Another driving day as we try to cross over to the eastern end of the country quickly. Not a whole lot different from yesterday. We got into Dallas/Ft. Worth in early afternoon, so traffic wasn't an issue. We are staying, technically, in Grand Prairie, which is pretty much right between the two cities. Starbucks are plentiful around here, so Mommy's a happy camper!
And I'm going to need the caffine tomorrow! We have a huge driving day to Memphis - 465 miles! It's definitely going to be an all-day affair. But it's totally worth it - we have plans to meet up with friends in the Carolinas this weekend & we're very excited to see them!
But first, rest for the road weary!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Day 52: Texas Travels
We enjoyed a complimentary breakfast at the camp lounge this morning. We met a retired couple who were former teachers. They were very inquisitive about our homeschooling, in a polite way. The husband was funny & sociable, telling the kids the same kind of corny jokes my dad tells (Hi, Dad! Love ya!)
Then it was time to hit the road. It wasn't long before we crossed into Texas. Moving into El Paso takes you right next to the US/Mexico border, just like the day we drove to Yuma. We had to pass through a border inspection, which led to a discussion about immigration with the kids.
The drive was simple &, although a long distance, it was made shorter due to the speed limit being 80 mph! I set the cruise control to 78 since my RV's maximum vehicle speed is 80 & I didn't like its frequent automatic slowdowns as we moved up & down slopes. The road terrain is pretty flat, but still has some gentle hills. Off in the distance we could see craggy mountain ranges, but only once did we have to actually climb one.
Tonight we are staying in Big Springs, which is between Midland & Abilene. Tomorrow - Dallas!
Then it was time to hit the road. It wasn't long before we crossed into Texas. Moving into El Paso takes you right next to the US/Mexico border, just like the day we drove to Yuma. We had to pass through a border inspection, which led to a discussion about immigration with the kids.
The drive was simple &, although a long distance, it was made shorter due to the speed limit being 80 mph! I set the cruise control to 78 since my RV's maximum vehicle speed is 80 & I didn't like its frequent automatic slowdowns as we moved up & down slopes. The road terrain is pretty flat, but still has some gentle hills. Off in the distance we could see craggy mountain ranges, but only once did we have to actually climb one.
Tonight we are staying in Big Springs, which is between Midland & Abilene. Tomorrow - Dallas!
Day 51: Oct 1st - Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!
Today is my parents' 40th wedding anniversary!! Just thought I would share...
We drove from Yuma to Las Cruces, NM. We got to go through Tucson, which is huge & sprawling. It's still hot & quite dry. I'm driving tired because, alas, although we liked the Yuma campground during the day, we found that during the night the trains traveling past so nearby blow their horns at each road crossing as they pass through the city. This means all night long I kept getting jolted awake from the noise every hour or so. Not fun.
The campground in Las Cruces has a beautiful office/lounge area - adobe style with fireplaces inside & out. Very pretty. Hopefully this will be a more restful stay for us.
We drove from Yuma to Las Cruces, NM. We got to go through Tucson, which is huge & sprawling. It's still hot & quite dry. I'm driving tired because, alas, although we liked the Yuma campground during the day, we found that during the night the trains traveling past so nearby blow their horns at each road crossing as they pass through the city. This means all night long I kept getting jolted awake from the noise every hour or so. Not fun.
The campground in Las Cruces has a beautiful office/lounge area - adobe style with fireplaces inside & out. Very pretty. Hopefully this will be a more restful stay for us.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Day 50: Goodbye, September...
I can't believe it's the end of September - especially when it's nearly 100 degrees out! Seeing Halloween decorations around the campsites is plain & simple weird. There is no way my poor brain can connect this heat with "autumn" things. Saguaros & tumbleweeds just don't change colors like the leaves back home.
We arrived at the campground, about an hour east of Tuscon, in mid-afternoon, which meant swim time at the pool. They had a nice float, which I used to, well, float, while Kimi enjoyed the warm water for immersively. Later, laundry (clean clothes, yahoo!).
Since I'm writing "live", I don't know if anything interesting is going to happen later tonight, but since it's 8:30 pm my time, I doubt it. Two weeks & two days to go - unless our plans change, we should be home on Monday, Oct. 16th. It's been quite the trip...
We arrived at the campground, about an hour east of Tuscon, in mid-afternoon, which meant swim time at the pool. They had a nice float, which I used to, well, float, while Kimi enjoyed the warm water for immersively. Later, laundry (clean clothes, yahoo!).
Since I'm writing "live", I don't know if anything interesting is going to happen later tonight, but since it's 8:30 pm my time, I doubt it. Two weeks & two days to go - unless our plans change, we should be home on Monday, Oct. 16th. It's been quite the trip...
Day 49: Is there a doctor in the house?
Shaun had been walking Buster this morning when, while rounding about the back end of the RV, he smacked his head into the extended slideout. I heard his cry & knew it was the kind you don't ignore. He was holding the front of his head (&, amazingly, also Buster's leash). When he pulled his hand away the blood was flowing, hard. Calling out to Kimi, who was washing up in the bathroom, I yelled for paper towels. It soon became clear that, despite the copious amount of blood, he was not going to need stitches (thank goodness). Using my supplies from the first aid kit, I was better able to clean the wound & stop the bleeding, all while we were standing outside in our pjs!
When we were at Legoland yesterday, we were able to purchase next-day tickets for just $8 per ticket more (a deal when you realize that for the 3 of us it cost $130, including 10% AAA discount, that first day!). We had to think about whether it made sense to go back. After laying down to rest, pluse drinking fluids & taking some Ibuprophin, Shaun decided that he did want to go back.
We choose to do things at a slower pace, & skipped any rides that moved around quickly. We had fun doing some of the things we missed the day before, & had a nice big nutritious lunch. It worked out fine, & Shaun was fine the rest of the day. We bought him some new Bionicle sets & Kimi got a couple of Star Wars sets - things to play with while on the road.
Then, on to Yuma, AZ. We traveled through the desert - 105 degrees! When we got to the campground, around 8pm, it was 97. It felt so weird walking around. It was a dry windless air, very quiet & still. Buster loved it, & walked for nearly a half an hour, sniffing only goodness knows what, tracking some critter trail all over the campground.
More desert tomorrow - hot, hot, hot!
When we were at Legoland yesterday, we were able to purchase next-day tickets for just $8 per ticket more (a deal when you realize that for the 3 of us it cost $130, including 10% AAA discount, that first day!). We had to think about whether it made sense to go back. After laying down to rest, pluse drinking fluids & taking some Ibuprophin, Shaun decided that he did want to go back.
We choose to do things at a slower pace, & skipped any rides that moved around quickly. We had fun doing some of the things we missed the day before, & had a nice big nutritious lunch. It worked out fine, & Shaun was fine the rest of the day. We bought him some new Bionicle sets & Kimi got a couple of Star Wars sets - things to play with while on the road.
Then, on to Yuma, AZ. We traveled through the desert - 105 degrees! When we got to the campground, around 8pm, it was 97. It felt so weird walking around. It was a dry windless air, very quiet & still. Buster loved it, & walked for nearly a half an hour, sniffing only goodness knows what, tracking some critter trail all over the campground.
More desert tomorrow - hot, hot, hot!
Day 48: Lego my Legos!
Today we tackled Legoland - a wonderful amusement park filled with rides & activities. We arrived soon after opening & got right to it on the Coastersaurus ride. Then we quickly made our way to the electric car driving course - designed to look like a driver's ed course, complete with stop lights & signs, two-way traffic & hazard cones. The cars are free-moving, not on any kind of track, so it's a lot of fun for kids. Plus, for a fee, the kids were able to get "real" Legoland licenses - color photo ID, thick plastic, dated, the works!
We spent the rest of the day making our way around the park. We've been to Legoland twice before, most recently 2 1/2 years ago as part of our Australia trip. It was fun visiting old favorites (except for the Dragon coaster, which, sadly, was being refurbished this week) & discovering new ones. A newbie for us was a water ride where you sit in a pirate ship that navigates a set waterway loop. It allows passengers to sit on either end, facing out with water cannons, which riders/pirates can use to squirt at targets, other boats & innocent people walking near the ride. We got pretty wet in the process, too!
As we started to wear out at the end of the day, we visited the gaming area, where people could try out Playstation versions of different Lego themed games, including Star Wars, which we own. Ever since Sept 12, when the new Lego Star Wars II game was released, we've been trying to find it to buy it. Each time, no luck. Going to the Big Store we were optimistic, but alas, again, not available for GameCube, which is our gaming platform. Shaun was SO disappointed!
Bound & determined, we stopped at a WalMart on the way back to the campground &, finally! We found it!! Shaun of course started playing it as soon as we were plugged back into the site.
Now the world can rest easy - Shaun Skywalker is on the job!
We spent the rest of the day making our way around the park. We've been to Legoland twice before, most recently 2 1/2 years ago as part of our Australia trip. It was fun visiting old favorites (except for the Dragon coaster, which, sadly, was being refurbished this week) & discovering new ones. A newbie for us was a water ride where you sit in a pirate ship that navigates a set waterway loop. It allows passengers to sit on either end, facing out with water cannons, which riders/pirates can use to squirt at targets, other boats & innocent people walking near the ride. We got pretty wet in the process, too!
As we started to wear out at the end of the day, we visited the gaming area, where people could try out Playstation versions of different Lego themed games, including Star Wars, which we own. Ever since Sept 12, when the new Lego Star Wars II game was released, we've been trying to find it to buy it. Each time, no luck. Going to the Big Store we were optimistic, but alas, again, not available for GameCube, which is our gaming platform. Shaun was SO disappointed!
Bound & determined, we stopped at a WalMart on the way back to the campground &, finally! We found it!! Shaun of course started playing it as soon as we were plugged back into the site.
Now the world can rest easy - Shaun Skywalker is on the job!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Day 47: The San Diego Wild Animal Park
The San Diego Wild Animal Park is a bigger, & in our opinion, better version of the San Diego Zoo. The layout is huge, & many of the animals are able to roam freely within a huge natural “preserve”. A train takes visitors out & around this area, where the animals can be safely observed behaving more like wild animals than they ever could in a traditional zoo envirnment. This is also where the breeding program does what it does. They have been in the news as of late because of their latest accomplishments: baby’s!
The first baby we saw was the elephant. On September 11 at 7:49 p.m., a 209-pound (95-kilogram) female African elephant calf was born at the Wild Animal Park, marking the second birth for the herd rescued from culling in Africa in 2003. The calf was born to 16-year-old, first-time mother Umngani. This morning she was happily bouncing beside her mom. The train guide told us that she didn’t know how to operate the strange floppy thing that hangs from her face – it is only by watching the older elephants that she will learn how to use her trunk. She was very cute & active!
Later in the ride, we passed a pond where many different types of birds live. Some of them are flamingos, & with them were these very fuzzy gray things on stilts – yep, baby flamingos! As they age, they lose the gray & grow out their white feathers. That’s right, flamingos are white – unless they eat certain foods. Then their feathers take on their characteristic pink hue.
Much later in the day, while noshing on Dippin Dots & frozen lemonades, we were clued in by an employee to head over to the Lion Camp. There we found the family – proud mom & dad with their twin cubs. It was amazing. The enclosure has a section that is rimmed by a glass wall. Along part of the wall, a dirt “platform” provides a shady lounging area that places the resting lions at eyeballs height. The cubs were both hanging out here near their mom. Suddenly, she got up & walked over to dad, who was out in the grassy area. The cubs, who are 3 months old, quickly followed, nippy at each other’s legs all along the way. It was great fun watching them – the “kids” tussled with each other in the tall grass, then stalked their parents. At one point, dad got up & gently charged at his offspring, causing great delight for cubs & spectators alike. Later, back at the window ledge, he wrestled & pinned them down. It was always a thrill to catch the eye of one of the lions – they look you straight in the eye & really seem to be considering you, probably wondering what disease caused us to lose all of our fur. Man, we make for really ugly lions!
We were about to leave when Kimi placed her newly-purchased stuffed wolf on the window ledge near the lions. One cub took immediate notice. As Kimi moved the toy, the baby lion tracked the toy’s movements with his head. Kimi, not letting this opportunity slip away, moved the toy as if she were playing with cat & this little cub took the bait. He scrunched down his body & then pounced! Finding nothing but smooth glass for his efforts did not disuade him. For nearly 10 minutes Kimi kept the cub fully engaged in trying to catch the toy. People on our side kept taking photos & encouraged him to “Catch it!” He tried different positions of attack, at one point using all four paws to press against the glass. It was so fun watching him try to figure out this challenge. Eventually, he did get tired of the game, & looked away, just like a human baby will when tired or overwhelmed by a game. We are so grateful to have had this inter-species connection.
The first baby we saw was the elephant. On September 11 at 7:49 p.m., a 209-pound (95-kilogram) female African elephant calf was born at the Wild Animal Park, marking the second birth for the herd rescued from culling in Africa in 2003. The calf was born to 16-year-old, first-time mother Umngani. This morning she was happily bouncing beside her mom. The train guide told us that she didn’t know how to operate the strange floppy thing that hangs from her face – it is only by watching the older elephants that she will learn how to use her trunk. She was very cute & active!
Later in the ride, we passed a pond where many different types of birds live. Some of them are flamingos, & with them were these very fuzzy gray things on stilts – yep, baby flamingos! As they age, they lose the gray & grow out their white feathers. That’s right, flamingos are white – unless they eat certain foods. Then their feathers take on their characteristic pink hue.
Much later in the day, while noshing on Dippin Dots & frozen lemonades, we were clued in by an employee to head over to the Lion Camp. There we found the family – proud mom & dad with their twin cubs. It was amazing. The enclosure has a section that is rimmed by a glass wall. Along part of the wall, a dirt “platform” provides a shady lounging area that places the resting lions at eyeballs height. The cubs were both hanging out here near their mom. Suddenly, she got up & walked over to dad, who was out in the grassy area. The cubs, who are 3 months old, quickly followed, nippy at each other’s legs all along the way. It was great fun watching them – the “kids” tussled with each other in the tall grass, then stalked their parents. At one point, dad got up & gently charged at his offspring, causing great delight for cubs & spectators alike. Later, back at the window ledge, he wrestled & pinned them down. It was always a thrill to catch the eye of one of the lions – they look you straight in the eye & really seem to be considering you, probably wondering what disease caused us to lose all of our fur. Man, we make for really ugly lions!
We were about to leave when Kimi placed her newly-purchased stuffed wolf on the window ledge near the lions. One cub took immediate notice. As Kimi moved the toy, the baby lion tracked the toy’s movements with his head. Kimi, not letting this opportunity slip away, moved the toy as if she were playing with cat & this little cub took the bait. He scrunched down his body & then pounced! Finding nothing but smooth glass for his efforts did not disuade him. For nearly 10 minutes Kimi kept the cub fully engaged in trying to catch the toy. People on our side kept taking photos & encouraged him to “Catch it!” He tried different positions of attack, at one point using all four paws to press against the glass. It was so fun watching him try to figure out this challenge. Eventually, he did get tired of the game, & looked away, just like a human baby will when tired or overwhelmed by a game. We are so grateful to have had this inter-species connection.
Day 46: Special Delivery!
The campground is separated into 2 sections: the lower section is at street level, the upper section is, well, higher, reached by driving up a hill to another flat section. We “live” in the upper level, which gives us a nice view of the crescent moon hanging over the opposing hillsides each night.
Kimi & I took a morning walk around the campground & started to head up the hill ramp when a FedEx truck passed us. As we neared the crest I could hear the truck’s motor as it rounded through the roadway’s loop. I suddenly had a thought – the package I knew Phil was sending us has arrived earlier than expected. I quickened my pace & lo & behold, the truck was idling right in front of our site.
I caught the driver’s attention & he told me he had delivered the package onto our door steps. Picking up the envelope, I was able to confirm everything by the return address. Phil had sent us 3 DVDs, each containing 4 episodes of Gilmore Girls. Kimi was ecstatic! She really is a huge fan, & this little gift from home chased away some of the homesickness both kids have been experiencing.
We had already decided to not drive anywhere today, so this was perfect timing. We quickly did some laundry & hung it up on our wooden clothes hanger to dry. Snacks & drinks in hand, we settled in to some GG time!
As we watched, we couldn’t help piping up whenever we saw something that reminded us of things we saw, learned about or did during the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. Watching a bunch of shows back to back also allowed us to catch a couple of goofs – small continuity issues, but it proved that we were paying attention. The issues that the characters face offer great opportunities for discussion – from armchair refereeing of who wronged who to the “what would you do” to what if X happened instead. Whenever we’ve mentioned our love of all things Gilmore to others, those who have seen it all respond very positively. I think these families also see the great value it offers, outside of the (quite humorous) entertainment it provides.
Kimi & I took a morning walk around the campground & started to head up the hill ramp when a FedEx truck passed us. As we neared the crest I could hear the truck’s motor as it rounded through the roadway’s loop. I suddenly had a thought – the package I knew Phil was sending us has arrived earlier than expected. I quickened my pace & lo & behold, the truck was idling right in front of our site.
I caught the driver’s attention & he told me he had delivered the package onto our door steps. Picking up the envelope, I was able to confirm everything by the return address. Phil had sent us 3 DVDs, each containing 4 episodes of Gilmore Girls. Kimi was ecstatic! She really is a huge fan, & this little gift from home chased away some of the homesickness both kids have been experiencing.
We had already decided to not drive anywhere today, so this was perfect timing. We quickly did some laundry & hung it up on our wooden clothes hanger to dry. Snacks & drinks in hand, we settled in to some GG time!
