December.........coast to coast Christmas all month long!

In just a few hours we'll say goodbye to 2021, and welcome in what will hopefully be a safe, healthy and happy new year for everyone.  It's been a fun month filled with family.  We started the month in California and ended it in Florida.

We were having such a great time that sometimes we forgot to take pictures, but here's some of the moments we captured:

We kicked off the month with a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, California.  Ben was able to be with us for the first part of the month before he headed to Texas to visit friends.......spoiler alert........he rejoined us in Florida for Christmas!  We're very thankful that he is able to work remotely as well as to have some well earned time off.

Emma playing "hide and seek" with Pop!

Glowfari at the Oakland Zoo!

Train Town and the Sonoma Plaza

The "Beary" nice looking Martin Family modeling their "Beary" fashionable Christmas gift from the "Beary" cool guy on the left side of the picture!

James and MiMi whipping up some tasty Sloppy Joes!

Even though James was getting attacked by an angry crocodile and giant bug, he wasn't going to put down his treat from Amy's Wicked Slush!

Surf Buddies!

James and MiMi made these paper sack puppets for Emma's upcoming Birthday

Beth and I ran into these galactic passengers at the Oakland Airport

Gas in Florida, Gas in California...........you probably know which is which!

As an early Christmas present, Ben gave me a ticket to Tampa's Gasparilla Bowl.  We had a great time, unfortunately our Gators got kicked around pretty good

Ben's cousin, Kimberly joined us for the game.  Like me, she's a proud UF Alumni.  She was at UF when a young man named Tim Tebow was our quarterback.  She wasn't used to seeing us lose!

Christmas Eve family gathering at Woody's River Roo on the Manatee River

Christmas Eve Night Gathering with my side of the family in Lakeland.  Amazing Cuban Food!  

Afternoon beach time on Anna Maria Island with the Carmen Family, Beth's sisters and niece (Kimberly)

I haven't been out on the paddleboard too often lately.  I had a nice sunrise paddle sharing the water with plenty of snook, mullet, sting rays and dolphins.

Sunset sampler

December 31 @ 11;43.............

December 31 @ 12:28...........the fog rolled in!

Wishing everyone a Safe and Happy 2022..........Thanks for following along on our journey!

The adventure continues.........Salt Lake City, Utah to Truckee, California

 

Donner Lake near Truckee, Ca

After several enjoyable weeks in Florida, we're back on the road again.  First up was a Thanksgiving afternoon flight from Tampa to Salt Lake City, which is where we had left the Silver Bullet.  Beth and I are happy that Ben, who is combining a little vacation time and the ability to work remotely at this time of year joining us for a bit.  We arrived in Salt Lake City around 10:00 PM local time which meant it was really late for our Eastern Standard Time zone bodies and brains.

We had promised NaNa an outing to Sunken Gardens for her birthday.  We were happy to have Debbie join us for the day.

After a lunch at the 4th Street Shrimp Company and visiting Sunken Gardens there was one more treat.....a Root Beer Float Sno Ball!

Busch Gardens is getting in the Christmas spirit!

That's James Taylor down there on the stage.  He and Jackson Browne put on a nice show at Tampa's Amalie Arena

We were pleased to find the Silver Bullet intact, and early Friday morning we were on the road heading westward towards Truckee, California, a mere 540 miles away.  The drive, which was on I-80, was across the treeless desert land of Northern Nevada.  It certainly wasn't the most interesting or scenic drive we've been on, but we like road trips so it was still an enjoyable days journey.  Of course, there were a few stops along the way.  First up was a stop in Elko, Nevada, a city of around 20,000, that in the late 1990's was named "The Best Small Town in America".  We departed Elko all a little lighter in the wallets, but all three of us are proud owners of YETI coffee mugs from the Maverick Casino in appreciation for the small deposit we made in their slot machines.

For a very small deposit in the Maverick Casino slot machines we all walked out with these spiffy YETI coffee mugs...........we considered ourselves winners!

Elko, Nevada

Late in the afternoon we stopped in Reno and did a little walk around the downtown casino area.  We hadn't been in Reno since before Y2K and were sad to see how much the majority of that area had deteriorated.  Inside the casinos business was booming, as Thanksgiving weekend gamblers of all ages shoved bills into slot machines and rode the fortunes and misfortunes of the dice and cards.  It had been a long, but fun day and we still had about 45 minutes of drive time to Truckee so our time in Reno wasn't too long or costly.

