Plane tickets Bought. Spring Break 2017 is HAPPENING!

[2Rocky]

After a stressful couple of days with numerous FUBARs occuring, we finally got ML's tickets bought. It was tough. Our usual airline was sold out Friday night and Saturday. Tickets for Sunday were triple normal prices, due to Spring Break demand. It was not looking good. Two weeks before the trip is cutting it too close....

She sends her kids to their father's for Spring Break. Through some extensive research, I was able to find her 3 tickets for nearly $139 per ticket cheaper than the going rates. She and her two kids will be arriving at the airport together. The Ex husband is supposed to pick them up. This should be interesting......

So the itinerary for the Week....

She flies in at 11 am on Sunday. We say goodbye to her kids and we drive 4 hours to a hotel along the way. Stop early in the afternoon/evening Maybe a late dinner *wink wink*

Next day another 4 hours to Death Valley. Set up camp in the afternoon and enjoy campfire and dinner and a sunset.

Spend the next 2 days touring DV.

Thursday drive up the East side of the Sierra, spend night near Reno. Drive home to my house Friday.

Saturday Morning a Half Marathon that I'm racing. Saturday night a community event

Sunday morning Sleep in LAAAAATE.....

Monday morning she flies out....

[Redheart14]

Hope it all goes well.

[Sparkling72]

sounds like you have a nice vacation planned! enjoy!

[2Rocky]

Death Valley Adventure Report: AKA Death by Selfies....

Sunday April 2. Woke up to run the training group taper run. 6 miles out and back from the Annadel HM race start line. Ran a good taper pace 30 seconds/mile slower than my last run on it 12 weeks ago. Hustled home to shower and drive to the Oakland airport to pick up my Girlfriend arriving from Spokane with her two children. Their father picked them up at the airport, and I met him for the first time. Turns out he is related to a convicted felon I know from my community. Ahh, that's reassuring...

We grabbed a sandwich on the road and spent the night in a hotel in the valley to rest up to arrive in Death Valley the next day. Four hours of windshield time was a great chance to catch up.



Monday: Shopped for camping groceries and got on the road. Stopped to take a picture of Owens lake and the Eastern sierra and got buzzed by a jet. 'MERICA! Joined the Panamint Springs Bird Watching Club with that...looked out from Father Crowley Point. That's a big hole.



Arrive in DV at about 4:00 pm. Set up camp in a hurry to make it to the bar at Furnace Creek Ranch (Corkscrew) to watch the National Championship basketball game. We cheered on the Zags and ate a pizza and drank a few cocktails, while we chatted with Harlan, a BMW motorcycle rider who grew up in Indio, and now he is a professional golf club fitter. Interesting person. Game didn't finish the way we wanted , but we had a nice walk around camp in 89 degree evening.


Tuesday: Drove to Badwater, Devils Golf Course, Artist's Drive, hiked around Artist's Palette. Hiked Natural Arch. Finished with a dip in the Furnace Creek Ranch pool on a $5 pass. Had time to catch sunset at Zabriski Point. Too many people. Get there early and hike to a ridge point away from there if you go.




Wednesday.: Drove out to Beatty, NV. Walked in an abandoned mine along the road. Scared RockyGF. Toured the ghost town Rhyolite then drove through Titus Canyon. Had lunch at the ghost town, Leadfield, and walked around it. Back to the Valley in time to swim in the pool again and fix dinner over the fire.


Thursday. Packed up camp in the morning. Walked Mesquite Dunes and had Ice Cream cones at Panamint Springs. Drove up 395 and did a quick stop at Manzanar War Relocation Camp north of Lone Pine. They have recreated some of the structures there to give an idea of what the Japanese Americans there experienced. Ever tried to play basketball on a gravel court? Truly a somber and sobering experience.


Had a picnic lunch next to a stream in Independance. Grabbed some baked goods from Schat's Bakkery in Bishop, about got blown off the mountain at Mono Lake, Arrived in Gardnerville at the JT Basque Restaurant. Couple Picon's, and three lamb chops with garlic, and a good night's sleep in a real bed.

Friday: Drove through Rain and Snow over the Sierra. Cut through the Wine Country (Highway 12 through Glen Ellen, THM) on our way to Santa Rosa to pick up race packets. Got home to my house for a light pre race dinner after unpacking most of the camping gear.

Saturday: Arrived at the race start at 6:15 to set up my wall tent as the Medical Tent. I ran the HM trail race while RockyGF ran the 5k. She took 4th in her age group. I was 10 minutes faster than last year's time. Helped break down the S/F line and grabbed a quick nap before we went to a local social event dinner dance. This was her public introduction among the local agricultural community. No drama thankfully. Everyone was very welcoming.




Slept in the next morning before I gave RockyGF the grand tour of the ranch. The sun and grass and critters all put on a great show to welcome her. Invited my folks and a friend with her girls over for dinner and made chicken enchiladas and Spanish rice with pound cake, strawberries and blackberries for dessert.


Monday Morning: Put RockyGF on the shuttle to the airport at 5:30 am. Trying to not think about the awesome 8 day vacation we had. Back to work and Reality Bites.