Frank and Jen On the Road
We enjoyed a great Christmas dinner with Carl and Eileen, complete with our son John, who flew down as a great surprise to help celebrate Frank's 60th. We spent a couple of days showing John some of the sights, including the Desert Museum, the International Wildlife Museum, the Reid Park Zoo. That's about all we had time for, then had to get him to the airport to fly home just before the thunderstorms arrived here.
We took a drive with Carl and Eileen last night to view the Christmas lights in the Winterhaven neighborhood, where the residents go all out on their decorations. Just had to stay in line and watch out for the horse-drawn carriages, wandering around with no headlights!
A few errant clouds from the Pacific Northwest storms gave us a great sunset last night.
Jen has started her physical therapy again, and other than that we have been taking it easy. Enjoyed a spaghetti dinner at Carl and Eileen's Monday and watched the Seahawks whoop the Raiders. Enjoying the warm weather with beautiful sunsets and a full moon over the saguaro.
Another short drive, after a late start due to misplaced sunglasses, and we are back at Desert Trails RV Park in Tucson, AZ. Got lucky with a cancellation, so we got one of the prime spots in back with a view of the desert from the windshield. Carl and Eileen treated us to a great dinner and we sat around their little patio fireplace catching up. Jen says it feels like we are home.
Another short drive to Sun City, AZ to visit Jen's Aunts and assorted relatives. Will park on the street across from Bob and Roxy's for a couple of nights before continuing south.
Fairly short drive today - arrived at our Thouand Trails Verde Valley park in Cottonwood, AZ about noon. Nice drive through elk country, though we saw not a single elk (except on the warning signs). Finally dropped about 3000 feet into the Verde Valley, and temps about 10 degrees warmer (79 on arrival). Plan to relax for the weekend before heading further south.
Nice drive today out of Utah, across a corner of Arizona, across a piece of Nevada through Las Vegas, and back into Arizona. Lots of time zone changes, so who knows what day it is!!??!! Interesting drive across Hoover Dam, getting inspected by Homeland Security and trying not to run over the sightseeing pedestrians. They are a couple of years behind on the new bypass because of loosing a couple of cranes into the canyon due to high winds. Found a real nice RV park just east of Kingnman, AZ for the night.
Yesterday was a lazy day - hung around, did laundry, and watched edges of the weather system that dumped snow in the Salt Lake area. Today we visited Zion National Park and did a couple of the short hikes. Saw some amazing scenery and rock formations, and even saw some crazy rock climbers scaling one of the red cliffs.
Awoke to temps of 37 outside and 48 inside - the electrical stuff quit entirely during the night. The girls were a bit chilly. Got a late start awaiting the call from the tech people, who referred us to a placed in St. George, where we were headed anyhow. Pretty drive through that part of Utah, with traces of snow just a little higher in the hills. Got to our Western Horizons park and called for the service tech, who showed up and determined we have a bad solenoid. Since it is one we don't really need, he bypassed it until we have a chance to replace it, and everything seems to be working fine. A little drizzle this evening (leftovers from hurricane Paul), but supposed to be nice tomorrow. Will feel good to stay in one place for a couple of days.
Another pretty day of travel, through the Sawtooth Range out of Idaho and into Utah. It is not supposed to get below freezing here tonight, so we are progressing the right direction. It was a rather long day because of stretches of nothing, but we finally found a KOA at Fillmore, UT (about 100 miles south of Salt Lake City). After getting set up, we discovered that we had no 12-volt power in the coach (no lights, no thermostat). A call for technical assistance determined that we need to have someone check it out tomorrow, so they will find a place and call in the morning. Then, of course, things suddenly came on and seem to be working properly??!!!?? I really strongly dislike electrical gremlins. I guess we will see what happens in the morning - do we delay to have it inspected (electrical diagnosis can be time consuming), or just continue on and hope it doesn't happen again???? to be continued..........
We are getting into warmer climates - it only got down to 26 degrees last night. Another nice day for a drive out of Eastern Oregon and into southwestern Idaho. Found a nice little RV park to spend the night on the Snake River in Declo, ID.
