Smooth sailing and a safe arrival in Tucson

   What a difference a few hours makes.  After Friday night and early Satiurday’s miserable driving conditions we awoke to better conditions on Saturday in Moriarity, New Mexico. A heavy morning fog kept us in Moriarity until about 11 a.m., but the last thing I wanted to do was drive over the mountain into Albuquerque on icy roads in a dense fog.

    It was also very cold and we awoke to 8 degree temperatures outside.

A much nicer day in New Mexico

   To make good use of the delay I drove to a nearby truck stop to fill up the Tahoe. Idling in traffic the night before had drained a good part of the fuel I had and I wanted to start the ride over the mountain with a full tank of gas. The eastbound lanes of I-10 remained closed about 8 a.m. but the west bound lanes were open.

    Joan stayed back at the hotel while I drove to the Pilot Gas Station and when I arrived I found a police officer was directing traffic due to the traffic jam of semi trucks that had camped out in and around the station. Fortunately for me while the semi trucks were lined up 5 and 6 deep at the pumps there were open gas pumps for cars.

   As we headed over the mountain pass towards Albuquerque we had clear sailing, but not so for the folks headed eastbound. On the hill going east out of Albuquerque there was a miles long line of cars and trucks due to an accident on the hill. Needless to say, we were glad to put this part of the trip behind.

   We listened to the Michigan versus Florida bowl game as we headed west towards Flagstaff. Michigan laid an egg, or at least it sounded that way on the radio. After that was over we tuned to the Clemson versus Notre Dame game and this time it was the Irish who laid an egg.

  With this being a short leg of the trip (only 360 miles) we decided to stop at the Twin Arrows Casino for dinner and give Joan a chance to exercise her arm with the one-armed bandits for a couple hours. She deserved a reward for being so patient over the previous 24 hours.

   As a veteran I got $5 free play, which I rapidly donated back to the local Native American tribe. 

Joan was having some success and then after being nice to a lady by watching her machine while she went to the bathroom the woman pointed to one of her favorite machines that her daughter had previously been playing.

   In just a very few minutes Joan spun the wheel and won $359, which we promptly cashed in and then went on our merry and richer way.

    We arrived at our Flagstaff hotel at a reasonable hour and watched the end of the Alabama versus Oklahoma game. This time is was Oklahoma that laid an egg.

    Time out: 11:19 a.m.  (MST)

    Time in:  7:38 p.m.  (MST)

    Mileage out: 3218

    Mileage in: 3597

   I need to say something about the hotel we stayed out Saturday night in Flagstaff. I booked it online because it was in the mid range price for hotels in Flagstaff, but still about $130 a night. It is ski season here so nothing is cheap.

    The hotel had a pretty fancy name “Hotel Aspen Flagstaff/Grand Canyon.”  It did not live up to its name. The facilities were old, but that wasn’t the problem. The room was not clean. Coffee stains on the table, a used chapstick on the floor and it took a Silicone Valley engineer to figure out the television. I called the desk to get directions and between Joan and I we were on hold for nearly 30 minutes before we got an answer.

   The place was packed and I was too tired to make a fuss and the bed looked good so we got a good night’s sleep. I did mention to the hotel clerk in the morning that the housekeeping left a lot to be desired. So if you are in Flagstaff you might want to avoid Hotel Aspen.

   We got out early to head for the trailer storage and arrived to 10 degree temperatures, but very little snow. We checked out the trailer and it appeared in good shape after 9 months without us in the mountains.

    For the second year I made sure I had lock deicer after the problem I had three years ago when all the locks were iced up. For the second year it wasn’t necessary. I did have to use some deicer spray to open one of the storage doors on the front of the trailer where I store the hitch equipment.

A cold hook up

    It took a little longer than usual to hook up because my fingers froze. I had gloves but unfortunately working with some of the equipment requires more dexterity than is possible with gloves on. Once we were hooked up, I took it a little slow at first to make sure that the wheel grease got warmed up a little before we hit the freeway.

   The lowest temperature we recorded that morning was 9 degrees but the temperatures warmed quickly as we headed down the mountain towards Phoenix. By the time we got to Phoenix (thank you Glen Campbell) it was 57 degrees, cool for this area but welcome warmth to us.

   One highway sign we noted was aimed at New Year’s Eve revelers. “Drive Hammered. Get Nailed.”

  The trip to Tucson was uneventful as was the set up for the trailer once we got checked in. We left the trailer winterized because overnight temperatures were expected to fall into the 20s so I hooked up the water this morning (Dec. 31).

