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Coast Guard Day—the Alaska Way!
It was a cool 65 degrees as Kodiak celebrated Coast Guard Day, Saturday, August 2nd. A large family style cookout was held in the helicopter hangar complete with hamburgers, hotdogs, bratwursts, chicken and all the sides. Many children activities were stationed inside the hangar such as moon bounces, a batting cage, inflatable obstacle course, face painting, balloon pop and the ever popular balloon animals. Static displays of the C-130 and H-60 Jayhawk let many small children climb aboard and pretend to be Coast Guard pilots and aircrew. Oversized trike races were entertaining to watch. It almost looked like the child would fall off if they leaned the wrong way! Since Kodiak is known for the rain, most of the activities were held indoors. I’m sure Elizabeth City had hot sunny skies grace them on Coast Guard Day! All in all, it was a great festive day with many people in attendence. And the great part was the Air Station had Monday, August 4th off as well. I mean, it is officially Coast Guard Day!
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Fishing in Alaska
We fished for the first time on Monday, July 28th. At first we thought it was going to be unsuccessful. We did have a tour guide, well sort of. He is one of Mick’s friends in the Coast Guard, so it was nice to have a “local” showing us the hot spots for fishing. We started on Russian Creek and then tried Sarge Creek. Nothing seemed to be biting. We finally ended at the Buskin River almost at the mouth. Since the tide was coming in, the fish were flopping around right in the river! We kept casting out and nothing would take! The boys were being such great troopers too. They would keep throwing out the lures and reeling them in. And each time, they truly thought they’d catch one of those big salmon. However, if something did take their lure, probabaly the pole and my child would be down the river! Mick finally had a few bites and one salmon was almost on the river bank but spit out the lure. After almost giving up, he got another hit and reeled it in! It was quite exciting! Our first time to fish in Alaska and he brings in a nice pink salmon. It was 24 inches long and weighed roughly 6.5 pounds. What a great first catch! Our guide showed us the proper way to gut and fillet it. And the next day, we ate the delicious salmon and even Joey, my youngest had a bite. So we have the fishing fever. I hear the salmon are running late this year, so hopefully we can fill the freezer before winter sets in.
Our next big adventure is halibut fishing with the same guide this coming Monday. It’s a holiday since we’re celebrating Coast Guard Day. I hope I bring great news of tons of halibut we caught during the day.
Enjoy your weekend!! By the way to all the people suffering from heat exhaustion, it’s only 60 degrees and quite foggy today. I heard a local say that summer finally hit and it was only a high of 75 degrees. She was sweating and I was still wearing my long pants. I guess I’ll have to adjust slowly.
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Mick goes fishing
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Never underestimate the importance of…
I have a story to share. We’ve been on the island for about three weeks now, but it hasn’t been without excitement!
We decided to take a drive toward Anton Larson Bay in the car. The car is a 2002 Chevy Impala, so it sits a little bit low, but not like a low-rider or anything like that! The road started out paved but quickly went to gravel with numerous pot holes. It wasn’t bad and we were able to dodge the holes with pretty good ease. So up and down the mountain we went and the road was quite windy, but the scenery was very beautiful! We made it to a boat ramp where many trucks were parked with boat trailers and not a soul was in sight. As we continued down the road, a sign said, “road narrows,” and we thought nothing of it. We figured it it got bad, we’d turn around and get the Jeep. After we made it to the end of the road, we turned around and we somewhere between the boat ramp and the end when we hit a decent sized pot hole. It sounded bad, but nothing was clunking or creaking or smoking so we drove on. Only 100 yards down the road, the low oil light came on the car and Mr. Mick saw the line of oil in the rear view mirror. Oh no…oil is leaking so it must be from the large pot hole. We turned off the car and investigated the problem. There was a hole in the oil pan, big enough to fit a person’s finger. We had no way to plug the hole at the time and no oil to put in the car anyways, so we started to walk. Thankfully, a family of kayakers graciously drove us back to the RV.
