Gold, Wood, Glass, and Frank

October 1 Friday

After a nice breakfast of cereal and bananas we check out of the Super-Super 8 by presenting the clerk with a Golden DeLorean. It was such a nice place that we had to do something to let them know that we appreciated them. Plus, now he can demonstrate where to park with a toy DeLorean, rather than a yellow Camero!

Onward to more redwoods. The Avenue of the Giants is not far away so we travel through, taking pictures and videos. It's a place that you would expect to only exist in fairy tales.

These are giant trees! Our first stop is at the Shrine Tree, it’s part of a redwood play area of sorts. There’s the tree to drive through, 2 playhouses and a fallen tree you can drive up on. We only drove through the tree.

The next tree, Chandelier is a beautiful living tree. The best of the three, and a nice shop with friendly staff. With a few passes, I think we have the pics and video we need. We do a bit of shopping in the gift shop and drive on down the road to Fort Bragg, Ca. Not to be confused with Fort Bragg NC. At Fort Bragg there is a place called Glass Beach. It’s history is that the area had been used as a dump and over the years has created it’s own unusual sand. Glass bits that have been broken and polished by the sea and sand can be found sparkling in the sunshine. We find two children running barefoot along the waterline of the glass beach, with the mother following (holding their shoes for them.)

-Not judging; just sayin’.

Another overcast day for us, but the beach still sparkles with glass, white, green and brown are the most prevalent. Colors. It’s an amazing place. The waves are more powerful and larger than our Myrtle Beach ocean. No wonder surfers love California.

Onward, we pass through a small town with a cinema, the ‘Egyptian Theatre’ playing ‘Night of the Living Dead’ -from the 1960’s! $1 gets you in to see the film, which is in black and white. 25¢ popcorn too! We later hear that the theatre still has the old organ in it, but we must press onward, as the movie isn’t playing in the daytime. On the next stop along the coast to take seaside pictures we meet an older gentleman who’s first statement is “so you are raising money for Team Fox.’ This is so unexpected and refreshing! Not the usual question we get! He’d taken a moment to carefully study and read the signs and wanted to make a donation. His donation is in memory of his friend Frank who’d passed away earlier in the week. He was sad but really glad to see the Time Machine because before Frank passed away, they’d gone together to see his favorite movie at the Egyptian Theater, ‘Back to the Future.’ He wished he could have seen us and the car. I’d like to think that Frank was watching this chance meeting from above. Our extremely random moment may have even been his way of saying, ‘Thank you for your friendship!’
A hug, in the form of a stainless steel time machine, appearing at just the right moment. It was magical.

"I've always wanted to do that!" -Doc Brown, BTTF3

October 2, 2010 Saturday

We wake early from a most icky hotel and depart quickly! Vrrroooom! We are only one hour from Jamestown; the drive takes us past peach, olive and almond groves. Jamestown is a
beautiful old town; we spend some time walking about admiring the architecture. There's even an antique store named 'Time Travelers.' Now to make our way to Historic State Park: Railtown 1897. Fans meet us as we pull into the parking lot. Jesse, a BTTF III expert, is there to great us in his BTTF t-shirt! I think he’s more excited to see us than anyone else could possibly be! We meet George Sapp, the engineer and he shows us where we should park. George has been here since they filmed Back to the Future, the longest of anyone. Bill a park volunteer shows us around some of the BTTF movie props and shares his knowledge and secrets with Jesse filling in any blanks. We ride the Armstrong, a huge turntable that the engines spin on when they come out of the round house. It was called the Armstrong because back in the day it was human strength that pushed it, now it’s air powered.

It takes about 3 hours of work for the locomotive to get warmed up and prepared to move. We watch in awe as Sierra # 3 comes out of her holding area, spins on the turntable and takes her position on the rail with the little red caboose and our D front and center. What a great picture they've prepared. We start helping folks make donations and take pictures of the car. Jim and John, (local reporters and fans of the movie) do a quick interview.

