Day 252

Still enjoying the benefits of this hot springs resort.  Our departure date is now the 28th. 

Not much new.  I preached at St. Anthony of the Desert last Sunday, and this coming Sunday will be helping at St. Joseph of Arimithea.  The latter is in Yucca Valley, and a big storm is predicted, beginning tonight, that may drop lots of snow in the mountain pass between here and Yucca Valley.  Our trip there will depend on the road conditions.

Yesterday several roads in the area were closed because of "brown-outs", caused by very high winds.  Snuggles was very nervous last night with the winds, so I slept on the couch with her.  She came into the bedroom to let us know she couldn't sleep!  Funny little dog.

I am now officially 76; thank you everyone for your birthday wishes.  We went to Olive Garden for dinner to celebrate.  My present to myself is starting to quilt again.  I bought a beautiful panel of two swans in Kaua'i, and I'm making a window quilt to keep out the cold that comes in the driver's window.  We have one for the door, and it has worked well in cold and wind.

I joined a quilting group here at the resort.  Most of the quilters do their work on the sewing machine, but there is one other holdout for hand quilting, and we sit together to work on our projects.  We also went on a safari to a quilting store last week.  It's nice to have a friend with similar interests.

Snuggles has made many friends.  One of her favorites is Duke, a huge boxer.  His mistress calls Snuggles Duke's "girlfriend".  He is at least 6 times Snugs' size, and just as bouncy.  He's a wonderful, gentle monster, but I've wondered if Snuggles could be hurt by mistake.  We met Duke at the dog park the other day (usually our meetings are in the desert, with both on leashes), and they played and played.  Snugs was not afraid to let Duke know when he was too rough.  She's a gutsy little dog!

When the two dogs rested, Duke would give Snuggles a lick on the nose.  She accepted it as her due.

Dave has fixed the built-in big TV, so now we can watch the news here in the main living area.  Up to now, we had to watch the bedroom TV, sitting on the bed, with Snuggles lying down between us.  Cozy, but not comfortable!

Hope to get a swim in today, before the temps drop again and the heavy winds return.   And that's about it from the desert!

Day 239  Not much different to tell, just wanted to check in with everyone.

However, I did think you might be interested to know that the temps have been below freezing for a couple nights.  We had very high winds and cool daytime temps for a few days, but it seemed odd yesterday when the path I use to get the newspaper every morning had ICE ON IT!!

The pool stays warm, and the hot tubs are still very warm, even in the lower temperatures.  So don't waste any time feeling sorry for us (chuckle, chuckle).  And today it returns to the 70's; 80's by the weekend.

Thanks to Kim and the electronic "Voice", we keep up with the goings-on at St. Luke's.  Through Facebook, I see what is going on at Grace, Randolph.  And I check up on St. Peter's website regularly.  So we have a little taste of Western New York out here in the desert.

Stay warm everyone; the national news announced that Punxatawney Phil predicts an early spring.  I guess he knows as much as anyone!

Day 235; 130 days to go!  As much as I miss friends and church at home, I will be sorry to have this adventure end.  It's been an amazing experience, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trip.

Meanwhile, we are still enjoying Desert Hot Springs, and the Caliente Hot Springs Resort.  Just now, the desert winds have been blowing for a couple days, and the temps are cooler (upper 60's), but still better than what the east is experiencing.  And the desert in the high winds is very interesting.  While back east, roads are closed because of snow or ice, here roads are closed because of blowing sand!  Looking off towards Mount San Jacinto, you can see the clouds of sand. 

It isn't so bad right here, although when Snuggles and I were walking in the desert yesterday morning, when the winds were at their worst, I could feed the sand stinging my face.

In spite of all that, it is beautiful here, and about to be more so, because the desert is beginning to bloom!  Even the creosote bushes have buds ready to burst open, and a few hardy blooms are already gracing those ubiquitous bushes.  Cacti that seemed to be dried up and dead are greening up, and a few blossoms appear here and there.

Around the resort, the lantana is in bloom, and the oleander is ready to.  The ducks in one of the ponds are feeling like spring; the males chasing the females around the pond.  There is a lovely egret that joins the ducks in that pond, also.

