The BIG one! Grand Canyon Nat'l Park

April 19 - 23, 2017
Grand Canyon National Park

Obligatory park entrance pic!

There is starting to be a pattern with how I feel as I arrive and leave the places we stay.  I'm so excited to be in a new beautiful area but by the time we leave I'm often ready to move on and can't wait to leave!

We saw a lot of deer the first day near our
camping spot but none after that!

When we left Cottonwood BLM, I was so excited to leave the open windy hot desert with the disappointing sunsets (I had expected at least one glorious sunset!) and head to the mountains and trees and cooler weather!  And when we arrived on the National Forest land just south of Grand Canyon entrance near Tusayan, it was pretty exciting even if the trees were pretty small!  We really liked the area we stayed (off National Forest road 302) BUT…

1. We didn't realize (silly us) that when the wind blows, that dust puddle we were staying in would swirl around and blow right through us!
2. Turns out this was the closest place to the entrance and you wouldn't believe how many people came back at night (as in the dark!) to park and sleep for the night and our area was prime pickings!
3. We knew helicopter tours flew right over this area (reading reviews online) but it was much louder and more frequent than we expected!
4. We checked out other camping spots while we were there but most were too rough for us to take the motorhome into (deep ruts or dropoffs mainly).

When we went to visit Crater Lake in Oregon, we got up early to beat the crowds and managed to be there when very few people were there.  We arrived just after sunrise so everything was lit with the warmth of the sun and it was soooo quiet.  I was deeply moved by the beauty of the place.

When the sun started to peak the horizon we knew it was
time because of all the oohs and ahhs from the crowd!

I was trying to figure out when to arrive for our first look of the Grand Canyon.  Should we go when it's fully lit to get the total impact?  Or see it unfold as the sun rises?  Or perhaps at sunset?  Where should we go for our first look?  We chose to get up early before the sun rose and start at the main point near the visitors center.  I have to say I would not recommend that for your first look!  We didn't expect so many people to get up that early and it was pretty anti-climatic to watch it unfold so slowly as the sun rose (no dramatic clouds to add to the impact!).

Waiting and waiting for the sun to show us the canyon!

Still morning so plenty of shadows to show us the vista!

However, the crowds cleared out after the sun passed the horizon and after about an hour or two when the whole canyon was lit, that's when we could really appreciate what we were seeing.  Interestingly, we weren't as impressed as we thought we'd be.  I think it's because we've seen quite a few impressive places and the lighting wasn't the greatest.  During the day, it was pretty bland as there were no shadows to give you perspective on what you were seeing.  However, it still was impressive especially how massive the area is both length and depth.  We were also impressed with the park itself - lots of nice paths along the rim, bus system and parking.  It was very well maintained.

Selfie without a viewfinder!  Basically I turn the camera around
and look at the ring on the lens to see if I have the horizon in view!

I had a lot of fun with my new camera that we purchased when we went through Flagstaff (the last trip to approach Sedona from the north).  I'm pleased with the quality of the pictures and it was easy to transition from my Canon 60D to the settings on this one.   I had been using my smartphone but its biggest drawback was a lack of a viewfinder for bright sun not to mention how slow my phone can get with all the apps I have.  So far I'm loving the Sony A6000 for how small it is (although it's not THAT small!) as well as the viewfinder and screen info and how quickly I can adjust for different lighting and depth of field I want.

We love our e-bikes!  Makes bike riding fun no matter
how many ups and downs but you still get a workout!

We didn't do much else at the Grand Canyon other than following the rim both directions from the main visitor center either walking, driving or taking the bus.  

We loved the scripture placed in various places.  Amen!

We did take advantage of the numerous bike paths and had a wonderful bike ride through the "forest".  On the last day, we got up early and left by 6:45 am because there was going to be a major windstorm later that day and we wanted to move to a place with less sand.  We stopped at Desert View on the east end of Grand Canyon because it had great RV parking (even with tow car).   What a great stop!  And we finally got our stamp there at the gift shop.  We tried at the main visitor center but they (like many other NP's) didn't have any paper for us to stamp (so now we're starting to bring it with us!).

