Thursday April 6th– We leave this BLM primitive camping area near Goblin State Park as early as we can, as we have hopes of getting an electric site at the Green River State Park.
Primitive BLM camping in central Utah
As we traveled yesterday, we discussed the need to do TAXES, and for that good power and internet are necessary. We arrive at Green River by 10:00, but there are only limited sites available and none with electricity. We pick a spot with no hookups on an outside loop; cell service is decent here and we hope for enough sun on the solar panels to keep laptops charged. Seems very civilized here compared to where we were last night.
Civilized camping at Green River State Park in central Utah
Across the road from us is a golf course with lawns and trees, pleasant and peaceful. We are positioned so Terry provides privacy from other campers; we feel quite fortunate to have gotten this spot at such a busy campground. The temperature is mild, so the herbs go outside for the afternoon and I play cello. In the evening I do some photo editing and stay up too late even though I’m tired from all the travel of the last few days.
Trees across the road from our campsite at Green River SP
Friday April 7this our TAX day. We start right after breakfast, work steadily, and are done in time to get to the post office before closing to mail the completed forms. Hooray!!! Send birthday cards to a couple family members, also. In the evening Clifford has a call with with his brothers. It was a very productive day.
Saturday April 8th – Good hot showers at this state park, which I thoroughly enjoy. When Becka calls, we have a conversation about ways to clear energy and promote healing. When life throws curved balls, as it often does, it helps to be able to talk and share what we have learned.
Clifford and I continue to work on CI accounting, getting current with 2016 and starting 2017. I take care of getting our personal accounting up to date before posting a blog, editing photos, finishing a chapter I am editing, and sending agent information to Ang from the research I have done. She is actually able to call me, which rarely happens living off-grid as she does, and we have a conversation about solar power, a topic she is very familiar with. She has ideas about improving our situation – it sure would be great for laptops to stay charged, even on cloudy days.
Desert blossoms
Sunday April 9th– I am missing the running I was doing while we were camped at Virgin River, so run from the campground down to the Green River, which flows along the boundary of the golf course and the state park. It is not as interesting as the trail at the Virgin River, but good to be running anyway.
Clifford and I do a couple more months of CI accounting and then go for a drive to Fossil Point, named for the dinosaur fossils that have been found here. Clifford actually found a few fossils imbedded in the rocks. I didn’t find any, but I picked up some small pretty stones to send to Becka.
Colorful mesa at Fossil Point. Notice the tiny Suburban in the photo.A rock formation at Fossil PointA body of water near Fossil Point
In the evening, more editing and blog writing for me, while Clifford continues the in-depth weather studies that he has been involved with the last couple of weeks.
Wednesday, April 5th – Only 19 degrees this morning… brrr! We start packing as soon as Clifford gets up and are ready to leave by 10:15, but the electric brakes are not working. The Suburban starts, however, and we are glad for that.
We are ready to leave our campground at Bryce Canyon
We stop at the Sinclair station in Bryce Canyon City for gas, and while we are there, I ask the mechanic if he has time to take a quick look at the electric brakes. He does have time; it needs a new plug and he has one in stock, hooray, and we are soon on our way with everything working.
On our way; formations can be seen from outside the Park.Rich-colored mesas are seen as we head north
The drive is very scenic and I am so glad the electric brakes are working, as there are many steep ups and even steeper downs… almost makes Lookout Pass on the Montana/Idaho border feel like a stroll in the park.
Steep down and a curve, like a roller-coaster
We stop at the small town of Escalante to check out the post office, as we plan to camp a couple weeks at the Calf Creek BLM Recreation Area about 10 miles down the road. There is a Wells Fargo here and I get fresh spinach at the little organic food store next door. Nice little town.
As we approach our intended destination, I am excited about the gorgeous red rock cliffs that surround us, thinking this will be a great place to camp, but when we get there, the campground is full. We are disappointed, but continue on, with Capitol Reef National Park being our next destination. We head on up and over Boulder Mountain…. lots of snow, but fortunately the highway is clear.
Heading up Boulder Mountain, UtahSnow on Boulder Mountain, UtahNear the top of Boulder Mountain, UtahView from Boulder Mountain
It is quite steep in spots, but very scenic, as we are paralleling the formations of Capitol Reef, with the snow-capped Henry Mountains on the far side of the park.
Rock formations of Capitol Reef National Park seen in the distance with Henry Mountains in the backgroundDown from Boulder MountainScenic drive toward Capitol Reef NPHeading toward Capitol Reef NP
When we finally arrive at Capitol Reef NP, I am super-disappointed that the one little campground here is full.