Mr. Mick got some sort of JB Weld like stuff to try and patch the hole, but that was unsuccessful. So the next morning, we drove the Jeep out in hopes of just towing the car home. However, I wasn’t looking forward to towing the car on a very pot holy road that twisted and turned up and down the mountain. Thankfully, our great minds thought alike. One should never underestimate the importance of a tampon. We both thought that we could use a tampon to plug the hole temporarily and be able to drive the car home! And that’s just what happened. So men, before you start to harass the ladies in your life, you might want to rethink that and stock up on some super absorbent tampons for your car care kit. They are a lifesaver!
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WE MADE IT!!!!
Yes, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve blogged…and I am truly sorry!!!! While we were in Homer, Alaska, the Internet connection was horrible and I could barely check regular e-mail. Which by the way, Homer is a quaint fishing town. There’s not much else to do there but fish and it’s absolutely beautiful as well!
But we did arrive on Kodiak Island Monday, July 14th. The ferry was pretty good. I could feel the waves around 3 a.m. and was thankful I took some Dramamine to ease my stomach. Thankfully, the weather and seas were pretty good. We were welcomed on the island by some friends whose daughter held up a cute sign for us! It was great!!!! And it was actually sunny when we got off the ferry…how thankful were we?!
But for the past few days, we’ve been house hunting, checking in with medical, finding the Wal-Mart and other places Kodiak has to offer. It looks like we will enjoy it here even though we are stuck on an island. There’s plenty of places to fish, hike, kayak and explore. I am looking forward to getting out there and taking my boys for a hike and catching tons of fish!!! Fish on!
So hopefully, you’ll keep reading as I experience Kodiak, Alaska and I thank you so very much for coming along with me and my family as we journeyed across America. I hope you enjoyed reading and I enjoyed writing as well. Thank you for your support!!!
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Take the Last Train to Whittier…
It was a seven hour train ride yesterday…yes, I said seven hours. What else are you going to do when it’s rainy and cloudy in Anchorage? And the boys have been asking for a train ride ever since they saw one in Texas, so they got one!!
We took the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Whittier, that was the plan anyways. But after talking to the bar car lady, or bistro lady, or waitress lady, she said that there’s nothing to do in Whittier except catch a glacier cruise tour, so she suggested we stay on the train. After brief discussions about whether or not to get off the train in Whittier, we decided to stay on. So from Whittier, we went to Portage (again) and then to Spencer, Grandview and to Trail Glacier. We saw a few glaciers along the way, a black bear in a tree and many waterfalls and beautiful mountains. Even though the sun was blocked by the clouds and rain drizzled on us all day, it made for a very scenic day. The boys enjoyed standing in the vestibule, an area where they stand between the cars and have fresh air and rain in the face! Even though it was a seven hour train ride, it was a nice way to see the mountains and some glaciers.
Today, July 9th, we puttered around town shopping at various locations. Apparently our trip to Anchorage wouldn’t be complete without some cooked reindeer from a street vendor on 4th Street. So after shopping at chain stores like Best Buy, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Sam’s and lunch at the non-chain Sourdough Mining Company and viewing the chocolate fountain (3,600 pounds of chocolate) at Alaskan Wildberry Company we split a mild reindeer on a bun with sauteed onions. It was pretty tasty and if I was ever in the downton are again, I think we’d get one again!
So another is done in Anchorage. Tomorrow we’ll pack up and head to Homer to see what kind of trouble we can get into. Again, thank you for reading! I really appreciate the nice comments and thoughtful words!!
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Got a case of the Monday’s?
I think I had a case of the Monday’s today. However, it was cloudy and rained off and on today in Anchorage, so maybe it was just the weather. Even though it’s light late into the night, we got to bed at a decent hour, but I just didn’t feel rested today. I must get used to the weather!!
