<– Day 16 – Apr. 4th: The Borrego Springs Jeep | OVERVIEW | Day 18 – Apr. 6th: Wurlitzer to Wigwam –>

We didn’t do a lot today. I got caught up on emails and ewillys, worked out (trying to do a better job of that this trip), and relaxed. We also slept. A lot.

Oh yeah, we also ate some ice cream, too. At a Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor no less (Ed Note, as of Dec 2020, the site is no longer live).

When Ann and I were kids Farrell’s was the place to go for birthday parties (Me in Renton, She in Pasco). Farrell’s was loud, crazy and sugarlicious. Then in the mid-1980s Farrell’s closed quickly. The reasons for the closures are hinted at in this history of Farrells: http://www.farrellsusa.com/history-of-fun.php

So, when Ann found a brochure for Farrell’s in the lobby of our hotel, she got very excited. After unsuccessfully trying to convince me that we should have Farrell’s ice cream for breakfast, we agreed to go yesterday afternoon. Even better, it was located on old Route 66 (not that there’s anything left over from the original Route 66).

Picture on the wall outside of Farrells in Rancho Cucamonga

Though the wait was long, we enjoyed ourselves. The place still captured the spirit and look of the original Farrell’s. There is still the famous Zoo on the menu (feeds hordes of children). The sounds of birthday songs and drum banging reverberated throughout the restaurant. The ice cream was better than dairy queen, but certainly no Zingers. But, that’s okay. It’s all about the fun and about recapturing good memories from bygone youthful days.

A very happy wife. This was the first ice cream of the trip. No more until we hit Zingers in Oregon.

Sunday we get to hear a Mighty Wurlitzer Organ and receive a short, behind the scenes tour of it.

<– Day 16 – Apr. 4th: The Borrego Springs Jeep | OVERVIEW | Day 18 – Apr. 6th: Wurlitzer to Wigwam –>

<– Day 15 – Apr. 3rd: Joshua Tree National Park | OVERVIEW | Day 17 – Apr. 5th: Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor –>

The Borrego Springs Jeep Sculpture — Awesome!

We spent Thursday night in downtown Palm Desert. I’d like to explore it more some day, but on Friday morning we had no time to see it. Instead, we had a specific mission: find the jeep sculpture in Borrego Springs, California.

We drove from Palm Desert to Borrego Springs. From there we drove to Ontario for cheaper weekend stay and for a Sunday excursion to Hollywood.

Before leaving Palm Desert, more food was needed and, after some googling, we landed at Jensens. One look at the deli case — lobster pot pie, sliced medium rare lamb, and more — we knew we’d better tread carefully, or we wouldn’t have any money left for the remainder of the trip. We couldn’t resist a few slices of lamb, but did pass on the lobster pot pie (Drats! I really wanted to know how that tasted).

Ready for our trip into the desert, we drove east before turning south. The highway took us down the western side of the Salton Sea. Back in my Manyone Network (circa 2006 and pre-eWillys) days I worked with a group to develop a portal about the unique aspects of the area. I’d always wanted to see the sea in person and finally got that chance today. While I’d seen it in photos, it is much bigger in person than I’d imagined.

When we reached Salton City, we began our trek west to Borrego Springs, but part way along our journey we discovered a bit of jeeping nirvana: Ocotillo Wells State Vehicular Recreation Area. First, we spotted a sign for a “4×4 Obstacle Road”.

Henry saw the 4×4 road sign and was ready for some off road action. But then he saw the pipes and tires and thought better of it.

This is part of the obstacle course. A large pile of tires is on the left and some drainage pipes are on the right. The hills are steeper than appear in this photo.

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<– Day 14 –Apr. 2nd: It is Cold, Windy and Raining . . . This is the Mohave Desert?  | OVERVIEW | Day 16 – Apr. 4th: The Borrego Springs Jeep –>

Ann and I enjoying a perfect day at Joshua Tree National Park.

Our goal today was to make a quick trip to Joshua Tree National Park and then hit a motel in Palm Desert early, so we could rest and wash some clothes.

However our quick trip to the park turned into a four-hour stay, between a long hike and the long drive through the park. Part of the delay was my fault, as I took a bunch of photos:

Joshua has two entrances on the north side and one on the south side. We planned to enter via the northwest entrance out of the city of Joshua Tree. There’s a good visitors center at that location, so I’d recommend starting there. The visitor’s center also isn’t far from this Willys Truck that is hawking firewood.

A truck in Joshua Tree City outside of the National Park.