On to Hanksville for gas, an odd place with the station being built right into the cliff.
Utah formations
It is getting late in the afternoon and the next destination is Goblin State Park. The landscape is less colorful here, having left the red rock formations behind, but there are still impressive formations.
Utah formations
We have heard that Goblin SP is unique. However, it is also pricey, seeing as how we are getting in too late to take advantage of the hikes. After we leave the highway, we see a BLM dispersed camping area and decide this makes more sense for us tonight.
As we begin to situate ourselves on a bluff, a young man comes up from where he is parked nearby.
A spot on a bluff overlooking a ravine near Goblin State Park
He is quite friendly and hangs out chatting. After a bit, I get a campfire going while we continue to chat and eventually I invite him to have dinner with us – nachos at the campfire.
Campfire for warmth as we share stories and a meal with the neighbor
He usually travels by sailboat and is new at land-based camping. He enjoys meeting people and is eager to learn, so we stay up quite late talking until he finally wends his way back down the hill to his own spot. After so many miles on the road, Clifford and I are ready to call it a day. I put out the campfire and we head to bed.
Sunday April 2nd – In the morning here at Bryce Canyon, we are happy to see at least partial sun today. After breakfast, we take care of some bookkeeping business, then put tar on the seam of the roof, and hopefully this will take care of the leak over the table. In the warmest part of the afternoon, with the solar panel hooked to the Suburban battery, the vehicle starts and Clifford drives it to the auto repair shop in Bryce Canyon City to drop it off. He rides his bicycle back to camp, making use of the great bike trail here.
After he gets back, we go for a hike on the Rim Trail to Sunrise Point.
Walking the Rim Trail to Sunrise PointRim Trail to Sunrise PointSpires at Sunrise Point
It is a lovely day for a hike, except the melting snow has caused the trail to become exceedingly muddy. Back at camp, after a couple of brief calls, I work on the next blog and do some editing for one of my authors.
Monday April 3rd – There is snow on and off all day. I walk down to the entry station to pay for a couple more days and over to the Visitors’ Center to mail a postcard to friends. Then I hike to the Rim Trail, but it is so muddy, worse than yesterday, that I don’t go far.
Snow “off” at the junction of the campground and the Rim TrailSnow “on” again, making the trail even muddier, since it melts as it reaches the ground
We hear back from the auto shop; the Suburban needs needs a new fuel pump and a new starter. Whew, that is going to be a lot of money for us.
No solar today, but there is electricity in the restroom, so I take a chair, laptop, journal, and thermos of coffee, and get myself set up to write in my journal while my laptop charges. Good thing the restroom is clean. In the later afternoon, after the laptop is charged, I do quite a lot of research on book agents, learning what is needed to find an agent for Ang’s books. (Novels of Shannon series by Angela MacDonald.)
We have fried chicken and quinoa and veges for dinner, then more journal writing, as the laptop is done for the day.
Tuesday April 4this a rather chilly day. It is 18 degrees this morning and the high only reaches 38 degrees; mostly sunny, but a very chilly wind. So much for spring! Clifford rides his bike to Bryce Canyon City to pick up the Suburban and then, in spite of the chilly temperatures, we go for a drive to Inspiration Point. The light is better than the last time we were there. Even though it is chilly, I walk to other close-by viewpoints to get slightly different angles of the canyon formations. We then to back to Bryce Canyon City to treat ourselves to a late lunch at Ruby’s Inn. This is our last opportunity to do so, since we will be leaving tomorrow.
Inspiration Point, looking southInspiration Point, looking north
We stop at Fairyland Point on our way back to camp, since we have not been there yet.
Formations at Fairyland Point
For the rest of the day it is great to be inside out of the chilly wind. With the sun shining, the laptop is charged and I get lots done: editing, blog writing, and email. A couple of my kids called; always good to talk to them. It was a busy and interesting day, in spite of what the weather is doing.
Saturday April 1st we wake up to six inches of new snow, which I think is very exciting!
Six inches of new snow at Bryce Canyon
This morning I hike to the Rim Trail from our loop, thinking there is a trail all the way to the rim, but if there is, it is soon obscured by the new snow and I am doing a steep cross-country hike to get to the rim. I probably won’t do that again, but at least I get to see a different part of the Rim Trail.
