Sequoia National Forest....11/29

Took a drive deep into the Sequoia National Forest this AM....got a little lost on a national forest road, but eventually found the Trail of 100 Giants - an incredible sequoia forest! There are a hundred trees that have a diameter in excess of ten feet....these trees are at least 1,000 years old....a truly amazing hike through these giants....

After lunch, the troops were tired - siesta time!

Then,a really nice hike along the Kern River, just outside of Johnsdale - I recommend it when you're next in Johnsdale, and have a free couple of hours....

Our last night on the RV...tomorrow we'll be in Manhattan Beach.....and home the next day.

California.....11/28

Thanksgiving at Le Cirque was amazing last night...white truffles on everything....a really lovely Chapoutier wine....it is one of the most beautiful restaurants anywhere, in my opinion - sullied only by the fact the you have to walk throught the Bellagio casino to get there...Vegas - the only place I know where you hit an ATM for $500 and you get five hondos - I'm surprised the dispenser doesn't also produce a little note, like "play Red #5"......but we had two great dinners! Great to be back on the RV, though....

Long drive today to Kernville, CA....through Death Valley NP - Zabriske Point was amazing - arrived at our campground after dark....camping right on the river, and it's warm enough to have a little window open so we can hear the river....

Finished listening to John Wesley Powell's exploration of the Colorado River - a wonderful book. Am reading The Big Burn, and discovering what a wonderful president Teddy Roosevelt was. I have to read more about him - big gap in my education......I recommend the book wholeheartedly ..the story of how the Forest Service was created is very interesting....as well as many of the national parks.....

We're staying here again tomorrow night, so it's a relaxing day....will probably go to Sequoia NP and see those incredible trees....and then one last night in the RV.....

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 11/27

Took a long walk down The Strip this AM....bought some lovely votives at Lalique for our anniversary.....relaxed the rest of the day....including the showers before and after our massages, Amy and I have had eight showers in 24 hours! Making up for lost time I guess....

One of my favorite holidays....love to cook on Thanksgiving, but tonight we're out to Le Cirque at The Bellagio....Tomorrow we have a longish drive - over five hours - that will take us through Death Valley National Park....our destination is Camp James in Kernville, CA....only a couple of nights left of The Trip....though we've loved the time in the hotel here, we're both looking forward to getting back into the RV and on the road!

Our 40th, in Vegas....11/26

Wow - what a change...Vegas is an assault on one's senses....but, it feels great to be in a nice hotel,with a big bed, great shower, etc.....started out yesterday with a really nice hike in Snow Canyon (pic of Amy at the trailhead), then a leisurely drive into LV....lovely suite at The Delano (Molly particularly liked the bed).....celebrated our 40th with a great steak and all the fixin's at Craftsteak (and a 1989 Barolo).....Molly stayed home with a dog sitter - who will also be here tonight so we can go eat Thanksgiving dinner.....

Funny story - Eli, my nephew, texted me during dinner to bet $50 on Red 16 for him....I texted back that I really had not planned to go to the casino this trip, but for him I'd make the bet. Stopped at a table on our way out of the MGM (where Craftsteak is located)....I put his $50 on Red, but not the 16, though, as I've always thought betting a single number a silly bet! It came up Red 5, so I doubled his money (and made some for myself, as I placed the same bet). Took our money and left. I texted him later that I am quite sure that I'm the only guy that night that placed one bet,doubled his money, and left the casino!

Today we have no plans other than massages and dinner....it's going to be in the low 70's and sunny, so maybe we'll walk the strip with Molly, do a little shopping....always some football on, I guess!

Ahhhhhhhhh........

A big...soft.....bed!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.....

Snow Canyon State Park

Drove through St George yesterday afternoon after getting a fuse replaced....all is running smoothly again. St G is an expansive, fast-growing city, reminding me a bit of North Scottsdale....Snow Canyon SP, a gorgeous place, is only a few miles outside of town, but it feels like the middle of nowhere. Fabulous mix of sandstone mountains and cliffs and black lava-basalt which created it.....it was not chilly last night, and the sun was shining brightly as we awoke today....Molly's new favorite prey are rabbits, the preferably ones with large white cotton-tails (a bull's eye????)......

Going hiking here this AM, then back for lunch before driving to Las Vegas.....anniversary dinner tonight (40th)....here's my wonderful wife, taking care of our "blackwater" - and I am not referring to some sinister private security firm....

Zion NP and beyond....

