Abbey's Road

I know you're probably wondering after my last post, so I'll let you know right away. Abbey made a miraculous recovery and her leg looks much better today. She's almost back to the way she was a few days ago. We're at the Kupecs now and their house in San Jose. They aren't here, but they left plenty of food and beer, and the pool and hot tub are ready to go so we're in great shape. And Trader Joe's is only a few miles away. What more do we need? We arrived yesterday when Mimi and Steve were still here. An old friend of theirs, Dennis, who also worked in my group at IBM, came over for dinner last night and brought some great locally brewed beer. As usual with the Kupecs, I ate and drank too much. But I didn't have to drive and I'm just hanging out and catching up on some things (like this blog) so it didn't really matter. We'll be hanging out here for a while, getting some stuff done on the RV (yea, I already broke a couple of minor things), restocking and probably taking a few day trips in the Bay area. Sorry, no new pics today. Hope you have a great Memorial Day weekend.

Posted by Ed at 11:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Well Memorial Day weekend is almost here and the crowds have started to descend on every campground and park. It's getting crowded here and I was thinking of moving on, but the hard part is where. I checked into Yosemite and found that Memorial Day weekend is the busiest weekend of the year. Even if I could find a place I wouldn't want to deal with the crowds. The people at the Sierra National Forest office said that if I didn't have a reservation by now at one of the few campgrounds that are open, then I wouldn't have a prayer. Besides most of the hiking there is in the high country and that is all still snowed in. Remember all those snow storms in the Sierras in the news this winter? I do now. So I've reverted to plan C ' visit the Kupecs in San Jose early. They are leaving Sat. morning for Big Sur, but it will give me a chance to catch up on some things I need to do (yes, I am still not in the mode of total irresponsibility).

Yesterday after driving to a small town library to use the internet to no avail (see above) I took Abbey for a walk up a jeep road in the national forest that was closed to travel. There was a little snow on the road, but not enough to bother us. It got pretty hot, which made it hard to believe that we were walking amid all that snow. Once again, Abbey enjoyed rolling in it. Later on, I drove into Sequoia NP for the first time. The trees in Kings Canyon are real nice, but Sequoia is a whole other story. Especially the Giant Forest. They are incredible. Sequoias aren't all that pretty of a tree. The trunks are huge, but the branches don't stick out that far and are very irregular. They don't have a great shape at all, but they still are amazing. They are just immense. The world's largest living thing, the General Sherman tree, is 275 ft. tall and over 36ft. in diameter at the base. After that, I thought that Sequoia was a better park than Kings Canyon, until today. Today we drove down into the actual canyon. With the snow-covered mountains in the background, it is a beautiful sight. I sure would like to come back here someday and go backpacking in the backcountry. We did try a short, but steep hike in the NF but pretty early on I got a big scare. Abbey started limping and holding her leg up ' the one she had knee surgery on in December. I'm hoping that it's just a temporary setback, but it doesn't look good. The hike wasn't even that tough and she wasn't running around that much. I'm not sure how it even happened. I'll just have to wait and see. This could change a lot of my plans, or at the least force me to leave her in the RV if and when I go hiking. Now that I think of it, it's better that we're just hanging out at the Kupecs for a while and not going somewhere else this weekend.

The General Himself	A General Perspective	Giant Forest
Giant Perspective	Kings River	Roaring River Falls
Grizzly Falls

Posted by Ed at 11:24 PM | Permalink

We stayed one more night at the campground in the Sequoia NF. Yesterday we drove up to the end of the road and took a long hike ' 6 or 7 miles ' to a place called Jerkey Meadows. Don't ask me why the name, but just beyond there, the views of the high Sierras were great. There was snow on the peaks, but unfortunately it was pretty hot where we were. Luckily there were a few streams to cool off in. Abbey was so hot where we stopped for lunch that she just laid down in the stream. Wish I could've done that. By the time we got back to the RV where we both pretty beat. Needless to say when we got back to our campsite we both took a nap. I had a beer first, though. I think I could get used to that afternoon nap thing, especially if it's after a beer. Then I made my first campfire of the trip and barbequed some chicken. In case anyone is wondering, I've been eating real well, though I can't say it's exactly been gourmet. And another nice thing about traveling in an RV is that you have a freezer so you can always bring ice cream along. So much for my sugarless diet. Right before I went to sleep I looked out the window and saw a beautiful full moon. It doesn't get much better.

