Three Thousand Seven Hundred And One

Home again. Last night was spent in the comfort of our own bed with both Jack and Gracie orbiting around us. Before we got home though....

Sandy and Nancy joined us at Carol's home yesterday around 11:30. We then set out for the Harley Davidson shop in Medford where we were hoping to find newly delivered shirts. Afterwards we had a great lunch in Talent, Oregon. Of course we had to walk around Ashland - which did not make the men in the party particularly happy. Nancy and I both decided we loved the same shoes Carol had bought, but only I was lucky enough to score a pair. Of course all of this shopping meant that we would not be getting home until really, really late. We stopped for dinner at Grazella's in Woodland and finally arrived home at 10:45. Yawn. It was a very long, hot day and I thought we would never get home.

So, today we are slowly moving back into our traditional life. A life that does not require studying routes, making reservations, packing, unpacking, and living on the road. We miss the freedom, the simplicity of wearing the same clothes everyday, the mystery of new towns, and the adventure of fabulous rides. George normalized by washing the bike, mowing the lawn, and doing wash. I slept most of the day. Then I looked at my toenails and decided I was going to have a pedicure at Van's where I would be treated to a hot rock massage. It was amazing. AMAZING.

We talked with friends today and got to see both Sam and Ben. Sam has just been promoted an will be relocating to the Bay Area! We are all thrilled for him.

We rode 3,701 miles in approximately 2 weeks. We are truly thankful that the bike did its job and for the third year we made a long journey and returned home with only good memories. Next year: Canada

The Rocky Mountain Riders checking out.

Happy 4th Anniversary Ben & Elizabeth!

Hi Kids,

Dad and I send you both our love and gratefulness that we have been able to share in watching your relationship bloom from emails to marriage. As Maggie would say, "It's been a hoot and a half!".

Today also marks the final day of our ride. Nancy and Sandy joined us in Bend, Oregon yesterday for a quick visit and trip to the Harley store. We left them in Bend and made the long, hot, hot trek to Medford, Oregon. Let me say that again. Long and hot. I was offline yesterday and missed Marsha's birthday! Happy Birthday Marsha! What is up with the ball? I can't wait to hear.

We are staying in Medford with our good friend Carol. Last year we began our trip with her and this year we are ending it with her and her wonderful cat Tommy. It is hard to describe her beautiful home-so I won't try. Suffice it to say that we love being here. Thank you Carol.

We are now waiting for Sandy and Nancy to arrive and we will be off to the Medford Harley to buy some overpriced merchandise. Then, hopefully to Ashland to have a lovely lunch and then the final push for home. I am starting to miss Jack and Gracie.

I am out of blog stuff. We ended the trip just in time. I am watching Carol arrange flowers from the Farmer's Market she and George just returned from and I am full of fresh fruit she prepared for us this morning.

George is going to take Carol on a ride to her daughter Tiffany's home. Carol is a bit concerned, but is a brave soul. When she returned she said her adorable grandson, Owen, was quite interested in the helmets and put his on too. Owen has really taken to Big George. Life is good. Jenson

The Early Bird Get Frost Bite

Last night we had dinner at an amazing restaurant called Canyon Crest. Our table was located out on the balcony overlooking the Snake River. The view was spectacular. We even saw a base jumper-which is someone who jumps off structures with a parasail. The bridge that we could see from the restaurant is one of the few in the US where one can legally jump from. The whole sensory experience of being outside in a glorious postcard and having a waterfall running below us was pretty special. George was pretty happy with his prime rib too.

So, this morning. Once again we were on the bike and out on the road by 6am. You would think we were not on vacation. It was so cold that we had most of our clothes on. I was whimpering on the back and at one point actually wondered if I could ride with one of the truckers for a while just to warm up. George pulled off the highway and into the parking lot of a restaurant and we both fell off of the bike. The young waitress immediately ran for warm drinks. So, I did not really want to eat as I was to cold, but I decided that perhaps some hot oatmeal would help defrost me from the inside out. George ordered a 3 egg omelet. Now, I order the small bowl of oatmeal because the large bowl generally resembles a sink. So out comes our meals. The waitress puts mine in front of me and says, "I hope it's enough". Truly there was between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. I had it down in 10 seconds. When I glanced over at George's breakfast I about fainted. His omelet clearly was the daily dozen special. He also had a huge heaping helping of potatoes and two gigantic pieces of toast. Even Big George was spellbound by the sheer size. He could only eat half. HALF! Even tonight he said he wished he could have eaten more it was so good. Man.

