Friday - finally caught up with the web. What a clear morning. Not a cloud in the azure blue sky. Windy, but that's OK. It was noon before I left Green River but at least now the web backlog is finished. The time at the Swell will be less hectic (right!)
Ahh......here I am, having a swell time, 8:30 PM. Cooked a brat Italian
Sausage and had some vino (thanks for leaving the brat Italian
Sausage and the vino
with me, Joe!)
The sun has gone down and the billions of stars are coming out. Time
to go out and count them...or at least look for for satellites streaming
by. Back in a while......
So now I'm back. Yes, there were stars and yes, there were satellites.
OMG...I wish I could describe the beauty tonight. It's cool, 40° (but
it's a "dry cool"), low humidity and no moon. Even the milky
way glistens above in the dark blue sky slowly turning coal black. And
I've never seen Venus shining so bright. And even a shooting star...but
fortunately it missed. What a show. What a sight. Tranquil. And I wonder,
staring off into the endless space, of the trillions of planets surrounding
the billions of stars, how many life forms there are tonight, looking
up at their sky and asking themselves, "I wonder how many
life forms there are tonight, looking up at their sky and asking
themselves, 'I wonder how many.....' " Well, you get the idea, this
could go on and on and on......... 
Am
camped at a BLM area, 5 or more acres in size. Being the weekend, there
are a few other people here, maybe 4 other units all quite aways away.
There are four retired teachers (who are all younger than me! ARG!) that
are the closest (by far) and they have a campfire burning mesquite tonight.
WOW! That shit smells good enough to smoke!
While it's nice to have amenities in a town or whatever, I'm coming more and more to realize that this is my element, 30 miles from the nearest town! What a peaceful easy feelin'! But I digress again and again. Back to today.
At any rate.....got set up near Temple Mountain about 1 PM and was on the road by 2! 15 years ago, or so, I'd received one of Jack Bicker's Utah 4WD booklets on a place "near" here called Sam's Mesa. I've wanted to see that ever since I got the booklet, so today's the day. The only downside is that it's near the Maze and that's almost 60 miles, one way, on a dirt road, starting at 2 PM. Oh well, this is a vacation, who cares!
It's the journey, don'tcha know!
Almost there - Happy Canyon. Found out Saturday that
a few days earlier Dieter and his crew were camped in Happy Canyon,
but about 10 miles East, coming in from the Hite entrance to the Maze.
Yes, Virginia, this is a road.....
Once I got to Sam's Mesa, the "Three Heads" welcomed me. But it was not easy getting here.
The road into the Mesa was gone. Totally destroyed after last year's torrential rains. But hey, even though there's no cell service and I'm now 70 road miles from the nearest town, what the hell, you only live once! I even used my seat belt on this one. Doesn't look as bad as it felt. Oh my! Scenic rating 9, pucker factor >10! That shit is loose!!!!
Ahhhhh, I made it out. Going down was bad enough but coming up, on the loose clay and sand, way the hell off camber, was dicey, really dicey. Thank goodness for lockers and a lot of luck 70 miles from nowhere! My suspicion is that this road will never be fixed ..too far away from anything...and within a few years there will be a gd carsonite sign up proclaiming "Road Closed." From the looks of it, I might have been the last full size vehicle to ever visit Sam's Mesa, sadly :)
But the overlooks and the scenery............!
There was a gate, marked "Please close" that
was open on the road to the Mesa. The rule is, "Leave it as you
found it." When I came across these real-life cowboys, I mentioned
to them that I left the gate open despite the sign admonishing to close
the gate. They were mighty happy to hear that as they wanted the gate
left open and I saved them quite a trip by reporting on the status
of said gate. Another good dead, done dirt cheap.
"Home," off in the distance by Temple Mountain. This was a LONG trip, saved only by airing down to 15 PSI and hitting the many washboards at 55 mph. Yeehaw! Ride 'em cowboy! Sadly, my Jeep did not share these same sentiments. Oh my!
