10 August 2013, Charlotte, North Carolina

I did my 4:30 am trick again, except it was 5:30 East Coast time. We are going to power drive home. Paul and I both are pretty tired to begin with so we swap drivers fairly often.  When we get to St. Louis, I can't help but pull over for a look at The Gateway Arch.

Both a Cardinals vs Cubs game and a soccer match are going on within a 5-block radius of The Arch. Parking everywhere for an RV was $25. Hmmm, I had read somewhere there was free RV parking, so I persevered until we found a Park Ranger and she pointed the way.  

So this parking is alongside the Missisippi River, under the highway. Looks like a good place to get mugged. Paul and Maxwell go outside while I change and Maxwell comes back in and said he thought there was a gang outside. I said what makes you say that? He said they looked kind of rough and were yelling. I heard yelling and look out the window. I see a pack of men waving a large flag (I later learn it was a Yemenese flag) and screaming. At Paul. Who is taking their picture!!

The Arch is really is a beautiful work of art. I never realized it was called the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial honoring Thomas Jefferson.  

(Happy, huh?)

The boys are smiling because we promised them this was the laaaaast picture we would take.

946 miles, 17 hours, 25 minutes, we are

Home Sweet Home!!!

9 August 2013, Kansas City East KOA, Oak Grove, Missouri

Yesterday, it was evident that Maxwell had reached his limit. The teenager needs to get home. We had planned to stretch this out to the very last day (Sunday the 11th) but it seems my oldest may lose his marbles, so we have endeavored to chop off a day of traveling. Which makes for two very long days behind the wheel.  

We were sad to have such a short visit but glad Paul and Jeff got to catch up after 36 years. We hit the road early and started driving homeward.

I hated to leave the lovely scenery of the west, but one last look....

We stopped somewhere and had a big ol' breakfast at Denny's. Never my favorite, but if you have hungry boys, a great value.

After a day of Kansas and more Kansas, I saw the sign for the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas. It looked like as good a place as any to stretch our legs. There are beautiful grounds, his boyhood home, a museum, library and chapel where he and his parents are interred. Of course it was exactly 4:45, which was the magical closing hour.  We asked the custodial staff to recommend a restaurant and they sent us to Joe Snuffy's. Where the Rousso's had very delicious $12 steaks!

Joe Snuffy came over to chat and suggested we go see the old town of Abilene. These are the original buildings that were once protected by none other than Wild Bill Hickok. 

I called ahead to a KOA in somewhere Missouri, and that is where we called it a night.

8 August 2012, Jeff and Nicole's Driveway, Erie, Colorado

Alex is Eleven!!  Today is Alex's birthday and don't you forget it.

We had a full day planned for today!  The RV park kindly has a Zip line and a rafting experience on the property. We first zipped across the Colorado River

We had a nice lunch and then it was time  to raft the Colorado!  Sadly all of these photos are on my waterproof camera and I don't have a way to upload them.

It was a nice trip first trip down a river for Alex with Class II and III rapids. The water was 57 degrees, and I don't know why we didn't get wetsuits, but when Maxwell was pushed in by Alex, his lips turned blue. When Alex was pushed on by Mark, our river guide, he curled up in a ball and we didn't hear from him for a while. Two rafts serenaded Alex with "Happy Birthday."  We got back to the RV and more perfect timing, the bottom of the sky fell out! Alex was understandably tired and he napped the drive to Denver.

We were scheduled to stay another night in Glenwood Springs but Paul had recently connected with an old friend who lives near Denver and we decided to go take a look at Jeff Kupfer.

Paul and Jeff have not seen one another since the infamous Diamondhead 3/2 overnighter at Camp Blue Star the summer of 1977. If you have not heard this story, stay tuned because Maxwell will be making a feature-length film of it one day!

Jeff and Nicole have a wonderful rec room with vintage items. This was a cool place to relax:

So we did a first and just parked in front of their house for the night!

7 August 2013, Glenwood Canyon, Colorado

OToday Alex is 10. Tomorrow he's 11! Paul and I tried to catch the sunrise at Bryce Canyon at 6:30 but it was too cloudy. It was nice to see the amphitheater again. We were the only ones at Inspiration Point - perfect silence.

Today we drive to Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Rand McNally voted it as "Most Fun Town". I hope to visit the nation's oldest hot springs resort. 

On the way, we had an amazing breakfast in Marysvale, Utah at the Prospector Cafe.

It was crazy because everyone in town drives an ATV. Apparently this is the epicenter for a 900-mile Paiute ATV trail system, the largest in the nation. So, travel tip, if you want to spend a few days ATVing....

Once in Glenwood Springs, we check into our spot and walk down to the "No Name Bar" for a cocktail. We decide to do something completely normal - go to a movie. Playing in the solo theatre in downtown was "Wolverine."  Not my first choice, but something we all could see.

After an Asian dinner at May Palace, I swear the fastest restaurant I've ever been to, we turn in because Alex has a big day tomorrow!!

6 August 2013, Ruby's Inn Campground, Bryce Valley, Utah

Lovely Bryce Canyon. 57 degrees this morning. I meant to bring the griddle but still managed to make decent pancakes in a skillet. We had our breakfast outside in one of the nicer spots we have had.  

We visited the rangers and saw the little film about Bryce.  

Apparently, I am torturing my family - see!

