Lee's Ferry Az

We are camped on a hill just above the Colorado river. In fact we are close enough to the river that we can hear the roar of the first rapid of the Grand Canyon. Lee's Ferry is where the Grand Canyon raft trips start. It is a hollowed place for river runners. Our campsite has no amenities. We are boondocking. Tomorrow we are going to get a shuttle boat ride upstream to the Glen Canyon Dam. We will be dumped off there and will float back down the river 15 miles in a rented inflatable kayak back to Lee's Ferry. This place has so much history it's not going to be possible to scratch the surface in a blog post. John D. Lee was a scoundrel. I suggest you Google "The Mountain Meadows Massacre" for some insight. More tomorrow. 

last day in Williams

Today was a prep day for our next few days.  We did laundry and hit the grocery store. We will be boondocking for the next few days in northern Az and there are a few unknowns that we have to worry about. I talked to a group of teenage hoodlums riding mountain bikes at a gas station this afternoon and they gave me directions to a trail. The trailhead was at 7200 feet so it's easy to figure what kind of ride I had. We move tomorrow. Cell coverage might be a problem.

Williams Az. day 2

Today was the train ride into GCNP. It was about 2 1/4 hours. We booked the first class cabin. It was very comfortable, there were breakfast snacks on the way out and hors d'oeuvres on the way back. Adult beverages available in both directions. The South rim was pretty busy. It's always busy in the summer and I couldn't tell if it was busier than normal, probably was. We were able to get a table at the El Tovar Hotel, after only waiting a few minutes. We hiked around some, visited a few gift shops, took some pics, people watched and got back on board. We were in the park for 3 hours. On the ride back some bandits rode up on horses, guns blazing, and robbed the train. It was pretty stressful but luckily the sheriff showed up and took the rascals into custody. Since pilot training in Phoenix in 1976 I think I have been in the park 13 times. We have driven, walked, floated and now ridden a train to get there. It is obviously one of my favorite places. Looking down on Indian Gardens was tugging on my heart strings. We are here one more day. We have some administrative things to accomplish. 

Williams Az

Eat your hearts out folks. High today was 79 and tonight's low is forecast to be 39. Last time I checked humidity was 15%. I guess I'll have to wear long pants tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, we have booked a train ride from here into the Grand Canyon. More on that on tomorrow's post. This town is hoppin. This is the first, post pandemic, holiday weekend so people are going to probably expend some pent up energy. Route 66 is the main street and it reminds me of a cross between Key West and the French Quarter of New Orleans. A lot of music on the street and some strange people out and about. That weird pic was taken in the men's room of a bar that was attached to the restaurant where we ate lunch. Those are beer keg urinals filled with ice. Someone apparently has a creative imagination.

lost Dutchman day 2

Our float trip today didn't start until 1:00 so we had time on our hands this morning. There are some bike trails in the park so I got out before the temps got to high and did some riding. The reason we met at the Walgreens in Mesa is because it's close to the put-in and they said it was the last place to have cell coverage. There were 2 groups in our float. Jenny and I were in one group, paddling an inflatable kayak, and there was another group in a large raft. Each group had a guide. Our guide was Michelle. There wasn't a lot of guiding required, only a few riffles and just a couple of river channels to negotiate. Tomorrow we are in Williams Az. There is a train that runs from Williams to the Grand Canyon every day. We're going to do that on Saturday. Since this is a holiday weekend, when I made reservations I figured we should probably sit tight somewhere until the weekend is over with. So, we'll be in Williams for awhile.

Lost Dutchman SP Az

This park is at the base of the Superstition Mountains Wilderness. Near the town of Apache Junction. We were on I 10 for part of the drive. We will be headed north for the next few weeks so we won't be on I 10 again until we are headed home. Tomorrow we have that kayak trip on the Salt River in the early afternoon. We are supposed to meet at a Walgreens pharmacy in Mesa. That's a little different. We had a cloudy day today which kept the temps down. More tomorrow. 

Kartchner Caverns day dos.

