A month to roam....

And so it was that with a blank calendar for the next month we decided to take off for a road trip.  Our destination was St. George, Utah, more specifically Snow Canyon State Park, about 720 miles from Petaluma, an easy 2-3 day drive.  We discovered Snow Canyon SP a couple of years ago when Howard was running in the Senior Olympics held every October in St. George.   And as is always the case the journey proved to be as beautiful and interesting as the destination....Well almost!

Our first stop was a small RV park in Eureka, Nevada on Highway 50, the Loneliest road in America!  Lonely indeed, and barren for the most part, but it is a slice of Americana, sparsely populated with little towns, many boarded up, with light traffic.  This route also leads the way to Great Basin National Park, located in Eastern Nevada very near the border with Utah.  We had not visited Great Basin since our early days of RVing in our Dolphin MH, circa 1996!

Great Basin National Park:  A vast region of sage brush-covered valleys and narrow mountain ranges stretching from California's Sierra Nevada to Utah's Wasatch.  A must see, the Lehman Caves was our first experience in cave exploring with a ranger leading the way and explaining what we were seeing.  Though quite small it is beautifully decorated and well worth the tour.  Another plus is the drive to the base of Wheeler Peak which stretches to an altitude of over 13,000 feet.  There are many trails, some leading to Bristlecone Pine forests.  We were limited due to a much needed rain storm passing through.

Highway 50, The Loneliest Road in America

Eureka!!

The Great Basin from along the road to the base of Wheeler Peak

Cathedral Gorge State Park:  We backtracked a bit on Highway 50 to pickup Highway 93, a scenic byway taking us south in the general direction of St. George, UT.  Just as our day of driving was winding down, according to "The rule of 3s - 300 miles per day, 3 o'clock in the afternoon"....we see a welcome sign near Panaca, NV announcing Cathedral Gorge State Park.  Having never taken this route before and not being familiar with Cathedral Gorge, we rightfully decided to stop for a day or two of exploring, and what a bonanza of exploring we found.

As the park brochure so graphically put it, if you had been here 2.5 million years ago, you would have needed gills.  Volcanoes, earthquakes, water, and erosion created the "hoodoo-like" spires, and buff-colored mud cliffs. Narrow slot canyons are cut deep into the old mud formations.  Adventurous visitors can crawl through tunnels to discover hidden chambers through the network of canyons.  We did no crawling but did enjoy many tight squeezes!  With the temps in the high 80s, the coolness of the slot canyons made for a more pleasant walk, with many photo ops.

Snow Canyon State Park:  We pulled in to Snow Canyon SP not sure if we would be able to get a site.  Being on the reservation system and on the venue of several Senior Games, we lucked out by being amenable to moving around a bit.  They hold 2 sites as first come, first serve and we managed to snag one for 5 days thus giving us a full week.  

The park is spectacular...period!  Located in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve amid lava flows and soaring sandstone cliffs in a fragile desert environment, we marvel at the majestic views and subtle interplay of light and shadow across the canyon walls.  There is a great multi-trail system accessible right across the street from the park offering miles of red rock splendor!  

We spent a day visiting nearby Zion National Park amidst a crowd of like-minded people.  Both sides of the approach road, Highway 9, were jammed with parked cars vying for access to the splendor surrounding us. We did our sightseeing from the car windows!

The temps were still hot throughout the southwest as we were putting together an itinerary for our departure from St. George.  We had our sights on Marble Canyon, maybe a quick ride to the North Rim to say hi to Gaelyn, and on to Safford in eastern AZ and Roper Lake State Park.  But we soon scratched these plans as we didn't want to be dependent on staying inside running the generator and air conditioning.  So we headed to Barstow and turned right for the Pacific coast.

We're now winding down our road trip and heading back to Petaluma where I start the process of cataract surgery for both eyes.  I'm looking forward to the end result as I hear it greatly improves vision!  It's been a great month!

Seeing some sights, settling in, the 3rd week syndrome~~

Sightseeing:

A street scene in Masaya

With an eye on the weather, which changes hourly, we scheduled a full day of sightseeing with one of our drivers.  We decided on the Classical Tour, with some modifications. We nixed the Masaya Market as it was hot and crowded.

