Mood:
sillyTopic: June 21,22, 2005
Today we took a boat over to the Island of Alcatraz. Alcatraz was the Indian name for the sea birds that made the island their home. Therefore, the name, Alcatraz. It was a fort in the early days of California then became a place to keep criminals.
The buildings became dangerous as it got old and was going to be too expensive to repair, so it was abandoned in the 1960’s. A group of Indians lived there for 18 months in order to protest the poor way their people had been treated. 
The island is now for tourists and birds. Flowers have over-grown the island. We didn’t like being behind bars! It’s interesting to take the audio tour but it involves lots of walking up hill! 
We are staying in a motel close to the Rayl’s, Shawn, Charleen, and Ellen. Shawn prepared tri tip steaks for us on the grill and Ellen shared with us the sea shells she found while her dad was surfing. She had gift bags waiting for us containing Visine, mints, band-aids, and Shout. Things someone on a bike can use! We liked the way she decorated the bag with her crayons. Thanks, Ellen, Charleen and Shawn for your hospitality!
This morning we took Ellen to school and visited for a while. Then we went downtown San Francisco and spent the morning, shopping and eating. I had to take a picture of the Knuckles Sports Eatery because that’s my maiden name and I’ve never seen it up in lights before! 
It’s across from the SBC Park, the home of the Giants. We saw Candlestick Park and the Cow Palace, too. We ate lunch at the famous, Red’s Java House on the pier. The afternoon was spent getting clothes cleaned, things packed to be shipped home, and getting the bike ready for the trip back east to Indiana. We start early in the morning.
How cool is that! We watched two fighting on one of the boat dockings. They made terrible noises, stared a lot at each other, and then one would shove the other off the dock. 
The sea lion would swim around for a couple of minutes and then return to do the same thing all over again. The others were lazing around in the warm sun ignoring them. We ate some clam chowder and bought the best fresh fruit ever! 
We went in and ordered an Earthquake. An Earthquake has 8 kinds of ice cream, as many types of syrup as you want, fresh fruit, whipped cream and of course several cherries. 
Nancy, Buzz, and I walked to the crest of the bridge and watched the many things going on. Again, people from all over the world were there to see this beautiful, American site. Larry likes this place by the ocean best of all. 
When you travel on a bike you are very aware of the way a community smells. Along Highway 1 we were hit with the strong smell of strawberries. We drove miles through fields of strawberries, lettuce, cabbage, celery, and berries. Each area smelling wonderful! Today we went through extremely large fields of grapes; some that went on for miles. The vineyards were found in between the low mountains. It gets warmer as you go inland. We rode on Highway 101. It is called the El Camino Real Historic Highway. We stopped at this very old Catholic church called Mission San Miguel Archangel. 
Because of its poor condition only outdoor masses were possible. We ate lunch in Gilroy, the Garlic Capital of the World and drove through a grove of Spanish Oaks. As we drove through King City there were three places that were grilling chicken on outdoor pits. A day of wonderful smells!
Today we finished the trip through LA and arrived at the end of the historic Route 66 at the Santa Monica Pier. We have traveled 2513 miles to get here! Now it’s kind of sad that the experience is over. 
The Mother Road Rally group gathered at the Park for a brief ceremony where presents were passed out and good-byes were said. The Rallymaster, Pat, mentioned how great it is that we live in such a vast and beautiful country where you can travel such a distance safely and without fear. There is a plaque commemorating the Route 66 also known as the Will Rogers Highway where we took pictures and had fresh fruit and donuts. We walked on to the pier and took pictures at Palisades Park where it was quiet at 9:00 am. in the morning. We got on the bikes and headed separate ways. The Fords, Larry and I chose to travel north on Highway 1. Along this highway are many beautiful homes and Pepperdine University. This curving highway follows the Pacific Coast. See the Surfer Bus? 
