Life in the slow lane...

'One must sit back and smell the roses'...someone told me that once.  I really didn't get the memo when I was younger and could really take advantage - fortunately - it finally reached me before it was too late. 

We are still in Denver - imposing upon Lori who is handling our extended stay very well.  Not too many allow visitors to stay on indefinitely - take over their TV remote - and generally clutter up their home - but she has so far...We even convinced her to take in another dog for the week - so the place is definitely cluttered.  We decided to extend our visit to Denver for a few reason -the main being that we are enjoying our visit and decided that nothing was pushing us on...

The brush fires that has been burning near Lori and Marge's places has finally been brought under control.  We were living with a great deal of smoke at the campsite earlier in the week - but today - the sky is clear - cloudy and overcast - but clear.
We have moved Tallulah (the motor home) to a construction site across from Lori's - so it is a cheap holiday.  Not paying rent (if we stay much longer - Lori may start charging though) sponging off her kitchen for meals, taking the dogs to the dog park and getting to know other dog owners in the area and generally enjoying the time off.

It's beautiful - sitting here overlooking the Rockies.  I really don't have much to add as we haven't been doing much (hence the slow lane reference) so I will close for now - post this just to let you know our current location and plans.

It's a Family Affair...

I have come to realise that there are some things that it is the responsibility of the older generation to pass down to the younger generation.  Family knowledge that can only be taught the old way - by show and tell.  History of generations that came before, stories of how they and we lived prior to the mobile phone, secret family recipes, and how to tie your shoes (although Velcro is quickly taking that responsibility off of our shoulders).  Up until recently - I had not thought of myself as part of the older generation - but I now have to own up to the fact that indeed - I am, and I have these responsibilities.  Sunday I discharged my duties - in fine fashion I might add - and I now know that the knowledge of how to make pierogi's will live on in the family - if only through 1 or 2 of the next generation.

We started the day out in a lazy kind of way - and in the early afternoon - Lori came and got Karen and I and off we went to Kristi's (Marge's oldest daughter) for an afternoon with the family.  In attendance today were Marge's kids (Kristi, Tony and Amy) with families in tow, Lori, Karen and me (Marge and Bob are in Scottsdale right now - taking in spring training).  Our goal was to make pierogi's - a polish dish that our mothers (who were sisters) use to make.  I know that my mother tried on more than one occasion to teach me to make them - probably my Aunt Caroline did the same with Lori.  It is not a difficult dish to prepare - just time consuming and although it has always been one of my most favorite memories and foods - one that I rarely attempted to make.  We had cooked the sauerkraut yesterday at Lori's - so today was going to be dedicated to making the dumplings up.  Erin (Tony's wife), Amy and Kristi were all on hand to learn the art.  As it turned out we learned a couple of things...

1) - if you are looking to learn a thing or two in the kitchen - look elsewhere as Lori and I are probably the two worst choices you could chose to teach you...
2) - Amy and Kristi will never become the next Martha Stewart...I am sure they will give something else to the world - but it won't be their cooking that they are remembered for.  Erin on the other hand - is a willing and eager student - soaking up whatever knowledge Lori and I could give.  God bless her - she learned something despite her teachers' limited skills.

That said - we managed to produce an amazing amount and variety of pierogis - my favorites - sauerkraut, a facsimile of our mothers' cheese recipe and prune (Lori's favorite - enough said about that!).  We did 4 double batches of the dough - and generally - made a big mess in Kristi's kitchen.  The kids played and dressed up, the boys watched another nail biting disappointment with Michigan in the March Madness playoffs, Karen kept Zander (the newest member of the family) entertained and fed (let's face it - at 5 weeks that is half of the required needs) - and we enjoyed each other's company.  At the end of the gruelling day - those who wanted some took them home.  I have enough to see me through the remainder of the holiday, and Lori has her prunes.  All's well that ends well. 

 

On Monday - Lori, Karen and I got up at an incredibly indecent hour (6am which is early for a holiday) and got on the road to Breckenridge - as Karen asked for only one thing while in Denver visiting my relatives...to ski there.  It is about an hour's drive from Golden where Lori lives and we were on the road by 7am and there by 8.  Karen booked in for a day lesson and once Lori and I were sure she was going to go through with it - we left her to her own devices and went shopping. 

