What a long 3 days. We have been driving until late in the day so I have been ready to turn in as soon as we have settled. It has been an interesting 3 days.
Sunday: We woke up early to pack up and head to an Episcopal church in Moab. We arrived very early for the 8:00 service. Really about 2 hours early. There was no 8:00 services. Churches would be better off without a website if they are not going to keep it current. Oh well...all dressed up and no place to go. We decided to head on to Mesa Verde. We were so excited about seeing the cliff dwellings and since it was about 20 miles into Colorado we could add another sticker to our state map. When we arrived we purchased two tickets for the easier tour. We arrived at the overlook and waited for the ranger. This would be a tour group of about 25. I was very excited until the ranger started describing the tour. "If you are afraid of heights you should not go on this tour", he said. "You will have to go up 3 ten foot ladders", he said. "There is no turning back once you start", he said. And finally he pointed to the ladder across the way and said we would not have to worry about falling because you would be between two sides of the rocks. That was enough! I turned to Chris as everyone was lining up to start the tour and begged him to go without me. I am so glad I did not go. I am afraid of heights and I am very claustrophobic. Sunday we drove until 9:00pm and pulled into a very iffy campground. We were only there to sleep so it was not a problem. However, we had now moved into a string of iffy campgrounds for the next two nights.
Monday: We woke up early to go to a volcano site in Blue Spruce, New Mexico. Chris has been wanting to see a volcano and I read that New Mexico had lots of them. We found the Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano. It is privately owned. We walked a lava bed about 1/2 mile to the overlook. It was not what I expected because it was 10,000 years since it had erupted so the inside of the cone was smooth and had trees growing in in. There was plenty of lava rocks, tubes, and you could see where the volcano blew out the side of the mountain. Then we took a second short hike to an ice cave. That was also formed when the volcano erupted. After the morning visit we headed to Tucumcari, New Mexico. This was a big town during the days of route 66. It sounded like a good stopping place with things to see. Well, it is a dying town. When interstate 40 by passed the town, it took their life blood. You can see the remnants of the old hotels and the broken neon signs. Most of the old gas stations are shut down but the old tyme pumps remain. The campground we planned to stay at was worse than the night before but the one next to it was ok. It was surround by a very old, run down, wood/brick motel. The campground was a giant gravel parking lot with a few trees and a few patches of grass. The owners were very nice. The wife was American Indian and the husband was Hindu Indian. Quite the combination. They were trying to fix the place up but have a long way to go. The waitress at dinner said the town was slowly dying. They are trying to get a casino to help the town come back. It was pretty depressing.
Tuesday: A few days ago I mentioned to Chris that our vacation was over. There are no more colored rocks or unusual rock formations to see. It was going to be 5 days of boring driving until we reach Little Rock and visit Deacon Johana and Robert. So...we have decided to make it a road trip and see the quirky things on the way. Today we saw Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, where about 10 cars are half buried in the ground. People come with spray paint in hand to do their art work. It was not as impressive as we had seen on TV. After that adventure we headed to Big Texas Steak Ranch, home of the 72 ounce free steak. In the movie Road Trip, Barbara Streisand goes uninvited on a trip with her single son. They stop at a steak place and she takes the challenge of eating a whole 72 ounce steak dinner. It is free if you can eat all of it. We saw the signs on the road for this place and had to stop. It is another Route 66 original establishment. It started out as a cowboy restaurant and the real cowboys would show off how much they could eat. It got into a real competition. When we were seated we asked where Barbara Streisand sat during the movie. She did not film the movie there. It was really a good meal anyway. We had a hard time finding a good campground for tonight have found a pretty good place in Elk City, Oklahoma. It is just different out west.
Peace and love to all, Barbara
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Greetings from Arches National Park
Yesterday was a day of laundry and resting. We had dinner out and walked around downtown Moab. Everything went well till we drove home and saw the blue lights in the side mirror. Oh no....what did we do now. We had no tail lights! Chris tried all evening to find the fuse that was blown with no success. This morning we got up early to drive to the Ford dealer. A wonderful young man took care of us right away. He checked all the fuses but they were all good. He was perplexed! Then he started looking for a second fuse box. The night before I researched the problem on the internet. So I told them there were two fuse boxes under the hood...not one. It was hard to find but they kept looking till they found it and found the fuse. We asked for the bill but George did not charge us. Unbelievable! What a nice young man.
We left the dealer and headed to Arches National Park. The weather prediction was for rain but since this was our last day we took a chance. The park was packed because today was free entry. We could not find parking at any of the view points. We headed to the very end of the park in hopes of hiking a trail there. We were lucky. We started the hike with dark clouds overhead. I said to Chris, "if we hear thunder we need to head back" . He agreed. Two minutes later we heard thunder. But we trekked on because there was no lightning. Glad we did. The trail was almost empty and we had a wonderful hike. We saw landscape arch which is over 300 ft span. We alo saw double arches but my favorite was pine tree arch. It is the one were chris and I had our picture taken without the backpacks. This arch was on a side path. We walked into this tiny cove that opened into the arch. There was a log that provided us a place to sit and rest. No one was there. It was beautiful and so quiet. I just wanted to stay forever. A couple our age came along and Chris offered to take their picture. Then there were two young men that came along and I offered to take their picture. However by now the sky was darkening and the arch would not show up. One of them showed me some tricks on the iPhone to lighten the picture. I got a great shot and they took a picture of us. The rain had stopped so more people came to my sacred spot and before you knew it we were taking everyone's pictures in front of the arch. I thought we would be there all day. Finally we saw a break so we headed out. You may see in the pictures a rock climber and a man repelling. The pictures did not upload in order this time so it is a bit confusing,
Tomorrow we head to 8:00 church and then to MesaVerde to view Indian Cliff Dwellers.
Peace to all my family and friends, Barbara
We left the dealer and headed to Arches National Park. The weather prediction was for rain but since this was our last day we took a chance. The park was packed because today was free entry. We could not find parking at any of the view points. We headed to the very end of the park in hopes of hiking a trail there. We were lucky. We started the hike with dark clouds overhead. I said to Chris, "if we hear thunder we need to head back" . He agreed. Two minutes later we heard thunder. But we trekked on because there was no lightning. Glad we did. The trail was almost empty and we had a wonderful hike. We saw landscape arch which is over 300 ft span. We alo saw double arches but my favorite was pine tree arch. It is the one were chris and I had our picture taken without the backpacks. This arch was on a side path. We walked into this tiny cove that opened into the arch. There was a log that provided us a place to sit and rest. No one was there. It was beautiful and so quiet. I just wanted to stay forever. A couple our age came along and Chris offered to take their picture. Then there were two young men that came along and I offered to take their picture. However by now the sky was darkening and the arch would not show up. One of them showed me some tricks on the iPhone to lighten the picture. I got a great shot and they took a picture of us. The rain had stopped so more people came to my sacred spot and before you knew it we were taking everyone's pictures in front of the arch. I thought we would be there all day. Finally we saw a break so we headed out. You may see in the pictures a rock climber and a man repelling. The pictures did not upload in order this time so it is a bit confusing,
Tomorrow we head to 8:00 church and then to MesaVerde to view Indian Cliff Dwellers.
