Iris' 3 month road trip around the US

What started out as a 5-6 week trip, has morphed into 3 months: May 5 to Aug 1.

May 5
Did I pack everything? Did I remember to turn off the iron? (ohhh yeah, I did, I shut off the circuit breaker) The house is not 1000% clean. That's ok, only nephew (housesitter) and landlord will see it. AND oh yeah, I can blame the mess on the kid.

I took too much.... but when I am 1/3 of the way through trip 1/2 of the trunk will have been left with other people. I can deal with things in the back seat.

On the road.

It is beautiful out. Great weather. mid-70s.

Minor road construction several places along I-5 past Eugene south. Just minor slowing, no detours. Further down, there were many areas in the mountains near Roseburg and Medford where there was just one moving lane.

Thoughts are on all of the beautiful shades of green. I can't believe all of the shades there are. There are shades of new spring. And shades of the dark evergreens. The shades of ripen seed grass. The shades of creek plants. It is just amazing how much there is of one shade.

Thank God for the I-5 rest stops. They are every 30-50 miles. And they are clean and just situated at the right times. The rest stop at Valley of the Rogue River (mile marker 45) is beautiful. I needed a rest at that point in time. It is adjacent to the Rogue River. There is a path that goes down along the river. (pictures when I get them transfered) There is a gentle rustling of the creek to soothe road weary ears. The park has a wonderful picnic area. It is clean and well maintained.

For those interested: 227 miles in 4 hrs 10 min. I had several short stretching breaks, and one 30 min rest. Albany Oregon to Ashland Oregon.
For those interested: 295 miles in 6 hrs 30 min. I had one 45 min rest, and several short stretches. Ashland Oregon to Sacramento California.

Redding CA. first place that I have gotten turned around on this trip. I went east instead of west, but was only 1/2 mile off. The Sundail Bridge is a beautiful piece of art. The bridge is a sundial in that it will tell time by where the Pylon at the far end casts its shadow on the banks of the Sacramento River, or on the river. It is a pedestrian only traffic bridge. You can see it from CA Hwy 40 and I-5. It is a very easy on and off (if you don't get turned around). There are many small gardens to wander. I did not go into the museum. Several small children were excited about seeing several animals.

Olive Pit in Corning CA. Yes it is a tourist trap. But it is a delicious tourist trap. I was the only person there. I was encouraged to sample the different types. Loved them. Ended up having the BLT with avocado. You put on your own condiments.

California is in a drought right now. There was a haze over the farms from the dust. The farms were the middle of haying. The sky was many shades of orange. Trying to hide the San Andreas mountains.

Came in to a wonderful friend. Bubba (the cat) made sure that I was welcomed by sleeping on top of me.

More later, I am off to play Texas Train.

Wow, thank you for sharing your trip. So well written and sharing your thoughts on the road. I could relate.

Hoping to see some pictures soon. We love to see your pics. I have already learned of two more spots to put on my schedule.

Looking forward to the rest.

Lifey

May 6
A day of frustrations. Not for me, but my friend who I am visiting. It started at 6am when the people she counsels start calling, and her phone went garbled.

So she borrowed mine. Went to meetings, and tutoring. Then 2 1/2 hrs in ATT Store to get a new phone. TWO AND HALF HOURS. We were both needing food by the end.

I attended a folk dance group. I tried two dances. But my 3 left feet did not do well with the instructions. I sat out and enjoyed the music. The other participants did very well. It was mostly Baltic Sea area dance styles.

This evening was a lot of catching up with small items. Tomorrow is repacking part of the car, taking a Ghana HS exchange student to the Leland Stanford Museum and enjoying my friend's grandchildren for desserts.

Did you know, frozen bottles of water make GREAT cold water packs to help sleep in a hot room? I have two on me right now. Bubba the Cat is relegated to lay next to me, and not on me.

Images of Valley of the Rogue River State Rest Area and Park. A great place to rest from the weariness of road noise.

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Pictures of the Sundial Bridge
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Picture of the Olive Pit. The young lady with the RED hair, liked that I have PURPLE fringe in mine and that I was wearing a dress with sparkles.
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I am going to apologize for the blurrinest of the photos, my hands do shake.

May 7

Stayed at the house for the morning. Friend ordered new cable service. Both dogs enjoyed someone to play ball with. That should be "slobber" ball.

When the Ghana exchange student came home from high school, we went to the Leland Standford Mansion Museum. It is free. Tours are on the hour. Nice short videos to give a background. No cameras allowed inside the mansion. We were a small group. 5 children. They did not ask very many questions. The young lady I was with, just seemed to take it in.

