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!