Twenty years ago - June 2004 05-30-24

The yearning for a road trip is getting me down,  but I cannot go right now, maybe in late June.   These phots are from June 2004 when I was driving cross country and wandered off the main highway.  Nice to stop and look around and take some photos.   Not sure where I was, could be the very top NW corner of Texas or New Mexico.  Lots of wild, wide open country there. 

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Just a year ago, pre-Covid, I drove down to San Diego for a meeting and on the way home there was an accident on I-5 .  Traffic was diverted off onto CA-101, more commonly referred to as Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH.   I hadn't driven that way for decades and really enjoyed these new vistas.  Lots of palm trees that took me back so many years ago, before the freeway was built and the only route to SDiego was PCH.  As you can see it was a gorgeous day and there was little wind.  I decided I would get off I-5 in the future when I had time and enjoy the views of the Pacific Ocean and all the handsome palm trees.  But, so far, I haven't done it.  

These pictures were north of the highway blockage, so there weren't many cars.  I was just enjoying the drive so much I just kept going north, but eventually drove back to I-5 when the PCH traffic started getting heavy.   Lovely day. 

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Return trip from Washington on Aug 03, 2019

Day three of our return trip from Washington state - just one year ago today.   It was an eventful day.  

Well, no success with the pictures tonight.  I've been at it for almost two hours and I cannot move them to my blog.  Sigh. Maybe tomorrow night.  

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A year ago KoKo and I were on our way home from Mt. Vernon, WA, and the Sue Benner class at Coupeville, WA.  It seems like longer than a year and I do wish I had been able to make the drive up there again this May.  Hoping for maybe October, but not holding my breath!  

KoKo stayed with Mabel and Mac while I took a class at the Pacific Northwest Art School in Coupeville, WA.   Mabel discovered that it is hard to do anything much with a dog in your lap.  

And Mac had the same problem.  As you can see, KoKo just took over.   Is that a relaxed dog?

I had a hard time leaving this fabulous view of their backyard. 

But the views along I-5 are pretty wonderful, too.  

More revisiting tomorrow.  

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Wordless Wednesday July 15 , 2014 07-15-20

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Looking back 04-15-20

I'm suffering from a terrible urge to be out on the highway!  Going anywhere.  Here are some places I have been in years past.   Wide open vistas, blue skies, many types of clouds and light traffic.   Be still my heart!  

In California Central Valley on I-5  06-08-09

Again in California Central Valley, but further north   05-04-14

Arizona on I-40  05-20-13

Outside Joplin, MO  05-30-13

On I-80 between Davenport, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. 

 A well travel part of the route. 07-23-14

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Friday Food A memory from 2014 01-17-20

Dinner at The Mill restaurant in Marion, Indiiana,  07-18-14

They serve open face "gourmet hamburgers".  This is the "Goober" - hamburger patty on Texas Toast topped with bacon, peanut butter and mayo (on the side).  The diner thought it was good.

 I stuck to something I know.  The "California Burger" has Texas Toast, burger patty, mozzarella, tomato and avocado.  It was delicious but I ate it all and was uncomfortable.

Another of my table mates had a lovely salad and a quesadilla - also delicious.

One thing a blog does is allow one to look back to events of the past.  Including meals of note.  This was a group of quilters who went out to dinner in Marion, Indiana, when Ruth B. McDowell was inducted into the Quilters' Hall of Fame in 2014.  Doesn't seem that long ago.  

The exhibit of some of Ruth's quilts was a thrill as the quilts were borrowed from collectors and from her family members and there were quite a few I had not seen before.  

It was a great road trip and a festive event.  

Pictures at: 

https://delquilts.blogspot.com/2014/07/road-trip-indiana-gallery-walk-with.html

https://delquilts.blogspot.com/2014/07/quilters-hall-of-fame-reception-07-16-14.html

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Great Day on the Road 11-26-19

Today our friend Liz, KoKo, and I drove up to Tehachapi, CA, to deliver some items to the daughter of a friend.  My GPS gave an estimate of about two and a half hours each direction, but this didn't account for heavy traffic.  So it took us more like three and a half hours.  But we weren't in a hurry and the weather was perfect.  

