Christmas in Utah!

Believe it or not, We actually miss the snow! We don't miss driving in it or the bitter cold but do miss the beauty of it, walking through the woods and seeing it resting on the pines…… This is our first Christmas on the road, we were not sure what to expect, with the warmer weather and not snow it just does not feel like Christmas, but you go into the stores and you definitely see it!

Like many things this year, we have to get used to a “new normal” and set our expectations accordingly. Don’t get me wrong, we are not unhappy, just getting used to something new! Christmas in a trailer is a lot like Christmas in a home but to a smaller scale. For almost 30 years Barb and I (and sometimes the kids) would go out and cut down our own Christmas tree. We have had some as high as 15’ tall! This year, although we did not cut it down ourselves, we still have a live tree! This one however is our smallest one measuring in at a whopping 3’. Barb has the trailer decorated nicely with the few Christmas knickknacks that she saved.

 

Our first mobile Christmas tree!

 



The snow is creeping down the mountains!

This is also the first Christmas that I will not spend with my family (brothers and sisters) in……forever, I guess. Last year we had a big gathering at our “in-between” house in Wisconsin. My oldest sister spent Christmas Eve with us and when she woke up Santa somehow knew and brought her a stocking! I am going to miss seeing them, but on the lighter side this is the first Christmas we will spend with our own children/grandchildren in over 8 years and we are truly enjoying that!

One of my biggest worries was whether or not Santa would be able to find us now that we were traveling. How does he know where all the RV nomads are at a given time? Not to fear, he did find us and we had a great Christmas! Christmas Eve was spent at Forrest’s house where they prepared a delicious dinner of prime rib and crab legs! Christmas day was spent at Jessica’s house starting early with sticky buns and opening of presents. That evening we had another delicious meal including a bushel of blue crab ordered from the east coast and shrimp.

Dylan getting ready to open presents

Lily on her new bike!

Jessica and Kendall

Forrest and Shane digging into the crabs!

Barb and Kendall

Barb and Lily

We spent our final night in Salt Lake at Jessica’s having a sleep over with all the kids in our trailer parked out front of the house. Daisy and I elected to sleep in the recliner in the living room while Barb spent the night in the bedroom with kids. Now if  you have ever tried to spend the night with a 5 and 3 year old it sounds like you are missing a treat. Barb said she was sandwiched between the two for the entire night and you have heard of the game "Whack a Mole" right? Well evidently Barb was an unwilling participant of a new game called "Whack a Grammy" where small sleeping children randomly whack grandma throughout the night. Barb said she was awaken several times throughout the night with a whack to the head! Needless to say, the night and the following morning was filled with the joy of frolicking and screaming kids!

Daisy had a rough day!

Kendall showing off her teeth!

But alas, all good things must come to an end and after almost two months in Salt Lake it was time for Barb and I to move on. So with our belly’s full, our last load of free laundry for a while, one last long shower and enough grandchild time to hold us for a couple of months, we hit the road headed south. Our first stop Lake Havasue, Quartzsite and Yuma  where we will be staying for a few days as I have some dental work done in Mexico……More to come on that!

First Time to Lake Mead

There is so much to do in the Lake Mead area that a week just isn’t enough time, especially when a couple of those days are lost to some kind of stomach virus.  Call it food poisoning or the flu, it is no fun at all being sick in a 400 square foot trailer. Despite this set back we made the most of it with hiking, boating and sightseeing.

The trip from Salt Lake took about 5 ½ hours and three states. The terrain was ever changing with several mountain summits in Utah followed by a long descent into the absolutely stunning Virgin River area of Arizona before entering Nevada into North Las Vegas and then the Lake Mead National Park from the north entrance.

We had originally planned on staying at Boulder Beach Campground for 2 days and spending the rest of our time at Stewart Point boondocking area but at only $10.00 a night, we just could not leave the Boulder Beach. It is a great campground with a lot of beautifully landscaped, large pull through or back in sites and clean bathrooms.

Campsite #45 at Boulder Beach

 We met up with our friends, Steve and Joan (FOSJ), who are work camping in Lake Mead for the winter and we headed into Boulder City for dinner. Boulder City is located about 20 minutes from Boulder Beach Campground. I would say it is broken into two sections, the older quaint section with shops and restaurants and the new section with grocery stores, gas stations and food chains. If for some reason you don’t find what you are looking for there, it is just a short 15 minute drive to the Henderson and Las Vegas are where casinos and restaurants abound. We drove through the area looking at Christmas lights and stopped to visit a cactus garden that was decorated for the holidays.

I would not want to pay this electric bill!

 

The Cactus Garden was decorated for Christmas

 

 We spent the next day hiking and our first hike was to the Anniversary Mines/Lovell Wash Narrows, a beautiful slot canyon hike. In addition to Steve and Joan, we were joined by fellow full-timers Herb and Kristina.  We started this adventure parking near the mouth of an old mine. In addition to this historic mine they actively mining Colemanite while we were there. We found several pieces of Colemanite, it is a type of a crystal that is used for many things after mined. One of the more popular uses is in the manufacturing of heat resistant glass. After exploring the mine, we hiked up a  winding narrow slot canyon. The canyon was formed by water flowing and eroding the limestone and mudstone layers which created these incredible canyons and surrounding formations.  Although totally dry while we were there, there is evidence of the power of the water that occasionally flows through the canyon. Boulders weighing more than a ton are pushed around like pebbles when the water is at full force. As you walk through the canyon you are just in awe of the beauty and force of nature in this area and hope a sudden rain storm does not erupt overhead!

