Why is it that everything seems to happen at the last minute? Yesterday, Steve called the Navy base to confirm our moving appointment. They hadn't made the appointment yet! He notified them back in April about this move. He explained that we have to be on the road on the 15th and is at the base (as I write this) trying to straighten everything out.

Then... Yesterday I took Steve over to pick up his truck (which had the cap and bedliner installed). When I tried to start the car, I got ZIP. Steve jumped my car and we drove immediately to the Navy Base to have someone at the Auto Shop look at it. We're supposed to drive it to Orlando on Thursday to have it shipped! The mechanics ran diagnostics on it and told us that the battery was fine - it was the starter. Why did it start with the jump if it's the starter? I suppose I should feel grateful that this all happened NOW and not on the way to Orlando or once we got to Alaska.

On a happier note, I got an early morning phone call from my son, Brandon - who is back in Kuwait and hoping to be back in the USA by July 4th. (Keeping my fingers crossed). He also got to call my daughter-in-law, Becky - who is back in Utah having surgery for a knee injury she sustained while in Iraq.

This afternoon, I haul the dog and cat to their favorite place - THE VET! Once I get them their wellness exams, I can cross one more thing off my list of "to-dos".

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My grandfather died this afternoon (Pop Pop Smalley)... His passing brought a tremendous sadness to me. Not only because he is no longer here with us, but because I am in the process of moving. (When my father died in 1996, I was also in the process of moving.) What brings me comfort is knowing that Pop Pop is finally with his wife and all his children - in a beautiful place where he no longer suffers.

Walter Louis Smalley July 7, 1910 - May 7, 2003

Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there. I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow. I am the diamond glint on snow. I am the sunlight on ripened grain. I am the gentle autumn rain. When you wake in the morning hush I am the swift, uplifting rush of quiet birds in circling flight. I am the soft starlight at night. Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there. I do not sleep. Anonymous

My Pop Pop was a great inspiration to me. His love for photography is what got me started in the hobby. His wonderful sense of humor brought laughter to every family gathering. He was a very intelligent man. In the 1940's he worked on the Manhattan Project helping to develop America's first atomic weapons. He enjoyed tinkering with electronics and would build all kinds of contraptions from scratch. He enjoyed when his children and grandchildren would stop to visit every Sunday after church. I can honestly say that I never knew him as anyone other than a humorous, smiling, and loving man. How blessed I am that he was my grandfather. Pop Pop, you will be missed by all. I love you.

We're home from Tampa. We left yesterday morning and drove from Jacksonville to Orlando to drop off my car so it could be shipped to Alaska. (I followed Steve) They estimate the car will get to Fairbanks no later than June 9th - which means it will beat us there. The military will store my car for thirty days after it arrives, which gives us plenty of time to pick it up. The process was a fairly long one. I suppose I just imagined I'd turn over the car, the keys, and do some paperwork and we'd be on our way. But there's more to it. The car has to be cleaned inside and out. (We knew that ahead of time and took care of it before we left yesterday.) Except for a few bug carcasses on the windshield, it looks great. The staff then boxes up any personal stuff that is ALLOWED to go with the car. This includes owner's manuals, the license plate, basic tools, the jack and spare, and other items specific to the car. They hand you back all the extra stuff such as sunglasses, cassette tapes/CDs; even a set of winter gloves and a scarf I had in the trunk. Then they go over the car with a fine tooth comb - making note of any and all defects. My car is a 1995 Nissan Sentra. It has seen much better days. The paperwork has a diagram of a car and the inspector has to place "x"'s on the parts of the car that have damage and then draw a line to a handwritten description written in the space around the diagram. On our diagram, it looks like my car is sporting a full fur coat with all the lines drawn out of the diagram! Steve and I got a good laugh out of that. A little more than an hour later, we were on our way to Tampa.

We made the decision to stay in Tampa last night because that's where Steve had to attend his final "out-processing" appointments this morning. We have great friends (Mark and Dawn Stephens and their children Josh and Autumn) who are stationed at MacDill AFB and they were gracious enough to open their home to us. Mark happens to be deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, so we missed the chance to say goodbye to him. But Dawn, Steve and I (and the children) went out to a great dinner at a restaurant overlooking the bay. Later at the house, the kids went off to bed and the adults shared two delicious bottles of Merlot. Steve hit the sack at midnight and Dawn and I stayed up till 3am this morning talking "girl talk" and enjoying our last evening together. This morning Dawn prepared a fabulous breakfast for all of us and, while Steve was at his appointments, she and I gabbed some more. It was a little sad to say goodbye, but I hope that they will find some time to make the trip to AK to visit. Thank you, Dawn, for the wonderful time we had at the "Stephens' Bed & Breakfast". We love you!

Tomorrow I graduate from college! HOORAY! The ceremony is at 11am, but I have to be there at 10am. My cap looks absolutely HORRID, but I suppose I just have to deal with it. I am very proud of my accomplishments and once graduation is over - it's our final chance to decide what we'll hand carry on this trip and what we'll have the movers pack up on Monday. Less than a week to go...

I did it! Today was graduation! It was a very nice ceremony. I felt proud of myself and also a bit sad. I really wish my dad would have been able to see me accomplish this. But I do believe that he "sees" me anyway. They split the graduating class into two sections; the AS (Associate in Science) students and the AA(Associate in Arts) students. At the beginning of the procession were the Honor Grads. First came the 4.0 grads, then the Highest Honor Grads, and then the Honor Grads. Following these three groups was the rest of the class. I walked to the front of the line and found two other 4.0 grads in the AS program. Since the AS students were getting their certificates first, we would be the first ones across the stage. No one wanted to go first! I said, "After all the hard work I put into this - I will go first!" And I did... First one in the auditorium; first one across the stage; first one to get my degree. It was such a wonderful moment! I was so proud of myself and yet, also a bit melancholic. I enjoyed attending school. I enjoyed learning new things. I enjoyed meeting people who shared my interests and had the same types of goals I did. I don't think this is the end of my education; whether formal or not. After the ceremony, Steve and I drove to a park nearby and he shot a few photos of me.

Tonight we are going out to celebrate at our favorite restaurant here in Jacksonville - Carrabbas. (Thank you brother Steve and sis Diane for your gift certificate!) Tomorrow is our last day to organize before the packers come. In five days, we leave FL behind.

