Amarillo, TX

We drove around with Madeline this morning as she visited three houses in their subdivision that her builder, Debbie, had in progress. Maddie works for Debbie as a project coordinator. They are all beautiful and large with awesome views. We also stopped at a pueblo in their subdivision and looked for pottery shards...Kathleen seems to be an expert for recognizing them.

Around 1 pm we left Mountainair for the last leg of our journey home. We drove from New Mexico to Texas...it didn't take long for the Texas scenery to become very flat and very boring. We arrived in Amarillo around 6:30 pm. We picked our campsite (the office was closed) and cooked dinner on the grill we borrowed from Ron and Mary. It worked great, after Kathleen figured out how to light it correctly!! We sat outside with cocktails while our dinner grilled (turkey-spinach brats), they were tasty. Tomorrow we head for Tulsa, OK.

Since the camera is broken, I will post a previous picture! The Tetons as seen across Jenny Lake.

The Hikers

Back Left to Right: Kathleen, Nancy, Marybeth, Julie, Kris, Madeline
Back: Dee and her dog Patch
Patch was a great hiker but we did go up a little climb in the cliffs where she balked. We tried to push and pull but she was not going. The solution was simple: Dee went up first then Patch was eager and climbed up with a little assistance!!

A Day in Mountainair

We awoke refreshed and ready for our big hike!! We met some friends of Maddie and Kris at Abo, a partially restored pueblo and mission church. It was built in 1622 and rebuilt in 1629 by the Fransicans, sent by Spain to convert the Indians (and in some cases enslave them). All information courtesy of Bob, the ranger who took us on the hike. We heard all about the mission and the brief history of the Timpora plains indians. Then we hiked down through the arroyo as Bob continued to highlight the history. Our hike culminated at some cliffs that were covered with petroglyphs, carvings in the rock made by the indians. Bob pointed out some "petro porn", a phallic symbol that some of us saw, some just didn't get it. On the hike back, Bob got a phone call, he and his wife were adopting a week old baby that had been abandoned at the Alburquerque hospital. They could pick him up later in the afternoon. Did I mention that Bob is 73, what is he thinking? Well he seemed excited and I am sure he will be a good parent again.

In the afternoon, Maddie and Kris had some friends and neighbors over for happy hour, they are a very nice group. Then we drove to Willard to dinner. Willard is 13 miles from Mountainair and smaller than Mountainair but Willard boasts the Willard Cantina. We ran into a little trouble with the nazi bartender when we wanted to move a table and turn the sound down on the TV...but later in the evening all was good, after one of our party (Jack) won two stuffed animals for the bartender's great niece on the "crane game".

The pictures shown are petrogyphs and the pueblo church at Abo.

Mountainair

On Sunday we drove from Durango, CO, to Mountainair, NM. We got a fairly early start - ate breakfast again (Kathleen is delighted) in Aztec, NM. Most of the day was non-descript driving, although the scenery was great. We stopped for gas, $3.359 on the edge of Albuquerque - cheapest yet. I got my camera out to take a New Mexico picture of the mountains and...yikes...it is broken!!!! Don't know what happened but it won't take pictures, but at least none of my previous pics are lost.
We arrived in the little burg of Mountainair around 5:30pm and Madeline and Kris came to get us. We followed them out of town then turned onto a gravel road which we took for about 3 miles to Deer Canyon Preserve. After we entered Deer Canyon we must have driven 5 more miles to get to their house, which sits on 20 acres and you can only see the roofs of the houses of a few neighbors. Their house is beautiful...adobe style, very open, ceramic tile floors throughout, a great deck facing the mountains and a neat outdoor kitchen. We had cocktails on the deck, watched a gorgeous sunset, then went inside for Maddie's special pasta and sausage...a wonderful evening!