As we watched, we couldn’t help piping up whenever we saw something that reminded us of things we saw, learned about or did during the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. Watching a bunch of shows back to back also allowed us to catch a couple of goofs – small continuity issues, but it proved that we were paying attention. The issues that the characters face offer great opportunities for discussion – from armchair refereeing of who wronged who to the “what would you do” to what if X happened instead. Whenever we’ve mentioned our love of all things Gilmore to others, those who have seen it all respond very positively. I think these families also see the great value it offers, outside of the (quite humorous) entertainment it provides.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Day 45: You know you've had a bad day when...
1) the hose you are using to drain your RV tanks disconnects from its coupler
2) you were draining the black water tank at the time
3) the black water tank aint exactly "water"
4) you go back into your RV to clean up & the dog backs away from you
5) you're trying to find Trader Joes & Starbucks but your GyPSy is "confused" & tells you to take non-existant turns
6) you manage to find your way, but at 4-way stop signs, inconsiderate drivers decide you don't need a turn, causing you to repeatedly stomp on the brakes
7) you finally arrive at the campground to check in & they say they don't have you listed
8) they finally find your packet (since you were pre-registered), you find your site, you back it in without crashing into anything, go to hook up the water & electric and...can't open the door
9) after trying to push, kick & "move it with your mind" the door handle instead crunches your pinkie finger
10) your kids learn a new curse word (note to self: in homeschooling report, add vocabulary lesson)
11) you call National RV & calmly explain the situation & they tell you it will take about an hour before the locksmith can arrive
12) you call National RV 1 1/2 hours later & calmly explain the situation & they say they will call you right back
13) 20 minutes later the locksmith guy calls & tells you he had the wrong address, but will be there shortly
14) while waiting for the locksmith guy the kids decide to entertain themselves with a game I'll just call "Let's Bounce Off the Walls & Make Loud Noices"
15) while waiting for the locksmith guy your sweet husband calls from a plane that has very loud announcements occuring each time you try to talk to him
16) the locksmith guy arrives while you are shout-talking to your husband, causing you to have to hang up on him, not knowing if he was leaving or arriving (he was leaving)
17) the locksmith guy walks up to your RV, sees you through the window, looking like a lost puppy, & says, "So you're good now?" (you find out later that he thought he was supposed to unlock a car door, & since there was no car at your site, you must have fixed it already)
18) after explaining that, no, you are actually locked inside the RV, the locksmith guy reaches up &, with the ease of slicing warm butter, opens the door
19) even though you're grateful that the door now opens freely, you feel like an idiot because he didn't even have to use a tool or anything. The saving grace is that this is all on National RV's dime.
20) now that you can come & go freely, the first thing your dog does is go, freely, twice, in big piles outside the RV (at least he waited until he was outside!)
2) you were draining the black water tank at the time
3) the black water tank aint exactly "water"
4) you go back into your RV to clean up & the dog backs away from you
5) you're trying to find Trader Joes & Starbucks but your GyPSy is "confused" & tells you to take non-existant turns
6) you manage to find your way, but at 4-way stop signs, inconsiderate drivers decide you don't need a turn, causing you to repeatedly stomp on the brakes
7) you finally arrive at the campground to check in & they say they don't have you listed
8) they finally find your packet (since you were pre-registered), you find your site, you back it in without crashing into anything, go to hook up the water & electric and...can't open the door
9) after trying to push, kick & "move it with your mind" the door handle instead crunches your pinkie finger
10) your kids learn a new curse word (note to self: in homeschooling report, add vocabulary lesson)
11) you call National RV & calmly explain the situation & they tell you it will take about an hour before the locksmith can arrive
12) you call National RV 1 1/2 hours later & calmly explain the situation & they say they will call you right back
13) 20 minutes later the locksmith guy calls & tells you he had the wrong address, but will be there shortly
14) while waiting for the locksmith guy the kids decide to entertain themselves with a game I'll just call "Let's Bounce Off the Walls & Make Loud Noices"
15) while waiting for the locksmith guy your sweet husband calls from a plane that has very loud announcements occuring each time you try to talk to him
16) the locksmith guy arrives while you are shout-talking to your husband, causing you to have to hang up on him, not knowing if he was leaving or arriving (he was leaving)
17) the locksmith guy walks up to your RV, sees you through the window, looking like a lost puppy, & says, "So you're good now?" (you find out later that he thought he was supposed to unlock a car door, & since there was no car at your site, you must have fixed it already)
18) after explaining that, no, you are actually locked inside the RV, the locksmith guy reaches up &, with the ease of slicing warm butter, opens the door
19) even though you're grateful that the door now opens freely, you feel like an idiot because he didn't even have to use a tool or anything. The saving grace is that this is all on National RV's dime.
20) now that you can come & go freely, the first thing your dog does is go, freely, twice, in big piles outside the RV (at least he waited until he was outside!)
Day 44: It's all about heading back now...
Today we start heading back home, sort of. First, we have to backtrack past LA down to Legoland. Then we begin traveling in an easterly direction until we find ourselves home.
We drove down CA-101 down to Santa Barbara - a very pretty oceanview trip. Unfortunately, our campground, well, sucks.
Its only redeeming quality, being close to the highway is immediately off-set by the fact that the highway is right next to it, along with the railway. A little "sound barrier" fence is all that separates us. The "campground" is a nasty cramped dirt lot with facilities. Needless to say, we will never return. Blech!
We drove down CA-101 down to Santa Barbara - a very pretty oceanview trip. Unfortunately, our campground, well, sucks.
Its only redeeming quality, being close to the highway is immediately off-set by the fact that the highway is right next to it, along with the railway. A little "sound barrier" fence is all that separates us. The "campground" is a nasty cramped dirt lot with facilities. Needless to say, we will never return. Blech!
Day 43: The Santa Cruz Amusement Park
The boardwalk amusement park is one of the last of the oldtime beachside amusement parks, & its carousel house is an historic landmark. Expecting something closer to Coney Island (which has seen better days) we found a great place for exciting rides & delicious "junk" food. The rides were clean & reasonably new with a great variety of thrills & chills. The developers have used their space well, creating multi-level areas. Just when you think you've seen all the rides, whoops - there's a new section.
There are a lot of midway booths to try to win a prize - & I did! Shaun had been trying his luck at one of those squirt water into a target to move your racer to the finish line kind of booths, hoping to win a stuffed dragon. After 2 attempts, no luck. He went back for a third time (at $2 a pop) but didn't have anyone to race. So, being the sucker, I mean, good mom that I am, I ponied up my additional $2 & beat the pants off my son. Yes, yes, I let him keep "Blaze". Sheesh!
The food was really good, although Shaun had the misfortune to order popcorn chicken that had what tasted like Buffalo sauce on it. Good for mommy, not so good for Shaunie. I tried to trade my pad thai (told you they had good food here...) but he doesn't like peanuts. Fortunately, he did like Kimi's teriyaki chicken & rice, plus bought a jumbo corn dog, so all was good. Later we ate: Dippin' Dots ("Ice Cream of the Future"), soft serve ice cream with a "dipped" chocolate shell, funnel cake, caramel apples & chocolate covered strawberries. Well, we didn't all eat the above, but collectively it's an impressive list. And nobody barfed! Despite the spinning, swirling, dipping, splashing & flashing (the lights, not us) we all kept our heads, & tummies, together.
Eight hours later, we headed home, tired, tanned & terrific!
There are a lot of midway booths to try to win a prize - & I did! Shaun had been trying his luck at one of those squirt water into a target to move your racer to the finish line kind of booths, hoping to win a stuffed dragon. After 2 attempts, no luck. He went back for a third time (at $2 a pop) but didn't have anyone to race. So, being the sucker, I mean, good mom that I am, I ponied up my additional $2 & beat the pants off my son. Yes, yes, I let him keep "Blaze". Sheesh!
The food was really good, although Shaun had the misfortune to order popcorn chicken that had what tasted like Buffalo sauce on it. Good for mommy, not so good for Shaunie. I tried to trade my pad thai (told you they had good food here...) but he doesn't like peanuts. Fortunately, he did like Kimi's teriyaki chicken & rice, plus bought a jumbo corn dog, so all was good. Later we ate: Dippin' Dots ("Ice Cream of the Future"), soft serve ice cream with a "dipped" chocolate shell, funnel cake, caramel apples & chocolate covered strawberries. Well, we didn't all eat the above, but collectively it's an impressive list. And nobody barfed! Despite the spinning, swirling, dipping, splashing & flashing (the lights, not us) we all kept our heads, & tummies, together.
Eight hours later, we headed home, tired, tanned & terrific!
Day 42: Sept 22 - Happy Birthday, Kimberly!
My little girl is 12 today. Gulp. I can't believe how fast it's gone. I know that's a cliche, but there it is anyways.
We drove into Santa Cruz & I found a parking lot that could hold our beast of an RV very near the wharf. We walked down the pier & Kimi chose a restaurant for lunch. Then we walked back to shore so that we could walk along the boardwalk. Unfortunately, being after Labor Day meant that the amusement park was closed until the weekend, but we were able to walk in it & get the lay of the land to plan our visit on Saturday. We also talked to a security guard, who let me know about RV parking next to the far end of the amusement park, which was a good 15-20 minute walk from the place we parked at today.
However, where we parked today was great for walking into the downtown area. We found a Borders Bookstore where Kimi & Shaun endulged themselves. Then we wandered over to an organic food store & bought some fresh produce, including some amazing apples. Then we drifted over to a Cold Stone Creamery & pigged out on ice cream. We dragged ourselves & our bags back to the RV & headed back to the campground. Kimi finished off her birthday by watching "Much Ado About Nothing" & eating popcorn. Tomorrow - birthday, part 2!
We drove into Santa Cruz & I found a parking lot that could hold our beast of an RV very near the wharf. We walked down the pier & Kimi chose a restaurant for lunch. Then we walked back to shore so that we could walk along the boardwalk. Unfortunately, being after Labor Day meant that the amusement park was closed until the weekend, but we were able to walk in it & get the lay of the land to plan our visit on Saturday. We also talked to a security guard, who let me know about RV parking next to the far end of the amusement park, which was a good 15-20 minute walk from the place we parked at today.
However, where we parked today was great for walking into the downtown area. We found a Borders Bookstore where Kimi & Shaun endulged themselves. Then we wandered over to an organic food store & bought some fresh produce, including some amazing apples. Then we drifted over to a Cold Stone Creamery & pigged out on ice cream. We dragged ourselves & our bags back to the RV & headed back to the campground. Kimi finished off her birthday by watching "Much Ado About Nothing" & eating popcorn. Tomorrow - birthday, part 2!
Day 41: Hello, Santa Cruz
On the drive up today, we found a nice little shopping plaza with both a Quiznos & a Starbucks - lunch & supper without me having to cook, woohoo! While waiting for my grande soy no whip cafe mocha, I spotted the newspapers. The articles were indicating that the awful spinach contamination was being traced back to the Salinas CA area - right where we were! In fact, we drove right through Salinas. It was strange to realize that an area I had never heard of, but was now in, was so completely in the news.
The valleys, so near the seashore, are flush with growing yummies, such as strawberries, field greens & lots & lots of vineyards. We drove through Castroville, which proudly proclaimed itself the artichoke capital of the world. Each huge field displayed gorgeous shades of green, interspersed with reds & yellows. Watching the irrigation sprays was like watching an octopus flailing its arms around its head.
We didn't actually get to Santa Cruz yet. We are staying at a KOA campground 20 minutes outside of Santa Cruz, in Watsonville on San Andreas Rd. (The kids don't know the reference, but I sure do!) The road is narrow & windy, lined with lovely beach houses & huge trees. At one point it runs right next to a beach entrance, then pulls away, just in time for the campground. Tomorrow - Kimi's birthday!
The valleys, so near the seashore, are flush with growing yummies, such as strawberries, field greens & lots & lots of vineyards. We drove through Castroville, which proudly proclaimed itself the artichoke capital of the world. Each huge field displayed gorgeous shades of green, interspersed with reds & yellows. Watching the irrigation sprays was like watching an octopus flailing its arms around its head.
We didn't actually get to Santa Cruz yet. We are staying at a KOA campground 20 minutes outside of Santa Cruz, in Watsonville on San Andreas Rd. (The kids don't know the reference, but I sure do!) The road is narrow & windy, lined with lovely beach houses & huge trees. At one point it runs right next to a beach entrance, then pulls away, just in time for the campground. Tomorrow - Kimi's birthday!
Day 40: Impressions on the Beach
Silky sand slipping silently through my fingers.
Churning waves spraying a salty mist of seafoam.
Seabirds, clustered together in the warm sunlight, taking flight as one huge wave.
Children squealing with delight, racing away from the encroaching water.
Dogs straining at their collars, eager to greet each other, or a child, or a shell, or a piece of seaweed, or...
Seaweed stretched out like strange mythical beasts, marooned on the sands, waiting for the surf to carry them back to their watery lands.
Tiny trails in the sand - are they left by insects? snails? sand snakes? They mix with the tracks left by the sand pipers, a mapwork of their nighttime business.
Surfers of all sizes & shapes & ages, congregating on shore & in surf, learning the rhythm of the ocean waters.
The sun setting on the water - an unusual point of view for a New Englander! I've seen the sun rise from Cadilac Mt. in Acadia National Park, Maine, & now I've watched the sun set on the Pacific Ocean in California. I've flown across the Atlantic to London & the Pacific to Australia. I've seen the sun set from my own backyard, my grandparents' land & even from my apartment in NYC, & I saw it never set during a summer solstice in Alaska. It never gets old. It never becomes ordinary. It never stops leaving me breathless.
Churning waves spraying a salty mist of seafoam.
Seabirds, clustered together in the warm sunlight, taking flight as one huge wave.
Children squealing with delight, racing away from the encroaching water.
Dogs straining at their collars, eager to greet each other, or a child, or a shell, or a piece of seaweed, or...
Seaweed stretched out like strange mythical beasts, marooned on the sands, waiting for the surf to carry them back to their watery lands.
Tiny trails in the sand - are they left by insects? snails? sand snakes? They mix with the tracks left by the sand pipers, a mapwork of their nighttime business.
Surfers of all sizes & shapes & ages, congregating on shore & in surf, learning the rhythm of the ocean waters.
The sun setting on the water - an unusual point of view for a New Englander! I've seen the sun rise from Cadilac Mt. in Acadia National Park, Maine, & now I've watched the sun set on the Pacific Ocean in California. I've flown across the Atlantic to London & the Pacific to Australia. I've seen the sun set from my own backyard, my grandparents' land & even from my apartment in NYC, & I saw it never set during a summer solstice in Alaska. It never gets old. It never becomes ordinary. It never stops leaving me breathless.
Special Report: Kimi's New Look!
I couldn’t talk about it earlier, because Kimi wanted to tell my mom herself first. Then, I just kept forgetting to do it, because I was writing about more current things. But now I am free to tell you about Kimi’s new look.
Sharp eyes looking at the Pismo Beach photos would reveal something different about her – her hair! Kimi had cut about 12” off!
She was keen on doing it in Albuquerque, as a special conference look. We talked about it, & I encouraged her to see if she could find a salon that works with the Locks of Love program, which collects long braids of hair so that they can be transformed into wigs for children undergoing chemotherapy, & thus have lost their own hair.
Wouldn’t you know that the salon right next to the Hotel Albuquerque, Joseph’s, participated? There was no stopping her now! We went over & I documented the occasion.
She looks beautiful, of course! And is really enjoying her new sassier style!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Day 39: Pismo Beach
We left LA mid-morning, trying to avoid traffic as much as possible. It mostly worked. Eventually we got over to the Pacific Coast Highway - what a kick! Beautiful views, amazing homes perched on the edge of cliffs or seaside. We couldn't decide which way to look, there was so much to see!
Once we got to Santa Barbara, GyPSy directed us to take CA-154, away from the shore line. At first I didn't want to, but decided to take this shorter route. Good decision! We traveled up & over the San Rafael Mountains in Los Padres National Forest. A beautiful wild ride. We arrived in Pismo in late afternoon. The Pismo Coast Village RV Resort is right on the beach! They gave us a site that is just steps away from the beach gateway. Walk up the dune & boom! you're on the beach! There is a little river that empties into the ocean right here, & there are so many different birds using it. We saw huge numbers of pelicans, ducks, sandpipers, & a heron.
The kids loved playing in the warmer water coming out of the river as it met the cooler ocean water. The carved sand reminded us of the canyons we so recently visited. Watching the water erode the sand was like watching a very speeded up version of what happened over millions of years to the rock in Utah & Arizona by the Colorado River.
I took many photos as the kids played & the sun set. It was a perfect end to the day.
If you want to see the pictures, please go to: http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/111839/
Once we got to Santa Barbara, GyPSy directed us to take CA-154, away from the shore line. At first I didn't want to, but decided to take this shorter route. Good decision! We traveled up & over the San Rafael Mountains in Los Padres National Forest. A beautiful wild ride. We arrived in Pismo in late afternoon. The Pismo Coast Village RV Resort is right on the beach! They gave us a site that is just steps away from the beach gateway. Walk up the dune & boom! you're on the beach! There is a little river that empties into the ocean right here, & there are so many different birds using it. We saw huge numbers of pelicans, ducks, sandpipers, & a heron.
The kids loved playing in the warmer water coming out of the river as it met the cooler ocean water. The carved sand reminded us of the canyons we so recently visited. Watching the water erode the sand was like watching a very speeded up version of what happened over millions of years to the rock in Utah & Arizona by the Colorado River.
I took many photos as the kids played & the sun set. It was a perfect end to the day.
If you want to see the pictures, please go to: http://www.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/111839/
Day 38: Gilmore Girls & More!
