Sunday, February 17, 2008
Trip Path
I wanted to show exactly what path we drove along our trip. I used a highlighter to trace over the exact roads that we drove. We ended up with just over 1500 miles of driving.
home...
So we left Beatty, Nevada just before 7am. The drive was a straight boring hour drive through the desert. We dropped our rental off, took a bus to the airport, picked up our tickets, got right through security and at 11:25am pst. we were in the air. The flight to philly was quick, just about 3 and 1/2 hours. We had a nice long walk from the B terminal to the A terminal in philly and then we were back in the air on our way to Syracuse. In syracuse we picked up our bags which were there waiting for us, walked out the door and Kristy was there waiting for us. And just like that we were home. We were back in Truxton at about 10:00pm est.
Pretty much all the pictures have been uploaded to my photobucket account. I will also be uploaded some good ones onto here in a bit. You can look at all my pictures here...
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/blakdot/California%20Trip/
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/blakdot/California%20Trip%202/
Pretty much all the pictures have been uploaded to my photobucket account. I will also be uploaded some good ones onto here in a bit. You can look at all my pictures here...
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/blakdot/California%20Trip/
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/blakdot/California%20Trip%202/
Friday, February 15, 2008
amazing
Before i get started with this update i just want to share our milage on this trip up until this point. When we rented our car in Vegas on Tuesday it had 7,500 miles on the Odometer. Here in Beatty, Nevada our odometer reads just over 8,900 miles. So we've got approximately 1,400 miles on our rental car at this point. Beatty, NV is known as the Northern Gateway to Death Valley but for us its a nights sleep almost 100 miles from our flight back home in Las Vegas. We will be getting up early and beat feet South in the morning.
I was hoping to get this updated last night at Mammoth but i guess that Motel 6 doesn't believe in the internet. Originally we were planning on leaving San Fran Thursday morning to head to Mammoth but there was a chance that maybe Kali and Jacob would be joining us, so we had to wait until Kali was out of class for the day and Jake was out of work. We decided to make a quick tour of the City and take some pictures. We made a Loop starting in Berkeley going across the Bay Bridge and then we made our way out to the beach and then across the Golden Gate Bridge. When we got across we drove around the hills and found an old WWII Coastal Battery which was cool. After we killed a bunch of time we made our way across the Richmond Bridge into Oakland, and back to Kali's apartment. After killing most the day we get back to find that Jake couldn't get out of work and they wouldn't be able to join us. Both of us were really bummed because it was great seeing them and we were really hoping to continue enjoying their company at the mountain.
For those of you who dont know, there is no good way to get to Mammoth from San Francisco. The quickest way is actually through Yosemite National Park, but the pass is closed in the winter. There are two other passes north of Yosemite that we were going to try and take but when we started getting close we came to find out that those mountain passes were closed as well. So we were headed east to Stockton and then had to turn North to Sacramento. From there we had to take RT 50 to Lake Tahoe. From Tahoe we had to drive over this really gnarly pass over the mountain and finally make our way South on Rt 395 to Mammoth Lakes. There we found Mike who gave us our passes and then we found a place to stay and passed out.
Mammoth is just absolutely breathtaking. We got up early to get ourselves ready and we headed down to Footloose so that Doug could demo some skis for the day. Then we drove up the access rd to the Mill Cafe at about 7:30am. The parking lot was EMPTY and the lift was literally 30ft from where we were parked. We hung out in the parking lot until 8:10 when the lifts open and then we started our amazing day at Mammoth. The weather was just insanely beautiful, The high was 45 Degrees and it was bluebird sky's all day. Wind was about 0-5mph at the base and 65-80mph at the summit. The summit was crazy.... 11,oooft and 70mph winds coming straight up the trails. It was blowing snow really bad and when it hit your face it felt like you were being sandblasted. It was blowing so hard that if you stood up straight the wind would blow you back up hill. We really had a fantastic day at the mountain and its really sad to leave so soon but the thin air was really starting to get to us both and i passed out as soon as i got in the car.
The drive to Beatty was pretty cool, there is just so much scenery and my eyes were pretty much popping out of my head the entire time. To get from Rt 395 CA to Rt 95 NV we had to take this 70 mile mountain pass. The elevation changes and sharp curves and one lanes between cliffs were just nuts. We saw probably 3 cars in the entire 70 miles, but there were some houses and we saw a ranch with some cows. Its hard to believe how secluded these places were and people actually lived there. The nearest store to these houses had to have been 60 miles, and there must be times when it snows and these people are trapped on this mountain.
I have a TON of pictures, i'm going to try and get them up on my photbucket account tonight.
