Thanksgiving 1999.

This year John planned a wonderful trip for us over the Thanksgiving Holiday. It was all a surprise to me which made it even more special. On Saturday we left Campbell and met Mike, Jan Karen and Bob for dinner at a place called Ernies. John had some really terrific soup and the dinners were good as well. Mike was just getting over a cold but managed to make it through dinner and dessert. After dinner we drove up to John's parents to drop off the cats and get a good night's rest.

On Sunday we drove up 88 via the snow covered sierra mountains to 395. We took this route mainly for the scenery and it was worth it. We drove to Mammoth Lake to spend the evening. We stayed at the Rodeway Inn since John had done his research and found the place with the hot tub. We had dinner at the Chart House - both of us ate the prime rib - it was delicious. After dinner we went and soaked in the huge hot tub - it could have seated 30 people easily! After showering off we watched the crocodile hunter on TV and played Uno.

On Monday we took the scenic June Lake Look Road then off on 120 East which had a great view of Mono Lake, lush forests and red rock. We passed through Tonapah and then took 93 down to Las Vegas. John managed to get his time zones confused so he was nervous that we would be late. I was relaxed since I had no idea what he had planned. We checked in at Mandalay Bay in a beautiful suite on the 28th floor with a perfect view of Las Vegas Strip. We showered and changed into our formal wear and went to Kokomo's in the Mirage. Since we were an hour early we walked over to the Venetian Hotel which just did not seem finished. For dinner we had Lobster Bisque which was a good as ever and then were off to see the cirque du soleil "O." Since we were do dressed up people often stared at us but it was fun! The show was great but we both agreed that we liked the Mystere show at Treasure Island better.

On Tuesday we left Las Vegas and went down Highway 93 over the Hoover Dam. It was amazing. We did not get to stop since John had further surprises in store for us. We drove on to Flagstaff via I40 taking a detour down 89A to Sedona through Red Rock Canyon - arriving just at sunset. The rocks were so beautiful and the timing was perfect. We drove into the town of Sadona and poked around in some of the shops and we bought some photos and I got a Christmas present for Nicole. We then drove back to Flagstaff and wandered around until we found our resting place for the night. In Flagstaff we stayed at the Birch Tree Inn where Donna and Roger served us warm apple cider and gave us dining tips.We had dinner at the Beaver Street Brewery and I was in a snacking type of mood so we ordered excellent fondue, pesto/cream cheese dip and a sausage platter. We nibbled on all of them but could not finish them.

On Wednesday were were off to Durango. We left Flagstaff via I-40 and after a tasty club sandwich at the Ranch Kitchen in Gallop, NM, we headed up highway 666 to Durango. We arrived at the cabins around 6:00 and found out that we were the first people after Shelley and TC to arrive. TC and Shelley made dinner and we talked with the kids then were off to bed.

Thursday morning the other folks arrived and John and I went into town to pick up the ingredients for our pumpkin soup and some items for the family. While John cooked the soup I made Christmas cards with his nieces. The pumpkin shell was very hard and it was almost impossible to cut. We finished the soup and then wandered down to Shelley and TCs cabin and had Thanksgiving dinner.

Friday we went into Durango and went on the Durango-Silverton light gauge rail trip. It was lots of fun! The train ride is about 5 hours with a 2 hour ride up and a 1 hour rest and then a 2 hour ride back. John's throat was starting to bother him and after the train ride we went shopping for throat lozenges and just wandered around town. We went to the grocery store and picked up soup and stuff for grilled cheese and I cooked dinner for John. Since he was feeling so lousy we went to bed early.

On Saturday we left very early and I drove. It was tiring - especially after dark driving through "deer crossing" areas. I was so nervous about hitting one. We finally stopped for the night in Eli. John took a hot bath and I laid out his bed clothes and got a dose of NyQuil ready. We both passed out and slept.

On Sunday John was feeling a little better so he was back to driving which was good since we were going through the mountains. The scenery was really pretty and the drive was not too stressful. We had some lunch at John's parents - picked up the cats and headed home.

	John after his shower before leaving for Flagstaff. The night before we went to Kokomo's for dinner and then to see "O" at the Bellagio.

Shade and Niko at Bish & Ruth's.

Me in Red Rock Canyon		John at Red Rock Canyon
View from Sadona	View from a Vista Point on our drive through Red Rock.	The Durango-Silverton light gage steam engine.
Me taken in retaliation for all the pictures I take of John.	A view from the train looking down into a deep gorge.	John in the viewing car on the train on return trip.
The steam engine - the coal to fuel the boilers is hand shoveled!	A view of the engine rounding a corner. This was taken from the open viewing car which was near the back of the train.	My love and I standing in front of the steam engine.
John and I with a length-wise view of the engine.	Vista from some where is Utah.	A nice view from the same place in Utah.