November 28-December 1, 2009 The Long Road Home
Saturday morning we said our “good-byes” to the Long Beach family and headed north to Karen’s brother Eric and his wife Carol in Plymouth, CA. (east of Sacrament) It was a bit of a drive, but again the traffic was pretty light and was moving quickly, so we made good time and arrived before dinner time. We had a good time visiting and enjoying Carol’s home-made corn chowder.
Sunday we walked to the nearby Dead Fly Diner and had a marvelous breakfast – oh my! This has been a trip of gastronomic proportions (can you spell get back on the wagon and diet after the holidays?) The afternoon was spend enjoying some more nice sunny weather and visiting with some friends of ours Tom and Mary Trana and their two cute grandsons. Dinner was another celebration, we were joined by Carol’s sis Sandy and husband Bill. We enjoyed a marvelous Kahlua soaked tri-tip steak topped off with a surprise birthday cake for Karen. Does the fun ever end?
Monday we headed north, getting to Redding by early afternoon. We went out to dinner for a final “ta da” celebration. The meal was exceptional. We finished the evening off with a walk along the illuminated Sun Dial Bridge over the Sacramento River.
Tuesday morning we took off knowing that this was the last leg of what has been a “most wonderful expedition”. We both have enjoyed this American Safari of ours and are already talking about the next “big trip”. We have had such a fantastic time going some 15,000 miles in 110 days and seeing so much of this amazing country of ours. After much discussion, some arm twisting and several glasses of wine our compromised TOP TEN List of Memories for this 2009 trip are:
1. Glacier National Park, Montana - The Road to the Sun and the fantastic scenery.
2. The State of Maine, the lobster, Acadia National Park, the lobster, the beautiful country-side, the lobster, Bar Harbor, the lobster, the incredible sea shore, the lobster.
3. The Bourbon Trail – Kentucky: Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, Wild Turkey, Tom Moore, Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark, and Jim Beam Distilleries.
4. Route 66: Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California……
5. The UPPer – the upper Peninsulas of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan – enjoyed our days along Lake Superior.
6. The Connecticut Experience: New London (Kris and Laura), Mystic Sea Port, Barn Island, Mystic River, Good Speed Opera House’s production of a Funny Thing Happened on the way to Forum, Kris in the dunk tank, the list goes on and on…
7. The Outer Banks (OBX): Kill Devil Hill (the Wright Bros. Monument), Dirty Dicks, fantastic colorful lighthouses, The Ferry Boat Rides from the islands back to the mainland.
8. Lake Placid, New York –Adirondack Brew Pub , the Olympic Experience: Cloud Splitter Gondola Ride up White Face Mountain, K120-Olympic Ski Jumping Tower Complex, and of course the Bobsled Ride ½ mile ride in 40 seconds – phew…
9. Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota – amazing park lands, with many Plains Bison, wild horses and much memorable scenery.
10. Last but certainly not least --- The Arch in St. Louis Missouri – Incredible structure, amazing view and the beginning or our #4 favorite Route 66.

November 24-27, 2009 The End of Route 66
Tuesday we saddled up the MoHo and headed west from Barstow, across the desert and into the metropolis of Southern California. We were fortunate to be ahead of the Thanksgiving Holiday traffic and made the trip to Long Beach in good time. We were greeted by (this is getting boring) amazingly warm and clear weather. The weary travelers spent the afternoon enjoying a cold one on Steve and Elena’s (Mike’s middle brother) beautiful patio.
Wednesday we enjoyed visiting with family; our son Marq (from San Francisco) and our grandpup Kahlua joined the So.Cal. Wraights, (Steve, Elena, Morgan, Marina and Mia) for the Turkey Day Celebrations. Let the partying begin!
Thursday was spent enjoying family time, drinking, cooking, feasting and generally having a marvelous time. The meal was a fantastic one, of turkey and all the trimmings, thank goodness for elastic waist bands.
Friday we went to Santa Monica on the Pacific Ocean and saw the END (or it could be the beginning) of Route 66. There, just a few hundred feet from the sand was a bronze plaque marking the culmination of our western travels. It was a bittersweet moment knowing how far we had come and that our trip was nearing its end.