Category: Uncategorized
Lake Powell
April 26, 2021
Glen Canyon Rec Area is just down the road so we decided to go down for a few days. Lake Powell is a resevoir on the Colorado River and is down about 135 ft. – yup- 1-3-5 ft. The southwest has been in a drought for 20+ years! Page, AZ is the more populated use area of Lake Powell- up at the northern area there is less use. The boat ramps have been closed, shifted or moved making even less access. The Lake is at about 35% of capacity- everyone below here relies on water from here- all the way to southern California- which means there is not enough water for homes, industry and agriculture.
We rented a boat one day to explore the Lake- motored up three canyons to see the sitghts. Weather turned hot while we were there- high 80s and breezy.
There is almost no access to walk into the lake to swim or wade as the edges are all so steep. We did find one place where we could get Rhylee in.
Natural Bridges National Monument
Another well-kept secret- this place is amazing! First, there are such dramatic landscapes and then down in White Canyon there are three- not just one- but three of the largest Natural Bridges in the world! (a natural bridge is formed by water, where an arch is formed by wind)
We hiked to the bottom of the canyon- three times- to stand under these bridges. Two of the hikes are strenous for sure- Sipapu drops 500 ft in .6 miles, Kachina drops 400 ft. in about .5 miles. The path is narrow, sheer drop-offs, tight switchbacks, ladders, stairs and hand rails ( you literally use them to hold yourself on the trail and pull yourself up), and we are at 6500 ft elevation. The hard work was well worth it! We were the only ones on the trail to and from Kachina Bridge, and barely saw anyone else on the other trails.
We are boondocking on an abandoned airstrip, right beside the road. The old pavement is a welcome relief from all the sand and dust! The road goes from Blanding to the two northern sections of Lake Powell; not much traffic, so it is relatively quiet here. We can comfortably boondock for 6 days. We carry 65 gallons of fresh water, can shower (quickly) every day. The sun is strong and bright, 13 hours of daylight, so our batteries charge up every day by about 3pm. We can use small amounts of AC for the coffee maker, TV to watch a dvd, and the microwave to reheat leftovers and still charge back up every day!
Bears Ears is a National Monument. Another cliff edge drive up a gravel road and we were between the ears and then behind them.
We can’t remember the last time it rained- weeks and weeks ago- we had rain one night (not even 1/4″) and snow flurries at 6500ft and accumulating snow at about 8000ft. Isn’t it April?
Valley of the Gods, Utah
April 2021
Valley of the Gods is a collection of rock formations that are amazing! They are ancient, sacred to Natives and spectacular to view. This is mostly Bureau of Land Management land which means you can boondock on it for free! And down the road is Mexican Hat, another cool place to boondock.
South of here is Monument Valley- once a National Park, however it was given back to the Navajo, and so it is still closed at this time…But, we did find a tour company that drove us around the outside and pointed out the named formations and then up to Tear Drop Arch, which was only open because Monument Valley was closed.
The landscape here is indescribable- red rock, white sandstone, yellow sand, with very little vegetation- even though cattle graze here. The elevation quickly varies from 4500 ft. to 6500 ft. and not far from here 10,000 ft where there are more trees and moisture.
Did I mention dust? Red sand dust everywhere with windy afternoons that blow it around even more and every where you walk you just add another dust layer- Rhylee has become a red and black dog. And since we are boondocking, water is precious and not to be wasted on washing up all the time! And the humidity never reaches 10%- really, really dry here. We experienced an 8 hour wind/dust storm- 20-25 mph steady winds with gusts to 50mph- the locals tell us that kind of storm might happen once a year or so- lucky us 😦
To get from here to north of here here are two routes- the longer easier way, or the Moki Dugway. A dugway is a road dug out of the cliff side. It was constructed in the 1940s to bring uranium ore down the plateau to Mexican Hat for processing for the war effort. This road rises 2000 ft.in about 3 miles of gravel road with 6-7 switchbacks, sheer drop-offs, blind corners and no guardrails. Not recommended for RVs or big trucks- for good reason! We did notice two vehicle skeltons over the edge! Not recommended for the skittish either- I survived it, but freqently could not look out my window, at least coming down was easier than up was!
And, Linda got her vaccine- the J&J single shot; the day before they paused it! I found a small town drug store that would give it to me and am grateful!
Canyon de Chelly, AZ
April 1-5, 2021
This visit is a “would you rather have this…or this?”
The Navajo Nation has been closed for about a year. Several US National Parks and Monuments are on Navajo land, so they have been closed…kind of. Back in January, when we knew the Canyon de Chelly campground- run by the Navajo would be still closed come spring, we booked a reservation at a small private campground (run by a Navajo). As we got closer to our arrival date, I called the Park Service at two locations and the Navajo Nation office and was vaguely told that the parks were closed, the roads, being Navajo roads were closed…A voicemail to the private campground- through limping cell service- confirmed our reservation…so we arrived- on roads that were not closed, driving by businesses that were not closed. Go figure.
