Midwest Motorhoming Trip - June 9th and 10th

June 9^th:

Right now it is 9:19pm, and we are still looking for a place to camp the night. Goblin’s Creek, which was down a 25 mile or so road, was full. This little itty bitty national park was full. Only the undesireable places nearer to Canyonlands than Bryce Canyon had availability. Looking back on it, we should have dry camped at Goblin’s Creek. Still, the night sky is looking lovely.

We were pretty exhausted from yesterday. Got a lateish start from the Arches National Park Visitors Center. We watched a little program about rocks and I sent off some post cards. We departed for Canyonlands, ready for another day of sights and sun. Canyonlands was mostly full of scenic views of the vast expanse of canyons upon canyons. We were viewing from Island in the Sky, which was one of the three main features of Canyonlands, the others being The Needles and..uhm…the third thing. Canyons. At Upheaval Dome, I made a card. It struggled to get away from me. The drop offs were staggering. I’m not one to be afraid of heights, but I was scared. In Arches, if you fell you didn’t have far to go. Here you had a long time to think about your life before you went splat. I made a second card at the Grand Viewpoint. I liked that one a lot more. Some of these cards are a textural mess, while others are quite majestic.

Canyonlands is a place of short hikes and extremely long hikes. We didn’t take any long ones.

At fiveish we departed to find a campground. Stopped for gas and dinner at Burger King, and as I said, we are still looking for a place. Might illegally camp for a time being, lest we get booted.

Today’s Portrait is: Mitch Hedberg

June 10^th:

So, we managed to spend the night illegally at a scenic spot without a ranger coming by and kicking us out. We moved the motorhome from the spot to the Visitors center at around 7:15ish, and as the center opens at 8, that wasn’t strange at all. Mother and father went for a bike ride as I slowly got to waking up.

We stamped our stuff in the visitors center, I bought a book and some stickers, ma bought a haul of goods and dad got a shirt and a mug. Then off we went for Bryce’s Canyon! While last night may have sucked, all that driving did put us just a mere 100 miles from the National Park. So a shorter drive than the ones we have been making.

After driving at terrifying heights really close to the edge with brakes that were smelling funny, we took a detour at this Anasazi museum in Boulder, Utah. It was a lovely little constructed museum, devoted to speaking about the things that were uncovered at a dig site (where there were once houses and stuff). You could also get really close to the original dig site, though obviously no touching was allowed. It was a nice rest, and soon we were off again.

Instead of trying to find a site at the end of the day, before even entering the park we checked into an RV park. Having a pool and laundry on site is fabulous. We got our spot, I got a magnet.

The great thing about Bryce’s Canyon National Park is that they have a shuttle bus that picks up people from outside the park and brings them around the park on a loop, and the busses come every 15 minutes or so, so you can get off, hike, buy stuff, get on and go to another place and hike. So today the motorhome stayed in its place and we just hoofed it. Well shuttle bus and hoof.

We took the whole shuttle bus loop and then disembarked at the visitors center. We got our stamps (all the national parks have little ink pad stamps) and some post cards. Watched another video about erosion and rocks. Then it was back on the shuttle bus for hike time!

Bryce’s Point was the start of our path. Bryce’s Canyon has such wonderful special spire mounds called Hoodoos. And they are quite epic to behold. But after hiking around the rim for an hour, it gets a little repetitive. Still, the light changed as we hiked and that gave us some new views. Really beautiful when the sun casts shadows through the Hoodoo formations. We got to Inspiration Point, and it was inspiring. And then Sunset Point. From there we took a bus to Sunrise point, got some ice cream (I squashed a souvenir penny) and waited for the next shuttle bus to take us out of the park.

We got back at around 7ish. We took a dip in the pool and hot tub. Perfect thing to do after a long days hike (several miles worth of hiking along the cliffside path). I showered. Mother worked on dinner. Father and I took our dirty clothes to the RV, Campground, Inn, etc. Compound’s Laundromat. We were much in need of some clean clothes. I was just about out of shirts, and when we eventually meet up with Nathan, none of us want to be that smelly. Dinner was consumed, then we went and threw the laundry in the dryer. Dad and I worked on crosswords till the laundry time was up. Some of it was still damp, so we rigged a clothes line in the motorhome.

Tomorrow is Bryce’s Canyon Part Two and then Zion.

Today’s Portait Is: John Hodgman

Midwest Motorhoming Trip - June 8th

June 8^th:

Arches!!! Arches National Park!

