Day Two - Three States (NV, OR, ID)

Day 2. Woke up in Lovelock, NV at 7:30am. A few times in the night, I thought there were helicopters flying overhead. Turns out it was a local train.

Rather than leave at 8am, I decided to walk around this small town (population 2,000)...you've seen the pictures. I was out the door and on the road by 9:20am. Destination: Boise Idaho. 

Before I get too deep into the day's activities, I have to say it is June 19th. Father's day in America AND game 7 of the NBA finals. Cavs vs Warriors. I was on the road for 5 hours today...planned my day to make sure I could be in a hotel room with a big TV for the game.

Klay Thompson backing away from his MADE 3 pointer!

I may (will) be distracted while writing this blog! (Go Dubs!)

For most of today, I had no cell service. I was in the middle of NOWHERE for at least 200 miles. The road was mostly flat, mostly straight but all beautiful. 

For a while, around 11am, there were a ton of road mirages. It looked like the road was going to end and I would drive off into the atmosphere.

Then, I entered Oregon and, at some point, passed a sign that said, "Mountain Time. Set your clocks ahead an hour."

More, more and even more straight, beautiful roads. As I passed from NV to OR, the Earth seemed more forgiving. A little greener, a little less dry. Eventually, I reached an incline in the road. It was the hill we'd all been driving towards for a hundred miles. There were stunning rock faces on either side of the road. Unfortunately, I saw orange flags. "Wreck ahead", "Prepare to Stop" and "Flagman at work."

For a semi truck being on it's side, perpendicular to the road, it didn't seem like that bad a crash. It wasn't jackknifed, the front end wasn't smashed, there didn't seem to be another car involved. Still, its a clear reminder that you have to stay focused on these long drives.

And stay focused I did, which caused me to miss a few photo opportunities. I passed a sign that said, "Rome Launch Site" (WHAT is that? I'm going to have to look that up.). I saw three antelope - a mama and two babies. I saw fathers and sons fishing in Snake River. I saw a road called Chicken Dinner Road.

Here are some shots I did manage to capture.

And finally, I arrived in Boise. Cute, progressive city. My gut said, "This reminds me of Austin." Seems like a college town with a lot of young people It turns out I missed Boise gay pride by one day. Flags are still hanging all over. 

I decided to Yelp a restaurant. Fork! The staff were super friendly, the food delicious. On my way into town, I passed two wineries, so I asked for a local red. They gave me a delicious Petit Syrah. 

While at the restaurant, I booked my hotel for the night and I'd like to give a shout out here to Hotels.com. There are a lot of sites out there and I've used them all, but I decided to use Hotels.com on this trip because of their '10 stays earns you 1 night free' policy. I figure, by the end of this, I'd like a free night somewhere.

While still at dinner, I was on the phone with my parents and got a call from Arizona. I ignored it. Another call. Ignored it again. A THIRD call. I decided to answer it. Hotels.com letting me know that the hotel I reserved was overbooked. They stayed on the phone with me and within 5 minutes, found me a better hotel, in the area, with the amenities I wanted and they paid the difference in cost. 

When I got to the hotel, the front desk clerk hooked me up with a top level room (second floor) with a balcony and a view of the river! If that wasn't enough, he said, "Can I hook you up with some chocolate chip cookies?" "Um. Yeah!"

Now I'm here...watching the game, having a great night...about to dig into those cookies. 

The view from my room!

A photo tribute to Lovelock, NV

 I woke up early this morning - went for a walk to Lover's Lock Plaza. This is what I saw in Lovelock Nevada.

 PS if I didn't know better I would assume that this is a modern ghost town. Most of the buildings had for sale signs on them and I didn't see any locals it all. Only trucks and cars parked at the motels in the area.

Road Trip 2016

Here I go again! Go sportik go!

17 days ago, my job was eliminated at Findly, leaving me jobless (or, as the kids are calling it, "funemployed"). Though I am half-heartedly searching for a new job, the opportunity presented itself to get my travel on. So, here I sit, at the C Punch Inn & Casino in Lovelock, Nevada.