Downtown Reno

Reno, Nevada

Truckee is a very laid back, incorporated city of approximately 18,000 in the Sierra Nevada mountains.  It's located just 15 miles from the northern shore of Lake Tahoe, with easy access to miles of trails and ski areas.  It has a very cool main street near the Truckee River, and it is a popular year round destination.  We've been here twice and have enjoyed our visits both times.

Truckee gets an average of over 200 inches of snow annually and is typically blanketed in snow by this time of the year.  However, in keeping with the theme of "these aren't typical times", the only snow on the ground that can be found are tiny piles in very shaded areas from a snow they received about a month ago.  The ski areas that are usually open by now are closed as they wait on colder temperatures and falling snow.

This was the only snow we found.  Needless to say, the ski areas won't be opening anytime soon.

Truckee, California

On Saturday morning we enjoyed a cool early morning walk along the Truckee River Legacy Trail, a 4.4 mile, paved, multiuse trail.  After getting a little comedic relief watching some of the Florida/Florida State Football game (described accurately by one writer as watching two drunks in a fight), we visited Donner Memorial State Park.  The park honors the memory of a group of settlers from Illinois who in 1864 attempted to make their way westward to California.  Unfortunately, due to a series of unfortunate events and bad advice the ill prepared party of 87 found themselves stuck in the area during a brutally harsh winter.  Of the 87, only 48 survived the harsh conditions.  At one point they were forced to make the decision to survive by getting nourishment from the deceased of their party.

Along the Truckee River Legacy Trail.  The river is off to the left side.

We're always amused at California's warning signs.  They seem to have quite an obsession with warning folks about everything.  This sign was by a bridge on the hiking trail.  The bridge was no more than 10 yards long and 5 yards wide.  20 tons is the equivalent of two adult and one baby elephant.  We appreciated the warning anyway.

Donner Memorial State Park.  The snow that trapped the Donner party was estimated to be 22 feet high (approximately the top of the rock base of the memorial)

Give us a body of water and some rocks and a rock skipping contest is sure to break out.  As usual Ben was the champion!

Donner Memorial State Park

We finished up our day in Truckee with a walk along the short (5-6 blocks), but very impressive downtown area.  The Christmas lights were on and the street and stores were busy with shoppers (masks are still required inside at this time) and diners, as well as those simply out for a late afternoon stroll. It felt like the start of a festive and somewhat normal (whatever that means) holiday season.

Sunset in downtown Truckee

We're planning on another walk this morning before making our way to Novato to enjoy some time with Sarah, Joey, James and Emma.  I'm sure we won't have the road to ourselves as thousands of others make their way home after a Thanksgiving weekend, but the drive will be well worth it!

Road Trip Day 7.........Salt Lake City

 

The last stop on the last day of this road trip, The Great Salt Lake!

We had been keeping track of the weather forecast the last few days for both Park City and Salt Lake City.  It had bounced back in forth between rain and snow for several days.  When we woke up in Park City it was foggy and drizzling, but hope was on the horizon.   The forecast showed the skies would be clearing by mid-morning.  We decided to go ahead and make the short (40 minute) drive from Park City to Salt Lake City.  Thankfully the forecast was right and as we got closer to Salt Lake City the rain stopped and the clouds began to roll away.  By noon we were blessed with sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-fifties to enjoy this spectacular city that is home to close to 1.5 million people.

In spite of it's size, Salt Lake City is easy to navigate.  Many of the top sites to see such as the Capitol building,  Tabernacle Square, and the city center are conveniently located near each other.  There is plenty of surface and underground parking available.  We drove up State Street which ends in front of the very impressive looking Capitol, and were pleased to find a visitors center located directly across the street.  The young lady working in the visitors center was very helpful in confirming that the research Beth had done of things to see and do would make for a great day.  She added a couple of suggestions to enhance our time in the city known as the Crossroads to the West.

Utah State Capital......very impressive on the outside.........

We knew we would walk across the street and get some pictures of the outside of the stately looking Capitol building, but our planning helper had strongly suggested that we go inside and take a look.  I was somewhat skeptical thinking that it would require security checks and an organized tour.  Much to our surprise we simply walked in and looked through the small museum just inside the door.  We were told by a security officer to feel free to walk around any of the four floors.