At last, 6:45 and Camp Mario! Pretty scenic, eh? How pretty?
Fueled up the Jeep at Dave's Gas and Grill while cooking brats. Eat here and get gas.
Thus endeth Friday the 13th. After 15 years (+ or -), finally got to Sam's Mesa. Sitting here now, 10:30 PM, warm ,cozy and finishing this tripe, ready to chill for the day, have another vino and watch some satellite TV. Doggone, I hate roughing it. But it's good, though. VERY good!
Tomorrow Dieter arrives. We have many options. What shall we do?
What a beautiful morning. The sun is out and the massive rocks that surround the campground are aglow. It really doesn't get much better than this (unless I won the lottery and could do with all the time!) After the obligatory coffee and sweet roll for breakfast, elected to clean the outside windows. They got pretty mucked up with dust and then the sprinkling water that hit them yesterday morning at the soon-to-be-KOA "internet friendly" campground. Mario was not pleased. But that's another story in itself!
Dieter will be here sometime this morning but it's too nice a day to sit here and read Newsweek. Hopped in the Jeep and took a 30 mile round trip past Molly's Castle. Got back and spent some time tightening loose nuts in the Jeep (except for the one behind the wheel), and tossed a pizza in the oven. Just then Dieter drove up.
We chatted for a while and by 2 PM he was set up and we were OTR again. We decided to do a very quick tour around Temple Mountain looking at the old uranium mines and driving some rather interesting ATV trails. All in all, maybe 15 miles, max. We got back at 7! So much for the quick trip. This was not only most excellent wheeling, but great scenery and unusual things to see. And of course, Dieter was more than thrilled to get me out of my pickle.
Took over 100 photos, so once again, we'll let the photos do the talking....kinda.
Temple Mountain. The campground is kind of at the base, behind the slickrock.
Part of the morning's trip.
The beginning of the afternoon trip around the "mountain."
Scenery was awesome.
"Oh Damn!" Even placing the big rock under the left rear did not help shore it up. Standing out of harm's way, I could see the road crumble and the Jeep inch ever closer to having a very bad day if it slid much further and the wheel dropped into the 18" deep ravine.
Never fear! Dieter to the rescue. We attached a strap to the roll cage and then to his winch. He gleefully stabilized the Jeep while the intrepid leader drove out of his self-inflicted pickle cockily stating "See, no problem!" This was good for more than one laugh!
Next we came upon an abandoned mine....it said so. There was a head frame structure above it and 1/2" re-bar welded over the top of the 3' diameter vertical hole.
Poking the camera through the re-bar (and trying to not drop the camera), you are peering down into a shaft so deep that it took about 2-3 seconds for a rock to hit the bottom. Do the math.
So to celebrate the successful rescue of the intrepid trail leader, Dieter's Bar opened. Here he stands, over the mine opening and inside the head frame with Williams Pear Schnapps and two shot glasses. What a great place to enjoy a good afternoon. Now how many people do you suppose have stood over this mine and drank Pear Schnapps?
Once we saw the shaft (she got the mine, I got the shaft) it was obvious what these round cylinders were. They were the core where they used a BIG hole saw to cut through the rock to create the shaft.
Nearby, we got out the Geiger counter to count Geigers. With a little fancy footwork, Mario was able to dislodge some clay and expose a very hot spot just inches under the ground.
Yes, Virginia, the meter is pegged, but on the X10 scale only. On the other hand, there are advantages to poking around here. For example, tonight will not require any additional light when I take a whiz as there should be sufficient light emanating from.....welll....I digress again,.......
We stopped about 8 or 9 times in the basin.
Purty
My mountain cabin retreat.
Old trucks, cars, and mine apparatus scattered all over.
One of Mario's Faves.
Dieter, on the way down after an abortive attempt on a narrow, steep rubble filled hill. But is was fun, though.
