Gallup'ing Home

Another day of travel and we’re almost home!  We left Tulsa this morning with Gallup as our destination.  I think we’re going to make it.  Well, wait a minute, it’s 6:15, we just gassed up and left Albuquerque, Gallup is 118 miles away and we came to a near-screeching halt on I-40 West.  I hope it’s nothing serious.  But it’s red lights as far as we can see.  So, I’ve pulled out the laptop, and decided to get a headstart on my 2^nd to last blog entry.  Haha…the driver of the car in front of us just stepped out of his car, opened the back door, and seconds later we saw the “water” running down hill.  Ahh, to pee like a man.  

Back to the beginning of the day:  We got a later start today.  Decided to sleep in until 7 am, grab some breakfast and then hit the road.  The skies were overcast leaving Tulsa and a few miles out of Oklahoma, we started to drive into winter fog!  The trees and grass got whiter and whiter as we drove into Texas.  Before Amarillo we called Tony and he checked the aviation weather forcasts…not good for the Texas panhandle.  A quarter mile visibility and freezing fog!

If you’ve spent any time in colder climates you’ve probably experienced dew fog.  If you haven't, just look closely at the picture.    The frost is really beautiful…if you’re tucked inside a cozy home (not the one in the picture) …not when you’re driving through it.  We didn’t see any of the Texas roadside.  But I don’t think we missed anything.  Thanks to Tony's calls and text messages we found out the conditions would improve around the TX/NM state line…and it did!  So we were able to pick up our speed and put some miles behind us…until now.  It’s 6:38pm now.  We've been sitting in traffic for over 15 minutes and T can see the flashing lights about a mile up the road.  Looks like we’ll be sitting here a while.

7:03 – Just made it past the crash site.  Looks like two semi’s side-swiped and veered off the road. Looks like it happened quite a while ago but is still affecting traffic.  Time to stop typing and keep the driver attentive on the road…we’ve got 2 hours drive ahead of us.

9:00 pm - We're checked into the Hampton in in Gallup.  Grabbed a bite to eat and now it's time to relax and get some sleep.  Tomorrow night we'll be sleeping in our own bed and eating something out of our freezer.  Oh, never mind on the freezer bit.  Got news today that it was plugged into the electrical circuit that failed as we were walking out the house on Dec 2.  What a nice welcoming smell for Anna and Jen.  Thanks Shannyn for cleaning it out.

Oklahoma! OK

Yes, we're in Tulsa, Oklahoma.   All I can say is WOW!  We left Sheboygan around 5:45 this morning.  Our early departure was required to get Anna to O'Hare.  We made it to the airport in 2 hours.  But it took us 35 minutes to get from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3.  We actually let T out of the car at Terminal 2 'cause he had to P.  And he was waiting for us at Terminal 3!  Gotta love Chicago driving!!!  In both directions, that's been the worst traffic of our trip.  

The rest of the drive was uneventful.  We were southwest of St. Louis by 1 p.m.  Hit some rain around Rolla, MO.  Weather stayed 37+ degrees all day so we didn't have to worry about ice.  I love driving through southern Missouri.  It really is a beautiful state.  Tony didn't realize that Branson was so close to Springfield.  Next time we're in the neighborhood we'll swing over that way.  I visited Branson with my mother and sister 5+ years ago and had a good time seeing the shows... probably more for us old timers than youngsters.  I would love to drive through the Ozarks too.  It is really beautiful country (refraining from toothless jokes).

So now it's 10 pm.  Anna's been home for hours.  Jen should be flying in as I type  and we still have 2 days of road travel!  There's something to be said about flying from point A to point B, unless the journey is part of the experience.  Our plan is to be home by Friday evening ... no, we are not crazy.  We made 830 miles today.  It's 1,460 from Tulsa to Chula Vista.  So if we drive to Gallup tomorrow, that's only 785 miles, 45 miles less than our trip today.  Then on Friday we only have 675 more to go.  Hey, piece of cake!

