Heading out, one lap around the USA!
No way I can top some of the really cool threads you've put up and we've enjoyed.
We'll spare everyone the family pix, but if something that might be of interest pops up in route, we'll certainly post it with a picture or two.
First stop will be the inner tube float down the Colorado River.
It's an organized event near Lake Havasu, South down the river in innertubes to the CRIT reservations.
Hoaky, goofy perhaps, but the little ones and college students love it, and we'll try and get some pix, if any of interest pop up.
The driving part of the trip will take us from Simi Valley Calif, just north of Los Angeles, to the east coast.
Sloppy Joes Bar in Key West, Disney World,, Carlsbad Caverns and 40 other stops of historical sites and railroads and waterparks ect ect. on the USA loop.
Be back if something of unique interest pops up.
First day - first repair is a crankshaft position sensor in our truck.
Dealer wanted $350 for the repair, I did it for $58 and about 45 minutes.
Good to go,,,, and away we go,,,
Good to go... and away we go...
Ross and Alice,
We look forward to reading your periodic reports here!
Mark
And family photos are OK by me!
Really! I can't wait to hear about your adventures.
Hy 10 thru Blythe: Farming the Desert, All We Raised were kids"
"Farming in the desert? All we Raised Were kids"
As you approach Blythe driving East on Hy 10,, we noticed the farming is starting to get back into gear.
Looks like produce stores/stands of some sort are starting to develop once again after many decades of neglect.
The desert perhaps is under cultivation again too.
Ya always see the long abandon farm equipment for miles thru the Az and Cali desert along the 10 as well.
As one drives the long desert stretches thoughts pass through your mind.
I remember being on the Grand Jury with Marion Knott, the daughter of Walter Knott of Knotts Berry Farm amusement Park, in Buena Park Calif.
She told me her parents would always say: "We tried farming in the desert, but all we raised were children."
They gave up desert farming then moved to Buena Park Calif, and the rest is history.
Walter Knott was well known way, way before the amusement park and the Boysenberry.
He was a major booster of bringing frozen/refrigerated storage and transportation of produce West of the Rockies. Knott was the first farmer in the west to ship frozen, non-canned summer produce East and Northeast in the winter if ya get what I mean.
If you're planing a roadtrip to Southern Calif, you can still visit Knotts Berry Farm.
The growing of produce is long gone, but the park is still there.
Their jams and jellies are found on grocery shelves around America.
During Grand Jury breaks Marion and I would sometimes chat, and since I knew worthless Knott trivia, and was in the Air Conditioning and refrigeration business, she invited me to see the original refer plant still on the farm.
Long since abandon, out of service in favor of more modern systems.
It was located in an old adobe style building,, pretty cool set up for it's day.
It was low pressure ammonia, which was a big improvement over the earlier obnoxious Sulfer dioxide fart gas systems. Cheap and easy to run, very reliable,, but it still stunk, and could be dangerous if a big leak developed.
I met her sisters Virgina and Toni.
Virginia was really bizzare, but nice.
Dressed in a sharkskin potato sack dress, purple beehive hair,, I didn't know what to think. This was in the 70's,, probably would work fine today.
Toni Knott, the other sister, primm and very easy going, old school Grandmother type at age 40.
The brother Russell, well, if ya watch Mr Crab on Spongebob, you'd figure he's a take off of brother Russell.
I got to meet Walter ,, the old man himself.
He lived within the farms parks maintenance buildings in a mobil home with a live-in nurse.
His body was worn out, but his brain still was active.
A truly genuine, really nice old guy.
Older people are cool, they most always have a curiosity and a sense of humor.
He still wore the wicked-witch-of-the-west lace up to the knee old fashioned boots.
Marion said she could still order them from a shoe biz in Nebraska.
We talked about early refrigeration, and he mentioned Birdseye was the first.
"All the quality fruits and vegetables in the U.S. carried the farmers name from year to year", he said by the way.
Birdseye, Hadley (we all know Hadley if you visit Palm Desert) and Knotts.
"They used their name every year because they had quality produce and weren't ashamed of it."
Then Walter added:
"That's why you'd have different orange and fruit crate labels & names from year to year" he said.
Some growers would change their name every year because they would ship sub-standard products.
"The good produce carried the farmers name every year."
