Coming to the End of an Odyssey

These again are out of chronological order:

                                    Coastal California between Monterey and Pacifica.

 A natural forming lake with no outlet is called Walker Lake. It is fresh water with good fishing but the water level is dropping yearly.

 The Nevada Dessert. Driving through an Inter-montainvalley or trough that spreads for miles between the mountains on either side accompanied us most of the way southeast towards Bryce. The mountains are still snow caped in the distance.

 The different striations of rock structure and the differing times of weathering that each striation takes, makes for some interesting color variations and striking contrasts.

 The Canyon is full of rock formations referred to by the Indians as "Hoo Doos". They are weathered spires that stand alone or in groups all along the fins or outcroppings in the Canyon. The Indians believed man was put on the earth but became bad so they were turned into Hoo Doos to spend eternity here in the Canyon.

From Sunset Point, the Navajo Loop Trail descends through 30 switchbacks skillfully constructed in a "V" shaped corridor between the rock formations. The Navajo Loop Trail connects to the Queens Garden Trail for a nice circular route that comes out at Sunrise Point. A short .5 mile hike along the Rim makes a nice early morning route.

                                         Morning sunrise Bryce Canyon Amphitheater.

                                                           A Survivor at Bryce.

 Coastal cliffs and wonderful waves. The surfing mecca area called "The Mavericks" is along this coast from Monterey to Pacifica.

                                                Along Route 1 from Monterey to Pacifica.

   It is amazing how things can change over a few short days. We arrived at the campground in Pacifica to a foggy/drizzly/windy day and it stayed that way for our two night stay. We never did go into San Francisco but vegged at the trailer. We have had the most wonderful streak of good sunny weather the whole trip. It may have been all different temperatures but it was sunny with the only exception being the cloudy/misty day when we toured Monument Valley. I didn’t care much though, because I got some good pictures.

   While in Pacifica we evaluated the trip so far and our expenses. We had gotten 26 fill ups and prices per gallon were running higher than we estimated and the mileage we got on the Avalanche was less than we estimated. So we took stock and decided to abort the northern half of the trip and head back east. But we decided to head up through Sacramento through the Donner pass and then slog South East across Nevada so that we could visit Bryce Canyon just across the border in Utah. We didn’t visit it when we had the chance when we stayed in Kanab. 

   I was NOT looking forward to the trip across Nevada as I do not have very good memories of my trek across the state the last time I went across the Northern section to get to the Tetons. All I remember was the color dun brown! This time though it was fascinating as we traveled for 100’s of miles down geological troughs, while still stlaying high up on ancient desert plateaus. We traveled down wide sweeping valleys, with salt flats, desert, free range cattle, and snow capped peaks on either side of us. Sometimes it seemed the road did not turn for miles and distances were very deceiving. It was magnificent and ugly at the same time. I gotta say I think the US Government has and still does use Nevada as the great test pit in the country; ammunition dumps, nuclear test sites, missile ranges, flight test ranges just to name a few. We traveled on Utah Highway 319 which the state officially designated as “The Extrarterestial Highway.” So many UFO’s were seen along that one route. But of course the explanation is that it is the northern limits of Nellis Air Force Base. Tony really put his foot to the peddle and we crossed the state in two days, making it all the way from Pacifica, CA to Cedar City, UT in two days. 

   That made an easy and early arrival at Bryce Canyon and afforded us the chance of getting a site in the North Campground in Bryce. We toured the full length of Bryce, went out to dinner and went to bed at 8:30  There was a time zone change in there somewhere. This morning we got up at 4:30 in order to be at Bryce Point for sunrise. The sky was cloudless except for in the east where the exact spot of the sun rises. So the display wasn’t as spectacular as it can be but it was still a great sight. Then we headed down into the canyon for a several mile hike around the various features and stared up at the “hoo doos.”  Pretty easy hike going down 550 ft and up the same, compared to our desert hike into The Wave. On the way down the Navajo Trail, there was one steep section that had 30 switch backs constructed down a steep v shaped groove in the formations. Going down was easy but we also knew we had to go back up at the other end but it was so interesting because it put us up with the level of some of the tops of the formations. 

    After the hike we had to be out of the campground by 11 and get on our way to Page, AZ. We had been at Page on our way going out and saw the Lower Antelope Canyon, but Tony was so impressed with the experience that we decided to come back to Page and do the Upper Antelope Canyon. We have an appointment at 1:30 tomorrow and then will get the oil changed in the truck and head home the next day for real. I know the route will be across US 160 through Colorado and ultimately meet up with I-70 but I don’t know how long it will take us or where we will overnight. We will drive until we feel like stopping. I can see visions of Wally Marts floating in my brain! I have the book “Next Exit” with us and it defines what services and facilities are at every exit on every interstate in the country so it is easy to find Wally Marts and Flying J’s. The problem with Flying J’s is that the truckers keep their generators on all night and it is hard to sleep but then the Wally Marts are always an adventure also. I think it will be worth our sanity to get off the highway and use State Parks wherever possible. With the “America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Land pass” for seniors, we spent $7.50 for our campsite in Bryce! (Of course the site wasn’t level in any direction but that doesn’t count!)