The reason we stopped. Not much left of the road and it's a couple hundred feet down on the driver's side.
What another great day in paradise. We got in by 7. Dieter set up his tent next to the motorhome. We cooked some steaks that Dieter brought and sat out late watching satellites, stars, shooting stars and chatting with our neighbors.
It really doesn't get much better!
Camp Dieter
The "Three Sisters" and Temple Mountain
"The Valley." Galaxy Quest was filmed here which also did not help diminish the park's attendance.
Dieter was amused. And you never know, perhaps this is accurate.
Next was the journey, for Dieter, into the narrows of Little Wild Horse Canyon. Having done this a couples time and also being in dire need of a nap, I begged off the hike and encouraged Dieter to have at it. A couple hours later he returned, grinning ear to ear, having seen the marvels of this canyon.
He met up with a couple, on the hike, that live in the town next to mine back home. Not only that, in further discussion Dieter found that the husband, Paul, works at the same place I do. While I didn't know Paul, his name was familiar to me. So then I asked if he knew Jeff, my traveling companion last week. He said "Sure." What a small world! Only a guy from Liechtenstein could find someone, in the middle of a slot canyon in the middle of nowhere, who works at the same place I do and knows Jeff. It was nice to forget about work for a while. I can run but can't hide!
Dieter, either coming or going......
Nifty, eh?
After the slot canyon, we motored along Little Wild Horse Canyon and once we go out, we stopped at the top of a hill, This was our lunch spot.
Mario's new summer home.
Even desolate clay can be pretty.
We passed Factory Butte as a storm was gathering.
This isn't the first storm, nor the last, the Butte will see. (I'm referring
to the audacious and probably illegal move by a BLM pencil pusher that
closed thousands of acres of public land to the public around the
Butte.)
Fuel stop in Hanksville just in time for a helluva sand storm.
But we got back safe and sound in the 50 mph winds and Chef Dieter created a Liechtensteinian concoction called something I cannot pronounce. But it was good, though!
Through the evening there were windstorms that came and went and maybe 50 drops of rain but that was it.
After supper we walked around the BLM parking area for while and were impressed by the number of people that weren't here. Most had had gone home, except for a few die hards like us. Pleasantries were exchanged with the other die hards, as we all have this common bond of wanting to enjoy our public lands while they are still open for public use. The die hards parked behind us aways were exceptionally nice people with ATVs who had circled their 3 campers to form a nice little enclave.
Dieter turned in and this drivel is now fished at 10:20. Time for a shower, bed, then up and at 'em tomorrow for a Swell trip.
This was a day of beauty, surprises, good food, good beer and good music. (Thanks to Joe for the food and beer!)
We got started again about 9 under a crystal blue sky. After passing by Crack Canyon and Chute Canyon on Behind the Reef road, we drove down Little Wild Horse Canyon to the beginning of the narrows where Dieter hiked up to yesterday. While there, coming out of the narrows, we met some folks who were hiking up. After a very pleasant talk with them, we headed on to Upper Little Wild Horse with the eventual goal of winding up at Tomisch Butte and some of the defunct uranium mines in that area.
This is where Behind the Reef road turns into an ATV trail. Technically, we do drive ATVs. Not shown is the 300' drop off to the left. This was a fun, challenging road.
The scenery is something I'm unable to describe or do justice to with the photos.
In many places on Upper Little Wild Horse we were between a rock and a hard place.
More! More! We want more!
The rewards for wheelin' in this area are infinite. This view is to the northwest. Unfortunately, clouds were building to the southeast.
So we wound up at the massive mines near Tomisch Butte.
We were able to drive to the the top of the tailings to the right of
this chute on a road the wasn't quite all there! But that's what people
say about me, too.
Top of the chute, looking down .. a LONG ways! It would be a nice slide until one hit the bottom.
Shore enough!
