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Signing a PGR flag to be sent to troops in the Sandbox.
Yesterday we took a ride with some friends to Tulare, California to Cool Hand Luke's steakhouse and saloon. Tulare (too-larry) is about 60 miles from my place. It was a good chance to try out my newly installed cruise control...it works great!
I first saw Cool Hand Luke's when it was under construction a few months ago and stored it in my memory bank for a future dinner destination. I'm happy tp report that it was a good choice. The food and service were great and prices reasonable.
The weather was perfect for the jaunt. We got back to Bakersfield about 8pm then went to Dewar's for dessert. A hot fudge sundae topped off the evening!
It was a nice evening with good friends, good food and good weather. What else do you need? Oh, I forgot. Good bikes!
Happy Birthday, David! Our youngest hits the 30's!
We had a great weekend visiting my wife's sister and her husband in Big Pine, Ca.
We met them at the visiting center in Lone Pine for an excursion with the ATV's to Cerro Gordo, an old silver mining town that prospered in the late 1800's and early 1900's. We left the Owens Valley floor and headed up a dirt road to the mine at 9,000 feet! This provided for some spectacular views of the Owens Dry Lake and the surrounding mountains. The skies were blue as can be and the temperature perfect!
On our way up to the mine we came across a construction crew from Paramount Pictures building a "cave" along side the road.
Of course we had to stop and find out what was going on. They told us it was for a scene in "Ironman",an upcoming movie starring Robert Downey Jr.. The guys told us they were spending a couple hundred grand to build the thing only to blow it up in one scene! And we wonder why popcorn and a coke at the movies cost 10 bucks!! It was pretty neat to see out in the middle of nowhere.
After we reached the mine we made some sandwiches for lunch before taking the self guided tour. If you want to spend the night somewhere with grand views and absolute serenity,there is the old American Hotel that is now rented out. It's fully equipped with modern appliances and a great wood burning stove. Talk about the ultimate "get-away-from-it-all!
We spent a couple hours at the mine looking around and taking a short uphill hike to Jody's grave site.
She and her husband inherited the mining claims from her family and now he spends much time refurbishing the place. Here's couple links about Cerro Gordo.One,Two
The next day, Sunday, my nephew, brother-in-law, and their friend and I took a little trip with the ATV's. We found a dirt/rock/brush trail and went "up" until it was impassable. We went quite a ways. It took about 45 minutes to come down so that gives you some idea of how far we went. It took longer going up, I'm sure.
I was very impressed with the Ranger. It climbed like a mule never losing traction!
Rich and Coni, thanks for a great weekend!
I took a bunch of pictures. Click here.
Today I picked up my new 2007 Electra Glide Standard. She's a beauty! Aren't they all?
I stopped for a quick break by Casitas Lake and snapped a couple pics.
Here's a few more shots taken by my buddy,Lumpy. Pretty good for a cell phone. (Really, it's the clothes. I'm not that rotund!)
This was taken at Santa Barbara Harley. Sandy sold me the bike. She had everything dialed in and was very helpful!
A special thanks goes out to Allen for driving me to pick up the bike on his day off!
Now; about the bike. For 2007 the motor increased from 88 to 96 cubic inches and the transmission gained an extra gear...now a 6 speed. The exhaust system has been retuned for a more throatier sound. It's nothing like after market pipes but louder than previous years.
The new 6 speed transmission would best be described as a 5 speed with overdrive. The old 5 speed would have the motor turning 3,000 rpm at 70 mph. The 6th gears drops off about 600 rpm's. It now runs about 2,400 rpm at 70 mph. On the long run that will cut down wear and tear on the motor. Less vibration at higher speeds too.
The new 96" motor feels like it has more torque on the upper end. That's to say, when in high gear and accelerating it feels like she has more pep.
Also new for the 2007 model is a clock readout built into the odometer. No more trying to pull up a sleeve to see what time it is. The odometer also has an "A" and "B" mileage function. That's handy for keeping track of the last fill up or the last service.
I have a trip planned for the end of the month and can't wait to get in a whole day of riding. Did I mention that the red looks great?
Today I sold my Softail Standard. I wasn't too optimistic about the sale when I first placed my ad in the local newspaper.
I'm a classified addict. I watch the car and bike ads even when I'm not looking to buy. That being said; all the ads for used bikes I've seen since the new 2007 Harleys came out tend to run along time. Harley came out with a new motor and transmission this year and it seems to have put the skids on used bike sales. But I was fortunate. This first guy that looked at my bike bought it.
Now I'm on the hunt for a 2007 Electra Glide Standard. They come in red, blue, and black. I'm tired of black bikes and the blue isn't that appealing to me so red it is.
My dealer, Bakersfield Harley-Davidson, just has a blue one in stock. They found one in Santa Barbara and will try to do a dealer trade. If they can't make it happen, I'll go to Santa Barbara Harley-Davidson and get it myself.
I'm going on a ride to the Grand Canyon at the end of the month with friends...just a guy thing.(Lumpy, do you want to go? Call me.) So I've got to get a bike pretty soon and get some break-in miles on it.
Today we took the Polaris Ranger out for the first time. We went to Hungry Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation area in Gorman, California. Hungry Valley is a great place to go for a day trip because it's only about a 40 minute drive.
The weather cooperated nicely and gave us a couple hours to ride the Ranger. It was fun to see what it can do. Man, that thing is like a mountain goat! In Low range/All Wheel Drive it could climb up the side of a wall! It's a very capable little off road vehicle.
As you can see in the pictures my trailer worked out as well. The Ranger fits on it perfectly with little room to spare.
Here's some pictures and a couple short videos.
How about the Daytona 500 finish on Sunday? Wow! I was rooting for Mark Martin because he'll probably not have another chance at a Daytona 500 win. But then again I was glad to see hometown Bakersfield boy, Kevin Harvick, take the win! It was the closest finish in 500 history... 0.02 seconds!
We had friends over for the race. Mary and Janice took the Ranger for a quick spin around the block, hoping not to get a ticket!
I was able to finish up the Ranger trailer this past weekend. It turned out pretty good. I was able to save the front portion of the sides and turn it into a tool box. I'll post a picture later.
Today I traded in my Electra Glide for a 2007 Polaris Ranger. It was just about a straight-across trade...too little money to even mention. All things considered, I think it was a fair deal.
Every now and then we like to rough-it RV style. We like to go out to the desert with no hook-ups so I thought it would be fun to have a little off-road vehicle. After much internet research I decided the Polaris Ranger was the right choice. Mine is a 500cc 4x4 model with automatic transmission and fuel injection. It has a top speed of 40mph. Plenty fast for goofing around in the boonies.
They had red, blue, and green. I chose red.
Realizing there will be times I want to take the Ranger out somewhere local for just a day trip, I had to modify my little trailer so The Ranger would fit. I bought this trailer about 20 years ago. When I got it, it was originally a flatbed used for hauling some sort of dune buggy. Back then I needed some sides on the trailer so I fabricated some using tubing and sheet metal. Well, that was then and this is now...as the saying goes. The Ranger won't fit in the trailer with the sides. It's time for the sides to go and return the trailer to it's original configuration. I guess It's come full cirlce.
It took about 2 hours to remove the sides. I think I spent a couple weekends building them! A little more work and my trailer will be Ranger-friendly. I'll have to build a couple ramps then I'll be set.
The best part of all this? I still have a Harley! Whoo Hoo! Here's a few pics.
This a tad late!
We spent Christmas in Oregon and Washington visiting two of our children. We had a nice time visiting our daughter and her family in Grants Pass, Oregon. We also went to our son's place in Kennewick, Washington. They are expecting their first child in July.
We lucked out and had pretty good weather all the way. It seems like we just kept missing the rain. The roads were constantly wet for most the trip but we rarely used our wipers.