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour was a dream come true for this family! We arrived 45 minutes before the 10 am tour & enjoyed the Starbucks cafe that was right there in the gift shop/waiting area. Once called, we all assembled in a small comfortable screening room, where we watched a short film about the history of Warner Bros., including segments from the many movies & TV programs they've produced over the years.
Then, it was to the tour carts! Shaun got to sit up front in the beginning, changing with Kimi later on. We saw an alley area that's been used for many different scenes, including the upside down kiss in Spiderman. Maggie, our guide, told us that Toby Maguire had to hang upside down for 5 hours while they filmed that scene, with his nose stuffed with cottonballs & Vaseline to keep him from drowning. Not quite in keeping with the romance shown on screen!
We traveled down different "streets" that serve as front doors to apartments for characters in West Wing, Murphy Brown, Sex in the City, Gilmore Girls, & ER. Maggie explained how they will add background stuff to make the places look different & not right next door, as they really are.
Then came the moment Kimi had been praying for: Gilmore Girls!!! First, after locking up our cameras, we got to go onto the soundstage that holds the Dragonfly Inn. We not only could walk around in it, but could sit on the furniture - Kimi glowed as she settled into one of the chairs. We could see the behind-the-scenes technical tools used to create the show, & the guides answered everyone's questions. We found out that the very wordy show has about 30 pages of script more than the usual hour-long program - 30! That means they work many more hours to get each episode ready for primetime.
Back on the tram, we then rode into Stars Hollow town center. It was all dressed up as if it were almost Halloween. Maggie let the kids pick up the fire hydrant to demonstrate that many of the items in the streets & on the common were lightweight & very movable, making it easier for them to adapt the area for other uses, such as when the High School was used as the court house in Dukes of Hazzard. We were allowed to walk around a bit, but quietly, since they were filming just on the other side at "Lorelai's house". We could hear them loudly state "rolling" nearby. Suddenly, Kimi spotted Alexis Bledel, aka Rory! She was sitting off in the shade, reading (how Rory-like!). Kimi beamed with excitement!
Maggie later allowed us to take pictures of Luke's diner, so the kids quickly struck a pose & I snapped away. We didn't think it could get any better, but...
...we were brought to the Warner Bros. Museum, where we could look at many cool props & costumes from shows like Friends, ER, & the West Wing. Then, we were directed upstairs to the Harry Potter floor (yes, the entire floor!). Costumes from the Yule Ball were on display, along with Hagrid's usual outfit & his motorcycle (huge!), the time changer, the mermaid's egg, dementors, Aragog, a petrified Hermione - so many things directly from the movies. It was hard for Kimi to say goodbye to it all.
Over in Property, we also got to go into an area where Central Perk, the coffe shop in Friends, has been recreated. We were again allowed to touch the stuff & sit on the furniture. Maggie even took our picture sitting on The Couch. Then came time for the automobiles - we saw the Rumbler from Batman Begins, the Batmobile from when George Clooney was Batman, the car Ron & Harry "borrow" to fly to Hogwarts (broken windows & all), the Mystery Bus from the Scooby Doo movies & the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard movie.
This was a great tour - we had so much fun!
Then, it was to the tour carts! Shaun got to sit up front in the beginning, changing with Kimi later on. We saw an alley area that's been used for many different scenes, including the upside down kiss in Spiderman. Maggie, our guide, told us that Toby Maguire had to hang upside down for 5 hours while they filmed that scene, with his nose stuffed with cottonballs & Vaseline to keep him from drowning. Not quite in keeping with the romance shown on screen!
We traveled down different "streets" that serve as front doors to apartments for characters in West Wing, Murphy Brown, Sex in the City, Gilmore Girls, & ER. Maggie explained how they will add background stuff to make the places look different & not right next door, as they really are.
Then came the moment Kimi had been praying for: Gilmore Girls!!! First, after locking up our cameras, we got to go onto the soundstage that holds the Dragonfly Inn. We not only could walk around in it, but could sit on the furniture - Kimi glowed as she settled into one of the chairs. We could see the behind-the-scenes technical tools used to create the show, & the guides answered everyone's questions. We found out that the very wordy show has about 30 pages of script more than the usual hour-long program - 30! That means they work many more hours to get each episode ready for primetime.
Back on the tram, we then rode into Stars Hollow town center. It was all dressed up as if it were almost Halloween. Maggie let the kids pick up the fire hydrant to demonstrate that many of the items in the streets & on the common were lightweight & very movable, making it easier for them to adapt the area for other uses, such as when the High School was used as the court house in Dukes of Hazzard. We were allowed to walk around a bit, but quietly, since they were filming just on the other side at "Lorelai's house". We could hear them loudly state "rolling" nearby. Suddenly, Kimi spotted Alexis Bledel, aka Rory! She was sitting off in the shade, reading (how Rory-like!). Kimi beamed with excitement!
Maggie later allowed us to take pictures of Luke's diner, so the kids quickly struck a pose & I snapped away. We didn't think it could get any better, but...
...we were brought to the Warner Bros. Museum, where we could look at many cool props & costumes from shows like Friends, ER, & the West Wing. Then, we were directed upstairs to the Harry Potter floor (yes, the entire floor!). Costumes from the Yule Ball were on display, along with Hagrid's usual outfit & his motorcycle (huge!), the time changer, the mermaid's egg, dementors, Aragog, a petrified Hermione - so many things directly from the movies. It was hard for Kimi to say goodbye to it all.
Over in Property, we also got to go into an area where Central Perk, the coffe shop in Friends, has been recreated. We were again allowed to touch the stuff & sit on the furniture. Maggie even took our picture sitting on The Couch. Then came time for the automobiles - we saw the Rumbler from Batman Begins, the Batmobile from when George Clooney was Batman, the car Ron & Harry "borrow" to fly to Hogwarts (broken windows & all), the Mystery Bus from the Scooby Doo movies & the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard movie.
This was a great tour - we had so much fun!
Day 37: Sharks!
We arrived at the Aquarium of the Pacific bright & early, easy to do when you are walking distance from it!
What a cool aquarium! We had planned on visiting ever since we discovered that you could pet sharks there at Shark Lagoon. The sharks are the smaller non-human eating variety, & were actually bunched up together snoozing in the warm shallows like a pack of puppies. They felt softly of sandpaper, not harsh but definite friction. Sting rays, minus their barbs, were also in the tanks. They feel slippery-slimy with very firm flesh. We all prefered touching them, & they prefer it, too! They would come up close & push their heads up out of the water trying to beg for contact. The glass enclosures allowed us to see the bottoms of their bodies when they did this - creamy white color with mouths working steadily. They were a lot of fun & of course Kimi & Shaun started naming them.
There was also a lorikeet enclosure - crazy loud birds that dive bombed Kimi & me - Shaun wisely decided to window shop in the gift shop next door.
Back inside we saw an octopus, many different types of luminescent jelly fish, sea horses, puffins, etc. Great fun!
What a cool aquarium! We had planned on visiting ever since we discovered that you could pet sharks there at Shark Lagoon. The sharks are the smaller non-human eating variety, & were actually bunched up together snoozing in the warm shallows like a pack of puppies. They felt softly of sandpaper, not harsh but definite friction. Sting rays, minus their barbs, were also in the tanks. They feel slippery-slimy with very firm flesh. We all prefered touching them, & they prefer it, too! They would come up close & push their heads up out of the water trying to beg for contact. The glass enclosures allowed us to see the bottoms of their bodies when they did this - creamy white color with mouths working steadily. They were a lot of fun & of course Kimi & Shaun started naming them.
There was also a lorikeet enclosure - crazy loud birds that dive bombed Kimi & me - Shaun wisely decided to window shop in the gift shop next door.
Back inside we saw an octopus, many different types of luminescent jelly fish, sea horses, puffins, etc. Great fun!
Day 36: All I want to do, is have some fun...
...until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard. - Sheryl Crow.
Picked up the tiny Chevy we've rented for our stay. Kimi named it Twinkie. As soon as we got it we were off to explore. We didn't take GyPSy with us - this car didn't even have power locks or windows, so how could it possibly protect our GPS from theft? So, we decided to rely on basic maps & dumb luck.
After following CA Route 1 north past the Beaches (Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Venice) we headed back inland to find Hollywood Blvd. Kimi got a map of the blvd from the camp store, & was trying to get me to find at least one of the cross streets. Turns out Santa Monica Blvd is a good bet for finding other places. It took us through Beverly Hills into West Hollywood. We eventually found La Brea, which brought us up to Hollywood Blvd. We found on street parking a little past Mann's Chinese Theater & walked back, staring at the ground reading the stars on the Walk of Fame. We stopped by the Virgin Megastore, which is interestingly near the Fredricks of Hollywood (I'll let you muse on that a bit).
We went into the Hollywood Wax Museum, which was interesting, but no where near as high in quality, or quantity, as Madame Tussauds in NYC or London. Admission price included going across the street to the Guiness Book of Records Museum. Kind of busy & cheesy in its display of information, although we found a film clip of a million dominoes falling in a crazy-cool display to be absolutely hypnotic.
We stopped at a Whole Foods on our way home & replenished our produce stores. Then, home & a movie: Shreck II, which has a fun scene of Shreck, Fiona & Donkey arriving in downtown Far, Far Away as if they were arriving in LA, complete with a Farbucks on every corner. Somehow, it seemed appropriate.
Picked up the tiny Chevy we've rented for our stay. Kimi named it Twinkie. As soon as we got it we were off to explore. We didn't take GyPSy with us - this car didn't even have power locks or windows, so how could it possibly protect our GPS from theft? So, we decided to rely on basic maps & dumb luck.
After following CA Route 1 north past the Beaches (Redondo, Hermosa, Manhattan, Venice) we headed back inland to find Hollywood Blvd. Kimi got a map of the blvd from the camp store, & was trying to get me to find at least one of the cross streets. Turns out Santa Monica Blvd is a good bet for finding other places. It took us through Beverly Hills into West Hollywood. We eventually found La Brea, which brought us up to Hollywood Blvd. We found on street parking a little past Mann's Chinese Theater & walked back, staring at the ground reading the stars on the Walk of Fame. We stopped by the Virgin Megastore, which is interestingly near the Fredricks of Hollywood (I'll let you muse on that a bit).
We went into the Hollywood Wax Museum, which was interesting, but no where near as high in quality, or quantity, as Madame Tussauds in NYC or London. Admission price included going across the street to the Guiness Book of Records Museum. Kind of busy & cheesy in its display of information, although we found a film clip of a million dominoes falling in a crazy-cool display to be absolutely hypnotic.
We stopped at a Whole Foods on our way home & replenished our produce stores. Then, home & a movie: Shreck II, which has a fun scene of Shreck, Fiona & Donkey arriving in downtown Far, Far Away as if they were arriving in LA, complete with a Farbucks on every corner. Somehow, it seemed appropriate.
Day 35: From Tumbleweeds to Palm Trees
Long difficult driving today. We started off well: Shaun's friend Duncan slept over in our RV, but his dad, Ben, picked him up right on time, so we were able to leave just after 9am, as I had hoped.
The drive out of Williams was amazing. The scenery was just constant beauty. It changed from hilly alpine forests to rugged desert mountains. Just after crossing into California, we had to sit at an inspection booth for 15-20 minutes. Since we are an RV, they had to check our refrigerator for forbidden produce - which turned out to be the red peppers & apples we had purchased in Albuquerque. Then, because we came out of MA, they had to run a visual inspection of the entire chassis seeking out any possible Gypsy moth caterpillers (even though we left MA over a month ago). The inspectors were gracious, which helped to keep me from being frustrated over the lost travel time.
As it turned out, it was fortunate I had that rest break. About 200 miles outside of LA, I noticed that the expansive view was becoming hazy. "I can't believe the smog is so bad already!" I thought. About 20 miles later, I came to realize what I was really seeing - a dust storm. The wind had been strong all day, & I had been busy at times keeping the RV from moving sideways from the gusts. This, however, was overwhelming in its intensity. We were now alongside the Mojave Desert & the winds had kicked up huge dust clouds that carried up as high as the mountains, blocking the sunlight.
Looking off to the sides, the area towns were blurry as we passed by them. Visibility dropped, not dangerously, but I changed my lights from travel to full on. The wind blew so hard that I started to weave in & out of my lane, constantly correcting my course. I dropped my speed to 50 (the legal limit was 65). That helped me maintain control enough to stay in my lane, which was becoming very important as we arrived in Barstow - traffic was congested & moving fast. Unlike me, the smaller cars didn't seem to have problems with the wind.
Heading southwest on I-15 sent us into a headwind. All of this wind adversely affected my gas mileage, so I had to stop in Victorville, just outside of LA in the San Bernardino mountains, to refuel.
Finally, we made it down the mountains & back into calmer winds. The rest of the drive was actually easy, despite having to drive a 35' vehicle across LA during a Friday evening rush hour! We easily found the campground, Golden Shore, right along the water in Long Beach.
It was supper time, & I didn't want to cook! I knew of a sushi restaurant nearby (found it doing a google search of the area months ago). We walked off to explore & discovered something better. The Pike is the place to go for food or shopping or entertainment. Planned for easy walking, its streets connecting different sections are narrow & gently curved, as if walking through an older village, albeit one that has been seriously spruced up! We ate supper at a California Pizza Kitchen, then had dessert at a Cold Stone Creamery. Walking with cups in hand, we were able to follow the boardwalk all the way back to the campground. Pelicans were floating in a group underneath the overhead highway bridge. The bridge had colored lights set beneath it, casting down green, purple, blue & aqua lights to be reflected back by the water. It was very pretty.
This morning we saw tumbleweeds as we drove away from the campsite. This evening we could see palm trees swaying right above our heads. What a wonderful world.
The drive out of Williams was amazing. The scenery was just constant beauty. It changed from hilly alpine forests to rugged desert mountains. Just after crossing into California, we had to sit at an inspection booth for 15-20 minutes. Since we are an RV, they had to check our refrigerator for forbidden produce - which turned out to be the red peppers & apples we had purchased in Albuquerque. Then, because we came out of MA, they had to run a visual inspection of the entire chassis seeking out any possible Gypsy moth caterpillers (even though we left MA over a month ago). The inspectors were gracious, which helped to keep me from being frustrated over the lost travel time.
As it turned out, it was fortunate I had that rest break. About 200 miles outside of LA, I noticed that the expansive view was becoming hazy. "I can't believe the smog is so bad already!" I thought. About 20 miles later, I came to realize what I was really seeing - a dust storm. The wind had been strong all day, & I had been busy at times keeping the RV from moving sideways from the gusts. This, however, was overwhelming in its intensity. We were now alongside the Mojave Desert & the winds had kicked up huge dust clouds that carried up as high as the mountains, blocking the sunlight.
Looking off to the sides, the area towns were blurry as we passed by them. Visibility dropped, not dangerously, but I changed my lights from travel to full on. The wind blew so hard that I started to weave in & out of my lane, constantly correcting my course. I dropped my speed to 50 (the legal limit was 65). That helped me maintain control enough to stay in my lane, which was becoming very important as we arrived in Barstow - traffic was congested & moving fast. Unlike me, the smaller cars didn't seem to have problems with the wind.
Heading southwest on I-15 sent us into a headwind. All of this wind adversely affected my gas mileage, so I had to stop in Victorville, just outside of LA in the San Bernardino mountains, to refuel.
Finally, we made it down the mountains & back into calmer winds. The rest of the drive was actually easy, despite having to drive a 35' vehicle across LA during a Friday evening rush hour! We easily found the campground, Golden Shore, right along the water in Long Beach.
It was supper time, & I didn't want to cook! I knew of a sushi restaurant nearby (found it doing a google search of the area months ago). We walked off to explore & discovered something better. The Pike is the place to go for food or shopping or entertainment. Planned for easy walking, its streets connecting different sections are narrow & gently curved, as if walking through an older village, albeit one that has been seriously spruced up! We ate supper at a California Pizza Kitchen, then had dessert at a Cold Stone Creamery. Walking with cups in hand, we were able to follow the boardwalk all the way back to the campground. Pelicans were floating in a group underneath the overhead highway bridge. The bridge had colored lights set beneath it, casting down green, purple, blue & aqua lights to be reflected back by the water. It was very pretty.
This morning we saw tumbleweeds as we drove away from the campsite. This evening we could see palm trees swaying right above our heads. What a wonderful world.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Day 34: Trains, Canyons & Bandits
We got to the depot in time for the "gun fight" pre-boarding show. There was a old western "town" set up nearby, & a bunch of "cowboys" did their schtick. We caught up with the rest of our gang & soon climbed aboard the train. Although we were assigned to 2 different cars, we were able to change our seats & sit all together. A man played guitar & sang folk songs for us while we shared our stashes of snack food.
Two hours later we were at the Grand Canyon. The north rim was covered in rain clouds, but our side was still dry & the view was still outstanding. We were all in a gift shop when the rain reached our side. We waited for it to simmer down to a steady drizzle & then made a bee-line for the nearby restaurant. A hearty hot meal did the trick!
We strolled around the rim walkways, carrying hot chocolates & admiring the bluebirds that flitted about just below us. Then, it was time to head back to the train. Duncun, Shaun's new friend, came around with a paper bag & had each of the 14 of us pick out a heart-shaped heart, a different one for each person. After some quick trades, we were all quite happy with our little momento. A man played a banjo & sang more songs. Ben, one of the dads in our group, requested the banjo song from "Deliverance", & the guy did not disappoint.
