May 4, 2007
Heading west, finally on the way, it’s a good feeling.The weather cooperated with cloud cover helping making the crossing of the desert much cooler, no A/C needed.
Utah’s mesas and canyons are spectacular making the drive worth doing even if you really didn’t have to get anywhere. This trip has a bit of nostalgia due to the feeling that this may be the last time we travel this way for a long time. The next desert we cross will be of water most likely.
Las Vegas, what a great place it used to be for a visit. Now it is a definite obstacle in trip planning as it seems in a constant state of construction with a rush hour more like a ‘rush day.’
We planned to make it as far as Barstow, CA but decided to push on as the winds were blowing a gale. Dust closed visibility to a couple of miles so lounging by the pool drinking a cold beverage faded with the weather forecast. Might as well continue on to Mojave as sit in a motel room.
This is about as green as it gets in this part of the world. A light rain shower had just ended.
The Light House at Cedar City, Utah. Must be a reef around here somewhere, but in my experience it's hard to get anything except a Coke on the rocks in this state.
May 5, 2007
Did I mention the wind was blowing yesterday? Two eighteen wheelers were blown over just outside of Mojave, both on exit ramps.It’s still breezy today but the visibility has improved to near normal and it looks like good weather will prevail.
We made it to our destination for the first leg of the road trip just after mid-day. Finding Cheryl’s sister and brother-in-law at their new home just SW of Yosemite has been much anticipated. Skip and Judith have just gotten their major project completed to the livable stage. All essential systems are in place and functioning. The beer was cold and the grill hot..
May 6 - 11, 2007
Judith and Skip were kind enough to offer us an opportunity to work out some of the kinks acquired by being cooped up in a car for two days. With a project as big as theirs I’m sure getting a little exercise in the great outdoors will be pretty easy to come by for awhile.
After helping with some landscaping for most of the day it was time to head to Cheryl’s mother's place in Morgan Hill, CA, our new home for the next few days.
The next few days melted into a mélange of spending time with most of the family, eating too much, and greatly enjoying life. Betty, Cheryl’s mom, made us feel completely welcome with her abundant hospitality. But for some mysterious reason we were evicted to Charlie’s, Cheryl’s brother, on Friday. Hmmm…?
May 12, 2007
That Cheryl’s family had something up their collective sleeves became more obvious in the morning. We were conveniently kept busy until all were ready at Cheryl’s mom’s house. The surprise retirement party was on!
Lots of good food, good cheer, and a few adult beverages were enjoyed by the Thome clan, significant others, and friends.
Cake technology has come a long way. The pictures are not only edible, but delicious.
May 13, 2007
A wonderful Mother’s Day! David, Cheryl’s son and his wife Kellie, took us to 17 Mile Drive State Park just south of Monterey, CA for a picnic. The weather cooperated to make it a simply gorgeous day. We took many photos of this magnificent portion of the Pacific coast.
This part of California's coast is always a beautiful surprise. For now we are happy to view from land.
Later we also visited Point Lobos just a short distance south. Here we were able to hike a couple of trails and enjoy the views on this rugged point.
Now for the second portion of the trip, Gilroy to Canada with a stop in Twin Falls, Idaho.
We left early on May 19 with the goal to drive straight through to Twin Falls. We made it with daylight to spare in 11.5 hours.The roads were good, gas expensive at near $3.50/gal, and stops were few – Cheryl rationed drinks and food to keep us on the road only stopping when the gas tank needed filling.
Allan and Susan were prepared for our arrival with a great meal in a spectacular setting.Their house backs up to the Snake River canyon just a few miles southwest of
Being very gracious hosts they let us win a few games of cribbage the first night before giving us a lesson in how the game is played the second night. We’ll have to practice up and get them to visit us on the boat….
The next day we toured the area ending with some nice farmers across the canyon allowing us to tromp across their property to the opposite side of the Canyon for a view of Allan & Susan’s house.
But the ‘Farewell Tour’ must go on and we left early on May 21st bound for Great Falls, MT as this is about the half way point to our next destination of mom’s house near Buck Lake, Alberta, Canada. The farm lands of Idaho give way to some of the prettiest country of the trip in western Montana. Of course it rained so we didn’t really get to enjoy it until our homeward run a week later. The US/Canada border crossing revealed a waiting line, 1.25 hours worth, of travelers going to Canada, most were Canadians returning after a holiday in the US. Although we did not know it at the time this weekend is Canada’s equivalent of our Memorial Day. Gas at $1.18 a liter was probably the least welcome aspect of Canada as it works out to well above $4.00 per gallon. I suspect that US prices will soon follow, so sell that gas guzzler while you still can!
The Canadian clan of the Mallon family welcomed us and threw in a snow storm just to give us the complete picture of life in the far north. Spring in this part of the world comes with relapses of winter quite often. Regardless, it was a fun-filled time with much good food and good cheer often not ending until 2 AM.
We were able to enjoy some of my sister Marie’s fine cooking in her new house, watch her and Tim move cattle, and enjoy a couple of new born colts which gave us some photo opportunities.
Visiting with my mom and helping her with her computer was the main reason for the trip to Canada. In an effort to stay in touch with us during our travels mom went against her better judgment and allowed a computer to enter her domain. I think she still sees it as the enemy within, but is giving a gallant effort and making progress. Cheryl and I left for Grand Junction early on the 26th slipping out of Canada before we could get snowed in. We actually had great weather and made the trip in 2 full days of driving.