The Prius is doing great.   Here are some stats:  At last fillup in Springfield, MO, we've driven 4,003 miles and spent $280 on gas since we left CA.  Our highest price gas was $3.17 in Chula Vista before leaving home, least expensive was in Fishers, IN at $2.69.  It should cost us another $60 to get home.  Not bad.

Merry Christmas to all.  See some of ya soon.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Greetings from the Weather Cafe on the shores of the Sheboygan River.  Tony & I are taking a coffee break and using the free internet access.  It amazes me how common WIFI is these days.  Yesterday we ate lunch at Applebees.  Tony asked if they had web access, and they did!  The only place we haven't had access is on Lonesome Pine Road.  But that's OK.

So what have we done since our last blog?  Well, we left Fishers and headed for Wisconsin last Thursday, December 13.  On the way we stopped to meet Elsa and her mom.  Took them out to lunch at a lovely italian deli.  Oh, but the wind was icy cold.  

Then on to Milwaukee.   Of course Gail outdid herself cooking.  But it was yummie.  And the wine was excellent and abundant.  Oh, did I mention the company?  That was pretty good too.  Jen and Steph stopped by and joined us for dinner.  They look great.  Cara stopped in after work too.  Oh wait, she still lives there.

Friday morning found us at the Capital Cafe for a good Wisconsin breakfast and then on to the Rapids.  We got into town before Sue & Randy got off of work, so we rested up a bit.  Then out to the Achor Bay Bar & Grill.  Great grits.  Wally & Linda joined us for dinner.  Nice seeing them again.

The following morning included another hearty Wisconsin breakfast and then we headed down to Sheboygan, reaching our final destination around 1:30, just ahead of the lake snow which required snow blowing and shoveling the next morning.

We've just been relaxing (eating), running errands (eating), and doing minor chores (eating).  I'm glad I left the skinny pants in CA.  Getting ready for the rest of the clan to arrive and have some good Old Fashions.  

Day Eight, Nine & Ten - O'Fallon to Fishers

Good Morning from Fishers. Let's see, were did I leave off? Ahh, Sunday....we were still in O'Fallon. Weather was not so good, so we only ventured out to get some lunch. The girls caught up on some sleep. And the adults caught up with some visiting. We really enjoyed being with Juan and wished Darah was with us too. Tony & I gave Juan and Darah their Christmas gift. Darah joined us via iChat. Gotta love modern technology. Later that evening Juan built a fire. And we gave the girls their gifts. Again Darah was with us via iChat. Being a school night, the girls headed to bed a bit earlier and Juan studied for a quiz he had to take before the next day. All in all, a very quiet and relaxing day...well, as quit as it can be with an 5 & 7 year old! We all headed to bed early, not sure we were going to be able to leave the next morning. We woke to school closing in the St. Louis area on Monday morning. St. Louis is approximately 20 miles to the west of O'Fallon. Temps were hovering around 32 degrees. Cars were icy, but the roads were ok to drive in O'Fallon and non of the schools were closed. So we took off with caution. We did hit one slippery overpass on I-70...Tony's first experience with fishtailing in a car. YIKES! His eyes got real big, and I don't think he quite knew what was happening. And if you can believe it, the Prius started to ding to warn us! Well, he just let off the gas and waited for terra firma on the other side of the bridge. The wheels gripped and we were ok. It was a gentle first reminder of how dangerous driving in winter weather can be. I know, you midwesterners are going bahhh. But if one's not experienced in winter driving, it can be a bit frightening. There are no icy parking lots in San Diego to practice skidding. We rolled into the Combs parking lot around 1:30...just in time to say hello to the kids before they headed off for naps. We caught up with Sandy and Travis who later took us out for dinner at Maggiano's for plentiful italian food. We were encouraged to order the family meal for four. Wow! Way too much food. But delicious. The pasta coma set in around 9:30. Thanks again Travis and Sandy. So here we are, It's 8:30 and we're sipping coffed from Travis' new Bunn coffee maker. Anna, that's why he called you on Sunday. He wanted to know if T & I liked our coffe maker. It's great. Ahhh, the simple things in life. A cup of coffee and people we love.

