Plateau states . . .

Although we're temporarily back in Washington, I wanted to share some thoughts and images of the Colorado plateau before we leave the area, and I forget!!!  (Could that really ever happen???:)

What we have seen and experienced in this area of the country is truly amazing.  Deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, monuments, deep river valleys, red rock, native peoples and ancient ruins abound.  It was hard for me to get my head around a landscape this unique.  I look forward to returning and finishing our exploration of the parks and monuments that we missed due to my untimely illness.

People who live in the plateau states really seem to enjoy and take advantage of all the recreation opportunities that are available.  In addition to river running, rock climbing, mountain biking, ATVing, and four-wheeling in the back country, hiking seems to take front and center position.  In fact, we discovered that hiking is so popular, even the insects get in the act!  While staying near Moab, UT, we awoke to a trailer full of small ants that had invaded during the night.  They were everywhere, and seemed to be 'hiking' in random circles - - not in a line like ants usually do.  We could not find their point of entry until Jerry went outside and discovered that our electrical cord was touching the ground, allowing the entire ant population of Moab to 'hike' up the cord, right into the trailer!  Quick and effective fix - - pick up the cord from the ground - - problem solved.  Five minutes later, not an ant to be seen!

The mountain bikers are not of this world!  On many occasions, I found myself driving up to very high elevations in a park or monument, only to look over and find that some bikers were going up the mountain at nearly the same speed as 'Kermit', all the while talking and laughing among themselves.  I would have expected them to be breathing very hard, traveling at a very slow speed, with their tongues wrapped in their spokes like the old playing cards we used to install when we were kids.  Not so!  I have to imagine they were training for the Tour de 'something' to accomplish these feats!  Show-offs all!

The national parks and monuments that we did have an opportunity to visit took our breath away!  Arches and Canyonlands were almost unworldly.  We could not get enough of these landscapes and visited many different times at various periods of the day.  Because we were there during 'monsoon', we experienced many thunder storms and a variety of weather conditions which made the scenery even more amazing.  The lighting was astounding during these times.

While in Monument Valley we were lucky enough to be visiting during the August full/super moon. Both the evening and nighttime images were there for the 'taking' - - literally!  Mesa Verde is a most amazing example of early people's stamina and resourcefulness and leaves one with a real sense of wonder at how they accomplished building villages in the tall cliffs - - ruins that are still standing after hundreds of years! Very difficult to imagine, even with explanations from the experts.

When we return to Mesa, AZ, where 'Kermit' and 'Kodi' are taking a break and undergoing some needed maintenance, we hope to explore Arizona and then 'winter' in the southeastern part of California where we plan to meet up with some Washington friends and play in places like Joshua Tree National Park, Anza Borrego State Park, Lake Havasu  and all parts in-between.  We also hope to see some family members in south CA while we are there.  Then, its off to Utah to visit the national parks and monuments our cameras have not yet experienced!

Thanks for all the good wishes, thoughts and prayers during my illness this past few months.  It appears that most of this is behind me, but I'm still waiting for the surgeried foot to complete it's healing process. I'm learning patience like never before!!!!  (I still can't avoid some whining, but trying to keep it to a minimum.  Ha!)  Hope to see and/or talk to all our Washington friends while we're here for several weeks, and hope to be back 'on the road' in no time!

In the meantime, happy holidays to all . . .

 

Here we are again, just eight weeks into our journey.  When I think about all we have seen, and learned, it seems a lot longer.  Not feeling so much like a vacation anymore . . .

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks - - well, let me tell you that these two 'old dogs' have had many new lessons during the last three weeks!  Some (including me) might say too many . . .