So, we finally made it to our last night in a hotel. We are at AmeriTel Inn in Bend, Oregon. I think it is related to the hotel we stayed at last night because there are suspicious similarities. We are located right by the river and within very close walking distance of cute shops and wonderful restaurants. In the morning Sandy and Nancy will be joining us for breakfast! They will be staying in Bend tomorrow night and then joining us for the ride home.

A few side bars:
A restaurant I saw in Burns, Oregon today- Meat Hook Restaurant - Really
Great moment: Seeing wild horses

Tomorrow we are off to Medford, Oregon. We will be staying with two of our favorite friends, Carol and Thomas. Thomas is Carol's cat and he is awesome. We love visiting Carol and this will bring the final days of our journey to a splendid close.

I am making George watch Glee Club right now. He's had a few comments. "What's the difference between Glee Club and cheer?" And, "Thank God Son's of Anarchy are going to be back on soon."
On that note. Good night. Jenson

Statelines

We were on the bike and ready to roll at 6am. It was still dark. There was a woman getting her things in her car at the same time and I could read her mind. "I am so glad that's not me". Anyway off we went. We were on the road until we arrived at our destination at 3:30pm. We traveled through Utah, Nevada, and are now in Idaho. The state line between Utah and Nevada was quite funny. There is a white line painted down the highway and Utah is painted on one side and Nevada is painted on the other. The first Nevada casino is located right on top of the line. It would appear that there are some feelings being demonstrated there. We also rode by Salt Lake City. I thought we might stop and at least buy a T-shirt or swim in the lake, but George was having none of that. It is a very smoggy city. The rest of the ride was uneventful. Hours of desert, farmland, salt flats, and very little else. I am still curious about how people maintain economically in these towns that appear to be wasting away.

We are at a Hilton Garden Inn in Twin Falls, Idaho. It is a very nice hotel and the room is quite lovely. Tomorrow we will have another early start and our destination will be Bend, Oregon.

A few random thoughts:
A new drink we read on a menu in Aspen: It is called Pink Panty Pulldown: Vodka, Lemonade, Soda, Cranberry We thought is sounded pretty good.

Marsha: We love Murphy's. My favorite little restaurant is Grounds. I am happy to hear that Jim, who I think of as so sane and reasonable ,is also susceptible to doing silly things. And yes, we have hung with our Harley brothers and sisters in Jamestown.

Final thought: At times during this ride, perhaps when we are flying across some beautiful mountain pass, the stark truth of what we are doing exposes itself and I feel incredibly vulnerable. The magic of traveling on a motorcycle is also what can make it risky. There are no doors, or windows, or seat belts to give one the sensation of safety. When I catch sight of my body, clinging to the seat, and I realize how close I am to the ground, for just a moment I feel a brief frisson of panic. We are so far from home. We are so far from anything that would provide comfort if there were a problem. And then the moment passes. The beauty of the ride restores my enjoyment in the moment and the beat goes on.

Happy 29th Anniversary Sandy and Nancy!

Many Happy Returns to Uncle Nancy and Aunt Sandy for their 29th year. Once again I have found the best card-I am laughing just thinking about it.

After an interesting day on the road, chilly, hot, sunny, rainy, windy, and stormy, we are spending the night in Vernal, Utah. Along the way we stopped in Steamboat Springs and ended up finding a wonderful shop where we found a picture that we are having sent to Folsom. The young woman who helped us is from Martinez and her dad went to the same high school George did. As Walt Disney told us - It's a small world after all. We also found a really fun candy store. And that was it for cute towns in Colorado. The next town we stopped in, Craig, we found one place for lunch. Well, there was a Taco Bell and MacDonald's. Anyway, the town looked ready to close down. We could not believe it was just one hour from Steamboat Springs.

Next stop was Dinosaur, Colorado. Now how this town even is on the map is beyond me. Even the video store was out of business. We stopped at the gas station for a drink and to run across the street and take pictures with the giant dinosaurs. I wanted to get some postcards for the great nieces and was redirected to a store around the corner called The Pickle Stop. We missed it the first time around. But we found another big dinosaur and had to take another picture. Well, George wanted one by the dinosaur with him on his bike. No joke. So, we drove past the liquor store and back to The Pickle Stop where I did a little business. It was a pack rat's dream stop. I don't know who would really shop there. The owner said people would stop just to see if he really sold pickles. He doesn't.

