First Day On The Road

The morning started with Mr. Murphy failing to sleep in and causing some minor issues with the locking cover on the bed of the Silverado.  More likely it was because I washed the truck yesterday and the water that got into the lock cylinder froze solid.  I was able to apply heat to the key and get the water to melt so I could get in and finish packing things that we needed to take.

Hoping this doesn't cause an issue

It took us a couple of hours to get the remaining stuff packed (I forgot my computer glasses), finish loading the trailer and putting the bikes on the new rack then I hooked up the trailer and we hit the road at roughly 9:12 am.  Starting mileage was 57139.2 and we were off to try and make it to Roseburg, Oregon.  Eight hours later we pulled into Roseburg and we are staying in a small park six and half miles from the freeway, next to a river because neither one of us feels like being cold in freezing weather.  We have full hook ups and plan to dig in for the night.

I have a Goal Zero Sherpa solar power unit for when we travel.  The solar cell sits on the dash and collects sunlight and recharges the Sherpa so I can use it to recharge things like my phone and Kindle.  I was looking at their website last week and noticed that the have a power supply unit that works from a power jack in the truck to supply the Sherpa with power should we fail to find sunlight.  I ordered it second day delivery and it arrived yesterday, except it was the wrong item.  Obviously picked and packed incorrectly it was something completely different from what I had ordered.  I contact them via email fully expecting to get a call tag to send the old one back.  Nope, they told me to keep the thingy they sent and they would priority expedite the correct item to me.  Unfortunately I won’t be home to collect by my grandson will forward it to me as soon as I find a place to stay long enough to get a delivery.  Can’t say enough about Goal Zero.

While Honey has been having some issues with what has been going on lately she seemed to settle in once we hit the road.  

Just another day on the road

It is going to be a quiet night.  Looking forward to bed.  Hope all is well and thanks for stopping by.

The Big Day Is Here

The big day has arrived and except for some electronics and some clothing we are ready to go.  I need to hook up the trailer and put our bikes on the new bike carrier and we can get on the road.  Unfortunately I awoke with a headache.  One of those gems that is sitting right in the lower back part of your head and pulsates with any increase in heart rate.

The New Bike Rack

I went to UHAUL first thing and got a trailer to go get the golf cart.  I picked it up and bought it home and returned the trailer.  Rather than get a trailer I think I'll just rent one as I need it.  It was cheap, easy and I don't have to come up with a place to store it.

I finished the maintenance to the trailer yesterday.  Cleaned out behind the refrigerator, checked and added air to the tires on the trailer and truck; checked the batteries, lights and brakes.  I washed both vehicles and they look good.  We loaded everything but the electronics, camera and some of the clothes that we still need to wash.

I had vehicles everywhere behind the condo yesterday.  It was chilly but a very nice day and I was able to accomplish a bunch.  As I worked outside Mia worked inside to ensure that everything is clean and ready for Zach's arrival.  He came by last night and we went over any final questions he had.

There you have it.  I need to dispose of my headache, finish loading our final items, hitch the truck to the trailer and sayoonara we are gone south just as the birds are heading north.

Hope all is well and thanks for dropping by.

Monday Had A Bright Spot

I promised the folks I had been working for this past few months that I would come in at the end of the month and help the new guy gathering the information needed to close out the month.  He is very sharp and it didn't take me long at all.  I was done and gone sooner than I had anticipated.

As I drove home I decided to take a short detour to visit my mom and dad.  It is always a solemn endeavor to go to the cemetery but I felt a need before leaving on our trip.  It was an over cast day and the tree at their site is not in bloom but still it is a nice area.

Mom has been absent for thirty-three years while dad left us six years ago.  I still miss them.

As I was leaving the cemetery the golf cart company called to tell the cart wasn't finished and that I couldn't pick it up today as previously discussed.  I quickly cancelled the trailer rental and came home to work on getting the trailer ready for the trip.  We purchased a new bike rack for the back bumper of the trailer and I assembled and installed it.  I did some minor projects in and out of the trailer while Mia cleaned out a lot of stuff that we really don't need to take.  I got my toolboxes organized and labeled.

I was told, later yesterday afternoon, that the golf cart is ready so I need to go rent a trailer this morning and go down and pick it up.  Then it is back home to load my stuff into the trailer and make sure we have everything with us.  I have one more piece coming UPS from GoalZero that I need to take with me and I'll be all set to hit the road.

