Sunday, May 26, 2013

Work & Rides in Moab

Hard at work, maintaining the park...
 
Leslie works full-time in the office.  She is wonderful... she is so friendly and accommodating to the guests.  We can all take lessons from her... and I do!  She has been training me.
 I work my first shift by myself, this evening.
 
 
Harley Rides...
 
 
We've only begun the rides.  We have many routes planned.
 

The ride yesterday took us along the river, through the canyon, over the mountain, through the woods... it was Incredible.

 
 
We passed this group of riders, stopping for a group photo.
 

We rode to an elevation of about 8000 feet.

 


Look at these Views!


 

Off Road Vehicles... Visitors either bring them, or rent them. 

Moab is full of off-road trails everywhere... and these RZR's, or the like, are everywhere.
 
Our neighbors, Jim & Sherry, brought their RZR with them, from Missouri.
 Jeff was lucky enough to get an invite to ride along with Jim on a little outing.

Of course, Jeff came back saying "we need one"... and I would agree, but there is a limit to how much we can pull.  Isn't there?
We're even lucky enough to get to doggy-sit Molly for them.
 

 
 
More to come of our adventures! 


Thursday, May 23, 2013

Dude! Seriously??


WEDNESDAY
Can you believe it??
We just started our new workamping job today...
... and our other partner workampers left today!!
REALLY???

For those of you who have been following our blog... you may remember that this happened to us at our last workamping job.  3 TIMES!!

So we will do what we can... and see how it goes. 
We don't know yet what exactly they will be asking of us.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Settling in for our Summer gig

On the Road Again...
Williams, Arizona to Moab, Utah
360 miles
We gave ourselves 2 days to travel the 360 miles to our new workamping gig in Moab, Utah.
Kayenta, AZ was half-way, so at that point we began looking for a place that we might stay overnight.
The drive was great... in that it offered such a variety of scenery.  Mountains, canyons, trees, sagebrush, water, red rock, unique rock formations, cattle, deer, old farm houses and log cabins.
 
Mexican Hat Rock
 
Church Rock
 

But we drove and drove, thinking we might find a place to stay just up the road a little further.  Finally... we found a good area to stop for the night.  We were just 30 miles out of Moab!!  So it was a 330 mile day!


Here was our home for the night... 
 I fixed dinner, we ate, we walked, watched 2 movies, and had a good nights sleep. 


We've Arrived!
So we arrived early in the day at our Summer home... Spanish Trails RV Park
We settled in quite quickly.

Tomorrow we begin work. 
I will train in the morning with the gal that runs the office Monday-Friday 8-3. 
Then when I've got it down, I will start working my shift of 3-9 Wed-Fri. 
Jeff will find out where stuff is tomorrow, and start doing his thing of keeping the park looking good.

Will keep ya updated on how the job goes.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Williams, AZ... Time to Move On?

Here we are... at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park in Williams, AZ.
It's a good park, in that it is a Passport America park, which allows you 7 days at PA rate... and the sites are paved and wide enough to be comfortable.  Also, the amenities include indoor swimming pool, hot tub, and fitness center... available at their next door hotel. 

We did not have a reservation, but were given, what we found to be an ideal site.  We are next to the laundry building, and we really needed to do some laundry... and we have an end site, so we have no one out our front door (not that we have a back door). 

The downside to this park?  It is right next to the railroad track.  Ideal for taking the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon, with the Depot on site... but not so ideal for sleeping when the cargo trains come through at night.  One night there were 4 trains that came through between 11pm and 2am.  And because they cross over streets, they make themselves known with their loud horns for at least a mile.

But another upside to this park?
Across the railroad tracks is Historic Route 66... where it's happening in Williams.


Two posts ago, after Brewery visits and outings with our friends, we said we were "beered out", and probably wouldn't have another beer until we visited the Grand Canyon Brewery.  Well, we were ready for that beer when we arrived.  As soon as we were settled in, we rode down to US-66 to locate the Brewery.  We found it... but what's this? 

They're CLOSED??


