Road Trip 2011

[muon2]

Back in 2008 I kept a travelogue of the family road trip to AZ. Next week we leave for a similar adventure to Lake Tahoe with side trips while there and along the way. As always, and if it's convenient, I am open to meeting other posters.

[Joe Biden 2020]

Have fun and be safe, Muon!!

[Torie]

Back in 2008 I kept a travelogue of the family road trip to AZ. Next week we leave for a similar adventure to Lake Tahoe with side trips while there and along the way. As always, and if it's convenient, I am open to meeting other posters.

Let's see. I will be traveling with two nice ladies through Utah on June 14 and 15 to show them my favorite places, with the culmination being the view from Deadhorse Point and the from the top of the ridge just north of Boulder, Utah looking down on the illuminated painted desert to the north in the rich late afternoon framed by the aspens and green meadowland  in the foreground, be in Grand Junction, Colorado on June 15, 17 and 18 helping one of the lady's sons with the issues associated with the oil pipe threading business for which he works, and then in Des Moines and Winterset, Iowa from June 19 through June 24 for the cropland auction I set up on June 23, and to get to know better the family farm as I hike it with my topo maps and a gps device giving me coordinates as I plot and scheme the ways and means to add value to it over time. 

But you already met me Mike, so I'm old news. But if our paths cross ... why not? 

[muon2]

Back in 2008 I kept a travelogue of the family road trip to AZ. Next week we leave for a similar adventure to Lake Tahoe with side trips while there and along the way. As always, and if it's convenient, I am open to meeting other posters.

Let's see. I will be traveling with two nice ladies through Utah on June 14 and 15 to show them my favorite places, with the culmination being the view from Deadhorse Point and the from the top of the ridge just north of Boulder, Utah looking down on the illuminated painted desert to the north in the rich late afternoon framed by the aspens and green meadowland  in the foreground, be in Grand Junction, Colorado on June 15, 17 and 18 helping one of the lady's sons with the issues associated with the oil pipe threading business for which he works, and then in Des Moines and Winterset, Iowa from June 19 through June 24 for the cropland auction I set up on June 23, and to get to know better the family farm as I hike it with my topo maps and a gps device giving me coordinates as I plot and scheme the ways and means to add value to it over time. 

But you already met me Mike, so I'm old news. But if our paths cross ... why not? 

My best bet would be in IA on the 19th. That's our last day on the road as we head home along I 80.

[muon2]

Day 1. On many of my road trips this is a push day. We push to get packed and out the door before too much of the morning passes. Then we push to log a lot of miles through generally familiar areas with few stops.

Today was no exception, though getting all the little things ready to leave meant a late morning start. We did take the time for a late lunch in Galena. This is one of the top places to visit in Illinois with a combination of history, dining and shopping. We have old friends there and lunch with one was a good kickoff to the trip.

The rest of the day was the straight shot across IA into SD. I'll note that we passed near Angus' haunt, but time didn't permit a stop. Perhaps a future trip will include the extra time. By 11 pm we logged 621 miles to stop in Mitchell, SD.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

Did you make it through without any weather problems?

[muon2]

Day 2. Though we encountered no storms on day 1 or overnight, the weather took a major turn on day 2. Throughout the day the temps hovered in the mid to upper 90s. Morning on Day 2 was overcast and in the upper 50s. That was the warmest we would see all day - a drop of 40 degrees.

There were three key sights planned this day, based largely on the fact that my kids were a little young to clearly remember things 10 years ago, but they are older teens now. The first stop was at Badlands National Park, which is a wonderful display of geology. The trails were windy and cold at the park, but we spent a half hour or so climbing through the formations. We were even focused enough to avoid the typical tourist stop at Wall Drug. I've done that plenty of times before.

What we did add was a stop at the Geology Museum on the campus of SD School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City. They have a great collection that's free and open to the public. From there we continued to Mt Rushmore which was the second key sight that was partially forgotten by the kids. It seems that I can never pick the right day to visit myself, 10 years ago it was raining and this year it has just over 50 and windy. We did spot a decent rock shop a couple blocks of the main tourist drag, and some purchased Black Hills specimens became our souvenirs from the area.

The third key sight for the day was one I had not visited before, Devils Tower in WY. I had timed the leg of the trip to coincide with early evening with the sun lighting the tower at a shallow angle. Needless to say, I had not been optimistic all day as the skies remained stubbornly overcast. Yet, less than 20 miles away, the sky completely cleared giving me exactly the warm lighting I hoped for to bring out the colors of the Tower. Within a half hour of departure, the skies were overcast again, and an hour later it was pouring rain all the way from Gillette almost to Buffalo. The weather was kind enough to stop raining just before we got to Buffalo which is where we stopped for the night.

