There are No Ugly Mountains - Lake Tahoe, NV - 3560 Miles

We drove south to Carson City, west over the mountains to Lake Tahoe, and circled the lake before taking a different mountain road back to Reno. Ugly mountains simply don't exist. Throw in a large, crystal clear lake and it only gets better. South Lake Tahoe, CA, the largest community on the lake. wasn't very big. Its draws, besides being on the lake, were ski slopes and the hotel/casinos just across the Nevada line. The level of development on the California side of the lake surprised me. Only a few small business areas exist, but a steady stream of homes rings the shore wherever possible and on the hillsides where it wasn't.











































I'm pretty much all gambled out. In early trips to Vegas I spent time planning how to spend the million dollar winnings that were certainly in my future. After two or three days the reality I wasn't going to win that kind of money set in . With each subsequent casino trip the time to realize this got shorter and shorter. Now I accept going in that I'm not going to win money which renders the entire exercise pretty pointless. Thank God for free drinks.

(Still) Reno, NV - 3385 Miles

I'm just hanging out while Terry works. She miscalculated her hours and instead of working 20 hrs/wk for the pay period she was on track to work 20 hours for the entire pay period. Now she is catching up. I took the opportunity to purchase a Starbucks gift card so I could get internet access without paying $10/day at the hotel. I think Starbucks' coffee tastes like bilge water, but at this particular Starbucks it at least tastes like it's from the surface layer of the bilge. I'll tolerate quite a bit for free internet access.

I won my bet on the Cleveland/Orlando basketball game the other night. Money on the game makes it more interesting. The sports book area was a fun place to watch the game but the language gets a bit salty towards the end of a close game (after figuring in the point spread). People shrieked obscenities across the room at the big screen TV after each shot. It's definitely a men's club. Well, I assume it is. I really have no idea what the language gets like at a quilting bee or Tupperware party.

Our next activity of consequence will be circling Lake Tahoe on Saturday.

Reno, NV - 3360 Miles

After finishing our final San Francisco requirement of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, we made a right turn and drove to Reno, NV. We planned this deviation from our primarily coastal route to spend a week where Terry could work, I could do laundry, and we both could gamble and do nothing for a while somewhere with cheap, good hotels. Lake Tahoe is also on our agenda here. The drive from San Francisco through Sacramento was unimpressive, but crossing over the Sierras before heading into Reno was quite beautiful. The mountains still have snow at higher elevations but skiing ended about two weeks ago. I managed to pass by Donner Lake, Donner Summit, Donner Pass, and the Donner Ski Ranch without the slightest urge for cannibalism.

Just for the record, Reno is not faring well. We are at the Alantis Hotel/Casino south of downtown, but hotels and casinos in the immediate downtown area are fading fast. At least five major (by Reno standards) hotel/casinos are closed. One closed long enough ago that the ground floor casino area has been subdivided into souvenir and pawn shops. Several are simply vacant. One closed recently enough that peering in the doors I could see the machines and tables still intact. A vacant hotel is converting to condos though I saw no reason to live in downtown Reno unless you happen to own one of the many pawn shops or liquor stores.

I'm slowly relearning the intricacies of doing laundry on a long road trip. I've mastered looking up locations on the internet. I remember to take a roll of quarters with me since a functioning change machine is iffy at best. I accept that a third of the washers will be broken but only half of those will have a sign stating that fact. Actually, putting quarters in a washer is not unlike putting quarters in a slot machine. The biggest diferences are the laundomat lacks cocktail waitresses bringing me free drinks and I lose more in the slot machines. I also relearned (the hard way) that one shouldn't simply throw the door open on a tumbling dryer to check on how wet clothes are. The drum will continue rotating for a good five seconds after the door is open thereby spewing your clothes all over the floor.

Also here in Washoe county we are in a hot spot for the H1N1 virus, or the Swine Flu if you are less poltically correct, or Mexican Flu if you are downright evil. One school has been closed with 20+ cases. Several other schools have multiple cases. I'm just looking at it as another form of gambling.

San Francisco, CA - 3130 Miles

We are finishing up our time in San Francisco and completed most of the usual tourist activities. Unfortunately while we were here it was...(pick at least three of the following - cold, windy, cloudy, hazy.) We went to the top of Coit Tower for the panoramic view of the city. Despite my pleas to climb the stairs I was told they were closed and I HAD to take the elevator. We went to Fisherman's Wharf for a good view of Alcatraz and to overpay for seafood.















We did the obligatory cable car rides. In fact the whole time we were here I steadfastly refused to move the car from its initial parking spot at the hotel. If we couldn't walk or take public transportation, we didn't go. Fortunately buses and trolleys were more user friendly in San Francisco than Dallas.















