May 5, 2012 ~ UTAH’S SCENIC SOUTHWEST
Greetings from Hurricane, UT. We parked in this small town just a few minutes north of St. George in Utah’s far southwest for about a month. It was a little chilly when we arrived in April, but within a week or so, things got pretty toasty. Willowind RV Park is a clean, quiet, well manicured park having all the conveniences within a short walk or drive. Hurricane is a nice town with some lovely homes and pretty neighborhoods surrounding the RV Park. On a bike ride around town during our first week, we discovered Sky Mountain Golf Course, a beautiful public course run by the city with picture-perfect panoramic views. We also took a short drive to the Old Silver Reef Mining Town. What was once a thriving silver mining town with more than 100 businesses nearly 140 years ago, is now a ghost town surrounded by an upscale community of private homes. A few photos are included in the “Hurricane UT Area” album.
Zion National Park’s main entrance is a short 25 minute drive from our home-base so we were able to take two separate day trips into the Park. The first trip was into Kolob Canyons, the smaller, quieter arm of Zion located at a separate entrance northwest of the main park. It’s very picturesque, and even with a snowstorm the night before our visit, there were only traces of snow on the ground. Our second trip was back into the main park to take the shuttle up the canyon along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, the only means of seeing places like Weeping Rock, The Grotto, Emerald Pools and Temple of Sinawava from spring through fall. The shuttle runs frequently and the crowds had not yet inundated the park so we were able to hop on and off and spend time at most of the stops. We did quite a bit of hiking and got off the beaten path to see some incredible sights. At the end of the day as I continued to stop for photos, Joe was like a horse going back to the barn; he had seen enough rocks. The “Zion 2012” album has some nice shots; the first several are Kolob, the balance are in the main park, and the last few shots are from Joe’s album.
And now, for the highlight; my save-the-best-for-last trip; Bryce Canyon National Park. Did you ever find yourself in one of God’s perfect places and feel an overwhelming sense of gratefulness? Bryce gives you that feeling. At least it did for us. We gave thanks and commented to each other, as we do quite often, how lucky we are to be able to see so many spectacular wonders.
The park is about 36,000 acres and ranges in elevation from 6,620’ to 9,115’. It is called a “canyon”, but technically it’s not since it isn’t carved by flowing water. As in most natural wonders, the geologic history of Bryce is rich and complex dating back hundreds of millions of years, and would take a lot more than this blog post to explain. The condensed version goes like this: The progression of these interesting formations goes from ‘fins’ to ‘windows’ to ‘hoodoos’. The unique Hoodoos, the park’s main attraction, are pinnacles left standing by the forces of erosion. Naturally acidic rainwater dissolves limestone making the rounded edges of hoodoos, but the freezing and thawing of water does most of the sculpting at Bryce Canyon. About 200 days a year, ice and snow melt during the day, then refreeze and expand at night, exerting massive pressure on the rocks forcing them apart from inside the cracks. As the fractures that were created during uplift and faulting are attacked, the rock is chiseled into broken remains. Monsoon rains remove the debris helping to reveal fins. Next, frost wedging cracks the fins making holes called windows, and finally windows collapse creating the rust-painted pinnacles called hoodoos. In reality, the creation of hoodoos is just another step in water’s endless process of destroying the rocks it began creating 55 million years ago.
Bryce was a 2 ½ hour drive from Hurricane, so it limited our in-park time a bit. We did make the entire scenic drive and saw most highlights along the way, but there are so many trails to hike and different scenery, it would be great to get back there someday. It’s a special place and one of our all-time favorites. Check out the “Bryce 2012” album.
Well, it’s just about time for us to pack up and hit the road again; onward and upward to Island Park, Idaho. Next stop, Harriman State Park.April 8, 2012 ~ MORE RED ROCK CANYON, Leaving Nevada
As an addendum to the last post, we did get back to Red Rock to do more hiking, but it appears that if we wait for Joe to write a post and share his photos, we may never see them. So, here they are: “Joe’s Red Rock Photos”. Check out the cute little 3 wheeled cars in the album; “Scoot City” must be some kind of tour group. Five months have passed since we arrived here in Pahrump and we will be pulling out on Friday. The next stop will be Southern Utah just north of St. George where we’ll stay for a month. It’ll give us plenty of time to visit the National Parks in the area before heading up to Idaho for the summer. Hope to have a post from So. Utah soon!
March 2, 2012 ~ THE DESERT-RED ROCK CANYON, NEVADA
Ok, so we’re still here. I know, in the last post I said we were getting itchy, but here we are. We’re still parked in Pahrump, but we’re relaxing and havin’ a good time. The good news; my foot is back to normal, and none too soon. I’m a happy camper. Needless to say, we’ve been walking, (and walking, and walking). I’m like Forrest Gump; maybe I’ll be walking by your house before you know it.
Yesterday we headed into Vegas to do a little shopping and stopped on the way to hike in Red Rock Canyon. Located just a few short miles west of Summerlin in west Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is a stark contrast to the hustle, bustle and bright lights of Las Vegas. This place is beautiful, and so cool; an unexpected desert gem so close to a metropolitan city. You could hike in here every day for months, maybe years, and still find hidden spots and new places to explore. The mountains in the area, some reaching nearly 3,000 feet, are fossilized sand dunes, and the sandstone rocks get their vibrant color from iron oxide. This amazing area is full of desert plants and animals including burros and wild horses, coyotes and bighorn sheep, bobcats and mountain lions, and rabbits and desert tortoise.
The 13 mile scenic loop beginning at the visitor’s center is well-planned with several parking lots along the route for easy access to 19 trails. Each trail, ranging from easy to strenuous, provides a different experience with sites such as limestone Indian agave roasting pits, pictographs, unique rock formations, natural springs, and waterfalls cascading into the canyon. Besides hiking, visitors also enjoy jogging, biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, photography and simply taking in the spectacular scenery. In fact, with more than 2,000 climbing sites, Red Rock is one of the top five climbing destinations in the U.S. We’d planned a vigorous hike, and did do a lot of climbing and rock scrambling, but admittedly, a lot of time was spent photographing the “Red Rock Canyon” album. I tried to get some perspective of how large these rocks are, but you have to look closely for the rock climbers and hikers as the rock formations provide great camouflage. We’re fortunate that Joe has been working out, and you’ll see that he lifted a huge boulder out of the way to make the hike a bit easier for his favorite gal.
We can’t wait to go back soon, and visit often, so there is no doubt you’ll see more of this spectacular area in future albums.
January 27, 2012 ~ HANGIN’ OUT IN THE DESERT
From Brigham City UT, we headed into central California to have some work done on the coach, and then found time for a short visit with our family in Southern California before heading to southern Nevada. We’d planned on volunteering at the Lake Mead National Recreation area near Boulder City NV for the winter, but circumstances beyond our control ended our stay there before it began. In order to regroup, we headed west to Pahrump about an hour northwest of Las Vegas. We took a site at one of the casino RV Parks in town, and wouldn’t cha know it, the very next day I broke my foot (…yes, again!, for those who know me). So that pretty much solidified our plans, at least for awhile. I’m still not back to normal, but hopefully soon. I love my daily walks and I’m getting very anxious. I haven’t even been able to trek around and photograph the area. Oh well, it’s given Joe time to take care of his medical appointments while we’re in the area. We also had a nice visit with our friend Dick from Mesquite, who by the way, is a VERY bad influence. We partied like it was 1999, and the next day we all realized we’re not as young as we used to be. Shame on you, Dick; why did you force us to drink so much! Well, I guess this became our winter home, whether or not we planned on it. We’ll sit tight for awhile longer, but I think we’re all getting hitch itch (Roxy and Bella included), so it’s almost time to hook ‘er up and move along!
November 23, 2011 ~ TRAVELING THROUGH UTAH
Our first stop traveling south from Idaho’s Harriman SP in mid-September was Northern Utah. We volunteered for several weeks at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Brigham City. This large refuge, a key part of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, consists of nearly 80,000 acres of marsh, open water and uplands providing habitat for about 200 species of birds along the Pacific flyway. Joe spent some of his time out on the refuge assisting law enforcement, and I spent most of my time in the fabulous Visitor Education Center and Avocet Bookstore. This fairly new facility is one of the nicest we’ve seen in our travels. It is aesthetically beautiful and houses state-of-the-art facilities including a teaching lab and classrooms, interactive exhibit hall, theater, auditorium, bookstore, and much more. Kinda looks like an airline terminal…incredible! Once again, the staff was wonderful and we met a lot of great people. And if I’ve failed to mention this, one of the many nice things about volunteering is that they really appreciate you….and they show it. They’re very generous with their thanks and verbalize it often, unlike a lot of the private parks. They gave us an unexpected send off with lunch and a “thank you” cake, which we greatly appreciate. You’ll see our smiling faces (in a photo taken by Joe Moran) in the “Northern Utah” photo album. During our stay here, we took only one trip up to Logan and hiked to the wind cave, and I didn’t do any photographing around the refuge, so it’s a small album. I have a couple of images of the lovely Mormon Temples, but someday I’ll have to dedicate an entire album to these beautiful churches. One note of photo credit; I took only one photo of the refuge from our RV site at the bunkhouse, so the 2 shots of the visitor center--exterior and interior—were obtained from the web.
