tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70470539164758499752024-02-02T02:53:51.667-07:00MidLife on WheelsMusings from a 40 something, single woman exploring North America in a Motor home .. one mile at a time.On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-59328815200998823782022-08-28T18:24:00.000-06:002022-08-29T00:08:06.781-06:00A Tenting We Shall NOT Go.. I need a Van<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WbWyl5EWP1NDAKmu3MLTZetIceUfAZ_VUWx81ojkwM8rCNx9R6SRiW5_vioxoQscvMXWb_vcgas1B9odvsHfTkR5KZKnpCOmJ_0S7uEWEyD-DWygjg4WV7p7YtclAwr1w3uh7-9DeNPhMwMOVBT9InRPHyfOzLvnC_ZJZ076aRwfaRg80GD6tSZo/s1280/IMG_6727.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Tent" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WbWyl5EWP1NDAKmu3MLTZetIceUfAZ_VUWx81ojkwM8rCNx9R6SRiW5_vioxoQscvMXWb_vcgas1B9odvsHfTkR5KZKnpCOmJ_0S7uEWEyD-DWygjg4WV7p7YtclAwr1w3uh7-9DeNPhMwMOVBT9InRPHyfOzLvnC_ZJZ076aRwfaRg80GD6tSZo/w218-h253/IMG_6727.jpeg" title="Tenting" width="218" /></a></div><p>It’s been about a year since I had a horrid Western NY night in a tent and swore that I would never tent east of the Mississippi again. I am on the west coast of British Columbia Canada and though I did not plan on camping, like a good girl scout I was prepared to if I needed too. Getting a late start and ending up three hours from ‘home’ with night falling … I needed to. Luckily, I scored a nice tent site in a better than average RV park near the coast of the Salish sea. The camp staff had gone home so I just choose a place for the night that was empty. Thankfully they had nice level tent boxes, and some friendly nearby campers gave me the washroom code (they call them washrooms instead of restrooms in Canada... so we will go with that!). I quickly set up my Wally world tent as the last bit of light slipped away. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nw1mLQWyMXca-opxzv9M7Cs8KdjaxeSah1iMYRsXSL4D84aGAp8TFevx5_KcbiYRC4GlrdHdBJEFP-jlFgwit8xy-raXEiZjorM6L2Scn0tXQd8eWsCMiRndhXsFLCaVNNoL3WHcdDZtc4Z4YFxtzw1SDSd5UK88UYxR5ZWUS_ANJkGAAk1T8dZf/s1280/IMG_6587.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1280" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nw1mLQWyMXca-opxzv9M7Cs8KdjaxeSah1iMYRsXSL4D84aGAp8TFevx5_KcbiYRC4GlrdHdBJEFP-jlFgwit8xy-raXEiZjorM6L2Scn0tXQd8eWsCMiRndhXsFLCaVNNoL3WHcdDZtc4Z4YFxtzw1SDSd5UK88UYxR5ZWUS_ANJkGAAk1T8dZf/w200-h188/IMG_6587.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Running into the lady that gave me the washroom code at said washroom and chatting while trying to navigate in the dark back to our tenting area together, I learned that they were from the same town I had been housesitting in and were at the same festival I had been at days earlier. Oddly enough she had been part of a singing group that I had taken pictures of that evening and I had a pic of her on my phone! How weirdly wild is that! We concluded we live in a small world and headed in for the night. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>The further away the bathrooms are it seems the more often I make the journey! These potties were in the RV area where people have their own potties and not the tent area where they do not. I certainly wish some campground developers would consult some of us a little more before they build! Anyway, on my next journey, prepped with my little bear spray canister, something rustled and bolted out of the bushes! Fumbling with my phone and dropping my can of spray, I saw it was just mom and baby deer that scampered off ... or did they?? On my return, I kept hearing footsteps behind me, and I would stop, and they would stop. Kind of creepy but after about 5x of this and being sure I was hearing what I was hearing, I slowly turned around to confront my stalker. With a little glimmer of light outlining it, I could tell it was the little fawn with its ears up looking at me again. Relieved I took a few more steps, and it did too, stopping each time I stopped. Did it think I was mom? Finally, I turned my flashlight on it and backed away and it stayed in place till a car moved through the campground scaring it off. A little weird but whatever. Strange things happen when you are out in nature, and it has been a while since I was out at night in nature. </span></div><br /><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-c4y_O5NmFF2tEcfGjuWpMWJ1fahmKAuMtz_NkZz3AOnBWz4jOR9Xp2kBKmIJqhgzgORQrMShfFElr3kF4If_Nzp8ofGADhQuo93GIEAY16lIAktNxXE3xJjSuFqOoXMpJwChcD-txaa-BQvsol1ueIoRnNfFfRPbDYUNoTWqOl_5lfPtgcdXxsf/s1280/IMG_6724.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0-c4y_O5NmFF2tEcfGjuWpMWJ1fahmKAuMtz_NkZz3AOnBWz4jOR9Xp2kBKmIJqhgzgORQrMShfFElr3kF4If_Nzp8ofGADhQuo93GIEAY16lIAktNxXE3xJjSuFqOoXMpJwChcD-txaa-BQvsol1ueIoRnNfFfRPbDYUNoTWqOl_5lfPtgcdXxsf/w219-h209/IMG_6724.jpeg" width="219" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First encounter</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I marveled at the stars; they were so numerous that you could hardly make out all the constellations. I took a deep breath of the pine filled air and called it a night, happy to be out enjoying nature. Quickly, I regretted not bringing my nice blow-up twin sized air mattress. My ¾ length backpack pad was not as comfy as I remembered it. Finally getting semi settled, I noticed something else... it was SUPER quiet. No choirs of frogs or locust singing like there is in the Midwest, no night birds, no planes, trains or automobiles either! The loudest thing around was the tinnitus in my head, which seemed so loud that it made it hard to sleep. Well, that plus the pondering about why there was no night sounds in the woods in Canada. Still messing with the mat and listening to the chorus in my head at 3:30 am, I took another gander out to check out the stars. 4:22 am must have dozed off and may have yelped a little when I thought I heard a rustling and saw a nose poking the side of the tent. I think I was dreaming but the yelp part may have been real since another camper came out with a flashlight, intently shining it my way a little bit later. I stayed still and didn’t offer an “I am sorry, did I scream and wake you” apology as I know a Canadian would. Instead, I was just grateful I was dreaming which meant no bear maybe was sniffing around and maybe I had actually gotten some sleep. </p><p>I spent some time pondering why I still thought tenting was a good idea before finally dozing off around daybreak, just in time for the neighbors to start stirring for breakfast. Ahh the great outdoors. As I made my morning journey to the washroom, I noticed the RV and Van folks all around looking happy and well rested. I squeezed out an exhausted smile as I passed them on their merry way’s but resolved myself to no more tenting in Canada either! I need to try nature from one of those new Van’s next time with a real bed and my own potty!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_WbWyl5EWP1NDAKmu3MLTZetIceUfAZ_VUWx81ojkwM8rCNx9R6SRiW5_vioxoQscvMXWb_vcgas1B9odvsHfTkR5KZKnpCOmJ_0S7uEWEyD-DWygjg4WV7p7YtclAwr1w3uh7-9DeNPhMwMOVBT9InRPHyfOzLvnC_ZJZ076aRwfaRg80GD6tSZo/s1280/IMG_6727.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comBritish Columbia, Canada53.7266683 -127.647620625.416434463821155 -162.80387059999998 82.036902136178838 -92.4913706tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-76357639731804576472017-04-15T01:00:00.004-06:002022-02-20T23:16:10.941-07:00Carrizo Plains Super Bloom!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrizo Plains Super bloom ... </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitclC1X4FPpaxGnjSWgxOsc2Hyko3scLH4ci16nnPxDo-D3n7HICc-1yxyaS7fa67-5YuDAbuZrixkJkY1FtNmTW03n4G9vq2dpHx8KZbZci5pr_V7XKQQ4DedhkMkLrfu2mJBYJaM8dTK/s1600/Cz_58Overlook.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitclC1X4FPpaxGnjSWgxOsc2Hyko3scLH4ci16nnPxDo-D3n7HICc-1yxyaS7fa67-5YuDAbuZrixkJkY1FtNmTW03n4G9vq2dpHx8KZbZci5pr_V7XKQQ4DedhkMkLrfu2mJBYJaM8dTK/s200/Cz_58Overlook.jpg" width="200" /></a>If you are into wildflowers, you know that a super bloom at
Carrizo Plains is huge! Seeing central California’s <a href="mailto:https://www.blm.gov/nlcs_web/sites/ca/st/en/prog/nlcs/Carrizo_Plain_NM.html">Carrizo
Plains National Monument</a> in bloom has been on my Bucket list for
years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drought & proximity have
been the problem in past years but with a super bloom this year, I made a 15
hour trek to see the bloom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was past
peak in many areas but I was not disappointed! <o:p></o:p></div>
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I had trouble finding the Hurricane / Crocker Springs Road
thru the Temblor range on the east side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stopped a guy in a Jeep in the area of the petro facilities outside of
Taft but sadly his directions lead me to the paved entry via CA-33
/CA-58.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really wanted to go thru the
Temblor mountain 4wd road but I certainly was not disappointed on the paved route
as winding up the green hills on CA-58 then looking over the San Joaquin valley &
descending again with yellows on both sides of the road. It was
absolutely beautiful!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I went down 7 Mile Rd to Elkhorn road that parallels the
base of the mountains on the east side of the park to Wallace creek to see the San Andreas fault (not overly
exciting) & then down to a closed gate with a trail up into the hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(There were many cars parked here so it was
easy to find.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The trial split and you
could stay along the base of the hills or go high… I went high and was rewarded
with incredibly beautiful views.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard
someone describe Carrizo Plains as the place ‘where God spilled the paint
buckets’ and it certainly seemed that way with yellows, oranges and purple’s
painting the hillsides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just
breathtaking! (Top pic is from that trail)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are folks on that lower trail</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The high road trail</td></tr>
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After I returned back, the day was waning & I opted to
head back down to Simmler road and cross over the plain to Soda Lake road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flowers here were knee high, abundant and
beautiful even though they were past peak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was able to stop and get a couple of pics at Soda Lakes before the sun
dropped behind the hills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The glimmer of
the yellows at twilight on the trip over 7 Mile Rd and up CA-58 and the lights
of the valley capped a fine first trip to this National Monument! <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golda the Adventure Dog enjoying the Super bloom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the plain looking east towards the Temblor Range</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Checking out the Soda Lakes</td></tr>
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Notes: The <a href="mailto:http://theodorepayne.org/education/wildflower-hotline/">TheodorePayne.org</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>flower hotline suggested that Elkhorn road
required a high clearance vehicle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
roads were dry on my visit and all of the sections that I drove on were easily
accessible by passenger cars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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If you have Instagram check out #CarrizoPlains … there are
lots of great pics out there right now & be sure to follow me <a href="https://www.instagram.com/on_daroad/" target="_blank">@On_DaRoad </a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-22916506926738437962016-08-28T21:47:00.000-06:002016-08-29T00:25:47.795-06:00Hike-o-log<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2aggG0iLcuUwz3mw0WqW9zAMXS540pKvhRPliBGefg0xJ39jqjeMdsrqLHsxyN2zQRyRIZcE-hIGW6MhJNxt-bdHCEMP1hr4dNjZpUCYGS4Q1mm6imWtsjzR_rQl6S4N8bveOLWE5RJr/s1600/1stWaterfal2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2aggG0iLcuUwz3mw0WqW9zAMXS540pKvhRPliBGefg0xJ39jqjeMdsrqLHsxyN2zQRyRIZcE-hIGW6MhJNxt-bdHCEMP1hr4dNjZpUCYGS4Q1mm6imWtsjzR_rQl6S4N8bveOLWE5RJr/s320/1stWaterfal2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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It started as just a short simple hike to a nearby waterfall. I thought it would be a good idea to gauge my
readiness on something simple before attempting a strenuous hike later in the
week. It all started off great. Who knew Arkansas had so many types of
fungi!? I was fascinated by all the
fungi & lichens on the forest floor.