Next door to the Brewery was what seemed to be the most happening place on Route 66... Cruisers.  So we stopped in there.  It seems they are the acting Brewery's eating and drinking establishment. 

They only have the Grand Canyon beers on tap. 
Apparently the brewery is closed due to success.
I guess they're too busy making beer to serve the public on site.


 
We certainly were not disappointed.  It was a very enjoyable time. 

We had a couple good beers, shared a bleu cheese burger with sweet potato fries, and had a great time meeting and chatting with staff, local patrons and visitors.



 We were joined by a group of Vietnam Vet Riders who were on the Ride to the Wall run.  Two of the guys came from Atlanta, Georgia, and they had picked up the other two "Cajuns" in Louisiana.


 Time to Move on?
I think it's fair to say that if you live the full-time RV life, and you go to visit a world-famous sight, that people come from all over the world to see, and your reaction to the site is more like "Ho-Hum... Ya that's pretty"... well it may be time to move on to new territory, to sites not yet experienced.


I came to that realization when we visited the Grand Canyon earlier this week.  We had visited together 2 years ago, and our reaction then was that of total Awe at the brilliance of the landscape.  I guess we expected the same this visit.  We had a great day, but we weren't awe struck.  So it was then that I decided it must be time for us to move on to States we haven't been.
 
 Flagstaff...
On the agenda for one of our days here was to ride to Flagstaff to visit their brewery, hit up the Wal-Mart, and stop at the Grand Canyon Harley dealership in Bellemont.  The forecast did not say anything about storms or rain... just partly cloudy.  Sounded innocent enough... but as we headed East on I-40 we found ourselves heading toward some very dark clouds that were spewing heavy rains.. then it wasn't just ahead of us, but also surrounding us on each side. 
 
 We made it to the Harley shop and took our time looking around, and we set out again with a goal of making it to the brewery and waiting it out there until the storm passed. 
 
We found out later that there are 3 breweries, but the only brewery I had mapped out for us was Flagstaff Brewery, and we agreed this was our worst brewery experience.  Except for the burger we shared... it was a unique bleu cheese burger with grilled pear and balsamic glaze which was good... just not good enough that we would ever go back.
 
 
The storm didn't hit while we were there, so we hoped it had passed over.   No such luck... it changed directions!  Now we were heading back West and heading directly into the storm again.  Jeff picked up the pace (a little faster than I like) trying to get us home dry... we had doo-rags, t-shirt and tank top, no helmets, no sleeves, no jackets... we weren't prepared for anything but sunshine.  We rode in and out of rain drops, but made it home without getting soaked.
 
 
Seligman on Route 66...
It was another day of high winds, but we hadn't done much of anything the day before because of the wind... so we decided to get out despite of the high winds.
We headed for Seligman on Route 66.
We had to take I-40 part way, but we took Route 66 every chance... which was just a few miles at Ash Fork, then the final 19 miles into Seligman.

 

Last visit to Seligman we went to the famous Sno-Cap Diner... a very unique and fun "Burger & Shake Dive".  It's a must... but we are learning... everything ONCE.   And we weren't really hungry, we had a big late breakfast.

So we asked at the gas station... "where's a good place to get a cold beer?"  She told us a few places we could go, but said the place the locals go is the Black Cat.  So that's where we went.

 When we got there, there was just one guy sitting out on the patio (the guy with the cowboy hat).  Inside were a couple guys sitting at the bar.  We got ourselves a beer and went outside. 
Conversation started with Mike, then soon John showed up.  They knew each other well, and we soon started to get to know both of them. 
Then the group grew a little larger when Rob came with wife, Melissa and their 3 children.

Meeting the locals in the small towns that we visit is the best.  I think we knew that but we're finally realizing it.  Mike lives 18 miles out of town... he has a generator and solar power and he has water delivered.  Which at one point became the topic of conversation between the three guys... Apparently the man who delivers the water has had cancer, and they were wondering if anyone has checked on him, because Rob's water was delivered, but Mike's was late being delivered.  Is there someone in line to take over if something happens to Charlie?  Small town conversation... maybe a little like full-time RV conversation about sewer tanks and getting the blue tote to the dump station.
We admire people who live "off the grid".  Mike invited us to come stay on his property any time... what a great offer.
The ride home was crazy with extreme winds... so extreme it ripped my sunglasses off my face.