My old Aunt Laura used to say they'd stop off at the early Knotts stand on Beach Blvd before WW2, and the fruit was alway top shelf,, with a tissue paper in the split wood basket too.
A nice touch I recon. She'd buy rhubarb and Elderberries,, Knott hadn't yet perfected the Boysenberry.
As we drove across the desert with everyone in the truck asleep, more thoughts pass through my pea brain.
The Grand Jury we were on was investigating the illegal bribes Lockheed was greasing the market with to get their excellent L1011 airliner sold.
They were being investigated for all kinds of shenanigans.
Lockheed signed some pay-or take deals on different grades and types Aluminum and Titanium and they were going down fast because of it.
Pay or take means you bought the product and will pay that price for all of it whether you use it or not, and no matter where the market value goes.
A crazy deal, Lockheed commercial aircraft business was sinking fast, so they hired a thug named "Jonny Hotlink" to get some planes sold,, and the graft then flowed too.
FBI agents then had to either have a law degree or accounting degree, and it was a complicated eye opener as they presented what took place, mostly in Japan and Korea, but Taiwan and Indonesia we're in the mess too.
Marion Knott, on the strength of that grand jury service experience, change the entire way Knotts Berry Farm, their retail, and their huge, incredably big worldwide commercial food business did their accounting.
If ya remember, often you'd buy something at Knotts, and the employee made change outta a cigar box.
Jonny Hotlink changed all that.
The amusement park & farm was a very small part of the family business.
Since sold to the boring Valley Fair company.
We hated to hang Lockheed,, foreign competitors didn't have the restraints on them like Lockheed did with US laws,, but we swore to just figure "if they did it or they didn't".
Not if it was right or wrong.
The 747, DC10's introduction & and lot's of other Lockheed scams way bigger than what we were hearing, finally finished the company.
OK, on to Zion, then the Durango and Silverton RR.
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data...07_034-med.jpg
At a restaurant stop, I couldn't resist snapping this pic of behind the Cash Register
Arizona & Calif Railway Crossing,
Our latest leg of our trip took us over three Arizona & Calif RR crossings.
lhuff posted a really good thread about railroad safety in this section.
The thread and passing over the three lonely crossings opened up my weak memories once again.
I'll get back to the RR crossings.
My daughter was 11 years old and begged me to take her to an audition for a movie.
I was so against that non-sense, if you've grown up around it, ya don't want your kids involved in it.
But I finally took her.
I'll be damn'd,, she got the part on the spot, first audition,, and I was a horses butt for standing in the way of her for the previous 3 years.
Anyway, later, her agent called one day and they needed: "a 10 month old baby, that looked 6 months old, and was happy and laughing all the time."
That exact description, I kid you not.
We thought about it for a mili second, then forgot about it.
Then I remembered my friend Robbie and his wife have a 10 month old.
No clue about how the child looks or acts,, but I gave him my daughters agents number,, they auditioned their 10 month old girl,, she was hired on the spot.
The producers were crazy about her.
OK,, back to the three Calif and Ariz RR crossings.
Mitsubushi was filming a whole model year of car and truck commercials at these very Calif and Ariz RailRoad crossings I passed over.
This is the no-where that everything is a million miles from.
It is desolate out here, but beautiful.
The scenes show the Mitsubishi vehicle approaching off the horizon, and then waiting at the crossings as the gates come down, flashing lites and the Calif and Ariz Green Locomotive passing slowly by,, the baby laughing in the back seat.
You may see the ads today where the little girl is laughing in the backseat of Mitsubishi vehicles.
They still cut those older bits in with the current model year Mitsubishis.
The wife and I were at Chuy's restaurant one day and Robbie, his daughter and wife walked in.
Their daughter made $2000 per 3 hr. day of shooting, a 3 day shoot, she was exempt from all taxes, union dues,, guild fees ect ect,, and she gets residuals to this day ONLY because her voice is on the commercials laughing.
The parents got some $$ for expenses too.
OK, speaking of RRs, onto the Durango and Silverton RR.
Better When the Old Man Ran It.
Better when the Old Man ran it.
We're just about to head outta Nevada toward Zion, but we're touching base with a few eldery relatives that are "on their way out" and this may be our last chance.
