Roci and I – starting the trip

In order to go East, I’ve decided go North. Smart!

While I’m going to totally wing it as accommodations and route come, and allow spur of the moment inspiration to guide me, this is the itinerary I’m thinking about. First few bits, anyway.

I’ve seen many years ago the Upper Antelope Canyon, and now it’ll be the Lower one. Maybe I’ll also find the Middle one? 😜

As for Bozeman, this will be one of the highlights of the trip. After all, it’s the First Contact location!

(c) Startrek.com

…and today, 9/12 (or if you’re European 12/9), as in the twelfth day of September, Anno Domini 2024, I left Carlsbad. But not so quickly!

First, I realized Rocinante’s big ass (read the trunk) is not big enough if you bring with you a shit-ton (international unit of measure) of crap. Tools take a lot of space, not to mention they’re heavy. But more bulky than heavy😜. I remember chatting with Owen about the way Mafia would use this car – it can probably fit five medium build sized bodies in the trunk. Uncomfortable, but if they’re dead, they wouldn’t complain, right?

I had to leave the beach chair behind so I can close the trunk.
Well, then I’m ready to leave, and this is me expecting all to be perfect from now on:

Soooo, I get in the car, and nothing. The starter doesn’t start, the radio is dead, no electrical stuff whatsoever. Wtf?
To make the actually short story even shorter, I had installed a quick disconnect switch for the battery and the vibrations disconnected it. Easy peasy, but you should have seen my face sitting in front of the house, prepared for a long-ass drive, sitting in a dead car. Self inflicted issue #1. Lets hope the count won’t go up by much…

The traffic to Vegas wasn’t bad at all, and I did 21 mpg. Wait, what?!? Yep, 21 mpg – while in Carlsbad it does 15-16 tops.

Awesome. I drove like a normal person, however, so perhaps this may explain it, ha!

I’m at the Luxor (the Pyramid) now, as I always wanted to stay here. And leaving soon to see a show, “Particle Ink.” Seems interesting.

Note after seeing the show. It’s beautiful. If you’re in Vegas it’s a must see/participate.

And here’s an interesting pic just before Vegas, with the solar gizmo glinting in the sun:

And a completely random note: Brazil nuts are yummy!

9/13 – Grand Canyon West (from Las Vegas to Flagstaff)

I’ve been to the other rim of the Grand Canyon a few times, and the West rim is harder to access. Totally worth it, IMHO.

The views from Guano point are to die for.

Here’s yours truly in the Skywalk, 1 mile up from the bottom of the canyon. Glad I’m not fatter😜.

And this is the same Skywalk from the side. Really nice piece of engineering!

And one of the many pics I took at Guano Point:

Stunningly beautiful. Could not – not think about Will Smith flying at the bottom of the canyon with the aliens behind him. If any alien reads this, beware of the parachute!

And the last piece for today, Roci in front of the sign at the West entrance:

She is pretty!

And to close the day, I’ve visited Lowell Observatory. Not only is famous for its eponymous astronomer, but the good folks at this observatory discovered Pluto. And chatting with one of the scientists here, she still believes Pluto should be considered a planet!

While I had all this fun, Roci was parked in front of the entry sign, so everyone can admire her (kidding, and no parking tickets were issued).

9/14/24 Antelope Canyon (from Flagstaff AZ to Provo UT)

Started early today, and that was great as I caught an earlier Antelope Canyon tour. And what a tour it was! Compared with the Upper Canyon, the Lower Canyon is way longer and harder to navigate (abrupt stairs and ladders). Totally worth it!
I took 257 pics and I’ll only post here a couple.

The second pic was taken by the tour guide, as she had offered to take pics and show us various iPhone filters… nice!

And for a fun fact, the most expensive picture ever sold was $6.5M (M as in million), a decade ago by Peter Lik. It was taken at Antelope Canyon, and here’s a low res version:

The pic is called the Phantom, and you can read more about it here.

I’ve seen a Peter Lik exhibition in La Jolla several years ago, and the guy is really good.

And a word about the hotel in Provo, the Hines Mansion. Man, this is such a cute place.

