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Rescue mission part two
10 years ago
General
An Old Fox's life
After missing the geyser we sat around the huge old lodge. It was full of tourists and the German ones were very nice. Still we had to wait and I was going to just sit in the warm lodge waiting till the last moments instead of being outside and getting wet. It proved to be the best thing. After being wet from earlier I was not about to get wetter and perhaps dry out some instead. With about 5 min to the predicted time Old faithful began to spew more steam so we got up and walked out to the covered view area.
At the area I at first had a nice clear view of Old Faithful till a bunch of Asian tourists decided to crowd in-front of me. I was rather bothered by this. I had the spot and they could have moved down further into the rain or found a different spot. Instead my first attempts at taking pix were full of their camera's being held up directly in front of me as I tried to take my shots. You sometimes wonder where rude and not caring came from because I had thought better of some people.
I then managed to push the camera down that was being held above the persons head directly in my face and then they got the message. After that I took several pictures of Old Faithful going off.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....psjhxkcdui.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....pswk3cbpm5.jpg
After it finished we packed up and began our journey south to Texas. The road we were on was one of the ones that I soon found out took us over the continental divide three times! Ugh! As we climbed out of the park we soon ran into a freak fall snow storm! Big heavy wet snowflakes began falling and were so heavy that the wipers on the truck were caked. Up and down three more time and each one had snow it was a total pain. It also ate gas bad. One bright spot was the Indian reservation in the center of the state had reasonable gas at 2.56 a gal the cheapest so far.
We finally hit the interstate at the bottom of Wyoming and took it to Laramie where I had sort of planned to stop. After more gas and a call we were advised to push into Colorado. Continuing on I began to tire. The plan was to get beyond Denver that night but. Well the body and mind were cooked. So we pushed again on the interstate and took a short cut on 287 and after a check with a friend about a hotel room we crashed on the south side of Ft Collins in a Holiday In Express.
After the attempts at truck sleeping the hotel was a godsend. After parking the truck we went in and signed the papers and then went up and took nice hot showers and then crashed in the wonderful soft beds. (anything was a godsend after that crappy truck) The next morning we got up at 6am and repacked then ate the free breakfast stuff at the hotel and headed for Denver. Sadly we hit it at rush hour and it was a total pain going through even if we passed Mile high stadium.
After passing Denver we continued down interstate twenty five to New Mexico. Of course we had to make another gas stop just past Denver and the long ride to New Mexico was well at least all interstate. We had winds and large hills and more. At Trinidad we topped off again and pushed for the border. It was again more climbs and downhills.
New Mexico was a trip as we topped off at Ranton and drove across the top corner and looked at the dormant volcano on the way to Texas. We ended up on 287 and took it to Amarillo. It was a long haul. The godsend was the gas prices! Filling up just over the border we got gas for 1,79 a gallon! more than a dollar less then Washington and almost a dollar less then any other state! Thank God! At that point I was down to eighty dollars cash and praying my paycheck would be deposited.
We stopped at around 5pm in Amarillo and ate at the "Big Texan" Restaurant the home of the 72 oz steak challenge. After a slight wrong turn we made it to the restaurant and had our meal on our Dom who had paid for it for us. It was an int interesting place with a near full lot and as we ate we had a guitar and fiddle player that came by and played a song for us. I didn't find my 8oz sirloin that great.
Mine had a bunch of gristle in it however my friends was perfect. To be truthful its a decent place but smiles.. I can get better right at home in my area for less and more steak.
Full and slightly happy we pulled on the highway and then followed 287 to Wichita falls Texas. On the way I could see two huge thunderstorms. As the time passed we got closer and closer until we could see the lightening and more. Finally we ended up under them. Gaaah! Torrential rain and winds! After a while I pulled over to a rest stop to take a break and we spent two hours there waiting on the storm.
We again topped off in one of the small towns for 1.89 a gal and continued and soon I was again in the thick of the same storms we had hoped would die out or move away. It was such fun watching the hundreds of frogs or toads that were jumping on the highway. Add to that the rain and rain and more rain. It took a good hour and at some points slowing way down just to see the road before we got through. I was so happy to see Wichita Falls.
After passing through the town we again put gas in the truck and headed to Ft. Worth Texas. It was now dark and the road was not bad till about 20 miles north of Ft Worth where I missed a turn. We ended up back where we came from about 5 miles and I pulled into a station and the nice Texans gave me proper directions and I purchased a new up to date road atlas for like 5 dollars more than a normal Texas map! Sheeze.
We hit Fort Worth at 3am and it was all tore up and I was very happy we didn't have lots of traffic. It was such fun driving through the narrow lanes and rough roads in that beached whale of a truck. Still we pushed on and made Waco just before dawn. Their we pulled into a Denny's and ate breakfast. Also had a picture taken of us sitting there for a German friend that loved the place when she visited the US a couple of years back.
Gassing up in Waco we turned off I35 to hwy 77 that eventually makes it to my massive town of Giddings Texas. It took another couple of hours to make it home from Waco but it was all down hill to town. I parked the truck out front of my house and We dragged ourselves into the house and slept for a few hours.
Spent Saturday and Sunday unloading the truck into my home and plants around the house. I also slept a whole lot I was totally cooked from this ordeal. I doubt I will do such a thing again. Monday morning at 10am I took the truck back and dropped it off with a full tank of gas. If i had not they would try to charge me eight bucks a gallon to do so! So I sat down and tallied up the trip. The truck cost 333 dollars to rent. I didn't add any extra costs to it than the rental. We had a budget of 1225 dollars. The first thing was the unexpected things like the ferry toll and the tollway and park entry plus food. that easily took 150.00 dollars. Then the blasted truck drank gas like a drunk sailor. Over one thousand dollars worth! Talk about breaking the bank!
