Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Dave visits the Kennedy Space Center
The next day, Sunday, I decide to visit the Kennedy Space Center. Jan was "spaced out" from visiting the Houston Space Center and the air museums in Tuscon and Pensacola, so I didn't blame her for not wanting to come along. We were only a 10 minute drive from the visitor's center, so I drove over there in the truck. Little did I know at the time, but there was a disaster riding in the truck with me that was about to be unleashed! More on that later.
Those darn rocket launches
The next day, a rocket was scheduled to launch from the Kennedy Space Center that afternoon. The Space Center WEB site had a countdown clock, so when it got to T -30 minutes, I walked over to the edge of the river and waited, peering across the river with my binoculars in hand and camera running. The countdown clock went to zero and said "launched", but nothing happened. I waited another hour to see if it would launch, but all was quiet. What a dud! Later that night, we read that there was a technical problem and the launch was rescheduled for the same time the next day.
So the next day, the WEB site said that the launch window was from 2:45 P.M. to 4:45 P.M., but the countdown clock indicated that the launch was going to happen at 3:45 P.M. I was a bit tired, so I took a nap thinking I would walk out to the river to view the launch about 1/2 hour early. At 2:42 P.M., I was awakened from my slumber by this horrific roar and Jan shouting, " The rocket, the rocket!" I grabbed my glasses, fumbled to put on my sandles, but to no avail. I looked up at the sky and only saw a vapor trail twisting up into the heavens. Darn!!
So the next day, the WEB site said that the launch window was from 2:45 P.M. to 4:45 P.M., but the countdown clock indicated that the launch was going to happen at 3:45 P.M. I was a bit tired, so I took a nap thinking I would walk out to the river to view the launch about 1/2 hour early. At 2:42 P.M., I was awakened from my slumber by this horrific roar and Jan shouting, " The rocket, the rocket!" I grabbed my glasses, fumbled to put on my sandles, but to no avail. I looked up at the sky and only saw a vapor trail twisting up into the heavens. Darn!!
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| This is all I saw of the rocket. Big deal!! |
Wednesday, May 2nd - Manatee Hammock CG
After a quick stay at the Walmart in Live Oak, Florida, we drove on for another 4 hours to Titusville, Florida. We decided to take a slightly longer route and complete our I10 journey, following its full length all the way from L.A. to Jacksonville, Florida. We then headed south along I95 to Manatee Hammock Campground in Titusville, across the Indian River from the Kennedy Space Center from where Apollo 11 and the Space Shuttle were launched. I was excited to see one of those big rockets take off as one was scheduled for the next day. The campground is in a big grove of pine, palm, and oak trees with tons of squirrels running everywhere.
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| Our Trailer at Manatee Hammock |
We walked out onto a grassy area which juts out into the river and onto a wooden pier to see if we could see any Manatees, but only saw schools of fish. They later told us that is was not the right time of year for Manatees and that's why we didn't see any.
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| Wooden pier with Space Center in the Distance |
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
January 24th - We're back on the road!
After a holiday hiatus in Hollister near Sarah, Joe, Owen, and Lucy, we are heading South... Destination: Quartzite, Arizona where all the RV crazies gather in the low desert for the winter months of January & February. It was difficult to leave as we have gotten very attached to Sarah's family especially our cute and energetic grandchildren. When I would walk into the house, Owen would say, "Let's race, Grandpa!", so that is how I would get my exercise for the day. Lucy would always be calling out my name, "Bapa, Bapa!" and walk over to show me something she had picked up or just wanted me to pick her up. We made friends at their local church and were even regulars at the Wednesday night bible study. But, alas, we are rolling stones and must move on.
We made plans to leave the Mission Farm RV Park in San Juan Bautista at 9:30 A.M. and we left and 9:34 A.M., which was pretty good for us! We headed down highway 101 thru the Salinas valley farming country. The day was clear and sunny and the temperature got up into the high 60's. This drive was much more interesting than driving down the monotonous interstate 5, as we passed by small towns, farms, vineyards and even an oil field in Paso Robles.
We arrived at The Flying Flags RV Park in Bueller, Ca. at 1:15 in the afternoon. They have multiple hookups spaces, RV storage, and a grassy field area where you can just park you RV with no hookups. We chose the grassy field area for a mere $22 for the night. There was only 1 other RV on this huge grassy area, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
After we unhitched the trailer, we drove just a few miles into Solvang. The town was founded more than 100 years ago be some Danish settlers and has kept up the Danish theme. I thought it would be 1 small main street with a few shops, but it was block after block of restaurants, shops of every kind including pastries, needlepoint, Christmas all year round, hats, jewelry, wine tasting, you name it. We walked around for about 1 1/2 hours, bought a Christmas ornament, a delft plate refrigerator magnet, a hat, and some jewelry. We were good and did not eat any fudge, ice cream, or candy, and went back to the trailer for a dinner of salmon.
