Going Back in Time at Mesa Verde National Park 4-25-10

As you drive east on the Trail of the Ancients (Highway 160) through the Four Corners region where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado touch, past the Ute Mountains, you see an unreal promontory stone cliff hovering on the horizon and it calls to you—what is it? It is Mesa Verde, home of the Ancestral Puebloans (formerly called “Anasazi”), who lived on top of this green mesa and in its cliffs from A.D. 600 to about 1300. Mesa Verde National Park celebrates their story and honors their history and accomplishments through an array of 400 archeological digs that National Geographic Traveler named as one of the fifty “must-see” places of a lifetime.

The beauty and complexity of these early homes and villages speak eloquently of the ancient people who built them. Ranger-led tours are available of the extensive Cliff Palace and Balcony House sites pictured here. The Cliff Palace picture with fellow hikers gathered around the central ceremonial room, the “kiva”, is appropriate as these ancient people worked hard as a community, were deeply spiritual and gathered often to celebrate. You can hear the wind whispering through these shadowed rooms and imagine their lives anchored here by this stone and spirit.

Bob was not finding it an easy life as he wiggled through one of the tunnels at Balcony House and then had to climb 2 ladders—“how did they do it!,” he asks breathlessly. These amazing cliff-dwellings held the heat in winter and were cool in the summer, provided excellent protection and defense, and had water steaming through cracks in the sandstone which was also channeled ingeniously downhill to water their crops. The park museum also holds a treasure trove of their artifacts, pottery and basket art works as well as linkages to modern Native Americans who share their story.

As we toured Arches, Canyonland, Zion and the Grand Canyon National Parks, we often wondered about the native people who came before, and Mesa Verde National Park is a great accompaniment to this canyon story of the West.

Well, that’s the end of our national park tour for this year. Denver is 450 miles from here and we will be heading back there slowly and staying at 2 beautiful Colorado State parks, San Luis and Cheyenne Mountain, for the next few nights. It’s been fun sharing this with you. See you right here in June when we turn this back to a boat blog and take Baby Grand from Lake Champlain, through the beautiful Canadian canals back to the Great Lakes. You are welcome to come aboard.

What a Boater Has Learned about RVing So Far 4-24-10

We have been sailors/boaters for the past 40 years, but since moving to Colorado, we have realized that you cannot see all the scenic places of this great wide-open country by water so purchased an RV. We like living in cozy spaces, carrying our home with us like a turtle and traveling all over. If you are a boater, you already know how to live LARGE in a small space, are used to jury-rigging and fixing stuff as well as doing maintenance. If you are not a boater, all of this is much easier in an RV than on a boat.

I absolutely love boating but I am equally passionate about hiking in the mountains. I loved boating the Great Circle Loop but there was little opportunity for hiking. Beach walks are wonderful but now that I live in the West with so much proximity to mountainous national and state parks, RVing seemed like a natural choice.

I know that a number of you are considering getting an RV in the future and here are a few things that we’ve learned:

Type of RV: This is the first decision that you’ll have to make. Class A rigs look like buses, are usually diesel-powered, can carry more weight and have more water and holding tank capacity, have better suspension and hydraulics, can tow a vehicle more easily but are higher priced, are usually 36 ft ++ which is sometimes a problem finding sites in national park campgrounds.
The majority of RVs are trailers, 5th wheels which are both pulled by trucks which then can be disconnected, and the last category is Class C motorhome like ours. There are also RV vans and hybrids. Most of the above category are more moderately priced, are gasoline-powered, are made with lighter weight materials due to weight restrictions based on the engine and chassis requirements, are a good entry level vehicle and are usually less than 34 feet which make if easier to find a site in a national park. Actually a 28- 30 foot rig would be the ideal for more national park site availability but you might have to sacrifice some comfort items inside the cabin.
You can rent RVs from your local area or drive to where you would like to tour and rent them there. We have seen a lot of rental RVs in all the national parks and it is a great way to try on this lifestyle and see if you like it.

Traveling Costs: We are getting 7-9 mpg at an average speed of 55-60 mph on mountainous Western back-roads and highways which is pretty good fuel-efficiency in RV land. It helps to have some downhill sections and a following wind every once in awhile.
RV sites in a national park are around $9.00-12.00 per night with the Senior Pass (age 62 +) and you are not charged per foot. This is such a deal.

Reservations: Reservations are needed in national and even some state parks in April. This was a surprise to us. We had reservations at all the national parks initially, but then our plans changed and we lost some reservations, but lucked out at Arches National Park when there was a last-minute cancellation at 3pm. National parks do keep some sites on a first-come basis so make sure to ask about this. They also have handicap-designated sites.

Dry Camping: Dry camping is camping without electric, water or sewage hook-ups and if you are in an RV, you rely on your generator, inverter, water and holding tanks as well as propane tanks for heat, refrigeration and stove. We did this at Arches National Park but make sure to fill-up your water and dump your holding tanks before dry camping.
We always loved anchoring on a boat and there are opportunities for experiences like this in lands managed by the National Forest or the Bureau of Land Management. We look forward to trying this in the future. We’ve been told that there are also plenty of boondock places around the country where you can enjoy the solitude of a special place without cost but we haven’t tried this yet. Full time RVers are reluctant to pass this information along fearing they will be overrun but we will pursue this.

