Dam Fine View - Zion National Park, 5/21

We woke up early this morning and watched the sun rise over Vegas. It was one of those magical moments where the sky went from indigo blue to a soft orange and then suddenly the entire mountaintop was washed in sunlight. It was great because we experienced the entire show snug in bed. Talk about having a primo camping spot! We were rewarded on our early morning ride off Mt. Charleston with more great views. The only detour was stopping at another campground to take showers since our campground’s showers mysteriously were locked down overnight. (Did this have anything to do with the campground host rather sheepishly rolling in from a late night in Vegas at 6 am?). Ned and I decided to cruise the strip at 8 am, which seemed pretty surreal after our quiet and peaceful night on the mountain. We braved the casinos and had a big breakfast at the Luxor. The blinking lights and ringing bells seemed a bit jarring after the quiet we’ve experienced the last couple of days. After battling traffic to get out of town we headed toward Hoover Dam. We were both expecting a relatively quiet tour of the dam (especially after our low key tour of Shasta Dam last year) and were shocked by the traffic congestion and thousands of people milling about. We tried parking in several parking lots and after being sent to overflow lot 13 on the Arizona side I have to admit we had enough. After spending the last several days in laid back places I felt like those cranky old codgers holed up in the desert muttering to themselves, “People are no damn good. grrrrr.” Despite the congestion, Hoover Dam is quite an experience. The sheer magnitude and scope of the project is mind boggling. (See today’s pic). Wanting to stay off the main freeway we decided to take the Lake Mead National Recreation Area highway towards Zion. I was expecting more of a scenic drive hugging Lake Mead. The lake is extremely low and the road is surrounded by parched desert without a view of the lake for most of the drive. The road was also being repaired so we had several 10 – 20 minute stops along the way. Ned, being the smart guy he is and knowing how antsy I can get, wisely suggested we listen to some of the “This American Life” podcasts I had queued up. Fun! We had a great time listening to the stories and telling our own stories as well. We finally pulled into Zion National Park in the late afternoon to discover that all the campsites were filled. So here we are staying a mile from the park in an RV resort. The good news is that it has electricity, showers and wi-fi!! We were also able to access the bike trail really easily from here and did a quick spin thru town before dinner. In the early evening we took the shuttle bus to Zion Lodge and poked around. When we returned to the Visitor’s Center around 9ish, we spotted a bobcat hanging out on one of the rocks in the parking lot. Very cool! Rather than take the shuttle bus back to the campsite, we decided to take advantage of the sensuous warm breeze and walk back in the moonlight. Nice ending to the day.

Yea though I drive thru the Valley of Death…, Hilltop Campground, Sloan, NV 5/20

We were pouring over the maps while eating breakfast this morning and decided that since we were so close to Death Valley, and neither of us had seen it since we were little tykes, that it was worth checking it out. It wasn’t in our original plan, but what the heck. Besides, after the long wet winter in Nevada City I was in search of sun and heat. Heading towards Death Valley from Lone Pine we spotted a beat up camper van with a large “Cherries” banner. The seller was a toothless old codger from east of Stockton(?!) who considered himself a stand-up comedian. Although his jokes were awful, his cherries were excellent. We stuffed ourselves sick on cherries and dotted the countryside with our version of Johnny Appleseed. Once reaching Death Valley, we were completely surprised by the landscape and terrain of this National Park. We had assumed that it would be flat and well – just desert. Boy, were we wrong! We climbed over the Panamint Range and drove thru lave mountains. It was absolutely gorgeous to see the contrast of the yellow salty desert against the snow capped mountains, purple ranges and even a few wildflowers growing in the parched earth. We made several stops along the way, checking out the Devil’s Cornfield, Stovepipe Wells Village and the Borax Works. By the time we reached the Furnace Creek Visitor’s Center it was in the triple digits and I was pretty toasty warm and quite happy, thank you! We decided to have a picnic lunch outside at the Visitor’s Center and really take it all in. At this point we were at 190 feet BELOW sea level. My favorite group of the day was the 20 or so Brazilians who had rented out Harley’s and were riding thru the Valley proudly displaying the Brazilian flag on their cycles with bright orange Route 66 t-shirts. We caught up with them at another rest stop and they were quite a happy bunch. The best viewing spot of the day was at Zabriskie Point, which is the exact middle of Death Valley. From this 710 ft. overlook you can view a medley of badlands, lava flows and distant peaks. It was as if the entire landscape of Death Valley was all condensed in this one spot. On our walk up to the point we passed multiple groups of people and never once heard English. Isn’t it great that so many different cultures are enjoying the hottest place on earth! (Record temperature was 134). Our eventual destination for the night was Mt. Charleston, Nevada, which is located about an hour outside of Las Vegas. We had quite a climb to get here, too! We went from below sea level to an elevation of a little over 8,000 feet. It’s quite a lot cooler than earlier today I might add! The campground is very aptly named Hilltop. On one side we have the Nevada Nuclear Test Site and on the other side are views of downtown Las Vegas. I honestly don’t know which one is more of a detriment to my well being! Looks like another round of games tonight over mojitos and cerveza. Ned’s promised me breakfast in Vegas tomorrow before we head out to Hoover Damn and Zion. Salud!

