Hampton Inn Suites Lodi

Der letzte National Park auf unserer US Tournee ist der Yosemite. Hier gibt es Fluesse, Seen, Berge und Tausende von Baeumen...ein wahrer Wanderer-Traum! Leider hatten wir kaum Zeit zu wandern, muessen dies aber irgendwann noch nachholen :-)<br><br>An unseren letzten zwei Tagen in den USA werden wir nochmals die ganze Fast Food Palette durchlaufen und uns im Wal-Mart Superstore am Groessenwahnsinn ergoetzen :-)<br>

... night on the road at a red roof inn. yeee-haw. early next morning, we unloaded the truck into a 10 x 20 foot storage locker. 200 sq feet of ****. we don't really need any of it. and that's a nice new feeling.<br><br>after returning the monster of a truck back to Boo-jay, we celebrated with a steak lunch. at Outback Steakhouse--hey it's all stockton had to offer.

... not my 1st time) but the highway system around Sn Francisco was. Right from the begining we lost some time by going the wrong way, when the 4 or 6 ways highway divided into two different highways.<br>Tired of this 1st contact with the road in a long time, we stopped in early afternoon in a giant commercial center in a town name Tracy.<br>A Subway sandwich and the outside of a Starbuck replenished us enough to carry on.<br>

... to their hill-top SF home and our waiting vehicle. After a brief download and a rich cup of coffee, we headed home to Lodi. I must pause here because Beth and I have many people to thank: Great friends and family that helped ease our transition from rooted, busy, Lodi citizens to carefree world travelers. Annie Atkinson stayed in our home and cared for the house, a myriad of animals and foul, and even mowed the lawn and decorated for our return(!!!). We never worried ...

... a traditional process and the historian in me really gets off on it. Traditional mallets, seam reamers, caulking irons, the whole bit. The last thing I wil be doing is attaching the rigging and figuring out a way to winch the mast up and down to go beneath bridges. When I am done, I can go anywhere with 14 inches of water and a bridge as low as 20 feet. Cool huh. I don't think I will spend too much time in the open ocean, as the keel will not flip me back over when and if I capsize. It is ...

... orchestrates the yard is always patient and makes sure that I have free coffee all the time. She is also reassuring that we will get this done and not totally drain my funds. Her mom Patty, who manages the paper work and does the billing is also great to work with. The old-timers, Guido, Terry, Allen, Doug, James and my assistant Bryant are the best. I hope this is not boring to anyone and keep in mind that this documentation is leading up to a completely ...

... but I cannot remember right now. As to dry-rot, that is easy to find, as the wood is usually spongy, moldy and the bilge is full of water due to leaky wood. As to the bilge in this boat, the bottom was recently serviced, and the bilge is for the most part dry, and the water that was present, was from a recent storm, and had accumulated right where it had supposed to, at the deepest point where the bilge pump is located. I have a lot of experience dealing with boats in salt ...

... stomping ground... We met Vicki for lunch at my old work Adventure Center, and saw a few of the old faces. Bill, Richard (can I uh, join the paRty?), Maz, Alan, Sonja and of course the loverly Vicky. The whole place had been reno'd - new paint, carpet, and they may even have cleaned those blinds that made me sneeze every time the wind blew! Green machines are now GONE, and even noticed they had Windows XP!! Boy, have they moved with the times! So we went to have lunch at Emeryville ...

... to people, and generally have some interaction with the locals. although, the language barrier does make traveling in china more intersting in some ways, and encourages you to try using chinese more. another big downside is the system of train tickets, and lack of information for the buses. china really needs to improve things if they expect to expand their tourism sector. in india, you can reserve tickets online, and purchase tickets for anywhere from any train station. makes ...

A nice sweet reunion with mum in Buena Park. Mum looks great and it was good to spend a few days with her. I do miss my family a lot and wish to be with them again...but at the same time I'm having a blast right here, right now. After a few days away from Oakland I am looking forward to going back. I miss Ryan too. Cant wait to kick back and chill with buddies in San Fran.