BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 10

Monday, June 27

We are currently hanging out at the Winnemucca RV Park in Winnemucca, Nevada.  This is a one night lay over as we make our way to Deer Creek State Park near Midway, Utah, the home of my brother Todd and his wife Mauna.  "What is in Winnemucca?" you ask.  Casinos, restaurants, casinos, gas stations, casinos, bars, casinos, Walmart, and casinos.  Even the gas stations have slot machines!!  We passed copper mines on the way here and there are workers mining for gold up north.   We drove around looking for the 'Wild West Saloon' but we couldn't find it, not even with the GPS! . . . . . Uh Oh. . . Steve just found it advertised in a magazine . . . and it is more than just a saloon, if you know what I mean!  We won't be going!!!

Wednesday, June 29

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY TO

CADE COSTELLO!!!!!

We arrived at the Iron Horse RV Resort in Elko, Nevada on the 28th.  Once we got settled in we took a drive to Lamiolle Canyon.  It was late in the day and I was having pizza withdrawal symptoms so we headed back to town, ordered a pizza for supper and were in for the evening.  There have been times in the past when we did not have cable TV access and it was at those times that we got somewhat hooked on 'The Voice' because that was all we could find.  So we spent the evening eating pizza and watching the show.  The show is just a little cheesy, OK maybe alot.  Steve likes CeeLo Green but the only thing that keeps my interest is Adam Levine from Maroon 5.   :)  We are heading back to the canyon this morning for a closer look (after Steve finishes watching some history program about the Greeks and the Persians) and we are going to the end of the road.  Hopefully we can find our way back!!!  You can bet that I am taking my snake boots since on our drive out yesterday evening we passed two snakes making their way across the road.  YIKES!!  I will have pictures up in the near future. . . .

Friday, July 1

This canyon trip ranks right near the top of our favorite visited sites on our BIG Adventure.

There was one road into the canyon and the same road out.  Of course, we went to the end of the road and you can see the elevation we reached at the end of the road.  There were a variety of different trails that lead up into the higher elevations but we decided to pass!  Besides, most of these trails were snow covered. 



Note the elevation!!!!
What do you do at almost 8800 feet?
Throw snow balls of course!!



An Avalanche Chute

There were some hard working beavers in the canyon!!!

On our way out of the canyon we noticed a storm brewing over the mountains so we decided to call it a day!

We are currently at Deer Creek State Park south of Salt Lake City, Utah.  My brother Todd lives about 7 miles from the park in Midway, Utah.  He was our tour guide today as we visited downtown Salt Lake City. 

Stay Tuned!!! . . .

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 9

HELLO from RENO, NEVADA

I bet your wondering how we got to Reno after all of the issues with the truck's air conditioner and a slight issue with the brakes on the trailer but we finally got out of Modesto, CA and we are back 'on the road again'!  The air conditioner is blowing out 50 degree air, but when we get 7000 feet above sea level air conditioning is not necessary!!  It was so hot in Texas and New Mexico that we are appreciating the 70 and 80 degree temperatures and the nice breeze from the ocean that blows through the mountains. 

Where have we been over the past week or so?  Well, we have not been just sitting around.  We have been to the Sequoia National Park, Yosemite, and San Francisco.  At the moment we are sitting in the trailer at the Chism RV Park, in Reno, just hangin' out because we are somewhat exhausted!!!  We plan to go to the Circus Circus casino tonight and lose a little money.   So today is catch up day:  a little blog work, a little laundry, and little bill paying because life goes on back home in Ohio!  So here is a little sampling of what we have seen over the past week or so:

Sequoia National Park

If you have not been here put it on your list of places to see.   Words and pictures will not do it justice! 



Yes, that's me standing below McKinley tree
which is on the left behind the pine tree.

Yosemite



       Bridal Falls, where Steve walked to the base

 and got soaked!! I didn't go quite as far!

Lower Falls
We got soaked at its base also!!!!



On to SAN FRANCISCO

What a city!!!

