The ABCs of Starting Over- OR to KY Roadtrip + WDW 50th Ann. Trip 9/28-10/4; Day 6 and REPORT COMPLETE!

[pkondz]

Vanessa ( @vamassey ) and I looked for gators quite a bit- I’m beginning to think they are a legendary myth. And yes, our DISMeet was as lovely as she is!

How nice!
Would love to meet her some day.

Um... are you aware that the x-ray shows you're carrying a pelican???

 

[MAGICFOR2]

So you made it to DHS... wait...

I was trying to come up with this clever nod - you said it better.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Wait! It just dawned on me that you talked about Greg and Marsha back on page 6. You were going to travel with the Brady Bunch? I'm so sorry they didn't come along!

I see you made it to the missions. Sleeping in a TeePee! too cool! I can't wait to read the actual report. Your pics are so intriguing on FB. Stay Safe my friend.

 

[pkondz]

I was trying to come up with this clever nod - you said it better.

Wait! It just dawned on me that you talked about Greg and Marsha back on page 6. You were going to travel with the Brady Bunch? I'm so sorry they didn't come along!

But you caught that one.

 

[glennbo123]

Wait! It just dawned on me that you talked about Greg and Marsha back on page 6. You were going to travel with the Brady Bunch? I'm so sorry they didn't come along!

Marsha! Marsha! Marsha!

 

[Steppesister]

Day: I-Dont-Even-Know-What Sneak Peeks:

(Sorry, too tired to fix the sideways…)

 

[Steppesister]

Nothing to see here… move along….

 

[MaleficentMe]

Wow! Sorry it took so long for me to read and get caught up. What an amazing adventure - from a "beaver" about 35 miles southwest of your previous home ;-)
(If I ever get tired of my home state, I'll probably end up in NorCal - don't think I could stand being so far from an ocean, or not being a PNWer!)

You mentioned looking for gators - finally got to go to WDW for the first time (well, first time since I was in 5th grade, in 1985) and I kept my eyes peeled for some signs of gator - was super disappointed I didn't see a single one, darn it!

When (if) I ever retire, I'm going to use this TR as a road map for my first post-work-life road map. Everything you're doing is right up my alley! Looking forward to your further adventures, especially when you hit WDW!!

 

[pkondz]

Day 13 Sneak Peeks

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Links aren’t working? At least for me.

 

[Steppesister]

Links aren’t working? At least for me.

Fixed. It was a screw up.

 

[Steppesister]

A final day; I am… home.

 

[pkondz]

Big boy!

Welcome home!!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Let me guess - you stopped at the quilt museum in Paducah on your way to Kentucky.

 

[Steppesister]

Let me guess - you stopped at the quilt museum in Paducah on your way to Kentucky.

I did, I did!!! I was blown away!

 

[ambula603]

Hi there! I am new to your travels but found you while looking for info for our big Rt 66 road trip in 9 days. I am from Kentucky, in a town close to LBL/Paducah! Glad you got to see some of the sights around here and welcome HOME to KENTUCKY!

Can't wait to hear all the details of this adventure!

 

[Steppesister]

A friend of mine from Australia did one of these and got some incredible shots.

And I hope I did too.

Wow that sounds great! I love fry bread tacos.

We had one good one, a couple of pretty good ones.

I didn't even know what those were, but in reading the comments I've discovered they are types of pigs.

Yes, wild, hairy pigs.

There are TONS of great places on the River Walk!

You're going to be on the road for quite a while. I would imagine the sleeping in the car will have become really old by now.

I'm not even sure where La Fayette is. I know we drove nearly four hours from San Antontio and got to The Woodlands, TX.

It's about an hour east of Baton Rouge. From San Antonio it's.... forever.

Cool! We did a Swamp Tour, but it wasn't custom.

It was amazing!

I hope that they have power and services by then.

I don't think they were out much beyond when we left.

I think by day 16 I would be "done", especially with the Sleeping in the car thing.

We really were. We saw and did some unbelievable things but we were just done.

wow! This is really happening! And soon!

