Wednesday June 30th

This is Sam. OK, so the blog may not be in chronological order. Today we visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. No pictures or words can capture the rugged beauty that our Creator has crafted. We went from 5000 ft to 9000 ft at the rim. The RV struggled a little, but we made it. We are now in St. George, Utah. The temperature went from 75 degrees at the rim to 105 degrees here. But it's a dry heat, uh huh.

Oh, and we had a 'mini-tow' yesterday. The RV had to be towed 1 block to the Road Runner Auto Mechanics. It turns out that the fuel pump fuse blew right in the middle of an intersection. I don't really know why. Everytime the engine hesitates, so does my heart. Is this the next breakdown?

Tomorrow we plan to drive through Las Vegas and visit the Hoover Dam. And then? We don't know yet. Somewhere in California.

Here are some photos.

You lose some quality during the uploads, sorry. The above photo is a cross-eyed 3D photo. Tilt your head upward and focus on the tip of your nose. The 2 photos turn into 3 photos. Slowly begin to focus on the newly formed middle photo. Keep trying until the middle photo turns 3D. Pretty neat.

You can barely see the people on top of the rock.

A desert flower.

My desert flower.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Hit the road again headed to Zion National Park. The song, "We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion" kept playing in my head. Now, it is again.

We did absolutely nothing on Monday. Sammy needed to rest. He has yet to hand over the reins to anybody else. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a complaint. The way the wind keeps blowing, I don't necessarily want to have to hold this RV on the road. But, because of this, Sammy gets tired and needed to chill. The kids played in the pool, in the playground and even rented these bicycle things.

We had a slight breakdown scare on the way to Zion. Just before making a left turn towards the park, the engine cut off and wouldn't start. While the nose of our vehicle stuck just slightly out in the intersection, Sammy was able to determine the problem. Wanna guess? The fuel pump wasn't working. Yes, you read it right, the fuel pump. Without uttering a word, we both scanned the town wondering where we would be spending the next couple days. We weren't there but a minute or two when someone from the city determined we needed help and less than two minutes later we were being pulled with a log chain behind a city truck to a service center a block away. Somehow they managed to squeeze our RV between the parked cars and a car wash. I assume our presence was a little overwhelming in this small spot because one of the mechanics came out immediately to access the situation. Sammy informed J.T., our newest mechanic, the fuel pump wasn't hitting a lick and J.T. informed us they had no way of helping us with this huge contraption in their shop. He did say it very nicely, though. I then asked if possibly he had a match we might use to set it ablaze. J.T. smiled. Fearing for the safety of his business, J.T. retreated into the mechanics lair and returned posthaste with some kind of meter. With this meter, it was determined we had a blown fuse. Sammy almost cried tears of joy when the engine roared with life after replacing the fuse. He still has slight concern that there is still a bigger problem that caused the fuel pump fuse to blow. Sammy crawled under the RV to verify all connections were tight, and they were. Now armed with a collection of replacement fuses, we continue on our journey.

Zion National Park was beautiful, but there were bunches of people. The trail we chose to hike was crowded. We should have known if you choose a handicapp accessible trail there might be a lot of people. But at the end of this trail you have to walk upstream to get to the final destination. Craig and Jake took on the challenge and Craig even decided to cool off in the park waters. When exiting the park, we chose to travel through the tunnel. Because we were in a RV, we had to pay extra for this privilege. The tunnel was built in 1930 and wasn't designed to accommodate bigger vehicles, therefore, they have to stop traffic coming from the other side and we travel through straddling the center line. It is a 1.1 mile journey through the tunnel. We head to the big canyon tomorrow. The north rim is our ambition. It is supposed to be less crowded than the south rim. We'll see.

New Rule: When marching to Zion, carry extra fuses.

RV was too big to fit in dumpster and J.T. wouldn't let me borrow his torch cutter to try and make it fit

The water in Zion park was a beautiful emerald green



We made it through unscathed

Addie and Hoke wear themselves out each night while making their beds

The sky over the Lake Dardanelle State Park Campground in Arkansas

A Rare Bird in Arches National Park

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Just some arch we stopped at while driving down the road



Remember at the beginning of this blog when I said I wasn't proofreading anything nor was I checking spelling, well, my family is doing it for me. They are happy to point out where I've mispelled or didn't get the date right or even typed in the wrong state. I will continue to be imperfect to give these ingrates something to do besides whine for their next meal.

We didn't get to visit the four corners because they're closed due to construction. Sammy wondered what kind of construction was needed for a plaque in the ground. Regardless, we have to miss this photo opportunity. Today we made a short trip to the Arches National Park. It was neat, but, so far, the Canyonlands were more impressive, in my opinion. I still wish I could get the video thing to work. Craig missed most of today's festivities. He spent most of the day in the camper "sick". We left there and traveled to Cedar City, Utah. Hoke got too hot and the motion from the vehicle caused him to get sick. I don't care how bad the toilet smells while traveling at 60+ mph at 100+ degrees, I was grateful to have it today. We went through a whole case of water today. Unbelievable how much water we have to drink. Even Hoke is drinking water now. Every time I tell him to drink water at home, he turns up his nose. As I update this, it is now 10:00 Monday morning and we are sitting outside drinking coffee. The weather is pleasant for now, but will get brutally warm soon. I forgot to mention they have to heat the pools here because it gets so cold at night.

