[Continuation of Day Three - Painted Desert] The road that goes through the PFNP also goes through the Painted Desert National Park (PDNP). The visitor center at PDNP is near I-40, that's why we went to PFNP first.
Most of the PDNP is designated a wilderness area. Unless you want to get a permit and backpack in, you don't go out into the PDNP itself, you view it from the many nice lookout points. That's what most of us old, retired folk do. The really nice thing is that we were there mid-afternoon and the sun was starting to work some nice lighting on much of the desert. To learn more about the Painted Desert National Park, you can visit their website by clicking here. Since the PDNP is part of the PFNP, you get to go back to the PFNP site when you click.
Once we got back into Holbrook, we went to the Wigwam Motel as mentioned before. While Linda did her letterboxing thing, John took some pictures of the grounds and inside the office. It's a very quaint, nostalgic place. They have old cars and trucks placed around the sixteen motel units. When you drive up, it just takes you back in time. Hope you enjoy the photos of the Wigwam Motel. Some of the old cars were used as inspiration for the animated cars in the movie CARS. So, out of all the seven Wigwam motels there are still 3 in operation: this one, one somewhere in CA and the original one which is somewhere in the south (Kentucky or Tennessee, I think).
We told you about Day Three's dinner in yesterday's post. Not yet sure what we're going to do tomorrow, but we'll find something. Count on it!
Good night!
[Holbrook - Hubbell Trading Post - Canyon de Chelly] Good morning on Day Four of our road trip! A balmy 22 deg, but no wind! Another complimentary breakfast and this time with pictures!
After breakfast, John got on the internet and started looking around for today's excitement. He stumbled (does that a lot nowadays) across a woman's description of her trip into the Navajo Indian Reservation to Ganado and Chinle. She described it as a day trip. Try a ten hour day! We whipped out the atlas and looked at the route. The pictures we saw on the internet made the trip seem worthwhile. It was!
Now, this is important information for those of you playing our Mileage Madness game. If you're currently uninformed about this game, you can see the rules by clicking here. This "day trip" would add miles onto our overall road trip. We took I-40 east to Hwy 191 at Chambers. North on Hwy 191 to Ganado. Continue north on Hwy 191 to Chinle, location of the Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Inside the park we drove 42 miles and the return trip to Holbrook is identical. EXCEPT: We made a navigational error on the way and went an extra 52 miles. The good news is that we were on a scenic route and got a few photos. We also got a feeling for how many Indians live with a beautiful view but obviously in very stark housing. The bad news is that we saw that scenic route twice after we discovered our error.
We left Holbrook at about 9:17a.m. First thing you need to know about driving on an Indian Reservation is that they have an open range grazing policy. Horses, sheep and cattle may be grazing right along side the highway. Can you say "roadkill"? (But we didn't see any today.) It was also a little different to see so many dogs roaming free. On the reservation, they ranch and farm a little. Not much to graze livestock on in a 6,000 ft. desert. Although it was a very calm day, there were signs along Hwy 191 saying "Blowing Dust Next 15 Miles". We never saw any blowing dust. Lucky us to get such nice weather. Dwellings are scattered all along the route. Many are traditional Najavo hogans, which are hexagonal. Guess that's so you can't ever get cornered in your house. We also saw two coyotes and some bunnies along the road. Yes, they were alive.
Our first stop was the Hubbell Trading Post (a National Historic Site) at Ganado, AZ. John Hubbell purchased the trading post in 1878. The Indians developed a trust in Mr. Hubbell and his trading business grew and grew. It is the longest continuously operating trading post in the U.S. You might want to visit their website by clicking here. We saw a Navajo woman weaving a blanket in the visitor center. We saw blankets for sale in the trading post with prices like $4,600.00 and $8,000.00. Admittedly, they were very beautiful. Just a bit pricey. But, after watching that lady weaving a blanket, you definitely realize that it is a time consuming task that takes a great deal of skill.
They have livestock at the trading post as well. Sheep, goats and alpacas. The Navajo use their wool for the blankets. (Oops, Linda called it a llama when she was labeling the photos and can't change it now.)
We have some nice photos both inside and outside the trading post.
