Upcoming Road Trip! July 1, 2019

Hi!!

We're off again, after a two year hiatus. Destination states include but are not limited to: Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and who knows where else. I just wanted to get this note out pretty much as a test and to see if everyone has access and what I need to do to get this up and running again.

Thanks everyone!

Excellent Adventure 2019 starts July 1, 2019 - God willing! For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen!


Barb

Ok, here's Arches National Park

Looking down at the road from the switchbacks on the way up the mountain to Arches

 This is called Park Avenue. The next pictures show better views. I have to say again, even though these picture are nice, they are nothing compared to what we say in person. It was just awesome and overwhelming. These things are GIANT and the color is much richer.

 Also, you are a lot closer to these than the pictures show

 

You can actually hike down the middle of this.

 

 

 

Two arches from a distance

 

That's it for now. I think I have more pics on my phone. This is from just going 1/4 - 1/3 the way in. I can't imagine what else was there. But we'll be back!

Day 4 - Sunday, June 7.

Happy Sunday! Today is picture day. I am hoping this works. We worked on it last night and hope we should be able to attach the pictures.

Today we took a little drive to town and DD (Dunkin Donuts) for Arnold Palmer Coolattas. It's a college town, I think I mentioned, so it's pretty neat. That being said there are lots of little stores, shops, restaurants, cafes and even a few places that looked like you could by marijuana. How nice! We passed Colorado State University. It looks prestigious. Very nice grounds and they took over Fort Collins High School main building. It is now a university college hall. It's a regal looking old building. Quite impressive for a high school building. Kind of like Peoria High but even better.

Weather today is 73 degrees and loads of dark clouds all around us. We can see very heavy rain to the north. My radar app shows us maybe getting by with just some light showers but we thought we heard thunder a few minutes ago.

Sis was out an about in her stroller today. She had mixed reviews. She needs to get used to it. It makes people smile. No laughter yet. :-)

Ok onto some pictures.

Day 1 - Arizona pictures - Don's Dinosaur Legs

Day 2 - Driving Through Utah

 

Our place in Grand Junction

 

 On the way to Fort Collins - the Colorado River - there is a 40 mile round trip bike path right alongside the river. In fact one part was washed out because of too much rain.

I'm going to publish this now because the storm has circled back and is coming this way. I'll start again right after posting but I did not want to risk losing this. I'll be back....

Day 3 - Saturday, June 6

Greetings from Fort Collins, CO. The weather is in the low 70's right now. It's beautiful. The doors and windows are open and there's a nice breeze. It looks like we may get better weather overall, than last year. We were behind a pretty strong storm all the way here and there was one behind us that turned east just before here. :-) It was a pretty tough drive today, through mountains. Not so much winding roads but climbs and then the descents.

Our spot tonight and for tomorrow night too (Yay!!) has grass and a tree. It's nice and peaceful. Sis gives it two paws up. Don just put the tailgater up on the ladder so we have satellite tv. We've had dinner and are now "off duty".

Well, as beautiful as Utah was, Colorado is just as gorgeous. I took pictures but they are nothing compared to seeing the land in person. I can't even explain how awesome the sights we saw were. The green, grass or whatever coated, mountains. Little towns nestled in between. Most of the drive we were between mountains (a lot of beautiful rocky ones) on both sides and looking ahead you could just see the narrow area of the road ahead as it went between them. We passed many of the well heard of ski areas (Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, Keystone, etc). Most still had snow. The ski towns, especially Vail were quite something. The homes and shops and golf courses were high dollar. We passed so many really pretty little towns. One, Idaho Springs was real old and quaint and again loaded with tourists. I found at least 5 towns I want to live in.

There is whitewater rafting down the Colorado river in many of the towns. We saw some rafts on the water in some pretty turbulent areas. It did look like fun. That's another thing on our list to come back and do. We had the Colorado River beside us most of the way and then the Eagle River when the Colorado ended. The Colorado was very full as I'm sure the Eagle was too. You could see areas where the water was obviously higher than normal. It was nice to see so much water all day and to see it so animated, rushing so fast. The Colorado switches back and forth to both sides of the road. We stopped at one rest area on I-70 (which we were on most of the day) which was right down beside the river. We put our hands in. It was COLD. Sis declined a bath.

