Ok, I'm sitting here tweeting back and forth with my godson while I'm watching the Vikings on TV. It occurs to me that the barrage of tweets are going to 3 people. How much of a loser am I?
So I'm hoping more people will read this post and choose to follow me on twitter. My handle is @kurtrolling. So come check it out. Please?
Topic for the night: The KFAN radio broadcast is simulcast on TV too. I'm loving it.
Also, lots of ramifications from Scott Diamond being tossed last night. Any comments?
Friday, August 24, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Not just another fond memory
After a day of rest of figured I would summarize our trip to the Grand Canyon.
Our last day started with some disappointment that our hotel did not have a pool. The plan was to let the kids swim until around noon and then shove off on our last drive. The good news is that we were able to get an earlier start and got home around 7pm.
About halfway thru our last day, we stopped and got gas. I noticed that one of our tires was low. I filled it up and really didn't think much about, until Sunday morning when we went to get in the van and the tire was completely flat. Thank goodness that didn't happen during the trip. A quick trip to discount tire and we're back in gear.
Pretty uneventful last day. The Harmon's brought over pizza and we had one last dinner and then called it a night.
We had a blast and I want to thank the Harmon's for introducing us to the camping experience. We couldn't have asked for better weather. No bugs! And most importantly, a great family to travel with.
The Rollings are already trying to think of ways that we can use the camper next summer.
Thanks for reading the blog of our trip!
If you liked what you read, please follow this blog. I will be blogging about everyday day life. Oh yeah, and about construction too!
Our last day started with some disappointment that our hotel did not have a pool. The plan was to let the kids swim until around noon and then shove off on our last drive. The good news is that we were able to get an earlier start and got home around 7pm.
About halfway thru our last day, we stopped and got gas. I noticed that one of our tires was low. I filled it up and really didn't think much about, until Sunday morning when we went to get in the van and the tire was completely flat. Thank goodness that didn't happen during the trip. A quick trip to discount tire and we're back in gear.
Pretty uneventful last day. The Harmon's brought over pizza and we had one last dinner and then called it a night.
We had a blast and I want to thank the Harmon's for introducing us to the camping experience. We couldn't have asked for better weather. No bugs! And most importantly, a great family to travel with.
The Rollings are already trying to think of ways that we can use the camper next summer.
Thanks for reading the blog of our trip!
If you liked what you read, please follow this blog. I will be blogging about everyday day life. Oh yeah, and about construction too!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Don Juan Nebraska
We ended up pulling out of the Alamosa KOA at 9:00am. We are veteran campers now and it takes no time at all to set up and take down the popup. I even got a compliment from the Mrs. about the speed of hooking up the trailer.
Today's mileage was the topper of them all at over 650 miles and 14 hours.
We stopped in Denver to meet the Christensen's for lunch. They moved from Bloomington to Denver a year ago after the BAA Baseball playoffs. We had lunch at an awesome gourmet hot dog place a few blocks from Coor's Field. The city reminds me a lot of MPLS. Especially where the ballpark is located. Very much like the warehouse district in MPLS.
It was great to see Charlie, Stephanie and their kids! They seemed to be doing well. Too bad we could stay longer to visit more.
The rest of the day was pretty boring. Not really even much yelling at the kids. Maybe we are getting better at this parenting stuff. I'm sure they'll probably make up for it tomorrow.
We had dinner pretty late again at the Village Inn in North Platte, NE.
I only mention that because apparently Mike got hit on by the waitress. When it was time to leave Mike stayed back to buy a glass of pop for the road and asked her how much for the pop. She said it was on her as long as she could feel his beard. When he came out of the restaurant to tell us, we all started laughing. I think he made up the story because he hasn't shaved since the beginning of the trip. He's been good for a couple goofball moments everyday. This one just topped them all! LOL!
Tomorrows drive will bring and end to our trip to the Grand Canyon. 8+ hours scheduled on the road. We are planning to sleep in, especially after todays long one.
Good Night!
Today's mileage was the topper of them all at over 650 miles and 14 hours.
We stopped in Denver to meet the Christensen's for lunch. They moved from Bloomington to Denver a year ago after the BAA Baseball playoffs. We had lunch at an awesome gourmet hot dog place a few blocks from Coor's Field. The city reminds me a lot of MPLS. Especially where the ballpark is located. Very much like the warehouse district in MPLS.
It was great to see Charlie, Stephanie and their kids! They seemed to be doing well. Too bad we could stay longer to visit more.
The rest of the day was pretty boring. Not really even much yelling at the kids. Maybe we are getting better at this parenting stuff. I'm sure they'll probably make up for it tomorrow.
We had dinner pretty late again at the Village Inn in North Platte, NE.
I only mention that because apparently Mike got hit on by the waitress. When it was time to leave Mike stayed back to buy a glass of pop for the road and asked her how much for the pop. She said it was on her as long as she could feel his beard. When he came out of the restaurant to tell us, we all started laughing. I think he made up the story because he hasn't shaved since the beginning of the trip. He's been good for a couple goofball moments everyday. This one just topped them all! LOL!
Tomorrows drive will bring and end to our trip to the Grand Canyon. 8+ hours scheduled on the road. We are planning to sleep in, especially after todays long one.
Good Night!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Sad to leave the Grand Canyon
Not much to share tonight. We started out for home at 8:30am, with the goal of making it to Alamosa, CO. That would be a 612 mile drive. We decided to go the South route thru Flagstaff. The first 400 miles was a breeze. The last 200 was a little bumpy.