The history of the house is fascinating. How it was expanded and raised. The ways innovated use of space and advance thinking in decorated style were fantastic. Everything was beautiful. Anita was a great docent.
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The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. How beautiful. We were there during a service, and chose to only see the outside. The photos do not do justice. It is beautiful, and that word does not do it justice. This is definitely a stop I would recommend.
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It was so much fun to walk around the building. The online site shows off the beauty. www.cathedralsacramento.org/

May 8th

Today was repacking the car to get ready to leave tomorrow. Even with a bit more leaving with me, the repacking makes it feel less is inside the car. I am leaving an empty box behind, and filling 2 canvas bags. Seems to allow more space. Hey Carissa, see I keep telling you that you can never have too many bags.

Jackie and I went to the California History Museum.
$9 adult fee, but does have AAA discount. Parking is on street or a parking lot several blocks away. There may be heavy traffic due to being close to the capital. Very well laid out.

I wanted to see the Sesquicentennial Quilt. There are more than 230 appliques.
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continuation of photos
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There was also a great display of accomplished women in California's history. One of the best history was Charlotta Bass. In 1952 she was on the Presidential ballot as a VP running mate. How cool is that?

There were many different areas of California's history displayed for the Missions, Wars, Agriculture, WWII--the good and the bad. There was a school group while we were there, and the majority of the students were very engaged. I think they did not have enough supervision to help them get the most out of the experience.

It has been a nice visit with my human friend, Jackie, and my 4-legged friends, Bubba, Lucy, Tiger, Shadpw. Bindi and Blue.

Looking forward to the next adventure.

May 9 Sacramento to Barstow

Houston, we have a problem, we forgot our toothbrushes. NO!!! My Bible and mouse. Bible, I have on kindle and online through the internet. Mouse, purchased a new one. (The opening line is from Ron Brown’s Countdown by 10s I used when teaching first grade.)

I learned (well relearned) how to pump my own gas. Before you laugh, it had been 10 years since I had previously done it.

Decided to go via CA Hwy 99. This is the old highway that my parents drove down to Bakersfield to visit our grandmother. I also chose this route because of wanting to go through smaller towns and see more than you could from the interstate.

I should have gone I-5. Hwy 99 has also bypassed the smaller towns. You see the same type of fields. You see the dry washes. The only difference is rougher roads at slightly slower speeds. Except for the old abandoned buildings. The skeletons of the houses. The old style of 50s signage on abandon hotels or gas stations.

I miss the fruit juice stands. Hwy 99 was always stopping and paying our quarter to get juice. Orange juice, cherry juice, and others. I miss this.

I visited several different farm stores. They were interesting. They were my rest stops along the way.

Modesto: A&W drive In. Was in the film American Graffiti.

Kingsburg: Was going to stop at the Sun Maid Growers. But they were closed. Went through the Swedish downtown. Did a small bit of walking through the shops. Totally a tourist trap. But a good place to stretch legs.

Beekman and Beekman. Flavored honeys. And yes, I did toothpick samples of the different flavors. OHHH yum.

Passing Edwards Air Force Base. I heard the jets before I saw them. Should have known it by all of the contrails that were crisscrossing the sky.

There has been an increasing steady wind the further I go into the desert.

Wow, the windmills on top of the Mojave Mountains. There were 3 or 4 different sizes. The largest size ones were not turning. It was amazing to see the art in the way they aligned and turned.

The day was nice, low 80s. Deciding to go in May for the southern route was a good choice.

Listened to the CD my brother Joseph created for me. Lots of Road trip music.

In going through Bakersfield, I thought about Steinbeck’s Grape of Wrath. Momma always said, “But for the Grace of God, that would have been her story.” Grandpa Hughes was able to get a job taking care of the golf lawns instead of working in the fields.

Barstow. Stayed at the California Inn. Older building, but kept in decent repair. I felt safe with double deadbolts on all of the doors.

I met a couple outside their room, and briefly discussed the type of cactus outside of their door. We went together to the Italian restaurant for dinner. They were wonderful company. He has been a teacher and editor for the Glencoe McGraw Hill textbooks. She grew up in the company of Sammy Davis Jr, and well known NY mobsters. (Husband said, yes, she really did.)

It had been an 11-hr day, 630mile day. I basically dropped into bed as soon as I got back to my room. I really do not recommend that long of a day. I wasn't ready at Bakersfield to stop, but I sure was by Barstow. This is an 9 hr drive, that I added 2 hrs with stops.

Great story, I love your story telling style. Have you read the thread on uploading photos? Then you won't have to put thumbnails in your threads. You will be able to insert the photos in full size.

Looking forward to lots more.

Lifey