NC Media Watch

Camp Site at Tahoe

Russ Steele

Picture of our campsite with the family relaxing around the campfire. Sorry the picture is a bit blurry, I forgot not turn on the flash and it was dusk.

The GMC 2500 WiFi hotspot is rather slow, we must be on the edge of the Verizon broadband coverage.

Loading up and heading out again

Russ Steele

Since we arrived back in Nevada County on the 16th of July we have been preparing for our next trip, the Annual Family Camping trip to Lake Tahoe. For years we went camping almost every summer when our four girls were growing up. When they went off to college we included the boy friends in our camp outings.  About six years ago, during a family get together, the girls expressed a desire to return to family camping, and proposed an annual return to Sugar Pine Point, where we had a wonderful experience in the late 90s.

We did not go to Sugar Pin Point last year, due to Caitlin and Travis June wedding in Mendocino, so everyone is anticipating this return trip to Lake Tahoe. When we left on our cross county jaunt there were some strongly worded suggestions that we better return in time for the family camping trip to Sugar Pine Point at the end of July.

We have been busy preparing: cleaning the trailer, repairing the furnace. rehanging an exterior door that was about to fall off, building some more retractable shelves and doing general fix up.  Today we load the canoe, stock the refrigerator, and make our final clothing adjustments to match the weather, and fuel up the GMC and make the final adjustments for our family camping trip on Thursday.

Our trailer will be the anchor for several tent camp sites, and will be big attractor for the four grandkids, thus Grandma had to rig for kids on board. Since Sugar Pine Point is a dry camp, with no power, water or sewer we also had to do some reconfiguring, cooler chest, making sure the generator was loaded with extra gas, and there is lots of firewood on board the GMC, plus some extra guest chairs, plus our bikes. More stuff than we had on the cross country trip.   

While all this was going on, we made multiple trips to Roseville for family birthday celebrations. Way too many July birthdays, Christmas in July, Ellen's mom called it. With each birthday party the excitement grew more intense. We now have a complete hiking/biking/canoe schedule, with meals assigned and menus planned. Grandpa is looking forward to sitting under a tree and reading, and maybe doing a little blogging if the GMC-2500 hotspot is working, while baby sitting a daughters new puppy.  I will try to take some pictures to share.

Almost home

Russ Steele

We arrived in Truckee last night and the smoke was not as bad as our imagination. I have a Transportation Commission Meeting this morning in Truckee. Without this scheduled commitment, we might still be on the road for another week or so. But, both Ellen and I are looking forward to coming home to a much larger house and our much larger bed room. Trailer living is fun but it gets rather close after three months. We want to be come acquainted with all those things we had to leave behind when packing the trailer. Plus there are some things that need to be fixed before our next trailer trip the last week of July, when the family gathers for the annual family camping trip at Lake Tahoe.

I will have a trip recap in a couple of weeks, but first I have some client projects to get cleaned up. Stay tuned.

Tax'em until they fall asleep.

Russ Steele

We have stopped for the day in Elko Nevada at the Iron Horse RV Resort.  We have been on the road for three months and have been staying in RV Parks and Resort along the way. The prices for a piece of dirt, grass or concrete with power, water, and some times a sewer connection ranged from $20.70 to $57.00 for a one night stay. Tonight we are sleeping in our own bed again, but we will be paying the City of Elko and surrounding County $5.40 in bed taxes. This is the first time in three months we had to pay a bed tax to sleep in our own bed. I am thinking this taxing thing has gone way too far, especially when you have to pay a tax to stay in your own bed.   

One world beer and better air

Russ Steele

Now that Belgium-based InBev has bought Anheuser-Busch over the weekend, will all the new Bud labels read "Product of the EU?"   When we were in Canada and shopping for wine, many of the labels read "Product of the EU."  This makes shopping for an Italian wine, or a Spanish wine, or a wine from Germany just a tad difficult. I would find it very troubling that a beer so uniquely American could be labeled a product of the European Union. On the other hand, my new son-in-law who hails from Canada recently introduce me to Stella Artois which is brewed by InBev. I like it better than most of the bland Buds produced by Anheuser-Busch. Maybe I am more ready for a One World Beer than I thought.

