Today is May 10, 2019, and I am in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Wow. I am not going to apologize or explain my absence from being the Great Communicator I thought I would be.  Suffice to say that I have enjoyed being mostly off-grid, but I clearly understand the void created by lack of “connection” or “bars.”

So it’s catch-up time. My journey seems to evolve from campsite to campsite, so that is where I’ll start. I hope frequency and description are given more attention as we turn more calendar and map pages.  Each site had its own story connected with some of the most interesting people and their stories!  I will also say that the six weeks I have spent on the road so far have been all that I had hoped, with great anticipation of things to come.

Friday, Mar 29 to Sunday, Mar 31.  Pala RV Resort, Temecula, CA.

Lemondrop Divas women’s camping event.  This was the kickoff and sendoff.  Great food, casino, and vintage trailer fun with an awesome group of ladies.  I will miss them (and their fun-filled adventures!) over the next year.

Monday, Apr 1.  Overnight in Barstow, CA. Then on toward Death Valley.

Left Pala in the morning. A detour on Interstate 15 took me close to the Riverside National Cemetery, where my father is buried. One of those young men who fought for all of us in World War II, and was lucky enough to come home. Saipan, South Pacific. Stopped to get directions, parked, and made the walk through the grounds to pay a visit. I can still hear taps playing the day we left him here. Miss you, Pop.

Made an obligatory stop at the huge Walmart in Victorville to stock up. Where am I putting all this stuff???? Mostly dried and canned food and non-perishables. When I buy ice, my old-fashioned trailer icebox keeps things cold for about three days, so then I eat lots of fresh vegetables.

Overnight stop at the overflow parking lot near the Pilot Truck stop in Barstow.  Me, five trucks, and two RVs. Stopped late afternoon so I would be prepared for an early start.

Tuesday, Apr 2 to Wednesday, Apr 9.  Remote BLM open desert south of Death Valley National Park, CA.

Morning finds me gassing up in Barstow and heading to Baker. I tried to go past The Mad Greek, but my steering wheel won and I ended up with a strawberry shake. Oh, so good! Then it was off on “the road less traveled.” Highway 127 toward an area near Death Valley. I did manage to find a few straggler desert blooms along the way.

The GPS coordinates for my destination site came from one of my camping Facebook groups.  Just as described, and just what I wanted:  remote desert sand on the edge of a canyon a few miles from the hot springs of Tecopa, CA.  Room to drag out a lot of stuff from my trailer and truck bed and repack. About 20 minutes from the town of Shoshone, with a great cafe and helpful locals. If you get that way, stop in at the Crowbar!

I had prior arrangements to meet some friends for a picnic at China Date Ranch on Apr 8. Hadn’t seen them for 20 years … great fun! My friend, Carol, also came out from Las Vegas for a few days with her tent and her Bassett Hound.  The desert wind finally chased her away.  Chased me, too, the next day.

Thursday, Apr 10 to Wednesday, Apr 24.  Friends’ property south of Las Vegas, NV.

This was planned to be a few-days stay to perform a few upgrades on the trailer and visit a few friends.  One thing led to another, and it turned into two weeks.  A huge thank you to my Lemon Drop Diva sisters for helping me find a new trailer rim when I discovered the one the knowledgeable RV expert shop put on the spare tire didn’t fit. Long story, but happy ending. The upside was that the extra layover allowed me to see some more friends, play some poker, go to an Easter egg hunt with my three little great-grandsons, and surprise a visiting grandson by picking him up at the airport on my way out of town.  All is well.

Wednesday, Apr 24.  Sinclair station, Alamo, NV.

Intended to stay at the Pahranghat Wildlife Refuge, but the truck overheated and I stayed on the RV lot at the Sinclair station for the night. Checked with the mechanic in the morning. 

Remember the pic of my zero-gravity chair and other stuff I was carrying so efficiently on the bike rack on the front bumper? Should have known better.  Restricting airflow to the radiator is not the best idea. Hmmm. (I must also give a nod to my friend, Keith, who asked me when he saw my rig, “Aren’t you concerned you may overheat the engine with those chairs on the front?”)  So the chairs were relocated, the cooling system was checked, and I was off. No harm done, and the only cost was a little bit of time.

Thursday, Apr 25 to Thursday, May 1.  Eagle Valley Reservoir near Pioche, NV.

This place was recommended by Donna Osbourn and her husband. It is actually Spring Valley State Park about 20 miles northeast of Pioche, NV. Wonderful campground with private sites above the Eagle River Dam and the reservoir it creates.   A popular fishing spot stocked with good size Rainbow trout.  I bought a license and fished from the dock and the shore!  Trout for dinner!  I had the perfect spot for a full week.  Wonderful.  So emotionally refreshing!

I arrived on Thursday and had the place almost to myself. I had Site #1 with a clear view of the reservoir. Then the weekend folks arrived and it filled up. Still very pleasant and peaceful. Mostly campfire-cooked meals, with a trip to Pioche for breakfast with the locals. When Tuesday came, other campsites emptied and I was alone with the deer and an occasional Ranger visit. I loved it. Combination of sunshine and a few afternoon thunderstorms. Stayed until Thursday.