I got out of bed about when I woke up, because there would be no sleeping in today! We were set on spending all day in the park, as we paid for another day here in Moab. We’ve spent a lot of time on the road anyway, a day to walk and rest and enjoy some sites was much needed.

At 9:30ish we made it into Arches and right away it was magnificent. Just expansive and mostly untouched. Rock formations and plants and space as far as the eye can see. There were not many roads throughout the place, mostly just one with several loops. Would be easy to get lost and never found in there, if one wandered off. Still, with the impressive arch landmarkers, it would be hard to stay lost. Just walk towards one and there is sure to be a trail. Every single arch seemed to have a name.

We stopped at a scenic spot and this was our first of three run ins with a nice young guy named James. There were many people I saw multiple times through the day, but James was the only one with which we made conversation.

Between each scenic spot we took a rest of various lengths, were we nibbled on food and hydrated.

North and South Windows was probably the highlight of the park for us. My second post card of the day (my first was at Courthouse Columns or something of that nature) was in the shade of North Windows. They were the perfect balance of hike and view. Some things that were obviously pretty required a heck of a trek (the iconic Delicate Arch was a three mile hike which we did not take).

After Windows we had sandwiches for lunch and then walked down a ways to see some more sites.

Balancing Rock was neat, though a lot smaller up close. We walked around it and took pictures. I’ll upload pictures of the trip at the end. I ended up with about 50-60 pictures from today alone.

Dry heat is nice because you don’t get so sticky with sweat, but it is also really easy to get dehydrated. And the water tastes funky in Utah. Not nice Pacific Northwest water.

We trekked the Delicate Arch viewpoint, which gives a nice view of it from the distance. I did my third postcard there. I used sun block consistently; Dad did not and ended up with a red neck. Mom slightly did, but is still a bit pink in spots. I think I got some color but I’m not burnt, all though the back of my arms are a tad pink. Because I worked with my back to the sun, they were the most exposed.

I wore sneakers so I didn’t have to worry about my tattoo getting exposed. Gotta take care of that. It is almost fully healed.

At the Sand Dunes Arch, I sat on the sand and made my fourth and final watercolor post card of the day. A cute little girl named Anya was playing in the sand. She was very pleasant.

We took a small section of the Devil’s Garden hike. There were some Austrian biker men on the path, that was neat. Such great views. I wish I could spend more time painting them. Too bad it was easily 90 degrees. But I did quite well with the heat, all things considered.

All in all, Arches is very beautiful. We spent eight hours exploring it, which seemed to be just the right amount of time. Took many breaks and didn’t push ourselves. Just allowed enjoyment of the natural beauty of the world.

I got a “you have a real talent” and a “that’s no paint by numbers!” in regards to my postcard making. Love it!

We returned at 6:30 and promptly took a dip in the pool. Dinner was burgers, vegetables, and rice pilaf. Delicious! I gulped down juice. We followed it up with an episode of Last Chance to See, hosted by Stephen Fry. Tomorrow we leave Moab and go to Canyon Lands!

Today’s Portrait is: Tim Minchin

Midwest Motorhoming Trip - June 6th to the 7th

June 6^th:

Today required a lot of on the road time to get out of Idaho. Woke up early, because of motorhome time lag (yes, that is a thing). Had some hash browns and toast. Everything is cooked for me, it is lovely. Plus I’m probably eating a bit healthier because we consciously try to get all the food groups.

It was warm. We rode our bikes down to the Lewis and Clark Center Thingy. Took some pictures with ye olde covered wagons. We went past these tents that were for an Idaho State University thing, according to mom and dad. Saw an old fashioned ferry. Road back, got on Wifi and uploaded a blog entry. Then off we went for Utah!

Well, we had to stop for fudge on the way out of Glenns Ferry, Idaho. Fudge and ice cream. Naturally. Then we were off again!

On the way, we stopped at a ranch supply store. Dad got some fittings. It was a wonderful place. Ranch supplies, guns, camouflage, two aisles devoted to cowboy hats, all the toys were hunting and ranching oriented, fishing tackle. Completely unapologetic about its devotion to animals, both in the raising and killing of them. There were even coyote traps. And everyone was so friendly and had a lovely slight accent.

Lunch was served at a rest stop: tuna fish sandwiches. The wind and rain picked up for a miserable strip of road. The wind was so furious that dad had some series driving to do. Had to keep the motorhome on all four wheels. It was swaying back and forth and it was very scary. Ma and I sat on the other side for a bit to help with weight. I don’t know what we would have done had the motorhome tipped all the way over. That would have been quite the crash. Still, we made it safely into Utah. Where it was gray and rainy and windy. BOO!!