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<– Day 13 – Apr 1st: From Scottsdale AJs to Seligman Sundries | OVERVIEW | Day 15 – Apr. 3rd: Joshua Tree National Park –>

We left Arizona and entered California under a few dark clouds.

On Wednesday we began the morning by driving to the Route 66 Museum at the old power station in downtown Kingman.

Map of our drive on Wednesday April 2

On our way, there were more classic motels, but one in particular caught our attention. There was much more going on at this hotel — murals and themed rooms — but our photos didn’t turn out very good.

After many photographs, we finally made it to the two floor power station. Downstairs you’ll find a gift shop and visitor’s center. Upstairs is the entrance to the museum where we purchased our tickets. The cashier was an older gentleman who at first seemed gruff and bothered by our presence, but then warmed up as he got into a short presentation about how the tickets we purchased were good for three museums in the area. We also learned that active military folks get in free.

The museum tour starts with a history of the trail which proceeded the route. One of the first things I spotted was a photograph of a jeep from 1943. It’s the only jeep I saw in the place.

From there, more history unfolded: the need for good roads, the construction of Route 66, and the success of the towns following WWII, until the opening of Interstate 40 in 1984.

These maps showed chunks of the early highway with some interesting information.

In the middle of the Route 66 history is a large diorama that shares Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath and his use of Route 66 in the book.

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<– Day 12 – Mar. 31st: Stagecoaches and a Glass Desert | OVERVIEW | Day 14 – Apr. 2nd: It is Cold, Windy and Raining . . . This is the Mohave Desert? –>

A piece of eWillys is now a part of Route 66 history at Seligman Sundries

We began our day by replenishing our food supplies. Unlike our trip to the East Coast last summer (we each gained ten pounds), we’ve been more careful about what we eat. This has meant many light dinners of good cheese, smoked meats and some crackers. Since Ann shouldn’t eat cows milk (beef protein sensitive since a baby), we’ve been shopping for goat and sheep cheese. Since AJs Fine Foods, Trader Joes, and Whole Foods are good sources of that cheese (and close together in Scottsdale), we decided we’d better stock up so we’d have dinner for the next few days.

Today we drove from Phoenix to Kingman.

After our shopping was done, we drove toward Mayer, AZ, where I’d learned about a place called Arcosanti. Below is an example photo of the place and more images here. I thought it warranted a closer look.

I wanted to drop by Arcosonti, but we accidentally passed it.

For some reason, I thought this unusual development was outside Mayer, Arizona. It turns out it is near the intersection of I-17 and Hwy 69, which we’d already passed. So, we ended up touring Mayer for a short time before resuming our trek north to Route 66.

But, it wasn’t all for naught, as we did find this collection of odd vehicles just before Mayer. There’s a couple jeeps among some vintage trucks.

A lineup of trucks overlooking the freeway.

A wagon and a truck just to the left.

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<– Day 11 – Mar. 30th: Phoenix’s Mystery Castle | OVERVIEW | Day 13 – Apr 1st: From Scottsdale AJs to Seligman Sundries –>

Chihuly glass sculptures on a boat in a pond at the Desert Botanical Garden.

Even though Ann’s birthday wasn’t until April 1st we decided to celebrate it on March 31st. My present to her was a nice room at the Marriott and for me to abstain from work. Well, she got 1 out 2, as I only abstained from most work.

Our stay at the Marriott (in Scottsdale) was nice due to the beautiful room. However, the room we had was placed among a series of rooms where there were some college/high school aged guys. But, rather than on Spring Break, I got the feeling they were staying there longer term. They weren’t being rowdy, but the hall echoed badly as the room doors opened/shut loudly and often. At one point I had to get the manager to move a set of young men out of the hallway after they became noisy (and after I’d confronted them once). Eventually they settled down and we didn’t have any more problems the rest of our stay.

We started Monday by driving to visit the Wells Fargo Museum in downtown Phoenix. It was a rather small museum inside a Wells Fargo bank building. The museum turned out to be a little gem. First of all it was free (perhaps funded in part by the questionable mortgage practices to which my ex-wife fell victim in 2008 — she wasn’t totally innocent, but the phone reps flat out lied to her . . . but, I digress). The museum had several neat displays that included the history of the company, a challenge for visitors to put thirteen dolls into/onto a single carriage to demonstrate how crowded they could be, the difficulties of hunting ‘highway men’ and more. There’s even a very nice painting collection. If you have an hour and are downtown, I recommend it (145 W Adams
Phoenix, AZ 85003 – Learn more at Yelp).

It might not looks like much, but each of these displays is pretty neat.

Ann’s inside this stagecoach while a narrator takes her on a journey (you can just see his head in the background).

