Feb 9, 2022 Reed/Boyle travels (and trials) 2022
We once again have gone to our cabin in Kentucky to escape the cold and snow.
We left Cranbrook for Calgary on January 30 for a stop in Calgary to see Mick. Typical winter weather on the roads with white out conditions at times up highway 22 and drifting, We were happy to get there and relax for the rest of the day and then next while Mick was getting his infusion. The weather was not conducive to being outside so we stuck close to home with only a quick trip up to get a coffee from Deb’s new favorite coffee place (Euphoria) in NW Calgary. We also (of course) checked out a value village but for once walked away with nothing. Well we couldn’t have taken much as we had Pat’s Scion filled to its rafters with only a spot on one side of the backseat reserved for Sadie. We have moved her out of a dog cage to a harness that attaches to the headrest. She has only limited movement but seems much happier and we have not had any car sickness although we still have not risked feeding her in the morning on the days that we travel. In general she is more willing to get into the car but still not happy to go “for a car ride”.
We spent 2 great evenings with Mick, chatting, watching some tv and a couple of bad movies. (“Army of Thieves” and “Army of the Dead”). Pat’s walks with Sadie were shorter and all bundled up – as the temperature and wind made it rather cold`
Next stop Regina, again very cold but roads reasonable for us but there were many cars in the ditch from Moose Jaw to Regina. Wanda said that she had come back from Regina Beach on Monday just as the storm came in and that heavy snow and winds created white out conditions in minutes. She was glad that she was not another 10 minutes later! While visiting Wanda said that she had a job for Pat – to help her replace the light bulb in her microwave. She had already called one of her many contacts and found out that the cover for the microwave had to be removed. She would have done it herself but the microwave is up on a shelf in the wall and in being careful she wanted his assistance to move it out. Removing the cover was not overly difficult however, finding a replacement bulb created more of a challenge. Looking online was not overly helpful but a few phone calls later Wanda had secured a replacement and we sent Pat out in the cold to get it. After a few tries we were able to get the cover back on and Wanda can now see what she is microwaving and when the sauce is overflowing its container (ha ha)..
From Regina we drove in -30 conditions to south of Winnipeg to see Tammie and Kim. We certainly saw evidence of the storm that had come through a few days before (drifts across the road that had been cleared and vehicles in the ditch or ruts where they had been) but highway 1 was clear and dry. However, when we headed south around Winnipeg the roads quickly became solid ice around every corner, places where the trucks slowed down or at times for no reason at all that we could see. We passed a car that had just gone into the ditch on one side and the semi that swerved to avoid it on the other side. Pat drove like a trooper and we made it safely. We had a great visit, realizing that it had been far too long since we had last gotten together. We shared memories, updates of our families, wonderful food and definitely some wine.
When we left there place there had only been one other set of tracks out their rural road. We got onto the highway leading to the border, it was still intermittently covered with ice and hoping that there would not be another group of truckers blocking the border when we got there. Thankfully all was normal at the border and the roads on the US side were more clear. There was some drifting snow with huge drifts extending from the over passes, and the conditions could change to ice very quickly but there were also long stretched where the road was fine. We pushed down to Sioux Falls where we were able to book into a Microtel which although the room was small, the bed was great and the free breakfast the next morning included sausage gravy, biscuits, eggs, fruit, yogurt etc. Pat stopped in at a Verizon dealership and managed to connect our portable wifi so I have been able to connect with people on messenger, email and play games as we drive down the highway.
We pushed all the way to Branson Missouri having warm temperatures up to the mid teens. We got there just after dusk and were thankful for our gps program which helped us find our hotel.
Branson is a small city of 10,000 but is known for its musical shows, entertainment and ‘fun parks. It is also built on a series of hills and gullies which makes for interesting navigation and relearning how to stop and start on steep hills with a manual transmission. It might not have been so hard if we hadn’t caught up to the snow that was still hanging around. Our hotel parking lot was intermittently covered with half melted snow and ice and on a hill! Deb even pulled out her spikes to help when she went to walk Sadie. Oh and the hotel also seems to have bed bugs as Deb discovered having half a dozen welts the next day. This is off season for Branson, so many places were closed but you can see how it is a mini Vegas for shows and mini Niagara falls or Wisconsin Dells for mini golf, wax museums etc..
