Time to head home

We had hoped to get a few more hiking days in at Zion but the weather and some trailer maintenance  has kept us at the RV Park.  Today we took a drive to Springdale which is a little town just outside the gates of Zion and did a little browsing at the various galleries and gift shops.  Ended up with a nice sample of Utah Sandstone for the mantle back home and had a fabulous lunch at Oscars.  Thanks to Mark and Jan for recommending it.

We aren't quite sure just what route we are going to take home.  Over the next few days there is a weather system going through the Rockies and hauling 13,000 pounds down 7% grades over potentially icy roads doesn't sound like fun.  Temperatures are forecast to be just above freezing with rain and snow.  Took a look at some of the traffic cameras on I70 through the Vail pass today and it wasn't a pretty sight.  The route further north through Evanston, Wy doesn't look much better.  That leaves heading back south to Flagstaff and over to Albuquerque before angling northeast to Winnipeg.  That will add a day onto our trip so we have decided to leave a day early on Thursday morning.  We will decide that morning after looking at the weather and viewing the highway cameras which direction we will head.

Communication may be dicey whatever route we take so this may be it until we get home.  I will do a  recap once we are settled in at home but overall this has been another amazing experience.  We plan to do a little less traveling next year and will spend 4 months in Gold Canyon and see how we like that.  We will probably still take a few weeks to get down to our destination and a few weeks to get home which will allow us to see more of Utahs great National Parks.   We are just a little burned out this year after what will be 11,000 miles and almost 9 months in the trailer.

Oscars Restaurant.  I had the Oscar Burger.
Lots of Garlic with Pastrami on top of a juicy hamburger patti.  Yummm.

The view from the Patio. 

Thats it for now.

A day hiking Zion

Friday morning we headed off to Zion National Park for a day of hiking.  We had been told to get there early as Spring Break is on in full force and with Zion being the second busiest National Park in the US you are never alone on the trails.   We set the alarm for 6:00 but it was dark and very cold, about 2 degrees C.  We hit the snooze button a few times and snuggled deeper under the blankets,  finally emerging from hibernation about 7:30.

We got to the park before 10:00 and still got a good parking spot and got on an almost empty shuttle.  The shuttle has 9 different stops within the park, each one having different trail heads and attractions.  We got off at The Grotto and took the Kayenta trail which took us to the Upper Emerald Pool trail with a combined length of 3 miles and an elevation change of 350 feet.  They are both rated as moderate trails.  We have done lots of walking the past month or so, particularly at Disney, but hiking on trails with even moderate elevation changes left us huffing and puffing a few times.  On the way back we took the Grotto trail along the road to Zion Lodge.  That was a pretty easy walk which had a reward at the end.  A gift shop in the Lodge.  From there we took the Sand Bench Trail along the river to the Court of the Patriarchs  The Sand Bench Trail is primarily a horse trail which meant we had to be extra cautious where we stepped and at times hold our breaths until we passed a recent deposit, if you know what I mean.  Then we took the Shuttle, which by mid afternoon was standing room only, back to the Visitors Centre.

Lori's Fitbit said we did 21,000 steps and 13.5 km.  All things considered we felt pretty good once we were done.  We plan on heading back next week for a few more days on the trails.  One trail we will avoid is Angels Landing which is labeled as Strenuous and after seeing a video of the trail I would say its is absolutely suicidal.  In fact 7 people have died on this trail since 2004.  The final part of the trail involves walking along a narrow ridge, only a few feet wide, to the summit holding on to a chain guide rail with sheer drop offs on both side.  Not my cup of tea.

Saturday we met up with Mark and Jan who were our neighbours in Gold Canyon.  They have just started their full timing life and they have some pretty exciting plans over the next few years to tour America.  We plan to meet up with them again next year at Gold Canyon and may even join them for a few weeks in the summer of 2018 as they traverse the American mid-west.

Now for some shots of Zion.

Over a few million years the Virgin River has cut quite the swath in the rock. 

The Lower, Middle and Upper Emerald Pools are fed by waterfalls like this

 

Some great lookouts along the trail.
As the day progressed more people joined us on the trail.
At times we felt like it was a race.  Not sure why everyone was in such a hurry. 

The waterfall filling the Upper Emerald Pool.  Quite the drop.

Come back in a few hundred years and those rocks will be turned into sand. 

The Virgin River makes its way through the canyon

The shuttle on its way to the next stop.
We never had to wait more than about 10 minutes for the next shuttle.

Lots of Mule Deer hanging around just off the trail or
walking across the trail right in front of us. 

These two were engaged in a staring contest.

It was hard to get pictures that showed the size of the rock walls of the canyon.
In most case they were so high and so close I'd get dizzy looking up to the top. 

The Lodge would be a pretty nice place to stay.
Right in the middle of the Shuttles route and nature all around. 

