Dennis and Sully on the road

Salt Lake City to Boston

2007-10-12T09:05:00.000-07:00

Day 40

Up early, and off to the airport.

Signing off for now. We will resume around March 11, 2008. And, as Dave Garroway would say, as he signed off, "Peace."

Salt Lake City

2007-10-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

Day 39

As Sully would say, "What me worry? Salt Lake is a big city, I will find a spot". We wake full of energy, a few calls from the Yellow Pages to find a place for ChelseaExpress winterization (which means flushing out water & adding antifreeze to the vehicle). We hear that the State Fairgrounds store vehicles inside and has available space. The day is looking brighter.

We find a place for the winterization. The shop advises us of a warehouse around the corner that does storage. We checked it out and struck a deal for a heated space indoors for the winter. We were going to do an oil change & tuneup before storage, but the owner offered to get it done for us just before we return in the spring. All is complete and done by 1:00pm. Everything just fell in place. Relief! And as Sully would say again, "What me worry? This is a big city, I will find a spot"

We even have enough time in the afternoon to catch a movie before the Red Sox take on Cleveland at 5:15PM Mountain Time. We find a Sports Bar (tough in Salt Lake) with Cleveland fans behind us. The Red Sox win 10 - 3.

A few stories from the sports bar need to be mentioned. We arrived earlier in the day to reserve seats up front, but were told we couldn't. They said that if we were there by 5PM we would be able to get good seats. Because, it didn't get full until about 6PM. We get there at 5PM, but notice all the prime tables have Reserved signs on them. Sully starts to steam. We raise the issue with the manager. He tries to explain, apologizes & rearranges a couple of tables for us with a good view.

Next, we notice a promotion, a bucket of 4 beers (light or regular) by Coors for $8. We order some of each. We are told that earlier they ran out of regular Coors, and only have Light available. We ask for a replacement for the regular Coors, and are told it is not possible. The same manager, said that it was only a Coors Light promotion. He then proceeded to take down all the posters. We grabbed one before he got to it, and it stated both Light & Reg. He apologized again, but couldn't substitute another beer. He sent over an appetizer for our troubles. I think a message to Coors Headquarters will be sent.

And lastly, a guy from another table came over and told us he was a Red Sox fan. Guess where he was from? Wrong. He was from the last place you would think, New York.

Pokatello to Salt Lake City

2007-10-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

Day 38

One of our goals today is to make the 120 miles down to Salt Lake City. The other is to find a home for ChelseaExpress to spend the winter. Our plans have slightly changed. That can happen when you are retired.

Sully and I are flying home from Salt Lake City Saturday Oct 13 & Steve flying home Monday Oct 15. Then, the 3 of us will fly back in March to go skiing for a few days with Joe and pickup ChelseaExpress to continue our journey. We think 2 more weeks will get us back home.

We arrive at our destination in the afternoon. There are a couple of prospects for storing ChelseaExpress, but nothing solid. I am a little nervous. We decide to sleep on it, and come up with some ideas in the morning. Our travels have taken us about 4,800 miles so far. A few US $s and many Canadian $s lighter, but what a time it has been. The laughs and adventure outweighed the cost tenfold. I would do it again without question.

Jackson Hole to Pokatello

2007-10-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Day 37
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! This blog entry is now an official substitute for a card.

Day 37

Happy Anniversary, Barbara & Dennis -- 32 fabulous years.

The day starts out again with a small problem. Small problems we can handle. Since Ohio, we have been hearing a little ping coming from near the fan blade area of ChelseaExpress. We thought that maybe a small piece of metal was just rattling. We couldn't see the blade from under the hood because it was in a plastic cover. The noise finally needed to be looked at. So, under the vehicle I went. I found that the bolt holding the AC had come loose and was occasionally hitting the blades. Also, the AC belt was missing. The bolt could have wrecked the fan blade if it slipped any further. I was able to secure the bolt. We can hold off on replacing the AC belt this time of year.

Noise gone, off we go quietly. We stop in Pokatello, ID for the night. Steve & I try to get back to our championship ways with a challenge to Mike & Joe in Boccie. The balls weren't rolling the right way for us. We were defeated by the international champions, Mike Sullivan & Joe Walker. We will get those guys next year.

We wrap up the night with a beverage and Trivial Pursuit. It took 4 hours to get 8 questions right. Our explanation is that it was the Genius Edition.

