Destination - Massachusetts!

Well we are on our way to Massachusetts! Talk about criss-crossing the country! Currently we are hanging out in Pennsylvania for a few days and then we will find a good spot to spend the weekend so Les can watch all his racing shows! We should be arriving in Mass. sometime around the 2nd or 3rd of August. Lindsey's here we come!

Kansas, Missouri and Indiana

Terre Haute, Indiana
We can’t catch a break getting past the hot weather but we suppose that no one else can either! I don’t know who “invented” modern air conditioning but we should be erecting a monument to her! We are heading to Indianapolis tomorrow morning and will stay there through Sunday morning. Les is already salivating thinking about getting near the Brickyard at Indy 500 Raceway. I think we will drop him off at the track for the day and head out to get haircuts and maybe lunch.

Oakley, Salina Kansas and Oak Grove Missouri
Well as you probably already know it is HOT all about the country and Kansas was no exception. Fortunately we stayed at a KOA that had a pool, although it didn’t open until noontime! Kansas is…well Kansas…we stayed on I-70 so it was quite boring but not as flat as you would think. Today (Tuesday) we are headed to East St. Louis, Illinois across from the “Arch” to the Casino Queen RV Park - hum…wonder what we will do there? Oh I’m sure that we’ll figure something out since we are parked practically at the front door of the Casino. We have stayed at this park before a couple of years ago and enjoyed it’s security and cleanliness. We shall then head over towards Indianapolis, Indiana and….wait for it….a relaxing fun day at the car museum! Fun for whom?

Shirley’s back is improving, she is down to being bothered by a little sciatica. She has started to dictate menu items and ice cream orders so that’s a good sign that she is improving.

　

Moab UT - Colorado

Moab UT (Arches National Park) Cortez CO (Mesa Verde National Park) Alamosa CO Limon CO

Well I have been remiss in updating the blog but as you can see we have now moved to Colorado from Utah. I think we may be following the heat and eventually catch up with it in Kansas tomorrow as we move East on I-70. We did have a little bump in the road when Shirley’s back was out but she is now on the mend nicely and may even get dressed this week! Of the 4 places above we enjoyed Cortez Colorado the most - partly because we stayed at a lovely KOA with a sparkling clean pool and the friendliest folks!

Today Leslie rode his bike to the “town” of Limon, Co to visit their local museum (free yeah!.) I think he really just wanted to see if there were any old tractors to be viewed and of course here in the Heartland there are plenty! I will post a couple of photos so that Fred can drool over the John Deere ones! I am quite sure that there would be many restoration projects here for Fred to get busy with. As with many campsites Leslie is making new friends so that he can grill them about their jobs - many of the men in this camp are “cutters” waiting for the wheat to dry out enough so that they can cut the wheat. There is a slew of combines in the parking area adjacent to the park just waiting to be fired up. Other men in the park are constructing windmill farms in the local area. It was interesting to learn about the process and how long it takes to complete a field of about 100 windmills. Some of the men have been here since February and will remain until some time in September - wow!

Bryce Canyon (Utah)

Cool weather at last! It was nice to be able to open the windows in the evening and actually pull up the blanket in the middle of the night to ward off the chill. Bryce area was nice but we are still voting for Zion as our favorite place. Unfortunately Shirley is still having some trouble with her back muscle and we felt it best that one of us stay with her during the day for extra precaution so….Les loves to hike so we agreed that he would go into the Canyon for the day and explore the area. He thought that the Hoodoos were cool but that not as spectacular as some of the other National Parks we have visited. He said he felt like Peter Lik (for you Weather Channel buffs) with all of his equipment and backpack! The photos being posted are courtesy of Les not Peter. LOL.

Our next stop is Moab to visit Arches National Park. We expect that it will top 100 here so there will be limited outdoor activity unless it involves the pool or cocktails!

Zion National Park (Utah)

Zion National Park…truly one of the most beautiful places in the United States as far as natural beauty. We were lucky enough to have made reservations at the Watchman Campground inside the National Park and courtesy of Shirley’s annual senior pass, our rate was $9 per night with electric. Can’t beat that with a stick!

Sunday we chilled out and spent some of the late afternoon trying to get satellite reception so that Shirley wouldn’t miss the Red Sox games while we were here. It was tough and I would have given up 2 hours before Les did, but he finally jockeyed the RV around and found the spot that allowed reception. Forget cell phone and/or wi-fi service, cell phone service is spotty if available and no wi-fi in the canyon. It certainly won’t hurt me to read a book or two this week.

