TAKE IT EASY

March 24 - 27

WINSLOW
We are back in northern Arizona, takin' it easy in Winslow, Arizona.  We can see the snow capped mountains in Flagstaff 60 miles away!

Getting our kicks on Route 66

Well I'm standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona and such a fine sight to see.

It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me.

HOMOLOVI - The Place of Little Hills
A few miles from Winslow, in the high grasslands, is Homolovi State Park where we will camp for 3 nights.  The park has more than 300 archaeological sites within its boundaries.  The ruins of pueblos were once home to ancestors of the present-day Hopi people.  Thousands of pieces of ancient, broken, painted pottery are scattered around the protected sites.

Standing in the remains of a pueblo looking at pieces of broken pottery.

THE SKY IS FALLING!
About 50,000 years ago, a huge iron-nickel meteorite estimated at 150 feet across, struck the desert plains with an explosive force. It wasn't until 1964, that a scientist proved this crater was caused by a meteorite, and was not an extinct volcano as many believed.  the U.S. Geological Survey use the site for scientific research, and NASA uses the site for training astronauts on collecting material from craters on the moon.  Although the crater is privately owned, in 1968 it was designated a Natural Landmark by the Department of the Interior. 

A piece of the meteorite.

Huge crater!  That's a viewing platform on the lower right.

BRYCE AND BAMBI

BRYCE CANYON - March 23
Another national treasure, Bryce Canyon National Park, is located about 80 miles northeast of Zion National Park.  Everyone I've talked to who has visited Bryce Canyon raves about how beautiful it is.  Being so close, we decided to drive up and see for ourselves.

Before arriving at the Park entrance, we drove through part of the Dixie National Forest and were oohing and awing over the rock formations.  We had no idea this was just a little preview of what we were about to see.

JIM MEETS BAMBI
After getting information at the Visitors Center about a 3 mile hike, we drove to the Trailhead at Sunset Point, ate our picnic lunch in the car because it was too windy and cold to eat outside.  We finished our lunch, got all set for the hike and locked the car.  Getting a few steps away, Jim realized we forgot our hiking sticks in the car.  The next thing I heard was "OH, S*IT!  The keys are locked in the Jeep."  I looked through the window, and sure enough, there they were dangling from the ignition, while seeming to mock us for being so stupid as to not have another set of keys with us.

Jim placed a call to Good Sam Emergency Road Service (they hate us by now).  The representative from Good Sam came on the phone (I'll call her Bambi) and part of the conversation between her and Jim went something like this:

JIM: "We are locked out of our car."

BAMBI: " You are locked out of your motor home?"

JIM:  "No, I'm driving our Jeep today; it's our tow vehicle.

BAMBI:  "You're towing your motor home with your Jeep?"

JIM:  "NO!, The motor home is back at the RV Park.  We are sightseeing with our Jeep."

BAMBI:  " Oh, ok, where are you?"

JIM: "I'm in Bryce Canyon National Park."

BAMBI: "What street is that on?"

JIM:  "There is no street.  There is one road through the Park.  It's Bryce Canyon National
           Park.  I'm at the Sunset Point parking lot."

BAMBI:  "What street is the parking lot on?"

JIM:  "THERE IS NO STREET."  (Bambi is getting flustered.)  "When you get ahold
           of a local service provider they will know where the Sunset Point parking lot is."

BAMBI:  "Oh, ok.  Just a moment please." (Bambi puts him on hold.)

After a few minutes, Bambi came back on the line.

BAMBI:  "Mr. Counter, someone is on the way.  They should be there within a half hour."

Within 15 minutes, two guys from the Bryce Canyon Towing Company showed up with their door unlocking equipment and got us out of another fine mess.

We decided to skip the hike and take the 18 mile (one way) road through the Park and stop at the 14 view points along the way.

HOODOOS
The process of how this unique geological wonder occurred is complex and took millions of years to create.  Technically, Bryce is not a canyon because it wasn't formed by a flowing river or stream.  The landscape was formed by naturally acidic rainwater dissolving the limestone and by freezing and thawing water doing most of the sculpting of Bryce Canyon.

