Boise, ID

I spent 3 days with my cousins in Idaho. It was great to see everyone, and the weather even cooperated - backing off of temps in the 100s - which allowed me to sleep in my own bed (in Gravytrain).

Willard Bay Reservoir 

Very cool lake, right off of I-5 just north of Ogden, UT. The bay is actually a dammed-off portion of the Great Salt Lake - minus the salt. It was a hot day, and dogs are allowed on the beaches, so we stopped for a swim.
7/30/24

Coalville, UT

Had an HH stay at the Holiday Hills Golf Club, about 20 miles from Park City. When we arrived, it was 98, so leaving Augie in Gravytrain while I played was not an option. The Course runs an RV park right next door though, so we were able to get a site with electricity  - and therefore able to run the air conditioner - keeping things at 78 in Gravytrain for a cool night's sleep.
7/31/24

Grand Junction, CO

Took some state highway two lanes through the back country of Utah and Colorado today, driving to Dinosaur, Colorado, then south to Grand Junction on Colorado 136, which goes through a very dramatic mountain pass that somehow, in 38 years of living in CO, I had never driven. Absolutely gorgeous drive, and a great surprise. Another surprise was a temp of 104, when I pulled in to the Grand Junction KOA. I set up the air conditioner, and was able to beat the temp in GT down to 80 - which sounds bad, but when you come in from 104 - it feels pretty damn good. Cool enough to sleep... for a while...

Grand Junction, CO

So, around 1am, the sound of the air conditioner going off woke me. At first I wasn't concerned, assuming that the temp had fallen below 75 (where I had set the thermostat). I rolled over and dosed off again. Then around 2am, I woke up and realized that my fridge light was not on. Hmmm... not good. I did a little investigating and discovered the none of my 120v outlets were working. Hmmm... not good. My first step was to open up my control panel - which hinges open for easy access. I had my speaker plugged into that outlet, and the moment I unplugged it, the fridge came back to life. Hmmm...? Anyway, it must have been a short in that outlet, because I switched it out and everything has been normal since. Still don't know if the amp load from the air conditioner was too much (even tho it was a 15 amp outlet and the air conditioner is only rated at 10 amps), but I replaced it with a 20 amp outlet. All's well that ends well.

Silverthorne, CO

Crashed with Captain Crash (a college friend and roommate), and his lovely wife, for the evening, and a world famous skier's breakfast then next morning. Bonus! I was fortunate enough to be able to lay eyes of both of their kids durning my brief stay. If we had tried to make that happen, we would have never pulled it off. Serendipity! 

Silverthorne, CO

Augie, being Augie, took over their dog Charlie's bed, and growled menacingly whenever he went near it. Everyone (except Charlie) thought it was funny.
8/1/24

This Guy...

... from Denver is making his 5th appearance in this journal.

These Guys...

...are appearing for the 4th time! We're still trying to figure out who's stalking who! Anyway, a common friend of ours celebrates her birthday each year with a golf tournament, and this year I was fortunate enough to be in Denver for it.
8/3/24

Coal Creek Canyon, CO

Back up to the mountains for a few days, visiting long-time friends.

Coal Creek Canyon, CO

This was the stop where I deposited Gravytrain into the ditch beside their snow-covered driveway last November. Today, she made the climb with no problem.

Coal Creek Canyon, CO

The view of the Continental Divide from their deck. This, plus their always great company is why I will keep making their home a stop anytime GT, Augie, and I are in the region.
3/8/24

Denver, CO

My friends from Coal Creek came down the hill for a get-together with my Denver-based godchildren and their parents.

Denver, CO

A good time was had by all - at least by all the old fogeys! Much laughter and discussion around olden-times before cell phones and other modern technology. The godkids may have been laughing politely, while straining eye muscles in extreme "rolling." " 😋 OK, boomers."
8/9/24

Denver, CO

While staying in the Denver Metro, I'm staying with my golf pals mentioned earlier as 4-time entries on this page. Augie may have met her match with the house cat, "Inky." Augie was determined to get him to play, and they did interact a little bit, but Augie was usually rewarded with a little (or not so little) "bop" on the nose.

Denver, CO

Played Foothills Golf Club with several members of the old Saturday foursome. Forgot to take a photo with the whole group. But here are two of us, along with the new clubhouse.

Denver, CO

More golf (surprise) with my Denver hostess and friends. We got off the course before the dark clouds caught us. Pretty amazing day with the group totaling 5 birdies! I even had one.

Denver, CO

Then, for a change, more golf! Played a round with friends from my golf league!

Denver, CO

My Cousin and his wife up in the Boulder area invited me to dinner at a cool spot to watch a magnificent Colorado sunset. The service was less than stellar, but the food was passable, and the company was excellent!
8/15/24

Denver, CO

Speaking of Sunsets, the sun has set on this visit to Denver. While it's no longer the sleepy, little "city that could" that is was when I arrived 40 years ago. It will always be my first love. I'm so thankful that I know so many folks there where I can "driveway surf" for years to come.

Arapahoe, NE

Harvest Host stay at Long Dogs Distilling. Nice stay, made nicer by the host, who made room for me to park next to his building so that I could plug in and use my air conditioner. This was the first use since the failed outlet episode. Ran well, and cooled us right down. This time, when it shut off in the middle of the night, it was just the thermostat. 🙂
8/19/24

Jefferson, IA

Stayed at Spring Hill Lake park. Used excellent and inexpensive laundry, as well as great showers. It was cool enough that I didn't need the air conditioner, but this cardinal was determined to see what was going on in Gravytrain.

Jefferson, IA

He kept dive-bombing the windows - to the point that I was afraid he was going to hurt himself.
8/20/24

Atlanta, IL

Gravytrain parked for the night at the Atlanta Public Library, a Harvest Host.

Atlanta, IL

The library is fully operational. It's an octagonal building, with charming, weird rooms and bookshelfs inside.

Atlanta, IL

Atlanta was a major stop on Rt66, marking the halfway point between Chicago and St Louis.

Atlanta, IL

Also the home of several Rt66-themed museums and trinket stores - as well as several super-sized statues - including this 30 foot tall dude and his huge weiner. 😉

Indianapolis, IN

Enjoyed an overnight stay and a round of golf with a long-time friend. This is a photo from a golf outing last year - because I didn't think to get a photo of us. Sorry buddy. He's a huge Colts fan and a season ticket holder - so I was able to get myself invited to a game in October.

Columbus, OH

I rolled into Columbus 99 days after heading out for Alaska in May, and 367 days after Gravytrain's launch. Including the 201 days of the maiden voyage, this means we were on the road 300 of the last 367 days. It also marks the end of the plan. Which means I need to get to work on a new plan... but more to come on that later. Thanks for following along. I'll be back on the road before you know it!