Now - for those who know me well - I am not a big shopper, and once I have something that is fit for purpose - such as a handbag - I tend to stick with what I know.  In 1987 - to splurged on myself - bought a Coach handbag.  It was exactly what I was looking for - and I liked it.  Liked it so much that I have used it pretty exclusively since.  I don't buy handbags, just use this one - so Karen and Lori decided that I needed a new one.  After 24 years - I guess I can't argue too much.  Lori on the other hand loves to buy handbags.  I am not sure where she stores them all since she has downsized the house - but off we went to Coach in search of that elusive replacement to my tried and trusty (as well as incredibly beaten up) handbag.  We got to the store - and before you could say 'Jack Rabbit' - Lori had found a bag she just had to have because it was lavender - and she didn't have a lavender bag...Me - it took a bit longer. 

We both ended up buying bags - I think Coach owes Lori a commission - as she pushed for me to buy 2 bags - which I ultimately did.  We then went back to pick up Karen - who had a full days skiing - won praise from her instructor for having elegant style in her skiing, and decided to treat her successful day with stopping by Coach on the way home and ultimately buying herself another bag.  So - the long and short of it is we all got new bags - I will probably use mine a bit more than the other two since it will be my only bag - not just another one of many.  

Tomorrow - Lori has booked us in with her hair dresser for a spruce up.  I know my hair is short - but I decided it could use a bit of shaping and  Karen is looking forward to a cut as well. We have been in Denver since Thursday last week.  We have managed to fit a bunch of stuff in - imposed on Marge for dinner on Thursday - Lori for dinner on Friday - made pierogis, gone skiing, done alot of eating or catching up and had a blast.  We even talked Lori into taking Marge's dog Snickers in for the time Marge is in Scottsdale.  Jasmine is enjoying the time with her cousin as well...no doubt - it has definitely been a 'Family Affair...'

Between a Rock and a Hard Place...

Dead Horse Point - overlooking Canyonlands National Park

Hello all - trying to catch up on the blog which I know I am a bit behind on.  We are in Denver at the moment spending some quiet time visiting family - but not before we spent a few fun filled/action packed days in Moab, Ut. - home of the off road enthusiasts.  Moab is situated right near not one but two National Parks - Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park.  It is within 30 miles of one of the most captured photos on the planet at Dead Horse Point - overlooking Canyonlands National Park.  Just below this point is where they took the last shot of Thelma and Louise - so it has some history to it.



Local scenery around Moab



The first night we got into Moab I don't think we really understood what was available to do in the area.  We had originally come here because of the proximity of the National Parks to Moab.  Our campgrounds were north of town - so we never got all the way into Moab to understand it's potential.  We did get a clue from the campground though - as probably 70% of the campers in the campgrounds had ATV's with them.  When morning came - the noise started up and we thought we might be in the middle of the Indy500.  That got us up and about fairly early.  On our way out of the campground - KMK wanted to stop at the office and pick up some brochures on what was available in the area - and then it hit us - we needed to stay longer that originally planned as there were way too many cool things to do to miss out on all of them (my thoughts - not necessarily Karen's).   So we decided to go through town - look up a few more campgrounds and see if any of them were better suited to our situation (less ATV’s and cable TV) and then find out about the different tours/opportunities and what we could book/complete in 1 day.  By 1pm – we had sorted ourselves out for the following day – we decided to rent a Rhino (2 man ATV) and tour the back country in the morning and then reserve a spot on a hummer tour across the Hell’s Revenge trail at sunset. Our only difficulty is that we are without any other transportation other than our trusty Tallulah – so we were discussing the fact that we would be finished with our ATV tour at 12:30 and wouldn’t be due back till 5pm for our Hummer tour – so we would need to take the motor home back to the campsite – set it up and then either break it down and come back into town or find alternative transportation.  Karen’s idea was to leave the motor home in the tour site parking lot and take a cab back to the campground – but I had to burst her bubble with the fact that if we did that – we wouldn’t have anything to sit on at the campsite – our motor home being left in town...she agreed that perhaps that hadn’t been her best plan – so we came up with plan B.  We would break camp in the morning – take the motor home into town to do the ATV tour – go back to camp – set it back up and call a cab to bring us into town for the Hummer tour...that way after a gruelling 2 ½ hours on the Hell’s Revenge trail – we wouldn’t have to set up camp again in the dark.  With this done – we took the rest of the afternoon and set out to explore Arches National Park. 

