First, South to Florida
Monday, January 21, 2008
After, what seemed to us, interminable weeks of waiting, we finally got away, on the coldest day of the year. It was a frosty 17 when we got up. We got to Eufaula after lunch where it was a balmy 55. OK, it was darn chilly as the wind was kicking up white caps on the lake.
We are White Oak Creek CG, a COE facility on Lake Eufaula. The sites are closer together than other COE’s we have been to, but otherwise a fine CG.
Dorothy wanted to check out this CG out for the fall Lazy Daze GTG. It looks like it will work fine.
This was the first use of our new EVDO modem away from home. We had a two bar signal, good enough to listen to Emmylou, Gram Parson’s and other artists on Youtube.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
We drove 2.5 hours south on rural roads with almost zero traffic to Lake Seminole. We are in another COE CG, East End.
It was partly cloudy all morning and the 20% chance of rain came true shortly after we got here. So much for paddling the yaks today. The temperature is pleasant enough - low 60’s.
We are in site #9. We like sites 26, 28 and especially 24.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
More of the same. We enjoyed visiting with the Lindstrom’s and missed the Ferguson’s who we found out later were across the lake at Lake Seminole State Park.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
We drove four hours south to Ocala NF, which is an hour east of the city of Ocala. It’s a decent CG, fluffed and buffed. Dan and Rene had already set up camp when we arrived. So we went right to cocktails!
Friday through Sunday
The weather is not co-operating. If it’s sunny, there is too much wind to paddle. If it’s drizzly, we are not up to being wet and cold for hours.
We have cabin fever.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Our day finally came. Warm, full sun and a light breeze. We paddled the river from Alexander Springs to the takeout point, a long seven miles. The first two/three miles were great. Lots of wildlife, all sorts of wading birds and alligators. The wildlife disappeared during the second section of the trip and the shoreline was not as good. Still a great adventure.
Betty and Terry arrived about the time we got in the water and were waiting on us at the CG.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Betty and Terry are south bound for Sarasota. Dan and Rene are going to paddle Juniper Springs and we are taking a lay day - get a punctured tire on the Jeep fixed and do laundry.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
We drove to Flagler Beach to met Ed and Liz who have an LD and are hosting at Grable Rogers CG. We had a great visit and some yummy chocolate cake Liz made for us. Their campsite has a great view of the Atlantic. On this trip, we will see the Atlantic, Pacific and the gulfs of Mexico and California.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
We drove four hours north to Ochlockonee River SP, which is south of Tallahassee. We like it. Endless kayak trails and little else. We will be back.
The weather continues good.
I will update again in a week or so. Until then.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Maiden Voyage
The account of flying to the Left Coast, picking up our new Lazy Daze and taking seven weeks to get her back to Alabama.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Our flight from Birmingham to Las Vegas was uneventful as was the car rental, but would not recommend a Dodge Charger. One of the reasons we flew to Las Vegas instead of Los Angeles was because it is a direct flight. The other reason was so we could have a good meal. We ate at Fellini’s (as always, delicious) and we were asleep at 7:00 PDT. We have been waking up around 4:30 – 5:00 at home and our bodies did not adjust to the time change so we were awake at 3:00. We got up and drove to Arizona Charlie’s for breakfast. I love having eggs, hash browns, sourdough toast, and grilled steak, cooked just right, for $2.99 The coffee was $3.50. We left for California at 6:30.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
We arrived at 10:15 for our 12:30 appointment. We wandered around looking at all the Lazy Dazes then went to a good Mexican Restaurant for lunch. After at 2½ hour walk thru, we then had to do the paperwork. Honestly, I signed more papers than when we bought our house. Then it was on to the hard work – unpacking the 12 boxes that we had shipped. I was told we had not shipped the most, but were in the top 1% - well you should be in the top 1% in something! That was WORK and it was hot! They close at 4:15, so we had to stop.
We checked in to our hotel, which as okay – 60’s California decor. There were no restaurants around that appealed to us, so we found La Cita that we had really enjoyed on our first trip. Dinner was excellent.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Once again we were awake at 4:00 and had to kill 3½ hours before the driver picked us up to continue unpacking. A couple from Indiana, Dan & Barbara, had decided to buy a LD and said they wanted one like ours, so I got to show it off. We were driven to Ehrenberg, AZ for official delivery, because we did not want to pay the 8½% California sales tax. Then it was time for us to take over, Koko is now ours. Don drove the first hour on a very nice straight two lane road. I drove the next hour on a hilly curvy two lane road. But now we both feel comfortable with her. It’s like driving the van, just longer and a little wider. We spent the first night at Blake Ranch RV Park in Kingman, AZ.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
We drove to Winslow, AZ to stay at Homolovi Ruins State Park in Winslow, AZ (thank you Terry and Betty) and try to continue to get organized. The 3 miles road into the park was a great road except for the trenches that are cut into the pavement about every 100 yards. They are about 6” across and 4” deep. Leaving the next morning, we thought we should see the Indian Ruins, but the trenches were worst, so we turned around and headed to New Mexico. We don’t know why they are there, but it certainly does reduce speed.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
This morning, we stopped at Painted Desert/Petrified Forest and spent about an hour. This is a “must do” on another trip and we will even stay at the Homolovi Ruins SP, especially since it’s the only campground around. We arrived at High Desert RV Park for installation of solar panels. We also will meet Frank with our Jeep, named Pelli, and get more boxes to unpack. A very special thanks to Frank for driving our Jeep to Albuquerque. We think we will be organized by the time we leave there Thursday. Dan & Rene Lindstrom were there ahead of us in their new Casita. They had a popup and we are both still marveling at stopping for the evening and there is no set up to do.
We are very pleased with Koko and feel at home, but we still have a lot to learn because it is so different than the Trail Manor. When we arrived the first night, we were tired and all we had to do was park, connect the water and electric. It’s not perfect, but nothing is, and I don’t think we could have bought anything else that we would like half as much.
Monday, September 17, 2007
We stayed around the campground organizing the LD this morning. Around 11:00 Frank Wolcott arrived with our Jeep, Pelli. What a wonderful friend he is, driving our Jeep from Birmingham to Albuquerque and he had a friend he got to visit also. We then went to Camping World to make an appointment to have the tow bar brackets installed.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Mike (The RV Guy) and Lisa Sylvester arrived to start installation of the solar panels and Don worked some on the LD and I just sat and read all day. In the afternoon, we drove to Costco for a few things and then to Whole Foods where we bought some special treats, one was Roquefort cheese (thank you Monica and Chad). We are still organizing the LD. I had to take everything out of a couple of cabinets during the installation and that gave me a chance to redo them, so that really worked out well.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
We arrived at Camping World at 8:00 and left the Jeep. Since we are still waking up so early, an 8:00 appointment was no problem. Mike & Lisa came back to install the surge guard and I did laundry and read. Then Don & Mike worked on getting the lights installed for towing.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Some days you just get lucky and this was our lucky day. We hooked up the Jeep to the LD for our first towing experience. A man behind us had been watching the work for 2 days and came over and asked if we had ever towed a car before. We said no and he asked if we would mind if he could give us some suggestions. It was a great help and we really did appreciate it.
We drove to Manzano Mountain State Park without any problems. We are to visit Kate & Terry, LDer’s that we met on our Spring Catcus trip. They had saved a site for us. This is a wonderful campground, only 16 sites and then another 16 in the group area. We gave our second tour of Koko to Gary & Shelley, who are looking for a C Class RV. We have things organized and are really beginning to feel at home. Set up in the cg is so easy and we are extremely pleased.
Friday, September 21, 2007
We piddled and lazed around. This was our first off-day since we left. Nothing was scheduled, nothing that we had to do. We finally got a nap.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
We drove the Jeep up to the lookout on Capilla Peak. This was the first time we have the Jeep off road for any distance. Dorothy enjoyed driving on the rock and dirt road. The summit is 9,350, about 2,100 above the CG. The lookout affords a 360 view. The Forest Service has one of the preeminent CG’s we have seen on one shoulder of the peak. About 8 sites, and most have log ramadas on concrete pads that over look the valley below. Are you listening Terry? The road is “one lane”, so taking the wide LD on the road would not work if we met oncoming vehicle.
There are so many places we want to go in NM, I doubt we will be get to Utah this trip. That now seems to be over-reaching. One thing we like about NM is that there are fewer people.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
We drove south to see two of the Pueblo communities. At Gran Quivira, the hillside is covered in dwellings, mostly intact, except for the roofs. The women handled all the building. Guess they were pretty good masons. It’s the largest of the three Salinas Pueblos. They were setting up to have a wedding in the mission church, which is pretty cool. The brinks here are red. The other one, Quarai, is obviously smaller and the bricks are gray, but it is still a large and quite unique.
Monday, September 24, 2007
We broke camp and drove two hours north to Cochiti Lake. This is close to Tent Rocks and gives us easy access to Santa Fe. The price is right too, $6 including electric .One of the advantages of being 62+ is the “Golden Age” pass that allows you ½ off on all camping and free admittance to all National Parks.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
We are enjoying NM. We have been here for 10 days and we may stay here until? We had said we would be back by Halloween, but for sure before Thanksgiving. We drove into Santa Fe this morning and got the lay of the city. I had not loaded Santa Fe maps into Glenda the GPS, so finding things was a problem I did not want to deal with. We looked at the art in the state capitol. Imagine a state building chock-a-block full of art. We had lunch at a local high rated Mexican restaurant. It was OK, but the margaritas were loaded with tequila. We got high on one. That ended touring. We stopped at Lowe's and walked around to sober up, before getting on I25 to come back to the CG.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Today we drove to see a local geologic formation known as Tent Rocks. I tripped over this place somewhere on the web this summer. A fellow had posted a picture of it, so I Googled the name and found the location. Coronado had a more difficult time, lacking the www. Tent Rocks has always been here, but only in 2000 did the BLM put up signage, build a trail, etc. Now, it quite popular being located near two cities.
We hiked the 3mile RT trail through a first-rate and accessible slot canyon, then up the hillside to a excellent overlook. Perhaps the pictures will give you an idea of the place.
