tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-338854012012-01-30T13:32:39.154-07:00A chronicle of life on the road from O.B. Sirius and SundogO. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.comBlogger5241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-16993808472860997412011-11-06T17:34:00.000-07:002011-11-06T17:34:21.746-07:00

Not many "blog worthy" events have been happening lately, so I apologize for being a bit neglectful in my writing. We are settled into our winter quarters in southern California, one day enjoying a 75-degree sunny day, and the next waking to a 50-degree one with cold rain. But in the middle of all this changeable weather came my favorite holiday: Halloween. Jojoba Hills had a party, of course.

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-33740645216551949382011-10-10T20:06:00.001-06:002011-10-10T20:15:50.133-06:00

Our plans for last Saturday -- a "perfect" day of 74 degrees with sun and a light breeze -- were as follows: Drive from south of San Jose to Sausalito via the Golden Gate BridgeGet supplies at the store: wine, cheese, bread, maybe fruitTake it to the Golden Gate overlook on the north side of the bridge for a "sit on a blanket" real, honest-to-dog picnic It almost went like that. We did, at

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-15202263035164046702011-09-29T18:18:00.000-06:002011-09-29T18:18:34.036-06:00

"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be over sophisticated. Yet it remains cheese, milk's leap toward immortality." --- Clifton FadimanTillamook, Oregon is a cheesy kind of town, and they'd be the first to proudly tell you that. The countryside is surrounded by fence-to-fence dairy farms -- enormous dairy farms with fields and fields of bovines, medium-sized dairy

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-31263510165175644732011-09-28T11:32:00.000-06:002011-09-28T11:40:59.070-06:00

Mount Rainier in Washington State is a part of a string of active volcanoes called the Cascade Range, a 700 mile line of mountains that runs from British Columbia to California. It is considered one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world. It last erupted in the 1800s, but when it erupts again it will most likely be much bigger than the deadly Mt. Saint Helens' eruption -- and Seattle is in

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-7246354093019881272011-09-19T19:13:00.000-06:002011-09-19T19:39:36.355-06:00

A Story For Our Times: A group of psychologists were testing the most pessimistic and optimistic children they could find. They finally narrowed their search down to two 8 year-old boys. They set up two rooms: one with every toy imaginable, the other with a pile of horse manure. The first boy, the pessimist, was put into the room with the toys. No sooner was the door shut when he began to throw

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-87276310449960292672011-09-18T21:12:00.000-06:002011-09-18T21:26:52.580-06:00

I've had a bit of trouble getting into Blogger the last few days -- I kept getting a page that told me I had to have Cookies enabled (they were) and then listed several tweaks to play with to try to fix the problem. I fiddled with settings and the cache. Nothing. So I decided to delete all my google cookies, and voila! Access again. I did notice that I had a cookie from Google.CA (Canada)

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-19537040195336232172011-09-07T21:36:00.000-06:002011-09-07T21:36:06.180-06:00

Bears rule in Hyder AK. They fish for salmon in the river, they forage along the roads, and they are master thieves when it comes to garbage cans. We were in Hyder for three days, during which it rained every day. Days one and two were showers; day three was an unending downpour that extended all through the night. Our trip to see the bears feeding on salmon was during a relative dry spell. The

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-82790669414899899002011-09-05T01:55:00.000-06:002011-09-05T01:56:06.422-06:00

Hyder, Alaska, sits at the end of nowhere. From the British Columbia town of Stewart, it is a spur off the main road, a 10 mile-ish trip into the United States that goes so far into Nowhere that the U.S. doesn't even bother having a customs station. It is called the "Friendliest Ghost Town in Alaska," and it has only two sources of income: tourism and a water bottling facility. Hyder is

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-60771684135281861902011-09-03T22:27:00.000-06:002011-09-03T22:27:50.916-06:00

Sourdough Campground in Tok, Alaska is one of those "must stop" places on the Alaska Journey. In June and July they have nightly shows, but we arrived too late in the season to see them. We did, however, get to experience the infamous "Pancake Toss." Dave of Sourdough Campground explained the rules as he set down a fresh batch of sourdough pancakes that smelled, well, yummy: Everyone gets

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-70526323517269859362011-08-31T01:16:00.000-06:002011-08-31T01:16:56.226-06:00

We took a day trip out of Valdez to the Columbia Glacier on another rainy day. It turned out to be anything but dreary -- we saw bald eagles, sea otters, sea lions, and seals, but most importantly -- the glacier, up close and personal. On the way to the glacier, we had to pass to the outside of a restricted area (marked by buoys and their resident sea lions) for the terminus of the Alaskan

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-40670454042611376612011-08-30T19:28:00.000-06:002011-08-30T19:28:12.271-06:00

We spent a few days in Valdez, mostly in the rain. The indoor museum was a slam dunk -- not only was it a dry place to be, but it turned out to be quite interesting. Most people know Valdez because of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. But this was not Valdez's first brush with disaster -- the town was severely damaged in the 1964 earthquake that devastated Alaska, and was eventually moved 4

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-69606254223197503752011-08-22T18:19:00.000-06:002011-08-22T18:19:48.140-06:00

We spent five days in Seward, Alaska -- most of them watching a relentless rain. It was sunny and nice when we got there, and we had a spectacular view of Resurrection Bay: Once the rain started, we switched from scenery ogling to doing indoorsy things -- such as the Alaska Sealife Center, an aquarium and wildlife research center in downtown Seward. They had displays of fish and crabs,

