tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41931159139494487602024-03-19T04:44:54.955-07:00Texas to Alaska 2.0Follow Ginger and Ken as they move from Texas to Alaska. See the west, Canada, and Alaska through a wonderful fall to winter road trip!GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-89990652911889534892010-11-17T23:30:00.000-08:002012-11-27T18:55:15.631-08:00Out of Hermiston, Umatilla Army/Chemical depot, weird
Visiting family, or anyone you like or love is always a challenging time. The seeing and visiting is fun, the hard part is leaving. As much as I enjoy family, and also seeing them in some of the beautiful places they live, Ken and I are on our way and have many other gorgeous places to see.
We are heading north from Pendleton through Hermiston up to Kennewick, Washington. GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0McNary Hwy, Umatilla, WA 97882, USA45.931572625309286 -119.3290328979492245.909485125309288 -119.36851489794923 45.953660125309284 -119.28955089794921tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-53142838535414731782010-11-17T22:17:00.000-08:002012-11-11T22:44:54.354-08:00Pendleton, Oregon
Buck and Sharon have several horses, dogs, and the occasional herd of elk and deer that cleverly find their way into the barn to partake of the horse feed. Buck has made a comfortable home away from any city noise and in what I think is a lovely place. Ken and I are so excited for the opportunity to travel and to be able to visit them while we both are able and healthy.
GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com01001-1099 NW Aura Ave, Pendleton, OR 97801, USA45.6716438522655 -118.7979125976562545.4939418522655 -119.11376959765624 45.849345852265493 -118.48205559765626tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-21090135595966810632010-11-16T00:10:00.000-08:002012-11-10T17:30:53.799-08:00One View of the Grande Ronde Valley, Oregon
Oh, what a beautiful day in the neighborhood. We arrived at cousin Buck’s last night in the dark. Dejá vu. When my sister and I visited him in 1999, we came in at night too. At that time he lived above the Clearwater River and up some tall mountains along some narrow, dark, logging roads. Here again, he is along the Grande Ronde, up some tall mountains on small, dark roads. Whenever I driveGinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0National Forest Development Road 62, Elgin, OR 97827, USA45.506346901083425 -117.7322387695312545.328449901083424 -118.04809576953124 45.684243901083427 -117.41638176953126tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-91601643925222143572010-11-15T11:36:00.000-08:002011-03-29T23:55:46.147-07:00Time to Leave Idaho for more Alaska Connections in Oregon
After a bummer of a day off yesterday, I was certainly ready to hit the road again. It was a cloudy, cool day, as seen in this photo, but no bad weather other than wind in the immediate future. It was a very interesting grey day all the way to Baker City, Oregon. Our destination tonight is outside of La Grande, Oregon where my second cousin and his wife have a small homestead. Another GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-56466727694712814842010-11-13T23:12:00.000-08:002011-03-22T23:21:53.257-07:00One more Round of Appreciation for FriendsKen and I spent six days with Beverly, visiting Jake at the Veteran’s, and at Rosie and her mom’s house. It was a fantastic, leisurely, helpful, and friendly time. We had such a fun time laughing and learning and sightseeing we got over the car trouble and heavy load pretty quick. We spent the day reloading the trailer and restructuring the sleeping quarters. Ken and I will have a full additionalGinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-80816469163395254942010-11-12T13:00:00.000-08:002011-03-20T00:56:19.986-07:00Knowing Someone Who has Driven to and From Alaska is a big Help!Besides rebuilding planes, Johnny also rebuilds cars. The next project he is embarking on, the 1952 Chrysler, sounded like a major one to me. It had been sitting on his Aunt’s land for over 40 years, what condition could it possibly be in? No one had really seen it in ages so He and his sister Rosie will be going to visit the car to make a preliminary plan on how to move it. Johnny and his GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-59467475416984797092010-11-11T14:00:00.000-08:002011-03-13T19:10:56.218-07:00A New Alaska Friend and Veterans with Similar Interests
