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!

A Fourth to Remember

The Fourth of July at the Kaiser Farm is always memorable. This year's threatening weather dampened (pardon the pun) things only slightly thanks to umbrellas and portable shelters. Weather didn't reduce the crowd, either. Lots of family and friends continued to arrive through the afternoon and early evening.

Linda had a screened-in tent for the food with several tables overflowing with all kinds of goodies. It looked like a Baptist potluck. Herb and I stayed close by to keep an eye on the food. My hash brown casserole was quite popular. Donnie and Linda were at the grill producing hot dogs and burgers at an amazing rate, trying to keep up with the salivating crowd. Beverages of all sorts were in high demand.

Parties at the farm are always well-mannered but exuberant. No troublemaking is permitted--Donnie is adamant on that. Lots of families, and children are everywhere. There's Logan (the Bood) in the front, getting a supply of poppers from Susie, his mom. It's always great to see Charlie, Susie and Logan. Unfortunately Harley, their rottweiler, has bone cancer and was staying at Susie's mom's house. They have a wonderful photo of Logan and Harley, with Logan sitting on his back. They returned to Florida not many days after the party.

Everyone was eager to see the fireworks. I studied instructions in my camera book for photographing fireworks. My reflexes are really slow, so I wasn't sure how it would work. I held the camera on top of a fence to keep it from shaking. Some of my photos were surprisingly good for a first try...and some of them were purely awful. A huge downpour put an end to the fireworks with everyone scrambling for a dry place.

The best way to spend the Fourth of July at the Kaiser farm!

Thar's Gold in That There Dirt!

We're returning from Marion, North Carolina where we've been experiencing the Lucky Strike Gold and Gem Mine (see http://www.luckystrikegoldandgem.com/). Our friends Curtis and Carolyn Smith are members of the Vein Mountain Recreational Miners Club, headquartered there. This photo shows the spot where everyone meets to talk, play cards, eat, pan for gold and gems, solve the world's problems, complain about fuel prices, make beaded jewelry, etc. It's a busy place. Next door is The Miners Diner, a take-out providing burgers, hot dogs, ice cream, coffee, the best un-sweet tea I've ever had, and other delights. They also contributed substantially to a potluck dinner, held on Thursday night "around 7." Time here is an iffy thing. There are some great cooks present--the potluck rivaled those at our church with plenty of sweet stuff, my personal favorites.

Our campsite can only be described as laid back. Folks pull in to all sorts of spots, most of which are two deep (causing some issues when the campers in back want to leave before the campers in front!). We had 30 amp electric through a regular household 3-prong outlet, but it worked just fine. There were two motorhomes in our area (the Smiths and ours) with a few trailers and lots of tents, some of which had satellite dishes! There's no such thing as quiet time and folks have campfires here and there. We were backed up to a creek which burbled delightfully in the night when I could hear it over the campfire groups and snoring from him whose name I shall not mention. But we slept well anyway after the daily activities.

One can purchase a bucket of dirt, some with gold, some with gems, and a few with either emeralds or rubies and sapphires. Herb went for the gold generally. Here he is, working at separating out small grains of gold from the sand and dirt. Curtis got us started, then there were lots of nice folk ready to show the technique and encourage us neophytes. They give you a very small bottle and a little eye dropper device called a sniffer to suck up the little particles. It's a slow but somewhat rewarding process. It can be pretty wet, too, depending on how many are panning at a time and how many children are involved! A busload of sixty grade-schoolers showed up on Friday, really making things interesting! I was more interested in the gemstones and managed to find these. You sieve them out of the dirt. The big thing is to have somebody check what you've got--I was sure I had an ugly piece of rock; the sherriff (more about him later) advised me it was a sapphire! The purple ones are amethyst and the ones that look like raisins are garnets. The sapphire is the black thing near the lower right. The tan ones are moonstone. It was so much fun to dip a scoopful of dirt into the water and come up with some of these!

