Our last vacation day... returned haRVey bright and early, the kids and I spent the afternoon poolside at the Mandalay Bay while Damon rouletted his way out of some hard earned cash. We had some tasty burgers at The Burger Bar, and let Tyler & Damon ride the roller coaster at New York New York. Finding our way back in to civilization via Las Vegas has been interesting.
In closing, I'd like to leave you with our family generated top ten list from the week:
Top Ten Things we learned about vacationing in an RV
10. Anything that is not tied down, locked away or sitting in the sink while the RV is moving will, at some point, be flying through the RV.
9. (Tyler) When spending more than 5 hours at a time in the man cave I must open the curtains before the funk gets too bad.
8. (Sydney) Sleeping where the dining room table gets set up really sucks around breakfast time
7. Having a bathroom on board means that Damon is hte weak link when we travel.
6. (Tyler) It is harder to pee standing up while moving than I thought.
5. When the manufacturer sayd 8-10 mpg, they mean downhill with the wind at your back.
4. Going down switchbacks with a 14% grade in a 31' RV is very different from doing the same thing in a car. And not in a good way.
3. Driving through the most glorious scenery in the US does not make teenage texting any less important.
2. While the back bedroom is the most comfortable place to be while moving, you spend much more time in the air than on the bed.
1. And the number one thing we learned... getting there truly is half the fun!
Thanks to everyone who followed our blog - we hope you enjoyed our travels!
Monday, April 9, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Dam!
Well the troops are definitely fading but we are still having a good time. Our last RV day was spent in Zion National Park. We parked haRVey on the street and then used the park’s shuttle service to get around. It was an absolutely gorgeous day – warm weather, blue skies, and not a single cloud in the sky. We managed to get the kids onto one short hike to get the best views of the canyon and valley, but as I said, they were fading fast.
Lauren caught a cold but has been a real trooper. We promised she could lie down after our hike, so we headed back to haRVey pretty quickly with a quick stop for smoothies and cinnamon rolls.
For our last destination of this amazing road trip, we headed to the Hoover Dam – during rush hour, on a Friday, of a holiday weekend, following a big car accident, with the RV access road closed – so our 3.5 hour trip turned into about 5 hours when we finally got to the Dam at dusk. We did get to drive over the Dam, twice, so that was exciting. In typical fashion, we only had about 30 minutes before the Dam closed to foot traffic, so after parking haRVey, we ran to the bridge looked over, looked across, took pictures and ran back.
Everyone was starving, so we pulled over into a casino parking lot for a free-for-all dinner of whatever leftovers anyone could get their hands on. We spent the evening packing, quickly realizing that the (8) suitcases we brought to get everything home might not be enough…
We are all sad to be returning haRVey in a few hours, but very excited to spend the day relaxing at the pool at Mandalay Bay before heading home tomorrow.
Check back for one more post tomorrow for our RV top ten list and final thoughts on the trip.
Quote of the Day:
Damon: This damn Dam better be worth it!
Lauren caught a cold but has been a real trooper. We promised she could lie down after our hike, so we headed back to haRVey pretty quickly with a quick stop for smoothies and cinnamon rolls.
For our last destination of this amazing road trip, we headed to the Hoover Dam – during rush hour, on a Friday, of a holiday weekend, following a big car accident, with the RV access road closed – so our 3.5 hour trip turned into about 5 hours when we finally got to the Dam at dusk. We did get to drive over the Dam, twice, so that was exciting. In typical fashion, we only had about 30 minutes before the Dam closed to foot traffic, so after parking haRVey, we ran to the bridge looked over, looked across, took pictures and ran back.
Everyone was starving, so we pulled over into a casino parking lot for a free-for-all dinner of whatever leftovers anyone could get their hands on. We spent the evening packing, quickly realizing that the (8) suitcases we brought to get everything home might not be enough…
We are all sad to be returning haRVey in a few hours, but very excited to spend the day relaxing at the pool at Mandalay Bay before heading home tomorrow.
Check back for one more post tomorrow for our RV top ten list and final thoughts on the trip.
Quote of the Day:
Damon: This damn Dam better be worth it!
Friday, April 6, 2012
We Came, We Saw, Let's Go
Today was a lazy day. We promised the kids they could sleep in this morning since we’ve pretty much been running them ragged, so at promptly 9:00:01, we woke them up to start our day. Got moving around 11 and drove to Bryce National Park – famous for its “hoodoos”. Hoodoos are these amazing pillars that are formed by the wind blowing and shaping sandstone. One is fine, but put thousands of them together and you’ve got yourself a pretty nice photo op.
We made a few stops in Bryce, but at 9,000 feet, the hiking/breathing combination was taking its toll, so we did a lot more of driving to a viewpoint, jumping out, taking pictures, and jumping back in haRVey. It didn’t help that the wind chill felt like it was about 20 degrees and the wind was blowing like crazy.
