Obama -- Almost Up Close and Personal

Our biggest thrill was going to the rally last Sunday when Barak Obama spoke at the University in Ft. Collins.  We volunteered to help with the event, an all-day job!  Unfortunately, we didn't get assigned to the VIP post, so we were among the masses (45,000-50,000 people) trying to peek through a lot of bodies to find Barak on the stage.   At least we were able to get in and catch glimpses of him, unlike thousands of others who were turned away or gave up when the saw the mile+ line waiting to get in.   But it was thrilling to be in that energetic crowd.  When he was introduced as the next president of the United States, the crowd went wild!  So did we!

Obama Campaign

We drove the 1200 miles from Santa Rosa to Ft. Collins, Colorado on less than $100 tank of gas. Can you believe it? We left the beautiful vineyards of Sonoma County, and traveled across desert and plains to finally get to the more interesting area of Colorado, just east of the Rockies. Our friends, Ron and Ruth Chappell, graciously welcomed us into their home and have been super hosts again! Private bedroom and bath, great meals, and even some time for visiting. But most of our time is committed to working on the Obama campaign.

Our big surprise when we arrived was to learn that Barak Obama was going to be in Fort Collins on Sunday at the University. So obviously that was our volunteer effort that day.  (see next post for Obama photo;  middle photo here is of the crowds on the campus.)

How are we helping? We were assigned a neighborhood to canvass on Saturday, knocking on doors and trying to "get out the vote." We are now working out of a staging area in a donated space near downtown that has many cubicles for phone banking. John has been phoning and canvassing. I have been sitting at my laptop doing data entry from all the calls and canvass contacts. I've been in the same room as the three staffers -- all very young. Their energy, quick wit and multi-tasking has been fun to be around.

Colorado, here we come!

We're heading to Colorado this week, but this time we're driving a more gas-efficient car, our new Prius. We will be staying with friends, Ron and Ruth Chappel, in Fort Collins again -- they were super hosts to us last May as well! The purpose this time is for more than just visiting, however. We've signed up to be Obama Campaign interns in that swing state until the election. This is a first for us -- we've never been this involved in a political campaign before. But we feel passionate about making sure Obama is elected, knowing how much our country needs a change.

Making phone calls and knocking on doors isn't our favorite thing to do, but in the Obama Camp training, we learned that people are 3 to 10 times more likely to vote as a result of those personal contacts, so we're willing to do it. Our first phone-banking session was actually quite energizing.

We also learned it is good to do early voting with mail-in ballots. In California, I believe the last day to apply for absentee ballots is October 28, but make sure they are hand delivered, or mailed to be received by Nov 4.

Stay tuned for more info from an Obama field worker's perspective!

We're back home

We're almost completely moved back into our home after our year's travel around the U.S. We are so grateful to friends (Steve & Robin Brown, Ted & Deanie Wilmsen, Linda Carroll) for offering us beautiful space in their homes while waiting to get back into our house. We weren't sure for some time whether we would sell our home or stay. After looking at a number of houses in the Sonoma Country area and elsewhere, we've made the decision: we're staying put. We like our home and this area too much to move afterall.

Our address is the same.

Our new phone number: (707) 528-8545.

My e-mail is the same: gpickrell@sbcglobal.net

The family that rented our house while we were gone took very good care of it. But we have spent the last couple months painting, carpeting, and doing a fair amount of maintenance, especially dry rot problems. It didn't take John long to figure out he was a older and bigger than when he used to crawl under the house to fix problems. He's also been on tall ladders removing or nailing new siding on the house, and in the process put some strain on his back. Luckily, he heals quickly. I've enjoyed helping with the painting, both inside and out. I'm almost ready to apply to be a painter's assistant!

Except for two large furniture items, John and I did all the moving of our furniture back into our two-story house ourselves. We didn't need to go to the exercise gym afterall! We have one more pick up load to get from John's daughter's home in Santa Clara today. It's been good to rebuild our "nest."

But now we're ready to hit the road again. See the next blog.

If you're interested in viewing posts from our year's travel, just click on the "older posts" box at the bottom of each page, and you can go all the way back to the beginning. But beware: you need a few hours to spare!

In Conclusion -- A Trip of a Lifetime

How do you describe a trip of a lifetime?

Since last August, we’ve been “on the road.” I’ve tried to write about our adventures and have had fun adding photos as we’ve traveled. But has it really told our story? Only partly! There are more joys and challenges than can be put into words, but I’ll add some thoughts, along with a few photos to summarize.