We have learned to appreciate nightly thunderstorms since they cool the 90+ temperatures we have had for more than a month now.  And, those storms usually end with amazing skies, like the one over the lake below, on our last night in Wyoming.  However, there are down sides to these storms as well, like when the lightning knocks out the power at the campground resulting in a fried wire at the junction box in our trailer.  (Of course, until that was fixed we had no A/C.)  While waiting for the fix-it person we decided it was wwwaaayyy too hot to sit in Kodie the trailer, so we went into the little town of Craig, CO, to try to stay cool in museums and stores.  All was fine until we came out to Kermit the Tahoe, only to find that the A/C had died in the car!  Since that happened on a Sunday, we had to drive to our next destination (Glenwood Springs, CO) to find a fix.  $1,100.00 later, we were back in business!!! :(

While we were in Glenwood Springs we drove up to Aspen, the most expensive city in the country, where we purchased a latte and an americano for a mere $10.50!!!  Obviously, we didn't stay there long, but went up to Maroon Bells for the afternoon instead.  Incredible place - - apparently the most photographed mountain peaks in the US.  I can see why, however, it was cloudy that day (still in the 90's though), which did not make for great photos.  Took 'em anyway - - got to do it!

We've also learned that bikers in CO are a little on the shady side of crazy!  While we've been visiting the area on the west slopes of the Rockies, every 'scenic' excursion we take is UP, UP, UP - - sometimes up to 10,000 feet.  Each and every time we're on the road to one of these marvelous locations, I look out my car window, and there are bikers riding the same speed as I am going, all the while talking and laughing and breathing!!!  We decided they are all 'show offs', just trying to make us feel old.  If we tried that they'd have to pull our tongues out of the spokes at the very first turn:).  Speaking of elevations, we learned that all the walk-about paths at these beautiful spots are a little ways from the car, and walking just short distances made us aware of how little air there is at those heights.  We were thinking of shopping for a scrapper, like they make for boots, except the one we need is to get the dirt and rocks off our tongues after these little high-altitude walks!!

The image below is taken some 2,000 feet above the Gunnison River at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.  The park is already well over 8,000 feet elevation, and the little white specks you can see in the river are 20-foot waterfalls!

The day we went to the Black Canyon we learned another lesson.  It is always a good idea to turn the water off at the spigot when leaving the campsite for the day.  If you don't, you run the risk of having the water filter inside come lose and when you return, you will see water pouring from every corner of the bottom of the trailer.  Quite a sight, I must say!!!  Quick fix, and no damage - - just another lesson.  A little heavy breathing on my sidekick's part, however.

We've learned that the Colorado River is much smaller than we expected, at least in this area.  Our creeks in WA are as large.  We also learned to appreciate the CO State Parks folk who decided it was prudent to close the park where we were to stay, until they trapped the bear that was harassing the campers.  This resulted in a change of camping venue to one of the best spots we're ever stayed at.  Thank you, thank you!

This past few weeks have been family time for us.  Saw my Colorado brother, a cousin of Jerry's and his wife, and met the aunt and uncle and cousin of our son-in-law, John.  Marvelous folks all - - John's relatives own and operate a winery in Palisade, near where we are staying.  Really enjoyed meeting them and visiting their winery.  It was great to re-connect with Pat and Tiye and really appreciated their hospitality!  Great dinners and delicious local-made candy.  They say when you are on the road full-time, it is important to stay connected, so this was a great time for us.

John's relatives, Davy and Bennett, and cousin Theresa, taught us all about Moscow Mule - - a most wonderful hot weather refreshment.  (Rick and Bob - - you gotta try this one!)  THANK YOU to the Price's for that, as well as some great wines and beautiful copper mugs!   Another wonderful lesson learned:)

We learned that they have very weird road names in this area of CO!  I totally understand the concept of letters going one direction and numbers the other.  However, it you ever get lost in this neck of the woods, I hope you can count - - their numbered roads go in fractions!  For example, there is 29 Road, 29.3 Road, 29 5/8 Road, 29 3/4 Road - - well, you get the picture.  I guess it all has to do with distances - - I personally think their traffic engineers have been enjoying too many Moscow Mules!!!

Oh, and we also learned that when PINTA (stands for 'Pain In The A- -'; that's what we named our GPS lady!) doesn't agree with the route we're taking, she constantly tries to correct our direction - - thought she was going to have a meltdown - - but we control the "off" button!!  However, when we turn her back on, there she goes again - - same ol' lecture . . . cell phone GPS is much quieter:)

I hope we're through with our lessons for a little while.  We have learned to appreciate the incredible beauty of this area, though, and feel that what we have seen here has just whetted (Marian - - is that a word???) our appetite for what is in store in Utah - - our next stop - - Arches and Canyonlands National Parks coming up beginning tomorrow.  Still expect the heat to continue, but hopefully the photo ops will keep us sane (well, that, and functioning A/C and a pool to dive into!).