   

    So I will add some pictures and bid you all adieu for this trip. It has been a spectacular adventure in so many ways. This country is truly a Grand Land and there are so many special places to see and explore. We were fortunate to have seen many of these such places. America the Beautiful.

"Sunset Western Garden Book"

Sorry but these pictures are not in chronological order. That is too difficult for me to figure out!

 Workers at Hoover Dam had to hang off the side of the canyon in order to use a jack hammer. Me underneath with my shorn hair! The fantastic new bridge is in the background. It was built for security reasons to divert traffic off the top of the dam.

 Black flowers, still to be researched in my new book.

 Along 17 miles drive on Monterey Peninsula.

 Glass sculpted ceiling with flower arrangement in foreground at the Bellagio. The ceiling is called the "Fiori di Como" by famed glass sculptor Dan Chihuly.

 Another work by Chihuly at the Bellagio.

 A sculpture by Richard MacDonald on permanent display at the gallery in the Bellagio.

 Floor tiles made of Murano glass with layers of glass and gold leaf. Laid on the floor of the indoor swimming pool at the Hearst Castle. 

 More glass tiles designed by the architect of the Hearst Castle and made in San Francisco by skilled glass artists from Italy. Hearst used a woman architect named Julia Morgan for all the work at San Simeon and numerous other projects. These tiles are covering the walls of the indoor swimming pool. 

 The Coast Willows at our campground at San Simeon State Park.

 The breeze doesn't stop on the Monterey Peninsula especially here at Pebble Beach Golf Course. How do you hit the ball straight against this wind?

 "The Lone Cypress" located along the 17 MIle Drive. what I call, Motif # 2.

 A form of Hens and chicks I think. Research forthcoming!

 One location on the 17 Mile Drive has a surf that wells up, caused by offshore underwater rock formations.

More turbulence along 17 MIle Drive.

   It is surprising what little things can do for you. All of the vegetation is different here and it has been driving me nuts because I don’t know what I am looking at. The RV repair man at San Simeon told me to look for a copy of the Sunset Western Garden Book. What are the chances, but on walking along the Cannery section of Monterey we found a used book shop and the book. Now I am in seventh heaven because I can look everything up.

   We have done so much since my last post, plus I have been bad and just posted the odd picture on Facebook. We left Kanab for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It is only 11 miles across from the North Rim but over a 200 mile drive to get around. We enjoyed the South Rim so much better than the North Rim. We wish we had gone to Bryce instead of the North Rim as the distance from Kanab was the same. Live and learn. 

   The Grand Canyon to Vegas drive was over 250 miles and took all day but the desert scenery was fascinating. We both are missing a true color GREEN. The road wound around and climbed mountains and we marveled at the fence lines along both sides of the highway. I want a penny for every fence post out west here!

   In Vegas we stayed at a casino that had an RV park attached. It was 5 miles from the strip but cheap and interesting. On the way there we stopped at the Hoover Dam. The RV parking was 3.5 miles roundtrip to walk down to see the dam up close, if that is possible. In Vegas, Tony wanted to see the Mob Museum which is housed in the original courthouse used in one of the many Kefauver Hearings into organized crime. The mob finally got me on the steps coming out. I had been hiding out in the witness protection program.
   We drove the strip. One weird place; filled midweek with so many people, cars and more people and cars. But if you go off the strip one block it is dead. My son got us tickets to see Cirque de Soleil’s “O” and we needed to pick up the tix at “will call”, so the day of the performance we headed downtown around noon and planned to spend the day and night there. I needed to hit the Apple Store in the Caesar’s Palace Forum Shoppes and luckily the Palace is next to the Bellagio where the “O” theater is located. The forum is lit in such a way that it changes the time of day, anywhere from sunrise to dusk. More Weird. 

   “O” was a technical marvel with 150 back stage people to make everything work correctly. The stage was basically a huge 20 ft deep water tank. But the level was changed constantly by using hydraulics and platforms. Under the water were Scuba divers and air stations for the synchronized swimming performers and everybody else that landed in the water from flying trapezes to flying horses, to acrobats shot off catapults. My son’s company supplies the lights to the show so Chris has been back stage to see all the details. Even the way they flew the curtain off the stage in the opening was dramatic. Truly an amazing presentation of artistry and technology. After the show we drove the strip for Tony to gad at the lights!

   Ah, then the long drive over the Mojave desert to Bakersfield. We were lucky and the temperatures were moderate but there were some hills to climb. However, when we hit Bakersfield the temperature hit 95 in our trailer. We found the perfect tree to park next to at Wally Mart. That lasted until bedtime, when the van itinerants who parked on the other side of the tree, started in making a raucus. We moved next door to Lowes. Temps had been in the 60’s at the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas because of the elevation, so it was quite a shock to deal with 95 degree temps and no hookups. We are so cheap to stay at Wally Marts, we get what we deserve I guess! 