On Friday and Saturday there was a club dig. Herb participated as Curtis' guest. A backhoe scooped up loads of dirt and put it into this contraption. Through various screens and processes (including a young lady pitching big rocks out of the mix), gold is extracted, along with sand and dirt. There were three shifts; two on Friday and one on Saturday. On Saturday evening there was a big potluck at the clubhouse with fried fish and everything else imaginable. We were entertained by a couple of fellows singing karaoke-style and a man playing the spoons and another playing the frog (too deep to explain). Foggy Mountain Breakdown was outstanding. The gold from the dig was doled out according to a drawing, along with some small nuggets which had been donated. A larger nugget was given out in a raffle.

At one point I was taken prisoner by the sherriff (the less said, the better), but generally it was a most enjoyable experience!

We're Scottish for the Weekend

Herb, his mom Georgia and I are attending the Kentucky Scottish Weekend at General Butler State Resort Park in Carrollton. Today it's poured down rain, but yesterday was perfect--sunny and warm with a few puffy white clouds. The pipe bands were outstanding. We heard bagpipes at all hours! It wasn't bad, except when each band was playing something different at the same time. Then it sounds like a banshee convention! The massed bands played a few numbers together.

There was a color guard and three men with long sabers who performed a most impressive ceremony, then Alex Beaton sang the Star Spangled Banner with a Scottish burr that seemed entirely appropriate. The Louisville Pipe Band played Amazing Grace, then the bands played together, led by an amazingly tall and stern drum major. Although the effect was spoiled somewhat by his tartan, which involved a lot of purple and red. And it's not just me, a lot of folks thought he was exceptionally tall, although the Scots appear to be a tall race.

The pipe band competition was a tad disorganized. The bands were excellent, but seemed bent on practicing rather than doing the deed. The sound of practice was akin to a memory from childhood, when my brother and his cousin playing with cats who didn't wish to be played with (please don't call PETA, they've reformed, honest). The sun was hot by now, and I guess I was becoming cranky. Anyway, there was a youth band from Pittsburgh called Steel Thistle that was outstanding.

So after a weekend of Cornish pasties, scones, and the mellow tones of Alex Beaton, we're headed back to Verona.

Later!

Our Trip East

I'm learning more about Google Earth all the time. If you want to see our journey east, have a look at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=116854617492788213495.00044cb796ee6475de2ef&ll=36.102376,-99.404297&spn=14.397628,40.957031&z=5. If you click on the little balloons, you can see a little information about where we stayed. I'm still learning--I hope to add pictures to the map soon!

Adventures in New Mexico

We usually stay at the Escapees Dreamcatcher RV Park when we're in Deming. This time I chose a place called Hidden Valley Ranch (honest). The directions were a little iffy and included a 5.5 mile stretch of gravel road. Well, we drove 5.5 miles and there was nothing there. We continued on, Herb glancing at me with a disgusted look every so often. Eventually we drove around a small hill, and there it was. The office was closed. A lady in the clubhouse showed us how to register and gave us a map of the park. We chose a long pull-through site facing the desert. There were Gambrel's quail everywhere, charging frantically in all directions. A roadrunner walked right up to me--of course I didn't have my camera on me. This particular roadrunner, according to locals, has a nest with two young'uns in an overgrown yucca. There were lots of jackrabbits as well.

Trouble started when we attempted to put the slide out without unlocking the awning. The awning pulled loose from the side of the coach. Now there's some good news. Herb spent the next few hours fastening it back. We've bent part of the hardware as well.

It was quite cool with a brisk wind. The campground is at 4000 feet plus elevation. Someone from the office came by to welcome us, giving me a code for their satellite-based wi-fi and a map of the many ATV trails around the park. We learned there are petroglyphs and mines.

We enjoyed an evening of watching TV and the wildlife. The park is quiet, except for chattering birds!

In the morning we found the slide would not come in properly unless Herb got up on a ladder to push it. Oh, joy. But the morning was beautiful.

