Back On Whidbey

Thursday the 16th

It rained most of the morning, although I still managed to get in another four hours in the yard while Tina did laundry. After lunch we went grocery shopping then Tina made dinner and fried up some chicken for a couple more meals after she returns to the Lake.

Friday the 17th

We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning. Still chilly but with a promise of warmer temperatures.

Tina made blueberry pancakes for breakfast, Yummmmm!!

After doing the dishes, we packed up her car then took the hardtop off. She left around 9:30 AM to go to her medical appointments. Then she was headed south to pick up Emma from school and return to the Lake.

With an empty garage I started to clean and re-organize to make oom for the Mercedes hard top which sits on a roller stand.

It got warm so I went in and changed to shorts. With the garage mostly clean the kids and I made a run to Les Schwab to fix the wheelbarrow wheel. Once that was done we tok a load of garbace to Island Recycling then stopped to visit with Chet and Renate at the Chamber office.

Home again, I had lunch then the kids and I went for a long walk. By now it was nearly one o'clock so I fired up the lawnmower and spent acouple of hours out along the street and driveway.

If it stays nice tomorrow, I'll do some more. If not, I'll find something else to do.

After dinner, the kids went for several walks before we settled in for the evening.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Drve to Whidbey Island

Wednesday the 15th

The rain continued during the night finally letting up around 7:00 AM, just in time to take the kids for their morning constitution. With Emma up we folded up the bed, had breakfast and took Emma to school.

Then it was on to Hwy 18 to start our drive to Whidbey. Traffic was light as we crossed the summit at Tiger Mountain and the rain continued to hold off. Merging onto I-90 West we made good time and eventually merged onto I-405 for the twenty mile drive north to Mukilteo and the ferry dock. We caught the 11:00 AM ferry and made it home in time for lunch.

Once we unpacked Tina relaxed and I went out and started weeding... in the rain... well a light mist. I lasted about four hours and called it quits. Then the rain really came back. A lot!! So we pretty much gave it up for the day. Tina fixed dinner and we watched a little tv then went to bed.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Lake Sawyer Day 4

Tuesday the 14th

Well it really let go last night. The rain started coming down around 2:00 AM and kept it up off and on for the next eight hours. Tina left early to go to Lakewood. She was going to take her Mom to the doctor then they were going to lunch. Me and the kids just hung out waiting for the repair guy.

About 1:00 PM, just after my lunch, the repair guy showed up and it quit raining. He was very methodical and obviously knew what needed to be done. After doing a diagnostic check on the circuits he replace the main controller board, repairing the propane igniter and A/C controls (bad fuse). As he was checking the current draws on all the lines another fuse blew.

After further checking he found a short in the heating element. To be safe, he replaced the new board with another new board, spent a half hour getting the old heating element out and replacing it with a new one and rerunning all the diagnostics plus rechecking all the control functions. After two hours he got the fridge up and running again.

Since we also had a problem with a lose wire in the generator, I asked him to take a look. With the hood open exposing the genset and controls, he pushed the start switch and held it down for about thirty seconds. The generator started right up. Apparently, you have to hold the switch down to prime the generator and heat the glow plugs. Well I learned something new!

Just then Tina got home from her Moms and I went out for a bike ride to take advantage of the sun that had come out. I had mapped out a 13 mile route over to Black Diamond, out to Ravensdale, back to Maple Valley and returning to Lake Sawyer. I forgot how many hills there were on this run but by mile ten I felt pretty good and decided to extend my ride dropping down into Covington, then over to the Auburn-Black Diamond Highway, up to Black Diamond and north o Lake Sawyer for a total of 23 hilly miles. Got back in a little over 90 minutes. Not bad for an old man - heheheh!!

Meanwhile Tina had picked up Emma from school and she joined us for dinner and stayed overnight. While Emma watched Phantom of the Opera, Tina and I spent some time learning about our new phones. It's fun to play with them but frustrating when things don't go right. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Eventually we all retired for the night to listen to the rain come down again. Welcome to Washington!!

No pictures today.

Lake Sawyer Day 3

Monday the 13th

After getting up and taking the kids for their morning walk, we went over to Marni's (five miles away in Covington) and had breakfast with Emma. After breakfast we drove her to school which is only two miles away from our place at Lake Sawyer.

Back home again, I finally got hold of one of the Mobile RV Service people. They are so busy, it will be at least a week before they could get to us, so they gave me the number of another company and we left another message. An hour later we got a call back from a different company and were able to schedule a service call for tomorrow.

Since we were out of most dry type food (no fridge yet), we went shopping in Covington. But first we stopped at Kohls so I could buy some new sandals. Then, since it was after noon we stopped at a Vietnamese "Pho" restaurant where we had a big bowl of soup with rice noodles and chicken. It was really delicious!!

From there we walked down to the Verizon store to learn about new phones and service plans. On the island Verizon seems to provide better coverage and our contract with T Mobile is up this month. Since we have the HP netbook on Verizon, we can get new phones, consolidate our account (keeping our same numbers) and get another broadband modem for the other laptop. This will eliminate the need for a phone line/internet service at home. And, since Joshua (my grandson) works at this store, he gets the credit. Finally we stopped at Safeway, got our groceries and headed home.

After unloading the car and putting things away I went out for a short bike ride. Originally planning to do a loop through Ravensdale I actually ended up doing about 25 hilly miles in a little over 90 minutes. Whewwww!! I forgot how many hills there areeven though we're up on a plateau. But as long as it wasn't raining, I couldn't complain.

Returning to the coach, Tina had picked up Emma from school so we had a visitor for dinner. Tina grilled some Copper River Salmon and we had a big salad with blueberries and home made orange dressing, yum, yum!! Later we played "Attack Uno" then Tina took Emma home. Looks like rain tomorrow, but we had a really nice day!!

No photos today.

Lake Sawyer Day 2

Sunday the 13th

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day.... at 5:00 AM, hmmmmm.... even the dogs thought it was a little bit early, oh well, we all went back to bed for another couple of hours.

When we finally got out of bed and completed our morning routine, I made a couple more calls to the Mobile RV people... still no call back.

We had unloaded the kayaks and bikes yesterday and spent a few hours cleaning things up so we were ready for action. Tina had suggested riding to the Black Diamond Bakery for breakfast so we saddled up around 8:00 AM and made the four mile ride over to Black Diamond.

Riding into town we turned off on Morgan St and took a short cut which took us down a short descent and up a very steep hill. I got to the top and looked back for Tina to see how she was doing and there she was, she made it to the top, out of breath, but still moving forward! Way to go Tina!!

