"18/#10 Last Days In Utah

One of the things Mary wanted to see while we were in the Salt Lake City area was the Mormon Temple and Temple Square. Her family had connections with the Mormon religion many years ago. This is like going to the Vatican for Catholics and a point of interest for us regular tourists. I, as a non-believer, am considered a tourist at any church we see in our travels. It doesn't mean I can't appreciate the art and architecture.

The buildings, paintings, and sculptures were something to see and the landscaping, gardens, and fountains made for a pleasant and peaceful setting. The Mormons are known for their missionary work and there were a number of missionaries around the complex to help and inform the guests about everything in Temple Square. Contrary to some of the rumors these missionaries were not trying to convert everyone who comes along. They were very pleasant and helpful. Of course they asked where you were from and did you belong to the church but those were just conversation starters. They treated everyone with kindness and respect regardless of ones beliefs. It was an interesting and worthwhile stop on our adventure.

The next two days we planned on getting ready to hit the road once more. Having stayed a week we had plenty of laundry and cleaning to do. I also decided to do a little modification on the rig to prevent a repeat of the gas line incident we had recently. That project took most of the day and while I was working on the rig I decided to change out an outlet that I had been meaning to do for some time. See, we are not on vacation. This is our lifestyle which includes cooking, cleaning, and home maintenance just like in any stick and brick home. Instead of going to Home Depot or Lowes we go to Camping World or another RV supply company. It is different but yet it is still the same.

This is my last blog from our home here in Ogden Utah because......

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#9 On to The Next Adventure

Southern Utah was pretty cool. We spent some time checking out Bryce Canyon and some of the other surrounding areas. Sights you see in pictures take on a whole different perspective in person. Mary has shared many pictures on Facebook but they do the canyon and rock formations no justice. After some snow in Panguitch we moved on down (up?) the road, north toward Salt Lake City.

We found a place to stay just north of Salt Lake City in Ogden and opted to stay for a whole week. As said in the movies, "it was an offer we couldn't refuse". One of my oldest and dearest friends, Linda, was following us on Facebook and sent us an OMG message. Her brother was living in Salt Lake City! You have to understand that I grew up with these two since I was 2 years old but haven't see Bill in between 30 and 40 years. We made plans and got together not knowing if we would have a lot to talk about. Well all I can say is 4 hours later we had to say our goodbyes. It was good to catch up and reminisce the good old days.

The next day we drove out to the Bonneville Salt Flats. I have read about it for years and knew it as the home of World Land Speed Records. It was quite drive and for some it might not seem worth it, but it is something to see. Acres and acres of flat hard packed salt makes you feel like you are on another planet. Spring time is the wet season so there was no racing on the "Flats" but maybe I will come back one year when they race late in the summer. I think that would be neat to see.

Well, that is all for now. There is more to see and I will share more later from our home in Ogden Utah because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#9 Signs You Are A Traveler

There is no doubt that we are travelers or nomads or Gypsies. Just look back through our blogs. But signs that we are on the road are sometimes interesting to share. There are the usual stack of fuel receipts and receipts from various campgrounds. And then there are the signs that say "we're not in Kansas anymore!".

First there was the weather. Two weeks ago we had 90 degree weather and now I am looking out my window at 1 to 3 inches of snow. The terrain was another give-away. Leaving flat desert and now driving the red mountains of  Utah at elevations around 9000 feet is a different experience. Lastly there are the everyday things like going to the store. Hellman's mayonnaise is known as Best Foods west of the Rockies and what

do I find in the local market? As you can see we must be west of the Rockies!

Now that we are in the little town of Panguitch we took a ride and did some exploring in and around Bryce Canyon. A thousand pictures later we are once again amazed at the handiwork of Mother Nature. Being a quite a bit north of South Texas and at about 9000 feet the temps had dropped drastically and the winds had picked up. We were bundled up but still had enough of the cold. Today's weather is going to be nasty so we will be staying in and just relaxing for the day.

Tomorrow we will check out Zion National Park. After that we will head on north to Salt Lake City and the Bonneville Salt Flats. For now we are just staying warm in our home in Panguitch Utah because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#8 Same Jello, Different Flavor

The two days we spent in Congress AZ were much needed. Saw some friends and just relaxed after all the excitement of the past few days. We got up Monday morning and got on the road at the reasonable hour of 8am. While traveling Mary called ahead to check on the campground we were planning on staying at. Guess what? As they like to say, there was no room at the inn. So Mary started calling around and there were no places in the Page AZ area with openings. We did find a place for the next night but what about tonight. What to do, what to do?

Well we were near Flagstaff and looking for a place to fuel up and realized how close we were to Williams. It was only around lunch time so why not spend a night in Williams? And since it was early enough why not take a drive up the road and take a peek at the Grand Canyon? Well why not shake the jello for a good reason for a change?

We checked in at the Canyon Motel and RV Park, unhooked the truck, packed a lunch, and took off for the south rim of the Geand Canyon just 52 miles away. We've been here before but being this close it was worth the trip to see it again, even if only for a couple of hours. We walked around a little, took a bunch of pictures, and were once again amazed at the majestic sight that is the Grand Canyon.

