travelswithcare

July 19, 2019

It was great to spend two days at Burney Falls at the start the trip, but were looking forward to moving on to new territory. On our way toward Crater Lake National Park, we worked out a route to visit Lava Beds National Monument. We drove back south on 89 and took 299 east for 66 miles, where we turned north on 139, and found ourselves on the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. I hadn’t heard of it before! The Byway starts around Lake Almanor and takes you by Lassen, Shasta and around Crater Lake. To get to Lava Beds we turned off on Forest Road 10 and drove about 15 miles on a terrible pot holed road until we arrived at the Visitor’s Center. We stamped our passport and checked in with the staff to plan what we would see on our short visit. Camping is available in the park but we had a reservation at an RV park that was very close to Crater Lake.

There are over 600 known lava tube caves in Lava Beds, the highest number of tubes anyplace in the country. Many caves have been made accessible for visitors with steel ladders, steps, catwalks and pathways for easier access. However, some of the caves are quite challenging to explore. We chose a couple of easily accessible caves. Good shoes or boots and a flashlight is required and you can purchase a plastic hard hat in the visitor’s center for $8. I thought the hard hat would be a wise investment and bought one!

Mushpot cave is very near the Visitor’s Center. Soon after entering Mushpot the walls and ceiling were wet and we saw that they were covered with drippy looking mineral deposits. This cave has a mostly smooth pathway even has low level lighting throughout. It isn’t very long either, with just one really low section where you have to use your hands to scuttle through before having to turn back.

Next we drove farther into the park to “Skull Cave”. The entrance the cave opens into a huge cavern and before long it drops 100 + feet below the surface to a section where it is so cold there is ice on the floor. The cave got it’s name because when the cave was first explored there were two human skulls and a large number of animal bones discovered inside. One sheep skull has been left on the ice floor. It was so cold at this level you could see the exhale of breath, when it was over 90 degrees outside. Visitors are not allowed to go on the ice floor. Originally the ice was clear and it was said you could seen a few feet down below the surface. Now it is covered with dust and dirt and almost opaque. It’s sad, but once humans in numbers come to visit some of our natural wonders, just our presence causes them to deteriorate.

Leaving the park we continued North on 139 and the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. This took us past a huge lava field that reminded us of the craggy rough black flows we had seen on the Kona Coast in Hawaii, but extended for miles and miles. We eventually wound our way on smaller roads to connect with 97 North, which took us into Oregon, through Klamath Falls and past the Lower and Upper Klamath Lakes. About 5 pm we found Walt’s RV Park, in Chiloquin OR. This place had been here for 40 years, and more or less looked like it, but it was in the woods, very quiet and we had power, something we had missed when camping at Burney.

July 20, 2019

We packed up and left Walt’s at about 10 and drove a short distance on Hwy 62 to arrive at the South entrance of Crater Lake National Park. We checked in at the Mazama Campground and were fortunate to be able to book a Crater Lake Boat Tour for the following afternoon. Then we setup in our campsite, C13 where we would be dry camping two nights. It was only about noon so we had the entire afternoon to start our exploration of the park. From the campground we drove to the Steele Visitor’s Center, where we stamped the passport with our first National Park in the North-West region. From there we took East Drive about 8 miles to the Phantom Ship Overlook to get our first glimpse of the lake. It had been many years since we’d seen the lake, and it was SO BLUE.

Our next stop was to hike to Plaikni Falls, 2.2 miles round-trip, through old growth forest and a fabulous display of wild flowers.

We drove about 10 miles down a side trip to The Pinnacles, and walked about 1/2 mile down Pinnacles Valley to view the strange spires. What we saw are “Fossil Fumaroles” that pre-date the giant eruption of Mt. Mazuma that resulted in forming the crater that became the lake. They look a bit like they were sprayed on concrete and could have been made by the Disney Company. We turned around where we reached boundary of the park. Apparently the trail was at one time a main road to enter the park. A stone pillar made back in the day by the CCC marks the place where the road previously entered the park.

On the way back to the campground we stopped to see Vidae Falls which is right at the side of the road. It was a fantastic start to our stay at Crater Lake!

July 21, 2019

We left that the campsite about 10 and headed back to the Steele Visitor’s Center and this time took time to watch the film about Crater Lake. Then we started up West Drive to see the sights along the way to the Cleetwood Trail at the North end of the lake to make it for our 3:30 boat tour. We stopped at Discover Point, where it is said that John Hillman, the first European American to set eyes on the lake, and gazed upon it and called it Deep Blue Lake. We had lunch at Lightning Springs Picnic Area and sat looking at the lake and Wizard Island.