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The packers came today. Boy, what a hectic mess! It's hard to fathom how much stuff you have until someone comes out and starts loading your belongings into boxes. It's like living in a Medieval fort with the huge piles of boxes outlining only the narrowest of walkways throughout the apartment. And then there is all the stuff they WON'T pack and ship: anything flammable, anything liquid, cleaning supplies, some foods, plants, etc. Take a second and look around your place at all the liquid stuff you own... Half of our stuff is liquid! Think about it... shampoo, liquid laundry detergent, some medicines, peroxide and alcohol... you name it! We had to get rid of so much stuff - what a waste of money and goods.

After packing the apartment, they followed Steve to the Store-All to pack up the stuff we've had in storage since we got here. I don't know why they have to re-pack stuff that was already packed; I guess it's a liability thing.

Now we're living with the bare necessities. All the stuff we're hauling is in a pile off by itself in the guest bedroom or already in the camper. Tomorrow the packers will be back to wrap the furniture and the movers will follow to load the stuff into crates. When you do an "overseas" move, your belongings go into huge crates so that they will make the transition from moving van to barge and then back to moving van again without being downloaded box by box.

Only days to go....

The past few days have been extremely hectic (as you can imagine). On Tuesday, the packers came back and loaded our household goods. Then they drove over to our store-all to load the stuff we had over there. When everything was loaded and crated, and we started going over the paperwork, we noticed that an inventory page was missing. It seems that one of the packers had tagged the items and loaded them on the truck without writing them on the inventory sheet. (He later said that he "thought he remembered running out of inventory sheets"). Needless to say, there was no way we could sign off on the job. We called a representative at NAS JAX Navy Base (the Navy is moving us) and were advised to make a report of the problem to protect ourselves on the receiving end in the event something is missing. What upset me the most is that the store-all was where all my porcelain dolls, photo albums and other memorabilia, and Steve's tools were stored. I can only hope that everything shows up in Alaska intact.

On Tuesday night we slept on an air mattress on the living room floor. We still had some boxes of stuff that we had to load into the camper and carry with us but other than that, the apartment was empty. Exhausted from the intensive cleaning of the place, we fell asleep fairly easily. At 2am it was abundantly clear to us what exactly our cat does at night which makes her sleep all day.

Running at amazing speed, she crossed the apartment - back and forth. When she got into one of the empty guestrooms, she'd chatter to herself and then race back to the living room again. This went on for about an hour. I suppose I never realized she behaved this way because we typically slept with the bedroom door closed. Steve and I lay in the dark laughing out loud at our black furry maniac.

Yesterday, we finished loading up our belongings and the landlord inspected the place. It looked better when we left it than it did when we moved in. With nothing keeping us in FL, we decided to begin our trip. We bid farewell to Jacksonville at 5:15pm and arrived in Hope Mills, NC (our first stop) at midnight. Now we can spend the entire day here visiting with old friends. We hope to hit the road about 4am in the morning en route to Philadelphia.

While in NC, we also enjoyed visiting with Samantha and Felicia - Barbara and Mike's granddaughters. As usual, I snapped photos of these two beautiful girls and enjoyed hanging out with everyone.

400 miles down, 6900 to go!

Yesterday we left NC at 4am so that we could avoid the traffic in the DC area. Anyone who has ever made the trip up the east coast via I-95 knows that the entire trip must be planned around rush hour in our nation's capitol. If you don't plan correctly, you can face delays up to 2-3 hours. (More if there's a traffic accident - which is common)

We hit rain in northern Virginia and it stayed with us the rest of the trip. Despite the low visibility and the heavy crosswinds (which made towing the camper a lot more difficult), we made the trip from NC to Philadelphia in about 10 hours.

Last night, my brother Marc and my sister-in-law Denise came over to hang out with us. We watched a movie, had a little champagne, and laughed a lot. Steve and I went to bed early; rising at 3:30am yesterday really took its toll.

Today is Pop Pop's funeral service - a Life Celebration. Although it will be a sad affair, I am looking forward to seeing the extended Smalley family. It's just a shame that as you get older, it seems the only family gatherings are at funerals...

What a wonderful evening I had last night! Diane and Steve were gracious enough to open their house to family and friends so that I could have the chance to say goodbye before beginning the cross-country part of the trip.

Many of my cousins visited and a few friends I haven't seen in years. It was great seeing my friend, Denise Allavena. She and I met nearly 24 years ago when we both worked as data entry operators for the IRS. I hadn't seen her in probably 15+ years! My friend Lee came by too. He and I worked together at the Post Office and it's been about 2 years since we've seen each other.

I think the highlight of the evening was the slide show my cousin, John set up. John has hundreds of slides which my Pop Pop took. These photos were taken when our parents were just married - some even when they were only dating! Other photos were of all of us children when we were only toddlers and infants. Not only were the photos entertaining... but we took turns interjecting hysterical commentary to go along with them. We all laughed so hard, at times we had tears streaming down our faces. I've posted some of these old photos HERE.

Crystal Rock Campground
Sandusky, OH

Our Rating:
(Scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being excellent)

Appearance : 3
The only thing that got them the 3 is the cleanliness of the bathrooms.

Facilities: 5
The campsites were very small and maneuvering of any large trailer to get to the site is difficult.

Value: 6
The campsite cost us $24.00 - the average cost of a campsite for a travel trailer.

WEATHER:
Raining and cool - highs and lows in the 50's

ABOUT 1500 MILES DOWN - 5800 TO GO!

I am sitting in my camper for the very first time! This is our first night finally using the camper, since the previous few nights have been spent with family and friends. Setting up for the first time wasn't too difficult, but we did have to take our time and make sure we did everything in the right sequence in order to get the camper level and functioning properly.

We made great time coming out here from Philadelphia. We took the PA Turnpike out of Bensalem, PA and then the Northeast Extension all the way to I-80. We took I-80 all the way into Ohio before we picked up the Ohio Turnpike. It was an easy drive and traffic was very light. My brother, Steve, gave us a portable CB radio and we listened to the truckers all the way. What a wonderful method of keeping up on the road conditions - to include accidents and radar traps (which we dodged at least four times). Sadly, we heard the news come over the CB about an 'Evel Kneivel' (motorcyclist) who had just run headlong into the back of a pickup truck. We passed the accident as paramedics were strapping the victim to a backboard and we noticed that he was injured gravely. We drove even more carefully after witnessing that scene.

