May 24, 2023
Today is another very busy day. It all starts at 10:00AM as we have a New Employee Orientation to attend at the Visitor’s Center. We finished up around 12:30PM. The Rangers pitched in and bought pizza and soda for lunch. It hit the spot. Afterwards, Nancy, Carla, and Karen stuck around for a class on the computer system that they will use when they work the gate on weekends. While Nancy was in her class I ran to the grocery store.
The back story is that among the hosts we usually talk a lot about food. I had mentioned about smoking a pork shoulder and they all thought it would be a good idea. One day last week when Nancy was grocery shopping she found a deal on pork shoulders. Buy one get one. So it was a great deal. She came home with two shoulders each weighing about 8 pounds. Having previous experience smoking at high altitude, I knew it was going to be 14 hours, at least. So I started the smoke first thing yesterday and completed it and pulled it by 02:30AM this morning. The nice thing is that pulled pork reheats very well. I was pleased with the results. So tonight we are hosting a dinner for the anyone from the park who wants to attend. So my grocery trip was for supplies for tonight.
The initial idea was to have the dinner hosted at our site so we could have a campfire. But again it was supposed to rain so we moved it to a room at Camper Services. We supplied pulled pork, buns, cole slaw, and my Boston Baked Beans. Carla and Angel brought a Boston Cream Cake. The hosts showed and a couple of the rangers had other commitments and could not attend. Jasmine, Patrick and Desiree did show up.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and we definitely had a good time talking. The dessert was perfect after a heavy dinner. It was nice and light and just the right sweetness.
May 22, 2023
Today was finally a nice dry day. I had emailed a local RV mobile repair service. Their quote was $370 to patch the roof and inspect the roof. Nancy decided that we could do this ourself. After a light work day she climbed onto the roof and took a couple of pictures. After looking at them we decided that we had two possible issues. One was an actual small hole in the roof. Nancy said the roof felt a little spongy in that area. The other was a tiny hole in the caulking around the vent. I was leaning more toward the roof hole as the actual culprit but just to be sure we were going to buy some caulk. The roof patch we did with some RV roof tape. This is the second time we have had to use that tape.
We went to the local Camping World for a tube of the appropriate caulk. Then we had to go to a Lowes Home Improvement for a caulk gun. Once we did all of our shopping we got home in time to go back up on the roof to make the repairs. Since this time we have had a lot more rain and we have no more leak! Yeah!!
May 18, 2023
Tonight we have two commitments. Nancy is staying at the campground to attend a campfire meeting of employees. However, they had to move it inside as it was raining. We have seen a lot of rain since we have been here. The other event is Georgeann’s Continuation Ceremony. A Continuation is also known as 8th Grade Graduation. The ceremony was held in a high school gymnasium. The ceremony was a little over an hour. Additionally it was very warm in the gym. And seating was on the bleachers. It was a neat ceremony. Afterward I took Georgeann home and sat and talked to Carissa for a while. Then it was time to head home. The drive to Monument takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the time of day. The ceremony started at 6:00 PM so I left around 4:40PM. It took me around 1 hour and 3 minutes. I was just right on my time. To get home it took me about 30 minutes. Interstate 25 is crazy with traffic. The only reason I can figure for this is just the shear volume.
It is really nice being able to attend some of these family events. We have watched Lachlan do Karate and Elia do gymnastics. Emmeline’s turn is coming up in June when she has a dance recital. The kids are active and involved and that is great. The parents just have to survive.
May 17, 2023
We decided that it was time for a host get together. Most of us like beer. So we decided that after work today the six of us was going to go to Colorado Mountain Brewing for a bite to eat and beer. It was a very enjoyable afternoon. Lots of good food, good brews and good conversation. We think the next time we may have to go somewhere and play some games as well enjoy the fellowship and beverages.
May 11, 2023
We were out and about today and it started to rain. We finished our errands and headed home. Now this is not our first rain storm here. However, I went into the kitchen and saw water on the floor. After getting some towels and mopping up the water we found the source. It was coming from the kitchen stove exhaust fan. I took the four screws off the fan. More water came out. For now we put a bowl under the leak. The weather forecast for the next week or two is mostly rain.
