The trip to North Carolina is over. I arrived back at my cabin at Serene Lakes on Wednesday and posted the statistics below on Atlasquest shortly thereafter. I repeat them here for those of you who are not letterboxers:
7408 miles driven
211 boxes found
18 boxes planted
22 driving days
1 tick bite
no flat tires, breakdowns or car trouble
no accidents
1 parking ticket
1 really happy parrot
I received comments about tick bites and responded about how hard it is to check for Ticks when I travel alone with a parrot. This comment elicited a great poem from my friend and fellow letterboxer, Grumpy Grinch.
A letterboxer should beware that tick bites can infect her
With Erlichiosis, lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain Fever,
Fevers titled boutonneuse and some are labelled Q,
Relapsing, and babesiosis, just to name a few.
Concerns about these illnesses are anything but funny
But after hikes you should enjoy
Nude tick checks with your honey!
but alas my honey didn't make the trip with me so I'll have to wait until I pick her up at the airport in Oakland to fulfill this part of the trip.
I arrived in Serene Lakes to my perennial nemesis, broken water pipes. I called the plumber and he came the next day. I swear the devil was the plumbing subcontractor when this house was built. Ive spent a fortune fixing pipes not to mention the days without showers or hand washing while waiting for Charlie the plumber.
Not to rest, Friday, my friend doug came up from the Bay area and we went letterboxing in Reno. Saturday I finally made it back to Orinda, safe and happy. Ive driven across America 5 times in my life, the first when I was 16 with my dad. This was the best trip ever. Letterboxing created a goal for every hour on the road and Sirius radio kept me entertained. The parrot only spoke soothing words and never made me stop so she could go to the bathroom, that's what the towel on the seat was for........mmmmm just thinking ya think Maggie would wear.......................nah. nevermind.
I hope you all enjoyed reading this blog and it inspires you to do something YOU want to do regardless of all the raised eyebrows, shaking heads and unbelievable grins. So as my old boss Hap Payne used to say Carpe Diem! or was that Horace? just go do it!
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
In Grantsville, Utah tonight, about 25 miles west of salt Lake city. Last night was spent in Vernal. I had a nice drive through the Rockies on Monday from Golden to Vernal. joined a huge bicycle ride of thousands over rabbit ears pass which added a few hours to the trip but allowed me to see more sights as I had to drive pretty slow.
I had a wardrobe failure a few days ago, no its not what you're thinking. I blew out the knee on my jeans. All the way over Rabbit ears pass there were ads for FM Light company in Steamboat springs. They sold jeans. Mmmmm, I thought, why not, just stop in buy a pair and wear them out the door. All went well until I arrived in Vernal and needed my compass. alas it was gone. I wracked my mind for where I could have left it, searched the car fiendishly but no idea where the compass went. It wasn't a trivial loss, it was expensive and quite accurate. I do have a compass app on the Android but its not accurate.
Just on a whim I sent and email back to FM Light in steamboat sprgs and lo and behold, Sherie called me during dinner tonight, found my compass and for a small fee is shipping it to the house. Its the first and only thing I've misplaced on the trip. Now I lose car keys like a snake sheds skin,,,,, say that real fast sometime , it isn't easy. Knowing my weakness for misplacistis, I hold them in my hand every time I lock any door on the truck.
Venus has gotten pretty good at saying I'm a pretty girl because when she is upfront and says it, I reinforce it with a small treat. Unfortunately I think I've heard a few other words I wont reinforce.
Nothing too odd in salt lake city but the gravestones of the old Mormons buried in the City Cemetery. One headstone was about 8ft high because it had to list all of the man's wives and children, about 10 wives and 20 or so kids. It took me a few seconds to realize these were concurrent and not serial marriages... So much for Big Love.
I had a wardrobe failure a few days ago, no its not what you're thinking. I blew out the knee on my jeans. All the way over Rabbit ears pass there were ads for FM Light company in Steamboat springs. They sold jeans. Mmmmm, I thought, why not, just stop in buy a pair and wear them out the door. All went well until I arrived in Vernal and needed my compass. alas it was gone. I wracked my mind for where I could have left it, searched the car fiendishly but no idea where the compass went. It wasn't a trivial loss, it was expensive and quite accurate. I do have a compass app on the Android but its not accurate.