Sooo, this morning while driving, I looked over at my wife in the seat next to me when she woke up and she looked 20 years younger. I mentioned that and she lit up and said "and I don't have make-up on". This link will explain it all and I'm so glad that episode is behind us. I was sweating that the residual effects of her surgery would carry over to this Roadtrip,, but it's all good.
We're getting about 9.2 MPG towing our 32 ft slide out trailer, and 13.7 MPG when it's un-hooked.
Passing by Bob's Big Boy restaurants all along highways in the West, I'd love to stop and have the family try the legendary food. But, it ain't the same. It was better when the old man, Bob Wian ran it.
The chain folded when Bob passed away and the food quality and preparation methods changed.
A feable attempt is being made to resurect the chain, but they still don't get it. It was an hour wait for a table when the old man ran it.
Bob Wian used to work for the high quality Youngs Market Company, and he worked for my Uncle Lew for a spell before that.
He had great home-made recipies for seasonings, dressings,, all kind of good food things that eventually made his hamburger chain excellent. When he passed away the quality slid,, it just didn't have the magic anymore, and folded.
My Uncle Lew was an Navy Officer during WW2, and his job was to get beef to the US Pacific fleet, and all military bases in the Pacific. After the war, he used his "juice" to continue supplying meat over seas.
All the non-retail meat consumed in Hawaii and Hong Kong was supplied by my Uncle Lew for a half century, and this is how he crossed paths with the legendary Bob Wian.
My Uncle Lew hit 90 years old so he sold his meat Company to an outfit that owned a lot of KFC's in the West.
They figured if they control all the non-commercial meat in such a large region, why have salesmen? So after 50 years of success, they let the salesforce go,, and in about a year competitors took over, and the company folded.
Always better when the old man ran it.
Have a another story about William Harrah, but that'll be saved for a Lake Tahoe roadtrip.
OK, when we launch outta Nevada, we'll get serious with pics and some fun stuff as we travel.
-R&A
Checkin' In from Lake Powell
Checkin' in from Lake Powell
We toured Zion this morning and was it ever nice.
Rangers have the traffic flow and tours all dialed in.
Easy to park,, free shuttles everyplace,, good food places,, beautiful park and hiking trails.
Zion is excellent.
We then drove through Kaliab Nat Forest.
Geezzeee like you died and went to heaven on through Marble Canyon.
Rivals Monument Valley through Antelope pass.
Then we headed to Page Az.
We're at the Elks lodge campground.
50 Amp hookups, cable, water,, everything,, cost:
a donation, you make the call.
Killer view of the Lake and town.
If you ever pass the Page Elks and a houseboat is in the parking lot,, it's open for bid. Happens alot.
The one currently there now will probably close for $1500 so say two ancient old jaspers that help out around the place.
Members buy new houseboats, and then donate their old one to the Lodge for bid.
It has to float, and engine(s) run.
Friendly crowd inside if ya like talking to death hangin' from a meathook at the bar.
New York Steak dinner was $7.00,, cocktails $2, drafts a buck.
The Navajos are building Antelope Point Marina and casino nearby.
It really looks nice.
Excellent floating concrete marina has been floated in already.
Looks awesome.
We'll try and get some pix up.
This Verizon wireless w/Mac is cranky with pix.
Next stop,, river rafting in Colorado.
Mesa Verde National Park/Cliff Dwellings
A must see if ya like American History.
Ya get to climb through stone tunnels and up long ladders to get to the Indian Cliff Dwellings.
Built about 12th century AD.
The Mesa Verde Cliff Dwellings ya get to walk inside the dwellings themselves and all around with a Ranger/guide.
Unlike other locations were ya just observe from a pathway below.
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We're now in Durango Colorado, after the usual stop at Four Corners, where one can stand in four US States at the same time (and buy indian bread).
It's run by the local Navajo Indian tribe, and they are ALWAYS the most excellent people you will ever meet in your lifetime.
Costs $3 per person, and they have a Ranger looking person asking the foreigners to please get off the monument (eventually at least) so others can get a pix and experience it too.
I've heard of ugly Americans abroad,, but we're not alone in this catagory evidently.
We got lots of cool pix, and will post them after our journey on the Durango and Silverton RR.
Most the Restaurants in Durango cater to tourists and are of c- quality with lazy service.
Gasoline everywhere is $3.22 a gallon, usually $3.29 for Premium at the Indian trading posts
Yeah, just 8 cents more.