Canyon de Chelly is spectacular as the photos will show. However, the visitor center was not open, the jeep tours were not open, and some overlooks were closed yet we could park on the road and walk in. What we gained by being there while it was “closed” was that no one else was around – we were the only ones in our campground, usually the only ones at each overlook, and no horse or jeep tours down in the canyon, so we had incredible views. We would have enjoyed a jeep tour, however, having the canyon to ourselves was worth the loss of the jeep tour.
At every overlook, we would take our time and using the binoculars find many, many cliff dwelling ruins- these date back to 600-1200 CE(current era or AD) Anasazi, Athabaskan and Pueblo, with the Navajo coming after that era. Currently, about 40 Navajo families live in the canyon using the dry river bed and a few roads to travel in and out.
It is the first time in over a year that we have been someplace impressive enough to take lots of photos- hope you enjoy our favorite pics:
Cliff Dwellings we saw from overlooks above.
One overlook- White House, has a hiking trail to the bottom of the Canyon- the only one you can do without a guide. We had to park about a half mile from the Overlook and then head down the trail- all by ourselves- switchback, after switchback, narrow trail carved out of the rock, a couple of tunnels and we were at the bottom heading to the White House Ruins. Then the long climb back out- the bottom of the Canyon was at elevation 5550 ft. and the top was at 6200ft. And because we had to hike in to the overlook, the distance went from 2.5 miles to 4.5 miles. Temps in the high 70s on the way out, on the sunny side of the canyon, climbing back up the canyon, and even with the southwest “dry heat”, we were still hot and tired at the top!
The road to another overlook- Antelope House- was gated about 1.25 miles from the parking lot. Then a 1/2 mile loop around the overlook area. The ruins below were at ground level and quite extensive. Viewing them from almost directly above gave a great perspective. Again, we were the only ones there.
We were off-grid and it is warm each day, with no AC, we have to be aware of the temps and leaving Rhylee in the camper, fortunatetly we have two air vent fans that run by temperture and that seems to work just fine! And we have very limited cell and internet.
Time Changes
We are having time changes way TOO often! We left FL in the EST and from there it goes like this from March 10th – April 1
EST
CST
CDT when we “sprang ahead”
MDT daylight savings in Navajo Arizona and Utah
MST- Arizona- they do not observe Daylight savings time, and we hit this for only a few hours
Every now and then our “uneventful” days become eventful, and not in a way we would like! Heading towaards Waco, TX we had a flat tire on the trailer as we pulled onto the highway. Fortunately, the tire pressure sensor in the tires let us know as we dropped from 110psi, to 57psi and the 27psi as we found a spot to pull off the highway. No harm done, fortunately. It took us about an hour to change to the spare and off we went. Luckily, 6 miles from our next campground we found a tire store and they were great! Discovered it could not be repaired, put a new tire on and we were on our way! It Was so nice to get fast and friendly help. Then…always one more thing- we suspected we had a small, outside propane leak, but had not pinned it down. Clare checked every valve, hose and joint in the entire system and found it- a copper tubing flared fitting had not been flared enough at the factory. Into the little town of Coleman, TX to get parts and tools and Clare had it fixed.
We have been very lucky on the road- knock on wood- very few emergencies and so far all ones we could handle on the road. We have met several RVers that have had some pretty bad experiences on the road with tire blowouts, fridges and furnaces not working, etc. Of course, Clare has a small shop in the cargo bay and between that and his gearhead mind and an occassional youtube video, he can usually figure things out for us 🙂
A few sites along this part of our journey:
Fort Sumner, TX- a wall with all the local ranch and brands. Billy the Kidd was killed byt Sheriff Pat Garrett here and “supposedly” this is his grave with two of his buddies.
Out Geocaching, sping is here, and Moonrise near Socorro, NM- which turned out to be a really friendly town!
The Very Large Array in New Mexico used to “listen” to outer space- remember the movie “Contact” with Jodie Foster?
On The Road Again
March 2021
Yup, we just couldn’t wait to get our feet, and wheels, back on the road again! Slowly moving west headed to Canyon to Chelly in AZ and then southeast Utah to boondock.
Rhylee is happy to be on the road, too, suprisingly! Sleeping in the truck, exploring every campground- Guess we all like “new and different”!
Covid is making things more difficult- campgrounds fuller as people seek ways to get outside, avoiding crowds, wearing our masks, etc.
We always manage to meet someone with an interesting story, and usually by happenstance. We were in Wesson, MS at Lake Lincoln SP. We had no cell service, so went into town to fuel up, sit in a park and surf the web, check email and make some campground reservations. Right next to this pocket park was a BBQ place and it smelled good! We stopped by to get take out ribs for dinner. An older man took our order and then the son, who owned the joint, popped out of the kitchen to chat with us. This guy told us about the local area, Civil War history, etc., and then proceeded to tell us a story about Mississippi and the 13th amendment which abolished slavery in 1865. Each state had to ratify the amendment and most did so right away. A few lagged over piddling issues. Mississippi did not ratify the 13th until 1995- yup, 1995. However, the paperwork did not get submitted to the federal government!! This fellow told us about how he and a professor researched it, took the info to the state AG and boy, were they ever surprised. FInally, in 2011, the ratification was complete! Google it, if you want more of the story! And that, apparently, is why we went to Wesson, MS.
