Day 15 Sat Oct 13 2007

We are safely back in San Francisco. We drove the last 225 miles or so on Sat morning from Reno to SF. The drive through the various winding roads and passes of the Truckee area to Auburn was filled with fog and was in the upper 30s. We were prepared to hit some snow as there was rain in the upper elevations on Friday night, but the roads were all clear and dry. We loved the fact that there were many golden trees all along the Tahoe area route.

We made a leisurely stop for breakfast in Auburn and then went on past the busy freeways of Sacramento in to SF via the Richmond bridge, Marin county and then finally over the Golden Gate Bridge. We wanted a dramatic entrance back into non-vagabond mode. We also decided to then get back to the house via the Presidio, Sea Cliff and the Great Highway to extend the great feeling we had for 2 weeks a bit more. Yet a another sunny day for our trip.

I think we only had two cloudy days and some rain the entire 15 day trip! Really lucky on that front.

Thats it folks. We are home.

Till the next Vagabonds Tour....Fred and Mark out here.

PS. More photos from this segment will be posted as we get time on Monday and Tues.

Day 14 Fri Oct 12 2007

We left Salt Lake City before 7 am today but not before we hit Starbucks (in the dark, just opening) so our eyes were fully open as we traversed Interstate 80 to Reno.

We were both fascinated by the salt flats that seemed unreal as we started out. Almost as if the mountains were floating on top of vast seas of salt in the dim pre-sunrise light that was mixed with a haze or maybe it was an air inversion layer. The air in Salt Lake reminded me of LA in some ways. Heavy. Trapped by the surrounding mountains. We loved how the first purple rays of light kissed the peaks as we drove out of SLC.

On past the Bonneville Flats Raceway to Nevada. Nevada is such a low point in this wonderful country. And in all that we have seen this tour.

We had a so so lunch in Winnemuca NV in a spectacular setting and then past many, many wonderful landscapes all the way into Reno. As I have been saying, and it worth repeating. Make the road trip. It is so uplifting and beautiful.

We ended a 535 mile day at the locally owned eatery Vista Grille in Sparks NV. Since I am on somewhat of a pizza kick lately I sampled the BBQ Chicken pizza and Fred the Combo (everything). The wood fired oven crust was really crisp and chewy. Yet another new crust that we both liked.

Tomorrow we make the short 225 mile trip home to SF.

Day 13 Thurs Oct 11 2007

We drove a very fast 520 plus miles today from Sidney Nebraska to Salt Lake City Utah.
We wanted to make sure we were in SLC tonight so we could make it to Reno on Friday.
Our plan is now to be back in SF Saturday midday.

The drive today covered again amazing views and vistas all along 80 the entire way. So many of the trees still had the wonderful gold yellow leaves that twinkled in the breeze. The backdrop for these trees varied from barren rock formations to red clay soil to deep green pine tree forests. This particular 500 miles was again under fully blue and brilliant skies. A few clouds only this am in Nebraska.

Fred and I are feeling so lucky that most of the trip was under clear blue skies. We tried to capture the amazing landscape in photos but felt the best we could do is tell you to make the trip at some point in a future fall season to experience it.

We are both so profoundly appreciative of the natural wonders and environment we have right under our noses here. We are happy we drove and did not fly over it and miss this show.

It was the fall color break and tour we had hoped for.

Only two more days / installments left to go!

Day 12 Wed Oct 10 2007

Yesterday we travelled 353 miles. Today we logged 475. Long days.

Today we hit the Badlands South Dakota early as we wanted to be on Interstate 80 in Nebraska before sundown.

We lucked out again with a spectacular sunny day with clear blue sky most of the day. What an amazing contrast. The dramatic formations of the badlands, azure blue skies and brilliant golden yellow leaves shimmering in the (thankfully) slight breezes. Temperatures started chilly and then warmed close to 70. Perfect, just perfect.

After lunch in Rapid City at at local family-owned cafe (including butterscotch pie!), we drove on to Alliance, Nebraska to visit Carhenge.

The natural beauty of the day was astounding. Photos can't really capture it. A must see. We were so lucky that there were very few people in Badlands National Park. Almost as if we had the park to ourselves. And we did at many photo-op overlooks.

We were the only people at Carhenge late afternoon in the golden light photographic hour. A perfect conclusion to a most perfect day. So uplifting.

Day 11 Tuesday Oct 9

Picked up Mark's mom at his sister's early a.m. and dropped her off at her place in Mankato. Then we headed back West, retracing some of our steps through South Dakota.


