Back in Arizona

I haven't posted on the blog for a couple of weeks -- have you missed me?  ha!

We left Moab as planned on Monday, 8/25, and had a beautiful drive to Williams, AZ.  It was about 350 miles on some state highways, through the Indian Reservation, and through Flagstaff, AZ where we picked up I-40 to Williams.

Settled into a 'new to us' RV park in Williams that is connected with the railroad that takes people to the Grand Canyon every day.  We have taken that train before, and it's a fun day, but we decided not to do it again this time.  This is quite a complex with the train depot, the RV park, a hotel, a couple of restaurants and gift shops.  Occupies about a city block.  Williams is along the old Route 66 so a very touristy town and seems to always be busy, especially over the holiday weekends (Labor Day when we were there).  Our oldest granddaughter and her now husband, live in Williams and so we spent some time with them while there and just generally 'hung out' enjoying the cool weather knowing that once we 'came down the mountain' into Phoenix the weather would definitely warm up.  In fact, some of our neighbors at the park were doing exactly as we were doing…….hanging out……for a few weeks before coming to the Phoenix area for the winter.  We stayed in Williams for a week last year so we didn't do the same things again this year…….Bearizona (fun animal park), and the Grand Canyon train ride.  We just took some rides through the mountains and nearby lakes, and a trip or two into Flagstaff.

We came to Phoenix on Wednesday, 9//3, and stayed at our normal RV park here in Sun City for a week to attend the wedding and activities connected with that, take care of doctor and dental appointments and squeeze a visit in with friends here.  It was over 100+ when we arrived and the air conditioning has been running pretty much non-stop since we arrived.  Ugh!!!

The wedding was Sunday and was lovely.   We are very proud of Amber and her husband, Doug, is a very nice young man.  She has been in the grocery business for about 8 years now (bakery department) and he has recently started the police academy so when that is done, they don't know where he'll be assigned here in Arizona but they're hoping for the Flagstaff/Williams area as they love the four seasons versus 'one' season here in Phoenix.

We will leave Sun City tomorrow (Wednesday), and head back up to Williams for a week or so before going to Cottonwood, Arizona (near Sedona) for a couple of weeks.  Then October 1, we will move to Benson, Arizona which is east of Tucson for two months.  December 1 we will move to Yuma, Arizona for two months and then February through April we will be back here in Sun City.  This is pretty close to our routine from last year and we enjoyed the change, versus staying here in Sun City for six months.

You probably saw on TV this week that Phoenix had quite a storm Sunday night into Monday morning with lots of flooding.  All of that was true and we were very fortunate in this part of the valley that we had a lot of rain but no serious damage here in our immediate area.  It was quite a site in many areas as this desert ground just cannot handle all that water in a short time.  However, today, you would never even know it rained.

I will probably not post much to this blog throughout the winter but will check in now and then to tell you what we've been up to.  Thanks for following along all summer and we wish you a wonderful fall and winter season ahead.

I will attach some pictures of the last few weeks as well as a couple from the wedding.

Coming south out of Moab on US 191.

Near Monument Valley where a lot of movies are filmed

Arizona Indian Reservation - not very scenic

Wildflowers blooming near Flagstaff.  Didn't help Dick's allergies at all.

Labor Day weekend parade in small town USA, Williams, AZ.
This is a local group called Bill Williams Mountain Men, which are a group
of business men, doctors, etc. who re-enact the life of fur trappers in the 19th century.

Local Shriners Chapter having a blast in the parade

Another Williams local couple in their old car.

Guess who - at the wedding

Amber and Doug, bridge & groom with Amber's dad, Mike (Dick's son)

Scenery Beautiful in Moab

 On Monday, once the mail arrived, we had an easy drive of 115 miles from Grand Junction, CO to Moab, UT.  Arrived mid afternoon and set up in RV park with no problem.  Since we're a big motorhome there are some parks and areas that we can't fit into, so it's nice to sometimes go back to the ones we've been before and know that we can maneuver around OK and this is one of those parks.  It's nothing fancy, good rate per night, good/stable power with wifi, and about 68 TV channels as if one would need that many.  We're staying here a week since we're enroute back to AZ and not too excited about that 110 degree weather just yet.

The weather hasn't been the best here this week with lots of rain.  We were able to do a bit of sightseeing but again since we've been here a couple of times before we didn't repeat Canyonlands (not one of our favorites).  We talked about doing a jeep tour and/or a boat tour on the river but the days we wanted to do that, it was raining and so we passed………save it for next time.  Dick's allergies have been in high gear all week for some reason so he hasn't really felt like doing a lot outside.