From there we headed off to mid Arkansas to stop by and see a dealer for the SafePorch we are looking to get for the cabin.. We found the dealer but he did not have any in stock although he carried Safe Rooms (basically a reinforced steel building that they mount inside a building or outside on a minimum 2 foot deep base. They also had a fiberglass room that could be buried underground. However both of these options were the same cost as the safeporch and they did not include shipping and installation in that price, nor did they have dual purpose so will likely stick with the safeporch although we would have liked to see one.
We carried on through Memphis without stopping as we did not really feel like staying the night and to fight into downtown, find parking where we could leave the dog just to stop for an hour or two at most did not seem worth it. We stopped in Boliver early enough for a relaxing evening and were able to walk Sadie on grass in shirt sleeves and give the car a much needed wash. The motel owner recommended a Mexican restaurant that turned out to be great – with enough food for supper that night and left overs for the next day’s supper.
The next morning we went down the road to Pinson Mounds Archeological site where we spent a delightful couple of hours walking around an area that has burial/ceremonial sites that date back to 400 AD. The sun was warm, there was no one else around and the walk was wonderful.
From there home to our cabin at Cadiz. All is well here, some evidence of mice – both dead and alive and expect that we will catch more now that the traps are reset. Fridge restarted easily, power good and Deb worked her magic to get the propane wall heater going again. Water was a bit more of a challenge – Pat got it started easily and no drips were evident under the sink but suddenly we could hear the water gushing and Deb looked outside to see water squirting out from under the corner of the house. Pat shut the water back off, and Deb found her rubber boots, gloves, hat and Pat provided a rubber mat to kneel on. Flashlight in hand, Deb watched to find the leak while Pat again turned on the water. It was not a leak but a pipe which was attached to nothing. It took 2 tries of turning off shut off valves to get the right one, but once we found that all was fine!
Made a quick run to the local dollar general and liquor store, to lay in our supplies for the night, and came back to finish our Mexican meals. Pat bought the liquor store out of Rita’s Lime-A-Ritas (6), and the Deb picked up a box of wine – so all is good. Tomorrow a more thorough grocery shop and laundry.
Feb 14, 2020. Reed/Boyle travels (and Birds) 2022
I realized that I forgot to mention in the last email that at Pinson Mounds they have steps up to the top of the tallest one. Pat stayed down with Sadie as he had been to the top before. I counted 110 steps on my way down but may have missed a few as I had not consciously decided to count them until the first landing. Needless to say my calves were a little tight the next day.
We returned to the Amish country store with a better idea of what to look for and what to watch out. We got some great deals – 4 pounds of salami for $12.95, spiral ham – 2 lbs for 3.99, 2 different kinds of Lara bard – 4.99 a dozen and some lactose free old cheddar cheese for $0.99. Perhaps the best buy was 2.5 pounds of yellow ‘american cheese’ for 5.00 – they make it there. It is very good, slices but is almost the texture of Imperial cheese that you get in a plastic tub and tastes very similar.
We had 2 beautiful days of 65 degrees and sun. We took advantage and took Sadie on a couple of walks. One of our stops was the historic Cherokee State Park. Cherokee was opened in 1951 and is the only state park in Kentucky that was developed for African Americans families. The park was 300 acres, with a beach, rental cabins, kitchen and dining halls and picnic areas. It operated as a segregated park until 1964 when the law ended segregation in public facilities.
We also took a side trip over to Mayfield where we saw the devastation that was caused by the tornado. Crews were working clearing up the debris in what used to be downtown – with several blocks being totally destroyed.
