Sun. May 29, 2011

Awakened at 5:30am with the wind howling & sun shining. We turned over & stayed in bed until 6:30am. Had a leisurely breakfast, then cranked up our jeep & headed for Sedona, an artsy, Santa Fe type town about 1 hr from Williams. We passed an outside art show & decided to stop & walk around. There were many lovely items for sale. Larry loves southwestern art.He fell in love with a beautiful silver/turquoise/inlaid bracelet made by a Navajo man. He haggled a little & I am the proud owner of a new bracelet. He has a good eye for "good" Indian jewelry.Had some lunch in a coffee shop he used to frequent, then headed towards "home". About 1/2 way there I smelled something burning, about that time the hot light went on & we pulled off the highway. Called Good Sam (AAA for Rvers). A nice, young man came to our rescue in 40min & towed us to a garage in Flagstaff, after driving us to the airport to rent a car. The man at the garage waited for us to arrive & looked at our little jeep. He is going to figure out what is wrong today.Drove home & had supper, & a glass of wine.Touche! Here is to our adventure.Going to Grand Canyon tomorrow.

Sat. May 28,2011

Left Monument Valley at 9:30am, planning a 4 hr. drive  to our destination in Williams, AZ. The winds across our travel route were 50-55mph. We bumped & swayed for about 3 hrs & then Teddy decided that he needed a walk.  We noticed an Indian stand a little ways away & spent 1 hr. buying some gorgeous jewelry for me & the store. We then headed towards koa in Williams. Of course, we went to the wrong campground (my & GPS's) fault. We arrived at the right place 4 miles N. of Williams. We were unable to level our coach, but fortunately, we are parked between 2 coaches, which help with the wind. Had dinner on the grounds & spent the evening with Larry researching our leveling problem & listening to the howling wind! Larry found the company that makes our system & it is 2 hrs away. We are heading there on Tues. Wish us well!

Fri. May 27, 2011

We pulled Adventure & the jeep down to Arches parking lot at 7:30am. We had breakfast & headed up into the park. This is one of the most beautiful creations of nature that I have seen. The park & arches are formed from red sandstone. We spent 3 hours walking, driving around the park. Tired & hungry we returned "home" had some lunch & took the jeep to Moab to walk around & shop. I aquired, thanks to my Larry, who appreciates good jewelry, a pair of authenic silver/tourquoise earrings.We hit the road heading to Monument Valley to spend the night on the Navajo reservation at one of their campgrounds. A much less tense, but pretty ride. We did have a moment of excitement, that puts us in motorhome 103, our awning started flapping in the wind. We spend 20 minutes trying to get it fixed. Of course, Larry figured it all out & we were soon on our way to our destination. We followed the GPS, which put us on the wrong road in the campground, so we unhooked the jeep, locked Adventure, & drove to the right area. Had a quiet dinneer at our private picnic table. We are off  to the Grand Canyon. Have a wonderful weekend. Talk soon.

Thurs. May 26, 2011

We spent the morning packing up some souvenirs from Larry's past job, delivering pottery made in Mexico. We are bringing home some lovely momentos. Packed up Adventure, bid Donna farewell & thanked her for a great visit & headed west towards  Moab, Utah. Drove 70 west to 128S which is a breathtaking ride (2 lane road) that follows the Colorado River Canyon. It was a beautiful ride, but a little intense as the road wasn't that wide & the edge was close! Also, Adventure, is 8 1/2 feet WIDE! you all do the math! We arrived safe & sound at our campground near Arches Park. Tomorrow we are up early to walk & ride thru the park. We will spend tomorrow night at a park in Monument Valley. Sleep tight!