We watched cars descend Lombard St., supposedly the most crooked street in the world. The odor filling the air reminded me of the famous movie line, "I love the smell of burning brake pads in the morning. It smells like....victory." People live on the street and have garages opening on it but I'm guessing they don't go in or out any more than they have to. Cars backed up over two blocks climbing to the top to await their turn to go down. The road up seemed every bit as steep and was the typical straight road rather than winding. The uphill side was more entertaining since every time a car advanced its tires squealed to move forward before rolling into the car behind it. The occasional standard transmissions were the most entertaining. I'm guessing a few clutches didn't survive the day.

We visited Chinatown to overpay for Chinese food. We happened to see a parade complete with a marching band and floats with supporters of Falun Dafa. I had no idea what that meant and just hoped it didn't translate roughly to "Death to the White Devils". I later learned it was a philosophy of self improvement.















This also marks the one-month anniversary of being without our apartment. Our only problem was at our first hotel. The desk clerk requested my ID and asked, "Is this your correct address?".

"We really don't have an address," I replied. "We moved out of our apartment and are travelling for a few months. After that we'll get a place to live but until then we're technically homeless."

My attempt at a truthful explanation met a blank stare. Finally I followed his lead. "Yes, that is my correct address."

"Thank you. Things are much easier that way."

Ever since then when asked if the address on my ID is correct I simply reply, "Yes. Yes it is."

Childhood Memories - San Francisco, CA - 3130 Miles

This is a quick update midway through our stay in San Francisco and will only make sense to the few of you who read my story about Idora Park as a child and its penny arcade. A museum on Fisherman's Wharf houses old mechanical arcade devices from amusement parks. In it I found "Have a Look in the Sultan's Harem" - a variation of "What the Butler Saw" I remembered as a child. In this version the bouncing wooden legs were wrapped in a doily and had feathers at the waist since, as we all know, standard attire in a Sultan's harem consists of doilies and feathers. I've included a photo of the machine and also a shot through the viewer. The second shot didn't come out very clearly, but knowing ahead of time you're looking at a doily at the bottom and feathers at the top you can almost make it out.

Central California Coast - Monterey, CA - 2979 Miles

We spent four days driving up the Pacific Coast Highway (Rte 1). I was glad to leave the congestion of southern California and see smaller towns and more open country. We spent nights in Santa Barbara, and Morro Bay, and two nights in Monterey. We also spent an afternoon in Carmel. Santa Barbara and Carmel are both places where the very wealthy live an almost fairy tale existence. I felt like I had stepped through the looking glass. I did see one thing I suspect is uniquely California. A little old lady in Carmel was walking her dog. After the dog "did its thing", she dutifully picked up after it. Next, however, she took out some paper and wiped her dog's butt. I've never seen that before and really don't care to see it again.

The scenery on the trip was spectacular - not Grand Canyon spectacular, but not far behind. We stopped at a beach to see elephant seals. Most slept but some of the males occasionally squared off to settle whatever disputes male elephant seals have. They would slam into each other like sumo wrestlers for five or six seconds, one would back off, and they would both collapse exhausted. If neither clearly dominated the process would begin again.

These are some shots from along the California coast.

Leaving a Shaky LA - Los Angeles, CA - 2560 Miles

Last night we experienced our first earthquake and just for the record the 12th floor of a hotel is not the ideal location for it. It felt like a large group of people on the floor above us decided to start jumping up and down. I knew immediately what it was. Terry's description was like a car driving into the side of your house. It only lasted a few seconds. We then debated our course of action. Terry went to the lobby to see what was going on. I opted for risking death in the room rather than facing 12 flights of stairs. After a few minutes I took the elevator down. You could really distinguish the tourists from the locals. People like us compared notes on the experience and wondered what to do next. The hotel staff never slowed the pace of check-ins or paused in transporting luggage to rooms.

Local news broke in to TV programming. It was a 4.7 quake which apparently is in the range that definitely gets your attention but does little damage. The center was pegged just three miles east of our hotel. They said five smaller aftershocks followed. I think I felt one of them but it's possible it was just me shaking. People called in telling what it felt like which seemed strangely similar to people back in Texas describing the tornado.

This morning we leave LA and head up the coast for a few days stopping in Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, and Monterey.

Los Angeles, CA - 2500 Miles

I'm finally adjusting to the Pacific time zone. Initially I found it extremely difficult to stay up past 7PM but now I'm routinely up past sunset. I also now understand the traffic problems of southern California in general and LA specifically. I always assumed it was due to long commutes or urban sprawl, but the fact is everyone is simply driving around looking for a parking spot. Parking at popular destinations is a valuable commodity. If you hit the jackpot and find a spot it usually has a one-hour maximum. After 60 minutes of sight seeing, you get to start the process all over again.

