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Shaggy Dog Story Contains VFR Pics


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Our great USA is vast and full of incredible sights and people. Everyone should consider at least once making the drive across. This is my story. Four crossings in four different parts of my life.

I hope you enjoy it.

 

Cali 101

My first west coast trip was with my Mother,sisters, and her parents. We drove from Tuskegee,Alabama

to Los Angeles. We visited family in many states including Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, and

California.

Recipe  Take 3 Adults 3 Children ages 11,8,6 .

Stir Together in One Dodge Coronet  2 Toned White Top Light Brown Bottom.

Add liberal sprinklings of wide-eyed wonder,fatigue, and sibling rivalry.

Simmer on the Road from Alabama to California.

Serve with gravy and biscuits. Hold the dark green peas !

Michelin Stars vs Our “Scrubito” Rating System

My sisters and I came up with our own unique rating system for some of the hotels we stayed in

during this West Coast Epic. Imagine Michelin’s star system except in reverse.

SCRUBITO ; Your typical non-chain family owned hotel. -1 Michelin Star

SCRUBITO-DELUXE ; Your typical non-chain family owned hotel with more dilapidation. -2 Michelin Stars

SCRUBITO_DELUXE_PLUS; Your typical dilapidated non-chain family owned hotel with an extra spritz of mildew. -3 Michelin Stars

Our stay in these “luxe” accomodations usually started with my Grand Mother and Mom putting

copious amounts of Lysol and elbow grease to the bathroom area. Beds and bedding would also be

closely inspected.

When we pulled into the hotel parking lot my sisters and I would pipe up and say together “Not Another Scrubito” !! I’m sure my Mother and Grandparents who had been dealing with us ( in close quarters) for the last 12 hours were simply overjoyed ! It is testimony to their love and patience  that we were never left on the side of the road.

Mom and Grandaddy usually went into the hotel office to make the arrangements leaving my poor sweet Grandmother in the car to deal with the 3 of us.

As an eight year old I was already a rabid connoisseur of automobiles, the more exotic the better.

Well, this one time, we’re in the car waiting for Mom and Grand Dad to emerge with ( scrubito ) keys and I spot a Jaguar XKE coupe parked nearby. Here’s the exchange between me and my Grandmother.

Me; Hot dog ! Look at that XKE ! Wow !!!

GrandMa; Well  It looks kind of strange to me, the front of it looks like an animals head.

Me; Hot dog ! Look at that XKE ! Wow !!!

GrandMa; Well  It looks kind of strange to me, the front of it looks like an animals head.

 

Me; Hot dog ! Look at that XKE ! Wow !!!

GrandMa; Well  It looks kind of strange to me, the front of it looks like an animals head.

Me; Hot dog ! Look at that XKE ! Wow !!!

GrandMa; Well  It looks kind of strange to me, the front of it looks like an animals head.

This back and forth went on for a solid 10 minutes.

My GrandMom and I may not have shared my love for sports cars but, her extraordinary culinary skills

more than made up for it. Some of the best meals I’ve ever eaten  were cooked by that dear woman.

I also learned an important lesson. A Scrubito hotel with air conditoning is a better place to spend the

Night than on the couch of a relative’s un-airconditioned home in Bakersfield,CA !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cali 2

My second west coast trip was a solo run. I was 29. It started at my Mom’s home in  Huntsville,AL

( Athough I actually lived in Chattanooga,TN  at the time ) and ended on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 29 Yr old male who” thinks” he can drive.

1 Honda CRX Si

Combine Testosterone enhaced male with pocket rocket vehicle.

Allow ingredients to “sear” the road.

Day 1; Huntsville,AL to Oklahoma City,OK 683 Mi

Day 2; OK City to Albuquerque,NM 543 Mi

Day 3; Albuquerque to Grand Canyon,AZ to Inglewood,CA. 944 Mi

On the return drive I swung through Austin,TX and visited my Uncle Teddy and his family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cali 3

My third west coast trip was a father and son project. I was 46. I started from my North Carolina home . My son Dean first flew from Fort Lauderdale,FL to Dallas where I picked him up.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 46 Yr old male who still ” thinks” he can drive.