It took me forever to get the .8 miles to the waterfall because I took
so many shroom pics. <span style="text-align: left;">When I made it to
the waterfall .. I was a bit
disappointed to find a dripping ledge of a waterfall. As I started to take a few pics, an ‘unscheduled’
downpour started and I took shelter under a large rock ledge a bit past the
waterfall and its little stream. When
under the ledge I checked my weather app & sure enough they said it was
partly cloudy with no rain .. nice. As
I waited the 15 – 20 minutes for the rain to slow down I noticed a few things. The first being that I was on the edge of a
huge overhang & the waterfall that I had seen was clearly not “the
waterfall” and in order to see “the
waterfall” I had to move around the ledge & down. This is how the “Thought-o-log” went once
the rain stopped….</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVNPqSKXcApnZjhQtBDeUWAgFRbGvJhIt25RpMF5zZmO3rDiG5EZGzsSLsTrFDd9fPvq9mjfT2GfPPiJA0PQvwnKVUSXt4g9q3MhkLC98wTrJTPqeT0oP36fbnhkht51uYULGDgjD_mzN/s1600/Ledge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVNPqSKXcApnZjhQtBDeUWAgFRbGvJhIt25RpMF5zZmO3rDiG5EZGzsSLsTrFDd9fPvq9mjfT2GfPPiJA0PQvwnKVUSXt4g9q3MhkLC98wTrJTPqeT0oP36fbnhkht51uYULGDgjD_mzN/s320/Ledge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little protection from the rain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hmmm …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the trail
blazes stop here.. surely there should be a blaze beyond this little muddy
stream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nope … no blaze… no
trail….<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trails are overrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think I can move through this brush and
get down to where I can see the falls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh… I think that might be poison something..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ouch!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Dang these rocks are slippery when wet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Its just a little ledge .. ouch, oh that’s a lot of mud!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing I left my hiking boots IN THE CAR
where they are nice & dry!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh oh!
Jumping and flailing, jumping & flailing I hope that spider is not in my
hair!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh that fall isn’t as pretty as
I hoped, but if I hang off the this tree I might be able to get a pic of both…
or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xr7GadU5-KgXExpAtJBSlVQKutE4PWvNDYJ6w63rRY7NsFvOCb_S8ljzFB8YZiEccxEk5FTJZYFTb9CcDROiHf695kglIQnxGl5fsMxSWIZiUD13NDrpB8WpG8PczECaiQXuWMlsE11-/s1600/trail2falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_xr7GadU5-KgXExpAtJBSlVQKutE4PWvNDYJ6w63rRY7NsFvOCb_S8ljzFB8YZiEccxEk5FTJZYFTb9CcDROiHf695kglIQnxGl5fsMxSWIZiUD13NDrpB8WpG8PczECaiQXuWMlsE11-/s320/trail2falls.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div>
Now how did I get down here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh uh, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel itchy.. I think that might have been
poison something. Don’t rub your eyes don’t rub your eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dang its so hot & humid I think my
eyelids are sweating and its going in my eyes!! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wow that little stream has sure grown from the
run-off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure wish I had worn those
boots. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh good the trail!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I LOVE TRAILS! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Glad I <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>missed that web!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crap..REALLY!?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
close together can spiders live?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how
quickly can spiders build these huge webs anyway, I was just here an hour ago?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh thank goodness the car..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pizza .. oh pizza sounds great…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t judge me gas station pizza lady… yes I
know I have leaves stuck to the mud on my legs ..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am okay with that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the spiders I am concerned about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fine be a judger ..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will take my dollars elsewhere.</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">And so went my first foray
into the Arkansas forest. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">I think I might
have to rethink that strenuous hike .. this time!</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;">For more pics see </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/HisWondersGifts/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">His Wonders FB page</a><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman";">under "Fun in the Forest".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-9697752588500197532015-08-11T17:12:00.000-06:002015-08-11T20:55:55.875-06:00Our Day on the Road<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxXPxuSmB5D28Iu15YOYY8JFat6-P6Nk37lbk3c78MXVpWdasxNYzPS9XGjlxEnGxiwaHkE-s5Ka7TUcUO4QIgoZ6P0ynie8CEje3t4apfA9zgj9JHnHsKIk0in6-gE57jz6xdiexugN1/s1600/ML_OnRdFlds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxXPxuSmB5D28Iu15YOYY8JFat6-P6Nk37lbk3c78MXVpWdasxNYzPS9XGjlxEnGxiwaHkE-s5Ka7TUcUO4QIgoZ6P0ynie8CEje3t4apfA9zgj9JHnHsKIk0in6-gE57jz6xdiexugN1/s320/ML_OnRdFlds.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kansas, Nebraska?? Nope New Mexico!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Left dear friends in North Texas with prayers &
hugs. Headed through silent oil fields
and navigated a flock of tumbleweeds. Got
buzzed by a crop duster doing acrobatics as he dusted his fields. Talked to an old friend. Watched the oil fields give way to
crops. Pondered the differences between
west Texas, north Texas & the Texas area designated “national grassland”
but found non. Saw some cowboys. Honked the horn as I crossed the state line. Which prompted loud singing of the Dixie
Chicks “Heartbreak town”. Made the
change from the playlist of my mind to an actual playlist and did an awesome
“Cowboy Take me Away” duet with the Dixie Chicks. Pondered why New Mexico looked so much like
grassland … even without the official designation. Felt like I was on the Nebraska or Kansas
plains. Saw lots of sunflowers. Honked the horn when changed time zones too. It
is sort of cool to get to redo an hour … plus I kind of just like to honk the
horn. </span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4_5nlsEciv77MDIkwOydQVEjUWeb8g3ai2d_ToQUjEaEz26-53wkziOhtBg-uSsOOlSklc_g_hsGyHZAhJMl0svy5d6SXFhXQ_PFFXL2Y1x9IwMtU4pUACqrp65llUX9VxPMM03lAv3r/s1600/ML_OnRdRearvw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx4_5nlsEciv77MDIkwOydQVEjUWeb8g3ai2d_ToQUjEaEz26-53wkziOhtBg-uSsOOlSklc_g_hsGyHZAhJMl0svy5d6SXFhXQ_PFFXL2Y1x9IwMtU4pUACqrp65llUX9VxPMM03lAv3r/s200/ML_OnRdRearvw.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always good to ck the rearview.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took pictures through my rearview mirror, watched a
thunderstorm cross the plains and as B.B. sang about the Thrill being gone, I
decided the thrill of anticipating what is over the next rise in the road will
never be gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once a road warrior
always a road warrior, you can change the size of the wheels but the thrill remains
the same.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Passed through a couple gully washers & was happy to
lose of some of the bugs on the windshield. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wDqWvgZImw7Rdd_F-_8PCLiEctv-ZavBbwm6u8Z23S0K5pzkKZzc0_02rWk3jw1QZuQtOCOEV7ZcGBH71v2NdgjI4f5wBCDdUF7zAjl5ZcQZxsRpRjPnp0C3wfYxT-sI8wl-9iEzs8qz/s1600/ML_OnRdFtHills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wDqWvgZImw7Rdd_F-_8PCLiEctv-ZavBbwm6u8Z23S0K5pzkKZzc0_02rWk3jw1QZuQtOCOEV7ZcGBH71v2NdgjI4f5wBCDdUF7zAjl5ZcQZxsRpRjPnp0C3wfYxT-sI8wl-9iEzs8qz/s400/ML_OnRdFtHills.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woo hoo Mountains!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then we saw foothills! The terrain quickly
changed from wide-open grassy plains to a winding, sunflower lined mountain road
with a creek crisscrossing our path.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Deer grazed off the side of the road and a couple of blue birds raced us
around a curve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Big Daddy Weave’s
“Overwhelmed” came up on the playlist<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Captivated by Your beauty, I am overwhelmed by you”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overwhelmed … <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overwhelmed indeed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a mountain girl, there is nothing like the
beauty of the mountains.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMq8n-_ub12okeiy_cODRNqXX64oKzxrUt1dpV7JYWGtt7KiR2oXorm2ArPABhaWFjXk3JogxYKv_8srDZzcoa3JeOEpB-KXLN6-HxKvQHp4pwE4rA_QPWHzR-LIeAwxTaiD5Oj1VUVWd-/s1600/ML_OnRdSunFlwr2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMq8n-_ub12okeiy_cODRNqXX64oKzxrUt1dpV7JYWGtt7KiR2oXorm2ArPABhaWFjXk3JogxYKv_8srDZzcoa3JeOEpB-KXLN6-HxKvQHp4pwE4rA_QPWHzR-LIeAwxTaiD5Oj1VUVWd-/s320/ML_OnRdSunFlwr2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mtns & sunflowers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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With storms forecast for the evening, I opted to forgo any
chance for <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2010/07/tenting-we-shall-go.html" target="_blank">drama</a> and I dished out the extra dough to have a roof over our heads
rather than the stars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a good
choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I sit down to write on my
little cabin porch, the air is crisp, the aspen are quaking in the wind, hummers
are buzzing about, the sound of a harmonica playing softly fills the air and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/GoldatheAdventureDog" target="_blank">Dog</a>
is laying peacefully at my feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Couldn’t
ask for a more perfect ending to our day on the road.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHZkhyphenhyphenPfpExurCyqGUffecPV_DORrkwnmo50PJktQI2F876ks1SnRgy6qT5V4XT_kaa7fnOpSestScMLbx4uXGT3xXnM_ev9hRy1O5MrIQf1NFeT_TT5Jx49So53l8uyZwgUSdMgq1UqM/s1600/ML_OnRdDucky.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHZkhyphenhyphenPfpExurCyqGUffecPV_DORrkwnmo50PJktQI2F876ks1SnRgy6qT5V4XT_kaa7fnOpSestScMLbx4uXGT3xXnM_ev9hRy1O5MrIQf1NFeT_TT5Jx49So53l8uyZwgUSdMgq1UqM/s1600/ML_OnRdDucky.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Any place run by Ducky's relatives is alright by me!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-55504610695314019022015-07-12T16:37:00.002-06:002015-07-13T17:16:10.254-06:00FAQ #3: Where is the most favorite place you have been?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xqAC_zf3FUjf1DnoN2TpmHLzzRatbG5drGlZWVWRpMZ2eI7-SwYYsdmLclsiuO1VA0MvvzhbQP1Spyz-ylYczOiL9z4244k71lFQx8xaqK2kvdIeiyRn6ah1JPQ_3PolbHURryQ1seI8/s1600/AB_Kootney02_scrn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Rving in Canada" border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xqAC_zf3FUjf1DnoN2TpmHLzzRatbG5drGlZWVWRpMZ2eI7-SwYYsdmLclsiuO1VA0MvvzhbQP1Spyz-ylYczOiL9z4244k71lFQx8xaqK2kvdIeiyRn6ah1JPQ_3PolbHURryQ1seI8/s400/AB_Kootney02_scrn.jpg" title="Midlife on Wheels - Canada" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canadian Rockies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
People always ask me about <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2010/12/faq-on-fulltime-rving-question-1-how.html" target="_blank">money</a> & <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2011/01/fulltime-rving-faq-2-how-do-you-get.html" target="_blank">mail </a>and then this question (or a variation of it), always follows - "Where is the most favorite place you have been?". I think this one is the toughest questions to answer as my most favorite place is usually wherever I am at the moment. Every place seems to have something special about it, whether you are in <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2010/06/journal-excerpts-barrow-ak.html" target="_blank">Barrow, AK </a>, the <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2008/11/back-in-valley-again-rio-grande-valley.html" target="_blank">tip of Texas</a>, Keywest, FL or anyplace in between. The bottomline is that North America is an amazingly diverse and beautiful place to explore and I have been so blessed to have spent a decade on wheels exploring it. I recently started a new company called <a href="http://www.hiswonders.com/" target="_blank">His Wonders</a> to highlight through pictures and gifts some of the incredible scenery that can be found throughout the US and Canada but much of the time even the best pictures don't do justice to a location. My hope is always that my pictures will encourage you to go check a place out for yourself. But back to my favorite place. I can't pick just one, but some of my most favorites starting from north to south would be: the Canadian Rockies, <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2009/09/revisiting-yellowstone.html" target="_blank">Yellowstone</a>, the <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/search/label/Colorado">San Juan Mountain area of Colorado,</a> <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/search/label/Utah" target="_blank">Southern Utah </a>and the central coast of California plus about 20 other places that would follow close behind! <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7einUb0qKstNV0EpRQDHCZKvJ5LBA0AI-HqpQ_h6QZBzFvnN0taq-ZVBFFuI_hD-NbXtE2vvpKBboUjxCt-yWhcmocelkxNyDmzjc0NaNWzvT6IszBLBTTP_ScUrrjBM1UMIN88OZcU1C/s1600/CACentCst1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="RVIng in CA" border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7einUb0qKstNV0EpRQDHCZKvJ5LBA0AI-HqpQ_h6QZBzFvnN0taq-ZVBFFuI_hD-NbXtE2vvpKBboUjxCt-yWhcmocelkxNyDmzjc0NaNWzvT6IszBLBTTP_ScUrrjBM1UMIN88OZcU1C/s320/CACentCst1.jpg" title="Midlife on Wheels: California" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">California Central Coast</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The important thing to remember is that what is amazing to me may not be the same as what is amazing to you. So get out there and do some exploring and have some adventures and then come back here and share with me what your favorite places are!</div>