We drove into Anchorage today and puttered around a bit. Let’s see if I can remember what we did! HA! We did purchase some train tickets for tomorrow at the base, so I’ll let you know how that turns out. Anyways, by the time we made it into town, we were quite hungry, so we headed for Glacier Brewery. And yes, they have some tasty brew as well. After lunch, we walked around downtown so the boys could run and walk off some energy. After a couple of blocks, we drove to the Ulu Factory and viewed the river in hopes of seeing some salmon. Not the case today, but the Ulu Factory was nice. Not only did they sell the handmade ulu knives, but some homemade products as well. I picked up “Denali Dreams, Cabin Fever Reliever” soap. It says on the back, “Feeling cooped up? Bored and restless” Imprisoned in your own home?” Well, considering I’ve been living in the RV since early May…of course I feel cooped up and slightly imprisoned in my own home. So the soap will be a nice relaxing way for me to de-stress when we get a house on Kodiak. I’m looking forward to it!!
So for now, we’ll chug-u-lug on a train tomorrow to see what kind of trouble we can get into and hope to see some spectacular views and wildlife.
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Made it to Anchorage!
Yesterday was Sunday, July 6th but we arrived in Anchorage on Saturday afternoon and found the campsite at Fort Richardson pretty easy. We thought the Alaska highway might be a little bit smoother, but that was not the case. We bumped, dipped and whoop-dee-dooed our way into Anchorage and finally came to a stop all in one piece. Thankfully the longest portion of our trip is over and we can rest for a few days before we head to Homer to catch the ferry. So we drove around downtown Anchorage once we made camp and found the Snow Goose Restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewery, which had some good brew. Thanfkully the day ended on a good note, even though it still is daylight in the middle of the night, so does the day really end???
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America and Alaska
We crossed the border on July 4th. Convenient isn’t it? However, before we crossed over, we, rather Mick, had to repair a slow leak in a Jeep tire. Thankfully, we noticed it early on so it wasn’t a complete blowout! But yes, Independence Day was celebrated amongst our own…Americans! We stopped at Tok, Alaska for the night. The Sourdough Campground was quaint and friendly. A good ole’ fashioned salmon bake and live music helped to celebrate the day. Even though there were no fireworks…however I don’t know how Alaska could have any, it doesn’t get dark…it was a very good day.
Once we left Whitehorse, YT, the road become horrendously worse. Not only were there dips and bumps, but whoop-dee-do’s were transversed by the RV. The road was so rough and windy through the mountains, I was actually getting car or RV sick!! So even though we didn’t drive for a long time, it seemed long due to the road conditions. Alas, we did see another black bear alongside the road. And he was ride by the road too, happily eating grass and dandelions with flies and mosquitos buzzing near him. He wasn’t scared of the passing traffic at all. So we have seen a black bear every day we’ve been in Canada.
Thankfully, we ended the day in Alaska. The end of the trip is nearing and I’m glad it’s around the corner.
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Canada Oh Canada…July 1 thru July 3
We crossed the border easily. No questions, no hassels. Canada is not bad. It’s just expensive. On average, we’re paying $6 per gallon of gas, but since the Canadiens use metric, we must convert everything from liters to gallons and so on.
We trucked north to Calgary…got a little bit lost in downtown, but made it through. So if you want to know anything about downtown Calgary we can probably answer it for you. We made it to Banff National Park in Alberta the first night. We’ve been hearing that Lake Louise is the most beautiful place ever, however, I think Glacier National Park is better! We took a canoe ride for an hour on the lake, but it’s very touristy. It reminded me of Aspen or Veil, Colorado.
After Lake Louise, we drove to Hinton, Alberta and stopped for the night. We caught up on laundry and supplies and hoped for a nice drive on July 1, which was Canada Day!
Leaving Hinton at 6:15am, we drove through Grand Cache, Grand Prairie and Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Fort St. John, BC and stopped at Pink Mountain, BC for the night. At Dawson Creek we stopped for a little while at the tourist center. It was the beginning of the Alaskan-Canada highway. Since it was Canada Day, free hotdogs and cake were served. A cute little 4-year old girl named Candance quickly became friends with Joey. I asked him if he has a new Canadian girlfriend, he said, “Yes.” Very cute, very cute indeed.