First was a driving tour of Los Pueblos Blancos, a group of small villages that represent the heart of Nicaragua with strong pre-Columbian roots and traditions.  Each town has its own patron saint, its own fiestas, its own artisan traditions like hammocks, pottery, ornamental plants, etc.  We stopped often for photos and to look into the shops.

Church in one of the villages

Little did we know when pulling into a questionable alley in the village of San Juan de Oriente and entering a modest home and workshop operated by Valentin Lopez, Taller y Escuela de Ceramica, what a treat we were in for.  We immediately migrated to the "gift shop" displays, only to be re-directed in Spanish to come sit down and watch.

What followed was a demonstration of the creative process of one piece of pottery from start to finish, which if I understood correctly takes about 10 days.  The very basic tools consist of bicycle spokes for carving designs, natural pigments from different regions around the country, brushes made from hair for painting, and sea rocks and cocoa beans for polishing.

 I put together a slideshow from my Picasa album to demonstrate what we observed:

Our goodies, taken from the computer

And this is what we bought!

Posing with pre-Columbian art on the steps of a display in the village of Catarina....

Resuming our tour we gradually gained altitude as we head to the Mirador de Catarina, an overlook of Laguna de Apoyo,  a crater lake formed some 23,000 years ago by a strong volcanic eruption that left a hole measuring 6 km in diameter.  It is a crystal clear turquoise though on our visit the clouds and reflections presented a whole new perspective on the lagoon. It sort of looks like boiling water, or frothy waves...

We had to get in the picture..

Now we get to the exciting part!  I have been so looking forward to visiting Masaya Volcano National Park, possibly with a touch of trepidation.  It is quite active, spewing great quantities of sulfur dioxide, and we drove right up to the rim, climbed up to top, and peered into the bowels of "La Boca del Infierno", as it is locally referred to.  All cars must back into the parking area so as to face heading out, and I noticed our driver did not turn off his engine.  There are a lot of superstitions attached to this place, so best be ready for a speedy retreat!

On the brink of "La Boca del Infierno"

The cross, La Cruz de Bobadilla, named after Father Francisco Bobadilla, was planted on the lip of the crater in the 16th century to exorcise the devil!

For the grand finale to our day, we drove way down to the lake from which we were earlier perched for a view, to have a late lunch before heading back to Granada.

Lunch by Laguna de Apoyo

Why so many pictures of me?  Cause it's how I spent my birthday!!

How appropriate...posted on my Facebook page.  Notice the  "Age Limit"!

On another day we headed down to Lake Nicaragua for a boat tour of Las Isletas.  The islets are a group of 365 small islands, volcanic in origin, and formed when Mombacho blew its top thousands of years ago.  Most are covered in vegetation and rich with wild life.  Many are inhabited and several are privately owned.  No we didn't see all 365!  And yes, Mombacho is on the must do list.....

 Settling in:

Being here in Granada for a month allows us to settle in and pace ourselves.  I must admit that the heat and humidity can be fierce and we have to time our outings appropriately.  An overcast day is great for walking into town but not good for photography.  

Another obstacle for me is acclimating to the local diet. Not that I haven't absolutely loved the food, quite the opposite. I insist on experiencing the comida tipica, the street food (carefully, and with recommendations), drinks, and different restaurants  It's just that my IBS has kicked in with a vengeance.  Seems that any change in diet, climate, location...who knows, gets my wimpy guts groaning, especially at night, when I'd like to be sleeping!  

We spend a lot of time sitting on our patio or by the pool, swimming and reading.  I am somewhat struggling through Follett's Edge of Eternity, the 3rd and final in his Century Trilogy, but I am 90% complete and can then start reading something mindless and trashy!   Also currently watching our SF Giants play in the World Series.  Vamos Los Gigantes!

The 3rd week syndrome:

This is when we usually hit the wall when away for a month and start missing the freedom of the road, coming and going as we please, familiarity, our things...meager as they are.  This trip is no exception.  We have both decided a month is just too long for us in one place, and we would have been wiser to add a couple of other destinations to the itinerary.  The coast, for instance, is several hour's drive each way.  Better to have found a place there to stay for a week.  And then there is the Caribbean side; a whole different environment.