Typical Trip Day: We have found that a trip of 250 miles with fuel and lunch or site stops in about 6 hours is very doable. We start our trip with Willie Nelson’s On the Road Again to get in the mood and the rest follows easily. We follow the yellow road lines rather than red and green buoys and it is so much easier. On our boat we did 7 knots for 6 hours with an average trip of 40+ miles so we are now traveling at warp speed in the RV. Do we miss the challenge of boating—maybe occasionally. We have road maps of all the destinations and use our car GPS which is way less complicated than nautical navigation.

Auxiliary Transportation: On our boat, we had our dinghy, bikes and occasionally rented a car from Enterprise. The big decision for an RVer is whether you will tow a car. Class A motorhomes regularly do; 5th wheels and trailers can disconnect their trucks to get around, but the choice for a Class C motorhome like ours is harder. If we towed a car, it would have added more weight and we would have to eject other things; we opted to carry a motorscooter and a bicycle, can rent from Enterprise when we need a car in the future and now will have to take the motorhome into a national park like Mesa Verde when the distance is too far for the various bikes.

Driving an RV: If you can drive a car, you can drive an RV with a little practice. RVs have brakes; boats don’t so we start with a definite advantage, but there is no autopilot like on a boat. We have been buffeted by wind and storms in the RV which probably is a bit unusual, and not like a boat which has wind, seas and current constantly.
Be careful of potholes and uneven roads in an RV as these conditions can upset your cabin cargo or your tilt-a-rack motorscooter which happened to us in Denver. Go slow on all small ramps into a shopping center or gas station as everything can shift--we learned this the hard way also.

Cabin Accommodations: We often joked on our 32 foot boat that we wished that we could occasionally make it bigger; in an RV, you can with the use of slide-outs which increase your living space in various areas by 2-4 feet. We have more creature comforts in our 2009 RV compared to our 1985 boat which is more a reflection of newer vs. older.

Systems: We had to add a generator, inverter, etc. to our 1985 boat but our 2009 RV comes with these plus propane heater, AC, big fridge, stall shower, queen bed etc. which makes living easier.
Despite what you’ve seen in the comedy RV movies, grey water (sink discharge) and black water (toilet discharge) tanks are pretty easy to discharge. I find that the RV systems are more user-friendly and I understand the mechanics more easily.

Cold Weather Camping: We did not plan on doing this but have hit some freezing nighttime temps on this trip. Our rig is equipped with tank heaters which keeps the holding and water tanks from freezing and this is a good option to have. We have had occasional snow and we have found that it is a good idea to close the slide-out areas early before snow accumulates or you will have to face ice jams when you try to pull in the slide-outs when you want to travel.

Roadside Assistance: We are new to RVing and liked that our Jayco RV came with a roadside assistance plan with the warranty. We have not had to use it but it's good to know it's there. It can also be purchased through your insurance.

Social Time: We have not spent much time in campgrounds as we have been busy hiking and touring, and we have noticed that RVers in national parks are pretty transient and on pretty different schedules. On the Loop or ICW, boaters are all herding together based on wind, seas and season and migration patterns are probably more predictable. We've heard that this is also true for the FL and AZ RV snowbirds but for RVers touring the national parks in April, this is less so. We've met probably more hikers on trails than RVers in parks.

Docking: Everbody's favorite maneuver whether on land or water but it is much easier in an RV. Many of the parks have pull-through sites which are super easy. Sometimes you have to back-in which is harder for the trailer-type rigs but patience, practice, a good set of hand signals and a sense of humor helps with this.
Once you are in your site, you have to level-off your RV as the ground surface is often very uneven and you may be pitched to one side or uphill/downhill. This may create problems for your fridge, cause your doors to fly open or have stuff slide off your countertops. Class A motorhomes often have hydraulic levelers which makes the job pretty easy. The rest of us have to use devices under our wheels to prop up the offending side--we use Lego-looking levelers in varying combinations but will be looking for more efficient ways to do this.


Whew—that’s a lot of information and I hope that some of it is helpful to you. Right now we are going to continue boating and RVing for as long as we are able and enjoy the best of land and sea and we truly are a “Full House.”

Grand Canyon—South Rim 4-22-10

Can you imagine being the very first person here, coming through the woods and suddenly, you are standing on the edge of a precipice, overlooking an other-worldly canyon that goes on forever—the Grand Canyon still has that power.

We are only here for 4 days and heard the weather report that snow was going to be blasting in for the last 2 days so find those boots and get hiking. Instead of climbing up mountains like in Zion, we have to climb down the canyons and save enough energy to get back up. Climbing down actually is harder in some ways as you are constantly using your knees for braking so we added hiking poles to help with this.

We had 2 fantastic day hikes of 3-4 miles each planned—Bright Angel and the Kaibab Trails. My camera does not capture the vistas around every turn—they pull you in and keep you inspired to go further. Bob is really into hiking now and we are considering coming back in the future and doing the 10 mile hike to the bottom of the canyon and staying overnight at Phantom Ranch.

As the weather started turning, we took the shuttle bus when it was snowing, but got out and walked parts of the 12 mile Rim Trail along the top of the canyon when it cleared. Hopi Point is a spectacular place to see sunset and we were there but so was the bad weather so no picture. We saved the inside activities like the visitor centers, ranger talks and galleries for the inclimate weather and had an excuse to have a sumptuous lunch with wine at the famous El Tovar Lodge.

Nothing clears a national park like snow and we were practically alone walking the rim when the snow cleared and the sun shone on the majestic rocks in the top right picture. We realized that today is Earth Day and the Grand Canyon is a perfect place to celebrate its beauty and grandeur.

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.