We've been here two and a half weeks now and am just beginning to get over my road weariness. 3400 miles racked up on the odometer! Yup, between the bad weather throughout the West, pass closures and unavailability of tire chains due to several freak snowstorms in the Seattle area, we had to take the L-O-N-G way, down I-5 through CA and then left at Bakersfield through AZ, NM, OK, TX, AK, TN, & NC. Left is one of the highlights of the trip - a Texas-shaped sink! Here are some of the emails I sent out from "The Road"-
December 31, 2008 10:15 pm
I made it to Medford, OR today, only 425 miles. The plan tomorrow is to try to cut off a little, angling thru Klamath Falls and SE. I'll try to get as close to Vegas as possible. Then, I'm going to high-tail it across I-40. There is supposed to be a big snowstorm coming into the Four Corners area (ancient Anasazi, Navajo & Hopi territory where UT, CO, AZ & NM come together) this wknd so I want to try to be as far east as I can which is unfortunate b/c I love that land, always feel connected to the sacred there & would love to hang out for a while. Emails, texts and calls are welcomed!
~Sha'ari
January 1, 2009 11:21 pm
Hi, guys-
We are staying in Fresno, only a couple hrs north of Bakersfield where we will FINALLY turn east onto I-40. Today, Chinook began destroying the inside of the car and my new gong bag out of boredom, anxiety and change in his routine. So I had to pull off the road and get him his crate. In order to unbury it, I had remove everything fromthe car and re-pack. It was quite the ordeal and I was very upset. He was a lot happier in his crate after that and we were able to cover 500 miles. I'm just kicking myself that I didn't do that to begin with. I came full circle today, driving thru Stockton, CA. It was 22 years ago, almost to the day, that I began my encounter with The West. I had driven x-country from Allentown, PA in my new Honda Civic to start a music therapy internship. From there, I went north thru OR to WA where I saw Seattle & fell in love at first sight. It feels like just a couple of years ago....amazing. I'll update everyone again tomorrow.
Love,
shar
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
January 2, 11:34 pm
Good evening!
We left Fresno around 9am and spent a few fabulous hours at the Stockdale dog park in Bakersfield. Altogether, we drove 475 mls today. Tonight we are staying in Kingman, one of the quaint old AZ Route 66 towns. I've been here before but it's been YEARS! The Motel 6 doesn't even charge extra for dogs! As we came into town, speeding across I-40 @ 80 mph (with lots of other cars passing us), the stars were gleaming brilliantly in the ink black sky-really! I so love the high desert and am very happy to be traveling through the Southwest. I've always felt a special connection to this land. Tomorrow, we drive through Navajo & Hopi territory. First, we will stop briefly in Flagstaff, hopefully see my friends Laurie & Leslie and go on a short hike. Then, we'll try to make it as close to Albuquerque as we can. We may spend a little extra time in ABQ and will definitely eat some "Christmas" enchiladas (ribbons of green & red chili served together). I don't think you can get that in NC!
X0X,
Shar, Kali & Chinook
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
January 4, 2009 6:53 pm
Hi, Geri-
Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. I'm in El Reno, OK, only 20 miles from OK City but I just could not make it any further after 600 miles. We just checked in. Strangely, the hotel offers free wireless internet but I don't have a cell phone signal. Anyhow, here is the information about the Amtrack Express shipment:
Shipment #1: Waybill SA 2067552,
12 pieces (1 bicycle, 3 sets metal gong bars, 8 boxes)
Shipment #2: Waybill SA 2067553
2 pieces (2 boxes)
TOTAL: 1 bicycle, 3 sets metal bars, 10 boxes
There is an 800 number: 1 800 368 TRAK (8725).
January 5, 2009 5:52 pm
One thing about having lived in so many places in the country is that there are a lot of opportunities to pass through places where one has formerly resided. Memphis is yet another one of these places.
I would have liked to have gone to see our old house in Germantown but the weather really got me down today. Literally, from the time I left El Reno, OK (just outside Oklahoma City) until the east side of the Mississippi River, there was an ice storm. The entire front of my car (and everyone else's, too) was iced over including the windshield wipers, the cargo bag, front grill, etc. It was pretty harrowing driving but we managed to make the 500 miles all in one piece by being calm, steady and careful. We saw 3 jack-knifed tractor trailers on the way. So, by the time we got here, I was too shaky and exhausted from all that driving and concentration to do anything other than check into our hotel and order in Chinese from Beijing Garden down the road. We are still awaiting our 30-minute delivery over one hour later. And, no, I am not eating BBQ here (they don't deliver) but I got some awesome Texas BBQ in Amarillo.
