Day 68 – Travel Day – Newport TN to Raleigh NC – 315 miles

After 7500 miles in the RV and another 1500 miles in the Tracker, we are finally home in Raleigh. Today was an easier day. We took our time over coffee and packing up in Newport and headed out at 9am. The first hour was just beautiful, driving through the Smoky Mtns. That is today's photo. The weather was lovely, and Bill maneuvered the curvy roads well.

We even made it down the 5 mile/6% grade east of Ashville with no problems. We made some rest stops and had lunch, making it to the RV storage place at 4pm. We packed up refrigerator items and just the bare essentials and came on home to the apartment.

Our cars had been towed to another section of the complex, and both have dead batteries which is not surprising. After settling in, Bill went to pick up the mail and get some Qdoba Mexican gumbo for dinner. We are both wiped out and have spent the evening watching mindless TV.

It was an awesome trip, and I will try and get more photos uploaded this week.

Day 67 – Travel Day – Wes Memphis AK to Newport TN – 445 miles

It was a long, tiring day of driving, but we made it to Newport TN and should only have 317 miles to get home tomorrow. We reluctantly left the Mississippi River at 8am and drove and drove and drove. We stopped for gas and then lunch at a rest area. Nothing exciting happened, and there were no neat sights along the road. Luckily the weather was good.

It will be weird to sleep in our apartment tomorrow night, but we will be off and running again in a week to head to Disney World.

Day 66 – West Memphis AK

It was a lovely rest day after I got over being awakened at 8:30 by Bill taking a shower 3’ from my feet. I don’t know what he was thinking, but I had gone to sleep at 11:30, so 9 hours of sleep was okay. We had our coffee outside watching tugs and barges go by on the Mississippi River.

I worked on labeling photos and am almost caught up. Bill did some laundry since the facilities are right next door and free. He did go out for Pepsi and bread. I spent some time out under our tree watching the river and reading. This is truly a lovely campground for just relaxing.

At 4 we headed in for barbecue at Charlie Vergos’ Rendezvous. We figured out it was half a block from the Peabody Hotel, so we decided to go in time to see the duck march at 5. We got a good spot on the mezzanine before the crowds really swarmed the place. It was really rather anti-climactic, and I am not sure what all the fuss is about. After waiting a half hour, the ducks got out and walked the short distance to the elevator. The whole thing took less than 30 seconds. Oh, well. Now I can say “been there, done that”. Today's photo is about 10 minutes before the show started.

We got to Rendezvous before the crowds did. For an appetizer we had the cheese and sausage. It was a strange dish – sliced sausage, strips of cheese, pickle slices, and some peppers all sprinkled with dry rib. Not that wonderful. Bill ordered the ribs. Everything there is dry rubbed – no wet sauce - which we really hadn’t tried before. Bill’s ribs were okay, but my beef brisket was wonderful. The baked beans were pretty good, and the cole slaw was really different – a vinegar and mustard sauce with, once again, the dry rub. We had lots of leftovers which we brought home for lunch on the road tomorrow.

After we got back to the campground (not a long drive at all), we went out and sat by the river. Tomorrow it is back on the road again. We hope to reach Newport Tennessee before dark tomorrow night, then to Raleigh on Saturday.

Day 65 - Travel Day – Shawnee OK to West Memphis AK – 435 miles

It was a boring travel day. We were up at 7 and on the road at 8, since we wanted to get to West Memphis today. Last night we found a campground right on the Mississippi River. There wasn’t much else in-between. Bill called this morning, and they had room, so off we went.

In Oklahoma we did pass a beautiful large lake near a town called Lotawatah. We found that amusing since there were lots of towns with Indian names. And in Conway Arkansas there was Toad Suck Park. At 2, we pulled into a rest area, but it was totally full with mostly trucks, so we kept on to the next exit and found a vacant Walmart parking lot to rest and eat some lunch. When we got back on the interstate, it was all backed up. We were afraid there was an accident, but it turned out to be just a car fire. That took an additional 20 minutes.

We made it to the Tom Sawyer RV Park. It is truly right on the river, between the river and the levee. There are 3 rows of campers, and we are in the middle, but we still have a good view of the river. A large grassy area separates us all from the river. They have put benches along the grassy area, and most everyone was out this evening watching barges and other boats go by. Today's photo is from our bench along the river with the moon reflecting on the river.

We like it here so much we have decided to stay until Friday morning. After 3 long days of driving, we both decided we wanted a rest, and this is the perfect place to do it! We will just probably hang around here and go into Memphis if we can find a neat BBQ place to eat.

Day 64 – Travel Day – Tucumcari NM to Shawnee OK – 393 miles

I am writing this from the parking lot of our second RV park in the parking lot of a casino. This time we are at the Firelake Casino (just east of Oklahoma City), and the cost of parking here with electricity is free for 3 nights. We only have electric hookup as the water is for every other site, and they were all taken. This is a much larger casino (run by the Pottawatomie nation). Bill was thrilled to be here.

We started out early this morning from Tucumcari at 8am. We quickly lost an hour as we crossed into Texas. Texas provided the entertainment for the day with strange roadside items. First was the Cadillac Ranch with the 9 Cadillacs sticking in the ground. Next came the ‘biggest cross’ at Groom Texas. This is a 190’ cross that can be seen for miles. Also in Groom is a leaning water tower that a guy moved to advertise his truck stop that is no longer in existence. The last piece of entertainment in Texas was a cowboy on horseback with his dog trotting along by his side on the edge of the interstate.

After we hit Oklahoma, the wind picked up, and Bill had an interesting drive until we finally reached the Firelake Casino at 5. The scenery was not that exciting, so I got some reading in along the way.

At 6 we took the shuttle bus over to the casino to have dinner at the Grand Buffet. It wasn’t that great, but it was only $17.50 for the two of us. Bill got a $5 discount as it was King’s night, and a local couple behind us gave us another $5 discount coupon for me. That was sweet. The buffet was featuring Asian items, so I got some orange chicken and rice before the waitress told us that they had a stir-fry station in the middle. So I got some wonderful stir-fry veggies. For dessert we shared a Bananas Foster (also from the stir fry station) which with vanilla ice cream was quite good.

I left Bill to gamble and came back here to catch up on some TV. When I went out to catch the shuttle, a couple of bored valet attendants offered to give me a ride back here in their golf cart. That was kind of fun. I think Tuesday nights must be slow for them!

Tomorrow we head on out again on I 40 in our quest to get home by Saturday.

Day 63 – Travel Day – Antonito CO to Tucumcari NM – 293 miles

We were up at 7, had coffee and breakfast, packed up, and left the campground at 9. The only exciting thing all day happened right after we left the campground. An oncoming car flashed its lights at us. This usually means we have done something stupid like our steps are down or we are on fire. However, after we rounded a curve, we saw the problem. There were about 100 sheep being herded alongside the road by a cowboy and his working dogs. We were only delayed about 5 minutes, but it was really neat to see the cowboy and the dogs work the sheep. The dogs were quick to round up strays as they tried to cross the road. That is today's photo.

Then we drove south to Santa Fe. Ken had certainly picked the more scenic (if longer) drive up to Colorado, and I am so glad he did. Then it was on down to I 40 which we will follow until we get to Raleigh. We stopped at a rest area about 1 for lunch and for Bill to get a break. Then more driving. We arrived at Tucumcari KOA (we stayed here two years ago, and it is a nice park) about 4. We set up, got the satellite locked on, and relaxed.

This KOA has a little café that serves dinner and breakfast. You can pick it up, or they will even deliver it to your site. Bill decided he didn’t want to cook, so we ordered our dinner to eat here at the RV. I got chile rellenos pie, and he got chicken fried steak. It was surprisingly good. Mine came with some spicy black beans and a corn and zucchini side.

Bill found our next campground in OK. He was looking on RVparkreviews.com and found a casino in Shawnee OK that has free camping if you sign up for a $10 players card. It will be a 400 mile day tomorrow, but he is looking forward to free camping and maybe the chance to pay for gas at the blackjack tables.

