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, September 30, 2007
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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