The next day, July 2, we drove as far as the Hyland River. No official campsite, but there was a gravel road leading to the river. The boys had fun throwing multiple rocks into the river. On that portion of the drive, we saw stone sheep, a mommy moose and two babies along with a couple of black bears.
Today, July 3, we made it to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. We’ve been on the road for a little while just driving and driving for days, we decided to stop and visit the town. We arrived at 1100am PST and parked at a very nice campsite. FREE WI-FI!!! We had some great fish and chips and found the Yukon Brewing Company (good beer) and caught up on laundry again.
Canada is wearing me out. I cannot wait to get to Anchorage so we can just make camp for a few days before our ferry date arrives. I’m not sure how far we’ll be driving tomorrow, but I know we’ll be back into the Grand Ole’ USA!
The weirdest thing to get used to is the amount of daylight. I think the sun sets at 11:30pm tonight, so when does it get dark??? I guess it’s something I must get used to during the summer months.
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Here I Am! Glacier National Park…and beyond
Alas—I have internet connection in the Yukon Territory! So much has happened since I last posted a message! It feels like ages since I’ve been online. Thankfully for some free wi-fi at our campsite, I’m able to get online! There’s no way that I’m logging into the Internet while I’m in Canada using my air card. It’s roughly two cents per kilobyte…and that can add up quick!
So where to begin??? Holy cow, I just checked on the last time I blogged and it was in Yellowstone! Yikes…I’m behind!
Here’s a quick synopsis about Glacier National Park. It’s Gorgeous!!! It’s the most beautiful national park I’ve ever seen! It seems more wild than Yellowstone. Even though we didn’t see a bear or wolf, we did see a moose. He was just lazily eating grass and drinking water at a roadside watering hole. We drove a portion of the “Going to the Sun” road. Part of it was closed due to a recent snowfall and avalanche. We drove past an area called the Weeping Wall…where a miniture waterfall cascades on the road. We drove under it, washing the Jeep, and I quickly grabbed a cupful of the glacier water. Yes, I got soaked, but it was worth it. The water was crisp and refreshing! The boys received their third Jr. Ranger badge. Later in the day, we took a Red Bus tour. The top came off of the bus so you could see the mountains easily. Not only was the tour beautiful but the tour guide was very informative. It was the best tour I’ve taken thus far. The following day, we decided to hike what we thought was going to be maybe at the most two miles. However, that was not the case. It took us two miles UPHILL and over rocky terrain one way to a small portion of Lake McDonald then of course the two miles back. Even though the hike was a little big longer than we expected, the view was spectacular! So please tour Glacier National Park if you haven’t, it is well worth it!
We left Glacier National Park later that afternoon and went to Canada!
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Yellowstone
After being away from the world of technology, we’re finally at a campsite that’s close enough to one of the hotels with cell phone coverage! YES!
We’ve spent the last two days in Yellowstone and it’s absolutely beautiful! If you’ve ever been here, then you’ll know what I’m talking about, if not, just use your imagination!
The first day, we drove half of the great loop (a road that winds through Yellowstone and is divided in half so you only have to the upper or the lower loop). We drove the upper loop that day. We saw waterfalls, hot springs, elk, tons of bison, and two black bears!
The bison were so much at home, they would walk down the middle of the street minding their own business! Viewing the bears was my favorite part! However, so many people were around, that a park ranger kept yelling at everyone to stay 100 yards away from the bears. Thankfully, he or she was across a stream…but maybe they move fast, I just don’t know! The second bear we saw was close to the road and another park ranger kept people at bay. However, the bear snuck away by scampering up a tree. Of course, the boys wanted to become Junior Ranger’s at this park, so we started the tasks involved with that! Oh wait, before I forget, when we woke up the first full day at our campsite, a bison was strolling through. He didn’t care where he was, he just wanted to eat the lovely little flowers. And of course, while Mick was cooking a nice breakfast of bacon and eggs, a damned bird came along and stole half of the raw bacon!! What’s up with that? I guess that’s what happens when you’re in the wild.