Jackson Hole

2007-10-08T08:59:00.000-07:00

Day 36

Onward to Jackson Hole, WY, 104 miles away through the mountains. We pick the safest route, which means the route with the lowest elevation to travel. Route 26 follows the very scenic Snake River for miles. Numerous photos were taken. ChelseaExpress handles these mountain passes much better.

Jackson Hole is not what I expected. I thought there would be one main street with ski area/mountains on one side. That was not the case. It is a real tourist mecca with t-shirt shops all over the area. There sure are enough places to shop and drink. There was one section of the main square that had a few art galleries with very nice western art. Reminded me a little of Santa Fe.

Spider webs in town this time of year are a problem. These webs end up flying through the air landing on cars, clothes & even faces. Don't go to Jackson Hole the first week of October.

Yellowstone to Jackson Hole

2007-10-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

Day 35

Our day starts off with only slight problems. No big deal.

We are looking to find the easiest route to Jackson Hole, WY. The mountain pass through Yellowstone may still be closed, so we take the second best road. That road takes us toward Idaho Falls, ID. Over the continental divide (7,072 elevation).

All was going well until we started to make the climb up that hill. The ChelseaExpress has been having a tough time breathing at various elevations. Vehicles with carburetors (autos 1987 & older) have trouble getting enough oxygen to mix with the gas in high elevation areas. About 100 yards before the summit ChelseaExpress STOPPED/STALLED from the lack of oxygen.

We though we were going to have to turn around and go back to Yellowstone. Steve, Joe & I got out to stop the traffic so Sully could turn the vehicle around. Sully got it started again and thought he would give it one more try getting up the hill. ChelseaExpress had just enough energy with about 500 lbs less (3 guys) to make it to the top. It was all downhill from there. We look back and wonder what we would have done if we didn't make that summit. We now look for mountain passes that have an elevation below 7,000 feet.

Yellowstone

2007-10-06T16:06:00.000-07:00

I forget who got us the bottle of Manny Being Merlot, and I have no idea how it tastes, but rest assured that the label is awesome.

Day 34

We wake to snow & 32 degree temperatures. We are advised at the entrance to Yellowstone that 2 of the major roads are closed due to ice & snow. The road to Old Faithful is open, so that becomes our goal. On our way we stop to see Buffalo, Elk, Deer and various small geysers.

We arrive at the parking lot to Old Faithful about 45 minutes before the scheduled eruption. Our anticipation builds, wondering if we are going to feel the earth shake under our feet. The ranger told us that there is a volcano under the ground covering more than 60% of the park. We are standing over it. The eruption of steam & water happens with a wimper. It shoots up about 40 feet without noise or vibration. A big disappointment. Summer crowds must be unbearable here.

We exit the park in the afternoon to catch some of the game in which the Red Sox clinch the first series. We hold of on uncorking the "Manny being Merlot" wine.

Missoula to West Yellowstone

2007-10-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

Day 33

With advice from Brian, we take a scenic road toward West Yellowstone. The trail takes us through Nevada City, Virginia City, Ennis & Quake Lake. Nevada City & Virginia City are throwbacks in time (mining - western towns). Tourists flock to the these places in the summertime, but few (4 guys from Chelsea) are here this time of year. Steve pulls up to the bar at the old saloon and gets a shot of Old Thompson to get the day started. We arrive at Quake Lake, MT next. A quake in (I think) 1959 created a huge mountain land slide which killed numerous people, destroyed a town, created a damn and submerged trees. Upon leaving a small black bear tries to challenge ChelseaExpress by walking down the middle of the road toward us. We stop -- no sense in getting black bear fur in the radiator. He scurries off into the woods, but we keep a close eye for Momma Bear. We camp at West Yellowstone, Mt.

Missoula

2007-10-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Fans! The the RV officially has fans! Awesome.

Day 32

Oops, forgot to mention on our way to the restaurant we saw a small farm with Buffalo and a cut off horse head in the front yard. Yes, a real horse head. We didn't stay long here.

At Missoula we cruise around the U of Montana (Grizzlies) on a cold rainy day. The school doesn't hold a candle to the U of Calgary. Maybe the weather had some influence. Off we go to Butte, MT. We want to get there so we can catch some baseball, NY & Bosox. Butte is having a little resurgence due to the huge copper mine back in business. We find a combination sports bar, casino & restaurant. The Jokers Wild/Chefs Garden Restaurant with the fabulous owners Brian & Christina Hands. We conversed with them for hours, and found a lot of things in common. They made us feel like family. We had the 2nd best meal of our journey. The first was with our wives in Banff. The Bosox beat LAA. They got a kick out of our blog. So here is a special "HI" to Brian & Christina from the boys from Boston (Mike, Steve, Joe & Dennis).