The street in front of the bakery is under construction but we were able to ride right up to the front door. Walking inside we passed through the bakery, past all the pastries - oh my - and made it to the dining room. The hostess escorted us to a table near the glass wall at the end of the room where we could gaze out at a beautiful snow covered Mt Rainier. We placed our order and while waiting with our coffee were served a peach half and small blueberry muffin, yumm! This was followed by our breakfast. Tina had Eggs Benedict and I had a Ham & Cheese Omelet. Even though everything was excellent we couldn't finish it all.

After breakfast we made the return ride back home to Lake Sawyer. A little later Marni and Darren came over for a visit and invited us over for dinner. Arriving at their place around 4:30 PM, we visited with Darren while Marni went to pick up Emma from her Dad's place. Darren grilled the steaks and we had corn on the cob, baked beans and salad - delicious! After dinner, Darren's Dad Ed came over with his fiance, Linda and we all had a nice visit.

Tina and I got home around 9:00 PM and after a little TV called it a night.

No photos today.

Lakewood to Lake Sawyer

Saturday the 12th

We got up and had a leisurely breakfast of blueberry pancakes, yumm! With the coach all set, the kayaks on the car and the tow dolly on the RV we headed off to Camping World in Fife where the trailer was going to be repaired. It took an hour to get the paperwork all set, disconnect the dolly and get it into one of the service bays, but we finally got under way again around noon.

We jumped on I-5 north to Hwy 18 and headed east where we exited at S 272nd in Covington. From there it was a straight shot through town, a right turn on SE 216th St and two miles to the Lake Sawyer RV Resort (www.sunriseresorts.com/sawyer.jsp).

Once we signed in, the camp host directed us to site #1 which has a nice side yard where we could set up our camp chairs, umbrella and picnic table. After setting up we found that the fridge wouldn't work so we had to take all our refrigerated goods over to Marni's until we can get it fixed.

A call was put in to a mobile RV service but it will probably be Monday or Tuesday before we can get help. Fortunately Darren loaned us his small beer fridge so we can at least have milk and pop. Since it was getting late, we went to "Rooters" BBQ for dinner, about a mile away. Everything was good and we ate it all. This is the same place we went for Keisha's 18th birthday.

Back from dinner we settled in for the night watching a little TV and reading.

Distance for todays leg, 22 miles. Total for the trip so far, 8,534 miles.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

What's Happening???

Friday June 11th

For everyone following our travels, here is an update.

Tina and the Coach have stayed in Lakewood to visit with her Mom, Sister, Daughter and various nieces and nephews.

I went up to the island to check on the house, get the yard in shape, attend a couple of meetings with the Friends of Freeland to talk about grant writing, have lunch and visit with Richard and June Davis, visit with my daughter Lori, have breakfast and visit with Chet Ross, attend a public meeting on sewers for Freeland, visit with my neighbor Dale and attend a meeting with Lynn Sheffield, Secretary of Ridgeview Estates Homeowners Association.

The lawns are mowed (thank you Ryan), the gardens look pretty good and I got to play pool for three hours with my friend Ryan Skaggs.

I returned to Lakewood on Thursday the 10th to spend some time with the family. Today the rain finally stopped -YEA!!

Tomorrow we are taking the coach to Lake Sawyer RV Resort in Black Diamond for a month or so. Tina wants to be able to spend time with Emma, our 11 year old granddaughter who lives ten minutes away in Covington. This is a beautiful area. We plan to do some kayaking on the lake, perhaps the Green River, some bike riding and hiking while we're there.

In July we'll go to Moses Lake with Emma and one of her girl friends and I'll keep the blog going over the summer. Stay tuned!!

No new photos to see at this time.

Moses Lake to Lakewood

Wednesday the 2nd

Woke up during the night to the sound of rain on the roof. Then again at 6:30 AM, still raining. Got up and took a shower, letting Tina sleep a little longer. After getting dressed, the kids and I went out fo a walk. No rain! We still needed to use the towel on their paws though.

Once Tina was up and had her shower we ate, cleaned up and by 9:00 AM we were back on I-90 headed for Mom Jarvis place in Lakewood. We stopped for fuel and to check on the tow dolly axle just before George. Then we dropped into the Columbia Gorge at Vantage and crossed the Columbia River. The rain had quit and the sun was out. Absolutely Gorgeous!!

Then we started up the Vantage Hill, ten miles of a 4-5% grade up to the plateau at the west side of the river. Amazingly we made it up averaging about 55mph, hitting 65mph in a couple of places. Once at the top we pretty much cruised all the way to Ellensburg before it started raining again. From Ellensburg to Elk Heights, then on to Easton and through the one lane road construction areas all the way to the top of Snoqualmie Pass it rained heavily making the driving treacherous.

Reaching the top of Snoqualmie I kicked in the engine breaking to keep our speed down to 55mph as the rain continued to pour down. Semi's were passing us regularly but we maintained our pace and got down to North Bend in one piece. Ten miles later we too the Hwy 18 exit to go up over Tiger Mountain. I never liked this drive and in the rain, with semi's coming at us and pushing us from behind we ground our way to the top and down the other side.

Having successfully negotiated the dreaded Hwy 18 we dropped into Auburn and found the exit to the Valley Freeway (167) to Puyallup. We made our way south through the valley and into Puyallup and up south hill to Hwy 512 where the rain quit again. Safely at the top we scooted along until it was time to negotiate the entrance to I-5 south. Oooopppps! Emergency stop!!! Somebody about four or five cars up decided to slow down and it brought everybody behind them to a screeching halt. Five cars back a big semi nearly jackknifed. We stopped three feet from the guy ahead of us. Wheeeeew!! Over 8,000 miles and 5 miles from our final stop and we nearly bought the farm.

We made it onto the freeway, got off at Gravely Lake, made the turn down Veterans drive, then turned onto Newgrove and parked in front of Shanda's house (right next to Mom's house). We went in and said our hellos then grabbed some lunch. After lunch, we unloaded the fridge, disconnected the car and tow dolly and parked the rig in Mom's driveway. After some creative use of wood blocks I got the rig reasonably level for sleeping.

During the afternoon Tina made stew for our dinner. Shanda got home from work and joined us. After dinner we watched a little TV with Mom then called it a night.

No photos today.

Distance for this leg, 199 miles. Total for the trip so far, 8,512 miles.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Deer Lodge to Moses Lake

Tuesday the 1st of June

Well, the sun was out and it was probably about 50 degrees when we woke up this morning. Our morning routine and breakfast done we hit the road about 9:00 AM.