Day 62 – Antonito CO – Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad trip

What a wonderful day for a train ride. We left the campground and drove the 12 miles back to Antonito to catch the train at 10am. We had tickets for the middle-class car which consisted of armchairs facing forward with huge windows which we all opened. The locomotive is a coal-driven one, and sometimes the smoke was a little over-whelming, but the ride was awesome.

We started out on flat land and ended up at Cumbres Pass at 10,000 ‘. We passed back and forth between Colorado and New Mexico. The aspen trees were the most gorgeous shade of yellow which were impressive because they were mixed in with dark green conifers. The mountainsides looked almost fake. There was an open cattle-car type car directly in front of us where people stood to watch the scenery and a docent talked about a variety of things.

At 12:30 we pulled into Osier where we had lunch with another train-load of people coming from the other direction. We had a choice of turkey dinner, or meatloaf, or a soup and salad line. Bill, Ken, and I took the turkey dinner. We had a buffet line and ate in a large hall. The food was really quite good considering we were in the middle of nowhere. The turkey was real, the stuffing was good, mashed potatoes were real, and the green beans not bad.

We continued on to Cumbres Pass where we disembarked and took a lovely bus on a 45 minute bus ride back to Antonito. It truly was a beautiful trip. Today’s photo is of the other train continuing the way we had just come with the beautiful aspens on the hillside.

We all rested at the campground until 6 when we drove down the road to the only restaurant in 10 miles. The four of us were the only ones there until a group of 11 came in were rather noisy. The food was okay. Nancy and I had fajitas which weren’t bad.

Tomorrow we head out for the mad trip back to Raleigh. It will be I 40 all the way home – drive and rest, drive and rest.

Day 61 – Travel Day from Santa Fe NM to Antonito CO – 140 miles

It was an amazingly beautiful day today. We packed up the RV and headed out at 9:15 to meet up with Ken and Nancy in their RV. We have come to Antonito CO to take the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad trip tomorrow. The drive was incredibly beautiful with lots of red stone formations. I have several photos that I can’t wait to upload.

We stopped at Ghost Ranch Piedra Lumbre Visitors Center in the middle of all this beauty. There are many exhibits here including an impressive one of Georgia O’Keeffe items. She lived in this area and painted much of the landscape and churches. After we toured the center, we had lunch at the end of the parking lot in the shade of Ken and Nancy’s RV. The view was truly awesome. We chatted and ate until we knew we had to go on.

We passed the Church at Cebolla which is the subject of an O’Keeffe painting that we saw at NC Museum of Art this year. I recognized the church and managed to get a photo as we whizzed by. We left the beautiful rocky red scenery to climb over some high mountains to get to Antonito. The scenery changed dramatically to large fir trees interspersed with aspens whose leaves are changing color.

We finally arrived at the Conejos River Campground where we are spending tonight and tomorrow night. It is a plain campground, but we have all the hookups and it isn’t crowded. We had margaritas that Nancy made along with some nuts and M&Ms complements of Bill. Nancy had brought leftovers and we ate them outside. Luckily she still had some of the great mac and cheese and some of the black bean salad, so I was a happy camper.

We took a walk down to the Conejos River that runs not too far from the campground. It was a lovely night, and a perfect ending to a wonderful day!

Day 60 – Santa Fe NM – Rest Day

It was a beautiful day to sit back and relax a bit in the RV. We both slept in until almost 10. Bill sat outside with his coffee, cigar, and Wall Street Journal. He did go out a couple of times, once to the grocery and once to see the NM National Guard weapons display just south of here.

I worked on catching up on my photo labeling while I could still remember the who/what/when/where. I also finished “Eat, Pray, Love”. It only took me a couple of months! We also did laundry and chores on the RV. It was really quite pleasant not traveling or touring.

Bill went to Schlotzsky’s for sandwiches for dinner. We really like these sandwiches, and it has been ages since we have had one, so it was a fun dinner.

Tomorrow we meet up with Ken and Nancy to drive to Antonito CO to camp for two nights and ride The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad on Sunday.

We did get a call from our neighbor in Raleigh saying that they are resurfacing the parking lot, and if our cars aren’t moved by Tuesday, they will be towed. Not sure what we will do about that. Bill says if they are towed, it won’t be the end of the world. I guess it is always something!

Day 59 – Santa Fe NM and the High Road to Taos NM

It was a lovely day today driving the High Road to Taos NM. We left the RV at 9:30 and headed north. The scenery was beautiful, and the weather was great. We saw several old churches, the first being the Santuario de Chimayo that was built in 1814. Mass was going on, so we just got a glimpse of the inside. The impressive thing there was a side room that contained a hole with dirt in it. Taking a scoop of the dirt was supposed to bring good luck.

A block down the street was the Santo Nino Chapel built in 1857. It was decorated with all kinds of child things. It is said that Santo Nino goes about at night performing miracles and wearing out his little shoes, so visitors bring baby shoes to the church. There was one room full of little baby shoes of every description.

Right next to the church is a restaurant called Leona’s. As we were leaving, it smelled so good we had to stop and get something (we had also read good reviews!). Bill got a tamale, and I got a cheese burrito with green chili, tomatoes, and onions. Everything is homemade, and it was amazing. Best burrito ever!!!

So then we hit the road again. More beautiful scenery, lots of wildflowers, and more churches. We stopped at San Jose de Gracia Church in Las Trampas. It was built in 1776. It wasn’t open, but the architecture on all of these churches is beautiful. Bill was really impressed with the remains of an old Spanish aqueduct made of wood. A flume is still being used and visible from the road.

We made it to Penasco to the Sugar Nymphs Bistro where we had planned to eat lunch (before our ‘snack’ at Leona’s). It is a hippie type restaurant run by two older women, and it has gotten all kinds of rave reviews and write-ups over the years including a piece of Gourmet magazine. I got a heirloom tomato sandwich with wonderful tomatoes, pesto, lettuce, and goat cheese on focaccia. Bill got a ‘burger in a grilled cheese’ that was also good. Each sandwich came with a huge, super-fresh salad that was also great. The reviews had raved about the homemade carrot cake, so we got a slice to share. It was so huge we had to bring half of it home.

Along the way we saw lots of adobe ovens outside adobe and wood homes. The scenery was gorgeous all the rest of the way to Taos. They call this road the ‘high road’ because it goes up into the mountains. At Taos we went to the San Francisco de Asis Church which was constructed from 1772 to 1815 (today's photo). Georgia O’Keeffe painted this church (the back of it!) in a rather famous painting. We walked around the church taking photos, and then we went into the parish hall to see a video clip about a painting called “Shadow of the Cross” by Henri Ault (1896). We saw the painting itself, and the fact that in complete darkness the background luminesces and a cross is visible. As we were getting ready to leave, another Tracker was driven in and parked next to us. The older couple had to stop and chat. The man had seen Bill’s military sticker on the car, and it seems he, too, was retired Air Force. So, they chatted a while before we headed back to Santa Fe.

Going back we took the ‘low road’. This road was also beautiful, and the Rio Grande River joined the road, and we followed it for some time. We stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge visitors center (which was just closing), and got a good view of the river. On the road there, we could see the huge gorge.

We made a quick stop at a Walmart on the way home to pick up some items and fill our water jugs. I think tomorrow will be a relax and regroup day.

Day 58 – Santa Fe NM

It was another lovely day. I slept in, and Bill sat outside with his coffee, cigar, and the Wall Street Journal. The weather here is delightful – warm but not too hot. We tidied up around the RV a bit, and I chatted with Mandy.

At 12:30 Nancy and Ken picked us up to go to Bobcat Bite for the green chili cheeseburger. They had heard about this restaurant for some time but never had an excuse to go there. Luckily, our timing was great, and we got a table before the rush began. It is a small restaurant, so by the time we left, lots of people were waiting for our table. I will say this was probably the best burger I have ever had. They use 10oz of meat for their burgers, and mine was juicy and cooked perfectly. The cheese and green chili really put the burger over the top. Today's photo is Ken posing with the best burger ever!

We discussed our plans for the weekend trip into Colorado for the Cumbres & Toltec train ride and a variety of other items. The conversation never seems to lag.