We arrived in Sandusky a little after 4pm and visited a grocery store before checking into our campsite. It is now only a little after 9pm and Steve and I are looking forward to finally discovering if our camper bed is going to be a nightmare to sleep on or comfortable. If it turns out to be a restless night for Steve, tomorrow could turn into a stressful event. (Fingers crossed that we don't have that happen).

We expect to get on the road by 9am at the latest. The fortunate thing is that we will gain an hour as we cross into the Central Time Zone.

Scenes like this dotted the countryside. The Lehigh Tunnel goes through the Pocono Mountains in PA and is a mile long. We really enjoyed the rolling hills and acres of farmland we passed. Very nice!

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Baraboo Hills Campground
Baraboo, Wisconsin

Our Rating:
(Scale of 1 to 10 - 10 being excellent)

Appearance : 9
Well-kept, shaded lots, beautiful countryside.

Facilities: 10
Large sites, laundry, pool (not open yet), very clean bathrooms and showers, mini-golf, modem at office.

Value: 9
With AAA discount, we saved 10% off the daily fee. Three days - $75.00

WEATHER:
Sunny and temperate at arrival (about 60), nighttime lows: 30's - BRRRRRRRRRRRR! We used our camper furnace for the first time. Tomorrow they are predicting the same temps.

The trip from Sandusky, OH to Baraboo, WI was fairly uneventful. We stayed on the Ohio Turnpike the entire way and then crossed Indiana on the Indiana Turnpike. Just before crossing into Indiana the rain started. Nevertheless we were still able to average about 60-65 mph.

Entering Illinois brought a change to everything. Chicago is right up there with our nation's capitol when it comes to traffic problems. Lots of construction, lots of intersecting highways, and because we chose the toll road (Northwest Tollway) - lots of stops at toll booths to pay. We estimate that we stopped at least 7 times to pay our 80 cent toll. Not only was this an inconvenience, but it caused serious backups on the highway. I would like to know where the money goes; the roads were awful.

Once we left Chicago behind and skirted Rockford, Illinois, the countryside began to change. The urban sprawl of the big city fell behind us as we began moving through true farmland and past magnificent ranches.

The CB radio saved the day when an alert came across the airways about a "parking lot" on I-90/I-94 due to construction. We hopped off the interstate just before the traffic jam (phew!) and drove through some of the most awe-inspiring rolling hills and agricultural tracts. Despite the 35 mph speed limits, we were making better time than those poor people stuck on the highway.

We arrived at our campground by 5pm. Leveling and hooking up only took us about an hour this time (we're still novices!).

We were settled in with enough time to watch the season finale of "24" (one of our favorite shows). As soon as it was over, we went to bed and fell fast asleep. Until 3:30am that is... that's when the extreme cold woke us both and we turned on the heater for the first time.

Visiting with Chris
Wisconsin Dells

Me, Chris, and Steve

Rock Formations

What a wonderful day! We were up by 7:30am and out the door by 9:00am on our way to Madison to pick up Chris. Chris will be spending today and tomorrow with us and we will take him home again as we pass through Madison on Friday morning en route to our next stop in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

It was so good seeing my son again! Our last visit was in April, 2002 when Chris flew to FL to visit with us. We stopped and had breakfast before continuing on to Wisconsin Dells. Our plan for the day included a scenic boat ride down the Wisconsin River - the Lower Dells.

Wisconsin Dells is just like any other resort town. The roads leading into Wisconsin Dells are rural and pass by many magnificent farms, but once you get into the city its "touristy" feel is apparent. There are gift shops and restaurants and water parks and amusement parks and all kinds of scenic attractions.

We took an hour-long ride a little way down the Lower Dells. The rock formations were amazing - caused by the advance and retreat of glaciers over millions of years. I shot a few photos, but wish I would have had more opportunity to take my time and explore without the constraints of the boat ride.

Tomorrow we are planning a trip to Devil's Lake just south of here. There are hiking trails there and Chris says that there are also plenty of photo ops in the area. At least we'll be on foot and have the freedom to go wherever our feet can take us.

Devils Lake State Park
Just south of Baraboo, WI

Chris and Steve

On the hiking trail

Weather: BEAUTIFUL!
60's and sunny

Bluffs Run Casino RV Park
Council Bluffs, IA

Our rating: 3
A place to park - that's it. Basically it's a parking lot with water and electric hookups.

Weather: 74 degrees and SUNNY!

2300 miles down, 5500 to go!

We left our nice campground in Baraboo at 7:30am this morning. The drive back to Madison to drop Chris off at his apartment took about 45 minutes. We then spent an additional 30 minutes or so saying goodbye. I always love spending time with Chris and hate when our time visiting is over. We had a fabulous time hanging out and he promised to come to Alaska as soon as we get settled in.

The drive to Council Bluffs, IA took us through some pretty nondescript countryside. Iowa is basically flat and nothing but farmland. Steve refers to Iowa as "Iowa DZ" (DZ is 'drop zone' for those who aren't familiar with military acronyms.)

When we got close to our exit on the highway and realized that there was hardly any greenery at all, we knew our "campsite" was going to be- at the very least- hot.

Pulling into the casino parking lot verified our fears... we are now the proud renters of a 30x65 cement pad. The positive thing about this location is that there are hookups and the site is totally level, which facilitated setup. Oh... and did I mention we are the youngest campers here? Seems this casino does a booming business with our silver-haired population. Our trip inside to get dinner revealed a noisy, smoke-filled facility complete with bells and whistles and sirens and screaming seniors as they pumped handful after handful of nickels and quarters into the slot machines.

Eagles Canyon Hideaway
Bruel, Nebraska
(on Lake McGonaughy)

Our Rating: Overall - 5

Appearance: 6
The sites are small, there are no trees, and the campground is soft sand which makes for difficult leveling.

Facilities: 7
There's a pool, general store, dogwalk, small snackbar, cabins, and close proximity to lake.

