Seasonal changes

Fri. Oct 11 - Wed. Oct. 20, 2013 (10 days) Moab Rim RV Campark - Moab, UT

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RV LIFE:
I'm feeling better about full timing. My emotions have been all over the place. I was quite depressed about leaving SD. Then we hit dèpressing Chappell with continued bad weather. I just wanted to cuddle up next to a fireplace.

Our trip on Thursday, Oct 10, from Nebraska to Colorado was somewhat stressful in that we hit snow in Vail.






Lyla (below) didn't have any stress on the drive.

My laid out plans were discarded with the recent storm that came through in South Dakota, and also the government shut down. Thankfully, no reservations were made.
We stopped at a surprisingly nice RV park 200 feet from Hwy. 70-River Dance RV Park - Gypsum, CO. (Review in next post)
The views were beautiful! It must be close to peak season for color changing landscape, maybe just a little past.

There was a nice flowing stream behind the park.  We were surprised that as soon as we dropped a few feet down to the stream, we couldn't hear the highway traffic anymore. There was like a mini beach along the stream and of course we couldn't keep Devin out of it.
There were a few hiking trails nearby.  Good trout fishing too. As we proceeded further on our walk around the park, we met up with three friendly dogs off lead playing ball with their owner. One of the dogs was a Boxer puppy. What a little wiggle butt! A short while later we were stopped by a guy who wanted to meet our Setters. Really nice guy who travels to where there's work. Everyone seemed so friendly except the camp host who seemed put out to see us.
Side note: This is a first...I'm typing this on my IPad as we're driving. We just saw a blinking sign saying the National Parks are open again! What timing, since we're headed to Moab, UT which is near some beautiful National Parks.
As we were getting ready to leave in the morning, we saw a puppy Golden, and then ten minutes later a couple more Goldens! Devin would have loved it here.

Now that we are settled in Moab, UT, we found out the government is still shut down, so how could the Utah National Parks be open? A little internet research and this is what I found.

Oct. 12, 2013: Reprinted from here:
"This is a godsend!" exclaimed Utah Gov. Gary Herbert late Thursday night, as he signed an agreement with the Department of the Interior to use state funds to reopen eight national park areas in his state for at least 10 days.
The Republican governor wasted no time in wiring $1.67 million to Washington overnight so that some of the areas can open as early as today. Rangers and other National Park Service employees will staff the parks as usual.
"Utah's national parks are the backbone of many rural economies, and hardworking Utahns are paying a heavy price for this shutdown," Herbert said.
State officials say Utah tourism generates $100 million in revenue in October, which is a busy period, given foreign visitors, the Columbus Day holiday weekend and fall break next week for many public schools and universities.
"The key is you can't make up what you lose in October," Herbert said Friday morning on Salt Lake City television station KUTV.
The deal comes as officials in San Juan County were poised to dismantle barricades and take control of Canyonlands National Park; the Natural Bridges, Rainbow Bridge and Hovenweep national monuments; and Hite Marina in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
The National Park Service agreed to reopen Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and Glen Canyon, along with Zion, Capitol Reef, Arches and Bryce Canyon national parks, and Cedar Breaks National Monument.
The Salt Lake Tribune was reporting Friday afternoon that barricades had come down at Zion National Park. (The Utah Office of Tourism has devoted this Web page to news of which national park areas will open when.)
"The world should know Utah is open for business," Herbert declared.
Zion alone lost more than 72,000 visitors during the first 10 days of the partial government shutdown, according to the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees. Communities dependent on Zion tourism lost an estimated $3.5 million in visitor spending and more than 2,000 non-government jobs were at risk, the group said in a report issued Thursday.
Utah considers the money authorized Thursday a loan, but it requires an act of Congress for the U.S. government to pay the money back. Herbert is working with the state's predominately Republican congressional delegation to get a measure passed.
He's also called the state Legislature into special session next Wednesday to consider sending more state money if the government shutdown continues beyond the 10-day funding plan.
Utah is immediately tapping its own state parks funds, but the Legislature will consider reimbursing the Division of State Parks. Utah finished fiscal year 2013 with a $242 million budget surplus."
I believe Arizona, New York, and Colorado have joined in this also.
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CRAFTS:
One of my excuses for not blogging is because of my surfing Ravelry. As Laurie from Knice Knitties Blog states...
" -- all is forgiven for time spent in Ravelry. I look at it as my own form of video games."
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SIGHTS:
Since I haven't been blogging much, I'll have to backtrack to Custer. Yes, I'm still in love with that area and still wonder whether we should have purchased property. Oh well.
On Oct. 1, we took a drive along the Needles Highway in Custer State Park. What a beautiful ride. I so wish we had our motorcycles. (Yet another reason to settle down.)
Needles Highway is a beautiful drive. The amazing needle shaped rock mountains keep you in awe. The needles eye itself, eh. Just a ploy to get you to drive the Needles Highway, which is fantastic. Be forewarned, lots of hairpin turns, "highway" is technically a two way road, but the width of the road is a lane and a half. Our dually truck had to be driven right on the edge of a cliff with no guard rail at times. Because of the twists and turns of the road, you can't see ahead to what vehicles may be coming towards you.