In Mitchell, SD, we stopped at a great store, part of a Midwestern chain -- Cabella's. It's a huge hunting and fishing gear store. Pretty much anything you'd need for either activity. Mark found some over-the-top gloves that should keep even him warm. I tried on camouflage wear and contemplated the Elmer Fudd look for fall.

We're spending the night in Chamberlain, SD, on the banks of the Missouri River. We're in a resort-style hotel out from town a little bit. It's a self-contained facility. We can imagine being snowed in here during the winter.



We have someone else traveling with us. Diane introduced us to Durwood, who will be joining his fellow sock monkeys in San Francisco. Durwood is a bit of a party animal -- thus the lampshade hat and martini glass permanently in his grip. He's good company though.

Day 10 Mon Oct 8 2007

Fred and I hit the gym at 7 am this morning as it was raining and the temp had plummeted to 54 degrees. Much cooler. We actually did have don two layers plus.

We then decided head out early to make one last day of “feeling the vibe” of Minneapolis. First stop: Uptown. It is very near Lake Calhoun. We walked many blocks on Hennepin Avenue and did a bit of shopping. We also spent some time chatting with folks in the local Design Within Reach store about Mid-century modern neighborhoods and had them note areas on our maps.

We had hoped to rent bikes today and hit the Grand Round Bike Trail system, but it was too rainy. We did have conversations with the folks at City Cycle about the trails and purchased the newest map and guide to the trails of the region. Literally several hundred miles of paved trails. Amazing.

After a somewhat so-so lunch at Punch Pizza. (supposed to one of the best here) we set out to find the mid-cent. neighborhoods in St. Paul. It was a bust. Either we had a negative reaction to St. Paul, or we found very little MC at all. We do now have the name of an agent who is supposed to know the MC areas well for future trips.

We leave Minnesota tomorrow to begin our 6 day drive back to San Francisco via the Badlands.

(Note: A photo of Dave and Emily is included as requested)

Day 9 Sun Oct 7 2007

Stunning walk this morning at 7am. It was the Twin Cities Marathon day and we heeded the warning of the weather forecasters from the night before to get outdoors before the noon thunderstorms hit.

At the halfway point around Purgatory Creek lake trail, Fred saw something pop its head out of the middle of a creek. It turned out to be a river otter that possibly had made its way up the creek system from the Minnesota river. The water was very high so we surmised that because of all the rain, the critter was able to navigate all the way to the suburb of EP. We told folks about it and it turns out to be more common these day. Some good environmental news as Minnesota restores wetlands and habitat.

We then spent a good portion of the day in Golden Valley searching for open houses and just getting lost in an area we both like a great deal. Then off to Southdate Center, America’s first enclosed shopping mall. It was designed by Victor Gruen in the 60s, but there is nothing left of that era. The wonderful visual experiences and sounds of Southdale’s three story tall bird cage in the central mall court are long since gone. Sigh.

Day 8 Sat Oct 6 2007

We spent a very lazy and pleasant day mostly in EP with mom. Looking at photos of the trip and just talking as it was raining and extremely muggy outdoors. Humidity must have been 100%. The low Friday night was only 70 degrees!!. A new record. Very weird . No wonder mom was short of breath. There is no question in my mind that global warming is real. It should be closer to 45 degrees in Oct. A great day to take Allegra, stay indoors and just play with 4 month old Bonkers.

Nephew Tony’s car was in the garage, so we took to him to work at the Lakewinds coop in Chanhassen. Charming drive through some (still) intact farms and great barns, as well as past the very large McMansions of Bear Path (gated community filled with overpaid sports stars) and alongside some great biking trails. Yes! Quite a clash of environments.

Lakewinds is the 7th largest food coop in the US. We thought it pricey but really good food. We both tried freshly picked HoneyCrisp apples. Tart. Crispy fresh.

Day 7 Friday Oct 5 2007

For those of you who are still with us, we have settled into a kind of routine here in Eden Prairie.

We were awakened at 1:30 a.m. by tremendous thunder as a storm system moved through. Rainy morning. Mark needed to put in an hour or so of work this morning and Fred (who has wrested control of the notebook away from Mark to make today's entry) whiled away the time in a large shopping mall a couple of blocks away.

Lunch with Mark's mom, Georgia; his sister, Diane; and her children Emily and Nicholas.



