Canyonlands yesterday, Natural Bridges today

At Canyonlands NP we began our trek at the Visitors Center, then heading out for the "Island in the Sky" area and beyond.  We always like to mix hikes/walks in with the sightseeing, and we weren't disappointed as we did the 40-50 mile park route.  There was Washer Woman Arch, Whale Rock and Potato Bottom.  Every view as one of my friends noted, is gorgeous...

  But best of all for us was the walk into Upheaval Dome, which is spectacular no matter what you think was the source of the crater--whether meteor or not, it's really beautiful to view!  We had hail, rain and pretty good wind as we hiked to the crater and arches in the area.   So many arches, so little time!

There are many ways to enjoy this area around Moab...it's a HUGE  ATV/ORV/Hummer/mountain bike area...just driving through town you see sooo many tourists in one camp or the other, with the majority of the employment centering around the hotel/restaurant/touring businesses.  This was a particularly busy time for the area, as there is a 24-hour bike ride this weekend, a bike show just concluded in Las Vegas and the folks are headed here after and of course the bus-load of Japanese tourists. 

In keeping with the wild west image, there is also a homage to the old western movie--many a western was filmed in this area with the wonderful canyons and buttes in the background.  Lots of John Wayne movies were filmed here, with the usual claim to fame of "John Wayne stayed here"...prominent among the claims is the Apache Motel..still their most attractive feature!

We continued on to Natural Bridges National Monument Friday.  We were on Hwy 95 from Blanding to the NP-note:  this is a "scenic byway"...code:  narrow, winding and hilly, sometimes impassable roadway...not bad here but oh, what we had to look forward to!  We had snow skiffs on the side of the road and deer herds crossing, but we (okay, I was only the passenger-seat driver!) navigated it successfully.  Hail and rain pelted us periodically, but 45-ish degrees prevailed and we saw 3 beautiful arch-bridges as we went around the 9-mile loop.

On our way to our destination of Monument Valley, UT (just north of the AZ border), we (okay, I don't take any credit here!) decided to take the "shorter route" and went down 261 to Mexican Hat...in his favor, it looked like an ok road on the trucker atlas we have...but after 6 or 7 miles we came up to a sign that said "in 23 miles, 10% downgrade, 5 mph switchbacks and gravel roads"...okay now I'm more concerned!  No problem my husband says...so when we get to the area where this is indeed the situation, we unhook the car and I'm in the car with Casey Noodle and Jeff is in the beast as we head down this road....

Needless to say, we made it okay and not the worse for wear, except 2 or 3 years off my life!  I'm well past my demise at this rate! 

We're getting so excited to see Bill and Marcy and the g-kidlets in Tucson...won't be long now.  Off to Flagstaff tomorrow, but only after we spend a couple hours in the morning exploring the Navajo Reservation we're on now, at the Goudling's Park.

Arches NP!!

Hello,  Arches!!  We've never seen so many natural arches anywhere, ever!  So really cool to think of how they were formed........but starting the day with breakfast at the Jailhouse Cafe (used to be the jail portion of the old courthouse in Moab), we arranged to have Casey Macdougal shopped out to a doggie daycare--really a nice setup for the old boy...

Then, off to the Park!! We're again using our "Senior Pass" for free admittance--such a deal!  Then off to the Visitor's Center and the design for our day.  We love to hike so we tried to include as much of that as possible in our trip plan.  If you've never been to this NP, it can be done driving in half a day, but with a variety of hikes/walks it takes the better part of a day.  We saw so many beautiful arches and unusual rock/sand formations.  There was "Parade of Elephants," "Three Gossips" and then Balanced Rock, which appears below.  

It's interesting as you're walking the trails to listen to the different languages.  There were many different languages spoken on the trails and very little English.  We spoke with one very nice Italian woman who noted this was very different than her landscape.  I hope she doesn't think that all of the US is like this!  Our variety of mountains, lakes, oceans and weather differences is amazing--but because we are such a big and diverse nation it must be hard for foreign visitors to take more than a small section in on a single vacation.  In talking to the Rangers, they say that the majority of the visitors to this NP are foreign....which is great but you would like to see more US folks take advantage of the beauty here, too. 

