Wilmington, NC

Sunday we decided to stay one more night, more so because the CG that we wanted to go to couldn't

Brad found a gecko
eating a moth

get us in until Monday, but who's keeping track.  We had a light breakfast at home then headed out to Calabash Beach for some site seeing and looking for a place for lunch.  We drove around for a while then found a water front restaurant for lunch, not bad, but we don't need to put it on our 'do again' list.  After that we did some more sight seeing then headed home about 3:00.  We walked Rudy and checked out all the people in and out of the storage area of the CG....a lot more movement than we thought there would be.  We just had dinner at the CG, then got things packed up, planning on our move on Monday. 

 

Monday we had a quick breakfast at home, got packed up and headed out about 11:00, we only have about an hour drive and check in is at 2:00, so no hurries.  I headed out in the car to find a post office, while Brad headed to the shopping center so we could hook up when I was finished.  Hook up completed then we headed up the road towards Kure Beach.  We have 2 options up through Wilmington and then south again, or head towards Southport and take the


Yes we took her on
a Ferry Ride!!

ferry. We decided on the ferry ride, and yes the Moho fit along with a bunch of cars and a lawn mower (ha ha).  It was and enjoyable ride and there was a Saint Bernard/Burmese Mountain Dog mix, that was absolutely mild/calm and looked funny as he was shaved/clipped with short hair.  We talked with the owners and they keep him trimmed most of the year for comfort and he really didn't seem to mind.  After we landed on Kure Beach we only had about a 2 mile drive to the CG, how nice.  We checked in, got this crazy TV connection box and then found our site.  Wow, we get to pull in and out the front window there are woods that we see deer coming in and out 2 or 3 times a day. Now it took us a hour or more to hook up the TV box and TV still didn't work.  It turns out we had it connected correctly but the office had to call the cable company and get the thing turned on! A lot of work for a three day stop.   A walk or two for Rudy finding the fishing dock and the RV sites by the fishing dock, elec. hook up only, but nice sites, then back home for dinner, The Big Bang Theory premier and then off to bed for us all.

 

Tuesday was a gray, rainy day, I guess breakfast on the grill is out of the questions, so showers and out we head to Granny's Country Kitchen.  The breakfast was wonderful and for being at the beach, the price wasn't bad.  After that we headed out to find the 'Triple T' freightliner repair shop (we have an appointment Thursday morning) then did a little touring and our final stop was grocery shopping at Harris Teeter.  Oops there's a Starbucks, so around the block and a Café Mocha, which I haven't head since probably March.  We pull into the plaza where the grocery store is, and there is a Hair Cutting place and I walk in get scheduled and wait about 30 min and get my long over due hair cut....not a bad job.  After that we finally head into the grocery store to get our shopping done and then we head home to rescue Rudy and have a peaceful dinner at the CG.  Brad and Rudy did the walking, while I stayed in, cleaned up, did dishes and the rest of our nightly chores.  We watched the NCIS premiers and then Brad and Rudy headed to bed and I followed about a half hour later.

 

Wednesday we had a quick breakfast at the house then headed out about 10:30, stopping for gas on our way to the 'USS North Carolina' for the 2 hour tour.  We got there a little after 11:00, paid our

USS North Carolina
the 2 hour tour that took
us over 3 hours!!  :-)

way and then started to tour.  It was interesting and Brad actually had a lot to add that most people wouldn't have the pleasure of hearing, but about 2:30 we headed out deciding the yogurt breakfast didn't last long enough.  We were going to stop for a late lunch/dinner on the way home but decided to head home and rescue Rudy.  We got home, walked Rudy up around the housing where we saw 5 or 6 deer then headed home where one or two of the other neighbors came over and talked with Brad while he cooked dinner.  After dinner we just hung out inside, since it was raining and then off to bed by 10:00 for all of us.