Double Arches - Arches National Park



Arches National Park with LaSal Mountains in background

 Millions of years ago – this area was a sea – in fact it has been a sea 29 times over the past 100 millennium or so and each time it dries up – it leaves salt deposits that accumulate and then are buried in sediment which due to pressure force it to become bulges under the sandstone and eventually cause cracks in the sandstone.  Over time, water has seeped into the cracks – washing away the salt – causing the arches.  This area has the largest accumulation of arches in the world – and because of the softness of the rock in the area – is constantly changing.  It is really quite amazing to see some of the formations in the area.  As Karen expressed – the further we go on this trip – the more we think we have seen it all – or the best – something new comes up and we get that much more to think about.  As you stand looking over the Window’s arches – the snow covered white peaks of the LaSal Mountains in the background – it just becomes impossible to explain or convey the beauty.  You try to capture it in pictures – but to be perfectly honest – it doesn’t work...



The next morning we got up and got into town in time to catch our ATV experience.  They normally won’t take a tour out without at minimum of 2 ATV’s (unless you pay extra for a private guide) and Karen was willing to go as a passenger but really didn’t want to drive.   Fortunately, they had a family of 4 from Kansas City going out that morning in 2 Rhino’s – so we joined their tour and saved the private guide fee.  The time on the trail was dusty – very dusty – but it absolutely was a great time.  Karen thought that I got a bit dangerous every now and then – but overall – brilliant.  We have included a video of some of our time on the trail – forgive the noise of the video – no way to avoid it.  After that it was home and plenty of water – to try and wash some of the dirt out of my mouth...you can’t imagine where dust can get to – when you are travelling at 20 to 30 miles/hour through it. 

After a rest in the afternoon - we called the only taxi company in town – and arranged for him to pick us up around 4:30 to get back in for our Hummer tour.  He arrives on time – but to our surprise – has his two sons with him – as I guess he was the babysitter until his wife gets home from work.  One son had already called shotgun (bummer) – so that left Karen and I in the back seat along with the other son – trying to squeeze in behind a seat that is pulled all the way back with the seatback also pushed back.  Can’t tell you how much fun that was – then on the way out – our taxi driver didn’t notice a large (very large) rock just off to the side of the road protecting a sewer connection pipe.  He ran right up onto it – and we weren’t going anywhere.  It is at this moment when I think a 4 wheel drive would really come in handy...The only way out of the predicament was to jack the car up off the stone – then drive it off the jack and hope we could get the wheel up and on the rock – and then drive off it.  Dangerous, stupid, but ultimately successful.  The low point was when the owner of the campsite came out – yelled at us for getting stuck on the rock in the first place – banned the taxi driver from ever returning to his site – and drove off without offering to help in anyway.  All I could think was ‘well – this is great – the only taxi in town – and our park owner has just banned our ride home...’ but decided not to let it bother me till later.  I knew we would figure it out.



Karen and I in the Hummer

 The Hummer tour over Hell’s Revenge was absolutely brilliant.  I can’t explain how these vehicles manage to go up a rock face that is a 40 to 50 degree incline.  We have videos of the tour – which I have included – but to be honest – you can’t really capture what it is like when you are inside the vehicle.  If you want to see it – just go to www.youtube.com or Google and search Hell’s Revenge Moab – and it will give you a choice of hundreds of videos to look at – some really capture just how nail biting it is.