I will have to say, even if you never get to visit inside the national parks, the landscape is extraordinary. Just driving down the highway leaves you speechless. Our Creator is an amazing artist.

My juveniles, defacing public property, again.

These pictures were taken before we ever made it to the Arches National Park. There was a place to pullover and there were several families stopped, too. The climb up wasn't the best, but the climb down was tricky. Sand, loose rocks and steep terrain made for a slow decline.

Balanced Rock at the Arches National Park

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Left Cortez, Colorado and stopped by the Canyonlands National Park on our way to Moab, Utah. Yes, we are Moabites for a night. The scenery through the Canyonlands was spectacular. Pictures cannot describe. We stopped to hike the Pothole Point. It amazed us that there were so few people there. In hiking these paths along the canyontop, we were supposed to follow the stacks of rocks. Of course, these boys pointed to the huge rocks and decided those were stacks. One by one, each of them scrambled to the tops of the rocks and I soon followed. As soon as I started on the path recommended by Jake, I smelled the unforgettable smell of cat pee. It didn't help that the scenery looked exactly like something you would see on the news where someone was attacked by a mountain lion. As soon as I verbalized what I smelled, each child made a rapid descent. Except for Hoke, he skipped along oblivious to my concern. Unlike many parks, where there are handrails and fences to keep people from certain demise, these trails are open to any outcome.

New rule for today: No fighting near the edge of a cliff!

Quote of the day: "Gross Jake, you need to shave your toes!"

We stopped at another trail and Jake, Addie and Hoke hiked down into the canyon. Craig stood at the edge and took pictures. Craig stumbled on the way back to the camper, but luckily didn't break the camera. I had already told him, he was insured but the camera wasn't. I waited in the camper for a few minutes and heard something on top. I grabbed the video camera to go outside and a huge raven came swooping down from top. I went back inside to change.

Addie took this picture from down in the canyon. Those specks on the cliff are me and Sammy.

Cliff Palace at the Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Friday, June 25, 2010

Visited the Mesa Verde National Park today. It was cool. This is the park where the Indians built their houses in the cliffs. It was cool. I could totally live there. We took two tours. The first we got to climb a 35' ladder up the side of a cliff to reach the dwelling. To exit this tour, one had to crawl through a small tunnel. New rule for today, No skipping along the cliff edge!! Hoke almost started to hyperventilate while climbing the ladder. The ranger told us not to look down, but does Hoke listen? I wish I could figure out how to get video uploaded to the blog. Jake is helping, but, so far, unsuccessful. The second tour, Addie started to get altitude sickness. She almost fainted. We left the tour early with the group ahead of ours. Jake thanked her for getting "sick" because he was getting bored. I was ready to leave the tour because one of the other tourists stood right behind me and was making this awful tongue smacking sound. I thought I was going to scream. I need to thank Addie, too.

35' ladder up the side of the cliff

Tiny tunnels to crawl through

Cliff Palace

Wild Horses from the Ute Indian Reservation

Thursday, June 24, 2010

We took our time leaving the Albuquerque KOA. Of course, we forgot to make a left turn and ended up in Cortez, Colorado. Actually, we meant to go to Cortez. The only thing we did today was fill the propane tank since the relief valve had almost emptied the contents. Beat that for fun.

Day Five

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

It didn't take long for us to realize we weren't going anywhere besides Tucumcari, New Mexico today. The suite was available for one more night and we took advantage of it. The motel gave us free breakfast at a restaurant down the street and the restaurant manager came and picked us up and delivered us, just like they had the night before when she also stopped at the grocery store so Craig could get some cards. The owner of the Blue Swallow, graciously, gave us a ride to the community pool. She just put a sign on the door and we loaded up. We weren't even there an hour before the kids were ready to go. Instead of calling to get a ride back to the motel, we just walked. It was 105 degrees, but felt like in the eighties. The fuel pump they installed wasn't working so we have to wait until tomorrow morning to get another one. They haven't even started on the tires or wheel bearings. Sammy is just about ill at the nits that said this vehicle was road-worthy. Thankfully, the folks at the repair shop are very nice and accommodating. I just wish their toilet wouldn't keep stopping up. There are two other RV's sitting in the same shop with the same problems as ours. A truck with a camper was sitting with a blown engine. One of the families dubbed this area the Tucumcari Triangle. I had to agree with their observation.

Our stop for two days

Sammy dubbed this the Tucumcari Auto Pros and RV park

Our shuttle from motel to restaurant

Jake had been making some kind of idiotic face, but stopped just before snapping the picture. Craig looks thrilled doesn't he? We were the only people in the Pow-Wow restaurant eating breakfast that morning.