Monday morning, Les headed to the shuttle bus stop to catch the park shuttle to the Temple of Sinawava where you can hike a mile into the canyon and then hike into the Narrows, mostly by hiking through the Virgin River. He took the 6:30 am shuttle and we expected him to be gone all day. His backpack contained 4 bottles of water, camera, identification, hiking shoes, sneakers, extra socks, food, sunblock and sunglasses. He was really prepared to spend the day hiking, something he really enjoys. About 9:00 am he came back to the RV with news that the Narrows was closed due to rushing water. As most of you probably have seen on the news the snowmelt has effected many of the parks, most notably Yosemite, with extraordinary water flows this year. Apparently the Narrows is a victim too. The last time we were here 2 years ago we ventured up a short bit into the Narrows but we weren’t prepared then so we promised we would return to explore that area. We may have to return yet again another year. Les will try to hike it on Wednesday if the area opens. I really hope it does because he loves it so.

We did take a walk on one of the trails and put our feet in the river (okay Les put his body in the river, I only put my feet in). The river is running quite fast so you have to stay on the side or whoosh down you will go!

Happy to say that Shirley’s back is starting to resolve with some ice and lots of ice cream!!

Wednesday was the day for Les to trek into the Narrows. It’s quite a scary place to hike and as I have said the last time we were here we hiked up to the river but didn’t have the proper equipment to traverse it. This time Les was prepared with extra everything in his backpack. He left at 6:00 am and returned around 3:00 pm with so much excitement. I am posting some photos of the Narrows that he took. At many points the river was waist deep and chest high at others. He held his pack above his head to get down the trail. I am happy that I stayed behind with Shirley considering I would not want to get that wet! A little water crossing is fine, but chest deep rapid water? No thank you. Anyway he had a terrific time and is still talking about it hours later. I am sure that this will be a hike he will remember for some time.

Off to Bryce National Park tomorrow for a few days before we hit Moab.

Las Vegas "Hot" Nevada

Ah…Las Vegas, City of Lights and City of Sin! Well, we can’t speak about the sin but we can tell you about Las Vegas being the City of HOT, HOT, HOT and not the Slots! Of course for some reason we continue to visit this area in the Summer and apparently didn’t learn our lesson the last time we were here in July. It was well over 100 degree every day and it was hot. Okay so there was less than 10% humidity so you weren’t sticking to the car seats, but it was hot.

Shirley was having some back issues so we decided to take shifts touring Vegas. One day Les and I did go to New York, New York and MGM Grand for about 2 hours but that was about it. Since I am really the one who enjoys the gaming I went to Sam’s Town and The Cannery for a couple of hours after dinner.

We did stay at a nice resort, Las Vegas RV Resort which was located about 7 miles from the Strip but next door to Sam’s Town. Good thing we had our car because you couldn’t even walk ¼ miles in that heat. Of course the two tires on my new bike apparently didn’t like the heat and the tubes “blew up” according to Mr. Fixit himself…or maybe he let the air out so I wouldn’t go with him!!

Anyway Vegas if now off our list for this time of the year and we are on to Zion National Park in Utah. Zion is a favorite of ours, although when I checked the weather it was also forecast to be over 100 each day! Considering we had snow in Flagstaff in mid-May I guess we’ll take the heat!

San Diego, Las Vegas!

San Diego is by far the nicest place in California that we have encountered…The weather was perfect, albeit a little on the cooler side, the people were friendly and the traffic wasn’t anywhere near as crazy as LA or even Malibu for that matter. The best part of San Diego was visiting with Bill. We had a very relaxing few days to little to spend hanging out and just chatting over our lives. Shirley was very happy to see Bill and I think pretty happy to have a nap in her former bedroom. Bill has kept it pretty much the way it was and she was thrilled that it was like she remembered it. Of course Golf was a big topic for Les and Bill and I had the pleasure of cooking in a real kitchen. You know us, a few glasses of wine, a couple of beers and a simple meal with good company comes as close to perfect as one can. Les managed a swim in Bill’s pool even though both of us thought it was much too cool for swimming!

