Westward Bound-DAY EIGHT-Final Day

A San Francisco Treat

As I sit here and type this last entry into our Westward Bound Journey, I can't help being thankful for a few things during the past 8 days. So, in no particular order here they are:

..............that my son asked me to drive 3,000+ miles with him to a far away place, and a new, exciting, but still a little scary, job opportunity that he wanted me to share with him. Thank you Tyler-I love you for asking!

.............that we both got here safely, and are still talking to each other, and his little Prius didn't "hybridize" and breakdown

.............for a fantastic wife and daughter for being patient with me and allowing me to travel with Tyler on his new adventure. I love you and miss you both, and will see you soon

............for all my great work mates back in Mont Co PTHS (and R2) for holding down the fort while I was away

.............for not being blown off the road in any state by wind gusts, covered by dust in Kansas, not having snow stop us for any length of time, not falling out of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, hearing 50' wind chimes, seeing the Great Salt Lake, not having a large Bison ram Tyler's car, having Tyler win $100 bucks in Reno, not getting stuck crossing Donner Pass and having to eat Tyler to survive, driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and so many more

Now for today. We drove into San Francisco, passing Oakland, along with five other lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. If I have to sit in traffic, I would take any of our local highways, including the Schuylkill Expressway, any day of the week, compared to my brief time on California's highways. If you can imagine the Schuylkill times 5 lanes, that's where we drove today. After finally getting into SF, we jumped on a ferry and took a tour of Alcatraz Island ("The Rock"). It's a very cool, but a bit eerie, sitting several miles out in SF Bay. We decided to simply walk around and see the inside/outside and read the interpretive signs. this was compared to most of the other tourists who opted to do the audio tour using the provided headphones. Now, I don't know if you've ever visited any places where they offer these, but Tyler and I got a chuckle how everyone walked around like zombies. Many times they would be walking straight toward you, gazing right at you (I swear sometimes w/outstretched arms), then suddenly stop, turn around a stagger the other way. The whole damn island was full of them. We barely escaped (no pun) with our lives! The island also has the largest breeding colony of Western Gulls, which means the largest colony of Western Gull poop, soon it will be known as "The White Rock."

After jumping back on shore from Alcatraz "zombie interpretive" Island, we enjoyed a delicious bowl of Clam Chowder in the famous Boudin's Original SF Sourdough Bread Bakery, on Fisherman's Wharf, then checked out the large group of California Sea Lions that have taken up residence on the docks. It was then time for us to depart the city, and after dodging two cable cars, we took one last detour to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. What an awesome structure! TRIVIA NOTE to all our Pottstown friends-Did you know the steel used to make the GG Bridge was made right in our own Pottstown! So, heading south along the coast, we called it a day and headed back to hotel. All in all, we had a great day visiting the "City By The Bay." As I sign off, I just want to thank all of you taking the time to read these things, as I hope you enjoyed riding along with us from PA to CA! Good Night!

Downtown SF and the Golden Gate Bridge

The Rock

Tyler trying to escape Alcatraz

Western Gull of Alcatraz Island

California Sea Lions hanging out at Pier 39

High Five!

The Pacific Ocean along the Northern CA Coast

Westward Bound-DAY SEVEN

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

We made it! After 3,200 miles (which included detours), we arrived at our final destination of this trip-Fremont, CA (near San Jose), where Tyler will be starting his position at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay NWR.

Today's drive didn't start out the way we anticipated. After hearing from the locals about how Reno hasn't had snow in over two months, guess what we woke up to? Yep, snow, heavy snow, and more concerning was the route we would be driving this morning-crossing the Sierra Nevada Mountains. But before we left Reno though, we found a real treat on a back street. As we rounded a corner, I spotted a large, wooden Buffalo Bills helmet on the side of a bar! Really? A Bills fan in Reno, NV? The day wasn't going to be that bad after all! I zoomed the little Prius into the gravel lot faster than the Dukes of Hazard driving General Lee away from Boss Hog. I jumped out and yelled to Tyler to snap my picture quickly before the owner, or the Reno police showed up!

I decided to check the road conditions of our route up the mountain on I-80 and learned that a 15-mile section was now under a "Chains Required" alert for all vehicles w/o four-wheel drive (us) and trucks. When Tyler asked me if I ever had to put on chains, I told him the only thing I knew about tire chains were the ones I helped put on our school bus, back in elementary school. At that time, anyone on the bus had to help Wilbur (that was his real name!) the bus driver put the bus chains on-first graders to sixth graders. So, we found a local Toyota dealer and explained our situation to the parts manager. "Yep, you'll definitely need them up there. CALTRAN (California Transportation Dept.) won't let you go through w/o them." So, after getting our tire size, he brought out a set of chains for $105.00-sold!

To let you know where we had to drive, it's the famous Donner Pass. You know the story, where the Donner Party's wagons broke down in winter crossing the Sierra Mountains, and to survive they had to eat some dead members of their party-yep, that's the place! Glad we had a big breakfast at IHOP!
To wrap up this story, we never had to put them on. The road conditions improved and were told we could proceed, with caution. There was only about 4' of snow up on top.

