Last of Camper Trip 2017 #12

 Hello again and for the last time this trip,

OK....so we left the Grand Canyon on the 4th of May and needed to be at my daughter's in Maple Valley, WA on the 10th.  So, for us, we'd be traveling fast for the next week.  We were planning on clearing out the camper and delivering it to Jim and Mona on the 12th.

Our first night we went to Page and stayed at Lake Powell.  This is a place that you'd like to spend some time enjoying but we only had the night.  It was nice and warm and the views and the sunset were great. 

Next day we drove in the backside of Zion National Park which entails going through a tunnel that we were required to pay a fee and go into with just one way traffic.  Little did we know that this tunnel was over a mile long and very dark except for natural light made by "windows" every tenth mile or so that were drilled through the rock to the outside.  We were told to drive down the center of the two lanes and it was pretty amazing.  I heard later that the tunnel was built in 1927 and it really was a marvel of engineering.  The views in Zion are amazing.  We'd been to the west side one other time years ago but not on this road through the back or in the northern section of the park which is called Kolob Canyons and is a five-mile scenic drive loop.  Both were well worth seeing.

We stayed at nearby Cedar City then drove two long days with stops at Ogden, Utah and Nampa, Idaho then slowed down a bit.  The drive through northeast Oregon and the Umatilla National Forest was beautiful but no camping just yet….there’s snow on the ground. We wound down the hills into Walla Walla in Washington which is famous for its sweet onions but also the wines.  Never have been there before to my recollection.  We stayed at a very nice RV park that we could walk to town and had dinner.  They had outside seating on the sidewalk in this pretty little town.  Next morning we stopped at only one winery but we enjoyed it very much and left with several bottles of good wine which we’ve been enjoying since.

We had one more night of camping left and spent it at the Ginko Petrified Forest State Park near Vantage and right on the Columbia.  One last campfire.  It’s okay….we’re ready to part with our trusty camper and travel differently in the future.  We’ve certainly made a lot of memories and seen so many beautiful places in the nearly ten years we’ve owned her.  It was sure great to be able to take the last couple of weeks and say our proper goodbyes.  In a couple days we’d be delivering her to her new owners and prepare to go home.

Always great visit my daughter.  She is my favorite person and I miss her all the time.  We moved into her den and did the cat dance.  She has two and Aja and they could not hang out together because none of them liked the other one little bit.  It was pretty funny at times…..them taking turns behind closed doors.  We had a couple situations but nothing too serious.  Myles is a beautiful rag doll fluffy guy and he had Aja on the run which surprised us all.  But hey, it’s his house!!

We arranged to meet up with Jim and Mona at a church parking lot to do the switch, as it was level and that’s almost a requirement for loading the camper.  It was raining a bit and after the paperwork and all we unloaded and helped Jim back his new dually truck which he had just spent a goodly sum of money on to be a camper carrying vehicle.  Camper didn’t fit.  After all of that and all four of us being so excited about our part in this transaction and it was not to be.  Disappointed does not begin to describe how we all felt.  Crazy unbelievable that a big new truck was designed a bit smaller than they used to be.  Why? Anyway, they took us to lunch and we are friends.   Really nice people and I hope they can get something that will work for them.  They also had a kitty who was going to have a ball in the camper just as Aja did.

So our next week was all about selling the camper and the truck.  Had to be camper first or both together and we were getting way more action on the truck than the camper.  But by the next Friday a guy from the Chelan area came over to see the rig and we struck a deal for both.  Whew!  We really wanted to get them gone before we left for Kauai and it looked like it was going to be ok.  Whew!

So Marian showed up on Sunday with a big pile of money and drove off a happy man.  His son drove him over and he looked pretty happy as well.  Really a nice guy and he planned to travel far and wide mentioning Mexico and Alaska.  He’s called a couple times since with questions because he warned us that he doesn’t read manuals.  LOL.  So our truck is still carrying around that load….we were hoping she’d get a break but the two do appear to be made for each other. 