We will be headed further South tomorrow.

Today’s campground of choice was Antelope Island State Park, Utah. We drove through Ogden to get here. We paid at this little booth for our campsite. The way to the island was a road built on a manmade strip of land. It was lengthy and pretty, though the weather wasn’t so sunny. The island was a lot larger than we expected and it loomed up at us. The campground itself didn’t have much privacy between the sites. I worked on a postcard outside and the wind almost took my hat away, and it snatched my postcard twice. But I learned to listen for the incoming wind to defend against its wrath. There were buffalo on the hill and I went up and waved at them. Later, the two buffalo came down the hill! Into the campground! They grazed in the unoccupied spaces as people took pictures. I got within about 20 feet. I am so in love with buffalo now. Adorable, huge, lumbering things. They moved so slowly but without a care in the world. No wonder they were so easy to nearly wipe out. They were great entertainment, even though they didn’t much. Just ate and looked around.

Dinner was chicken and last night’s soup. And fudge.

Today’s Portrait is: Steve McQueen.

June 7^th:

It was windy all through the night, but the motorhome didn’t tip over. I had a bite of weird oatmeal in the morning and some cocoa. Then off we went…to the visitors center (and a stop off at a view point). I bought a stuffed buffalo toy. So cute.

Shortly after Salt Lake City, we stopped at Costco. Dad bought the new Clive Cussler book and some jeans. It was weird. The layout of this Costco was the same, it was just a mirror image. Everything was backwards and didn’t make sense.

We also breaked for ice cream and I dropped off my postcards. Six in the mail, headed for lovely people!

It was another long six plus hours on the road day. There was traffic and then there was just road. Plateaus to the left, expanses to the right. Maybe some mountains in the far distance. It just went on and on and on, and so much sky. Rocks and sky. So very different yet lovely.

We almost spent the night at Green River State Park, but the town looked positively deserted and the park was very unappealing. The whole place was odd and we decided to spend the extra 30 minutes and go straight on to Arches National Park and Moab.

Unfortunatley the campground at Arches was full up. So we got our stamps and some stickers and went to Moab to find a place. And luckily grabbed the last available spot at an RV Park. They had a pool so, after we got situated, we took a lovely dip in it.

Dinner was hot dogs and mashed potatoes. Tomorrow: ARCHES! HIKING!

Today’s Portrait is: Harrison Ford.

Midwest Motorhoming Trip - June 2nd to the 5th

June 2^nd, 2011

Had a nice sleep. Got up around 10ish and had some toast and tea. Took my sweet time getting ready and getting to the portraits. Then at around noon I found out that we were leaving for Utah TONIGHT! Dad had told me Friday. Egads! I had errands to run. So I hopped in the Prius and drove to town. First swung by the bank and deposited a check for mom and my Odd Owl moneys. Then I went to Game Stop and picked up a copy of Pokémon Black, because I felt like reveling in some nostalgia. Then I swung by Artist’s Edge to get another stack of watercolor postcards. Art stores out of Portland get so expensive, boo. It was raining furiously and then tepidly and then not at all and then ferociously. I was hopefully dressed in cut offs, but reasonably wore a sweater.

Once home I got to packing. Dug some shirts out of my storage tubs as well as a couple books. I powered out about 10 more portraits all while ma and pa were nagging me. Then WOOSH I got it all done and online and set to autopost. So long as we return by the 19^th, all will be well.

I loaded my stuff into the camper, grabbed a hat for the sun, and off for Rainbow Falls we departed! About a two hour journey. I played my game as the sun went down. We are the only ones in the campground tonight. Dad made ravioli and theres some buttered bread for dipping. I think we shall watch some Doctor Who. Tomorrow there will be exploring by bike and then on the road. I promised Karen to draw her a picture from the Arches.

Today’s Portrait is: Bruce Willis

June 3^rd

Woke up a couple times before I actually hauled myself out of bed. Had some cocoa with a slice of toast slathered with Nutella. It was a nice day, and the weather maintained.

