Back in the Saddle

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, TX

Our original plan, albeit made while indulging in adult libations, was to be soaking in the hot springs by 8 am. We woke closer to 8:30. Plan B entailed being in the pool by 9:30. That worked too. The skies were bright blue and much warmer. So warm in fact that we took in the mud baths today. It felt so good to smear wet mud all over our bodies, head to toe, and then bask in the sun until we cake dried. After soaking in the mud pool we further rinsed off under the hot water shower made of buckets with holes drilled in the bottom. I definitely want one of these for our house! Swimming laps in the kiva pool and then hopping from one hot spring to another felt too damn good. I was really reluctant to leave, but I knew we had a 5 hour drive ahead of us and I wanted to take in this RV Museum in Amarillo, TX that I read about.

One of our "rules of the road" is not to take the interstate. We live for the backroads and two lane highways. However, there really aren't many choices between Sante Fe and Amarillo so Interstate 40 it was! At one point we got off to ride the historic Route 66, but in reality it was just a frontage road paralleling the interstate. Considering there was nothing but wide open plains and sage brush all around, it felt kinda stupid to just be paralleling the interstate with about 20 feet between the two roads. We bailed and got back on the interstate.

So, you know how you're not supposed to believe everything you read on the internet? Yeah, that happened. I was so excited to see a 1936 Alma, 1937 Elkhart Traveler, a 1948 Flixible Clipper, etc. and the museum was free! When we finally found this "museum" it turns out it was an RV Trailer Sales Center. Sigh. We also didn't take into consideration the hour time change so to add insult to injury, it was closed. Just as well, Ned wasn't particularly looking forward to a Texas RV Salesman giving him the hard sell just to his wife could look at some old campers!

We finally pulled into Palo Duro Canyon State Park around 6ish. We camped here several years ago and really loved it. This is the second largest canyon in the United States. It's 120 miles long and 600 to 800 feet deep. It's awesome cause you can camp at the bottom of the canyon near all these great red cliffs. It sure felt good to be back in the saddle again, both at this state park and in a "real" campground.

Debi's Favorite Place

Ojo Caliente, NM

Ned here. We started out today with nice sunny weather in Green River, Utah. Debi. however, checked the weather online in Gunnison, Colorado (along with several other possible destinations in the Rockies), and we were looking at 3-5 inches of snow and night time temps in the teens. Therefore, we decided to head as far south as possible today, in search of better weather. To get ahead of the storm, we finally decided to head south at Durango, Colorado, passing by Mesa Verde, which looked beautiful. Soon after that, the weather went to hell. Nothing ever actually stuck, but there were several hours today wherheaded into driving snow. Our initial plan was to stop at Pagosa Hot Springs, but when we got there it was still snowing, so we looked at each other and decided to drive another 2 hours to Debi's favorite place on earth, Ojo Caliente! On the way there, Debi devised a typical back road strategy, which took us past a little town called El Rito. The road was very narrow and the stucco houses were very close to the road, giving the place the feel of a very old Mexican village. It looked like either an artists colony, or a location for people who want to definitely stay under the radar. We finally arrived at Ojo Caliente, which we were thrilled to return to, after we had originally fallen in love with the place on our Hot Springs Tour in October 2012. The clouds had parted, the afternoon light was perfect, and the place looked even more beautiful than we remembered it. We immediately got on our swim suits and began a luxurious tour of all the six hot springs pools which were open. My favorite is still the one which has a ceramic pot with hot water pouring out of it which you can soak your head and neck under. Debi loved alternating between soaking in the "arsenic pool" which is at about 104 degrees, and then swimming and stretching out in the large round kiva pool, which is at 89 degrees. After more than 2 hours of this luxurious behavior, we headed to the restaurant where we gorged ourselves on delicious chicken fajitas, washed down with an excellent Zin. For this reason, we both now feel like wet noodles, and I offered to write Debi's blog tonight, as she was in no shape to get it done. The final photo below is of Debi, sitting contentedly next to the fireplace in the restaurant after a couple of hours of hot springs and an excellent dinner. I think the photo speaks for itself.

Caves & Summits, Sun & Snow

Green River State Park, Utah

Our first day on the road and I feel as if we hit all the seasons. The temp registered a cool 32F when we woke up, but it actually felt much warmer. We took an early morning walk and soaked up the sun. Dang it felt great to hear the creek, smell the pine trees and enjoy the quiet morning.