After Bryce, we had a 2-hour drive to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Basically when the wind blows, there is some mystical formula by which really small particles of sand dissolve in the air and really big ones are too heavy to move, but everything in between gets deposited in one area of Utah – it is pretty cool to see these massive “pink” (they are actually light orange) sand dunes in the middle of dessert/canyons. For the most part, the park is for ATVers – we just took a look, ran around a little, baggied up some sand as souvenirs, and left. Probably would have stayed longer, but the wind was really strong (ergo the dunes) and the sand was so fine that particles were getting everywhere.
After leaving the dunes, we should have had a 30 minute drive to Zion but luckily realized that there is a tunnel that haRVey was too big to get through in the park, so we drove about 100 miles through Arizona and Utah to get to the other side of the park and the opposite entrance.
Nice evening in haRVey eating dinner, chilling, and watching a movie. We are now camped in Leeds, UT, waiting to go to Zion tomorrow for our last day in haRVey.
Quote of the Day:
Some random kid in Bryce: Dad, why do you have to take so many pictures of rocks?
We made a few stops in Bryce, but at 9,000 feet, the hiking/breathing combination was taking its toll, so we did a lot more of driving to a viewpoint, jumping out, taking pictures, and jumping back in haRVey. It didn’t help that the wind chill felt like it was about 20 degrees and the wind was blowing like crazy.
After Bryce, we had a 2-hour drive to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Basically when the wind blows, there is some mystical formula by which really small particles of sand dissolve in the air and really big ones are too heavy to move, but everything in between gets deposited in one area of Utah – it is pretty cool to see these massive “pink” (they are actually light orange) sand dunes in the middle of dessert/canyons. For the most part, the park is for ATVers – we just took a look, ran around a little, baggied up some sand as souvenirs, and left. Probably would have stayed longer, but the wind was really strong (ergo the dunes) and the sand was so fine that particles were getting everywhere.
After leaving the dunes, we should have had a 30 minute drive to Zion but luckily realized that there is a tunnel that haRVey was too big to get through in the park, so we drove about 100 miles through Arizona and Utah to get to the other side of the park and the opposite entrance.
Nice evening in haRVey eating dinner, chilling, and watching a movie. We are now camped in Leeds, UT, waiting to go to Zion tomorrow for our last day in haRVey.
Quote of the Day:
Some random kid in Bryce: Dad, why do you have to take so many pictures of rocks?
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Slots - Utah Style
Got everyone up and moving bright and early today since we had a big adventure planned – slot canyon tour in Escalante, UT. We had originally planned to go it alone, but luckily something I read mentioned a dirt road (not covered by our insurance) so I got the name of a private tour guide and we signed up.
Got to the tour place at 8am (a new record for us) and left in what can only be described as the most frightening 1985 Chevy Suburban I’ve ever seen or ridden in. There were holes in the ceiling, seat holes were patched with clear caulk (seriously), there were panels missing, and stuff sort of falling out of the doors. But our guide, Mark, assured us everything was fine and we took off.
About an hour drive on a thankfully recently graded gravel road (now I understand why we drove in the car we did) and then we started our hike. On the hike to the slots, our guide gave us all sorts of interesting tips about flora and fauna – we looked at animal and bug tracks and kept an eye out for snakes, spiders and scorpions. Oh, and apparently a female mountain lion that was recently spotted in the area. We did see a baby tarantula missing half its legs. I’m pretty sure we could outrun that sucker if the situation necessitated it.
We went through three sets of slot canyons – The Narrows, Spooky Canyon and Peek-a-Boo Canyon. There is no way that my descriptions will do justice to these canyons, so definitely look at the pictures. The Narrows was a tall canyon with a nice wide floor – it is amazing to see how the water carves everything out. At this point, I’m thinking – wow – cool canyons – just what I expected. Then we got to spooky canyon.
We had been warned that Spooky Canyon was dark, with tall walls, and had passages that were only 10-12” wide. I was thinking it probably wouldn’t be a problem to squeeze through a tiny section here and there. What I didn’t realize was that 90% of the canyon was only 10-12” wide. Let’s say that as a female, there were parts of my anatomy that caused concern in several areas. We were literally squeezing our way through much of the canyon and I did get a little panicky on a few occasions. I also felt good when Mark would say “wow” – climbing up that used to be much easier. I guess the boulder that used to be here got washed away. This was not a 20’ long canyon – we were in there for probably 20-30 minutes… The kids scrambled through like a bunch of monkeys.
Peek-a-Boo was definitely less traumatic since the walls were only about 10’ tall and it was smooth red sandstone. Still lots of fancy maneuvering with your feet, but it was nice and bright in there. The kids started a game of “hot lava” which the guide joined in – basically you could only let your feet touch the sides of the walls and not the sandy floor. Yes, I lost and was burned to death in hot lava pretty quickly.