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-35283662187544637392011-08-17T00:50:00.000-06:002011-08-17T00:50:30.215-06:00

John and I, and our friends Harlan and Sue, took a day cruise from Homer to Seldovia. Here is a map of our boat's path: It was a three hour cruise, and the first crew member we met was named Ginger. Hmmm. That gave us pause, but two amazingly good Bloody Marys later, coupled with a complete lack of any crew members named Skipper or Gilligan made us forget all about the Minnow. We would

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-18474688923166355802011-08-15T00:27:00.002-06:002011-08-15T11:32:02.725-06:00

John and his buddy Harlan decided to go halibut fishing for a day. The bad news: the boat was to leave at 7 A.M. The good news: we are parked right next to the put-in area for these boats, so sleep time is maximized and travel time is reduced to a short walk lasting only minutes. There is no dock here, or even a boat launch ramp. Instead, the vehicles towing boats drop their boat, still on

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-6674025389559680962011-08-11T00:55:00.001-06:002011-08-11T20:09:36.555-06:00

We are currently boondocking (parked without water, electric, or sewer hookups) in a small Alaskan town called Ninilchik. If we look out our front window, this is what we see: The water in front of us is the Cook Inlet, named for Captain Cook, and it extends from Anchorage to the Sea of Alaska. On the opposite side of the inlet sits a string of active volcanoes, of which we can easily see

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-20808170243357820552011-08-05T23:47:00.000-06:002011-08-05T23:47:42.682-06:00

Mount Redoubt is an active volcano that sits on the west side of the Cook Inlet. It has erupted five times since 1900, the last time in 2009 when it threw volcanic ash 45,000 feet into the air and coated 7,700 square miles with ash. Here is a map of the area (as always, click to embiggen). We are currently in a campground in Soldotna, about 65 miles southwest of Anchorage, and 7 miles (as the

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-47331014470682409202011-08-01T23:31:00.000-06:002011-08-01T23:31:59.578-06:00

As we made our way from the Anchorage area to Soldotna, we traveled along the 40 mile long Turnagain Arm. The Turnagain Arm is a fjord-like waterway that runs along the southern edge of Anchorage, and is famous for having the largest tidal range in the United States. It also has one of 60 tidal bores in the world (only 2 are in the United States, the other being the Knik Arm to the north of

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-92233490152539696032011-07-30T23:08:00.000-06:002011-07-30T23:08:49.816-06:00

Yesterday we took a trip to see the town of Palmer. The town is small, with the usual bars, restaurants, and tourist shops. We happened to stumble upon a street market -- a few farmers with vegetables, some Alaska crafters, and a live band who seemed to only know Aretha Franklin tunes (was she shoeless to channel the Natural Woman?). John helped the local high school cheerleaders with their

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-9721420537994698162011-07-25T23:57:00.002-06:002011-07-26T00:09:15.654-06:00

We took a day trip today to the Independence Mine on the Hatcher Pass, near Wasilla, Alaska. The day was drizzly and overcast -- what the English like to call "wee misty." On the way, we stopped to see the beautiful Little Susitna River, a rocky, fast moving waterway that empties into the Susitna River (where we took the jetboat ride a few days ago). We arrived at the gold producing

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-46015500320297660252011-07-23T20:41:00.001-06:002011-07-26T00:07:59.355-06:00

We took a jetboat tour to Devil's Canyon today. The 5-hour excursion started in Talkeetna, and went up the Susitna River to the Class V Rapids of Devil's Canyon (the only higher rating is Class VI, which means the waterway is unnavigable). We stopped at a recreation of a Dena'ina Indian encampment and trapper's cabin, where John got to show off new "head" gear: We saw a couple bald eagles and

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-64813329244448448302011-07-22T14:30:00.000-06:002011-07-22T14:30:16.449-06:00

No, the State Insect of Alaska is not the mosquito, although one wonders why at times (::slap::slap::ouch::slap::). It is the dragonfly, in particular one named the Four-Spot Skimmer. I have not yet seen a Four-Spot Skimmer here, but I did see this dragonfly last night: This is a Zizgag Darner, Aeshna sitchensis. (Identification by my friend, Richard Orr -- thanks, Richard!) I found the

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-14055035074343930252011-07-20T22:07:00.001-06:002011-07-20T22:18:35.467-06:00

I'm too old to use the word, "awesome" casually. So when I say our flight over Denali was "AWESOME" I mean it was the best thing we have done on this trip -- and we have done some pretty amazing things. When we got up this morning, the sky was a clear, cloudless blue. From our viewpoint in Talkeetna, Denali, still 60 miles away, was a sparkling, shimmering jewel. Weather here is quickly

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-20038779273008526442011-07-19T23:47:00.001-06:002011-07-19T23:50:12.787-06:00

Three items for today's blog: Talkeetna Oddities, the Hatcher Pass, and -- we are run out of town. Talkeetna Oddities "Village Arts and Crafts" = Maybe the "Human Arts and Crafts" are done indoors. Talkeetna has pasties (pronounced PAST-ees), just like Michigan's Upper Penninsula! They both have the same origin -- Welsh/Cornish miners. Pasties were pies made from left-over meat and vegetables

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-31029822332225666742011-07-18T23:24:00.007-06:002011-07-19T12:57:58.910-06:00

We are now in a campground in a very small town in Alaska named Willow. Willow plays a big part in the Anchorage-to-Nome dog sled race called the Iditerod -- while the race has its ceremonial start each March in Anchorage, the real start is on day 2 from Willow.We took a day trip today to Talkeetna, famous for two things: 1) it is allegedly the town that the fictional Cicely, Alaska in Northern