We stopped at the Petrified National Park and Painted Desert near Holbrook, AZ. It was kinda cool to see the petrified wood and learn of how it got there. We made a quick trip thru this area because we new it would be a long day.
It was nice to be on the interstate. More because I wanted to improve on the 15 mpg we have gotten so far on the trip.
Once we reached the northern part of Sante Fe it started to rain as hard as I've seen it rain in a long time. We pulled off to the side of the road to wait it out. I was actually a little worried about tipping over because it was so windy. After about a half hour delay we got back on the road. It basically rained off and on for a couple hours. We actually saw some foam that the rain produced that looked like snow was on the ground. While listening to the radio, the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning, so we new that the rain had really come down hard.
Very weird and long day today. We pulled into the Alamosa KOA at about 11pm. That's right, we made it. Only to realize tomorrow plan is 654 miles to Grand Island, NE.
That's it from me, sorry for the short one today!
We stopped at the Petrified National Park and Painted Desert near Holbrook, AZ. It was kinda cool to see the petrified wood and learn of how it got there. We made a quick trip thru this area because we new it would be a long day.
It was nice to be on the interstate. More because I wanted to improve on the 15 mpg we have gotten so far on the trip.
Once we reached the northern part of Sante Fe it started to rain as hard as I've seen it rain in a long time. We pulled off to the side of the road to wait it out. I was actually a little worried about tipping over because it was so windy. After about a half hour delay we got back on the road. It basically rained off and on for a couple hours. We actually saw some foam that the rain produced that looked like snow was on the ground. While listening to the radio, the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning, so we new that the rain had really come down hard.
Very weird and long day today. We pulled into the Alamosa KOA at about 11pm. That's right, we made it. Only to realize tomorrow plan is 654 miles to Grand Island, NE.
That's it from me, sorry for the short one today!
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
A day on the Colorado River
Today started with a cold breakfast because we had to get rolling early today. We were going for a raft ride on the Colorado River in Page, AZ. It's about a 2-1/2 hour drive from the campground.
I must mention though that a night on the trip wouldn't be complete without some annoyance. Last night we had people in the site next to us, up until 3am. Can't wait to get home to get a decent nights sleep.
I still haven't gotten used to how dry it is here. Not complaining, just saying.
Anyway, we started for Page, AZ at 8:30am. We needed to be at the raft tour base camp at 12:30pm, so we should have had plenty of time to have a picnic lunch beforehand. Well an hour into the trip, it dawned on SR's mind that AZ is really odd with time zone stuff. At the Canyon the time is two hours behind central daylight time and the rest of AZ, except the tribal lands do not observe daylight savings. So we were confused about what time it would be in Page. We stopped for short bathroom break at a visitor center and were told that we would arrive in Page at 12:30pm. We quickly scrambled back to the vehicles so we would bot lose anymore time. SR did a website search once we got back in the car and supposedly found out we would arrive in Page at about 11:30am, which would give us an hour to spare. So we were all confused. We arrived to check in for the raft ride and our first question was, what time is it? Thankfully it was only 11:30am. We had an hour to enjoy our picnic lunch and just chill. Which of course is short for yelling at the kids to stop picking on each other. LOL!
At 12:45pm we boarded nice traveling buses for a 4 mile ride to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam. We actually rode thru a 2 mile tunnel that was dug into part of the Glen Canyon mountain. The tunnel was on US Government land which was part of the dam. For those that have been to the Hoover Dam, it's very much like the base of that dam. We even had to go thru a Homeland Security type checkpoint before our trip started.
After getting off the bus we loaded onto about a 18 foot pontoon raft. There we about 17 people on our raft.
Our tour guide for the day, was a Page native named Nick. I knew within a couple of minutes that he would be a great guide for the day. He started by pulling away from the dock saying, I'll get the raft turned around so you can get your dam pictures. Everyone aboard started laughing. He then followed the first joke with several others. We had barely started the ride and everyone was laughing and in a great mood. He even had each person say their name and where they were from. Of course there were a group of Italians, which brought a groan from the Minnesota crowd. LOL! We were pleasantly surprised, they were actually a nice group from Torino. It looked to be a Dad and his two boys and another couple and their son.
Even though Nick was a great tour guide, the sights were easily the highlight of the day! Our tour was a 15 mile ride down the Colorado river in the Glen Canyon. The Glen Canyon leads into the Grand Canyon. About half way thru the float we beached the raft for a break. This allowed the kids and Mike to take a dip in the 47 degree Colorado river. The rest of us just dipped our feet. On this day the water was refreshing but too cold for a swim. All of the kids and Mike actually went under water, much to the amazement of our tour guide and a few others passengers. Also at the break we took a short hike to look at petroglyphics on the canyon wall. They estimated the date of the etchings to be 300 to 1000 years ago. Pretty astonishing.
In this area we think the temperature was well over 100 degrees. Down by the water it was at least 20 degrees cooler, but still pretty hot.
After starting again down river, Nick played an ancient Indian song that his grandfather taught him, on a wooden flute, when he was a little boy. It was quite touching that he was so proud of his Hopi Indian ancestry.
The ride lasted about 3 hours. It was another beautiful day to see the sights. After getting off the raft, we made our way back to the bus for an hour ride back to Page.
We asked Nick for a recommendation for dinner. Turns out he works at the Dam bar and grille at the Dam Plaza. We decided to give it a try. It was a great meal to end the fantastic day.
I'm glad I was dragged kicking and screaming to this one. I was not looking forward to 5 hours in the car for a boat ride. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. Thank You all for insisting we go.