Guide was thrilled when the kids wanted to go straight up the side of the canyon to get back to the car rather than take the 20 minutes of switch backs. Everyone was crashed out in the car ride back to haRVey. Anyone who ever goes to Escalante, we highly recommend Mark, our tour guide!
Easiest drive day of the week – 1 hour to Bryce Canyon where we got in at 4:30 and actually got to relax for an evening! Broke out the BBQ, and made some burgers and brats, sat in our luxurious dining facilities (in haRVey) – too cold outside at night. Damon got his first beer – yeah! Then we settled in for a well deserved movie night – looking forward to hiking around Bryce Canyon tomorrow.
p.s. Lauren lost a tooth today! (It was naturally, not from falling on a rock or anything)
Quote of the Day:
Mark (our tour guide): Don’t worry, that’s normal.
More picures will be up as soon as we get a decent internet connection!
Got to the tour place at 8am (a new record for us) and left in what can only be described as the most frightening 1985 Chevy Suburban I’ve ever seen or ridden in. There were holes in the ceiling, seat holes were patched with clear caulk (seriously), there were panels missing, and stuff sort of falling out of the doors. But our guide, Mark, assured us everything was fine and we took off.
About an hour drive on a thankfully recently graded gravel road (now I understand why we drove in the car we did) and then we started our hike. On the hike to the slots, our guide gave us all sorts of interesting tips about flora and fauna – we looked at animal and bug tracks and kept an eye out for snakes, spiders and scorpions. Oh, and apparently a female mountain lion that was recently spotted in the area. We did see a baby tarantula missing half its legs. I’m pretty sure we could outrun that sucker if the situation necessitated it.
We went through three sets of slot canyons – The Narrows, Spooky Canyon and Peek-a-Boo Canyon. There is no way that my descriptions will do justice to these canyons, so definitely look at the pictures. The Narrows was a tall canyon with a nice wide floor – it is amazing to see how the water carves everything out. At this point, I’m thinking – wow – cool canyons – just what I expected. Then we got to spooky canyon.
We had been warned that Spooky Canyon was dark, with tall walls, and had passages that were only 10-12” wide. I was thinking it probably wouldn’t be a problem to squeeze through a tiny section here and there. What I didn’t realize was that 90% of the canyon was only 10-12” wide. Let’s say that as a female, there were parts of my anatomy that caused concern in several areas. We were literally squeezing our way through much of the canyon and I did get a little panicky on a few occasions. I also felt good when Mark would say “wow” – climbing up that used to be much easier. I guess the boulder that used to be here got washed away. This was not a 20’ long canyon – we were in there for probably 20-30 minutes… The kids scrambled through like a bunch of monkeys.
Peek-a-Boo was definitely less traumatic since the walls were only about 10’ tall and it was smooth red sandstone. Still lots of fancy maneuvering with your feet, but it was nice and bright in there. The kids started a game of “hot lava” which the guide joined in – basically you could only let your feet touch the sides of the walls and not the sandy floor. Yes, I lost and was burned to death in hot lava pretty quickly.
Guide was thrilled when the kids wanted to go straight up the side of the canyon to get back to the car rather than take the 20 minutes of switch backs. Everyone was crashed out in the car ride back to haRVey. Anyone who ever goes to Escalante, we highly recommend Mark, our tour guide!
Easiest drive day of the week – 1 hour to Bryce Canyon where we got in at 4:30 and actually got to relax for an evening! Broke out the BBQ, and made some burgers and brats, sat in our luxurious dining facilities (in haRVey) – too cold outside at night. Damon got his first beer – yeah! Then we settled in for a well deserved movie night – looking forward to hiking around Bryce Canyon tomorrow.
p.s. Lauren lost a tooth today! (It was naturally, not from falling on a rock or anything)
Quote of the Day:
Mark (our tour guide): Don’t worry, that’s normal.
More picures will be up as soon as we get a decent internet connection!
Golden Arches
Sorry for the delayed post for yesterday! It has been a busy 24 hours.
Woke up in Moab to a special breakfast – homemade crepes with Nutella and bananas – we are super fancy. Tried to get out to Arches at 9:30, but in our usual fashion, we woke up at 7 and didn’t get on the road until 11:00. Good news is that it was a shower day – we take advantage when we can. So we all smelled fresh and pretty for the day.
Got to Arches around noon and Tyler was just about jumping out of his skin since we had been promising for days that he would be able to climb stuff when we got to Arches. Spent the next four hours letting the kids run around and climb rocks. We took a few small hikes and then one big one to see the famous “Delicate Arch”. It was about an hour hike – uphill – but wow was it worth it. The views from up there were absolutely gorgeous. I’m just hoping the pictures do it justice.
We found out in the morning that one of Damon’s cousins was also at Arches – we tried to find him but never did. Small world!