The Wednesday after Christmas it started snowing in Kennewick but it didn't stick. However, the daytime low's were chilly...about 25 degrees!
As usual, it was good to get out of California and see the kids and grandkids.
Here's a few pics.
Yesterday we went to Buck Owens' Crystal Palace for brunch with friends. The Palace always has great food and some sort of entertainment. This Christmas season the Grinch who stole Christmas visited Buck's place...in additon to stealing Christmas, the Grinch tried to steal my wife!
I recently returned my 2005 Softail back to it's stock appearance. Except for the ape hangers, she looks pretty much stock again.
...and of course my Anniversay Edition 2003 Electra Glide 
Yesterday I attended the annual Bakersfield Toy Run. I haven't attended the last few years and, man, has it grown! There was easily 3,000 plus bikes! If you are familiar with the ride you know it meets at Beach Park. In past years it probably took up about half the length of the road around the park. This year the bikes just about made a complete circle around the park! Amazing turnout.
A police escort took us through downtown then to the fairgrounds. There was live music and a beef and chicken lunch. There were some vendors set up inside too.
Unexpectedly, a guy came up to me and thanked me for my service during Vietnam. That was a nice surprise. Vets take care of each other.
Click here to read about the lastest addition to my truck.
This weekend we went to Death Valley and bummed around a bit. We stayed in the RV park at Panamint Springs. Panamint Springs is in Panamint Valley but it's just a short drive, a ride in our case, to Death Valley.
We arrived about noon and set up camp then just kicked back and played some cards for the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed the clear blue skies. Saturday morning we took a short drive to Darwins Falls. Darwin Falls provides the water for Panamint Springs. From the parking spot to the falls is about a 45 minute hike. You have to be nimble on your feet because some of the hike is over rocks, boulders, and across a stream. About a minute after my wife suggested I tie our camera to my belt, I dropped it in the stream! That explains why I have no pictures of the falls. The falls were very small anyway.(This is a pic I got off the internet.)Yep, it looked just like that!
Saturday we took a ride to Stovepipe Wells. It was a beautiful day for a short jaunt into Death Valley. The ride took us over Towne Pass at almost 5,000 feet which offers a spectacular view of Panamint Valley. We spent a short while in Stovepipe Wells before heading back to our rv site.
Saturday afternoon was spent playing Canasta. As usual, she won! We planned to BBQ hamburgers for dinner but forgot to bring charcoal. No worries mate; I brought firewood. I started a small fire and waited for it to burn down to glowing embers then cooked the burgers...perfect!
Since we couldn't reserve our site for Sunday night, we decide to head for home. We talked about spending the night at Red Rock Canyon but by that time we are only about an hour and a half from home so we decided to stop off at Dove Springs OHV area instead and just have lunch. It also gave us a chance to catch the start of the NASCAR race. I was surprised to get tv reception there.
We had a nice weekend in the new rv. Again, it was nice to have the Harley around and be able to take advantage of the gorgeous riding weather. Here's a few pics. Surprisingly, the camera started working again! Darn, I thought I was going to get a new one.
Last night we went to Buck Owens' Crystal Palace to see Gary Senise and the Lt. Dan Band. You may not know who Gary Senise is but I'm sure you've heard of Lt. Dan. If not, I encourage you to get out more often! Lt Dan is Gary's character in Forest Gump. Gary is also on CSI New York. If you still don't know who he is; you really need to get out!
What a great performance! They played everything from Hip-Hop to Country to Hard Rock. The LT. Dan Band has eleven very talented members...awesome musicians and fantastic vocalists. As well as touring the country they've been to several countries performing for our troops as a USO band.
We had a great time with another couple. The food at the Crystal Palace was good as usual. If you ever get to Bakersfield you should stop in at Buck's place for a meal, show, or just to check out the museum. Buck did a great job with the Crystal Palace. Kudos, Buck!
Congratulations to our daughter-in-law, Angee, for passing her state board exam for RN. Congratulations, Nurse Angee!
Hello from Coos Bay, Oregon!
Our vacation is going great! We left Bakersfield on Sunday, October 8, 2006. Our friends, Reggie and Mary, accompanied us in their toy hauler.
Our first stop was an overnighter at a casino parking lot in Corning, California. It was close to the Interstate and about 400 miles from home...a perfect place to get off the road for the night. The buffet was pretty good too.
The next morning we headed out for Shasta Lake. We stayed at an RV park that overlooked the lake. Our site backed up to the lake with a great view. Interesting fact: Shasta Lake is always 75-80 degrees. After setting up the rv we stayed there and just relaxed (read: drink some beers!) for the rest of the day. The next morning we rode the bikes over to the Shasta Lake Caverns tour. The tour took us by boat across the lake and then a bus ride up to the entrance of the caverns. Most caverns are pretty much the same but it's always nice to see some different ones. We got our hiking in for the day. I don't know how many steps we climbed total, but I counted 86 of them on one segment of the tour...just about straight up! After the cavern tour we went back to the rv site and relaxed (Burrrrp!) some more.
The next day we packed up and set out for Prospect, Oregon. We arrived at Prospect Rv Park in the early afternoon. After a short tour and orientation by park owner, Jim, we set up the rigs and yep, you guessed it, "relaxed" some more!. I have to say a few words about this particular rv park. Ya know, when you book reservations online it's really a crap-shoot. Just like Forset Gump's box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. However, Prospect RV Park is everything the web site promised and more. This place is picture perfect. It's immaculate. Jim actually apologized for the excessive pine needles on the park road! Each site was easy to get into whether it was a pull-thru or a back-in. Our two sites were about the best one there. They had a little grassy area surrounded by towering pines.Daisy appreciated the grassy area for her obsessive ball playing! The restrooms were very clean and the park was dead quiet at night.
Prospect RV Park is about 40 miles from Crater Lake and ideally situated for us to tour the area on the Harleys. The next morning we donned our leathers and did just that. We rode up to Crater Lake under beautiful blue skies. The weather was perfect, just perfect! We couldn't have asked for a better ride. To understand the beauty of Crater Lake is to see it in person. Words cannot describe the tranquility of the rich, dark blue, ripple-free water surface. You must see it for yourself. I took this picture to see if it would look like the sky in the background instead of the lake? What do you think? After we visited Crater lake we returned the the rv park and spent some quality time with Daisy. She does very well alone in the RV all day.
The next day we did some more local bike riding. We rode to some waterfalls and saw the Rogue River Gorge and then rode into Medford, Oregon. We planned to take the Harry and David factory tour but it was by reservation only and completely booked. We'll have to catch that on our next visit.
The following day would find us en route to Grants Pass, Oregon to visit my daughter and her family. We stayed at Grffin Park in Merlin which is a county park located on the banks of the Rogue River and across from my daughters place in the woods. That evening everyone came over and had dinner with us. Reggie BBQed some great chicken and I mixed up a few margaritas. Asa spent the night with us. He was the first one to sleep in the loft bed! The next morning Reggie and Mary departed us and decided to meander their way home via Klamath Falls and eventually merging with highway 395.
We spent the next day visiting with my daughters family. We went into Grants Pass and did a little shopping and had a nice lunch. That evening we went back to my daughters for dinner and dessert. She mad a baseball/ice cream cake for her son, Asa. Grandpa enjoyed it too! It was nice to see the kids again. The two grandchildren are fun to be around...they're a kick!
That brings us up to date. Our drive from Grants Pass to Coos Bay today (10-16-06)was a wet one. It rained most of the day but cleared up in the afternoon. We are once again at a casino. This one has an rv park with full hook ups...wi-fi internet also. Tomrrow we'll see what's to do here and check it out. That's it for now!
Today (10-17-06) we went to the Sea Lion Caves in Florence, Oregon. Florence is about 50 miles from Coos Bay. The Sea Lion Caves are pretty neat. The cave was formed a gazilion years ago from volcanic activity. It opened in the 1930's. Since the 1960's there has been an elevator that takes you down 200 feet to the caves. I imagine it was quite a hike otherwise.
