May 29, 2010

Tonight we are at the Cougar Rock Campground in Mt. Rainier National Park. It is cold, it is cloudy and it is drizzly. But we have a camp site for the next 3 nights. That will give us two days to explore before we head on. We are dry camping again, which means no electricity. As long as the battery holds out we will have heat. The only thing we use the battery for under theses conditions is to run the blower on the furnace. We use a small propane lantern for light and it also gives off some heat. Additionally we both have headlamps that we use for reading or other things where the lantern will not suffice.

We did see a real pretty patch of Skunk Cabbage that was blooming nicely. We are high enough and far enough north that we are in early spring. Highs here will be in the 50's and lows in the 30's. Long john weather. We are looking forward to exploring tomorrow. As usual, I have been here before and do remember some of the landmarks, but I have forgotten a lot also.

We hope the weather will improve tomorrow, but I am not counting on it. Hopefully we will get to see Rainier. Tho it may be like Mt. St. Helen's and hide behind clouds and fog.

May 30, 2010

Well, the weather did not improve. But we did not let that ruin our day. We spent the day driving around seeing what sights we could. Drove up to Paradise where it had snowed during the night. Lots of people up there snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Drove to Packwood, Wa where there was a huge flea market. The whole town was lined with booths, vendors and food sellers. We bought 6 books and shared a nice Strawberry Shortcake. Then back to camp to listen to the rain falling on top of the camper.

May 31, 2010

It was raining when we got up this morning, so we did as much prep work as we could. The rain showed no sign of stopping so we took a wet camper down. We had decided to stay in a motel tonight(which is where I am writing this from).

As we checked our lights this morning we found that one of our tail lights was not working. On the way out of the park I pulled into a viewing area and went to check to see if the bulb had come loose. It had not. Blown big time. Then I decided to take it out so that I could hopefully buy a new one and reinstall it. A lesson I learned the hard way. Do not grab these bulbs by the glass and try to pull them out. I did, broke the glass and ended up with a deep cut in my thumb. Joyce patched me up and we went on. Stopped in Elk Prairie and purchased a new bulb(spare also), replaced the blown one and felt safe making right turns after that.

We got here to Centrailia, checked into our motel. I took a much needed shower and when we changed the dressing I was still bleeding profusely. Decided a visit to the ER was in order. They glued the cut, put some steri-strips on it with a splint and sent me out the door. So I am patched up, clean, Joyce and I have clean clothes and are ready to hit the road tomorrow. We plan to head to Forks, WA.

It's a rainy evening here at Silver Lake RV Campground which is located about 50 miles west of Mt. St. Helen's. We had decided to go to St. Helen's but it is a 50 mile drive up a dead-end Highway. Wasn't sure whether we could get a space or not but stopped to see. They had two spaces available for a Pop-Up. One they rarely rented because the big rigs could not make the turn to get to it. We could and did. We dropped the camper off and then went to Johnston Ridge Observatory at the end of the road. It was raining and foggy, so unfortunately we could not see the volcano but read all the signs and saw all the exhibits. We also watched a film presentation about the events of 1980. Even without the sight of the volcano it was a worthwhile trip. On the way to it we saw a large herd of Elk. The observatory is a little over 4000 feet in elevation and there was snow lying on some of the road banks near the summit.

We crossed the bridge between Astoria and Washington State this morning. That is one long bridge and high enough in places that cruise ships can go under it with no problem. We say one docked as we crossed. It has rained most of the day. Weather is supposed to be better tomorrow.

We put the camper up while it was raining and did we hurry. Got minimal water inside so we did do a good job. Not much in a picture day, but when I off load Joyce's pictures I will upload her picture of the Bridge. Looking forward to better weather tomorrow. We will probably go to Mt. Rainier.

As I have mentioned earlier I was concerned about mosquitoes getting inside the camper. Last night while camped at Stevens Lake State Park we had our first real experience with them since we started. As soon as we got out of the car we were swarmed. Put on some Off and went about setting up. Took special care to see that all parts were sealed as well as we could. It seemed to work. We were not bothered in the camper at all. Hope it works as well in Alaska.

