Left St. George, Utah, this morning and headed north on I-15. Still spectacular scenery. I can see why people retire here. The woman at the front desk moved here from San Diego which is no slouch in the scenery and good weather department.
Was hoping to go to the Kolob Canyon portion of Zion National Park which is just off I-15, but arrived to find the visitor center closed. Started up the road and found the road was closed as well.
Had a variety of weather conditions: snow flurries, clouds, a bit of rain at one point, sunshine, but the roads were clear and no problem traveling except that the car got covered with salt spray again. First thing I did on arriving at the motel was to get it washed. At least it will start tomorrow clean. I hate trying to unload the car when it's covered with salt--I end up covered with salt as well.
The scenery on I-15 and then on I-70 is absolutely spectacular. It rivals some of the national parks. When I reached the high desert in Utah, the sun was shining. I can see why the Mormons picked Utah--it's absolutely gorgeous. Their saying--Utah, life elevated--is very appropriate.
Am just across the border in Fruita, Colorado, tonight. This is the gateway to the Colorado National Monument, which I hope to visit again tomorrow if the nasty storm doesn't materialize here. It's really gorgeous, but that road is dicey in the best of times. Won't attempt it if there's snow or ice.
If the storm hits here, I will probably hole up here for another night. I'm hoping to get past Denver tomorrow and then head north. That should skirt the storm. Could see the clouds building up on the back side of the Rockies all day.
Pulled out at the Salt Wash View Area--it was so windy, I had to put my down jacket on just to snap a few photos! There were other viewpoints along the highway, but the view from the highway is pretty fantastic, so I skipped the other ones.
Today was another day of up the mountain, down the mountain, up the mountain, etc. My trusty car is handling all this well. There are long stretches where no gas is available, so I filled up when my tank was half empty. In Richfield, Utah. Not Richfield, Minnesota.
I have bagged the idea of visiting in Colorado Springs and Wichita, which would put me right in the worst of the storm. Hope to be able to skirt it to the north. Will see what tomorrow brings.
WANDERINGS & MUSINGS. Occasional thoughts on travel, getting ready to travel, other things. Maybe some lessons learned along the way.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Road Trip, Day 23
Took the Hoover Dam Tour today. Checked out of the hotel, left my car in the parking ramp where it had remained the entire time I was there, and was picked up at 9:00 a.m. The bus driver stopped at the welcome to Las Vegas sign on the way and let us all out for a photo op. Then on to Boulder, where the tour company is located to pay for the tour. They were offering new helicopter tours over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead for $99. Would have liked to do that, but it would have involved staying longer than I wanted to.
Hoover Dam is amazing! We did the power plant tour, which takes you into the bowels of the dam. You're then free to wander across the dam and around. Good views of the new bridge. Oh, and we saw 3 bighorn sheep in the hills just before the dam! The water level is way down, due to the 12-year drought they're experiencing. Has left a very noticeable white ring (from the minerals in the water) on the Black Canyon walls. Saw tumbling tumbleweeds on the way back. A little bit of everything today.
Got the car from the parking ramp and hit the I-15 towards St. George, Utah. Was hoping to get farther, but forgot about losing an hour and I was getting tired and didn't want to be driving in the dark. Didn't realize that I would be passing through a piece of Arizona along the way. Hello/good-bye, Arizona.
The drive through the Virgin Canyon just before getting to St. George is awesome--easily rivals some of the gorgeous national parks. That's the same river that carved Zion.
Stopped first at a Hilton Garden Inn which allegedly had rooms for $69 according to the AAA book. $89 was the best price she would give me. Told her I'd stay elsewhere. Just down the street was a brand-new Comfort Inn which had nice big rooms for $61. I parked next to another Minnesota car. What are the odds of that? It's definitely cooler here, decided to bring in the big suitcase and get out some warmer clothes.
Also discovered that they have a very nice guest laundry that only charges $1 to wash and $1 to dry, so decided to do laundry while I had all the stuff with me in the room. That's when I made the ugly discovery that I've somehow misplaced my big ziplock bag of underwear. Have been operating out of a smaller bag and hand washing. No clue where I might have left it. Last time I had the big bag in the hotel was in Santa Barbara. Have sent them an e-mail to see if I left it there. Guess I'll be hand washing from now on! I suppose it won't be the end of the world if that's all I lose on this trip.
The wi-fi didn't work for spit, but the desk had an ethernet cord they lent me and life is good and connected. Will have to add that item to my travel bag. Also need to acquire another mouse to replace the one I managed to kill.