Live and learn! It rained the day we arrived at Bend and puddles formed on 2 of our slide covers. I neglected to dump the water yesterday, and guess what I found on arising to a 22-degree morning! I spent an hour with Jen's hair dryer getting the ice loose enough to remove so we could bring the slides in. Wasn't sure my fingers were ever going to thaw after that! We ended up getting away an hour and a half later than planned, then lost another hour changing time zones (we forgot about that, too). But we did have a nice drive across central and eastern Oregon, and found the little RV Park in Vale, OR that we had used a couple of years ago. Mananged to get set up and have some dinner just before dark.
Another pretty drive down across the Columbia Gorge and through the rolling hills of central Oregon. Arrived at the Thousand Trails park in Bend, OR early afternoon, and will try to see Jen's cousin Annette while here.
Finally - we are on the road again (contrary to the surgeon's wishes)! Had a beautiful drive over Stevens Pass and south on Highway 97 - lots of autumn colors and even some sunshine. Stopped at a small RV park just north of Goldendale, WA, which is in the process of getting many needed improvements by the new owner (bought it 3 weeks ago!). Might be fun to stop by again in 2 or 3 years and see what he has done with the place.
Jen was feeling up to a short trip today (5 days after surgery), so we went up and bought some new clothes for her "kids".
Returned today after spending 3 nights in the Great American RV service area. Having convinced our financial advisor that we "really needed" it, we purchased a new motorhome (2005 Safari Gazelle) and got all our "stuff" transferred (we are exhausted!). We parked the two motorhomes side by side, then started hauling stuff over and attempting to organize as we went. It was a trying experience, and the dogs were quite confused over the whole thing. There are a few "broken" items to be addressed at a later date, but we got back to Lake Connor Park and manged to get parked, so we can work on really getting settled in.
Beautiful drive over Stevens Pass today, returning to our "summer home" in Lake Stevens. After 3 days of triple-digit temps at Quincy, it feels good to be back in our trees at Lake Connor Park where it is comfortable at about 80 degrees. Got settled in and did some general cleanup - the big stuff was already out of the way (thanks John!).
Drove up to Chelan today, to see the lake and tour the sidewalk fair, complete with live local music to eat lunch by. And, of course, Jen managed to grab up a few "bargains".
Drove over to Wenatchee today - visited Costco (of course), ate lunch, and bought ice cream. We visited the Ohme Gardens, 5 acres of trees, shrubs, and flowers on an otherwise steep, barren hillside, overlooking the confluence of the Columbia and Wenatchee Rivers. It was put together by Mr. and Mrs. Ohme, beginning in the 1930's, by bringing in plants and rocks and building their back yard by hand - quite an amazing feat.
Took the back roads through Eastern Washington farm and ranch land, ending at our Thousand Trails park in Quincy, WA, in the Crescent Bar recreation area, where we will spend a couple of weeks before heading back west of the Cascades. Timed it just right to get a nice view site looking down on the Columbia River. It was a soggy drive, but is supposed to clear up over the next few days and return to sunshine.
Trekked over the "Wild and Scenic Lewis and Clark Trail" route through Idaho today. This follows the Lochsa River, until it merges with the Selway River to become the Clearwater River, and eventually empties into the Snake River at Lewiston - beautiful, peaceful drive, watching the river get bigger and bigger as it flows out of the hills, without a single dam to slow it down. Found a nice RV park in Clarkston, WA overlooking the river (right behind Costco), where we plan to spend 3 nights.
Pretty drive today (though quite wet), up through Helena and over to Missoula. Found a nice little RV park to spend a couple of nights.
Moved out of the Tetons today, cruising out through West Yellowstone and north into Montana. Found a nice little RV park in Cardwell, MT (pop 40) for tonight. Got set up before Mother Nature began her light show, complete with audio, rain, and hail.
Took a drive to Jackson today. Started at the town plaza, with its arches of elk antlers, then did the gift shops, with a stop for an elk hot dog lunch.
Took a day trip up around Yellowstone today, even getting into the snow (only on the ground). Saw the standard stuff, like elk, bison, and Old Faithful, but no bears, moose, or other critters.
