Westward Ho-----Whoa!

We’re at the coast.  The Pacific Coast that is.  First time for me.

The last couple of days spent in Yosemite were wonderful.  The scenery was beyond words.   The soul understands what words cannot express.  That’s about the way it is.  A sense of wonder, awe, humility, a sense of being overwhelmed.  We did a tour of the valley on an open tram.  Saw all a lot of waterfalls, El Capitan, Half Dome.  At one point we got out to look at the view and both Jerry and I had tears in our eyes – couldn’t say a word…..

They say the waterfalls will be dried up in a couple of months due to lack of snowfall this year.  How sad.  We hike a while as saw the Giant Sequoias. 

On Monday morning we packed up the car and loaded the bikes.  Another long day of driving, so many passes to pass over.  At one point we were going up a long hill at a snail’s pace.  Couldn’t figure that one out until about 30 minutes in we saw a state trooper pass.  A few minutes later we rounded the bend only to see---A Wagon Train.  Yep, about 6 covered wagons full of people in period dress and people on horseback all going up the pass.   The trooper had them pulled over to let traffic by – you know, the horseless wagons.  What a sight that was.  It was ‘almost’ worth the inconvenient. 

Later in the day we could see smoke ahead in the distance.  Turned out to be a fire right along the expressway.  We could see the flames shooting high in the air.  We also saw a plane coming right towards us, about 20 feet above us.  It let loose a load of fire fighting chemicals.  Had we been about 20 feet up I’m sure we would have gotten sprayed.  There was also a helicopter in the air with a bucket hanging from it.  I have seen those things on the news but never in real life.  The dirt in the median to our left was beginning to put off smoke.  My guess would be that they closed the expressed way shortly after we passed.

Some of the towns we passed through yesterday were recording 101*.  Grateful for the AC to be working.

It was getting late and dark when we finally hit the coast.  Couldn’t see much.  Had a little bit of a hard time finding a campsite.  We ended up in a RV park but it is not all that bad.   It had some green space for us to set up the tent, fairly clean bathrooms, hot showers and a herd of elk next door.

Tuesday –

Today began with chores.  Our ‘almost out of gas’ light was on when we pulled in to the campgrounds last night.  First stop was a gas station in the next town back about 30 minutes away.  We made it.  A quick stop at the grocery store also brought with it the realization that we had a head light burnt out.  Off to the auto parts store.  Jerry made quick work of that task.  On to a hardware store for some odds and ends that Jerry needed.

The rest of the day we spent t in the forest of the Redwoods.  Gentle Giants is an understatement.    They were everywhere.  We took a hike listed as an hour long.  About 2 hours later we emerged with almost a memory card full of pictures.  Trees, Ferns, Flowers, Banana Slugs.  Thank Goodness for digital cameras.  Again, so hard to put in to words.  All I can say is 'may the forest be with you!'

Back at the campsite for the evening.  The herd of elk that was next door is now wondering among the campsites.  About 30 of them a couple of males and some females with calves.  Jerry is working with the bikes.  I’m doing laundry while typing this, hoping that the elk do not come between me and the laundry room which is attached to the bathroom. 

Oh, darn I think I need to shut the car door!  They are really getting close!

And so on we drove...

Through windy NE in to windy WY.   Somewhere in WY we were coming downhill on I-80 when we passed a cyclist.  Something seemed wrong.  So he was on the expressway, that is sometimes allowed but it took me a couple of minutes to realize that he was peddling – downhill.  The head wind was so strong that he had to work to get down this steep hill/mountain.

We wanted to camp at Angel Lake in Laramie but it was an eight mile drive back to the camp ground over a one lane mountain road and we were told that we would most likely be camping in snow.   Plan B - there were two RV parks in town, drove through one and then the other and then back to the first one.  As RV parks go it was typical – drive though spaces little green, well lit, and of course right next to I-80.  The woman who greeted us was very nice.  Showed us the shower, restrooms, laundry where we could go if we got cold during the night, it had a TV and some books to borrow.  She gave us a spot close to the restrooms and we settled in for the night.  Despite traffic noise we slept fairly well.  Up early we awoke to ice (not frost) on out tent and windshield.  By the time we had taken the tent down our fingers, all 20 of them had lost all feeling.   None the less we got on the road by 6:30.

In spite of Jerry’s Sartbuck app. he had to settle for gas station coffee that morning.  And then we drove some more.  A last minute decision brought us to Yosemite National Park by about 3:00 on Friday.  We found a National Forest Campsite which is cheaper than camping in the National Parks.  Nice site, tall trees, mountains, not many people at all even thought all the campgrounds in the Park are full.  No showers and pit toilets, but that’s okay.  As long as we’re both in the same boat.

