Road Trip Blues

It all started with jambalaya. We flew to California for Christmas, New Years and then a road trip. We were at our son’s home for New Years with a car borrowed from a friend for this trip. It’s been a tradition for Tom to make jambalaya on New Year’s day for 30 years. Naturally everyone wanted jambalaya and Tom offered to make it. Katie and family came down for New Year’s also so we were all together for the first time in a long time.

The night before the preparation, our son’s wife walked into the kitchen and as she did, water came up through the floor boards. This was not good. They had just put in new floors and painted all the cabinets, and something was leaking. The culprit turned out to be the dishwasher. The plumber was called first thing in the morning and gave the wonderful news that water was everywhere, under the floors and in the walls and everything would have to come out. The insurance people came over, declared a disaster and immediately got a crew to tear out the floors. Not only that but they set up 5 industrial fans and a humidifier. If you’ve never tried to make jambalaya with industrial fans going, count your blessings.

After the jambalaya disaster/success, we were off on our road trip. First to Phoenix, then San Diego, Balboa Island, back to our son’s for one night, then back to our daughter’s in the Bay Area for the twins 10th birthday. This was the period where they had torrential rains. While we were gone, Katie and Drew bought a new SUV and gave us their old one. That was the good news, the bad news was we had to drive it back to Minnesota. After two days at Katie’s, the Northern route we were going to take wasn’t available as they had tons of snow up in Tahoe and the roads were closed. We decided to take the longer Southern route.

The weather followed us. Downpours of rain on our way south made the driving stressful. We finally reached Arizona and planned to go to Flagstaff the following morning, but they had 2 feet of snow and it wasn’t stopping. The news the next morning advised not going to Flagstaff if that had been your plan. Once again plans changed as we decided to go an even longer route through Phoenix. We had just been to Phoenix at the beginning of our road trip and now we were going back.

Truth or Consequences, NM was our goal that day, a town of about 6,000. It might have been small but the hotel was nice and after the hotel from the previous night, very welcome. Our plan had been to reach Santa Fe and stay there a couple of days as neither of us had ever been there. That plan was also out the window but we could go through Santa Fe the next day and stop for lunch. As we were driving, I was looking at the Santa Fe tourist guide. It has 320 days of sun a year, lots of restaurants and shops and charming architecture. As we got closer, the weather got worse. We were going to hit one of the 45 days a year with no sun. By the time we parked it was raining hard and cold. As we were having a very pleasant lunch it started sleeting. Were we going to walk up to the Plaza anyway? We were there, we were going to do it. What a miserable experience. You could see how nice it would be on one of those 320 days with sun.

About an hour out of Santa Fe we hit sun! With good weather, Tom decided I was capable of driving. It was about another two hours when it got cloudy and we started going up. All of a sudden it started snowing hard and then we came to almost a stop as we were going up a pass, there was a snowplow ahead of us followed by a line of cars and trucks. We were crawling but there were SUV’s and pick-up trucks passing through the snow on the left, and passing fast like they were Formula 1 drivers. I was not that brave and Tom was quite stressed by the fact that I was driving. We had not yet reached the summit but the snowplow suddenly stopped and pulled off to the side. We were entering the state of Colorado and no way was he going to plow Colorado roads. As we made our way down, the weather got worse and visibility was an issue. Then Tom announced he was going to drive, so we pulled off at the first gas station we could. He took over the driving and our goal was to get to Pueblo, CO in one piece. Initially we had hoped to make it to Nebraska but that wasn’t going to happen. We did make it to Pueblo and spent the night. The next day didn’t look too bad so we were hoping to get to Denver and beyond. Denver was only 116 miles away.

