Amarillo, WAHOO!
At the risk of tagging  the good folks of Amarillo with a nickname like, "Stinker or Holy Crap! What the Hell is that Smell?!", I realize there will be no risk as no one will, especially those from Amarillo,  be reading this.
As we were approaching an odor so strong and foul hit us like a charging Bull. I immediately yelled at Seville. After two other long days, event free (no cat mistakes or smells in the cage), I figured it must have finally happened. As were driving in the dark we could not see the surrounding countryside. I was chiding the cat and Kathy kept saying,"that can't be the cat, it must be cattle yards close by that can't be seen in this darkness". This smell, though not as strong, was still in the air when we got to our hotel. So I guess Amarillo is an agricultural center. Who knew?
Other than this bit of excitement we did pass by the largest Meteor Crater, which can be viewed on google, and gave me an opportunity to take a shot of Mt. Humphrey.  
We spent a wonderful evening with the Johnson's at their new home in Wichita. Zoe is beautiful and growing up so fast. Nick and Sabrina, as always, so much fun to be with. Being in the same time zone, I hope to be able to see them sooner than every 3 years or so.
I post these two shots. One of Mt. Humphrey taken from a distance of about 10 miles from the east as we decided not to pay to see the largest meteor crater ever. And a shot of Nick as we left to go back to our hotel.

Our next leg of the journey takes us into winter storm Saturn. I just love it when a plan comes together.

A Day at the Grand Canyon

Our first day out we made it to Needles Arizona. That should be the longest days drive. It was 10 hours. We ate at Bob's Juicy cafe. I'm not really sure about the name but it was "something Juicy". (food was good too). Seville, the cat, did well also. She made no messes and and slept most of the way. No more herding in the mornings and no need to wrangle topless. (See posts from trip out.)
The Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular sights in the world. It's like being in church. At least at this time of the year there is very little traffic, no crowds, and few bus tours. Everyone that was there was quiet and awe struck as were we. This didn't stop me from taking 185 pictures. It was very easy to get great positions and take all the time needed to fiddle with the camera. It was kind of different to see a bus load of tourists go to the edge and hold up their I Pads and wave them around. (What must the spirits must be saying?!)
We saw elk, antelope and deer. The deer and antelope seemed to be more interested in grazing than playing, just in case you were wondering. You can see almost the entire southern rim by using the free shuttle service. I highly recommend using them. They stop at the different outlooks every 15 minutes and you get a chance to see the wildlife as well, no, not as in Lohan, just more elk.
Well, got to get packing, we are off to wild and wonderful Amarillo!

Saying Goodbye

As we look forward to our new adventures in Chicago we say good bye to our friends and our sunny California digs. It has been a fast three years, Caitie graduating college, Yardley getting married, Josh and Corrine with impending nuptials, and my 3.0 GPA. (yes, a little about me)Oh yes, we must not forget the meteoric rise to power of Kathy's career from CG-6 to CG-9!
Sadly we leave Leo (the big cat ) behind. He made his way to the rainbow bridge here in California. Seville, going solo, has developed a whole new personality. She is out going, curious and makes appearances when we have company.
In planing our way "I decided" to go the southern route through Arizona up through Wichita (to finally visit Nick, Sabrina and Zoe in their native environment ) then on north to Des Moines, Iowa and east to Chicago. This route planned because of my fears of being stranded in blinding snow on the Donner Pass. With my Magellan like powers of navigation, apparently, we will be driving into the plains on the heels of record breaking blizzard conditions. (we hear Kathy laughing in the background).
Today we will going as far as Bakersfield, Ca. We were going to try to make Flagstaff, Arizona, but in light, or lack thereof, of the weather ahead the plan is to give the hardy pioneer types time to dig out and plow a path for us.

Leaving California

Long time no see. All good things keep coming. We will miss the city by the bay and all the wonderful sights sounds and smells. We also much anticipate the next chapter in our adventure. In a few short days we will be off to our next port of call, Chicago!
We will return here when ever possible. San Francisco is a great place to visit and that we will do. We have had wonderful times here together and made some great memories. In the process I have taken over 5000 shots with three different cameras.
So I am starting this blog anew with the next leg of our journeys and develop some kind of theme centered around all the great photos of the wonderful places we have been.