On Friday we all went to the San Diego Zoo. Bonus was that Les’ ticket was free because he was the escort for the handicapped person. We took the bus tour of the part most because the park is quite hilly and it was tough for Les to push the wheelchair up the hill and it was scary for Shirley to go down the hill. The only part we had to push through was to get to the Panda exhibit which Bill and I enjoyed. We had our photo taken before the bus tour and Bill surprised us with a large print of it.

Les now holds the family record for eating the largest steak at one sitting ! Bill prepared rib-eye steak on the grill and although he and I shared a piece, Les ate an entire one himself and we calculated it had to be at least a full pound, no less. And then comes the Tums….

On Tuesday we headed out to Barstow, California and then onto Las Vegas. As we drove closer to Barstow the thermometer started steadily rising. Today in Vegas as I write this it is 105 degrees on the way up to 108 or so. While it may be a dry heat it is hot and the A/C runs continuously. Haven’t had any luck yet at the Casino but hope to get onto the Strip later tonight or tomorrow night. Les wants to go to The Bellagio because that’s where his friend Jim stays and he wanted to see it. Many of the hotels on the Strip are so pretty and so elaborate that you have to walk thought them to appreciate it. We leave Vegas Sunday morning and head out to Zion National Park. This has been a favorite stop for us so we are looking forward to this one.

California (still?)

Gosh we’ve been out of touch for a while now so I’ll do my best to fill you in on the activities in the last week or so. June 5 was the wedding - and what a grand time it was! Shirley had an opportunity to visit with her brother Ray Sault and his wife Beverly as well as their children and grandchildren. The wedding was wonderful and perfect in every way - heck even the weather cooperated. Lisa and Ross chose a library themed wedding which suited them to a tee with both of them having been conferred with their PhDs and having met at the Circulation Desk of the Library!! We were delighted to see Graham’s family from England again - we had met them 2 years ago when we visited Ray and Beverly. You know we must have taken a liking to them because we invited them to visit with us in Florida (or at least use the house if we were away). Extra special to our visit was the meeting of Les’ cousin and her husband, Jean and Bob. Right away they made us feel special and a part of the extended family. “Aunt Shirley” reveled in the attention everyone showered on her! Bev’s brother-in-law even stole a cupcake for Shirley at the wedding from the dessert table well before the appointed time! And to top it all off, Jean and Bob absconded with 2 more for the next morning rendezvous. Bob is a hoot and we enjoyed his humor. Our last night together we had a cookout at the RV Resort gathering place. Apparently there was a charge to use the grill but Bob talked his way right out of that $25 charge - charmer he is! The last thing I will say on this is ….I have a friend in Florida that I always say makes me a better person when I am around her. She knows who she is…but Jean gave me that same sense of belonging.

From Morgan Hill, CA we headed down to the Hearst Castle and then to Malibu, CA where I am writing this now. I am posting some photos of Hearst Castle and I will add that it was well worth the price of admission. It’s a little on the gaudy side for me (seeing I’m so classy!) but it was certainly a showplace. It is run by the California State Park system and they do a nice job with the tours and keeping the place beautiful.

We arrived here in Malibu on Friday and then off to Hollywood on Saturday. Surprisingly enough we didn’t run into much traffic at all in the morning and we were able to find a parking garage close to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre that was very convenient. We walked up and down the streets to see all of the stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I was taking a photo and Les and Shirley had meandered ahead when I looked up and saw that Les was talking with two guys - what??? Well it turns out that Les recognized them - Gregg is our across the street (Dick and Nancy) neighbors’ son. He and Jeff were touring Hollywood on vacation! What a small world. It’s hard to believe that you would actually run into someone you know here! I am posting a photo of them as they are getting ready to board their tour van.

Sunday is always “hang out” day for us mostly because there is either a Red Sox game or a NASCAR Race, both yesterday so it was a lazy one for us. This morning we all mustered the energy to travel to Simi Valley to the Ronald Reagan Library. Shirley didn’t want to go because she is a Democrat but we enticed her with the promise of lunch out! The Library was wonderful with all varied exhibits as well as the original Boeing Air Force One that carried 7 Presidents I believe including George W. Bush. We had an opportunity to tour the inside of the AFO, really cool and so obvious that our technology has skyrocketed in the last 20 years. As a bonus for Les the Library happened to be hosting an exhibit of NASCAR and INDY cars!

All from here for now, almost time to pop the corn for the Bruins/Canucks Game.

One for the Books!!