For our boat tour, we needed to check-in at the Cleetwood Trail Parking lot by 2:30. Then we had to hike the steep 1 mile trail down to the lake where the boat docks. There are NO roads to the lake due to the steep walls surrounding. It only took us 30 minutes to hike the trail, and it was very warm, so I took off my shoes and dipped my feet into the lake – Ahhhh. There were lots of people on the trail just to get down to the lake, some of whom were going swimming or fishing and both. Fishing is allowed in the lake, and no fishing license is required. Many years ago the lake was stocked with trout and Coho Salmon. There is no limit (although we didn’t see anyone who caught anything), because the NPS considers the fish to be non-native and so therefore invasive.

Our boat tour took us around the Lake from the north end in a counter-clockwise direction. We passed Llao Rock that rises up 1,900 feet from the lake level, which is something like the El Capitan of Crater Lake. We got a great view of Devil’s Backbone, The Watchman, and Wizzard Island. We got a view from the lake of the Rim Village where the Crater Lake Lodge is located and cruised around the Phantom Ship island. Our tour ranger guide even offered to fill our water bottles directly from the lake! It’s that clean and tasted GOOD.

By 5:20 we were back at the dock and started the assent of the trail 1 mile back to the parking lot. I think we did pretty well making the hike in just 45 minutes, considering the altitude and 700 foot elevation gain! Way to go CARE! Driving back we continued east around the lake, stopping at Cloudcap Overlook and Pumice Castle Overlook. We have now made a complete circle of Crater Lake, by road and on the water!

After this exhausting day, we ate dinner at the Annie Creek Cafe, right in the Mazama Village near our camp. Tomorrow, we pack up and leave for our first destination in Washington State and our visit to Mt. St Helen’s National Monument.

Thanks for visiting! B n C

July 17, 2019

The day has arrived. Phase II begins! Reservations have been made for two nights stay at McArthur Burney Falls State park, and we hit the road at about 9:30 am. The route is a familiar one for us, having made the trip at least 35 times: 101 North, I-80 East over the bay bridge, 505 North and then 160 miles North on I5. In Redding take CA 299 East to the town of Burney CA, and lastly 6 miles North on 89 to the entrance to MBFSP.

Around 1966 Carolyn’s father, David Cook, brought the family to the park for vacation and they stuck with it. I joined them for the first time in 1972. For the next 30 or so years, there were very few years when we didn’t go to Burney Falls. In 2006, when Dave celebrated his 80th birthday, we offered to take him on a cruise down the Mississippi River, or maybe some other place he had always wanted to go. All he wanted was for the entire extended family to come camping at Burney. So that’s what we did.

We arrived at Burney at about 4 pm and set up in site #80, Pioneer loop. The temperature was hovering in the high 80’s and first thing we got in our bathing suits and headed for the beach. The park is situated adjacent to Lake Britton, which has a great litle marina where you can rent paddle boats and canoes, and which is a favorite destination for power boaters from all around. The lake is created by a PG&E dam and fed mostly by the Pit River, as well as Burney Creek. It’s a little cold, but with average summer temperatures around 90, the dip in the lake is a necessity. After dinner we took a walked to the falls. It looked the same as always. Fed from an underground aquifer from the snows on Mt. Burney, the flow of water is constant through the entire summer and fall. MBFSP is open all year round and there are now 25 cabins with heat available. One of these days we’ll have to visit the park in Winter. After our walk we played a game of cribbage. Crib is another Burney tradition, having learned it from the CAMP MASTER, Dave Cook.

July 18, 2019

I got up as usual, around 7. It’s nice to be up when it’s quiet, have a cup of coffee and see what the day has in store. I watched the sun move higher and filter through the trees, a mixture Ponderosa Pine, Douglas Fir, Cedar and Oak. Steller’s Jays were squawking and flying by checking out our camp, to see if we might have left a loaf of bread or bag of chips unattended on the table, that would be free for the taking. I could hear staccato rapping in the distance of a wood pecker. Occasionally a squirrel would scurry in looking for a scrap of food, or hoping that someone would be willing to share a morsel. A Burney breakfast should always include breakfast meats. Today I cooked maple smoke cured bacon complemented with fried eggs and toast.