   While working outside one of the men I work with on the table and chair set up crew drove by and asked if I was going to help with the New Year’s Eve party set up. I agreed and headed over at 9 a.m. to help set up the ballroom for tonight’s party, which Joan and I will attend. I bought tickets last week over the phone before we left Michigan. Good thing too, because they are sold out.

   We spent the rest of the day Sunday setting up our site and then shopping for food. Sunday I went to the fitness center, did the table and chair set up and then we went back out to pick up a new carbon monoxide detector because the 12-year-old one in the trailer was indicating that it had given up the ghost.

   Cooler than normal temperatures are expected over the next few days, so we will need to take precautions over night to run water in the trailer to keep the pipes from freezing.

Time out at hotel: 7:38 a.m. (MST)

Time in at storage lot: 8:08 a.m. (MST)

Mileage out: 3597

Mileage in: 3614

Time out at storage lot: 8:54 a.m.

Time in at Tucson: 1:35 p.m.

Milleage in Tucson: 3894

A harrowing travel through New Mexico

   In all our 12 years of traveling we have never encountered a day as awful as yesterday. Usually when I write these travel posts I do it chronologically, but as an old newspaper reporter that would be burying the lede.

The I-40 New Mexico parking lot at 11 p.m.

  On Friday morning we left Henryetta, Oklahoma with the knowledge that we could run into some snow as we drove through I-40 in New Mexico. That is not unusual and as an experienced winter driver not something I am even too anxious about. I had been following the weather and over the last week the outlook had been improving for our trip.

   At one time there was a prediction of 12-inches of snow, but that was readjusted several times to the final prediction of 3-5 inches of snow and most of that was to occur before we ever got to New Mexico.

   So the trip was going along quite well, we hit a little flurry action in Amarillo, also not unusual this time of year, and we were able to maintain a good speed and make great progress.

  My first indication (and my first mistake) was when I punched in our destination for the night (Moriarity, New Mexico) and OnStar gave us an incredibly long alternate route to get there. 

Unfortunately they didn’t explain (and yes, I did ask) why the unusual route, but we soon found out.

   Just outside Tucumcari, New Mexico traffic came to a standstill. I pulled up my phone and found out that accidents ahead had closed I-40. So I got back to OnStar and they gave us another alternate route to get us around the problem. The problem kept moving east. As soon as we leap frogged to Newkirk, New Mexico, we were informed that new accidents had occurred ahead.

Late for Monday Night football?

   In Newkirk, road crews were loading dirt from a field onto plow trucks and spreading it on the freeway just as we were released to continue our journey at 4:48 p.m. We had gotten off the freeway in Tucumcari about 2 p.m. and gone only about a total of 30 miles on I-40 with the detour.

    Being just 47 miles from out destination with reservations in hand we decided to wait it out over dinner in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Surely, they would have the mess cleaned up after our leisurely dinner. Wrong.

   The fun was just beginning. No hotels were available anymore and I-40 was a virtual parking lot for 30 miles. It wasn’t snowing anymore, but it was cold. Fortunately I had filled up fuel in Amarillo as part of the difficulty along the route was that many people simply ran out of gas waiting in traffic and abandoned cars in traffic lanes. That made matters so much better.

During the good times Friday

    At one point when we finally started to move, I nearly plowed into a car in the left lane that I thought maybe had just forgotten to turn the lights on but at the last moment realized was just abandoned. People were very courteous to each other (there was the occasional idiot who drove like a maniac but I’m not talking about him) and made room for people to move over when the need arose.

   People were out of the cars and trucks talking and walking and stretching but some of the waits were 90 minutes at a time. We left dinner in Santa Rosa about 7 p.m. and checked into our hotel at 1:09 a.m. People were being turned away so I was very glad I had a reservation. I guess the traffic and snow made the news, but I was too tired to watch.

    We are thankful to be alive and grateful that in all the mess apparently no one was killed or seriously injured. It’s a pain to be delayed, but worse if you are the one in the accident that caused it.

    Not sure why the New Mexico Department of Transportation fell so far behind the road clearing for a relatively normal snowstorm but in any event we are safe and ready to continue our journey after a harrowing night and a good sleep.

   I love being a part of history, but this little episode I could have gladly missed. And before you say it out loud, I made several errors in judgement this night and I ended the evening by apologizing to Joan for not making better decisions along the way. Live and learn. 

