Zion National Park is Heaven 4-17-10

The ocean has power and fury; Yosemite National Park, majesty and grandeur; Yellowstone, raw volcanic energy, but Zion National Park has eternity. It is a place held sacred by many cultures and its mountaintops carry the names of many religious figures like the Court of the Patriarchs, the Great White Throne, Temple of Sinawava, and the Watchman. These eons old Navajo sandstone cliffs were built from 4,000 foot high sand dunes, washed by an ancient inland ocean, built up by geological forces of the Colorado Plateau and carved by the 10 million year old Virgin River—amazing.

We were last here in 1997 and the beauty remains unchanged but the park functions more efficiently with free propane shuttle buses providing the links to all the sites and eliminating the previous chaos of 4,000 cars searching endlessly for 450 parking spots. Here is a picture of our campsite under the gaze of the sentinel Watchman Mountain. It was a great place to greet the morning sun, return to rest and read after a day of hiking and enjoy a campfire under a blanket of endless stars.

There are hiking trails for every ability and inclination and here’s Bob trying to decide which trail to take. You can take the paved Pa’rus Trail, Riverside and Grotto Walks along the canyons, or medium hiking treks to the upper reaches to the Emerald Pools or the Watchman, or go all the way and defy gravity and stare down 1,400 feet of sheer cliffs from a 4 foot walkway on Angel’s Landing. Bob was not so sure of this one and told me, “Peg, I know Zion is heaven but I am not sure I really want to meet my Maker” but he did it! You will meet fellow hikers from all over the world and it is fun to share the trails, encourge each other on to the top and then share lunch overlooking the spectacular canyons.

Springtime is a fantastic time to be here as the high desert is blooming with wildflowers like the red Paintbrush especially in the Hidden Canyon area where you find hanging fern gardens, towering waterfalls and gentle streams.

One of my favorite activities was to get up early and ride my bicycle to the end of the canyon and experience the solitary pleasure of seeing the landscape wake-up to the sun with shadows giving way to light and color. There is so much to do here at Zion National Park—ranger-led hikes, ranger presentations throughout the day and evening, technical rock-climbing, backpack camping, an interpretive museum and visitor center, horseback riding, plus restaurants and accommodations at Zion Lodge. There was even a presentation on Saturday night by the current artist-in-residence, Mark Graham, about how Zion has been depicted historically by artists and his own work on trying to capture the essence of this special place. Add in the charming little town of Springdale which also provides a free shuttle service to its inns, restaurants and shops and you all have it all.

We Found Spring in Arches and Canyonland National Parks 4-8-10

We left Denver on 3-31 with sunny mild temperatures headed into a wind storm and snow warnings for Wyoming as we headed to Salt Lake City for a family reunion with our kids. Brrrrr…we are trying to find spring. We are newbie RVers and unsure what all of this meant but quickly discovered that a big, square RV rig is a playtoy for these conditions. We thought that we were back on our boat being rocked by beam waves on the Gulf, 40-50 knot head seas in the Atlantic and waked by passing boats in Miami which were now huge tractor trailer trucks. Captain Bob “at the wheel” did a magnificent job maneuvering and we hunkered down in roadside trailer parks which rivaled our back country marinas in the “deliverance country” of Mississippi for ambience and comfort. My sister Joan is also a new RVer and has stayed in Wal-Mart parking lots at times like this, but in central Wyoming, there is not a big box store in sight.

We made it to Salt Lake City on Friday, 4/2 just in time for the Mormon convention. I have not seen that many white shirts and families with 6-8 children since the 1950s. Our son Brian lives here and goes to grad school at University of Utah and our daughter, Katie, flew in from Denver so missed our preceding paragraph adventure. We wanted spring but the kids were petitioning for more powder skiing and guess who won. While we walked around SLC with the Mormons who would not even let us into the Temple, the kids had a magnificent day of the finest powder skiing ever. We toasted our time together with a full-spread ham dinner and Easter egg hunt for money-filled eggs.

