Wednesday, August 4th
Got back on the road late. Thought we would get an hour driving in before calling it a day. The road from Ely to Las Vegas must be the second lonliest road in America. No place to stop, not even a wide shoulder. After 2 ½ hours we hit a rest area. We were thrilled with the beauty of the mountains and were looking forward to a good nights sleep after dealing with the tire. WRONG! Shortly after falling asleep it felt like we were in the middle of a trucking convention. Truckers started pulling in and kept it up until dawn. Why do they let their engines run? During the winter I can understand, but it was hot last night. Each truck seemed to get louder as the night grew darker. If I woulda’ had a gun I could have gone postal.
Made our last official train stop today in Boulder City, NV. The train only runs on week-ends. They have a beautiful setup, but small. They should team up with McCloud, since McClound closes on week-ends.
Drove across Hoover Dam. Our first time. Traffic was backed up for an hour, but it was worth the effort. A lot of construction going on. It looks like a four-lane road will eventually make the connection with NV & AZ.
Tuesday, August 3rd.
Currently sitting in the parking lot of a tire repair shop in Ely (pronounced E Lee) Nevada. Sometime yesterday a tire went flat about a hundred miles west of here. I think the bad tire was a result of the rock incident we had in Yosimite. We spent the night in Eureka, NV. Micki got her hot tub, TV with the Bachelorette and a king bed. Reno to Ely is over 300 miles on Hwy 50, which is called the loneliest highway in America. Almost no stations or hotels. When we realized the tire was shot we kicked back and took it easy thinking today would bring a solution. One emergency tire place was located a few miles outside of Eureka. We sat in their driveway for an hour this morning and no one ever showed up. We spent the day driving slowly (80 miles) to Ely where we found a tire repair shop, but no tires, at least not our size. It is now 6:00 p.m. and our new tire just came in from Utah. Hopefully we will be on the road soon.
Yesterday morning was very productive and fun. We went to Virginia City, NV where we drove up a 15% grade in the RV. What a great fun town. They have a small short-line railroad and a few cabooses. We have three potential retail outlets, one already placed a large order and I believe the other will follow soon. Anyway a great morning, but the 300 mile drive to get across northern NV has been a challenge. The last time I did this road was 1981. It was a challenge back then and doesn’t seemed to have improved since.
Almost forgot to mention the delicious $80 icecream cone in Truckee. Actually is was $8 for the icecream and the rest was for a parking violation. The RV is long enough that it merits two tickets.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Read from the bottom up.
Sunday, August 1st.
Didn’t make it to a motel. Did stop at McCloud. They don’t answer the phone because they are out of business. Found a new gift shop next to the old depot that wants to carry the RCC. Not a total loss.
Continued southeast toward Truckee. Stopped at fabulous camping area next to a trout stream. People were walking around with nice stringers of fish. We were warned to to wander off. A mountain lion and two cubs had been seen trolling the area. Leaving this morning we passed a beautiful soaring bald eagle that had just gotten his breakfast of Alvin or one of the other chipmunks. We were enjoying the scenery and beautiful mountain lakes as we headed to Portela to make our next train stop, when out of the shadows leaped a deer. I hit the brakes and swerved, but nailed its hind quarters. I’ve never hit a deer, we were both upset. We turned around and went back and saw her stunned, but walking slowly back into the woods, hopefully she will live. We got a small dent in the front of the RV. Based on the impact we both assumed the damage was much more severe. This was more upsetting than the silver-haired lady that ran into the side of us last week as we were leaving LA.
Got to Portela. They loved the book and story program and indicated they want RCC books, night lights and help with getting a story program started at their location. They own 19 cabooses and 29 working engines. They specialize in caboose rides.
Got into Truckee to witness their Art Festival. The town was packed. Haven’t been there since 1981. Looks the same but bigger and busier. Looks like we now have two retail locations in Truckee. The visitor which is located in the building where AMTRAK stops and a gift shop across from the railroad.
