Almost home

      We have driven almost 7000 miles - I am glad that gas was not as expensive as I had estimated for my budget. Today's drive was really long and included Kansas City (Why is it ArkanSAS (SAW) and KanSAS (ZAS)? We both liked the scenery - many rivers, hills, trees and farms - but I have maxed out on all of it and was reading off and on all day. I lost the ability to read in the car for a while, but now have it back and it is a great way to make time pass. I remember my Mom reading all the way back and forth from the cabin. (or maybe she was pretending so that she didn't need to moderate our battles?)

It was hard to find open campgrounds so late in the season and tonight we are well off the beaten path in a tiny campground in northern Missouri. We share it with only a couple other RV's who are also heading back to Minnesota to enjoy the rest of the fall. No TV reception, but they have WiFi - what a blessing. I am addicted to my email, Internet surfing and blogging. Now I am also addicted to having the access on my PDA so I can look up stuff while we are driving like how the stock market is doing and what chestnuts look like ( I think I saw some on a tree).

     I am ready to be home for a bit and recharge. It is time to pack the trailer away for the winter and pull out my sewing machine. Next time I hope that you all join us on the road. It has been quite a ride. 10 National Parks, 4 National monuments, uncountable National Forests, State parks, and not the least important - Interstate Rest Stops! Iowa has the best ones. See you all in person soon. Peace.

Yellow Brick Road

     The day started with a frost advisory, a peach colored sunrise seen only in the mountains, and a full moon. Overnight the wind was blowing madly, but it was quiet and frosty by the time I got up.
The weather is warming as we head into the plains. Now we are in Kansas! It has been raining here for three days, but is beautiful today. Sunshine and TREES! Well not too many trees - just around the rivers - but real oaks and maples.
     We crossed lots of ranch and farmland. Utah is the most mountainous state, is Kansas the least hilly? It looks prosperous though, with lots of grain elevators, tidy farms and pretty little towns. So much of the southwest is dusty and ragged. After days of rain everything in Kansas sparkles.
It is time to come home. We had our last beers for supper and my jeans need washing. The trees are gold and red, we see pumpkins at the corner stores, and a little frost on the ground in the morning. Many of the campgrounds are closing. I have almost finished the slide show of the trip.
     The RV is losing screws, but otherwise is working great. The truck is dirty, but running well. We have not been sick a single day. We are anxious to see friends and family, but still talking to each other. Good trip! Two more days of driving and then home on Friday night, God willing.

Royal Gorge - Canon, Colorado

     When Rick was a kid his family came to Colorado and went to see the suspension bridge over the Royal Gorge.   So today we drove there to see if it was as cool as he remembered. The day was very cool with snow falling over most of the road we covered yesterday on the way here. I am glad that we moved on.

     The Royal Gorge bridge was built in 1929 as a tourist attraction. It is in an historic gold and silver mining area. The bridge is 1300' over the Arkansas River. It can be driven over, but mostly is just walked on now. The deck of the bridge is made of 8" wide planks of wood which are not entirely close together (you can see through them to the river 1300' below). The whole bridge bounces as you walk on it.

     Besides the bridge, the river is crossed by a 2200' wide aerial tram. There is also an incline railway which goes 1500' down to the canyon floor. The picture is the bridge from the bottom of the canyon.

     We spent the day exploring this area. We had to bundle up a lot because the wind through the canyon was bitter, but after a while the clouds lightened up a bit. There was a bungee jump that went out over the canyon but it was not in operation today - ah shucks, we could have really made you jealous!

     As we returned to Colorado Springs we sought out a train hobby store that Rick was interested in. He got some train books and a couple fun box cars. Tomorrow we head east. The weather looks like it will be clear and sunny.