Today we spent on Toiga Pass road, stopping often to take in the magnificent views.  We did a little walking.  Jerry climbed some rocks.  The scenery here is truly beyond words.

This afternoon we drove over to Mammoth Lakes, a little town about 24 miles away.  With the price of gas at $4.89 we probably will think twice about doing too much extra driving.  We had a salad and a healthy pizza.  Hmmm, good.  

Back at camp Jerry is making some improvements to the grill cover that becomes a bike cover when we travel and I’m sitting here with you.  Thanks for the company….

Oh, My Goodness...

It is only the second night and we find ourselves in a motel.  My secret goal was to make it through the trip camping every night.   What wimps we are!  Or maybe we’re just smart. 

Weather in NE was pretty fierce today.  We missed most of it.  The tornados happened in area that we had already passed through.  We did hit a very heavy thunder storm.  Luckily, we were just coming up on a rest area and Jerry was able to pull over before things got really interesting.   Interesting in the fact as we sat in the car hail developed.  I have never before seen golf ball size hail or heard it pounding on the car roof.  Don’t worry Jack, the bikes were protected nicely with your grill cover.  While I was driving the visibility was so bad at times that traffic was going 20 mph.

So early evening we thought we had cleared all the dark skies.  Just as the snow capped mountains were coming in to view in WY so were the dark clouds beginning to gather again.  I managed to find a cheap, national forest campground close to the road.  We drove back.  The grounds were locked tight because of the fact that they had just sprayed for pine beetles.   It was starting to drizzle and the wind was a real factor. 

So here we sit.  Dry, warm and feeling like a wimp.  But that is okay.  Forecast is for scattered thunder storms and temps in the low 30s, winds up to 65 mph.   

Don't woory Jack the bikes are locked in the motel safe.

Let the adventure continue…

Let The Adventure Begin...

Day 1 – Tuesday

KY, OH, IN, IL, IA.  Not bad for the first day.

Pretty uneventful – just a few observations;

Lunch was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, minus the jelly since it did not make it in to the cooler.

IL and IA = windy, windier, and windierest.  Sometimes you need a new word to describe a new experience.

Camped last night at Coralville Lake in IA = stormy, stormier, stormierest.  There was lightning and thunder for a good part of the night.  Maybe we should have suspected something when we checked in and the guy said something about the bathroom being a good strong storm shelter in case we needed it.  Apparently there were tornados throughout the state on Tuesday.  I found it interesting that when the light flashed behind my eyelids I started counting 1,000-1, 1,000-2…..Most of the time I got to 1.000-5.  But not always.  My biggest concern was the bikes on the back of the van.  Jack made it clear that we were to save the bikes first, our lives came later.  Could we untie and unhitch the bikes in time to get them in to the bathroom with us???

Supper last night was to be cold meatloaf sandwiches (keeping it simple) but it appeared that the meatloaf is hanging out with the jelly at home.

The campground was an interesting area; lakes, rivers, fossil beds.  Sites were nice.  We were alone in the tent area. (Who would find the bodies?)   No frills but good.  Warm, free, clean showers in the a.m.  I couldn’t pass that up – and no crowd.  And you’ve got to love that senior pass.  $6. for the night.  My guy really knows how to treat a woman.

This morning when we awoke things were mostly dry.  It would appear that the wind took care of most of the moisture for us except for the rain fly.  Grateful not to be packing up in the rain.

On the road again.  Let the adventure continue…

Mini Road Trip and Beyond

It was a beautiful sunny day so we decided to hit the road in the van for a few hours and do some exploring.  The TransAmerican Bike Trail runs through KY, west to east pretty much cutting across the center of the state.  The Trail intersects I-75 in Berea so we drove south to the famous college town and then turned east on the Trail.  Within about 10 minutes we missed a turn but realized our mistake almost immediately so we backtracked and quickly found our way east.   Now at least we won’t do that again when it really counts.

The road – two lane back road, windy, narrow, hilly, very hilly in spots and for every up there of course was a very steep, windy down.  The hills were green, the sky was blue.  I decided to count the coal trucks and the dogs, two of the great concerns of any cyclist.  So…we only passed two coal trucks and we did not see any dogs on the road.  That might be because they were all hiding behind trees waiting for cyclist, never the less…

After being on the back roads for about 1 ½ hours we evaluated just how far we wanted to stray from home.  If we turned north on  Rt. 11 we would hit the Mountain Parkway at Slade and pass Natural Bridge, if we continued on to Hazard then headed north we would add about 2-3 hours to the trip.  Slade here we come!  Most people would have realized they were on     Rt. 11 between Booneville and Beattyville and headed north.  For me it was a turn down Memory Lane.  Back in the Early 70s I lived and worked in Beattyville.  It was a good time in life.  Worked with good people and learned a lot.  Lived with two great women.  (Maybe we were just girls then.)  We were able to locate the house we rented, the care facility that was my first job out of nursing school.  Memories came pouring in and I was able to share things with Jerry that I had nearly forgotten about.  It was a good thing to be able to do.  Recall the good times and to be thankful for everything that got me to this point in life.  It’s all good.

