Note to reader: This is a post from Bill - I believe it's the second one since I started the blog many moons ago! --------------------- I woke up around 3 a.m. this morning, as I do almost every morning these days, and thought about turning fifty today and what the future will bring. If you'd asked me ten years ago about turning fifty, chances are 50/50 (no pun intended) that I would have answered, "I doubt I'll make it to fifty." Why I thought that then is unclear to me, but it turns out it was more accurate than I would have liked. Several years of battling cancer, recovering from that battle, both physically and emotionally, and trying to help my family stay healthy definitely took its toll. So, to my forties, I say, "don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out; but if it does, good riddance!" Despite the challenges of the last decade, I have learned so much about being human; perhaps more than I wanted. Nothing like having everyone ...
The kids both wanted to try a trail ride, so we were able to book a one-hour ride at the nearby stable in Canyon Village. We booked the ride in the morning to avoid the heat, and had the added bonus of being able to drive through Hayden Valley early in the day, when our chances of seeing some wildlife were greater. So - up early again, and we were out the door promptly at 7. Since our ride didn't start until 9:15, we had some time to explore along the way. Since it was a cold morning, we saw a lot of steam coming from the earth that we hadn't noticed during our drive in. We pulled off into the almost completely empty parking lot where there is a short walkway around bubbling mud pots that leads to a feature called the Dragon's Mouth. Bubbling mud pots in Yellowstonr The audio doesn't come through very well, but this cave lets off periodic bursts of steam, along with what sounds like a huge, forceful exhale. It's pretty cool. Continuing on, we wound ou...
Our goal today was to make some good progress toward our stay in Yellowstone. The first few hours through the Nevada high desert was easy. The scenery is a bit bleak, with fairly uniform grey scrub, and the mountains in the distance. Our first stop to charge the car was in Lovelock, NV - conveniently located at the Chevron station, across from a McDonald's (yay, health food!) and a dollar store where Mackay picked up a t-shirt with her vacation mantra. While I have always loved road trips, Bill can attest to the fact that before we had the Tesla, I was a 'don't stop until we get there' sort of driver. If you're hungry or have to pee, too bad. With kids especially, this new mode of driving is so nice! Via the GPS, the car tells you how long you can go until the next charge, identifies the supercharger locations, and even tells you how long you need to charge before you continue on your trip. In most cases, it's less than an hour to get a close to full charge...