Travelled over 9,658-foot Togwatee Pass and into Grand Teton National Park today. Magnificent views of the mountains as we got closer and closer. Staying in the Colter Bay RV Park (inside the national park) for a few days. Wandered down to the lake for a great view of the mountains on the other side.
Travelled north up the Chief Washaki Trail route and through the Wind River country today. Had great views of the Wind River Range and colorful rock cliffs along the road. We ended up in a small RV park outside of Dubois, WY, right on the river, where the dogs enjoyed the grass and shade.
Now that the holiday weekend is done, we are headed north. Beautiful drive out of Estes Park, down Big Thompson Canyon, following Big Thompson River, with colorful rock walls on both sides. Stopped in Rawlins, Wyoming for the night.
We visited Rocky Mountain National Park today- quite spectacular! We saw critters like elk, Marmots, smaller rodents, and several varieties of birds. The hilights of the park, of course, are the great views and tremendous mountain scenes. And there are miles and miles of trails, if only we had more time (maybe we will extend our stay, though it is rather pricey).
We moved up to an RV park in Estes Park, CO, at the doorway to Rocky Mountain National Park. We have a nice view from our front window, and a small herd of elk wandered in for a little dinner.
We visited Seven Falls today - a series of seven separate waterfalls on South Cheyenne Creek. We climbed the 284 steps that follow the falls up the side of the mountain - interesting views. We had to wait at the top of the stairs for the firemen to go on up the trail and tend to a smoking tree that had probably been hit by lightning yesterday and smoldered all night. Then we were able to continue on up the trail to Inspiration Point (it was the inspiration for Helen Hunt Jackson's novel Ramona), where we had a great view of Colorado Springs and the eastern plains.
Frank went for a hike, leaving Jen to hibernate. Started in the Cheyenne Mountain Park at 7600 feet and hiked up the Cheyenne Creek trail. Only got a bit over 2 miles (up to 8500 feet) before getting chased out by thunderstorms. Beautiful country for hiking.
Took a drive through Mt. Cheyenne City Park today. It is a free Colorado Springs city park, encompassing Mt. Cheyenne and surrounding forest, as well as an abundance of open space including a couple of reservoirs. There are miles of trails, but we didn't hike because a good thunderstorm came through and chased us back to the rig. We did see Helen Hunt Falls, which is on the road through the park.
Roamed through the Garden of the Gods today, site of some awesome rock formations sticking up from the ground. Even saw the 70-ton Balancing Rock, which has somehow remained for thousands of years. Jennifer even tried to push it over (with her bad arm!). Cool park with several miles of trails through the formations, and it's free!
Took the drive up to Pikes Peak today. Spectacular views from 14,110 feet (though it is hard to breathe), including distant mountains, lakes and reservoirs, and even an aerial view of Colorado Springs. An interesting road to the top, but well worth the trip! Another place we would like to do some hiking.
We moved on up to Colorado today, stopping in a little RV park just outside Colorado Springs, on the road to Pike's Peak. Be here about 10 days to see all the sights, get the car serviced, and whatever.
We drove the Enchanted Circle today, circling 13,161-foot Wheeler Peak (highest in New Mexico) through the Carson National Forest. Passed through Eagle Nest, sitting on a lake overlooked by snow-capped mountains. Ate lunch in the small mountain town of Red River. Beautiful drive, with scenery like the east side of the Cascades in Washington.
Followed the Rio Grande north today, ending up in a little RV park just south of Taos, NM. Probably be here at least 3 nights to see the sights and get mail.
Visited the Bandelier National Monument today. It is in a deep canyon with actual water in the stream and is the site of the remains of an ancient pueblo and cliff dwellings. The hilight was the Alcove House (ceremonial cave), requiring a 140-foot climb up ladders and steep stairways cut into the cliffs. Quite a climb at over 6000 feet and with Jen's not-quite-healed shoulder, but well worth it.
We broke down and visited a theater today to catch a matinee of the new Mission Impossible flick. Then went on down wandered around the historic Santa Fe Plaza area. Toured the large historic Catholic church, which was very impressive inside. Mostly, Jen enjoyed visiting the various shops, of course.