The rotunda was somewhat of a mini version of the US Capitol with marble floors and murals of the walls tracing the history of Utah.  Steps on one end led up to the second floor where the state Supreme Court was on one end, the Senate Chambers in the middle and the House of Representatives chambers on the other end.  The doors to the Senate and House chambers were open allowing us to walk right up to the entrance and take a peek inside (they were not in session).  The entrance to the Capitol is a side entrance, but we were able to exit out the front door which gave us a great view of the city from the high vantage point.

........the Capitol building is even more impressive on the inside!

Taken from the rotunda.  The steps lead up to the Utah Supreme Court.  The Senate chambers were off to the left side and the House chambers behind us.

We then drove a short distance to City Creek Center which is an impressive indoor/outdoor mall.  There are four main buildings connected at the street level and by sky walk bridges.  The roofs of the building are retractable so on warm, sunny days they are open, and if the weather isn't cooperating they can be closed.  Even though they were closed yesterday all the natural sunlight along with the trout filled creek gave the feel of being outdoors.  We're not shoppers so we didn't go in a single store but still enjoyed our very short time in the mall.

City Creek Center.  The roof is retractable and the stream is full of trout!

Outdoor Fountain and Garden between the City Creek Center buildings

Just a short block away from the mall is Temple Square.  Mormon's make up slightly less than 50% of the population of Salt Lake City, and Temple Square is the center piece not only for worship, but also for historical and administrative offices for the Latter-day Saints.  In the middle of the 10 acre Temple Square is the Temple itself, which was dedicated in April, 1893 and took forty years to build.  It's over 250,000 square feet in size and remains the largest Latter-day Saints Temple.  The temple is currently undergoing a massive renovation project to strengthen the structure. It's a four year project that is scheduled to be completed in two more years.  The temple is closed to the public at all times but next to the temple is the dome shaped tabernacle, which has a seating capacity of 3,500.  The shape of the tabernacle is an acoustic masterpiece that is frequently used by the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  There are daily noon concert recitals on the huge pipe organ.  We walked over to the tabernacle and were fortunate to be able to catch the last 10 minutes of the approximately 30 minute recital.  If you're visiting Salt Lake City try to plan your visit so you can take in one of these recitals, it's well worth it.

The temple is currently covered in scaffolding as it undergoes a renovation project to strengthen the structure.

Inside the Tabernacle during the organ recital.

Our next destination was Liberty Park, Salt Lake City's oldest and second largest city park (it is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places).  Our friend from the visitors center suggested we eat across the street from the park at the Park Cafe and what a great suggestion this was!  The small cafe is open everyday from 7:00-3:00.  According to reviews as well as from talking to one of the cafe's team members they are know primarily as a breakfast place.  We don't know about their breakfast food, but what both of us can attest to is that the hamburger described as the Galaxy Dominating Super Burger was amazing.  We don't know exactly what it was, but the combination of the meat, bacon, cheese, chipotle mayo, grilled onions or fresh veggies made it quite possibly the best hamburger we've ever had.  If we're back in Salt Lake City at lunch time, we already know where we'll be eating!

The Park Cafe, home of the Galaxy Dominating Super Burger!

After lunch we enjoyed a walk through the 110 acre park which is also home to the Tracy Aviary.  The  aviary was founded by a local banker (Russell Tracy) in 1938 when he donated his private bird collection to the city.  It currently houses around 135 species of birds from around the world, and is well worth the small admission fee.

Liberty Park........

and a couple of the residents of the Tracy Aivary

This owl was carrying his lunch with him.  Can you find it?

Our last destination of the day was the Great Salt Lake State Park and Visitors Center.  The lake is about 75 miles long and 35 miles wide.  Four rivers and multiple streams bring water into the lake, which has no outlet.  The lake has a high concentration of salt which ranges from 5% to 28% making it uninhabitable for fish and most aquatic life.  For comparison, the oceans salt concentration is around 3% and the Dead Sea (Jordan and Israel) is 33%.  The small visitors center has several informative displays about the lake and there is a small beach that can be easily accessed from it. 

A few pictures from the Great Salt Lake State Park and Visitors Center

 

We had an incredibly fun day in Salt Lake City. It was a great place to wrap up this seven day, approximately 2,000 mile road trip (The Silver Bullet must need a break I had to replace the battery last night) and a great place for a hamburger!

Road Trips Days 4, 5 & 6.................Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Park City, Utah

Two classics in one picture!

After one night in the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel we moved to the Snow Lodge in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone.  It's only 51 miles from one hotel to the other, but it was an all day adventure for us, with a few additional miles tacked on as we toured more areas of the park.