There is a campground about 15 miles in that is fantastic!  We took note of this for a future visit!  We hiked the Windows loop which included the North and South Windows arches and then the Sand Dune Arch.  The best for me, though, was the Landscape Arch, which a large portion of which came tumbling down in 1991...yikes!

We also visited the "Tunnel" Arch:

 and then on to the Visitor's Center to get our goodies for the kidlets.  Then off to pick up the Case-bomb and, wonder of wonders, he was a good boy (according to the woman I was paying at the time)...he was exhausted when we got home and hasn't moved much since arriving at the Beast.  Hardly a head move even during dinner! 

Off to Canyonlands NP tomorrow.  We will have a 70% chance of rain tomorrow, which is much better than the 45-55mph winds we had today--we fought sand in our eyes and neck and hair all day hiking...on the last hike I had to shield my face with both forearms in front of me to prevent my face being sandblasted to death!  (only a SLIGHT exaggeration)

All of you frequent followers, let us know what  you think of the new format vs the old background...is this easier to read or would like to see the "old" format?  We appreciate all of your good cheer for us and we think of all of our friends and family often...

The Great Salt Lake and on to Provo and Moab

Great Salt Lake---We went out to Antelope Island, the largest island in Salt Lake and a state park with lots of trails and protected wildlife including Bison, antelope (duh) and mountain sheep.  Also my first time touching my tootsies into the Lake was interesting--very shallow for a long way out, salty (!) and sulfur-smelling!  We were both getting over some good colds, so it was only a short walk for us today.  We took a lunch with us and had a picnic along the Lake and pretty much called it a day...wimpy, but we were happy to take a breather day to re-coop and hope for the best with the braking system check on Monday.

Charlie's Repairs--located just out of SLC--was a great spot for looking into the braking system issue.  This place is a family-owned business (Dad started it, passed away last year and son Justin is now in charge) that is absolutely the quintessential model of small business in the US.   Eight long-term employees, all clean-cut and wearing those cute old-fashioned brown short-sleeved shirts with their name on the pocket--all very service-oriented and super hard working.  They helped us get back on the road and off we go to Provo to spend the night Monday night.  Right on the river, we walked with Casey along the river and saw several fishing spots and picnic areas. 

Later, we went to dinner (first time for dinner out for us this trip except with the kids) at Ruby River Steakhouse.  Well, it was ok.  The veggies were pretty good, and the salad was better than the other places we have been;  the "baked potato" that Jeff ordered was baked and then deep-fried---how does that even work?  It was not a winner with us.

Off to Moab via the Prehistoric Museum--g-son Connor (Tucson son, Bill's son) is a huge dinosaur guy so we were anxious to stop here and get some new "ammo" for him!  We enjoyed the museum--nice displays of bones and tracks found in the eastern Utah area--even one known as Gastonia burgei, aptly named for the the museum's founder, Don Burge.  There is also a display of Utah raptor, the slasher in Spielberg's velociraptors in Jurassic Park!  The coal mines in the area are replete with tracks, bones and fossils representing different types of meat-eaters and veggie-eaters.  Good museum!

Landing in Moab, we will conquer Arches National Park tomorrow.  Casey MacDougal will be lounging at the Desert Doggie Daycare while we hike and view the park.  Blog tomorrow!!

Bliss in Utah and then Cherry Hill

We were headed to SLC Utah on Friday, still thinking of how hard it was to leave Caroline/Josh and the g-kids!  After we were on the road, we were gratified to pass by many, many miles of "severe winds next 20 miles" and "severe dust storms--do not stop on road!!"--we passed them like we didn't care!  (okay, the winds were maybe 20 mph at most).  Compared to this spring in these type of areas we were home-free!
 We left with just some cantaloupe under our belts and a thought of breakfast after a couple of hours. ID and UT get high marks for their highways--ID has many miles under construction and their handling of the transitions--wonderful!

 We had breakfast in Bliss (how can it get better than that?), ID.  Unfortunately, we discovered that our automatic braking system between the Beast and the car was not working.  We called the installer, the manufacturer and then, after many tries to restore it, the repair shop closest on our route:  "Charlie's Repairs" in Sunset, UT.  We feel really comfortable about that whole thing!!