The day did have one sad note...Banks met new friends, Dodger and Amega. Banks and Dodger had an incident, some posturing for the benefit of the humans. In the scuffle, Banks loosened a front tooth and later in the evening it came out. Now she is a gaptooth greyhound, instead of a bucktooth greyhound. She is sad... 8-(

Arches

After a lovely day in Moab, UT, we set out at 8:30 (our earliest start yet!) and we went to breakfast at the Jailhouse Cafe...Kathleen was in heaven, even though the book store had sold both of their Wall Street Journals by the time we arrived. We then set out for Arches, what an incredible park! We stopped at a couple of viewpoints then went to the Delicate Arch trail. It took us 55 minutes to hike up (a total of 480 feet) over rock and through sand to reach the arch...and it was worth it! The hike back was much easier and Kathleen was a trooper throughout!
We did a couple of shorter hikes, to Double Arch and to the Window Arches. Both very neat. We left the park around 2:30 pm and headed for Durango, Colorado. The trip took a little longer than expected, we drove through a rainstorm part of the way, and we stopped in a Wal Mart along the way to stock up. We arrived at the Durango KOA at around 7:45 pm, in the dark, but we are experts by now and hooking up in the dark is no problem!!

The picture on the left is Double Arch. The picture on the right is Delicate Arch...who is that in the arch??? You may have to click on the picture to see!

A Day in Paradise

Today was Kathleen's favorite day, her day in paradise. First, we went to breakfast in Cedar City. A real live sit down breakfast, something we have not done because we are unhookin' and dumpin' in the morning! Then I drove to Moab, interstate driving most of the way. There were a few scenic overviews and we stopped at every one...it's the journey!

When we arrived in Moab, we went to a small winery, Spanish Trail, a little south of Moab. We tasted red and white and...surprise...bought 6 bottles! Then we set up in our RV park and walked downtown. Stopped for margs and a slice of pizza (you cannot get a drink in Utah unless you also order food...and we thought Indiana had strange laws!) Then we hit several shops, bought some stuff, then walked back to the RV park. Now Kathleen is preparing Banks' roast beef dinner while I sit outside and blog. Then we will walk a block to a local eatery and have dinner.

Tomorrow will be Kathleen's nightmare...hiking!!!! In Arches NP where it will probably be 90 degrees. This will be heaven for Julie!!!

Utah

We left Ely, NV, and entered Utah on what must be the 2nd lonliest highway in the country. We stopped for gas in Baker, Nevada. The "station" was two pumps and a soda machine out in the middle of nowhere...not a person in sight! At one point we saw something in the road probably a mile ahead. As we got closer, we realized it was three antelope! We had lunch in the RV in Milford, Utah, a cute former railroad town. Our mostly boring drive was rewarded when we entered Zion National Park to the north. We drove through Kolob Canyon surrounded by beautiful rock canyons. We also entered the park from the south and took a couple of hikes. By the time we returned to our RV park in Cedar City it was 7:30 pm. Everything is so spread out here in the west...yet it looks so close on the map! We may have overextended our expectations so we have adjusted tomorrow's schedule...we will cut out Bryce Canyon Park and just drive to Moab, maybe go to a winery, walk around Moab to shop and have dinner.

The Lonliest Highway

Today we drove from Reno to Ely along US 50, the lonliest highway in America. It is the lonliest because we were leaving Jane and Marcia...and also because you see no vehicles for miles and miles. Most of the road is straight and flat but as you get farther west we climbed up to passes of heights from 6200 feet to 7600m feet. The ol' Winnie Minnie struggled but got er done! We arrived in Ely and just like any city in Nevada it has several casinos...we went to the Ramada for a little gamblin and dinner. Kathleen won $10 on bingo...never saw her run so fast (thought she had a bad heel?)...and we played some Texas Tea.

Hogan, per your advice we took a little side trip and guess what we saw? Thanks for the heads up, we did not plan on seeing that sight but there it was!!

Day 2 in Reno

We woke up to another beautiful day under the blue skies of Reno. Walked down and up the switchbacks...no easier on the second day. We drove to Carson City to pick up the RV...all better now and our rental agent will be none the wiser ;-)

We piled two dogs, four bikes and four people in the RV and headed to Tahoe. Parked near Squaw Valley and rode bikes to Lake Tahoe, about 6 miles on a very nice bike path along the Truckee River. Stopped at the Blue Agave mexican restaurant where we sat outside looking at Lake Tahoe and had drinks and lunch...lovely. The we biked back, loaded up the RV and drove back along the Truckee and stopped at a little campground where we had cocktails and the dogs went swimming. Well, Mannie swam and Banks just uncomfortably stepped about in the rocky bottom.

We returned to Reno for a little pit stop then out again to the Bonanza for a little gamblin'. We played some blackjack until each of us realized the dealer was kicking our butt, then switched to video slots. All in all a great day in Reno!! Thanks to Marcia and Jane for being such great hosts! We had a wonderful time and got all our laundry done. I highly recommend this oasis in the desert for all of you traveling out west.