My room, the Secret Garden is very cute, and I assume all others are similar. Above the room, I have a Gargoyle, so I’ll sleep well with such a defender😀.

And the cutest thing, they also have this room, under the staircase:

Yes, it’s the Harry Potter room! Haven’t seen it inside, as who knows what lurks in there😜.

Thank you, Radu, for convincing me not to cheap out on accommodations…

Provo shapes to be way prettier that I would have thought, and this is after just an hour of walking around. Like Arnie says, “I’ll be back!”

9/15/24 Park City (map with all stops follows)

I’ve been to Park City several times, but I’ve never drove this route. Highly recommended as the road around Timpagonos Cave is awesome to drive.

Having shuddering brakes makes it extra “interesting.” I need to replace Roci’s front rotors as they were cut but since they don’t have enough material to properly dissipate the heat, they warped. So Roci does a good impersonation of a 1950s tractor stopping on wet cobblestone. Ummm… I’ve never driven a 1950s tractor on cobblestone or any other surface, but that’s what I imagine it feels. No bueno.

Sundance, a mountain resort owned by Robert Redford, is Uber pretty. I will come back to stay here, probably (Farscape quote).

It is small, but has a totally different vibe than Park City or even Solitude. It doesn’t feel touristy at all (I know it’s funny to say that), and the walk around the entire resort is probably 30 minutes. Very pretty walk, and a few mini-cascades are interspersed throughout.

To the left of the mini-cascade (or whatever you’d like to call it), there’s an events cabin/building. I’d guess it could host 50-100 people events, but not a lot more. Quaint.

The Timpagonos cave was interesting, but after I’ve seen the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, nothing really compares anymore. However, the hike up there was awesome. 1.5 miles only, but you go up 1100 ft. There were a lot of dead tourists and abandoned kids along the way. Kinda kidding, but it was a really good exercise. My Apple Watch said my pulse went to 161. And the watch also says the 1100 ft altitude gain is the equivalent of 101 floors😀.

The drive to and from the cave is very pretty, and two cars barely can share the road without sharing paint.

Solitude was variation in the same touristic theme, but the grill overlooking the ski lift had well reviewed bison burgers.

It was absolutely delish! In my scientific opinion, the bison is an extremely tasty cow. 🐄s are awesome… Throw some fresh avocado and crispy bacon, and you can make anyone hungry.

Finishing for the day with a Roci pic on the side of a very scenic road and…

… and Roci in front of the castle where the princess was waiting to be saved…

Alas… the princess is long dead and the castle was abandoned due to the 1890s real estate boom in Florida… While Roci does a good Rocinante impression, yours truly not so much Don Quixote…

9/17 – Alpine, Wyoming

Well, today was a great day…

In the morning I took Roci to Alpine Foreign Repairs in Salt Lake City (if you’re going cross country in an older Audi that needs assistance, Joe’s the man).

After having enough of the massive braking shudder, and considering the adverse cosmetic impact to both my dental fillings and my double chin, I found these guys. Joe’s the owner of 44 years (same frickin’ location!!), and they only do Audis. Well, they added two brand spanking new Textar front rotors and four new Textar pads, and then subtracted a not-so-inconsequential amount of $ from my credit card account.

Went back to the really nice 2.5 star hotel (Radu!) for an interview, and after that back to Alpine Foreign Repair to get my beloved Rocinante.

Roci now stops like a champ. No more planning ahead and then braking hard at the last moment to minimize the shudder, while confusing the crap out of the car behind you. No more keeping my mouth open and my shoulders relaxed to minimize teeth chipping and getting a back muscle spasm… Now it feels almost too easy to drive!

Going from SLC to Alpine WY, I’ve experienced the following:

1. Hard rain (no mini-video here as we all have seen rain, right?)
2. Hail
3. Snow
4. Cows

Well, me being all about life long learning, I got the following life lessons:

1. When Radu is telling you to buy new tires, do so.
2. Leaving for a cross country trip in a 21 years old Audi that is still in the process of being fully refurbished is not very smart.
3. I’m sure there’s a third lesson somewhere, but nothing comes to mind right now…

And of course, being life long learner is not my only quality. I’m also a disciple of Jeeza – Jeremy Clarkson, so “how hard can it be” to cross the U.S. and Eastern Canada on a 21 year old Audi?