It is time for Mom and Dad to spread our wings and find spring and adventure. Arches and Canyonland National Parks are east of SLC so we headed out again to find them. The wind abated, the mountains rose and, with the backdrop of the Grand Canyon Suite, we found the beautiful canyons of Utah. We are originally from the east coast, have lived the past 33 years in Minnesota and were unprepared for the expansive, solitary beauty of the western landscape. It is absolutely breathtaking when you can see mountains 360 degrees and feel like you are touching heaven. It was also 65 degrees—winter’s gone!!!

Here we are in Arches National Park with our 32’ Jayco Greyhawk Class C Motorhome. It is quite comfortable and much bigger and with more creature comforts than our 32 foot boat, Baby Grand. We did not have reservations at Arches but lucked out due to a cancellation opening. Campground hosts, Dick and his wife, and Donnie and his wife, made us feel so welcomed and shared tips for full-time RVing. Here we are hiking to Landscape and Partition Arches as well as squeezing through the canyons in the Fiery Furnace. The hiker after me broke his ankle twisting through here and had to be evacuated out so be careful out there in canyonland. We have a Kymco 150 cc motorscooter that is so much fun to ride and now that I have my motorcycle license, maybe there is a tattoo in my future.

The fun and hiking continue at Canyonland National Park which is 30 miles up the road. It is a miniature Grand Canyon with beautiful vistas and spectacular scenery. Bob took my picture backed up to a cliff, urging me closer to the edge—if you don’t hear from me, you’ll know what happened.

Wait a Minute--that's not a boat???? 4-1-10

Baby Grand is still in her cocoon back in Lake Champlain but we moved to Denver last fall and fell in love with the West. Being flat-landers in Minnesota for the past
33 years, our necks are always cranked upwards and our mouths in full awe position as we take in the huge scope and scale of the spectacular Rocky Mountains. It's been a fun winter of skiing and snowshoeing in the mountains and very little winter in Denver until March.

We decided to go to the Denver RV show in January to check out RVs for the future. You guessed it--one thing led to another and we closed on a 31 GS Jayco "Grey Hawk" Class C motorhome on 2/15. Baby Grand does not know yet that there's been a whole big addition to the family so let's keep it a secret for now. We still plan on continuing the boating Great Circle Loop through the canals to the Great Lakes this summer but only going as far as Northport on Lake Michigan.

I realize that putting our Grey Hawk RV trip on our beloved Baby Grand blog is kind of like posting a picture of your mistress with the family photos. We are trying out another lifestyle and do feel a little unfaithful and who knows where all of this will lead—we sure don’t but we do love adventure.

We left Denver on 3/31 on our maiden RV voyage to do the Grand Circle (what is it about circles for us?) of national parks for a month. We have always wanted to travel the US by RV after reading John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley and watching the PBS series on the national parks by Ken Burns. This trip we will be visiting Arches, Canyonland, Zion, Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde National Parks.

But first, we had to get out of Denver. During our first half hour, we rounded a corner right into a deep pothole which tilted the rig, then there was a big grinding noise in the back but we couldn't stop as we were hemmed in with traffic. Other cars kept waving to us which we thought was pretty cool until we realized they were telling us our motorcycle was tilting precariously. OK--we pull over finally, forget that we have an upward clearance of 11'3" and hit some tree tops. No damage to anything thankfully and it's good to get all your catastrophes over early in the trip.

Wrapping It Up For This Year 9-28-09

Literally and figuratively, that is. We are now hauled-out at the Plattsburgh Boat Basin in northern Lake Champlain after 13 months of living aboard. It has been quite a journey but Mother Nature told us to end now by throwing us 30 knot winds, 3-5 foot seas, rain, fog but not s—w yet, but any Great Lakes boater knows that is not far behind. We will spend the rest of the week winterizing as well as the spring boating rituals of cleaning and polishing before Baby Grand is placed in a shrinkwrap cocoon until we return here next May. Sleep well, dear friend. New boating friends, Larry and Monica on Margo, are parked right next to us and will check on her over the winter. Thanks so much--it will be hard to be so far away.