Since our travel was all on I-90 and we had good weather, Tina suggested to me that we skip ahead a day so we could go to Emma's concert on Thursday. So rather than stopping in Osburn, ID we continued on to Moses Lake.

We did take a break at a rest stop in Idaho where the kids could get out for a walk and Tina could take lots of photos of the indigenous wildlife - ground squirrels!

Passing from Idaho to Washington it was fitfully rainy with showersoff and on. Around 3:30 PM we arrived in Moses Lake at our favorite RV Park, Suncrest Resort (http://www.suncrestresort.com/), the rain had let up and it was probably 60 degrees out (welcome to Washington, heh, heh).

By the time we registered, got our site and set up, it was time to feed the kids and prep our dinner.

After dinner we watched a couple of movies.

Distance for todays leg, 382 miles. Total for the trip so far, 8,313 miles.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

West Yellowstone to Deer Lodge

Monday the 31st - Memorial Day

A dry sunny morning greeted us at 6:00 AM. Coaxing the kids back to bed for another half hour, I finally got up and took a shower, got dressed and took them out for their morning walk. It was probably about 34 degrees, but at least it wasn't raining.

Tina took her shower after breakfast, then did some cleaning in preparation for today's drive. At the same time, I was outside putting the racks on the car. Don joined me in time to help put the kayaks in their mounts and strap them down. Then I cleaned the sewer hose and put it away.

Disconnecting water, cable and power we got the slides in, retracted the jacks, started up and pulled out enough to connect the tow dolly. Once that was hooked up I pulled the rig into the street so we could get the car on the dolly. Once that was done we said our final good-byes to Don and Diane and wished them well on their trip home to La Puente.

With the sun on the mountains we headed out of town on US-20, then got on US-87 North until we connected with US-287 North. With one final stretch on MT-359 we reached Cardwell and got on I-90 West for the drive to Deer Lodge. We made one stop for fuel just past Butte and arrived at Indian Creek RV Campground around 3:00 PM where we had a reserved pull-through.

We got set up and took the kids for a walk then settled in for a relaxing afternoon, dinner and a little TV later. We had been fortunate to only have a few light sprinkles on our drive. Around 4:30 PM it started to rain and came down in buckets, not letting up until 6:00 PM, then it quit. I got the kids out again around 7:30 PM and by 8:00 PM it was coming down in buckets again. And again, and again.

Distance for this leg 191 miles. Total for the trip so far, 7,931 miles.

No photos today.

Old Faithfull and more...

Saturday the 29th

With rain coming down most of the night and into the morning and more promised for later in the day we decided to take the day off, do a little laundry, some shopping and Mike and Don could shoot some pool.

Sunday the 30th

Well the rain has stopped, but it's only about 40 degrees out. After breakfast we sat down and made a plan to go to Old Faithful Lodge. That way if the ladies didn't want to do any hiking, they'd have a nice warm place to do some shopping and relax while waiting for the boys to do their thing.

We left camp for the thirty mile drive to the Old Faithful Lodge around 10:30 AM. Reaching Madison Junction we turned south for a mile then took the Firehole River Drive where we stopped to take pictures of the Firehole Falls which drop bout forty feet between steep basalt canyon walls.

Leaving Firehole drive our next stop is at Fountain Flat Drive in the Lower Geyser Basin to see Fairy Falls, at 197 feet high, Fairy is one of the tallest waterfalls in Yellowstone. Unfortunately to get there you have a 10 mile round trip hike. Since that wasn't going to happen, we continued our drive south until we reached the Firehole Lake Drive.

Turning onto the one way road we reached the Great Fountain Geyser just as it was going off. Tina managed to get a couple of good shots through the trees before it ran out of steam - hah, hah! Back in the car we rolled over to the parking area so Don and I could get a close-up shot of the huge cone. Then it was on to Old Faithful Lodge for lunch.

We were really fortunate. We actually pulled up at the front of the lodge and parked about thirty feet from the entrance. The place was really busy and since it was lunch time, the lines into the cafeteria reached almost to the door. But we decided to try anyway. Moving at a snails pace we made it up to the cafeteria entrance then walked up to the "Hot Meal" counter where we were about sixth in line to be served. With only one person behind the counter we finally got to order our lunch - nearly forty minutes after getting in line.

Meanwhile (we found out later), Don and Diane had given up and got a couple of prepackaged sandwiches. We quickly ate our lunch and with neither Don nor Diane answering their phone grabbed a couple of ice cream cones. Wandering back towards the car, Tina spotted Diane in the gift shop and I found Don outside by the car.

With all four of us back together again, Don and I left the girls in the lodge and walked out to see the 1:30 PM eruption of Old Faithful. This geyser erupts every 35 to 120 minutes for 1 1/2 to 5 minutes and reaches a maximum height of from 90 to 184 feet and is the biggest regular geyser. Old Faithful has been erupting in nearly the same fashion throughout the recorded history of the park.

Don and I walked out to the benches ringing the geyser and made our way around to where the ranger was giving a talk on the geyser. One interesting fact, the benches around the geyser are over 300 feet from Old Faithful but with nothing to judge the distance by, it's hard to realize just how big the geyser is when it is erupting. While we were waiting, the sun came out and it started to snow! Finally the eruption started and we were treated to a solid three minute show!

Next, Don and I hiked around the Upper Geyser Basin to see the different thermal features around Old Faithful. We saw both the Pump and Plume geyser erupting while walking along the boardwalk north of Old Faithful. This is a cluster of thermal features that includes Castle Geyser, Daisy Geyser, Grand Geyser and the Riverside Geyser. On the other side of Geyser Hill is the Giantess Geyser. It only erupts a few times each year, but rises higher in its spouts than Old Faithful.

Finally, we got a text message from Tina wanting to know when we'd be done, so it was time to go back. We'd seen all we could without some major hiking and were pleased with our outing. Once back at the lodge we regrouped and got in the car for the drive back to camp.

Arriving home we walked all the dogs then hopped back in the car for the drive to town and dinner. We ended up at Grizzly Bear BBQ on Canyon. Don ordered Deep Fried Pickles for everybody to try. They were HOT!! I ended up being the only one who liked them - heh, heh! Tina had Ribs, Diane had Brisket, Don had Pulled Beef and I had Pulled Pork. With our sides we all had plenty to eat and it was all very good.

