Dead Horse Point

We talked to several friends about our planned stay in Moab, Utah; several advised a must see--Dead Horse Point State Park. Initially our thoughts were, "We hope they've disposed of the horse!" But it was nearby, so we went.

The park is situated near Canyonlands National Park; the view into the canyon of the Colorado River was worth the visit.

The brown ribbon at the left is the Colorado. There were a surprising number of folks visiting the park. The visitor center was crowded and hiking paths and roadways were obviously popular as well. Juniper was everywhere. I'd heard juniper berries were used in the production of gin. You can see the wheels turning here as Herb calculated just how many berries it might take.

So having seen this preview of Canyonlands, we moved on to the national park. But that's another story.

Changes in the Map

You may notice a change in the map of states in which we've camped. I must confess the original was inaccurate. And we've added states in our current travels. So this is correct, I think!

Rocky Road

We had driven through Iowa and Nebraska--now we were ready for some mountains. We headed up I-70 out of Denver and into the Rocky Mountains.

It soon became obvious our motorhome wasn't going to perform well above 10,000 feet. The transmission and the braking systems were keeping Herb very busy. The propane flow to the fridge quit altogether. So we stopped along the road for a break here and there.

We drove through the Eisenhower Tunnel at Loveland Pass.

After that, a seven percent grade. I hate going downhill (or downmountain, in this case). I generally close my eyes tightly and push my feet firmly against the floor believing somehow that will slow the coach. Herb is an outstanding driver, but all this was wearing him out.

We stopped several times to walk around and enjoy the cool, mountain air--a change from the odor of hot brakes permeating the coach. We were giving the driver and the brakes a break!

All day the skies had threatened rain. We had a few drops here and there as well as periods of light mist. Wet pavement and dicey brakes on the downhill slope of the Rocky Mountains are not conducive to a safe trip. Going uphill, on the other hand, slowed us down considerably. We seemed to find ourselves behind big trucks with emergency blinkers operating.

Eventually we came to Vail where we glimpsed ski chalets through the rain.

We eventually found our way out of the mountains and into Glenwood Canyon--more about that later!

Corn, Corn, Corn, Corn, Corn....

First Indiana, then Illinois, now Iowa, and tomorrow Nebraska. Herb and Barnabas are tired of corn! It's everywhere!

We've made a lot of miles since leaving Elkhart yesterday afternoon. We're about 40 miles from Nebraska. It's a loooong way across that state!

We're in Avoca at Parkway Campground, a well kept, pleasant spot about 2 miles from I-80. It's a little difficult finding low-priced camping during Labor Day weekend, but we did!

Barnabas, by the way, makes a great guardeagle!

Like a River Glorious...

Yesterday we walked over to see the Pigeon River at Howe. The water barely moving, it was a tranquil sight (except maybe for the plastic chairs!). I was reminded of God's perfect peace.

Like a river glorious is God's perfect peace;

Over all victorious, in its bright increase;

Perfect yet it floweth, fuller every day;

Perfect yet it groweth, deeper all the way.

Camping Amid the Soybeans

Camping in the Elkhart area is not cheap. The one big campground in town charges 32 bucks a night! The county fairground in Goshen is $27. We've been grateful to Charger Enterprises, a place we trust for RV service--they return your RV to you each evening and allow you to park in the gravel next to the building with 30 amp electrical service and water. Not a picturesque campsite, but free is good at this point. Our experience in Jones, Michigan, using a discount card and finding we had far less than the advertised 30 amps, made us appreciate it all the more.

We'll be back at Charger on Monday; in the meantime, we decided to try Grand Bend Community Association campground in Howe, Indiana, 25 miles (we thought) from Elkhart. Well...there's a long detour which increased the mileage to nearly 35 and took us through Shipshewana. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing. Shipshewana is definitely Amish and directed toward tourists. We encountered any number of horse-drawn conveyances of various descriptions. Passing them wasn't an issue; they drive on the far right of the road and traffic was fairly light. Huge farms with clothes drying in the sun and beautiful horses in the paddocks were everywhere, as were produce stands.

The campground was a most pleasant surprise. We have 50 amp service for the first time since leaving Black Rock in April. We're parked on grass with soybean fields on both sides of the road.

We're grateful for 50 amps; the air conditioning is optomized with that service. A very nice lady came by on a golf cart and charged us $17.12 for two nights with our Passport America card; that card is by far the best bargain in camping. Everyone has been most friendly.

We're due in Elkhart at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Today we're going to explore a shorter route. There's the Indiana turnpike, but no telling what that would cost with a 38-foot motorhome towing a 3/4 ton pickup carrying an ATV!

Up the Road a Piece

We left Gallatin County, Kentucky yesterday...eventually. We're usually late getting started, but I do believe we set a new record yesterday. Herb and Donnie loaded up the ATV.

Barnabas is joining us again, after oiling and a coat of wax to protect him from the dry Arizona climate. According to the Kaisers, he sat around the house and complained about the cold weather and being stuck in Verona. We sat him down where he can watch Herb's driving! We've decided he's a golden eagle, according to the bird book. I showed him the picture, and he agrees!

There was a lot to do, clearing out stuff we'd stored in the brooder house, stowing things in the coach so they won't fall over while we're underway, putting in the slides, unhooking connections, etc. The biggest issue turned out to be hooking up the pickup. We hadn't towed it before so had to be sure we had the transfer case and gearshift in the correct positions. We put on the lights and towbar with Brandon Finn's help--he and Tonya Webster had stopped by to see us off. It's good to be on the road again! Michigan, here we come! At 11:30 in the morning!