Happy Birthday Mike!! I hope you had a great birthday!
Tomorrow we will be leaving early. We are changing our route to avoid the Rocky Mountains. We will be taking the South route thru Flagstaff. We will hit the petrified forest on our way thru Albuquerque and Santa Fe before we head north to Alamosa, CO. 700 miles and 9+ hours of driving, so it will be a long one.
Have a Great Night!
I must mention though that a night on the trip wouldn't be complete without some annoyance. Last night we had people in the site next to us, up until 3am. Can't wait to get home to get a decent nights sleep.
I still haven't gotten used to how dry it is here. Not complaining, just saying.
Anyway, we started for Page, AZ at 8:30am. We needed to be at the raft tour base camp at 12:30pm, so we should have had plenty of time to have a picnic lunch beforehand. Well an hour into the trip, it dawned on SR's mind that AZ is really odd with time zone stuff. At the Canyon the time is two hours behind central daylight time and the rest of AZ, except the tribal lands do not observe daylight savings. So we were confused about what time it would be in Page. We stopped for short bathroom break at a visitor center and were told that we would arrive in Page at 12:30pm. We quickly scrambled back to the vehicles so we would bot lose anymore time. SR did a website search once we got back in the car and supposedly found out we would arrive in Page at about 11:30am, which would give us an hour to spare. So we were all confused. We arrived to check in for the raft ride and our first question was, what time is it? Thankfully it was only 11:30am. We had an hour to enjoy our picnic lunch and just chill. Which of course is short for yelling at the kids to stop picking on each other. LOL!
At 12:45pm we boarded nice traveling buses for a 4 mile ride to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam. We actually rode thru a 2 mile tunnel that was dug into part of the Glen Canyon mountain. The tunnel was on US Government land which was part of the dam. For those that have been to the Hoover Dam, it's very much like the base of that dam. We even had to go thru a Homeland Security type checkpoint before our trip started.
After getting off the bus we loaded onto about a 18 foot pontoon raft. There we about 17 people on our raft.
Our tour guide for the day, was a Page native named Nick. I knew within a couple of minutes that he would be a great guide for the day. He started by pulling away from the dock saying, I'll get the raft turned around so you can get your dam pictures. Everyone aboard started laughing. He then followed the first joke with several others. We had barely started the ride and everyone was laughing and in a great mood. He even had each person say their name and where they were from. Of course there were a group of Italians, which brought a groan from the Minnesota crowd. LOL! We were pleasantly surprised, they were actually a nice group from Torino. It looked to be a Dad and his two boys and another couple and their son.
Even though Nick was a great tour guide, the sights were easily the highlight of the day! Our tour was a 15 mile ride down the Colorado river in the Glen Canyon. The Glen Canyon leads into the Grand Canyon. About half way thru the float we beached the raft for a break. This allowed the kids and Mike to take a dip in the 47 degree Colorado river. The rest of us just dipped our feet. On this day the water was refreshing but too cold for a swim. All of the kids and Mike actually went under water, much to the amazement of our tour guide and a few others passengers. Also at the break we took a short hike to look at petroglyphics on the canyon wall. They estimated the date of the etchings to be 300 to 1000 years ago. Pretty astonishing.
In this area we think the temperature was well over 100 degrees. Down by the water it was at least 20 degrees cooler, but still pretty hot.
After starting again down river, Nick played an ancient Indian song that his grandfather taught him, on a wooden flute, when he was a little boy. It was quite touching that he was so proud of his Hopi Indian ancestry.
The ride lasted about 3 hours. It was another beautiful day to see the sights. After getting off the raft, we made our way back to the bus for an hour ride back to Page.
We asked Nick for a recommendation for dinner. Turns out he works at the Dam bar and grille at the Dam Plaza. We decided to give it a try. It was a great meal to end the fantastic day.
I'm glad I was dragged kicking and screaming to this one. I was not looking forward to 5 hours in the car for a boat ride. Maybe that's why I enjoyed it so much. Thank You all for insisting we go.
Happy Birthday Mike!! I hope you had a great birthday!
Tomorrow we will be leaving early. We are changing our route to avoid the Rocky Mountains. We will be taking the South route thru Flagstaff. We will hit the petrified forest on our way thru Albuquerque and Santa Fe before we head north to Alamosa, CO. 700 miles and 9+ hours of driving, so it will be a long one.
Have a Great Night!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Grand Canyon at Sunset -- Oh my!
Today the day started at 4am. It started to rain lightly and I awoke and dashed out the trailer to make sure the inverter and marine battery were not getting wet. Not knowing if the rain would let up, I decided to unhook everything just to be safe. The rain quit about ten minutes later. Mind you the rain has been extremely light so I've never had the feeling that it would be an all day rain, but I didn't want to take a chance. Well, at 4:30 it started raining again. I decided I was ready to take a chance. I was just too tired. So I left everything hooked up and quickly fell back to sleep. I woke up at 7am. Still tired. Hopefully tonight I can sleep thru.
Today was pancake day and a hike to the west most portion of the South Rim called Hermits Rest. It had the longest bus ride too, at over 25 minutes.
The plan was to bus to Hermits Rest and hike back 1.1 miles to Pima Point.
It just continues to amaze me to think that this big hole in the ground has been here for so long. I looked in a telescope at Hermits Rest, at the rock formations. Thinking that for millions of years, these rocks, the colors, the formations, have been untouched by humans. And we stand from what seems like miles away, just looking at the rocks as if something else magical will happen.