Rexford to Missoula

2007-10-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Day 31

On our way to Missoula we travel next to the very large Flathead Lake. Half way around we spot the Mission Mountain Winery in Dayton, MT. It is time for lunch and they point us to a restaurant that serves Bison burgers. I'll try it. When we get there we find that bison burgers have been off the menu for 1 year. But the cheese burgers were pretty good. A game of indoor shuffle board was played. Sully & Joe were victorious. Steve & I should have cheated. Wine tasting is next up. Sully was driving, so he was out. I did not picture this area for growing grapes, but I was wrong. I thought the Pinot Gris was the best of the bunch. There were no reds that grabbed our attention.

Fairmont to Rexford

2007-10-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Day 30

As usual, we con our way into the lodge's hot springs pool. This gives us a chance to relax, before the first Red Sox playoff game. A little further up in the hills of the camp site, with a great panoramic view, the original hot springs pool is located. Our next goal is to find a location where we can watch the Bosox kick some ass. Missola, MT would be a good choice, but it is a little to far away. So, we decide to get over the border first, then find a spot.

The US border is a funny story. The agent asks us his usual questions. The 2 questions that challenge us is, do we have beef and do we have citrus. We have both (oranges & bologna). He tells us to dispose of both. So, before you can say jack-rabbit, Sully pulls out the rolls & bologna and eats the evidence. Only the oranges are left to give the agent. We are then on our way.

A gas station attendant tells us of the Frontier restaurant/bar (big TV) and RV park in Rexford, MT. That's the spot. We park, watch the game have a few beverages, plus their famous 16oz rib eye steak dinner for $17. The Patriarch of the 180 residents in the town is 78 year old Don Caldwell. He seems to own the town and keeps a close eye on the restaurant. We view numerous deer right outside ChelseaExpress. Not much around this part of Montana.

Banff to Fairmont

2007-10-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

Day 29

We get an extra bonus upon leaving our National Park campsite. Because we arrived at our site late, they didn't charge us for the night. What a country! The road we want for getting back to the US takes us through lake Louise. When we arrive at the Fairmont Lake Louise heavy snow is falling. It was snowing so hard we couldn't see the glacier and only half see the lake. No walk around the lake today. So, instead we relax at the Raidum Hot Springs. Overcast skies hinder views as we go over the mountain pass. The Fairmont Lodge/Rv Park/Hot Springs is our spot for the night.

Calgary and Banff

2007-09-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

Let me once again express my amazement at the fact that they haven't been arrested for anything yet:

Day 28

We talk to the doctor (John Washington Service manager of Shaw GMC) to see how ChelseaExpress is doing. He said we should be able to pick her up early afternoon. He and his staff work non-stop to get us back on the road as soon as possible. We are extremely grateful for that service. Wendy thanks for you help also. Before we leave we mention to John about the rental car dent. He jumps under the car and pushes out the dent. It springs back to 90%. Maybe we can get by. Upon leaving it at the airport, Joe & Steve jump out and place their bags in front of the damaged area. Avis does a quick walk around and notice nothing. They drive off the car. Home free! We have just enough time to make it to the Royal Canadian Legion post 213 in Banff for the 6:30pm kickoff. We have found our friendly legion counterparts across the border.

Calgary and Banff

2007-09-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

Day 27

We stay out by the U of Calgary, so we take a cruise by the school. We find the ice rink which housed the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and note they rent ice skates with public skating later in the day. We will be back. Early afternoon Sully, Steve & I put on our speed skating attire (looking for low wind resistance) head to the rink. We are inspired by Anton Ono, and rent 18inch long speed skates and hit the oval. the small track oval doesn't appear to have enough room for us. We obtain speeds of 20-30 mph without much effort. We missed our sport. Maybe the Senior Winter Olympic Committee is looking for competitors. Sunday football match ups weren't that good, so we hold our energy and wait for Monday Pats vs Cinn game.

Calgary and Banff

2007-09-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

A hearty "hello" to Steve Artick and Joe Walker:

Day 26

We make our way to the airport to drop off our honies and pickup our next companions (Joe & Steve). The day then turns to a trifecta. We stop for a lunch and there Joe brakes his sunglasses, finds a bobby pin in his burger and our rental car obtains a very large dent in the bumper. Of course we declined the extra insurance coverage. No sense worrying about that now, wait until we drop off the vehicle. We take Joe & Steve over to see the Calgary Flames sports center, and then off for a little something to eat. Why not head to Chinatown?