Thursday we got up about 6:00, packed up and were on the road by 8:00, having a 9:00 appointment for the Moho, only a 30 mile drive, but with traffic it took an hour to get there.  In the mean time I headed up to the coffee shop to return the cable box we needed while here, then waited while they made me a pot of decaf Starbucks coffee...a little strong, but worth the wait.  I then headed up to get Brad and Rudy, and ended up at the check in with Brad.  After that we headed out for breakfast, then off to check out the KOA, our next CG, then out and about to see what was going on.  We walked in a park for a while, did some touring of the area, then headed back towards the repair shop where they aren't having any luck finding the reason for the 'check engine light'.  We then stopped at a fish market/ store/misc.where we had ice cream and found fresh roasted peanuts (not boiled, yea).  While we were there they called about the Moho, so we headed across the street to the shop.  They are not finished, but we can have the Moho back, return it to them tomorrow with all the storage stuff under the bed cleared out, and nothing stored on top of the bed as well.  OK, that agreed on, so off to the KOA, I'm not sure how the road and streets run in this place, but I got off the wrong exit and ended up pulling in right behind Brad.  We ended up having dinner in, the rain just doesn't seem to want to stop.  After that we get cleaned up, chores done, watch the Bones premier and then headed off to bed about 10:00.  Let's see if they fix the Moho today. 

Diane and Brad

Rally at Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach CG

Tuesday morning Brad and Rudy went for a walk while I sat and enjoyed my coffee and only one ant to be seen.  Well that was short lived, Brad walked in the door with an 'Oh, my gosh' on his lips, the front, drivers side of the dash was covered with ants.  I had set one of the terro ant traps, and boy it looked like it was attracting them.  I quickly placed another there, hoping that it works, they are to carry the poison to their nest and kill the whole thing.  Well I could only take it about another half hour then I moved the traps and started with the spray, killing all I could see.  I then scrubbed the front dash and replaced the traps.  Well I'm starting to believe those traps work, we have only found one or two each day, and new traps have been set and we both keep a close watch on the front dash.  Back to the rally, a couple more seminars, but only one that we really wanted to attend.  Freightliner was there and it is always nice for what ever information they have to share and we had a few questions for the speaker, Dwayne.  He did a great job, but ran out of time, so we got his email address and phone number so we could handle the questions that way.  We just hung out for the rest of the afternoon, checking out the cafeteria and walking around some of the housing sections of the resort.  We met Buddy and Theresa for drinks and some chatting then headed to the recreation center for a meal of Chicken and Pork....it was ok, cold, but ok.  After that we had a demonstration from the 'Paws for Vest' organization, that was heart breaking and humbling, then we were entertained by 'The New Holiday Band'.  Now it's funny the band was good and I think all enjoyed, but remembering the average age of the people attending this rally, they played from 7:00 until 9:00.  We actually stayed until the end and enjoyed the night of entertainment.  Back home, walk for the dog and heading inside for our nightly routine.

 

Wednesday there are no seminars planned, so Buddy, Theresa, Lynn, Ken, Brad and I headed into the 'Strand' at Myrtle beach.  We walked around a while, shopped a little then decided to ride the 'Sky

ocean view from 200 feet

Wheel'.  What a view, it is 200 feet above the ocean and the sights were beautiful, a little nervy for me, but I survived, I think being totally enclosed helped.  We walked around a little while longer, then headed out for a lunch then back home to the CG.  Brad and I went and did some shopping then back home, walked Rudy, then we headed out for the Medieval Times, dinner and show.  What a great time, the meal consisted of dragon blood with a piece of dragon tale, 'tomato bisque with garlic toast', baby dragon, 'chicken', dragons tongue, 'potato', dragons rib, 'ribs' and the castle pastry of dragon scale, 'an apple turnover'.  The food was fabulous and the show was a lot of fun and the best part was

our knight of the of evening 'Santiago' won.  The night went fast, then back home, a walk for Rudy and our nightly chores done and off to bed with us all. 