First we drove eastward from Mammoth Hot Springs to the Tower-Roosevelt Section and then onwards towards Lamar Valley.  We found wildlife on every drive that we took throughout the park but without question this was our most productive area.  There were herds of buffalo (also called bison), some of which were grazing just off the road, while others occasionally stood stubbornly in the road causing what we started referring to as "buffalo jams".   There were elk including a brief sighting of the largest bull elk that we ever recall laying our eyes on.  

The buffalo population is estimated to be around 5,000.  We may not have saw them all but we saw plenty!

This pronghorn seemed as amused by us as we were with him.

As is the customary practice in the park, when you see someone stopped on the side of the road you stop to see what they see.  We were really rewarded on two separate occasions for stopping to see what others had found.  First when a few cars were stopped staring a what turned out wasn't an animal, but a small hole in the side of a steep hill.  As it turned out there were two black bears inside the hole!  It was not just a hole but actually their den for the winter.  They had not gone into full hibernation yet but are starting to settle in for their long nap.  A gentleman who had been watching them for several days said they would occasionally peek their heads out.  They didn't pop out while we were there but thanks to his high powered scope we could peek into the hole good enough to see two balls of fur.

The small black hole at the base of the tree is the bears den.  With the spotting scope we could get a glimpse inside but at a safe distance.

On the second occasion we stopped, there was only one vehicle.  As it turned out it belonged to a professional tour guide who was giving a private tour to two people.  He had his scope set on a pack of 10 wolves that he had been tracking.  Even though we weren't his paying customers he was very friendly and allowed us to look through his scope at the adults and cubs enjoying themselves on a cool morning.  He told us that the pack had taken down a buffalo a few days earlier and that the remains of the carcass was near the pack and still serving as their food source.  It can get pretty rough out there in the wild sometimes!

We had to backtrack from Lamar Valley to Mammoth Hot Springs, but backtracking through any section of Yellowstone isn't a bad thing!

Our next destination was the Norris Geyser Basin which is considered the parks hottest and most dynamic of the five main geyser basins (Norris, Lower, Midway, Upper and West Thumb).  Similar to Mammoth Hot Springs, there was a board walk (approximately 2 miles) that allowed us to get up close to a number of Geysers including Steamboat, the worlds tallest geyser.  We made stops at the Midway Geyser Basin and enjoyed a walk to the Grand Prismatic Spring.  This large, colorful spring is the one that is often found on the cover of books, magazines and postcards of Yellowstone.  We were able to catch glimpses of it, but for the most part it was shrouded in smoke/fog as the surface of the hot water mixed with the cool air temperatures.  

Norris Geyser Basin

Norris Geyser Basin

The different colors in the run off streams from the geysers and hot springs are determined by the mineral content of the water.  They can be various shades of red, yellow and green.

We enjoyed a picnic along the Firehole River.  It was a little chilly and there were "bear aware" signs on the table so we turned it into a "quicknic".  Don't miss the Firehole Canyon and Firehole Lake Drives.  They're only a couple of miles each but they're great.

Mudpot near Firehole Lake

Gibbon Falls

The parking lot at Gibbon Falls.  Just us and the waterfall!

It was getting late in the afternoon and we were getting pretty geysered out at that point.  We had also had a couple of more "buffalo jams" which slowed us down but were also highly entertaining, so we made our way to the upper geyser basin.  This basin is not only the home of the most famous of Yellowstone's geysers, Old Faithful, but is also where the Snow Lodge is located.

This buffalo jam caused about a 30 minute delay!

Still smiling late in the day!

This isn't the Grand Prismatic, it was covered in smoke/fog!  It's a smaller spring located near the Grand Prismatic. The clouds make it really interesting.

When we checked in it was posted that the next eruption of Old Faithful was going to be at 6:53 (+ or - 10 minutes), which was less than an hour away.  We decided that one more geyser for the day wouldn't hurt anything, especially since it was the most famous of them all.  Although it was only a few hundred yards over to Old Faithful, we had enough walking for the day so we made the short drive.  True to it's name shortly after 6:53 Old Faithful came to life sending water and steam high into the air.  You may have seen pictures of record summer crowds at Yellowstone where thousands lined the area around Old Faithful every time it was about to do it's thing.  We counted a grand total of 10 other people who had made their way out to the geyser for the show.  As I've mentioned before, off season travel is wonderful.  That night as we settled into bed I think we both had visions of geysers dancing in our heads.