Today (10-18-06) the weather is pretty nice. It started out foggy but the sun broke through about 10:30 this morning. Unlike Bakersfield, when it's foggy here, there's a clear blue sky lingering underneath. We took advantage of the sunshine and fired up the bike and rode into town. Our first stop was 101 Harley Davidson, Coos Bay, Oregon. I took this shot of an employees cool looking 1997 Fatboy...all blacked out...old school style apes, etc..We picked up a few goodies there and then rode downtown where there was a small Farmers Market going on. After a quick ride around town checking out some of the vintage homes, we returned to the rv to get in a couple hands of Canasta...she won!
Tomorrow we'll get on the road kind of early and head South on US 101 to Fortuna, California (A route I've never taken.) We'll merge with highway 36 East to Redbluff. We'll spend the night somewhere between Redbluff and Fortuna.
It's Friday evening, Oct. 20 and we're home. We changed our route a bit. We decided to go as far as Ukiah, California. That was plenty for the day. We left Coos Bay a little after 7am and pulled in a KOA at about 6pm. The KOA was actually in Cloverdale. I first saw the KOA sign on the freeway, US 101, and decided to go for it. Well, once off the freeway we followed the KOA signs which took us up some very narrow and winding one lane roads. At first I had a sinking feeling as if I was going to get to a place in the road where it would dead end or just get too narrow to navigate. Then logic took over and I figured if there was a KOA stuck back up thereb in the hills, far off the highway, it would be passable by most rv's. After what seemed an eternity of snaking up the "long and windy road", we reached the KOA. I couldn't believe how far off the beaten path this place was. It is in a very nice setting though. The property is very shaded with hundreds of oaks. There is nice little pond and the deer roam freely through the park. It is a little pricey for a KOA though. I guess they figure the wine country real estate demands a higher fee. But $50.00 a night for an rv spot with no cable tv is a tad bit high! I don't think I'll be going back.
This was our first trip with the new rv. It was a shakedown cruise for the toy hauler; and I mean that literally! A towed trailer really gets to rocking and rolling sometimes; especially when you encounter road construction. At one of our stops I discovered our water heater didn't work in the electric mode. A quick check of the unit revealed the cord simply vibrated out of the receptacle. At another stop I couldn't light the burners on the stove. Again, a quick check and I determined the ignition wire fell out of it's socket. Those were just minor inconveniences though. Overall the toy hauler did great. It towed just fine and I had no unusual tire wear as with my last 5th wheel. I'll be looking forward to more trips in the future.
Here's a bunch of pics:
Crater Lake
Prospect RV Park
Shasta Lake and Caverns
Misc. Movies
We went to Las Vegas over the weekend and saw a performance of "Love" by Cirque Du Soleil. Love is performed to all Beatles music. It was great! The acrobatics and costumes are fantastic!
If you are not familiar with Cirque Du Soleil, you should click on the above link and check it out. I believe there are 4 different shows going on in Las Vegas right now. Cirque Du Soleil (French for Circus of the Sun) has been performing in Las Vegas for quite some time now. The performers do acrobatics and specialize in Contortionists. "Love" showcased the use of trampolines...it was very good!
First things first; Happy Birthday, Laura! 32 years old...OMG! I can't believe we have kids that old!
We had a nice day yesterday. Sunday was a beautiful day for a 175 mile ride with some friends to the Rock Inn in Lake Hughes, California. We had a nice lunch and gorgeous weather. Here's a few pics.
Today we picked up our new toy hauler at Western RV in Lemoore, California. Everything went well. We went through the pre-delivery inspection and noted a few items for future warranty repair.
Western RV is a "mom & pop" type operation but very personal and attentive to their customers. In my opinion they go above and beyond the call of duty. If you live within a resonable distance of Lemoore and are looking for a new rv, they're the ones to go to!
Now we have to get busy and start stocking the toy hauler and making it our own! Oh. The truck and 5th wheel mated up perfectly. Like the service manager said, "You got enough truck there. It doesn't even know it's (the 5th wheel) there."
This 5th wheel is about 1100 pounds heavier than our old one but seems to tow just as easy. I definetly know it's behind me but it doesn't seem all that intimidating...we're good to go!
Today we finally decided on which RV to buy. We bought a 2006 Winners Circle toy hauler. She's a beauty and will carry the Harley with ease. 
A few weeks ago we had a visit from our son and daughter-in-law from Kennewick, Washington. We had a great time with the kids. Our daughter-in-law had never been to Disneyland so it was a must-do.
The kids were only here a week but it was a nice visit. Hopefully we can see them in October! Ckick here for some more pics.
Today marked the end of a long-standing saturday morning ritual for local Bakersfield bikers. For years Harley-Davidson owners have been meeting for coffee and donuts at Bakersfield Harley-Davidson (formerly Thorp's Harley-Davidson) on 18th Street in downtown Bakersfield where the doors first opened about 40 years ago!
Today the pack shifted gears and headed north to their new location on 7th Standard Road and the 99 freeway.
As expected, the usual suspects made their weekly appearance.
The new store is awesome! There's enough room to display lots of bikes and accessories and a shop area to make any mechanic green with envy.
Although some of us will miss sitting on the old store's window ledge downtown, we can drink coffee and tell each other lies from the new location just as well. I look forward to hearing more of George Romagno's staurday morning jokes in the cavernous surround of the new facility. The big difference? We won't be rubbing elbows...literally!
Good job, BHD!
Some more pics.
(I know, I know! My camera time stamp is wrong.)
We had a great 4th of July...I hope you did too. We spent the day at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California. We went with some
family and friends and had a nice time. The museum is filled with personal items of the Reagans. The presidents acting career was covered as well.
For the 4th of July there were some special activities. The L.A.P.D. band and U.S. Air Force band performed. There was activies for the kiddies too. We even saw George Washington!
The presidents plane, Air Force One, was on display indoors. What an awesome plane to see inside a building. The inside was very interesting but cameras was not allowed. They also had Marine One, the presidents helicopter, on display. That particular Air Force One was used by other presidents as well. We were speculating on how they got that thing in there! I think the plane was placed on it's mounting and the building was built around it.
There is a piece of the Berlin Wall on display too. Man, the shipping fee must have been outrageous!
The entire facility is very nice. President Reagans grave site is very solemn. There's a snack bar with pretty good food too! There's tons of stuff to look at and read. They have a few videos of key historical events during the Reagan years. It was a good history refresher course!. I highly recommend touring the facility. It's a good bargin at $12.00.
I lived in Simi Valley 30 years ago and man, has it changed! Her's a couple mega houses just below the museum.
Vacation June 2006
We pulled out of Bakersfield about 9:30 am for Big Pine, California where my brother and sister-in-law live. We planned to RV in front of their house for the night but the electrical hook up wasn't adequate to run our air conditioning. We figured it would be too uncomfortable without the a/c so we took the RV to Brown's RV park about a mile away and spent the night there...everything worked out fine.
The next morning, Sunday, June 11, 2006 we headed for Carson City, Nevada. We've been through there a few times before but never took time to look around. We arrived late in the afternoon and decided to stay in and relax the rest of the day.
The next day, Monday, we went into Carson City and took in the sights. Our first stop was at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. If you have any interest in the railroad this is a must-see. The steam locomotives from days-gone-by are simply awesome! With a background in steam boilers I found the old engines to be facinating. There was even a wood-fired engine. Most of the engines I've seen are coal-fired.
The museum was a worthwhile stop...for a few bucks you can't beat it! (I couldn't resist!)
We also went to see the Govenors Mansion (The govenor and his family actually live there!) and some other historical houses in the area. There was some quite interesting houses with nice stone work.