The photo below is an example of the kind of scenery these Colorado folks see every day!  This bluff overlooks the wine country of Palisade - - pretty nice to look at, I must say.
 

If we're off the e-grid for awhile, the message below will explain . . .

 

Only five weeks into our journey and I must say we have been in a state of 'wow' on many occasions already!  Oh, the things we have seen!

We left northeast Idaho and headed into Wyoming, and we found it!!!  The 'west' that is . . . I am still pondering this though - - we left the west and headed east to find the 'west'.  This is still going 'round in my mind. :)  I know we found it (the 'west') because by simply looking at the listings in the local telephone directory, it becomes obvious:  sports clothes, jewelry, leather goods, boots are all sold at the local feed store; headings in the phone book include 'Grazing Associations' and 'Branding Inspectors'; and the listings under the title 'Oil' fill most of two pages!  Yep, I think we found it . . . I mean, how many other places would have a location called "Hell's Half Acre" and a community that has a festival honoring the 'jackalope'.  Really!  Of course, my trusty sidekick and co-pilot had to have a 'ka-boy' hat to help him fit in here.  He looks quite dashing in it, actually!

The other thing I am pondering is the fact that here in the 'west' one seldom sees anyone with a cell phone up to their ear, or texting away, while walking down the street.  Curious . . . perhaps they have other things on their minds - - like rounding up the cattle or sheep???

Our first Wyoming stop was the National Parks - - Yellowstone and Teton.  We have been there before but this time we had the time to really experience the beauty and uniqueness of this corner of the world.  I tried to make images that were a little different but on those occasions when I couldn't resist the iconic photos, I at least tried to keep my tripod legs out of the permanent holes left by others:):)
 

The wildlife is active and visible, of course.  In addition to many bison, herds of antelope, and a mama moose and her calf, we also were blessed to witness a wonderful interaction between species.  One early morning while we were out photographing, we saw two grizzly cubs, about half grown, actually playing with two coyotes in a meadow.  What a sight!

 
In Jackson, we also visited the National Museum of Wildlife Art - - amazing facility.  Blew us away!  (Speaking of Jackson - - Esty and Bill - - the Bar J is still alive and well.  We had a great evening there.)

We know that wolves have been reintroduced into the parks, and we were lucky enough to find one that insisted on traveling with us on our journey.  We named him Walter (the wolf).  We find him very photogenic and willing to have his portrait taken at a moment's notice!  He eats very little and sleeps through the night, so he is not a burden to have along . . . might have to get him a sweater for the colder seasons though.

While in Cody, WY, we decided to do what everyone else does in Cody, and have a completely 'tourist' kind of day - - and we did it all.  We fully enjoyed a day at the Buffalo Bill Museum (really five museums, all very well done), followed by dinner at Buffalo Bill's famous historic hotel "The Irma" and the nightly gun fight in the street outside.  Then we took in the Cody rodeo so I could practice some action shots using some camera features that I had not previously tried.  (Thanks for the encouragement to do this, John Parks!)

On another day, we took a trip on two scenic highways.  The Beartooth Highway extends from the northeast corner of Yellowstone to Red Lodge, Montana, and has been called the most beautiful highway in the US.  I cannot dispute that claim - - it was breathtaking!  We did a circle trip that also included the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway.  Once again - - blown away.  It was so amazing, it was hard to drive and look at the same time, but at 11,000 feet, Jerry's gasping could be heard over the ooo's and ahhh's when he thought I was looking more than driving, and that alone helped me stay between the white lines!  Needless to say, we stopped often with cameras in hand.

We also stopped for a couple of days in Thermopolis, the site of the world's largest hot springs, where we enjoyed some soothing mineral pool time.  Now we're en route to Gillette, WY where we will attend the Escapee's RV Club rally, which promises lots of educational information on the life-style of full-time RVing.  After we've become 'educated', we'll leave Wyoming and head east to the South Dakota Badlands, then south toward northwest Colorado.

