How is Roger?

 

Recently we had a text asking about Roger. We realized when we last posted, Roger experienced issues while we were in California and was going in for a check-up when we returned home.

Now let us be perfectly clear here, it is Roger, the truck and not our close friend, Roger, for whom he was named.

Roger’s condition was more serious than we expected, requiring a heart engine transplant. During the procedure, additional issues were detected that needed attention. It has been a three week procedure but compatible parts have been found and he is progressing well. We are optimistic he will be released soon. Hopefully he will be healthy for another 23 years.

The home renovation is progressing very slowly as it requires re-plastering the walls on the main level of our house. The plasterer, like most good craft persons, is in high demand . Since our project is considered a small project, he is working us in between his larger jobs. To be ready for his crew when they can get to us, we are being prepared by packing up the non-essentials, which means it looks like we are preparing to move. (We are not, well not anytime soon.)

This, along with Margareta Magnusson‘s book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, has inspired us (at least ABN) to seriously reduce our stuff . ABN looks at this as a gift to our family by reducing the burden of cleaning up after us when we can no longer care for ourselves. Oh, and also, it makes dusting a lot easier! Now, what to do with all that nice stemware we no longer use?

The garden renovation is going at a better pace. Three weeks, 11+ bags of garden debris, 

lots of occultation (love learning new words! this means killing weeds by covering them with black plastic), 

 ABN is making progress.

A recurring thought as she works is what brings her pleasure in the garden. This does not make the list!

We realize most of our friends and family are not really interested in our mundane life, but we (actually ABN) really enjoys writing and blogging presents an outlet and also a journal. The downside of blogging is the constant change in the blogger platform presents challenges to the aging mind. To stay up to date, we will continue to post.

Marathon Road Trip 2024, The End!

 Two months, seventeen states and over 7000 miles, we are home!

That was after driving through the prairies and hills of Kansas, where we stopped in the Swedish town of Lindsborg to visit with Cousin Joy and Shannon, and also with Cousin Faith whom Captain had not seen in over 50 years.

State # 16

And through State # 17,

and back through State #1, Illinois.

Take aways from this whirlwind trip,

·        RV travel is a good practice of intentional living, especially when boondocking. With limited waste storage space, no electrical connection and limited fresh water supply, we have to constantly be aware of the resources we use. And we have to seriously consider the clothing we pack, the food we bring, and our creature comforts. After 2-3 months on the road, we have a great appreciation for long showers, waking to a warm house, push button coffee, high speed internet, reliable cell service, TV (for captain,) our air fryer, and all the other conveniences that our home provides.

·      Maybe the Kentucky stereotype is changing. When answering the question, where are you from, we got a lot of aww…, bourbon country. Of course, European travelers gave us a blank look, so we clarified with “south of Chicago.”

·        Recycling wasn’t as universal as on previous visits. At the RV Park in Washington, only aluminum was recycled. The KOA in California didn’t recycle, an Illinois rest stop recycled only metal, aluminum and glass, recycling bins in Kansas clearly stated “no plastic”.  So we collected and recycled whatever was excepted.

·        Road travel makes us acutely aware of the diversity in our country;  in the landscape, the agriculture, natural resources, industry, economy, culture and even in the English language (ABN got a few comments about her accent.)

·        Driving more than three days in a row is not a good idea.

 

Neither of us is ready to stop traveling, but we think it might be time to change the style. No, we do not plan to hang up The Wanderer’s keys, but will keep her travel closer to home. More about our future travel pans as they develop.

Now that we are home, let the next race begin!

Up next is completion of stage 2 of our home renovation and stage 1 of the garden redesign before our planned winter trip.

Marathon Road Trip 2024, States 13, 14. and 15

Heading east, through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, across the Nevada state line, through Reno, we arrived at our Harvest Host stay on Olde LYFE Alpaca Farm just outside of Carson City. 