We decided to tour the Nevada State Capitol also. Looking around the inside of the Capitol one couldn't help but notice that the "Biker Buzz" goatee was definetly the thing to wear by politicians of the time! This is what I'm talkin' about! Ha!Ha!
On the Capitol grounds there is a tribute to the city's namesake, Kit Carson.
Tuesday morning we got underway (you can take the man out of the Navy, but you can't...) for Burns, Oregon. When we left Carson City we weren't sure how far we would go that day. It was nice not to be rushed and stop whenever we felt like it. As we drove up highway 395 I couldn't help but notice how nice and traffic-free it was compared to, say, Interstate 5. I was never tailgated or felt like I was being pushed. As a matter of fact, we drove several miles without anyone in front or behind us. That was nice!
Goose Lake starts in California near the Oregon border and runs into Oregon for several miles. It made for some scenic rest stops.
Highway 395 is a nice break from the Interstate. It's mostly 2 lane and runs through some beautiful forests. There are some pretty steep grades but the Dodge conquered them with ease. And going down the other side was a snap thanks the my exhaust brake. I went down some pretty steep grades for a few miles and never touched the brake pedal. That's pretty good considering our toal weight was 20,300 pounds! Speaking of weight; some states have convenient weigh stations with digital read-outs
that are easy to access . Along 395 between Oregon and Washington there are a few unmanned weigh stations. Whenever we travel with the rig I just have to pull over and find out our weight. I know, it's a man-thing!
The last time we traveled 395 up to Washington was about 8 years ago when we rode the Harley to see our son who was stationed at Fairchild AFB at the time. So this time was a trip down Memory Lane as we recognized places we had stopped on the bike years earlier.
We arrived in Burns about 4 pm and decided it was time to call it a day...Daisy was ready for a break too!
As we drove through Burns we kept our eyes peeled for an RV park to spend the night. Just out of town we found an ideal spot...cheap, clean, and shady!
The next morning we pulled out and headed for our final destination for a few days....Kennewick, Washington, where our son and daughter-in-law live.
We arrived at Sandy Heights RV Park at about 3 pm. We promply called our daughter in-law to announce our arrival and she drove over for a visit. Our son was working. At about 5:30 pm the three of us went to the clubhouse where they served a beef stroganoff dinner, complete with dessert, for 5 bucks...such a deal!
After dinner we went to our son's place, arriving just as he got home from work. We spent a couple hours visiting before heading back to the RV.
The next morning I installed a indoor/outdoor thermometer in the RV. It's one of those honey-do's I'd put off for a while. I don't know why, but when I first awake there's two things I want to to know; one, am I going to get lucky? Just kidding! I want to know the time and what the temperature is outside. That's just one of my many little quirks I guess. At the tone, (insert your own sound here!)as of this writing, it is Thursday, June 15, 2006, 9:55 am, 67.6 degrees outdoors and 74.7 degrees indoors!
And now it's time to run to Wal-Mart and pick up a few necessities.
While we were at Wal-Mart our son, David, was busy taking another segment of his interview for the Benton County Sheriffs Department. He is currently working for the Department of Corrections in the jail and is anxious to get to the streets.
After Davids interview, the girls went and did their thing (pedicures) and David and I went to a sporting goods mega-store...the Sportsman's Warehouse. If you are looking for anything related to sporting goods or any outdoor activity this is the place to go. After looking at guns and things at the Sportsman's Warehouse, David and I drove around his neighborhood and looked at a couple houses for sale. I was just curious to see what was available near by.
And since we didn't have too much planned for Friday morning, I called a realtor and set up an appointment to look at a couple properties. We aren't ready to move yet but it gives me an idea what's out there. Plus, If I have nothing else planned I just like doing that sort of thing.
After the girls finished up their pedicures we hung out and visited for the rest of the afternoon before going to dinner at a local seafood restaurant, Anthony's. David and Angee treated us to a great Mother's day/Father's day dinner with a view of the Columbia River. The food was great! Thanks, guys!
Today is Friday, June 16, and it's 6:20 am. Oh yeah. It's 60.8 degrees outdoors/ 64.6 indoors! I awoke early but I guess I had enough sleep.Daisy got up, stretched, yawned, and promptly went back to bed! Hmmm.
We have have an 9am appointment with a realtor to go check out a couple properties in Kennewick. I only wish I was nearer retirement and we could do some serious house hunting. No doubt the real estate market will change before we're ready to buy something here but at least this will give me a comparison between here and Bakersfield.
After we were through looking at houses, we helped the kids prepare for Angee's graduation party on Saturday (the main reason for our visit). She actually had two graduations. One for her AS degree on Friday and her RN pinning ceremony on Saturday.
Angee's graduation was a success! She looked very nurse-ish in her all white attire. We are all very proud of her for her accomplishments. Now, as her husband, David, says, "Show me the money!" He kept bugging her about getting a good paying job after she finished school. I'm happy to report that she did just that....congrats!
We had a nice gathering of David and Angees friends and family for a post graduation BBQ at their place. It was a nice day to have a couple burgers and a few beers to celebrate.
On Sunday, June 18, we once again got on the road and headed for the Washington coast for a few days at the beach. Since we got an earlier start on the trip than David and Angee, we decided to take the byways instead of the highways. I like the unbeaten paths and the chance to see places I've never been before. So we sort of meandered our way Westward and eventually merged onto I-84 which parallels the Columbia River.
As we progressed through the little towns and bergs, we saw some things that made you go...Hmmmm! For instance; all of a sudden we started to see bird houses attached to fence posts along side of the road. Not just a few...lots! They were spaced sporadically. Some only maybe 20 yards apart and others perhaps a 1/4 mile apart. This went on for miles! I can only guess that someone really liked birds or they really liked to build bird houses! Then as we entered a little town we saw the bird house to end all birds houses...Bam! There it was! After that, we didn't see anymore. Strange, huh?
We arrived in Long Beach, Washington about 4pm and found our rv park. Andersens RV Park is a few miles out of Long Beach. It's a newly remodeled place with ample room and only a short walk to the pristine beach. The weather was great...high 60's to low 70's and windy at times. Typical coastal weather. What wasn't typical about this coast is the crowds. Unlike California beach communities, this peninsula is void of traffic jams and wall-to-wall tourists. The peninsula is about 28 miles long (The longest beach in the world.) with small towns dotting the coastline and two historic lighthouses as well. The main industry in oysters and clams. There is a 10,000 acre oyster bed...one of the largest in the world. The penninsula also boasts a world-class kite events. Yes, it is windy there too. People come from around the world to attend the annual Kite Festival. Ever hear of a Kite Museum? Long Beach has one!
The Long Beach Peninsula also produces cranberries and sell exclusively to Ocean Spray. And of course we went to the Cranberry Museum as well.
We spent most of one day just driving around the peninsula and taking in the sights. We went out to the jetty's where the Columbia River flows into the Pacific Ocean....pretty neat! There's also a whale skeleton on display.That's not something you see everyday! They also had it's history described on a plaque.
We had a great time with the kids at the beach. I took some firewood and "forced" everyone to sit out by the fire. I was bound and determined to have a fire even though it didn't get dark until after 9 pm. I mean, what could be better than some Bailey's Irish Cream and a campfire?
Pets are great to take on a trip but let's face it, sometimes they're are a pain in the butt. We solved our problem with a portable doggie kennel. This works great for small dogs but I don't think Rin-Tin-Tin would have any trouble escaping. I just haven't figured out why Angee liked it so much! She appears more content than Daisy!
We took several walks on the beach and played ball with the dogs. We found a beached Sea Lion that appeared to be recently grounded.
