Well Happy NYE to everyone. Just a quick note to say hi! We're getting ready to head over to Darling Harbor to get our boat at 6PM to watch the fireworks. They have 2 shows. One at 9pm and the biggie at midnight.
So far, we've been to Bondi, Coogee and Manley Beaches. I just booked us for 5 night (Jan 2 - 7) at Coogee before we head to New Zealand. The beaches are very nice- clean, hot, busy, lots of people watching to do! The water is cool but i've been in twice. Dad goes in to his knees (barely).
Day before yesterday dad stayed at the hotel to recup from a bit too much sun on his feet and I went to lunch with a friend's niece at The Rocks, near the Opera House. There was a nice open market, lots of art galleries and photo studies. I also walked half way across the harbor bridge - lost one of my camera filters up there. (Don't ask!) :-)
Saw lots of bats in the botanical gardens on my walk back to the hotel - took some photos of the plants, fountains and boats. All very beautiful!
We were at Manley Beach all day yesterday - About 2 hours in the sun and about 4 in the bar! We met a group from Melbourne who were up for the NYE celebration. They said the bugs in Melbourne were ' tragic' but here we've been fine. After they left (hour 3), we sat with 3 local guys who were out for the afternoon avoiding their wives.....not much changes from USA to AU! They invited us on Sat. the 5th to come watch a huge boat race and carnival on Manley. We might takt them up on it - two of the guys will be working in the beer garden and that works in my favor! Well after about 5 pints, it was time to catch the ferry back to our place. Maybe that's why I have a headache today....naw - that's not it!
We did laundry at the hotel last night. Dryer leaves a lot to be desired so 1/2 our clothes dried in the room over the shower and chairs. I even hung a few T shirts in the hallway on the banister. It worked! Gotta be flexible. (not flexible enough to save $100 a night and stay in a hostel according to Dad though!). No worries mate - Good accomodations at Coogee Beach coming up. We'll be 25 yards from the beach. Heaven! I might do a day tour to wine country or the Blue Mountains - not that I need more alcohol but it could be fun!
There is no such thing as non-alcoholic beer here for dad. The bartenders offer 'water' as the only similar option! (And they think that's funny!) We did find that Lemon Twist is a nice lemonaid that seems to quench dad's thirst. Ice Tea comes in a bottle like Nestea - nobody makes it by the pitcher. Funny place!
OK - Gotta run. (We'll I ran this am but gotta get ready for my Big Birthday Party on the harbor). Everyone is so excited about my birthday. They started carrying picnics to the park at 9am this morning! They didn't have to get up that early just for me....
Cheers!
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Thurs. Dec. 27, 2007
It was rainy today so instead of the beach plans, we went to the AU Museum - dad wanted to go....he's a history buff apparently. We went there, St. Mary's Church (thought mom would like that), the Prisoner Barracks Museum and then the top of the Tower - for a 360 degree view of the city. (Like the Needle in Seattle). It was a good day, despite starting off being rainy.
I haven't posted any photos yet because I can't find my camera cable but I'll pop the sim card in next time and load up a few. In the meantime, I'm trying to arrange something for viewing the spectacular fireworks display for NYE! The locals say the harbor vantage points start getting taken by 9 am! I'm considering getting a spot on one of the harbor boats for a really good view but I might have to sell a small, cute, child to pay for it! :-)
Plans for the beach tomorrow.
Cheers to all-
Jen
I haven't posted any photos yet because I can't find my camera cable but I'll pop the sim card in next time and load up a few. In the meantime, I'm trying to arrange something for viewing the spectacular fireworks display for NYE! The locals say the harbor vantage points start getting taken by 9 am! I'm considering getting a spot on one of the harbor boats for a really good view but I might have to sell a small, cute, child to pay for it! :-)
Plans for the beach tomorrow.
Cheers to all-
Jen
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
We made it to Sydney
Just a quick update - We finally made it the 19 hours (via 2 plane rides) to Sydney. We got our luggage - no worries mate!- found a shuttle to the hotel $12 each - also no worries. Our hotel room is quaint; aka very small room, small TV and few ammenities but it was available and it's a short walk to downtown Sydney.
We're in Wallamoollo, near King's Cross (almost like a Red Light District) and Sydney. Yesterday after we unpacked, I went for a 30 minute run to the downtown area, around the warf and past the Opera house. I found an internet cafe and told mom we were safe, then jogged back to the hotel.
Dad and I walked in Potts Point for about 2 hours and didn't see a darn thing open. Sydney is pretty closed up on Christmas evening. We finally called the cab company and found that Kings Cross is open 24 hrs a day. No wonder - The Red Light District never sleeps! Anyway, we found good food and did a little people watching.
It's a new experience to travel with a Senior! They move so slow! I'll have to adjust myself and give Dad a head start whenever we're getting ready to go somewhere. Ha ha. He's doing great though. His 'other' knee bugged him yesterday but we've got him on a daily dose of Aleve to keep him mobile.
Getting through security in CT was fun and I'll write more on that later but needless to say, we arrived safely and are off on our first adventure of the day. We'll walk through the botanical gardens then take the city tour bus around town. The sun is out and I'm looking forward to working on my tan.
Cheers Mate!
We're in Wallamoollo, near King's Cross (almost like a Red Light District) and Sydney. Yesterday after we unpacked, I went for a 30 minute run to the downtown area, around the warf and past the Opera house. I found an internet cafe and told mom we were safe, then jogged back to the hotel.
Dad and I walked in Potts Point for about 2 hours and didn't see a darn thing open. Sydney is pretty closed up on Christmas evening. We finally called the cab company and found that Kings Cross is open 24 hrs a day. No wonder - The Red Light District never sleeps! Anyway, we found good food and did a little people watching.
It's a new experience to travel with a Senior! They move so slow! I'll have to adjust myself and give Dad a head start whenever we're getting ready to go somewhere. Ha ha. He's doing great though. His 'other' knee bugged him yesterday but we've got him on a daily dose of Aleve to keep him mobile.
Getting through security in CT was fun and I'll write more on that later but needless to say, we arrived safely and are off on our first adventure of the day. We'll walk through the botanical gardens then take the city tour bus around town. The sun is out and I'm looking forward to working on my tan.
Cheers Mate!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Finally - An Entry
Well, a lot has happened since I got here. I decided to move 'back home' to CT after all. It wasn't a hard choice really. Once I spent more than a few days with my godson Ambros, it was pretty simple. And more good news - my dad has agreed to go on the rest of my 'round the world trip w/ me.
We're leaving Dec. 23 for Sydney then we'll head on to New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. All in all, we'll be traveling for 6 weeks. Dad will head back to CT from LA, and I'll go back to San Diego to pack up and drive the BMW out to CT. (Pray for sun and NO snow on the southern route)
I've interviewed with Met Life here in CT and will go back again later this week, so I might have a job lined up for March. I'll stay with my parents until I finalize the work location then I'll probably move close to the job. In the meantime, mom and I joined a gym and we're working out about 5 days a week - feels great.
The trip plans are shaping up and since we've had temps in the 20's, I'm ready to go! :-)
Hopefully I'll get to update you along the way. I'm not bringing my laptop but I should have access to the the internet. You can e-mail me at jflynnis@yahoo.com to keep in touch. I'd love to hear from you.
Take care - Happy Holidays and Be Safe-
We're leaving Dec. 23 for Sydney then we'll head on to New Zealand, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. All in all, we'll be traveling for 6 weeks. Dad will head back to CT from LA, and I'll go back to San Diego to pack up and drive the BMW out to CT. (Pray for sun and NO snow on the southern route)
I've interviewed with Met Life here in CT and will go back again later this week, so I might have a job lined up for March. I'll stay with my parents until I finalize the work location then I'll probably move close to the job. In the meantime, mom and I joined a gym and we're working out about 5 days a week - feels great.
The trip plans are shaping up and since we've had temps in the 20's, I'm ready to go! :-)
Hopefully I'll get to update you along the way. I'm not bringing my laptop but I should have access to the the internet. You can e-mail me at jflynnis@yahoo.com to keep in touch. I'd love to hear from you.