Snow is coming to Taos

     Most days I get up and check the weather to decide what our attire and activities will be. Today we were supposed to head to Taos. When I checked the weather I found that a winter storm is coming to the high areas of the West including Taos. The forecast was for 4-8" at 6000', 8-12" above. Taos is at about 7000'. The road out goes over a 9500' pass. We passed on the whole deal and headed to Colorado Springs where it was supposed to be 57 and sunny.
     It was really chilly last night. We turned off the heat when we went to bed, but at 4 am I got up to find that it was only 37 in the main part of the RV. I turned the heat on so that Rick would make it to morning. The sun was out when we got up, but never really got much over 50 until late in the afternoon.
Most of the RV traffic is now heading south. They can't understand why we are heading north, but I am ready to head home. We really want to avoid driving on slippery roads - I can't imagine what it would be like to have the trailer start to slide. So we are going to see a few sites in Colorado Springs tomorrow if it stays clear, and then head straight home.
    Our stop tonight is at a huge KOA with a great view of the mountains (and some powerlines and the highway). We have come full circle and now the moon is full again. I can't believe we have been away for over a month.

Museum Hill - Santa Fe

      We woke up to sunshine and went back to the historic district. Our first stop was the miracle staircase at the Loretto Chapel. It was built sometime between 1877 and 1881. The miraculous staircase took at least six months to build, and has two 360 degree turns with no visible means of support. It was one of those tourist things we had to see, but not the highlight of the trip.
     We headed up to "Museum Hill" where Santa Fe has four major museums overlooking the city. They were clustered around a lovely desert garden, plaza, cafe and sculpture garden. We went to the International Folk Art museum and Native American Culture Museum. Both were very well done and fun to visit. The weather stayed nice long enough for us to grill some burgers, but now it is really chilly. Snow in the mountains last night!

Santa Fe Plaza

      We took Old Pecos Trail (which is partly Route 66) to the Santa Fe trail and worked our way from our campground at the edge of town to the heart of the historic district. Some of the oldest city buildings in the U.S. are right down here in this area. They all cluster around a plaza across from the old government building.
     The area is full of shops, restaurants, galleries, museums and historic buildings. We had a great time looking at wares from Native American vendors under the awning of the government building and had lunch overlooking the plaza.
     The weather turned so we went to the Georgia O'Keefe museum for the afternoon. It included many photos of her home outside Santa Fe. Great exhibit. When we got outside it was thundering, but we had only 6 blocks to go to the car. Before we got there the heavens opened up with pouring rain and then hail. We were soaked and cold, but I made a stop at a quilt store before going back to the RV to warm up. Very strong winds, more hail, lots of rain and even stronger winds went on until late evening.
There are beautiful vistas, great shopping, wonderful hotels and restaurants. You should all come here.

Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

      Long ago when planning this trip I came across a list of places "not to miss" in the southwest. Acoma Pueblo is a village located 370 feet up on top of a mesa and is the longest continuously inhabited place in North America. Some parts of the village are dated to have been built in 1100 a.d. There is no water, no electricity, no sewers. There are "catch basins" which hold water from the 10" of rain each year. Outhouses and porta potties take care of the sewer needs.
     We were taken up on the mesa by tour bus - no private cars can go up there except for the folks that live there. It is likely that natives from the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde also lived in this pueblo.
     The object in the picture is an outdoor adobe oven. We bought some bread and pies made fresh today and had it for dinner.
The natives also make really beautiful pottery - very thin clay pots with intricate hand painting. We are not bringing one home due to the cost, but it was great to see the artistry.
     After leaving Acoma (Ac' o ma) we drove to Santa Fe through Albuquerque and the Balloon Fiesta. It is quite windy and one balloon went down this morning after hitting a power line. The evening balloon show was cancelled. Weather is getting much cooler tonight - 25 degrees with a high of 62 tomorrow. We are still at 6500' altitude.

New Mexico desert

      If I have learned one thing on this trip it is that there are so many ways for landscapes to be beautiful. We are camped tonight outside Grants, New Mexico. The campground is surrounded by volcanic rocks and desert.
    The campground owners created a path out into the surrounding area. I took a walk just as the sun was setting. There are huge piles of black volcanic rock, red soil, and many desert plants. We have been surprised at how many places we see evidence of volcanic activity - in Sequoia, Hurricane, Flagstaff and now in New Mexico.
     In the desert evening none of the plants, sounds or smells were familiar. I wondered about rattlesnakes and other creepy crawlers. Something rustled in the sagebrush and I reconsidered the wisdom of heading off on my own. Then a great big rabbit hopped into sight. The moon is rising - I think that we will have a full moon before we return home. Beautiful evening.
     The weather continues to be great. There is a much wider range of temps during the day - high 70's during the day and then low 30's at night. But this is great for RVing. We enjoy the day and then button up for the evening.

