YCGL - Thursday, March 28, 2024 - My Texas Eclipse Trip

 Hey Trip Fans,

Thanks if you still believe I'm trying to document my various travels.  It hasn't been easy, but I'm going to try once again to keep you informed of what I'm doing on my next trip.  

I'm heading down to south Texas for the April 8th Solar Eclipse!  

3/31 -I'm leaving Laramie for a short hop on Easter Sunday when I am headed to St. Vrain State Park in Longmont, CO, just off of Interstate 25.  It is an intentionally short day, so that if I've left anything, I can run back to Laramie fairly easily.  It's also not far from a Wally World, if I need some quick supplies.  Also, I didn't want to fight Denver traffic on Easter evening.  And it's also keeping to my 200+/- mile driving limit.  

4/1 - Eads, CO - My first day was going to be 325 miles, down to a Harvest Host.  Now it's just 211.  It's the Bar UC Cattle Co ranch, so hopefully I'll have a steak dinner that night.

4/2 - Amarillo, TX  - The next stop is to visit a cousin, Debbie Kyllo Evenson, who I saw last year at a family reunion in Hayfield, MN.  I believe it was the first time I had seen Debbie or her sisters in about 30 years.  So it will be fun to visit with them and see their new home.  It will be my next longest day at 265 miles, but still doable.  (My longest will be driving home from North Platte, NE at 267 miles.)

4/3 - Lubbock, TX - I've only driven through Lubbock once or twice, so this will be a chance to see a little more of it.  

4/4 - Ballinger, TX - A smaller Texas town, should be an easy stop.  However, the city park there doesn't take reservations.  I've called city hall twice now since I've decided to stop and the nice lady there says stop by the office when you get to town and we'll give you a spot.  I'd sure prefer to have my name on a list because I'm afraid traffic through there may be more than they expect being four days before the eclipse and not too far off the center line.

4/5-10 - Concan, TX - I'll be staying here for the eclipse.  Pete and Carol are coming over on the 6th and will be stay through the 9th.  I've got a great story to tell about Concan after I get there!

4/10 - Shiner, TX - The home of the Spoetzl Brewery where they make the world-famed Shiner Bock Beer.  I don't drink a lot of beer, but Shiner Bock is in my top three!  Made in the same brewery since 1909.

4/11-17 - Montgomery, TX - I'll be staying a week on the shores of Lake Conroe.  The Triple-B RV Park is less than a mile away from Pete's house and 20 minutes from Mike's.  And I'll have my own truck, so I can visit Mike and Claudia more than usual.  

4/18 - Enoch's Stomp Vineyard and Winery, Harleton, TX - Another Harvest Host.  

4/19-21 - Little Rock, AR - Visiting a childhood friend.  I met Miriam in 3rd grade when her father, Jack Lien, started our church in Houston.  She and her husband Phil just moved to Little Rock last year from downtown Chicago.  

4/21-24 - Petit Jean State Park, AR - Jaye and Lyndon stayed here last year traveling from Nashville to Albuquerque.   They raved about it enough I remembered and was able to get several nights.  

4/24 - Route 66 Car Museum, Springfield, MO - Another Harvest Host, but also trying to catch up with a Laramie friend who moved here 15 years ago or so, Herb Peterson.  He lives about 8 miles away.

4/25 - Z&M Twisted Vines Wines and Winery, Lawrence, KS - Another Harvest Host and again, meeting up with friends from Laramie who moved here about 15 years ago, Mark and Tary Stayton

4/26-28 - Hays, KS - Meeting up with Ken and Marcia Griffin.  Ken and Marcia and his first wife Leah have been special and close friends 30+ years.  Never get to see them often enough.

4/28 - Golden Spike Tower, North Platte, NE - Another Harvest Host.  However, this is special.  North Platte is the location of the largest railroad classification yard in the world on the Union Pacific. And the tower is a six-story tower overlooking the yard.  I was there two years ago on a Minnesota trip and it's really easy to go back again.  

4/29 - Rancho Retirement, Laramie, WY - Back home again where I can resume my occupation as the Manager and Chief  La-Z-Boy tester at the Rancho.  

So, another short walkabout with nothing going on....

So, this morning, I hitched up the trailer and drove it around the block to park it in front of the house.  The weather was warm enough (it almost hit 50) and it's going to get snowy and colder this weekend.  And it's a good thing I did.  This afternoon, my next-door neighbor rang my doorbell and informed me that I had last years registration tag on my license plate.  Oops!  A quick trip to the county courthouse and $400 later, I'm now legal to drive it until July.  Strangely, it cost more this year than last year.  Apparently the tax rate is going up faster than the depreciation is going down.  Oh well.   

YCGL - Saturday, March 30, 2024 - Day -1 and Trying to count to Ten....