Monday, April 30, 2012

Zion Utah

ZION UTAH!
BEAUTIFUL WILD COUNTRY

When Chuck and I arrived here 3 weeks ago, we were busy learning our jobs and meeting new people. The routine has become much easier and we workamp with a bunch of wonderful folks here!

Zion River RV Resort is a beautiful 5 star RV resort on the Virgin River, we have green grass and large level sites here.



There are also some very nice tent camping areas.


BEAUTIFUL SCENERY TOO!


This is one of the dirt roads just west of Virgin Utah, headed to the LaVerkin Overlook.

The Virgin River cuts a deep gorge into the earth and it can be seen starting here. As you drive through the town of LaVerkin and go over the bridge, you can easily see how deep this gorge becomes and how beautiful!



Looking west towards the town of LaVerkin. The colors and textures of the EarthMother around here are totally amazing! I haven't really begun to photograph the area yet! I promise you I will!


Above is highway 9 that eventually takes you to Virgin Utah, Springdale Utah and Zion National Park.
This was taken looking east.



DOGGIE ART!


After coming back from car rides....  I had lots of "doggie art" on my back windows to wash off!



One day while Chuck and I were sitting outside reading our Kindles, a humming bird went flying by!
Well hey! What the heck!??! I went right into town and bought a hummingbird feeder and now we have tons of hummers all doing flyby acrobatics and war combat to fight over who gets to the feeders first! Fun entertainment!



AMAZING LANDSCAPES AND SUNSETS





Whenever Chuck and I leave for a new adventure, the excitement builds in my tummy, the hound herd is bouncing around our heels, the MotherShip is packed and we are ready to meet the highway ahead!
Today, I read this poem  from The Hobbit, it perfectly describes what life has become for us!
Hope you enjoy it!
******************************************
The Greatest Adventure, The Ballad of The Hobbit
From the animated movie The Hobbit

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.

The greatest adventure is there if you're bold.
Let go of the moment that life makes you hold.
To measure the meaning can make you delay;
It's time you stop thinkin' and wasting the day.

The man who's a dreamer and never takes leave
Who thinks of a world that is just make-believe
Will never know passion, will never know pain.
Who sits by the window will one day see rain.

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead.
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said.
The chances, the changes are all yours to make.
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.

The greatest adventure is what lies ahead!

*******************************************

Happy trails to you from the crew of the MotherShip and our hound herd! Chuck,pilot - Geri, co-pilot - and our navigators - Scotty, DoogieBowser and Radar!

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Oh No! SNOW!

OLD MAN WINTER AIN'T GIVING UP!


This is inside of my SUV window, as I reached in to get my camera... as soon as the snow hit the windshield, it melted!


But the SNOW was falling...



This view of the SNOW also shows the new box Chuck had built by The Iron Man in Elephant Butte NM.  It holds our generator and fuel. More photos/news about this box later in another blog!



Me, covered in snowflakes after going outside to take pictures! LOL!


I took one last photo through the open door of The MotherShip!

The snow turned to rain, and now that too has stopped, but the skies are heavy above so I expect more of the same any time.  Looks like the campers are all staying inside their rigs today! Brrrr!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

On the Road to Lee's Ferry and Utah

THURSDAY APRIL 5 2012
DAY ONE

We are not real proud of this, but somehow we got our starting dates mixed up! We were thinking we were to begin at Zion River RV Resort on May 1st. Not so! Tuesday, our new boss, Mason, called wanting to know where we were! We were due there April 1st NOT May 1st.  Well, as things worked out, we would not have been able to make it April 1st even if we had the date right in our minds, the MotherShip was still waiting on the factory to send one last piece so the repairs could be completed on her grey tanks!  First the factory sent the wrong tanks, those had to be returned and wait for tne new ones to arrive! Finally when the new ones arrived, they were also the wrong ones but they could be adapted to fit, but it meant 2 more weeks before the factory sent the right valves. So we decided while we were waiting for parts, to get a box welded on the back of the MotherShip to carry our generator and LP gas tanks. Chuck had the generator converted to LP several years ago because we don't want to carry around gasoline!


We left T or C on Thursday, after 2 mad days of packing like crazy! We had just gotten the MotherShip back on Monday... Tuesday we got the call from Mason that we were long over due... so yesterday we left about 11am with the bed just loaded down with everything that would pile on the bed! We drove I-25N to Socorro and turned West on Highway 60... a beautiful drive through hills and mountains and small towns like Magdalina and Pie Town and slipped into Arizona about 3pm and are now camped in Springerville. Tonight we plan to be in Flagstaff, tomorrow night at Lee's Ferry and into Zion on Easter Sunday!
There won't be too many photos, I am also driving my TrailBlazer up... It costs a lot less to run around for 6 months in my TB than 6 months in Chuck's "Beastie" V-10 Ford dually! Besides...  we have sold both saddles to a place in Utah and needed the room in my SUV to carry them! The price of the saddles will more than cover the cost of extra gas used. BUT there will be photos a few sentences down taken at the beautiful Lee's Ferry on 89A in AZ,

FRIDAY APRIL 6 2012
DAY 2

We spent Thursday night in Flagstaff. Nothing exciting to report there! We stayed at the Greer RV Park on highway 89 heading out of town. We drove 3 hours north on 89, a lot of holiday traffic on that 2 lane road, but they have passing lanes every few miles so the traffic doesn't get backed up too bad!

SATURDAY APRIL 6 2012
DAY 3
After leaving Flagstaff, we followed highway 89 North until we came to the Page/Lake Powell turn-off. We took the left hand turn Highway 89A and the scenery just exploded! It was amazing! We turned right at Marble Canyon and headed down to Lee's Ferry. The campground is boondocking only and with a senior pass $6 a night! You are camped up on a bluff overlooking the Colorado River in the most amazing Canyon!

 This was at the entrance to Lee's Ferry. A lot of rafting tours take off from here headed for the Grand Canyon!
 The color of the rocks is amazing! Layers of colors!
 Chuck walking the hound Herd before we head into the park!
 There will be interesting balancing rocks along the way. Last year Chuck and I posed under this very rock with plenty of headroom to spare!

 Our campsite overlooks the Colorado River... to the right of that tree! Not bad for $6 a night! We intend to stop here on the way back when we have time to spend several days! It was a bit crowded, but not full. You must remember, this was Easter weekend!

 Sitting from the campground picnic table, we had a great unobstructed view of the canyon and the river!
Great sunset colors reflecting on the canyon walls!
 Campground at sunrise.....


 The hiking trail from the campground down to the river! To see more about Lee's Ferry... here is a link to the blog from our 2010 visit!http://www.phunnyfarm.blogspot.com/2010/10/lees-ferry-az.html
One last photo on our way out of Lee's Ferry this morning! 3 hours later we arrived in Virgin Utah at our workamping job with Zion River RV Resort.
www.ZionRiverResort.com   We will be working here for 6 months, until October!  I will get busy and take some photos of the park, but that link above will show you much of the park! 
We did notice as we passed the Grand Canyon North Rim on Highway 89A, that it is still closed for the winter. That is one steep ride up to Jacob's Lake where you turn to go into the park! But it was a beautiful ride!!! 
Well, that's it for now, just wanted you to know we arrived in Zion safe and sound!
Happy Trails!
Geri, Chuck and the Hound Herd!