This coach is designed to carry thirteen people. The goal is to fit all thirteen dolls into the coach. It’s an effective way to show how crowded some coaches could be.

Wells fargo will print your photo and email you a photo if you want your picture on some money.

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<– Day 10 – Mar. 29th: Red Lobster or Bust — Day 2 of the FC Roundup | OVERVIEW | Day 12 – Mar. 31st: Stagecoaches and a Glass Desert –>

The Mystery Castle as it appeared in Life Magazine in 1948.

On Sunday we didn’t do a whole lot, which was just fine with us. But, we did have one objective: To visit the Mystery Castle. Located just south of Phoenix, the Mystery Castle was built in the 1930s by Boyce Gulley. While living with his wife and daughter in Seattle, Boyce learned he had tuberculosis and was given six months to live. Without a word to them, he left. After wandering for a year, he discovered he wasn’t going to die. So, he settled down in Phoenix, got some free land south of the city, and built a castle for his daughter. His wife and daughter wouldn’t learn about the castle until after his death in 1945. When they arrived to take possession of the property, they were told that after living there two years, they could open up a mystery door….

On January 1, 1948, Life Magazine was there to cover the opening of the door. You can learn more about what they found by reading the January 26, 1948, issue of Life Magazine.

Here are some photos. You really have to see the place to understand it. If you like rustic and eclectic, this place is a must see:

Following our tour of the house, we got some food and headed for our motel. Tomorrow we will do a few touristy things around Phoenix.

<– Day 10 – Mar. 29th: Red Lobster or Bust — Day 2 of the FC Roundup | OVERVIEW | Day 12 – Mar. 31st: Stagecoaches and a Glass Desert –>

<– Day 7 – Mar. 26th: Darth Vader and Tractor Bob | OVERVIEW | Day 9 – Mar. 28th: Charging Futility and FC Roundup Day 1 –>

From left to right Alan, Me and Joe and Joe’s jeeps. Alan also owns a few jeeps, including a Surrey he’s been restoring. He too can blame his father for his Willys sickness.

On Thursday morning we woke up to silence. The room at the Murray was amazingly peaceful. There’s no constant hum of a nearby highway, no air condition churning noisily, just relaxing quiet. For that reason alone we liked our stay in Silver City. But, as all good things must end, we said goodbye and hit the road for a ‘blue highways’ journey through New Mexico and Phoenix.

Before we left Silver City, we wanted to take a couple photos of the former Main Street. You can see the enormity of the damage from a storm that happened in the 1880s. There has been some discussion of filling in the area, but the importance of the event in the town’s history seems to win over any discussions of change.

Former Main Street of Silver City. Now a giant gully that still fills with water during the rainy season.

An example of the tall side walks that help direct the water down the street during heavy rains.

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<– Day 5 – Mar. 24th: Talking Jeeps w/ Worn Rusty Hubbs | OVERVIEW | Day 7 – Mar. 26th: Darth Vader and Tractor Bob –>

We started off the morning at the New Mexico National Guard Bataan Memorial Museum, which includes a special exhibit about the embattled soldiers of Bataan and Corriegor. That episode of WWII was particularly important to New Mexico as they had a detachment of National Guard troops in the Philippines when the Japanese attacked. The entry hall is lined with stories of soldiers who perished at different times during the war, some along the Bataan Death March, some in POW camps, and some in the ‘Hell Ships‘.

Given the use of ‘Bataan’ is used prominently in the Museum’s name, I expected to find a more in-depth look at the loss of Philippines, the type of treatment endured by POWs, the concern over the POWs lives if Japan lost the war (all prisoners were supposed to be executed) and more. However, instead of finding that, the museum focuses more on telling the story of the New Mexico National Guard, from their fights in the civil war to present-day, which is understandable.

Ann pointed out one spot where the wiring isn’t up to standards on this gun.

This tribute to the Bataan March includes several items that survived the war.

This was the jeep used in a WWII display. oops.

An overview of part of the museum.

So, it’s a fine little museum with free entry, but Ann and I both agreed that they have a unique opportunity to tell an important story that doesn’t fully educate the visitor about that event. Fortunately, there are some sources that do explain why the Philippines were lost and the treatment endured by the POWs (books that are sitting on my book shelf at home and whose names I can’t recall at the moment).

On the bright side, they do have a pretty accurate M-38 in good shape.

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<– Day 4 – Mar. 23rd: Hurray for Ouray | OVERVIEW | Day 6 – Mar. 25th: TinkerTown and the Turquoise Trail –>

Rusty and me with his FC-170. This seemed like an appropriate photo to start the post since the FC Roundup is only a few days away.