Heading to Reno as I type. Traveling at a snails pace would be an improvement over our current speed. At this rate we will take turns sleeping as we travel.
Saturday, July 31st
As Freddy Fender said in his song “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.” Not only were we late yesterday for the Skunk Train in Ft. Bragg, but we broke out tails getting up early today to be at Eureka when they opened. Hours outside said 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. By 9:15 no one showed up at the Museum. We walked around outside and viewed a couple of lame displays displayed behind glass. Leaving disappointed, we drove like crazy through beautiful hazardous mountain roads to get to Yreka; we didn’t want to be late for another train. We got there to find out they close Saturday and Sunday. Who ever heard of a tourist train closing on week-ends? This one does.
I called ahead to the train located in McCloud, CA but no one answers the phone, so this may be a totally dry day. Micki is driving and planning on stopping at a hotel ASAP (before McCloud). She is ready for a bath tub. RV showers get the dust off but aren’t much good for soaking.
Friday, July 30th
Got up to that beautiful lake just outside of Yosemite and was grateful the dreaded knock by the sleep police never came. After a leisurely lakeside breakfast we pulled out of our hideaway onto the pavement and immediately noticed we were traveling on a square tire, at least that’s the way it felt. I got out and looked; no flat, but the rear tires are duallies and a large rock was wedged between the tires on the right rear. I hobbled down the road to a pull-off and proceeded to try and get the rock out. I came up with the bright idea of running over a larger pointed rock thinking it would dislodge the first rock. Didn’t work; now I had two large rocks stuck between the tires. Convinced I was on the right track, I tried a 3rd rock. You’ve probably already guessed, now I had three large rocks stuck. As I sprawled out under the RV hammering and prying I started to gather a crowd. Soon I had a flock of good Samaritans hammering and prying on my rocks. Finally a guy showed up with a large hammer and saved the day. One by one the rocks got smashed into pieces small enough to fall out. His reward was an autographed copy of The Red Candy Caboose.
Yosemite was beautiful but we were glad to get back on the road. The crowds made it difficult to even pull off the road.
Next stop was Napa, (not the auto parts store) where we got a warm reception and opened another train retail outlet with the Napa Dinner Train.
Heading northwest we got to Ft. Bragg thirty minutes after the train closed. I went around back and found the crew hadn’t left, so I had a nice chat with the engineers and learned a little about the famous Skunk Train that runs out of Ft. Bragg.
Leaving Ft. Bragg we set the GPS for Eureka where there is another train. Got within an hour and half of Eureka and Micki and Kahuna voted for stopping. The drive was beautiful going through the giant Redwoods and following the northern part of Hwy #1, but wives and dogs aren’t crazy about doing a thousand hairpin S-turns in such a short time. We chuckled at the roadside stands proclaiming Big Foot souvenirs, but right in front of us on the road we saw one. Like the famous film clip where the Big Foot pauses and looks back at the guy doing the filming, this one did the same thing. And then two seconds later two little Big Foots came running behind its mother. We were so excited; Micki grabbed Kahuna and held him to the window so he could see. But it was too late. As fast as the came into sight they were equally as fast disappearing. Some people find this hard to believe, but it did happen. Some skeptics have already cast doubt on our sighting saying since they walked on all-fours they were Black Bears. All I know is they had lots of hair and big feet. You can draw your own conclusion.
Wednesday, I think July 28th.
Been on the road for ten or eleven days now. Spent some time in Cupertino and help celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday. Casey was part of the inspiration for “The Red Candy Caboose.” On the way to Cupertino we visited kids and granddaughter Aubrey in Flagstaff and then dropped my son Judd off in LA so he can head to Melbourne, Australia where he and his wife Lisa are moving.
Since leaving Santa Fe we have opened five new locations that are selling The RCC. I think this puts us at about 70 depots and museums selling the book. My goal was 100 retail accounts by the end of 2010. Looks like we will make that.