Anyway, we decided to stay over in Kaysville, UT, which won't be too far for us to get back to  "Charlie's Repairs" and easy to get to SLC with the car to see Temple Square, etc.  We pulled into Cherry Hill RV Park--where there is mini-golf, batting cage, water slide, and scary Halloween maze!  On the RV site!!  :)))))

Well, we headed into SLC on Saturday morning and were intent on seeing Temple Square and particularly the Tabernacle, Family History Museum and hear the organ recital at 12:00. Here is the inside of the Tabernacle:

  When we got there, there was the huge Mormon conference where 25,000+ Mormons converge on SLC from all over the world to worship and hear their leaders speak.  We had no idea this was going on now, but when we discovered it, we reveled in being immersed in a sea of 15,000 or so white shirts (EVERY single male of any age wore a white shirt and slacks, at least;  most wore suits with white shirts and ties).  The women were dressed as if they were going to a ball--beautiful dresses, fab shoes and hair ornaments, etc.  So here Jeff and I were, in jeans and non-white shirts (at least we didn't have shorts on!).

 Even so, we were welcomed and treated with so much kindness as we toured the Tabernacle, Mormon History Museum and beautiful grounds.  We sat in on a "session" and found the people in the audience (from everywhere in the world--Tasmania, Japan, Jamaica---everywhere!!) to be universally clean-cut, immaculately attired, and totally interested in the message.  What a unique experience for us to be one of maybe 20 that were not Mormons among the 25,000!  In the History Museum, we sat in on a simulated classroom for 8 on the Deseret alphabet...the phonetic alphabet created to help all non-English speakers to share a common language,  used in Utah from 1860-1880.  The teacher was quite a task master for us students!

The grounds in Temple Square were beautiful and yet SO interesting with the Conference sessions going on.  We were respectful and in awe of the attendees and their dedication.  Unfortunately, as with every big gathering, there were protesters and nay-sayers.   There were even ticket-scalpers looking to sell high-end tickets!

We're headed to Salt Lake tomorrow and a picnic lunch.  So excited to see the lake!

Off to Onion Country USA!

After dinner with the kids, we went back to the "Beast" to get ready to shove off first thing in the morning and turned on the final game of the Mariners (read: last defeat in a defeating season!) while we listened to music.

We were able to get to the Fred Meyer gas station for cheap ($3.59/gal) gas but it takes so much longer with the required gas station person filling  your tank...why does Oregon require that??  Off to Caroline's to say goodbye, get g-kids kisses and head out.

It's a bleak landscape between Bend and Burns, OR.  We crossed Starvation Ridge (you can imagine traversing this area of little water and no vegetation--save sage and juniper--in a covered wagon saying "we're going to starve here!"), Stinking Water Creek and arrived at Drink Water Pass....gulp!

Deer hunting season begins Saturday, and so lots of hunters from the area are headed out for the mountains to set up their tents/RV's/chairs, etc. to stay the weekend and hunt.  We got a smile from some of the folks that passed us on the route--the best were the ones in the pickups pulling a trailer containing a converted golf cart painted in camo, a plastic chair and gun carrier...

As we head through Vale, OR we move into a much more agricultural area, alfalfa ready for its last cutting, potatoes, apples, cukes and lots and lots of onions!  We moved into "Onion Country USA" without our knowledge...but there was the huge billboard proclaiming it so we knew we had arrived!  (They ship over 22,000 loads each season!)  Many, many hundreds (thousands?) of acres of onions...onions everywhere:  on the farmtruck, on the semi, in the field, on the side of the road, in the ditch, etc.  EVERYWHERE!  Just so you know, the logo for the area is a smiling onion with cowboy hat in hand!

We needed to stop near Boise so chose Caldwell, where we bypassed 'Stinker Fuel' for the more well-known Flying J...dinner at the MOHO and an early bed for an early rise tomorrow to SLC!

Beautiful Bend and Around

Caroline graciously fixed dinner for us Monday and Tuesday as we continued to enjoy the kids, the grandkids and the weather.  We ate well! 

