Anastasia State Park/Saint Augustine

We are off to another RV adventure this week.  We made reservations at Anastasia State Park on the beach at St. Augustine.  The old bread truck has been in storage for three months already.  How time flies.  I don’t like to let it sit for so long as things always seem to seize up with lack of use.

After performing some routine maintenance operations, we loaded the RV with all the essentials and set off for St. Augustine.  My brother, John and his wife, Linda are to meet us there.  They drove down in their motor home from North Carolina.

The weather radar has been ablaze with red, yellow and green over the St. Augustine area.  It is going to be a wet few days by the looks.  My brother reported by email that the rain was pounding so hard on the roof of his motor home they had to use earplugs to sleep.  We hope the weather breaks by the time we get there.

Our trip up was uneventful.  That is a good thing.  Some of the new squeaks and rattles I heard when we started out have worked themselves out.  Had the motor home set much longer without use, those noises probably could have evolved into real problems.

We arrived at our campsite about 2:15 PM.  There was light rain in the area.  Things looked very soaked.  Our campsite was partially flooded and very muddy.  It will be fun keeping all that mud out of the RV.  Buddy’s paws collect large amounts of the goo.  I have not been successful in training her to wipe her feet.  

Some might not like the idea of camping in a muddy flooded campsite.  We have learned to take the good with the bad, as they say.  Good and bad doesn’t adequately describe the RV lifestyle.  You have awesome, jaw dropping, fantastic, inspirational good moments along with the bad which includes frustrating, worrisome, frightening and terrifying moments.  It is the constant variety of stimulating experiences, good or bad, that make this so much fun.  We have developed the saying, “It is all part of the experience” to refer to all these things.  If you don’t enjoy all of it, you probably won’t enjoy an RV for long.

We stopped by John and Linda’s motor home to let them know we made it.  After catching up on things we decided to ride into town to see the Christmas decorations.

We were glad they had their car with them.  It would have been a soggy ride on the motorcycle had we brought it.  

We parked downtown by a brightly lighted city park.  We strolled along the streets remembering when we came here back in the 1950s with our parents.  This city never loses its allure.  There are beautiful old churches with steeples that stretch to the sky.  Cannons, cannon balls and huge rusty anchors are placed in parks as a reminder of the great history of this city.  It is the oldest city in the United States.

The streets are lined with interesting shops selling souvenirs and gifts ranging from conquistador helmets, swords, artwork, outlandish women’s clothing and novelties of every description.  We also managed to find an ice cream shop.  I never can resist good ice cream.  

While looking at the tubs of ice cream, I noticed many of the flavors had names of places in Michigan.  I inquired of the young man behind the counter why so many of the state’s cities were incorporated into the name of the flavors.   He told me the parent company was located in Petosky, Michigan.  

We visited Petosky State Park in Michigan last summer.  We were camped right on the beach of Lake Michigan.  We collected many Petosky Stones which are unique to the area.  I suggested they might want to name a flavor Petosky Stone.  I can imagine it with nuts and hard candy mixed in.

John and Linda recognized restaurants they had eaten at on previous trips here.  We passed one pizzeria that my brother found tempting but he managed to pull himself away from the window where workers were working with pizza dough.  The smell coming out the door was difficult to resist.  

After our trip to town, we stopped back at our motor home to sit outside and gab for a few hours.  It was fun sharing stories about grandchildren and RV adventures.  We laughed and chatted until about 10:00 PM.  It has been a great day.  Both of us have missed our old bread truck.  We feel like we are home.  Buddy is enjoying it too.  I can tell she is having a very good time also. 

Tuesday morning we awoke to blustery weather.  The wind in the treetops was very strong.  We had a few drizzles of rain during the night.  You feel so cozy snuggled down in your warm bed while raindrops pitter patter on the roof.