And now it's OVER!! LOL!

And we'll understand if you don't feel up to it after a long day of driving.

And I didn't. Long days and often things to do with our evenings. Or no cell service.

Safe journey - may you have clear roads and bright days

Why thank you! Your good traveling thoughts helped make for a safe and amazing journey.

 

[MeghanEmily]

Welcome home!! Can't wait to hear more.

 

[Steppesister]

Day 1; Pt. 1- H is for: Hope on the Hazy Horizon
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Salem, Oregon to Klamath Falls, Oregon


Early Risers often find the sweetest rewards. We were determined to savor each and every delicious sunrise, each quiet moment on every mile we would travel, and so were up before the sun lifted her warm wings over the loaded car that would take us over 5,000 miles and through 12 states. Still bleary-eyed from a restless night, the kind in which you wish you could find sleep and yet are grateful when the alarm finally goes off, we waved our goodbyes, set our maps on “start”, and headed South. It was far too early for breakfast, most mornings a cup of coffee or two is sufficient anyway; snacks of pretzel bits, popcorn, and Good and Plenty's found themselves consumed here and there along our day's journey. Thus began a most epic road trip- one that neither my traveling companion son Zach, nor I, will soon forget.

The week before departure was a bustling flurry of packing, loading, last minute details, a few last shifts of work, and the usual amounts of drama that moving dictates. Phone calls, emails, stuff no one ever really wants to do, but must be done, taken care of we both felt as ready as possible to leave as many of the real-life distractions behind us leaving space to appreciate our 2-week long trek. Our route had been painstakingly planned with tender loving care choosing roads and sights that brought the most bang for our buck so to speak. We'd stick to little known, off-the-beaten-path places and roads that might afford some unique photo opportunities and a variety of entertainment, historical, or picturesque points of interest. Nooks and crannies of our large and beautiful country that take a bit more work to find and get to; some were familiar to me others were absolutely not. Nevertheless, we both struck out with anticipation of what our travels would lead us to. For most of our time, that would keep us off of the major interstates, slowing us down, of course, but with 16 days to explore, this was not a concern.

​

For days, even weeks before our set date to depart, fires began to burn along the planned path of our first day. And yet even still, I chose to see take our chances and see what one may. Turning East off the I-5 freeway which slices through the midsections of the West Coast States, we began what I’d hoped to be a gorgeous meandering along the bright and crystal-clear Umpqua River- a favorite of fly-fisherman and kayakers alike. The water dances and shimmers over the rocky bottom on its way to partner with the mighty Willamette and on to the Pacific, where salmon and steelhead find conduit to their shady breeding waters.

We wove higher and higher into the Southern Cascade Range, each winding mile growing hazier, the sun becoming ever-shyer. Each turn of the odometer gave us less and less hope of seeing the blue summer sky of Oregon one last time. In its stead, we endured endless swathes of blackened and scarred landscape; forest after forest of towering, charred Douglas Fir, Cedar, and Hemlock stood as sickening remnants of a once thriving and vibrant ecosystem teeming with life and promise. The Jack Fire and Rough Patch Complex were actively devouring with hungry, angry flames both our enjoyment of the drive but also our chances of seeing the two long-awaited sights along our way. Our eyes burned and our throats felt dry – the taste of smoke was not unnoticed and water was inadequate in washing it away. Dozens of fire crew trucks passed us coming the opposite way, were pulled over here or there, coming out of hot shot camps- aside from us they were the only ones on this road over the Cascade Range.

(Last year's fire- obviously we didn't get close to the one burning)​

We made our turn to see “the Dynamite Hole”, but after only 2 short miles, perhaps less, of the 6 we needed to go off the highway, we were met with what we’d thought we might see: "Road Closed Due to Fire Activity". Not unexpected, and yet still disappointing. Stop #1 a total bust. At least we'd gotten far enough in to see the informational signs:

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Here is a little article about this little spot along Steamboat Creek that some of you may find interesting. I myself am impressed by “the gentleman who guards the Steelhead” with such dedication and tenacity. But even Lee was probably evacuated leaving the fish to figure things out as nature often demands.