This morning we took off early ' 7:30am to be exact which is pretty good for me. Unfortunately, a lot of the roads are still closed due to snow so we had to go way south, and then cut over on State Hwy 155 before going north towards the national parks. That was the windiest, steepest state highway I've ever seen. Switchbacks and S-curves for 20 miles and 11% grades over much of that. If it was a bumpy road I would've said it was worse than the Road to Hana. If there were crazy Yugoslavians passing on blind curves than it would have been worse than the roads leading from the Plitvice Lakes. One lane roads in Scotland were easier to drive than this one, even with the sheep. When I finally got in the valley and could go straight for more than 100 feet I made good time until I hit State Highway 245. On the map it looked fairly straight. Yea right. At least it wasn't as steep as 155 was, but let's just say that we were both happy to get to Kings Canyon and off those roads. I can safely say that the handling of my RV is nowhere near a BMW, or even a Ford minivan for that matter.

We're going to spend 2 nights camping in Kings Canyon National Park. Sequoia NP is right next door so we'll get to see both. After circling around the campground several times I finally decided on one that was fairly flat and had lots of room. I pulled in, got out and immediately 2 little chihuahuas started yapping away from a nearby RV. So much for that spot. So I took another that was less level, but seemed quieter at least. Little did I know. We took a drive down to a place called Hume Lake to get some gas (where we paid $2.75!!) and Abbey revived herself with a swim in the lake. After finding a dead fish she went crazy looking for any other disgusting smelling things she could find along the shore. At least we got a good walk in after all the driving. Unfortunately they don't allow dogs on the trails in the national parks, but luckily the national forest is adjacent to the 2 parks so we'll still get some hiking in. There's also a lot of snow around so Abbey gets to roll in it ' one of her favorite joys in life. If only life were that simple for me. When we got back to our camp and started making dinner, I found that the chihuahuas may have been the lesser of 2 evils. This little bratty kid next door was screaming and crying about something for what seemed an eternity. I know it's easy to say since I don't have kids, but if he was mine I would've killed one of us. Thankfully, I think his mother locked him in the car when even she couldn't stand it any longer. The joys of camping in our national parks, and it's not even summer yet. Well, I think I've managed to ramble on well past my limit tonight. More in a few days??..
View from Jerkey Meadows
Hume Lake
Kings Canyon
A faroff view

Posted by Ed at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last Friday I spent most of the day trying to get other things I needed since I was still in a decent sized city. Diana took off Friday for a business trip and Michael had class all weekend, so I headed out early Saturday morning. I had planned on going to Zion National Park next, but when I saw the weather was going to be in the mid-90's I decided to skip it for now and go back in the spring. So I drove all the way to Sequoia National Forest in CA instead. I got there at a decent time, but it took me a while to find a campsite that was suitable for the RV. I ended up parking in an open area after trying to squeeze in between some bushes and trees and scraping the side of the RV pretty good. I also had a hard time getting it level, but finally managed to find a decent spot overlooking the river, which was running really high. The campgrounds were all pretty full of people who had come up to run the river. I also managed to tear off one of my mudflaps backing over a big rock, but I somehow managed to not get too frustrated. After dinner and a beer, I fell asleep early after the long day's drive.

This morning I decided to try and bushwack up the hill across from our campsite. It looked like it would have a nice view. Well, that didn't turn out to be such a great idea. We found a road that started us out, but when we started to head uphill, things got much tougher. The scrub and bushes were much bigger than they looked from a distance. And there were a lot more ravines than I noticed initially. After getting only part way up, it was starting to get pretty hot and Abbey was getting pretty wiped out from the heat. So I decided to make my way across to where it looked to be a lot easier and then make our way down. Well, the brush wasn't as high, but the rock underneath the brush and grass was real loose. We finally made it back down after getting full of burrs and scratches. Gotta work on my bushwacking and route-finding skills.

