Time To Post

I know, I know, it's way past time to get something on the boards
here. Here's a quickie I did yesterday in 1.5 hours. About a third of
that was setting up and taking down. Cute little Tuscan scene above
the sink.

Been feeling poorly lately. Down last week for about four days with
something, then got back to work only to get a sore throat last night.
Have to keep working, though. I will try to take it easy.

Have a studio tour scheduled for next month. Been cleaning and
straightening for the occasion. Hard to part with some stuff.

Route 66: Retrospective

It was a great trip! Pulling the Airstream was a breeze, despite several days of wind. Mountain passes were a challenge as well. All in all, it was an informative, adventurous trip.

Retracing Route 66 is also a bit of a challenge today, as much of it has either been replaced by the interstate highway system, or renamed and renumbered by subsequent state highways. However, much of the old "Mother Road" is still out there. Many states and communities have once again embraced the importance of this highway. Our trip was a combination of Route 66 and the various interstates, especially when Route 66 paralleled the faster interstate and was visible from the faster highway. But when going through the little towns along the way, getting off the interstates was the only way.

Watching videos and reading books in advance, as well as having Susanne read as we went through a section of the highway and towns, made the discovery more enjoyable. Looking for the significant landmarks along the way made the trip complete. Sometimes it meant backtracking when you got lost (not fun with a trailer behind you). We did not go through St. Louis (at rush hour) so we missed Ted Dewe's Frozen Custard. However, our friends in Missouri treated us to Randy's Frozen Custard in Lake Ozark. Actually, we went there twice, both for the Ozark Turtle. Fantastic. Now I'm on a search for local frozen custard stands. If you have never tried frozen custard, you're missing out on an experience. It makes ice cream pale by comparison.

The food along this trip has also been a treat. The Big Texan in Amarillo, TX has the best steak we have ever had. This place has been feeding locals and tourists for decades. It has been featured on food and travel programs on television, as well as in magazines. Noted for it's FREE 72 oz. steak (if you can finish it and the side dishes in 30 minutes), it is a steak mecca. The Chicago style hot dogs were a treat, as well as the deep dish, corn meal crusted Chicago pizza. We had buffalo burgers, elk burgers, fried chicken and many meals in the Airstream. Susanne bought maple sirup (spelled right) in Funk Grove.

Aside from the food and landmarks were the people. The people we met along the way were the best. The vendors were, for the most part, friendly and courteous. Our fellow travelers were also the best. In particular was Re. Met her at the campground in Carlock (near Bloomington, IL). She had also just recently purchased an RV and was experiencing similar events as we were. She was from the Chicago area, so gave us some pointers on what to do in the city. In Amarillo I was talking with a workcamper (Steve) who was soon heading for a summer gig in Hill City, SD. He told me about the campground he was going to, and as it turned out, Re was also going to the same campground at about the same time as we were. She first had to go to WI and MN. We kept in touch after leaving Carlock, and reconnected at the campground in Hill City (near Mt. Rushmore). We camped together in SD, and toured Custer State Park together. Great gal! She is now workcamping in Casper, WY. Also ran into Steve again on our last day in Hill City.

Workcamping is an interested alternative to just running around in your RV. In exchange for a certain number of hours of work per week, the workcamper has a free hookup in a great area for exploring. After the trade hours, the workcamper is eligible to receive pay for additional hours. It's a vagabond type lifestyle, but very intriquing. In fact, most full-time RV'ers we talked with were workcampers. Some would return to certain campgrounds for the season, others sought new experiences.

The dogs were exceptional during this experience. Always stayed near the trailer when not on leash (probably afraid they would be left behind). Traveled well in the car. Got to learn how to run on leash while we were on the bikes. They were great travel companions. Barking at other dogs walking by outside the trailer was annoying, but all dogs do that.

Pulling a travel trailer requires a lot of quick decisions on where and when to pull into a driveway. This is a problem with just about any RV. Will I be able to get out of here with out having to back up? It requires circling through parking lots, being sure not to turn to sharp. A couple of times I ended up in a driveway without an outlet. Not a good idea. Fortunately, Susanne would jump out to make sure I didn't wipe out any parked cars.

Setting up in a campground for the night became quicker and easier as time went by. Level side to side, disconnect from hitch (receiver), level fore and aft, drop the corner jacks, hook up water, electricity and the sewer hose, open up the tank valves, connect the tv cable (when available) or raise the antenna and autoprogram the tv for the available channels are the chores of hookup. Then repeat all this when leaving. Not as tedious as it sounds, but necessary for "wet camping". However, "dry camping" requires just parking, as we did the one night in the noisy Walmart parking lot in Chandler, OK. Talked with other people and found out most Walmart parking lots are the same. You get what you pay for.

