We arrived at our house just after dark, in the rain. We love the rain....but, come on, when we have to unload the trailer?
So we prioritized and brought in just the essentials for tonight. Tomorrow, tomorrow, the sun'll come out tomorrow.
Maybe.
On our final Colorado hike, we found a fairly easy, fairly level trail and decided to hike 2 1/2 hours in, then hike back out for a total five hour hike. Good plan. We carried our full packs even though we were not spending the night out. Good practice.
As you know, we always appreciate seeing wildlife when we are in the wild. On this day, which was the first day of elk hunting season (we wore bright orange) we returned to the trailhead, loaded up and headed down the mountain. We came around a curve and saw... a bear! Yeah. The second Colorado bear for us, and we were safely in our truck, and didn't have to think about bear spray.
It was a smallish bear who ran up the hillside a ways before turning to watch us.
So we are back home. Have a lot to do, and have to continue our training for the big Grand Canyon Adventure.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Monday, September 7, 2015
Adventures of the Contractor Kind
I'm sure everyone who knows us knows about our battle with the Amana heat pump. After years of wrangling with the contractor, a new guy took over and provided us with a replacement at his cost. It is a Lennox and has worked fine. Except, one feature is a WiFi connection so we can monitor and set the temperature from Peggie's iPhone. We tried to do that on our way back from Colorado last week and it was not working. Turns out that lightning can knock it out. And did. So, once again, we returned from a summer in cool country to a broken heat pump. Frus trat ting!!!
For a horror story about remodeling contractors, you can talk to Greg. We know that story, but we are going ahead with a remodel of our own, anyway. We think we have a contractor we can rely on. He did our upstairs bath/bedroom with no problems, so now we need to do the downstairs bath and the kitchen. Neither has been upgraded since 1987, and we did not go for fancy back then, so their age is showing. We are going to NY for six weeks in December and January and he thinks he can get it done in that time frame. That would be fantastic, as living here with no kitchen for weeks would be very difficult. We are trying to select appliances as they are costly and will have to serve for years. We already know the cabinets and fixtures we want. The counter top is decided. The tile guy came today and he has some ideas and will come back with samples and a cost estimate. Between our Grand Canyon hike and Thanksgiving we will have to pack everything and store it on the patio behind plastic shrouds. FUN!!!
Meanwhile, back in Colorado, we will continue our hiking, sans bear spray, and perfect our gear stowing tricks. We want lots of fall color and no nearby wildfires.
For a horror story about remodeling contractors, you can talk to Greg. We know that story, but we are going ahead with a remodel of our own, anyway. We think we have a contractor we can rely on. He did our upstairs bath/bedroom with no problems, so now we need to do the downstairs bath and the kitchen. Neither has been upgraded since 1987, and we did not go for fancy back then, so their age is showing. We are going to NY for six weeks in December and January and he thinks he can get it done in that time frame. That would be fantastic, as living here with no kitchen for weeks would be very difficult. We are trying to select appliances as they are costly and will have to serve for years. We already know the cabinets and fixtures we want. The counter top is decided. The tile guy came today and he has some ideas and will come back with samples and a cost estimate. Between our Grand Canyon hike and Thanksgiving we will have to pack everything and store it on the patio behind plastic shrouds. FUN!!!
Meanwhile, back in Colorado, we will continue our hiking, sans bear spray, and perfect our gear stowing tricks. We want lots of fall color and no nearby wildfires.
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Southwest Colorado
We left the dry heat of Tucson summer for the cool mountain air of Southwest Colorado. We stayed (are staying) at an RV park in Dolores. The park is on the Dolores River and it has a fishing pond where we enjoyed watching a family of river otters when we first arrived.
Our stated goal was to hike the many trails in the local area in training for our November hike into the Grand Canyon. We are hiking from 8000 feet to 12,000 feet, so the altitude was challenging at first, but we are getting used to it. Climbing 2500 feet in a mile is challenging at any altitude, but, that is what you have to do to get out of the Canyon, so training for it is good. Some of the trails are multi-use. That means you have to beware of horses, bikers, or the dreaded motorcycles. Dreaded, because they all have to go as fast as possible all the time. Luckily, they are also loud, so you can hear them coming. Unfortunately, they are loud, so all wildlife is scared away. Also, they really, really tear up a trail.
We are doing two and three night hikes and refining our packing. At first, we took too much food. Food equals weight, so getting the right amount makes the pack lighter. Lighter is good.