Hoover Dam is amazing! We did the power plant tour, which takes you into the bowels of the dam. You're then free to wander across the dam and around. Good views of the new bridge. Oh, and we saw 3 bighorn sheep in the hills just before the dam! The water level is way down, due to the 12-year drought they're experiencing. Has left a very noticeable white ring (from the minerals in the water) on the Black Canyon walls. Saw tumbling tumbleweeds on the way back. A little bit of everything today.
Got the car from the parking ramp and hit the I-15 towards St. George, Utah. Was hoping to get farther, but forgot about losing an hour and I was getting tired and didn't want to be driving in the dark. Didn't realize that I would be passing through a piece of Arizona along the way. Hello/good-bye, Arizona.
The drive through the Virgin Canyon just before getting to St. George is awesome--easily rivals some of the gorgeous national parks. That's the same river that carved Zion.
Stopped first at a Hilton Garden Inn which allegedly had rooms for $69 according to the AAA book. $89 was the best price she would give me. Told her I'd stay elsewhere. Just down the street was a brand-new Comfort Inn which had nice big rooms for $61. I parked next to another Minnesota car. What are the odds of that? It's definitely cooler here, decided to bring in the big suitcase and get out some warmer clothes.
Also discovered that they have a very nice guest laundry that only charges $1 to wash and $1 to dry, so decided to do laundry while I had all the stuff with me in the room. That's when I made the ugly discovery that I've somehow misplaced my big ziplock bag of underwear. Have been operating out of a smaller bag and hand washing. No clue where I might have left it. Last time I had the big bag in the hotel was in Santa Barbara. Have sent them an e-mail to see if I left it there. Guess I'll be hand washing from now on! I suppose it won't be the end of the world if that's all I lose on this trip.
The wi-fi didn't work for spit, but the desk had an ethernet cord they lent me and life is good and connected. Will have to add that item to my travel bag. Also need to acquire another mouse to replace the one I managed to kill.
Road Trip, Day 22
Saturday, January 29
Went to the concierge desk to inquire about a tour of the Hoover Dam. Am really sick of driving, so I thought it would be fun to leave the driving to someone else. They want $71.95 for a tour. Told them I would think about it.
Decided to get a day pass on the monorail and explore the strip. Those hotels are enormous. You get off the monorail and get lost in them. No signs indicating how to get out. They want you to stay in and gamble! Finally figured out that if I could find the lobby (which wasn't always easy), there was usually a way out from there. Got to the Bellagio in time for the noon dancing fountains. They are exceedingly impressive. It's all choreographed to music. They do the Star Spangled Banner at noon complete with bombs bursting in air and water shooting 300 fee into the air. The Bellagio was all decorated for Chinese New Year. They also have a Dale Chihuly overhead glass sculpture in the lobby along with a pretty impressive golden horse. Also plenty of places featuring designer threads, etc.
Caught the fountains again later in the afternoon--they apparently do different things every time they do them. Decided to come back and see them at night when they are lit. Also enjoyed lots of street theater: chorus girls in full regalia strolling down the street (at night, they had fur coats on over their costumes), Darth Vader et al. so you could pose for pictures with them, mimes, etc. The one thing that struck me when I went back that night was the young women all dolled up accompanied by young men in jeans. Eh? Slight disconnect there.
While walking the strip, encountered tour sellers, one of whom offered a tour of the Hoover Dam for $40. Reserved on the spot. Now I won't have to drive out there and then circle back.
Went to the concierge desk to inquire about a tour of the Hoover Dam. Am really sick of driving, so I thought it would be fun to leave the driving to someone else. They want $71.95 for a tour. Told them I would think about it.
Decided to get a day pass on the monorail and explore the strip. Those hotels are enormous. You get off the monorail and get lost in them. No signs indicating how to get out. They want you to stay in and gamble! Finally figured out that if I could find the lobby (which wasn't always easy), there was usually a way out from there. Got to the Bellagio in time for the noon dancing fountains. They are exceedingly impressive. It's all choreographed to music. They do the Star Spangled Banner at noon complete with bombs bursting in air and water shooting 300 fee into the air. The Bellagio was all decorated for Chinese New Year. They also have a Dale Chihuly overhead glass sculpture in the lobby along with a pretty impressive golden horse. Also plenty of places featuring designer threads, etc.
Caught the fountains again later in the afternoon--they apparently do different things every time they do them. Decided to come back and see them at night when they are lit. Also enjoyed lots of street theater: chorus girls in full regalia strolling down the street (at night, they had fur coats on over their costumes), Darth Vader et al. so you could pose for pictures with them, mimes, etc. The one thing that struck me when I went back that night was the young women all dolled up accompanied by young men in jeans. Eh? Slight disconnect there.