Left the park around 5pm, not too thrilled about the 5+ hour drive we had ahead of us to get to Escalante. I guess I should say that Damon was not too thrilled since the kids just tend to pull their beds out and go to sleep! We were on a completely deserted highway and wanted to get as far as possible before the sun went down. The roads out there are very twisty and turny with a lot of steep grades and big drop-offs on the sides – not really something we wanted to do in the dark.
Sun went down around 8 so we pulled over for a quick dinner and then got back on the road. For anyone taking long road trips, I highly recommend books on tape. We got through about 8 more chapters of The Hunger Games on that long drive – made it go by much faster.
Pulled into some RV park around 10:30 or 11 and everyone just crashed hard because of our BIG next day… slot canyons!
Quote of the Day: Unfortunately, nothing was post-worthy…
Woke up in Moab to a special breakfast – homemade crepes with Nutella and bananas – we are super fancy. Tried to get out to Arches at 9:30, but in our usual fashion, we woke up at 7 and didn’t get on the road until 11:00. Good news is that it was a shower day – we take advantage when we can. So we all smelled fresh and pretty for the day.
Got to Arches around noon and Tyler was just about jumping out of his skin since we had been promising for days that he would be able to climb stuff when we got to Arches. Spent the next four hours letting the kids run around and climb rocks. We took a few small hikes and then one big one to see the famous “Delicate Arch”. It was about an hour hike – uphill – but wow was it worth it. The views from up there were absolutely gorgeous. I’m just hoping the pictures do it justice.
We found out in the morning that one of Damon’s cousins was also at Arches – we tried to find him but never did. Small world!
Left the park around 5pm, not too thrilled about the 5+ hour drive we had ahead of us to get to Escalante. I guess I should say that Damon was not too thrilled since the kids just tend to pull their beds out and go to sleep! We were on a completely deserted highway and wanted to get as far as possible before the sun went down. The roads out there are very twisty and turny with a lot of steep grades and big drop-offs on the sides – not really something we wanted to do in the dark.
Sun went down around 8 so we pulled over for a quick dinner and then got back on the road. For anyone taking long road trips, I highly recommend books on tape. We got through about 8 more chapters of The Hunger Games on that long drive – made it go by much faster.
Pulled into some RV park around 10:30 or 11 and everyone just crashed hard because of our BIG next day… slot canyons!
Quote of the Day: Unfortunately, nothing was post-worthy…
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Red Mountain Pass - My Great White Whale
We woke up today in Ouray, CO to a little bit of a surprise – it was snowing! A far cry from the 80+ we had yesterday. We sort of knew going in that we were going to have one dreary day, but the big fear was going below freezing, in which case the RV pipes could burst. I think we lucked out, barely, with temperatures hovering around 31 over night.
We got out of the campsite at the crack of 9:30 and headed toward Red Mountain Pass. Now a bit of history on Red Mountain Pass… it runs between Ouray and Silverton and is one of the most scenic twisty turny stretches of highway in all of Colorado – dubbed the Million Dollar Highway, partially because of its spectacular views.
I have been looking forward to this stretch of highway the entire trip because, for those of you who have known me for at least 10 years, when I did my 505 mile bike ride through Colorado, this 10-mile stretch is the only part I sagged – in part because I had altitude sickness and was coughing up fluid, but also because it was pouring rain, cold, and I figured I would die if I went up the pass. I’ve been trying to get back to see that 10 mile stretch for years.
Now back to our vacation. We left Ouray and headed to the Mountain only to be greeted by signs requiring snow tires, chains, etc. This pass is brutal and we were not feeling too comfortable about going over it in a 31’ Rig with regular tires in snow and fog. About a mile or so up, we pulled over, called the Colorado Bureau of Roads, and ultimately decided to turn around and do a 1 hour detour and completely go around the mountains instead of over them. A smart “parental” move, but alas, the million dollar highway has eluded me yet again.
With this big detour eating a chunk of our morning up, we were getting a bit stir crazy on our way to Mesa Verde, but I have to say that once again, the scenery did not disappoint. Rivers winding next to the highway, mountains, buttes – I do love Colorado. Unfortunately, another long car ride meant that the kids retreated to their respective corners and vegged out once again.
We finally made it to Mesa Verde around 2:30pm. If you’ve never heard of Mesa Verde – it is a whole area where archaeologists have found Native American settlements from fifteen hundred to eight hundred years ago – many of them built into the sides of cliffs. Very cool overall – but it was still snowing and a little chilly out so we mostly jumped out of haRVey for pictures and kept moving.
Left Mesa Verde and headed to Four Corners – where CO, UT, NM and AZ all meet. It is literally in the middle of a Native American reservation with NOTHING for miles all around. We pulled up around 6pm and saw that the gates were closed with “sorry we’re closed” signs. No way did we just drive 2 hours out of the way for one stinking picture and the park closed an hour earlier. Yes, this is totally reminiscent of the Griswalds, as is what comes next.