We explored some areas of Minneapolis that we hadn't been in before. We continue to be amazed at the neighborhoods tucked in among lakes, creeks, and various parklands. Today's finds were a stately neighborhood called Kenwood, abutting the more reasonably priced Lake Forest. All sorts of architecture -- from baronial to more modest ramblers to downright Modernist. Just to show that the Bay Area doesn't have a premium on high-priced real estate, we saw one relatively modest rambler (the local vernacular for "ranch-style") for sale. When we looked at the flyer in front, it was being marketed as a tear-down at $1.1 million! After a couple of hours, we were dizzy from translating the tiny print on our roadmap into the actual streets we were attempting to navigate.



For tonight's dinner we were all taken out by Diane and Dave (Mark's brother-in-law) -- and joined by Diane's son Tony -- to the Twin Cities Diner in . . . . the Mall of America!! We saw only a fraction of it, but it is obvious that shopping there could be overwhelming.

Day 6 Thursday Oct 4 2007

Finally. A total Minneapolis Day.

We started out with a 5 mile power walk on the Purgatory Creek Preserve Trail at 7 am in Eden Prairie. (suburban Minneapolis) Spotted several owls, many Canadian Geese, a Sharp-shinned or Cooper’s Hawk as well as many Mallards and smaller ducks that I thought were Pintails. It was very warm before sunrise here. Extremely unusual weather for this time of year in Minnesota. Was supposed to hit 80 plus.

Sunny, clear and very warm. But lacking the miserable Midwest summer humidity. It was refreshing to see people dressed in corporate khakis and ID badges striding to work on the paved walkways. So civilized. Many bikers as well. These miles and miles of paved trails are what I love so much about the Twin Cities region. It is one of the prime reasons Fred and I are thinking about making an eventual move here.

You can step out your door and walk, jog, and bike in an enchanting world of nature devoid of automobiles unlike any other city in the country.

For those of you who think Starbucks has taken over the country, the ubiquitous coffee shop here is Caribou Coffee, all its stores done up in lodge décor. Its corporate logo features what we referred to as a moose, but – guess what? – it’s a caribou. Duh.



We continued on the day by focusing on one neighborhood we had not seen in the two trips we made to MN earlier this year. 50th and France Ave. Kind of a cross between Fillmore and Union Street areas of SF, but with a MN twist. We discovered an artisanal cheese shop that reminded us of Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes CA. The owner and his wife clued us in to some homes for sale in the neighborhood as well as homes along the Minnehaha Creek Parkway. The Parkway has a trail that runs for miles throughout Minneapolis. It is part of the overall trail system called the Grand Round.

Fred and I spent a great deal of the afternoon walking and exploring all along the Grand Round. Minneapolis should show the country how walkways and bikeways are done. They are also adding miles of exclusive Mountain Bike singletrack in Theodore Wirth Park and elsewhere throughout The City.

We ended our day at the end of Minnehaha Creek --Minnehaha Falls. This is near where it empties into the Mississippi. Then back to a restaurant called Salut in the 50th/France hood. Since it was unusually hot, we both had huge salads. I had a Cobb (just OK). Fred had a steak salad. Clearly the better choice.

Doom and gloom severe weather forecast for tomorrow, which sounds ominous. All the more reason to have taken advantage of today’s weather.

Day 5 Wednesday Oct 3 2007

A moderate 292 mile day. At the Corn Palace in Mitchell SD by 8 am. A great piece of Americana. We were just enthralled! On National Register of Historic Places. They replace the corn on the façade every year with a new design, unless there is a drought. There was a drought in 1951, so there was not a photo in the museum for my birth year. The whole experience is really charming, not the tacky / touristy thing I was prepared for on some level. Costs 130 K every year to replace. With totally new illustrations. And this is free to the public. I had no idea that Indian corn came in green and all those various shades of purple, blue and black. There was also a theater inside that had many huge murals as well. We photographed much of the outside and inside.

Then on to Mankato, MN via 90 and MN state 60 past many fields of dry soybeans and field corn. Very near to harvest time as the soybeans were very brown. We noted the windfarms that are now dotting MN. We loved how the landscape changed instantly once you were in MN. Not as barren as SD. More lush farms and activity.

Picked up Mom at 1 pm in Mankato (last photo of fall color in front of Blue Earth County courthouse is in Mankato, across street from Mom's building) and we whisked off to Eden Prairie, MN, (where my sister lives). EP will be our headquarters while we further scout the various neighborhoods of Minneapolis for our possible retirement sanctum.

Ended the day with BBQ chicken pizza at Jakes in EP. Highly recommended. Calories continue to mount.