Sunday, February 25, 2018

Adventure #2 ~ An Unexpected Adventure!

Something we didn't plan for...

Last Saturday, I took a terrible fall, landing directly on my shoulder, breaking my humerus in three places, up toward the shoulder. Ouch is not a strong enough word for the pain I have!
This meant our list had its first hiccup.

We were supposed to go to Phoenix last Thursday for a hard hat tour of the construction at the track. Since I didn't get out of the hospital till Monday, traveling 3 days later was definitely out of the question.

The results of the x-rays and CT showed the 3 breaks were nice and clean, aligning correctly. They applied a brace to immobilize my arm from the shoulder down to the elbow. Once pain management was established, and after OT & PT confirmed that I was good to go home, I was discharged.  So long as nothing has shifted this last week, and healing is happening like he wants to see, they won't have to go in surgically to pin it together.

Our next trip all depends on what the doctor says tomorrow. Surgery cancels it ALL! Demonstrating that I had followed all the doctor's directions and that we have all the devices needed, there should be no reason why we would need to cancel the trip, we'll just have to modify it!

What an adventure it has been!



Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Adventure #1 ~ Road trip to the Napa Valley

To kick off a year of adventures, it was only fitting to begin where it all started.

We were on the road before the sun came up last Thursday. As we were winding through the desert, there came a time when the moon and the sun were directly across from each other. Hubby pulled over so I could try to do my great rearview mirror trick. Trying to align the moon above the mirror while keeping the sunrise in the rearview mirror wasn't working from my side of the car. The car was also the problem, it's a rental and things are a bit off-kilter. Hubby tried to adjust the mirrors, move forward, backward, turning slightly one way or the next, but that didn't work either. Each minute that passed meant missing a chance at getting the shoot. Time was ticking away! I looked over and saw that it was possible from the driver seat. I handed hubby the camera, gave him a few directions and had him give it his best shot.


For his first time, I think he did okay.

Our drive up took us from sunrise to sunset. We just sailed right on through the L.A. area with little to no traffic. We had a flawless lunch in Santa Clarita. It's been one of our regular stops for gas and food when we are flying non-stop, ha, ha. Lodi is the next one. Going up HWY 5, through the middle of California is the most boring, non-scenic route in America. Yes, the farmlands gracefully rolling over the hills are beautiful, but the cattle ranch will have you blocking the vents, holding your breath, or your nose to keep it from burning because of the odor. It's so bad it has it's own FaceBook page, Stinky Cows on Interstate 5!


Over the years, more and more businesses are popping up along this stretch of our drive. There are a few things to break up the boredom though. We've already done Bravo Farms a few times. Whenever we are dividing the trip in half, leaving late afternoon on one day, driving part way, then finish the drive the next, our favorite place to stay is Harris Ranch. Hitting more traffic during this jaunt is common, the ranch provides an elegant meal, a very comfy bed, and is so appealing to a lot of travelers.

Not this trip though! Remember, it was a non-stop flight, I mean drive!


We take HWY 12 from Lodi to Fairfield. It goes over the Delta's, through Rio Vista, and past these fields of windmills. Sorry about the dirty window, there really are not a lot of places to pull over for a photo op.

Friday included a little bit of business, some shopping for the perfect plant, then visiting my Aunt to share our sympathy. When we walked into our longtime favorite florist, this Jeep planter screamed Uncle Jeep! My aunt has dementia and appears to be in her own wonderful world. We talked about her art, her studio that was once in the basement, and the cute little blue shoes she had on. She never mentioned my uncle, nor did we.


After, we had lunch at the Red Hen with friends we hadn't seen for a couple years. On our way back to his brothers, we drove the scenic route through the vineyards, and we came across some more sculptures.


These are along Big Ranch Road. We found the key at the Blackbird Vineyard back in 2015 during a drive to settle my heart. We still need to find the ball and jacks. 


As expected, it was a pleasure to be part of my brother's milestone. So many wonderful stories from his co-workers. I didn't take many pictures and relied on others to capture his moments. We sat with a lovely couple and their son who recently did a Ride for The Fallen Officers. What an incredible young man!


Saturday was our day for some sightseeing.

First stop was a visit to my mom.
The moments we share are different now, 
but the memories of other moments remain the same.

After a walk, a talk, and a soft breeze across my cheek, it was time to head on and see what adventures we can experience.

We proceeded to the burn area by his brothers. From his picture window, you can see just how close it came. Driving through the devastation was heartbreaking. This picture I captured from the driveway says it all. A family whose life changed with an amber falling on its roof, while the house across the street or a few doors down was intact. Wind changes directions so many times during a firestorm, it can engulf one house, while sparing another. I could only say a prayer. Growing up in the valley, I've seen this same type of devastation before. I've also seen the growth the rebuilding brought. 


I meant to snap a photo of the signs announcing the rebuilds. We didn't drive out the same way we went in. I think we both had seen enough. 

Down the road, we found this.


Outside the Gordon Huether Studio is this giant hand holding a marble. Oh, how I would have loved to have seen what was inside the closed business. During my research, I learned this hand was once on display at Napa's Bottlerock. I also found other places where his art is displayed, like the one in Peoria, AZ along with others. Guess we'll have to add some art hunts to the Bucket List.

Motoring along we took the Silverado Trail to head upvalley to find Foo-Foo Bunny! Once again we can see the mass areas that had burned. With the blackened ground from the fire, and the recent rains allowing new growth, the hills appear to be a darker green than the unburned area. Until you get closer, you don't see the devastation the fire actually caused.


We took Con Creek Road to Rutherford Road so we could cross over to HWY 29. Hall Wines is where we found the bunny.