We saw signage for Dixon’s Apple Farm, so we drove up the canyon to sample them. It’s three miles on a gravel road. We had not noticed much traffic, until we got on the gravel and over a dozen cars passed us coming out. The parking lot was full and folks were hauling apples out in wheel barrows about as fast as the trucks were bringing them in from the fields. We got bag of Champaign apples. About 50 for $14. They are tasty and we will be eating them for as long as they last.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
For years, people have asked us if we have been to Santa Fe. The answer was always, we tend to avoid cities. That answer still stands, but we have been to Santa Fe. It’s like New Orleans or Boston, confusing to get around and no on-street parking. Private lots get $20 a day. It is crammed with art galleries, selling attractive items for a king’s ransom.
We wanted to see Georgia O’Keefe’s exhibit. So does everyone else! The exhibit was disappointing to us, as they do have much of her work. We did enjoy the many quotes of hers that were painted on the walls and the documentary movie was interesting.
We had lunch at a trendy tapas place, La Boca. Then checked out two galleries Dorothy wanted to investigate. I felt very poor seeing the almost concealed price tags
Friday, September 28, 2007
We got off early for a change this morning, at 8. We were the first to the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks trailhead. We wanted to take the Cave loop that we did not feel like doing Wednesday. It is a smooth gravel trail that goes up a moderate grade. It got Dorothy huffing and puffing real quick. After the cave loop, we could not resist going back to the slot canyon. So we had a 2 mile RT hike. We then drove another 3 miles to a newly completed overlook dedicated to veterans, especially the local tribe of Cochiti Indians. The view was of another canyon of tent rocks, which look more like teepees to us. This may be one of our top five places to visit, definitely top ten.
We both like the “softness” of the landscape in central New Mexico. Utah is great, but there is an edge, a sharpness to the terrain. The weather here has been delightful. Low’s 60’s at 7am, warming quickly as the sun rises. We have had a nice breeze most of the time.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Today has been maintenance day. Sometimes, you just have to do housekeeping. We have had delightful weather all week. Betty was finally able to connect with us on the phone this afternoon. They are over in Utah at Canyonland. She said it was blowing 50 there. About an hour later, the wind picked up here. Gusting to 30 I suspect. I don’t think we should take any more phone calls from them.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Moving Day. We drove for almost two hours from Cochiti Lake around to the other side of the mountain. We are now in a picturesque red canyon, in a Forest Service CG, Vista Linda. We are about 5,700 feet so it will be a little cooler than at Cochiti Lake, but much warmer than at the Forest Service CG’s north of here in the mountains. It’s 5pm now and I am comfortable in shorts in the shade. Life is good!
Our site is next to the Jimez River, creek actually, but it babbles and makes the Cottonwood trees lush green. This is the sort of place we bought the LD for. It’s dry camping and we have sun to keep the batteries charged. The price? $5 and we have an asphalt pad.
We arrived before noon and the small CG had five sites open. The site we took is, to our way of thinking, the best one. For our Sunday drive, we took Highway 4 into Los Alamos and when we got back, we found there are only four others in the CG. Looks like it will be a good week.
Monday, October 01, 2007
We drove up to see Fenton Lake SP. Not much to see there. We were sleepy when we got back after lunch and took a nap. By then it was really overcast so we rear, then started to drizzle and we watched some TV. We had never seen HD TV before. It’s great and the range is further than an analog signal.
We are the only ones left in the CG.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
We drove the 50-minute mountain road to Los Alamos to see the Bradbury Science Museum. It’s free. Well actually it is done by USC which has held the contract for Los Alamos since day 1. So thanks to all the tax payers for our free visit. It was worth it. Even Dorothy enjoyed it and I had no clue she was into physics.
On the way back to the CG, we detoured to Bandolier NM. It’s OK, but we are both up to our necks in native culture. I mean how many ruins can you see and still get excited? It’s like driving the through the berbs looking at houses. There are ruins all over the southwest.
Four other rigs came in while we were gone, but we are in the back by ourselves.
Tilapia sandwiches tonight.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
This morning we drove down Hwy 485 to a rock canyon with stone tunnels. If you can’t tell, we love canyons. This was quite scenic, high cliff walls and a babbling stream. While at one pull off we chatted with a Marine father/Air Force son, who were spending the day together on their Harleys. Son graduates from ROTC soon and then leaves as a second Lieutenant for pilot training.
We left there and then drove back up Hwy 4 once again, and hiked the East Fork trail. It was a mostly level easy walking except we had to ford the stream on stepping stones., 3 easy bridges, then a tree over the stream that had been flatten on the top and had a hand rail, one-fourth of which was extremely rickety. After about a mile we turned around because the next crossing was a log that had no safety features. If I had the agility and dexterity of Patrick Swayze and Linda Gray in “Dirty Dancing”, I would have attempted it. But, I decided that I could break bones by falling, which I felt sure that I would do. But, it was a good two mile hike and we needed the exercise.
The two solar panels fully recharge our batteries in 4 hours of sun. The sun does not get into this canyon until after 10 and the batteries are charged before 2.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Today is moving day and we moved to Riana Campground on Lake Abiquiu. It’s a Corps of Engineer lake and they are usually pretty good. This one is no exception. The sites are level and well spaced so you don’t see anyone else from your site. We have a picturesque view of the lake and the surrounding red rock hills.
We needed some milk so we drove eight miles south to the Village of Abiquiu. It was established in 1730 We saw a sign pointed to the library, so up the dirt road we go to a plaza that consists of a mission, artist studios, a bona fide bar, a several houses (one of which was the home of Georgia O’Keefe from 1949 until her death), and the library. Imagine our surprise to find wi-fi with excellent speed.
Friday, October 05, 2007
We decided to sightsee and scout other places to stay. We drove north toward Chama and stopped at El Vado Lake State Park and Herron Lake State Park. It is getting late in the year for campers because the CGs were just about empty. We won’t have trouble finding a good campsite. Since we were only a few miles from Chama, we decided to visit there. We had such good memories from our visit in 1994. The town hasn’t changed too much, but there are three large realty offices now and our favorite restaurant, Viva Vera’s, closed last year.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
What a great day! We paddled about three miles and the weather was perfect. It felt good to be back in the kayak. Later in the afternoon, we went to Espanola where they have a Wal-Mart. (For those of you that don’t camp, shopping at Wal-Mart is a “must do” about every 10 days!). We’re not sure where we are going next, but know that it won’t be in a large town, so we needed to stock up on supplies. With the new rig, I sometimes get carried away and buy too much, but luckily, we do have enough storage for everything.
We left Espanola in a pleasant temperature for the 30-odd mile drive back to the CG. After a few miles, the wind was really buffeting the Jeep. When we opened the Jeep door, the air was damn cold and we were in shorts. I changed clothes before hauling the grocery sacks into LD.
There are wind warnings on the lake tonight and it is blowing like stink (sailing term). I am so thankful that we aren’t in the popup!
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The wind laid down during the night, but the 7am temperature is 37. That is 10 degrees below our previous morning low two weeks ago. We are going to get a weather report before we go north and up another thousand feet.
We met our neighbors, Ted & Jamie from NE Georgia and enjoyed sitting around the campfire chatting with them – really good people and we invited them over for cocktails that afternoon. They are leaving Monday morning.
After lunch we headed for the Village to check emails and as we were driving out, a LD drove in. After weather report, we decided to spend Monday night here also and leave Tuesday when it starts warming up. As soon as we got back, we drove to their site to chat. They are Paul & Chris from Texas that fulltime.
At cocktail time, Ted, Jamie, Frank & Chris came over and we sat around our campfire and enjoyed visiting. We enjoyed showing off Koko and, of course, they were all impressed. Life in retirement is good.
Monday, October 08, 2007
We had a lazy morning. After it warmed up a bit we scoured the hillside for rocks. We found a few decent pieces of agate.
After lunch, we went down and visited with Frank & Chris in their 30 foot Lazy Daze. We came back and did a few chores, had dinner and went back to see Frank & Chris. Rough day!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
The temperature is back in the comfortable range, short sleeves, so we drove north through the Rio Grande canyon to the Wild River NRA. The elevation is about 7,700. This is a fairly new facility and is BLM managed. There are four small CG’s here, all with fresh gravel and large Ramada’s. The views are good, nothing but horizon with pinion pines and junipers. To the east are the Sangre de Cristo mountains. We are the only ones here.
Our site, 26, is next to one of the trails to bottom of the river gorge. The Rio Bravo is on the east side of the mesa and the Rio Grande on the other side.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The day dawned sunny. The Woods left homeward bound at 9. The overcast came a few minutes later. There was light rain by 11. It amazes us the power they have over the weather. But, this time they are excused, as Terry found 12volts in the fuse panel, so now the toad brakes work again. Besides, most of the rain never made it to ground and the clouds were gone in an hour.
After lunch, we hiked into the gorge. About the half-way point, I decided we should abort and see if we could make it back up, the 300-odd nearly vertical feet. We were huffing and puffing shortly and took breaks every other switchback. There were 19 switchbacks. Darn glad we did not attempt the entire decent.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
We drove two hours north to the Great Sands Dunes NP in southern Colorado. The dunes are more magnificent than we recalled. The CG is one of the better to be found in national parks. It’s enchanting to me. The dunes for a vista and the numerous Pinyon Pines in the CG. We may have the largest and most scenic site. Large sites are scarce. We drove around both loops twice until we settled on the perfect one, #60.
Friday, October 12, 2007
We got off early and drove 90-odd miles west into the San Juan Mountains. I needed to get a bite of the big mountains. We went up Wolf Creek Pass and then took the dirt road to the top, 11,787 feet, at Lobo Overlook. The 360-degree view of the surrounding peaks was worth the drive. I am not sure, but this may be the highest we have driven – ever.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
We slept until 8! Then we lazed around and finally had breakfast. I drove the LD forward 50 feet to fill the fresh water tank so we could have showers. By 11:30 we got in the Jeep and drove the 4WD trail to the Point of No Return, where 4WD is required. We saw several 4WD vehicles parked there and no one around. Were they hiking, primitive camping or what? I decided we should walk the road to the Sand Pit and see what the road condition was like. After walking a half-mile we finally saw two 4WD and they went through the sand just fine, so we huffed and puffed back to the Point of No Return, dropped the air pressure to 18 pounds and drove about 5 miles through some deep and fine sand with no problems.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Rain/snow was predicted and snow it did, I saw over two dozen flakes. We drove east and south to near Raton, NM to Sugarite Canyon SP. We had to cross a 9,400 foot pass on the way and that’s well over our limit to tow, so I drove the LD and Dorothy followed in the Jeep for about 20 miles. That was last high pass the LD will see this trip.