NOTE: Damon edited the original copy of what I wrote here and will not let me provide you the details of what happened next, but suffice to say, the kids and I made it to the four corners monument to take pictures. For details, see pictures. We will neither confirm nor deny where or when the pictures were taken.
Back in the RV, very pleased with ourselves, we began the final leg of the day to Moab. Pulled over in some random parking lot to cook another awesome RV meal. With country music our only option, the girls started square dancing in the "living room" which Lauren dubbed "our white trash party".
Now, I’m sitting in bed at the KOA in Moab while every one else sleeps making sure that I have a posting ready for you in the morning! Everyone is looking forward to Arches National Park tomorrow.
Quote of the Day:
Tyler – So can I take my pants off now? (Upon leaving dinner and being told it was our last stop before camping for the night).
Pictures will be posted within the hour...
We got out of the campsite at the crack of 9:30 and headed toward Red Mountain Pass. Now a bit of history on Red Mountain Pass… it runs between Ouray and Silverton and is one of the most scenic twisty turny stretches of highway in all of Colorado – dubbed the Million Dollar Highway, partially because of its spectacular views.
I have been looking forward to this stretch of highway the entire trip because, for those of you who have known me for at least 10 years, when I did my 505 mile bike ride through Colorado, this 10-mile stretch is the only part I sagged – in part because I had altitude sickness and was coughing up fluid, but also because it was pouring rain, cold, and I figured I would die if I went up the pass. I’ve been trying to get back to see that 10 mile stretch for years.
Now back to our vacation. We left Ouray and headed to the Mountain only to be greeted by signs requiring snow tires, chains, etc. This pass is brutal and we were not feeling too comfortable about going over it in a 31’ Rig with regular tires in snow and fog. About a mile or so up, we pulled over, called the Colorado Bureau of Roads, and ultimately decided to turn around and do a 1 hour detour and completely go around the mountains instead of over them. A smart “parental” move, but alas, the million dollar highway has eluded me yet again.
With this big detour eating a chunk of our morning up, we were getting a bit stir crazy on our way to Mesa Verde, but I have to say that once again, the scenery did not disappoint. Rivers winding next to the highway, mountains, buttes – I do love Colorado. Unfortunately, another long car ride meant that the kids retreated to their respective corners and vegged out once again.
We finally made it to Mesa Verde around 2:30pm. If you’ve never heard of Mesa Verde – it is a whole area where archaeologists have found Native American settlements from fifteen hundred to eight hundred years ago – many of them built into the sides of cliffs. Very cool overall – but it was still snowing and a little chilly out so we mostly jumped out of haRVey for pictures and kept moving.
Left Mesa Verde and headed to Four Corners – where CO, UT, NM and AZ all meet. It is literally in the middle of a Native American reservation with NOTHING for miles all around. We pulled up around 6pm and saw that the gates were closed with “sorry we’re closed” signs. No way did we just drive 2 hours out of the way for one stinking picture and the park closed an hour earlier. Yes, this is totally reminiscent of the Griswalds, as is what comes next.
NOTE: Damon edited the original copy of what I wrote here and will not let me provide you the details of what happened next, but suffice to say, the kids and I made it to the four corners monument to take pictures. For details, see pictures. We will neither confirm nor deny where or when the pictures were taken.
Back in the RV, very pleased with ourselves, we began the final leg of the day to Moab. Pulled over in some random parking lot to cook another awesome RV meal. With country music our only option, the girls started square dancing in the "living room" which Lauren dubbed "our white trash party".
Now, I’m sitting in bed at the KOA in Moab while every one else sleeps making sure that I have a posting ready for you in the morning! Everyone is looking forward to Arches National Park tomorrow.
Quote of the Day:
Tyler – So can I take my pants off now? (Upon leaving dinner and being told it was our last stop before camping for the night).
Pictures will be posted within the hour...
Monday, April 2, 2012
Oh Deer
Woke up this morning to a wonderful breakfast in Centennial, CO with the Colorado Clines. Hand pressed coffee, coffee cake, eggs, bacon, fruit – you spoil us. Began the next leg of our journey around 9:00am with a gorgeous Colorado day – sunny and blue skies. We got our first look at the Rockies, which never disappoint.
In one of our not-so-bright moves of the trip, we sort of pushed the fuel limits of ole haRVey and the fuel light came on while we were in the middle of nowhere. Given that we are now averaging closer to 7 mpg (ouch), it was a little touch and go for awhile. We eventually rolled downhill into a gas station and spent $180 to fill the tank. Double ouch. And yes, I did manage to avoid another day behind the wheel.
For our first spontaneous move, we changed our route and went to the Royal Gorge just outside of Canon City. If anyone is curious as to what Canon City is famous for- apparently it houses 13 prisons – including the one our illustrious former Illinois Governor now calls home.
