Back to P-town

After a long 2-day drive, we returned to Peoria yesterday around 5:30 pm. The boys were real troopers and handled the drive well. We played cards, watched movies, read and listened to music. Dave drove the entire way and never tired. The boys were so happy to be home - back with their "stuff" and back in their own beds at night.

Today we got through all our mail, delivered some gifts and managed to make sure everything was put away. Matt spent the afternoon with his buddies, playing baseball. Ashton re-wired our boat trailer (as per Uncle Doug's instructions) and was thrilled with his success. He also learned his 9.5 horse boat motor was repaired while we were gone and he convinced Dave to take him to pick it up.

Thankfully, we missed the miserable heat and humidity (109 heat index) on Monday and the terrible storm that followed that evening. Also, we appreciated my dad coming over to mow on Tuesday. What a nice thing to do!

I have to work all day on Thurs and Fri this week (a professional development seminar), so was happy to have today to pull things together. Dave spent last night on the phone planning his work activities for the next few days.

Guess we're back in the saddle again - to coin a phrase from the West. What a great trip we had - from zip lines to hummer rides, visiting old friends (Sam) to new friends (The Rices), enjoying gourmet dinners and pizza suppers, visiting national parks and state parks ... Thanks to everyone for your phone calls and for reading our blog. I hope you found it fun to hear all about our adventures. Special thanks to Kevin Rice for providing the photos of Sand Dunes Nat'l Park and their home in Del Norte. His great photos were a nice change from my googled pictures!

Now, the scrapbooking begins!
love,
carol

Miles and Miles of ... Sand?!?!?!

What a GREAT day we had today! Matt, Mary, Chris and I slept in while Dave and Kevin hiked up the hill next to their house. They found some neat rocks and enjoyed the hike. After breakfast, Kevin took us over to their neighbor's home and we had a nice visit with them. The Goldens are a couple in their 80's who are transplanted Texans. They built a neat log cabin home in Del Norte 35 years ago and are a very interesting couple. They have a large garden and shared some of their vegetables with us.

While we were visiting, Mary packed a picnic lunch and had the van ready to go for our trip to San Dunes National Park. On the way there, we passed the Rio Grande River and also saw some mountains that are famous for climbing. Many expert climbers come here to practice.

We could see the Dunes from a distance and, after 45 min, came upon the 30 square miles of sand dunes. It was absolutely spectacular! We were surprised to learn that the Dunes were 12,000 to 1 million years old. It's hard to believe something this unique exists in America! Just learning about their formation was so very interesting. The sand originated from the San Juan Mountains more than 65 miles to the west. Wind and water moved the grains of sand and the wind, primarily, was responsible for building the Dunes that gathered toward the low curve of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The sand piled up at the base of the mountains and the Dunes were formed.

We had a nice breeze as we ate in the shade, then the boys headed to the dunes. Later, we found them building a dam across this little trickle of water. They must have worked on it for 2 hours. Dave and I hiked to the first dune (approx 1 mi), then climbed it (2 steps forward, 1 step back). It was a pretty windy day, so the sand was whipping around and hitting our legs. We felt like those people in old movies climbing and climbing, not knowing where an oasis would be. The wind even blew away our footprints so we couldn't see where we'd been.

We've definitely learned that those of us who live at low elevations have a really tough time climbing and hiking at these higher altitudes. The sand dunes started at 8200 ft and went up to over 9000 ft. Climbing one dune was enough for us! The scenery was fabulous, but we decided not to go on.

Later in the afternoon, we ran into a woman who, believe it or not lost the key to her rental car "somewhere" in the dunes! She was a bit worried, to say the least. Mary, Kevin, Dave and I all started to search, but no luck. Matt wanted to walk up to the first dune, so I decided to go with him. On the way up, we asked about the key and found someone who spoke to a woman further up the dunes that had found the key. Now, it's no easy task to catch up with someone on these dunes. It's slow going and almost impossible. Matt took off running and eventually found the woman. Lucky for us, she'd sat down for a short break. I couldn't even see where Matt had gone - he was up over one dune and down another. He came running back carrying the key and was soooooo excited. We made the hike back to the entry of the park and found the woman - a 6th grade Science and Math teacher from Tulsa. As you can imagine, she was very appreciative. I told Matt it was his good deed for the day.

Temps were dropping and we were all getting a bit chilly. We decided to drive back to Del Norte via Alamosa. Kevin drove us by the main hospital where he works along with his office. He's a Physiatrist and on staff at two hospitals in the area. Mary also works at the same hospital in the Laboratory. Next we drove by Chris' school - Alamosa High.

In Monte Vista, we stopped by a little hole-in-the-wall place for dinner, "Fernandez Taqueria." It was a Mexican restaurant / Laundromat that was run by the same guy. Great food - we all loved it!

