Crusing through America 2015/16

Hi everyone,

Well our time in California has come to an end for this season.  We had a wonderful time with all of our family and friends.  Most of the time was wonderful but this year we lost our wonderful friend and Mother-in-law, Virginia Drislane, at the ripe old age of 94.  She will be missed by everyone who was luck enough to know her.

This season we took a few short trips to the Sacramento area with our friends, Nancy and Perry; a trip to Palm Springs with Ella, and then we spent Christmas in Sedona.  All of it was a blast!  So here are pictures of our three trips.  Hope you enjoy them and remember, you don't have to go far to see some wonderful things in this Grand Old Country of ours.  Just get in the car and DRIVE!

California Wing-it Weekend with Nancy and Perry.

We took a four day tour up Hwy. 99 to Sacramento and then to Lake Tahoe, Virginia City, Death Valley and the beautiful town of Pahrump.  So here we go....

Riding up Hwy 99 and found this great place.  Fun to visit and lots of samples.

Picnic!

Entering Old Town Sacramento.  Just touristy but hey, we were tourists.

Original Buildings of Sacramento.  Great shops and things to do.

Now who was the deadliest shot in town?

Ate dinner here on a recommendation.  It was EXCELLENT!

We rode only in luxury on this trip.  Thanks for driving Perry so Nancy and I could eat all your salt water taffy that we said we didn't like.

I love these three!

We received a private tour of the capital for some reason.  Maybe they thought Wolfgang was a relative of the previous governor.

Jerry's office.  Do you think he can see over the bear when he stands by it?

They shared a last name.

Inside on of the original rooms on our private tour.

After Sacramento, we drove through South Lake Tahoe.  Stopped and had coffee and pie in a little place.

Hey we looked for them Cartrights but never found them.

In with all the other Varmints!

Had a great time at the Saloon.

Headed down Hwy 395 by Mono Lake and then turned in at Lone Pine for a drive through Death Valley

We were discussing that there were lots of German tourists  at this time of year.  We asked a young couple to take our picture and guess what, THEY WERE GERMANS.  Notice how Nancy was standing.  She broke her foot in Carson City.  Didn't know it at the time but she had a boot on her foot for about 10 weeks.  What a gal!

Spent our last night in Pahrump.  We had always seen the sign for the Pahrump exit when we drove to Vegas and now we can say, "we have been to Pahrump".  Had the most unbelieveable Thunderstorm at about  4am.  Our car was parked in the pile of mud you see.  Thanks Perry for getting it out.

The thermometer in Baker. 

Too bad it was closed.  It looked like a fun place to wander through.

Our next Trip was with Ella to Palm Springs.  What a great weekend.  We left on Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend and got home on Tuesday.  Thanks to Ella's daughter and son-in-law, we stayed at their incredible timeshare at the Westin.  First class all the way.  We visited Palm Springs, the Ariel Tramway, the Oasis at Indian Canyon.  In addition. we visited the Patton Museum, Joshua Tree National Park and 29 Palms.  What a great time we had.

This was Ella's first time to Palm Springs.

Famous Ella pose

Looking for Indians.

House where Elvis and Priscella spent their Honeymoon.

We took a side tour to the Patton Museum and found Mecca along the way.

The canyon drive from Mecca to Interstate 15.  One of the most beautiful drives.  Make sure you have gas in the car because there is nothing and no one around.

Here we are at the Museum.  Wolfgang donated some german newpaper articles about Patton.  He crossed the Rhine river where we live in Germany.  They were thrilled.

Love this National Park.  Always worth wandering through and looking at the desert.

A little windy and cold.  A Cholla plant in bloom.

I believe no explanation is needed for this picture

A Joshua tree.

Ella's grandson was here for about a month.  We thought it was appropriate for the proud Grandma to take a picture here.  Again, the famous Ella pose.

 

Took the Palm Springs tram to the top.  Had a wonderful lunch and a spectacular view.

COLD!

Blue Skies smiling at you.

Beautiful drive heading into Indian Canyon

The cute little Indian Girls.

It didn't seem so high when we thought about the picture but up on top it felt completely different.

The Travel Group.

OMG how cute!

Took a great walk though a canyon.  Met a woman and her family along the way.  She was 100 years old.  We were stunned and impressed.

Walking the plank.

Hey I bet you were wondering if there was going to be a bird picture in this blog.

Where we stayed.  It was fabulous.  Thanks Bettina and Matt.

This is suppose to be a statue of Sony Bono.  I think the person who made it had never seen Sony Bono.

Breakfast on the Boulevard before heading home.

Our last trip this season was Christmas in Sedona, Arizona.  Neither of us had ever been there and it was a true WOW!  It was cold but sunny.  We left on Christmas Eve and visited Oatman, Arizona which is part of the longest existing section of Route 66.  We went on a Jeep ride in the desert on Christmas day in Sedona and had a great dinner in town and then spent the next day wandering around the area.  We also visited Prescott and Montezuma's Castle, an Native American cliff dwelling.  On our way home, we stayed the last night in Laughlin, Nevada.  What a great Christmas.

The starting point for our trip

The last town before heading into Arizona.

Off we roll on the longest intack section of the orginal Route 66.

We love this town.  Touristy but fantastic.

They decorate the bushes on the way into town for Christmas.  A great tradition.

Miners left their burros after the rush was over.  They are still around in Oatman.  The babies had stickers on their foreheads stating not to feed them.  Fun place but never walk without looking down for poop.

This is the room where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their Honeymoon.  The real question is "did the bed squeak?"

All the walls are covered in Dollar bills at the Oatman Hotel.

Our Contribution to the wall.

Not really allowed but people feed the burros from their cars.  Cute until they bite.

Heading out of Oatman to Kingman on the 66.  Isn't he fantastic!

Get your kicks on Route 66.

Seligman is another section after Kingman for Route 66.  It is a terrific Main Street.

Christmas Day.  A little snow on the ground.

Side trip to Prescott.  Very cute little city.

Found a beautiful lake along the way

Merry Christmas.

First view of Sedona.

Wolfgang read in a travel magazine that Sedona is the prettiest town in America.  Hard to argue that it isn't.

Waiting for our jeep ride through the desert.

Of course, Wolfgang found this guy in the tree.

OMG those santa hats are always around

Our guide.

Look hard but you will see the cliff dwellings.

View from our hotel.  The picture just doesn't do justice to the colors that we saw.

The shadow people.

Is this guy not the cutest thing?

OK, Sedona was cold but still a little wandering around was called for to really enjoy the area.

All right, this church thing was the only "why did we come here and wait 20 minutes to park".

Wolfgang's picture of Bell Rock.  It was a perfect day for a picture.

Only you can prevent Forest Fires.  When was the last time you found a statue of Smokey.  It was a must.

An unknow stop along our way home.  Between Sedona and Phoenix.  It is definitely worth the stop.

We decided to add a night to our trip and stopped in Laughlin for the night.

Again we are tourists.  Had to stay at the hotel that looked like a River boat.

Our room with a view.

Our last view on our trip before the ride home. Sunset from our hotel room in Laughlin.

All right, that was this year's visit to the beautiful land of the United States of America.  I say it every time, get in the car and see your own land.  Don't fly, drive.  It is way cooler!