Best Wishes for Thanksgiving

This is a beautiful sunset at our campsite at Apache Junction, AZ



This is Palm Springs, CA. viewed from the top of Mt. San Jacinto where we went up in the tram.



This is a sunset at our campsite at Palm Springs Resort in Palm Desert, CA.



A Joshaua Tree in Joshaua Tree National Park.



Well it has been way too long since we posted any thing on our blog. I guess we just got lazy or something. We haven't had any real interesting pictures to post and we haven't seen very many new things. We went back to Tequlia Flats one day while we were in Apache Junction. We moved west to Palm Desert Ca. and was there for three weeks. While we were there we went to a desert museum, road on the Aerial Tram, and visited a Botanical Garden. The Aerial Tram went from the Palm Springs Ca. desert floor which is about 800 ft above sea level to about 11,000 feet above sea level. The tram is the second highest in the world and the floor rotates so everyone gets to see every direction. The mountain that the tram goes up is called Mt. San Jacinto and has a California State Park on top. You leave a hot desert climate and go up to an alpine forest with temps around 40 to 50 degrees.
We moved to Wilderness Lakes Resort just out of Menifee, Ca. We will be here about seventeen days and then if I do not hear from Teddy we will go back to Palm Springs Resort in Palm Desert, Ca.
We will have a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow with new folks we have met. It will not be like being with family though. That is the worst thing abut traveling, we never get to spend time with our kids, grand kids, and great grand kids. Having Thanksgiving dinner together with family is special and we miss that. We miss watching Colten, our newest grand son and all of our great grand children grow and learn to talk, walk, laugh, and play.
We wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish we were there to spend time together, but we are enjoying our travels.

More Verde Valley

Another view of Tuzigoot from Dead Horse State Park across Verde River from Tuzigoot


This picture shows the cliff dwelling built by the Sinagua Indians about 1125 to 1450. There are several areas around the Arizona and surrounding states where there are Indian ruins. At this site there are two living areas like this but the other one was destroyed by fire gutting the dwelling and it was never built back. The Sinaguian Indians mysteriously disappeared from this area around 1450. They also left Tuzigoot about the same time.



This is a hot air balloon that went over our canpground several times the three weeks we were there. You could ride in it for a fee but we never did, I don't know why not, it really looked like fun.


This is a picture of our camper and truck at our campsite at Verde Valley Thousand Trails campground. You can see some hills in the background. A very pleasant campground and all three of us really enjoyed it.


This is a picture of Helen and me "Standing on the corner of Winslow Arizona" a monument to the song and the original Route 66





It has been too long I know since we posted anything so I will try to catch you up on our adventures. We will have been here in Verde Valley thirty-eight day when we move this coming Thursday, October 16. We have stayed at three campgrounds in the Verde Valley area which are from eight to twenty miles apart.They are in Cornville, AZ, Cottonwood, AZ, and Camp Verde, AZ. There has been much to see and do and we have really enjoyed it here. This has been the longest that we have stayed in any area since we started full-timing in August of 2007. It is beginning to kind of feel like home it is so peaceful and pleasant here.
Some places we have seen since our last post are Montezuma Castle, Montezuma Well, Dead Horse State Park, Out of Africa Park and Zoo, and a trip to Winslow, AZ to visit Helen's nephew and his family. While we were there we went to the monument to Route 66 "Standing on the Corner of Winslow, AZ". We also went to a state park that was a army fort when this area was just being settled.
We also took another six mile hike back West Oak Creek Trail. What a pleasant canyon. If I had to pick a place on this earth to live out the rest of my days this would be the place if not too many other people came there and if I could get Helen to live in a tent with no electricity. We crossed West Fork Oak Creek twenty-six times on the six mile round trip. There are high colorful cliffs, so high you had to look strait up to see the top. Lots of huge Ponderosa pine, Sycamore trees,Cottonwood, and oak. Some one maybe a hundred years or more ago homesteaded the canyon and had an apple orchard and
chisled a food storage place right into the solid rock cliff. After they abandoned the homestead someone built a lodge there and several famous people stayed there one of which was Zane Gray. I can't really put into descriptive word just how beautiful this canyon is. I hope some day you can see it for yourselves.

Verde Valley Area

This is a picture of Bradley's Wife Janice and his children. Kelly, Jonathan, Cipriano, and Amanda at Jonathan and Cipriano's football game. Bradley is Helen's nephew, Sylvia's son.