Close to Denver, the weather once again got bad. We turned east on I-76 which connects with I-80 at the Nebraska border. The snow increased and the road was down to one fairly clear lane with very little traffic. We saw a message board that read “I-76 closed at Sterling, CO. I-80 closed through Nebraska.” No wonder there was very little traffic. Using an called Next Exit we found a shopping center off the highway. The road to it was covered in snow. We were thankful for all wheel drive as we made our way there. Once there, we stopped at a Target for coffee and to plot our next move. We called our nephew who wanted to meet us for dinner. Dinner? That was the furthest thing from our minds. We were trying to cross Nebraska.

If we could get back to I-25 near Ft. Collins, we could go north to Cheyenne, WY and to HWY 80 through Nebraska that way. We have friends in Ft. Collins we haven’t seen in several years. We called them and they told us to come right over when we got there and stay for as long as it took because by now the weather forecast indicated I-80 would be closed for some time. We were stuck. We stayed in Ft. Collins for two days waiting for the roads to open and had a great time. So much to talk about and so fun to catch up. It turned out to be a highlight of the trip. But we should have done laundry!

Two days later we made it to Sioux Falls, SD. It was a long day but the weather was good and the leg to Alexandria from Sioux Falls was a short one. Besides reusing underwear and driving through dense ground fog the next day, we made it home at last and were happy to be there. The sun was shining brightly, the house was fine and not too cold, and there were a ton of ice houses on the lake for fishing. A three day trip took seven full days and nearly 2900 miles of driving but boy, was it good to be home.

Can This Country be Saved?

What happens on a road trip? Lots of boredom, long stretches of road with no gas stations or scenery. Take the road from Billings, MT through North Dakota. We were traveling on this road forever it seemed when all of a sudden the landscape changed dramatically after we crossed the border from Montana to North Dakota. This is the good part of a road trip. We perked up and because we were ready to stop after driving 10 hours, it seemed serendipitous. It turns out we were passing through the Teddy Roosevelt National Park. Did you know there was a Teddy Roosevelt National Park? We did not. We saw a road sign that read: Medora, 1/2 mile. Why not? Let’s see what Medora holds for us.

We came into a tiny town, but a cool town. Very touristy it looked like. But pretty deserted. Very deserted. We saw the Roughrider Hotel and decided to check it out. They had plenty of rooms and we were in the heart of Teddy Roosevelt land. The tourist season hadn’t started and nothing was open until the middle of May, including the hotel restaurant. Upon asking the desk clerk where we could eat, he seemed not to have a clue which was surprising considering how small the town was. He ducked into the back room and when he came out, told us there were two restaurants in town open, which he thought were just around the corner. We then asked if we could leave our stuff in the car overnight. “Oh no, very dangerous to leave your things in the car” he said. “Everything could be stolen.” Just then the manager came out and told us this was Medora, ND, and of course you could leave your stuff in the car overnight as there was no one in town, it was perfectly safe. We headed down the street to the restaurant the manager said was the best choice. It was a sports bar with dollar bills hanging all over the ceiling signed by happy patrons. We had dinner, then headed back to the Roughrider for a good nights sleep after asking the same clerk for a hairdryer as I couldn’t find one in the room. Panic ensued as he frantically looked through all the file cabinets, etc and couldn’t find one. He said he’d call the manager and let us know. After waiting quite awhile in the room, I told Tom we’d have to go to the car and dig out my suitcase where I had a hair dryer packed in the bottom. So we did and when we came back in, there he was grinning ear to ear with a hairdryer in his hand. He had managed to solve a problem! Why hadn’t he called our room to let us know he’d found one? Not worth finding out. Now I had two hairdryers, soon to be three as when I finally shut the bathroom door the next morning, there was the in room hairdryer hanging on the back of the door.