Joyce and I seemed to have gotten our rhythm on setting up and breaking down camp. We usually get up between 6 and 7, drink our coffee and tea, have breakfast and then start putting things away. We no longer worry about when we are getting on the road. When we are ready, we are ready. No big deal. But we are usually out by 9:30. We then drive, stopping along the way to see whatever sights we want to, take side trips and generally enjoy ourselves. Sometime around 3 or 4 I will start looking for a campground. We like to off the road around 5, but sometimes we have to drive a longer distance to find a suitable campground. Not that we are real picky, but we do not like camping near a road. Road noise is not on our list of things. But sometimes we have to and then we just make the best of it.

We have certainly enjoyed the coast of Oregon. The scenery is beautiful, the weather has been decent but not perfect. I love not having to pay sales tax and find it nice that someone else has to pump the gas. One man actually cleaned our windshield today. If I had to live some other place than Virginia, I would seriously consider Oregon. Especially the coastal area.

The State Park campgrounds are first rate. Many of them even have cable TV and all have showers, nice bathrooms and showers. And the rates are reasonable. Last night I paid $28 and tonight I paid $27.

On our trip north we visited 2 lighthouses and saw another from a distance. The lighthouse on Cape Meara had been vandalized by some people who shot out the windows and destroyed parts of the Fresnel Lens. Repairs to the Lens alone will cost $500,000.00. What is wrong with people? The only other lens like it is in Hawaii.

Tomorrow we will be in Washington State. Not sure what we will find in the way of campgrounds but we will make do.

It started raining again during the night but not the downpours of the day before. We were able to get packed up and on the road by 9:30. Lots of scenery, as usual, today. Stopped and looked at a few overlooks but mostly kept heading north. We stop at two lighthouses, Heceta and Yaquina Head. Heceta is absolutely gorgeous from the overlooks before you get there. We walked up to the lighthouse and Joyce took a tour. I did not because my foot was killing me. I bruised the side of it this morning while hooking up the camper. I stomped on the catch mechanism that goes over the ball and my foot slipped off to one side and hit the hitch. I knew I had hurt it but it progressively got worse during the day. We stopped in one of the small towns and got an ace bandage and wrapped it good. We went to the lighthouse at Yaquina Head and I was barely able to walk. Joyce did another tour. I got my camp chair out of the camper and sat with my foot propped up on the fence. By the time we got here to Devils Lake State Park to camp it had started to feel much better. I am now able to walk, but with quite a limp. It should improve as time goes on. Just have to wait and see how long my recovery will be. But it is not enough to stop us.

In taking the Pop-up to AK I have been more worried about the mosquitoes than bears. There is no way to keep those pesky little critters out of the camper, so we are trying to make ourselves distasteful by taking a Vitamin B complex. They smell bad enough when taking them, so hopefully we will smell bad to the skeeters.

This State Park campground is right in the middle of town. We are in Lincoln City, OR. Talked to one of the camp hosts and he says everything will be booked solid starting Friday for the Memorial Day Holiday. We will just play it by ear. If we are unable to find a campground then we will motel it. Stay tuned.

Woke up this morning and it was pouring rain. Decided we did not want to take the camper down and move up the coast. So, we took a town day. We needed to get prescriptions filled, I needed some clothes and stock up on some groceries.

When I left home, I sadly underestimated what type of clothing I would need. Did not bring a jacket, brought 5 pairs or shorts, which I haven't used since Death Valley, and two pair of long pants (one of which is too small and the other has a seam for the pocket that gives me a lot of pain sitting on it all day while driving).

So we had an exciting day(sarcasm) shopping for drugs, clothes and food. But it was a good day. I actually got a nap in. First one I had managed since we left home. After the nap we went looking for a tide pool. Joyce had never seen one and she found out that getting to tide pools and then exploring them is hard work. Found some interesting snail like creatures and several sea anemones. Also stopped and looked at a huge sea lion colony. Must have been hundreds of them, and are they noisy.

Tomorrow we move on up the coast. Not sure where we will stop at. When we get tired.

