California / Holiday 2001

Drive from Lawrence, Kansas to Stockton, California December 2001 to January 2002
Travel Log by Pooch and Star Map of trip

Wednesday December 19, 2001
6:40pm (Lawrence, KS): Left home, despite Tony's best efforts we were able to remove him from the vehicle before beginning... About four hours later then Star wanted to get on the road but at least we left on Wednesday
7:10pm (Kansas Tollroad I-35): Approximately an hour and a half into our westward track we ran into our first notable signage. Apparantly when traveling in cattle country there is the occasional need to let the cows out of their cars and run around a bit. At least that's what we took the sign that read "Cattle Pens Ahead" to mean.... [Tom says "Cattle pens: This is where they load and unload cattle from the free range before and after winter. If you ever hit during the week or 2 that they do this, the trucks are backed up over the bridge, down the ramp and along the highway. It is a amazing site. Did you note the gravel road exits off of the 70 mph interstate?"]
10:20 pm (Wellington, KS): Stopped for the evening in Wellington, KS. We elected to stay at Wellington's newest motel rather than the "Steakhouse" motel. Named after the Duke of Wellington, the town has grown substantially from its original eight settlers to a whooping 8,500 in its 130 year history. The self proclaimed "Wheat Capital of the World" boosts a whooping 25 separate industries - lagging just behind its 27 churches. The Oak Tree Motel gets a * rating, will do for a night but would do better elsewhere, would be higher if better priced, or the water didn't smell like chlorine, or we could have checked e-mail, or the bed wasn't so hard.

Thursday December 20, 2001
11:30am: Well Toto, we are still in Kansas but we've definitely left civilization. We attempted to make use of the local Wellington phone system to check our email but failed. It seems that accessing phone lines outside of Wellington itself is somewhat of a challenge. We will have to make due without email for a few more hours. Got on the road after breakfast at Penny's Diner. Typical turnpike economics is in evidence in Southern Kansas. We left the parking lot of the motel and got back on the turnpike. Around the corner (literally) from the toll booth we found ourselves at the last toll stop on the turnpike. Okay, it was only 80 cents but still it seemed a bit on the silly side.
11:35am: Left the Kansas turnpike and entered Oklahoma. Yee haw!
12:06pm: Star notices a truck repair station on the left of the road. While the presence of such a service is not unusual the attention getting sign was. Painted on the side of an eighteen wheeler were the words "We Fix Trucks." Still not unusual? How about the fact that the truck was sticking straight up in the air, front grill in the ground?
3:30pm: Stopped for a break at the Cheyenne Trading Post. Essentially a tourist trap filled with kitsch, although some fairly nice kitsch. It had tons of wolfy things that Pooch wasn't allowed to buy for Star. We failed utterly to find a gift for Pooch's Mom but it wasn't a total loss since we were able to introduce Teddy Bear to a couple of real, live Buffalo. Pooch took the wheel as we left and drove for about an hour.
4:30pm: Stopped in Elk City, Oklahoma. Pooch was a bit dismayed that the National Route 66 Museum was not right off the freeway but rather a significant distance through the town, thus necessitating that he navigate day time traffic. He has now experienced the pleasure(?) of almost being cut off. With only a half hour to go and not really being interested in seeing a bunch of old cars, we decided not to take the tour but we did stop in the museum and pick up a gift for Pooch's mom. She collects spoons from various states and historical sites so a Route 66 spoon seemed in order. We wandered around the historic recreation town for a while then driving responsibilities shifted back to the competent driver. Pooch did well, Star was impressed that he stuck to it in Elk City.
6:50pm: On the way to dinner in Amarillo we took the detour to Groom, TX to see the tallest cross in the Northern hemisphere. Its a big, white, aluminium cross just off the highway. Its surrounded by statues depicting the Stations of the Cross and there is a small hill which leads to a crucifixian scene. Teddy refrained from annointing the cross in his own special way but did see fit to water some of the nearby bushes. Star thinks we found the Fred Phelps of the ˜Save the Unborn Child" cause.
8:30pm: Made it to Amarillo, TX and began to look for dinner. The Texas Steak Ranch (home of the free 72oz. steak) was open but we decided on Denny's instead. This poor move on our part was prompted by the desire to be able to keep an eye on our car and all our stuff (including Teddy Bear) during our meal. The food was typical Denny's quality but the selection was a bit stunted. They were out of the shrimp scampi, so we had fried shrimp instead. They were out of rice so I had fries instead. They were out of ketchup, so I tried bleu cheese, but they were out of that as well, so I ended up having no condiment for my fries. We did learn that our remote for the car has a decent range and that unlocking the doors and turning on the interior light from a restaurant is guaranteed to confuse the heck out of our dog. Post meal I zipped into a nearby Hastings book store and found a children's book on Amarillo as a gift for Mom. That done, we hopped into the car and proceeded to get the heck out of the Lone Star State.
10:40pm(CST) 9:40pm(MST): We are free, free at last! New Mexico wins points for a) having a rest stop right across the border, b) actually having a "Welcome to our state" sign, c) horse corrals at the rest stops. Star seems to think that the 75mph speed limit is pretty kewl too.
11:00pm(MST) (Tucumcari, NM): Geez, what is it with these rinky dink towns? Even AOL doesn't have a local access number for these places. A calling card, a nearby access number, and some serious fiddling with the dialing scheme and we were able to get through. Gee, do you think I need to keep the Tucumcari dial setup in AOL? We ended up in the Days Inn, the first two hotels we stopped at did not have any dog rooms available. This hotel gets ** beds were better and we were able to check email though had to use the calling card, but was $15 cheaper then last night.