After they dropped us off, Bill went to get a haircut and look for some RV supplies. I watched some TV and just relaxed. We discussed our trip on The High Road to Taos tomorrow. It is a 55 mile scenic drive, and we are really looking forward to it.

Day 57 – Travel Day from Gallup to Santa Fe NM – 190 miles

This morning our friend, the KOA dog, was still hanging around our RV. Bill had given him some ham when he left to go to Denny’s next door for breakfast. Bill brought me back some coffee. We packed up, and it was all I could do to leave the puppy behind. He still wanted to sleep under our RV, and I had to give him some more ham to make sure he was out of the way when we left. He did follow us all the way to the gate. He is the star of today's photo!

The drive to Santa Fe was pleasant and pretty and uneventful. We got checked in, parked, and set up. It isn’t a bad little RV park with some long termers in the back.

We arranged to go to cousin Nancy and Ken’s for dinner. Bill went out and found a good cigar store and stocked up. We left at 5 for the 13 mile trip out in the middle of nowhere to Nancy and Ken’s house. They have a beautiful home on a golf course. We chatted for an hour or so and then had a wonderful meal. Nancy fixed a great salad of tomatoes, jacama, corn, and black beans. She also had some wonderful mac and cheese, and asparagus wrapped in phylo dough along with a pork loin that Ken cooked on the grill. For dessert we had an apple tart a la mode. One of the best meals we have had in weeks!

A pleasant day.

Day 56 – Travel Day from the Grand Canyon Az to Gallup NM – 270 miles

It wasn’t bad for a travel day. We were on the road at 9. As we were driving from the Grand Canyon we came across a really nasty two-car crash. The cops and firemen were there, but we didn’t see any of the occupants. Not a pretty way to start the day.

We passed through the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. That was kind of neat. The scenery was particularly pretty at the Arizona/New Mexico border and is the photo for today!

We lost an hour due to time zones, but we made it here to Gallup at 3:30. We got set up, and this wonderful little male puppy came to greet us. He apparently has been hanging around the KOA for a couple of weeks. The manager did call animal control, but when they showed up, the puppy was no where to be found. I would love to take him with us, but it wouldn’t be practical for us or for the dog. Sigh.

Tomorrow it is on to Santa Fe for four nights.

Day 55 – Grand Canyon National Park AZ

It was another lovely day. Bill went to a ranger talk at 9:30 on the geology of the Grand Canyon while I slept in. It was nice to have a lazy day. I had my coffee outside and read my book for a little bit. After Bill got back, he checked in and then went into town looking for a cigar shop but found nothing.
After lunch we went to Grand Canyon Village to tour some of the historic buildings there. We had some difficulty finding a place to park, but when we did, we started out again at the Bright Angel Lodge built in 1935 by Mary Colter to replace Bright Angel Cabins. The neat thing there is the 10’ high fireplace using various rocks to simulate the strata of the Canyon.

It was crowded around the Village, but we managed to get around okay. We went in the Hopi House, built in 1905. It is now a gift shop featuring many items made by native Americans. I found a Xmas ornament covered with a sand painting. I had seen some actual paintings yesterday and thought they were beautiful. The Xmas ornament was more in my price range, so I got it.

I went on to the Verkamp’s Visitor Center where I got a couple of my flower photos identified. One was particular difficult for the rangers, so a volunteer looked it up for me. From there we walked back to the Lookout Studio, another Mary Colter designed building completed in 1914. It is one of the prettiest buildings in the Village and my photo for the day. A ranger was discussing the condors in the Canyon, but I didn’t see one.

Last on the list of historic buildings was the Kolb Studio, completed in 1904, housed the photographic studio of brothers Ellsworth and Emery Kolb who took photos of tourists here.

It was a fun afternoon of exploring. We came back to the RV, rested, worked on photos, until 7 when we went back to the Village for dinner at the El Tovar hotel. This is another historic building, completed in 1905. We did get the last of the sunset over the canyon which was nice. Dinner was okay, but rather forgettable, which I found surprising. I had trout for the first time, and it wasn’t bad. The rice that came with it was inedible.

Tomorrow we head to Gallup NM for just an overnight before going to Santa Fe.

Day 54 – Grand Canyon National Park AZ

It was a really fun day on so many levels. We took our time before heading out at 10 to drive the east rim of the Canyon to Desert View and the east entrance of the park. Right at the start, we saw female elk grazing along the road in the woods. What a great start.

We stopped at all of the lookouts along the way, and each view of the Canyon was different and awesome. There is no way to comprehend the immenseness of the Canyon, even when standing on its edge. I have lots of photos, but none of them totally captures the experience.

The wildflowers were amazing. In addition to the purple hoary asters and the yellow rabbitbush, I saw orange globe mallow, scarlet hedge-nettle, and many I haven’t identified yet.

We stopped for a picnic at Buggeln Picnic area. We ate our sandwiches without a view, but as soon as we were done, a huge raven came to the table looking for scraps. The raven that are in this area are huge.

After many lookouts, we stopped at the Tusayan Ruins and museum. This is the remains of an 800+ year old native American village. The museum was quite interesting, and I saw strange twig animal figures in a glass case. When I asked the ranger about it, she told me these are split-twig willow figurines 2000-4000 years old and were found in caves around the Canyon which helped to preserve them. They had some silver jewelry in the shape of the figures, but the ranger gave me something even better. When they have school groups at the ruins, they make the figurines out of really long brown twist ties. She gave me a set of instructions and 3 of the ties. What fun! The museum and ruins were really quite well done for a small site. I also saw my first desert prickly pear cactus with fruit on it.

We ended up at Desert View and the east entrance to the park. The Watchtower here is the main attraction. Mary Colter designed this tower which was finished in 1932. It is 70’ high, has 82 steps to the top from which one has an amazing view of the Canyon, Cedar Mountain (absolutely beautiful mountain on the plains), and the Colorado River. The interior has lots of murals and paintings by Fred Kabotie and Fred Geary.

On the way back, we stopped at a couple of lookouts we had missed, and we could actually see the Colorado River really well with rapids, boaters, and kayakers with the binoculars and my camera.

I wore my Mt St Helens T-shirt today, and lots of people started conversations about it. I was really surprised at that. Talked to a couple of guys from Pensacola who had picked up a car in WA and were driving it back to FL. At another viewpoint, I talked to a group from Paris. People were so friendly today.

As we were close to Grand Canyon Village, we saw an animal jam….cars parked along the road, so Bill pulled over, and I walked across the road to find a herd of female elk grazing in the woods. It was a neat way to end the drive, just like we started it.

Bill went through mail at the picnic table, and I worked on the blog. He came in to get me because there was a beautiful male mule deer with large antlers at the end of our row. He was eating grass and drinking water from a camping site. I got lots of great photos. He left and a large female elk came to drink from the same spot. It was great to see wildlife in our campground.

It was just an amazing day! Today's photo is one of my more artsy endeavors. I liked the tree, the outcropping, all against the Canyon.

Day 53 – Grand Canyon National Park AZ

It was a fun day of touring. We left the RV before 9 to find a parking spot to take the Hermits Rest shuttle. It is more crowded here at the park than we had anticipated. One of the shuttle drivers said that all the oldies come out when the kids go back to school. Anyway, this shuttle route goes where cars are no longer allowed. It goes to 9 overlooks, runs about every 15 minutes. The sun was much better on the Canyon this morning than it was late afternoon yesterday.

Soon after starting on the shuttle, we saw our first elk. It was about 10 females grazing along the road. The first stop was at Trailview Overlook which looks over the Bright Angel Trail, the main trail to the bottom of the canyon. From this viewpoint, one can see how really tortuous this trail really is, the switchbacks, and the distance traveled. We saw lots of people on the trail, but we assume that many of them were just going down a ways. We also saw a donkey train coming back up the trail carrying supplies (or trash but not people). From this viewpoint, one can also see the Grand Canyon Village with the lodges and buildings there. I thought this was one of the neatest stops of the day.