Did I mention that Motel 6 is our new best friend? They allow dogs for no extra charge and offer wireless internet for $2.99. This is the 5th night in a row we've stayed at one. Clean. Cheap. Predictable.
On the way, today, we stopped at the best doggie rest area I've ever been too, right before the cut-off to Hot Springs Natl Park in Arkansas. It was huge with large grassy expanses and large trees and forested areas tucked away off the main section. At the back of the property, there was a chain link fence (perfect for off-leash dogs!) and you could see the Ozark Mountains miles away. We had a great time romping about and since it was sleeting, we were the only ones crazy enough to venture out past the restrooms.
Tomorrow is the day we are due to arrive at 29 Richmond Ave in Asheville, NC. I plan to reward myself with all new bedding since Chinook shredded some of mine today and other pieces were accidentally on purpose left at various rest areas across the country in an effort to lighten our load (aka fit everything into the car). Who knew he could pull the comforter in through the crate windows? But, honestly, he has been very good considering he is a 7 mo old puppy who's been spending 6-8 hours each day in a plastic cage in the back of a station wagon. Both dogs have been real troopers and great companions. Kali puts her muzzle on my shoulder every time I swear at another driver as if to say, "calm down, Mom." She considers it her personal responsibility to soothe me and put things back into perspective.
We are all looking forward to arriving in Western North Carolina, hopefully by 6 or 7pm.
Hugs,
Sha'ari
January 9, 2009 8:59 pm
Things have been so chaotic since arriving Tues late after driving 550 miles. Wed I slept MANY hours & started cleaning up the yard for the dogs. AND I unpacked the car. Then, I went to lunch with my sister & discovered that my car key was bent & I couldn't get it out of the ignition. And the remote wouldn't work w/the key in. I was so exasperated, tired and overwhelmed after driving 3400 miles that I pretended nothing was wrong and went to lunch anyhow with the key still in the ignition! At that point, I was challenging the universe...."Fine, steal my car."Thurs I drove to SC in a borrowed van to get all my stuff. It was miraculous that it all fit!! The boxes were in bad shape but the only thing of value that broke was the stereo. Unfortunately, AMTRAK prohibits shipping electronics so my insurance will not cover it. Oh well. I also worked on puppy-proofing the back room that Sam & Geri cleaned out for the dogs. And, Denise who loaned me the van managed to get the key out. I hammered it out on the sidewalk & it works fine now. Today, I finished unpacking everything. I also took the dogs to the park. We met a couple of great canines, Georgia & Joey, with whom Kali & Chinook formed a temporary pack. Their mom, Lisa, showed us the secret unofficial off-leash access area to the French Broad River and Chinook went swimming for the first time-accidentally. He'd been chasing Georgia the Akita mix puppy and followed her right into the water where he ended up going kerplunk into the soup. He looked so shocked at first & then paddled clumsily back to shore. He went in a couple more times afte that. Meanwhile, Kali was totally in her element chasing rabbits & herons but, thankfully, not catching anything!This wknd I need to try to find somewhere for the dogs during my 12 hour days and a place to stay when I'm out West. I start orientation on Monday. Overall things are good. My room is nice and its going well with the dogs & my niece/nephew. We plan to take a short hike@Bent Creek. Y'all come!
X0XsgSent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
January 13, 2009 7:43 pm
Can you lose your job over a muffin?
So, here's the latest ridiculousness: I've been going to orientation for my new job, a total yawner but I'm meeting some great people. Part of the hiring process requires that I be fingerprinted by the sheriff, have a physical and also a urine drug test. I showed up yesterday and they told me I had to go do my drug test asap. Well, normally, that would not be a problem since I don't use drugs. But, wouldn't you know it, the night before I had eated 1 1/2 lemon poppy seed muffins that my sister made and those little buggers can make you pop positive for opiates. I spent the whole morning stressing about it. Imagine, losing my job on the first day over a muffin!!!
I showed up to take the test and explained the situation to the lab tech and I could practically hear her eyes rolling. I know she's thinking, "yeah, right lady, you don't use narcotics - you just abuse muffins." She had to talk to her supervisor and they did some research on it and found, just as I knew, that people have popped a positive by eating poppy seed bagels, etc.