After breakfast, Buddy and I took a walk up to the dumpster.  Exploring new sniffing territory is the whole trip to Buddy.  I wish she could put into words what she is reading in all the “pee mail” she reads along the way.   She writes a few pee mails of her own as she swats to leave her mark.

When we returned, Darlie was up and around.  We decided to take a walk to the beach.  Anastasia is a very picturesque park.  The campground is separated from the beach by high sand dunes.  A boardwalk takes you up and over the dunes to the beach.  

The ocean looked very angry this morning.  Red flags were flying at the beach access points indicating hazardous riptide conditions.  Huge waves were thundering ashore.  Each breaking wave left a large mound of foam that quickly blew away in the strong wind.

Shore birds stood facing into the wind observing us like beggars waiting for a morsel. 

Others darted around in the beds of seagrass that had washed ashore snapping up bugs.  Darlie was doing some snapping of her own.  She took some beautiful photos of bubbles on the beach that were reflecting a rainbow.  My brother had joined us.  He pointed out a cross in the sand made from little roots or branches of some kind.

We explored the camp store, the picnic area and I posed for photos by an old anchor from a gallon lost long ago on the sea floor.  As I touched it, I thought of those who had put it over the side the last time.  Who were they?  What did they look like?  Did they have families back home?  Were they peg legged pirates?  I love this history of this area.

On our return to the campground, Linda came out to join us.  We chatted for a couple of hours.  The sun was trying to break through.  It was still blowing hard and the air was cool.  We parted with plans to do something later.

After we made lunch, Darlie went in for a nap.  I sat with Buddy and read for a while.  Soon a knock came on the door.  John had looked online for a bicycle shop nearby.  When I unloaded my bike, I discovered a flat tire.  It wouldn’t hold air so a new tube was in order.  

John and I went for a new tube.  We replaced the old one and discovered it has two huge blowouts in it.  I can’t imagine what caused that.  Grandchildren jumping ramps, possibly?

Darlie was up from her nap when we finished.  She showed John the photos she took of the rainbow bubbles.  John is a very experienced photographer, so she valued his opinion of them.

For the next hour or so, John helped Darlie understand some of the settings on the new camera I had bought her.  She will be able to put some of the tips to good use during her next photo excursion.  As Buddy thinks sniffing is the whole trip, Darlie thinks taking photos is the whole trip.  I just tag along with two females trying to keep both of them happy,

When John left it was nearly dark.  Time flies by.  We were tired and I think he was too.  We just decided to stay in for the night instead of going out somewhere.  Tomorrow is another day.  Hopefully, it will be one with more sunshine.

We were greeted by bright sunshine Wednesday morning.   It finally looks like it is going to dry out.  After reading for an hour or so and downing three cups of coffee, Buddy gave me the look.  It was time for her to take her morning walk to do her duty.  This is also a good time for me to take the trash up to the dumpster.

When I returned, Darlie was up.  We decided to take a bicycle ride around the park.  We headed up the road that goes to the other end of the campground.  We climbed a long hill that was formed by old sand dunes.  The sand dunes that once stood here bare now are home to palm trees and oaks.  Squirrels were scampering about everywhere.  I almost ran over one that ran right under my bike.

Later in the morning Linda came by to borrow one of the bikes so she could ride up to the park office to see if they could get one more night here.  We decided to have her get us one more night also. 

John stopped by with some photos he had printed out.  They were photos he had taken last winter in Death Valley and along the Rio Grande River in Texas.  He was giving Darlie some more pointers on how to take better photos.

The ever present roar of the surf and the bright sunshine lured us into taking a walk to the beach.  We walked along the wet edge of the sand where the waves turn back to the sea.  Darlie found many interesting little things in the sand to photograph.  Sea birds of various kinds were strutting or scooting about looking for an afternoon snack.

We had walked quite a way down the beach when I decided I needed to find a restroom.  There is a rule of thumb when walking the beach.  Don’t wait until you have to pee before you turn around to go back.  I had to abandon Darlie and go on ahead to the beach access where there is a restroom.

