Part 9 May 15 to May 24

Day 55 Saturday May 15
We had a late breakfast as we had neighbors over. After breakfast we went to the drug store to refill a prescription. Big mess, pharmacy did everything like transferring from another place, then to discover they did not have the pills. So after many phone calls, etc. they made arrangements for us to get the pills in Delta, UT where we are going Sunday. Phew. Went to the post office to mail three more boxes rocks weighing about 46 pounds each.. Then we went to the park to see the man who wants to buy some cabs from me. We discussed size and other requirements and price. Then off to McDonalds to do some emails. On the way home we took Goldie to the car wash and got rid of about 20 pounds of mud dried under the fenders and along the sides. Goldie said thank you. We cleanup up the car and motor home getting ready to leave in the morning. In the evening we built a fire and roasted hot dogs for dinner.

Day 56 Sunday May 16 39193
We left Moab and headed north on hwy 191 to I-70. At Salina we took US 50 and followed it all the way to Delta, Utah. We got space 55 in Antelope Valley RV Park and set up the motor home. We decided to go to Sunstone Mountain and get some sunstone (feldspar). We sound some mostly small. Since we had enough and the temperature was in the mid-80’s so we decided to quit.
Drove 220 miles today

Day 57 Monday May 17 39413
We got up early, in case it got too hot, and headed out to the Dugway geode beds. Wonderful drive along the mountains to Dugway pass which was on the pony express route. We found many partial geodes left by others and also managed to find one area where we dug our own. Great time. Back in Delta we went to get my medicine which had been arranged for in Moab. Stopped by the local rock shop to look at all the stuff. They had a goodly amount of Utah stuff. Later in the evening it rained, and rained on and off all night, I think.

Day 57 Tuesday May 18
We packed up the motor home and hooked up Goldie and headed west on US 50 out of Delta. We drove to the “town” of Baker just off 50. Got a spot at the Whispering Elms RV park. Nice little park with only 11 spaces and we took up two. After setting up we went to the Baker Archeology site which was a Fremont settlement abandoned about 700 years ago. We then went to the Great Basin National Park visitor’s center and checked things out. The road up the mountain were closed because of snow and it snowed again last night. We signed up to take the 1.5 hour tour of the Lehman Caves tomorrow morning at 9 am. Remembered to set our clocks as we just passed from mountain to pacific time.
We drove 97 miles today.

Day 58 Wednesday May 19 39510
We drove up to the park and went to the Lehman Cave entrance. At 9 am we started our hour and one half half-mile tour through the smallest cave system I have ever been in. Narrow passages and small rooms. It was very pretty with lots of different formations. After the tour we drove up the mountain but the road was closed about half way up because of snow. The ranger said the road may be open by Monday. We drove around the different camp areas to see about spending another day here up in the hills. A couple of the sites may have been good enough but we decided not to get stuck up the mountain. Went for a short hike to Osceola ditch where miners built a 16 mile long ditch and flume to bring water to their gold mine. After lunch in “downtown“ Baker, Judy worked on her beading and I cut some cabs from slabs I had brought and some of the small geodes I got in Dugway. Went to use my Pixie after putting on a new plug and nothing. Still did not work. Some problem with the machine itself. Rats!!! The tree next to our site is loaded with seeds and thus lots of birds. Saw yellow rumped warbler, cedar waxwing, Lazuli, and a couple of others I did not identify.

Judy’s word
This is the place at the end of the loneliest road in the West… and I love it! So very few people. Quiet, and mountain beautiful. We took a hike today, and saw so many of the wildflowers that were a part of my childhood. You will see the pictures. Have not seen those flowers for soooo long. J

Day 59 Thursday May 20
We left Baker and headed north to US 50 to the junction with US 93 north to Ely, Nevada. Filled up with diesel there. Continued north and stopped for lunch at a former Pony Express station. We continued on to Wells, Nevada on I-80. The wind picked up and became very strong and gusty. Wow. Really tested my driving skills. The winds were coming from the driver’s side. We spend the night at Mountain Shadows space B-2. The place filled up early because of the wind? More gusty wind predicted for tomorrow.
Drove 188 miles today.