Take care - Happy Holidays and Be Safe-
Monday, November 5, 2007
Update from CT
As you know, I made it to CT on Oct. 19th. It was great to see the family - especially my godson Ambros! He's 17 months old and just a doll! I spent one weekend with my high school friend Denise, in Boston and one weekend in NYC with my Cousin Kyle and his partner Jason. Both trips were great and I was able to see more of the beautiful foliage.
I'm back in CT and Shawn (My Brother) and I are taking the RV camping in Mass for two nights starting tomorrow. We found a place on the lake in Oakham. It'll be cold but the scenery should be worth it. Can't remember the last time I had time alone with my brother. We'll bring our bikes and fishing poles and see if we can get in to some trouble!
In the meantime, I'm researching trips to Thailand and New Zealand. I'm hoping to go during December / January to sight see and do more work for Habitat for Humanity. Plans are still in the works but if you have any suggestions or hook ups in those parts of the world, let me know!
I'm back in CT and Shawn (My Brother) and I are taking the RV camping in Mass for two nights starting tomorrow. We found a place on the lake in Oakham. It'll be cold but the scenery should be worth it. Can't remember the last time I had time alone with my brother. We'll bring our bikes and fishing poles and see if we can get in to some trouble!
In the meantime, I'm researching trips to Thailand and New Zealand. I'm hoping to go during December / January to sight see and do more work for Habitat for Humanity. Plans are still in the works but if you have any suggestions or hook ups in those parts of the world, let me know!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Finally Made it to Connecticut
Hi Again,
I finally made it to CT on Friday the 19th. I spent a few wonderful days in Delaware then a couple outside Philly PA with Toni, Jack and Jagger! (had an awesome Philly Cheesesteak!) I spent the weekend in Boston with Denise, a friend from high school, now I'm back in CT for a bit. True to form I've seen a bunch of family already with more to come! I'm going to help mom at the American Red Cross where she's a disaster relief volunteer in between babysitting for my 17 month old godson!
I'll have more photos and updates soon. My laptop is on the fritz but will be fixed soon.
I finally made it to CT on Friday the 19th. I spent a few wonderful days in Delaware then a couple outside Philly PA with Toni, Jack and Jagger! (had an awesome Philly Cheesesteak!) I spent the weekend in Boston with Denise, a friend from high school, now I'm back in CT for a bit. True to form I've seen a bunch of family already with more to come! I'm going to help mom at the American Red Cross where she's a disaster relief volunteer in between babysitting for my 17 month old godson!
I'll have more photos and updates soon. My laptop is on the fritz but will be fixed soon.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
D.C. and Delaware
Friday, October 12, 2007
Long day in D.C. walking and touring. I saw most of the memorials, including WWI, WWI, Korea, Vietnam, Lincoln and the Women’s Memorial. (My name is in the history books of that one!) I also made it to Arlington National Cemetery. I had no idea it was that enormous – very moving – also saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown. Interesting history about how they choose the unknowns for each war we’ve had. I finally got back to the camper at around 8:00 PM and called it a night!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
I have a friend whom I’ve met through Met Life that lives in N.J. who happened to be in Virginia for a conference. He invited me over and since it was only 30 minutes away, I headed out for the day. I helped him staff the Met Life booth and met some local gals who took me out on the town back in D.C. later that night. After 2:30 am when the bar was still open – we decided to leave – I haven’t been up that late since partying with Jay! (oops that was only about 10 days ago!) Anyway, the gay bars in DC are popular and Saturday seems to be the night to go out so I was lucky to see a crowd and listen to some good music.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
My Met Life buddy Paul offered his beach condo in Delaware for a few days and I took him up on it. It’s awesome – 3 bedroom condo less than one mile to the beach and all to myself! Rehoboth Beach is a quaint area with a gay vibe, gay street and even a gay community center. Great place to hang out for a few days. With the weather still at 72, running along the boardwalk, riding my bike and laying at the beach have become my new routine. Paul might just have to evict me! I caught a drag show in the evening at The Purple Parrot (don’t ask…) and the following night went back to the same spot for Monday Night football!
Monday, October 15, 2007
After my first hour-long run in a while, I headed for the beach for a walk along the cool ocean. Not as warm as N.C. but still warmer than San Diego I think. I got the tire on my bike fixed and rode around the town for a few miles in the afternoon. (after my post run nap!) The town is a bit quite due to it being off season but most of the shops and restaurants are still open and eager to see people stroll in.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Today was a day to watch Ellen on TV and head to beach! I was at the beach by 10:30 and laid out for about 4 hours before testing Luigi’s grinder shop with an Italian Sub. (He passed!) It’s cooler today than yesterday but still comfy. I’m at the GL Community Center using their wifi to catch up. Tomorrow I’ll head to Philly to catch up with Toni and Jack. More later!
Long day in D.C. walking and touring. I saw most of the memorials, including WWI, WWI, Korea, Vietnam, Lincoln and the Women’s Memorial. (My name is in the history books of that one!) I also made it to Arlington National Cemetery. I had no idea it was that enormous – very moving – also saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown. Interesting history about how they choose the unknowns for each war we’ve had. I finally got back to the camper at around 8:00 PM and called it a night!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
I have a friend whom I’ve met through Met Life that lives in N.J. who happened to be in Virginia for a conference. He invited me over and since it was only 30 minutes away, I headed out for the day. I helped him staff the Met Life booth and met some local gals who took me out on the town back in D.C. later that night. After 2:30 am when the bar was still open – we decided to leave – I haven’t been up that late since partying with Jay! (oops that was only about 10 days ago!) Anyway, the gay bars in DC are popular and Saturday seems to be the night to go out so I was lucky to see a crowd and listen to some good music.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
My Met Life buddy Paul offered his beach condo in Delaware for a few days and I took him up on it. It’s awesome – 3 bedroom condo less than one mile to the beach and all to myself! Rehoboth Beach is a quaint area with a gay vibe, gay street and even a gay community center. Great place to hang out for a few days. With the weather still at 72, running along the boardwalk, riding my bike and laying at the beach have become my new routine. Paul might just have to evict me! I caught a drag show in the evening at The Purple Parrot (don’t ask…) and the following night went back to the same spot for Monday Night football!
Monday, October 15, 2007
After my first hour-long run in a while, I headed for the beach for a walk along the cool ocean. Not as warm as N.C. but still warmer than San Diego I think. I got the tire on my bike fixed and rode around the town for a few miles in the afternoon. (after my post run nap!) The town is a bit quite due to it being off season but most of the shops and restaurants are still open and eager to see people stroll in.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Today was a day to watch Ellen on TV and head to beach! I was at the beach by 10:30 and laid out for about 4 hours before testing Luigi’s grinder shop with an Italian Sub. (He passed!) It’s cooler today than yesterday but still comfy. I’m at the GL Community Center using their wifi to catch up. Tomorrow I’ll head to Philly to catch up with Toni and Jack. More later!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Catching up on the last week!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Today I planned to drive to Oklahoma City, OK. It’s 680 miles from Arvada. I modified my route to N.C. a bit so I could stop by the OK City Memorial. The drive took me through most of Kansas – no offense to Kansas folks – but it isn’t worth stopping. Lots of flat, hay fields and that’s it. Good new was there was very little traffic so I was able to drive at about 70 MPH the entire way. It took me 11 hours to get to OKC and I figured since it’s a big town, I could find a café downtown, have a bite and park overnight. Well – that didn’t happen. Seems the memorial which I found easily is in almost a industrial- like area of downtown. The streets were empty at 7:30 PM. I didn’t find anything but office buildings, the state capital and empty store fronts for several blocks. I drove around a bit and still found that I was in the wrong part of town. So, I drove back toward the memorial and found a spot outside a local Firefighter union building and parked it. No hanging with the locals tonight!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
I was up and at the OK City Memorial early this morning – fortunately I was the only one there for about 30 minutes so I was able to get photos of the memorial before people began crowding in. It’s the most moving memorial I’ve ever seen – inside and out. The outside has the reflection pond and 163 chairs – one for each of the people who lost their lives in the explosion. The museum is a great tribute to those that died and the hundreds who survived and helped during the chaos. There are videos that show parents looking for their kids, strangers carrying each other out of the building over broken glass and the fire and rescue personnel risking their lives to search what was left of the unstable structure for survivors. I could have stayed there for hours listening to the stories of the tragedies and the miracles. After the memorial, I headed for Memphis, TN – I had lived in Nashville for 2 years back in 1989 and 1990 so I knew Beale St was the place to stop in Memphis. It’s still the best place for blues. There were about 200 motorcycles parked along the 3 blocks – seems that Wednesdays are Bike Nights and proud owners show off their hardware. Pretty impressive sight! I found my was to the Big Ass Beer and Peel and Eat Shrimp and listened to a fine female blues singer, Barbara Blue. Bought her CD and called it a night.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Another long day in the car but I wanted to make it to North Carolina. I stopped just south of Winston-Salem for the night.