This is an OK CG, the fall foliage is still good and we are sure it was excellent two weeks back. There are still insolated groves of Aspens in near peak foliage. They are like light beacons.
Monday, October 15, 2007
It was nice to have electricity last night as it was near freezing. By noon, it was 62. We drove west to Cimarron Canyon, a treat for the eyes. We have pretty much covered the area north of Santa Fe, except for Vidal Valle. We saw a sign to it this morning.. It’s up a long dirt road on a high mesa. I think it would be a great place in the Summer. Next time.
Tomorrow, we are going to wash clothes and go to the library for wifi. Tuesday we are going to head home. It will take us about a week. We had thought about dropping down to I10 and stopping to see some friends and relatives, but we can not reach two of them and one will not be home. So we are going to go home on I20 this time. It means going through Dallas, but it will be a change from I40.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
This was maintenance day. As we were getting ready to leave a couple in a beat up old car pulled in around 9:30 and they just didn’t seem like campers. We were a little concerned and so was another camper. We went to the Park Rangers office to voice our concerns, but we were told they were campers and that they would check on them. Turns out they were campers and all was well. Just goes to show that appearances aren’t everything. While I was doing laundry in Raton, Don went to an auto parts store to make a couple of purchases. Back at the camper (or home as we sometimes refer to it), we continued doing chores.
We looked in the Mobil Travel Book and decided to try a local restaurant, Pappas Sweet Shoppe Restaurant for dinner. We each had a 10 oz rib eye that was absolutely delicious and we ate every bite. We had a pleasant chat with the owner – we enjoy the local restaurants and avoid chains that you can get anywhere.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
We are now officially headed home. After a five hour drive, we are at Lake Meredith NRA a little north of Amarillo, TX. The things we like about this campsite: sites are level, they sit on a bluff overlooking the lake and it’s free. The drawback is that there is a front moving through, so it’s blowing like stink. But, the temperature is delightful, we sat outside in short sleeves and had cocktails. Of course, we did have to fight the flies for the drinks, but we won. We also have cell phone coverage here and it’s been a long time since we have had coverage at our site.
We left Raton at over 6,000 feet and it’s all downhill from here. An hour after we left, the land became flat and we were down to about 3,500 feet.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
A two hour drive got us to Palo Duro Canyon just south of Amarillo. As canyons go, this is a good one. It is not as dramatic or deep as those found further west, but worth the visit. We could only stay one night as some big deal marathon had the place booked for the weekend.
Friday, October 19, 2007
A long six hour drive got us south of Abilene to Abilene SP. The destination had two goals, to get close to Perines Steak House and I20. Not many people would drive six hours to eat steak in Buffalo Gap, Texas, but we have.
We ate out last night at The BBQ Barn, one of those places found in small town Texas. All locals, hats nailed walls, pool table, low budget tables and decent BBQ, especially, the sausage. Dorothy was ravenous.
The temperature was hot when we arrived, so I put on shorts. After dinner, I planed to sit out and drink, but instead I turned on the TV and watched some mindless Friday TV and stayed sober.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
We shopped six stores in Abilene looking for things for Koko. We found a basket to hold napkins, plus a travel iron and a toaster. Personalizing Koko will have to wait.
For dinner, we went to Perines Steak House and had the 16 oz rib eye. It was good, but pricey. We shared their famous bread pudding for dessert, made with Jack Daniel’s sauce and pecans; it was very rich. Without drinks, the tab was $75.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
We drove 3.5 hours to outside of Ft. Worth. The winds were strong most of the day, so getting into a safe harbor was most welcome. We are at a COE CG, called Holiday Park on Lake Benbrook. A great facility and it’s only $10 a night. This will become a stop every time we use I20.
Monday, October 22, 2007
We tried to get a wire cable at Camping World, no joy. We did find a few useful things for Koko at The Container Store. The rain held off today, so we will continue east in the morning. A little over 12 hours driving time from here. We expect to be home Friday in four jumps, Shreveport, Vicksburg, Montgomery and then Golf Dr.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Our flight from Birmingham to Las Vegas was uneventful as was the car rental, but would not recommend a Dodge Charger. One of the reasons we flew to Las Vegas instead of Los Angeles was because it is a direct flight. The other reason was so we could have a good meal. We ate at Fellini’s (as always, delicious) and we were asleep at 7:00 PDT. We have been waking up around 4:30 – 5:00 at home and our bodies did not adjust to the time change so we were awake at 3:00. We got up and drove to Arizona Charlie’s for breakfast. I love having eggs, hash browns, sourdough toast, and grilled steak, cooked just right, for $2.99 The coffee was $3.50. We left for California at 6:30.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
We arrived at 10:15 for our 12:30 appointment. We wandered around looking at all the Lazy Dazes then went to a good Mexican Restaurant for lunch. After at 2½ hour walk thru, we then had to do the paperwork. Honestly, I signed more papers than when we bought our house. Then it was on to the hard work – unpacking the 12 boxes that we had shipped. I was told we had not shipped the most, but were in the top 1% - well you should be in the top 1% in something! That was WORK and it was hot! They close at 4:15, so we had to stop.
We checked in to our hotel, which as okay – 60’s California decor. There were no restaurants around that appealed to us, so we found La Cita that we had really enjoyed on our first trip. Dinner was excellent.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Once again we were awake at 4:00 and had to kill 3½ hours before the driver picked us up to continue unpacking. A couple from Indiana, Dan & Barbara, had decided to buy a LD and said they wanted one like ours, so I got to show it off. We were driven to Ehrenberg, AZ for official delivery, because we did not want to pay the 8½% California sales tax. Then it was time for us to take over, Koko is now ours. Don drove the first hour on a very nice straight two lane road. I drove the next hour on a hilly curvy two lane road. But now we both feel comfortable with her. It’s like driving the van, just longer and a little wider. We spent the first night at Blake Ranch RV Park in Kingman, AZ.
Saturday, September 15, 2007
We drove to Winslow, AZ to stay at Homolovi Ruins State Park in Winslow, AZ (thank you Terry and Betty) and try to continue to get organized. The 3 miles road into the park was a great road except for the trenches that are cut into the pavement about every 100 yards. They are about 6” across and 4” deep. Leaving the next morning, we thought we should see the Indian Ruins, but the trenches were worst, so we turned around and headed to New Mexico. We don’t know why they are there, but it certainly does reduce speed.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
This morning, we stopped at Painted Desert/Petrified Forest and spent about an hour. This is a “must do” on another trip and we will even stay at the Homolovi Ruins SP, especially since it’s the only campground around. We arrived at High Desert RV Park for installation of solar panels. We also will meet Frank with our Jeep, named Pelli, and get more boxes to unpack. A very special thanks to Frank for driving our Jeep to Albuquerque. We think we will be organized by the time we leave there Thursday. Dan & Rene Lindstrom were there ahead of us in their new Casita. They had a popup and we are both still marveling at stopping for the evening and there is no set up to do.
We are very pleased with Koko and feel at home, but we still have a lot to learn because it is so different than the Trail Manor. When we arrived the first night, we were tired and all we had to do was park, connect the water and electric. It’s not perfect, but nothing is, and I don’t think we could have bought anything else that we would like half as much.
Monday, September 17, 2007
We stayed around the campground organizing the LD this morning. Around 11:00 Frank Wolcott arrived with our Jeep, Pelli. What a wonderful friend he is, driving our Jeep from Birmingham to Albuquerque and he had a friend he got to visit also. We then went to Camping World to make an appointment to have the tow bar brackets installed.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Mike (The RV Guy) and Lisa Sylvester arrived to start installation of the solar panels and Don worked some on the LD and I just sat and read all day. In the afternoon, we drove to Costco for a few things and then to Whole Foods where we bought some special treats, one was Roquefort cheese (thank you Monica and Chad). We are still organizing the LD. I had to take everything out of a couple of cabinets during the installation and that gave me a chance to redo them, so that really worked out well.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
We arrived at Camping World at 8:00 and left the Jeep. Since we are still waking up so early, an 8:00 appointment was no problem. Mike & Lisa came back to install the surge guard and I did laundry and read. Then Don & Mike worked on getting the lights installed for towing.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Some days you just get lucky and this was our lucky day. We hooked up the Jeep to the LD for our first towing experience. A man behind us had been watching the work for 2 days and came over and asked if we had ever towed a car before. We said no and he asked if we would mind if he could give us some suggestions. It was a great help and we really did appreciate it.
We drove to Manzano Mountain State Park without any problems. We are to visit Kate & Terry, LDer’s that we met on our Spring Catcus trip. They had saved a site for us. This is a wonderful campground, only 16 sites and then another 16 in the group area. We gave our second tour of Koko to Gary & Shelley, who are looking for a C Class RV. We have things organized and are really beginning to feel at home. Set up in the cg is so easy and we are extremely pleased.
Friday, September 21, 2007
We piddled and lazed around. This was our first off-day since we left. Nothing was scheduled, nothing that we had to do. We finally got a nap.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
We drove the Jeep up to the lookout on Capilla Peak. This was the first time we have the Jeep off road for any distance. Dorothy enjoyed driving on the rock and dirt road. The summit is 9,350, about 2,100 above the CG. The lookout affords a 360 view. The Forest Service has one of the preeminent CG’s we have seen on one shoulder of the peak. About 8 sites, and most have log ramadas on concrete pads that over look the valley below. Are you listening Terry? The road is “one lane”, so taking the wide LD on the road would not work if we met oncoming vehicle.
There are so many places we want to go in NM, I doubt we will be get to Utah this trip. That now seems to be over-reaching. One thing we like about NM is that there are fewer people.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
We drove south to see two of the Pueblo communities. At Gran Quivira, the hillside is covered in dwellings, mostly intact, except for the roofs. The women handled all the building. Guess they were pretty good masons. It’s the largest of the three Salinas Pueblos. They were setting up to have a wedding in the mission church, which is pretty cool. The brinks here are red. The other one, Quarai, is obviously smaller and the bricks are gray, but it is still a large and quite unique.
