Friday, March 23, 2012

US Road Trip 2012 - Days 17-18

Leaving Deadwood, we travelled the winding backroads to Mount Rushmore. Foiled on our previous visit several years ago by fog, on this day we would not be denied under blue skies. There, waiting for us, sat George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln....past a walkway lined with the flags of all fifty States.

We returned to I-90 at Rapid City, and pounded eastward, now sensing home and journey's end. We altered our original plan of heading north into North Dakota and across the top of Minnesota and Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, before turning south. Eager to be home, we opted for the shorter route around Chicago and slipping south of Lake Michigan.

A long day at the wheel and another lost hour in time zones saw us clear the entire width of both South Dakota and Minnesota, finally stopping in late evening as we crossed the Mississippi into Wisconsin. The sunny skies, high temperatures and budding trees lent speed to our travels, and buoyancy to our spirits....and hope that Spring would have also found Wheatley in our absence.

Already well into the final installment of "The Hunger Games" on audiobook, we finished off "Mockingjay" by the end of the day, before starting into "11-22-63" by Stephen King.

The final day of the trip was equally full, as we left western Wisconsin at 730am and arrived home at precisely 730pm (including yet another lost hour), having traversed the width of Wisconsin, the top of Illinois and around Chicago, passing briefly through Indiana before crossing the lower peninsula of Michigan.

At the border, the beers were duty free, and Customs was mercifully brief. We arrived home to blooming daffodils, leafing trees, and all furry people accounted for. The final tally for the Juke was 10,353 km and not a single incident beyond a small stone chip in the windshield. Looking back at the previous similar trip in an overloaded Civic, the nearly doubled horsepower was a welcome addition for passing slow traffic and climbing mountain canyons.....and cruise control was a nice addition too.





March 21-22, 2012

US Road Trip 2012 - Day 16

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

We set out extra early from southern Wyoming....mainly to ensure we made it to Deadwood by night, but Jane "accidentally" also forgot to change her phone alarm and we got up a full hour earlier than we meant to....which we didn't realize until we left the hotel.

We cut a diagonal swath across beautiful Wyoming and into the Black Hills, and arrived in Deadwood, South Dakota by mid afternoon, welcoming a relatively "short" day of driving. We checked into the Bullock Hotel, the first hotel in Deadwood and also founded by Seth Bullock, former Sheriff and Marshall.

Walking the old main street, now overrun with casinos and souvenir shops, we could still feel the history of the place. We had a beer at historic Saloon No. 10, followed by a fabulous meal at the Social Club upstairs.





US Road Trip 2012 - Day 15

Monday, March 19, 2012

We left Reno early in the morning, when our hosts headed off to (ironically) the Bay Area. Rather than hop straight on the interstate, we headed up a winding mountain pass to check out Virginia City, a well-preserved frontier mining town. Well worth the detour, and a step back in time.

We regained the I-80 and sped east across the scenic width of northern Nevada. The rugged terrain dropped off abruptly at the Utah border, giving way to the Bonneville Salt Flats, before rising again as the Rockies loomed up at Salt Lake City. We continued on I-80 up through the Rockies and into southern Wyoming before stopping for the night, and enjoying some local cuisine....chicken-fried steak. Another long day at the wheel but much ground gained, though one hour lost in time zones.

PICS
1. Looking down on Reno
2. Old West sidewalk
3. Virginia City Saloon
4. Nevada East and West
5. Still Nevada
6. Bonneville Salt Flats
7. Rocky Mountain Canyon







US Road Trip 2012 - Day 14

Sunday, March 18, 2012

A failure to pre-schedule an Alcatraz tour required us to re-visit San Francisco....not that we really needed an excuse, but if you plan on going, book days or even weeks ahead. All the same, we were off bright and early to The Rock.

Very worthwhile diversion, especially including the guided audiotour pre-recorded on headsets and narrated by former Alcatraz guards and inmates, complete with sound effects. The prison has been closed for nearly 50 years, but still reeks of history.

After we returned by ferry to Pier 33, we skeedaddled across the Bay Bridge and through Oakland and beyond, bound for a visit with friends in Reno, Nevada. All was going well until hail and snow hit the Donner Pass, high in the Sierra Nevada range, causing a complete stoppage on Interstate 80 as trucks and cars chained up for the crossing. We made it over without chains (go Juke!), though sketchy going at times, and arrived safe albeit late for a some welcome hospitality.

PICS
1. Waiting at the ferry
2. Frenetic feathered friend
3. The Rock awaits
4. Docking at The Rock
5. Cell block
6. Solitary
7. View from outside
8. The Great Escape
9. Faded glory
10. Return to Pier 33
11. Up We Go
12. Donner Pass
13. The Way is Clear
14. Scenery around Lake Tahoe














US Road Trip 2012 - Day 13

The skies cleared and we spent St. Patrick's Day morning surrounded by a sea of green in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park area, touring the Avenue of the Giants. Truly magical. Neither words nor pictures do it justice, walking amongst those ancient silent sentinels, in verdant veritas.

After lunch, we made the four hour yet extremely scenic drive back to San Francisco, faring better with the weather and managing some stunning panoramas from the Marin Headlands on the north side of the bridge. This time we stayed at a hotel on Van Ness, and walked back to Pier 39 for a memorable dinner.....passing green hordes of drunken Irish revellers.

PICS
1. Avenue of the Giants
2. Towering Titans
3. Juke for Scale
4. Drive Thru Tree
5. It Ain't Easy Being Green
6. Founder's Tree
7. My Roots Are Showing
8. Mike explores the Redwoods
9. Juke drives thru Redwoods
10. Golden Gate Bridge
11. City by the Bay
12. San Fran Skyline












Saturday, March 17, 2012



US Road Trip 2012 - Day 12

Friday, March 16, 2012

We spent the typically drizzly West Coast morning exploring San Francisco, seemingly fitting. We ventured to Pier 39, walked the downtown area, and took the obligatory cable car ride down the Mason-Powell line and back, quite the experience. We also drove the "Crookedest Street" at the other end of Lombard, thankfully without traffic and thankfully downhill. Otherwise I mainly just tried to avoid getting stuck on the infamous hills in our little standard transmission.

After lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, we set off over the Golden Gate Bridge, barely visible in the rain and fog, and headed north for giant Redwood country.

PICS
1. Cheap hotel coffee to start the day
2. Lombard "Crookedest" Street
3. Pier 39 in the rain
4. Sea Lions at the wharf
5. Cable Car ride
6. Down the Mason-Powell line
7. Cable Car turnaround
8. Clam chowder at Fisherman's Wharf
9. Golden Gate Bridge from the north side