May 23,2010

21 days on the road now. Made a short day of it today. Decided to camp at Prarie Elk campground in the Redwood National Park. When I was here before, the meadow was full of elk. That is not the case this year. The herd has split, and one part has gone north to Klamath. The balance of the herd is here, but with a high mortality rate, since they insist on grazing on the sides of the highway and getting killed. We saw 8 or 10 bulls on the entrance ramp to Highway 101. One was almost in the road. Later on we saw several cows but they were in a different location.

We did some hiking on the Skunk Cabbage Section of the Coastal Trail today. Were hoping to find Skunk Cabbages in bloom, but they had already set seed heads. Out here there blooms are on a stalk and are yellow as opposed to ours that bloom before the foliage emerges and is purple

Well sometimes the wrong thing is the wrong thing. Today, I thought I had switched the Frig over to propane. Instead, I left the frig on battery, and after setting up camp around 1:00 we left for exploring. When we got back I tried to turn a light on and found out the camper battery was totally dead. I tried hooking the electrical back up to the car and charging the battery. That has not worked, so tonite we will bundle up and be cold come morning. I will let you know tomorrow if we survive.

May 24, 2010

Yes, we did survive. Put on enough clothes and were warm while sleeping. Chilly getting up in the morning, but not as bad as we have had in years past.

We are now in Oregon. Frankly, I had gotten tired of California. Overpriced campgrounds, fees every time you went into a State Park and about a 10% sales tax. I know they have their financial problems but I got tired of paying for them.

It is refreshing to be in a new state. Oregon has no sales tax. You can use the State Parks without having to pay at the gate. You are not allowed to pump your own gas(how radical is that). We are in a commercial campground tonight near Coos Bay, Oregon. It is windy, cloudy and cool. We did make a few stops along the way here today. Lots of coastline scenery. Ate lunch at a Dairy Queen. Joyce and I shared a mini-Blizzard for desert. YUM YUM

After we set up camp we went to the Shores Acres Botanical Garden on Cape Arago. We were the only people there. Took our time looking at all the Rhododendrons in bloom. Use binoculars to view a noisy colony of Harbor Seals, then returned home for a late dinner of Hamburger Helper Lasagna(leftovers).

May 21, 2010

Left Olema this A.M. and headed north. Lots of stops along the way to take pictures and to admire the scenery. At one overlook we saw a group of Harbor Seals basking on a sandbar. There were lots of quaint towns with not much in the way of services for the traveler pulling a tent camper.

Toured Pt. Arena lighthouse. This lighthouse was destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It was built of brick and mortar, as was required of all Lighthouses of the time. The Light Keeper was in the tower when the quake struck. The only thing that kept the tower from collapsing was the steel staircase inside.
Brick and mortar does not stand up to earthquakes. Reinforced concrete and even wooden structures fare better. The lighthouse was rebuilt using reinforced concrete and will withstand the next earthquake better. The original staircase was used in the new lighthouse. Pt. Arena is the westernmost point in the lower 48 states. There is a cafe on the main road that says “Welcome to the first diner since Hawaii”.

The last time I was there the lighthouse was white and in my picture archives I have it as white with a low hanging cloud wreathing the top. It is now gray, due to repairs made to the outside and they are soliciting money to have it painted.

We stopped at Anchor Cove for lunch and then headed north again. We covered about 150 miles today and we are in the Russian Gulch State Park two miles north of Mendocino.

May 22, 2010

Today has been a day of changeable weather. From sunshine to rain to sunshine to rain. And it has been chilly all day. Last night we ran out of gas for the furnace so at 2:00 am I went outside and swapped the tanks over. As we were hooking up this morning I smelled Propane. Either the tank is defective or I did not tighten the connection properly. As we went thru Ft. Bragg I had the empty filled so we are good for a while. Good thing since there is a frost advisory for this area and temperatures could be at freezing or below.

We are in Fortuna Ca tonite at a very nice campground. Scenery today has been spectacular. Made several stops along the ocean and got nice pictures of waves, seabirds, and seals. Have not gotten to any accessible tide pools yet but there will be opportunity.

Had a late lunch in Garberville, CA and when we went back to car, the battery had been drained by the Refrigerator in the camper. A good Samaritan gave us a jump and we got back on the road. Pete Fink told me I needed to disconnect each time we stopped but I did not think the 45 minutes we spent for lunch should have drained the battery so quickly. Live and learn and listen to Pete.