   Gas in California is averaging $4.25. We have already used 22 fill ups since our trip started!

   We got out of Bakersfield in record time and so enjoyed the drive over the coastal highlands to Cambria, located north of San Luis Obispo. We finally hit the Coastal Route 1 and headed north for a few miles to the San Simeon Creek State Park. The trees in the park were huge and amazing with branches that swept along the ground and then upward with multi trunks. Turns out they were a variety of willow. The Hearst Castle is nearby and built around some native Coast Live Oak. Pretty "over the top" place, but worth a tour. Our campground, I am convinced, had some mystical psychedelic powers, as our battery went dead and our phone batteries went dead and our awning was stuck in the out position. There is a way to retract the awning but I couldn’t get to the awning manual on line until we got out of the crazy place. I guess the Moonstones from Moonstone Beach nearby added some mysterious forces. We finally had a repairman come and help us out and we were able to get on the road after 2 PM for a 99 mile hairpin turn drive to Monterey. The area is called The Big Sur and is stunning scenery around every bend.  

   Unfortunately for Tony, the roadway is very narrow and it was a challenge to maneuver our 46 ft combined length. Finding safe places to pull off to ooogle at things was difficult and unnerving. Several locations banned RV’s. It has always been a dream of mine to drive that coast so it was a special time, with us finally pulling into an interesting RV lot at the County Fairgrounds in Monterey at 6:30 PM. Tomorrow the Artichoke Festival starts here so we have to be on our way. Had artichokes for lunch to pay homage to the mighty ‘choke.

   In a shop after lunch on Cannery Row near Fisherman’s wharf in Monterey, I saw a picture of “The Lone Cypress.” It is the equivalent of “Motif # 1” located in Rockport, MA. This tree is probably the most photographed tree on the West Coast as the red lobster shanty in Rockport is for the east coast. I googled “The Lone Cypress” and it turns out it is viewable from what is known as 17 Mile Drive. It is an absolutely stunning roadway along the coast of the exclusive and gated community of Pebble Beach. The miserly buggers charge $10 to make the drive but I guess it was worth it. The residents of Pebble Beach have mansions along the coast and above the Golf Course, the likes of which you have never seen! The temperature in Monterey averages 63 degrees in the daytime  and there is a very hot sun but a very chilly breeze so it makes the climate seem very bracing. I pitty anyone who trys to play Pebble Beech as it is built in sand dunes and every green has many sand traps strategically located.

   Tomorrow sees us back on Route 1 going up to a campground in Pacifica. Pacifica is as close to San Fran as we could get for an RV. They have a BART stop nearby so that we don’t have to take the truck into San Fran. After three nights there we are altering our trip and bypassing the Coast Route 1 for 2 days because we were advised that it is nearly impossible to drive with our kind of rig. We’ll head inland to 101 (and wine country) and head north until we rejoin Route 1 to see the Redwoods on the border with Oregon. I didn’t make reservations in any of the state parks in Oregon or Washington but have found that I need to do it, as the tourists are out by the droves and places are booked solid.

   Tonight I am looking forward to a wonderful perusal of my Sunset Western Garden Book. I finally might get a handle on the trees and plants we have been seeing and photographing. For instance our last campground had an unusual variety of willow and our Fairground campsite has the most enormous Monterey Oaks.

The Wave

   Saturday was the big day for hiking into The Wave. First we had to negotiate an 8.5 mile nasty dirt track to the Wire Pass Trailhead. No mention of The Wave is anywhere, but there is a sign saying “permits only.” After we won the lottery we were told to stick around for our introduction, safety lecture and directions. They handed out a colored flyer with 11 pictures of the route in and out to The Wave. There is no trail. The Ranger said it would take 2 hours out and 2 hours back and to take a gallon of water per person, food for 24 hours,  and enough warm gear in case we had to spend the night; i.e.. in case we got lost. No GPS, or cell coverage. We had to rely on a compass and the pictures with landmarks. It is supposedly 6.6 mile roundtrip hike. The Ranger advised that most people take 2 hours in and two hours out. (plus add in the time you spend at The Wave.) We left at 9 AM and got back at 5 PM. ummmmmmm? Why is that you ask? It was hard hiking. Lots of ups and downs, slabbing over rocks and slogging through sand and the fact that we are a bit older than the average Wave visitor!!!

   It was a high desert area with temps in the 90’s. There was a nice gentle wind that sometimes increased to the sand blast stage. On the way back I rolled my shirt sleeves down and put on the pants legs to my convertible pants. Our Osprey hydro packs worked really well and we both carried a gallon of water each and consumed at least 3 litres each. The maps for going out were easy to follow as the physical features seemed to be very evident. Coming back was another ball of wax as the pictures didn’t show many features. Going out we looked back constantly to memorize where we had been, and even took pictures. But despite that we got off track coming back several times, but since there is no real trail, our compass helped us stay pretty much in the area in which we needed to be.