Highlights:  We finally made it to the Grand Canyon!
Lowlights:  Sand storm when the wind blew (thankfully not that often!)

Things we've learned/wonder:  Our battery continues to lose amp hours as we boondock but we are still at 12.1 or 12.2 (50%) under load in the morning.  We don't know if that's because these aren't true deep cycle batteries or if the battery is bad.  Would we lose amp hours daily with true deep cycle golf cart batteries that we plan to purchase when these die?  Or will they do as we expect - charge back all but marginal amp hours by the end of each day.  We shall find out someday!

Thought this was cool to look up into the tower at Desert View

We walked the 85 steps to
the top of  the tower!

Rejected by Thousand Trails

April 6 - 19,
Verde Valley near Cottonwood


There was some concern in our hearts as we headed north to Verde Valley Thousand Trails.  We tried on Thousand Trails website to get a reservation and failed.  This was nothing new so we called their reservation line and was told they had quite a few sites down with electrical problems and there was nothing available for the two weeks we wanted to stay.  Next call was to the young lady who sold us our Zone Passes and has magically found space for us when all else failed.  She said she would work on it and get back to us.  She never did…

So we approached their gate and set about checking in.  There was no reservation listed for us and we were too long for a tent site.  He sent us to the manager to see what could be done.  He found a place for us for three days, in three days.  He told us we could stay in the office parking lot until then, but would have to move in the morning as they were fixing the parking lot.  I asked about boondocking spots…   The office parking lot was it.  When we purchased our membership we were told if all the sites were full at any campground there would be boondocking available.  I just didn't know it would be the office parking lot.  We exited Thousand Trails and drove back to some BLM land Ellen had previously found. OK rant finished…   or maybe I'll continue it later.

Our morning visitor for several days on BLM land.

The place Ellen found was wonderful and scenic.  On a bluff overlook the valley.  We set up and looked for something fun to do.  "used Bookstore near me" Google sent us into oldtown Cottonwood. (5.6 miles)  Charming.  It had nothing we couldn't live without, but the people were very friendly.  We walked the street and window shopped.  Nice little town.

Tuzigoot

Montezuma's Castle

During our stay we visited several National Monuments, Montezuma's Castle and Well (along with about forty fourth graders on a field trip),  and Tuzigoot.  There were more as the area has a rich history.  Drove to Prescott and saw the Sharlott Hall Museum. Not to be missed.  There might have been a pub with libations and appetizers.  Ice Cream might have been had.  The usual fun.  On the way back we drove through Jerome.  Town on the side of a hill.  Or should I say cliff?  The views (and switchback down grade) were amazing.  We also took the Verde Valley Train on a sight seeing trip.  Well worth the high price.  One delightful aspect of the trip was the background music in the railcar.  Every train song imaginable.  When they got to "Peace Train" folks sang along.

Next we went to Sedona which is a tourist town set in the most amazing venue ever.  Surrounded with red monolithic hills on every side.  I don't know how long it takes residents to become numb to the awesome surroundings and just think of it as home.  We went on a few (easier) hikes in the area but we were able to take great pictures just driving around!

A comment on the drive to Sedona…  Approached from the south you venture through red cliffs and desert views, from the north you get forest, creeks, and  great canyon descents.  We loved both, one is majestic and awe inspiring for me, the other reminded me of home,  the great Northwest.  We stopped at picnic areas and I walked in the creek. "Insert smile here."

Hike in the canyon

Different canyon hike

Speaks for itself...

Ellen finished and filed our taxes (life must continue), I changed the oil in the motorhome, and we did laundry.  I'm going to digress into Thousand Trails again as we did spend our three days there, were ousted, and returned to our hilltop BLM spot.  We go there for hookups, trash dumping, and laundry facilities.  The parking is side by side and the views are of other RVs. Not our favorite.  But you get the good with the bad.  The good, we emptied our tanks and refilled our water, we watched some TV, we went to their karaoke night.  The bad, the view, very limited Verizon coverage, and the Laundry facilities.  You have to get a two dollar card from them and add money to it to use their machines. I drove into Cottonwood and used the laundromat.