We did take a long scenic drive (about 2-3 hours depending on how many stops you make) on the La Sal Mountain Loop south of of Moab through the La Sal Mountains (imagine that)..  I especially like this drive which climbs to over 12,000 ft. There are many hiking and biking trails along the way, as well as campsites with awesome views.  We did see several bicyclists along the way……..can't imagine climbing to those heights, and they didn't even appear winded.  The road is very well maintained but there are several switchbacks in certain areas so I wouldn't want to do it in our RV but a car is no problem.  We saw deer and some free range cattle but that was it for animals.  There are many beautiful views as you descend down into Castle Valley with beautiful rock formations along the CO River where many movies have been made.

Another day we went to The Arches National Park.  This is one of our favorites so couldn't resist going again.  The last time here (2011) we took a hike from Devils Garden, on an undeveloped trail of about 4.0 miles, to see the Double O Arch.  Actually the trail isn't too bad until you get past the Landscape Arch, and then it becomes pretty difficult (in our opinion since we're not that experienced) but the view at the Double O Arch was spectacular and so worth the effort.  I'll post a picture but it'll be from 2011.
I say this every time we come here…..'mother nature does some amazing things' and photos just don't do the park justice.  Many hiking/biking trails within the park as well if you wanted to spend a day or two in the park.

Moab is a very 'outdoor' town of about 5000 full-time residents and there are many jeeping/ATV companies, hiking companies, river boat companies……anything that involves the outdoors.  It's an expensive town to live in as is with most 'touristy' type areas but the scenery is awesome. There are many good restaurants catering to the tourists, and many of those are from abroad.  One other thing I noticed about Moab is probably at least 6 laundromats for a town this size.  I guess with all the 'red dirt', people need to do laundry after a day of hiking, biking or whatever.

We've had a lot of good food here but one of the most memorable was at Milt's Stop & Eat, the oldest restaurant in Moab.   Milt's was built in 1954, and has had various owners over the years, but all continue to do their best to keep Milt's 'the way it was' back then.  There are only a couple of tables inside as well as stools at the counter (vinyl topped) The patterned Formica counter is still the original as well.   There is a nice patio outside which used to be where Milt and his wife had a trailer.  They still live just down the street and Milt still drives (he's in his 80's) and comes to the diner often.  They serve the old fashioned malts in the metal cups they were made in, the burgers are made from grass-fed Angus beef, the french fries are hand cut and delicious.  It was just a fun dining experience and the guy waiting on us showed us a couple of binders of photos of days gone by.  One binder even included a few index cards with the original recipes written on them.

We will leave here in the morning and head towards Williams, AZ where we'll stay until about 9/3 when we go to Sun City for the wedding.  Williams is another tourist town along the old Route 66, as well as I40 and at an elevation of about 6700 ft. so much cooler than the Phoenix valley.  We've been to Williams many times so I'm not sure what I'll have to report in next week's blog…….

Have a good week ahead…….

View out of front window of the motorhome this week 

La Sal Mountain Loop Road Scenic Drive

View of Castle Rock in the distance

Castle Rock a bit closer.  There is a town there, population about 300+

Another interesting view along the drive

Arches National Park, the rock formation on the right is known as  Courthouse Towers
and the one on the right is Three Gossips

More beautiful rock formations and arches

2011 - Double O Arch 

2011 - Dick made it to the Double O

2011 - Yours truly made it about 15 minutes later.  It was quite a hike

Inside Milt's Stop and Eat, the oldest restaurant in Moab

Building still as it was in 1954 in many respects

Denver Area and then on to Grand Junction, CO

We left N. Platte, NE and headed toward the Denver area, Westminster Elks to be exact.  We dodged a bullet about midway into the trip when Dick noticed in the camera that the car didn't seem to be towing like it should.  We happened to be on a road with no shoulder to pull off so it took a bit to find a place but when we did, we found that one of the bars wasn't extending like it should……whew, it was an easy fix and we were on our way again.  Those cameras are sooooo important!!!!  Arrived at the Elks Club in Westminster after 280 miles and were able to get a 30 amp site for the night.  

