Better late than never...

I think the theory behind blogging is that you keep a sort of journal, and at its best, it is daily. Oops, not this blog.

I suppose it is better to be late than never, but in this case, it really taxes the memory. Like, what was I doing 2 weeks ago? How can I recall things more than a day old? Sometimes I forget stuff that is only an hour old! Well, here is the last few weeks in a nutshell...

Smith Center, KS

We left Grand Junction, boon docked in Eastern Colorado at a Flying J. The next day (Sat) we parked at the Excel factory in Smith Center KS to have our last gasp use of our two year warranty. We got several things taken care of--the pantry was jamming, not any more! Ellen is happy!! Yet another new water pump was installed. The kitchen slide was fine tuned and the underneath plastic covering was replaced. They also replaced the 'glide rite' hitch attachment, which minimizes 'chucking' when on a less than smooth roadway. They also did a number on our large slide, which was set too low and was causing binding and the living room carpet to bunch up. As of May 26th, we are going to be on our own for repairs and adjustments...

New Friends

While at the factory (we were there 7 days), we got to know and isited with two terrific couples, Virgel and Nancy Kroeker from Minnesota, and Howard and Mel Robinson from all over. Both are full timer couples and Excel lovers. Howard and Mel had been living in England.

Erin's Family, Gowrie, IA

A week ago Saturday we pulled in to Gowrie IA to visit Erin and Babbs and kids. Had a nice visit, that's for sure, including a few games of Settlers of Catan. We were able to take Ashely to Auburn to meet Craig, her long distance boyfriend from Audubon. We only got to see Jaiden, Mason and Ethan on Monday, as they were at Jeff's for the week. We picked them up after school, had some good time with them, then took all out to eat at the Pizza Ranch in Jefferson.

Fort Dodge, IA

On Tuesday we packed up for Fort Dodge, and stayed at Kennedy Park. Got the Ford serviced at Fort Dodge Ford, shopped and had some 'down' time to relax. We spent an afternoon with friends Alec and Charlton Pendry, then on Thursday Ellen got to go to her monthly Book Club which she totally enjoyed. While she was chatting with the ladies, I met Mike Zahm (counselor at my old school), Ryan Reisner (former student and poker buddy), and Joel Greathouse (also a poker player) at Lefti's Bar. It was great to catch up.

Minneapolis MN, Jenn's Family

On Friday we drove up highway 169 to Lebanon Hills County Campground near the Minneapolis Zoo. We usually stay here when visiting Ellen's daughter Jenn and her family. Had a fun reunion with Jenn, Ben and Mica. Jenn had a nice pot of pea soup, sourdough bread and pastries from a not-so-fat-free bakery on the south side of Minneapolis. I got out of control really fast. Spent time walking around the pond at Powderhorn Park with Jenn and Mica, played some UNO when we got back, then trundled on back to the RV.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Hey all you mothers! Today is your day. And isn't it nice that somebody thought of honoring all the Moms in May? How about all those other days of the year? Hopefully each of us can do something special for our mothers in our lives.

We have been in Grand Junction Colorado, visiting Ellen's sister Mary. Mary has been getting treatment for mantle lymphoma over that last several years. She is doing pretty well, and she has lots of friends helping her out. We were able to meet with or have meals with some of them, including Jackie, Bob and Michelle and Marcus, and Carol.

Ellen and Mary at Mary's house

We spent about 9 days there, and we were able to take a day trip to Gunnison and visit with Ellen's cousins John and Bobbie. Had a nice lunch with them downtown Gunnison and the spent the afternoon at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a fantastic National Park. I cannot remember all the info on it, other than volcanoes, lava, and the fast running Gunnison River caused spectacular vertical cliffs that drop about a half a mile.

Two happy sightseers

Salt Lake City

We spent several days in the Salt Lake City area, actually staying at a state park situated on Utah Lake in Provo, UT. It was a refreshing time, with many wild birds in the wetland area. The weather was very agreeable as well.

We a city tour in SLC, with a tour guide that was exceptionally knowledgeable of the city, its history and Mormonism. He did the whole thing 'off the cuff'...you know how some tours have a canned spiel? Not John Knight! We were convinced he was ADD, as his story bounced around when he would think of something else, but it was well worth it.

We were able to see and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir record a TV and radio show. Wow, that was great! Beautiful music with a full orchestra, and check out those organ pipes! We learned that there are term limits for the volunteer singers---20 years or reaching the age of 60, whichever comes first. Perhaps that is what is needed in congress? (but fewer years)

Sorry for the crooked shot, I will fix that in iPhoto. This is the Mormon Temple on Temple Square, downtown SLC. The city is remarkably clean, and we were there at the right time of year as the tulips and flower plantings were all blooming as well as the countless flowering trees through out the city.

Ellen is in front of the state capitol building on a hillside overlooking the city. This is a beautiful structure with many statues and murals and inside are 23 foot tall 'one piece' granite columns.

Our tour also took us to the Great Salt Lake. Here we are with Antelope Island in the background. Antelope Island is currently a peninsula, as the lake level is way way down. There is much more to do and see in this area including a huge open pit copper mine and several opulent mansions. We hope to be back soon!