Sunday Morning

Good morning from O'Fallon.  We're sitting on the sofa watching the freezing rain.  Looks like it's going to be a dismal, midwest winter day.  Travel advisories have been issued.  We're hoping the winter storm doesn't affect our scheduled departure for tomorrow morning.  But if it does, oh well.

Had a great, relaxing Saturday with Tony and the girls.  I got a manicure with beautiful blue and pink nail polish.  Then I got to give manicures to Ali and Syd.  We had a great time.

For lunch we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory in St. Louis.  Yummie.  The restaurant is in the basement of an old building a block from the Mississippi.  We headed home with our tummies filled.  Then Nana snuck away to do a little shopping.

Friday Evening

Greetings from O'Fallon, IL.  We made it to the Torres home around 12:30.  Juan was on alert last evening and ended up flying to Florida last night.  He was able to catch a few hours of sleep.  But needless to say, he's exhausted.

The ride over was uneventful.  Weather was overcast, but dry.  After yesterday's slush, we're not complaining.  We got into town early enough to go to the base with Tony and the girls and witness Santa arrive by Lear jet.  Santa would have used the reindeer, but they need to rest up for the 24th.  We took a picture with Santa.  Can you see Juan?

This evening was quiet.  Juan & girls had a birthday party to attend.  It was across the street, so we went along.  Didn't stay too long.  The adults were pretty tired.  Juan went to bed.  Lito and Nana stayed up to watch the Grinch with the girls.

Ali and Syd have grown since our visit in May.  When we first arrived, neither girls wanted too much to do with either of us.  But by the evening both were crawling over both of us.  Sydney told Lito she didn't like the hair on his face.  And Ali has promised Nana a manicure tomorrow using the manicure set from Lear Jet Santa.  We're looking forward to spending the weekend with them.

Have a great weekend everyone.  And good luck to the Amazing Racers in San Diego.

PS....Deb, you should be able to comment without a Google email now.

Day Five - Destination O'Fallon

We're getting ready to check out of the hotel.  It's 8 a.m. and weather is still cooperating.  Looks like we may run into some rain.  But the temp should be warm enough to eliminate freezing.

Looking forward to getting to O'Fallon.  Plan is to meet Julie (Nanny) with the girls and go to the base.  Tony and another pilot are landing (actually just taxiing the plane) and then coming off the plane as Santas.  Should be fun.  We'll be with Tony and the girls through the weekend and then on to Indianapolis.

We're off to Illinois!

Day Four - I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.

It's 6pm central time and we've just checked into the Quality Inn east of Independence, MO. Our original plan was to make it to Topeka, but with our early start and questionable driving weather for tomorrow, we decided to push it. Besides, driving the width of Kansas in the dead of winter isn't all that exciting

We stopped in Salina, KS for lunch. Tony's nephew, Junior used to live there. Typical great plains small town. Nothing really to report. Tony did most of the driving. The roads were sleet covered at times. Now Tony knows what windshield washers are for!

We're planning to get into O'Fallon shortly after noon tomorrow. So we'll be getting up, grabbing some breakfast and hitting the road. Will write from Illinois.

Day Four - Denver Break

I’m composing this blog in the car while driving through Kansas. We’re just outside Colby and the harvested cornfields go on forever. Can’t help thinking about the movie King Korn, a documentary reporting the United States dependence on high fructose corn syrup as an inexpensive food source. Read those food packages folks. If HFCS is one of the first five items listed, put it back!

Hey, can you believe this? We just passed a rest area with WI FI. I guess truckers and travelers are becoming more dependent on internet access. It sure is nice to have our laptop with us. Every night Tony checks the weather for our destinations, available hotels and reviews the route. And I’ve been able to keep ya’ll posted on our whereabouts. Telephone service has been spotty on some stretches of the interstate. But it hasn’t been an issue. Gotta love technology. Can you imagine doing this in a covered wagon, or even a Model T? Mmm, no thanks. This is even more convenient than our last cross country trip almost 20 years ago. Oh, and did I mention we’ve driven 1,612 miles and have only spent $109 in gas so far?