Next stop, Canyon de Chelly (pronounced "de Shay"). There's a story here. The Navajo name of the canyon is Tseyi, which mean "canyon" or "in the rock". And, is pronounced something close to "shay". Over time, the Spanish and English mispronunciation resulted in Canyon de Chelly. There are actually two canyons here, Canyon de Chelly and Canyon del Muerto (you can figure out this one). We only had time to visit Canyon de Chelly. These two canyons split off of another canyon called The Chinle Wash, sort of like a "Y". The land on which the park exists belongs to the Navajo Nation. In 1925 the Navajo Tribal Council unanimously voted in favor of establishing this national monument. Congress passed a bill in 1931 officially establishing the canyons as a national monument.
Since the park is on tribal land, the Navajo are allowed to sell artwork and trinkets at the lookout points. Also, they farm and raise livestock (and live) on lands in the bottom of the canyon. You can see some of their farms in the photos. And, if you want to go down into the bottom of the canyon, you can hire a Navajo guide for $15/hour and rent a jeep, or drive your own. Lunch today was just the same as lunch yesterday. Nuts, a banana, apples, a granola bar and some fruit and nut medley.
This is a beautiful, out-of-the-way place. In that regard it reminds us of Big Bend National Park. It's not some place you just happen to drive by. You have to be going there as a destination. We want to take a non-scientific poll: Send us an email stating whether or not you have ever been to the Canyon de Chelly National Monument. Just click here to send the email. Our photos can't really capture the grand scope of its beauty and we think more people should visit there.
We have many, many beautiful pictures of Canyon de Chelly in today's gallery. And, you can visit the National Park Service site for Canyon de Chelly by clicking here.
The sun went down on us between Ganado and Chambers on our way back to Holbrook. We got a pretty nice shot of the sunset with some trees and rock formations silhouetted.
We didn't arrive back in Holbrook until about 6:30p.m. Dropped Maggie off at the motel and went looking for dinner. We had a card for 10% off at the Butterfield Stage Steakhouse. We went there (no one else there) looked at the very pricey menu and decided to go back to Jerry's which is just down the street from our motel. Jerry's is like a Cindy's, but not a chain. The glassware claims they've been there since 1966 and they were right on Rte 66. Linda had their salmon special. John was tempted by their ground sirloin steak. But, since he had that the night before, he opted for a chef salad. Both meals were just marvelous.
We're off to Prescott tomorrow (we've been told by one of you that it's pronounced like "press - kit" and just for fun have confirmed that on the internet). When we arrive, we'll ask a local "What's the name of this town"? Then we'll know. It reminds us of the Cambria pronunciation duality (the people who live there pronunce it differently that most of their tourists).
So long, for now. More tomorrow.
You can view today's photo gallery at by clicking here
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Day 3 - Holbrook and the Petrified Forest National Park
[Holbrook, AZ - Petrified Forest] We slept in a bit. Bathed and showered, then had our complimentary breakfast at the Ramada Inn. John had one of his favorite malted waffles, some raisin bran, orange juice, milk and coffee. Linda had some Raisin Bran mixed in with her Raw Bits Twang Twang and some milk. It was nice and saves quite a bit of money over a fifteen day road trip!
We had been watching the weather forecast for Holbrook over the last couple of weeks on AccuWeather. It had been predicting 30 deg. lows and 50 deg. highs and winds gusting to 30mph. That was a bogus forecast. A cold front had come through. Last night it went down to 17 deg. and during today it hit about 48 deg. The important, and wonderful thing, is that there was almost no wind. Just an occasional breeze. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Great for sightseeing. Linda wasn't taking any chances on being cold. She dressed in lots and lots of layers (3 shirts, 2 jackets, jeans and sweats over the jeans). She was nice and cozy all day! As usual, John wore shorts and his T-shirt, but took a jacket just in case.
We headed out for the Petrified Forest about 10:03a.m. On our way out of town, we saw another antique shop. Do you see the pattern developing here? But, Linda was still unable to fine a gift that was older than her sis. Oh my!
On our way to the park on Hwy 180 we passed a huge establishment, Tom Grey's Petrified Wood Company. It was just on the outskirts of Holbrook. We figured right then that Tom's would be the place to get our petrified wood samples and that we would do it later in the day or tomorrow.
