Cruising with the Cowan's

A day late and a dollar short.  Tried to write yesterday but somehow the link to open up the blog was nowhere to be found.  Thanks to Carol Jo I found it and will complete my blog.  Yesterday we arrived in Pendleton, Oregon at the Wild Horse Resort and RV Park.  Basically a native American casino.  They probably hold the record for the most average buffet of any casino we have stayed at.  It is depressing to see a bunch of people pumping tokens into the slots, hoping to hit it big.  Not to mention the clouds of cigarette smoke.  Since we had experienced this once before, I had made a reservation at Hamleys in town.  Great steak place.  Had dinner there and came back to the trailer.  It was still warm enough that we took out the folding chairs and sat outside in the late afternoon sun.  Sue had taken herself off to the museum on the grounds.  I, in turn, took a nap.  When I awakened, I was concerned that she still had ...

Well we have found ourselves back in Idaho at Mountain Home.  Very nice campground with large concrete pads with a grass barrier to the next site.  All connections, water, electrical, sewer, cable TV readily available.  Just grilled some burgers for dinner and just relaxing.  We are headed to Pendelton, Oregon tomorrow and staying at an rv park adjacent to a casino.  Not our favorite spot, however in nearby Pendelton is a most fabulous steak joint.  So going to treat ourselves to a final splurge before heading into Portland and home.  Sue just mentioned that for any of you who camp, this is a very nice stopover here in Mountain Home.

Another uneventful drive to Brigham City, Utah on our way home.  While driving the hours that it took, I pondered what the pioneers must have thought when they viewed the unending territory that they were crossing.  Averaging about 5-6 miles a day must have been a daunting task.  Looking at the mountains that were far away and wondering how they were to traverse the countryside.  Bringing covered wagons, oxen, possibly some livestock, wives, children, the elderly and everything they owned.  Dealing with relentless heat or cold, lack of water, and certainly native Americans who did not want them there.   I for one, take for granted the hardships that they endured.  However, seeing the vast countryside while traveling at 60 mph does take your breath away when considering what they had accomplished.  Sort of humbles you.  Sue is off doing the final load of laundry until we are home.  Most of the places have decent laundry facilities, but, n...

Left Bayfield, Colorado and headed back to Utah.  We passed thru Moab again and stopped at the City Market to stock up on a few items.  Seems I had not packed enough tonic water for my afternoon gin and tonic.  Horror of horrors the shelves were bare where the tonic water should have been.  A helpful clerk helped me find a large bottle of tonic so back in business.  Headed out of Moab for our destination of Green River, Utah.  On the way out of Moab seeing the cliffs of red sandstone and the way the wind had carved them was spectacular.  Certainly a town for younger people.  The number of shops that rented bicycles, tours, river rafting, etc. were innumerable.  Sorry we are a couple of decades past enjoying them.  I commented to Sue on the landscape which I had missed when we first landed in Moab, as I was really sick.  Leaving, however, allowed me to see all that I had missed when we first hit Moab.  Here in Green River, just ...

We left Taos this morning for a start on our return trip home.  After a rather uneventful drive where we only spotted 3 cars in about 4 hours, we arrived in Bayfield, CO.  The country side did look rather uninviting.  I kept thinking if we had a flat tire or engine trouble, not a lot of help available.  Bayfield is a tiny spot on the South Western corner of Colorado.  Population about 2500.  We parked and setup camp.  Then we promptly took a nap.  We were awakened by a rather noisy rain squall.  Came down pretty hard for a bit and then stopped, only to repeat about an hour later.  Although the temps are not terribly high, about 78, the sun is intense here.  No clouds and very clear skies.  We turned on the A/C in the trailer and spent the afternoon catching up on news on our Roku.  Not planning on any sightseeing on our return to home but we can now add Colorado as a state we have camped in.  Too wet to set up the gri...