After breakfast we walked to the falls and realized that we had never walked the 0.7 miles above the falls to the Headwaters Pool. It’s amazing that just a short distance above the raging falls, Burney Creek starts with a quiet pool populated by a few turtles sunning themselves on rocks. They watched us closely, necks fully extended, before opting to slip into the safety of the pond. Just another 0.1 mile up the trail is a foot bridge, which is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Just to say we had hiked a stretch of the PCT, we crossed the bridge before heading back.

It was getting warm, almost mid day, so we walked the trail to the base of the falls. On hot days, this is where to go to escape the heat in the natural air conditioner. The spray from the falls kicks in about 1/2 way down dropping the temperature about 15-20 degrees. On the way back to camp, we stopped in the Camp Store and shared a ice cream softy, even though it we hadn’t yet eaten lunch.

That afternoon it was nearly 90, so again we went “To The Beach” and a swim in the cool waters and rest under the shade of the trees. Earlier in the day we bought a 1 day fishing license at the store for Carolyn to test out a fishing rod she’d received from William for Christmas. A favorite spot is the Fisherman’s Bridge, a bit above the falls. The creek is stocked regularly with rainbow trout, or there would be no fish in the upper Burney Creek above the falls. Carolyn looked pretty good fishing off the bridge and enjoyed doing it a good hour or more. As most anglers will tell you, it’s called FISHING, not catching. I think she’ll give it a try sometime down the road.

Returning to the campsite, we engaged in but another Burney tradition, a coffee-mug martini. After dinner, another game of crib. I have won 3 games in a row. Wow, I’m on a roll! Another perfect classic Burney day!

Tomorrow we leave Burney and start on our way to Crater Lake, so we broke camp and loaded the camping gear back in Honda. Earlier in the day we looked at the maps plotting our drive to Crater, when we noticed that with a slight detour to the east, we could make a stop at Lava Beds National Monument, someplace we had never seen before. So, the adventure continues.

B n C

Note:  Geesh, I sure am behind in posting the blog.  Here it is August 9th and I’m just posting what I intended to upload sometime before we left on Phase II on July 17th!  Just been having a bit too much fun, and the absence of WiFi in most places we’ve been so far.  Don’t really know if I can ever catch up, but here goes…

Belmont, July 16, 2019

Long ago as we were planning the Great RV Adventuure, several destinations on our list were in Canada, including Banff, Jasper and Waterton Lakes National Parks in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Toward the East Coast we wanted to visit Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City and Halafax. My mother’s side of the family, Jensen, has ties in Canada. In fact my mother was born in Strathclair, Manitoba Provence. So we decided we should traverse the entire continent on the Trans Canada Highway and get to know our Northern Neighbor before continuing down the east Coast in the Fall, and finish up around Thankgiving in Florida.

To start we made reservations to stay a couple of nights in one of our all time favorite places, McArthur – Burney Falls State Park, in North-Eastern CA. We then have stops at Crater Lake NP, Mt. St. Helen NP, and Mt. Rainier NP before spending a full week in the Olympic National Park. We’ll also spend a few nights visiting my sister Mimi in Poulbo, WA.

Then it’s time to head for the North Cascades National Park before we cross the boarder and Kelowna, British Colombia, known as the Sonoma-Napa Wine region in Canada. After that we go to the national parks in the Canadian Rockies and come back down to Calgary, Alberta. Traveling East we cross the plains in Sescatchewan and Manitoba stopping such towns as Medicine Hat, Moose Jaw as well as Regina and Winnipeg. After that we’d be in Ontario and check out Thunder Bay. Continuing, we have stops in Toronto, Niagra Falls, Montreal, and Quebec City. After we cross the St. Lawrence River we’ll be in New Brunswick, and finish up with Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

By mid October, we re-enter the USA in Maine and with a little luck see the Fall colors in New England. On our way down the East Coast, we will be seeing friends in Rhode Island, Aunt Elizabeth in New Jersey, and our nephew Kyle in Raleigh, NC. By Thanksgiving, we’ll be in Florida, and stay with Carolyn’s cousin Jeanie, near Orlando. We’ve already booked a couple of nights in the RV park inside Walt Disney World, so we’ll see Avatar Land and the new Star Wars Land!

