I would like to thank all of you who have looked at my blog the last 4 months. I enjoyed showing you pictures and tales of our vacation. This trip was such a wonderful experience for us. No matter what city we traveled through or stayed at, there was something interesting about each community. We met many interesting people from all parts of the country and shared stores and adventures with them. We can truly say that the RV community, as a whole, are generally a great group of people with similar interests.

Now that we are home I am going to scale back on my blog; however, keep checking as I just may post something interesting for all to read like pictures of my grandson when he decides to come into this world - target date - Oct. 19 to 23rd.

Happy Trails...................Anne

The trailer towed beautifully ~ even after the incident on Thursday, Sept. 25th (my birthday) in Gallup, New Mexico when the "male driver" missjudged a turn at the gas station and.....oh heck, just look at the pictures! You know those posts they put around the gas pumps....they are there for a reason!








But then there was the incident at Rocky Mtn. Nat'l. Park when the same driver didn't see a tree as he was backing up until the tree tore off his side mirror and put some unusual dents and scrapes on the truck...........hmmmmmmmmm!



And the incident on the first day of our trip when "someone" hit a post with the 5th wheel while entering a restaurant and dented the steps to the trailer......hmmmmmm!
(no picture)

And we cannot forget the incident when "yours truly" backed into a tree and broke the right taillight along with tweaking the back bumper a little more and denting the tailgate (which both were already in a sad state)...........hmmmmmmm!




Considering all the miles traveled - we did good!

Home Sweet Home

After 4 months-6 days, we arrived home on Friday, September 26th.
We traveled over 14,000 miles and towed the 5th wheel 4,500 miles, the rest of the miles we were sightseeing. The States we traveled in were California, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona. The most expensive city/state for diesel fuel was Trinidad, CA @ $5.22 - best price was in Flagstaff, AZ @ $3.70/gal.



Sasha was so excited to see her pool, she made a mad dash and in she went and came back out to immediately roll in the dirt. She deserved to have her little bit of fun. Both dogs traveled so well the entire trip, we are so proud of them.

Route 66 between Seligman and Peach Springs

The last leg of our trip - Flagstaff, Arizona to HOME!

We drove from Red Mesa, Colorado to Farmington & Gallup, New Mexico and on to Flagstaff, Arizona where we are spending the night.

Shiprock in New Mexico

We were almost attacked by dinosaur's near the Petrified Forest in Arizona but we were able to outrun them!




Had a wonderful dinner with Jessica Sutton, our niece, who is my brother Tom's daughter. Jessica is attending NAU in Flagstaff.

Have you ever seen a tunnel on a highway made like a snow shed like the railroad builds? We hadn't either until driving in Colorado.

Red Mesa, Colorado
Red Mesa is a small community with numerous ranches raising farm animals and growing hay/alfalfa. The Red Mesa Bakery is the only eating establishment in this "blink or you'll miss it town"...............but it serves the best bakery items, breakfasts, lunches and dinners. It isn't just a bakery. Have you every eaten "The Kitchen Sink" or a breakfast burrito with eggs, meat, hash browns, melted cheese and smothered in green or red chili or sausage gravy with the burrito so large it almost falls off the plate? This is the place to go for the best meal.

Colorado Cliffs

Our dogs had so much fun on the ranch with so many places to explore and sniff. This is Jasper digging in a rabbit hole only to find no rabbit. The dogs also enjoyed riding in my girlfriends Ranger. Chris and the dogs did yard work and hauled the clutter to the burning pile. Now if I could only talk Chris into buying a Ranger for the dogs!




These children are very special to Chris and I and we love them dearly. They are the children of Melinda and Preston Woods, my girlfriends daughter and husband. They look forward to our trips to the ranch each year and are a bundle of joy. The girls love their little brother and are a big help to mom helping to take care of him.
Left to right - Dakota-7 yrs; Naomi-10 yrs; Colt-1 yr; Ashland-6 yrs
At the county fair this year, Naomi won grand prize overall for her gingerbread cookies and Dakota won first place in her division for sewing a dress.

Sunday, September 21, 2009
Drove from Canon City, Colorado to Red Mesa, Colorado (between Durango, CO and Farmington, NM)to stay with Anne's girlfriend, Ede, who lives in Red Mesa.

No pictures yet.

The Royal Gorge, Colorado

We made a side trip to visit The Royal Gorge. Brian & Alison were here in May and recommended we check this out. We stayed two nights in a RV park about 4 miles from the bridge. The mountains surrounding the area remind you of St. George, UT with the red rock color.






Incline railway ride. A 45 degree angle ride to the bottom of the gorge next to the Arkansas River.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN

Happy 29th Birthday Brian

We arrived in Canon City, Colorado today and checked into the RV park that is approximately 5 miles from the Royal Gorge. The mountains here have a reddish tint similar to Oak Creek Canyon, Arizona.

We drove back into Canon City late afternoon to visit The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey. Very good wine and reasonable. Holy Cross Abbey was built in 1924 using Gothic style architecture. It was built for the Monks and eventually used as a boys school that closed in 1985 and the Abbey itself closed in 2006. Currently the property is being used by many local organizations. The Abbey is also on the Register of Historic Places.

The dogs are sitting on a snow bank near the highest point on the road in Rocky Mtn. Nat'l. Park.



It was such a rough day playing in the snow that the dogs just pooped out on us.

While watching the elk one evening, we asked a park ranger the difference between the yellow and blue tags on the cow elk. These elk have been tested for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). CWD is a transmissible neurological disease of deer and elk that produces small lesions in brains of infected animals. It causes loss of body condition, behavioral abnormalities and death. CWD is similar to mad cow disease in cattle and scrapie in sheep. If a cow elk is tested positive for CWD, it is removed.The yellow tags also indicate that the cow elk has been steralized. The elk population has grown too large for the park, therefore, this is one way of controlling births. These collars also have tracking devices (antenna).




A very inquisitive calf who actually made the wheelbarrow wheel move with its nose.


Waiting for a bus ride!


You think I'm funny looking - look at yourself in the mirror.


The bull elk are awesome looking creatures.