So, they did two tests. One is a quickie that came back fine. The other is a more detailed test that they send to a lab. I won't know for a few days but I definitely could lose my job over this. I can hardly believe it. I don't even LIKE those muffins that much!!
On a different note, it is currently snowing and there's about 1" on the ground. Sigh.
Hugs,
Sha'ari
December 31, 2008 10:15 pm
I made it to Medford, OR today, only 425 miles. The plan tomorrow is to try to cut off a little, angling thru Klamath Falls and SE. I'll try to get as close to Vegas as possible. Then, I'm going to high-tail it across I-40. There is supposed to be a big snowstorm coming into the Four Corners area (ancient Anasazi, Navajo & Hopi territory where UT, CO, AZ & NM come together) this wknd so I want to try to be as far east as I can which is unfortunate b/c I love that land, always feel connected to the sacred there & would love to hang out for a while. Emails, texts and calls are welcomed!
~Sha'ari
January 1, 2009 11:21 pm
Hi, guys-
We are staying in Fresno, only a couple hrs north of Bakersfield where we will FINALLY turn east onto I-40. Today, Chinook began destroying the inside of the car and my new gong bag out of boredom, anxiety and change in his routine. So I had to pull off the road and get him his crate. In order to unbury it, I had remove everything fromthe car and re-pack. It was quite the ordeal and I was very upset. He was a lot happier in his crate after that and we were able to cover 500 miles. I'm just kicking myself that I didn't do that to begin with. I came full circle today, driving thru Stockton, CA. It was 22 years ago, almost to the day, that I began my encounter with The West. I had driven x-country from Allentown, PA in my new Honda Civic to start a music therapy internship. From there, I went north thru OR to WA where I saw Seattle & fell in love at first sight. It feels like just a couple of years ago....amazing. I'll update everyone again tomorrow.
Love,
shar
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
January 2, 11:34 pm
Good evening!
We left Fresno around 9am and spent a few fabulous hours at the Stockdale dog park in Bakersfield. Altogether, we drove 475 mls today. Tonight we are staying in Kingman, one of the quaint old AZ Route 66 towns. I've been here before but it's been YEARS! The Motel 6 doesn't even charge extra for dogs! As we came into town, speeding across I-40 @ 80 mph (with lots of other cars passing us), the stars were gleaming brilliantly in the ink black sky-really! I so love the high desert and am very happy to be traveling through the Southwest. I've always felt a special connection to this land. Tomorrow, we drive through Navajo & Hopi territory. First, we will stop briefly in Flagstaff, hopefully see my friends Laurie & Leslie and go on a short hike. Then, we'll try to make it as close to Albuquerque as we can. We may spend a little extra time in ABQ and will definitely eat some "Christmas" enchiladas (ribbons of green & red chili served together). I don't think you can get that in NC!
X0X,
Shar, Kali & Chinook
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
January 4, 2009 6:53 pm
Hi, Geri-
Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner. I'm in El Reno, OK, only 20 miles from OK City but I just could not make it any further after 600 miles. We just checked in. Strangely, the hotel offers free wireless internet but I don't have a cell phone signal. Anyhow, here is the information about the Amtrack Express shipment:
Shipment #1: Waybill SA 2067552,
12 pieces (1 bicycle, 3 sets metal gong bars, 8 boxes)
Shipment #2: Waybill SA 2067553
2 pieces (2 boxes)
TOTAL: 1 bicycle, 3 sets metal bars, 10 boxes
There is an 800 number: 1 800 368 TRAK (8725).
January 5, 2009 5:52 pm
One thing about having lived in so many places in the country is that there are a lot of opportunities to pass through places where one has formerly resided. Memphis is yet another one of these places.
I would have liked to have gone to see our old house in Germantown but the weather really got me down today. Literally, from the time I left El Reno, OK (just outside Oklahoma City) until the east side of the Mississippi River, there was an ice storm. The entire front of my car (and everyone else's, too) was iced over including the windshield wipers, the cargo bag, front grill, etc. It was pretty harrowing driving but we managed to make the 500 miles all in one piece by being calm, steady and careful. We saw 3 jack-knifed tractor trailers on the way. So, by the time we got here, I was too shaky and exhausted from all that driving and concentration to do anything other than check into our hotel and order in Chinese from Beijing Garden down the road. We are still awaiting our 30-minute delivery over one hour later. And, no, I am not eating BBQ here (they don't deliver) but I got some awesome Texas BBQ in Amarillo.