As to the aforementioned wildlife, we have seen deer, elk, coyote, marmot, pika, grouse and cattle while hiking. You can add turkey and bear to the list when you include driving. Oh, yes, the cattle in those mountains are just as wild as any of the native animals.
The scenery is nothing short of spectacular. This, too, is good training for the Canyon. We stop often just to take in the views. Wild flowers! The word "profusion" describes the wild flowers. While hiking between 11,000 and 12,000 feet one day it occurred to me that "the scenery takes your breath away, and the altitude keeps it."
Speaking of taking your breath away..... have you ever been maced?
Well, don't be.
I was accidentally hit with bear spray, which is worse than mace according to the doctor I saw later.
Peggie and I had stopped to filter water to replenish our supply. We were loading up to continue when she bent over and the hip belt of her pack triggered the bear spray canister in her pocket. It was pointed behind her, which is where I was standing. Hearing a hissing noise, similar to a tire rapidly going flat, I turned to see what it was. It was an orange tinged brownish fluid streaming just to my right. I screamed "BEAR SPRAY" and moved left. Then I realized I had been hit. My nose and throat closed off and my eyes burned. Peggie saw what was happening and straightened up, stopping the spray. Then she called for me to get water on my face. I threw off my glasses (not normally a good idea) and leaned into the creek splashing water on my face. When I tried to open my eyes they burned like fire and I couldn't see. Peggie guided me across the rocks in the creek to a grassy area where I could lie down. The canister had instructions to rinse for 15 to 20 minutes if spray got in the eyes. So that is what we did. We used all the newly filtered water and Peggie filtered more, until I could open my eyes without pain and I could see clearly. During the process, I was worrying how I would hike out blind if the rinsing didn't relieve the burning, and what permanent damage would be done due to the delay in getting medical attention. Then when my eyes stopped burning, and I could see clearly, I wasn't sure I needed medical attention. Peggie's cool headedness and common sense took over. We hiked the remaining seven miles faster than any other time, got to the trailer, showered and changed clothes, then headed to Durango, the nearest emergency room. The shower was interesting. As soon as water hit, the bear spray was reactivated, identifying every inch of skin exposed. It felt like a bad sunburn. Peggie discovered that she had been hit some, as well. The fumes made us cough.
The emergency room staff was wonderful. While we were checking in, the triage nurse was notified and came to take us back. His first words were, "I want to hear this story." While he was taking info, the doctor came in, introduced himself, sat down, and said, "I want to hear this story." The doctor and nurse explained what they were going to do and told us that they often treat mace victims because the Durango police use mace to subdue belligerent arrestees. So another nurse came in and carried out the procedure. He numbed my eyes with drops, then washed my face and hands, then used a Morgan lens. It is a large contact lens with a tube attached. Warm saline solution flows through the tube and washes the eye. When we were finished, the doctor examined the eyes and pronounced them healthy. Whew!
Moral of the story: If you are ever threatened with mace, submit. You are going to be arrested anyway, why suffer?
We double washed all of the clothes we were wearing, washed all hardware and everything we were carrying, even took our packs to the car wash and power sprayed them. All of his caused a new bout of coughing. I discovered I had to rewash my face the next day, because touching it caused my eyes to water again.
Second moral to the story: If you have to use bear spray on an actual bear, ask the bear to move downwind first so you don't get back spray on yourself.
Suggestion: take your hikes in the Grand Canyon where there are no bears, and leave the bear spray at home.
Peggie & Bill--Adventures = Good name for a blog.
Our stated goal was to hike the many trails in the local area in training for our November hike into the Grand Canyon. We are hiking from 8000 feet to 12,000 feet, so the altitude was challenging at first, but we are getting used to it. Climbing 2500 feet in a mile is challenging at any altitude, but, that is what you have to do to get out of the Canyon, so training for it is good. Some of the trails are multi-use. That means you have to beware of horses, bikers, or the dreaded motorcycles. Dreaded, because they all have to go as fast as possible all the time. Luckily, they are also loud, so you can hear them coming. Unfortunately, they are loud, so all wildlife is scared away. Also, they really, really tear up a trail.
We are doing two and three night hikes and refining our packing. At first, we took too much food. Food equals weight, so getting the right amount makes the pack lighter. Lighter is good.
As to the aforementioned wildlife, we have seen deer, elk, coyote, marmot, pika, grouse and cattle while hiking. You can add turkey and bear to the list when you include driving. Oh, yes, the cattle in those mountains are just as wild as any of the native animals.