At 83 and sunny, we decided to spend a bit of time at the Royal Gorge state park and bridge (one of the tallest suspension bridges in the state? US? World? ). We started by taking a gondola across the gorge – almost 1,000 feet above the river and got a fantastic look at the bridge. On the other side, we did a short hike, watched people fly around on some ridiculous sling shot over the gorge, saw some white buffalos and then walked back over the gorge on the bridge.
The bridge itself? Pretty cool – mostly for walking, but an occasional car would share the “road”, which consisted of a bunch of 2x12s laid side by side for 1/4 mile - creaky and crumbling – awesome in high wind! Got to the other side in one piece and took a “tram” down to the bottom of the gorge. The tram was some bizarro set of 8 or so cages all linked together. We all stood in these cages while this contracption, seemingly built circa 1930 took us 1,000 feet to the bottom of the gorge. We looked at the river. Oh, cool. And went back up.
Driving on the secondary highways in SW Colorado is just awesome! I mentioned it was 83 degrees, but as we were driving, there was still snow on the ground in shaded areas. Scenery is just so spectacular – and as proof, Tyler actually looked out the window at one point and said “wow – this is so cool”. Now we did have to enter a no cell service area to get that wow – but totally worth it. It warmed my heart to look in the back bedroom and see Tyler on the bed, looking out the window for several hours.
Drove a few hours through Gunnison and next to the amazing Blue Mesa Reservoir – see photos. The family had to (and will continue to have to) listen to me point out every mile I biked, every hill I climbed, every town I slept in, and as Lauren pointed out, every place I had to go to the bathroom, when I did the Bicycle Tour of Colorado 10 (gasp) years ago, since we are covering about half that route.
Got to Black Canyon of the Gunnison around 7pm just in time to catch a few peaks at another gorge before the sun went down. We were quite possibly the only people in the park at the time and pulled into a visitor area and made another awesome RV dinner affectionaly known as raccoon guts (skewered flank steak that stays curly when de-skewered). It gets pretty dark in an empty park at the top of a mountain and discussions of zombies (a running theme with this family) started. That got us moving pretty quickly out of there!
And now for the title of today’s blog entry… as we were driving out of the park, Damon and I spotted a single deer in our headlights. We yelled to the kids to look out the window at the deer and noticed what was arguably somewhere between 50 (Damon’s estimate) and a billion (my estimate) deer in a field next to us. It was pitch black outside and we were hanging out the windows with flashlights. The lights caught hundreds of glowing eyes – it was pretty awesome!
It is about 10pm and we are still driving trying to find a place to camp tonight – hoping a park we have our eye on is open for the season. Failed to check that 90% of RV parks do not open until mid-April/May. Oops. More spontaneity!
Quote of the day:
Damon – Oh haRVey! I didn’t know you had it in you! (as we hit the top of Monarch pass at 11,312 feet)
Scare of the day:
Tyler – DOOR!!!!! (when the RV door flew open as we were on a hairpin turn on our way to Royal Gorge). Needless to say, with every passing day, we add at least one thing to our checklist. Close door. Check.
Just got pictures up: 2012 03 RV Trip
Sunday, April 1, 2012
The Hunger Games
Day two under our belts – by far, the longest and most brutal drive day for the week – thankfully behind us. Got on the road around 8:30 for a quick trip to Lincoln, NE to meet up with Damon’s family at the Village Inn for some good breakfast fare… and world famous pie. Nothing sets you up for 10 hours of driving more than a full belly and an impending sugar crash.
Shout out to the Lincoln Dresselhauses for an awesome visit and breakfast.
The first few hours out of Lincoln were supposed to be my shot at driving the big rig since on the map, it was literally a 3-hour arrow straight shot. Nary a turn or curve anywhere on the map. Unfortunately, we failed to take into consideration the wind gusts famous in the plains, and seeing Damon clutching the steering wheel for dear life with sweat dripping down his forehead did not install the needed confidence for me to take over driving. Damon very distressed that we were passed by a Smart Car.
On the bright side, we now have water and I am proud to say that I have the distinct title of having been the first one to pee while in a moving vehicle. Tyler eventually made it into the moving pee club but was a little bummed that he has to sit in order to minimize splash damage.
So how did we pass the time driving across Nebraska? Sum it up with “Hunger Games”. We had Sydney reading the book to Lauren in the “dining room” while Damon listened to books on tape. Eventually we put it on the big stereo and we all listened for a few hours. Yes, most of us have also read the series &/or seen the movie, but we are all about Hunger Games this week.