Just on a whim I sent and email back to FM Light in steamboat sprgs and lo and behold, Sherie called me during dinner tonight, found my compass and for a small fee is shipping it to the house. Its the first and only thing I've misplaced on the trip. Now I lose car keys like a snake sheds skin,,,,, say that real fast sometime , it isn't easy. Knowing my weakness for misplacistis, I hold them in my hand every time I lock any door on the truck.
Venus has gotten pretty good at saying I'm a pretty girl because when she is upfront and says it, I reinforce it with a small treat. Unfortunately I think I've heard a few other words I wont reinforce.
Nothing too odd in salt lake city but the gravestones of the old Mormons buried in the City Cemetery. One headstone was about 8ft high because it had to list all of the man's wives and children, about 10 wives and 20 or so kids. It took me a few seconds to realize these were concurrent and not serial marriages... So much for Big Love.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
The Ace Hi is still in business
Today I stayed in Golden, Colorado and letterboxed my ass off. I found 15 boxes all over the area and had a wonderful time. This one day was better than the entire 1200+ days I lived in golden in the mid 1960's. Those of you know my stories of hazing don't need to be reminded of how miserable I and most of my classmates were during the period.
Golden has been transformed! in Spades. I cant begin to tell you what's changed, but by example, I was served really good sour dough bread at a restaurant last night and when I was in college I used to stuff my suitcase with the stuff because it wasn't available anywhere in the entire state of Colorado. Some good things have gone away, like the huge cinnamon buns at Foss drug, that were the staple of every Sunday breakfast for years. And the sheriff is now ticketing people who tube Clear Creek when the water is too high.
I had breakfast in a coffee shop this morning and was talking a bit about the 60's to the owner when a young lady walked in. she heard me talking and introduced herself as a recent Chemical engineering graduate of Mines....going on to graduate school in Archaeology. She shared there is hyperawareness around hazing at Mines now but still thought it was pretty tough slog and not much fun. Some of the same professors are still hanging around,,,after 50 years..amazing.
Some things haven't changed that much either. My old apartment house, rooming house and dorm are still pretty much the way they were when I left, well the rooming house is purple now but it's still recognizable. The Ace Hi tavern is still in business. It was one of the few bars in Golden and they never carded anyone. The food was poisonous but the drinks were good,,,,then and now. I didn't try the food. We had one fellow who had a straight A average at Mines and who had a barstool with his name engraved on it for the whole four years I was there. I never went into that place that he wasn't there and drunk and still got straight A's.... Wonder how long ago he succumbed to liver disease too.
Golden has been transformed! in Spades. I cant begin to tell you what's changed, but by example, I was served really good sour dough bread at a restaurant last night and when I was in college I used to stuff my suitcase with the stuff because it wasn't available anywhere in the entire state of Colorado. Some good things have gone away, like the huge cinnamon buns at Foss drug, that were the staple of every Sunday breakfast for years. And the sheriff is now ticketing people who tube Clear Creek when the water is too high.
I had breakfast in a coffee shop this morning and was talking a bit about the 60's to the owner when a young lady walked in. she heard me talking and introduced herself as a recent Chemical engineering graduate of Mines....going on to graduate school in Archaeology. She shared there is hyperawareness around hazing at Mines now but still thought it was pretty tough slog and not much fun. Some of the same professors are still hanging around,,,after 50 years..amazing.
Some things haven't changed that much either. My old apartment house, rooming house and dorm are still pretty much the way they were when I left, well the rooming house is purple now but it's still recognizable. The Ace Hi tavern is still in business. It was one of the few bars in Golden and they never carded anyone. The food was poisonous but the drinks were good,,,,then and now. I didn't try the food. We had one fellow who had a straight A average at Mines and who had a barstool with his name engraved on it for the whole four years I was there. I never went into that place that he wasn't there and drunk and still got straight A's.... Wonder how long ago he succumbed to liver disease too.
Friday, June 6, 2014
Look in the trunk!
