Green2GoRV - Our Travel Journal

Headed West and North

Tuesday, June28, 2011

From KOA, Arlington, Tx

 We had intended to leave here yesterday by noon, but a few issues with getting the DataStorm re-authorized delayed us a bit.  We called Mark & Dortha Hall yesterday morning and they came over to be our first visitors in the new coach.  We had a great visit, getting caught up on recent happenings.

While they were here, we realized we would be staying another night, so we made plans for dinner with Mark and Dortha.  Catfish Sam's was the choice, and a very good choice it was.  Thanks Mark and Dortha for treating us.  We owe ya one...-:)

Sorry I don't yet have any pics of the interior of the coach, but hope to in the next couple of days.  We are still in the process of getting things organized. 

We are kinda just playing it by ear as to where we are headed and how we will get there, but today we are headed toward Amarillo, then probably north to Colorado Springs and Denver, then who knows...

'til next time...

Ok, Here's the Big Secret

Sunday, June 26, 2011

From Arlington KOA, Arlington, Texas

Yes, we bought a new (to us) coach.  So we have been back in Lufkin since last Monday.  And, yes this was quite a 'spur of the moment' thing.  We had no intention of even looking at trading.  But while in Hatch, Utah I checked the Foretravel web site, and there was a great deal on an '07 model.  By noon, while having lunch with Bob & Molly and Jim and Ellie, we had a deal over the phone.

So off we went, with some 1400 miles to get back to Lufkin and Nacogdoches, where the factory is located.  Since sometimes these deals don't pan out, we only let a couple of folks know of our intention.

The coach is an '07 Foretravel, 42 feet, with 4 slides.  Engine is a 500 hp Cummins.  It is taller, both inside the coach and in the bays than the other Foretravel, making it 9 inches overall taller.

We stopped in Arlington on Sunday to have our Satellite Internet Dish removed.  Arriving in Nacogdoches shortly after 1pm on Monday, we viewed the coach and sealed the deal.

We took delivery at noon on Wednesday and spent the next 3 days at home making the move.  Who would have thought we had so much 'stuff' in the old coach. -:)

Okay... so you want to see some pictures.

Below is all I have so far:

 
 

 
 

I took these this morning right before we left Lufkin to re-join are friends and continue our trek.

We are here in Arlington to have the Satellite Internet dish re-install and will head on west tomorrow sometime.

till next time

 

A Visit to Bryce Canyon

Thursday, June 23, 2011

From ????

If you have never visited Bryce Canyon, then you have missed a real treat.  This has to be one of the most beautiful of all our national parks.  We actually spent a couple of days exploring the park, driving its roads and taking in every viewpoint it had to offer.  Its beauty and uniqueness is absolute stunning.

And the approach to Bryce through Red Canyon has some awesome scenery also.

 
Red Canyon

Before entering the park is a huge commercial area with several large hotels and resorts, an RV Park, lots of shops, and several dining opportunities.

 
Part of the commercial area outside the park. 

Just a few hundred yards down the road is the entrance.

 

Following are some of the scenes within the park.

 
 

 

 
 

 

 

The pictures can only show a small portion of the beauty and uniqueness of Bryce.  

One day while we were still in Hatch, UT, Bob & Molly, along with Jim and Ellie drove over to Hatch, and we had a great lunch at Cafe Adobe in Hatch.

We left Hatch on Saturday the 18th, and hope to resume our travels Sunday the 26th of June.  We are looking forward to seeing our friends in Idaho, Yellowstone NP, Cody, Wy, and of course at the Gillette, WY Escapade in late August.

And.....  we just might have a surprise for our great RVing friends.

More on the surprise soon.....

 

Wrapping Up In St. George

Thursday, June 16, 2011

From Riverside RV, Hatch, UT

Well we wrapped up our stay in the St. George area a couple of days ago, with a great trip to the Tuacahn Amphitheater for a production of Grease.

 
Molly and Donna checking out the menu for the pre-show dinner

The amphitheater is located at the end of a canyon and is also the site of a high school for performing arts.

We were treated to some pretty good entertainment at the RV park while we were there.

 
'Nickle"  ( Nancy Flowers) 

 
Michael Hargis 

We visited Bryce Canyon today, and I will try to write a blog about that as soon as possible. 