We had two celebrity sightings on an NBC studio tour. First we saw Jay Leno's car in reserved parking slot #1 outside the Tonight Show studio. For the record Leno can't park worth a crap. I would have taken a picture to prove it but photography was strictly prohibited. I wouldn't want him parking next to me at Wal-Mart but I probably don't really need to worry about it. The second celebrity was a pelican scheduled for the Tonight Show taping that afternoon. Not my choices for star gazing but you take what you can get. I'm somewhat ashamed to admit I stayed up to watch the Tonight Show just so I could see the pelican on TV.

Sunday we visit the beaches at Santa Monica and Venice. With some luck I can get a picture with my brethren at Muscle Beach.

San Diego, CA - 2160 Miles

We made it to the coast. It amazed me how quickly the temperature dropped from 100+ to 70. We spent a day touring Balboa Park and the carrier USS Midway. It was interesting how Terry and I each gravitated to what seemed like our natural place on the ship.













The second day we wandered up the coast from San Diego maybe 30 miles to La Jolla. I'm convinced at least half the southern California beaches are lined with bars, surf shops, restaurants, and souvenir shops. Toward La Jolla the coast got a little more rugged and more interesting. We came across an inlet with a small beach full of either seals or sea lions. I couldn't tell which. Fortunately a woman frantically ran along the ledge above us screaming, "Please stay away from the harbor seals. For your own safety, please stay away from the harbor seals." Since none of the dozens of people were particularly close, no one paid any attention to her. I'll take her word for it they were harbor seals. Even I could have outrun them since their top speed seemed to be a slow walk and they could only maintain this sprint-like pace for about 15 feet. Only a handful of them were even awake so I don't think they were terribly bothered by people.

The next day we drove the short distance to San Marcos to visit our nephew and his wife, Rick and Michelle. I'm beginning to doubt Rick is actually a Marine since I had to struggle to talk him into a second beer at lunch.


Terry worked today so I dutifully did the laundry, toured a local brewery for the free beer samples, and got the car washed to remove 2000 miles worth of splattered bugs. I don't know if it's a California thing but it was the first time I saw a combination car wash / Shiatsu massage.

A Startling Realization - Phoenix, AZ - 1716 Miles

We spent two nights in Phoenix on the way to San Diego. One just to break up the trip and one for Terry to spend a ten-hour day working while I do laundry. (Sounds fair to me.) To break up the day we visited a nearby mall just to walk around a bit. We passed a Victoria's Secret and I glanced through the windows to check the latest fashions. Then I saw it and exclaimed,"Oh look! Free Godiva chocolates with a $60 purchase!" Even before I finished the statement I realized I had reached a pretty sorry state when I look into a Victoria's Secret and the most exciting thing is an offer for free chocolate.

The Grand Canyon, AZ - 1493 Miles

I discovered our GPS (affectionately called Jessica) doesn't make any distinction in road quality when plotting a course. While planning a route from the El Paso area to the Grand Canyon area, Google recommended an interstate west then an interstate north while Mapquest recommended an interstate north than an interstate west. Jessica chose a two-lane road diagonally across the mountains and deserts of New Mexico and Arizona. Since Jessica was the only guide I paid money for, I took her advice. The time would have been about the same with any of the routes but since it's so much easier to wander off onto side trips from a two-lane road, we ended up adding a few hours to the trip by stopping at Whitewater Canyon and the ghost town of Mogollon, NM.

















I've included a few shots from the Grand Canyon simply because you can't make the visit and not show pictures. Although if you've been there you know there are no words to describe it and no photo capable of capturing it. We went to the rim at sunset to see the dazzling changes in color across the canyon. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day so it simply got dark. Even that was pretty impressive though. By the way in the picture of me sitting on the edge of the canyon, there was a ledge below me so I could only fall about six feet rather than tumbling down the rocks about 4500 feet. At this point of my life, however, I'm not sure a six foot drop wouldn't be equally fatal.

Austin to El Paso - El Paso, TX - 885 Miles

Just a quick note from El Paso. When I flew west over this area and looked down from the plane I always thought, "Wow! There's a whole lot of empty land." After driving through I can confirm I was correct. It takes a special kind of person to live along this route. That can be argued to mean Michael Jordan special or short bus special. I wouldn't argue with either interpretation. All I know is, whichever viewpoint you take, I'm not that special.

------------------------------------------------------------------------Van Horn, TX------------------