While walking the strip, encountered tour sellers, one of whom offered a tour of the Hoover Dam for $40. Reserved on the spot. Now I won't have to drive out there and then circle back.
Road Trip, Day 21
Day 21 was Friday, January 28. Decided not to pay Hilton $12/day for internet access, so have taken a break from posting. It always amazes me that the cheaper hotels/motels offer free internet access and the more expensive ones charge for it. A lot.
Lots of mining activity in the Searles Lake area on the way to Death Valley National Park. Also associated air pollution. Too bad they don't have stricter regulations on their smokestacks.
Took about an hour to get to the park from the middle of nowhere. Now DEFINITELY in the middle of nowhere. Gas only in two widely separate places, almost no services, main visitor center is closed for renovations, this is really a minimal park. Doesn't even have an entrance station. There's some great scenery, but it's really spread out. Spent almost the entire day and still didn't see it all. Many of the areas require a high-clearance vehicle to access. The dunes were not as impressive as they appear in photos, but I was seeing them in the midday sun. Light is everything with this kind of stuff. Ubehebe Crater was impressive, although a long drive to get there. So there, crater place in Arizona that wanted to charge me a fortune to get in. Saw one for free. The Artists' Drive is very impressive. I've seen lots of red, orange, yellow rock. How about blue rock! The road through there is very narrow and in some places, you barely make it between the rocks/boulders.
The elevation changes in the park are amazing. One minute you're at 5,000 feet, the next you're 282 feet below sea level. There actually is water in the badwater section, I don't know if it's because of the recent rains or not. Nobody around to ask. Up, down. Repeat. This is not the place to be driving a dodgy car.
Anyway, finally decided I had better hightail it to Vegas because it was getting late and I'm not fond of driving in the dark, although I would be doing that this time. Welcome to Nevada. First town is Parumph, kind of a strange name. But there was a Linda Street, so it must be OK. Lots more nowhere after that.
Coming through the mountains in the dark, all of a sudden you see the lights of Vegas through a break in the hills. Pretty impressive.
Mr. Garmin once again delivered me to the door of the Las Vegas Hilton. It's a LONG way from the parking garage to the hotel. Only took in minimal things. The hotel is huge and has long corridors. Just getting from my room to the ice machine was a hike.
The hotel has the requisite gambling facilities where they allow smoking, so it's pretty nasty in there. It's such a shock to encounter people smoking indoors. Even in the central lobby area. But it was cheap, had free parking, and it's on the monorail. And my room was on a nonsmoking floor in the central tower.
Lots of mining activity in the Searles Lake area on the way to Death Valley National Park. Also associated air pollution. Too bad they don't have stricter regulations on their smokestacks.
Took about an hour to get to the park from the middle of nowhere. Now DEFINITELY in the middle of nowhere. Gas only in two widely separate places, almost no services, main visitor center is closed for renovations, this is really a minimal park. Doesn't even have an entrance station. There's some great scenery, but it's really spread out. Spent almost the entire day and still didn't see it all. Many of the areas require a high-clearance vehicle to access. The dunes were not as impressive as they appear in photos, but I was seeing them in the midday sun. Light is everything with this kind of stuff. Ubehebe Crater was impressive, although a long drive to get there. So there, crater place in Arizona that wanted to charge me a fortune to get in. Saw one for free. The Artists' Drive is very impressive. I've seen lots of red, orange, yellow rock. How about blue rock! The road through there is very narrow and in some places, you barely make it between the rocks/boulders.
The elevation changes in the park are amazing. One minute you're at 5,000 feet, the next you're 282 feet below sea level. There actually is water in the badwater section, I don't know if it's because of the recent rains or not. Nobody around to ask. Up, down. Repeat. This is not the place to be driving a dodgy car.
Anyway, finally decided I had better hightail it to Vegas because it was getting late and I'm not fond of driving in the dark, although I would be doing that this time. Welcome to Nevada. First town is Parumph, kind of a strange name. But there was a Linda Street, so it must be OK. Lots more nowhere after that.
Coming through the mountains in the dark, all of a sudden you see the lights of Vegas through a break in the hills. Pretty impressive.
Mr. Garmin once again delivered me to the door of the Las Vegas Hilton. It's a LONG way from the parking garage to the hotel. Only took in minimal things. The hotel is huge and has long corridors. Just getting from my room to the ice machine was a hike.