This is a picture of the Sedona area taken from a distance. You can see the town and the mountains in the distance toward Oak Creek Canyon.


This is a picture of Helen standing by a huge Ponderosa Pine on the west fork oak creek trail.


This is a red bluff wall somewhere along the West Fork Trail.


This is Michael wading in West Fork Oak Creek along the trail.


This is an ancient indian village abandoned about 1450. The name of the village is Tuzigoot.


Michael and I have thoroughly enjoyed our time here in the Verde Vally area. There are so many things to see and do, and the weather is perfect. Thus far we have toured Sedona with it's beautiful red rocks, driven the Red Rock Loop Road, visited Red rock State park, Jerome State Park, The Chapel of the Holy Cross, rode the Verde Valley Train, went to Tuzigoot National Monument (Ancient Pueblo Ruins built by the Sinagua Indians) and hiked several trails. There are several more things we plan on seeing before we leave the valley.
We have also gotten to visit with my nephew Bradley Childers and his family. Bradley and his wife Janice have four lovely children, Kelly, Jonathan, Cipriano, and Amanda. They live in Winslow,AZ. which is about 120 miles from our resort, so we split the difference and met them in Flagstaff 9/14 for lunch, and then on Saturday 9/20 we went back to Flagstaff to watch Jonathan and Cipriona play Football. It was such fun watching the little guys run and tackle. Amanda was fun to watch on the sidelines also.
Check out the link to Thousand Trails Verde Valley Campground. It has some other links to several attractions around this area.
This one picture is of Helen standing against a Pondarosa Pine on a trail along West Fork Oak Creek on one of our four mile hikes.

South Rim of the Grand Canyon

We moved to Williams, AZ Thursday, September 4 to see all the sights around there which definitely included The South Rim. Helen and I were in Williams in 1985 as part of a fifteen day vacation when I worked at Armstrong Ceiling. We had stayed at a KOA campground then named Circle Pines KOA. We didn't stay there this time but we went out to see if we remembered much. I guess either our memory is very bad or things really changed in twenty-three years. We also had visited the South Rim in 1985 and that place has changed also. We stayed at a campground named Grand Canyon Railway RV Park. We arrived at our campground Thursday and kind of just drove around Williams and got reacquainted with the town. Helen also lived here for a while before we were married. Friday we went to the South Rim and drove along the Scenic Auto Route to Desert Vista and stopped at several overlooks along the way. The actual Grand Canyon looked about the same as in 1985 but after all the places we have seen on our travels we weren't as awed as in 1985.
The North Rim is just as awesome, even more so in some ways. Saturday we took the train to the Grand Canyon. That is a very nice ride that any one should take if they have the opportunity. It is a sixty-five mile train ride and is very relaxing and nice. We spent three and a half hours hiking the Canyon rim on the same trail that we were on in 1985 which is the most awesome view at the canyon. Check out the link to all the National Parks and find the Grand Canyon. You will see some awesome pictures there that other people have posted on that site. We caught the train and headed back to Williams. Along the way the train was robbed by some cowboys on horses. They boarded the train and everyone had a fun time. It was all part of the show of course.
Sunday I ask Helen if she wanted to go for a ride and check out Bill Williams mountain she said yes of course but looking back I'll bet she wouldn't be so anxious. We drove as far up the mountain as we dared until the narrow gravel road got too steep. We turned around at a view point called Finger Rock which was about 9,500 feet above sea level. Then we went on toward Jerome,AZ which was supposed to be mostly on paved roads but as it turned out about 30 miles of it was on gravel mountain narrow roads. Very scary!!!! Sometimes I wonder how I get us into such messes and why Helen would ever trust me again. But she always does. I guess she loves me and knows that I love her more than anything and would never cause her harm deliberately. After we got to Jerome we found a paved road, Hwy. 89A which is a scenic road through Oak Creek Canyon. I was going to move to this campground on this road but changed my mind. The road is very beautiful but there is one seven mile stretch where the elevation changes 3000 feet.
Very steep and very sharp switch-backs. Vehicles over 50 feet long are not allowed on the hill.
We moved Monday to this very beautiful and peaceful campground in Cornville, AZ. We will be here ten days but in this general area for six weeks. This is a very scenic area and we will have some pictures. Jerome, Cottonwood, Sedona, and this whole Verde Valley is a great place to spend some time.
We are all doing fine and Silly is back to his ornery self. There are some cats around this campground so I will watch out for him, don't want the same thing to happen again. Helen really enjoys this life style and so do I. We miss Lascassas, Open Bible, and all our friends and family and look forward to being back in March of 2009.

