Thursday, May 22, 2014

Day One - Circumnavigation of the USA in 51 Weeks

Today's Route
Todays Miles - 225
Total Miles - 225
Departed - Ananda Village, California
Arrived - Likely, California

First off, thank you to everyone with whom we connected at Ananda Village this past week for mentioning you follow our blog and travels.  We are blessed with your friendship.  And to all of you whom we have met along the way over the past year of our full time RV travels, we hope to meet you again on the road!

We have finished our first day in our journey to circumnavigate the USA during the next 51 weeks, returning to Ananda Village for the Swami Kriyananda Memorial Mandir dedication weekend of May 15, 16, 17, 2015.  In fact we made appointments for teeth cleaning on May 14, 2015 in Nevada City at our long time dental office.

I will report each day we stop at a new campsite, on the miles driven, total miles, etc for the trip. Occasionally I will report on some additional metrics. Hope you will read along.
Heading east on Hwy 49 through the forests of Sierra Foothills 
We elected to head east on Highway 49 through Downieville, and over Yuba Pass to Sierra Valley where we picked up Hwy 70. Right now we are driving north along highway 395 east of the Sierra's en route to eastern Oregon for a few days before heading to Ananda Laurelwood.  We have 4 fixed dates (see bold type below) the rest of this year.   We will fill in the blanks. We hope to stay off the freeways as much as possible yet still make good time in certain areas.
Essentially a One Lane Bridge in Downieville
After the 4th of July weekend we will head up to northern Idaho for a family reunion and also to Puget Sound for a visit and a wedding of two wonderful friends.  End of July will see us begin the eastern migration across the U.S. heading towards the Canadian Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
Sierra Valley
We will then head  down the Maine Coast late September so I can attend a Fall Color Photo Workshop with Vincent Versace in Rockport, Maine.  Along the way we hope to visit Sraddha's sister in New Hampshire and my "niece" in Lowell Mass, then head to Washington DC to visit Smithsonian, National Gallery, Gettysburg, etc.
Clouds are gathering up Hwy 395
The weather will dictate a lot of our travel times and directions. Our last fixed date of 2014 will find us in Orlando over the Christmas Holiday near Disneyworld.  Mickey already told me he will be happy to see us again!
Kent and Mickey January 2011
Deep winter exploring Florida should be interesting before we begin our westward migration and birding along the gulf coast all the way to Corpus Christi near the Mexico border in south Texas.  Might even go clear down.  The best birding down along the gulf coast is March-April-May so we will see how it goes.  Again need to be back in Nevada City by May 15.  Whew.
Storm clouds grow even more northbound on Hwy 395
Oh yes, let's finish our drive today.  We encountered a fun thunderstorm with winds.  Initially we thought they weren't as strong as many encountered in New Mexico, then we caught a huge gust broadsides which woke us up.  Woah!
our campsite at Likely Golf and RV resort
As we approached Likely Golf and RV resort  the sun broke out to reveal snow capped peaks to the east.  We pulled in and made camp then took a walk around the lake.  The golf course looked inviting especially after i had my best round in 3 years, yesterday in Nevada City.  Alas, I don't have my clubs yet.  Next year....
one of the little lakes around the Likely Golf and RV Resort

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