All of the overlooks provided something different: from some we caught glimpses of the Colorado River, from others we saw more river or different formations. At one overlook I recognized it as the place where I took a photo of Bill on the edge in 1971. At Maricopa Point we saw the remains of the old Orphan Mine, a uranium mine used during the Cold War. There were lots of people walking the 7 miles of this part of the Rim Trail. We found it was easier to take the shuttle from one point to the next and walk a bit when we wanted to see more. About 12:30 when we were ready to head back, the shuttles were getting quite crowded, and we had to stand all the way back.

There is lots of construction going on in the park. They started last week after Labor Day, and we couldn’t get to the last overview because the road was closed. We retrieved the car and stopped at the Market Place which is near our campground. They are repaving the parking lot, and half of it was closed as well as some of the access roads. We found a way in and went to the post office to pick up more stamps. We went into the grocery store/gift shop which was fairly large and well stocked. We got lunch at the deli there and ate outside where it was quite pleasant.

We got back to the RV about 3 and collapsed. Bill napped, and I worked on photos. The weather has been great even with the temperatures last night in the 30s. The sun is warm, and the wind has died down.

Day 52 – Travel from Williams AZ to Grand Canyon Nat’l Park AZ – 50 miles

It was a beautiful day – sunny and temps in the low 70s. It was still very windy, but that should ease up tomorrow. Bill took off this morning at 8am to go to Planes of Fame. We figured out this morning that our phones were correct and that we were still on Pacific Time since Arizona doesn’t do Daylight Savings time.

Bill enjoyed the museum, and I enjoyed the extra sleep. I worked on some photos. I have the Oregon ones uploaded and just have to label them before I make them viewable.

We left the Williams KOA at noon and drove the 50 miles to Grand Canyon Nat’l Park. The drive was really pretty, especially the yellow flowers that were blanketing the ground around the evergreens. Even Bill commented on how gorgeous it was. The drive took us about an hour to check in at the Trailer Park. They are full, so we were glad we had reservations. It isn’t a bad park, but it is mainly just scrub with some trees. The sites are average size; we have all the hookups; and the satellite, phones, and internet work.

We had some burgers for lunch and then took off to tour a bit. First we went to the main Grand Canyon Visitors Center. I went to the bookstore and got a wonderful book – the Audubon Field Guide to the Southwestern States. It has just about anything anyone could want – geology, flowers, shrubs, trees, butterflies, birds, bugs, fish, mammals, and all kinds of interesting information.

From there we walked to Mather Point for our first look at the Canyon. It truly is breath-taking. We walked along the Rim Trail there, took lots of photos, met some interesting people, saw some neat plants and flowers.

We drove on down to Yavapai Geology Museum/overlook. From there we could see the suspension bridge way down on the river. As always we saw all the idiots climbing onto unsafe areas to get their photo taken. I am surprised hundreds of people don’t fall to their death.

The sun was starting to set, so we drove to the lodge area of Grand Canyon Village. We wanted to eat at the Arizona Room of the Bright Angel Lodge. They don’t take reservations, so we figured Thursday night was the best night to try it. As we approached the lodge area, we saw a concrete deer next to a building. I thought that was rather cheesy, and I joked to Bill that he needed to back up so I could get a photo. No parking so we drove around the big loop again. The concrete deer was gone. Ha. It never moved a muscle nor batted an eye as we first drove by.

We finally found a place to park and went to the restaurant. We only had to wait 5 minutes and got a table for two right next to the windows overlooking the walk and the Canyon. We could only see the top of the North Rim, but it was pleasant. The restaurant was pleasant but nothing spectacular. Bill wanted to try the Prickly Pear drink which was prickly pear cactus syrup, lime, triple sec, sweet and sour and Hornitos Reposado tequila. So I had the Kokopelli which had Midori melon liqueur, splash of cranberry, and Hornitos Reposado tequila. It was really good.

The food was also quite good and unique. I had sautéed pork medallions with an orange jalapeno glaze. It came with piñon cornbread stuffing and asparagus. Bill had a NY strip steak with mushroom sherry chutney. Both meals were quite good.

As we walked back to the car, we saw two mule deer grazing near the walkway. They didn’t blink an eye as we passed along with another couple.

Tomorrow we think we are going to get going about 9 to take the shuttle to various viewpoints that we can’t drive in the car. That will take a bit of time, but it should be fun.

I also added more photos. There is a new link for my photos from Oregon back to Raleigh. Both westward and eastward links are on the right.

Day 51 – Travel Day from Nellis AFB (Las Vegas) NV to Williams AZ – 220 miles

It was a pretty morning. Since we are leaving the area, it decided to cool down. We left Nellis at 9:10 and approached Hoover Dam at 10:10. The construction there is amazing since they are building a huge bridge just behind the dam to replace the road across the dam. It is supposed to be done next year, but it looks like it may be a lot longer. The bridge appears finished, but the access roads have a long way to go.

We inched our way down to the dam where we had to pull the RV over for inspection. A man walked through the RV and then Bill had to open all the outside compartments for him to inspect. The RV made it across just fine. There were very few RVs crossing the dam. The water appeared very low both behind the dam and in Lake Mead. Today’s photo of the dam was as good as I could get since there wasn’t any place to pull the RV over for good photos.

We continued on US 93 to Kingman and then on I 15 to Williams AZ. It was really windy and gusty, and Bill had some bad moments, but he kept it on the road.

Now we are at a KOA just north of Williams spending the night before we drive the 45 miles up to the Grand Canyon Campground. I have pulled out the sweatshirt again which is nice. The weather should be great the next few days, so we both are happy campers. Tomorrow night it is supposed to get down into the 30s!

Bill took off after dinner to go check out a museum called Planes of Fame that is on the road to the Grand Canyon from here. He may get up early tomorrow before we leave and go spend some time there.

Day 50 – Nellis AFB NV

I awoke to rain, yes rain! in Las Vegas. It only lasted until about 10:30, but it did cool things off. We haven’t seen clouds in the sky at all, but now we had rain. We spent a leisurely day doing chores. Bill helped me load up clothes in the laundry just across the road from us. As we were coming back down the wood ramp from the laundry room, a little snake stuck its head up between the wood slats. We have no idea what kind it was, but I waved the laundry bag at it, and it disappeared.

The UPS guy brought our mail about 11. We were worried it wouldn’t arrive until tomorrow after we had left. There wasn’t much in the box except some magazines and lots of junk mail.

Bill then went off to see the Thunderbird museum (not much) and on to the commissary. I got the laundry finished and folded and back in the RV. Bill napped, and I read and worked on photos.

We met our friends, the Irvins, at the Officers Club at 6. We had beer and pizza and chatted like mad for two hours. The bar manager was so excited that we were having a reunion after 18 years that she brought us free spicy chicken wings. How sweet. It was a really pleasant visit and seemed like no time at all had elapsed. It is always great when old friends remain old friends! The waitress took today’s photo of all of us.

Tomorrow we travel to Williams AZ on our way to the Grand Canyon.

Day 49 – Nellis AFB (Las Vegas) NV

It was a lovely day. The temperature was only 96 today. I can’t believe I am saying ‘only’. I slept in, had coffee outside and then worked on photos for a bit of the day. I also got some reading done and just relaxed. Bill went back down to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop to exchange his Pawn Stars bobble head. He had bought the old man, and instead when he opened it here in the RV, it was Chumley. They exchanged it and gave him an autographed photo of all the Pawn Stars. He also bought me a t-shirt.

We just relaxed most of the day, and left for the Strip at 4:30. We parked at New York, New York. It was an interesting (and as Mandy says, cheesy) hotel with a Brooklyn Bridge and large Statue of Liberty outside. My favorite thing was inside – a 10’ high Statue of Liberty made of jelly beans!

We walked across the street to the MGM Grand hotel since Bill wanted to ride the monorail. Yes, Las Vegas has a monorail. It goes behind all the hotels down the Strip. The round trip took about 30 minutes, and we saw the backs of all the hotels and a rather desolate area behind it.

The good thing was that when we got back to the MGM, we found a wonderful, rather fancy, Mexican restaurant called Diego. We had no trouble getting in since it is way back in the bowels of the MGM. We never would have found it unless we were going to the monorail station.