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| Owen and Lucy |
We arrived at The Flying Flags RV Park in Bueller, Ca. at 1:15 in the afternoon. They have multiple hookups spaces, RV storage, and a grassy field area where you can just park you RV with no hookups. We chose the grassy field area for a mere $22 for the night. There was only 1 other RV on this huge grassy area, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.
After we unhitched the trailer, we drove just a few miles into Solvang. The town was founded more than 100 years ago be some Danish settlers and has kept up the Danish theme. I thought it would be 1 small main street with a few shops, but it was block after block of restaurants, shops of every kind including pastries, needlepoint, Christmas all year round, hats, jewelry, wine tasting, you name it. We walked around for about 1 1/2 hours, bought a Christmas ornament, a delft plate refrigerator magnet, a hat, and some jewelry. We were good and did not eat any fudge, ice cream, or candy, and went back to the trailer for a dinner of salmon.
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| Is Jan in Denmark, Holland, or California? |
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Wednesday, November 2nd : Chilly at Canyon De Chelly
Today, we decided to explore the canyon. There are 2 rim drives: the north rim and the south rim. We decided to do the south rim because there are more overlooks and because there is a hiking trail down to White House ruins, the only trail down into the canyon that does not require a guide. We drove the 10 miles to the last overlook first.
This was the Spider Rock Overlook where we were able to view the famous rock column protruding from the canyon floor. The canyon walls are made of that southwestern red rock and rise vertically to about 700 feet above the valley floor. The valley is very narrow, maybe only 1000 yards. The Navajo have ranches and small farms on the almost flat valley floor. A shallow river meanders thru the valley and dirt road follows it. Cottonwood trees form small groves on the valley floor and at this time of year, the leaves had turned a beautiful yellow color. Contrasting the yellow of the cottonwood trees against the red rock walls and the dark blue sky of that day made for a beautiful photo shot. It was about noon and the temperature had just inched above 40F, so we were all bundled up. From that vantage point, we could see cliff dwellings in the opposite canyon walls. I had brought along my compact binoculars, so we could get a good look at them. We turned around and drove back down the south rim road, stopping at Face Rock Overlook and Sliding house overlook, again looking at the beauty of the canyon from a different vantage point and at the cliff dwellings on the opposite canyon wall.
The next stop was the White House Overlook from which the trail leads down into the valley. Since none of the overlooks had toilets and we were looking at a 2 hour hike, we decided to drive back to the visitor’s center to use their facilities and then drive back. When we got back, we bumped into Steve & Diane at the overlook. They weren’t going to hike down the trail as they were more the ATV type, so we left them and headed down the trail. The canyon rim was a straight down rock cliff, so they had cut a tunnel through the rock to get the hikers through that portion. After that, the trail was a series of switch backs and a few places with steps, either cut into the rock or dirt filled with small logs holding back the dirt. Near the bottom of the trail was another tunnel, which then led to the flat valley floor. To our immediate right was a fence on which a sign read “private residence, no pictures please”. In about 1 acre of fenced in area, there was a Hogan style Navajo house, a few barnyard animals, and nothing much else, essentially a very humble household. We walked across the river, which was only a small stream now, on an iron grating bridge and then on down the river to the usual Navajo vendors selling the usual necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Not that the wares were not pretty, but they are selling these everywhere you turn.
Twice we had a Navajo vendor knock on or trailer door wanting to sell us something. They are very polite, but persistent. Having already bought 2 necklaces, we passed on the jewelry. It was nice being in the valley as it gives you a different perspective of the canyon. We were a little disappointed because we were only able to get within about 200 feet of the ruins as there was a high wire fence keeping us at bay. There were some petroglyphs on the canyon walls near the ruins, so I took some pictures of those and of the ruins. It was sad to see that part of the ruin had graffiti written on it. When that happened and by whom, we never did find out.
Jan was anxious to get back as it was getting late in the afternoon, so we headed back without lingering any longer. Of course, the hike back was harder than the walk down and we both were breathing hard as we walked back up. Jan said afterward that she didn’t think she was going to make it, but she trooped on. I kept reminding her of the benefits of strong exercise, but I don’t think she was impressed at the time. After that, we went back to the trailer, had some dinner and crashed.