   There was a nasty, with a capital “N”,  final slog up two steep slopes of sand dunes to enter The Wave. They make you earn your lottery pick to go to The Wave on that last slog. The sand dunes are reddish rather than the typical sand color that might come to mind. We got in some shade as soon as we arrived and sat down and ate and refreshed before exploring the actual Wave area. Pretty amazing geology, striations, colors and work of natural forces of wind and water. It is truly a special place and unfortunately is being degraded by even the 20 people allowed in on any given day. Not only were there linear color changes in the rocks but each color change is weathered more or less than the next line, so that it was truly a wavy walking surface.

   I took both my iPhone  set on “Chrome” and  a regular Canon point and shoot. Tony had a new Canon with a great telephoto lense. 

   The foot way we covered was exposed rocks and sand. The kind of sand that you take a step forward and slide 1/2 way back. There were all kinds of desert growth and a few lizard type creatures. Luckily, no snakes!!! Even though it was desert there were some small stunted trees and they provided the only shade we could find along the way. You can’t go out to a place like The Wave if it is or has been raining. The water runs off so fast rather than seeping into the desert that it creates torrents of raging water and impassable red mud. The road in to the trail head went down in and across some dry stream beds which would have been raging rivers if it had rained. Being spring we were lucky to see a myriad colors of cactus in bloom - yellow, fuchsia, orange, red, blue, white and pink.  

    It was very quiet except for the wind and our heavy breathing. We were up above 8,000 ft so it makes your heart work much harder than at sea level. 

   When we got back and took showers we were rubbing off layers of salt from sweat evaporation and red sand stone grit. Well worth the trip but at this age I think this will be the last time we attempt such a strenuous hike and conditions. A truly once in a lifetime experience. It is a place that most people will never get to see so we feel lucky that we won that lottery and completed the adventure.

Anticipating "The Wave"

Kanab. Utah We have been waiting it out to see if we can get in to see “The Wave” and were actually selected this morning, to go tomorrow, Saturday. The odds of getting a permit are formidable as they select 10 people a day from an internet lottery done over the winter and then another 10 in a daily lottery held at the Park HQ. The internet says that over 72,000 people, worldwide apply to get a permit. For the last two days, most of the people in the lottery have been foreigners.

Yesterday, after we didn’t make the lottery we traveled south to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon which is located over 1000 feet higher than the South Rim. Despite being higher we were farther from the river and could only see about 2/3 of the rock layers that you can see from the South Rim or from being down on the river. The drive to the plateau of the North Rim was fascinating as it was forested land but showed signs of many fires. Apparently lightning strikes do most of the damage. We also encountered many wide meadows that were just lovely. Up into Pinyon Pine, Quaking Aspen, Fir, and Spruce territory at over 8800 ft. We saw only 2 Mule Deer for wildlife although there are bison herds. Somebody introduced Bison to see if they could breed them with cattle and get an animal that could live on the plateau. The experiment failed and the US Govt inherited the bison. They (the Bison) fowl the water source which is an aquifer that helps support life on both rims.  

  Kanab might not be most people’s favorite place after Arthur Frommer recommened that tourists boycot the area. In 2006 the town council passed a non-binding Natural Family Resolution. It states “ We envision a local culture that upholds the marriage of a man to a woman, and a woman to a man, as ordained by God. We see our homes as open to a full quiver of children, the source of family continuity and social growth. We envision young women growing into, homemakers, and mothers; and we see young men growing into husbands, home-builders and fathers.” This is so disturbing to me and if I had known about the resolution I would have spent my tourist dollars at another locale.

   Actually Kanab is know as “Little Hollywood” as a walk down the main street will present you with plaques of all the movie stars that came to the area to make many western movies/TV series. They all stayed at the Parry Hotel, a famous landmark. The list of films is long and remarkable. Over 100 movies have been filmed here starting in 1924 to at least 2001.  The TV shows include The Lone Ranger, Death Valley Days, Have Gun Will Travel, Daniel Boone, Gunsmoke, The Six Million Dollar Man, Grizzly Adams, Lassie, Wagon Train, F-Troop and How the West was Won. The terrain is so varied that the locale seems to have appealed to the Hollywood directors.

I had brought day packs but after the orientation we received this morning I realized that the packs were not sufficient for the trip into "The Wave". It is over 6 miles roundtrip and the temps will be in the high 80's, with nighttime temps in the low 50's. They want us each to carry a gallon of water. They want us to be provisioned in case of an emergency and having to spend the night. There is no trail, no GPS, no phone. They gave us a brochure that has pictures for us to use and follow, taking compass readings and photographs along the way, in order to get back. They say most people mess up on the way back. There is a great outdoor store/coffee shop in town so we bought new 3 litre hydration/day Osprey packs. A water bladder is built directly into the pack and has a hose that runs over to the front of the pack so that you can easily sip the water. So we just went food shopping for things that don't need refrigeration.