May 6 & 7, 2023
We were supposed to be working this weekend but Karen and Steven volunteered to work for us so we can attend a family function. The family function is to watch Georgeann play volleyball. Georgeann is our second grandchild and Carissa’s eldest. She started playing volleyball when they were still in Indianapolis and proved to be quite the player. She has attended several camps and has really taken to the game. Her forte is serving. She has also proven to be a very good setter. She has been playing high completion club volleyball. We just missed seeing her play when we were in Indianapolis.
The tournament is being held in Aurora, Colorado just to the east of Denver, at the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center. On Saturday, we met Carissa at her house and the three of us went to the tournament. As we arrived at the venue, we were not allowed to get into the parking lot. Security was turning people away. We went out the exit road and pulled over. Carissa was on the phone with Brian. We saw several emergency vehicles in the parking lot by the hotel portion. According to Brian there was a collapse in the pool area and several people injured when the HVAC system came down. We sat for a few minutes and saw a few emergency vehicles leave the area. Then people were allowed to enter to go to the Convention Center.
We met up with Brian and found where Georgeann was going to play. We were able to see both of her games that day. Carissa usually stays home with the three littles and Brian (the sports guy) travels with Georgeann to the games. So this gave Carissa a chance to some games also. The littles were with Aunt Carol for the day.
Sunday was different. Nancy and I got up very early for us to make the 2 hour plus drive up to Aurora for an early game. Today is a bracket day. That means your performance from Saturday puts you in a bracket for Sunday. It is single elimination. You lose, you go home. They were in a bracket with some very good teams. They won their first match and advanced to the next level. They faced the team that had beaten them yesterday. They were an exceptional team. The first game was very close. They lost 23 to 25. Georgeann’s team played very well. The loss seemed to deflate them a little. They lost the second game too. Their day was over. The good news. They came in 3rd Place. It was great to be able to see Georgeann play in person. We had only seen videos. She will probably play for her high school team next year. And then do club competition again.
May 4, 2023
After work today we went up to Monument to celebrate Carissa’s birthday. Her husband Brian prepared a wonderful meal. We had a delicious meal. Not to mention we were able to spend time with four of our six grandchildren.
May 3, 2023
First, Happy Birthday to our daughter, Carissa. We met Karen and Steve in the morning and Steve showed me how to access the sites to be done. However, my tablet was not working correctly. I was going to have to take it to the rangers to see how to get signed on or something. The computer system is relatively new to the parks system, January 1, 2023 actually. Not all of the bugs or processes are worked out. We followed Karen and Steve around for about an hour. The process to cleaning a site is to rake the rocks and gravel and sweep the concrete pads and check the electrical box to ensure the breakers are turned off. After doing a few sites, we split the work. Nancy and I headed off to do a few sites on our own. We finished the day by around noon.
Karen and Steve also arranged a party for the hosts to get to meet each other and socialize, no work talk. The rangers were also invited. It was a pitch-in. We opted to go to King Soopers, a Kroger owned grocery store, and bring some mini cupcakes. After working and with no idea of timing, we took the easy way out this time. It was a very nice gathering. We met Carla and Angel Amen, the other hosts and Rangers Jasmine and Patrick and Desiree. The rangers left early but the hosts stuck around and talked and shared some beer and tequila. Angel is from Mexico and is a US citizen and Air Force veteran. He is a very interesting individual. We are going to have some fun here in Colorado.
May 2, 2023
Sometime in the morning we were told that our site, Site 50, was ready for us to move into. So we hooked up and moved down to our site. We spent the rest of the morning setting up. Unpacking our smoker and table, chairs, etc., setting up our outdoor carpet, etc. After lunch we headed down to the Visitor’s Center and met with Michael. He gave us a tote full of information, a radio, a cashbox, a tablet, necessary keys, etc. We were scheduled to start working tomorrow and shadow Steve and Karen Holmes.
We were then ushered into a room and told to pick out our uniforms. There was a lot of items to choose from. We each chose a boonie hat, a couple of short sleeve t-shirts, and a long sleeve t-shirt, Whatever they had, if they didn’t have our size Michael was going to order it. Nancy found a nice golf shirt. I thought they would be nice when working in the gate house. I had to put one on order. We also had to order a hooded zip-up for Nancy and a vest for me. We also got our name plates but we had to return them as our name was misspelled. Michael apologized and said he would reorder them.