Hey Janel !

OK, just a few days late but
HAPPY BIRTHDAY...from your RVin' friends.


Julie, Kathleen & Banks

A Day in Reno

We began the day with a "walk" down the switchback trails from the neighborhood, easy enough on the way down, but coming back was tough. Marcia made breakfast and we started our laundry, hanging it on Jane's new clothesline since she has gone green and doesn't believe in using a dryer. Tomorrow we will be taking the clothes down the switchbacks to the stream and beating them clean on the rocks - Jane's newest idea.
We took the RV to Carson City for a little repair work and returned to Reno for lunch and more laundry. We sat outside under a beautiful Nevada sky and chatted while the dogs played in Mannie's pool. Then we went inside for Monday Night football, which comes on at 5:30pm in Reno. A good thing since most of us went to bed early. Tomorrow we will pick up the RV and head to Lake Tahoe for some biking.
Hello Lonsways, from all of the gang at the Cougercreek RV Park...RV-less for now!

Arrival Reno

We got our earliest start yet to date...before 9 am!! Must have been the time we spent at the casino last night. No sightseeing today, just driving across Nevada for Reno we arrived at the Cougarcreek RV Park (better known as my sister's house) around 3:30 pm. You can see the RV sign that awaited us. (click on the picture to enlarge.) As you can see, the rules at this park are strict...we may get kicked off the curb soon!! Specially the drinkin and duct tape parts. We gambled off the premises soon after we arrived, hitting a local bar and playing video blackjack...we still have a little money left for dog food.

To Nevada

We woke up outside of Jackson and it was raining...glad we brought umbrellas! We walked Banks along the Snake River. We rolled out in our earliest start to date...9 am...no ironing to do! We left Wyoming and entered Idaho, driving along the Snake River. The fall colors and the river made for a gorgeous combination. We saw the falls at Idaho Falls then crossed a 450ft tall bridge at Twin Falls...another incredible sight! Just one mile west of the bridge is where Evil Knieval attempted his jump across the Snake River.
In Twin Falls we stopped at a PetSmart to buy a ramp for Banks, er, Kathleen. Kathleen had been lifting Banks in and out of the RV and this repeated 70 pound squat and lift was taking its toll...after several practice runs Banks is pretty comfortable with it.
We arrived in Wells, Nevada, and stopped at a Shell station to buy gas...$140 worth. While I was at the pump, a helpful station guy sidled up and mentioned we had a bad front left tire (this was the tire we had fixed in West Yellowstone). He said if we drove over to the bay he would change it for us. At the bay, he "examined" the other tires and announced we would need four new tires. We said we were not the owners and would have to get permission from the rental agency...which he called. I began to smell a scam. I told the rental company I thought this guy saw two women in an RV and saw $$$. The rental company agreed to replace the left front tire only and I agreed. When I told the station guy we only wanted the left front tire replaced by the spare, he replied that his buddy had overheard my comment and he would not be changing any tires for us...not so helpful anymore! So if you get to I80, exit 352 in Nevada, do not stop at the Shell station!!!!
We drove to Angel Lake RV Park in Wells and they hooked us up with another service center in Wells. A nice kid came out and switched the bad tire and the spare...he said all our tires were fine and even the "bad" tire could be driven on. I love it when I am right!!!
The owners of this park are very nice...a "retired" ranching couple in their seventies. Now in their retirement they just work 12 hours a day at the park! it is very clean and they told us about a shuttle available to a casino. Didn't have to tell us twice...we showered and went to the casino for dinner and a small contribution to the Nevada treasury. Wells, Nevada, consists of two truck stops, three casino, oh, and one dishonest service station.
Tomorrow we drive to Reno to stay with my sister...she doesn't know it yet but her washer will be running for many,many hours! The picture shown is the Snake River canyon at Twin Falls and the golf course in the canyon...beautiful country!