 

St. George and the Mormons

Monday, June 13, 2011

From Encore Park, St. George, Ut

As in most of Utah, the Mormon religion is very prevalent here... some say about 80% of the population.  In 1861 the Mormon Prophet, Brigham Young, sent 300 families from the Salt Lake area for the purpose of establishing cotton farming.  Mr Young concluded that with the beginning of the Civil War cotton would become very hard to get and he wanted his folks to have access to their own supply of cotton for weaving and making cloth.  The area is very hilly and mountainous, but with lots of valleys with fertile soil.  And water was available from the Virgin River.

Very little timber was available for building homes, so the early settlers mostly lived in tents and started planting cotton.  Because there was very little money and no way to earn any, the Church started construction of a Tabernacle almost immediately, to provide jobs.  Workers, all Mormon, were paid in scripts which could be spent at the Church store.

The tabernacle took 13 years to complete, but served as a house of worship and a community gathering place.  It was built of stone, hand chipped into bricks of varying surface.

 
 Stl George Tabernacle

A few years after starting the tabernacle he also determined that a Temple should be built in St. George, the third temple for the Mormon faith.  The Temple is considered a most sacred place and only the worthy are allowed to enter.  Here marriages are sealed forever and commandments are delivered to the Saints (members).

 
The St. George Temple

There is a very interesting Visitor's Center on the grounds of the Temple and we enjoyed a very detail presentation of information about the church.

We also visited the winter home of Brigham Young.  The winters in the area are much milder than Salt Lake City, so Brigham Young would spend his winters here.

 
Part of the presentation of the house, was an individual speaking to us as Brigham Young.

The house was beautifully maintained and was furnished with many of his personal furnishing.

 
The Brigham Young Home.. 

 
The Dining Room (original china)...

More Later.....

 

Zion Nat'l Park - Part 2

Sunday, June 12, 2011

From Encore Park, St. George, UT

After visiting part of the park with Bob and Molly, Donna and I went back to view the part that can only be visited by Shuttle Bus.  (Bob and Molly did that part before we arrived).

We arrived fairly early and the weather was clear, cool, and crisp.  After parking at the visitor's center, we boarded the Shuttle Bus and headed 'up-canyon' for the various stops along the way.  The shuttles run about every 10 to 15 minutes, making it very easy to get off and back on a later shuttle.

 
Donna in her new hat, waiting on the shuttle... 

 
The Virgin River through the Canyon...

 

 
Canyon Walls...

 
More Canyon Walls...

 
Weeping Rocks with lots of fern... 

 
The Lodge...

The huge lawn is surronded by the orange barrier because the grounds were recently re-planted and the park is protecting the grass while it gets established. 

 
The Lodge Interior... 

We must say that Zion is a beautiful, un-spoiled place, and well worth the two days we spent visiting.  Crowds were light, there was never a long wait for the shuttle, and the park personnel kept things running very smoothly.

On the up-canyon ride in the shuttle, there was a recorded message for each section pointing out highlights and points of interest. 

There are lots of trails throughout the park, with varying degrees of length and difficulty.  In other words... something for everyone.

More about the St. George area in my next blog.

 

A Visit to Zion National Park

Friday, June 10, 2011

From Encore Park, near St. George, Ut

Zion NP is quite a large park, with lots to see.  Since Bob and Molly had already done the part that is limited to the Shuttle, we all got together to view the other part of the park.  We drove to the park, first stopping at the Visitor's Center for our stamp in our Passport Book.

 
Entering the visitors center

Since we entered the park from the west on Highway 9, the goal was to travel to the east and exiting the park on that side.

 
Awesome Views 

 
Fascinating Colors and Formations 

 
Looks like a natural amphi-theater 

 
Checkerboard Mountain

We drove on further east to Mt Carmel and then up Highway 89 to a little town called Orderville, which when established was a commune type settlement, where everyone shared in all the production and met and ate in a community dining hall.  This experiment for the Morman was eventually unsuccessful and disbanded.

Returning to Mt. Carmel at the intersection of 89 & 9 we had lunch at a great restaurant where all the breads are "Ho-Made".  They cater to the Bus Tours and serve several buses every day.  Quite an operation.

As we re-entered the park, we just naturally had to have the obligatory picture with the sign, to prove we were actually there.

 

Donna and I

 
Bob and Molly 

The next day Donna and I went back to tour the canyon on the Shuttle Bus up Virgin River.  I will post that as soon as possible.

Until Later...