And because nothing is ever to dull at the VH house:

The next morning we woke up about 4:00 to screams.   At first I thought it was a cat. Then I checked both windows thinking someone was getting beat up outside. Then I realized the screams were coming from Christy's room. She had never had night terrors before but I guess there is always a first time. I opened her door to try and bring her out of them when I saw a bat fly by - the reason for the screams. I held her until the sobbing stopped. Jerry went in, armed with a plastic bat and box.   Needless to say we were unable to find the little critter.  Christy moved to another bedroom but assured me that she didn’t sleep at all that night.  I believe her!

We decided to take this opportunity to clean Christy's room. Of course at this point we weren't sure where the bat was hanging out or even if he was still in the room. So we were being careful. Jerry came in and started to clean off the top of the cabinets - okay you can see where this is going.  He cleared off the old empty soft drink bottles, special ones that Christy had saved for years, then he violated one of the first laws of survival and put his hand where he couldn't see. So,,,,what's your guess?..... 
yep, he put his hand on the bat who followed through on what it means to be a bat and in an act of self defense, he bit Jerry.   I was out of the room....Christy screamed again as the bat fell on the floor. Jerry had a towel and caught the bat. I opened the bathroom window so he could throw it out but he said that he wanted to keep it...... (bottom line here is everything is okay) but .... the bat did not break the skin....but Jerry felt the teeth...call to the ER....call to the health department...call to the doctor's office...appointment made....health department said that the bat needed to get to Frankfort...Christy and I were going to drive it down since Jerry had his doctor appointment.....health department called back, someone from the office was going down and they would be willing to take the bat along,,,,whew,,,,Jerry drove the bat to the health department......we were hoping that the lab would start the testing on Friday and the results would be back by Monday...if not we're talking Wednesday....doctor's appointment was non-eventful.....doctor was not impressed and did not think it a big deal....no need to worry about a thing...health department will get back when lab results are in....bottom line we covered all the bases and dad is fine. And...you should see Christy's room!   Health Department called today – results on the little critter were negative.  One more thing to be thankful for.

Something Big This Way Cometh...

When I asked Jerry when the idea was conceived he said 1973 (really?- oh come  now!).  The idea really took started to take form the summer of 2012.  Over a couple too many beers – probably.

Last month those involved came together over a breakfast meeting and over a series of maps.  Maps that will lead us from Astoria, OR to Portland VA.  Jerry, Jeff and Jack will be on their bikes, supported by myself who has sense enough to be in the van.   Their duties will be to get on the bike each day and peddle east, hopefully following the maps.  My job…everything else.  I’m not sure what that means exactly just yet but we’ll fill in those blanks as we go along.

So what else is there to say at the moment….train, train, train.  Someone dubbed me the Project Manager  - so get out there boys and train!

 

Lately I’ve been thinking about all the opportunities that I have had in the past few years (not to mention the earlier years of taking care of all the little kiddies that passed through our home) and trying to put words to just how I feel about so many things that have come my way –farm work in New England, Cape Cod, sharing the AT with Jerry, our out west trip, the Florida trip, special friends – so many things to be grateful for and to stand in wonder and awe about.   Those words didn’t see to adequately describe how I felt.  I think the term ‘soul grateful’ might just come a little closer. 

 

    

                                                           The Men and Their Maps

North to My Old KY Home...

We left Flamingo once again – broke camp after a short bike ride and another trip to Eco Pond to say good-bye to the birds.  This time we were serious about heading north.  Most of the day was spent driving.  We were headed to Cocoa Beach to connect up with some friends.  Timing worked out well and we managed to be there in time to go to church with them.  We went out to eat and then enjoyed the evening at their beach house.  Their hospitality was wonderful.  We actually slept in a regular bed, not a air mattress for the first time in three weeks.  It was good to share time and break bread with friends.  We toyed with the idea of spending a few more days camping at Jetty Park in Cocoa Beach since there was to be a space launch on Wednesday night.  Whatever the reason we took off, it just seemed like the right thing to do.  We spend Monday night at Amicalola Falls State Park in GA.  This is where the AT begins.  Where we dropped Clair off in ’03 and Jerry off in 2010.   It was a foggy night not much to see or do but again we did have a real bed to sleep in.  Up bright and early on Tuesday brought us home by 5:00 in the afternoon, a day before the awful storms that closed 75 in GA.

It is good to be home.  We’re still moving kind of slow.  It was an awe-some trip for which we are so very grateful.  I understand the snow-bird people a little more now.

Until next time...