 

Pics from the Medieval Times Show:  https://picasaweb.google.com/115574168101787483704/MedievalTimes?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKfp6Y7l0eXjNQ&feat=directlink

 

Thursday Brad headed back to the recreation hall for the 'Firestone Tire' seminar then stopped to talk with the guy from 'Complete RV' while I  enjoyed my coffee, got cleaned up, did a load of laundry.  After that we he both headed over to the rec center to check out the swap/sale stuff the RV'ers had then we headed out to the 'Strand' and met Buddy, Theresa, Mary and Clarence for lunch.  We walked around the board walk for a while, then headed back to the CG as the Complete RV guy wanted to come over to look at the Moho to discuss some of the changes we want to make.  An hour later, with me sitting outside trying to keep Rudy calm, him and Brad finally finished.  We then took Rudy for a nice walk, then back to the rec hall for our last dinner of the rally.  After dinner and the calling of all the door prizes (no we didn't win) we headed home and had a night cap with Buddy and Theresa.  After that inside chores done and off to bed.  

 

Friday turned out to be a marathon Mini Golf day.  We had a free mini golf game at the CG, so at 10:00 Buddy, Theresa, Lynn, Ken, Brad and I headed over for our first game of the mini golf.  After

Mini Golf Crew

that game, we headed to the CG café for a light lunch then over to Lynn and Ken's RV to check that out.  They had just gotten it about 6 months ago and I must admit, I didn't realize the 'Super C' RV's were bigger than our Class A.  We headed back to walk Rudy, then the 6 of us headed out to Gilligan's Island Mini Golf, down the road about 4-5 miles for one more game.  What a trip, that game lasted over 2 hours, but what a great time and great laughs we had.  I do have to say, I think Lynn and Ken were holding out, they kicked our butts, and none of us played real bad.  Back home and a meal of snacks with Buddy and Theresa consisting of cheese, crackers (hogs head cheese, which Brad and I both tried), and a few other snack and then it's time to head off to the ice cream stand for our free ice cream.  We are to have a camp fire (propane), karaoke and our last get together, but the weather didn't agree, so it was ice cream and fare well, to Lynn, Ken, Martha, Tom, Mary and Clarence and we headed out.  Back home a walk for Rudy and we headed inside before the rain hit for the night.  Buddy and Theresa are leaving in the morning, so we will say our good byes before they hit the road.  We all turned in by 10:00 as it has been a busy/hot week and I want to get up early tomorrow before the Burketts leave. 

 

Saturday morning we headed outside to say good-bye to Buddy and Theresa, then slowly started the packing for our departure.  Now for the life of me I will never understand this, but we were ready to leave by 9:00 so we had to kill an hour before we wanted to leave.  For a travel day, it was just a short trip to get us out of Myrtle Beach and up the road to the Wishing Well Family CG at Sunset

The Wishing Well CG

Beach.  The ride was uneventful and before we stopped at the CG, we parked the Moho at a shopping plaza, had lunch at a really good bagel shop then did a short drive to check out the CG area.  Back to the Moho, Brad got gas while I headed up the road to get us check in, it is nothing great, but for the price it is well worth the stop.  We got parked and set up then did our usual laps around the park with Rudy.  This is a bare bones CG, but it is quiet and there are no golf carts.  We had burgers on the grill then headed out for a little walk, until the mosquitoes ran us inside.  Brad ended up going to bed about 8:30.....me I was up 'til about 11:00....we'll see what Sunday Brings. 

Diane and Brad

 

 

We made it to Myrtle Beach, and 90% Humidity

Tuesday we were back at it, on the road again.  We actually made it about 350 miles, almost the whole way across Tennessee when we stopped at a little place called the Bean Pot CG, in Crossville, TN.  It was small, but the sites were pretty nice, off the highway with very little noise.  It was a pretty uneventful ride, but we did see this neat looking castle along the highway, they should have to put up a sign as to what it is or who lives there.  Anyway, a stay at home night, dinner on the grill and an early night to bed for us all.

Wednesday we headed out about 9:00 heading to Tom Johnson's in Marion, NC.  We needed some parts for the Moho, sewer pipe, light for the water heater and one or two other small things, so we had another 2 night stay planned.  Brad killed a little ant in the bathroom.   Of course while we are there, we do need to check out the Moho's they have for sale.   I couldn't believe it, but I found a Class 'C' we both liked, except for the fact that it's made by Thor...I just don't like Thor.  The CG was about half full and it looked like they were having a small rally move in 'til we pulled out on Friday.  But it was a nice place to park for a couple of days and again, nice not to move everyday. 