Took an alternate route to Rt. 101 and drove 32 miles thru the Grove of Giants. A 53,000 acre preserve with some of the largest Redwoods in the world. There was a couple who lived in Eureka that when they heard that the Pacific Lumber Co. planned to log this site convinced them not to. They got the company to pay continue to pay taxes on the property and with the help of Save the Redwoods Foundation purchased the tract of land. I certainly am glad they did. It is a beautiful drive. Almost magical. Tomorrow we continue north. More later.

Today has been another busy day. Left camp at 9:15 and returned at 4:30. Packed a lot of sightseeing into those hours. First destination was Samuel P. Taylor State Park to give Joyce her first look at Redwood trees. Not as large as the Sequoias we have seen but impressive nonetheless. Next 20 miles of rough road to Pt. Reyes Lighthouse. The steps to the lighthouse were closed due to high winds. I think we were both glad of that, because it is the equivalent of a 30 story building to climb back up the 300+ steps. The winds were gusting to 48 mph while we were there. Saw lots of new flowers for Joyce. I enjoyed watching the ravens, gull, vultures and hawks hover in the wind. I believe the ravens and the hawks were having the greatest fun. Without a movie camera you can not capture them hovering.

On the way back we visited South Beach, North Beach and Drakes Beach. Could not do much beach-walking but Joyce managed to dip her hand in the Pacific at Drake Beach. Sir Frances Drake anchored off this beach for 56 days while making repairs and restocking his ship with food and supplies. He made contact with the local Indians and probably obtained food and supplies that they could provide. After that we continued on across the Pacific back to Britain and became the first English explorer to circumnavigate the globe.

We stopped at the Pt. Reyes National Seashore visitors center and Joyce looked thru the exhibits. I went and walked the .6 mile earthquake trail along the San Andreas Fault. I really enjoyed doing that since I have recently listened to 18 lectures by a UC Berkeley geology professor about earthquakes here in the bay area. Their causes, their damage and the history of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Back to camp and dinner and other duties.

May 17, 2010

Have you ever had a day where you made a mistake and it turned out one of the better things you have done. Well that happened to Joyce and I. I made the mistake and missed a turn. Instead of taking a fairly quick and easy drive to Sequoia we took the scenic route. And I do mean the scenic route. We drove up Mtn 90 alongside of the Kern River. We steadily climbed higher but the rapids in the river were awesome. Maybe some of these young kayakers who can do anything might run them but for mere mortals no way. Joyce is seeing new wildflowers.

Somewhere along the way, I drove into a NFS (we were in the Sequoia National Forest) and asked the campground host if I were going the right way. He told me how to get to California Hot Springs, but said the road would make the Pacific Coast Highway look like and InterState. Well, it was quite that bad, but we climbed to over 9000 feet, some of it on a one lane road. We were in the snow for quite a long time. We started seeing sequoias then. Big, but as we found out later not huge. Took our time, stopping, taking pictures. But being above snow line it was quite chilly. Turned on Mtn. 55 and headed down to Ca. Hotsprings. I had the idea that it would be a sizable town. NOT!! Blink twice and you are through it Not a one blink town because there was no way I could make any speed.

One thing that you may not know. In CA if you are a truck or are towing a trailer the speed limit is 55 mph. And believe it or not the trucks obey it to within the 5 mph overage we all take. Finally got to Sequoia National Park. Coming thru one of the little farming towns with the big citrus orchards, we stopped to buy some fresh oranges and tangerines. Checked into the Potwisha Campground and set up camp. They are very bear cautious. You are required to keep all food, except what is in your Fridge or canned goods packed away out of sight, in Bear Boxes. Makes a little more work, but since there supposedly was a bear and cub near the campground it made sense. Went out and looked around a little and called it a day.

May 18,2010
Joyce wanted to go the the visitors center to buy Wildflower books. So while she did that I went and hiked partway up the trail to Crystal Falls. Would like to have gone the whole way, but had told her I would hike for an hour out and then return. Was not as steep as I had anticipated and the trail was in great condition.