Tony, the Ace, has just spent the last hour on the phone with the makers of the device called a Tire Minder. It is supposed to monitor the 4 trailer tires and notify us wirelessly if there is a drop in pressure or a problem. It hasn't worked correctly since we left and this is Tony's 2nd call to tech support. The company will need to send us a new tire sensor.

The distance from the North Rim to the South rim is only 11 miles as the eagle flys. But our drive to the South Rim from Kanab will take us over 200 miles, a full day of driving for us. It turns out that the glass overlook is in a different location from the main South Rim Tourist Mecca. In order to go there we would head to Las Vegas but then take a detour north, a roundtrip of 150 miles. We are not going there!

MY THANKS TO MISSY FOR HELPING ME LEARN TO POST THE PICTURES DIRECTLY TO THE BLOG USING MY MACBOOK AIR!!!

Ceiling inside the North Rim Grand Lodge

High altitude meadow

Rugs hung in the North Rim Lodge

Our view from the North Rim

The Beauties of Nature

The last few days have been eye poppingly beautiful. They say the warmer and more  normal weather is on it's way but it was fine today touring Antelope Canyon. We had great weather at Canyon  de Chelly. Monument Valley was varied but I got some good mood shots with some atmosphere. I wish I could post everyone of the shots we both took today. What mother nature has produced and the Navajo are preserving in the Antelope Canyons is spectacular. Our propane heater is coming on at night and we are happy to have hook ups which means a hot shower in the morning, and use of the microwave. Any never under estimate the value of having a hair blow dryer!!!!!
We took our pix in to be processed this afternoon and hiked out to a place where the Colorado River makes a 270 degree hairpin turn. So scenic. The pix processing machine broke down so we don't have the prints yet. We leave tomorrow for an 89 mile drive to Kanab, Utah where I hope to be able to get one of the 10 daily permits into the Vermillion Cliffs area called "TheWave." Google this The wall photographs vermillion cliffs and you will see why we want to gain access. We have to show up at the Park HQ in Kanab at 8:30 and enter a lottery for the 10 daily lots for permits. I stupidly missed the deadline for the 10 other slots done over the internet 4 months in advance!!!!!! So we have 4 nights sked for Kanab in hopes of getting lucky! We can do day trips to Pink Coral Sands State Park, Bryce or Zion from Kanab if we don't get in on any specific day. Maybe the temps will warm up but maybe not because we will be gaining significant elevation. 
A 4 night stay might be nice for a change. We can put out the awning and hang the lights we have to run along the edge of it. NO they are not little lights of pink flamingoes!  (but trust me they area available)
After Kanab we will hit the city lights of Las Vegas and camp at the RV park at a Casino. My son has gotten us tickets to see Cirque de Soliel (sp?) production of "O", so I am psyched to see that. Tony wants to visit the "Mob Museum" whatever that is!
OOOps I forgot the Grand Canyon before we hit Vegas!! I want to stand on that glass platform  (sorta).
Finally got to do laundry last night and food shopping today. We have only eaten two dinners out as we carry everything we need on board. Having a freezer really helps. I don't know how I did my last trip camping. It was just a lot of hard work. We are tired a night just working with the trailer although we are moving more often this way.
The campgrounds are full with RV's of every type and I am somewhat alarmed that it is this busy this early in the season. Every plate says California! We don't have any more reservations once we get north of San Fran. That stretch for 1000 miles, doing 100 miles a day, will all be State Parks.

Oh How the Wind doth Blow!

  It is hard to characterize the Ozark Mountains, because I would never call them mountains. The area seems more like rolling hills. The Ozarks were an ancient Dome that uplifted back in PreCambrian times and have since eroded into rolling hills with outcroppings of limestone in level layers. There are mostly deciduous trees with a few cedar mixed in. 

  To characterize Branson is pretty difficult as it is a combination of a few places I have seen. Believe it or not, Sedona comes to mind, only forget the Red Sandstone and substitute layered limestone. Everything seems to be tucked down in below tree level until some crazy developer puts up a faux something. Then there is  the flavor of Gatlinburg TN and Pigeon Cove, TN, the home of Dolly Parton and her famous Dollyland. On top of that add a little bit of Las Vegas glitz (faux). At this point I would assign Branson as the billboard capital of the world. We saw two really entertaining and professional shows, fantastic costumes, and music. The lighting designers decided to throw in the kitchen sink of every different technique that the new colored movable lights afford. IE: Over the top.

  We made a three day push west through OK, Texas panhandle and NM. There was flat land slowly crossing the Central Plains and then the Great Plains where you can see for miles around for 360 degrees. Then the topography slowly started going up in elevation until we got up onto the Colorado Plateau. We transitioned from Humid subtropical climate in MO to the middle latitude steppes. So we progressed from the corn and winter wheat belt in MO to the semiarid grazing and irrigated crops region. Then the pace slowed considerably with less driving each day. This got us over 2000 miles in a short amount of time but broken down into to 300 mile days. No more Walmarts for a while but overnighted at State parks where for the hookups. The P;at eau is all either beef or horse farms with no irrigation or cultivation of crops.