After dinner we came over to our place and played Attack UNO. I won the first two games then everybody ganged up on me for the third which Diane won. We quit about 9:30 PM, then Tina and I gave Don his gift bag of goodies - a UFO Drivers License, a small Whoooopie Cushion, a Stained Glass Tulip (inside joke) and a slice of the Celestine Pool captured in rock crystal. Earlier that morning, Don had given me a small rubber Donkey from Shrek.... and away we go!

With hugs we said goodnight and see you in the morning.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Friday the 28th

Well... it was supposed to be raining today but it quit around 6:30 AM this morning. So it looks like we may have a nice day to be out and about.

Today we're going to Canyon Junction to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We managed to get out of camp around 11:00AM and headed into Yellowstone.

Driving along the 14 mile stretch into the park we parallel the Madison River where our first stop is for a photo session with a mature Bald Eagle. Actually there are two of them perched in trees about 100 yards apart, right along the road.

Moving down the road a ways we next stop for a herd of Bison and a small group of Elk. There must have been about fifty adult bison along with another fifty calves. Some were moving across the river while others were moving along the river into the park.

The area we're in is probably a half mile square with the river meandering through beautiful meadows. About ten elk were bedded down along the river while three or four were browsing in the grass. Lots of cars were stopped and people were everywhere trying to get pictures. Many were too close, some squatted down within fifteen feet or so, another example of "brain disengaged".

Leaving the buffalo behind we reached Madison Junction and turned left toward Canyon Junction. Our only stop on this leg was due to construction. After a ten minute wait, the "Follow Me" car showed up and we all made the three mile stretch of newly graded (not paved yet) road through the hills along the Gibbon River. At one point we pull out to do a short drive along the river and take a couple of pictures of the 84' high Gibbon Falls. Pretty spectacular!!

Some time around 1:00 PM we reached Canyon Junction and went in and parked by the Lodge. Tina and I had brought a lunch, so while the girls went to find a rest room in the visitor center, I found a picnic table and Don went into the snack shop to buy something for him and Diane. When everybody joined me at the picnic table we all enjoyed a bite to eat. I even shared my big chocolate and chocolate chip cupcake with Don - heh, heh! Notice the snow...

After lunch we went into the visitor center and spent some time learning about how Yellowstone was formed along with the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone". The Canyon is roughly 20 miles long, measured from the Upper Falls to the Tower Fall area. Depth is 800 to 1,200 ft.; width is 1,500 to 4,000 feet and is somewhere between 10,000 and 14,000 years old, although there has probably been a canyon in this location for a much longer period. Present thinking is that the canyon was formed by erosion rather than by glaciation.

We drove out of Canyon Village and immediately I went in the wrong direction. After a little discussion, Tina finally got me pointed in the right direction and we made it to the South Rim Drive and our first stop, the Upper Falls where we go out to the overlook for our first photos of the 109 foot waterfall. This is a pretty spectacular view point and everybody is out of the car to take pictures. It's chilly with the wind but otherwise we have a pretty nice day.

After leaving the Upper Falls parking lot we drove to the end of the road and the "Artist Point" overlook. This spot give you a long range view of Upper Falls, the 309 foot Lower Falls and the Canyon itself. The colors of the canyon walls range from white to gray to yellow, brown, pink, purple and ochre. The canyon's colors were created by hot water acting on volcanic rock. It really is spectacular! Well, of course it is called Artist Point!

From the South Rim we drive back towards Canyon Junction and turn off onto the the one-way North Rim Drive. By now it is getting pretty cold, so when we stopped for a hike down to Lower Falls, the girls decided to let Don and I go by ourselves. The hike down into the "Brink of the Falls" at the top of Lower Falls is a 600 foot along fifteen or so switchbacks covering a little less than a half mile one way.

We made it to the bottom (the top of Lower Falls) along with forty or so other hardy souls and spend twenty minutes taking pictures and enjoying the view. It's still so cold at the bottom of the canyon that the spray from the falls is turning into snow and coating the walls next to the falls with thick sheets of ice and snow.

Eventually we start back up and I kept telling Don it was "... just a little bit further" and "... it really does flatten out up ahead". At one point he asked me to wait so he could take my picture. Once he had me in position he asked me to take a step back. Ooooppps, that step would be off the trail. Don just laughed! So we made our way to the top and finally got to the car. It really was quite a hike, no wonder the girls didn't want to go with us.

Leaving the trail head we stopped briefly at "Lookout Point" before driving to "Inspiration Point which looks up the canyon toward Lower Falls. It really is an inspirational view, showing off the majesty of the canyon. As one of the original explorers put it, " ... from this point it is difficult to cope with or even comprehend the mighty architecture of nature."

By this time it's getting late and with a forty mile drive plus a potential stop for road construction, we decided to return to camp. With a couple of unplanned stops along the way due to bison in the road, literally walking in the road, we got home a little after 5:00 PM to let the kids out and get dinner started. Tina made steak and eggs for us, then rather than play cards, we all decided to take a night off.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Jackson to West Yellowstone

Thursday the 27th

A cool morning, jacket and hat weather but by 9:00 AM it had warmed up enough that I was in a short sleeve shirt to hook up the car. We were on the road a half hour later headed north on US-89 through Jackson and into the Grand Tetons National Park. We drove through the park and missed one turn. Fortunately we found a big view point pullout about two miles down the road and did a "U" turn.

Back on route again we made several stops for pictures before exiting the Grand Tetons headed for Yellowstone. Since we had purchased our National Park Passes (Senior Lifetime - $10) the day before we breezed through the park entrance exactly 74 miles from our KOA campground.

Our first stop in Yellowstone was at a construction site where we had a twenty minute wait, so Tina put some lunch together then went out and took some pictures of the snow. Yup, snow! And lots of it! In fact a little further on we came to Lewis Lake and it was still frozen over. We had to climb over a snow drift to get to where we could take pictures. Of course, Don started a snowball fight so we had to have our fun in the snow - heheheh!!

On the road again we crossed the Continental Divide at 7,988 feet. Coming down out of the hills we stopped at the West Thumb Geyser Basin at the south end of Yellowstone Lake. This is one of the smallest geyser basins in Yellowstone yet its location along the shore of the lake ranks it as the most scenic. West Thumb has less geyser activity than other basins, but we made the trek around the boardwalks and past the hot springs, pools, mud pots, fumaroles and lake shore geysers.