We hit the road Friday, with two more nights until we have to get to Myrtle Beach we decided to get within about 100 miles and stay for 2 more nights and finish the trip Sunday morning. As we were packing up I saw an ant maybe two on the kitchen counter.   Well just our luck, we get to the SC border I call the 3 military bases and all 3 of the CG are full.  There is a state park on our way...no luck again, so we headed to Myrtle Beach KOA.  KOA is having a special of stay Friday night and get Saturday night free, but they had room so we traveled over 300 miles again on Friday.  What a nice place, big sites and lots of shade for the heat and humidity.  What a ride, soon after hitting SC we hit the rain, some wasn't too bad, but then we hit the torrential stuff, 30-40 mph was the speed of the traffic, but we made it, a little wet around the edges, but we made it. 

Saturday we had breakfast at the site, then headed out about noon, looking for the Ocean Lakes RV Resort (the RV Rally starts on Sunday at Ocean Lakes), then off to the grocery store for food and wine.  Back home a lazy day, Brad did see three or four more ants.   Dinner on the grill and a mad night of texting.  Monique went into the hospital Saturday morning, due to complications that forced them to induce labor.  Melanie jumped on a plane and almost made it before the baby was born, but was about 30 min too late.  My last text finally came in about 3:00 AM, so needless to say, Sunday morning we are both tired and were very slow at packing to leave

 

Oh well, we only have about 10 miles to travel Sunday, so it should be a nice slow morning.... but then the rude awakening, Brad yells, get up there are ants on the kitchen counter, and leaves to walk Rudy, ha ha.  What a mess, not only are they on the kitchen counter, but they are everywhere (I think they parked us on an ant mound), so the spraying and scrubbing and spraying and scrubbing ensued, for hours.  We had to end that about 10:30 and get cleaned up and packed up to get out of the KOA by leaving time.  We had to be out at noon and I think we pulled out of our spot at 12:05, what a morning.  Down the road to the next RV Park, pull down our street and there sits a travel trailer in our spot, so I called Brad on the radio to let him know.....too bad he just parked in the middle of the street and got out to talk with Buddy and Theresa, while I call the RV Park to report the TT.  Not a bad response, it is one of their rentals and they were here within 10 minutes to move the TT and we were able to pull into our spot.  We pulled in get settled and the spraying for ants ensued again, but they are a little slower in showing up.....not much, but a little.  Oh well, outside to visit with Buddy and Theresa then we head over to pick up our registration packet, signed up for the Medieval Dinner Show, then back to have a quick drink before dinner started.  Back to the rec hall for a pretty cheesy dinner, a little meet and greet, then back home for more talking until we all headed in about 9:00. 

 

Monday was a breakfast at 7:30, that Brad headed over for in between the down pours, while I stayed home, showered, did a load of laundry and cleaned up a little.  A few more ants, some more scrubbing and then off to the rec hall to check out the vendors and door prizes.....not the greatest door prizes.  We did find out that the pins to our tow bar had been recalled, so Brad headed back with the old ones and they gave him new ones to replace them while I swept and got my shower.  After that we did a couple of walks with Rudy checking out just how large this place is then sat out side for a while to chat with anybody that walked by.  After a while we headed over to visit with Buddy and Theresa when Clarence, Mary and Dave stopped in, so a dinner plan was made.  We all met up at the little store here in the CG, then headed out to Murrell's Inlet looking for a restaurant for dinner.  We stopped at the Wicked Tuna for dinner, good food, expensive but the food was delicious.  We then headed out to the pier for a stroll, chatted for a while, then headed home.  We got Rudy and headed out for a walk, running into Buddy, Theresa and Molly out for their evening stroll as well.  Back home, Brad headed to bed while I did up the dishes, made coffee and attended to the rest of the nightly chores.  Killed a few more ants. 

Diane and Brad

Colorado to Tennessee!!