Judy,s word
A harrowing drive today. Thanks to Richards calm ability to move this bus, we arrived safe and sound. We did our laundry, and restocked our groceries. Good supper. J

Day 60 Friday May 21 39698
We left Wells and headed west on I-80 to Winnemucca. We spent the night at Hi-Desert RV Park space 61. Wind not too bad at the start then got worse as the day wore on. Thus we only drove 173 miles today. There were high wind warnings for this afternoon meaning no RV’s or trailers should be on the highway.

Judy’s word
So here we are, safe and sound at the Hi-Desert RV Park. We are entertained by the rain and wind passing thru Winnemucca, NV. J

Day 61 Saturday May 22 39850
Whew what a drive today. We left Winnemucca with the potential of wind and snow heading North on US95. Weather map showed no snow or rain along our route. As we headed out there was snow becoming more thick along the sides of the roads. Windy but not really gusty. We saw cars and trucks coming with snow plastered on their front and got a little worried. We made it to the Oregon border with no snow on the road but with snow flurries several times along the way. Heading into Oregon, more snow flurries and more cars with snow plastered on them. Nothing on the road. Turning West on 78 the snow pretty much disappeared along the road, for a while. Then more snow along the road, more snow flurries but the road was still bare of snow. Getting close to Malheur wild life refuge, the wind started getting more gusty with snow flurries. Finally made it to Burns with no snow on the road. Cold and blowy and snowy. Stopped at Burns RV park in space 50.

Judy’s word
We have had perfect weather until the last few. I thought we should head back to Moab! Well, we are on the way home and will be happy to get back into our real life. Hope you are all a part of it. I am sure we will return to the beautiful red rock country. J

Day 62 Sunday May 23
We drove NE on US 20 to the very small town of Buchannan where we visited a gift shop/ jewelry store/ museum. It was an interesting place to see. After lunch we went to Malheur Wildlife Refuge. We saw a great horned owl with four babies, an eagle nest with two babies, lots of ducks and small birds. Great time seeing lots of birds. This was not the high peak migratory season. Mostly sunny today but had a hail storm
during dinner.

Day 62 Monday May 24
We went to the Glass Buttes today which is about 60 miles West of Burns on hwy 20.. Got some really nice obsidian,: black, sheen, mahogany, lace and maybe rainbow. Goldie did a great job going over some of the most rugged roads yet. Nice weather most of the day but some snow snifters while we were high on the buttes. We had a nice dinner of baked potato and steak.

Part 8 May 8 to May 14

Day 48 Saturday May 8
After breakfast we headed to the city park to see the farmer’s market which at this time of year was mainly crafts. There were some interesting pieces there. Mailed a box of polished rocks to the rock shop in Escalante. We drove to the Island in the Sky section of Canyonlands National Park. We went to the Upheaval Dome and found a nice place for lunch. Judy and I walked the 1.6 mile round trip to the view point.. We drove all the way to the end stopping at all the viewpoints along the way. The mesa is about 2000 feet above the Colorado River. To get home we decided to take the infamous Shafer Trail back to Moab. The road was rough in many places and goes down a cliff in a series of switchbacks. It makes the Burr Trail switchbacks seem like a piker. It was a very beautiful drive with about half of the dirt road on the White Rim trail. Spectacular views all along the way. The road goes by the Potash plant ponds before getting pack to a paved road along the Colorado River. Near the potash plant we saw our first snake, a gopher (%) on the road. Goldie did fine being in low range and first gear much of the way down the switchbacks. She was happy getting a new coat of dust, this time mostly white instead of red. We had pizza for dinner and then headed off to the old city park for free music concert. Band played rock and we enjoyed watching the people dancing and listening to the music.

