Dillon, Montana - June 13, 2014

A STOP ALONG THE WAY

I am here in the parking lot of an IGA at one of two exits in Dillon, MT. Beautiful country, in fact the drive from Idaho Falls was truly spectacular - a gift from the Gods. Carol is seeking out a vet to get meds for her pup, Dottie, that she forgot to bring with her. We enjoyed a nice lunch and have about an hours drive to Lost Trail State Park where we will spend the night. She and I are still pretty tired.

The second day out we camped outside of Gypsum, CO on Forest Service land. Not too inspiring but we needed the rest. Next day we headed to Dinasour National Monument where we took the next morning to visit the quarry. Quite impressive. Again, the country was lovely, high desert and very green for any time of the year. All the rivers we crossed, Arkansas, Colorado, Eagle, White Mountain and Green River were full to brimming. Still, the mountain tops had white peaks. Our next stop was Rock Springs, WY. A beautiful drive until we had to stay in the KOA Campgrounds. My least favorite place to stay but the only thing in town. Speaking of the town it was abombinal, full of oil rigs, trucks and hugh storage tanks. A God-forsaken place to live. As you have probably noticed I'm cramming the last few days into one entry because I just got this blog up and running. It took me a couple of times through the "help" video to get it and I still don't know much. Since I use my Ipad for most of my computer work now, I needed an app to help with blogging. Always something new, useful and slightly frustrating to learn about. At least now I will be able to write along the way and post to my blog when I have intenet.

Last night we stayed in Idaho Falls which was crowded and conjested with traffic. Happy to get on the road this am. I am enjoying a strong cup of coffee designed to keep me awake for the rest of the drive today.

An aside. . . Driving through the countryside has always been restful and meditative for me. Perhaps, because my family moved so much during my childhood and we always seemed to be taking road trips. Those were happy times because I remember the closeness and security of family. Since those days, whenever I feel down, a ride by myself in the car does the trick. There were many times I just wanted to keep going but the love for my children kept me at home. Even today, I am safest in the car. Now I need to get going.

Pictures are of Dinasour National Monument

 

 

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NORTH TO ALASKA Summer 2014

 

June 8, 2014

Getting ready to get out of La Veta was a major task for both Carol and me. At the last minute she discovered a honey bee hive in her attic and had to arrange for that to be attended to. After several nights of restless sleep I decided that the twin bed I had in the Casita wasn't going to hack it. Sooooo, I arranged to get back the double bed size 4" foam I had given to Nancy Klinke. She wasn't using it so that worked for both of us. However, remembering why I got rid of the double bed foam in the first place (it didn't hack it either), I went to Walmart in Trinidad to get another 4" piece of memory foam. My dear friends, J and Denny, who own the RV park had been helping me prepare for the trip all week. Of course, poor Denny got stuck with removing the twin bed (which I gave to them). Due to the configuration of the Casita, I had to cut two ends to round them off. That meant laying the foam out on J's living room rug to get the proper cut. Finally, at 10 last night my bed was made and ready for me to fall in.

It bears mentioning that J's spare bedroom is stuffed with 2 suitcases, a box with a raven sculpture missing its wing, my oxygen concentrator and a TV set. I cringed every time I took something else to store in her house. Finally, after dumping gray and black water, filling up the water tank, hooking up the trailer and checking everything the Fox and I were ready to head out.

I met Carol at her house and helped her finish packing her Roadtrek. Then we grabbed a bite to eat at the new bakery and drove out of La Veta at around 1pm. One quick stop to check my trailer brakes and we were on our way. Me to the tune of Northern Exposure on my CD player.

We hit a wicked rain storm over La Veta pass and on into Fort Garland. The sky was simply spectacular sporting both dust and rain storm. Once again I marveled at the beautiful landscape as we drove to the Great Sand Dunes.

It didn't take too long to set up, pay our registration fee (%50 off for old ladies) and for me to get a pot of chicken soup going. Soup was a good choice since it just rained and hailed leaving the air rather nippily. Since we are both tired I suspect it will be an early night. Right now I am celebrating the fact I'm in a hard sided trailer and not freezing my buns off in a wet tent. Oh, and I even have a toilet and hot water in my cozy little Casita home. Life is GOOD!

 

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