It was another glorious day here at the Grand Canyon. Arriving back at camp, we started prepping for pizzas on the campfire. The kids have done a relatively good job of helping. Of course a little prodding from the parents has helped too. We made 12 pizzas all together and dessert was 8 split bananas with marshmallows, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips, wrapped in foil over the fire.
We quickly cleaned up dinner so we could head to Yavapi Point for the sunset at the Grand Canyon. It is one of the only points that can be accessed by bus and car. I was amazed at the amount of people viewing and trying to get that perfect picture. I was also amazed at the amount of people that would be practically hanging over the edge to get a view. Including some younger aged kids. My palms were sweating because of the risk these people were taking. We did manage to get quite a few pictures with the eight of us and a few with the kids.
We ended up splitting up for awhile. The Harmon's went to see a ranger talk at the amphitheater while the Rolling's went back to Bright Angel Lodge to look for souvenirs.
We all met back at camp for a fire and some great talk and laughing about our day with the damn Italians. We also discussed our day of rafting ahead.
Have a great night!!
Today was pancake day and a hike to the west most portion of the South Rim called Hermits Rest. It had the longest bus ride too, at over 25 minutes.
The plan was to bus to Hermits Rest and hike back 1.1 miles to Pima Point.
It just continues to amaze me to think that this big hole in the ground has been here for so long. I looked in a telescope at Hermits Rest, at the rock formations. Thinking that for millions of years, these rocks, the colors, the formations, have been untouched by humans. And we stand from what seems like miles away, just looking at the rocks as if something else magical will happen.
It was another glorious day here at the Grand Canyon. Arriving back at camp, we started prepping for pizzas on the campfire. The kids have done a relatively good job of helping. Of course a little prodding from the parents has helped too. We made 12 pizzas all together and dessert was 8 split bananas with marshmallows, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips, wrapped in foil over the fire.
We quickly cleaned up dinner so we could head to Yavapi Point for the sunset at the Grand Canyon. It is one of the only points that can be accessed by bus and car. I was amazed at the amount of people viewing and trying to get that perfect picture. I was also amazed at the amount of people that would be practically hanging over the edge to get a view. Including some younger aged kids. My palms were sweating because of the risk these people were taking. We did manage to get quite a few pictures with the eight of us and a few with the kids.
We ended up splitting up for awhile. The Harmon's went to see a ranger talk at the amphitheater while the Rolling's went back to Bright Angel Lodge to look for souvenirs.
We all met back at camp for a fire and some great talk and laughing about our day with the damn Italians. We also discussed our day of rafting ahead.
Have a great night!!
Damn Italians
The following may not generalize all Italians, but with the diversity here at the Grand Canyon, the Italians are easily the rudest of them all.
I would guess that along the South Rim hiking, Americans are only about 25% of the people visiting. Germans, Swedes, Indians, Japanese, French, Italians are all visiting our great country to see the Grand Canyon.
Here are a couple examples that led to our final conclusion. While waiting in about a twenty minute line for the red bus to the West most portion of the South rim, a red bus approached and everyone got up to aboard the bus. Two Italians from out of nowhere cut in front of us. We were about 4 people from the front, but with no regard to the hundred people in line, they cut right in. Another example was at the Hermit Rest area, there is a spring water fountain where you can fill up your water bottles. Three Italians were sucking on two of the three spigots. We waited our turn. Then Mike went to fill his bottle. He turned the water on and wiped the spigot with the water coming out and began to fill his water bottle. At the same time, I was looking at the three Italians giving him a dirty look. How dare Mike clean the spigot for which someone had previously had their tongues lapping water from the spigot.
Give me a break, the Italians need to realize that they are not the only ones on the planet.
I'm sure there are plenty of examples of other ethnicities, including Americans, with the same antics but come on, do we really have to be that rude?
I would guess that along the South Rim hiking, Americans are only about 25% of the people visiting. Germans, Swedes, Indians, Japanese, French, Italians are all visiting our great country to see the Grand Canyon.
Here are a couple examples that led to our final conclusion. While waiting in about a twenty minute line for the red bus to the West most portion of the South rim, a red bus approached and everyone got up to aboard the bus. Two Italians from out of nowhere cut in front of us. We were about 4 people from the front, but with no regard to the hundred people in line, they cut right in. Another example was at the Hermit Rest area, there is a spring water fountain where you can fill up your water bottles. Three Italians were sucking on two of the three spigots. We waited our turn. Then Mike went to fill his bottle. He turned the water on and wiped the spigot with the water coming out and began to fill his water bottle. At the same time, I was looking at the three Italians giving him a dirty look. How dare Mike clean the spigot for which someone had previously had their tongues lapping water from the spigot.
Give me a break, the Italians need to realize that they are not the only ones on the planet.
I'm sure there are plenty of examples of other ethnicities, including Americans, with the same antics but come on, do we really have to be that rude?
Wonderful Worlds
The morning started at 4:52am to a screaming baby followed by a yelping dog. We didn't let that damper our spirits. We were going to be seeing the Grand Canyon in its full view.
After the early morning wake up call, breakfast began with scrambled eggs and bacon. Whoever is on the fence with bacon should have some on a camp stove while camping. I truly believe it is the best food in the world.