Day Six

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

We finally are back on the road again today. New tires, new fuel pump and new wheel bearings. Apparently, the reason the tire lost tread was because the front wheels were toed out 1". They fixed that, too. At this point, it now would have officially been cheaper to rent. The ride is so much smoother and the gas mileage appears to be better, too. It was starting to storm as we got on the highway and we actually pulled over for a while until the wind gusts decreased. The scenery is starting to change in New Mexico. The houses have an adobe architecture and there are lots of plateaus dotting the horizon. We made it to the Albuquerque Central KOA for the night. They, of course, are having record high temperatures and the wind gusts were as much as 56 mph. Glad to get off that highway.

Chillin' at the Tucumari Auto Pros

Supervisor Sammy

Sammy and new friend, Paul

Goodbye garage at the Blue Swallow Motel

Goodbye Blue Swallow Hotel Suite

Monday, June 21, 2010

In case you can't tell, Addie and Hoke left their mark at the Cadillac Ranch

So today the fun began. I talked Sammy into slowing down the pace and we took a trip south of Amarillo to the Palo Duro Canyon. It was neat, but I imagine it will pale in comparison to what we will see later on this trip. Of course, we couldn't leave Texas without a quick stop at the famous Cadillac Ranch. There were cans of spray paint littering the landscape and each child searched until successfully finding the treasure of a non-empty can. I only wished that had been the highlight of the day. I haven't decided if the highlight was when we had to change a tire on the side of a busy interstate or having the RV towed into the next nearest town to have the fuel pump replaced. About one mile before reaching the New Mexico state line the tread flew off the right front tire. Luckily, it was on the right side, and I use the term "luckily" loosely. It is somewhat uncomfortable with the RV sitting on a small jack while trucks fly by and cause it to sway. We couldn't get the wheel changed fast enough. So, back on the highway, we traveled one mile to the New Mexico welcome center. As we came to a stop in the parking lot, the RV spit and sputtered and cut off. Sammy cranked it again and it didn't like it. He gave it gas and it backfired. Basically, we talked sweet to the RV and it spit in our face. I will now declare the highlight of the day to be when we had the RV towed into a Tumcumcari, New Mexico repair shop and we got to stay at the Blue Swallow Motel on Old Route 66. The repair shop determined the fuel pump was bad and would have us on the road by twelve the next day.

I could tell my boys not the build something like this at our house and within days we would have it built.

Skeery

Yes, the tow truck is pink

Our stop on Route 66

Third day of trip, Sunday, June 20, 2010.

After an earlier start, Sammy, once again, put the petal to the metal. Have I mentioned our gas mileage stinks? Our plan was to make it through a good portion of Texas today, and we did. Somewhere is Arkansas, the roadkill changed from raccoon to armadillo. The wind what was sweeping 'ore the plains didn't make for good driving. Of course, I didn't drive in the wind, I am just going by what Sammy says. The trees, or what few there are of them were leaning north in both Oklahoma and Texas from the wind constantly blowing them that direction. Sammy kept the steering wheel in a constant left position just to keep the RV straight. I asked him how it felt with the wind whipping us around then a big truck passing by pushing us and he said that is didn't make much difference. That wears me out just thinking about driving like that all day. Learning the secret to cooking in the camper. If you have to stand up while riding, keep your legs apart and your knees bent. That way, you can keep your balance as you go with the bouncing and swaying. Also, don't keep your dirty dish pan, with dirty dishes in it, on the countertop while in motion, unless you want your coffee cups broken. Also falling apart in the RV today was the curtain rod, a small metal support bar under an outside compartment and another compartment door was deformed. The door deformation was caused by the propane tank pressure relief valve releasing it's pressure while going down the road. It released three times while driving, but the first time we were all sure something had come loose and we were dragging. It was a horrible sound, but lasted only seconds. We bunked for the night at the Overnite RV Park in Amarillo, TX. The wind was blowing so hard, we felt like we were still moving.

Largest cross in the northern hemisphere

Texas rest area/tornado shelter

Man, that sign was big.

These windmills are huge and I am pretty sure there are millions of them.

Made it all the way through Oklahoma today.

Second day of trip, Saturday, June 19, 2010. Sammy drove for about 10 hours today, only stopping for gas. I've learned to cook while traveling. The biggest problem is keeping your balance as we bounce along. What has been extra nice is not having to stop for bathroom breaks (except Sammy) every other hour. There is just enough room in the RV that the kids are getting along pretty well. I am having to find a way to hang our wet towels and bathing suits while we keep moving. Those little sticky hooks are doing the trick. The bathroom wall is now covered with towels and suits. Not too pleasing to the eye, but hey, you do what you gotta do. Observations of Arkansas, they people are super friendly, the landscape is gorgeous, but the heat is stifling.

We were fortunate enough to get to the Lake Dardenhelle State Park in Russellville, Arkansas just in time to get a spot for the night. The sun was setting and the place was absolutely gorgeous. We all wished we could spend more time here, but as vowed by Sammy Ballard, we were on the road at 7:52 in the morning. As we pulled out, all four young'uns were still snoozing. Weird, we seemed to have a lot more energy not having to drag and push four extras to get ready to go.

Mississippi River

Made it into Arkansas.