But my favorite of the wild life are the strange California Grouse, with their little topknots and their weird call that sounds sort of like a musical spit;  I know, I know, that doesn't sound very pretty, but I don't know how else to describe it.

And Snuggles?  She loves the desert, and the dog park.  She has a couple favorite dogs; one is a chihuahua mix that she runs and runs with in the park, and the other is a Scottie that she loves to wrestle with.  One day there were 8 little dogs in the park, and while Snuggles and Fergus wrestled, another little dog barked and barked at them.  We couldn't decide if she was refereeing, or telling them to behave.

Life is easy, here, what with swimming and dog parking and walking in the desert.  We've explored some of the area by car, attend St. Anthony of the Desert Episcopal Church, and generally just soak up the sun.  I have taken some watercolor classes, although the teacher isn't as good at instruction as those I have had at Chautauqua.  The classes give me an opportunity to paint without Snuggles "helping" me.

We think about you all, and you are in our prayers daily. See you in June!

Day 222:  It's been a long time since I have been able to write a blog, and a LOT of things have happened.  With one thing or another, such as no internet, I haven't been able to write.  Our daughter and her family gave us an IPad for Christmas so that we can be in touch even without internet, but we haven't been able to figure it all out.

We are back in Desert Hot Springs, at Caliente Springs Resort, where there is that wonderful dog park for Snuggles.  We'll be here for at least another week.  We came here on Sunday, from the park in San Dimis where we met the Rally Group for the Rose Parade.

We had a wonderful time at the parade; we watched them build the CalPoly float, had great seats at the parade, and then had an opportunity to see the floats up close and personal the next day.  In addition to all that, we went to the Palm Springs Follies, which deserve their own blog, if I have time later.  And we saw an equestrian show featuring many of the groups from the parade.  We also went to a band fest featuring several of the bands that marched in the parade.  We celebrated New Year's Eve on East Coast time, as we had to be ON THE BUS the next morning at 5 :00 a.m. for the parade!

BUT, the most amazing part of the last few weeks was Dave's Christmas present to the two of us.  When we got home from the Midnight service at Grace, Glendora, he told me we were going to Hawaii for 10 days!  I knew nothing about this.  My first thought was the pup; where would we leave her?

I told the Rector of Grace, Susan Scranton, about our trip and asked her if she knew of a reputable kennel.  Before I knew it, she had us in touch with a wonderful couple who board dogs in their home.  We talked on the phone and arrangements were made to go meet them.  Susan picked up her Sheltie, and led us to Bonnie and Rod's home.  There, wonder of wonders, were three more Shelties, all rescue dogs.  Snuggles was beside herself with joy.

Bonnie works for the Animal Rescue League.  They have a huge backyard that is safely fenced in, and the dogs have the run of the house and the yard.  I told Bonnie I would bring Snuggles' crate so that she could be confined at night.  "We'll put her in our bedroom," said Bonnie.  I was convinced that this was exactly the place for our pup.

And it was.  She had a great time.  Bonnie and Rod couldn't say enough happy things about her.  Bonnie sent us an e-mail with a picture of Snuggles sleeping on her husband's chest on the couch, to show us that Snugs was happy.

 In fact, so happy that she has been lonely these last few days!  She loved playing with the Shelties there.

The next surprise was at the LAX Airport.  We walked to our gate, and there were Fred and Shirley Nagle. They are travelers, so I said, "Hey, where are YOU going?"  "With you!" they said.  Dave had made all these arrangement last year, trading our Peak n' Peek timeshare for a big one on the island of Kauai.  So amazing.

We had a wonderful 10 days; three in HOnolulu, then 7 on Kauai.  We went to see the Pearl Harbor Memorial and took a tram around the city. We walked to the beach, and generally enjoyed Honolulu.

Kauai is the Garden Island, and it lives up to its name.  We had rain there, but except for cancelling our sunset dinner cruise, we didn't miss anything else.  Dave and Fred took a helicopter ride over the island.  We went to a dinner show, and a luau.  But mostly, we drove around the Island, visiting lots of little beaches, and rural places.  We shopped, of course (I now own 1 1/2 pounds of Kauai coffee and one pound of Kona).