Hwy 180 goes right to the Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP). There are a couple of "museums" at the turn off into the actual park, but they are privately owned. We dropped into one of them and looked around. Linda found a Rte 66 sew-on patch. They wanted six bucks for it. No deal.
We entered the PFNP for free as John had previously acquired a National Parks Senior Pass. That saved $10. We were given a park map for both the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert National Park. Did you know that both of these are actually part of the large area of land designated as the Painted Desert? Oh, we were also given a "snitch" card. This was for use in case we saw someone picking up petrified wood and putting it in their car / pocket, etc. It had a place for the date and time, vehicle make, color, state and license plate. You could just fill it out and send it in. By the way, the minimum fine for pilfering petrified wood is $325.
We watched a nice video at the information center and purchased a "bonus pack" with colorful and informative books about both parks, and an extended version of the video. No, we won't be posting the video. Also, Linda found her Rte 66 patch for $3.85 (a savings of $2.15 over the "other place"). When you retire, you become a bit more frugal. Plus, when you buy at the National Park store the profit goes back into the park (we think).
When we got to the Painted Desert visitor center we got our Passport book (it's for all national parks and monuments) stamped.
The PFNP is really unique and started being formed in the Trassic Period. If you want more info on the park, you can go to their website by clicking here. There are lots of other fossils and petroglyphs in the park as well as the petrified wood. And, for your fun and entertainment, we have another contest. Play the sound clip below and see if you can identify which PFNP inhabitant makes that sound.
The first person emailing the correct answer to us at the Buzzard's Roost (click here to mail) will receive recognition and a small prize.
You had a reprieve on the previous two days with only a total of 28 photos in the galleries. Today, you get 91 photos, so get to work!
At lunchtime, we had some Kirkland Fruit and Nut Medley and some mixed nuts. Enough to tide us over until dinner (and, of course, the price was right). We left the PFNP in mid-afternoon so Linda could get back to the Wigwam Motel on old Rte 66. Gotta get in her letterboxing, you know. She was successful in finding two letterboxes there. John spoke with the owner. There were only seven Wigwam Motels built, and they were scattered all over the country (Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, Arizona, etc). Just so happens his father built all seven of them as a contractor. There are still 3 left today. More about that and photos of the Wigwam Motel tomorrow.
There was some time left in the day, so we went to the Petrified Wood Company. We found some pieces of petrified wood for souveniers and a package of petrified wood pieces for grandson Isaac. But, John thinks he has the best find of the day. A slab of Coprolite about 8" wide by 5" tall by 1/2" thick on a nice stand. Some of you might ask, "So, what is Coprolite that makes it such a find"? To sum it up in three words "fossilized dinosaur poop". Now every time he flushes, he's thinking, "Billions of years from now, that's going to be worth a lot of money!"
Dinner was taken at Joe and Aggie's Restaurant. It's an old establishment on the old Rte 66. Kinda dumpy (did we mention it's old.... like us?) Linda had a tostada and sopapilla. She reports that it was the best sopapilla she has had since Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 1950s. John had a hamburger steak (he gets a craving for them once in a while) with grilled onions and brown gravy. Instead of mashed potatoes, he selected french fries (with the same brown gravy, of course). It was a good meal and we had good service. There's a steak house in town that we might try tomorrow evening.
Tomorrow's weather forecast is a near repeat of today's, but it is supposed to be a bit warmer. Still no wind in the forecast! After being outdoors all day, we expect to sleep well.
You can view today's photo gallery at by clicking here
We had been watching the weather forecast for Holbrook over the last couple of weeks on AccuWeather. It had been predicting 30 deg. lows and 50 deg. highs and winds gusting to 30mph. That was a bogus forecast. A cold front had come through. Last night it went down to 17 deg. and during today it hit about 48 deg. The important, and wonderful thing, is that there was almost no wind. Just an occasional breeze. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Great for sightseeing. Linda wasn't taking any chances on being cold. She dressed in lots and lots of layers (3 shirts, 2 jackets, jeans and sweats over the jeans). She was nice and cozy all day! As usual, John wore shorts and his T-shirt, but took a jacket just in case.