We really over did.  Both of us were sore.  We stopped at John and Linda’s to visit for a while and enjoy a hot cup of tea.  We gabbed until it was dark.  Once back to the motor home, I fired up the grill and cooked a couple of steaks for dinner.  Buddy and I took one more walk under a brightly lit star filled sky.  We will all sleep well tonight.

Thursday I was up and out on the beach with my bike.  The damp hard sand was easy to ride on.  There were few people on the beach today though the weather was beautiful.  

After lunch we went into town with John and Linda.  We walked around town taking in the sights.  We stopped by Flagler College.  It was built by Flagler, the railroad magnate, and was known as the Ponce De Leon Hotel back in the day. 

Darlie took many photos around the grounds and inside the college.  It is a very beautiful peaceful place.  

We embarked on a quest to find a good restaurant for dinner.  Each establishment had their menu displayed outside.  When you are hungry, everything sounds good.  We love seafood.  We decided on Harry’s, a New Orleans style restaurant.  Dinner was very good.

After dinner we spent a time poking around in the park and looking at various displays.

By the time we got back to the motor home both of us were ready for bed.  All the walking and biking has us worn out.

We will pack up and leave in the morning.  This is a very beautiful place to spend a vacation.  Anastasia State Park of one of Florida’s finest.  The campsites are very private.  The beach is wide without development.  We will visit here again.

Santa Claus St. Augustine style

The Bread Truck Is Back Home

I flew out to Tulsa last week to retrieve the bread truck from the repair shop.  I hate to fly.  The only thing I do like about flying is it is fast if you need to get somewhere in a hurry.

I don't fly often so I was surprised how things have changed over the years.  It used to be you visited with the person next to you on your flight or while waiting to board in the airport.  I always found it interesting to hear about a complete stranger's life and travels.

On this trip however, I found people to be disconnected from the world around them.   While waiting to board my flight, people were consumed with those little things in their hands called cellphones.  They rarely even looked up from them.  They were busily texting and emailing or whatever it is they do with them.  I just make calls on them so I am pretty ignorant of what else people do with them.

Once on the plane it was the same deal.  People had their laptops out.  Some were fiddling with their iPhones or had earbuds in their ears.  I had a window seat so I just stared out the window already missing home.

My flight from Dallas/Ft Worth to Tulsa was much better.  I sat next to a big Texan with a big cowboy hat.  He was an RV broker.  We had much to talk about on the short flight.  He taught me a thing or two about buying a used RV.  I have always found Texans to be friendly people.

Once in Tulsa I hired a cab to take me to the repair shop.  The driver was very interested in our trip to Alaska.  He had many questions about RVing.  He said he would like to make a trip like ours someday.

After paying a very bloated bill, I drove off with the motor home.  We were taken advantage of and paid far more than we should have for a fairly simple repair.   You have little choice when you are towed into a strange shop in a strange city.

I immediately called Darlie to let her know I was on my way home.  I was excited to be heading back to what means the most to me.  I hate being away from Darlie more these days than ever before.  We have had so much fun the past two summers together.  It felt strange not to have her alongside on this trip.

I have had a vibration in the rear of the motor home for about the last third of our trip back.   I figured we lost a wheel weight on the rough roads up north.  I noticed an inside dually was cupping on the edge.  I decided to keep my speed down to 55 so as not to beat the tire to death.  I will have it checked when I get home.

The motor home ran well but I was nervous all the way.  I feared something else would break and I would be stranded again.   That is not a pleasant feeling.

We have spent the past several days unloading the motor home.  I couldn't believe how much stuff we had in there.  The washing machine has been going nonstop too.  There was bedding to wash, throw rugs and a couple of bags of laundry that we had accumulated.

I called Winnebago for some parts I broke this summer.  I had to replace that roof vent that blew off in Homer and a couple of other small items.  I also called Progressive to put in a claim for our broken windshield.  Dunken Services will be out to replace that soon.