The chips and salsa were beautifully presented with 3 kinds of salsa – regular, tomatillo, and a spicy woody dip. It came with three small dishes of salt – also mild, medium, and hot – that were for our dinner instead of regular salt shakers.

We shared the grilled vegetable salad which was probably the best salad ever. It had roasted garlic, marinated grilled jumbo asparagus, baby squash, squash blossoms, petite rainbow chard, frisee, queso anejo, with a pickled morita chile dressing. Not only was it beautiful, it was really yummy. Bill had a huge filet of Chilean sea bass, and I had a chile rellenos stuffed with Chihuahua and Oaxaca cheese blend topped with grilled onions and leeks. For dessert Bill had a flan, and I had a most amazing chocolate tres leches. The cake was a rich chocolate with the creaminess and texture of a regular tres leches. A Mexican chocolate ice cream was on top with some meringue sticks. It was soooooooo good! That dish is tonight's photo. Our waitress was a delight, and it was a great meal.

We retrieved the car and parked at the Mirage. Unfortunately the Secret Garden and Dolphin Exhibit were closed, so we went next door to wait for the Sirens of TI at Treasure Island show out front. We were 25 minutes early and got the last good spots up front. The show started at 10pm, and it was 20 minutes of my life that I will never get back. It combined a ship of scantily clad ‘sirens’ and another ship of pirates. They sang, “danced”, had fake sword fights, blew up ships. It truly was horrible.

We walked across the street to the Venetian. This really is a lovely hotel, and well-done. I don’t think a gondola ride next to busy Las Vegas Blvd would be something I would spend bucks on, but the architecture was pretty. We watched the volcano show at the Mirage across the street from the Venetian, and it was rather neat.

After the show, we walked back across the street to the Mirage where Bill played blackjack for a bit. I went to a nice quiet bar and had a diet coke and a glass of water. The dry weather here is killing me.

We got home about 1am. It was a fairly relaxing day and a fun one!

Day 48 – Nellis AFB (Las Vegas) NV

My alarm woke me at 10. It was another hot day, but slowly getting cooler. It is hard to imagine saying that 102 is cooler. At noon we went to meet our friends the Irvins that we hadn’t seen in 18 years at a restaurant called Famous Dave’s. It was fun seeing the ‘kids’ with their kids. We spent the next hour sharing The Feast – a barbecue sampler platter and trying to catch up on all that time.

We eventually parted ways when the little ones (who had been quite good) started getting restless. We will meet the parents again on Tuesday night for drinks before we leave Las Vegas on Wednesday. On the way home we went in the main base, got gas for the Tracker, and went to the BX for batteries for our portable fan.

I worked on some photos before I succumbed to the urge for a nap. Bill went to Walmart for tomatoes and bread for BLTs for dinner.

It was a nice pleasant day. Tomorrow we may wait until it cools off a little and then head back down to the Strip to look at a few more hotels.

Day 47 – Nellis AFB – Las Vegas NV

And the heat wave continues. Las Vegas is opening more ‘cooling centers’ today. Bill left about 9:30 to go to the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, the home of the TV show “Pawn Stars”. When he got there, he found a place to park and went in. He got a Pawn Stars DVD, a pawn shop T-shirt, and a bobble head that turned out to be Chumlee and not the Old Man. So he is taking that back some time to exchange it. When he left, the parking lot was full, and there was a line to get in the store. Taxis were dropping people off, and it was a zoo.

He also drove down the Strip just to see what there was and where to park. He got back here about noon. I stayed here, slept in, and worked on processing photos.

At 3:30 we headed down to the Strip. It seemed to take forever because of the traffic downtown. We pulled into the Bellagio valet parking and made it in. There were many things I wanted to see there. First we saw the beautiful blown glass flower ceiling in the lobby before we went out to watch the fountain show. This glass ceiling was done by Dale Chihuly as well as a beautiful piece in the Baccarat Bar. Bill then went to play blackjack while I wandered through the Conservatory. The flowers were beautiful, especially the hydrangeas. There were flowered covered lady bugs, frogs, and snails.

When I went back to find Bill, he had won $180 which was a good thing as our dinner at Le Cirque was rather expensive. They didn’t have our reservation, but they seated us anyway. Bill’s amuse bouche was an oyster with caviar and mine was a lovely gazpacho. For appetizers, I had a radicchio risotto and Bill had lobster bisque. Both were quite good.

My entrée was beef tenderloin, sautéed foie gras, Smoked Serrano Potato Croquette (fancy tater tot!) and fresh asparagus with a sweet onion compote. Bill had paupiette of sea bass wrapped in crispy potatoes with braised leeks and a Pinot Noir reduction. The atmosphere was quite elegant, and the service couldn’t have been better. For dessert I had a chocolate soufflé with crème anglais and vanilla ice cream. Bill had an amazing chocolate ball with vanilla ice cream in the middle and gold leaf on top. The waiter poured a warm chocolate sauce on it which made it immediately disintegrate. Quite amazing!

We had some time to kill, so I went outside to see the fountain show at night. It was quite pretty. We had a drink in the Baccarat Bar until it was time to see Cirque du Soleil “O”. We had great seats, and it was an awesome production. It had many of the standard Cirque components, but there was a great pool of water as the stage. The could cover the water with a floor without the audience even noticing and even vary the depth. It was everything I wanted it to be and more.

We got home about 1am. The drive down the Strip at midnight was rather awesome with the traffic still heavy and the crowds thick!

Day 46 – Las Vegas/Nellis AFB NV – rest day

Dry heat or not, hot is hot. It was really quite pleasant outside until about 10am. We sat outside with our coffee relaxing and enjoying not doing anything. Then we had to head for refuge in the RV. We had both air conditioners going, and it still wasn’t ‘cool’. Unbelievable! I can so understand how people die in this kind of heat.

Yes, there was reveille at 6:30 this morning, but luckily I didn’t hear it. And they play taps at 4:30 in the afternoon. There are no speakers near us, so it is not that noticeable.

I got caught up with the who/what/where on my photos and started processing them through Photoshop. I also uploaded the Mt St Helens photos onto my Flickr page. Click on the link to the right. Slowly but surely I am getting caught up.

Bill, who can never sit still, went to the main part of the base. He got the Tracker washed and vacuumed. The ticket office was closed today – he was looking for another Cirque du Soleil show. So he went on to the BX and Commissary. He came back with bike helmets for both of us. At any military base, helmets are required to ride one’s bike. He picked up a few items at the commissary that we needed.

After he came back, he went over to the cookout. He talked to some guys and found out some info on Las Vega. The hamburgers and hot dogs were not that good, so he came back here and took a nap.

Bill went to Walmart at 6 to fill up our water jugs and then went on to In and Out burger. It was okay, but it wasn’t nearly as good as I had remembered. I like Wendy’s better.

We watched some TV until it got cool enough to sit outside. Tomorrow is supposed to be the hottest day we are here, so we probably won’t head to the Strip until 4. We will check out the Bellagio fountains, look at the art work at the Bellagio, have dinner at Le Cirque, and then why I came to Vegas: Cirque du Soleil “O”. So it should be a pleasant day.

Today’s photo was taken last night from our lawn chairs of sunset with the Stratosphere in the distance.

Day 45 – Travel Day – from Tonopah NV to Nellis AFB NV (Las Vegas) – 205 miles

We left the lovely coolness for the incredible heat of Las Vegas. We got an early start from the Ramada Inn parking lot/RV Park at 8:30. Along the way we saw our first Joshua trees. They are very unique in this landscape. Our first stop was in Beatty NV to see the Beatty Museum. The two volunteers there were quite chatty and helpful.

We drove 4 miles out of town to the ghost town of Rhyolite which started in 1904 and by 1920 was a ghost town. There was only one other car there, so it was rather desolate. The train station, the school, Cook Bank, and the Bottle House were the most outstanding features. Most of the rest of the buildings were in ruins. Today’s photo is a shot of the whole town from the RV. Click on it to make it bigger.

Then we were on the road again. The landscape was still massive and impressive. We stopped at a nice roadside park to have lunch. We found one table under a tree, but it was still warm. We shared our space with a baby praying mantis. As we came close to Las Vegas we spotted a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) doing a touch and go from one of Nellis’ many runways.