Along the lake shore is Fishing Cone geyser. Its unusual location along the lake shore and its symmetrical cone were popularized by early stories of "boiled trout." Abyss Pool is also noted for its depth and colors. The paint pots were pretty spectacular with vibrant colors due to their principal minerals. In the 1920s and 30s they were very extensive and active. Now they are less active but, depending on moisture, they still build mud cones.

Since the mid 1970s, West Thumb has decreased in thermal activity. Some temperatures have cooled in the basin allowing large colonies of algae and cyanobacteria to grow. As a result, large newly-formed microbial mats flourish on the run-off channels and along the edges of pools. We spent about an hour at West Thumb before returning to the road.

After leaving West Thumb we crossed the Continental Divide for the second time at an elevation of 8,391 feet. Another five miles further on we crossed it once again at 8,262 foot high Craig Pass. Fro the pass we went steadily down until we reached Old Faithful where we pulled into the parking lot to check out the area.

Since Diane wasn't up for a big walk from the RV's and we didn't know when the next eruption would be we decided to make for West Yellowstone and the Grizley RV Resort (http://www.grizzlyrv.com/). We got into town and stopped at Northern Energy Propane to fill up. Temperatures over night are going to be in the low 30's for the next few days so we'll need to run the furnace a lot more.

We got into camp, registered, parked and hooked up by 6:00 PM. I had to buy another ten foot sewer hose extension so I could reach the drain, otherwise we have a nice spot. While we were eating dinner it started to rain but it only lasted an hour. After dinner we all sat down and decided our plan for the next few days, then Don and I went outside to put a proper connector on his sewer hose, then we took the kayaks off the car.

That pretty much wrapped up our day!

Distance for today's leg, 140 miles. Total for the trip so far, 7,740 miles.

To see all our photos, click on http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Grand Tetons, Teton Village and Jackson

Wednesday the 26th

A beautiful day dawns and everyone is up early. Today we set out to explore the Grand Tetons National Park. Leaving the kids at home we drove out of camp headed for Jackson and US-22 West to Wilson.

Turns out Wilson is a small residential community with nothing to see. So we back tracked about a mile and headed north on the road to Teton Village at the base of the Grand Tetons.

There were lots of cars but they were all employees working to get the area ready for the spring and summer season. The lifts were shut down and only a few businesses were open. We did stop at one shop so Don could buy some gloves and a hat for the cold weather.

Since there wasn't anything going on in the village and the Gondola ride to the top of the ski area doesn't open until the 29th, we headed out of the parking lot and followed a small back country road along the base of the mountains.

One thing that makes these mountains so spectacular, beyond their ruggedness, is that they seem to rise right up out of the valley with no intervening hills. It's almost like you drive across a flat valley pointed at the mountains, then you tilt the nose of your car up 65 degrees to climb the mountain.

This was a really nice drive and we made several stops to take wildlife photos. At one stop there was a mother owl and fledgling sitting in two separate trees about 15 feet apart.

At a bridge crossing the river was a young moose grazing among the new grasses and shedding his winter coat. We also spotted a roosting bald eagle and a black bear trying to cross the road. Back on the main road we headed towards Jackson passing several herds of elk and bison.

Arriving in Jackson we parked in the main square and spent a couple of hours walking around town exploring the shops then returned to the KOA.

With the kids walked and fed we did hamburgers on the BBQ for dinner with chocolate chip cookies for desert. Since we'd have a relatively early start in the morning we decided to call it a night!

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Pocatello to Jackson Wyoming

Tuesday the 25th

A beautiful morning greeted us as the kids woke up around 6:00 AM. But we went back to bed anyway for another 45 minutes. After showering, etc., the kids and I went out for their morning constitution, they dressed in fur coats, me in hat, gloves and ski jacket. Fortunately it warmed up pretty quick.

With breakfast done, I checked all the weather and road conditions and decided we could head out by 9:30 AM or so. With both rigs squared away we were on the road by 9:40 AM with a stop for fuel in Twin Falls.

After picking up fuel we left I-15 for US-26 East through the Rocky Mountains toward Jackson, Wyoming. This is a beautiful drive up Swan Valley, 45 miles of rolling hills all set for planting and with snow covered mountains to both sides.

We made one stop at a roadside picnic area to let the dogs stretch their legs and take pictures of the mountains. While we were there, Diane had taken Candy and Toby over to the sidewalk and was walking toward the viewpoint when a loud noise startled her two dogs and they jumped off the sidewalk and slid down the hill pulling their leashes out of Diane's hand.

What excitement! A man from another coach and Don went down the hill toward the dogs while I angled down the hill toward where Candy was trapped.

Don got Toby and took him up to Diane while the other gentleman and I were able to retrieve Candy and lead her back along the hillside to Don. Nobody was hurt, and the kids seemed to shake off their traumatic experience as soon as treats were presented.

Shortly after the rescue sandwiches were made, pops opened and everyone had lunch, then it was back on the road towards the small town of Alpine just over the Wyoming border. This was a stunning section alongside the Palisades Reservoir. The reservoir was created in 1957 with the completion of an earthen dam on the Snake River. Built for flood control and irrigation, the reservoir also provides major recreation opportunities in eastern Idaho.

Eventually we reached Alpine and left the reservoir behind as we continued to climb through the Targhee National Forest into the mountains toward Jackson and the Snake River KOA (http://www.srpkoa.com/). We passed Hoback Junction where US-26 joined US-89 and US-189/191 for the final ten miles to our campground.

We pulled in around 2:30 PM and got our assigned spots, disconnected the car and trailer, parked the rigs, leveled up and spent an hour walking around with the kids, down to the river and about the camp. It had turned into a beautiful sunny day with light fluffy clouds and in the mi-50's. A little later we decided on having dinner in town and made plans for tomorrow.

About 5:30 PM we drove into Jackson to the Rendezvous Bistro (http://www.rondezvousbistro.net/) and had an absolutely wonderful dinner. Tina had Duck Comfit and I had Salmon while Don and Diane had Rib Eye steaks. For desert I had a chocolate brownie sunday with caramel, Don had two scoops of vanilla ice cream and Tina had deep fried donut curls with chocolate sauce. Yummmm!!

After dinner we stopped to watch a dozen parasailers launch themselves from a clifftop to catch the afternoon thermals just south of town.

Leaving Jackson, we returned to camp and took the kids for a walk down to the river where Wicket decided to go in for a swim. She only got wet up to her ankles and decided that was enough. Walking back to the coach we thought we'd play a game or two, but it was 9:15 PM when Don brought his camera over to download photos. At this point it was determined to be too late to play any games so after the photos were transferred to the camera, we said lets wait for tomorrow and settled in for the night.