We three rode our bikes down to look at the VERY underwhelming Rainbow Falls. It was barely a 10 foot high fall. Hardly worth naming a camp ground for. Satisfied with our early day excursion, we hopped on the road and headed for Mt. Rainier and the Ohanapecosh camp ground. It was a pretty quick journey, no longer than a couple hours. We arrived at another mostly empty campground at around 3:15ish. We paid up and had a lovely lunch of green beans, chili, hot dogs (that were chicken dogs)and some soda. I worked on a postcard and fought the mosquitos away. Fully sated, we road to the trail head by bike, locked them up, and set off for Silver Falls. Well, first we did the 30 minute loop, and then we decided to additionally hike the 1.2 miles to check out the second batch of falls. It was mostly uphill but worth it. The falls were massive. Legitimate falls. Not dinky, no way jose. The loop was also mostly uphill on the way back, and was 1.3 miles. After half an hour of huffing and puffing, we made it. Thankfully it was a nice day with no rain. Just sun and mild warmth. Dinner was not needed, so we roasted marshmallows on the fire and then watched an episode of Tales Of/From the City. Ohhh some of the actors are so young! Tomorrow we leave Washington for Oregon, camp there and do some stuff. We are also crossing the rockies. Dry land, here we come! And the day after that, we shoot for Utah. Whoo!

Today’s Portrait is: Jean-Claude Van Damme

June 4^th

It’s weird how sleeping in doesn’t really happen when camping. All though mom and dad beg to differ that 9:30am is not early. Had some bacon and tea for breakfast. After we vacated our spot we swung by the Ranger Station Placey Thingy. I picked up a WPA postcard featuring the National Park we were in and mom got one of those National Park passport things. National Parks all have little stamps that you use in these passport thingies, I stamped my notebook. It had the date and said Ohanapecosh. How neat. It’ll be fun when we get more stamps over time. Anyway, we moved on to Oregon from there. The Rockies were effortlessly passed and soon the landscape flattened into the dull tan-ish green with shallow hills and hills that only thrive because of irrigation. That went on for a while. Amazing that people don’t go crazy from the repetition.

We stopped by a Safeway and picked up food. In the parking lot we had a lunch of bread, turkey, and a cornucopia of cheese. Brie. Feta. Goat cheese. So much cheese. From there we moved on, and didn’t go quit as far as planned.

At five thirtyish we arrived and Emigrant Springs. This campground had cabins you could rent and was about half full of people. Early June continues to be the best time to camp. I remember when I was younger and how much I would sit in the truck as we toured around trying to find a campground with an open site.

The Ranger lady had a cougar pelt on display and really nicely taxidermied bob cat. She lamented the decreased budget for preserving critters. I remarked “due to these harsh economic times, funding for taxidermy has gone way down” or something along those lines. Such a shame. Taxidermy is so cool.

Dinner was hamburgers, corn, potatoes au gratin, and asparagus (for the parents). After that we ventured to this scenic spot the park ranger mentioned. The spot was an overlook of this vast valley. Two rangers and a bunch of other campers showed up (because the ranger mentioned the place to us) and under the guidance of the rangers, we looked for bears on the side of the mountain. It was tricky because they were so far away, but with the aid of mother’s zoom lens Dad found a cinnamon colored on. Mom failed to locate it in the view finder, but I did. We wandered off from the group for a while and came back to listen to the ranger talk about bears (she had a taxidermied bear on hand, a smallish one).

Back at the camp site we stoked a fire, had some beverages, and watched the second episode of Tales From the City. Tomorrow it is destination Utah! Hopefully.

Today’s Portrait is: Errol Flynn

June 5^th

Pancakes for breakfast! Yaay! They were delicious.

We took a little bike ride to check out the rest of Emigrant Springs. We found this historical marker that Ezra Meeker placed there to mark the original Oregon Trail. Pretty nifty. At 11ish or so we left the camp ground and headed east once again for Idaho, and ultimately Utah. Today was a long driving day.

Though we did have a stop in Baker City. I posted two postcards and we checked out this museum. It was a bit of a glorified knick knack museum and some of the exhibit displays left a lot to be desired. Still, there were some impressive rocks. Some cool old timey materials. Some old guns. And a lot of trust on the museums part to not have the attendees mess with stuff. There was an old letterpress and type catalog. Such a shame that perfectly good lead type is just gathering dust in this way out in the middle of nowhere museum.

Lunch was served in transit. Mother made crème cheese on rice cracker snacks with turkey breast. We listened to Lord of the Rings, but it was more a theatrical rendition than a full on audio book. We crossed over into mountain time. The tan green landscape just extended out forever. So endless. And far far away.

We made it to Three Islands State Park in Idaho at around 6ish. The motorhome was having some troubles but it was probably just very tired. We set up camp and have a gorgeous view of this wide open plain area thingy. Mom and dad took a bike ride and I worked on some post cards. Dinner was salad and stew. Healthy.

There is limited wifi at this campground, so I’m taking the time to get stuff up.

Today’s Portrait is: Dolph Lundgren