Herb worked for a good while with the awning and slide to secure them for travel. As the late Gilda Radner said, "It's always something."

I was sad to have missed getting a picture of the friendly roadrunner. She didn't emerge from her yucca tree at all, at least while I was watching.

We headed back across the dusty gravel road and were soon on the way towards Las Cruces.
As we stopped at a rest area just west of the city, I found a roadrunner I could photograph!

Where We've Been

You'll notice the little map to the left--it shows all the states in which we've camped so far. We have a map like this in the coach with stick-on states to add when we camp in another state. As you can see, we've more to see. If our trip to Kentucky goes as planned, we'll add at least one more state.

If you'd like to create a map to share in e-mail, print, or add to a blog or webpage, go to http://www.epgsoft.com/VisitedStatesMap/ and follow the steps. When the map is created, right-click on it and choose "save as." I added it to my photos then uploaded it to my blog. There's probably an easier way. As I've said before, I'm not inept with a computer but just barely ept!

A Trip to the Big House

I'm thinking Casa Grande means big house, so that's where we are. I'm learning about Google Earth. Here's what the campground looks like. We're in the lower left part, about the second row down. We're staying for two nights after a stressful day. We spent $2500 on five new tires for the coach then enjoyed rush hour in Phoenix. It's great fun to drive through heavy city traffic in a 38-foot motorhome towing a pickup truck loaded with an ATV. Trust me on this.

Jane's Ride

You've seen Herb's ATV. So do you think I'm jealous? Not when my employer at Black Rock provides a T-Bird. And here it is! Now don't laugh--the emblem on the front says, "Tee Bird." It's not much for speed and I've had to be pushed back to the office on one occasion. I've asked the boss to have it souped up, but he's seen me drive and is petrified at the thought of damage I could do at greater than 5 mph. Oh, well.

Where There's a Will...

Herb is determined to take his ATV on the road. He planned and put together a way to do that, and yesterday he tested out the plan, easily driving right up into the pickup bed while the neighbors watched in amazement! With the help and advice of our neighbors, Ron Brown and Bob Scott, he was able to secure it in place. He's looking forward to exploring new trails in Kentucky this summer, sharing adventures with his friend Curtis Smith in Harlan County, and other adventures yet to be imagined. He's gonna ride!

Time to Say Goodbye

Some of you who reside in the cold country may have a difficult time identifying, but this winter was over before we knew it! Yesterday we assembled on our site for a goodbye party. I fixed some salads and Herb presided at the grill, producing hot dogs, brats and metts almost as fast as the folks wanted them! Some of the westerners had no clue about brats and metts; one thought metts were named after the baseball team.

Our bosses, Sandy and Harlan were there; Harlan, as usual, continues to refer to me as Shorty (can't imagine why). Sandy, the best boss anyone could have, brought my favorite cookies. Chris, who also works in the office, brought a delicious crabmeat salad, and Bob, her husband, brought his great sense of humor. Linda Brown brought three homebaked pies which were the hit of the evening: Apple, French silk and black bottom. She cut them, too, knowing I'd massacre them if I did it. Her husband, Ron Brown, showed his Texas colors. It was fun calling him on the radio for propane and having him answer, "What can Brown do for you?" Anna Mae, our postmistress, brought homebaked cookies and her sweet self, and Perry brought his appetite! Deloris remembered to call me Jane instead of Sue for a change. Betty, our hostess for excellent cookouts all winter, brought some smoky sausages. Donna made rice and beans which were soon devoured and a tale of a naked man in the desert. There's actually a nudist colony not far from here. Her husband Bill is still remonstrating with Herb; Herb loaned his ATV to them to try out early in the season. They had barely made it out the back gate when Donna announced she had to have one. They now have a side-by-side ATV and have enjoyed many rides with Herb, the "trail boss."