We crossed the border into Colorado around dinner time and stopped at a rest area for a very fancy RV-made taco feast – watched the sunset, stretched our legs, and got back in for the final 3-hours. The girls and I decided to crank up the generator and watch Footloose on our 42” flat screen. Damon got very frustrated trying to hook up all of the cables and was stomping around while we made fun (yes, we are a very supportive group). Sydney summed it up best by saying that dad probably pooped out all of his sunshine and rainbows at the rest area.
We did eventually get it hooked up but the road noise was too loud in the front so we retreated to the back bedroom and laid in bed all huddled around an iPad trying to watch. The bouncing eventually got to all of us as we were repeatedly group launched into the air and we finally gave up.
So why not much mention of Tyler today? Well… he has made “the cave” (aka the bed above the cab) his permanent home. He curtained himself in for most of the day and would just dangle his top half out out now and again so we knew he was alive.
Pulled into Denver close to midnight and were welcomed by “the Denver Clines” who put us up for the night. Kids slept outside in the RV,
Quote of the day (tie):
Damon: I don’t really know at this point if I should be encouraging petting the driver (in response to Tyler dangling out of the cave to rub his head at regular intervals)
Sydney: God we are so hillbilly (in response to us draining the fat from our taco meat in the grass at the rest stop)
Shout out to the Lincoln Dresselhauses for an awesome visit and breakfast.
The first few hours out of Lincoln were supposed to be my shot at driving the big rig since on the map, it was literally a 3-hour arrow straight shot. Nary a turn or curve anywhere on the map. Unfortunately, we failed to take into consideration the wind gusts famous in the plains, and seeing Damon clutching the steering wheel for dear life with sweat dripping down his forehead did not install the needed confidence for me to take over driving. Damon very distressed that we were passed by a Smart Car.
On the bright side, we now have water and I am proud to say that I have the distinct title of having been the first one to pee while in a moving vehicle. Tyler eventually made it into the moving pee club but was a little bummed that he has to sit in order to minimize splash damage.
So how did we pass the time driving across Nebraska? Sum it up with “Hunger Games”. We had Sydney reading the book to Lauren in the “dining room” while Damon listened to books on tape. Eventually we put it on the big stereo and we all listened for a few hours. Yes, most of us have also read the series &/or seen the movie, but we are all about Hunger Games this week.
We crossed the border into Colorado around dinner time and stopped at a rest area for a very fancy RV-made taco feast – watched the sunset, stretched our legs, and got back in for the final 3-hours. The girls and I decided to crank up the generator and watch Footloose on our 42” flat screen. Damon got very frustrated trying to hook up all of the cables and was stomping around while we made fun (yes, we are a very supportive group). Sydney summed it up best by saying that dad probably pooped out all of his sunshine and rainbows at the rest area.
We did eventually get it hooked up but the road noise was too loud in the front so we retreated to the back bedroom and laid in bed all huddled around an iPad trying to watch. The bouncing eventually got to all of us as we were repeatedly group launched into the air and we finally gave up.
So why not much mention of Tyler today? Well… he has made “the cave” (aka the bed above the cab) his permanent home. He curtained himself in for most of the day and would just dangle his top half out out now and again so we knew he was alive.
Pulled into Denver close to midnight and were welcomed by “the Denver Clines” who put us up for the night. Kids slept outside in the RV,
Quote of the day (tie):
Damon: I don’t really know at this point if I should be encouraging petting the driver (in response to Tyler dangling out of the cave to rub his head at regular intervals)
Sydney: God we are so hillbilly (in response to us draining the fat from our taco meat in the grass at the rest stop)
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Breaking in haRVey
Thank you for reading our travel blog! We are excited to share our inaugural RV adventure with you - with this crowd of pseudo crazies, something interesting is always bound to happen.
We finally have day one in haRVey under our belts. For those of you wondering what happend to the Lucky Leprechaun, well, the kids unanimously vetoed the name as "stupid - so, back to the drawing board. Many names were thrown around with Sydney dubbing every single suggestion as "so stupid" until haRVey was thrown out. That name was met with a "well, it doesn't completely suck". Thus, haRVey the RV was born.
Now on to the RV it self. I haven't toured in many, but this thing is suh-weet! Full bedroom "suite" in the back with shower and bathroom, a couch/diningroom table turns into a bed, a regular couch that turns into a bed, and a full queen over the cab. Plus, a 42" flat panel tv that rises out of the kitchen counter (full kitchen with fridge, stove, microwave) with the push of a button. In order to accommodate all of this travel bliss, this thing is 31 feet long.
Yesterday's journey involved picking up haRVey from his resting place in Rolling Prairie, Indiana where Damon's dad graciously housed him for a week. We spent the first hour freaking out about every sound - wondering if this thing is road ready. Almost went off the road when the the fire extinguisher somehow dislodged itself and went rolling across the floor. Loudly. Did I mention we picked it up from the factory with 29 miles on it? Lots of noises as haRVey gets broken in.