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-23423560203727398952011-07-17T19:00:00.000-06:002011-07-17T19:00:10.805-06:00

Our weather the last two days has been mostly rain, so the "heavy" touristing has been postponed. But I pulled together a few miscellaneous pictures from our stay in the Denali area: In 1897, a local prospector re-named the huge mountain peak we know today as Denali to "Mount McKinley" in honor of the President -- even though McKinley had no connection to the area. The original park was also

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-6382742962731137082011-07-15T22:18:00.002-06:002011-07-15T22:25:51.904-06:00

Mt. McKinley, aka Denali (an Athabascan word meaning "The Great One"), is elusive. Because it makes its own weather (the ice and snow on the slopes sublimates to clouds that often cover the peak), only 30% of park visitors see even a part of it -- and only 10% see the entire mountain. We stopped in the Wilderness Center yesterday to get tickets for the 8-hour skoolie bus trip through Denali (

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-86130813029860355652011-07-14T21:11:00.000-06:002011-07-14T21:11:42.327-06:00

We finally crossed paths with our friends, Sharon and Don, who are also "doing" Alaska this summer, but they started earlier in the year and are going the "other way" around the circle-like path through the accessible parts of Alaska. We had to cross paths at some point, and it turned out to be Fairbanks. Before dinner, we took a trip to the Fountainhead Antique Car Museum -- mostly because we

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-31356388689415513462011-07-12T01:26:00.000-06:002011-07-12T01:26:12.467-06:00

We met our friends Sam and Sue for a quick get-together this evening: Sam and Sue are Wagon Masters on a Tracks to Adventure Alaska caravan, and they just happened to be in the same place as we are. Good seeing you both!

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-75469466099997823422011-07-11T21:10:00.001-06:002011-07-12T01:29:12.893-06:00

We have done two fun things in the last two days in Fairbanks: Yesterday we boarded the Riverboat Discovery, an authentic stern-wheeler paddle-boat that travels up the Chena River to the Tanana for a three-hour cruise (that phrase always makes me want to pack some navigational charts, coconuts, a radio, and an evening gown - the latter just because Mrs. Howell did). As the boat travels, Alaskiana

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-63036198179179026532011-07-09T20:49:00.002-06:002011-07-09T20:53:52.670-06:00

sundog06http://www.blogger.com/profile/04404210749585813437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-80847265369805142282011-07-09T19:53:00.000-06:002011-07-09T19:53:58.532-06:00

We went to North Pole today. Not the north pole, but North Pole, Alaska, a town about 15 miles outside of Fairbanks with a population just over 1,600 people. It got it's name when the original inhabitants thought they could induce a toy manufacturer to take up residence here. Instead, they got two oil refineries, an all-female Roller Derby team called the North Pole Babes in Toyland, and the

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-81090225410898227172011-07-08T19:57:00.001-06:002011-07-08T20:25:00.973-06:00

Yesterday we got close to the Alaska Pipeline at the point it crosses the Tanana River. The pipeline was supported by a "pipeline suspension bridge," but getting close to it here was blocked by a chain-link fence: In Fairbanks, however, a small portion of the pipeline is available for tourist touching: We couldn't reach quite high enough to touch it for the photo, but a few feet away

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-23503126736161691792011-07-08T01:04:00.001-06:002011-07-08T19:14:50.602-06:00

On June 14, we took our photo in Dawson Creek, BC, at the beginning of the Alaska Highway. Today we completed the set at the end: The northern end of the Alaska Highway is in Delta Junction, AK. In addition to the landmark sign, we found displays of other Alaska-sized things: The size of the 48-inch Alaska crude oil pipeline (bottom) as compared to the 8-inch Haines-Fairbanks petroleum

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-53192168860177079562011-07-06T22:30:00.002-06:002011-07-08T19:23:37.081-06:00

What do frost heaves do? They make humans take eight hours to make a five hour trip! Our trip today started at the southern end of the blue line at Destruction Bay, Yukon Territory -- a teeming metropolis of 55 people, one of whom "worked" as a waitress in the town's only restaurant and thought an hour and ten minute wait for dinner was no big deal. But I digress. After leaving Destruction

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-2047846801647943762011-07-04T21:37:00.002-06:002011-07-04T21:42:29.121-06:00

Q: What do they do in Alaska in the summer? A: If it falls on the 4th of July, they have a picnic. Small town Independence Day -- there is nothing more Americana! Temperatures were in the high 50s in Haines when the festivities began at 11 AM -- I don't remember ever wearing a winter hat and mittens on the Fourth of July before! I guess I am just a warm-weather-wimp now -- some Alaskans wore

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-41850278441559062362011-07-03T22:48:00.000-06:002011-07-03T22:48:51.027-06:00

A few more looks at some scenery and oddities in Haines- The Hammer Museum. Not much more to say. Don't have an RV? Make your own. Then leave it somewhere, for years: Practice your balance on a big rubber band. Use hiking sticks so you don't fall off: Need a ride? Grab a bikeshaw: Radio Shack seems to actually be housed in one: A chair made from skis: Touring can be done from

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-49927565968201268522011-07-02T18:41:00.008-06:002011-07-02T21:31:48.975-06:00

Should your Alaska RV Adventure bring you to the quaint little fishing village of Haines (and it should), you will find only 2 big rig friendly parks from which to choose - the Haines Hitch-Up and Oceanside. Both are Good Sam, and both are within easy walking distance to downtown, but that's pretty much it for similarities. The Hitch-Up offers spacious spots with lots of grass and a picnic

sundog06http://www.blogger.com/profile/04404210749585813437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-56431930042224747302011-07-01T00:17:00.000-06:002011-07-01T00:17:07.004-06:00