On the second day, which is today, we knew we had to drive the lower loop and see Old Faithful. So we set out from our campsite, parked the RV near the north end of the park, only because we thought we were going to leave today. Not the case. We found Old Faithful and waited about 45 minutes for it to erupt. It was cool! The boys enjoyed it and ever since I was a small child, I’ve been hyping it up a bit, so it wasn’t as spectacular as I wanted it. But it was still shot the water high into the air. The boys became official Junior Park Rangers after the geyser show and we headed to Yellowstone Lake and then the Mud Volcano area. These hot springs were my favorite, only because mud was boiling and spurting. One was particularly called the Dragon’s Mouth. It looked like a dragon could be inside a cave blowing out smoke and making the growling noises. It it truly interesting how nature works.
We ended the day at a different campsite, only because it was too late to get started on the road. Thankfully, this campsite is close enough to have Internet connection! And to end a good day of site seeing, a rainbow arched across the sky!
Now for the quote of the park…we were visiting Steamboat Geyser and as Joey was peering at it from behind the fence I said, “Joey, that’s called Steamboat Geyser.” He replied by saying, “Is there a boat in there?” How cute is that?!?
Tomorrow we leave headed for Glacier National Park. I’m not sure if we’ll make it there in one day, but we’ll see. It’s been a long day, but a good one.
By the way, thank you to everyone for reading this and posting your comments! I enjoy it and so does my family!!!
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June 22 and 23 - Twin Falls, Idaho
The past two days have been nice. I visited with my grandmother and uncle. On Sunday, we stayed with my grandma during the morning and helped her clean up some flowerpots that were knocked over by the previous days wind storm. After talking for a little while, we took a tour of my Uncle Duke’s salon. He has quite a business and is booked constantly from what I hear. We then went to his house for a tour and for the boys to run off some energy. Thankfully, he has a small dog that loves to chase a tennis ball. That kept everyone busy for awhile!!! Later in the afternoon, we moved the RV to the other campsite with the mineral pool. Even though the campsite was nice, the pool was open to the general public. So I think everyone in Twin Falls was at the pool that day!! They say that the mineral water is supposed to have healing powers or qualities, so maybe Mick’s back will feel better after a good swim! We cleaned up after a good long swim, went to dinner at a great Mexican restaurant with my uncle and aunt and called it a night. The first day was long and tiring!
It’s Monday and it was really a maintenance day for the RV. We had a cracked front windshield fixed and the oil changed, plus a much needed bath for the ole’ girl. While the window was being replaced, we took in the sights at Shoshone Falls and the Perrine Bridge. I forgot how pretty the waterfalls are! The last time I was here was when I was roughly eight or nine years old…I honestly can’t remember. The waterfalls were beautiful! The tumble 212 feet to the canyon floor and are 50’ higher than Niagara Falls. During the late spring and early summer, the falls are in full force, but during other times of the year, the water is redirected to irrigation canals for the local farmers. So that’s why many farmers are irrigating and having such boutiful crops! We also saw from a distance the Evel Knievel jump site and walked across the Perrine Bridge. From the bridge, it is a great view of Snake River and apparently, this bridge is a popular site for BASE jumpers. Who knew?
Thankfully, the day is coming to a close. The laundry is caught up, the Jeep and RV are clean and the fluids are topped off. Now off to bigger and better things! Yellowstone is the next destination and I believe it’s roughly a six hour drive…probably seven in the camper, but we’ll see.
I will miss my grandmother most dearly. I haven’t seen her in ages and it was a great visit. Unfortunately I cannot be here to help her with her gardening and watering her lawn. I know one day she’ll be gone and thankfully I was able to visit with her and share her smile and laugh one last time. Thank you grandma for your wonderful attitude on life. I hope to take it with me to share with others.
