THE LAST WORD...

AS we traveled across the United States we discovered some very unexpected things, considering the political climate and mainstream media's take on our country...

We found, without exception, that the people we met in every single place we stopped were upbeat, friendly, helpful, and above all, wonderfully considerate.  From the young Ensign at Barksdale AFB who provided some pretty tasty microwave dinners when we arrived too late for local eateries, to the couple who helped me get Mom (riding ON her walker) down, and more importantly back UP the ramp at the marina in Juneau, to the young man who advised us of available ADA staterooms on the Alaska Ferry, and the young ladies at the convenience store in Williams, AZ who offered to wash my travel cup before I refilled with coffee, EVERY SINGLE PERSON we met was kind and thoughtful.

We also found, contrary to the doom-saying antagonists of the "green" movement, that nearly every place we went, people were recycling on a large scale, reducing the use of plastics, and practicing basic water conservation and pollution control.  We also saw endless small, large, and gigantic wind farms and solar arrays right across the country powering private homes, farms, towns, cities, and major industrial facilities.

Don't believe the negativity being fostered by Social Media, Network News, and "Mainstream" Print Media.  They are reporting the exceptions, not the norm.  The mood of the country is positive.  The effort to conserve and use renewable energy and recyclable products is growing in leaps and bounds.  People are still basically kind and considerate.  In short, the country is NOT going to hell in a hand-basket.  If you don't believe me, go drive 6,619 miles of this wonderful country of ours and see for yourself!

RECOMMENDATIONS, AS PROMISED

WE CAN RECOMMEND...

>Military Lodging -- it's always clean and cost-effective, and the personnel are always accommodating.  Just make sure to book in advance!

>The Alaska Marine Highway System --  An amazing way to travel the Inside Passage and see Alaska on your own terms!  The crews were, without exception, friendly and helpful in meeting our every need.

>Air BnB -- a GREAT way to stay, especially in heavy tourist locales.  I can particularly recommend Kathleen & Jeremy's apartment on Douglas Island in Juneau.  They've attained "Superhost" status for a reason!

>Wayside Lodge in Yachat, Oregon -- these cottages, each with a private deck and direct access to the Pacific, are cozy, comfortable, clean, and extremely reasonably priced.

>Motel Trees and Trees of Mystery Forest in Klamath, CA -- The Motel offers comfortable lodging at reasonable rates and gives across-the-highway access to the Trees of Mystery attraction where the big trees are the stars of the show!

BUT WE'D AVOID...

>ANY major city at rush-hour!  Unfortunately, in some cities, this is a 24-hour condition.  When you're heading for a big city during rush hour, take the straight-through route because the "bypasses" will have just as much traffic for twice the distance!

>Fueling in Big Sur, California.  Make sure you top up before leaving Monterey or you're going to get hosed!  Prices are jacked up because there are only two stations in a 40 mile stretch.  For that matter, avoid buying anything in Big Sur!  Highway 1 souvenirs can be had anywhere along the route, and unless you just have to have that wood plaque/ carving/painting by that artist, you can probably find one just like it online for a more reasonable price!

>Choosing fast food over a local eatery.  Although there are times when you need to eat while you drive (and only fast food will let you do that), when you've got the time, check out a local diner or restaurant.  You'll get a better feel for the town or city you're seeing and might just discover amazing cuisine you'd never tried before!

BY THE NUMBERS

THE successful conclusion of an epic road trip demands that the outcome be examined to appreciate the enormity of the accomplishment, and for whatever bragging rights need claiming!

😎 Days "on the road" -- 25
😎 Hours driving -- 110
😎 Average Miles/Day -- 350
😎 Fuel Consumed -- 270 Gallons
😎 Days "at Sea" -- 6
😎 Miles Driven -- 6,619
😎 Miles at Sea -- 1,820
😎 States Crossed-- 17
😎 Major Rivers Crossed -- 4
😎 Mountain Ranges Crossed -- 6
😎 Animal species (native habitat) spotted -- 9
😎 Natural Wonders viewed -- 10
😎 Historic Sites visited -- 11
😎 National Parks/Forests encountered -- UNCOUNTABLE!
😎 Time Zones Crossed -- 4
😎 Greatest Latitude  -- 58०
😎 Least Latitude -- 30०
😎 Greatest Temperature -- 117० (F)
😎 Least Temperature -- 49० (F)
😎 Greatest Altitude -- 11,390 feet above Sea Level
😎 Least Altitude -- Sea Level
😎 Total Days of Rain -- 3 !