The last two days have been filled with yummy seafoody goodness here in Haines! First, we visited a fish store and picked up some smoked salmon and smoked black cod (and part of that was today's lunch). Then we drove out to a lake north of town to look for bald eagles (spotted only one, but also saw a bear), and on the way back stopped at the Haines Packing Company for a tour. Haines

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-46058741807762085372011-06-28T22:25:00.000-06:002011-06-28T22:25:52.643-06:00

I recently read a review of Haines that compared it to Cicely, Alaska, the fictional town from Northern Exposure. It is an apt comparison -- the town is about the right size, a bit quiet and sedate, and, from a couple encounters we have had with residents, we suspect the people are a touch quirky. But unlike Cicely, this town actually IS in Alaska (Northern Exposure was shot in Roslyn,

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-55913990041652699212011-06-28T00:27:00.000-06:002011-06-28T00:27:15.000-06:00

This morning John and I flew in a way we have never flown before -- on a zip line! We met our intrepid guides, Christian and Stash from Alaska Excursions, at a combination zip line/musher camp outside of Dyea. Here is Christian getting John geared up: Here is Stash, demonstrating how NOT to gear up (actually I don't remember what he was talking about at this moment!): John flies: John

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-38215409482006533882011-06-26T23:01:00.008-06:002011-06-27T23:38:52.463-06:00

“One’s hell. The other’s damnation.” -- Mont Hawthorn, Klondike stampeder, comparing the Chilkoot Pass and the White Pass In 1896, the routes through the mountains from the Pacific to the gold in Dawson City were two: the longer White Pass, or the steeper Chilkoot Pass. Neither was easy, especially when each person was required, by Canadian Immigration, to bring enough provisions to see

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-26048055431939575392011-06-25T19:06:00.001-06:002011-06-25T19:18:12.747-06:00

Today was overcast and cool, a perfect day for wandering through Skagway's shops and tourist traps. This is the Arctic Brotherhood building (1899), billed as "the most photographed building in Alaska." The facade consists of 8800 driftwood sticks taken from Skagway Bay, and is called a prime example of "Victorian Rustic Architecture." It is now the Visitor Center. The Golden North Hotel (

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-62118968049011557212011-06-24T22:43:00.001-06:002011-06-24T22:52:04.029-06:00

Today we took a 3 hour round trip train ride from Skagway to White Pass, which lies on the border of Alaska and Canada. The weather was perfect, the scenery was beautiful, and we got to see a bit of history that is unavailable from the highway. This area was a major overland route in the Alaskan gold rush of 1898. The gold strikes were in the Dawson City area, but there were limited ways

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-34749320309907844172011-06-23T23:58:00.000-06:002011-06-23T23:58:31.715-06:00

"South" to Alaska? Yep, that's what we did today! Leaving from Whitehorse, the trip to Skagway was just about 100 miles south. We'll stay here for a few days, then take a ferry to Haines, go back into Canada, and eventually wind up in the interior of Alaska. On the way, we stopped at Caribou Crossing, where teams of Iditarod Alaskan Huskies hole up for "Musher Camp." They take turns giving

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-26050102932667704532011-06-22T21:03:00.001-06:002011-06-22T21:12:23.398-06:00

Here is a photo of the office in our Whitehorse campground: It is not an impressive office; it is not even a good photo. It was, however, taken just about midnight on the Summer Solstice, without a timed exposure. I was outside in my robe and slippers to see what midnight looked like at 60 degrees north latitude. It looked like an overcast day, which it was. I loved it. The sky never got any

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-81335582318715328502011-06-21T21:58:00.004-06:002011-06-21T22:11:32.868-06:00

Answer: Not necessarily!

sundog06http://www.blogger.com/profile/04404210749585813437noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-47286390827094603052011-06-21T21:43:00.000-06:002011-06-21T21:43:35.180-06:00

We did three touristy things today -- visited the Yukon Transportation Museum, the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Center, and the Whitehorse Fish Ladder. The first two were our choice for our morning treks because it was raining and, being museums, they were mostly inside and dry. The Yukon Transportation Museum This museum covers all sorts of Yukon historical transportation methods, such as trains

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-4097866775926640982011-06-20T23:59:00.002-06:002011-06-21T10:22:07.473-06:00

The day began in pouring rain in Watson Lake, leveled off to a drizzle, and finally cleared up as we got into Whitehorse. Here are today's highlights: In our quest to find the north-west's best cinnamon roll, we stopped at a rustic cafe that said they had the best. They were wrong -- the previous leader is safe. Our fellow coffee drinkers were a white-haired motorcyclist with "Evangelical," '

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-35589218857252222542011-06-19T20:14:00.001-06:002011-06-19T20:41:10.686-06:00

It is almost a "right of passage" on the trek to Alaska -- a stop at the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake, Yukon Territory. The Sign Post Forest was begun in 1942 during the construction of the Alaska Highway (the Alcan). At that time, Carl K. Lindley, a U. S. Army Engineer, was tasked with fixing a "miles-to-destination" sign that had been damaged by a bulldozer. He decided to add his own

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-78512334592578534062011-06-18T21:37:00.000-06:002011-06-18T21:37:59.962-06:00