Rim Trail toward FairylandFormations seen from the Rim TrailFormation along the Rim TrailFormations along the Rim TrailOverlooking the canyonSpire seen from the Rim TrailFormations along the Rim Trail
I was especially pleased to find an arch, with views to the canyon beyond.
A view through an archA different angle and a different view through the arch along the Rim Trial
Returning to camp, I hike toward the section of the Rim Trail that I am familiar with, as I know it will be a safer way to way back to camp.
The junction of the campground trail and the Rim Trail – I have been here before!
After I get back, we both walk over to the Visitors’ Center to look at maps, considering whether or not we will try to go backpacking overnight, but it does not seem likely, given the snow and chilly temps.
Although the Suburban wouldn’t start this morning, it does start in the afternoon, so we go to Bryce Canyon City for propane and then drive the scenic road, finding that it is closed at the halfway point. We won’t get to see the furthest view points, but do stop for photos on the way back to camp.
Inspiration Point – looking south with snow still seen on this northern exposureInspiration Point looking north: the snow is nearly gone from the southern exposure on The Silent City Amphitheater
Once there, since the sun is shining, we sit out for a bit. Too chilly for cello, however, and soon to chilly for us.
Friday March 31st – Snow and sleet off and on all day, with the high being only in the mid-30’s.
Snowy morning at North Campground
For this whole trip, while much of the nation, including where my kids and siblings live, has been overwhelmed with snow, on our travels we have had none. Until now!
This morning I go to the Rim Trail, hike to Sunset Point and then on to Sunrise Point, which is another half mile. I was mesmerized by the snow, almost mist-like, falling on the formations in the canyon.
Living on the Rim (Trail)View where the trail from the campground joins the Rim TrailSnowy morning on the Rim TrailSnowy view from Sunrise PointHiking on the Rim TrailHiking on the Rim TrailHiking on the Rim Trail – close up of the formationView from Sunset PointMisty snow in the canyonSnowing on the trail as I hike back to campNearing the junction to the campgroundOld tree at Bryce Canyon
I sure was hungry by time I got back to camp. Memo to self: be sure to take a snack of some sort in the camera bag when going on a photo outing before breakfast.
After breakfast we planned to go for the scenic drive the length of the park and stop at other view points that we have not yet seen. However, the Suburban won’t start, which is a great disappointment to us, as we thought that it had been fixed. So, it is a stay-at-home day. Clifford does his studying and research while I download my camera and do some editing. Talk to my daughter Becka when she calls on her way home from school. It is a productive day, in spite of the Suburban issues.
Wednesday March 29th– a bit cooler this morning (24 degrees) being here at Bryce Canyon, further north and high higher elevation that we have been. I hike to the Rim Trail from the campground and am delighted to see the rock formations.
Rim Trail junction with North Campground
While it is tempting to hike the trail toward Sunrise Point, I resist and head back to camp, as we plan to go to Bryce Canyon City, about three miles away, to do laundry this morning. However, the Suburban won’t start! So, we scratch the laundromat plan and get on with other activities, waiting for the day to warm up.
In the afternoon, the Suburban starts and we drive to the auto repair shop in Bryce Canyon City. It is very fortunate that a small town like this has an auto repair shop and they also have a fuel filter in stock, which the mechanic thinks is the problem. So we walk across the highway way to Ruby’s Inn, which has everything from food, to camping supplies, to a rather well-stocked gift store. We get snacks and sit in the outdoor seating area to wait for the Suburban to be fixed.
After we pick the Suburban up, we decide to head on to see other view points, going to Paria, Bryce, and Inspiration Points. Each one is quite awesome.
First stop – Paria Point (I think – we were confused about where we were before we got there, let along after I review photos days later!)Moving along the rim to take photos, I’m not always sure where I am, but I think this is closest to Bryce PointClose-upInspiration PointInspiration Point
Back at camp, I do some editing and post a blog. Turned out to be a good fun day.
Thursday March 30th – This morning I get up a little earlier and make it up to the Rim Trail right at sunrise and then hike the trail to Sunrise Point, about a half-mile further on.
Sunrise moment at the junction of the trail at North CampgroundView of the canyon walking the Rim Trail toward Sunrise PointView of the canyon at Sunrise PointClose-up taken at Sunrise PointFormation seen from the Rim Trail hiking back to North CampgroundFormation seen from the Rim Trail hiking back to North Campground
After breakfast we head to Bryce Canyon City, taking care of the laundry and browsing the Ruby Inn gift shop as the clothes wash and dry. Back at camp, I post another blog (someday I will get caught up!) and do more editing. Becka sends a text with the news of a huge fire under I-80 in Atlanta that has caused a portion of it to collapse. In talking to her later on the phone, that section of the interstate is one that she might have traveled to get home if she had not decided to meet a colleague after school for an adult beverage. Glad she is home safe and sound!