As long as we’re talking about Utah, I’ll post some images of Zion National Park and southern UT, a trip we took back in January of 2011. At the time, we buzzed in and out of the park quickly and I held the photos hoping for another Zion trip for some more interesting images. But, since we don’t know when we’ll go back, I’ll share these photos in the “Zion 2011” album and hope for some better shots another time. See ya back here next time!
October 5, 2011 ~ HARRIMAN ST PK, Island Park ID
At the end of July, we settled in at Harriman State Park in Island Park ID, about 35 miles south of West Yellowstone MT. As we approached, our heads were bobbing back and forth trying to take in the beauty of this special area; big trees, lush green forests, cool blue rivers and streams, snow-capped mountains, and colorful wildflowers….everything we love! Due to a late winter and wet spring, the wildflowers this year were exceptional, lining the highway as well as blanketing most of the park.
In addition to the spectacular scenery and the abundant wildlife including bear, elk, moose, deer and North America’s largest waterfowl, the Trumpeter Swan, Harriman is rich in history with its roots dating back to the early 1900’s. We were fortunate to sign on for a short volunteer position at the park to give guided tours of the historic buildings, also known as The Railroad Ranch. For decades, it was a working cattle ranch as well as a hunting and fishing retreat for it’s wealthy owners including, among others, the Harrimans and the Guggenheims, both from New York. Most of the early shareholders were railroad men associated with the Oregon Short Line, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad. In fact, when you look at the photo of their dining cottage, you’ll notice the table set with china, stemware and silver from the Union Pacific dining cars. Many other cottages also have furnishings influenced by the railroad. E. H. Harriman, Chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad, purchased one of the five shares a few years after its inception sight unseen, but died the following year and never visited The Ranch. Mr. Harriman’s wife and children continued the legacy and visited the Ranch for many years. I wish I had the time and space to tell you all about it; it’s really interesting. Preserving and protecting this prime wildlife habitat was a concern for all the shareholders and was a major reason the Harriman’s decided to donate this spectacular property to the State of Idaho. In fact, the Harriman’s donated additional land in their home state of New York which is also called Harriman State Park.
Today, Harriman State Park of Idaho draws thousands of anglers to the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, a world class trout stream that meanders 8 miles through the park. Visitors also enjoy more than 20 miles of non-motorized hiking, biking and horseback riding trails in summer and fall, and cross country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. A few of the historic buildings are open as rentals offering comfortable, charming accommodations in the heart of this recreational wonderland. In the "Harriman St Pk" album, you’ll see what we saw as we gave our historic tours, and as we hiked and biked over the trails and through the woods.
During our brief stay here, we took a little time to tour a few of the local sites. Mesa Falls is a short drive from Harriman down a Scenic Byway and is managed by the folks at Harriman. The Johnny Sack cabin is located on the crystal clear waters of Big Springs. John was a German cabinet maker, 4 feet 11” tall, who came to the US in his 20’s as one of Island Park’s early settlers. He began construction of his unique cabin in 1929. Many of the features are on a smaller scale, perfect for his small stature. These images can be viewed in the "Island Park Area" album.
We also visited Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks during our Harriman stay. Photos from these trips appeared in the previous post.
This beautiful, peaceful area was a great home for a short 7 weeks. In fact, we enjoyed it so much, we’ll be back next June to spend the summer here again. But for now, we are heading south, on to the next adventure in search of a winter homeSeptember 15, 2011 ~ YELLOWSTONE and GRAND TETON NAT’L PARKS
Yellowstone is defined by geysers, mudpots, fumaroles and hot springs, not to mention the wildlife; moose and elk, bighorn sheep and pronghorn, grizzlies and black bear, wolves and coyotes, beavers and otters, and of course, bison. Birds of prey fly high, and Trumpeter Swans grace the waters while Yellowstone cutthroat trout live below. It is truly a unique place.
On a rainy gray afternoon in late July, we drove the short 35 mile route from our site at Harriman State Park in Island Park ID to the Yellowstone National Park entrance in West Yellowstone, MT. Getting a late start wasn’t of concern as we were close enough to take a sneak peak and then return another day. Even though the weather was gloomy and it was mid-week, there were plenty of visitors and minor traffic jams at the site of every elk. We made it as far as Old Faithful and the massive crowd was just dispersing as we had missed the geyser’s eruption by about 3 minutes. Our second trip in August began earlier in the day, allowing us to make it around the center loop of the park. We were told that Lamar Valley in the northeast corner of the park would be the best place to see wildlife in early morning or evening, but the timing wasn’t right and we didn’t venture that far. Just south of Canyon Village in the middle of the park is Artist Point, and Lower and Upper Falls. At Lower Falls, a parking area and short walk allowed us to get next to a rushing river and beautiful waterfall complete with a rainbow halo at its base. At the end of the Artist Point drive, the distant view of Upper Falls through the canyon was spectacular and the colors of the canyon walls were an artist’s palette; true to the name. Further along in Hayden Valley we got up close and personal with a large herd of bison who have come to own the road, and who decide when and where to stop the flow of traffic. With so much of Yellowstone left to explore, we’ll have to make a return visit. Images from these trips are in the "Yellowstone NP" album.
There aren’t too many landscapes that compare with Grand Teton National Park. (Photos are in the "Grand Teton NP" album.) On August 8th when we visited, the weather was beautiful and the crowds were nearly non-existent, unlike Yellowstone. Although The Tetons share Yellowstone’s geologic nature, instead of rising steam, this National Park greets you with huge jagged snow capped peaks surrounded by high-elevation canyons. In addition to the alpine vistas, the other natural communities shape the Park’s scenery; lush green forests, sagebrush flats, meadows and wetlands, ponds, rivers, and beautiful alpine lakes. This park took my breath away and it will yours when you visit. We ended our trip to the Grand Tetons with a pizza in Jackson WY, and then headed back over the pass to our comfortable home in Island Park.August 22, 2011 ~ CRATERS OF THE MOON, Southern Idaho
Traveling east from the Boise area during the last week of July, we opted for scenic Route 20 instead of I-84, taking us past the strange but scenic landscape of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. The park offers lava tubes, cinder cones, camping, hiking, caving, and of course bat-watching. We made a short trip in and out, with a walk around the easy loop trail, and then hit the road moving on to our final destination. Check out the “Craters of the Moon” album.
July 18, 2011 ~ SW IDAHO: BOISE, MOUNTAINS, WILDLIFE REFUGE
We left the Nevada desert at the end of April, and after cruising leisurely through California and eastern Oregon, we arrived in Southwestern Idaho the 3rd week of May. Our first stop was a quiet country park in north Caldwell northwest of Boise, where we spent a week. During our stay there we took a drive north through the Boise National Forest along the pretty Payette River Scenic Byway past Cascade Lake and up to McCall. Our intent was to then travel east toward Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, but with the Memorial Day weekend approaching, we thought it wise to sit tight for a few days. We planned to stop at the Elks Lodge in Mountain Home, ID until just after the holiday weekend, but wound up staying 10 days waiting for the weather to turn. While we waited, we took a trip along the Sawtooth Scenic Byway up through Ketchum, Hailey and as far north as Stanley. The Sawtooth Nat’l Recreation Area, Salmon River and Redfish Lake near Stanley are beautiful. As of June 4th, quite a bit of snow remained, and old man winter didn’t seem ready to leave! With the rivers at flood stage and weather posing a problem for travel, we were still unable to head east to the National Parks, so we put it on hold for awhile. In the meantime, we landed a volunteer position with the US Fish & Wildlife Service, so we took the short trip back from Mountain Home to the Boise area to settle in for a few weeks. A few shots of the Boise area (the rose garden and the Boise River in the heart of the city), as well as photos of the 2 scenic trips can be seen in the “Boise & Mtn Areas ” album.
We’re currently volunteering at Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge in Nampa, just west of Boise, and have met another wonderful group of people. We’re helping with various educational and outreach projects and events, and are enjoying living at the lake with the wildlife. There are ducks and birds, coyotes and marmots, squirrels and rabbits, and of course, lots of deer. I’ve become quite involved with all my furry friends who hang out in our yard, especially my little marmot buddy.
We staffed a booth at the Lavender Festival last weekend and the sweet, soothing smell of the lavender fields is still with us. It was a “you-pick” festival (…and we picked!), but by the time I got my photos, the beautiful round bushes of bright bluish-purple were almost unrecognizable. The “Deer Flat NWR” album includes images of the Refuge, our 4-legged neighbors, and some of the outreach events we hosted. Our 7 weeks here will end in a few days and we’ll finally head east. Our next volunteer position will be at a State Park in Eastern Idaho, just west of Yellowstone and the Tetons, where we’ll stay for 2 months, affording us lots of time to explore that beautiful area. Hope to have some nice images next time you stop by!May 14, 2011 ~ DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK
Who would think the hottest, driest, lowest location in the U.S. with the word “death” in its name could be so beautiful. In early December, late in the afternoon we entered the park with just a couple of hours of daylight left. As we drove to our first stop at Zabriskie Point, we were greeted with different textures and shapes, and layers upon layers of different colored swirls and mounds. My first impression was a smooth soft dish of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Over at the Artist’s Palette, the chocolate-fudge ice cream hills included a hint of pistachio with a little blueberry mixed in. The colors of the volcanic and sedimentary hills here were incredible; browns and tans, greens and purples - truly amazing. Just up the road is the Gold Canyon Trail. We wandered through the twisting narrows and rock formations taking time to appreciate the geological stories that the layers reveal. Since the light was fading quickly, we called it a day and planned to revisit during our next trip through the area.