Woke up this AM, sunny and chilly again...having a little trouble with one of the systems on the RV, and Frank from Advacnced RV has us set up at a service spot in St George, which was our destination for tonight as it happens. But first, we visited Zion National Park - and I must say, it is one of the most unbelievably beautiful natural sights I've ever seen! For those that have visited it before, you know of what I speak. For those who haven't seen it, GO!

Stopped just outside the park for a quick bite in the sunshine. In keeping with our location, we dined on the lawn of a Church of the Later Day Saints....

Finally nice to hit some warm weather - 60 degrees in St George. After getting the RV fixed up (waiting for it as I type), we will make the short drive to Snow Canyon State Park to spend the night. We have a nice hike planned for the morning, then we'll drive to Las Vegas that afternoon. 

Kodachrome SP and Bryce Canyon NP.....

Today dawned bright and chilly - in the upper 20's - we have another night here in this lovely campground, so there wasn't much to do from a logistical viewpoint. We had breakfast and got dressed for what turned out to be a wonderful 2 and 1/2 hour hike through the chimneys, sliprock, sandstone hiking paths bordered by pinon pine and juniper trees/bushes. We reached "Panoramic Point", from which we could just make out Bryce Canyon NP. Molly violated the law by being off leash during most of the hike, but was super well-behaved, and didn't  get caught....returned to have a relaxing lunch and petite sieste before heading over to Bryce Canyon National Park - a truly amazing place. It was quite cold up there (20's) and the wind was wicked, bringing the wind chill near zero, I would say. A little snow on the ground from the front a couple of days ago....found good cell service near the park entrance, so we stopped to do some email, calls, etc etc. Amazing how it feels to be without any modern technological connection here at the campground! What I miss most is when we're having a discussion and I just normally say, "well, Google it"...nope, not here! But at least I can type this blog, off-line, for posting tomorrow....sipping an '09 Guigal Gigondas, dreaming of the daube we'll have in and hour or so....Amy's reading in the bed across from me with the dog snuggled up to her...sipping a Moab Brewery lager - their lagers, ales, are delicious! Wonder if they distribute to CO?

I noticed something was amiss with Molly...and finally figured out the source! She's thinking, "sheesh - we just spent two months in France, and now we're so broke we had to sell the house and move into this small metal box-on-wheels!".....

We're about halfway, time-wise, through the trip, and about the same in relation to distance, I think. We have a three hour or so drive on Tuesday AM to Snow Canyon State Park, just outside of St George, Utah. We'll pass through Zion National Park on the way there, so that should be a treat. As we drive, we're listening to James Powell's diary of his exploration of the Colorado River, and its sources - what an incredible story!!! 

We have a good hike picked out in Snow Canyon, and might have some time to explore St George a little bit. One night there, and then it's on to Las Vegas for two nights! Civilization (well, sort of, considering it's LV), great hot showers, a king bed, massages, and some great food that I don't have to prepare! 

Onto Kodachrome State Park....Sunday, 11/23

The drive south to Kodachrome SP is a beautiful one of about three hours....very windy today as the front passed through, and the high was only in the 40's - but bright and sunny....UT Route 12 takes you south through Boulder, UT and we had lunch at a really wonderful, charming place, Hell's Backbone Grill. It's well-known in Utah, and even rated in Zagats! Their home-made apple juice was fantastic, and Amy's salad with tofu was great - this Boulder must be related to the Colorado one....we had internet connectivity at the restaurant - we had no phone nor internet the prior night, nor do we have it here tonight.....Kodachrome State Park is gorgeous - it sits in a huge granite and sandstone amphitheater - a mile wide -  with dozens of sandstone chimneys reaching out of the valley floor to a couple of hundred feet! There are only a couple of other folks here at the beautiful campground - which is very private, with pinon trees separating all of the campsites...we'll be here two nights, and we have hook-ups on our campsite: electric power, and water. That said, I went and showed at the very clean public showers (more spacious) and Amy showered in the RV. 

We're sitting on the beds in the RV at the moment, sipping wine, listening to some calming music on my iTouch through the unit's sound system. The curtains are drawn, it's dark out, and it feels a bit like being in a private berth on a train. Molly's sacked out next to me on my bed...not so different from a Sunday night in Vail, actually....except I have only to reheat the dinner, not make it from scratch!

