Bea's first road trip.

So in January 2011, I added another TJ to my budding Jeep collection...based on recent history with a certain ex, I decided to name her Bea. Sort of worked out, since my Gray Jeep is "Gert", that my Black Jeep is now "Bea". That's perhaps the most politically correct way to explain the name...if you really want to know what the "real" reason for the name Bea, you'd have to ask! This is her the first weekend I had her...over by the OHV area near Terrebonne, Oregon. Okay, maybe that technically was her first "road trip", but what follows is the first big one. She looks so "naked" without the winch/lights I've since added. :)

Anyway, I got a bee in my bonnet and wanted to go to Yosemite again. Had been a few years since I saw Half Dome in person...so I planned to meet my friend DHB in his hometown of Reno, then head over together. Well, due to our fantastically strange weather, there was still snow (yes, in May 2011) on the passes, so Yosemite was closed. :( Talk about sad! But we were together, had a Jeep and a week off, so we decided to just go somewhere. After poking around in the Nevada desert for a day or two, neither of us really wanted to make a decision on where to go next. So, we honestly flipped a coin to pick a direction!! It worked. Took us to some random places, but it was one of my most fun vacations ever, so completely worth the coin tossing!
Long story short...we started in Reno, then went out towards Fallon, then down to Tonopah, then over to Bishop, CA, and on over to San Francisco, then flipped a bitch, and headed back for Reno. Then I drove home to Portland. A non-stop vacation, that put a lot of fresh miles on Bea, but beautiful scenery, and a great friend and conversation to share it with. Oh, and of course Cujo was with us too.

The first evening I was there, we of course started driving...why not. If you know either of us, you'll understand. He took me out to Pyramid Lake, which is said to be haunted by the way...and this is where I discovered that I think Cujo can see ghosts! :) Another long story...but the evening made for a beautiful backdrop for an awesome Bea shot.


The above shots were taken outside of Fallon, NV...elevation was about 10,000ft. Overlooking a military installation (not THAT military installation). It seriously felt insane getting up to this point. The road was VERY steep (and still had snow on some spots), and when you sat against the seat, and looked out the side windows, all you could see was air...no land beside you, just sky and view. Have to say, was (and is) one of the coolest spots DHB has ever shown me. I'm going back next time I'm down there. Amazing views...strong wind! And absolute desolation.


After this, he took me to a little ghost town called Poinsettia. How the crap he knew where to find this was beyond me...near an old (but still working) Silver mine, down a very dusty road. (duh!) I think we only saw maybe two other vehicles that day. Crazy. But here is a pic of Bea doing a tiny bit of articulation...not much, but notice the co-pilot up there! :)
After we left Fallon, we decided to head toward Tonopah, NV. Those of you familiar with aviation, will know this as the home of the Tonopah Test Range, which developed the F-117A Stealth Fighter (Nighthawk). We took a drive-by near that particular installation, which by the way is very well tucked away.

Not far from its entry, was a small airport that had these great old, HUGE, wooden hangars. Granted, we were there at a good time for photos...but the colors of the wood and the sky were out of this world. Amazing buildings. Did I mention huge? Giant. Awesome, is the best way to describe them. Just relics from the past, sadly rotting away. But amazingly beautiful.

After Tonopah, we flipped the coin, and headed to San Francisco. Where we walked across the Golden Gate, then grabbed some amazingly delicious Italian food, then parked underneath the GGB and enjoyed a beautiful sunset in the comfort of the Jeep.

Lots of pictures of the bridge, so maybe I'll make it's own post later, but for now, here are a few quick shots.
View up one of the bridge towers...

Bea relaxing in the shade of the Golden Gate...

Taken from the end of the parking area under the GGB...was the perfect weather that day! The bridge was visible!

And finally, our "dinner" view of San Francisco from underneath the GGB. Amazing, is all I can say. There were surfers in front of us too...so we had dinner and a show! :)


And this ends my posting for now...will go through some more pics soon and try to catch up!

A new partner for my travels!

Perhaps the biggest thing that happened last April (2011) was that after years of thinking about and looking for, I decided to add a tiny partner to my travels...in the form of a Chihuahua. Cujo came into my life on April 12, 2011 and I haven't looked back. He's almost always with me, loves road trips as much as I do, and doesn't mind me stopping to ooh and aah over a sunset now and then. He's about 9 pounds of pure Chihuahua stubbornness, and I couldn't ask for a better travel companion. He fits seamlessly into my life and my Jeeps!

I just love his ears! He "alerts" to things all the time. Kinda freaky when he alerts to something behind or above me! Makes me think I'm being attacked by giant/stealthy bugs.

At any rate, here he is, my little pup, who is not so photogenic anymore...now that I've had him over a year, and after about the thousandth picture of him, he's bored with my photography! But when I took these (with my cell phone, sorry for the quality and random focus), he was still willing to pose.

He enjoys a good nap, for sure...so here he is, in all his sleepy glory. Barely able to keep his eyes open.




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Talk about a time gap.

Well, since it appears it's been OVER A YEAR since I last posted...I'm thinking it's time to toss up some new pictures here for your viewing pleasure! :)

Lets see if I can backtrack to about where I left off...

Looks like in early April of 2011, I was once again chasing sunsets with Pat. Here are a couple snaps at our "favorite" spot, out near a Newberg elementary school. It's right on the edge of town, and we get a decent view of the sky, without driving too far. The only downfall is that there are no hammocks there to sit and enjoy the sky show. :) Of course, we never think to bring our lawn chairs!

There were a lot of "good clouds" on this day. Big, fluffy, shape-shifting clouds. Gave us a different shot every few minutes. Too much fun when that happens. This little formation looked a bit ethereal, so I decided I liked it well enough to include it here.


Each time we go watch the sky here and take pictures...we draw a crowd. Usually the cars passing by slow down to see and a few people sneak out from the nearest neighborhood as well. It's almost like they see this everyday, so don't take notice of it, until two random strangers with cameras decide to capture the scene. Then they notice the beauty that's right in front of them. Course, the same could be said for everybody. Guess that's why I tend to carry my camera with me most times. Just so I can grab that impromptu shot!

This is one of the trees in the school "yard". I always enjoy the way the colors of the blooms bounce off the sky colors.