Not much room to spare!

Also there are two tunnels, one of which is very narrow. It states 8'4" wide, but we believe it was more like 9'. Our dually had about 6-8" clearance on either side. This highway also takes you to Sylvan Lake which is a beautiful relaxing stop after the teeth clenching Needles highway ride in a large vehicle.

Needles in background

At the end of the drive, we came upon Sylvan Lake. What a little oasis! We just HAD to take the 1 mile walk around the lake.

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MOVIE REVIEW:

Les Miserables - 2012

My rating 5 out of 5

Oh my gosh! I'm hooked! The story for the most part is so, so sad. I cried and had to clap at the end even though I was alone. 

I had to look it up to make sure it got the Oscar it deserved. Sure enough, Anne Hathaway won Best supporting Actress and was well deserved!!!! Anne Hathaway's voice is angelic. The makeup was sensational & that too won a well deserved Oscar also! Music is such an emotion effecting instrument. I will never be able to hear that music score again without thinking of this movie and the sadness and love it portrayed. Oh yea, the Sound Mix won an Oscar also! 

I NEVER thought this movie would have the emotional effect on me that it did.  We only recorded this because of all the hubub about it. I didn't think I would like it, and almost deleted it before giving it a chance. I was cleaning the RV while watching/listening, so it gave me a chance to become involved. OH MY GOSH! Wonderful film, wonderful voices, wonderful acting, wonderful costume and makeup.

I am just worn out by the emotions this film brought up and I can't stop crying.
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SMILE!

Back in Mammoth Lakes...

May 2 - 6, 2013 (5 days) Tahoe Valley Campground, South Lake Tahoe, CA

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No, we are not physically back in Mammoth Lakes, but there are a few items I didn't cover.
BUSINESS REVIEWS:
Tailwaggers pet supply store, Mammoth Lakes, CA
Our rating 4 out of 5
This pet supply store is expensive, but so are most places in this ski town.
Nice selection of good quality dry and canned food.
Lots of leashes & collars. We purchased a no pull harness at $29.00 which is about $4.00 more than many other places, but we've been looking for this harness for 4 months. It is not carried in the "big box" pet supply stores. So we paid the price.
Boxed treats as well as homemade treats. I really hate the pet supply stores that call themselves a dog "bakery" and their treats on display are definitely mass produced to look like human bakery items. Tailwaggers, were REALLY home made.
Lots of fun pet related kitschy things.
She even has a dog wash booth. I believe it was $15.00 for a 1/2 hour use. You wash your own dog, but they supply a raised bathtub, shampoo, towels, etc. I feel the price is high, but the convenience is nice.

Rocky Mtn. Chocolate Factory, Mammoth Lakes, CA
Our rating 3 out of 5
The displays were beautiful! You walk into the store and are bombarded with giant candy covered apples. They are great to look at, but I can't see trying to eat one unless we cut it up and serve in pieces.
This store was a lot of eye candy, but the actual candy was just average.
Malt balls: good, but nothing special
Truffles: What a disappointment. We purchased 4. I LOVE chocolate. I only ate 2. It's difficult to explain why they weren't good. The hard shell was a nice creamy chocolate, but the soft center was just a heavy glob. (The truffles at Schatz's Bakery are MUCH better)
Chocolate covered strawberry: This was the redeeming item of the store. Huge ripe, super sweet strawberries dipped in a good milk chocolate.
I would only return for their strawberries and maybe a candy apple as a hostess gift.

