BORO70's Trip Blog 2009

This blog is a record of my 2009 vacation.

Remember that the older stuff is towards the bottom and the newer stuff at the top.

I have started by posting photos from Cape Hatteras which I visited Easter weekend.

Trip to California is being posted as I go.

I started out by driving up the NJ Turnpike to I-80 and drove the entire length of I-80 to San Francisco.

I left work after 7:00 pm on Tuesday and I stopped to rest in the vicinity of State College, Pa. (= 1 night at rest stop)

On Wednesday, I drove to the vicinity of Iowa City and slept at a rest top (= 2 nights at rest stops). Ate at a "Carver's" (fast food) in Illinois.

On Thursday, I drove approx. 1280 miles and slept at a rest stop at the eastern edge of the Salt Flats west of Salt Lake City (= 3 nights at rest stops). Ate at Taco John's in North Platte, Nebraska. I drove 6 hours straight without any kind of rest stop!!!!

On Friday, I made it to the motel in Reno by noon. They let me check in early.

On Saturday, I was parked at The Fisherman's Wharf area of San Francisco by 10:30. I toured the area and then met my brother at 12:00. We ate lunch at the Fisherman's Grotto (owned by Sicilians - I had a shrimp sandwich) and then toured the city. I checked into the motel in Palo Alto before dinner (at a place called Kirk's Steakhouse Burgers).

Sunday, I drove south to Gilroy (where "you can smell the garlic") and then a short distance west before turning around. I went to the coast and came up route 1 to Santa Clara and then routes 17, 82 and 101 which took me back to the motel. Went to a natural preserve area on the bay and ate at a Mexican restaurant.

Monday - I drove through the Napa Valley up to Clearlake and then over to US 101 and up to the Redwoods. stayed at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park for 2 nights.

Unfortunately, I ate at a Burger King and a Taco Bell. But on Tuesday night I found a really nice Mexican Restaurant a few miles from the campground in Orlick. it was a gem in the wilderness. Excellent salsa! I had the Chili verde which was pork surrounded by verde (green) sauce with rice and beans. The people who work there live 45 miles away!

If you go to the Redwoods check out:

The Lady Bird Johnson Grove

Davidson Road to Fern Canyon (to get to the canyon you must first drive across (no bridge) a couple of streams and then hike a short distance and cross a steam (no bridge).

The Avenue of the Giants, which is well south of where I camped.

The Big Tree and the Cathedral Trail

On Wednesday, I drove south on 101 and then on the Avenue of the Giants and back to 101. I then took Route 1 along the shore before going back to 101 and the Golden Gate Bridge. I checked out the San Francisco coast and beach and then headed south to Marina, near Monterey. Ate at Jack-in-the-Box.

On Thursday, I drove south along the coast -very scenic! Got over a half hour's worth of sun on beach at Malibu to reinforce my Jersey tan. I then drove to pasadena Pasadena.

Ate at Tommy's Burger. Their speciality is adding chili to the burger and fries.

Drove to Hollywood Blvd. to see the "stars". Gene Autry had 3 stars. Others had more than one also. each star has a symbol representing TV, film, radio or music. So if you made it big in all 4, then you could have 4 stars. The more stars you recognize, the more you are showing your age. Buster Keaton had a star and he is my closest relation to have one. (We have a common Revolutionary War ancestor from Georgia.)

On Friday morning, I drove down Colorado Blvd. as if I was in the Rose Parade and stopped for a few minutes at the Rose Bowl, before getting into heavy traffic and heading to San Diego.

I drove to within a photo view of Mexico. On the way I drove through the Mission Beach area (which was too crowded to stop) and then to the Coronado area.

I then headed north and had an In-N-Out burger with "animal fries" (secret menu item). The burger was very good just as people claim.

I slept at a rest stop on Friday night on the edge of the Mojave Desert (= 4 nights at a rest stop) and had one of the best sleeps in a long time. It was very windy.

Arrived at Death Valley Saturday morning. I was surprised at how narrow the valley is and how much of it is above sea level. Ate at a cafe in the park in the same area as my cabin. Had a buffalo burger.

Left Death Valley just before 6:00 am and arrived in Vegas around 8:00 am. They let me check into the motel at 8:15 am which was very nice.

Parked at the MGM which was good parking. 10 ft. height limit and plenty of parking once you get to the 4th level. No one parked within more than 10 spaces of me. They have security guards on bicycles so your vehicle is fairly safe.

Went to MGM, New York New York, Excalibur, Lexur, Mandalay Bay, Tropicana and Hooters. They have bridges between all of them but Hooters. Hooters was a disappointment and waste of time. I avoided spending money except for a bowl of gumbo and a coke at Mandalay Bay. Everywhere they try to sell you alcohol, even early in the morning. They probably figure that if you drink a lot, you will gamble a lot. Everything is overpriced! But parking is free and no validation needed.