On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-953799584727291372014-03-13T19:18:00.000-06:002020-03-01T18:09:08.587-07:00We were robbed by Masked Bandits!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a
nice evening listening to some light Jazz and getting a few things
accomplished, I took dog out for her midnight potty in anticipation of winding
down for bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally I just let
dog out the door since she knows the routine and goes straight to the back of
the rig to potty & returns for bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For whatever reason, this time I felt like I should put her on a leash
and go out with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something
immediately caught her attention under the rig but I pulled her away and told
her to hurry up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She obeyed & we
went in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turned out the outside light,
closed the shade and walked over to close my computer and then heard a strange
noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I attributed it to a wind burst
that must have blown something around outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then I heard something again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This time Dog got up and headed to the door .. as did I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It sounded like someone was tampering with
my rig!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am thinking WTH, I still
have my lights on & was just outside two minutes ago, who could be so bold
or stupid as to pick a rig to rob where the people were up!!?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I flipped on the light & opened the
shade & <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">simultaneously</span> heard
a loud thud in the cargo bay to the left of my door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t see anyone out there so I started to
open the door only to find a grey body and striped tail on my top step!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I shut the door quickly & continue to
hear loud noises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again I am thinking,
or I may have been even talking out loud at this point, “WTH!!??”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So what do you do when masked bandits are tearing
into your cargo bay?? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to call
the office at the County park I am staying at, but no answer and no referral
for after hours emergencies. There continues to be loud banging in my bay and
dog is going nuts, wanting to get out the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I try opening door a little & slamming it to scare it away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its still there …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I call 911, I explain to him my rig is being
broken into by raccoons and that there is even one manning the step!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being a professional he doesn’t laugh or hang
up on me, but instead says he will send a car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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Eventually, the big clunking noises stop and I
watch as a huge raccoon takes a drink out of my dogs dish outside of the
door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I only see one raccoon now, so I
decide that I should sneak out my rigs driver-side door and try and shoo the
bandit away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It goes under the rig when
it sees me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I reach down & grab some
seashells to throw (yes, seashells, this is Florida there aren’t rocks here just sand and seashells)!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It kind of plays
chicken with me under the rig, until I actually hit it with a seashell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I kind of felt bad when I hit it because I
heard the thud and it paused and kind of looked at me like “Really? That hurt”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually I got it out from under the
rig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It headed for my water hose, where
it stopped a took a drink out of a water leak (washing down its dog food buffet?) before trotting off towards the
woods after one of my seashells actually got close to it again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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With it gone, I went to open up the cargo door and
check out the damage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is where
Dog’s food is kept in a plastic bin, so I knew that was what it was after.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I opened the cargo door, I was shocked to
see 4 pair of eyes looking back at me!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In fact I was so shocked, I might have even let out one of those ‘little
girl screams’ .. though quietly, as it was quiet hours!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time I had no “WTH”, I was just
speechless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all in 10 years of
full-time RVing, I have never had 1 raccoon in a cargo bay much less 4!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Hello! Four, LIVE, WILD animals IN my cargo bay! </span>They happily munched away on dog food and didn’t
mind me at all!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally the park
security guy shows up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a
flashlight & shines it on the bandits.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They don’t move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ask him what
he is gonna do to get them out!??<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
just smiles and shakes his head … he had nothing.. !<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grrreattt!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we backed up a little bit, one of the bandits starts to head down the
tire cover that they have draped down out of the bay like a curtain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two more follow, but one is pretty darn happy
munching on the dog food buffet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eventually, it leaves too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
send the dog food with the security guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We decides that I shouldn’t lock the bay as they may come back and just
try and tear it open.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wind down and
get to bed about 2 am.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 2:30 am they come
back and I chase them away and decide to go ahead and lock the bin now that
they had a chance to see the food was gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They come back again at 5:30 am., this time they leave quickly and
finally get a bit of shut eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tonight
the dog’s food will be locked in the car; hopefully it is a less eventful
night! Note: as I publish this .. they are back!! sigh<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2tlkU-Pp6gZ5yH-kMyJkVLhdzbiZ2QOvt9kfg5xGqpZJJbtkOolrp-qthcymGNz4mMvpKtRQqIRwrl-vdEsckQlclA9AyoFvjJhyphenhyphenjyUYFi6FBE263WRpL09JCNATaasoxeeSX9w49I_3/s1600/Racs4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2tlkU-Pp6gZ5yH-kMyJkVLhdzbiZ2QOvt9kfg5xGqpZJJbtkOolrp-qthcymGNz4mMvpKtRQqIRwrl-vdEsckQlclA9AyoFvjJhyphenhyphenjyUYFi6FBE263WRpL09JCNATaasoxeeSX9w49I_3/s1600/Racs4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comMelbourne, FL, USA28.0836269 -80.60810889999999127.8595519 -80.930832399999986 28.307701899999998 -80.2853854tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-43239562111516030252013-07-02T17:26:00.001-06:002022-02-20T23:50:48.006-07:00Kayaking the Elkhorn Slough – Swimming with the fishes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQQxy7sB0Q8yoT8i8o89gQ3hQMdVM5RPhEMMQt3G2Yq5iw8fMFvqYQ5o37zRfkDwiObFMsEtkI0-iF_J-lzyVi5x3yzZni0H9pUhM0aHfCtF5E2OteOE6JNFtZcc2vmDMU_taZ2tNz50m/s1600/IMG_8032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwQQxy7sB0Q8yoT8i8o89gQ3hQMdVM5RPhEMMQt3G2Yq5iw8fMFvqYQ5o37zRfkDwiObFMsEtkI0-iF_J-lzyVi5x3yzZni0H9pUhM0aHfCtF5E2OteOE6JNFtZcc2vmDMU_taZ2tNz50m/s400/IMG_8032.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy sister after our Elkhorn kayaking adventure.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It was a lovely morning and the fog rolled out just in time for my sister and I to push off for our much anticipated kayak trip in the Elkhorn Slough. The Slough is an important wetland area and one of the largest saltwater marshes in California. It opens to Monterey Bay at our start point at Moss Landing, which is between Monterey & Santa Cruz, CA. There are several options for kayaking on Monterey Bay but we opted for the quieter waters of the slough. Our goal was to see some of the awesome bird and marine life that make their home here. Okay –my- goal was to see the awesome bird and marine life, my sister just wanted to watch the sea lions & otters from the water!<br />
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Camera, phone, keys and binoculars on board, we set off on a nice smooth paddle. While we were still in the harbor area we saw Harbor seals, a large raft of otters and dozens of sea lions crowded onto one of the docks. The tide was coming in so we decided to just take a nice leisurely float in a for a few miles before paddling back. As we were floating, I had a Harbor seal pop right up next to the boat and just look at me. It was close enough I could have touched it with my paddle had I wanted. It stayed long enough that I was able to get off a picture or two before it slipped back underwater & disappeared. HOW COOL WAS THAT!? I was so stoked and couldn’t wait to see my picture. From a distance we saw many more seals, sea lions, otters, wading and nesting birds. I was glad that I had my binoculars because they really made a difference in what we could see. Once we turned back against the tide, we had to do some major paddling. I was glad I had taken so many pics on the way down because it was impossible to stop paddling and get a picture on the way back. When we finally made it back to the harbor. I got a great picture of my sister with 3 sea lions that had popped up to look at her. As we cruised by the raft of otters I decided I would try and get just one more picture of them and THAT IS WHEN IT HAPPENED!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attracted some marine plant life!</td></tr>
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As I reached for my camera that I had tucked into my life vest, I saw my camera fall into the water. My world went “slow motion”. I gasped and reached to grab the camera as it started to sink. The next thing I knew, I was in the water spitting out salt water and my kayak was upside down! WTHey just happened, I thought as I realized that this water was pretty cold and I was swimming with the fishes and sea lions! Thoughts of all the things that I had discovered were in the water at the <a href="http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/" target="_blank">Monterey Aquarium</a> all flashed before me as I splashed around with my life vest up near my ears to see where my sister was. She was paddling my way & yelling ‘what are you doing!??’. I was wondering that myself! Another kayaker came to my rescue too, as we tried to turn the ‘most stable kind of kayak’ back over. It wouldn’t turn. I panicked a little more when I remembered my keys, credit card, driver license and phone were in the dry well that I only partially locked! I was relieved when I reached under the kayak to find that the latch had held. Thankfully my binoculars were still around my neck & sunglasses still on. My rescuers towed the kayak towards shore and flipped it over for me. I swam with the fishes & who knows what other kind of critters and eventually made shore so I could get in my boat and paddle back to where we started, where I drug my soggy self back to the outfitters mourning the loss of my camera. To say the experience was memorable would be an understatement! The loss of the pic of the Harbor seal and my sister with the sea lions still makes me sigh. I don’t recommend swimming with the fishes, I do recommend exploring the Elkhorn Slough by kayak if you get the chance. Its great fun if you manage to stay upright!
