Made it to St. George and dinner with friends

Captains Log September 6 – Happy Labor Day!  Hope everyone was off work and grilling out wherever you are!

Since our drive to St. George is really short, I called the RV park to ask if we could get in early and also if we could leave late or park somewhere on the property.  Luckily no one was on our site and no one is due in the day we leave.

The panel above the dash, below the cabinets was falling again.  We had to repair it about 3-4 years ago.  So, I got the towels and decided I needed some thicker screws if I wanted to use the same holes.  Bill went to the Lowes just up the road and I went to work taking the old screws out that were no attached and I got out my drill and drilled 2 extra holes to alleviate the weight on the screws.  It’s a metal so it took some stamina for me to drill up through the metal but I got it by the time Bill got back.  He helped hold the panel up and I put the new screws in and once we cleaned up we were ready to close up the RV and get on the road.

The new park was new!  It is out in the desert and laid out very nicely with all pull thru's plenty long.  As it turned out there was someone in our spot so they put us in the spot next to it while he finished packing up.  Once we got settled we had lunch and just did house chores!

We arrived at Mike and Darlene’s about 4.  It’s just a couple of miles on the main road to a turnoff in to a sub-division on the same side of the road as the RV park.  It’s great to see them as it’s been 2 years.  The guys sat on the couch talking about who knows what and Darlene and I mostly hung in the kitchen and she gave me the grand tour or their new place.  It’s a pretty large house and very well laid out.  She and I caught up a lot of things and Mike put the burgers on at 6.  Dinner was great and Darlene made an excellent potato salad.

After dinner we all visited and talked about their sub-division and a multitude of things.  I’m not even sure what time we finally left but we certainly had a great visit.

Last day in Cedar City!

Captains Log September 5 – We started the day with peanut butter pancakes and elk sausage. 

Pancakes were good but the sausage was a little dry and tough.  Won’t buy it again.

Bill washed the front of the RV while I made a batch of caramel corn and a jello pie.  The caramel corn will mostly be for our friend Mike’s belated birthday and the jello pie I will take to their house tomorrow night when Mike grills burgers and we have a nice evening with him and Darlene!

Our excursion today was to see the Temple which is not under renovation.  It sits on a lovely green area and of course the steeple can be seen from a long way away!

We did our shopping at Wal-mart on the way back as it’s on the road where we turn to head to the campground.  I made some 4 Ingredient Cookies to take some to Darlene and Mike as well. 

I had marinated one of the Elk steaks and cooked it on my grill pan.  I let it get super hot and just seared it on both sides as it wasn’t very thick.  It was pretty good!  

Tomorrow we head to St. George!! 

Cedar Breaks Day!

Captains Log September 4 – Fun day in Cedar Breaks!  The drive is upward and curvy with

First view you get on the road up

great views down.  The first mountain view is awesome in itself!

The main visitor center with the best views is currently closed.  Looks like major renovation as the road is totally blocked off.  The road actually goes from North to South on the far eastern side.  We went from the south this time and made our stops based on the traffic in the parking areas.

Our first stop was the Sunset Overview.  There are trails you can take if you are into hiking.  The views down into the breaks are something you can’t ever really capture with a camera.  You can stand and look for ages.  Once there is a larger group and a lot are not making, we would make our exit even though we were masked.

Massive!

Then we drove to the north end at the last stop, North View Overlook.  We had not seen a place to show our park pass when we entered but that have a tiny booth with a ranger there.  We showed our pass and then enjoyed another spectacular view.

We backtracked to Chessman Ridge Overlook but to get the best view you must walk along the trail.  We didn’t want to do that but I did climb up some rocks where I could get a better view.

On the way out we stopped at the Temporary Visitor Center that we hadn’t noticed on the way in.  It was where we were supposed to stop and show our pass!  We looked around a bit but there are no actual exhibits there.  They had a gift shop but I passed on that as well.

Time for lunch!  We had read good things about American Diner and when we drove by it was

Great photo opp

lined up out the door and down the stairs!  So we made a couple of stops are Joanns and a thrift store and by the time we got back the line was almost gone and our wait was less than 10 minutes.  We really enjoyed our meal.  Bill got a HUGE club sandwich and took half of it home and I had Liver & Onions!  Yum!

When we got back to the RV we had neighbors now on both sides.  Still no WIFI service, although they gave us a password it would never connect. 

I forgot to take something out of the freezer for dinner so we had leftover meatballs and sauce and freshly cooked spaghetti.  We settled in and watched some Hallmark!

Long day short post!

Captains Log September 3 - We were on the road by 8:30 in hopes of maybe getting m laptop to the place in Cedar City but it was too late.  The traffic was pretty heavy and it’s quite a drive from Moab, 300 miles, so it will just wait until we get to St. George.

The drive was more mountains, up and down but beautiful scenery the whole way. 

Our spot for the next few days is BNB Swiss RV which is the smallest I think we’ve ever stayed in.  There have I think 6 cabins, which are the BNB part and no more than 20 back in campsites that are pretty narrow!  We managed to get in OK but the truck was really close.  It’s a rather new place and the owners are Swiss but have decided they want to sell. The location is really good there!

Last day in Moab

Captains Log September 2 – It rained most of the night last night!  When Bill went out to dry and

wipe down the front window a neighbor guy asked if he wanted some elk and bison steaks.  His cooler died and it was starting to thaw.  Of course he took the meat!  Yum!

