We’re finally back….the last time we wrote was the end of June and now it’s already August! Sorry to be so out of touch but we have been California dreamin’ for that lost month and couldn’t seem to get on our computer. But we’re back to our “normal” life on the road, and though internet access (and cell service) is hard to come by, we’re gonna continue the story for y’all….
Last you heard, we were headed to either Zion and/or Bryce canyons…well, we did ‘em both. Woo hoo! Lucked into a campsite right in Zion, and then headed out for an afternoon adventure. Hiked a few short trails along the shuttle route trying to figure out the best areas of the park. Saw some deer and a few turkeys…not Jen, but real life gobble gobbles. Hiked to Weeping Rock - a continuously dripping rock that produced a natural hanging garden of ferns and other assorted plants. Pretty cool. Next, we hiked up to some emerald pools…more like emerald puddles, but a nice scenic hike none the less. Saw more deer… pretty common in the area. After these hikes, we made it back to our camp and cooked a scrumptious taco dinner….yes, we ARE learning to cook! Pumpkin enjoyed her first moments of freedom from the leash...not our choice, but the little bugger escaped for a while.
The next morning, we took a hike through the Narrows before heading on to Bryce… so we left our house at 7:30 am and hiked down a river that ran thru one of the canyons. The water was fairly cold and a little swift at times, but it was truly incredible. Since we started so early in the morning, we were the only ones on the river – we had this beautiful canyon all to ourselves...it was pure heaven. We didn’t even realize how wonderful we had it until we turned around to hike out and passed loads of fools headed down the trail.
When we finished our hike and got out of the river, we sat for a minute to rest and eat some granola and trail mix…BIG MISTAKE… we were harassed and chased by squirrels the entire trek back to the shuttle. Yikes, never knew how menacing those little rodents could be!
Went in to Zion from the west side, but decided had to use the east exit to head over to Bryce….this meant driving the house-truck thru a tunnel built in the 1940’s – definitely not meant for big ass motor homes. We had to drive down the middle of the road with small clearance on each side…scaaarrry.
The drive to Bryce was beautiful. Jen and Pumpkin slept most of the way, so Wendy oohed and ahhed on her own. Got to Bryce and found a site in the park at the Sunset campground. Walked out to Inspiration Point to catch the sunset – ooh la la! Next morning, we drove to the top of the park and hit each of the vistas on the way back. Each hoodoo (that’s what the rock formations out there are called) had its own beauty. It was a great morning before we got back on the road headed toward Reno to pick up Shannon.
Went thru 83 miles of nothing through Utah to get to Nevada (and for the record, it’s Nevaaada, not Nevahda, according to locals). At the state line, we hit the first casino we saw…$10 each, just for giggles. Played a few minutes, and that’s when Jen’s beginners luck kicked in…hit the royal, baby! BUT was only betting a quarter, like a baby. Won $70 instead of $2000… what a bitch (can we say fuel pump??) Anyhoo, took the extra cash and ran straight to the KOA in Ely, Nevaaaada.
Drove for what seemed like an eternity across Nevaaaada ...on what they call the Lonliest Road to get to Reno. Woo hoo, bring on the cards. Headed to the blackjack tables to have a nice night on the town. Pretty up and down at the table, but we were enjoying our beer and company. Then, this new girl joins the table and starts betting big. She was down about $500 when she hits her side bet (odds paid 400:1) -- she was betting $5 so she won $2000. Party on!! We proceeded to hang out and have another drink to celebrate, UNTIL Jen left the table to go to the bathroom. When she came back, she had a hole in the knee of her pants and blood was gushing out. Cash those chips in; it’s time to go… Limped home (half drunk) to examine the knee… it was pretty ugly. In hind sight, she probably needed stitches, but we just cleaned it up put on a butterfly band-aid then passed out. By the next morning, we got a better look at the knee and made a run to the drugstore for some more first-aid supplies (thanks Marv & Toni for the kit!!).
Then, it was time to pick up the birthday girl, Shanola…grabbed her from the airport and hit the buffet. After a total pig out, we hit some thrift stores… looking for costumes for High Sierra… loaded up on supplies at the grocery store, then finally off to lake Tahoe! Checked several campgrounds before discovering the perfect spot in the Emerald Bay Campground. Beautiful spot with views of the both the lake and emerald bay…available only because of the wild fire in the area. Sorry about the fire, but happy about the campsite.