HOME SWEET HOME

BEGGING your pardon for my failure to wrap this up in a timely fashion.  Frankly, the last two days were longer than any of the others, driving wise, and once we arrived home, turning in the rental, unpacking, laundry, mail sorting, shopping for groceries...all of that got priority and I'm only just now getting back to the writing.

So...as I indicated in my last post, we spent the day on Sunday resting up and visiting at my brother's place in Richardson.  Paul had an exceptional day touring the 6th Floor Museum and the Perot Science Museum in Dallas with Unky Bob, Mom dozed and enjoyed Lily's lovely garden, I slept late, then sorted out the mountain of gear in the van and repacked it for the final run for home.

Bobby and Lily tidying up after a scrumptious dinner

 Mom admires Lily's fig tree, grown from a cutting from our Florida neighbors

WE had a fantastic dinner, cooked entirely by my niece, Jenny, and after another good night's sleep, we hit the road for home.  Well, we actually hit the road for the nearby Bass Pro Shop, an "event" I'd promised my grandson before we started the road trip!  It was rainy and late -- past 12:00-- before we got on the road for real.  11 uneventful hours later we were making a quick stop for milk at our local 24 grocery, and 10 minutes after that we were parked in our own driveway and, just like that, it was a done deal.  No snags, no accidents, no emergencies.  I'd say that's a good outcome in and of itself, let alone all we did in the last 24 days!

Happy to be home again, Mom raises a glass to our GREAT Adventure

Sorted, stacked and labeled -- Paul did a bit of souvenir shopping along the way!

Watch for a few more posts as I run down our epic adventure "by the numbers," and share a few thoughts and tips for any who hope to make a similar trip in the future.

ALMOST HOME

AS has become our habit, we arose just in time for check-out, and headed downstairs to have breakfast.  We haven't usually indulged in sitting down to breakfast while we've been on the road, but we made the exception today since we're only one stop from home!

The road was long, straight, dry and clear so I put the miles behind us through New Mexico and West Texas and we landed upon my brother's doorstep in Richardson, TX (just outside of Dallas) at 9:00 this evening.

I snapped another brilliant sunset on the road this evening...

and here's a snapshot of our journey...

We expect to spend the day with my brother's family on Sunday and make the last leg home Monday.  I'll provide more details and stats of the overall trip when we're home!

GETTIN' OUR KICKS

We're on Route 66!  We spent the night in Williams, Arizona at an exceptional Ramada Inn and got our usual late-morning start for our primary destination today, the Grand Canyon.

Our first stop on Route 66

The Grand Canyon is a must-see natural wonder but if you head that way, you'll want to think about what you want from your visit.  Unless you feel you just HAVE to walk out on that glass bridge over the abyss, I'd give the entire Visitor's Center a pass.  It's a giant commercial enterprise that puts the Canyon out of sight without considerable rigmarole.  I'd strongly recommend you enter the park from the south side (Highway 64 off I-40 from Williams), stop in the Trading Post area for the National Geographic IMAX show if you're so inclined, then take the Desert View route along the rim, stopping at any or every one of the many viewpoints from which you get spectacular views for only the price you paid to enter the park -- generally $35.00 per auto.  Here's what you can see along the Desert View route...

 Paul on the edge

Mom was feeling playful as a fellow traveler snapped the three of us on the rim

Same view without the peeps in the way!

You can just make out a bit of the very muddy Colorado

Another look from Grandview Vista Point

 Paul contemplates the Canyon

We continued our tour, exiting the Park and reconnecting with I-40/U.S.66 and heading for Meteor Crater.  Once again it is, sadly, heavily commercialized by the private landowner, but it's worth a look in spite of the admission price:

A panoramic view of the 49,000-year-old crater near Flagstaff, Arizona

Our last stop today along historic Route 66 was Winslow, Arizona where we simply had to stop and take THE shot...