On the other hand, given the growing number of micro-brew labels that are cropping up across the country, I am sure we will have many unique choices with US labels. When traveling, and want a beer with lunch or dinner, we ask for the local micro brew. Most are very good and once in a while you run across one that is outstanding. One of the  joys of travel it being exposed to some really great beers. Oregon has some classics and if the air does not clear in Nevada County real soon now, we may be sampling some of Oregon's finest sooner rather than latter. There are some advantages to pulling a trailer, when the air gets bad, just move to a place with better air.

We have arrived at Mount Rushmore

Russ Steele

We are going to spend the day in the area around Mount Rushmore, with some side trips to survey some NWS Surface Stations in Hot Springs SD and New Castle, WY.  Anthony Watts has more details on the surface station project here.

We also hope to catch a sunset over the Devils Tower at the end of the day.

 

Cultural comments on our Trip to Canada.

Russ Steele

We are now back in the USA, and with some down time from our travels on the 4th of July I want to share some of my mental notes on our visit to Canada.

A week ago Friday was another down day, no traveling or touring. We took a direct hit in the GMC 2005 windscreen, on the drivers side with several big spider runs up the glass. What ever hit the window, it was hard enough to spay some glass on the dash. The local Levis GMC dealer was unable to help, but they located us a local glass shop, where the GMC spent the afternoon. As we sat down in the shop to wait for the truck repaid, the lady the desk handed Ellen the keys to the company van, "Go any where you want, please come back by 3:30," she said. No papers to sign, nothing but take the keys and go. How refreshing. In the US we would still be signing papers and leaving our credit card for a deposit. But, hey they are holding the truck and if we want it back we will being their van back. It was the disarming trust that was so refreshing.

 

The Canadian road sign system is quite good. Some Providences have eliminated a lot of road side clutter by banning billboards that obstruct the view. Fewer signs in the eastern providences, but as we came west the rules seem to be relaxed and we saw more road sign clutter. Most commercial signs are at the business location, not down the raod. To help travelers the government posts signs with the type of services that are available at the exit or on the next town. In may cases they post direction signs in white letters on a blue background with tourist information which are very useful to the traveler.

We are back in the USA

Russ Steele

This post is a little late. Typepad had problems posting the pictures this morning and we have been on Mackinac Island all day.

Yesterday we crossed the border at Sault St. Marie in the late afternoon, and spent an hour on the Sault St. Marie bridge just getting to the US entry point, only to be greeted by a surly Home Land Security Border Guard. Not much of a welcome home!  Such a contrast with those agents on the Canada side of the border, who like to chat and smile a lot.

In 1964 Ellen and I covered the route, from Quebec to Sault St. Marie, on our way to California. We were married in December of 1963 and were living at Loring AFB in Maine. My B-52 flight crew had 30 days leave from 15 May to 15 June, and just being married we did not have much money to spend on a vacation, so we packed some cloths, put the gas and a credit cards in our wallet and headed for California in my 1962 Corvair Manza. We drove to Quebec and then to Montreal and then across Canada to Sault St. Marie. Forty four years later we made the same trip, though at a much slower pace and much better accommodations.   

There have been a lot of changes in the last 40 years along the route, better roads, better communications, and more services. It was a lonely road in the 60s.

Some thoughts on in vehicle WiFi(edited)

Russ Steele

Ken Bensinger, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer writes about Chrysler offering wireless Internet access in 2009 models. The struggling automaker's announcement comes shortly before California enacts a law that requires hands-free cellphone use while driving.

The nation's third-largest automaker is set to announce Thursday that it's making wireless Internet an option on all its 2009 models. The mobile hotspot, called UConnect Web, would be the first such technology from any automaker.

Glenn Reynolds makes note at Instapundit.com, "I already have Internet in my cars thanks to EVDO."

Verizon Coverage Map, click for a larger image.

We start back home today

Russ Steele

Yesterday we reached the end of the Gaspe Peninsula, with our friends from Locust Grove, Georgia, Betty Lou and John Reifschneider

 

Today Ellen and I start our return to Nevada County. This will be our first full day traveling West. We still have some stops scheduled on the Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec and Montreal, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Wyoming before making a serious dash for the barn in Nevada City.  As you can see in the pictures the weather has been foggy and rainy. Not typical weather for June according to the local Gaspe residents. More like May weather they say.   It is forecast to rain today, our shiny trailer is going to get covered with road grime again. Ugh!