So we’ve been able to have some family time both with my Mom and with Krysten and of course, my grandchildren.  Rachel has been really helpful with letting us use her car and giving us rides to places.  Bryce had his 18th birthday and he also spent time with us on Mother’s Day when we took my Mom to dinner.  He graduates next week.  All grown up and both super great people.  My Mom is doing fine though she’s extremely forgetful.  She got her driver’s license renewed on her birthday with our assistance.  Yikes, 93, and she did it!  We didn’t believe it was possible but since it was her birthday and that’s what she wanted we figured we’d do our best.  She had to go to an eye doctor and have her eye’s checked first because she had flunked the eye test a few days before at the DMV.  We got that done but don’t worry….she won’t be driving.  The blue house picture is of the house my mom grew up in.  It was built in 1901 and has been remodeled and made to look awful.  It’s on the market for $650,000.  It has a view of Lake Washington but is right on the 405 and doesn’t even have a driveway....street parking only.  It used to be cute and we got a good laugh out of seeing it.

Also spent some time with Ursula enjoying a beautiful sunny day while sitting outdoors at the Everett Marina drinking wine and later going for Mexican and meeting her friend, Dick, who I’ve heard so much about.  And yesterday I saw my friend Mary Sierra and we realized it had been five years since we last met.  Great to see Marzee again.  We have some major history together from when we first moved to Waikiki in 1979 and were roommates!  Way younger then...hahah.  

We’re at Joyce’s and doing the final packing for our move back home.  We had lots of stuff from the camper that we are taking back and our luggage is a BIG amount.  Six checked bags (two are Kayaks) and the cat.  By this time tomorrow we’ll be on our way.  It’s been fun!  Good thing Greg, who is picking us up, has a truck.  We’re going to need it.

That huge rhubarb is going to be made into a pie a little later.  Happy Memorial Day to everyone. 

Aloha, Gayle and Mike

Camper Trip 2017 U.S. Mainland #11

 Here I am again,

I was going to finish the entire trip in this email but decided the Grand Canyon deserved it’s own story.  It was lovely.  We had perfect weather and great views.  So very hard to pick out which photos to share because none of them do the place justice.  So glad we got to see it finally.

We had reservations at Mather Campground, which is near the main village, for two nights.  We took the shuttle to the Visitors Center and walked to the rim and alongside the canyon for a half mile or so.  It was later in the day so the light was good.  We talked to a guy who was a real hiker and he told us about all the trails that go everywhere in the canyon including one that is over twenty miles and goes to the North Rim.  We could barely make out the lodge in the north and it was hard to imagine that you could actually walk there.  Not in our plans.  lol.

The next day we took the extremely organized and convenient shuttle bus to the Hermit Road area to the west.  This road is about fifteen miles long and has many beautiful lookout points and no cars allowed.  The shuttle stops at the various views and you hop off and on again.  We packed a lunch and ate at the stone building at the end of the road.  It was an interesting structure with the biggest fireplace I’ve ever seen.  Trails leave from here to hike further along the canyon.  Again, not for us this trip.  My sciatica is way better but no long hikes like we used to do.  Hopefully when we get home we’ll be able to start hiking again.

We shuttled back to the village and had a beer and watched the caribou hang out.  They are everywhere in the park and quite the nuisance.  They’re not afraid of us but can be mean so it’s best not to get to close.  We bought some wood for a campfire and enjoyed the evening doing our favorite thing, sitting around a fire.

Next morning we left early so we could get a campsite at Desert View, which is about twenty miles to the east, and is first come first served.  We arrived early and got a nice spot.  It’s not very far to walk to the rim of the canyon from here and it’s another stellar spot.  There’s a big tower there that is a visitor center and we also were able to have lunch at a little restaurant where you could watch the people....always fun.  Desert View was really nice and I’d highly recommend it to any campers....just get there early.

We had one more campfire and martinis....life is good.  One more email and then we fly home on Tuesday.  We’re ready and so is the kitty.

Gayle, Mike and Aja

Camper Trip Mexico back to USA 2017 #10

 Hello once again,

Back in the USA....and it's cold and rainy and windy.  The line at the border wasn't terrible and they were super nice when they searched our camper with a dog.  We had to remove the cat first and keep her hidden.  Our pleasure!  She wasn't happy but she would have not enjoyed the dog in her house even less.   They took our meat but didn't charge us for having too much alcohol. 

Because we had a bit of a problem finding the place that we needed to stop and turn in our tourist cards and vehicle permit before leaving Mexico, it was getting fairly late in the afternoon to find a camping place.  Plus we needed to go to WalMart anyway so we made their parking lot our home for the evening.  We bought a bunch of things we hadn't seen for a while and even found a place close by to change our pesos back into dollars.   Got an oil change in the morning at the Walmart and it was like we'd never been gone.  