Value: 3
$31.65 - They said it's because of the holiday weekend. I thought it was a bit higher than the site was worth, however the staff was very nice and helpful.

Today got off to a wet start. The rain started last night just before we fell asleep, and continued until we got about 20 miles west of Omaha. We had breakfast in the Casino - utilizing our complimentary half-off coupons presented to us when we checked in last night. Actually, it wasn't bad. The buffet was hot, included a variety of items, and for a grand total of $5.50 for BOTH of us - quite a value.

Driving was a bit stressful. I-80 across Nebraska is bumpy- very bumpy. Steve chose to drive in the passing lane to avoid the extreme bumpiness of the other lane and became the topic of conversation with all the truckers surrounding us. (He was holding up traffic because he couldn't keep up the speed due to a steady uphill climb). Finally, the road became a bit smoother and we were able to get back into the "slow" lane.

We heard of a fatal accident (via CB radio) that has shut down I-80 just west of where we are. Apparently an 18-wheeler ran into the bridge pillar of an overpass and collapsed the entire bridge. I-80 is closed in both directions, so we have to find an alternate (slower) route to get past it.

The landscape of Nebraska was also pretty nondescript until we got closer to the western side of the state. Finally, rolling hills are appearing again. Obviously these are the very beginning of the foothills which lead to the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide. (Which we will cross tomorrow) Click here to see more photos.

Eagles Canyon Camping

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Tex's Travel Camp
Green River, Wyoming

Our Rating: Overall - 8.5

Appearance: 6.5
The pull-through sites aren't as nicely landscaped as the other sites.

Facilities: 10
The bathrooms and showers are immaculate. The majority of the campground is beautifully landscaped. Close proximity to the lake for fishing and kayaking is a plus.

Value: 10
Laundry, Cable TV, Modem, Fishing, etc. and all for $25.00.

Weather: 73 and sunny until a torrential downpour fell this afternoon and lasted about 40 minutes.

Expenses: The beginning days of our trip were the longest and our gas expenses show it. Steve's truck gets an average of 6 mpg pulling the camper - however we have found that when going downhill on some of the steep grades, we have reached 64 mpg! (Of course I don't like the white-knuckle feeling of careening down a steep road at 70 mph) What this means is that the average 450 mile day means three fill-ups. And this translates into about 100.00/day in gas alone. We will get reimbursement for a portion of our trip, but the side trip we're taking along the Oregon and Washington coast - as well as the trip up the east coast to see family and friends - is our expense alone. Anyone making such a long trip, should seriously think about the fuel expense and prepare ahead of time.

Today was a day full of so many emotions - mixed emotions. As we traveled through the western part of Nebraska, with its gorgeous bluffs and miles of ranchland, I felt content to sit and watch the landscape go by. Traffic was light on the interstate and even though we had a long day ahead of us (400+ miles), Steve and I were both feeling very relaxed. We knew that we would shortly be entering Wyoming and the landscape would change once again.

Windmills like this one dotted the countryside. The pastures were full of cattle and the number of babies grazing with their mothers was incredible.

Last season's corn fields were brown and dried, but this season's hay fields were lush and green. Beautiful wildflowers dotted the land - some standing alone, some in clumps that went on as far as the eye could see. The sun was shining and it was in the 70's - perfect weather for a drive across America.

As we crossed the border into Wyoming, things remained relatively the same. The one big difference was the poverty we began to see as we passed through Cheyenne and Laramie. Like many bigger cities, it seems that the most depressed parts of town are those closest to the interstate. Soon the landscape began to gradually change and the rolling green hills gave way to sagebrush-dotted mounds of rocks and sand. As we moved closer to the central part of Wyoming, we were rendered silent by the appearance of snowcapped mountains on the horizon. This was the Wyoming we remembered from our drive to Montana several years ago.

The interstate climbed and fell - steeply in places - and we began climbing higher in altitude. I felt at peace; seeing such beauty outside my window brought a calmness over me. The same calmness that Steve and I experience whenever we explore the western part of our country. How different it is from Philadelphia and the entire east coast...

Steve asked me to read to him from The Milepost. The Milepost is a thick informational magazine/publication put out each year and is the "bible" of anyone traveling through western Canada and Alaska. I suppose he was in the mood to hear about what other wondrous sites we would experience when we left the Lower 48 behind.

As I read from the book, it suddenly dawned on me just how far we are going to be from everyone. I suppose I never really thought about moving to Alaska as anything other than an adventure. In moving with the military, I've learned to go into autopilot during these upheavals. Viewing the moves as an adventure makes things go much smoother. But in those moments while reading, I began thinking about Chris in Wisconsin and Brandon still in Kuwait, and my mom and my brothers and sister-in-laws and niece and nephews in PA. And my many wonderful friends spread out all over the east coast... In Alaska, we would be so far and I was already missing everyone. I wept for a good 15 minutes and expressed my sadness and fear to Steve. As usual, he calmed me and promised that I could go "home" anytime I wanted to; making me realize that I was only a plane-ride away from my family.

As the mountains grew closer, and the wildlife became more abundant (we saw Pronghorn Antelope, Prairie Dogs, Chipmunks, Coyotes, and Deer), I regained a peaceful feeling again. After setting up camp, Steve and I sat on a bench overlooking the river and canyon and watched the sunset. It wasn't as spectacular as some of the sunsets I've seen in FL, but it was the first of many sunsets we will share during this great adventure.Click here to see more photos.

Salt Lake KOA
Salt Lake City

Our Rating: Overall - 9
KOA's have everything you could possibly ask for but you are also crammed into small spaces. It suited our purposes just fine.

Weather: 85 and Sunny

TODAY WE MET MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW, BECKY, AND HER PARENTS!

Me, Steve and Becky

Ray and Linda Zimmer and Becky

Today was a short day for us. We took our time this morning before leaving Wyoming and hitting the road for Utah. We figured that we would get into town around 3pm and before leaving WY, Steve called Becky's mom, Linda, and told her when she could expect us. Linda and Ray invited us to have dinner at their house followed by a tour of Salt Lake City. Steve and I were excited about finally meeting the young woman our son had married back in January, as well as her family.