We soared down the other side, past the capital of Sacramento and touched down in Fremont, CA, just north of San Jose and south of San Francisco and Oakland. Fremont is in the heart of the Silicon Valley, and the refuge is just on the outskirts-it borders some very urban areas. Regardless, Tyler is very excited to be here, and start work on Monday. So, before I head home Saturday, we'll be checking out SF tomorrow and doing all the tourist things. I'll check in one more time tomorrow. Good night to all!

 

Look! Even in Reno, NV!

 



Leaving Reno-driving under the arch

Going through Donner Pass-just west of Truckee, CA

Heading down from the top

I made it!

A California Ground Squirrel welcomes us!

Westward Bound-DAY SIX

RESTING IN RENO

Last night we decided to cut our day short and landed in Elko, NV. Although there were several hotels available, we had some difficulty finding a room, so I finally asked and they told me this week was Elko's largest annual event, the 2014 Cowboy Poetry Gathering & Art Show-yes, a gathering of Cowboy Poets from throughout the west-that's why we couldn't find a room! We finally found an overpriced room in one of the hotels.

Before leaving Elko, we discovered one of its famous attractions, the World's Largest Dead Polar Bear, found in the lobby of the Liberal Slots Casino. The beast was huge, standing over 10' tall and weighing over a ton! As much as I look forward to seeing one of these beautiful animals in the wild (alive), I would not like to come face-to-face with something of this size.

As we moved south, our plan was pretty simple. We were going to take a day of rest in Reno, NV, nicknamed the "Biggest Little City in the World," to allow Tyler to try his (legal) hand at gambling. We chose the Peppermill Casino & Hotel as our base. After getting a feel for his options, Tyler wanted to give the Roulette Wheel a try as well as a few hands of Blackjack. He broke even at Blackjack, but walked away with $100 in his pocket from the Roulette wheel-I was proud he walked away, not many do! I wish I could show you a photo of him playing, but every time I tried, one of the pit bosses would politely let me know that I wasn't allowed to photograph the table-damn flash on my phone kept giving me away! I even tried to hide behind a very large man from Texas who was busy ordering drinks and smoking his electronic cigarette, but he passed gas and I had to move, thus, exposing myself once again to casino staff! Oh well, maybe next time!

Tomorrow is our last leg on this westward bound, cross-country journey that has brought us over 3,000 miles already, which included many "side trips." Tyler will be bringing us up and over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and into California, where we will check in tomorrow. Good Night to all!

Tyler and his Polar Bear buddy

Mountains on the way to Reno

Downtown Reno, NV

The Peppermill Casino & Hotel



Westward Bound-DAY FIVE

SLOWING OUR PACE

The sun on the mountains around Salt Lake City was amazing this morning! The city sits at about 4,300' in elevation, but many 8,000' and 9,000' peaks make for a cool backdrop to the downtown skyline.  For the first time on our trip, the weather was beautiful, with no snow, wind, rain or dust to be seen.

Our first stop this morning was to visit the World's First KFC franchise, in Murray, Utah, a suburb of SLC. It was started in 1952 (no we did not have KFC for breakfast), by the famous Col. Sanders.

After departing our early am visit to KFC, we decided to take a few extra hours today and do some exploring around SLC. One of the areas we both wanted to see was the Great Salt Lake. Tyler had wanted to see if we could find a place to see some "Wild Bison." on our trip. We discovered that one of only three free roaming herds in the U.S. was right here, on an island in the middle of the Great Salt Lake, called Antelope Island. So we scurried away from our early am trip to KFC and ventured out to Antelope Island in hopes of finding Tyler's Bison (not buffalo).

 

After looking for about 30 minutes, we finally found a small herd loafing about a 1/4 mile away-too far for any good looks. We were then guided to a old campground road where one was grazing right next to the road. It was a big animal, and although there were many signs warning visitors not to get too close, I dared Tyler to hop out of the car and stand next to it so I could snap his photo! He wouldn't do it, and all we could imagine was the State Farm commercial when a large Bison rams the side of the car of the two guys in it. I can tell you if that happened, Tyler's Prius would have rolled into the Great Salt Lake with us in it! NOTE: Aunt Cathy, I tried to top the famous Yellowstone Park incident of 1981, but he wouldn't go for it! It was a very cool morning in the SLC area.

 

As we continued our trek west we had to make one last stop in Utah-at the world famous Bonneville Salt Flats. It was exactly as we've seen on TV. Miles and miles of nothing but flatness, extreme flatness. In fact, we drove across it for almost 50 miles and we barely saw 1/4 of the total area. Although I couldn't answer Tyler's interrogating questions (for nearly 20 miles) regarding why the road and salt flats reflect things around them (he wouldn't just accept my answer of heat waves), it was still an interesting discussion! I still love his never-ending curiosity! We entered the great state of Nevada and called it quits for tonight in Elko, NV, where we found it a bit difficult to find a hotel room due to their annual Cowboy Art & Poetry Show that's in town. Ask me about this another time! On to Reno tomorrow! Good Night to all!

 

 

 

Downtown Salt Lake City



 

                                       

Col. Sanders stands with someone? at his first KFC Franchise in Murray, UT.

