Pricked by sarahcofer with Nomao
Thursday, June 5, 2008
June 4 – Honeyville Utah to Moab Utah ….and yes…it is still raining.
The drive itself was gorgeous today! North and Eastern Utah is mountainous country with hills and mountains! Gorgeous! But, it is raining, and raining hard. I am beginning to think it might be following us! So we didn’t stop at the Water Park in Salt Lake.
We stopped at a town called Helper, and visited their mining museum. We found that youth as young as 8 were helping in the mine with their fathers! (Where do I sign up the kids?) The most interesting aspect were the signs in different languages…..This was a diverse area in the late 1800s and early 1900s!
Next we motored on to Arches National Park. Their campground was full, so we drove the rest of the way in to Moab! Moab is definitely a destination resort town. BUT, the water park is permanently closed! This is three water parks that we have NOT been able to visit! So, the alternative was to go looking for legos. (We can play legos in the rain!) Moab Utah has NO legos in the entire town! Sorry, folks, but as a town, it just lost major points for us!
As we passed the top of Arches National Park, Mac saw a Bar M Chuckwagon with live music. We decided to go back there for dinner, and stay at Dead Horse campground.
We drove all the way in to Dead Horse Campground (22 miles) and witnessed an amazing thunderstorm coming across the rocks. The visitors information center was closed so we headed back to the Chuck Wagon!
The Bar M Chuck wagon is A MUST for anyone to visit that is in the area. The dinner was splendid, there was a “real” gunfight complete with a chicken falling out of the sky, and the actors arguing about who got to be “sheriff” next time, AND live music at the end. (Check out my tweet roll at the bottom) It was a fantastic experience. We decided to stay at the Private RV place just up the road from the Chuck Wagon. (And it has free wireless…WOOT!)
Tomorrow we are heading into Canyonlands, and Arches, and then on to Hole in the Rock and Hovencamp! Rain is predicted! I am certain it is following us at this point!
We stopped at a town called Helper, and visited their mining museum. We found that youth as young as 8 were helping in the mine with their fathers! (Where do I sign up the kids?) The most interesting aspect were the signs in different languages…..This was a diverse area in the late 1800s and early 1900s!
Next we motored on to Arches National Park. Their campground was full, so we drove the rest of the way in to Moab! Moab is definitely a destination resort town. BUT, the water park is permanently closed! This is three water parks that we have NOT been able to visit! So, the alternative was to go looking for legos. (We can play legos in the rain!) Moab Utah has NO legos in the entire town! Sorry, folks, but as a town, it just lost major points for us!
As we passed the top of Arches National Park, Mac saw a Bar M Chuckwagon with live music. We decided to go back there for dinner, and stay at Dead Horse campground.
We drove all the way in to Dead Horse Campground (22 miles) and witnessed an amazing thunderstorm coming across the rocks. The visitors information center was closed so we headed back to the Chuck Wagon!
The Bar M Chuck wagon is A MUST for anyone to visit that is in the area. The dinner was splendid, there was a “real” gunfight complete with a chicken falling out of the sky, and the actors arguing about who got to be “sheriff” next time, AND live music at the end. (Check out my tweet roll at the bottom) It was a fantastic experience. We decided to stay at the Private RV place just up the road from the Chuck Wagon. (And it has free wireless…WOOT!)
Tomorrow we are heading into Canyonlands, and Arches, and then on to Hole in the Rock and Hovencamp! Rain is predicted! I am certain it is following us at this point!
June 3 Fruitland, Idaho to Honeyville, Utah and rain!
As we were passing through Nampa, Idaho a sign to the “Warhawk Air Museum” on the freeway beckoned us! My eldest child is into all things aeronautical and World Military conflicts of any kind! We followed the signs to the museum, and made a mad dash through the rain for the entrance. http://www.warhawkairmuseum.org/
It was a stunning air museum with a large collection of World War exhibits, but perhaps the most intriguing part of our visit was a talk with James Briggs. (A retired WW2 air force gunner.) He spent over an hour talking to us about his experiences, and observations! He had harrowing stories of limping a plane back to England, and hospital stays. He was a delight, and I think speaking with him made an incredible impact on Mac (Sir Takzalot)
We left Nampa, and drove right by the water park we were set on visiting. It was raining AND an entire 53 degrees…The water park hadn’t even bothered to unlock their parking lot!
We drove through Southern Idaho, and drove, and drove. It rained, and rained, and rained! I began to realize that Southern Idaho is pretty much farms, and sagebrush.
The Welcome to Utah sign through the rain!
North Eastern Utah is gorgeous! (Mountains and hills, and green fields.) Much of it reminds me of Eastern Oregon, but far greener! I found myself wondering how much of the green was because of the recent rain, and if it usually is dry like Eastern Oregon? As well as wondering how much snow they get in the winter!
We were trying to make Salt Lake City but 320 miles occurred about Tremonton! Tired of the driving, and the rain, we began to look for camping spots when we saw the Crystal Hot Springs sign!