The thousands of spires of rock with rounded tops are called hoodoos, and these impressive formations are found in only a few places around the world.  At each Viewpoint we were astounded at the magnificent colors and unique formations and sculptures before us.

TUNNEL VISION IN ZION

March 19 - 24


The drive to Zion National Park, located in southwest Utah, took us over the Colorado River at the east end of the Grand Canyon while skirting the many miles of the Vermillion Cliffs formations along scenic Hwy 89A.  We can imagine John Wayne chasing Indians through the desert with the cliffs, mesas and buttes as the back drop. 

ZION NATIONAL PARK

The Zion-Mount Carmel Highway winds 27 miles downward through the Park connecting the east and south entrances.  We arrived at the east entrance and were told to pull over and unhook the Jeep as the length of the RV and Jeep together were over the vehicle length restrictions for the switchback highway.  Jim led the way in the RV as I followed driving the Jeep.  At the 2nd tunnel we stopped and waited while the Park Rangers shut down the opposite land of traffic so Jim could drive through the center of the tunnel where the height is 13.1 feet; our RV is 12.6 feet high.

First Tunnel.  Yikes, and this isn't the scary one.

Second Tunnel...waiting for the oncoming traffic to be shut down.

Unable to get a campsite within the Park, we got the next best thing 1/2 mile from the south entrance at a private RV park in Springdale, just across the Virgin River from one of Zion's campgrounds.

Across the Virgin River from our campground is Zion's Watchman Campground.

The geologic diversity of Zion creates a magnificent array of mountains, mesas, buttes, as well as animal and plant habitat.  The elevations in the Park range from 3,600 to 8,700 feet.  We explored Zion by driving, and hiking the terrain.  This is truly an exceptional place of beauty.

Court of the Patriarchs

Hiking the Emerald Pools Trail

Great day for a hike in the Park

View of Checkerboard Mesa

Close up look at Checkerboard Mesa

DEAD HORSE, RED ROCKS, AND GHOSTS

March 14 - 19

MOVING DAY!
We got the Southwind out of the hospital, put the Four Winds in storage at Apache Jct., moved our stuff into our new digs, and drove to Cottonwood, AZ to camp at the Dead Horse Ranch State Park for 5 nights.  The new brakes worked great!

DEAD HORSE RANCH STATE PARK

Dead Horse Ranch got its name in the late 1940's when the Ireys family, from Minnesota, went to Arizona looking to buy a ranch.  At one of the ranches they discovered a large dead horse lying in the road.  After a couple of days looking at ranches, Dad asked the kids which ranch they liked best.  The kids said, "the one with the dead horse!".  They bought the ranch and named it Dead Horse Ranch.  In 1973 when Arizona State Parks bought the property, the Ireys made retaining the name as a condition of the sale.

Playing with fire.

Huge cottonwood tree along the Verde River hike.

SEDONA
Every year about 4 million people visit the extraordinary scenic beauty of Red Rock County around Sedona.  Many visitors come to this special place for recreation, as well as seeking a spiritual experience, rejuvenation, or inspiration.  Many believe the red rock formations located in the National Forest are energy vortex sites, and the power of the rocks enhances prayer, meditation, and contemplation.  In spite of the crowds of people, there's a peaceful feeling while hiking on the Red Rock Trails.

Bell Rock

Red Rock Country

This way to the vortex!

We drove out of Sedona through the hordes of people and traffic, heading north up the scenic winding Oak Creek Canyon road toward Flagstaff.  We stopped at the top to take in the views at Oak Creek Canyon Vista.

That was the road we were on.

Playing in the snow.

"When I grow up, I want to be just like you Frosty"

JEROME
Jerome is 9 miles up the mountain from Cottonwood.  At the height of copper mining in Jerome, the population was 15,000; now there are 350 residents.  I first visited Jerome about 30 years ago when it was pretty much a ghost town of run-down buildings clinging to the side of the mountain with a few squatters living in the abandoned buildings.  This town is now a quirky bustling tourist destination with many of the buildings renovated into B&B's, restaurants, art galleries, and gift shops open along the narrow zigzagging streets.