Friday, October 5, 2007
I took off early and made it to Aunt Pat’s house in Cary, N.C., around 11:00 am. Cary is a small but growing town made up mainly of transplanted New Englanders. Lot’s of folks from NY and NJ have relocated for a ‘family’ style neighborhood, less traffic and better weather. I took it easy today since I was road weary and wanted to get up early to see my 7 yr old cousin play baseball in the morning.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Up early and at the ball field to watch Derek (yes, named after Jeter) play baseball. No T, no funky pitching. At 7, these kids are pitching and hitting. Pretty impressive. Derek’s dad (my older cousin Tony) coaches the team and seems to me although they don’t keep score, our team won! After Aunt Pat got hit in the shin with a foul ball, (ouch), we had breakfast and went to see the rest of the family – Angela (Tony’s wife) and my other cousin Jillian. See photos of these cute kids! We played soccer, baseball and computer games – wahoo!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Aunt Pat and I drove about 5 hours to Elizabeth City to see a small (very small) Ansel Adams exhibit on our way to the Outer Banks. The Banks is a very thin strip of land just off the coast of N.C. Not sure how many miles but we drove about 20 miles of it and stayed for two nights. We had terrific weather – about 85 degrees – I swam in the ocean twice and did a little sun bathing. We went shopping, drove by the Kitty Hawk memorial and enjoyed the sights.
Monday – Tuesday October 8-9, 2007
If you’ve never seen several hundred, 4500 square foot plus, $5 million dollar homes in one spot, the OBX is the place. These homes are so big, you need 3 families to fill them for a week’s vacation. I heard they rent for about $10,000 a week! Right on the ocean or the sound, great views and lots of beautiful beach. More sunbathing and swimming then on Tuesday we took a tour of the northern shore which is only accessible by 4wd. Our mission was to find the wild horses that have taken over about 14 miles of the beach. There are actually homes out here too – again, they are enormous and only accessible by 4wd. About 250 locals live out there year ‘round, but mostly these homes are rented. By the way, if you’re thinking of buying one of these babies – don’t plan on getting any hurricane insurance – if you have beach front property, insurance is unavailable. You and your $5,000,000 are out of luck! As for luck, we were lucky enough to see almost a dozen wild horses on our sand dune excursion. These horses mingle among the million dollar homes and graze as they please. They are a sight though. Worth the trip if you go.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
We prepped for me to get back on the road: cleaned out the RV, the frige, got 4 new back tires (preventative), and pedicures and manicures! (Gotta have some fun right?) After chocolate shakes for lunch….I said we had fun, didn’t I? We picked up the kids for one last run – homework, pizza, icecream, baths and bed. We were beat by the end of the day! I don’t know how you parents do it!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Around 9:00 am I took off for D.C. I had booked a camp ground for two nights and wanted to get in before dark. There wasn’t much traffic so I made it by 3:00 and settled in. I’ve been able to catch up on e-mail, upload photos and plan my tour of D.C. for tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Today I planned to drive to Oklahoma City, OK. It’s 680 miles from Arvada. I modified my route to N.C. a bit so I could stop by the OK City Memorial. The drive took me through most of Kansas – no offense to Kansas folks – but it isn’t worth stopping. Lots of flat, hay fields and that’s it. Good new was there was very little traffic so I was able to drive at about 70 MPH the entire way. It took me 11 hours to get to OKC and I figured since it’s a big town, I could find a café downtown, have a bite and park overnight. Well – that didn’t happen. Seems the memorial which I found easily is in almost a industrial- like area of downtown. The streets were empty at 7:30 PM. I didn’t find anything but office buildings, the state capital and empty store fronts for several blocks. I drove around a bit and still found that I was in the wrong part of town. So, I drove back toward the memorial and found a spot outside a local Firefighter union building and parked it. No hanging with the locals tonight!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
I was up and at the OK City Memorial early this morning – fortunately I was the only one there for about 30 minutes so I was able to get photos of the memorial before people began crowding in. It’s the most moving memorial I’ve ever seen – inside and out. The outside has the reflection pond and 163 chairs – one for each of the people who lost their lives in the explosion. The museum is a great tribute to those that died and the hundreds who survived and helped during the chaos. There are videos that show parents looking for their kids, strangers carrying each other out of the building over broken glass and the fire and rescue personnel risking their lives to search what was left of the unstable structure for survivors. I could have stayed there for hours listening to the stories of the tragedies and the miracles. After the memorial, I headed for Memphis, TN – I had lived in Nashville for 2 years back in 1989 and 1990 so I knew Beale St was the place to stop in Memphis. It’s still the best place for blues. There were about 200 motorcycles parked along the 3 blocks – seems that Wednesdays are Bike Nights and proud owners show off their hardware. Pretty impressive sight! I found my was to the Big Ass Beer and Peel and Eat Shrimp and listened to a fine female blues singer, Barbara Blue. Bought her CD and called it a night.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Another long day in the car but I wanted to make it to North Carolina. I stopped just south of Winston-Salem for the night.
Friday, October 5, 2007
I took off early and made it to Aunt Pat’s house in Cary, N.C., around 11:00 am. Cary is a small but growing town made up mainly of transplanted New Englanders. Lot’s of folks from NY and NJ have relocated for a ‘family’ style neighborhood, less traffic and better weather. I took it easy today since I was road weary and wanted to get up early to see my 7 yr old cousin play baseball in the morning.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Up early and at the ball field to watch Derek (yes, named after Jeter) play baseball. No T, no funky pitching. At 7, these kids are pitching and hitting. Pretty impressive. Derek’s dad (my older cousin Tony) coaches the team and seems to me although they don’t keep score, our team won! After Aunt Pat got hit in the shin with a foul ball, (ouch), we had breakfast and went to see the rest of the family – Angela (Tony’s wife) and my other cousin Jillian. See photos of these cute kids! We played soccer, baseball and computer games – wahoo!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Aunt Pat and I drove about 5 hours to Elizabeth City to see a small (very small) Ansel Adams exhibit on our way to the Outer Banks. The Banks is a very thin strip of land just off the coast of N.C. Not sure how many miles but we drove about 20 miles of it and stayed for two nights. We had terrific weather – about 85 degrees – I swam in the ocean twice and did a little sun bathing. We went shopping, drove by the Kitty Hawk memorial and enjoyed the sights.