Admit it, you're humming the tune in your head, aren't you? 

From Winslow, we hopped back on I-40 and headed for Albuquerque.  On the way, we admired amazing views of the desert landscape that were enhanced by another spectacular sunset...

One of the 15+ trains we saw today making its lonely way across a lovely landscape

The sunsets on this journey have been amazing!

A final note about our time in the desert...over the past two days we've been in and out of crazy thunderstorms!  In fact, after the beautiful sunset pictured above, snapped somewhere near Gallup, New Mexico, we drove into another storm that thwarted Paul's hope of seeing the Rio Grande River as we entered Albuquerque.

Tomorrow our only goal is to get safely down the road to my baby brother's home in Richardson, TX.

HAVING A HOT TIME

MOJAVE didn't cool off while we were sleeping!  As we hit the road this morning, a bit earlier than usual, we watched the mercury climb into triple digits.  We continued east and made our first stop, briefly, for the obligatory photo at the gates to Sin City...

This is as close as we got!

Without dropping so much as a single nickel in a slot machine, we promptly left Las Vegas and headed into the desert to see Hoover Dam.  It's not that we object to gambling, but we have a 12-year-old and a busy agenda!

On the approach to the Dam, we snapped the diminishing Lake Mead, then the thermometer.  YIKES!  Upon reaching the Dam, Paul and I made the hike to the bridge walkway that overlooks the Dam for yet another photo op...

 The incredible shrinking Lake Meade

  Paul at dead-center of the bridge walkway overlooking the Dam

 The center of the bridge is the scene of the picture of Paul

Mom wasn't up for the hike (by a long shot) but yours truly trudged the entire switchback to the top and across the bridge to center to snap Paul looking at the Dam!  I thought I'd die a time or two on the way up, and not without good reason...

The outside temp as we approached the turn-off to the Dam.  Pay no attention to the speed read-out.  I'm fairly certain it was malfunctioning on account of all that heat and stuff. 😁

After looking at the Dam we made our way back down to the car and drove across the actual Dam, twice, since the exit road was closed!  Paul noted that we went from Nevada to Arizona, back to Nevada, and back to Arizona for good when we finally left the Dam area and headed toward the Grand Canyon 4 hours distant.

  A couple of interesting shots of the back side of the Dam and the old watermark on Meade!

Back and forth we went, with the state line somewhere in the middle of the Dam!  Arizona is in the Mountain time zone, but they don't observe daylight savings, so during the summer, there's no difference.

We had hoped to make the run into the Grand Canyon in time for the sunset and we would have made it except for mother nature's intervention... 

   A gnarly storm arose in the desert and dumped copious amounts of water on us...

  all the while double rainbows put on a brilliant display!

By the time we resumed freeway speed after the storm, it was too late to get to the Canyon before dark.  We decided to stop early in Williams and hit the rim in the morning before proceeding to Meteor Crater.  It's been a long hot day, but well worth the trip in spite of it all.

A BIT MORE PACIFIC

WHEN we woke in Salinas this morning, my mission was to provide my grandson with more information than he wanted and a reference for when he reaches High School and is required to read "Of Mice and Men!"  First stop, Steinbeck House, the scene of the author's boyhood and a town highly influential in his writing:

Learning about Steinbeck & Victorian Architecture

After obliging me for the photo op, Paul the navigator pointed us to California Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway and the 17 Mile Drive above the Monterey Peninsula.  In addition to a stop at the legendary links course at Pebble Beach, we took in the iconic sights along the windy, often carsick-making drive:

Paul poses at the gates of golfers paradise

 As the fog rolls in, cormorants and pelican gather on Bird Rock along 17 Mile Drive

A bit further along, Seal Rock is the site of frolic and fun for California Sea Lions

A final photo stop at the iconic "Lone Cypress" finished the tour

Like so many other things in California, even the beauty of 17 Mile Drive has been canned and capitalized.  $10.25 per car to get in, a great deal of new development marring the latter parts of the drive, and a highly commercialized shopping district on the grounds of Pebble Beach Golf Links.  Reason # 14 I don't live in California anymore -- many of the things that residents enjoyed in their communities have been over-exposed to attract ridiculous numbers of tourists.