This mine was HUGE. We could have explored the caverns here for hours on end. They went on and on for what looked like thousands of feet. Not having the Geiger counter (to count Geigers, of course) we elected to not explore a whole lot not, knowing what evil may lurk.
In the bowels of this gigantic mine.
Coming down off the top of tailings where we had parked. Slightly dicey to navigate where the road was no more. Storm clouds were forming.
Got a light.......
By the time we got out of the mines, it had quickly clouded. Overlooking Hondu arch, we could see the massive storm clouds and lighting zapping.
This was an almost surreal scene. Clouds over the Butte. Lightning and thunder but very little rain - for now.
We moved on up to Red's Canyon leaving the thunder boomer to our back, but lo and behold, another appeared on the scene in front of us.
This time we had to pay attention to the storm. Shields up, Scottie! We both took evasive action to prevent the rain from soaking our Jeeps. About the time Dieter got his tarp on, the rain had turned to sleet and then snow. Now I've been in Red's Canyon a number of times when it's been hotter than hell, but this was a first. Cool! (Literally and figuratively!)
Fortunately there was not a lot of rain, but a fair amount of electricity in the air. We got out of the Canyon and came upon this herd of, what we think, are wild horses. By now the snow had stopped and it was just raining.
After supper, talk turned to amongst other things, music and beer. Dieter mentioned he liked Johnny Cash so Mario sprang into action, fired up the generator and the laptop and started playing some Johnny Cash singing in German. Dieter was amazed. He was more than amazed when I pulled out some Hefe Weizen for us to consume. "Do you want a glass?" Mario asked. "No, a bottle is good," replied Dieter. "A bottle! A bottle for Hefe Weizen!?" Mario said incredulously. "Here, Hefe Weizen must consumed in the proper container," as Mario pulled out two Hefe Weizen glasses (which Joe had admonished Mario to bring!) Dieter was more than amazed at this point as he remarked, "Here we are, Temple Mountain in the middle of nowhere Utah, listening to Johnny Cash singing German and drinking Hefe Weizen from proper Hefe Weizen glasses after a meal of outstanding steaks. It doesn't get much better than this."
I concur.
Some email from Joe: "I hope you were successful in using the "proper Hefe Weizen glasses". Not reported in the Blog was one of Dave's "accidents" he had while trying to consume non Hefe Weizen beer in the Hefe Weizen glass. Keyboard still sticky?" For those who were unable to enjoy Mario's
performance about a week ago, the Hefe Weizen glass revolted
when an IPA was poured into it. A slight bump and then an enormous
quantity
of beer spewed forth all over the keyboard, monitor, desk, maps,
notes,
wallet, etc ......... followed by appropriate commentary on said
situation. |
Well, plans were kind of successful. Got checked in at the Portal Campground in Moab about 11 AM and found that while they advertised wi-fi, they didn't advertise that it worked. In all fairness, it worked from the office but the remote location router and antenna (conveniently located in the bathroom) refused to give me an IP address. An hour later, I succumbed to frustration after trying to get the camp's computer guru to diagnose the problem and asked who installed their wifi here. "The Computer Doctor," was the reply. ARG. I'll call the good doctor. I did, and later that day the doctor made a house call to the bathroom and reset the router which apparently got hosed the other night in the storm. DUH! Doesn't anyone else use wi-fi here? Or if they do, perhaps they didn't notice it was down! Or maybe thought is was just slow?
Then email! Remember the Green River SMTP story? Deja vu again and
again. This took another call, this time to their ISP and I was finally
able to send email. DUH!
Perhaps my new RV? A Peterbilt.
While all this was going on, I wanted to upload the web stuff and send out a bunch of email (since I'm impatient.) Drove down to Canyonlands, where Jacob and Tina were staying, sat at their picnic table with the laptop and uploaded all this stuff from there while the good doctor was busy at the Portal pushing the reset button on the router in the bathroom. Grabbed a burger while uploading, washed the Jeep, met up with Dieter and finally at 3:30, ~4 hours after arriving, went wheelin'. We chose a short trail, high on the east side of town, that offered spectacular views of the valley, the LaSals, and the Portal. The views made it all worth while....again and again!