Peace to all my family and friends, Barbara
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Greetings from Moab, Utah
It has been two days since I posted. On Tuesay we had no internet and last night we were just plain tired from having so much fun. My granddaughter called when we got home and needed some math help. We skyped the whole lesson. This was a first for me.
On Tuesday we explored Canyonlands. It was just a day of driving and stopping at view points. When we arrived at our campsite in Dead horse state park we took forever to level. After about the seventh try, and three boards, we were as close as we were going to get. We decided we would find a new campground for Wednesday. I really liked the state park because it was so quiet. The park got its name a long time ago. Some cowboys rounded up some wild horses and corralled them at the point. It was a large area with a small opening so they only had to fence off a small amount. Something delayed the cowboys from returning. When the arrived, the horses had died of thirst within 2000 feet of water below them in the Colorado River.
Wednesday we drove with our new friends through the La Sal Mountains. I posted those pictures yesterday. The Aspens were bright yellow and covered the mountain side. We hiked a little and stopped a lot for pictures and geo-caching. We found a great restaurant for dinner and then Chris found us an ice cream shop.
Today we met up with friends from Gulf Shores. Sue had been reading our blog and thought we were ready for a hike to Fishers Tower. Now it was only about a mile long and we had certainly hiked more than that so it should have been no problem. Well....we never hiked a trail like this! It was a rock trail through, around, and up. We were use to parks that had maintained trails. This was more like some one found a way to get from point A to point B and left some rocks to mark the path for the next person. They stack three rocks, called carrins, to mark the way. I did it but I have never done such a difficult trail in 95 degrees. Of course I needed lots of help but we made it. After lunch some of the group wanted to go further, some rested, and Chris and I headed down so we could take our time. At one point we lost the trail. We could not find anymore carrins and it was hot and I knew we were going the wrong way. I was sure that we were going to cook ourselves in the heat and perish in this desolate place. However, we backtracked a little and waited till some of the rest of our group came and we found our next carrin and got back on track. I saw how easy it is to get lost in this environment. Glad I did it--glad I am done.
After our hike we were invited to a cookout with Sue, Mark, and her family. We had a great time and had lots of laughs about our hike. I guess we are still novice hikers. Miss C is spending the night with them so I guess we will get to sleep in.
I do not know what tomorrow will bring. Maybe we will see Arches National Park. Maybe we will do laundry.
Peace to all of my family and to my friends who have followed us on this journey. Barbara
On Tuesday we explored Canyonlands. It was just a day of driving and stopping at view points. When we arrived at our campsite in Dead horse state park we took forever to level. After about the seventh try, and three boards, we were as close as we were going to get. We decided we would find a new campground for Wednesday. I really liked the state park because it was so quiet. The park got its name a long time ago. Some cowboys rounded up some wild horses and corralled them at the point. It was a large area with a small opening so they only had to fence off a small amount. Something delayed the cowboys from returning. When the arrived, the horses had died of thirst within 2000 feet of water below them in the Colorado River.
Wednesday we drove with our new friends through the La Sal Mountains. I posted those pictures yesterday. The Aspens were bright yellow and covered the mountain side. We hiked a little and stopped a lot for pictures and geo-caching. We found a great restaurant for dinner and then Chris found us an ice cream shop.
Today we met up with friends from Gulf Shores. Sue had been reading our blog and thought we were ready for a hike to Fishers Tower. Now it was only about a mile long and we had certainly hiked more than that so it should have been no problem. Well....we never hiked a trail like this! It was a rock trail through, around, and up. We were use to parks that had maintained trails. This was more like some one found a way to get from point A to point B and left some rocks to mark the path for the next person. They stack three rocks, called carrins, to mark the way. I did it but I have never done such a difficult trail in 95 degrees. Of course I needed lots of help but we made it. After lunch some of the group wanted to go further, some rested, and Chris and I headed down so we could take our time. At one point we lost the trail. We could not find anymore carrins and it was hot and I knew we were going the wrong way. I was sure that we were going to cook ourselves in the heat and perish in this desolate place. However, we backtracked a little and waited till some of the rest of our group came and we found our next carrin and got back on track. I saw how easy it is to get lost in this environment. Glad I did it--glad I am done.
After our hike we were invited to a cookout with Sue, Mark, and her family. We had a great time and had lots of laughs about our hike. I guess we are still novice hikers. Miss C is spending the night with them so I guess we will get to sleep in.
I do not know what tomorrow will bring. Maybe we will see Arches National Park. Maybe we will do laundry.
Peace to all of my family and to my friends who have followed us on this journey. Barbara
Monday, September 22, 2014
Greetings form Dead Horse State Park, Utah
On Sunday we had two options for church in Torrey: Church of Latter Day Saints or Baptist. So we looked to the next closest town which just had one option--Church of Latter Day Saints. I guess we are in Utah so that is to be expected. So we did not go to church but we have the next two Sundays planned. It rained all day so I just vacuumed the whole place and 15 minutes later I organized all the baskets and then made soup for dinner. My wonderful husband listened to the Dolphin football game on the radio while watching some other game on the tv screen. It was quite confusing at times when I would forget that the sound did not match what I was seeing.
Today we headed to Moab, Utah. There were two routes. One was shorter on two lanes most of the time and the other was longer but we would get to the interstate quicker. We chose the longer because I could help out with the driving. Our drive could not have been more beautiful. What a surprise. It is hard to explain how different rock formations can look but they do keep changing. I would have taken pictures but I was driving and Chris was sleeping. I went up and down the steepest grades ever. It was like driving in the grand canyon, with canyon walls reaching to the sky.
It is amazing what erosion can do. In the gulf coast we consider erosion as a negative thing. It is destructive to our beaches and our dunes. But here in Utah, erosion has created magnificent sites. Wind, water, and ice have created masterpieces. We are now in a state park that overlooks Canyonland National Park. We can't wait to start hiking tomorrow.
Tonight I saw my first shooting star. The stars are plentiful and the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye. It is very quiet here. Hope we don't get kicked out because of the dogs. We will be here three nights and then move to another campsite closer to Moab. We have electric here but no other hookups. The campground looks like a movie set for a John Wayne movie. The cactus and all desert brush are new to the dogs. I keep trying to keep them away from the cacti. I will take better pictures tomorrow. We arrived here late and took about an hour to level. It was only 158 miles from Torrey but somehow it took us about seven hours by the time we had lunch, grocery shopping, rv dump and fill with water, and maybe a few amazing pullouts.
Many of you had said that reading the blog is like being on the trip with us. Well, I feel that writing the blog and reading your comments is like sharing my adventure while it happens instead of waiting till we return and bore you to death with hundreds of pictures. I think it is easier this way. Thanks for coming with us. So far we have just over 10,000 miles on our new Rollin Ace.