Grand Teton

Whew, a lot has happened since my last post, let me check my notes. We have had spotty internet access the last couple of days so I am playing catch up. Friday morning we took a bike ride through a geyser basin. We thought we would get ot see many geysers...not so much. Saw one spring at the start then a small geyser at the end...7 miles of burned out landscape in between...lame-o. Many places in Yellowstone you can still see the effects of the fire in 1988 which burned 25% of the park. We walked the Midway Geyser basin and saw some neat springs and pools. Onto Grand Teton where we saw awesome mountains, blue lakes and our first moose. As usual, we saw a gathering of humans and vehicles along the road and stopped to ask what we were looking at...a moose far off in the grass. She was hard to see but the nose told us unmistakeably that she was a moose!
We left Grand Teton heading south to an RV park in Jackson, Wyoming. Every RV park up to this point had been maybe 25% full, so who needed reservations? A No Vacancy sign awaited us and we had to change plans. We parked downtown and went to the Cowboy Bar upon Kathleen's boss's recommendation...great idea! We saddled up to the bar to drink some great margaritas (when at the bar you sit in a saddle). Then Kathleen found a cute Mexican restaurant, the Merry Piglets...good food and more margaritas! By the time we were back in the RV it was dark and Kathleen drove us to a KOA 11 miles south of Jackson. With me giving directions over the walkie-talkies, Kathleen expertly backed the RV into our space...our first back-in of the trip...and in the dark no less! We were supposed to get 2 TV stations, but we don't seem to be able to receive TV by antenna...so we fed Banks and fell into bed. Or maybe fell into bed and Banks scrounged for herself...whatever.

Yellowstone II

I awoke this morning to a familiar sound in any RV park, the squeak of an ironing board being opened...Kathleen will have no creases while we are visiting the geysers! We also noticed that our RV seemed to be leaning. When we ventured outside to walk Banks we discovered a flat left front tire! Luckily the office here recommended a local service and it was fixed in about an hour.

We rented a car today and set out to see some geysers. Our first stop was Great Fountain Geyser, it only erupts about every 12 hours. We arrived a couple of hours before its predicted eruption time (predictions are within a 2 to 3 hour window). We walked to another geyser then returned to Great Fountain to wait. The crowd swelled and we were rewarded after about an hour and a half. The geyser was much bigger than Old Faithful and we were much closer! We did see Old Faithful and ate lunch at the Old Faithful Lodge. We also saw the upper and lower falls of the Yellowstone River.

The pictures show a group of elk we discovered by following the gaggle of humans. The elk were all swimming to the far side of the river, all except one baby who remained behind on our side of the river. The young elk, probably realizing he/she was now alone, let out a mournful cry. Then he/she calmly went back to eating grass...the adults did not seem concerned. Tough love in the wild!

Entering Yellowstone

Day 5 we drove across Wyoming, including up and over mountains with hairpin turns...Kathleen survived but she had to dig her fingers out of the bottom of her car seat. We arrived in Yellowstone around 3:20 but still had two hours of driving to get across it!! One lonely buffalo slowed traffic at one point, but cars stopped in the middle of the road for some elk grazing close to the road. We also saw elk along a river. It did not take long to figure out how to spot wildlife. Either you scour the sides of the road and happen to see some, or, more likely, you come across a gaggle of humans in a traffic jam...sure sign of wildlife. Banks got to go swimming in Lake Yellowstone, she loved the water but was not fond of the rock bottom.
We arrived in West Yellowstone, Montana, at our RV park just in time for happy hour. We sat outside under the clear blue sky and sipped our cocktails while conversing with the many dog owners who walked past. We have discovered the Ritz Carlton of RV parks...this place is great!!
Tomorrow we explore the wonders of Yellowstone!!

Day 4

We left the Badlands and motored to Mt. Rushmore. It is an incredible sight, even more incredible that 90% of the sculpting was done with dynamite! This day was significant because Kathleen spent a great deal of time on the phone with her bankers and her boss as the markets crashed!! While Kathleen sat in the RV in the parking lot securing her companies' assets, Julie wandered the grounds of Mt. Rushmore...la la la!! We left Mt. Rushmore for Deadwood, SD, with plans of a nice lunch with a drink at an old time Deadwood saloon. Our dream died in Deadwood when we missed the first RV parking lot then got kicked out of the next one...no RV parking. Not wanting to turn around, since Deadwood has essentially one main street, we continued out of Deadwood to Spearfish and ate a late lunch at Taco Bell, sans margaritas.
We are spending the night in Buffalo, Wyoming, and tomorrow intend to drive to Yellowstone.
Looking ahead, Kathleen is right now planning our trip home...not that she is anxious or anything. But I have to say she is quite the RVer...she is the one who has taken charge of emptying the "poop" tanks !!! She seems to take a rather perverse pleasure in this task!!!

