Field Trip USA Highlights

We have been home for a month and are now immersed in the standard cadence of our everyday lives. Brian is enthralled with all things Jazz. Returning to Sunset High School in the middle of his sophomore year, he plays in the Jazz, Funk, and Concert bands. This past weekend he was fortunate to see McCoy Tyner and Joe Lovano perform at the Portland Jazz Festival. Laura is back in 8th grade at Stoller Middle School with all her old friends. She secured one of the lead roles in the school play – a super hero named Wombat Woman – should be a perfect fit! ;-) I’m back at work at Click Commerce, helping out on the business development side and enjoying reconnecting with former customers and work friends. Teressa is thrilled to be in a house without wheels – even though she has spent most of the last month “moving” us back in.


As we reflect on our amazing six and a half month journey, we thought it would be fun to share some of the highlights and lowlights of the trip:


Top 5 Natural Scenic Wonders:

1. Fall Colors, Robert Frost’s House, White Mountains, New Hampshire


2. Grand Teton Mountains viewed from Moran Junction, Wyoming


3. The Badlands – Makoshika State Park, Montana; Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, North Dakota; Badlands National Park, South Dakota


4. Canyon de Chelly and Monument Valley, Arizona


5. Acadia National Park, Maine

Top 5 Man Made Wonders:

1. The space shuttle Enterprise, Dulles Airport, Washington, DC


2. Mount Rushmore, Black Hills, South Dakota


3. Times Square and Broadway, New York City, New York


4. The Gilded Age Mansions, Newport, Rhode Island


5. Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

Top 5 Experiences:

1. Shaking hands with Barack Obama at the 4th of July parade in Butte, Montana


2. National Park Rangers, Every National Park we visited, USA


3. Attending “Spamalot” with Clay Aiken on Broadway in NYC


4. The dolphin and whale shows at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida


5. The Laser Light Show and Lightening Storm at Grand Coulee Dam, Washington

Bottom 5 Lowlights:

1. Wildlife carnage on the roads


2. Trailer tires – we bought 14 on the trip!


3. Lack of recycling or recycling information in most states


4. Litter on the freeways


5. Toll roads

Top 5 Bargains

1. US Park Service Annual Pass - $80 for unlimited access to Mother Nature


2. Trailer Life Directory – the inside scoop on where to camp


3. Kyocera wireless router – a connected family is a happy family


4. HP OfficeJet J6450 printer – a map a day keeps the GPS in play


5. Panda Express restaurant – healthy fast food

Top 5 Amusement Park Rides

1. Millennium Force, Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio


2. Kraken, SeaWorld, Orlando, FL


3. Shiekra, Busch Gardens, Orlando, FL


4. Superman Tower of Power, Six Flags over Texas, Arlington, TX


5. Top Thrill Dragster, Cedar Point, Sandusky, Ohio

Top 10 RV Parks

1. Normandy Farms, Foxboro, MA – the Ritz Carlton of RV parks


2. Cherry Hill RV Park, Washington, DC – best activity programs


3. Mt. Rushmore KOA, Hill City, SD – best KOA campground


4. French Quarter RV Resort, New Orleans, LA – best inner city park


5. Lake George RV Park, Lake George, NY – best biking trails


6. Audubon Point , Memphis, TN – friendliest staff


7. Fort Robinson, Nebraska – best camping bargain


8. Catalina State Park, Tucson, AZ – best state park and best hiking


9. Fort Getty Recreation Area, Jamestown, RI – best view of the Ocean


10. Kissimmee / Orlando KOA, Orlando, FL – nicest restrooms and fireplace

San Francisco

We had an amazing time today eating our way through San Francisco. The hour ferry ride from Vallejo into the city offered views of Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and Angel Island. Temperatures were cool on the water, but warmed to near 70 during the day. Our first stop was the Hyatt Embarcadero, where the water sculpture and soaring atrium totally impressed the kids. Both lobbied hard to visit the revolving restaurant on the top of the hotel, but luckily for our pocketbook it wasn’t meal time.