As we’ve planned it, Phase II is almost 4 months. I figured that by then we’ll be ready to see the family and friends back home again. So, we will park the rig at Carolyn’s cousins place in Florida and fly home to spend the Holidays! Sometime around February 2020, we’ll fly back to Florida to start Phase III. Plans for Phase III have not been fully cooked, but we know we could spend at least another couple of weeks in Florida, where the weather should be warm, before starting our way back West through the southern states.

Right now the RV has been fully checked out, the CR-V had it’s 125,000 mile oil and filter change, we’re resupplied and repacked, and we’re ready to roll! It has been great to be home, but now it’s time to GO. Tomorrow, July 17, 2019 we’ll begin Phase II.

See you on the road. B n C

June 14, 2019

Carolyn loved Monument Valley, but today it is time to move on.  We hit the road early for our next destination the Holbrook KOA and our short visit to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Parks.  These parks are close neighbors, and operate as one.   To start I drove back down US-163 and east on US-160, where Google Maps directed us on State Route 159 to cut across to US-191 south.  I should have known better and driven the extra 20 miles farther all the way to 191, as it turned out to be a rough road for something like 32 miles through remote prairie lands.  Also, the wind really picked up and sudden gusts were throwing the rig about 2 or 3 feet to the sides.  Had to keep my speed down and be alert for the entire time.   Then we drove 75 miles south on 191 to take I-40 west 45 miles to Holbrook.  Quite a long day of driving!

We arrived at the Holbrook KOA about 2.  We only had the one day to visit the parks, so we immediately drove the Honda back up I-40 to the Painted Desert Visitor’s Center for a check in.  In the Painted Desert we stopped at several locations with the wind blowing a gale and our stops were cut short but the landscapes were stunning.

On the way out of Painted Desert on our way into Petrified Forest we came across a stop where the original Route 66 ran through just North of I-40.  The original 66 is no longer visible.  But there is a stripped down derelict Studebaker sedan that sits silently marking the spot where the road ran many years ago.

Just across I-40 we entered the Petrified Forest.  Care really likes petrified wood, I knew we would be stopping at every pullout, Petrified Bridge, Crystal Forest, and others.  I was particularly interested in the “Newspaper Wall”, where over many centuries the prehistoric natives made their art for perpetuity.

It was getting to be late afternoon when we made our last stop was at the Visitor’s center at the South.  There are many huge petrified logs here and also may flowering cacti.

After a long day of driving and visiting two National Parks, we decided to try the Chuckwagon, a little food shack located in the KOA , for grilled chicken dinners.  Pretty darn good, especially considering the price of $7.50!

June 15, 2019

Today we didn’t have far to drive and could take it easy in the morning, thank Goodness!  We headed to the Chuckwagon again for breakfast, pancakes and french toast all you can eat for $5.  We left at around 11 and drove west on I-40.  Unfortunately I-40 bypassed the original Route 66 through the town of Winslow, where Glen Fry of the Eagles wrote of “Standin’ on a corner” and arrived at the Meteor Crater RV Park around noon.

Just a few miles up the road is the Arizona “Meteor Crater”, something that has been on our list for many years.   Carolyn’ dad, Dave Cook and good friend John Kinsey visited here 20 some-odd years ago and raved about it.  The crater and the surrounding ranch land is not a National Monument or Park, but through the years has been privately owned.   Today, a concession company has built the excellent facilities and runs the operation. There is a big parking lot, a modern Visitors Center, Museum or interpretive center, theater and good viewing areas on the rim.  There is also an option to take a 15 minute tour with a guide.  With a discount coupon and our senior discount, the admission was $14 a person. For an extra fee, you can experience the meteor “Impact” in a fancy “4-D” theater, but we opted to watch the free video, which was great as far as I’m concerned.

There was a lot of debate through the years if the crater was a result of volcanic activity or a meteor.  It wasn’t until a few decades ago that scientists studied the rocks in and around the crater and it was conclusively identified as a meteor crater. What happened to the meteor? It vaporized in an impact that was like a nuclear explosion!  In fact the rocks here resemble those that were studied at nuclear test sites!

I really found the crater and the experience fascinating.  Since the crater was identified as a meteor impact and the cataclysmic results of a similar impact studied, NASA has been tracking the asteroids and comets out there to hopefully identify a collision in advance to give us time to send a few nukes out there to blow them apart!  Carolyn still likes petrified wood more.