I decided to take a drive back up along the river passed where we camped to the end of the road. It was a pretty windy and steep road but the views were worth it. We stopped to see the President George Bush (the first ' not W) giant sequoia tree near the top of the road. There was a short hike which supposedly went by the tree. Well the path wasn't well-marked and neither was the tree. I passed a pretty large sequoia so I assumed that was it. Meanwhile, Abbey didn't care so much about the tree. She was deeply preoccupied with going in the creeks and chasing lizards. We stopped to check out the views on the way back down and then found a real nice campground in a grove of evergreens pretty high up. It was more like I was hoping for up here, though I did break my string of 7 nights without having to pay for staying the night. Oh well, the site is worth it.
Kern River Campsite
Yucca on the Bushwack
Bushwacked
View Beyond the Canyon

Posted by Ed at 10:28 PM | Permalink

I tried to get going early on Thursday morning and we headed down towards Sedona. From Flagstaff to Sedona, you go down a winding road through a canyon. Part way down, we stopped and hiked the West Fork trail. It goes along the West Fork of Oak Creek through Oak Canyon. It's a great trail, even though it was a little crowded. Abbey was in and out of the creek for most of the trail - about 3 miles each way. Mary Beth and I, and Abbey and our other dog Buster, did this same trail about 8 years ago. With the heat, though, it seemed like the best trail for both of us since there was also a lot of shade on the route. On the way back to Michael & Diana's I took a detour up to the Snow Bowl, a ski area near their house, to check out a few trails. I ran into a guy just coming off a trail with his dog. I told him what I was doing and he told me that he is also in between jobs. He's changing careers and taking 9 months off before starting school. Of course, I thought that was great, except 9 months seems like such a short time ;-)
Oak Creek

Oak Canyon

Posted by Ed at 10:12 PM | Permalink

We left Muley Point early and went back down the Moki Dugway. It was just as cool going down as it was coming up. Next was Monument Valley. I decided to do the driving loop even though it wasn't recommended for RV's 24' and over. It turned out to be no problem, though I didn't do any of the scenic turnoffs. The road was pretty bumpy, but it was worth the bumps. Afterwards, we drove straight to Flagstaff. I stayed the rest of the week with Michael & Diana, old friends from Austin. Unfortunately, they have 3 cats and I didn't think Abbey would behave around them, so she had to stay outside or in the RV the whole time, and I slept with her in the RV at night. It was good to see those guys again, even though I just saw them in March. I was actually visiting them when I bought the RV. Not much to add for this day, except for some pictures.

Posted by Ed at 9:39 PM | Permalink

Posted by Ed at 1:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by Ed at 1:05 AM | Permalink

Posted by Ed at 1:05 AM | Permalink

Posted by Ed at 1:05 AM | Permalink

Posted by Ed at 1:05 AM | Permalink

Posted by Ed at 1:05 AM | Permalink

Posted by Ed at 1:05 AM | Permalink

Yesterday morning Abbey and I left Navajo Lake State Park and headed for Utah. The wildflowers on the way, near Shiprock, were pretty spectacular. I took the short detour off the highway to see the Four Corners Monument. It was pretty underwhelming but it didn't take too much time. We ate our lunch at Sand Island BLM area. It was pretty hot and not especially scenic but Abbey got to cool off a little in the river. We probably should have waited til we hit the Valley of the Gods. That was pretty amazing. I was thinking of stopping and camping for the night on one of the many pulloffs, but decided to keep moving. I think the length limit for an RV must be 24' because I bottomed out on a few washes. But it was only twice so it didn't hurt much. The road was washboard in a lot of places so it definitely gave the RV a shake test. I think it came through alright but I haven't tried the TV or DVD player yet. Everything else is working and my pack job held up pretty good.