After a quiet night and entertainment by our hosts,  

we continued toward home on America’s Loneliest Highway, US Hwy.50.

Miles of road through the high desert,

we found a spot to spend the night.

Arriving mid-afternoon, with no TV connection and limited WiFi, what can we do? How about a new hairstyle?

Waking up slowly, watching the sun rise, drinking coffee, reading our local newspaper, we continued our trek along US Hwy 50 east.

The scenery began to change a bit in Utah, but the traffic remained sparse. It seemed like at least 50% were other RVs.

Our next overnight was in an empty parking lot in Scipio, Utah.

After 600 or more of boring miles, America’s Loneliest Highway joined I-70 and the drive became beautiful with mountains and interesting rock formations.

We are frequently asked about our favorite states. That is a difficult question as the states are diverse and we find different ‘likes’ depending on our experiences. Utah ranks near the top for beauty. We have driven this route several times; we continue to be awed with a different, spectacular view around each bend.

It is one of those ‘you have to experience to appreciate.’

 

Once again, our Harvest Host was Peach Fork Vineyard and Orchard in Palisade, CO, where we parked in the peach orchard. Unfortunately we were too late for the delicious Palisade peaches and the view was compromised by the smoke from a wildfire in Utah.

Leaving I-70, 

Grizzly Creek Rest Stop on I-70

for U.S. Hwy 24, we made it to the home of our good friends in Buena Vista.

After four nights of boondocking, we were grateful for some electricity, especially with the night temperatures in the 40s. Parking in their driveway (for about the third time,) we enjoyed a couple of relaxing mornings and adventurous afternoons.

We met Adele and Steve 6 years ago at Patagonia Lake State Park in Arizona and became fast friends. They spend about half of the year in Colorado and the other half in Arizona

When Steve asks if you want to go for a drive, he doesn’t exactly have the tourist vista views in mind.

But it will be quite interesting.

Herd of Big Horn Sheep

Free Range Cows

Aww....the Aspens!

Buena Vista is a charming, small town with artsy shops. The multi-use trail along the Arkansas River is stunning, especially with the colorful cottonwood trees.

We always love the time we spend with Steve and Adele, sharing stories about our families, our history, our travels, and many other topics. We never run out of conversation. Saying goodbye until we meet again this winter in Arizona, The Wanderer is back on the road and continues toward home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marathon Roadtrip 2024, State # 12

 

A beautiful and relaxing drive through the redwoods and along the coast on California Hwy 101. Okay, relaxing for ABN, but not so much for the Captain. If you've ever travelled the winding highway,  especially towing a vehicle, you understand.

Stopping in Benbow, we explored in the Redwoods with Roger (aka the little Ranger).

Tree Hugger

Little red truck in the big red woods

Continuing on Hwy 101, and California Hwy 20, along the ocean,

over mountains, through clouds,

past Clear Lake, 

past orchards, and through farmland, we wound our way to one of our favorite wine regions, Amador County, and the home of one of our favorite small towns, Sutter Creek.

What’s not to like about the former Gold Rush town!

Unique tasting rooms, preserved buildings, 

Choc-o-Latte coffee shop, previously a pharmacy.

charming boutique shops, and bubbles.

But the best part, and fortuitous for us, it is where our good friends and favorite wine maker now live.

Zach and Bill

Yep, he’s the Bill that made the William Gunn Wines many of you have enjoyed in our home. Tipsy Tuesday friends, you will be happy to know we have a case of his The Boss and Chardonnay scheduled for shipment this fall.

We were reluctant to leave our friends and their lovely home

but we heard the wines over in Sonoma County calling us.

How lucky can we be to have two of Captain’s high school friends in the California wine industry?

 

Mike and Valarie Thompson own and operate a small vineyard, Thompson 31Fifty  in the Russian River Valley. They are known for their outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Note here, their Pinot Noirs have a fuller body and are more favorable to our palates than those we tasted in Oregon.

Mike has been our go-to for recommendations for other wineries in the area and he hasn’t disappointed us.