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least we weren't in a double kayak!</td></tr>
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The "Sea Lion Dock" at Moss Landing</div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comElkhorn Slough36.811272329217346 -121.7872386227538836.785706829217347 -121.82775062275388 36.836837829217345 -121.74672662275387tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-25560652622593779482013-04-01T22:55:00.001-06:002013-04-02T10:19:41.992-06:00Daytripping - Day 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CA Fruit Depot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of almonds</td></tr>
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Alas, it is Spring Migration time and I get to check out new places! I left the comfort of Rancho California on Easter & have stopped in Santa Clarita, CA until I can figure out which fork in the road to take. Coast or Inland? I have never been to central California west of the Sierra's so either way is new & I would like to do both at some point. So today, I made a trek up I-5 to Bakersfield. I checked out 5 - 6 RV parks and found just 1 I think I would actually stay at. I was not overly impressed with the city but it does offer a good location for checking out the spring wildflower blooms. After I found a suitable place to stay should I go that way, I scouted the surrounding area. I found the California Fruit Depot where they were boxing up oranges to head off to market. It was quite interesting to watch them separate the oranges into different sizes and see the boxes get filled. I also watched men out harvesting oranges from the trees and filling up large crates of oranges. The Depot had a great tasting room. They had samples of everything from fruit and nuts, to olive oil and licorice to taste. They even had a large orange squeezer so you could squeeze there fresh picked oranges and have orange juice. Definitely my kind of place!<br />
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From there I thought I'd do some wildflower hunting & headed south through miles of orange and almond groves, vineyards and acres and acres of other crops that I have no clue what they were. About the only crop I know is wheat & corn and there was none of that growing. <br />
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I came across a Courtesy Drive In restaurant in the next town down and HAD to stop!. My family owned the Courtesy Drive Ins in St. Louis back in the day and so the name really caught my attention. The food did not disappoint either. They have all types of burgers. I chose the Mexican burger & it was fab. The extra bonus at this stop was the Galaga game that they had inside. I love this game. You can keep all the new fangled action video things .. just give me one of these to play!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back towards all the crop fields</td></tr>
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From there I headed east on CA-223 towards Tehachapi and hit the jackpot on flowers. The fields were beautiful. The hillsides were alive with yellow, white and purple flowers. There weren't many places to pull-over & take pictures but I did find a few spots. The beauty here & a few California poppies along the roadside helped me decide to take the long route home and check out the Antelope Poppy field area. I had hoped to see poppies <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2011/04/antelope-valley-poppies.html" target="_blank">like I did in 2011</a> though it is a bit early for poppies still.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree bloom</td></tr>
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I headed to Tehachapi and cut off down a back road through the wind farms, through blooming Joshua trees and to the poppy fields... not a single bit of color there yet. It was windy and desolate and I got whapped by a few tumbleweeds to boot! Instead of fighting the wind, I opted to take a canyon road through the Angeles forest to get back home. There were plenty of horses along the winding route through the blanketed green hills. 200+ miles and 6 hours later, the never pretty track subdivisions and the Magic Mountain roller coasters came into view and I was home. Now to load up the 'surf' tunes on the iPod for tomorrows daytrip to the coast! I love 'migration' time!</div>
On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-39662667851189874462013-02-10T12:24:00.000-07:002013-02-10T20:24:43.666-07:00Meeting the Grammy Man<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grammy Man, John Billings</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBSsOEQEsWEBaWQYfpUh3XxLUfdJQjvI9TkbpLzNCIC24U8jfoCRn97XJHoCh1pAp8qYkSTKPtnEWmFVPNdm-NpnyDW5cGbF84lWNb9mn6__ap2eS4ikvC9m3VkIgbwOcbxcjGtJTlO1R/s1600/IMG_4039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDBSsOEQEsWEBaWQYfpUh3XxLUfdJQjvI9TkbpLzNCIC24U8jfoCRn97XJHoCh1pAp8qYkSTKPtnEWmFVPNdm-NpnyDW5cGbF84lWNb9mn6__ap2eS4ikvC9m3VkIgbwOcbxcjGtJTlO1R/s320/IMG_4039.jpg" width="240" /></a>With the Grammy awards this weekend, I thought it would be fitting to share my stop this summer to the 'Grammy Factory' in Ridgeway, CO. Ridgeway, in western Colorado, is not a huge town by any means, it has around 700 residents, 1 stoplight and is probably best known because John Wayne filmed 'True Grit' in and around Ridgeway many moons ago. The biggest restaurant in town is called "True Grit" and is right across the street from the main street park in town, where they tell me the 'hang'n' scene in the movie was filmed. But back to the <a href="http://www.grammy.com/" target="_blank">Grammy's</a>. While on a balloon flight a couple of years ago, I learned that the Grammy's were made in Ridgeway, but in this 8 block or less town, I couldn't find them. This year a friend suggested I stop in and he gave me better directions and I still couldn't find the place. It took friends sharing a picture of the front of the business with me before I could actually figure out where it was located. Why couldn't I find it? I was expecting a nice big sign, in front of a semi-fancy building (Ridgeway is western, not fancy) with a big picture of a Grammy on it. What I found was this sign for Billings Artwork and a plywood makeshift bridge over a ditch that led to a dusty basement shop with the the door wide open. Not the least bit close to was I was expecting to be the home of such a prestigious award. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Latin Grammy's ready to go</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznKR-6nR8sSnCmcUc_N-JlIs3KF3k6Qe4IBpZ95lFnzY4PjH0uVyqux9uYP2tySxi1xDK9oxFQxXX45UXpNtWeGc-MOt4sPz3wuN2nLkMgSpo2whGW80ZWby0dGfCq4XHgHLTJCwQ9Txr/s1600/IMG_4029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznKR-6nR8sSnCmcUc_N-JlIs3KF3k6Qe4IBpZ95lFnzY4PjH0uVyqux9uYP2tySxi1xDK9oxFQxXX45UXpNtWeGc-MOt4sPz3wuN2nLkMgSpo2whGW80ZWby0dGfCq4XHgHLTJCwQ9Txr/s200/IMG_4029.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taylor Swifts dropped Grammy</td></tr>
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When I entered, I was met by a guy with a long grey beard, named Jimmy, who looked kind of 'biker' and I was wondering if I was in the right place. Despite me not being 'biker', he welcomed me in and we quickly found common ground in the Grammy's. At the time of my visit they were getting ready for the Latin Grammy's and had the 'Stage Grammy's' all packed up to go. Apparently, the awards they get on stage, don't have their names on them and are called 'stage grammy's'. Later, they get the real ones with their name engraved on it. I learned a whole lot about the Grammy process, from Jimmy before I had the pleasure of meeting 'the Grammy man' himself, John Billings. John has been the Grammy designer, creator and maker for over 40 years. He showed me the history of the design of the award through the dusty samples sitting on a shelf. I also learned that Grammy's can never be sold and Billings Artwork serves as a graveyard for those that have been damaged or were found for sale. They have plenty of pictures on the wall of folks with their awards and of Taylor Swift dropping her stage grammy a few years back.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcEs1khWILcmH0s9uDDLraWCgzqJTwzHQSqrisZ0WOFkos-Zpl-l2UTrMRTAYx4rGaR1l2Nxek5A-zxlKsv487Ht-jXPhshz_yYxAFi9ourgP9H0v_3RizYgILnQyiFPHEvvT1VpRyhdY/s1600/IMG_4031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcEs1khWILcmH0s9uDDLraWCgzqJTwzHQSqrisZ0WOFkos-Zpl-l2UTrMRTAYx4rGaR1l2Nxek5A-zxlKsv487Ht-jXPhshz_yYxAFi9ourgP9H0v_3RizYgILnQyiFPHEvvT1VpRyhdY/s200/IMG_4031.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grammy history on a shelf</td></tr>
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These soft spoken gentleman are very proud of their work, as they should be. Interesting that this small business, in a dusty basement shop creates one of the most prestigious Hollywood awards with such little fanfare. These gentleman had work to do, so I continued on my way but it was very interesting to see the 'birthplace' of the Grammy's that folks will be all decked out to receive tonight.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xWQyanehqBzCeSSrudfnrCfKw0kADRVZwteiYZ2y1DKfD2fIxTACdEWm720E_cWsW8Ek9vWA7IWut_FvAUhKAL7XS6vXF189Sq68EinaLjj9rmEK5rYHoTElSDRypBm4mprscNKEI_7R/s1600/IMG_4034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xWQyanehqBzCeSSrudfnrCfKw0kADRVZwteiYZ2y1DKfD2fIxTACdEWm720E_cWsW8Ek9vWA7IWut_FvAUhKAL7XS6vXF189Sq68EinaLjj9rmEK5rYHoTElSDRypBm4mprscNKEI_7R/s400/IMG_4034.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the Grammy goes too???</td></tr>
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Here is Part 2 of <a href="http://www.billingsartworks.com/#!" target="_blank">Billings Artworks</a> video on making the Grammy's.<br />
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-88600968205156653152013-01-29T20:33:00.001-07:002013-01-29T20:34:59.404-07:00Stealing blog pics!!! Really?! Thou shall not ....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3szfu1DyAwloD1OZ_sGJBjU9YRKO1QcECedmcWEeq4F688-jR2JoVMrvCCPuvLbzov2SmRR06bGfAjVz_MhN8WUUmnRKYRoZ7oiroRi9CpaobaAtnWdT47-LyWgFGVZ21LFjYuNrc82V/s1600/StopCpyInfrg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq3szfu1DyAwloD1OZ_sGJBjU9YRKO1QcECedmcWEeq4F688-jR2JoVMrvCCPuvLbzov2SmRR06bGfAjVz_MhN8WUUmnRKYRoZ7oiroRi9CpaobaAtnWdT47-LyWgFGVZ21LFjYuNrc82V/s320/StopCpyInfrg.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
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I Blog because I like to share some of the awesome places and awesome things there are to do out in the world with others. I can only hope that some folks might find some of the information helpful or informative or even inspire them to see some place that they didn't even know existed before. At the least, I hope to garner a smile or an inspiration to get out & see something from one of my stories. All material on this blog, both stories and pictures, are owned by me. I have posted the copyright information in the footer for the Blog and on the picture album that contains the pictures for the blog. <br />
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I get emails on occasion from people wanting to use a picture or two or a story for a specific purpose. I am always happy to work with them provided they cite proper credit and/or give me a link. I appreciate the fact that people want to reuse my material with my permission. <br />
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I DO NOT appreciate it when people copy my text or download my pictures without permission to do so! A few days ago, I happened upon a Analytics program that wanted to trial on my blog before using on a commercial site. This program captures download events. To my surprise, I found people both near and far downloading pictures from my blog posts without permission. I found one person had downloaded 16 pictures, on one it was every picture in the post (hmmm... I am guessing they probably grabbed the text too!) and they did this in just a 2 day period!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTYmLb0pF0oghqJHKOML1dVjcPf-5Kpi8QIbrDxZrcb6BqAZdsOU-lC8j4V7y4pIVa1LGAwp4dej5eISZv_Yt19MvG8jCHKBHuOkiqA0IjfX5X57M5MzKPneYIaGKrhtablGD5A0wxkH8/s1600/Thoushallnot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTYmLb0pF0oghqJHKOML1dVjcPf-5Kpi8QIbrDxZrcb6BqAZdsOU-lC8j4V7y4pIVa1LGAwp4dej5eISZv_Yt19MvG8jCHKBHuOkiqA0IjfX5X57M5MzKPneYIaGKrhtablGD5A0wxkH8/s320/Thoushallnot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I have read lots of blog posts & been on lots of websites and have never thought of downloading someone's pictures. Maybe I am naive, maybe I just like to take my own pics. I have used pics from Picture sites that offer free or paid pictures for people to use as they wish but going on a personal blog & downloading their pics!? C'mon! My first reaction was to just take down the blog & stop blogging all together. Though I guess it could be seen as a form of flattery that someone wants your pictures, I found it to feel violating. So I went through and added blatant copyright to most of my pictures. Some even have 2 on them because despite there being a physical copyright discretely on several of the pictures, some of them were downloaded too. So from here on out, I will mar the pics with copyrights in places that will at least make it a little harder for someone to steal. I know people will still steal and do what they are gonna do but at least they will have to work a little harder at it. My blog posts won't be as pretty as I would like anymore, but hopefully people will still enjoy the pics. Its a shame that Blogger doesn't offer download protection. It's a shame that we need download protection...<br />
