North rim of Gunnison September 13, 2020

From our base at Grand Junction CO, we drove south to the north rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison. As with the north rim of the Grand Canyon, the north rim of Gunnison is much less visited and so, by our estimation, more attractive a destination. It did not disappoint.

Some of the trip is on well maintained dirt roads. We took the short drive along the rim and a few short walks to the canyon edge and marveled at the spectacular vista before us. Black Canyon is steep, high, and narrow. It's called the "black canyon" because  its steepness makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate into its depths. As a result, the canyon is often shrouded in shadow, causing the rocky walls to appear black.

At overlooks, the barriers at the edge of the canyon are a little more than thigh high. While they are sturdy and safe, you can get the feeling that you're going to blow right off the edge. Drop offs just behind the barriers are sheer and very deep. In some of my photos you'll see Ray standing well back from the barrier. He has a pretty developed fear of heights.

After checking out the rim drive, we hiked to exclamation point, a walk that takes you through some scrub and treed areas to a final view that makes the walk worthwhile, straight up the canyon. 

When we got back to the RV late in the afternoon, we discovered that we had inadvertently picked up a hitchhiker, probably in Missouri. A mouse has joined us for the ride! We will be stopping at Walmart on our way out this morning to get some traps to end his journey with us--permanently.

Tomorrow we head to Capitol Reef in Utah.

Photos of the day here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LgV9taAk5Y3yjVZS8

Driving, driving, driving

We have moved across the rolling hills of Missouri to the gentle hills of eastern Kansas and the plains of western Kansas to the Colorado high plains and finally, the Rockies, 2,143 miles into our journey, we have come to the area we most wanted to explore. Some places will be new to us, others, more familiar.

Some impressions of our drive so far: 

Not sure what the Kansas DOT is doing in and around Kansas City, but the I70 detour around construction is crazy. It would have been helpful if the signage was more complete. In some places, we were left wondering where we were supposed to go. There nothing quite like driving a 28 foot beast and towing a small car in a 4-6 lane construction area where the roads all intersect. In one area, we got onto one road, only to have to cross 4 lanes of traffic to make a left exit. Big kudos to Ray for keeping it together here.

Most people believe that Kansas is the flattest state in the US. Drive across the state, and you will see that is not at all the case. The eastern third of Kansas is a mesmerizing scene of blue sky meeting mostly treeless  green rolling hills bisected by the road. We didn't stop there, but we have visited the Flint Hills and Tall Grass Prairie, and have come to really love this landscape. Most people think Kansas is the flattest state in the nation. In fact, it is the 28th flattest state in the US, gradually rising 3400 feet in elevation from east to west. 

We stayed at a KOA in western Kansas. The campground wasn't far from I70, but far enough away that you really couldn't hear road noise. It was a really peaceful spot. We were preparing to leave in the morning, when I saw the proprietor walk from the office towards a clearing with a flagpole. He was carrying a folded US flag, and proceeded to raise the flag. I was moved by this simple gesture on this gorgeous morning. In these crazy times, it seemed like an important thing.

The entrance to Colorado on I70 is not what most people think of when they imagine Colorado. The Colorado high plains greet you there. If there wasn't a sign there, you'd be hard pressed to know where Kansas ends and Colorado begins. But Colorado has an incredibly diverse land structure: alpine mountains, high plains, deserts with huge sand dunes, and deep canyons. It's always a cool feeling after having driven the eastern third of Colorado, to spot the "purple mountains majesty" rising in the distance

We drove through Glenwood Canyon, an area that was the site of the Grizzly Creek wildfire just a few weeks ago, and has burned over 32,000 acres. We saw evidence of the fire on scorched bridges and road decking and brush and trees by the side of the road. The road is normally split into east and westbound decks. All traffic now travels on the eastbound deck as repairs are accomplished.

Tomorrow we head to the less visited north rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

Observations along the way September 8, 2020

 It's the little things that all add up to a unique experience, and what makes our travel so interesting. Travel is so much more than the experience you get at your destination. As we drive along, questions come to mind. A sign might prompt a thought. A vista brings back a memory.

Today was a travel day: one where we are focused on moving toward our ultimate destination, with the understanding that it will be a few days before we get there. On the way to our stopping point for today, Forsyth, GA (which we really hadn't chosen until we were 2/3 of the way there), we passed through Florida's hills (yes, there are bona fide hills in FL) in Lake and Marion Counties. It's gorgeous country with horse farms, and green pastures, and very distinct from the tropical nature of south Florida, and the beaches that line the coasts. Beautiful.

On the road, we saw a shrink-wrapped boat being towed north. How do they do that? What is the process? A quick check with Google showed me that the boat is cleaned, and perimeter strapping is attached along with supports. Then large sheets of shrink vinyl is laid over the boat and heat is applied with a propane heat gun. Who knew?

Sign of the times: We found it interesting that in a couple of places electronic road signs that might usually say " Slow Down" or "Click it or Ticket" now advise "Wear a mask" and "Social distance".

As we passed through Irwin County, GA in south central Georgia, we saw signs for the 12,000+ acre Jefferson Davis Memorial Historic Site. How weird is it that there are state-sponsored monuments honoring traitors to this country? Weird.

We are always appreciative of the many truckers that move our country. What stupidity and foolishness they have to endure daily on the roads to get our stuff to us! We saw multiple instances of people cutting off semis.