Speaking of tornadoes, we think that we will not get the Safe Porch storm shelter – it looks like it will end up costing nearly $8000 by the time all is said and done. We are thinking that in general there is warning of such weather systems and therefore, if we are here we will go somewhere outside of the path until the storm passes. ($8000 can purchase many hotel stays if needed).
From Mayfield, we made our way to Benton – and supper at Boss Hogg’s Boars Nest. Interesting place with pool tables,outdoor volleyball court, tiki bar, and decorated with a wide variety of politically incorrect signs. Food was great, beer was cold, and the waitress were friendly. The rest of the clientelle appear be be regulars stopping in for a few drinks and play pool.
The two warm days were followed by two cold ones, frost and ice on the cabin windows and I discovered a use for some very long very fuzzy socks – I warmed them slightly and then put them on my feet to sleep in one night when I could not get my feet warm.
We stayed home and Pat moved and replaced the fan light in the bedroom – it was a long one and he kept hitting his head. Deb put up some peel and stick “tile” as a back splash around the kitchen sink but it is not holding very well so we are trying some additional glue to see if that works. Then we went hunting for some furniture – we were both killing our backs sitting on the futon couch that we bought for very cheap many years ago. We doubled up the futons onto one frame but it still was not comfortable. We could not find much used and were debating getting both a hide-a -bed and either 2 easy chairs or a love seat to sit on in the evenings. However, that was beginning to be quite pricey and we decided that the futon would still work for a bed when people visit – we will give guests the bedroom and we will sleep in the living room. We found a liquidation center that had two recliners that fit for us (Deb’s even has a massage function) for a total of $245 for both, Pat added a lawnmower and the salesman agreed to deliver to our place for a reasonable fee. We moved the furniture in to the cabin, have put the two ottomans between the chairs as a place for Sadie which she seems to enjoy. We were all set up in time to settle in and watch the Superbowl – Pat was able to get it through a streaming app and the cast it to the TV. (you can tell how behind the times I am that I think this is new technology. Unfortunately we could not get the sound to work so added Deb`s phone to the mix and made it work that way but the sound was a little off which really affected the advertisements.
It has warmed up today during the day and we got out to start cleaning up (aka raking) the yard. We know that its only February but the critters like snakes, ticks and spiders etc. are either dormant or less active this time of year. I got about 2/3 of the front yard done – raking years worth of leaves, dead branches and pulling out some kind of small tree sprouts that propagate through sending out roots.
Gail, I have to brag that I beat you in getting started on gardening this year – I had to transplant a few buttercups (daffodils) that are already up to 6 inches tall and the buds are forming. They were in pathways or the middle of the yard – I know that they are likely not going to survive the transplant and bloom this year but should be fine next year.
Well, now for the birds. We have noticed a LOT of birds around here at this time. We ran into a small flock of cardinals that crossed our path on one of our walks, it was nice to see their bright red coloring. There are many turkey vultures (at times over 40) that are up in the trees near our cabin. We have seen owls and hawks on most of our drives – on trees or fence posts and once a hawk was watching something on the road and did not see us coming until the last minute – we thought that we would hit it. But the weirdest thing was just yesterday, we heard crows just squawking like crazy (a real cacophony) and then something sounding like a woman or child screaming. We came out to find a flock of crows harassing an owl, the owl finally flew off with most of the ‘murder’ of crows following. There were a few left behind and also large hawk to seemed to be just watching the goings on.
Disaster struck the other day, I blew up my espresso machine, and am having to use Pat’s french press cup – to make coffee in the morning until we can come across another one at a second hand store. I am surviving, but missing my coffee.
Feb 25. Kentucky to Roatan updates
We continue to find new quirks to fix at the cabin. We had pouring rain last week and Pat noticed that we were getting water accumulation on the inside window sill on the windows by the kitchen table. It was dripping so fast at one point that the containers that we taped to the window to catch the drips were accumulating about 2 inches every 10 minutes. A look outside the next day revealed that the gutter above the window was out from the wall and so rain was coming in behind. We picked up supplies and Pat repaired the leak after I left for Roatan. He has since had another pouring rain with flooding but no water in the windows. I’ll let him send a note out if he wishes to keep everyone in touch with what he is doing.