At some point this rock split in half.  The sides were very smooth. 

This wild Turkey was on the trail in front of us but hightailed it into
the bush before I could get a shot.  He was huge.
Reminded me of the large turkey legs that they sold at Disney. 

These mountain peaks were named by a Methodist minister in 1916.
From left to right; Abraham Peak, Isaak Peak with Jacob Peak the white
mountain peak at the far right.  Between Isaak and Jacob is Mount Moroni.
Thus the name Court of the Patriarchs.  

Lori took this picture just at the entrance of the park.
Nice effect with the fence and trail running into the hills.

A few more days in Hurricane and then we start back for home.   Hopefully one more report with some more hiking experiences before we head back.  

Till Then

Appliances are installed.

Just got some pictures from our Real Estate Agent with the results after the installation of the appliances.  Everything fit.  I'm just a bit relieved about that.   Lori is real happy with the way the Kitchen turned out and our Agent says that it looks even better in person.  I'm stoked as well although for a different reason.  I got the ok from the boss to blow the budget (actually the budget is so blown already) and sent my request in for a 65" 4K TV.  And yes, size does matter.

By the way.  If anybody in the Winnipeg area is looking to buy new appliances I would highly recommend Bains Appliances.  When we remodelled our kitchen in our last house we searched all around town.  Hit all the usual Big Box and Appliance stores and as our last stop after a frustrating experience at Midland Appliances, talking to yet again another commissioned salesman who knew less than us about their products we popped into Bains and talked to Conrad.   A pretty small, nondescript store but its family owned and they know their products and provided us with the best prices.  This time round we did the same thing.  Went to all the Big Box and Appliance stores and ended up just as frustrated as last time.  You'd think we would have learned.  Talked to Conrad again and again he provided us with the best solutions to what we wanted and for the best price.  He gave us a further $500 off when we agreed to write a cheque rather than pull out the plastic.  We told him we needed to make the purchase now (that was in September) but wouldn't want delivery till March and he said no problem.  They would simply keep the items in their warehouse and deliver when our builder called them.  We got a call from them the other day saying that they were trying to get a hold of our contact at the builder to ensure someone would be at the house when they delivered the appliances.  It was news to us but Bains informed us that our contact person was no longer employed at G&E.  After a few frantic phone calls by us we arranged for our Agent to meet them at the house and take delivery.   Took a few more days for us to receive a new contact for the builder and she is now getting up to speed.  Having a house built from 2000 miles away does come with a few challenges.

Next up some pictures from our first day of hiking in Zion National Park.

Red Rock Canyon, then on to Utah

On Friday we took a short drive to the west side of Vegas to see the Red Rock Canyon which provided some beautiful scenery although frankly we've seen it all before.  Think we are getting a bit jaded?  Perhaps its the Cold medications talking.  The place was kind of busy and most of the parking lots were full so we just stopped and took a few pictures, had a short lunch at one of the picnic spots and finished the scenic drive.  I think some of the hikes would have been good to go on but I'm still feeling a little under the weather so we didn't venture off of the asphalt.

We spent the weekend at the RV park reading and walking Charli.  We did manage one trip into town, stopping at a shop selling metal work and pottery.  We bought a nice wall ornament that will go somewhere in our new place.  Sunday night, since the barbecue was packed up, we went back to Vinnie's Pizzeria for supper.  We had been there for Pizza on our first night in town and the food was great so a return visit was in order.  The decor isn't much to speak of and Lori voiced her concern on our first visit that it looked like the type of place that we might end up in a bar fight.  Once inside the furniture was a bit worn but overall not too bad and my Lasagna was every bit as good as the Pizza on our first visit.  

Monday we started packing up and found that both of our neighbours were heading out as well.  As often happens when you are readying the trailer for departure people wander over and start a conversation.  I'm all for sharing stories with fellow travellers but when I'm interrupted in the midst of packing or unpacking I always have the fear that I will forget where I was at and something important will not get done.  Like leaving the TV antenna up.  Did that on our first trip a few years ago and found that they don't stand up to the wind caused by a trailer moving down the road at highway speeds.  Kaching$$.  

Red Rock Canyon

There was one large outcropping of red rocks right at the
beginning of the scenic drive

Interesting how a mountain can have such a distinct
line of coloured rock running through it.

Trails ran all through this rock outcropping.
Would have loved to have joined the hikers at the bottom of this pic. 

This is an activity I prefer to view from afar. 

   
Monday's drive to Hurricane, Ut took about 3 hours plus losing an hour to the time change from Pacific to Mountain time.  Its a very scenic drive and the road was nice and smooth.   We got into Willowwind RV park at about 2:00 and pulled into our pull-thru spot.  They have nice level paved spots with just enough clearance from the 4 willow trees on both sides of our site.   The sites are a bit narrow and it took a little maneuvering so our awning wouldn't hit the tree branches and our slide wouldn't hit the power pedestal.  While we are in the town it feels like we are in a rural setting with trees lining the streets and horses grazing in a pasture across the road.

