SUNDAY,
MAY 10
Navidad had another
“first” this morning! Before I pulled
out of our site at the RV Park in Glendale [UT], and as soon as I unzipped the
carrier’s top flap, he immediately jumped out onto the passenger seat. He looked around for a brief moment, gave out
a couple of “meows,” and then – I could just see the wheels turning in his head
- he hopped right back in! The only
other time I’d ever seen him get in the carrier so willingly was at the vet’s!
Waking up to sunshine
this morning, I noted how much prettier the nearby hills and the apple orchard
looked in the glistening rays. Even
then, I still stuck to my decision to drive on the historic Rt. 9 through Zion
National Park another time. Reviewing my
map last night, I considered two route options for the return to Arizona. I could take Rt. 89 south all the way back to
Page, AZ, or I could see a little bit more of Utah by taking Rt. 89 north to
Rt. 14 W. I chose the latter…and that
was the absolutely best decision!
Designated a Utah
Scenic Byway, this two-lane, 40-mile highway traverses through a beautiful
forest of pine and aspen trees. At the
highest point of the plateau, the elevation is 11,000 feet. As we started up, I noticed patches of snow
on the ground. Then there was more snow,
and finally, on the approach to the highest point, the entire landscape was
covered in bright white snow. Against
the clear blue sky, the snow on the branches of the pine trees just simply
added to the beauty of this picturesque scene.
Me happy? You bet!
Rt. 14 ended at Cedar
City where I then connected to I-15 S and headed for Leeds, UT. I stopped
early, around noon, at the Zion West RV Park.
Navidad and I will spend our third, and final, night in Utah at this
park. Nothing spectacular about the
place but I do have WiFi and, much to my relief, the cable seems to work on my TV. AND, it’s warmer, much warmer!
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| Snow around Navajo Lake, Route 14 Scenic Byway, Utah. |
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| Surrounded by snow, Route 14 Scenic Byway, Utah. |
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| At the snowy top of Utah’s Route 14 Scenic Byway, ready to descend. |
MONDAY, MAY 11
We got back on I-15 S
which took us through the last few miles of Utah and around 15 miles of Arizona
before we crossed into Nevada. When I
travel in the truck camper I generally try to avoid the interstate, but
sometimes there’s really no choice. In
this case, it’s the Grand Canyon, but this section of I-15 was actually a very
scenic drive through gorgeous rocky cliffs and canyons – the Paiute Wilderness,
according to my map.
About 20 minutes after
crossing into Nevada, we connected to Rt. 169 S and headed for the Valley of
Fire State Park, near Overton. I visited
this state park once before in the truck camper and very much enjoyed my stay
there. At that time I selected a
campground site without hookups. This
time, I picked a loop site in a different campground area that provides
electric and water. It’s quite warm down
here and I wanted to be prepared in case it became necessary to use the air
conditioning in the camper. I was
thinking of Navidad – gotta have the creature comforts for my feline creature.
Around 1:15 p.m., we
were all set up at our site and, with all the windows open in the camper, we
had a fairly nice cool breeze coming through.
It was so nice I decided not to bother opening my laptop. Instead, and for the first time since
starting this trip, I pulled out a book – Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep – and sat outside to read.
Come bedtime, the
breeze still felt so good I decided to leave open the two windows next to the
bed and the overhead vent cover. And to
think that just a few days ago, up in Glendale, Utah, it was so cold I had to
turn the heat on!
TUESDAY,
MAY 12
During the night, Navidad
became excited about something outside and his movements woke me up. He looked out one side window, then looked
out the cabover window, and then scurried over to look out the other side
window. I peered out, too, but didn't see anything.