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If you are interested in using one of my pictures or my content please contact me.</div>
On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-40912663663759453362012-10-21T23:58:00.000-06:002012-10-22T01:59:41.493-06:00A Journey through fear to Rocky Point, Mexico<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-keYW3NEtz_yhemkQ5eXqlfS4GBMxz15T6IbGpq2IM4gnrPfNWfewvCnEEE0-IWvx0I7y0nLHdW1LsYzyBKc2n7ZqxwJ4pvmiWSxIP_tAeijtsiwzAkUmo-UOOs3bW0l341rq2mLGLcO/s1600/MX_RPBeach1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX-keYW3NEtz_yhemkQ5eXqlfS4GBMxz15T6IbGpq2IM4gnrPfNWfewvCnEEE0-IWvx0I7y0nLHdW1LsYzyBKc2n7ZqxwJ4pvmiWSxIP_tAeijtsiwzAkUmo-UOOs3bW0l341rq2mLGLcO/s400/MX_RPBeach1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco, Mexico) beach area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq7YxJy1KBoBFeeAcJD1FpA_-f9CbCFT-KDkbB-EVSIodYBAchDS59Vilylx9fS3s2rOmeVKLZJuVv2QgQVXMnvmCveV-qoEadYZ2bYm_9xeq2V1C3vafbR-J0fjEzuehm-I25tELdPOY/s1600/AZ_Desborder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq7YxJy1KBoBFeeAcJD1FpA_-f9CbCFT-KDkbB-EVSIodYBAchDS59Vilylx9fS3s2rOmeVKLZJuVv2QgQVXMnvmCveV-qoEadYZ2bYm_9xeq2V1C3vafbR-J0fjEzuehm-I25tELdPOY/s320/AZ_Desborder.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You drive thru Organ Pipe N.M. to get to the border crossing</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">You would think that after traveling alone for 8.5 years throughout North America and making a <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2008/09/passage-to-india-for-healthcare.html" target="_blank">trip alone to India</a> while on crutches, that traveling 60 miles south of the US border by myself would be no big deal, but in my mind it was. Traveling south of the border always conjures up images of banditos with big guns wanting pay offs, drug shoot outs, theft and run down dirty towns with people on every street corner wanting to make me a deal on something I don’t want. As you can tell, my exposure to Mexico has basically been in border towns. Having spent 6 winters along the Tex/Mex border I found out that unlike Vegas, much of ‘what goes on along the border, stays along the border’ and is never reported. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoJQBx_FTApVzbVcf_pdw9Gl020PlXBY1Z1wdb5aPues-Xe5EwF_UpxgRGSkxrPDOOrSYzll17fVnIpbZYMLvrI7PKmXJkxLdwgqckV9Doxbd9yCfJ51uV5BxUy_F_Lp2wLQurwL0Kfpd/s1600/MX_RP60misign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsoJQBx_FTApVzbVcf_pdw9Gl020PlXBY1Z1wdb5aPues-Xe5EwF_UpxgRGSkxrPDOOrSYzll17fVnIpbZYMLvrI7PKmXJkxLdwgqckV9Doxbd9yCfJ51uV5BxUy_F_Lp2wLQurwL0Kfpd/s200/MX_RP60misign.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good signage all the way down</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">Over the last fews years I have met more & more people in my travels that just love Mexico and several of who spend 5 - 6 months every year down in Rocky Point. Their stories of beautiful beaches, crystal clear water and gorgeous sunsets certainly peaked my interest. I just had two problems. The first being location. Puerto Penasco (aka Rocky Point) is not only located 6o miles south of the border, it is 40 miles south of the town of Ajo, which is over a 100 miles from either Phoenix, Tucson and Yuma and not necessarily on the way to anywhere unless you are going/coming from Tucson and Southern California which I happened to be doing last spring. When I got to Ajo last spring, problem #2 kicked in. Problem #2 was fear. Fear of driving 60 miles into Mexico by myself. The visions of being stopped by armed banditos and never being heard from again won out over my desire to go see this place for myself and I went on to Tucson without visiting Rocky Point this past March.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Fast forward to this fall and I am again in Tucson and headed to Southern California. This time I have friends in Tucson that I convince to take the foray into Mexico with me, so I feel much safer. Ultimately the timing did not work out & they could not come with me. When I left Tucson, after spending the evening before reading the Phoenix Sun articles about violence in Mexico and the downturn of tourists going to Rocky Point I was resolved to skip it once again. I was yet again succumbing to the fear of the 'what ifs'.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRagQogykGdvWXsSGW1nK9IKIOOl6Ta-OI5XMEqV_Ys1PsgNFgHRlQghwe4lltN6ASupuYA46HW4ujjHLk-lwgngus4l3Giyjz0bK4Q-WQh11-f3pBCyJaw035-jxps2s9GYobxMRnftYw/s1600/MX_RPbeachfrtRV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRagQogykGdvWXsSGW1nK9IKIOOl6Ta-OI5XMEqV_Ys1PsgNFgHRlQghwe4lltN6ASupuYA46HW4ujjHLk-lwgngus4l3Giyjz0bK4Q-WQh11-f3pBCyJaw035-jxps2s9GYobxMRnftYw/s320/MX_RPbeachfrtRV.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beach in front of Playa Bonita RV</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RV Park - Playa Bonita</td></tr>
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<span class="s1"> As I pulled into the Shadow Mountain RV park, I asked the woman camp host, about the safety of going to Rocky Point alone. She assures me that I would be fine but confesses she has only traveled with her husband down there recently. I ask if I could borrow him for a day and luckily she laughed. As I check in, I asked the manager, about Rocky Point and she too assured me that I would be fine, gave me a map and outlined places for me to go. She explains that Rocky Point is the beach playground for Arizonians and that most of the folks traveling the road will be from the US. This began to quell some of the fear demons wreaking havoc in my mind and I resolve to just go for it & whatever happens will just happen. Once I made the decision and decided I was going with or without fear, I got excited. I wasn't just excited about discovering Rocky Point, but because I had freedom from a fear that kept me from doing something that I wanted to do. I haven’t traveled much out of North America. One reason is finances, another is fear of traveling alone in a non-english speaking country. Now that I was taking this small step to tackle the ‘traveling alone’ fear .. who knows what new journey’s await!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaab9AoAXR_-yWaNWf4Sj5jIWD05YenEMOfIYprjj_yLpjwP0H2h9ou1s10VWUHXx2K2bab_KNMsaBFV3GzqlnU8Z95G-aWmcFmbmvPcSaaDxK8Gc2Pbg2SEJASmnLuUUTmCMHcSzF4U6/s1600/MX_RPPt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaab9AoAXR_-yWaNWf4Sj5jIWD05YenEMOfIYprjj_yLpjwP0H2h9ou1s10VWUHXx2K2bab_KNMsaBFV3GzqlnU8Z95G-aWmcFmbmvPcSaaDxK8Gc2Pbg2SEJASmnLuUUTmCMHcSzF4U6/s400/MX_RPPt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking at from "Rocky Point" the Fish Market area</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocky Point Fish Market area</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUK6eonSQo3xDuLTqBVXqSb0iqBfa6HjLLQpmrFNBSnLe939t7kjznaSL2DbANyZFQ2J9p02keGWNaJfDdnw1TIXoAsV2uwiFpYv_28jA-p0_ZqvNH1Zr-H4sdoVegXIc1KrXQJiUNxUI/s1600/MX_RPSidestrt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpUK6eonSQo3xDuLTqBVXqSb0iqBfa6HjLLQpmrFNBSnLe939t7kjznaSL2DbANyZFQ2J9p02keGWNaJfDdnw1TIXoAsV2uwiFpYv_28jA-p0_ZqvNH1Zr-H4sdoVegXIc1KrXQJiUNxUI/s200/MX_RPSidestrt.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side street - all sand</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">So, I went to Rocky Point. I had no problems on the road. I was stopped at a Mexican checkpoint by men with big guns but apparently they were good guys and I had no problems. The water was a beautiful blue and a perfect temperature. The beach was fabulous and I enjoyed the fish market area at the point. The beach RV park I visited was a parking lot of sand, had unreliable internet and was in my view overpriced. Away from the beach and Market area the town pretty much looked like a poor border town. I loved the beach but didn’t care much at all for the surroundings. If I lived in Arizona and wanted to get away to the beach, I would definitely return and spend some time in the water here. Not being from Arizona and living on wheels, I much prefer the Alabama and Florida Gulf Coast areas which have much more amazing beaches and nice towns to go with them.</span><br />
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<span class="s1">All and all, I had a great trip .. the one through Mexico and the one through fear. </span></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comJuan de La Barrera, Centro, 83550 Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico31.3180679 -113.536686930.882265399999998 -114.16840090000001 31.7538704 -112.9049729tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-88332367242659776982012-09-30T11:59:00.000-06:002020-03-01T18:10:54.262-07:00Lower Calf Creek Falls <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span class="s1">What a great hike!! I had been wanting to do this hike for a few years and finally got to it on one gorgeous September day with the temps in the upper 70’s.</span></div>
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<span class="s1">Lower Calf Creek campground and trailhead are located along Utah’s Scenic Highway 12, about 13 miles north of the town of Escalante. This is a little over a 6 mile round trip hike. There is some rocky terrain but a lot of it is very sandy, which can be a little bit more of a challenge for some than the rocks. The elevation changes are pretty insignificant. There is a map with descriptions of what you are looking at for 15 points along the route. Some of the descriptions are kind of lame but it is helpful in being able to spot petroglyphs across the canyon and a few other spots of interest.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View down the canyon at the beginning of the hike</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look hard you can see the petroglyphs over there!</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">The greenery from Calf Creek against the high red canyon walls were just awesome. The creek is not huge but I did see some pretty big fish in it. The trail takes you very close to the creek at several points. Of course, the highlight of this trek is the falls and they did not disappoint! I met one couple coming back from the falls that said the falls were the ‘highlight of there two week trip’ in Southern Utah. I would have trouble picking a highlight in this area as there are so many beautiful sights to see, but the falls are pretty cool, both figuratively and literally! As you get close to the falls and the little oasis area that they form, the cool mist and change in air temperature is a welcome change since most of the hike is in full sun.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are fish in there!</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">When I reached the falls, I was surprised that there were about 10 other folks there as well. Half of those cleared out pretty quickly. One guy was taking a dip in the pool below the falls and the rest just hanging out on the outskirts so everyone could get pictures. I had left the trailhead at 11 am and arrived about 12:10 pm. There was a shadow already starting to creep across the top of the falls. By the time I left only part of the falls were in the sun. I am glad I didn’t start any later than I did! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1st Glimpse!</td></tr>
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<span class="s1">When I got back to the parking lot I checked out the campground, as I had hoped to camp here but was told by the BLM office that it wasn’t recommended for rigs over 25’. I found at least 2 sites that would hold a 35’ rig, however, as I walking from the parking area to the trailhead I followed a Class A motorhome probably around 28’ trying to get to the campground. The guy was tearing up the top of his motorhome on the all the overhanging tree limbs .. which there were many! The road through the campground is tight, has dips and a water crossing, has lots of untrimmed trees and just is not big rig friendly. I stayed at an Escalante RV park and am glad I did!</span></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comLower Calf Creek Falls Trail, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Boulder, UT 84716, USA37.7988317 -111.412090737.7980477 -111.41332469999999 37.799615700000004 -111.4108567tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-82470836857529911082012-08-18T21:55:00.001-06:002015-07-12T14:33:19.465-06:00Moab: Meteors, Mesa Arch, Bridges and more<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Mesa Arch at sunrise , Canyonlands National Park, Utah</span></td></tr>