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Family in Idaho
Las Vegas was nice, but it is just too darn hot to stay there for long. I’m glad we married in April when it was cooler and not so many tourists.
We headed north for Idaho. I have a grandmother living in Twin Falls that I haven’t seen in a few years. Before we left the Air Force Base, we hit the commissary for supplies. Now this was a nice place. I haven’t seen fresh produce like this in awhile! I guess that’s the luxury you get when you live close to California, or maybe it’s because it’s the Air Force.
After we restocked, we headed north in Highway 93. We stopped for gas in Ely, NV and the price was $4.53/gallon. I think that’s the most we’ve had to pay thus far! While having the kids strech their legs, Joey wanted to wash the windows, so I kindly explained to him he could do it when he was bigger. So he asked if he could mop the floor, so I said sure, anything to keep him in the area and somewhat quiet. So he took the window washer thingy (yes, I said thingy) and proceeded to scrub the concrete ground. It was quite entertaining. Once it was time to leave, he said (quote of the day), “When I grow up to be a big boy, I can wash the windows on the camper.” I said, “You sure can buddy.” Now isn’t that cute???
We treated the boys to Burger King in Wells, NV and kept heading north. Once in Northern Nevada and into Idaho, the scenery changed quite a lot. We finally saw mountains with snow! It was quite a sight. Green trees, farmland and little creeks burbled in the landscape. Thankfully, we were out of the desert. As we were driving along, we noticed what we thought were clouds headed our way…but not, it was dust. Apparently something called a down burst was headed our way. Winds were roughly 30-40 mph and gusts up to 55 mph. Thankfully, our RV park for the night was in sight, so we stopped and made camp.
Tomorrow, we visit my grandmother and will take in the sights. I hear there’s a mineral springs at another RV park, so we’re definetely camping there tomorrow.
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Viva Las Vegas
Having a connection in the mountains and desert is horrible! I wrote a post, but once I clicked save, it did not go…so here’s round two regarding Las Vegas…
After we cleaned up and made camp at Nellis Air Force Base, it was time to hit the town. I read in a Las Vegas magazine about a Nascar themed restaurant. So we headed to the Sahara for some good eats and Nascar memoribilia. The restaurant had all the Nascar sites that anyone could think of…replica cars, a place to stand to wave the checkered flag and even Carzilla (an oversized race car) plus many tv’s with the race of the day. From there, we headed to Treasure Island to catch the free show. It was packed and I held up one kid at a time so they could see over everyone’s head. It was definetely more risque than I remembered. But the boys enjoyed the boy and girl pirates as they danced and fought. Of course, one ship was “half-way” sunk. From there we drove to the Bellagio to view the fantastic water fountain display. We arrived just as one show finished, so we were able to get a great spot for viewing. “This Kiss” by Faith Hill started and so did the water. It twirled, swirled, danced and sprayed back and forth with lights while getting grins from my boys. Once that was over, we decided to haul them to downtown Las Vegas to Fremont Street. If you haven’t been there before, it’s the biggest light show in Vegas, I think, by using a tunnel to display their show. However, once it started, the loudness and bright lights scared Jacob and Joey so much, they started crying!!! We backed away from Fremont Street a good distance and even though they were scared, they couldn’t take their eyes off of the lights. It was roughtly 11:15pm when we left downtown Vegas. The boys were so tired and exhausted from seeing so many new and exciting things, they fell asleep quickly en route to the campsite.
And for those that don’t know this tidbit either, MIck and I were married in Las Vegas nine years ago on April Fool’s Day. How crazy is that? So driving along the strip, seeing the place we stayed and the sights we saw brought back a lot of great memories. You gotta love Vegas!!!
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June 20-Leaving one desert for another
On Friday, we left the Grand Canyon is search for the Hoover Dam. We traded one desert for another. The scenery didn’t change much, just more cacti to look at. It’s so hot, that our RV is losing power with the fan running constantly. You can tell she likes going downhill because the a/c gets colder!
