April 12 to 14, 2014; Utah to Oregon

APR  12, Friday, Leave Bryce Canyon and head North
4*C @ 7 am; 20*C at end of day

We were on the road by 8:30 this morning under a cloudy sky and some sunny period.  We drove west on 12 to Hwy 89N.  This highway was very scenic; we went through a couple of canyons before reaching I-70.  We stopped for lunch here and fuelled in Richfield, up the road.  We took on 33 gallons @ $3.87.  Back on I-70, we soon turned off on Hwy 89 again.  There were lots of quaint little towns.  We reached Provo where we got some rain drops and turned on Hwy 189 then Hwy 40 to I-80.  This was a most unique drive in that we were surrounded by Rocky Mountains with lots of snow on them and we drove around this huge lake that I assumed was a reservoir!?  Anyway the scenery was absolutely breath-taking and it was hard to keep my eyes on the road.  From I-80, we headed North-East then soon turned North-West on I-84 where we joined with I-15 near Ogden.  We continued on, looking for a campground for the night and eventually found one in Snowville, about 6 miles from Idaho.  We paid $30 for hook-ups and a pull-through.  It is 5 pm and it is great to finally stop.  Time for dinner and relax.  It is blowing quite hard outside right now.  Hope it stops for the morning drive as it is from the West.

We drove 397 miles in 7.5 hrs @ an average 53 MPH.  We stopped for an hour.

N  41* 57.982’
W 112* 43.493’
Alt: 4512 feet.

 

APR  13, Sunday; onwards North-West on I-84
2*C @ 7am and North wind; 19* C in pm

Well, as luck would have it, we had a headwind all the way to our final destination!  We left at 8:30 am and headed north-west on I-84.  We stopped in Jerome for fuel, 40gallons @ $3.89 @ Flying J using my member’s card.  We hit some rain on the way here and my driver side wiper decided to blow apart so I bought a new one in Jerome.  We also had brunch here.  We continued on and while driving through Boise, Val gave the Holder’s a call.  It was cloudy until we arrived in Boise where it turned sunny but it was still cool.  BELIEVE IT OR NOT, Val DROVE FOR OVER AN HOUR and did REALLY WELL!!!  WOW.  La Grande by 4;15 pm, we decided to continue to Pendleton where we stopped at the Wild-Horse RV Resort & Casino.  We paid $27 for a pull-through and full hook-ups with WIFI.  Time for dinner and relax with a glass of wine!

I called Rochelle tonight and we had a nice chat.  Good to hear news from home; they were out biking for the first time this year.

We travelled 346 miles in 8 hrs @ an average 55 mph and were stopped for 2 hours.

N  45* 38.951’
W 118* 40.533’
Alt: 1398 feet

 

APR  14, Monday, To Coburg, Oregon
0*C @ 7 am; 20* by end of day in Coburg, OR

It was very cold this morning and for the first time in over 6 months, we put long pants on.  We were on the road by 9:30 am after fuelling up @ $3.81/gal and filled the propane tank (8 gallons @ 3.60).  We headed West on I-84.  The scenery was very nice and we stopped in “The Dalles” for a coffee and McDonald breakfast.  We finally reached I-5 and stopped at a Rest Stop for lunch.  70 miles later we arrived at our destination…Monaco RV Service Centre.  We found a spot to park, hooked up and then I proceeded to wash the outside as it was filthy.  I also did a quick wash on the Jeep.  We sat and relaxed with a glass of wine.  There are about 7 other rigs here including 3 from Alberta and 4 from BC.  Our appointment is for tomorrow and hopefully we will be out of here in a day or two maximum.

We had dinner and now we are relaxing watching TV.  Tucker had a bath and a treatment for fleas…Life is good!

We travelled 319 miles in 5.5 hrs at an average 58 mph.  We were stopped for an additional hour.

N  44* 08.472’
W 123* 03.440’
Alt: 403 feet

April 9 to 11. 2014; Vermillion Canyon, AZ and Bryce Canyon, Utah

APR  9, Wednesday; To Vermillion Canyon
9*C @ 7 am; 27*C in pm, cloudy most of the day