Phase I is soon coming to an end!  Tomorrow morning we drive to Sedona, in what will be our last stop in Arizona and a restful 3 days in a resort, and take care of some maintenance on the RV.  See ya soon.

June 12, 2019

No trip into the “Indian Lands” is complete without a visit to Monument Valley. The dramatic rock formations rising up from the flat plains are the most recognizable sights that define the American West – at least if you’re familiar with the John Wayne movies from the 50’s. We booked a site in Goulding’s Campground and RV Park for two nights June 12th and 13th.

We planned our route to drive into four states and stop at a couple of monuments around the “Four Corners”. To start, took US 550 South from Durago along the Animas River and soon passed from Colorado into North-Western New Mexico. At the city of Aztec NM, we stopped at the Aztec Ruins National Monument. The ruins are not Aztec, but are really Ancestral Puebloan. They were called “Aztec” by the Spanish explorers and the name stuck. Here, there was a great deal of work done around 1916 by the archeologist Earl Halstead Morris. The Great Kiva is a very elaborate and grand design like none other we have seen, was reconstructed by Morris. This was a large community, another amazing architectural and engineering feat accomplished by the Ancestral Pueblans.

Continuing to follow the Animas River on NM 516 and West on US 64 we crossed into the North-Eastern tip of Arizona and drove the 6 miles North on US 160 to the Four Corners National Monument, a Navajo Nation Tribal park. A $5 per-person fee was paid to the Navajo Nation for the privilege of entering the monument. It’s now quite an big operation with a large plaza with vendor stands all around. There were about 40 people in line waiting to have pictures taken where they coule stand on top of a marker of the “Four Corners”, the intersection of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.  Carolyn bought a small Indian bracelet and we shared a Navajo Taco or Fry Bread taco for lunch.

We drove back down US 160 and continued West about 60 miles to Kayenta where we turned North on US 163 for another 24 miles to Goulding’s, which is very close to the Utah boarder. Along the way we got a taste of the Monuments.

After dinner we went down to Goulding’s Lodge and watched a video about the natives who lived in the Valley and about Harry Goulding and his wife, “Mike” Goulding. The Goulding’s arrive in the area in the 1920’s when few people even knew about the valley and established a “Trading Post”. They traded general goods with the Navajo for art, blankets and pottery and began to provide lodgings for the first visitors to the area. The Great Depression hard hit this area very hard and Harry and Mike struggled to stay on. It was in the 1940’s that Harry went to Hollywood and pitched to the director John Ford to come out and use the Valley as the back-drop for his Western Movies. Many John Wayne Westerns were filmed here. We stayed and watched “Stage Coach” a classic John Ford/John Wayne movie that was filmed here. Great stuff!

June 13th.

It’s HOT. Afternoon high around 93 and little breeze. We hang out for most of the day, and then meet at the Campground store at 3:45 for the afternoon Deluxe Tour of the valley. Our guide was inside a truck cab, and we were outside riding in an open truck bed with bench seats. That wasn’t so bad, but the roads were quite rough. We did get treated to several special visits to a homestead where a Navajo woman showed us how they weave blankets and spots where there were petroglyphs and early Pueblan dwellings. Getting home just before dark, a dip in the pool and a shower to finish the day.

Tomorrow we take off for Holbrook and the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert NP.

June 10, 2019

Today we travel from Mesa Verde to Durango. The drive was short, just 43 miles, and we arrived at the United Campgrounds at around noon. The campground is about 4 miles north of the main town and right on the Animas River. Due to heavy snow melt in the mountains the river was over flood stage. A number of the tent sites near the river were closed due to the flooding. We were high and dry however. The park is a well established operation run by the original owers and their family for over 30 years.

The Durango – Silverton railroad tracks pass right through the campground. So the afternoon trains returning to Durango came within about 200 feet of our site, blowing their whistle an delighting all the campers, including us!

The rest of this day was devoted to drive back into town to pick up provisions at the local “City Market”. Whooo – hoo. Such excitement!

June 11, 2019

We were up early and at the Durango Train Depot for our 9:30 departure on “The Silverton” we had heard so much about from Pat and Debby. The history of the railroad is quite interesting. General William Jackson Palmer had the track constructed to bring silver ore from the minefields of Silverton to a location where he built a smelter, and in the process created the town of Durango. Silver was then sent to Denver to the US Mint for coinage. It was completed in 1882 at great expense, requiring blasting out hard rock on the canyon walls. There are high trestles and tracks perched precariously hundreds of feet above the river. The railroad prospered for many years, but fell on hard times by World War II. Later it was resurrected as an historic railroad a delight to both young and old. We had extra time and stopped in the Museum before boarding, which we found fascinating.