   Earlier on the trip Friday we spotted a couple Monday Night Football Trucks traveling east on I-40 and later one was parked at our hotel in Moriarity so he must have been coming way behind the other two.

   We also noted a lot of Michigan license plates along the route, most of us probably wondering why we had left relatively good weather to drive through this bad weather.

Time out: 8:39 a.m. (CST)

Time in: 1:09 a.m. (next day MST)

Mileage out: 2587

Mileage in: 3218

  Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

  We left Michigan at 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday enroute to Murfressboro, Tennessee to have Christmas with our son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren Wednesday night.  It was 32 degrees when we left but rose through the day to a high of 62.

Opening presents

   We spotted lots of hawks along the freeway looking for food. A highway sign we saw said “Even Santa wears a seat belt.”  Another notable sign spotted in Nashville was “Grandma got run over by a reindeer? Call Morgan and Morgan attorneys.”

   This portion of the trip was uneventful and we had a wonderful time watching everyone open presents.

Time out: 5:40 a.m. (EST)

Time in: 3:45 p.m. (CST)

Mileage out: 1307

Mileage in: 1949

   On our second day of traveling we left Murfreesboro and headed to a new destination for us, Henryetta, Oklahoma. The location worked for the timing of the trip (not knowing what was to come) but was notable for one thing, nothing notable in Henryetta.

   Usually when we stay in a hotel you can find “Things to Do in ??” booklets in your room. Not in Henryetta. But we were just there for the night so we weren’t planning any sightseeing trips anyway.

   I did find out it was named for Hugh Henry who found coal there many, many years ago. It's most notable resident is Troy Aikman, Hall of Fame quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

   What we originally thought would be the most aggravating storm of our trip turned out to be mile in comparison to what was to come. Just outside Little Rock, Arkansas we got into a thunderstorm that took us about 90 minutes to drive through. I guess this was the same storm that would hit the east coast the next day.

   We had hoped to stop and see my cousin, her children and grandchildren but the storm and its delays caused us to have to cancel that stop.

Presentation was a problem

   A small airplane on a flat bed truck was the most unsual sighting of the day, but the weather was seasonable and temperatures got up to 65 at the highest. Little did we know.

   Because of the storm delay we stopped for dinner before finishing the drive to Henryetta and the only place we could find was a Pizza Hut in a small town an hour east of our destination. We had what could be described only as a very average meal, served in an aluminum foil pan and presented to us in a sandwich basket (see photo).

Time out: 8:51 a.m. (CST)

Time in:  7:24 p.m. (CST)

Mileage out: 1949

Mileage in: 2587

Home again safe, sound and freezing

Laura & Joan at the distillery

The long ride home is over. After a wonderful stay at my sister’s house in North Aurora, Illinois along with her husband, we made the final 5-hour leg trip home to Lapeer on Wednesday.

We had dry, but cold weather from Des Moines to North Aurora on Monday. The only obstacle on that trip was some extensive construction on I-88 which was surprising because that is a fairly new toll road.

The highest temperature during the day Monday was a 39 degree temperature just before we arrived at Laura’s house.

My sister was still working (she works from home) so we entertained ourselves by catching up on email and Facebook until she was done working.

As is the custom, my sister cooked my favorite dinner, spaghetti, which I consumed in great quantities. If I haven’t said so previously, my sister is a great, great cook.

In the morning while my brother-in-law worked, we headed to Fox River Distillery near my sister's house to get a personal tour of the place from my sister. I'm not a drinker, but they have won a bunch of awards for their Bourbon, whiskey and moonshine, so we bought some bottles for the Family Literacy Center Auction later this year.

Some barrels of bourbon

The next day, all of us went to the Ellwood House in DeKalb, Illinois for a wonderful house tour. Built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the home was the residence of a man who produced barbed wire and turned it into a multi-million dollar operation.

Our tour guide was wonderful and we learned a lot about the house and its family. Afterwards, we went to a really nice restaurant (the name of which I can’t remember right now) and then headed home for our final night on the road.

My sister and brother-in-law were kind enough to remodel the guest bathroom for us prior to our arrival so we felt very special, although I’m sure she didn’t do it just for us.

The "still"

The next morning we were up early and then on the road for the short trip home through Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

As we always seem to do, we hit a major traffic jam on I-80 through parts of Illinois and Indiana which was due to a traffic accident. That cost us about 40 minutes, but soon we were off and running and the rest of the trip was uneventful.