Monday, September 24, 2007
We broke camp and drove two hours north to Cochiti Lake. This is close to Tent Rocks and gives us easy access to Santa Fe. The price is right too, $6 including electric .One of the advantages of being 62+ is the “Golden Age” pass that allows you ½ off on all camping and free admittance to all National Parks.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
We are enjoying NM. We have been here for 10 days and we may stay here until? We had said we would be back by Halloween, but for sure before Thanksgiving. We drove into Santa Fe this morning and got the lay of the city. I had not loaded Santa Fe maps into Glenda the GPS, so finding things was a problem I did not want to deal with. We looked at the art in the state capitol. Imagine a state building chock-a-block full of art. We had lunch at a local high rated Mexican restaurant. It was OK, but the margaritas were loaded with tequila. We got high on one. That ended touring. We stopped at Lowe's and walked around to sober up, before getting on I25 to come back to the CG.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Today we drove to see a local geologic formation known as Tent Rocks. I tripped over this place somewhere on the web this summer. A fellow had posted a picture of it, so I Googled the name and found the location. Coronado had a more difficult time, lacking the www. Tent Rocks has always been here, but only in 2000 did the BLM put up signage, build a trail, etc. Now, it quite popular being located near two cities.
We hiked the 3mile RT trail through a first-rate and accessible slot canyon, then up the hillside to a excellent overlook. Perhaps the pictures will give you an idea of the place.
We saw signage for Dixon’s Apple Farm, so we drove up the canyon to sample them. It’s three miles on a gravel road. We had not noticed much traffic, until we got on the gravel and over a dozen cars passed us coming out. The parking lot was full and folks were hauling apples out in wheel barrows about as fast as the trucks were bringing them in from the fields. We got bag of Champaign apples. About 50 for $14. They are tasty and we will be eating them for as long as they last.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
For years, people have asked us if we have been to Santa Fe. The answer was always, we tend to avoid cities. That answer still stands, but we have been to Santa Fe. It’s like New Orleans or Boston, confusing to get around and no on-street parking. Private lots get $20 a day. It is crammed with art galleries, selling attractive items for a king’s ransom.
We wanted to see Georgia O’Keefe’s exhibit. So does everyone else! The exhibit was disappointing to us, as they do have much of her work. We did enjoy the many quotes of hers that were painted on the walls and the documentary movie was interesting.
We had lunch at a trendy tapas place, La Boca. Then checked out two galleries Dorothy wanted to investigate. I felt very poor seeing the almost concealed price tags
Friday, September 28, 2007
We got off early for a change this morning, at 8. We were the first to the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks trailhead. We wanted to take the Cave loop that we did not feel like doing Wednesday. It is a smooth gravel trail that goes up a moderate grade. It got Dorothy huffing and puffing real quick. After the cave loop, we could not resist going back to the slot canyon. So we had a 2 mile RT hike. We then drove another 3 miles to a newly completed overlook dedicated to veterans, especially the local tribe of Cochiti Indians. The view was of another canyon of tent rocks, which look more like teepees to us. This may be one of our top five places to visit, definitely top ten.
We both like the “softness” of the landscape in central New Mexico. Utah is great, but there is an edge, a sharpness to the terrain. The weather here has been delightful. Low’s 60’s at 7am, warming quickly as the sun rises. We have had a nice breeze most of the time.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Today has been maintenance day. Sometimes, you just have to do housekeeping. We have had delightful weather all week. Betty was finally able to connect with us on the phone this afternoon. They are over in Utah at Canyonland. She said it was blowing 50 there. About an hour later, the wind picked up here. Gusting to 30 I suspect. I don’t think we should take any more phone calls from them.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Moving Day. We drove for almost two hours from Cochiti Lake around to the other side of the mountain. We are now in a picturesque red canyon, in a Forest Service CG, Vista Linda. We are about 5,700 feet so it will be a little cooler than at Cochiti Lake, but much warmer than at the Forest Service CG’s north of here in the mountains. It’s 5pm now and I am comfortable in shorts in the shade. Life is good!
Our site is next to the Jimez River, creek actually, but it babbles and makes the Cottonwood trees lush green. This is the sort of place we bought the LD for. It’s dry camping and we have sun to keep the batteries charged. The price? $5 and we have an asphalt pad.
We arrived before noon and the small CG had five sites open. The site we took is, to our way of thinking, the best one. For our Sunday drive, we took Highway 4 into Los Alamos and when we got back, we found there are only four others in the CG. Looks like it will be a good week.
Monday, October 01, 2007
We drove up to see Fenton Lake SP. Not much to see there. We were sleepy when we got back after lunch and took a nap. By then it was really overcast so we rear, then started to drizzle and we watched some TV. We had never seen HD TV before. It’s great and the range is further than an analog signal.
We are the only ones left in the CG.
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
We drove the 50-minute mountain road to Los Alamos to see the Bradbury Science Museum. It’s free. Well actually it is done by USC which has held the contract for Los Alamos since day 1. So thanks to all the tax payers for our free visit. It was worth it. Even Dorothy enjoyed it and I had no clue she was into physics.
On the way back to the CG, we detoured to Bandolier NM. It’s OK, but we are both up to our necks in native culture. I mean how many ruins can you see and still get excited? It’s like driving the through the berbs looking at houses. There are ruins all over the southwest.
Four other rigs came in while we were gone, but we are in the back by ourselves.
Tilapia sandwiches tonight.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
This morning we drove down Hwy 485 to a rock canyon with stone tunnels. If you can’t tell, we love canyons. This was quite scenic, high cliff walls and a babbling stream. While at one pull off we chatted with a Marine father/Air Force son, who were spending the day together on their Harleys. Son graduates from ROTC soon and then leaves as a second Lieutenant for pilot training.
We left there and then drove back up Hwy 4 once again, and hiked the East Fork trail. It was a mostly level easy walking except we had to ford the stream on stepping stones., 3 easy bridges, then a tree over the stream that had been flatten on the top and had a hand rail, one-fourth of which was extremely rickety. After about a mile we turned around because the next crossing was a log that had no safety features. If I had the agility and dexterity of Patrick Swayze and Linda Gray in “Dirty Dancing”, I would have attempted it. But, I decided that I could break bones by falling, which I felt sure that I would do. But, it was a good two mile hike and we needed the exercise.
The two solar panels fully recharge our batteries in 4 hours of sun. The sun does not get into this canyon until after 10 and the batteries are charged before 2.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Today is moving day and we moved to Riana Campground on Lake Abiquiu. It’s a Corps of Engineer lake and they are usually pretty good. This one is no exception. The sites are level and well spaced so you don’t see anyone else from your site. We have a picturesque view of the lake and the surrounding red rock hills.
We needed some milk so we drove eight miles south to the Village of Abiquiu. It was established in 1730 We saw a sign pointed to the library, so up the dirt road we go to a plaza that consists of a mission, artist studios, a bona fide bar, a several houses (one of which was the home of Georgia O’Keefe from 1949 until her death), and the library. Imagine our surprise to find wi-fi with excellent speed.
Friday, October 05, 2007
We decided to sightsee and scout other places to stay. We drove north toward Chama and stopped at El Vado Lake State Park and Herron Lake State Park. It is getting late in the year for campers because the CGs were just about empty. We won’t have trouble finding a good campsite. Since we were only a few miles from Chama, we decided to visit there. We had such good memories from our visit in 1994. The town hasn’t changed too much, but there are three large realty offices now and our favorite restaurant, Viva Vera’s, closed last year.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
What a great day! We paddled about three miles and the weather was perfect. It felt good to be back in the kayak. Later in the afternoon, we went to Espanola where they have a Wal-Mart. (For those of you that don’t camp, shopping at Wal-Mart is a “must do” about every 10 days!). We’re not sure where we are going next, but know that it won’t be in a large town, so we needed to stock up on supplies. With the new rig, I sometimes get carried away and buy too much, but luckily, we do have enough storage for everything.
We left Espanola in a pleasant temperature for the 30-odd mile drive back to the CG. After a few miles, the wind was really buffeting the Jeep. When we opened the Jeep door, the air was damn cold and we were in shorts. I changed clothes before hauling the grocery sacks into LD.
There are wind warnings on the lake tonight and it is blowing like stink (sailing term). I am so thankful that we aren’t in the popup!
Sunday, October 07, 2007
The wind laid down during the night, but the 7am temperature is 37. That is 10 degrees below our previous morning low two weeks ago. We are going to get a weather report before we go north and up another thousand feet.
We met our neighbors, Ted & Jamie from NE Georgia and enjoyed sitting around the campfire chatting with them – really good people and we invited them over for cocktails that afternoon. They are leaving Monday morning.
After lunch we headed for the Village to check emails and as we were driving out, a LD drove in. After weather report, we decided to spend Monday night here also and leave Tuesday when it starts warming up. As soon as we got back, we drove to their site to chat. They are Paul & Chris from Texas that fulltime.
At cocktail time, Ted, Jamie, Frank & Chris came over and we sat around our campfire and enjoyed visiting. We enjoyed showing off Koko and, of course, they were all impressed. Life in retirement is good.
Monday, October 08, 2007
We had a lazy morning. After it warmed up a bit we scoured the hillside for rocks. We found a few decent pieces of agate.
After lunch, we went down and visited with Frank & Chris in their 30 foot Lazy Daze. We came back and did a few chores, had dinner and went back to see Frank & Chris. Rough day!
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
The temperature is back in the comfortable range, short sleeves, so we drove north through the Rio Grande canyon to the Wild River NRA. The elevation is about 7,700. This is a fairly new facility and is BLM managed. There are four small CG’s here, all with fresh gravel and large Ramada’s. The views are good, nothing but horizon with pinion pines and junipers. To the east are the Sangre de Cristo mountains. We are the only ones here.
Our site, 26, is next to one of the trails to bottom of the river gorge. The Rio Bravo is on the east side of the mesa and the Rio Grande on the other side.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The day dawned sunny. The Woods left homeward bound at 9. The overcast came a few minutes later. There was light rain by 11. It amazes us the power they have over the weather. But, this time they are excused, as Terry found 12volts in the fuse panel, so now the toad brakes work again. Besides, most of the rain never made it to ground and the clouds were gone in an hour.
After lunch, we hiked into the gorge. About the half-way point, I decided we should abort and see if we could make it back up, the 300-odd nearly vertical feet. We were huffing and puffing shortly and took breaks every other switchback. There were 19 switchbacks. Darn glad we did not attempt the entire decent.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
We drove two hours north to the Great Sands Dunes NP in southern Colorado. The dunes are more magnificent than we recalled. The CG is one of the better to be found in national parks. It’s enchanting to me. The dunes for a vista and the numerous Pinyon Pines in the CG. We may have the largest and most scenic site. Large sites are scarce. We drove around both loops twice until we settled on the perfect one, #60.