Miles driven today, 140 - total for the trip so far, 7,600 miles.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Day 2 in Pocatello

Monday the 24th

It rained last night and when we got up it was about 36 degrees out. The clouds covered the sky and threatened to rain. We spent the morning checking weather forecasts for the mountains and listening to the TV talk about snow in Salt Lake City. Eventually I decided that with snow coming down in the pass east of Alpine and temperatures hovering around 28 degrees in Hoback Junction a little further east, that it made more sense to spend another day in Pocatello. Especially as it was forecast to be twenty degrees warmer tomorrow.

With that decision made, I felt so much better that my anxiety level dropped to zero. Diane and Tina wanted to do some shopping so Don and I found a pool hall called Pockets of Pocatello and had the girls drop us off there after lunch. We played for a couple of hours on a 9' table until the girls returned for us. At $4/hr it was a bargain! Oh yeah, we had a good time at the table too!!

The girls bought a couple of new games so after dinner we got them out. The first one was a card game that required too much logic and had very difficult explanation of the rules so we played one round and gave up. The second was Attack Uno, which was fun and we played until ten o'clock when I finally won the game. At that time we decided to call it a day and everybody hit the sack.

No photos today.

Provo to Pocatello

Sunday the 23rd

Well, we're still managing to get good weather, though the temperature has dropped to the mid-40's. We made it out of camp by 8:30 AM so we could make a stop at WalMart for groceries.
Once back on I-15, we drove 207 miles to Pocatello, Idaho then got off the freeway for the mile drive to the Pocatello KOA.

We got set up and had lunch then I went out and washed the front of the rig to get the bugs off. Beyond that, Don and I played pool for a couple of hours after dinner (he made his famous Tuna Casserole) then we watched a couple of movies and went to bed.

Distance for today, 210 miles. Total for the trip so far, 7,460 miles.

No photos today.

Glendale to Provo

Saturday the 22nd

Well, it looks like our string of nice weather is nearing an end. The wind howled all night, shaking the coach from side to side and keeping the kids and Tina awake. Fortunately by morning it had calmed down.

We managed our morning routine and walked the dogs leaving our campground by 9:15 AM. The drive was uneventful as we crossed over the mountains via Hwy 20 to I-15 and on up to Provo where we got to Lakeside Campground and set up for the night. We had one brief shower, then it was nice the rest of the evening.

Tina made fried chicken and mashed potatoes, Diane brought creamed corn and we had a shared dinner at our coach, then played Uno for an hour before giving it up for the night.

Long drive, about 250 miles. Total for the trip so far, 7,250 miles.

No photos today.

Zion Canyon

Friday the 21st

Another beautiful crisp spring day in the southern Utah mountains. Everybody was up early to greet the morning and say hello to the horses in the pasture next to us. We spent a leisurely morning relaxing until it was time to board the Hyundai Express for Zion Canyon National Park (http://www.nps.gov/zion/index.htm).

Once the kids had their final walk we left camp around 10:30 AM for the drive south on US-89 to the Mt Carmel Junction and US-9 which runs into the park. Hwy 9 is a beautiful entry to the park with several tunnels and great hills of exposed sandstone, remnants of huge sand dunes. The most notable is called Checkerboard Mesa and is only a few miles past the park gate.

Before long we passed through a real engineering marvel, the The Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel which is 1.1 miles long. It was blasted and cut in the thick Navajo sandstone during the early 1900's. The task of cutting through 2,000 foot thick sandstone, in those days, was not easy and blasting was used to enlarge the hole and railcars hauled off the debris. On the tunnel's south side, working on the tunnel was not any easy task because the drop off to the canyon below is 800 ft. As we drove through the tunnel we passed several "windows" of light that were cut into the tunnel wall right through to the outside canyon wall. Pretty cool!!

Once through the tunnel, we wound our way down into the canyon following a series of seven switch backs which dropped us about 750 feet to the floor of the canyon and arriving at Canyon Junction where we turned south to the Visitor Center. We tried to park here but couldn't find a spot so we drove 100 yards out of the park and found a spot on the road in front of the Zion Canyon Theater.

From here we walked back into the park to the visitors center and caught the tram that goes into the canyon. The tram makes seven stops in the canyon and we got off at five - Court of the Patriarchs, the Zion Lodge where we had lunch, the Angels Landing, Weeping Rock and the Temple of Sinawava at the head of the canyon.

Getting off the shuttle at the Court of the Patriarchs we walked up a short trail to a viewing platform where we could see a trio of similar shaped cliffs. The Three Patriarchs are named: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and were named by Reverend Fisher an early area explorer.

At the Angels Landing we were treated to a view of the Great White Throne, Angels Landing and the Organ three of the most famous landmarks in Zion. The Great White Throne is impressive white topped monolith, rising more than 2400' above the canyon floor. The name, Great White Throne, was given by the same Methodist minister, Frederick Fisher, that named Angels Landing and the Three Patriarchs. Fisher felt that the monolith was magnificent enough to symbolize the throne of God. The white flat mountain he saw to be the back of the throne and Angels Landing and the Organ symbolize the two arm rests.

Our next stop was at Weeping Rock. Diane decided to take a break and sat on a bench while Don, Tina and I made a short hike up to the face of an eroded, bowl-shaped cliff face. This is where water seeps out from the junction between two different sandstone strata (the Navajo and Kayenta layers) creating a year-round spring that nourishes hanging gardens of moss, ferns, grass and wildflowers. The water collects to form a small, tree-lined stream that trickles down the hillside for a short distance before joining the Virgin River as it flows around Big Bend, beneath Angels Landing.

After rejoining the shuttle we continued on to the end of the canyon and the Temple of Sinawava, a vertical-walled natural amphitheater nearly 3,000 feet deep. We walked out to the trail along the Virgin River and spent a half hour just admiring the view. Everywhere you look, shear walls surround you. From here we caught the shuttle back to the Visitors Center and returned to the car for the drive back to Glendale.

We were fortunate to have a nice day with temperatures in the canyon around eighty-five but with lots of breezes to keep things cool. And being in a canyon, we were seldom in direct sunlight. After we got home and walked the dogs, Don prepared hot dogs on the grill, Tina made potato salad and we had a picnic dinner. With a long day behind us we decided to watch a movie and head to bed early.

To see all our photos. click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Bryce Canyon National Park

Thursday the 20th

The sun was shining on the sea,

shining with all his might,

but this was very odd you see,

as it was the middle of the night!