Monday – Tuesday October 8-9, 2007
If you’ve never seen several hundred, 4500 square foot plus, $5 million dollar homes in one spot, the OBX is the place. These homes are so big, you need 3 families to fill them for a week’s vacation. I heard they rent for about $10,000 a week! Right on the ocean or the sound, great views and lots of beautiful beach. More sunbathing and swimming then on Tuesday we took a tour of the northern shore which is only accessible by 4wd. Our mission was to find the wild horses that have taken over about 14 miles of the beach. There are actually homes out here too – again, they are enormous and only accessible by 4wd. About 250 locals live out there year ‘round, but mostly these homes are rented. By the way, if you’re thinking of buying one of these babies – don’t plan on getting any hurricane insurance – if you have beach front property, insurance is unavailable. You and your $5,000,000 are out of luck! As for luck, we were lucky enough to see almost a dozen wild horses on our sand dune excursion. These horses mingle among the million dollar homes and graze as they please. They are a sight though. Worth the trip if you go.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
We prepped for me to get back on the road: cleaned out the RV, the frige, got 4 new back tires (preventative), and pedicures and manicures! (Gotta have some fun right?) After chocolate shakes for lunch….I said we had fun, didn’t I? We picked up the kids for one last run – homework, pizza, icecream, baths and bed. We were beat by the end of the day! I don’t know how you parents do it!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Around 9:00 am I took off for D.C. I had booked a camp ground for two nights and wanted to get in before dark. There wasn’t much traffic so I made it by 3:00 and settled in. I’ve been able to catch up on e-mail, upload photos and plan my tour of D.C. for tomorrow. Stay tuned!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Last Day in CO
So my last day in CO was terrific. I asked for and received a ride on a cool chopper - see photo. Damian and I rode his bike to Boulder, CO, had lunch, shopped around a bit and came home. Dave's 5 nephews are in from Louisiana to work at the refinery for the month so it's a bit of a zoo here. Lot's of enterainment with the 20 something year olds, out on the road for a while! Jay and I had one more pint in a local pub in Golden CO, about the size of my old living room! The beer here sure is good! I'm heading out tomorrow and plan to make it about 680 miles to Oklahoma City. I want to see the memorial of the OK City Bombing. After that, I'll head to Memphis then N.C. to see my Aunt Pat, Cousin Tony, wife and kids! Can't wait to see more family.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Weekends Are Made to Party!
Well in the old days, weekends were made to Party - lately I've been on my best behavior therefore it was time to let loose and I had just the party partner! Jay was finally finished with his exams and we went out on the town in Denver Saturday night. We tested a couple of breweries - there is an endless supply of local beers here and so far they've all been terrific. We met a few friends at Sing Sing - a dualing piano bar - and then found two of 'my kind' of bars! (Girls of course!) After drinking, dancing and meeting new friends, we closed the last bar at 2:00 am. I don't think I've been up that long in years..... Anyway, fortunately for us, there was a taco shop next to the last bar and we enjoyed some late night beef tacos that looked like they were made from the street vendors in T.J. They were delicious! We made it home by about 2:30 and I headed for bed. I was up at 6:30 to watch the final Women's World Cup soccer match with Brazil and Germany. (I wasn't able to make it up at 4:30 for the 3rd place game where the U.S. beat Norway but fortunately, I caught the replay on Sunday night!)
Sunday was spent watching football back in downtown Denver. Avalanche beer is sold by the pitcher - probably not a good idea - but we ordered them anyway. Bret Favre is now the T.D. passing leader with 422 touchdowns, the Chargers dropped to 1 and 3 and the Broncos (affectionately known here as The Donkeys) lost too. The highlight was the Rockies winning in baseball today. They now have to play the Padres in a tie breaker to see who gets in to the playoffs! Early to bed tonight since I'm a few hours in the hole.
Sunday was spent watching football back in downtown Denver. Avalanche beer is sold by the pitcher - probably not a good idea - but we ordered them anyway. Bret Favre is now the T.D. passing leader with 422 touchdowns, the Chargers dropped to 1 and 3 and the Broncos (affectionately known here as The Donkeys) lost too. The highlight was the Rockies winning in baseball today. They now have to play the Padres in a tie breaker to see who gets in to the playoffs! Early to bed tonight since I'm a few hours in the hole.
Friday, September 28, 2007
9/27 - 9/28
Thursday, September 27, 2007
First day on the job at Habitat for Humanity. It was fun even though I spent the first few hours cleaning up the site to get ready for the plumbing, electrical and framing inspection tomorrow. The second half of the day I spent on the roof with another woman who showed my how to lay out the shingles. We spent about 3.5 hours on the roof and made pretty good progress. That night, I found Jay’s buddy and we went out for Mexican food. That was great too!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Day Two at the job site was going to be a ‘construction’ day. As it turned out it was more physically demanding than roofing day! I was either in the crawl space under the house building stairs or up on a ladder framing boxes for house fans. Lots of bicep work! I learned a lot though and my confidence is building quite a bit. The guys and gals are very helpful and great at showing me what I need to do, then they leave me alone to finish the task I’m on. The hardest part of the day was hammering in two 18” spikes to secure the crawl space ladder to the dirt floor. I broke a sweat on that task! Since there are going to be 15 volunteers tomorrow and probably not enough work for everyone, I chose to head back to Arvada for a few days and hang out with Jay and his roommates. Back at his house I showered, got some food and got caught up on e-mail. I’ve sent an e-mail to the folks at Habitat for Humanity regarding some work in New Zealand during November – January. We’ll see if there is anything available.
First day on the job at Habitat for Humanity. It was fun even though I spent the first few hours cleaning up the site to get ready for the plumbing, electrical and framing inspection tomorrow. The second half of the day I spent on the roof with another woman who showed my how to lay out the shingles. We spent about 3.5 hours on the roof and made pretty good progress. That night, I found Jay’s buddy and we went out for Mexican food. That was great too!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Day Two at the job site was going to be a ‘construction’ day. As it turned out it was more physically demanding than roofing day! I was either in the crawl space under the house building stairs or up on a ladder framing boxes for house fans. Lots of bicep work! I learned a lot though and my confidence is building quite a bit. The guys and gals are very helpful and great at showing me what I need to do, then they leave me alone to finish the task I’m on. The hardest part of the day was hammering in two 18” spikes to secure the crawl space ladder to the dirt floor. I broke a sweat on that task! Since there are going to be 15 volunteers tomorrow and probably not enough work for everyone, I chose to head back to Arvada for a few days and hang out with Jay and his roommates. Back at his house I showered, got some food and got caught up on e-mail. I’ve sent an e-mail to the folks at Habitat for Humanity regarding some work in New Zealand during November – January. We’ll see if there is anything available.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Mon - Wed 9/26
Monday, September 24, 2007
Went for a 2 hour bike ride yesterday around the lake. It was great – the dark clouds were a bit threatening but the rain held off until today! Today we had a good rain and hale storm – it was pounding on the roof top for a while. Once it subsided, I went to the movies and to run errands with Kim, Jay’s roommate. We saw The Bourne Supremacy. Great flick! We also did a little wine tasting – there was a wine bar just outside the movie theater – how convenient! Watched a little Monday night football – not a very good game though.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Kim, Whitney and I went horseback riding! Wahoo. I’ve wanted to go for a very long time and just about an hour in to the Rockies is a horse stable that Kim had been to before. We took a 3 hour trail ride that was amazing – the Aspens were bright yellow and occasionally we saw a reddish orange tree which was set off beautifully by the sunlight. The ride was great – my horse liked to trot up and down the hills but I was told to only let him trot on the up hill and flats. Otherwise he and I might tumble on the down hill and I’d get propelled over the top of him. (We slowed down after imagining that scene!)
After riding, we had a bite, dropped Whitney off and saw her dad’s domestic bobcat that he keeps in his downtown condo. Looked an awful lot like a house cat to me but I’m told it’s really a bobcat. It did have a bobbed tail and felt very muscular. He was also eating a mix of cat food and rabbit so what does that tell ya?
Later, Jay, Painter and I went out for dinner. We had some great Mexican food. My first since leaving San Diego I think! These guys know how to eat for sure. I’m hoping that my little exercise here and there is keeping me in shape, despite the food intake lately!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
I drove to Ft. Collins, CO today to volunteer at the Habitat for Humanity house being built. Unfortunately, the hour drive and fender bender along the way were for naught. The days work was canceled and I neglected to check e-mail yesterday. I’ll hang here for today and volunteer tomorrow. If it goes well, I’ll stay through Friday too. As for the fender bender, go figure. I can drive 3000 miles and not get in to trouble or get lost, then on a day I choose to volunteer, I not only ram in to someone on the highway, I have bad directions for the job site and wind up 10 miles down the road. Then as I said, the job was canceled for the day. What’s up with that??