We headed out for the Petrified Forest about 10:03a.m. On our way out of town, we saw another antique shop. Do you see the pattern developing here? But, Linda was still unable to fine a gift that was older than her sis. Oh my!
On our way to the park on Hwy 180 we passed a huge establishment, Tom Grey's Petrified Wood Company. It was just on the outskirts of Holbrook. We figured right then that Tom's would be the place to get our petrified wood samples and that we would do it later in the day or tomorrow.
Hwy 180 goes right to the Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP). There are a couple of "museums" at the turn off into the actual park, but they are privately owned. We dropped into one of them and looked around. Linda found a Rte 66 sew-on patch. They wanted six bucks for it. No deal.
We entered the PFNP for free as John had previously acquired a National Parks Senior Pass. That saved $10. We were given a park map for both the Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert National Park. Did you know that both of these are actually part of the large area of land designated as the Painted Desert? Oh, we were also given a "snitch" card. This was for use in case we saw someone picking up petrified wood and putting it in their car / pocket, etc. It had a place for the date and time, vehicle make, color, state and license plate. You could just fill it out and send it in. By the way, the minimum fine for pilfering petrified wood is $325.
We watched a nice video at the information center and purchased a "bonus pack" with colorful and informative books about both parks, and an extended version of the video. No, we won't be posting the video. Also, Linda found her Rte 66 patch for $3.85 (a savings of $2.15 over the "other place"). When you retire, you become a bit more frugal. Plus, when you buy at the National Park store the profit goes back into the park (we think).
When we got to the Painted Desert visitor center we got our Passport book (it's for all national parks and monuments) stamped.
The PFNP is really unique and started being formed in the Trassic Period. If you want more info on the park, you can go to their website by clicking here. There are lots of other fossils and petroglyphs in the park as well as the petrified wood. And, for your fun and entertainment, we have another contest. Play the sound clip below and see if you can identify which PFNP inhabitant makes that sound.
The first person emailing the correct answer to us at the Buzzard's Roost (click here to mail) will receive recognition and a small prize.
You had a reprieve on the previous two days with only a total of 28 photos in the galleries. Today, you get 91 photos, so get to work!
At lunchtime, we had some Kirkland Fruit and Nut Medley and some mixed nuts. Enough to tide us over until dinner (and, of course, the price was right). We left the PFNP in mid-afternoon so Linda could get back to the Wigwam Motel on old Rte 66. Gotta get in her letterboxing, you know. She was successful in finding two letterboxes there. John spoke with the owner. There were only seven Wigwam Motels built, and they were scattered all over the country (Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky, Arizona, etc). Just so happens his father built all seven of them as a contractor. There are still 3 left today. More about that and photos of the Wigwam Motel tomorrow.
There was some time left in the day, so we went to the Petrified Wood Company. We found some pieces of petrified wood for souveniers and a package of petrified wood pieces for grandson Isaac. But, John thinks he has the best find of the day. A slab of Coprolite about 8" wide by 5" tall by 1/2" thick on a nice stand. Some of you might ask, "So, what is Coprolite that makes it such a find"? To sum it up in three words "fossilized dinosaur poop". Now every time he flushes, he's thinking, "Billions of years from now, that's going to be worth a lot of money!"
Dinner was taken at Joe and Aggie's Restaurant. It's an old establishment on the old Rte 66. Kinda dumpy (did we mention it's old.... like us?) Linda had a tostada and sopapilla. She reports that it was the best sopapilla she has had since Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 1950s. John had a hamburger steak (he gets a craving for them once in a while) with grilled onions and brown gravy. Instead of mashed potatoes, he selected french fries (with the same brown gravy, of course). It was a good meal and we had good service. There's a steak house in town that we might try tomorrow evening.
Tomorrow's weather forecast is a near repeat of today's, but it is supposed to be a bit warmer. Still no wind in the forecast! After being outdoors all day, we expect to sleep well.
You can view today's photo gallery at by clicking here
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Day 2 - Barstow, CA to Holbrook, AZ
[Barstow, CA to Holbrook, AZ] John is so sorry he complained about the I-5 drive being boring. We spent 10 hours on I-40 today in the Mojave Desert. Can you say "No Services Next 79 Miles"? That was really boring! On a brighter note, we have stumbled across an idea for a future road trip. More on that later in this posting.