The scenery is nothing short of spectacular. This, too, is good training for the Canyon. We stop often just to take in the views. Wild flowers! The word "profusion" describes the wild flowers. While hiking between 11,000 and 12,000 feet one day it occurred to me that "the scenery takes your breath away, and the altitude keeps it."
Speaking of taking your breath away..... have you ever been maced?
Well, don't be.
I was accidentally hit with bear spray, which is worse than mace according to the doctor I saw later.
Peggie and I had stopped to filter water to replenish our supply. We were loading up to continue when she bent over and the hip belt of her pack triggered the bear spray canister in her pocket. It was pointed behind her, which is where I was standing. Hearing a hissing noise, similar to a tire rapidly going flat, I turned to see what it was. It was an orange tinged brownish fluid streaming just to my right. I screamed "BEAR SPRAY" and moved left. Then I realized I had been hit. My nose and throat closed off and my eyes burned. Peggie saw what was happening and straightened up, stopping the spray. Then she called for me to get water on my face. I threw off my glasses (not normally a good idea) and leaned into the creek splashing water on my face. When I tried to open my eyes they burned like fire and I couldn't see. Peggie guided me across the rocks in the creek to a grassy area where I could lie down. The canister had instructions to rinse for 15 to 20 minutes if spray got in the eyes. So that is what we did. We used all the newly filtered water and Peggie filtered more, until I could open my eyes without pain and I could see clearly. During the process, I was worrying how I would hike out blind if the rinsing didn't relieve the burning, and what permanent damage would be done due to the delay in getting medical attention. Then when my eyes stopped burning, and I could see clearly, I wasn't sure I needed medical attention. Peggie's cool headedness and common sense took over. We hiked the remaining seven miles faster than any other time, got to the trailer, showered and changed clothes, then headed to Durango, the nearest emergency room. The shower was interesting. As soon as water hit, the bear spray was reactivated, identifying every inch of skin exposed. It felt like a bad sunburn. Peggie discovered that she had been hit some, as well. The fumes made us cough.
The emergency room staff was wonderful. While we were checking in, the triage nurse was notified and came to take us back. His first words were, "I want to hear this story." While he was taking info, the doctor came in, introduced himself, sat down, and said, "I want to hear this story." The doctor and nurse explained what they were going to do and told us that they often treat mace victims because the Durango police use mace to subdue belligerent arrestees. So another nurse came in and carried out the procedure. He numbed my eyes with drops, then washed my face and hands, then used a Morgan lens. It is a large contact lens with a tube attached. Warm saline solution flows through the tube and washes the eye. When we were finished, the doctor examined the eyes and pronounced them healthy. Whew!
Moral of the story: If you are ever threatened with mace, submit. You are going to be arrested anyway, why suffer?
We double washed all of the clothes we were wearing, washed all hardware and everything we were carrying, even took our packs to the car wash and power sprayed them. All of his caused a new bout of coughing. I discovered I had to rewash my face the next day, because touching it caused my eyes to water again.
Second moral to the story: If you have to use bear spray on an actual bear, ask the bear to move downwind first so you don't get back spray on yourself.
Suggestion: take your hikes in the Grand Canyon where there are no bears, and leave the bear spray at home.
Peggie & Bill--Adventures = Good name for a blog.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
2015 Adventures
We leave the dry heat of Tucson just in time to miss the monsoon. I think we have had temps as high as 111 officially at the airport.
We are going to spend the muggier months in the high country. Dolores, CO to be specific. Okay. Not high by CO standards. About equal to Flagstaff. But there are higher mountains all around and we plan to hike them. Hiking is best done at temperatures well below 100. Well below.
We will still have Wifi and cell phones if you need to contact us. If you don't have our email or cell phone numbers, you probably don't need to contact us.
We are looking forward to this new experience. Previously, our longest CO stay was two weeks, so two months will be a treat. We will hope the forest fires all burn somewhere not near us. There will be fires. All the experts say so. But, elsewhere, please. That's all we ask.
We are going to spend the muggier months in the high country. Dolores, CO to be specific. Okay. Not high by CO standards. About equal to Flagstaff. But there are higher mountains all around and we plan to hike them. Hiking is best done at temperatures well below 100. Well below.
We will still have Wifi and cell phones if you need to contact us. If you don't have our email or cell phone numbers, you probably don't need to contact us.