Our first stop wasn't far away, about 60 miles, at Del Rio.  We were in one of our half price RV Parks and it was pretty nice.  Had a laundry facility and that was a necessity by then.  Weather still yucky.  It poured rain all night and we had a river running under us by morning.  What we were doing here?  I seem to recall that a few days before it was hot and wonderful? 

We had an incident that night that is hard to explain and unpleasant to recall.  Aja, who we thought was up in the truck, actually had escaped and she spent the entire night out in the rain and cold with no ID.  I realized she was gone about 5am and screaming "Mike" ran to the door and called her.  Boy did she show up fast!  Thank goodness she is smart and knows where she lives.  I didn't have to worry long.  Oh, but when I think of what might have been I still get sick to my stomach.  Good kitty good kitty.  She went right to her food bowl and didn't hold a grudge.  

Next day we changed our route plan half way through the drive and when the bad and cool weather turned into dense fog I thought we were in for it.  We'd chosen a more scenic route and it appeared that we wouldn't see a thing.  But miracle of miracles we broke out into a fairly sunny day and camped that night at a dude ranch/RV park in warm sunny weather. 

We were headed for Carlsbad Caverns but first stopped for a couple nights at the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  We'd visited both before and enjoyed so couldn't pass them by.  Especially the Caverns.  What an amazing place....the photos do not tell you anything of the vastness of this place. 

Now we were in New Mexico and had run an ad for our camper mainly, though the truck was listed as an option.  We had some inquiries and one couple we made plans to meet in a few days at Socorro.  We found a Forest Service Campground in the mountains, which are our favorite places to camp, and did a bunch of cleaning and organizing in order to show the camper in a good light.  It was a bit gross after several months in Mexico.  We had campfires and Aja got to sharpen her claws on real trees....all good.

Next we went down the mountain to Alamagorda and went to the Space History Museum located there.  Very interesting and we also viewed a flick about future space travel and a stargazers tutorial by an interesting fellow that really enjoyed his job....very fun.

We'd seen a place about half way to our meeting with Jim and Mona, the people who were going to look at the camper, called Valley of Fires that had a campground so made that our destination.  We liked it a lot.  There was a huge lava flow just below our campsite and a huge amount of sky above.  We had a great night fire that evening after the wind calmed down. 

The place we found ourselves in Socorro wasn't the best but it worked....Jim and Mona found us and we sold our camper!  Cool, right?  Things get complicated later but at the time it was a great deal with a great plan.  They wanted us to deliver the camper to them in Washington which is where we were going.  Yay.  We can still go to the Grand Canyon.  We had almost three weeks before our second meeting to deliver the camper to their truck, which by then would be equipped to accept said camper.

So we continued onward, secure in the knowledge that we only had to sell the truck once we arrived at Krysten's on May 10th.  And we knew the truck would be easy to sell.  We had reservations at the Grand Canyon on the 1st and 2nd of May so we'd have to boogie (for us) to get to Seattle but no big deal.

We had about a week to kill before our reservation at the National Park and the weather was very nice and warm.....at least when we started.  The next day it had cooled off a bunch and we were finding that, even this far south, the National Forest Campgrounds were not yet open.  We spent one night in New Mexico and a bunch in Arizonia mostly at State Parks.   They were nice but not what we'd envisioned which was woods and sun.  Instead we got open areas with crowds and lots of wind and cool weather.  Dang.  We stayed at Lyman Lake for two nights, then Fool Hollow Lake for a couple more.   We backtracked a bit and spent a day driving through Petrified Forest National Park which was super interesting and beautiful in it's own stark way.  Stayed in one more state park,  Homolovi, which was interesting and had old Indian ruins.  On to Flagstaff for the night and now it was finally time to see the Grand Canyon. 

We had visited the North Rim a few years ago and had reservations to go to the South Rim but the government shut down and so did the National Parks.  Funny thing was that they were maybe going to shut down the government again and we got a bit nervous about our plans but it worked out.  We'd seen every other attraction in the western half of the states so it really was about time to see this most popular and famous South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park.

Our time there and up until we fly home to Kauai will be my next project.  I plan to get it done in a few days....just before we fly home on the 30th, one week from today.

So stay tuned....lots of drama in the next email!!! 

Bye for now, 

Gayle and Mike