We left Alamosa, Co, Thursday 9-4 heading into Texas or Oklahoma, but we settled on Texas, it had the first decent CG we could find.  It was a sunny, hot day for travel and you could feel it getting hotter as we headed down out of the mountains.  The one great thing that happened was I looked down over the edge (which I try not to do) and got to see 3 mountain lions crossing a dirt road, WOW!!  Sorry but Brad didn't get to see them.  We got to Dalhart, TX and stayed at the Corral RV Park, high ratings, but it was just OK as for as we were concerned.  We ended up having salad with left over steak (thanks to Jim) for dinner and then a couple of walks for Rudy and then inside with the AC running to drown out the road noise (we miss the mountains). 

 

Friday we left Dalhart, TX and crossed over into OK, just making it to El Reno before we stopped at a KOA.  As we were leaving Dalhart, Brad took a side alley to a gas station and hit a curb or a pot hole, not sure what, but the cupboard doors flew open dishes came flying out and it sounded like half of them smashed all over the floor.  Brad pulled into the gas station and got out, yea right and left me to check out the mess.  Well it wasn't all that bad, only one bowl smashed, but it made one heck of a mess, but I cleaned up the worst of it and now I just need the sweeper to clean up the rest of the mess.  After that we were headed through another small town, following the GPS when I noticed our Route number turning right for the truck route....what the heck.  It might have been a little shorter of a trip, but it was on cobble stone and at one point it sounded like something hit the front or top of the Moho, oh crap.  We finally get to Oklahoma, park get out and look at the roof, the front of the RV, the awnings and can't find anything that got hit....boy were we surprised.  This KOA is just a big gravel parking lot, right beside the interstate, noise, hot, tight and dirty.....no more stopping here.  Brad set up one of our little tables in our own tiny strip of grass and made a couple of sausage, then put it all away before somebody had to pull in beside us and could possibly knock it over (ha ha).  We took a little walk after dinner, there is actually a lake at the back of the CG and only a couple of the cabins have a nice view of.  After that back inside, dishes done and the rest of the evening chores done and off to bed.  Oh no, what's that, I think it's rain starting about 10:00, who cares, off to bed for us all. 

 

Well, here it is Saturday morning and it is still raining, not just rain, but pouring.  I stayed in bed until a little after 7:00, got up, packed up half the bedroom, then quit.  No hurry, a little yogurt, a shower and a discussion about leaving.  We have never driven in the rain before and we aren't sure we want to, but then again, there is no reason to stay where we are. We decided to head out and were on the road about 10:00, heading east, destination, Arkansas.  Well it rained, and rained and rained, changed drivers and it still rained and rained and rained.....ugh.  We switched drivers again and guess what, the rain slowed down and finally quit...yea.  After looking at the RV Review Site (which I don't think I trust anymore) we pulled into the Crab Tree RV Center Campground.  What the heck, it is a gravel lot in the middle of an RV dealer and repair shop and half of the sites look like the people have been living there for years.  We survived the night going to the Cracker Barrel right across the street for dinner, then a walk or two for Rudy, but the AC was on and the road noise still woke us up during the night. 

 

Sunday morning we can't wait to get out of the CG and were on the road by 9:00.  We traveled about an hour or so, then stopped for gas and a breakfast sandwich at the truck stop that had a Denny's.  I'm not sure how they can screw up a sandwich, but I hope somebody got the one's I ordered and they were better then the one's we got, but at least we were full.  I drove from there on, while Brad napped, and for the most part it was an uneventful drive.  The funniest thing was passing a state park named 'Toad Suck', I actually had to laugh out loud.  We switched drivers about 100 miles later and it is time for me to find a CG, so after searching the internet we finally settled on the Midway RV Military CG in Millington, TN, just outside of Memphis.  Not the greatest of rating, but after getting here, we decided we would come back again, the CG is very nice, great TV antenna reception and very close to Memphis and the sites are large with a nice picnic table area.  We got here about 3:00, parked and I headed to the commissary for creamer and burger rolls, back home a little rest outside, then off to the dog park for a run for  Rudy.  Back home, burgers, chips and pickles for dinner, another stroll for Rudy, then off to the nightly chores.  I did dishes, cleaned up, while Brad got his shower and ready for bed.  Now it's 9:30, Brad's in bed and I'm finishing the blog. 