Friday, October 12, 2007
We got off early and drove 90-odd miles west into the San Juan Mountains. I needed to get a bite of the big mountains. We went up Wolf Creek Pass and then took the dirt road to the top, 11,787 feet, at Lobo Overlook. The 360-degree view of the surrounding peaks was worth the drive. I am not sure, but this may be the highest we have driven – ever.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
We slept until 8! Then we lazed around and finally had breakfast. I drove the LD forward 50 feet to fill the fresh water tank so we could have showers. By 11:30 we got in the Jeep and drove the 4WD trail to the Point of No Return, where 4WD is required. We saw several 4WD vehicles parked there and no one around. Were they hiking, primitive camping or what? I decided we should walk the road to the Sand Pit and see what the road condition was like. After walking a half-mile we finally saw two 4WD and they went through the sand just fine, so we huffed and puffed back to the Point of No Return, dropped the air pressure to 18 pounds and drove about 5 miles through some deep and fine sand with no problems.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Rain/snow was predicted and snow it did, I saw over two dozen flakes. We drove east and south to near Raton, NM to Sugarite Canyon SP. We had to cross a 9,400 foot pass on the way and that’s well over our limit to tow, so I drove the LD and Dorothy followed in the Jeep for about 20 miles. That was last high pass the LD will see this trip.
This is an OK CG, the fall foliage is still good and we are sure it was excellent two weeks back. There are still insolated groves of Aspens in near peak foliage. They are like light beacons.
Monday, October 15, 2007
It was nice to have electricity last night as it was near freezing. By noon, it was 62. We drove west to Cimarron Canyon, a treat for the eyes. We have pretty much covered the area north of Santa Fe, except for Vidal Valle. We saw a sign to it this morning.. It’s up a long dirt road on a high mesa. I think it would be a great place in the Summer. Next time.
Tomorrow, we are going to wash clothes and go to the library for wifi. Tuesday we are going to head home. It will take us about a week. We had thought about dropping down to I10 and stopping to see some friends and relatives, but we can not reach two of them and one will not be home. So we are going to go home on I20 this time. It means going through Dallas, but it will be a change from I40.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
This was maintenance day. As we were getting ready to leave a couple in a beat up old car pulled in around 9:30 and they just didn’t seem like campers. We were a little concerned and so was another camper. We went to the Park Rangers office to voice our concerns, but we were told they were campers and that they would check on them. Turns out they were campers and all was well. Just goes to show that appearances aren’t everything. While I was doing laundry in Raton, Don went to an auto parts store to make a couple of purchases. Back at the camper (or home as we sometimes refer to it), we continued doing chores.
We looked in the Mobil Travel Book and decided to try a local restaurant, Pappas Sweet Shoppe Restaurant for dinner. We each had a 10 oz rib eye that was absolutely delicious and we ate every bite. We had a pleasant chat with the owner – we enjoy the local restaurants and avoid chains that you can get anywhere.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
We are now officially headed home. After a five hour drive, we are at Lake Meredith NRA a little north of Amarillo, TX. The things we like about this campsite: sites are level, they sit on a bluff overlooking the lake and it’s free. The drawback is that there is a front moving through, so it’s blowing like stink. But, the temperature is delightful, we sat outside in short sleeves and had cocktails. Of course, we did have to fight the flies for the drinks, but we won. We also have cell phone coverage here and it’s been a long time since we have had coverage at our site.
We left Raton at over 6,000 feet and it’s all downhill from here. An hour after we left, the land became flat and we were down to about 3,500 feet.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
A two hour drive got us to Palo Duro Canyon just south of Amarillo. As canyons go, this is a good one. It is not as dramatic or deep as those found further west, but worth the visit. We could only stay one night as some big deal marathon had the place booked for the weekend.
Friday, October 19, 2007
A long six hour drive got us south of Abilene to Abilene SP. The destination had two goals, to get close to Perines Steak House and I20. Not many people would drive six hours to eat steak in Buffalo Gap, Texas, but we have.
We ate out last night at The BBQ Barn, one of those places found in small town Texas. All locals, hats nailed walls, pool table, low budget tables and decent BBQ, especially, the sausage. Dorothy was ravenous.
The temperature was hot when we arrived, so I put on shorts. After dinner, I planed to sit out and drink, but instead I turned on the TV and watched some mindless Friday TV and stayed sober.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
We shopped six stores in Abilene looking for things for Koko. We found a basket to hold napkins, plus a travel iron and a toaster. Personalizing Koko will have to wait.
For dinner, we went to Perines Steak House and had the 16 oz rib eye. It was good, but pricey. We shared their famous bread pudding for dessert, made with Jack Daniel’s sauce and pecans; it was very rich. Without drinks, the tab was $75.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
We drove 3.5 hours to outside of Ft. Worth. The winds were strong most of the day, so getting into a safe harbor was most welcome. We are at a COE CG, called Holiday Park on Lake Benbrook. A great facility and it’s only $10 a night. This will become a stop every time we use I20.
Monday, October 22, 2007
We tried to get a wire cable at Camping World, no joy. We did find a few useful things for Koko at The Container Store. The rain held off today, so we will continue east in the morning. A little over 12 hours driving time from here. We expect to be home Friday in four jumps, Shreveport, Vicksburg, Montgomery and then Golf Dr.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The last of Moab
Friday, May 25, 2007
When we extended our stay here, we knew we had to move as our site was reserved. So we moved to the space behind us first thing in the morning. It took us all morning, as we did some much needed cleaning of the camper and washing of clothes. The sky was 97% blue, so we decided to have a good lunch, nap and then drive to Canyonlands to observe sunset. And so after five, we did. The entry station and VC were closed and the enforcement ranger passed us going out. When we got to the overlook, there were only three other cars. By 7pm, we were by ourselves. We put on two Charlie Christian CD’s and Dorothy had G&T and I had Ardbeg. As the sun went down the canyons to the east were bathed soft light. The sunset was not spectacular, but decent.
On the drive out, there were a few other cars, but the surprise was the number of cars inbound at 9pm. My guess was their plan was to get in for the weekend without paying.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
We are saving our third trip to Arches for Tuesday hoping for less people, so today we decided to go to Fisher Towers up Hwy 128. This is another of the places used in movies. We have found that the pictures in the morning do not turn out well, so we did not leave the campground until 10:00. The dirt road was not very good, but only a one mile or so. The hike was not advertised as easy, moderate or strenuous. It was silent on the subject. It’s a 2.5 miles to the end or one mile to the first tower. It was the hardest hike we have ever done. We had to scramble over rocks and my legs aren’t as long as Don’s, so I did some crawling. It took 1½ hours to go the mile because I had to take so many breaks. Starting out, we descended 200-300 feet and then we hiked up 400 feet and it was hot. I would recommend it to anyone in good physical condition and in cooler weather, but I would not do it again in the heat. But the main thing is that it was worth it. The scenery is spectacular and the only way to see it is to hike. When we back to the campground, cloud cover had moved in, and made the weather perfect for hiking – you just never know. I was totally wiped out for the rest of the day.
The rocks on this hike had many odd shapes, vastly different from Canyonlands or Arches. One spire that was favored by technical climbers was topped with a Geisha. When we rounded the spire and viewed it from the opposite side it looked like a duck on skis.
We see more than a few couples hiking with infants on their backs. You have to be in good shape to carry an extra 20 pounds any distance.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
A lazy day, some shopping in the morning, lunch, nap and a drive up the La Sal mountain road to see some green trees and a babbling brook. We hoped to find a camp site to take the LD this fall, but they are all quite primitive and most beside the road.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Another lazy day, we washed clothes, read, surfed the web, had lunch and a nap. After dinner we drove to Windows section of Arches NP. The light was perfect. Perfect until the sun went behind a cloud and stayed there until after sunset. And so it goes.
Two easy days has allowed Dorothy’s feet to partially recover. I am stiff from to little activity.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Our last day in Moab. Thankfully we had the best weather day we have had in weeks. It was a little cooler in the morning with a nice breeze. The only clouds were on the horizon and the haze was nearly gone. We drove to the Garden of the Gods at Arches NP. We thought this is the best area in the park. We hiked about 2 miles and decided the save the rest of the hikes and Dorothy’s feet for our return trip this fall.
That's all folks!
When we extended our stay here, we knew we had to move as our site was reserved. So we moved to the space behind us first thing in the morning. It took us all morning, as we did some much needed cleaning of the camper and washing of clothes. The sky was 97% blue, so we decided to have a good lunch, nap and then drive to Canyonlands to observe sunset. And so after five, we did. The entry station and VC were closed and the enforcement ranger passed us going out. When we got to the overlook, there were only three other cars. By 7pm, we were by ourselves. We put on two Charlie Christian CD’s and Dorothy had G&T and I had Ardbeg. As the sun went down the canyons to the east were bathed soft light. The sunset was not spectacular, but decent.
On the drive out, there were a few other cars, but the surprise was the number of cars inbound at 9pm. My guess was their plan was to get in for the weekend without paying.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
We are saving our third trip to Arches for Tuesday hoping for less people, so today we decided to go to Fisher Towers up Hwy 128. This is another of the places used in movies. We have found that the pictures in the morning do not turn out well, so we did not leave the campground until 10:00. The dirt road was not very good, but only a one mile or so. The hike was not advertised as easy, moderate or strenuous. It was silent on the subject. It’s a 2.5 miles to the end or one mile to the first tower. It was the hardest hike we have ever done. We had to scramble over rocks and my legs aren’t as long as Don’s, so I did some crawling. It took 1½ hours to go the mile because I had to take so many breaks. Starting out, we descended 200-300 feet and then we hiked up 400 feet and it was hot. I would recommend it to anyone in good physical condition and in cooler weather, but I would not do it again in the heat. But the main thing is that it was worth it. The scenery is spectacular and the only way to see it is to hike. When we back to the campground, cloud cover had moved in, and made the weather perfect for hiking – you just never know. I was totally wiped out for the rest of the day.
The rocks on this hike had many odd shapes, vastly different from Canyonlands or Arches. One spire that was favored by technical climbers was topped with a Geisha. When we rounded the spire and viewed it from the opposite side it looked like a duck on skis.