Blue Beacon Truck Washes (& RV's), Kingman, AZ
Our rating 4.5 out of 5
We have become lax in our RV washing. It has been quite discouraging while spending the Winter in the desert. Why bother, when the wind will just toss around all the dirt and sand and dust and settle it on our RV again. Since we were heading towards "greener pastures", we took advantage of a quick and inexpensive RV wash right next to Blake's Ranch RV park we stayed at for a couple of days.
There was no wait and we were pointed into the large building. About 6 guys started working on our 5th wheel RV & truck. Devin had a blast watching from inside the truck, the water and suds slide down the windows.
Only took about 10 minutes and an adequate job for the price. The truck looked great! The RV looked better than before. This is just a quick wash, scrub, rinse. There is no detailing or removing the black marks, etc.
They actually talked us out of the spray on wax because we had Rainx on some of our surfaces already. But for $41.00 total, I feel it was well worth it. Much better than us having to climb a ladder and 3 hours or more time to clean it ourselves.
Would have received a perfect score, if they scrubbed the roof. The workers are not allowed to have their feet leave the ground, so all washing is done with long handled brushes, etc.
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SIGHTS:
Since it is so easy to find caches in the desert, Scott has been having a blast finding multiple caches in one day. I've lost interest in it, but most times I tag along, just to get some exercise for me and the dogs and to view the scenery.
Here's where a few of the caches led us to.
1. McGee Mtn. Rope Tow, Mammoth Lakes, AZ
We would have just passed this on the road if not for a cache nearby. McGee Mtn. was originally used as a ski slope. This rope tow is what was used to get the skiers up the mountain.

2. House for Sale: Sometimes I wish we were a little more chance takers. The next cache brought us to this house for sale.

Yep, it's a definite "fixer upper" or maybe more of a demolition! But there are advantages. Even though the windows and roof a worthless, the structure is brick and solid. After living in a 5th wheel, we don't need much in a house anymore.
But look at the view from the back porch (that I imagine).

The photo does not do this huge mountain justice. You can see that it is very high because of the snow still on the peaks.
The house includes 58 acres!!!! We certainly wouldn't have to be concerned of disturbing the neighbors.
But alas, the reason we were able to retire at 55 and live this lifestyle, is because we are careful with our money.
3. McGee Lake:
Right next to our campground is a paved road that turns into a dirt road up McGee Mtn. There is a lake up there somewhere. But when we got to the parking lot, we were told by SAR (Search & Rescue), who were out practicing,  that it was a 4 mile hike. It was 4pm already, so decided not to bother.

But along the road, Scott did stop for another geocache.

Can you see Scott in the center of the photo?

Along this road is a Nat'l Forest boondocking campground. Great spot at this time of year if you want to be alone.

Can you see the 5th wheel has the campground all to themselves.?

4. Convict Lake:

What a great little gem this area is. We were drawn to this lake because of it's name, which was named for escaped convicts who shot it out with a sheriff's posse here in the nineteenth century, and also because if was just a couple miles off Hwy. 395. Oh, and of course, Scott wanted to find a couple of geocaches.

I wasn't feeling very well, so I planned to just walk around a little. We started on the path around the lake, and then walked a little further until Scott started making the climb up the side for a geocache. I decided to keep walking around the lake. I'd probably feel better after the 3 mile rim walk. What a nice hike around the lake. I wish our dogs could be trusted loose. They would have had a blast. The hike is mostly easy with some upgrades to get your heart pumping and also at 7800 feet above sea level, really got me inhaling deeply for more air. 

Great fishing here. From what I read, this lake is stocked weekly!

Beautiful, beautiful lake with the snow capped mountains surrounding it.

I wish we stopped here earlier. They rented little motor boats and pontoon boats. That would have been fun.

Overall a great hike and a definite place to stop if in the area. 

For those of you who don't RV or just want to have a get away weekend, there is a Resort next to Convict Lake. It looks pretty nice, with a hotel and rental cabins. A lot of weddings are held here.

5. Bodie, $7.00 per person, dog friendly

Tess, the RV park manager suggested we visit the ghost town, Bodie. I'm so glad we did. Be forewarned. To get here you must travel a VERY BUMPY, dirt road. I was definitely car sick. Beautiful views on the way.