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The Perseid Meteor shower seemed like a perfect excuse to pack up Dog and the car at 6 o'clock on a Friday evening and make a 3 hour trek through a rainstorm to Moab. The plan? Hmmm ... there is something about 'the best laid plans' going awry so I skipped that part and just drove till I found a nice dark spot on the Islands in the Sky plateau near Canyonlands National Park and stopped. I had hoped to find the BLM place where RVers stay and 'camp' near them but after adventuring down a few dark, bumpy roads with no signs of life, I just picked a pull off down a dark gravel road and called it our spot. Since I sold my tent (see my last tenting experience <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2010/07/tenting-we-shall-go.html" target="_blank">here</a>), this camping trip was just Dog & I and a sleeping bag in the Tracker. Luckily for me, I forgot my sleeping pad and the bed of the car was way too hard to sleep, so that gave me lots of hours that I should have been sleeping to watch for meteors! The night sky was fabulous, the milky way so bright that it almost seemed light out. I had hoped to see several meteors per minute but I saw about 20 - 25 meteors total ... the best laid plans.... I have to say that I didn't see many meteors but the ones that I did see were spectacular, very long and bright.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 30 new BFF's at Mesa Arch</td></tr>
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After trying several different sleeping scenarios and annoying the dog who didn't mind the hard surface, I did catch a couple hours sleep. By 5:30 am (a miracle) I was headed down the road into Canyonlands to catch the sunrise through Mesa arch. To my surprise, there were already a half dozen folks with tripod's set up waiting for the sun to rise as well! By 6 am there were at least 30 people there all lined up in front of the arch with huge cameras! Armed with my point and shoot and Phone camera I clicked away with the rest of them and then headed out to find a less crowded adventure.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of Schaffer Canyon Rd</td></tr>
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I did a quick venture down the 4 x 4 Schafer Canyon trial just to see if I could do it in my vehicle. Satisfied that I could and with the sun rising rapidly and heating the day I turned back to head to Moab for some breakfast. A dirt road off the main road, however, caught my eye and I had to investigate. It was marked as a 4 wheel drive road but didn't saying anything about high clearance so off we went. It took us to the Gemini Natural Bridges and then wound its way through a nice red rock canyon, along a rim and then back down to the highway outside of Moab. It was a great ride with a few places that were a little touch and go for the Tracker's clearance. Dog had a fabulous time chasing lizards along the way. The bridges weren't want I expected but interesting as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gemini Bridges</td></tr>
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By the time we made it back to the highway, it was way past breakfast time and over 95 degrees. I took the scenic byway along the Colorado river till I found a nice place for Dog to take a swim and get cooled off then decided to start on the trek back to Colorado via the southern route around the La Sals. By late afternoon, we were back amongst the aspen on the Uncompaghre Plateau and I was happy to see my bed! Do it again?? You bet!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gemini Bridges Road .. lots of unstable hanging around but nice views</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tall Canyon walls along the Colorado river</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LjH7-Eud8tfhtJRL0aHhXEOrEh3V1NGd-nPo7F1vvqgF85Vmf2qwogJt_B1fenbnAyN7Y83AdThnXGsqVNBQpRw1FCmgOLvBIkjz5WX8CxP6PzqFr_-Hv_u3L7gFDWV9AStiq8T84-WA/s1600/UT_GoldaswmCorive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4LjH7-Eud8tfhtJRL0aHhXEOrEh3V1NGd-nPo7F1vvqgF85Vmf2qwogJt_B1fenbnAyN7Y83AdThnXGsqVNBQpRw1FCmgOLvBIkjz5WX8CxP6PzqFr_-Hv_u3L7gFDWV9AStiq8T84-WA/s400/UT_GoldaswmCorive.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golda the Adventure Dog taking a dip in the Colorado river</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back to the aspens!</td></tr>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comMoab, UT 84532, USA38.5733155 -109.549839538.5484875 -109.58932150000001 38.5981435 -109.5103575tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-44046266911464921142012-08-06T22:30:00.001-06:002012-08-06T22:32:17.129-06:00Turning over a new leaf!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So I have been on a bit of a hiatus! An understatement I know. I have always tried to blog my adventures in order & in so doing I got behind & felt like I should wait till I wrote about the last place before writing down something really cool that just happened. The result being I didn't write anything. I had wanted to be able to print one of those blog books at some point and felt it should be in order... but the hell with order! ... I am turning over a new leaf and will just write what I feel like, when I feel like. As a result, going forward I will be blogging new & old adventures as I feel inspired to put it down .. no order. I hope to write more this way & hope to inspire just one folk to get out & see some of the awesome things this world has to offer.<br />
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Recently, I have been hanging out in the San Juan mountains, which are in the west central/south part of Colorado. I have spent a lot of time in this area & believe it is the prettiest part of the state. This is jeeping country with hundreds of miles of trials and though I haven't been able to jeep as much as I would like I have had a chance or two to get out & enjoy some of the views.<br />
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Here are a few recent pics..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctEeAO7jfDFSp1qqsh6lgHgVoW9Fp9a5X6Wh_-PxaJaACyRRYolKCzGpX7Rp-tnV8JGw8762cYYpjPPjDb8e0TzU6qklpYjuKn0h_6trh1pH_c6YJdoFFAiiOTYFcWBuHpUcgkojb7mDs/s1600/CO_RedMtns12_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjctEeAO7jfDFSp1qqsh6lgHgVoW9Fp9a5X6Wh_-PxaJaACyRRYolKCzGpX7Rp-tnV8JGw8762cYYpjPPjDb8e0TzU6qklpYjuKn0h_6trh1pH_c6YJdoFFAiiOTYFcWBuHpUcgkojb7mDs/s400/CO_RedMtns12_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red Mountains on a clear blue sky day </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9BOFuN_GZ9I3ef8EUG6exKV49QMSBz_l1DW3cWJREmicN6AMXQa8f0sZ-nuTMndVX5N3uaXB_d8b1PL1OARIm1TXHxBWlWuppeufmXGE82iem_wNPkDos32O662KTymrXUmCzm5depVW/s1600/CO_FPBasinwhtflw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi9BOFuN_GZ9I3ef8EUG6exKV49QMSBz_l1DW3cWJREmicN6AMXQa8f0sZ-nuTMndVX5N3uaXB_d8b1PL1OARIm1TXHxBWlWuppeufmXGE82iem_wNPkDos32O662KTymrXUmCzm5depVW/s400/CO_FPBasinwhtflw.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Weird white flowers .. no idea what they are</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIZf18Uoe0He1U7ryrY5qjRstzEvlsoAFT9Jrj3iROJ5nZoUeYy1yYNS27m5fNYX8PFPpLLddFFHVi0Bb8OLwtaYcKLtViIj9NLdYdiccXlKfYbm23IUGr3agfDHJxqSv8gFVEBDnQFpk/s1600/CO_FPBaspinks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIZf18Uoe0He1U7ryrY5qjRstzEvlsoAFT9Jrj3iROJ5nZoUeYy1yYNS27m5fNYX8PFPpLLddFFHVi0Bb8OLwtaYcKLtViIj9NLdYdiccXlKfYbm23IUGr3agfDHJxqSv8gFVEBDnQFpk/s400/CO_FPBaspinks.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of paintbrush still in bloom .. pics don't do them justice</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvX0z2sGHIE1AWn0IiSzvDirfZiadFU0CTe6jBFfO7dYgjC0XE8PloPjuMziRxgsxn-MwH2hvz_10sgzy5d-xFUVH1G2yj28Sj3d5BHzGFf2GJa2PdS2LMpn760ksTYQCTuClJVg8b2pbP/s1600/CO_PBaswaterripple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvX0z2sGHIE1AWn0IiSzvDirfZiadFU0CTe6jBFfO7dYgjC0XE8PloPjuMziRxgsxn-MwH2hvz_10sgzy5d-xFUVH1G2yj28Sj3d5BHzGFf2GJa2PdS2LMpn760ksTYQCTuClJVg8b2pbP/s400/CO_PBaswaterripple.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little cascade at 12,000' with some flowers still in bloom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYPyvdqSIVmJ-zhJFjgd4jefhWo9jZEQ-LZGwGyuC94yot09SVycUUPRgzp3baZP0wSkQtjpHTG5H5sXYYxu03wkZ_mP6EUdlZSHizML6jyBelxmwis6QfnNDXMo19Ml-726W67aLo1Bd/s1600/100_0583.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOYPyvdqSIVmJ-zhJFjgd4jefhWo9jZEQ-LZGwGyuC94yot09SVycUUPRgzp3baZP0wSkQtjpHTG5H5sXYYxu03wkZ_mP6EUdlZSHizML6jyBelxmwis6QfnNDXMo19Ml-726W67aLo1Bd/s400/100_0583.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at the Campground</td></tr>
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<br /></div>On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comMillion Dollar Hwy, Uncompahgre National Forest, Ouray, CO 81427, USA38.002926272282089 -107.6622390747070337.977908772282092 -107.70172107470704 38.027943772282086 -107.62275707470702tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-81674626257117529002012-02-25T10:48:00.000-07:002012-02-25T10:48:36.267-07:0010 Great iPhone Apps for RV'ers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QexThHhx0OSIMlmiJxZzLZn-lcFxk2MtkW12hW3b9Uyd9RDBvhQyfLNpmg2WK0nd6Jlv8ozJ8WkcAJ3vuu0KSYeQw-0EWz4VOXZoOX367r8UxS0pyHXBFF4nGfwh-Cews2kXwAvjkfAC/s1600/Iphone_2-300x185.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0QexThHhx0OSIMlmiJxZzLZn-lcFxk2MtkW12hW3b9Uyd9RDBvhQyfLNpmg2WK0nd6Jlv8ozJ8WkcAJ3vuu0KSYeQw-0EWz4VOXZoOX367r8UxS0pyHXBFF4nGfwh-Cews2kXwAvjkfAC/s200/Iphone_2-300x185.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Thousands of apps available and more being added every day but here are 10 of my favorite RVing apps for the iPhone.</div>
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<li><b>AllStays Camp & RV</b> - $5.99 Hands down the best app for RVers that I have found to date. Many options on the filters, includes dump stations and BLM land though not complete on BLM land yet. If you just get one app for RVing get this one.</li>
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<li><b>Woodall's</b> - Free Some nice features, plus the Woodall ratings and easy to use. I thought the Woodall's app was much more user friendly than the Trailer Life RV Park Finder app.</li>
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<li><b>Passport America</b> - Free Helpful and easy to use if you prefer Passport parks like I do. Gives you all of the Passport information plus rates.</li>
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<li><b>Road Ahead</b> - Free As long as you know your exit number this app is great. You can select the categories of what you are looking for at an exit or search for the Merchant you want to find such as Flying J, Wendy's or whatever. It tells you the prices on some gas stations plus gives you the phone number to call but it doesn't have a filter for Big Rig Friendly which would be nice.</li>
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<li><b>Oh Ranger! Park Finder </b>- Free Love this app for finding what there is to do around where I am. You can search by what you like to do ie, hiking, birding, biking, etc and the app gives you the information on the closest places to go for the activity that you want with details and directions. Great app!</li>
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<li><b>Park Maps</b> (National Geographic) - $3.99 Contains the Park Maps for several of the Major National Parks. Clicking on the search icon in the top right takes you to trail and road information that includes length, difficulty and other items of interest. You can download an HD version as well.</li>
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<li><b>RA Camping</b> - Free Reserve America's app has more state and federal campgrounds than private which make it more useful for tenters and smaller rigs but the cool thing about this app is that you can use the filter for campsites for your rig size. This doesn't automatically populate campgrounds as you move around. It only shows within a set distance and you have to go back & change the city to explore another area which is kind of a pain. It does take you to the reservation screen and check availability for you, so it gets a thumbs up for that.</li>
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<li><b>RVparking.com</b> - Free This shows some parks that the others don't because it shows mobile home parks as well as RV parks. The Park Details feature is nice but there are no filters to allow you to view parks with amenities you are looking for like wifi, pet friendly or whatever. It is just a basic search for a particular city or area.</li>
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<li><b>Blue Beacon</b> - Free - I like to be able to get my rig cleaned before I am gonna land for a while. This app replaces my little paper Blue Beacon finder. :-)</li>
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If I had to pick just a three I would chose the Allstays Camp & RV, the Road Ahead and the Oh Ranger! app. The great thing about apps is new ones become available everyday and the ones that are already out will hopefully continue to improve. Another bonus to making the move from paper books and maps to apps is that it lightens my rig and with gas prices on the rise every ounce counts!</div>