From the time we left California we never had a temperature above 57 and Wednesday was no exception although we did hit 57 a couple times during the trip.

The product

Entering Michigan we were immediately struck by the poor conditions of the freeway, but then that is always the case in Michigan. We have some of the highest gas taxes in the country, yet still some of the worst roads. Gas prices in Michigan are second highest to any we saw with the exception of California.

The house came through the winter in good condition (thanks Tim) but we do seem to have a little bit of a septic back up issue brewing, something we are in the process of taking care of. We had a nice dfinner Friday night with daughter Elin and son Tim at Whitey’s in Davison and I have already started back to work driving my bus.

Of course, the weather has turned crappy since we’ve been home and as I write this we are in the middle of a stupid ice storm. I guess if I want to avoid Michigan’s bad weather we’ll have to stay in Tucson until June.

Laura & Me

So another winter trip to Arizona is in the books and life is back to real here in Michigan. I thank all of you for following along and the Lord willing we’ll do it all over again next year. Peace!

Mileage out (Des Moines): 103945

Mileage in (North Aurora) 104255

Time out: 10:12 a.m. (Central Daylight Time)

Time in:  3:10 p.m. (Central Daylight Time)

Mileage out (North Aurora): 104255

Mileage in (Lapeer, MI): 104589

Time out: 8:40 a.m. (CDT)

Time in: 3:08 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time)

A white knuckle ride to Des Moines

A day that started out with the first clear skies we had seen since we left California deteriorated quickly as we approached Omaha and turned to white knuckle driving from inside Iowa to Des Moines.

Fortunately, the temperature never dropped below 31, although it hung there for a long time on the ride across I-80, and we made it safely to the Hampton Inn this afternoon.

Even when it was clear at the beginning of the drive there were tail winds (which is actually good for gas mileage) of up to 40 mph as we drove the long, boring stretch across Nebraska.

Dodging, not always successfully, the tumbleweeds flying across I-80 was the only entertainment that I had for several hours.

Temperatures ranged from a high of 57 somewhere in the middle of Nebraska to the 29 degrees as we pulled into the Hampton Inn. It was 42 when we started out in Cheyenne in the morning.

About 12:30 p.m. (Central time) we passed field after field of Sand Hill Cranes near Kearney, Nebraska. The big birds are the same ones that we enjoy watching during the winter at Whitewater Draw in Arizona. We always wonder if we are seeing some of the same birds we saw there.

Kearney, Nebraska is the breeding ground for the birds, but this is the first time we have seen them in such large numbers as we drove across the state. In one farmer’s field the birds shared the forage with a bunch of pigs.

Because of the wild ride there are no photos of today’s drive. Sorry. Tomorrow we are stopping to visit my sister Laura and brother-in-law Philip outside Chicago and will be with them a couple days so this will likely be my last post until we get back to Michigan, which is scheduled for Wednesday, barring any more goofy weather.

Mileage out: 103315

Time out: 8:09 a.m. (Mountain Daylight Time)

Mileage in: 103938

Time in: 5:49 p.m. (Central Daylight Time)

Loving the 80 mph speed limits today

Highway memorial

Our stay in Wendover, Utah was brief and the Quality Inn was a little disappointing, but the room was clean so we made do.

It would help the image of a hotel to clean up the grounds around the outside so that the first thing you see isn’t a bunch of empty booze bottles in the landscaping.

We ate dinner at the Montego Bay Casino and Hotel and of course, we spent just a short time paying reparations to the Native Americans before turning in early after a long day’s drive.

Lincoln monument

Morning broke with no rain, but that would change later. We departed Wendover and made the boring drive over the Bonneville Flats to Salt Lake City. I remember this stretch as a young man and it seemed shorter, which is probably due to the new speed limit which is 80 mph.

In fact, most of Utah and part of Wyoming has the 80 mph speed limit which makes traveling very enjoyable and quick.

There was plenty of snow in the mountains around Salt Lake City and later through Wyoming, but the roads were clear, but we did run into the rain again for several hours on Saturday.

Albany Restaurant

Having done this trip several times we decided to make a stop at the Lincoln Highway monument in Wyoming. We usually drive by, but have often noticed the statue of Abraham Lincoln up on the hill as we sped by. (Besides, Joan really needed to use the rest room there).

Joan at the train depot

It turned out to be an interesting stop as there is a marker designating this location as the highest elevation on I-80 from coast to coast and a memorial marker for a man who foresaw and pursued the dream of a coast to coast freeway.