I like to use my Spanish language skills to keep them sharp, especially since we are only a few miles from the border. The reason we are here is because the last time we were here I rode my bike on a trail that became, after a mile, impossible to ride on. I was kind of curious about it and I wanted to hike it. That we did, this morning. A little over 4 miles. 2 miles up and 2 miles down. We saw not a soul and it was fairly challenging. Right up our alley. Tomorrow we move to a park at the base of The Superstition Mountains just outside of Phoenix. We have booked a kayak trip through REI on the Salt River on Thursday. We'll see how that goes.

Kartchner Caverns SP Az.

We only moved something like 50 miles today. We had some time to kill at the KOA in Wilcox this morning so I washed the MP. I borrowed a hose and had to pay $10 but with the rain we drove through in Texas she was pretty dirty. These Caverns have been voted 'the best in the country'. We did the tour the last time we were here and we can attest to there goodness. There is also hiking in the hills behind the caverns. We will do some of that tomorrow and then chill the rest of the day. We haven't been chilling much the last 3 weeks. Some is in order. The air is exceptionally dry here. Every thing is brown. We talked to the owner of the winery yesterday and he didn't think there had been any appreciable rain in 2 years. Temps are not too bad yet. It cools off rapidly at sundown. We used the heater last night. We are here for 2 nights I think. I should check the schedule.

Wilcox Az day 3

Today we had several things on our agenda. The first item was a hike to historic Fort Bowie. The only way to get to it is to walk on a mile & a half trail. That short trail had a bunch of significant historical events occur along it route. There is a spring along that path that was the only reliable source of water for 30 miles. It was coveted. The Indians relied on it and so did settlers headed west. Conflict's arose as they always seem to. The fort was established to protect the settlers and our westward expansion. Cochise and Geronimo figured prominately in the conflict over that spring. The trail to the fort goes right by the spring. It's still there watering the desert. On our way back to the MP 2 we stopped by a winery for some tapas and a wine tasting. The car got washed and some of the laundry is being done at this very moment. We move tomorrow but not far.

Wilcox Az day 2

Today we visited Chiricahua National Monument. It is relatively small (12,000 acres) but it has some spectacular scenery. We left at 9 this morning and got back at 6. It was a day full of hiking. One trail in particular was unreal. I would rate it in the top 5 hikes we've ever been on. It was the Echo Canyon loop. Put that one on your to do list. The parks rock formations are the result of a massive volcanic eruption that happened a while back. The ash in places was 2000 feet deep. Over time it compressed and then eroded to form hoodoos. Alot of hoodoos. We took gobs of photos. Every few feet deserved a pic. Tomorrow we've got another hike planned.

Wilcox Az. KOA

We are here to visit 2 attractions. Arizona does not shift to daylight saving time so we are now in Pacific time. We have driven into 3 time zones in 2 days. Anyway, we got here early enough that we were able to visit the "Indian Bread Rocks". (See pics) There was a rattlesnake there also enjoying the rocks.

Franklin Mountains SP

This park is near El Paso. It's pretty austere. No water, no electricity, no dump station. We are only here for 1 night. On the way here we drove by a Prada Store on Hwy 90 just east of Valentine. It's not a real store it's a "pop architectural land art project". Really, that's the honest truth. There are quite a few trails here. I rode one of them. It was brutal. Now, The Marfa Lights. We saw them. They are on the horizon at some undetermined distance away. They look like a motorcycle headlight. They fade in and out or sometimes blink in and out. They don't really appear to move. Sometimes there are pairs of lights. At one time there were 5 Lights visible at one time. This spectacle occurs every night. There were maybe 50 cars parked at the viewing platform. It's gotta be related to Hillary's emails. We move to Arizona tomorrow. 

Marfa Texas

I have always considered that west of Del Rio to be "The West". Things open up and the traffic thins out, elevation increases and mountains appear. Right now it's 9:30 at night and Jenny and I are sitting at the viewing area for the Marfa Lights looking South. These lights are an unexplained phenomenon that have been observed for many years. We figured that since we were here we might as well take a look. We'll give it an hour or so. I'll let you know tomorrow how it went. We did spend a few hours in town absorbing Marfa's ambience this afternoon. A significant portion of our time in town was spent enjoying adult beverages in a historic hotel. We move tomorrow to a SP near El Paso. I forgot to mention the border patrol boat that pulled up beside us during a fill up.