Once all is repaired and the motor home thoroughly cleaned, I will put it on Craig's List to see if there is any interest.  If I don't sell it for what I want, I will keep it.  It doesn't cost much to store it.  We will use it for some short excursions.  Who knows, maybe we will venture off in it again next year.

For those who wonder how much this trip cost, let me just say, you don't want to know.  Fuel was a much bigger factor this summer than last year.  Still in all, the cost per day was far less than you would have spent traveling any other way at today's prices.

We have reservations for Bahia Honda next month.  We are still unsure if we will make that trip.  I guess a lot will depend on whether or not we sell the motor home.  You will have to check back to see what we decide.

Thanks for tagging along with us.

Where are we now?

We are back home.  Our motor home has a faulty fuel pump.  I find that quite incredible as it only has 50,000 miles on it.  A new pump is on order from Workhorse but it will not arrive at the repair shop until Tuesday the 5th.

With this knowledge, I decided to rent a car and drive Darlie and Buddy back home.  When the motor home is finished, I will fly back out and drive it home.

Sitting in a motel room waiting for your repairs to be completed can be quite frustrating.  Darlie hasn't felt 100% since being in the hospital a few weeks ago.  It was the best decision.  We also have the pleasure of spending some time with our son and his new wife and our grandchildren over the holiday weekend.

We have had an outstanding trip.  We are just now downloading hours of video Darlie captured along the way.  We will edit it and watch it in the weeks to come.

I don't think I would ever drive to Alaska again but I am glad I did it once.  It is a trip you have to experience to fully appreciate.  If we do go to Alaska again, we will fly up and rent a motor home.  It would be cheaper.

We put about 15,000 miles on the old bread truck this trip.  Our $18,000 investment has served us well even if it never ran again.  We have gone places and seen things we would never have experienced without an RV.  Traveling by RV is by far the best way to see the wild side of our country.  If you have never RVed, rent one for a week.  You will be surprised just how much you will enjoy it.

Our plans for next summer have already begun to form.  There are many uncertainties now especially regarding the motor home.  We may sell it and buy a towable.  It is much easier to find someone to work on a pickup truck than it is a Class A motor home.

We have visited every state in the U.S. with our motor home except Hawaii, Delaware, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.  We would like to visit those states next summer.

We have also visited three Canadian Provinces,  British Columbia, Alberta and Yukon Territory.  They are very remote and very beautiful.  Next summer we would like to visit New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, NewFoundland and Quebec.  Traveling in Canada is now very expensive for us Americans as our dollar has devalued so much.  But some experiences are worth the cost.  When you are our age you may only get a few years to do this kind of traveling.  We feel blessed and privileged to do what we have already done.

Tulsa, OK

We have been in Tulsa, OK for the past couple of days.  We used to live here.  It has been fun riding around seeing how things have changed.  We lived in Broken Arrow just outside of Tulsa.  When we were there it was a relatively small community.  Today it has spread far and wide.

This area seems to be doing well economically, unlike back home in Florida.  They are building everywhere.  Stores are filled with people.  Maybe that is because the daytime temperature is 105 degrees.  Better to spend the weekend in a air conditioned store than to run you air at home.

We drove by our old house on S. Date St.  It looks about the same now as it did then.  In those days, that was the new part of town.  Today it is an old established neighborhood with tall trees.  When we lived there there was no shade.  Only very small trees lined the streets.

We drove by our children's school.  Arrow Springs Elementary was not far from our house.  Pete and Jason could walk to school each day.  Seeing this old neighborhood brought back many memories of old friends and acquaintances.   We drove by the little park where the boys discovered turtles that climb trees. I didn't believe their tale so they had to take me to see them.  Sure enough, there is a turtle here that does indeed climb trees.  We wondered if there were still any around.