It was a restful, happy week.  Now I have to settle down to LEARN how to use my IPad so that even when we don't have internet, I can send a blog.   My e-mail is set up already ("there is an App for that"), but the blog is another thing.

From here, after enjoying the desert for a few days (and the dog park and the hot springs), we'll finally head to Texas.

We are loving this gypsy life.  And the only snow is in the mountains, which we can see from our "patio" here in Caliente Springs.

One of the best parts of this trip has been visiting the small churches around the land.  Today was our second service at St. Anthony of the Desert.  It's an older congregation (after all, this is an older corner of Southern California!), but they still sing energetically, read the lessons with strength and conviction, and share the biddings in the Prayers of the People.

Everyone knows everyone in a small church, and the prayers are about people who are important to each other.  Last week we prayed for a wonderful therapy dog who was lost stolen or strayed.  This week we gave thanks that she was found (in some stranger's car!).

The most comforting aspect about all the churches is the familiarity of the beautiful Episcopal Eucharist services.  In some churches, the service is printed out in the bulletins, but in some places the prayer book is still used.

Some churches use the prayer book Great Thanksgivings, and a few use the Enriching Our Worship prayers.  But wherever we are, the rhythm is the same, the words familiar, and the sermons full of energy.

I miss my own church, but it has been a good experience.  I am hoping when we get settled in Port Isabel for the winter, I can help at the altar.  I realized today just how much I miss being the celebrant.

Today special prayers and blessings were said for the presents the congregation gathered for a local orphanage.  There was a huge pile of gifts under a small Christmas tree.  Considering this is a congregation of around 50 people, the stack of presents was impressive.

I don't know where we will have our Christmas Holy Communion, but I'm sure it will be joyful and moving.  I hope your Christmas will be, too.

Day 191:  can you believe it?  I've become so used to living in these 37 feet, I've almost forgotten what a house is like.  That is, until I think about wanting to bake my Finnish Christmas bread.  I have done it in this tiny kitchen, but it is a huge job here.  If I find a way in the next campground to share the extra loaves, however, I might just attempt it.  I can't imagine Christmas morning without the wonderful Niisua.

I read on Facebook about Christmas cookies and have to come to grips with the fact that this year the holidays will be completely different.  Then I remember that the REAL celebration will be at the altar of an Episcopal Church somewhere and all is well.

For the last few years, the Christmas Day service has been mine to celebrate.  I will miss that.

Today is another cold (for Desert Hot Springs), overcast day.  I will still go swimming, however, as the pool is heated by hot springs.  Then I'll soak in one of the hotter pools.  It's a hard life, but someone has to do it.

This has been such a wonderful rest stop, and not just because of the pools.  Snuggles has had the time of her young life playing, off the leash, with the dogs in the dog park.  Her favorite (and ours) is Rosie.  The two of them run and run and run.  They are fun to watch.

Off to breakfast this Saturday morning, and to mail the few cards we are sending this year.  I will count on this blog to wish everyone else a blessed Christmas and a New Year full of spiritual growth and happiness.

The TV has been warning for days that a weather change was coming.  Well it did, during the night.  In the wee hours of the morning, a fierce wind came up.  Dave had to get up around 6 a.m. to take in the window awnings.

 He called me to look at the sky; it was ablaze!  It was more brilliant than most sunsets.  Of course, that doesn't auger well for a good day. 

We have had wonderful, lazy days in the sun, swimming in the hot springs pools, and just generally resting.  So, I guess, we can take a little colder weather for a while; especially with our WNY and WPA friends struggling with snow, snow, and more snow.

Snuggles was a bit spooked by the wind when we walked in the desert this morning.  Ordinarily she runs around happily, but this morning she kept stopping, sniffing,and looking around.

We are here for another few days.  It has been a great place for us and for Snuggles.  She has made many dog friends in the dog park.

The sunsets from the Hotel Lenhart in Bemus Point, NY are stunning every summer.  I've always thought they couldn't be outshone.

