Home, James. I Mean. Home, Ed

We arose early to drive the switchbacks and leave Zion through the tunnel.  The RV has to ride the center of the tunnel - cars were smaller in 1930 when the tunnel was built.  There's a $15 tariff to stop traffic while we drove through with the direction of a ranger.

 We took a last look at the beauty that is Zion National Park while we waited

for the ranger.

 We took a short look at Coral Pink Sands State Park and decided to move on.

It's an ATV haven and we aren't ATVers.

We made a short stop at Vermilion Cliffs to look at the unique beauty that is Arizona.

The colors...brilliant.

We spent the night in Winslow, AZ and took time for a good look at La Posada there.

This lovely hotel was designed by Mary Jane Colter and built in 1930.

Colter designed railway stations and hotels for the Fred Harvey Company and many of the

buildings on the South rim of Grand Canyon and Phantom Ranch in the Canyon.

We New Mexicans can see her hand in La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe.

She's attributed with creating New Mexico style.

The resort has been restored but contains all the original fixtures, metal work

and paint colors.

And then it was a straight line home.

I'm including this photos of Ed that I took the day after we got home.  He ordered this car almost

a year ago.  We received emails along the the way telling him when it was scheduled, assembled,

and shipped to the dealer.  Even sandpaper could not remove the smile on his face this

first time he climbed behind the wheel.  I think it's really cute and certainly

another opportunity for a speeding ticket...

So, now we're home.  The house is mostly up and running and clean.  We getting back into

life OFF the road.  And, now I get to sum up that last 15 weeks.

I left on this trip without any expectations but open to all and any adventures.  And, the adventures came...  We had an absolutely wonderful time.  We enjoyed the 9 national parks we visited.  We added a few state capitols to our collection.  We saw wonderful museums.  We enjoyed the cities.  We enjoyed the countrysides.  We drank and tasted lots of wine.  We toured factories.  We shopped.  We weathered mechanical repairs both major and minor, but we managed to not let it spoil even one minute.

But, most of all, we spent quality time with great people.

A perfect holiday!!!

The motorhome has done what we bought it to do.

A Quickie in Zion National Park



We made a quick decision to travel towards home with a short stop in Zion National Park.

We have been here many times but it's been a long time since the last visit.  We saw lots of changes - all for the better.  A very friendly volunteer in the Visitor Center told us we could take our bikes on the trams.  Since there's a 500 ft. gain going the length of the valley...we decided to take her advise and bike back.  We loaded our bikes onto the front of the tram and took a 40 minutes narrated ride

to the end of the valley and the River Walk trail.

 We always take this lush beautiful canyon walk when here.   It's still my

favorite walk.  The path is one mile in and then you can continue into Narrows or

turn around and re-enjoy what you've just done.

 The cliff walls are shear and high.  There's so much water in the sandstone walls that it's covered in hanging gardens of grasses, ferns, and other plants. 

The Virgin River runs on the left, the hanging gardens are on the right, and the walls are red.

 There were more people in the canyon than I have ever seen and they were speaking all languages not English.  There were a couple large French tour groups.  I love the guy in hiking clothes with the white scarf around his neck.  He had a mustache and little center beard.  The French have such style...! 

Ed was conpletely embarrased to take his photo but did so for me.  Muuaahh!

 When we reached the end of the path we found this scene.  This is where the Narrows begin.  It's a water hike.  Usually we turn around at this point and walk back.  I found that there was this thing about safety in numbers and I wanted to cross.

Someone offered me a golf club that I later passed on to someone else.  The bottom is all rocks on the first crossing.  Ed held on to me and we make it slowly across.

 Our wet feet.  We were both sloshing.

 A short distance into the Narrows is the second crossing.  This time it was a sandy bottom.

I was getting used to the feel of the water.  We turned back about 1/4 mile into the Narrows when the nike became all water.  Next time...  I loved it!

 This canyon is beyond beautiful...

We got onto our bikes and headed down valley.  Picture us coasting a good part of the

 way along this kind of scenery. 

 We stopped several times to take photos.  I can only describe this 8 1/2 mile bike ride as glorious.