  So gently climbed until reaching Gallup, NM ( on the AZ  line ) and crossed the Continental Divide at something like 7200 ft. We have had some really wild winds with dirt devils from Branson and across OK in the 90’s to 34 degrees with hail. The winds have just kept blowing since leaving Branson and there have been temps way below normal.  We landed in Page Az today where it was over 90 the last time I was here in May and it is only in the high 40’s.

  After Branson we landed at a lovely State Park called Red  Rock State Park in OK. The plains were flat and this park was hidden down in a canyon with high red sandstone walls. Then on to Santa Rosa State Park west of Tucumcari. After that a dreaded night at a Walmart in Gallup. There were numerous train tracks running thru the town but we didn’t know about the really big one across the street until the middle of the night. Never heard such a racket coming out of the blue in the middle of the night. We stayed in Gallup because we needed an oil change and I had to grocery shop. After Galllup it was a short ride up to Chinle where Canyon de Chelly is located. We arrived in time to take an afternoon tour of the Canyon. The tour by the Navajo guide takes a route that goes into and out of the Chinle River. The Navajo have lived in this Canyon for centuries and use it in the summer for herding and growing corn. The next day we took  a drive along the south rim in order to look down into the very impressive Canyon. We had a nice quiet campsite inside the Navajo Park down in a grove of cottonwood trees.

Then it was on to a quick tour up to 4 corners where AZ, NM, UT and CO all meet. Then we back tracked until we got to Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. You are all familiar with the buttes that stand out above the landscape from the old western movies. I drove the 17 mile loop track that was one of the nastiest pieces of driving I have ever had to do. Took 2 hours. Needless to say it is an unimproved, dirt, stone track. But Tony had never been to the Valley so I wanted him to be able to photograph the buttes. There were sand dunes, low clouds, intermittent rain mixed with the dirt devils and sand blowing. We got the truck washed afterwards! We ate out that night in honor of Mothers Day, only the second night out the whole trip.

  We are in Page to do one of the Antelop Canyons and see Glen Canyon dam and visit my favorite trading post ( think turquoise). I have not written as often as I would have liked but often I couldn’t get  internet connection or we were just too tired at night to go to the wifi center at the campgrounds if they had wifi.

  My iPhone with 4g has been invaluable for directions, and information as we see things traveling along and want to know more about them. We have crossed at least 4 historic old cattle trails. The new GPS has a stiff learning curve but I will master it yet! Then there is the fact that Tony's sister introduced me to Candy Crush!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I will go blind doing it on my iPhone.
  We have burned some oil unexpectedly but that has stopped. The hot water heater needed servicing and we took care of that and so we are progressing well and getting better at backing, driving and leveling. The trailer has performed well and we are pretty comfy. And to think I did some of this trip in a tent!!!! I guess we are in some funky weather system that might warm up or not, who knows! We take it slowly and average 50 mph. We stay in the slow lane and everybody passes us and we mind our own business. Going over 50-55 is OK but anything more and the wind from the passing trucks and RV's gives us a jolt.
I will now try to down load my cameras pictures and pick some out for you. they may end up being loaded straight into Facebook if I can't master this.
  Thanks for all your notes and comments of support and good cheer.

Rolin rollin rollin and funny (?) mishaps

Our Good Sam RV membership claims we get a discount at Flying J’s and Pilot if you swipe your Good Sam card. Doesn’t work however, at all locations. We are supposed to get .$.03 off per gallon but it sometimes doesn’t pay to get off the highway to get that price, as we found out. Got caught in a juggernaut of a Flying J Thursday. The Rv’s fuel at different pumps from the trucks but you have to find the correct pumps and there in lies the problem. The signage to the RV pumps isn’t that great and we got caught in this massive jam of 18 wheelers coming from all directions and there we were stuck. Maneuvering a 46 ft unit amonst all the big guys was daunting! When we finally got unstuck and found our pumps there was no Good Sam discount!

Then we crossed into West Virginia near Wheeling up on the little upper panhandle of WV and were scheduled to try to stay overnight in a Walmart parking lot  (for free). We found the Super Walmart and were excited to find numerous huge pull through parking sites specifically marked for RV’s. There were 4 huge sleeper busses idling with their A/C systems running and a few 18 wheelers but the signage said “no trucks.” We pulled in and took a walk over to the worlds largest Cabelas and then had dinner. In pulls the largest tractor trailer I have ever seen. Turns his engines off and all is wonderful. We go to bed and then the TT guy turns on his generator to run his heater to make his extened cab nice and toasty. Well the sound of the generator was deafening. His cab must be well insulated from noise. I finally went out in my PJ’s and hammered on his cab door until he had to answer and mentioned “no truck parking. He was surly but did turn his generator off. 