As you can probably guess, we're still loving the adventure and there still has been no bodily harm to one another - - that is a good thing!!  Going into our second month, I think it is actually beginning to feel less like a vacation and more like a life-style.

Until next blog - - happy trails to one and all.

And the journey continues . . . .

We made it for three weeks - - yeah!!  So far, so good . . . well, almost. :)


We spent five wonderful days in Boise visiting a high school friend, Irene, and her partner Bob.  Had a grand time exploring the area, which included two ghost/mining towns.  Silver City has about 20 current residents - - couldn't resist the outhouse photo!  In Idaho City we found the historic 'boot hill' and enjoyed soaking up the history of this area.

Next stop was Craters of the Moon National Monument near Arco, Idaho.  We've enjoyed exploring and photographing the strange landscape where this type of lava is found only here and on the big island of Hawaii.  Friends Bob and Pat from Clinton were on their way home from New Mexico, and met us here for a nice visit and a little Craters exploration.
 

Also had the pleasure of attending a star party and astronomy presentation at this park where there is almost no light pollution! 

Another strange place we visited while here was the EBR-1 Atomic Museum - - a National Historic Landmark.  This was the site of the very first experimental breeder reactor in the world, used only for the production of electricity, which began in 1951.  The building/museum looks as if people just walked out of there when it was shut down in the 70's.  The pictures of the workers, which are part of the exhibit, gave us the chills - - no one was wearing any protective gear!!!  

Also took a day trip to explore Sun Valley and Ketchum - - great day!

Tomorrow we'll leave for NE Idaho, not far from Yellowstone, to begin exploring the Parks and surrounding areas.   Destination - - Island Park, ID, then on to the Jackson, WY area, followed by Cody, WY, and east from there.  Hopefully, we'll continue to have the nice weather we've been enjoying as we move eastward.  

All systems seem to be A-OK, with the exception of killing TWO tires in less than a week!!  When we arrived at our campground in Arco, we were surprised to see that one of the tires on Kody, the trailer, had literally exploded without us knowing it.  Got it fixed, and all seemed fine until this morning, when I discovered one of the tires on Kermit, the Tahoe, was flat!  All the tires on both the trailer and the car are brand new, and it was particularly disturbing to find that both had been damaged by nails/bolts!  Grrrrrrr.

Under the heading "things we've learned", I now know why the camping superstores sell these cute little expanding bars to put in front of the refrigerator shelves when traveling. The educational experience came when Jerry opened the frig and yet another plastic container of 'very special' beverage fell to the floor and broke.  Another rapid mopping activity took place, during which, once again, Jerry was not smiling . . . . next time we stop by a camping store, I think those little bars will definitely be on our shopping list!

More blogs and pictures to come soon - - whenever we find another internet connection.  Until then, enjoy . . . 

Nine days out and counting!  Finally spent enough time in the Palouse region of southwest Washington to get some decent images.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the incredible landscapes in this area.  A friend from Bellevue, Dirk, made a stop from his own road trip to come and explore the region with us for a few days.   Drove most all of the farm roads, both paved and unpaved, and saw wonderful sites - - Palouse Falls, Steptoe Butte, etc.

I'm happy to report that small town, rural America is alive and well in this part of the country!  The pictures below attest to that fact and the things we saw only enriched our explorations and added some great fun to our journey.  Each small farm community had its own character and were a delight to visit.

So far, the RV experience is going very well.  Towing 'Kody' the trailer over a mountain pass (Snoqualmie) for the first time was nearly effortless for 'Kermit' the Tahoe, and once again, I was able to back into our camp spot at the Lyons Ferry KOA and Marina on the Snake River near Starbuck.  I must admit, however, that the backing process was a little more time consuming and a bit more tedious this time - - my guide and spouse had trouble deciding just where I should be backing to, and how far, so my vision in the side mirrors was of him frantically waiving both arms in circles while our friend and guest stood chuckling.  We WILL get better at this!  All systems seem to be A-OK at this point.  We're getting hooked and unhooked a little faster each time we do it.

During a rainstorm a few days ago 'prudence' came calling to our little home on wheels and we decided to secure some campground reservations in areas where we intend to be during busy tourist times.  Sure glad we did - - even at the end of September, the campgrounds in Zion NP were nearly full already!