The drive into Utah - particularly the Salt Lake City area - was breathtaking. Towering cliffs of various shades of red poked up from the lush green tundra. In the distance were towering snow-covered mountains. The roads also became steeper and we alternated between climbing slowly at a dismal 40 mph and descending in low gear to prevent ourselves from reaching speeds over 90 mph. Although Steve and I had been to Utah before, our exploration kept us in the southeastern portion of the state. We were looking forward to seeing the state's capitol city.

Stopping at a rest stop along the way, a paved pathway took us to an overlook where I captured this shot. The colors were brilliant in the afternoon sun and the temperatures were hot.

After settling in at our campsite, Linda and Becky picked us up to take us back to their house for dinner. Once we arrived we met almost the entire family. We met Grandma and Becky's siblings (she is one of 7). I remember some of the names, but not all - my memory has really slipped in my old age! Therefore, I won't even mention the brothers and sisters I remember, so as not to offend those whose names I can't recall. We had a delicious dinner of steak and salmon and fruit and pie for dessert. What a welcome change from the fast food that Steve and I have become accustomed to during this trip. The conversation at dinner was terrific. Becky's family is much like mine - lots of talking and laughing during the dinner hour. Brandon will fit in just fine...

After dinner, Ray and Linda and Becky took Steve and I into town and we toured Temple Square. I got great photos of the Salt Lake Temple, the Tabernacle, and the gardens. I also took some photos of Becky. You can view them HERE.

Double Dice RV Park
Elko, Nevada

Rating: 7.5
Gravel parking lot, pay showers, no modem, no amenities (except for gambling, which we aren't into)

Anyone who equates Nevada to Las Vegas, has absolutely no idea of the beauty of this state. Steve and I have found that the most awe-inspiring sights are those that are far off the beaten path.

Great Salt Lake

Salt Flats

WEATHER: 85 and Sunny
We got sunburn on our faces in less than 20 minutes.

3500 miles down 4000 miles to go!

Today was our second leisurely day. With only 224 miles on today's schedule, we were able to sleep in and take our time in departing Salt Lake City.

Almost immediately after leaving Salt Lake City, we got our first glimpse of the Great Salt Lake. Soon after we found ourselves traversing miles upon miles of nothing but salt flats. The pure whiteness of the salt appears to be snow. There is nothing in the salt flats - no cities, no facilities, nothing. Only when we got closer to Wendover, did we see signs for the Bonneville Speedway (which is where they attempt the World Land Speed Record - which is currently somewhere up around 800mph)

Unfortunately our drive was not a relaxing one. When we were only 27 miles from Nevada, Steve and I were the eyewitnesses to a horrible accident involving a tractor trailer and a pickup truck towing a van. (We were in the westbound lanes; they were in the eastbound lanes) We watched as the driver of the pickup attempted to pass the semi and lost control of his vehicle in the truck's wake. (We learned a long time ago about the strength of a semi's wind when it passes) The pickup cleared the front end of the semi, but the van he was towing ended up fishtailing all over the highway. This caused the pickup and the van to jackknife in front of the semi - who then plowed into both vehicles, driving them to the shoulder.

Steve immediately pulled over to the shoulder and ran to the accident site to see if there were any injuries while I used our cell phone to call 911. Amazingly, both drivers were uninjured, but the towed van was a total loss - snapping an axle, blowing out all the windows, and suffering massive body damage. While watching the accident occur, Steve and I were convinced there were going to be fatalities. How glad we were to learn that no one was hurt. We continued on with our drive, shaken and driving much more defensively.

As we got close to the Utah/Nevada border, we began noticing some more snowcapped mountains on the horizon. They seemed to rise up almost immediately after crossing into the state. Not only did mountains rise up, but so did mile after mile of Casinos. We stopped at the Nevada Welcome Center to get a map and some information about Elko - our next stop.

After setting up camp (another one of those gravel-paved parking lots), Steve and I headed for Lamoille (La-MOE) and the Canyon Trail Road - a scenic drive in the Humboldt-Toyabe National Forest, which climbs high into the Ruby Mountains. If we wouldn't have stopped at the Welcome Center for information, we wouldn't have even known this scenic drive existed. What a totally breathless drive! I shot over a hundred photos on this hour-long trip.

The road winds up between tall snowcapped peaks. Much of the road is barely two lanes wide and guardrails are few and far between. Going up the road was a little tense for me. Being able to see deep into the gorges below was disconcerting to say the least. But the scenery was magnificent. As we climbed higher, the temperatures dropped. When we started the drive it was 84 degrees. At the end of the route it was barely 50 degrees. The snow was still deep in places - more than 5 feet deep. But the road was clear. There were many waterfalls along the way as the winter snow melted and ran down to the river deep in the gorge. The contrast of the bright green new leaves of the aspen trees, the yellow of the wildflowers, and the pristine white of the snow was everything a photographer could hope for.

After completing our drive, we took the advice of our brochure and stopped at O'Carroll's Bar and Grill in Lamoille for a quick beer. The bar was a typical cowboy bar and full of locals. We were the only "tourists" and at first felt a bit out of place. But we sidled up to the bar with the rest of the patrons and within minutes we were talking to them about our trip and where we had come from, etc. It turns out that another lady at the bar was born and raised in Anchorage and left AK because it was too cold for her (and the Nevada mountains don't get cold??!) She did tell us that it was an absolutely breathtaking state and that Steve and I would enjoy it if we were the type who liked to get out an explore.

I wish I could post all of my photos - so many of them are beautiful - but I'm limited. If you click here, you can see some more of my favorites.

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Lake Tahoe, CA
Tahoe Valley Campground

Our Rating: 7
Shaded sites, older bathrooms, a few amenities.

Weather - near 90 and absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

Scenic overlook

Steve on overlook

We are finally in the second half of our journey. Tomorrow we'll be in Bodega Bay (Remember "THE BIRDS"?)

3900 miles down 3600 to go!

This was the highest altitude since passing through the mountains in central Wyoming.

I was up at 5:15am. I don't know why. I didn't get to bed till after 10pm last night. The sun was already up and shining brightly in the early morning sky. Steve and I were on our way to Lake Tahoe at 7:30am. We had a 350 mile drive ahead of us and wanted to get to Tahoe with enough time to explore.

The trip through the western half of Nevada was pretty boring. The snowcapped mountains were gone and only brown hills surrounded us. When we reached Carson City, the desolate countryside disappeared and urban sprawl took over. (How spoiled we have become with open road driving).