[muon2]

Day 3. "We've had three times as much rain recently as we normally get all year." - Worland, WY. "I haven't seen a spring like this in all the years I've lived here." - Cody, WY. "When it stopped snowing it just rained instead." - Pocatello, ID. These quotes were representative of the locals perception of the weather. By the time we got to Sylvan Pass in east Yellowstone it was 34 degrees and snowing, so our transition from July weather back to January seemed complete.

We did get to see some scenery, too. Wyoming offered a nice (gneiss) pass but the downslope was torn up for road construction. Add rain and the muddy mess left a motorcyclist skidding to the ground, and our car badly needs a wash. The Bighorn River basin offered some excellent views and my wife even got in to see a quilt shop, western style.

The feature of the day was Yellowstone National Park which none of us had seen. We only had half a day, since we arrived after lunch. To make the best of the time we saw the Mud Volcano area, the falls of the Yellowstone, and Old Faithful. These were connected by drives through valleys to see some wildlife including elk and lots of bison. The bison had no difficulty stopping traffic to wander across the road.

As evening waned we headed west through the sliver of Montana at west Yellowstone and then into Idaho. Even though it was only in the mid forties we enjoyed ice cream at Frostop's, a classic drive-in in Ashton, ID. Finally we made it to Pocatello for the night.

[Joe Biden 2020]

I would love to be able to travel like you are right now.  I love sightseeing, taking some scenic routes.  I've especially always wanted to see the northern and western United States, such as Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, Yosemite, etc.  I've seen enough of the south, now I want to experience the north and the west, as well as sights out east kind of like what Sarah Palin is seeing currently, of course without the paparazzi.

[muon2]

Day 4. I show my age when I recall Evel Knievel's failed attempt to leap the Snake River Canyon in 1974. When I found out that my route west from Pocatello would go through Twin Falls where the jump was attempted, the stop was required.

The view of the Snake River canyon is really worth the stop and there are many overlooks near the Perrine Bridge where US 93 crosses the gorge. Knievel's ramp from the attempt is still there! Of more current interest are the frequent BASE jumps from the bridge, since no permit is required there. I saw both packed and unpacked BASE jumps within a half hour.

There was no question when we entered NV at Jackpot on US 93. Out of nowhere there were a half dozen casino right at the state line then a trailer park that presumably housed the casino workers. I admit my family was not used to seeing a slot machine room at every truck stop, but I pointed out that SD was similar but with smaller rooms.

The trek across NV on I 80 is a stark reminder of the vastness of the Great Basin, not unlike the long stretch across the Great Plains. Our path paralleled the California Trail, and this was much more sparsely populated than any part of the Great Plains I've been on. Unlike the settlers a century and a half ago, we were able to cover in a few hours the scrubland that took them a few weeks.

Finally at dusk we reached our destination for the week: Genoa, NV. All that remained for the evening was to pick up some food and drink. Done.

[muon2]

I would love to be able to travel like you are right now.  I love sightseeing, taking some scenic routes.  I've especially always wanted to see the northern and western United States, such as Mt Rushmore, Yellowstone, Yosemite, etc.  I've seen enough of the south, now I want to experience the north and the west, as well as sights out east kind of like what Sarah Palin is seeing currently, of course without the paparazzi.

We don't do it every year, but we make it a priority when we plan long vacations. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in getting a feel for the great scope of the country.

[patrick1]

Muon, I appreciate the travelogue and accompanying maps.  You certainly made light work of Iowa.  How many times have you had to use "don't make me come back there" on the kids?  I know me and my brother made my parents lives tough on the roadtrips to Florida.

[muon2]

Muon, I appreciate the travelogue and accompanying maps.  You certainly made light work of Iowa.  How many times have you had to use "don't make me come back there" on the kids?  I know me and my brother made my parents lives tough on the roadtrips to Florida.

I've been very fortunate to have two kids who travel well. Timing food and rest stops, as well as breaks for sights helps a lot. Now my oldest is in college so she can share the driving.

BTW, since I'll be based in the Tahoe/Reno area for a week, I'm open to any suggestions for interesting sights. I'm also planning an overnight visit to SF Tues/Wed, so ideas are welcome there as well.