The only thing that remains to be found out is how long and how far I will be able to drive.  I get stiff and the hamstring bothers me enough still that I can sit for really long periods of time without breaks.  Rest stops will be my friend.  Our plan is to go south to California and across to the Tucson area.  I suspect it should only take four days but with my conditions it will likely be more.  Until I get to Arizona I really don't have any interest in stopping and site seeing.  Seen most of it several times over the years.

Hope all is well and thanks for stopping by...

Sunday

It is 4: 25 am Sunday morning and a brisk 31 degrees outside at our lot on Gold Bar.  We spent yesterday cleaning up our lot and packing the trailer as well as doing some of the maintenance items the are tough to do at the condo.  The biggest question is what to take and what to leave. We nearly filled the back of the truck but we still have plenty of room to put our stuff in the trailer.  As you can see we had a beautiful day to work and while it was chilly we managed just fine.

We had a wonderful dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant in Gold Bar, La Hacienda.  This restaurant is the only place I don't order the same item over and over.  A new taste sensation each time we go and last night we found out the is one in our latest Arizona destination, Tucson.  Life just keeps getting better.

We will have breakfast here at the clubhouse this morning and tow the trailer home for the final preparations.  I have to go to work tomorrow and then pickup my golf cart which I am told is finally repaired after five months in the shop.  Tuesday I will finish with the trailer and we will pull out Wednesday providing the creek don't rise and Mr. Murphy sleeps in.

Hope all is well and thanks for dropping by.

Taxes, And A Short Road Trip

I am a proponent of having good road systems and fixing or replacing old infrastructure but before the states add more taxes to the cost of a gallon of gas to fund the repairs perhaps we should look at the efficiencies of the actual repairs.

Our state is currently working on a transportation bill that would take us from number three highest state tax per gallon of gasoline to the number one position by raising the gas tax 11.7 cents per gallon over the next three years bring our total to 49.51 cents per gallon.  We currently collect 37.51 cents for every gallon of diesel, gasoline or gasohol sold in the state according to a July 2014 U.S. Energy Information Administration report.

Granted the use of gasoline and petroleum products has gone down over the past few years with increased fuel mileage that is attainable by newer vehicles and less actual driving done by the end consumers, but this state still manages to use 3.2 million gallons plus of gasoline each year.  At 37.51 cents per gallon that is a lot of money for state transportation projects.  

I am not advocating that we don't need the additional funds especially considering the lower consumption numbers projected for the next several years however low and middle income will be effected significantly by this increase.  It will bring about more change in the habits of the driving public and likely spur even less fuel use than projected.

I continue to drive by construction projects (state and local) where there are several people working to a specific project and while some of them are actually working, others are standing around doing absolutely nothing.  Projects grind out of periods of years in some cases but do they have to?  Who monitors the contractors to ensure that each employee is efficient with the tax paying publics money? I wonder if we are doing everything we can to ensure each dollar spent by the tax payers is being used efficiently.

We will go to Gold Bar today to pickup our trailer.  I suspect we will spend the night and come back tomorrow as we have a lot of stuff up there to load up and find a place to put.  I will soon donate to the state highway funds in every state I visit.

Hope all is well and thanks for dropping by.

Teatro ZinZanni

Last evening Mia and I attended a dinner theater located under the shadow of the Seattle Space Needle.  Gift cards from our son and his family presented us with an opportunity to spend three hours eating a wonderful five course meal while enjoying a blend of Circus, Comedy, Vaudeville and light Burlesque.

The theater is a spiegeltent, Dutch for "Mirrored Tent".  Constructed from wood and canvas with mirrors and stained glass these entertainment venues traveled from city to city during the late 19th and early 20th century in Europe.  Built in Belgium the Spiegeltent was almost destroyed by the Nazis during the second World War.  Set ablaze in a bonfire, the mirrors and stain glass smashed it was nearly a total loss.  The one located across from the Seattle Center and home to this venue is one of the oldest spiegeltents in the world.

From the Lobby

Dining...not my picture

Titled "The Hot Spot" this production involves a genie who grants wishes to several other members of the cast.  Half way into the program the genie, who appears to be an old, bent lady who needs a walking stick to move around, climbs into a rope harness lowered from the ceiling and transforms into a very lovely lady whose abilities as aerialist are amazing, considering she is 53 years old.