Don's two dogs, Candy and Toby, decided that morning starts at 4:30 AM, just as the first light of day is seeping over the ridge of the mountains behind us. Fortunately, we were undisturbed as our two kids continued to snooze until 7:00 AM, then everyone had a nice quiet morning for breakfast and walks.

Around 10:30 AM I took the car off the tow dolly and suggested we should head for Bryce in half an hour. Unfortunately Diane wasn't feeling well so she decided to stay behind with all the kids. So Don, Tina and I piled into the car and headed off for the 48 mile drive to Bryce Canyon.

Heading north on Hwy 89 we drove through a beautiful valley with small ranches and communities dotting the landscape until we reached UT-12 and headed up into the hills where we entered Red Rock Canyon with exposed outcroppings of brilliant red rocks and spires. We made several stops in the canyon for pictures of the formations and rock arches we drove through - very cool!

We reached the Bryce Canyon (http://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm) park entrance and stopped at the visitor center to pick up some information on hikes and pay our entrance fee, then it was back in the car to head for our first stop. About this time Tina said it would be good to get some lunch as she was feeling a little queasy from the elevation. So we went to Ruby's and had a very nice sit down lunch.

With lunch taken care of we headed for our first stop at Sunset Point. We parked the car and walked out to the observation point overlooking the Bryce Canyon formation. After taking a lot of pictures (descriptions are useless, you have to see the pictures) we headed down into the canyon along a series of zig-zags (Queens Garden/Navajo Trail) taking photos as we went. Eventually we passed a trail work crew and came out among the trees near the bottom of the canyon where we turned around for the trek back to the top. The trip back took much longer as it was pretty much straight uphill and when you aren't used to breathing and exercising at 8,000 feet you need to stop frequently but eventually we reached the rim of the canyon.

From there we drove to Inspiration Point for more photos then on to Bryce Point and Paria View before our return trip home. The views at each of our stops were absolutely breath taking and between the three of us we managed to take almost 350 pictures which will take a little time to sort out and upload to the web. We are in a limited service area so be patient, it may be a day or two before all our photos are sorted and cleaned up (bad ones and duplicates deleted).

We got home around 6:00 PM. Diane was feeling much better. Don BBQ'd some steaks for dinner and Tina made Orzo salad and we had watermelon for desert. After the dinner dishes were cleaned up and put away we played Uno for an hour then called it quits. Tomorrow we drive to Zion.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Las Vegas to Glendale.

Tuesday the 18th

Another beautiful day. The sun is shining and we are looking forward to the rest of our trip with pleasure. We spent the day with Don and Diane in their rig, playing games and waiting for the call to get the rig from the shop. Finally, around 3:00 PM, we got the call. So Don and I took the car and drove over to Freightliner in North LV. Half an hour later we were on the road back to Arizona Charlies.

The repair job on the RV was relatively simple, the radiator was clogged with debris and dirt due to a poorly designed oil vent tube. I was put in front of the radiator and as the oil vapor exited the end of the tube it would coat the front of the radiator attracting dirt, etc. With everything cleaned up and a rerouted vent tub, the mechanic checked out a few other engine code issues, replaced one of the exhaust brackets and did a test drive up to apex with no signs of overheating.

With the coaches set up for one more night Tina checked out the freezer and decided we needed to eat the beef ribs, so she made some great BBQ ribs and mashed potatoes for all of us with M&Ms for desert! After dinner we played Uno and Aggravation until 10:30 PM then called it a night.

Thursday the 19th

With the sun shining down and the dogs anxious to get up we piled out of bed around 6:30 AM, planning to get on the road around 9:30 for the drive to Glendale. After breakfast and clean up Don came over with some concerns about weather and our schedule. So we spent some time looking at our revised itinerary and the weather forecasts. Everything looks ok except there is a lot of cold weather and a couple of Cold Rainy days ahead. Then we checked our route and Don spotted a flaw in my logic. Ooooopps! We can't get to Glendale via UT-9 as it passes through restricted tunnels. So we re-routed our trip route to go down and around through Kanab.

Once we pulled out of our spot and hooked up the trailer we were on the road and looking for fuel. We bypassed our first choice and decided to get on the freeway and look for a truck stop. Sure enough, 20 miles NE of LV we found a Loves and fueled up. Then it was back on the road.

A little after noon, I decided to pull into a Flying J truck stop to top off as we would be going into the boonies and I didn't want to be short of fuel.

While I was in the office getting the pump started, Tina took the kids for a walk. When she got back she pointed out that the left wheel on the trailer had smoke coming out of it. Not Good!! Once we were fueled, I pulled the rig forward and parked out of the way to look at it.

Don came over and between the two of us we couldn't really determine the problem. So I went back in the station and asked the attendant if there was a tire place nearby. He suggested asking the manager, so I did. The manager came out and looked at it and suggested taking it to his mechanic in St. George about 5 miles away. So we took the car off the tow dolly and headed for St George.

We pulled into the Shell station and saw the mechanic Ron, told him our story and he said to bring the dolly over to the service bay so he could look at it. Well, wheeling it over you could hear the bearings rumbling in the bad wheel. He started right in and took the wheel off, then the hub. As the hub came off out came all these little bits and pieces of bearings, bearing races, etc. Fortunately, the spindle wasn't scored too badly.

Ron was able to order a replacement hub and bearings. While he waited for it to come he filed and sanded the spindle as best as he could, then pulled of the tire on the other side, checked the brakes and lubed everything up. When the new hub arrived, he reassembled everything, packed it full of grease, put the tire back on and lubed all the zirk fittings. All within a couple of hours.

We were back on the road by 3:00 PM headed for Glendale. The rest of the drive was through absolutely gorgeous, rugged mountains and across high plains next to the Vermilion Cliffs before reaching our turn north through Kanab and into the mountains between Zion and Bryce. We gained an hour moving back into Mountain Time so it was just past 7:00 PM when we arrived at the KOA and got set up.

We had a late dinner, walked the kids then played Uno for a couple of hours before calling it quits.

Distance for today was about 260 miles. Total for the trip so far, 7,000 miles.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Hemet to Las Vegas

Monday the 17th

The alarm went off at 6:00 AM as we wanted to get an early start. Since we'd done pretty much everything yesterday, once the tow dolly was secured and the car loaded we were on the road by 8:20 AM headed toward I-215.