Calgary and Banff

2007-09-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

Day 25

We make our way to the Fairmont Banff Golf course to check out the greens. They look great. Just before we enter the Pro shop a coyote was spotted on the 17th green. He was doing his early morning howls. Golfers skipped this hole for a few minutes. The day before we noticed the Royal Canadian Legion #213. We could have our predinner cocktails in a legion atmosphere. Locals are met, conversation is entered into. It was hard to determine whether I was in Chelsea, MA or Banff, Alberta! We arrange for dinner at a nice restaurant where Sully & I romance our fabulous honies before they go back to the real world. We hear back about ChelseaExpress, the good news is that it can be fixed, the bad news is that it will take a couple of more days. As joe walker would say, "shit happens".

Lake Louise

2007-09-27T05:03:00.000-07:00

Chelsea, get on that:

Day 24

Sully & I travel to Calgary in the morning and find a GMC repair shop. They agree at least to look at it and see if they can help us to get back on the road. We leave feeling a little better. At the first shop we stopped at, they were taking appointments for after Nov 10th. Time to put the inconvenience out of our mind. A mostly sunny day steers us to Lake Louise and a short walk around the lake. No wild animals crossed our paths. After the walk we feel our bodies get tight. The famous Hot Springs are only minutes away. We relax, relax & relax for 45 minutes in the 104 degree pool. Maybe the Chelsea YMCA can put one in.

Banff

2007-09-26T05:02:00.000-07:00

Day 23

A little local cruising is in order for the day. The weather was accommodating, but not enough for visiting Lake Louise. A few cultural locations are visited, before thirst sets in. The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel beckons us for Bloody Marys & Martinis. Sitting outside viewing the mountains warrants a second cocktail. It is then time for the boys to implement one of our romantic plans. How about a nice BBQ grill with ChelseaExpress in the National Forest. Sully & I agree to shop & prepare everything to wine and dine our honies. A stop is made at the liquor store to obtain an ingredient we need. At check out a young lady asks us where the party is. She is amused by the old boys from the East. Our site is the best in the park. We are surrounded by mountains. Steak on the grill, corn on the cob & refreshments were on the menu. On our travels ChelseaExpress didn't seem to be driving the way we were use to. So, the next day we were going to see the doctor in Calgary to find out what ails her.

Calgary, part 4

2007-09-25T05:01:00.000-07:00

Day 22

Our honnies are to arrive at about noon. So, we thought we would have some time to do laundry at the hotel before they get in. All went well until we broke one of the machines. It was probably the 20 lbs of clothes we stuffed in a 10 lbs machine. We took the laundry out before we were noticed. We then begged to use the super duper colossal machine in the basement to finish the load. All was completed just before Air Canada touched down. Our fabulous honnies bounce off the plane and into our arms. Boy are we glad to see them. On our way back to our hotel in Banff, we pick up ChelseaExpress from the safe neighborhood and park it close to the hotel.

Calgary, part 3

2007-09-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Day 21

One day before our fabulous wives arrive. We notice that there is a zoo close to downtown and figure that this place is our best shot of seeing a buffalo. We do get to see one there, but I can't take a picture because a gate & fence would have been in the background. The zoo was actually a pretty good hit. Did I mention that we liked Chinatown? We were still looking for the Golden Gate - west. We stopped a young man asking for recommendations and he escorted us into his restaurant. How is this, hot tea is served to us in a glass from a pitcher. Shrimp, black beans & pan-fried noodles is ordered & served just the way the Gate would have.

We hear that there is a minor league (Calgary Hitmen) game, so we are up for a little old time hitting hockey. On our way there, cruising through downtown, American Express & the Calgary Independent film festival decide they our services. They are always looking for up and coming new directors. We sit in the directors chair for a photo shoot, and tell them what we think of independent films. I think our ideas get overlooked Minor league hockey is viewed in a nice arena, but no boxing matches break out. Even Sully was disappointed.

Calgary, part 2

2007-09-23T04:59:00.000-07:00

So long, Eddie:

Day 20

We reluctantly dropped Ed off at the airport just after midnight. I think he had tears in his eyes. Hotels are scarce, but we find one near the airport for $1,000 Canadian. No deals.