The old hospital sat vacant for 44 years until it was purchased in the mid-90's and renovated into the Jerome Grand Hotel.  Many believe the hotel is haunted, as unexplained sights, sounds and smells have been reported.  As we entered the hotel, we heard someone moaning; I'm pretty sure it was a recording...but maybe not!  We had a spectacular view of the Verde Valley while eating lunch at the award winning Asylum Restaurant at the hotel.


The large building in the background is the Jerome Grand Hotel. 

OUR NEW DIGS

Here are pictures of our new RV...new to us anyway.  This is a 2006 Fleetwood Southwind.  It's 32 feet long...same length as the old one, but it has a slide out in the living area and one in the bedroom. 

Dining and Living area.

Kitchen

A lot of room!

Big fridge with an auto ice maker.

Bathroom with shower

 

Bedroom

 

Comfy bed.

Rear view.

Front view.

MAKE NEW FRIENDS, BUT KEEP THE OLD

Apache Jct. March 8 - 14

MAKING NEW FRIENDS
That ol' tune, "It Ain't Home 'Til the Wheels Come Off" keeps playing over and over in my head.  It took a week, and taking the wheels off, to get the Southwind's brakes fixed.  During the week we learned there was a recall on the Workhorse chassis because of the very brake issue we had.  Jim made new phone friends this week while spending countless hours talking to the RV dealer in Yuma, the extended warranty people in Ohio, the Workhorse regional rep, and the mechanic fixing the brakes.

Our neighbors at the Countryside RV Park, Darrell and Marion, are from Alberta, Canada and had just bought the Park Model next to us.  They invited us over for Happy Hour and a new friendship began.  Their sense of humor and kindness made the stress of the week more bearable. 

Getting Happy with Darrell and Marion.  These two are a hoot, eh?

SEEING OLD FRIENDS
Ed and Donna Archey, friends from MI, own a gorgeous home in Scottsdale.  On Sunday we met Ed and Donna at the Phoenix Botanical Garden.  The Botanical Garden was started over 70 years ago by citizens who saw a need to conserve the desert environment.  The garden has grown to 65 acres and has developed into a premier plant research institution.  We spent a couple of hours strolling along the winding trails through the displays of desert plants, then drove to Scottsdale to spend the night at Ed and Donnas' house.  As we were standing in the kitchen, Jim spied a bobcat in the courtyard by their front door.  That was a special experience.

We always have great conversation and laughs with these two. 

INTERESTING PEOPLE WE MEET ALONG THE WAY
As we were shopping one day, a guy said to me "I can tell you aren't from around here!"  I said "Oh, how come?"  He said "I've never seen such white legs."  I said, "I know, you better get your sun glasses on before you go blind".  He said "I'm from Louisiana, and moved here 40 years ago.  I came here with blond hair and blue eyes, and look at me now!"  He was a black man with brown eyes, with a wonderful sense of humor. 

At a rest area along the Freeway, we met this unusual guy with his custom GEO.

Custom paint and features on this Geo.  The lanterns above the front tires are the directional signals. 
The frame work in the back is for his "covered wagon".

The proud owner demonstrating all the car's features, while I snapped the pictures.
The back lifts up with a remote control.  That's a dummy trying to escape.

INTERESTING PLACES
Tortilla Flat is an old stage coach stop about 20 miles from Apache Jct. Getting to this little wide spot in the road we took scenic Route 88 (Historic Apache Trail).  The road goes past the grandeur of the Superstition Mountains, and winds its way through the Tonto National Forest, and past Canyon Lake.  The scenery is magnificent. 

Back in the saddle again.  We had lunch in Tortilla Flat.
The walls of the bar/restaurant are papered with dollar bills and foreign currency
autographed and dated by the customers who stop here.
 

OH, GIVE US A BRAKE!