The two high climbs were Vail Pass Summit and Loveland Pass. Both were worth the climb. There is still lots of snow in Colorado. Some of it still deep up there. The temperature most of the day was in the high 40's to low-mid 50's. But we were not cold in the truck nor outside really. The last part of our drive was on I-25 which took us north from the eastbound I-70. On I-25 we could see the mountain ranges we had passed and see all the snow on them. They were in the distance but it was still really something to see. Beautiful! They went for miles.

We passed a sign on the freeway that said: "road repairs are funded by faster vehicles".  Another warned truckers to "not be fooled, steep downgrades and winding roads still ahead". Colorado has a sense of humor. There are lots of RV dealers here in Colorado and boat dealers.

We passed through downtown Fort Collins on the way to our KOA. It is very picturesque and is a college town. There are tree-lined streets of well kept old homes. We may venture out tomorrow and look around for a bit unless we decide to just rest. The drive was tough today for Don and even my eyes have had it. They stay peeled looking at the sites and reading signs.

Sis was so good today. She only asked for one stop apart from ours, in Loveland. She is on the couch now in her blanket from home. She whines once in a while but I don't even think she knows she's doing it. Having a day off tomorrow will be good for her too.

Well, I think that's it for tonight. I may not have put this together too well. I'm just tired. We have no more one night stands ahead of us. We will now be taking some time and staying 2-5 days at each stop until we get to MI. Then we are there for about 2 weeks. To sum it up, we had another beautiful drive. We had no idea what beauty was out here. We are really speechless. We found ourselves waiting to see what was around each bend as if we were opening presents. And what we saw was much better than any present we could get. This is what it's all about. So again, I have to end with thanks to God for this opportunity and the "presents" HE gives us! Thank you God also for a safe trip today and for watching over our families while we are gone. Amen!

Good night all! I will now try to add some pictures. If I have no success, I have tomorrow to really load them in!

 

Days  1 & 2

Hello Everybody!!

Let me start by saying internet connections are not the greatest again so it might be a couple of days between posts. It is also hard on the days where we just stay overnite at a site. So please don't give up on me. I know you WANT to read what I write. :-)

So on Day 1 we left home at 8:30a and arrived at Bluff,UT at 3:20p which was actually 4:20p except that it took us a while to notice that we had lost an hour along the way. I didn't even think of a possible time change when we left home.  I guess the difference could be a good thing because we may just end up going to bed a bit earlier than normal.

The drive was a bit tough on Don as during the last 2/3 of the drive and old friend from Excellent Adventure 2014 showed up. How many know what friend I'm talking about....Yep, Mr. Wind!!!! It wasn't horrible but we also had a rough two lane road the last ten miles or so in Arizona. When we entered into Utah, the road got smoother. Why is that???

The drive was beautiful. The scenery, not your typical desert landscape. Lots of green after Flagstaff and lots of rock formations with beautiful coloring from white to almost Sedona red. There is a lot of reservation housing dotting the landscape. There'd be some out there by themselves and then little groups. They even had satellite dishes.

We passed "dinosaur legs" which I thought was the official name of two rock formations that each looked like a dinosaur leg.  When I asked Don how he knew that he said it was his name for them. He originally saw them when driving for HACI and named them. Then we passed "little rocks" which is a real name. They were little rocks stacked on some big areas of rock. I don't think this was "done", I think it is a natural formation.

In Kayenta, we passed the new hospital that Don delivered duct work and other materials to. Unfortunately, it is still not complete and operational. The sign is even covered over with cardboard. It is a nice big hospital and for now seems to be just a waste of federal taxpayer's dollars. What a shame and who is responsible?

