On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Good Morning All,
This weekday feature is for Balloon Juicers who are on the road, travelling, etc. and wish to share notes, links, pictures, stories, etc. from their escapades. As the US mainland begins the end of the Earth day as we measure it, many of us rise to read about our friends and their transient locales.
So, please, speak up and share some of your adventures, observations, and sights as you explore, no matter where you are. By concentrating travel updates here, it’s easier for all to keep up-to-date on the adventures of our fellow Commentariat. And it makes finding some travel tips or ideas from 6 months ago so much easier to find…
Have at ’em, and have a safe day of travels!
Should you have any pictures (tasteful, relevant, etc….) you can email them to [email protected] or just use this nifty link to start an email: Start an Email to send a Picture to Post on Balloon Juice
You can send the picture itself, or if it’s already online, send a link and I’ll grab it from there.
And without further ado, Poco and more, after the fold.
First, lots of great stuff from from quinerly:
Just a Monday drive with Poco. A few miles from Bluff….Utah 261 where it becomes unpaved…switchbacks with 10% grade…..”Moki Dugway.” The second two pictures are looking up to where we were. Great drive to get down to Valley of the Gods…The next three are a sampling of what you see when you are down in the valley. No pictures can do it justice. The last picture is Poco taking over the maps, books, and planning of the next few days. He’s looking for a smooth interstate out of Bluff?
Signed,
Poco’s Chauffeur
But wait…there’s more!
Where it was taken: When: Commenter nym: Other notes or info about the picture:
Sent from my Windows Phone
Sunday, March 12, 2017, Poco in the strange land of Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. He peed, he romped, he barked, he even rolled on his back. No park rules were broken…..he did feel that he was camouflaged but for his leash.
Signed,
Poco’s Chauffeur
One more set from quinerly (she’s been a busy lady!):
March 11, 2017
First picture: Poco gathering his thoughts for a minute…..getting his Zen on….he doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by the beauty of Capitol Reef NP.Second picture: “Wow, Mom! This is some vacation for an ex street dog!.”
Signed,
Poco’s Chauffeur
And now to finish off the morning’s pictures, some beauties from BillinGlendaleCA:
Where it was taken: Angels Gate Park, San Pedro, CA
When: March 12, 2017
Other notes or info about the picture: This is the Friendship Bell which is a gift from the Republic of Korea. It sits on the hill above the Pt. Fermin Lighthouse.
Wow, such vivid colors!
Where it was taken: Los Angeles harbor, San Pedro, CA
When: March 12, 2017
Other notes or info about the picture: The USS Iowa. I just took a picture of the exterior, since I’ve been on board of her more famous sister ship twice(and admission is pricey). Also, if you look at the center of the picture you can see my new(to me) silver Prius.
Such clear skies, many of us on the East Coast only dream of such a blue sky after the past 24 hours or so!
Folks, those were the last pictures, so please send more! I’m also curious as to whether you prefer the pictures as they are, serially, or if you’d prefer a slideshow for each submitter. Instead of showing all pictures, it would just show one at a time in a continuous loop. So please tell me what you think of this idea and please send in more pictures!
?BillinGlendaleCA
I might have overdone it with the ol’ saturation, but Korean architecture is really colorful with lots of greens as opposed to Chinese which uses alot of red.
I haven’t sent you the pics of the Pt. Fermin lighthouse, we had a pretty thick fog bank along the coast and haze inland. I was lucky to get enough clearing to get a good picture of the Friendship Bell(and a bit of work on post helped too).
satby
Well, I’m on the road in an another two hours, driving from S.Bend to Lexington KY and back today to retrieve my car. Slightly over 5 hours each way if I don’t run into traffic. Dropping the rental car off at Bluegrass airport and the kid will pick me up, take me to my car, and I may get a quick visit over fast food before I head back but he has to work. Have my usual disgusted coming to let the herd out in the middle of the day, but after my trip and the disaster at home I kind of hate to leave them in the care of others. That wasn’t the same dogsitter though, I’m just being overprotective. Probably.
Mary G
Beautiful pictures by both. Poco does blend in well in the desert! Thanks for sending them, as I’m not much of a traveler, although we’re talking about a short cruise down to Cabo as a celebration when the 13-year-old housemate graduates from junior high on June 1.
SiubhanDuinne
@satby:
Hope it’s an uneventful drive for you and that you get a bit of a visit with your son.
Did autocorrect turn your “dogsitter” into “disgusting”? More and more, I think it hangs around not to offer spelling options but just to troll the hell out of us. FYAC.
SiubhanDuinne
Love all the pictures of Poco and the gorgeous Southwest scenery. I for one will be sorry to see the end of this trip. It’s been fun to share it virtually.
Billin always takes splendid photos. The Friendship Bell is wonderful!
Schlemazel
Great shots, all of them fun to see.
Good thing you had the pup on a leash or it could disappear and you wouldn’t see it at all.
It looks like they don’t let you ring the bell, that’s not very friendly!
Thanks for sharing guys.
OzarkHillbilly
Got another email from Poco. It said: “Dogdamn #@*X**$&#[email protected] leash!!!! I can’t get away from it! All I wanted was to go run and play with all the goblins, but Noooooooooooooooooooooo….. Like I don’t know where my bowl gets filled??? Mom really sucks!”
I think his typing skills are improving.
raven
@?BillinGlendaleCA: When I was on leave between Korea and Vietnam I was visiting my mom in Hawthorne. I ran out of dough and had to go to Ft Mac to get some “casual” pay. All that is gone now but the bell is really nice. Any shots of the fish markets in Pedro?
satby
@SiubhanDuinne: yes! That was supposed to be dogsitter, which I had already corrected from some other random word. I think you’re right. The machines have decided to move on us because, given Drumpf, we humans can’t be trusted with the keys.