Our surroundings are wonderfully accommodating and quite beautiful and the staff attentive to our every need, and so much fun to be around.  They absolutely insist on speaking Spanish and are constantly correcting me, especially my verb conjugations which are always in the present tense. Howard doesn't even try!   They teach me phrases common to the Nicaraguans but not used in other Latino countries. 

 So I will leave you with Como amaneciste?  The verb amanecer means to dawn or wake up, and is typically used to ask how did you sleep, or wake-up....

Como amaneciste?  Bien....I hope!

John Day Fossil Beds; Sheep Rock & Painted Hills...But first~~

In the here and now: 

We're taking a month-long trip leaving October 1st for Granada, Nicaragua.  Why, you might be asking?  Because one lazy day early in the summer I stumbled across this website:  The World's 8 Best Places to Retire in 2014, and decided we should check it out. It's relatively easy and inexpensive to get to and we found another great rental through VRBO.  Ours will be the 1 bedroom unit for $1030 per month which includes many amenities like complimentary breakfasts and free WiFi, in a great location within walking distance to the Parque Central and old Spanish colonial city.

Which explains why I am hurried and way behind in my journal, and more importantly, why we hurried through Eastern Oregon, not giving nearly enough time to our brief destinations.

Another fine blogger tip:

Thanks to another awesome blog, Wheeling It, Nina's photos and commentary led us to John Day Fossil Beds Nat'l Monument and its Painted Hills Unit; two separate days, two different units (out of 3), two unique locations.  Not nearly enough time to do justice nor properly explore an area that preserves plant and animal evolution, changing climates, and past ecosystems that span over 40 million years!  I will let the links do the talking, which I encourage you to read as they tell a pretty incredible story.

Sheep Rock Unit:

We stayed at the Fish Creek Inn and RV Park in Dayville on Hwy. 26, 32 miles west of John Day.  This park is another garden spot with sprawling green lawns, shade trees, and ice cream to boot.  We thought the $25 per night for full-hookups was very reasonable and its proximity to the Sheep Creek Unit for a quick day of sightseeing convenient.

Our first stop was at the very impressive Thomas Condon Paleontology Center to get our bearings, check out the exhibits, and see the movie. The exhibits proved to be the best option for seeing fossils throughout the park.  We already had Blue Basin Dreams, and who wouldn't after reading this (link), though the basin itself appeared rather greenish against a cloudless blue sky. Technically it is a formation of blue-green claystone comprised of volcanic ash, containing fossils of animals that lived some 25-30 million years ago, or so! 

We decided on the Island in Time trail, an easy 1.3 miles round-trip with a series of 13 short metal bridges, instead of the longer and steeper Overlook trail. Afterwards, we continued on to the Foree area to check out the Story in Stone and Flood of Fire trails, both short 1/4 milers.  We also lucked out as there was a paleontologist on site at the time of our hike!

Painted Hills Unit:

Another day and 38 miles down the road to Mitchell, where we managed a spot in the smallish 3-site Mitchell City Park, $17 per nite.

We wasted no time getting down to business as our excitement was building.  Off Highway 26, a country road winds through rugged landscapes, passing agricultural fields leading into a geological wonderland! The Painted Hills are the crown jewels of the region with their spectacular colors of red, orange, gold, purple, and grey, all changing with the sun; a palette of sublime patterns, each layer of color representing another 10 million years, or so. There are several short 1/4 to 1/2 mile trails, and we were determined to take them all.

On to home territory:

So in a nutshell, we made a brief stop in Bend thinking we'd be able to pick-up some summer bargains on the clearance racks at the Columbia Outlet Store.  That wasn't happening.  Air quality is getting nasty so we continued on to Weed, CA.  Do you see the irony here...Weed!!  That's right, we stayed the night before a major fire pretty much wiped out the town!  

The smoke and air along I-5 was so bad we drove all the way to Half Moon Bay for fresh ocean breezes and to see the littlest grandkids, and their parents.  We breathed a sigh of relief, had a couple of great meals, a haircut, and a trip to the pumpkin patch....

And here we are in Petaluma, just in time for Christina's 8th birthday!  She got to chose a store and Toys R Us won out.