We drove to Plainfield to pick up three very happy kids and then took off for Des Moines. We did not have any "grey water" on the first day, so we have been unable to experience going to the bathroom on the road, which, for those of you who have ever traveled with baby bladder probably know, is the most exciting part of this trip for me (& Damon).
Kids appear to be loving the experience - the ability to walk around (yes we know that is illegal mom), sit at a table, cook dinner while rolling, and sleep fully stretched out is awesome. Personally, I tried to lay down in the back bedroom and was lulled to sleep until we hit a big bump and I literally caught about 6" of air - with a nice soft landing.
Damon's experience has not been quite as exciting as ours - he has done all of the driving so far. The highlight of his first day was nearly wetting himself after a large rock hit our windshield - yes, we've already cracked the windshield. Hope insurance covers that...
And the question most everyone is probably curious about - what is the gas mileage on that rig? Well, we are pleased to say that we are rocking about 7.5 mpg. I've never been so anal about a 5 cent difference in price and we are carefully monitoring the AAA website to see which states and where we should be filling up.
Shout out to the Iowa Clines for letting us park the rig last night, letting us use indoor plumbing, and giving us coffee this morning. We love you!
We generally end the blog with a "quote of the day". For yesterday, we have a short conversation of the day:
Donna: What are you doing?
Sydney (16): Trying to help [my friend] figure out what she should wear tonight - she is hanging out with a boy she likes.
Donna (sarcastically): Probably something low cut and slutty
Sydney: We'll yeah, but we need to be more specific. Sparkles or no sparkles.
Aaahhh - teenagers.
We finally have day one in haRVey under our belts. For those of you wondering what happend to the Lucky Leprechaun, well, the kids unanimously vetoed the name as "stupid - so, back to the drawing board. Many names were thrown around with Sydney dubbing every single suggestion as "so stupid" until haRVey was thrown out. That name was met with a "well, it doesn't completely suck". Thus, haRVey the RV was born.
Now on to the RV it self. I haven't toured in many, but this thing is suh-weet! Full bedroom "suite" in the back with shower and bathroom, a couch/diningroom table turns into a bed, a regular couch that turns into a bed, and a full queen over the cab. Plus, a 42" flat panel tv that rises out of the kitchen counter (full kitchen with fridge, stove, microwave) with the push of a button. In order to accommodate all of this travel bliss, this thing is 31 feet long.
Yesterday's journey involved picking up haRVey from his resting place in Rolling Prairie, Indiana where Damon's dad graciously housed him for a week. We spent the first hour freaking out about every sound - wondering if this thing is road ready. Almost went off the road when the the fire extinguisher somehow dislodged itself and went rolling across the floor. Loudly. Did I mention we picked it up from the factory with 29 miles on it? Lots of noises as haRVey gets broken in.
We drove to Plainfield to pick up three very happy kids and then took off for Des Moines. We did not have any "grey water" on the first day, so we have been unable to experience going to the bathroom on the road, which, for those of you who have ever traveled with baby bladder probably know, is the most exciting part of this trip for me (& Damon).
Kids appear to be loving the experience - the ability to walk around (yes we know that is illegal mom), sit at a table, cook dinner while rolling, and sleep fully stretched out is awesome. Personally, I tried to lay down in the back bedroom and was lulled to sleep until we hit a big bump and I literally caught about 6" of air - with a nice soft landing.
Damon's experience has not been quite as exciting as ours - he has done all of the driving so far. The highlight of his first day was nearly wetting himself after a large rock hit our windshield - yes, we've already cracked the windshield. Hope insurance covers that...
And the question most everyone is probably curious about - what is the gas mileage on that rig? Well, we are pleased to say that we are rocking about 7.5 mpg. I've never been so anal about a 5 cent difference in price and we are carefully monitoring the AAA website to see which states and where we should be filling up.
Shout out to the Iowa Clines for letting us park the rig last night, letting us use indoor plumbing, and giving us coffee this morning. We love you!
We generally end the blog with a "quote of the day". For yesterday, we have a short conversation of the day:
Donna: What are you doing?
Sydney (16): Trying to help [my friend] figure out what she should wear tonight - she is hanging out with a boy she likes.
Donna (sarcastically): Probably something low cut and slutty
Sydney: We'll yeah, but we need to be more specific. Sparkles or no sparkles.
Aaahhh - teenagers.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tomorrow tomorrow I love you tomorrow...
This is my quick blog test to make sure I remember what I'm doing... it has been awhile. T minus 1 day and counting. It is 11:15pm and we are almost close to being sort of ready to leave in the morning.
Future pictures will be published here: https://picasaweb.google.com/donnaweinberg/HaRVeyGoesWest?authkey=Gv1sRgCLughsf7g9vuugE#
Future pictures will be published here: https://picasaweb.google.com/donnaweinberg/HaRVeyGoesWest?authkey=Gv1sRgCLughsf7g9vuugE#
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)