After breakfast we took a short walk to catch the blue bus to the main visitor center at the Grand Canyon. On our way to the bus a car stopped by to let us know that there was a pack of Elk in another loop in our campground. We took a detour to check it out. Sure enough there was a pack of about 10 Elk roaming from site to site looking for food. Pretty cool and certainly provided us with a great photo op. After a few minutes we then made our way to take the bus. The park offers a free shuttle service the will take you from area to area. They have three routes to choose from, each providing different things to explore, but all are along the south rim of the canyon. The moment we stepped off the bus, Mike remembered that the garbage bag was left hanging from the tree. Mike and I hopped right back on the bus and headed back for camp while the wife's took the kids to look at the visitor center.
When we arrived back at camp, sure enough about 10 crows had already pulled the bag off the tree and had most of the garbage all around our camp. We scared them off and picked up the garbage and dropped in the proper area. We were just glad that the ranger had not happened upon our misfortune and issued us a citation.
We headed back to the bus which brought us back to meet the family for a quick lunch before our exploring began.
After lunch we headed to Mather point, which is probably the most popular areas to view the canyon. What a site! You really cannot describe how beautiful it is. Each time you take a few steps and then look at the canyon, it provides you with a whole new view. Kind of like a kaleidoscope. Obviously we all began to take pictures and everywhere you looked along the rail, someone else was taking pictures too. I would bet the Grand Canyon is the most photographed site in the world.
We walked along the south rim venturing our way to the Geology Museum.
The plan was to walk all the way to Bright Angel Lodge, about a 2 mile walk. But after arriving at the museum, we decided to catch a bus for the rest of the route.
The Bright Angel Lodge is one of the oldest lodges at the south rim. SR's mother had stayed there 62 years ago as a child. I imagined how it must have looked back then and I believe it still looks pretty much the same. I'm sure they have done lots of remodeling but the feel of the lodge remains as it was when it first opened. It reminded me of the Burntside Lodge in Ely MN. We all had an ice cream cones. I only mention this because the shape of the scoop was that of a cylinder and not the typical ball. Kinda cool looking. We also spent some time in the gift shop. The cash cow of everyone's vacation.
We then took the blue shuttle back to the campground to get dinner started. It started to lightly rain right after we got off the bus. We ran back to the campsite to take cover. It was spotty rain for about an hour.
At the campsite waiting for us were friends of the Harmon's, Kevin and Randi and their families. They did the smart thing and flew into Cortez, CO and then made their way to the Grand Canyon from there.
Preparation for our campfire supper took place. We were having hamburger packets. They consisted of a hamburger, onions, carrots and seasoning, wrapped in tinfoil and cooked directly on hot wood and coals. We sure are lucky to be experiencing our first camping trip with the help of the Harmon family. The Rollings would not have had the same experience without their help. Dessert was a big round of s'mores on the leftover coals.
After supper we made a trip for some to take showers and I did some laundry. I needed to wash shirts after a few spills on the others. No need to explain. I think we have established that I'm somewhat of a klutz when it comes to my apparel.
Off to bed with lots of great memories to dream about.
After the early morning wake up call, breakfast began with scrambled eggs and bacon. Whoever is on the fence with bacon should have some on a camp stove while camping. I truly believe it is the best food in the world.
After breakfast we took a short walk to catch the blue bus to the main visitor center at the Grand Canyon. On our way to the bus a car stopped by to let us know that there was a pack of Elk in another loop in our campground. We took a detour to check it out. Sure enough there was a pack of about 10 Elk roaming from site to site looking for food. Pretty cool and certainly provided us with a great photo op. After a few minutes we then made our way to take the bus. The park offers a free shuttle service the will take you from area to area. They have three routes to choose from, each providing different things to explore, but all are along the south rim of the canyon. The moment we stepped off the bus, Mike remembered that the garbage bag was left hanging from the tree. Mike and I hopped right back on the bus and headed back for camp while the wife's took the kids to look at the visitor center.
When we arrived back at camp, sure enough about 10 crows had already pulled the bag off the tree and had most of the garbage all around our camp. We scared them off and picked up the garbage and dropped in the proper area. We were just glad that the ranger had not happened upon our misfortune and issued us a citation.
We headed back to the bus which brought us back to meet the family for a quick lunch before our exploring began.
After lunch we headed to Mather point, which is probably the most popular areas to view the canyon. What a site! You really cannot describe how beautiful it is. Each time you take a few steps and then look at the canyon, it provides you with a whole new view. Kind of like a kaleidoscope. Obviously we all began to take pictures and everywhere you looked along the rail, someone else was taking pictures too. I would bet the Grand Canyon is the most photographed site in the world.
We walked along the south rim venturing our way to the Geology Museum.
The plan was to walk all the way to Bright Angel Lodge, about a 2 mile walk. But after arriving at the museum, we decided to catch a bus for the rest of the route.
The Bright Angel Lodge is one of the oldest lodges at the south rim. SR's mother had stayed there 62 years ago as a child. I imagined how it must have looked back then and I believe it still looks pretty much the same. I'm sure they have done lots of remodeling but the feel of the lodge remains as it was when it first opened. It reminded me of the Burntside Lodge in Ely MN. We all had an ice cream cones. I only mention this because the shape of the scoop was that of a cylinder and not the typical ball. Kinda cool looking. We also spent some time in the gift shop. The cash cow of everyone's vacation.
We then took the blue shuttle back to the campground to get dinner started. It started to lightly rain right after we got off the bus. We ran back to the campsite to take cover. It was spotty rain for about an hour.
At the campsite waiting for us were friends of the Harmon's, Kevin and Randi and their families. They did the smart thing and flew into Cortez, CO and then made their way to the Grand Canyon from there.
