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As of Oct 17, 2006,
I have driven
15,290 Total Miles
24,607 Total Kilometers
The Most Recent Drive
Sat, Oct 21, 2006
California
Little River <- Start
Albion
Navarro
Philo
Booneville
Yorkville
Cloverdale
Asti
Healdsburg
Windsor
Fulton
Santa Rosa
Rhonert Park
Cotati
Petaluma
Novato
Santa Venecia
San Raphael
Larkspur
Mill Valley
San Francisco
South San Francisco
San Bruno
Burlingame
Milbrae
Hillsborough
San Mateo
Belmont
San Carlos
Redwood City, CA <- End
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Daily Notes
All Daily Notes Wed, February 7, 2007 - New Orleans, Louisiana
Miss Evelyn died today.
February 7th 2007 at 3:20 PM Central time
Frank and our dear friend Cindy were with her until the end. Evilyn's place tells the beginning of my engagement with her.
There will be a memorial service Saturday, February 10th, at Evelyns Place starting at 4:00 PM. All are welcome.
Show up if you can
Send rememrances if you can
These expressions are for the living.
be there
Evelyn's Place
139 Chartres St.
New Orleans, LA 70130 -=-
Mon, October 23, 2006 - Redwood City, California
Serendipity. It is a word that seems to have been riding along with me on this trip. I landed in Redwood city on Saturday. My Father has Alzheimer's. Today we placed him in an extended care facility. This came up suddeny. I found out about it a week ago in Washington State. It looks Like I am goingto be in California for a while. -=-
Sun, October 22, 2006 - Little River, California
Night and day, day and night. The people I know.... My friends in Little River, CA are also solar powered, however they are hooked into the grid and feed their excess back into it. They also have phones and internet and appliances in their beautiful house. it is almost a 180 degree difference between here and my friends in Piercy. -=-
Wed, October 18, 2006 - Piercy, California
I am presently visiting some friends who live "off the grid" way out on the edge of Mendicino. Goats and Gardens. Fresh cheese and vegetables. It is a lifestyle that is far off from the norm. No phone, no TV, no internet, no appliances, limited electricity, yet it is a very pleasant way to live. -=-
Tue, October 17, 2006 - Piercy, California
Oh goodness, I had forgotten the twistiest roads in the country are in the Coastal Range of the West Coast. To reach a point ten miles distant as the crow flies, it seems you need to drive twenty. Allof the left/right turning is good for keeping your shoulders loose! -=-
Mon, October 16, 2006 - La Pine, Oregon
I thought I might be jaded to drving on the West Coast. Somehow I managed to find a new rouite that was a beautiful drive. Today I saw a blue hillside that, at one point, was surmounted by a rainbow. Lots of volcanic formations, I'll see more on tomorrow's drive, I hope the Cascades are not snowed in! -=-
Thu, October 12, 2006 - Waitsburg, Washington
I have successfully snuck up on a friend. My apologies for not posting anything the past week. He was under the impression that I was snowed in and stuck in Yellowstone. The ruse worked he was quite suprised to see me on his couch when he arrived home from work. -=-
Wed, October 11, 2006 - Orofino, Idaho
The original route taken by Lewis and Clark across the Bitterroot Mountains is still accessable. it is a thin road that runs along a ridge of one of the Bitterroots. it is a route known to the Native Americans for centuries now it is a rough road with some beautiful views. It is a long committment, the section I drove was 70 slow miles. You might not want to drive this in a low-slung car or if you are in any kind of a hurry, but give it a shot if you are in the area. -=-
Tue, October 10, 2006 - Hamilton, Montana
Wow, what a great find. I stumbled upon the old road between Darby and Hamilton. What a superior route! It runs along the side of a hill and gives you a lovely view of the valley and the Bitterroot mountains. -=-
Mon, October 9, 2006 - Salmon, Idaho
The drive along the Salmon River on Highway 93 in Idaho is a beautiful drive. I stayed on pavement the whole way and didn't mind a bit. Beautiful mountain tops with just a light dusting of snow made a lovely backdrop for fields and rocky cliffs of the foreground. -=-
Sun, October 8, 2006 - Atomic City, Idaho
Atlomic City. You might think a city so named would be a bastion of technological whiz bang. Not so. Atomic city has two or three blocks of paved road a post offices and a gas station that has been converted to a bar. -=-
Sat, October 7, 2006 - Rigby, Idaho
When you look about you every day , how2 often can you find a day that doesn't have some aspect of lovleiness about it? Overcast and intermitantly hazy, the light today gave me treesoif saturated yellow under a low sky of dense cloud.