Did I mention that Motel 6 is our new best friend? They allow dogs for no extra charge and offer wireless internet for $2.99. This is the 5th night in a row we've stayed at one. Clean. Cheap. Predictable.
On the way, today, we stopped at the best doggie rest area I've ever been too, right before the cut-off to Hot Springs Natl Park in Arkansas. It was huge with large grassy expanses and large trees and forested areas tucked away off the main section. At the back of the property, there was a chain link fence (perfect for off-leash dogs!) and you could see the Ozark Mountains miles away. We had a great time romping about and since it was sleeting, we were the only ones crazy enough to venture out past the restrooms.
Tomorrow is the day we are due to arrive at 29 Richmond Ave in Asheville, NC. I plan to reward myself with all new bedding since Chinook shredded some of mine today and other pieces were accidentally on purpose left at various rest areas across the country in an effort to lighten our load (aka fit everything into the car). Who knew he could pull the comforter in through the crate windows? But, honestly, he has been very good considering he is a 7 mo old puppy who's been spending 6-8 hours each day in a plastic cage in the back of a station wagon. Both dogs have been real troopers and great companions. Kali puts her muzzle on my shoulder every time I swear at another driver as if to say, "calm down, Mom." She considers it her personal responsibility to soothe me and put things back into perspective.
We are all looking forward to arriving in Western North Carolina, hopefully by 6 or 7pm.
Hugs,
Sha'ari
January 9, 2009 8:59 pm
Things have been so chaotic since arriving Tues late after driving 550 miles. Wed I slept MANY hours & started cleaning up the yard for the dogs. AND I unpacked the car. Then, I went to lunch with my sister & discovered that my car key was bent & I couldn't get it out of the ignition. And the remote wouldn't work w/the key in. I was so exasperated, tired and overwhelmed after driving 3400 miles that I pretended nothing was wrong and went to lunch anyhow with the key still in the ignition! At that point, I was challenging the universe...."Fine, steal my car."Thurs I drove to SC in a borrowed van to get all my stuff. It was miraculous that it all fit!! The boxes were in bad shape but the only thing of value that broke was the stereo. Unfortunately, AMTRAK prohibits shipping electronics so my insurance will not cover it. Oh well. I also worked on puppy-proofing the back room that Sam & Geri cleaned out for the dogs. And, Denise who loaned me the van managed to get the key out. I hammered it out on the sidewalk & it works fine now. Today, I finished unpacking everything. I also took the dogs to the park. We met a couple of great canines, Georgia & Joey, with whom Kali & Chinook formed a temporary pack. Their mom, Lisa, showed us the secret unofficial off-leash access area to the French Broad River and Chinook went swimming for the first time-accidentally. He'd been chasing Georgia the Akita mix puppy and followed her right into the water where he ended up going kerplunk into the soup. He looked so shocked at first & then paddled clumsily back to shore. He went in a couple more times afte that. Meanwhile, Kali was totally in her element chasing rabbits & herons but, thankfully, not catching anything!This wknd I need to try to find somewhere for the dogs during my 12 hour days and a place to stay when I'm out West. I start orientation on Monday. Overall things are good. My room is nice and its going well with the dogs & my niece/nephew. We plan to take a short hike@Bent Creek. Y'all come!
X0XsgSent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile
January 13, 2009 7:43 pm
Can you lose your job over a muffin?
So, here's the latest ridiculousness: I've been going to orientation for my new job, a total yawner but I'm meeting some great people. Part of the hiring process requires that I be fingerprinted by the sheriff, have a physical and also a urine drug test. I showed up yesterday and they told me I had to go do my drug test asap. Well, normally, that would not be a problem since I don't use drugs. But, wouldn't you know it, the night before I had eated 1 1/2 lemon poppy seed muffins that my sister made and those little buggers can make you pop positive for opiates. I spent the whole morning stressing about it. Imagine, losing my job on the first day over a muffin!!!
I showed up to take the test and explained the situation to the lab tech and I could practically hear her eyes rolling. I know she's thinking, "yeah, right lady, you don't use narcotics - you just abuse muffins." She had to talk to her supervisor and they did some research on it and found, just as I knew, that people have popped a positive by eating poppy seed bagels, etc.
So, they did two tests. One is a quickie that came back fine. The other is a more detailed test that they send to a lab. I won't know for a few days but I definitely could lose my job over this. I can hardly believe it. I don't even LIKE those muffins that much!!
On a different note, it is currently snowing and there's about 1" on the ground. Sigh.
Hugs,
Sha'ari
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