Home for a little basketball on the driveway, showers and bed. We leave tomorrow on our long journey home. Hope to get a long day in tomorrow - decided to go as far as we could before stopping, so no hotel reservations.

This is BEAUTIFUL country - a laid back lifestyle - great weather. Mary and Kevin have been great hosts, and it's been fun spending time with them. We've had a terrific trip, but must get back to Peoria. All good things must come to an end!

I hope this blog has been a neat way to keep everyone in touch with the details of our trip. See you all soon!

Technology's problems

I wanted to include a photo of Kevin and Mary's home in my last posting, but couldn't figure out how to do it. So, here it is ... They have been kind enough to give Dave and me their Master Suite on the upper level (see the 2 windows at the top?) We are enjoying being with them and, of course, Chris and Ashton are having a great time being together again. Off to the Sand Dunes National Park tomorrow!

Del Norte - Home of The Rices

an old silver mine in Creede, Co


This morning we finished packing up the house and then went out for breakfast at Pura Vida on Lake Vallecito. We then drove 2 hours on Rt. 160 toward Del Norte. On our drive, we noticed we'd driven 2000 mi since leaving Salt Lake City - making our total approx 3500 mi so far! We drove through Pagosa Springs and I thought about Dan Fogelberg - Pagosa was his home out West. I could see why he lived here - it is absolutely beautiful. Chris had us stop to view Treasure Falls and we made a 1/2 mi hike up the hill to view the beautiful falls and feel the cool mist coming from them. After leaving the falls, we headed up Wolf Creek Pass - elevation 11344! Fabulous views from the top, but we couldn't help think about how difficult it would be to get through this pass on wintry days. At the top, we drove over the Continental Divide and then headed downhill toward Del Norte. It was great to see the Rice's new home in Colorado(pictured below). Nice views - only a couple of neighbors. They drove us to Creede and we toured this quaint town, pop 300. Neat restaurants, shops, a theatre and a few bars. It is an old silver mining town - we even drove up the slot canyon to the old mines. The boys made a rock path across the Rio Grande (it starts in this area) and joked about crossing the river and becoming a Mexican. I'm including a photo of an old silver mine in Creede. They're hoping to begin mining there again someday soon. Mary told us that some people wanted to get the railroad going again, but people from Creede shot at the train and exploded dynamite on the tracks as they tried to run the train again! Very neat old town - former residents included the guy who killed Jesse James (Robert Ford) and Bat Masterson. Had dinner in Creede - sat outside and enjoyed a Mexican meal. Returned to Kevin and Mary's for a nice, relaxing evening of sharing
pictures, posting on the blog and many laughs!

Durango - Day 6

Quiet day today (8/1). Dave and Ash got up early and went fishing on Lake Vallecito. Dave caught a small mouthed bass, but no luck for Ash. Everyone else slept in and enjoyed the peace and quiet. When the returned, we watched TV and I did some laundry. Dave took Ashton, Chris and Matt fishing and swimming at the lake. I cleaned up the kitchen and picked up the house in anticipation of leaving on Saturday.

The boys returned and made their lunch - once again a kitchen to clean up as they made a gourmet lunch of hot dogs, Cheetos, baked beans and chicken noodle soup! yeegads! We all went to Virginia's Steak House for dinner on the lake and had an excellent meal. Dave took Ash and Chris fishing one last time. Matt called his friend Nick to catch up. I did a bit more laundry, then read and watched TV.

Durango - Day 4

Lake Vallecito in the morning

I'm not sure I'll get back to a computer until we get to the Rice's house over the weekend, so will get a quick post together about today. Lazy morning, showers, breakfast and then a trip into town. Dave dropped me off at the library and I think I've been blogging for over an hour now! I'm going to walk into the downtown area and do some shopping while they continue fishing on the Animas River that goes around the town of Durango. Beautiful day here today - low 80's and sunny. Tomorrow is our last full day here before we pack up on Saturday morning and head to Alamosa to stay with Mary and Kevin for a couple of nights.

We've loved the cool nights, windows open and clear mountain air. Last night we stood on the balcony and were amazed at the many stars in the sky. It is so dark here and you can see stars as far as you can see. We could even see the Milky Way Galaxy. The photo you see here is one of Lake Vallecito - the lake we overlook from our balcony. Ending our trip with a week of R&R in Durango was a great idea ... we enjoyed several days of down time.

Durango - Day 3

Another day of R&R was in store today, 7/30. Kevin, Mary and I slept in. Eventually, Dave and Kevin spent some time reading until Mary and I surfaced. The guys took the boys fishing, Mary read and I worked on our expense sheet. I can't say our trip was anyway near the $950+ my parents spent to take us out West 40 years ago (1968), but we are under budget, so that's a good thing! I think we surpassed their total amount within the first 4 days!

In the afternoon, we all played Cranium and then headed to a restaurant on the lake for dinner. Mary and Kevin headed for home (Alamosa) and left Chris with us. I baked cookies for the boys and Dave and I played gin rummy before bed. All in all, a quiet day.