The Roughrider had breakfast for the hotel guests the following morning from 7am-9am, as there was nowhere else in town open. We got our institutional scrambled eggs and sat down at a big round table to eat and for me to finally read the paper I had carried with us from home. All of a sudden there was a swarm of kids coming into the room. They looked to be middle school students. Two adults in charge, apparently, sat at the table in front of us and the kids took over the rest of the tables. Lots of chatter and laughter. Then this poor lone girl who was aced out of the tables with the kids, plopped down across from us and politely asked if it was ok to sit there. We said of course and Tom told her she wouldn’t even have to talk to us. She smiled and said of course she would talk to us. My heart sank, there goes the paper I had been trying to read since we left and how would we communicate with a middle schooler? Very easily as it turns out. Miss Brynn Powell, from Plaza, N.D, population 200, was an incredible conversationalist. We learned all about her and her family, their travels, their jobs, the fact that she had dressed her first deer this past season after hunting with her dad, all about her school which has been in session almost the entire year, the fact there were 17 kids in her 7th grade class this year, the biggest ever, even though there were only 4 kids in the Senior class, and the best part? World affairs and how she feels about everything. She was very knowledgeable and had her opinions on everything. So thank goodness we had the conversation with Brynn or I would not have realized this Country could be saved. We thought it was doomed, but it turns out with young people like Brynn in it, we have a chance. She could have buried her nose in her cell phone, but she didn’t and chose to talk to us instead. What young person these days does that? So be encouraged America, all is not lost. There must be other Brynn’s in this Country but we found the best so far from tiny Plaza, ND.

A Pescatarian High Tea

Was it real or a dream?  If it was a dream, it was a good one.  We were in the car driving to Port Townsend WA to spend the night, then on to Port Angeles the next morning to catch the ferry to Victoria BC.  We were getting away for a long weekend.  When we arrived in Port Townsend, I knew it wasn’t a dream.  Apparently we were the only ones among our friends who had never been to Victoria so we had lots of information on places to see, where to eat and where to stay.  We were set.

The ferry trip was an hour and a half and when we landed, the scenery was awe inspiring.  We were staying about an hour away at Sooke Harbor and when Tom went to put the address into Google Maps, our phones didn’t work.  We had no service and were on our own.  Remember those days?  Luckily Tom has a map in his head.  As we went along, Tom got into a left hand lane to turn and I said, ” wait, my instinct is to turn right.”  He just looked at me. “Thank goodness you’re not driving, we’re trying to go toward the water, not away from it.”    There is no map in my head.

The Sooke Harbor House where we stayed was wonderful.  However, we had to go back into Victoria to see the City and have dinner at an Italian restaurant that many of our friends recommended.  Since it was our anniversary, it seemed the perfect place to eat, an intimate romantic place.  Victoria was very busy when we got there, people everywhere and crowded.  A little overwhelming.  Then we found out it was a holiday weekend.  Did you know that Canadian Thanksgiving is on October 14th?  Neither did we.

We found the restaurant in a cozy little alley.  So far so good.  Once inside our anticipation of a quiet intimate dinner disappeared.  The place was huge and it was packed.  The servers all had to be thin or they would never have gotten through the narrow aisle.  The service was very, very efficient.  No sooner than we sat down, we had menus and water.  That was quickly followed by bread and then the server ready to take our order.  Hearing was difficult.  The food came fast.  It was good, but…not the dinner we had in mind.  “Let’s pretend our anniversary is tomorrow night when we’re back at the Sooke Harbor House” I said.  “Good idea” Tom said.

Victoria is famous for Butchart Gardens and once again all of our friends who had been there said it was a must see.  We were also encouraged to have the High Tea at the gardens.  As I’ve never experienced a High Tea before, it sounded like fun so we did.  And so glad we did.  The Tea was in a beautiful room and we got a perfect table right by the window.  Our sever explained the protocol, we were to get everything on the menu, we only had to choose our tea.  Everything sounded so good and we were definitely going to get a lot of food.  Then another couple came in and sat at the table directly behind me.  As they were ordering, I heard them make a lot of substitutions.  Finally the server, who didn’t miss a beat said “Okay, I have one Vegan High Tea and one Pescatarian High Tea.”  She acted like she knew exactly what a Pescatarian was!  I had never heard the term before and believe me, I really thought I had heard it all.