However, tonight, sitting on our "patio" and sipping a glass of wine, I watched one that outdid Bemus.  The added flip came from the San Jacinto Mountain across the desert from our campground/resort.  I took pictures, but I'm sure they won't nearly do it justice.

We'll be here in Caliente Springs Park for another week.  We are enjoying the pool and hot tubs which are fed by natural mineral hot springs, and Snuggles has made friends in the dog park.

I walk her in the desert around 7 a.m., just as the sun is peeking over the distant mountains.  The last few days we have met a big, gentle, Boxer named Duke.  She LOVES him, and he is willing to play with this bouncy little pup.  His mistress takes him off his leash and he "boxes" with Snugs.  She's not a bit afraid of him and boxes right back, running around him.

Her favorite friend, however, is a chihuahua who is mixed with some kind of a miniature grayhound.  She is tall for a chihuahua, but lean and FAST!  She and Snuggles run and run around the park.  This has been a good stop for our pup.

Tomorrow we go to St. Anthony's-in-the-Desert for church. 

This has been a great rest from our traveling.  When we get to San Dimas and meet the Rose Bowl Parade Caravan on the 28th, we will have several 12-hour days ahead of us.  We are soaking up the sun and the easy living in preparation for that.

The Caravan has already lined up a professional dog walker for us and the other two families who have dogs.  I hate to leave Snuggles, even with a dog walker, but she does very well alone in the bedroom and bathroom when we go off for a while.

180th day; yup, 6 months on the road.  And we picked a good one to be away from WNY, according to all the remarks about the snow in that area.

We, on the other hand, are in the desert, in Desert Hot Springs, where it is warm, and then hot, during the day.  This is a big resort for 55+ people, and most of the population is permanent.  They leave a few spots for itinerants like us. 

While I was reading Morning Prayer this morning, at 7:45, there were many people carrying tennis rackets or golf clubs coming up to the courts and driving range at the end of our cul de sac.  All the seniors seem to be in good shape here, probably because of tennis, golf, swimming (they have 6 hot springs, 2 of which are full-size swimming pools), and walking on the desert.

Snuggles had a great time at the fenced-in dog park yesterday.  There were two friendly dogs there that gave her a merry chase.  She wasn't the least bit scared of them even though they were much bigger than she.  And she kept up with them as they ran and ran around the dog park.

We had a wonderful time with the congregation at Yucca Valley, St. Joseph's.  Two of the women remembered that we had been there before!  We went out to lunch with their "lunch bunch" and enjoyed the camaraderie.  The latter is something we both miss, as we rarely get the opportunity to really connect with other people.

Stay warm, all you who are under snow.  And stay off the roads!  Here, I have to watch out for golf carts, of which there are many.

Where it is chilly at night (in upper 30's last night) and warm during the day, in the 60's yesterday.  It is supposed to be warmer today.

We have enjoyed traveling around the desert during the day in the Honda, looking at the weird and amazing rock formations in the mountains, and coming back to the coach in the late afternoon for a "social" and watching the sun go down behind the mountains.

For my artist friend:  You would love the Artist's Drive, a one-way road into the lower mountains where you can see all the colors the mountains have to offer.  There is a pull-off at a spot called Artist's Palette that is incredibly "painted" with many colors of minerals.  I took pictures, but I'm sure they won't tell the whole story.

Yesterday it was Scotty's Castle, a replica of a Spanish castle built in the desert, tucked into some hills, by a wealthy Chicago businessman in the '30's.  It has a great story that I will tell another time, as my battery is getting low (the computer's, that is).

Dave paid for internet for 24 hours so that he could do the banking and I could catch people up with where we are.

Ron and Fran:  we are sending you another postcard DVD.  Please share it with the 4th Street Cafe', OK?

Love you all, Sandra

From Pahrump, NV, about 45 miles west of Las Vegas.  Yes, it is a real place.  The internet is sketchy, however, so this will be very short.