We were about 1/2 way back when the train crawled to a stop. I made a joke about Dementors (Harry Potter reference) & placed my hand on my window for a moment, leaving behind its misty outline, just like in the book/story. Then it happened! In the car just ahead of us we could see them - bandits! Eventually, they made their way into our car, bandanas covering their faces, pistols drawn. They demanded our valuables, yet, strangely, gave out bullet shells to all the children. They jousted verbally with everyone, then pressed on to the next car, followed by the sherrif we saw during the pre-boarding shoot-out show. The kids had a lot of fun with this.
Once back in Williams, we went to a pizza place & chowed down. Then, before we knew it, it was time to say goodbyes. Kimi developed a strong friendship with Alek, Abby & Keira, & it was really hard for her to say her farewells to them; they live in Minnesota, so it won't be easy to see them again soon. Duncan asked to sleep over in our RV, so as I right, they are in my bedroom playing GameCube while Kimi's up front with me watching Gilmore Girls while I blog.
Tomorrow - L.A.!!
Two hours later we were at the Grand Canyon. The north rim was covered in rain clouds, but our side was still dry & the view was still outstanding. We were all in a gift shop when the rain reached our side. We waited for it to simmer down to a steady drizzle & then made a bee-line for the nearby restaurant. A hearty hot meal did the trick!
We strolled around the rim walkways, carrying hot chocolates & admiring the bluebirds that flitted about just below us. Then, it was time to head back to the train. Duncun, Shaun's new friend, came around with a paper bag & had each of the 14 of us pick out a heart-shaped heart, a different one for each person. After some quick trades, we were all quite happy with our little momento. A man played a banjo & sang more songs. Ben, one of the dads in our group, requested the banjo song from "Deliverance", & the guy did not disappoint.
We were about 1/2 way back when the train crawled to a stop. I made a joke about Dementors (Harry Potter reference) & placed my hand on my window for a moment, leaving behind its misty outline, just like in the book/story. Then it happened! In the car just ahead of us we could see them - bandits! Eventually, they made their way into our car, bandanas covering their faces, pistols drawn. They demanded our valuables, yet, strangely, gave out bullet shells to all the children. They jousted verbally with everyone, then pressed on to the next car, followed by the sherrif we saw during the pre-boarding shoot-out show. The kids had a lot of fun with this.
Once back in Williams, we went to a pizza place & chowed down. Then, before we knew it, it was time to say goodbyes. Kimi developed a strong friendship with Alek, Abby & Keira, & it was really hard for her to say her farewells to them; they live in Minnesota, so it won't be easy to see them again soon. Duncan asked to sleep over in our RV, so as I right, they are in my bedroom playing GameCube while Kimi's up front with me watching Gilmore Girls while I blog.
Tomorrow - L.A.!!
Day 33: Rain, rain, go away...
Well, we are definitely close to the railway - at night, several times, a train passed through Williams, blowing its horn at each crossroad, blasting me out of my sleep each time. Blech!
We were going to walk over to town, which is very nearby, & is old Route 66. But the wind started to blow, followed by the driving rain. During breaks in the showers we washed a couple of loads of laundry & ran a Gilmore Girls marathon. It was actually fun & relaxing.
In the evening, we played games - Shaun learned how to play Yahtzee!
We were going to walk over to town, which is very nearby, & is old Route 66. But the wind started to blow, followed by the driving rain. During breaks in the showers we washed a couple of loads of laundry & ran a Gilmore Girls marathon. It was actually fun & relaxing.
In the evening, we played games - Shaun learned how to play Yahtzee!
Day 32: The Painted Desert
We all headed out, 3 minivans/SUVs plus 1 big RV (that would be us). We didn't stick completely together, but cell phones kept us all showing up at the same places as necessary. At one point, I had 6 kids rocking & rolling down the highway in the RV. They had a goofy-good time. The painted desert/petrified forest was cool - not entirely different from some of the areas we 3 have already seen, but still quite beautiful. We found an area where we could walk amoung the petrified wood - it was wild seeing the different colors the various minerals create.
We all arrived in Williams & dispersed to our various "homes". Our campground is run by the Grand Canyon Railway, so we are right next to the depot & the railroad tracks. We arrived in the dark, so we will have to wait until morning to get a better look around.
We all arrived in Williams & dispersed to our various "homes". Our campground is run by the Grand Canyon Railway, so we are right next to the depot & the railroad tracks. We arrived in the dark, so we will have to wait until morning to get a better look around.
Day 32: The Painted Desert
We all headed out, 3 minivans/SUVs plus 1 big RV (that would be us). We didn't stick completely together, but cell phones kept us all showing up at the same places as necessary. At one point, I had 6 kids rocking & rolling down the highway in the RV. They had a goofy-good time. The painted desert/petrified forest was cool - not entirely different from some of the areas we 3 have already seen, but still quite beautiful. We found an area where we could walk amoung the petrified wood - it was wild seeing the different colors the various minerals create.
We all arrived in Williams & dispersed to our various "homes". Our campground is run by the Grand Canyon Railway, so we are right next to the depot & the railroad tracks. We arrived in the dark, so we will have to wait until morning to get a better look around.
We all arrived in Williams & dispersed to our various "homes". Our campground is run by the Grand Canyon Railway, so we are right next to the depot & the railroad tracks. We arrived in the dark, so we will have to wait until morning to get a better look around.
Day 31: Oops! We couldn't leave!
Phil was supposed to leave Sunday night, after the post-conference picnic. He got to the airport on time, but found out that his flight had been cancelled - he came back to the hotel, since his next available flight wasn't until Monday morning. He got up *really* early & caught his new flight out of town.
The kids & I checked out of the hotel, but instead of heading out for southern NM, we stayed put, in the rear hotel parking lot. We found out that some of our friends at the conference were heading out all together to the Grand Canyon's south rim. We took a vote & decided to change our plans & caravan out with them.
Ch-ch-ch-changes...
The kids & I checked out of the hotel, but instead of heading out for southern NM, we stayed put, in the rear hotel parking lot. We found out that some of our friends at the conference were heading out all together to the Grand Canyon's south rim. We took a vote & decided to change our plans & caravan out with them.
Ch-ch-ch-changes...
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Day 26 - 30: Live & Learn Conference, Sept 6 - 10, 2006
The conference was a whirl of joyous activity. It was kicked off with an Ice Cream Social Wednesday evening. We sat out on the outdoor patio/lawn area, seated at white linen-covered tables, reconnecting with old friends & making new ones. The kids quickly found other kindred spirits & disappeared into the cool alcoves & sitting areas to bond.
Thursday found us in full-conference swing. We all found our different places & activities, except for Phil. He, my darling, decided that he would bring the RV to a Camping World/garage for a check-up. He also took Buster to a kennel, which gave us a break from the every 4 hour check in, & gave Buster the opportunity to have some good old fashioned puppy playtime!
Being at an unschooling conference is hard to explain to anyone unfamiliar with the unschooling philosophy, which runs far deeper than just homeschooling or education. I don't want to turn this into a lecture, so I'll just let you know that if you are interested in understanding unschooling more, check out http://sandradodd.com/unschooling or http://www.liveandlearnconference.org/ to see some conference info.
What do we get out of the conferences?
Thursday found us in full-conference swing. We all found our different places & activities, except for Phil. He, my darling, decided that he would bring the RV to a Camping World/garage for a check-up. He also took Buster to a kennel, which gave us a break from the every 4 hour check in, & gave Buster the opportunity to have some good old fashioned puppy playtime!
Being at an unschooling conference is hard to explain to anyone unfamiliar with the unschooling philosophy, which runs far deeper than just homeschooling or education. I don't want to turn this into a lecture, so I'll just let you know that if you are interested in understanding unschooling more, check out http://sandradodd.com/unschooling or http://www.liveandlearnconference.org/ to see some conference info.
What do we get out of the conferences?
- The ability to see older kids who've been unschooled - that they are not only able to function in the real world but are totally cool, open-minded, kind-hearted interesting people.
- The chance to talk to other like-minded parents, sharing stories of our joys & confessing our goof-ups.
- Our kids get to be with kids who are into the same kind of stuff they are into, & can explore & enjoy these interests practically non-stop throughout the conference.
- We can re-affirm that this is the path we want to follow with our children, parenting them in way that honors who they are & the passions & interests they have.
Next year's conference is planned to be in North Carolina, at a YMCA camp. Very different setting from this gorgeous, elegant Southwestern hotel, but I'm sure we will have yet another wonderful conference experience.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Day 25: Sept. 5th - Happy Anniversary to Us!
14: Years we've been married.
17: Years we've been a couple.
22: Years since we first met.
2: Children we've created.
3: Homes we've owned.
2: States we've lived in.
6: Pets owned together (1 cat named Milo, 1 dog named Buster, 3 goldfish named Pebbles, Goldie [silver-colored] & Joe [the gold-colored one], & 1 very short-lived hamster named Junior)
3: Times we had to move in with my grandparents (twice due to moving, once due to our house having caught on fire)
3: Multi-state driving vacations, including this one.
23: States travelled together.
4: Countries visited together (Jamaica, Puerto Rico, England & Austalia)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After checking into the Hotel Albuquerque (cool corner suite, with windows that meet at the corner edges), the kids quickly connected with other kids here for the conference. Phil & I also immediately (at the check in desk!) started seeing friends from previous conferences.
The hotel has a very nice restaurant called Christos, which is where Phil & I decided to celebrate our anniversary. The kids were able to stay up in the room, so it was a grownups only affair. As it turned out, it was an Us-only affair - we were the only patrons in the restaurant the entire time we were there! It was a cozy long rectangular room richly appointed in Mexican artwork, exposed wood beams, & a huge stone fireplace, which was next to where we were seated. Music played softly in the background, complimenting the room.
We ordered champagne & toasted ourselves. During our delicious dinner, we got a little chuckle when the music became a suite of songs from "Carmen", the opera I was in with Westford Chorus this spring. Yummy desserts of "Death by Chocolate" and Creme Caramel finished off the meal. Leaving the restaurant, we strolled under the stars through the courtyard, which was now lit with soft landscape lanterns.
Later we rejoined the children & offered to take them down to the pool. The pool is huge - maybe 25' by 75'. It's surrounded by very comfortable padded chairs & chaisse lounges. There is also a comfortably large spa tub, which Phil & I immediately immersed ourselves into. The kids alternated between the two pools. It was cooling down, but still comfortable, even with the breeze. We chatted with some of the other families, & then it began to empty out. We were among the last to leave the pool area, very relaxed & happy.
All in all, a very nice way to celebrate our love.
17: Years we've been a couple.
22: Years since we first met.
2: Children we've created.
3: Homes we've owned.
2: States we've lived in.
6: Pets owned together (1 cat named Milo
3: Times we had to move in with my grandparents (twice due to moving, once due to our house having caught on fire)
3: Multi-state driving vacations, including this one.
23: States travelled together.
4: Countries visited together (Jamaica, Puerto Rico, England & Austalia)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After checking into the Hotel Albuquerque (cool corner suite, with windows that meet at the corner edges), the kids quickly connected with other kids here for the conference. Phil & I also immediately (at the check in desk!) started seeing friends from previous conferences.
The hotel has a very nice restaurant called Christos, which is where Phil & I decided to celebrate our anniversary. The kids were able to stay up in the room, so it was a grownups only affair. As it turned out, it was an Us-only affair - we were the only patrons in the restaurant the entire time we were there! It was a cozy long rectangular room richly appointed in Mexican artwork, exposed wood beams, & a huge stone fireplace, which was next to where we were seated. Music played softly in the background, complimenting the room.
We ordered champagne & toasted ourselves. During our delicious dinner, we got a little chuckle when the music became a suite of songs from "Carmen", the opera I was in with Westford Chorus this spring. Yummy desserts of "Death by Chocolate" and Creme Caramel finished off the meal. Leaving the restaurant, we strolled under the stars through the courtyard, which was now lit with soft landscape lanterns.
Later we rejoined the children & offered to take them down to the pool. The pool is huge - maybe 25' by 75'. It's surrounded by very comfortable padded chairs & chaisse lounges. There is also a comfortably large spa tub, which Phil & I immediately immersed ourselves into. The kids alternated between the two pools. It was cooling down, but still comfortable, even with the breeze. We chatted with some of the other families, & then it began to empty out. We were among the last to leave the pool area, very relaxed & happy.
All in all, a very nice way to celebrate our love.
Day 24: Happy Birthday, Albuquerque!
Albuquerque is celebrating its 300th birthday, and, truly, it doesn't look a day over 250.
After checking into the campground & eating some lunch, we pulled up stakes & drove into Albq. We wanted to find the hotel we'll be staying at for the conference & make sure we could park the RV there.
The Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town is unbelievably pretty. Huge spaces, indoors & out, alcoves with padded seating, exposed wood and iron, pergolas, fountains. For pictures, check out http://www.buynewmexico.com/HERITAGEHOTELS/hotelabq/hotelabq_home.html.
After our successful visit at the hotel, we walked around Old Town for a while. This is the original "downtown" of Albq, before the railroad came through & created a new town center. The old adobe buildings are still there, as is a pretty green "square" complete with gazebo. All around are shops, cafes & restaurants. Some sections are two stories, with bridges & alcoves creating shady areas to sit, sip & people watch.
We found a place were Kimi & Shaun got temporary air-brushed tattoos! Kimi got a cute little flower design that imitates a charm on an invisible necklace. Shaun chose a cool red bodied, black winged dragon that now resides on his left calf. We made sure to take pictures, since they will wear off over the course of 5 days or so.
Back to the campground...the kids are so excited for the conference! Patience, patience...
After checking into the campground & eating some lunch, we pulled up stakes & drove into Albq. We wanted to find the hotel we'll be staying at for the conference & make sure we could park the RV there.
The Hotel Albuquerque at Old Town is unbelievably pretty. Huge spaces, indoors & out, alcoves with padded seating, exposed wood and iron, pergolas, fountains. For pictures, check out http://www.buynewmexico.com/HERITAGEHOTELS/hotelabq/hotelabq_home.html.
After our successful visit at the hotel, we walked around Old Town for a while. This is the original "downtown" of Albq, before the railroad came through & created a new town center. The old adobe buildings are still there, as is a pretty green "square" complete with gazebo. All around are shops, cafes & restaurants. Some sections are two stories, with bridges & alcoves creating shady areas to sit, sip & people watch.
We found a place were Kimi & Shaun got temporary air-brushed tattoos! Kimi got a cute little flower design that imitates a charm on an invisible necklace. Shaun chose a cool red bodied, black winged dragon that now resides on his left calf. We made sure to take pictures, since they will wear off over the course of 5 days or so.
Back to the campground...the kids are so excited for the conference! Patience, patience...
Day 23: New Mexico or Bust!
Long travel day. Not a lot to report, this area between NE Arizona & NW New Mexico is a very quiet, sporadically populated area. We moved from high desert to forested areas.
We arrived in Gallup, NM, not far from the AZ border. We actually were on old Route 66! As we drove down the "strip" towards the campground, we could see the old-style buildings & signs. The kids got a big kick out of it. This summer, Pixar/Disney's movie "Cars" was placed in the southwest & uses Route 66 as an example of the importance of slowing down & taking the time to notice the quieter moments in life. We bought the soundtrack to the movie, & twice it plays a versions of the song "Route 66". Having this connection to the actual Route 66 made it all the more interesting to the kids.
We watched "Wallace & Grommit: Attack of the Were-Rabbit" after supper - a great example of something subtle & gentle still being highly entertaining for the whole family. Tomorrow: Albuquerque!
We arrived in Gallup, NM, not far from the AZ border. We actually were on old Route 66! As we drove down the "strip" towards the campground, we could see the old-style buildings & signs. The kids got a big kick out of it. This summer, Pixar/Disney's movie "Cars" was placed in the southwest & uses Route 66 as an example of the importance of slowing down & taking the time to notice the quieter moments in life. We bought the soundtrack to the movie, & twice it plays a versions of the song "Route 66". Having this connection to the actual Route 66 made it all the more interesting to the kids.
We watched "Wallace & Grommit: Attack of the Were-Rabbit" after supper - a great example of something subtle & gentle still being highly entertaining for the whole family. Tomorrow: Albuquerque!
Day 22: Grand Canyon, North Rim
Phil has been to the Grand Canyon twice: the first time just before he & I got engaged, the second was in the spring of 1998, when I flew out with Kimi, 3, & Shaun, 15 months, to join him in Scotsdale, AZ, after he had attended a work/conference thing. We drove up from the Phoenix area, through Flagstaff. On the way back we drove through Sedona, which simply floored me with its rugged beauty.
This time, we arrived via the North Rim, an area that is visited by only 10% of the people who go to the Grand Canyon. There is a huge impressive lodge that overlooks the canyons. Inside, among other things, is a restaurant, where we ate lunch at a table right next to one of the almost-floor to 30' ceiling windows. We could see the San Francisco Peaks, south of Grand Canyon, play peek-a-boo with the flat-bottomed cloud formations. Stunning.
Later, we decided to walk the rim trails. Shaun & I accidentally ended up splitting off from Phil & Kimi, so we each had a slightly different experience climbing along the Angel Point Trail & the Viewpoints. Fortunately, we all found each other back at the Visitors Center, so no worries!
Shaun had a lot of fun at the Visitors Center. There were some interactive "solve the mystery" type displays that taught about the area wildlife. He also read several of the nature books & stories while we were there. During this trip, Shaun has become quite the naturalist. At his request, we bought him a book geared for the young naturalist he has become a veritable encyclopedia, quoting all of the interesting facts he read about to us. I'm constantly learning new things from him!
Driving on, we followed the Colorado River up to Page, AZ, where Lake Powell sends its waters down to the Grand Canyon. We stayed at a parking lot-like campground that, despite its unattractive appearance, provided us a gorgeous view of the sunset. Surprise, a diamond in the rough!
