Getting out of town
two hours of packing, one hour of driving, chill out on the South Yuba
day 2
164 miles
219 total
Do the I-80 slog to Marin. Traffic didn't suck too bad.
Start with nice breakfast in the mountains. Finish with hot dogs with the grandkids, great!
day 3
164 miles
219 total
drive to Corte Madera, leave my van with repair folks
ride back in heavy traffic
get a ride to Marin, fail to get my van
Repair folks messed up, they are keeping the van for the weekend. I am annoyed. Heavy traffic again going home, Martha is annoyed.
jigsaw puzzle in the afternoon, dinner in Bodega
kid party and garage sales and a jigsaw puzzle, then road trip to Bodega Bay for dinner at the deli
walk to town for a Sunday paper, hang out
yard sale in the morning, kid party in the afternoon
walk->train->Lyft to Marin, finally pick up the van
Nobody is driving to Marin, so I had to go modern and ride the train, then Lyft. Afternoon in Stinson.
clean and repack the van
One more day, where I was able to do what I was gonna do this weekend. We had a fire in the new fire pit in the evening!
One hour drive up 101 to Lake Mendocino
Ate at Burger Me in Hopland. That place is interesting.
the ole Eureka run, yet again
Driving the narrow road through the redwoods never fails to give me chills.
The ole Crescent City run, which is super-scenic but an annoying drive.
Hang at Because till 1, eat till 2, drive a while and nap till 4, hang at the overlook in CC for awhile, ease into the Lucky 7 a little after 7 pm.
No vacancies …. anywhere.
Every state campground full, every federal campground full. Way more driving than I’d planned.
Much better day, actually went more or less according to plan!
Coffee on the dock, breakfast and chillin at Newport Harbor, then knock off early at Devil’s Lake.
Another long day. The coast in August is not a friendly place for me.
Breakfast at the Pig ’n Pancake, where I seem to end up on every trip. Follow the northern Oregon coast till a little past Tillamook.
Very happy to be back at adult Disneyland
But I got too relaxed … couldn’t find my wallet for 14 hours. F—ing stoner …
The all day relax-a-thon …
A little stressful in the morning, then found the wallet! Let’s relax!
I-84 east, along the mighty Columbia River
Lots of fire damage, and many attractions closed because of it.
I-84, some roads around the bend of the river, then I-90
More Columbia River, then north through the Palouse
coffee in a college town, Spokane, now Idaho
coffee in Cheney, failed attempt to explore Spokane, great spot on the Priest River.
Extremely scenic water to my right all day.
Coffee in Sandpoint, burger and fries and two Molsons (yikes!) in Clark Fork
Down the Clark Fork valley, back up a dry, bare valley to Flathead Lake.
It turns out the town called Hot Springs has hot springs! Glad I checked it out.
Breakfast in Kalispell, drive south of Glacier NP.
Drive through Glacier is closed, so I’m going around.
Coffee and wifi, then straight to the campground to nail a spot.
Too many tourists in East Glacier, Two Medicine Lake is pretty.
road construction, big, slow RVs, no food
Day started so nice … but man was it long.
Failed to find Rock City, enjoy Great Falls
Nice morning in Valier, 25 miles of gravel road for nothing, Giant Springs
a 50 mile driving day!
Loiter at motel till 1pm, back to Target, then drive to Ft Benton
A long day, but nothing up here to stop for
Hard to leave Fort Benton, but the endless hills await.
NWR Auto Tour, then easy drive to Fort Peck
Hard to leave my excellent little city park.
I have been driving due east on US 2 for four days.
Do town things til 3:30, drive two hours to a sweet little spot near the confluence of the Yellowstone and the Missouri
Unexpectedly detoured to a National Park.
Noticed a sign for Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ended up going there.
All day has been Baaken Shale oil boom territory, and it is very stressful.
Backtrack to Watford City, then follow the river, which is not a river but a lake. End up at weird but pretty campground on the lake.
Spend the afternoon at Fort Mandan
Great breakfast in Washburn, lots of fun on the river at Fort Mandan. Somehow end up at a weird little wasteland south of Bismarck in a rainstorm.
Long drive along the river going south.
Back to Bismarck, then drive along the river a long time to a casino campground that I’m sure was built by the Army.
Another long drive along the river going south.
DQ for breakfast cuz it’s Sunday, watch football at the Pierre sports bar, swim and shoot hoops. Expensive campground, but lots of amenities.
Too long drive, beautiful countryside.
Took the Lewis and Clark Trail (i.e. the slow road) all day. Decided not to get extorted by SD State Parks again. Ended in a great spot!
Easy drive. Went from arid to humid today.
Continued the Lewis and Clark Trail, but for a lot less time. Another city park. Walked to a nice bar in town.
Took on Omaha, and Omaha won.
Coffee in Sioux City, place was crowded and kinda difficult. FAIL on Omaha campgrounds, Here I am in the boonies again. VERY humid.
Plattsmouth NE is a cool town.