Durango Silvertain Train

On 7/29, we all got up early to head to Durango to board the Durango Silverton Narrowgauge Railroad. The train departed at 9:45 and we enjoyed some spectacular views from our open air gondola car. From the picture, you can see that we were on some pretty narrow pieces of ground! The ride was 3.5 hours up and we arrived in the old mining town of Silverton to find very cool temps and snow on the mountain tops. With only 2 hours in Silverton before departure, we found a place to have lunch (which just so happened to be one of the oldest bordellos in Colorado!). We ate outside under an umbrella and were surprised to notice hail coming down while it was still sunny! We shopped in the touristy shops in this old town and then boarded the train at 3:30. On our trip back, elk were spotted and we also watched a rapidly moving stream of water far below us. A few days earlier, in Mesa Verde, we were lucky enough to see three elk right by the roadside as we left the park. We stopped that day and took some terrific photos of them!

When we returned to Durango, the Rices recommended a pizza place that they'd enjoyed before. We all had a HUGE slice of pizza for dinner, then walked around downtown Durango. Ash and Chris were so happy to be together again and have had a great time catching up. A busy, but fun day for all of us.

Kevin, Mary & Chris Arrive

On our first full day in Durango (7/28), we spend the day totally relaxing. We've gone gangbusters since leaving Peoria and it is so nice to have nothing to do! The boys checked out the area, played video games and watched movies. Dave and I read, watched a couple of old movies in the afternoon, and caught up on laundry. Around 5:30, we headed into town to go to the Bar D Chuckwagon Dinner. Back in '88, we'd gone to this with the family reunion and enjoyed it. Decided to take the boys, and while we were there, found out that it was the 40th anniversary of the Bar D. Back in 2002, forest fires had come within feet of the place, but luckily, it was saved.

We enjoyed a good Western style dinner on tin plates, with lemonade in tin cups. After dinner, there was entertainment - western songs sung by cowboys. At first, the boys thought it would be boring. In fact, Matt said, "Please don't tell anyone in Peoria that I came to this!" After the first song, they got into it and loved the humor, the stories and the funny songs. It was a nice evening!

Kevin, Mary and Chris Rice got a late start coming to Durango b/c of some commitments they had. They finally arrived at 1:30 AM and headed straight to bed. We were happy they found the place in the dark since it is soooooo dark here!

Durango ... R&R Here We Come!

On Sunday, 7/27, we left Mexican Hat, UT and drove past gorgeous landscape as we headed toward Colorado. We stopped at the Four Corners and we all thought it was neat to be in 4 states at one time. Great pictures of the kids as they put their hands and feet in each state (CO, UT, AZ & NM). The site is operated by the Navajo and they also have many booths where you can buy their wares. We purchased an ornament for our Christmas tree along with a few other little things. Dave has certainly increased his "dress T's" as we've traveled around this trip!

Before we got to Durango, we stopped at Mesa Verde to view the ancient ruins of the Anasazi Indians. Dave and I had visited Mesa Verde when we were in Durango in 1988 for a Copley Family Reunion and remembered how interesting it was to see how this ancient people lived. The boys loved it, too! Our only disappointment was that tickets were needed to view two of the main areas. In '88, we could walk all over the park and tour the ruins on our own without separate tickets. We did walk to the Spruce House, however, and loved the views. Matt read a story in school last year about the Anasazi and found it all very interesting.

We headed into Durango, had dinner there and then followed our GPS to the house in the mountains that we were renting. The GPS worked great until we lost our cell signal! After help from a local, we were able to find the house before it got dark. Once again, we found remnants of a forest fire on the hills around us. Luckily, the ground cover had greened up and it didn't look too bad from our home.

The house we rented has been great for us ... lots of room, great views, no air conditioning needed b/c of the cool temps, washer and drier ... just super! The lower level has a kitchen, TV room and 2 bedrooms. The kids have spent the great majority of their time down there. We have enjoyed some quiet time reading and watching TV upstairs. It's a 35 minute drive to town, but we don't go in every day, so it's not too bad - and the views are spectacular!

Our First Mishap

Forgot to mention that, as we were leaving the Grand Canyon, I slammed the van door shut on Matt's right hand! He was hysterical, of course, and we immediately put his hand in a plastic grocery bag full of ice. Three Tylenol later and we were on our way.

Monument Valley

On July 26, we regrettably packed up and left the beautiful Grand Canyon - Dave's favorite place. We took with us a few souvenirs, a new tie tack for Dave (that matched the belt buckle he bought in Durango in 1988) and a lovely bracelet Dave bought for me for my 50th. We headed a bit north to Page, AZ. Stopped to see Glen's Canyon Dam - the third largest in the US and the last dam built. Headed across northern Arizona through the Navajo Nation. Stopped at McDonald's for lunch (Matt was thrilled!) and got gas (only 3.99/gallon - the cheapest gas we'd found yet) ... all business run by Navajo. Drove through Monument Valley and admired the interesting landscape. Arrived in the metropolis of Mexican Hat, UT around 5:30 pm. If you've seen the animated movie, CARS, then you might remember Mexican Hat. All the cars drove through it and, at the east end of the city, there is a rock formation that resembles an upside down sombrero.