We arrived at Nellis AFB about 2, were taken to our site which isn’t bad. This RV park is really quite nice. We have a large space, concrete pad/patio, and can see the Stratosphere on the Strip from our lawn chairs. The Strip is only 8 miles away. We do have a couple of trees on our site, and the satellite works. It was 102 degrees when we setup. Bill could barely touch the Tracker to unhook it. We will just have to be careful.

We made reservations at the Bellagio Le Cirque for dinner Saturday night before the Cirque du Soleil show. Bill wanted one really nice dinner while we are here. I also spotted an In and Out Burger not far from the base. I looked for one in CA, but we never passed one, so I get one of those before we leave here. I haven’t had one in years!

Day 44 – Travel Day - from Fallon NAS NV to Tonopah NV – 175 miles

No reveille this morning! It was a nice cool morning, and we got packed up and left Fallon NAS at 9:30. The drive to Tonopah was surprisingly beautiful, a high plains desert. It was so vast, and the horizons so far. There were no towns of any size at all. There were vast areas of scrub with bare mountains around in beautiful colors. I was really impressed. Today’s photo is miles out from the small town of Schurz in the Walker River Indian Reservation.

We made it here to the Tonopah Ramada hotel/casino/RV park. But it isn’t your normal Ramada. The hotel is on the second floor of a two-story building with shops underneath. The casino is a small one with just machines, no tables. And the “RV park” is in the small parking lot out back. So funny, but we do have electric, water, and sewer. We found a spot, and then Bill went in to check in at the cashier’s counter. We hooked up the electric and then went into the restaurant for lunch. It is like a small town diner, but the sandwiches weren’t bad.

Bill took off at 3 to go explore mining museums. He bought some books about mining and ghost towns, subjects that I don’t share his interest. I watched some TV that I had taped and worked a bit on labeling photos. Bill called a couple of times, one of which he was on his way 8 miles out of town to the old Tonopah military base from the 1940s. He saw 3 hangers and dozens of foundations. He also loved the sign on the road that said “Next Gas 163 miles”.

I enjoyed my few hours by myself. Tonight we just grazed in the refrigerator and watched TV. Bill wants to stop at a couple of ghost towns tomorrow on the way to Vegas. I am not too excited about that, but they aren’t too far out of the way.

I think tonight is our last cool night for quite a while. Tomorrow Vegas is supposed to be 104 degrees! Sigh.

Day 43 – Travel Day from Beale AFB CA to Fallon Naval Air Station NV – 210 miles

We were awakened at 6:30 this morning by reveille blasting out from loud speakers all over the base. And it wasn’t the short version! I did turn over and go back to sleep for another half hour. We packed up and were on the road by 9.

It wasn't the Sierra Mountains that got us but a 10-mile shortcut that Bill’s GPS (otherwise known as Lola!) guided us down. It was a 2-lane, twisty highway that was a little bit of a nail biter. Otherwise, the trip was quite pleasant, and the scenery very pretty. Today’s photo is coming down from Donner Pass.

We arrived here at Fallon NAS about 1:30. This is a minimal campground built in what used to be a parking lot. There are concrete pads, electric, sewer, and water, but the rest of the area is gray gravel. We did a minimal setup, hooking up just the electricity and not putting the slide-out out. The laundry is free so we did the sheets, towels, and a load of clothes.

Bill went to the commissary to pick up a few items, and he fixed some fresh asparagus, meatloaf, and mashed potatoes for dinner.

Tomorrow we head south in Nevada to a place called Tonopah. It is a Ramada gambling casino, hotel, and RV park. Should be interesting.

Day 42 – Travel Day from Mt Shasta CA to Beale AFB CA (Yuba City) – 192 miles

It was a fairly easy day today. We got going at 10am and traveled through some more beautiful green mountainous highway until we hit Redding. Then the land flattened out. We had a few sprinkles early, but then the sun came out for the rest of the day.

We passed a road sign with a mama bear and her baby like a deer crossing sign. I wished I had gotten a photo of it. We passed lots and lots of olive groves as the land got really brown. As we got nearer to Beale, we saw metallic flickers in the fields. It was neon colored metallic ribbon on sticks and poles. We figured it was to scare away birds, but it really looked weird.

We got to the Famcamp at Beale about 3:30, checked in, and did a minimal setup. After we relaxed for a wile, we headed out to find the shopette since the commissary was closed on Mondays. We went to the BX and picked up a few items. We went to one shopette, but it was undergoing a remodel, so we had to go clear across base to the family housing area.

On the way, Bill spotted a marker for an old WW II POW site and turned down that road. There was some signage but the only small building left standing was the solitary confinement block. Rather interesting. We also saw lots of jack rabbits on base. This is a huge base and right now, it is covered in large open meadows of brown grass. That is today’s photo – the view from our campsite. This shopette still didn’t have the Pepsi Bill wanted, but he bought a couple of bottles from the case and we went next door to get Subway sandwiches for dinner. I got my new favorite – veggies on flatbread with chipotle sauce.

Finally we got back to the RV, ate our dinner, and relaxed. Later tonight, Bill was outside smoking his cigar and called me out. There are lots of jack rabbits feeding on the green grass in the campground. There was also a hawk that kept circling and landing on light posts and street signs. We didn’t see him get any the rabbits, but he sure was trying.

Tomorrow we are off to Fallon Navy Air Station east of Reno. It will be a tough climb over the Sierras, but it is only about 200 miles, so we should be okay taking our time.

Day 41 – Mt Shasta CA

It was a pretty day today, but still quite cool. Last night we had some tenters across the road who partied late into the night. They woke me up at 12:45. It is a large group camping with a fifth-wheel next to us. They were up blasting music this morning. We haven’t encountered noisy people at all during this trip. So this was a pain! But they are gone tonight.

We had a leisurely morning and left to drive around about 11:45. We first drove into town looking for info. We found the visitors center, got a map and took off stopping by KFC for some chicken to take with us. We stopped by the RV to get the cooler, and off we went.

The drive up Mt Shasta was really quite pretty. There are some unusually symmetrical and lovely conifers. We drove to the end of the road at Old Ski Bowl above the tree line. It was quite chilly up there, too cold for a picnic. There was a cloud cover over Shasta, but it kept moving around making for an interesting and pretty vista. It even started to snow little ice pebbles while we were there. Today's photo shows the parking lot at Old Ski Bowl. Note the lady in a blanket!

We came back down to a lovely city park where we had our picnic in relative warmth. This park holds a spring that is the headwaters of the Sacramento River. It was a really pretty park, and we had a pleasant time. Then it was back to the RV where I worked on photos. I got the Crater Lake area photos uploaded finally and worked on labeling some of the others before I totally forget what we did where.

We were going to go out to eat, but the restaurant we wanted to go to is closed on Sundays, so we had burgers, beans, and cole slaw here in the RV.

Tomorrow we head out for Yuba City. We are staying at the Beale AFB famcamp before hitting I 80 on Tuesday to cross the Sierra Mtns.

I also added the Crater Lake area photos to Flickr. You can see them by clicking the link on the right.

Day 40 – Travel Day from Waldport OR to Mt Shasta CA – 315 miles

It was a cool, foggy morning. We headed out of Waldport at 9. The fog was pretty and not really hazardous. We got down to Florence hoping to see the Oregon Dunes, but there were no really good views of the dunes. However, the route we took from the Pacific Coast Hwy over to I 5 – Oregon 38 along the Umpqua River – was really beautiful. We saw some elk at the edge of a meadow. When we stopped for a stretch, a beautiful rough-legged hawk flew over us and landed in a tree. Today’s photo is of the Umpqua River stop.

We also saw a herd of sheep with a single llama. We have seen that several times here in Oregon. Apparently many people put a llama in with the sheep because it is an aggressive animal and will protect the sheep from predators.

The drive down I 5 is also quite beautiful, both in Oregon and in California. It did start to rain a bit near Grant’s Pass, but it didn’t last too long. We arrived at Mt Shasta KOA about 4pm. We have a decent site, and the satellite works. It is still cloudy and cold, low 50s. Hopefully it will be prettier tomorrow.