We went to the riverfront park, which extends at least a couple of miles along the Deschutes River and includes play areas, dog parks, picnic tables, much grass and pretty vistas.  Really a great asset to the city.  We took advantage of everything along the walk, with both kids on their bikes (Anna, 2 1/2, has the kind without pedals but otherwise looks like a teeny bike).  Ryan has just learned to ride without training wheels so he was glad to show off his new skills!  (only one small mishap)

We had dinner out at a Mexican restaurant tonight and the kids each had a bean burrito, with Anna sporting a bean soul patch towards the end...the 4 adults had either shrimp or beef fajitas and G&G took 2/3 of theirs back to the Beast for later consumption.

We're off to Boise, ID tomorrow via Burns, OR for a total of about 6 1/2 hrs driving or so.  We'll stop by for one final kiss goodbye from the g-kids and then off for new territory...

HERE WE GO! RV Adventure #2!!!

Here we are again, on the road and  loving it.  It's so great to be home, it's great to be at our island home on Lopez, and it's great to be on the road!!  We worry (well, okay, it's mostly me) that the market will be awful, that we'll have an earthquake at home (I get extra credit this time...we've had several minor earthquakes off and near our coastline!) or that we'll have so much rain that our house will wash down the road to the ocean...mostly I worry about this at 4 am when I can't sleep and Jeff is sawing logs....ok,  I digress....

We had a wonderful time traveling to my parent's home in SE Washington.  We are so lucky to have them still thriving and enjoying life.  We brought a full dinner with us for them, along with several fish dinners (frozen for their convenience) and other goodies for later consumption.  We had MAX veggies from local folks--how good does it get?  Those of you who know me, know that I LOVE veggies of all ilks and this is PRIME TIME for fresh veggies...we brought:  kale, carrots, green onions, tomatoes, green beans, celery, beets, parsley, etc from our Lopez garden to our home in Edmonds, hoping for them to last 'til we got to G&G's (often followers will know this is son Bill and daughter Caroline's grandparents, Isabelle and Barney) and beyond.

We were so happy to get on the road with the ole' MOHO (the Beast!) and had an uneventful trip to G&G's.  We were cheered before we left by our neighbors, Ron and Barbara, who invited us down to indulge in a "wee glass of wine"  to wish us well and get us off to a good start ; ).   We always enjoy their company and this was a treat we really enjoy--sharing time with them.

G&G were doing so well (Dad had the crossword done before 8 am);  Mom has some trouble walking around, but nothing she feels she can't handle.  She refuses a cane/walker/etc., which may be the reason she's still getting around so well at 93; Dad at 97 is having a bit of a problem with his neck...I gave him therma-cares with the hope that he would use them (setting him up with his first one on his neck before we left). 

We went to breakfast at the usual "White Stallion"--the hangout for the "locals"---although Waitsburg is being infiltrated with "yuppie" places:  coffee houses, wine tasting rooms, and Seattle lounge/pool halls, we still run into lots of people who know G&G.  Even given their age and SOOO many of their peers and those decades younger who they knew and grew fond of have passed, there still seems to be many who stop and say hello and say something about how they knew them while we sit in the restaurant.

We had wonderful weather (75 and slightly cloudy) and then too soon it was time to move on.  Our next stop was our daughter and her family's home in Bend.  This took us 6+ hours to drive (stopping in Umatilla for gas--which was $3.89/gal--we asked about the high cost and they (how honest!) said they raised prices because of the Pendleton Roundup traffic!

We arrived at the Crown Villa RV Park about 5:30 pm and setup and were ready to go the kids'  by 6:15, having dinner at their house.   Ryan has just come down with a cold and Anna is close behind.  Bummer!!  I'm dosing oregano oil and hoping for the best--it's too late for the kids, they're already in the cold spectrum!

We walked Ryan (with Anna in tow) to his kindergarten class--it's "Picture Day!!!"   What a cute thing:  walking through dirt trails for 1/4 mile or so to his school (which will be his school through grade 5) and me peeking through the door ("Grandma, you can go now!!!") till they started school. 

We get lots of Jeff and Lorena time with the grandkids tomorrow while Caroline does her bookkeeping work with her clients...yeah!!!