Preparation for our campfire supper took place. We were having hamburger packets. They consisted of a hamburger, onions, carrots and seasoning, wrapped in tinfoil and cooked directly on hot wood and coals. We sure are lucky to be experiencing our first camping trip with the help of the Harmon family. The Rollings would not have had the same experience without their help. Dessert was a big round of s'mores on the leftover coals.
After supper we made a trip for some to take showers and I did some laundry. I needed to wash shirts after a few spills on the others. No need to explain. I think we have established that I'm somewhat of a klutz when it comes to my apparel.
Off to bed with lots of great memories to dream about.
Monday, August 13, 2012
We finally have made it
After over 1,600 miles of driving, we have arrived at the Mather campground at the Grand Canyon Village South Rim.
The day started with breakfast, with the deer and a very much needed shower.
We then headed to the spruce tree house, which is part of the cave dwellings in Mesa Verde. Very interesting to see how the cliff dwellers habitated around 580ad to 1300ad. They also had pictures of what the ruins looked like when they were discovered back in the 1800's.
The best part of that trip was that we were able to leave the trailers at the campsite. No worries with up and down driving on the roads. Yippie!!
We got back to camp around 12:30pm and quickly hooked up the trailer and headed to the Walmart in Cortez for a refresh of groceries and supplies. The ride down the mountain with the trailer in tow was a stressful but successful one.
We headed on the daily car ride around 2:30pm with hopes that the Mapquest projected 5 hour drive would be true. Well, it wasn't! It turned out to be 7 hours long. Not a big deal on the surface, but we barely arrived in time to see the big hole in the ground before sunset.
Before our arrival to the Grand National Park, we made a pit stop at the four corners monument. The outdoor temperature reading on the van was 100 degrees. For those that keep saying that the heat in Arizona is a "dry heat", your nuts!! Hot is Hot!!! The four corners monument turned out to be more fun than I thought. Everyone stands around the spot in a big circle waiting for their turn to take their pictures. It kind of reminded me of a school dance or a wedding reception when everyone stands in a big circle during a song and everyone waits there turn to show off their moves in the middle. Also at this site were craft tables set up around the monument selling Native American jewelry. Erika, Katie and SH purchased some nice trinkets. A quick wipe of the brow and we back on our way.
After our arrival to the National Park entrance, which was closed, we made a quick stop at the nearest overlook for our first view of the Grand Canyon. In the immortal words of Frank Barone, HOLY CRAP!!!, what a site!! Indescribable! We quickly got back in the vehicles in hopes to make it to the campsite before dark. Only to find out we had another 25 mile drive thru the park to search for the campsite. We arrived at the Grand Canyon village visitor center. It was pitch black. No lights in the parking lot or near the village area, which looked to be quite nice in the dark. Thank goodness for the iPhone flashlight app. It lead us around to try and find a way to see exactly where the campground was located. The village is very large and consists of several camping areas. There are 267 sites in our area, so finding this area posed to be our biggest challenge of the night. After totally blind luck, we happened upon the check in area for our sites. It was closed, but on the window was an alphabetical list of the site assignments. Also there was a park ranger, changing out the trash cans. He said that we could check in sometime the next morning. We arrived to our sites at 9:30pm and quickly set up the camper. We are veterans now so it ran like clockwork. Seriously, it went very smooth, with everyone knowing what they had to do to get everything set up as quickly as possible.
The sites are pull thru sites, meaning you just veer of the trail into your site. With the orientation of our site, the door to the trailer faces the trail and not facing the campsite. Not ideal, but in the dark and on a one way path, not too much you can do. This did not sit well with Mr. Harmon. He was determined to get the door facing into the campsite. To be honest, I was rooting for him. After 3 laps around our loop, he gave in and pull into their site. I have $10 riding on him making another effort in the morning. F.Y.I Mike, the men reading this are rooting for your success. I on the other hand am not the veteran camper and will be exiting the camper to the trail side of the site for the rest of the week.
After both vehicles were parked, the Harmon's quickly set up the camp stove for some hot dogs, brats and corn. Yum!!
After the meal everyone was pretty much beat from the day, so it was off to bed.
These site does not offer electric hookup, so for those that offered advice for helping me with my CPAP machine, I was able to find an invertor that I hooked directly to the marine battery on the camper. It worked like clock work. Now hopefully the battery will last the week.
Tomorrow will be a day if exploration and lots of picture taking.
Goodnight to everyone!!
Kurt
p.s. Susan wanted me to mention that the luggable loo was well worth the $15 dollar purchase.
The day started with breakfast, with the deer and a very much needed shower.
We then headed to the spruce tree house, which is part of the cave dwellings in Mesa Verde. Very interesting to see how the cliff dwellers habitated around 580ad to 1300ad. They also had pictures of what the ruins looked like when they were discovered back in the 1800's.
The best part of that trip was that we were able to leave the trailers at the campsite. No worries with up and down driving on the roads. Yippie!!
We got back to camp around 12:30pm and quickly hooked up the trailer and headed to the Walmart in Cortez for a refresh of groceries and supplies. The ride down the mountain with the trailer in tow was a stressful but successful one.
We headed on the daily car ride around 2:30pm with hopes that the Mapquest projected 5 hour drive would be true. Well, it wasn't! It turned out to be 7 hours long. Not a big deal on the surface, but we barely arrived in time to see the big hole in the ground before sunset.