[Torie]

Fallen Leaf Lake is gorgeous.  Nevada City is cute and historic (which is why Democrats like to live there  ).  Tahoe in my opinion is kind of mess, particularly the south end of the lake, and a tourist trap packed with weekenders from the Bay area and Sacto.  I would suggest going over Tioga Pass and then drive down to the Mammoth area myself, and maybe take a hike to Devil Potspile or something. Reno is  a dump. 

I don't know quite when on June 19 I will be landing in Des Moines. Pity I can't give you all a tour of Winterset, with its covered bridges, John Wayne's birthplace and the historic stone house that we own next door that apparently has been quite trashed by squatters, which my great grandparents lived in for decades during the first half of the 20th century after great grandfather ceased tilling the land himself.  That may be my next project to restore it. I get to make a presentation to the Water Board the next morning to pursue my little multi pronged agenda. 

[muon2]

Day 5 & 6. I skipped yesterday because that was my day to chill in the resort after four days on the road. We like to pick a spot as a base of operations for a week when we vacation. This one is situated on the site of a Civil War era hot springs resort that was a stop on the Pony Express. It was nice to be able to use a kitchen for three meals. The hot springs were a bonus and quite pleasant.

Today was the excursion to South Lake Tahoe. The cruise to Emerald Bay was one of the family requests, and the cruising allowed no one to miss the scenery as driver. The Mark Twain reenactor was better than average for these type of activities, and actually added a good bit of local history to pass the time while going from the dock to the bay.

I took Torie's advice to visit Fallen Leaf Lake and was glad I did. The view was excellent, but the store at the south end wasn't yet stocked with a good snack selection to complete the stop. We did have to slog our way through traffic due to a Renaissance Fair at Camp Richardson to get to the lake, but there's a side road revealed by my Droid that allowed us to skirt the traffic on the way out.

That exit took us through a rebuilding subdivision through a forest of burnt trees. We heard on the cruise that the area had a substantial fire four years ago with 200 homes destroyed. We just happened to get a ground view of the fire zone as well thanks to Torie's suggested lake vista.

Another advantage to a resort unit is the in-room laundry. We don't have to pack more than one week and have the luxury of washing as convenient. Since tomorrow is the beginning of our side excursion to the coast, laundry happens tonight.

[J. J.]

I was in Syracuse, NY last weekend, with a side trip to Chittenango, NY.  On the way back, I detoured to Danville, PA to visit a friend.

[Badger]

I wish I'd seen this earlier so I could've started an internet rumor about a brilliant and well-regarded IL state legislator making a possible "scouting trip" to Iowa in the wake of the Gingrich campaign's implosion.

Just kidding of course; I'm sure your constituents back home would've loved that.

[muon2]

Day 7. One theme of this trip was to be visits to two classic national parks. Back on Day 3 we spent an afternoon in Yellowstone and today we matched that with an afternoon in Yosemite. We had hoped to start with more of Torie's advice and see the Devil's Postpile then enter Yosemite through the Tioga Pass. We we worried about the time that the side trip would take, but the plan had to be scrapped as we saw the signs on US 395 indicating the Tioga was still closed for the season due to snow.

One unexpected stop was at the NV CA border along US 395. When we entered CA on the shore of Lake Tahoe there was nothing to note the border except the drop off in casinos. US 395 also had that change from casino to non-casino terrain, but it added a new element - a border post with an inspector. Our IL plates made us immediately suspect to carry illegal agricultural goods. We did confess to a cooler with sandwiches, but the lettuce on them was from a NV supermarket, so we were allowed to pass. We did get an official card to keep in our windshield announcing our clean bill of agricultural health.

The Tioga Pass closure forced us over the Sonora Pass just to the north of Tioga. I crossed the Sierras at 9600 ft, just less than the 9900 at Tioga. The pass was quite impressive, though not quite as vertiginous as Independence Pass in CO. The Sonora route did give us a chance to see some Marines in training on the eastern approaches to Sonora Pass.

Our inspected lunch was supposed to have been enjoyed in the high altitude Tuolomne Meadow just west of Tioga Pass. Clearly that couldn't happen, so we instead ate with the crowds in the valley with El Capitan looming on one side and Bridalveil Falls splashing on the other side. The sights were certainly worth seeing even if only for an afternoon. Now we are prepared to debate the relative merits of Yellowstone vs Yosemite: geysers vs waterfalls.

With evening we descended to Fresno for dinner with an old scientific colleague and his family. Next it's on to the coast and Union Square, SF.

[muon2]

Day 8. We made it to the coast, and we're still talking to each other.