We spent several days in Zion National Park, where we didn't have any WIFI or other services (like water, elec., etc.)  It was beautiful there.  We had a great time at Grace  Church, St. George, UT on that Sunday, including a pot luck dinner.

We are in a Casino RV resort here in Pahrump.  Very nice park, with a little manmade lake that our coach faces.  Snuggles loves barking at all the people walking their dogs around the lake.

We'll be here until Monday morning so that we can attend church at St. Martin's.  Fr Ed Lovelady knows some people there, so we'll bring greetings from him.

Dinner was here in our coach, as our family is all together in Maryland at our youngest son's house.  We Skyped for a few minutes, but the connection wasn't very good.  We'll try again tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a great holiday.  Now it is time to make a couple turkey and dressing sandwiches, Dave's favorite part of the holiday.

God bless you all.

On November 9, 1979, a group of 200 men, women and children, with 80 wagons, led by horses, and with 1000 head of cattle, left Escalante field, about 4 miles from our campground, headed for the other side of an imposing 2000 foot sheer rock wall, over the Colorado River, to the other side of the San Juan River. 

They were very late to begin this journey, which they thought would take 6 weeks, but took 6 months.  They had to build a wagon road on their way, including one through a hole in the rock (Glen Canyon wall), down the other side of the wall 1800 feet to the Colorado.  This road, going down the sheer face of the rock wall, was blasted out, just wide enough to hold the inside wheel of a wagon.  Holes were blasted out of the rock and oak poles were placed in the holes, the gaps between filled with mud and grass and whatever, making a road just wide enough to hold the outside wheels of the wagons.

They made it!  The amazing thing (one of the many) is that no one died, and a baby was born on this journey.  They lost cattle only to feed the band during the heavy winter; otherwise all the livestock made it too!

Our adventure?  We wanted to see this "Hole-in-the-Rock", so we took off, after inquiring about the condition of the dirt road, across this "field" to drive within 6 miles of the Glen Canyon wall.  After that, we were told, the road was so rocky, one really had to have a high suspension vehicle.

This field?  It looks so flat and simple from the main road.  In actuality, it is a landscape full of deep gullies, steep hills, washes, and other impediments.  We jounced along, marveling that wagons could make this trip.  And we weren't anywhere near the grueling part of the journey!

We stopped at Devil's Garden, enjoyed the hoodoos and other strange rock formations and continued on.  About 5 minutes after leaving Devil's Garden, the road deteriorated.  I mean, big time.  Dave threaded our way over deep wash-outs and gullies, skirting crevices, and finally, when we had driven for almost another hour, we came upon a flat place and made the decision to turn back.

We had driven 7 miles from Devil's Garden in that hour!

We returned to Devil's Garden and had our picnic lunch, wondering about that band of hardy Mormons who had made this trip in the winter, with wagons, building a road along the way.

The little town of Bluff, Utah, on the other side of the Colorado and the San Juan Rivers is still full of the descendants of this amazing journey.  They are considered "Hole-in-the-Rockers", and are very proud of their heritage.

I was glad to be back in my modern-day coach, safe and sound.

We leave for Zion National Park today; there is a storm coming tomorrow and we want to be through the Grand Staircase, past Bryce, and snuggled in a campsite before it hits.

November 18, 2010, 10:15 a.m.

Yesterday we drove the Burr Trail, about an 150-mile round trip.  We drove over the gorge we had driven the day before; not nearly as scary in the Honda!  Then we picked up the Burr Trail about 28 miles out of town.

This trail took us over red rock ridges, gray rock ridges, and into deep canyons, along rivers.  We traveled over High Desert again, with its Torrey Pines and junipers, and miles of sagebrush and rabbitbush.  We finally turned around about 5 miles into the area that is dirt road, just beyond where a gully wash ha washed out the road.  The NPS had repaired the road, but you could see the damage.

It's interesting: it takes only 1/4 inch of rain to create a flash flood!  And what damage such a flood can do.  There are warnings everywhere against driving in spots that are subjected to flooding when the weather is iffy.  Luckily for us, it's been beautiful every drive.

We had lunch overlooking the deep canyon where we had turned around.  We were in the High Desert, sitting in a grove of pines and junipers, the bright sun warming us up in the very cool breeze.