So, hopefully the fender bender won’t turn out to be too much trouble. I bent the guy’s bumper on his truck. His girlfriend’s truck actually. Someone in front of this guy made a quick turn to the breakdown lane, the guy slowed down and stopped and I tried. Didn’t work out in my favor though. My RV seems to be fine. No damage other than a bent license plate. More on this later I’m sure.
Went for a 2 hour bike ride yesterday around the lake. It was great – the dark clouds were a bit threatening but the rain held off until today! Today we had a good rain and hale storm – it was pounding on the roof top for a while. Once it subsided, I went to the movies and to run errands with Kim, Jay’s roommate. We saw The Bourne Supremacy. Great flick! We also did a little wine tasting – there was a wine bar just outside the movie theater – how convenient! Watched a little Monday night football – not a very good game though.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Kim, Whitney and I went horseback riding! Wahoo. I’ve wanted to go for a very long time and just about an hour in to the Rockies is a horse stable that Kim had been to before. We took a 3 hour trail ride that was amazing – the Aspens were bright yellow and occasionally we saw a reddish orange tree which was set off beautifully by the sunlight. The ride was great – my horse liked to trot up and down the hills but I was told to only let him trot on the up hill and flats. Otherwise he and I might tumble on the down hill and I’d get propelled over the top of him. (We slowed down after imagining that scene!)
After riding, we had a bite, dropped Whitney off and saw her dad’s domestic bobcat that he keeps in his downtown condo. Looked an awful lot like a house cat to me but I’m told it’s really a bobcat. It did have a bobbed tail and felt very muscular. He was also eating a mix of cat food and rabbit so what does that tell ya?
Later, Jay, Painter and I went out for dinner. We had some great Mexican food. My first since leaving San Diego I think! These guys know how to eat for sure. I’m hoping that my little exercise here and there is keeping me in shape, despite the food intake lately!
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
I drove to Ft. Collins, CO today to volunteer at the Habitat for Humanity house being built. Unfortunately, the hour drive and fender bender along the way were for naught. The days work was canceled and I neglected to check e-mail yesterday. I’ll hang here for today and volunteer tomorrow. If it goes well, I’ll stay through Friday too. As for the fender bender, go figure. I can drive 3000 miles and not get in to trouble or get lost, then on a day I choose to volunteer, I not only ram in to someone on the highway, I have bad directions for the job site and wind up 10 miles down the road. Then as I said, the job was canceled for the day. What’s up with that??
So, hopefully the fender bender won’t turn out to be too much trouble. I bent the guy’s bumper on his truck. His girlfriend’s truck actually. Someone in front of this guy made a quick turn to the breakdown lane, the guy slowed down and stopped and I tried. Didn’t work out in my favor though. My RV seems to be fine. No damage other than a bent license plate. More on this later I’m sure.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Fri / Sat 9/21-22
Friday /Sat, September 21 - 22, 2007
Yesterday was another long driving day – I left Custer State Park around 10 am and headed to Arvada, CO to visit Jay. It took me about 9 hours total to do the 400 miles. (I took a few photos, stopped for gas, etc.) I only hit traffic once for about 20 minutes and that was due to an accident. I’ve been really lucky with the driving. Mostly out on 2 lane highways and when on a major interstate, very few cars! The RV is now parked for at least a few days out in front of Jay’s house. He’s got two great roommates / friends and I’ve got my own bedroom and bathroom! The best part is I now have people to talk to!! I guess I missed conversation more than I thought. I’ll pedal around the lake and maybe out to the Rocky Mountains – hopefully one of the guys will take me on a motorcycle ride too. It’s about 75 degrees here today – another gorgeous day! I’m not too concerned with getting out and doing all the hikes and bike trails around – more interested in relaxing and enjoying time with family.
Yesterday was another long driving day – I left Custer State Park around 10 am and headed to Arvada, CO to visit Jay. It took me about 9 hours total to do the 400 miles. (I took a few photos, stopped for gas, etc.) I only hit traffic once for about 20 minutes and that was due to an accident. I’ve been really lucky with the driving. Mostly out on 2 lane highways and when on a major interstate, very few cars! The RV is now parked for at least a few days out in front of Jay’s house. He’s got two great roommates / friends and I’ve got my own bedroom and bathroom! The best part is I now have people to talk to!! I guess I missed conversation more than I thought. I’ll pedal around the lake and maybe out to the Rocky Mountains – hopefully one of the guys will take me on a motorcycle ride too. It’s about 75 degrees here today – another gorgeous day! I’m not too concerned with getting out and doing all the hikes and bike trails around – more interested in relaxing and enjoying time with family.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Thurs. Sept 20, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Wrapping up the day – I finally made it to West Glacier (which is really the south entrance). It had been raining hard for the first time on the trip and the weather is expected to stay this way till Thursday. Bummer! I got lots of tips from the Ranger regarding hikes and that half of the Road to the Sun road is closed for repair. That’s the main artery that connects East and West Glacier and gets you to the ‘good side’. After weighing my options, I decided to do a drive on the West side – according to the Ranger, most of the sights are visible from lookouts and then travel around the park to the East side where he said the animals were more popular and the trees were changing color. There wasn’t much to see on the West other than the enormous lake McDonald. I didn’t hike because of the rain – kept driving. (Hey, there’s a rabbit outside my RV!) Sorry – anyway, on the trip to the West, the colors of the Aspen in particular were awesome. Some were actually orange and they stood out among the yellows and greens like they were on fire. I saw another bear too – just the top of his head though – he was in some tall bushes eating (I’m assuming) berries. I’ve come upon Two Medicine campground – not much here (few people, the store is closed, no gas station – should have filled up earlier and hummmm now the Check Engine light is on – lovely.) Anyway, since I’m here in the boonies, I’ll camp by the lake (rough life), hope the weather is nicer tomorrow and go for a hike. Two others in the area told me they saw bears up in them there hills – and I’m going to go lookin’ for em! Cross your fingers that the Check Engine light will be off in the morning, I’ll have enough propane to make my coffee and enough gas to get out of the valley after my hike! Oh the drama!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Well looky here – I went to bed with rain and woke up with 2” of snow! Crazy!! The roads were clear but it was still snowy and windy so no hiking today. I tried to drive up to the St. Mary’s (West) side of the mountain but was met by roads covered in 6” of snow and a small car on the wrong side of the road, pointed toward the canyon! Fortunatelyl there was a snow plow on it’s way up the hill and he plowed the back end of the car out and two guys pushed the car back on to the road. Since I don’t have 4 w drive I decided that Glacier was out for this trip. Unfortunate but I prefer warmer climates and safer driving! So, after driving about 450 miles to get there, I turned around and headed 550 miles toward Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. I made it about 10 hours with stops along the way – not much to see since most of the western state was snow and rain socked in. WY was clear but by the time I got there, it was about 8 PM and pretty dark. I hung out in a hospital parking lot, showered in the RV and went to sleep. Woke up to 60 degree weather – now that’s more like it!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
I looked for wi-fi in Spearfish, WY – doesn’t exist here. Went toward Grand Rapids and drove to the town just before Mt. Rushmore (one of my most anticipated desitinations). After many twists and turns, I finally landed at the base of Mt. Rushmore and what a sight! It really is amazing to see 4 presidents faces clearly carved in granite alongside a huge cliff! I spent a few hours walking around the manicured areas, listening to a Ranger presentation and watched a short movie on the making of Mt. Rushmore. It’s really spectacular to see. After that, I went to Custer Park nearby and am here now, using their wi-fi and having a beer while more buffalo roam. It’s about 70 in the shade, there’s a nice light breeze and I’m not driving another mile today! Might even watch some college football in the lounge later. Tomorrow, I’m off to visit my cousin in CO
Wrapping up the day – I finally made it to West Glacier (which is really the south entrance). It had been raining hard for the first time on the trip and the weather is expected to stay this way till Thursday. Bummer! I got lots of tips from the Ranger regarding hikes and that half of the Road to the Sun road is closed for repair. That’s the main artery that connects East and West Glacier and gets you to the ‘good side’. After weighing my options, I decided to do a drive on the West side – according to the Ranger, most of the sights are visible from lookouts and then travel around the park to the East side where he said the animals were more popular and the trees were changing color. There wasn’t much to see on the West other than the enormous lake McDonald. I didn’t hike because of the rain – kept driving. (Hey, there’s a rabbit outside my RV!) Sorry – anyway, on the trip to the West, the colors of the Aspen in particular were awesome. Some were actually orange and they stood out among the yellows and greens like they were on fire. I saw another bear too – just the top of his head though – he was in some tall bushes eating (I’m assuming) berries. I’ve come upon Two Medicine campground – not much here (few people, the store is closed, no gas station – should have filled up earlier and hummmm now the Check Engine light is on – lovely.) Anyway, since I’m here in the boonies, I’ll camp by the lake (rough life), hope the weather is nicer tomorrow and go for a hike. Two others in the area told me they saw bears up in them there hills – and I’m going to go lookin’ for em! Cross your fingers that the Check Engine light will be off in the morning, I’ll have enough propane to make my coffee and enough gas to get out of the valley after my hike! Oh the drama!