Here’s a recap on our day in Denver: David had to work on Wednesday. Tony & I spent a low key day with Barb and Kristin. After breakfast we took a drive to Barb’s apartment, saw where she worked, and then drove to Cherry Creek to meet David for lunch. We found a local restaurant called Duffy’s Cherry Cricket, famous for their burgers. The place stood up to it’s reputation and we all walked out well fed and watered.

We were back to the Sommerfeldt home by 3:30. Tony and Kristin went to the gym and Barb & I did a quick Walmart and liquor run. Kristin wanted to learn how to make Old Fashions. After a phone call to Randy we were able to mix up a couple of good ones. But Kristin didn’t think it quite measured up to the one she had at The Finer Things in Sheboygan. She’s going to practice.

Weather has been good. Snow/Rain has been predicted for Thursday in the Kansas/Missouri area. So we decided to head out of Denver by 6. We both woke up early and actually got on the road by 5:30 this morning. Sorry for waking you so early David & Kristin. Or destination is Topeka, KS. But it’s 9:30 and we’re already a third of the way through Kansas. Looks like we may make it to Might MO this evening. Will keep you posted.

Day Three: Santa Fe to Denver

We made it! I'm writing this from Denver.

The ride from Santa Fe to Denver was uneventful. After having breakfast at the hotel, we checked out and then headed down to Old Town Santa Fe. We parked the car, pulled on our caps and gloves, and toured the area by foot. There are a lot of historical sites to see. And even more shops to spend money. Our destination was the Loretto Chapel, known for it's spiral staircase. It's a quick tour, but very impressive. If interested, check out their website at www.lorettochapel.com.

On the way out of town we stopped at Whole Foods, picked up a salad for lunch and then headed out of town at 10:35 am. We made good time on the road. The countryside on Interstate 25 between Santa Fe and the Colorado state line is attractive, but not as exciting as previous days, rolling hills with low growing pines. The Rockies begin to rise to the West and as we traveled north the peaks became increasingly whiter. We made it to Trinidad, Colorado around 1 pm. Gassed up and then stopped at a rest area to eat. The weather was a beautiful 75 degrees. One observation at the rest area...trucker's and people our age.

With 200 miles to go, I picked up the driving and headed toward Colorado Springs. Wow! Has this area grown! The interstate has been widened and houses are everywhere. Some day there will be nonstop houses from Colorado Springs to Denver. We got into the Denver area around 5, just in time for the rush hour. But Kristin gave us directions to Arvada using the new 470 which loops around Denver missing the gridlocked downtown area and we were knocking at their door at 5:30. Nadia and her girls arrived a few minutes later. Barb and David followed shortly after. Kristin made a wonderful dinner and we spent the evening catching up. No set plans for Wednesday. But I'm sure we'll find something to do. Will keep you posted.

Day Two - Recap

Well, we were a little behind schedule this morning.  Oh wait, we're retired.  We have no schedule!

On our way out, Don offered up some sandwich makin's for the trip.  So we put together a couple of turkey sandwiches before we hit the road.  Finally drove away at 7:35.  Stopped for gas on the way out of Peoria (NW Phoenix).  Dropped another $15 to fill the tank.  Then headed up to Flagstaff.  Traffic wasn't too heavy and we were traveling at 75 mph before long.  

 

We made it to the Meteor Crater by 10:35 to "experience the impact."  Paid our entrance fee, used the restrooms, then walked up to the observation platforms to snap a few pictures.  This was Tony's 2nd stop at the site, but my first.  He's right, it's just a hole in the ground, but one of those things you just gotta see for yourself.  I'm glad we stopped.  If you're interested in that kinda stuff, there's a nice museum explaining the impact theory.  We're picture people, so we just walked through slowly.  Well, maybe not too slow.  11:20...we're on our way back to the interstate.

The sandwiches came in handy at this time.  We ate on the road making up some of the stop time.  This part of the interstate actually parallels Route 66 - "Flagstaff,  Arizona. Don't forget Winona"  ...blah blah blah.  But we didn't stop.  That will be another trip.  