What a nice CG

Monday was a stay parked day for us, after 6 days of driving all of us had had enough.  What a nice treat, we got up, sleeping in until 7:15, breakfast on the grill and just the chance to relax a little.  We did have to do a little shopping, but never headed out until about 11:30.  Our first stop was the Navy Exchange for wine and a hair cut for Brad, then about 5 more stops after that, and back home by 2:30.  Groceries and stuff got put away, 2 loads of laundry to the laundromat (nice one here at the CG), then Brad rinsed off the car so you could at least see out the windows.  A little more relaxing, and some planning for the rest of our trip then we started dinner.  A nice steak dinner with a delicious salad, not too shabby.  We headed inside to eat dinner, we are back in the east and the bugs are unmerciful.  Brad headed back outside after dinner to put the chairs and grill away, didn't want them wet with dew in the morning, while I did dishes and cleaned up inside.  Now we all are just relaxing, enjoying the last of our non-moving day. 
 

Thanks for the visit,

Diane and Brad

 

 

Good-Bye Utah, sad but exciting

Monday morning was packing, laundry and getting ready for the road trip the next day.  About 1:30 Fred and Judy came back from work at the Visitor Center, so we said our good byes and made sure we all had email addresses and phone numbers shared.  They gave us the last of their uniforms, hugs and good-byes shared then we headed to Dutch John to return uniforms and let them get on the road.  It was kind of sad turning in the uniforms, especially to an empty office building, then our next stop was the Flaming Gorge Recreation Store to look for sweat shirts...nothing.  OK up the road to the Flaming Gorge Lodge, where Brad found a nice shirt, I got a t-shirt and we both got the appropriate tourist zipper hoodie.  On the way home, one last stop at the Greendale Overlook to call dad, a short talk then we headed home.  Finishing laundry and packing then I headed up to the Visitor Center, with a glass of wine, which I never did before, but it seemed appropriate for my last Utah call to Lynne.  I ended up talking with her until my wine glass was empty then headed back home to find Jim and Brad sitting by a camp fire.  I said hi, then up to the laundry building to get the stuff out of the dryer and gather laundry detergent and softener, back to the RV folded everything, put it all away then joined the guys at the fire.  We had just brought out the brauts and were talking about cooking them when Don and Jan came home and decided to join us for dinner and an evening by the fire.  What a great night, we all sat out until about 9:30 then headed in for bed. 

 

Tuesday morning Brad got up and packed the last of the outside things while I got the inside organized.  We were ready to head out about 8:30 when Freida showed up and Rudy wanted out for their last play time.  Jim was right behind her and suggested a cup of coffee together before we hit the

Two of the 3 ship
rock formations



road....OK by us.  We got our coffee and Jim grab a container of biscotti and breakfast snacks and we all headed for the picnic area (sunshine on the tables there), when Jan and Don decided to join us for the good-bye social.  We all talked until 9:30 and then Brad prodded me to leave...what sad good-byes.  Jim thanked us for all our hospitality and seemed sad to see us go, and Jan and Don said their good-byes, excited about their trip out on Wednesday to Arizona via Wyoming (silly me, but that seemed like the wrong direction).  We finally hit the road, stopped at the end of Red Canyon Road, hooked up the car and were on the road for real by 9:40.  It was an uneventful ride down 191 to Vernal and Brad did so well, I didn't even have to gasp for breath on the steep , windy corners.   We did manage to get pictures of the rock formations for the 'Red Fleet State Park', which one of the family remembered from being here about 30 years ago, something about a 3 ships park.  As it turns out the rock formations around the state park is supposed to look like 3 ships and gave the state park it's name....kind of funny, we could only see it on the way down the mountain (thanks Greg, we aren't

Montrose CG,
we are already missing Utah

sure we would have noticed the formations).  We traveled about 240 miles Tuesday getting down to Montrose Colorado, going over Douglas pass, with some steep, narrow, and windy roads, but the Moho and Brad did well.  It was some beautiful scenery and we were glad we took this route and stayed off the interstates as long as we can.  We stayed at a little CG in the center of Montrose, not bad, but tight sites and a little noisy, at least compared to what we were used to.  We stayed in for the night and just had burgers on the grill, sat out until about 8:30, then Brad headed off to bed a little after 9:00 and me about 10:00. 