As usual the main event was an afternoon stop and this one was at the Monterey Aquarium. It was a good aquarium, but I would not rate it as highly as the Shedd in Chicago or the New England in Boston. I did see some seals outside the aquarium on the beach, so that's a plus I wouldn't have at the other aforementioned aquariums.

The other mandatory event was a stop to walk in the Pacific Ocean. We're Midwesterners and we just have to do things like that. We picked Scott Creek north of Santa Cruz only because it was the first one that we could see a turnout for. The howling sea breeze driving sand at 60 F made for a minimal stop, but the task was accomplished nonetheless.

The evening destination was in SF at Union Square. We got in early enough to enjoy dinner, and for my wife and I to have a nightcap as well.

[bullmoose88]

How many aquariums have you been to?  How would you rate the national aquarium in Baltimore (or ha ha...the New Jersey Aquarium) if you've been there?

[muon2]

How many aquariums have you been to?  How would you rate the national aquarium in Baltimore (or ha ha...the New Jersey Aquarium) if you've been there?

I like to have a wide variety of living exhibits, particularly a nice collection of fixed exhibits. I've been to Baltimore and my recollection is that it compares to Monterey with perhaps somewhat more fish. The other two I noted had significantly more fish to see.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

So I didn't realize your original map was just for one day - I was gonna say - that's an awful short distance for such a long trip.

Glad to hear your safe and seem to be having fun!

[muon2]

Day 9. It was time to leave the coast behind, but not before a couple of last stops in SF. Of course it would be great to spend a whole week there, but that will have to wait for another trip. So, what does the family pick for quick hits on the way out? Well the Golden Gate Bridge was not too surprising. The stop before that was for a picture of my kids in front of the Mythbusters workshop at M5 Industries, which as true fans they would want ahead of just about any other location.

After crossing the Golden Gate it was time to cater to the older pair of the trip. So we headed into wine country. We did have a specific goal. We were engaged over a very memorable bottle of wine, so we had to stop for a tasting at the winery where the bottle originated. Of course we picked up a bottle on today's visit, too.

One other stop in Napa was unrelated to wine. Geysers figured into our Yellowstone stop, and we saw a place marked as Old Faithful of California in Napa, so we stopped. Perhaps it would have been better to see the CA offering before the WY landmark. I'm not saying that the CA geyser was bad; it's just hard for anything to compare to the immense quantity of water spraying up at Yellowstone. The CA geyser also had a carnival sideshow feeling, with a pen including four-horned sheep and fainting goats.

[muon2]

Day 10. We usually do some local flavor stops on the first rest day after a set of drive days, but this time we vegged more than expected. That left this last day in the shadow of the Sierras to catch up on local sights.

The first stop was to the historic small town center near our resort. There is a charming small museum identifying it as a post set up by the Mormons for travelers. It became a key stop for emigrants and the Pony Express. We found the attendant at the museum to be an unstoppable wealth of information about the area. This is why we would normally stop at a place like this on the first day.

I have this current fascination with state capitals , so I wanted to visit Carson City. One feature I had not expected was that only the executive officers had offices in the 1871 capitol building. The legislature and its chambers were in a building next door built 100 years later. I'll also note that NV did not require passage through metal detectors to enter either building. IL does.

Our last stop was to the touristy area at Virginia City. There are some interesting sights if you can get past the hawkers on C street. I found a nice free exhibit at the Comstock History Center, and the tour of the Chollar Mine was very informative. It was interesting to learn that WWII forcibly ended gold and silver mining, and the gold standard made it unprofitable to resume mining after the war. We drove by a new mine starting up down the road from Virginia City now that prices were high enough to make the economics work out.

I finished my evening with one last trip to the hot springs.

[muon2]

Day 11. One family member's request was for some rockhounding, so today's drive was drawn to accommodate that request. Rather than jump right up to I-80, we took US-50 the "Loneliest Road in America" from Carson City to Ely. That path also turns out to be the old Lincoln Highway which passes quite close to my home in IL. It also is the route of the Pony Express so there were a number of historical markers along the way.

The route is scenic, but it does get monotonous for some passengers. Thus the day's drive was a set of stops of geological interest connected by the sounds of Spore from the back seat. We took in a huge sand mountain popular by ATVers, a side trail with leafy fossils, and a state recreation area set up for garnet hunters. The last sight was the Bonneville Salt Flats at sundown that added a surreal lighting quality to the white plain framed by shadowy mountains.

I should also mention that the morning began with the sighting of a bald eagle nesting in a tree a couple of miles from our resort. At night I am far from that tree, sitting in downtown Salt Lake City.