Our XM radio kept us entertained with comedy, music and radio classic programs and we arrived into Cheyenne ready for some food.

Joan and a big boot

It is fun to find local restaurants to eat in, so we searched the Internet and found a downtown restaurant called the Albany Restaurant which has been in the same family since 1942. It is located in a vintage building across from the 130-year-old railroad depot.

We had a nice dinner for a reasonable price and then spent a few minutes walking around downtown before heading back to our Quality Inn, which fortunately had no booze bottles littering the grounds. Temperatures today ranged from 57 degrees at the start to the  low of 44 at the end in Cheyenne.

Mileage out: 102746

Time out: 8:39 a.m. (Mountain Daylight Time)

Mileage in: 103307

Time in: 4:24 p.m. (Mountain Daylight Time)

The long, wet, cold slog for home is underway

Joan's "frosting" cake

Our time in California came to a quick end and our journey back home has begun.

The trip to Cynthia’s house in Danville, California began on Easter morning in Bakersfield and through the food basket valley of California. From my many trips up and down the central valley it is apparent that many farmers have given up the idea of farming. Many once rich agricultural fields are now standing fallow and groves of trees have been deliberately knocked down.

All of this is the long battle over who gets water in California. There are many signs posted at the farms decrying the lack of water farmers are allowed for growing crops. “Is growing food really wasting water?” said one sign. The temperature climbed to 77 by the time we arrived in Danville.

William at home

A whirlwind of visits with my wonderful cousin Cynthia, my son, William, my ex-wife and her husband, William’s care giver and finally our good friend Jan made the time in California fly by.

I spent three days with William and Joan and I celebrated our 19^th anniversary Tuesday night at cousin Cynthia’s house. After we arrived on Sunday, Cynthia prepared a wonderful ham dinner for Joan’s birthday (a couple days late). My cousin is a great cook and I think we cleaned out her refrigerator and cupboards during our short stay.

We all dressed in party hats, which we have used many times previously, but Cynthia really knows how to throw a party. Cynthia's friend Ed also joined us for dinner.

On Wednesday we had a wonderful dinner with my ex-wife and her husband Bill, William, Joan and William’s caregiver Mike at Hindquarter Bar & Grill in Santa Cruz. It was a wonderful time and yes, we all get along very well.

Dinner with the family

Then on Thursday, Cynthia, Joan and I made the trip to Napa Valley to visit my friend Jan. Jan and her late husband Norm traveled to San Antonio a number of years ago to spend time with us there during a winter getaway. We all miss Norm, but we love Jan and always enjoy our time, however short, with her.

The trip to Jan’s house in Hidden Valley Lake took an hour and 40 minutes. The trip home through incredible California traffic took 4 hours. But it was well worth it to see Jan.

Whenever we travel I keep a close eye on the weather and for a week there had been predictions of heavy rain on our route (I-80 through Donner Pass) out of California. Well, the predictions were correct and on Friday we drove through a continuous downpour for more than 9 hours all across California, Nevada and into Utah.

Donner Pass monument

The highest temperature we had on Friday (getaway day) was 57 degrees and that was when we left Danville in a pouring rain. The lowest temperature was 39 degrees at the summit of Donner Pass. The snow level in the Sierras was about 4,500-feet and there was a pretty good snow pack on top.

Somehow during the Friday trek I caught another stone and my new windshield (the one I replaced in December before our trip to Tucson) is cracked again.

One irony noted on Friday is the place called Donner Pass Ski Area. I can only imagine the poor people who were stranded in deep snow and left to die and struggle through the winter of 1846-47 would likely not appreciate that there is now a ski area named after the place they so miserably spent in the snow.

Donner Pass snow pack

Sort of like opening a park in Jonestown, Guyana and serving only kool-aid. 

Another nostalgic moment happened when we drove through Battle Mountain, Nevada. When my brother and I were kids (probably mid to late 50s) my Dad and stepmother drove us through the same town. In fact, I remember we had breakfast there. My recollection is clear because my brother and I were laughing because the mountain near the town had a large “BM” brand burned or placed in it. In our family BM stood for bowel movement and my brother and I thought that was about the funniest thing we had ever seen. Please keep in mind we were young boys at the time. The memory did make me smile today as that big old BM is still on the mountain.

Hilarious, right?

Mileage out (Bakersfield): 100301

Time out (Bakersfield): 9:47 a.m.

Mileage in (Danville): 100558

Mileage out (Danville): 102132

Time out (Danville): 8:47 a.m.