Tuesday March 28th – We are up at 8:00 a.m., finish packing and are on our way by 12:30, leaving the Virgin River Canyon BLM Campground. Once again, the Suburban is reluctant to start. Hmmm…..
As we head north on I-15, we begin to see snow on the mountain peaks around us.
First signs of snow as we head north
I am excited to see it, but hoping the road over/through the mountain is clear! North of Cedar City, we turn east on state highway 20, and as we wind our way east through the mountain, the snow creeps down the slopes and right up to the highway.
Snow creeps down to the highwaySnow surrounds us
As we descend, reaching highway 89, we head south and out of the snow. Highway 12 takes us east through the Red Rock Canyon, aptly named, and onto Bryce Canyon National Park.
Red Rock CanyonTunnel at Red Rock CanyonApproaching Bryce Canyon
We drive around the campground and find a spot that is suitable for our needs. It is not on an outside loop, which I always prefer, but we have a big front yard and a wonderful tall ponderosa pine right at the door.
Campsite at Bryce CanyonBig front yard and tall ponderosa
We get set up and then head over to the Visitors’ Center – lots of maps, as well as the usual gift shop items. Then we drive out to the two nearest points: Sunrise Point and Sunset Point, both of which are quite spectacular.
Sunrise PointSunrise PointClose-up at Sunrise PointAmphithreatre at Sunset PointColumns at Sunset Point
The wind is fierce and chilly, however, so back at camp, we are especially grateful for our cozy home where we can be comfortable out of the wind.
Later, I work on the next blog until the laptop runs out of battery. Clifford is studying one of his many scientific books, always learning something in preparation for new testing.
We are glad be here at Bryce Canyon, and tomorrow will be a day of exploring; tonight is dinner, cleanup, and off to bed.
Saturday, November 19th is a sunny day, so I take care of some CI business while my laptop is charged, even though I would much rather be outside. By the time this is done, even though the high today is only 53 degrees, it is warm enough to play cello on the sunny side of Terry.
Cello on the sunny side
With the steep mesas east and west of us, there are not many hours of direct sunlight, so as soon as the sun goes behind the mesa, I extend my outdoor time with a cheery campfire. When it is too dark to write in the journal, I head inside to fix dinner and later do some editing for the Montana author. Goodness, the days go by so quickly…..
Sunday, November 20th is a walk-about day, looking for wood and just enjoying being outdoors, even though it is overcast and not a great day for photos. It is warm enough to play cello outdoors, which is always a good thing. I start writing a blog with photos of our trip. Last year I did a daily post with photos, but not sure that will happen this year, as I am so far behind. Clifford is experimenting with ham radio antennas and studying for the next test to upgrade his license. Some of what he learns can be applied to work in the lab.
Monday, November 21st is a town day to buy supplies and do laundry. At the Visitors’ Center, using the free wifi, I am able to post the first blog of the Winter Journey 2016-2017 on my website with links to FB for those who want to follow along. After we finish up there, we walk in the pouring rain to the museum in the next block. The deluge of rain continues as we leave Moab, and heading up the canyon to the campground, we see numerous waterfall with water dropping hundred of feet from the cliff tops to the river canyon below. I want to take photos, but there are no safe places to pull over until we get closer to camp.
Numerous waterfalls appear and then are gone
By then, the rain has let up, and as unexpectedly as they appeared, the waterfalls disappear. It was quite a sight to see, while it lasted. Back at camp, I put away clothes, remake the bed, and clean the fridge. Clifford continues with his studies.
Tuesday, November 22nd is travel day. Since I am up before Clifford, I have time for tea and saying good-bye to the river. This has been a good stay for us; I’m sorry that we have to leave, but we are lucky to have had such mild weather this time of year and we need to move on further south. After Clifford is up, we begin packing up. As we are leaving, we take photos of an interesting rock formation/geological event: it appears the big boulder at the campsite probably fell at least 1,500 feet from the top of the cliff, perhaps eons ago.