We shoved off from Barstow at somewhere near 7:30a.m. having had our complimentary hot breakfast at the motel. It was actually pretty good. John had bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee. Linda had fruit and her Raw Bits Twang Twang.
Also, we are pleased to report that all of the bathrooms in the Arizona Rest Stops along the interstate are much cleaner than those in California. That's because they are never used. All the Rest Areas along I-40 were closed! That's right, over 300 miles in Arizona and not one lousy Rest Area was open. Guess they're broke like California.
I should mention, that when we crossed from California into Arizona, Wilma automatically moved her clock (the one in the van) forward one hour. Pretty smart girl!
John was pining for his high potency coffee this morning. We stopped in Needles, CA looking for a Starbucks or equivalent. We stopped at a gas station and inquired. The attendant said, "They serve coffee at Denny's". Duh! So, we have renamed Needles, CA to "Needless, CA".
As we were approaching Kingman, AZ, we used the navigation system to look for coffee places along our route. Sure enough, there was a single Starbucks in Kingman. And, there were no other coffee places listed within 118 miles. Didn't need to get gas in Kingman, but it was $2.51. After we bought our beverages at the Starbucks drive-thru, we parked in a nearby parking lot and broke out some fruit and snacks for a quick lunch. Temperature was 43 deg. and the wind was blowing pretty good. It felt good inside the van.
We saw a sign along the highway saying that at the next exit there was access to historic route 66. It is now known as The Old National Trail Highway. We exited I-40, got on Rte 66 and took some photographs. Back on the interstate. Later, we came to Yucca, AZ. We got off I-40, roamed over to Rte 66 and took some more photographs. While we're here in Holbrook, in addition to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, we are going to explore more of Rte 66. This is the seed now planted for a potential future road trip. We'll need to do some research about what portions of the original Rte 66 are still "travelable" and see where that leads us. One thing about it. It is historic.
We stopped in Williams, AZ for gas. The stations by the exit were peddling it for $3.07. We drove to downtown Williams and found gas for $2.71. Probably comes off the same truck, too. At Williams we also found another antique shop. Alas, the same problem. Nothing quite old enough.
Pulled in to Holbrook at 5:30p.m. Temperature was a "comfortable" 37 deg. Forecast for tommorow and Tuesday is much warmer (50's and 60's) with almost no wind.
The clerk at the Ramada Inn recommended Denny's when we asked about dinner. Ordinarily we are not Denny fans but after taking a drive up and down the area decided to give it a try. Linda had Ranchero Talapia and John had BFD (breakfast for dinner) and was amazed to find grits on the menu. When Linda asked what Ranchero potatoes were that came with the talapia the waitress said, "They're new but so far no one has had anything good to say about them". How nice to have such honesty. Linda substituted cole slaw.
Oh, and an update. we're glad we emailed our son about his lost Blackberry. We had left a message on his work voice mail, not realizing that it was Saturday and he wouldn't get the message until Monday (it's like that when you're retired!). We received an email reply from him today. He was relieved and had recovered his Blackberry. In fact, he sent the email from his Blackberry. Ain't technology grand?
It's 9:30p.m. here now and we're both sort of dragging. I'm sure we'll sleep good tonight.
You can view today's photo gallery at by clicking here
We shoved off from Barstow at somewhere near 7:30a.m. having had our complimentary hot breakfast at the motel. It was actually pretty good. John had bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast and coffee. Linda had fruit and her Raw Bits Twang Twang.
Also, we are pleased to report that all of the bathrooms in the Arizona Rest Stops along the interstate are much cleaner than those in California. That's because they are never used. All the Rest Areas along I-40 were closed! That's right, over 300 miles in Arizona and not one lousy Rest Area was open. Guess they're broke like California.
I should mention, that when we crossed from California into Arizona, Wilma automatically moved her clock (the one in the van) forward one hour. Pretty smart girl!
John was pining for his high potency coffee this morning. We stopped in Needles, CA looking for a Starbucks or equivalent. We stopped at a gas station and inquired. The attendant said, "They serve coffee at Denny's". Duh! So, we have renamed Needles, CA to "Needless, CA".