Morgan Hill, California

Friday morning we hurried to leave the Yosemite area campsite, sad to leave beautiful serene Yosemite, but anxious to get the Red Sox games back on satellite for Shirley as well as to have cell service again! How spoiled we are today! We only had about 148 miles to go from Midpines, CA to Morgan Hill (outside of San Jose) so we were leisurely in our drive and Les was gingerly winding his way down the mountains. We arrived about 12:15 pm Friday afternoon at a most lovely RV Resort, Coyote Valley. We had stayed here before and we were anxious to get on the 30 miles bike trail that runs nearby the resort. Les and I both went in to check in and also to see what site his cousin was in as we were all attending the same wedding Sunday and we were excited to meet them. We were assigned our space and would have an escort take us to our area. Les left the office 3-4 minutes before me and said he would disconnect the car so that he could get into the site. When I followed him I went to the back of the coach to drive the car behind him. I looked and the car wasn’t there so I thought “boy he did that quick, I was going to help him disconnect”…and then in those few seconds I realized that the CAR WAS GONE - and I mean gone - bikes, hitch, tow bar and our car were totally GONE! What can you say but “Holy Crap Les where is our car?”….he says “behind the motor home” and then looks - we were both speechless, which is easy to believe of Les but not of me!

Okay stop laughing, it really wasn’t funny at the time! The receiver broke off of the frame of the motor home and the whole thing fell off. The only problem was we did not know we didn’t have our tow car until we arrived here. So the saga continued, a call to the CHP (they had a little trouble not laughing out loud!), unbelievably helpful staff here at CVR. Our escort volunteered to clock out on his lunch hour and drive Les to see if they could locate the car. Off they went and Shirley and I just had this “what just happened” look. After 45 minutes or so on the phone with CHP they were unable to locate the car and wanted the plate number. “really dude? It’s the black Lincoln with Florida tags with 2 bikes and a tow bar hanging off it - how hard could it be to find it?”…well turns out Les and Robert couldn’t locate the vehicle so when they returned, off we went in Dorothy to find Abe! Lo and behold, and thanks to some prayers, we find Abe sitting on the side of the road beside a Cherry Orchard (I will never eat a Bing Cherry again!)…just waiting for us. Of course the bikes were destroyed and the tow bar and receiver and chains and cables and everything was under the car. Abe took out some bushes but had minor damage (or so it appears). Les seems to be the new celebrity of the park since no one really had seen this happen before. I am posting a couple of photos so you can see that this is really is a true story! I am sure it will become more real to me when I write the check for the insurance deductible. Seriously we were just grateful that no one was hurt as it might have been quite a different scenario.

Anyway, all is well and I know this will be the funniest story we will tell for a long time! We are posting a few photos so you can see we are not nuts!

Wow - that’s really the only word that can describe how beautiful Yosemite Valley is. The views are spectacular, the waterfalls rushing, white water flowing down from the highest points and we are humbled by the experience. We spent the day touring around the waterfalls and mountains, lunched at Yosemite Lodge and ended our day driving to Glacier Point, a bit of drive but since the road just opened we felt that we had to see the views from the top - and they were well worth the drive. There was a temperature difference of about 30 degree from the Valley to the top of Glacier Point Road and it was evident that Winter had visited there with snow drifts taller than our car. Even though it was cold Shirley loved the views and Les pushed her chair all the way to the top! We are posting more photos than I am sure you want to see but really the scenery was gorgeous. On our down day we went into Mariposa, CA town are and just looked around, stopped for a few groceries and to send a quick text and back to the camp we went. Although the camp is clean and lovely it was disappointing to learn that wi-fi was not free and there was absolutely no cell service for anyone so I was feeling a little lost for a while. Today, Thursday, we went back to Yosemite for a second look and to tour the museum, lodge and visitor center including a very nice 30 minute movie in the visitor theatre. Les had his heart set on a picnic lunch so we packed up the tuna and chips and found a nice spot to enjoy our picnic lunch. Unbeknownst to us we were right next to the side of the mountain where the climbing school is so we were able to get several nice photos of the climbers. That’s as close as I want to get but of course Les had to climb up a rock…well it’s not really a rock, more like a boulder it’s so large…so you can enjoy shots of him too!

We are off tomorrow to Morgan Hill, CA outside of San Jose anticipating the upcoming wedding of Leslie’s cousin Lisa on Sunday. We look forward to seeing all of the family and catching up with everyone!