Tomorrow we'll hitch up and drive to Boise, ID to visit a friend from high school and get acquainted with that region.  Then we're heading east to Craters of the Moon National Monument where we'll explore the lava flow and the surrounding areas.  We were supposed to leave today, but some pretty high winds blew in and I decided I really did not want to tow in those conditions.  Nice to have the freedom to make those decisions on the spur of the moment.  That's one of the things we're enjoying about the RV adventure so far . . . nine days out and counting!

SHAKE DOWN CRUISE 101 - OH, THE THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED!!!

Spent the past 20 or so days getting to know 'Kody' the trailer while visiting the Washington coast.  Off-and-on weather gave us a chance to try all systems; some more successfully than others!  Very educational . . .

On this trip, we had visits from family as well as friends who were experienced RVers and who shared some very helpful hints with us.  Thank you to the Thompsons and Carls for that.

Some of the things I have learned:

Day One:  When filling the freezer, NEVER put too many items close to the door opening.  If you do this, upon opening the freezer, all the contents of the door tray crash to the floor.  This is particularly bad when one of the items is a frozen quart-sized plastic bottle, which of course breaks, spilling unfrozen vodka all over the floor.  (Jerry was NOT smiling!)  The good news is that the floor needed mopping anyway, and gave us relief that we had packed some extra towels on board.  Through this experience, I also had a lesson in bathtub laundry - - another lesson!  (No, I did not try to suck the vodka out of the towels . . . )

My next lesson was about what happens to our outside electrical cord when it is being pushed back into it's receptacle and suddenly recoils, coming out of my hand and completely disappearing into its holder.   In this case, even the head of the cord was sucked into the holder, and out of sight and reach.  The only solution was for Jerry (who again, was NOT smiling), to take the receptacle off the trailer and use a series of handy tools such as kitchen tongs, along with some choice words, to try to retrieve the cord so it could be used to hook us up to power.

We also learned that when we decide to do some impromptu 'dry' camping (no hookups/services), we should fill our on-board water tanks in advance so we don't run out . . . enough said about that . . .

I did a scientific, on-board test of our smoke alarm and found it to be work perfectly . . . enough said about that as well:)

All the education was not mine alone though - - Jerry is much better about remembering to install the cotter pins to secure the hitch bars now, and we found out about life with an empty propane tank in cold weather.  All sooooo very helpful!

Had many successes as well - - I backed the trailer into a camp spot without hitting Jerry, or anything located in and around the site, and I even made a complete u-turn towing the trailer through a residential area.  (Jerry was not smiling then either, but his eyes were very large indeed, and I heard great gasps of air coming from his side of the car).

We'll be back in Anacortes on April 17th, and will spend the next 4-5 weeks making some changes and modifications to our little home on wheels, as well as helping daughter Crista and family as they prepare to move out of state.  Then - - on the road for the real trip.

This picture is taken at Lake Cushman, near Hood Canal on the east side of the Olympic National Park (assuming I can figure out how to post another picture here).

More ramblings later . . .

Lynne

Soooo, here goes!  My friend and computer/blog/website-setter-upper guru, Karla Locke, helped me create this blog where I can record all our travel ramblings and pictures when we finally get on the road (very soon!)  Actually, she set it up and I took notes!  Thanks, Karla!

This is my first attempt at blogging, and decided to include a picture of our 'little house on the road', that we have named "Kody".  (I know it is a sickness - - this need to name our vehicles-:)  When we get going (April-on a shakedown cruise to the Washington coast; May-really getting on the road), I'll send you an e-mail with a note that there are new and wonderful things to see and read on this site, and if you would like to read it, you may.  Many of you have asked us to keep you updated on our travels, so that is the purpose of this blog.  (Of course, there is also the need to remember where we have been and what we saw!)

BTW, our kids are taking bets as to how long we're going to live in this 24' box without killing one another, but I figure if we can stick it out for 50 years, then we'll probably be able to take on this very big adventure.

More soon . . .

Lynne, Jerry and Kody (oh, and 'Kermit' the Chevy Tahoe that will lovingly attach itself to Kody for our journey)