When we went to the grocery I bought some elk sausage so we’re going to eat well for a few days!

The sun finally came out this afternoon so we left for a drive along the Colorado River about 20 miles.  The road weaves a lot and had a good number of ups and downs but it’s a beautiful drive down in the canyon.  We went as far as The Red Cliffs Lodge which is also a ranch, but they have about 20 cabins for guests.  The roads goes for another 20 or so miles but it was time to head back.  It’s a

beautiful drive if you’re ever in the area. 

We decided to have lunch at the Fiesta  Mexicana where we ate  the last  time we were in Moab.  It was a nice lunch and we stopped in a couple of shops on the way back down the street and then just drove around some of the town we hadn’t been to.  There was a McDonald’s with a hiring sign as $19 an hour!  We did stop for a vanilla cone! 

Time to head home where Bill vacuumed the truck.   I settled down to work on my blog and it ran an update.  No problem.  It said it would take about 30 minutes.  So once

I just thought this was weird

it was done there were some issues  that I was  not comfortable trying  to correct as I didn’t want to  lose my photos and data.   So I called ahead to Cedar City but due to the Labor Day holiday we were not going to be able to get it looked at there.  We have to wait until we get to St. George. 

Canyonlands here we come!

Captains Log September 1 – It was a rainy ugly day for our trip to Canyonlands NM.  We went

Looking down

to the bottom half a few years ago and the upper was our agenda today.  They do not connect anywhere in the middle and it’s a drive going to either end.  Just before you enter there is a state park Dead Horse Point that we would and gone to after, but the big thing there is an overlook that is supposed to be awesome but no point in trying in the rain.

You will see in our photos that the rain came and went and then came until we left the park.  It was very foggy when it wasn’t raining the fog would move right over points of interest and causing me to miss some of the best shots!

The number of tourists was good for the weather.  The Visitor Center was open but they only

were ringing up store sales.  The other side with displays was all covered with sheets.  We think they didn’t want people to cough or something but it was OK to spread germs in the shop!  We masked anywhere there were other people.

The places we visited were:  Shafer Canyon, Mesa Arch, Orange Cliffs, Grandview Point, Upheaval Dome, Green River and Whale Rock.  Hopefully I can identify some of the photos!

I had packed our small cooler with snack and lunch but wished I’d brought a thermos of hot beverage.  We ate in the car while parked at a
picnic/restroom stop.  Tight to do in the truck!

We had a bit of a hike out to Mesa Arch and it was foggy when we got there and worse on the way back.  It would have been a beautiful site if not for the fog.  It was a struggle to get a decent picture with the fog rolling in all over.  I climbed a big boulder beside it hoping for a view down in the canyon but it was too foggy.

At some stops we had to walk out to the points to see what was important and you didn’t dare get too close to the edges along the canyon sides.  You could see tiny ant roads down down there but Bill would not even think of taking his truck on those unpaved roads.  At one stop we had to cross 2 sections of road

Whale Rock

that had flooded and red clay was piled on the crossing.  He couldn't wait to get back to town and get his truck cleaned!

Of course as we left the park it was clearing so when we got to the Whale Rock it was clear on the rest of the way home.

On the way back in to Moab we stopped along the road where the Dinosaur place was and snapped a couple of photos of the ones outside.  Might be a great stop if you have little kids but we were tired, cold and wet so it wasn’t happening today!

Not a clear day!

We made a quick stop at the grocery as my coffee maker is on the blitz and I needed to get some white vinegar and see if I could get it back on track!  I ended up having to take the cover off and shake things up but got it working so far!!

Hanging out in Moab

Captains Log August 31 – Happy Birthday Jared!

My day started with calling the only 2 computer repair places in Moab but one was no longer in business and the other said they didn’t do personal any more as their tech was in a bad accident and the other tech does all the hotels, restaurants, etc.  So, now I need to look at Cedar City for when we get there in 4 days!

Went to City Market for a few things then came home to do chores.  Bill had washed the front of the RV and I got on top and did the front cap and got all the sap off from a couple of stops.  The bathroom vent was disgusting from the inside so I took the cover off and cleaned it good as well.

I’ve been messing with that darn icemaker and Bill wasn’t in favor of taking the freezer door off so I could get to it and try to fix it.  I decided to use a mirror so I could see the hole and the bale needed to go in.  Hallelujah!  I got it in and seems to be working fine!

I called a computer place in our next stop, Cedar City.  We are arriving on Friday and we’d have to be there by 1 as they close for the holiday weekend, so will see if we make it or not!

We cleaned up and went to town to walk the shops and maybe buy a thing or 2.  We both bought new matching caps! I’m not a hat person but think I’ll like this one!  Then I saw the big animal feet slippers that our friend Bruce bought in West Yellowstone 2 years ago.  I sent him photos of his and the 2 other styles and jokingly asked if he was ready for a new pair.  Well, he wasn’t but he said Sharon would like the leopard ones so I tried them on and conferred with her on size and got her a pair.

We dined out at The Branding Iron which is the closest restaurant to our RV park and had good ratings.  Bill was not impressed with his meal but my ribs were good!  I took half of the slab home and my baked potato.

The bananas were on their last leg so I made some quick banana bread with Bisquick and called it a day!