Another stop in Gallup set us back $17 this time...ok I'll stop that!  Once we got passed Gallup we notices lava rock covering the ground.  Tony remembered from previous trips seeing a volcano around that area.  No, it wasn't active last time he drove past...he's not THAT old.  If you're interested in Googling it, it's the Bandera Volcano & Ice Caves.

The drive along 40 in that area is really interesting.  To the south the landscape is hilly, kinda rolling hills with shrub.  But the north side of the interstate has red cliffs etched from millenniums of wind.  I took some pics and will attempt to post with this blog if I can figure it out.

We arrived in Santa Fe around 5 pm.  Checked into the Sage Inn and headed out for dinner at the recommended New Mex restaurant.  Not your typical Southern Cal Mexican food.  I would describe it as a combination of Mexican/Spanish/American Indian.  Well, I really don't know that for a fact.  The fried bread is Indian, isn't it?

Tomorrows plans:  Enjoy the Continental Breakfast, walk through old town Santa Fe and head north to Denver.    Will keep you posted.

Monday Morning

It's 5:45.  I've been up for an hour.  Sleep was good, but I'm anxious to hit the road!

Anyway, we're thankful to Lynn and Don for letting us stay with them. Our original plan was to spend the weekend with them.  But plans change and we pushed the departure date of our trip back a day and decided to spend only Sunday afternoon/evening with them.  San Diego to Phoenix is a quick trip so we'll plan to revisit sometime in 2008.

Tony just got up and headed for the bathroom.  Looks like we'll be able to head out before 7 this morning.  We're jumping on the 101, then heading north on 17.  The old (4 years) Prius will have to do some climbing.  But I believe we'll be staying under 7000 feet, the magical altitude where Ms. Prius starts whining a little heavier.  We're also planning to stop at the meteor crater east of Flagstaff and then just continue journeying east.   I'll take some photos and If I can figure it out, will post some with this blog.  Hey, is anyone reading this?  If so, leave a comment.

Did I mention how Phoenix has grown?  Oh, my goodness!  For those familiar, new housing begins at the corner of Hwy 85 and Interstate 10.  Yes, a lot of the cotton fields have been replaced with housing.  And where there aren't houses, you'll find shopping malls.  The city Goodyear used to be isolated.  Now one can't differentiate between the previously small towns west of Phoenix.

Finally, thank you to Lynn and Don.  Next time I promise we'll stay longer.

Day One - We're off!

Yes, dear family and friends.  We're off.  Tony & I left Verin Lane at 7:35 this morning.  Did a quick drive-by to Anna & Brian's place to say good-bye.  Got a jolt of Starbucks and hit the road.  

Got to the stateline around 10:30.  Stopped for gas and a bit of breakfast.  FYI, $16 at the pump.  Yeah baby!  Gotta love that Prius.  Did have an annoying rattle in the dashboard when the speedometer hit 75.  Traced it to a speaker cover in the dashboard...problem solved with a little paper wedge.

Arrived at Lynn and Don's place around 2:35.   For those of you who don't know,  Lynn is a highschool friend of mine who moved to the Phoenix area around 11 years ago.  We had a nice visit looking at their photos from their recent trip to Slovania/Venice/Florence.  Lynn's mother celebrated her 80th Birthday with her Slovanian first cousins whom she's never met.  For dinner we dined at the Elephant Bar, and then home.    Lynn leaves for work around 5 am.  Our plan is to get up that early, pack up and hit the road.

It's 9:30ish and we're all beat, so off to bed we go.  Caio!

Ready - Set - Go!

I created this site hoping to journal our travel experience and to keep you all posted on our cross-country journey - that is, if you're interested.

It's almost midnight and we're planning to leave for our cross-country trip tomorrow. So here I am...after a half dozen beers with San and Dannyn... I mean Dan and Shannyn setting up a blog site. Yes, they sent us off in great Verin Lane fashion: Chicken tacos and cerveza. Yum! Our bags our packed and the Prius is shiny clean and waiting to hit the road.

Our initial plan was to leave at 6 am tomorrow. But I'm not sure if that is still a realistic goal. I think the beer may come into play. First stop: Phoenix to spend Sunday afternoon and evening with my high school friend, Lynn Kovacic Mehrtens. So for now, good night.