Schedule Change...
I have been attempting to contact the owner of the RV Park is Moab, since we arrived in Williams.  But no response.  But yesterday, finally a response.  Months ago he had confirmed with us that we would be there on May 17, and we agreed.  But I am one to not move on plans made or confirmed a couple months ago.  I expect to fine-tune the plan as the time approaches.  And I am glad we did not move until we had that fine-tuned confirmation.  When he got back to us he let us know that there was an event going on and our site would not be available until May 20.
So we extended here 3 more days.

 Allergies...
It is 3:00 in the afternoon and I haven't stopped sneezing or blowing my nose since waking.  EVEN after taking a double dose of allergy medicine.
Bad allergy day?  A look at the Allergy forecast on Accuweather says EXTREME for INDOOR DUST & DANDER.  Now I aks ya... What does the weather have to do with the Indoor Dust and Dander?? 
Ok... so if today is a bad day for indoor allergies, maybe I will be better outside!

Later...
Where do the locals go?
This should be the question, wherever we travel.  I had overheard the RV check-in person tell a guest that the local place was Sultana.  We hadn't gone there, and we're still here... so we set out to check it out this afternoon.  Maybe I would stop sneezing if I got out.


 We walked to Sultana.  It looks a little shabby on the outside... but we've all been told to not judge a book by its cover.  Dominique was a joy of a bartender.  Friendly, talkative, and accommodating.  There was a sign on the wall...

What is Jagermeister?  Its a black licorice tasting liqueur.  She offered me a taste... then sold me on a shot. 

Then she asked if Jeff had ever tried Fire Ball Whiskey... tastes just like Big Red cinnamon chewing gum.  So she sold us both on trying something NEW... and NEW is Good!

Did getting out help my allergies?  Not much.  Instead, going out made Jeff's allergies act up.  It was quite humorous.  We walked back to the park both sneezing uncontrollably.

John Deere Harley?
Ever seen one of these?  We spotted this 3 wheeler around town a couple times.  Funny... Jeff has always said that if he were caught on a 3 wheeler it better be to plow his field.
Our thought was that maybe the owner of this trike had said the same thing at one time.
We later ended up meeting the owner, who turns out was also the builder.  He works for Lehman Trikes.  They build custom trikes from Harley's.  This may be Jeff's bike some day.


So we have one more day here in Williams, AZ.  What will we do?  We don't know... but we will be all ready to pull out Sunday morning for our Summer workamping gig.  We will drive half way or more and finish the trip on Monday.



Sunday, May 12, 2013

Cottonwood, AZ - Part 2

Here is a brief highlight of our second week here at Dead Horse Ranch SP...

By far, the best was...

Verde Canyon Railway Train Ride
If you visit this area of Arizona, this train trip is a must... well worth the money. 

It's a four hour train ride through Verde Canyon.  We rode Coach, because we planned on spending most of our time on the outdoor car.  But it seemed everyone in our car decided to ride outside... so it was a bit crowded.  Still enjoyable, but if we went first class there wouldn't have been so many people.  It rained for a few minutes and got a lot cooler so I was glad for the denim shirt I brought along.  



Snakes...
Look at the size of this thing!  One day as we were getting ready to leave, Jeff was backing out the Harley, and he saw this critter slithering right toward me.  He yelled "RUN!"  My thought?  WHICH WAY??  He later realized he should have been more specific, but I chose the right way.  This one wasn't a rattler anyway, it was a bull snake so I wasn't in any harm.

 Later the same day, Jeff saw a very long, thin, solid reddish snake.  Don't know what that one was.



Bicycling...
As is the case with most State Parks, there are many trails and paths, for walking or biking.  We did a lot of biking this past week.  My favorite ride was the path around the lagoons.
We found another trail that ran along the river that we tried for a short distance but not a good idea for bicycles... very narrow with overgrown foliage and a steep drop-off into the river.