We took our items home to wash them so we can wear them this week at work. Later in the afternoon, they delivered our brand new gas powered “golf cart” with our broom and leaf rake to clean the sites. We decided to venture up to introduce ourselves to Karen and Steve as we were going to work together tomorrow. As we almost reached their site, we noticed them heading down to see us. We were closer to their site so we went there. While Nancy and Karen talked, Steve took me on a little tour of the campground and the location of Maintenance and the various codes we would know. It was a nice evening.
May 1, 2023
We arrived today at Cheyenne Mountain State Park. The park is about a mile from Colorado State Road 115 and sits across the street from the main entrance to Fort Carson. Once you climb the mountain to the park and the campground areas you are just down the mountain from NORAD and USNORTHCOM. If you are a movie buff, Cheyenne Mountain and NORAD should be familiar from “Wargames” with Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheddy. The park is absolutely beautiful and very clean. While driving in we did notice a prairie dog town on either side of the entrance. We love to see the wildlife.
We pulled into the Visitor’s Center to find out where we were supposed to go. We met Michael Ivis, the Senior Ranger. He is the number 2 ranger at the park but the hosts and general operations are his responsibilities. He put us into Site 19, a pull through full hook up as a temporary site as the hosts we are replacing have not left yet. Michael told us to just chill today and not worry about anything. Tomorrow we should be moving to our more permanent site and when we can go “shopping” for our uniforms.
April 29 & 30, 2023
Today is another travel day. The goal is to get Nancy by some water and get close to our summer home. We can accomplish this by staying the weekend at Lake Pueblo State Park. It is located in Pueblo, CO about an hour and a half south of Colorado Springs. The snow has melted and we packed up. I must admit that just about every time you travel with an RV there will be something come up. So far we have forgotten to secure the refrigerator doors or latch a shower door or some other item. Some times can lead to major consequences and sometimes you just say “Wow, that was a close call”. About 2 hours up the road I suddenly remembered that I had not secured the weather station outdoor sensor.
We have a weather station in the bedroom and it tells us the temperature, time, and humidity inside and outside. Normally we put the sensor on top of the wheels on the door side of the RV. It protects it from direct sun and from precipitation. Well, this morning I left it on the wheel. And obviously there was little hope of it surviving. Additionally, we were not going back to retrieve it even if it had survived. We arrived at Lake Pueblo and was not aware of the procedure for Colorado. We made our way to the Visitor’s Center. Just ahead of us was another fifth wheel. He did not know the procedure either. His wife had already went into the Center so we awaited the word. We found out that you go toward the campground and there will be a gate there. You will need to purchase your day pass for each day you are in the park. The cost is $10 per day. We were following the other fifth wheel. He pulled in and stopped and made his purchase. We were just behind them. We had to veer right slightly to go through the entrance lane. As the leader was pulling away, I happen to look up and notice a sign that said “Clearance 12 Feet”. I was hoping this was a mistake as our rig is 13 feet 5 inches high. I slowly pulled forward as Nancy had gotten out to spot. I was able to reach the Ranger window and they did confirm that it was indeed on 12 feet high. Nancy also confirmed that there was no way. The person in the gate house called for a Ranger to come down and direct traffic.
In the meantime, someone else in a large fifth wheel pulled in behind me. So Nancy was able to get them backed out so I could start backing out. I was not a happy camper (pun intended). To compound the problem, the right side of the road was about a 6 foot drop off. After a few minutes, I was able to move to the other side of the gate house and purchase our passes. I had mentioned to the gate keeper that it would be an excellent idea if that 12 feet sign was posted prior to entering that little drive. Her comment was that we were not the first ones to pull into and back out today. It happens a lot apparently. I was less than impressed with the lack of signage in the campground. It was tense to even find our campsite, but we finally pulled in.