Spent the day being amazed by the huge Sequoias. Visted the General Sherman which is the largest tree in the world. Is that thing huge. It is not the tallest, or the largest in circumference. But it contains the most volume. We had driven thru the Grove of Giants on the way. Those were mighty large too. After that we went on to Kings Canyon to see the Trail of the Giants. Here also, the trees were magnificent. While there we saw “White Headed Woodpeckers”. We have seen several birds that are not on the East Coast. A long drive back to camp. Eat dinner, get a good campfire going. Watch a group of Hairy Woodpeckers catching insects. Still no bear. :(


May 19, 2010

Left Sequoia and headed for the Coast. After a mostly boring day of driving Freeways we were treated by our GPS to a tour of downtown San Francisco. Pulling a camper thru large cities with a GPS that keeps getting lost is a real challenge. But finally we got to 101 and crossed the Golden Gate. Stopped at the Vista Point and took the obligatory pictures. Continued on toward what I hoped was a campground at Stinson Beach. That was not to be. No campground there. So we kept up Rt. 1, the Pacific Coast Highway. It was almost as bad as Mtn. 90 and Mtn. 50. Ended up in Olema at an RV resort. RV resorts are not cheap. This one is charging us $48.00 for mid-week rates. That is twice what we have paid elsewhere. But they have what we need. Laundry, showers and electricity. We need clean clothes, baths and to recharge this computer and all our batteries. It is now 8:50 and we are in the Laundromat. Showers next. Then to unload camera cards. Joyce has filled up two 1 Gig cards in the last three days. She is quick on the shutter. Talk to you tomorrow.

May 13, 2010

Left Tucson around 9 this morning. Have decided that we will go to Death Valley instead of Sequoia. Our most direct route is I-10 to Phoenix, Rt. 60 west to Rt. 93. We are staying at the KOA in Kingman, AZ tonight. We left later this morning to avoid “rush hour” thru Tucson. Traffic was still quite slow. Glad we were not in it earlier.

We stopped in Casa Grande to get an oil change for the Trailblazer and to have my glasses fixed. That took about an hour. Then back on the road to Phoenix. Picked up Rt. 60 there and began to doubt my wisdom. It was slow. Lots of work zones, lots of traffic lights, lots of traffic. Finally got thru the worst of it and out into the country. Made good time after that. We saw lots of Saguaro cactus and also Joshua Trees. The Joshua trees had already bloomed, so Joyce can not add that to her list this year.

While driving today I realized, again, just how much empty space is in this country of ours. Once you get out of the towns and cities you can drive miles with out seeing a house or evidence of people, other than fences. In the East, our roads are lined with house, one after another. Not here.

The other thing I was thinking is that while we know Agriculture is big, it is hard to realize how big it is until you are out here and see how much is produced.

Got here later than usual and both are tired. Joyce fixed a Tuna Casserole and I went to the Grocery store for milk and fruit. Now waiting for bedtime. We have no internet access tonight. The campground has WiFi,but I neglected to get a userid and password for it. My data access card is “roaming” and internet is not work the price. Maybe tomorrow I can upload this.

May 14, 2010

Left Kingman, the home of Andy Devine, this morning around 8:45 and headed north.
Crossed Hoover Dam and stopped to take pictures. Made a stop at Lake Meade National Recreation area. Drove around, went down to the beach where Joyce collected shells and took pictures. After that drove on through Las Vegas and on north to Death Valley. Arrived here this afternoon and checked into a commercial campground. Good choice. It was 104 in the shade, and I do not care what people say about Low Humidity, it was still hot. Especially setting up the camper. Joyce was suffering badly from the heat. Got it set up, AC going full blast. Ate left over pizza from lunch.

After we ate, we drove out to “Artist Drive”, a picturesque 9 mile loop through colorful rock formations. It was pretty. Joyce, being Joyce, snapped lots of pictures. I took a few myself. Got back to camp around 8 and are in for the evening. We plan to get up early tomorrow and hike part of the way up Golden Canyon. If it hasn't gotten too hot, we will go to Badwater Salt Flats and walk out into the flats a way. Regardless of the temperature we will go there just to look.

This is another night without the internet. I will have several days to upload before we have service again. Not the end of the world.