Before our arrival to the Grand National Park, we made a pit stop at the four corners monument. The outdoor temperature reading on the van was 100 degrees. For those that keep saying that the heat in Arizona is a "dry heat", your nuts!! Hot is Hot!!! The four corners monument turned out to be more fun than I thought. Everyone stands around the spot in a big circle waiting for their turn to take their pictures. It kind of reminded me of a school dance or a wedding reception when everyone stands in a big circle during a song and everyone waits there turn to show off their moves in the middle. Also at this site were craft tables set up around the monument selling Native American jewelry. Erika, Katie and SH purchased some nice trinkets. A quick wipe of the brow and we back on our way.
After our arrival to the National Park entrance, which was closed, we made a quick stop at the nearest overlook for our first view of the Grand Canyon. In the immortal words of Frank Barone, HOLY CRAP!!!, what a site!! Indescribable! We quickly got back in the vehicles in hopes to make it to the campsite before dark. Only to find out we had another 25 mile drive thru the park to search for the campsite. We arrived at the Grand Canyon village visitor center. It was pitch black. No lights in the parking lot or near the village area, which looked to be quite nice in the dark. Thank goodness for the iPhone flashlight app. It lead us around to try and find a way to see exactly where the campground was located. The village is very large and consists of several camping areas. There are 267 sites in our area, so finding this area posed to be our biggest challenge of the night. After totally blind luck, we happened upon the check in area for our sites. It was closed, but on the window was an alphabetical list of the site assignments. Also there was a park ranger, changing out the trash cans. He said that we could check in sometime the next morning. We arrived to our sites at 9:30pm and quickly set up the camper. We are veterans now so it ran like clockwork. Seriously, it went very smooth, with everyone knowing what they had to do to get everything set up as quickly as possible.
The sites are pull thru sites, meaning you just veer of the trail into your site. With the orientation of our site, the door to the trailer faces the trail and not facing the campsite. Not ideal, but in the dark and on a one way path, not too much you can do. This did not sit well with Mr. Harmon. He was determined to get the door facing into the campsite. To be honest, I was rooting for him. After 3 laps around our loop, he gave in and pull into their site. I have $10 riding on him making another effort in the morning. F.Y.I Mike, the men reading this are rooting for your success. I on the other hand am not the veteran camper and will be exiting the camper to the trail side of the site for the rest of the week.
After both vehicles were parked, the Harmon's quickly set up the camp stove for some hot dogs, brats and corn. Yum!!
After the meal everyone was pretty much beat from the day, so it was off to bed.
These site does not offer electric hookup, so for those that offered advice for helping me with my CPAP machine, I was able to find an invertor that I hooked directly to the marine battery on the camper. It worked like clock work. Now hopefully the battery will last the week.
Tomorrow will be a day if exploration and lots of picture taking.
Goodnight to everyone!!
Kurt
p.s. Susan wanted me to mention that the luggable loo was well worth the $15 dollar purchase.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
White knuckle ice road truckers without the ice
Today's original plan was a 6-1/2 hour ride to Mesa Verde National Park. It turned into a 8 hour marathon white knuckle drive thru the Rocky Mountains.
The day started after a relatively sleepless night in the Garden of the Gods campground. A loud race car at 1am was the topper for the night. Tightly packed sardines was one description of the grounds. It felt like a scene out of the movie vacation. Holiday road baby!
We stopped at the Garden of the Gods park on our way out of Colorado Springs. It is highly recommended if you are ever in Colorado Springs.
While leaving town, we took a route that lead us down a huge hill. I had a tough time getting the van stopped at a stoplight. We got onto the freeway and a car come up beside us and pointed to the back of the van. We pulled off the side of the road and the rear brakes were smoking. Guess I need to learn to downshift while going downhill. We let them cool for a few minutes and got back on the freeway to continue the journey.
We made several trips up and down huge mountains and downshifting the van came in handy. I'm certainly no expert but we did not have another incident. The hight of the journey was at 12,000 feet to Wolf Ridge pass. There is a ski hill at the top. I can only imagine driving that route in the winter. No thank you!
We arrived at the Mesa Verde Campground a little past dark and the the check in desk had already closed. Thankfully that taped our campsite reservations to the window. A short drive and a dodge of a couple deer and we were at our sites.
Backing into the site went way more smoothly and the backup help did a great job directing me into the spot. The camper setup went quickly while the ladies got our spaghetti dinner ready. Well worth the wait. I'm glad we didn't stop for dinner.
We are excited for a day of adventure at the national park tomorrow.
The day started after a relatively sleepless night in the Garden of the Gods campground. A loud race car at 1am was the topper for the night. Tightly packed sardines was one description of the grounds. It felt like a scene out of the movie vacation. Holiday road baby!
We stopped at the Garden of the Gods park on our way out of Colorado Springs. It is highly recommended if you are ever in Colorado Springs.
While leaving town, we took a route that lead us down a huge hill. I had a tough time getting the van stopped at a stoplight. We got onto the freeway and a car come up beside us and pointed to the back of the van. We pulled off the side of the road and the rear brakes were smoking. Guess I need to learn to downshift while going downhill. We let them cool for a few minutes and got back on the freeway to continue the journey.
We made several trips up and down huge mountains and downshifting the van came in handy. I'm certainly no expert but we did not have another incident. The hight of the journey was at 12,000 feet to Wolf Ridge pass. There is a ski hill at the top. I can only imagine driving that route in the winter. No thank you!
We arrived at the Mesa Verde Campground a little past dark and the the check in desk had already closed. Thankfully that taped our campsite reservations to the window. A short drive and a dodge of a couple deer and we were at our sites.