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Well looky here – I went to bed with rain and woke up with 2” of snow! Crazy!! The roads were clear but it was still snowy and windy so no hiking today. I tried to drive up to the St. Mary’s (West) side of the mountain but was met by roads covered in 6” of snow and a small car on the wrong side of the road, pointed toward the canyon! Fortunatelyl there was a snow plow on it’s way up the hill and he plowed the back end of the car out and two guys pushed the car back on to the road. Since I don’t have 4 w drive I decided that Glacier was out for this trip. Unfortunate but I prefer warmer climates and safer driving! So, after driving about 450 miles to get there, I turned around and headed 550 miles toward Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. I made it about 10 hours with stops along the way – not much to see since most of the western state was snow and rain socked in. WY was clear but by the time I got there, it was about 8 PM and pretty dark. I hung out in a hospital parking lot, showered in the RV and went to sleep. Woke up to 60 degree weather – now that’s more like it!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
I looked for wi-fi in Spearfish, WY – doesn’t exist here. Went toward Grand Rapids and drove to the town just before Mt. Rushmore (one of my most anticipated desitinations). After many twists and turns, I finally landed at the base of Mt. Rushmore and what a sight! It really is amazing to see 4 presidents faces clearly carved in granite alongside a huge cliff! I spent a few hours walking around the manicured areas, listening to a Ranger presentation and watched a short movie on the making of Mt. Rushmore. It’s really spectacular to see. After that, I went to Custer Park nearby and am here now, using their wi-fi and having a beer while more buffalo roam. It’s about 70 in the shade, there’s a nice light breeze and I’m not driving another mile today! Might even watch some college football in the lounge later. Tomorrow, I’m off to visit my cousin in CO
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Sat. - Mon 9/18
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Headed up to Yellowstone this morning after getting up at 5:00 AM to see the sunrise. Long story but I was in the wrong place at the right time. Oh well- I did see the the sun light up the Tetons and that was nice. I also caught a huge buck elk running across the meadow – got a photo of him too! I headed for a hot shower ($3.50 buys you an unlimited amount of hot water…I’ll never look at a Mocha Frap the same again). After talking to the Ranger in Yellowstone I decided to take an 11 mile hike around part of one of the back country lakes – it took me about 4 ½ hours. The first part was beautiful, lots of color around the canal areas and not a sole on the trail the entire time. The second part of the hike was through the area that had a lightening fire about 10 years ago – it’s still littered with dead trees but – there are thousands of new trees growing. Apparently the fire is actually good for the ecosystem. It purges the old trees, makes room for new trees, and the ash allows new flowers to grow and adds food to the water which brings in more fish. So they don’t rush to put out natural fires here anymore. They normally let them run their course. After the hike I was beat – I found a camp site, cleaned up and headed out for another walk to dinner and the sunset. (Why I think I had to walk another 2 miles, I have no idea!) Anyway, the pasta and salad was worth it – walked back along the lake when the sun was setting and creating nice pink clouds – my favorite. Getting to bed early tonight – finally I think I’m tired enough to crash quickly.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Well I haven’t updated my log in a few days – hopefully I can remember what went on since Saturday. I spent all day Sunday in Yellowstone looking for wildlife and doing small hikes around the geysers! I say Old Faithful erupt twice and an even more impressive Bee Hive geyser went off for about 12 minutes later in the day. This geyser hadn’t erupted in two days so it had lots of pressure to release. There are hundreds of thermals in the area. I drove to the eastern part of the park and spent the night at Fishing Bridge along the lake. Another beautiful sunset graced the end of my day.
Monday I headed out early to look for more animals. I checked in with the ranger station and plotted my course for the day – I was going to head north through Hayen Valley then Lamar Valley toward Mammoth Lakes. As soon as I left the campground, I spotted about 9 buffalo grazing alongside the road! Great photo opp! Thought my day was made but it had just begun. After that, I saw elk and goats then a HUGE heard of buffalo- at least a hundred of them in a big meadow. I pulled over and had lunch while watching these mammoth beasts from the roadside. Very impressive. After driving a while longer, there was a bit of a traffic back up (3 cars!). Someone had spotted a black bear!! I took two shots before I had to move on. I pulled over about ½ mile down the road because I wanted to go back for a closer look but after remembering all the warnings about Beware Of Bears, I decided against it. Thought my parents would appreciate knowing I used common sense in the wild! I was considering staying another night in Yellowstone but after seeing the bear, my day was complete. Oh, I forgot to mention that I saw the most amazing river too – I fell in love with Yellowstone today! I was at Yellowstone River just north of the Lower Falls and man was it awesome. I sat for half an hour and just stared at the water. It was beautiful. Between the river, the sky and the wildlife, this place is like a slice of heaven! After that experience, I was convinced that it couldn’t get any better. I headed for the north exit and saw more buffalo and lots of rams on the way out. (It did get better!) Then I headed for Massoula. My goal was to get ½ way to Glacier before stopping. Well – I was awake and on a roll so I kept driving – past Butte, past Massoula and in to Polson, MT. about 60 miles from Glacier. I spent the night at my first Walmart parking lot – they allow RVs to park overnight – and found (God Bless ‘Em) a wi-fi internet café. Fresh coffee, an egg burrito (in MT???) and wi-fi – life is good!
Headed up to Yellowstone this morning after getting up at 5:00 AM to see the sunrise. Long story but I was in the wrong place at the right time. Oh well- I did see the the sun light up the Tetons and that was nice. I also caught a huge buck elk running across the meadow – got a photo of him too! I headed for a hot shower ($3.50 buys you an unlimited amount of hot water…I’ll never look at a Mocha Frap the same again). After talking to the Ranger in Yellowstone I decided to take an 11 mile hike around part of one of the back country lakes – it took me about 4 ½ hours. The first part was beautiful, lots of color around the canal areas and not a sole on the trail the entire time. The second part of the hike was through the area that had a lightening fire about 10 years ago – it’s still littered with dead trees but – there are thousands of new trees growing. Apparently the fire is actually good for the ecosystem. It purges the old trees, makes room for new trees, and the ash allows new flowers to grow and adds food to the water which brings in more fish. So they don’t rush to put out natural fires here anymore. They normally let them run their course. After the hike I was beat – I found a camp site, cleaned up and headed out for another walk to dinner and the sunset. (Why I think I had to walk another 2 miles, I have no idea!) Anyway, the pasta and salad was worth it – walked back along the lake when the sun was setting and creating nice pink clouds – my favorite. Getting to bed early tonight – finally I think I’m tired enough to crash quickly.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Well I haven’t updated my log in a few days – hopefully I can remember what went on since Saturday. I spent all day Sunday in Yellowstone looking for wildlife and doing small hikes around the geysers! I say Old Faithful erupt twice and an even more impressive Bee Hive geyser went off for about 12 minutes later in the day. This geyser hadn’t erupted in two days so it had lots of pressure to release. There are hundreds of thermals in the area. I drove to the eastern part of the park and spent the night at Fishing Bridge along the lake. Another beautiful sunset graced the end of my day.