Imagining JOhn Burr, for whom the trail is named, driving his cattle up and over these rock ridges (500 feet in some cases), down into the canyons to the High Desert and its abundance of grass each spring and back each fall:  it's amaziing to think about.  No roads, of course, just John, a couple of cowhands, and his cattle, twice a year, traversing this terrain.  Hardy stock!

Today we hope, if the road is decent, to go across the plains to the Hole-in-the-Wall, a famous trail of early Mormons.  I'll explain it after I've seen it!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 6:40 p.m.

Interesting drive today; beautiful in spots, harrowing in others, and sometimes boring!  The trip north from Moab on 191, once we left the Red Rocks, was across the flat plains with occasion real sand dunes, left by the inland sea that covered it a million years ago or so.  But once we got on I-70 to drive West, it was boring.

Miles and miles of blah colored flat places and dirty-looking ridges.  Then, we turned SW on 24 and it all changed again.  Flat plains (we were traveling across the San Rafael Desert), but with more of the muted colors we are used to in the High Deserts.  Then, little by little, as we approached Capitol Reef National Park, the Red Rocks began to appear again.  The San Rafael Reef leads up to Capitol Reef National Park.

Things really got interesting (read, scary) when we turned west on Rte 12:  here we were often traveling on a narrow road with deep gorges on either side.  This road has 1. very sharp curves, 2., steep ups and downs, and 3. NO GUARDRAILS and precious little shoulder.  It is NOT my favorite kind of road.

I forgot to mention that we climbed a high pass, with Torrey Pines and Yellow Birch, up to 9600 feet.  There was snow on either side of the road, but the road itself was dry.  At one point the downgrade was 14%!

But, now that I am safely here in Escalante, and have had my dinner, I can say that except for I70, the drive was extraordinarily beautiful.

Yesterday I noted that I would be talking about Snuggles, and then got sidetracked by my sadness over the child who lost his life on 191 in Moab.  Snuggles is trying to learn a new game, called "fetch", where, instead of playing keep-away, or tug-a-war when she retrieves the toy, she drops it so that we can throw it again.  She does NOT get the concept.  She goes after the toy , brings it back, drops it, but when you try to pick it up, she grabs it again.  We then ignore her, until she finally leaves the toy, and the game starts all over again.  So, I'm not sure WHO is learning the game!

Yesterday, when I was reading Morning Prayer, Snuggles was in her usual seat on the dashboard, "helping" me.  The two big black campground cats came over and paraded up and down in front of the coach.  Snugs went crazy.  I couldn't calm her down.  She ran back and forth on the dashboard "talking" and barking.  The stupid cats would NOT leave.  I was tempted to let Snugs out without a leash, but I thought better of it.  It would have served them right, but I may never have been able to Snugs back into the coach.

She's stretched out on Dave's leg that is crossed over the other right now, head resting on his foot, her front feet hanging down on either side of his foot, her back end across his lap.  This is her favorite position, especially in the evening.  She's really too long for his lap these days, but she squeezes in, appendages hanging off.

That's it from Escalante, Utah.  Tomorrow we take the Honda and go back over some of that same road to drive the "Burr Trail".  I'm not sure what this means, but I AM sure I have to deal with those gorges again.  It won't be so bad in the Honda.  I hope.

I know, I know, I've said that before, but this time we really mean it; tomorrow (Tuesday) we leave Moab.

Church yesterday was bittersweet.  I noticed that many of the Hispanic congregation was in attendance, which is one of the great things about St. Francis.  However, Fr. Dave then told us about a terrible tragedy that happened on Saturday.

Dave and I had wondered about the traffic tie-up on the big highway between here and the town.  Obviously a truck, dragging a small trailer, was off the road.  Two and a half hours later, the road was still blocked by police and photographers.

One of the young acolytes at St. Francis had been struck by that truck and killed on the highway.  What a sad thing!  Several kids had spent the night together (most of the St. Francis kids), and were running across the highway to someone else's house.  The first kid made it; Giovanni didn't.  The others had to see this terrible accident.