We remembered the day the boys dragged a dog home.  They said it was a stray and it just followed them.  I am not so sure about that.  They begged to keep it.  I relented and "Daisy" became a part of our family.  Daisy didn't reveal a little secret she had though.  A few weeks later we were greeted with four little puppies.  One of them was pure silver in color.  They were all so cute they were all adopted in no time.

When we moved back to Florida, Daisy came along.  She loved to lie out in the middle of the street and sleep.  It wasn't a busy street but we always feared she would be hit.  Keeping her out of it was impossible.  When the kids were outside so was Daisy.

One day a car came down the street and ran right over here.  She just got up and walked away.  Another time she was hit by a dump truck.  I thought she was done for that time but with the kids praying fervently for her revival, she regained her strength and was soon back to being Daisy.  After this encounter we nicknamed her "Rubber Dog".  We have laughed about that many times.

By the time we moved over to Cape Coral, Daisy was very old.  We let her out one day and she returned all torn up.  At that time we had a couple of bobcats that hung around our house.  We were way out in the undeveloped area of the city at that time.  I suspect she tangled with one of them and lost.  Her wounds would not heal.  She began a spiral downward.  It was time for Daisy to be put down.  I will never forget the pleading look in her eyes as she was taken away.  She seemed to know this was the end.

Now I have another dog.  I didn't want a dog.  I inherited our granddog from our son when he decided to go into the Marines.  Our intent was to keep her until he returned but she became part of our home.  She travels with us today.  We love her company.  It is like having a kid all over again.  We spoil her and make a fuss over here all the time.  She is almost nine years old now.  She is turning gray.  In the back of my mine I know that day will come when she too will have to go.  I hate to think about it.  I didn't want her but now I don't want to be without her.

My son had Buddy's sister.  Her name was Aubrey.  They loved getting together to play when John would visit or we would visit John.  Buddy seemed to know when we were going to see her sister.  She would get all excited when we were near her house.

Sadly, Aubrey developed bone cancer.  Our son had to put her down a few weeks ago.  I know the pain he feels losing a best friend like that.  She was always there to greet him when he came home each night.  We have encouraged him to get another dog but he is reluctant.  I know if I was in his position I don't think I would want another dog right away either.   I would always be comparing it to Buddy.  I would be expecting it to behave like Buddy.  That wouldn't be fair to the new dog.

Isn't it strange how your thoughts wander sometimes?  We have spent much time this weekend thinking about the days that have gone by.  When we were in our youth and our kids still looked to us for everything.  We fondly recall, "Mommy, wipe my hinney."  Those truly were the best days of our lives.

We dodged a bullet in Dodge

We stayed in a small RV park in Deerfield, KS last night.  They don't get much business.  There are few RVs on the road in these parts.  It was a full service park and very inexpensive.  The drawback to the place were the plants that made up most of the ground cover.  They had nasty stickers like sand spurs on them.  Poor old Buddy couldn't even walk on it.

I visited with the owner for a while this morning.  Dale is a real character.  He loved talking about his family and grand kids as I do also.  He sure is proud of all of them.  He has lived in these parts all his life.  He owns all kinds of property from a mobile home park, RV park, motel and a small farm.  He asked all kinds of questions about us too.  He likes to dig into things.  I revealed I had been a state trooper years ago.  Did I ever strike a nerve with that.

He has had a couple bad experiences with troopers.  Mostly equipment violations of one sort or another.  He thought they should be a little more understanding hahahaha.  Then his son got a speeding ticket for speeding through a construction zone on a Sunday morning.  I guess he was late for church.   I think if Dale had known the night before I was a former trooper, he would have charged me double just to get some of his losses back.   He really was a great guy to talk to though.   He finally forgave me for my police experience with a big grin.

We planned to stop in Dodge City to see the Boot Hill Museum.  This is where Matt Dillon was sheriff, remember?  When we stopped we took a few photos of a train.  We then started for the museum.  Something drew my attention to my left front tire.  I walked over and looked.  Wire was showing on a small area on the inside edge.