We were up early and on the road by 9:30 after doing my power walk and taking Tucker for his; he came with us.  We drove back on Hwy 20 to 89 and turned right towards 89A and drove 26 miles back towards Page.  Our first stop was the bridge crossing the Colorado River on 89A, the first to be built to connect both side of the Colorado.  We took a “few” pictures here and read the history then we drove to Lee’s Ferry, a Historic National Area.  There is a National Campground here which is very nice but no hook-up.  Unfortunately the interpretive Centre was closed so couldn’t read the history on it.  You can learn about the history of this famous landmark by visiting this link  http://www.nps.gov/glca/historyculture/leesferryhistory.htm  .  It was the only crossing for miles around and was an important service for the Mormons trying to settle Arizona.  From here, we continued on Hwy 89A and admired the Vermillion Mountains, a high wall of granite and sandstone created over million years ago.  We stopped for Lunch at a funky bar/restaurant nearby on 89A.  Needless to say, we took dozen of pictures, soon to be posted.  The drive was awesome and priceless!  It really brings you closer to nature and makes you pensive and leaves you in AWE about Mother Nature.  We also stopped at an area called “Cliff Dwellings” and again explored and took more pictures.  This area had dwellings built within the already huge boulders that were lying around.  After picking up two more geo-caches (8 in total), we decided to turn around and come home.  We put 300 KM round trip this day!  It is sunny and a balmy 27* C at 6 pm.

We had a light dinner then watched Survivor.  By the way, we do NOT have AT&T cell reception here so haven’t been able to make any calls

 

APR  10, Wednesday; To Bryce Canyon, Utah
10*C in am; 28*C in pm

We were on the road by 9:30 am on Hwy 89N.  The scenery was, once again, awesome and we reached Kabab around 11 am and went by Zion NP turn off by noon.  We stopped for lunch when we turned East on Hwy 12.  We soon reached Bryce Canyon City around 2 pm, which is actually 3 pm local time.  We are at Bryce Canyon Campground situated on Hwy 12 about 2 miles west of Canyon City on Hwy 63.  We paid $27/night X 2 with full hook-ups and Wi-Fi.  This was supposed to be a CAMP USA Member but they let it go 1 year ago so now they only honor Good Sam @ 10% discount.  After setting up, we went to Bryce National Park on Hwy 63, paid the entrance fee which is good for 7 days and went into the Visitor Centre to look around and watch the movie about the Canyon.  It is still very warm even though we are at over 7900 feet in altitude.  Canyon City, which is just before the Park entrance, is mainly a tourist town with two RV Parks, a lodge, souvenir shops and a small Western frontage village.  We took a drive to the town of “TROPIC” at 6000 feet, looked around then came back to our campground.  The Jeep is having a rough time at this altitude and it chokes at times.  The scenery around here is absolutely GORGIOUS and BREATH TAKING and totally different than what we have seen so far!!!  We are among pine and fir trees and, yes, there is even some spot of snow but not much.  It is presently 7 pm and 18*C and the sun has just gone down. 

Val cooked a great dinner of pork chops, vegetable and salad.  TV is on and we have WIFI but NO cell reception.  The forecast is for low 20’s F. overnight and sunny sky tomorrow

We travelled 148 miles in 3 hrs @ an average 47 MPH

N  37* 42.604
W 112* 12.993”
Alt: 7742 feet

 

APR  11, Thursday, Bryce Canyon
-4C @ 7am; 20* in pm

We had the furnace on overnight, good thing too.  I had also put water in our main tank and disconnected the water hose to prevent freezing.

WOW! WOW! WOW!!!  That is all I can say about BRYCE CANYON!  What an incredible and awesome place!  And we took hundreds of pictures!  We started the day by going to the Village and look around; we also found a couple caches here.  We entered the Park and explored every single stops and view point.  We went from 7500 feet to 9100 feet.  What an incredible place.  We had a slight problem with the jeep in that it overheated at the 9000 foot look-out and I had to wait for it to cool off before we headed down.  At the village, I stopped at a garage and they looked at it, added some anti-freeze but I need a part so will have to fix that in Cobourg, Oregon.  We checked a couple places to eat and decided on one so we headed home after finding two more Caches then we had HH at home.  The sky is clouding over; the forecast is for snow/rain tomorrow; time to head out!
We went out for dinner at a local restaurant and had a great steak dinner.  The waitress recommended we follow Hwy 12 back to I-15 and we may just do that!  I uploaded some pictures to our Picasa Web Link on my Blog.  They are spread between the last two folders; ENJOY!!!!