This time, we arrived via the North Rim, an area that is visited by only 10% of the people who go to the Grand Canyon. There is a huge impressive lodge that overlooks the canyons. Inside, among other things, is a restaurant, where we ate lunch at a table right next to one of the almost-floor to 30' ceiling windows. We could see the San Francisco Peaks, south of Grand Canyon, play peek-a-boo with the flat-bottomed cloud formations. Stunning.
Later, we decided to walk the rim trails. Shaun & I accidentally ended up splitting off from Phil & Kimi, so we each had a slightly different experience climbing along the Angel Point Trail & the Viewpoints. Fortunately, we all found each other back at the Visitors Center, so no worries!
Shaun had a lot of fun at the Visitors Center. There were some interactive "solve the mystery" type displays that taught about the area wildlife. He also read several of the nature books & stories while we were there. During this trip, Shaun has become quite the naturalist. At his request, we bought him a book geared for the young naturalist he has become a veritable encyclopedia, quoting all of the interesting facts he read about to us. I'm constantly learning new things from him!
Driving on, we followed the Colorado River up to Page, AZ, where Lake Powell sends its waters down to the Grand Canyon. We stayed at a parking lot-like campground that, despite its unattractive appearance, provided us a gorgeous view of the sunset. Surprise, a diamond in the rough!
Day 21: A New Month & a Day of Rest
We were planning on going back into Zion National Park, touring on the shuttle bus, hiking a little. I started catching up on older blogs while sitting next to the pool. Phil & Kimi were taking care of 3 loads of laundry. Shaun was flitting between us. Then came lunch, followed by the discussion of when we thought it would be cool enough to head out for hiking. Followed by the realization that we were all quite happy just simply hanging out at the campground. No arguing or frustration, just the basic understanding that we were tired of being on the go. So, we stayed put. Kimi made friends with some kids, even ended up borrowing Shannon's roller blades. The girls later went to the campground's free movie night, showing....RV - the movie starring Robin Williams as a dad dragging his unwilling family around the country in a rented RV. Phil, Shaun & I opted to cook s'mores at the campfire.
Sometimes, you just have to let go of your "plans", sit back & relax. We're very glad we chose this day to do just this.
Sometimes, you just have to let go of your "plans", sit back & relax. We're very glad we chose this day to do just this.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Day 20: The Road to Zion, and the End of August
Zion is not that far from Bryce Canyon, so we drove the RV through Bryce National Park to its end, Rainbow Point, about 16 miles further than the shuttle bus travels. It was a nice drive, but not too exciting - except for the brief stop we needed to make to allow the herd of antelope to cross the road (they didn't use the crosswalk, but still...). Rainbow Point was pretty, looking much like the area we hiked yesterday, which made the kids nervous. It didn't help that Phil kept saying things like, "Ready to go walk this - it's only 3 miles each way!" For some reason the kids didn't laugh.
Driving back, we stopped at Natural Bridge, which isn't, because natural bridges are formed by rushing water whereas this was formed by moving air, making it an arch. (Again, always learning!)
Then, after our 3rd visit in 3 days to the buffet (man, those country-style ribs were good!) we drove to Zion. Highway 9 (another official Scenic By-way) passes through 2 tunnels on its way into the park. The first isn't any big deal but the second one is. The Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel was built in the 1920's when cars were small & few in number. Vehicles sized 7'10" in width or 11'4" in height, or larger, are required to have an "escort" (traffic control) in order to pass through, because they are too large to stay in their lane while traveling - it's an arched tunnel. So, we paid our $15 fee & waited for the rangers to clear the tunnel. Then we were allowed to proceed. The tunnel is 1.1 miles long, with "windows" cut in periodically, but no one is allowed to stop in the tunnel, so you gotta look fast!
Within the actual park, except during the winter, only shuttle buses are allowed on the touring roads. Down along the main street where traffic is allowed, many little cafes, restaurants, galleries, etc. offer to entertain, nourish & caffeinate visitors.
We are staying at a campground about 10 miles further down the road. It is quiet, very clean, with paved roads, a concrete pad for the RV & a little patch of very soft green grass at each site. We are right next to the pool & spa area, where they had a little ice cream social last night. While listening to oldies the kids ate ice cream while Phil & I enjoyed root beer floats. Later, we put our swimsuits back on & enjoyed the pool (kids) & hot tub (grown ups) all by ourselves. The stars came out, & we laid back on the bare sandstone decking, which was still warm from the day's sunshine, & stared up into the universe. Sigh...
Driving back, we stopped at Natural Bridge, which isn't, because natural bridges are formed by rushing water whereas this was formed by moving air, making it an arch. (Again, always learning!)
Then, after our 3rd visit in 3 days to the buffet (man, those country-style ribs were good!) we drove to Zion. Highway 9 (another official Scenic By-way) passes through 2 tunnels on its way into the park. The first isn't any big deal but the second one is. The Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel was built in the 1920's when cars were small & few in number. Vehicles sized 7'10" in width or 11'4" in height, or larger, are required to have an "escort" (traffic control) in order to pass through, because they are too large to stay in their lane while traveling - it's an arched tunnel. So, we paid our $15 fee & waited for the rangers to clear the tunnel. Then we were allowed to proceed. The tunnel is 1.1 miles long, with "windows" cut in periodically, but no one is allowed to stop in the tunnel, so you gotta look fast!
Within the actual park, except during the winter, only shuttle buses are allowed on the touring roads. Down along the main street where traffic is allowed, many little cafes, restaurants, galleries, etc. offer to entertain, nourish & caffeinate visitors.
We are staying at a campground about 10 miles further down the road. It is quiet, very clean, with paved roads, a concrete pad for the RV & a little patch of very soft green grass at each site. We are right next to the pool & spa area, where they had a little ice cream social last night. While listening to oldies the kids ate ice cream while Phil & I enjoyed root beer floats. Later, we put our swimsuits back on & enjoyed the pool (kids) & hot tub (grown ups) all by ourselves. The stars came out, & we laid back on the bare sandstone decking, which was still warm from the day's sunshine, & stared up into the universe. Sigh...
Day 19: Bryce Canyon, aka The Valley...of...Death!
OK, first thing: we didn't try to kill the children. I know they will tell you differently, but it was simply an honest mistake. Besides, they didn't actually die, so what are they still complaining about?
The plan was simple. Take the shuttle bus to Sunset Point, hike what we were told was an easy trail, Queen Victoria's Garden, & end up at Sunrise Point, where we could re-board the bus & continue on. Then we were told about how Wall Street, a narrow passageway between two huge canyon walls, had suffered a landslide, closing that trail. The ranger told us we could still hike down to it & see it, we would just have to re-trace our steps back to the original trail. No problem.
Except, the trail down was basically like our 4-wheel drive down the canyon wall - all steep switchbacks, which are OK going down, but really not so OK going back up, especially when it's really sunny, hot & dry.
Now that we were "warmed up", we stuck to the plan & hiked on. Except that Queen Victoria's Garden trail is the easy middle section that is connected at each end to, yup, steep canyon walls with many, many switchbacks. What we expected to be about an hour, tops, turned out to be 2 1/2 hours of mostly moderate level hiking, made more intense by the fact that it brought us into high noon in the high desert. Thankfully, I carry a Camelback, a backpack that contains a water reservior, & the kids each have a large strapped water bottle. Phil had a waist pack with water. We also had snack foods, which we ate in a shaded area.
Kimi & Shaun alternated from tears to glares by the end of it all. They made us promise not to make them hike for a few days. They threatened to sell us. It was not our family at its best.
Much later, after the yummy late-day lunch buffet, after the ice creams, we set up another campfire. It was a little earlier than when we set it up the night before. The sky was dusky, the moon shone behind the ponderosa pines, when Shaun said, "Look!" Right next to us was a herd of deer. Our site was in the very back of the campground, overlooking a huge meadow (actually, Dixie National Forest). It was quiet & very private. Apparently, the deer thought so, too! They passed along, some of them gracefully leaping, others just strolling & staring at us (What do they think when they see us humans? "Those poor weird deer, no fur, no antlers...keep moving, Honey, & don't stare! It's not polite...)
We asked Kimi & Shaun what did they think about this place - did they want to come back? Expecting their answer, we were pleasantly surprised when, without hesitation, they both said, "Yeah, we should come back". Kimi then added, "but to go to the stores, not to hike!"
The plan was simple. Take the shuttle bus to Sunset Point, hike what we were told was an easy trail, Queen Victoria's Garden, & end up at Sunrise Point, where we could re-board the bus & continue on. Then we were told about how Wall Street, a narrow passageway between two huge canyon walls, had suffered a landslide, closing that trail. The ranger told us we could still hike down to it & see it, we would just have to re-trace our steps back to the original trail. No problem.
Except, the trail down was basically like our 4-wheel drive down the canyon wall - all steep switchbacks, which are OK going down, but really not so OK going back up, especially when it's really sunny, hot & dry.
Now that we were "warmed up", we stuck to the plan & hiked on. Except that Queen Victoria's Garden trail is the easy middle section that is connected at each end to, yup, steep canyon walls with many, many switchbacks. What we expected to be about an hour, tops, turned out to be 2 1/2 hours of mostly moderate level hiking, made more intense by the fact that it brought us into high noon in the high desert. Thankfully, I carry a Camelback, a backpack that contains a water reservior, & the kids each have a large strapped water bottle. Phil had a waist pack with water. We also had snack foods, which we ate in a shaded area.
Kimi & Shaun alternated from tears to glares by the end of it all. They made us promise not to make them hike for a few days. They threatened to sell us. It was not our family at its best.
Much later, after the yummy late-day lunch buffet, after the ice creams, we set up another campfire. It was a little earlier than when we set it up the night before. The sky was dusky, the moon shone behind the ponderosa pines, when Shaun said, "Look!" Right next to us was a herd of deer. Our site was in the very back of the campground, overlooking a huge meadow (actually, Dixie National Forest). It was quiet & very private. Apparently, the deer thought so, too! They passed along, some of them gracefully leaping, others just strolling & staring at us (What do they think when they see us humans? "Those poor weird deer, no fur, no antlers...keep moving, Honey, & don't stare! It's not polite...)
We asked Kimi & Shaun what did they think about this place - did they want to come back? Expecting their answer, we were pleasantly surprised when, without hesitation, they both said, "Yeah, we should come back". Kimi then added, "but to go to the stores, not to hike!"
Day 18: Bryce Canyon
It was another travel day, first through Escalante-Staircase, then on to Bryce Canyon. Highway 12 is designated an offical Scenic By-way, & we saw some very unusual landscapes. Sometimes the stone looked more like concrete formations, very industrial looking & not at all friendly or cozy! Then the formations started to have these strange bruise-like markings, purple blotches on their rounded tops. Later, the bruises deepened & showed up as deep mulberry wine stains at the bottoms of the formations, as if they had been dipped.
When we arrived in Bryce Canyon, we discovered that Ruby's Inn & Campground was actually part of larger group of interconnected businesses. A campground, hotel, restaurant, diner, grocery store, gift shop & gas station are on one side of the road. On the other, an old-fashioned "western town center" is set up, store fronts connected by a long wooden covered porch. Inside you can do things such as buy souveniers or ice cream, or set up ATV tours. A little further down is the rodeo, which was cancelled, unfortunately, because the teens who work there all had to go back to school/college this week.
That night we bought firewood & enjoyed a campfire. The stars came out in full glory - it was much like being in the Outback of Australia again - even with the nearby electric lights & our own campfire, we could see the Milky Way.
When we arrived in Bryce Canyon, we discovered that Ruby's Inn & Campground was actually part of larger group of interconnected businesses. A campground, hotel, restaurant, diner, grocery store, gift shop & gas station are on one side of the road. On the other, an old-fashioned "western town center" is set up, store fronts connected by a long wooden covered porch. Inside you can do things such as buy souveniers or ice cream, or set up ATV tours. A little further down is the rodeo, which was cancelled, unfortunately, because the teens who work there all had to go back to school/college this week.
That night we bought firewood & enjoyed a campfire. The stars came out in full glory - it was much like being in the Outback of Australia again - even with the nearby electric lights & our own campfire, we could see the Milky Way.
Day 17: Ahh! Arches!!
What I failed to mention in the previous posting was that even though our Passport stamp for Arches says August 28th, we actually did visit it all three days. It's just that we visited too late to go to the Visitors Center. I mentioned the rainstorm that was occuring during our very first visit. Well, the next night we drove in to watch the sunset. The rock formations looked very different with the change in light conditions. Different shadows, altered contours, brighter hues. We first drove over to Delicate Arch, the iconic arch that is on all of Utah's license plates. Since it's on the east side of the park, it looks its most charming in the late afternoon. We hiked a 1 mile trail to a viewpoint near it.
Then we drove northwest (boy, the sun's glare was hard to cope with!) through areas such as Fiery Furnace, Sand Dune Arch & Devils Garden Trailhead. The late day light conditions made everything look so beautiful. The twilight-into-darkness drive all the way back through the park was so mystical. A crescent moon was following the setting sun, & some of the planets & stars were beginning to glimmer. Just magical.
The next day, the 28th, we went back into Arches, getting our Passport stamp finally! Then we drove back to areas we knew we wanted to explore more, such as Cove of Caves & Double Arch, which a very near each other, and Devils Garden Trail, which we didn't dare walk the previous early evening due to the mountain lion warnings. We were a little sad to leave the park, this time for the last time. It's impossible to fully describe Arches - it's definitely a destination that must be experienced first hand.
Then we drove northwest (boy, the sun's glare was hard to cope with!) through areas such as Fiery Furnace, Sand Dune Arch & Devils Garden Trailhead. The late day light conditions made everything look so beautiful. The twilight-into-darkness drive all the way back through the park was so mystical. A crescent moon was following the setting sun, & some of the planets & stars were beginning to glimmer. Just magical.
The next day, the 28th, we went back into Arches, getting our Passport stamp finally! Then we drove back to areas we knew we wanted to explore more, such as Cove of Caves & Double Arch, which a very near each other, and Devils Garden Trail, which we didn't dare walk the previous early evening due to the mountain lion warnings. We were a little sad to leave the park, this time for the last time. It's impossible to fully describe Arches - it's definitely a destination that must be experienced first hand.
Day 16: I Want a Jeep for Keeps!
Jeeps are fun! They’re even more fun if they are modified for serious 4-wheel driving & you take it off-road!
We woke up bright & early (well, at least early) & drove out to Canyonlands National Park, about a 45 minute drive from the campground. We visited the area known as “Island in the Sky”, a broad mesa wedged between the Green and Colorado rivers.
First stop: the Visitors Center, where we got our park stamp. The National Park service has a neat little way to record your trips to their parks. You buy a Passport book, a small spiral bound booklet about the size of an adult hand (if it were a complete rectangle) & approx. 1/2” thick. It has a thick vinyl coated cover, navy blue in color & embossed with gold writing & logos. Inside you find a clear plastic pocket that holds your US map of all the national parks plus, if you have one, which we do, your National Parks Pass, which gives you a year's worth of admittance to all of the parks. Then comes the fun part. Each geographical region of the US (i.e., North Atlantic, Southeast, etc.) has its own section in the book, with maps, park information & a listing of all the national park areas in that region. Then follows the pages with places for you to collect the series of Passport stamps which are issued each year. It also has areas where you can get your book “canceled” when you visit a national park.
Whenever you visit a park, at the visitors center you will find a station set up with an ink pad & stamp. These stamps record the name of the park and the date of your visit. There is no charge to cancel your Passport - although you do have to purchase the book – with proceeds from the sale supporting the Parks system. The Visitors Centers almost always have little squares of paper for those who want the cancellation, but don’t have a Passport.
After getting logistical information, we drove out to Whale Rock, where we spent 1 ½ hours climbing up, over & back a huge slickrock that looks like a beached whale. The view from the top was breathtaking! It was also windy, which was a welcome relief from the heat. A quick drive further down the road delivered us to a shaded picnic area where we ate our lunch eagerly!
Now it was time for some real excitement. Instead of taking the nice, smooth 2-lane highway that had brought us into the park, we decided to depart via the Shafer Trail Road, an unpaved 4-wheel drive road that starts of with a long series of steep, tight switchbacks along a canyon wall. No guide rails, sometimes just enough width for one vehicle, 1st gear all the way – what a blast! I kept thinking of my brother Steve – he used to go off-roading, until his Pathfinder was jumped by a gang of miscreant deer late one night. I think he would be out-of-his-mind in love with this place.
Eventually, we made it to the bottom of the canyon – the kids started sing “Hallelujah” – and continued alongside Dead Horse Point State Park (Kimi was not amused by this name) and Gooseneck Overlook, which was where the Colorado River makes a huge U-turn around what looks like an island. Shafer Trail gave way to Potash Road, which brought us to a salt harvesting company – huge pools of salt with the water evaporating away. At some areas, the salt looked like snow banks leading into and around the pools. Very surreal!
Potash Rd. leads to Route 279, an actual paved road that parts tall canyon walls from the Colorado. At one point, we passed petroglyphs. Then we were back in Moab. Even though the way back home was a much shorter, more direct route, it took us 3 ½ hours to complete the journey. And I was hooked! I kept trying to find ways to continue the 4-wheel driving while we still had the Jeep, but, alas, none appeared. Now I’ve been telling Phil that I want to trade in my minivan for a Jeep.
We woke up bright & early (well, at least early) & drove out to Canyonlands National Park, about a 45 minute drive from the campground. We visited the area known as “Island in the Sky”, a broad mesa wedged between the Green and Colorado rivers.