May 15, 2010

Today has been busy. Up at 0530 and at the trailhead to Golden Canyon for a hike at 0615 before the heat got bad. Nice gentle 2.5 mile hike (round trip) up a narrow canyon with lots of different rock formations. Joyce turned back at the 1 mile mark, but I went the extra to see Red Cathedral. A tall red rock cliff with fluted columns. Back to the car where Joyce was waiting and then on to Bad Water. There I walked out into the salt flats for about a half mile. Temp by then was 100 in the sunshine. We wore light loose clothing and drank lots of water. Never seem to sweat, because it drys instantly. After that we drove down to the Devils Golf Course. A place where the salt formations are pushed up 1 to 2 feet tall. You can walk out into them, but must be very careful not to fall. The crystals are hard and sharp and a fall could end up with broken bones and cuts. From childhood experience you do not want to rub salt into your wounds. (That was my Dad's favorite first aid for cuts) We also drove part way down the West Side road. I saw two Chuckwalla lizards sunning themselves. Stopped at a salt flat and there was actually a briny salt pool there. There is water, but not much and very salty. About 4 times as salty as the ocean. Came back for lunch, tried to nap, but too warm in camper. We should have turned the A/C on when we left.

While hiking, I talked to a woman who said there was a nice swimming pool at Stove Pipe Wells. So we went swimming at sea level. Pool was nice and cool. When we got out, the hot wind was not hot. A very refreshing afternoon. Stayed there a couple of hours and back to camp.

Tomorrow we leave for Yosemite. Hopefully I can get across the park from the east using Ca SH 120. I called the Park line and know it is open part of the way. Wish us luck.

We have received emails from some of you letting us know that you are enjoying our adventures. Thanks for you kind comments.

May 16, 2010

Left Death Valley this morning, thinking we were going to Yosemite. That turned to not be the case. Got over to Lone Pine, after a nice drive out of Death Valley and stopped at the Forest Service Information station. Talked to a very nice Forest service person who gave me information about how to get to the West Side of Yosemite. Turns out the only way from where we were was to go south, cut thru the Sierra Nevada's and go toward Sequoia and Kings Canyon, where we wanted to go in the first place. So tonite we are camped on Lake Isabella at a NFS campground about miles from our destination. Great site, no electricity, but we can camp a few days without.

We are glad we went to Death Valley, but honestly, we are gladder that we left. Lots of good scenery, very different, but just too hot for us. Last night our A/C was working as hard as it could, but never got the temp below 78. Not comfortable at all. It was a steep climb out of Death Valley. Minus 190ft to +5000. One roadsign told us to turn off our A/C for the next 20 miles to prevent overheating. Fortunately we did not need a/c since we pulled out of Furnace Creek at 7:30. Kept the windows rolled down and enjoyed climbing from stifling heat to mountain coolness.

Stopped in Inyokern, CA for lunch at Bernadino's. Great southwestern style Mexican restaurant with a Sunday breakfast brunch that was buffet style. Not fancy but good.

Tomorrow we should be in Sequoia National Park. May rain on us. If so will be the first time since we left home.

After having a great meal at the lodge we retired for the night(at a reasonable hour). The problem with changing time zones is that the sun comes up so early when you have just crossed over. We were awake before 5:00 and the sun was up at 5:30. Breakfast was going to be served in the dining room starting at 8:00. So we checked out early and was on the road by 6:30. The temperature there was 29 degrees and ice had frozen in the humming bird feeders. Continued south on 191 (the scenic route). And it was scenic. Scenic and crooked and steep. Took us about 3 hours to go 50 miles. But it was worth it. The biggest thing we saw, and it is so big I don't know how to describe it. It was an open pit copper mine that has been in existence since 1937. It is so big that they moved the town of Mercino to a new location and the old town is now part of the mine. This mine produces the largest amount of copper in the United States. Pictures to follow. Stopped for a late breakfast in Mericino and continued South on 191 to I-10. Then on to Tuscon and the Saguaro National Park. We found a campground based on a conversation with a man back in Pie Town NM. Set the camper up and then headed for the park. Spent several hours there wandering around, amazed by the Saguaro Cactus found there.
Tomorrow we head west again, toward Yuma. Having trouble deciding whether to go to one of the parks on our agenda. Sequoia and Kings Canyon are still under winter conditions in many sections and parts of the parks have not opened. So we may go to Death Valley, and then head for the coast. There are plenty of Redwoods and Sequoias out there.