-=-
Fri, October 6, 2006 - Big Sandy, Wyoming
Today I learned a bit more about drving in mud. The most important thing: don't get stuck. I was way out on one of those roads I like to drive. Suddenly it was muddy and slick. I made it through that patch fine but a little while later I got to another one. it was a down hill slope, so I was fine. For the big, semi truck with the giant backhoe on its trailer the story was different. The driver had made it almost to the top of the slope before everything slide over into the ditch. It was thirty miles to the nearest town. -=-
Thu, October 5, 2006 - Riverton,
I was driving West on Route 20/26. Things were looking vaguely familiar when I realized that I drove that section of highway once before about 8 years ago. I was headed East that time. So, I figure it's OK. Today's skies were Daliesque. It seemed the lens of the sky was distorting the clouds making them appear bent and strangely proportioned. -=-
Wed, October 4, 2006 - Cody, Wyoming
The Drive from Yellowstone to Cody is one of the most lovely drives I have been on. It took almost 2 hours to drive 20 miles... I kept pulling over. There are a number of lodges along the road. I think staying at one of these for a week would be an ideal vacation. Many of these have horses, so you can go into the outlying areas and really experience this beautiful area. -=-
Tue, October 3, 2006 - Big Sky, Montana
The drive into Yellowstone is exceedingly lovely. When you go, and you should, give yourself extra days for driving the surrounding area. -=-
Mon, October 2, 2006 - Bozeman, Montana
I am clearly no longer in the midwest. Bozeman, Montana has a distinctly western feel to it. Moreso than the towns I have stayed in previously. While it is true I started yodeling spontaneously when I saw my first tumbleweeds in South Dakota and began singing cowboy songs when I was driving through the Montana Rangelands. Bozeman is a town with a real Western feel to it.
It's nice to be in the West again. -=-
Sun, October 1, 2006 - White Sulfer Springs, Montana
I should be staying in this town tonight, a few of the motels have natural hot springs! Unfortunately, none of them presently have an internet connection and tonight I just gotta have one... First of the month stuff, you know... What beautiful mountains I am driving through. Sadly there are wildfires somewhere, the air smells like smoke and looks like what passes as breathable in Los Angeles. -=-
Sat, September 30, 2006 - Great Falls, Montana
What fascinating country I have been driving through the past few days.
About 70 miles back I was in a coullee called the chalk butte. Unfortunately the cliffs were facing west and I was there in the morning so the light was far from optimal. They will be fantastic about 6pm tonight. -=-
Fri, September 29, 2006 - Hinsdale, Montana
The Plains up here are a big, flat plane. It looks like you are just about at the edge of it. What is the shape of the Earth? The Earth is flat. What happens when you get to the edge of the Earth? You fall off... I took a detour to look at the edge. Yes, everything is down hill once you reach it. -=-
Thu, September 28, 2006 - Glasgow, Montana
Nice little town, Glasgow. Not much to say at the moment, tho. -=-
Wed, September 27, 2006 - Hell Creek, Montana
A jaunt out into the country to have some tea and write... and take some photos. Brrrr kind of a chilly day to have to wait for a spot of sunlight to pass over. Ah well. -=-
Tue, September 26, 2006 - middle of nowhere, Montana
I set out early this morning. I turned off on a gravel road and was 15 or 20 miles deep when I decided to stop and make some tea. nobody and nothing around for miles. I'm sitting there on the tailgate drinking my tea and plucking the guitar when this fellow drives up.
"You're doin' ok? Not broke down or nothing?"
"No, just fine, just taking a break and enjoying thebeautiful morning."
"All right, we just saw your outfit sittin' here and wanted to make sure you weren't broke down or anything."
