Headed home

After more than two weeks on the road, it was time to head west again, and we did so in record time, covering more than 500 miles each day through Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

A grain elevator in Colby, Kansas, where we spent the first night of the return journey.

Sunrise over a Kansas cornfield.

America’s farmland is dotted with wind turbines all across the Midwest.

We spent night two in Santa Fe, NM, where we saw this stunning morning sky.

Red mesas on the continental divide.

Last chance Texaco, Route 66, in Needles, California, where it is 116 degrees at dinner time.

Wagon Wheel Restaurant is a Route 66 fixture. Great food, too!

Cheers to our 2023 summer road trip and to all our friends and family we visited as part of our 5000-mile journey. Until next time, much love from John & Lo.

Too Busy to Blog

When you’re with Hannah & Charlotte, who has time to blog? Just a few quick pix of us and the Chicks. 

Random Midwest

 

Passing Epic Lane in Verona, Wisconsin… Made it to Hannah! But before that…

At lunch at Convivium in Dubuque, Iowa, an urban farmstead whose mission is to improve life through food — growing it, sharing it, giving it away, and bringing healthy options to North Dubuque. Check them out at convivium-dbl.com 

Beautiful Iowa farmland.

Waiting five minutes for a freight train to pass.

Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum in West Branch, Iowa. He did a lot of good, but the poor guy can’t shake his association with the Great Depression.

Iowa City, home to the Iowa Writers Workshop and Prairie Lights bookstore.

Doing laundry at the Embassy Suites in Omaha.

Colorado Springs, North Platte & Omaha

As I’ve been taught, honesty is always the best policy, and today’s truth is we now know that we’re not RV people. After 6 days in the Airstream living with a mouse, a shower that didn’t work, two bald tires, and constant stress about whether we’d run out of potable water and battery power, we ditched the trailer in Colorado and headed north in the truck. Of course we will fetch it on the way home, but we’re feeling much more free and easy in the truck and various roadside hotels.

Colorado Springs was glorious — we had a shower and a king sized bed. Also a great visit with Patty K and Ziggy and the best non-dairy ice cream I’ve ever eaten at Josh & John’s ice cream shop. 

Clean and civilized?

Morning hike.

Josh & John’s — really, that’s what it’s called.

Evening in the city.

We drove east to North Platte in Nebraska so flat.

There’s not much to see — just corn — that’s that.

A hundred degrees in the sun, and not much cooler at night.

And the food is terrible. So we took our flight.

Onto Omaha…

Stopping by the cemetery. 

Mary Louise Becknell, 1932-1975. RIP.

John’s childhood home, age 6-11.

… and he lived here from age 11-17. 

You can’t go home again…

Friends

                             Nothing compares to spending time with your peeps (and their dogs). 

                                                R to L: Lennon, Lo, Johamy, John, Matt, Isaac

Matt in the kitchen (it may be his favorite indoor spot)

Bear

John and Johamy on Isaac’s deck in Creede

Patty and Ziggy Marley in the Springs

John and Deb in Omaha

Creede Never Disappoints

We made it back to Creede, the beauty of which always blows us away. We had a lot of fun visiting with Matt & Johamy, and Isaac & Lennon and… Jude, who’s already nearly 18 months old. How time flies.

Our camper set up. The “clam” tent keeps the bugs and rain out and provides a great place for happy hour.

Ivy Creek was running and the hike was spring-like.

This old guy still rocks.

While in Creede, we also checked in with our tenants, who gave us eight of their fresh and colorful chicken eggs that we ate for breakfast. Aren’t they gorgeous?

Then there was this guy. Otis, the Bernese Mountain dog, who lives in our cabin, along with a family of four, two cats, and the chickens.

Will try to post again when we get internet at our next stop. Adios for now. XO

New Mexico and Colorado - Travel Days 2&3

We left Flagstaff eager to drive north and get into some cooler weather. Much of the drive was through the Navaho Reservation, where the scenery is spectacular and the rez dogs are lazy.

Day 1: Laguna Beach to Flagstaff

Now, we’re really on the road again — in fact, we were literally on the road from 10 AM to after 7 PM, driving 520 miles from the Pacific to the San Francisco Peaks on the Colorado Plateau in northern Arizona. Along the way, we traveled from a high of 108 degrees to an anticipated 55 degrees this evening. Oh, and we also made a stop in Irvine to pick up our rental Bambi, which is a 14-foot Airstream.

At 4000 pounds, it felt fairly heavy to haul, especially as we gained elevation of 7000 feet.

Hauling 4000 pounds also took a toll on our gas mileage. We typically fill up when we drop below half, but today we were running on empty, which made John very nervous, especially when the gas light came on. Fortunately, a gas station appeared like an oasis in the desert, and we were able to breathe easier after that.

State lines are always a welcome sign of progress on the road. :)

Here’s our little dinette area — perfect for dinner and watching Dodgers’ highlights on the computer. You can see some of the storage cabinets up top. We’ll see how much we like it after several weeks in close quarters. Stay tuned…

On the Road Again (almost)

Get ready! Get set! It's time to travel in a tin can again, this time on a halfway-cross-country trip from the Pacific to Madison, WI, just in time for another Chicks concert with Hannah! As we sold the teardrop during Covid, we're renting a cute 16' Airstream Bambi for this trip. Still pretty tiny for two, but since we get along so well, we're hoping its more cozy and romantic than crowded and annoying.

Along the way, we plan to stop in Creede, Colorado Springs and Omaha to see friends, and then, hopefully will grab some time with "the kids" in the Midwest. Here's a tentative roadmap:

And to get everyone in the spirit of our destination, here's Hannah and I at our last Chicks concert, at the start of their Gaslighter tour in LA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dom7VlltBUc 

We depart on August 12th, so look for blog posts after that. Happy August!