Our second trip into the park was at the end of March and began at Dante’s View, an awesome mountain-top overlook more than 5,000 feet above Badwater Basin with the surrounding snowcapped mountains in the distance. Next, just before Stovepipe Wells Village lies Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes rising nearly 100 feet from the Flat. Although I would have liked to visit later in the day to capture the ripples and patterns accentuated in the late afternoon light, our stop in late morning was worthwhile and allowed us to view tracks of nocturnal wildlife before they were disturbed. A little further along, we traveled up a long, bumpy, washboard dirt road toward Mosaic Canyon. Joe was not too happy, but obliged me as he always does. But, we both agreed that what was waiting for us was well worth the grueling drive. This narrow, polished marble-walled canyon was an incredible site and one more example of the area’s geological diversity. The midday light made photographing difficult, and once again, you just have to see it for yourself. The next stop was Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in the U.S. at 282 feet below sea level. The vast salt flats look and feel like a firm snow pack. On the way out of the park, we took the long road south past the Ashford Mill ruins and out through Shoshone.
Sometimes it’s hard to capture the true beauty of God’s awesome creations, but the images in the “Death Valley” album will give you a taste of what to expect if you visit. Even with 2 trips into the park, we only scratched the surface of this massive wonder. Perhaps we’ll have the opportunity to return again.January 22, 2011 ~ THE DESERT-MINING & GHOST TOWNS
Gunfights, wild burros and nostalgic tales of gold ….that’s Oatman! East of the Colorado River between Bullhead City and Needles along Historic Rt. 66 lies the authentic old western town of Oatman, AZ (see it in the “Oatman, Arizona” album). In the heyday, the town produced millions of dollars in gold, but, like the typical stories of boom to bust, Oatman was no different. When things dried up, the miners released the burros they had brought with them in the late 1800’s, and their descendants roam the streets today. As with many old western towns, fired destroyed most of the buildings, but the Oatman Hotel built in 1902 was spared. Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned here in March 1939, and their honeymoon suite is still one of the major attractions.
On a different trip across I-40 near Barstow CA in late December, we decided on a whim to swing by Calico Ghost Town. We’d seen the sign many times but had never visited. It was now very late in the afternoon just before sunset. We made our way about 6 miles from I-40 to the parking area and hustled to walk the town before dark. Developed in 1881 in the little town of Yermo, Calico was the largest silver mining camp in California from 1881 to 1896. By 1896 the silver rush had ended, and by 1904 Calico had become a ghost town. But, this historic little mining town lives on. One-third of Calico's original structures still stand and the remaining buildings have been reconstructed. Several rock and mud structures line the streets including the remains of the Maggie Mining Company, Hank’s Hotel, a couple of Saloons and downtown stores, and a neat little home made out of bottles. You’ll see the town in our “Calico Ghost Town” album.January 4, 2011 ~ THE DESERT-MOHAVE NAT'L PRESERVE
About 50 miles northwest of Needles California in the Mohave National Preserve is the underground cave system of Mitchell Caverns. The history of the stalactite and stalagmite formations begins millions of years ago, and is an interesting story. Visit www.mitchell-caverns.com if you’d like to learn more. Discovered by Jack Mitchell while out prospecting for silver, the Cavern’s have been turned over to the California State Park system. Mitchell’s home, an old rock abode that blends perfectly with its surroundings, is now the visitor center. It isn’t as big as Arizona’s Kartchner Caverns, but is still worth visiting. Tours are only offered on weekends, and with the Saturday tour sold out when we arrived, we were fortunate to be invited to join a friendly, considerate family for a private tour. As I tried to photograph the challenging underground scenery, I trailed behind the group and was disciplined by the park ranger for not keeping up. Hence, I wasn’t able to get the photos I wanted. Our visit is pictured in the “Mohave National Preserve” album. Just north of the Caverns also in the National Preserve, we discovered ‘Hole-in-the-Wall’, an area of unusual rock formations. During millions of years of volcanic eruptions, uneven cooling and gases created holes in the layers of lava and ash. Erosion enlarged the holes, and over time, wind and rain transformed the landscape into its present condition. The caverns and narrow canyons between these rock walls are a fun place to explore, and with the help of metal rings mounted in the rocks on the Rings Trail, it’s possible to ascend down into the canyon for a walk along its floor. See you in a bit for more desert fun!
December 14, 2010 ~ SOUTHERN NEVADA PETROGLYPHS
Just west of the Colorado River town of Laughlin Nevada lies Spirit Mountain and Grapevine Canyon, a great hiking area full of history. Not too far from the trailhead parking area at the end of Christmas Tree Pass is one of the earliest and largest petroglyph sites in Southern Nevada. The native rocks, darkened with desert varnish, have been chipped or scratched displaying the art work of the tribes indigenous to this area. We had a great day climbing the hills, ducking into caves, winding through rocks and ravines, and exploring the early Americans’ backyard. The images in the "Laughlin NV Petroglyphs" album convey what we saw, but not what we felt as we paused to reflect on the fact that our ancestors sat carving rocks on the very ground where we stood. It was, and is, a sacred place.
November 26, 2010 ~ THE GRAND CANYON
We arrived at the entrance gate at the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park about 2:00 pm on a Sunday in November which gave us 2 or 3 hours to check things out the first day. The conditions on this day were hazy smog, which happens often in The Canyon according to the information we read. Our second full day there was cloudy, gray and overcast, with a period of rain and hail. An evening snow shower was underway when we went to dinner leaving a little more than a trace in the morning, but the day warmed with beautiful blue skies.
The initial approach to the rim is quite overwhelming and almost takes your breath away. The rocks exposed within the Grand Canyon vary in color and in age with the oldest rocks in the inner gorge at the bottom dating back an unimaginable 1,840 million years!!! We walked the rim trail stopping every other step, each of us with camera in hand trying to capture the grandeur of this incredible place. Needless to say we wound up with hundreds of images. Both of us contributed to the "Grand Canyon" album. We hope you enjoy it.
On our way into the park on day two, a herd of elk just inside the forest at the edge of the road had attracted quite a crowd. People abandoned their vehicles right where they stopped to get a closer look. I’ve never been that close, and with their huge racks, they appear enormous. Fortunately, they were very well behaved. I respect my hunter friends, but all I could think of being so close to these gentle creatures was ‘how could you shoot such a beautiful animal?’
At the east end of the park’s South Rim is the Desert View Watchtower. Built in 1932, it is not a restoration or copy of any particular Indian building, but a re-creation of the strange prehistoric towers found scattered over large areas of the Southwest. Pictographs representing Indian ceremonial paintings and designs adorn the inside walls and ceilings of the tower, and are still preserved in some of the ancient ruins of the Southwest.
The Tusayan Ruins at the east end of the south rim offers a glimpse of Indian life at the Grand Canyon 800 years ago, with the well preserved remains of an ancestral Puebloan village. The Tusayan Museum houses artifacts that span the last 10,000 years. Some of most fascinating pieces found in the Grand Canyon and my personal favorites were the split-twig figurines. The little deer-type figure in my photo was created with only one twig, split down the middle and then carefully folded into an animal shape. While their exact function remains a mystery, recent research suggests that they were totems associated with the Late Archaic hunting and gathering culture. Their occurrence in remote, relatively inaccessible uninhabited caves indicates that these figurines were not toys. They are usually found under rock cairns, indicating careful placement.
It’s uplifting to spend time in this remarkable place, wondering what life was like thousands of years ago for the earliest humans and trying to fathom that this immense work of nature began to take form almost 6 million years ago. The Grand Canyon---one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and one of Earth’s most powerful and inspiring landscapes.
October 8, 2010 ~ LEAVING WASHINGTON, The Adventure Continues…
Once again, the season has come to an end up here in the great northwest and it’s time to say good-bye to this beautiful area and the friends we leave behind. It’s been a great summer and we’ve really enjoyed our stay. We’ve been working full time (or more!), so we haven’t done a lot of traveling this season. But, we did manage a short day trip along a portion of the International Selkirk Loop as far north as the beautiful city of Nelson, British Columbia. Tucked in between the lush Selkirk Mountains along the shores of Kootenay Lake, Nelson offers incredible scenery, Victorian heritage architecture, and an abundance of recreational opportunities year around.
At the end of July on the last day of Jason & Scott’s visit, Scott witnessed a lightning bolt strike a tree along the creek sending smoke in the air and exploding bark for 60 yards in all directions. The rest of us experienced the loudest crack you can imagine. The bolt split the very large tree in half, but it’s still standing. Naturally, it was the excitement of the day; the thoughtful neighbors pitched right in on the cleanup and the other residents stopped by for a look at the damage. The tree and the lot owner’s deck will be taken down this fall.
Most of the images in the final photo album "Skookum Summer 2010" are taken around the resort: the day a rogue llama came trotting through, the aftermath of the lightning strike on the tree, fishing on the dock after sunset, and some hazy "Chinese-silk-painting-type" sunset images after the wildfires in BC. We’ll post again from the road….wherever that leads!!