Peace to all my family and all my friends, Barbara
Today we headed to Moab, Utah. There were two routes. One was shorter on two lanes most of the time and the other was longer but we would get to the interstate quicker. We chose the longer because I could help out with the driving. Our drive could not have been more beautiful. What a surprise. It is hard to explain how different rock formations can look but they do keep changing. I would have taken pictures but I was driving and Chris was sleeping. I went up and down the steepest grades ever. It was like driving in the grand canyon, with canyon walls reaching to the sky.
It is amazing what erosion can do. In the gulf coast we consider erosion as a negative thing. It is destructive to our beaches and our dunes. But here in Utah, erosion has created magnificent sites. Wind, water, and ice have created masterpieces. We are now in a state park that overlooks Canyonland National Park. We can't wait to start hiking tomorrow.
Tonight I saw my first shooting star. The stars are plentiful and the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye. It is very quiet here. Hope we don't get kicked out because of the dogs. We will be here three nights and then move to another campsite closer to Moab. We have electric here but no other hookups. The campground looks like a movie set for a John Wayne movie. The cactus and all desert brush are new to the dogs. I keep trying to keep them away from the cacti. I will take better pictures tomorrow. We arrived here late and took about an hour to level. It was only 158 miles from Torrey but somehow it took us about seven hours by the time we had lunch, grocery shopping, rv dump and fill with water, and maybe a few amazing pullouts.
Many of you had said that reading the blog is like being on the trip with us. Well, I feel that writing the blog and reading your comments is like sharing my adventure while it happens instead of waiting till we return and bore you to death with hundreds of pictures. I think it is easier this way. Thanks for coming with us. So far we have just over 10,000 miles on our new Rollin Ace.
Peace to all my family and all my friends, Barbara
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Greetings from Torrey, Utah #3
Did you miss me? Thursday was a day of rest so I should have had time to write but we met a very nice couple and went to a stargazing program and did not get home till very late. Chris had a chance to look through the telescope and the stars were incredible.
On Friday we took our jeep rental and our new friends to Gobblin State Park. It is a very interesting place with thousands of rock formations that look like toadstools or gobblins. We took lots of picture and had a great time roaming through the formations. Children were allowed and encouraged to run and climb through the rocks. Then we went out to dinner and again got home very late. I never thought I would enjoy meeting people in the campgrounds but it was really nice to spend the day with other people. It turns out they are going to be in Moab while we are there and we plan to get together then.
We were busted again--this time for the barking dogs. We had left the windows open so the dogs were barking all day. We were called while at dinner. Seems like the dogs take after our children only instead of the principal calling it is the camp host.
Today we went real 4wheel driving on a trip through Cathedral Valley. This 60 mile loop is 4 wheel drive only. There are so many warnings that I was afraid to go--take food and water for two days, no cell service, and no way to get help if you break down. But everyone at the camp ground said the view is incredible and they were right. The trail was dirt, sand, and boulders. We only saw three cars the whole time. Chris had a blast but the dogs and I held on for dear life. The trip was awesome, I am glad we did it, I do not want to do it again.
By the way...when we returned the jeep we got busted for the dog hair. We took the dogs so they would not bark but we could not get all of the dog hair up so they wanted to charge $40. Can't win!
Tomorrow is another off day.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Greetings from Torrey, Utah #2
Just a short note to let you know we survived our back road adventure. Our 3 hour drive turned into an 8 hour journey going 20 miles an hour at times. We found a slot canyon where there was just enough light to let a few trees grow. I will post that picture and others. I am getting tired of sight-seeing so tomorrow we with take a day off from vacation. The lady in the RV next to me said she didn't think she could look at another rock. I am beginning to feel the same way. Tonight we went for a walk to see the stars and they are quite majestic. It looks like twinkling Christmad lights when looking through the trees.
We will be in Torrey until Monday. We have several hikes and two more jeep days ahead of us.
Peace to our family and to all of our wonderful friends. Barbara
We will be in Torrey until Monday. We have several hikes and two more jeep days ahead of us.
Peace to our family and to all of our wonderful friends. Barbara
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Greetings from Torrey, Utah
We are in a small town just 6 miles from Capital Reef. The view here is beautiful. Guess who we ran into as we checked in? Our German friends, Theio and Susan, they left Bryce the night before us and went somewhere south of us before coming to Capital Reef. We have asked them to join us tomorrow on our jeep ride. I don't know why they keep crossing our path but it has been nice company. The night we went to dinner Chris asked how long they had been married. They weren't married. Awkward moment. Well through the night Chris would say more things about marriage and they would laugh. Chris offered many times to marry them. They have been together 14 years and are in their 50's. Tonight when we ran into them the first thing they asked was had he married anyone since we had seen them.
The driving is so slow here even when going fast. We left Bryce at 12:30 for the 95 mile trip. Even with no turn outs, no overlooks, no photo ops, we did not arrive till 5:00. The only pictures I took were out the window. I am sure I will lose my cell phone out the window one day. I just hold it out as far as I can and snap as many pics as possible hoping one will be good. Boy do I wish I had a good camera for this trip.
There was this one moment when my life flashed before my eyes. We were driving along at a reasonable speed when we saw a car pulled over on the opposite side of the two lane highway and people taking pictures. This always means there is something interesting to see. Well Mr. ADHD decides to pull over. The only problem is there was no pull out and I am looking down a cliff as he is pulling onto the gravel shoulder. I screamed so loud that I got his attention and he was good the rest of the trip. I really could have used a drink after that but since we are 'alcohol free' I just waited till we parked at our campsite and took a long nap before dinner....my way of relaxing.
Other than the cow that decided to run across the road at the last minute we had a pretty bland day.
Hope you enjoyed the sunset pictures.
Peace to all of my family and all of my friends. Barbara
The driving is so slow here even when going fast. We left Bryce at 12:30 for the 95 mile trip. Even with no turn outs, no overlooks, no photo ops, we did not arrive till 5:00. The only pictures I took were out the window. I am sure I will lose my cell phone out the window one day. I just hold it out as far as I can and snap as many pics as possible hoping one will be good. Boy do I wish I had a good camera for this trip.
There was this one moment when my life flashed before my eyes. We were driving along at a reasonable speed when we saw a car pulled over on the opposite side of the two lane highway and people taking pictures. This always means there is something interesting to see. Well Mr. ADHD decides to pull over. The only problem is there was no pull out and I am looking down a cliff as he is pulling onto the gravel shoulder. I screamed so loud that I got his attention and he was good the rest of the trip. I really could have used a drink after that but since we are 'alcohol free' I just waited till we parked at our campsite and took a long nap before dinner....my way of relaxing.
Other than the cow that decided to run across the road at the last minute we had a pretty bland day.
Hope you enjoyed the sunset pictures.
Peace to all of my family and all of my friends. Barbara
Monday, September 15, 2014
Greetings from inside of Bryce Canyon National Park
I only have one thing to say about Bryce Canyon...Awesome. It is the most incredible place I have ever seen. We spent 5 hours hiking the most strenuous trail ever. We down to the bottom of the canyon floor and then back up again many times. Thank goodness for the walking sticks. Near the end...when we were out of water...and going straight up...I wondered who we thought we were to take on such a journey. We did a combination of three trails marked STRENUOUS. There were several easy and moderate but we thought we were advanced enough to go to the bottom because we now had trekking poles. We could not have gone 10 feet without the poles. It was steep up and down, very primitive and we still managed two slips. Chris went down pretty hard in an area with loose gravel. There was a nice couple that stopped to help and wouldn't leave till he was able to stand. We still had about 2 miles to go. He is pretty sore. I just had a slip-slide. No injury but my trekking pole took a little damage saving me from the fall.
