Tag Archives: Hiking

ZION

Posted on by under Best Friends, Grafton Ghost Town, Uncategorized, Zion National Park, Zion River RV Resort

So friends, here are the photos from Zion at last.

We had such a great time on the trip to Zion with the Sun City Anthem RV club. Lots of outdoor activities, lots of happy hours and lots of shared memories.

The first day, shortly after arrival we had happy hour, heavy appetizers and then a camp fire with our two guitarists, John and Doug playing while the rest of us TRIED to sing. Out of the 40 or so there, only about two had a voice that you would want to listen to under other circumstances.  But then it was all in good fun.

The second day we hiked a couple of easy trails in Zion. It was a perfect day … cool weather and clear skies.

Having had enough hiking, we shopped in Springfield the third day  and went to an old Mormon ghost town just outside of Rockville in the old town of Grafton with our friends Scott and Donna. It had a small cemetery, a school house and a couple of other old buildings. The interesting thing about the cemetery was seeing how many people died from the pandemic flu and from Indian attacks. Also, it was interesting to see how short their lives were. Most died either as children or as young adults. You might notice in one of the photos someone was trespassing while taking photos. Naughty!

Trespasser!
Donna and Scott

The last day we went to Kanab and we stopped to see BEST FRIENDS, a beautiful animal sanctuary just outside of Kanab. It is a wonderful organization that has made a huge impact on turning shelters into no-kill shelters. They have saved thousands of animals since inception. You can volunteer there and we are hoping to do that some day.

We also kept seeing these strange creatures as we were driving around. What? You paid $20.00 for an ostrich egg? Silly tourists.

 

At the end of the trip, our great wagon master told us he and his wife were retiring from being wagon master for this trip.  (Jack and Rochelle) He asked for volunteers and all hands pointed to Lennard, my husband.  Hmmmm … Who is going to do all the work?

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Could not ask for more breath taking scenery!

 

 

FINALLY: BACK IN THE USA AGAIN

Posted on by under Coeur d'Alene, Epic Road Trip, Tubbs HIll

It’s great to be back in the USA again. As beautiful as Canada was, we are happy to be home. We will be changing our trip route to stay in the US the rest of the time, so we have our phone and internet service.

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Entering the US

We met our good friends, Tim and Jan, from the Sun City Anthem RV club along with their dog, Star at the Spokane, Washington KOA. It felt like home to meet up with friends.

Since Bella and Gypsy were literally “dirty dogs” we took them to PetSmart for grooming and when we picked them up we hardly recognized them they looked so good. I almost thought we got different dogs back.

Lennard’s great neighbors from his old neighborhood, Tom and Joanne, live in Coeur d’Alene, which is only 30 miles from Spokane. They invited us over to their home for a barbeque, and what a spectacular home they have. Tom designed it himself and put most of the living space in the kitchen and family rooms. We were lucky enough that two of their three children were there that night and their nephew. Trevor, Juliana and Greg made the evening more interesting just by being there. Their eldest son, Taylor will be getting married in a week and they were preparing to receive 80 guests for an outdoor reception in their back yard. With five acres, they have the space and what a fabulous setting with lots of trees and grass. Now that’s what I call taking on a project!

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Tom at the barbeque

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The beautiful Yard.

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Lennard and Tom relived some fond memories and we said goodbye with promises to return to beautiful Coeur d’Alene someday.

The next day we took Joanne’s advice and visited downtown Coeur d’Alene. It’s a quaint and lovely town set right on Lake Coeur d’Alene.

Next to the lovely Coeur d’Alene Resort and Marina is Tubbs Hill. The city has provided a 2.2 mile hiking trail around it. Normally 2.2 miles would be easy, but in 85 degree weather with 60% humidity…not so much. And that was at 10AM! I of course got way too hot, but Lennard and the dogs just got warm. In spite of the heat, it was a great hike with extraordinary vistas of the marina and the clear, blue waters of the lake. We had lunch and several glasses of cold water to cool down before returning back to the RV Park for a little housekeeping.

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Tim is a master of barbeque and along with Jan, they made a lovely dinner the next evening. Sitting outside in the RV Park with the three dogs and good friends was something we enjoyed so much. Needless to say, dinner was delicious and the company even better.

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Tim and Jan

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The plan now is for us to travel towards Grand Rapids, South Dakota to see the iconic Mt. Rushmore. I saw it about 50 years ago, and still remember being awed by it.

LUNCH WITH AN RV FRIEND

Posted on by under Hiking, REI, RV Travels

I had a great time this week when a friend of mine, Susan, from the healthcare industry and I had lunch together at the Lyfe Kitchen in Henderson. Surprise… she is a long time RVer and had lots of good tips to give me.  Her and her husband have been on several “across the country” trips for a month or two at a time.  I was so happy to hear about their experiences, and the fact that they did not kill each other on their trips. They even traveled with two big dogs. (As most of you know, ours are small poms.)  It gives me hope for our success with our “across the US and Canada” trip coming up in just over a month now. She was so helpful and positive, it was a real pleasure seeing her and finding out about their exciting experiences.  I’ll be meeting her again, and by then we will have finished our RV boot camp and I’m sure I will have lots more questions for her.

One of the best tips she gave me was to cook a few meals before we leave and freeze them for a quick meal on the road.  We also hate fast food, so I am down with that idea.  She suggested: marinara sauce, meatballs, and lasagna.  Think she likes Italian food?

We are still in preparations mode.  Last night we went to REI and purchased new lightweight, waterproof hiking boots for the trip.  The salesperson there was soooo helpful and knowledgeable! Without him we would not have had such a great buying experience! Ours were so old they were falling apart.  Besides, the technology has changed so much since I last purchased hiking boots about 30 years ago, it made sense.  If your feet hurt, you will have miserable hiking experiences.  Our aim is to visit as many national parks as possible on the way, so hiking will be one of our favorite activities.  Thanks REI associates.