 

 

 

 

            



 



Westward Bound-DAY FOUR

WHERE ARE THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

We woke this morning hoping to gaze out our window and see a clear view of the Rocky Mountains, near Denver. Instead, all we could see was blowing snow and more snow. No downtown Denver skyline and no sign of any mountains! As a matter of fact, it would be almost 6 hours until we caught a glimpse of a few of the foothills of these majestic mountains.

Once we found a suitable detour leaving Denver (after our northern highway was closed) we picked up I-80 in Cheyenne, WY, for the long journey west. For the first four hours, it was a grueling drive, with snow, 30 mph winds and ice covering the interstate-top speed at times was 25 mph-along with dozens of truckers. It wasn't until we reached Rock Springs that the snow finally ended, and we actually saw the sun for a bit.

As we left The Cowboy State and entered Utah, the skies began to clear, and finally, Tyler finally got to see his Rocky Mountains! As we approached Park City, and our final destination today, Salt Lake City, we were simply thankful we had a safe trip. Tomorrow is another day, and we hope we can slow down just a bit and enjoy some of beautiful surroundings!

Our first glimpse of some of the Rocky foothills, near Medicine Bow NF, WY

My new moose friend in Park City, UT

Westward Bound-DAY THREE

FROM THE MISSOURI BREAKS TO THE MILE HIGH CITY

As we left Missouri this morning and entered Kansas we weren't quite sure what to expect. What we imagined were rolling hills with "amber waves of grain" blowing in the breeze. Well, kinda!

There was some amber waves of grain, and some parts of the landscape were very cool, but the breeze was more like 20-40 mph wind, non-stop. Kansas is a long state to drive through, especially when the wind is trying to roll your car over into the adjacent range lands where cattle await you.
First is was beautiful sunshine and very strong wind, then it was rain and very strong wind, then we had to pull over for a dust storm and very strong wind, and finally a heavy snow squall, with, you guessed it, very strong wind!

In between our wind gusts, we once again detoured from our planned route to catch a couple of the more notable attractions-the World's Largest Ball of Twine and the Geographic Center of the Continental U.S. Both were well worth the 1.5 hour drive out of our way (in the very strong wind). Then it was back on the road again, and the realization that Denver, CO, our stopover for tonight, was still over 300 miles away! Did I say that Kansas is a really, really long state, from east to west? We did manage to stop for a nice "dusty" sunset photo, and to grab a pizza for the road. We're glad we fueled up earlier in the evening since we did not pass a gas station for 185 miles.

After a long, but enjoyable, day on the road in some wacky weather, we arrived safely in Denver tonight, now on Mountain Time, as I finish this piece up before hitting the sack. Tomorrow we leave Colorado, heading up through Wyoming with our goal to make Salt Lake City, UT by nightfall-unless we come across the World's..............! Til tomorrow, good nite!

Central Kansas Landscape

Tyler at the Geographic Center of the Continental U.S.

World's Largest Ball of Twine

Sunset on the Kansas Prairie

Westward Bound-DAY TWO

It was a rough start for Day Two of  our cross-country trek, as we woke up in Columbus, OH to an inch of new snow, with 25 mph winds and the snow still falling. Not really what we wanted to see as we hit the road early for a long day of driving (I know, all our friends/family back in PA don't have a lot of compassion since they're going through the same-again).

It was a slow drive through Ohio with slippery roads and lots of fender benders and jackknifed big rigs, but Tyler's Prius did great, chugging along at safe, steady pace. By the time we reached Indianapolis, the snow ended, the sun came out and the sky turned blue.


With PA, WV, OH and IN in the rear view mirror, we were on schedule as we drove across the flat farmlands of southern Illinois. After almost being blown off the road several times with wind gusts that started somewhere around Lake Michigan, I spotted a small sign that read " World's Largest Wind Chime-This Exit." I looked at Tyler and he laughed and said, "Why Not? We haven't seen much else in IL!" So I quickly exited and we found our way to Casey, IL, home of the famous tourist attraction! After chatting with one of the locals in a convenience store, they proudly told me where to find the 50' hanging chime, as well as the entire history behind it. But, we got a real bonus when they told us that Casey also had the World's Largest Golf Tee, Knitting Needle, Crochet (sp?) Hook, and soon to be, World's Largest Rocking Chair! We hit the jackpot!

              Tyler at the World's Largest Wind Chime and World's Largest Golf Tee

  

 

 

The Wind Chime and Golf Tee were the real deal, and Tyler and I enjoyed them immensely, but quickly, as the 25 degree temps and 25 mph winds had us snap our photos then jump back into the car. We skipped the Knitting Needle and Hook since neither one of us had any desire to see them!   

 

As we moved through Missouri, we decided to take a break and visit the Gateway Arch of St. Louis. This National Monument stands over 600' high and is true engineering wonder. We decided to pay our fee and go to the top. What a trip this is! The only way I can describe it, is 5 people (in one tram) cramming into a sci-fi escape pod, then going for slow, bumpy ride on an enclosed ferris wheel!  The views of the city and the might Mississippi were incredible, but it was a bit hairy for me!

 

 

 

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis and the view of the city from the top.