I was able to leave the RV hooked and able to level it. As I was hooking up the utilities, I discovered that we had electricity only. I thought we would also have water. My bad for not checking. Fortunately we travel with a full tank of potable water just for such occasions. And we had lots of capacity remaining in our black tank. We would just have to monitor our grey tanks. After all of this, the view was spectacular. We spent the weekend looking out over the lake and enjoying the sunshine. A very relaxing spot. It was enjoyable to sit outside and listen to an audiobook and soak up the sun.
April 28, 2023
Well today’s plans went out the window quickly. We awoke to a snow covered ground. We have been traveling for about two weeks and just used the snow as an excuse. We stayed in and caught up on our laundry as our next stop would not be a full hook-up.
April 27, 2023
We initially had planned to go to Los Alamos and Bandolier National Park, but decided to stay a little closer to home due to weather conditions. So we opted to explore Santa Fe. We chose to first explore the Santa Fe Plaza. It is a very cool area. It reminds me of a large square with various vendors in the park and store on the outside of the park. There were also street performers in the Plaza. It was very nice and the weather held for us. Across the street from the Plaza stands the Governor’s Palace. It is an awesome looking structure but we did not go in to tour it. Instead, we walked around the exterior and looked at some really neat handmade crafts. Each vendor was a Native American and you could see a lot of silver and turquoise. They had some very nice pieces and the prices were not bad considering how much time it took to make each piece.
We found a couple of stores to walk through just for grins and giggles. One of those was Lucchese. For those of you not familiar with Lucchese, it is a very high-end boots. They also have other fine leather goods like belts, purses, jackets, etc. The sales person was very nice and friendly. He knew we were only there to admire the quality of the products. I did try on one very nice cowboy hat. And I did find one of the softest pair of boots I have every seen or felt. They were 100% buffalo. They were awesome. But the price of $1,200 was cost prohibitive. The salesman did suggest that I work for Lucchese part-time. They require their employees to wear their products. I hope Lucchese comes to North Carolina very soon so I can get a part-time job. The closest store is in Nashville, TN.
We continued to walk around the square and even took a side trip to a couple of shops just off the beaten trail. One was the Santa Fe Hat Company. The hats were beautiful. Of course they custom make hats but it may take a year for you to get it. We had a chance to talk to a sales/craftsman and learned so much about the difference in materials. It was fascinating and educational. Again, the prices were a big deterrent to purchasing. Nancy got to get a free skin care treatment with some very high end products. We had the chance to talk to a lot of interesting people. It was a fun day.
As we headed back to the truck we passed a cafe called The Plaza Cafe. The menu looked really good and we were hungry so we decided to stop. Nancy had an awesome looking Avocado Toast, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I had the Upside Down Santa Fe Frito Pie. It was absolutely delicious. We enjoyed our meal al Fresco and afterward went back home. An enjoyable day.
April 26, 2023
Back on the road again this morning. Our next stop is only a short distance away at Rancheros de Santa Fe Campground. We arrived and got checked in. We found our site and set up. The plan is to take a drive thru the New Mexico landscape and find Madrid, NM. I wanted to visit the town and Maggie’s Diner. The reason is it is a part of one of my favorite movies, “Wild Hogs”. Maggie’s Diner was built just for the movie and is not a diner at all. It is strictly a tourist souvenir destination. I tried to find a shirt but it took about 4 tries to find one in my size. I did finally find one. I also found poker chip and a patch for my leather vest. I have a few patches that will need to be sewn on it. We left Maggie’s Diner and headed back to our campsite to prepare for tomorrow.
April 25, 2023
Travel today to get to New Mexico. We had not planned on stopping anywhere but we saw signs for Winslow, Arizona. We decided to pull off of Interstate 40 and found “the corner”. The next step was to find a parking spot, relatively close, and one that would hold a 42’ RV being pulled by a long bed truck. Apparently Winslow thought of everything. About 3 blocks past the corner was a very long lane of parking area. We stopped and walked back to get our pictures and souvenirs from the area. The Eagles’ song “Take It Easy” is what made this area famous. Verse 2: “Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona; and such a fine sight to see; It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford; slowing down to take a look at me.” It was a great stop.
We left Winslow and were back on the road to Grant, NM. Our stop for tonight is the Junkyard on Route 66 Brewery. A Harvest Host. We arrived and got set up. Now it was time for dinner. The brewery/eatery is in a former junkyard. The inside of the building is very eclectic. The dining tables are hoods. The menu tonight is brisket sandwich and a bag of chips. Nancy had a Margarita and I had a F460 beer. It is a double hefeweizen. Very good.