That’s it – the next day – we left via the River Road (Colorado River that is) from Moab to I 70 – then across Colorado until we arrived in Golden – a small village the west of Denver – and a few days visiting family.  I have cousins (mom’s side) living here and am taking a rest from doing anything other than enjoying having home cooked meals – with someone else cooking them.  Today – Lori and I are planning on making a traditional polish dish (pieorgi’s) which our mothers always made.  I managed to find mom’s sauerkraut recipe – and Jim and I had done some last Jan – so I am looking forward to the eating.  Karen is planning on some skiing at Breckenridge tomorrow – so if that comes off – we shall be adding some pictures from there – and we shall be leaving Denver on Wednesday.  I don’t expect to have a great deal to blog about until we get to our next destination – not that my cousins are boring – just that we intended this time here to be relaxing – and that is just what it is. 

Lori, me and Marge - going over some old family photo's I had found...

Zion National Park...

Hello all - Karen here and I decided that I would do the blog for today.  It's Saturday morning and I am very excited because we are going to Zion National Park this morning. I have been told it is a very special place and we weren't disappointed.  The weather is good we are in for a great day. The plan calls for a route which also takes in an Animal Centre where you can visit abandoned dogs and cats. It is said to be the largest in the US and, having visited a sanctuary in Hilton Head a few years ago, I know I can have my dog fix because they encourage visitors to pet the dogs,( and if we are lucky; new puppies) . From there  we plan to see another, smaller National Park and then home in time to watch the Brigham Young International Folk Dancers in the local College Theatre.

So, we had a plan, (not that everything always goes according to plan) and off we went. As we approached Springfield which is the town at the entrance to the park, there was a fabulous Rock Shop. Now I know not many of you out there would really put the words fabulous and rock shop together .. but I can and frequently do.   So many gemstones, fossils and sculptured rocks. Of course I was in there for at least an hour just enjoying all the beautifully carved stones and crafted gemstones.

Lei gave up on me and came into the shop as she usually passes the time away playing Sudoku under these circumstances .We admired some fabulous, but expensive items and and then paid for a few presents including earrings and necklaces. Then off to the Park Entrance.



Just after the entrance was a theatre that showed the historical background of the area on a Giant 6 Storey screen. It talked about the Indian occupation of the canyons over centuries and how they were spiritual and attuned to nature .  It covered how the Spanish Conquistadors enslaved them and changed their lives into a miserable existence mining gold for their conquerors. Then, a revolt was organised - somewhere around 1680 and although we didn't get the full story - it seems that the enslavement ended - allowing them to find a new life for themselves until the Wild West era. We felt like VIPs because the theatre hadn't run its scheduled viewing with it being a Sunday and a Morman area - so it seems there were few patrons. I decided to ask whether or not they would show us the movie anyway and yep, you guessed it - we got the cinema showing for ourselves alone!  Huge theatre - giant screen and all for us alone - Lei even got her popcorn fix - what more could you ask for?




Lei and me under the Weeping Rocks



After the cinema - it was off to the park.  The most memorable of the areas of the park for me were The Weeping Rocks. The water rolls down the rocks and appears like rain so you can stand under the rocks and let it rain whilst you admire the view from the rock overhang. Below I have downloaded a few videos to show the area. Suffice it to say that Zion National Park is a very beautiful place

It's downhill all the way...

For those who are looking for a place to visit - I can highly recommend St George - although sometimes it almost seemed too perfect (Stepford Wives comes to mind...).  The streets are wide, nobody litters, every night there seems to be a baseball game or tournament going on, there are various cultural events going on all the time (in fact - we had too much choice and couldn't see everything we wanted to see) and just generally - a lovely small city.  Our RV park overlooked the Temple and the mountains in the background - and we couldn't ask for nicer surroundings.

We got to St George Thursday afternoon and immediately decided to take the bikes and go in search of the heart of St George.  After much discussion with a couple of local residents - we decided to just go straight up Main Street to St George Blvd - and the heart of the shopping district.  I should mention that before we left Jim and Maur's - they kindly volunteered a couple of bikes that they had stored in their barn and hadn't used in the last 5+ years.  One of the bikes must have been Sam's as a youngster of 10 or 11 - and is the smallest/weirdest bike I have ever seen.  I would volunteer to ride it - but the seat and handle bars are too close together and my knees constantly hit the handle bars as I pedal - so I for sure can't ride it.  It is actually both too small and too tall for Karen as well (although I can't explain why she had bike dirt on her belly instead of her knees???).  The seat will only go down so far - and then hits the frame - so in order for her to start pedalling - she has to kind of hop along - until she can bounce up onto the seat and start furiously pedalling - it is actually quite difficult to describe her technique - perhaps one day I will video it - and post it to this blog, but until I do - take my word for it - she is someone you want to give a wide berth to until she is going - and then don't stop her unless it is an EMERGENCY!!!

