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Friday, August 3, 2007

North Platte, NB to Wendover, UT:

On the road by 6:30 a.m. after a quick stop at Starbuck’s. Stopped in Rock Springs, WY for lunch and made calls to Wendover for reservations for tonight. The Rainbow, where we stayed on our way to RAGBRAI was now priced at $120.00, more than double what we paid earlier. Tried Best Western but they were booked. Reserved rooms at the Econo-Lodge, $85.00. Drove through some pretty strong rainstorms in parts of Nebraska and Wyoming. Arrived at Wendover at 7:30 p.m. Econo is way down on our list but we were desperate. Bill said it was quieter than the night before so he got a better night’s sleep. Quite a few motorcyclists staying here. Chatted with a few and most said they are headed to Sturgis. One guy said he has “Been there, done that” and is headed north to someplace else.

Home \| Getting Started \| Sunday \| Monday \| Tuesday \| Wednesday \| Thursday Friday \| Saturday \| Wisconsin \| Iowa \| Going Home Friday, August 3, 2007 North Platte, NB to Wendover, UT: On the road by 6:30 a.m. after a quick stop at Starbuck’s. Stopped in Rock Springs, WY for lunch and made calls to Wendover for reservations for tonight. The Rainbow, where we stayed on our way to RAGBRAI was now priced at $120.00, more than double what we paid earlier. Tried Best Western but they were booked. Reserved rooms at the Econo-Lodge, $85.00. Drove through some pretty strong rainstorms in parts of Nebraska and Wyoming. Arrived at Wendover at 7:30 p.m. Econo is way down on our list but we were desperate. Bill said it was quieter than the night before so he got a better night’s sleep. Quite a few motorcyclists staying here. Chatted with a few and most said they are headed to Sturgis. One guy said he has “Been there, done that” and is headed north to someplace else.

Where's the sun?
Saturday, August 4, 2007 Wendover, Ut to San Jose & Salinas, CA On the road by 6:30 a.m. but less than 20 minutes down the road we entered PST so we gained an hour. Stopped in Reno off exit 10 (our usual stop) for Starbuck’s and on to Sacramento for late lunch. Arrived at Bill’s place in San Jose by 5:30 p.m. and he was unloaded in minutes. After exiting the privacy gate the cell phone rang....Bill saying he left his glasses in the car. We were home by 7:00 p.m. after a quick stop at the grocery store for a few provisions to get us through the next few days of hibernation. We were happy to see Willie….he looked the same, gained a little weight, but acted like he could care less that we were home. Thanks so much to Larry and Susie for taking good care of Willie and your many trips to the house so he could keep his schedule and take his pills. Our friend Jimmy stopped by the house on Sunday, seeing our car with the Yakima car top, he knew we were home, but no one answered the door. We never heard the knocking as we snoozed off and on all day in the back room …..sorry to miss you Jimmy!....ring the doorbell! Our neighbor, Reno, saw Ed outside yesterday (Tuesday, August 7) and said he was starting to become concerned because he hadn’t seen any movement, just the loaded car sitting quietly in the driveway. Some Final Thoughts... Flexibility, adaptability, good sense of humor and attitude are certainly key to enjoying a successful RAGBRAI. RAGBRAI is what it is, a rolling city, carnival, Iowa small town with wonderful people wanting to make our visit fun and memorable…..and, yes, tent camping, heat and humidity, and long lines for kybos, showers, and food. Concerns each day are about the basics: where to eat, potty, shower, sleep and then looking forward to the adventures of the next day's ride. It is contagiously fun! Our daily mantra while on our trip was, "Gawd, it's HOT!!!!"