We walked up market street and met Teri Yeager (a good friend from grade school, high school and college) at Union Square. Teri works in the city for the Hearst Foundation, and took us on a tour through China town, including a stop in a back alley shop where they make fortune cookies. As we watched the process, another local merchant arrived, instantly befriended the kids, and starting espousing Chinese philosophy. He gave both of them new Chinese names, declaring that English names were stupid because they don’t mean anything. He then proceeded to coach Laura on how to stop unwelcome advances from boys, including an offer to have her new Chinese “Uncle Gee” come up to Portland to rip the boy’s spleen out! He was hilarious, and I doubt the kids will ever forget him! He left with an invitation to visit him at his tea shop just down the street.

We bought fortune cookies, took a few pictures , and then headed towards North Beach to meet Mike Miller (Teressa's nephew) for lunch. As we walked by the tea shop, Uncle Gee caught us out of the corner of his eye and yelled across the street, “hey you, get your butts in here!” Half an hour, three bags of tea, and countless lessons in Chinese life later, we exited the tea shop. Our faces hurt from smiling so much, and we all felt fortunate to have a new Chinese Uncle!

As Teri headed back to work, we made our way down to Columbus Street in North Beach to meet Mike. He works as an attorney for the Department of Homeland Security, and recommended a great Italian restaurant just down the street. The food was fantastic and we all enjoyed catching up. Mike has a crazy commute, leaving his home in Manteca, driving roughly 45 minutes to Pleasanton, then taking BART for an hour into the city. It all seems to work, and he really seems to be enjoying his new job in the city.

When Mike left to go back to work, we set off across North Beach to find our favorite Gelato (Italian ice cream) restaurant. With a little help, we navigated our way to Gelato Classico on Green Street. The kids quickly understood why we seek out this establishment any time we visit the city. From North Beach we took a cable car over the hill to Market Street, and then a cab back around to Ghirardelli Square. While the kids bought chocolate for their friends back in Portland, we met a good friend of mine, John Rootenberg, for drinks at a local restaurant. John worked at UCSF Medical Center in the city and helped us with strategy work in the healthcare business at Click Commerce. He is one of the smartest people I know, and we had fun catching up and trying to solve the nation’s healthcare problems. John is also a jazz pianist, so Brian was delighted to meet someone who shares his passion for music.

From Ghirardelli Square we walked along the waterfront to Fisherman’s Wharf, bought post cards and t-shirts, and then grabbed a quick bowl of clam chowder – just to make sure we met the daily 6000 calorie San Fran diet! As we walked to the ferry we stopped to watch an artist painting pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge with spray paint cans. If you have haven’t seen this on TV or You Tube, it is unbelievable. We ended up buying one of his paintings as a permanent reminder of our visit to the “City by the Bay”.

Laughlin, Nevada

On our trip from Phoenix to the KOA here in Laughlin, we set foot in our 47th and 48th states yesterday! We haven’t updated the map on the back of the trailer yet, but will shortly. When you look at all the states on the map it hardly seem possible to visit them all on the same trip. What great memories!

We met our friends, Wade and Kathy Campbell, for breakfast in downtown Phoenix at 10. They kept all our freezer food at their house while our trailer was being serviced. Kathy picked us up at a local grocery store parking lot, so we didn’t have to try to park the trailer at the restaurant. The food was great and we enjoyed spending time the extra time with Wade and Kathy (Wade worked with me at Sequent in Portland). We were back on the road again a little before noon.

Yesterday’s drive was uneventful, but we did see more RVs than any other day driving on our trip. Interstate 10 leaving Phoenix was crowded with RVs going both directions. When we got to Quartzsite, there were RVs parked in the desert on both side of the road for miles. I later found out that the BLM allows people to park in the desert there for free, and obviously many snowbirds find that attractive. Combined with one of the world’s largest flea markets, it pretty closely matched my vision of “hell”! ;-)

The two new tires seem to be holding up well. I had to put air in both of them before we left the campground in Apache Junction, but with Carlisle’s new radial design they ran a lot cooler than the other two tires. Unfortunately I have completely lost my trust in trailer tires, and with the 20 – 25 miles per hour winds coming across the desert in Arizona and California, I must have convinced myself I had another flat over 100 times! Luckily it was just my imagination, and we arrived at the KOA here in Laughlin right at 5:00 with no issues.