Valley of Fire State
Park “…is the oldest state
park in Nevada, USA and was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1968. It covers an area of almost 42,000 acres
(17,000 ha) and was dedicated in 1935. It derives its name from red
sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of
dinosaurs. These features, which are the centerpiece of the park's attractions,
often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays.” (Wikipedia)
Before leaving the
state park, I drove to a couple of sites to take pictures of some of the rock formations. The first time I was here, my photos didn't come out too great because the sky was overcast that time. With the sun out today, hopefully I've done some justice to the beauty of these red rocks.
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| Our site at Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. |
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| My truck camper, dwarfed by a massive red rock. |
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| The obligatory showoff, “climbing” a Beehive rock formation. |
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| Red “Beehive” rocks, ancient and beautiful. |
We were on the road for
three hours today (Routes 169 S, 93 N, and 95 S). The legend on my map shows Rt. 169 to be a
scenic highway. I probably wouldn't dub
it as such but it was a nice two lane curvy road that traversed through a
rather barren desert landscape of brown/beige hills. Running parallel to Rt. 169, although you couldn't see much of it, is Lake Mead, another man-made lake, created by the
Hoover Dam.
During this drive on
Rt. 169, Navidad finally found the courage to get out of his carrier – part way
– for about a minute! His front half was
on my lap, his back half still in the carrier. I've been coaxing him…BUT, seriously, do I even want him loose in the
truck while I’m driving? I really need
to think about this one…seriously.
At Boulder City, NV,
just before we got on Rt. 95 S, I stopped at a Vons to get a few things. Navidad came along, natch!
Arriving at a town
called Searchlight, we turned left and drove 14 miles down this road to the
Cottonwood Cove Marina and Resort.
There’s an RV park here as well, but this place is primarily a Lake Mead
recreation area for houseboats and other water activities, including
fishing. I don’t think their season has
got underway yet because the whole place appeared to be devoid of people,
except for some staff. They have a café there
but even that was closed!
WEDNESDAY,
MAY 13
The oft-heard refrain from
family and friends to “Have a good time
and drive safely!” is truly a well-meaning suggestion that we should take
to heart when we travel. And most especially
when you’re driving something big and heavy such as, in my case, a truck
camper. You can’t know what’s ahead of
you and you just gotta pay attention. I
saw two things while driving today that will attest to this bit of wisdom. The first was a spot-on lucky sighting. And the second was downright dangerous.
Shortly after getting
back on that 14-mile road to return to Rt. 95 S, a low-flying bird appeared in
my line of vision. Looks like a hawk, I
thought, but what’s that thing dangling under it? Is that a rope? Heck, no!
It was a snake! The bird had a
snake gripped in its talons! As it flew
past, I could see the bird’s red tail.
Yup, it’s a hawk alright, with a snake for breakfast!
The second incident occurred
about two hours later. Rt. 95 S took us
into California; 25 miles later, we connected to I-40 E, soon crossing the
Colorado River back into Arizona where I soon got on Arizona’s Rt. 95 S. This highway took us right back to Lake
Havasu City, where Navidad and I spent our first night in the camper [on April
15].
Just as I got through
the busiest stretch of Lake Havasu City – and before the four-lane highway
again became a two-lane highway - I was driving on the far right lane. I was about 15 car lengths behind this car when
that driver suddenly swerved to the left lane.
Directly in front of me now, on my lane and growing larger as I sped
closer, was an oblong object that took up almost the entire width of my
lane. I hit the brakes and, remembering
the truck that was behind me, activated my flashers.
It’s incredible,
thinking about it now, how the brain functions when on overdrive. In a matter of a few seconds, I stopped just
feet from the object, glanced at my driver’s side mirror and saw the truck move
to the next lane and pass me, noted that there were, fortunately, no other
vehicles behind the truck, and then returned my gaze to the object in front of
me – an aluminum ladder. Gee, my brain observed,
that ladder looks just like the one I have in my garage at home, the one I use
to raise all 5’1” of me (or maybe it’s 5’0” by now) a little higher to reach
for something.