We see more than a few couples hiking with infants on their backs. You have to be in good shape to carry an extra 20 pounds any distance.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
A lazy day, some shopping in the morning, lunch, nap and a drive up the La Sal mountain road to see some green trees and a babbling brook. We hoped to find a camp site to take the LD this fall, but they are all quite primitive and most beside the road.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Another lazy day, we washed clothes, read, surfed the web, had lunch and a nap. After dinner we drove to Windows section of Arches NP. The light was perfect. Perfect until the sun went behind a cloud and stayed there until after sunset. And so it goes.
Two easy days has allowed Dorothy’s feet to partially recover. I am stiff from to little activity.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Our last day in Moab. Thankfully we had the best weather day we have had in weeks. It was a little cooler in the morning with a nice breeze. The only clouds were on the horizon and the haze was nearly gone. We drove to the Garden of the Gods at Arches NP. We thought this is the best area in the park. We hiked about 2 miles and decided the save the rest of the hikes and Dorothy’s feet for our return trip this fall.
That's all folks!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Moab II
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
There was another light rain last night, that the weatherman did not expect. It added more snow to the mountain peaks, so the peaks really sparkle when the sun sneaks through the clouds.
Since the forecast was for mostly sunny, and it was not so we decided to do grocery shopping and get the tires rotated in the morning, have lunch and they head back to Arches NP. So we did. While the sun was out south and north of us it never did get to Arches. And so it goes.
Our friends, the Wood’s, told us to hike to Delicate Arch, if we could. Meaning, we would like it if we could manage to haul ourselves up the trail. It’s billed as a three-mile hike, with a 475 foot elevation gain. Phooey! It’s longer and much higher. We think it was the most difficult hike we have taken in some time. The trail path is fine, it’s going straight up that winded us. We took 1:15 to do it. Before we got to the end, some we started with were already headed back down. Maybe it was just a bad day for us, as we saw two old geezers in their 70’s, at least, one running it and the other fast walking it.
Since the sun did cooperate we will have to go back up the trail again sometime. Maybe in October?
Thursday, May 24, 2007
We decided to take a break from Arches and go across the road to the northern section of Canyonlands, which is called Island in the Sky. An island because you are on a mesa overlooking the canyons below cut by the rivers and streams.
We had more sun today and the much of the haze was gone, but we had thin cloud cover on most points of the compass all day.
In the morning, we did the short hike to Mesa Arch and spent some time just sitting and looking out at the canyons. After driving to a few more overlooks, it was lunch time. We had a short nap in the van and Dorothy said she wanted to try the hike to Upheaval Dome. And so we did. This hole in ground was likely caused by a meteorite. Whatever, it is a great view into more canyons. We lingered for an hour or so on top of one the slick rock overlooks. That’s when the feeling of tired muscles overcame us and we realized that we would not get back to the CG until after 5. Recreating is hard.
There was another light rain last night, that the weatherman did not expect. It added more snow to the mountain peaks, so the peaks really sparkle when the sun sneaks through the clouds.
Since the forecast was for mostly sunny, and it was not so we decided to do grocery shopping and get the tires rotated in the morning, have lunch and they head back to Arches NP. So we did. While the sun was out south and north of us it never did get to Arches. And so it goes.
Our friends, the Wood’s, told us to hike to Delicate Arch, if we could. Meaning, we would like it if we could manage to haul ourselves up the trail. It’s billed as a three-mile hike, with a 475 foot elevation gain. Phooey! It’s longer and much higher. We think it was the most difficult hike we have taken in some time. The trail path is fine, it’s going straight up that winded us. We took 1:15 to do it. Before we got to the end, some we started with were already headed back down. Maybe it was just a bad day for us, as we saw two old geezers in their 70’s, at least, one running it and the other fast walking it.
Since the sun did cooperate we will have to go back up the trail again sometime. Maybe in October?
Thursday, May 24, 2007
We decided to take a break from Arches and go across the road to the northern section of Canyonlands, which is called Island in the Sky. An island because you are on a mesa overlooking the canyons below cut by the rivers and streams.
We had more sun today and the much of the haze was gone, but we had thin cloud cover on most points of the compass all day.
In the morning, we did the short hike to Mesa Arch and spent some time just sitting and looking out at the canyons. After driving to a few more overlooks, it was lunch time. We had a short nap in the van and Dorothy said she wanted to try the hike to Upheaval Dome. And so we did. This hole in ground was likely caused by a meteorite. Whatever, it is a great view into more canyons. We lingered for an hour or so on top of one the slick rock overlooks. That’s when the feeling of tired muscles overcame us and we realized that we would not get back to the CG until after 5. Recreating is hard.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Moab, Utah
Sunday, May 20, 2007
We were up and on the road at 8:00 this morning. We had two destinations today, the Needles Overlook and the southern entrance to Canyonlands NP. We kept thinking that we had seen the best until we got to the next destination and declared it to be the best. This land is just so gorgeous I cannot do justice describing it. It would be a string of superlatives. At one overlook, Don said “Don’t need to go to Grand Canyon after seeing this”. It wasn’t three minutes later when a couple walked up and the man made the same the comment.
We were surprised there were no crowds on a Sunday, but as we left in late afternoon, the traffic was picking up. Our plans are to return to Moab after we pick up the Lazy Daze. There is so much to see. This place has it all, except a seashore.
One interesting thing today was a very large rock that we kept seeing and thinking that it looked like homes were built into the rocks. Finally we found the dirt road (of course) and drove to the rock. Sure enough, houses were being built into the rock. It’s Rocklands Ranch, home to a polygamist excommunicated Mormon family who has four wives and 38 children. There are several homes there and they are digging more home sites for another group of excommunicated Mormons that will be joining them. If you are interested in seeing it: http://www.ericandsylvia.com/pictures/2001/Utah/part5/
Don writes: There has been a slight haze over the SW the last month. Today, there were thunderstorms in the area. [We actually felt three or four drops on us in two different locations!] The combination of haze and clouds made taking pictures beyond my capabilities. With perfect weather, I still don’t know how to take a picture of such vast landscapes. The canyon area is 10 to 30 miles wide in every direction, with features from the fore ground into the distance. We just looked with slacked jaws and said Oh Wow all day.
Monday, May 21, 2007
It is overcast and windy this morning. 8am. A front came through during the night. The weather is supposed to cool off for a few days.
By 10:30 all of the gray clouds were gone, an hour later only a few high level wispy clouds remained.
The plan for the day was to drive Hwy 128 to Fisher Towers. We got as far as Negro Bill’s Canyon and started hiking the two miles to the worlds 6th largest arch. The canyon reminded us Capital Reef, which is not that far away to the west. It’s an unusual canyon in that the stream flows year around. We got about a mile up the canyon when the path narrowed so that poison ivy was going to touch you some place to pass. Given Dorothy’s reaction to being near the plant, we bailed out.
Our next stop was Red Cliffs Lodge where several movies were made. We toured their museum of movie memorabilia rather fast, as they did not feel that a/c for that part of the lodge was worthwhile. We had thought about eating lunch there, but they do not serve on Mondays’.
Our next adventure was up the La Sal Mountain Loop Road, which is not a loop this year, as the Mill Creek bridge is out. The road starts out at the Colorado River at 4,000 feet and climbs to 8,000 and has a view to the west of Castle Valley, the river and Arches NP. At the road closure, we parked and napped in the cool air. We discovered one unnamed and nearly unmarked forest service CG and some great sites overlooking the canyons.
We made it back to the CG by 4:30, three hours after our planned return time. There is so much to see here.
At 9pm, it is a delightful 77 with a light breeze, perfect for sitting outside.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I was wrong about the front moving through last night or maybe it was a pre-front. Anywho, we had more wind last night and three very light sprinkles.. Last night, I rinsed some of the dust off the van. The trace rain wet the van and the wind borne red dirt affixed to the van. And the mountains got fresh snow above 11,000 feet. This morning it is 56, so we put on our long hiking pants.
We went to Arches NP this morning. Our plan is to spend 3 to 4 days exploring it so as to not exhaust ourselves. Today, we spent some time in the VC and did the one mile hike through Park Avenue – tall monoliths that some think look like NYC buildings. The trail leads down a canyon and we took our time, about 40 minutes. I talked Dorothy into saving her energy and she waited for me to hike back up the canyon, get the van and pick her up at the end of the trail. I fast walked it in 15 minutes and got my heart rate up. The steps up to the parking lot were the most strenuous.
After a sandwich, we did the short hike to Double Arch. It’s a beauty. See pictures. Dorothy was running low on energy, so we called it a day and went back to the CG and had a short nap.
Moab is the best!
We were up and on the road at 8:00 this morning. We had two destinations today, the Needles Overlook and the southern entrance to Canyonlands NP. We kept thinking that we had seen the best until we got to the next destination and declared it to be the best. This land is just so gorgeous I cannot do justice describing it. It would be a string of superlatives. At one overlook, Don said “Don’t need to go to Grand Canyon after seeing this”. It wasn’t three minutes later when a couple walked up and the man made the same the comment.
We were surprised there were no crowds on a Sunday, but as we left in late afternoon, the traffic was picking up. Our plans are to return to Moab after we pick up the Lazy Daze. There is so much to see. This place has it all, except a seashore.
One interesting thing today was a very large rock that we kept seeing and thinking that it looked like homes were built into the rocks. Finally we found the dirt road (of course) and drove to the rock. Sure enough, houses were being built into the rock. It’s Rocklands Ranch, home to a polygamist excommunicated Mormon family who has four wives and 38 children. There are several homes there and they are digging more home sites for another group of excommunicated Mormons that will be joining them. If you are interested in seeing it: http://www.ericandsylvia.com/pictures/2001/Utah/part5/
Don writes: There has been a slight haze over the SW the last month. Today, there were thunderstorms in the area. [We actually felt three or four drops on us in two different locations!] The combination of haze and clouds made taking pictures beyond my capabilities. With perfect weather, I still don’t know how to take a picture of such vast landscapes. The canyon area is 10 to 30 miles wide in every direction, with features from the fore ground into the distance. We just looked with slacked jaws and said Oh Wow all day.
Monday, May 21, 2007
It is overcast and windy this morning. 8am. A front came through during the night. The weather is supposed to cool off for a few days.