Oh, I almost forgot. Automobiles are allowed on the beach too...just like Pismo Beach, California. The difference? Only street legal vehicles are allowed. I image that would explain the lack of crowds and the cleanliness of the beach. If you've ever been to Pismo, you know what I'm talking about. Since Angee had never driven on a beach before, we decided our trip wouldn't be complete unless we did. So we did!
Here's something I found to be very unusual. Apparently there are some traffic manuevers in Long Beach that can only be conducted after paying the appropriate fee. Confused? Me too. How else can you explain this?
Perhaps the best thing about the Peninsula is that it is largely undiscovered by Californians. For us common-folk, California and Oregon coast properties are not affordable. Not so in Washington...yet! The locals tell me that some California retirees are beginning to buy up there. If that's the case it won't be affordable for very much longer. There are still some very affordable properties there...some under $200,000.00! I think I could live there.
As the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end." Our stay in Long Beach had to end Wednesday morning. We departed for Grants Pass, Oregon to visit our daughter. David and Angee headed back home to Kennewick, Washington.
We left the Long Beach Penninsula and headed for Astoria, Oregon. Crossing the Astoria Bridge is pretty neat. It's the country's second longest bridge at 4.1 miles! A few short miles later would find us beating a path down the familiar Interestate 5 enroute to Grants Pass, Oregon.
We arrived in Grants Pass about 5pm. I would have gotten there sooner but about 100 miles from our destination we had a blow-out on the 5th wheel and that delayed us for a bit. I have no idea what caused the tire to fail. It wasn't old or worn. It was the last of the original tires on the 5th wheel. Of course when a tire blows it does collateral damage to the rv...ripping the plastic fender skirt most the way off! I think these things (rv's) are built with barely-meets-the-minimum-requirement materials. That's all I can come up with. Even the guys at the tire store in Grants Pass didn't see any apparent reason for the tire to blow. I now have come to believe that RV stands for...Ruining Vehicles!
We settled in at Jack's Landing RV park where we've stayed a few times before. This time however we had a space that backed up to an onramp on I-5. That made for noisy sleeping conditions. I think we'll look for new digs for our next visit. It's unfortunate that Jack's Landing is so close to the freeway because it's best park I ever been in as far as parking and cleanliness goes. Even the back-in spaces are easy to access.
Upon arriving in GP (That's what the locals call Grants Pass.) we called my daughter and she brought the baby, Vaughn, with her for a visit and dinner. I had a craving for mexican food so the girls went for some take-out. There's nothing like a good plate of chile verde!
The following day, Thursday, we went out to the kids place in Merlin, a neighboring town of GP, and spent the day visiting and doing a little shopping. The grandkids gave Daisy a workout! They really like Daisy. Asa and Vaughn are 5 years apart and it's fun to see how they interact with one another,. They actually get along pretty good. Vaughn is a character. He seems happy most the time and is willing to show his pearly-whites on demand! He has mastered walking since we last saw him. He discovered that putting Daisy's ball in the toilet can be a great deal of fun...he had to be cleaned afterwards! Vaughn really liked playing with my hat. Don't you wish you could be so easily entertained? Asa and Grandma shared a snack and read a book together.
Thursday evening we BBQed hamburgers and had a nice visit. Their house is in the woods and absent of the usual city noises we are used to. It's a very serene setting. Unfortunately, serenity has it's price. They're about 10 miles from town...just enough to make a quick trip to the store not so quick. I think this is the main reason they have decided to sell and move closer to town.
After a nice dinner and visit, we headed back to the RV park. We had to ready the RV for our a.m. departure for home. While we were kind of looking forward to getting home we weren't looking forward to the forecasted 108 degree temperature! UGH! Even GP was supposed to creep up to triple digits for the weekend.
We pulled out of GP at about 8am with the intent to spend the night in a rv park somewhere. It's about 620 miles from GP to Bakersfield and takes about 12 hours towing the 5th wheel. I've done it before but it makes for a long day behind the wheel. Like I said, I intended to spend the night on the road but as we got closer to home I didn't feel all that tired and decided to keep going. We arrived about 8pm. Yep, 12 hours!
I guess anytime you can arrive home safely it can be considered a successful trip. We had a great time visiting the kids and enjoyed seeing new things. The Washington coast was great and I'm sure we'll return. I spent a small fortune in fuel, had to buy a tire, and drove nearly 3,000 miles. Was it worth it? You bet it was!! Click here for all the pics.
Until next time!
I had a quiet weekend. I spent a few hours giving the Electra Glide a much needed cleaning. We also did some pre-vacation shopping in preparation for our RV trip to Washington and Oregon next month.Other than that; it's back to the grind tomorrow!
I got a new tattoo too! My daughter went to the tattoo shop and hung out for a while. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures this weekend. As always, it was great seeing family again!
We went with two other couples and we all RVed at the KOA. We had a nice space that backed up to a golf course.(Thanks, Reg!)
We arrived Thursday afternoon and hung out at the RV park the rest of the day/evening. After a great breakfast Friday morning we decided to go over to the Boss Hoss Motorcycle exhibit for a test ride. Boss Hoss motorcycles are built with either a Chevy 350 or 502 V-8 engine! Reggie and Mary rode a trike built to resemble a 57 Chevy. Craig and I opted for the two wheel version. Let me tell you; I really didn't know what to expect from a V-8 motorcycle and franky, I didn't really think it was any big deal. WRONG! It was a blast! When you first start it, the engine torque wants to yank it out of your hands. I guess that's why the instructor told us to make sure we had both feet on the ground before hitting the start button! The Boss Hoss has an automatic transmission. The Trikes shift just like a car and the two wheelers have to be manually shifted from Drive to Ovrerdrive. Man, when you twist the throttle those things move! The 350 cubic inch model has 355 horsepower and the 502 cubic inch has 502 horsepower! Talk about grinning ear-to-ear while riding...what a fun time! Now if only the price tag was less shocking it would really be fun. The two wheeled Boss Hoss is about $40,000.00 while the trikes are pushing 50!!! I almost forgot, thanks to my wife, they let us ride the trikes too. So Craig, Brenda, me and Jan got to try our hand at the three wheelers too. After riding both versions, we preferred the two wheelers and Reggie was darned near ready to buy a trike!
After the Boss Hoss experience we took a bike ride to Oatman, Az.. Oatman is an old mining town on old Route 66. It's a popular destination for River run goers. As you can see, Jackasses roam the streets freely...and the Donkeys do too! (haha!) However, looking at the pictures in Oatman gives you a clear indication of their overall theme...ASS! After a brief visit to Oatman we headed out on Route 66 to Kingman, Az..
Saturday we decide to ride to Lake Havasu. Here's our group checking out the local scenery and the London Bridge. The weather was perfect...in the 80's.
Saturday evening we rode into downtown Laughlin to check out the vendors and watch the people, bikes, etc.. We stayed long enough to go through two parking lots of biker gear then headed back to the KOA. The ride back was great...perfect evening temperature!
It had to happen...Sunday morning arrived and it was time to go home. We left the KOA about 9am or so and joined the mass exodus on I-40. There was RV's, bikes, trailers and commercial trucks all fighting for their piece of the Interstate!
Not too far out of Needles there's an exit for Mitchell Caverns. We've driven past the exit several times over the years but never took the time to check it out. Since it was only 16 miles off the interstate, this time we made the detour.
Mitchell Cavern's is pretty neat. You'd never guess that underneath all that rock there was beautiful cavern's filled with ancient rock formations. We had our very own park ranger for our personal tour...just the three of us. It's a short hike to the cavern opening and well worth the walk. If you are ever in the area you should stop in and take the tour...4 bucks! After the cavern's it was back to the interstate slab to play musical lane changes. Our cummins diesel motor powered our Dodge and dragged the RV down the highway like a champ! We made it home without incident...no flats or failures=a good trip!
Click Here for all the oics.