Enjoy the confluence of the Platte and Missouri. Hot, windy cornfields all day to Falls City.
Very pretty drive along the river to Kansas City
Gutbuster breakfast in the local diner, pleasant drive to crappy hotel. Back out to enjoy art.
Museum again, bbq, long suburbs, end up in great park.
Coffee at the museum cafe, a little more art, serious bbq meal at Gates, pretty drive down the river to Van Meter State Park.
Hang out till two, then familiar feeling Missouri roads.
Central Missouri farmland to the vacation retirement wonderland of Lake of the Ozarks.
I’d forgotten, but Missouri roads are dangerous and exhausting.
Real nice coffeehouse, then those narrow, curvy, no-shoulder roads through the endless oak forest that wind on forever.
Half the day was oaky woods like yesterday, then it got flat.
Alluva sudden I’m in cotton fields!
Take a ferry across the fast-moving Mississippi River!
Three state day, counting about eight minutes of Kentucky
West central Tennessee is pretty boring.
Two knuckleheads in 10 minutes in the little town of XX. Glad I got out of there.
Pickwick Dam, Natchez Trace, Tupelo
Natchez Trace is very restful. Big Game Eve in Starkville.
just hangin around the house today
Only left the house to get stuff out of the van.
Doug drives us to watch the Niners
Fine dining at the Buffalo Wild Wings. The Niners suck.
Starkville to Tuscaloosa to the sticks
Taking the big roads for a few days till I get to Florida. They suck.
Cross Alabama today.
Alabama didn’t work for me today. Couldn’t find food, the people seemed weird.
Make a diagonal across Georgia to Florida.
Drive took much longer than I thought, got to Suwannee after dark.
Four hours of hateful freeway driving.
Florida drivers haven’t gotten any better. My first near death experience of the trip, I-75 South.
Much more interesting and pleasant drive getting away.
Coast highway past Tarpon Springs, then suburban sprawl for too long, then nice highway through the piney woods and cypress swamps.
Nice, easy drive through the north Florida wilderness.
Caffienate at the Dunkin Donuts in Chiefland, get sandwiches at a Subway down the road. Food choices are bleak down here.
Swim in the Gulf!
Breakfast next door, then putter around the Gulf for the afternoon.
Weird day. Didn’t feel good, storm’s coming..
Tallahassee bracing for storm, long drive to get to a nice place, a little hung over does’t help
Much nicer day, easier drive.
Good coffee shop, good lunch. I like Perry GA.
Pretty drive across South Carolina
Coffee in North Augusta. Pleasant drive after I got off the interstate. Charlotte rush hour.
Hang around the house, then tour Charlotte.
Tail end of Hurricane Michael was pretty rough turns out. Interesting drive.
Hang around the house all day
Only left the house to sit in the deck and get stuff out of the van.
Three hours of freeway from one house to another.
I always stop at McD’s or DQ for my “need a bite” pit stops.
Wifi at the clubhouse, dinner with Sarah
Hang out at their new clubhouse, cleaning out the opened wine bottles. Great time with Sarah’s kids.
move stuff, dinner with the pre-geezers
Their old friends are very nice people, who all seem to have nice house on a lake or stream or something comfortable.
Pretty drive, but at 45 mph most of the way.
Longer and slower drive than I thought. Cotton farming in NE NC, and that swampy bayou-like terrain.
Dismal Swamp then suddenly urban America
Intracoastal Waterway is awesome. The coast at the mouth of the Chesapeake is developed like Florida.
The Eastern Shore is a unique place
Easy drive up the peninsula. Peggy’s place is great. Oysters, clams and crabcakes for dinner!
Walk the boardwalk and the picture perfect village
Eat out again at fancy downtown place.
See King Lear in Lewes.
Culture Day and a nice meal with Peggy’s beach posse
Interesting drive across Bay Bridge to DC
Awesome seafood buffet, then pretty but tiring drive into the setting sun.
Home till 4:40, walk to downtown Silver Springs.
Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue sure are a lot more built-up than they were 30 years ago (duh!).
Drive an electric car for the first time.
Getting to Bethesda in the morning rush hour. Dinner with the neighbors.
Hang out all day again.
A bit of a sunset walk around the neighborhood
African American Museum
Drive to the office, walk to the Museum, excellent Greek Happy Hour
Smithsonian Day
Walked a long, long, long time.
Wonderful. restorative day. Laundry!
Rainy day, perfect for getting everything tidied up for the final leg of the trip.
Glad it’s Sunday, DC traffic is beastly.
Hit the road around 1 pm. Even on Sunday, DC freeways are tough. Crazy sports bar, then peace and calm at the campground.
Antietam and Harper’s Ferry, too much for one day.
Lingered over lunch, lingered at Antietam, the day was too short.
Easy driving day finally. Virginia Mountains are beautiful.
Fort Valley was picture perfect today. Lunch in Luray, then Skyline Drive.
Skyline Drive was beautiful. I-81 was nightmarish.