We have made it into the Yukon Territory! We're going to spend two days here at Watson Lake, even though tomorrow's forecast calls for rain. After several days on the road, we need a break from traveling -- laundry needs to be done, the rig need to be thoroughly dusted and vacuumed after those unpaved roads in the Northwest Territory (we are both still sneezing from the dust), and there is

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-19148926476356492322011-06-18T16:28:00.001-06:002011-06-18T16:28:06.575-06:00

June 17, 2011 “There’s not a single mosquito on the Alaska Highway – they are all married, and have raised very large families.” – Alcan Bumper Sticker Wisdom They only come out at night…  While we were getting settled in at Hay Lake in Fort Liard, we were not surprised to see a lot of gnats and flies, but were surprised to only see a couple of mosquitoes.  But, overnight, the skeeters

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-91197625113663989462011-06-18T16:19:00.003-06:002011-06-18T17:49:14.465-06:00

June 16, 2011 Today we took a mini-side trip to the Northwest Territories.  Not too many people can say they have been here, and it was only 115 miles north of the Alaska Highway.  Only the last 30 were hell. That is, with the exception of this one-lane, wooden plank bridge at the beginning of the turn off from the Alaska Highway that I thought was right out of an RVer’s Inferno.  Driving a

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-42561164475252325772011-06-16T11:36:00.001-06:002011-06-18T17:56:30.761-06:00

Just a quick entry before we leave this morning. We might not have internet for a few days after this, but I'll save up the blogs and post them when I can. This is the RV park we are leaving from today: It is part hotel, part gas station/convenience store and part RV park. This is the back of the hotel as seen from the RV park: This is a close up of the under-roof area: Each upper window

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-66701229127523308492011-06-15T18:05:00.001-06:002011-06-15T18:17:33.752-06:00

Today was a cool, cloudy, rainy day on the road. There is only one road -- the Alaska Highway -- between Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson, our stop for the night, so getting lost is not an option. The road typically looked like this: But on three occasions, for a about a hundred yards or less, it looked like this: The bad sections were well marked so John could slow down in time to keep the

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-5491629789739572432011-06-14T20:39:00.004-06:002011-06-15T18:19:50.806-06:00

Our "obligatory" photo under the Alaska (Alcan) Highway sign: The Alcan Highway After the photo-op, we saw a wonderful PBS documentary on the making of the Alcan Highway. The short version: after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Military realized that Alaska was in jeopardy from a Japanese attack via the Aleutians. To arm the Alaskan outposts, a road would need to be built to supply

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-43976458382024077822011-06-13T21:25:00.001-06:002011-06-15T18:26:31.257-06:00

We made it to Dawson Creek, Mile 0 on the Alaska Highway! We will be staying here two nights, so the main exploring will happen tomorrow. However, I have 3 observations from today to share: Observation 1: It is pointless to go to the neighborhood bar for their Monday night all-you-can-eat halibut and fries special when game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals is on the big screen T.V., and Montreal is

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-78885693604436803342011-06-12T20:54:00.000-06:002011-06-12T20:54:32.642-06:00

Just some beautiful things to look at today, as we traveled from Banff, through Jasper, and out of the parks:

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-87655623607171506332011-06-12T16:23:00.002-06:002011-06-13T21:35:47.421-06:00

Today, Saturday 6/11, was rainy and chilly in the Canadian Rockies. Still, we soldiered on with sight-seeing, the alternative being hanging out in the rig with no television or internet.  How did we ever get along without them? We drove to the beautiful Lake Louise, my third visit there. Here I am on my first visit, as a teenager. The woman in white, showing her second-best side to the camera,

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-37086020660462474402011-06-12T16:19:00.002-06:002011-06-12T17:45:28.808-06:00

Today, May June 10, we made it to Banff.  What a beautiful place!  I have been here twice before – once as a teenager, and once again in 2004.   As we drove through the park, we saw 7 bears: 2 solos, a sow with a single cub, and a sow with twins.  The ranger had warned us that a “bear jam” (cars backed up with gawkers) might be happening because she had received a report of a bear sighting, but

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-10199337162189487512011-06-12T16:14:00.001-06:002011-06-12T16:14:06.713-06:00

6/9/11: Our border crossing from Montana into British Columbia was uneventful.   We truthfully answered the normal questions: where are we going, how long will we be there, do we have any alcohol, tobacco, weapons?  “OK, then, have a good trip!” So we drove north with the Rocky Mountains constantly on our right, craggy peaks lined up behind us and in front of us, as far as the eye could see. 

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-33403839734531204502011-06-08T11:44:00.002-06:002011-06-08T12:16:13.693-06:00

It has been somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 years since I set foot in Glacier Park. When I was around 9 or 10, my parents and I took our first extended vacation, driving from Michigan to Glacier National Park in a silver Chevy station wagon equipped with all we would need to camp our way across America: 2 inflatable, canvas air mattresses that would fit in the back of the station wagon, 2

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-85711615609980076442011-06-05T18:50:00.000-06:002011-06-05T18:50:48.503-06:00

Our friends, Carole and Dick, recently posted about their experiences with a group called Harvest Hosts. Harvest Hosts gives its RVing members a list of wineries that have agreed to provide a boondocking spot for the member (most seem to be wineries, but farms can also be a host). The RVer agrees to be polite and courteous, and everyone benefits because of course we can't visit a winery without

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-89918250148114252462011-06-04T06:00:00.002-06:002011-06-04T06:00:00.314-06:00