Sedona, Arizona

      We took a winding, very steep canyon road from Flagstaff to Sedona. The great red rocks are smooth and beautiful. Along the way was Sliderock State Park. You can do just what the name says - slide over very slippery rocks in a mountain stream into deep pools. Looked like a lot of fun but it was only 57 when we left Flagstaff and swimming in a mountain stream was not what we thought we would be doing.

     Sedona was a pretty town somewhat taken over by tourist stuff. We went to one shopping area which had many high priced art stores. Really nice art and some great Navajo rugs all way out of our price range but wonderful to look at.

     We had a great lunch at the "Cowboy Cafe" and then drove out into the red rock desert and got a little lost. All in all it was a wonderful 36th anniversary day.

Standing on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona

      Rick went off to get the oil changed on the truck while I had a conference call this morning. He told me that as the oil was being changed the serviceman came back with the air filter with a bunch of junk on top of it. We were getting only about 20% of the function of the filter due to the rodent nest built on it. The nest has probably been there since we left Minnesota!

     Jerry and Maura took us to Winslow, Arizona to see the corner from the Eagles song. We followed some of old Route 66 to get there and saw some of the old bridges of the original highway. We speculate that this is the road that Eleanor took when she drove across the country to meet up with Henry during WWII.
     There is also a great hotel, La Posada, built in 1929 for the Santa Fe Railway, that has been remodeled. Thick adobe walls, fancy tile floors, lots of french doors which led out to deeply shaded patios with fountains and flowers. It was a place for passengers to stop overnight on their way to California. We toured the lodge, did some shopping in the gift shop and had a fine dinner. Great day.

Grand Canyon to Flagstaff

      I got Rick up very early to tour more of Grand Canyon park. We hit our temperature low (28) overnight so I had to warm up the camper before he could get out of bed. We have now hit over 100 and under 32!
     The park was beautiful and clear in the early morning. We toured several of the old lodges and then walked a ways down Bright Angel Trail. This is the famous trail to the bottom of the gorge. As we walked down it I wondered why we had not walked further the last time we visited the park - then I remembered that I had two little boys (5 and 8) walking with me and there was no way I was going to go very far down this dangerous trail.
     The drive to Flagstaff was short and boring until we got close to town and saw the towering pines. It is a beautiful city. During a stop on our drive I noticed several spots on the edge of the trailer roof that were torn. Danger! Danger! We once saw a trailer going down the road with the rubber roof pulled half way back and flapping in the wind. So we got to Flagstaff, went to the RV store, bought goop to fix and roof and sent Ricky up there to stick it down again - It looks fine. WE will see! We had dinner with Gerry and Maura and made plans to visit more later in the week.

Vermillion Cliffs

     We left Zion and headed to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon via Highway 89. We expected a boring drive, but found ourselves driving through amazing vistas of the Grand Staircase National Monument and the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Long sweeping views of huge red rock cliffs, dark green pines and wide open range land with grazing cattle and sheep.

     We drove through Glen Canyon and the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River which was not as impressive as the Hoover Dam but still quite a sight! Then, as we drove along the Navajo Indian Reservation we found ourselves in author Tony Hillerman country and saw a lot of place names from his books. We did not see Tribal policeman Joe Leaphorn.

     We got to Grand Canyon National Park with time to take a walk along the rim and see the late afternoon soon shining into some of the dark areas of the canyon. I had forgotten how awesome the place is. We stayed in a campground in the park - very worn out and dirty - but convenient to the shuttle to everywhere in the park.