We took a side trip into Nashville ahead of time before my flight to Roatan to see how long it would take us, and to decide if I needed a hotel room or if we’d drive in the morning of my flight. So we drive down the interstate to Nashville – the cement on the interstate is layered and there are many points where the last layer has been broken off leaving large holes about 6 inches deep that you can’t avoid, there were many cars broken down, evidence of many tires blown off and many of the signs had been blown over (whether from the tornadoes or heavy wind gusts we don’t know.) Then we went right thru downtown with lots of traffic. Needless to say I decided that a hotel the night before would be worth it. So then we checked out a couple motels near the airport that found on Booking.com. They were economical (@70 US) but the neighbourhood looked a little sketchy so I went to talk to the staff. They did not open the door and spoke to me through a speaker. I looked at the lady and asked if she would feel safe waiting for and getting in a cab at 3 am in this neighbourhood and she said No. I thanked her for her honesty and she sent us to a place closer and safer.
So for half again as much money, I found a motel closer to the airport, safer and with a Panera restaurant across the parking lot where I bought a sandwich that covered my for both supper and breakfast at 3 am at the airport. Once at the airport it was a problem free experience through security and on to my plane. Given where I was sitting I was one of the last to board and by then the overhead luggage was full so they checked my bag for free through to Roatan BONUS!
A reasonable layover in Miami and by 1:30 local time was in to Roatan, The immigration process was a bit slow but seamless. I just love that they ask where you are staying… West End… hotel no Casa (house) …what’s the address? “White and pink house near Seagrape resort”.
Pouring rain when we landed, sunny and gorgeous by the time we were ready to go. Ross, my bother in law, was there to greet me and we got a taxi and off to West End. Good thing too as they had paved some roads and my memory may not have served me as well as I thought.
Monday was an easy day (heck they are all easy), wandered into town, got reoriented, met some Reefglider staff, picked up a PADI open water manual and wine. Tuesday bright and early (well 0830) I start a PADI refresher course, a bit of review and theory test, then into the closed water to recheck basic skills, add 2# to my weight belt so I can sit on the bottom and I’m starting to remember what I learned 3 years ago. By 1130 we are off on a dive, skills feeling generally ok, neutral buoyancy coming back. Enjoying the fish, coral, fish, feeling of floating and then suddenly almost right below me is a hawksbill turtle. I had never been the first to spot something before so I’m waving like crazy, touch a fellow diver to get his attention along with Arlene and Ross and thankfully Ross is able to get a picture, I am STOKED. (Ross has provided me with a carbiner to pound on my tank with to notify others in the future)
Wednesday Barb (who used to run Reefgliders with her husband John) offers Arlene and I a ride to Coxen Hole as we are going there for groceries and she is heading that way in her car. (A new to her Ford Escape a year newer than mine so I was able to provide some information about the vehicle that she did not know). As it turned out, we decided to stick together for the day and so we each took care of the things we needed to do and Barb provided a guided (insiders) tour. We had a lovely lunch overlooking the ocean from one of the highest points on Roatan at Kirsty’s overlook. The very first time that I think I have had coconut shrimp the way they should be – amazing, miildly sweet with the coconut but full of shrimp flavour.
Thursday was dive time, initially felt like I was struggling with buoyancy but then realised that we were changing depth as we moved along the edge of the reef and then up on top. Suddenly I am hearing a tinny ringing in my ears and although it takes a minute, I realize that it is someone banging on their tank. I turn around to see Arlene pointing at a 4-5 foot long green moray eel. He is hunting but not hunting us (thankfully). I had not seen one out and swimming before so that was very cool.. Seeing lots of beautiful fish but don’t remember them well enough to identify them when I get back.