Day 39 – Tour day from Waldport OR

Today was yet another fun day. No fog this morning, and the day stayed bright and sunny, but it was still cool – in the 50s. After having a leisurely time with the coffee, we headed out for the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport OR, about 15 miles north of us. I wasn’t expecting too much from this aquarium since it is located in a small town, but it truly was impressive.

Their indoor exhibits were displayed beautifully with lots of signage: crabs, sea anemone, sea pads (something I had never seen before!), star fish, jelly fish, plumose anemone (which I loved for its soft flower-like appearance and is the photo of the day), strawberry anemone (which I loved for its wonderful color), sand dollars which I had never seen live before, a touching pool.

Outside in a nifty mountainous rock (a la Disney) maze were all kinds of exhibits. I loved the seabirds and got a wonderful short movie of a pigeon guillemot going nuts in the water – skimming across the water, diving, shaking his feathers and just generally acting like he was on crack. There were also tufted puffins which have always been a favorite of mine along with some black oystercatchers and murres. Sea birds can be so much fun.

They had sea otters, sea lions, and harbor seals. There was an indoor aquarium with the acrylic tunnel to walk through with lots of rockfish, sharks, rays, and other fish. As we were leaving, I saw a new wildflower that a grounds keeper identified as a clarkia amoena. We spent much longer there than we had anticipated, and I could have spent another couple of hours, too.

We drove into town to eat at Mo’s Chowder, a Newport institution since the late 1940s. Bill found Mo’s in our Road Trips book and had to eat there. We got in pretty quickly and another couple was soon seated at our table too. We had a lovely conversation with them while we had our lunch. Bill got seafood cioppino and I got the grilled wild salmon steak. Both of us were happy with our lunches including an interesting cabbage salad with baby shrimp on top. We had a marion berry cobbler for dessert.

Then we had to drive 10 miles up the coast to Otter Rock to see the Devil’s Cauldron and a Mo’s annex where Bruce Springsteen supposedly visited in 1987. The Cauldron was interesting as was the seabirds in the surf fishing on the beautiful coastline.

When we got back to the RV about 5, we did our laundry. It was a small laundry room, and I got to chat with a nice chick from British Columbia who was on her first long trip with her husband and two kids. Next a guy from Chicago came in and while he waited for the dryers, we talked about his motorcycle trip from Chicago to ride the Pacific Coast highway down to San Diego. One can certainly meet interesting people along the road.

Day 38 – Tour Day from Waldport OR

We lucked out again today with a gorgeous day. When I got up at 8:30 we still had lots of fog. Last night it was almost like being in the rain the fog was so thick. But by the time we headed off at 9:45, the fog was lifting and we had sun all day. It is still cool sweatshirt weather but quite pleasant.

We drove south on the Pacific Coast Hwy (101) to Cape Perpetua stopping below at Devil’s Churn. The tide was out, so the water was too impressive. The drive up to the top of the cape was pretty, and the overlook was stunning! There was a lovely hike through the woods with various viewpoints looking down on the awesome Oregon coast.

We went back into Yachats for lunch at the Adobe Resort. We had a window seat overlooking the ocean. I got a cup of decent clam chowder and then the best quiche I have ever had – smoked salmon and crab. They smoke their own salmon, and it wasn’t overwhelming in the quiche. Plus the quiche was extra cheesy which is always a good thing. Bill had panko fried oysters which he said were good.

Then we headed back down the road, stopping at various viewpoints one of which was the Spouting Horn, Oregon’s Blow Hole and another was the Heceta Lighthouse viewpoint.

Then we came to the Sea Lion Caves. This was a really impressive tourist stop. The sea lions were out on the rocks way below the entrance, but they have a great viewing point and with our binoculars and my camera we had a great view. There were at least 60 sea lions on the large rock ledge below and some in the water. They were making a great deal of noise when they all adjusted their flopping positions or when a new sea lion came up on the ledge. I was mesmerized.

We took the elevator 200 feet down to the sea lion cave. We could spot one sea lion in the shadows there and one cormorant. The staff member was an older gentleman who answered lots of questions and showed us some of the film they had taken when the sea lions come in for the winter. They even share the cave with seals.

We were then ready to head back to the RV where we had a lovely sunset without the fog. I did stop to take a picture of the beautiful fuchsia bush by the office. I don’t remember seeing that flower before. Our view over Alsea Bay with the bridge beside us really makes for a neat campsite.

Day 37 – Travel Day – 148 miles from Astoria to Waldport OR

Today we encountered our first “Oregon Fog”. We left Astoria at 9 and drove south along the same route as yesterday. We made pretty good time without all the stops at overlooks. Bill decided to take a break at the Tillamook Cheese Factory again. We made it in time for breakfast, so I had a cheese omelet which was actually rather good. We passed on the ice cream, though.

We kept heading south with the fog coming and going. It was strange to see it hover off-shore and then drift in over random sections of the road. We arrived at Waldport about 2 and got settled in at our campsite. We overlook the Alsea Bay and bridge which is just gorgeous. However, it is quite windy here, and the fog started rolling in again late afternoon. So now we have a cold, moist evening out there. I was hoping for a good sunset but no such luck.

Bill wanted to eat in town even though there isn’t much here. The closest town of any size is Newport about 15 miles north. So we wandered around Waldport until we found The Salty Dawg. Someone described it on Yelp as a ‘dive’ which is why I think he wanted to go there. The bar half was pretty much a dive, but they did have a small family dining room. The menu was a strange one with the usual fried fish, clams, and fries. I got the clam chowder in a bread bowl. The bowl was pretty good sourdough, but the chowder was a bit too floury for my taste. Bill got fish and clams. The clams were a bit chewy but the fish was good.

We drove by the local grocery, which wasn’t a bad size, and went in for oatmeal, half and half, and some fruit for the Tillamook ice cream we got yesterday. Bill wanted blueberries, so we got some of those.

We are here for 3 nights and have lots to see and do.

Day 36 - Tour Day along the northern Oregon Coast – 148 miles

We got started on today’s adventures at 8:45. Our first stop was at Seaside OR, where we tried to find Lewis and Clark’s salt works. This is where some of the Corps worked day and night for many months, boiling saltwater to extract the salt to cure their meat for the trip back east. We drove by it a couple of times before we finally saw the small sign. The salt works look like a fenced garden in someone’s back yard. It was interesting to see this.

Our next stop was Ecola St Park. After driving through beautiful a beautiful sitka spruce tree forest for 4 miles, we came out on a large viewpoint overlooking the many miles of Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock. There was a pretty walk to the end of the peninsula with great views of big rocks that sometimes hold lots of seals (but not today). We also saw Tillamook Rock Lighthouse which is no longer a lighthouse but a wanna-be columbarium. Click on the link for the whole story which continues to this day. I got some great photos, one of which is today’s photo.

We drove a short ways back down the highway and through Cannon Beach town. This is filled with cutsy shops, restaurants, bed and breakfasts. At the end of Cannon Beach we pulled into Tolovana Beach Wayside to get a good look at the seven mile beach and Haystack Rock. And then we stopped at Neahkahnie Beach Viewpoint for another gorgeous look down the coast. A lot of route 101 is inland with various viewpoints over-looking the ocean.

We finally reached the Disneyland of Cheese – Tillamook Cheese Factory. The huge parking lot was filling up fast. We went in and had lunch in their Farmhouse Café – grilled cheese, of course. I had mine with bacon and tomato, and Bill had his with tiny shrimp. It wasn’t bad. Then we walked through their factory which has windows overlooking the factory floor. We mainly saw them cutting and packaging some sort of white cheese. We got Tillamook ice cream cones, did a little shopping, and then headed on south.

Bill really wanted to see the Tillamook Air museum. This is an old blimp hanger that is enormous and houses lots of old WW II airplanes. I was just impressed with the hanger itself – over 1000’ long and 190’ high, all made out of wood with some concrete supports for the enormous doors. There were two of these hangers here, but in 1992 one of the hangers was destroyed by fire (while storing tons of hay!!!!).