As we were approaching Kingman, AZ, we used the navigation system to look for coffee places along our route. Sure enough, there was a single Starbucks in Kingman. And, there were no other coffee places listed within 118 miles. Didn't need to get gas in Kingman, but it was $2.51. After we bought our beverages at the Starbucks drive-thru, we parked in a nearby parking lot and broke out some fruit and snacks for a quick lunch. Temperature was 43 deg. and the wind was blowing pretty good. It felt good inside the van.
We saw a sign along the highway saying that at the next exit there was access to historic route 66. It is now known as The Old National Trail Highway. We exited I-40, got on Rte 66 and took some photographs. Back on the interstate. Later, we came to Yucca, AZ. We got off I-40, roamed over to Rte 66 and took some more photographs. While we're here in Holbrook, in addition to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, we are going to explore more of Rte 66. This is the seed now planted for a potential future road trip. We'll need to do some research about what portions of the original Rte 66 are still "travelable" and see where that leads us. One thing about it. It is historic.
We stopped in Williams, AZ for gas. The stations by the exit were peddling it for $3.07. We drove to downtown Williams and found gas for $2.71. Probably comes off the same truck, too. At Williams we also found another antique shop. Alas, the same problem. Nothing quite old enough.
Pulled in to Holbrook at 5:30p.m. Temperature was a "comfortable" 37 deg. Forecast for tommorow and Tuesday is much warmer (50's and 60's) with almost no wind.
The clerk at the Ramada Inn recommended Denny's when we asked about dinner. Ordinarily we are not Denny fans but after taking a drive up and down the area decided to give it a try. Linda had Ranchero Talapia and John had BFD (breakfast for dinner) and was amazed to find grits on the menu. When Linda asked what Ranchero potatoes were that came with the talapia the waitress said, "They're new but so far no one has had anything good to say about them". How nice to have such honesty. Linda substituted cole slaw.
Oh, and an update. we're glad we emailed our son about his lost Blackberry. We had left a message on his work voice mail, not realizing that it was Saturday and he wouldn't get the message until Monday (it's like that when you're retired!). We received an email reply from him today. He was relieved and had recovered his Blackberry. In fact, he sent the email from his Blackberry. Ain't technology grand?
It's 9:30p.m. here now and we're both sort of dragging. I'm sure we'll sleep good tonight.
You can view today's photo gallery at by clicking here
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Day 1 - Morgan Hill, CA to Barstow, CA
[Morgan Hill, CA to Barstow, CA] We left home at something near 6:41 a.m. on November 14, 2009. We made our traditional breakfast stop at the Daily Bagel Cafe in Tennant Station, then we hit the road. Check out the short video below which sort of documents our departure. (A helpful suggestion: Start the video, then pause it. It will continue to download while you read the rest of today's posting. Then scroll back up to the video and play it.)
John said that driving on I-5 is "boring". Linda didn't think so, but then again, she wasn't driving! (except from the back seat). Something over 120 miles of 'straight as an arrow' road, and our "flat broke" state can't afford to keep the Rest Areas open. We reported this on our Washington State road trip.
Nonetheless, as we passed Coalinga, John began making up a song about being kidnapped and buried in Coalinga on your school bus. Linda piped up, "Honey, I think that was in Chowchilla". A $1 wager was laid on the outcome and John paid off later that evening. Along the way, Linda had noticed some bright yellow signs in the many empty areas interspersed with orchards along the interstate. Each one read, "Congress Created Dust Bowl". We must have seen at least 50 of them.
We did jump off I-5 at Kettleman City for a rest. There is so little along I-5 that there were lots of gas stations and food places at Kettleman City. After "resting", John bought a Snickers bar and we left. On our way out, we found another couple of signs in the same vein as the yellow ones. Here is the message: Congress is in the pocket of the wealthy in Southern California. Never mind the Central Valley being the bread basket of our country. Just go ahead and send the water they need for the bread basket to those down south who are lining your pockets! Can we have an "Amen"?