It was the perfect getaway before the final phase of treatment and I highly recommend everyone go there!

Two Perfect Days

It’s said you can never go back.  But sometimes you can.  It’s just different.  And maybe better.  Where were the two perfect days of the title?   Why in Minnesota of course, home to perfect places.  All of which are on lakes in Northern MN.

On our way to a wedding in Michigan, we met our daughter, her husband and the 5 year old twins for two days at Maddens Lake Resort in Brainerd, home of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox.  Oh how Maddens has changed from the summer I worked there between my Freshman and Sophomore years of college.  It’s much bigger for one thing, and so much to do. They even have pickleball.  But instead of waiting on tables and cleaning cabins, I was now a guest.  Dining, swimming, pontoon boats, flying off rafts, perfect weather and best of all, no mosquitoes! The only thing we didn’t do was golf at one of their several courses.  We would have needed at least 4 days for that.

The old lodge is still there and that is the one in the picture, but there is a bigger and more beautiful one now which is the main lodge.  The first night there we ate at the old lodge which hasn’t changed at all except for paint and the memories flooded back…

There were about 12 of us hired to be waitresses for the summer from all over Minnesota and all attending different colleges. We shared a very rustic cabin dorm, two to a room and one bathroom.  Meals were provided down in the main Lodge where we had our own dining room and the best cook ever.  We called her Aunt Nora and she took care of us like we were her own children.  I still have Aunt Nora’s cookbook, the pages yellowed and stained, with recipes such as:  Pine Edge Famous Orange Rolls, Aunt Nora’s Famous Sour Milk Pancakes, Molded Blueberry Salad, and Lovelle Arnold’s Tangy French Dressing.  We cleaned cabins in the morning and waited tables at lunchtime.

I will never forget the intimidating, scary Mr. Madden.  He was a giant and presided over the restaurant at lunchtime. The dining room was a semi-circle.  It had a main floor and a step down to where all the tables were, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the lake.  There were only a few tables on the main floor for overflow.  But that’s where Mr. Madden’s table was.  At the head of the room where he ate lunch every day, watching us.  Each of us had our one week turn of waiting on him which was the scariest week of the summer.  He was about 6’5″ with a shock of wavy grey hair and blue penetrating eyes.  You had better get his order correct.

Across the lake, which was narrow where we were, was a large house and there were lots of boys there.  They came from surrounding houses and gathered on the point every night.  They would start a bonfire and we would shout across the lake at each other.  We were invited over and of course we went.

He stood out from the start.  Blonde hair, blue eyes, cute and very shy.  I was probably cute and definitely shy. There was an attraction, but what to do about it? Neither of us knew. Noticed by my friends and encouraged to talk, we finally did.  His name was John.  One night they all came to our side of the lake and at the end of the evening, John asked to walk me back to our dorm.  I was thrilled but nervous.  My friends had just gone and when we got to the door I could hear them all inside giggling and talking on the other side of the door. John and I made small talk.

Then he leaned in. And then he kissed me. My first kiss.  I think he kissed me, but it was over so fast I wasn’t sure.  Was it supposed to be that fast?  Was that it?  The romance novels made it seem much more exciting.  Then he turned without saying anything and ran down the hill like he had a pack of girls chasing him.  Maybe it was his first kiss too.  I opened the door to 11 girls on the other side shouting “Did he kiss you?”

All too soon the summer was over.  John and his family left the lake and so did all the other girls.  I was the only one left.  Apparently I was the only one who had signed a contract to stay until the resort closed for the summer.  School was starting and I needed to get back.  I went in to see Mr. Madden.  After I explained why I needed to leave, he just looked at me and said

“You signed a contract, when you sign a contract, you don’t walk out on it.”  I ran out to the dock and, while crying, called my dad begging him to come and get me.  He listened to me and then he said:  “You signed a contract.” Mr. Madden and my dad had a lot in common.  At least I had Aunt Nora’s shoulder to cry on and I learned a big lesson.