View from south bound road to Sedona.  That is the road 1000 feet below!

This one also says it all.

From here we head to the Grand Canyon.

Go Forth (north!)

April 1 Ramsey Mine Road, BLM Brenda AZ
April 2 Escapees North Ranch, Congress AZ
April 3 - 6 Lake Pleasant Regional Park, AZ

Yeah!  We're finally in new territory again - places we haven't seen yet!  After spending a few weeks in LA and Palm Springs and Joshua Tree which we'd seen last time we were through the area, we headed for our northern loop - generally heading home and equally important we hope to get to cooler weather!  So far we're not into the mid-80's weather.  We prefer under 80 (at least that's up from around 70 which is still preferred!).

Pictures never seem to capture the grandeur!  That teeny tiny
cactus and monolith way in the distance were very striking!
Ramsey Mine Road BLM

Our first stop was more BLM land on Ramsey Mine Road which is near Brenda, AZ (you recognize that right?)!  We planned to stay two nights here and it was very beautiful, peaceful and for the first time fairly isolated of other overnighters.   We had a little bit of odd traffic on the road (things that make you uncomfortable but probably just in our heads).  Added to that we had an overwhelming electrical burn smell that was reminiscent of our Trimetric monitor burning up so of course that raised the anxiety level a bit!  We came to the conclusion that it was coming from somewhere outside but we sure couldn't pinpoint it or be sure.  So we decided moving on would help us determine if it's us or the air outside (after moving on, so far so good - no smell!).

Pulling onto the scales at Escapees North Ranch to get weighed!

We were excited to head to our first Escapees park at North Ranch (near Congress, AZ) so we could do a 4 corner weigh on the coach (our first one!).  We wanted to make sure we weren't overweight on any one corner (we knew we weren't over all) and get a benchmark for future remodels (more solar, replace booth with a buffet and table/chairs, replace couch with recliner etc.).  We were pleased with the results for the most part but we were pretty much right on top of the max on the driver front side.  So we moved a 40 lb footstool (that has paperwork, maps, brochure type stuff in it) to the passenger side so as we drive and that should balance us a bit more.  We basically  learned that our solar did not put us over the top in the front and might have helped balance our weight to the passenger side a bit more.  Unfortunately propane was filled to half and it's on the driver front so we really have no room to add more weight there.  Not sure what we'll do but now we know!

Our spot at Lake Pleasant right by the water.  After seeing the
neighbors hammock, we decided to get one too!

We scouted out a place to go next and we consulted the folks on the forums about heading to Cottonwood from Congress and we were told we wouldn't like it if we went the more direct route on 89A (and after seeing parts of that route - we are in total agreement!).  So we went south a little to get to I17 and saw there was a lake on the way and we really like water!  So we stayed 3 nights at Lake Pleasant Regional park (no hookups $20/night).  We were greeted by a rattle snake (we think that's what it was but it didn't rattle(?)).  We were facing an inlet portion of the lake with lots of bushes and trees and cacti which is totally weird to us (by a lake!).

Enjoyed bike rides, hikes, and the usual side trips there at the lake.  One thing we were disappointed in is we wanted to have lunch at the local BBQ and brews at the lake but it annoyed us to pay $6 to park to even check it out to see if we wanted to have lunch there.  So we went to Peoria instead!

Another selfie capturing cacti on our hike!

Isn't this so peaceful?  Sunrise on the water at Lake Pleasant.