I think Chris and I have a misconception about many things. One--we think we are young and athletic and two--he thinks the RV is a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Actually it is 4 wheels in the rear ...that is his explanation. We will never grow up. Even with the aches and pains, we are having the best time of our life. An older than us lady was complaining to us about her husband. She wanted us to take him on our hike because she won't go with him and he has a bad heart. He was moving faster than us. I thought about how we protect our loved ones as we age and came up with this: I would rather die living than to live dying. Let's have fun as long as the heart is beating.
We got busted by the ranger for leaving our generator on all afternoon. We specifically parked in the loop that said generators from 8am to 8pm. It was hot today and we could not leave the dogs without AC. He said someone had complained. You are supposed to turn it on for short amounts of time. I think we are going out late tonight to let the air out of our neighbors tires.
I give thanks for my family, my friends, and Aleve.
Barbara
I think Chris and I have a misconception about many things. One--we think we are young and athletic and two--he thinks the RV is a 4 wheel drive vehicle. Actually it is 4 wheels in the rear ...that is his explanation. We will never grow up. Even with the aches and pains, we are having the best time of our life. An older than us lady was complaining to us about her husband. She wanted us to take him on our hike because she won't go with him and he has a bad heart. He was moving faster than us. I thought about how we protect our loved ones as we age and came up with this: I would rather die living than to live dying. Let's have fun as long as the heart is beating.
We got busted by the ranger for leaving our generator on all afternoon. We specifically parked in the loop that said generators from 8am to 8pm. It was hot today and we could not leave the dogs without AC. He said someone had complained. You are supposed to turn it on for short amounts of time. I think we are going out late tonight to let the air out of our neighbors tires.
I give thanks for my family, my friends, and Aleve.
Barbara
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Greetings from Bryce Canyon National Park
What a day!! It is late but I really wanted to post so forgive any typos. We started out at 8:30 going 40 miles in the opposite direction from Zion to go to church. Grace Episcopal was a beautiful new church with the design greatly influenced by Native American Culture. The church is in transition with their priest leaving last week. They have a retired priest in the church and Russian Orthodox deacon that was in the process of becoming an Episcopal Priest. The service was the most un-energetic church service and it was hard to stay focused. Church is supposed to be a praise party for God but this was dry and monotone. The priest preached way too long and he told too many stories. Glad we had communion. As Chris always said, "even if you get a bad sermon you can always get good communion."
After church we headed back to Zion. You are supposed to park outside of the park and take the shuttle to the park. There was no place to park. People everywhere. It was like Gulf Shores during the Hangout Festival. We had hoped to camp in the park but all campgrounds were full by the time we showed up. We decided to drive through the park as we traveled to Bryce. It was a beautiful drive but we had no time to stop because the tunnel closed at 7:00pm and we needed to get through the tunnel to get out of the park. Vehicles our size had to have the tunnel closed to other traffic in order to pass through the tunnel going in the center. There was a 15 dollar charge for this. But it was worth it to get a chance to see Zion for a little while.
The views in Zion were incredible. The walls go straight up hundreds of feet and the boulders are bigger than our RV. I snapped a few pictures as we drove but mostly I had to watch Chris to be sure he was not doing too much looking. I have this rule that he can only look 30 degrees left or right of center. I caught him doing 90 degrees and we were going around a curve with a sharp drop off. It was a beautiful drive but harrowing. One lady looked at us as we passed the pull out and her mouth hung open as she stared at us like we were crazy to be up there in an RV. Maybe we are.
All of a sudden the canyons disappear and you are driving through flat lands. We drove about 50 miles when all of a sudden these strange red hodoos appeared. It is amazing how each area is so different in just a matter of a few miles. As we entered Dixie National Forest all I could do is squeal like a little child going to Disney. I could not believe what I was seeing. There was a campground in the middle of this incredible beauty and it was about 5:30 but Chris wanted to get to Bryce because it would be so much better. WELL...when we go to Bryce all of the campgrounds were filled so we had to turn around and leave the park. We stopped just outside of the park and found a public campground but it was full. All they had was dry camping for $30. That means no electricity, sewer or water. They were telling all of us late comers to go to the tent area and grab any site. It took us about an hour to get leveled. By then I was hungry and tired so we walked to the nearest restaurant. As we waited in line, our German friends from yesterday walked into the restaurant. Chris recognized them right away and started up a conversation and before I knew it he had invited them to eat with us and they accepted. Now they speak a little English but to have a conversation is a little extra work. However, we had a delightful meal together and it was nice to have someone to eat with. I am still amazed that we ran into them again.
Well the night stars are waiting for me to look at through the binoculars and Chris is ready to tell me all the names of the constellations.
Peace to our family and to all our friends, Barbara
After church we headed back to Zion. You are supposed to park outside of the park and take the shuttle to the park. There was no place to park. People everywhere. It was like Gulf Shores during the Hangout Festival. We had hoped to camp in the park but all campgrounds were full by the time we showed up. We decided to drive through the park as we traveled to Bryce. It was a beautiful drive but we had no time to stop because the tunnel closed at 7:00pm and we needed to get through the tunnel to get out of the park. Vehicles our size had to have the tunnel closed to other traffic in order to pass through the tunnel going in the center. There was a 15 dollar charge for this. But it was worth it to get a chance to see Zion for a little while.
The views in Zion were incredible. The walls go straight up hundreds of feet and the boulders are bigger than our RV. I snapped a few pictures as we drove but mostly I had to watch Chris to be sure he was not doing too much looking. I have this rule that he can only look 30 degrees left or right of center. I caught him doing 90 degrees and we were going around a curve with a sharp drop off. It was a beautiful drive but harrowing. One lady looked at us as we passed the pull out and her mouth hung open as she stared at us like we were crazy to be up there in an RV. Maybe we are.
All of a sudden the canyons disappear and you are driving through flat lands. We drove about 50 miles when all of a sudden these strange red hodoos appeared. It is amazing how each area is so different in just a matter of a few miles. As we entered Dixie National Forest all I could do is squeal like a little child going to Disney. I could not believe what I was seeing. There was a campground in the middle of this incredible beauty and it was about 5:30 but Chris wanted to get to Bryce because it would be so much better. WELL...when we go to Bryce all of the campgrounds were filled so we had to turn around and leave the park. We stopped just outside of the park and found a public campground but it was full. All they had was dry camping for $30. That means no electricity, sewer or water. They were telling all of us late comers to go to the tent area and grab any site. It took us about an hour to get leveled. By then I was hungry and tired so we walked to the nearest restaurant. As we waited in line, our German friends from yesterday walked into the restaurant. Chris recognized them right away and started up a conversation and before I knew it he had invited them to eat with us and they accepted. Now they speak a little English but to have a conversation is a little extra work. However, we had a delightful meal together and it was nice to have someone to eat with. I am still amazed that we ran into them again.