We feel so blessed and privileged to have had this adventure. We were able to leave our house in good hands with excellent renters last August. We had enough resources from our retirement and rental income to manage travel for a year. We had a wonderful retirement party last June from Christ Church United Methodist in Santa Rosa, and were given KOA campground gift certificates, gas money and a bed and breakfast stay in Williamsburg, plus a contribution to Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County, one of our favorite non-profits. We were also given gas cards from Susan (John’s daughter), a GPS from Gayle’s children, Starbucks and Borders gift cards, and so many other gifts, cards, books, video, photos… The send-off was fantastic!

We started our trip with 8500 miles on our Ford pick-up. We are ending it with 36,800 miles. We’ve been to the far reaches of our country – furthest northeast, southeast, southwest, and northeast provinces of Canada. (We didn’t go into the northwest on this trip, since we have been there several times.) Almost every place we travelled was new to us, with a few exceptions.

We’ve had a variety of weather: snow flurries, rain downpours, lightning storms, high winds, dry heat, chilly mornings, but mostly we’ve had very comfortable weather, allowing for outdoor enjoyment. (It helped that we planned to be in warmer climates during the winter!)

We are most amazed at the diversity of our land. The wide variety of geology is something to behold – from rocky mountain cliffs to dry desert landscapes, beautiful wooded hillsides to expansive ocean seascapes, unique rock formations to rolling agricultural plains, colorful sandstone canyons to mysterious deep caves, large freshwater lakes to clear meandering streams, and so much more.

We’ve been in large urban metropolitan areas, and small rural villages. We’ve climbed (small) mountain lookouts and peddled (short) bicycle paths. We’ve attended fine concerts, delighted in country harvest fairs, stopped at fresh produce stands, walked on mountain trails, laughed at the funny things people and wildlife do! We’ve watched gorgeous sunrises/sunsets, walked on powdery white sand, swam in the deep blue ocean, felt the reverent silence in caves, gotten wet under waterfalls, kayaked among wildlife, “camped” in the most spectacular settings, ate wonderful local food, especially fresh seafood (lobster was the best!), worked at a VIM (Volunteers in Mission) project, and so much more.

We’ve enjoyed art museums, historical sites, amusement parks, space labs, bus tours, ranger talks, boat rides, lake fishing, re-created villages, city walks, and so much more. We’ve eaten at local diners, fine restaurants, hot dog stands, museum cafes, rest stops, family tables, cruise dining, wedding feasts, and so much more. More than anything, we’ve stopped at a lot of gas stations and truck stops!

We couldn’t have asked for a better trip – a trip of a lifetime, for sure! Some of the joys and challenges along the way…

JOYS
1. We have seen such beauty across this land, it is unbelievable. "America the Beautiful: is a slide show I hope to develop.

2. Being with the Davenport families several times this year has been very special. We were able to enjoy the last part summer with them in Petoskey, Michigan last August, being on the lakes in their boats. We fished on Pickerel Lake. We took Elizabeth to her first day at Kindergarten, and later were able to go to Grandparent’s Day just before Thanksgiving. We were able to cheer on grandkids playing in volleyball, basketball and soccer games. We went back for Thanksgiving, and flew back again at the end of May to be part of the high school graduation of grandson John Davenport. Some of the family were together again in July when Susan and Scott were married in South Carolina in a beautiful ceremony at Hilton Head.

3. We have had a delightful time visiting with so many friends and family along the way. We hoped we didn’t wear out our welcome when we stayed several days with friends/family who had guest rooms and private baths – a luxury for us from trailer-living!

4. We’ve loved being out-of-doors. We prefer natural settings to urban dwelling, for sure! We have become “sun-worshippers,” with better tans than we’ve ever had.

5. Our 23’ RV travel trailer has served us well. We are not yet tired of living 24-hours-a-day in close quarters. In fact, whenever we’ve looked at new RV trailers, we can’t find any with a floor plan that we like any better. Plus our trailer is paid for! We have everything we need – a comfortable queen-size, walk-around bed, couch that makes into bed, dining table with storage underneath, decent sized refrigerator and freezer, stove, oven, microwave, sink, cupboards, private bath and shower, TV, storage cupboards. What more do you need? And it only takes a few minutes to clean everything inside!

6. We have relied heavily on our Trailer Life Directory to find decent RV parks or campgrounds. Since Trailer Life has ratings, we’ve learned they are pretty accurate. We are no longer willing to stay in low rated parks because we’ve found out what they’re like! Most of the RV parks we’ve stayed in have been” very good” to” excellent.” We’ve especially enjoyed those parks that have a spaciousness about them, as well as a beautiful natural setting, or pool or other resort-like amenities. Our favorite non hook-up places to stay, though, and the cheapest, are the national park campgrounds. With our Golden Eagle Pass, we not only get into the national parks free; we get a half-price rate on the campgrounds. The fees we’ve paid each night have ranged from $6 (national park) to $65 (resort-like park.)

