Candice agreed to accompany me on my trip from Cal Nev Ari to Seattle. It’s a long drive, and I was so happy she agreed to accompany me.

Prior to the trip, I called her to let her know about Westie having a few “issues” that could leave us stranded. I assured her, that if something happened, we would rent a car and get home one way or another. Candice was a fantastic travel partner! Flexible, game for anything, curious and FUN!!! Thank you, Candice, for being my travel buddy!

I picked her up in Vegas and let her know that our first stop was the auto shop. The oil pressure sensor was acting up, so I had it replaced. It gave us an excuse to stay the night in Vegas, which is always fun.

Day 1 on the road, first south to drop off my bike at a friend’s so I would have it upon my return in one week. Then North, on a Google Map that I mistakenly had put in a destination we were not planning for. Oh well, we ended our night in Fallon, NV. (BTW: nothing in Fallon to speak of that’s very nice – especially the place we stayed).

Foggy weather engulfed us for about 50 miles along this route. At one point, a trucker passed us on the RIGHT – pushing us into the oncoming lane in fog so thick, we had our flashers on. WTF! No one was coming in the opposite direction, lucky for us, but that truck was insane!!!!

Day 2. Reno. We stopped for coffee with Audrey (my burning man boss from 2022), and a short run. Then, off to Summer Lake Hot Springs! The springs are fabulous and this place is gorgeous! Add in a full moon and it just doesn’t get better!

Day 3. On to Bend to see Alex (burner, airport manager for a couple of months before me) and a friend. His Alpaca Ranch sits above the Deschutes River and has two houses and a lovely runway!

Alex asked if we wanted to go flying in his brand-new Kodiak – YES!!!! Off we went.

As we were driving out of Bend, we had the brilliant idea of staying at Timberline Lodge on our way through. They had a room!!

Oops, the damn oil pressure sensor started going off again……we stopped at Marks Auto in Madras (a great place), and they told us to just keep going. It was a LOOOONNNNGGGG 60 miles to the Lodge, but we made it!

The next morning, the car was having trouble running. Ugh. The last thing I want now is to be stranded on the side of the road. I called UHaul and asked if they had a truck and a trailer I could put the van on. They had one 30 miles from the lodge. Yes, hold it for us. We are on the way!

We drove into the Uhaul lot, drove onto the trailer, and were on our way in less than 30 minutes. No more worry about the van dying. What a relief!

Westie is now parked at Boeing Field in my airplane parking spot. A couple of westie friends are going to see if it is capable of one more drive to my Dad’s to be put away until I can get a new engine and transmission installed.

I love Westie! I love Candice! Road trips are the best – any way you get home……safely!

As I scroll through the posts on this blog for 2022, I realize what a great year I have had.

So many amazing experiences, and even more importantly, I have so many, absolutely, THE most fabulous people in my life.

As 2022 closes, the word that comes to mind is gratitude. Thank you for being in my life, and for being my supporter and friend. My love for you is endless. Here’s to a great 2023!!

It has been a fun weekend! It was Christmas for sure, and we maximized the opportunities.

Starting off, we went to Vegas for a roller coaster ride, dinner, and two shows. Not wanting to drive back late at night, we stayed at the MGM Grand and had a great time watching people in the casinos.

CC researching what to do next

The roller coaster was a blast, dinner was amazing (Jambala)! and the shows were mediocre. Didn’t matter, it was super fun!

Saturday took us back to CC’s to get ready for Xmas day and our flight to the Grand Canyon. One important part of the day was CC making African Stew over the fire in the backyard. The secret is the smoke and (of course) it was delicious.

African Stew

Flying over the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon was a thrill!! The Grand Canyon has become a dear place to me, and seeing it from this perspective was especially rewarding. It’s about a 40-minute flight to the canyon from CC’s in his Experimental 170B. I got to fly the entire route. A great gift!!! The temperatures were in the high 60s and we had a picnic on the edge of the canyon.

Pearce Ferry Landing strip

Day three of our adventure was an all-wheel-drive trek to Lake Mojave. Not a long drive, but a rough one. The high temperature for the day was 70, so we were hoping to get some sun.

Along the way, we stopped and shot some targets. I have only shot a firearm one time in my life, and after a very heated discussion about guns, I agreed that being exposed would be a good thing for me. I shot a 22-shotgun, an AR 18, and an 8mm handgun. My aim was good, and I was hitting the target 8/8 times, consecutively with the 22. Overall, I still find guns extremely scary, and I am even more than ever, humbled by their power.

We had the beach at the lake all to ourselves. We had a picnic, did a bit of hiking, and then headed home for a quiet evening around the fireplace.

CC’s reality is so very different than mine. I’m curious, and open to new things and have found exploring his world no less than an amazing adventure and a whole lot of fun.

New Mexico is a playground! Cha Cha lives adjoining 1000’s of acres of BLM land. It’s breathtaking and has enough trails that there is no reason to repeat any of them.

Nearby the house is a big mesa. I have been using the mesa as a training bike ride. It’s a grunt, and really good training for a future ride I’m planning in January.

Skiing, though not (yet) great, was on our agenda for Saturday. Ski Santa Fe allows uphill travel any time, so up I went!! It was a spectacular day and after two laps up and down, we finished off with dinner in Santa Fe at Cowgirls.

Mountain biking on my second favorite ride near Taos filled my day Sunday. The Rift Valley ride is 12+ miles, all single track, with stunning views into the rift and the great Rio Grande. (BTW: my favorite ride is the South Boundary Trail).