We climbed to over 7200 feet in altitude as we made our way to Lake Tahoe. I started suffering mild symptoms of altitude sickness about 2 hours into our drive. I got a pounding headache, suffered mild nausea, and just felt "blah". My asthma attacks were frequent. I read about altitude sickness and knew that as my body got used to the change, it would soon adjust.

After setting up camp, Steve and I went out looking for a place to have dinner. At first we thought we'd enjoy a romantic Italian dinner in one of the nicer restaurants in town. Then we came upon the South Lake Tahoe Marina Restaurant & Bar and saw that the parking lot was packed with cars even though it was only 4:30pm. We decided to go in.

The restaurant was right on South Lake Tahoe beach. We chose to eat outside. A live band was playing. People of every age were there - from children to seniors. Because the outdoor part of the restaurant was on the beach, lots of people were in their bathing suits and barefoot. Others were dressed up for a night on the town. It didn't matter - anything went.

We only had burgers and a few beers, but it was one of our favorite meals since heading west. Tahoe is one huge resort town and the only purpose to being there is to have fun. And we did.

After dinner, we took a short walk on one of the docks and then drove up scenic route 89 on the westside of the lake. It was gorgeous!

Tahoe Dock	Emerald Bay Overlook
Approaching South Lake Tahoe	Lone Sailboat

Bodega Bay, CA
Bodega Bay RV Park

Our Rating: 7
No trees, sites very close, no sewer hookup at site.

A WORD OF WISDOM:
Do NOT try to navigate the streets of San Francisco while towing 30' of camper. Some streets were off-limit to trucks and long vehicles, but the ones that weren't were narrow and too congested to navigate comfortably. Our drive past Fisherman's Wharf was too stressful for us to enjoy the views. All we wanted to do was get out of San Francisco. There is a lot of road construction going on as well - even Golden Gate Park was closed temporarily.

Weather: A cool 55 degrees. Drizzling on and off. Very windy - especially at the higher altitudes.

This sea lion obviously calls Bodega Bay his permanent home. Hanging out below a fish market, he barked constantly until the fishermen threw him their scraps. How neat to see a creature like this outside of a zoo!

See a few more photos HERE

Bodega Bay Panorama

We left Lake Tahoe by 7am - just as we had planned. Our drive today was 275 miles. The drive along Highway 50 was fairly easy, but things started to change after leaving Sacramento behind and beginning the approach to San Francisco. It is no wonder that the auto insurance rates in California are so high. Stress levels in our vehicle were at an all-time high and both Steve and I wished we would have chosen an alternate route.

After crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge and entering San Francisco, chaos ensued. Even though my husband has never driven a semi, he could almost definitely get his trucking license after demonstrating some of the moves he did today. (You should have witnessed the illegal U-turn we made in downtown 'Frisco.... we just wanted to ESCAPE!)

The view of the Golden Gate Bridge was practically nonexistent. A light rain was falling and the winds were gusting at almost 60mph at the bridge overlook. The upper part of the bridge was invisible - cloaked in fog. Even so... the weather made for some interesting photos.

After setting up in Bodega Bay (which is located along the coastal highway), we went out for dinner and then drove all around the bay. We'll definitely be using the heater tonight...

Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in fog

Cliffs overlooking Bodega Bay

Hiouchi Hamlet RV Resort
Crescent City, CA

Our Rating: 9
Grass, nice landscaping, nice location in the Klamath National Forest.

Today we drove the California Coast Highway (Rt. 1) from Bodega Bay to Leggett. The drive was 135 miles and took us 6 hours to complete because of the switchback roads, the ascent and descent over the coastal mountains, and stops to sightsee. We averaged only 30 miles per hour (if that). The views were terrific, but the drive was stressful. In most places there are no guardrails and the roads are narrow. Drop-offs to the ocean or forest floor below were as much as 500 feet.

After reaching Leggett, we still had to go about 200 miles to get here (Crescent City), but at least we were taking the freeway for that stretch. We spent 10 1/2 hours on the road today and we are exhausted.

Weather: Low 50's in Bodega Bay, reached as high as 68 when we were inland. Currently it's 55 degrees and overcast.

Small hamlet on the way

Mendocino Shops

Steve and I were both up by 5am and on the road by 7:15am. We knew the drive along the coastal highway was going to be a long one and wanted to get going as soon as possible.

Along the way, we stopped a few times to snap pictures, but I was looking forward to exploring Mendocino - an artists' enclave just south of Fort Bragg, CA (which looks nothing like the Fort Bragg, NC Steve and I were stationed at for 6 years!) We found a parking spot in Mendocino and walked a few streets so I could shoot some photos. Then we sat in the camper and ate lunch before getting back on the road.

The small hamlets along the coastal highway are very picturesque and interesting. Many of them have a New England flavor (as Mendocino does) and others look like fishing villages. Still others are fairly depressed with few amenities except for a small "Mom and Pop" grocery store and a gas station. Nevertheless, I was completely enthralled with the scenery as we made our way north.

We will be staying here in Crescent City tomorrow night as well and will be exploring Redwood National Forest. Here are some photos I shot today.

Our morning started out foggy and remained that way most of the day while we followed the coast. As the road moved inland, the sun came out and the temperatures heated up to a balmy 68. Making our way back to the coast (and to our campground) brought fog and cooler temperatures once again.

Openings in the boulders like this one were normal. As the waves made their way into shore, they would crash through these openings. This photo was shot along the coastal highway, when we stopped to walk the dog and admire the wildflowers - blooming in abundance along the entire route.

Several times during our drive, the road reached beach level. I liked the way the driftwood littered the beach at this location and asked Steve to stop so I could take a photo. It also gave the faster motorists a chance to pass us - the "slow" people in the RV.

In the background (faintly) you can see Port Arena Lighthouse just south of Fort Bragg, CA.

Today is day 16 of our trip. It is also the first camping stop on the west coast in which we stay more than one night. We'll be staying two nights each in the next 3 locations. Hopefully these small breaks will rejuvenate us and prepare us for the long journey across western Canada.

4500 miles down - 3000 to go!