Left Indianapolis in a downpour of epic proportions. Living in the drought state, I haven't seen much rain in a few years and this storm seemed like a whole season worth in an hour. I sat in the car for about an hour waiting for it to stop and finally gave up. I did get to see Louis Chevrolet's grave which was very modest. I expected something the size of a Suburban at least.
speaking about graveyards, I've been a heap of them lately. I was amazed at these old towns and how large, like several thousand acres, the graveyards are. I have resorted to going into the office and asking for a map and sometimes have to stand in line with grieving people. If they only knew why I was there....."get the tarbucket, fred....." I was followed around one cemetery by the security for a while and so I'm also amazed at the millions of tons of granite that has been quarried, carved and shaped. Are these monuments the last clinging gasp of people for some physical immortality? And another thing, I keep wondering how much formaldehyde is in the water table under these plains of the dead. I think it's time to letterbox somewhere else for a while.
I recrossed the Mississippi river at Davenport Iowa and headed directly to Le Claire, home of American Pickers TV show. No stars were there except one gal who worked in the office and was on TV a few weeks ago. They have two stores, one in Nashville and the one here in LeClaire. This store is really tiny, a converted gas station. There is no way they are covering their costs by picking stuff, its all the TV rights and swag they sell. And I bought a T shirt too. If you watch the show, you know they have an iconic old Nash in front of the store. The trunk of this car is filled with letterboxes, yes about 50 of them in a big bucket. I spent half an hour stamping in.
I headed across Iowa to and then down to Cameron Missouri where I stayed in a motel with about 50 prison preachers. they rode motorcycles and were planning to visit the Penitentiary the next day. they were very pleasant and asked me " Is Jesus in your life?" I was able to reply simply , and then started worrying if the next question was how? I wouldn't have had much of an answer for that....Maybe I could have said I spend lots of time with the dead.
I visited the gravesite of two of my great grandparents, Henry and Martha Carroll and then drove through Kidder Missouri where my grandmother grew up. No one in my family lives there anymore and from the looks of the place its in pretty sad shape. I retraced my steps and got up to Nebraska City on the Missouri River and saw where Lewis and Clark started their cross country trip. I'm still amazed they crossed the country twice and not a single member of the expedition died.... this was in the early part of the 19th century too.
I drove across Nebraska and headed down into Kansas and found the geographic center of the lower 48 states and just down the road a piece the spot where "Home on the range" was composed.
Of course there were letterboxes there.. that's why I went there. tonight Venus and I are in Ft Hays, Kansas on I 70. Tomorrow Colorado!
speaking about graveyards, I've been a heap of them lately. I was amazed at these old towns and how large, like several thousand acres, the graveyards are. I have resorted to going into the office and asking for a map and sometimes have to stand in line with grieving people. If they only knew why I was there....."get the tarbucket, fred....." I was followed around one cemetery by the security for a while and so I'm also amazed at the millions of tons of granite that has been quarried, carved and shaped. Are these monuments the last clinging gasp of people for some physical immortality? And another thing, I keep wondering how much formaldehyde is in the water table under these plains of the dead. I think it's time to letterbox somewhere else for a while.
I recrossed the Mississippi river at Davenport Iowa and headed directly to Le Claire, home of American Pickers TV show. No stars were there except one gal who worked in the office and was on TV a few weeks ago. They have two stores, one in Nashville and the one here in LeClaire. This store is really tiny, a converted gas station. There is no way they are covering their costs by picking stuff, its all the TV rights and swag they sell. And I bought a T shirt too. If you watch the show, you know they have an iconic old Nash in front of the store. The trunk of this car is filled with letterboxes, yes about 50 of them in a big bucket. I spent half an hour stamping in.
I headed across Iowa to and then down to Cameron Missouri where I stayed in a motel with about 50 prison preachers. they rode motorcycles and were planning to visit the Penitentiary the next day. they were very pleasant and asked me " Is Jesus in your life?" I was able to reply simply , and then started worrying if the next question was how? I wouldn't have had much of an answer for that....Maybe I could have said I spend lots of time with the dead.
I visited the gravesite of two of my great grandparents, Henry and Martha Carroll and then drove through Kidder Missouri where my grandmother grew up. No one in my family lives there anymore and from the looks of the place its in pretty sad shape. I retraced my steps and got up to Nebraska City on the Missouri River and saw where Lewis and Clark started their cross country trip. I'm still amazed they crossed the country twice and not a single member of the expedition died.... this was in the early part of the 19th century too.
I drove across Nebraska and headed down into Kansas and found the geographic center of the lower 48 states and just down the road a piece the spot where "Home on the range" was composed.