It was so sad that Kelly could not be with us. She's got a terrible cold and didn't want to spread it--but helped us out with chips, plates, glasses, and the loan of a crock-pot (mine bit the dust over St. Patrick's Day). Her husband Bob regaled us with his adventures as a traffic-reporting airplane pilot in Phoenix. He once reported on the air, intending to say he was taking a peek over east Phoenix, accidentally substituting "leak!" After that, the station kept asking him just where he was, as people were concerned!

Bob and Kelly had loaned us their outdoor fireplace. As the sun went down and it cooled off, everyone gathered around it, continuing to visit and watch the stars.

It was a great way to end our winter at Black Rock, a place where we feel very much at home.

Black Rock Beauty and the Beast

After a busy morning at work, my neighbor insisted I come with her to see a cactus in bloom. Well, I've seen cacti in bloom--lots of them. But I didn't expect this! I've no idea what sort of cactus this is. The blooms appear in the night, last through the day, and disappear by the next morning. The folks who live in the campsite where this cactus is growing were most patient with "tourists" snapping lots of pictures, although Toby, their Welsh Corgi, wasn't nearly so cordial! There's another such cactus in another area of the park with blooms in white with a peach tinge. Unfortunately those blooms were gone by the time I knew of them.

Then today, Chuck showed up. We believe he's a chuckwalla, although he doesn't look exactly like the one in Kelly's book. He likes romaine lettuce a lot but won't eat the white center part. He hung around for a good while, studying us carefully and waiting for more romaine. We were able to approach for close-ups so long as we kept furnishing the romaine I was saving for a salad! I'm almost certain that didn't matter to him.

By the way, I'm not the one who christened him, although the name just flows, doesn't it?

We Ride! Part 2

The desert is an amazing place. Where else can you find a saguaro shaped like a barber pole? We climbed up a few hills, allowing us to see for miles. There are some cattle feeding stations and irrigated croplands. The cattle area odors, quite an olfactory assault from close up, are much improved at this distance. I'm always delighted by the incredibly blue sky and you've heard me rave about the clear, clean air. It seems a healthier place to live.

Herb spoke several times about a spooky canyon he wanted us to see. He'd discovered it on his own the previous week. So we continued on, looking forward to seeing this area. We stopped whenever there was a place of interest or folks wanted to dismount and walk for a bit.

We came to the canyon eventually. No picture can truly represent its beauty and ruggedness. Giant steps led partway down into a deep chasm. The more daring among us descended, at least until the steps ran out! The view across to the mountains was awesome.

A great feature of riding with Herb is the trip home to Black Rock. Rarely does it involve traipsing over ground already covered. We returned across Highway 42E (fortunately all the ATVs involved are licensed street legal).

This was Lee and Peggy's first experience in riding with the rest of us. They were troopers, dealing with the steep areas without a peep and trailing right along with the rest of us. They enjoyed the adventure and new sights.

Here's hoping for another ride soon!

We Ride!

Herb has an amazing talent for finding and leading others on amazing ATV rides. Here's the group, except for Bob. Left to right, Roger and Connie, Kelly, Peggy and Lee, and me and the Herbinator. We set out on a beautiful, sunny day, each with our own interests: Rocks, gems, photos, riding, sightseeing, etc. Herb led the way out of Black Rock and along the trails. It was my second ride of the season. Peggy and Lee were taking their first ride. We saw a number of old mines along the way, including a narrow canyon with a steep wall of jasper stone.

We walked into the canyon until it narrowed greatly. Roger was climbing on the rocks and Connie was looking for rocks. There were timbers overhead in one area, not looking any too secure. We took a break, walking around the area and having a drink of water and snacks. It's very dry here and the weather is getting warmer.

The desert is surprisingly green just now with grasses and shrubs and small patches of yellow and purple flowers are everywhere. Some of the cholla look ready to bloom. I haven't seen saguaro blooming yet--in picture, the yellow and white blooms are huge.

ATVing is a dusty adventure, particularly for those following others and for passengers. We try to maintain a distance but stay close enough so everyone knows when to turn and where.

A truly amazing ride. Tomorrow I'll tell you about the hidden canyon and the view!