Description

I own no land, instead I have wheelestate. I’ve been a full time RVer since 1997. Working summers as a Park Ranger takes me to many beautiful places and playing during the winter takes me to many more. This blog is simply the story of my life's adventures.

Moved

Thank you for stopping by. Just to let you know, I'm still blogging but have moved to Geogypsytraveler. Hope you'll follow my adventures. Just click here.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Waiting and cleaning house to the sounds of Hummers

Yesterday I cleaned my little RV, a chore I gladly will put off forever. But I was expecting company. When I booked my trip to South Africa I joined a website called CouchSurfers. This is a group of world travelers who host other travelers and stay at people’s houses. I’ve had a few interested folks but they all went to South Rim of Grand Canyon instead of the North Rim (the poor fools). Anyway, a young man from the UK made a couch request and I offered my camper for the night. He called last night lost so I told him to stay at the Lodge and I’d come lead him into my place. It was dark and would have been hard to find my turn off. I waited in the Lodge at the appointed place for an hour. Not a total waste as I saw a fellow Ranger’s evening program. Then once back home I sent him an email, didn’t have a phone number. And sure enough, he was on the South Rim and hadn’t read my note reminding him I’m on the North Rim. Oh well. But I cleaned my house for nothing.

I also took this video of the hummingbirds right outside my window. So thought I’d share it. Sorry about the background noise, I had NPR on. Yet you can also hear the hummers if you listen closely. Still practicing video. I hear practice makes better.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Sky Watch Friday - Storm over Grand Canyon


Bright Angel Point and Roaring Springs Canyon
This storm rolled over the canyon last Sunday. We have gotten a little rain, but not enough. This is monsoon season when the summer rains should quench the dry land.

To see more skies from around the world or to share your own go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

Shit Happens!

My plan to camp at Locust Point at the edge of the canyon didn’t quite work out as planned.

Penstemon
I enjoyed a pleasant drive, 14 miles on Highway 67. The wild flowers brighten the roadside.

Turned west onto Forest Road 22 and stopped to photograph Deer Lake, fenced to keep the range animals out—cattle and beefalo.

Two slightly bumpy gravel miles later I turned onto Forest Road 270 south for a mile then west onto Forest Road 222.

Weidemeyer’s Admiral
Had to stop a few times for pictures.

I love the way the young Aspen trunks seem to dance. Tried a video of this Aspen grove but it’s very blurry. I’m still practicing video.

Suddenly I heard this scraping noise, like I picked up a rock in a wheel. Gee, there were plenty of rocks to choose from. I stopped hard, backed up and braked, forward and braked. Hey it worked last time to dislodge a rock. But the noise got worse. So I did a 12-point turn to head back, very disappointed. The noise would come and go and I tried the back and forth thing a few more times with no relief to the scraping sound. Then it got louder to the point of a deafening screech echoing off of the forest. That’s when I stopped as I feared further damage.

This wild Turkey feather pointed the way to an old campsite where I parked. I figured if I could get to the park’s entrance station I could call a friend for help. What help I wasn’t sure. But I didn’t know what else to do. Maybe take the wheel off which I didn’t try as there’s always at least one lug nut I can’t seem to break loose.

Wasn’t there long when I heard a rig coming and flagged them down. Two young folks from the Forest Service on a goshawk survey gave me a ride to Forest Road 22.

Then I walked two miles down to the main highway and got a ride four miles to the entrance station. FabGrandma Karen was just leaving so I rode home with her. Her sweet hubby drove me back to take a look. And of course, it only made a tiny squeak and then quiet. So he followed me home with no more incident. I have an appointment with my mechanic for next Wednesday and can only hope it gets me around until then.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Road Trip

I will be off camping for the night in the Kaibab National Forest. Going to try for Locust Point which overlooks the Grand Canyon. Hope to post pics tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Remember Whensday - Grandma's cabin on the lake


When I was little kid my family spent many a two week summer vacation at Grandma Bea’s cabin. I marveled at this real log cabin hidden in the woods of northern Wisconsin on a peninsula into Enterprise Lake just out of Elcho (between Antigo and Rhinelander). It always seemed like such a long drive to get there from the southwest suburbs of Chicago.

Grandma Bea was fun. She would sit on the floor with me in the evening in front of the huge stone fireplace building houses of cards from her multiple pinochle decks. She taught me to play jacks. Took me hunting for wild blueberries still covered with dew to put in the morning’s pancakes. I’d help her with the compost/worm box as we watched the hummingbirds at her colorful flower garden. When I’d come out of the lake shivering and shriveled from long play she’d meet me with a towel, and the salt shaker to remove any stray leeches. We’d take the row boat across a small bay to fill the huge metal milk tins she used to store potable water. Sometimes the long driveway would sink into the swamp that separated her land from the main road so the row boat came in handy there also. There was running water piped from the lake and even indoor plumbing that had been added at some point in time. She had a huge wood cook stove that I was baffled by and marveled to watch her whip up a magnificent meal. (I respected this many years later when I tried to bake a cake in a wood stove.) I remember sleeping in the screened porch and listening to the night’s nature sounds that surrounded the cabin on the lake.

Then there was Grandpa Butch. Bea’s second husband retired from working on the railroad. He seemed to fish all day and drink at night before passing out in his bed built in an alcove off the big living room. There were two very small bedrooms and my parents slept in one, the other was Grandma Bea’s. The beds were deep in handmade quilts and blankets and I loved to crawl in with Grandma in the evenings while she read detective magazines with exciting illustrated covers.

When it rained the roof of the old cabin leaked in many places. I would help place pots, pans and bowls under the drips and enjoyed listening to the various musical sounds of plink, plop, pip-pip-pip-pip. Then Grandma would complain to Grandpa about fixing the roof and he would always reply that he couldn’t fix it in the rain.

Sally from The (Mis) Adventures of Karl and Sally has started a new meme where the past is remembered through sharing old family photographs and this is #6. I love the idea and hope you will too. So join the fun by clicking here.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Oh Deer!


I was walking from the administration building back to the office and happened upon this sweetheart browsing the tall grass.

She wasn’t really very scared of me and only wandered off a little to let me pass by.

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