April 7 & 8, 2104; To Page, AZ and Antelope Canyon

APR  7, Monday; To Page, AZ
11* @ 7am; 22* in Page, AZ

We were up by 7 am and after saying goodbye to Terry & Glenda, we were on the road by 9 am.  We headed north on Val Vista to 202 E then 101 N & W and eventually I 17 N.  That allowed us to circumvent Phoenix and Scottsdale.  We began climbing almost right away; the scenery went from desert to low shrubs to pine and oak trees.  We stopped for fuel in Camp Verde @ $4.09/gal then we went as high as over 7000 feet and finally reached Flagstaff where we had lunch in a Shopping Centre east of Flagstaff city centre.  We continued on Hwy 89 N and climbed to almost 7500 feet before beginning going lower.  We were almost surrounded by high snowcapped mountains and lots of forest but just as quickly, the scenery changed to low shrubs and high prairie grass.  The temperature here was showing 18*C on our thermostat.  The landscape once again changed to colorful sandstone rocks.  We eventually reached the Junction called GAP where I took on more fuel @ $3.87/Gal, and here, we had to turn right on Hwy 20 as 89 collapsed further north and is still under construction and no one can get by.  That added an extra 20 miles to our route but we eventually made to Page without further incidents.  This road took us directly to our campground, PAGE-LAKE POWELL CAMPGROUND, Site # 60.  We paid $24.30/night + tax.  We have full hook-up including cable.  This is a very nice campground with lots of amenities and WIFI!  We have a fantastic view of a red sandstone rock face.  I am looking forward to tomorrow and the Antelope Canyon.  We had left over chicken for dinner then watched a couple movies in the evening.

We travelled 298 Miles in 5.5 hrs @ 53 MPH

N  36* 54.085’
W 111* 27.143’
Alt: 4231 ft

 

APR  8, Tuesday; Antelope Canyon
10*C @ 7am; 25*C in pm

After a lazy early morning and my power walk, we showered and went into town to pay for our tour at 1:30 pm.  Afterwards, we went to Walmart and bought some necessary groceries.  From here, we did a couple Geo-Caches before going home and putting the groceries away.  The town of PAGE has grown some since the last time we drove through here and it has become a very clean and neat town with lots to see.  There is even a whole street especially for churches, over 20 and all on the same street.  WOW!!!  Anyway, we drove to the tour office by 1 pm and waiting for our turn to be loaded in the back of a truck with comfortable seats and by 1:35 pm, we headed for the Canyon.  It was about 20 minutes from here on Navajo Land.  We drove on the bed of a sandy dry river bed and arrived at the entrance.  Our guide took us in and we walked the whole canyon, about a quarter mile long.  And what a FANTASTIC and SPIRITUAL place it was!  I took lots of pictures and most of them turned out.  Our guide knew which pose to take and how to take it which made for some interesting pictures.  The whole experience was worth every penny we paid and I will post the pictures soon.  Words cannot describe the beauty of that place.  It used to be wide open but due to vandalism, the Navajo Band stopped all access then eventually re-opened it but under the use of a guide.  Ours was definitely interesting and fun.  We came away in awe.  After returning to the office, we went to a pub next door and had a beer and chicken wings then we drove to the “BEND CANYON”.  This was another interesting area just outside of town.  We had to walk up to the ridge then down the “look-out” overview of the horse-shoe created by the Colorado River.  It was an interesting area and again we took lots of pictures.  It was a hell of a walk back up to the ridge.  Another very interesting and awesome area!  We came home, had a drink together then dinner.  It was to bed early after such a busy day!

April 3 to 6, 2014; Last days in Mesa

APR  3, Thursday; Mesa
8*C @ 7 am; 22*C in pm

We woke up to sunshine and NO WINDS!!!  After breakfast and walking Tucker, I went to the office to pay our dues for 5 days; this Park honors PASSPORT AMERICA so it was half price.  We went to the storage where T&G showed us their new toy hauler, 25 feet long and very nice.  They are planning on leaving their 5^th-Wheel here for the summer and pull the trailer to Vancouver Island and a few other places before returning here in September.  We came back home and I washed the Jeep then the four of us went to the courtyard for lunch and a beer.  We checked on the mail and I had a haircut here.  They have pretty well everything in this Resort which is really nice.  We had a relaxing afternoon, I went for a haircut and Val did some puzzling.  At 3:30 pm, we went to the courtyard for HH and dance the hour away, well actually I only dance twice but it was fun.  Larry, Barb, Terry and Glenda were at our table…jug of beer $5 and bourbon, $2.  WOW!  Can’t be that!  T&G went out to friends for dinner so we had dinner but ourselves which is fine.  Val made a sausage dish with green peppers…YUM! YUM!  We watched the tube for a while then to bed

 

APR  4, Friday; Mesa
9* @ 7 am; 25* in pm

After our morning routine, we went to the MESA OUTDOOR MARKET with Glenda and Terry and ended up buying a couple of items.  For lunch, we went to IN’N’OUT, a burger joint that we have heard a lot about; all they serve is burgers and fries.  Then it was to FRY’s for groceries then home to put everything away.  At 3pm, we went to the clubhouse for a Pool Party!  Everyone brought a happies and we proceeded to have fun.  Everyone that was sitting around the pool ended up getting wet; that was all part of the fun!  We came home at 6 pm and went over to Dale and Sharon whom we first met in Texas last year.  Val noticed her at the pool and went over to re-acquaint herself.  They just bought a park model here and so we were invited for a house warming party.  Of course, G&T had already met them.

