john and mary's big adventure

2009-05-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Six weeks later. Made it home alive. About 10,000 miles and about as many bugs stuck to the front of my truck. Over and out.

2009-05-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

We stopped in Butte and Missoula Montana.

2009-05-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Devils tower.

2009-05-19T20:31:00.000-07:00

Coming down the mountain from Mt. Rushmore into Deadwood the speed limit drops from 65 to 25 mph. The welcome wagon was there to meet us and issue me a $90.00 speeding ticket. I guess casinos are not enough income for this town. Deadwoods big claim to fame is the death of Wild Bill Hickock in the Saloon #10 holding the deadmans hand of aces and eights. The problem is the are many Saloon #10's in town all claiming to be the real place. Very touristy. We did stop by boot hill to see Calamity Janes grave. I was expecting a cool old cemetary, but found more of an amusement park them with all new stones. Admission $1.00. Very touristy.

2009-05-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

Mt. Rushmore

2009-05-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

We almost forgot to stop at Wall Drug in S.D. Its a good thing they have billboards every 100 feet along I-90 reminding you.

2009-05-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

The Corn Palace In Mitchel S. Dakota is a building completely covered with corn art , made from real corn! Every fall after harvest they strip it all off and redecorate it anew. Go figure!

2009-05-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

We stopped at the biggest truck stop in the USA, outside Davenport Iowa.

2009-05-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

No trip is complete without a stop at gramma's house in Davenport Iowa. She fed us pizza and gave us Crown Royal for the road.

2009-05-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Stayed 2 nights in Chicago. Highlights were Pizza Uno for the original deep dish pizza, the stained glass museum, and great thunder and lightning storms downtown. Low lights, people were generally rude.

2009-05-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

We went to the beach at the great lakes

2009-05-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

Ocean City boardwalk.

2009-05-11T20:50:00.000-07:00

Maryland blue crab feast in Ocean city with Alan and Rita.

2009-05-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

No trip to New York is complete without visiting Coney Island.

2009-05-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

NYC.

2009-05-11T20:06:00.000-07:00

Baltimore Md. Toured the oldest US Navy ship. Went to a ship restaurant. Very cool old town with great brown stone row houses. Just stayed overnight.

2009-05-11T20:01:00.000-07:00

Of course we had to drive into Philly for steak subs. Geno's and Pats. Heavy on the cheese whiz.

2009-05-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

Drove thru the old neighborhood , Fairfax Va. The house I grew up in and the diner I used to hang out at.

2009-05-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Petrersburg Virginia. Civil war museum. This is where the union army broke thru the confederate line protecting Richmond. Two weeks later Lee surrendered at Appomattox. very cool interactive museum of the civil war soldier. The mound of dirt is the original bunker wall dug by the confederate army.

2009-05-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

South of the Border is just over the North Carolina border in South Carolina. I used to go there as a kid with my dad to buy fireworks. It is a huge roadside attraction, but really weird. Some of the buildings are closed down now. Mostly they sell their branded products. Shot glasses, snow globes, t-shirts etc. At one time it was big news, now its almost a ghost town. The carnival is barely open. Still one of my favorite places!!! Check it out:

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2211

2009-05-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

Most people go on cross country trips to discover the history of our country. We, on the other hand, leave that to the History Channel. We search for tacky roadside attractions. This is Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in St. Augustine.

2009-05-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

In 1565 Ponce De Leon sailed to the new world to find the fountain of youth. It is now a tourist attraction in St. Agustine. I drank fron the fountain and now Mary is a cougar.

2009-05-03T19:10:00.000-07:00

One of our goals on this trip is to locate old roadside attractions. We went through Hammock Florida just to see this giant "orange duck" advertising a local fruit stand. Unfortunately the stand is closed and this is what is left of the figure.

2009-05-03T19:08:00.000-07:00

Water tower seen in Georgetown South Carolina. Kind of homesick.

2009-05-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

In St. Augustine Florida we went on a walking ghost tour. LAME! Note ectoplasm detector in Mary's hand. LAME! Cool graveyards in this town.

2009-05-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

Driving up the coast. 90+ degrees. Had to stop at some beaches to cool off.

2009-05-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

We spent 2 days at Disney World where we met up with Bill and lillian Butterfield.