7. We have seen more wildlife than ever: alligators, turtles, birds (especially the larger water birds), butterflies, insects, prairie dogs, chipmunks, dolphins, fish… and so many more.

8. And the biggest joy? No accidents! No injuries! No health problems along the way! Plus, John has become a very good driver with a 23’ trailer behind us!

CHALLENGES
1. Not being able to “see it all.” We’ve passed by hundreds, ….no thousands…., of things we could have taken in. Even with a year of travel, we only scratched the surface of this great country. We missed most of the central part of our country. We mostly avoided the urban areas, even going out of our way (like in the New York and Washington DC area) to stay away from the congestion. We had to make choices everyday of what we had the time, energy, and resources to do. We generally didn’t take in nightlife, preferring instead to settle back into our RV before dinner.

2. While we still enjoy our trailer, there are challenges in keeping everything stored correctly. After traveling some distance, we have to be careful when we open cupboards that things don’t fly out. I tend to shop ahead for groceries, and there is not room to store everyting! So we have potato chips, soda, or onions, for example, stored in very funny places! And sometimes we can’t even find something – and there aren’t even that many places to put things away in! We have a fair number of things stored in the back of our pick-up, with camper shell. It is John’s unfortunate job to crawl in the back to retrieve things we need in those hard-to-get-at places!

3. Price of Gas! Who would have guessed that when we started our trip, gas was in the $2.50-2.75 range but would go up to the $5.00 a gallon? Luckily for us, we started our trip last
summer instead of this summer!

4. Not being with family or friends at special times was hard. My father died while we were gone, plus a couple other friends. We were not there for the services and gatherings.

5. Not being in community. We did enjoy a faith community when we were in Sarasota, Florida for two months, but we’ve missed being involved in people’s lives and part of a community.

6. We’ve had some mix-ups with credit cards, or lost driver’s license, or health insurance prescription coverage. My daughter Kristen has been our “business manager”, (and has done a super job.) She has paid bills that we can’t do on-line, dealt with our rental management company more than once, and mailed us packets of mail periodically.

7. Getting on-line connections hasn’t always been easy. In some RV parks, it has been a breeze; others charge extra money, or the connection is sketchy to non-existent. But we have appreciated the public libraries – they have all allowed access to wi-fi users.

8. Laundry. Most RV parks have had laundry facilities, but we go through lots of quarters.

Sometimes we’ve skimped at the end, and had to take damp laundry back to the trailer and create our own indoor drying facility. (Most RV parks don’t allow outdoor clotheslines.)

9. Insects. Gayle has had more insect bites and itches than ever. John must have tougher skin because he seems immune.

10. Although we were able to find our way to particular destinations with some ease because of our GPS, there was often some confusion about getting in the right lane on the freeway, or finding an exit with a gas station that works for a trailer in tow.

11. Although accident-free (thank the Lord!), there were several days of incidents of real challenge in keeping us and the trailer safe! Break in (in Las Vegas), broken spring (in New Mexico), flat tire (in Arizona), horrible winds (in Texas and New Mexico), hard bumps (Texas and Arizona), tricky entrances and exits (many places!) But not once did we have to abandon the trailer and leave it behind. John had challenges trying to back it into tight parking spaces at times, but he was an "expert" and we did just fine!

In Conclusion
Would we recommend this kind of experience to others? YOU BET! It was a trip of a lifetime, for sure!

When we went to a patriotic concert recently or the fireworks on July 4th, we could relate to the music, and feel pride at being part of this country. While we don’t always agree with the politics or economic greed that motivates so much of our country's decision-making, we do appreciate what our country stands for, and the diversity that defines who we are. The fireworks on July 4th added special meaning to our “end of the travel” season for two Americans on an adventure 2007-2008.

This concludes the blog entries of our US travel, unless some other “exciting news develops”. We are currently in Santa Rosa, and are looking at other housing options for our future. We’ll let you know via this blog if there are more developments! Thank you for checking in with us as we traveled the country!

Back (Almost) Where We Started From

We arrived back in Santa Rosa on July 5th! I cried when we pulled off at the exit where we were going to store our trailer. We have travelled 27,000+ miles in this last year (plus air miles) without anything horrible happening! Our vehicles and our bodies and our minds (we think!) are healthy and accident-free! What a relief! And oh, the places we've been, and the things we've seen, and the friends we've visited.... It has been a terrific year!