Soaking it All In, Keough’s Hot Springs, Bishop, CA 5/19

Hard to believe it’s finally the first day of our vacation! I didn’t think it would EVER get here. Actually, it was more like poor Ned who was suffering the effects of me wishing it would get here. Between the organizing and event planning it’s a wonder I didn’t drive the poor guy nuts. (Well maybe I did just a bit). When we left at about 9:30 this morning it was still a bit overcast and chilly. It was gorgeous driving over the Sierras, glimpsing the last bit of snow for the season, seeing the South Yuba in full force and driving along the shores of Lake Tahoe. A little outside of Gardnerville we stopped for a picnic on the side of the road. It‘s been a couple of years since we’ve driven 395 and seen the Eastern Sierras. I forgot how spectacular and majestic they are from this side of the mountain. We were going to explore Bodie, but felt uncomfortable with the sketchy guys following us down the dirt road, so we flipped a u-turn and continued down the road to Mono Lake. We had a really interesting walk on the boardwalk path and were able to get up close to the tufas, read about the history of the disappearing lake and see the water boundary of the lake over the years. We also made another stop at Lee Vining to check out the Mobil Gas Station. Several years ago, Ned’s sister Nancy told us about this gas station that was well known for it’s upscale restaurant. It’s now somewhat of a cultural icon known simply as “The Mobil”. We poked around the place for a while and took several pics of the Sierras and Mono Lake. For the most part, the weather had been in the mid 70’s and overcast. Once we reached the town of Tom’s Place, the sky turned blue and the temperature rose by 15 degrees. Yeah!! Our final destination for the night was Keough’s Hot Springs Resort – and I use the term “resort” loosely. It’s located about 9 miles south of Bishop up against the stark eastern wall of the Sierra foothills. The main attraction is a somewhat dilapidated sea foam green, paint peeling building, built perhaps in the 1930’s, which houses the spring fed pool. Actually there are two open air pools within this structure. The larger pool is kept at about a 90 deg temp and the smaller soaking pool is about 104. We set-up camp, which consisted of parking on a lawn next to the pool house and quickly took advantage of the medicinal properties of the healing baths. The resort provided foam “noodles” and kick boards for the enjoyment of the patrons – which seemed to be predominantly locals. It was great because the water didn’t smell of either chlorine or rotten eggs. As our meal was cooking on the grill we took a walk around the grounds and enjoyed the rock garden trail, historic bath house and sunset views of the mountains. Today’s pic is Ned seated in front of the 1920’s stone bath house We ended the evening by sharing half a bottle of wine and playing a rousing game of Skip-bo. Perfect first day of vacation.

trip Stats: Home Sweet Home - 10/21/09

Woke up to 25 degrees this morning and decided perhaps it was a good time to head back home. Today's pic is waking up on the last day of the trip. We compiled our trip stats and "best ofs" for the trip. See below. Looking forward to seeing our friends, getting together with the folks and not worrying about how cold it's gonna be when I have to pee in the middle of the night!

