On Day One (photos) we drove about 750
miles and wound up just outside of St. Louis. Claire began noting the license plates of cars we passed, hoping to see
plates from
all fifty states before the end of the trip. By the end of the second day she'd seen over forty, including Alaska, and we figured most of the
rest would come along in due time. Hawaii, however was giving us some concern.
On Day Two (photos) we drove across
Missouri, after visting the Gateway Arch, and most of Kansas, ending up in
Colby, where we spent the night.
On Day Three (photos) we had a short drive
into Boulder. We took a scenic route through Nederland, and still had time to kill when we reached Boulder, so we took a walk
and found "The Colorado Canine Cafe." The dog had been bugging us for some down time (she said something about
stopping to smell the roses. Might not have been roses, come to think of it. I forget what, but she wanted to smell
something), so this was ideal. That evening
there was a thunderstorm right at Fourth-of-July fireworks-display time. When the storm abated, we went out and caught the tail end of a nice
fireworks show.
On Day Four (photos) we drove across the
Rockies. A real white-knuckle ride. Didn't help that there were thunderstorms all over the place. We climbed to about
11,000 feet on two-lane roads with no shoulder nor guard-rail. Then descended again and went through Ouray, a
wild-west town if there ever was one, then up again and down into Durango.
On Day Five (photos) we saw Mesa Verde. And much
more. We drove across the Colorado
Plateau and through Navajo territory. We stopped at Four Corners
and took some pictures and bought jewelry from the Navajo artisans there. We made it to Grand Canyon
in time to set up camp. The sun set while we were having supper so we
didn't see the sunset over the canyon. That'll have to wait for ...
Day Six (photos) Kim got up and caught the sunrise while the rest of us snoozed. We traipsed around the rim of the canyon all
day as it rained off and on. At one point we were at an overlook (with thunderstorms in the area -- They weren't that
close but it may have been a bad idea in
retrospect). Everyone started pointing at this woman. I looked over and her hair was on end. I mean, literally. All
of it, straight up. I grabbed my daughter, caught my wife's eye and said "Go!" and we high-tailed it off the rock and
to the nearest shelter. No one got struck, though, and I guess the woman's hair has settled down by now. Not sure
mine has.
On Day Seven (photos) we saw the sunrise at Grand
Canyon. We also saw this doofus climb out over the guard rail and meander
down the cliff about twenty feet. There's a lot of ways this can turn out, I said to myself, most of 'em not too
good. But Kim thought it was morbid of me to hover around with a camera. I tried to explain that
just the right photo could've paid for the trip but she wouldn't hear it, so we moved along.
On Day Eight (photos) we learned that Bryce
Canyon is not really a canyon. More of an amphitheater, they tell me. An amphitheater with hoodoos. It's the hoodoos that make it spectacular, in fact.
While we were enjoying the scenery at Bryce, Greta relaxed for a couple of days at
Pawsz, a local kennel. It's run by a very nice couple. They raise dogs and
horses, and the boarding dogs stay in their house some of the time. Greta made herself right at home, and even tried to
sleep on their bed like she does at home!
Extra! (photos) Kim and Claire took
a horseback (in Kim's case, mule-back) ride into the canyon.
On Day Nine (photos) we left Bryce Canyon
and spent a few hours at Zion National Park, long enough for the
girls to become Junior Rangers there. Then we blew into Vegas
long enough to shop at Whole Foods, and kept going until we got
to Beatty, NV (a stone's throw from Death Valley)... where we found out there was a wildfire three
miles away.
On Day Ten (photos) we drove through the
desert into the Sierra Nevadas. We climbed up into Yosemite National
Park. Couldn't stay there so we drove through and made our way
into California.
On Day Eleven (photos) we made our way up
to San Francisco. We were going to stop at a Whole Foods but
the exit for it was closed. Luckily we had a back-up plan: a
different Whole Foods. We got a little lost finding it and a lot
lost trying to find our way to the Golden Gate Bridge. But we
made it. And we saw the elusive Hawaii license plate! Only three more to go. We continued up the coast to the Muir Woods National Monument. There, the girls acquired their fourth Junior Ranger
certificates. Then we drove on up the coast and wound up in Fortuna.
On Day Twelve (photos) we left Fortuna
(after a very good night's sleep. Especially good, when you
consider that the rodeo was in town.) and drove up the coast. We
took a walk in the old growth redwood forest (the Lady Bird Johnson Grove, a part of the Redwood National and State Parks conglomerate.) and played on the
beach. Then we drove on into Oregon and spent the night in
Grant's Pass.
On Day Thirteen (photos) we caught a
picture of the WeinerMobile just as it was leaving our motel. Then
we drove up the Oregon Coast, stopping at a couple of points
along the way. Cannon Beach, named after a cannon which washed
ashore in eighteen-forty-something, was particularly pleasant.
We reached Portland in time for supper at Kim's cousin's house,
where we spent the night and had a rollicking good time with Kim's extended family.
On Day Fourteen we simply drove from Portland to Seattle
and nothing photogenic happened. We left Greta at
Downtown Dog Lounge. since our
hostess didn't want her to stay in the house. It's a nice place.They have a
webcam so we could check in on her from time to time.
On Day Fifteen (photos) we celebrated Bon Odori at
the Seattle Buddhist Temple. It's a Japanese festival, is all I know. With
lots of food. On Day Sixteen we goofed around town, and took Greta
out of the lounge to play in a park. But not a single picture was taken.
Our hostess has a cabin out on Hood Canal. I've been hearing about it for
years and on Day Seventeen (photos) I finally got to see
for myself. It's everything I'd hoped for and much more. We spent a
relaxing couple of days up there. The evening of Day Eighteen we
had dinner with some of Kim's relatives.(Family photos only, nothing of
general interest to post here) A cousin from Fairfax happened to
be in town. He lives just up the road, but the only time we ever see him is when
we're all in Seattle.
On Day Nineteen we touristed around Seattle some more. We mainly went to the
Hiram M. Chittenden Locks and watched the fish fight the
current. That evening we had dinner with Kim's cousin Jerry. He's Vietnamese, so he took us to a Vietnamese
restaurant for pho. We had a great time with Jerry, his wife (also
Vietnamese), their houseguest (a recent arrival from .... wait for it... Viet Nam), and a niece of Jerry's
(astonishingly, not-Vietnamese). On Day Twenty I flew home. The girls went to another Bon Odori over the weekend (Day Twenty-One).
They had a last dinner in Seattle (photos) on Day Twenty-Two.
They left Seattle on Day Twenty-Three and are slowly working their way home.
On Day Twenty-Eight (photos) they passed through the Badlands and Mount Rushmore.
As they send me more pictures I'll add them here.
Before the trip, I'd given Claire the task of becoming expert on the many
features of our camera. Her favorite thing is the
Panorama (photos) setting. I think she's catching on.
Well, that's about all for now. As pictures trickle in from the
girls I'll add them. Also I'm still fine-tuning the text and the layout
and all that. When they finally get home for good I'll have even more
pictures to work with. So come back later and see what's new!
December 2021: Grace's take on some of the sites we saw is
available at
Grace's Travelogue 2006.
That reminds me, recommended reading:
Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon by Thomas M. Myers,
Michael P. Ghiglieri.
Also, you might want to read about the early explorations of the canyon country. I read Down the Great Unknown: John Wesley Powell's 1869 Journey of Discovery and Tragedy Through the Grand Canyon by Edward Dolnick and found it
fascinating. I may read John Wesley Powell's own account of
that adventure (The
exploration of the Colorado River and its canyons) next.
Drop me a line, why don't you?