By 10:30 all of the gray clouds were gone, an hour later only a few high level wispy clouds remained.
The plan for the day was to drive Hwy 128 to Fisher Towers. We got as far as Negro Bill’s Canyon and started hiking the two miles to the worlds 6th largest arch. The canyon reminded us Capital Reef, which is not that far away to the west. It’s an unusual canyon in that the stream flows year around. We got about a mile up the canyon when the path narrowed so that poison ivy was going to touch you some place to pass. Given Dorothy’s reaction to being near the plant, we bailed out.
Our next stop was Red Cliffs Lodge where several movies were made. We toured their museum of movie memorabilia rather fast, as they did not feel that a/c for that part of the lodge was worthwhile. We had thought about eating lunch there, but they do not serve on Mondays’.
Our next adventure was up the La Sal Mountain Loop Road, which is not a loop this year, as the Mill Creek bridge is out. The road starts out at the Colorado River at 4,000 feet and climbs to 8,000 and has a view to the west of Castle Valley, the river and Arches NP. At the road closure, we parked and napped in the cool air. We discovered one unnamed and nearly unmarked forest service CG and some great sites overlooking the canyons.
We made it back to the CG by 4:30, three hours after our planned return time. There is so much to see here.
At 9pm, it is a delightful 77 with a light breeze, perfect for sitting outside.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
I was wrong about the front moving through last night or maybe it was a pre-front. Anywho, we had more wind last night and three very light sprinkles.. Last night, I rinsed some of the dust off the van. The trace rain wet the van and the wind borne red dirt affixed to the van. And the mountains got fresh snow above 11,000 feet. This morning it is 56, so we put on our long hiking pants.
We went to Arches NP this morning. Our plan is to spend 3 to 4 days exploring it so as to not exhaust ourselves. Today, we spent some time in the VC and did the one mile hike through Park Avenue – tall monoliths that some think look like NYC buildings. The trail leads down a canyon and we took our time, about 40 minutes. I talked Dorothy into saving her energy and she waited for me to hike back up the canyon, get the van and pick her up at the end of the trail. I fast walked it in 15 minutes and got my heart rate up. The steps up to the parking lot were the most strenuous.
After a sandwich, we did the short hike to Double Arch. It’s a beauty. See pictures. Dorothy was running low on energy, so we called it a day and went back to the CG and had a short nap.
Moab is the best!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Monument Valley
Thursday, May 17, 2007
We drove 5:30 hours north to Monument Valley. This is THE place Dorothy has wanted to see since 1994. We arrived after 3, losing an hour to Mountain time. We toured the rather interesting Goulding “museum”, had a swim, dinner and then watched “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” in the theatre. We have watched it more than a few times on TV, but it was more interesting on the larger screen.
For whatever reason, we were assigned site 59, which is on top of the hill. Our good fortune with the site is that we have a view and they did not put anyone else on the hill.
Friday, May 18, 2007
We set the alarm so we could be sure to be ready for the 8:30 tour of Monument Valley. We were on an open “bus” with 18 other souls and saw all that you can see. It was worthwhile.
When we got back to the CG, we saw that “our” hill was filling up for the weekend. Even if it fills up, we have more space and privacy than the rigs down below.
We have been invited to party with four women from Colorado tonight, but we want to watch Big John in “The Searchers” ride around Monument Valley on the big screen.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
The drive to Moab was through some of the best, in our opinion, scenery in the southwest. We are in a decent CG four miles south of the confusion of Moab. We don’t recognize Moab from 1994. We found this CG through Passport America. This is the fifth one we have stayed on this trip. All have been above average and cost us half the price. Important for those of us, who have all we are ever going to get.
After setting up and resting during the heat of the afternoon, we drove Utah 168 a few miles north of Moab. In 1994, we drove it southbound from I70 to Moab. We think it is THE best canyon road in the country. The plus is that the road follows the Colorado River.
There is BLM camping along the road and some of the spaces are big enough for us. Maybe, just maybe, we can get one next week. We saw three Lazy Daze’s camping there. And $5 a night is a good deal.
We drove 5:30 hours north to Monument Valley. This is THE place Dorothy has wanted to see since 1994. We arrived after 3, losing an hour to Mountain time. We toured the rather interesting Goulding “museum”, had a swim, dinner and then watched “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” in the theatre. We have watched it more than a few times on TV, but it was more interesting on the larger screen.
For whatever reason, we were assigned site 59, which is on top of the hill. Our good fortune with the site is that we have a view and they did not put anyone else on the hill.
Friday, May 18, 2007
We set the alarm so we could be sure to be ready for the 8:30 tour of Monument Valley. We were on an open “bus” with 18 other souls and saw all that you can see. It was worthwhile.
When we got back to the CG, we saw that “our” hill was filling up for the weekend. Even if it fills up, we have more space and privacy than the rigs down below.
We have been invited to party with four women from Colorado tonight, but we want to watch Big John in “The Searchers” ride around Monument Valley on the big screen.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
The drive to Moab was through some of the best, in our opinion, scenery in the southwest. We are in a decent CG four miles south of the confusion of Moab. We don’t recognize Moab from 1994. We found this CG through Passport America. This is the fifth one we have stayed on this trip. All have been above average and cost us half the price. Important for those of us, who have all we are ever going to get.
After setting up and resting during the heat of the afternoon, we drove Utah 168 a few miles north of Moab. In 1994, we drove it southbound from I70 to Moab. We think it is THE best canyon road in the country. The plus is that the road follows the Colorado River.
There is BLM camping along the road and some of the spaces are big enough for us. Maybe, just maybe, we can get one next week. We saw three Lazy Daze’s camping there. And $5 a night is a good deal.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Leaving CA, entering Red Rock Country
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Moving Day - We are in Silent Valley RV park, just south of Banning. It's is a real treat. It's a private CG, but open to Passport America members also. $15 a night, full hookups, wi-fi, pool, hot tub, etc. One of the top 10 CG's we have been in. It has trees! Lots of trees. There were several people here when we arrived, but we had no problem finding a site with shade trees. The weather could not be more perfect. The downside is that it is over 2,000 feet straight up from I10. When go back down, I am going to take the long way down through the valley.
Part of I10 around Palm Springs is dedicated as a memorial to Sonny Bono. You recall the guy who was killed when he snow skied into a tree.
Monday, May 07, 2007
When we got up, most of the rigs had disappeared during the night. Back to work I suppose.
When drove into “LA”, Yorba Linda actually to the Nixon library. It is an hour and half from here. I was never a fan of Nixon, but the library includes contemporary history with the story of Nixon. For instance, for all of his campaigns, they have as much about his opponent as they do him. Fair and balanced. Talk about no choice, Nixon or Humphrey. Factoid, he was opposed to price controls early on. It did not explain why he put on wage and price controls. I can recall the glee the company I was working for established wage controls.
I drove in to “LA” and Dorothy drove back home. It was not bad. The only problem was road construction on the way in. I looked at the map and counted 11 construction projects in “LA” this year. Maybe more than Atlanta?
We want to do the Getty and Regan’s library. Both are over two hours from here. We are thinking of getting a room in Simi Valley Wednesday night so we don’t have to drive back to Banning and then back to Malibu.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Back into “LA”, Montclair to visit the factory where our motor home will be built. I wanted to see how they are put together. Under the aluminum skin, it’s built like house, only stronger. Very impressive.
Back at the CG, we did the pool and spa. It is getting to be ritual. California life is good.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
We drove all the way across “LA” to Simi Valley to the Regan Library. It took 2.5 hours and we did not have any slowdowns. You can drive from Leeds to Fairfield in only 45 minutes. That’s the difference in size, 45 minutes versus 180 minutes. I had no idea they had some many freeways. Dozens and that’s not counting the interstates. I did count the number of freeway construction projects going on this year – 11.
The view from the Reagan library is impressive. It is more visual, while Nixon’s has a lot more history.
To avoid, five hours of driving, we got a room in Thousand Oaks tonight. Semi Valley would have been nice, but the prices are well north of $200.
We filled up the gas tank today and set a new record - $95. Only $3.50 a gallon.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
We had a late breakfast at the motel and lounged around some more. We drove down Malibu Canyon to, where else, Malibu. Things sure change in 45 years. Malibu is run down. Still pricey, but the houses have turned to near shacks. The homes above the PCH are quite nice. Work trucks on every block doing something to every other home. We killed a half hour parked on Ocean Blvd in Santa Monica. We had lunch and watched the not so pretty folks jog in the park. The Jennifer Anniston types are not to be found out here. The gene pool is in sad shape.
We arrived on time at the Getty Villa and spent three hours looking at the collection of antiquities. I enjoyed the marble floors and walls as much as the Greek treasures.
We had not encountered real “LA” traffic until today. It started with the Topanga Canyon road we used to get from the PCH to the 101. This is the road I somehow always wound up on when I rode my bike from San Diego to “LA” circa 1964. The 101 was backed up as was most every freeway we got on east bound. It took 3:45, about an hour longer than it should have. Having logged 12 hours on the freeways, I can say I have no desire to live here. None at all.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Veg Day – We slept until 8. We drove to the end of CA 243, the road you take from I10 to the CG. A moderately scenic road, some of it through Forest Service lands, but more through private lands with lots of homes hung off the side of the mountain. We got back to the CG for lunch, nap and a swim followed by reading in the lounge chairs.
Tomorrow we are to plan our route to Moab, UT. Anyway we go it will be long, 12 to 14 hours and we need to chart out where to break the drive. The fastest route is through Las Vegas and we don’t want to go there again.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
We planned our route to Moab. We will do it in four hops. First to Salome, AZ for one night, then to Dead Horse Ranch south of Sedona for three nights. Then two nights at Monument Valley and finally to Moab next Saturday for a week.
After Moab, we will head east and home, though I expect it will take two weeks to get there.
We enjoyed our last day here at Silent Valley and it is real tempting to stay another week, but that would mean Moab would be even more crowded. And it has been our number one destination the whole trip as we missed it last fall.
One more day and we will be in red rock country!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
We over-nighted in Salome, AZ. This is out in the middle of no where in the desert. We have seen over a dozen RV parks here in the middle of no where. Small lots sell for $50,000 out in the middle of no where.
Nice enough CG, our price, $12. Thanks Passport America!