We woke up a little lazily on Monday morning. We knew we had a long drive ahead of us from Durango to Santa Fe, but we wanted to peruse a little of Durango before we left, so we hunted down some breakfast using an iPhone App called Ness (that won’t be around much longer), which calculates the time of day to suggest nearby restaurants (for mornings it will find breakfast places for example) and provide ratings. That’s how we found the Durango Diner in downtown Durango.

The Durango Diner had a wide selection of breakfast items that looked good, including two eggs & a chile relleno, which was my choice. I expected to just get the eggs and the relleno, but instead there was a heap of hash browns with green chile sauce (love that New Mexican Green Chile sauce, even in Colorado). It was a lot of food and if there’s one thing I’ve learned on these trips, eating light saves money and bathroom stops. So, I ate a good portion then pushed it away, reluctantly.

I liked the sauce enough to get a “to-go bottle” of it.

We left Durango and quickly found ourselves wandering through northern Idaho, or what looked like northern Idaho to us. Southern Colorado felt remote and looked beautiful as we drove through endless forested valleys with the occasional ranch.

Today’s trip from Durango to Santa Fe

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<– Day 3 – Mar. 22nd: Old Bones and Old Jeeps | OVERVIEW | Day 5 – Mar. 24th: Talking Jeeps w/ Worn Rusty Hubbs –>

Here’s our selfie at an overlook just south of Ouray, Colorado. Ann is putting on a brave face for the camera, but she’s very scared in that photo. This overlook hangs over the edge of a steep cliff.

With beautiful blue skies overhead, we started the day in Grand Junction with our sights set on the mysterious Colorado National Monument. Having done no research on it, and trusting Dean’s advice from yesterday, we started at the western entrance of the park near Fruita.

Today we drove from Fruita to Durango.

After the ranger station, the road climbs quickly, switching back and forth, tunneling through rock, and teasing the driver (who should really keep his eyes on the road according to Ann) with beautiful views of the Grand Junction Valley. Those travelers familiar with Southern Utah will instantly recognize the red sandstone walls, the juniper trees, and narrow canyons.

After four miles of driving, we arrived at the visitors center, a complex perched near a canyon wall with a view toward some of the amazing pinnacles that dot the landscape. Inside the visitors center we learned about John Otto, the man that made the Monument happen. His early vision included an amazing road full of switchbacks that would allow cars to traverse the park from one end to the other. Hi dream might not have become a reality had the Depression not happened, for it provided all the cheap labor ($1/day/per person) he need to carve a twenty-three mile road through the park.

After driving the road, it’s my opinion that it is one of the truly unique features of the park. There aren’t many places along the drive that don’t feature beautiful views. It is one continuous bit of eye candy from start to finish.

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<– Day 1 – March 20th: Dinner and Salt | OVERVIEW | Day 3 – Mar. 22nd: Old Bones and Old Jeeps –>

The Easter-o-saurus greeted us at Vernal, Utah.

After our long drive on Thursday, we intentionally had an easy day drive of a few hours, a quick trip from Salt Lake City to Vernal, Utah.

Day 2 of our trip.

We started off the day with some bagels at the Einsteins on 13th East with Karson. After we were done eating, we posed for a photo together, which further demonstrates that either he is growing or I am shrinking. Must be the water in Salt Lake or something . . .

It kind of looks like the guy on the horse in the photo is measure just how tall Karson is!

We were just about to leave Salt Lake when Ann and I spotted Caputos, a well known deli that now has a small store next to Einsteins. They know their stuff at Caputos and know a couple suckers when they see them. We walked out a little poorer, but with some really good goat cheese and some locally made chocolate.

Continue reading →

<– OVERVIEW | Day 2 – March 21st: From Salt Lake City To Vernal –>

We left Pasco, Washington, at 5amish yesterday, which means we’d planned to leave at 5am, but due to last minute scrambling, our departure didn’t actually occur until 5:30am. After nine hours of driving, we arrived in Salt Lake City in time to celebrate with the kids.

Today we drove from Pasco, Washington, to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Karson, Kasia and Colter joined us at the Old Spaghetti Factory for some pasta. It was Kasia’s choice, due both to her upcoming 18th birthday and because we found out yesterday she’s been accepted to the University of Utah. However, she won’t be attending the U this fall, but will postpone it until the fall of 2015 so she can spend the next school year participating in a mentorship program in Los Angeles.

Colter has another two years at East High School. I think he hopes that without his brother and sister at school, he will no longer be known as Kasia or Karson’s little brother. Instead, people will actually know him by his own name.