Del Rio Texas

We usually drive past Del Rio about 30 miles and stay at Seminole Canyon SP. That campground has been closed for 2 years undergoing a renovation supposedly. We are very close to Lake Amistad so we unhooked and drove over there to take a look. Like most lakes in the west it is pretty low. This commercial park is landscaped with some peach trees. The fruit is ripe and we were told we should eat some or the birds will. We did. Today is our  47th anniversary. Tomorrow is Marfa. There is a pavillion east of town for viewing the Marfa Lights. Not sure I can stay up that late but it's not completely out of the realm of possibility.

Last day in SA

I drove 30 minutes to Helotes this morning so that I could ride the trails at Government Canyon State Natural Area. All trails were closed due to mud. The powers that be there obviously don't understand mountain bikers. I came back with my tail between my legs and decided to ride the paved Salido Creek Greenway Trail. I wanted to try and find it's beginning or ending depending on your perspective. I ended up going to Camp Bullis (17.5 miles) then I had to ride back. That one pic is of a gigantic rock quarry near the turnaround. That pic is maybe 25% of the hole. Someone got a cake today and we had the cake ceremony after lunch. Jenny's birthday was yesterday and I didn't get a cake. Not good. We leave tomorrow,  headed west.

Day 3 in Larson's driveway

Our formal reunion last night was a pretty rousing success. There was plenty of space in the venue, good food, 2 bars and a DJ. There are a number of Douglas MacArthur HS graduates that have had pretty impressive careers. The party was supposed to shut down at 11 but the DJ kept cranking out the classic 60s and 70s hits until someone told him to shut it down. We got home at midnight. Someone was taking pics at the informal get together. This is one of them. I visited with Alan and Donna today for a few hours. Donna took this pic.

Off to the Reunion

Yesterday's informal get together was  surprisingly fun. Conversation was not centered on our ailments and there were a couple of people I actually knew. Jenny's observation was that most of the women were recognizable, the men not so much. Luckily we all had name tags. Tonight's festivities begin in 30 minutes. I must sign off.

Larson's driveway

We made it to SA yesterday afternoon with no difficulty. Driving through Houston wasn't even too bad. At just over 400 miles it was our longest day so far. We stopped for fuel twice and both stations were about as crowded as they normally are. Today is Friday. There is an informal pre-reunion get together this evening at a bar that is owned by one of our former classmates. Since I have been sitting on my keister for 4 days I was chomping at the bit to get some exercise. I did a bike ride in Macalister park this morning. SA has had a wet spring, hence the green grass.

Lafayette LA

Today was a slog on Interstate 10. The only excitement was the worry about getting fuel. The ransomware hack of the petroleum pipeline company that has cut gas supplies has been getting a lot of press that worried us. Maybe all the refineries on the Gulf coast have helped with supply here but we didn't have any difficulties getting gas. This campground has been a frequent stop of ours for years. It's a KOA. We had a seafood meal at a highly rated (on yelp) restaurant. The pic is our campsite. By KOA standards it's considered premium. 

Pensacola Florida

Today was almost entirely on I 10. In fact, we took exit 7 to get to the commercial campground we are in so we are just a few miles from Alabama. We drove through a Gawd awful thunderstorm right before we arrived and we had to make camp in the rain. That suks. No opportunities for pictures during the drive so I have included a couple of pics of Lindsay and Jamie's visit over the Mother's day weekend. Tomorrow will be Lafayette La.

First day of summer trip 2021

We had to get on the road early this summer because the Mac Arthur HS class of 1970 chose a mid May date for our 50+ reunion. We had to cancel last years 50th due to the pandemic. Our plan this summer will take us, after San Antonio,  to West Texas then Arizona (a kayak trip on the Salt River, near Phoenix, and then a train ride into The Grand Canyon. Then another kayak trip on the Colorado below The Glen Canyon dam. We will be 5 days at Rocky Mountain NP and then It's further north into Wyoming for some hiking around Devils Tower. Our turnaround will be in S Dakota at Badlands NP. We will work our way back after that with a stop in Santa Fe. Tonight we are in Jacksonville at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park. This park has  something like 300 campsites. There are several miles of beach frontage, a freshwater lake. A disc golf course and some excellent mountain bike trails. We only had a few hours after we arrived to see the park but we spent our time efficiently and hit all the high spots. We move tomorrow and will be moving daily until we get to SA.