Gayle and Geoffrey, who we met in Danville at the car show, come by to say Hello. They have brought friends, Karen, Dennis and Marty. Marty is a Railtown volunteer and he takes us on a backside tour of the park. Marty shows us how the engines work, how they hand make tools, how the belts and pullies powered the bigger tools. Took us onto an old private car that was built special for Mr. Crocker the local banker, no relation to Betty. He even has the keys to Clara’s car. The one Clara stops when she realizes that she loves Doc! Universal reupholstered the seats with crushed purple velvet and gave the train car a nice facelift. It's normally not open to the public, but we get a moment to pretend we're back in time with Clara on the train!

There’s a Hollywood little red caboose made especially for the scene where Marty (Michael J Fox) jumps from his horse onto the back of the train near the end of part III. It's just a partial caboose facade, and it was placed on a flat truck on the tracks for the stunt work. It’s all so wonderful and I hope I’ve taken enough photos to capture some of the magic.

Another film crew has arrived and they set up to interview us. They are producing a documentary about DeLorean Time Machines and their owners. Sam Maccarone, Chapin Wilson and friend Jim. Very nice people and we are happy to be part of their movie.

Now it’s time for the moment we've been waiting for! To ride the train! Sierra #3 is readied and we board, greeted by a smiling volunteer and a cold bottle of sparkling Apple Cider. The train 'toot toots' and we are off down the rail. We are given a history of the train and tracks by John who is married to the lovely popcorn lady and has ridden the rails for over 12 years. There are cookies to enjoy as we roll on down the line. The ride is wonderful and we are let off to take pictures as the train does a fly by! We board again for the last leg of the trip, enjoying every second of the ride. This engine is called the ‘movie star locomotive’, because it has been seen in more tv shows and Hollywood films than any other, -including Back to the Future 3! (For the movie, they 'decorated' the train with a wood burning smoke stack shape, and added numbers on either side to read '131'.) It underwent an entire restoration and was out of commission for over 14 years. This year the star was ‘reborn’, and #3 was put back into limited operation the first weekend of the July, August, September, and October. (Only 8 days, and we were lucky enough to be there on one of them!) After everyone disembarks, we have a moment riding on the locomotive herself with the engineer! We're given the drivers seat and Oli pulls the whistle rope, just like Doc Brown!
It could not have been more exciting and emotional. A perfect day! To return the favor, we offer rides in the time machine to all the workers. As if to put an exclamation point on the dream-like day, the sky starts to darken in the distance with a slice of sun cutting through -and a rainbow appears. Returning from the final time-trip with a passenger, the car's engine suddenly dies in the parking lot. Oli turns off the headlights, stereo, effects lights and A/C. Michael Bispo, the engineer that took us for the ride on #3, jumps off our battery and we thank him for saving the day! (We had been running the display lights for a long time without any assistance of an outlet, and the battery just couldn’t recoup. And the day has flown; we realize we missed some of the park, so it is decided that we will stay the night in town (there are a couple of old bed and breakfasts, after all).

We get a room at the Jamestown Hotel (a beautiful 1800’s structure). A big boxer-dog meets us at check-in. Andie is the owner and the dog is her best friend; follows her everywhere. She allows us to plug the car in overnight, so the battery will be fresh and ready to go in the morning. The hotel is quite historic. Has burned down several times, changed hands even more, and was even once used as a hospital for injured gold miners.

The rooms are very comfortable and have private baths. Antique pull-cord toilets and clawfoot tubs with brass hardware. And the water pressure is the best on the whole trip yet!

Now we are resting after a fine dinner at the National and prepare for Sunday. Still undecided if we go to Yosemite or Hearst Mansion. We’ll decide after breakfast.

Oliver’s note: I’m resting on my side of the bed while Terry blogs on hers. My back is turned to her. My eyes are closed, and my mind is slowly relaxing from a very active day. I listen to the muffled sounds of the live band playing downstairs and the rowdy laughter of the people in the bar. I imagine this is much like it must have been in the 1800’s, so the ambient sounds are more charming than a nuisance. Then something strange happened. I feel my side of the bed settle as if someone is gently walking on the mattress near my pillow. There are ‘movement sounds’ close to my head. I open one eye to see if Terry is standing by the bedside. Nothing. Everything is still.

So I dismiss it, perhaps my imagination, or a swimmy-headed effect from the heat of the day. A few seconds later, the mattress definitely settles again, pressing down, then up, with sounds of a presence near the bed; a strange sensation.

It gets really freaky when Terry says, ‘what’s going on over there?’, questioning my restlessness.