We are in Basque, NM this morning. The temp is 39 degrees. Have now been in NM for two days. Left Clovis yesterday morning with a vicious wind blowing most of the day. Made several stops along the way. The most interesting one was at a Spanish Mission at ABO, NM. By then the wind had died down, and we could actually get out and walk around. When we stopped for lunch and gas the wind was blowing so hard that the gas tanks were rocking back and forth. I am not complaining, mind you, especially after having seen the news about the storms in Oklahoma yesterday. They were in the area that Joyce and I had been through two days ago.

Joyce saw lots of flowers yesterday. We traveled Rt. 60 from Clovis to here. Stopped at the National Park Welcome center in Mountainair, NM and picked up a couple of wildflower books for Joyce. She had left a couple books at home that she needed.

Today we are bound for Pie Town. Looking forward to a pie.

Well, we made it to Pie Town, but on the way we stopped at Sevellita National Wildlife Refuge where they had this great walk around the grounds that had all the wildflowers named. Needless to say Joyce was in seventh heaven. Next we drove about 40 miles down I25 to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge and went through the Cactus Garden. Lots of blooming cacti. A special treat was seeing a Western Tanager. We got several pictures that we will post at a later time.

Next we took Rt 60 west, fighting the wind. BTW: Did you know that RT 60 was the first Transcontinental Highway? Got to the place where we had thought to camp for the night, but was too early in the day so we kept on going. Stopped in Pie Town for Blueberry Pie. YUM YUM. Kept heading west to Springerville, AZ. Did not realize we had switched time zones again. We are now on PDT. We then turned south on Rt 191 through the White Mountains. Ended up here at Hannigan Meadows and are staying in the Lodge tonight. Too windy to set up the camper, and since we are at 9100 ft., oxygen is thin up here and we are not acclimated. Just walking around makes us dizzy and breathless. Temperature was 45 a little while ago.

May 8, 2010

We are now in Foss Lake State Park,OK about 60 miles from the Texas Border. Other than one idiot who passed me on the right side as I was moving over one lane, it was an uneventful trip. Stopped at the WalMart in El Reno and bought a few things that we needed. Joyce has seen lots of wildflowers today. I have seen lots of highway. We did have a special treat this evening as we drove around the park and the adjacent Nahitisha Wildlife Preserve. We saw several “Split-tailed Flycatchers”. They are the state bird of Oklahoma and quite pretty. Unable to use the internet tonight since my data plan is on roaming. Hopefully tomorrow I can post this to my blog.

Of interest is that Foss Lake has 60 miles of shoreline and a surface area of 8300 acres. The dam is 3 miles long and 124 ft. tall. When it was built in 1962 it was one of the largest earthen dams. There is also a small Bison herd here, which we have not seen, behind the Park Office.

Before statehood this area was an Indian reservation, but I am not sure of which tribe or tribes.

We are now at Twin Bridges State Park in Wyandotte, OK. Uneventful trip which is a good thing. Only one traffic slow down on I-44. This is a nice State Park and a nice campground. Joyce thinks we are getting better at setting up. At least a little quicker. As much practice as we are getting, we should be better. We will move on tomorrow to Foss, OK. There is a State Park Campground their. State Parks or National Park/National Forest campgrounds are our preferred thing. Not close to big towns or Interstate Highways. We will have to stop and re-supply tomorrow. Probably at a Wal-Mart. I checked our MPGs last night and we are getting almost 14MPG. Not bad considering we are hauling the camper at speeds of 60-65 MPH most of the time.

May 5, 2010
Left Carter Caves at 8:30. While getting around to go, we were able to identify a bird we had seen. It was a Summer Tanager. We had also seen Redheaded Woodpeckers. They are not the type we have at home, that everyone refers to as “Redheaded”.