I looked over to the East, about four miles off was a set of buildings that went with a ranch. Perhaps he was also checking to make sure I wasnt' hunting or something. Nevertheless, it is a solid set of folk who live out here. -=-
Mon, September 25, 2006 - Broadus, Montana
Oh Goodness! I made an inadvertant turn when out on the gravel roads and hit pavement about 30 miles away from where I had expected. Ah, but what a lovely drive it was, lots of antelope, deer and wide open spaces The ranches here are measured in miles. -=-
Sun, September 24, 2006 - Mt Rushmore, South Dakota
Well, I did it, I saw the heads. it is interesting looking at the license plates in the parkling lot and listening to all of the different languages spoken at the monument. The drive to and from the monument is spectacular and not to be missed. -=-
Sat, September 23, 2006 - Rapid City, South Dakota
A day without any cross country drives... the rain has stopped. hopefully the roads I like will be less muddy tomorrow. Still. Rapid City has a dinosaur park that I have to check out. -=-
Fri, September 22, 2006 - Rapid City, South Dakota
Oh golly, I have found another city with really nice old signage! I also learned something: if one needs to use a cell phone from one's room, take a look to see if the roof is made of metal. Metal roofs do not enhance reception. -=-
Thu, September 21, 2006 - Capa, South Dakota
I am in the middle of one of my "short cuts." Sixty miles and four hours later I find myself in the remnants of Capa, South Dakota. There is not much more than a bunch of wrecked houses here in Capa, but one of them is occupied and has a satellite dish on the side. there will be pics with the write up. -=-
Wed, September 20, 2006 - Huron, South Dakota
I arrived back in Aberdeen late yesterday afternoon. They are opening a new WalMart there and all of the hotels in town were booked. I drove 40 miles to the next town with hotels... no luck. I drove 50 miles further to Huron, arriving past 11 pm. I have no idea what I had driven through in the dark. When I woke this morning I discovered that the hotel I was staying at features the world largest pheasant. -=-
Tue, September 19, 2006 - Aberdeen, South Dakota
The trees are beginning to turn up here. Even driving through the rain yesterday, the Sheyenne Valley was gorgeous. The valley is wide and shallow and the trees clustered in clumps of green and yellow. -=-
Mon, September 18, 2006 - Kathryn, North Dakota
Drive a bit before breakfast when you can and eat at these tiny country places. Breakfast was $3.00 before tip (and I tip better than Rachael Ray.) The eggs were local, country eggs. Incredibly fresh and the yolks were brightly colored.
The better the diet of the hen, the more color in the yolk. When I had chickens they had a very broad diet with lots of greens. The yolks of those eggs were almost pumpkin colored. -=-
Sun, September 17, 2006 - Valley City, North Dakota
A layover day to hopefully get caught up with the backlog of image editing I need to do. I have been inside most of the day here at the Wagon Wheel Inn. I went out about 1 pm to be greeted with a beautiful overcast day. The air was crisp and clear and the trees on the distant hills were fringed with bright yellow. I just went outside again about 6:30 and the light is long and filtered soft through a mist-like rain to the west. such beautiful air they have here. -=-
Sat, September 16, 2006 - Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks must have had a master sign maker in this area about 45 years ago. There are some very nice old metal and neon signs. Breakfast at Grandma Butterwicks, It always catches me unaware when they put grated cheese on things and in some places they seem to put it on everything! -=-
Fri, September 15, 2006 - Roseau, Minnesota
Just crossed back over into the US. Within two miles I saw an old wrecked house to shoot! My cell phone started working again too! Oh my goodness the voice mails! -=-
Thu, September 14, 2006 - Vermilion Bay, Ontario, Canada
Vermilion. What a great word. Good name for a color. Nice name for a town. -=-
Wed, September 13, 2006 - Soux Lookout, Ontario, Canada
Well 260 miles has brought me to the closest wireless connection, but no place to stay... gotta keep driving. interedstingstory about Soux Lookout. I'll tell ya on the full write up -=-
Tue, September 12, 2006 - out in the North woods, Ontario, Canada
It is amazing how absolutely quiet it is here in the evening. I am about 100 miles beyond the end of the pavement. It has frosted here so all of the singing insects and frogs are gone. When the breeze dies down there is no sound at all. This morning amid the silence, a loon called from across the lake. Lovely. -=-
Mon, September 11, 2006 - Ignace, Ontario, Canada
I am heading out bush for a few days... I don't think there are internet connectiions in the woods, but we'll find out... back on Wednesday. -=-
Sun, September 10, 2006 - Ignace, Ontario, Canada
