A Week In The Life 2K11 {What I've Learned}

6 Things I Love and 3 Things I Don't About A 2000 Mile Road Trip

1.  I love seeing the different parts of the country.

Screw Europe and Asia and Africa.  I just want to see more of where we live.  Wouldn't mind Australia, though.

2.  Vineyards are my favorite.

I don't actually have a picture of a vineyard since NO ONE WOULD DRIVE OVER OR SLOW DOWN SO I COULD SEE THEM!!!  And my son informed me that he has no intention of ever living on a "Vine Yard."

3.  Farm land is peaceful and makes me want to bake pie.

Mountain Huckleberry pie that I'll make from scratch, with perfectly flaky crust that will melt in your mouth, while the sweet juicy berries that I hand picked from the edges of my ranch burst with deliciousnes, but that first has to cool on my windowsill while I make the vanilla ice cream from scratch with the cream I got from my cow that lives in the barn....

I want a farm.

4.  Everything looks better in the sunshine

Fog is cool and mysterious, but sunshine is happy and, you know...warm.
Sunshine rules.
Sunshine for President!

5.  After a long hot day on the road, a cold beer tastes pretty damn good.

And I hate beer.

6.  Oregon is still the worst state to drive through

Boring.
Yawn.
Snooze.....
How does anyone live here?  Why does anyone live here?
I mean, Washington is a blink away.  Get a real state.
Except for the Quack Attack....'cause I love that!

7.  I hate living out of a suitcase.

Space is very important to me.  Knowing where my space is and occupying it fully.  Spreading out and enjoying the feel of the great expanse that surrounds me.  None of which can be felt while living out of a suitcase.  Unless that suitcase is on a lovely suitcase stand at the Waldorf Astoria, and then I could totally be on board with it.

8.  Elbow room is very important to me.

See #7 and then add the back seat of a pick up truck, two kids with no desire to read books or play puzzle games, but needed to bring every one they have along with blankets, pillow pets, and 14 pairs of shoes, and an average of 9 hours a day on the road.  I reiterate....Elbow room is.  Very. Important. To. Me.

9.  Knowing where you're going is comforting, but unexpected turns can take you to amazing places.

'Nough said.

A Week In The Life 2K11 {2000 Miles to Seattle ~ Day 8}

Day 8 ~ From Eugene to Seattle

or

HOME!

8:33 a.m.

A quiet stroll around the RV village before the chaos of the morning comes screaming at me.

That's us there at the end.

8:35 a.m.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd.....here's chaos.

10:05 a.m.

What a pretty barn.  I might like to live there.

Except I wouldn't want to live on the freeway.

I'd want it on a vineyard,

which are back behind that hill in northern California

that no one would drive me over to see.

You still owe me a vineyard.

10:57 a.m.

Transferring the kids to the back of the motor home for this leg of the journey,

then running back to the truck and sprawling out in all the space and enjoying the quiet.

12:01 p.m.

Haha!  The first sign of Seattle!!

12:16 p.m.

Portland.

Why would anyone want to live here?

It's not Seattle.

It's not San Francisco or LA.

It's not even Vancouver.

It's just stuck somewhere in between.

Like Purgatory.

In fact, I don't think I should even take a picture of it.....

12:20 p.m.

Hey!  They have a Lombard St. here, too.

Still wouldn't want to live here, though.....

12:25 p.m.

WASHINGTON!

Back home agaaaaaiiiiiinnnnnn, in Inndiaaaa.....Oh wait. 

Wrong song.

W...A...S H I...N...G...T O N

The next part spells "Cougs, and I'm a Husky, so forget it.

BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON!!!!!

1:20 p.m.

Any time is a good time for Artichoke Jalapeno Dip.

I mean, we gotta' eat, right?

2:09 p.m.

Briefly considering a major turn off to Aberdeen 

and heading out to the beach for a few days to relax after all of this road trip.

2:41 p.m.

Ah, yes.  Here we are.

3:01 p.m.

Home

The End.

A Week In The Life 2K11 {2000 Miles to Seattle ~ Day 7}

Day 7 ~ From Eureka to Eugene

by way of 

The Redwood Forest

8:30 a.m.

Coffee!  Individual cups of coffee.

I've been on the road for 7 days now.

I need my individual cup of coffee.

Like, right now!

9:24 a.m.

Starting my new book.

I think I'll visit Italy for a while.

10:39 a.m.

Driving over some bridge that goes over some river that I don't know the name of.

Pretty, though.

10:55 a.m.

Stopped at the Trees of Mystery, but they wanted $14 a person to walk through the forest.

