Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah

Caroline saving a turtle from becoming road kill in New Mexico on the way to South Dakota

Labor Day weekend our objective is South Dakota. Ever the road trippers to try new roads, we skirt into the most western corner of Oklahoma for a few miles before turning north to travel the easternmost roads of Colorado out on the Great Plains. In Nebraska, we pass fields of sunflowers under cloudy skies. South Dakota welcomes us with a visit to Wall Drug which was far more interesting than the Crazy Horse Monument. Our visit to the Badlands National Park was marred by bad weather, which demanded we make a return visit. We stay out on the Plains across Wyoming, making our way back across Colorado into Utah, where we visit the world’s ugliest Donkey at Hole in the Rock.

Santa Barbara, California – Day 3

Up the San Marcos Pass Road looking out to the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara, California

This is the San Marcos Pass Road – Route 154 heading out of Santa Barbara into the Los Padres National Forest. We come up this way occasionally to eat breakfast at Cold Spring Tavern, just as we did this morning. To change things up a bit, we drove the much more narrow and steep Old San Marcos Road back into Santa Barbara with my Aunt and Uncle Burns.

288 Placer Drive Goleta, California

Dropping a few photos of the inside of our aunt and uncle’s home so we never forget the old familiar site of staying at 288 Placer Drive in Goleta, California.

Woody Burns at 288 Placer Drive Goleta, California

Uncle Woody in his dining room that’s barely changed in 35 years.

288 Placer Drive Goleta, California

The TV changed, but everything else is just the way I remember it when I first visited in 1970 or so.

Visiting a beach in Santa Barbara, California

After another short visit to the Santa Barbara area, it was time to stop at the beach.

Estuary in Santa Barbara, California

The beach and a nearby estuary.

Caroline Wise on a beach in Santa Barbara, California

And maybe some more beach so we can capture the Channel Islands behind Caroline, as this is a spectacularly clear day.

Highway 101 out of Santa Barbara, California

When I was a kid, Highway 101 was a single lane in each direction. We are going home.

Following a Thing on the freeway in Los Angeles, California

Wow, neither of us has seen a VW Thing in a long time. We are passing through downtown Los Angeles, driving east.

Caroline Wise and John Wise at Ten Ren in Los Angeles, California

We have options regarding the roads we can take through L.A. on our way to Arizona, and today it was Interstate 60, so Caroline could do some shopping in a small Asian plaza we love and grab a couple of green-tea-with-green-apple-and-boba teas at Ten Ren’s Tea Time, a big time favorite!

Santa Barbara, California – Day 2

Woody Burns at home in Goleta, California

Good morning, Uncle Woody.

Sophie the German Shepard

You might have called this a dog day. Sure, we hit all the important favorites like Cajun Kitchen, Costco, Vons, and maybe even McDonald’s for a coffee, but it was more about taking Sophie out for walks and just hanging out at the house and chatting the day away. Sophie was my uncle Woody’s shepherd that was given to him after his Rottweiler Sarge passed away.

Goth Bowling

Jay Patel, Raenu, Rinku Shah, and Caroline Wise bowling in Phoenix, Arizona

It’s Saturday night in Phoenix, Arizona; what you gonna do? How about coloring our hair and putting on some dark lipstick and eyeliner for a night of Goth Bowling? That sounds like a great idea; get out your blackest clothes, and let’s go freak out the locals on a summer night.

Rinku Shah bowling in Phoenix, Arizona

Okay, did anyone give Rinku any lessons on how to throw the ball down the lane?

Jay Patel, Raenu, Rinku Shah, and Caroline Wise bowling in Phoenix, Arizona

The sad looks reflect their sad scores, but don’t let the tears fool you; we all had great fun.

Las Vegas

Caroline, Rinku, Raenu, John Wise and Jay Patel on the road in Arizona

A plot to take Jay to Las Vegas without his prior knowledge was hatched just days before. Anju helped us out by filling in at the store while Jay joined me to pick up some packages delivered by UPS. On the way, we see three women hitchhiking. I stopped to pick them up; they identified themselves as Sandy, Mandy, and Candy, and so began our foolery to bring Jay on a surprise visit to Vegas.

Caroline, Rinku, Raenu, and Jay in Las Vegas, Nevada

We left Phoenix at 3:15 and arrived in Vegas at 7:45.

 Jay Patel in Las Vegas, Nevada

Jay hadn’t been to Vegas before, and as he was leaving America in a few weeks, he just had to go.

Rinku, Raenu, and Jay in Las Vegas, Nevada

We went up the Stratosphere to ride the Bigshot and X-Scream at midnight,

 Jay Patel and Caroline Wise in Las Vegas, Nevada

Walked all over the place, goofing off until 4:30 a.m.

 Jay Patel in Las Vegas, Nevada

Goofing off until Jay passed out. Just kidding, we headed to our hotel to get all of 3 hours of sleep, figuring it was better than nothing.

Caroline, Rinku, Raenu, and Jay at Hoover Dam in Arizona

We awake early and are back on the road at 7:45 a.m. to Phoenix so Jay can get to work by noon. Here we are at Hoover Dam on the Arizona side. That’s Caroline Wise, Jay Patel, Rinku Shah, and Raenu.