Last day in Taos, N.M.  First we went to see the Taos Pueblos.  Dwellings that have been in constant use for over 800 years.  There are still over 50 people who live in them on a day to day basis.  No water, no electricity, etc.  Most of the dwellings in which number about 300 are still owned and passed down to families from generation to generation.  Many still come back for a few weeks or holidays to commemorate their ancient ancestors.   A river runs thru the encampment that they still collect in buckets for their daily use.  You really have to be committed to live in one. Afterwards we traveled to the center of town to visit the Kit Carson home.  Right in downtown.  A collection of rooms that he and his family shared.  Pretty colorful fellow.  Lunch at "Doc Martins" restaurant and then back to the trailer to prepare for travel.  Tomorrow we will be back in Colorado for a night and then on to Utah.  So far, we ar...

Up early this morning as is my nature.  Our small electric heater has died so it was rather chilly in the camper.  Fifty seven or so.  Much colder outside, 37 chilly degrees.  Turned on the camper gas heater and now it is warm again.  I am so delighted to have switched our mobile accounts from Verizon, who we supported for years with a family plan of 6 devices.  I purchased a Roku for the trailer so that we could watch the news over the internet.  I did increase our plan from Verizon to unlimited data for an additional $38/month.  They gladly took my money but forgot to tell me that when we reach a pre determined limit, they slow the data down.  That made our Roku totally unusable.  T-Mobile has had great reviews recently and is even faster in many areas than Verizon.  Yesterday morning was spent at the local T-Mobile store.  We now both have "smart" phones and I got a new tablet which also serves as a hotspot.  TV is watc...

Had a bit of a fright as I was not able to find my blog to add to it.  However, now back in business.  This is our third day in Santa Fe and tomorrow we head out to Taos, NM.  A lot of history here but I am getting somewhat jaded and bored.   Went back to The Shed in the plaza and had another amazing meal.  Walked around the plaza and bought some tourist priced stuff.  Sue had found an amazing living history location that was only 5 miles from our campground.  We headed over there and lo and behold, they don't open for another month.  But I digress.  First thing in the morning we headed over to the T-mobile store and and hour and a half later, we had replaced our ancient "dumb" phones with new smart ones.  Also replaced my old tablet with a new one.  A rather costly visit but these phones should stand us in good stead for awhile.  We were supposed to have the trailer washed and waxed this afternoon, but the guy never showed. ...

Another day in Santa Fe.  Got up this A.M. and headed for Bandelier National Monument.  We drove an hour north of our campground.  The rangers were very helpful and their were cliff dwellings, rock formations, etc.  A glimpse into the Pueblo life style.  Pretty tough life they led.  The average life expectancy was 35 years.  Sue was delighted with the experience.  Afterwards we took a trip to Los Alamos to see the museum and where the Manhattan Project was headquartered.  To this day, 70 some years after the war had ended, it is still a place of secrets.  Non of the buildings are labeled.  I was hoping to see some of the old barracks that housed the hundreds if not thousands of people who created the first atomic bomb.  Was I disappointed.  Although in the middle of nowhere it is a bustling city with gas stations, real estate offices, stores, etc.  A very bustling town of many thousands.  The museum that I was ho...

First day of the trip to Santa Fe.  Got up early on anticipation and outside temp was 35 degrees.  Brrr.  Two hours later it is already up to 66.  More better!!  Later we will be heading to the plaza in downtown Santa Fe to peruse the shops and head to the Shack for their renowned enchiladas.  The inner man has to be fed.  More to follow. Late afternoon.  Just back from the city.  Walked around the plaza, checked out some of the highly overpriced shops and had a terrific lunch at a restaurant that Jon had recommended.  Called The Shed.  A tourist stop, however was very reasonably priced and delicious.  We both had enchiladas which were spectacular.  Took in the local church and Sue proceeded to tour the interior while Gracie and I relaxed on one of the benches in front of the church.  A little car tour of the area and then back to the campground for a gin and tonic.  Lunch was so filling that may not make dinne...