First stop: the Visitors Center, where we got our park stamp. The National Park service has a neat little way to record your trips to their parks. You buy a Passport book, a small spiral bound booklet about the size of an adult hand (if it were a complete rectangle) & approx. 1/2” thick. It has a thick vinyl coated cover, navy blue in color & embossed with gold writing & logos. Inside you find a clear plastic pocket that holds your US map of all the national parks plus, if you have one, which we do, your National Parks Pass, which gives you a year's worth of admittance to all of the parks. Then comes the fun part. Each geographical region of the US (i.e., North Atlantic, Southeast, etc.) has its own section in the book, with maps, park information & a listing of all the national park areas in that region. Then follows the pages with places for you to collect the series of Passport stamps which are issued each year. It also has areas where you can get your book “canceled” when you visit a national park.
Whenever you visit a park, at the visitors center you will find a station set up with an ink pad & stamp. These stamps record the name of the park and the date of your visit. There is no charge to cancel your Passport - although you do have to purchase the book – with proceeds from the sale supporting the Parks system. The Visitors Centers almost always have little squares of paper for those who want the cancellation, but don’t have a Passport.
After getting logistical information, we drove out to Whale Rock, where we spent 1 ½ hours climbing up, over & back a huge slickrock that looks like a beached whale. The view from the top was breathtaking! It was also windy, which was a welcome relief from the heat. A quick drive further down the road delivered us to a shaded picnic area where we ate our lunch eagerly!
Now it was time for some real excitement. Instead of taking the nice, smooth 2-lane highway that had brought us into the park, we decided to depart via the Shafer Trail Road, an unpaved 4-wheel drive road that starts of with a long series of steep, tight switchbacks along a canyon wall. No guide rails, sometimes just enough width for one vehicle, 1st gear all the way – what a blast! I kept thinking of my brother Steve – he used to go off-roading, until his Pathfinder was jumped by a gang of miscreant deer late one night. I think he would be out-of-his-mind in love with this place.
Eventually, we made it to the bottom of the canyon – the kids started sing “Hallelujah” – and continued alongside Dead Horse Point State Park (Kimi was not amused by this name) and Gooseneck Overlook, which was where the Colorado River makes a huge U-turn around what looks like an island. Shafer Trail gave way to Potash Road, which brought us to a salt harvesting company – huge pools of salt with the water evaporating away. At some areas, the salt looked like snow banks leading into and around the pools. Very surreal!
Potash Rd. leads to Route 279, an actual paved road that parts tall canyon walls from the Colorado. At one point, we passed petroglyphs. Then we were back in Moab. Even though the way back home was a much shorter, more direct route, it took us 3 ½ hours to complete the journey. And I was hooked! I kept trying to find ways to continue the 4-wheel driving while we still had the Jeep, but, alas, none appeared. Now I’ve been telling Phil that I want to trade in my minivan for a Jeep.
Day 15: August 26th, Driving to Moab
We were a little more than an hour from Moab when I noticed the thickening, darkening clouds. Traveling west on I-70, we actually had to go farther west & then exit onto US 191, heading back a bit in a southeasterly direction. This gave me plenty of time to observe the weather conditions.
Phil was dozing on the sofa with Kimi – he had driven the 1st half of the day. Shaun was up front with me, & we both kept commenting on the clouds. They were dramatically, forbodingly looming, closing in. We saw lightening streak the sky – at first occasionally, but increasing in frequency & intensity the closer we got to Moab. Sometimes the lightening would flash horizontally, cloud to cloud, although the clouds looked like one huge mass.
When the rain started, Phil, who had awakened by now, changed seats with Shaun to help navigate. The red, green & gray-white colors of the rocks intensified with their newfound wetness. It was raining steadily, but fortunately not as a torrent. The long decline into Moab was pretty, though I had to stay focused on the driving. We passed signs pointing the way towards Canyonlands National Park, and then the entrance to Arches. As the road flattened out, we crossed the Colorado River. Entering Moab is like entering any other decent resort town. First the cheaper establishments: Denny’s, Motel 6, etc. Then the nicer eateries, the fancier hotels, inns & suites. Lots of t-shirt, Indian art, jewelry shops. One sign over a doorway read “Uranium Building”. There were some cutsie-named coffee shops, breakfast cafés, & other take-out eateries.
After we checked in to the Canyonlands RV Park, we drove ½ a mile back down the road & picked up our Jeep rental at the Moab Adventure Center. It was a big orange beast of a vehical, with a heavy canvas covering the driver/passenger area & hardly at all covering the rear seats. Behind the second row, there was a cargo area, complete with a MAC-provided cooler pre-filled with ice & water bottles. The kids couldn’t resist riding back to the campground in it, despite the now sprinkling rain.
After Phil followed us back in the RV, we set up camp & prepared to head out to Arches. The kids smartly had huge beach towels with them to use as a rain shelter, but the temperature drop made the open-air ride unexpectedly chilly. Phil switched off with Shaun during one of our scenic stop-offs; then he & Kimi cuddled up under the blankets for warmth.
The rain made the Arches look soft-focused in pastel shades of pink & purple. It was misty & surreal. At an area called Balanced Rock, a man named Bill Cambell lent us the use of the top of his storage trunk in back of his big white pickup as a staging area for photos. Perched up there, I could take great “arial” shots of the rest of the family. Then Phil took a picture of the kids & me standing up there with him – he was a good sport!
We drove a bit more, but by now the kids were getting cold & hungry. Time to head back into town. That’s when it began to really pour. We found a wood-fired oven pizzeria & a parking spot nearby. Good enough! We ran into the place as thunder rumbled over our heads. As it turned out, the restaurant, Zax, did a pizza buffet that included salad & soup – such a deal! We filled our tummies while sitting out on the protected patio. More lightening, some really, really close by kept us alert during supper.
Luckily, the rain stopped just as we finished dinner. This allowed us to snoop a bit in the various touristy shops. Coming out of one, we were treated to a complete double rainbow hanging over the red rock range – just gorgeous! Welcome to Moab!!
Phil was dozing on the sofa with Kimi – he had driven the 1st half of the day. Shaun was up front with me, & we both kept commenting on the clouds. They were dramatically, forbodingly looming, closing in. We saw lightening streak the sky – at first occasionally, but increasing in frequency & intensity the closer we got to Moab. Sometimes the lightening would flash horizontally, cloud to cloud, although the clouds looked like one huge mass.
When the rain started, Phil, who had awakened by now, changed seats with Shaun to help navigate. The red, green & gray-white colors of the rocks intensified with their newfound wetness. It was raining steadily, but fortunately not as a torrent. The long decline into Moab was pretty, though I had to stay focused on the driving. We passed signs pointing the way towards Canyonlands National Park, and then the entrance to Arches. As the road flattened out, we crossed the Colorado River. Entering Moab is like entering any other decent resort town. First the cheaper establishments: Denny’s, Motel 6, etc. Then the nicer eateries, the fancier hotels, inns & suites. Lots of t-shirt, Indian art, jewelry shops. One sign over a doorway read “Uranium Building”. There were some cutsie-named coffee shops, breakfast cafés, & other take-out eateries.
After we checked in to the Canyonlands RV Park, we drove ½ a mile back down the road & picked up our Jeep rental at the Moab Adventure Center. It was a big orange beast of a vehical, with a heavy canvas covering the driver/passenger area & hardly at all covering the rear seats. Behind the second row, there was a cargo area, complete with a MAC-provided cooler pre-filled with ice & water bottles. The kids couldn’t resist riding back to the campground in it, despite the now sprinkling rain.
After Phil followed us back in the RV, we set up camp & prepared to head out to Arches. The kids smartly had huge beach towels with them to use as a rain shelter, but the temperature drop made the open-air ride unexpectedly chilly. Phil switched off with Shaun during one of our scenic stop-offs; then he & Kimi cuddled up under the blankets for warmth.
The rain made the Arches look soft-focused in pastel shades of pink & purple. It was misty & surreal. At an area called Balanced Rock, a man named Bill Cambell lent us the use of the top of his storage trunk in back of his big white pickup as a staging area for photos. Perched up there, I could take great “arial” shots of the rest of the family. Then Phil took a picture of the kids & me standing up there with him – he was a good sport!
We drove a bit more, but by now the kids were getting cold & hungry. Time to head back into town. That’s when it began to really pour. We found a wood-fired oven pizzeria & a parking spot nearby. Good enough! We ran into the place as thunder rumbled over our heads. As it turned out, the restaurant, Zax, did a pizza buffet that included salad & soup – such a deal! We filled our tummies while sitting out on the protected patio. More lightening, some really, really close by kept us alert during supper.
Luckily, the rain stopped just as we finished dinner. This allowed us to snoop a bit in the various touristy shops. Coming out of one, we were treated to a complete double rainbow hanging over the red rock range – just gorgeous! Welcome to Moab!!
Day 14: Flaming Gorge & Smokey Bear!
As we drove the Flaming Gorge-Uintas National Scenic Byway, we passed through what is considered one of the richest areas for wildlife & their fossilized ancestors in the western U.S. It is also a very rigorous road to travel – 10 switchbacks & 8 degree slopes on narrow two-lane roads makes for labored & scary experiences!
We had to pause for a herd of Bighorn Sheep as we drove the roadway leading to the Red Canyon Visitors Center. Once inside the Visitors Center, we discovered Smokey the Bear was visiting! He was there to promote forest fire education. Kimi & Shaun were treated to a personal talk about the history of Smokey the Bear & how the message the US Forest Service has promoted has changed over the years, since 1944, when Smokey made his first appearance. The kids received gift bags full of Smokey related goodies.
After a picnic lunch overlooking the gorge, & possibly Wyoming, we spent a couple of hours hiking along the gorge ridge. We witnessed the damage a beetle invasion has inflicted upon the Ponderosa Pine trees. The beetle bores into the trees & lays its eggs,which clog up the “tunnels” that pull water up into the tree; the larvae chew their way out, leaving even more holes. Eventually the trees die.
We also saw the remnants of controlled burns – purposeful fires that help reduce dangerous tinder & that help the pine trees grow. Their pinecones need the extreme heat of fire to stimulate the seeds inside to start growing. This goes back to Smokey’s change of messages – no longer to prevent all forest fires, but to prevent wild fires.
After we finished hiking, we drove to Flaming Gorge Dam (first passing a herd of…cows – no sheep – on the way out from the Visitors Center). We arrived just in time to take a tour of the facilities, which demonstrated how the dam was built plus let us see how the huge power generators turn water power into electrical power. At the end of our tour, we discoved Smokey the Bear - for some reason, he was shorter than before ; ) He gave Kimi & Shaun autographed copies of his biography this time, plus posed for pictures.
On our way back to Vernal, we stopped at Stella’s Steak, Seafood & Smokehouse. This could have turned out badly – the place really didn’t look like much, & we were the only ones in the place – but the food was quite good & we left happy & full!
We had to pause for a herd of Bighorn Sheep as we drove the roadway leading to the Red Canyon Visitors Center. Once inside the Visitors Center, we discovered Smokey the Bear was visiting! He was there to promote forest fire education. Kimi & Shaun were treated to a personal talk about the history of Smokey the Bear & how the message the US Forest Service has promoted has changed over the years, since 1944, when Smokey made his first appearance. The kids received gift bags full of Smokey related goodies.
After a picnic lunch overlooking the gorge, & possibly Wyoming, we spent a couple of hours hiking along the gorge ridge. We witnessed the damage a beetle invasion has inflicted upon the Ponderosa Pine trees. The beetle bores into the trees & lays its eggs,which clog up the “tunnels” that pull water up into the tree; the larvae chew their way out, leaving even more holes. Eventually the trees die.
We also saw the remnants of controlled burns – purposeful fires that help reduce dangerous tinder & that help the pine trees grow. Their pinecones need the extreme heat of fire to stimulate the seeds inside to start growing. This goes back to Smokey’s change of messages – no longer to prevent all forest fires, but to prevent wild fires.
After we finished hiking, we drove to Flaming Gorge Dam (first passing a herd of…cows – no sheep – on the way out from the Visitors Center). We arrived just in time to take a tour of the facilities, which demonstrated how the dam was built plus let us see how the huge power generators turn water power into electrical power. At the end of our tour, we discoved Smokey the Bear - for some reason, he was shorter than before ; ) He gave Kimi & Shaun autographed copies of his biography this time, plus posed for pictures.
On our way back to Vernal, we stopped at Stella’s Steak, Seafood & Smokehouse. This could have turned out badly – the place really didn’t look like much, & we were the only ones in the place – but the food was quite good & we left happy & full!
Day 13: Bad Luck for Dinosaur National Monument
The drive from Steamboat Springs to Dinosaur, CO, was quite pretty. We saw many herds of mule deer grazing & wandering about in the adjoining fields &, once, crossing the highway right in front of us.
When we got to the Visitors Center that marks the road leading up to Dinosaur National Monument, we received the dissappointing news that the building that houses/protects the wall of fossils had been closed indefinitely since July 12th. The building was constructed 50 years ago, with one wall being the actual stone quarry area that had been first excavated. It has been protected from change, so visitors could see a huge number of fossils sticking out of the wall. Unfortunately, the entire site sits on top of a type of soil that can absorb 5 times its weight in water, then dry back to its original state. It’s useful for certain applications, but terrible as a stable foundation for a large building. Over the years the upper walkway has sagged deeply in the center & the floor is so distorted that the rangers jokingly call it the roller coaster room. Last month, specialists declared that the building is in danger of collapsing, so much so that they were forced to close immediately.
The lack of funding to fix it is only part of the problem. The building is on the National Register of Historical Landmarks, which means that they cannot change the basic structure or the exterior appearance of the building. So any repairs or alterations are severely limited. It’s a real shame that such an amazing collection of paleontolic history is on the verge of destruction.
We were able to take a tour, by tram, that took us up to the building, where we could kind of see the wall through the windows. Our tour guide, Michelle Arsenault, formally of Leominster, MA (where we lived for 4 years & Shaun was born!), was able to tell us a lot about the geologic characteristics of the area. A long time ago, when the continental plates in the Pacific scraped up against each other, the North American plate buckled up from the pressure. That is how the Rocky Mountains were born (it’s also what happened on the other side of our continent, creating the Appalachians). In this area around Utah & Montana, when the layers of earth buckled up, they ended up tilting up at a 70 degree angle, so as you tour through the area you can see rock layers starting from the Cambrian Period, basically stuff from the center of the Earth, to the Periods called Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic (starting to sound more familiar?), Jurassic, & Cretaceous. Within these periods are Formations, each having a different color, mineral content & critter remains. In some of the times you can find remnants of ancient sea life, back during one of the 12 times in Earth’s geologic history that this area was a sea. Some of the others harbor reptiles, petrified sand dunes or forests. Others are mined for coal, gypsum, uranium, geodes lined with calcite or quartz crystals, or phosphate (processed for commercial fertilizer) or drilled for petroleum.
We also saw areas with petroglyphs (pictures carved into stone, as opposed to pictographs, which are painted onto the surface) left behind in caves by the people who lived there thousands of years ago.
As we finished our tour, we were able to see a gorge carved by the Green River through a mountain. It was amazing to see the sheared cliff walls bordering a relatively small river. The power of time & persistance!
When we got to the Visitors Center that marks the road leading up to Dinosaur National Monument, we received the dissappointing news that the building that houses/protects the wall of fossils had been closed indefinitely since July 12th. The building was constructed 50 years ago, with one wall being the actual stone quarry area that had been first excavated. It has been protected from change, so visitors could see a huge number of fossils sticking out of the wall. Unfortunately, the entire site sits on top of a type of soil that can absorb 5 times its weight in water, then dry back to its original state. It’s useful for certain applications, but terrible as a stable foundation for a large building. Over the years the upper walkway has sagged deeply in the center & the floor is so distorted that the rangers jokingly call it the roller coaster room. Last month, specialists declared that the building is in danger of collapsing, so much so that they were forced to close immediately.
The lack of funding to fix it is only part of the problem. The building is on the National Register of Historical Landmarks, which means that they cannot change the basic structure or the exterior appearance of the building. So any repairs or alterations are severely limited. It’s a real shame that such an amazing collection of paleontolic history is on the verge of destruction.
We were able to take a tour, by tram, that took us up to the building, where we could kind of see the wall through the windows. Our tour guide, Michelle Arsenault, formally of Leominster, MA (where we lived for 4 years & Shaun was born!), was able to tell us a lot about the geologic characteristics of the area. A long time ago, when the continental plates in the Pacific scraped up against each other, the North American plate buckled up from the pressure. That is how the Rocky Mountains were born (it’s also what happened on the other side of our continent, creating the Appalachians). In this area around Utah & Montana, when the layers of earth buckled up, they ended up tilting up at a 70 degree angle, so as you tour through the area you can see rock layers starting from the Cambrian Period, basically stuff from the center of the Earth, to the Periods called Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic (starting to sound more familiar?), Jurassic, & Cretaceous. Within these periods are Formations, each having a different color, mineral content & critter remains. In some of the times you can find remnants of ancient sea life, back during one of the 12 times in Earth’s geologic history that this area was a sea. Some of the others harbor reptiles, petrified sand dunes or forests. Others are mined for coal, gypsum, uranium, geodes lined with calcite or quartz crystals, or phosphate (processed for commercial fertilizer) or drilled for petroleum.
We also saw areas with petroglyphs (pictures carved into stone, as opposed to pictographs, which are painted onto the surface) left behind in caves by the people who lived there thousands of years ago.