I was not prepared for the emotion that I felt when I saw her being hauled. Maybe we should just put her back in the water and just head south but I had already given Captain Bob his lay-off notice. We’ve only been off the boat for 7 nights during the whole year and I am not sure I can sleep without the room moving. We have developed such a great rhythm of life onboard together and I don’t want to lose that. We’ve had such fun, adventure and self-discovery these past months, as well as the accompanying anxiety, conflict and drama that have made us each stronger. Baby Grand has been our flawless magic carpet on the ride of a lifetime and we will miss her sorely this winter. We celebrated this chapter of our story ending with a great dinner at Irises.

We will be heading west to Denver soon where another adventure awaits. We sent boxes and furniture there 18 months ago and I have absolutely no idea what I packed to make a new home. Our daughter Kate is there and our son Brian is in Utah so being geographically closer to them is the home I look forward to.

To our RV, boating and Looper friends heading south, we wish you bon voyage and we look forward to reading about your adventures on your blogs. For the rest of us who will have to huddle by the fire to stay warm, let’s hope this winter is mild and gentle, and spring is early and warm.

Let’s stay in touch (peggy8301@hotmail.com) and see you back here next May when we travel the Rideau, Richelieu and Trent-Severn Canals back to the Great Lakes. Or, we will we go to……stay tuned.

Beautiful Burlington VT. 9-25-09

We have been to Burlington plenty of times by land as our son went to UVM and we always wanted to come here by water. This is our 3rd time back here this month and we’re lovin’ it. Burlington is perfectly situated right on the lake with the backdrop of the Green Mountains and a vista of the Adirondacks across the lake which is spectacular for sunset. Make sure to ask for slip #16 for the best view. Here is a view on Friday night, but during the week, we had most of the dock to ourselves, and at a rate of only $25 per night after 9/15, it is a real deal.

There is so much to do here. Take the free shuttle bus around town if you don’t want to walk up the very steep hills. The pedestrian mall is well-planned with artisan stores and apparently was designed by the same architects that did Boulder CO. Everybody here seems to drive a Prius or Subaru with a rack for a bike/kayak, eats organic (reprovision at City Market or Fresh Market) and thinks green. The food is not only healthy but terrific—here’s Bob lining up for the early bird special at Leunig’s French Bistro and we would also recommend Tiny Thai, Skinny Pancake, Single Pebble and Bueno Y Sano.

I rode the itty-bitty bike 20 miles roundtrip on the Burlington Bikeway to the Champlain Causeway where they have a bike ferry during the summer to bring you to South Hero Island. My tush is pretty sore but I loved the trip along the lake but forgot my camera so no pictures to prove that I did it. The bike was a little worn out too and we got it reconditioned at North Shore Sports.

We went to the ECHO Museum right in the harbor and were going to catch the bus down to the Shelburne Museum when Karen and Chris on Karen Marie told us about the free tour of the Lake Champlain Chocolate factory. Museum or chocolate factory—what would Peggy chose? No contest.

Bob’s cousin Maura lives here and it was so great to see her—thanks, Maura.

We ended our time here with a Bahamian sunset salute with a conch shell serenade by Bob.

Great Scenery in Lake Champlain 9-21-09

We have enjoyed great anchorages and moorings the past month in Deep Bay, Burton Island, Shelburne Bay, Mallett’s Bay, Point Bay, Mile Point Bay and we have not exhausted all the great places to stay yet. We even had front row seats for the World Lightning Sailboat Championships. We have gone into Champlain Marina and North Hero Marina when we ran out of water/ had a full holding tank (wish the reverse were true) or ran out of skivvies and had to do laundry. We are beginning to wind down to our haul-out on 9/28 and savoring enough memories to get us through the winter.

Family Time in Westport (Lake Champlain) 9-21-09

We have been trying to plan a weekend with my sister, Maureen, and her husband, Kevin, but wind and weather did not cooperate on the Vermont side of the lake so we cruised south again to Westport on the New York side to meet them. We enjoyed our first stop there and I know it is a favorite of gold Loopers, Jim and Barb on Golden Lily.