March 4 - APACHE JUNCTION - FOUR WINDS TO A SOUTHWIND!

While moving from Lake Havasu City to Apache Junction today, we got a phone call from the RV dealer in Yuma.  The owner of the Southwind made a counter offer and we accepted.  The deal came together and we got the Southwind!  Jim was especially happy because we could cancel our plans to RV shop the next day.  Instead of RV shopping we spent the day preparing for our new arrival; got the insurance, found a storage place for the Four Winds until the new owner could pick it up at the end of the month, made plans to transfer our stuff from the old RV to the new one, etc.

March 7 - GETTING THE WIND KNOCKED OUT OF OUR SAILS

We left Apache Jct. at 6:30 this morning to drive the 180 miles to Yuma, excited to pick up our new Southwind.  After doing a final inspection, filling out the paperwork and writing the check, we hooked up the Jeep to our new home on wheels, stopped to fill the 75 gallon gas tank and left Yuma about noon.

This new motor home sure is nice!

About 20 miles out of Yuma we made a sudden stop on the freeway because of a serious accident up ahead.  The brakes sure worked great in the new rig!  After a 30 minute delay we were on our way again.  For some reason, the GPS  took us through Phoenix instead of going south of the city.  Looking at the time, I realized we would be getting to Phoenix during rush hour.  It was too late to turn around and take the other route, and we needed to get to the storage place before 6:00.  The traffic through Phoenix was hideous.  Jim's palms were sweating and knuckles turning white from gripping the steering wheel.  I had to shut my eyes a few times and tried not to scream.  Start, stop, start, stop, tic toc, tic toc; I called the storage place and let them know we were stuck in traffic and wouldn't make it there by 6:00, but would be there tomorrow.

Because of the terrible traffic jam, the GPS rerouted us off the freeway onto city streets.  The traffic was still bad, but moving better, but now we contend with stop and go lights.  Start, stop, start, stop, tic toc, tic toc.  As we came to a red light there was a screeching sound.  I said "is that our brakes?"  Jim said "ya,I think so but that's pretty normal, don't worry about it".  Every time we had to stop at a red light the screeching got worse.  I said "that's NOT normal, and what is that smell?  It smells like something burning".  All of a sudden the GPS put us back on the freeway.  We were still 25 miles from home and just wanted to get there, then the ABS light came on and then another light with a ! point flashing and the words BRAKE FAILURE flashing, that's when the warning siren came on.  There was no place to pull off the road with all the traffic, so we got off at the next exit.  The siren was wailing, the warning lights flashing, and we were both about ready to have a stroke.  We managed to make it another few blocks where we found a large parking lot behind a Mexican restaurant, and using the emergency brake came to a full and complete stop, thankful to be alive and not the headline for the 10:00 news:  "WISCONSIN SNOWBIRDS CAUSE 200 CAR PILE-UP ON I-10". 

This doesn't look good.

Jim called our Emergency Road Service; by now he's on a first name basis with them.  While waiting almost 2 hours for the Road Service to arrive, I ordered take-out from the Mexican restaurant, brought it back to the RV and we had our first dinner in our new home.

Brent our RV doctor/tow truck ambulance driver arrived and asked about symptoms, did an examination, and gave us the diagnosis.  One of the brake thingies probably jammed when Jim slammed on the brakes at the accident site outside of Yuma.  The brake thingy got so hot it melted and boiled the brake fluid.  Brent said we were lucky it didn't start on fire and burn up the whole RV!

The RV Ambulance has arrived.

Jim and Brent arguing with Road Service about how much of the towing bill will be covered.

We unhooked the Jeep, the Southwind got hooked up to the tow truck.  At 10:00 we were back to our RV Park where we still had the Four Winds to live in.

It could have been so much worse and we are grateful we didn't kill ourselves or anyone else in the process.  The angels are watching over us again.  It must be a full time job working to keep us two out of trouble.  Oh, speaking of trouble, remember "if it has tires or testicles, it's going to be trouble".  I guess I'm not the problem.