It was curious to us that when we stepped out of the RV in Georgia, we both noted how much cooler it felt. It wasn't the temperature (it was 87, not so different from back home), but I noted that the humidity was 40%. The last time we had humidity that low was probably in April. 

Heading toward Kentucky tomorrow.

Excited to be traveling again

Back in July, we had a 6 week trip planned that would take us to, among other places, Glacier National Park. We had looked forward to hiking the High Line and Iceberg Lake Trails, and scoping out the many wonders of  the place. The peace we find there is indescribable. But then came COVID. Since things were closing up, and access to Glacier was limited, we decided to travel later. Later is now.

So now we're headed as far west as Great Basin National Park in Nevada, with stops at Arches, Canyonlands, maybe Capitol Reef, Gunnison and some other places. Our 6 week trip starts tomorrow. We recognize the fact that we are so blessed to have the time, health, means and ability to do this, and I thank God many times every day that such is the case. There's nothing quite like the feeling of sitting up high with a panoramic view of the American countryside as it rolls by. We sleep in our own bed, get up whenever we wish, and take our time to drink it all in. Our masks are handy, as are hand sanitizer and wipes. We're ready to go. Tomorrow.

Nemours

Nemours

Yesterday we drove south to Wilmington, DE to visit the Nemours Estate. Nemours was created by Alfred I. du Pont in 1909–10 as a gift for his second wife, Alicia, and named for the north central French town affiliated with his great-great-grandfather, Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours.

Covid concerns have closed the mansion for tours, but the grounds are open. The 300 acre estate is gorgeous. Vast lawns frame the many gardens: the Boxwood, Colonnnade, Sunken, Reflecting Pool, Maze and more. We walked a woodland trail on the property as well. In one area, a huge field of pachysandra had been planted to grow among the trees. The effect was stunning.

In his later years, Alfred du Pont gave Nemours to the children’s hospital (adjacent to the mansion) he established in his name, and set up a trust for the mansion’s upkeep.

Longwood fountain pre-show

After our visit here, we drove back to the RV for dinner, and then departed for the evening fountain show at Longwood, where 1,719 water fountain jets dance and soar as high as 175 feet to the sound of music, and the spectacle of colored lights and fire. Very cool performance.

Nemours photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/fHs75U4U2RFMmSa96

Longwood photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/BGcXwfrzSgBgkyUQA

Longwood

Last winter we decided to become members at Longwood Gardens. Since they just opened up since their March Covid shutdown, we decided to stop in.

We were shocked to find there were so few people there. We were actually able to easily snap several long shots without the worry of anyone walking into view. As usual, the gardens are fabulous, and also as usual, we especially loved walking among the huge old trees planted around the gardens. A walk through Longwood refreshes the soul.

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DAidEW7Vp6N4kNqQA

A short trip

Our plans to head to Montana this summer were hijacked by Covid. All access to the east side of Glacier National Park was originally shut down by the Blackfeet Nation (which owns all that land) until the end of June. Two day before we were to leave on our month-long foray out west, The Blackfeet extended the closure of that land for the summer. Our week-long stay at Glacier was canceled. So, we considered our options, and changed course. We now have a 2 week reservation at Glacier for 2021.

So, Plan B. We decided to take a little 2 week trip that would take us to Big South Fork National Recreation Area, Longwood Gardens, and some great spots outside Washington DC. Longwood has just opened since their COVID closure in March. So we packed our hand sanitizer and masks, and hit the road.

It feels so good to be out here. We took our time moving north, with our first stop in Tifton, GA, and our second in Chattanooga, TN. By the third night, we came to Big Soth Fork, and our campsite in the trees.Our first full day there, we drove up to the northern portion of the park where there are some nice overlooks of the river. My God, Tennessee is beautiful! It doesn't seem that there is any flat land here. One hill moves into another which is met by another, and so on.

After visiting the overlooks, we stopped at one coal town re-creation. A gentleman approached us as we wandered around, checking things out. He informed us that this town was only available to tor as part of a paid private tour. We left and continued up the road to another re-created coal town. Here, the National Park Service has done a wonderful  job in preserving the history of this coal town, Blue Heron, mine #18. It was built here in the 1937 and was occupied until 1962 . The buildings are mostly gone, but were recreated  in roofed steel frames, creating an open air museum. Under the frames that  followed the shape and size of the originl buildings, they placed objects of life from the mining town, and a recording of former town inhabitants talking about their memories of life there. From building to building, we built a fuller understanding of what it was like  to live in an isolated mine town in Tennessee in that time period.

The next day, we headed to another part of the park to hike. We were surprised that there were no cars at the trailhead. When I got out of the car, about 3 feet away, there was a fresh pile of bear scat. Other

than a bit of poison ivy which we were able to sidestep, and a few wet spots where we had to cross some fallen logs across a stream, the trail was great. We stopped many times to survey the fascinating rock formations along the way. Thankfully, our hike was all in the woods that provided cooling shade from the heat of the day.

At the conclusion of this hike, we drove up to the trailhead for 2 large arches, and took the trail to go take a look.

By the time we got back to the RV late in the afternoon, skies had clouded over. A short time later, a thunderstorm rolled through.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4sm8GzN98wWDibBr6