We are blessed to have good friends here in Santa Rosa who offered their beautiful home to us during the month of July while they are away. Steve and Robin Brown left us in charge of their cats, pool, and large home. It was very warm those first few days we were here, so we definitely enjoyed the pool! Kristen, my daughter, came up for a day and a half, bringing us a beautiful yellow rose bouquet as a welcome back. We had a celebration dinner that night at one of the favorite Chinese restaurants.

We didn't settle in too long, however, because we had another trip to take -- the flight back to South Carolina. (See previous blog entry.) We arrived back in Santa Rosa about 3:00 a.m. (our EST) Tuesday morning, so we're still adjusting to the reality that we're back and through traveling for now. Our renters won't be out of our house, however, until the second week or so of August, so we're still "homeless." But as I said, we have good friends here. We have another place to move to after our July housesitting "job" is finished. And then...... will we really move back into our house at 1138 Meridian Circle, Santa Rosa? We're still not 100% sure, but that's the plan for now!

Wedding in South Carolina

We're not quite through yet with our travels! We took another quick trip across the country -- only this time by air! John's daughter, Susan, was married to Scott Siebers on Saturday, July 12, at Hilton Head, South Carolina. It was in a gorgeous setting at an older Episcopalian church, with a view of the water, lush grass and trees right outside the windows. Warm outside, but air conditioned inside, thankfully.

As we were concluding the rehearsal, I kept thinking I was accidentally hitting the lavalier microphone because of the loud popping noise. Then realized it wasn't me -- it was thunder, and then the biggest downpour of rain they'd had in a long time. We had to wait a while before wading out to our cars to get to the rehearsal dinner. Scott's parents hosted a wonderful "low country boil" (a Southern dish of shrimp, potatoes, corn on the cob and other things all boiled together) at the country club where they live. Beautiful setting. We had another meal for just the family and out-of-town friends at their lovely home on the golf course, preceded by drinks and appetizers at another spacious home next door the day before. Scott's two brothers and families were there, as was Susan's siblings, Jim and Ann (but not their families).

Did I mention that we seem to be eating quite well nowadays?! Susan treated us to dinner at Crazy Crab restaurant the first night we arrived. We ended up going there again the last night before we left. Couldn't get enough of that crab! John and I hosted the lunch the day after the wedding for family and out-of-town guests. Luckily by then I had already fit into the elegant "mother-of-the-bride" dress for the wedding and didn't have to worry about the bulging stomach any longer!

...

The downside of this trip. Somewhere along the way I lost my camera -- yep, the one that has taken all those photos along the way! Searched everywhere. My suspicion is that I left it on the floor of the crab restaurant, but it was never turned in to the lost and found. Luckily I have an older version of a digital camera I'll retrieve from our trailer. Some of the photos on this entry are taken by another friend of Susan and Scott's.

One of the funny things that happend at the wedding: While John was waiting to walk Susan down the aisle, and I was waiting in the wings with the groom and groomsmen, we heard a shriek out in the congregation, then clapping (over the beautiful organ music), and finally a fellow came running out with a frog that had jumped onto a woman in the congregation. Funny way to start a wedding!

I felt privileged to be able to officiate. I was the first non-Episcopalian priest that they've allowed to perform a wedding there. I've also never been the (step)mother of the bride and the minister, so felt funny to have a fancy dress on under my robe. When I took my robe off after the ceremony, the flower girl came up to me and asked: "Are you the same person?"

Well, I'm sure I'm not the same person I was a year ago. A year of travel, and now a future of retirement and unknowns can change a lot of things. Who knows what the future holds?

Almost Home

It feels like we're almost home now!

We have spent six days in Visalia with my brother and his wife, Kim and Jeanette Pickrell. They were married last July in Visalia. I was privileged to co-officiate at their wedding, along with a Catholic priest, in a very meaningful family service. Kim and Jeanette moved into their new home shortly afterwards, but we are just now seeing it. It is a lovely home, with a great floor plan, and they have furnished it with such an aesthetic flair. We are so happy for them -- and they are great fun to be around. They are both teachers; Kim just finished summer school, so this really is their vacation. They were with us a couple days in Ventura at the beach house also. We've eaten well, boogie boarded, surfed (Kim) in Ventura, and in Visalia we've gone on bike rides, eaten well, played tennis (Kim is a high school tennis coach besides being a math teacher), hiked in the mountains, shopped, played games, visited with family members, watched sports and movie, gone to a Mass, eaten well!

