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Yup. Just got home. Long day in a series of long days. Happy to be here--Happy Solstice, everyone!

Almost home!

(I actually wrote this last night--Wednesday night, but couldn't post until this morning)

So, the Golden Nugget was sort of a bust. Sort of. We drove through some fantastic rocky landscapes to get to Vegas and then it was...Vegas. Ick. Driving in the 105- to 110-degree heat, to see the dim outline of the city through a haze of whatever passes for air these days, just made me wonder what the heck I was thinking, planning a night here. Well, I was thinking "camping, camping, big bed/pool/shower!". The Golden Nugget has this crazy pool with a shark tank involved, and I had a mental image of Dave and I lazing about in the water, watching the fishes. I forgot about all the people, though. Bleah. And things take so long to do in Vegas (because of the people, mostly). We did get our room upgraded to a suite, but (we found out) downgraded from non-smoking (if such a thing exists in old Vegas hotels) to smoking. Or shall we say "smoke-infused". We walked in and hit a wall of stale cigarette stench, and I realized that all our stuff would smell like this for days (GREAT). The suite was cool from a roomy perspective--two rooms, two bathrooms (one with jacuzzi bath and one with a huge shower), tv, huge bed, closets, and telephones next to the toilets. Swank, but way smelly. I tried to burrow down so far into the bed that I couldn't smell the smoke anymore and wasn't able to--even the sheets stank. If we'd been there for two nights I would have complained, but it would have been my whole evening to make the change for one night, as the place was full.

The Shark Tank (tm, I'm sure) was interesting, though the big tank sticking up in the center of the swimming pool (and the multiple tiers which allow for a long water-slide tube through the shark tank) meant that most of the pool was shaded. It was weird being outside in 103-degree weather and being chilly. The sharks and other denizens of the Tank seemed pretty bored, though they are extremely beautiful. You can see through the shark tank to the pool (everything is circular), so it was sort of "silver fish, gold fish, blue fish, tourist, tourist, fish". We spent most of the evening lolling in the suite, trying to ignore the smell.

And then Dave came down with food poisoning.

MAN. Food poisoning, as Dave points out, sucks, food poisoning in Vegas when the plan is to get up early and drive through possibly 118-degree heat in Death Valley in order to get to the next night's rest really, really sucks.

We were able to get the car packed up. I located a Trader Joe's nearby (thank you, iphone) and we filled up with yogurt, water, ginger candy and other treats that might stay in Dave's tummy. Just before DV I took over driving, since Dave was getting very, very tired. Usually he drives, due to a tendency to car sickness, and because I hate driving. Also the idea of DV freaks me out. I can appreciate the beauty of desert areas, but it is not my climate. I spent small bits of my life in my early 20s around hot, dry places, with cars that tended to break down and/or didn't have air conditioning (usually and), and so I get a bit on edge thinking about situations with deserts and cars. It was gorgeous, though, and getting out at the visitor center the 108-degree heat mostly reminded me of Bakersfield, where my mom grew up (and which isn't all that far away from DV). Of course, Mom left Bakersfield as soon as she could, having grown up there before air-conditioning and plentiful swimming pools, and when we went to visit our grandparents as children, I don't actually remember doing anything besides swimming, except for the mandatory trip to JC Penneys to buy underwear and summer pajamas. DV then, did, oddly bring back vague memories of tuna sandwiches, cold buttermilk, and hours of splashing around.

In any case, I enjoyed the first part of the drive, but then we got into the really hot area (115), and then had to go up big mountains, where I remembered how I don't like driving up mountains, and then we started going down the other side of the mountains and I remembered how I especially hate driving down incredibly steep grades with drop-offs and we pulled over and Dave drove us to the bottom. I'm sorry, I'm just a wimp, and I hadn't realized how long it's been since I had to do serious driving because I drive so little in Portland. I wish I could see DV without having to drive. At the DV Visitor Center Dave picked up a pamphlet about how global warming is affecting national parks and it occurred to me that every NP I've been to (quite a few on our trip to Austin and on the way back) is designed to be driven through. Which can be nice, but it seems like it's time for a new way to see them. Hiking, horses and pack mules? Or, for instance, I would be very happy to have made the DV trip (and in fact the trip to and from Austin) on a train. Going through the Petrified Forest would have been great on a bike (people do that, but how much more fun if cars weren't allowed). Anyway, just sayin'.

Once off the mountains and out of the park I took over driving again, though Owens Valley (gorgeous) on the eastern side of the Sierras. Ah, California--my native land. We stopped for a burger--I had the burger, Dave had a rootbeer float (replacing precious fluids and sugars), and then we drove a short way to the Winnedumah Hotel (est. 1927). My cousin Dmitria recommended it and I can say it feels very like an oasis. Quiet, cool, with a nice owner (who offered us homemade chicken soup), interesting books, handmade quilts, and lovely old furniture. Aaaaaah! Now if only we can get Dave feeling good again! Tomorrow it's up 395 to Mono Lake and Yosemite, and then the next day on to Portland.

another mini trip update

Today we're in Moab, staying at Arches National Park. It's incredibly beautiful but also incredibly hot (98) and any shade is filled with bugs. I'd like to come back in October. Yesterday we enjoyed a lovely drive here from Santa Fe, and learned much about the various liquor laws in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. We also drove the Devil's Highway (in my old atlas it's 666, now renumbered 491). It was actually quite pretty. Idyllic--somewhat like Switzerland with sage brush.

We're having a good time with Mike and Linda, tomorrow early we all depart--them back to Denver, us down to Vegas, where we're staying at the Gold Nugget (it was cheap! Plus they have shark tank now--yeep!). Hope to check in then. If not, we're then off through Death Valley to Independence, CA. Love to all!

austin to portland--day one, sort of

Okay, so I have a LOT of time to make up for--I will attempt to do that, once we're staying in the same place for more than a few weeks. In any case, we're on our way back the to Northwest. I'm exhausted, so here is the short version: left Austin at 8:30 a.m., drove (Dave drove, I stared and sat) for 12 hours until we reached Santa Fe, to land at Mike and Linda's absolutely wonderful condo (thank you thank you!!!). Due to the time change, we even got in early enough to have a great dinner. With driving, sun, altitude, and food, we are now going TO BED. Tomorrow we drive to Moab to spend a few days with Mike and Linda, and will be out of range, perhaps I will pick things up in Vegas (day 4). Or something...zzzzzzzzz......