The hotel has the requisite gambling facilities where they allow smoking, so it's pretty nasty in there. It's such a shock to encounter people smoking indoors. Even in the central lobby area. But it was cheap, had free parking, and it's on the monorail. And my room was on a nonsmoking floor in the central tower.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Road Trip, Day 20
This morning I got up early and took Pat, Mary, and Joey to the airport. Anne and I had breakfast and then I packed up my car while she swam and sunned. She decided to hang around the hotel longer and take the shuttle, so I left around noon.
Was still unable to connect with Beth in Ventura, so I proceeded to the Camarillo Outlets. That was pretty much a waste of time--prices in the Chico's outlet were higher than the sale prices in the stores! As I was attempting to find my way to Ridgecrest in the deepening dusk, I regretted spending the time at the stores on the way. Also hit some traffic in the LA area.
So now I am in the "middle of nowhere" according to the desk clerk at the motel. He was wondering what I was doing here by myself. Told him I was going to Death Valley National Park tomorrow. Two men came in while we were talking and they had just finished touring the park. They said it was spectacular.
I decided to not make hotel reservations and try to negotiate a better rate at the hotel. Didn't get me anywhere at this one, they just offered me the AAA rate. Will see how it goes. This was the lowest price reasonable motel in town, so wasn't prepared to walk. I did have great luck negotiating in Sedona, so will keep it up.
Ridgecrest is about 4,000 feet in elevation, high desert. Dramatic temperature drop from Santa Barbara. I suddenly noticed warm air coming out the vents at my feet (you just set a temperature and the car decides how to maintain it) and checked the outside temp. It had dropped 20 degrees.
Was still unable to connect with Beth in Ventura, so I proceeded to the Camarillo Outlets. That was pretty much a waste of time--prices in the Chico's outlet were higher than the sale prices in the stores! As I was attempting to find my way to Ridgecrest in the deepening dusk, I regretted spending the time at the stores on the way. Also hit some traffic in the LA area.
So now I am in the "middle of nowhere" according to the desk clerk at the motel. He was wondering what I was doing here by myself. Told him I was going to Death Valley National Park tomorrow. Two men came in while we were talking and they had just finished touring the park. They said it was spectacular.
I decided to not make hotel reservations and try to negotiate a better rate at the hotel. Didn't get me anywhere at this one, they just offered me the AAA rate. Will see how it goes. This was the lowest price reasonable motel in town, so wasn't prepared to walk. I did have great luck negotiating in Sedona, so will keep it up.
Ridgecrest is about 4,000 feet in elevation, high desert. Dramatic temperature drop from Santa Barbara. I suddenly noticed warm air coming out the vents at my feet (you just set a temperature and the car decides how to maintain it) and checked the outside temp. It had dropped 20 degrees.
Road Trip, Day 19
We decided to just hang out at our wonderful hotel and enjoy the gorgeous weather for a while. I enquired about a place to do some laundry and was directed to a laundromat up on the mesa. Drove up there and discovered it takes a lot of quarters to do laundry these days! I probably haven't been in a laundromat for 40 some years.
Got my load of laundry in and determined it would take 30 minutes. Went outside to see what I could see in the neighborhood. A block down was a park with a gorgeous view of the Pacific. I walked around a bit and enjoyed the view and then came back and put the clothes in the dryer. Then went across the street to a healthy foods grocery store, purchased a salad for lunch, and sat on a bench in the sun and ate my lunch. By then the clothes were dry. Not a bad trip to the laundromat!
Went from there to the post office to acquire some postcard stamps for all the postcards we'd been writing. Then came back to the hotel and relaxed on our patio and the lawn and visited some more.
Tonight we went for a last dinner at Emilio's Ristorante down the street. Yummy food. We had a great time.
Tomorrow my friends head back to Minnesota and Washington and I begin my return journey to Minneapolis.
Got my load of laundry in and determined it would take 30 minutes. Went outside to see what I could see in the neighborhood. A block down was a park with a gorgeous view of the Pacific. I walked around a bit and enjoyed the view and then came back and put the clothes in the dryer. Then went across the street to a healthy foods grocery store, purchased a salad for lunch, and sat on a bench in the sun and ate my lunch. By then the clothes were dry. Not a bad trip to the laundromat!
Went from there to the post office to acquire some postcard stamps for all the postcards we'd been writing. Then came back to the hotel and relaxed on our patio and the lawn and visited some more.
Tonight we went for a last dinner at Emilio's Ristorante down the street. Yummy food. We had a great time.