We were rewarded with a beautiful early autumn weekend of calm boating, spectacular scenery, great company and lots of food. Kevin even had the “Colossal Breakfast plate” at Me and My Girls Café, gave it a good try but no clean plate club here. We had tickets for the local Depot Theatre production of Almost, Maine and spent the night laughing and identifying with this relationship comedy.

The leaves are starting to change and the fall produce is lining up at Everybody’s Market. Maureen and Kevin are avid golfers, spend most weekends on the course, but really got into boating and relaxing at anchor. By the end of the weekend, Kevin looked like a pro and was helping other boaters with dock lines.

The Westport area attracts lots of birds and hundreds of Canadian geese are staging there for their flight south. This time last year we were joining them—maybe you are this year. Bon voyage.

Question #3: What Do You Do for Food? 9-19-09

This takes a bit of planning due to the constraints of our small fridge and freezer but we have lots of room for dry goods. I have about 50 recipes from Cooking Light and I wish that I could say that I’ve used all of them like the blogger/chef Julie in the movie, Julie and Julia. I stock up with these recipes in mind and it makes life simpler.

Our 6,000 mile trip has placed us within the vicinity of grocery stores most weeks. The problem is how to get to the store without a car. We walk, bike, have a push cart and about every 6 weeks, rent an Enterprise car to really load up. I should have taken a picture of this as we come back with a mountain of food that has to find a home somewhere aboard little Baby Grand. We discard all cardboard to decrease the bulk and this also cuts down on the chance that we will be taking bugs on board. Our cabinets and bins are organized for paper products, cans, soda, snacks etc., but if you looked inside, it might not look too organized. I keep a list of products we’ve used just like at home so the grocery list is already done. Bread is probably the hardest thing to keep fresh so we use Joseph’s Pitas which have a longer shelf life and are only 60 calories each.

We eat out about 1X per week which is a budgetary decision. Eating out costs as much or more than docking in a marina for a night so we try not to do both. We make it a social occasion with other boaters. The boating community is big on pot-lucks and I have standard recipes (broccoli salad, party bean dip, pasta salad) for these. I will not win the gourmet award with these but I have to accept the limits of my supplies.

We have another week before we haul-out, the food supplies are dwindling and it is time for creativity to use as much in the fridge and cabinets as possible. Here I am making a Boboli Hawaiian pizza with leftover sauce, canned pineapple and ham. Pretty good. We’ll donate all our unopened non-perishable goods to a food shelf.

We have lived well the past year and sharing the evening meal together has been a highlight. There is nothing like the backdrop of a beautiful waterway and good company to end the day.

Question #2: How Do You Live in Such a Small Space? 9-18-09

Most of the time, quite well, thank you. You’ve seen a lot of pictures of the outside of our boat but I don’t think I’ve shown you the inside. Even though we measure out at less than 200 sq. feet of inside space, it is a well-designed, multi-purpose space ,decked out in rich teak wood and totally surrounded by large windows which makes it light and airy. It’s redone in new upholstery/foam and the blue/beige color scheme is nautical and pleasing to us.

Picture #1 shows our main salon or our “great room.” It has his/her matching settees, a drop-leaf table used for dining, desk, or workbench (Bob, make sure to put down the quilted cover). Everything is built-in so every square inch is used. There is storage underneath every space which allows us to stock-up on provisions for at least 3 weeks.

Picture #2 shows our downstairs steering and navigation station. When we dock or anchor for the night, the nav station becomes our TV/reading lamp area. We have Direct TV, XM radio, Wi-Fi or Air Card so are pretty well-connected when we can get a signal.

Picture #3 shows our galley or kitchen. It has a 3 burner propane stove and oven, microwave, multi-use counter space, and a 18”X19”X29” fridge which included a 12”X12”X7” freezer section. How can you live with only that amount of refrigeration? It takes planning-- we can go 3 weeks if I pack the freezer with individual serving sections of meat and plan out our menus a bit. I know a lot of Loopers have standard size fridges plus extra freezers but these take a lot of power to maintain. The one thing we’re really missing is ice cubes and we have been known to walk the docks at Happy Hour, saying, “Please, sir, can I have some cubes.”