A day off

We had a real lazy Sunday yesterday. The only work we did was switch sites here at St. George Western Horizons RV Resort.

We were parked under a tree that had many tent caterpillar webs. Several of them were opening with fuzzy caterpillars from 1-3 inches crawling all over the place. Our first day here I sprayed all around the Excel, but by yesterday morning they were crawling on the tires and front jacks. Yuk!

So we found an empty spot with no trees, no caterpillars. Before moving the rig and stuff I sprayed the little buggers off with the hose. Hopefully we don't have any stowaways.

We read the small southeastern Utah Sunday paper, had a fantastic pork tenderloin for dinner, and watched one of our favorite shows "Breaking Bad". This show is fantastic, with Bryan Cranston playing a high school chemistry teacher (2 emmys for this role) turned meth manufacturer to help his family survive economically. (His son has MS, his wife was pregnant, and he had terminal lung cancer.) A bad decision, and it keeps getting worse for him.

I also caught the Chinese Grand Prix, dominated by McLaren Mercedes, with Jensen Button and Lewis Hamilton finishing 1-2 in the rain. I keep rooting for Robert Kubica, the only driver from Poland, land of my ancestors. He's like in 6th in the points standings.

I hope to get some drawing done tomorrow, as the weather is supposed to turn crummy this week.

ZION NATIONAL PARK---WHAT BEAUTY!

We have left Nevada, arriving at Saint George UT Thursday. We are staying at the Western Horizons Resort, with a great view of the Red Cliffs National Recreation Area.

We ventured to Zion NP today, and had a fantastic eye-popping experience. What natural beauty! We were fortunate in that they had a wet spring, and the waterfalls were plentiful, which I understand is not 'normal'.

The rock formations are awe-inspiring, with the Virgin River slicing through the sandstone mountains and causing spectacular cliffs. With some erosive undercutting, there is evidence of rock slides. One guide said there is a rock slide everyday in the park.

Ellen is under the Weeping Rocks ledge overhang. The water seeps through the rock horizontally when stone does not allow vertical seepage. All along the wall are plants and some blooming flowers. Ellen was getting dripped on during this photo.

This was the tallest waterfall we saw today, splashing into the Virgin River.

This is called the Three Patriarchs. The tallest whitish peaks are named Abraham, Isaiah and Jacob. The reddish peak is a mountain whose name I forgot.

You all MUST see this Park! Travel in the park is all on propane powered shuttles, with 8 or 9 stops along the scenic route which follows the river canyon bottom. We found this to be a very satisfactory and effective method of getting lots of people through the park with minimal noise and congestion. You can get off and on whenever you want, and it is free! With our Golden Age Pass, allowing us in the park for free, we spent only $8 on lunch at the Zion Lodge dining area. We will be back!

Death Valley Wildflowers and Badwater Basin

Yesterday we made a day trip to Death Valley National Park. We had been there two years ago, but it was around the end of December. It was quite different this time around, as we went to see the wildflowers blooming, and we sure did see quite a few.

A carpet of yellow at Death Valley

We also drove to the lowest point in the United States, Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level. It might be the lowest elevation in the world, I would have to check on that. Behind us is the basin, chock full of salt. The walkway behind us to the left is totally white from people tramping on the salty ground...To the sides of the walkway the surface is crusty with dirt 'frosted' with salt crystals. It is white again way out there, where you can see what appears to be a sliver of white. That white sliver is quite a large expanse actually.

I don't know the names of most of the flowers, but here are some photos of some of them.

This one is the Desert Five Star.

We played Texas Hold'em at the clubhouse last night and had a good time, plus we won about $7 between us. That is pretty good, as the game here has limited betting and the chips are a nickel apiece, with everyone starting with $5. Max bet anytime is 12 chips. A lot of fun with minimal risk.

Spring Mountain Ranch, Red Rock Canyon

Today we drove over the Spring Mountains towards Las Vegas. Our goal was to see Red Rock Canyon National park (or preserve), but we first found Spring Mountain State Park, which is the beautiful setting for Spring Mountain Ranch. This ranch was built on the site of settlers' trails to California, including a part of the Mormon Trail. The ranch house is full of historical items and photos. The owners over the years included Vera Krupp, a German actress and owner of that huge diamond Richard Burton bought for Elizabeth Taylor. Howard Hughes also owned the ranch for a few years, but never lived there. The grounds are beautifully kept and this is a stop well worth the making.

This area is known for its wild burros and horses. We did see 3 burros, but alas no horses.

Red Rock Canyon is simply magnificent! Fantastic vistas and an amazing variety of landforms and rocks surround this spacious canyon. The National Park Service has constructed a very nice 13 mile scenic drive, one way, all around the sides of the canyon, so you can see these this natural beauty without really worrying about traffic.
This is a view of what are called the calico rocks. These are the remnants of the desert of 180 million years ago, and are punctuated with striations of wind and water erosion over the centuries.
And then, ahh, the beautiful red rocks! These are some of the most fabulous views we have seen in all our travels. We did not even know about this until last night following Texas Hold'em at the clubhouse, when the activity director Nancy asked if we had been there yet. Thank you Nancy!

Tomorrow we hope to get to Death Valley, as the wildflowers are supposed to blooming big time.