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</div>On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-66358946848234292812011-12-29T22:15:00.000-07:002015-07-12T13:21:03.565-06:00Finally! Yosemite National Park<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7GNR8zlan_4Zid9HTrO3bGIeCSypeASD6BQcoA1DT58rHqVrgsxVUWRDusPB23gHo8f04EMaiv1T92CEKPbooyeR0245ns3nMGAY8YGGlTsF2bjq59TMX0HvC7M6vfBGBKKpMyMCAs93/s1600/CA_YosFalls1scrn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7GNR8zlan_4Zid9HTrO3bGIeCSypeASD6BQcoA1DT58rHqVrgsxVUWRDusPB23gHo8f04EMaiv1T92CEKPbooyeR0245ns3nMGAY8YGGlTsF2bjq59TMX0HvC7M6vfBGBKKpMyMCAs93/s400/CA_YosFalls1scrn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yosemite Falls</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">For 20 years I ha</span>ve been waiting to get to Yosemite National Park and I FINALLY made it! What I found out was that 2 days is just not enough time to see even a decent portion of what this park contains. I also found out that the largest portion of the park is back country which I may never get to see. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tenaya Lake</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">My main goal was to get to the Valley Floor and see Yosemite Falls and Half Dome. From Mono Lake to the Falls was over a 2 hour drive with a just a few stops but we made it by mid-morning. After all that driving, Yosemite Falls was hardly flowing and there was a lot of smoke in the air from a controlled burn in the park. People were plentiful! Parking was not. Dog was allowed to walk up to the base of the falls. This is one of the only trails dogs are allowed on . She was happy to greet all the folks along the trial on the short jot from the parking lot to the base.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvisKyZHs136l9WNud00uWov2zJfs1qxOsy0t5ZALr1bebMnMprfLRQBTZwcx68QNk3K-waHdCm-UhGbalPop8lCKj-TEzWLcR7Xk7pYsVHzIvMZmvHbnvt6Gqp3OHxyLg9ToRqFPy5al/s1600/CA_YosLkTenayascrn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvisKyZHs136l9WNud00uWov2zJfs1qxOsy0t5ZALr1bebMnMprfLRQBTZwcx68QNk3K-waHdCm-UhGbalPop8lCKj-TEzWLcR7Xk7pYsVHzIvMZmvHbnvt6Gqp3OHxyLg9ToRqFPy5al/s320/CA_YosLkTenayascrn.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tenaya Lake from a distance</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I stayed at Mono Lake which is on the east side of the park and east of Tioga Pass rather than driving my rig over the pass and staying in one of the Tuolumne Meadows campgrounds. The pass was steep but is certainly doable in a rig. The Tuolumne Meadows campground has a wonderful location but also had some deeply rutted roads, plus it was a quite cold up there at the end of September. I was happy with my choice. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I found Lake Tenaya between Tuolumne Meadows to be great a lunch spot. I found the drive up to the Saddle Bags Lake (not far outside the East Yosemite entrance) to have great mountain views with a lot less people. Yosemite and the Saddle Bags area both begged much more exploration, but will have to wait till another year!</span></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comYosemite National Park, 9039 Village Dr, Yosemite National Park, CA 95389, USA37.7705963 -119.510770837.3689588 -120.1424848 38.1722338 -118.8790568tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-51868971631078494292011-11-14T10:00:00.000-07:002015-07-12T13:25:40.793-06:00A Magnificent time at Mono Lake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Mono Lake is a saline lake in on the east side of the Sierra Mountains in California. The small town of Lee Vining is gateway to both Mono Lake and the eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park. Mono Lake is important habitat for nesting and migrating birds. It is also one of the only places you can find Tufta rock formations. The Tufa formations kind of look like weird columns of rock.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">My friend, Mary from Quebec and I made our first stop at the Visitors Center. A Ranger pointed out a couple of locations where we could boondock. He did not steer us wrong! We found a great site that was big enough for my 36’ rig and her 32’ rig. Another rig or two would have fit as well. We had great views of Mono Lake in front of us and the Sierra Mountains behind us. The sunrises over the lake were wonderful, the vast views of the stars at night were incredible and if that wasn’t enough our 2nd evening there we came home to a double rainbow over our rigs. (It really landed on the island in the middle of the lake, which was cool, but driving in with rainbows on your rigs was a bonus!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">The rainbow was visible for over a half hour and at times you could see both ends of it. An awesome sunset over the mountains followed the rainbow. It was a magnificent event to experience. We topped the night off with a campfire and decided that our spot was probably our ‘end of the rainbow pot of gold’ and maybe we should stay and enjoy what the area had to offer from here instead of moving to each place. So we stayed and enjoyed our views of Mono Lake and made day trips to </span><a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2011/12/finally-yosemite-national-park.html" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">Yosemite</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">, June Lakes & Saddlebag lake and the Mammoth Lakes area.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Sunrise over Mono Lake</span></td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;">Here is a promo video that gives you some of the feel of Mono Lake. The Mono Lake Visitors Center movie is very good. It gives the history of the lake and the native inhabitants of the area.</span></span><br />
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comMono Lake, California, USA37.979859 -119.131489937.7796035 -119.4473469 38.180114499999995 -118.81563290000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-22147431797705118362011-11-09T12:30:00.000-07:002015-07-12T13:38:29.119-06:00Travertine Hot Springs (near Bridgeport, CA)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me soaking at Travertine Hot Springs - photo by Mary Russell</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Inspired by a fellow Bloggers pics from last fall, I was intent on finding the Travertine Hot Springs near Bridgeport, CA. After leaving Carson City, I headed back south down Hwy 395 and made another stop at the <a href="http://www.bridgeportreservoir.com/rvpark.html" target="_blank">Bridgeport Marina Campground</a>. There are several Hot Springs in this area but the Travertine Hot Springs are just about a mile south of town and fairly easy to find. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">My first trip to springs was in the evening My friend Mary & I found 5 guys in their birthday suits soaking in the bigger pool, so we explored some of the nice reflections on the other pools until they headed out. The Springs are up on a hillside and the views of the sunset over the mountains was wonderful. In addition, to the 4 upper pools that are grouped together, there is an additional oval pool in the top area and at least one lower pool.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">We returned the next morning to explore some more and have a nice soak. We had the place to ourselves for about a half hour until a few folks started trickling through. Every one was respectful of each other and sort of spread out and let each set of folks have their moment to soak in the water and enjoy the sights. I am not big on the Hot Springs that they turn into swimming pools, so I found this area quite refreshing. I will definitely return for some R & R when I am in this area again & now count Travertine among my favorite natural Hot Spring spots. Can't wait till my next soak!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0px;">To get to the Springs, you take Hwy 395 south from the town of Bridgeport for about a mile and a half, then turn left on Jack Sawyer Rd. You won’t go very far before the road turns to dirt. There was a fork in the road here, which I took to the left. The road was gravel & rutted but certainly passable in drive weather in my passenger car. I saw no signs directing to the Springs but there is sign posted when you get there. There are at least two parking areas. The Springs are on BLM land and are free. I found folks in suits and folks in their birthday suits, just something to be aware of, especially if you have kids. I saw no one with kids visiting or soaking. There is no camping allowed at the Hot Springs but Bridgeport Marina Campground is a nice place to stay. There are great views of the reservoir, the folks there are very friendly plus they revamped their wifi over the summer and added cable TV. Nice additions to an already great place to relax.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">My fellow Blogger, Diana's post on Travertine and other Bridgeport area Hot Springs can be found <a href="http://lifeontheopenroad.blogspot.com/2010/09/hot-springs-of-bridgeport.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </span></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-18300219210614007662011-11-07T13:12:00.000-07:002020-03-01T18:11:38.014-07:00Crazy 'bout Carson City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I knew Carson City was the capital of Nevada but never having been to the area, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I arrived in May and it was a bit on the windy and chilly side throughout the whole month. I loved the fact that I was in the desert but could see the snow capped mountain peaks and be in the mountains within a half hour. Actually, You could be a lot of places with a half hour. It is a short jot up to Reno where I had a great time watching the kayakers and paddle boarders at the Reno River Riverfest. Reno has several big casino’s which I didn’t visit but I did love the downtown area along the Truckee river. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reno Riverfest</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: "helvetica"; font-size: 12px;"><a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2011/09/touring-tahoe.html" target="_blank">Lake Tahoe</a> is a short jot over the mountains from Carson City as well. The cool thing is that Highway 50 from Carson City climbs over the mountains and gives you easy access to South Lake Tahoe or Incline Village and the North side of the lake. I spent lots of days oohing & ahhing over the beautiful shades of blue in the lake and enjoying the activities of the communities surrounding the lake, as well as, the little town of Truckee.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I had planned on staying the summer but summer didn’t go ‘<a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2011/09/summer-time-woes.html" target="_blank">as planned</a>’ and I was just able to spend May and September in the area. September was beautiful here. Despite the short time in the area, I found plenty of things to do and see. <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2011/09/virginia-city-nv-step-back-in-time.html" target="_blank">Virginia City,</a> the historic mining town has several events. As does the oldest town in Nevada, <a href="http://www.genoanevada.org/history.htm" target="_blank">Genoa</a> which is about 10 miles south of Carson. I attended my first Cowboy Poetry festival there and I have to say it was great fun .. Genoa, has the oldest ‘drink establishment’ in Nevada as well. It seems to be a favorite spot for motorcyclist day tripping in the area.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Genoa - Oldest Drink Establishment</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Further in the mountains but still about a 30 minute drive, I found Indian Creek Reservoir, the little town of Markleeville and <a href="http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=508" target="_blank">Grover Hot Springs State park</a> to be fun areas to visit as well.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grover Hot Springs</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Being Carson City is the Capital of the Nevada, the downtown area with the capital buildings, the Nevada State Museum and Mint, an Arts Center and a few nice restaurants was always nice to check out as well. It isn't a huge city but it really has plenty to offer. There are plenty of nice casinos around too. The Carson River flows along the east side of town and has some nice walking trails for birding. There is plenty of BLM land to the east to explore (or try and <a href="http://www.midlifeonwheelsblog.com/2011/09/finding-my-inner-gatherer-pine-nut.html" target="_blank">find pine nuts</a>).</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I have to say I was a little surprised at how much there was to do in the area and how much I liked the area. Good thing I live on wheels .. I can return and I think I just might!</span></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.com100-198 Lincoln Hwy, Carson City, NV 89701, USA39.1637984 -119.767403439.0652889 -119.9253319 39.262307899999996 -119.60947490000001tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-24379815648281810282011-09-25T09:30:00.000-06:002011-09-25T09:30:00.533-06:00Virginia City, NV: A Step Back in Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Virginia City is located about 15 miles NE of Carson City, Nevada. In the mid-1800’s, Virginia City became a very important city after large lodes of Gold & Silver were discovered. It quickly became a Boom Town of over 30,000 people.