It’s so freaking cold here, the dogs hurried their toilette, so I have time for one more cup of coffee before I head out.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@SiubhanDuinne: Thanks.
@raven: They still have some stuff at Ft. Mac, I think. I was pretty tied to an itinerary: Friendship Bell, Pt. Fermin lighthouse, USS Iowa, Banning Mansion, Drum Barracks and the Baldwin Hills.
In case anyone missed the line about “more famous sister” of the Iowa. I’ve been on the Missouri when it was in Bremerton, WA and at it’s current location in Honolulu.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@OzarkHillbilly: Mom really needs to take away Poco’s access to email.
rikyrah
Envious of Poco.
Bill, your pictures are always fabulous ??
Quinerly
Good Morning from beautiful Bluff, Utah (a town with a sense of humor..the signs at both edges of town say “Bluff 640 AD”). Sorry for the reversals on the first pictures. I’m working with spotty WIFI and don’t have a data plan on the computer..so I’m posting from the smarty pants phone. The Moki Dugway is a must if you are in the area and have a vehicle that can handle it. We spent most of the day yesterday at Monument Valley. A once in a lifetime experience but rather commercialized and it goes on the list with Zion NP…a place I’m glad I went to but would never make the effort to go back. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to drive the 25 miles through it on that road, bumper to bumper in actual vacation season. Saw a very upset German tourist couple with a large rented BMW with a damaged exhaust system…it had bottomed out on the rough road. The drive on the highway to it is thrilling…and the view from “The View Restaurant” from above is fabulous…but quite honestly the drive through it is draining. You just lose the perspective and it’s just too long. I enjoyed the 3 hours on that Moki Dugway road and in the Valley of the Gods more. If you are in the area, I would suggest an hour visit to the Goulding’s Lodge area (out of the tribal park..across the road). The original trading post sits on area overlooking Monument Valley. You can tour the living quarters there and there’s a small museum with a lot of movie memorabilia…John Wayne and John Ford. It’s a sweet little free museum that takes donations for college scholarships for the Navajo Monument Valley High School. The museum is a real step back in time…looks like it was put together in the 1950’s and 1960’s with the exhibit descriptions typed by hand on an old typewriter (I like the offbeat and funky, as you have probably realized). You can see the view that John Wayne had from his cabin there. “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” is playing on a tv…I think on continuous loop.? Between Bluff and Monument Valley is the village of Mexican Hat (also a rock formation). Fun little trading post and restaurant/bar on the San Juan River. Have a great day. Thanks for traveling along with us. We hit the 5 week mark yesterday. Poco is homesick for his kitties (John Lennon and Ivan). He tried to send them an email…no word from them.
Mnemosyne
Second full day at Disneyworld. My knee is holding up okay but the 11YO has a nasty cough so we’re going to try and take it a little easier today. Plus it’s frickin’ freezing here for Florida, with highs in the low 60s. A fun time is still being had by all, though.
Quinerly
And, again, thanks Alain for all you do around here and for the opportunity to share my vacation with you guys. Poco is enjoying his more than 15 minutes of fame on his mom’s favorite political blog.?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mnemosyne: Did you explain to your nieces HOW you injured your knee?
OzarkHillbilly
@Mnemosyne:
!
BellyCat
Day 5 in the parking lot of O’Reilly Parts. If assembly goes well, it may be our last!
New bushings on leaf springs and found and repaired a SERIOUS crack in the frame. Will send Alain some pics once we get things sorted.
Great folks here and lots offers of help from strangers. Who knew one’s faith in humanity could be restored in TEXAS, of all places?
Tenar Arha
@Mnemosyne: Aww man I kinda hate you right now with the ice in my driveway & my arms feeling like limp noodles…you with the shucks it’s cold for Florida in the 60’s…. (Imagine me Bronx cheering you while wishing you guys a great trip ?)
ETA added emoji for clarity ?
Yarrow
Love all the pictures. Poco is so cute!
@Mnemosyne: Glad you’re having a good time. Highs in the low 60’s in Florida? Brrr….
@BellyCat: I guess I missed your saga. What happened to your vehicle? Where in Texas are you stranded?
BellyCat
@Yarrow: If you go back to On The Road thread about five days or so, I spelled out the scenario (so I won’t torture others with it now!). We’re in scenic Orange, TX. YEEEHAWWW!!!
Alain the site fixer
@BellyCat: in many ways, Texans are the best. When they help, that is. Don’t let them open their mouths about liberal things, you’ll flee in horror!
Yarrow
@BellyCat: Oh, okay I was really busy then and missed a lot of threads. Orange, TX, huh? Sheesh. Been there. But people in Texas can be really nice. I’m glad you’re found a few of them. Hope your vehicle troubles get fixed today.
Gin & Tonic
@Quinerly: Haven’t read all the threads over the last week, but I’m gathering you didn’t (and aren’t planning to) drive up to Torrey?
Quinerly
@Gin & Tonic:
Spent a night in Escalante after leaving Kanab. Two nights after that in a cabin in Torrey (base for Capitol Reef, which I loved). Early Sunday morning departure from Torrey for the Poco romp at Goblin Valley. Been here in Bluff since late Sunday afternoon. Plan was from here to car camping in Canyonlands for two nights and on to Arches. Skipping that and picked up a total of 7 nights for the price of here at the Recapture Lodge in Bluff. Love this place and area. Start heading back to St. Louis Sunday.