Plans are already being made for the second printing of RCC. The RCC Theme Song has been such a hit that we have been requested to make it part of each book along with a live reading of the book so kids can follow along. A book distributor has made an offer to take on the book and do all of the grunt work that we have personally been doing. We are considering it for 2011 if they are still interested at that point.
We made a side trip to Yosemite since neither of us have been there. Almost every day during the past week I’ve mumbled “California has too many people.” Visiting Yosemite on a Wednesday seemed like a safe bet that we would be able to hang out with out crowds of people…. Wrong! The place is packed and we couldn’t find anyplace within the National Park to part the RV. We drove an hour and a half and got out of the park and are currently set up by a beautiful mountain lake somewhere above 9,000 ft. It isn’t a camp site and my fear is that some ranger or police office is going to bang on the door in the middle of the night and say “Out!” If that happens that means driving all night to get back to civilization. At least the last two hours have been splendid. Fish are jumping and a few people can be seen and heard around the lake as the silence is broken by the whizzing of their fishing rods. Micki got a chuckle watching a dad wade into the icy water to untangle his daughter’s fishing line.
The Dinner Train in Oakdale, CA is what got us close (2 hrs) to Yosemite. Chris Hart their president was helpful with suggestions for the RCC and asked us to consider helping them market their Christmas Story Book which his wife has written. Like most trains, they do a booming business during the Christmas Holiday Season.
Didn’t make it to a motel. Did stop at McCloud. They don’t answer the phone because they are out of business. Found a new gift shop next to the old depot that wants to carry the RCC. Not a total loss.
Continued southeast toward Truckee. Stopped at fabulous camping area next to a trout stream. People were walking around with nice stringers of fish. We were warned to to wander off. A mountain lion and two cubs had been seen trolling the area. Leaving this morning we passed a beautiful soaring bald eagle that had just gotten his breakfast of Alvin or one of the other chipmunks. We were enjoying the scenery and beautiful mountain lakes as we headed to Portela to make our next train stop, when out of the shadows leaped a deer. I hit the brakes and swerved, but nailed its hind quarters. I’ve never hit a deer, we were both upset. We turned around and went back and saw her stunned, but walking slowly back into the woods, hopefully she will live. We got a small dent in the front of the RV. Based on the impact we both assumed the damage was much more severe. This was more upsetting than the silver-haired lady that ran into the side of us last week as we were leaving LA.
Got to Portela. They loved the book and story program and indicated they want RCC books, night lights and help with getting a story program started at their location. They own 19 cabooses and 29 working engines. They specialize in caboose rides.
Got into Truckee to witness their Art Festival. The town was packed. Haven’t been there since 1981. Looks the same but bigger and busier. Looks like we now have two retail locations in Truckee. The visitor which is located in the building where AMTRAK stops and a gift shop across from the railroad.
Heading to Reno as I type. Traveling at a snails pace would be an improvement over our current speed. At this rate we will take turns sleeping as we travel.
Saturday, July 31st
As Freddy Fender said in his song “Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.” Not only were we late yesterday for the Skunk Train in Ft. Bragg, but we broke out tails getting up early today to be at Eureka when they opened. Hours outside said 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. By 9:15 no one showed up at the Museum. We walked around outside and viewed a couple of lame displays displayed behind glass. Leaving disappointed, we drove like crazy through beautiful hazardous mountain roads to get to Yreka; we didn’t want to be late for another train. We got there to find out they close Saturday and Sunday. Who ever heard of a tourist train closing on week-ends? This one does.
I called ahead to the train located in McCloud, CA but no one answers the phone, so this may be a totally dry day. Micki is driving and planning on stopping at a hotel ASAP (before McCloud). She is ready for a bath tub. RV showers get the dust off but aren’t much good for soaking.
