The Black Hole

June 3-5, 2017
Elks Lodge #  1053
Montrose, Colorado

We haven't been doing too much, just pretty much staying off the roads to avoid the week-end crowds at the parks and in the mountains. Today we ventured to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

We enjoyed a beautiful day and appreciated the cooler temperatures.  The rest of the week is supposed to be in the mid nineties.













This canyon is quite a bit narrower than the Grand Canyon, but more than twice as deep.














It's difficult to see the path to the overlook.  I never like heights so I was more impressed with the sturdy railings rather than the scenery.

This is Dave, sitting down again!

Tomorrow we will be going to Grand Junction, Colorado for a few days.

This Old House

May 31 - June 2, 2017
La Mesa RV Park
Cortez, Colorado



There isn't a direct route from where we were in Utah to the Durango area in Colorado so we decided to take the road that went through 4 Corners.  We haven't been there since our kids were small and thought it was worth a stop.  Now we know better.  What used to be free now costs $10.  Since we had paid our fee we felt obliged to take the tourist photo standing in four states at once.  The one thing that hasn't changed is the parking lot.  It's still the same chunky dried clay with potholes large enough to consume a RV.

Yesterday we drove up into the mountains for the wonderful views and delightful weather.

Most of the mountain towns we remember haven't grown very much.  I guess it's difficult to expand the city limits when the town is surrounded by federal lands on all sides.

Notice the zig zag on the mountain.  That's the road. 

Telluride is one of my favorite towns.  They even have a place in the city park to tie your dog (puppy parking) while you are in the restroom.




The trip back to the campground on a different road wasn't quite as nice.  The normal white knuckle two lane road from Ouray to Silverton turned out to be a white knuckle one lane road most of the way.  There was all kinds of construction along the way and it looked like the outside lane in one area had fallen off the side of the mountain.  Construction crews were busy trying to rebuild the road.  The workers' Porta Potti was right next to a drop off and it had large straps around it to keep it from going over the edge.  The rest of the trip back to Durango was pretty but uneventful.

Today we spent the day at Mesa Verde. 







When we visited many years ago people were allowed to walk through the dwellings near the canyon floor.  In an effort to better preserve the ancient buildings, that is now prohibited.

  There is only one building, Balcony House, that people are allowed to go inside and then only with a ranger.  That sounded good so we signed up for that tour.  

I must have not been paying attention when the tour was described.  Instead of approaching the buildings from the canyon floor, this one was only accessible by climbing down 140' from the top of the cliff.  There was also the 32' wooden ladder to climb into the main balcony section.

And last there was a 12' narrow dark tunnel that could only be navigated by crawling over the stones on your knees.























This is Dave's best side.

 Tomorrow we will be heading towards Montrose, Colorado.

Lost Soles & Jail Birds

May 29-30, 2017
Coral Sands RV Park
Bluff, Utah

Yesterday we left Page, AZ and drove through Monument Valley to Bluff, Utah. 

We were lucky to have a clear, cool day.  I kept expecting John Wayne to come riding across the valley on his faithful steed.








Bluff is a very small town that was settled in 1880 by Mormon settlers.  It's hard to imagine traveling in wagons across this canyon landscape  with no roads or GPS. 

The museum in town was not very large, but it was very well done.  These horses and the cow were for children to practice their riding and roping skills.










The town is not very large because it is sandwiched between the river bed and the canyon walls.

Twin Rocks

















Instead of a wooden Indian, this business had a carved wooden prisoner.  No doubt this is a reminder of the many Mormons imprisoned for polygamy.












Today we wanted to explore Natural Bridges Natural Monument but there wasn't a direct route from Bluff.  We decided to take the short cut and drive up Moki Dugway.  A dugway is a trail carved into the canyon wall to provide a path for wagons.  The up-hill wheels traveled in deep ruts that had been carved in the stone to prevent the wagons from sliding down the slope.  Fortunately the trail had been improved in recent years.

At Natural Bridges we were hiking towards one the the stone formations when the sole and heel came off one my shoes.  I'm normally not the most coordinated person, but climbing over the rocks with only one complete shoe was rather difficult.  At least I had an excuse for not going on that 20 mile hike.