As we finished our tour, we were able to see a gorge carved by the Green River through a mountain. It was amazing to see the sheared cliff walls bordering a relatively small river. The power of time & persistance!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Day 12: Steamboat Springs, CO
Steamboat Springs is a fun place to window shop & chow down on yummies for your tummy. We found a cool little two-story bookstore with a café in it. We spent about an hour readin’ & eatin’. Then we walked up & down Lincoln Avenue, which passes right through “Old Town”. Lots of interesting (& often expensive) shops selling funky painted furniture, outdoor gear, leather goods & organic food.
After lunch at The Shack Café, where we were able to eat outside by the street, we strolled down to where several of the natural springs are located. Here’s some info, straight from the “Steamboat Springs Downtowner”:
It is a natural, geologic occurrence that makes Steamboat Springs infamous. Deep in the earth’s crust, thousands of feet below the city, cracks in the Dakota Formation allow molten rock to seep upward, super-heating ground water & sending it boiling over onto the surface in more than 150 thermal mineral springs. The 1st bathhouse was first constructed in 1910, & shortly thereafter an Olympic-sized outdoor pool was also built.
Right across from the library, there are two springs, Soda Spring, which is marked by a gazebo, & Sulphur Spring, which we could smell even before we could see it. It is one of the areas most active spring, bubbling up furiously a strange greenish-blue slightly foamy liquid. It is said to keep a constant 73 degrees. It stinks!
Later in the afternoon, we drove out to Strawberry Park Hot Springs:
We are located approximately 7.0 miles from beautiful downtown Steamboat Springs and our springs are by far one of the most attractive mineral springs in the world. Hot Springs Creek is nestled between Rocky Peak and Copper Ridge. This is the point where a series of hot springs spew from the hillside at temperatures of approximately 150 degrees fahrenheit, and flow down into the creek.
A fabulous display of masonry architecture divides the creek into cells where the water temperature is controlled by adjusting rustic style gates.
The largest hot pool is approximately 19'x 16' and is kept at a temperature of +/- 104 degrees fahrenheit. The next pool down is slightly smaller and cooler. The cool (creek) pool is larger than both of the other cells put together. It offers a comfortable contrast to the hot pools and sports warm spots due to geothermal venting in various places. The masonry walls were constructed to create 5 waterfalls. In addition a small private pool was created for Watsu; warm water massages. Most recently a beautiful stone stream house, a warm changing area, and picnic area have been added.
For photos, check out http://www.strawberryhotsprings.com/2005/gallery.php
I was lucky enough to be able to enjoy a full-hour massage in a room that was built around a huge boulder. A waterfall was just outside the windows, so I had real nature sounds to listen to during the massage – not a CD!
The waters were HOT! The kids played mostly in the river just above where the hot springs join it. I was able to tolerate the hotter waters, but only for a few minutes at a time at the hottest pool.
This was great fun for us – we can’t help wonder what it would be like in the winter! Brrrr…splash…ahhh!
After lunch at The Shack Café, where we were able to eat outside by the street, we strolled down to where several of the natural springs are located. Here’s some info, straight from the “Steamboat Springs Downtowner”:
It is a natural, geologic occurrence that makes Steamboat Springs infamous. Deep in the earth’s crust, thousands of feet below the city, cracks in the Dakota Formation allow molten rock to seep upward, super-heating ground water & sending it boiling over onto the surface in more than 150 thermal mineral springs. The 1st bathhouse was first constructed in 1910, & shortly thereafter an Olympic-sized outdoor pool was also built.
Right across from the library, there are two springs, Soda Spring, which is marked by a gazebo, & Sulphur Spring, which we could smell even before we could see it. It is one of the areas most active spring, bubbling up furiously a strange greenish-blue slightly foamy liquid. It is said to keep a constant 73 degrees. It stinks!
Later in the afternoon, we drove out to Strawberry Park Hot Springs:
We are located approximately 7.0 miles from beautiful downtown Steamboat Springs and our springs are by far one of the most attractive mineral springs in the world. Hot Springs Creek is nestled between Rocky Peak and Copper Ridge. This is the point where a series of hot springs spew from the hillside at temperatures of approximately 150 degrees fahrenheit, and flow down into the creek.
A fabulous display of masonry architecture divides the creek into cells where the water temperature is controlled by adjusting rustic style gates.
The largest hot pool is approximately 19'x 16' and is kept at a temperature of +/- 104 degrees fahrenheit. The next pool down is slightly smaller and cooler. The cool (creek) pool is larger than both of the other cells put together. It offers a comfortable contrast to the hot pools and sports warm spots due to geothermal venting in various places. The masonry walls were constructed to create 5 waterfalls. In addition a small private pool was created for Watsu; warm water massages. Most recently a beautiful stone stream house, a warm changing area, and picnic area have been added.
For photos, check out http://www.strawberryhotsprings.com/2005/gallery.php
I was lucky enough to be able to enjoy a full-hour massage in a room that was built around a huge boulder. A waterfall was just outside the windows, so I had real nature sounds to listen to during the massage – not a CD!
The waters were HOT! The kids played mostly in the river just above where the hot springs join it. I was able to tolerate the hotter waters, but only for a few minutes at a time at the hottest pool.
This was great fun for us – we can’t help wonder what it would be like in the winter! Brrrr…splash…ahhh!
Day 11: Climbing O-v-er Rocky Mountains...(sung ala Pirates of Penzance)
How can I describe Rocky Mountain National Park? I really can’t. It’s so massive & expansive, with a different scene at every turn (& believe me, there were MANY turns!) It took us 7 ½ hours to drive the 140 miles that connects Estes Park to Steamboat Springs. We stopped whenever there was enough space for us to park our big beast. At one stop, a family walked over to us, having noticed our Massachusetts license plate. Turns out they live in Chelmsford, the town right next door to ours!
We hiked a couple of trails, one of which brought us to an elevation that was over 12,000 feet - 2.3 miles above sea level. Our hearts were pumping hard during that one, the elevation change was quick & relentless, &, again, there was way less oxygen than we’re used to. Once at the top, however, we quickly recharged & actually felt energized – gotta love that Rocky Mountain high!
At one stop, near what’s called the Lava Cliffs, as I was walking back to the RV something told me to look out into the valley. There was a small (at least, it looked small from our point of view) pond off in the distance. Using the binoculars, I spotted an elk grazing. Phil & Shaun were able to see it, too, but Kimi had a terrible time setting her sights correctly. Phil spent about 10 minutes trying to help her see it. Then I realized (without the binoculars) that there was another elk over there. Finally Kimi was able to focus on the correct spot & see both of the huge animals eating their lunch by the banks of the pond. We were now free to travel on!
As we passed through the Continental Divide, Phil & looked at each other & said, “What exactly is the Continental Divide?” Well, we looked it up, & discovered that it is the main water parting of any continent. In North America, the divide runs along the crest of the Rockies, from British Columbia, through the United States, and continues southward into Mexico and Central America. It divides the continent's principal drainage into that flowing eastward (to the Hudson Bay in Canada or to the Mississippi River) and that flowing westward (to the Pacific Ocean). See, always learning!
See our pictures: http://app.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/106186/!
We hiked a couple of trails, one of which brought us to an elevation that was over 12,000 feet - 2.3 miles above sea level. Our hearts were pumping hard during that one, the elevation change was quick & relentless, &, again, there was way less oxygen than we’re used to. Once at the top, however, we quickly recharged & actually felt energized – gotta love that Rocky Mountain high!
At one stop, near what’s called the Lava Cliffs, as I was walking back to the RV something told me to look out into the valley. There was a small (at least, it looked small from our point of view) pond off in the distance. Using the binoculars, I spotted an elk grazing. Phil & Shaun were able to see it, too, but Kimi had a terrible time setting her sights correctly. Phil spent about 10 minutes trying to help her see it. Then I realized (without the binoculars) that there was another elk over there. Finally Kimi was able to focus on the correct spot & see both of the huge animals eating their lunch by the banks of the pond. We were now free to travel on!
As we passed through the Continental Divide, Phil & looked at each other & said, “What exactly is the Continental Divide?” Well, we looked it up, & discovered that it is the main water parting of any continent. In North America, the divide runs along the crest of the Rockies, from British Columbia, through the United States, and continues southward into Mexico and Central America. It divides the continent's principal drainage into that flowing eastward (to the Hudson Bay in Canada or to the Mississippi River) and that flowing westward (to the Pacific Ocean). See, always learning!
See our pictures: http://app.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/106186/!
Day 10: August 21, 2006
Today we left Colorado Springs & journeyed northwards, through Denver & Boulder, to Estes Park, which borders the eastern side of Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s normally a 2 – 2 ½ hour trip, but about 20 miles before we reached the campground the skies darkened dramatically. Soon enough, the rain started, hitting the windshield in fat splats. We decided to pull over at a conveniently placed pull-out next to a pretty field with a large gate reading “Hermits Ranch”. That turned out to be a very smart move because no sooner had we parked the hail began to pummel us. It made a huge racket as it beat down on us. The road runoff looked like a small brook as the road began to turn white & slushy. The field quickly changed from golden green to white. By the time it finished, about 15 minutes later, there was a layer of white mush 2” deep.
Then the sun reappeared. We set off & soon began the descent into Estes Park. Immediately the melted hail that had accumulated on our roof top began to rush off of us. It looked as if someone was aiming a hose at my passenger-side window. I had manuver in my seat for a clearer view of the valley.
After settling into our spot at the campground, Shaun begged to be able to do some fishing. Many of the previous campgrounds had stocked ponds on the property, & Shaun had been itching to try it. At a Wal-Mart stop, I had bought him a kid-friendly rod & reel set, so he was ready. After paying for his one-day fishing permit, he donned his special fishing outfit: khakis, tee-shirt, & an olive-green vest with matching hat. He looked adorable, grinning ear to ear in anticipation of catching “the big one”, a five-pound rainbow trout that had been living in the pond for over a month.
To our great surprise, on his very first cast, Shaun managed to catch…a tree. After buying another bobber & securing a new hook onto the end of his line, Shaun persisted for 1 ½ hours, alas, in vain. Discouraged? Nope. He’s already planning his strategies for next time…a fishing addict has been born!
As if this weren’t enough to fill a day, we were honored to be the guests of the Lewis family, who live in Estes Park, easy walking distance from the campground. The original reason for this trip was to attend the Live & Learn Unschooling Conference in Albuquerque. There is a Yahoo group that attendees can join regarding this annual event (this will be our 3rd conference; 1st was in Peabody, MA, & last year’s was in St. Louis). One of the moms on the list asked who was planning any side trips in conjunction with the conference. I wrote in about our little trip expansion, which led to Cathy Lewis writing back to me privately. First she offered to give us some restaurant suggestions, but as we emailed back & forth, she ended up inviting us all to dinner at their house, plus the use of their clothes washer & dryer! Let me tell you, I’ve never been so excited about the prospect of doing laundry!
We took her up on her extremely generous offer (remember, we’ve never met before), & got to meet her husband Garth & their cute-as-can-be children Quinn, Maggie & Zach, along with Cathy’s sister Becky. We had a great visit complete with grilled hamburgers & homemade sweet potato fries. The kids all got along wonderfully & only stopped playing to eat! Oh, yeah, since I had mentioned in my emails that Phil was flying in to Colorado on my birthday, Cathy decided that we should all celebrate it with make-your-own sundaes!
We driven back to the campground that evening, happy to have met this lovely family. We’re looking forward to seeing them again in Albuquerque!
Then the sun reappeared. We set off & soon began the descent into Estes Park. Immediately the melted hail that had accumulated on our roof top began to rush off of us. It looked as if someone was aiming a hose at my passenger-side window. I had manuver in my seat for a clearer view of the valley.
After settling into our spot at the campground, Shaun begged to be able to do some fishing. Many of the previous campgrounds had stocked ponds on the property, & Shaun had been itching to try it. At a Wal-Mart stop, I had bought him a kid-friendly rod & reel set, so he was ready. After paying for his one-day fishing permit, he donned his special fishing outfit: khakis, tee-shirt, & an olive-green vest with matching hat. He looked adorable, grinning ear to ear in anticipation of catching “the big one”, a five-pound rainbow trout that had been living in the pond for over a month.
To our great surprise, on his very first cast, Shaun managed to catch…a tree. After buying another bobber & securing a new hook onto the end of his line, Shaun persisted for 1 ½ hours, alas, in vain. Discouraged? Nope. He’s already planning his strategies for next time…a fishing addict has been born!
As if this weren’t enough to fill a day, we were honored to be the guests of the Lewis family, who live in Estes Park, easy walking distance from the campground. The original reason for this trip was to attend the Live & Learn Unschooling Conference in Albuquerque. There is a Yahoo group that attendees can join regarding this annual event (this will be our 3rd conference; 1st was in Peabody, MA, & last year’s was in St. Louis). One of the moms on the list asked who was planning any side trips in conjunction with the conference. I wrote in about our little trip expansion, which led to Cathy Lewis writing back to me privately. First she offered to give us some restaurant suggestions, but as we emailed back & forth, she ended up inviting us all to dinner at their house, plus the use of their clothes washer & dryer! Let me tell you, I’ve never been so excited about the prospect of doing laundry!
We took her up on her extremely generous offer (remember, we’ve never met before), & got to meet her husband Garth & their cute-as-can-be children Quinn, Maggie & Zach, along with Cathy’s sister Becky. We had a great visit complete with grilled hamburgers & homemade sweet potato fries. The kids all got along wonderfully & only stopped playing to eat! Oh, yeah, since I had mentioned in my emails that Phil was flying in to Colorado on my birthday, Cathy decided that we should all celebrate it with make-your-own sundaes!
We driven back to the campground that evening, happy to have met this lovely family. We’re looking forward to seeing them again in Albuquerque!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Day 9: Waterfalls & Festivals
After a quick Starbucks stop, we drove 5 miles down the road to enter Seven Falls & South Cheyenne Canyon. We climbed 184 steps up to the Nest observation platform, where we could see the falls in their entirety. After taking many photographs, we picked up our lungs & walked back down the stairs.
At the base of the falls there is an Indian Dance Area, that we were fortunate enough to come upon just as a family of Native Americans were about to demonstrate various tribal dances. At the end of the program they invited all of the audience children to join the dancers, who were also children & teenagers. Shaun happily went up & danced a ring dance of friendship.
At the completion of the show, we turned around & steadied ourselves for our next climb. Two hundred twenty-four steps took us along side each waterfall in succession, such as Shorty, Bridal Veil, Ramona, & Feather. Then we followed the 1-mile long Inspiration Point trail, which leads to the spot where Helen Hunt Jackson sat while writing her novel “Ramona”. The scenery was astounding & ever-changing as the clouds & fog shifted along the canyons. Kimi decided to branch out into video documentories, & narrated many of our stopping points along the trail.
By the time we got back to the visitors center, it was around 2:30 pm & we were hungry, having already consumed our snack provisions on the trail. We found an interesting sounding restaurant in our guide book & drove to it. The Front Range Barbeque is just on the eastern border of the area known as historic Old Colorado City, which is the original center of town. Luck was definitely on our side: 1) we immediately found a parking spot right at the corner; 2) we were seated out on the street-side patio next to the street which allowed us to 3) watch the hundred or so classic cars drive down the street as they left the Car Cruise Festival that had just ended. They had been set up on the closed-to-traffic main street (West Colorado Ave., which is where our campground is also located). After our delicious lunch, we were able to stroll down the street, still blocked off, & see the few remaining cars.
As we walked back to our rental SUV, we passed through Bancroft Park, where a young couple, dressed in regular street clothes, danced ballroom style silently while a man videotaped them. After a few minutes of watching, he asked if we cared to be in the video! Turns out the young couple are soon to marry, & this was part of their wedding video. We happily applauded them while being filmed – strangers in a park congratulating the about-to-be-newlyweds.
There’s nothing like applauding someone to work up an appetite, so we drove into the downtown area to visit Cold Stone Creamery. We have a happy memory of eating at a Cold Stone Creamery in Boston with Val, Greg & Monica the weekend we all got to cruise Boston Harbor on the USS Constitution, so this seemed like a good bet. As it turned out, there was a music festival, in Spanish, going on in the park across the street. This apparently was Festivals in the Parks Day in Colorado Springs! The kids ran their little legs off in the playground while Phil & I listened to music.
A very full day. We’re a little sad to be saying “goodbye” to Colorado Springs. There is so much more we could have done while here. We’ve already decided that we will return some day. This is definitely a city worth visting & exploring.
For photos of our escapades in the Colorado Springs area, please visit http://app.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/106189/.
At the base of the falls there is an Indian Dance Area, that we were fortunate enough to come upon just as a family of Native Americans were about to demonstrate various tribal dances. At the end of the program they invited all of the audience children to join the dancers, who were also children & teenagers. Shaun happily went up & danced a ring dance of friendship.
At the completion of the show, we turned around & steadied ourselves for our next climb. Two hundred twenty-four steps took us along side each waterfall in succession, such as Shorty, Bridal Veil, Ramona, & Feather. Then we followed the 1-mile long Inspiration Point trail, which leads to the spot where Helen Hunt Jackson sat while writing her novel “Ramona”. The scenery was astounding & ever-changing as the clouds & fog shifted along the canyons. Kimi decided to branch out into video documentories, & narrated many of our stopping points along the trail.
By the time we got back to the visitors center, it was around 2:30 pm & we were hungry, having already consumed our snack provisions on the trail. We found an interesting sounding restaurant in our guide book & drove to it. The Front Range Barbeque is just on the eastern border of the area known as historic Old Colorado City, which is the original center of town. Luck was definitely on our side: 1) we immediately found a parking spot right at the corner; 2) we were seated out on the street-side patio next to the street which allowed us to 3) watch the hundred or so classic cars drive down the street as they left the Car Cruise Festival that had just ended. They had been set up on the closed-to-traffic main street (West Colorado Ave., which is where our campground is also located). After our delicious lunch, we were able to stroll down the street, still blocked off, & see the few remaining cars.
