http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/index.htmlHot News!enalex@pupscrossamerica.comCopyright 2010 James A. Alexander2010-11-21T10:35:59-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 Sun, 21 Nov 2010 11:18:40 -0500alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-11-21T10:35:59-05:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/b3357308185d95abef1e14c804c18547-26.html#unique-entry-id-26http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/b3357308185d95abef1e14c804c18547-26.html#unique-entry-id-26alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-11-14T13:29:55-05:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/0e572c416afcf703779876a83dfbc5cd-25.html#unique-entry-id-25http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/0e572c416afcf703779876a83dfbc5cd-25.html#unique-entry-id-25 ...Jan and I took Mitzy and Jerry out on the boat late afternoon hunting for dolphin (Jerry stands on the bow and when he spots one, he barks to get him to follow our wake). It was a beautiful afternoon and we did see a few dolphins, but they appeared to be too busy eating fish to follow us along. ... As we motored over I was sure he/she would be done having fun by the time we got close, but I was sure wrong. ...While waiting for the lacrosse game to start, I spotted a hawk across the road and took this photo. ...I had to include a shot each of Mitzy and Jerry—if they read this and they aren’t in it, there is the devil to pay! ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-11-08T08:45:08-05:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/023a4f6ce5371d44da057d43aef5901e-24.html#unique-entry-id-24http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/023a4f6ce5371d44da057d43aef5901e-24.html#unique-entry-id-24alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-11-01T10:13:05-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/d247f5963f8ca0e35fd32eb22bf1b33d-23.html#unique-entry-id-23http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/d247f5963f8ca0e35fd32eb22bf1b33d-23.html#unique-entry-id-23alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-10-01T15:04:37-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/44740b7c0c8b7e329f71c37bcdb9a895-22.html#unique-entry-id-22http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/44740b7c0c8b7e329f71c37bcdb9a895-22.html#unique-entry-id-22alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-09-27T09:58:52-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/619ee55a04b72264e3ef962a3a965dea-21.html#unique-entry-id-21http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/619ee55a04b72264e3ef962a3a965dea-21.html#unique-entry-id-21 ...We took 36 east past Longmont, I-25 south for just a few miles, and then east on 52 and south on 79 to the Bennet exit on I-70. ...So if you have not done so, please sign up (right side of the home page) to be alerted via e-mail when I add new posts, pics, or videos. ... • State Parks We Camped At: 10 (Florida—Lake Manatee, Anastasia; Texas—Palo Duro Canyon; Colorado—John Martin Reservoir, Cherry Creek State; California—Salt Point; Oregon—Devil’s Lake, Fort Stevens, Stub Stewart, Clyde Holliday) • National Campgrounds We Stayed At: 4 (Cottonwood Campground at Canyon de Chelly Park; Jumbo Rocks Campground, Joshua Tree National Park; Flagg Ranch Campground, Yellowstone National Park, WY; Bluebell Campground, Siuslaw National Forest; Coos Bay, OR) ...Grizzly bear, blue whale, rattle snake, mountain goat, woodstork, elk, bison, pronghorn, mule deer, roseate spoonbill, dusky quail, black bear, vulture, coyote, great horned owl, wild turkey, alligator, raven, humpbacked whale, bald eagle, gopher, risso dolphin, black-tail deer, California condors, sea otter, magpies, little blue heron, squirrel, bluebirds, peregrine falcon, common quail, trout, yellow-bellied marmot, black-footed albatross, red-tail hawk, mouflon sheep, great white egret, prairie dog, great blue heron, tri-colored heron, minke whale, cattle egret, seal, white-tail deer, sea lion. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-09-05T15:01:21-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/c764fc604995aa84d70bd621251cf142-20.html#unique-entry-id-20http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/c764fc604995aa84d70bd621251cf142-20.html#unique-entry-id-20 ...This section of the highway was a scenic byway, so we twisted and turned at 10,000 feet of elevation our way through the Bridger-Teton and then the Shoshone National Forests. ...With the Big Thompson River flanking our moves, we twisted and turned our way the 30 miles into Estes Park and set up our rig at the Estes Park Campground at Mary’s Lake. ...Soon we were down in Moraine Park, watching a herd of elk slowly make their way across the meadow with the herd’s bull bugling every now and then to make his presence known and to attract females. ...A wonderful distraction here are the sounds of the night we heard last night—two owls hooting the latest news back and forth, a coyote singing/praying, wailing into the darkness, a bull elk loudly bugling to potential mates...tough on sleep, but sure worth the next-day blurry eyes. ...By 6:30, just in time for sunrise, Jan and I were at the Fern Lake Trailhead in Moraine Park starting our hike on the Pool Trail. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-08-29T14:06:44-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/499e5216a4e12e50e2511932bfb3ac97-19.html#unique-entry-id-19http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/499e5216a4e12e50e2511932bfb3ac97-19.html#unique-entry-id-19 ...We awoke to a gorgeous morning, and by 7:00 a.m. the four of us were in the car heading backing into Hell’s Canyon on the Idaho side, making the same trip that we had taken on Thursday. ...After thinking through our options, we: (1) Got out our air compressor and filled the flat tire and confirmed that it was only slowly leaking air; (2) Found, then sprayed our never-used rusted tire jack with WD 40; (3) Filled the mini-spare tire up the recommended 60 pounds (it had less than 20 in it); and (4) Drove separately to a flat-tire-changing place we had confirmed existed 20 miles from camp in Halfway. ...Up I-86 through American Falls and Chubbuck, at Pocatello we took I-15 north wheeling past Blackfoot and at Idaho Falls we turned off onto Highway 26 slowly making our way through the stoplights and 20 miles of road construction. ...Oblivious for the most part of the humans viewing them, they meandered about minding their own business, which appeared to be eating, resting, sniffing, or just walking back and forth across the road for their own hidden enjoyment as they glanced at the traffic backup they caused. ...Back at camp we took the pups out for a nice walk down to the Snake River, then Jan and I stopped at the Visitor Center to report our grizzly sighting the day before. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-08-22T08:36:42-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/186bbc44b7a278e9f1b971924c3aa43b-18.html#unique-entry-id-18http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/186bbc44b7a278e9f1b971924c3aa43b-18.html#unique-entry-id-18 ...Mid-morning we packed up and followed Gary, Kathie, and Madeline in their motor home for the half-hour drive up 97, turning at Terrabonne and on to the Crooked River Ranch RV Park. ...It was a good day for spotting and photographing critters because along with lots of cattle, horses, mules and dogs, we saw coyotes, quail, and deer along our way that I shot as drive-bys out the passenger window as Jan drove the car. ...After about ten miles, I asked Jan to stop the car so that I could get out and shoot a waterfall alongside the road. ...At Cornucopia (there was no sign of humanity at all, but there was a sign saying “Cornucopia,” and it was on the map so it must be a town :’>>>) we turned around and switched our clothes from washers to dryers. ...We drove down to Brownlee Dam, the place we were told had the best possibilities (in fact there is a sign by the road stating to watch for them, as they sometimes cross the road there to go down to the water); however, no luck today. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-08-15T13:47:28-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/34d204654dc49ff88e318d6496fb8c99-17.html#unique-entry-id-17http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/34d204654dc49ff88e318d6496fb8c99-17.html#unique-entry-id-17 ...We were only about 30 miles from Hood River, so we decided to continue heading east on I-84 and have lunch there for the second day in a row. ...Along with our normal business updates and discussions, Suzanne and David seemed to take great pleasure in teasing me about my hiking “directional misfortune” that I outlined in last week’s blog. ...It was getting time to start planning the next leg or two of our journey, so I pulled out the maps (paper and electronic) and looked at our options. ...Since the Little Ones didn’t like the gravel we were parked on, I quit trying to coax them to do what they didn’t want to do and loaded them in the car to find a place more to their liking. ...Mid-afternoon we loaded up the Little Ones and drove down to Bend, and then on to the quaint town of Sisters—mountain background, great scenery, very nice tour. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-08-08T14:16:43-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/60cbde8d6100f55048574d93604ace8f-16.html#unique-entry-id-16http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/60cbde8d6100f55048574d93604ace8f-16.html#unique-entry-id-16 ...As we came into the outskirts of Lincoln City, we saw the words that I had hoped for but never expected, “Vacancy” on the sign for Devil’s Lake State Park. ...Sadly, the campground could not accommodate us for another day, so late morning we were back on 101 heading north through Neots, Otis, Neskowin, Cloverdale, Hebo, Beaver, and on to Tillamook were we stopped for a healthy lunch of foot-long hot dogs, curly fries, and diet root beers at the roadside A&W. ...In the chilly mist I headed up Barberchair Trail, then turned left on Boomscooter Trail, then it was all uphill to Skidder Row, which made a half-mile loop complete with nice views of the Coast Range. ...We discussed the situation, consulted our maps, and both agreed that if we followed the service road for awhile it had to lead us to one of the other trails that we could use to guide us back—no brainer. ...Although we had no reservation, it looked as though there would be ample camping sites available at several of the National Forest campgrounds around the village Government Camp on a first-come basis. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-08-01T14:04:37-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/992beec3185a1c94855e9039ea6bfb24-15.html#unique-entry-id-15http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/992beec3185a1c94855e9039ea6bfb24-15.html#unique-entry-id-15 ...Jan and I took the car north on Highway 101 about fifteen minutes to the town of Fortuna to participate in the final day of their annual AutoXpo. ...After this meal the six of us plus the pups moved into Mary and Henry’s coach were we had Jamieson’s Irish Whisky and 1800 Gold Tequila for night caps, while we watched a Wanda Sykes comedy special on their HD flat screen the size of the Monterey Aquarium. ...After morning chores, the four of us hopped into the car and drove north on Highway 101 for fifteen minutes and stopped just over the state line at the Oregon welcome center. ...Two miles north of downtown, we turned west on Horsfall Dunes and Beach Road, entering the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, and soon we were among the dunes and trees of Bluebell Campground, a part of the Siuslaw National Forest. ...Strategically located right on the Avenue of the Giants in the Humboldt Redwood State Park, this is a great place to set up base to see all the many sights of Humboldt County. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-07-25T13:38:20-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/bff28ec177ac932f4e5808c72a7d014a-14.html#unique-entry-id-14http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/bff28ec177ac932f4e5808c72a7d014a-14.html#unique-entry-id-14 ...During my past visits to Las Vegas when I came from Florida, because of the three-hour time change I would be up and out around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m in the hope of getting some exercise and some interesting pics. ...The ranger at the park station was a pleasant, helpful young woman, who said we could scout around and try to fit into one of their campsites, or we could easily pull into the large overflow lot and dry camp for $5 less ($30 instead of $35). ...It was a gorgeous day when we pulled out of our campground heading north on 101, also called the Redwood Highway in this part of the state. ...South of Redcrest but before reaching the state park visitor center, we turned west on Mattole Road and were soon in the 10,000-acre Rockefeller Forest, home of many of the tallest redwoods on the planet, including the “Champion Coast Redwood” which is 370 feet tall, 17 feet in diameter, 52 feet in circumference, 1,000 years old, and weighing over 1,000,000 pounds. ... Luckily we were not driving the motor home, as it would have been quite a challenging experience, as now we were confronted with 10-mile-an-hour curves, loose gravel, one-lane bridges, big-time bumpy roads, and really steep inclines. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-07-18T14:02:36-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/9549e0abb06d51c1a7f00fd2399b858e-13.html#unique-entry-id-13http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/9549e0abb06d51c1a7f00fd2399b858e-13.html#unique-entry-id-13alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-07-11T07:52:40-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/60b0bb20ed69e7be385084b7635d3295-12.html#unique-entry-id-12http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/60b0bb20ed69e7be385084b7635d3295-12.html#unique-entry-id-12alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-07-04T15:43:30-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/f0e02dd1fff444e93a8372e7fd5559c7-11.html#unique-entry-id-11http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/f0e02dd1fff444e93a8372e7fd5559c7-11.html#unique-entry-id-11 ...From our campground exit, Jan turned BALY right, heading north on the Pacific Coach Highway (CA 1) driving along the edge of the Santa Monica Mountains to our right. ... Through Santa Maria, by Nipoma, past Pismo Beach, and up to San Luis Obispo, where we turned on CA 1 again for the last dozen miles to Morro Bay. ...It was a pretty drive there and back complete with small mountains, wildflowers in full color, some old gangster-looking cars that looked they had pulled over for a picnic lunch, plus some dinosaurs on display that made me think of BP executives pondering the fate of the small people :<<< ...Humpbacks are a normal visitor to the Morro Bay waters this time of year, but in the last few weeks they had been seeing blue whales, and Jan and I both wanted to take our chances at sighting one ourselves. ... About a mile out we were in ten-foot waves and the captain told us that we may have to turn around for safety reasons and if that were the case we’d all get rain checks. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-06-27T15:26:16-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/12943af4c9474898f99d7daa7f3bab4f-10.html#unique-entry-id-10http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/12943af4c9474898f99d7daa7f3bab4f-10.html#unique-entry-id-10 ...At 9:00 I had my weekly marketing call and at 10:30 I gave an electronic keynote presentation (done in the privacy and comfort of our motor home) to the North American services management team of a very large organization. ...At noon I had a phone call to firm up a proposal for a new client--it should be fun, as services are poised to become a much more significant part of this company’s strategic direction. ...With several slow downs and a crawl or two, we turned west on I-10, the Santa Monica Freeway, for four miles, then slid over onto the California 1, the North Pacific Highway, for the remaining 20 miles going through Santa Monica and a few miles past Malibu to our camping destination. ...After a missed exit or two on my part, we re-traced our steps, this time a little later in the day and into a lot heavier traffic--it took two-and-a-half hours to make it back. ...Not being able to hear what numbers were being called, Jo and I walked across the drive and stood in line at the Pick-Up-Your-Order counter until the sliding window opened and we were handed our order served on paper plates with plastic utensils--all this added to the special ambience. ]]>alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-06-20T10:46:39-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/e6011533f81bc4f299b3fea62de00240-9.html#unique-entry-id-9http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/e6011533f81bc4f299b3fea62de00240-9.html#unique-entry-id-9alex@pupscrossamerica.comNone2010-06-13T15:53:13-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/49a8f43cdc70c727040f8f5862c262d2-8.html#unique-entry-id-8http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/49a8f43cdc70c727040f8f5862c262d2-8.html#unique-entry-id-8alex@pupscrossamerica.comTravel Blog2010-06-06T19:09:31-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/df715193b2f89534ba8fc428e7843354-7.html#unique-entry-id-7http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/df715193b2f89534ba8fc428e7843354-7.html#unique-entry-id-7alex@pupscrossamerica.comTravel Blog2010-05-30T19:01:36-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/561799cf029eb7bd5805072eadaecb37-6.html#unique-entry-id-6http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/561799cf029eb7bd5805072eadaecb37-6.html#unique-entry-id-6alex@pupscrossamerica.comTravel Blog2010-05-23T18:55:51-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/1b7e92594a464ab2e7579ec23009b093-5.html#unique-entry-id-5http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/1b7e92594a464ab2e7579ec23009b093-5.html#unique-entry-id-5alex@pupscrossamerica.comTravel Blog2010-05-16T18:47:50-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/ed78be08567afff272425fcfb6fd1811-4.html#unique-entry-id-4http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/ed78be08567afff272425fcfb6fd1811-4.html#unique-entry-id-4alex@pupscrossamerica.comTravel Blog2010-05-09T18:37:27-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/dfae035298b7358b9a0c6210bb9daed4-3.html#unique-entry-id-3http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/dfae035298b7358b9a0c6210bb9daed4-3.html#unique-entry-id-3alex@pupscrossamerica.comTravel Blog2010-05-02T18:18:04-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/e3dcc69c9191e07a0849e3baf0a30ae2-2.html#unique-entry-id-2http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/e3dcc69c9191e07a0849e3baf0a30ae2-2.html#unique-entry-id-2alex@pupscrossamerica.comTravel Blog2010-04-25T16:37:31-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/e69070efc4bc2ec94ddf251b158d0c6f-1.html#unique-entry-id-1http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/e69070efc4bc2ec94ddf251b158d0c6f-1.html#unique-entry-id-1alex@pupscrossamerica.comTravel Blog2010-04-18T11:39:26-04:00http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/a68af567ea8b15d0bb11f438d6040a34-0.html#unique-entry-id-0http://www.motoringacrossamerica.com/files/a68af567ea8b15d0bb11f438d6040a34-0.html#unique-entry-id-0