Now lots of years later, I’m on the other side and although the sides are different, my feeling for the resort is not.  I loved it then and I love it now.  My California granddaughters think Minnesota is the best place in the world and I couldn’t agree more.

 

Mr. Dreamy

We were having dinner in McMenamin’s newest Hotel and Pub.  A booth overlooking the river on a beautiful evening.  Our waitress had been inanely chatting while we were looking at the menu.  I gave my order and then all of a sudden she stopped in mid-sentence and said

“Oh, he’s dreamy!  Look at how dreamy he is, those eyes!”

I looked all around for the dreamy guy.  Then I realized she was talking about Tom.

“Sister” she said.  “You did good, he’s so dreamy!  I’m not flirting or anything, don’t mistake that, I just think those blue eyes are dreamy.”  She left to put in our order.

Obviously flattered and puffed up, Tom asked if his eyes were indeed dreamy.

“Well, I think the river is reflecting off of your eyes and they’re pretty blue and apparently really dreamy at the moment.”  Usually his eyes are two different colors.

“Paul Newman blue?” he asked.  “No, not even close.  No one’s eyes will ever be that blue.  Sorry.” I said.

We were staying at the Kalama, Washington McMenamin’s and heading up to hike Mt. St. Helen’s the following day.  McMenamin’s is very well known in the Pacific Northwest as they have so many hotels and restaurants.  They usually take an old historic (or not) building and refurbish it into a hotel.  Most of them are very charming and this was no exception.  We had a room on the Columbia River side and it was very dreamy.  That bed was so comfortable and so were the pillows. Don’t you think  pillows can make or break the enjoyment of your stay?

The next morning we had breakfast again in the Pub and were early enough to get a booth on the River.  The food and coffee were great, it was quiet and I think the most enjoyable place to have breakfast ever.  Then we checked out and proceeded up to Mt. St. Helen’s for our next adventure.

We’ve been here four years now and have never been to Mt. St. Helen’s.  That mountain blew up 38 years ago when I was much younger.  I remember it blowing but never experienced the impact of it like we did when we were up there.  The visitor centers have a movie with sound of the blast and it was unbelievable.  The blast sent rock, ash and lava 50,000′ into the air.  It was a lateral blast which is the worst and the entire mountain came down burying everything in it’s path.  Everywhere we were that day on the mountain had been destroyed 38 years ago.

I don’t know what I was expecting but it wasn’t what we saw.  I think a more barren landscape, but  It’s lush and beautiful, with lakes, streams, valleys and wildlife.  There are hiking trails everywhere.  We took two of them for a total of about 8 miles.  One was the picture on the right and one was along a lake.  There is an observatory almost to the top where you can see the snow covered crater of St. Helen’s.  The Mountain used to be more than 10,000′ tall and is now around 8,000′.  To climb to the crater requires a permit which we didn’t have and I didn’t want.  It looked very foreboding and I was more than happy with the hikes we were doing.  The devastation carved out new valleys and lakes and destroyed old ones.  Many people lost their lives that day including the infamous, colorful Harry Truman who owned the St. Helen’s Lodge, had spent 50 years of his life there and refused to leave.

The stories of the survivors, especially the couple who were camping and heard the blast and began to pack up and leave.  While doing so the sound of trees snapping like matchsticks and the roar of the mud flow drowned everything else out.  They looked up and saw a river of mud (pyroclastic material according to the information in the visitor centers) and trees bearing down upon them. One of the trees crushed his leg but he crawled up onto a log and began riding the log while trying to grab his wife.  He grasped her twice but each time she was pulled under the mud.  But he didn’t give up and with his last attempt was able to grab her long hair and hang on.  He was able to pull her to the surface and they rode the logs until the flow slowed such that they could stop.  Now that is one dreamy guy!

