
The drive from Paducah, KY to Hot Springs, AK was long. Lots of highway and when we got to Hot Springs, the streets were jammed and there was no parking for Stargazer. Visiting Hot Springs on a beautiful Saturday was not a good idea. The grand architecture of the historic bathhouses balanced with natural curiosities was fun to observe, but Stargazer was happy to be out of the city. For the evening we camped at the base of Lake Ouchita,…
The trip from Asheville, NC to Cave City, KY was wet but uneventful. Stargazer had a full day of no functional or human challenges. At this point in the trip we are getting about 18 miles per gallon. In Cave City, outside Mammoth Cave National Park, our camping location for the evening was Rock Cabin Camping. Nice guy running it, but no work had been done on the campground in over 50 years. We do not care much for comforts,…
We left DC at the crack of dawn and arrived in Shenandoah National Park before it opened. We stopped by Mom’s Restaurant for breakfast and then headed into the Park. All three of us hiked the Compton Trail. Because No Dogs Were Allowed, I hiked Stony Man Summit myself. The day was beautiful and the views spectacular; not many people at the Park. That night we stayed at the Spacious Skies Campground in Luray, Virginia. The location was perfect and…