Like many Boom Towns it drew savory & unsavory characters alike. While most Boom Towns from that era became cities with other forms of commerce or a Ghost town, Virginia City continues to bustle in much the same state as it was 150 years ago.<br />
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Tucked away on the side of a mountain, the town has managed to protect its history and yet adapt and remain relevant in todays society. Much of the town is made up of historical buildings. The walkway is still wood planks. There are saloons, casinos, museums and shops. The city plays host to Ghost walks, has a train ride from Carson City to VA. City and has a number of major events that include car shows and Ostrich races. My first visit was during a BMX Motorcross event. The streets were packed and it was a _crazy_ time! I choose to revisit when town was a little less akin to the way it was in the 1800’s! <br />
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On my revisit I enjoyed the stain glasses windows of the Church, as well as, a stroll through the town and the very old cemetery. It is a pretty relaxed town, Dog was allowed to hang out several of the stores and the open-door casinos. She was not allowed in the church. I guess casinos have always been a little more accepting of some things than churches! Yes, it is a bit touristy but still worth a visit if you are in the area.<br />
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-43740909393236153662011-09-23T06:30:00.000-06:002011-09-23T06:30:00.625-06:00Finding my 'Inner Gatherer' .. Pine Nut Gatherer that is!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So I set out on this warm September morn to do some Pine Nut gathering. I had never really considered gathering pine nuts. My previous pine nut gathering experience involved going to the grocery store on special occasions when I could afford the $5 for the little bag of the precious nuts. Being a Burbite I never really thought about people out in the wilderness among the squirrels and critters actually harvesting pine nuts from the trees. That is, until my visit to the BLM office yesterday, where they had 3 inquires on pine nut gathering in 20 minutes. Not wanting to seem naive, I waited till the office was empty of visitors and inquired what the pine nut deal was all about. The lady gave me instructions, wrote down directions to where I should go and said this was a yearly event for her family.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When I got home I looked up Pine nut gathering and found numerous videos on the subject ... Apparently _many_ folks go pine nut gathering, especially native americans... who knew? This morning I set out with my handwritten directions and new found wisdom feeling all ‘hunter & gatherer’-ish. As I headed up the dirt roads, carefully following her direction at each fork and finally getting into evergreen type trees, I realized I had no clue on which type of pine tree I was looking for! There were several different kinds of trees with pine needles. After a brief panic I decided that surely any type of pine tree with pine cones would be fine or certainly I would have come across someone in my YouTube research who gave a warning to stay away from xyz tree. So I continued. (Long live YouTube!)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Finally when I had gone my ‘30 - 45 minutes from the last fork in the road’ I saw pine cones and stopped. I used gloves to pick with and put them all in my Trader Joe’s paper sack. To say Pine Cones are sappy is an understatement! The sap came through my gloves. I had it everywhere! The videos neglected to tell me to wear long pants to walk through scrub brush and to watch out for snakes and scorpions! Still I was feeling pretty good about being all ‘natural’ .. out in the wilderness gathering nuts for my dinner table.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When I gathered all I could at this spot I moved up the road and stopped again to take a pic of a lone flower. This is where I met Tom. Tom was heading to town on his ATV and stopped to let me know I had missed flower season. It turns out that Tom is a prospector who has lived ‘up in the hills’ in the area for 12 years. When I mentioned I was gathering pine nuts, he smiled slightly and told me I was “too early”. He expounded upon ins,outs and when of gathering. He looked in my bag and told me my pine cones, sappy though they were, probably hadn’t had time to develop any nuts yet! Noticing the sap on my hands, he had me rub my hands in the dirt then gave me a pair of his gloves so I could drive without getting sap on everything. He questioned me on back country survival knowledge & readiness, shared stories of the characters and misdeeds that occur ‘in the hills’ and along with his warnings, gave me directions to a spring where I might be able to find some flowers.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Feeling a little deflated and not finding the spring amidst a myriad of unmarked roads, I picked a few more cones that looked ‘more done’ and headed home. The sap was beginning to be quite annoying. It was on both hands, in the crux of my arm and having moved my hair back more than once, I had clumps of hair sticking together as well! I am sure I looked like a flunky pine nut gather. My native american ancestors I’m sure are appalled! </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> Even after a shower and sponge scrub down I am still finding patches of sap!! I have my pine cones in my bag in the sun where they are suppose to stay for about 10 days.. then I am suppose to try and extract the nuts ......if mine even have any nuts. So much for finding my ‘inner gatherer’. I don’t think I will even attempt the hunter part! $5 for 3 oz of nuts? ... Sounds like a bargain!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Follow up: Indeed my Pine cones just oozed sap & turned brown. I harvested one unedible pine nut! Trader Joe’s here I come.</span></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-75088252410424982302011-09-21T07:00:00.000-06:002015-07-12T13:57:38.431-06:00Touring Tahoe<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I am not usually a fan of Lakes that are heavily commercialized. I prefer the serene mountain lake over jet ski’s and ski boats, but I have to say, that in spite of the commercialized part of Lake Tahoe .. it is a tremendously beautiful lake! The blue colors are amazing and seem to change throughout the day.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Shore</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">This is the second deepest lake in the US and it is a _big_ lake. The loop around the lake is 72 miles. They say around 1/3 of the lake lies in Nevada & the rest is in California. You know you hit the Neveda line when you start seeing casinos! I was told to go check out the CalNeva Casino where there is a state line marker that went through the casino. I did but it seems the CalNeva has lost a bit of its luster since it’s hey day when the Rat Pack were popular. Instead of there being a competition between the states along the lake there seems to be a bit of competition between and the north and south shores of the lake. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eagle Falls</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">We picked up a map from the North shore of the lake that put the map’s legend on top of the South shore’s commerce area! South Lake Tahoe definitely is there and is bustling with lots of shops, restaurants and casinos. </span>The North shore has smaller towns with shopping areas that are more spread out & less concentrated than on the Southside. I personally liked the Lake Tahoe ‘middles’ where it has been left natural and there are great view points and trails down to the lake. Many of these area’s have fees to get into but there are several pull-offs with nice views and trails to the lake as well.</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">One of the most popular, and one of my favorite spots as well, is Eagle Falls at Emerald Bay. The colors in the bay are beautiful and in the spring Eagle Falls is roaring. It’s a great place to take a picnic lunch and just hang. You won’t be alone but the people watching here can be interesting as well.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">For RVers with big rigs, there are some restrictions on the west side of the lake loop along Rt. 89. It does get very winding and narrow with hair pin turns. I’d stick to keeping my rig between South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe City and the east side of the lake if you are over 28’. I am staying in Carson City, NV which is about 12 miles from the lake, where the prices are much cheaper and it is a bit warmer. (The downside being it is desert instead of tall pines, its windy and a bit noisier than the Lake area.) It is an easy drive over to the lake to catch the activities on the North or South Shore and at the many surrounding ski areas. There are a lot of events and entertainment around the lake in addition to the boating, kayaking, hiking, parasailing and cruises that are also popular in the area. All and all .. not a bad place to be! :-)</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dog enjoying some shade at the South Shore's StateLine Restaurant</td></tr>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-87113112554649641452011-09-19T21:17:00.000-06:002011-09-22T17:08:18.993-06:00Touring in my home town: St. Louis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Union Station - Downtown St. Louis</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I haven’t lived in St. Louis for over 15 years. When I do return, I have my favorite haunts that I like to visit. The <a href="http://www.mobot.org/default.asp">Missouri Botanical Gardens</a>, <a href="http://www.grantsfarm.com/default.htm">Grants Farm</a> and <a href="http://www.teddrewes.com/home/default.aspx">Ted Drewes Frozen Custard</a> and <a href="http://thehillstl.com/index.html">the Hill</a> neighborhood to name a few.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hill's - Amighettis Bakery - far side of the street</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">When most people visit St. Louis, they visit the Arch, the Old Cathedral and maybe the Brewery and move on down the road. But St. Louis has much more than the Arch to offer. In addition to the Zoo and the whole <a href="http://www.forestparkforever.org/">Forest Park </a>area where the 1904 World Fair took place, St. Louis has many neighborhoods offering their own unique set of restaurants, shops and experiences. To name a few, there is the <a href="http://www.slfp.com/CentralWestEnd.html">Central West End</a>, <a href="http://visittheloop.com/">the Loop</a>, <a href="http://www.southgrand.org/">Grand South Grand</a>, the <a href="http://www.shawstlouis.org/">Shaw Neighborhood</a>, <a href="http://www.slfp.com/Soulard.htm">Soulard’s</a>, and my favorite <a href="http://thehillstl.com/">“the Hill”</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gelato on the Hill</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The Hill area was originally settled by Italian immigrants and while the residents are from many ethnic backgrounds today, the neighborhood has still kept it’s Italian identity. You know you are on the Hill when you start seeing the red, white & green fire hydrants and banners saying “The Hill”. Here you will find narrow streets with Italian restaurants, markets, and bakeries tucked in among the small brick homes. There are restaurants for every budget and the food is fab. I rarely eat Italian elsewhere in the country because I have been spoiled by the Italian food in St. Louis. I made a few trips to the Hill in my visit this summer. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vince Mantia, Mantia Fruit Co.</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Despite having grown up in St. Louis I continue to find new places to go and see. Thanks to my Uncle who played 'Tour guide for a day', I discovered some new sights and sounds and learned a bit of history as well.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Our first stop was the St. Louis Produce Row where he introduced me too Vince Mantia, president of the Mantia Fruit Company. Vince told me stories of his father coming over on a boat and starting their Fruit Co that has provided fruit to St. Louis eateries and grocers since the 1920’s. Produce Row is apparently where most of the bulk produce is purchased from in St. Louis. My restauranteur family members, of whom I have several, apparently did all of their shopping here. It was an interesting visit as we picked up fruit for the Soup Kitchen my Uncle volunteers at.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making my Malt @ Crown Candy Kitchen</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Next we visited Chili Mac’s, which had previously been my Grandmother’s Coffee Shop. We had some great Chili and reminisced with the owner John who bought the shop from my grandmother. Then we were off to <a href="http://crowncandykitchen.net/">Crowns Candy Kitchen</a>. Crown’s Candy Kitchen has a national reputation. In fact their Malts were just featured on the the Food Network. They serve food in addition to having candy and malts. I had to go for the Malt though & indeed it was good. I think I will have to go back.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Services in Polish .. who knew!?</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I sipped my Malt as my uncle narrated the points of interest in the Polish section of St. Louis & on some of the historical buildings in downtown. I learned many new interesting facts on our trek and appreciated the tour. Can’t think of a better way to tour my hometown!</span></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-76370259421612485922011-09-15T18:42:00.003-06:002011-09-15T18:59:30.239-06:00Summer Time Woes.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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After my little ‘Come to Jesus’ incident in the mountains, I thought a trip to St. Louis to see my family might be a good idea. I hadn’t visited in over a year and have young nieces and a nephew that I can’t get hugs from via Skype. I was also a bit tired of the cold temps still happening in Carson City. So on a whim, I packed up dog and the car and made the trek to the Lou. I left in a sweatshirt with a ski jacket and when I hit Nebraska I hit a wall of heat. It was so hot that I had to switch to driving at night because my car AC wasn’t working. I considered turning around at this point because I am _very_ heat sensitive and was questioning the wisdom of the trying to do anything in the heat. I keep going & by the time I got to St. Louis the heat indexes were in the triple digits! It got better within a couple days but the plan was to visit and go before the real heat hit in July.</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">On Father’s Day, Dog was chasing a rabbit and collapsed. Her entire back end was paralyzed. Ten days, 3 vet hospitals and thousands of dollars later, Dog was able to leave the hospital and begin rehab. This meant we weren’t going to get to leave before the heat came and come it did. It was one of the top 5 hottest summers on record in St. Louis. Dog did 6 weeks of Rehab and walks with a limp, but she is walking and has adjusted well. I stayed in the AC with occasional forays outside where within minutes I would get sick from the heat and spend hours recuperating. My car apparently wasn’t hip on being in the Midwest either and had 7 stays in the shop! All this made for a _very_ long summer, where I revisited that moment of pause that I had in Nebraska more than once! Mom’s ‘3 week' guest turned into a ‘3 month with a special needs dog' guest. Thankfully she didn’t boot us out.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">All in all, I did have a great time with family and friends and my time with the ‘little people’ was priceless. St. Louis is a nice city, that has much too offer but in record breaking heat it is not the best time to enjoy it. I am happy to say that Dog & I both are back at home in the rig in Carson City. It was a little questionable at times whether either one of us would make it back at all! I’ve told my family that they can come visit _me_ next time!</span></div>
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On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7047053916475849975.post-50694990624530034802011-09-03T23:01:00.002-06:002011-11-07T15:56:16.244-07:00Windy, Wild & Woolly drive on Hwy. 395<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I had really enjoyed staying in Pleasant Valley but being on a time frame to pick up folks north of here, I had been watching the weather so as not to get caught in any wind storms on the next leg of my trip over the mountain passes. I decided yet again to head out the day before the high winds were to arrive. Unfortunately, not far out of Bishop, I was in the middle of high winds. Eventually DOT decided to post the high wind warnings suggesting that ‘high profile vehicles’ not travel! Of course, at this point I have had the top tipping in the wind thing going on for a bit but couldn’t find a place to pull over or to turn around. Then again I hoped I had already been thru the worst of it & ahead would be better. It was not, instead I hit sideways snow and changing wind directions. I could barely see the road. To say I was white knuckling would be an understatement. I was drenched in sweat, couldn’t breath & could hardly pry my hands of the wheel when I finally found a somewhat sheltered place to pull over along Mono Lake.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Now the winds were pretty bad .. straight line crosswinds are never good in a motorhome but I had driven in worse coming out of Vegas a couple years ago. This time, being a couple of years older & having to go over 3 passes that were double the elevation of Bishop, my body didn’t handle it so well. I made it to Bridgeport Marina RV park which was only 90 miles from where I started. 90 _very_ long miles! </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">The next day I ended up in the ER at a hospital an hour from Bridgeport. They surmised that I hadn’t had a heart attack .. bonus.. and should rest. So that I did. The manager & staff at Bridgeport Marina were delightful. He checked on me several times to be sure I was among the living, offered to take care of Dog, have a doc come and check me out or help me with whatever I needed. They were extremely nice! The views of the reservoir there are quite fab too. A reservoir surrounded by snow capped peaks, great sunsets, what more could you ask for! It several days before I was up to drive again and 2 weeks before I started feeling back to normal.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I guess that is one of the downfalls to traveling alone. If you get sick you’re stuck! If you’re gonna get stuck Bridgeport Marina is a good place to be. Thanks guys .. I appreciate your help!</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">(This post was from April .. catching up!)</span></div>
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</div>On Da Roadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13429894437288887002noreply@blogger.com