Well the night stars are waiting for me to look at through the binoculars and Chris is ready to tell me all the names of the constellations.
Peace to our family and to all our friends, Barbara
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Greetings from Virgin, Utah
Yes I did type that correctly. This is a small town just 12 miles from Zion National Park. On Friday we drove way too many miles. We arrived at our campground by 7pm but had been driving since 9 that morning. Though we went to bed early, we woke up today, Saturday, too worn out to do anything. So even though we were just 12 miles from Zion, we chose to take a day off from having fun and just stayed in our campround. We did use this time to do some much needed cooking, French toast for breakfast and homemade spaghetti for dinner. Chris used the time to install two 12 volt sockets so that we could run our sleep machines without electricity. This will allow us camping opportunities in the parks with great views and will save us lots of money.
We did take a dip in the pool which is something we have never taken the time to do in other campgrounds. The pool was very cold even though today was extremely hot. We have had such changes in temperature. One day we wear long pants, sweatshirts, and socks and the next day we are wearing shorts, bathing suits, and staying inside the AC.
We met our camping neighbors. They are from Germany and he is an FBI equivalent. We met a lovely woman from Japan that fell in love with the dogs. She and her family are doing some kind of exchange with a family in Salt Lake City. It was hard to follow the conversation because her English was weak and our Japanese was nonexistent. While we were at the pool we observed two Italian couples. It is interesting to see so many foreigners traveling to our national parks.
Chris found an Episcopal church about 35 miles away so we will be getting up early and heading to the town of St. George. There we will get supplies and then come back to Zion. I am not sure if this will happen but we hope to hike a riverbed that goes to the "narrows".
I love all of the comments. It makes writing this blog worthwhile. At first I thought it would be a great way to let my children know where we are each day. Now I feel that the blog keeps us connected to our family and our church families--Holy Spirit, St. Georges, St. Stephens. I don't feel so alone out here. Thanks for sharing this trip with us.
Peace to my family and my friends, Barbara
We did take a dip in the pool which is something we have never taken the time to do in other campgrounds. The pool was very cold even though today was extremely hot. We have had such changes in temperature. One day we wear long pants, sweatshirts, and socks and the next day we are wearing shorts, bathing suits, and staying inside the AC.
We met our camping neighbors. They are from Germany and he is an FBI equivalent. We met a lovely woman from Japan that fell in love with the dogs. She and her family are doing some kind of exchange with a family in Salt Lake City. It was hard to follow the conversation because her English was weak and our Japanese was nonexistent. While we were at the pool we observed two Italian couples. It is interesting to see so many foreigners traveling to our national parks.
Chris found an Episcopal church about 35 miles away so we will be getting up early and heading to the town of St. George. There we will get supplies and then come back to Zion. I am not sure if this will happen but we hope to hike a riverbed that goes to the "narrows".
I love all of the comments. It makes writing this blog worthwhile. At first I thought it would be a great way to let my children know where we are each day. Now I feel that the blog keeps us connected to our family and our church families--Holy Spirit, St. Georges, St. Stephens. I don't feel so alone out here. Thanks for sharing this trip with us.
Peace to my family and my friends, Barbara
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Greetings from Duchesne, Utah
What a day of exploration! We left our campground to tour the Dinosaur National Monument which is more of a park than a Monument. It extends from the upper east corner of Utah into Colorado. We only explored the Utah side. Our early morning drive took us about 14 miles to look at some petroglyphs. The carvings are at least one thousand years old. I cant imagine people living in this environment for any length of time. It was very hot during the day and very cool in the evening. How did people survive? I complain about not having cell service but they lived here in these extreme conditions. We took many pictures which I will post after I finish typing. I know we said no more gravel roads but we had to go 2 miles on a gravel road to see the petroglyphs and it was worth it. I started worrying when we crossed over a dirt road bridge but we made it. When we were finished we headed back to the visitor center but as I was reading the pamphlet, I realized we missed one of the stops. So...Chris turned around and we went back over the gravel road a second time. Well worth it since the first site only had lizards and the second one had very different symbols.
After the tour we went to the quarry to see the dinosaur fossils. It was an amazing exhibit. The excavation was finished so they built a huge building into the side of the mountain covering almost 200 feet in length and over two stories high of dinosaur fossils. The bones were exposed coming straight out of the mountain. There were thousands of bones. The area was once a lake during the time of the dinosaurs. Later there was a drought that dried up the lake and many dinosaurs just died in the area. In time, the water came back and the lake filled up again burying the remains. Sediment was layered on and through time all was under layers of rock and sediment. The bones became fossilized and are now preserved like rocks. Then came modern day erosion and one day a mountaineer was hiking and saw a large skeleton showing on the side of the mountain. The dig is done now and preserved for everyone to see in an air-conditioned facility.
We were very hot and tired so for a time of relaxing we found a Laundromat and had lunch while the clothes were washing. The laundry's in Yellowstone and Glacier all had signs "do not wash pet blankets". This one had a sign, "do not wash horse blankets". When we were done it was 3pm and we had not driven any distance for the day. We thought we could go about 150 miles before stopping but after 10 minutes it was clear we would not make it very far. We drove about 50 miles and stopped early enough for me to make a pot of potato soup for supper. We ate out side with the wind howling and blowing at about 20 mph. It was wonderful.
Tomorrow we need to stay focused as we have to get as close to Zion as we can. It is hard not to stop and take in the beautiful vistas and there is a turnout every few miles. When we stop at the pullouts we always meet people and we stop and talk too long. It is interesting that almost everyone we talk to has just recently retired. I guess this is what you do. We are doing at least 10 years of vacations in just two months. I feel blessed everyday.
Tomorrow should be just a travel day so I may not post unless something interesting happens. Oh, the RV started right up with us using only one sleep machine through the night.
Peace to my family and all of my friends, Barbara
After the tour we went to the quarry to see the dinosaur fossils. It was an amazing exhibit. The excavation was finished so they built a huge building into the side of the mountain covering almost 200 feet in length and over two stories high of dinosaur fossils. The bones were exposed coming straight out of the mountain. There were thousands of bones. The area was once a lake during the time of the dinosaurs. Later there was a drought that dried up the lake and many dinosaurs just died in the area. In time, the water came back and the lake filled up again burying the remains. Sediment was layered on and through time all was under layers of rock and sediment. The bones became fossilized and are now preserved like rocks. Then came modern day erosion and one day a mountaineer was hiking and saw a large skeleton showing on the side of the mountain. The dig is done now and preserved for everyone to see in an air-conditioned facility.
We were very hot and tired so for a time of relaxing we found a Laundromat and had lunch while the clothes were washing. The laundry's in Yellowstone and Glacier all had signs "do not wash pet blankets". This one had a sign, "do not wash horse blankets". When we were done it was 3pm and we had not driven any distance for the day. We thought we could go about 150 miles before stopping but after 10 minutes it was clear we would not make it very far. We drove about 50 miles and stopped early enough for me to make a pot of potato soup for supper. We ate out side with the wind howling and blowing at about 20 mph. It was wonderful.