Mexican Hat is a dusty hole-in-the-wall with not much there besides a couple of restaurants and a few motels. A month ago we called for a reservation in this area and got one of the last two remaining rooms for miles it seemed. We paid a pretty price for our room ($122) considering it was such a dumpy town, but the room was clean and we were happy to have a place to lay our heads. The motel backed up to red rocks and the San Juan river. The river was quite muddy, so swimming was out of the question. They threw rocks and put their feet in, then headed back to the room for showers.

At dinner, we met a nice couple from Britain. They were finishing their meal and we were just arriving. They returned later in the evening and, after Dave took the boys back to the motel, he came back and we had a great chat with them. We've really enjoyed meeting people from all over the world on this trip.

Grand Canyon ~ North Rim

After leaving Zion on 7/25, we made the short drive to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (2.5 hours). On our way in, we drove through the Kaibab National Forest and noticed about 10 mi of burned trees. Learned there had been a forest fire a few years ago ... a common occurrence here with high elevations. Lightening strikes are responsible for approximately 90% of the fires in these areas. We arrived a bit early, but our cabin was ready and the porter unpacked our van and drove us to our cabin in his golf cart. We had a 2 BR cabin with a bath in the between the two rooms. No air conditioning needed as it was 67 degrees when we arrived. Views of the canyon from our bedroom windows were wonderful. After several days in warm temps, we were all convinced that the cool temps were marvelous.

The North Rim elevation is higher than the South Rim which keeps the temperatures cool. In addition, we learned that 1 out of 10 Grand Canyon visitors visit the North Rim. It was busy there and they had no vacancies, but not nearly as crowded as I remember the South Rim to be. Prior to dinner we sat out on the veranda on their wicker and log framed seats, had a drink and enjoyed the views. The boys thought the canyon was great - so much bigger than any of the other canyons we'd seen so far. We enjoyed dinner in the historic lodge and then retired to our cabin for a game of Kings in the Corner. (No TV in the cabins, thankfully!)

The next morning, Dave and Ash got up early and took a short hike. We had breakfast in the lodge and then hiked a bit out to a point where we had some photos taken. Dave identified the numbers of the cabins with a "perfect" view ... so if you ever go to the North Rim, take note: You want to request cabin 309, 310 or 312.

A Computer ... At last!

It's Thursday, July 30th ... almost a week since my last post. Mom, you would be proud of me. I'm at the Durango Public Library updating the blog and checking email. :-) Dave took the boys fishing and I plan to explore the shops and have lunch while they're gone. I left off after Zion, so will continue on with our trip ...

Zion National Park

No pictures today - I'm on a very slow computer in the Lodge and don't have the time to download a photo. Busy day yesterday. Left Boulder and drove through Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - summit was 7600 ft. Beautiful views on scenic byway Rt. 12. About 90 min later we arrived at Bryce National Park. We viewed the movie that told how Bryce came into being and made the typical stops at viewing areas. Fantastic views of this unusual canyon from all vantage points. Just a quick trip, though because we were headed to Zion for the night.

Took a longer way to Zion than expected because we decided to see Cedar Breaks National Monument. We'd heard there were terrific views there, but we were sorely disappointed as we drove up the mountain toward Cedar Breaks. On both sides of us were thousands of dead spruce trees. When we arrived at Cedar Breaks, we learned that, back in the 1990's, the Spruce Bark Beetle came into the area and wiped out thousands of acres of spruce. Complete mountainsides of trees were dead. The only living spruce were the shorter, younger ones. What a shame! We decided it wouldn't be too picturesque to eat our lunch in this area, so we moved on.

Matt spent part of the time in the car deleting duplicate photos off his new digital camera. He'd taken 304 pictures and, after deleting, was down to 237!!! yeegads! Every time we say, "Boys - look to your right/left," he would snap 2-3 photos. How funny!

On the way into Zion, we saw several cars pulled over and, to our delight, we found a herd of buffalo grazing by the side of the road. A great find ... and, of course, more photos. We arrived at Zion National Park around 4:30 and I had no idea the actual lodge was in the bottom of the canyon! I thought we'd be on top, looking down like most of the other canyons. We drove on a winding canyon road for miles before reaching the bottom of the beautiful canyon. On the way down, we saw Big Horned Sheep on the mountainside and got great pictures. Drove through a tunnel carved through a mountain in 1925 that was 1 mi long. When it was carved, cars weren't as big as they are today, so they could have 2-way traffic. Now, they have 1 way traffic so big RVs and SUVs can get through.

