Saturday May 24, 2014 Destination...Yosemite National Park

Today's planned excursion is Yosemite National Park. The morning begins by breaking down camp. There was talk of finding coffee in the town of Milton. Turns out, the only building in town is the post office. Coffee was found 63 miles later in Reno, NV. Walden's Coffee House provided an excellent coffee and breakfast. The Walmart provided a restock of camping food and turtle-preferred gourmet salad blend.

We continue our drive on US-395 South through Northern California. The drive is beautiful. Along the way, we come to Conway Summit which offered an unexpected delight. Elevation here is 8,143 ft. There is provided a turnout called Lake Vista viewing point. This was absolutely breathtaking. As I look over this "valley" I can not help but remember this is an ancient super volcano and I am starring into a giant volcanic crater that may one day awake again.

At the bottom of this ginormous crater is Mono Lake. Mono Lake is not just beautiful but also fascinating. The Visitor Center is full of interesting information and well worth a tour around. My favorite datum learned...Mono Lake is 2.5X saltier than the ocean and 1000X more alkaline. We loved this stop!

On the south end of Mono Lake is the entrance to Yosemite National Park. The road is steep and winding. With every new turn, you come face to face with yet another massive rock dome with climbers scaling the face, not at a turtle's pace but at a snail's pace. Yosemite is a park of geological amazement and worth every steep incline and twisty curve.

We end the day by making camp in Mammoth Lakes, California.

Friday May 23, 2014 Bovine Bonanza

Today's drive begins in Pendleton, Oregon. Our end destination is Reno, Nevada.

US-395 from Pendleton to Reno is 589 miles of alpine meadows and open-range cattle ranches. If bovine bonanza is what you are into, this is the road for you. If you are into bathrooms, food, cell service, or car radio, then you may want to choose something else.

After leaving Pendleton, the next sign of civilization came 2 1/2 hours later in Mount Vernon Oregon. When I say civilization, what I mean, in this instance, is a few houses with a single gas station with 2 pumps. I think this town was established for the sole purpose of running the gas station and maybe fixing a few automobile malfunctions for the weary traveler.

The next travel section on US-395, the road markers informed us we were on the Battle Mountain State Scenic Corridor. It was very scenic. My favorite scene was the "rest area"...I believe the picture explains it all.

In the southern end of Oregon, we spotted on our handy-dandy road map, Lake Avert. We were quite excited. After a fairly long day in the car, a dip in some cool crisp water seemed quite the treat. When we arrived at our wonderfully watery destination, it appears to have sprang a leak and completely emptied itself. There went the swim but the view was spectacular.

In Northern California, an eerie fog appeared in the valley. The fog seemed to be reaching for the clouds above it. Eventually the clouds reached down and soon the ground and the sky were joined in a solid wall of white.

Overall, this is a pleasant drive with plenty of animal viewing (tame/wild). Of course we saw plenty of cattle, but we also saw horse, alpaca, sheep, coyote, goats and a plethora of birds. Just north of Independence, Oregon, we drove through an antelope reserve. At one point, a long-necked, long-legged, wide-winged, bird-like thing came swooping across the road in front of us. Hildie said it was an egret but I am more than positive it was a pterodactyl.

We did not make it to Reno. Our day ends making camp in the Plumas National Forest.

If you find yourself on US-395 through Oregon, a few tips I leave you.

Plan to drive the entire distance in one day. There are no camping areas or hotels along the way.

Pack food and drink and fuel up when you can. Towns with gas stations are about 100 miles apart. There are no restaurants.

Thursday May 22, 2014 Leaving Seattle

Today at 1:15 PM we piled into the minivan with a U-haul trailer attached and pulled out of the driveway headed for Cary, North Carolina. The goal of the day is putting some pavement under our feet and some miles behind us.

Our journey begins taking I-5 South to I-90 East and then joining up with I-82 East. Our end destination for the day is Pendleton, Or. 

Pendleton, Or. is the first major city after crossing the Oregon border on I-82. This is also the place where will begin our trek down US Route 395 South.

This day is an uneventful drive on Interstates. 285 miles later we arrive at our destination for the day. We stayed the night at the Hampton Inn. The hotel is of newer construction, very clean and with a very friendly staff. The kids loved the indoor pool and the adults enjoyed the hot tub. As for Hildie and myself, we prefer water without chlorine. We opted for a fresh water swim in the hotel room. Afterwards, we called for room service and relaxed in the room. It is a good idea to get a good-night's sleep before a long day on the road.

Introduction to your travelers and blog bloggers

Let us begin by saying we are not your ordinary blogger. We are not your ordinary traveler. We are turtles. Florida Red-Eared Sliders to be exact.  Ordinarily, a 47-gallon fish tank is home, but for the sake of adventure, we have opted for smaller digs of the mobile kind.

Our travel story begins in Seattle, Washington in the neighborhood of Ravenna.  This is the place we have called home for the past 2 years. Our family however, has lived in this same small house in this same wonderful neighborhood for the past 12 years. Leaving is sad but the coming adventure is pretty exciting. We are Moving to Cary, North Carolina.