Tomorrow we need to stay focused as we have to get as close to Zion as we can. It is hard not to stop and take in the beautiful vistas and there is a turnout every few miles. When we stop at the pullouts we always meet people and we stop and talk too long. It is interesting that almost everyone we talk to has just recently retired. I guess this is what you do. We are doing at least 10 years of vacations in just two months. I feel blessed everyday.
Tomorrow should be just a travel day so I may not post unless something interesting happens. Oh, the RV started right up with us using only one sleep machine through the night.
Peace to my family and all of my friends, Barbara
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Greetings from Jensen, Utah
Jensen is just outside of Vernal, Utah which is just outside of nowhere. We were in search of Dinosaurland. It was supposed to be 90 miles from last nights campground. We left at 9:30 and arrived at dinosaur national monument at 3:30. It was the longest 90 miles and it was probably my fault because I made us stop at every pullout. Each one was better than the next. We did not know that the road from Ft. Bridger to Vernal was a scenic highway but we were plesantly surprised. Just like in life, sometimes the unplanned is better than the planned. We drove the whole way through red rock gorges and followed the Green River. All of the water we have seen is clear green and looks like the Caribbean. The best part of the drive was the 9 miles with nine switchbacks and 8% grade. I had to look that up...it drops 8 feet for every 100 feet traveled...steep! I was on the phone with my daughter when we started the decent or I would have screamed the whole way. We made it but not before my phone call was cut off several times. I am glad to say that Chris did an awesome job and we did not use any of the runaway ramps.
When we arrived in Vernal we went to the post office to pick up mail that was forwarded to us by Ci and Ashby. So lucky to have them taking care of it for us. Then we headed to find a campground. The first one was a giant gravel parking lot for forty dollars. There was no grass and no trees except in the playground. Chris did not want to cookout our tube steaks on gravel. So we followed signs to a KOA that took us to the dinosaur park. The ranger said those signs are misleading and the road we should have turned onto was under water. There was a campground at the park so that is where we are staying. No electricity and no generators after 9pm but for $6 we will rough it. The only problem is that we both have sleep apnea so we are going to try going through the cigarette lighter. Hope the engine starts in the morning.
We hope to see beautiful stars tonight and dinosaur fossils tomorrow. Maybe good pictures of the night sky.
Peace to my family and my friends, Barbara
When we arrived in Vernal we went to the post office to pick up mail that was forwarded to us by Ci and Ashby. So lucky to have them taking care of it for us. Then we headed to find a campground. The first one was a giant gravel parking lot for forty dollars. There was no grass and no trees except in the playground. Chris did not want to cookout our tube steaks on gravel. So we followed signs to a KOA that took us to the dinosaur park. The ranger said those signs are misleading and the road we should have turned onto was under water. There was a campground at the park so that is where we are staying. No electricity and no generators after 9pm but for $6 we will rough it. The only problem is that we both have sleep apnea so we are going to try going through the cigarette lighter. Hope the engine starts in the morning.
We hope to see beautiful stars tonight and dinosaur fossils tomorrow. Maybe good pictures of the night sky.
Peace to my family and my friends, Barbara
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Greetings from Fort Bridger, Wy
Today was another long travel day...the kind that will test a 43 year old marriage. We saw more beautiful countryside as we traveled through Idaho. The people out west are real health nuts when it comes to food and Chris is having to adjust. Two times we have gone out to lunch and did not recognize anything on the menu. The first time I ordered the only thing I thought he would eat...a roast beef sandwich. The appetizers included edaname (really don't know howto spell it) and other non-gulf shores food items. Today we went to a real modern soup/salad/sandwich restaurant. They had great panni's and very different salads. Chris could not find a basic ham & cheese sandwich and did not recognize any of the salads. As we walked out he noted that we were the oldest people in the place. I think he is too old to experience new things. He did however recognize all of the desserts and had no trouble making a selection.
One interesting thing about the west is the speed limits. I was shocked to see 80 miles an hour. I noticed a sign along the highway that said: If you have a fender bender move the cars to the shoulder. I ask you...who is going to have a fender bender while driving 80 miles an hour? It should say move all car parts to the shoulder. There is no way that we will ever get a speeding ticket . Besides, I have not seen any highway patrol out west.
I have been driving about 1/3 of the time now. Chris has even promoted me to driving in the mountains but only if it is 4 lanes. I enjoy it most of the time except when the winds are strong. I only go about 60 mph and I get passed a lot. My philosophy: would they rather I drive slow and keep the traffic moving or drive fast and have a major back up when I have an accident. Easy choice.
Tomorrow we get to see dinosaur bones in Vernal, Utah
Peace to my family and my friends, Barbara
P
One interesting thing about the west is the speed limits. I was shocked to see 80 miles an hour. I noticed a sign along the highway that said: If you have a fender bender move the cars to the shoulder. I ask you...who is going to have a fender bender while driving 80 miles an hour? It should say move all car parts to the shoulder. There is no way that we will ever get a speeding ticket . Besides, I have not seen any highway patrol out west.
I have been driving about 1/3 of the time now. Chris has even promoted me to driving in the mountains but only if it is 4 lanes. I enjoy it most of the time except when the winds are strong. I only go about 60 mph and I get passed a lot. My philosophy: would they rather I drive slow and keep the traffic moving or drive fast and have a major back up when I have an accident. Easy choice.
Tomorrow we get to see dinosaur bones in Vernal, Utah
Peace to my family and my friends, Barbara
P
Monday, September 8, 2014
Greetings from Dillon, Montana
Today was to be a travel day with no sightseeing. However, when we checked out the wonderful reservation person suggested we go to a place called Many Glacier. It is pronounced man--ee. We had planned to drive to the other side of the park and take a scenic route to Missoula but between the approaching snow and Chris being tired of driving the narrow roads, we chose to go by Many before leaving the park. I am so glad we did. It was just the most beautiful setting imaginable. About 110 years ago the park opened the lodge and promoted it as the American Alps. The lodge was built to look like a lodge from Switzerland. The bell hops dress in the little shorts and native Swiss attire. What a gift to see such beautiful countryside. I can't help but hum the song America the Beautiful.
By the time we finished that little side trip it was 12:00 and time to really hit the road. We drove till 8:00pm. Boy are we tired. However it was a glorious day. The drive today was beautiful the whole way. The mountains have two faces and look different as we travel south on the same roads. You would think that you have seen one mountain--you have seen them all. That is how we felt at Yellowstone after seeing 30 geysers. But it is not true with mountains. They have so many different shapes and landscapes. The amazing thing about the Glacier Mts. was that you are driving along looking at amber colored fields and you see rolling hills (Florida mountains) in front of you. You have no clue what awesomeness hidden behind those rolling hills. Then these simple hills open up to an unimaginable landscape. Each time I take a picture I know that I cannot capture what I am seeing.