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| Here we are with Spider Rock in the background |
This was the Spider Rock Overlook where we were able to view the famous rock column protruding from the canyon floor. The canyon walls are made of that southwestern red rock and rise vertically to about 700 feet above the valley floor. The valley is very narrow, maybe only 1000 yards. The Navajo have ranches and small farms on the almost flat valley floor. A shallow river meanders thru the valley and dirt road follows it. Cottonwood trees form small groves on the valley floor and at this time of year, the leaves had turned a beautiful yellow color. Contrasting the yellow of the cottonwood trees against the red rock walls and the dark blue sky of that day made for a beautiful photo shot. It was about noon and the temperature had just inched above 40F, so we were all bundled up. From that vantage point, we could see cliff dwellings in the opposite canyon walls. I had brought along my compact binoculars, so we could get a good look at them. We turned around and drove back down the south rim road, stopping at Face Rock Overlook and Sliding house overlook, again looking at the beauty of the canyon from a different vantage point and at the cliff dwellings on the opposite canyon wall.
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| Jan in one of the trail tunnels |
The next stop was the White House Overlook from which the trail leads down into the valley. Since none of the overlooks had toilets and we were looking at a 2 hour hike, we decided to drive back to the visitor’s center to use their facilities and then drive back. When we got back, we bumped into Steve & Diane at the overlook. They weren’t going to hike down the trail as they were more the ATV type, so we left them and headed down the trail. The canyon rim was a straight down rock cliff, so they had cut a tunnel through the rock to get the hikers through that portion. After that, the trail was a series of switch backs and a few places with steps, either cut into the rock or dirt filled with small logs holding back the dirt. Near the bottom of the trail was another tunnel, which then led to the flat valley floor. To our immediate right was a fence on which a sign read “private residence, no pictures please”. In about 1 acre of fenced in area, there was a Hogan style Navajo house, a few barnyard animals, and nothing much else, essentially a very humble household. We walked across the river, which was only a small stream now, on an iron grating bridge and then on down the river to the usual Navajo vendors selling the usual necklaces, bracelets, and rings. Not that the wares were not pretty, but they are selling these everywhere you turn.
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| Looking down onto the canyon floor |
Twice we had a Navajo vendor knock on or trailer door wanting to sell us something. They are very polite, but persistent. Having already bought 2 necklaces, we passed on the jewelry. It was nice being in the valley as it gives you a different perspective of the canyon. We were a little disappointed because we were only able to get within about 200 feet of the ruins as there was a high wire fence keeping us at bay. There were some petroglyphs on the canyon walls near the ruins, so I took some pictures of those and of the ruins. It was sad to see that part of the ruin had graffiti written on it. When that happened and by whom, we never did find out.
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| Petroglyphs at The White House |
Jan was anxious to get back as it was getting late in the afternoon, so we headed back without lingering any longer. Of course, the hike back was harder than the walk down and we both were breathing hard as we walked back up. Jan said afterward that she didn’t think she was going to make it, but she trooped on. I kept reminding her of the benefits of strong exercise, but I don’t think she was impressed at the time. After that, we went back to the trailer, had some dinner and crashed.
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| Dave in front of The White House |
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| Some of the cliff dwellings as seen from the other side of the valley |
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| Yellow cottonwood trees against the red rock against the blue sky: beautiful! |
Tuesday, November 1st: We drive to Canyon de Chelly National Park
Canyon de Chelly was only about a 2 hour drive, so we were not in a great hurry to get going early. In fact, we did not leave Cadillac until around 12 noon. We stopped at the 1 small grocery store and gas station in town to buy something for lunch before we left. They had a 2 for 1 special on hamburgers, but when I ordered it, she said that it would take ½ hour to prepare! (I guess that’s what it was like before McDonalds) So we ordered a couple of sub sandwiches instead.
We drove a few miles down the road to our 1st turn off where we found a large area beside the road to pull off and eat our sandwiches. The drive was uneventful as we drove the back roads of southern UT and northern AZ, watched the beautiful desert scenery of large open spaces and mesas, and looked at the scattered Navajo farms and ranches. We needed propane, so we stopped at a store in a place called Many Farms. We were still on the Navajo reservation, so we were the only “white men” around. I paid inside and carried my propane tank over to the large propane tank, where another Navajo fellow was having a very tall tank filled. This guy was a little wiry guy who was getting on in years and had a Fu Man Chu looking beard. I asked him how much his tank weighed when it was full and he said about 100 lbs. I asked him if he could lift it into his truck and he said, “Sure” and flexed his arm muscles to show me his verility. However, when it came time to put the tank into his pickup, I noticed him struggling, with the tank partially on the truck tailgate and not moving any further. I walked over and gave him a hand and we both got the tank into the truck. The Navajo guy pumping the propane told me that he was a civil engineer surveyor, but couldn’t find work, so he had to do this. I just told him that there were a lot of people in the same situation, but that was probably of little consolation.