Then we discovered something wrong with the hot water heater which runs on propane. The propane was running to the Freezer and fridge, and the heater worked off the propane. Scoured the manuals for info but could not fix the problem. IT IS UNDER WARRANTY so we found a Good Sam dealer near our Sat/Sun/Mon stop but of course they are too busy to handle us. But they did give us a referral to someone who does Good Sam warranty work. The repairman met us at our supposed stay at the timeshare resort Roark Resort in Branson and fixed our hot water heater. Turns out WE had not un-winterized it correctly. Then the Roark resort wouldn’t let us park the RV in a separate spot from the truck so we left and went to Table Rock State Park near Branson. The Ozark Hills are lovely rolling hills with outcropppings of layers of sandstone/limestone. Many caves in southern Missouri as a result.

Ohio is one big flat corn field that goes on for miles. The tractors must spend an hour tilling one row. The farms are gigantic.

Stopped in St Louis to see the Gateway Arch and took a unique podlike elevator ride up to the top of the curved structure. 5 people to a pod with 8 pods per train. 

Thank goodness for buying the iPhone 5c. St Louis had changed the routing around the Gateway Park and the GPS got confused. At least with my phone I could maneuver us around a bit to find our way out of the city.

A highlight in Ohio was seeing a “Beltie” or a Scottish breed of cow that has a wide white strip around its belly. Very distinctive. Mostly used for beef. Amazing what having a 4g phone will do for you when you have a question.

The best APP so far is the “Gas Buddy”. It tracks your location and tells you what the local gas stations are charging for gas. Very convenient.

Only picture so far is a “selfie video” of us singing our theme song. “Indian Summer” by Brooks and Dunne. We just like the chorus and sing it loudly at all times

It is nice being plugged into shore power and having hot water. I know we could heat water on the stove which runs on propane but it doesn’t come out of a shower nozzle that way.

 91 degrees in Branson yesterday. Went to a tribute show  to Frankie Valle and the Jersey boys.  Fantastic show. Branson is not what I expected. Large town snuggled into hillside of the very eroded limestone of the Ozark Mountains, which at this point are really big  hills. I thought the main street would be walkable but it goes on for miles and the facades on the buildings reminds me of Vegas. Kitch par excellence! there is a Titanic show so the building has 1/4 of the titanic, and across the street King Kong is hanging off a building, Then 4 heads resembling Mt Rushmore but the faces are John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and JC Fields. Very weird.

Good news at the Chevy dealership this AM. They took us at the last minute to check on the engine and why it is burning more oil than normal. At least their test machines didn't pick up any engine problems. It is probably the stress on the truck of pulling the trailer. AMEN we can continue on!!!!!!!!!!!

I need to close this and leave the dealership now. The Ozarks are not mountains they are wonderfully rolling hills and gorgeous. 

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Because of the impending rain we hitched up the trailer to the truck today. Gassed up the truck, filled the freezer, bought fresh groceries and loaded them up. Played with batteries and flashlights - I found my flashlight on a head band. Only looked for it in the same drawer three times! I have wanted to leave early all week but had to do some online banking today and the last load of laundry etc blah blah blah, but the main reason I couldn't leave was that I have a hair appointment tomorrow! The Ace's sister gave us a good bye party this afternoon. She is ecstatic as she gets the house for two whole months to herself!
I am seriously wondering about what my handy and always reliable GPS is up to. I recently loaded it with updates but I know it can't hold enough data for completely updating the whole country. It is only a Garmin Nuvi 200 and either needs an extra data card or needs to be replaced. I programmed in our first two stops but when I tried to program in the Gateway Arch in St Louis and our timeshare in Branson, it didn't recognize my input locations. UMMMMMMM makes me wonder, if I won't be buying a new one or using maps the whole way.
Until I can figure out how to put a picture directly on the blog it will end up separately on Facebook.