Monday evening we had one sick puppy.  Not sure what she got into but her stomach was gurgling and she wasn't looking too chipper.   After a few up-chucks on the vinyl floor in the trailer, thankfully not on the carpet, she started to look a little better and Tuesday morning she was back to her usual self.

Tuesday we drove into Zion National Park, one of 5 National Parks in Utah that are notorious for their beauty.  Its about a 40 minute drive and the grandeur of the mountains increases as you approach the gates.  Its spring break time down here and that means family camping is in full swing.  The parking lot at the visitors centre was full and we were told at the front gate that no private vehicles are allowed to drive through the park.  They do have a shuttle system that runs during their busier seasons and it is free.  It takes you to the various points of interest plus all the trailheads and its actually a great way to manage the huge volume of tourists.  Our trip today was just to get the lay of the land and we will head back later in the week to take the shuttle and do some exploring.

Tuesday was a perfect day weather wise.  Mid 70's and no wind and only a few clouds.  Much better than the 90 degree heat we had in Boulder City.   The next 2 days are supposed to get a little cool and wet but Friday back to mostly sunshine and mid 60's which is perfect weather for hiking.

We hope to run into Mark and Jan here at the park.  They were our neighbours at Gold Canyon and they are the ones that told us about Hurricane.  Based on our initial impressions I think we may want to make this a stop in future years.

I have been looking at our route home and we may run into a bit of a weather issue.  Our departure date from here for our drive home is March 31 and right now there appears to be a system moving through the Rockies that will bring near freezing temperatures during the day with some precipitation.  The shortest routes home are through the mountain pass at Vail and then down to Denver or  a little further north through Provo, Ut.  If the weather is less than ideal we do have another longer option which is to head back south to Flagstaff, over to Albuquerque and then angle north east to Manitoba.  We want to be home before April 7 as that is the date of our walk-thru for our house.  Thats a bit early to be coming back to Manitoba as we could be pushing the weather at home too.  We will be keeping an eye on the weather forecast and probably won't make a decision till the last day.

I'll send another report once we have seen some of the sights in Zion so expect some fabulous scenery.

Till then.

New House almost ready

I haven't talked much about our new home since we left but it appears that it is nearing completion.  From what I've been told by the builder the only outstanding items are installation of the appliances, which should be taken care of in the next week, and some seasonal exterior deficiencies which will be finished as soon as the weather allows.  After repeated request for some pictures we have finally received some and I have posted them below.  I don't think the lighting in the pictures does justice to some of the colours but I think we will be pleased when we see it live on April 7th, the day scheduled for our tour and takeover of the house.  Very exciting.  Next comes furniture shopping and construction of a sun room and patio.

I will say that this hasn't always been a smooth road and frankly I expected a few bumps and turns in our journey.  Being this far away during much of the construction process has not helped and little problems that have arisen have required a lot of trust on our part that our instructions will be carried out.  

Anyways here are a few shots of a couple of the rooms.

Living-room and fireplace.  You can just see one of the 5 in-ceiling speakers.
Now the important question.  How big a TV do I hang on that wall?

Lori got her Farmers sink and the light fixtures with Edison lights.  

Kitchen is a lot smaller than our last one so more culling may be required. 

Mud room provides some additional cabinet space plus room for our W/D and a wine fridge

Ensuite. Lots of room for us to both get ready for work in the morning.
Wait a minute.  We don't have to do that anymore.  

So there it is or at least part of it.  Just enough to wet our appetites and motivate us to get home.  While we have thoroughly enjoyed our trip, despite my periodic complaints about the rain, it is time to get settled into our new place.  If nothing else the last 9 months in the trailer has confirmed that full-timing is not for us.  

DAM. Real big Dam.

On Friday we left the craziness that is coastal California behind.  For all the attractions that California has to offer it simply has too many people and traffic for us.  The wide open spaces of Az, Nv and Ut are much more to our liking.  I could feel the tension in my neck muscles relax every time the highway went from 6 to 5 and eventually down to 2 lanes of divided highway.  Still lots of traffic headed for Las Vegas but the pace was much easier to deal with.  Although some of the drivers down here are crazy, just like at home, they are very accommodating when I was trying to merge into a lane.  I also learned that its legal, at least according to our shuttle driver, for motorcycles to drive between 2 lanes of traffic to get to the front of the line.  Guess that was confirmed when I saw 2 CHIPs officers doing it to get to the front of a turning lane, and their lights weren't flashing.