We left our last home at 4,000 and enjoyed the cool air even down below on I10 until we passed the desert cities (Palm Springs et al) We went to a/c for the rest of the trip. When we arrived here around 2, the dry desert heat was 91 and felt like 119. However, by 5, it was pleasant.
Monday, May 14, 2007
On the move north. We took US89 and 89A. Both cross mountains and have numerous hairpins turns and more than a few 15mph speed signs. You get up to 7,000 feet at one point. The real fun begins when 89A descends 2,500 rather quickly. We came close to being in a wreck. Some bozo in a beat up rice car passed several cars and bikes on a hairpin curve. We were in the middle of the curve and so was a small car headed up hill. The bozo somehow got by us. We stopped at a turnout and the bikers who saw it all marveled that no one got hit.
We are at Dead Horse Ranch SP in Cottonwood, AZ. A decent CG with W&E for $19. The big deal is that we are finally in red rock country with green trees. There are many things to do here but we have made reservations for next week, so we will not have time to do it all. This time anyway. We did not want to be in Moab for Memorial Day, so something had to give, so we cut this stop short.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
We had a long day exploring. We made some stops in the morning that were not planned and we did not get back to the CG until 5:30. We were bushed. Recreating is darn hard work and you need to be in good shape to do it.
We took 89A north towards Flagstaff and stopped at Red Rock SP. How could we not stop, we love red rocks. We decided not to take any of the several hikes, as we wanted to conserve energy in the building heat. We did enjoy a rather long film in the VC which was an excellent orientation to the area. It made us want to come back here when we have more time and when it’s cooler.
Oak Creek Canyon is billed as a major hole in the ground. We have seen many canyons that we thought were a lot better. However, it was a little cooler at 6,500 feet, so we loitered around for awhile.
Our final destination for the day was down Hwy 179 to some fine red rock formations. We saw some kids on skate boards high up on one of them.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
We are taking another lazy day. We did our marketing in the morning. It will be the last Wal-Mart for two weeks and also the last major town. BTW, this was the third or fourth Wal-Mart we have been to that has a view.
After shopping, lunch and a nap, we drove the short distance to Tuzigoot – yet another Indian ruin. This one has 40-odd rooms in one structure that blends into contour of the hill. What a view they had of the surrounding mountains. While we were in the ruins, dark clouds from thunderstorms thirty miles away blocked the sun and the cool breeze was divine. We could see rain to the west and north, but the drops did not get close to us.
We stopped by a rock shop on the way back, but their prices were quite dear. Rock shop owners are very introverted, They can barely say hello.
We did margaritas until 6 and Dorothy is cooking what we call Korean Chicken for dinner. After dinner we may try to find wifi. We downloaded updates from Microsoft last week and that shut off our web access. We could still get mail, but no web sites. I rolled back the updates and want to see if that cured the problem. It has been 10 days since we updated our web log. Funny thing, we are not hearing much from anyone back home.
Tomorrow, the long drive to Monument Valley.
Moving Day - We are in Silent Valley RV park, just south of Banning. It's is a real treat. It's a private CG, but open to Passport America members also. $15 a night, full hookups, wi-fi, pool, hot tub, etc. One of the top 10 CG's we have been in. It has trees! Lots of trees. There were several people here when we arrived, but we had no problem finding a site with shade trees. The weather could not be more perfect. The downside is that it is over 2,000 feet straight up from I10. When go back down, I am going to take the long way down through the valley.
Part of I10 around Palm Springs is dedicated as a memorial to Sonny Bono. You recall the guy who was killed when he snow skied into a tree.
Monday, May 07, 2007
When we got up, most of the rigs had disappeared during the night. Back to work I suppose.
When drove into “LA”, Yorba Linda actually to the Nixon library. It is an hour and half from here. I was never a fan of Nixon, but the library includes contemporary history with the story of Nixon. For instance, for all of his campaigns, they have as much about his opponent as they do him. Fair and balanced. Talk about no choice, Nixon or Humphrey. Factoid, he was opposed to price controls early on. It did not explain why he put on wage and price controls. I can recall the glee the company I was working for established wage controls.
I drove in to “LA” and Dorothy drove back home. It was not bad. The only problem was road construction on the way in. I looked at the map and counted 11 construction projects in “LA” this year. Maybe more than Atlanta?
We want to do the Getty and Regan’s library. Both are over two hours from here. We are thinking of getting a room in Simi Valley Wednesday night so we don’t have to drive back to Banning and then back to Malibu.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Back into “LA”, Montclair to visit the factory where our motor home will be built. I wanted to see how they are put together. Under the aluminum skin, it’s built like house, only stronger. Very impressive.
Back at the CG, we did the pool and spa. It is getting to be ritual. California life is good.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
We drove all the way across “LA” to Simi Valley to the Regan Library. It took 2.5 hours and we did not have any slowdowns. You can drive from Leeds to Fairfield in only 45 minutes. That’s the difference in size, 45 minutes versus 180 minutes. I had no idea they had some many freeways. Dozens and that’s not counting the interstates. I did count the number of freeway construction projects going on this year – 11.
The view from the Reagan library is impressive. It is more visual, while Nixon’s has a lot more history.
To avoid, five hours of driving, we got a room in Thousand Oaks tonight. Semi Valley would have been nice, but the prices are well north of $200.
We filled up the gas tank today and set a new record - $95. Only $3.50 a gallon.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
We had a late breakfast at the motel and lounged around some more. We drove down Malibu Canyon to, where else, Malibu. Things sure change in 45 years. Malibu is run down. Still pricey, but the houses have turned to near shacks. The homes above the PCH are quite nice. Work trucks on every block doing something to every other home. We killed a half hour parked on Ocean Blvd in Santa Monica. We had lunch and watched the not so pretty folks jog in the park. The Jennifer Anniston types are not to be found out here. The gene pool is in sad shape.
We arrived on time at the Getty Villa and spent three hours looking at the collection of antiquities. I enjoyed the marble floors and walls as much as the Greek treasures.
We had not encountered real “LA” traffic until today. It started with the Topanga Canyon road we used to get from the PCH to the 101. This is the road I somehow always wound up on when I rode my bike from San Diego to “LA” circa 1964. The 101 was backed up as was most every freeway we got on east bound. It took 3:45, about an hour longer than it should have. Having logged 12 hours on the freeways, I can say I have no desire to live here. None at all.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Veg Day – We slept until 8. We drove to the end of CA 243, the road you take from I10 to the CG. A moderately scenic road, some of it through Forest Service lands, but more through private lands with lots of homes hung off the side of the mountain. We got back to the CG for lunch, nap and a swim followed by reading in the lounge chairs.
Tomorrow we are to plan our route to Moab, UT. Anyway we go it will be long, 12 to 14 hours and we need to chart out where to break the drive. The fastest route is through Las Vegas and we don’t want to go there again.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
We planned our route to Moab. We will do it in four hops. First to Salome, AZ for one night, then to Dead Horse Ranch south of Sedona for three nights. Then two nights at Monument Valley and finally to Moab next Saturday for a week.
After Moab, we will head east and home, though I expect it will take two weeks to get there.
We enjoyed our last day here at Silent Valley and it is real tempting to stay another week, but that would mean Moab would be even more crowded. And it has been our number one destination the whole trip as we missed it last fall.
One more day and we will be in red rock country!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
We over-nighted in Salome, AZ. This is out in the middle of no where in the desert. We have seen over a dozen RV parks here in the middle of no where. Small lots sell for $50,000 out in the middle of no where.
Nice enough CG, our price, $12. Thanks Passport America!
We left our last home at 4,000 and enjoyed the cool air even down below on I10 until we passed the desert cities (Palm Springs et al) We went to a/c for the rest of the trip. When we arrived here around 2, the dry desert heat was 91 and felt like 119. However, by 5, it was pleasant.
Monday, May 14, 2007
On the move north. We took US89 and 89A. Both cross mountains and have numerous hairpins turns and more than a few 15mph speed signs. You get up to 7,000 feet at one point. The real fun begins when 89A descends 2,500 rather quickly. We came close to being in a wreck. Some bozo in a beat up rice car passed several cars and bikes on a hairpin curve. We were in the middle of the curve and so was a small car headed up hill. The bozo somehow got by us. We stopped at a turnout and the bikers who saw it all marveled that no one got hit.
We are at Dead Horse Ranch SP in Cottonwood, AZ. A decent CG with W&E for $19. The big deal is that we are finally in red rock country with green trees. There are many things to do here but we have made reservations for next week, so we will not have time to do it all. This time anyway. We did not want to be in Moab for Memorial Day, so something had to give, so we cut this stop short.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
We had a long day exploring. We made some stops in the morning that were not planned and we did not get back to the CG until 5:30. We were bushed. Recreating is darn hard work and you need to be in good shape to do it.
We took 89A north towards Flagstaff and stopped at Red Rock SP. How could we not stop, we love red rocks. We decided not to take any of the several hikes, as we wanted to conserve energy in the building heat. We did enjoy a rather long film in the VC which was an excellent orientation to the area. It made us want to come back here when we have more time and when it’s cooler.
Oak Creek Canyon is billed as a major hole in the ground. We have seen many canyons that we thought were a lot better. However, it was a little cooler at 6,500 feet, so we loitered around for awhile.
Our final destination for the day was down Hwy 179 to some fine red rock formations. We saw some kids on skate boards high up on one of them.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
We are taking another lazy day. We did our marketing in the morning. It will be the last Wal-Mart for two weeks and also the last major town. BTW, this was the third or fourth Wal-Mart we have been to that has a view.
After shopping, lunch and a nap, we drove the short distance to Tuzigoot – yet another Indian ruin. This one has 40-odd rooms in one structure that blends into contour of the hill. What a view they had of the surrounding mountains. While we were in the ruins, dark clouds from thunderstorms thirty miles away blocked the sun and the cool breeze was divine. We could see rain to the west and north, but the drops did not get close to us.
We stopped by a rock shop on the way back, but their prices were quite dear. Rock shop owners are very introverted, They can barely say hello.
We did margaritas until 6 and Dorothy is cooking what we call Korean Chicken for dinner. After dinner we may try to find wifi. We downloaded updates from Microsoft last week and that shut off our web access. We could still get mail, but no web sites. I rolled back the updates and want to see if that cured the problem. It has been 10 days since we updated our web log. Funny thing, we are not hearing much from anyone back home.
Tomorrow, the long drive to Monument Valley.
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