Fr. Dave is also Moab's mayor; he prayed not only for the family and for the church family , but also for the community.  It is a small one and just about everyone knows everyone.  I also am praying for the poor truck driver.  He must be in great emotional pain.

St. Francis will rally around the stricken family; I hope the truck driver also has a church family to surround him and comfort him.

As for the other kids; I hope they learned a lesson that day.  It's a hard one, and nobody would wish it on anyone.  But if it makes them careful, then something good will come out of this terrible accident.

When I returned from town and the laundromat, someone had put balloons tied to a teddy bear and a small cross on the spot where the child was killed.  I expect there will be more memorials there today.

God bless the children; and hug yours today.

This is a friendly town.  It is full of energetic young people who are into healthy living and exercise of all kinds, but especially the out-of-doors.

Consequently, the town is full of interesting places to shop, eat, and just hang out.  We've had breakfast twice in a little restaurant appropriately called the "Eclectic Cafe".  In one way, it is a leftover from the 60's, but also carries some real antiques!  The food is great; the coffee choices can stand up to Starbucks any day.

Then there is the Moab Coffee Roasters:  organic, free trade coffee, with some light food offerings like organic tomato-with-lentil soup.  They also carry an amazing collectionof batiks from Indonesia, all made for the 20-30 somethings, of course.

Moab Brewery features their own beers and an interior decoration made up of every outdoor sport known to man or woman.  It's a hangout for the young, but the food is delicious and the beer great.

The Old Geezers sell their own sausage, as well as some of the finest cuts of meat any where.  Oh, and organic, free-range fresh turkeys for Thanksgiving.

The Book Store is a favorite of mine (I HAVE to stop buying books; I've already had to ship a big box of them to my daughter's to keep for me).  I like to just go in and browse and talk with the salespeople.  Remember Carolyn Seymour's wonderful book store?  This is just as friendly.  They have coffee, of course, and a hot spot for lap tops, and some art supplies.  They are knowledgable about the area and are willing to chat when not too busy.

Today, I went into the "general store", which has everything one could wish for, except for food.  I bought a dish drainer to replace the one we inadvertantly baked in the oven, a hand vac to try to get ahead of the Snuggle-hair, and three men's hankerchiefs ( Dave REFUSES  to use Kleenex).  There wasn't too much I couldn't have purchased there; and attached to this store (named Walker's Drug Store, by the way) is a True Value, in case you are in the market for heavy duty hardware.

I also stopped in at St. Francis' yard sale.  I had hoped to find an old metal dish drainer there for pennies, but all they had was a plastic one.  As I've already baked two of those in the oven, I passed it up for the metal one at Walker's Drugs.

On the way home, I picked up another pound each of the wonderful bacon and sausage and ground round from the Old Geezer's.  When Dave wakes up from his nap, I will grind some more of the Anaconda Dark Roast coffee beans I also got today.

Did you get the heavy stress on organic, free trade?  This is the area for all of that, plus homemade, handmade anything and everything.  Now, I have to have some of that coffee I've been talking about.  It is still in the low 40's, even in the bright sun, and coffee is called for.  Besides, I can't just sit here and smell it; I have to have some!

November 10, 2010,7:36 p.m., Wednesday

We've been incommunicado for several days because we were dry-camping in a lovely BLM campground on the Colorado River.  It is named Goose Island, but the "goose" calls one hears are really Ravens.

Directly in front of the campground, across the Colorado, is a huge redrock wall.  Across the road on the other side of the campground is another redrock wall.  The canyon between is just the width of the road, the campground, and the Colorado. 

We stayed there for a whole week, driven back into civilization only by the need to empty waste water tanks and fill the fresh water tank.  During the days we would tour the area, including the Arches National Park (amazing) and Canyonlands National Park.  The latter is in three distinct sections; we toured the two that are accessible by road.  The third is a hiker only "Maze" of redrock canyons.

We will stay here in the private campground through Sunday, most likely, as we both really like the Moab area.  Our next goal is Escalante National Park, which is south and west of here, across more mountains.