The KOA is connected with the AVI casino, and is another example of cheap camping at gambling establishments (Vicksburg was the other). The rate for a full hookup was less than $25! We did walk across the road to the Casino last night, but only to eat at the Panda Express, one of our favorite Asian fast food establishments. We considered betting the trailer (if they would take it) on the number 48 (for the number of states visited) on the roulette wheel, but reason overcame us – that and the fact the numbers only go to 34 on the wheel!

Monument Valley, Utah

As many of you have noticed, we are running a little behind on the blog. We took a quick trip to Montana over the holidays to spend time with families. When we returned to Arizona we spent a week trying to get our RV fixed, and finally had to leave for a few days to tour the Four Corners region via car. The RV is supposed to be fixed now, so hopefully we will be back on track (with the blog updated) soon. Here is Teressa's journal entry from Monument Valley:

After a light hotel breakfast looking out over the icy Animus River, we took a quick morning drive through downtown Durango. Durango, an old mining and mill town, reminded us of Bozeman, MT and Wallace, ID with its old building, trendy restaurants and hip shops.

Rather than retrace our steps as we once again headed west, we took a back road from Cortez, CO toward Hovenweep National Monument. It was a bit windy, but there was little traffic and pretty scenery as we left the snowy mountains of Colorado for the red rock of Utah. Almost to Monument Valley, we noticed a large boulder perched precariously on a tower of rock. We were all alone as we pulled down a side road to get better pictures of what we later learned to be Mexican Hat. It was so quiet, peaceful and beautiful. Ah...to be out west again!

Near Monument Valley we all tried a Navaho taco at Goulding's Statecoach Restaurant, which is chili, cheese, lettuce, onion and tomato on Indian flatbread. Pretty good. Monument Valley is on Navaho land and, therefore, is subject to a $5 per person fee to enter. They recommend a guide drive with you through the landmarks at a cost of an additional $60 per person. We passed on that and enjoyed the scenery along the pothole dirt road to the valley floor. What a magnificent work of nature it is with the magestic red spires, blue sky, green shrubs and a dusting of white snow. Tonight we are staying at a Hampton Inn in Kayenta. Apparently I kept the kids awake last night and, since the beds here are doubles, we sprung for 2 rooms that are adjoining. Tomorrow we shall return to Phoenix and assess the situation of what Laura now calls, "the box".

Canyon de Chelly and Four Corners

Teressa did the write-up for today: The Holiday Inn Express had a great complimentary breakfast. Around 9, we drove East out of Holbrook to the National Park visitor center for the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. Live and learn, but we were at the far end of the forest with limited time, so we watched their film and looked at the petrified samples. Consistent with our experience with the National Parks, the film was very informative and worth the stop. The Petrified Forest was created nearly 250 million years ago back in the Triassic era, when this region was an inland sea, and all the continents were together in one large land mass.

Later, in a little town called Chinle, we grabbed a burger at A&W. Just out of Chinle is Canyon De Chelly (De Chay), a national monument. We drove to the end of the park to see Spider Rock, a tremendous spire of red rock rising from the base of the canyon to the top of the canyon walls. Wow! At the base of the canyon a little further down are two separate ancient villages, one above the other. This ruin is called the White House and was built around 1200 AD by early Pueblo ancestors known as the Anasazi, or "ancient ones". The area is one of the longest continually inhabited landscapes in North America, as the canyon was first inhabited nearly 5000 years ago! Due to slick conditions, we did not hike down to the ruins, but it was tempting.

Next stop--Four Corners. Four Corners is a National Monument but is on Navaho land, so they charge you to get in. We arrived after they had closed the tils, and they were kind enough to allow us to enter anyway. We got our photos in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah all at once. OK, it's cheezy, but you have to do it! Brian drove until dark, and Gary drove from Cortez, CO over the icy mountains to Durango. I have wanted to see Durango ever since I saw Oprah go there. After getting settled at the Doubletree Hotel, we drove into downtown Durango and found a local joint for dinner, the Old Timer's Cafe. They had great pork green chili and regular chili. The employees' tshirts read, "we cheat tourists and drunks." We hoped that after our glass of wine they wouldn't consider us both!

