Home Again Report

Home Again Report

Floating down the river in a stock tub.

 

Sunset tree in Red Bluff, California.

Thank you for reading this Home Again Report. As Dorothy said, “There’s no place like home.” I’m sharing a few of my favorite photos from the trip through this post.

California Highway 1, near Salt Point State Park.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Susan climbing a rock pile at Salt Point State Park. Can you see her in there?

My original plan after leaving the Shannons was to visit my cousin Josh and his family in northwestern Wisconsin, then visit Tammy, and Jim Tedesco, for some fishing in western North Carolina.

The Milky Way, somewhere it was dark.

As you may have heard, western North Carolina got hit hard by a hurricane. Tammy was flooded out and is now homeless. The Tedescos got through the storm without any property damage, but there were power lines and trees down all around them, with road closures because of that and the flooding.

Del Norte Redwood State Park.

Since my bride flew home from Boston on Monday, I changed my plan to get home as quickly as possible. After a too-quick, two-night visit with Josh, I drove home with a stop in northern Illinois and a stop in the middle of Tennessee. I didn’t think I had two 12-hour driving days in me, but I got home Wednesday evening, just before 7 PM.

A beach in Oregon, I forget which.

 

A glacial river coming off of Mt. Rainier.

 

Sun rays on Mt. Rainier.

The clean-up of both the yard and my vehicle is ongoing. I’m hoping to start fishing next week, although there’s a dentist appointment, and both an oil change and a tire rotation are needed.

Colorful meadow on Mt. Rainier.

 

Susan cavorts on a beach in Oregon.

The gruesome details:
-miles driven- 13,421 start to finish;
-gasoline used- 601 gallons;
-fuel efficiency- 22.3 miles per gallon;
-cheapest gas price- $2.84/gallon;
-priciest gas- $5.04/gallon;
-average gas price- $3.63/gallon;
-money spent on gasoline- $2185.86.

My competition. I almost look like that these days!

 

Sea anemones along the Washington coast.

We drove fairly directly to California, then spent time there and in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Minnesota, and a little in North Dakota and Wisconsin. We were simply in transit in all the other states we passed through. I needed neither the first aid nor the tool kits (although I did get the oil changed in California, and did have that ER visit!), more evidence of how blessed I am.

 

Catalina and Maxx at the Experimental Breeder Reactor Museum in Idaho.

That’s my Home Again Report. Thanks for reading it!

Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park.

 

Susan Surprise points out the thermal feature named for her.

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go on a trip! Stay active!

Alex with a nice brown trout, Gallatin River.

 

Rainbows over Stillwater River, Montana.

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

Bison, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota.

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2024. All rights are reserved.

On the Road Report

On the Road Report

Thank you for reading this On the Road Report. Susan and I have been traveling since last Sunday, on our way to visit our sons. I don’t have many photos, and don’t wish to describe the weary interstate driving with which you are all too familiar with, so this will be short.

Subscribers without photos- go to https://www.spottedtail.com/blog/, please.

Our first two nights were at Jackrabbit Recreation Area in North Carolina. We visited a couple yarn shops (for Susan) and I was able to peruse a fly shop and an outdoor shop while she talked knitting with the yarn shop staff.

Next stop was Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area in Kentucky. Saw plenty of schooling fish, but no fishing license, so no fishing. We both got a bunch of chiggers at the farm mentioned below, the gift that continues giving. Went to a planetarium show that was pretty cool, and a nature center, and saw some bison, and visited a farm that was supposed to be an 1880s representation. The place was inadequately being kept up. They would have starved come winter…

Susan, at the farm. Chiggers not visible.

 

One of the residents.

 

Still on the farm.

Spent a night at Arrow Rock Historical State Park in Missouri. Arrow Rock is an outcrop of flint, formerly on the Missouri River (the river moved), where pre-columbian Indians gathered stone for making arrowheads. The town is a national historic site, preserved in the 1880s style, quite quaint.

Spent a night at Lucas Park Recreation Area in Kansas. Fourth of July weekend- water-skiers, personal watercraft, and a full house at the campground. Great weather, with a day-time high of 84 degrees.