Picture #4 is our sleeping area or V-berth as it is literally shaped like the letter V. There is storage below our bed and the closet area is to the left. You cannot be into multiple outfits and coordinating accessories and live on this boat. I am more of an REI uniform gal so the closet space works quite well for me. I like the minimalist approach to clothes but this would not be for everyone. Our bathroom or head is to the left and is quite small but it has a sink, vanity, toilet, and small shower. We tend to use marina bathrooms when we’re in port and it has been quite adequate but definitely not sumptuous.

Picture #5 shows our backporch or aft deck. It offers an additional 8 ft.X10ft space for relaxing and entertaining and there is storage below the entire area.

Picture #6 shows our upper station or flybridge with our bimini down so you can see it better. We have a lot of storage up there (bikes, grill, etc.) and it is a great place to take in the view.

Do I wish we had more space sometimes? Sure. Bob would love a LazyBoy. We’ve done quite well and have shared space pretty well. A small space has to be picked-up and luckily we are both on the neat side.

On land, we have “downsized” to a 1400 sq foot condo in Denver but all we really need is the 10ftX20ft 3 season porch to feel like home.

Frequent Questions about Living for a Year on a Small Boat 9-17-09

I got my hair cut yesterday and the stylist asked me the 3 questions that we’re usually asked. I don’t know if I’ve addressed these in this blog and hopefully we have some answers.

# 1 Question: How do you stand your partner for 24/7?

Bob and I have both been asked this so it’s not a male or female thing. I must admit that I kind of worried about this too. We’ve been married 40 years, get along reasonably well, but for most of those years, large segments of every day were spent working, with friends, parenting and pursuing independent activities. Now for our year on the Loop, we’re going to be shackled together 24/7 on a small boat with no escape---yikes.

We’ve been boaters on 26-30’ sailboats for 30 + years so knew that the small boat part would be less of a problem for us than other Loopers. We did a practice run with the relationship part by taking 2 three week cruises aboard Baby Grand: the first, a 1500 mile boat delivery, 12 hours per day trip from the Chesapeake to Lake Superior; the second, a leisurely 3 week cruise to Isle Royale and the Canadian north shore of Lake Superior. We noticed a pattern—we do really well with the difficult stuff, work great as a team when the engine is misfiring after picking up a bad load of diesel, we’ve lost steering from the upper helm coming into a narrow harbor, or our anchor has dragged near rocks, but somehow get irritated with each other with the small stuff.

Since most of life is the small stuff, we needed a solution. I am a former psychotherapist so, of course, thought of going to a couples group to work on our Venus-Mars communication issues. Bob would rather have a root canal than go to a therapy group and offered a very creative alternative—if one of us experiences the other as not listening to a concern that is then getting bigger, either will say the code word, “reset” to alert the other to “stop (this is important), look (at each other) and (really) listen.” I loved that this was Bob’s idea and it really distilled a lot of very effective psychological tools into a very doable plan. Try it-it really works. This is not to say that we did not each harbor fantasies of having the other walk the plank or cast them off in the dinghy and going on solo. We had to work it out as literally to leave the dock, we have to work as a team.

Let’s talk about the 24/7. The 7 is a given but is it really 24? Bob and I did our daily numbers: subtract 8-9 hours for sleeping/napping; subtract another 4 as I get up early and Bob stays up late; subtract at least 4-6 hours for reading, trip planning, TV, blogging, other independent activities, and miscellaneous and you are down to 5-8 hours--doesn't that sound easier. It helps that we’re both pretty independent, low-maintenance types ,share all of the boat duties and both really wanted to do this trip.

I think that a lot of Loopers spend more time figuring out the "perfect boat" and less time figuring out how to live together. Size really does not matter as much in this. We’ve learned to live LARGE in a very small boat, support each other more, not sweat the small stuff as much and laugh at our mistakes. I hope that we can take what we’ve learned with us.