I grew up in Kingsburg, which is just 20 miles away, so it really does feel like home! We've had some nice visiting time with family. We were even able to see a niece who now lives in Visalia, and hold her two-week old baby! Her parents, Kent and Linda (whom we visited last May in Waco) were passing through from a mission trip to India, so we were able to see them again, also. Another day John and I had lunch with another sister-in-law in Kingsburg, and shared dinner with a nephew and his wife. We've also gotten acquainted with some of Jeanette's family, and even had a personal tour of her eldest son's huge dairy farm. On July 4th her sisters and brother/wife came over for a great lunch and games in the afternoon. (Kim married into a family who also like to play games! Yeah, Kim!)

On Thursday evening, we went to the weekly outdoor band concert in Kingsburg. It is the longest, continually-running summer concert in the U.S. It was started in 1887. Both of my brothers have played in it; three family members play in it now. It was a patriotic concert this week, and during one song, they honored all of the armed service people, including one POW in the crowd. John stood when they honored the Coast Guard. I don't think he's ever had that kind of honoring before. There was a Farmer's Market and food there also, so we enjoyed a picnic-style dinner beforehand.

Our other big news is we have a new addition! We're the proud owners of a new Prius. We went car looking one day. We didn't expect to find a Toyota Prius or a Honda Hybrid on any of the lots in either Visalia or Selma. But at the fifth dealer, we found a Prius ready without a huge mark-up; it was ready to go, and so we went!!! Before it was even 24 hours old, we took it up to Sequaoia National Park with Kim and Jeanette. It drove great!

Tomorrow we drive back into home territory in Santa Rosa with two vehicles and one trailer! It's a bit sad to think our trailer will be going into storage now for several months. We will be housesitting for Steve and Robin Brown during July. Then next week we fly back to South Carolina to be part of John's daughter's wedding. We'll post another blog entry after that, and then a wrap up.

What a year it's been! It is very special to end the main part of our trip right back where I was born. Life is full of blessings and adventures!

One of Our Favorite Places

We have travelled the country, and we’ve returned to one of our favorite spots: the Golden Sands Beach House in Ventura, owned by our friend from Santa Rosa, Linda Carroll and her sister. We have been able to come back to the Golden Sands every year now for several years. Each time we arrive, it takes away our breath. The expansive Pacific Ocean stretches out before us as we climb up the stairs to the entrance of the house. The waves roll right up to the seawall during high tide. In low tide, we walk the beach and poke around the tide pools. We soak in the sun on the deck, watching the pelicans glide by or dive for their meal, while reading or snoozing or eating or playing games. Occasionally we’re treated to a dolphin parade, and they get our full attention. There has been a heat wave across the state, and we have benefitted from the warm, sunny days along the coast, which is unusual for June. In fact the water has been warm enough that we’ve enjoyed being in it. Usually wetsuits are needed because it’s so cold. We’ve even gone boogie boarding – a first for me! Who says a 63-year-old woman or 68 year-old-man can’t have some fun! We’ve been here during the full moon, and because there hasn’t been any fog yet (hooray!), the moonlight glistens on the water at night. It’s magical!

Jason, my athletic son (see one of the first postings on our blog), has been with us part of a couple days – he lives nearby in Ventura, but spends most of his time as a firefighter working in Santa Barbara County. He enjoyed the opportunity to go surfboarding here – and we loved the entertainment!

We’ve also enjoyed time with friends. Linda Carroll was here when we arrived, along with her son Kevin. She took us around Ventura one day to see the sights where she used to live, and to Ojai another day. We've been able to go to two Farmer's Markets in the area -- I love the fresh produce!!

Other Santa Rosa friends, Ted and Deanie Wilmsen, came through the area and spent a couple nights with us. Although they had planned to take us out to dinner, we convinced them we had the best view in town right here, and since I haven’t been able to entertain much for a year, it was a joy to prepare a meal. And we definitely enjoyed the fine wine they brought with them. John and Ted had a ball boogie boarding also!

We went to see Joan Niebank, a former Christ Church member who now lives in Camarillo, and took her to a nearby United Methodist Church on Sunday, and out to lunch afterwards. Linda and I also went to see her one day, and we've enjoyed lemons from her tree.

John does a few maintenance things here if he can, but mostly we lounge! This has been a perfect way to unwind from our super-duper tour of the US. Being in one place, in a “real” house, with the most gorgeous view ever – it is the grand conclusion. From here we will visit my brother and his new wife (Kim and Jeanette) in their new home in Visalia, before our final destination – back to Santa Rosa!

I will add a few reflections as a summary of our trip soon.