June 29th

We are all packed and heading to Las Vegas. We are on vacation for a week visiting Las Vegas, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, and Sedona, Arizona. It feels like I just drove by these areas. Oh, that's because I did! We drove by on our way here but did not have any time to stop in for a visit. Although, I feel very lucky that I got to stop at the rest stop in New Mexico with the scenic vista. Let me show that to you again in case you missed it the first time. I think this time the sites will be more interesting and safe! hahaha Wish me luck in Vegas!

My first day in Mountain View

I ventured out on my own today. Kurt actually had to go to work, so he left me to my own devices. Not a good idea. I think if I went by foot, I would have done just fine. However, I decided to take out the car and just "ride around." I have been on the road for about 3 hours and I knew where I was going for only about 15 minutes of that time. I passed the same Kohls about 4 times...it was calling to me. I did stop in on the 3rd time I passed it, and made one purchase. It actually gave me strength to get back on the road and try to find my way back to the apartment. Kurt called when I was "LOST", but California has very strict hands free driving laws so I pulled into a small mall to speak to him. I ended up at a record store that Kurt had already discovered. He tried to give me some direction, but it really did not do much good. I ventured out again and ended up in Los Altos somehow, which is no big deal...just the next town over. I turned around and figured I should go back in the direction that I just came from...it worked. I finally found a street I recognized and many hours later I am safely back at our complex. I am exhausted.

Jessica and Gwen

I

Leaving LA

garlic truck

sunday, June 27th

Kurt and I drove up the 5 from Los Angeles to Mountain View today. It only took us about 5 hours. The trip was beautiful. Sharon left for home this morning. It was really hard leaving everyone.

One interesting thing I learned about this area...it is the garlic capital of the United States. We could smell the trucks a mile away. We also saw a brush fire in the hills, and it actually came down to the road. It was a bit scary. We kept passing fire engines heading to the area.

We are now sitting in our apartment enjoying the quiet time. We are missing everyone at home already. We are leaving for Las Vegas Tuesday morning. Stay posted...hopefully I will have a few amusing tales to tell.

June 26th

The whole family is finally together. We visited Santa Monica and took Gwenny for a stroll on the pier. Many onlookers commented...some thought she was ugly...some thought she was cute...but many got a kick out of Little Kurt and her walking together.

Day 5 and 6

So sorry I haven't left you any messages...I have been without internet. I finally made it to Los Angeles on Thursday. I was so exhausted I went to bed at 7:30 and did not wake up until 7:30 this morning. Today, I met my kids for lunch. We ate at an outside cafe so Gwenny was able to dine with us. Although, we were a bit embarrassed because she honestly does not understand LA doggie etiquette! However, Jessica has been trying to dress her in LA fashion. She doesn’t look very happy. Kurt flew in from San Jose tonight. We just picked him up at the airport. Gwenny is soooooo confused.

Gwenny on yesterday's trip.

Yes, I was taking pictures from the driver's seat. I have control issues.

Rest Area in New Mexico

Day 4

Day 4

We started out on the border of New Mexico , drove through the rest of the state, then Arizona, and reached the border of California. Some things we discovered while on the road over the past few days…

• there are more McDonalds than Burger Kings
• I love driving at 75 (that is the speed limit in most of the western states.)
• the amount of bird poop that ended up on my windshield each night was disgusting. How is that possible????
• Subway is the way of the future…they are everywhere and there is always a line
• There is no green grass in New Mexico or Arizona…I know because I had to beg Gwenny to just go anywhere.

We drove route 40 the whole way. What a sad sight…many abandoned towns…we actually had a tumbleweed roll out in front of us. We stopped at a rest area in New Mexico…check out the picture.

Lastly, we had to pull over for an inspection when entering California from Arizona. It was extremely intimidating. At first I was thinking of just driving by, but the road actually turns into a tollbooth like area. Each car is stopped and all were actually inspected. Our inspector was very nice. He asked if we had any plants. I said no. Oh yeah…Gwenny was barking at him the whole time. He then asked if we had any fruit…I hesitated for a moment and I knew I looked guilty. I wasn’t sure what to say. I then told him that in fact I did have two apples that I took from the Comfort Inn that morning. Then Sharon told him that actually it was from the Best Western. I thought we were going to fruit jail. He took my apple out of my hand, inspected it, and then laughed. His last words were have a great trip.

Day 3

Today we traveled from Missouri to New Mexico. We also traveled through Oklahoma and Texas. Missouri was very nice. Oklahoma was beautiful. I was surprised by that...lots of green hills. Texas was flat and boring. New Mexico is brown! SHaron met a new friend in Oklahoma...he was impressed with Gwenny. When he stopped to talk with her, she discovered that he was toothless. I told her that he was probably related to me somehow. Also in Oklahoma, she made a poor Frito Lay guy go out and search his truck for plain Sun CHips. No wonder New Englanders have such a bad reputation. We drove 13 hours today...long ride. Our hotel is very nice...Gwenny is happy because there are at least 20 dogs staying at this Best Western. She actually walked into one of her new doggy friend's room. I scolded her and took her back to our room and had a long talk about Stranger Danger. She is just too naive! How is she going to survive Los ANgeles? Our next stop Needles, California. We might sleep in until 5 in the morning and leave by 6 because we only have 9 hours to drive tomorrow. That seems like a breeze at this point. Lastly, the time change is very confusing when you are driving through different time zones. We had a very difficult time agreeing on what time it actually was during the course of the day.

Day 2

okay...made it to Missouri. Had lots of laughs on the way. I discovered the town that I want to live in...it is called Effin, Illinois. I can be saying my favorite swear word every time I talk about the Effin Schools, the Effin library, the Effin this and the Effin that. I found it very entertaining. We hit very bad thunder, lightning and torrential rain storms in Indiana. All I can say is thank goodness it wasn't Kansas. I thought I could be easily mistaken for Dorothy and Gwenny started answering to Toto. Sharon even started roaring like the cowardly lion. It was a bit tense for a little while. We had the chance to see the largest rocking chair in the world...can you believe we passed it up. We also saw the largest cross sitting in a corn field, near a church and an adult book store/gentlemens' club. Actually, we saw many corn fields. We are now at the Ozarks where Jesse James actually spent many years in hiding. We also drove along Route 66...very nostalgic. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

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