August 30, 2010 ~ FAMILY FUN in NE WASHINGTON
It’s hard to believe fall is already approaching here in the Northwest. Nights and mornings are getting very cool and the hot days of summer have given way to picture perfect afternoons with lots of sunny blue skies, puffy clouds and perfect temperatures. We’ve worked very hard this summer and although it’s been a very tough real estate market, we’ve managed to make a few sales the last few weeks.
July was a fun family month. We enjoyed a visit from Mindy near the beginning of the month, and Jason and Scott came at the end. Our friends Roger & Betty let us borrow their canoe (thanks, guys!), and we had fun paddling on the river. We took a day drive with Mindy through Idaho and into Montana; walked through the Cedars, stopped at Kootenai Falls and the Swinging Bridge, and had a couple beers in Sandpoint. Check out the "Mindy’s WA Visit " album. Jason and Scott stopped for a short visit on their way to Montana to hike and camp in the back country. They canoed at dusk on the peaceful Pend Oreille and had a good time fishing for Northern Pike. Take a look at the photos in the "Jason-Scott WA Visit " album.
Well, that’s about it for now, but stop back for some final images from our summer stay here in Usk.
May 29, 2010 ~ LIVING and WORKING AT SKOOKUM
In mid-April we arrived back at Skookum Rendezvous RV Resort, the beautiful deeded resort in NE Washington where we spent last summer. As mentioned in a previous post, we are working full time in the sales office helping the developers with lot sales. We’ve had our hands full getting organized before the season gets into full swing and the summer residents and guests arrive. The weather hasn’t been cooperating, so some of the snowbirds are waiting it out in Arizona, So. Cal and parts south until it heats up there….and heats up here! We’ve had a bit more rain than folks are used to, and nights and days have been cool. But I’m not complaining….it will heat up soon enough! Since we’ve been working our butts off, I haven’t had much time to take photos and we haven’t taken any trips, but for now, I’ll leave you with just a few photos in the "Skookum Spring 2010 " album until we have more leisure time. The images include 'our lot and view', 'neighbors Danny & Mo', 'a foggy morning', and 'dinner with friends' around the feeder. Thanks for visiting and see you back here next time.
March 25, 2010 ~ UPDATE FROM THE N. CAL COAST
Once again, our stay at Bodega Bay is coming to an end. It’s been another great 6 months here on the beautiful Sonoma Coast, despite a wetter winter this year compared to last. In December, we swapped Bella for a larger coach and just took delivery at the beginning of March. We’re excited about the extra space, the new features that make Joe’s life a lot easier, and the bigger kitchen that makes my life easier. Now, we just have to get used to pulling this big rig behind us! The other big highlight of this season was Mindy’s visit last week. It was a short 4 days, but we had a blast hanging out and doing some wine tasting. The final photos in the "Sonoma & Marin County" album include more local animals and scenery, Dillon’s Beach and Lawson’s Landing camp area, shots of the new rig, and a couple of Mindy’s visit. Also included are images of Patrick Amiot’s urban folk art that can be found all around the area, particularly on Florence Ave in Sebastapol where he lives. Google him or go to patrickamiot.com to read about how he turns trash to treasures while raising funds for schools and adding whimsical fun to the streets and yards of Sonoma County.
December 27, 2009 ~ RENO and LAKE TAHOE
We had a little time off over the Thanksgiving weekend so we took a trip to Reno and Lake Tahoe. From Bodega Bay it’s an easy drive over I-80. Our room at the El Dorado was nice and very reasonable, and we availed ourselves of their incredible buffet…more than once! We also tried the buffet at the Atlantis and it was great, but my favorite is still the El Dorado. Ok, enough talk about food; a diet is now the first item on the menu.
Although it’s a far cry from the granddaddy of sin cities, Reno has its share of lights and colorful flamboyance. The Fountain of Fortune, the focal point in the El Dorado, is a mythological collection of dolphins, cherubs, fish, seahorses, and tritons with Poseidon at the helm, and is made of bronze, marble and gold leaf. Over at the Peppermill, the ostentatious use of neon is the main attraction. I don’t know how much time I could spend there, especially since it seemed smokier than some of the other hotels, but I will admit, all that glitz from one end of the resort to the other is pretty impressive. On the other hand, I was glad to see folks out enjoying themselves at the local skating rink; it shows that normal, everyday life does exist in the midst of all that decadence.
At Lake Tahoe we found that there was just enough snow to give us the holiday feel, but not enough to affect travel. The mountains had small snow caps and the sandy beaches of the lake showed signs of the recent snowstorm. The aqua-colored shoreline with its smooth boulders is quite a contrast to the depths of the cool blue lake interior. At Zephyr Cove, the Ms. Dixie waited patiently at the dock for her next group of visitors. I find that Emerald Bay is one of the most picturesque spots along the scenic lake route and I would imagine it’s one of the most photographed areas. I did get a shot of Vikingsholm Castle at the head of the bay, although it’s pretty far away and somewhat secluded. Before winding up our day trip to Tahoe, we ventured off the main road to take a short hike through the woods to Spooner Lake, another beautiful alpine lake. It was another enjoyable getaway. View the images from this trip at "Reno-Tahoe 2009".
October 15, 2009 ~ THE SEASON ENDS AT SKOOKUM
Our season at Skookum Rendezvous ended October 8th and not a day too soon as the weather was changing quickly. Although the days were pleasant in the mid 50’s, we had 28 degree mornings the last 3-4 days. I understand it got down to 0 overnight a couple days after we left. Brrr! We were hired here at Skookum by the Owners Association to assist management a couple of days a week, but sometime in June we were offered another position with the developer helping out with sales. We had focused most of our time the last 3 months in the sales office. We really enjoyed the work and the people. And, call me crazy, but I decided it would be a good idea to get my WA real estate license before we left. It will help make things run more smoothly when we go back in April. We’re happy they’ve asked us back next season. The "Usk, WA Area" album has some miscellaneous shots of the resort, our visiting moose (taken by Ardie Jones), the popular Coeur d’ Alene Hotel, and some nature shots. We arrived back in Bodega Bay October 15th and have settled in for 6 months (yes, here we are again!). Our Assistant Manager job was waiting for us as was our familiar spot in the Bodega Bay RV Park. I don’t know how many more stories and photos about Bodega Bay I can post, but if I come up with anything, you’ll see it here. See ya back here again!
August 15, 2009 ~ THE POW WOW
The local Kalispel tribe celebrated their 35th Anniversary Pow Wow in early August. I went just to see the colorful, elaborate costumes and dances that I had heard about, but it’s so much more. A Pow Wow is a major social event. This gathering promotes a real sense of togetherness, spiritually and community outreach. The tribe hosts other tribes from around the region, and all compete in drum, dance and costume contests in various categories from golden age to tiny tots with huge cash prizes awarded. And the entire local community is invited for food and festivities without charge. I opted out of the buffalo barbecue! There were prayers and heart-felt speeches from both young and old before the grand dance entrance, and I felt a real sense of human oneness. Take a look at the images in the "Kalispel Pow Wow" album and see if you can feel the sense of pride.
July 31 , 2009 ~ NW MONTANA & GLACIER NAT’L PARK
Our trip through northwest Montana and into Glacier was at the beginning of June. From Usk, we traveled across the Idaho panhandle through Priest River, Sandpoint, Bonners Ferry and Moyie Springs, and followed Rt. 2 into Montana. Our first stop was at Kootenai Falls, a beautiful rocky gorge with the powerful Kootenai River running through, and a swinging foot bridge above. Further along our route we passed several small lakes and amazing scenery before arriving in Kalispell for the night. We took time over the next couple of days to explore the Kalispell, Whitefish, and Columbia Falls areas – very picturesque. We moved on to the small town of West Glacier just outside the southwest corner of Glacier National Park where we stayed at a cute little rustic motel for a couple of nights. Just inside the park we came across Lake McDonald – dramatic, glassy and reflective, and probably one of the most photographed sights in the park. Although the Going-To-The-Sun Road over Logan Pass was not yet open, we saw many beautiful areas of the park…pristine lakes, peaceful creeks, rushing waterfalls, giant cedars and spectacular mountains. We circled around the southern rim of the park and stopped at goat lick overlook, a deep gorge where the goats come down to lick the minerals in the rocks. Next we went over the summit at the continental divide, and then on to Two Medicine in the southeast corner of the park. At Two Medicine we ventured into "grizzly country" to see beautiful lakes, mountains and Running Eagle Falls. We saw a grizzly cub, and because we kept our distance, the photo is not too good (and a bit blurry, as I was keeping one eye out for his mom)! After we left Glacier, we headed south past Flathead Lake and into Missoula where we picked up I-90 and headed for home. Once again, I’m disappointed in my images from this trip and find they just don’t portray the breathtaking beauty of the area. It didn’t seem to matter what time of day it was, the lighting just wasn’t right. After all that positive talk, I’m sure you’ll want to go right to the "NW Montana & Glacier" album and take a look!