We were able to park at the lodge b/c we were staying there, but everyone else had to park somewhere else and take the shuttle in. In 2000 they started a shuttle service here and everyone must take it to get around. Saves a ton on CO2 emissions and it seems to work very well. We took a tour of the park, then returned to the lodge for a nice dinner. On the walk back to our cabin, we saw mule deer come right out of the hillsides and Matt got more good pictures of them closeup!

After many days of traveling and hiking, Matt wanted to sleep in ... so, I volunteered to be the parent to stay back with him. (Wasn't a tough decision - I felt the same way!) Dave and Ash got up at 6 am and took a 3 1/2 hour hike. They went up to Hidden Canyon and walked an incline of 850 ft. To get to the canyon, they traversed faces of the cliffs with 500-600 foot dropoffs. The path was no more than 3 ft wide, but did have some grab chains on the wall. The stone was sandstone and it was slippery in parts. Some of the paths angled away from the wall and were a bit tricky. It was a neat walk and they both had a wonderful time. They got into the canyon and walked back into it for about a mile. After scrambling over 5-6 rock dams, they had to stop because they were too numerous and too high. They also walked over to Weeping Rock which was a natural spring leeching through a thousand feet of sandstone. When the water came to shale it started moving sideways until it came out the cliff face. It was called a "Rainforest in the Desert." Very cool, they reported.

Matt and I packed up the car, iced down the cooler and happened to arrive at the Lodge when they were getting off the shuttle bus. Perfect timing. Off to the Grand Canyon today (North Rim).

Hell's Backbone

A beautiful waterfall, right? Well, we hiked through Hell's Backbone - specifically Lower Calf Creek Falls today - 2.75 mi in and 2.75 mi out - and believe me ... we now know why the area is named Hell's Backbone! It's located in the Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument. The thought of this fabulous waterfall is what drove us to continue the hike - up and down hills of red sand, climbing over rocks along tall canyon walls and winding around steep corners. When we began, the temp was 82 and 6 hours later when we arrived at our car, the temp was 104 (and sunny!). It was pretty stifling on the walk back.

Once at the waterfall, the temps dropped. Dave and I sat on the sand watching the boys play in the 52 degree water (under the waterfall in the photo) for 2+ hours. There was a fabulous breeze and the spray from the waterfall cooled us immediately. The kids crawled up the rock ledges to the right of the waterfall and slid down into the water. They also took turns swimming into the waterfall and touching the wall behind it. We brought a picnic lunch and LOTS of water with us. On the way back, Ash (in wet clothes), took off and got to the car a full 45 minutes before Dave, Matt and me! He's certainly our outdoors kid. We practically had to pick Matt up the last mile and carry him out. He was exhausted and so very hot! I was pretty proud that my 50 year old legs made it the entire trip even though my face was really red from the heat - whoo hoo!

While at the Falls, we met a family visiting from Belgium, as well as a family from Salt Lake - Americans at last! The SLC family happened to be staying at the same lodge as we were. The kids plan to have a fire tonight and hang out together. It's amazing how many Europeans are out driving rental RVs around the country! It's so much fun to talk with them, get their perspectives on America, etc. There's a company in California (www.cruiseamerica.com)that has this rental business - their RVs are everywhere!

If you'd like to see more about the lodge we're at - just go to http://www.boulder-utah.com/ to read more. It's a great spot in the middle of nowhere! There's also an article in the NY Times that tells more about the area we're in and the lodge: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B03E0DD1F38F937A35753C1A9649C8B63

Had a nice dinner at the Burr Trail Grill next door to our lodge and rewarded everyone for their perseverance with any dessert they wanted on the menu.

Tomorrow we head to Bryce and Zion - will stay at the lodge at Zion for one night before heading to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This really is the "middle of nowhere." I'm not sure I could live here, but it's a gorgeous part of our country. Fun to see and fun to explore!

Beautiful Boulder

Goblin Valley


Landscape Arch

Once again, Dave hoisted our behinds up and out of bed by 6:30 AM. We had bfast in our room and packed up to leave the beautiful Red Cliffs Lodge - deep in the canyons of Moab. We headed to Arches one last time and made the hike to Landscape Arch (pictured here). Along the way we also viewed Pinetree Arch and Tunnel Arch. Met some nice people from Oklahoma - a teacher, in fact. Had a fun conversation with them. Sunny day and temps were 82 by the time we left the park at 10:30 AM. We started our journey to Boulder ... not Colorado, but Utah! It's a very remote spot - in fact, the last place in the continental US to receive mail by mule - current pop. 200. It took us all afternoon to travel the 196 miles because we made a few stops. First, we visited Dead Horse Point State Park and enjoyed canyon spectacular views that also included the Colorado River flowing through it.