Tonight we'll have chicken curry, with rice, a yummy pineapple and cumin yogurt mixture, and naan. Maybe I'll make a frozen veggie, too. Drinking an Australian Shiraz with that.....tomorrow AM we have a three mile hike planned here in the park. Then we'll have lunch, and, afterward, a visit to Bryce Canyon NP, which is "next door". We'll return to this campsite for another night....Utah is a pretty amazing place.....

Moab to Capitol Reef National Park.....Saturday 11/22

Need to pack up and say "good-bye" to Moab this AM - we see why everyone enjoys coming here....it will be our last taste of civilization until Las Vegas (in five days), as we will be visiting more remote parks and campsites now....Molly puked a little on her blanket, so we did morning errands (picking up provisions, a quick wash of the RV, etc.) in between laundromat stages...stopped in to the Love Muffin Cafe and picked up six Hula Bula banana/coconut muffins for the rest of the trip....very yummy....

The drive took us north, back to I-70, then west past Green River, and south on UT-24 to Hanksville (where Butch Cassidy's gang used to hide out) - about a three-hour drive, including a stop at a pretty spot for a homemade lunch and walk. Arrived at Capitol Reef NP late afternoon in time for a scenic drive and hour walk....beautiful, remote canyons of gorgeous, huge rock walls....and only a few visitors camping....very peaceful, except for Molly when she spied a dozen deer around the campground! And a rabbit or two for good measure...

No "hook-ups" in this campground - which constitutes "dry camping" - I.e., we must make do with the RVs own, on-board electricity and water supplies. Dinner of ragu, salad, warm bread, and a tasty Hartford Zinfandel.....ice cream for dessert....Amy and I decided, over dinner, that we like this even more than we thought we would....we three had a final walk - the stars were amazing! 

Settled into bed and a restful sleep (thank you SO much, Yangi, for configuring the bedding so nicely!)  until 4AM when the Mercedes' engine turned on (automatically) to charge the batteries for forty minutes to keep the heat and other systems supplied with electric power...all very cleverly done, I must say. However, since this was the first time for us, I got up to look at the system panel to be sure all was " ok" - it was - and I returned to find Molly happily ensconced on my bed - which is slightly smaller than a twin bed: like a train's bed, I would say. She gave enough real estate to allow me to crawl in and share it with her, and write this blog entry....

Well, the Mercedes just finished its 40 minute cycle, it's about 5AM....I can hear the wind outside, as the forecasted front moves through....no rain or snow, just wind...I'm still tired and will get a couple more hours' sleep before starting the new day....after some morning exercise, we'll head south to Kodachrome State Park for two nights....off to zzzzzzzzzzzz now!

The Trip Begins....

We started out yesterday, made a stop for lunch with a friend in Grand Junction, and settled into Spanish Trails RV park in Moab around 4pm. Many of you have been to Moab, but for those that have not, it's a wonderful little town in east-central Utah. Beautiful scenery, very active town known for its trail biking and hiking. Also very close to Arches National Park. After a couple of minor hiccups, we got the RV hooked up on electric ("shore power" as RVers call it) and took on some water. We both slurped down a Moab Brewery IPA.

Amy heated up some dinner for us - meatloaf, baked potato, and string beans. Washed it down with a Penfold's Shiraz. Molly ate her dinner and all was right with the world.

The night was cold - 22 degrees in Moab - but we were cozy in our beds on the RV. All three of us slept well. Discovered, somewhat shockingly, that the toilet seats are a bit cold(!!!) on a night like this in an RV.....

This AM we will hike nearby....we will stay one more night here before moving westward on Saturday AM....more later!

It's here....

Pebbles, our rental RV, showed up today with Frank driving. Frank's an expert and knows the unit like the back of his hand, thank god. He's been taking Amy and I through all of the systems this afternoon. It's a bit daunting, but we're saving time and brainpower by only learning the things we are going to need on this trip - ignoring the air conditioning, for example. I learned the best thing though: I have Frank's cell number, and he promises to keep it on 24/7!

Molly spent all afternoon in the the RV, and seems to be able to fall asleep in any number of places....she's extremely adaptable, so we don't have too many worries about her being fine on the trip. But who knows????

Amy had a fear that she wouldn't be able to drive it, so she and Frank took it for a spin....it seems most went well, except for the snow bank with which she had a close encounter....but we're both going to practice driving a bit, and obviously use a good deal of caution until we really get the hang of it. Fortunately, Mercedes road side assistance is a phone call away....just in case.....

It is small inside.....I think you can see that from the pic....

Misgivings....