Today we drove through a thunderstorm and got pelted by hailstones. When we got through the storm, the car’s exterior thermometer read 59 degrees. The high today was 75 in North Platte, where we are camped at the Buffalo Bill Historical State Park, on the Platte River. Went to a very nice art gallery in the Prairie Arts Center in town.

The park is a launch point for Platte River float trios. Floaters use anything that floats as vessels…

Three men in a tub? How about six and kids?

 

One of the neighbors.

We did consideable back roads driving today. I loved the landscape we passed through- I could picture plains Indians hunting bison almost the entire way. I think it would be pretty bleak-looking come February 1, though.

Not impressed by the physical condition of the interstate highway system in general. There are way too many rough miles that need re-paving.

That’s the On the Road Report. More to come next week. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Go for a bike ride! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, © John Kumiski 2024. All rights are reserved.

First Road Trip Report and Photo Essay

First Road Trip Report and Photo Essay

Thank you for reading my first road trip report. No fishing, so I hope it’s worth your time!

Last Wednesday I flew Frontier from Orlando to Hartford. My ticket was $59. My carry on was $40. And they got me there on time.

Maxx and the dogs in his empty apartment.

Son Maxx picked me up at Bradley International. We spent some time on finishing emptying the apartment, and then packed the car. Thursday morning we put Bruce (the cat) in his carrier, put him, Carlo, and Betty (the dogs) in the back seat, tied the Old Town to the roof, and hit the road. Our destination is San Francisco. Maxx is changing jobs.

Carlo

 

Betty

It’s winter in the northeast. The temperature is cold, the roads are crowded, and we just drove the first and second day, making Harrisonburg, Virginia the first day, and Dickson, Tennessee the second. Snow dusted the ground a good portion of the way. Even here in Tennessee the temperature is in the 20s as I write this.

Carlo and Betty in the very full car.

 

Poor Bruce has to ride in the cat carrier.

We need to eat dinner each night. I typed into the search box “best restaurant harrisonburg va”. The first place on the list was Boboko, an Indonesian eatery. Neither Maxx nor I knew anything about Indonesian food, but that’s where we ate. It was great. I would eat there all the time if I lived near there.

Good to see Isaac, Tina, and Booker get some recognition by the state of Tennessee.

We did the same thing in Dickson. We ended up at Back Alley Barbecue, an independent. Two sassy women working there, great food, back home ambiance, we hit two in a row. I’m kind of looking forward to tomorrow night. Our goal is Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Taking a break in Arkansas.

Saturday- we drove fairly uneventfully across Arkansas, crossing the state line into Oklahoma late in the afternoon. Maxx drove, I should say. He’s done all the driving. I sightsee and nod out, as I see fit. Except for being cooped up in the car all day it’s pretty relaxing.

We had a little rain today.

We stopped in Sallisaw, stayed at pet-friendly and relatively inexpensive Motel 6. Every night so far, actually. We found an independent Mexican restaurant, El Toro. It was good, clean, authentic feeling, friendly, another good choice.

Middle America- I love the openness.

Today we drove to Amarillo. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s a dump. Sorry, Amarillo.

At Cadillac Ranch.

We visited the Cadillac Ranch. It was fun. We got cans of paint and sprayed randomly. I took some pictures. I realized on the way to dinner Cadillac Ranch would be super entertaining if we spray-painted the cars of the other visitors. I don’t need or want any police encounters, though.

The Cadilacs have seen better days.

 

Maxx and the pups.

 

A bit of a rainbow at the ranch.

 

Restaurant choices here were limited on a Sunday evening. We were not thrilled with our choice, but it wasn’t bad. It just felt very chain-y. We both prefer those mom-and-pop places.

And that’s my first road trip report and photo essay. Thanks for reading it!

Life is great and I love my work!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go Fishing! Or drive across the country!

John Kumiski, author of Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide
Purchase Fishing Florida by Paddle- An Angler’s Guide at http://www.spottedtail.com/fishing-florida-by-paddle/

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2020. All rights are reserved.