So back to my story of the bike trip.  As I am pedalling along - I come to realise that I am out of shape - badly out of shape - and keep stopping, complaining to Karen that I have to go back, but then deciding that I will go another block or two before I turn around.  Finally, after doing this 3 or 4 times - Karen says that at least we won't have this problem on the way back - since it will be downhill.  It is at this moment that I look behind me and realise that part of my problem (not all of it by a long shot - since I am still really out of shape) was that we were going uphill and I was too stupid to realise it.  Knowing now that I will not have a horrible time on the way home - I tell Karen to just keep going and I will eventually catch up - and I keep talking myself into going a bit further and a bit further until we make the center of town -  Here we find a local cake/coffee shop and stop for some lemonade and homemade cupcakes...(which by the way were excellent).  I am glad that I didn't give up too early -

After a nice rest - with sunset quickly settling in and me realising that I only have my sun glasses - we decide to head back to the campsite - and I begin the ride home.  I knew that it would be easier - going downhill - but hadn't realised that I would barely touch the pedals - just simply glide home - and what had taken me 45 minutes to do going up - would take 5 minutes (and some close calls with cars on the streets) on the way back.  Too bad Karen didn't have it quite as nice as she lost her left brake on the way home and had to dampen her speed constantly or risk going through a red light, etc.  I will definitely have to check that bike out before she takes it out again - and I think until we are out of the mountains - we will leave the bikes tied to the rack at the back of the motor home...no use chancing fate.

On Friday - we ended up spending the day confined to barracks as Karen found she over did it with the biking and needed to recover from our exploring St George.  After our bike trip - we decided that we definitely needed a car in order to see all we wanted to see - so off I go to the St George airport to rent a car.  Now here is another amazing thing.  We had googled the airport - found that it was only a mile or so from our RV site, and thought - take a cab to pick up the car.  At least it won't be the $30 taxi fare like it was in Las Vegas...little did we know that they had just opened a brand new airport outside of town last month.  So new in fact that even Google didn't know about it.  Now - I don't have a $30 cab fare - it is $40 as they put the new airport 10 miles out - in anticipation of growth I guess.  I have never encountered such a remote airport in my life.  But I got there - got myself a fluorescent lime green  Mazda - one that I can find in a parking lot and away we went. 

Sat. we explored Zion National Park and the surrounding area.  I will close this blog for now - leaving you in suspense regarding all that we discovered/encountered for another time.  Hopefully - I will get around to writing this next segment soon as the scenery was breathtaking, we encountered some interesting people and generally it was a great day.  I have included a picture of the park as a taster of what to expect - but it is getting to be past midnight and I must lay my weary head down so that I don't waste tomorrow...

Bye Bye Las Vegas!!!

Believe it or not - we have departed Las Vegas with absolutely no plans on returning to the city.  A lovely place to visit - but I didn't want to live there - and having spent nearly a month in and around the city - I can't say how glad I am to be on the road again.

We left Thursday morning - traveling NE through to Utah with the intention of ending up in the Denver area by the end of next week.  First stop - St George - a small city on the border of Arizona/Utah - about 120 miles from Vegas.  The trip to St George took us through the an absolutely beautiful canyon - called Virgin River Canyon.  The one thing that I will mention is that there are big signs - saying watch for rocks and you look up and all you see are rocks.  Exactly which one do they want me to watch out for?   Karen was commenting on how for her - it's beauty surpasses the Grand Canyon.  Can't say for sure about that - but I do know that no matter how hard we tried - the pictures just didn't do it justice...

We are planning on staying here through the weekend.  Use this as a jumping off point to visit Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and other sites in the area.  I don't think that we will see northern Utah or Salt Lake - Because of  everything we need to do - and the fact that we need to get to Denver - we will probably just carry on I 70 across to Denver - but hope that at some point we will get a chance to come back to see the rest as it is obviously a beautiful state - I have definitely realised the further I go on this trip that no matter how much time you take - you can't see it all...