We entered the city by crossing the Bay Bridge

and left by crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.

We made our way to downtown San Francisco to the Visitor Center and quickly decided to go to Chinatown.  Downtown was very busy with not only people but also street cars, cable cars, and buses and each of them had a designated driving lane which was very confusing to us newbies!  It was great to see and be a part of but we prefer the simpler life!!

A zigzag section of Lombardi Street.

Chinatown

We had lunch at Kan's. 
Steve had the Fish with Black Bean Sauce
and I had the Sweet and Sour Chicken
but that was after we each had three egg rolls. 
We were very hungry!!!!

 Fisherman's Wharf

A view of Alcatraz

Some of the locals along Pier 39!

The view from Pier 41.

The Golden Gate Bridge

Check out the traffic! 

On to the Pacific Ocean

We just had to drive along the coastline up highway 1 but we didn't realize how mountainous it would be.  Nevertheless we made it back down to Muir Beach!

From here we made our way across the Sierra Nevada Mountains on I-80 to Reno, Nevada.  It was a beautiful drive.  The Truckee River was rapidly flowing with water from the snow melt and it just so happens that this river flows right behind out rv park and through the center of Reno!

Surfin' the River ? !! ?

As Steve always says. . . "A fool and his (or her) money are soon parted."

He lost $5 and I lost $40.  But Steve considers it gambling and I consider it entertainment!!

A Special HELLO to Bob and Nancy.

Have a great time on your cruise!!

Also a BIG HELLO to:

Emma, Dalen, Benjamin, and Ethan Matthews

Jack, Trey, Chase, and Tess Daugherty

Cade, Jace, and Beck Costello

and

Mia Flora Cain

We Love You and miss you ALL!!

Stay tuned. . . .

Special Edition #2

Beck Garrett Costello

Better known as Grandchild NUMBER 12!

Born: June 16, 2011

8 pounds 2 ounces, 21 inches long

GrandDad says: 

"He looks just like me. . . handsome!"

Special Edition. . . Big Adventure

Today there are no pictures.  I will return to the regular blog in the near future but we are taking a break today.  As you may know we had trouble with the air conditioner on the truck in Roswell, New Mexico. . . those darn aliens!!  After a $1400 bill we pulled away from Roswell Toyota believing all of our troubles were over. . . NOT.  By the time we reached Blythe, California it was blowing HOT air so we made our way to Indio, California where we were told that the air conditioning had a slow leak.  The service department at Indio recharged it (which only lasted half a day) and added some dye.  But they couldn't find a leak and suggested that we drive it for a few days and then stop at another Toyota dealer along our travels and have them search for the leak.  So today we arrived in Modesto, California with plans to visit Yosemite and San Francisco but our first stop was Modesto Toyota.  We arrived around 8:30am and were greeted with friendship and smiles.  To make what could easily be a long story short, after 6 hours of wait time, during which I was very patient (up until the last half hour!) we are told that the mechanic in Roswell did not atttach something correctly and the   expansion valve, whatever that is, was destroyed. . . a $1600 whatever!  At this point I nearly lost it but I am trying to hang in there.  :)  Who will pay is the big question????  Modesto does not want to incur the cost and most definitely neither do we. . . so maybe Roswell Toyota. . .the answer to this question will be determined tomorrow.  OK, so we go to rent a car from the dealership and the nice young lady says they have just one rental left and it is being washed and wants to know if we will wait.  WAIT.....really? I have been waiting for over 6 hours now.  It is at this time that I nearly lose it. . . not to yell or scream at anyone. . .but just to have a good old fashioned crying meltdown.  It took all I had not to because I knew if I did your dad, or Steve to some of you, who was all ready about to lose it as well, would go over the edge. 

It is now around 8:00pm California time and we have had a little time to mellow with a little help from a nice steak dinner, a couple of drinks, and a nice comfortable room at the Modesto Comfort Inn.  I sure am looking forward to a soaking bath after a dip in the pool.  We are both looking very hard for the good in this situation and are trying very hard not to let it ruin the day or our time spent in California.  Will we have to modify our plans a little?  Probably.  Nevertheless, we have a lot of great places to visit yet and look forward to what lies ahead down the roads we will travel.