I visually check my tires every morning before starting out.  This area must have been on the ground when I looked under there today because I didn't see it.  We were very near a blowout which could have been very serious.  Each day we pray for safe travels.  We ask the Lord to watch over us and keep us safe.  We had been held up for about an hour in construction and were considering not stopping at the museum.  As we drove by it, I decided at the last minute to turn around.  I am so glad I did.  We would have had a very bad day had we not.

I have felt a small vibration for sometime since Alaska.  We talked about how it felt like I lost a wheel weight and a tire was slightly out of balance.  I looked to see if I could see where one was missing but found nothing unusual.  I had been watching my tires more closely because of this and I am at a loss how I missed this before it got so bad.  My tires don't have that many miles on them so something like this shouldn't have happened.  After this, I plan to have the entire suspension gone over when I get home.  Those rough roads in the north country may have done some more unseen damage.

I got on the computer and located a truck tire store nearby.   They had what we needed in stock.  They had it mounted and I was on my way in less than an hour.  I will keep an eye on them from here on home in case there is something damaged in the suspension that caused the wear.  That little vibration is gone though.  So maybe it was a wheel weight.

It is hot here.  We are talking over 100 degrees hot.  Our air conditioner wasn't keeping up with it so I stopped and got some gas to recharge it.  It helped some but it was so hot it was still uncomfortable.  I fired up the generator and ran the house air too but it couldn't even keep the motor home portion cool.  These things aren't insulated so there is no barrier to the heat.  It is like a large rolling dutch oven.

I have some gauges to check the compressor pressure to be certain I have it charge properly.  I will check it again in the morning to see how it reads.  When it is so hot it even throws off the gauge from what I have read.  When it is cool I should get a better reading.  Maybe I can adjust it some and get more cold air out of it.

We have planned the leisurely scenic trip back but if the heat continues to be an issue we may just hit the interstate and fly home.  I hate interstates.  I drive all the back roads.  You don't see a vehicle in these parts for a long time.   You have the road to yourself.  The scenery isn't much.  Everything is dried up and burnt.  Streams are bone dry.  Folks say it has been especially hot and dry this summer.

We are camped in a municipal campground in the little town of Cherokee, Oklahoma.  Most of the people staying here are working in the oil fields.  There is a new oil boom in the Midwest.  I guess oil that was too difficult or to little to bother with years ago is not a hot item with oil prices as high as they are.  I spent a few minutes chatting with some of the oil workers here in the park.  They said there is lots of work in the oil field.  They seem to enjoy what they do.

Since we plugged into the power here in the campground, the air conditioner has been running continuously.   We even opened the cabinets to let the heat out into the room so they would cool down.   I went to get some salve out of a drawer in my bedroom.  When I unscrewed the cap it poured out like water.  It is Vaseline based.  I have never seen the motor home as hot as it is now.  We have curtains that separate the cab area from the living area.  It helps keep the cab cooler when we are traveling.  On a hot night like this it is keeping more of the cool air in the living area.   Right now at 10:30 PM with the air running, the cab area is still 98 degrees.  It is much cooler this side of the curtain though.

Well that is about it for today.  We are very thankful for the Lord's protection.  The tire was costly but not nearly as costly as a blowout would have been.  For those who wonder.....my inflation was spot on.  I do check it weekly also.   Good night.

Rocky Mountain National Park

We aren’t real quick to get on the road any day.  We usually have a couple of cups of coffee, read, chat and finally get dressed for the day.  This process takes about two hours as a rule.  If we leave the campground before 10:00 AM we are doing good.  Today we pulled out just a few minutes before ten.

Buddy sleeping with her Teddy Bear.