Today - we will be doing Zion and some surrounding canyons in the area.  Looking forward to that.  At night after a day touring - we do some laps in the pool and enjoy a hot tub experience.  Life is definitely good...

A day 'In the Mist'



Selling GS Cookies at the Pancake Breakfast

 Oakhurst is a small community at the southern entrance to Yosemite.  We spent the night at a lovely hotel and started our 'Yosemite' day out by going to a Pancake Breakfast that the Kiwanis club in Oakhurst holds 9 times a year as a fund raising effort.  As a bonus for me - the Girl Scouts were also there - selling their extra cookies and I did my best to help them out.  It has been years since I have had any girl scout cookies and I find it amazing that there are still so many that I use to sell myself - although I will admit that the prices have certainly changed (I remember that a box was $.35 when I was selling - not the $4 price that they are now...).  I got my Mints and Peanut Butter Sandwiches as well as a few others.  As an added good fortune - Karen isn't that interested in the cookies (except the peanut butter sandwiches) so looks like I will get my fill.  Karen found the idea of a Pancake Breakfast the most fascinating.  She truly enjoyed the atmosphere of sharing breakfast with locals and really enjoyed the experience.

After a very filling breakfast, we left for Yosemite.  Arriving at the park - we were told that all the normal winter closures were in effect but that the rest was open.  We wouldn't be able to go as far as the north entrance on Rte 120 as you need snow chains but could go out of the park through the centre entrance - so with that in mind - we were off.  The one thing that was unfortunate for us was the weather that day.  It was rainy and cloudy - so we were in mist most of the day.  I thought that it would put a damper on our visit - but found that even with low cloud cover the views were amazing.   The one memory we will take with us is the waterfalls that were happening all over with the snows melting in the spring thaw starting.  We will include some pictures just to give you an idea of the kind of day we experienced. 



The waterfalls were all over the park - some of them are there year round - others are brought about from the spring thaw - but either way - it was absolutely marvelous to see.  We also ran into some local park residents - who were out raking around for a meal.  This is but one of the pictures of mule deers who live in the park.  We found them all along the route - and frequently had to stop as they leisurely crossed the road.  They certainly aren't afraid of us...

On our way through the park - Karen and I decided to stop and take in the Bridalveil Falls - which is a short - but steep walk from the road.  On our way up to the falls - we realised that it probably wasn't our best decision as the walkway was covered in ice and trying to walk uphill on ice is not easy.  We ended up going off the walk way and trying to get up there 'cross country'.   This may sound like a good idea - but we found while it was hard but ok going up - coming back down was horrible.  We watched a gentleman run down the hill trying desperately to stay upright and realised we were never going to manage it.  So back to the cross country trekking - although it wasn't as easy as we lost site of the path (the path wasn't near as obvious as the falls were going up) and even got a bit lost.  We were stuck trying to get through the forest back to the car.  One would have thought my old girl scout training would have come in handy - obviously I forgot more than I realised.   The falls were breathtaking - but had we known how many more we were going to see as we drove through the park - perhaps we would have bypassed the opportunity.  Glad we didn't though... 

After our time in Yosemite - we were then left to decide what to do next.  The original hope was to find a route over the Sierra Nevada's so that we could return slowly to Vegas on the east side of the mountain range using the US 395 to go south.  We had booked the first two nights - but now were left to decide how best to return.  We travelled north from Yosemite - but found that we couldn't find any hotels/motels that looked appealing.  Finally Karen decided that she would use her best negotiating techniques and if we can't get a nice room - at least get a cheap room.  With that in mind - we ended up stopping at 3 or 4 places - with Karen checking out the rooms, trying to get the best price.  We finally decided on a small cabin - just north of Sonora on our way to Angel's Camp.  She did well as we got $40 off the normal price - which personally - I can't complain about. 