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Crescent City
2nd Day

What an absolutely gorgeous day we are having! It is only 3pm in the afternoon (6pm ET), but the office closes at 5, so I need to get this page uploaded.

Steve and I drove through the Redwood Forest today - a gravel scenic route that the locals told us about at the little restaurant we had breakfast at this morning. Again, I can't emphasize how important it is to mingle with the locals if you want to learn about those "off the beaten path places". What a treasure the drive was!

We walked through the Stout Grove and I shot more than a hundred photos. As usual, I can only post a few. I can't wait to print them out for my album.

After our drive through the redwoods, we took a drive along the Crescent City coastline and visited the Battery Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse was inaccessible at this time because the tide was in and separated it from the coast. With the sun shining high in the sky, and a cool breeze blowing off the ocean, Steve and I meandered along the coast admiring not only the huge rocks offshore, but the beautiful homes lining the street. One thing we noticed here is that the flowers are HUGE! Rose bushes are everywhere with blooms that are larger than a man's fist.

Battery Point Lighthouse

Just a little info about the Coast Redwood: Coast redwoods tower over all other trees in the world. One redwood was discovered with a height of 367.8 feet. Redwoods develop the world's greatest reported volume of living matter per unit of land surface. Giant sequoias, their cousins, grow larger in diameter and bulk, but not in height. Coast redwoods survive to be about 2000 years old, averaging 500 to 700 years old. They have no known killing diseases and suffer no significant insect damage.

No words can explain what we experienced while walking through this great forest...

Fallen Log	Through the Redwoods
The Man in the Tree	Steve standing in one of the trees.
Crescent City Coastline
Wildflowers and coastline	Crescent City Coastline
	Lone tree

Tomorrow we leave for Oregon. This part of the trip is the part we have waited for. Finally a bit of a vacation. Two days in each campground for the next three campgrounds. Then we enter Washington State en route to our crossover into Canada.

Bullards Beach State Park
Bandon, Oregon

Our Rating: 7
No cable, no modem, mosquitos, lots of underbrush, no maps. It's a state park and this is pretty normal. The location is wonderful. Short drive to beach and lighthouse.

Weather: Fluctuating between 60-68 degrees, with the beach temps being much cooler and having wind gusts up to 35mph.

Myers Beach:
We were actually able to walk down onto this jetty and between the huge rocks. While down there shooting photos, the tide started coming in. Once the tide is fully in, the beach is gone and the rocks are separated from the shore. It was incredible!

Oregon Coastline

What a relief it was to begin what we are considering the "vacation" part of our trip. We are spending two days here at Bullards Beach, two days on the central Oregon coast and two days on the northern Oregon coast. What this means is that we are only moving 3 times over the next 6 days and each move is less than 150 miles.

We left our campsite in the Redwoods and took our time driving to Bandon, OR. Along the way we stopped several times to take photos and video and once took a walk on one of the sandy jetties during low tide (Myers Beach). It was our first close-up look at some of the huge rocks which pepper the coastline. Stopping at the visitor center after crossing the state line from CA to OR, we discovered that Oregon has nine lighthouses and all of them are on our route. Now our mission is to see all nine (or at least get as close as possible and photograph them); we saw three today: Cape Blanco Lighthouse, Coquille River Lighthouse, and Cape Arago Lighthouse.

Cape Blanco Lighthouse is currently being repaired/restored and is surrounded by scaffolding, but I took a photo anyway.
Cape Blanco Lighthouse (1)
This is the oldest standing lighthouse on the Oregon coast; commissioned in 1870 to aid shipping generated by gold mining and the lumber industry. It is located on a cliff 245' above the ocean and the tower rises 59 feet.

Coquille River Lighthouse (2)
This is the lighthouse located in the state park we're staying in (Bullards State Park). It was commissioned in 1896 to guide mariners across a dangerous bar. It has a 40' octagonal tower. While visiting this lighthouse and exploring the jetties surrounding it, Steve and I caught our first sight of seal pups. How amazing!

Cape Arago Lighthouse (3)
This the closest anyone can get to this lighthouse. This lighthouse has a unique foghorn

How thankful I am for a self-timer on my camera! These photos taken at Myers Beach and at the Coquille River Lighthouse.

Tomorrow we hope to explore the town of Bandon (historic) and make another trip up to Coos Bay to purchase some more fresh seafood for dinner tomorrow night.

Still in Bandon

Weather: High 50's - Low 60's
Wind gusts 25-35 mph

We've been staying in a State Park which is why I don't have modem access and you will be reading this days after it was written.

Shore Acres State Park

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On the bridge across the pond

Shore Acres Gardens

What a root system!

I had a bad case of insomnia last night. We were in bed by 10pm and I was wide awake at 2:45am. I closed the accordion curtain between the living space and the bedroom to try and keep the light from waking Steve, but I disturbed him nonetheless. I made myself a cup of hot tea and played computer card games until I got drowsy again around 4am. I slept an additional 3 1/2 hours and woke up again at 7:30 to the smell of coffee brewing.

Steve and I planned our itinerary last night, using our AAA tourbook and brochures we picked up at the Info Center. Our first stop was Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint in Bandon (proper).

This immense sea stack is named Face Rock because it strikes a remarkable humanlike profile that, according to Native American legend, belongs to a maiden turned into stone by an evil spirit. (If you look at it closely, the profile is facing upwards on the right side and it appears as if her hair is entering the water to the left.

After breakfast (at a local eatery where we got to talk to some Bandon natives about the cranberry business - a major income producer in this part of the country), we visited the Bandon Glass Art Studio & Gallery, which is a working hot glass studio with absolutely gloriously colored Glass Art crafted by hand on the premises. There were paperweights and vases, perfume bottles and ornaments, and a myriad of breathtakingly beautiful and colorful works of art. Huge glass windows looked into the studio itself and Steve and I stood mesmerized along with a handful of other patrons as the artist (Dutch Schulze) crafted magnificent pieces from glass. We could have stood there watching all day...

We then parked the car and explored the historic area of Bandon. Bandon is not only known for its cranberry exports, but also for its cheese. Bandon beach also boasts the largest natural collection of agates, jaspers, and other semiprecious stones and is very popular with rockhounds.