Our friends who live in the area came over for a nice visit  and then we went to dinner.  She has been fighting a cancer battle (brain tumor) for several years and most recently had surgery in April.  The tumor is growing again, in a different place, so at a doctor's appointment this week they will see how the meds have affected this new growth and may have to do radiation again.  She has the most positive attitude, and truly believes that plays a HUGE role in your recovery.  This all started back in 2009 with lung cancer (yes, they both STILL smoke which is unbelievable to us) and she has known all along that this type of cancer would probably move to her brain.  In any event, people do whatever they feel is best for them, so who are we to judge.  

Tuesday we left Westminster headed to Grand Junction, about 250 miles but this was going to be a very pretty drive on I-70 west.  Lots of uphills, downhills, through tunnels, one of which was the Eisenhower Tunnel at 1.6 miles long, and, of course, construction.  At the conclusion of the day, Dick said it was a 'fun' day of driving instead of just straight up and down the roads.  We passed through Vail, CO which is beautiful but in desperate need of rain so not as green as normal and lots of other scenic areas along the way.  Dick's brother lives here in Grand Junction so we had dinner with him that night and got caught up with all his happenings.

The other 'mechanical issue' we had this week was the a/c in the cab of the truck went out. Fortunately, the a/c in the coach part works fine so we aren't in desperate need but going into the desert in the next couple of weeks we'd like to have it fixed.  Once settled in the RV park in Grand Junction, Dick found the Freightliner dealer and made arrangements to be there at 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

This is one downside to a motorhome because when it needs to be worked on, you have to 'close up' and find something to do for several hours or the day….and with a dog, that can be a challenge.  Anyway, after a couple of hours waiting at Freightliner the office gal came out and told us that they basically just had toooooo much work and wouldn't get to us that day or even the next few days.  Ugh!!!!  Why didn't she tell Dick that the day before?  So we came back to the campground, and Dick started trying to find another source to come fix it.  He found a mobile guy that came on Thursday afternoon and found the condenser was bad.  Of course, no one had a condenser so it had to be ordered from Freightliner who said it would be delivered on Friday a.m.  It was, and the mobile guy came back, installed it and it works.  He did find a fan switch that was bad too but we'll have that fixed in Phoenix when we return.  Dick can still turn the fan on manually when the a/c is on so it's not a big deal.  

We have been to this area of western CO before and done the sightseeing things around here such as the Grand Mesa, the CO National Monument, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Montrose, and much more so we have just been kinda 'hanging out' waiting for the a/c repair.  Dick has kept busy washing and waxing the coach, I've worked on the inside still rearranging after the remodel, and giving it a good cleaning.  It has been nice.  The weather has been awesome too.  There is quite a bit to do in this general area and Grand Junction is a good base to do the above, with lots of hiking and biking trails too.  One of the wonderful things about this area this time of the year are Olathe sweet corn and Palisade peaches.  Oh my gosh, both are absolutely mouth watering yummy!

We had planned to leave here today for Moab, however, our mail didn't come in yesterday as expected so we will leave tomorrow once the mail arrives.  It's a relatively easy drive to Moab so if we leave late morning, it'll still put us in Moab by mid afternoon.  We'll spend a week there before making our way to northern AZ, probably the Flagstaff/Williams area where it will be much cooler than Phoenix.

Cruising down I-70 West in CO

One of many scenic views between Denver and Grand Junction

Vail, a beautiful, very expensive, area

One of many many condo complexes in Vail

Gypsum Canyon

Up, down, over and around on I-70 West

This was parked a couple of sites down from us for a couple of nights.
Lovely couple who drive this around the country to Jelly Belly sponsored
events.  He always has Jelly Belly's in his pocket to hand out.  He said
everyone wants their job!!!

On The Road Again Through IL, IA and NE

We spent last weekend in IL at the farm so Dick could attend his 50th class reunion in Ottawa, IL.  He hadn't been to one in many years and so he was looking forward to this one.  He enjoyed Friday nights 'ice breaker' and then Saturday night's more formal dinner.  He said it was well attended and out of 236 in his graduating class, 54 have passed on……..I think that's a pretty high percentage myself.  It seems it's always the same gals who put these reunions together and I can't imagine the work it must take.  Otherwise, we had a good visit with family there and enjoyed our niece's little girls three year old birthday party.  The theme……what else…….John Deere.  She is a farm girl all the way!!!!

Monday, after breakfast with family, we left IL and headed west making it as far as Avoca, IA about 375 miles where we spent the night at a Flying J Truck Stop.  We got a nice corner spot in the back of the lot and had no problems whatsoever.  We decided that night to only go as far as Council Bluffs, IA (40 miles) the next day and spend a couple of nights there enjoying some of the sites in and around Council Bluffs and Omaha, just across the river.  So it was a tough day of driving for Dick…..ha…..but we pulled into the campground in Council Bluffs, got set up and decided our first stop would be Boys Town, started by Father Flanagan, in Omaha.