You may remember our trip from last summer when we ran into Karson twice during his participation in the Americorps/FEMA program. In November he successfully ‘graduated’ from the program with lots of experiences, stories and scholarship money. So, he decided to go to Westminster University starting this winter. He seems to be enjoying it immensely.

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OVERVIEW | Day 1 – March 20th: Dinner and Salt –>

UPDATE: This page originally covered our anticipated trip, but now that It is finished, it’s a summary page.

Southwest / California trip March 20-May 1, 2014.

We finally made it home to Pasco. It took us six weeks and one day to make the loop through the mountain west, into the southwest, and northward into California and Oregon. We covered a distance of 6,378 miles.

Once again, we have to give thanks to everyone who met with us, supported or followed our journey. We feel very fortunate to have these periods of time to travel with one another and see so much of this great country. Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed our trip and learned something new about a place you never knew.

We appreciate all the suggestions everyone gave us and we’re sorry we couldn’t followup on all of them. I know I’d hoped to drop by and see Paul Barry at Willys America or Jerry at his truck/wagon shop in Rodeo, CA. However, since my daughter is supposed to be in Los Angeles in the fall/spring of next year, I figured we would be back down there soon enough and will stop by both places.

Here are links to our daily reports:

1. OVERVIEW: 2014 Southwest Trip Overview
2. Day 1 – March 20th: Dinner and Salt
3. Day 2 – March 21st: From Salt Lake City To Vernal
4. Day 3 – Mar. 22nd: Old Bones and Old Jeeps
5. Day 4 – Mar. 23rd: Hurray for Ouray
6. Day 5 – Mar. 24th: Talking Jeeps w/ Worn Rusty Hubbs
7. Day 6 – Mar. 25th: TinkerTown and the Turquoise Trail
8. Day 7 – Mar. 26th: Darth Vader and Tractor Bob
9. Day 8 – Mar. 27th: Joe’s Jeeps
10. Day 9 – Mar. 28th: Charging Futility and FC Roundup Day 1
11. Day 10 – Mar. 29th: Red Lobster or Bust — Day 2 of the FC Roundup
12. Day 11 – Mar. 30th: Phoenix’s Mystery Castle
13. Day 12 – Mar. 31st: Stagecoaches and a Glass Desert
14. Day 13 – Apr 1st: From Scottsdale AJs to Seligman Sundries
15. Day 14 – Apr. 2nd: It is Cold, Windy and Raining . . . This is the Mohave Desert?
16. Day 15 – Apr. 3rd: Joshua Tree National Park
17. Day 16 – Apr. 4th: The Borrego Springs Jeep
18. Day 17 – Apr. 5th: Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor
19. Day 18 – Apr. 6th: Wurlitzer to Wigwam
20. Day 19 – Apr. 7th: From McDonald’s to Ruby’s
21. Day 20 – Apr. 8th: California Adventure w/ Mrs. Soggy Bottom
22. Day 21 – Apr. 9th: Day 2 at Disneyland
23. Day 22 – Apr. 10th: Balboa Island and Pier
24. Day 23 – Apr. 11th: Vintage Cars and Campers
25. Day 24 – Apr. 12th: Dan’s FCs and The Lost Romanian
26. Day 25 – Apr. 13th: Port Why-Knee-Me
27. Day 26 – Apr. 14th: Gorditas Make Me Sleepy
28. Day 27 – Apr. 15th: Strolling Monterey
29. Day 28 – Apr. 16th: Artichokes and Sushi Boats
30. Day 29 – Apr. 17th: Revenge of the Sushi
31. Day 30-31 – Apr.18th-19th: Bay Area Fun
32. Day 32 – Apr. 20th: A Sunday Drive to Santa Rosa
33. Day 33 – Apr. 21st: Tom, Paty, Sparky, Bill, Lucy, Snoopy, Charlie, Linus, and More
34. Day 34 – Apr. 22nd: Old Town Sacramento
35. Day 35 – Apr. 23rd: Over the Sierras
36. Day 36 – Apr. 24th: ‘Tire’d of Reno
37. Day 37 – Apr. 25th: Carson City
38. Day 38 – Apr. 26th: Finding Virginia City
39. Day 39 – Apr. 27th: Crying Babies and Grungie Folks
40. Day 40 – Apr. 28th: Firehouse #4
41. Day 41 – Apr. 29th: Ann Flies the Goose
42. Day 42 – Apr. 30th: R&P 4WD and Herm
43. Day 43 – COMPLETED: 2014 Spring Southwest-California Trip

OVERVIEW | Day 1 – March 20th: Dinner and Salt –>