Friday December 21, 2001
9:00am(MST): On the road again after an night's sleep, gas in the car, and a brief stop by McDonalds to pick up our breakfast. Today we have the first signs of real terrain: mostly scrubland punctuated by small red rock/clay mesas, very pretty. Teddy Bear has discovered that he can sleep in the car but he does seem a little confused by the constant getting in and out of the car. We have definitely messed up his usual sleep cycle.
10:50am: Ears popping is our first indication that we actually have been steadily climbing since leaving Tucomcari. Also about this time we have our first sightings of snow on the side of the road. At this point its extremely patchy and only in places where its sheltered from direct sunlight.
Noon: Decided to take some time to stretch our legs in Albuquerque and figured that Old Town would be a good place to do that. The wind picked up while we were there giving us the experience of a real Western dust storm and, incidentaly, preventing any of the restaurants from serving us on their patios. The folks in Old Town were very friendly and several of the vendors invited Teddy into their shops
1:30pm: Left Old Town with the intent on finding some little place to stop at and have lunch. We completely missed the Rio Grande which evidently isn't so "grand" at this time of year when percipitation has been low. The country West of Albequerque is absolutely gorgeous but seems to seriously lack any "scenic" turnoffs for visitors to stop and gawk.
2:00pm: We find a scenic turnoff which turns out to be a convenient way of having the local reservation crafts people hawk their wares to passing motorists since there is little in the way of actual impressive scenary. Said scenary was provided for us however with the arrival of a highway patrol car to block off the highway and the subsequent arrival of a life-flight medical chopper. A little over an hour or so later we were able to get back on the road (we munched on food we'd stashed in our cooler so yes, we did get lunch) and get some clue as to what had happened. Apparantly an SUV went for a bit of a tumble and the emergency vehicles blocked off one side of I-40. At least one of the individuals in said vehicle had to be life flighted out so they closed off the other side of I-40 (our side) to get the chopper in.
4:10pm: Stop at the continental divide, elevation 7,275 feet above sea level. Tried to get gas but attendant couldn't figure out how to use his own system to allow us to fill up. Decided to move on to Gallup.
4:30pm: We didn't make it to Gallup. A fast and furious burst of snow laden wind caused traffic to slow mightily and we decided to head off the road and get gas and bathroom breaks before hitting Gallup. New Mexico has a strike against it now. Star wanted a rice krispie treat but they didn't have any... On to Flagstaff?
6:00pm: Brief stop in the town of Winslow, AZ to pickup some necessary items for Star. Yes, Winslow does have a WalMart.
9:00pm: We arrive in Flagstaff and manage to locate lodgings which accept pets. It had snowed off an on earlier in the day and there was some (less than an inch) accumulation so we weren't able to meet up with Jeff and Nancy but we did hunt down a local steak and ribs joint and had a yummy dinner. Star brought back tidbits of her prime rib and Pooch brought back the rib bones from his bbq rib dinner - Teddy got fed in the cage but seemed quite happy about it. Flagstaff did have local AOL access number which made internet access easy.
Hotel ranking: ** Cheap, easy internet access, wildly fluctuating water temps, generally inefficient heating system. There are probably much better hotels to stay at since Flagstaff is crammed full of them.

