Home at Last - April 20, 2012

From Paso Robles we took back roads from King City to Hollister, then over to I-5.  It was another scenic drive.

We spent Friday night in Dixon and visited with Nancy and family on Saturday.  Then Saturday and Sunday  nights we stayed in Auburn.  Sunday afternoon we attended a performance of The Lion King by a dance academy calley InSync.  Sydney was a cheetah. It was all very entertaining.

On Monday we drove to Napa, where we spent two nights at the Napa Inn.  On Tuesday, Dan joined us for a tour of the area and a couple of tasting stops.  We had a glass of wine at Auberge du Soleil.  We sat on the veranda and had a spectacular view of the valley.

On Wednesday we stopped for the night in Grants Pass.  The rain had started by then.  We arrived home on Thursday.  The yard was very weedy, but we knew it would be.

 But it wasn't all bad.  There are hundreds of bulbs all around the yard.

And yes, Timmy the cat is still here.  He seemed happy to see us.

The forecast for the next couple of days calls for warm and sunny days, so we'll be weeding.

Paso Robles - April 12, 2012

We've landed in Paso Robles after several interesting travel days.

We left Tucson on the 10th and traveled to Wickenburg, Arizona.  Wickenburg is a rather quaint little town with a decidedly western theme.  We spent the night at the Wickenburg Inn and the next day traveled through Kingman, Arizona, on the way passing through Nothing, Arizona.  The sign said population 4, but we saw no evidence of life there.

We stopped for lunch in Needles and found the remains of the El Garces Hotel, "Crown Jewel of the Desert."  It was built in 1908 and appears to be in the process of being restored.  It's right next to the Amtrak station.

After spending our second night in Barstow, we took Highway 68 from Bakersfield to San Luis Obispo.  It was a very twisty two-lane road, but very scenic.

We had planned on stopping for the night in San Luis Obispo, but the hotels were all booked, so we continued to Paso Robles.  We found the historic Paso Robles Inn.  The original inn was built in 1889 but was destroyed by fire in 1940.

The inn was rebuilt in 1942.

Our room is fabulous.  We have a gas fireplace and a private patio with a hot tub.  This is the view of the grounds from our patio.

Tomorrow we'll be in Dixon to visit Nancy and her family.

Leaving Arizona - April 10, 2012

We're about to leave Tucson to head for home.  As soon as the laundry is finished, we're out of here. 

We're taking our time getting to Oregon.  We'll make a stop in Auburn to visit family and to see Sydney in a production of the Lion King, then we'll spend a few days in Napa.  We expect to be back in Salem on or about April 20.  We're hoping the weather there will improve in the next ten days.

Adios.