Judy’s word
Another day in paradise… sun and blue sky a bit windy, tho. We could not have fitted in another thing today. I did my best not to distract the driver by shouting as we drove down the cliff. An experience of a lifetime for sure. We are pretty tired kids tonight. J

Day 49 Sunday May 9
We had crepes for breakfast.made by me, you know, the world famous ones. Judy spent the morning doing some beading and I played with my rock stuff. I was making some more pieces for the guy in Escalante on the assumption he will like what I sent. In the late afternoon we took a jet boat ride down the Colorado about 21 miles. The driver was making sure we in the back got a shower once in a while. When we got back we were fed a nice dinner. Fun evening on the river.

Judy’s word
Happy Mothers Day to all this greeting is meant for. I spent the day being spoiled, as you see. The jet boat was great, and after an evening of fun, there are no dishes. We will be here for another week. J

Day 50 Monday May 10
Headed north from Moab to do some rock hounding. We went to a place listed in the rock hound book but of course some of the roads were changed but we found the site anyway. There were some nice agates there and two types of septarian nodules of which we only found a few of each. Fun to be out in the boonies. Goldie did a superb job of going over some deep rutted washes. We finally saw some famous Sego lilies. In fact the rock hounding area was covered with them. What a treat. After dinner, I polished one small piece of septarian nodule and it came out nice. Then the Pixie polisher quit. I think it is in the ground fault plug. Will see about getting a new one later.

Day 51 Tuesday May 11
We went on the La Sal Mountain loop road today. The road was all paved. At the start of the drive we went to Ken Lake, a reservoir, which is fed by a diversion from a river. In doing so they made Faux Falls which seemed very out of place, which is was. We had a very nice drive through the mountains with aspen and conifers. No red rocks except when we were coming out of the mountains to the Colorado river. On the way we had snow flurries, saw a ptarmigan, a deer, the Pinhook Battlefield (Indians killed eight settlers in 1881), and snow fields along the road. Once back at the river we drove up to Fisher Towers which we had pass the other day. Very windy. On the way home from there we watched some river rafters. Just before town we stopped and walked across the new pedestrian and bike bridge over the river. Fun day again.

Judy’s word
Once in a while we experience a phenomenon of nature and I must tell you how much fun we are having with this one. The RV park we are in is quite nice, but older. This means that the trees here are quite mature. Nice shade!!! In the Spring, sometime in May, the cottonwood trees spawn, so to speak. For some reason, they have triple the usual amount of tiny feather like seeds this year. So it seams as if it is snowing. We have drifts of soft downy seeds that float and drift everywhere… What a sight..J

Day 52 Wednesday May 12
We boxed up some of the rocks we have collected and mailed them home. The storage area was getting full and was worried about the extra weight. They were flat rate boxes and each weighed about 36 pounds. After lunch, we went rock hounding north of Moab again off highway 313. The first site had lots of agate but a lot of it was fractured. The second site was not very good and nothing good was collected there. There were a few misty rain periods today and the temperature was in the low 50’s.

Day 53 Thursday May 13
Goblin State Park today. We went North on 191 , then West on I-70 to Hwy 24 exit and headed south. We enjoyed walking among the goblins. Instead of taking the same route back we took a back route through the San Rafael Swell. It was a very good road until the last few miles which were muddy. Goldie got some dirt globs on her. We decided to go to the Black Dragon Canyon which required some backtracking on I-70. We started into the canyon and the road deteriorated rapidly. Apparently water had come down the canyon and washed out part of the road. Big rocks in the way so we decided not to subject Goldie to them. We saw some of the pictographs from the Barrier period but it was to far a walk to see the other one. Fun day.

Day 54 Friday May 14
We drove south of Moab to the Needles area of Canyonlands National Park. We saw Joe Wilson arch not too far south. The side road off 191 hwy goes by Newspaper rock which is a rock face covered with petroglyphs. Fantastic number of figures and symbols. In the park we went on three short hikes as well as driving to all the sites. Nice weather while we were there. We saw some new flowers too. It started to rain a little on the way home. Rained after dinner. There was a Hi-Lo trailer parked next to us when we got home. It was a 2007 and the nice couple let us come in and enjoy it. Some thing were definitely improved over the one I had.