We are looking forward to this new experience. Previously, our longest CO stay was two weeks, so two months will be a treat. We will hope the forest fires all burn somewhere not near us. There will be fires. All the experts say so. But, elsewhere, please. That's all we ask.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Happy Fathers' Day
Happy day to all the fathers out there.
I was awakened with a skype call from Greg and Julian. It was 7 am here, time to get up, anyway. The little guy can (and does) repeat anything you say. He also demonstrated that he can hold up two fingers and say "Two" when asked his age. And he now says "Julian" when asked his name. Previously, he said "Bebe" when asked.
Peggie and I are really getting in shape. We will go to the Y this morning to get in another workout. The hiking is on a weather-conscious hiatus. Even at 5 am the temps are too high to go far enough before it is just too hot. When we get to Colorado next week, we will resume daily hikes, with some overnighters to become familiar with all our new gear.
We were not selected for our desired October dates at the Grand Canyon, but we will reapply for November, and the last resort will be to just show up and hope to get a cancellation slot. In the meantime, we will take day-hikes on a variety of trails.
The closest thing to an adventure lately was a drive to Pleasant Valley and a hamburger at the Antler Cafe in Young. We met Don, Karin, Margie, and Dave there and exchanged some equipment and maps. The drive is quite pretty. We saw just one deer high-tailing it up the mountain. Pleasant Valley is the site of Arizona's most famous range war/feud. The Tewsburys and the Grahams fought the Pleasant Valley War for five years in the 1880's and '90's.
Today is the summer solstice. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far. Temps in the area were over 110, with extreme heat warnings for the entire Sonoran Desert below 5000 feet. As long as our new A/C unit keeps working, we will be comfortable.
I was awakened with a skype call from Greg and Julian. It was 7 am here, time to get up, anyway. The little guy can (and does) repeat anything you say. He also demonstrated that he can hold up two fingers and say "Two" when asked his age. And he now says "Julian" when asked his name. Previously, he said "Bebe" when asked.
Peggie and I are really getting in shape. We will go to the Y this morning to get in another workout. The hiking is on a weather-conscious hiatus. Even at 5 am the temps are too high to go far enough before it is just too hot. When we get to Colorado next week, we will resume daily hikes, with some overnighters to become familiar with all our new gear.
We were not selected for our desired October dates at the Grand Canyon, but we will reapply for November, and the last resort will be to just show up and hope to get a cancellation slot. In the meantime, we will take day-hikes on a variety of trails.
The closest thing to an adventure lately was a drive to Pleasant Valley and a hamburger at the Antler Cafe in Young. We met Don, Karin, Margie, and Dave there and exchanged some equipment and maps. The drive is quite pretty. We saw just one deer high-tailing it up the mountain. Pleasant Valley is the site of Arizona's most famous range war/feud. The Tewsburys and the Grahams fought the Pleasant Valley War for five years in the 1880's and '90's.
Today is the summer solstice. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far. Temps in the area were over 110, with extreme heat warnings for the entire Sonoran Desert below 5000 feet. As long as our new A/C unit keeps working, we will be comfortable.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
The Blues in Silver City
The annual blues festival in Silver City, NM is now called Blues and Bikes, or Bikes and Blues, or some such combo. Motorcycle enthusiasts have always been a significant portion of the crowd, so the organizers decided to include all kinds of motorcycle activities to the event. It seems to have been a success from what we could see.
We have not been to the whole thing since we began spending summers in Skagway, but this year there was live music in the park on Friday night. In the past, Friday night music was just in bars.
Since we first attended this event in 199? or 20?? it has grown tremendously. It was the 20th annual this year and they announced that it has grown from one afternoon of music with around 300 attendees, to the current two and a half days with several thousand attendees. For us, it has been the official end of school and the beginning of summer. This year, it was just another great weekend.
The weather cooperated by being in the low 70's instead of the 90's. In fact, we had to don light jackets by 5:30 all three nights.
We waited too long to make reservations, so just like 2012, we had to bunk in Lordsberg 45 miles away. It is a pretty drive through oak and juniper deer country. (The yellow warning signs say so)
This was the second time in all the years we have driven that road that we actually saw deer. Once on Friday evening as we left for Lordsberg, and Sunday morning on our way in. And they weren't crossing the road either time. Always good.
The music was good. The crowd was infinitely watchable. We met people from Tucson, Silver City and Las Cruces who were seated in our vicinity. Coming home tonight we got a few sprinkles between San Simon and Willcox.