So our first night was spent at Cadillac Ranch in Bluff, UT. Bluff is a nice small town. Very small. The park was a nice place, but no grass just gravel. Not up to Sis's standards. It was next to the San Juan River but where we were it was not flowing, it was more like a pond. A pond full of bullfrogs. You should have heard them. They can be loud and sound like a foghorn.

It rained most of the night with thunder and lightning starting at 3:30a.The morning however was nice with the sun out when we left there at 9:30. Which brings us to...

Day 2 - At 10.25 we arrived at Moab, UT. It is another very nice small, old town. Very touristy and it reminded us of Sedona. It would be cool to live there. It is surrounded by bluffs and red rocks and rock formations. I have to say that Utah is a very beautiful state. A little past Moab is Arches National Park. One of the Big 5 in Utah. We drove in, dropped the trailer in the parking lot, as the ranger suggested, and went in. You drive up the side of a big red rock mountain with switchbacks and what you see after that is awesome! It is some of the most beautiful scenery ever. There are all sort of rock formations and bluffs, I guess. It is really something.  It brought tears to my eyes to think that our Loving God created it for us to enjoy. Oh how He loves us!!  I cannot understand how people think that the beauty on this earth just happened. It is actually an 18 mile drive all the way through to the end and then 18 miles back. We were not able to go all the way. We only went about a third of the way. But we will go back there someday soon. Oh and Don got his $10 Lifetime Senior Pass  for all National Parks. How's that for a bargain?!

It was cool and just a bit breezy at the Park which was perfect. It then rained pretty much all the way to Grand Junction which is our stop for tonight. We arrived here at 2:45. It was cold (55 degrees) and raining. But the rain stopped almost immediately and we got some sun and warmer temperature. It is a very nice park with a patch of grass for Sis. She is happy! She has been a real good girl, a trooper.

Tomorrow's stop is Fort Collins, CO. We will stay there for 2 nights. It is supposed to be even nicer than this park. We are hoping for good weather. I guess it was nice there today and maybe the weather that followed us here will be past there and it will be nice for us.

That's about it for now. We hope and pray all is well at home. It seems after all the driving and what we've done that we've been gone longer than 2 days and technically it hasn't even been 48 hours.

We love you and miss you and wish that you could all be seeing what we are.

I will post this right now and try to add some pictures later. I don't want to miss posting tonight.

Stay tuned!!!

 

It's time for Excellent Adventure 2015

Hi Everyone!

We have been blessed with the privilege of being able to take another summer trip. This one is going to be a bit longer than last AND... the weather should be much nicer. Warmer that is. Our route should keep us away from any threatening weather but I'm sure we'll see some that we are not used to experiencing in AZ.

Our main goal is East Tawas, MI to visit Don's sister and brother-in-law, Ellen and Darrell. We were headed that way last year but alas....we were sissies and could just NOT handle the cold any longer and headed back west. Spring back in the Midwest and east is about two months later than it is here.

Sis is coming along again. Don't know if that will make her happy or sad but we are a bit better equipped for her, with a stroller (quit laughing), a new setup in her backseat apartment in the truck and her couch stairs are coming along. Throw in a little food and she's set. At least WE think so.

So, that's it for now. I'll try my best to post here very often. I hope the internet connections are good so I can post more pictures than last year.

Follow us if you like. All comments welcome! Wish we could all go together!

Be back soon.

P.S. departure date is June 4th!

Wednesday, May 7th -

I have to say, and it does scare a part of me after I saw 60 Minutes on Sunday, that I do forget what day it is at times. So does Don but when you're on the road and we're changing plans all the time based on a number of things that it's easy to get your days mixed up. The 60 Minutes show was about the "90+ Study" and one of the questions used in a test for dementia was "What day is it"?

So yesterday we arrived here at Springfield, MO. We cut short our Illinois stay because it was going to rain and be cold. We are cutting short our stay here because of severe weather warnings. So, we are leaving tomorrow. It's sad as today was beautiful. We just came in at 8p from sitting outside in the breeze. It's still light outside and the birds and squirrels are everywhere. There is a storm system headed this way and we'd rather not sit it out as the news here is saying it can be severe. So after praying for guidance, we feel it is best to head out early tomorrow. This is a beautiful park with lots  of trees for shade and green carpets of grass with woods around.