The Badlands

We got a little earlier start today...we are getting better at this every day. We drove to Wall Drug, the mother of all tourist stops...but you have to go there! Then we drove through the Badlands...saw several prairie dogs and one lonely bison. Kathleen wanted Banks to come out and "see the little bison"...luckily she saw the sign...bison are very unpredictable and dangerous.

Took Kathleen's picture on top of a butte...she wants to know "if this butte makes my butt look small". Dinner at the park lodge, really just a coffee shop/souvenir stand, then on to our little site at the Badlands KOA. We have cable, but no ESPN, no Monday Night football...life is rough!

Tomorrow Mt. Rushmore and on to Wyoming.

Day 2

Kathleen took over the driving and the RV seemed to sway alot more today. OK, it was a little windy. We saw a big wind farm in Minnesota. In South Dakota our final destination was the Corn Palace, which friends told us we had to see. Kathleen cut a corner close and we went over the curb, settin' the RV arockin'. Soon after, a familiar odor enveloped the RV. I went to the back of the RV (risking my life since we were in flight) and sure enough, some items had shifted! A full tequila bottle had fallen over, the cap came off and tequila poured into the storage area and onto the bed. I am not sure which was worse...cleaning up the mess or dealing with Kathleen's hacking sobs (we can buy more tequila, I tried to tell her.) Finally, she was consoled when I pointed out that when she laid her head on her pillow she would smell tequila.

Needless to say, we did some laundry tonight! We also cooked in the RV for the first time...spaghetti with great sauce given to us by our neighbor Jen. Tomorrow we do our first major sightseeing...the Badlands and Wall Drug.

Oh, the Corn Palace was interesting, many murals made of corn cover the walls, the top picture is the Golden Gate Bridge in corn. Some murals were unfinished which was really cool to see. They are huge color-by-numbers, or color-by-corn murals with not all the corn yet installed. That is the second picture you see. I think it will eventually be Washington crossing the Delaware or Kathleen saying "catch that tequila bottle". Those are just my guesses, what do you think?

Day 1

We got off to a late start (Quelle surprise!) but hit the road. Friday night we had our nieces and nephews stay in the RV...it rained all night and it hit the top of the RV pretty hard...driving some to my bed. Rained most of the day Saturday too...heavy traffic in Chicago of course but we have arrived in Wisconsin...we have 'lectricity, air conditioning, water, cable TV (OSU-USC) and have margarita and wine in hand. What a vacation! And we haven't even seen any scenery yet! Banks is a natural RVer...she spent much of the trip on her back on the couch!

The RV has Landed

We picked up the RV today and got our training. We can dump, hook up, and back up with the best of them...er, or so we hope! Banks jumped right in the RV like she knew it was for her. She is comfortable on the bed or the couch...just like at home! And Kathleen is excited that she has room for her ironing board and her iron. She will have the best pressed shorts at Old Faithful!! We should shove off tomorrow at 9 am, or maybe 10 am, or at least by noon. 8-)

The Big Dump

I hoped that retirement would be exciting but I had no idea it would be like this!!
Last Wednesday I took the biggest dump of my life!!
Our neighbor here at the lake has an RV, a big 36-foot class A. We went with him to a campground to dump the sewer and water tanks of his RV. This was practice for our RV trip. Seems easy enough, but we shall soon see for ourselves!
Got the latex gloves and haz-mat suit so we are ready to go!!

Banks in Retirement

I have joined Banks in retirement. Of course she left greyhound racing quite a while ago so she has this retirement thing down, as you can see! I am still learning.

Retirement

After 32 years, that Monday in August arrived and I did not have go to work! Many people have asked me if I miss it...not yet. I don't miss getting up early, I never was a morning person. Now I can watch Monday night football and not pay for it the next day! I don't miss living by the bell. I don't miss having a student call me a bitch or tell me to f**k off!! Most of all when I see Wendy Robinson on TV I don't throw up a little bit in my mouth, because she is no longer my boss. I do miss the actual teaching, the excitement when you introduce something new to students and they get it...or giving extra help to a struggling student and the light bulb finally goes on. Still the best feeling in teaching.
And I do miss my colleagues, but I do hope to see many of them through the winter when I am working at the basketball games. See you then!!