As I slowly drove
around the ladder I spotted a work crew on the other side of the highway. I waved at one of the guys. He smiled and waved back but then immediately
became rigid when I started frantically pointing “back there.” He turned his head to look and then - oh,
bless him! - from my mirror I saw him run towards the ladder. Earlier, I looked skyward and saw a hawk with
its morning prize. Knowing all was well
now regarding the ladder, I looked skyward again and said a silent “thank you…”
Navidad and I were on
the road for four hours today – we’d been driving through the deserts of
Nevada, California, and now Arizona.
Although the open windows were fine for me, I did turn on the air conditioning
twice just to make sure Navi wasn't becoming too warm. Shortly after driving through Parker, AZ, we
got on Rt. 72 E and soon reached the Desert Pueblo RV Resort, in Bouse,
AZ.
There’s really nothing
around here but I've been without internet and mobile access for several days
now and my Good Sam Directory indicated that this RV Park had WiFi. The two doors to the office were both locked
and as I looked around I saw this fellow on crutches come my way. He was coming from his own RV and had
probably been hollering at me to give him a moment. When he came into full view I noted he was
missing a leg. A veteran? Maybe.
An accident? Maybe. Whatever, I let him know I couldn't hear and
we hit it off famously from there. But,
no, there’s no WiFi. They “…just shut it off for the summer…” he
explained. Okay. Summer does come early in the desert. I paid for my site. Navidad slept. I sat outside and let Stephen King do his
thing with (to?) me.
THURSDAY,
MAY 14
“Our
drive today will be way shorter than yesterday, Navidad. I promise.”
And it was. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., we were back on Rt.
72 E for about 20 miles. We then turned
onto Rt. 60 E heading for Wenden, AZ. There’s
a KOA (Kampgrounds of America) in the town of Salome and I turned in there as
soon as I spotted it. The door to that
office was unlocked and, in response to my inquiry, the lady there confirmed
that they do have WiFi. I told her I’ll
be coming back this way on Saturday and will stop at the KOA then.
At Wenden, we turned
onto a local road and drove north about 37 miles to the Alamo Lake State Park. It was a nice drive (“open range, watch for cattle”) through a hilly terrain densely
populated with saguaro and other cacti and desert vegetation. All the colors of this landscape would have
been more vivid if the sun were out today.
As it is, the day has been overcast and very breezy. At least it’s not hot – a good thing for Navidad,
never mind me and my preference for picture-perfect days!
I had made online
reservations, about a week ago, for two days here and, from the site I selected,
I can see Alamo Lake through my slideout windows. Based on boating restrictions now posted
around here, and on their website, I think this lake may have shrunk, too. Compared to the other Arizona state parks I
visited during this trip, this place is more remote and wilder. The wildlife includes the usual desert
critters, birds, and reptiles (including rattlesnakes)…and wild burros. Burro droppings are everywhere, on the roads
and on the campsites. There’s even a
pile right behind my camper.
Well, well, what do you
know! As I’m writing this, I just now happened
to glance up to observe the birds gliding around outside, their eyes on the
ground. Detecting motion on a nearby
slope, I grabbed my binoculars and counted four burros. They went this way, then they turned to go
that way. They were too far for my
camera but I did get them on the camcorder.
I don’t know if any burros will come much closer while there are people
up and about. According to the state
park’s website, “The feral burros that
roam the park are a good example of non-natives thriving successfully in a
challenging arid climate. They are
thought to have escaped from miners in the past and have acclimated successfully
to the desert.”
Those birds, by the
way, they’re turkey vultures. They've got ugly red faces but they glide in the sky so gracefully.
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| Alamo Lake, as seen from my camper’s rear entrance. |
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| Proof positive – burro droppings behind my camper. |
FRIDAY,
MAY 15
Today marks two
significant occasions. First, it’s been
exactly four weeks since Navidad and I left home to begin this trip in the
truck camper. We've been together every
step of the way, every mile on the road.
It’s been a major life-changing travel experience for him and me
both.