This is a must see destination. We by passed Tombstone in Tuscon, AZ because we felt it was too touristy. Bodie is not touristy. This town is basically just as it was when they deserted around 1930. Very, very cool! It is now taken care of by the Calif. Parks System.

Bodie was a mining town. Population went from 20 to 10,000 within a year's time. Can you say "GOLD RUSH"? Yep, there's gold in them there hills.

It costs $7.00 per person, and a self guided tour book for $2.00. The tour book is well worth the price. The tour book describes all the structures and where they are located. 

I found it fascinating to see the furniture, bedding, curtains, supplies, all just left in place. Bodie is not being restored, but is what they call in "arrested decay". Which means the structures will be maintained, but only to the extent that they will not be allowed to fall over or otherwise deteriorate in a major way. So what you see is the way it was when they left.

I was completely fascinated seeing the inside of these structures.

Kitchen

Telephone central

Bedroom

General store

Funeral parlor (caskets)

Some things never change.

Planters peanuts and Spam

Toll roads even back then!

Post office. Same general design.

 Click HERE for some great shots of the outside and around town. And HERE for some video.
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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

May 7, 2013 (overnight) - Kelly's Family Kamground, Upper Lake, CA
May 8 - 19, 2013 (12 days) - Azalea Glen RV Park, Trinidad, CA
Port Orland, OR & Crater Lake, OR
June 14 -23, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR

OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/214

I miss New Jersey....

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

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NOT! I do miss Spring in NJ though. I'm sure I can find the same kind of Spring in other areas of the country, but here in Winslow, AZ it's all brown and some green. Sigh.  I've been seeing photos of Spring Flowers on other bloggers posts. Sigh.

Lily in my NJ garden

NJ Garden

NJ hostas

I really miss my hostas. I sort of gave up flower gardenings when we adopted Setters. They are not good off leash, so they couldn't be in the front yard with me gardening. I lost the heart for gardening when there were no dogs to keep me company. But hostas are easy care, great edging, great ground cover and come in thousands of varieties. They start showing in April and within a week are huge. I had them all along the edges of our yard.



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PETS: 
I met a nice young man (don't I sound OLD?) at the dog park here in our campground. He is taking some time to travel the country. Sort of his "bucket list" before he has to settle down with a real job and real responsibilities. He purchased an old Bounder Motorhome and has a scooter. He's from MA and headed West and is now heading back East.  His friends are very envious. He says he invited them along. But they were not adventurous enough to leave their "cook" jobs that they've had since high school. Opportunity lost and may never be possible again, until MAYBE retirement.
His roommate is Rocky, a really nice 110 pound rescued black lab. Devin is thrilled to have a playmate again!

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RV LIFE:
We are having plenty of down time this week. There isn't much to do in this area.  We visited Meteor Crater (review below), and went into the actual town of Winslow, AZ. Rt. 66 passes through there, so of course there are plenty of places with that theme. Sorry folks, I couldn't care less.

There is not much area to walk or hike here either, so this will be a very sedentary week. I do not have the discipline enough to just walk around this small park over and over and over, just to get 10,000 steps in a day that is recommended.


Another thing I don't miss in NJ, my job: 
Ya know what's nice about our RV life? I'm retired and away from the crap at my job.

This is from our APWU (union) facebook page.

Ex Co"worker" Sue's post : APWU Sucks. I had my issues, yes. But my Union Rep got me fired. The union rep (Ed: name deleted) sucks. She called me an F'N C---- I responded and got fired. Thanks for taking my money, Red Bank Local, the most "dangerous local around" (Ed: the union's motto)the only ones you have to look from are the Union Reps. They kiss ass
Ann's reply: So nothing you did was what actually got you fired? They just fired you because a Union Rep said to do so? I'm confused.
My reply:  I guess you don't know Sue.
Sue's reply: Neither do you Debbie. There are always two sides to a story.  Mind you own business Debbie, you never talked to me before, oh yeah, you were another ass kisser,/ supervisor wanna be.
Ann's reply: OK. I see now why.

Perfect!!! Sue showed her true colors in her reply to me. Ann also saw and understood.

Ahhh, those pleasant memories. Do you know how I was an ass kisser? I did what my supervisor's told me to whether I liked it or not. Yep, that's kissing ass and yep, I got along with most of my supervisor's. I had an uneventful 32 yrs in the postal service and glad for it. I put in my time and my work ethic and was blessed by being able to retire early at age 53!