We drove through Steamboat Springs noted as a winter ski resort area.  By the looks of the ski slopes here I would say there is a great deal of difference in the ability of the average skier here compared those who fling themselves off the top of Jackson Hole, WY.  These slopes look very tame by comparison.  

Mountain lake near Steamboat Springs.

Our objective today is to drive through the Rocky Mountain National Park.  It is also the source of the Colorado River.  We passed by it along our path today.  Many were in waders fly fishing.  At the continental divide we viewed the source of the Colorado.  It would be difficult to imagine what a mighty river it becomes looking at these humble beginnings.

Colorado River

Source of the Colorado River near Continental Divide.

The source of the Poudre River just a short distance the other side of the divide.   The grey areas you see in the forest are dead trees as a result of the pine beetle infestation.  In many areas most of the forest is dead.  :-(

This trip over the mountain pass was another white knuckle trip for the driver, ME.  Darlie was snapping photos all along the way.  There is no shoulder and it drops hundreds of feet at the edge of the pavement.  I kept asking her how much room I had at the edge of the pavement.  She kept saying I was doing fine and to just keep hugging the centerline.  She continued to snap while I kept my eyes glued to the centerline.  I was one of only 3 motor homes I saw on the enter trip and I was bigger than the other two.

Note pavement in corner of photo.  One wheel off and  you will tumble a very long way down this hill.

I do love the thrill of driving this big thing up over something like this.  It scares the daylights out of me but I still love doing it.  Today we made our highest pass ever.  We topped out at 12,183 feet!  That is high.  We were up even with the highest peaks.  I can check off another high mountain adventure.  I have traversed some passes and roads that were much more hazardous than this one.  The pavement here was wide.  I have gone on some that barely are wide enough for the motor home.  I creep over those places. 

12,183 feet.

You can tell I get a charge out of this.  I am not taking any undue risk.  I asked the rangers if the road was passable in an RV my size.  They assured me it was.  I wonder why I didn’t meet too many up there?

Lava Cliffs 

I have to comment on my disappointment in Timber Creek campground in the National Park.  It was a horrible looking place.  I wish I took a photo so you could see it.  It was very uninviting so we passed it by.  After seeing how beautiful the Canadian National Park campgrounds are, it is a great disappointment to see how poorly provided for are our own.  I often wonder what Canadians think when they see our campgrounds.  

Little mountain lake.

We drove out of the park to a NFS campground called Olive Creek.  It has no services and the sites are small but very well kept.  They are also nicely treed and private.  Large boulders protrude from the ground everywhere.  Numerous chipmunks parade around your campsite looking for a handout.  I think they have been very spoiled by the campers.

Darlie had to have a photo of my glee after descending the Rocky Mountain Park highway.

Several older couples stopped by for a chat while we sat by our campfire.  We shared stories of our travels and adventures, family, grandkids and home.  It has been a good day.  But sadly it will be our last day in the mountains.  We will head east out across Kansas tomorrow.  We love these mountains.  Had we seen them years ago we would be out here rather than in Florida.  But then maybe the Lord had other plans for us.

Splitting firewood at Olive Creek.

One of our neighbors at Olive Creek.

Flaming Gorge

We absolutely loved our campground last night.  It was very quiet.  We were surrounded by beautiful sagebrush covered hills.   Each campsite had a nice shade tree to enjoy.  Looking out the front window, we had a view of Flaming Gorge Reservoir.  This morning we were greeted by rabbits and a small herd of deer stopped by our campsite to browse on some green shoots.

Morning visitors.

When we got on the road later in the morning, we nearly hit an antelope.  They had crossed the road ahead of us.  Just as we approached them, one little guy decided to run back across the road in front of us.  It was nearly his last dash across the road.  It would have made a mess of the front of the motor home too.  They are difficult to see in the low brush along the road.  They blend right in.

We went from this.......

To this......

To this higher up.....

To this on top of the mountain.....

And finally to this.  All in just five miles!   Utah has a very diverse scenic landscape.