Interesting formation on the cliff, at least 1,500 feet above the campgroundThe big boulder at the edge of the campgroundLeaving Big Bend Campground
I had called regarding camping at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado and that is our destination for tonight, but once we arrive there, we find that we were given misinformation on the phone and there are no campgrounds open. The only rest area in the vicinity clearly states no overnight stays, so we go on back to Cortez (Colorado) and spend the night in a spacious Walmart parking lot. This town is not a place I’d like to live, but we are grateful for a place to stay overnight.
Tuesday, November 15th, this morning I find a little yellow butterfly dead on the ground, but in perfect condition. Very special, as butterflies were Mom’s ‘thing’ and it is totally unexpected to find one here at this time of year.
A perfect butterfly
After breakfast, I make a thermos of tea and then walk down to the day use area where there is a gravel and sand beach. I sit there on a rock with the river right at my feet, drinking tea and writing in my journal.
Along the Colorado River
After a walkabout to gather abandoned firewood, I sit at a picnic table at a nearby campsite where I can see the river and write postcards to family.
View of the east mesa through the trees
Back at our campsite, I play my cello, sitting in the sun, while Clifford sits on the shady side to study until after the sun goes behind the mesa.
Sitting in the sun, playing the celloSitting in the shade, Clifford studies
This was really quite a lovely outdoor day.
Wednesday, November 16th, I am up in time to get photos at sunrise.
Photos at before sunrise
I make a cup and tea and start reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull, which I am sure I read eons ago, but I want to read it again now. After breakfast we head to Moab for errands and to use the wifi at the Visitors’ Center. We take a break from catching up with emails and other internet business to go to the Moab Brewery for lunch, then return to the Visitors’ Center to finish up our business. On the way back to the campground, we stop at a spring outside of town – water coming right out of the side of the cliff – to fill up our gallon jugs. Back at camp, I take photos of the river just before sunset.
Colorado River near sunsetOne minute later
I edit until the laptop battery goes dead and then finish reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull: seek your own highest level of perfection and don’t be limited by the flock mentality. Good advice for all of us.
Thursday, November 17th, we are up at 4:00 a.m. to secure anything that might be blown away and close the visor over the window at the end of the camper. Shortly after we go back to bed, the rain starts, light at first and then a real downpour. It is still raining when I get up; I go for a walk, taking photos in the rain. The rain has stopped by time Clifford gets up, but it is cloudy, windy, and chilly all day. Good day for inside activities: I reorganize some storage areas, write in my journal, and even play the cello inside. We are grateful for Terry’s sturdiness, as we stay comfortable and warm in our “tiny house.”
Friday, November 18th is another beautiful sunny day.
Sunny day along the Colorado River
Today we go to the Red Cliff Museum, about seven miles further out on Highway 128 from where we are camped.
Driving out Highway 128 to Red Cliff Museum
This museum features the movies that have been made in this area because of its scenic value. Starting in the early 1950’s and up to the present, about 60 movies have been made here, everything from old westerns to Thelma and Louise.
View of the the Colorado River and mesa from Red Cliff Ranch
Back at camp my laptop has been recharged via the solar panels and the hotspot is also working, so I check email and bank balances. I am glad that I was able to spend most of the day outdoors, and it is also nice to have the laptop and hotspot charged for evening activities.
Sunday November 13th is catch-up day: After taking photos of the Colorado River, I write in my journal, check email and bank balances (hotspot internet is very marginal, but better than nothing), and do some editing for the Montana author. We figure out where the propane smell is coming from – the regulator will have to be replaced.The campground is nearly empty today, so I walk about salvaging leftover firewood.
Walkabout looking for firewoodBeautiful blue sky day
Once the sun goes behind the mesa to the west, the temperature drops considerably, even though it is still light out.
The sun goes behind the mesa to the west
I take a few more photos of the river before making a campfire to extend the daylight time outdoors.
Colorado River downstream in the late afternoonColorado River upstream in the late afternoon
When it is too dark to read or write by the light of the campfire, I come in and make applesauce with some of the apples that I had gathered back in Idaho, amazed that they have lasted so long.
Monday November 14th is a town day for us and we head to Moab right after breakfast for groceries, laundromat, and several other short errands. Back at camp, I put groceries and clean clothes away, thinking about how Mom and I, after a trip to the laundromat when I was a kid, would fold heaps of clean clothes while my younger siblings would scamper off with piles of folded clothes to be put away. I call my sister Lillian to share the memory, but no answer, so just leave a message. Lots of memories, lots of feelings to work through.
The mesa to the east takes on a rich color as the sun sets