So on Monday morning - we start north -  hoping for a way across the mountain range.  We had been without any access to the Internet where we had stayed the evening before - so we stopped as soon as we got a signal and checked the Internet for road conditions.  Now - you may say - why didn't you do this sooner?  I agree it would have been a good idea - but we didn't.  Now that we do - we discover that there isn't a route across other than I 80 much further north - so rather than drive the extra miles/time - we decide to head back south the way we came.  Glad we did - as we got the call telling us that the motor home is ready and waiting for when we return.  We decide to make it a very long day and drive the full distance back to Vegas - which ended up to be around 530 miles.  We pulled into Vegas around 8:30 that night - checked into (where else but) Sam's Town - this time the hotel.  Tired - but glad that we would be back in the motor home tomorrow.

Spring is Sprung

Well as usual - we are behind on getting the blog up to date, so we will now fill you in on last weekend's touring of the national parks.  When last we left you - we had just arrived in Visalia after a very long drive.  So, after a night in a room that sounded like we were in the middle of the freeway; we woke up to find that the window had been left open.  Neither of us had slept much so it was up, grab a Danish and a coffee from the Continental Breakfast Buffet and get off on an early start so that we don't miss anything!
On the way to Visalia - we had underestimated...
1) how long of a trip it was going to be  
2) what our avg MPG would be on the rental Jeep  and
3) how hard it would be to find any gas - let alone reasonably priced gas. 

It was a shame but we had to give the scenic trip around Isabella Lake up to Visalia a miss because we were short on petrol and time so we decided that we weren't going to miss out on anything today.The trip to our next stop Oakhurst was about 2 hours by freeway but we had decided to go via the Sequoia National Park ... a round about route but far more beautiful.

When we first started we could see the white mountains in the distance but in the valley around the Fresno/Visalia area there were dozens of orange groves and vineyards and it was lovely and warm. The trees were the green you first see in spring , before they pick up any pollution ... bright green.

Lei and I had a conversation about pinching a bag of oranges... she said it wouldn't matter but I couldn't see myself doing it!!! Anyway we paid $3 in Walmart for a big bag.   I feel better for it - even though I would imagine that freshly picked oranges would be amazing.                               

The scenery in the valley was amazing.  The flowers are beautiful, orange and lemon grove trees fully laden with fruit and the water is beginning to flow down from the mountains, swelling the river so I decided to get out of the Jeep every 5 minutes and take yet another photo. This did cause a load of hassle so we developed a system... I would say, "Stop" and Lei would then slow down as much as she could, I would heave the window open and snap what I could. However, inevitably, by the time all that had occurred the vista was gone!  We then started another cunning plan... stopping at every turn in. I would fall out of the jeep, take my life in my hands on the narrow road and then Lei would haul me back in to lessen the effects of my weaker left side, which just was not fast enough to get back in.

 It was really weird going from the valley right up to the Sequoia Park; firstly the farms and then the wild flowers and then the scrub and shrubs and finally the Conifers and Sequoias. Meanwhile the scenery was getting more and more magnificent and the snow was getting deeper.However it was not getting colder. When we reached the south entrance visitor centre, we were told that there were roadworks halfway up to the top which would mean a long delay... actually the delay was long enough to have a power nap we discovered.  So, we got a rest going both to the top and back down and that was a bonus after our previous nights sleeplessness.

So, onwards and upwards snapping shot after shot and enjoying the vistas with mountains, gorges, streams trees but nothing could have prepared us for what we were about to see. I will leave you with a series of photos as we travelled from the Orange Groves to the top. 

Our destination



Spring blues



Spring River water

















Up the mountain...





Spot Ms Howell amongst the trees



Me and General Sherman









Finally we reached as far as we could go, still in awe of these mighty trees  to another visitors centre high up in the park. The biggest tree in the world is called the General Sherman tree and it is a resident of this park.  It is 2400 yrs old and weighs around 1300 tons. While not the tallest, widest or oldest tree in the world - it is the largest when you take into account volume of wood.  The oldest tree is about 3200 years - also a resident of this park - but we weren't able to get to it. When we reached the visitors centre at the top , the walls were pure snow! We watched a video about the bears there. I have included an excerpt for your entertainment.  

The rest of the day was just slowly going back down the mountain - and going on to our final destination for the day in Oakhurst, Ca.  Our next blog will cover Yosemite - and our day 'in the mist'.  