Monday I headed out early to look for more animals. I checked in with the ranger station and plotted my course for the day – I was going to head north through Hayen Valley then Lamar Valley toward Mammoth Lakes. As soon as I left the campground, I spotted about 9 buffalo grazing alongside the road! Great photo opp! Thought my day was made but it had just begun. After that, I saw elk and goats then a HUGE heard of buffalo- at least a hundred of them in a big meadow. I pulled over and had lunch while watching these mammoth beasts from the roadside. Very impressive. After driving a while longer, there was a bit of a traffic back up (3 cars!). Someone had spotted a black bear!! I took two shots before I had to move on. I pulled over about ½ mile down the road because I wanted to go back for a closer look but after remembering all the warnings about Beware Of Bears, I decided against it. Thought my parents would appreciate knowing I used common sense in the wild! I was considering staying another night in Yellowstone but after seeing the bear, my day was complete. Oh, I forgot to mention that I saw the most amazing river too – I fell in love with Yellowstone today! I was at Yellowstone River just north of the Lower Falls and man was it awesome. I sat for half an hour and just stared at the water. It was beautiful. Between the river, the sky and the wildlife, this place is like a slice of heaven! After that experience, I was convinced that it couldn’t get any better. I headed for the north exit and saw more buffalo and lots of rams on the way out. (It did get better!) Then I headed for Massoula. My goal was to get ½ way to Glacier before stopping. Well – I was awake and on a roll so I kept driving – past Butte, past Massoula and in to Polson, MT. about 60 miles from Glacier. I spent the night at my first Walmart parking lot – they allow RVs to park overnight – and found (God Bless ‘Em) a wi-fi internet café. Fresh coffee, an egg burrito (in MT???) and wi-fi – life is good!
Friday, September 14, 2007
My First Week
The Adventure Begins:
Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007
I finished packing my new 21’ RV, and headed out for the open road at 9:00 AM. After a brief stop at the RV dealer in Temecula, I was off to the Grand Canyon. I had no idea how far I could drive in one day and although I knew from maps that it could take me about 8.5 hours, in the RV I wasn’t sure. So I didn’t make camping reservations for the first night. As it turned out, the weather was awesome, there wasn’t any traffic and the RV handled beautifully. I made it to Williams, AZ, just 56 miles outside of the Grand Canyon by 6:30 PM. I decided to spend my first night in the back of an unattended RV park. The attendant, no hook ups, no fee in my book. I walked through the town – it’s like an old tourist town with lots of shops and diners – found a place for a beer with live music and relaxed for a bit. Back at the RV I found I had free wireless access – sent the family a quick update and hit the sack early.
Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007
I woke up around 6:30 am and headed for my first solo National Park experience. The park entrance is straight down the road – easy to find. Saw some deer, a few cows and not many people on the road. Perfect.
I was able to get in to my camp site early. I hooked up my power and water, unpacked a few things – decided to wait to install my bike rack on the RV till later – then cooked my first meal – fresh coffee and two eggs and sat back and enjoyed the quite time. I then took the shuttle to see what this Grand Canyon was all about. All I can say is “Wow!!”. It’s absolutely amazing – the depth, length and stretch from any angle is impressive. The colors in the morning were terrific – and again, not many people out. I decided to walk about 4 miles of the rim, the top edge of the canyon. About an hour in to my walk I met a guy from Germany who name was Mark. We spent the next 8 hours together – walking, taking pictures, shopping and just enjoying each other’s company. He’s hooked on McDonald’s of all things but I introduced him to Wendy’s Spicy Chicken and I think I converted him! After he left, I went back to the RV, figured out how to crank up the hot water heater and took a shower. Yes – that rocked!! Now it’s all about some e-mail, making these notes and listening to great music. I’ll be in bed soon. Then off for a bike ride along the rim. Can’t wait – weather should be great again.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Woke up early enough to see the sun rise but stayed in bed! It was a bit chilly in here and staying under the covers for another couple hours was way more enticing than getting up. Got up and worked on photos and email then got the bike ready for a ride. Rode the rim trail from trailer village all the up to Hermit’s Point – about 14 miles or so. Hiked a bit below the rim and the view was great but it was hot. I ‘found my way back’ in time to outrun a thunderstorm! I watched the grey clouds turn to black, then the rain came for about 20 minutes. Lots of thunder and lightning – it was great. Once the storm passed, I rode my bike back to the RV and had a snack. I installed the bike rack on the RV – during some sprinkles and more lightning – probably a bad idea! It was cloudy and rainy but I had faith that it would pass so at 5:00 PM I headed for the shuttle to Hopi point to shoot the sunset. I was rewarded with a couple nice shots even though it was a bit cloudy still. No free wireless today. Not sure if I had it from another camper earlier or??? That will have to wait. Another warm shower and dinner in the RV – Hot soup and tea. A little tv, reading then off to bed!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Started the day with the news. The six yr anniversary of 9-11 was on. Sobering moment. Decided to head for Bryce Canyon instead of the North Rim – everyone here says it’s ‘more of the same’. I had only been to Bryce for about an hour during another road trip so after draining the tanks, doing my safety check (i.e., not pulling away with my hoses connected and awnings out!), off I went. It was about 280 miles and the drive was easy. Mostly rolling hills. I ran in to a bit of rain, but not much. The drive was serene and I was in no hurry. I stopped at McDonalds to use their free wi-fi – very slow today so I couldn’t check all my mail – then continued another 80 miles to Bryce. I got in around 4:30, enough time to find a camp site for $10 and go for a short hike. I then drove the 18 miles to Rainbow Point at the end of the park to see the sunset – it was a bit cloudy, but worth the drive. I was rewarded with a vibrant pink band of sky just below the clouds and above the horizon. I also saw turkeys and about a dozen deer – they love hanging out along the road side at dusk! Not very safe I tell you…The hoodoo are still here – amazing anywhere you look at them. I think I’ll go for my first real hike tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Up at 7 – had breakfast, packed up the camper and headed to the trail head. I planned on the 4 – 5 hour triple loop: Queens Garden, Navaho and Peek A Boo. I made the trip in about 3.5 hours and that included lots of picture taking. I met a 65 yr old guy named John from Ireland. We trekked about 2 of the 3.5 hours together. He has traveled quite a bit since retiring 7 yrs ago – including a 1000 KM trek in Spain. He and his wife had just come from Zion and were heading to Yellowstone in a couple of days. The rock formations we saw were amazing. The dry air, freezing temps and sand stone combine to make natural sculptures that defy gravity. The hike was well worth it – it allowed views not possible from the rim. Hiking in is definitely the way to go. After the hike, I hit the road and wound up in Salt Lake. I was going to stop sooner but – well it’s a long story. Anyway, after putzing around the Temple North, South and West streets, I finally found an RV park with wifi. Yhoo. Upload the photos of the day, take a hot shower and relax. They have a shuttle to take a quick loop of the sights in the morning. I’ll do that then head off to Yellowstone. Long drive ahead.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Went out for a free tour of Temple Square this morning. It’s a very pretty area with buildings dating back to 1830. The Mormons drug stones from 20 miles away to begin building the temple. They also have an auditorium that seats 21,000 people. After the tour, I headed off to the Grand Tetons. I finally arrived after about 7 hours of driving. (A couple of stops along the way – awesome fruit stands and stocked up on beer! The Tetons were clouded by something, fog, smog or fire – couldn’t tell. I couldn’t see them very well. I did see an enormous bison though! He was huge! Drove by him too fast to take a picture. I’m in the campground for a night. Probably head to Yellowstone tomorrow – I think there will be more to see there. No internet access from here…
Friday, September 14, 2007
Well – I take back everything I said about The Grand Tetons Nat’l Park! I woke up this am and it was 42 degrees in my camper – brrrr. After tea and oatmeal, I read for a bit then went back to sleep till it warmed up! Once I got the RV in to the sun it was great. I went to a Ranger talk and found out about Jenny Lake – and other sights so since I had heard so much about the Tetons, I decided to hang out for the day and I’m glad I did! I took a quick ferry across Jenny Lake and did a 2 hour hike up past Inspiration Point – the views were spectacular. Yesterday the Tetons were shrouded by smoke from a local fire – today they were majestic! The sky was clear and the lake pristine. I’m so glad I stayed. I also saw a moose (from a distance) at the Jackson Lodge where they have free high speed wireless. I’ve charged my camera, laptop and checked my e-mail. It’s now thundering and lightning outside – not sure if there’s rain but I’m expecting to get wet on the way to the RV shortly. More thunder – it’s gonna be a great storm tonight!