1 10 Yr old son , too young to legally drive, who plays a mean pinball ( Gameboy )

1 Honda Civic Si,lowered.

Combine males with Honda Civic power.

Allow adult male to drink as much sweet tea as can be found.

Eat mexican food whenever the opportunity arises.

Bribe son if grumpy with Dairy Queen.

Position  10yr son in back seat with fully charged video game system.

Add additional Gameboy Cartridges as needed.

Simmer ingredients for 4 weeks. Stirring occasionally.

By week 3 our daily morning father-son  exchange would sound like this.

Dean “Dad”

Me “Yes Dean”

Dean “ Are we going to Cracker Barrel today ?”

Me “ Yes Son, If I can find one along the way”.

Fun Fact;You can go to any Cracker Barrel anywhere ( any state ) and get  sweet tea.

I can see employees in a Cracker Barrel in Arizona ....”Is it supposed to have that much sugar in it ? !!!”

“Yup”.

 

 

 

Cali 4

My fourth west coast trip was astride a Honda VFR motorcycle. I was 61. I left my Carolina home and meandered across Alabama,Mississsippi,Arkansas,Oklahoma,New Mexico,Arizona, Colorado,Utah and Nevada on my way to relatives in Southern California.

Friends and family said I was “crazy” to do it.

Recipe

Ingredients

1 61 Yr old male who” thinks” he can ride.

1 Red Honda VFR

Combine Testosterone (de-enhanced) male with classic sport touring motorcycle

Unlimited amounts of daily red gator aid  and Sweet tea ( when I could find it)

Mexican food.

Smart wool socks

LD Comfort Riding Shorts

Top Flight Dainese Riding Gear.

Allow ingredients to “sear” the road for 3 weeks.7000 mi total.

Olivia Lost and Turned Out....

When it comes to navigation I’m old school. Maps on the road, Google earth (maybe) in the hotel room.

I don’t do windows or GPS. That iconclastic approach  worked  well on the trip with one notable

exception. It was the day I rode from outside Reno,NV to the Pacific coast... Watsonville,CA to be precise.

Everything was hunky dory until I hit a big traffic snarl outside San Francisco and I decided to deviate

from my plan and” freestyle” it. The deviation was great fun for the first 2 hours. Then heat, a lack of

Water and no clear way to find civilization became worrisome. I ended up riding by a small recreational

Lake and a kindly local fisherman ( he had a pole anyway ) was kind enough to provide me with water

and directions to San Jose. During this lost ride I cruised by Lick Observatory on the most wickedly twisting road. I want to go back, next time with water and better directions.

“Olivia Lost and Turned Out” is a great song by the Whispers by the way. As I settled into my hotel room

In Watsonville, I thought about that song....substuted my name for Olivia though.

Do You Know the way to San Jose ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was well treated by my relatives. My cousin Lawrence in Albuqurque gave me a platinum tour of the

area . My Uncles Warner and Gilbert and their familiesin Los Angeles were warm and accomodating.

A  special shout out goes to my Aunt Pegi and Uncle Leland in Oklahoma City. They  treated me so well

riding out to the West Coast that I had to wear out my welcome a second time on the return. Here’s a

picture of Aunt Pegi’s ( world famous ) cheese burgers. OOOH La La !!! Proof that this man certainly

cannot live by  bread alone ...and those cheese burgers might start a war or launch an armada....just sayin’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cali Vehicles.

Dodge Polaris; Transported 6 to California and Back. Known Reliability Issues 1

The alternator failed in Needles California. We got ice cream in 104 degree heat while

repairs were implemented. As an 8 year old you remember when the ice cream melts faster than

You can lick/eat it.

Honda Civic CRX Si; Zero ( 0) issues. On the day I drove from Albuquerque to LA, I cruised across the

Mojave desert  (in the afternoon heat)  with the AC blasting frigid air and not a care in the world.

Honda Civic Si Coupe; 0 Issues.

Honda VFR; 0 Issues. Changed the oil at my Uncle Gip’s in Englewood,CA. Otherwise it ran like a train.

In conclusion if you consider a drive cross country,choose a Honda.

 

 

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