About 30 miles later, we took off going east on CA46 toward Wasco. Now, it got exciting! Immediately after exiting the interstate and turning east, We were overtaken by a fire truck running code 3 (red lights and siren). A few short miles further and we came upon the accident. It appeared to be a one car accident where the car left the road and rolled down a steep shoulder embankment into a ditch. The top was crushed and the windshield was caved in. The firemen were just unloading a backboard to take down to the vehicle. About five miles further toward Wasco, we met an ambulance coming code 3, obviously headed for the crash scene.
Shortly after passing through the burg of Wasco, we hit Hwy 99 and went south to Bakersfield where we picked up CA58 going east to Barstow and beyond. We went through the Tehachapi Mountains and actually took another rest stop in the town of Tehachapi at a friendly Jack-in-the-Box. John felt guilty about our using their restroom, so he got an Extreme Sausage Sandwich for lunch.
Once you come down from the Tehachapi Mountains, you know you are in the Mojave Desert! We passed Edward AFB and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. We went past the town of Boron and right by the Borax site where they mine that stuff for Twenty-Mule-Team Borax. It reminded John of Ronald Reagan hosting "Death Valley Days" on TV with Boraxo as the sponsor. After John shot his photos of the Joshua Tree Cactus (another name we bet on) and the Borax Site he returned to the car. He no sooner sat down, than his cell phone rang. Wow, were we puzzled and curious. It was Tim, from Trader Joe's in Petaluma. Someone had found our son's Blackberry in the parking lot and turned it in. Tim found Johns's cell number in the Blackberry and called it. John then called Jay at work and left him a voice mail telling him we knew he lost his phone and if he would call him back, John would tell him where to find it. Haven't heard from him yet. Thing is, we can't call him at home because his home phone is his cell phone! But we did send him an email with all the information he needs to get his phone.
In the Mojave Desert, there is certainly a lot of nothing. Lots of dirt roads running off the main road. You just know there must be hundreds of bodies buried out there.
Our last stop before getting into Barstow, was Kramer Junction. It's an intersection of two two-lane highways: Hwy 58 E-W and Hwy 395 N-S. One traffic light. Tons of traffic and loads of trucks. We did stop at an antique store there for Linda to look for a birthday present for her sister, whom we are visiting later in the coming week. Sadly, she said she wasn't able to find anything older than her sister. Perhaps she'll have better luck tomorrow!
Checked in to our lodging (Quality Inn) at 2:30pm, unloaded and began working on the video to upload and our blog posting. John asked Linda to see if she could find a Long John Silver's. She found one and dutifully wrote down the address. When it was time to leave for dinner (5:00 - they're seniors, remember?) John just as dutifully entered the address into Wilma's GPS. At the end of the motel parking lot, Wilma set up the route which was showed that Long John Silver's was 900 feet away! Hilarious! We could have walked there! And, wonder of wonders, Long John now has quite a few menu items that are broiled instead of being fried. Aarg! Linda had a broiled salmon platter that was quite tasty.
Tomorrow we have a long 400+ mile 6-hour drive to Holbrook, AZ. Wish us luck! Sleep well.
You can view today's photo gallery at by clicking here
John said that driving on I-5 is "boring". Linda didn't think so, but then again, she wasn't driving! (except from the back seat). Something over 120 miles of 'straight as an arrow' road, and our "flat broke" state can't afford to keep the Rest Areas open. We reported this on our Washington State road trip.
Nonetheless, as we passed Coalinga, John began making up a song about being kidnapped and buried in Coalinga on your school bus. Linda piped up, "Honey, I think that was in Chowchilla". A $1 wager was laid on the outcome and John paid off later that evening. Along the way, Linda had noticed some bright yellow signs in the many empty areas interspersed with orchards along the interstate. Each one read, "Congress Created Dust Bowl". We must have seen at least 50 of them.
We did jump off I-5 at Kettleman City for a rest. There is so little along I-5 that there were lots of gas stations and food places at Kettleman City. After "resting", John bought a Snickers bar and we left. On our way out, we found another couple of signs in the same vein as the yellow ones. Here is the message: Congress is in the pocket of the wealthy in Southern California. Never mind the Central Valley being the bread basket of our country. Just go ahead and send the water they need for the bread basket to those down south who are lining your pockets! Can we have an "Amen"?