Located in Honeyville, Utah, Crystal Hot Springs is a rustic hot springs with two pools one that is fresh water and one that is SALT water! I have never been in a hot springs that is salt water! Interesting feeling…I am wondering what it is reputed to cure. The pool was a bit murky, and some of the tiles were in need of repair. They also had a 1980’s water slide. (You know the ones that first came out that were all the rage, until people started getting fiberglass splinters in unnamed places!) The people sliding were doing so on mats, they appeared to be having fun! We arrived at ten o’clock at night, so the kids didn’t get a chance to play on the slide, but we did swim in the salt water. (Reaction to the salt water by both kids was “Yuck, don’t put your head under!”)
It was a stunning air museum with a large collection of World War exhibits, but perhaps the most intriguing part of our visit was a talk with James Briggs. (A retired WW2 air force gunner.) He spent over an hour talking to us about his experiences, and observations! He had harrowing stories of limping a plane back to England, and hospital stays. He was a delight, and I think speaking with him made an incredible impact on Mac (Sir Takzalot)
We left Nampa, and drove right by the water park we were set on visiting. It was raining AND an entire 53 degrees…The water park hadn’t even bothered to unlock their parking lot!
We drove through Southern Idaho, and drove, and drove. It rained, and rained, and rained! I began to realize that Southern Idaho is pretty much farms, and sagebrush.
The Welcome to Utah sign through the rain!
North Eastern Utah is gorgeous! (Mountains and hills, and green fields.) Much of it reminds me of Eastern Oregon, but far greener! I found myself wondering how much of the green was because of the recent rain, and if it usually is dry like Eastern Oregon? As well as wondering how much snow they get in the winter!
We were trying to make Salt Lake City but 320 miles occurred about Tremonton! Tired of the driving, and the rain, we began to look for camping spots when we saw the Crystal Hot Springs sign!
Located in Honeyville, Utah, Crystal Hot Springs is a rustic hot springs with two pools one that is fresh water and one that is SALT water! I have never been in a hot springs that is salt water! Interesting feeling…I am wondering what it is reputed to cure. The pool was a bit murky, and some of the tiles were in need of repair. They also had a 1980’s water slide. (You know the ones that first came out that were all the rage, until people started getting fiberglass splinters in unnamed places!) The people sliding were doing so on mats, they appeared to be having fun! We arrived at ten o’clock at night, so the kids didn’t get a chance to play on the slide, but we did swim in the salt water. (Reaction to the salt water by both kids was “Yuck, don’t put your head under!”)
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Somewhere Between Juntura and Vale....
We managed to pull out of Bend at about 3:00 on Monday. Food purchased at Costco, not put away however, just stacked in the RV, clothes packed….younguns refused to travel Naked….imagine that!?!
It never ceases to amaze me how geographically diverse the state of Oregon is. If we take in to account my travels on Sunday, within 24 hours, I drove from a coastal setting, through a temperate rain forest, through grass lands, over four (maybe five…Coastal Range, Cascade Range, Stinking Water Pass, Drinking Water Pass, and Stinking Water Pass, unnamed pass between Juntura and Vale ) mountain passes, through a high desert, and a high plateau.
As we were passing table top rocks out of Burns, we were discussing Native Americans and how hard it would have been to survive in such a climate. Dusty let me know that those cliffs would have been perfect for Indians. (He is a glass half full person.) I was listing the reasons why it would be incredibly hard to survive amongst the sage brush with now water, and he stopped me…
Native Americans ran buffalo off cliffs like that! Those were “perfect” cliffs! Not too tall, but tall enough to do deadly damage to the buffalo, but not to wide either, so it wouldn’t take the Native Americans all day to get to the bottom to work on the dead buffalo. Also, according to Dusty, Native Americans used all parts of the animal, including the teeth and bones, but other animals (got ya…you thought it was going to be Caucasians) like chipmunks and squirrels tend to leave the bones and teeth alone!
The child was a fountain of buffalo, and Native American information! I inquired as to where he had gotten all this knowledge, and he said with a shrug “Mrs. Jordan.” Thank you, Mrs. Jordan! You see, he was paying attention.
Now, does anyone know if there were herds of buffalo in Eastern Oregon?
Between Bend and Ontario is desolate. We didn’t see much traffic, in fact, the entire 310 miles; we didn’t see more than 20 semi trucks!! Perhaps gas prices are slowing traffic! (This is good because I am a bit out of practice driving the RV, so the more I have the road to myself, the better!!)
Somewhere between Juntura and Vale, driving an incredibly straight highway for miles and miles and miles, and seeing sage brush and grasses, but not much else, I had an overwhelming urge to turn the RV around and head for home. (This must have been when the fatigue started setting in!!) If I was bored in Eastern Oregon…how the heck will I get across Kansas????? Oh, that’s why we are NOT going through Kansas…I just hope the Albuquerque – Amarillo – Oklahoma City leg has something to look at!
The plan was to stop in Meridian at a water park and then try to make Salt Lake City tonight, but the weather gods are not paying attention! (Or messing with us!) It is overcast, and windy in Fruitland, and the weather forecast in Meridian is not much better! So, we will push on down 84 and see if we can make Salt Lake City today.
I am off to make coffee, and feed the mantids!
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