So today I put my camera together with my waterproof box (Thank you Pat!) and headed to Half Moon bay to try snorkeling and taking pictures. I really struggled with being able to see what I was taking pictures of as there was sun reflection both on the box and the Lcd screen however the pictures are good. The camera focuses for me and the color seems to be good although it’s hard for me to tell on my computer screen as it changes depending on the angle you are at. I am looking forward to trying it tomorrow on a dive and hoping that I can see what I am doing and “frame” the pictures. We’ll see.
I also ran into trouble trying to access my bank account as the 2 Step Verification (2SV) on my account sends the verification code to my phone…which does not work here …. the fix from tech support was to phone the bank and change it…. which they acknowledged that if my phone worked this would not be a problem. Well thanks to Kelly (on my bank POA since we traveled with kids) who called the bank and the bank rep who with a little push opened up the sign on page I was able change to 2SV by email.
I hope you are all well and will sent another update later!
March 29. Traveling Home The Long Way Part 1
I apologize that I did not send any updates while in Roatan, I have a draft and hopefully will get around to sending it off once I get home and have a chance to add some pictures. However I must say that it was fantastic! Amazing scuba diving, played with my camera which helped me identify some of what I was seeing underwater and learned that I need a light get good color. However, I struggled with my camera and then it stopped working so I left it behind and just enjoyed the diving. I can’t wait to go back next year!
When I got back to Kentucky, Pat had built a dog run for Sadie, created window insulation to keep the bedroom warmer in winter that moves to the front windows to keep the cabin cooler in summer, he’d dismantled the front deck and replaced the stairs so we could still get out the front door as needed.
When I got back, we rebuilt a much smaller and more solid front deck, painted the skirting and repaired it as needed. We took a few hikes, rode out a couple of major rains during which we went out and tried to open up the culvert better as the down slope neighbour had built a roadway without a culvert so everything backs up and the water crosses the road.
We decided that we would leave toward home last Thursday before the next rain came in. So we re-cleaned the tent trailer (which had been re-infested with mice), laundered all the bedding including the mattress covers, packed up all the food we could, gave the excess to a neighbour, stopped at the garbage dump (only open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday which helped determine the days we could leave) and headed down to Memphis.
We had found TO Fuller State Park just outside of Memphis on a previous trip and got there just as they were closing (they’d turned the computers off) but they welcomed us in and found a site. It is a nice little campground with trails and just a 15 min drive into downtown Memphis and Beale street, but unfortunately is near some manufacturing and oil plants that produces a pervasive and consistent smell.
After setting up camp, we headed into Memphis and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Rendezvous Ribs and then wandered Beale street, stopped in the piano bar, debated a ‘dessert’ of Kings seafood gumbo but decided against it. The night was a wee bit cool (-2celsius), and the small heater that we had with us was not as warm as we would have liked. Therefore we added a comforter and a couple of pillows to our shopping list for the next day.
When we got up the next morning and I noted that I had the start of 5 blisters on my hands – mostly the right hand. A bit of deduction and decided that possibly when cleaning the culvert, I pulled out a root with my bare hands and began to wonder if I had pulled either poison oak or sumac roots. I started treating them with over the counter hydrocortisone cream and polysporin.
We decided to stay camped in Memphis another day and drove down to Clarksdale – home of the delta blues. We toured the Blues museum, went to Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero club for lunch and then to Sean “Bad” Apple’s Juke Joint for the afternoon. Sean is a musician that Pat started following a number of years ago when he was playing on Beale street. It was neat to reconnect with him as he provided a 3 hour one man show about the history of blues that he told while playing music old and new. It was a late night when we got back to Memphis but we had our trailer waiting and a new comforter. Plus we doubled up the mattresses on the one side so sleep was far more comfortable.
When we woke up the next morning after a much more restful sleep, I discovered that my blisters were getting bigger and more painful so we stopped into a pharmacy and talked to a pharmacist who recommended a cream that had both antihistamine and analgesic properties so I started using that.