We had a nice time catching up on what's been happening in our lives. John has been bitten by the tattoo bug too...I guess ink just runs in the family! He prefers black and gray while I like color along with black and gray. He has some cool looking ink that you can check out at this link or on the tattoo page.
We laughed a lot and had a great visit!
Elizabeth and John, it was nice seeing you guys again! Until next time.
I've been a Mopar fan since I began driving in 1966. Ford and Chevy guys always thought the early Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouths were some of the ugliest cars built. I prefer to think of them as...unique! One thing no one could dispute, they had killer powerplants! From the Max-Wedge cars of the early 60's to the famous 426 Hemi's, they were the cars to beat at drag strips and race tracks across America. Of course, these engines are nothing like the Hemi's of today.
Here's a fine example of a 63 Plymouth Max-Wedge. It has a 413 Super Stock engine with dual four barrel carburetors...a mere $600.00 option back then! Here's 62 with the same engine. The 426 Wedge would debut in 1964. The 426 Hemi entered as a race only engine until 1966 when a slightly detuned version found it's way into B-Bodies.
My favorite Mopars are the 1962-1965 B Bodies like the 64 Dodge 440 model you see here. This particular car has a 318 V-8 engine which was one of the more common non-muscle car engine options. It's clean and for sale...$17,000.00. Over the years I've had three of these exact same models.
The Dodge 440 designation didn't denote the engine size as some Ford and Chevy guys might think. In 1964 the Dodge models were designated as follows; 330, 440, and 880...cheap, more expensive, and most expensive. The Dodge 330 was a cheap sedan that usually didn't come with carpet or a radio.(I had one of these too!) The 440 was a two door hardtop and Polara, available with options like air conditioning. And the 880 Custom model had it's own body style and was usually loaded with options. The 880 was more of what your parents or grandparents would buy.
Young people, Chrysler 300's are nothing new. Here's what they looked like in 1957. (I think it's a 57) Check out these swivel seats and Cross-Ram manifold motor.
The Plymouth Road Runners were in abundance. This one is a Hemi. The Plymouth Super Birds and Dodge Daytona Chargers(The Winged Warriors as they were called.) were well represented also.
I'm not sure if it's original but this 1965 Plymouth AFX (altered wheel base, factory experimental) is a super rare car. It's probably a clone. As the AFX designates, these were built by the factory strictly for drag racing. These cars didn't have radios,heaters, or back seats. The bodies were acid-dipped to reduce their weight. This usually resulted in the body buckling just behind the rear wheel due to hard launches! Note how far forward the front and rear wheels are located.
A little bit of justice was served at the event. While I was looking through the swap meet area I noticed a Police tow truck was hooked up to what appeared to be a Road Runner parts car. There was a man handcuffed and surrounded by officers. It seems someone was looking through the swap meet when he discovered his stolen Road Runner was for sale! A quick call to the cops foiled the culprit. Only an idiot would try to sell a stolen Road Runner at a major event like the Spring Fling!
Here's a link to the pics. CARS!
The Patriot Guard Riders escorted Sgt. Barraza from the church in Shafter where mass was held to his final resting place at Hillcrest Cemetery in Bakersfield. With the CHP and about 40 Patriot Guard Riders, it was an impressive funeral procession for a fallen hero.
Here are some pics. A couple are of the PGR at the staging area, a few at the church waiting for the procession to start, and some at the cemetery. Click here.
Here's a video clip from the Bakersfield news media.click here
Next? I don't know. I may get a Heritage Softail rear fender. Maybe a springer solo seat too.
It's alway nice to see the grandchildren and to see the changes since our last visit. The youngest boy is 12 months old and was just starting to walk during our visit. He's cute and very personable. The older boy is growing like a weed...he'll be a big one! It'll be too long until the next visit though. As soon as I get some pictures I'll post them.
We had a great time visiting and getting to know our grandson, Tae. (Just in case you haven't kept up with 'ol Buzz's weblog,(shame on you!) Tae was recently adopted from Korea.) Tae is a great little guy with a happy personality. He was just learning how to walk and it was fun to watch him improve while he was at our place. One of the first things Tae did was go through the doggie door! He had that down pretty quick! (click pic for full size) Before flying home to Alaska, there was a visit to the beach at Santa Monica Pier.(It was 3 degrees below zero in Palmer, Alaska!)
I got a killer deal on this front wheel.
It's powdercoated with twisted chrome spokes. Now all I have to do is get the rear wheel done in the same fashion. (click pics for full size)
We spent New Years eve in a hotel in Sacramento, California. We picked up our daughter there who is visiting from Alaska. She and her son will be with us for a two week visit. Her son was adopted from Korea recently. He's 1 year old. He's starting to walk but doesn't quite have it down yet! Tae, (pronounced T-A-Y) has a nice disposition and seems happy...he's a cute little fellar! Happy New Year to all...make it a good one!
It was a great time! The karts go approximately 40-45mph and stick to the track like glue. If you ever get the chance to race a kart you'll have a great time. One of my friends remarked that it was the best birthday party he's ever attended.Click here for some pics.
Most of us survive our youth...other don't. Such is life.
We'll see you guys shortly. Click for pics.(Laura is on the left, Jennifer on the right.)
My wife has been looking for a car to replace her 9 year old Dodge Intrepid and had pretty much decided on a Chrysler Pacifica. As we drove toward the Chrysler dealer she began talking about maybe buying a pickup instead. She said the quad cab pickups have ample seating and they feel much safer than a low stance car. And with no kids at home, a pickup would suit her needs. So, we drove over to the Dodge dealer first before finalizing a deal on a Pacifica.
After looking at a few 1/2 ton, short bed trucks, we were convinced a pickup was the way to go. Plus, a nicely equipped SLT model was $3000.00 less than Pacifica. A few hours later we were headed home in her new truck.
Lately we've been going in the spa after work to get cooled off. Our dog, Daisy, loves the water. She will drop her beloved tennis ball in the spa just to jump in to get it...she has a good time getting cooled off too! Click here for some short video clips.
In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the 50' and 60's style hot rod culture. Greased hair styles, turned up Levi pant cuffs, Bettie Page hair-do's and tattoos are once again very poplular among the young people.
Rat Rods and Bobber style motorcycles are all the rage...again!
Click here to see a folder of pictures I took. There's a shot or two that look like they could have been taken 40-50 years ago!
Thanks go out to my brother, Pat, for the invite!
We enjoyed seeing our two grandsons. Daisy really enjoyed the oldest boy...he's 5. Do you think it's possible to wear out a Jack Russell Terrier? Ask my dog. Towards the end of their visit, I believe our dog was avoiding the little guy!! Daisy did have fun with him though.
We took a couple short video clips of Asa and Daisy playing in the back yard. You can see them here. As always, it was nice visiting with the kids...see you guys in August!
There were the usual sights. There were several bike vendors there and the usual leather goods and biker trinkets. There were also some pretty cool old school bobbers.
I'l go again next year to see if the run improves. Click here to see a few more pics.
I know the adoption process has be a long, arduous journey for the both of them and I'm sure they're very happy to finally have their son with them.
My wife and I are happy for them. We'll get to see Tae in August when several of our family members will converge at their place in Palmer, Alaska for a mini-reunion.
I'll post a recent picture of the newest additon to the family as soon as I get one.
Congratulations, guys!
Our first rest stop was at a California Aquaduct lookout on I-5. We had lunch then hit the road again. Since we had a child with us we decided to do something he would enjoy. So we took a little detour to Fairfield where the Jelly Belly factory is located. The factory was closed for tours due to inventory but the gift shop was open. We purchased 5 bags of Belly Flops. Belly Flops are the Jelly Bellys that don't make the cut...irregulars. And being the good grandparents we are; we took Matthew on another tour..hey, it's was only a couple blocks away and I enjoyed it too!