We wake in the morning & scurry around to find a sports bar that will carry the Pats game at 11:00am Mountain time. It takes a little getting use to having a Bud at 11:00am. After a little conversation with local truck drivers our road to the Pats has been identified. We find Jamesson's Pub by kickoff and realize we are the only 2 customers in the place. Our first beer hits us about the same time as the Pats first touchdown 11: 22am.We notice 3 Sunday specials on the menu, a bucket of 4 Bud Light for $16., an Irish Lager pint for $4, and 10 chicken wings for $2.50. How can we go wrong here. Six hours later we find our way back to the hotel.

Calgary

2007-09-22T16:55:00.000-07:00

Day 19

We start out trying to drop off ChelseaExpress in a designated overnight parking area. however, when we get there we find that there are no other vehicles left there. We don't think it would be a good idea to leave it all alone there. Very limited RV parking in town, and we haven't seen any place that allows more than 24 hour parking. We look off the main street, and end up in a new residential neighborhood. The street has plenty of parking, plus no visible street signs restricting RV parking. We spot someone walking and they tells us that we shouldn't have a problem. We leave our cell #s in case someone needs to get in touch with us. We head back to Calgary and just before the city we stop at the 1988 Calgary Olympic venue. The park has been converted for off-season use as bike motocross, zip-line, ski jumping into a pool, and a huge plastic bubble ride. The bubble ride has 2 people strapped inside for a ride down the hill. Dizzy people exit at the bottom.

Banff

2007-09-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Now that we're 18 days into this blog, let me state for the record that I had no idea Dad had such a thing for the passive voice.

Day 18

A rental car was reserved for the Banff area. We are giving ChelseaExpress a much deserved 9 day vacation. On our way out to Lake Louise we drive past the Banff Fairmont Hotel. A real sharp place. I can see us having a martini there one night. I'll go to the ATM just before.

Lake Louise is impressive, as was the drive up there. We take a mile walk around the lake, a nice easy stroll. The lake is a green/aqua color from the minerals that run off the glacier. On this day the glacier was partially covered in the clouds. At the beginning of the lake there is another Fairmont hotel. Nice, but not as nice as the one in Banff. We head off back to Banff and the famous hot springs. Even though it begins to rain, hot sulfur water would feel good. We go for it, and enjoy every degree of 104F.

Calgary to Banff

2007-09-20T16:53:00.000-07:00

Day 17

Our travels next take us to Banff. Upon entering the views are breathless and with the air being thin, we are a little breathless. The altitude causes us to move a little slower.

We walk around town to get the lay of the land. We window shop, but make sure to keep our hands in our pockets, so that the Canadian dollars don't fly out. No deals in Banff, probably the 3rd most expensive place I have been in.

We stop at the visitors center to get info on camping. Here is where we find out that we are in the National Forest and have bypassed the entrance gate. That is ok, we can pay here, and pay we do. It was $18 per day & since we were going to be here for more than 7 days an annual pass for $123 was the only option. We find spectacular views from our camp site. Numerous pictures are taken right there.

Glacier Park to Calgary

2007-09-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Snow in September?!

Day 16

Just before we retired for the night, the rain had turned to snow in the mountains. What a sight. During the night the whole campground loses power. The electric portable heater doesn't work well without electricity. The power came back on at some point, probably at the same time it started to snow heavy. Yes, we fully wake to at least 2" covering the ground and still counting. I often wonder how it can be 80 degrees out and still snow. We change our plans from going down - west over a mountain pass to heading directly toward Calgary.

As we drive out we continue to have snow for 2 to 3 more hours. The snow lets up a bit just as we hit the Canadian border. We are stopped at the Canadian border to show passports. They proceed to ask us numerous questions about purpose, liquor, guns & mace. We answer no to all except the mace. They tell us that it is illegal in Canada & tell us to pull over. When they see what we have is actually "dog" spray, we are sent on our way. It is a good thing they didn't check our criminal history.

Just before we reach Calgary we run into another small problem, the gas gauge breaks. The cruise control went out a couple of days ago. We were getting a little over 200 miles per fill up. So, we decide to be on the safe side from now on and fill up every 150 miles. If the speedometer breaks, we could be pushing ChelseaExpress.

We park at a train station and head to Calgary. A bank calls us to change US dollars to Canadian. We convert $600 US and get $590 Canadian. (Thank you George for your economic policy.) We roam around a bit and have lunch in Chinatown. Yes, you have heard that before, big cities draw us there. We then spot "The Calgary Flames" sports bar, which is in a converted old movie theater. It is quite a place with at least 100 TVs of different sizes and channels. The Red Sox was on one of them, so we pull up a chair and have a beverage. We stay for 1/2 of the game.