Mileage in (Wendover, UT): 102746

Time in (Wendover, UT): 7 p.m. (Mountain Time)

Good bye Tucson, hello Michigan (via California)

Our last week in Tucson was filled with packing, good byes and some fun. Just a few days after my hike down into the Grand Canyon the Voyager hiking club was back on the trail and we did an 8-mile hike on Tuesday, March 27, into the Chirachua Mountains.

Chirachua Mountain man

The past two years this hike had to be cancelled due once to weather and the other time due to road construction in the park. So it had been a full three years since I had been on these beautiful trails and it was well worth the effort as it always is.

With our time winding down Joan has to do some serious meal planning so that we arrive on getaway day with little or no food left in the refrigerator. That is a challenge because there are always friends who want to go out for a final dinner during the final week, but Joan did a great job and we had very little food to off load to friends and neighbors on Thursday.

The last concert of the season was Wednesday, March 28, and it was Jovert, a steel drum band from a local high school who we saw a couple years ago at the Voyager. The kids are talented, enthusiastic and the show was a big hit.

On Thursday night we invited our friend Walt to dinner at the Voyager Grill and we were joined by our friends Charlotte and Roger who have become great friends over the past few years. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but we always look forward to the times we will be together again.

There is also a pull towards home and we also look forward to our lives and friends back in Michigan so while leaving is hard, it also holds the promise of a summer with friends and family.

So while Joan did laundry on Thursday I began the process of packing away our table and chairs we use outside, taking up the mat on our site and getting the hardware together for hooking up the trailer on Friday.

Parked in Flagstaff

We attended Maundy Thursday services in the ballroom and then began packing suitcases Thursday night.

Friday morning came and it was time to finish the sheets and towel laundry so that we will have all clean linens and towels when we arrive next winter.

I pulled up the trailer stabilizers, emptied the grey (dishwater) and black (you can guess what tank that is) tanks, took up the sewer line from the trailer to the park and disconnected the water to the trailer. After disconnecting the cable TV line I added the hitch to the Tahoe and began the process of hooking up the trailer.

The post box key was returned to the Voyager post office as well as our gate card that lets us in the park after hours through the gate.

With all those chores done it was time to leave our happy place and start the long drive home to Michigan via Northern California.

First stop was the local Camping World where I had the trailer winterized so the pipes won’t freeze in Flagstaff this spring and next fall and getting the trailer wheel bearings greased and repacked. While that work was being done Joan and I used some free movie passes we had to go see the movie “I Can Hardly Imagine.”  It was a wonderful movie and very appropriate for Good Friday.

After the movie we headed back to Camping World and picked up the trailer and headed north to Casa Grande for dinner and to let the heat of the day pass for the long trip up the mountain with the trailer to Flagstaff. Temperatures were in the high 80s which makes me nervous pulling the heavy trailer. That is why we take our time and drive at night to let the air cool a little.

After dinner at Mimi’s the trip up the mountain began and ended about 10:20 p.m. in the rest stop near McGuireville. We parked between two semi trucks and trailers. The noise from the running diesels lulled me to sleep and we slept until sunrise about 6:30 a.m.

We finished the hour or so left to Flagstaff and successfully stored the trailer in its usual spot in the storage lot.

The drive to Bakersfield was uneventful exception for the fields of California poppies in bloom in all the beauty they have to offer.

Joan enjoying the Bakersfield sign

Everything went well this year (we had all the appropriate locks we needed) and we were on the road to Bakersfield.

I should mention that Saturday was Joan’s birthday and the good sport she is she didn’t complain about spending her birthday night in a truck rest stop without heat or amenities. I owe her a nice dinner.

So when we arrived in Bakersfield I took her for a steak dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse, where the staff serenaded her with a little sweet treat for her birthday.

California has these weird gasoline nozzles that make it impossible to gas and wash your windows at the same time. Unless you are securely holding the gas nozzle it will keep shutting off. Just one more reason I no longer live in the Golden State.

On Easter we will head north and arrive at my cousin’s house in the afternoon and I will bring you up to date on how that goes later.

Mileage out at Tucson: 100547

Time out at Voyager:  11:40 a.m.

Mileage in at Flagstaff: 100827

Time in at Flagstaff (with trailer) 7:38 a.m.

Time out of Flagstaff (without trailer) 8:23 a.m.

Mileage in to Bakersfield 101301

Time in at Bakersfield 3:40 p.m.