We drove until about 6 pm and spent the night at the cheapest rv park known to travelers...Wal-Mart! The Wal-Mart in Willows, California was just the ticket for a quiet, good night's sleep.
The next morning we left Wal-Mart (See the Wal-Mart truck in the background?) and continued North to Grants Pass, Oregon. We pretty much drove until we reached the Klamath River rest area. This is one of the more picturesque rest areas you'll find on I-5. This area of the interstate is the Blue Star Highway dedicated to Armed Forces personnel. After a nice lunch we continued to Grants Pass.
We spent April 1, 2 and 3 in Grants Pass at Jacks Landing RV park. We had a nice time visiting with my two daughters, son-in-law and four grandchildren. Here's a shot of the newest additon, Vaughn, with Grandma
We left Grants Pass Monday morning, April 4., and headed north to Mt St. Helens, Washington. We spent the night at the Mt. St. Helens RV Park. The rv park is located about 40 miles from the volcano visitor center.
The eruption statistics are just phenominal. The energy released from the eruption in almost incomprehensible. The blast actual dammed off a creek and turned it into a lake....history in the making! When you look at all the pictures at the end of this writing, be sure to notice all the downed trees and sheared off stumps from the initial blast. If you ever get the chance to visit the area, you really should. We stayed two nights in Mt. St. Helens.
Wednesday morning we set out for Kennewick, Washington where our son and his wife live. Instead of following the Columbia River route as we have in the past, we decided to travel uncharted (for us) territory and take highway 12. It's always nice to see something new instead of a familiar route. We arrived in Kennewick about 4:30 pm and waited for the kids to get home from work.
We had a good time in Kennewick. The kids and some of their friends took us to lunch at a hunting lodge about 30 miles out of town. We also spent some time looking at houses for sale just to get an idea what the market is like in their area. Who knows where we'll end up when we retire?
We left Kennewick, Washington Sunday morning and continued East on highyway 12. This is also the Lewis and Clark Trail. When we got to Walla Walla we stopped at one of the first settlers missions. This mission was founded by the Whitman party from St. Louis. Missouri. The history there is very interesting and the stop was well worthwhile. Here's a shot of the actual Oregon Trail on the mission grounds. After vising the mission we continued eastward and stopped for lunch at a state park just outside of Walla Walla. Traveling with no hard-pressed agenda affords us the opportunity to stop as often as we like. It's nice not to be rushed to get from point "a" to point "b".
Highway 12 is very scenic. It's a nice break from the interstates. The highway follows the Clearwater River which is also the Lewis and Clark Trail. The scenery on this leg of our journey was fabulous. The river, the tree and the wildlife was something to behold. We darn near had a collision with a couple of deer . We also saw a couple herds of Elk with spectacular antlers...large enough to make any hunter drool! Anyway, I didn't plan on driving as long as I did after we left Kennewick but there wasn't much in the way of rv parks along the way. So we kept going and going and the needle on the fuel gauge crept closer and closer to empty. The last time I fueled up was in Grants Pass, Oregon and I figured my 104 gallon capacity was good for 1000 miles worth of towing. That was fine and I was getting close to the 1000 miles but I didn't count on the fuel-sucking mountain grades! The days drive plan didn't include driving all the way to Missoula, Montana but the lack of places to camp along the river on Highway 12 kept us surging on. We were finding that most tourist interests in the higher elevations were closed in this part of the country until May. Us Californians are used to yearound stuff! Well, after climbing the grade to LoLo Pass and using most our fuel, we lumbered into Missoula about 8 pm with 5 gallons of diesel to spare. I don't like cutting it that close but we made it.
On Monday morning Missoula
greeted us at a nippy 28 degrees! The Missoula skies were, as their license plates indicate, big. Yes, we were definently in Big Sky Country...blue too! Not a trace of smog to be found here! It really does a soul good to see other parts of the country every now and then.
On the advice of my sister-in-law we decided to go to Deer Lodge, Montana. Deer Lodge is only about 80 miles from Missoula but we decided to spend the night after a day of sightseeing. We took a self-guided tour of Montana's first prison. It was built in 1871 and operated until 1979. The tour really gives you insight to prison life in the 1800's. I took this picture because I thought this inmate had a slight family resemblence. It was pretty eerie when I first looked at this guy! There was also car museum nearby. There's probably close to 100 antique and classic automobiles including some muscle cars from the 60's as well. There we many Ford Model A's and T's. My dad would have loved this place! Many of the cars were on-loan from local residents. There was also a couple of old camping vehicles and a 1930's era motorhome on-loan from Dave Woodworth of Tehachapi, California, whom my Dad knew.
On Tuesday morning it was pretty cold. It was 30 degrees when we woke. It must have been colder in the middle of the night though because I heard the furnace go on and off all night. The water in our cooler, which was in the back of the truck, was frozen!
We pulled out of the Deer Lodge about 8 am and headed south on I-90 then merged with I-15 south. We drove until we reached Clark Canyon Reservoir then took a breakfast break. After some ham and eggs we continued south on I-15 then took highway 22 towards Craters of the Moon Nat'l Monument in Idaho. Craters of the Moon is a vast area of volcanic rock. It was a couple hours off the beaten path and we thought it would be something more than it was. Like I said, it was basically a mass of volcanic rock from eruptions that occured several million years ago. It was okay. Unless you've seen everything else in this country, I wouldn't put it on the list of "Must See". However, our excursion did take us to the town of Arco which has the distinction of being the first town in the U.S. to use electricity provided by a nuclear power plant.
After leaving Craters of the Moon we took highway 20 east and merged with I-15 again then continued on to Pocatello, Idaho where we found the local KOA and settled in for the evening.
Wednesday morning we awoke, had coffee then hit the road. It was about 450 miles to St George, Utah...our destination. We had never been to Bryce Canyon or Zion parks so we decide on Zion. First, a few words about Utah. I don't know if it's typical of Utah but from the time we crossed into the Beehive State from Idaho, the wind blew non-stop. The winds on I-15 were quite strong...the kind of winds that slow you down and make for terrible fuel mileage. Then I hit a piece of something that sounded metallic as it resonated underneath my truck. I wondered what damage had occured. About 100 miles from St. George we stopped for a short break and I inspected the truck. My suspicions were confirmed when I noticed what looked like oil or fuel inside the rear fenderwell. I crawled underneath the truck to take a closer look. (It's times like these I appreciate having a 4x4 with plenty of ground clearance.) Sure enough, one of the rear shocks had a huge dent and hole in it. That explains the oil on the fenderwell. Since it's not too much of an emergency, I decided to wait until we got home to replace it.
Talk about a drastic change in weather. We arrrived in St. George about 4:30 pm and it was 83 degrees. Quite a change from the night before. We found a great rv park with full hook-ups and cable so we were set for the evening.
Thursday morning we got up, had a nice breakfast, then took off for Zion Nat'l Park. This was a first for both of us. Wow! We were amazed at the park's natural beauty. Zion is definetly a " must-do". The rock formations are just incredible. The Weeping Rock has a beautiful waterfall
. There's a shuttlebus that takes you on a 6 miles tour with several stops at trail heads and other interesting sights. Private vehicles are not allowed on the 6 mile route during tourist season. The shuttle is included in the park entrance fee. It's well worthwhile because there's so much to see that it would be hard to drive and look around at the same time. For instance; check out these rock climbers. There's also a 1.1 mile long tunnel constructed in 1930. This is not on the 6 mile route but you can go through it in your vehicle. The tunnel was built when vehicles were smaller than todays large gas guzzlers. Large vehicles such as buses and rv's have to pay $10.00 for an escort through the tunnel. Actually, escort is a stretch. There's Park Rangers with walkie-talkies at each end of the tunnel and they stop traffic to allow the larger vehicles to go through. The Ranger at the park entrance led me to believe I needed to buy the "escort pass". But after driving through the tunnel I think I would have been fine. It was still worth it.