On the road again and down to Mississippi where we stopped at the Windsor ruins (a plantation where all that is left are the columns) and then did part of the Natchez Trace trail, bought a 5 pound bag of crawfish at a roadside stand and then stopped in a motel in Alexandria (deciding to take it easy and not set up the trailer with my hands being sore). We enjoyed the crawfish in the hotel room eating them straight out of the bag and putting the shells in the second bag. Once done, Pat took the ‘remains’ and dropped them in a garbage can around the corner while walking the dog.
The next morning we drove in to Lafayette Louisiana, and went for lunch at Prejeans – I had a crawfish pasta and Pat had Shrimp and corn bisque and a Cajun “egg roll’ with crawfish, pepper jack cheese, spinach and wrapped like an egg roll. All of it was very yummy. Lafayette is also where our favorite Boudin is made so we drove up the street to Don’s specialty meat and bought 5 pounds of boudin and a pound of cracklin which we popped into the cooler for meals down the road. Then we were off to Lake Charles and Steam Boat Bills where we got another 5 pounds of spicy boiled crawfish. Which we polished off handily and the topped it off with a slice of key lime pie.
I noticed that although the smaller blisters had hardened the largest one now stretched nearly all the way around the base of my pointer finger and I had two more places where blisters had started. So the next morning I called our travel insurance and they approved my going to an urgent care center. They found one that could bill them directly and I was able to be seen within minutes. They gave me a prednisone shot, follow up oral prednisone, oral antibiotics and an antibiotic ointment. They said that poison from plants does not penetrate skin at the same rate and that is why there are new blisters starting. The treatment seems to be working but I did not sleep well at all last night so tonight I’ll also take Benadryl to counteract the prednisone.
We camped last night at Goose Island State park (just short of Corpus Christi, Texas) a beautiful little campground right on the water. We got in early enough to take a walk out to the shore after finding one of the last sites in the trees. There was quite a wind and although we were happy for it to cool us off, we did not want to have the full brunt of it on the water. There were many different birds – huge pelicans, turkey vultures, cardinals, seagulls etc. At night we saw a racoon (in our garbage), a possum and in the field a number of fireflies showing off. (Pat and Sadie also watched a skunk amble away during their late night walk). We spent the evening with our campground neighbours who had just bought a motor home and were on their maiden voyage.
Today was a travel day – trying to get ahead of a storm and yet stay cool. We have opted for a cheap motel in Fort Stockton as it is 35 degrees outside with a 50 – 70 km wind and besides all of the camping is RV cement condo camping (and we do not have air conditioning).
We plan to be home about April 6 or 7 when our medical run’s out but will gauge our travel based on weather as well for although it is very hot here right now, we know that we are likely to hit variable weather right down to freezing on the way home.
April 5 – Traveling Home The Long Way – Part 2.
We left Fort Stockton headed north. We have been using Sygic – a GPS program like google maps. Unfortunately like all those systems you cannot see (or at least I can’t figure out) how to know the exact route they are taking. We ended up taking a back road through mining country, running parallel to the Texas / New Mexico border. The road had considerable construction on it, with single lane traffic controlled sections. Ended up being the only car on the road with the rest being construction or mine vehicles. The road finally brought us into White City a few hours later than anticipated. Thankfully we are not really on a schedule so it did not matter.
After determining where we were, we purposely we took a “new to us” road in New Mexico between Carlsbad caverns and Three Rivers. It was a small steep windy road through Lincoln National Forest with little canyons, cactus, snow, and a cute little town called Cloudcroft. Definitely touristy but not rich touristy that we noted. We ended up that night in the small city of Socorro in a somewhat dingy looking hotel as the wind continued to be very cold and temperature changes quite dramatic. Deb walked past some kind of scary looking people on her way to grab some fresh salad makings while Pat walked Sadie. Despite initial impressions, we discovered that everyone there was quite friendly – Deb was not panhandled for money and Pat met the guys working on fixing up the motel. We later discovered that Amazon was shooting a movie in town and maybe that was why everyone was so friendly to outsiders.