And you can guess which side of me (Jekyll or Hyde) has won that argument🤣🤣🤣.

And to complete a really great day, here’ssss Roci!!!

The last picture is au naturel – no filter. At least I did not add a filter – knowingly…

And when I was low on gas, I finally managed to find G&g – God and gas:

Upon arrival at my resort hotel for the night, I found the original Audi S8 that Joseph Smith crossed the continent in (it’s the one in background, in case you wonder):

German auto technology has progressed quite a bit since…

The last pic for today is taken in front of the Blue (or maybe it was Bull?) Moose Lodge and saloon, where I had a way too sweet burger with brisket and sweet potatoes. It felt like eating the desert for the main course (which for the record, I have no problem with).

As you can see, Roci fits perfectly in the lineup…

One of the camo jacket wearing guys waiting outside the saloon asked me while chewing tobacco (or gum, maybe), “but man, where do you put your gun rack in this thing?”

Enough for today, but have I mentioned how nice she brakes? It’s a wet dream… That’s because it rained a lot, you dirty minds!

A few updates from the last few days (today’s 9/23)

Jackson Hole Summit – it was full blown winter storm. I lasted sightseeing maybe 15 mins, as the wind and the snow/ice storm was too much.

Not to mention after wearing shorts and t shirts the entire trip, I froze my ass off, even with my ski jacket.

And a nice long-ish hike around Jenny Lake, after a boat ride. Contrary to what the picture implies, I did not allegedly drove the boat.

The cascade on the hike was quite pretty, but the 45 mins hike back to the starting point… well, I call 🐂 💩 on that! Took me way longer at a good pace. And I saw a black bear on the way back, but since it was far, I couldn’t pet it. His loss (or perhaps her’s).

On the way I’ve stopped the Legacy Flight Museum, and I have discovered that when you pack, you can park anywhere.

Idaho Falls is a very pretty city, and I have a few pics to prove it:

and

They’ve rebuilt the dam (made it real pretty in the process, too) after a big flood.

I’ve also stopped by to see Rusty, the CareFusion Dispensing boss from my time there. He has an awesome countryside property / evil lair / ranch in Idaho (relatively close to Jackson WY).

I had no idea Idaho can be this pretty! My only memory while passing thru Idaho many years ago was getting the only speeding ticket I’ve got in the U.S. (I’ve specialized instead in wrong turns tickets).
“But officer, there’s nothing 3 miles ahead, and 3 miles behind.”

The answer was “…and your point is?”

Here are a few pics from Rusty’s ranch that showcase how beautiful this part of Idaho is.

The pics were taken at the top side of the property, and this is how we’ve got there.

and thank you Rusty for hosting me and showing me around!

And here’s Roci parked on the side of Snake River, just after leaving Rusty’s ranch.

Onto Niagara Falls… went to the Canadian side (thank you Laura for the suggestion!). Holy cow, what an experience!

This is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, and the boat ride close to the cascade is worth a lot more than the price of admission. I saw it on tv, heard about it from my kids, but nothing compares with just being there…

And now leaving towards my favorite son, Geo. This will conclude the U.S. coast to coast part of the roadtrip, before going back into Canada for Trans Quebec and Trans Labrador. Can’t wait!!

…and up to 9/26/24 (Providence RI, Newport, sailing, etc).

After a mad dash at a leisurely pace 😜 from Niagara to Providence, I’ve got to see my favorite son.

Geo’s a Swiftie, and has the pants to prove it:

You can’t really see the embossed Taylor logo, but he tells me if you have to ask “how much,” then you can’t afford them. More incentive for me to play

the lottery then!

Soccer in the rain… I don’t have a pic with my immense Japanese umbrella that kept me 99.27% dry, but here’s Zozo (Geo) before the game:

And here’s Geo attempting to score on the opposing team:

And while on the fave son topic, this guy is doing it all – soccer, water polo, gym 5 days a week (or maybe 7. Possibly 8). Plus learning Japanese and doing his PhD in Material Science at Brown. And still found time to hang around with me! End of proud father mode, lol😀😀😀.