It snowed this afternoon, a wet snow that didn't collect anywhere.  However, the La Sal mountains, to the east of us, have much more snow than they had last week.  So, winter is coming, and we will have to watch the weather as we head west.

November 1, 2010;  November already?!  Happy All Saint's Day

We are home from a wonderful drive up into the Red Cliffs and around the base of snow-capped mountains.  What beautiful country this is!

We stopped for lunch at the top of a pass, looking down into the valley and the Red Cliffs beyond.  I wonder if puppies have to "pop their ears" like humans do?  We had to several times on this ride of 36 miles in 3 hours.

Yesterday we joined the congregation of St. Francis for service.  It's a small group, but very diverse.  They have a special Spanish Mass on Wednesday nights, but many of the Hispanic congregation come on Sundays, also.

Coffee hour was resplendent with MANY wonderful things to eat, all decorated for Halloween.

Dave and Snuggles are taking a nap after our long drive, and I think I will, too.  The coach smells wonderful, with a beef stew in the crockpot.  I should have pleasant dreams!

Slow day today; Dave and Snuggles took a long nap, and I washed puppy things.  Finally, we took a ride through the nearby Red Rock canyon.

 The Colorado River created this particular canyon.  The rock cliffs go straight up from the river and the road that hugs the river.  From one of the lookout points, you can see dinosaur tracks; tracks of a VERY LARGE bird-like dinosaur.

I think I've mentioned several times about the gorgeous weather we have enjoyed since leaving the Alaska caravan (except for the Oregon coast, which we viewed through rain and fog).  Well, tonight it is raining, hard, and the wind is fierce.  I hope it clears tomorrow.  We want to go either tomorrow after church, or the next day to the Arches National Park, which is about 5 miles south of Moab.

Snuggles had a couple "down" days, when she only wanted to snuggle and sit on our laps, very unusual for this very lively puppy.  We think it may have been the high altitude.  Both Dave and I were pretty worn out for a few days, too.

However, she has rallied today; eating well, and wanting to play.  When I brought home her stuffed toys from the laundry, smelling of Bounce, instead of Snuggles, she wasn't sure about them.  But she got over it and now is playing with Dave.

So, all is well with the Holy Rollers.  I'm looking forward to church tomorrow at St. Francis Episcopal Church, where they have an Hispanic Mission.  BTW, the area we are staying in is called Spanish Valley.   I have to find out why.

Hugs to everyone.  Sandra

We left Custer, S. Dak. October 22, driving to Colorado and a lovely campground in Jackson Lake, CO.  We had intended to go to Leadville, CO, the next day.  However, as usual, the Holy Spirit intervened and sent us to a truck repair service outside of Denver.  We had heard some strange noises when Dave braked, so we hunted up some help.

Three days later, two nights in their parking lot, we had new brakes, and the information that Leadville was reached only by going OVER Mt. Eisenhower, and through the Vail pass, which had had MUCH snow the day we were supposed to be driving there!

Also, Leadville was expecting 10 degrees that night.  So, with the help of the service manager at the Freightliner Service Center, we checked out the weather on other routes, and yesterday we drove over another high pass, 11,312 feet, but further south, into Gunnison, CO.  It was a beautiful drive, and the road was nearly all dry, except for the very top of the pass. 

We stayed overnight in Gunnison Lakeside RV, on Blue Mesa Resevoir, where the temperature went down to 10 degrees!!!  But we weathered it without any pipes freezing, etc., and today drove to Moab, Utah.  The drive was gorgeous, over several lower passes, good weather (beautiful, actually), the red rocks against the bright blue sky, and the few aspens still holding their golden leaves shining in the sun.

We glad to be here, however.  From my catbird seat, I can see a big mountain range of white-capped peaks.  From our dining room table, we can see the red cliffs. 

We'll be here a few days, so I'll have this good internet service.  We need this kind of a break; complete with electric, water, sewer, and internet, none of which we had in the truck service parking lot!

Praying for our friend, Jay.  I keep an eye on everyone through FB, and we are appreciative of the e-mails we get from St. Luke's.

God bless, everyone!