We are having a lot of fun. Our 7 year old is a teriffic traveler. Playstation helps on the long stretches btw.
The big 8.1 liter GMC truck pulling our massive trailer through the high altitude roadways with ease.
Just loafs at 1900 RPM.
Wifes Angry Aunt from Red China is due to arrive anyday for a 3 to 4 day visit.
Wife is normally very calm and easy going, but I can tell it's coming by her getting annoyed by our 7 year old,, and her pointing out my imperfections.
"I don't get mood swings" she claims. I think they all claim that.
Her birthday is this week and I bought her the Bose noise canciling headphones. We'll have a little party here on the road.
Oh brother, grab your wallet.
They're advertised so much because they charge soooo much.
You should be put to sleep when the Bose folks hand ya the bill.
Only bought at Bose stores. The cheaper Best Buy versions are no-where the same item.
Beware, they are pricy.
Nothings too good for my girl, even if she thinks I'm less than par when her Angry Aunt from Red China Visits.
Or as she tries to say it; "Her Angry Red Ant".
All the same if ya think about it.
Try and get some pix up this evening.
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Rail Road
Authentic Coal fired steam driven RR.
At one time span'd from Denver Colorado to the Rio Grand River.
The Station and starting point was Durango Colorado, Elev approx 7000 ft, the terminus is Silverton, Colorado almost 10.000 ft above sea level.
Spectacular views, really a neat trip.
I've never been able to adjust to the thin air one encounters at high altitudes, but the family handles it fine.
Feels like you can never catch your breath.
The train follows the beautiful Animas river, and travels into some hairy situations through gorges.
It is a scenic line if ever there was one.
I'd skip exploring the town of Silverton and take one of the offered tours, and just eat simple fare on the train.
We were tipped off in advance that the only decent place to eat in Silverton (of at least 20) was Crazy Mommas on Green St. Everything else really sorry tourist fare. Feed back from our fellow passengers seem'd to confirm that.
Not a bad burger and all the bakery goods are home-made, including the burger buns. And instant service.
All her kids were working with momma herself, and they had the attitude they'd rather be someplace else.
Hence the name "Crazy Mommas" I would suspect.
You can tell by her looks she was at one time a super hot chick,, the years still kind to her, though perhaps the kids have made her ruff around the edges. Her Spider Savich ski-bum husband long gone for younger fare.
Today brings a day of Rafting on the Animas River.
Very popular here, big business.
You can see how the train and the rafting are major economic gold for the town.
We're meeting lots of school teachers on this road trip. They have their families along, and often seem to have all the neighbor kids along too. We often take all the kids we know along on trips too.
People from the Carolinas are naturally non-stop chatty it seems. They'll talk right through the guides tour speach. Flag down anyone that'll sit still for a non-stop story.
We're 4 for 4 encountering them. If ya engage them in conversation, you're stuck for the duration of the tour hearing about dead people or how their ATM card got chewed up in the porcupine condom dispensing machine back at the Trading Post.
About 1/3 the trains passengers just took the $22 bus ride back to Durango.
That would peel about 5.5 hours off the trip. Maybe the way to go if you're not a big train nut.
My wife was crazy about the trip,, really loved it.
We passed through Prairie Dog towns, and they would appear as the train passed.
Saw Antelope, Elk, Deer and truly beautiful American Scenery.
The caboose of the train was enclosed, air-conditioned, had a full bar and bartender, and the tables were all high-boys along the windows.
Perhaps another way to consider the trip.
In sharp contrast:
Several large Mormon families in our train car. Always nice, quiet, low profile yet big families.
The kids always well behaved the girls always sweet as sugar to our 7 year old.
The dads all enthusiastic about the train, the kids all reading, mom's all asleep.
I know very little about Mormons other than they are teriffic neighbors (and excellent Marines). See lots of them on the road traveling & sightseeing.
We got back to the RV and I cooked steaks, we swam, fixed a broken shelf,, and are (mostly) asleep.
Off to river rafting in 6 hours.
The National Corvette Museum, Bowling Green Ky.
We're in Bowling Green Kentucky.
Home of the Chevy Corvette Factory and National Corvette Museum.