The idea to drive around the US is not a new one to me. I was actually planning on this very thing when I returned from Europe last year, but the desire to keep traveling was not in me. So, I settled in the bay area in July 2015, got a job in August, a kick ass girlfriend in December and found myself unemployed as of June 1st, 2016.

My gut reaction was to find work immediately, so I met with recruiters and lined up a few job interviews right away. My girlfriend, Krista, and I went to Lake Tahoe for a long weekend and I found myself overwhelmed at the idea of interviewing on the following Tuesday. I cancelled the interviews, while still in the Tahoe area, and relaxed. I am in a good place to take a little time off and decided not to pressure myself into working right away.

We decided on a whim to go to Virginia City, Nevada, drive around Lake Tahoe and back down to the bay area. I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere in there I talked to Krista about my desire to drive around the US. Her response was, "Do it!' And Road Trip 2016 was born!

In 2002, I drove from NJ to CA via the southern states, and as a kid my folks drove us from Sacramento to Cleveland (again via a southern route). Rather than see all that again, by driving entirely AROUND the US, my goal is to see new things. Northern things. States and sites I've never been to. But more than that, I want the freedom to do nothing. Or do everything. I have no set agenda, no set route, no idea where I'll go tomorrow. I'd like to see Yellowstone. I'd like to see Mount Rushmore. But if I find myself in a sleepy town, next to a river, in the middle of Idaho...I might just stay there for a week, turn around and come home. The beauty of this trip is that it is wide open.

So, today, I woke up, made crepes, had breakfast with Krista, packed the car and, all by myself, started driving northish. The day unfolded from there...and this is how it went.

At 10am, I opened Google Maps and set the destination as Mount Rushmore, just to give me a starting direction. The gist was to get on 80 East for a LONG TIME. I noticed that after about 4 hours, I would be passing through Reno, so I decided to stop in on some friends. Karen and Ralph Benson. After enjoying a coffee with Karen in her backyard, she gave me an idea to drive by the Tesla Industrial Complex and maybe see some wild mustangs on the way.

Reno sure has some pretty spots

On the way to Tesla...Electric City THIS WAY

My words to the guard were, "I think I need to turn around"

Wild horse...not that exciting.

I saw one horse hanging out by himself and a few on a hill, but they were really just chillin'. When I got to the Tesla facility, there was a guard gate and signs saying "Employees only" so I didn't get to see much. But it was a nice little detour.

After this, I turned off Google Maps and decided to go where the wind took me. And boy, did the wind try to take me. I found myself on a stretch of 80 East where (for 17 miles) gusty winds were warned. I felt like I was fighting the wheel to stay in my lane and couldn't imagine being on a motorcycle or one of the truckers on the road! The view was incredible. If these aren't salt flats, I don't know what they are, but I felt like I was on another planet.

I passed a sign around 4:30/5pm that said "next service" (meaning gas, food, lodging) in 59 miles. It was at this point I decided to look for a hotel online, which landed me in Lovelock at the C Punch. Just in time for dinner.

Now that I'm settled in my room, which feels very clean and nice (even though I did just find a small bug crawling on me), I have time to reflect.

It's wonderful to settle back into the swing of traveling. The routines I developed over my two months in Europe are coming back to me.

I remember that I need to take notes while driving (voice recorded, of course), because though the road provides a great opportunity to think and come up with great ideas, it's also an eraser of thoughts. It can clear the mind, fill it up and clear it again. I don't want to get to the next hotel, having had a million amazing thoughts on route, only to find myself brain dead, unable to remember a single one. NOTES! Take 'em!

Food is fuel for the body. It is so easy to get into the groove of driving, driving, driving but if I don't stop for food my energy drops and that is not pleasant. Must have food and water regularly to keep the spirits and focus up.

There is no stretch of boring highway that Rock and Roll can't get you through!

I'm going to wrap up today's blog by addressing the question I have been asked most often thus far. Why are you going this alone?