 

Revisiting Mauritson,  we found their Rockpile Zinfandel to be every bit as good as we remembered, and we discovered a Sauvignon Blanc as well as a port that we had to have, so we joined their club. We found host Doug to be most engaging. 

Indiana friends and family, there is a Hoosier making wine in Sonoma, he is a Purdue graduate.

Tasting room host, Nicole, at Kokomo is a delight. Unlike rote descriptions of wines in many of the other regions in which we tasted, we found the hosts in Sonoma to be refreshingly personable.

Years ago we discovered the most wonderful Parmesan, Truffle French Fries at Healdsburg Bar and Grill. They are a must every time we are in town

and they continue to be as good as the first time. The Grilled Chicken Panino (with prosciutto, balsamic-onion jam, pepper jack, Swiss, Dijon-mayo dressing, focaccia roll) was pretty good too. Even with temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, dining on their patio was comfortable.

While climbing in the Redwoods, Roger developed a little cough. In Amador, he had a fever with exertion, so we decided to give him a rest and rented a car for touring in Sonoma. We will get him in for a check-up when we get home.

In the past 20 years, we have explored California from north to south, east to west and still have the desire to return. The wonderful wines are, of course, a draw but so is the diversity in terrain with mountains, forests, desserts, beaches, farmlands, and vineyards. And, there are the cultures; small towns and big cities; celebrities and farmers, the cultured and the bohemian and so much that we have yet to discover.

We came, we saw, we tasted, we purchased. The Wanderer, with Roger in tow,  is now pointed to the east and toward home.

 

Wines we tasted in California (for our future reference.)

Amador County                                                                                                                  

Borjon*                                                                                                                  

Iron Hub*                                                         

Rombauer                                                                                               

ANDIS*                                                              

Vino Noceto                                                      

Raven’s Reach

Sonoma

Foppiano

Limerick Lane

Thompson 31Fifty*

Kokomo

Mauritson*

Marathon Roadtrip 2024, State #11

Continuing our quest for good wine, we crossed into Oregon, drove along the Columbia River Gorge,

and parked The Wanderer in Champoeg State Heritage Area while we explored Willamette Valley, known for their outstanding Pinot Noirs.

Of the 700 + wineries in the region, we tasted in seven. 

The rich flavor of the Pinot Noir and picturesque view of the vineyards and garden at Brooks Winery was as we remembered from our 2017 trip and remains the favorite of the wineries at which we tasted in Willamette Valley.

 

As usual, we found interesting folks like Lori and Bob from Texas, tasting at Cristom Winery; a lovely tasting room hostess at Argyle Winery who shared tidbits of her life in small town Oregon and made suggestions for other tastings; and then there was Creamer at Redrock Winery.

Not that it will be of interest to most of our readers, our blog serves as a journal so we will list the other four wineries at which we tasted; Abbey Road,  Bravuro Cellars, Cathedral Ridge, and The Carlton Winemakers Studio which is a cooperative tasting room for new wine makers in the region.

While we enjoy a good, full bodied Pinot Noir, our palettes are more at home with the bold, reds we typically find in California. Most of our purchases in Willamette Valley were made with our friends in mind.

Driving the rural country roads we gained appreciation for the agricultural contributions from Oregon. In addition to the vineyards, we saw large fields of pumpkins, hops, wheat, turf grass, hemp, apple orchards, and ABN’s favorite, a commercial worm farm.

Before wandering into California to satisfy our taste for the dark reds, we parked The Wanderer in the driveway of our friends, Paula and Rick, in Grants Pass.

What a fun time we had as they toured drove us around the Rogue River Valley!

 

Morning walk with Paula in a local park near their home.

Rogue River

Hell's Gate Canyon

Look familiar? You may have seen it on Gunsmoke or maybe in the movie, River Wild.

Currently we are taking a brief break in wine tasting in the beautiful California Redwoods.