Tomorrow my friends head back to Minnesota and Washington and I begin my return journey to Minneapolis.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Road Trip, Day 18
This morning we drove up to the Santa Barbara Mission. It was an interesting building, but I always feel sorry for the Indians who were enslaved by the "Christians" who built these buildings to enslave and convert them. This mission is apparently one of the more well preserved ones. We were lucky that we got there early because as we were leaving, swarms of school children were leaving.
We then drove to Solvang. Thanks to the cab driver who delivered some of the group from the airport, we knew to take the scenic route (Highway 154) through the mountains. It was gorgeous up there!
Solvang was fun. It's a town founded by Danes, so most of them know how to spell my name. Although one shop was selling magnets promoting Hans Christian Anderson. When I pointed out to the young woman running the cash register that the name was misspelled, she was indifferent. I told her I'd buy my souvenirs in a store that cared a bit more about such an important figure. There's a Hans Christian Andersen museum there as well as a statue. There's also a replica of the little mermaid statue.
I had forgotten to bring my large camera and thus all the camera impedimenta. All of a sudden my new small one announced that the memory card was full. I had forgotten it came with a 2 MB card. Asked at the restaurant where we were having a typical Danish lunch of open-faced sandwiches where I might buy a card in town. Was directed to the small shopping center about half a mile out of town. Went there, but couldn't find anything. A helpful local woman who was also seeking assistance suggested that I go the other direction, past Solvang, two miles up the road to Buelton, where I would find Albertson's and a CVS. The CVS had one, thankfully on sale, since their prices are normally astronomical.
On the way back to Solvang, saw ostriches in a field.
Back in Solvang, I checked out the Bethania Lutheran Church, which is a typical Scandinavian church. Spare and beautiful. Many Scandinavian churches have a model ship hanging from the ceiling in the sanctuary, symbolizing a haven of safety across the waters of life.
I stopped by the Chamber of Commerce office to ask where I might find Solvang magnets. The volunteer running the office was sporting a beautiful Solvang Centennial pin, so I asked where I could get one. Turns out they were selling them. Found a magnet place a few doors down and bought one that the fellow who owned the store had designed.
Also checked out the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, the statue in his park, and the replica Little Mermaid statue. Then found the others and we went back to the restaurant where we had lunch to have ebelskivers for desert. We then came back to Santa Barbara via the scenic route.
Had our usual gathering on our patio and then decided to have dinner at the hotel's restaurant since the breakfast was so good. We only have one full day left here. It's time to start figuring out where I'm going to go next.
We then drove to Solvang. Thanks to the cab driver who delivered some of the group from the airport, we knew to take the scenic route (Highway 154) through the mountains. It was gorgeous up there!
Solvang was fun. It's a town founded by Danes, so most of them know how to spell my name. Although one shop was selling magnets promoting Hans Christian Anderson. When I pointed out to the young woman running the cash register that the name was misspelled, she was indifferent. I told her I'd buy my souvenirs in a store that cared a bit more about such an important figure. There's a Hans Christian Andersen museum there as well as a statue. There's also a replica of the little mermaid statue.
I had forgotten to bring my large camera and thus all the camera impedimenta. All of a sudden my new small one announced that the memory card was full. I had forgotten it came with a 2 MB card. Asked at the restaurant where we were having a typical Danish lunch of open-faced sandwiches where I might buy a card in town. Was directed to the small shopping center about half a mile out of town. Went there, but couldn't find anything. A helpful local woman who was also seeking assistance suggested that I go the other direction, past Solvang, two miles up the road to Buelton, where I would find Albertson's and a CVS. The CVS had one, thankfully on sale, since their prices are normally astronomical.
On the way back to Solvang, saw ostriches in a field.
Back in Solvang, I checked out the Bethania Lutheran Church, which is a typical Scandinavian church. Spare and beautiful. Many Scandinavian churches have a model ship hanging from the ceiling in the sanctuary, symbolizing a haven of safety across the waters of life.
I stopped by the Chamber of Commerce office to ask where I might find Solvang magnets. The volunteer running the office was sporting a beautiful Solvang Centennial pin, so I asked where I could get one. Turns out they were selling them. Found a magnet place a few doors down and bought one that the fellow who owned the store had designed.
Also checked out the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, the statue in his park, and the replica Little Mermaid statue. Then found the others and we went back to the restaurant where we had lunch to have ebelskivers for desert. We then came back to Santa Barbara via the scenic route.
Had our usual gathering on our patio and then decided to have dinner at the hotel's restaurant since the breakfast was so good. We only have one full day left here. It's time to start figuring out where I'm going to go next.
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