August 1, 2016 What a way to start a vacation

Monday, August 1, 2016 

What a way to start a vacation...

 

My humans have captured me and put me in the little house that moves.  That means I can no longer roam unfettered to capture mousies... or birdies...  I shall acquiesce for now...

 

It is getaway day!  I do my morning hike across Wildwood Mesa then do the last minute things I have to do before we get on the road.  At this point, Spouse has more to do - load the generator, the bikes, etc.  He has to do it in a slow, methodical manner otherwise he will forget something.   Who am I kidding... He will forget something but he has his routine and is pretty good at getting the most of it. 

 

My biggest decision... which orchids will I bring?  I settled on my dendrobium green apples.  It is too cute and easy.  I have a cute cattleya that is blooming.  Risky with bumpy roads but too pretty to leave behind so she will come with me too.  I have a feeling I will regret that one!  We load Rudy's stuff and FINALLY get on the road about 11am.

 

Our intent is to head up I5 to Sacramento, then over to Grass Valley to visit some friends.  Then up through Reno to 395 and eastern Oregon.  Then over to western Idaho, ultimately landing at our golf tourney in St. George, Utah.  Easy, huh?

 

We get about 50 feet...  Why is the GPS not working?   It's plugged into the 12 volt socket.  Spouse pulls it out and sees it is missing a piece.  He moves Rudy to get into the console (Rudy doesn't like being moved off his perch), pulls out something similar and begins the transplant.  OOOPS!  The pieces falls off!  Now, I know you have all done this, but when you drop something when you are in the driver seat, does it EVER fall in a place you can easily access it?  Does it fall on your lap?  Does it fall on your feet?  Of course not!  It falls in between the seat and the console!  ARGH!!!  Spouse lets his potty mouth go and contorts his body to try and get the part.  Then I try.  Let me reach this... oh!  I got it!  Noooo, is that a petrified cherry?  ewww...  Lemme try again... No, that is a nut.  Hmmm, that one is a piece of plastic.  After 30 minutes, we finally decide to stop at Camping World on our way out of Valencia and buy the part.

 

Off we go on the 118... where there is  fire along the road... and the traffic is being funneled slowly into one lane.  Did I mention the traffic was slow?  We finally pass the fire and engulfed in smoke we continue on, smelling like a campfire!  Oh... an accident on the 14/5 interchange...  More traffic...  We have been gone 2 hours and we are 40 miles from home!  This does not bode well!  We get our part at Camping World then we try and stop to eat.  Not one restaurant has any type of spot for an RV.  With all the big rigs and boats and rvs that pass this way, how dumb is that?

 

We start up the grapevine, hungry and cranky.  The grapevine is a 40 mile adventure in California craziness.  The first 15 miles or so is a very steep grade.  There are radiator water stops along the way.  Trucks jockey for position and try to pass one another.  It is not unusual (although highly illegal) to see trucks hogging all 4 lanes trying to pass.  The slow passes the slower and so on. It kind of levels out after that for about 20 miles. After a stop in Gorman to feed,  we begin the rapid descent of about 7 miles then hit some more traffic!  Here it is 2 lanes, and when slow passes slower, the entire interstate slows.  Ultimately, it starts to move but it is after 2pm and we really have made little progress.

 

We decided to stop in Santa Nella.  It is the halfway point to Grass Valley, but we are tired!  The road has been bumpy with road construction.  Time for my  vodka tonic! 

 

My poor orchids... Little green apples is fine, as expected.  Cattleya flower is bent over.  The weight of its beautiful flowers on the bumpy road was not  good combination.  I should be thrown out of my orchid society for not staking the flower better...