Having completed 17 Mile Drive, we rejoined PCH and headed south once again.  The views along the drive are always spectacular and although not worth the price to live here, definitely worth seeing if you've never made the drive along the edge of the North American continent!

 The oft-photographed Bixby Bridge north of Big Sur on Highway 1

 Water erosion at work carving out arches in coastal bedrock

 The Big Creek Bridge lends a touch of elegance to a rugged coast

Paul contemplates the coast and gives his twisted tummy a rest along the way

WOW!

A bit further down the coast and we finally reached our southernmost target -- Hearst Castle in San Simeon!  Another bit of history for Paul's journal, another photo op for me.  We didn't have time to take Paul on the tour (I'd been to Hearst Castle back in High School), but he and I will watch a virtual tour before our trip is over!

A convenient turn-out and a telephoto lens helped me get this shot of Hearst Castle

Not far south of Hearst Castle, in the town of Cambria we made the turn east that would finally take us from the coast.  As we crossed the hills into Paso Robles we caught a last glimpse of the Pacific in the rear-view mirror.   Zig-zagging east/south/east we made our way to the desert town of Mojave and with no room in Military Lodging at Edwards Air Force Base, found ourselves, inevitably, in a Motel 6!  On the up side, it's new, clean, and more than reasonably priced considering the cost of everything else in the Golden State.

We watched the moonrise over the desert ahead of us and the sunset in the rear-view mirror as our day ended:

INTO THE CITY BY THE BAY

MORNING arrived rather sooner than I'd have liked, but my fellow travelers were ready to rock by 11:00 a.m. having breakfasted at the complimentary breakfast bar.  We were rolling by 11:15 and Mom had to be restrained as we passed by grapes growing to the left and right of us!  In reality, when I offered to detour to a winery, Mom declined saying, "I heard they make you pay for wine tasting and it's just a sip, so we can skip that."  😂

Mendicino County Vineyards

We stopped for fuel just out of Ukiah and I was reminded of reasons 1-6 for leaving California -- 
THE COST OF EVERYTHING!

After a couple of hours at speed, we found ourselves on the northern approach to San Francisco and detoured to the Marin Headlands for the ultimate west coast photo op...

Hold onto your hat, it's windy up there!

The Golden Gate from atop the Marin Headlands

We came down from on high in good time, crossed the bridge into the city, and headed for Lombard Street - "The Crookedest Street in the World."  You'll have to trust we went down it, but it does not lend itself to photo taking while driving!  Instead, I let Paul out to walk the last half-block to the top end (our pace would have made a snail look like an F1 racer) and snapped him on the corner before we headed down...

Moments before reboarding for the trip down Lombard Street

At the bottom of the Lombard switchback, we headed for the Embarcadero and I was forcefully reminded of reasons 7-13 why I no longer live in California -- TRAFFIC!  It really didn't matter if we headed North, South, East, or West, if we moved we were in bumper-to-bumper traffic.  😡  Eventually, we made it to our target, and after showing Paul all the Piers and the main Port of Entry, we found our way ever-so-slowly back to U.S. 101 and onward to see my niece at the Google campus in Mt. View.

 A view of Coit Tower (LT) on our way to the Port of Entry for San Francisco (RT)

A quick hello with Stace before heading to Los Gatos

Our last target for Northern California was dinner at Mom's favorite establishment, Pedro's, in our old stomping grounds, Los Gatos.  Dinner didn't disappoint although we were told the restaurant had changed hands twice since we last dined there some 20+ years ago.  

Mom's Happy Place

From "downtown" Los Gatos, we hopped straight onto 17 through the Santa Cruz mountains and hitched up for the night in Salinas.  We have a target or two in this area before continuing south tomorrow.