The Great Escape: Mountain Shadow RV Park, Wells Nevada 10/20/09

When we woke up this morning it was to snow flurries and surrounded by fog. It was a good thing we had seen the Tetons the night before as they were invisible this morning! Knowing we had two mountain passes to get over with the uncertain weather condition, I was a little concerned and anxious to get started. When we reached Jackson Hole, it was rainy and I had visions of us being stranded at the top of the pass in the snow, so when I spotted a public restroom we stopped. I made a mad dash for what I thought would be a quick “visit”, but the latch in the bathroom stall was stuck and I couldn’t get out! I made a few feeble attempts at shouting and trying to get help, but considering it is the off season and no one was around, I wasn’t get any response. I was totally cracking up, not believing that I was stuck in a public bathroom in downtown Jackson, Wyoming!! Meanwhile, since I hadn’t returned quickly Ned decided he might as well make a pit stop too. Ned was already walking out of the building when he heard someone yelling ,“hello, I’m stuck”. At first he thought it was the cleaning lady, but then recognized it was his wife and came into the women’s restroom to rescue me. For the record, it took him a few minutes using his key to get the lock unstuck. Ned, my hero! After that little drama we drove into the rain and fog over the Teton Pass, elevation over 9,000 ft. with a 10% grade much of the way. Fortunately, it was rain and not snow and the fog wasn’t too bad. As we climbed the second pass, at a little over 6000 ft., the weather began to clear up and we had some beautiful light and cloud effects shining on the mountains. We were so surprised when we reached Swan Valley, Idaho on the other side of the mountain range. The skies were blue with big puffy clouds and before us lay a huge alpine meadow. We drove for miles by gorgeous log homes situated on bluffs overlooking the Snake river and fields of yellow harvested wheat. Stunning. Many of the towns we drove thru were uneventful, but we were looking forward to Pocatello. For the last several weeks we had promised ourselves we would partake of a pancake breakfast, but had not yet indulged. (Hard to believe since we’ve eaten just about everything else in every state!). Having read about this great pancake house, Elmer’s, it was well worth the mid afternoon time when we finally arrived. The blueberry pancakes for me, and the cinnamon bun french toast for Ned did not disappoint. We were going to stay at Massacre State Park at American Falls for the night, but after one quick drive around the desolate tundra campground located next to the freeway, we decided to venture on. Along the way, we drove over the Snake River on this amazing bridge in Twin Falls. (See today’s pic). Knowing we had a 10-12 hour drive the next day we decided to just keep pushing on. Thus, here we are in Wells, Nevada camped by the side of a freeway. The good news is that we are having too much fun laughing and entertaining ourselves with all our pictures we have taken (about 1500 so far!) that we hardly mind we are in Nevada. Hard to believe that this is our last night on the road. As usual, I’m a little sad because I don’t want the trip to end – it’s been so much fun and the gypsy spirit in me could do this for a little while longer. After six weeks on the road I think Mr. Ned, the Homebody, doesn’t have quite the same sentiment. Tomorrow homeward bound.