Alice gave me a Z06 for a fathers day present. We'll order it when we return home
So, she surprise detoured the trip to visit the National Corvette Museum here in Bowling Green.
We'll decide if we want to take factory delivery, or ship it.
The Kentucky Roads are horrible, we'll have the car shipped.
In route, Illinois roads are excellent, Indiana and Kentucky Roads pretty bad.
Missouri and Illinois are beautiful from the highway.
We tried to see the St. Louis Arch, but the town is tourist un-approachable.
Parking is $25 U.S. because of close by Busch stadium.
A sad, sorry looking town from the streets and highway.
Soon as we crossed the Mississippi Eastbound, the whole scene changed for the better.
We toured 'Vette City as the locals call it this evening.
Met locals and learned about the '08 Vette.
Chevy brought back Honolulu Blue, but with a different name, and they added an additional red, and more leather interior options.
Factory 427 emblems will appear on the hood of the z06 for those who want them.
Yea,, the Z06 'Vette is a 427.
Most businesses are open late the whole weekend, then kinda roll up the sidewalks as the factory swings back into production.
The 'Vette museum opens 8am Sunday, and everyday.
The Corvette factory is HUGE to the economy of the region. If it folded, sad times for sure my pea brain figures.
Gasoline is $2.77 U.S. a gallon.
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Alice tried out the Bose' headphones in the truck.
She put them on me and they are something else. So quiet & clear + they cancil out your voice as you wear them and talk. I can blast my music on the trucks sound system, and she can only hear her Bose'/iPod tunes.
A steamy 80 degrees, a few awesome storms passed us by.
That's it for now until we get some time to upload pix with the cranky Verizon and Mac system.
http://www.hotboatpics.com/pics/data...190358-med.JPG
Wife and son at the Cliff Dwellings tour.
Gettysburg National Battlefield:
Tight streets, limited parking.
We parked in front of the Evergreen Cemetery (next to, and seperate from, the Battlefield Cemetery and we fed three parking meters.
Worked fine.
Parked about 50 yards from the spot Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address.
We took the dbbl decker bus tour, and it was mostly recorded info, and not too good.
I suggest a live narrating tourguide.
We had one guide that occasionally cut into the pre-recorded tour, and he was great.
He teaches history when school is in session, and works the tours holidays and vacations. A total Civil War buff and loved dispensing info, and was fun to listen to.
Make sure your tour stops at the significant spots like Lees HQ's, Pickets charge, Little Round top/Devils den ect.
Half the tours do not.
Was surprised to see the Cemetery in not so good condition, but perhaps with Winter just ending and all.
Some of the walking tours we eves-dropped on.
Some givin by people on the ball, with a good delivery, enthusiasm, savvy ect,, some givin by dopes.
Research before you book that's for sure.
Seem'd like anyone giving a walking tour dressed in period garb was a nut case. Guides in embroidered LaCost shirts were seemingly on the level.
I finally got to see all the stuff and places I read about as a kid.
The National park service is restoring significant structures, and that's a good sign.
Walk over to the Jenny Wade (sisters) home on Baltimore st.
She was the only civilian killed in the battle. Interesting story, and the area is still rittl'd with the gunfire damage of the skirmish that tragically killed her.
Later this day:
We just pulled into a campsite in Northern Virginia.
It's Govt run, so checking in was like a visit to the DMV, or a bad day at the IRS.
Beautiful spot, fully forested, but brother,, checking in was a @&*@!!!
Tomorrow to my wifes childhood home in Vermont.
Should be super good.
The C&O Canal in Maryland
Has to be one the Crown Jewels in American beautiful spots to visit.
Incredible, just stunningly awesome.
The C&O canal is going through some renovation, but plenty to see.
Take the hike to the waterfall along the Potomac.
We got plenty of pix, and will post them soon.
It is something else.
We then went to the Walter Reed Army Hospital Museum.
Another place of Historical interest.
Civil War General Sickels lost his leg at Gettysburg, and it was on display at Walter Reed (and Lincolns fatal bullet).
We visited both spots, where he lost it, and where it is today. Something I've wanted to do since I was 12.
He used to bring visitors by to visit his leg too.
The museum features the history of American Military Medical tech.
From the Smithsonian Castle to Reed is $16 cab fare each way for 3.
Very good.
Now we start our decent down the East Coast to Dizzyworld.