Location: Outside Arco, ID at the Experimental Breeder Reactor 1 The year is 1951. End tables were molded plywood, often in wavy, kidney shapes, couches were hard, peg-leg rectangles, televisions were small, oval, black-and- white screens with innards powered by tubes, and Fiesta Ware was the king of the table. Patti Page had a number 1 hit with "Tennessee Waltz," the Korean War was in full

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-46340103321108171572011-06-03T06:00:00.007-06:002011-06-03T06:00:17.438-06:00

Arco, Idaho, proudly proclaims its part in "Atoms For Peace," an experimental program that, on July 17, 1955, made it "the first town in the free world" to have its lights powered by "electrical energy developed from the atom." This is not the area's only claim to atomic fame -- nearby the world's first nuclear power plant (and first breeder reactor) sits, waiting in retro 1950-neoSteamPunk

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-23137535634764802612011-06-02T16:42:00.000-06:002011-06-02T16:42:06.851-06:00

Our day began with a great free pancakes-and-eggs breakfast from the RV Park! Stuffed, we started off to see the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, a huge area that has been the site of numerous lava flows in the last 14,000 years or so. As we drove, we saw some precipitation in the distance. It started to rain. Then it started to snow. Then it started to be a white-out. On

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-77426484581344603432011-06-01T21:11:00.005-06:002011-06-01T21:23:05.697-06:00

12:47 on May 10, 1869 is one of those dates when everything changed. At Promontory, Utah, a golden spike was driven to finish the first coast-to-coast railroad in the United States. Until then, travel across the continent was by horse, wagon, or walking. Merchandise and building materials, and sometimes people, could travel by ship, but sailing was not a fast way to go and was expensive. Ships

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-48494856459633240862011-05-31T20:32:00.004-06:002011-05-31T20:50:01.863-06:00

It snowed on Memorial Day in Mt. Pleasant, Utah where we were staying. Cold, sleety snow that sometimes seemed more like little tiny white lumps of hail, bouncing on the picnic table that should have held hot dogs, buns, mustard and catsup. That should say it all when it comes to how we spent the weekend that was the harbinger of summer for the rest of the country. Instead of cook-outs and

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-57917117361277080292011-05-28T14:20:00.001-06:002011-05-28T15:29:52.042-06:00

The last post was about the Temple -- this post will cover some of the other buildings in Temple Square. The Tabernacle, known for its perfect acoustics, is the home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The 360 choir members practice Thursday afternoons and perform each Sunday. When we arrived, the organist was practicing. Waves of light above the organ changed from blues to purples to reds. We

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-73268496235618598752011-05-28T14:12:00.001-06:002011-05-28T15:22:06.821-06:00

Temple Square's most recognizable building is the Mormon Temple, but the square actually contains 15 buildings, including the Tabernacle (home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir), the Assembly Building, the Conference Center, visitor centers, office buildings and historical buildings. This post is about the Temple Building. The next post will cover some of the other buildings. The Salt Lake City

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-35571413723143475792011-05-27T21:41:00.000-06:002011-05-27T21:41:30.314-06:00

Panorama view of Temple Square About six years ago, I flew into Salt Lake City, the rendezvous point for a backpacking trip in the Wind River Range. For reasons that now escape me, I had to come on an earlier flight than the rest of my hiking group, so my job was to get the rental car and return to the airport later that evening to pick them up. With a couple hours free, I decided to go see

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-20900494684912242652011-05-26T19:49:00.000-06:002011-05-26T19:52:38.151-06:00

Since appointing Zoe to the position of "Official Photographer" I have no pics to share; however, I can share a few facts and stories with you.Referring to Zoe's Basin and Range and her Great Basin blogs, I found out that the two are related but different. Zoe's description of Basin and Range is a great explanation of that ten million year process that has been and continues to be under way

sundog06http://www.blogger.com/profile/04404210749585813437noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-804241113345449022011-05-26T15:56:00.001-06:002011-05-26T16:02:42.092-06:00

A few images from the Utah scrapbook: This year's crop of calves, lambs, and foals are catching their first glimpses of daylight in pastures up and down the valleys. There are also "real" cowboys tending the herds. Not all the cowboys ride horses, however -- we also saw some rounding up their cattle on ATVs. We are staying outside a small town with a great name for their ice cream place:

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-62754011833381469232011-05-24T20:07:00.006-06:002011-05-24T20:37:44.180-06:00

What a lovely gem tucked into the middle of Nowhere, USA!We took the scenic drive around Great Basin National Park, and toured Lehman Cave, a limestone cave that is part of the park system.The scenic drive is dominated by Wheeler Peak, frigid and snow covered this time of year. We were able to drive to about 10,000 feet (the peak is over 13,000), but then were turned back when the road was no

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-17134672414346150772011-05-23T17:44:00.005-06:002011-05-24T20:43:15.354-06:00

Basin and range, basin and range, basin and range. That’s what was on the "to see" list today as we traveled from St. George, UT to Ely, NV.Basin and range is a particular method of land formation that results in a long series of basins, or valleys, and mountain ranges. We traveled over five of these combinations during today's travel. Up, down, up, down, up, down. John doesn't like going

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-86614260871305207812011-05-23T08:00:00.000-06:002011-05-23T08:04:20.494-06:00

The Virgin River cuts through Zion -- literally. It created the canyon, and much of the amazing scenery that we enjoy today. The river, of course, had some help from volcanoes, wind, and water!On Sunday, we took a short, 1 mile hike that paralleled the Virgin. The trail would normally have continued into a slot canyon, but the river is running quite high so entry into the Narrows was

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-41581553608337205142011-05-22T22:34:00.005-06:002011-05-22T23:03:56.528-06:00