 Leaving the park we saw a sign for U Pick Apples.  We got a bag and headed into the trees.

Ed ate more than he picked at first...

 ...but then got down to business.  We picked 5 1/2 pounds of

the juciest tastiest Galas we've ever tasted.

 We had put Finn into day care.  We picked him up on the way home. 

He was one dusty little doggie, tired, and happy.

We've all had our showers and we're winding down watching the Olympics.  We'll leave early in the morning because we want to make some distance before the day heats up. 

We want to make a stop at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.  Will it be a quick look/see

or an overnight stop?  Who knows...

Salt Lake City with the Fishers

I can't remember if I posted a photo of us in all our Trailer Trash glory.  We stopped at a Visitor's Center as we entered Utah so Ed could pick up some more paper to fill our motorhome.  He's become a collector of maps and park information.  I make fun of him, but when I need some information he has it!

 We were very excited to see Susan and Larry Fisher - our balloon crewing buddies and full time friends.

They devoted three days to hanging out with us and showing us Salt Lake City and their home in Tooele.

Salt Lake City is a state capitol so the Fishers took us to visit it.

 Utah has a very impressive state capitol building.  It was built in 1912 and

dedicated in 1916.  We discussed whether it was constructed out of marble or

Utah granite.  Granite.

 The impressive rotunda is encircled with murals depicting the history of the state.

A replica of the Liberty Bell.  We never figured out why it is here.

 This meeting room has a sign outside saying it can be booked and rented.  It's a very popular

location for wedding photographs.  Why not???

 The House of Representatives has a glass ceiling with stained glass border.

 The Senate is bordered with murals. 

We moved on from the Capitol downhill to Temple Square.

I'm including a couple photos of the beauty that makes up Temple Square. 

It's a collection of buildings that serve the LDS community, the home of the

Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the genealogy library, the admnistration building.  It

is quite an impressive place.

 The Assembly Hall - built in 1882

 The Salt Lake Temple took 40 years to build - 1853-1893.

The interior was completed in one year!

We could not enter the Temple, but we were able to see a model

of the interior in the Temple Visitors Center.

Susan and Larry both work two days a week as volunteers in the Temple.

 The Joseph Smith Memorial Building was once a hotel...

...and the lobby still looks like one.  The building is beautiful - just

the kind that Ed and I enjoy.

 The lobby ceiling is a work of art.

 The last stop in Temple Square was at the Conference Center. 

It seats 21,000 and has a 4 acre garden on the roof.

Ed took this photo from under the massive balcony. 

We spent the evening watching the Olympics.  We get so addicted to the Games...

The next day the Fishers took us to the Heritage Center.  High on a hill in the University area, it's a collection of historical buildings - some original/restored and some recreated - with volunteers in period costume.  It was built by the LDS church and given to the State of Utah.

We learned something new from every person we spoke to. 

 We got an entire history of blacksmithing in the Blacksmith Shop.

We were shocked to learn that parents "sold" their children as young as

seven to apprentice in a shop by signing them away to the owner.  Punishments were hard.

Since these communities could not survive without the blacksmith, wagons could not roll without a blacksmith, the local blacksmith usually had the largest home. 

Factoid:  blacksmiths did not shoe horses.  Farriers do that.

 We stopped in the barn...

 ...to see the miniature horse and her colt.  Cute!

We stopped in the drugstore where we were shown how pills were made and learned a bit about herbs.

I got into a conversation with the mountain man.  I had learned so much at the Museum of the Mountain Man that I challenged him on his beard.  He fessed up - he plays Santa at Christmas time so he keeps the beard even though mountain men were clean shaven.  (He told me that ticks and fleas in a beard

would have been really uncomfortable.)

We stopped in one of the homes and spoke with this family who were making hard tack.

Their recipe had flavoring in it.  I remember Civil War hard tack being made of just flour and water.

 An old church

 We walked into cabins of all sizes.

 The hotel has sample rooms upstairs - standard and deluxe.

We finished off the day with dinner at Susan and Larry's followed by a park concert.  Fun!

We all had brunch in the RV the next morning and went to the movies together.