Cool Passes and Hot Springs: Grand Tetons RV Park, Moran, Wyoming 10/19/09

Was that gobble-gobble I heard waking up this morning? Yeah, our campsite neighbor (shirtless and in his skivvies) was throwing dry dog food to turkeys. Just about everyone at our RV camp was either coming in or going out hunting. In fact, all day just about every person we saw was wearing camouflage outfits with orange hats or had antlers sticking up from the back of their pick-up. We even drove by one campground where there was an animal hung upside down and the guy was skinning him. These people take their hunting seriously! When we left Buffalo it was overcast, but not too cold. We drove over Powder River Pass in the Big Horn Mountain Range and through the Ten Sleep Canyon. Absolutely drop dead gorgeous!! As you drive along these incredible rock formations, with every imaginable color, there are road signs identifying the name and approximate age of the geology. Some were 3 – 5 billion years old while the youngsters were 300 million. Unbelievable. The canyon reminded Ned of Bryce National Park. It was also beautiful to see the white snow on some parts of the pass. We reached Thermopolis at about noon. Our destination was the Hot Springs State Park. (See today’s pic). In the foreground across the river are the Rainbow Terraces formed of mineral deposits called Travertine. The Big Spring produces 127 deg. mineral water and as it makes its way down the terraces the water temperature changes and different colors of algae and micro-organisms give the terraces its multi-colored look. In 1896 a treaty was signed with the Shoshone and Arapahoe that gave the public use of one of the largest mineral hot springs in the world. Yes, it’s totally free to the public. We entered the Bath House, changed into our suits and spent 20 min. soaking in the 104 deg. outside pool. There’s also an indoor pool if one so chooses. At the most there were 7 people total in the pool. My favorite part was when one of the guys turned to me and said, “If everyone did this everyday there wouldn’t be any more wars.” So true! When we finally emerged, and were somewhat cleaned off from our showers (the sulphur smell is still lingering a bit in my hair tonight – is that romantic?) I noticed that the 3 guys getting into the car next to ours, all wearing hunter attire and holding their guns, were also in the hot springs with us. It was a warm 65 degrees and after the hot soak we felt like wet noodles. So appreciated after the bout of cold weather we’ve had. We drove through several Indian reservations, and again another gorgeous canyon, Wind River. We were going to stay at an RV park in Dubois, but turns out it was closed for the season. In fact, almost all the state campgrounds and RV parks are closed –including all the campgrounds in the Teton National Park. We stopped at a soda fountain in Dubois and had a great conversation with the woman soda jerk. She called some of the local resorts and also gave us some tips on what to visit if we ever want to see Kansas. We decided to brave one more pass and shoot for a RV park in Moran, outside of the Tetons. The Togwotee Pass is 9658 feet and covered in snow from the storm last week and undergoing construction. The roads were dry, but at least 10 miles was slimy mud due to the construction. Poor Winnie is looking a bit road worn. Looks like I’m not the only one needing to be freshened up. Driving over the pass and seeing the completely snow laden Tetons was amazing. Hard to believe these are the same mountains as six weeks ago.

Threading the Needle: Twin Creeks RV Park, Buffalo, Wyoming 10/18/09

(Ned again.) We woke up to another sunny day in Custer State Park. Much to our amusement, everyone else in the campground seemed to be bundled up in their big down coats, along with wool caps and gloves. Meanwhile we were walking around in shirtsleeves, remarking about how nice the weather was. Even though our thermometer registered 49 degrees, apparently our experience of waking up to a frosty 23 degrees the morning before made us really appreciate today’s temperature. We also really liked the number of big horn sheep grazing inside the campground, along with lots of bison grazing just outside the gates. Our first destination was a campground further south, called Blue Belle. As we circled this handsome campground we met a nice woman with 2 friendly golden retrievers, camping in a Eurovan almost identical to ours. We spent at least 30 minutes comparing notes about our vans, and swapping stories about our favorite destinations. She’s from Colorado, and gave us a list of several “locals only” camping spots. From there we left to investigate the Needle Highway. After climbing multiple switchback turns and negotiating a short sweet tunnel, we got to the summit, which is called Needles Eye. Here we saw remarkable spiked formations of granite, and an impressive hundred foot long tunnel. (See today’s pick of Winnie emerging from the end.) At every turn along this road the view of the surrounding Black Hills was spectacular. Our next stop was a drive-by of the Crazy Horse Monument. This is a Native American version of Mount Rushmore, portraying the famous Indian Chief, although still a long way from completion. After having just witnessed the splendor of Needles Eye, and enduring all the hype the day before regarding Rushmore, I decided that I prefer stone mountain tops in their naturally occurring form, rather than dynamite-blasted to resemble humans. Heading north we made our way to Deadwood, which we assumed would be a historic mining town with lots of charm. Although this could probably be true, we were amazed to discover that, in its current form, it appears to be a small Reno, Nevada, disguising itself as a historic mining town. We were ready for lunch, and despite repeated efforts to find a place to eat, we were continually confronted instead with establishments filled with blinking and clinking slot machines. We finally found a place to eat, once we had waded past their phalanx of one-armed bandits. We decided that Deadwood must be one of the strangest towns that we had ever visited. Heading west, we entered Wyoming, where we enjoyed the huge, rolling landscape, with its magnificent cloud-filled big sky. As we approached the town of Buffalo, we marveled at the beauty of the snow-covered peaks of the Big Horn Mountains in the distance. We plan to cross the summit of those mountains tomorrow morning, and we’re hopeful that our good weather will continue.