Next was the Moki Dugway, a series of steep, sharp switchbacks on a gravel road up the side of the Cedar Mesa. It climbs 1100 feet in 3 miles. Luckily I ignored the warnings against RVs (see picture) because it was incredible. And, it allowed me to get to Muley Point (down another washboard road) where I wanted to camp for the night ' my first night of boondocking (not camping in a park of some sort.) Now I feel like a real RVer. Muley Point overlooks a place called the Goosenecks of the San Juan River. It sits about 1000 ft. above the river, which is in a canyon complete with many S-turns, hence the name. The view is unbelievable. (OK, I'm running out of adjectives to describe the scenery.) Abbey had fun chasing rabbits and lizards while I checked out the view. I made a nice dinner from leftovers and watched the sun go down over the canyon with a glass of wine. Not a bad way to end the day even if it was a plastic glass. It is so quiet up here except for the wind. At least at night, that is. During the day you can hear a lot of planes overhead, which wouldn't bother me, except that they bother Abbey. We took a nice hike along the canyon rim this morning and the planes were scaring her (they sound too much like thunder to her), but luckily she got distracted enough by more lizards and a rabbit. I don't think she'll ever catch one but she'll never stop trying. The sun was pretty strong, even in the morning, and we hiked about 3 hours. We were both pretty tired so we took a well-deserved nap when we made it back 'home'. The wind really picked up this afternoon. I was planning to cook dinner over a campfire, but I don't think I would have ever gotten it started. I'll have to stink up the RV instead. Abbey's not liking the wind because it shakes the RV a lot. (Are you getting the idea that she's a bit neurotic?) Hopefully, it will die down later so I can get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow is another long drive through Monument Valley and on to Flagstaff.

Posted by Ed at 1:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by Ed at 12:54 AM | Permalink

Posted by Ed at 12:54 AM | Permalink

Well yesterday, Friday the 13th, I headed out on my own from Albuquerque and left the security of DeeAnne's home behind. Most of the last 2 weeks I've spent getting things for the RV and life on the road. I still don't have my RV registered, but hopefully it will be before I get pulled over. We did manage to get away last weekend to a state park north of Santa Fe and take a few short hikes. And we managed to see a bit of Albuquerque besides Walmart, Target, Big Lots and Whole Foods.

But now Abbey and I have started the next part of our journey. I'm not sure who's more nervous, she or I. After taking a look at some of the places we might stop in the next few weeks though, I started to get excited. Our first stop was Heron Lake State Park in northern New Mexico. It wasn't any place special, but it was quiet and peaceful. Until, that is, some other campers pulled in around 10pm and started to set up in the dark. They didn't keep me up, though, and their country music in the morning didn't bother me either. I celebrated my first night alone on the road with a cold beer and some chips and salsa for happy hour. Then I had some wine with dinner. Living in this thing isn't exactly roughing it. We headed out in the morning for a nice hike along the Rio Chama. We had to cross the river on a suspension bridge and then the trail climbed to the top of the canyon. We only did a small part of the trail, but we still got some nice views. Saw an amazing rock slide (see picture) that looked pretty fresh. I was glad not to be there when that huge rock came crashing down.

Now we're spending the night at Navajo Lake State Park, also in northern NM. We had a real short thunderstorm, but it was enough to send Abbey back to the RV where she'll probably stay for the night. It's too bad because she had only been in the lake a few minutes when we heard the first thunder. This place is much more crowded but it will give me a chance to catch up on some stuff and straighten out a few things. Tomorrow morning we're heading out early to make our way to southeastern Utah. More then...

Posted by Ed at 12:32 AM | Permalink

Hi all,

For those of you I haven't talked to in a while, I sold my house on 4/25 and headed out on the road. I bought an RV in Tucson and had to pick it up by 4/30. After 5 straight days of driving, Abbey and I picked up our new home on 4/29, with the help of my friend DeeAnne. We stayed in a state park near Tucson the first night, and in the Gila Wilderness in New Mexico the 2nd night for our first adventure. The RV is a 24' Itasca Spirit. It's a class C if that means anything to any of you. It has quite a bit of room, though much smaller than our previous house. Abbey seems to have taken to it
rather easily and she's already found her bed under the dinette.

We're hanging out at DeeAnne's in Albuquerque for a week or so to get situated, get stocked up on stuff and to try and get the RV registered so I can stop worrying about driving around with an expired temporary tag. After that, I'm not real sure where we're headed, but probably west from here towards Arizona and then California. If you're out west don't be surprised if you get an email or phone call from me someday saying I'll be in town. I would love to see as many of you as I can.

The best way to get in contact with me is through email or cell phone. I am
using a mail forwarding service, but it wont' be real fast.

I've attached a few pictures. Hope you like them.

Take care and keep in touch,
Ed

The move
First Camp
Abbey's Bed

Posted by Ed at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)