I remember my parents always donating to Boys Town at Christmas time but we had no idea how large this 'campus' has become.  Wow……what a wonderful facility it is today.  We started off at the Visitors Center and got some suggestions of what to see/do.  In the Visitors Center, there is a stamp center and home to the 'World's Largest Ball of Stamps.'  Stamp collecting was always promoted as a hobby at Boys Town (and still is today) and back in the 1950's the boys constructed a 600 lb. solid ball of stamps.  Collectors from all over the US support Boys Town programs by donating stamps to the center.  From there we went to the 'Hall of History' where there is more than 40,000 artifacts including Spencer Tracy's Oscar for the movie 'Boys Town' and a Babe Ruth signed baseball.  Father Flanagan's House and Rose Garden are also something to see (although the Rose Garden wasn't as beautiful as usual they told us because of the dry/hot weather).  The volunteer working at Father Flanagan's home that day was once 'one of the boys' at the house years ago so he had a lot of history that he shared.  Boys Town now accepts girls and today is home for about 500 boys and girls, most of which are 'referrals' from Social Services.  Now and then, they have a 'walk in' but not nearly as often as years ago.  We were truly impressed with everything we saw that day (including the kids out doing landscaping, working in the Rose Garden, etc).  There is a Music Hall, a high school, a middle school,  Career Center, Chapel, and many other facilities on campus.  As the volunteer told us, he thinks Father Flanagan would be proud of what Boys Town has become today.

Wednesday morning we were having rain but headed out anyway to see some other things around that area.  The Western Historic Trail Center in Council Bluffs features exhibits of the migration westward. It isn't a large museum and unfortunately the volunteers working that day didn't seem to interested in showing us around or even where to start, so we just did our own thing but still found it interesting if you're into history.  From there we went to the Pottawattamie County Squirrel Cage Jail in downtown Council Bluffs.  This was a fun and interesting short tour of a jail that was in operation until 1969 and is currently on the Register of Historic Places.  Sometimes referred to as a 'squirrel cage' or a 'lazy susan' jail, it is a three-story revolving jail.  A jailer turned the 'cage' by hand to let a prisoner, one at a time, out for whatever reason.  Someone referred to it as like a toothpick dispenser with a hole.  There are two beds in each cell, however, it was common for them to house 5 or 6 people in each cell.  Today there are stories about it being haunted.  I believe there were three of these types of jails across the country.  Next door to the jail is a Union Pacific Railroad Museum in what was formerly the Public Library and opened as a museum in 2012.   This building alone was wonderful to see with all the beautiful wood and tile floors.  There is a Lincoln collection, several interactive exhibits where you can sit in the cab of a locomotive, many many artifacts and reproductions including glassware, dishes, and a coach-class rail car display.  Very interesting!  A nice lady at the museum referred us to a local place for lunch, Duncan's Cafe, down the street and around the corner, where the locals all share long tables if the booths are full.  Food was very good……..Dick says especially the homemade chocolate cake and ice cream.  The rain had stopped by early afternoon but that lovely humidity was out in full force.  We did have one more stop though……the Bob Kearney Pedestrian Bridge, a footbridge across the MO River between Council Bluffs and Omaha.  Opening in 2008 this safely links Omaha to Council Bluffs over the MO River either by walking or biking with many trails on each side.  It is 3000' feet in length, with a 15 ft. wide walkway and we stood about 60 ft. above the water.  I'm betting it would be a wonderful sight at night as lights outline the deck, cables and pylons.   I was a bit 'leary' of walking across, being a non-water loving person, but I did it and I'm still alive to tell about it.  It was a fun day!!!

Thursday we headed towards Kearney, NE stopping at the N. Platte River Archway which crosses over I-80.  We have crossed under that arch many times but never took the time to stop so we did that day and enjoyed the tour very much.  This is a museum and monument commemorating Nebraska's role in the westward expansion.  The Archway took us on a self-guided audio tour along the trails, rails,  and highways starting in the 1840's with the Mormon Trail, Oregon Trail and California Trail converging at Ft. Kearney before heading west.  One of those stops that you do once is how we put it.  I believe it was $11 entrance fee.