Newport RI is gorgeous, as a lot of East Coast places are. Roci wholeheartedly (or maybe whole wholeenginely) agrees. I’ve asked her, “if you disagree say something.” And she was quiet as a mouse. Or maybe as an electric car.
And speaking of the lady, here’s her making friends with a fire truck:

I was too far to listen in what they were talking, and anyway, I was raised as a gentleman… Plus I’m a bit hard of hearing…

And while on the gorgeous Ocean Drive, here’s Roci admiring the ocean, and looking as gray as the gray day was:

And on our quest to discover castles and treasures, we’ve found the entrance to such a magical place. Wait till you hear what happened!

We’ve stopped at the magical palace’s fortified entrance, and we rang, and honked, and rang some more. After an exceedingly long hours and hours wait that lasted about 2 minutes, we lost interest and drove away. Kind of how the Army left after looking for WMDs in the first Iraq war…

As for yours truly, I took 357 pictures, and after careful consideration, I’ve deleted 356 – and this is what was left:

The sailboat I’m driving is a 1967 America’s Cup 12 metre boat. What a sweetheart!!! She is by far the best handling sailboat I’ve ever had the chance to drive. It was magical, as the East Coast wind is way stronger and more consistent than the Left Coast equivalent.

If you’re in Newport, visit America’s Cup Charters and do yourself a huge favor – get on the water on one of their 12 metre boats (I was on US22 Intrepid). The scenery is great, and the actual sailing way better. Ask for Mike, the skipper (next to me in the pic. I’m on the left, btw).

It’s a ‘uuuge bummer that the similar company running IACC boats in San Diego stopped doing business… I’m quite annoyed with myself that I postponed sailing on Il Moro or Stars and Stripes – 1991 and 1992 America’s Cup boats. If the 1967 version was handling as good as she was, I just can’t imagine how well the more modern and bigger boats would be feeling…

I am thinking semi-seriously to buy that business…

And I know what you think by now… Roci and George are all about road trip adventures, and they’re pretty shallow (from an interest area perspective, not from the “Shallow Hal” one, of course😜). Although…

To prove all of you wrong, here are pics that Roci and I took from the MFA (Museum of Fine Art) in Boston:

In the Japanese art part of the museum, I also found something quite surprising…

The above sculpture is unequivocal historical proof that Hello Kitty is waaaay older than generally accepted… thank you MFA for enlightening us all!!!

I also liked the Dali itinerant exhibit, and learned a lot about his career. Most interesting was how he was influenced by much older Dutch painters and their mischievous drawings. The exhibition had a combination of Dali works and related works that inspired him.
I’ve also learned (while on the phone with Radu) that Salvador Dali was Dali’s older brother that died young. So our Dali was just the replacement for the dead kiddo, and dedicated his entire life to being different and better.
Well, this sounds like a made up story, and if it indeed is such a story, all complaints should be texted to 908-CAL-RADU.

Kidding, don’t text or call that number. It is CIA’s main number and they get annoyed when you call them without a good reason (as in overthrowing a foreign dictator, or subliminally influencing the FSB on how to subliminally influence the American public through social media, etc).

I kind of think now that I should at least have had a beer, so I have some barebones plausible deniability when I write stuff like the above…

As I type this (I’ve just arrived in Quebec City a couple of hours ago) I will finish with a last pic from Newport:

What you see here is not what it appears. I was catching a glimpse on these from a trench on the side of the grassy flight runway. What they seem like good old geese, innocuously pecking at grass, they’re in fact CIA drones, spying on the clueless tourists. You don’t believe me?!? Read everything about it here. Thank you to my favorite son, Mihai, for opening my eyes!

Maybe I should go and get that beer after all…

The West to East part of the road trip shaped up a tad differently than I originally envisioned, but the most important thing is for Roci and I to have fun!

And going forward, Roci and I will switch to the next road trip chapter: Oh là là French Canada! Quebec.