I have been as still as a stone. Completely silent and motionless the whole time.

The next morning at breakfast, we find that the hotel is haunted, and after discussing the occurrence, we agree that the ghost was just tucking me in!

TIMBER!!!

September 30 Thursday

We set out for the Redwood Forest by way of the Oregon coast road 101. It’s very cloudy and at times it seems that we are driving through the clouds. High mountain cliffs and jagged rocks down below. The drive is long but we are rewarded with majestic vistas. We make our way to the Redwood State Park of California; awesome huge trees. A fellow in a black, Shelby Cobra flags us down. His name is Joe and he wants to take pictures of our car. We let him know that we are on our way to ‘Tour Through Tree’ and he decides to join us. We take photos of each other’s cars as they pass through the narrow opening.
Joe is a truck driver for concerts and knows our friend Opie; small world. We say our goodbyes. It’s been a long day so we find a hotel near Fortuna; it’s the best Super 8 of all time! Clean, inexpensive and a security system that shows the entire property. The clerk demonstrates with a yellow Camero Match Box car where to park by the room. Funny, yet surprisingly helpful. We are too late to see Michael J. Fox on CNN so we go to sleep.

The Incredible Faisal, College, and Future Girl.

September 29, 2010 Wednesday

Up early to ready the car for Bellevue College! Faisal, the assistant Dean of student programs meets us at DMC Northwest. He is a car enthusiast and has been friends with Toby (owner of the DMC shop) for more than 20 years and has owned many DeLoreans over time. He plans to bring his own modified DeLorean to add to the display, so he quickly does some detail work. He is so enthusiastic about bringing the cars to the campus, he helps us clean our car up too! He’s full of energy and a love for the vehicles, and his positive excitement is contagious. He teaches us a few tricks about the stainless steel we didn’t know, and gives us his remaining cleaning fluids so that we can have them for our Jamestown appearance! Very generous and fun person! We follow him to the school. It’s a cloudy day but there’s no rain. Security escorts us to the location, which is right in the center of everything, in front of the cafeteria and activity center. A beautiful fountain with a stainless steel sculpture is the background. (How appropriate!) Every 45 minutes or so (between classes) we are swamped by students passing through the square wanting to have a picture in the car. It’s a great day for friendship and fundraising. Faisal has prepared a nice sign, and we have our donation jug and banners and literature to hand out. The promotional video is playing, speakers booming. Oli and I pass out the left over MJFF flyers we picked up from the last event in Danville and Feisal makes many donations for his fellow faculty and students that want a picture! There is a special needs group taking a tour of the campus and I have the pleasure of showing our car to Amy, a blind student. She is shy to touch the car at first, but soon relaxes and responds to the descriptions. Oliver shows her the vents and she is surprised by the warmth still coming off the engine. We make our way to the drivers seat and she holds the steering wheel and stick shifter, and programs the time circuits, pushing the buttons and hearing the sounds.

Oli and I also learn how to say Back to the Future in sign language from a deaf student! Check out the video!

Everyone was so receptive and kind and generous. Oli and I enjoyed lunch as their guests from the cafeteria with Faisal and his wife Teresa. They are members of the Northwest DeLorean owners club, rally winners and fine people. We finish up at the school around 2 and say our goodbyes and depart for Oregon, having raised $300., thanks to Faisal and the wonderful students and faculty at Bellevue College! So many people continue to be surprised that the car actually starts up and drives! We figure if we make a straight shot for Portland we might have a chance to visit with Kristen Shelly, ‘Future Girl’ to any BTTF.com fans. She’s an avid Back to the Future aficionado and a talented writer, having published 5 books, with her sixth in progress! Everything works out and we meet Kristen at ‘Claim Jumpers’ a restaurant with a North West, 49er’s feel! After indulging in the Mother Load, a slice of chocolate cake that is over a foot tall, we had burgers and great conversation. Great fun. She points out that the company we are working with in Arizona, Hill-Rom, sounds a bit like Hill Valley, the fictional town where the movie takes place. I had never even thought about it!

Now we are in Salem, Oregon for the night and plan to get to the Redwoods tomorrow.

Aliens, Lava, Mermaids -and a Crapper.