The rangers opened the road to Wheeler Point so we took it as far as we could, up to Mather Point, at about 9000 ft. The view was spectacular! You could see the whole Great Basin stretched out forever. Fortunately, we were open early enough that even after doing the scenic ride up Wheeler Mountain, we were still at the Visitor's Center by 8:30. We took in the obligatory park movie and signed up for the 9:00 tour of Lehman Cave.

Great Basin wasn't a National Park until 1986, but Lehman Cave, its big attraction, was a National Monument since the 1930's. The ranger lead 90 minute tour is quite impressive. We've toured Mammoth and Carlsbad, and what makes this cave so different is the narrow passages and tight places. (Nope, no claustrophobia for me. Go figure!). We both really enjoyed the formations and how close up we were to it all. The park trusts that you won't touch, brush up or take stuff. Our ranger was quite humorous and told some great stories. If anyone is ever driving by Great Basin National Park I encourage you to take the $10 tour. Well worth it. Oh, I almost forgot. Ned officially received his lifetime $10 National Park Pass. This allowed him to take the tour for $5. Getting older does have it perks!

We expected the cave to be the highlight of the day, but in reality the drive into Utah was what really blew us away. We hit all kinds of weather; sun, rain, snow flurries, and saw some spectacular cloud formations. The section of road from Salina, Utah to Green River State Park is one of the most beautiful drives EVER. Seriously, we couldn't figure why this wasn't a national park. It was as if Zion National Park, Monument Valley, and the Thunder Mountain ride at Disneyland were all combined to create this jaw dropping beauty of colors and vistas that went on forever. There were hoodoos, huge red cliffs, snow capped mountains and rainbow colored bluffs.

We're staying tonight at Green River State Park. It's not really all that great, more of a grassy field next to a golf course. It does, however, have flush toilets and a hot shower - which was not available last night. Our plan tomorrow was to drive thru the Rockies, but apparently they are expecting 3 to 6 inches of snow. Ned and I are now pouring over some maps and figuring out a re-route. Looks like heading towards Mesa Verde and hanging a left to Pagosa Springs it is. One can never go wrong with hot springs right? Currently, it's 66F outside, but it feels so much colder than the 32F this morning. Nothing that a glass of wine can't cure...

And So It Begins...

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

After a whirlwind tour of Cabo, Trinidad and Ecuador for the past several weeks you'd think I'd have the "on-the-road" syndrome out of my system. Au contraire! My gypsy soul is definitely speaking to me and after less than 48 hours at home we hit the road for a 7 week road trip. Pure Heaven.

Today was a long day in the car, not really much to see in Nevada. We took Highway 50, known as the Loneliest Road in America. Several years ago we traveled this road from east to west direction. My memory of it was that it was desolate and pretty much a wasteland. Mmmm. My experience today was much different. We always had a view of one mountain or another, many snow capped. Our big outing for the day was going to be a milkshake at Economy Drug Soda Fountain in Ely, but unfortunately it is closed on Sunday.

One of the highlights of the day was coming round the bend and spotting Wheeler Peak the focal point of Great Basin National Park. The ipod was on random shuffle and it just so happened that Ray Charles was signing his heart out to "America The Beautiful" as the snowcapped peak came into view. There were clouds gathered around the mountain top and the golden rays of sun were streaming down highlighting the mountain. Gave us chills - partly with how beautiful it was and also because we will be camping there.

We reached Great Basin National Park and I must say I was completely surprised at high beautiful this campground is! We had made a short visit to the visitor center many years ago in the dead heat of summer. I was less than impressed at the time. Probably cause it was hotter than hell and everything looked bleak. Pulling into the campground tonight was such a different experience. We have the sweetest camp spot, under lots of pine trees, and right next to a roaring creek. It almost feels like we are in Lassen rather than the Great Basin. Fortunately we are camped in Upper Lehman Campground situated at 7,500 ft and not at 10,000 ft. It also looks like the road to the top is closed due to snow. We were hoping to drive to the top tomorrow, but it looks like a tour of Lehman Cave will now win out.

Tonight's dinner is roasted peppers and onions on the grill, with marinated skirt steak and a glass of red wine. It's a bit chilly outside so we're opting for dinner in the camper rather than al fresco. I think it's supposed to dip down into the low 30's tonight. Good thing we have a heater in Winnie and my hubby likes to snuggle.