And in all fairness, this really is a good campground. It's just that folks out here aren't too computer-savvy. If this place wasn't booked for the next Safari, I'd stay here just because of the fabulous scenery from the campsite.
This is only one of many spectacular views of the LaSals from the spur that leads off Hell's Revenge trail, our chosen route for the day. And yes, there was cell service here!
We took a short trip to a ledge above town. Here's a view of the valley with the Portal Campground (the RV is circled.) The Colorado River portal is in the background. Awesome.
One finally elected to hold still long enough for a photo.
The road out of the scenic spot.
The view from the rear of the RV. Not too shabby, eh?
Camp Jacob before the assembly.
Got back to the Portal and just as I pulled in, so did Dave, another wheeling friend who lives in LaSal (the town, not the mountain range.) We BSd for about a half hour, then Dieter stopped by with some liquid refreshment. Once consumed, they all left, I showered and drove back to Canyonlands (Camp Jacob) where Dieter, Jacob, Tina and Emma were preparing steaks. As the evening progressed, it turned into an assembly of off-road enthusiasts as Mark (a dirt biker) came over, Solange (Bob's wife) arrived and then later Bob and Guy showed up. Jacob and his family are leaving tomorrow and even with all the guests, they still had a bunch of steaks and prepared shish-kebobs left over that they gave to me. I'll be bringing home more food that I brought!
The evening was great. Mike and I exchanged many stories about experiences in the remote corners of Utah. Once Bob and Guy got in from their trail of the day (at 10 PM) we heard their stories. Finally about 11:30 I packed it in, came back to Camp Mario, exhausted, and prepared to the morrow . Another busy, busy day in paradise.
9 AM: Last night, Bob and Mike told us of a beautiful canyon just inside the Colorado state line, McIntyre. Not only is it pretty, it has a hill climb towards the end that apparently will get anybody's attention! Plans were, as of last night, to shoot down there today. Not that I'm wearing out, but a 10 AM departure today sounded a heck of a lot better than 8 AM! Also, another decision was made and that was to extend my stay an extra day so Guy, Dieter and I could go wheeling with our expert guide, Bob, on Thursday. Again, I can rest all I want when I'm dead! But lo and behold, today the NWS has a high wind warning in effect with 70 mph gusts! Not sure what we're in for.
Thursday morning update: It was an "interesting" day. The trip to the canyon was about 40 miles in 30 mph headwinds for most of the way. Driving 60 down the highway with that kind of headwind was "fun." We started the descent into the canyon about noon and once down to the bottom the winds were not as severe, even got rid of my jacket and had the top down.
This is a remarkable canyon. For a while, on one side it looked liked Utah with red slickrock and the other side looked like Colorado, with rocky ledges and junipers. Very nice!
Lunch. Peaceful and tranquil.
This was one of the most beautiful canyons I've seen in a long time.
The standard superlatives apply.
Trying to find the road.
A basin with slickrock on one side and trees on the other.
The road is visible in the center.
Climbing out of the basin on a really fun hill climb.
The good part of the climb out.
Once we reached the top, it was obvious the winds had really picked up. We were going to take a quick trip to Slickrock, CO, but the winds were so bad and blowing sand in our faces so bad on the ledge road, we elected to drive back to Moab. This was not a fun trip back. Driving west we were buffeted unmercifully by the 50-60 mph cross winds. The wind was blowing our Jeeps from side to side on the road. Driving north was much better as the wind was more or less to our back. At one point, the wind was so strong, it was blowing 1/4" gravel into the Jeeps!
After a long ride back, a hot shower and a short nap sure felt good. Then the disappointment. On the way back, I took a lot of shots of the sandstorm in the Moab Valley. Unfortunately, the camera was having a snit fit and didn't take the photos. At some places on the highway coming back, there was maybe 200 feet visibility. Even the LaSals were obscured in the dust. It was almost like it was a heavy fog, but was blown dust instead. It was very strange.