Wed. May 25, 2011

Good News! We awakened in this beautiful Rockie mountain setting to SUNSHINE! Unbelievable! Larry is working on some motorhome items. I am updating this blog & then we are off to Rifle to get our computers "fixed". We got that accomplished & we are now able to send emails! We had lunch at one of Larry's old haunts- Basecamp Restaurant- had a great lunch after which, we toured Rifle. It is a small town, so it didn't take us long. We headed to the nearby city of Glenwood Springs for some shopping & checking some more beautiful scenery. Lyman surprised Donna & came home for the evening. We all had dinner at a local bar & restaurant.The teachers in the area were celebrating the end of school & the place was noisy. However; we sat in the back & had an enjoyable dinner

Tues. May 24,2011

After breakfast, Larry hitched up the jeep & we headed to Silt, CO to spend a couple of days with Larry's friends, Donna & Lyman Fogle. We got off the main st & headed up a mountain road that was windy. Arrived at their picturesque property in the Rockies. Their house is at the foot of a mountain & this setting is just breathe taking.We set up camp & waited for Donna to get home. She works as a meals on wheels volunteer. Larry & I decided that on this entire trip we have seen sunshine 11/2 days. This entire country is wet,wet, wet! At least we have missed tornados. We had a good visit with Donna & headed with her to Aspen to see Lyman, who is a property manager of a 15,000 sq. ft home. We got a tour & it was very impressive. After which, we had dinner in downtown Aspen. Came home tired, but enjoyed spending time with friends. Talk tomorrow. Stay dry! You know, any of you following this trip- feel free to comment or just say hello. Would love to hear from you.

Mon. May 23, 2011

We packed up, paid our bill & hit the highway towards Colorado. We had a 9 hr. high country ride thru the Continental Divide, where we drove thru a "token" snow storm. Doesn't anywhere in the west know that it is spring/ going on summer.The snow turned, thankfully, to rain as we came down the mountain, thru the Picturesque Glenwood Canyon. We arrived at Walmart in Rifle, Co- tired, hungry. We took in a few sights & then went to dinner at a casual, but most excellent restaurant. After dinner we went & washed our very dirty jeep- He thanked us! Came back to Adventure & I spent 11/2 hrs on the phone with dish network trying to get local tv stations. I really want the local news & weather.  Perserverence paid off. We are learning much as we go. Talk with you tomorrow.

Sun May 22, 2011

We slept in and awakened to a sunny, windy morning. Went over to the restaurant & visited with the people that manage the campground. Enjoyed a pancake breakfast. Tried to call some of you folks, but still no cell service. I took my computer to the store to use their wifi. I can receive messages, but can't sent. I will need my computer "Earled" when I get back. I did update this blog. Larry & I cleaned Adventure & rewarded our efforts with a little tv watching & a little nap. We later drove around the area & almost literally ran into some black angus cows. They were no more happy to see us as we were to encounter them! Watched the  movie The Kite Runner & had a quiet, but enjoyable evening.

Sat. May 21, 2011

Leisurely breakfast. Packed up & bid farewell to our Lutheran church parking lot. We headed west for paarts unknown. Nebraska is a prairie, flat but beautiful We are headed toward the sandhills in western NE.The wind was still an item as Larry drove westward. We have had a fun & wonderful week with family, friends, but decided we (Larry) needed a couple of down days. A rest from driving a 38 ft motorhome with a jeep! I found a campground in the sandhills 20 miles from Ogallala. Another long, paved & graveled road which led us to the beautiful place. Had a nature walk & settled in for a quiet evening. Still had some wind, but no rain.

Friday May 20, 2011

Awakened to a cloudy Lincoln day. Had breakfast in the motorhome & then set out to show Larry the sights  of Lincoln. Larry usually does the driving, but I gave him a reprive & did the driving. My memory may waver occasionally, but I did right well navigating around Lincoln. Of course, it is almost impossible to get lost! First stop, Big Red Store to buy NE memorabilia for "kid" & grandkids. I bought a couple of items for myself. Next we went to Ideal grocery store to pick up steaks for dinner. The store is a shopping experience. Larry & I lunched back at Valentinos-had a lighter fare! Went past the capital & parked in front of NE stadium, where we had a moment of silence. Finished up in downtown at the Nebraska bookstore. Fun!. Larry wanted to check out the local RV store & needed a couple of items. Of course, we toured a few newer coaches(with higher price tags) & decided that our "Adventure" is just fine. Went to Kirk & Trula's for dinner. We went with them out to see the log cabin that they are having build. Kirk wanted a fishing hut & now has a house! It will be beautiful. It sits on a lake so Kirk can fish. Finished out tour & went back & cooked steaks. I hate to leave Lincoln, but have other places to go & people to see.