John and I have spent the last two days in a Zion whirlwind. We were last here three years ago -- almost to the day -- so we spent the little time we have this year doing scenic drives and short hikes.The view close to our campground:On Saturday, we tried to go to a part of the park that we missed in 2008, Cedar Breaks -- but the elevation there is 10,000 feet and the roads are still closed due

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-24408869164987146682011-05-20T20:55:00.001-06:002011-05-20T20:55:51.424-06:00

  We pulled out of Pahrump early this morning, leaving Charleston Peak, still snow covered, behind.  We traversed three states today, starting our journey on I-15 in Nevada,  cutting across the north-west corner of Arizona, and ending in St. George, Utah. This has got to be one of the most scenic drives in the U.S.! We passed over the Virgin River, and then followed it as it raced through its

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-54232361206582251872011-05-18T21:00:00.009-06:002011-05-18T23:01:42.091-06:00

"Nothing succeeds like a budgie without teeth." -- Monte PythonThe common pet parakeet, a.k.a budgerigar -- budgie for short (say the quote above out loud if you don't "get it") is what you will find if you enter your neighborhood pet store, pass by the doggie treats, the cat scratch posts, and the flashy neon tetras and Plecostomus in aquariums along the back wall. Keep going until you reach

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-91261181363212140612011-05-17T19:17:00.005-06:002011-05-17T21:59:05.117-06:00

Today was Day 1 of John and Zoe's Alaska Adventure!We thought we'd be leaving last week, but we had to wait for John's new CPAP machine to be delivered, which happened Monday. Doesn't he look like a cute alien from the planet Fintlewoodlewix?So early this morning (at least early for us), we finally headed out of Jojoba Hills, waving to friends and neighbors while our speakers blared Johnny

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-23699919332771742872011-05-08T21:12:00.007-06:002011-05-08T22:16:38.027-06:00

Today's fun -- an excellent dinner, followed by wineries!Four couples from Jojoba -- John and I, Carole and Dick, Pat and Dennis, and Ann and Peter (who were visiting) met at the County Line BBQ Cafe for their Mother's Day Dinner. The restaurant looks like a dump or a yard sale gone bad, but looks ARE deceiving in this case!Most of us started with a glass of house cabernet -- it was yummy! Then

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-58410571560261233292011-05-03T14:43:00.012-06:002011-05-03T21:52:23.116-06:00

OrA Story of Cheeps and QuackersHere at Jojoba Hills (the Escapee Co-op park in Aguanga, CA), wildlife abounds, much of it attracted by several ponds that interconnect through the park and provide a home for frogs, fish, and birds. Ducks, in particular, enjoy the park's aquatic areas so much that "Irritape" (shiny, flashy, strips of metallic tape) had to be installed over the swimming pool to

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-17413926230542419412011-03-17T21:57:00.010-06:002011-03-18T12:31:44.989-06:00

We recently spent some time in an RV park along the Colorado River near Parker, Arizona. Many RV sites are right on the river, and the beach is a great place to interact with the ever-present water birds and party boaters:Sunsets were gorgeous on the river -- sometimes the sky would be blood red with streaks of gold, and at other times the blue of the sky reflected off the water:Wild burros

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-33038218852033773212011-03-05T18:10:00.001-07:002011-03-05T18:11:34.628-07:00

No comment from me!

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-77051203657170930972011-02-26T20:39:00.010-07:002011-03-18T12:36:44.182-06:00

Until last October, the only easy way to get from central/south Arizona to Las Vegas was over the Hoover Dam. Finished in 1936, the road on the top of the dam is a curvy, slow two laner, which became heavily congested with traffic as the years went on. Add in mandatory security checkpoints (after 9/11), and bottle-necks and stopped traffic were inevitable. Traveling that route could be an

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-76856987133228119752011-02-23T20:36:00.005-07:002011-02-25T11:14:33.567-07:00

Location: Pahrump, NVFirst the wine:Our RV park is also a winery. Or, perhaps, the winery has an RV park? At any rate, the two are literally joined together -- the Charleston Peak RV park offices to the left, and the Pahrump Valley Winery to the right.Both are nestled under a fantastic view of Charleston Peak:When we got in yesterday, we were hungry and tired (a hard morning's travel of a whole

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-37814329243409437212011-02-22T10:01:00.000-07:002011-02-22T10:01:00.321-07:00

See yesterday's entry for the first post about Quartzsite, AZ:Here is a small sampling of the business world of Quartzsite in January:What's the business here?Ice Cream and Coffee from a hippie bus!Lunch: Exotic Meats and BugsA Blacksmith Shop from a SkoolieAnd last on today's photo tour (but definitional not least) is one of the most famous entrepreneurs in Quartzsite, Paul Winer, the proprietor

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-82708279449919601332011-02-21T18:00:00.000-07:002011-02-21T18:55:13.670-07:00

Boy, have I been a bad, bad, blogger!Winter is not a "run around, see this, do that" sort of time for us. Instead, it is a hunker down, "Get-Away-From-The-Snow" kind of time. So we have been wandering around the southwest in search of just the right combination of weather, community, and scenery. The weather wasn't always cooperating -- we have had lots of days with lows in the 30s and 40s, but

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-37792085434580607012010-12-30T22:01:00.002-07:002010-12-31T09:33:56.534-07:00

I remember years and years ago working on a “think exercise” project to describe what Social Security (my then employer) would look like in the impossibly far-away year of 2010. We created a planning document, a path-finder, if you will, to keep us moving toward the 2010 we had envisioned. It was hopelessly optimistic at the time: a vision of service on demand without the need to visit an office

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-17858730563343103882010-12-25T15:53:00.005-07:002010-12-25T16:19:23.227-07:00

How are Christmas and "The Holidays" spent in an RV?Some decorate any available surfaces:Som just drive and hope they "run into" Santa:Some realize Santa needs a latitude adjustment, too:We hang our stockings, one for for each of us (but which belongs to John?), and one for each of the Keets:And then our special ritual of the year -- A December Hottub photo!Happy Holidays to you all!