New look to our blog.

Helen and I would like to thank Patrice for the new look to our blog. She has really brought excitement into our blog that was missing. Our blog now looks like that of someone who is traveling and enjoying life on the road. Again thanks Patrice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Cat Sylvester

This is Sylvester,our famous cat. Silly, as we call him, was hurt real bad about a month ago and had to go to a vet. He is doing fine now and is back to his ornery self. He has really taken to travel and looks forward to our next campsite. He doesn't like a leash so I have to watch him real close so he doesn't get into trouble. He says meow (hi) to everyone.

Around Las Vegas

We have been able to see lots of things around Las Vegas that most people don't get to see because they fly in, but of course they see Las Vegas from the air which must be one awesome sight. We went to the Red Rock Canyon, the Spring Mountain State Park, Mt. Charleston and Lee Canyon. We went down to the Las Vegas Strip one evening and didn't leave until around 8:00 P.M. We saw several casinos and The Eiffel Tower of Las Vegas. We saw the Bellagio Conservatory which was very nice. We went up to the top of the tower and took several pictures and a video of the Fountain show at Bellagio. It was especially awesome from that high above the city. Spring Mountain State Park was owned by several families when it was just a ranch one of the former owners was Howard Hughes. He bought it from an actress and it was a resort for the rich and famous. Check out the link that I added showing Las Vegas Attractions. When you go to the website scroll down and find a long list of attractions that are in and around Las Vegas. Many of them have pictures and videos. I will try again to post some pictures. The last time I posted about Hoover Dam I couldn't post pictures with it. We are having a wonderful time and are thankful for the opportunity to travel. Thank everyone for your comments on our blog and any suggestions as to how to improve the blog would be appreciated.

Hoover Dam & Valley of Fire

August 28: We went on a driving tour today over to Hoover Dam out of Boulder City, Nevada and Valley of Fire State Park about fifty miles north of Las Vegas. It was about a 175 mile round trip and well worth the drive. We drove down Hwy. 93 to Hoover Dam through Bolder City. They are building a new Bridge across the Colorado River below Hoover dam which will give a beautiful view of the dam once it is finished. There will be an arch below the bridge to support the middle part of the bridge. The bridge will look similar to the Natchez Trace Parkway bridge across Hwy. 96 just out of Leipers Fork, TN. The Dam is huge but Lake Mead seemed to be very low. They have closed a lot of the boat ramps around the lake and at the dam you can see the water mark where the water once was. We walked across the dam and took some pictures of both sides of Hwy. 93 which crosses the dam. I will post some picture of Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire. We left Hoover Dam and drove along the west edge of Lake Mead for about 65 miles to Valley of Fire State Park. Every time you think that you have seen all the red rock that there is you come across a place like Valley of Fire. The rocks are the reddest that I have ever seen. Helen and I were just in awe of the beauty of this place. The rocks were different that those we have seen in the other parks in that there were holes all in these rocks. It looked like you were on another planet, in fact there have been several science fiction movies made there using those strange red rocks. There was also lots of ancient Indian Petroglyphs which were too far up the rock wall to get pictures. We are doing fine but it is extremely hot here. The weather man said it was 107 but my thermometer showed 111 out there in the desert. Needless to say we did not go hikeing much. I will post pictures later, blogger is not able to up-load pictures at this time. Check out the link to Hoover Dam & Valley of Fire State Park.

Moving day.

Today is August 26 and we are preparing to move tomorrow. We have been here two weeks and I believe they have been the fastest two weeks we have experienced in a long time. We visited Zion National Park several times and every time we are in awe at the beauty God created there. I know that the scientist can explain how all the color and sheer cliffs over 3000 feet high got there ( or so they say) but they can not explain the feeling of worship that takes place in a person's heart when he or she looks at all that beauty with an eye toward God. The Mormans who settled this area in the 1800s named the canyon Zion because of the sense of being in the Throne Room with God. It is awesome, if you read this and have never seen Zion National Park you need to put that on your list of things to do before you go to the real Zion in Heaven . The day before we left our campground in Panguich, Utah Sylvester was attacked by a stray cat and has been sick ever since. He had two bad bites and the vet patched him up and we have been giving him antibiotics. I took him back to the vet this morning and he is improving but still not back to his old self. I called Teddy on the twentieth to wish him a happy birthday, his birthday was the twenty-first, His family was doing well and he had been working on their house that they are building. I called the twentieth because we were going down to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on the twenty-first and didn't think that we would have a signal on the cell phone. It has been hot here, as high as 106 degrees, and I though that things would cool down and they have here but I see that it is 107 in Las Vegas, NV where we are going tomorrow. We have a resort there and there is a lot of things to see there also. We will take pictures and post them on our blog later. Helen is doing great and we are both in good health and are enjoying our travels.