Because I’m of the
mammal species with the cognitive and analytic “brain power,” I understand
what’s going on and why things are happening the way they are. Not having that ability to make sense of
things, all that Navidad has been able to do these past four weeks is to trust
me, to seek reassurance from me, and to adapt as best he could to this very strange
activity humans call “recreation.”
I truly felt badly for
Navidad the first 7-10 days that we were on the road. For a long while I wanted to drop everything,
go back home, and console Navi that I will never do this to him again. In time, however, Navi did get used to the
routine of life in the truck and in the camper.
Knowing that I was doing my job for him – keeping him fed, keeping his
water bowl filled, keeping his litter box clean at all times, brushing/combing
him, playing with him, giving him treats and catnip – he eventually
relaxed. He ate. He slept.
He purred (and/or snored). He looked
out the windows and the rear screen door.
He kneaded me. He curled up at my
face/neck in bed when it was cold. He stretched
out at my feet when it was warm. Seeing
me get the carrier, he tried to hide at first, then he pretended to be
sleeping. I think he knows, he’s always
known, that right now, today and tomorrow, he’s the most important thing in my
life.
I've had to adjust and
adapt, too. Navidad’s needs, and level
of comfort, became primary. My wants
became secondary. A good example is the
extent to which I did NOT make any side stops anywhere during any of our
drives. I haven’t even gone, this entire
time, to a restaurant for a hearty breakfast or a steak dinner! Counting tonight, we have four nights
remaining in the camper. We’ll be home
soon, on the 19th. In time,
Navidad will have forgotten about the stresses and uncertainties of this
trip. But I will never forget. I've got pictures and video…and my
memories…of this extraordinary experience.
So, when I get home and
take the camper back to my beloved Galaxy Campers for storage, I will be
wondering about the future. When will my
next trip be? Where do I want to go? How long do I want to travel? And – what about Navidad? Do I bring him along, once again?
Oh, I nearly
forgot. Today’s other significant
occasion – it’s my birthday! I turned 65
today! Navidad gave me a birthday nose-kiss
this morning, even if I had to weasel it out of him!
This morning looks just
like yesterday afternoon – it’s still overcast, although less breezy. There’s been a little bit of drizzle but that didn't stop me from stepping outside to peer through my binocs at two burros down
a slope behind my camper. Those two
burros were standing side by side, and just like horses, they were each
standing with their nose to the other’s tail.
I’ll have to look up the reason for this intriguing equestrian behavior.
I have no internet or
mobile access here. But a State Park ranger
came calling at 9:00 a.m. I saw him
drive up the road and stop at a spot between my site and the empty one next to
me. Okay, he’s checking the departure
date (5/16) on the State Park tag in my truck.
No worries, I’m legit. But then
he got out of his SUV. Okay, he’s just gonna
check something or other at the empty site next to me. But then he strolled over to my camper. Okay, I better go see what’s up.
The very first human to
greet me on my 65th birthday was this cute ranger. He smiled and handed me an envelope with my
name on it – correctly spelled (it’s Mary Anne, NOT Mary Ann and
definitely NOT Mary!) – and said “…she
called last night.” He wished me a
happy birthday and said for me to come by the store/office later for some ice
cream. I took his hand and thanked him
for both the delivery and the invitation.
Stepping back inside the camper, I thought, “Wow, I just got a hand-delivered birthday card and here in this wild
and remote place, too!”
As I've always done
during past camper trips, I send mobile texts or emails every day to my sister, Evelyn, brother, Bill, and close friend, Lisa, to let them know where I am that
evening and how long I will be at that location. It’s for this reason that I don’t want to be
without internet or mobile access for too many days because, otherwise, they’ll
probably send a posse out looking for me at my last reported location. At that RV Park last Wednesday in Bouse – the
one that had shut off the WiFi service - I had 1-2 bars on my mobile and,
knowing I’d be out of range up here at Alamo Lake, I managed to let
Evelyn-Bill-Lisa know in advance that I will be here for two days.
