The Good, The Bad, and The Beautiful

View from our room.
Hampton Inn, Green River, WY

Yeah, it mighta' been the last long road trip ever for Julieann and I...eleven days in all.  6+ days of driving. It was around 3,000 miles total, Sac-town to the Black Hills and back. Pretty fine adventure with tours through Yellowstone and the Tetons on the way and fastest return possible on the flip-flop.

We recently picked up a newer mid-size SUV that fits our current lifestyle pretty damn good and we (read "I") was anxious to test it's legs.  So we headed out with rear seats folded forward, bags and gear aplenty packed in back, small cooler for snacks and such, navigation instruments set and reservations made.

We would spent nights in some purely Western towns such as Jackpot, Jackson Hole and Cody. The route was familiar as I had made it a couple times before, accidentally on purpose collecting material for my book "Badass - The Harley Davidson Experience" and heading for the Mother of all Motorcycle Rallies - Sturgis.

So here's the rundown; the Good, the Bad and the Beautiful of our run:

The Good:

Another good: Breakfast
with the Presidents
at Rushmore
(It's not about the food.) 

• Traveling with wife and pal of 50+ years was fun! We hollered at dumb drivers (including ourselves once each) and shared a few laughs every day.
• Julieann's family - good folks from Rapid City I am proud to know. A never-ending curiosity to me why we are so far apart politically from most of them, why common ground seems so elusive.
• The Black Hills - a Spring of steady rain has filled the creeks and lakes.  It is greener than we recall seeing it...ever.
• Sturgis/Deadwood - Looking and feeling good there, always. (Especially during the Motorcycle rally.)
• The hotels - Yes there are good ones out there folks and we found a few. A lot of people in this service industry trying to give folks a decent night's rest and are doing a good job of it.  Recommended: Hampton Inn in Green River, Wyoming and Gold Country Best Western in Winnemucca, Nevada.
• The hay. Yes that's right; the hay.  Impressive seeing the crops of large round bales and rectangular big and small bales in the fields. Amber shapes lying in green fields. I wondered about the price in today's market and looked it up as some sort of economy barometer? Currently, the price of a bale of hay depends on grass or alfalfa - generally a large round bale of Alfalfa (weighs around a ton) a little over $161.  (Yeah, yeah I know...I have too much time on my hands.)
• The Hippies - Yes folks they are still out there, roaming the country looking for Nirvana. The long hair, floor length skirts, sandals...the whole nine yards.  Except now the hair is gray, the bellies potted and the "look" seems pretty weird. (Funny, at times in the 70's I thought I wanted to be one, but these modern-day old folks have removed that desire. I do share that pot belly look though.)  

The Bad:

• Between here and there you can't find decent food.  We looked.  We tried.  We failed. Road food is the pits folks. (Yes, we're spoiled.)
• California forest fires. They blocked the sky and fouled the air all the way from Sacramento to the Tetons. (The year was 2018.)
• Thoughtless drivers. Sitting in the hammer lane without passing, abrupt lane changes, following too close. (Where TF do these people come from?!)
• Highway construction.  Sure we need it but that doesn't mean we like it.
• The hours of driving.  Even when you have a ton of time it still seems to take too much.  Reckon they drag on more when you are older. (But they were very cool through the Tetons and Yellowstone.)

The Beautiful:

• The Black Hills - so green and gorgeous with full lakes and streams. Like we have never seen them in 50 years of travel back and forth. (Okay, okay I kind of said this already but hey, some things bear repeating!)
• The West - C'mon folks, America the Beautiful is alive and doing okay right?! (In spite of the fires, our new EPA and Department of Interior's efforts to F___ it all up.) 
• My Wife and travel partner - she is always a step ahead of me in thoughtful actions and words. I see that capacity in my son and daughter too. (One of the most admirable traits a human can have eh?!)
• Scott Jacobs art Gallery in Deadwood, South Dakota. (I have already paid homage to that master of photo realism here: http://tclifecycles.blogspot.com/2018/08/deadwood-sd-and-man-scott-jacobs.html)

Now many of you have asked (none actually) why that might be our last long road trip. Well, when you reach a certain age you seem to run out of gas a little quicker than the vehicle you are driving knowwhatimeanVern?

P.S.  For you Clint fans, I added "Beautiful" because there is no "Ugly" to this story.  (Wait.  There WAS that dinner at the Winnemucca Inn and Casino...)

The Redsled

A round trip planned...
To Boise to see old friend and colleague Kim Chournos
To Spokane to see old friend and colleague Jack Ohl
To Seattle to see old friend and brother David Campbell
And of course a proper dose of their families

The HOG and I were to go.
A bike trip through some great country

But pending 100+ weather
Plus the threat of Sun Valley smoke
From a large forest fire there
Caused a change
Yes, the "Badass" has turned into a fair weather rider...
Some would suggest "Pansyass"

I had ordered a bra...
For the Redsled

Just in case
So she was ready

(The "Redsled" is a low-mileage 2002 Torch Red Corvette

She's a "garage queen" that's right.)

Hadn't seen Kim in almost 40 years
He is among the handful of best healthcare administrators
I have known

Our visit was like we had never been apart
We promised to get together again one day
For a ride on the Harleys

The greatest part of the trip for the Redsled
Was straightening out the twisties
In the beautiful mountains between Boise and Spokane
We didn't push her limit but we pushed mine
And we had a ball
I was happy there was no one with me
To be white-knuckling the upholstery

Saw Jack again....
A world-class logistician
And a close pal for (yup) almost 40 years
Spent a perfect evening with him and Joan
In a hot-tub at their mighty fine home
On a Spokane hillside overlooking the city
Swilling wine... telling old and new lies

Saw brother David and his family
Wife and world's best pal Julieann flew in to join us for the weekend
Spent some time watching his son, Dakota, 10
at a football jamboree

His son loves the game it's obvious
From the way he blows through the offensive and defensive lines
He plays for himself of course
But he also plays for his Father and I

Home stretch back to Sacramento from Seattle
800 miles door-to-door
Split the trip into two days
In deference to my advancing physical age
Interstate 5 and the Redsled got along perfectly
At ten over most of the way

A teenager's dream
To ride the countryside
In a bright shiny 'Vette
Mark that sucker off the bucket list!

PeeeeeeEsssssss
"Grandma's House" in Yreka California
Serves up an old-fashioned killer breakfast
Home fries perfectly browned
Eggs with fried edges yet not overcooked
Sausage patty "from local packer"
And a steaming fresh home-made biscuit
With plenty of butter and a big glob of jelly
(this last is for you Bob Bunker where ever you are...)

Note:  Kim passed away on September 25th, 2013... just a few weeks after our reunion.  He was a great man who loved everything about life and people.  I was lucky to have the opportunity to visit with him...