The weather in the park was ideal. I would like to return sometime and tour the park on the Harley. I was envious of those I saw on bikes. They enjoyed a great helmetless ride through a gorgeous canyon.
As with everything, the vacation had to come to an end. But it was great. We got to see 3 of the 4 kids. We saw all the grandchildren. We traveled to places we had never been before. We had a safe trip with only one close-call (almost hit a deer). This vacation didn't fly by. I don't know why but it seemed like we were on the road forever. I'm glad it didn't go fast.
The morning of April 15, we got up fairly early and started the 500 mile trip home. We were about 100 miles from Las Vegas. After that it was the same old familiar trip home...vacation is over.
I'd like to thank my wife for the laptop computer anniversay gift. It's nice to document our adventures on a daily basis instead of trying to remember what we did after the fact.
Here's all the pictures. I tried to name them so they would be self explantory.
On the way to Palmdale we drove by the California Poppy Reserve. The hills were covered in yellow and the foregound was awash with bright orange California Poppies. Here's a picture: Poppies
We were invited by our friends, Reggie and Mary, to spend the weekend dry camping with a bunch of off-roaders. Most of the people had toy-haulers loaded with various off-road vehicles. We went along for the ride and just to hang out. Most of our Rving is restricted to RV parks so this was a nice change of pace.
This wasn't our first time desert camping though. My family has been going to Jawbone and surrounding areas since the early 60's. We did our fair share of tearing up the desert and climbing hills.
Although the rain kept us seeking shelter for most the weekend, we had a good time. There's something soothing about hearing the rain bounce off the roof of your RV as you drift off to sleep!
Heres some pic. High resolution, Low resolution
July 5. 2006
June 24. 2006
May 29. 2006
I hope eveyone had a nice holiday weekend. But most of all, I hope you didn't forget the meaning of Memorial Day.
May 8. 2006
We had a nice weekend visitng with out-of-state and out-of-town relatives. The weather was great and the grandchildren enjoyed playing in our spa. They really gave our dog, Daisy, a workout.
April 30. 2006
We spent the weekend in Laughlin, Nevada for the annual Laughlin River Run. Thousands attend from all over the country. They arrive on every kind of motorcycle you can imagine. This is a great people-watching event for sure! You sure see some unique people.
April 23. 2006
Today we had lunch with my sister-in-law, Elizabeth, and her son, John. John was born about a month after my brother passed away.
April 9. 2006
Today I went to the Spring Fling at Woodley Park in Van Nuys, Ca.. It's one of two "Mopar Only" shows on the west coast. Every year the show draws thousands of attendees and a few celebrities. I heard someone say they saw Jay Leno but I never did see him. I have seen him at past shows though.
April 7. 2006
I recently made a new brake pedal for the Softail. As you can see in the picture on the right the original pedal is small and too far away from the floorboard. My buddy, Lumpy, gave me an old pedal from his Road King. With a little cutting and welding, I came up with a pedal that is larger and lower than the original and much easier to use. I had it powder coated black to finish it off.
Mar. 31, 2006
Today I attended the funeral of Sgt. Ricardo "Ricky" Barraza in Shafter, California. Sgt. Barraza was killed in Iraq.
The Patriot Guard Riders lined the sidewalk with American flags as Sgt. Barraza was carried to the Hill of Valor. It was a privilege to participate in honoring one of America's finest.
Mar. 18, 2006
I lowered the rear of the bike about 2 inches. You can see the difference in the side-by-side pictures. Notice the distance between the edge of the rear fender and the whitewall.
Feb. 24, 2006As promised; here are some pics from our recent visit to Oregon. They're mostly of the grandchildren, Vaughn and Asa! Click here.
Feb. 18, 2006
I finally got the rear wheel finished and bought some floor boards.
Feb. 18, 2006
We recently spent a long weekend at our daughters place in Grants Pass, Oregon. We had a great time seeing them and our grandchildren.
Jan. 21, 2006
...continuing with the Retro look! The rear wheel is next.
Jan. 21, 2006
We recently had the pleasure of having our daughter from Alaka visit for 2 weeks. Of course, she brought her 1 year old son along...hubby had to stay home and work though!
Click here for a bunch of pics!
Jan. 07, 2006
Today I received a front wheel I bought on Ebay for my softail. Now I can get started with the old school look I'm after.
Jan. 03, 2006
Another year has passed and a new year has begun. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and New Years.
Nov. 28, 2005
I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving day. We went to Carpinteria State campground sunday thru wednesday. The weather was astonishing...in the 80's! Temperature records were being set all week...it was great! Wednesday morning we left Carpinteria for Gorman, California. There's a state off road vehicle park there with dry camping. We met friends and shared Thanksgiving dinner in our RV. We had a nice time but really missed our kids.
October 29, 2005
Today my local Harley dealer, Bakersfield Harley-Davidson, had their annual pumpkin carving contest. I won! I took First Place and won a $100.00 gift certificate! Pretty cool!
Click image for full size
October 06, 2005
Last weekend we had a blast! My wife arranged a Kart Racing Party to celebrate my 55th birthday. Some family members and friends went to a local kart track (indoor).
September 04, 2005
Have a great Labor Day weekend!
August 22, 2005
My brother, Rob, died 24 years ago today. When young people die, you always wonder; what would they be like today? How would they look? How would they have impacted my life?
August 17, 2005
We recently returned from Palmer, Alaska where we had a family reunion
We had a great time with the kids and grandchildren. We really enjoyed the 70-80 degree temperatures!! Here's a link to all the pics. PIC's
Auguist 04, 2005
The first arrival for our family reunion in Palmer, Alaska is our daughter, Jennifer, from Chicopee, Massachusetts. She and her sister, Laura, went 4 wheeling on the Quad. Looks like they had a dirty-good time!! This is August. What's with all that heavy clothing?!!
July 24, 2005
This weekend we became a 2 truck family.
Her 1500 short bed is just a smaller version of my 1 ton dually. They're both white with tan interior. She has an automatic transmission and most of the creature comforts available. She keeps vehicles longer than I do...she should have this one for quite some time.
July 09, 2005
H O T!!!! Man, I think it was 108 today!!!
July 09, 2005
Today I went to Palmdale to the Los Angeles County Raceway where a Rat Fink show was held. Rat Fink is the cartoon figure (above) created by legendary 50's/60's icon, Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, custom car builder and hot rod artist.
July 04, 2005
We had a nice visit with my daughter and her family this past week.
June 18, 2005
Today I attended the 1st Annual Bakersfield Thunder Run. It was okay considering this was the first year. Sometimes these events need a few years to build momentum.
May 19, 2005
Here's a short video clip of our newest grandchild, Tae.
May 4, 2005
Here's some pics of our new grandson, Tae, and his proud mom! He's a good looking little guy.
May 2, 2005
Grandpa again! Today my 5th grandchild arrived. Our daughter, Laura, and her husband, Thadd, greeted their adopted son, Tae (tay), to the United States from Korea. They all met in Seattle to welcome the little guy.
April 18, 2005
We just returned from a two week RV trip to Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada in celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary. We left Bakersfield at 8 am on March 31, 2005. We headed out on that familiar slab...I-5. This trip started out differently than past trips, we had our 4 year old grandson, Matthew, with us. We were returning him to my daughter, who lives in Massachusetts but was visiting her sister in Oregon. We had never traveled with a little one before...he's quite a talker!
Mar. 27, 2005
We spent Easter at my sister's place in Palmdale, Ca..It was a nice day spent with family.
Feb. 28, 2005
I recently became a grandpa again...#4. Here's some pics of all four of them. Click here!
Feb. 21, 2005
We spent Presidents weekend camping in Jawbone Canyon. Jawbone is in the Mojave Desert located off Highway 14 just north of the Antelope Valley/ Mojave.