Next, we made a stop at Goblin Valley - a neat site that only gets approximately 100,000 visitors a year. After arriving at the site, we found a canyon full of sandstone sculptures that looked like little creatures. They were created by millions of years of erosion and, if you looked long enough, you could see face-like features in these creatures. The park allows people to roam off trails and stand on the goblins themselves, which the boys thought was really cool.

The final leg our our trip today took us through a beautiful part of Utah. We took Rt. 12 - named one of the Top Ten Scenic Drives in America to Boulder. It was absolutely stunning. While driving, we were able to see at least four rain storms out in the distance. To see a complete weather system moving was unbelievable. At the top of the mountain, we reached 9600 and the temps had dropped to 65 degrees. Met a family from Holland and they remarked on how "cheap" our gas is! They pay over $9 a gallon (equivalent) in Holland and are loving how the Euro is paying off in America. I guess that's why we've typically met Europeans this trip (with the exception of a family from Australia.) Not many Americans traveling this summer!

We finally arrived in Boulder and the first mini-mart we stopped by (a shack on the road) was completely out of milk. Luckily, the only other one in town (another shack) had milk, so we stocked up on bfast food. The lodge is really fun - remote, family-oriented (Matt is playing volleyball right now with a group of guests.) We can use their badminton or croquet sets, have a bonfire, fish, or a whole host of other activities.

Tomorrow we head to the Grand Staircase Escalante Monument to hike Calf Creek ("crick") falls. Love the cooler temps and the neat lodge. They are completely booked for tonight, believe it or not. Pays to plan ahead! No cell service here (or in Moab), so we are out of touch for awhile.

God's Handiwork Up Close

What a day we had today! We just drove the 15 miles back into the canyon to our lodge, and on the way back, Ash said, "This was one heck of a cool day!" We all had to agree. Dave got our sleepy bodies out of bed with a 6:30 wakeup call today. We drove into town to have a quick breakfast, then headed for Arches National Park. We were all sooooo glad he got us up, because we made the 3.0 mi hike to Delicate Arch in great temps - 75 when we arrived and 83 when we ended the hike. Cloud cover provided the lower temps for us and we also enjoyed a great breeze. The walk was somewhat difficult - along the way we ran into an 82 yr old man who'd fallen and passed out on the slippery rocks. He'd bloodied his shirt and needed stitches in his head - had to give him credit for attempting the steep climb though. As we finally rounded the last corner, walking along the narrow ledge, we saw the stunning Delicate Arch. You can't help but be awed and impressed with the gorgeous site. Stayed for a bit taking pictures and visiting with other tourists - mostly French - very few Americans. The entire experience took about 4 hours. After descending, we hiked over to view some Native American petroglyphs and then drove to see Balanced Rock - a HUGE bolder balanced on a stone pedestal. Just fabulous! The boys loved the hike and were also impressed with the sandstone creations throughout the national park.

After leaving the park, we headed into town for a quick lunch, then made our 2 pm appt for a Hummer Tour! This was absolutely fantastic! It was really warm by then (95), but we had a nice breeze, a great tour guide and stunning views. If you want to see an area we viewed, go to www.youtube.com and search for Moab the Crash. You will see quite a site that happened on this huge hill that we overlooked on our tour. Luckily, our hummer tour was a bit calmer than that! Matt videotaped much of the ride which included steep climbs up narrow petrified sand dunes. At one point, the guide even took us up a hill backwards! Now, this may not sound scary to you, but when the trail is very narrow and you can see down for hundreds of feet on either side of you --- well, it was wild! Ashley and Sarah - we were in the same area as the famous Slippery Rock bike trail used by many mountain bikers. You wouldn't believe the incline we (and they) rode on as we traveled the trails.

A trip the the grocery store and a Subway sandwich to go completed our day today. We are all tired and decided a swim at the lodge was in order to cool off. Rain and a bit of thunder last night, so no stars. It has cleared off tonight and we're hoping to see a sky full of stars tonight.

Tomorrow morning, we will drive into Arches and hike to Landscape Arch before leaving Moab. On to Boulder, UT next ...

Red Rocks Galore

This morning we had breakfast with Sam in Midvale, then headed south on I-15 toward Moab. On our atlast, Sam highlighted some scenic drives we should take, so we took a little extra time getting here. We drove all afternoon and arrived around 6 pm. If you want to see where we are, check out this website: http://www.redcliffslodge.com/ It is in a very remote location surrounded by redrocks ... beautiful. We have a neat room with 2 queen beds and a pullout couch. Boys are happy b/c they don't have to share a bed for two nights, a kitchenette w/ microwave and frig. Very cool room with wood beams and western decor.