Paradise Found

Diamond Lake, OR

We only had about an hour or so between campgrounds today so we decided to take a scenic drive through the mountains on the Cascade Highway. Good decision. We drove along a two way highway thick with trees and when we reached a high point in the road there were even more trees as far as the eye could see. Occasionally a snowy mountain pinnacle peaked through.
We arrived at Diamond Lake, just a bit north of Crater Lake, about noonish. Last year my buddy, Neise, and I camped on this lake and we really enjoyed the 12 mile bike path that circumvented the entire lake. (Of course the annual square dancing hoe down at the resort was a hoot too!) I vowed to come back with Ned and I can't think of anything that makes me happier than having Ned with me, healthy and up for the ride.
This lake has the largest USFS campground I've ever seen and it takes up one complete side of the lake. There are also several smaller USFS campgrounds on the south and west side. Knowing that it's a holiday week we didn't have our hopes up for getting a campsite, let alone a primo one. Voila! We were in luck and scored a campsite right on the water.
If you've been following us the last 6 weeks it'll come as little surprise to you that the first thing we did was jump on our bikes. We rode to the resort, sat on the patio and had lunch, and then took off for the bike ride around the lake. Spectacular!! This ride is simply amazing and one of my faves. On a paved path you ride alongside the lake, through meadows, groves of ponderosas, through marsh land and near wildflowers. It's a nice up and down mix, with an occasional bridge or stream to cross. It really is one of the best bike rides.
After that fun adventure and working up a sweat, we couldn't wait to pull on our suits, blow up the floaties and test out the water. Yeah! It was heaven. We swam and goofed around in the water forever. At one point the wind was blowing us down from our campsite so Ned, Mr. Engineer, rigged up this entire system. It consisted of a large branch lashed to a fallen tree then a rope tied to it. We then tied the rope around Ned's ankle. So, all I had to do was hold on to Ned, who would then pull us upstream with the rope. We were laughing so hard at our goofiness that I thought I would drown. The only reason we got out of the water was to go for another bike ride. This time our mission was to scope out each and every campsite on the lake (The loops go from A thru M) to find the perfect one. Ned would dictate into his iphone as we drove by the sites such things as "This one would be great with kayaks" or "This would be perfect for Little Ricky and Winnie".
There is a resort here, but I definitely use that term loosely. It hasn't been touched since 1957 and it shows. There's a well worn lodge, some very dated cabins, a tackle & bait shop and general store that basically specializes in campfire food (s'mores anyone?) and a boat rental shop. If Banff and Lake Louise were the epitome of upscale this is the other end of the spectrum. But you know what? I love this place all the better for it. Nothing makes me happier than seeing families bike together, kids playing in the water, and people fishing. One of the best things about this lake is that a wake over 10 mph is not permitted. As a result, there are no speed boats or jet skis. It makes for such a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. At one point late this afternoon, we sat at our campsite and watched a group of people float by in their rafts. It was hysterical watching them with to stay together as a group while balancing their beer as they sat more in the water than out on half filled air mattresses.
This evening while sitting at our campsite we watched the sun slowly sink over the lake and behind the mountain. Ah, summer you can't beat these good times.
This is our last night on the road. Tomorrow we head home and I can't think of a better place to stay to celebrate our last evening traveling. This place has all my favorite things: a paved bike path, great swimming, a beautiful view of the lake and great people watching. (Of course the flush toilets and showers ain't too bad either). I feel incredibly blessed.