The birthday card is
from Evelyn. I don’t know if this
morning’s ranger is the one she spoke to last night, but somebody did a great
job with her request/instructions - picking out the card and writing her
message, complete with a smiley face –
“Happy
Birthday! Mary Anne from your sister
Evelyn. Have a great day and a wonderful
birthday!”
Thank you, Ev! You’re the best, the absolute BEST! I’m lucky you’re my sister!
It’s now just past
12:30 p.m. and it’s still drizzling off and on.
From where I sit at the dining table, I have a great view of Alamo
Lake. And I've been having several pretty
good burro sightings, too, including a couple of adults with a foal – so cute the way it prances around! The burros are just too far for the camera, regretfully,
but I do have a great pair of binoculars!
I’m looking at a group of four right now and they've been standing stock
still for the past 15-25 minutes. It
looks like they’re sleeping!
Staying warm and comfy
on the dining seat, with Navidad sleeping next to me, I read my book. It finally rained for a brief time and when
it stopped, around 4:00 p.m., I took a 40-minute walk around the park. The lake itself is down a slope and since I didn't see a trail, I didn't go down there.
At any rate, I had a nice walk and this is indeed a very nice State Park.
SATURDAY,
MAY 16
Goodness, Navidad was
especially affectionate yesterday evening!
He insisted, at least three times, that I put down my book so he could
recline on my chest-torso-lap. Since I
was sitting at the dining table when he made his wishes known, I had to shift
my position so I could draw up my legs and use both arms to cradle him. While he snoozed, and there being no way I
could hold my book, I was content to look out the windows and watch it get
darker.
And then this morning,
I woke up just before the sun rose and discovered that Navidad had brought his
little “Mousey” to me! This “mousey” and
the “purple bear” are the only two toys that he brings to me, usually during
the night, at home. “Mousey” is kept
with an assortment of other cat toys in the dining area and “Purple Bear” is
kept in my office. He always picks up
just those two and I will often find one in the bedroom and the other in the
living room. Finding “Mousey” on the bed
this morning was a delightful surprise – it was like getting a belated birthday
present! Why now, though, I do
wonder. Does Navi sense we’ll be back
home soon? I've certainly mentioned that
to him plenty of times recently. I tell
you – cats are smarter and wiser than we give them credit for!
The sun is out and the
sky is blue. We will be on our way soon
but I am grateful for this moment, albeit brief, to see this beautiful lake and
landscape. It’s another belated birthday
present!
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| The rising sun on my camper – Alamo Lake State Park, AZ. |
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| Alamo Lake at sunrise. |
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| Navidad, enjoying the scenery, too! |
Yesterday’s rain
brought out all the colors of the desert landscape and that made the 37-mile drive
back down to Wenden all the more enjoyable.
Reaching Wenden, we turned west on Rt. 60 and, as planned, arrived at the
KOA in Salome and got a site here. This
RV Park has, according to their diagram, 127 sites. Looking around, and counting me, I think less
than 10 are occupied. I suppose the
place is busier during the winter months.
But I’m here for the
internet! My last access was nearly a
week ago – Sunday, May 10th, in Leeds, Utah! I peeked at my AOL – 222 emails! In the span of one week?? How is that even possible!? Those messages will have to wait a little
longer. I have a blog to post!
This is my final CAMPER
ADVENTURES blog for this trip. Tomorrow,
Sunday 17th, we will stay one night at the Buckskin Mountain State
Park, which is located just north of Parker, AZ. This state park is situated along the
Colorado River and, as with all the Arizona State Parks that I visited on this
trip, this one will, no doubt, be spectacular as well. On Monday I plan to stop at an RV Park in Quartzsite, AZ and start gathering clothes and
stuff and get the camper ready for clearing/cleaning. Then we’ll go home on Tuesday.
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| You did good, Navi, real good! Thanks for coming along with me - and being a good sport about it! |