 

View going over the pass

Wednesday Brad was out walking Rudy, so I headed over to the shower house to shower, no sewer hooked up, so I decided not to make it an issue.  Funny though they got back before me and they wondered where I was.  Again we were on the road about 9:30, but by 11:15 we stopped for a nice break, a little grocery shopping and last of all lunch before we got back on the road at noon.  It was a nice, very needed break and the town, Gunnison was a nice place for a break.  We checked on the internet at the different routes available and decided to take 114 over North Pass at 10,149 feet, it was a beautiful ride and not bad at all in the Moho.  We had no problem with the pass, but once we hit the flat area of Colorado we both got tired and stopped at the first CG sign we saw after 200 miles.  It was only 3:00 but we just couldn't do any more.  We ended up at the Alamosa KOA still in Colorado.  We walked a while, then chicken on the grill, dishes and another walk for Brad and Rudy while I type the blog.  We'll have to see what tomorrow brings.  It's now 8:30 and we are all in for the night, we'll keep you posted.

We stopped at the
top for a break

 









Later, Diane and Brad

 

Utah Volunteer Time Ending

Monday 8-25 was a very slow day, it has been cool, foggy in the morning and drizzly all after noon.

Foggy sunrise at
Greendale Overlook

  We quit about 12:00 and headed into Dutch John to drop off the money from the Spillway, then headed to the Flaming Gorge Lodge for a nice lunch.  We were headed back to camp just coming up on West Green Lake, when the mountain lion/cougar ran across the road in from of us.  Wow, that was a first for us.  Back home a nap for Brad and Rudy then we headed out to do a couple of geocaches.  We managed to get 2 in about 2.5 hours, but it does help you find areas and things in your area that you would never have noticed otherwise.  Jim stopped over and invited us over for dinner with the family again, but after such a large lunch, we just stayed home and had burgers.  About 7:30 the rain started again, so we all headed in for the night.

 

Tuesday was another slow day, but the Vail Mountain School was there, they hired 6 guides from Flaming Gorge, so in the morning 12 kids went down the river to learn fly fishing and then about 12:30 the same guides came back, with 12 different kids....what an class trip.  After that the West Wyoming Community College brought a bus full of kids down for a raft trip.  Between the two schools, I think they made up over half of the counts for people going down the river.  Adam showed up about noon to do another afternoon raft trip and invited Brad and I to go along, so we decided to go.  A quick trip home, a short walk for Rudy, grab something to eat and back out the door we went.  It was an overcast day, no rain so the trip was wonderful once again, and it looked so different in the overcast compared to the bright sunny days.  Back home a quick dinner of sausages, then off to bed by 9:00 for Brad and about 10:00 for me.  

Elk on the run

Wednesday morning it is raining again, so we head to the Flaming Gorge Lodge for breakfast wraps and then went to the Greendale Overlook to eat.  After that we head down the mountain for a weekly shopping trip, in torrential rains.  Every parking lot was flooded, so we only made 6 stops and then headed back up the mountain, in the rain.  About 10 miles from camp the rain stopped for a few minutes and we managed to get a picture of about 6 Elk running back into the woods.  We carried groceries in the a light rain, then I swept the RV while Brad did a load of laundry.  At 5:00 it is still raining, our gauge has measured 3 inches of rain in a week, which is unheard of for this area this time of the year.  We hid inside and I just threw hot dogs in some baked beans and called it dinner...I think we are all tired of the rain. 