July 15 , 2009 ~ NORTHERN IDAHO
I’m posting our Idaho trips a little out of order, but as I mentioned in the May 18 post, I wanted to wait until we had seen more of Idaho. At the beginning of May, we took a drive over to Priest Lake. It’s a beautiful drive and a picturesque lake. All of Northern Idaho is easily accessed from our home base, and the panhandle is about 45 miles across from Washington to Montana. At the end of May we took another portion of the Selkirk Loop which took us out through Priest River, Sandpoint, past Lake Pend Oreille and through the tiny town of Clark Fork where we stopped for lunch. As we continued over this scenic byway, we crossed into Montana and stopped to look at the Cabinet Gorge Dam. We headed north past Ross Creek Cedars and then west through Troy, MT along the Kootenai River, experiencing some beautiful Montana scenery. I wish my images from these trips portrayed the beauty we encountered. On June 5th, we were on our way back from our Glacier trip (Glacier will be in the next post) traveling west on I-90 from Montana into Idaho through the Bitterroot Mountains. We happened upon the little town of Wallace, a quaint old mining community listed on the National Historic Register, where bordellos were a way of life as recently as 20 years ago. Wallace, Silverton, Osburn and Kellogg are part of the "Silver Valley", the silver capital of the world. Several mines still exist, opening and closing depending upon the price of silver. We were intrigued by the 1313 Club-Historic Saloon & Grill. "1313" has a special meaning to us, but if I tell you anymore, I’ll have to kill you! We decided it would be a good place to have a drink and dinner before heading back to our comfortable room at The Wallace Inn. We love exploring these historic little towns – and its even more fun when you come across them unexpectedly. The images from these trips are in the "N. Idaho May-June 09" album.
July 4, 2009 ~ FIREWORKS ON THE RESERVATION
The Kalispell Tribe celebrates the 4th of July with food, festivities and fireworks. Everyone is invited to join, and everything is free, a very generous community gesture. We skipped the afternoon fun, but staked out a good spot for the fireworks at about 9:00 p.m. It gets dark a little later up here, and while we waited, the mosquitoes had a nice snack. But the show finally started about 10:15 and ended by 10:45, and it was worth the wait. It was a fantastic display. Although there’s nothing like being there, I think I captured some decent images. Take a look at the "Fireworks July 2009" album but be patient-there are a lot of photos in the album and it might take a little longer to load; they were all so unique I couldn't decide on which ones to post. I may have to delete some, but for now, enjoy the show!
June 25, 2009 ~ IN LOVING MEMORY
KEN CHESLEY
March 31, 1932 ~ June 24, 2009
It's so hard to say goodbye, but today the angels rejoice.
His magnificent spirit will brighten the heavens for all eternity.
I love you, Dad, forever and always.
SAL IUCULANO JOAN MOULTON
1/20/1922 ~ 7/30/2008 5/30/1933 ~ 1/13/2003
They will always be with us.
May 18, 2009 ~ EXPLORING NORTHEAST WASHINGTON
We are now in the tiny town of Usk in Northeastern Washington on the Idaho border, about 50 miles south of Canada. Our temporary home is Skookum Rendezvous RV Resort, a private deeded park where residents own their lots here on the beautiful Pend Oreille River. Pend Oreille, pronounced "Pond-o-RAY", means "ear pendant" and was coined by French settlers for the earrings worn by the local Kalispell tribe.
We’ve had the opportunity to explore a little of the area since we arrived May 1st. The Kalispell Indian Reservation lies here in Usk and in the neighboring town of Cusick. Our Native American neighbors have a herd of buffalo, some of whom you’ll see in the "Northeast Washington" photo album. Also within their land lies the Manressa Grotto, a glacially formed above-ground cave system used for religious ceremonies by early American Indians and missionaries. Close to home and right off the road, it is an easy and interesting site to explore.
We take a daily five mile walk from the resort down to Skookum Creek, and are happy to say that nature abounds here in northeastern Washington. We’ve seen deer, elk and llamas, peamouth chub fish spawning, and delicate flowers and insects. It’s "baby" season, and there are new offspring of every living thing! The Canadian geese are very protective of their new broods, and a killdeer couple, a plover-type bird, spent some time in our yard tending to their newborns. Both parents take turns sitting on the chicks, especially when it’s cold and drizzly as it was the day my photos were taken. You’ll see the mother sitting in the gravel with several tiny legs sticking out from beneath. The gangly-legged chicks are up and about as soon as they hatch, and they are the cutest little downy fur balls you’ve ever seen! Once you’ve heard their distinctive call, you’ll always know they’re around. And this is interesting…unlike most species that protect in an aggressive manner, an adult Killdeer puts on a deceitful "broken wing" display. As you approach, you may notice it suddenly develop a broken wing. As it struggles pitifully and you instinctively try to help, it lets you come close, but stays one step ahead. It guides you further and further away from its chicks and when it feels you are no longer a threat, its broken wing suddenly heals and it flies away. Isn’t Mother Nature incredible! We haven’t yet encountered any moose, bear, lynx and bobcat, but we’re keeping close watch since we know they’re here.
My fascination for clouds has grown since we arrived. As was the case last time we were in the northwest, the cloud displays have been fantastic. You may see one or two in the album, but I’m determined to create a cloud portfolio before I leave.
The International Selkirk Loop runs through Northeastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle and into British Columbia. We took a portion of the loop in Washington and Idaho. Our first day-trip took us north from Usk past Box Canyon Dam to Metaline Falls, about 10 miles from the Canadian border, and our second trip was a loop past the Little Pend Oreille Lakes, the wildlife refuge and the historic town of Colville. Although the lack of wildlife in the refuge was a disappointment, we did have a bit of excitement when we encountered a blizzard (note: it was May 12th).
Our day-trip into Idaho will be saved for the next post after we’ve had a chance to explore Idaho further and add more images to the album. Until then, thanks again for sharing our travels. We’ll see ya back here soon!
April 15, 2009 ~ READY TO ROLL....AGAIN!
Has is really been five months since the last entry? I guess it has. When I last posted, we had been back in Bodega Bay only a month, and already our stay for the winter season is just about over. We will begin our trip north next week to our next home on the Washington/Idaho border about 50 miles south of Canada.
In February, we took a 3 day road trip up to Redding and Red Bluff to check the area for a possible future stay. Redding is a very pretty city surrounded by snow-capped mountains and is home to the one-of-a-kind, pedestrian only Sundial Bridge. The glass-decked suspension bridge hovers over the Sacramento River and is a unique addition to the beauty of the surrounding natural landscape. Redding’s City Hall houses artwork throughout its interior, and the outside grounds feature the recently created "Sculpture Park". Visitors can stroll the paved walkways viewing various wood, stone, metal and mosaic art pieces.
Jason came up for a visit again a couple of weeks ago. Joe and Jason played golf at beautiful Northwood Golf Club. This scenic course is set among the redwoods along the Russian River in Monte Rio, just a few miles northeast of Bodega Bay. It was a fun day; I tagged along to photograph while they played 18 holes. All I can say is "watch out Tiger... you could be replaced!!" Jason looks pretty good! Joe plays a good game too. There are a few photos in the 'BodegaBay Jan-Apr 09' photo album of the Redding trip as well as the golf game at Northwood.
Well, I guess that’s about it from Bodega Bay. Stop back and visit our site again after we settle in up north. We’ll have new stories and images from what promises to be a beautiful area and another great adventure!
November 19, 2008 ~ BACK AT BODEGA - JASON'S VISIT
We’re back at Bodega Bay and back to our job as assistant managers here at the park. Aside from a few days of rain at the beginning of the month, it’s been beautiful and warm since we’ve been back. However, it seems to be changing, with the last two days shrouded in fog and quite a bit cooler.
The much awaited crab season opened on the 1st and although most feel it’s off to a slow start and may not be a fruitful year, we have been the grateful recipients of lots of crabs along with some rock fish and ling cod, right off the boats. Yummy! Jason came up for a visit last week and we indulged in "everything crab". We had steamed crab with drawn butter, crab cakes, and cioppino, which also included mussels that we got at our favorite tide pool beach, Miwok. Jason and I had fun looking for sea stars and jade stones while Joe collected mussels. Saturday we took a drive out through wine country through the towns of Kenwood, Glen Ellen and Sonoma. We sampled some tasty wines at Sebastiani Vineyards in Sonoma. Jason couldn’t resist picking some grapes off a vine along one of the side roads. Back at home, while taking a drive through the upscale golf community of Bodega Harbour, four wild turkeys approached. Actually, Mr. Tom Turkey charged the car being very protective of his three girls. He was squawking and pecking, grabbing at us and the car.…I was sure he’d do damage to one of us or the vehicle. But really, isn’t he the least bit afraid? After all, it is less than 2 weeks until Thanksgiving! Along with the photos of Jason’s visit, the "Back at Bodega" album features more coast and bay images including crab pots, crab boats and crab fishermen! I seem to be overloading the gallery with Bodega pictures, and I’m sure the next time you check back, there’ll probably be even more!
October 17, 2008 ~ AUTUMN IN QUINCY
They say the season is off to a late start this year, but during the past few days I have been out "Leaf Peeping" and have been in awe of the beautiful colors. Take a look at some of the fall images in the “Autumn in Quincy” album. The pigmentation seems to be changing daily and I will have to go out tomorrow for one last time to capture any last minute changes before our early morning departure this weekend. Unfortunately, our time here in Quincy at Pioneer RV Park will come to an end Sunday when we head back to Bodega Bay. It has been a wonderful seven weeks. We love this park, and have enjoyed getting to know owners John & Sandi, our friend Eric, and fellow workampers Mike & Dixie. Quincy is such a pretty little town and looks even more charming with all the trees dressed so beautifully for fall. We’ve been so many great places and love them all, but quaint little Quincy and the picturesque surrounding area will always hold a special place in our hearts.