If you ever visit Flaming Gorge, the most scenic route is Rt 530 to Rt 44.  You climb some steep mountains with fantastic views.  Going down the other side of the mountain into Vernal, UT is quite exciting too.  There are 10 switch backs in 10 miles and the grade is up to 10%.  We went down in first and second gear.  It was no problem.   They have guardrails along the road, which is a big plus.  Some places out west have no guardrails at all.  You are crawling along a ledge that drops hundreds if not thousands of feet.  Not that guardrails would do much good but they do give you a sense of where the edge of the road is.

Descending to Vernal, UT

Very low humidity gives the sky a crisp blue color.

Vernal is a small village in northeastern Utah.  The main street was lined both sides with beautiful hanging baskets of flowers.  It looked like they were decorated up for the 4th of July with red and white flowers.

Buddy enjoyed the view of the Gorge from the shade of a juniper tree.

We spent the rest of the day on Rt 40 across western Colorado.  It is pretty barren land but still quite scenic.  We stopped in the town of Craig to pick up some things at the store.  Darlie wanted to go out to eat tonight but all that was open were fast food joints.  We opted to continue on to Yampa State Park where we are camped for the night.  It is a very neat and spacious park.  Since I couldn't take Darlie to dinner, I rustled up some grub for us while she lie down for a while.

This stone is more yellow than Yellowstone.  This was taken in a rock cut near the Gorge.

Mountain Man Museum

As we left our campground this morning north of Jackson, WY. we had to wait for a herd of buffalo crossing the road.  They were on their way for a morning drink in the Gros Ventre River.  While we were stopped, one buffalo decided to take a dump right in front of us.  Darlie had to take his picture, of course.

Our route was to take us south to Rock Springs then on to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area.  The first hundred miles of the trip was just beautiful.  Green mountains rose of from rushing turquoise streams.  We drove along slowly taking it all in.

We stopped at the Mountain Man Museum in Pinedale, WY.  Pinedale was the location of several of the rendevous held by the fur trappers and traders back in the 1820s and 30s.  Reading stories of the moutain men has always been of great interest to me.  The mountain men were beaver trappers who inadvertently explored the Rockies and established trails that would later be followed by settlers on the Oregon Trail.

Darlie paying a visit to her western relatives.

The museum does not allow photography so I can't show you all the wonderful displays they had there.  Many of the items have been donated by families of early settlers who have had the items handed down to them.  Many of the artifacts are in near original condition.  They also show a 20 minute video that gives a bit of mountain man history.  For those not familiar with the mountain men, it gives a good overall account of their lives and contribution to the expansion of the country.

Darlie wanted this little bird on the blog.

South of Pinedale we entered a desert.  Neither of us like the desert.  We crossed a portion of the Great Basin.  I always pictured it as being a lush grassy plain watered by far away mountain streams.  No so.  It is dirt, rocks and sage brush.  Not an appealing mix.

This had to be real boring land for the settlers to have to cross.  But more importantly, it lacked the water they needed for their travels.  I imagine many people and livestock perished out there.

Tonight we are camped at a NFS campground in Flaming Gorge NRA.  It is a very pictureque setting.  There is a thunderstorm overhead but no rain makes it to the ground.  The air is too dry.  The rain evaporates before it gets down to us.  A few drops would wash some of the layer of dust off the old bread truck.

When I was at the Workhorse dealer in Spokane to have my ignition switch replaced, the mechanic told me the chassis my motor home sits on was also used for a bread truck.  I was not far off by saying driving this was like driving a bread truck.  Workhorse no longer makes this chassis because GM discontinued the mighty 8.1 liter Vortex engine.  There is no gasoline engine large enough to do the job.  Now all Workhorse chassises are diesel.  I know you could care less but it fills up space so I could put a photo of Buddy here.

Buddy taking a nap on Darlie's lap.

Darlie just went out and took some sunset photos.  I have to include one of those.