The Canadian accent is infectious. It rolls around in your mouth deliciously and before you know it, you are saying "eh" and "oot" and inflecting your phrases as you hear the people around you doing. This only creates a problem when you are trying to quote somebody you talked to 7 days earlier who isn't a Canadian and you have them saying "eh." You know, you gotta watch out for those things, eh? -=-
Sat, September 9, 2006 - Ignace, Ontario, Canada
Sourdough pancakes with fresh blueberrys from the woods. Mmmmm. I have now passed into the arctic watershed. All of the rain that falls here flows into the Arctic Sea. -=-
Fri, September 8, 2006 - Schreiber, Ontario, Canada
Note to self: Please make sure all essential equipment is in the truck. Failure to do so can add 150 miles to the day's drive. Oy! -=-
Thu, September 7, 2006 - Wawa, Ontario, Canada
I have stumbled upon a little piece of heaven here in Wawa. The Kinnewabi Pines Restaurant is WONDERFUL and the Parkway Motel is top notch and very affordable. After driving over 300 miles yesterday, I am taking a day off from driving and will be going out and picking some blueberries! -=-
Wed, September 6, 2006 - Wawa, Ontario, Canada
Well, they checked me thoroughly, but they let me into Canada. No surprises there. The drive along the North coast of Lake Superior is dramatic and beautiful! -=-
Wed, September 6, 2006 - Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan
Hey kids, I am across the bridge from Canada. I wonder if they will let me in. -=-
Tue, September 5, 2006 - Onaway, Michigan
Big adventures today. I passed a sign that read "Sinkholes 3 miles ->" Naturally, I had to go. When someone puts a sign up and builds trails so people can go look at a hole in the ground, I feel obliged to investigate. -=-
Mon, September 4, 2006 - Standish, Michigan
Ah, it is the end of Labor Day weekend and there is much to be grateful for. Standish is right by Lake Huron, a vacation spot I suppose. There is a traffic light at the intersection in town. North of the light, extending for miles and miles, there are vacationers, tents and campers in tow, all headed South to Detroit, I suppose. I am glad to be headed North. -=-
Sun, September 3, 2006 - Newaygo, Michigan
Today I drove through a town with my name. It is an odd experience to see a sign that says "Grant Laundry." One gets a strange sense of ownership. "HEY! I'm Grant, can I get my laundry done for free?" I suppose the strangest sign was the "Grant Reformed Church" sign. It is good to know I've reformed. That they have formed a church over my reformation is a bit of a lift too. But the sign also said that worship occurs every Sunday. Here it is, Sunday and no one is worshipping me, alas. A lot of good I got out of reforming. I should just go back to my old ways. -=-
Sat, September 2, 2006 - Kankakee, Illinois
Morning break at a local "Family" restaurant. The table next to me is populated by an extended family on a trip. Cousins, getting used to each other. One of the kids comments on how his cousin is "...weird. Mom, He's putting ketchup on his pancakes." Mother evenly replies, "Honey, when you have a hamburger you put ketchup on your bread, this is the same thing." -=-
Fri, September 1, 2006 - Clinton, Iowa
Egad, I am heading east again. A few minutes ago I was sniping an internet connection in front of a different hotel. A little Indian girl, about 5, walked by and said "granpa, is that customer?"
"No," he glowered, "Not Customer."
I Smiled, waived and moved to a different hotel. -=-
Thu, August 31, 2006 - Lancaster, Missouri
What a lovely morning. It is 7:30am. I have stopped for breakfast at a tiny place called the Modernaire Cafe, one of those wonderful, country eateries. It is packed with locals. The place falls silent when I enter and I am scrutinized by all. The waitress breaks the ice, I sit down at a table. The place remained silent until someone was delivered their plate of food. The spell is broken and everyone begins talking again. An old farm-boy walks in and orders Coffee and Apple Pie. Yes, I am clearly back in American Farm Country. The shocking thing is there is a wireless connection here! -=-
Wed, August 30, 2006 - Kirksville, Missouri
What a beautiful, late-Summer's day for a drive. The feel of the air was lovely, the sounds of the insects and the smells of the countryside all added up to a beautiful day. From an early morning blandness the sky developed into a delightful pufffiness. I wonder how the evening will turn out. -=-
Tue, August 29, 2006 - Booneville, Missouri
It was a nice drive today. Overcast most of the day, but when I got to Booneville the cloud cover broke up and gave me some beautiful skies. I am going to go out now and shoot some more. -=-
Mon, August 28, 2006 - Springfield, Missouri
I am still in Springfield looking forward to leaving tomorrow, (and testing the new daily note function.) -=-
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