When I left in the afternoon, traffic had built up to a standstill on the strip, but if you get off of the strip, the other roads are fairly traffic free. California drivers are impatient, rude and inconsiderate. 9 of 10 cars (at least) were from California.

Monday: I drove through Lake Meade and was unimpressed. Maybe I expect too much, but Hoover Dam did not impress me either.

Sidona was nice (except or the traffic). I wish some of my photos had better contrast.

I decided to get a motel room in Scottsdale.

Over 6000 miles so far!

Tuesday: Drove to Tucson and ate at a Mexican Restaurant. It was ok but not great, so I ate Mexican again at a place in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. It was a very nice down home kind of place and the food and service were very good. Slept at rest stop east of El Paso. I had to go through a checkpoint to be sure that I wasn't smuggling illegals.

I was surprised by seeing walnut and pecan orchards in the New Mexico desert. Slept at rest stop in Texas (= 5 nights at rest stops)

Wednesday: Drove to San Antonio (speed limit was "80"!!!) and ate at the Riverwalk at "The Republic of Texas". Overpriced! steak was ok, but not that great, so I tried another steak in austin at "Texas Land and Cattle", a highly recommended and popular chain. Once again steak was ok, but nothing compared to the steaks I eat in Waynesboro, Virginia. staying at motel.

I will post some photos form New Mexico and the Riverwalk in the morning.

You can find photos from my previous trip to Texas on my main travel blog: http://boro70trail.blogspot.com/ which I need to update. Click on "June 2006" in the archives on the right sidebar. You will also find additional comments about this trip listed with each state in the "March 2007" archives.

over 7200 miles so far

I have now been to 48 states and my current truck has been to 38.

Thursday: I took US 79 northeast through Texas and then some other roads to Tyler and then I-20 to Shreveport, Louisiana, Vicksburg and arrived in Tuscaloosa around 10:30. I didn't take any photos. I just drove.

That part of Texas is flat farmland. Louisiana just showed me forests. Mississippi appeared forestly along the interstate, but you could see some farms beyond the trees.

Ate at What-A-Burger: very good; in 2006 it was What-A-Long-Wait-For-A Burger, but this time service was very fast.

over 7900 miles now

Friday: car wash, oil change and eat some catfish

http://www.bottomfeedersbbq.com/

Saturday: Buy some ribs and start the 1000 mile trek home

http://www.dreamlandbbq.com/

Photos of Alabama are on the main blog in the section on the Texas trip in 2006.

Ate at Bottomfeeder's. http://www.bottomfeedersbbq.com/

I had catfish, fried okra, freid green tomatoes and hush puppies.

Before leaving Alabama, I stopped at two rib joints - Archibald's and Dreamland. I bought ribs from both. Dreamland is purchased already covered in sauce. Archibald's gives you the sauce on the side. As I drove I tried the Archibald's without the sauce and was very impressed. At the first rest stop, I tried some with the sauce. When I returned to work, a few people participated in a taste test of the sauces and all chose Dreamland. Maybe the answer is Archibald's ribs with Dreamland sauce. I like both sauces. On Saturday I liked Archibald's better and on Sunday I preferred Dreamland. I bought some Costa's sauce (in supermarket). It is a good sauce.

Drove through a corner of Georgia and then the eastern third of Tennessee. Slept in rest stops in Tennessee and Virginia (= 6 nights at rest stops).

Drove through middle third of Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. Took a short hike looking for bears to play with, but there were too many people around.

I drove down to New market and then up I-81 to Winchester and then over to Berryville, Charlestown, (WV) Harper's Ferry, Federick (MD) and then took I-70 to Baltimore. I took the beltway to I-95 through Maryland and Delaware and then over the Delaware Memorial Bridge back to South Jersey.

8990 miles total.

Now that I have left California, I can truely say:

Well East coast girls are hip I really dig those styles they wear

And the South Jersey girls with the way they talk
They knock me out when I'm down there

The Jersey farmer's daughters really make you feel alright

And those suburban girls with the way they kiss
They keep their boyfriends warm at night

I wish they all could be South Jersey
I wish they all could be South Jersey
I wish they all could be South Jersey girls

South Jersey has the beaches
And the girls all get so tanned

I dig a french bikini on the Wildwood Boardwalk
by a castle in the sand

I been all around this great country
And I seen all kinds of girls

Yeah, but I can't wait to get back to my state
Back to the cutest girls in the world

I wish they all could be South Jersey
I wish they all could be South Jersey
I wish they all could be South Jersey girls

Yes, South Jersey girls are better than California girls by a mile!

And our beaches are better!

BORO70's Trip Blog 2009

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Sunday, June 7, 2009

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