September 28, 2010 Tuesday

Up early to run errands. We pull up to a remote gas station/post office/grocery in the back woods to mail some letters. While waiting for the post office to open, Oli forgets his headlights are on and when we finish and start to leave, the battery is dead.

We pull out the extension cord to start the battery from an outlet (we have a converter), but the folks inside say they have no outlets! “They’re all taken.”

O.k. .

So we ask a guy in a truck that pulls up, for a jump with our cables.

He says it looks like we have a bunch of crap on the car, and then says ‘Ask someone else.’

O.k. . .

This morning seems to be balancing out the wonderful, kind, warm, friendly-filled day we enjoyed yesterday.

Finally things start to turn around when a nice guy with a truck pulls up and he gladly helps us start the battery. Took just a second and we were on our way. Doing laundry before we visit with Pat ‘Pinky’ Erickson. On the way, we see a guy standing on the corner wearing no shoes. (Just tube socks.) He carefully crosses the street. At the laundry mat we are visited by a gentleman that worked at Area 51 and has flown missions to Alpha-centuri. Another character tells us about his time traveling, and body reconstructions, which helped him look like the aliens so that he could spy on them for global security. He still has scars inside his mouth from the morphing, he says. He also helped build space ships for government operations.

And it’s only 11:30am. Our day is young.

Gotta love Seattle.

Pinky’s: We arrive at Pinky and Steve’s at 12:15. Pinky is out the door to welcome us! So good to see her, she introduces us to a house full of family. Even her Sister Sue takes time away from work to come and meet us. We are so happy to meet every one of them. They are an amazing family; they rally behind Pinky’s ideas and get ‘er done! It’s a wonderful afternoon, lunch is salmon and fruit salad and bread and molten lava cake! Delicious! The company and conversation exhilarating. So much to talk about and catch up with and share. All the while we are entertained by Stella, Pinky’s 3 year old granddaughter. She had just returned from her first trip to Disneyland and had all kinds of stories to tell about the princesses. There’s a puppy in the house too, Speedy a Corgi, you know, the Queen's dog!

It’s a fun afternoon that ends with Jacob, (Pinky’s son), Pinky and Steve each getting a ride in the time machine. We say our goodbyes and depart for the Underground.

Underground Seattle Tour that is. It’s a fun tour under the streets of downtown Seattle.

We park under the freeway, and take a quick peek inside ‘Ye Olde Curiosity Shoppe’, which Oliver remembers visiting back in 1986. It still has the mummified man, and a couple of Fiji Mermaids! What a fun, bizarre shop. We find Pioneer Square, with a glass and steel 1909 ‘Pergola’ built as shelter for a cable car stop. The history is fun, Jim the guide talented and the architectural history is fascinating. Did you know that Seattle used to flood with the tide, burned to the ground and to correct the flooding issue the streets were raised which meant that the second story of buildings became the street level entrance? Also, when the roads were raised shoppers had to climb up ladders because the sidewalks were not raised until years later! Also, Thomas Crapper invented a flushing toilet which became popular in early Seattle times. Sound familiar?

Yeah, I know, cool stuff! We finish the evening with spaghetti dinner with Misty and Toby.

Tomorrow we meet Faisal Jaswal, the assistant Dean of student programs at Bellevue College for what he’s calling a “friend raiser” fundraiser for TeamFox!

Repairs, new DeLorean friends, and conveyor sushi.

September 27, 2010 Monday

Up early and on the road to DMC Northwest. We really don’t know what will happen with the door hinge. Oliver has read as much as he can on the internet about broken hinges but there’s not a lot of info available. We arrive at the garage before Toby, so we seek some coffee and a chocolate doughnut and find them at Safeway; Oli keeps trying to tell me something about an elephant in a Safeway bag, I think he needs some coffee.

-------

Oliver interjection: “How do you get an elephant into a SafeWay bag?”

You: I don’t know. How?

“Well, first you take the ‘S’ out of Safe. And then you take the ‘F’ out of Way.”

You: There is no ‘F’ in way.

“That’s right!”

(Well, I think it’s funny.)