Saturday, Sept. 8, 2007
I finished packing my new 21’ RV, and headed out for the open road at 9:00 AM. After a brief stop at the RV dealer in Temecula, I was off to the Grand Canyon. I had no idea how far I could drive in one day and although I knew from maps that it could take me about 8.5 hours, in the RV I wasn’t sure. So I didn’t make camping reservations for the first night. As it turned out, the weather was awesome, there wasn’t any traffic and the RV handled beautifully. I made it to Williams, AZ, just 56 miles outside of the Grand Canyon by 6:30 PM. I decided to spend my first night in the back of an unattended RV park. The attendant, no hook ups, no fee in my book. I walked through the town – it’s like an old tourist town with lots of shops and diners – found a place for a beer with live music and relaxed for a bit. Back at the RV I found I had free wireless access – sent the family a quick update and hit the sack early.
Sunday, Sept. 9, 2007
I woke up around 6:30 am and headed for my first solo National Park experience. The park entrance is straight down the road – easy to find. Saw some deer, a few cows and not many people on the road. Perfect.
I was able to get in to my camp site early. I hooked up my power and water, unpacked a few things – decided to wait to install my bike rack on the RV till later – then cooked my first meal – fresh coffee and two eggs and sat back and enjoyed the quite time. I then took the shuttle to see what this Grand Canyon was all about. All I can say is “Wow!!”. It’s absolutely amazing – the depth, length and stretch from any angle is impressive. The colors in the morning were terrific – and again, not many people out. I decided to walk about 4 miles of the rim, the top edge of the canyon. About an hour in to my walk I met a guy from Germany who name was Mark. We spent the next 8 hours together – walking, taking pictures, shopping and just enjoying each other’s company. He’s hooked on McDonald’s of all things but I introduced him to Wendy’s Spicy Chicken and I think I converted him! After he left, I went back to the RV, figured out how to crank up the hot water heater and took a shower. Yes – that rocked!! Now it’s all about some e-mail, making these notes and listening to great music. I’ll be in bed soon. Then off for a bike ride along the rim. Can’t wait – weather should be great again.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Woke up early enough to see the sun rise but stayed in bed! It was a bit chilly in here and staying under the covers for another couple hours was way more enticing than getting up. Got up and worked on photos and email then got the bike ready for a ride. Rode the rim trail from trailer village all the up to Hermit’s Point – about 14 miles or so. Hiked a bit below the rim and the view was great but it was hot. I ‘found my way back’ in time to outrun a thunderstorm! I watched the grey clouds turn to black, then the rain came for about 20 minutes. Lots of thunder and lightning – it was great. Once the storm passed, I rode my bike back to the RV and had a snack. I installed the bike rack on the RV – during some sprinkles and more lightning – probably a bad idea! It was cloudy and rainy but I had faith that it would pass so at 5:00 PM I headed for the shuttle to Hopi point to shoot the sunset. I was rewarded with a couple nice shots even though it was a bit cloudy still. No free wireless today. Not sure if I had it from another camper earlier or??? That will have to wait. Another warm shower and dinner in the RV – Hot soup and tea. A little tv, reading then off to bed!
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Started the day with the news. The six yr anniversary of 9-11 was on. Sobering moment. Decided to head for Bryce Canyon instead of the North Rim – everyone here says it’s ‘more of the same’. I had only been to Bryce for about an hour during another road trip so after draining the tanks, doing my safety check (i.e., not pulling away with my hoses connected and awnings out!), off I went. It was about 280 miles and the drive was easy. Mostly rolling hills. I ran in to a bit of rain, but not much. The drive was serene and I was in no hurry. I stopped at McDonalds to use their free wi-fi – very slow today so I couldn’t check all my mail – then continued another 80 miles to Bryce. I got in around 4:30, enough time to find a camp site for $10 and go for a short hike. I then drove the 18 miles to Rainbow Point at the end of the park to see the sunset – it was a bit cloudy, but worth the drive. I was rewarded with a vibrant pink band of sky just below the clouds and above the horizon. I also saw turkeys and about a dozen deer – they love hanging out along the road side at dusk! Not very safe I tell you…The hoodoo are still here – amazing anywhere you look at them. I think I’ll go for my first real hike tomorrow.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Up at 7 – had breakfast, packed up the camper and headed to the trail head. I planned on the 4 – 5 hour triple loop: Queens Garden, Navaho and Peek A Boo. I made the trip in about 3.5 hours and that included lots of picture taking. I met a 65 yr old guy named John from Ireland. We trekked about 2 of the 3.5 hours together. He has traveled quite a bit since retiring 7 yrs ago – including a 1000 KM trek in Spain. He and his wife had just come from Zion and were heading to Yellowstone in a couple of days. The rock formations we saw were amazing. The dry air, freezing temps and sand stone combine to make natural sculptures that defy gravity. The hike was well worth it – it allowed views not possible from the rim. Hiking in is definitely the way to go. After the hike, I hit the road and wound up in Salt Lake. I was going to stop sooner but – well it’s a long story. Anyway, after putzing around the Temple North, South and West streets, I finally found an RV park with wifi. Yhoo. Upload the photos of the day, take a hot shower and relax. They have a shuttle to take a quick loop of the sights in the morning. I’ll do that then head off to Yellowstone. Long drive ahead.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Went out for a free tour of Temple Square this morning. It’s a very pretty area with buildings dating back to 1830. The Mormons drug stones from 20 miles away to begin building the temple. They also have an auditorium that seats 21,000 people. After the tour, I headed off to the Grand Tetons. I finally arrived after about 7 hours of driving. (A couple of stops along the way – awesome fruit stands and stocked up on beer! The Tetons were clouded by something, fog, smog or fire – couldn’t tell. I couldn’t see them very well. I did see an enormous bison though! He was huge! Drove by him too fast to take a picture. I’m in the campground for a night. Probably head to Yellowstone tomorrow – I think there will be more to see there. No internet access from here…
Friday, September 14, 2007
Well – I take back everything I said about The Grand Tetons Nat’l Park! I woke up this am and it was 42 degrees in my camper – brrrr. After tea and oatmeal, I read for a bit then went back to sleep till it warmed up! Once I got the RV in to the sun it was great. I went to a Ranger talk and found out about Jenny Lake – and other sights so since I had heard so much about the Tetons, I decided to hang out for the day and I’m glad I did! I took a quick ferry across Jenny Lake and did a 2 hour hike up past Inspiration Point – the views were spectacular. Yesterday the Tetons were shrouded by smoke from a local fire – today they were majestic! The sky was clear and the lake pristine. I’m so glad I stayed. I also saw a moose (from a distance) at the Jackson Lodge where they have free high speed wireless. I’ve charged my camera, laptop and checked my e-mail. It’s now thundering and lightning outside – not sure if there’s rain but I’m expecting to get wet on the way to the RV shortly. More thunder – it’s gonna be a great storm tonight!
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