February 2021
Pretty quiet winter for us- PB, beach walks and many, many rainy days and thunderstorms…and two days of tornado watches- with NO concrete buildings nearby! Of course, as much as we would like to complain about the weather, we truly know that it has been much worse for many others. But, we did have to SCRAPE the windshield of the truck one morning….we were stunned, to say the least!
A few weeks ago in Texas was crazy cold- the RV Park we have wintered in the past 2 years went without power for almost 4 days. IF we had been there, we would have been cold, but fine, as we have solar panels and Lithium batteries. It has been a tough time for all those in Texas and the states hit hard by these storms.
Clare has gotten his two shots of Covid vaccine. He did have to prove he had been here for the winter. The cut-off age currently in Florida is 65, and alas, I don’t quite make it 🙂
Rhylee has become a favorite in the RV park, as usual, but no one is feeding him, which is just fine! He is aging gracefully, but definitely slowing down (aren’t we all?) and sometimes does dumb stuff:
A flock of Ibis and “The Stump Hole” on Cape San Blas- the beach was 1/2 miles out at one time.
Linda played in a local Pickleball Tournament- a fundraiser for the Turtle Center. She placed 2nd with her partner Becky in the women’s event and made it into the semi’s with her partner Mike in the mixed event. Lots of fun with our new southern PB friends!
Linda on the right, Partner Becky on the left, against the women’s winners in the final match.
We’re getting antsy to GO! Heading West to see some sights, do some boondocking and see Derek, before heading back to Maine by the end of June.
Snowbirds
January 2021
I guess spending the winter in Florida now makes us Snowbirds instead of Winter Texans…we’ll probably be back here next winter, too. Although we’ve had some rainy and cloudy days, generally it is sunny here- must be why they call this the Sunshine State…
Quiet days here- pickleball every other day, shooting range when it is calm, walking the beaches, sitting on the club house deck playing cards…pretty sweet.
Christmas in Port St. Joe was nice- they had a Christmas tree exhibit, a 45 minute parade through town one evening (huge for such a small town!) and we hung a wreath:
NYE was great- they are smart here- super fireworks set off at 10pm- a civilized hour for the elders and the younguns! lol
Sunsets can be awesome here- these pics are all from one evening:
Port St. Joe, FL
November into December 2020
We’re likin’ it here, so far…mostly sunny days, breezy, cool at night, 60s during the day, sometimes higher or lower. People here are very friendly and helpful. Pickleball is good- we can choose from three locations that are closeby, so we are meeting and playing with lots of different people- although some, like us, play in all three places. Depending on the wind direction, we choose which beach to go to. I did manage to swim in the ocean several times before things cooled down. We watch dolphins, pelicans, an eagle, herons and the occassional shark just off the shore.
Moon Rise over St. VIncent Bay
Visited St. George Island one day- the lighthouse is a replica of the one that tumbled into the ocean in 2005- it had stood for over 150 years. Locals were starting to work towards saving it when time ran out. So, they got the plans, raised money and rebuilt it up the road and not so close to the ocean. We climbed up the 90 steps for the great view, and felt it in our muscles the next day- pickleball just doesn’t keep do it all 🙂
Found this cool table top at Auny Ebby’s Ice Cream Shop:
And this lighthouse is in Port St. Joe.
And Rhylee and I went swimming!
On the Road South
Left Oct 31 to head south for the winter; left about a week too late! It’s been cold in Maine and was worse as we made our first couple of stops. Cabelas in Hudson MA had 6″ of snow, Oneonta NY gave us 25 degree morning! YIKES!
We had picked our stops to along Rts 15, 81 and 75- hoping for less traffic than Rt 95. And to be close to the highway (we now know that less than 1 mile is too close!) and we tried longer days- 300 miles or so (which we also now know is too long for all three of us).
We did discover that highway noise travels farther at night than during the day- no, really? Yup, we experienced it in two campgrounds- sat outside during the day and could not hear the highway traffic, but about 9pm it sounded like it was right beside us! Why, you ask? Apparently, during a warm day the airflow takes the sound up and away, but during the cooler evening the airflow stays along the ground…hot air rises, remember? We will surely remember!
We drove a day and rested a day- which was great, because we found something interesting to do in each place along the way:
Indian Pass, Florida- The Forgotten Coast, near Port St. Joe. As we were headed here, we got a call from the owner of the campground- TS Eta was headed this way. We had been diligently watching the crazy track of Eta and knew we had to have a back up plan. However, within 24 hours the storm track moved from 400 miles to our west, to 200 miles to our south east- dodged that bullet, I guess.
Hot and humid here; we are trying not to complain…much:-)
Update- we’ve decided to stay here for the winter, different RV park but still in Port St. Joe rather than go to Port Aransas, Texas. Having talked to locals and done some research, we are cautiously hopeful that there will be more sunny days here and less wind, although probably a bit cooler. And there are three places to play Pickleball here, too 🙂
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