October 3, 2008 ~ QUINCY and MT. LASSEN
We’re here in Quincy living and working at Pioneer RV Park, a comfortable and pretty 65 space park with large, roomy sites, tall pines and immaculate facilities. We enjoy our outside work which consists of raking, sweeping, weeding, planting and grooming flowers to maintain this park’s beauty and cleanliness. Thank you to resident owner/managers John and Sandi Johnson; we appreciate this opportunity. And we’re very fortunate, once again, to meet more great people.
Quincy is a cute, historic, pioneer town of about 6,000 built during the establishment of Plumas County in 1854. As with many of the old settlements, fire destroyed a lot of the town’s original buildings, but through preservation and restoration, much remains to remind us of the area’s historic past. Quincy sits at 3400 feet nestled in the Feather River canyon and is surrounded by the thick, green forests and pine covered mountains of the Plumas National Forest. The Feather River Scenic Byway is the east/west route along highways 70/89, starting at Lake Oroville and ending at Highway 395, with Quincy about midway between. Along this scenic drive you’ll experience bridges and tunnels, railways and trestles, and of course, the beautiful Feather River. Logging and railroads were a big part of this area’s history, and still remain. Log trucks continue to travel the highways and local streets, and one of the west’s largest timber mills is located right here in Quincy behind the park we now call home. In fact, the smell of milled wood is quite nice…so earthy and natural; very pleasant. I’m thinking back to our stay in Washington and the frequent smell of cow crap from all the feed lots…..what a contrast! The "Quincy Area" album contains images of the RV park, the historic downtown, sites along the Feather River route, us in our "railroad attire" at the railroad museum in Portola, cool rock formations near Frenchman Lake, pretty Lake Davis and beyond.
Just a couple of minutes west of downtown Quincy is the tiny resort town of Keddie. Railroad buffs appreciate the engineering marvel here called ‘The Keddie Wye’, a set of railroad tracks that emerge from a tunnel and split to form a ‘Y’. It’s the only trestle of its kind in the world. Photographers wait patiently above for a passing train to complete the picture. However, I wasn’t patient enough to get one in my shot. While I was doing research for this post, I ran across another interesting but disturbing tidbit about Keddie. This sleepy little spot in the woods was the site of a grisly quadruple murder back in 1981. Although most of the cabins and structures have fallen into disrepair, we saw a few folks still living here. However, the murder scene, Cabin 28, was demolished a few years ago due to reports of ghosts by the people who remain. The murders remain unsolved, but according to this YouTube clip from a couple of years ago, Quincy area residents have renewed hope with new DNA evidence. YouTube: Cabin 28; The Keddie Murders. Ok, enough of that scary stuff!
Our trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park was very cool! The road through the park winds through rolling hills covered by large conifer forests. We saw steam spewing from the earth, large volcanic boulders and rock formations. And a short hike from the main road took us to beautiful alpine lakes. Joe and I both contributed to the "Lassen Volcanic Park" album.
We also took a drive to Reno which is an hour and a half drive east. We made the obligatory Costco stop as well as stops at the RV parts stores. The highlight, however, was the buffet at the El Dorado. It was incredible. I haven’t been that uncomfortably full since a Thanksgiving I can remember many, many years ago. Neither of us could help ourselves.
The leaves are just starting to turn here in this beautiful mountain community and I hope to get back out there with the camera before we depart in a couple of weeks. If so, I’ll post a few more images. Thanks again for sharing our travels with us!
August 31, 2008 ~ GOLD COUNTRY; THE MOTHER-LODE!
Greetings from Gold Country! After a brief detour for some RV maintenance, our first stop after leaving the coast was at Jackson Rancheria Casino/Hotel & RV Park owned by the Jackson band of Miwok Indians. The RV Park is a new addition, open only for 6 months. It has all the amenities you would want, including 24 hour shuttle service from your site to the casino & restaurants. We made our donation at the slot machines, and then headed for the buffet. While in Jackson, we took a drive over to Indian Grinding Rocks State Historic Park where the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America can be found. From Jackson, we continued north up historic Highway 49 passing through the small towns developed back in 1849 by the original gold rush pioneers. After twisting and turning, driving up and down through foothills and canyons, Roxy was huffing and puffing and her brakes needed a rest. Fortunately, we arrived in Coloma where Marshall Gold Discovery SHP encompasses most of the town right along Highway 49 and the American River. It was a perfect place to stop and rest, have lunch and take in some more of the local history. Just north in Auburn, we opted to head east on I-80 in lieu of the 49er trail. We picked up 89 north in Truckee, and then back onto 49 and into our next destination, Sierra City. We got settled in at Sierra Skies RV Park in this tiny historic gold town on the Yuba River. The Yuba runs along Highway 49 for miles in this area. The park is very popular with modern-day fortune seekers who arrive equipped with dredging machines, gold panning gear and prospecting equipment, and can be seen up and down the rivers searching for riches. We tried our luck at gold panning… hey, if you’re here, you have to! Yes, there is still gold in dem dere hills and rivers!! The scenery here is beautiful with lots of trees, mountains, lakes and rivers. And because of the mountains, trees and remoteness, there is no cell or internet service, so calls and emails will have to wait until the next stop. Just a short drive from the park is the Lakes Basin, a collection of small alpine lakes, volcanic rock outcroppings and lush green forests, where recreational activities include fishing, camping, kayaking, hiking, and biking. Guests of the Salmon Lake Lodge get whisked away from the Salmon Lake dock by pontoon boat, the only access to the lodge and cabins. Twelve miles west of Sierra City nestled in a forested canyon is historic Downieville, one of the best preserved gold rush towns in California. Take a photo tour of these sites by visiting the "Gold County-Sierras" album. Our vacation ends today and we’re moving just an hour northwest to Quincy to start work again for 6 weeks. Another historic town and the Plumas County seat, Quincy and the surrounding area is also located in the Sierra Nevada mother lode, so perhaps we can continue our search for gold!
August 14, 2008 ~ LEAVING BODEGA BAY
It’s time to say so long to our home of the past 6+ months, at least for now. We have committed to return to our job here for the winter months, but for now, we will move east to the Sierra Nevada mountains for a couple of months, first for a short vacation in Sierra City and then to work at a park in Quincy, CA. Although we enjoy Bodega Bay a lot, we’re looking forward to exploring a new area, and feeling so fortunate as always that we have the opportunity to do so. Some final images of this area are in the "More Sonoma Coast" album. More updates from gold country coming soon!!
May 12, 2008 ~ LIFE ON THE SONOMA COAST
Life here in the little town of Bodega Bay is quiet and relaxing….and very enjoyable. Bodega Bay RV Park is small, in comparison; about 85 sites, and is visited by many RV clubs and groups, as well as campers and RVers from throughout the US and abroad. We meet nice folks from all over, and it’s great working in an environment where everyone is having fun! We really look forward to our days at work (how often do you hear someone say they look forward to going to work?). The managers, John and Margaret are very nice people ~ the type of folks you immediately feel comfortable with. On our days off, we take long walks, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells along the way. On our usual route, we walk through an earthy smelling path covered by a cypress and pine canopy, stoop to see new wildflowers, listen to the wild turkeys gobbling in the distance, pass deer as they graze, and end up at the bay where we watch the fishing boats come and go, breathing in the smell of the harbor and listening to different voices of the many shorebirds that call the bay home. Does it sound like we’re enjoying life? The beaches in the area each offer a little something different. Some are long and expansive and good for walking, some are rocky with tiny polished stones, supposedly jade. We like Miwok, a great beach for tide-pooling, where Joe gets mussels and I search for sea stars. We took a day trip down to Tomales Bay and Point Reyes National Seashore where we enjoyed more beautiful scenery. We walked the fault line (yes! the San Andreas Fault runs right through this area) and watched the whales as they guided their young back up the coast. In the "Bodega & Sonoma Coast" album you’ll see local creatures of land, sea and air, St. Theresa’s church with Potter schoolhouse behind (from the movie "The Birds"), boats in the harbor, Tomales Bay and Pt. Reyes National Seashore, and the Fisherman’s Festival boat parade and blessing of the fleet - a big deal and a local holiday here in Bodega Bay. Unfortunately, the local fishermen have been devastated by the closure of the salmon season. It is the first time in 160 years that this has taken place, closing all waters from the Mexican border to Oregon. Both commercial and sport fishing are affected; the governor has declared a state of emergency.
On May 5th, we took a trip up the coast to the Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve and to Fort Ross State Historic Park. The rhododendron reserve was kind of a bust, as the blooms were just starting, so I had Joe lay inside an old stump to at least get a picture there…it looked like an old rotten coffin! Ft. Ross, a 200 year old Russian fur traders’ settlement, was quite interesting. On the drive south heading home along steep and winding Highway 1, we encountered a herd of cows, weaving in and out of traffic, who apparently have the right of way. I can’t figure this one out! It’s "open range" at the scariest section of the coast highway. The single lane road carved into the side of a cliff is barely wide enough for one small car in each direction. The road twists like a pretzel, there is no guard rail, and about 3 feet from your tire the drop is more than 800’…straight down! And these big heifers are stopping traffic and tippy-toeing along the ridge. Crazy! The final shots are of the harbor seals and pups at the mouth of the Russian river in Jenner, just a few miles north of where we live. Check out the "Fort Ross-Kruse" album to view the images of the day.