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SIGHTS:
Meteor Crater, Winslow, AZ $16.00/per person admission
My rating 1 out of 5
Scott's rating 3.5 out of 5

Scott really liked it and would have rated it a 4 out of 5 if the price was cheaper. I would have rated it 2 out of 5 if the price was cheaper.

This is the best preserved and first proven meteorite impact site on Earth. It is about 1 mile across, 550 feet deep, and about 2.5 miles around. In the museum is a detailed history of the founder and how it was eventually proven to be a meteor crater and the money spent and possible wealth in iron, blah, blah, blah. Glad I brought my Kindle to read!

Scott was a Geology major at Catawba College in NC, so he's really interested in this and can understand it better than I can. He really enjoyed the museum. What turned me off was there was a replica of a piece 3' long, 2' wide piece of a meteor (Helsinger meteorite). The real piece was on display just outside the museum. Artists can make things look and feel so real, I become very skeptical of anything on display. I'm outta here. I sat on a bench reading, while Scott enjoyed the museum.

Seeing the crater itself was anti-climatic. Is it because we just were at the Grand Canyon the week before? Or was I truly able to judge this crater on it's own? Either way, it is difficult to realize the size of it from their 3 viewing posts. Yes, they state the rim is about 2.5 miles around, so we were prepared to walk the rim. Not gonna happen sucka! You are not allowed to walk around it, and can only view at their 3 lookouts.

Can you tell I'm not a fan? They are spending 20 million dollars!, yes, 20 million dollar$!$!$ on a "Sustainable Visioning Masterplan" to renovate and expand the visitors center. I did not see a railing and walking path around the rim in that plan. What a waste!

A definite tourist trap at $16.00 per person. 

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FOOD:

On to a much more enjoyable topic. Lunch! Ever since enjoying the home made tortillas at Verde Lea Market in Cottonwood, AZ, I am so hooked on putting almost anything between them.

I stated before my coleslaw mix, pica de gallo in a tortilla. Today I added sliced cucumber and some Tuscany Herb olive oil. I bet it would taste good with cucumber or ranch dressing also. Maybe add sliced avocado, hmmmm.

A healthy lunch.

Eat those veggies!

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FOOD PRODUCT REVIEW:

Philadelphia Indulgence, Cinnamon

My rating 4.5 out of 5 

I rated the chocolate flavor in a previous post. Now it's time for my second sampling. This is also delicious, although it won't satisfy my chocolate "needs" like the chocolate cream cheese does. This tastes almost like the Cinnabon frosting, only thicker.  I'm not sure what to use this on other than maybe a sweet roll, or...tortillas! I told you I was using all kinds of things to stuff a tortilla! 

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RECIPE:

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Rollups

Soft Tortillas

1 pkg. Philadelphia Indulgence, Cinnamon

Sliced apples or bananas (optional)

Spread cream cheese (and fruit) on tortilla, roll up and eat or layer, then roll up and slice for a nice bring along snack while visiting friends.

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CRAFTS; 
My 6"x9" rectangles have been shipped off the the HAP (Handmade Afghan Project) to make into an afghan and sent to VA hospitals.

1850 Old South Gown This is a crocheted outfit for a "Barbie" type doll. This is for display on your bed. I've had these patterns for years and years.
When I had to purged my craft room to get ready for RVing, I had to decide whether to keep these supplies or give them away. So I brought the material for one project and have been working on it for the almost 2 yrs we've been RVing. My heart is not in this project. What am I going to do with it? I guess try to sell it on Ebay or Etsy or find a nice Grandmom who would want it for her Grandchild.
So far I've completed the base of the skirt. I'm now ready to crochet the ruffles. I am a project crafter. I hate to have a project unfinished. So this project is my outside craft project because the sun give excellent light for this thin thread and tiny crochet hook use.

Sample

I'm also experimenting with a sun hat pattern. I've seen so many sunhats for sale in this area. They are crocheted and I KNOW I could make them, but...what is the material they use? It's not cotton, it's much stiffer so the hat holds it's shape. So I'm experimenting with some twine I bought at Walmart. I plan to make the brim wider and hopefully curl up a touch. Well see.

Cable Jacket

Sample

 I've been a good girl knitter and knit a swatch, soaked and blocked.