This lady was amazing...pic from net

A husband and wife team provide the Vaudeville portion of the show with song and dance.  These two can tap dance their way out of any situation.  Both are excellent in their roles.  The Lady Rizo character is a cabaret style star with some very good vocals plus interactions with the cast and audience.  Several times during the performance she held difficult notes for several seconds causing applause from all of those watching including other cast members.  There is a juggler who mixes comedy with his juggling act.  Another male, female team do a pole performance call a Vertical Tango that is amazing and very sensual.

Excellent singer..pic from net

These two are husband and wife for real...pic from net

Vertical Tango....so good...pic from the net

Lost his pants and then got them back...pic from the net

Then there was the gentleman who sort of brings the audience and the cast together.  Playing Caesar he uses audience members and cast members to perform some very funny skits.  Several members of the audience were pulled to the center stage to play parts in the production.  We found it to be a perfect blend of entertainment and the three hour dinner show went by quickly.

Caesar...so funny...pic from the net

Executive Chef Eric Carlson provided the five course meal which included the following items:


APPETIZER

Chilled, roasted vegetable ratatouille tower
with saffron and fire-roasted tomato sauce


SOUP

Golden split pea soup garnished with lime crème

SALAD

Whole leaf Caesar salad with brioche croutons,
shaved Parmesan, and fresh lemon

ENTRÉES

Lamb Chop & Kobe Sirloin Duo

Herb crusted Lamb Chop and petite Double R Ranch Kobe sirloin with smoked Gouda cream, mandarin-carrot -Yukon mash and seasonal vegetables

Wild Alaskan Halibut

Wild caught Halibut with citrus-Peppadew butter served with fines herbes and yuzu sage cream sauce, roasted leek and Thai basil jasmine rice and seasonal vegetables

Vegetarian

Roasted pumpkin and mascarpone ravioli topped with citrus herb cream and garnished with toasted almonds and parmesan cheese

DESSERT

Passion fruit cheesecake and an orange almond petite sponge cake filled with chocolate rum butter cream

We enjoyed the meal.  Each item had a distinct mixture of flavors.  We chose the Lamb Chop & Koby Sirloin Duo and they were cooked superbly.  The mandarin-carrot-Yukon mash was excellent.

If you are ever in Seattle or San Francisco I highly recommend this show.  It isn't the cheapest dinner.  Mia and I don't drink and we would have spent $400. had it not been for the gift cards our son's family gave us for Christmas.  

One final suggestion.  Sit at the far outside tables if you don't wish to participate in the show.  Random members of the audience are teased, used as transportation and brought to center stage to join the performance.  Those in the outer ring seemed to be too far away.

Monday In My Shop

Spent most of my Monday downstairs in the shop or upstairs sitting on my backside watching Amazon Prime.  I worked on one of my projects and had three pallet boards that need to be taken apart.  I generally do it the easy way, with a circular saw to remove the two outer skids and then I remove the boards from the center skid.  Unfortunately most pallet manufacturers deem it necessary to put more nails in the two end boards as well as the center one.  These are generally removed with the circular saw to keep them from splitting.  Sadly, they are much shorter pieces of wood.

I cut the skids in half and piled them up on the floor near a box of wood scraps that I have be accumulating over the past couple of months.  I called my daughter who loves a good outdoor fire in the back yard and told her she could have my scraps.

It amounts to a nice pile of burnable stuff.  Should make a nice fire.

Not sure what today will bring.  I am not really in the mood to do much of anything.  The Amazon Fire may have something to do with it.  Since getting it we have watched three seasons of Suits and started the five season set of Covert Affairs last night.  It is fun to watch television with no commercials.  I noticed this morning that the Oscars brought 6.4 million fewer viewers than last year.  Could it be they are just too long, there are too many award shows and fewer named stars?  Funny thing is the Golden Globes got 20.9 million viewers for a 10 year record.  Or was it the something else?

We have a dinner theater to attend tomorrow night in Seattle and then I suspect we will head up to Gold Bar Thursday to begin the preparations for our trip.  I have revised it several times and will likely do so again.

https://roadtrippers.com/trips/7023951

Thanks for dropping by.