Would you take your friend's last Milk Dud???

Here we are - back in Vegas again.  Sometimes I think that all roads lead to Vegas - cause everytime I tried to get out of here - I am back again...This time - it is to see Liz off back to England.  Her 2 weeks here have come to a close - we made it back (limping almost; with no rear visibility for the motor home is missing both the rear view camera to a blown fuse and the passenger side mirror). We are staying again in Sam's Town.  This time - with a NASCAR race being held this weekend - the RV site is full - so we have had to settle for their other site - which is across Flamingo Blvd - slightly older and with less personality, but it is a site to rest our weary bones - so we take it. 

Monday night - Liz's last one here - we went to the Mirage - to see 'Love' with the Cirque de Soleil - fabulous show.  I thought that once you had seen one show like this (I had seen the Cirque de Soleil in London) - they were pretty much the same - but no - not the case.  I think since the music was all original Beatles songs - remastered and pumped through an amazing sound system that it simply made the night for me.  I could have closed my eyes and just listened to the music without the spectacular visuals - but glad that I didn't.  Putting both together was great.



Tuesday - we puttered around the site - did some laundry and then Liz and I took off for some ice cream from the Bellagio - before dropping her off at the airport. Karen has been  feeling ill, so we left her to rest..  With Liz's departure - Karen and I are now left to our own devices - except that before we can go anywhere we  need to fix the mirror and camera - so I contact a local Winnebago dealer - find out that they will have to order the mirror from the factory - so we won't be going anywhere for at least a week.  After much discussion - we decide that we can't possibly stay in Vegas for another week without going crazy - so we come up with a cunning plan.  We will rent a car for a week - drop the motor home off at the dealers - and go explore places we weren't able to explore the first time around like Yosemite and the Sequoia National Park.  We even manage to get a fairly good deal on an SUV for the week - so that is what we decide to do.  We need to organise a few things - but by Friday - we will be ready to go explore -



A Joshua Tree in the desert to the west of Las Vegas



Friday morning comes, we have packed and cleaned the motor home (don't want the mechanics to think badly of us for being messy so we even clean the mirrors!) and got ready to dropped it off at the dealership.  Karen follows me in the Jeep - and off we go - first to the RV service shop which is only a few hundred yards down the road.  How more convenient can they be - right?  WRONG - in order to get there you have to do a U turn or a 3 pt turn on a 3 lane busy highway.  I don't know about the rest of the world - but I know that the motor homes turning radius won't allow the U-turn to occur and I have never been very good at doing a 3 pt turn in a 34 foot motor home (usually works out to a 15 pt turn instead of the 3) so instead we took a 15 minute detour, found another casino parking lot to turn around in and then backtracked upon ourselves (with the rising cost of gas and 6 mpg with the home - that felt like another 2 or 3 gallons just to get there).  Driving out of Vegas - going west when your travel home is left behind is a very weird feeling.  I almost began missing it - although that said - there is no way that we could have taken it to the places that we wanted to see - so this is the best plan.  Much as I love driving it - motor homes and mountain passes don't go together well. 



For Friday night we have booked a hotel in Visalia (which actually turned out to be about 400+ miles from Vegas).  We didn't get on the road until after 12pm, decided to take the scenic route on the way out (not realising how far Visalia was) and definitely began regretting our decision to go that far the first night.  I bought a box of milk duds to tamper the hunger pangs I was experiencing.   Karen has never had a milk dud before and said she only wanted to taste them - so I gave her a dud to try.  She liked it well enough but allowed me to eat the majority of them - which I did over the course of the next hour or so.  Finally - I was down to the last of the milk duds when Karen asks for another one.  I look down and see that we have two left - so I hand her one and say - 'this is your last milk dud.'  Being the polite Brit - she says 'no - I can't take your last Milk Dud...'  I normally would have allowed her to sacrifice - but this time I decided to do the right thing and explain that no - this wasn't THE last milk dud - just HER last milk dud - as I had one last one for me as well.  I was kind of hoping that she would still stick by her British upbringing and offer me her last one - but I guess hunger changes a person's normal reactions -  cause she took it and ate it...who would have guessed!  More on our adventures in our next installment...