The historic part of Bandon has many gift shops, restaurants, art galleries, and businesses. Steve and I came across a great bargain on fleece lined wool gloves and couldn't pass up the deal. (Thinking of the next few years) We also bought some fudge at the candy store.

After exploring the historic district of Bandon, Steve and I visited the Bandon Cheese Visitor Center where we sampled and purchased lots of cheese. We also indulged in an ice cream cone (waffle cone, two huge scoops - $1.50!) Our refrigerator now houses some great hunks of sharp cheddar, Monterey jack and Swiss cheese.

(Before I forget... gas has been costing us between 1.75 - 2.09/gallon. We gassed up in Coos Bay - $1.77 - and it was FULL SERVICE! The attendant not only filled our tank, but also cleaned our windows. When was the last time you had that happen?)

Our last stop was Shore Acres State Park, where we explored the gardens and wandered out to the observation building and overlook to shoot additional photos. We also hoped to see some migrating whales - which we weren't lucky enough to find.

We are leaving for the beach in 30 minutes (it's 8pm our time; 11pm ET) to catch what we hope will be a beautiful sunset down by the Coquille River Lighthouse (right here in the state park with us). Although we'll be bending the rules a bit, we're taking a bottle of champagne with us. What a way to bid goodbye to another day...

Tomorrow we're off to Newport, OR and hope to visit FOUR lighthouses, Oregon dunes, and a sea lion aquarium. I'll fill you in later....

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Beverly Beach State Park
Newport Beach, OR

Our Rating: 9
This is a state park with cable and we are on a beach-front site! We will be able to watch the sunset from our camper. It's packed - which is another indication that it is a popular place to stay. Oh... and the mosquitos are pretty much nonexistent

Weather: Temps are hovering around the low 60's and it's sunny. The winds are 10-15 mph. However... walks along the shoreline can be chilly. There have been times I've really started to rethink this AK thing!

We visited the Oregon Aquarium and saw lots of marine life indigenous to not only Oregon, but all over the country.

Starfish, anemones, etc.

Jellyfish

Puffin - my favorite bird!

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse (#6)

The day after tomorrow we head to the northern Oregon coast (Seaside) and then we will cross over into Washington state. It is day 20 of our 31 day trip.

This morning we left Bandon, OR en route to Newport. Our itinerary included quite a few stops along the way. Our first stop was at Oregon Dunes National Rec Area.

These sand dunes extend from Florence south for approximately 40 miles to Coos Bay. Some of the dunes are as high as 300 feet and are quite visible from the highway. No matter how much time is spent trying to "control" them, they are constantly shifting and covering vegetation, dune fencing, and even structures.

Our next stop was at the Umpqua River Lighthouse. It was early in the morning, but the volunteer was already on the job and told us the history of the lighthouse.



Umpqua River Lighthouse (4): An earlier structure was commissioned on the north spit of the Umpqua River in 1857 and was the first lighthouse on the Oregon coast. After sand eroded its foundation, it fell into the river. This lighthouse has a 65-foot tower and overlooks the sand dunes from an elevation of 165'. Across from this lighthouse was an observation deck where you can watch the migration of whales in the spring. The lighthouse volunteer told us that he sat out on a the jetty and watched hundreds of grey whales migrate in early April.

After visiting the first lighthouse on our daily itinerary, we visited the Sea Lion Caves attraction. Here, we walked out on a cement path to an overlook where we could see hundreds of sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks. After snapping a few photos and enjoying their constant barking, we took an elevator down 208 feet to the largest sea lion cave in the country. The cave was empty (they were all outside on the rocks), but there were exhibits and photos to look at. There was also an opening in the cave which faced the Haceta Head Lighthouse (Lighthouse #5 on our list).

Sea Lion Cave

Sea Lions Sunning

After the sea lion caves, we drove to the parking area for Haceta Head Lighthouse and hiked up a hill to tour the lighthouse. "Bob" - the lighthouse volunteer - was quite longwinded and we learned just about EVERYTHING you could about the lighthouse, its history, and how it was built. We thought we'd only stop for about 15 minutes; our stay lasted closer to an hour.

Haceta Head Lighthouse (from Sea Lion Caves) #5	Haceta Head Keepers House
Haceta Head Lighthouse	After visiting the Haceta Head Lighthouse, we visited the Yaquina (Yah-kwih-nah) Bay Lighthouse (#6). (Photo on left) It's the second oldest standing lighthouse structure on the Oregon coast. The lens is 161' above sea level.

Last night we went to the beach in Bandon to see the sunset. We took Sedona (our dog) with us and she enjoyed romping on the beach with Steve. It was SO COLD! The wind was really kicking and I couldn't shake the chill... AK is going to be BRUTAL! See photos taken last night HERE.

Still in Newport Beach:
Beverly Beach State Park

Sunset Photos:

Me and Sedona

Steve and Sedona

Sunset on Beverly Beach
Weather: 65 and SUNNY, with cool breezes coming off the ocean.

Last night we walked the few short yards to the beach here at Beverly to watch the sun set. It was definitely warmer here, but the ocean still had a cool chill coming off of it. We weren't alone this time; a few other campers had the same idea. They also had the same idea of sharing the sunset with their dogs and Sedona's hair on her back stood up constantly. (She thinks she's tough). Photos at left.

After having breakfast, we drove south back through Newport to visit the Nye Beach Historic District. This is the original resort area of Newport and has a variety of shops as well as the Yaquina Art Museum. Steve and I browsed some shops and bought some gourmet coffee and salt water taffy. We also walked on the beach looking for agates, but had no luck. On the way to Nye Beach, we spoke to a local about a good vantage point for the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. (We didn't want to pay a $5.00 admission fee just to take a photo) He directed us to a residential street which ended in a gravel road. We followed it to a small lookout and I got great shots of the lighthouse.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse (#7)	House on Hill - What a view!
	Whale blowing - it's migration season

Tomorrow we're off to Seaside, Oregon and I'm hoping for MODEM!

Circle Creek RV Park
Seaside, OR

Our Rating: 7
The grass is nice, the location is good (just south of the congestion of Seaside), but they have a block on their phone line so I couldn't upload (there isn't a local number for Netzero). Fortunately, the campground host made a few calls for us and found a place in town with cable modem access that charges 5.00/half hour. I would have paid ANYTHING to upload!

Weather:
It