Decemberr 22, 2001
9:30am: After a little later start than we'd hoped we begin the trek up to Grand Canyon National Park. We came up through the East entrance to the South rim which allowed us to see a bit of the Painted Desert as we drove through some Navajo lands.
10:30am: The canyon is gorgeous. We take lots of pictures and both Star and Pooch kill the rolls that were in their cameras. We only take the puppy out for a couple of the stops but he doesn't seem to mind. Star bravely ventured out the the guard rail in a couple of spots (yes, we have photos to prove it) but decided not to take advantage of several of the look out spots that were avaiable. Teddy got to annoint the Grand Canyon so it wasn't a total loss for him. We did stop in the park gift shop and picked up a couple of presents for people. Left the part about 2:00pm and are finally on our way to Ross and Nancy's.
4:30pm: Drove to Williams, AZ (nothing important there) to get gas and food. Pooch got to eat at a Jack in the Box again which made his tummy pretty happy.
5:09pm(MST): Pooch gets behind the wheel. He discovers the joy of cruise control and the sorrows of slowly watching the sun go down in front of him and not being able to catch up so that he can keep driving in daylight. He did have the privledge of crossing over into California about 20 minutes after that.
5:15pm(PST): Pooch relinquishes the wheel back to Star after having had enough driving in darkness. Much better behind the wheel this time and provided Star a much needed breather. Dog got his first pee on California.
9:00pm(PST): After traveling over the worst road on our journey Hwy 58 we arrive at Ross & Nancy's, after introductions to about half of their 16 cats we settle down and have a bite of Thai food for a late dinner and then its off to bed.

12-23-2001
8:00am(PST): Star ran away with Ross to go look at the San Andreas Fault Road Cut in the nearby area. She said it was way cool and she took pictures for verification. Nancy cooked a yummy breakfast (omelets, bacon, English muffins, bagesl, etc.) and then Ross and Pooch took off for a visit to Edwards AFB to look at aircraft. Neat stuff there, Pooch was glad he went, Star was glad she stayed. Left Ross and Nancy's about 12:30pm and started the last leg of our journey.
The Nancy and Ross B&B (AKA Nancy's Cathouse) gets the highest rating of any establishment we have yet stayed at. While a little off the beaten track it is very easy to find and extremely comfortable. The proprietors made us feel right at home, even giving up their own bedroom for us. They provided both food and chauffeur service and even made sure we left with souvenier photos of our puppy at their establishment. We give it *****. Note: there is a noticeable level of feline presence and individuals which either are not cat friendly or are allergic should NOT stay here. But if you don't mind felines or like them then this is an excellent stop to make.
1:00pm(PST): Climbing through the mountains that separates the Antelope Valley from the Central Valley we ran into a little bit of precipitation and some low flying clouds. It didn't really present a problem except for the fact that once were were through them we couldn't see the range behind us so it seemed like we had just emerged from the mists.
3:20pm: At a rest stop outisde Tilton we called Greg and made arrangements to meet up with him and his parents in Fresno. Also called Mom and let her know we weren't going to get there till after she had left for work.
4:20pm: Met up with Greg and his parents and had a pleasant conversation and some coffee which was a much needed break from the road. Its becoming clear that the tolerance levels for being on the road are getting shorter and the length of break needed is getting longer. We both remarked that it is fortunate that this is our last day on the road for a while.
Later that night...: We actually make it into Stockton and crash for the evening. Teddy doesn't quite know what to make of all the dogs but at least they all seem to get along fine.