We drove a few miles further to the most beautiful place we have seen yet in this trip.  Bryce Canyon is home of the "hoodoo". Hoodoos are tall skinny spires of rock that protrude from the bottom of arid basins. At Bryce Canyon, hoodoos range in size from that of an average human to heights exceeding a 10-story building. Formed in sedimentary rock, hoodoo shapes are affected by the erosional patterns of alternating hard and softer rock layers. Thirty to 40 million years ago this rock was "born" in an ancient lake that covered much of Western Utah. Minerals deposited within different rock types cause hoodoos to have different colors throughout their height. And that concludes the educational segment.

And no, words cannot describe and pictures cannot do it justice. Just know that this definitely makes the top ten list of places you must visit one day!!

Horse-averse Maxwell did not want to ride horses so we rented ATV's for an hour and got filthy!!

Back home - whew!!

Having had visions of nightly s'mores, we finally had a night with a fire and blazing marshmallows.

5 August 2013, Ruby's Inn Campground, Bryce Valley, Utah

104.  The temperature in Vegas today.  I've been to Vegas during the summer months on several occasions but somehow manage to purge from my memory just how damn hot it can be. And don't talk to me about "dry" heat unless you want to mention it's like standing with a giant hair DRYer blowing on you. And sundown offers no respite either. 

We slept in, which was delicious.  We wandered around and showed the boys some of the hotels. It was so hot, though, even if we stayed mostly inside, it was miserable.

Alex found a really big donut!

We unanimously agreed to get the heck out of Las Vegas. So Paul went to the parking lot to get the RV. Whoa! Guess what happens to wine when forgotten in your vehicle the desert? One bottle of red exploded.  The other popped its cork.

Big full-bodied aroma permeated the RV!!

Anyway we went by Cruise America to have our oil changed.  We were told to have the oil changed every 2-3000 miles and we were definitely over that. We walk into a swarm of Europeans. One room had the instructional video going in French and the adjacent room was spouting German.  This was not our first experience being the only Americans. At Lake Powell we didn't hear any English either.

Anyway, when the service tech finally got around to us he said we were good for another 8000 miles. WTH?? Oh well, one last stop before leaving the desert - The Zombie Apocalypse Store. Yeah - you read that right!

We have seen lots and lots of rocks on this trip and the boys are soooo tired of hearing us say look left and look right, but when we came across the Virgin River Gorge, we really had to take a good look.  It looked other-worldly.

We arrived at Ruby's Inn and had enough time to check in and then go to alate dinner. This resort is right outside of Bryce Canyon and had been there for over 90 years. Again, all the Europeans!

I asked our server about them and he said he would estimate that 80% of their guests were French, German and Italian.  I guess when you have 6 weeks off that's what you do - rent an RV and explore the great American West.

4 August 2013, The Four Seasons, Las Vegas, Nevada

It's 4 am and I am wide awake. All I have to do is unplug our shore line and drive into the sunrise.  

For me, the early riser, this is actually the very best part of RV travel.  I don't have to drag comatose teenager out of bed, feed young son breakfast, wait for husband to drink two cups of coffee and read the New York Times.  I just slip under the wheel and go.

We have a date with a helicopter at 1:00. We are going on a tour of Lake Mead, the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.   

I rode with a cabdriver that spooked me. He said he used to be a long haul trucker and the I-15's slow but steep ascent over the Mojave Desert was bad - to turn off the AC and watch my temp. I had visions of overheating, or somehow being delayed and missing our 1:00. Note to self:  do not make exorbitantly expensive non-refundable plans that will be negatively affected if arrival to the destination is delayed.  It was a nail-biter. Paul was oblivious.

Planning this trip three months ago, I actually had some common sense in addition to a great suggestion from uber traveler David Levine to make reservations at a hotel.  I thought we might want to sleep in a nice bed. I was worried that we might have a hard time time cooling off the RV in the 100+ weather. I thought the RV park looked like it was in a sketchy part of town. Turns out I was right on all accounts. The Four Seasons was a wonderful respite for these weary travelers.

I just love The Four Seasons' thoughtful touches.  Alex freaked out when he went into the bathroom and this awaited him:

He thought perhaps a psychic was at work.  And, in a few minutes when there was a knock at the door and this was delivered:

Both boys were sold on The Four Seasons!

Maxwell set up shop in front of the TV. Poor thing hasn't seen television in 9 days. The rest of us took showers and prepared for our adventure.  

Alex's first limousine ride to the heliport:

After a short video we all hopped on board.  

Did I mention that it was hot? 104 degrees hot.  It may have been hot but the chopper ride was cool. Very cool.  We flew over Hoover Dam. 

Beautiful Lake Mead. It is a gorgeous lake. At some point it is 489' feet deep.  

Finally, the amazing, indescribable Grand Canyon!!

We had a light lunch and time for some pictures and then we were off again.

In the distance you can see where the muddy Colorado River dumps into Lake Mead.

We returned to our elegant, well-appointed room where Paul promptly passed out for twelve hours. 

Maxwell and I went in search of dinner while we left The Folder (Origami) and the exhausted one.  It was eye-opening for Maxwell to see $80 steaks and $50 Wagyu burgers. We settled down at a semi-reasonable (ha!) place.  

We walked through Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, New York New York and Monte Carlo at which point we reached full saturation. The fountains of Bellagio would just have to wait until another trip.