Skyline Drive, Great lunch in Waynesboro. Then a rough hour jockeying with the big rigs on I-81.
Roanoke, then Blue Ridge Parkway is even more beautiful.
I liked Roanoke. It has a cool downtown. Fall colors are near peak on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Didn’t quite make it back onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it was very pretty anyway.
Hard rain and tiring country road, but the farmhouses and fields and fall trees were quite beautiful
I am running out of daylight every day.
Enjoyed Johnson City, ran out of daylight again.
Lost in Whitley County Kentucky
Great lunch in Cumberland Gap, nice drive, then Maps suggested a shortcut, I lost phone reception, and suddenly I was screwed.
Had it with the hills, interstate today for me.
Not interesting freeway driving today, until the Natchez Trace at the very end.
Natchez Trace and Shiloh
The Natchez Trace is the Relaxation Pose of driving, a serene experience. Shiloh is sobering every time.
Corinth, then go the wrong direction, annoy myself
Corinth seemed like a nice town. I seem to have lost my sense of direction.
Oxford to the Delta, cross the mighty Mississippi.
Really enjoyed Oxford. The Mississippi is very big and wide. Eastern Arksansas isn’t very attractive.
Cypress swamps and cotton fields to the Ouachita Mountains.
The delta is a services desert. The hills are a little better, but not much.
Treating myself to a $100 chill day.
Hotel breakfast buffet. Drive around town a bit. Out on the town a bit.
Glad I came here.
A lot of activity getting out town, then a pretty easy drive t a great spot in Ft Smith.
Brutally cold today. Nice day to be in the warm van driving!
Windy and wet and cold. I decide to motel it tonight.
Very cold again, highest temp was 34°
Probably shoulda camped tonight, but moteled it again.
Lovely afternoon puttering around Salt Plains
Did a complete loop around Salt Plains then headed west on the prairie.
94
195 miles
10,037 total
Drove due west all day, getting across the prairie.
98 miles to morning coffee, the rest of the day was pretty easy after than.
95
132 miles
10,169 total
Entered the mountain Time Zone.
Entered New Mexico, saw the Rockies on the horizon, I’m back in the west!
96
172 miles
10,341 total
I finally drive the Raton Pass.
Gusty and gloomy in the I-25 corridor, clear and mild in the San Luis Valley.
97
173 miles
10,514 total
An interesting drive really. New Mexico is very scenic.
New plan, heading due south till I get to a Sprinter repair place.
Pretty much a clustertf-ck of a day.
Hang out in a shopping center all day whole they don’t fix my van.
99
130 miles
10,647 total
Wake up at the truck repair place.
I escape Hal Burns $1,300 poorer with my started not fixed. But I am on the road again!
100
290 miles
10,937 total
western New Mexico and the Salt River Canyon
Beautiful, interesting, but way too long drive. Very Large Array, Show Low, the Canyon
101
229 miles
11,166 total
Thanksgiving Day in the suburbs of Phoenix
Today started pretty crappy, ended really nice!
102
161 miles
11,327 total
Coffee and lunch on old Route 66 in Kingman
Pretty easy drive, to Kingman, cross the Colorado then to Lake Mead.
103
100 miles
11,427 total
The suburbs of Las Vegas are huge.
Las Vegas sucks your soul just driving across it.
104
147 miles
11,574 total
Enter Death Valley at the southeast corner.
Spent a tourist day in Death Valley, got out at Badwater, The Artist’s Point drive is cool.
105
204 miles
11,778 total
Take a route I have never, ever taken.
Panamint to Lone Pine is a really pretty drive. 174 across the mountains is not as pretty as I thought it would be.
106
250 miles
12,028 total
Oddly, it was kind of fun to drive 99, but very long.
Weird Christian coffee shop in Bakersfield, then a whole lot of Route 99.
107
106 miles
12,134 total
Yesterday was the tough day, today was pretty easy.
Starbucks, quaint and narrow Route 4, Bridgehead Cafe, Les Schwab, San Anselmo Library, Gannon’s
waiting for more expensive car news
Enjoyed the comfortable basement and a channel changer all day.
Hike up the hill in San Rafael
Great walk, lunch at the Peruvian restaurant, pick up the van, drive to Petaluma
110
24 miles
12,161 total
Hang out with the fam
read and play with the toddlers
Seventh grade CYO basketball
read and play with the toddlers
Hang out all day again.
Activity swirling around me all day, but I just stay here.
Hang out all day again.
Katie visits, they go to a show tonight.
Breakfast with M and C.
read and play with the toddlers
115
66 miles
12,227 total
Leave, late breakfast in Vacaville
Easy pleasant drive on roads that will be awful four hous from now.
116
102 miles
12,329 total
Winters, Granzella’s, Colusa Casino
Spend the afternoon at the Wildlife Refuge, sonderful.
117
153 miles
12,482 total
Easy drive home on 20 and I-80
Take the scenic route from Colusa to Yuba City, very pretty drive.