Right now I am broke but my friend is here and safe. Arrgh!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....psmprykib0.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....psinxd2693.jpg
At the area I at first had a nice clear view of Old Faithful till a bunch of Asian tourists decided to crowd in-front of me. I was rather bothered by this. I had the spot and they could have moved down further into the rain or found a different spot. Instead my first attempts at taking pix were full of their camera's being held up directly in front of me as I tried to take my shots. You sometimes wonder where rude and not caring came from because I had thought better of some people.
I then managed to push the camera down that was being held above the persons head directly in my face and then they got the message. After that I took several pictures of Old Faithful going off.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....psjhxkcdui.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....pswk3cbpm5.jpg
After it finished we packed up and began our journey south to Texas. The road we were on was one of the ones that I soon found out took us over the continental divide three times! Ugh! As we climbed out of the park we soon ran into a freak fall snow storm! Big heavy wet snowflakes began falling and were so heavy that the wipers on the truck were caked. Up and down three more time and each one had snow it was a total pain. It also ate gas bad. One bright spot was the Indian reservation in the center of the state had reasonable gas at 2.56 a gal the cheapest so far.
We finally hit the interstate at the bottom of Wyoming and took it to Laramie where I had sort of planned to stop. After more gas and a call we were advised to push into Colorado. Continuing on I began to tire. The plan was to get beyond Denver that night but. Well the body and mind were cooked. So we pushed again on the interstate and took a short cut on 287 and after a check with a friend about a hotel room we crashed on the south side of Ft Collins in a Holiday In Express.
After the attempts at truck sleeping the hotel was a godsend. After parking the truck we went in and signed the papers and then went up and took nice hot showers and then crashed in the wonderful soft beds. (anything was a godsend after that crappy truck) The next morning we got up at 6am and repacked then ate the free breakfast stuff at the hotel and headed for Denver. Sadly we hit it at rush hour and it was a total pain going through even if we passed Mile high stadium.
After passing Denver we continued down interstate twenty five to New Mexico. Of course we had to make another gas stop just past Denver and the long ride to New Mexico was well at least all interstate. We had winds and large hills and more. At Trinidad we topped off again and pushed for the border. It was again more climbs and downhills.
New Mexico was a trip as we topped off at Ranton and drove across the top corner and looked at the dormant volcano on the way to Texas. We ended up on 287 and took it to Amarillo. It was a long haul. The godsend was the gas prices! Filling up just over the border we got gas for 1,79 a gallon! more than a dollar less then Washington and almost a dollar less then any other state! Thank God! At that point I was down to eighty dollars cash and praying my paycheck would be deposited.
We stopped at around 5pm in Amarillo and ate at the "Big Texan" Restaurant the home of the 72 oz steak challenge. After a slight wrong turn we made it to the restaurant and had our meal on our Dom who had paid for it for us. It was an int interesting place with a near full lot and as we ate we had a guitar and fiddle player that came by and played a song for us. I didn't find my 8oz sirloin that great.
Mine had a bunch of gristle in it however my friends was perfect. To be truthful its a decent place but smiles.. I can get better right at home in my area for less and more steak.
Full and slightly happy we pulled on the highway and then followed 287 to Wichita falls Texas. On the way I could see two huge thunderstorms. As the time passed we got closer and closer until we could see the lightening and more. Finally we ended up under them. Gaaah! Torrential rain and winds! After a while I pulled over to a rest stop to take a break and we spent two hours there waiting on the storm.
We again topped off in one of the small towns for 1.89 a gal and continued and soon I was again in the thick of the same storms we had hoped would die out or move away. It was such fun watching the hundreds of frogs or toads that were jumping on the highway. Add to that the rain and rain and more rain. It took a good hour and at some points slowing way down just to see the road before we got through. I was so happy to see Wichita Falls.
After passing through the town we again put gas in the truck and headed to Ft. Worth Texas. It was now dark and the road was not bad till about 20 miles north of Ft Worth where I missed a turn. We ended up back where we came from about 5 miles and I pulled into a station and the nice Texans gave me proper directions and I purchased a new up to date road atlas for like 5 dollars more than a normal Texas map! Sheeze.
We hit Fort Worth at 3am and it was all tore up and I was very happy we didn't have lots of traffic. It was such fun driving through the narrow lanes and rough roads in that beached whale of a truck. Still we pushed on and made Waco just before dawn. Their we pulled into a Denny's and ate breakfast. Also had a picture taken of us sitting there for a German friend that loved the place when she visited the US a couple of years back.
Gassing up in Waco we turned off I35 to hwy 77 that eventually makes it to my massive town of Giddings Texas. It took another couple of hours to make it home from Waco but it was all down hill to town. I parked the truck out front of my house and We dragged ourselves into the house and slept for a few hours.
Spent Saturday and Sunday unloading the truck into my home and plants around the house. I also slept a whole lot I was totally cooked from this ordeal. I doubt I will do such a thing again. Monday morning at 10am I took the truck back and dropped it off with a full tank of gas. If i had not they would try to charge me eight bucks a gallon to do so! So I sat down and tallied up the trip. The truck cost 333 dollars to rent. I didn't add any extra costs to it than the rental. We had a budget of 1225 dollars. The first thing was the unexpected things like the ferry toll and the tollway and park entry plus food. that easily took 150.00 dollars. Then the blasted truck drank gas like a drunk sailor. Over one thousand dollars worth! Talk about breaking the bank!
Right now I am broke but my friend is here and safe. Arrgh!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....psmprykib0.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v.....psinxd2693.jpg
