Showing newest posts with label Road Trip. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label Road Trip. Show older posts

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

San Francisco, The Goodbye Girls, And The World's Most Advanced Toilet.

In tha last week we have traveled across California through Death Valley, Yosimite, and onward to San Francisco. The city lived up to it's reputation and we did many of the requsite tourist things as you can see in the pictures on Facebook, but the most fun we had was just driving around the city. Unique architecture, diverse neighborhoods, a million restaurants and odd shops, and the people seem very nice, polite even. SSeveral days driving in a confusing city and no people cutting me off or flipping the finger. Nice.
One highlight for Deanna was at the Coit Tower, what she claimed was the "World's Most Advanced Toilet". Well now, that I have to try. The man in front of me entered, the door autonaticall and sllloooooowwwwly creeped to close. He sure seemed to make the most of ot because he took a full five minutes. Water ran, stopped, ran again. The sound of air rushing was followed by more water. Paper was dispensed, water ran. Finally the door creeped open and he departed. I entered. I pressed the start button. Right, I said the start button. Nothing. Press again. Nothing. The man returns to tell me I have to exit and allow the toilet to go through it's "cleaning cycle". What? I exit, door creeps closed, cycle seems to totally repeat and then the door opens allowing me in. Finally, I am in the World's Most Advanced Toilet.
I pee. That took 15 seconds. Then I waot 3-4 minutes and all sorts of water runs and air blows, toilet flushes, on and on. From the wall behind me water gushes out and through cracks, under my shoes, just under. Longer pants would make this the world's most likely to PISS YOU OFF toilet. Finally the door creeps open to alloow my escape. I probalby already have to pee again!
Deanna, your turn. Right after the cleaning cycle.
Ridiculous.
And then the girls went home, flying home from San Francisco. Leaving the airport I will confess the car was silent, heavy, sad. It sucked. Funny, Deanna called me a couple of days later and said that once she was home she didn't know what to do with the lack of activity, nothing planned to do.
Of course it is a mixed blessing. No conversation ll day. No arguments. No dining companions, I buy dinner for one rahter than three. The budget has breathed a HUGE sigh of relief.
Now, it's off to Willow Creek and Bigfoot Country.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Arches National Park, Utah

A Wonderland Of Red Rock In The High Desert
Last week we crossed into Utah and drove to Moab. This small town sits right up on Arches National Park, a magical place of quiet, wind, red rocks. Utah is huge, empty, harsh, and hard to cross. For moew dwtails and lots more photos please visit the Facebook photo album.

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Friday, August 7, 2009

A Fox In Colorado Tells Me Goodbye

Little Fox Gives Me A Backward Glance, Then Vanishes

Just before we crossed the border into Utah this little fox trotted across the road, gave us a glance back and seemed to say "Hmph, leave Colorado? I think not"!
Smart fox!
To see more photos of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and out journey into Utah visit the Facebook albums.

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Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Old Gold Road From Canon City To Cripple Creek, Colorado

Why Are There Claw Marks On The Steering Wheel?

This pretty windmill on a beautiful mountain lane of ranches and flowers led to a one-lane, rut-filled dirt road clinging o the side of a cliff hundreds of feet above a canyon floor and a rushing little river. Scary, makes you drive real close to the rock face. Until another car approcahes and wants to pass. Hopefully one of you have a pullout to make use of. Hopefully you will not have to back up to a pull out. Hopefull when the local ranch hand in the large pickup truck whizzes by he won't bump you off of the cliff!
For the rest of the images see my Facebook album.

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Whitewater Rafting The Arkansas River

Just Make Sure To Get Out Before The Raging Royal Gorge

SSure it was Bighorn Sheep Canyon, an introductory stretch of whitewater on the Arkansas River near Canon City, CO, but for us it was a huge new experience, a great accomplishment, and a fun day to remember.
Raft Masters supplies the gear, guide, boat, everything. I remembered the sunscreen, camera, all the dea=tails except the camera battery. Oops!
Lucky for me the hotel was only five minutes away so I swiftly retrieved the battery and was able to take some images. Warning, on a raging river just when you think the best pix might be happening you are paddling and clinging to the raft. This excellent shot was taken by Raft Masters from the shore. For the rest of mine check out the Facebook album.

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Royal Gorge. 1,053 Foot High Suspension Bridge.

Say Goodbye To The Ground, Say Hello To The Sky

The title above is the billboard motto of the Roayl Gorge Bridge, but at 1,053 feet above the river it might be better if it read 'Say Hello To Dizzy Spells'.
We visited right about closing in the evening as the sun set on the canyon wall horizon. Most tourists had already drifted back to hotel and restaurant and we pretty much had the entire site to ourselves.
You not only can walk across, you can drive across. The roadbed seems to be 3 inch thick boards on metal I-beams. Seeing the river through the cracks as you walk is definitely disconcerting.
Lexi did not enjoy the swaying sensation or height but wanted to ride the bungee cord contraption that throws you out over the canyon. Go figure.
The funniest thing that has happened so far was when I took a shortcut off of I-70 to Empire, CO. The graqvel roadbed was like a washpan and as we drove we hit a major series of ruts. We all looked up just in time to see one of the Scion's hubcaps roll away faster than the car. I slowed to retrieve the hubcap but an oncoming car, having no place to swerve or turn, ran over the hubcap and it exploded into dozens of pieces. Our jaws hung slack, waiting for the other car to stop. Instead he sped off in a cloud of dust and we burst into laughter.
To see more Royal Gorge pix visit my Facebook album.

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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado

No Ax Wielding Jack Nicholson. How Disappointing!

We spent the night in Estes Park, CO and went up to the grand Stanley Hotel. This is the place Kubrick filmed much of 'The Shining'. Beautiful and creepy.
We had to sneak in by telling the guard at the gate I was there about a reservation. Then we sneaked upstairs past the "Registered Guests Only" sign, right up to the infamous room 217 where the woman's corpse qas found. Two little girls were staying there, their parents nowhere in sight. I asked if they knew a movie had been filmed in their room. They said yes but seemed unimpressed. Perhaps they really were the two creepy little ghost girls from the film?
Visit my Facebook for the complete album.

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Rocky Mountain 360 Degree Surrounded By Mountains

Surrounded By 12,000'+ Mountain Peaks

Awesome mountains surround us in a high valley between Gunnison and Leadville. Cool video!

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Monday, August 3, 2009

Across The Top Of The Rocky Mountains

Higher And Higher And Higher We Climbed

We took an amazing ride through the Rocky Mountains, capping it off with a drive over Trail Ridge Road, the highest through road in the world. Here I am jumping for joy at the Continental Divde at Cotttonwood Pass. For lots more pix see the Facebook album.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Around The United States Before Around The World

Road Trip!


Lexi, her friend Deanna and I are about to take a huge around the United States road trip in the Alan Around The World Mobile!
We hope to do a large loop out west, north, back east, and down the Atlantic coast in the coming weeks. School is looming so we have about 25 days!
Stay tuned for posts.

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