We stayed in Kearney at Cabela's that night because we wanted to do some shopping (Cabela's allows overnight parking) and then go to Minden, NE on Friday and visit the Harold Warp Pioneer Village.   Another long day of driving for Dick…….22 miles!!!  We learned of this Pioneer Village at the family birthday party last weekend so we thought……why not stop and we're glad we did.  Minden is a small town (2900 people) and the museum is their big attraction.  There are more than 50,000 items on display in 25 or so buildings on 20 acres.  I don't think I've ever seen more carriages, antique cars, trucks, farm equipment, dishes, toys, and the list goes on and on.  Everything is arranged in chronological order and all are marked with what they are and the model year. They have a 'village green' and all the buildings are arranged around the green……a fire house, a depot, a country school, a horse barn, and so on.  They like to call it the 'Museum of Progress'.  I will say that the RV park and adjoining motel are in need of some TLC.  The museum and buildings are definitely old, but if they were remodeled it may lose some of its charm.   My suggestion is to wear comfortable walking shoes as we spent about 4 hours there and could have spent more but the legs were tired.

Saturday we spent the night in N. Platte, NE.  We took a drive to the Ft. McPherson National Cemetery, east of N. Platte.  Impressive!  Today, our plan was to visit the Union Pacific's Bailey Rail Yard and Golden Spike Tower. We had a LOT of rain last night (wish we would hear how much) but it was the most rain we've had all summer.  The locals are very happy as the crops really needed that rain.  Today turned out to be a beautiful day though and we went to the tower to watch the world's largest train yard.  Again, we had heard about this yard from a fellow RVer and put this on our list of 'stop and see' on our trip back west even though we are 'not' train people.   This yard runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with 10,000 cars, 150 trains,  passing through the yard each day on 2850 acres of land.  We stood and watched for over an hour trains being sorted and hooked up and done via remote control.  Unbelievable!!  East and west bound trains are separated by 'humps'.  For example, the west bound hump is raised 20 feet and sorts the rail cars heading west.  I believe the east bound hump is higher (34 feet if I remember correctly).  The cars gently roll down the humps, are sorted and then connected with a train bound for a specific location.  Very very interesting!!!  There is also a nice courtyard with 23 state flags flying which signifies the 23 states Union Pacific serves.  Admission was $7 to the tower (a bit cheaper for seniors).  As I said, we aren't train buffs, but this was something we really enjoyed.

The rest of today has been the usual……grocery shopping, laundry, etc. etc.  Leaving here tomorrow making our way into Colorado so will update you next week.  Sorry this blog has been long but I didn't get it done last weekend.  And I took many many pictures but just picked a few to share with you.

600 lb. solid ball of stamps made by the boys in the 1950's
at Boys Town, NE

Hall of History at Boys Town

Statute honoring Father Flanagan who started
Boys Town December 1917

Father Flanagan's desk made by the boys.  This desk contains 250,000 pieces of wood.

The Squirrel Cage Jail Building in downtown Council Bluffs

Dick in one of the cells that had the doors removed.  In 1960 the fire marshal disabled the turning mechanism and
cut sections of bars away from the lower cells. (Basically the inmates could roam free on the bottom floor).
The jail was used for 9 more years and prisoners ran the floor during this time so it was eventually closed.
The last jailer refused to enter the cell area without an armed deputy.

Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, IA

Some of the beautiful china used on the Union Pacific many years ago

Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge over the MO River connecting Omaha & Council Bluffs 

Beautiful footbridge

Dick standing on the bridge. I thought he had one foot in NE and
one foot in IA (the black line separates the two states).

Great Platte River Road Archway, outside Kearney, NE

From the Pioneer Village Museum, the Barouche, a carriage
used mainly by chauffeured dignitaries

Yellowstone Wagons, in late 1800's visitors to Yellowstone were 'hauled' around
the park in these wagons to see the park

They even made Schell beer back in the day

This was called a 'cowcatcher' train.   Years ago engines were light enough that they
could hit a cow on the track & derail the train.  Courts decided the cows
had the right-of-way and railroads were forced to come up with a way to
toss the cow aside rather than have it go under the wheels of the train.

I had to include this picture from the 'Beauty Parlor' section of the museum.
This is how the ladies received a 'cold-wave' perm.  WOW!!!  No thanks!

Ft. McPherson National Cemetery outside N. Platte, NE

Golden Spike Tower at the Bailey Rail Yard in N. Platte, NE

From the tower you have a panoramic view of the Union Pacific yard where at
least 150 trains pass each and every day.