Here is just a little tease of what you will see in the upcoming post. . .

stay tuned. . .

BIG Adventure. . . Chapter 8

Monday, June 13

We have arrived at Las Cruces, New Mexico and are staying one night at the Siesta RV Park.  We are working our way toward Tucson, Arizona and Tombstone.  It is very hot now that we have reached the southern part of the state again.  Steve does not want to grill out and I do not want to cook in so we will be eating out tonight!!  We traveled down I-25 from Albuquerque which follows the Rio Grande.  It is easy to see which way the river goes.  All you have to do is look for the GREEN!   Everything else is brown.  We passed by several mountain ranges on our way to Las Cruces and the pictures probably do not do them justice!  It is beautiful in its own way!

                             Evening along the Rio Grande

Tuesday, June 14

We got up very early this morning to hook up the trailer to avoid the heat.  It was 61 degrees at 6:00 am and should reach 105 degrees later today.  We had dinner last night at La Posta and took a short drive to the Riverwalk along the Rio Grande.  We are currently driving along I-10 toward Tucson and have traveled through several sections of the interstate called 'Safety Corridors'.  These sections of roadways have been designated as high crash areas and speeding fines are doubled in these safety corridors.  The speed limit is 75 mph and we don't reach that very often!!  So I don't think we have anything to worry about!  But it is a very flat and monotonous drive so I can understand the concern.  We have also passed through our first Border Patrol stop on the interstate.  There must have been 20 border patrol officers and a couple drug dogs checking all of the vehicles.  We were a little suprised that they did not look inside the trailer for illegals!  We must have looked very innocent and naive!!  

We saw these boulders at a rest stop along the I-10

in Arizona.  They seemed to be teetering on each other

waiting to fall!!

We finally reached Tucson and are staying at the Cactus Country RV Park.  We spent the rest of day antique shopping.  Tomorrow we plan to visit Tombstone, Arizona and the O.K. Corral.

Wednesday, June 15

Before we left for Tombstone I called to inquire about the fire that is burning to the west of town.  I was assured that all was well so we made the hour journey south to Tombstone.  Not only is there a fire west of town, the Monument fire, but also two fires off to the east.  I was told that these two fires have been burning for about one month but the fire to the west is the one that is causing evacuations.  The smoke billowing from the mountain peaks is very ominous looking as you can see from these pictures.

Pictures from Tombstone, Arizona



                 

              I think I'll pass!

Local stagecoach rides

Big Nose Kate's Saloon

Big Nose Kate was Doc Holliday's girlfriend in tombstone!!

Inside Big Nose Kate's

Even though it looks like Willie Nelson and sounds like Willie Nelson doesn't mean it is Willie Nelson!!

This man grabbed me by the arm and led me to the back of the saloon and motioned Steve to take a picture.  It made for a nice photo opp but was a

tad-bit on the creepy side!!!

We also visited the BOOTHILL Graveyard.



                              Courthouse Gallows                                    OOPS!!!                                        

The McLaury's were killed in the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone in 1881 by Doc Holliday and the Earp brothers.

Thursday, June 16

Saguaro National Park



Food of the Day????  HOTDOGS!!

Not just any hotdog. . .Tucson Sonoran Hotdogs

  

We also stopped at the. . .

They make good hotdogs, too.  And best of all, both places wrap

their dogs with BACON!!  YUM!!!

We are looking forward to moving north and getting out of this heat.  We are leaving in the morning and working our way into California towards Sequoia National Park making a couple of over night stops along the way.  I am looking forward to our overnight stop at Santa Clarita where we will be staying in a hotel.  We could both use a good soaking bath!!

So long from Tucson, Arizona!!!!!!!!!!

P.S.  Grandchild number 12 arrived today!  More info soon!!