Yes, it is full of cables, but it is made with worsted weight yarn, so the bumps and jolts riding in the truck will not be too much of a problem. Come back next year to see the finished project. I hope it doesn't take that long! But it could.
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WHERE WE ARE HEADED:
Apr. 25, 2013 (Tentative) Calizona RV Park, Needles, CA
Apr. 26, 2013 (Tentative) Sierra Trails RV Park, Mojave, CA

Apr. 27 - May 5, 2013 (Tentative) Sequoia RV Ranch, Three Rivers, CA

June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

RV PARK REVIEW: Trailer Vlg, Grand Canyon, AZ

RV PARK REVIEW:

Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 

Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ 

Site # I-60 $35.00/day

Our rating 4 out of 5

/ SITES: Gravel and very unlevel.. Close, but enough space to let our dog out on a 15 foot tether. Sights at the end of rows are more spacious with shade. Some sites are open, others have shade. Our site had a beautiful Utah Juniper tree for shade.

+ HOOK UPS: FHU

/ BATHROOMS: Toilets only, no showers. Did not check for cleanliness, did not use.

-  LAUNDRY: No

+ PETS: Pets allowed. Plenty of area to walk the dogs. Many paved walking paths and woods are cleared so easy to walk through. Dogs are not allowed on shuttle buses nor on many unpaved trails into the Canyon. There is a day kennel if needed.

-  WIFI: No

+ VERIZON INTERNET: Worked very well.

-  SPRINT INTERNET: No service

+ VERIZON PHONE: good

-  AT&T PHONE: No service

-  BOOK EXCHANGE: No

+ ACTIVITIES: Hiking the Grand Canyon.

/MAIL DELIVERY ACCEPTED: No, but there is a US Post Office in the Park at Market Plaza.

/AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: Did not venture outside of park.

Other comments:

We saw huge Mule Deer almost daily in the RV park. On two occasions we saw Elk just grazing in the RV sites. Very cool experience.

Free shuttle bus to other areas of the South Rim available right outside the campground (walking distance).

Market plaza is maybe 3/4 to 1 mile from campground with a well stocked, but premium priced grocery, the US Post Office, a cafeteria, Chase bank, and a gift shop with hiking equipment available for rental or purchase.

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

Apr. 25, 2013 (Tentative) Calizona RV Park, Needles, CA

Apr. 26, 2013 (Tentative) Sierra Trails RV Park, Mojave, CA

Apr. 27 - May 5, 2013 (Tentative) Sequoia RV Ranch, Three Rivers, CA

June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

Wackadoodle day!

Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ

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RV LIFE: 

What a weird day I'm having! It's not what I expected.

First, Devin wakes me up at 3:30am. He had to go out. He's been a pooping machine lately. We're not feeding him anything different. At 3:30am it is 31° outside. Brrr! That sure woke me up. No going back to sleep now.

Time flies while on the computer in the wee hours of the morning. Somehow 7:30 arrived and it's now 29° outside. Our propane RV heater, and 2 electric heaters are keeping the RV toasty. 

Since I only had about 4 hours sleep, Scott asked me if I still wanted to hike the Bright Angel Trail. 

I told Scott it didn't matter. If he wants me to go with him, I'm fine with that. He actually said he'd prefer to go alone. That way he won't have to worry about me falling off the path, over the edge! He was concerned I may not be as alert as I should with so little sleep. So, I opted out of hiking today. I'll just enjoy a virtual hike of Bright Angel Trail.

I thought I might have another "down" day. Especially being so cold, I'll just snuggle under the afghan. Unlike yesterday, I did get out of my jammies and into street clothes. I walked the dogs about 1/2 mile to the US Post Office that is right here on the Nat'l Park grounds in the Market Plaza.

So just as I begin to clean up the kitchen and get ready to settle down to read, it starts snowing, well barely snowing, but I did not expect this out West in April. But I guess at 7000' high, it's a different climate than lower down.

I know it's not much but still seemed odd to me.

So as I'm outside trying to take photos of the snow, I almost walk into....An Elk, or 2! Actually there are FOUR Elk just grazing all around our site. Cool! I'm glad I didn't go on the hike. I would have missed the wildlife show!

Next thing I hear is our African Grey Parrot growling and spreading his wings. Yes, our parrot growls. He growls when he sees a strange animal (usually a foster dog). The parrot is growling, Devin is barking, poor Lyla who is deaf can sense something's going on and is just looking at me for reassurance. Ok, ok kids, calm down. What the...? Trot, trot, trot....

