March 10, 2010 by David.

How is it legal to charge 100% in taxes and fees for rental cars? Seems all cities are trying to boost revenue by screwing car renters. Here’s our family’s latest tally:

• Walla Walla, WA: $76.65 for the car BUT an additional $74.84 taxes and fees. Just shy of 100%.
• Boston, MA: $63.32 for the car BUT an additional $67.18 taxes and fees. Hello? That’s OVER 100%!

Where’s the tax tea party when you need it?

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October 10, 2008 by David.

This is pretty good. $579 season pass for unrestricted and unlimited accessto Vail, Beaver Creek, Brekenridge, Keystone, Heavenly, and Arapahoe Basin. Must be purchased by Nov 15, 2008.

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November 15, 2007 by David.

How about cruising across America, coast to coast, at the break neck speed of 20-25 mph? Yep. On horseback. I like this article on the cross country cowboy by CNN. Maybe because I had horses growing up. Probably doesn’t hurt that right now I’m on 48 acres with four horses and a dog, all surrounded by rice fields. Fun stuff.

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May 29, 2007 by David.

Over Memorial Day weekend, we did some Harley riding.  [Duh.]  We stopped by this little restaurant/bar in Rio Vista, CA (you know, where those whales have been in the news for hanging around in the Sacramento River) called Foster’s Bighorn.  It is a showcase for the hunting exploits of Bill Foster from the early 1900’s.  There are over 300 trophy heads mounted on the walls, including some no longer legal to hunt such as an elephant. 

I had their bison burger for lunch.  If you are ever in the area, you have to at least stick your head in and look around.  Even if you aren’t a hunter, you will find it truly amazing.

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May 9, 2007 by David.

The first Friday of each month, Simon Levi Cellars winery in the Sonoma Valley has “Wine 101″.  This isn’t your normal wine tasting.  It is an event to educate you on wine and paring with food.  It is an absolute hoot.  They limit the class size to about two dozen and in the summer months hold the tasting on the back lawn.  The Girl and the Fig restaurant prepares the food - and it is absolutely excellent.  You can get a discount on what you buy at the event.  The folks hosting it are lots of fun and it is held in an converted 1890’s school house.

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April 30, 2007 by David.

Just got back from my first Laughlin motorcycle rally.  Naturally, went with Gary and a dozen of his friends.  Was lots of fun.  Dang hot.  Took rides to Williams, AZ and Oatman, AZ.

 
Our campsite.  Three RV’s and a dozen bikes - almost all Road Glides.

View of downtown Laughlin from our camping area.

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April 12, 2007 by David.

…but she’s my Mother Truckin’ wife.  And that is a good thing.  With the help of four guys, we packed up two 26′ U-Hauls and started driving at 7 pm Monday evening.  Sharlet drove one of the trucks and I drove the other.  Just after we left, she called me on the cell phone and said, “This is the Mother Trucker…”.  Gotta love the gal.  Ok, she did have a 32′ motorhome she drove quite a bit a few years back, including a trip from California to Alaska.  Still, ya gotta hand it to the gal.  We drove four hours that night, 16 hours the next day and 18 1/2 hours yesterday, arriving at a friend’s at 12:30 am last night.

Sharlet is the best traveling companion ever.  No bitching, whining, complaining.  Always a positive, upbeat attitude in any and every circumstance.  In fact, that is just how Sharlet is.  I’ve never met a person who flat NEVER brings up the negative like her.  It is one of her enduring qualities that make her the best woman in the entire world.  And, did I mention, she’s all mine?

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December 28, 2006 by David.

Two days before Christmas, Sharlet’s 17 year old niece was killed in a car accident.  So sad.  Sharlet was in Hawaii with her new-born grandchild at the time.  The brother of the niece that died is stationed in Hawaii so she was able to be the comforting aunt for him.  At this point, we are driving the pickup 1500 miles to Utah for the funeral.  Yesterday we went through Vail.  I haven’t been there for over ten years.  We are scrambling to beg and borrow ski clothes so on the way back we can stay a day or two and ski.  It just so happens my sister has a time share in Vail and will be arriving the day we are heading back home.  So since all of our ski equipment and clothing is buried deep in a storage unit, we have to come up with some ski clothes, which it looks like we’ll be able to do.  We may look like we have misfitting clothes from decades ago, but, dang, we’ll be skiing Vail - a first for Sharlet.

Thus, I may not have many posts to the blog for a week or so…

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