Illinois was fun. We went to downtown Springfield and visited the Lincoln Library. It is beautiful. I took a few pictures before I noticed the sign prohibiting photos. The Lincoln Museum was across the street but we could not go in. We had Sis at home waiting for us so our time was limited. The whole downtown Springfield area is awash in Lincoln sites and facts. I wish we had a whole day to wander but I'm grateful for what we did see. We can always come back...maybe next year.

Today we took a little drive back to Sam's Club (we were there yesterday for a food run) to fill up on diesel fuel which was only $3.63 - the cheapest we've paid since we left Phoenix. Across the street was an Andy's Frozen Custard...so, you know...we went there. I have to say, it beats anything we've ever had, including Carvel's. It is the BEST! We even, just now, debated going back for more but we know better. I'll have the memory until we come back this way. Next to Andy's was Einstein's Bagels. I have only seen once since home and it was at a rest stop. So, you know... we went there. Of course, poor Don couldn't have any. I bought a few to bring home. I'll freeze them for the way...

Speaking of rest stops, we have seen some beauties. There are some that cross the highway. It's pretty creepy to be in the walkway when a semi comes by underneath you. They have Starbucks, Panera Bread, McD's, and a host of other food places in them. The facilities are nice, clean and modern.

After Andy's and Einstein's, we went to downtown Springfield (Missouri this time). We passed another Andy's (yes, we were tempted) and a host of other places BUT the crowning glory was the Bass Pro Shops store. It is the company flagship, national headquarters store. It easily takes up 4 blocks and they are still adding to it. They have everything there - taxidermy, repairs, catalog sales, boats (not just a few either), conservation center, I can't remember the rest but it is huge and they are adding to it. They even took over a closed up K-Mart store. That's where the catalog sales and pick-up are. The rest of the complex all looks classy like the Bass Pro Shop stores.

I knew we have been traveling in the Bible Belt but I have never seen so many churches. There is easily one every block and some are very large. Everywhere you look there's a church. There are billboards for churches too and lots of billboards with Christian messages (these we've seen in most of these states).

There are also a lot of Donut shops including Krispy Kreme. So many donut shops would not make it in Phoenix. Lots of Oriental Food too, every couple of blocks in certain areas. There have been lots of car washes too, I guess due to the salt on the roads in the snowy weather. We went through one and they use HOT water. There are also many same day denture shops. We've seen all these things in several states now. Lastly we've seen some oldies... Sinclair and Hess gas stations. I haven't seen those in many years.

These states have farm roads. You can use them to get around the toll roads. We were told they are confusing but we have been using them regularly with no problems. They are fun because you can see all the rural areas and beautiful old (and newer) homes, yards and ranches. The only bad thing about them is they are very narrow and some don't have much if any shoulder before you might be on a slope. Not a very steep one but enough to cause a large problem.

We are looking forward to being home soon but it is also a bit sad that our Excellent Adventure has to end. It has been grand just seeing everything and being free to pretty much go where we want except for being weather conscious. We know this whole adventure has been a gift and a wonderful opportunity to see the beauty of our country. We have thought about you all during our travels and especially when seeing certain sites. Devon, I thought of you at the Lincoln Library and thought how awesome it would be if you could bring your classes there. I think of our neighbor Charles when I see the beautiful Robins, Cardinals and squirrels outside as he does such a great job photographing birds at home.

That's it for tonight. We are headed to Oklahoma tomorrow. We are hoping to leave here before the storm and it looks like we will not be heading into it unless of course the weather changes from what we heard today.

I'll try to add some pictures when I post this message. Good night everyone.

.

 This picture does not do the complex any justice

Our spot here in MO. VERY nice! That's it for pictures, the internet is not very good, as usual.