We took a drive north to see some old pueblos (now artist colonies), starting with Chimayo. We ended up taking the "High Road" to Taos, which is a route through several of the pueblos. We got all the way to Taos, which looks like it could take a day all by itself. Made for a long drive (don't know why we keep doing that) with some great scenery, but tiring.
Mother Nature put on quite a light show last night, complete with sound effects and heavy rain. Fun to watch, but freaked the dogs and made it difficult to sleep.
Moved up to a little RV park just south of Santa Fe today. Will remain here at least a week to let our mail catch up and see some of the sights.
Visited the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument today. Remains of three Spanish missions and Indian Pueblos from around the 1500's. Amazing architecture for the time, and interesting history on what happened to the settlements.
Travelled a bit of historic Route 66 today, and visited Old Town in Albuquerque. This is mostly the dreaded gift shops, so Jen had a good time. Forgot our cameras, so no pics.
After waiting around an extra 2 days for our mail to show up in Lakewood (it never did), we finally bagged it and headed northwest. Came through the Capitan mountains, through the town of Capitan (birthplace of Smokey the Bear), and landed at a small RV park (and horse motel) in Bernardo, NM, about 30 miles south of Albuquerque. Not sure how long we will stay, maybe through the weekend to allow the forecast thunderstorms get past.
Drove up to the famous town of Roswell today, but saw no Martians. Visited a museum with explanations and exhibits about the alleged UFO crash and government coverup. To believe or not believe, that is the question. Seems like a lot of evidence to be a made-up story. Started the 1-hour drive back in 92-degree sunshine, got back to 62-degree thunderstorms. It will be all dried out by tomorrow.
Toured the Living Desert Museum and Gardens State Park today. Similar to the Sonoran Desert Museum (but not nearly as nice or extensive), displaying plants and animals from the Chihuahuan Desert area. Many of the same animals as the Sonoran Desert, like the ever popular javelina, and some different, like bison. Too dry this year for many blossoms, though the ocotillo is showing some pretty red blooms.
Visited Carlsbad Caverns National Park today, touring the amazing natural caves. Everything about the place is breathtaking, from the cave mouth in the 90-degree sunshine to the many different formations in the 56-degree caverns 800 feet down. The most amazing thing is the vast size of this undergroung labyrinth of "rooms", big and small, and that they are still finding more.
Happy Easter!
Moved to Lakewood, NM today, to an SKP co-op park between Carlsbad and Artesia. Squished a big rattler on the highway. Hot (91) and windy today, same tomorrow, then a bit cooler and calmer for a while (we hope!).
Tried to visit Old Mesilla this morning to see historic sites and Farmer's Market. Everything was closed, and the Farmer's Market turns out to be in Las Cruces. We couldn't find it, so we gave up.
Travelled up to visit the White Sands Historical Monument today. The visitor center has interesting info on how the white dunes of gypsum sand came to be, and how they are moving. The nature walk, climbing up and around the dunes, shows some of the different animal and plant life that survive there. Amazing area.
We moved about 2 hours down the road today, to Vados, NM. Not much here (and their wireless is not working), but it is about halfway between Las Cruces and El Paso. There are a few things we want to see in the area, if we make it through the unseasonable weather (90's and windy) for the next 2 or 3 days.
We travelled down to Columbus, the village attacked by Pancho Villa. We toured the museum with photos and stories about the attack and the "punitive war" that followed. Nothing else to see down there, so we hit a state park for a picnic lunch and a short hike. And it works down here too - I washed the car and the motorhome yesterday, and now we are listening to the rain on the roof.
We took a drive up through Silver City, into the Gila National Forest, over the continental divide, and up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument. The hike up 180 feet to the dwellings is done slowly at the 7000-foot altitude, but is worth the effort. Climbing around the different chambers, up and down ladders, gives a view of the 40 rooms of the dwellings built in a series of 7 natural caves. Quite impressive.
Yesterday we lost an hour as we traveled out of Arizona, to one of our Escapee parks in Deming, New Mexico. Today we pretty much just sat around and rocked with the motorhome in the windstorm (50 mph gusts). It really creates some dust storms outside of town where there is not much to hold down the desert floor. It is supposed to let up by tomorrow afternoon. Sure glad we did our travelling yesterday.
