The Adventures of Me & My Shadow #13 in ID,OR,CA,NV,UT,CO,KS
& MO 4/18/98
From Petaluma, CA, Hi Everyone! After Meg & Erin flew down
to Reno, NV on April 9th to be with Meg's family for the Easter
weekend. I went with Dave to the Morrison Center for the Performing
Arts where he works as an audio engineer. The Boise University
Art class was rehearsing to put on a play about the "Grapes
of Wrath". I had read the book a long time ago and thought
it would be interesting to see the play . They didn't impress
me that night but the next day they were to have a full dress
rehearsal for some school kids. Dave talked me into staying for
that. This time I was really impressed, they transported me back
in time to when I read the book. Their interpretation of the book
was excellent and the acting was outstanding. After my heart attack
I find I am very emotional (this is normal for anyone having had
a heart attack) and this play was a real tear jerker. I was sure
glad that I stayed to see it.
When I drove the motorhome down to the Morrison Center I found
gas for $1.02 and filled up. The going price was $1.06 to $1.08
so I thought I really did good till the next day when I see it
for $1.01 at the Flying J truck stop on the interstate, I have
a Flying J card that gets me one cent a gallon discount. I could
have saved $.68 cents. The price in Oregon & California is
a little higher than ID but I'm not complaining.
When I headed west the first stop was in Caldwell, ID to visit
Debbie (a 2nd cousin) I had seen her a few years ago, we are both
into genealogy. Since then she had remarried and moved so I was
lucky to locate her again. Had a nice visit with her and her new
husband, ate (too much) dinner with them and will keep them on
the map for the next time I'm in the area and try to stir up some
more genealogy information for her.
I headed west again after dark and planed to make it to Bend,
OR before stopping. It was a beautiful night, a full moon and
I could see a lot of stars. When I got to Burns, OR I looked at
the map and read "Bend" so I pulled into a parking lot
and shut down thinking I was in Bend and wondered why I had only
used half as much gas as I expected to. The next morning I see
my mistake, I had only gone half way to Bend. Headed west again
and saw a lot of ice on the water in the ditches, it was c-o-l-d,
When I did get to Bend I decided to check into an RV Park, turn
the computer on and get started on this letter. Just to make conversation
I asked the manager if the darkening sky meant we would be getting
some more rain. He replied "no the forecast was for snow"
when I asked him if the road going south went down hill, he replied
"no if it snowed I wouldn't be going south till Monday morning".
I bid him farewell and Me & My shadow headed south at a high
rate of speed. Not too far out of Bend it started snowing, I picked
up a hitch hiker needing a ride. He was well dressed with long
hair and 2 ear rings in his left ear. Had a nice visit with him,
found out he was from Virginia and was seeing the country by working
as a cook to make a few bucks and then moving on to another place.
He had been in Boise then Bend and was headed to Klamath Falls
to hunt for his next job.
Gus had planned the trip for the shortest route and this took
us around the north side of Crater Lake and then south to Petaluma.
When we got to the road that went west, I wished Merlin (the hitch
hiker) well, dropped him off and headed west and up. It wasn't
long before I started to see those long poles fastened to the
posts on the shoulder so the snow plows could tell were the edge
of the road was. I found out later that the snow around Crater
Lake gets to about 12 feet deep. It started to snow again and
the road ahead was snow covered. By seesawing back and forth Me
& My Shadow got turned around and I told Gus to take us the
long way around.
Caught up with Merlin again, he had walked quite a way after I
let him off and was glad to see me. This time I dropped him off
in the center of Klamath Falls and continued south to state route
66 for our second attempt to get over the mountains. We were further
south now, the mountains were not as high but the road was narrow,
crooked, not many guard rails and was stuck several hundred feet
up on the side of the mountain. I would have preferred to travel
this road in good weather, however, good weather is out of my
reach as long as Gertrude is unhappy. It is raining as I write
this letter, I'm glad I'm here... could be snowing on the roads
I used to get here. I must be 500 miles too far north, or I'm
here two months too soon, it has to get better.
4/14/98 My defibrillator fired today. About 8:15 AM I was having
a cup of coffee and a roll at the time. I felt a little light
headed and had time to put my cup down before the Bang!, it feels
like a stick of dynamite going off in my chest, if I hadn't sat
my cup down I suppose I would have thrown coffee everywhere. I
checked my blood pressure and heart rhythm later and found it
normal. My friend Gene Fisher was sitting beside me, I had told
him about the defibrillator before so he knew what had happened.
It was the first time it has fired outside the Dr. office, now
I know how it works. It was all over in a split second and I felt
real good afterwards. I don't foresee a problem if it fires while
I am driving, If I feel light headed I might even have time to
pull off the road and stop before it fires. It records every thing
my heart does and what it does so I'll have to fill in the details
for the Dr. I see in Sioux Falls on the 4th of next month.
4/16/98 Went into town today & filled up with $1.17 gas, the
lowest price to be found. I think I got ripped off, I put in 4
gal more than my computer said I burned. This happened once before
in Alabama where I put in 5 gals. more than I burned. Got some
bananas & milk so I'm all set to hit the road on the 18th.
4/18/98 The rally went well, had some interesting & informative
seminars. I never fail to learn more about the GMC Motorhome so
I now have some more ideas to try. As always, the pot luck dinner
on the first night was outstanding. The first two catered dinners
could have been better, the third one was very good.
I Will soon be heading east. Gus is turned on and ready to go,
The coffee pot will be on at 7:00 AM and I can say my good-byes
and fill my coffee cup before heading out. I wanted to see an
old buddy of mine from the islands in the South Pacific back in
1943/44. About forty years ago I stopped in to see him when he
lived in San Francisco. About five years ago I talked to him on
the phone. Now he lives in Petaluma about five miles from where
I am now, I have called every day and drove by his house but never
found him home. I hope he is enjoying his trip and hope to see
him the next time around.
I plan to stop in CO and visit Lester Bickel 1100 miles and the
Curtis family an other 150 miles east. Then my next planed stop
will be in Gladstone, MO to visit my brother Gerald & Evon.
I hope to get on the net there to send this letter to you all.
Then it's north on I29 to visit Gordon & Heather near Omaha
then on to Sioux City. IA With several places to visit before
getting to my old home town Coleridge, NE for a few days.
I have an appointment 5/4/98 in Sioux Falls, SD with a cardiologist
to see if I can find out why my Defibrillator Zapped me while
I was drinking coffee a few day ago, it sure got my attention.
I understand that Donner Pass on I80 was blocked with snow awhile
back and was a little nasty when some of the coaches came over
it to get here about a week ago. If it snows again before I get
there I could be delayed. I suppose there could be snow on the
mountain west of Denver also. I'll sure be glad when the 80 degree
temps. return.
4/21/98 Made it to KC, MO. I'll give you the details about the
interesting trip in the next letter. Have to get this in the mail
and on the net.
Till next time, Dallas, or Dad if it fits