Our train was powered by 1920’s coal fired steam engine. There are stretches where the grade is 3-1/2 to 4 percent, quite a steep grade for a train. The engine was belching black smoke and the “Chug-chug-chug-chug” of engine were exactly what you would expect. We were booked in the “Narration Class” a closed car with a docent guide who talked about the railroad and show us points of interest.

The trip up the canyon was thrilling.  With the river roaring at flood stage, there were places it seemed that the tracks were right at river level and other times we were way up the canyon wall looking down.  We loved the sights, sounds, smells and feelings of riding on a real steam train on The Silverton!

We arrived in Silverton about 1 o’clock, which is at an elevation of 9318 feet nearly 4000 feet above Durango. In it’s hayday, Silverton sported a large number of saloons and “boarding houses” to entertain the miners when the mines were in full operation. The Imperial Hotel and the City Hall are well restored original buildings. Many small shops line the streets, and it has a great historic old town vibe.

The whistle blew 4 long toots at 2:50 for our 3 pm departure for the ride back. We didn’t arrive back in Durango until almost 7, a long and a bit tiring day with over 7 hours on the train. We decided that we don’t need to ride any more trains for a while. Tomorrow we leave for Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park and travel through 4 states!

Moab and Canyonlands National Park June 4 – 5, 2019

Note: My last post of Mesa Verde out of chronological order.  We were in Moab and Canyonlands BEFORE Mesa Verde!  Opps.  B

June 4, 2019

Travel day from Arches to Moab KOA. We had been dry-camping in the Devil’s Garden Campground with no shower or laundry, so we both looking forward staying where there were hookups and facilities. Carolyn’s leg was hurting quite badly this morning. She could put weight on it, but bending and walking were difficult. Early in the morning I hiked to Tapestry Arch, just a 1/4 mile from our campsite before packing up.

Driving out of the park we stopped at a couple of the places we had passed by on the way in and got our last look at the expansive views of the park.

It was just 28 mile from the Devil’s Garden Campground the Moab KOA. Once setup in our site, we went into town and picked up groceries at the “City Market”, comparable to Safeway. We actually found it quite exciting to shop in a supermarket with fresh produce, meat and fish, when compared to the small town and campground markets we had been in recently. It was also wonderful to be at the Moab KOA, which has a huge pool, hot tub, showers and laundry facilities, to which we availed ourselves completely.

Just across the road from us in the campground we met a wonderful couple from the Netherlands, Jack and Petra. They have traveled extensively in Europe, parts of the US, Africa and the Far East. They were in a small rented RV and were going into Arches the next day. How nice is is to meet new and interesting people!

 

June 5th

Today we visited Canyonlands National Park. I drove North on 191 past the entrance to Arches NP and made a left onto Hwy 313 where the road climbed to the top of the Mesa. On the way we stopped at the Merrimac and Monitor view, two Mesas that resemble the Civil War Ironclad ships.

The main entrance to the park brings you to the Island in the Sky Visitor’s Center. Here we stamped our National Park Passport, the last of the 5 Utah NPs we have now visited.

We continued to drive into the park to the Mesa Arch Trail, a short 1/2 mile round trip hike. This is perhaps one of the most popular and easiest hike in the park. Carolyn managed okay, even with some pain.

We drove on and stopped at the Green River Overlook. John Wesley Powell passed through this stretch on his expedition before he entered the Colorado River.

At Grand View Point Overlook we saw the Colorado River and ate our lunch at a picnic area.

We debated driving all the way back to Moab on the Schaffer Road, a dirt and gravel road that looked like fun for me, but would take 4 full hours to get back to the RV Park, so we passed. Instead we exited the park and visited Dead Horse Point State Park to see the section of the Colorado River known as the Gooseneck Bend.

Jack and Petra dropped by with a bottle of wine after dinner, and we enjoyed hearing about their day in Arches, where they hiked to Delicate Arch, one place we missed, due to Carolyn’s injury. We told them all about our visit to Canyon Lands and Dead House Point State Park, which they were planning on visiting the following day.

Tomorrow we leave and head for Colorado and Mesa Verde National Park.                 B n C