As we walked back to our rental SUV, we passed through Bancroft Park, where a young couple, dressed in regular street clothes, danced ballroom style silently while a man videotaped them. After a few minutes of watching, he asked if we cared to be in the video! Turns out the young couple are soon to marry, & this was part of their wedding video. We happily applauded them while being filmed – strangers in a park congratulating the about-to-be-newlyweds.
There’s nothing like applauding someone to work up an appetite, so we drove into the downtown area to visit Cold Stone Creamery. We have a happy memory of eating at a Cold Stone Creamery in Boston with Val, Greg & Monica the weekend we all got to cruise Boston Harbor on the USS Constitution, so this seemed like a good bet. As it turned out, there was a music festival, in Spanish, going on in the park across the street. This apparently was Festivals in the Parks Day in Colorado Springs! The kids ran their little legs off in the playground while Phil & I listened to music.
A very full day. We’re a little sad to be saying “goodbye” to Colorado Springs. There is so much more we could have done while here. We’ve already decided that we will return some day. This is definitely a city worth visting & exploring.
For photos of our escapades in the Colorado Springs area, please visit http://app.tabblo.com/studio/stories/view/106189/.
Day 8: Fun Facts about Pikes Peak!
1803
Pikes Peak area obtained by the US as part of President Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase.
1806
President Jefferson dispatches Lt. Zebulon Montgomery Pike to determine the Louisiana Purchase’s southwestern borders. Pike attempts to climb what he thinks is the peak on November 24th, but is forced back by snow for which he was not prepared.
1850’s
“Pikes Peak or Bust” is painted on many gold seekers’ wagons on their way west.
1860
Construction of the Ute Pass wagon road begins. It is the 1st road through the valley northeast of Pikes Peak. US 24 now follows most of this route.
1894
When Katharine Lee Bates, a teacher from Massachusetts, traveled to Pikes Peak, she was inspired to write the words that would later become “America the Beautiful”.
2006
The Biegler-Yablonski clan accends to the summit, at an altitude of 14,110 feet above sea level. They breathed air that has only half the oxygen found a sea level. They braved the narrow, fog-covered, often guide rail-less hairpin turns, with Christine trying to use the passenger-side “invisible break” only about 3 dozen times. They chewed lots of gum & sipped lots of liquid beverages to compensate for the air pressure changes & lack of moisture in the air. They saw amazing views & will never forget this day.
Pikes Peak area obtained by the US as part of President Thomas Jefferson’s Louisiana Purchase.
1806
President Jefferson dispatches Lt. Zebulon Montgomery Pike to determine the Louisiana Purchase’s southwestern borders. Pike attempts to climb what he thinks is the peak on November 24th, but is forced back by snow for which he was not prepared.
1850’s
“Pikes Peak or Bust” is painted on many gold seekers’ wagons on their way west.
1860
Construction of the Ute Pass wagon road begins. It is the 1st road through the valley northeast of Pikes Peak. US 24 now follows most of this route.
1894
When Katharine Lee Bates, a teacher from Massachusetts, traveled to Pikes Peak, she was inspired to write the words that would later become “America the Beautiful”.
2006
The Biegler-Yablonski clan accends to the summit, at an altitude of 14,110 feet above sea level. They breathed air that has only half the oxygen found a sea level. They braved the narrow, fog-covered, often guide rail-less hairpin turns, with Christine trying to use the passenger-side “invisible break” only about 3 dozen times. They chewed lots of gum & sipped lots of liquid beverages to compensate for the air pressure changes & lack of moisture in the air. They saw amazing views & will never forget this day.
Day 7: August 18th - Birthday Surprises!
Happy Birthday, Christine!
Today is my birthday & my best present was Phil’s arrival in Colorado Springs. To make it even better – he was able to catch an earlier flight in Dallas/Ft. Worth, which enabled him to land here 2 hours earlier than planned. Of course, that meant I had to call up Enterprise this morning & ask them to pick me up at the campground earlier than scheduled, which they sort of managed to do.
After driving Phil to the RV, we decided to explore the very close by “Garden of the Gods”, a geological wonderland of amazing sculptural stone formations. Most are a stunning shade of red, just like what we saw in central Australia two years ago. However some are gray-brown to almost white – it all depends on the minerals & sediments that comprise the formation. We were able to drive a long winding roadway to see the various formations, with many stops for hiking & photography along the way. Our favourite spot was the “Balanced Rock” a 700 ton, 300 million year old rock formation that looks like a gigantic rock barely balancing on a relatively tiny pedestal. Although visitors are not permitted to climb, hike or walk on the rock formations, unless you have a permit for technical rock climbing, here we were all free to climb & pose on the rocks.
We thought it best to have an early dinner, since Phil woke up at 2:55am EST to get here! I had seen an advertisement for “The Melting Pot”, which is a fondue restaurant. We splurged on the special dinner, which included a cheese course with lots of yummy appetizers for dipping, then a salad course (no dipping, just dressing), followed by the main course of simmering broths in which we could cook our various meats (beef & chicken), raviolis & seafood (tiger shrimp & lobster tails). We also had an assortment of vegetables, but these weren’t as enticing. Finally, we had dessert – the Chocolate Course! It was extraordinary & the four of us didn’t even come close to finishing off the delicacies we had available to dip – but, boy, did we try!!
Happy sigh!
Today is my birthday & my best present was Phil’s arrival in Colorado Springs. To make it even better – he was able to catch an earlier flight in Dallas/Ft. Worth, which enabled him to land here 2 hours earlier than planned. Of course, that meant I had to call up Enterprise this morning & ask them to pick me up at the campground earlier than scheduled, which they sort of managed to do.
After driving Phil to the RV, we decided to explore the very close by “Garden of the Gods”, a geological wonderland of amazing sculptural stone formations. Most are a stunning shade of red, just like what we saw in central Australia two years ago. However some are gray-brown to almost white – it all depends on the minerals & sediments that comprise the formation. We were able to drive a long winding roadway to see the various formations, with many stops for hiking & photography along the way. Our favourite spot was the “Balanced Rock” a 700 ton, 300 million year old rock formation that looks like a gigantic rock barely balancing on a relatively tiny pedestal. Although visitors are not permitted to climb, hike or walk on the rock formations, unless you have a permit for technical rock climbing, here we were all free to climb & pose on the rocks.
We thought it best to have an early dinner, since Phil woke up at 2:55am EST to get here! I had seen an advertisement for “The Melting Pot”, which is a fondue restaurant. We splurged on the special dinner, which included a cheese course with lots of yummy appetizers for dipping, then a salad course (no dipping, just dressing), followed by the main course of simmering broths in which we could cook our various meats (beef & chicken), raviolis & seafood (tiger shrimp & lobster tails). We also had an assortment of vegetables, but these weren’t as enticing. Finally, we had dessert – the Chocolate Course! It was extraordinary & the four of us didn’t even come close to finishing off the delicacies we had available to dip – but, boy, did we try!!
Happy sigh!
Day 6: The long and winding road
It was another long day of driving, this time from central Kansas to Colorado Springs, CO – 430 miles! We hit rain after we crossed over into Colorado, but fortunately it didn’t last too long.
We are staying at the Garden of the Gods Campground, more in Manitou Springs than Colorado Springs, but the two communities seem to pretty much blend into each other. The campground is crowded. The sites are very close together & with the RV slides out, we all are just feet away from each other. Not my favourite way to camp – open the blinds & you’ve got no privacy.
Tomorrow we pick up Phil at the airport – I can’t wait!! We all miss him so much, even though it’s only been five days since we left home.
We are staying at the Garden of the Gods Campground, more in Manitou Springs than Colorado Springs, but the two communities seem to pretty much blend into each other. The campground is crowded. The sites are very close together & with the RV slides out, we all are just feet away from each other. Not my favourite way to camp – open the blinds & you’ve got no privacy.
Tomorrow we pick up Phil at the airport – I can’t wait!! We all miss him so much, even though it’s only been five days since we left home.
Day 5: Lions & Tigers & Bears - Oh, My!
We’ve been enjoying our driving break in Salina, Kansas. First of all, Kansas is beautiful. Yes, it’s flat, but then again, it’s not. The landscape has a lovely texture created by gently rolling hills. Fields may have crops or critters, usually cows, but sometimes pigs or horses. Small ponds, clusters of trees & shrubs & prarie grasses dot & color the scenery. It creates variety & is not at all boring to see. I know I had a preconceived idea of what I believed this region of the country would look like – I’m happy to write that I was wrong.
Kimi has become our resident photographer. She went out & aroundthe campground, Sundowner West, yesterday as the sun was starting to go hang low on the horizon. The soft light was perfect for her shots of the lake, picnic area & many, many resident white geese. When I can connect to the internet, I’ll download the photos so that you can see them, along with photos from today’s outing.
When we woke up this morning & lifted up the shades on the east side, we saw cows grazing in the adjoining field, the sun not quite above the hill. Very pretty.
Three miles down the road from the campground is Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, a zoological park & museum. We visited the zoo first. As it turns out, schools around here started up for the new year this week, so we were practically the only visitors – it felt like we had the place to ourselves.
We tried to get there before it got too hot (temperatures were predicted to get into the 90’s) to be able to see animals in motion. This worked out for us quite well. We could hear the male lion roaring before we saw him – he was in a mood! The primates were fun to watch. There was a capuchin monkey island where they busied themselves climbing & jumping. The giraffes were playing with each other by wrapping their long necks into & around each other. When Shaun & I approached the leopard area, one of the leopards looked at us, growled a grumpy complaint, got up & walked over to a shadier area.
The quieter animals include the wolves, tigers, rhinos, & wallabies. However, they were still laying where we could easily observe them.
After lunch we walked next door to the museum. We almost skipped it – it sounded a little...um…boring. How wrong we were! It was filled with huge dioramas of animal from many different geographical regions, along with animatronic “humans” of the time or region “talking” about that time or region. I know this sounds rather ho-hum, but we all loved it.
As if all this wasn’t enough, after we left Rolling Hills, we drove a ½ hour away to see something called Rock City. Existing 2½ miles southwest of Minneapolis, Kansas, is a group of concretions, spheriod masses of rock. At one time, the surface of the land was higher than it is at the present & the rock occupying this space was sandstone, a part of the Dakota sandstone which is the dominant bedrock in this part of Kansas. The sandstone was crossbedded & the individual grains of sand were loosely “cemented” together. Underground waters containing dissolved calcium carbonate circulated through the porous rock, leaving deposits. These deposits clumped up large enough to create large rock masses that could have eventually become one enormous rock, but instead experienced erosion from wind & rain. Now there are approximately 200 of these formations in Rock City, the only place in the world with such large samples of this geologic oddity.
The amazing thing is, visitors are allowed to climb on these huge rocks, which we happily did! Again, once we can upload photos, you’ll be able to see what I’m trying to describe.
Busy day, fun day. Tomorrow (Thursday) it’s a long
Kimi has become our resident photographer. She went out & aroundthe campground, Sundowner West, yesterday as the sun was starting to go hang low on the horizon. The soft light was perfect for her shots of the lake, picnic area & many, many resident white geese. When I can connect to the internet, I’ll download the photos so that you can see them, along with photos from today’s outing.
When we woke up this morning & lifted up the shades on the east side, we saw cows grazing in the adjoining field, the sun not quite above the hill. Very pretty.
Three miles down the road from the campground is Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, a zoological park & museum. We visited the zoo first. As it turns out, schools around here started up for the new year this week, so we were practically the only visitors – it felt like we had the place to ourselves.
We tried to get there before it got too hot (temperatures were predicted to get into the 90’s) to be able to see animals in motion. This worked out for us quite well. We could hear the male lion roaring before we saw him – he was in a mood! The primates were fun to watch. There was a capuchin monkey island where they busied themselves climbing & jumping. The giraffes were playing with each other by wrapping their long necks into & around each other. When Shaun & I approached the leopard area, one of the leopards looked at us, growled a grumpy complaint, got up & walked over to a shadier area.
The quieter animals include the wolves, tigers, rhinos, & wallabies. However, they were still laying where we could easily observe them.
After lunch we walked next door to the museum. We almost skipped it – it sounded a little...um…boring. How wrong we were! It was filled with huge dioramas of animal from many different geographical regions, along with animatronic “humans” of the time or region “talking” about that time or region. I know this sounds rather ho-hum, but we all loved it.
As if all this wasn’t enough, after we left Rolling Hills, we drove a ½ hour away to see something called Rock City. Existing 2½ miles southwest of Minneapolis, Kansas, is a group of concretions, spheriod masses of rock. At one time, the surface of the land was higher than it is at the present & the rock occupying this space was sandstone, a part of the Dakota sandstone which is the dominant bedrock in this part of Kansas. The sandstone was crossbedded & the individual grains of sand were loosely “cemented” together. Underground waters containing dissolved calcium carbonate circulated through the porous rock, leaving deposits. These deposits clumped up large enough to create large rock masses that could have eventually become one enormous rock, but instead experienced erosion from wind & rain. Now there are approximately 200 of these formations in Rock City, the only place in the world with such large samples of this geologic oddity.
The amazing thing is, visitors are allowed to climb on these huge rocks, which we happily did! Again, once we can upload photos, you’ll be able to see what I’m trying to describe.
Busy day, fun day. Tomorrow (Thursday) it’s a long
Day 4: The measure of things
4
The number of days traveled thus far.
1637
The amount of miles driven, approximately.
9
The number of states we’ve been through.
100
The maximum amount in dollars that I’ve been able to charge at the gas pump per swipe. Sometimes it only allows $75, requiring two swipes.
2
The number of days we’re staying in Salina, Kansas, before departing for Colorado.
3
The number of days until my birthday!
0300
The hour that in military time is approximately when Phil is picked up by the car service at our house on Friday to get to Logan Airport in order to fly to Colorado Springs to join me on my birthday.
Infinite
How much I love him!
The number of days traveled thus far.
1637
The amount of miles driven, approximately.
9
The number of states we’ve been through.
100
The maximum amount in dollars that I’ve been able to charge at the gas pump per swipe. Sometimes it only allows $75, requiring two swipes.
2
The number of days we’re staying in Salina, Kansas, before departing for Colorado.
3
The number of days until my birthday!
0300
The hour that in military time is approximately when Phil is picked up by the car service at our house on Friday to get to Logan Airport in order to fly to Colorado Springs to join me on my birthday.
Infinite
How much I love him!
Day 3: The rain on the plains
Well, this was a l-o-n-g day of driving. Even though we headed out from New Columbia, OH, at 815am, we didn’t get to the campground in Mulberry Grove, IL, until 6:30pm EST. Thank goodness we gained an hour when we crossed the time line. Construction delays were terrible & long-lasting, especially in Indiana. One nasty merge-to-one-lane area cost us ½ hour on our estimated time of arrival according to Gypsy.
Adding to the endless feeling of driving, the landscape really flattened out today. No more Appalachian or Allegany mountains – now it’s huge acres of farmland. We passed many signs explaining that we were seeing hybrid corn crops or soybeans to be used for biofuels.
We had to travel through some passing rain showers, but nothing heavy or sustained. However, to our south, we kept noticing towering clouds of varying scariness. Each time we thought, “Oh, oh, now we’re going to get it”, we pass by unscathed. I could see the very deep darkness behind us in the rear view mirrors & thanked the travel gods for their protection. All I wanted was to be able to get to camp & hook up without it raining on me! As I’m typing, I can see dark, thick clouds closing in. Will we get rain? I don’t know. Only the wind knows.
Adding to the endless feeling of driving, the landscape really flattened out today. No more Appalachian or Allegany mountains – now it’s huge acres of farmland. We passed many signs explaining that we were seeing hybrid corn crops or soybeans to be used for biofuels.
We had to travel through some passing rain showers, but nothing heavy or sustained. However, to our south, we kept noticing towering clouds of varying scariness. Each time we thought, “Oh, oh, now we’re going to get it”, we pass by unscathed. I could see the very deep darkness behind us in the rear view mirrors & thanked the travel gods for their protection. All I wanted was to be able to get to camp & hook up without it raining on me! As I’m typing, I can see dark, thick clouds closing in. Will we get rain? I don’t know. Only the wind knows.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Day 2: Starbucks Salvation!
Five hours of driving, 1 more to go. We had left Nittany Mtn Campground at 8:30am , an excellent starting time. After filling the gas tank (2 swipes of my AmEx card) we rumbled down I-80 heading west. Hilly two-lane interstate highways are not fun to navigate in a large vehicle, even on a Sunday morning. Lots of big rigs & slow moving cars that don’t want an RV in front of them, but don’t necessarily want to drive the speed limit either. It’s hard to pass them quickly so that you don’t end up blocking the faster traffic, but frustrating to be lumbering behind them, too.
We took two breaks along the way, & by 3pm I was getting tired. The kids were on the phone with Phil when I saw it – a Starbucks symbol on the upcoming exit sign! It was beautiful!!
It turned out to be part of a Popeyes & Quickie Mart station. I got my grande soy iced mocha & drank in the magic. Suddenly my headache began to ease, the tension in my shoulders relaxed, birds sang & I think I heard a harp off in the distance. Ahhh…
We took two breaks along the way, & by 3pm I was getting tired. The kids were on the phone with Phil when I saw it – a Starbucks symbol on the upcoming exit sign! It was beautiful!!
It turned out to be part of a Popeyes & Quickie Mart station. I got my grande soy iced mocha & drank in the magic. Suddenly my headache began to ease, the tension in my shoulders relaxed, birds sang & I think I heard a harp off in the distance. Ahhh…
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