 

Thursday morning I am excited, I am going down Section 'B' of the river with Adam and Ben, and need to be at Little Hole by 10:00.  I left about 8:45, stopped for a breakfast sandwich at Trout Creek

Daily Sheep visit

Flies, called Mel and talked with her for a minute, then got to Little Hole early.  So I walked around with my trash picker and picked up trash, not much there but it kept me busy until the Old Moe girls got there and I chatted with them only to hear that the road to Indian Crossing is closed, and that is where we were to end our trip, but Adam and Ben showed up to say the road was open, but still a muddy mess.  They were a little late, so it was about 10:45 until we got on the river, but what a difference from Section 'A'.  The river is wider so the ride was slower and we didn't see another boater the whole trip.  We stopped and cleaned about 12 campsites on the way down and the ride lasted until a little after 3:00.  It was a beautiful day and I had a great trip on the river, Brad would have liked that section much better.  Back home to find that Brad had a busy day as well, cleaning out the last of the bins, putting tables away, fixing a hole in the laundry building, cleaning propane tanks and doing laundry....what a great guy. He worked so hard while I had a lazy day floating down the river.   Thursday night is our clean out the refrigerator and share with the other volunteers, but since ours was mostly cleaned out, we had bought shrimp to share and the last of the salsa Shari had sent us from the Wondervue Café.  There was plenty of food for all, and we all stayed and talked more than normal, it seems hard to believe that it is almost over. 

 

Friday was a work day for us, not a normal one, but they needed the extra help for the weekend, so we went in.  Surprisingly it was a slow day, only about 150 people, but Terra, the new intern, was in the booth with me learning what I did, so she could take over after I leave.  Jake, Adam and Ben were
at the spillway, heading down the river once again, but being a chilly morning, I didn't envy them.  Terra worked until about noon, then she needed to head out for another job, but Brad and I were there until 1:00.  Ben and Adam were going down the river again about 2:00, this time taking Don and Jan with them.  We just hoped the rain held out and they had a nice trip, which it ended up they did.  We headed home to watch the temperature drop then a quick lunch and Brad and Rudy's daily nap.  After that they headed out for a walk, but I picked them up at the visitors center as a storm had blown in.  We paid some bills, cleaned out the old magazines and then when Jim came home we headed outside for a very chilly happy hour.  Jim brought over some cheese and crackers and stayed for burgers on the grill.  We all headed in about 7:30, it was getting cold and the rain was back.  About 8:30 I headed out for a cigarette and heard the Elk bugling, so I told Brad and of course he thought I was crazy, but headed out the door about 5 minutes later and heard them for himself, what a great way to end the evening. 



On a 3 day camping trip,
but I liked the
'Hand' painted theme!!

 

Saturday the morning started out slow.  Jake showed up about 8:30 to help Brad on the ramp and about 10:30 he was ready to leave.  Thank goodness he didn't we ended up with almost 700 people going down the river.  Brad and I ended up working until about 2:00 and when we left Jake was still there...wow, what a change a few hours can make.  We headed home and watched the temperature go from about 75 at the ramp to 67 on our hill top, a bit cooler.  We had a quick snack of nachos and salsa then Brad and Rudy headed out for a walk....take notice 'no nap'.  About 4:30 I started the white sauce for Mac and Cheese when Brad asked me, over the walkie talkie' what Rudy was barking at.  Now I can't see anything since I am standing at the stove when Brad yelled it's a Badger, now they are really mean, so I throw the pan off the stove and run out the door, but by this time Rudy is headed back to Brad...yea.  Back to cooking, I made mac and cheese(with hot dogs) for dinner for Brad, Jim and I, then Fred took some when he got home, but there are leftover for our trip.  We all talked until just after 8:00 then headed inside to get ready for Sunday. 

 

Sunday once again started out as a slow day, but until we left at 2:00 we had just over 600 people go down the river.  Not a bad day for a Sunday.  We head home, no nap again, we threw our uniforms in the laundry and had a steak dinner planned with Jim.  Brad cleaned the car while I did some cleaning in the Moho, then about 5:00 we quit work and started dinner with Jim.  He brought over potatoes and onion wrapped in foil and I got zucchini wrapped in foil ready for the grill, then Brad got them started while we all enjoyed happy hour.  I kept checking on the laundry while Jim and Brad worked on cooking dinner and about 6:00 the steaks finally got put on the grill.  We had a great evening, lots to eat, with leftovers for Brad and I.  I think we stayed outside until about 9:30, none of us had to work on Monday so we had a nice night.