2009-05-03T18:50:00.000-07:00

After we left New Orleans we dropped down to the gulf coast. Gulf Port and Biloxi still show signs of the hurricane.

2009-05-03T18:38:00.000-07:00

The last few pictures of New Orleans. Dinner in the french quarter and drinks on Bourbon St.

2009-04-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Pictures from New Orleans. Buildings, Jazz fest, street performers, freaks, perverts, drinkers, drunks, food, beer, Bourbon st. , and Santa Claus on vacation.

2009-04-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Our favorite street performers in the French Quarter. Not the best....our favorite.

2009-04-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Spent the afternoon in San Antonio . Visited the Alamo. Stella peed on the grass out front and got yelled at by Mr. Ranger. We were later told by a local homeless guy that Stella was in good company. Ozzy Osborne peed there too and got arrested. No , there is no basement in the Alamo......we looked.

2009-04-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

After two BBQ lunches Mary lapses into food delirium. Lockhart Texas

2009-04-23T22:10:00.000-07:00

Lockhart Texas is the BBQ capitol of the world. There are 2 joints in town. Smitty's and Blacks. Both are very famous. Smitty's has an attitude ( no forks , no BBQ sauce, no credit, blah blah blah.... Blacks more friendly and outdoor seating. ( Amazingly few places have outdoor seating. To us Seattleites its great but to Texans its too hot to sit outside). So our dilema was where to eat.....so we ate at both. We liked Blacks best. Ate too much. ( see next blog entry). Note great picture of the old guy cook taking a break from the open fire pits. Hotter n hell!

2009-04-23T22:05:00.000-07:00

Time to leave Austin. ( Mary has renamed it Awesome Texas) Austin is by far our favorite city so far. Lots of great stores, restaurants, art, music and so much more. Planning to come back in the fall .............to pick up the junk I bought.

2009-04-22T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Broken Spoke is a classic honky tonk bar in Austin. Riding the scooters at night .......still hot out and no helmet law!

2009-04-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

One of the tourist attractions in Austin is the bat swarm every dusk. One million bats live under the bridge and fly out at sunset to eat bugs.

2009-04-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

94 degrees in Austin today.

2009-04-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

We unloaded the scooters and toured around Austin. Lunch at an Airstream trailer that served crepes. Great hangover food.

2009-04-22T15:09:00.000-07:00

Our first night in Austin. We met up with Damon and Glen. Our first stop was Emo's where we played punk rock bingo. It is your basic bingo except you throw stuff ( eggs, vegetables, cans, water or whatever you can find) , at the caller who sits behind chicken wire. We then proceeded to hit some more bars on 6th street and get drunk. I think it was the Jameson shots that took me over the edge.

2009-04-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

After staying in some kind of stanky roadside motels, we decided to try priceline for our 2 nights in Austin. We got the newly remodeled four starr Hyatt for $60.00 / night. Check out the view from our room!

2009-04-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

Pulling into Mineral Falls Texas we see this giant hotel in the middle of this little town. It was like an episode of the Twilght Zone. This building was abandoned and falling apart. It looked totally out of place. Here is a link to the history of the Hotel. http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasPanhandleTowns/MineralWellsTexas/BakerHotelMineralWellsRWP.htm

2009-04-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

We pulled into Wichita Falls Texas for lunch. We got lost and ended up in a seedy area of town. Most of the buildings were abandoned but one. The parking lot at The Branding Iron was packed and overflowing.This was the place! All locals , cafeteria style. Brisket, hot links, cole slaw, cheese broccoli, and lemon pie. Our first BBQ in Texas! It was unbelievable!!!

2009-04-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Driving through these small towns in Texas , it seems that most of the old buildings are vacant or boarded up.

2009-04-22T14:34:00.000-07:00

We left New Mexico and drove through the Texas pan handle. Here are some pictures along the road.

2009-04-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

The Big Texan in Amarillo Texas. This is the place that you eat for free if you can finish off a 72 ounce steak, shrimp coctail, salad, baked potato, and roll. If you don't eat it all , its $72.00. We didn't try it. One out of ten can do it. They have given away 8,000 steak dinners since they opened in 1960.

2009-04-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

One of our planned stops was to be at Coyote Bluff Cafe in Amarillo. They feature the world famous HELL BURGER , supposedly the hottest burger in the world. But alas..................closed on mondays!