Thursday, May 2.  Abbey Inn, Cedar City, UT.

Ready to leave early. Windshield is frosted over and the temperature is dropping. Definitely time to move on!

Drove the 120 miles from the campground to this large metropolis by my recent standards.  First stop was to treat myself to breakfast at I-Hop.  Cell phone service and Walmart. Time to catch up and stock up.  Also went to visit National Forest Service, National Park Service, and BLM field offices. Made the choice to stay overnight and use motel WiFi for laptop.  Nice to have a verrrrry long hot shower … which of course put me to sleep immediately. So much for the laptop and WiFi.

Friday, May 3.  Roadside turnout, Tropic, UT.

Full day. Breakfast at the Inn. My tablemates were from Irvine, CA, in town for their daughter’s graduation from Southern Utah University. Small world, Verse 27.

The turn east took me toward some of the country’s most spectacular scenery. Took Scenic Highway 14 from Cedar City east over the mountains. Still 4 feet of snow at higher elevations. Road was plowed and dry, but snow as far as you could see when the trees cleared.  Came out of the hills, went north, and took the bus tour through Bryce Canyon National Park.  Gorgeous canyons and formations, as I am finding throughout Utah. 

Found my way north and east, and came to a small town with a sign that read, “Bryce Canyon Mule Days.  First weekend in May.”  Really?  And I am here? Whoopee! I found the mule staging area out of town, with over 30 large fancy horse trailers and horse people.  I had horses years ago, and it is still in my blood.

Found a pull-out up the road, which I shared with “Judy”, travelling in her white van.  We had a great conversation and morning coffee.

Saturday, May 4.  Bryce Canyon Mule Days event site, Tropic, UT.

Back to the Mule Days location first thing in the morning to check it out.  Full gear mule trail folks, with some competitions and demonstrations.  Folks from all over Utah, Montana, and Wyoming. Many of them loaded their mules into trailers and went off for a trail ride in the breathtaking hills around Bryce Canyon. What a wonderful way to see the area. Spent the day parked near the horse trailers, and they invited me to stay the night.  You betcha’! A great group of people.

Sunday, May 5.  Otter Creek State Park, UT.

Meandered east, west, and north.  And maybe a little bit south.  Looking at beautiful Utah scenery and following country roads.  Went one way, then made a U-turn and doubled back 30 miles “just because.” Stumbled on another reservoir campground. Time to stop for the night, so Otter Creek State Park was it. 

I was only a few feet from a very large reservoir.  Came with a built-in family of fishermen! Mom, dad, and two kids. They had their chairs set up on the shore by what turned out to be my campsite.  They offered to move, but I convinced them to stay, and I got to watch them fish.  I enjoyed the water view in both evening and morning.

Monday, May 6.  Monticello BLM campground southwest of Blanding, UT.

I found many more areas and roads for impossibly beautiful meandering, including Capital Reef National Park.  Incredible rock formations and “Hoolus” created by thousands of years of water erosion.  So fascinating.  And yes, I cheated on the photos and used some of the brochures. It’s tough to take pictures and drive down winding roads!!

Of course, no camping available in the Park (one-year ahead reservations!!), so I kept on going and found a great free BLM camping area as I approached Blanding.  The museum there is my morning destination, so good place to stop for the night.  Two families further down in the campground along the water, but I have a very private spot.

Tuesday, May 7 to Wednesday, May 8.  Dewey Bridge BLM camping area northeast of Moab, UT.

At my new friend Judy’s suggestion, went to the museum in Blanding. A quaint small town that I think I could live in. The museum is really the Edge of the Cedars State Park, and the staff is a high authority on Native history and culture.  Researchers come from around the world to study.  Thousands of items in their collection, with hundreds on display.  Many items are over 1,000 years old, with items still being discovered.  A family hiking a few miles away the first week in April found an almost perfect ladle.  They contacted the museum, the State authorities, and the local tribe.  Decision was made to extricate the ladle and display it at the museum.  For some items, the tribe can (and does) decide to leave items in situ as left by their ancestors.  There is an actual archaeological dig on the property that is available to walk in.  Spent two hours there and could have spent more.  Well worth the stop.

Continued north to Moab. The Visitor Center staff there suggested some BLM camping on the Colorado River going north, then east.  Perfect suggestion.  Went 30 miles along the river and found a great spot to stay a couple days right on the river among the colored cliffs.  Magical evenings and mornings.  Rafters put in close by, which was also fun to watch.

Thursday, May 9.  Grand Junction, CO.

Left my BLM site fairly early, finding any country road I could to keep me off Interstate 70. Open range and I agree. This is the next “planned” stop on my route.  A visit with my brother and my niece and her family.  Chance to visit and take some pictures for the family album.  Also need to have some big-town items taken care of while I am here.  Replace a window in the trailer (glass chip that spread three ways), better rack for my zero-gravity chair, oil change, blah, blah, blah.

So now I am in Colorado. Google Maps says it is 780 miles and about an 11-hour trip. It took me 6 weeks. Perfect! Plan to leave here the middle of the week headed toward Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, and then Great Falls, Montana.  I understand many of the roads in Yellowstone are still unopened after the winter, so we will see what we will see.