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One awesome thing about the area around Tehachapi is the widespread wind turbine farms which function well in this location due to that almost constant winds.  This picture was taken in March 2018 when there had been abundant rains.  Now the land is parched and seems almost completely bare of vegetation.  In the lower left corner is glimpse of CA58, which goes from San Luis Obispo to Barstow through vast desert country.  Driving home about sunset the colors were wonderful. 

While in Tehachapi we visited the Five Hearts Quilt and Fabric Shop which seems to specialize in floral fabrics and they have some lovely ones.  Liz was looking for something with a western or outdoor theme and found these place mats that even came in a kit!  I found some nice black on white prints. 

There is another quilt shop in town which we will have to visit some other time. It was well past lunch time and we were all hungry. We went west a block and across the street to Kohnen's Country Bakery.  Since we had KoKo with us we sat on the front patio right on the street and found out what a bustling small town this is.  

It was quite cool 48F and we ended up putting KoKo in the car for a nap.  We both bought bread to bring home and had the most delicious sandwich.  I will save that for the Friday Food this week.  

Total miles were 330 and our average speed was only 40mpg, which isn't bad considering the congestion on the highways.  We enjoyed the day so very much and each other's company even more!  KoKo - not so much, I think after an hour or so he just gets bored, but I think it is better than leaving him home alone for an entire day. 
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Wordless Wednesday 10-02-19

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Brain games on the road 09-21-19

People ask me what I do when I am driving on a road trip.  I mostly look at the landscape - the birds, trees, shrubs, flowers, crops, buildings, etc..   I listen to music and sometimes play a recorded book.  But I also exercise my brain by playing license plate Scrabble.  The standard California plate has a number, three letters, and three numbers.  I use the letters to make words and I have made up my own rules.   I don't keep score, that would be too distracting.  The very short glimpse of a plate doesn't leave a lot of time for contemplation - find a word or forget it.  Of course, the goal is to make a word and one that is already made is a "bonus".  My rules are that I can add as many letters as I chose, but I cannot drop any letters.  Q, X, Z are wild so can be used or replaced with a vowel, but not with any other consonants.  Proper names and places are okay. 

The point of this is to occupy my brain and my memory and my vocabulary.  It is just a silly game that I play with myself whenever and wherever I am driving. 

If I am on the highway there is usually just enough time for one word, if the vehicle is out of sight it is too late to rethink.  I saw this one as SHRUB, but it could also be HUBS, BUSH. or probably a lot of other words. 

The first word that came to mind was WIGGLE.

Here I thought MAZE, but I could replace the Z with an I and make it AIM. Or probably a dozen other modifications.  AMAZON,  AMAZE, etc..

Replace the Z with I = MIKE, MILK, etc. 

Replace the Q with A = MAY, YAM, MANY, etc. 

BUCKET, TIMBUKTU, BUCK, BUICK, etc. 

KEG, EKG, ………………?

Like I said, it is just a silly brain exercise.  It works out-of-state, and some states also have three letters.  But there are usually some California cars around.  Californians do travel. 

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More trees 08-15-19

I expect you all know of my affinity for trees.   It is a lifelong state from spending most of my childhood in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon, which at that time had lots of trees and tree lots.  I do feel at home in the woods. 

A mixed wood of cedar and Douglas fir. 

Cedar trees.

On this latest Road Trip most of the logging trucks I saw were full of trees of about the same diameter, this one in Washington state was an exception.  Growing up we saw trucks with huge logs, sometimes only one great tree was enough for a load.  Now we are into second and third growth forests where all the trees have grown at the same rate and so are about the same size.  

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Still sorting road trip pictures 08-12-19

The golden hills along CA 152 beside the San Luis Reservoir.

CA 152 goes from I-5 at Santa Nella to Gilroy, CA.  

Still dragging 08-08-19

I just can't seem to get much done before I need another nap.  KoKo is also spending a lot of the day napping.  Today was errands and a doctor appointment that I set up months ago.  Got home just in time!  And tomorrow I have a meeting with a small group I belong to.  

Eventually, I suppose, I will have everything put away.  Maybe not!

I know these look a lot like cherry tomatoes, but they are actually rose hips. 

These were growing near the HIE where we stayed in Beaverton, OR.  

I don't believe I have ever seen any like this before.  Amazing.  They can be used to make rose hip jelly, but not if they have been treated with chemical sprays.  

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Wordless Wednesday 08-07-19

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