Of course there were letterboxes there.. that's why I went there. tonight Venus and I are in Ft Hays, Kansas on I 70. Tomorrow Colorado!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Spongebob squarepants has died and is buried in Cincinnati
Yes, sad to say he was burned to death by a hot iron after escaping a harrowing spinwash cycle near Cincinnati. His likeness was duplicated for the eventual death of the love of his life, Washrag Wrinkleskirt. I was fortunate enough to visit his grave here in Cincinnati and have taken a picture of it for all you to see.
The family vacation with the Tripp's was wonderful, everyone, even I , behaved himself and we all left Emerald Isle with good feelings. I almost dis ingratiated myself with Donald and Hilary by suggesting they buy a truck and a tractor now that they have purchased a one acre farm on Swamp Rd in Schwenksville. But alas they did buy a tractor and even sent me a picture of it so I'm happy one machine can do all their farm chores now.
I drove a bit on the Blue ridge parkway and found an Alpaca ranch that sells yarn and of course there was a letterbox to be found nearby.
West Virginia was beautiful and I could almost still hear all those anticlines and synclines moaning as the plates buckled over the millennia. I stopped for a letterbox along the way and a man and woman got off their porch to see what I was doing. he was 85, had raised 7 children and worked in the coal mines all his life. He was a cheery guy until I asked him what he thought of the EPA's new rule on carbon emissions... shouldn't have gotten him started. glad he still votes, maybe someone can legislate some sense into "political warming".
Most of my boxing in Kentucky and Ohio has been in graveyards. there are heaps of boxes here in graveyards and the instructions are much better than the ones in Charlotte,NC.
Today, while leaving Lexington Kentucky , I stopped to find a box at a Crate and Barrel, it was missing so while returning to my car, who should I run into?? Grumpy Grinch and his wife Susan.. They are good friends from San Jose and while I knew they were in the area ,I had no idea Id ever see them here. We took a few pictures, promised to talk when we get back to the bay area and off we went stamp in hand.
I can report Venus is doing quite well, she rides free in the truck until about noon ever day and then starts exploring the back seat at which time I put her in birdie jail for the rest of the day. I can use the radio as much as I like either, she sings and yaps at most every station. No song makes sense yet but it's sure loud.
Ok that's all for now folks,, if you ever want to make a statement to eternity.... and hope god isn't watching,use a statue of spongebob squarepants for your gravestone
The family vacation with the Tripp's was wonderful, everyone, even I , behaved himself and we all left Emerald Isle with good feelings. I almost dis ingratiated myself with Donald and Hilary by suggesting they buy a truck and a tractor now that they have purchased a one acre farm on Swamp Rd in Schwenksville. But alas they did buy a tractor and even sent me a picture of it so I'm happy one machine can do all their farm chores now.
I drove a bit on the Blue ridge parkway and found an Alpaca ranch that sells yarn and of course there was a letterbox to be found nearby.
West Virginia was beautiful and I could almost still hear all those anticlines and synclines moaning as the plates buckled over the millennia. I stopped for a letterbox along the way and a man and woman got off their porch to see what I was doing. he was 85, had raised 7 children and worked in the coal mines all his life. He was a cheery guy until I asked him what he thought of the EPA's new rule on carbon emissions... shouldn't have gotten him started. glad he still votes, maybe someone can legislate some sense into "political warming".
Most of my boxing in Kentucky and Ohio has been in graveyards. there are heaps of boxes here in graveyards and the instructions are much better than the ones in Charlotte,NC.
Today, while leaving Lexington Kentucky , I stopped to find a box at a Crate and Barrel, it was missing so while returning to my car, who should I run into?? Grumpy Grinch and his wife Susan.. They are good friends from San Jose and while I knew they were in the area ,I had no idea Id ever see them here. We took a few pictures, promised to talk when we get back to the bay area and off we went stamp in hand.
I can report Venus is doing quite well, she rides free in the truck until about noon ever day and then starts exploring the back seat at which time I put her in birdie jail for the rest of the day. I can use the radio as much as I like either, she sings and yaps at most every station. No song makes sense yet but it's sure loud.
Ok that's all for now folks,, if you ever want to make a statement to eternity.... and hope god isn't watching,use a statue of spongebob squarepants for your gravestone
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