Riding The Dunes

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

From Encore Park, St. George, Ut

We arrived at the Encore park shortly before noon on Wednesday the 1st of June.  As soon as we got parked and hooked up to utilities, Bob and Molly were picking us up and headed into St. George for lunch at Chuck-A-Rama.  This is a 'Super-Buffet' catering to not only the locals, but the tourist, including the bus tours. 

They had a great salad bar, a good selection of main dishes, and an 'out-of-sight' dessert selection, most of which were as least sampled at our table.  We sure hoped this was not a precursor to our eating habits for the next two weeks. 

We hung close to the park for a couple days, usually going out for a late breakfast as Dorthalee's, a great little home cooking, down home type cafe.

On Friday, we drove into Hurricane, a neat little town close by, and rented Razr's for a 3 hour guided trip into the mountains and sand dunes.

 
Lined up for departure... 

Bob & Molly followed our guide as we followed them.

 
and away we go...

It was still fairly cool when we left, but as time went by it got much warmer and more comfortable.  Our first stop was about 15 miles into the mountains, on top of a mesa overlooking a huge valley leading into St. George.  We are standing next to a cliff, with the valley about 3000 feet below.  What a view !!

 
Don't look back !!

Our next stop was at the top of the sand mountain, about 2000 feet above a lake at the bottom of the dunes.  We had a great time, hauling butt down the mountain, cutting dido's in the sand, and running in circles on the side of the dunes.  Donna even managed to almost turn us over as we went around the side of one dune, started bogging down and losing traction.

 
On top of the dunes...

On Saturday night, the park has a little country and western music show, featuring Nickle, an employee at the park.  She is quite an accomplished singer whom we have become quite well acquainted with, since she is usually in the community room sewing when we have been playing cards.

 
A great little show...

I will report next on our trips to Zion National Park, a beautiful park just about 40 miles east of where we are staying.

 

Out of Las Vegas

Saturday, June 4, 2011

From Encore Park, Hurricane, UT

We arrived in Las Vegas last Sunday, after about a 300 mile drive from Yuma.  The first night and the next day were quite chilly, although we saw no rain.  We stayed at the Sam's Town RV park, right next to the Sam's Town casino. Fairly nice park with level sites, but quite narrow.  No trees where we were so no problem with the Datastorm or Satellite TV.

We checked out Sam's Town hotel and casino for a couple of hours Sunday night, after we drove downtown and checked out Binions.  Neither of us had much luck at either place, good or bad. 

On Monday we headed out to Hoover Dam, ignoring the fact that it was Memorial Day.  Well, that sure was the wrong thing to do. Traffic was backed up 7 or 8 miles to get to the dam, so we turned around and headed back to Las Vegas.

We drove down the strip, totally amazed at all the new hotels and casinos.  It had probably been at least 10 years since we were in town, and there has been major changes.  For the good, I suppose.

We decided to give our luck a try at the Excalibur, a place we stayed at when we brought Scott to Vegas for his 21st birthday.  It was virtually the same, but we had been lucky 20 or so years ago.  Again, not much luck, good or bad.

After playing awhile there we walked over skyway to the New York, New York and then across the bridge to MGM, just looking around. 

Tuesday, we decided it might be a good day to go to the dam, so off we went.  Absolutely no traffic back up, and we got parked in their parking garage quickly.  A short elevator ride to the ground floor and then a short walk to the visitor center. 

We had a great view of both the dam and the new bridge from the visitor center overlook.

 
 A view of the new bridge, but obscured by the power lines a bit.

 

 
This view of the dam is looking almost straight down from the observation deck.

After leaving the dam we drove back into Boulder City, and found a quaint little restaurant downtown and had a great hamburger.

 
The Coffee Cup Cafe

Back in Vegas we kinda hung around for a while, then decided to go try out the Rio Casino.  The Rio is famous for it's huge poker tournaments in its 100,000 square feet convention center.

Here we finally had a little good luck.  Donna got up pretty good, several hundred dollars, and I hit a straight flush at the 3 card poker table, which covered my previous losses, and managed to quit just about dead even for the trip.  I think Donna was pretty much dead even for the trip.

On Wednesday morning we left Vegas for the 140 mile drive to Hurricane, UT to meet up again with Bob and Molly at an Encore park there.  We saw some great scenery along the way including the Virgin River Canyon.

 
Typical view of the interestate through the canyon.

More on our stay in Hurricane later. (We sure ain't missed no meals)