About 7 PM Dieter showed up, followed by Guy, then Bob, then Solange. We cooked, what else, steaks and baked potatoes. Bob also brought some Cognac and that helped contribute to the enjoyment of the evening. It was a fun time but got late for me, 12:30 again. And tomorrow I meet Dave and Debbie for breakfast at 8 followed by a long day poking around in some unique areas near Moab and Green River with Bob, Guy and Dieter. Then it's pack up and sadly head for home.
At our first obstacle, we got out and poked around to see what lay in store beyond the bend.
What was in store was a big ass boulder in our way. Given the proximity to a drop off, we could not climb over it so we hooked it up to my winch and rotated it so we could pass. We had already moved the larger boulder to the left. What's not obvious from the photo is that right behind Bob is a helluva drop off.
This appears to be the remains of the last vehicle that didn't poke around to see what lay in store beyond the bend.
The reward: The view ! ! !
Another narrow, off camber, pucker factor 9.5 road. It's along ways down.
Many fun obstacles en route.
Finally, our lunch spot at 1:30.
Wow!
Dieter took this one of Mario after a hard morning at the office.
The about 4 PM, Dieter got into a pickle similar to mine last week. The only small difference was that, as he was sliding off the crumbly edge, it wasn't an 18" ravine, it was a 200 foot deep ravine. That would have done some major sheet metal rearrangement! This is much, much worse than it looks. Even I was worried and it's not even my Jeep!
Mario's winch to the rescue! The cable was attached to a pulley (snatch block) which was affixed to a big rock (BFR). I then pulled in the winch cable and slid the rear of Dieter's Jeep over by about 12", just enough for him to gain a tire hold and back out. And the winch rock didn't even come tumbling down upon us! This was tense for a while, very tense.
We all survived and at the top of the hill, after backing out, we had a good laugh over the incident of the day. All in all, a great day filled with fantastic scenery, awesome wheeling and a little excitement - but not too much!
As we returned via Blue Hills Road, we saw these Pronghorn off to the side.....very unusual for this area.
And as we pulled into the Valley, I had to take this parting shot of the LaSals as the sunlight was barely skimming the tops of the mountains about 7 PM. A long day, but a great one!
Bob, thanks for leading us to more special places. Guy, thanks for being there with us and I hope you were sufficiently entertained. Dieter: thanks for the entertainment. What a great day.
Need to get this updated tonight as tomorrow begins the long, arduous journey back to reality. Sometime before getting back, will try to get convey some final thoughts on this busiest, but most fun Easter Jeep Safari time ever!
Friday - A brush with Brush
Got going by 9 AM. The trip east over the Rockies (no snow, no wind, beautiful weather and asshole drivers) was much more stressful than the trip west (heavy snow, wind, 0° temperatures, and no drivers.) Be that as it may, I was entertained along the way which helped keep me awake and alert and landed in Brush, CO, about 5 PM for the night. Sticker shock set in when the diesel fill-up cost $305.05!
Next was to use the concierge service to find a restaurant, one whose cuisine was listed as "Diner." Hmm, supposed to be there. Nope! Try again as I circle around. "Hey, turn left there." "I can't, it's a prison." A minute later.... "It should be on your left now." "Nope, only a building with offices." "Oh, screw it, I'll try the next two eateries." On to Edison Street. Eatery #2 was also seriously defunct. On to eatery #3, the also defunct Iron Skillet with the peeling paint and the red closed sign in the window. "Oh, screw it, I'll go to the free city campground." "Maybe you can order a pizza from Dominos?" "Yeah, that's it!"