Mission accomplished! We actually saw and did more than I thought we would have time for. After a nice picnic lunch from Genova's, we were on the road to home. A stop in Benicia for dinner with our best friends followed by a movie and a crackling fire was the perfect ending to a beautiful weekend.

Our drive home was another non-stop flight but did stop at Sizzler for dinner and halftime. Had no idea they would have a TV set up for the game. 

Our #1 adventure is in the book.






The List!

How have you celebrated the milestones throughout your marriage?

We usually just do the traditional stuff like dinner out most years. But for those significant years, there was a second honeymoon to the Grand Cayman Island for our 15th that lead us to here. For our 25th we spent it in Hawaii. Our 30th was in Las Vegas, and our 35th was at PIR (Phoenix International Raceway).

For our 40th, I got the idea to challenge us, kind of like a "GO BIG or GO HOME" thing!

Like the wedding, planning this took time and work. I mentioned in my update that the last year and a half we had been compiling a list of some adventures we would like to do and things to see.

What better time than for this year's milestone.

Fitting them into our busy and unpredictable schedule, became quite a challenge itself. Some would require more time than we have, while others didn't have dates available that worked with our plan, so they got bumped back to the Bucket-List.

So this is what we have come up with.

  1. [X] First Road Trip to Napa for the New Year, always an adventure ~ My brother's retirement party. It's can also be an adventure to be part of another's adventure. 
  2. [X] An unexpected adventure - Took a BAD fall!
      [CISM (Formerly Phoenix International Raceway) Season Ticket Holder Hard Hat Tour~so excited!!!
  3. [X] Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Hauler Parade
  4. [X] Gold and Silver Pawn - TV Show Pawn Stars
      [C] Neon Museum Tour I've wanted to see this for a while now.
  5. [X] Camping World Truck Series Race
  6. [X] Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300 Race
  7. [X] Monster Energy, Pennzoil 400, for our 40th, on the 4th
  8. [X] Don't ask how! I'm praying we can travel along with the NASCAR haulers, caravaning toward Phoenix. I wonder what route they plan to take? How cool would this be to get a photo of us and our trailer among them? Surely an adventure!
  9. [X] Spent a couple days in Wickenburg at Desert Cypress RV Park. Had a wonderful lunch at Anita's Cocina, walked through old town, visited a few antique shops looking for that perfect ring. Drove out to Vulture City but didn't make it in time. Found a number of the sculptures around town.
      [C] Stop in Williams, AZ. Possibly at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park. Might have to change the layover destination due to weather. We've decided to play it by ear. After all, it's about the adventure. Other options, take Route 66 to the Grand Canyon Caverns RV and Campgrounds or stay in Kingman.
      [C] Grand Canyon Railway 
      [C] Route 66 Zipline No guarantee we'll get there this trip or that I will get on it if we do. Especially if we have to go another direction. Just might get switched out with something we find along the way.
      [C] Bearizona Wildlife Park or Grand Canyon Skywalk.
      [C] Grand Canyon Deer Farm or Grand Canyon Caverns,
10. [X] ISM Raceway (Formally PIR) Hauler Parade
11. [X] Xfinity DC Solar 200 Race
12. [X] Monster Energy TicketGaurdian 500
13. [X] The Great Food Truck Race
      [C] OdySea Aquarium
      [C] I've been praying on a Road trip to Florida
      [C] Paradise By The Sea ~ Annual Mother's Day Get-A-Way
      [C] Flower Fields
14. [X] Hard Hat Tour of ISM Raceway
15. [X] Tour KQ Ranch Resort and Lake Cuyamaca
16. [X] Diamondbacks vs. Giants Baseball Game
17. [X] Sun & Sea Festival and Sand Castle Competition- Imperial Beach
18. [X] Lawnstock Redwood Coast Cabins and RV Resort, Eureka, CA
19. [X] Scenic Roadtrip to Las Vegas
20. [X] Las Vegas Motor Speedway First full day
21. [X] Camping World Truck Series Race
22. [X] XFINITY Series Race
23. [X] Monster Energy Series Race
24. [X] NASCAR Racing Experience 
25. [X] River Run RV Park Bakersfield, CA, Roadtrip to Napa.
26. [XA trip on the Napa Valley Wine Train Vista Dome.
        It will be the 43rd Anniversary of our 1st date...
            Day On The Green #6: Edgar Winter GroupJohnny WinterLynyrdSkynyrdEarth QuakeClimax Blues Band 
           (September 20, 1975). Peter Frampton made a surprise appearance at this concert and sang "Do You Feel Like We Do."
27. [XNapa Valley, Nephews Wedding.       
28. [X] Grand Re-Opening at ISM (PIR) Raceway
29. [X] Hauler Parade
30. [X] Infield Experience & Camping World Truck Lucas Oil 150
31. [X] XFINITY Ticket Galaxy 200
32. [X] Monster Energy Can-Am 500 from our new seats
33. [X] Napa Valley for our Annual Meyer-Outlet Sale. It's always an adventure!
34. [X] Hearst Castle and the Grand Room Tour
35. [X] A Rainbow Experience, Parties and Shopping in Napa Valley
36. [X] Silver Strand Beach State Beach, Coronado, CA (Birthday Celebration)
37. [X] Pole Day & Hauler Parade
38. [X] Let's Go Racing!
39. [X] A "Grand" Time in San Diego!
40. [X] Culligan Convention, 25th Anniversary Dealer Award in San Diego




Well, there it is. Now we'll see just what get's checked off this year, what gets added, and what gets moved back to the "Bucket List."

I LOVE Our Journey Through LIFE!