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Dejected a bit, we continued our drive heading towards Mt. Mazama, more commonly known as Crater Lake, and Oregon’s top tourist attraction. Any other year, so I am told, the water is a striking blue. I wouldn’t know. I’d never been. It’s pretty likely I’ll never be back. It’s not on the well-beaten path and takes a bit of effort to get to. It’s not a bad road; it’s just out of the way enough that a minimum of an extra day or two is needed to get there and back from the nearest airport with reliable service.

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We entered the park from the North Entrance where I was asked to pay the Piper. That’s code for: exchange your son-child in the car for a glossy printed brochure and entrance. I gave my son-child AND $80 and was given a brand-new shiny National Parks Annual Pass in trade. A pretty fair deal I’d say except that on this day I think they should have given a discount. I asked for the son-child back, and after looking at his playlist they said, “Sure! Here ya go!” I can thank our Oblivious Captain (@Captain_Oblivious ) for that pass hack but little did I know, after hemming and hawing a great deal, just how much money I'd saved myself in deciding to pony up for the AP.

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We eased on in and caught our first glimpse of the caldera, the steep pumice lined walls in a nearly perfect circle crowning a haze-enshrouded lake punctuated by a tidy magical little island coincidentally called Wizard Island. We laid out a picnic lunch and enjoyed it in the company of a few dozen new friends, the lake 1,000 feet below cloaked in a cape of dirty haze, it was simple fare yet thoroughly satisfying. Yes, the view was marred, but I could think of far less-inviting places to dine. With only 2 or 3 other cars that stopped along this lesser-traveled overlook road, we quieted ourselves and took in the silence interrupted only by the periodic calls of the local winged residents or the chirping of one of the fat-faced chipmunks begging for a crumb.

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For 5 or 10 minutes this monster circled above providing speculation and wrong guesses as to its purpose. Her identity would be explained later.

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Gathering our belongings and motoring off we headed to another of the several overlooks along the way to the Visitors Center. It goes without saying that use of the facilities was imminent, well nigh emergent. One does not simply make use of the Facilitrees in a National Monument. Spending the first night of our trip in jail wasn’t in the plan. (However, the haze and smoke was so bad along the Umpqua I deemed it safe to make a roadside pitstop.) Not surprisingly, the washroom was both well-kept and rustic at the same time. At $30 a head and being the most visited tourist site in the state, you’d think it’d look like the Shangri La. Relieved, we decided to take a look around the gift shop where Zach bought a miniature woven rug coaster. I reminded him we'd see MUCH better, wholly more authentic rugs in a few days, but he was adamant he wanted this one.

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The usual trinkets of t-shirts, pencils, puzzles, books on nature filled the other shelves and offered nothing I was interested in. We pressed on.

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One last overlook caught my attention demanding one last stop. A deep, weirdly landscaped canyon met us with this explanation:

While not “breathtaking”, it was a surreal topography that held more than enough interest for this old gal’s college Earth Science Minor.

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Satisfied we’d seen what we could afford the time for and still be “on time” for our dinner meeting it was time to keep making progress toward that end…

 

[Steppesister]

Phew…I made it just in time to wish you all the best on your trip! I know it'll be amazing and I can't wait to follow along!

Why thank you, Kelly! I've put up the first chapter and hope to see you here!

 

[Steppesister]

I am all in! You will have a grand time I just know it!

It's wonderful to have you along and reading. I hope you enjoy our trip across America! And yes, it actually does end with Disney! But that's for some time come. Meanwhile, I present the journey across 12 states (and 14) by the time we're done.

The place I would go is Austria. I have always dreamed of spinning in that meadow and singing (which I cannot do well) The Hills are Alive at the top of my lungs.

Oh that sounds just lovely! I absolutely LOVE Europe and would go again in a heartbeat! And now, you've made me want to watch that movie again!!