And that didn't include a sac lunch, a personal tour from a squirrel and some kitchy gift shop souvenir.

That was just to walk through the door....or...the tree thing.

So, we said hello to Paul Bunyan and got the heck out of dodge.

11:26 a.m.

Stopped on some road (I think it was the 1) that went by some bay that I don't know the name of. 

Pretty, too.

11:38 a.m. - 1:10 p.m.

The Redwoods. 

I'll just be quiet and let you look.

1:53 p.m.

Driving over some road that I don't know back to I-5.

Pretty sure this is where Disney got the inspiration for Grizzly River Run.

Ummmm....P.S....Moving car.  

I'm just sayin'....

2:32 p.m.

This is it.  I have found it.  I am in hell.

It's not where you were, and it's not where you're going.

It's just Oregon.

4:07 p.m.

Discovering the wonderfulness that is Carl's Jr. and their star shaped chicken nuggets.

4:32 p.m.

Good night.  Not again.

Waiting in a crash on I-5 through Grant's Pass.

7:03 p.m.

Our home for the night.  The Shamrock RV Park & Village in Eugene, Oregon.

The Quack Attack is Back!

Wandered around our stretch of river taking a few pics while everyone else got set up.

I didn't want to get in the way, you know.

8:25 p.m.

Employed the help of the resident teenagers for an impromptu portrait session.

Someone had to keep the kids busy while everyone else was working.

 9:39 p.m.

Taking pictures of Prince Charming grilling by the light of a wind-up flashlight.

Someone had to get that shot and I didn't want to get in the way while everyone

else was getting dinner ready.  Too many cooks, and all that....you know.

A Week In The Life 2K11 {2000 Miles to Seattle ~ Day 6}

Day 6 ~ From Santa Cruz to Eureka

9:41 a.m.

Gooooooooooooood Morning, Santa Cruz KOA!

For your wet, sandy, filthy, dirty, jumping pleasure,

we offer you this huge, plastic bag filled with air.

Jump away!

Fortunately, I come from the beach. 

Wet and sandy doesn't scare me....no really.  I'm fine with it.

9:48 a.m.

The big kids watching from the window because wet and sandy jumping is just for babies.

Yeah...who wants that?  

It's soooo much funner to just sit here in the trailer and watch.

Totally.  

I know.

11:58 a.m.

Hey!  I used to live in San Jose!

I wonder if you can see Little John Way from the freeway?

I don't think it would remember me, though.  We haven't seen each other in 36 years.

12:39 p.m.

Hey!  I used to live in....

Oh, wait.  I mean,

Hey!  I've always wanted to see a game in Candlestick Park!

Probably about as close as I'll ever get.

12:40 p.m.

Where there's a Candlestick,

There's sure to be a San Fran.

Woohoo!

And P.S.  The LA sign read Population 4,000,000.

The SF sign says Population 793,000.

I've always loved small towns....

12:58 p.m.

Ahhhhh....Small town traffic.

So quaint.

1:19 p.m.

Enjoying the sights of San Francisco.

Drove down my whole street.  

I've never seen my name so many times.

Because technically, my name shouldn't have an "o".

Mistake at Ellis Island.

Early 20th Century people.  Sheesh!

1:24 p.m.

The Bridge!

I can see it from here!

1:30 p.m.

The Rock

"In my day we did it all with a snorkel and a pair of flippers."

Love that movie.

1:34 p.m.

Annnnnnnnndddd.....over the bridge.

This is better than Disneyland!

Okay...not really.

But it's pretty cool.

1:37 p.m.

The City by the Bay

The City that Rocks.

The City that Never Sleeps!

Fine....I like Starship.  Sue me.

1:37 p.m.

Quite possibly, the happiest tunnel I've ever driven through.

2:17 p.m.

San Francisco is well behind us...*sigh*

But, look at all of this B-E-A-U-tiful country side.

Where's the vineyards?  I was told there would be vineyards?

Why are there no vineyards?

Oh...just over that hill?  

On the other side where I can't see?

Fine....whatever.

But, you owe me a vineyard.

2:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

No vineyards.

Nothin' to see here.

7:10 p.m.

Finished my book.

I'm officially a member of the

Women's Murder Club.

Woot.  Woot.

7:27 p.m.

Arrived in Eureka.

Not to be confused with Yreka.

Which is somewhere else.

Author's Note:

I'm more than slightly happy at the way this series of images came out

considering that I took all but two of them from the middle of the back seat

of a MOVING CAR!  Prince Charming wouldn't give up his front seat for

my camera, and the guy driving wouldn't stop every five feet so I could take pictures.

Men.  They can be such kill-joys sometimes.