125th Anniversary

This excursion was miserable. Through out the trip I wish I could've had a paper and pen to vividly describe our odyssey as it evolved. We began questioning our trip as we drove off our driveway since we all felt under the weather. Given the fact that I have a niece in California and I am occasionally stubborn... well, I was determined to see her. We had hope to reach Klammath Falls on our first leg of the trip yet I was unable to proceed past Bend, OR since my health began to decrease as the evening advance. We slept for 3 hours in a Walmart parking lot alongside other travelers and got back on the road at 3 am. I only lasted an hour from driving and fortunately found a rest area were I obtain an additional 3 more hours of sleep. Obviously we had begun our trip on the wrong foot.

Traci felt terrible the following day and the reckless drivers of the Golden State didn't help us feel better. Through out the day I hummed the melody to the hymn that says, "We have this hope that burns within our heart!" Somehow, I could relate to the words as I hoped for that moment when we would stop driving and reach the small haven known as Yosemite National Park. We reached the park shortly after dusk and immediately our health's felt alleviated from being back in nature. The lighted Curry Village welcome sign immediately brought back memories from my younger days and the smell of pine trees reassured me that the 20 hours of driving had finally paid off. On Thursday we explore Tuolumne Meadows since the fire department was conducting control fires in Yosemite Valley. Ben fell asleep on the way up but was anxious to run and play in the rain when he woke up. Fortunately Traci felt a bit better from the previous day but I felt miserable with a head cold. Despite our illnesses, the panorama view of the undisturbed mountains kept our minds distracted and we had a great time walking around Tenaya Lake and seeing the back side of Half Dome from a distance. Without a doubt it was worth the drive especially since we avoided the crowds of people and even got to see a bear dash across the road.

On Friday we drove to Fresno to spend time with my grandma. Several family and friends dropped by with food and we had a great time catching up. As always my grandma and I talked to the early hours of the morning until I admitted to her that I was exhausted and needed sleep despite that I wanted to continue talking. It's always nice to visit with her and be reminded of my past, childhood and the history of my family.

I was unhappy that the visit with my grandma needed to be cut short since we are unable to make the trip home in one day. We began our trip back home at 9am and headed straight to Yosemite National Park to have lunch at Curry Village with Tio Joaquin and Tia Amanda. Ben enjoyed eating half of the pizza while the four adults divided the other half. It was with great sorrow that we said our farewells to the park that had been our refuge from the wonderful California drivers. Our intent was to spend the night at Klammath Falls yet we staggered to Shasta Lake and spent the night at a rest area. The following day was about getting home. We enjoyed a great sunrise on the road as Black Butte rose above the clouds.

There are days that I dislike living in Washington State, not to mention, living in a town that is getting to big for my liking. Then there are weeks where I feel stuck and would like to experience something new for a change. Although I enjoy owning my 57 Chevy and a house with plenty of family history, I sometimes feel that I am a prisoner to my possessions. Yet it wasn't long ago that I was living in an apartment and praying to have a little place to call my own. It's far to easy to see where I would like to be in life and not as fun to see where I was just at. Some people would refer to The Jones. In any case, upon seeing the Columbia River as we made our way home, we both agreed that living in Washington is not all that bad. Think about it: amazing apples, sweet onions, Chinook Salmon, longest Rail-to-Trail, a Rain forest, Big Foot, etc... It could be worse. I could be living in the state I just came from... No offense.

A Stagnate Blog

A stagnate blog is a boring blog. In fact, I'm not even sure why you are still checking this thing. But now that summer is here, I feel inspired to update my blog.

Perhaps visiting the Oregon Coast for Thanksgiving was a great idea despite that we were more bundled up at the coast than we were back in Walla Walla. This past Thanksgiving we spent it with Traci's family at Lincoln City. We went shopping at the midnight sales for Black Friday and we also got a chance to visit the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Doesn't it sound like much fun? Well it was tons of fun so you missed out.

Each year Janelle, Traci and I make a valiant effort to meet in Seattle before Christmas. This year Janelle brought along her latest boyfriend. We didn't end up spending too much time in the city where me must fight to survive, but instead traveled up north near Mt. Vernon and Deception Pass. While we were standing over the bridge there was a Kayak race that so happened to pass under the bridge. It was perfect timing as we threw rocks at them... just kidding, it was Janelle's idea and appropriate action was taken to stop her before things got out of hand. We also got a chance to visit Rosario Beach where we found out that Jeff (Janelle's Boyfriend) is a world class 'Rock Skipper'. As it is the tradition, we once again caught a ferry ride and wondered why we don't live in the Puget Sound area.

For New Year's we headed south for what turned out to be an episode of "Ice-Road Truckers." While in the past the weather reports along Highway 97 had proved to be very much exaggerated, this year the conditions were truly icy. The new trailer we pulled down with the Jeep was aged at least 20 years by the time we hit warmer weather. Fortunately it isn't as old as the engined that we picked up. Traci's uncle found a rebuild Plymouth engine near Modesto and we bought it for more than it was worth. But that's a different story for a different time.

Perhaps the trips that stand out the most from this past winter are the two trips to Montana. The first for a Bluegrass Concert/My Birthday and the other for Mother's Day. Jimmy actually ventured out to Montana with us for the Concert and although I enjoyed the music, the drunken hippies raving to banjo music was less than appreciated. Mother's day was also an adventure as well as we surprised Traci's mom about our visit. Both Traci and I are getting too old to be driving at 2:30 in the morning, but spending time with her parents is always a great time.

There are two other events that I must point out. This past February Traci and I celebrated 3 years since I asked her the famous "Why would you marry me?" question. We went back to Wallula Junction where I asked her to marry me and walked along the footsteps of our younger selves. Also, my brother finally asked Ashley for her hand in marriage a few months ago.

Congratulations Juan Francisco and Ashley!

I'm almost forgetting the most exciting trip this past winter. I finally got a chance to drive a Willys MB. Traci mentioned that she has never seen me as excited as I was that day and it's true. To be able to ride in the car of my dreams is exciting, but to drive the vehicle is an amazing story that I will forever remember. I want one Traci!

Welcome Autumn

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. The colors of the leaves begin to change, it means traveling to spend time with family and friends, but mostly it means Traci initiates her baking season... I can't wait for some pumpkin pie!