We're On The Road Again!

May 23, 2017
J & H RV Park
Flagstaff, Arizona


We were in danger of broiling in the heat before we got everything wrapped up so that we could leave for the summer.  It was 106 the day we left Casa Grande.

We headed north to higher elevations and were greeted by pleasant 70 degree temperatures in Flagstaff and snow still on San Francisco Peak.  We enjoyed the afternoon visiting the Walnut Canyon, Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monuments.

While we were hiking one of the trails at Walnut Canyon we met a man wearing an unusual T-shirt.  It sort of looked like a rock band tour shirt.  On the back was a list of dates throughout the summer and places corresponding with each date.  On the front it said "Johnson Summer Tour" and had a photo of his fifth wheel RV.  If you plan ahead for you summer travels it's much easier to be cool.


Sunset Crater Volcano was more of a challenge because I forgot to change shoes before we left the RV and I had to walk through lava fields in flip flops.  I blamed my lack of coordination on my shoes.

Even though I was footwear disadvantaged, I challenged Dave to a race to the top of the volcano cone.  It was a good thing I saw the "Trailed Closed" sign before I issued the challenge or I might have been in trouble.







May 23 & 24, 2017
Jacob Lake Campground
Jacob Lake, Arizona

 On our way from Flagstaff to the north side of the Grand Canyon we drove by the Vermillion Cliffs.

After we settled the RV in the campground, we drove over to Pipe Spring National Monument so Dave could get another stamp in his National Park Passbook.  It ended up being so interesting that we stayed for the entire afternoon.
 
The next day we drove down to the North Rim.  We have lived in Arizona for several years and visited the Grand Canyon several times over the years, but we have never visited the North Rim.  With 90% of all visitors going to the South Rim it is a welcome change from all the congestion on the south side.  Naturally, the best views weren't from the road, so instead of the 45 minute scenic drive we ended up spending the entire day there.

Everytime Dave found a wide spot in the trail, he stopped for a quick drink and an extra breath.















Meanwhile, I was on my way to the top.

Here's Dave sitting down again.













May 26-28, 2017
Elks Lodge #2498
Page, Arizona

We decided to stay at Page over the Memorial Day weekend to avoid some of the crowds.  It wasn't a very wise move since everyone seemed to be spending the holiday at Lake Powell.  It was very difficult to navigate Walmart with all those extra shoppers.

While we were here we toured the Glen Canyon Dam.

 Tomorrow we are heading towards Colorado.

Up, Up and Away

October 9, 2016
Balloon Fiesta RV Park
Albuquerque, New Mexico

I had not realized it had been so long since I had posted to my blog so will try for a quick update.  When we left Indiana, we headed straight to Rochester, MN to visit friends and family.  We enjoyed several weeks there filled with family activities and visits with friends.

After Minnesota, we headed to Albuquerque, NM for the annual Balloon Fiesta.  We have been here since September 28th and will leave tomorrow for home in Casa Grande, AZ.  We are staying on the Balloon Fiesta property with it's close up view of everything but it also means we are in the direct path for a landing zone.  Last year someone lost a satellite dish when a balloon flew too low over the RVs before landing in the adjacent field.

When we crew, there isn't much time or energy for other activities or keeping up with my blog.  We start at 4:30 am and many days we didn't get back to the RV until after 9:00 pm.

This is a photo of the "Dawn Patrol" getting ready for takeoff.  These balloons launch before dawn and collect the wind data that the other pilots receive at their early morning briefing.








This year we crewed for "Squirt" the fire hydrant. While it is cute, it is also very large (over 120 feet tall).  The fabric part of the balloon alone weighs over 600 pounds.  It's way too much work for these old bodies!  I'm not sure if it was intentional but our launch site was right next to a dog balloon.

 

 Notice the people standing inside this balloon before it "went hot".

We have had a great time at the Fiesta and have enjoyed renewing old friendships and creating new memories.  Tomorrow morning we will leave for home so I will probably not blog again until the next time we leave home for a new adventure.