Now the weather, especially high winds, are rolling in, so rides and skiing are on hold.

Off to the Ojo Caliente Hot Springs!! A fantastic consolation, courtesy of New Mexico.

The star falls quickly sometimes. Poor Westie. Transmission fluid started flinging out of the transmission about 500 miles from Cha Cha’s place.

It took me a few miles to figure out what was going on……..

I texted my Westie friends – and they gave me good advice. Outside of Gallup New Mexico, I started calling transmission shops. One told me to call Pep Boys. They were open and willing to help.

First, I stopped at an auto parts store and bought transmission oil and a pump.

When I rolled into Pep Boys, they were happy to lift the van and help me fill the transmission with oil. The guy helping me was clearly new at his job, and lifted the van so high he snapped my skylight…..oh well….. a small price to pay to get this help – and they didn’t charge me.

We got the fill bolt out, and two quarts later, the transmission was full. I was back on the road to Cha Cha’s.

Monday morning, Westie went into a shop known for their westie work. The owner has his own synchro and shows photos of it to his customers. I think he knows his stuff.

The shop replaced all of the fluid in my tranny and found my case was very loose. After a 100-mile test drive, we found a seal leaking. I am sure the vent tube is plugged. I have asked over and over that the shop find, and clear this, but they can’t seem to hear me……I will find it myself, I guess before I hit the road again.

In the meantime, I am biking, hiking, trail running, and basking in the sunshine and beauty of New Mexico. Hanging with Cha Cha is always a joy. I love this place and know that Westie will be fine for the trip back home.

I left Issaquah with snow on the ground and taking my Dads advice headed south down I5.

The Siskiyou pass was the only gnarly section. My synchro proved to be valuable as I passed semi’s going up hill-yet very slowly.

I wanted to take a photo, but couldn’t let go of the steering wheel long enough. Fog, heavy snow and dimming light made for serious focus.

I made it to Red Bluff on day one. Hooray Westie!! My hero!!

Day two was super boring going through strip-mall town after strip-mall town. Ugh.

Then….a ghost town with a campground. Sweet!! Calico ghost town. Mines were everywhere, and a nice surprise at the top of the hill I ran up.

On to Cal Nev Ari. I ended up driving through Nipton!!!! So beautiful and funky there!

Then, Cal Nev Ari and CC’s place.

Tomorrow: on to Cha Chas’s in New Mexico.

A mountain climb! From CC’s house, you can see Spirit Mountain, and I really wanted to get up there!

I had a very tough time finding any information on this hike. Apparently, not a lot of people do it. I was determined. I finally found a photo of a route. Good enough for me.

CC let me take his Hummer to the trailhead – he had work to do and doesn’t like heights……

The trail leaves from a dirt road called “Christmas Tree Pass”. From the car, there really was no trail. I kept going in the general direction my map photo was leading and found some cairns. Turns out, there were cairns the entire way up. The route was easy after all.

The trail was rough and steep in a few places, and toward the top, eased off and was a joy. The summit was a bit windy, so I bundled up.

The entire trip was 4 miles, and 2,166 feet elevation gain. The perfect first day of my 62nd year!

Aren’t birthdays fun? I know many who dread them and focus on the getting older part of birthdays. That’s not for me! It’s a one-way age street, no matter what, so might as well enjoy the ride. Birthdays are really a private holiday just for you.

Mine, this year, was super fun. After a morning run, CC and I went for a flight into the desert of Nevada in his Experimental 170B. It’s a big, heavy airplane compared to CM, I flew some……

Our first stop was route 66 on a section (mostly) closed to traffic. Two trucks rolled by, one stopped to see if we were ok. When we told him we were just out landing places and “getting our kicks, on Route 66” he laughed and said, “why wouldn’t you”!!

Next up: the town of Nipton, CA. We landed on a road next to the railroad tracks. A group of people watched and waved as we taxied up toward town. Nipton is an old railroad and stagecoach stop, the place is quaint and quiet. It was recently sold for $7.7 million Surprisingly, there was an area full of Burningman Art! One of the pieces I remember seeing on the playa.

After flying around, we returned to CC’s and spent the evening soaking in the hot tub and lazying by the fire. I’m now ready for another lap around the sun.

Ephraim is amazing. He helps me breathe new life into Charlie Mike, again and again.

Yesterday we changed the oil and replaced the old incandescent lights with LEDs.

Today, in the pouring rain, we worked on a fuel flow meter…..and read up on how to fix the “slop” in the aileron’s.

And in the middle of that, Ephraim wanted to go visit a potential customer. We ended up at a hangar estate sale for my Dad’s cousin- David Howy. We both bought a couple of items.

Ephraim opens a multitude of doors for me, Some familiar and others brand new. He is a very special person, and if the new customer we visited is at all smart, he will grab the “next available” (which, I think, is mid 2024) with Ephraim…..and be very lucky to get to work with him. I know I am, always.

The weather looking forward became concerning. I have appointments in early November that I do not want to miss.

High Sierra was the perfect end to my trip. Time to head home. It just felt right.

Without knowing how many days it would take me, I didn’t really mention to anyone my plans.

I flew Reno to The Dalles and enjoyed The Dalles overnight.

Then up to Yakima and Cle Elum. I could see the weather and smoke in Puget Sound were going to be a challenge. I powered on.

I punched out of Stampede Pass and went south, then west, then north, then finally east to Arlington. I needed to be able to see the ground, and I couldn’t see much else.

Ephraim was here to greet me when he heard my calls on the radio! How nice to have a warm welcome home for both me and Charlie Mike!!