Day 13-15

Well I got a bit overwhelmed and it took a bit to catch up but I'm back and will try and fill in the blanks when I have some time!

I'm in Seattle, WA now. Have been here since Sunday visiting with an old college friend and her family. I love this city. It has such a fun feel to it and people seem so laid back.

 

  

Burton has made a new friend here named Sweet Pea. She is a bit reserved but Burton has been trying to corrupt her.

Shannon has a very creative and conscious company named Greenbelts. greenbelts.etsy.com check it out! She recycles old belts and makes them into all kinds of cool things to wear including dog collars and people cuffs. Burton has a shinny new collar and I got some cool stuff too! Awesome stuff!

  

Been playing with Shannon and Chris' son Henry a bit. He taught me all about the new world of Legos. They are a whole different ball game now, nothing like when I was a kid. We built a bitchin monster truck with flames out the back!

 

  

 

Shannon and I took a cruz down to west Seattle and strolled the beach area with the dogs. Got a bite to eat at a locals spot.

It's been great catching up after way too long! Good friends always feel like home no matter how long it's been! Nice to relax for a couple of days finally! We are headed out tonight to Vancouver, WA. Thanks guys!!

Day 4

No matter how bad it gets, waking up in Jackson Hole will make anything better! I love this place and what it does to my soul! Everywhere you look it's awe-inspiring even breathtaking. The people live slow and kind.

First stop the Big O tire store. The guy didn't ask me any questions about how I shredded the tire just told me it was under warranty and I wouldn't have to pay anything. Cool with me. I went into K-mart while I was waiting... it's funny only in Jackson will you hear the sound of men in spurs walking down a K-mart isle.

Next I went to the body shop to see if the van would make it over to Idaho. The guy there said I was lucky and hit the deer right. I guess it only caused cosmetic damage. No damage to the motor or AC. He taped my headlights up and told me it would be good to get over the pass into Idaho.

Grabbed some breaky at Nora's then headed off to get some souvenirs and people watch. One last place to go. Teton National Park. This is my church. This is where I see all the beauty of the universe and how perfect it can be. The creator at it's finest. This is exactly what I needed to leave yesterday behind and feel centered again. I sat for awhile and just took it all in. Wrote for a bit. This range had such a calming effect on me. I wish the winters here weren't so bad for a wheelchair.

 

  

 

Off to Rachel house in Idaho, About an hour away. Arrived at Ray and Kevin's ranch. Paradise! So perfect for her and her family! She looks great. Her daughter and husband are cuties and full of smiles. So happy for them! Channin is here too! Great to be reunited, looking forward to catching up.  Can't wait for the wedding tomorrow!

Took the van to the local body shop and it looks like they will be able to help me out and get me back on the road by Tuesday. Not too bad for me. Pretty bad for the deer.

Day 3

Today is one of those days you wake up and break your juice glass and you know that's not the end of it. The forces seemed against me so I was taking it slow. Trying to get thru the day with minimal damage. Woke up late, caught up on email, watched some Lost with Dave, reorganized the van a bit and took the dogs back down to Bear River for a swim and a run. Allison tried to get me to stay another night but I just wanted to hit the road.

 

  

 

Headed out for Jackson Hole just as the sun was setting. At about 10:00 pm and 15 miles outside of Jackson Hole a full size doe decided to try and cross the highway. No choice but to steer into her and end her life. She got wrapped up in the grill of the van for some yards and then fell to the side in pieces. I pulled over to call road side assistance but the cell didn't have service because of the surrounding mountains. I figured worse case, I sleep there for the night. I decided to get out of the van to access the damage and try and pull the doe off the road. A man in a big truck named Travis pulled over and decided to help me out. Then another guy named Ewan pulled over to help too. I love cowboy country! All the guys come equipped with huge car jacks, big dules, winches, headlamps and good old boy attitudes. So the guys got the doe off the road. Then changed my front tire. The bumper was pushed way under the van and had cut the tire up so Travis chained up the bumper and pulled it out with his winch so I could at least get the van into Jackson. I offered the guys a bottle of Murphys wine for their trouble but being polite Wyoming gentlemen they refused any payment and were almost insulted by it.