Regretted dead-heading it back to Tahoe from Hill City, but had to get back to work. Would like to see more of Colorado and Utah. Think southern Utah might be the next trip. Park at one location and venture out in the truck for day trips, coming back to base camp at night. All in all, it was worth the time and expense. Try it yourself sometime.

Hwy. 50: Day 26

Home At Last

Finished Hwy. 50 through Nevada today. Actually, it's known as "The
Lonliest Road", not highway as previously mentioned. It's only "The
Lonliest Road" in Nevada. That way commercialization is easier, as in
T-Shirts, bumper stickers, etc.

The lonliest road is certainly not a flat road as I had imagined.
Between Ely and Fallon, there are at least eight mountain passes.
Normally not an issue, but when you're pulling an extra 7000 plus
pounds, it's a bit trying. Then going downhill with 7000 plus pounds
pushing you...well, you get the picture.

Not much going on out there except the occasional coyote, but a pretty
road nonetheless. Some traffic, but not much. Tried listening to an
audio book by John Grisham about a washed up NFL quarterback playing
with the Parma Panthers in Parma, Italy. Lot of commentary about
Italian food and wine. Boring story that was making us very hungry.

Brought the trailer up to my studio in Tahoe for cleaning and
straightening tomorrow, then will take it back to Carson City for
storage until the next adventure.

Tomorrow's blog will be a retrospective about the trip. Be sure to
tune in.

Hwy. 50: The Lonliest Highway

The Return Trip

Thought I would change the title since we are on another significant
roadway. After leaving Grand Junction this morning, we were on both
I-70 and Hwy. 50 through Utah. We left the interstate at Sidalia, UT,
and followed Hwy. 50 across the rest of Utah and in to Nevada. We are
spending the night in Ely, NV.

South of Ely, way back in the foothills, are the Ward Charcoal Kilns,
a series of six kilns used to produce charcoal for the nearby iron ore
smelters. They were built in 1870, and are the finest of their type.
Italian masons built them, and the artistry is beautiful. Each kiln
held 6 to 8 acres of trees. Needless to say, there was not many trees
left by the time they swithed to coke brought out by the railroad. The
doorway is about 6 feet tall.

Saw a gorgeous elk near the highway coming up the pass into Ely, so
for dinner we ate at a local restaurant and had an elk burger. What?

Tomorrow is the final leg back to Tahoe along the Lonliest Highway
some more.

Route 66: Day 24

The Return Trip

Travelled through Colorado today. Stopped in Georgetown to taste some
wine from a vineyard in Palisades, near the Utah border. Seems the
owner has homes in both places. Georgetown is in a windy gorge, not a
place for wine grapes. In fact, one of the other customers was a
couple from Napa.

The picture is from Glenwood Canyon. The highway goes through this
12.5 mile gorge along with the Colorado River, train tracks and a
paved bike trail that is part of the highway (I-70) system. Quite an
engineering marvel, and a beautiful place.

Spent the night in Grand Junction. Had a bit of a problem finding a
park to stay in. Seems there are a rodeo, car show and dog show in
town this weekend. Busy place.

Route 66: Day 23

The Return Trip

Not much going on today but driving. We left Hill City, SD this
morning and headed south.

Last night was dinner at the Alpine Cafe in Hill City. Unique place as
they only serve filet mignon dinner, either 6 oz. or 10 oz. Forget
anything else. Was very good, by the way.

Took this picture today with the iPhone. It is in Colorado, just
across the border from Cheyenne, WY. The object on the hill top is a
large cut-out of a buffalo. We are at a KOA near Ft. Collins for the
evening. Been windy all day, but really bad here in northern Colorado.
Got tired of fighting it, so taking a break for the night.

Route 66: Day 22

The Return Trip
Spent the day driving through Custer State Park. Beautiful place, and
large. There is a wildlife loop that is over 30 miles long and
includes buffalo roaming free, as well as burros and deer. Before the
park is the Needle Highway with many great granite spires reaching
into the sky.

After the park we stopped by the Crazy Horse statue, still very much a
work in progress.

Spent some time in the afternoon biking on the Mickelson trail which
goes by the rv park. All so very gorgeous here.

Planning on pulling out in the morning and heading south towards
Colorado by way of Wyoming.