The Hoover Dam still impresses me. We arrived there roughly at 1:45pm. We parked before we crossed it and WOW…now this is hot weather! My skin felt like it was blistering just standing there. After we looked at the dam, we drove across it, in hopes of finding RV parking just across it. No such luck. So we had to drive back across it. However, I was not going to let the boys walk that long distance in such hot weather. So we drove back across it in our Jeep! We got out, looked at the dam and noticed how low water level at Lake Mead. Once it was time to go, we drove back across the dam to hook up the Jeep to the RV and then again, we drove one last time across the dam….so let’s see, that makes…five times we drove across the Hoover Dam! We are experienced dam people!
Finally, we are off to Las Vegas! We stayed at Nellis Air Force Base for the night, but first we needed to see the Las Vegas Strip before we moved on.
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At the Grand Canyon
I know, I haven’t blogged in a couple of days….so here we go!!!
The Grand Canyon was awesome! In the morning, we walked decided to have the boys become Jr. Ranger’s. So we found an official park ranger and she explained the whole process to the boys. They had four activities to complete and one ranger program to attend. All of this had to be finished before 400pm that day, because that’s when our sunset tour started. We walked to many different points along the canyon rim. At each place, the boys sat down and described what they saw or drew a picture of their experience. The best part was finding the cacti. My youngest, Joey, 4, thought we were in Radiator Springs, which is from the movie Cars. At long last, the tour came and honestly, it was just okay. The sunset was great however. THe colors of the canyon walls lit up and were beautiful. Thankfully, the day was finally over because every one of us were tired. They say it’s a dry heat, but come on…it’s hot no matter what! And for those of you in North Carolina…the pine tree pollen was horrible here. Our RV and Jeep were covered. I now know that I’m allergic to the green pollen because my allergies were acting up!
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The GRAND CANYON
After waking up at 6am at a truck stop off of I-40, it was time to hit the road, again. We crossed Albuquerque at morning rush hour and through Gallup, New Mexico. Once into Arizona, we took the scenic route into the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation. Of course, this lengthened our time by about an hour since the route was hilly and slow going in a motorhome! And let me tell you something…the landscape is something little to be desired (for me that is). Once you’ve seen hills covered in sage brush and small trees, what else is there to see? Oh yeah…the Grand Canyon. Right!! However, I must tell you about Tuba City, Arizona. The quote of the day is this, “if I owned a music store in Tuba City, I’d make sure to have tubas in stock,” said Mr. Hengen. It is a small town, but it does have a Wal-Mart, McDonalds and other important stores to survive.
We arrived at the Canyon roughly about 600pm, that is we rolled through the gates, paid for an annual pass to not only the Grand Canyon, but Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park and Denali National Park. Heck, for $80 we thought it was a good deal!
As we entered the park from the East entrance, we stopped at Desert View first. We walked up the Watchtower and saw breathtaking views of the canyon! It was phenomenal. I did get a little bit dizzy looking down the canyon. Of course, my boys wanted to throw rocks over the side. We found our campground, made dinner and roasted marshmellows. Smores are delicious. When was the last time you had a smore? Eat one, it’s good.
Tomorrow, we’ll explore and take a sunset tour and hope for a gorgeous sunset with beautiful skies. Until next time.
By the way, for all of sweating in North Carolina…the low tonight is 37 degrees and the humidity is 16 percent. Nice.
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Good Bye Oklahoma!! Hello New Mexico!!
We left Oklahoma at “noonish” today. What is noonish? It is anywhere between 1200 and 1300 (1pm). We left Ponca City at 1255pm, so I consider that noonish, don’t you?
We avoided I-40 in Oklahoma, but the road we chose instead, we think, was just as rough! Go figure! However, once we crossed into Texas, things smoothed out and so did the land. Some say Texas is boring due to the flat landscape. I beg to differ. Sure there’s sage brush and barely there hills, but it’s beautiful. You can see for miles and miles! We saw roughly three or four trains while rolling along I-40 and a couple of wind farms. I do like how Texas places the population of their towns right on the sign. We went through one that said, “Population 452,” then another said, “Population 17455.” Isn’t that nice to know?!