A little of this...a little of that

La Pine State Park, near Bend, OR

The winds picked up again on the Columbian River Gorge this morning, which was much appreciated. It was so strange and unusual yesterday to see the Columbian River so still. I'm sure all the windsurfers in the campground were relieved too! Knowing that it was going to be another scorcher we headed for Mt. Hood, with a side trip through the Hood River Valley fruit loop. We stopped at the different farms and sampled every kind of cherry available! My favorite stop was the lavender farm. The brilliant display of flowers next to the lavender field with Mt. Hood in the background was spectacular. Loaded down with Rainer, Bing and Santa Rosa cherries we headed for the mountain.
The biggest surprise when we entered the parking area of Timberline Lodge was how jammed packed it was, including about 50 buses. There was even someone directing traffic. Turns out that Mt. Hood is open for summer skiing - who knew?! It didn't look like great skiing, but every middle school, high school, and summer camp ski team was there. According to the staff at the lodge this ski resort is open through August and September, only shutting down a few weeks for maintenance. It was funny seeing people in tank tops, shorts & flip flops walking next to snowboarders and skiers with jackets, powder pants and helmets on.
To continue with our tradition of eating at all the great lodges of the Northwest, after taking a tour of Timberline we stayed for awhile and enjoyed a nice lunch. Surprisingly, it was pretty low key given how many skiers and summer vacationers were wandering around and the plethora of buses in the parking lot. (I'd definitely recommend the apple and hazelnut salad and Ned said his Cubano Panini was delish).
As we drove off the mountain and into Eastern Oregon the temperature was edging towards 103. Our goal for the night was to find a campground where we could swim, soak or just cool off. We drove by Cove Palisades campground, but it looked too darn hot in the desert-like terrain with the heat baking everything in sight. Next stop Tumalo State Park that had campsites right on the river. Unfortunately, the campground was full. We continued south and finally found an awesome campground a bit south of Bend. It's called LaPine and true to its name is located in a nice pine forest. In fact, Oregon's biggest tree, a 500 year old Ponderosa Pine, resides here. We found a great camp spot in a wooded area and couldn't wait to jump on our bikes to explore this rather expansive state park. We found a dirt trail in the woods and decided to follow it. As luck would have it the trail took us along the Deschutes River. The river looked picture perfect and so inviting!! We rode along the trail for awhile then decided to head back to camp, pull on our bathing suits, grab our floaties and go for a swim. We located a perfect spot along the river, were delighted that we had it all to ourselves, blew up our floaties and ventured into the water. HOLY SMOKE - DANG - $%^&@# - this was the coldest water ever!!! We were on tippy toes, holding onto our floaties for dear life and could barely tolerate getting wet up to our knees. I'm talking brain freeze. This water makes Lake Tahoe seem like a warm bath. So, here we are so darn hot and we can't even get cooled off in the water. We tried sprinkling it over us, but even that was just too darn cold. Time for Plan B. When we were riding on the bike trail we noticed the day use area across the river. Little kids were swimming in there. We thought perhaps the water was warmer there and came up with all kinds of scientific theories - there's a wide spot in the bend, it's shallower, etc. We convinced ourselves that the day use area was nirvana and we were just going to have to join the public. We had a bit of a bike ride to get there and our floaties were now blown up. We looked like complete idiots in our bathing suits with floaties around our neck riding through the park. We laughed so hard that I almost fell off my bike. (That and I couldn't turn my head to see anything). After a bit of a bike ride, and even hotter yet, we eventually made our way there. Again, floaties in hand we entered the water. AGH. Too cold for me! We watched little kids run in and out of the water and a few brave souls float down the river in big inner tubes, but no one was really swimming in the water. It sure made me miss the South Fork of the Yuba River back home. Nothing, I mean nothing beats swimming in that!
Since we failed miserably at getting wet in the river, we decided to take a spin through the park and check out all the attractions. We saw the biggest tree and made our way to MacGregor's Viewpoint. Both pretty impressive. We finally got cooled off back at the campground with some nice cold beers.

Camping on the Columbia River Gorge

Memaloose State Park, Columbia River Gorge, OR

After leaving Idaho we cut across the eastern part of Washington and headed for the Columbia Gorge. Bam...just like that we are back in baking heat, and for most of the day dry arid landscape. Mmmm, looks suspiciously similar to how we started out about 5 weeks ago through the southwest!
Last year one of my bestest buddies, Neise (love you girl!) and I took a week or so off and headed up the backbone of the Cascades. One of our favorite days was biking the Historic Columbia River State Rail. It was a sweet 10 mile ride through some tunnels and high up overlooking the Columbia River. Sounds like a great place to camp for the night and go for an evening ride. I knew Ned would love it and better yet this year he's healthy enough to do it. (Crowd roar). It was 100 degrees when we pulled into the campground, but at least we had a shady spot under a tree overlooking the Columbia River. Not a bad spot to wait out the heat and make sure the sun had gone down before attempting the ride.
We waited...and waited and the heat just didn't seem to let up. Finally, at about 8:30ish the gauge dipped to a balmy 92 so we thought it was as good a time as any to give it a go. The ride was definitely as beautiful as I remembered, and the hills just the right amount of challenging. You're working hard enough so that you can't really talk, but not enough that you're dying. And gosh, did we have fun riding the hills down! The view at the top was magnificent, especially since the lights were starting to twinkle from Hood River on the Oregon side and White Salmon on the Washington side. The last couple of miles we were riding in the dark (thank you head lamps for the little amount of light you did provide) but it sure motivated me to keep on pedaling fast.
Hard to believe that in Jasper it would still be bright sunshine at 10! Now, I need to go hose off with some cold water before I can crawl into bed.