Montezuma Castle...
http://www.nps.gov/moca/index.htm

Interesting... but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if we could have climbed up and gone inside!


That's about it!  Not feeling very wordy or creative I guess.

Now we are on our way to Williams, AZ where we will stay 4 nights before making our way to Moab.  We're looking forward to another visit to the Grand Canyon.

Take Care out there y'all.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Cottonwood, Arizona - Part 1

So what have we found to do while staying here in Cottonwood, Arizona?

Old Town Cottonwood...

Mostly antique stores now inhabit the buildings that line Main street in old town Cottonwood.
At the corner of town is Larry's Antiques & Things, "Two Acres of Antiques" their sign says.  We had to check this one out.  A whole lot of stuff, in several buildings, upstairs & downstairs, and all over outside in between the buildings.




 Hikes (or Walks) on the trails at the park... 



Verde Canyon Railroad...
We visited the Verde Canyon Railway station... just to see where it was and ask questions, since we will be taking the Train trip while we are here.      http://verdecanyonrr.com/




Historic town of Jerome...
An old mining town on the hill at 5000 feet.  Its a rundown old town with restaurants, bars and shops (mostly art work and souvenirs).     http://www.azjerome.com/



Ride to Prescott...
From Jerome we rode the very windy road through the mountains of Prescott National Forest.  We climbed to the Mingus Mountain Summit at 7200 feet, then followed the winding road down the other side and into the Prescott Valley.
The warm air and the slow pace up the mountain forced us to stop to let the engine cool down.



Prescott, AZ...
 and a visit to the Prescott Brewing Company... where Jeff had their Ponderosa IPA and I chose their Strawberry Wheat... both very good.



Tuzigoot National Monument...
An ancient pueblo... said to be an ancient village built by the Sinagua people.  http://www.nps.gov/tuzi/index.htm
My opinion? I'm glad we bought the National Park Annual Pass... I could not justify $5 per person.



Red Rocks of Sedona....
  Took a short hike on a trail we accidentally found while riding around the Sedona area. 


The ride to and around Sedona was beautiful... this is OUR kind of terrain.  and a lot like where we will be spending the Summer (Moab, UT).  However... we can't say anything good about all their way to many Roundabouts!  They have roundabouts everywhere!  We hate roundabouts!  How confusing... do I go, do I stop... are they coming this way or turning off that way?  can I trust them to stop?  are they paying attention?  do they know they need to yield?  do they know what that means?


We searched and searched for the Oak Creek Brewery and Grill...  this is by far the most hidden brewery we've been to.  We had to stop twice to ask where it was at.  But it was busy... and very good.  Jeff had their Doc's Pale Ale (since they did not have an IPA) and I had their Horseshoe Hefeweizen, which was exceptional!  We shared a Ruben sandwich with fries and a surprise fried spicy pickle!


We know we are not the only full-time RVers out there that seek out the Brewerys wherever they travel.  So we were thinking about a full-timers club "Brewery Chasers"... whatcha think??

Montezuma Well...
http://www.nps.gov/moca/montezuma-well.htm



Friends...
Harry & Drina drove up Saturday to spend one more day with us before they leave for Oregon and we leave for Utah.  As usual we had a good time.  We went to Jerome... and just had a good time together.  We parked at the bottom of the hill, and walked up into town with The Asylum and Grand Hotel as our destination... but Jeff and Harry got away from Drina and me, and found their way to the Spirit Room (go figure).  Then we checked out some shops.


Historic Jerome Grand Hotel & the Asylum
The walk further up the hill to the Grand Hotel and the Asylum was quite the trek... look at that view.


the Asylum is the restaurant & bar at the Grand Hotel.   We considered lunch, but chose to just sit at the bar and have another beer!

 
Next up was lunch.... we stopped at the Haunted Hamburger, but it was too cramped.  So we walked on down to The Mile-high Club Grill... which proved to be a good choice.



Now, as you might think...  we're all beer'd out.  No more beer.  Until we get to the Grand Canyon Brewery! 

On the schedule for this week...  Train Trip, Montezuma Castle, and some more red rock hikes.

Take 'er easy all!  (we sure are)