April 24, 2023
We used yesterday to just chill and work on the blog. Today, we decided to explore the small part of Route 66 in Williams. It didn’t take long. As it turns out some old friends of ours from New Jersey just happen to be in Williams, Arizona with their new RV. They are on a few week outing. We got in touch with them and we met Marie and Denis for lunch at The Longhorn Saloon. Lunch was very good and so was the cold beer. We talked for a while after lunch and then it was time to go. We headed home to start packing up as we are headed out tomorrow.
April 22, 2023
The day has finally arrived after 6 years of wishing, planning, praying, etc. The day is pretty much planned out for you when you ride the Grand Canyon Railway into the Grand Canyon. The train starts boarding at 9:15AM and departs at 9:30AM. At the train location is a small western themed area. At 9:00AM you can watch the western skit and then after the show, board the train. The trip north, into the Grand Canyon, takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes. You descend down to about 2,000 feet elevation and then climb up to 7,000 feet elevation once you are in the park. The return trip, southbound, takes about 2 hours. The train starts boarding at 3:00PM and departs the canyon at 3:30PM. There are musicians on board to entertain you. And the afternoon train has a robbery also.
There are six classes of railcars. Starting with the basic, you have Pullman Class, Coach Class, First Class, Observation Dome, Luxury Dome, and Luxury Parlor. At the various levels you have various amenities. Some serve snacks and beverages and then others have bar service, etc. The type of seats are different also. They also have a cafe car where you can purchase hot chocolate, and other assorted items.
Today is Earth Day. So in honor of Earth Day, we had a diesel/steam locomotive to pull our train today. Really cool.
We walked from the campground to the western theater. It was about a 10 minute walk. We found a spot on the metal bleachers and sat and waited. The actors were good and as people arrived they were interacting with them and one was on horseback and allowed people to come pet the horse. They did their skit about robbery and they did some stunt work. Unfortunately the sound system was not very good so it was difficult to hear the dialogue. At the end of the skit, we were ushered to the train boarding platform. We found our car and boarded. We rode to the Grand Canyon in First Class. It was very comfortable and included pastries, coffee, etc. During the two hour 15 minute ride, we were serenaded by Kelly. He was very good. It was a nice relaxing ride with beautiful scenery.
As you pull into the station on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon you can get your first look at the most spectacular view of Mother Nature. After disembarking, we walked up to the South Rim and took a good look at the Grand Canyon. This was the Number 1 item on Nancy’s bucket list. We finally made it. From our brief look we headed to the Visitor’s Center. We walked along the rim first one way and then another. We had about 4 hours to take in the views before having to board the train again for the ride home. We used our time to walk, rest, and take pictures. By the time we were back on the train it felt so good to sit down on a cushioned seat. We had seats in the Luxury Dome on the way back to Williams. Again, snacks and certain drinks were included. It was wonderful. We had a roaming musician again and this time, we were visited by train robbers and the Sheriff.
One of the neatest things about the trip home was that we could go to the rear of the train and stand out on the rear platform. It was really cool to stand on the back of the train and peak around the corner. While we were on the platform, the train stopped. This was to allow the robbers to board the train. Once the train started again, we saw a lone cowboy with a riderless horse. Apparently one of the robbers. We were toward the rear of the train and I wanted to get a picture of the engine so Wayne and I rushed to the front of the train. It was a very long walk. However, we made it. A very tiring and awesome day.
April 21, 2023
By mid morning we were all up and about. Wayne gets up really early and had walked thru downtown Williams a little and then he and Jen visited the Williams Visitor Center. They came over and we decided to head to Bearizona today. It is a drive thru park with several different wild animals and also a walk around area to see bear cubs, badgers, otters, javelina, and many others. It was a great drive and the animals were very cooperative. After we drove through the park we stopped at the walk around area. We spend a hour or so walking around looking at the different animals and taking a ton of pictures. We also had to stop to get a picture of the metalwork at the entrance to Williams.