We hiked up to a look out to check out the Lake Tahoe; a full moon came up -- shining bright on the water. How did we get so lucky? Scurried back to the house truck before it got too late. There are bears out there, ya heard?? The next AM, we woke up and walked around, only to discover what Wendy thought was the perfect campsite (she gets campsite envy A LOT!). So, we loaded everything up and moved around the bend. Opened the awning, made some pancakes (while being terrorized by the local squirrel) and totally kicked back to enjoy the morning air… when along came Ranger Terry to tell us that OUR spot is reserved for that night and that our house-truck was too long for the campground (strange, we had already fit in two different spaces). Drove up to the top and sweet talked his boss in letting us back to our original space. Party on! Stocked up on more beer and ice then proceeded to hang on the beach. Cooked great veggie shish kabobs, played some Yahtzee and stayed in the house-truck to avoid the ever-elusive bears.
Next morning we made some breakfast, and headed to the beach again while we waited for the fourth party person….Miss Helen Evens - we’re rolling now. She, of course, showed up with a load of supplies and the birthday celebration began. Cooked a fabulous taco dinner (even if the shells were burnt) and were sitting around giggling when we figured out some dude was having some trouble with the dumpster… “What fool can’t open the dumpster?” Shanola wondered out loud...well, that fool would be Mr. Black Bear! Shannon caught his eyes in the flashlight…house-truck, here we come. After further inspection, sho’ ‘nuf, ‘twas the bear. He circled the bathroom once and was off. That was plenty enough exposure for the girls though, so it’s an inside party now.
Next morning, after massages from Shanola, we were off to Helen’s favorite old deli and then to the state park to sit on a rock and look at the lake. Jen’s new penchant for car sickness has reared its ugly head, but after lunch she was much better. Then back to the campground for some beers and cards… Notice the indoor game? We’re not risking another run-in with the bear!
That Monday morning, we packed up, hugged Helen goodbye, and headed to the airport to drop off Shanola. After leaving Shannon at the airport, we headed to what we thought was the KOA at the Hilton but instead it was the Grand Sierra Resort. $40.00 for a paved site, no Wi-Fi or cable – what a rip-off. Oh well, at least we can use the pool. Go to the pool and dip in our toes…freeeezing…so much for that idea. Guess we’ll have to play some black jack. BAD IDEA. Lost big! So we decided to drown our sorrows in the buffet… tried to eat as much as we lost, but no such luck. Idiots that we are… we decide to try to win our money back. Ain’t gonna happen. We don’t like the Grand Sierra. At ALL…
Checked out in the morning and started the trek to High Sierra. Yippee! It was a beautiful drive to Quincy CA. Stopped to get ice and a few other supplies and got to the will call line. Sit in line for over an hour until we get to the front hand the girl our credit card and license to pick up tickets…she comes back and there is no record of our purchase…did we not buy them? Oh yea, we put them on Jen’s card. Try to get an RV annex pass but the printer isn’t working so we have to pull over on the side. After an hour Wendy goes to see what’s up with the annex pass…meanwhile, Jen has met chef Larry who had done a benefit in NOLA at Brightson’s (hey Andy!) who happened to have an RV pass(can you say miracle??). Without this pass, we’d hafta park a mile down the road, no chance of power AND no other bathroom to use. Things are just falling right into place.
Park in line for the night, waiting in anticipation of the fest. Dana and Olivier (friends of Jake and Jeanelle) show up in the morning with their gear, breakfast and coffee for us. Once we finally get moved into the grounds, we got a primo spot under a tree which provided loads of shade (mucho needed). Time to get unloaded and loaded. Jake and Jeanelle show up about 2:00 with the shade structure…we are now completely shaded. We have the perfect setup.
Because we did not plan ahead, we had no where to put pumpkin…but with the perfect spot she got to chill with us at the festival. She is a full-fledged party animal now!! We saw lots of great music, ran into some good friends from home (Helen, Jensen, Patrick, Lee and Seneca) and basically had a great time. We caught Les for a late show (always rockin’). I think we will try to make it to High Sierra every year if possible, as it is fabulous watching great music under the beautiful stars in the Sierra Mountains. Monday we packed it all up and headed off to find a nice place to wash clothes and basically recuperate from the weekend. We ended up at a KOA in Oroville, CA. Next day, we woke up and called Jimmy Jarrell who lived about 30 minutes from where we were. We headed up to Forest Ranch and stayed around for 3 days playin... even went swimming in a creek one day. We really enjoyed spending time with Jimmy, Kim and the boys.
Jake and Jeanelle, here we come... Got to Cloverdale about 9 at night, only to discover Bessie couldn’t get up the driveway – it was so steep the back end was bottoming out. Bummer. Thought we would have to go to the KOA down the road, but about half way there we figured out we could take Rainbeaux and her carrier off to raise the back end. Woo hoo…problem solved! Ended up staying with them for 5 days...getting a lot done. Went to see Eric Lindell, caught two of Jake’s baseball games (one being at AT&T ballpark) and did a bunch of visiting. They have planted a seed for us to go to Burning Man with them….we’ll see what happens.