Battery update:  We can't believe how much power the fridge wants to use between sundown and ? (not sure when it finally calms down).  We use about 10 amps per hour in the evening (most due to the fridge) and over 75 AH (amp hours) overnight!  We did leave the dish on so it could record but didn't use the TV other than to verify DISH and guide set up.  We think we only have around 100 AH available before it reaches 50% (the safe level) because these batteries have been ruined (don't have the capacity they are rated at).  But we decided to keep using these batteries as we continue to learn how to manage them better and to continue to understand our power needs through all the seasons and places (like shady NW!).  If you've been following this blog, you know we've gone back and forth on that!

Finally a brewery!!  That's an amber and coffee stout.  mmm...

Highlights:  4 corner weigh, Lake Pleasant 

Lowlights:  Electrical burn scare

Things we've learned:  We want an anemometer (measures wind speed).  We have had so much wind and we're always curious how hard its blowing so we can get a sense of what 10 mph feels like vs. 20, 30 etc.

One more time around again

March 24 - April 1
Palm Springs Thousand Trails
Joshua Tree NP boondocking

The usual - crowded among palm trees here

It felt great to come back here - almost like coming home even though we'd not likely call this home!  But we had good memories of our time here before (mostly the people) and we know our way around the area now!

The once-in-awhile chore of cleaning solar panels!

But it's getting really hot for us (mid-80's) so there's less motivation for being outside with no shade.  The reason we came back this way was to see Ellen's provider for her hand (the little finger is not recovering well from being in the cast - the broken part feels fine but it's the only finger and part of the hand that is stiff and painful from being immobile in the cast!).  Doc says it's normal and only be concerned in a couple more months if not better.  I wish they could have told me that over the phone when I called to ask if this was normal!

Anza-Borrego State Park wildflowers

While we were in the area, we decided we'd go to Anza Boreggo Desert State Park to see the wildflowers.  We were checking in with our friends from Vancouver who were near Parker AZ and discovered they had planned a couple of days in Indio to go to Anza Boreggo as well so we postponed our Sunday trip and did it Tuesday with them instead!  Probably less crowded than a weekend and a bonus getting to do it with them!

The visitors center was great (and the film on the seasons especially).  Very helpful person at the desk who guided us to sculptures and prime wildflower viewing.

It was so much fun to see what sculpture would be around the next corner.  So cool!  One of my favorites was a simple Saguaro cactus since they are all over in the SW, it made me laugh to see one in silhouette amidst the "natural" desert!

One of many sculptures around Borrego Springs

On our way back "home", we searched for a picnic area to enjoy the lunch we brought to share.  Couldn't find anything so we just drove straight to the Salton Sea to park and overlook the water while we ate lunch.  We then took a walk to the water and oh my what an adventure.  Fish bones everywhere so it was a crunchy walk until it was not...then it was a gooey slimy walk!  It felt so good to leave what would normally be a joy - walking along the water!

Always a pleasure to see dear friends!

We said our goodbyes to our dear friends from home and decided on the spur of the moment to see Beauty and the Beast.  The original animation was one of my most favorite Disney movies and I wasn't sure how I'd like this one especially starring Emma Watson.  Could I watch it without seeing Hermoine?!  I was amazed!  It was so great!  Emma did a beautiful job singing and one of the best parts was how they were able to go more deeply into the characters and add new elements to this well known story.  Really a fun time.  Oh, and by the end of the movie, Hermoine was (mostly!) no more!

Side trip from our boondocking spot - Box Canyon Rd.

Our typical boondocking spot outside Joshua Tree NP

We wanted to connect with the Escapee Boondockers group who were near Joshua Tree NP.  We drove around and didn't recognize anyone nor was there a particularly large group gathered together nor any signs pointing the way.  We tried Facebook and email but didn't get a response.  Disappointed we didn't get to share a campfire with them BUT oh my a major windstorm hit and it was quite a ride (so no campfires anyway!).   Winds were over 30 mph with gusts around 50.  We seemed to weather it (a pun!) just fine though.  We decided to wait one more day before moving on since the winds were still pretty strong.  We drove back through Joshua Tree NP while we were there and hit another spot we had missed before.

Oh, and we changed out of our flannel sheets!  Nights are not so cold any more!