1) I like it. As you know from my travels in 2015, I do not have a problem being on my own. It provides the ultimate freedom of choice. I can go where I want, eat where I want, when I want, etc. I am not afraid of it. And I make smart choices. I drive during the day and am in my hotel before nightfall. I don't take risks that could put me in harm's way. I stay in contact with loved ones, so they know where I am, etc.

2) Because Krista and I have the same feeling about travel and adventure (LOVE IT) we've used up or pre-booked all of her vacation time at work. It would be better if she could join me on this trip. I would love to share the adventure with her, but it's not feasible at this time.

3) My friends have jobs and pets or kids...responsibilities I do not have.

And with that...I'm off to unwind with some TV and/or sleep. Until tomorrow...

Which way will I go?

Wrap up

Being that it is my last night in Europe, I thought it might be fun to recap or summarise a few things. Enjoy.

Total Days in Europe: 57
Countries Visited: 8 - Scotland, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and Germany
Flights: 7 - Miami to Scotland, Scotland to France, Spain to Italy, Italy to Denmark, Denmark to Ireland, Ireland to Germany and Germany to Miami
Trains (long distance): 5 - 1 in France, 1 to Spain, 3 in Italy 
Rental Cars: 3 - Scotland, Ireland and Germany
Estimated Kilometers driven: 1,500km TBC
Hotels: 24 different hotels and I never once forgot my room number! 
Nights with free accommodation (thank you friends and family): 18

Favorite Meals
Breakfast: Hotel breakfast at Berghotel Kocklesberg in Trier (I'm not big on breakfasts, but this one was good)
Lunch: Los Caracoles in Barcelona (thanks Stefan)
Dinner: Ciro & Sons Ristorante in Florence 

Favorite sights per country 
Scotland: The A82 highway. Amazing mountain views.
France: Waking up from a nap and seeing the Eiffel Tower
Spain: Casa Battlo, especially the blue stairwell
Italy: The David
Denmark: Tivoli Gardens
Sweden: That piece of street art on my walk (Remember the sculpture of a woman looking up, so I looked up to see another sculpture of a boy hanging from a flagpole)
Ireland: The Wild Atlantic Way (drive by the ocean).
Germany: My relatives and the Rosenbaum name on so many things (homes, street sign, etc)

Most interesting or unique thing noticed per country 
Scotland: Isolation. I could be on a one lane road in the middle of the country and literally park there without seeing another person for 20 minutes.
France: Gardens in Paris. There is always a place to sit down with your friends and enjoy a lawn/lake/sculpture garden.
Spain: Gaudi/Architecture. I'd be walking along, checking stuff out and all the sudden BAM! Amazing architecture like nothing else on Earth.
Italy: How different each city was from the next. Milan is nothing like Venice which is nothing like Florence which is nothing like Cinque Terra. They are all Italians. They all love their football teams, their families and their food, but each city is unique.
Denmark: I want to say the blonde, beautiful people. Not even Southern California can compare. 
Sweden: Only being there for lunch didn't give me much time to see what was unique about the place. I will say that the lunch at the women's co-op was unique to me. And awesome.
Ireland: Green! So many shades of green! Green everywhere! Also, the Poison Garden in Blarney was unique.
Germany: Windows. Seriously. A typical window in a house or hotel opens in two ways (depending on the direction of the handle) though there is only one hinge. The window can open like a door. Or it can open like a laundry or garbage chute as if the hinge was as the bottom...but it isn't!

Things I wasn't expecting by country

Scotland: Seeing the actual desk that the "King's Speech" was written on
France: To love espresso, and be spoiled with amazing homemade meals (recipes/inspiration from Togo)
Spain: Delivery sushi!
Italy: To be moved to tears by fans singing at the Roma vs Genoa match
Denmark: To learn so much about Viking history
Sweden: To be there at all.
Ireland: Adorable and colorful towns
Germany: To see Highland Cows 

If you have any questions you'd like answered on the blog, let me know: sportik@gmail.com

Germany: Hüsten

Another big day.

To update:

• Old family photos
• Family Tree
• Rosenbaum Way
• Highland Cows!
• Möhnsee dam
• Sommerfest and Schützenbruderschaft Hüsten