One thing that surprised me is that we had not seen any sunsets. We waited each evening but the sun just went down with no fanfare. That is until today. We saw an awesome sunset...even though the pictures could not actually capture it going at 65 miles an hour.
Long day of driving tomorrow so I will sign
By the time we finished that little side trip it was 12:00 and time to really hit the road. We drove till 8:00pm. Boy are we tired. However it was a glorious day. The drive today was beautiful the whole way. The mountains have two faces and look different as we travel south on the same roads. You would think that you have seen one mountain--you have seen them all. That is how we felt at Yellowstone after seeing 30 geysers. But it is not true with mountains. They have so many different shapes and landscapes. The amazing thing about the Glacier Mts. was that you are driving along looking at amber colored fields and you see rolling hills (Florida mountains) in front of you. You have no clue what awesomeness hidden behind those rolling hills. Then these simple hills open up to an unimaginable landscape. Each time I take a picture I know that I cannot capture what I am seeing.
One thing that surprised me is that we had not seen any sunsets. We waited each evening but the sun just went down with no fanfare. That is until today. We saw an awesome sunset...even though the pictures could not actually capture it going at 65 miles an hour.
Long day of driving tomorrow so I will sign
Sunday, September 7, 2014
Greetings from St. Marys night 2
Today we woke up early and caught the 9:00 bus to road to the sun. After an hour ride through some beautiful vistas we hopped off at Logan's Pass. I want to thank Melissa for suggesting the hike there. It is only 1.5 miles but it is straight up. It is quite a hike. At one point I asked Chris "whose idea was this?" I told him Melissa. He said to tell her thanks but we were on the uphill climb and I am pretty sure his thank you was not sincere. However at the top...it was glorious. I met a Christian lady on the walk and she asked how anyone could see all of this and not think there was a God/
We were not able to go to church again today. I had found an Episcopal Church in town on the internet but when we got here could not find any listing for it. I think I might have found St. Mary's in Colorado. So we found a quite spot on the walk to stop and listen to an audio lectio divina podcast that I had recorded earlier. It was a beautiful place to worship.
We had two opportunities for ministry today. The first was when we came along a couple that was resting on the way up the path. They both looked weak. I had packed several packs of peanut butter crackers and two pieces of fruit. We asked them if they needed something to eat and they gladly accepted our crackers.
Now on the way back to the visitor center we sat across from 4 girl from Poland. They were being silly and we laughed with them. They had two very large rolling suitcases and 4 large and overfilled backpacks. We saw them get off and sit by the bus stop and we each went our way. We got back to the Rollin Ace, walked the dogs, and headed out. The four girls were dragging their luggage in the grass hiking to the highway. We stopped and asked if they wanted a ride and they came running. With very poor English they said gas station. So we went to the nearest one. Now what. They showed us the road were they were headed and prepared to get out. The road was straight up hill. So of course we said we would take them up the hill. At one point I could tell they did not know where the place was that they were going. They were all talking at the same time, some English, but we understood enough to know they wanted to go to the employee housing for the park and they were meeting a friend to stay with but he was at work. So Chris stopped a fellow walking up the hill and asked him directions. He pointed to the gravel road. The girls again said that we had done enough and they did not want us to have to go on that road. Chris had promised no more gravel roads. But what could we do. Those suitcases had to way 100 pounds each. So we headed up hill on the one lane gravel road, found the housing and dropped them at the door. They could not believe how nice Americans are and thanked us profusely. We saved them quite and walk and climb. It was fun but NO MORE GRAVEL ROADS.
We did have a chipmunk run across my shoe, we saw mountain goats, a pine martin(we thought it was a wolverine), and a marmaduke(I think that is how you say it...he yelled at us the whole way).
This is so quiet and so beautiful. I could stay here for quite a long time but the snow is headed here tomorrow night so we have to leave in the morning. We are headed south and our next objective is Vernal, Utah to see the dinosaurs. It should take us a few days.
Peace to all my friends, Barbara
We were not able to go to church again today. I had found an Episcopal Church in town on the internet but when we got here could not find any listing for it. I think I might have found St. Mary's in Colorado. So we found a quite spot on the walk to stop and listen to an audio lectio divina podcast that I had recorded earlier. It was a beautiful place to worship.
We had two opportunities for ministry today. The first was when we came along a couple that was resting on the way up the path. They both looked weak. I had packed several packs of peanut butter crackers and two pieces of fruit. We asked them if they needed something to eat and they gladly accepted our crackers.
Now on the way back to the visitor center we sat across from 4 girl from Poland. They were being silly and we laughed with them. They had two very large rolling suitcases and 4 large and overfilled backpacks. We saw them get off and sit by the bus stop and we each went our way. We got back to the Rollin Ace, walked the dogs, and headed out. The four girls were dragging their luggage in the grass hiking to the highway. We stopped and asked if they wanted a ride and they came running. With very poor English they said gas station. So we went to the nearest one. Now what. They showed us the road were they were headed and prepared to get out. The road was straight up hill. So of course we said we would take them up the hill. At one point I could tell they did not know where the place was that they were going. They were all talking at the same time, some English, but we understood enough to know they wanted to go to the employee housing for the park and they were meeting a friend to stay with but he was at work. So Chris stopped a fellow walking up the hill and asked him directions. He pointed to the gravel road. The girls again said that we had done enough and they did not want us to have to go on that road. Chris had promised no more gravel roads. But what could we do. Those suitcases had to way 100 pounds each. So we headed up hill on the one lane gravel road, found the housing and dropped them at the door. They could not believe how nice Americans are and thanked us profusely. We saved them quite and walk and climb. It was fun but NO MORE GRAVEL ROADS.
We did have a chipmunk run across my shoe, we saw mountain goats, a pine martin(we thought it was a wolverine), and a marmaduke(I think that is how you say it...he yelled at us the whole way).
This is so quiet and so beautiful. I could stay here for quite a long time but the snow is headed here tomorrow night so we have to leave in the morning. We are headed south and our next objective is Vernal, Utah to see the dinosaurs. It should take us a few days.
Peace to all my friends, Barbara
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Greetings from St. Marys, Montana
We made it to the entrance to Glacier National Park. We have cooked out and gone for a long walk. There is no cell service but there is internet if we go to the office. Tomorrow we will do the Road To The Sun. We have to walk about a mile to catch the tour bus.
I love all the comments and hope I can remember to do everything. We will definitely try to do the Logan pass trail. We planned to stay two nights but might stay extra for the trail. We are at the east entrance for two nights. Hope to move to the west entrance on Monday. They expect their first snowfall on Tuesday so we want to be gone before that happens. Chris wants to go to Canada because we are only 10 miles away. Then he wants to go to Calgary. I think that won't happen unless the weather changes.
The mountains here are so different. Everywhere we go the mountains have their own personalities. They are all beautiful. We watched for the sunset but it just goes down. No bright colors across the sky. We have not seen one real sunset since we left the gulf coast.
The best way to comment is through FB. I get those. Thanks for taking the time to write. Chris and I look forward to reading them each night....when we have service.