Many people were out surfing although I was surprised by how cold it was. I was told the Pacific water stays between 55 and 57 degrees. Hence the wet suits! I was surprised at the smiles and waving from people in the passing cars, and then I remembered that Buzz was riding on the back. They were waving at him! As we passed through the ocean town, Pismo, they were getting ready for their annual Beach Car Rally. Somehow we became a part of the parade along with low riders, restored antique cars, and custom made bikes. We wondered why the traffic was moving so slow! We spent the night in a neat little town called San Luis Obispo where they hold a Mozart Festival. I don’t think we’ll make that one.
He won't stay in the bags! Here he is riding on Larry's shoulder as we were on our way to Oatman, AZ. 
Larry is getting used to this silliness and has joined in. Here he is trying out the Town Marshall's coffin! 
The Oakman Hotel is neat and they served a great breakfast. Long ago when cowboys and miners would come in on the weekends they would sign their names on any dollar bills they had left and nail them to the walls and ceilings in the bar. 
That way they knew there was money there for them just in case they were broke the next weekend. Carol Lombard and Clark Gable got married at this hotel and spent their honeymoon in Room 17. Buzz and Link are on their bed! 
Chuck liked the engine of this yellow Volkswagen and Buzz liked the tires.
He couldn’t talk so I don’t know but I like to think so. Inside we thought we saw Annabelle but she too could not talk so we decided to strike the pose and have our pictures taken with her anyway. The young girl taking the picture for us was from Sweden. She spoke no English and her mother said she was shy. We talked and laughed with her for a while and even though she didn’t understand us very well, we had a fun time. 
These sunset pictures were taken along the South Rim. It was a quiet place and not many people were at this more remote spot. Buzz stayed right with me but our new friend Link kept running away and we had to look for him. 
It seems almost unreal even though you are standing on the edge of it. It’s large, huge, tremendous! You seem so small yet so lucky to be a small part of it if only for a brief time. Its timelessness is overwhelming. We were unable to stay away from it and spent all of our time exploring it’s rim, or edge. People from all over the world were there to share its beauty with us. 
The following pictures were taken from the Hermit’s Rest Bus Route early in the morning. 
The Hermit’s Rest was a favorite spot of Pres. Theodore Roosevelt when he would stay at the El Tovar Hotel. 
Beside the El Tovar is the Hopi House. The Hopi House was restored 100 years ago and is full of interesting stories. The Phantom Ranch is at the bottom of the canyon. The only way down is by mule. You must book a trip down into the canyon way in advance. We went to a night presentation about the history of the Phantom Ranch. These are stories best told around a campfire. 
I will get out our classroom camping gear cleaned and redy for school. The Grand Canyon is a place you must see!
incredulous
Sayre is where some of the scenes from the movie, ?The Grapes of Wrath? were filmed. This story takes place during the depression era of the 1930?s. We then took 66 which lead us eventually (Without the highway marked in places, getting turned around isn?t hard to do!) I saw the largest wheat fields in my life! And lots of cattle! As the storm was forming above our heads, the wind was strong and hot. We saw dust blowing strong from one field, but because of the conservation efforts of the farmers and legislature the land is protected. And big land it is! A mile out here seems like two from back home. 
After laughter, introductions, hand shaking, and hugs, we were drawn inside. And what an inside it was! Route 66 and neat antiques were everywhere! Here is a picture of Ellen's Grandma holding a very old Route 66 sign.
I like old stuff so I was in heaven and this heaven came with live bluegrass music and a can of pop! Harley and Annabelle picked up their guitars and sang ?Get Your Kicks On Route 66?. After a tour, good conversation about the hippies of the 60s-70s, and looking at the Route 66 artifacts, we had to leave our hosts the Mediocre Music Makers and continue down the Route. 
But, before we left they shared with us the building at the 100 Meridian Point which was a block down the street. 
We want to thank these kind and bigger-than-life people from Erick, Oklahoma. 
The worst of the storm had traveled northeast as we sat in their little City Meat Market and enjoyed their lively company. PS. Do you see Buzz on the sofa? They were singing, "Lay You Head Upon My Pillow..."