Now back to Terry's part of the blog:

--------

We make our way back to the garage and there’s another DeLorean waiting for service. His name is Ben and he just bought the car a few days ago, and would like the brakes checked. “The car only has 17,000 miles” he says proudly! We notice that he’s driving it on it’s original NTC tires, which must be 25+ years old. He may need more than just brakes…

With two cars waiting, another D drives in; another brand new owner who wants his car inspected by Toby. Toby arrives and gets right to it. He rolls a D out of the bay and into the lot that is getting a new Stage 2 engine installed and we roll in our D with her broken wing.

Toby opens the door to release Oli out into the wild, as I help put the door brace in. Upon inspection, we see that the hinge on the door half has broken as well as the pin and both pieces are still there. Since there are apparently no huge inventory of hinges left over from the factory closing, (unlike many other parts) and no one has deemed making new ones to be profitable, Jon, the tech believes he can weld it back together. If we had more time, I’m sure we could locate the part, but ‘time’ is not a luxury we have right now. So Jon gives repair a try. The weld seems to go well, with good penetration and he’s happy about the way it looks. Oli figures it’s like a broken bone. They often heal back stronger than they were to start with. Toby is off to Home Depot to find a rod to replace the pin that snapped. So both the hinge and pin needed replacing. The good news is that the torsion bar is in good shape. The door is repaired, and the tension adjusted, and Oli can get in and out of the car regular style now! He’s so happy to see the wing rise up all the way on it’s own power and not droop. As with most DeLorean repairs, the car is enjoying the attention, and presents a coolant leak for Jon and Toby to chase after. The new silicone hoses take a while to settle into place, and since they are so ‘squishy’, they often take a few tightening sessions before all the leaks are stopped. This is the third session of pressure testing and tightening the new hoses, and hopefully this will be the last. No big leaks, and no big deal. Just part of the game. The parking brake needs a half turn tightening, so that is done. We notice the passenger front wheel has some play in it, which is a bother, since we just replaced the entire steering rack in November. But we’ll have to tackle that issue later.

It’s lunch time and Andrew Wells, a DeLorean owner of several months, comes by the shop. Andrew has been checking out the blog and requested Toby call him when we arrive. He’s a big BTTF fan and is considering doing some time machine converting of his DeLorean. It’s lunch time and he takes us to a great bagel shop near where he works. The three of us pile into his really nice D, and off we go! He’s got new upholstery and the car is just pristine. Very thorough reconditioning. He had wanted an automatic, but learned to drive a stick on this very car! (Back in 1983, all I had to learn on was an old VW Bug!) We swap stories and he even buys us lunch! What a great feeling to get treated so nicely by a generous stranger. (though now, he’s our newest Seattle friend!) Andrew works for Microsoft (BING division) and he points to the looming skyscraper through the cafe shop window. Terry and I do not disclose that we are Macintosh people, for fear that he will revoke our bagels...

We return to the garage, and Misty, Toby’s wife arrives and she and I go off for some girl time. Oli sticks around with the boys and meets Feisal, a long time D owner who has a turbo getting worked on. It has been highly modified and is his 7^th or 8^th DeLorean! He obviously loves playing with them and the various modifications that can be done. He enjoys our time machine and offers to set up a quick event on the college campus where he works. He says he’ll work through the permits, etc. and plan to set up in front of the student center around 11am on Wednesday. We’ll see!
Oliver receives an exciting email from one of the photographers from the salt flats! He followed through with his promise and sent us some outstanding photos of our car, both in action, racing across the flats, and posed with the lights and beautiful, moon-like surroundings as the background. Just fantastic!

Toby and Misty have offered us a bed at their house while we are in Seattle; Both say they want to support our mission, and agree that saving us the out of pocket expense of a hotel room can be part of their contribution! So very kind and thoughtful! It’s really nice to sleep ‘at home’, for a change. They have a nice property in the woods, a peaceful distance from the city. We even see a wild bobcat strolling by the barn! Dinner at a sushi place, where the plates of sushi pass by the tables on a narrow conveyor belt. Everything is fresh and we have a wonderful time visiting with our friends and trying mysterious looking dishes, trying to identify what each food is. Back to their house for sleep.

'Goodbison, Hello Seattle!'