We have not been to the whole thing since we began spending summers in Skagway, but this year there was live music in the park on Friday night. In the past, Friday night music was just in bars.
Since we first attended this event in 199? or 20?? it has grown tremendously. It was the 20th annual this year and they announced that it has grown from one afternoon of music with around 300 attendees, to the current two and a half days with several thousand attendees. For us, it has been the official end of school and the beginning of summer. This year, it was just another great weekend.
The weather cooperated by being in the low 70's instead of the 90's. In fact, we had to don light jackets by 5:30 all three nights.
We waited too long to make reservations, so just like 2012, we had to bunk in Lordsberg 45 miles away. It is a pretty drive through oak and juniper deer country. (The yellow warning signs say so)
This was the second time in all the years we have driven that road that we actually saw deer. Once on Friday evening as we left for Lordsberg, and Sunday morning on our way in. And they weren't crossing the road either time. Always good.
The music was good. The crowd was infinitely watchable. We met people from Tucson, Silver City and Las Cruces who were seated in our vicinity. Coming home tonight we got a few sprinkles between San Simon and Willcox.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Five Days in Madera Canyon
After our rattlesnake rattle, we decided we needed to hike elsewhere. But where?
It is getting too warm to hike locally unless we get up at (ugh) 4 a.m. So we drove south for an hour to Madera Canyon. We chose a trail that begins at 5400 ft. and fifteen degrees cooler. We intended to hike to 6700 ft. I didn't make it. Not only is it a serious climb, but the air is thinner. My lungs and legs said "AAAYYYYY!" So I listened. Peggie has been training longer and is in better shape, so she went a little farther up the trail.
We decided that the thing to do was take our trailer and camp there, get acclimated, and hike. So we did. We found a good spot in the campground and set up. We hiked every day on a different trail. All of them go up...and up...and up some more. All of them were breath-taking both in difficulty and beauty. The good news about an up trail, the return is down.
We are training for the Grand Canyon which is down first, then up. Hmmmm.
Some turkeys went through an adjoining campsite, but that was it for wildlife.
As far as "adventures" go: can you hear "WHUUMP" ? That is the sound of propane igniting. That is an okay sound inside the grill where the burner is. It is not an okay sound outside the grill where the gas line from the tank is not supposed to leak. Well, I knew to shut off the gas at the valve. But without a replacement hose, that ended grilling for this trip.
Cooking inside is not as much fun, but doable. Our stove has an igniter switch that uses a spark instead of a pilot light. Fine, except when it comes apart and doesn't spark anymore. So we have to use a butane lighter to light the burners.
Our kitchen faucet has a broken handle that we have made do with for years. But now it leaks a lot, too. Time to fix that.
This was a fun trip. Glad it is over. But now repairs to be made. After spending money on parts and pieces.
It is getting too warm to hike locally unless we get up at (ugh) 4 a.m. So we drove south for an hour to Madera Canyon. We chose a trail that begins at 5400 ft. and fifteen degrees cooler. We intended to hike to 6700 ft. I didn't make it. Not only is it a serious climb, but the air is thinner. My lungs and legs said "AAAYYYYY!" So I listened. Peggie has been training longer and is in better shape, so she went a little farther up the trail.
We decided that the thing to do was take our trailer and camp there, get acclimated, and hike. So we did. We found a good spot in the campground and set up. We hiked every day on a different trail. All of them go up...and up...and up some more. All of them were breath-taking both in difficulty and beauty. The good news about an up trail, the return is down.
We are training for the Grand Canyon which is down first, then up. Hmmmm.
Some turkeys went through an adjoining campsite, but that was it for wildlife.
As far as "adventures" go: can you hear "WHUUMP" ? That is the sound of propane igniting. That is an okay sound inside the grill where the burner is. It is not an okay sound outside the grill where the gas line from the tank is not supposed to leak. Well, I knew to shut off the gas at the valve. But without a replacement hose, that ended grilling for this trip.
Cooking inside is not as much fun, but doable. Our stove has an igniter switch that uses a spark instead of a pilot light. Fine, except when it comes apart and doesn't spark anymore. So we have to use a butane lighter to light the burners.
Our kitchen faucet has a broken handle that we have made do with for years. But now it leaks a lot, too. Time to fix that.
This was a fun trip. Glad it is over. But now repairs to be made. After spending money on parts and pieces.
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