What a great visit with the Fishers.  We'll see them in October when they come to

Albuquerque for Balloon Fiesta.

We are headed home with a stop at Zion National Park.  We just felt like it since we haven't been there in more than ten years.  Can't believe this adventure is winding down...

The Very Grand Tetons

We made a decision to utilize one of the National Park Campgrounds in the Tetons.

This means that there will be no comforts of home like air conditioning, television, microwave.  We've never been very good "dry" campers since I own up to wanting all the comforts of home when we are on the road.  Our house batteries are new so there was no reason not to try them out.  Because we are "old" we have the privilege of having Golden Age Passes to the national park system.  It gets us into the parks for free and cuts camping charges in half.  So, for $10.25 a night we moved into the Gros Ventre campground.  And a nice park it is!

The site is on the River so our choice was a view of the Tetons or shade.  We chose the shade. 

Smart move...  This is what the area looks like:

 Driving the access road to the park, we passed a herd of buffalo.  Turns out this is a very

active animal area.  This herd is made up of a few hundred "buffs."

We also found a group of people with cameras and binoculors watching intently beside the road and stopped to find out what they were watching.  There was a moose dining in the brush.

Ed must have taken 30 photos until the moose let us get a look at his face.  They are very elusive.

Ed describes moose as an animal designed by a committee...

There was storm brewing over the Tetons in the late afternoon allowing us to capture this picture.

It managed to brew up a little brief wind and a few drizzles and then the sun came out again.

The next day we headed for parts unfamiliar to us.  The Craig Thomas Visitors Center at Moose Junction (no relation to our moose) has recently opened.  (there's also a newish 17 mile bike path from Jenny Lake to Jackson.)

There are wonderful exhibits inside and a wall of windows on the back facing...

...the Grand Tetons.

Reminds me why I love to come here.

We continued on to Jenny Lake. 

 What makes the Tetons so amazing is the way they rise out of the water without benefit of foothills.

I think if I look up "majestic" in the dictionary, #2 will be "example, Jenny Lake."

We know the north end of Jackson Lake and Colter Bay having stayed in the RV park our last trip here.

This is the south end of Jenny Lake at Signal Mountain Lodge.  It's a small charming lodge with guest cabins.  Less tumult that Colter Bay.

We made the obligatory visit to Jackson Lake Lodge to climb the stairs and be in awe of the view.

We had planned to do some biking along the new trail while we were here, but our visit was complete with a couple afternoon naps...and no biking  I think the pace of this trip is starting to wear on both of us. 

We're both exhilarated and tired.  I am going to sleep for a month when we return...

Leaving the Grand Tetons, we took a little sidetrip to visit the

Museum of the Mountain Men

in Pinedale, WY. 

It's all about the history of the fur trade which lasted from about 1820 to 1840 and

the men who were the trappers.

This is the hat that opened the west.  The well-to-do in London favored hats made of felt.  The finest was made from beaver fur.  The style spread through Europe and to the United States.  Beaver was trapped almost to extinction in Europe so the riches of the West created a new industry. 
The demand for beaver pelts lasted for two decades, until the gentry discovered silk.

The museum is full of wonderful displays of clothing, rifles, stories, and art and highlights the Indian tribes the trappers interacted with.

They have a buffalo hide "tipi" on exhibit - one of only a few remaining.

They consider it a national treasure.

Pinedale was the center of the fur trade.  Outside of the Visitors Center is this statue - the image of the Mountain Man.  It's an image that was created by artists like Frederick Remmington and in literature of the time.  The mountain man as a grizzly being.  They are always depicted with beards.  Not true.  Clean shaven was the style of the day.

The annual Rendezvous - 16 were held, 6 were in Pinedale, 10 were in Wyoming. 

The trappers met, the Indians attended, goods were sold and traded, games were played,

and liquor was drunk!

It was certainly a worthwhile stop!

We're on our way to Salt Lake City to visit with Susan and Larry Fisher and do a little sightseeing.

We're counting down our return home. 

Ed got a call today saying his car has arrived.  The Abarth is ready to come home.

Haven't decided on the path home yet...