An old geezer at the Old Faithful Geyser just before it's sunset eruption

After waking up and fueling up with coffee, hot tea and breakfast we were on our way for another day of exploring.  We gave the Silver Bullet the morning off and enjoyed hiking the upper geyser basin boardwalk trails.  These trails meander through numerous geysers in all shapes and sizes, hot springs and fumaroles (steam vents) making it seem as if you've been transported to another planet.   We were nearing the end of our hike when we had to do a little backtracking.  A large buffalo had decided that the best place to graze was right beside the trail.  Not wanting to disturb an animal that weighed around 1,500 pounds, and with the encouragement of a park ranger, we figured that a little extra walking on an alternate trail wouldn't hurt.  After watching Old Faithful erupt around mid-day we drove eastward towards the West Thumb Section and then along the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake to Lake Village before returning to Snow Lodge.

Along the Upper Geyser Boardwalk Trail.  

Old Faithful Geyser was fun to see but some of the other geysers in the upper basin were even more interesting.  This is the Sawmill Geyser.  It's eruptions were nonstop.

The Grotto Geyser

The appropriately named Riverside Geyser

This guy caused us to get a little extra exercise.  We decided he'd probably make a good buffalo burger.

Old Faithful doing it's thing.  Eruption times are determined based on the length of the previous eruption.  The rangers can accurately predict times within the + or - ten minute window.

Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake is worth a second look!

We were in no rush to leave Yellowstone the next morning because our next destination, Jackson Hole, Wyoming was just 90 miles away.  We weren't the last people of the season to check out of Snow Lodge for the year, but we were very close.  It was closing that day, joining the Old Faithful Inn, Lake Village and Canyon Village hotels which are now closed for the season.  You can still visit Yellowstone during the winter, which I'm sure is spectacular.  The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel remains open but travel through the park, for the most part, is limited to park service transportation.  It's a good idea to check the website before going, especially in late fall, winter and early spring.  As we made our way toward the South Gate we stopped briefly at the West Thumb Geyser Basin and we're glad we did.  Not only can we now say that we covered all five geyser basins, but we also enjoyed seeing a mink scurrying around.  Unfortunately since we had just pulled in to the parking area we didn't have the camera ready so you'll just have to take our word.

Kempler Cascades was an unexpected surprise as we headed towards Yellowstone's south gate

West Thumb Geyser Basin............the last photo of a geyser in this blog!

After leaving Yellowstone there were several stops including at the Jackson Lake Dam, and to enjoy a short walk at Jenny Lake.  The foggy morning had given way to sunny blue skies so we had great views of the Teton Mountain Range as we drove through Grand Teton National Park.  We arrived in Jackson Hole in the middle of the afternoon and were very amused and pleased at the lack of people.  The streets around the normally busy town square were practically empty and only a few locals and travelers made their way along the wooden sidewalks.  A friendly lady working in one of the stores shared with us that during the summer her normally twelve minute commute from her home to work was taking about forty five minutes.  We found a great bbq place (Big Hole) for a late lunch and walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel where a nice hot tub was waiting.

National Parks always put a smile on our faces.

A few pictures from our drive from Yellowstone to Jackson Hole........

No buffalo jams and no traffic jams!

I'm not a huge Dixie Chicks fan but this did make me start humming "Wide Open Spaces"

Downtown Jackson Hole on a sleepy Sunday afternoon.

There are antler arches on every corner entrance of the town square

Under one of the four iconic antler arches of Jackson Holes town square

We're now in Park City, Utah.  It was an easy four and a half hour drive.  We took the most direct route of three options google maps gave us.  The scenery was great as we made our way out of Jackson Hole following along side the Snake River for the first forty miles before leaving it and heading into less mountainous, wide open spaces where ranches with thousands of cows dotted the landscape.  Like Jackson Hole, Park City is pretty empty right now.  The summer crowds are long gone and the ski season is still a few weeks away.  Our day was similar to our day in Jackson Hole.  A late lunch, roaming around a bit (this time along Main Street) and back to the hotel and it's hot tub.  Tomorrow we make the short drive to Salt Lake City, to end this road trip adventure. 

Along the drive from Jackson Hole to Park City

We made a friend in Park City

Main Street will be a little busier once ski season arrives

The town lift is ready to transport skiers up to the base lifts.  When the snow comes the people will come

We'll be in Florida until Thanksgiving night then back to Salt Lake City to retrieve the Silver Bullet and on the road again.  This time further westward towards California.  Adventure awaits!