I was hoping to get this updated last night at Mammoth but i guess that Motel 6 doesn't believe in the internet. Originally we were planning on leaving San Fran Thursday morning to head to Mammoth but there was a chance that maybe Kali and Jacob would be joining us, so we had to wait until Kali was out of class for the day and Jake was out of work. We decided to make a quick tour of the City and take some pictures. We made a Loop starting in Berkeley going across the Bay Bridge and then we made our way out to the beach and then across the Golden Gate Bridge. When we got across we drove around the hills and found an old WWII Coastal Battery which was cool. After we killed a bunch of time we made our way across the Richmond Bridge into Oakland, and back to Kali's apartment. After killing most the day we get back to find that Jake couldn't get out of work and they wouldn't be able to join us. Both of us were really bummed because it was great seeing them and we were really hoping to continue enjoying their company at the mountain.
For those of you who dont know, there is no good way to get to Mammoth from San Francisco. The quickest way is actually through Yosemite National Park, but the pass is closed in the winter. There are two other passes north of Yosemite that we were going to try and take but when we started getting close we came to find out that those mountain passes were closed as well. So we were headed east to Stockton and then had to turn North to Sacramento. From there we had to take RT 50 to Lake Tahoe. From Tahoe we had to drive over this really gnarly pass over the mountain and finally make our way South on Rt 395 to Mammoth Lakes. There we found Mike who gave us our passes and then we found a place to stay and passed out.
Mammoth is just absolutely breathtaking. We got up early to get ourselves ready and we headed down to Footloose so that Doug could demo some skis for the day. Then we drove up the access rd to the Mill Cafe at about 7:30am. The parking lot was EMPTY and the lift was literally 30ft from where we were parked. We hung out in the parking lot until 8:10 when the lifts open and then we started our amazing day at Mammoth. The weather was just insanely beautiful, The high was 45 Degrees and it was bluebird sky's all day. Wind was about 0-5mph at the base and 65-80mph at the summit. The summit was crazy.... 11,oooft and 70mph winds coming straight up the trails. It was blowing snow really bad and when it hit your face it felt like you were being sandblasted. It was blowing so hard that if you stood up straight the wind would blow you back up hill. We really had a fantastic day at the mountain and its really sad to leave so soon but the thin air was really starting to get to us both and i passed out as soon as i got in the car.
The drive to Beatty was pretty cool, there is just so much scenery and my eyes were pretty much popping out of my head the entire time. To get from Rt 395 CA to Rt 95 NV we had to take this 70 mile mountain pass. The elevation changes and sharp curves and one lanes between cliffs were just nuts. We saw probably 3 cars in the entire 70 miles, but there were some houses and we saw a ranch with some cows. Its hard to believe how secluded these places were and people actually lived there. The nearest store to these houses had to have been 60 miles, and there must be times when it snows and these people are trapped on this mountain.
I have a TON of pictures, i'm going to try and get them up on my photbucket account tonight.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
pictures
ok so now that i'm awake, i'm going to post some of our favorite pictures from the expo.
This is a john deere Cotton picker, and this is bail that it makes
This is a Claas 14 row kemper corn head that goes on the front of the Jaguar 980 thats behind it. The 980 has two motors that can be selected to be used together for maximum horsepower, or individually when less horsepower is needed.
This is a JCB Fast Trac. Its a tractor that will do 40mph down the road
This is an armor plated backhoe that JCB is making for the military
This is a sweet 4 seater Sandrail
This is a custom Chassis, that can be customized to be used for anything you need.
These are small tractors with custom cabs designed for Orchard farms.
This is a john deere Cotton picker, and this is bail that it makes
This is a Claas 14 row kemper corn head that goes on the front of the Jaguar 980 thats behind it. The 980 has two motors that can be selected to be used together for maximum horsepower, or individually when less horsepower is needed.
This is a JCB Fast Trac. Its a tractor that will do 40mph down the road
This is an armor plated backhoe that JCB is making for the military
This is a sweet 4 seater Sandrail
This is a custom Chassis, that can be customized to be used for anything you need.
These are small tractors with custom cabs designed for Orchard farms.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Travelin' men
These days just keep getting better. Being both of us are still on NY time, Doug and I both woke today at 5 this morning. We got ourselves ready and headed out for the Expo. It was about hour drive to Tulare and we arrived at about 7:30. The show didnt start until 8 so we were among the first couple people in line for admission. Once we got in we moved right along and saw the show. If you've never been to a farm show i highly recommend you go to one but be prepared to walk. We must have walked almost 8 miles today. We saw a lot of stuff and i took a lot of pictures that i'm not going to post here so if you want to see them go to: http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y210/blakdot/California%20Trip/
Us being the professional Farm show seeing people we are, saw everything that there was to see with time to spare. We ended up back at our Hotel room at around 2:30 and we started to wonder what we were going to do for the rest of the afternoon. We had a couple ideas but then we decided to call up Kali and see if she would let us stay with her for the night. So we got back in the car and drove 5 hours to San Francisco. Once we got in, we hung out with Jacob for a while until Kali got back from whatever it was she was doing. I think it was like yoga class thats not yoga but its like yoga. When she got back we went to this Irish pub for dinner and i had a Lamb stew and a beer and it was good. the end i'm tired.