It was a full and fun day!  We heard from our friends Tim and Kim in Scottsdale but unfortunately we won’t be able to get together this year.

 

APR  5, Saturday;
13*C @ 7 am; 24*C in pm

This was a quiet day and fun-filled evening!  We spent the day at home doing very little.  I went for a looooong walk then one with Tucker for his in the morning; my sugar level is quite high, I need to exercise more!  I had a snooze in the afternoon and Val went to the club house to puzzle.  We had a “left over” dinner with Glenda and Terry which was very good all the same.  At 7 pm, we went to the hall and danced the night away on “Rock & Roll” music.  It was fun and we dance to quite a few songs.  We came home at 10 pm and soon went to bed.  It was sunny and warm today.

 

APR  6, Sunday; Last day in Mesa
11* @ 7am; 24* in pm.

Another sunny and warm day!  I went for another walk around the perimeter, got a good sweat out of this one.  Val did some laundry before hitting the road tomorrow.  In the afternoon we went to a friend of G&T as he just bought a Park Model.  There were a dozen people and he cooked fajitas for snacks.  We stayed for almost two hours then we walked home, picked up more booze and proceeded to Dennis and Gloria’s place for dinner and card games after giving Tucker a short exit out.  There were 10 people which made for lively conversations.  We had chicken, salad, vegetables, potatoe skins and bread.  It was delicious.  Afterwards we played a game call “Newfie Bingo” and gambled $2.50 each at a .05 a shot.  It was a lot of fun and Val had the honor of being the BIG WINNER of the night.  The last pot must have had over $3.  and I think she won over $10!  We said goodnight and goodbye to all our new friends before they demanded their money back and were home by 9 pm and to bed by 11.

Tomorrow, we head for Page AZ and the Antelope Canyon!

April 1-2, 2014; To Phoenix, AZ

APRIL  1, 2014; Tuesday; Last day in Desert Pools
12*C @ 7am WINDY;

It blew all night and this morning, it’s cloudy and we have a few drops of rain on the windows; definitely time to leave this place!  Our day consisted mainly of doing laundry, washing last side of the rig, putting everything away and loading the bikes and kayaks.   Dave and Louise left around 11 am, headed for Indio.  We took Tucker to the Vet to have his neck checked as we suspect a tick but it turned out to be a mole so we don’t have to worry about that anymore.  We stopped at VON’s for a few items then to the storage to finalize our bill.  When we got home, we had lunch then Val went to do the laundry while I washed the last side and the rear of the Beaver.  As I was loading the bikes on the Jeep, I notice the rear tire was low in air so I drove the Jeep to town and found out I had a screw in the tire.  Bloody Hell!  Anyway, it’s fixed now!  I came home and put the carpets away and the chairs; now it’s time to relax!  Still very strong winds blowing out there at 10 pm.  Heard from Gaetan and he made it home safe and sound!

 

APR  2, Wednesday; To Mesa, AZ
10*C @ 7 am, WINDY still; 18*C, clouds/sun

Yes, the wind is still blowing as strong and there is fresh snow on top of the mountain (9000’), time to get out of here! I had to put the heat on this morning!!! 

We left by 10:30 am heading south-east on Dillon then East on I-10.  The ride was monotonous as we have been on this section many times and there ain’t much to see.  We stopped in Ehrenberg where I took on fuel @$3.71/gallon with my Flying J card and had lunch at WENDY’s then back on the road.  As we got nearer Phoenix, the sky became darker and eventually we hit rain on the East side; nothing heavy but enough to wet everything.  We finally arrived at Val Vista Resort after “Ms Daisy”(read GPS) took me on University Drive, read BIG MISTAKE!  Anyway we made it and parked right across from our friends Glenda and Terry.  After setting up, we went over and began HH then Glenda cooked us a marvelous dinner of tenderloin pork.  Two other couples were present and shared the dinner.  We had a great time as usual and finally called it quit around 9:30 pm.  We came home and soon were in bed.

We travelled 289 miles in 5.5 hrs @ an average 52mph

N  33* 25.248’
W 111* 45.127’
ALT: 1290 feet