Using Sam's scenic route, we were able to drive up to about 9600 ft through a national forest. We found snow and the kids had a snowball fight in July. After coming down the mountain, we drove for over 90 min without seeing a thing but beautiful scenery - no buildings, no power lines, no towns, NOTHING! It was really remote. Talked to Doug, Sally and Sarah intermittently while going through this area depending on cell service. Had lunch at a beautiful rest area and looked at the wares of Navajo Indians. Matt brought a pretty bracelet for Sadie made of juniper seeds and turquoise.

Dinner at the lodge was absolutely wonderful! Ash had trout, Dave ordered pork chops, I had chicken and Matt ordered chicken alfredo. Gorgeous views like the one I posted today greeted us as we looked out the big windows next to our table. The boys are out fishing now and I will sign off.

Forgot to Mention ...

Years ago when Dave was living in Salt Lake City, he met a guy named Sam Korologos at a local KFC while having lunch. The started talking and became fast friends. They have stayed in touch over the years, and we managed to catch up with him and his wife, Tia, while in SLC this trip. Sam invited us to his mountain top home for dinner on Friday night and we had a great time. It was great to reconnect and share old stories. They have a beautiful home and we saw a gorgeous sunset as we watched the lights of SLC come up. It was great seeing Sam again, seeing his children Korene and Thomas, and introducing him to our kids.

Zip Lines, Slides and Tramps, Oh My!

On Saturday, we returned to Ruth's ... our favorite bfast restaurant - located up Emigration Canyon. Once again, we were treated to a fabulous breakfast as we sat in their garden behind the trolley car restaurant and looked up at beautiful mountains. After breakfast, we treked up the mountain to Park City - the site of the 2002 Olympic ski events. We saw the two ski jumps that were built for the Olympics as well as the Olympic Welcome Center. I'd read about some fun things for the kids to do in Park City, and we found them!

It was a beautiful, sunny day and all four of us decided to try the exciting ZIP LINE! We took a 20 min ride up the mountain in a chairlift (Matt's first experience) and took in the beautiful views. At about 2000 ft, we slid off the lift and headed toward the zip line. Our initial excitement quickly turned into sheer panic as we watched the people ahead of us hook themselves into the harness. Dave and I decided to go first so we could take the boys' pictures as they came down. We got buckled in and put our straightened legs against the board in front of us. I'm sure a few choice words came out of my mouth as they dropped the boards and we immediately dropped. After the initial shock, the ride was gorgeous! Fast, fun and smooth - I would do it again in a minute, and so would Dave. Our 45 second ride came to an end much too fast. We waited on the platform to see the boys descend. While they were too high up for us to actually see them, we could hear Matt's screams loud and clear. By the time they reached our view, Matt's arms were stretched out wide - not holding on at all! Ash, of course, was calm and cool. I think our hearts were beating quickly for many minutes after the ride.

Next, the boys got in the chairlift line again in order to do the alpine slide. The fiberglass slide zig-zagged the mountain and they raced each other to the bottom. Matt also took advantage of the trampoline and got an opportunity to jump higher than ever before. He managed to do two backflips before his stomach started turning and he had to get off.

After Park City, we drove around the outside of the mountains and through the Timpanogos. What a beautiful drive! We passed Sundance (home of the Sundannce Film Festival and Robert Redford - no sitings, though!), and headed straight up the mountain. Gorgeous views and even some snow. At our highest, we reached 9600 ft. We then headed down the front side of the mountain and landed not far from a new Cabela's! This time we chose to stop. After some serious looking, we headed back into Salt Lake for dinner and some down time at the hotel. There was still some haze over the city and we learned from Sam's wife that it was a result of the California fires.

BTW

Remember the old Password game with Betty White and Alan Funt (?) ...
Well, the game has gotten new life with Regis Philbin's version as a summer replacement series. I bought a car version of the game in a sneaky attempt to work on vocab skills - Well, I gave the clue "race" and Matt's response was "ist" ... We laughed and laughed and laughed!

oops

wish I could change SCENARY to SCENERY!!!

The Big 5-0 Came and Went

We had a long day of driving on my 50th birthday, but it was brightened by many phone calls from family and friends. Loved hearing from everyone ... thx! Once we left Nebraska, the scenary got noticeably better. Pine trees, rocky cliffs and even a snow covered mountain in the distance. For lunch, we stopped at a rest area that had gorgeous views. Each picnic area was blocked off by 3 walls due to extreme winds in WY. Luckily, we had a calm day and driving was easy. Miles and miles of nothing in WY - no exits, no homes, no stores ... nothing! At one point, Matt asked, "How does anyone here get to a WalMart?" :-)

Just before entering Utah, we stopped at a rest stop that had a neat natural habitat area for prairie dogs. We got out some chips and hand-fed them for quite awhile. They were everywhere - I guess word got out that a tasty treat was being offered from some humans.

The drive through the mountains in Utah was beautiful. Our shutterfly, Matt, snapped over 50 pictures yesterday! As we drove past Park City (site of 2002 Olympic ski events), we noted how built up it was from the last time we were here almost 20 years ago. It used to be very artsy and quaint. May still be in the actual village, but all around it there were condos and fast food joints.