About 30 miles later, we took off going east on CA46 toward Wasco. Now, it got exciting! Immediately after exiting the interstate and turning east, We were overtaken by a fire truck running code 3 (red lights and siren). A few short miles further and we came upon the accident. It appeared to be a one car accident where the car left the road and rolled down a steep shoulder embankment into a ditch. The top was crushed and the windshield was caved in. The firemen were just unloading a backboard to take down to the vehicle. About five miles further toward Wasco, we met an ambulance coming code 3, obviously headed for the crash scene.
Shortly after passing through the burg of Wasco, we hit Hwy 99 and went south to Bakersfield where we picked up CA58 going east to Barstow and beyond. We went through the Tehachapi Mountains and actually took another rest stop in the town of Tehachapi at a friendly Jack-in-the-Box. John felt guilty about our using their restroom, so he got an Extreme Sausage Sandwich for lunch.
Once you come down from the Tehachapi Mountains, you know you are in the Mojave Desert! We passed Edward AFB and the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. We went past the town of Boron and right by the Borax site where they mine that stuff for Twenty-Mule-Team Borax. It reminded John of Ronald Reagan hosting "Death Valley Days" on TV with Boraxo as the sponsor. After John shot his photos of the Joshua Tree Cactus (another name we bet on) and the Borax Site he returned to the car. He no sooner sat down, than his cell phone rang. Wow, were we puzzled and curious. It was Tim, from Trader Joe's in Petaluma. Someone had found our son's Blackberry in the parking lot and turned it in. Tim found Johns's cell number in the Blackberry and called it. John then called Jay at work and left him a voice mail telling him we knew he lost his phone and if he would call him back, John would tell him where to find it. Haven't heard from him yet. Thing is, we can't call him at home because his home phone is his cell phone! But we did send him an email with all the information he needs to get his phone.
In the Mojave Desert, there is certainly a lot of nothing. Lots of dirt roads running off the main road. You just know there must be hundreds of bodies buried out there.
Our last stop before getting into Barstow, was Kramer Junction. It's an intersection of two two-lane highways: Hwy 58 E-W and Hwy 395 N-S. One traffic light. Tons of traffic and loads of trucks. We did stop at an antique store there for Linda to look for a birthday present for her sister, whom we are visiting later in the coming week. Sadly, she said she wasn't able to find anything older than her sister. Perhaps she'll have better luck tomorrow!
Checked in to our lodging (Quality Inn) at 2:30pm, unloaded and began working on the video to upload and our blog posting. John asked Linda to see if she could find a Long John Silver's. She found one and dutifully wrote down the address. When it was time to leave for dinner (5:00 - they're seniors, remember?) John just as dutifully entered the address into Wilma's GPS. At the end of the motel parking lot, Wilma set up the route which was showed that Long John Silver's was 900 feet away! Hilarious! We could have walked there! And, wonder of wonders, Long John now has quite a few menu items that are broiled instead of being fried. Aarg! Linda had a broiled salmon platter that was quite tasty.
Tomorrow we have a long 400+ mile 6-hour drive to Holbrook, AZ. Wish us luck! Sleep well.
You can view today's photo gallery at by clicking here
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A Video of the Twins
A couple of weeks ago, while performing a Nana Help visit with Jennifer and the grandkids, Linda took the new tiny video camera and shot some footage. John grabbed a few clips, did a quick edit, pasted them together and added some titles and music. It was just a practice run, but many of our friends have not seen the twins "in action" yet. Well, here they are.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
A Musical Message from the Road Trippin' Buzzards
Allow time for the download... when the player console appears, start the song...
We're busy preparing for our upcoming road trip. It's becoming easier as we do more trips. You tend to develop a "process" to get ready. John got his prescription meds ready this morning.
In addition to adding some video, we'll have an audio clip on a couple of the blog posts. They may, or may not, be hooked into a video. Only time will tell.
Maggie, Linda and John are all looking forward to being on the road again!
We're busy preparing for our upcoming road trip. It's becoming easier as we do more trips. You tend to develop a "process" to get ready. John got his prescription meds ready this morning.
In addition to adding some video, we'll have an audio clip on a couple of the blog posts. They may, or may not, be hooked into a video. Only time will tell.
Maggie, Linda and John are all looking forward to being on the road again!
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