As we get ready for The Trip, as it's become to be known, I am having one misgiving: Vail Mountain has received three feet of snow the past week (two feet at our house), and it promises to be the best opening day ever (next Friday, the day after we depart). On the other hand, it's been beautiful here - there's nothing quite like living in the mountains and having a snowstorm settle in for days. The snowshoeing has been epic.

We were out to dinner with a bunch of friends last evening (see pic: thanks, Steve Gilbert for the photo) - not many others were out, due to the continuing snowstorm - and we all agreed it felt like the middle of January! Most years, you could still be playing golf this week in November....The good news is that the ski year will be off to an amazing start, establishing a good base for all the snow we hope to get in December and January.....

Today we're going to spend some time going over the user manual for the RV in greater detail. It's kind of like a very tiny house, with all the systems one has in a house: electrical, water supply and plumbing, waste disposal, heating/cooling, audio/visual, security and safety, and more. In your house, you take many of these systems for granted - they're there, and they work pretty much on their own. On an RV, each system has to be monitored to insure proper performance - neglect the charging of your batteries, or the filling of your waste reservoirs at your peril. OK, maybe not peril, but at least at great discomfort! And that's not to mention learning how to drive the damn thing.....I feel a little like an old-time astronaut going into space in a small capsule, needing to be sure all of the systems work properly. And we will be in fairly remote areas of Utah and Nevada much of the trip, with limited cell and internet service, so help won't be close at hand many of the days. 

Well, off to snowshoe this morning......

Meal Prep.....

Never having RV'd before, I figure as bad as it might get, as long as we have good food and wine, we'll be OK.....and, if as expected, we have a blast, then good food and wine will just be icing on the proverbial cake.

Made a yummy ragu last night and froze dinner portions for us. It's snowing and cold today here in Vail...Amy's visiting her mother, so it's just me and the pup. After a morning hike, and a visit to the store to shop, I'm going to make chicken curry, and Tuscan beans. I'll buy some good sausage at Whole Foods later in the week to serve with the beans. So that'll be three dinners.....I have veal shoulder and beef chuck coming on Friday from Lobels, so  I'll make Veau Marengo and a beef daube over the weekend.

As a special treat, I'm going to order our favorite desert, a dacquoise, from Megan Joy, a superb baker here in town. It freezes nicely in individual slices - assuming we don't eat the entire thing the first night! Hmmmmmm, a sauternes goes really nicely with that desert, so I need to remember to pack a bottle.....

A View of "Pebbles", our home-away-from-home.....

"Pebbles" is the name of the Class-B motorhome that Advanced RV (Cleveland, OH) is renting to Amy and me. One of their associates and his wife are driving it out to our home in Vail, and then Amy, Molly, and I will drive it to Los Angeles, via Utah and Nevada. We've got an itinerary planned out, stopping and camping (in the RV) in some lovely state and national parks, which I'll post one day. However, it does include a two-night stop in Las Vegas (in The Delano Hotel)  for our 40th wedding anniversary dinner, and Thanksgiving dinner the next night!

Of course, one of the major issues on a trip like this for us is food, and wine. "Pebbles" has a refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, and a single burner cooktop. My food and meal planning skills will be challenged! We'll need to make do with warming up previously-cooked frozen meals, for the most part.  No, no, no - no mac'n'cheese for us! I'm planning a hearty ragu...a daube...chicken soup...veal marengo (an interesting history to that dish, but more on that another time)...chicken curry...Tuscan beans and sausage....and maybe bouillabaisse and/or paella, if I get around to it. A case of wine from our cellar will be placed somewhere on the vehicle, I promise.

Anyway, enough for now, I promised no long-winded blogs! But, here is a link that I hope works - it shows off "Pebbles", with a number of beautiful photos in the slide show. Please notice it is smaller than my wine cellar.....

http://www.advanced-rv.com/pebbles-motor-home/

Bye for now....

Am I ready for this???

OK, my wife, Amy, has convinced me to try RVing. She knows me too well,in that if I am to like it, we best do it in style. And along with our pup. Molly. So we will, beginning Nov. 20th. For ten days. Vail to L.A.

We will trade a spacious, rambling house for 180 square feet on a Mercedes Sprinter frame. Really????

Thankfully, the folks at AdvancedRV are providing us with a lovely unit to try out. Hopefully, I'll master the complicated systems enough to not get into too much trouble. My worst fear is a bad connection when dumping the "black water" (you can probably guess what that is?).....

More later....