Pulled into Canyon Trails RV Park in Boulder City, Nv. at about 2:30 after a 5 1/2 hour uneventful drive.   Its a nice campground with wide pull thru sites and after the all night traffic noise in Orangeland RV park the quiet here is real nice.  We are only about 35 miles from Vegas however with traffic and construction it is probably an hours drive to the strip.  More importantly for us we are only 10 minutes from Hoover Dam and Lake Mead.  Red Rock Canyon is about 1 hour away and we plan a day trip at some point in our stay.  We were also thinking of making the 3 hour drive to Death Valley but as we are both fighting colds and temps are in the 90's I think that destination will have to wait for another year.

We went to Hoover Dam on Monday and discovered it is quite the operation as far as processing people.  Since 911 the security at all infrastructure facilities has increased dramatically and given the prominence of Hoover Dam security is very prominent.  On our way in our vehicle had to pass through a security checkpoint where we just got a wave and a smile but some were being pulled over for a search.  I think they had cameras under the road to look for bombs under vehicles as one of the officers yelled "clear" as we approached.  After getting thru that line and then the line to get in the parkade, which thankfully had lots of clearance for my truck, we got in the line for the search of our bags.  Then we had to remove all metal objects from our pockets and our belts and go through a metal detector and wand search.  Not much different than getting on a plane or for that matter, the security at Disney.  Guess that is just the world we live in.

The parking was $10. plus $60 for the two of us to take the Dam tour.  There were lots of people and they had the whole process down to a science.   2 elevators, each containing about 30 people took us down about 500 feet into the bowels of the Dam.  It was quite interesting seeing the inner corridors that run through the structure as well as a closeup of the electric generators.

Here are some shots of our Dam tour and our first few days of activities.

A shot downriver from the Dam.  Took this from one of the
ventilation shafts about halfway down the Dam.   The slats were just big
enough to get my camera lens through.

Some of the different jobs and their wages during construction.
My personal favourite is Powder Monkey although I don't think I'd
take the job at any price and certainly not .70 cents per hour

In its day it was said to be one of the modern wonders of the world.
Its still pretty amazing today.  All the engineering calculations that had to be done
were done without computers or calculators and much of the work was done
under 100 degree sunshine.  

A shot down from the top of the Dam.  The 2 buildings extending out from the
bottom of the Dam each contain 7 generators sending electricity to
Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix and points in between.
The turbulence in the water between the 2 buildings is the water exiting the turbines.  

Notice how the towers at the edge of the canyon are leaning into the canyon.
Thats to prevent the transmission lines from touching the walls of the canyon and shorting out.
The Memorial Bridge in the background now handles most of the traffic. 

One of the generator rooms.

This was the ventilation shaft that I took the top picture from.  The shaft is just under 6 feet in diameter so no crawling required. 

These are 2 of the 4 intake towers where the water is taken in through underwater
tunnels to power the turbines in the generators.  The white line on the rocks is the
high-water mark of Lake Mead.  The current level of Lake Mead is about 135 feet
below this line as a result of almost 10 years of reduced snow-pac in the Rockies.   

This is the overflow spillway.  It has only been used once when in 1983 the lake
got to within 7 feet of the top of Hoover Dam.  As you can see there is no danger
 of it being used for awhile.

This is the tunnel that will take the water in the spillway past the dam and
into the Colorado River on the other side. 

Picture taken from the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge.  Football fans will remember the name Pat Tillman.

Even this massive parking garage is built into the canyon walls.
Thousands of people pass through here every day with more than a
million taking the guided tours each year. 

On Wednesday we took the Historic Railroad Trail which followed the route of trains that hauled supplies to the Hoover Dam build site.  It provided some great views and the walk through the 5 tunnels kept us cool.

This is the view just down the street from our RV Park.
Not bad to get up to this every morning. 

The low cloud didn't allow for the full array of colours to show themselves in
 the picture but still pretty striking. 

The tunnels were originally supported with wooden beams and lined with boards
 to prevent rocks from falling on the trains cargo.  Time and a fire destroyed
most of the wood.  These re-creations are just at the entrance to the tunnels where
falling rock is a danger.  Much of the inside of the tunnels are sprayed with
shotcrete, kind of like stucco, to keep rocks from falling on the tourists. 

Lake Mead is the playground for the area.  The paddlewheel cruise ship is just
heading out to take some tourists for a unique view of the area. 

Pretty nice to have these views out your back door. 

Spring has definitely hit the desert and combine that with the abundance of rain
this winter the flowers are blooming everywhere.

Thats it so far for our Nevada adventures.  This cold has slowed me down a bit and when combined with the 90 degree temperatures siting in the shade of our trailer reading a book a about as adventurous as we got today.  Perhaps a trip into Vegas tomorrow or perhaps not.

I did get some pictures of the interior of our house which is now complete so perhaps I will do another short blog to share our new home with you.