Backing into the site went way more smoothly and the backup help did a great job directing me into the spot. The camper setup went quickly while the ladies got our spaghetti dinner ready. Well worth the wait. I'm glad we didn't stop for dinner.
We are excited for a day of adventure at the national park tomorrow.
Friday, August 10, 2012
Garden of the Gods campground
After a short ride today, we arrived at the Air Force Academy visitors center around 1pm. It was fun to visit again and this time with friends. We took the walking path to the chapel, which is a beautiful site to see. The First time we visited was at the end of the day, so we were rushed thru everything. This time we took our time and I'm glad we did. I noticed a huge beautiful organ in the chapel. They also have several rooms within the main chapel for other denominations. This time we also took in the 15 minute movie about the Air Force Academy. Very interesting about the dedication and honor of all of the cadets. After the visit to the AFA we made our way to the Garden of the Gods campground. After battling the traffic and an accident on the side if the road, we made it to grounds safe and sound. The first time of backing up a trailer was quite an adventure after almost ripping the oil pan off the car trying to pull into our spot. While looking in the mirror to get direction from the backing up help, I noticed her head down in her phone not paying attention to me and my task, whatsoever. Thankfully Mike was near by and had the patience to guide me into the parking spot. I later found out she was texting her cousin, who was nearby and joined us for dinner. It didn't make me feel much better, but I got over it.
Setting up the popup camper went pretty quick. The kids were very eager to help. Later I found out why. They figured the popup was there own fort to play in. I quickly became grumpy Gus and put an end to that. We'll see how much help they are next time, knowing we're only using them to sleep in. Safe bet it will be just the parents on that task next time. The first camp out dinner went great. Both Susan's adapted the menu well when we found out there were no fire pits at our sites. We'll save the potato packets on the fire for another night. Sloppy joes and macaroni salad was a great meal to end the day. We decided to save the Garden if the God tour until Saturday morning on our way out of town.
Tomorrow will bring a short trip thru the Garden of the Gods and then about a 6 hour drive to Mesa Verde and the cave dwellings.
Have a Great Night!!
Setting up the popup camper went pretty quick. The kids were very eager to help. Later I found out why. They figured the popup was there own fort to play in. I quickly became grumpy Gus and put an end to that. We'll see how much help they are next time, knowing we're only using them to sleep in. Safe bet it will be just the parents on that task next time. The first camp out dinner went great. Both Susan's adapted the menu well when we found out there were no fire pits at our sites. We'll save the potato packets on the fire for another night. Sloppy joes and macaroni salad was a great meal to end the day. We decided to save the Garden if the God tour until Saturday morning on our way out of town.
Tomorrow will bring a short trip thru the Garden of the Gods and then about a 6 hour drive to Mesa Verde and the cave dwellings.
Have a Great Night!!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
North Platte, Nebraska?
We are nearing the end of the first day of our trip. We arrived in North Platte exactly 12 hours after departure.
After explaining to the kids, the rules of the road, we departed around 7:15am. Our first stop was at Diamond Joes just over the Iowa border. Lunch was spent at the Agri-symbol park. Pretty cheesy but a welcome rest after 6 hours in the van. Despite our worries of kids bouncing off the vehicle walls, all in all the ride was pretty tame. After arriving, we had dinner at Ruby Tuesday. A quick dip in the pool and it's off to bed. Tomorrow should be half the drive and we'll be touring the Air Force Academy and camping at the Garden of the Gods campground. Should be a fun day!
After explaining to the kids, the rules of the road, we departed around 7:15am. Our first stop was at Diamond Joes just over the Iowa border. Lunch was spent at the Agri-symbol park. Pretty cheesy but a welcome rest after 6 hours in the van. Despite our worries of kids bouncing off the vehicle walls, all in all the ride was pretty tame. After arriving, we had dinner at Ruby Tuesday. A quick dip in the pool and it's off to bed. Tomorrow should be half the drive and we'll be touring the Air Force Academy and camping at the Garden of the Gods campground. Should be a fun day!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Is the Grand Canyon on your bucket list?
I've always wanted to take a trip to the Grand Canyon. Now at the age of 44, I'm one day away from a tent trailer trip to the GC with my family.
It all started last spring at our weekly Wednesday night dinner at church. We were sitting our friends, the Harmon's, when the subject of bucket lists came up. I mentioned always wanting to see the GC and the next thing you know the planning was under way for a trip to the Grand Canyon with the Rollings and the Harmon's.
While my family has never really "camped" before. Our idea of roughing it is no A/C in the hotel room. I thought it would be real fun to tow a popup trailer behind the van and make the most of it.
After months of planning, we are only a day away from the beginning of our trip. We are planning a 10 day trip through Nebraska, Colorado and Arizona.
With several stops along the way, this trip is assured of many adventures and making lasting memories.
I will be posting a daily blog during our trip. Stop back to read and look at pictures about our trip.
It all started last spring at our weekly Wednesday night dinner at church. We were sitting our friends, the Harmon's, when the subject of bucket lists came up. I mentioned always wanting to see the GC and the next thing you know the planning was under way for a trip to the Grand Canyon with the Rollings and the Harmon's.
While my family has never really "camped" before. Our idea of roughing it is no A/C in the hotel room. I thought it would be real fun to tow a popup trailer behind the van and make the most of it.
After months of planning, we are only a day away from the beginning of our trip. We are planning a 10 day trip through Nebraska, Colorado and Arizona.
With several stops along the way, this trip is assured of many adventures and making lasting memories.
I will be posting a daily blog during our trip. Stop back to read and look at pictures about our trip.
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