 

The $1000 Round of Golf

I started playing golf because I got a great deal on golf clubs.  When I asked Tom if $220 for an entire set of clubs including the bag was a good deal, he said “Why are you asking me that?  You don’t even play golf.”  So I replied “Well maybe I’ll start if that’s a good deal on clubs.”  He rolled his eyes and said “Why don’t you just get me a set, I actually play golf and need new clubs.”  So I got us both a set.  That was 16 years ago and I’m still playing with those clubs.

Although I like the game of golf I am really just a hacker and even though Tom has been playing his entire life, he is too.  So when we were recently in St. Andrews, Scotland, of course we had to play a round of golf.  We weren’t good enough to get on the Old Course at St. Andrews, you need a handicap that I will never see, but we were good enough to play at Kingsbarns where they don’t check your handicap.  It turns out that Kingsbarns is where the Women’s British Open will be held this year in August, so I was really excited.  When you’re watching that tournament, just think that I actually played the course.

The day of the game arrived. It was cloudy and cold but not raining.  On the way to the course at 6 AM with no breakfast or coffee I sunk into my thoughts for the upcoming day.  “Why am I even playing here? I’m not good enough to justify all this money for one golf game, my handicap is so high, my game is so inconsistent that if I play well one round, I’ll be terrible the next.  Wait, did I play well my last round of golf?  Oh no, I did! That means I’ll be terrible today. I’ve never had a caddie before, he or she will be so depressed. I’m playing with three men, one of whom I’ve not met and is a high school golf coach.  I’m playing with rented clubs. The day has already become a disaster!”  Of course I was expressing these thoughts to Tom who counseled me that we were paying the caddy so he’d be nice and that I needed to think POSITIVE swing thoughts not negative.

We got to the course and Kevin and Tommy were already there.  I gave Kevin a hug as I know him and Tommy seemed like a nice guy.  So we got our clubs and our bucket of balls and went to the practice range where I tried to hit my rented clubs.  Every one I pulled out I couldn’t hit.  Because the first shot I was going to hit would be with a driver my last practice shot was with a driver.  Naturally it dribbled off the tee to about 50 yards.  It was time to go.  When I met my caddie he was not the friendliest so I am sure he drew the short straw among our caddies and got the girl.  In the picture, the guy in the background is my caddie.  Note the folded arms.  Not good body language.

Standing at the first tee, with 3 men and 3 caddies watching, my heart pounding, I closed my eyes and swung the club. It landed in the fairway and went over 100 yards! None of the men had hit into the fairway and I could see my caddie breathe a sigh of relief. There were pot bunkers everywhere and Tom was in most of them all day. To the point where his caddie started complaining about having to rake so much and muttering about charging extra for it. On hole #7, I passed by Tom’s caddie raking the 8th pot bunker Tom had hit into.  He looked up at me longingly, wishing I’m sure, he had drawn the short straw and gotten the girl as I was playing the best round I’d had in years.

I found myself walking next to Tom going to hole #9 and said “Why aren’t you hitting any of your long clubs, the woods?”

“My caddie won’t give me one” he said, pouting.

Laughing, I said “See, negative thoughts do work!”

There were three of us in the same bunker at one point and Tom said “closest to the pin getting out wins and the other two buy the beer.”  Tom’s caddie looked at the other caddies and said” closest to the pin rakes” betting against Tom.  Tom won and his caddie had to rake, much to the delight of us all.  Do any of you readers remember seeing Robin Williams and his take on golf in Scotland?  If you’d like to refresh, here is the link but beware there is profanity:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcnFbCCgTo4

We celebrated our day with dinner at a restaurant where the food turned out to be fabulous.  We were even inspired to try the national dish, haggis. Haggis is everywhere.  You can get a burger with haggis, chicken stuffed with it, appetizers of haggis which ours was.  There are haggis and whiskey bars, odes and monuments to haggis.  Ours came with neeps and tatties.  I recommend that you google haggis.  It was actually pretty good. Skip the neeps.

Does anyone out there have a golf story they’d like to share?