Our hotel room: Wow. This baby is at least a 4 star room. Very modern, well furnished, large TV, microwave, fridge, desk, couch, etc. It is one of the best rooms we have had. And it is in a town that does not appear to have anything happening. George finally asked someone and was told that tourists come here to visit the Dinosaur National Monument. Who knew? Really, I cannot describe this place. And right next door is this restaurant, Del Rio Cafe, that is really unique. It is Mexican food, but with homemade tortillas, and you line up and they make your meal according to your specifications. It was quite good.

Well, we are up at 5:00 tomorrow so we can get make tracks before we get too baked. It will be a long day as we are heading to Twin Falls, Idaho.

A few things I have not mentioned. I'm kidding right? The shoe tree in Nevada. Yes, there is a tree that people throw sets of shoes in. I did get a picture, but it does not show up very well. And, when we were in Lake City, CO, I went into what served as the town grocery store/gas station to buy something. The only other shoppers in the store were three young men. They all bought chew. I found this oddly fascinating. Finally, George and I began our trip into Colorado thinking we wanted to move there. Then we realized we were too old to take on snow.

Over and out. Jenson

Gas Food Lodging

This morning we planned to have an early breakfast and one last swim before heading out. The pool did not open until 7:30 so we watched the staff as they readied the area for the crowds that would show up during the day. The pools at this early morning hour were calmly letting off puffs of steam into the cooler air. The early morning group of swimmers are primarily senior citizens. They swim laps, they walk up and down the pool, they visit and they relax their bodies in the warmer pool. George and I soon joined them and spent over an hour relaxing and walking, slowly swimming, and pulling each other through the wonderful water. I thought of my mom and how I would have loved to have brought her here. I would have held her in my arms and floated her little body through the healing waters and she would have been so happy. Her bones would have warmed and she would have been able to stretch and feel her whole body.
It was finally time to leave and our next stop was in Aspen for lunch and a quick walk around the town. What a beautiful place and it was certainly full of beautiful rich people. We went to the Farmer's Market where everyone had their dogs with them. Dogs I had never seen before, or never seen in person before. Well groomed. Expensive dogs. As we were walking around the market we noticed there were far more things for sale then fruits and vegetables. In fact, one booth that sold jewelry had people crowding in to purchase items. A little necklace went for $120. We were a bit flabbergasted that people go to a Farmer's Market to spend that kind of money. Only in Aspen.
Our first ride of the day was Independence Pass. The pass crosses the Continental Divide at 12,096. It was a fabulous ride. Breathtaking-long expanses of roads rolling up and down mountains. Our final ride was Battle Mountain Pass. Another wonderful experience.
We are spending the night in Frisco, Co. The rides have been terrific and the towns that are sprawled out along the way are all just filled with great restaurants, shops, and all sorts of outdoor activities.
First thing this morning I saw this sign: Gas Food Lodging. I think Meryl could play me. William Hurt (with a few more pounds) could play George.
Back to Utah tomorrow. We are beginning to turn the bike homewards. Jenson

Fun Friday

It all started with a lovely bowl of Irish oatmeal. We had packed up a bag of goodies to take to the pool and stopped by the grill to have our morning meal on the way to our morning soak. First though we had a big decision. Do we get 4 turns down the water slide, 8 turns, or go all out and get the all day pass. Believe it or not this was the biggest decision of the day. We went with eight. Spending time in the pools goes something like this. You get in the huge pool first and walk up and down. Or if you are with a family you play catch. Then, when you get cold you go to the warm pool. We spent hours doing this until the water slide opened. Okay. We used to love the water slides at Cal Expo. So, it was with some excitement and a lot of trepidation that we started up the stairs. All 99 of them. We finally reached the top and decided to go down the Blue Comet first. You got down the Comet with your body. And so at 50 miles per hour you whip down the tunnel in cold water hitting your head and body every turn. I could not stand up when I finally got to the bottom. The other slide,the Green Whatever,was much kinder. You rode on a large tube, the water was warm, and the ride was fun. However, after three times, with a long break in between, we gave our ticket to a family with kids. We are old.
This really is a great place. We met some women who had taken Amtrak from Reno to Glenwood Springs. That would be a blast. There are vapor caves, biking, hiking, and great restaurants. And you get to spend hours in a mineral pool revitalizing your body. Finally, a vacation!!! It is lovely to see George so relaxed. He pulls me around the pool or I pull him and we laugh at little things. It is really quite corny and so great.
Well, tomorrow we are going to start with another breakfast and swim and then off to many fine vistas.
Good night...Jenson