We were ready to move on and "boldly go where no one has gone before", well us anyway!

Highlights:  See friends and visiting Anza Borrego wildflowers and sculptures
Lowlights:  Missing the Boondockers group at Joshua Tree NP

Things we learned:  we can survive 50 mph gusts!  Don't particularly want to know if we can tolerate stronger winds!

Disney in the Spring

March 17 - 24, 2017

Anaheim Harbor RV Park

So we put Soledad Canyon in our rear view mirror and headed for Anaheim.  There was an RV park to find and kids to pick up at the airport.

This RV park seemed strange in that they made you take two sites for each day.  One for the motor home and one for the car.  Normally we parked the car in front or beside the motor home.  We arrived and found out why.  Most of it was a parking lot striped in 13X40 spaces.  Our motorhome and car would not fit into one spot and if it did and motorhomes with slides were on either side of us, we would have a very hard time getting into our motor home.  With the slides out it's about twelve and a half feet wide.  If equal motor homes sit on each side very little room is left to walk between them.  Hence an extra site for your car.  This was our first of three sites we moved into to be there for a week.  The second had a grass strip on our door side ($12 more), but the car was in a site across the street.  The third was the RV on either side, small path to your door variety.  The car was parked about six sites down the road.  Oh well.

We were told you could see the Disneyland fireworks from the RV park.  It was only 3/4 mile from Disneyland.  There were signs in the park, "Disney Fireworks 9-9:45".  So at 9 we wandered out to see them…   9:05…  9:10  still nothing.  Well maybe it was too cloudy for us to see more than a glow from the south.  We went back to the motor home.  About 9:30.  BOOM.  The whole motor home shook.   Rushed out and there they were.  Couldn't see the castle or hear the music, but the fireworks were very clear.

 The kids flight arrived at LAX (45 Min drive) at midnight thirty.  At 11:30 pm the traffic was light…  Cam and Kaitlin collected.  Got back a little after 2 am to get a few hours sleep before going to Disney's California Adventure Park for the 8 am opening. 

We caught Food & Wine at DCA

Luigi's Flying Tires was replaced with
this dancing cars ride. No Beach Balls
but a better ride

Kaitlin (daughter in law extraordinaire) did all the Disney planning for this trip for which I am eternally grateful.  We parked in the Disney garage ($20) and caught the tram to Downtown Disney.  Bought our tickets and entered DCA to head for Toy Story Mania  (back end of the park).  Came back to Radiator Springs Racers, and out to Soarin'.  I'm not going to make this a Disney Trip Report.  I only say this to point out that our kids are young folks and will trade walking long distances for lower wait times in line for rides.  It was all good but I can't say my old feet didn't suffer during this trip.  Took a break at mid day for naps and back we went for evening attractions and World of Color (Disney's night time fountain show).  It was great!  After the show we headed back to the tram to the parking garage and had the longest wait of our entire trip just for a ride to the parking garage.  After this we daily took the 3/4 mile walk to Disney property.  It was not that much longer than the trip from the parking garage, cost $0, and was definitely faster. 

Stopped our rush to the rides for the obligatory Castle Selfie

 In all this I have not included Sam, one of our pseudo children, who is a new Disney cast member.  He ran around with us and added an insider's narrative.  Great joy was had by all. 

Sam didn't always get to play while we were there.

 We spent five days in Disneyland/DCA and one day at Universal Studios for Harry Potter Land.  Universal was OK, but as always, Disneyland/DCA was great.  Crowded, but great.

Alice in Wonderland ride.

With tears in our eye, we realized we would
not be riding Peter Pan this day.
The Park opened 20 minutes ago

On the trip back to the airport we stopped by the beach and enjoyed the California beach experience.  The afternoon traffic might have been worse than the midnight traffic.  LA is not a great town for driving around.

Kaitlin planned two dining experiences for us.
Blue Bayou and Napa Rose. They were wonderful.

We escaped LA on Friday morning, after rush hour??, and headed east for Palm Springs…