It was a long day driving, but other than the wind, conditions were good, the road was good. The worst part is getting off the Interstate and to our Campground. As usual, I missed the turn (even using the GPS) and ended up across the river and then had to get back over the Mississippi. Still being ill-advised by the GPS we are in the same place we were the previous time we were here. Knowing that
if I went back onto the Interstate I would end up across the river I rerouted us using the least Freeways. Finally got here in East St. Louis around 5:30 CDT. Drove about 428 miles. Needless to say we were exhausted. Set up camp, went and took showers. Felt better after that. Went to the Casino and had dinner. After dinner we played the slots for a couple of hours. We each lost out allotted $5.00.
Really big gamblers aren't we? Back to the Camper and to bed. Had forgotten how noisy this campground is. Highway and Train noise.

May 6, 2010

We have to give a big thanks to Roger and Carol Ingerthol for suggesting that we go to the Missouri Botanical Gardens while here. Such a nice place. I think it has about 84 acres and we spent at least 5 hours walking around it and did not see it all. Joyce saw lots of flowers, many she had never seen before. I tease her that it is like shooting ducks in a barrel. We did see a rare Kentucky Lady-slipper. Very pretty. We will post a picture of it. Back to the campground to rest and get ready for another big night. Joyce will go play the slots, while I go to the hotel and use their Wi-Fi . You would think that next to such a big city, my Verizon Data Card would get a stronger signal than it does. At times I can get a fairly good signal, but other times it is worse than land-line dial-up.

Tomorrow we will move on. Going west on I-44 to Oklahoma. A little over 300 miles. Will probably keep moving fairly steadily until we get to Arizona. NO, I am not boycotting Arizona. Joyce would like to see the Saguaro Cactus there. After that we will head northwest into California.

We spent today here at Carter Caves State Park. We had been here twice before, but always left the next morning. I took a cave tour with one of the rangers. Met him at Cascade Caves. A neat cave.
Several rooms with interesting formations. While this cave did not compare to Luray or Carlsbad, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it more. There were streams running through it, different rooms and bats. There is also a waterfall in a separate section of the cave. At one time this was the water source for the Lodge that is here. The Ranger that I was with has been leading these tours for 20 years. He said sometimes during the season they have as many as 70 people on the tour. In my opinion this is the season, just me.

Joyce spent the day wildflowering. I helped her some. I usually go ahead on the trail and point out new ones to her. She refers to me as “flower dog”. She has had a successful two days finding flowers. Hopefully this will continue so she stays happy.

There has been a lot of flooding here. We could see evidence of it here in the Park. Streams had been over the roads coming into Park, and if we come Sunday, we would not have gotten to stay here.

The weather has been really nice today, high 70's.

Carter Caves State Park Resort

Had a decent day driving. Left home about 0830 and arrived here around 5 p.m. Traffic was light for the most part and conditions were good. We saw quite a bit of the flooding that had occurred in Ky. In one place we could see houses surrounded by water. Coming into the Park here we could see where the creek had been over the road and a huge boulder had come down onto the side of the road. Joyce got some pictures of the Rock.

We are set up here in the campground. Plenty of room. Nice sites. We went down to the lodge for dinner. Had a good dinner for a very reasonable price. My internet connection works well here. Using my Data Card from Verizon. It goes where I go. All for today. Am tired.

Tomorrow is the day.

We will be leaving tomorrow. It is an ambitious trip that we have planned. Will be tired when we get home.

Roughly, what we have planned is to go out to California. See a couple things on the way. Once there we want to see several of the National Parks. Kings Canyon, Sequoia, Yosemite and Redwood. We will travel up the coast along the Pacific Coast Highway, taking in the wonderful scenery, exploring the tide pools, visiting the numerous light houses along the way.

By June 9 we need to be at Port Hardy, BC to catch the Ferry to Prince Rupert. Then a couple days later, we will board the Alaska Marine Highway Ferries to Haines, AK with stops at Ketchikan, Wrangell and Juneau. Then back to driving again. Up the Alaska Highway to Tok and then on to Fairbanks and Denali. After that heading to the Kenai Peninsula to explore places we did not see the summer I worked in Alaska. Sometime after that we will head home. I will post pictures occasionally.