February 16, 2008 ~ HELLO FROM BODEGA BAY
An emergency trip to NY forced us to leave Carlsbad abruptly and settle in here at Bodega Bay RV Park earlier than we had planned. Our job here as assistant park managers consists of just 2 days a week, leaving us plenty of time to travel and explore the rugged beauty of the Sonoma Coast. Located about an hour and a half north of San Francisco, the quaint town of Bodega Bay is the largest community on the Sonoma County Coast, and was ‘put on the map’ when Hitchcock chose it for his location for "The Birds". With so much to see and do here, and in the surrounding counties, we’ve just scratched the surface. In the "Bodega Bay Area" album, you’ll see images of the turbulent rocky coastline, and the huge trees at Armstrong Redwoods State Park, where the tallest tree is 310 feet tall and the oldest is 1400 years old!...Hard to fathom, isn’t it? You’ll also see photos of the RV park and the Children’s Bell Tower; more info about this unique bell monument at NicholasGreen.org. We'll have more stories and photos as we continue to explore, so come on back and visit again!!
January 11, 2008 ~ SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
We’ll, we’ve come full-circle! Here we are back in Carlsbad after leaving 16 months ago. We arrived here after stopping in Palms Springs and at the Fountain of Youth Spa near the Salton Sea. Had always heard about it and decided to check it out on the way to San Diego County. I guess we didn’t spend enough time there, as neither of us looks more youthful after our stay! We moved on to the State Park at So. Carlsbad Beach where we secured a temporary position as Camp Host. It wasn’t our first choice, and after spending some time here, we’re fairly certain we won’t make this choice again. Retired people aren’t supposed to work 5 days a week, even if they are only partial days!! We’re supposed to have all kinds of leisure time! But, between work, the sale of our things, and trying to spend as much time as possible with family and friends in the short time we have here, we have a full schedule. On a positive note, it has allowed us to accomplish our mission; to visit family for the holidays (this is the BEST Christmas present), and to get rid of the rest of our stuff. Also, being right here on the bluff above the ocean has afforded me some nice photo ops which are included in the So. Carlsbad St Bch album. For those of you whom we missed this visit, we’re disappointed we had so little time. As Arnold says, ‘we’ll be back’. Our next gig is on the Northern Cal. coast, so we’ll post again when we settle in.
October 19, 2007 ~ THE COASTS; OREGON & NORTHERN CAL
As planned, we left Riverbend in Washington September 29th, and from what we understand, not a day too soon. The weather had been changing with colder, wet weather and some snow in the higher elevations. In fact, a couple of days after we left, the passes we traveled got snow. We left in the rain and unfortunately it continued for more than a week. We picked up Oregon’s Rt. 30 west along the Columbia River through Astoria and out to the coast. Our first stop was Barview Jetty County Park on Tillamook Bay. During our stay at Barview, we took some day trips as far north as Seaside and as far south as Pacific City, taking in as many parks, scenic loops and coastal views as ‘we’ could find. (I say "we" and although we were both along for the ride, one of us was more interested in seeing "everything on the list" than the other. Between the miserable weather, the winding narrow roads and the continual stop ‘n go and in-and-out of the truck for photo ops, settling in at the end of the day was a welcome respite!) During our trip down the central coast, we stopped at most of the scenic points, but pressed on until we reached Coos Bay. We decided to make this our next stop for a few days, settling in at Mills Casino & RV Resort. Once again, we made some day trips and took a little time to hang out and relax. South of Coos Bay, our last stop on the Oregon coast was in Brookings-Harbor for one night, and the weather was finally got nice. Even so, the Oregon coast is certainly beautiful, even with the gloomy weather. We’ve seen the Northern Cal. coast so we kept moving down to Fortuna, where we stopped for the night and visited the nearby town of Ferndale. The Victorian homes and buildings have been so well preserved that the entire town is listed on the National Historic Register. After heading over to Highway 1 through Ft. Bragg, and then back over to the 101 through the wine country and bay area, we spent a night in the town of Marina, north of Monterey where we enjoyed a short visit with our buddy Mike. Some minor coach problems took us a bit out of the way east of I-5 for repairs, but then it was back to the coast to finish up our trek down to Southern Cal. We were disappointed as we checked the Morro Bay, Pismo Beach and Santa Barbara areas that were on our list for future workamping jobs and volunteer positions, so, with a little time to spare before our next job, we pressed on to the desert to Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley area where we’re chilling out for a few days (actually, ‘chilling’ might be the wrong word…..it’s still pretty toasty out here).
We’ve seen ethereal foggy views, rocky coastlines, rough pounding seas, historic lighthouses, quaint fishing villages, seals and sunsets, Victorian towns, and big trees. And since there are so many photos, I’ve split them into 4 albums; "Oregon Coast-North", "Oregon Coast-Central", "Oregon Coast-South" and "Cal Coast-North". Please be patient if some of them take a little longer to load. We’ll be settling into our position with California State Parks soon, so we’ll keep you posted …… be sure to check back!!
September 10, 2007 ~ HAPPY ANNIVERSARY.....TO US!!
Not only is today the anniversary of our marriage, it is also our 1 year anniversary on the road. Can you believe it? One year ago today, we left on ‘Joe & Jill’s Big Adventure", and what an adventure it has been! We have seen beautiful places, met beautiful people, and renewed our souls…..life is good. We've continued to work part time throughout our first year on the road and have discovered that "workamping" and volunteering is not only fun and rewarding, but it’s a great way to keep the brain in shape while enjoying our travels across this great country. Oh, and I forgot to mention that we didn’t win the lottery, so it really helps with expenses. One might think that towing your home around from one park to the next and living simply is akin to cheap trailer trash, but RVing has become pretty glamorous. Some of these rigs cost as much (or more) as your house and are the ultimate in luxury. RV parks cater to RVers’ ever increasing demands for better accommodations, more activities, and wifi, offering a multitude of amenities often with a pretty hefty price tag. And of course it goes without saying that filling up at the pump can really take a big bite out of the monthly budget, so all in all, the full-time RV lifestyle is anything but cheap trailer trash! I've added some final hiking pictures to the "Methow Valley Area" album if you want to go back and take a look. I would imagine this will be our last post from Washington since we will be leaving Riverbend in a couple of weeks to begin our journey south. We’ll be taking the scenic route, so stay tuned for stories and pictures of our trip…..
August 23, 2007 ~ METHOW VALLEY AREA, WA
We're living and working in Twisp, Washington at Riverbend RV Park for the months of August and September. The owners, Ed & Cheryl Ethrington are great people and we're so glad they've given us the opportunity to spend some time here. Sitting in the heart of the Methow Valley, this small town is about 50 miles south of the Canadian border, and is 9 miles south of Winthrop, the touristy western town you saw in the "Cascades & Peninsulas" photo gallery. It's location in the Okanogan National Forest on North Cascades Scenic Highway 20 provides numerous opportunities for fishing, boating, hiking, biking, horsebackriding and exploring. I understand the area has a lot of wildlife including deer, bear and cougar, but the only thing we've spotted is a couple of deer. We've also been keeping our eyes out for Sasquatch, but no luck there either!; Just a couple of cows (of all things!) in the middle of the forest, where the bears should be! The images in our galleries "Riverbend RV Park-WA" and "Methow Valley Area" will give you a good idea of this pretty area and of our stay here at Riverbend.
August 1, 2007 ~ LEAVING SAGE HILLS
Today is moving day! Our longest stay so far has been here at Sage Hills Resort where we arrived in mid-April. We've had a great time working and playing with our friends here, and as usual, it's sad to say good-bye. We had a couple of great get-togethers before leaving. Managers Jeannie & Louie put on a nice farewell dinner at their restaurant for all of us workampers, and
July 2, 2007 ~ MT. RAINIER AREA
We had another appointment in Seattle last week so we took the opportunity to do a little more sightseeing. We took I-90 across over Snoqualmie Pass and into Seattle. This main interstate was obviously a great road, but was also a very pretty drive through the Wenatchee and Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests. We were a little early for the appointment so we attempted to drive around in Seattle to check it out. I've been anxious to go to Pike Place Market that I've heard so much about, as well as the other sites, but we were stuck in traffic in the middle of a Mariner's game....so much for our tour of Seattle! We finished up in Seattle and headed out of the Seattle metro area late in the afternoon and stayed at the little town of Enumclaw, the 'gateway' to Mt. Rainier National Park. The drive through the park was very pretty along the White River (the water really was whitish! - probably the minerals or fine rock from the glaciers), but we never did see Mt. Rainier except for a hazy glimpse from very far away. It was shrouded in clouds. The drive home from there was beautiful as well over Chinook Pass with the American River by our side most of the way. I didn't get too many photos this trip, but there are a few in the "Mt. Rainier Area" album.