Judy’s word
As time has gone by.. I have thought,“oh,no , not another park.. Not another canyon“ but the last one did not fall short of any of the others. We even looked into the camp host program.
Who knows what will be. They had a hike to go all around this one area where the ancient people once lived. It was done so well, you could almost feel their presence. The sandstone rocks here are somewhat like huge mushrooms, and have large cave like areas where they lived. We hiked all around and had to climb huge ladders to get to the top of their homes. There were wild flowers growing in the cracks of their huge white sand stone rooftop patio! So fun! I thought it might be fun to sit and weave baskets up there. J

Part 7 April 27 to May 7

Day 37 Tuesday April 27
Today we did the Loop-the-Fold tour which starts down the East side of Capital Reef National Park following the Notom-Bull Frog road. We decided to go all the way to Bull Frog on Lake Powell. There we had lunch with a beautiful view of the lake. Along the way we made many stops viewing the scenery, flowers, 150 million year old oyster fossils, etx. Backtracking , we then took the Burr Trail which goes up a “cliff” with a series of switchbacks. The Burr Trail continues all the way to the city of Boulder passing though a canyon with spectacular cliffs. We drove then from Boulder on hwy 12 through the partially snow covered mountains to Torrey over a 9600 foot pass. A fun filled and eye filling day.

Judy’s word
I must say we are satiated with this amazing country. We decided to go back to Torey the long way, on paved roads. To do so we deferred a planed slot canyon hike. The reason, the weather. The forecast was of concern, and they clearly warn hikers to stay out of the desert areas when it rains. This is to avoid flash floods. We were blessed with our own private slot canyon on the way back. Close to the road and very accessible. I am sure Richard will include in his pictures. A day to remember. J

Day 38 Wednesday April 28
Windy today. Mostly 20-30 mph all day. One gust to 39 mph. We decided to spend the day at home. Judy did some bead work and I played on the computer updating my rock hounding list. Nice to spend the day doing mostly nothing.

Day 39 Thursday April 29
Wow. It snowed overnight. About an inch and was temperature of 28. Burrr. Winds were around 10 mph. We spent the morning goofing off. After lunch we went to see some pictograph in the area of Fish Creek. Unfortunately they have been vandalized. They were still interesting. There was suppose to be a water fall but I did not find it. Still cold and blowy.

Day 40 Friday April 30
Cold and blowy when we got up but decided to go to Cathedral Valley. Checked at the ranger station to make sure the overnight snow did not make the road impassable. The 58 mile loop road starts by fording the Fremont river which was about 12 inches deep. The road most of the way was good but with some very rough spots at times. The views were spectacular. The wind was very gusty all day making the 40 degree temperature seem cold. On the way home, just at the western edge of Capital Reef NP we stopped by the panorama point and the goosenecks of the Sulfur Cr. Got home late since we stopped so many times.

Judy’s word
We are ending our time here… once again… spectacular. They just do not run out of red rocks! Really, no two places are alike. It will be awhile before we dust off the red dust. Keeping you all in our thoughts. J

Day 41 Saturday May 1 Happy May Day
After a leisurely breakfast we decided to do some rock hounding very close to here, about 3 miles total. Well the road was very rough with lots of big rocks in it, plus we had to cross a creek. Goldie did very well getting over that stuff. When we got there and looked around there were “tons” of petrified wood . We had to leave early or Goldie would have been screaming from the weight. Judy’s pockets were crammed too. Think we got some coprolites, petrified dinosaur droppings. After lunch we cleaned up the trailer and did the normal checks to leave in the morning.

Day 42 Sunday May 2 39041
We had a little snow over night and the morning temperature was 28 deg. We drove from Torrey and continued on hwy 24 to I-70. We drove on I-70 to exit 182 and drove south on 191 to Moab. We are camped at Slickrock RV Park in space 35. We drove 152 miles today.