Friday, July 30th
Got up to that beautiful lake just outside of Yosemite and was grateful the dreaded knock by the sleep police never came. After a leisurely lakeside breakfast we pulled out of our hideaway onto the pavement and immediately noticed we were traveling on a square tire, at least that’s the way it felt. I got out and looked; no flat, but the rear tires are duallies and a large rock was wedged between the tires on the right rear. I hobbled down the road to a pull-off and proceeded to try and get the rock out. I came up with the bright idea of running over a larger pointed rock thinking it would dislodge the first rock. Didn’t work; now I had two large rocks stuck between the tires. Convinced I was on the right track, I tried a 3rd rock. You’ve probably already guessed, now I had three large rocks stuck. As I sprawled out under the RV hammering and prying I started to gather a crowd. Soon I had a flock of good Samaritans hammering and prying on my rocks. Finally a guy showed up with a large hammer and saved the day. One by one the rocks got smashed into pieces small enough to fall out. His reward was an autographed copy of The Red Candy Caboose.
Yosemite was beautiful but we were glad to get back on the road. The crowds made it difficult to even pull off the road.
Next stop was Napa, (not the auto parts store) where we got a warm reception and opened another train retail outlet with the Napa Dinner Train.
Heading northwest we got to Ft. Bragg thirty minutes after the train closed. I went around back and found the crew hadn’t left, so I had a nice chat with the engineers and learned a little about the famous Skunk Train that runs out of Ft. Bragg.
Leaving Ft. Bragg we set the GPS for Eureka where there is another train. Got within an hour and half of Eureka and Micki and Kahuna voted for stopping. The drive was beautiful going through the giant Redwoods and following the northern part of Hwy #1, but wives and dogs aren’t crazy about doing a thousand hairpin S-turns in such a short time. We chuckled at the roadside stands proclaiming Big Foot souvenirs, but right in front of us on the road we saw one. Like the famous film clip where the Big Foot pauses and looks back at the guy doing the filming, this one did the same thing. And then two seconds later two little Big Foots came running behind its mother. We were so excited; Micki grabbed Kahuna and held him to the window so he could see. But it was too late. As fast as the came into sight they were equally as fast disappearing. Some people find this hard to believe, but it did happen. Some skeptics have already cast doubt on our sighting saying since they walked on all-fours they were Black Bears. All I know is they had lots of hair and big feet. You can draw your own conclusion.
Wednesday, I think July 28th.
Been on the road for ten or eleven days now. Spent some time in Cupertino and help celebrate our granddaughter’s birthday. Casey was part of the inspiration for “The Red Candy Caboose.” On the way to Cupertino we visited kids and granddaughter Aubrey in Flagstaff and then dropped my son Judd off in LA so he can head to Melbourne, Australia where he and his wife Lisa are moving.
Since leaving Santa Fe we have opened five new locations that are selling The RCC. I think this puts us at about 70 depots and museums selling the book. My goal was 100 retail accounts by the end of 2010. Looks like we will make that.
Plans are already being made for the second printing of RCC. The RCC Theme Song has been such a hit that we have been requested to make it part of each book along with a live reading of the book so kids can follow along. A book distributor has made an offer to take on the book and do all of the grunt work that we have personally been doing. We are considering it for 2011 if they are still interested at that point.
We made a side trip to Yosemite since neither of us have been there. Almost every day during the past week I’ve mumbled “California has too many people.” Visiting Yosemite on a Wednesday seemed like a safe bet that we would be able to hang out with out crowds of people…. Wrong! The place is packed and we couldn’t find anyplace within the National Park to part the RV. We drove an hour and a half and got out of the park and are currently set up by a beautiful mountain lake somewhere above 9,000 ft. It isn’t a camp site and my fear is that some ranger or police office is going to bang on the door in the middle of the night and say “Out!” If that happens that means driving all night to get back to civilization. At least the last two hours have been splendid. Fish are jumping and a few people can be seen and heard around the lake as the silence is broken by the whizzing of their fishing rods. Micki got a chuckle watching a dad wade into the icy water to untangle his daughter’s fishing line.
The Dinner Train in Oakdale, CA is what got us close (2 hrs) to Yosemite. Chris Hart their president was helpful with suggestions for the RCC and asked us to consider helping them market their Christmas Story Book which his wife has written. Like most trains, they do a booming business during the Christmas Holiday Season.
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