As we approached our on ramp we saw a traffic jam, fortunately it was almost cleared so we only had a fifteen minute wait before we were going north toward our rendezvous with Don and Diane. Surprisingly we both arrived at our meeting point within three minutes of each other. After a quick walk for the dogs it was back on the road headed up I-15 for Las Vegas, our first stop on the way to Yellowstone.

Things went along well until we were about 80 miles from LV when our rig began to overheat. We managed to baby it along for another ten miles to the Cima Road Truck Stop where we pulled out to see if there might be a mechanic on duty. No such luck.

So I got out our "Emergency Roadside Service" card and called for a tow. I received very courteous help and as it turned out, there was a towing business located at the truck stop so our tow was set up quickly. While that was being handled, Don went and bought some fudge. We disconnected the tow dolly and receiver hitch and connected them to Don's RV and loaded the bikes onto the car rack.

Amazingly, when the tow truck got there it was a big flatbed low boy. We watched as the driver dropped the back of the bed so it was on a tilt with the rear edge on the ground. Then the driver asked me to drive up onto the bed of the truck. With his help we got the rig up there and secured and were back on the road by 3:30 PM in a convoy headed for the Freightliner shop in North Las Vegas.

We got there by 5:00 PM and pulled into the yard. After talking to the office I drove the rig off the truck in the reverse of getting it up there. Eventually we were able to take a change of clothes, toiletries, etc., in our overnight bags then parked the coach in one of the service bays.

With the coach taken care of for the night, we drove back into Las Vegas to Arizona Charlies Casino and RV Resort. Once we got Don & Diane in their space and hooked up we all loaded into the ca rand went over to the casino/hotel so Tina and I could get a room. Then it was off to dinner.

After a nice dinner in the Sourdough Cafe we went into the casino where Tina and Diane play the slots and I watched Don at the craps table. Forty-five minutes later, Don was up almost $50 and Diane had won a $200 jackpot on the penny slots. Tina donated twenty and I lost a dollar. Not bad!

After we took Don & Diane back to their rig we returned to our room to settle in for the night. I have instructions to call Freightliner in the morning so we'll see what happens from there.

Travel distance for this leg, 270 miles. Distance traveled to date, 6,740.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski

Last Days in Hemet

Thursday the 13th

Relaxed and enjoyed the sun.


Friday the 14th

Relaxed and enjoyed the sun. Went to see Robin Hood - good, but not great. Had dinner at an Italian restaurant after - good but not great.


Saturday the 15th

Relaxed and enjoyed the sun.


Sunday the 16th

Spent the morning giving the coach a thorough cleaning, did the grocery shopping, a little laundry, went swimming and enjoyed the sun!

No new photos.

Palm Springs Tramway

Monday and Tuesday the 10th and 11th

We took these days off just to give us a break. Short bike rides, a little poolside relaxing and lots of reading in the sun.

Wednesday the 12th

Today it's warmed up again so we decided to drive to Palm Springs and ride up the tram. It's a surprisingly short drive - north out of Hemet to I-10, east on I-10 to CA-111, then south to Palm Springs making the turn onto Tramway Blvd for the three mile drive up a private road into the San Jacinto mountains.

We got to the tram parking lot about 11:40 AM and walked up to the Valley Station. The Palm Springs Tramway (http://www.pstramway.com/) was completed in 1963 after two plus years of construction. Initially conceived in 1935, the idea took 15 years to really gain traction, then another 10 years for design, engineering and fund raising. Completed at a cost of $8.5M no public money was spent on the project. In 2000, there was a major upgrade to the cable cars as the worlds first revolving trams were installed.

After purchasing our tickets we spent 5 minutes in the tram waiting area and another 5 in the loading area. While our tram came down the mountain and neared the loading platform people were furiously snapping pictures. Tina seemed very relaxed as we boarded the tram for the ride up to the Mountain station. As soon as the doors closed our operator made several safety announcements and noted that there would be some swaying as we passed over the five lift towers along the way.

Pulling out of the station the floor immediately started to rotate while the walls and windows remained stationary. Fortunately there were small grab rails around the inside of the tram so we could steady ourselves during the ride. As the tram wheels passed over tower one the tram set to swinging pretty good and everybody was surprised, especially those taking pictures when it happened. By the time we hit the third tower everybody was pretty relaxed about the swinging, even Tina.

The Valley Station is at 2,643 feet elevation and the mountain station is at 8,629 feet elevation, a 6,000 foot change. The temperature when we left the Valley Station was about 80 degrees. At the Mountain Station we had dropped about 30 degrees. The distance traveled up the mountainside is only 12,708 feet, a little over two miles and takes only ten minutes with the tram rotating once every five minutes.

On reaching the Mountain Station we decided to have lunch while it warmed up a bit so we walked to the upper level to the "Peaks" Restaurant where we had a great view of the valley out the floor-to-ceiling windows. The restaurant is really very nice and there were about ten other tables on our seating level. Tina had the special, Tri Tip with mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables while I ordered the special Angus burger with avocado, bacon, cheese, tomato and a jalapeno spread. Both lunches came with a huge house salad of mixed greens. The salads were excellent as were our entrees. To have a really nice lunch in such a beautiful setting was a real treat!

After lunch we made our way outside and following a winding path down to the floor of Long Valley where we set off on a two mile hike along the perimeter of the valley. Part of the trail was called Desert View because we had great views down to the desert valley. By now it had warmed up a couple of degrees and it was easy to hike in comfort. EXCEPT for the elevation. At almost 9,000 feet up the air is thinner and when you exert yourself going up hill your heart begins to hammer in your chest as it cries for oxygen.

Even though we have been bike riding and going for walks, neither of us are in really good shape so we felt the exertion but we weren't in any hurry so we took our time, admiring the views, watching the birds, listening to the sound of melt water running into Long Valley Creek and marveling at the size of the pine trees and the amount of snow still on the ground. Reaching the end of the loop we made our way back up the paved trail to the Mountain Station and visited the gift shop.

Soon we could catch a ride back down the mountain to the Valley Station. Arriving at our starting point we walked around outside and took some pictures of flowers, mountain sheep and Lady bugs before we made our way down to the car for the drive home.

Arriving back at the coach an hour later we took the kids for a long walk, downloaded our pictures to the computer then made our way over to the clubhouse for dinner. Tonight we had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls and vegetables along with coffee and a vanilla/banana custard for desert - all for $6 each. And just like last Wednesday it was really good. So we spent an hour over dinner visiting and having a nice time.

The rest of the evening we spent relaxing with TV and our books.

To see all our photos, click on:

http://picasaweb.google.com/mjdolanski