Judy’s word
We are getting pretty good at the button up and move exercise. Then the fun of discovering a new home. Richard did an A plus driving job, or herding this outfit in a mean wind with lots of curves. We are safe and a big visit to the new grocery fills our freezer, frig, and cupboards. Now! We will spend the evening planning the things we want to see and do for the next two weeks. J

Day 43 Monday May 3 39193
We went to Arches National Park visitor center and got information about the drives and hikes. Then we headed into town to look at the local rock shop. It could be a museum too. Headed to the visitor center to get more info about things to do. I did not know it at the time but I dropped my credit card when purchasing a book and walked out the door. We went to a store for some beads and were told none in town. Back at the motor home I started polishing some petrified wood to send to Escalante. Before dinner we went to town to go to the liquor store to get some wine. When I went to pay, no credit card. Lucky Judy remembered a purchase at the visitor center and when I walked in the door, the lady who had waited on me smiled and said “May I help you?”
Judy’s word
Some pretty anxious moments…all is well that ends well! It was so nice to enjoy the pleasant weather, sun and light breeze. Temps in the low 70’s. Perfect weather for Richard to get out his equipment and try some of his skills on the “new” specimens we have collected. J

Day 44 Tuesday May 4
We went into Arches National Park today. We stopped at most of the sites in the brochure. The Windows arch walk of 1.1 miles was very nice but it was starting to get windy. Lunch was at Double Arch. We drove to the Delicate Arch viewing area, Fiery Furnace and then Sand Arch were we hiked in between “fins” to the arch. After the final stop at Devils Garden we went back home. Well we stopped at the grocery store to pick up some things we forgot yesterday. While Judy cooked dinner I worked on making polished rocks for the rock shop in Escalante. Temperature today was 81 degrees.

Day 45 Wednesday May 5 Happy Cinco de Mayo
We got up early so I could go on a hike before it got too hot. I drove to Devils Garden which is at the end of the paved road. The hike was to Double “O” arch at the end of a 2.5 miles trip. On the way I saw Landscape arch, fallen Wall arch (in 2008 and was there when I did the trip a few years ago), Navaho Arch, Partition arch, Cave arch from a distance, and Double “O” arch. I decided to go an extra half mile to Dark Angel tower. Very nice day. The trail was a lot better marked than when I did it before. When I got back home, Judy and I went petrograph and pictograph hunting. We drove to Spanish Trail road where there was a rock panel. Many were being destroyed because the sandstone was eroding. We then went on Kane Creek Road where we stopped at three different sites. The last one had the famous “birthing” pictograph. Back in town we stopped at a trading post and a tour place to see about a dinner/boat tour. Sweet and sour pork for dinner by Judy. Yumm.

Day 46 Thursday May 6
We drove north on Hwy 128 which runs along the Colorado River most of the way to I-70. Very pretty with tall red cliffs on both sides. When we got to I-70 we drove to Sego Canyon and the fabulous petroglyphs and pictographs. Some are from 2000-4000 years ago. After viewing and enjoying the ancient art, we drove further to the old coal mining town of Sego. We came home the same way with good views of Fisher Towers. We stopped at Red Cliff resort on the Colorado River which has a movie and “cowboy” museum. They had memorabilia from movies made from the local and Moab area down to Monument Valley. Fun and beautiful day.

Judy’s word
Like I said …you think it can’t be more beautiful, and once again, those red cliffs with the snow caped La Sal range in the background was beautiful. To salute Cinco De Mayo… Richard prepared his world famous enchiladas. MMMMM J

Day 47 Friday May 7
We went to town today. Did the laundry, went to the hospital to get my blood clotting test, washed Goldie (s he was very happy about it too), went to the grocery store and signed up for a sunset river cruise with dinner for Sunday. Whew. Then after lunch we took the Potash road which runs south bound on the West side of the Colorado River. There were five spots we stopped to see more “glyphs”. We continued driving to the potash mine and the back home. After dinner we decided to go back to Hwy 128 where a local travel company puts on a show by shinning lights on the cliffs along the Colorado River. We followed the boat up the river and watched the show. No sound of course. Saw some base jumpers go off a thousand foot cliff. Brave idiots?