September 26, 2010 Sunday

Early start. We want to get some miles under the tires so that we can be at the service center first thing Monday morning before they even open. Oliver climbs into the cockpit backwards through the only remaining operational door to the time machine and we are off to Seattle. He says he’s going to pretend he’s an astronaut, and resign to the fact that he can’t just ‘get out’ whenever he wants to! We stop along the way to refuel and I pump the gas. He says I’m just showing off, every time I open my door! He refuses a cold soda, still in his ‘astronaut mind-set’, trying to keep his intake to a minimum. It’s a long drive through Montana; it really is Big Sky Country! Then a bit through Idaho and now Washington. Stopping only to refuel and quickly answer questions, allow photos, and collect a few donations. Seattle is in our sights but it’s getting VERY foggy and starting to rain (a cliche' for Seattle) so we decide to stop short, cuddle up in a small motel room, order some pizza and rest. Oli is happy to finally climb out of his rocket ship. "That's one small step for, -man am I glad to get out of there."
We hear from Toby Peterson who runs the DeLorean service center in Seattle, and he says he’ll prepare the hover port for us in the morning. However, concerning the supply of new hinges: it’s not good news. Seems that it’s a growing occurrence that the front hinges on gull wing doors fatigue over time and break. As a result, there are no hinges! The idea is that we can weld it back together and all will be well! Not going to think about that now, because Back To The Future just came on the TV and I’m going to enjoy it. Them. Part 2 follows. (No Part 3 though.) Who’s in charge of programming here???

Burnt hotdogs taste WONDERFUL!

September 25, 2010 Saturday

It’s a nice morning, quiet cabin, and we decide to head back into the park and see more wonderment. The sky is clear and blue; the air is crisp with fall. We decide to make our way to the mud pots. We see bison, geese, more bison, dear, antelope and a coyote. At every turn there is a new and exciting vista view. We explore the Mammoth and take some video of the car passing the cool bubbly mountains. Then to the Mud pots, dragons breath and volcano. A fellow was telling another fellow that the bubbles are due to pressure, not heat. Oh, then why is there so much steam? Then on to Artist point, we stop to ask what everyone is looking at. A grizzly bear, way off in the distance. That's an animal Oliver particularly wanted to see, but since we didn't have a mega telescopic viewer like everyone else, he choose a dot, and called it a Grizzly. Now, he just looks at any random distant point and calls it a Grizzly bear, with satisfaction. They seem to abound now! It’s lunchtime and we enjoy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yogi and BooBoo do not make an appearance in an attempt to steal their aforementioned meal of choice. Artist point is fantastic. Water falls and spires and colors. The Yellowstone river roaring below. Every stop presents an opportunity to tell people about Team Fox, and our mission. -And to encourage them to donate!

The General Store has hot dogs, buns, and s’more supplies. We get directions to a picnic area that has a fire pit and we gather firewood and Oli lights a great fire. While gathering wood, I see Oliver trying to split a dry limb by stomping on it. The first time he jumps up and down, cracking it in two. Then the second time, I see him jump up, the wood rolls out from under him and orange and red fly up in the air, going in opposite directions! (His orange shirt and red socks.) He lands on the ground -with only his ego bruised.

The fire is quickly built, and there is something very funny about the primitive act juxtaposed with a stainless steel time machine in the background. We cook some hot dogs on a sharpened stick and have an outdoors feast! Little ketchup packets that seem to accumulate along the trip come in handy (they may have come from Montreal, Boston, Reno, or anywhere in between!) We sit listening to the fire crackle, and two big black crows (or ravens) 'CAW' back and forth, no doubt discussing the potential meal for themselves. There is a peacefulness here in this remote hideaway, where other locations we visited throughout the day were quite busy with tourists.
We decide to finish cooking the rest of the pack so that we have lunch for tomorrow! We meet some fellow travelers from Germany who inquire about the car. They know about 'Back to the Future' and love the film! We offer them some dogs, but they politely decline, telling us in their very Germany accent that 'zay haf alrrready eaten.'We are visited by a very pesky grey blue jay who is so bold to swoop down and try to steal our s'mores! We try to get him to land on our hats with a piece of Dorito Cool Ranch, but he doesn't care for that. He wants the entire meal!
For all the long driving, the challenges of travel, getting lost and other surprises, it's a blessing to have such a great day!