In Stockton: Visited with friends Rick & Annette and their kids Connor and Morgan. Went to Mr. Cardoza's 666 party. Took a day trip to Sutter Creek with Mom and friend. Got to visit with Star's friend Sean who was the interim minister at Stockton UU.

1/2/2002
8:40am: Starting the journey back. Car is actually packed heavier than on our way out to California despite having off loaded a wooden box full of sheep and a microwave.
11:00am: Stopped at Donner's Pass (7,088ft). We'd experienced some rain on the way up to the pass but at the actual stop which is in a bit of sheltered valley we actually had snow flurries. Considering it is early January the weather was pretty much the best we could have hoped for. We took the dog for a brief walk in the snow since he'd never been in snow pack that was 4 feet deep before and he seemed to enjoy himself although the poor guy did get a minor cut on one of his pads. We patched him up and applied Neosporin and were on our way to Nevada.
1:20pm: Passed right through Reno and stopped in Sparks for lunch at a place called Port of Subs which is evidently a chain. Their sandwiches were quite yummy in a Subwayesque kind of way.
3:00pm (ish): Pooch got behind the driver's wheel and actually gave Star a chance to look at all the gorgeous terrain. Traffic was very light and roads were good so it was easy to continue to make good time. Pooch drove for a little over a 100 miles and then turned it back over to a rested Star who took us into Battle Mountain.
5:30pm: Had to make the decision of whether to make it an early day and stop in Battle Mountain or to push on to Elko. There are two passes and a tunnel between the two towns so we decided to stay. As it turns out this was the right choice. We were able to get a wonderful hotel room at Inn & Suites complete with king-size water flotation matress and whirlpool.
7:00pm: Make our way across the parking lot to the combination diner and casino where we blow our complimentary $2 worth of nickels and enjoy a hot meal (of which some made it back to the Teddy Bear as a treat.) A couple of whirlpool baths later and general decompression and we were sleeping like the dead.

1/3/2002
8:20am: On the road (yuck) after packing up the car and sucking down a complimentary continental breakfast. The attendant had a bit of trouble finding the right code for our room so we ended up staying even cheaper than we had expected. While the hotel is starting to show some signs of wear and really needs to figure out a name (it was formerly the Best Inn and Suites and currently is just Inn and Suites) it does get our highest recommendation for actual hotel lodging on this trip. Reasonable prices, plenty of hot water and nice amenities made for a quite nice stay even though Battle Mountain itself is a complete nonentity.
10:00am: Stopped in Elko at a Wal-Mart to pick up some extra minutes on our tracfone so that we can be sure of getting in contact with our friends in Salt Lake with whom we are planning on having lunch. The passes and tunnel turned out to be non-issues although at one point we did have the unusual sight of watching the road ahead of us literally disappear into a low cloud bank. Star seems amazed at the "plains" between the various mountain ranges. Here we are driving along in what looks like a snow covered desert and realizing that as opposed to say Mohave this "desert" is up about 4,000-5,000 feet. This is made more impressive as we see these huge peaks off to the East which have their tops entirely covered in clouds.
12:20am (Pacific time): Stop at West Wendover the last town in Nevada. Pick up a spoon for Pooch's mom and Star donates another dollar to the slot machines. Walk the Bear dog around the truck stop lot.
1:40pm (Mountain Time): Having crossed over into Utah Pooch takes over driving for the boring drive of the Great Salt Flats.
3:30pm: Pooch managed to get through the Salt Flats and turn the wheel over to Star for driving in Salt Lake City who got us to our friends Tara, Sean, and Keona there. After dinner and significant reconsideration we decided to stay there. Dinner was yummy and so was the company. Curling up in front of a nice warm fire was a welcome change from hotel rooms.