Us being the professional Farm show seeing people we are, saw everything that there was to see with time to spare. We ended up back at our Hotel room at around 2:30 and we started to wonder what we were going to do for the rest of the afternoon. We had a couple ideas but then we decided to call up Kali and see if she would let us stay with her for the night. So we got back in the car and drove 5 hours to San Francisco. Once we got in, we hung out with Jacob for a while until Kali got back from whatever it was she was doing. I think it was like yoga class thats not yoga but its like yoga. When she got back we went to this Irish pub for dinner and i had a Lamb stew and a beer and it was good. the end i'm tired.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
what a day
The day started out at 6:30am est at the Comfort Inn in Cleveland. We woke up to a fresh 1-2inches of snow which had us a little worried. The Hotel had a nice little continental breakfast and then we waited for the shuttle they provided to and from the airport. The Shuttle took us right to our terminal and since our baggage remained at the airport overnight we didnt have to re-check it. So we made our way to Security and made it through without any problems.
Time for hiccup number 2. When we walked up to our gate the sign said it was scheduled to leave at 10:00am but our boarding passes said 9:00. Apparently our flight had been delayed but we're not sure why. So we were there at around 8:00 and we had to sit around until 10. Not that big of a deal. At 10:00 we boarded our plane and took off without any other delays or problems. 4 hours later we were arriving in Las Vegas.
Touch down in Vegas was at about 11:30am pst. McCarren Airport is a pretty crazy place, as soon as we entered the terminal the first thing you notice is slot machines everywhere. After a trip to the bathroom we followed the large crowd to a tram that dropped us at baggage claim. We were both real worried about our bags since we hadnt seen them since Monday night in Syracuse, but to our surprise the bags showed up right on time. After that we followed some signs and found a shuttle to take us to the rental car building.
Time for hiccup number 3, which could have ended our entire trip before it got started. Because Doug was under 25 years old the rental company had to hold a LARGE deposit that we get back when we return the car, But Dougs company card didnt have a big enough limit on it to cover the deposit and they wouldnt take another card over the phone. So we called up Dan and he said he could call the credit card company and change the limit on the card. Lucky it worked and we got ourselves a vehicle to drive.
We took a quick drive down the strip to snap a couple pictures and then off into the desert we went. Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing between Las Vegas, and we'll say the town of Mojave. I have pictures to prove it. The drive was long, almost 5 hours of driving. We left Vegas at about 2:00pm and we rolled into Bakersfield at about 7:00.
On to Hiccup number 4. When Doug reserved the hotel he looked at a map and saw it was right off the highway, so he just wrote down the street name hoping we'd see it while we we're driving. We ended up going the wrong direction and about the same time Dad called and he got us in the right direction over the phone.
So here we are at a Super 8 Hotel in Bakersfield California. Doug is currently out finding dinner, hopefully he hasnt gotten lost. Internet here at this hotel is sucky so i dont know if i can get any pictures uploaded tonight.
We head north to Tulare in the morning to see the Expo. Its about a hour drive so we have to get up early.
Time for hiccup number 2. When we walked up to our gate the sign said it was scheduled to leave at 10:00am but our boarding passes said 9:00. Apparently our flight had been delayed but we're not sure why. So we were there at around 8:00 and we had to sit around until 10. Not that big of a deal. At 10:00 we boarded our plane and took off without any other delays or problems. 4 hours later we were arriving in Las Vegas.
Touch down in Vegas was at about 11:30am pst. McCarren Airport is a pretty crazy place, as soon as we entered the terminal the first thing you notice is slot machines everywhere. After a trip to the bathroom we followed the large crowd to a tram that dropped us at baggage claim. We were both real worried about our bags since we hadnt seen them since Monday night in Syracuse, but to our surprise the bags showed up right on time. After that we followed some signs and found a shuttle to take us to the rental car building.
Time for hiccup number 3, which could have ended our entire trip before it got started. Because Doug was under 25 years old the rental company had to hold a LARGE deposit that we get back when we return the car, But Dougs company card didnt have a big enough limit on it to cover the deposit and they wouldnt take another card over the phone. So we called up Dan and he said he could call the credit card company and change the limit on the card. Lucky it worked and we got ourselves a vehicle to drive.
We took a quick drive down the strip to snap a couple pictures and then off into the desert we went. Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing between Las Vegas, and we'll say the town of Mojave. I have pictures to prove it. The drive was long, almost 5 hours of driving. We left Vegas at about 2:00pm and we rolled into Bakersfield at about 7:00.
On to Hiccup number 4. When Doug reserved the hotel he looked at a map and saw it was right off the highway, so he just wrote down the street name hoping we'd see it while we we're driving. We ended up going the wrong direction and about the same time Dad called and he got us in the right direction over the phone.
So here we are at a Super 8 Hotel in Bakersfield California. Doug is currently out finding dinner, hopefully he hasnt gotten lost. Internet here at this hotel is sucky so i dont know if i can get any pictures uploaded tonight.
We head north to Tulare in the morning to see the Expo. Its about a hour drive so we have to get up early.
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