Salt Lake was hazy when we entered the valley - Dave thought the interstate system was much more intricate than he remembered. Found the hotel (Marriott) easily, and to our delight, we looked out our window on the 12th floor and saw we were directly across the street from the Morman Temple. What a view! Luckily, we arrived just in time to hear the Morman Tabernacle Choir rehearse! They only practice once a week - Thursdays at 7 pm. It was beautiful to hear - full orchestra, organ and many, many voices. They now rehearse in the new Convention Center built on their property as opposed to the smaller Tabernacle. Afterwards, we walked to Squatters - a local brew pub - and had a good dinner. Home by 10:30.

This morning, we headed up Immigration Canyon to have breakfast at Dave's favorite spot - Ruth's - a dining car in the mountains. We all had a fabulous meal. Sat outside in the garden, shaded, looking up at the commanding mountains. Ash ate his ham & cheese omelet and, of course, finished up my meal and Matt's as well. We then toured the U of Utah and drove by the house Dave lived in many years ago.

Dave and Ash dropped Matt and me off at the Gateway Mall (very cool outdoor mall) and they headed for Ogden to the Browning Museum. Matt shopped and shopped for Utah Jazz stuff and came away with two basketballs. Just yesterday Darrin Williams (from U of I) signed a 4 yr contract with the Jazz for $50 million! We got to see him play in Champaign and now he's on the Olympic team and making the big bucks here in Utah. We also went across the street to the Delta Center to go to their Fanz store. Took the light rail train back to the hotel (new in 2006) and will swim and relax until Dave and Ash return.

We did find out some exciting news - the Rocky Mountain Review is this week and NBA teams (along with players trying out for the teams) are playing here in Salt Lake! Matt and I will go an Atlanta/Dallas game at 4:30 today, while Dave and Ash tour Dave's friend Sam's machine shop. Do you get the idea the boys have completely separate interests? Tomorrow we will all be together as we head up into the mountains to ride the chairlifts and see the beautiful scenery.

A Solemn Moment

I forgot to mention this ... but earlier today, we passed by not only a Cabellas, but a Bass Pro Shops, too. Ashton was salivating. We put our hands over our hearts as we passed in deference to Ash. What a guy to not even ask to stop!

Day One - the long trek West

Our day began with Pet Palace arriving at 7 am to chauffeur Biz to his home for the next three weeks - their kennel in Germantown Hills. By 7:30 we were on our way, van fully loaded. As most of you know, the drive through Iowa and Nebraska isn't particularly scenic, but we were able to see the remnants of the floods from earlier this summer. Waters were still high in many places and we were amazed to see standing water in Nebraska cornfields. Even saw some cows standing in a muddy field. We enjoyed a picnic lunch somewhere in Iowa and the boys played catch a bit while we reorganized the van.

Dave drove the entire way - afraid that I might fall asleep at the wheel. (I'm going to try to convince him to let me drive tomorrow so he can "relax" with a movie - ha!) We all stayed busy with reading, watching movies, playing Password, and playing the wii. It was so much fun to hear the boys crack up time and time again as they watched Airplane - remember that movie from the 70's? Timeless in its hilarity. After 11 hours on the road, we pulled in to the lovely Ramada Inn in North Platte, Nebraska.

It was obvious from the start that this Ramada would not put us in the lap of luxury, but it was certainly better than the one we visited in Alabama a few years ago. The pool was actually filled and the boys had a swim before going out to eat. Rooms were older, but clean. Air conditioning worked as did the remote control for the TV, so I guess we're one up on the last Ramada visit!

Tomorrow we'll get an early start b/c we have another 10+ hour day in the car. Will finish our tour of Nebraska, head through Wyoming and then down to Salt Lake City. The scenery will be better than today - and it will be our last long day of driving until we head home. The boys can't wait to see the mountains!

Westward Ho!

36 hours and counting - We are all running around like crazy trying to make sure we've crossed all our t's and dotted all our i's. Banking, bill paying, stopping the paper & mail, getting new cell phones (complete with 30 days of free internet and GPS just for our trip!), laundry, getting pets where they need to go, etc. The boys are excited and ready to go. I'm not sure they realize it will be at least a day and a half before the topography actually changes!

The car was washed, DVD players, cell phones, iPods, cameras and camcorders are being charged. The guy who runs my nail salon gave me 5 new movies when I got my pedicure today - which makes a total of 14 new movies he's just given me. He's got a gig going where he gets the movies from Netflix, saves them to his computer, makes copies and simply gives them to certain customers - how lucky I feel to be part of that group! Frig is being cleaned out, car games are ready, house is picked up ... the list goes on and on. Tomorrow night, we have dinner with my folks and celebrate my dad's 82nd birthday as well as my 50th, then we're off.

The Adventures of DCAMLONG!