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-42941205115061734892010-12-14T18:36:00.002-07:002010-12-14T18:56:48.965-07:00

John and I periodically play pool, the winner for the day taking two out of three games. John is a slightly better pool player than I am, but I win more sets than he does because he habitually scratches on the 8-ball or sinks it in the wrong pocket.We have our own pool cues with identical cases -- one case is labeled "winner" and one "loser." After each game, we use the appropriate case for

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-50170084550196382002010-12-09T16:21:00.007-07:002010-12-09T19:53:45.033-07:00

Location: Yuma, AZEvery day at the Mexican border, buses pick up scores workers with temporary agricultural visas who have just walked across the checkpoint from Mexico into Arizona. The re-purposed school busses, pulling port-a-potties and hand-sanitizer wash stations, deliver the workers to one of the many lettuce fields in and around Yuma.And then the day begins, a day that is just like

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-9090949938205260842010-12-06T18:42:00.002-07:002010-12-06T19:39:41.060-07:00

It came out of the blue on the Evening News - Dandy Don Died Today! I should research this more carefully, but just excuse me and let my memories take over.Monday Night Football exploded into our lives as the war in South East Asia was grinding to an ignominious halt. Those of us who participated in the latter got no parades, but parades come and they go and they are over. Our welcome home was

sundog06http://www.blogger.com/profile/04404210749585813437noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-33870116263454293862010-12-02T19:28:00.019-07:002010-12-02T22:32:01.664-07:00

I don't know how to be older. I've only ever been younger.When I was growing up, television sets had one big dial, which you turned through the numbers 2 to 13 to find one of three networks -- ABC, NBC, or CBS (for simplicity, I'm talking only about VHF). As I got to early adulthood, a wire into the house was installed, and that "cable" filled up those 2-13 channels with an amazing array of

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-35040287089730013762010-11-29T20:05:00.005-07:002010-11-29T20:53:03.400-07:00

There is a small golf course and resort in Southern California that was developed by the King of the Bubbly himself, Lawrence Welk. It's called, not surprisingly, Welk Resort and Champagne Village, although its original name was the simpler Lawrence Welk Village. I can't speak to the quality of the golf courses, although I'm sure they are first class, but I can tell you about the museum. Yes,

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-13755125988220357302010-11-26T20:06:00.008-07:002010-11-27T09:28:11.870-07:00

Thanksgiving Day Feast at Mitry Lake, just north of Yuma can be summed up as a boondocking adventure with failing batteries, chilly nights, great food, and good friends!We got here just before total darkness on Tuesday, so we didn't get a chance to look around until Wednesday morning. Coming in as darkness fell, we only knew that the road out of Yuma had become a dirt road, and then got even

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-41791534524726661812010-10-28T19:22:00.007-06:002010-10-28T21:02:05.958-06:00

Today we made our last trip into Yosemite for this year. One of our goals had to do with the National Park Passport Program. For those that aren't familiar with it, the National Parks all have a "passport stamp" (or cancellation stamp) that shows the date and location, and sometimes includes a graphic. The bigger parks have several stamps, usually one per visitor center. If you want to collect

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-16933193452967724562010-10-23T15:24:00.008-06:002010-10-23T16:13:06.266-06:00

Mid-October to mid-November is tarantula mating season here in the Sierras! Just down the road from the park in Coarsegold, the upcoming Tarantula Festival on Halloween weekend should be a blast!Just saw my first tranny here at Park of the Sierra -- I let him (or her) walk over my foot, which to him (or her) must have been just a huge, white, annoying speed bump. He (or she) went up and over,

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-51762501237334159112010-10-17T12:31:00.004-06:002010-10-17T13:33:23.646-06:00

Hetch Hetchy is a grand landscape garden, one of nature's rarest and most precious mountain temples. As in Yosemite, the sublime rocks of its walls seem to glow with life . . . while birds, bees, and butterflies help the river and waterfalls to stir all the air into music. . . . These temple destroyers, devotees of ravaging commercialism, seem to have a perfect contempt for Nature, and, instead

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-61604728073745927042010-10-10T22:39:00.008-06:002010-10-11T11:28:31.972-06:00

Yosemite Valley as seen from above -- one of the most beautiful, sublime, and ethereal places on Earth. It seems immortal, a place that has always been and will always be -- although that is Mother Nature's little joke. The valley has only recently come into being, geologically speaking, and has been changing ever since.The mountains, the Sierra Nevada, are granite, solidified underground from

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33885401.post-82580461284488956512010-10-09T17:56:00.005-06:002010-10-11T11:33:31.673-06:00

Location: Coarsegold, CABefore now, my last trip to Yosemite was in 2006. At that time, a huge landslide had just happened. Traffic into Yosemite from the west, through Mariposa and El Portal on Highway 140, was halted along the Merced River.The slide started at the end of April 2006, but by the beginning of June it had really burst. 300 tons of rock had cascaded down the mountain, burying

O. B. Siriushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01094731615622053233noreply@blogger.com0