June 18, 2007 ~ THE CASCADES AND THE PENINSULAS
Since we had to make the trip over to the west side for Joe’s Dr. appointment last Tuesday, we decided to make a 4 day trip of it. We went up through Wenatchee and took the scenic drive over Rt. 2 through the Cascades. Our first stop was the Bavarian village of Leavenworth, a cute little town in the Cascade foothills with quaint shops and beautiful hanging flower baskets. We continued past roadside waterfalls with the Skykomish River by our side. On the other side of the mountains, we made our way through the busy Seattle metro area to the VA Med. Center. By the time we were through and making our way out of the city, we were in rush hour traffic…ugh! We headed across the Tacoma Narrows bridge, a majestic suspension bridge (luckily it’s stronger and safer than the original), and onto the Kitsap Peninsula. Drove through Gig Harbor and made our way up to Port Orchard where we spent the first night. The next day took us across the rest of the Kitsap and over another bridge to the Olympic Peninsula where we spent some time in Sequim, the lavender capital of North America. We visited Cedarbrook Lavender and Herb Farm, and the colors and aromas were a delight to the senses. Back over the bridge on the Kitsap we picked up the Kingston-Edmonds Ferry that took us and Roxy over to the main land again. We were like a couple of kids on our first ferry trip, but as neat as it was one time, I have to think it’s got to be a pain in the butt for these folks who do it every day for work. We headed north to Mount Vernon, about 50 miles south of the Canadian border where we spent the night. Thursday morning, we took the North Cascades scenic highway loop Rt. 20 east through North Cascades National Park and the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. With the beautiful and turbulent Skagit River alongside for most of the way, it was a spectacular trip. You’ll notice the soft jade color of the river and lakes which is caused by a fine mineral that the river picks up on its journey through the glacial mountains, which reflects the green of the mountains and the blue of the sky. Dropping down on the east side of the Cascades not only brings clearer, bluer skies, but it brought us into the beautiful Okanogan National Forest and into the historic little town of Winthrop alongside the Methow River. It looks like the set from a Western movie. False-fronted wooden buildings, hitching rails and board sidewalks all create the illusion of a frontier town. This town was so neat, that we couldn’t just drive on through without spending a little time, so we spent the night in the quaint Mt. Gardner Inn. We explored Pearrygin Lake and the State Park and had dinner at 3-Finger Jack’s Saloon (the oldest legal saloon in WA State). The "Cascades & Peninsulas" album has some neat photos. Arrived home Friday night after another great trip!
May 30, 2007 ~ COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE & MT. HOOD, OR
We just got back on Friday from a short little jaunt down to the Columbia River Gorge and around the
May 17, 2007 ~ OUT AND ABOUT IN WASHINGTON
Wow, third post of the day. Ain’t wifi wonderful! The album entitled simply “
May 17, 2007 ~ SPOKANE-SANDPOINT-COEUR D’ALENE
Last week we took a trip to
May 17, 2007 ~ GREETINGS FROM EASTERN WASHINGTON
We’re here in the high desert agricultural area of
April 21, 2007 ~ THE TRIP FROM ARIZONA TO WASHINGTON
We finally got on the road from Arizona on Friday the 6th, a day later than we had planned. We had each taken a trip to MA and NY to visit our families during our last week in Arizona, and had both returned sick. Don’t ya just love those germy flights! Even with a day delay to rest, I was miserable for most of the trip. We didn’t spend too much time sightseeing and stopped at Deschutes River State park (in the picture) for a couple days just to rest. We arrived at our Washington destination, Sage Hills Golf & RV Resort last week on Thursday the 12th. We’re settling in and getting to know our new neighbors and surroundings. Our first week has been great and we’re looking forward to our stay here. We’ll post again soon so check back for pictures and stories about Sage Hills and our stay in WA.
April 4, 2007 ~ LEAVING ARIZONA
Tomorrow we pull out early from Buckskin to head to our next destination up in Washington. I know I’ve said it before but I must say it again; we had such a great time with everyone here, it’s really hard to leave. The rangers and volunteers are the best! We’ll truly miss you……
March 2, 2007 ~ BUCKSKIN MOUNTAIN STATE PARK ON THE COLORADO RIVER
7 weeks have already passed since we arrived here at Buckskin. In the last post we wondered how we would survive without any cell, internet or laundry at our fingertips. It is inconvenient, but we’re making do. Aside from these minor disadvantages, being out here in a remote area also has its advantages. Buckskin Mtn. SP is without a doubt the nicest park here on the "Parker Strip". Be sure to look at the "Buckskin Mountain SP" photo album. It is incredibly picturesque bordered by the mighty Colorado on two sides and surrounded by huge rock walls and desert mountains. As the daylight changes, the river seems to change color from its early morning steel gray-blue to aqua to royal blue and back to a placid reflective palette of mixed color at sunset. And when daylight ends and you’re done watching the river, look to the sky for a blanket of brilliant stars that appear so bright and so close you could reach out and grab one.
The park has grassy areas and lots of mature shade trees, a welcome and uncommon sight in this desert oasis. It offers a total of 89 sites; 17 full hookup sewer sites, 51 electric/water sites, and 21 cabana sites which are right on the river and a prime spot for the summer weekenders with their water toys. An interpretive center (run by our volunteer friends Kelli & George, Tom & Chris, and Mel & Mora) provides a wealth of information, videos and magazines, talks and slide shows about the area, church services, special programs like the Mountain Man (check him out in the photo album), and the famous ice cream social that always draws a big crowd. A great, moderately challenging trail (built and maintained by volunteer Chuck) begins at the ranger station and weaves through the Buckskin Mountains with a loop out to an abandoned mine area and one out to Interruption Point, the highest spot with incredible views of the entire area. There is also a launch ramp and a privately run market, restaurant and boutique.
We are among 14 volunteers who work here at Buckskin during the winter months (none of us is brave enough to return in the summer!!) We work in the office 4 hours a day/ 5 days a week in exchange for our site (alternating shifts with our volunteer friends Irene and Bill D.). And, by the way, our site is gorgeous; the best spot in the park. We’ve got a prime piece of real estate here with an incredible view. Who wouldn’t want to call this home for 2 or 3 months!?! No taxes, no utility bills, no HOA fees, no mortgage, no shoveling the driveway, no traffic,……. You get the picture! We handle check-ins, take reservations, etc., and have the pleasure of meeting lots of great people from all over, mostly other snowbirds like ourselves ‘flying south’ for the winter in search of a warm spot. The park staff consists of Manager Jerry, Assistant Mgr. Rick, and Rangers Mike, Pete, Tim, Dustin and John; all great guys and a lot of fun to work with. A special thanks to Dustin for giving us the opportunity to join this wonderful group.
One of the local must-sees here in Parker is The Desert Bar, a funky mountain saloon at the end of a long dirt road that looks like it sprouted up in the middle of nowhere. We took a drive out to check it out a couple of weeks ago and you can visit it too by going to "The Desert Bar" photo album. It has an interesting history and story, much too involved to get into here, but you can visit their website at TheDesertBar.com.
On a recent weekend off, we had a great visit with our friends Eddie and Marie who came out from Scottsdale for a couple of days. We did a little sightseeing, threw the pole in the water (no luck there), and had some dinner. (There are a couple pictures in the album). A few days ago, we got together with the other volunteers for a potluck. Beginning March 1, they slowly start to move on, so we had one last chance to sit and visit all together. The "Volunteer Potluck" album is courtesy of volunteer Tom Jones. As his wife Chris says, he can’t sing… (but he takes good pictures!) Then, we unexpectedly had one more chance to all break bread together when the rangers surprised us by putting on a barbecue for us (see the "Buckskin Ranger BBQ" photo album). These guys are the best! Thank you to John for trailering his desert-sized barbecue over to the park and cooking up some excellent food and to all the rest of you for all the food you made and brought. We appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Once again, we’re grateful for the opportunity to spend some of our winter months in this desert paradise with some wonderful people who’ve become our friends. Stay tuned for the next update…
January 14, 2007 ~ HELLO FROM ARIZONA
Well, here we are in Parker, Arizona at Buckskin Mountain State Park on the Colorado River where we will be working until March 31st. Not only have we had Yahoo problems, but we have absolutely no cell or internet service at all in the park...... We have to drive to town with the phones and laptop to communicate, so the blog may not be updated as often in the next couple of months...we'll see. We've just finished our work shift for the day and have taken a quick trip into town, so that's about all I have time for today. Hope you'll keep checking in for the next update.....
January 11, 2007 ~ THE TRIP FROM FL TO AZ
After leaving St. Joe on Monday the 1st, we traveled along coastal Rt. 98 along the panhandle and picked up I-10 near Pensacola. We arrived at our next destination late afternoon on Tuesday, a park just south of Austin, TX. We had dinner with our friends Al & Barbara on Wednesday at their beautiful home, and then took Bella to a service dealer on Thursday to have some minor warranty work done. While she was in the shop, we went to Cabela’s sporting goods store. This has to be the biggest Cabela’s in the world! It’s more like a museum than a store. The animal displays were incredible, in fact a whole album is dedicated to them…go to the "Cabela's" photo album. We picked up Bella late afternoon and continued (…and continued…and continued) west along I-10 through Texas; didn’t know if it was ever going to end . It’s long and boring. We stopped for the evening at the first visitor center rest stop over the New Mexico border. We awoke to snow that just kept getting worse. We had intended to spend a couple of days in Las Cruces, but when we passed through, we were in a full-on blizzard. We kept moving and drove out of the storm. So much for our trip to Las Cruces!! (There are a couple of pictures in the "Las Cruces Snow" album.) We finally landed in Quartzsite, AZ to check out this massive swap meet we’ve been hearing so much about. Yes, RVs for as far as the eye can see and vendors galore. Joe found lots of goodies that he just couldn’t live without, and so, the re-arranging goes on. Next stop…Buckskin Mountain State Park.