The Warhawk museum is located at the municipal airport in Nampa, Idaho. http://www.warhawkairmuseum.org/ It was Veteran’s day during our stay in the area and there were many events celebrating Veterans including open house at the Warhawk. With both Ken and I having family members associated with airplanes and our own interest in planes, we figured it would be an educational place to visit. This GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-55371211939568202532010-11-10T20:00:00.000-08:002011-03-10T22:34:36.954-08:00Learn the Limits of Your Auto before You Drive to Alaska
I was so excited when I purchased my new to me Lexus earlier this year in Austin. I bought it from the original owner who took excellent care of the vehicle. It was not the vehicle I was originally looking for when I was ready to get rid of my truck and convert to a consulting type professional instead of a laborious professional. Additionally, with the long drive to Alaska in mind, I had been GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-70975307419604061092010-11-10T10:00:00.000-08:002011-02-28T13:38:18.676-08:00ReConnecting for an Alaska Connection
This is the coolest story ever of finding someone you know but don’t know how to find. I have another friend whom I met through Uncle Andy, Rosie, and I know she is somewhere in Idaho. Uncle Andy was an interesting character. He had been all over the country selling the rock he mined and worked himself. And that is how he came to know Jake and Beverly, and Rosie and Dave, and Dagmar and Julian, GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-31351032886761638282010-11-09T22:57:00.000-08:002011-02-20T23:07:30.561-08:00Southwest Idaho, Potatoes, Good Friends, and Good Health
We crept into Homedale, Idaho at about 8pm on the 8th after yet another installment of “Where the Heck is my &*&^%# GPS taking me?!” It never helps when it is night and you are not familiar with your surroundings anyway, but to be led by the crazy GPS programming is really nerve-wracking. The Homedale-Parma-Caldwell area of southwest Idaho is basically level farmland. There are a few GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-15208968845695290772010-11-08T14:00:00.000-08:002011-02-12T23:52:55.341-08:00Twin Falls and the Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey
I know, it does not look real does it! It looks like a background painting for a movie! By lunch time we were in Twin Falls, a good rest point. Neither Ken nor I had been here before and hadn’t really thought much about the name. To enter Twin Falls, highway 93 is taken south off interstate 84. When we approached the main part of town, 93 took us across the Perrine Bridge over the Snake GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-65309918683960320672010-11-08T08:00:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:41:55.281-08:00Snow Arrives, but we Skirt Winter!
Ken was reminiscent about this stop in Idaho Falls as he spent time here training at The Idaho National Laboratory when he was in the Navy. Ken served on a nuclear submarine from 1978-1984. Believe it or not, nuclear sub training was in Idaho! Crazy! Was that some senator’s pet project? Job creation program? Or safe place to build a nuclear training facility? Interesting. Sure enough the GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-30458449652979780962010-11-07T17:00:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:43:58.911-08:00Yellowstone in One Day-Not Recommended for the Slow Natured at Heart
How lucky can we humans be in this day and age to have the ability to visit acres and acres of gorgeous scenery in one day! Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating it, as I would have liked to stay for days in order to fully learn and appreciate the environment. But with our cars and high speed cameras, we are able to sight see a lot in the span of twelve hours!
At a fork in the visitor GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-21025225851982977512010-11-07T15:00:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:46:27.101-08:00Old Faithful Boardwalk Part II "Micro" EducationThe new visitor center at Old Faithful is clean, large, and professional. there is a huge theater set up with interpretive displays galore. There is information on the mechanics of the geysers, paleontology, flora and fauna. You can find information on the ecology of the hot springs. Yes, there are plants and critters that live in and around the water. You can also learn about scientific researchGinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-86295043893034642402010-11-07T13:00:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:47:54.516-08:00Yellowstone-Its more than just one Geyser!
The scenery on the boardwalk at the Old Faithful visitor center was just as beautiful and inspiring as the main attraction itself. The trail goes past Castle Geyser, Beehive Geyser, Daisy Geyser, Grand Geyser, among others that erupt just as impressively as the big one although at many different intervals.