1/4/2002
8am: Star manages to get Pooch's butt out of bed and us out the door about 8am. After a quick stop for gas we were on our way along highway 6 toward Colorado. The terrain was gorgeous and we managed to get some nice photos. Unfortunately Pooch wasn't quite awake and exposed the film before rewinding it *sigh* Hopefully some of the roll will be saved.
2:30pm: We arrived in Grand Junction, CO and met up with Nancy and Ross who were returning to California. They had just come across the mountain passes and managed to dissuade us from trying to continue over them since it was still snowing. There were other considerations such as the fact that Grand Junction has relatively inexpensive hotels where we could get rooms. Past Grand Junction is basically ski resorts which are all more expensive and being as this was a Friday likely to be booked solid. This way we could get well rested for the trip through the passes in the daylight. Stayed at the Motel 6, dog friendly and cheap.

1/5/2002
7:00am: Got an early start on the drive, beautiful views among the Rocky's. Probally could have made it easily to Rifle but hotels would have been more.
11:00am: Drove through Vail, was thinking of hitting the middle stop but there was ski traffic backed up so continued on thru the vail Pass and stopped in Frisco (exit 201) beautiful main street, we highly recomend the BackCountry Brewery at the end of main street. Star had a buffallo burger and Pooch had the soup, salad, and potatoe bar. The waitress was a spittin image of our friend Anne Toth. Wandered around the town and had some coffee.
12:45 am: Got back on the road well rested and went thru the Eisenhower Tunnel (11,000 ft) - massivly impressive bit of engineering. Stopped in Georgetown to see the Mountain Rams, they had telescopes set up and focused on them. Also at that exit was some jeep ice racing - crazy people. Contnued on to Denver.
4:00pm: Over all the mountains and back to flat land. Pooch takes over driving for a while.
5:15pm: Its dark enough so that Pooch is getting uncomfortable behind the wheel and he turns the driving chores back to Star who brings us across the Kansas border, back into our original time zone (the changeover occurs about 20 miles past the KS border), and eventually into Colby, KS for dinner.
8:30pm: Dinner in Colby, KS at Montana Mike's steakhouse. Typical of the chain, the portions were big and the cuts were of an acceptable level of quality. After looking over the map and all the wonderful options for hotels along scenic I70 in Kansas we decide to stay in Colby and finish our journey on the morrow.
9:15pm: Our first attempt to stay at a hotel fails. While the Comfort Inn does accept pets its a bit draconian regarding them and highlighted on the list of rules is that pets must be attended at all times, even in the rooms, and those that are not will be taken by animal control. The Day's Inn was much nicer about pets and we were able to scamper up to our room, shuck out of our clothes and get down to the hottub for a 20 minute soak before it closed. Star commented on how amusing it was that the first hottub of the trip was back in Kansas despite our stays in CA and CO.

1/6/2002
9:20am: We got a late start, and began the trek across the featureless wastelands that are Western Kansas. Oh, sorry, that's the beautiful agriculturally rich wheatfields of Western Kansas...
11:00: Star spots a sign indicating that the largest rubber stamp store is located in Wakeeney so we pull off and begin to hunt for it, fully aware that today is a Sunday and in rural Kansas that means that no stores are open while church is in session. We did manage to find the town square and the "downtown" district but not the stamp store.
11:30: Stop in Hays for gas and a bite of food. McDonalds and Conoco - yeap we're back in Kansas.
4:00pm: We are HOME!!!

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