 

 

I drove the rest of the way into Jackson and decided I had enough of this day. I parked the van in a dirt lot, crawled in the back and went to sleep. Today was a good reminder of how things can just change in an instant and how fragile life actually is. So pull your special ones close and let them know how loved they are because you never know what is around the next corner. Love to all! Tomorrow is another day!

Day 2

Slept in pretty late. Felt good to get 8 hours. It's been awhile. Still feel a bit sleep deprived though. Dave showed me around Evanston a bit. Definitely feel like I am in Wyoming. Buffalo and elk roaming the range. Cowboy country out here. We stopped at a local park to let Charley and Burton cruz around. I whipped out the GoPed to take it for the maiden voyage around the paved trails and did a bit of off roading too. Pretty fun stuff!

 

  

 

Allison came home from work and got a chance to catch up with her. She looks great! It's been a while. Heard about their wedding and her job. I wish them the best of luck! Dave cooked us and awesome meal and we made some chocolate chip cookies. Great to see their new home. It's really nice and cozy. Burton got jealous because Charley Bear has his own couch!

So off to bed. Tomorrow is another day, and brings with it another adventure!

Day 1

Lets get this party started! Dave, Burton and I left Murphys around 7:30 am with the van packed to the top. If I don't got it I don't need it!

Watched the sun come up over Ebbetts Pass. Air quality sucked because of the fire in Yosemite. Couldn't even see the Dardenelle Mountain Range. Still a beautiful drive over the pass smoke or no smoke.

 

Dardenelle's from Inspiration Point (barley)

  

Mosquito Lake

  

 

First stop Alpine Chamber of Commerce. Picked up some work for the 2010 Death Ride (http://deathride.com/) and said hi to Amy and Chester the cat.

Next stop the GoPed (http://www.goped.com/default.asp) factory in Minden. Steve hooked me up with a battery powered scooter. Pretty cool concept. You pop a wheelie and hook your footplate of your wheelchair onto the base of the scooter. Then your manual chair becomes a motor driven chair. Pretty slick! Of course I had them take the governor off so now it goes like 27mph. No to bad. Pretty amusing and effective. Burton loves chasing it!

 

 

Costco and Trader Joe's to get some rations and fill up the gas tank. Then we were off for the big haul across Nevada. There are 5 passes to go over. Most of it is high desert. Super scenic mountain scapes. Hot temps. Thank God for AC.

 

Shadows from clouds on the mountains

 

Stopped at Sand Mountain to watch some dirt bikers and quad runners get some. In the middle of this vast dried up ocean bed there is a huge mountain made completely out of white sand. It's magnificent from a distance. Mysterious close up. Almost got the van stuck in the sand but Dave kept it moving and we made it to the packed sand. Opened the door and Burton flew out barking to run after the quads. A couple of hundred yards out and he realized he was in the middle of the desert and the sand was HOT! He stopped in his tracks and ran back to the van pretty fast to take shade under the van.

 

Pictures don't do it justice. It's huge!!!

 

A bit further down the road we found this The Shoe Tree. An truly original work of art. People have been throwing their shoes up in this tree for years. Thousands of shoes. Dave got out and added his flair with a pair or two.

 

  

  

This is the old covered wagon trail. Don't know how they did this trip on horseback. Only covered an average of 8 miles a day. They were tough back in the day! This is part of the Pony Express too.

  

  

  

  

Bank of America

Next stop Ely. Dave finally got tired of driving so we stopped of for a stretch and a beer. Decided to power thru to Evanston, WY and not stay overnight. Dave was missing his sweetie Allison. So we headed out again with me at the wheel. Burton wanted to stay at Club Rio.

About an hour into it I saw a cop car in the distance with the light going. We slowed down since it looked like he was in the highway. Ended up that a cow tried to cross the highway and met up with a big rig. Cut him right in half. Blood and guts everywhere. Gruesome site, made me slow down.... for a minute.

Arrived in Evanston about 4:30 am and passed the #$& out.

747 miles down... just a few more to go!