Remember our stop just yesterday at Thermopolis? (really, a couple of posts ago) GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-42900131452159317142010-11-07T11:55:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:49:13.613-08:00Old Faithful
What is the one destination everyone has to see when visiting Yellowstone Park? There could be a few answers out there, but in the top three would be Old Faithful. That would be our fist destination. After a leisurely morning drive in, we arrived at the brand new Old Faithful Visitor’s center at about 11:30 am. Right in the middle of the rotunda is the sign that posts the next estimated eruptionGinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-81241386093322352882010-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:51:02.939-08:00Yellowstone in November, one Great Reason for Leaving Late for Alaska
As we entered Yellowstone, we felt the temperature dropping. Light snow patches were still on the side of the road in the shade. All the roads were clear at this point, but there was a snow storm coming in from the west tonight so we would be quite lucky to make it through on this quiet Sunday. The road was not crowded at all so we felt at ease toddling along at our 40 mph gait. When we stoppedGinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-91494338300141256302010-11-07T07:00:00.000-08:002011-02-03T23:52:38.340-08:00Cody to Yellowstone in a Hurry–Before they Close!We woke before sunrise in order to make our one day super trip through Yellowstone. Before we left Texas, we were warned that the roads would close for the winter. There was not a set time, it was usually weather based. It was evident that the north road would close first being the highest elevation entryway. Our friend Christine and her boyfriend go to Yellowstone at least once a year to GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-36931526104078694962010-11-06T23:29:00.000-07:002011-02-03T23:53:35.195-08:00A Night in Cody: Tips to Save Money on Camping and InternetAnother feature that seemed to have changed since my sister and I visited Thermopolis was the availability of camping. I could have sworn we camped in the park area outside the hot springs. There was ample open space and picnic tables, but there was also a small amphitheater so things may have changed. Or, my memory may need refreshing. At any rate, the only campsite we were told of nearby was anGinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-15644837122205443232010-11-06T18:00:00.000-07:002011-03-25T20:30:16.102-07:00Thermopolis, World’s Largest Mineral Hot Springs, a Great Rest Stop on the Road
The scenic byway of the Wind River continues a little past Thermopolis, however, I was determined to stop for a soak in the mineral springs. There are three bath house opportunities for soaking, two are mini-theme parks garishly colored and filled with cooky rides and slides, the third middle house is the state park http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/Site/SiteInfo.asp?siteID=9 . I like to say its the GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-90751924132186217742010-11-06T15:00:00.000-07:002011-02-03T23:57:08.860-08:00Town of Thermopolis and Coffee Dissertation
Any move, road trip, or adventurous drive to Alaska must include coffee–lots of it. Ken and I are both coffee drinkers and medium-high connoisseurs. By that I mean, Ken has lived in Hawaii and knows the luxury of Kona. The medium-high term means we are not always able to afford such taste. I learned how make espresso properly by working in a cafe my first trip to Alaska. As such, I have no tasteGinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-68132582298742889512010-11-06T13:00:00.000-07:002011-03-25T20:50:49.373-07:00Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway, Wyoming
It was kind of a good thing that the four-wheel drive folks wanted to get out of town. We could have hung out in their shop all day marveling at the AMC Eagles they had outfitted. Since we could not, it meant we were able to keep rolling along our trip to Alaska. We were leaving Casper early enough to drive through the Wind River Canyon in daylight, something I was really looking forward to.&GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-72228485406772996792010-11-06T09:27:00.000-07:002011-02-12T23:54:53.220-08:00Casper, Wyoming and the Metal Gas Can Enigma
Driving the Alaska Highway, its rumored that the traveler should be a self contained emergency rescue vehicle. The traveler should carry spare car parts: headlights, tires, gas cans, duct tape, etc. There should also be easily accessible: cold weather gear consisting of down coats or sleeping bags, extra boots, gloves, hats, etc. Food and water is a must in case you are really stranded. And of GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-15265169074702113342010-11-05T23:22:00.000-07:002011-02-12T23:58:22.052-08:00First and Only Attempt Sleeping in an RV Park
We arrived in Casper around dinner time after sunset making it difficult to find a campground or RV park. Sure they are listed on the map, but daylight really helps find them better. Many signs are not lighted, roads are harder to see, and campsites are not lighted. Ten years ago when my sister and I made this trip, it was May and we had an easier time finding campgrounds. We were tent camping GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4193115913949448760.post-45245250973465798232010-11-05T18:51:00.000-07:002011-01-21T00:12:57.771-08:00Sierra Trading Post, not Gearing us for Alaska This Time
One would not think geology reads a map. However, I find that in crossing the border from Colorado to Wyoming, the geology and atmosphere change just enough to differentiate the two. Most of Wyoming is prairie, flat to rolling. My sister has pointed out the relentless wind in Kansas, yet I think Wyoming's is just as much of a constant. This will be my third time to drive this road into Wyoming, GinKenCohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16690446788353570570noreply@blogger.com0