Visited Old Bisbee (site of J. A. Jance mystery novels) today, a town built on the side of the hills. We toured the museum, visited several shops (of course), and checked out the historic Copper Queen hotel. Jen's arm prevented us from doing the mine tour or jeep tour, but we did view the Lavender Pit (named for the man who figured out how to extract good quality copper from the relatively poor quality ore in the area) from a roadside viewpoint. The tours sound interesting, so we will have to return when Jen is in better shape.
After studying a hand-drawn map given us by a man on the Oregon coast last year, we decided we could get to the Cochise Stronghold site from the south on back roads. So we took off on what the Forest Service calls a primitive road. After about 10 miles of gravel/dirt road, we came to the turnoff to the stronghold, and drove on in past the sign warning of illegal immigrants and smuggling in the area. After another 10 miles, we came to the end of a really bad road, only to discover that it is a 5-mile hike to the stronghold. Since we were not prepared for a hike, we decided we could try it another day (after Jen is completely healed and back to "normal"). And since the road did not go through as the map shows, we had to retrace the 10-mile bad road, then another 15 miles over some mountains to finally find a highway to get us back. A tiring day of bumpy driving for Jen's shoulder, but we saw some interesting scenery and views of some awesome rock formations.
Today we visited historic Tombstone, The Town Too Tough To Die!. Interesting history, but mostly a tourist thing with wagon rides and lots of gift shops. We mostly roamed the streets (and gift shops) and lunched on a hot dog and ice cream at a little cafe. We did take in the Birdcage Theatre, which has quite a history as saloon, gambling hall, and house of ill repute. And, of course, we toured Boot Hill, with its population of the famous, infamous, and victims. We missed the old courthouse and a couple of other sites we wanted to see, so we will probably return for another visit.
Back on the road again, though for a short trip this time. After about an hour and a half drive, we arrived at the St. David RV resort in St. David, AZ (just south of Benson). We are a bit higher than Tucson, so it may get colder at night. Looks like a nice park so far, though they are still installing their wi-fi equipment, so we have to go all the way to the clubhouse and use the phone line, which will limit internet use. We are backed up to BLM land, so we can easily wander the desert if the mood comes upon us.
Carl and Eileen introduced us to the International Wildlife Museum today. This is a great museum with exhibits from all over the world. The only live specimens are a scorpion and a tarantula. The rest are stuffed exhibits, showing more species than we knew exhisted, including hundreds of butterflies (including a male/female Gynandromorf) and moths, large beetles, cats large and small, various varieties of penguins, and many others. Jennifer even got up close and personal with a giraffe and an extinct giant moose. This is a great attraction, well worth the $7 entrance fee.
We made it to Tubac today, which is mostly shops and galleries after our money. Somehow we got away with no large purchases this time. Unfortunaltely, since we will be here until the middle of March (so Jen can get more PT on her shoulder), she and Eileen figure they can go again. Carl and I will probably pass on that trip. Carl and Eileen did introduce us to a great restaurant in Green Valley, so we enjoyed a good meal and good company.
We were planning on visiting Tubac, a town of artists and writers (population about 500), with Carl and Eileen. However, the predictions of 40-mph winds caused us to put the trip off till next week. So today is kind of a lazy day, with the awnings retracted, the a/c going, and the rv rocking in the wind. Jen is resting her shoulder and watching some chick flick borrowed from Eileen. Frank took a walk in the desert and is cranking up TurboTax (retirement has produced a bunch of forms I never heard of before) in a search for another income source.
We visited the Botanical Gardens in Tucson with Carl and Eileen, and met their friends Rick and Kay, fulltimers from Texas. The main attraction for this visit was the butterfly exhibit, with butterflies from around the world in a controlled (humid) environment. There was also the usual displays of various southwestern plants, as well as some unusual cactus.
We travelled to Ajo (about 100 miles west of tucson) with Carl and Eileen. We met their friends Bruce and Kathy and visited their lovely home, which is an old adobe house that they have fixed up very nicely. We walked around the old mining town to see some of the old buildings, visited the old copper mine, and the cemetery. It was a long drive, but well worth the trip.