Saguaro National Park and Sonora Desert Museum

Today we toured the Sonora Desert Museum and Saguaro National Park near Tucson. Brian and Laura spent last night at our friends the Kayfes’ house (Randall, Angie, Alyssa and Hailee), while Teressa and I braved the cold (for Tucson) temperatures in the trailer at Catalina State Park, about fifteen minutes away. There was frost on the ground and windows of the truck when we awoke in the morning, as the temperature hovered around 32. After a quick breakfast and shower, we drove over to pick up the kids and head for the park.

With eight of us we took two vehicles across the valley to the museum. Temperatures started in the mid 40s, but warmed into the mid 60s as the day went on. The Sonora Desert Museum had been recommended by almost everyone we met on the trip, and we weren’t disappointed. Offering a unique blend of historical and animal exhibits, the museum does a great job of educating while entertaining. Our favorite experiences from the day were the big cats (cougar, ocelot and bobcat), hummingbirds, and hawks. The Harris Hawks, one of the only raptors to hunt cooperatively in family groups, were spectacular. A special program featured four birds swooping over the guests’ heads, landing on large saguaro cactus spires, and floating effortlessly on the afternoon thermals. We also enjoyed the diversity of cactus life in the desert – saguaro, organ pipe, jumping cholla, teddy bear, etc. One of the docents was describing the unusual phenomenon that saguaro cactus plants only seem to grow in Arizona, and that the minute you reach the California border, they disappear. Nobody knows why, she said. I thought for a moment, and then said “It’s obvious, Arizona is a red state!”. She laughed and said she would use that in her future talks. After thinking about it further, I’m pretty sure it is true. Saguaros are very rigid and a little prickly – just like George Bush! ;-)

After enjoying some of the best museum food on the trip at the on-site café, we drove a few miles down the road to the Saguaro National Park. Again we found the park rangers extremely helpful. Teressa was curious about the snakes in the park so one of the rangers, a retired military instructor from Spokane, educated us on all the wildlife in the park. She also gave us a great recommendation for a short hike in the hour we had before dark. We drove to the trail head and then hiked to Signal Hill to view Indian petroglyphs – drawings chiseled into the stone. With the sun setting over the desert illuminating the carved figures in the stone, it provided the perfect venue to reflect on the events of a perfect day!

PS – My brother Dirk and niece Cece made it safely home to Helena late yesterday afternoon – driving the 2700 miles from Durham, NC, in less than 72 hours! At that rate, we could have done our whole trip around the USA in less than three weeks!

Allen, Texas

The temperatures are moderating here in Texas, with the high today predicted to be near 60 and the low tonight down to 45. That’s much nicer than the 18 degrees we hit in Oklahoma City yesterday, and nothing like the -15 to -20 degrees the rest of our family is enjoying in Montana!

The kids studied in the morning while Teressa and I did four loads of laundry. The KOA here in Arlington is larger than we expected, with lots of people either living here or visiting for an extended period over the winter (we met several retired couples that are visiting their kids for a couple of months over the holidays).

After lunch Brian drove us the 50 miles from Arlington to Tim and Julie’s (my cousin) house in Allen. Essentially it is one big city the entire way, even though the names change every 10 miles or so (Arlington, Irving, Richardson, Plano, Allen, etc.). We all commented that it’s a fun place to visit, but we wouldn’t want to live here -- the drivers are insane. We drove the 60 mph speed limit most of the way, and everyone else was doing close to 80. Tim said the police won’t pull you over unless you are doing 15 mph or more over the limit, and they are really looking for people doing 30 over!

We had a great visit with the Woods/Marks clan. Julie and Lois (my aunt) had the house decorated for Christmas by the time we arrived just after 2. Julie took Brian and Laura to pick up Andy after school at 3:30, and Tim made it home from work around 4:30. We visited and munched on appetizers, and then had pizza delivered for dinner. They all seem to be doing well, and we got to tour Lois’ new RV. She didn’t have any trouble getting to Texas from Arizona, except for the high winds along the way. We finally left around 8:30, making it back to the trailer around 9:30.