From there we were off skirting our way around Albuquerque (no jokes about taking a wrong turn) and onto parts of the old Route 66 and then to Winslow Arizona to stand on a corner and wander around the town, The older section of downtown has really played up their route 66 heritage, and had some funky coffee shops and restaurant – most centered around the famous street corner – so everyone could watch all the tourists come by for their photo op.
The next morning we decided to only go up the road a short way to Flagstaff and use that as a base camp for a couple of days. Most of the motels were fairly expensive so we checked the weather forecast and decided we could set up the trailer at the local KOA. We got an oil change and transmission service on the Scion and then wandered the town for the rest of the day. The KOA backed into a number of hiking trails so Pat and Sadie got a couple of good walks in and we were able to get caught up on laundry.
Up the next morning and drove to the Grand Canyon. We wandered along the south rim trail for a bit and were very surprised by the number of people already there until we realized that it was both a weekend and spring break. We also concluded from the large number of tall guys and girls walking around, that the teams that were out of contention from the college playoffs in Phoenix were being bussed in to see the Canyon. We really enjoyed seeing the Grand Canyon again as it had been 14 years since we had been here with the kids, although we think that Sadie is getting tired of cactus prickles in her feet.
One of the things we have noted on reserve lands that we were driving through, is that lots of first nations people set up roadside stands to sell locally made jewelry, pottery, blankets, art work. Deb kept up the tradition of buying a Christmas ornament. It is signed by the artist, is made of clay, with pictographs carved into the body of the ball. In the busy season, these roadside stands also often sell food including fry bread and other local food specialties. Unfortunately, none of the food stands were open yet so we stopped in the small town of Cameron to have a Navajo taco (beans, hamburger, cheese, tomato, lettuce, jalapenos, tomatoes on fry bread). We asked for a single order split in 2 to go. Neither of us could finish what we had for our late lunch and used the rest for supper later that day. We also decided to stop again the next morning to pick up plain fry bread for breakfast (and leftovers for dessert after supper) Yumm.
Next on the list was a visit to Bryce Canyon where Deb had been with her family in 1965. OMG the hoodoos are stunning – bright red orange and go on for miles! They have a shuttle bus that is free that moves you from the major viewing point to point to cut down on the number of vehicles in the park. There are trails every where. In this same area of about 60 miles there is Kodachrome Basin state park, Grande Staircase Escalante, Petrified Forest State Park, and Anasazi American Village State Park. We would like to head back to this area, book a good camping spot and stay and hike for a week or more and still don’t think we could hit everything. We think that April/May would be the time to go – still cool enough to hike but out of the snow.
We took the scenic route when we left in the morning which included going past all of the above parks, amazing vistas, colors, and easily 7 ‘summits’ the highest being 9,600 feet. On one of the summits we were literally on top of a ridge and the road fell away immediately on both sides of the road. What a view once Deb was able to breathe again!
We then put in a long afternoon getting past Greater Salt Lake city before stopping in Idaho Falls last night. We knew there was a weather system coming in and sure enough by 5 pm the wind gusts became formidable and we hit intermittent rain storms By the time we stopped the interstate north of Idaho Falls was closed due to dust/dirt blowing.
Got up this morning and although no snow on the ground in Idaho Falls, it had rained and the temperature was below freezing. Pat fought the wind until mid afternoon today although it was mostly sunny we also hit bits of snow going over the passes and in shaded corners. The wind literally moved us 2 feet or more sideways at times when trucks went by or bluffs etc. Made it through the Snake River Plateau, and then over the pass at Missoula and into the Flathead Valley before pulling into Kalispell for the night. Our Arrivcan form has been completed for tomorrow, and so after checking into our room for the night headed to HuHot for dinner and are now relaxing in our room before heading home tomorrow.
It has been an amazing trip, we have seen a lot of places that we would like to return to and spend a longer length of time.
Thank you for sharing in our travels.