Now that we've been on the road for more than five months I have come to realize why folks decide to become 'snow birds'.  We've stayed and camped at state parks, BLM public lands, store and casino parking lots, national parks, small rv parks and huge rv resorts.  We recently spent a week at one of the huge rv resorts where people own or lease their little piece of heaven, and were amazed to learn that the people who stay there, usually during a particular season, are not the 'walker and cane' set, but rather very active adults who enjoy all sorts of fun.  These resorts are truly that - - resorts!  The big difference at these resorts and those where all ages go to vacation, is that they attract people who enjoy meeting others and being part of a community of folks similar in age and interests.  These snow birds get together to go hiking, biking, take excursions to remote areas to ride their ATV's, swim, take meals together, do community/volunteer projects, discuss books or current events, sing together, play instruments, take classes, do crafts, and take part in special interest clubs too numerous to count.

Now, having said all that, this was simply an eye-opening observation rather than a plan for our immediate future!  We're still happy being on the road and exploring all the places our cameras have never seen.  It was simply a realization for us to find out why there are so many retired, or nearly retired, folks who elect to live this way.  Interesting . . .

During our travels for the past couple of months, the word that kept coming to mind was 'color'.  We cruised through parts of Nevada, southern Utah, much of Arizona and are now exploring New Mexico.  Every place we've visited has been ablaze with colors so vivid that it can hurt one's eyes.  I have seen many photos of the parks and monuments, but nothing prepared me for the sights we were fortunately enough to see. 

The reds, purples and golds in the Grand Canyon,

the pinks and oranges of Zion and Bryce Canyons,

 
and the incredible red rocks near Sedona, AZ and in Red Rock Canyon, UT.

Even the greens of the cactus in the deserts following record monsoon rains were sights I had not expected, nor was I prepared for the wonderful colors in the water reflected from the London Bridge in Lake Havasu.

While our travels did not take us to Winslow, Arizona,  I was able to grab this image of Jerry 'taking it easy',  and 🎵standing on the corner in Tombstone, Arizona🎵. 

Unfortunately, there was no girl driving by in a flatbed Ford, although I did find "Big Nose Kate" (of OK Corral fame) and "Gold Tooth Sue" (notorious in the Palace in Prescott), but neither were willing to have their photos taken with this cowboy.  I had to settle for making images of the iconic ghost/gold rush towns of Bisbee and Tombstone, (including Boot Hill), among others📷.

After spending time in the desert states, I have a new favorite bird!  I saw my first roadrunner, and fell in love with the critter when I found out that they can take out rattlesnakes!  They are very cute, especially when they are running.  They look just like I remember, when I was just a wee sprite, watching the old roadrunner cartoons .  They're too fast for me to catch with my camera, and they certainly won't hold still and strike a pose, so I had to settle for this Las Cruses icon at the edge of town.

As for lessons learned, we finally found out exactly how long it takes to completely run down our battery in 'Kermit' the Tahoe, when leaving our cooler plugged in while we were exploring a ghost town.  We just weren't real sure before this happened - - sooooo, now we know!  (Thank goodness for roadside assistance insurance!!!)

We hope you've enjoyed reading about our continuing RV adventure and seeing the images we so enjoy making.  We'll bring you up to date again when we've explored the rest of the southwest, eaten our share of red and green chilis and joined the hunt for extra terrestrials!

 

🎵'On the road again', 'cruisin' down the highway', 🎵'long and winding road', taking the scenic route', 'endless highway' 🎵- - I've been humming all these and more lately, because we really have gone 'on the road again'!  After many months spent getting my health back in order, we've re-started our full-time RV adventure and we're thrilled!  (Still having a little weakness/stiffness issue with my foot and leg, but I continue to use pool workouts and bicycling to gain strength, and it seems to be working.  'NUFF said about that!!!)

When we were deciding where to go first, we realized that there is no place with better summer weather than the northwest, so we spent two months exploring the Willamette valley area of Oregon - - wine country, and all that.  Although we have been to Oregon more times than we can count, this is the first time we took the time to really explore both iconic places as well as those roads less traveled.

We found the farmlands in this area are really spectacular but we agreed that maybe the 'powers that be' could find a better way to trim the trees along those roadways . . . 🚫!

We found soooo much to do in this area of Oregon . . . we re-connected with old friends, toured factories (sausage, cheese, beer, and pies - - oh, my! - - I might add that none assisted us in reducing our number of belt notches, unfortunately), visited historic sites like the covered bridge at the top of this page, went to festivals . . .

took in museums . . .

and, yes, that really is a 747 atop this building, sitting in a vineyard.  And, the tubes coming out of the plane's belly are water slides that descend into the pools that are housed in the building below!  A most amazing water park that is part of the Evergreen Air and Space Museum in McMinnville.   The museum is a 'must see' whenever you go to Oregon.  One building houses the famous Spruce Goose; another is dedicated to the space program.  We were parked in an RV park next door to this facility so we got to spend some quality time there.  Well worth a stop.

I had a great time getting reacquainted with my camera as well.  Had fun with the super moon, enjoyed a foggy day at the coast,

and even got 'my abstract on' in a small town in the valley.

We couldn't bring ourselves to head back into the hot weather after leaving Oregon, so decided to stay cool and go south down the coast of California.  Enjoyed some train art work . . .

some big surf . . .

some amazing back roads with wonderful trees . . .

historic lighthouses . . ,
 

and the craziest surfer I have ever seen . . .

Not only NO, but H**L NO!!!

As in the past, we have learned some lessons on our adventure.  We learned that sometimes, as we have more birthdays (I really HATE that saying🎂!), it is OK to give ourselves permission to throw caution to the wind and just have a big slice of pie for dinner!  (Oh, and please don't tell our kids we do that occasionally - - they will surely send us off to 'shady acres'!!)

The other lesson I learned is that when you drive around the back of a building on what turns out to be a dead end road, and then have to back out to go a different direction, make darned sure an old motor home is not coming up behind you, going too fast to avoid your stopped vehicle.  Not much harm done; just a little bruising on 'Kermit's' bumper.  But, rest assured, Kermit bruised that beast right back!

Also, in our stays at RV parks, state parks, casino parking lots (free!-my favorite word), forest land campgrounds, and county parks, we have gotten the experience necessary to successfully deal with the maneuverability of 'Kodi' the trailer, although sometimes - - since I do the driving/backing - - my executive director of motion (that would be Jerry) still has a few problems with his hand signals.  But, we're working on it . . . ⬆️⬅️⬇️➡️ 

Next stop:  Sequoia National Park - - a place neither of these ex-California kids have seen.  Then, FINALLY, we'll make our way to all the parks and monuments in Utah and Arizona.  The holidays will be spent in Texas with our daughter, Crista, and her family.  (I'm already practicing my 'ya'lls' in preparation for our visit there!)

Hope you enjoyed my new 'ramblings' - - - more to come.

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 . . .