We crossed into New Mexico at 745pm Mountain Time Zone. The land is still flat as a pancake, but the skies were absolutely gorgeous! I had Mick literally pull off on the side of I-40 so I could snap pictures of the beautiful sunset. Then as the sun was going down, I made him hold my hand and give me a kiss…how romantic is that?!? The things you do to keep romance in your marriage…watch a sunset from the side of the road. Fantastic! And it really was!
We’ll be stopping in Santa Rosa, New Mexico for the night…probably at a truck stop or a Wal-Mart. Tomorrow we’ll get up bright and early and arrive at the Grand Canyon! I can’t wait. It is one place I’ve wanted to see my entire life…however, I am only 29 years old…sooo…So goodnight for now! We’ll see what tomorrow may bring!
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June 15-O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A…
…do you sing the song every time you hear that word???
Happy Father’s Day to all of the dad’s. It’s been a nice couple of days in Oklahoma. Visiting my dad first at the farm, then traveling to the in-laws in Ponca City, we’ll be leaving here on Tuesday. I have to say, I have missed Oklahoma, just a little bit though. The sunset from the farm was beautiful, orange skies, rays of sunshine bouncing off the clouds, just gorgeous. My boys had the opportunity to ride with my dad in his wheat truck. Of course, it was a great time for all. Once we arrived in Ponca City, the boys have had fun playing with cousins and running around outside. We have another full day in Ponca City, visiting family and getting ready to leave for the Grand Canyon.
And for those of you wondering, Mick is doing better, but he’s not at full speed yet. My mother-in-law and I determined he has salmonella and just has to weather the storm that is the sickness.
And yes, pictures are coming…I promise! Happy Father’s Day to all!
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Good Ole’ I-40
You know you’re in Arkansas when you’re driving along and in the back of a truck are goats. I kid you not, get it kid…like a baby goat…but a truck had two goats hanging out in the back! Crazy! So we left Little Rock Air Force Base early on and headed West on I-40 in search of Oklahoma. We crossed the border and you know you’re in Oklahoma when I-40 starts to get rough and bumpy and you smell cattle trailers (reminds me of the farm). I hear I-40 is even rougher West of Oklahoma City, so we might take a different route to get into New Mexico. However, we are headed for my dad’s farm today. I called him last night and he was cutting wheat, so hopefully the rain will hold off so the boys can ride the combine, which they call Frank the Combine from the movie Cars. It’s going to be a busy time visiting family for the next few days. Both of our families live in Oklahoma and they are within driving distance, so trying to see everyone in such a tight schedule can become difficult at times.
And is Mick, my husband, still sick? Of course. I have no idea what kind of flu bug he has, but it’s seems to be lasting a long time. Thankfully the rest of us are fine and healthy.
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Just reread your complete journey! It was quite enjoyable - you write like you talk & you know I love to listen to your stories! Give Mick & the boys a hug. Much Love - Auntie Jena
... read the full comment by Jena Kodesh | Comment on Fishing in Alaska Read Fishing in Alaska
So glad to hear to arrived safe and sound. Hope you soon find the perfect new home there on Kodiak. Enjoy everything. Take lots of pictures. Keep writing this blog. And, thank you for your service to our Country. You both are appreciated. Tell the boys
... read the full comment by Mom Fellers | Comment on WE MADE IT!!!! Read WE MADE IT!!!!
how funny…im house hunting online and found your blog! we are transferring to kodiak too. we take the homer ferry this saturday. were coming from hawaii!! how is the housing? what a pain…i cant find anything!!! good luvk on your adventure
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Charley, I just wanted you to know how much I have been enjoying your trek to Kodiak. My Husband and I (retired Coastie family). Have done much traveling and camping across this great USA too. We have encountered many of the same adventures that you have
... read the full comment by Cleaning Lady | Comment on Got a case of the Monday's? Read Got a case of the Monday's?