On the way home we stopped in Tillamook at the La Providensia Taqueria for a taco snack. This was Bill’s idea. They were small tacos ($1.50 each), and it was an experience.

We came on back to the RV rather tired of all the driving today. Tomorrow we will be going back down the same route only we will be going 90 miles farther to Waldport.

Day 35 – Astoria OR

Today we did some sight-seeing in Astoria. We had a leisurely breakfast in the RV and headed out at 9:30. First we went to the Astoria Column. This is a tower on hill in Astoria built in 1926, one of a series of columns built in Oregon. It is 125’ tall and is covered with a kind of bas-relief called sgraffito (paint and plaster) depicting 22 exploration events of the area. There is a beautiful view of the ocean and (this morning) fog shrouded mountains to the east.

From there we went to the Columbia Maritime Museum. I was pretty impressed with the variety and depth of the exhibits here. I especially liked the ones on the bar pilots who guide all the ships into the river. It was an hour well-spent.

It was time for lunch, so Bill got Yelp on his phone and we ended up across the street at a place called Bowpicker. It is a converted gillnet boat. They serve only fish (albacore tuna) and fries, and only have 3 picnic tables on which to eat. It was amazing fish and fries. There seemed to always be a line to order, so we picked well.

We drove south into Warrenton to the Lewis and Clark Ft Clatsop where the Corp of Discovery wintered before returning east. We have now gone from beginning to end of the exploration. The interpretive center was interesting, and they had a nice replica of the Fort. Today’s photo is me and a statue of Sacagawea outside the center. There were two women giving a talk about flintlocks outside the fort. One of them (a college history teacher) had on clothes that the Corp members might have worn including a blue-beaded belt. I had read a story in one of the other L&C centers about Lewis wanting a sealskin robe an Indian chief had on. The chief would not trade for blankets nor other trinkets. He wanted the blue beaded belt that Sacagawea had on. Lewis made the trade getting the coat at the expense of Sacagawea’s belt.

From there we made our first Costco run since leaving Raleigh. Bill was starting to have withdrawal symptoms. We picked up some nuts, steaks, wine, some books for me, and a pair of my favorite jeans.

Back at the RV we enjoyed the sunset over our beautiful golf course view. Bill did make a side trip to the Coast Guard BX which is quite near the RV park.

Day 34 – Travel Day from Castle Rock WA to Astoria OR – 70 miles

This morning brought clouds and a sprinkling of rain, something we haven’t seen much of, but by the time we left the RV park at 10:45, it was clearing up. We stopped for gas next to the RV park and headed back to Oregon.

It was a pleasant and short trip, and we pulled into the Lewis and Clark RV Park at 1pm. This is a fairly new RV park on the edge of Astoria OR. They have a 9 hole golf course right next to the RV park, and our site faces the golf course and the woods on the other side. It is a really pleasant park.

After we got set-up and had some lunch, we headed out to do some Lewis and Clark places across the Columbia River back in Washington. The Astoria Bridge is a pretty awesome bridge, built in 1966. It is really high on the Oregon side and then has a steep descent to a short bridge to the Washington side. I am glad I wasn’t driving.

The first stop was just over the bridge at Clark’s Dismal Nitch. The exploration team got stuck here because of bad storms for six days just short of their goal at the Pacific. They were in pretty bad trouble, but managed to last until the storm broke. We hadn’t heard of this part of the L&C story.

From there we drove another 10 miles to Cape Disappointment, the farthest west the team reached. There was an interpretive center there with a gorgeous view of the Pacific. The exhibits were well done, but we didn’t spend too much time on the first part of the exploration since we had done that two years ago. We concentrated on their trip across Washington. This will be the last of the Lewis and Clark areas that we visit. There is also a pretty lighthouse here.

The center closed at 5, so we drove back here to the RV, arriving about 6. Bill grilled steaks, onions, and green peppers. I fixed some spaetzel and cheese. Bill had gotten a box of spaetzel at one of his grocery forays, so I fixed that. We just relaxed, sat outside in the cool, and had a lovely evening.

Day 33 – Down day at Mt St Helens RV Park – Castle Rock WA

It was a really pleasant day to hang out at the RV. It wasn’t quite as cold this morning, but it was still nice not to have to roll out of bed and start touring or traveling. We had our coffee in our lawn chairs beside the RV. Today’s photo is of our campgrounds. I wanted to get the mountains in the distance, so you can only see the red Tracker where our RV is.

I did some work on my photos, mainly getting them labeled in Excel before I forget the who/what/when/where. I still have to process them through Photoshop before I can upload them to Flickr. I got all of them done except for yesterday. I took some breaks to read outside and watch some TV.

Bill (who can’t sit still for too long!) went into Castle Rock to ‘pick up a few items’. He mailed some post cards for me and went to the grocery. We both did some cleaning in the RV. It is amazing how the dust builds up and stuff gets tracked in.

Tonight we went to a local restaurant called Peper’s 49er Restaurant. Why Bill picked this one, I don’t know. It is like any small-town local restaurant. But it was close. We both got salads which consisted of green lettuce and shredded carrot. Bill got the country-fried steak with gravy which wasn’t too good. I got the halibut plate. The halibut actually wasn’t bad – not breaded and fried in a skillet and not a deep fryer. We got dessert with our dinners. Bill got rice pudding and I got the bread pudding. Neither was anything to write home about.

Tomorrow we travel again, but it should be a really short day, only 70 miles to Astoria OR.

Day 32 – Tour Day – Mt St Helens WA

It was another gorgeous day in Castle Rock WA. It was in the low 40s when we got up which made it difficult to roll out of bed. We took our time over coffee and breakfast before we headed out at 9:45 to drive the south and east side of Mt St Helens. It was a 10 hour day for us, but it was a great drive. We stopped to get gas at the little mart beside the campground and got some chicken to take with us.

Our first stop was at Beaver Bay Park on Yale Lake for a Kodak moment and a potty break. Our next stop was at a place called Trail of Two Forests which was quite interesting. It was an ancient lava flow on the south side of Mt St Helens which had flowed over trees and left only molds of the trees. This resulted in large holes where the trunks were or tunnels made by fallen trees. It was a lovely boardwalk around these ancient molds. It was a pretty area so we had our picnic here. I chatted with a couple of German girls from Germany who were vacationing with their two families.

Then it was on to Ape Cave, a lava tube. We had brought our flashlights, and I got 30’ into the cave and bailed. There were no lights in the cave, and I got really claustrophobic, so I went back out and back to the car. Bill went about 15 minutes more and then came back. I don’t do well in caves at all!

We drove by Swift Reservoir, another beautiful huge lake that we were high above on the road. The road continued to twist and turn, up and down through conifer forests with occasional glimpses of Mt St Helens and beautiful vistas. This whole area is so enormous, and the vistas miles wide. It is truly awesome. Today we saw the area that was truly destroyed by the eruption. There were wildflowers everywhere since they were one of the first things that came back to the area.

An interesting stop was of a rusted out car that belonged to a family who were camping in the area when the eruption occurred. The family was killed, and the car was carried sixty feet to this point where it is surrounded by a fence and a plaque.

We continued on ascending on this winding road, stopping at various lookouts to stand in awe at the scenery. The Spirit Lake overlook was particularly beautiful. This lake was directly in the path of the blast, and the water in the lake was sloshed 800’ up the banks. It is now much larger than it was before the eruption. Bill was most intrigued with the story of Harry Truman, an 83 yr old man who ran a lodge on Spirit Lake. He refused to be evacuated and gained some notoriety before he died in the eruption. Spirit Lake is the photo for the day. Down in the corner of the lake are lots of the logs still floating around in the lake 30 years later. We are told they tend to move around with the wind.

We finally reached the end of this road at Windy Ridge, just in time to hear a ranger give a talk on the eruption. It was really quite interesting, and the summer ranger did a great job.

Then it was an 88 mile trip back to the RV park. We stopped a couple of times along the way including a short, but lovely stop at Iron Creek Falls. It was 7:30 by the time we got back. We did a little relaxing, had some meatloaf for dinner, and are now watching TV.

Tomorrow will be a down day, staying close to the RV and relaxing.