Laundry Day

     No pictures today - it rained all day. When I got up it seemed like the perfect "down" day. Time to catch up on chores and have a wonderful nap with a book. First we went to the hardware store to get repair items. Maintaining the RV is an ongoing project for both of us - screws fall out, stuff bounces to the back of cupboards and the refrigerator, the heat ducts separate, the trim falls off, etc. etc. Lots of bouncy roads, endless dust, dirt tracked in no matter how careful we are.
     When the downpours finally let up Rick climbed under the RV and I went to the laundry room to do 10 days of laundry. It makes me appreciate my lovely home laundry room and the ease of doing laundry. On the road there is always the need to save quarters and haul bags of dirty laundry across the campground (we are never close to the laundry). Today there were 4 washers and 4 dryers. As I was unloading my stuff someone ran in and threw stuff in all three of the working washers. I left my stuff and went back 30 minutes later. One more washer was "out of order" so I threw my stuff in the remaining two and figured that I would just go back later for the third load. 30 minutes later I found one load done and the other just a little wet. ARGHH!
     I dried the first load and put the 2nd through again. Put the third in and went back for more quarters. When the first load was dry I put the 3rd load in (only one working dryer now). I looked at load #2 which was on its second attempt of a wash. It was "done." HMM - wet and soapy and the washer was done washing. Back for more quarters and a little chat with the campground staff. They gave me free tokens and apologized. I put the wash into the only working washer and tried it for the third time. Wahlah - it worked and then needed drying. At 5:45 after starting at 1 I was done with the laundry. No nap, but we are now clean. I think I am done trying to do laundry until we get home again.

Zion Hikes

     The main part of Zion accessible by road is a long canyon which is serviced by a shuttle bus. We first had to shed our warm clothing because, although weather.com said it was only going to be 70 in the park, the park said it was going to be 86. Guess which prediction was correct?
     We took the shuttle to the end of the road and then walked along the river another mile as the canyon got tighter and tighter in a space called "the Narrows." Zion is known for an 18 mile hike in the very chilly water of the Virgin River which goes through this canyon. We did NOT take the 18 mile jaunt, although many folks were heading off into the narrow canyon.

     Our second hike came after lunch when we walked into one of the Emerald Pools. It was another really nice area with water drizzling down the rocks into a mossy pool. Nice and cool away from the hot sun. We passed on the hike to the top of one of the mesas described as "strenuous."

     Although there was much left to see, we headed back to meet our niece Kristine and her family at her home in Hurricane. Kristine gave us good directions, but we were not prepared to look for a house among the orchards, cows, and hay fields. Kristine and Donny live right at the edge of town - close enough to enjoy town schools, restaurants and services, but with a view of the rocky hills and surrounded by fields. We had a great dinner with Kaylee, Gerrod and Anthony and then showed them some recent pictures of the family in Minnesota. It was great to see them!

Bryce Canyon

     There are so many "wow's" from this day it is hard to know where to start. You must all promise to come to this part of Utah - it is the best so far.

Bryce Canyon is about 95 miles from our campground through the Dixie National Forest and on two nationally desiginated "Scenic Wonder" drives. The landscape continuously changes and is amazing.

    The picture is from a path down from the rim of Bryce Canyon into a slot canyon. There are so many wonderful hiking paths in the park. I just so wanted you all to be there to be able to take off into these amazing rock formations. Better than Arches or Canyonlands, better than Yosemite or Sequoia - just awesome!

     We spent the afternoon in the park and then drove back on a different route over a 9500' pass. The mountains were covered with dark ponderosa pines and aspens which had turned to gold. Our pictures can't do it justice. We hit it this area just as the leaves had turned their deepest hue, late in the afternoon when the sun and shadows were very dramatic. I wish you were all here - it can never be fully captured, only experienced.

    On our way to Bryce we drove through the mile long tunnel with no internal lights in Zion National Park - Yikes! but more about Zion tomorrow.

Back to Utah Parks

     We left Las Vegas to travel through the corner of Arizona into Utah on I-15. Again we saw desert, but it was interesting and sometimes beautiful. On earlier days we saw lots of Joshua Trees (sort of an ancient cross between a tree and a cactus). There were more of these plus many other types of cactus and pines. Midway on our drive we came to the Virgin River canyon - very dramatic high rock walls with a tiny river at the bottom.

     We more or less followed the canyon into Utah and to our campsite which is right on the river. Once again a lovely site with a great pool, grass and trees. It was over 90 today so we spent the late afternoon at the pool resting from our trip to the town of Virgin.
     Unfortunately there is no cell phone coverage here either - it so frustrates me. I tried to call our niece Kristine who lives just out of town, but had no luck using the cell phone. The campground has phone jacks at each site and says that you can check out a phone which I did - after putting a $51 charge on my credit card if I neglect to return the ancient $5 phone. Since the cord did not reach I had to stand outside next to the camper to make the call. However, I did reach Kristine and we will go to see her on Friday. Yeah!