North Rim of Grand Canyon

We made a trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon August 21st. It was 340 miles round trip.It was a long drive but we decided we'd never be this close again anytime soon,was a long and tiring day but well worth the trip. We went to the Lodge and Visitors Center first and hiked out to the overlook and made pictures. We drove to a couple other places and hiked to the overlooks. The temperature was nice, in the low 70's and that made the hikes more pleasant. I don't handle high altitude and hot weather too well, it's hard to breathe sometimes. Only 10 miles separate the North & South Rim of the Grand Canyon, as the Raven flies, but over 200 miles separate them by road. Here are some pictures we made on our trip to the North Rim of Grand Canyon, hope you enjoy. Also, check out the link to the National Parks.

Zion National Park

We moved to St. George RV park on the 13th of August and boy is it hot here. We have been to Zion NP several times since we arrived and as I said it is the most beautiful place that we have been to so far on our travels, but of course I say that about every where we go. In Zion you look up at the huge rock walls and cliffs. They are red, pink, tan, white, gray, and sometimes all these colors all mixed together. Some are even shaped like checker board patterns and they are several hundred feet tall. There is a tunnel one mile long through the mountain that divides Zion into two sides, East & West, and they have different views almost like entering another world. We, or rather I, lost our camera on the shuttle ride one day and we almost panicked. I ask the suttle driver if any one by any chance had turned in a camera, they had and in twenty minutes we had our camera back. Only God could have done that for us. We appreciate the honesty of the person that turned it in, but we give God all praise for the miracle we needed at the time. Here are some pictures we took at Zion. You can also go to the link that I put on the blog. It goes to the National Parks website where you can pick what ever state you want and then the park that you choose to look at. I hope you like the pictures and the National Parks website.

   There is another site that may be of interest:Just click the link to Zion National Park.

Bryce Canyon National Park

We are a little behind on posting new information so I will try to catch up. On August 7 & 8 we were at Bryce Canyon. It isn't exactly a canyon it is an ampitheater where you look down into the beauty before you. It wasn't formed by a river washing out a canyou it was formed by constant change by freezing, thawing, wind and rain over millions of years. The beauty is awesome to look at and you can see God's hand at work even though they say it was formed by nature. I believe Bryce Canyon is one of the most beautiful places on earth. But you will see that I probably will say that about every where that Helen and I travel. Here are a few pictures of Bryce Canyon. Sorry that I am late with the pictures.

Zion National Park

This is a picture that Helen took from our campground here in Hurricane, Utah. We are near St. George, UT so they named the campground St. George RV Resort. We have visited Zion National Park twice so far and I believe it is the most awesome sight this side of the real Zion where it got its name. I know Heaven is way more beautiful but God sure did a wonderful creation here. We have more pictures of the park which we will post later. We are really enjoying God's wonderful creation.

Arches National Park

These are some pictures we made while at Arches National Park in UT.

Jackson Hole, WY.

Helen and I took a road trip up to Jackson Hole July 16 to see what it was about. We expected it to be an old western town like Tombstone, AZ. but it was only a commercialized version of an old west town. Many of the old buildings were still there and a lot of western history but it was too commercial. We took a few pictures and will post two or three. Jackson Hole, WY. is mentioned many times in western books and movies.

On the way back to camp we were traveling along the Snake river and saw lots of folks whitewater rafting. We took some pictures and some videos but we are unable to post the videos for some reason. If you can give us any advice as to how to post them we would appreciate the help. We are having a blast and enjoying life on the road.

At the time of this posting we have moved to Garden City, Utah. We went on a road trip to Logan, Utah today through an awesome canyon call of all things, Logan Canyon. We took pictures but they just don't show what we see with our eye. We are camped beside Bear Lake, a lake formed by an earthquake 1000s of years ago. It covers 70,000 acres and is very beautiful. It has sandy beaches just like the ocean. The weather here is nice, in the 80s in the day and 60s at night. The one picture is of a man surffing on the river rapids. The arch that Helen is standing under is made of Elk antlers. There is an arch at each side of the square in Jackson Hole.