We pulled into Chinle, the town where Canyon de Chelly is located. We were excited to see a Burger King as we hadn’t seen one since we left Cortez. It was only about 3:30 P.M., so the visitor’s center was open. Jan had her passport stamped, we got a pamphlet, and then headed to the campground. The campground was in a grove of cottonwood trees, had paved roads, restrooms with flush toilets, and a dump station, but best of all, it was free! When we pulled into our spot, we noticed the same Montana 5th wheel that was next to us at Goosenecks! It’s a small world. This time when I saw the couple that owned the rig, I remarked on what a coincidence it was that once again, we were neighbors. They introduced themselves as Steve & Dianne from British Colombia and invited us over for cocktails after we got our rig set up. We did go over there and another couple from Canada joined us. Steve & Diane had been full timing since June 2010, exactly 1 year longer than us. They said that they’d been planning to do this for 20 years and love it. The sun went down & it got chilly, so we all retired to our respective trailers.
We drove a few miles down the road to our 1st turn off where we found a large area beside the road to pull off and eat our sandwiches. The drive was uneventful as we drove the back roads of southern UT and northern AZ, watched the beautiful desert scenery of large open spaces and mesas, and looked at the scattered Navajo farms and ranches. We needed propane, so we stopped at a store in a place called Many Farms. We were still on the Navajo reservation, so we were the only “white men” around. I paid inside and carried my propane tank over to the large propane tank, where another Navajo fellow was having a very tall tank filled. This guy was a little wiry guy who was getting on in years and had a Fu Man Chu looking beard. I asked him how much his tank weighed when it was full and he said about 100 lbs. I asked him if he could lift it into his truck and he said, “Sure” and flexed his arm muscles to show me his verility. However, when it came time to put the tank into his pickup, I noticed him struggling, with the tank partially on the truck tailgate and not moving any further. I walked over and gave him a hand and we both got the tank into the truck. The Navajo guy pumping the propane told me that he was a civil engineer surveyor, but couldn’t find work, so he had to do this. I just told him that there were a lot of people in the same situation, but that was probably of little consolation.
We pulled into Chinle, the town where Canyon de Chelly is located. We were excited to see a Burger King as we hadn’t seen one since we left Cortez. It was only about 3:30 P.M., so the visitor’s center was open. Jan had her passport stamped, we got a pamphlet, and then headed to the campground. The campground was in a grove of cottonwood trees, had paved roads, restrooms with flush toilets, and a dump station, but best of all, it was free! When we pulled into our spot, we noticed the same Montana 5th wheel that was next to us at Goosenecks! It’s a small world. This time when I saw the couple that owned the rig, I remarked on what a coincidence it was that once again, we were neighbors. They introduced themselves as Steve & Dianne from British Colombia and invited us over for cocktails after we got our rig set up. We did go over there and another couple from Canada joined us. Steve & Diane had been full timing since June 2010, exactly 1 year longer than us. They said that they’d been planning to do this for 20 years and love it. The sun went down & it got chilly, so we all retired to our respective trailers.
Monday, October 31st – Spending the day in Bluff, UT
We had considered driving north to Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, and Zion, but the weather was trending colder and the long range weather forecast was for inclement weather, so we decided to head south. We were going to spend another night at Goosenecks, but our water and power were getting low and our waste tanks were getting high, so we decided to hop on over to Cadillac RV Park for full hookups in the very small town of Bluff, UT. There, we would also be able to have access to the internet through the campgrounds Wi-Fi network. At Goosenecks, Verizon had no signal, so our Ipad and main cell phone did not work. However, my humble Tracfone had 5 bars so we were at least connected to the outside world through that. This was an uneventful day as we drove for about 40 minutes, paid our $27, hooked up, and relaxed for the rest of the day.
The park had a small lake with picnic tables around it about 150 feet from our trailer. It seemed that it would be a nice place for a picnic if the weather was warmer. This RV Park had cottonwood trees as it was near the river and I presume that the soil was wetter allowing the trees to grow.
The park had a small lake with picnic tables around it about 150 feet from our trailer. It seemed that it would be a nice place for a picnic if the weather was warmer. This RV Park had cottonwood trees as it was near the river and I presume that the soil was wetter allowing the trees to grow.
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