Geo: 37.4849, -119.9665/24/12 – We left Monterey this morning at 8:30, headed for Yosemite National Park. And it was a frustrating experience just getting on the road. The Garmin was confused and so were we. I don't understand the streets in Monterey and apparently the Garmen doesn't either. Our Trip Tic was no help, since it was taking us up through San Francisco and over to Reno. Change of plans. Eventually we were on our way, with a few hick-ups en route. After driving along the coast for a bit, then through some rolling hills, we ended up in farm country. I mean, some really serious farm country. The land was as flat as Florida, and the fields of crops went on for miles and miles in all directions. I can't say what most of the ... read more

Geo: 35.6266, -120.6915/22/12 – Well, after 10 days on the road we are getting smarter, and I wish we had know before we left what we know now, because I would have packed a lot fewer clothes. Many of the hotels we have stayed in have laundries. This morning I did two loads of wash in a couple of hours. We could have left the big suitcases at home. Live and learn. Next time we are traveling light!So today was a day for wining. After lunch we headed out to an area in Paso Robles where there is an abundance of Mom and Pop operations. It is always fun to talk to the owners or members of the family, while tasting their wines. We drove through miles of vineyards, which are always very picturesque. The vines ... read more

Geo: 35.3622, -119.0375/20/12 – Well the day began with Beamer helping himself to bacon and eggs and a muffin, which didn't make Steve very happy. After having a few bites of each, I tossed the rest into the trash and headed down the hall to fill our coffee cups for the long ride to Bakersfield. I never gave it a thought. But upon returning, Steve was standing there with a scowl on his face. Beamer had helped himself to my leftovers. Steve was concerned that we would have a sick dog in the car. But the little bugger climbed in, curled up and went to sleep, and it never fazed him one bit. Beamer certainly makes life interesting. LOLSo, the plan for today was to put in a lot of miles and get close to our ... read more

Geo: 37.3489, -108.5855/18/12 – We left Salida at 7 AM headed for Mesa Verde National Park, hoping to make it there by noon so we could spend the afternoon viewing the sights. We got there just at noon. And we managed to stop a number of times on the way to look at the scenery. We are so glad that we decided to take the scenic routes. The sights are so incredible in Colorado. Mountains, deserts, valleys, mesas…dramatic altitude changes, incredible photo ops, it boggles the mind. This is why we are taking this trip…to see the majesty of the US that we often take for granted…and so far she is not disappointing us. When we left Salida, I thought the Rocky Mountains were behind us. I looked to the east and the sun was rising ... read more

Geo: 38.8331, -104.8225/16/12 – Today we headed to Colorado Springs and that excited me, because tomorrow I will get to see the summit of Pike's Peak once again. It has been 46 years since the last time I stood on top of that mountain and I just had to go back one more time. So the word for the day is MOUNTAINS. I am so excited to see the mountains.We said good-bye to Amarillo at 8:30 AM, after having a bit of a rough start. With all of the technology we have today, one would think it would be easy to get on the right road in the right direction. But the Trip Tic and the Garmin disagreed, and the desk clerk knew nothing. But eventually, we did get onto the right road and headed north.I ... read more