                                                   

Barb and Steve in the mine

Colemanite

Another smaller mine we found

 We followed that up with several short hikes in Nevada’s oldest State Park, Valley of Fire. Joan had timed this hike for the late afternoon and the rock formations and coloration were absolutely stunning. You can see how this valley got its name with all the brilliant red rock! The scenery was indescribable and the pictures really do not do it justice. We visited Atlatl Rock were there are several areas with petroglyphs over 3000 years old.  An Atlatl is an ancient spear throwing weapon, some of which are depicted in the petroglyphs. As you view these petroglyphs you cannot help but wonder about the people who made them and what life was like for them back then.

 

 

 

 

Steve & Joan at Valley of Fire

 

Daisy chill'in on a rock ledge

Being this is our first time in the desert, we spent a lot of time looking at different plants. Most of the plants were some form of cactus, it is amazing how many different varieties there are! We had our first experience with Creosote trees, definitely a smelly tree!

 

No one can come to Lake Mead without a trip to Hoover Dam! Barb and I took a small walk on one of our down days and walked the new bridge as well as the dam itself. Both are amazing structures, you can't help but think about the architecture that went into each.

Prior to coming down to Lake Mead Barb and I had ordered a Sea Eagle 465 ordered from Tim at InflatableBoats4Less. This is a 15’ inflatable boat that we plan to take along on our journeys for adventuring and fishing. One of our goals for this trip was to get it out on the water to test it out. Although we only got out in it for a very short time, we are very pleased with this purchase. It was easy to set up, very stable and easy to paddle. I can’t wait to get out in it for a little longer!

Overall it was a great trip, it was unfortunate we lost a couple days to our illness, it would have been nice to do some biking and get on a few more hikes. It was great to see Joan and Steve again as well as meet a few other fellow fulltimers. We will definitely be back to this area to explore some more but it is time for us to get back to Salt Lake for Christmas!

Taking Things for Granted........

My last post “So Much to be Thankful for……..” talked about many of the things Barb and I are thankful for but don’t necessarily take for granted. This subject of this post was brought on by a recent package I received from one of my sisters.

There were a lot of things that I took for granted prior to full-timing; never ending water supplies,  sewer systems, electricity (or clean electricity), freezer space……. The list goes on. Over the past 8 months I have begun to realize and appreciate these things and adapt accordingly. I guess I knew that these things would be different when we hit the road but until we actually experienced it we did not fully appreciate it.

One thing I was not expecting was the fact that I am not able to get some of my food staples where ever we are! Growing up in the Midwest all my life you get used to certain foods being available at all times. No I am not talking about Lutefisk (yuck) or Swedish Meatballs (yum) Lefse (yum). I am talking about things you should be able to get at any grocery store. The three that have turned my world upside down the most are (in order of importance) Western salad dressing, Townhouse crackers and Hormel Chili!

Would you believe I have not been able to find Western dressing west of the Dakotas?!?! Seriously, it is “Western” dressing, and not available out west! Townhouse crackers……could not find them in Canada last summer, had to have them imported by friends that were coming up. Hormel chili has been hit and miss, sometimes I find it, sometimes I don’t. I get the fact that Hormel is a Minnesota company and may not be found out of that area, but the other two?

So, a big “Thank  you” to my sister Judy who sent me 10 bottles of Western dressing in a USPS Priority Box! I don’t even want to tell you what each of those bottles cost, but it is totally worth it.

 

The flipside of this situation is that we get to experience new foods that I would have never tried before. I wrote about my first experience with Fleischkuechle in North Dakota and my food horizons continue to be expanded.  I am what most would call a picky eater so getting me to try new things is quite a feat but out here in Utah I have been introduced to the fine art of Sushi dining. Now sushi is available in the Midwest but not as prevalent as it is out here. We have been having Sushi about once a week and I am even an accomplished chopsticker now!

I would be love to hear what food experiences other have had when they first started full-timing, feel free to comment on some of your biggest surprises below.

This week we have ben spending a lot of time with the grandkids, holiday programs, tree lighting events or just visits and spending time with them. Next week we may head down to Lake Mead for a few days.....stay tuned!

So Much to be Thankful for........

This is our first Thanksgiving on the road and we have so much to be thankful for. For me personally, I am thankful for Barb, my kids/grandkids, our health as well as my family and friends. It does not take Thanksgiving to remind us of how thankful we are, Barb and I talk about it frequently.

Traditionally we would be spending this week with many of our good friends at deer camp in northern Wisconsin, a tradition we have been part of for many years. Thanksgiving itself, would be spent with my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews in the Wisconsin/Minnesota area. Although all these people are dearly missed, this year we spent the day with our two children in Salt Lake, something we have not done in over 13 years.

We failed miserably in the picture department. Barb was busy preparing the feast and I……well……I was watching football. It was not until we were on our way home I realized that we did not take any pictures.

The main purpose of this short post is to wish a happy Thanksgiving to our dear family and friends. There are way too many to mention so I am going to try and group some together……So Happy Thanksgiving to my family, who we missed this year, to our friends in the Milltown/Balsam Lake/Somerset/River Falls and Spring Valley Wisconsin area, Barb’s family in northern California and southern Oregon, to our deer camp friends, to our friends in North Dakota, to Barb’s horse friends and her friends at the county and last but not least to our new fulltimer friends we have met (online and in person) while we are on the road. We wish you all nothing but well wishes and are thankful to have you in our lives.