This is looking out our back window!
Holy crap, we're surrounded!

Devin's keeping an eye on those huge "dogs". They don't look like they want to play. Devin is staring at the Elk behind this tree on the left. You can barely see if. He's in between the white trailer and the tree.

The Elks seemed to graze in pairs. So there's the one pair that Devin is watching, where are the others? I go to the front door to see if they are on the other side. Holy double crap!

He's at my door!

Woo hoo! What a great experience! I'm thrilled!

Beautiful

It's only 2 in the afternoon. What other adventures await just sitting in the RV? Maybe Scott will have some stories about his hike.

SIGHTS:

The other day we planned on taking the dogs along the "Trail of Time". We walked from the campground to the trail. Lyla & Devin were enjoying all the smells. I made sure I had a good hold of Lyla while walking along the rim. I don't want my nightmares about her chasing something over the edge to come true.

We walk about a 1/4 of a mile on the trail, when Scott & Devin lag behind. What's up? Lyla is a senior and I'm not in very good shape any more. I turn around and there is Scott struggling with Devin to stay on the trail. Is Devin afraid of heights? Does Devin know he could fall off the edge? Nope. Devin is afraid of children. This was a Sunday afternoon and many kids were jumping, skipping, oohing and ahhing, complaining and just generally making kid noises. Devin was pulling as hard as he could to get away from them. He just wanted to hide under a tree. We have no idea why he is like that. Sad. Instead of struggling and instead of making Devin go through this panic state for the next 2-3 miles, we opted to go back home. We'll do the trail minus dogs another day.

Another day came (what a surprise) and we did walk the "Trail of Time" just Scott & Debbie. I tried to take in all the info along the trail. Signs explaining what layer of rock, mineral, whatever was formed at that time. The trail starts at present day and goes back 100 million years or so. I gave up on taking in all the info at 14 million. It just all blended together into mush in my brain. It is an easy, paved fairly level trail. 

There are big chunks mounted on cement of whatever substance layer was formed at the time along our walk.

Scott on South Rim

Ther are many campers who only stay a day or two here. I guess it's just enough to say "been there, done that" or "check that off my bucket list". Many Cruise America Class C rentals in the RV park. I did see a unique "RV" rental. It's called Jucy rentals. 

 The top is called the "Penthouse". It is not just a car top carrier, it's a...

sleeping quarter. It literally is a car top carrier made into a bed. Whatever works.

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COFFEE REVIEW: 

Major Dickason's Blend, by Peet's

My rating 5 out of 5

When living in NJ, I used to mail order this. You couldn't find it locally. This company started out as just a coffee house in California, and kept expanding their coffee sales. Now you can find Peet's Coffee fairly regularly in major grocery store chains.

I purchased the Whole Bean bag and then Espresso ground it at the in store grinder. 

Flavor Notes from their website, "Rich, smooth, and complex, with a very full body and multi-layered character." I think that describes this blend perfectly, although I don't know what multi-layered means.

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

Listening is an Act of Love, by Dave Isay

My rating 4 out of 5

This is an interesting concept. These stories are non-fiction.

Story Corps is a non profit organization that has recording studios both in stationary buildings and in a traveling Winegabo. You reserve recording time to record YOUR story, whether it be a fictional story you created or the story of your life and experiences. Listening is an Act of Love is a sampler of those stories.

Publisher's Summary on Audible " Drawn from the work of StoryCorps, the largest and most ambitious private oral history project in American history, comes this tapestry of the stories Americans have been sharing from their lives to leave behind to their loved ones."

What I listened to was a younger relative asking a senior relative about their life and memories. It is a great way to not only remember your family, but also to record life as it was and as it is now for future generations. These books I don't think are private. There is a copy kept at the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress.

I found it very interesting listening to how things were in our grandmother's time. I think a great idea would to be record your story of going through a struggle and how you are dealing with it. That would be a help to others going through similar problems. 

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

Apr. 25, 2013 (Tentative) Calizona RV Park, Needles, CA

Apr. 26, 2013 (Tentative) Sierra Trails RV Park, Mojave, CA

Apr. 27 - May 5, 2013 (Tentative) Sequoia RV Ranch, Three Rivers, CA
June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014