When we were done with the park, we picked up our boarding passes for our train ride into the Grand Canyon South Rim tomorrow. Jen and Wayne were still feeling the effects of the 3 hour time difference so they went back to their motel to chill for a while. When they were refreshed, they would return to our place and we would have dinner. We made spaghetti and meatballs with a Caesar salad and a red velvet cake for dessert. After dinner and dessert it was time to rest up and get ready for tomorrow.
April 20, 2023
We found our way to I-40. This is the second travel day where the Interstate road systems are absolutely horrible. Rough with pot holes galore. It wasn’t until we got almost to Williams that the road was in decent shape. It is no fun getting bounced around and wondering what it is doing to your home. It did not matter what speed I went, it was rough.
We finally arrived at the Grand Canyon Railway and RV Park and set up. Nancy and I attempted to get our boarding passes for Saturday’s train ride into the Grand Canyon. However they will not be available until tomorrow after 12:00 noon. Very cool steam train on display outside the gift shop. Later that evening Wayne and Jen, another high school friend of mine and his girl friend, were meeting up with us to explore Williams and the Grand Canyon together. After getting the RV opened up we discovered many things had fallen and had become displaced. We did get lucky in one respect. This morning I had used the bathroom and I had closed the door so Ashes wouldn’t run in there and hide under the laundry closet. He had a tendency to do so when it’s travel day. However, neither Nancy nor I double checked the bathroom. Usually when we travel, if a door is closed it means that everything is secured and ready to go. Well not today. The laundry closet door was just bouncing around unsecured and 2 screws came out of the track. That was not big deal, I put them back in the door in new wood. Then we got real lucky as the glass shower doors were not secured. No broken glass. Whew!! A few bottles of shampoo, etc. got bounced around but nothing broke. The biggest tragedy was our Emeril’s Air Fryer bounced off the counter. The handle bent but was easily straightened. A couple of small plastic pieces broke off but I believe it will work okay. Never had any issues before but the roads were rough. Glad to be stationary for a few days.
Wayne and Jen arrived and we sat and talked for some time. We were all getting hungry so we walked over to the Grand Canyon Brewery. We had a delicious meal and as we talked and shared photos we got to know Jen. She is a very nice lady and I think we are going to have a lot of fun together. We also had our adult beverage. As usual I ordered a flight to try different brews. They had a couple of really good ones. I was so hungry that I did not take photos of the meal itself but I did get a picture of our deserts.
The structure itself is a wonderful heavy timber structure. Lots of real wood decorations, columns, and tables. After dinner we walked back to the RV and parted ways. We will play tomorrow by ear.
April 19, 2023
Another travel day. The roads in California are strange. It’s like being on a roller coaster. This has a profound effect on the back of an RV. That’s 42 feet of whip. We are headed north and just crossing into Arizona to another Harvest Host, Hooch’s Route 66 Bar and Grill in Topock, Arizona. The first order of business is to fuel up. After fueling we got on I-10 and headed east. We then found our road to head north northeast. This route took us thru the Mohave Desert. Interesting sights.
We arrived at Hooch’s and again found a relatively level spot to park for the night. There was another RV in the parking lot and later a van pulled in as well. For us it was dinner time so we went into the restaurant. It was a very bouncy day and I just wanted a cold beer. So we ordered dinner and I had a couple of Stellas. Normally Nancy orders Marguritas but tonight she went for Long Island Ice Tea. She enjoyed them too. We ate a good dinner. While we were eating Nancy noticed a couple at the bar and said that they were the other camper. We introduced ourselves and invited them to our table. They were from the New Jersey area around Philadelphia. We knew a lot of the same areas. As luck would have it, he was also a retired firefighter. We sat and talked for a while. Tonight was karaoke night at Hooch’s. The locals sounded pretty good but the bartender/waitress was really good. She had a great voice and great personality too. Very fun night.
I started the generators and we made it through the night. Again the weather was ideal. In the morning, the generators had run out of fuel so I went out and put a little gasoline in only one. I figured this was enough to get my second cup of coffee made. I was wrong. I decided it was just time to pack up and leave. As we were getting dressed and opened our closets we had noticed that our hanging clothes had come off the bar. So we had to put those back up also. Not starting out to be a great day.