Tomorrow we will head out for Utah and we will try to see as much as we can in the Bryce Canyon area before continuing our trek north. The weather is changing as we head north with temps tonight expectd in the mid 30's and winds around 25mph. We will try to stay warm in our home here in Williams because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#7 Things Are Settling Down

The last three days have been less than ideal but we survived. With all the tire problems and the wind related issues we needed a break. It seems that one of the tire blowouts caused a little damage under the trailer. I was able to fix an electric line going to the fridge but there was a crack in a propane fitting that I would rather have a professional do the repairs. The morning of our third day on the road Mary made a few phone calls and found an RV repair company that absolutely would not let us go without getting the gas line fixed. They said to get to them as soon as   possible and we would be taken care of.                                                                           

Three hours down the road we arrived at On The Road Again RV repair in Glendale Arizona. The place was packed with RVs in different stages of repair. I figured we weren't getting in any time soon. Within an hour they juggled RVs, got us in, and immediately started working on our rig. They tried to make us as comfortable as they could and ensured us that everything would be just fine. They had some of the parts needed and had to get one part made. They also helped deal with the insurance company and had us "On The Road Again" in four hours. These guys will be put on our list of RV "good guys" and shared with the rest of the RV community.

We traveled an hour down the road to our next destination in Congress AZ. Friends that we work camped with this past summer were there to greet us and after hearing about the trials and tribulations of our journey they presented us with the gift you see above. How funny. touching, and appropriate. It's good to have friends.

Well this may be our home for a few days just to recharge our batteries, in our home in Congress AZ because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#6 Exploding Jello!

If you follow our blog you know that I always say our plans are written in jello. That just means that whatever we plan anything can happen, we just have to go with the flow. This time it was a tsunami that got in the way.

We left Pharr at 5am and made good time to San Antonio. Mary took over the driving and got us through the city and shortly after that the tire pressure monitor(TPM) started screaming and other drivers were pointing at the trailer. By the time we got off the road the tire was shredded. As we have done in the past we found a safe place to park and changed the tire. Not too far down the road we found a tire dealer and got a replacement because we DO NOT drive without a spare. We made it as far as Fort Stockton and stopped. We were about 120 mile short of our intended destination but like I say, the jello got shaken.

Day 2 we hit the road by 4:30am. About 2 hours into our travels the TPM started screaming again. This time we got off the road before the tire blew. Again we made the tire change like a couple of pros, just this time it was in the dark and just off the interstate. We drove to a little truck stop that had a tire dealer to get another replacement. Of course the the jello had been shaken now it needed to be stirred. The tire shop wasn't opening for another hour so the plans changed again. We decided to sit and have breakfast while we waited for the tire shop to open. Of course once they opened they didn't have the tire we needed. Shaken, stirred, and now into the blender! On to El Paso to get a tire from a dealer that had them in stock. But wait, upon arriving we were told they were mistaken and didn't have the tire! OK the jello just got thrown through the fan.

Fortunately there was another tire dealer that had the right size tire just not the brand we wanted. Not optimal but it will do. While we were getting the tire Mary decided we should get an extra just not mounted on the rim. We have the room for it and since our tires seem to be getting hard to find, why not? Back on the road and looking forward to putting some miles behind us, and then ....BOOM! Another tire blows up. The jello is now all over the floor. Enough is enough. We are tired of changing tires so we call our road service through Good Sam Club. Apparently the people who work for the road service can't read maps or understand directions. We were right on I10 west between exits 151 and 155. Easy, right? After 45 minutes of trying to explain where we were stuck we gave up and changed our third tire in two days in less time than it took for road service to find a provider. The jello is now getting slopped all over the walls.

The next town up the road we found a tire dealer to mount the extra tire and he didn't charge us at all. Ok, something has finally gone right. But we still had to get through New Mexico. No more tire problems. Now we are experiencing high winds and dust storms. Not bad enough to close roads or for us to stop but there were a couple of white knuckle moments. We stopped for fuel and a snack and got on the road. 30 to 45 mph winds while traveling at 60 mph and our awning starts to come unraveled. Another stop. This time in the wind and the dust to reroll the awning so we could continue down the road. I am now loading the jello into a confetti cannon!

Tires, idiots, wind, and dust and we find our way to our destination for the night. After a shower and a light dinner two exhausted travelers are ready for bed in their home for tonight in Wilcox Arizona because.....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary

'18/#5 Running Away From Home?

Today will be our last day in Pharr Texas. Everything that needs to be stowed for the trip is put away and the rig is starting to look a little less like home. That isn't a bad thing. It just means that the pictures and trinkets we put out when we stay in one place for a while are not out. It also means that the rig looks a lot cleaner and neater than usual. As my Mom used to say "My home is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy.". Another way of putting it is it looks "lived in".

We were contemplating leaving today but we were tired from all the pre-travel preparations. Also the forecast was rain most of the day. We don't mind breaking camp and traveling in the rain but if we don't have to, we won't. Another case of plans being written in jello. Flexibility is a necessary tool when living on the road. Today is just a lazy day of resting, reading, and internet activities so we can start fresh first thing tomorrow morning. First thing could be as early as 4am so tonight will be an early night.

We have said all our goodbyes to the residents in the park who are still here and also the staff who we worked with all winter. After being here for five months it feels like home. We will miss the friends we have made here but we will be returning next year so there were no tears this time.

We are looking forward to the summer in Montana and are sure the time will fly by soon to find us heading back to our home here in Pharr because....

Home is where we park it,
Frank and Mary