Thurs. May19, 2011

We left the campground & followed another winding road. Larry said, "We would have a lot more fun riding this road in a sports car." We finally connected with I-70 & headed in the rain towards Lincoln, NE. Unfortunately, the "new" windshield wipers weren't connecting with the windshield, but Larry drove on & the rain was light. Finally stopped at a TA for gas & bought new wipers that actually worked! Arrived in Lincoln at 5:30PM & touched base with our friends the Jamisons. They arranged for us to park the motorhome at their church. Oh, we finally named our coach " Adventure".We got settled & Kirk & Trula picked us up for dinner. We ate at Valentino's which makes the best pizza that I have ever eaten. They had a buffet that was awesome! Kirk took us past our old neighborhood, which has grown up a lot. When we lived here there were little trees & now there are full trees.It was quite nostalgic for me. Jay & Jeff played with the Jamison's kids & everyone is all grown with kids of their own..We went back to their house after dinner & caught up on our families.

Larry & I graduated from motorhome 101 to 102. We slept thru a wind/rain storn in our RV. Rain pelted on the roof, awning flopped in the wind (Nebraska does have wind!) The RV did a little rocking. Quite a night! We are off to sight see & show Larry around Lincoln. I have some serious shopping to do for grandchildren. Talk later

Wed. May 18, 2011

Joined Matt & Jen & Ada for breakfast. Packed up & hit Hwy 3 around 10am. on our way to St. Louis for a  visit to the Arch. A beautiful drive along Hwy3 which follows the Mississippi. We did see some flooded farmlands. Arrived in St. Louis around 12 noon. Took our GPS route & ended up on a cobblestone road near the arch! Have you ever driven a 38 ft.. RV towing a jeep!! Quite a bumpy feat. Larry handled it beautifully & I was a nervous wreck. We tried for about 1 hour to find adequet parking for our vehicles- but to no avail. We finally succombed to failure & headed West on I-70. Next stop Wildwood acres campground. We traveled a windy road for several miles. On the way to the campground Larry spotted a quaint little post office & stopped to get stamps so we can send you some postcards.It was closed, but the lady was sitting out back  & was kind to get him some stamps. We are grateful. The campgound is lovely & ever so peaceful- our sattelite didn't connect( too many trees), no internet connection or as some of you know, no cell phone service. We took a lovely walk & enjoyed nature. Turned in early, did some reading & are off to Lincoln, NE tomorrow.

Tues. May 17, 2011

Jasper & Jeff notified me that it was time to get up & fix swedish pancakes. It was 7:30am( don't they get that we are on vacation) As the dutiful gandma I enjoyed spending the morning with Jeff & family. Enjoyed the pancakes too. Backed out of their driveway at 9:30 headed for Murphysboro, Il for an overnight & visit with Matt, Jen, & girls. Enjoyed our time on their farm. It was a relaxing experience.

May 17, 2011

Drove from Knoxville across Tn and had a relaxing drive. Larry is getting very adept at maneuvering thi RV. We traveled some  narrow roads to spend Tues. night at Windy Hill Farm, which is the home of Meredith's brother & his family. They live outside of Murphysboro in the country. Had a great visit with them & their delightful girls. We are off to a good night's sleep & off towards St. Louis tomorrow. Will write more tomorrow & hopefully, include some pictures. Everyone have a good evening.

First stop Knoxville May 15, 2011

Spent  first night in Knoxville with Jeff, Mere & boys. Stayed in their driveway with our 38 ft. motorhome. Had a great time. It really is different driving a motorhome as opposed to a car!