It is time now to walk up the hill to our campsite....and the temperature is dropping so I will sign off.
Peace to all my friends. Barbara
I love all the comments and hope I can remember to do everything. We will definitely try to do the Logan pass trail. We planned to stay two nights but might stay extra for the trail. We are at the east entrance for two nights. Hope to move to the west entrance on Monday. They expect their first snowfall on Tuesday so we want to be gone before that happens. Chris wants to go to Canada because we are only 10 miles away. Then he wants to go to Calgary. I think that won't happen unless the weather changes.
The mountains here are so different. Everywhere we go the mountains have their own personalities. They are all beautiful. We watched for the sunset but it just goes down. No bright colors across the sky. We have not seen one real sunset since we left the gulf coast.
The best way to comment is through FB. I get those. Thanks for taking the time to write. Chris and I look forward to reading them each night....when we have service.
It is time now to walk up the hill to our campsite....and the temperature is dropping so I will sign off.
Peace to all my friends. Barbara
Friday, September 5, 2014
Greetings from Helena, Montana
I has been a week since I have written in my blog. It has been an incredible week filled with many exciting moments but no internet or cell service most of the time. I have missed writing and have missed the contact from friends through email or FB replies. However did we survive with the internet?
We left Mt. Rushmore headed to Yellowstone with a stop over at Buffalo, Wyoming. Stayed in a lovely campground that had an ice cream social every evening. We met a very nice couple and shared stories. They gave us lots of advice. We were debating the route to Yellowstone. There were two options. The first was to travel the interstate and come in from the north. The second was to take the scenic route through the mountains and a 10,000 ft pass. The couple had just come from the scenic route and the man loved it while the woman said she would not do it again. The scenic route is full of switchbacks and steep inclines and down grades. Some people lose their breaks before it is over. Which way do you think we went?
We had a beautiful drive through the mountains and I loved every minute of it. Chris has become a very good driver and I did not have to tell him to slow down. He took his time and we enjoyed the journey. We pulled into our reserved campsite in Yellowstone very late and went right to bed.
The campground was supposed to have Sunday services but they were cancelled because it was the end of the season---poor excuse. Chris and I planned our Sunday worship together. He chose that we would do morning prayer and I choose to do lectio divina from my recorded readings. We had a great worship time sharing our time together.
Later in the morning we realized that we had no cell service or internet and the nearest hotspot was at a lodge that was supposed to be 2 miles away. It had been raining, a slow drizzle, all morning so we decided to take a chance with the weather and walk to the lodge, hoping to have lunch before returning. The trip about killed us. I kept saying that this was the longest 2 miles I had ever walked. To make it worse, the rain never stopped, just got worse. We did arrive, had a great lunch, and FB all our friends so they would not worry. Then it stopped raining and we headed back--exhausted. The next day we clocked it in our RV. It was not 2 miles but was really 3.5 miles or 7 miles round trip. No wonder we could not get back up after we sat down for dinner. We now keep the Aleve in the silverware drawer because we need it so frequently.
Yellowstone was great with Old Faithful, plenty of geysers, and even a bison only 40 feet from our path. We hiked everyday and really enjoyed it. Chris finally saw a herd (15) of bison and a bull elk.
Mr. ADHA got tired of Yellowstone...saw it all...so we checked out 3 days early and headed to the Tetons on Wednesday morning. It was only 90 miles away.
The drive through the Tetons was magnificent. We turned on our praise music by Lynn DeShazo as we experienced the beauty of God's work through our eyes and through our ears. Lynn sings the psalms and praises God for all He has made. It was like being on a retreat. The mountains open up to this river/lake area and it is breathtaking. I never expected to see a marina with at least 50 boats on morings. What a great day. We both felt so fortunate to have such an experience.
Now we are in Helena, Montana. There is a Mexican restaurant on every corner and Casinos on the other corners. We took a boat ride called Gates of the Wilderness. Pretty awesome! We had dinner with friends we met through Ci and Ashby when they were in Gulf Shores. It was fun and lots of laughs since they all RV and had stories to tell.
Tomorrow we head to Glacier National Park. We should be there two nights. We hope to travel the road to the sun of the weather holds out for us.
Peace to all my friends, Barbara
We left Mt. Rushmore headed to Yellowstone with a stop over at Buffalo, Wyoming. Stayed in a lovely campground that had an ice cream social every evening. We met a very nice couple and shared stories. They gave us lots of advice. We were debating the route to Yellowstone. There were two options. The first was to travel the interstate and come in from the north. The second was to take the scenic route through the mountains and a 10,000 ft pass. The couple had just come from the scenic route and the man loved it while the woman said she would not do it again. The scenic route is full of switchbacks and steep inclines and down grades. Some people lose their breaks before it is over. Which way do you think we went?
We had a beautiful drive through the mountains and I loved every minute of it. Chris has become a very good driver and I did not have to tell him to slow down. He took his time and we enjoyed the journey. We pulled into our reserved campsite in Yellowstone very late and went right to bed.
The campground was supposed to have Sunday services but they were cancelled because it was the end of the season---poor excuse. Chris and I planned our Sunday worship together. He chose that we would do morning prayer and I choose to do lectio divina from my recorded readings. We had a great worship time sharing our time together.
Later in the morning we realized that we had no cell service or internet and the nearest hotspot was at a lodge that was supposed to be 2 miles away. It had been raining, a slow drizzle, all morning so we decided to take a chance with the weather and walk to the lodge, hoping to have lunch before returning. The trip about killed us. I kept saying that this was the longest 2 miles I had ever walked. To make it worse, the rain never stopped, just got worse. We did arrive, had a great lunch, and FB all our friends so they would not worry. Then it stopped raining and we headed back--exhausted. The next day we clocked it in our RV. It was not 2 miles but was really 3.5 miles or 7 miles round trip. No wonder we could not get back up after we sat down for dinner. We now keep the Aleve in the silverware drawer because we need it so frequently.
Yellowstone was great with Old Faithful, plenty of geysers, and even a bison only 40 feet from our path. We hiked everyday and really enjoyed it. Chris finally saw a herd (15) of bison and a bull elk.
Mr. ADHA got tired of Yellowstone...saw it all...so we checked out 3 days early and headed to the Tetons on Wednesday morning. It was only 90 miles away.
The drive through the Tetons was magnificent. We turned on our praise music by Lynn DeShazo as we experienced the beauty of God's work through our eyes and through our ears. Lynn sings the psalms and praises God for all He has made. It was like being on a retreat. The mountains open up to this river/lake area and it is breathtaking. I never expected to see a marina with at least 50 boats on morings. What a great day. We both felt so fortunate to have such an experience.
Now we are in Helena, Montana. There is a Mexican restaurant on every corner and Casinos on the other corners. We took a boat ride called Gates of the Wilderness. Pretty awesome! We had dinner with friends we met through Ci and Ashby when they were in Gulf Shores. It was fun and lots of laughs since they all RV and had stories to tell.
Tomorrow we head to Glacier National Park. We should be there two nights. We hope to travel the road to the sun of the weather holds out for us.
Peace to all my friends, Barbara
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