With a full belly, and a moment to relax and walk around the car a little without anyone else around, Oli inspects his floppy door, and notices that it sits higher than mine when closed. A closer look proves why: The hinge is cracked and the stress of the torsion bar is spreading it wider and wider apart. With a flashlight, he shows me the cracked hinge and says that it's just a matter of time, and when it finally decides to let go, we’ll hear a big, loud bang.
Just as he was finishing his sentence, closing the door...
'BANG!' it goes!
The timing is just uncanny, and the only thing that is left for us to do is laugh! Unbelievable.
It’s a very heavy door, and now it is held on with only the one good hinge.
With all the times we have opened and closed the door, just today alone, hopping in and out taking photos of animals or steam vents, we find it amazing that it held on until we had enjoyed our day completely. We're particularly lucky it didn't hurt anyone, considering the number of kids we let climb into the pilots seat for a photograph.
So, now we are presented with a fun challenge: Oli now has to climb in an out the passenger side. We are blazing a trail as fast as we can to DMC Northwest. Toby, here we come with a broken wing that needs repair!

Big Game!

September 24, 2010 Friday

Checked out of the Eldorado Casino early (before sunrise) and set our sites on Yellowstone National Park.

We have our Annual pass we purchased in Maine, so our entry is covered! The station ranger takes a quick photo as we pass through the West Gate, and we do the same!

It was a long ride but we made it into the park around 4:30. Almost immediately, the long trek pays off with animal sightings! First animal, Elk buck, next 2 young moose. Then bison! Very big, and walking down the road straight for the time machine!and deer and steam! Massive formations belching steam and sometimes hot water flows. Yellowstone is a beautiful park; huge, bigger than I could ever have imagined.

Old Faithful was expected to show at 7:33 and it was on time. Beautiful, awesome, fantastic and I took a video with the camera vertical. Oops! All day as we traverse the park, we discover that everyone here has a camera, and they take advantage of seeing the time machine in such a strange setting to capture the moment. A few donations are made at each scenic pull-off. We start our way to the NE exit where our cabin awaits. It’s a very long 2-hour ride that turns into more than that, when a road closed to fire stops us. So around the world we go and it’s dark and we’ve been driving since 5:00 am. To add an extra element of danger and excitement to the exhaustion and peril of driving off the steep cliffs, there are constant signs reminding us of the very real possibility of animals suddenly appearing in the road, at any minute.

We finally make it to our cabin and pass out. (This photo was taken the next morning in the daylight.)

Cats, Costumes and Casinos.

Thursday September 23, 2010

We have a very nice breakfast with Kimball and Jeffery; what super friends. Their farm house is so warm and beautifully decorated. The effects of home sickness seem to melt away while we are here. The evenings and mornings have been getting chilly, and fall is in the air. The drivers door on the D is getting more and more floppy in the cold. Something is definitely up with that door! I find little tiny cat prints across the hood; a sign that Ramses has visited! :) We depart for Old Sacramento and the Train Museum. We arrive around 12:30, have lunch in a 4 story Saloon and then we explore the costume shop which has an antique elevator and vault! The entire town looks like it came out of a western. -Because many of the buildings really date back to the 1800's. Raised side walks (board walks) line both sides of the street, and you can imagine cowboys walking up and down the planks, with spurs a-chingin'.We get a call to be guests at the Team Fox Charity Poker match in October but have to say no. We have a very busy schedule already. The folks at the Train Museum are wonderful; we pull up to the old hardware store and folks start taking pictures and making donations. There is a Cameraman there from channel 10 News, and he interviews Oliver. We visit the museum. They have a great movie illustrating the history of the railroad, then at the end, the screen lifts, revealing full-size steam engines which you get to explore! Very magical and impressive displays! They also have some relics from ‘Back to the Future 3’! After a bit of fundraising, we hit the road for Yellowstone. We make it to Reno and stop at Walmart for some camping necessities, pbj, bread, cereal and milk. Oli replaces a low pressure A/C switch so that we can have air conditioning again. (It gave out a few days ago and a quick call to Danny Botkin at DMC Garden Grove helped us figure out the problem.) We’re staying at the Eldorado Hotel and Casino. Back to the neon lights and loud slot machine music! Not to mention there must be a motorcycle rally in town. On line the rooms listed at $50; at the desk I get queen room for $20. Very happy with the price and the room is very nice! Cheapest hotel on the trip yet!

We hope to make Yellowstone tomorrow and have Saturday to explore the wilderness.