Backing up is SO WRONG

There is a bit of work to checking out all of the systems for the trailer. There is a 12 volt battery and propane so that we can do what is called dry camp. We run the electricity off the 12 volt, heat water,  cook and heat with propane. When dry camping there isn't enough power to use the A/C, microwave or electric percolator. We have a 30 gallon water tank and grey and black water storage systems so if we conserve, we can use the bathroom, shower and kitchen sink.  If a camp ground has facilities we hook up to a 30 amp circuit and to city water and sewage. Then we can use the A/C, microwave, percolator and hair dryer. From my experience of using the RoadTrek RV that I used to have, it is best to use the provided facilities when dry camping whenever possible and not fill up the tanks. At some point you have to get water, find a sewage dump and buy more propane. But the truck engine charges the trailer 12 volt so as long as we keep that charged we will be OK.
I got a 4g iPhone to use on the trip but there are a lot of remote areas and mountainous areas where there is no 4g coverage. Then we will have to look for free wifi or wifi at campgrounds.
There is a TV on board with an antenna but we aren't counting on that working very well. Some campsites have cable so we have that capability. Hopefully watching TV will be the last thing from our minds. Don't tell me who wins Dancing with the Stars!
To help with the budget we plan to park overnight at some Walmarts. Walmart publishes a list of their stores that do not allow parking but we have to ask each manager permission and park where they tell us. Yesterday we were playing with our leveling blocks in case the ground or campsite is not level. Should be interesting to back the trailer up onto leveling blocks.
I took the truck with trailer attached ( a combined total of 46 ft) for a spin around town. I only rubbed the back trailer tires twice on the curb!!!!!! We had to add extra mirrors to the existing ones in order to see around the 8 ft width of the trailer.  Backing up is so WRONG! It is so counter intuitive! You have to send the rear of the truck the opposite direction than you think! We have walkie talkies so that we can guide each other without shouting to the whole world that we are backing up. People tend to come out of the woodwork to watch people back up their rigs. And then they snicker, snicker, snicker. For some reason campsites love to make the trailer sites so that you have to back into them!
So from what I have read we are obliged to stay in the slow lane, let people pass and try not to get ourselves anywhere where we need to back up, with the exception of campsites. I will pay extra for a pull-through! The first few days are just interstate driving with Walmart stays so we should get the hang of driving the rig before we encounter more difficult conditions.  (She says with her eyes rolled skyward!) The rig is 10 ft 3 inches high, remember that 10 ft 3 inches! I intend to tape a sticker on the dash with that height just as a reminder!

OH NO NOT AGAIN, the grand circle tour redux

I met a friend, The Ace, who has a 21 ft Avenger RB travel trailer and since he has done little traveling in the past he wanted to start now. So I signed on as first mate. So far my duties have included: itinerary researcher and writer, reservation maker, equipment list maker. The Ace has concentrated on the vehicles and their care and upkeep. We are only days away from leaving with just a few important things left to accomplish. Last winter the trailer was winterized and we are waiting for mother nature to be kind enough to take out the non-toxic antifreeze, flush the systems and refill. We have tested the refrigerator and freezer, installed the wireless TireMinder, checked the tire pressure, greased the wheel bearings, tested the battery and hooked it up, loaded the propane and tested the heating and A/C. We have loaded our clothing and basic staples as well as all the equipment needed to live and eat like a King and Queen for 63 days. Yup, it is a long one and very intense. But if you followed my last blog you know I drove 9654 miles in my Prius by myself and camped the whole way over a period of 10 weeks. Compared to that, this should be much easier………… we hope.

How do you write a Grand Circle Tour itinerary? This time I started with maps of the US spread all over the house and jotted down what The Ace needed to see and what I wanted to see and tried to fit them into a logical sequence. I have already traveled to some of the places but there are musts for The Ace. But I have added a twist where possible and added places I missed the first time. We'll have our first major stop in Branson, then to the west to Canyon de Chelly, Four Corners, Monument Valley, "The Wave", Bryce, and Vegas. Then we intend to get all the way to the Pacific and do the whole coast road Route 1 north from San Luis Obispo to Olympic National Park. That stretch will be 1000 miles done over 10 days so that we can drive a few miles every day but still have time to LOOK AROUND. Then we will work our way back east via Mt Rainier, Coeur d'Alene, Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Black Hills.

Our home away from home has pretty much everything we need. The Avenger 21RB is considered an ultra light trailer so you can supposedly tow it with a large SUV or pickup. If you Google the floor plan of the unit you can see it has a great lay out. TV, CD/radio, refrig, freezer, banquet table and booths that makes into a bed, Sofa that makes into a bed, double sink, 3 burner gas stove, oven, microwave and tons of over-head storage. There is a heater, fan, A/C, separate bath with tub shower, vanity, bath sink and toilet and a separate queen bed area with hanging storage. Under storage across the whole front and a back storage area for the barbecue. Sewer, electric and water hookups when necessary/available. 12 volt battery and propane. Awning that extends electrically, lights for the awning.

We have reservations at a few key locations or places I felt would be heavily trafficked. We have already heard from a State Park in San Simeon that they have no water because of the drought. We also wanted to be on the side of Yellowstone where you can only camp if you have a hard sided trailer. Why you ask???? I wanna see a bear…….. from a distance. The last trip the Bear Policies in every national park were different and it was pretty funny particularly at Kings Canyon where they wanted us to guard our food if a bear came along. That was so that the bears wouldn't learn to steal food. Yikes. I would have run so fast despite carrying a canister of Pepper spray all the time! Apparently the bears in all of the different national parks have different levels of experience of living near campers. Some, as the sophisticated ones in Yosemite know what a cooler is, what it contains and will tear into a car to get to it.

The Ace just bought a new camera in Sint Maarten so we are all set for taking some great pictures which I hope to post on the blog for you. If we get in to see "The Wave" near Kanab, UT (done by lottery on the day of) I will be ecstatic. We also intend to see a different slot Canyon in Antelope Canyon near Page.

Kickoff day is coming and I am very excited. I could be gone as soon as we do the water system! I will post on Facebook when I have posted to the blog.