So got to the campground, plugged in to AC, turned on the AC, had a beer, and proclaimed "This is the place!" It was so nice, quiet, other campers located elsewhere, that I decided to open Mario's Diner, the only eatery apparently open in Brush. A beer, a grill, a burger, sunshine, peace and quiet and no one near me. I'm a happy camper. This campground is nice and big with maybe 30 sites and 2 people. Yes!
Wellll...................
Until this idiot pulls right in front of me, closer than George and Donna did, in jest, a few years ago. Mario is no longer a happy camper. What in hell is wrong with these idiots. 28 other spots and this f*****g jerk parks right in front or me with only 3' to spare. End of rant.
But, irritated though I am, it's getting towards dusk and I shall pull the curtains, have another beer (in preparation for the evening's christening) and relish the 3 weeks of wondrous beauty, good friends and the best wheeling I've had in years. I have decreed that even this idiotic Moron won't bother me or spoil the good mood I'm in! So there!
Tomorrow may be another story, however, with a prediction of severe weather though Nebraska. Que sera sera!
Long Train Runnin'
6 AM, sunny day with some clouds to the East. Too bad I had to start the engine and perhaps wake up my neighbors. The evening at Brush was wonderful. Had a couple beers, watched some TV, started to catch up on 3 months worth of magazines I hadn't read - all in all - very nice. Putzed around for a couple hours, then left Brush after watching Amtrak go by. The weather doesn't look bad so will take US 34/US 6. It's a great drive through tiny towns that consist mainly of a defunct grain elevator. It's a marvelous alternative to the Great Nothing; perhaps 10 miles longer and 2-3 hours more, but who cares - it's worth it.
So made it a whole 138.45 miles (approximately) to one of Mario's Faves, Swanson Reservoir in Nebraska. Not only is it scenic, high above the reservoir, but the train tracks are nearby, and this place has many fond memories of years past when we'd camp here for a day or so.
Time for a snooze. Wake up in time to see a train moving along. Next, a nutritious meal: cook a hot dog, eat a cookie, chocolate bar, and have a Coke. Type a little nonsense while I wake up and now am ready for leg 2 of today's trip!
Friend has a very small Police force. I have to assume this is real as there were power and phone lines going into the building.
The sign for this town of 121 reads "Home of the World War II German POW
Camp....." Behind the tee pee on the sign looks like a gun tower.
I guess each town needs something they can be proud of.
Outside of Hastings, there are miles and miles of these earthen mounds
that were munitions bunkers for the Navy in World War
II. Long way from the ocean.
But then I succumbed to a misplaced sense of duty, thinking I had to get home in time to go to work Monday so I left the beautiful, but slow, blue highways and got on the dreaded interstate just east of Lincoln. I soothed my shattered nerves by chatting with Clint a while, but alas, I needed to keep on RVn' and not stop in Omaha. Initial plans were to stop at a city Park in Menlo, IA, for the night but it was getting dark and a lot of these free city parks are iffy. I finally stopped at a rest area, west of Des Moines, much to my dismay. The 18 wheelers will be rolling by all night, I'm sure. That'll teach me! I so look forward to the day when there will be no hard cut-off and more time, much more time, can be taken to travel the blue highways and to poke around and explore some of the little towns that are diamonds in the rough.
So far the storms are behind me, near North Platte. By the time they get here, they "should" have dissipated. Time for bed. Good night, and a good tomorrow!
Arrived back home, safe and sound, Sunday PM. My life is over for another year :(
This was the best year ever. Of course, I state that each year! It just gets better - or maybe I need to get away more - whatever! At any rate, the list of people who made this so enjoyable this year is way too long and I'll forget someone, but those of you who helped make it fun - you know who you are!
A special thanks to Jeff, the official trip photographer (for the first half at least.) Without him, there would be a lot fewer and less high quality photos.
So now it's back to the salt mines and the daily drudgery of life. But, Easter is early next year so roughly only 11 months or 319 days, but who's counting!
Once again, too many photos so this is split up into several parts.
Click here for Part I.
Click here for Part II.