2009-04-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

The cadillac ranch outside of Amarillo Texas.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2220

2009-04-20T20:54:00.000-07:00

We stopped in old town Albuquerque monday morning for coffee.

2009-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

The Grand Canyon

2009-04-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

In bedrock we found a salon similar to one in Georgetown. Here are the pictures of the hair stylists from Bedrock....can you match them to their counterparts ?

2009-04-20T19:57:00.000-07:00

On the road to the grand canyon is one of the coolest places on earth...............BEDROCK. If the grand canyon is the 8th wonder of the world, then Bedrock is the 9th. We rode the Flintstone train!

2009-04-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

After we left Palm Springs we traveled old route 66.

2009-04-18T22:43:00.000-07:00

An average day on the road for Stella

2009-04-18T22:39:00.000-07:00

Another picture or Andersons Pea Soup on our way to Palm springs.

2009-04-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

OK. Catch up time. After we left San Francisco we stopped to see Vinces antique trailer collection in Auburn California , near Sacramento.

2009-04-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

We are in Palm Springs staying at Scott Andrews house.What a dump! Check it out.
http://www.bradysandahl.com/propertydetails/?ix=33

2009-04-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

Sorry no posts for awhile. We do have some great stuff to add, but internet access has been limited. Hopefully we will stay at a hotel soon that has a good connection . In the mean time you will have to be satisfied with this pictyre of Mary at Andersons Pea Soup in Santa Nella. ALL YOU CAN EAT!!!!!

2009-04-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

The annual down hill big whell race

2009-04-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

We got free stuff !

2009-04-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

Easter brunch with AJ, Jasmine, Pete and Jacquline at Foreign Cinema.

Saturday

2009-04-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Easter sunday drag show at Delores park in Castro.

Graduation Day

2009-04-12T20:47:00.001-07:00

Saturday April 11, 2009 Constance Bennett graduates from The California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu.

2009-04-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

AJ picked us up and gave us the 50 cent tour. These a re pictures from Twin Peaks. Look who we found in S.F.

Cool signs in SF

2009-04-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY

2009-04-12T20:33:00.000-07:00

Got up and headed for Lefty O'Douls for bloody mary's. Spent the day with Conny, Gwen , Gus , and Aurora. Ate Italian food in North Beach.

2009-04-09T21:48:00.000-07:00

Arrived in San Francisco to Seattle like weather. Checked into the Triton hotel near the gates of Chinatown. Got a great corner room with a view.

2009-04-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY Left Redding and headed to Sacramento for lunch at the Squeeze Inn. This place was on Diners, drive-ins , and dives. It is about 150 square feet. The line was out the door when we got there. Third pound burgers with a third pound of cheese.

2009-04-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

Beers at the dive Mexican restaurant in Redding California. Next door was a cool Chinese-American cafe. The sign looked better than the food.

2009-04-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

Beautiful scenery crossing the Siskiyous.

2009-04-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

WEDNESDAY Today is just about getting some miles under our belt. We left portland early and headed south on I-5. The GPS I got for the trip is awesome. I'm not sure how I lived without one. before we left Joel downloaded a "speed trap" and "red light" program. Our first day outside of Olympia and again today in Eugene the beep sounded. I slowed down and around the corner were lines of highway patrol cars with radar. I guess it has paid for itself alresdy.

Stella is enjoying the ride in the car.

2009-04-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

Dinner at the Ringside. Probably one of the best vintage steak houses ever. Opened in 1944.Jeff and Laura flew down from Seattle to join us for dinner.

2009-04-08T22:05:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Portland . Checked in to The Benson hotel. Walked next door and had a beer on the sidewalk.Mary ran into her friend Jen Davison from Yakima days. Next stop.....Mary's club. Portlands oldest strip club.

http://marysclub.com/

Dranks some beers and spent all our singles. Bought a Mary's Club jacket for Gus, but don't tell him, it's a secret!!

2009-04-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

Our first stop is breakfast at The Spar Cafe, Bar , and Cigar counter. This place was cooler old school a few years ago before it was bought by McMenamins.

http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=121

2009-04-08T21:58:00.001-07:00

Tuesday morning we hit the road.

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Scooters loaded. Ready to go.

2009-04-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

This is a test to see if I can upload pictures on the site.

The Start

2009-04-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

We will attempt to keep a diary of our trip on this blog!