Dad's

    Back in Idaho after a year.  In the last two or so thousand miles, We've had two concerning incidents with the Chevy Truck.  The first a separated tire which I wrongly thought to be a bad U joint. But at three hundred bucks less spendy than could have been. (This is the third gawldamned set of tires I've had to buy the last three months.)  But it also necessitated a tow, thanks to Good Sam, and a couple of nights in a paid campground which virtually goes against every Cell in my body of my stick it to the Man and Camp  Naked   ( I meant Free) every chance I get

    And the second turned out to be a loose injector wire. Triggered on a bumpy road.  The "Service Engine Soon" light which should say instead "What's your credit limit again?" was blinking crazily  in the corner of my eye.  And, it was running like shit to boot.  I limped it back to Camp, where we are located ALONE some six or so miles out of town.   Thankfully I've an on board OBD reader that told me what to look for.  But we were going to have the campground to ourselves the following weekend and I was kind of looking forward to that.  Anyways.

     So I panicked and headed for Idaho.  Another four hundred mile day.  And that Old Chevy Truck ran like a dream the whole way at five or six miles to the gallon. Sorry, I'm exaggerating.  Sometimes only four. I'm starting to think this ole Travel Trailer is a bit heavier than it looks.  

     Anyway, I kind of wanted to get a few things done while we were at Dad's.   A few things turned out to be a little more, a little more and a little more.

     First on the list, we cleared out a huge pile of  Spider Habitat.

I mean pine branches that had been accumulating at the side of the house for years.  That was project one.  Three loads to the dump.  An all day affair.  I gave up in a huff at seven.  (Martini Hour which was damned near over).  Lisa soldiered on until eight which also included weed whacking and everything.  That was Day One.

This is what it looked like after the three loads of old pine branches.Then she removed the Monster in front  and this is what it looks like now.

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This was an all day affair.

Next came changing out a broken light fixture on the Garage while Lisa attacked the Overgrowth.  All told, we had seven trips to the Dump. But I gotta admit.  Dad should enjoy not having to fight the vegetation every time he goes someplace.  Like out the front door. 

     Or try to get into his Car.  

So now he has a fighting chance.

We also tackled the fifty some year old Deck.  Had to replace a few steps and a Hand Rail.  We both walked on it some and I half enthused bounced up and down a bit.  So it'll handle a bit of weight.  I had a few plans to reinforce it though.  

After the first coat.

  
              A coat of paint turned out to be a little bit like putting lipstick on a pig.  There's only so much you can do for a fifty year old deck.  So I made a few changes.  This is what it looks like now

        Couple of new steps. Rebuilt the Handrail.  Reinforced the stairs and an extra brace under the Deck. Also cleared the trash from the back yard. First coat of paint in fifty years  That'll probably do for now.

        As for the old sliding door.  Hasn't worked in years.  Looked it over and I can tell that it has no intentions of ever working again.   So took Dad to HD and ordered a new French Door.   Should look nice with the new coat of paint.  Guys should get it installed this week.  

Also unusual about this trip, we had the pleasure of meeting a few cousins.  Gail, one of Jimmy's kids actually stopped by after spying our TT in the driveway, who were we and what the Hell did we want from Ralph. Damn if I wasn't a bit impressed Dad has long lost Cuz's looking out for him.  We talked for some forty or so minutes.  Like Cousins everywhere, I've learned the conversation has no problems flowing.  One tends to recognize family even if I haven't seen any of them for forty plus years.  Just something I learned meeting other lost relatives in Texas.  Uncle John swung by as did Linda, one of Dick's two girls.   And we picked up a couple of phone numbers of volunteers to check in on Dad on occasion.   

Looks like we'll finish here and head to Twin Shortly.

Black Canyon

Lisa was all about coming to see Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

But once there she wouldn't get out of the Truck.  Can't say as I blame her.  A couple of pics I've included here display one hell of a fall for the not so surefoot visitor.  Actually, one could lean out and look over a thousand feet down or so.  We made this trip last week before coming to Wyoming,

Is the Beauty of this place unmatched?  Probably not.  But it is amazing scenery.  And hey, if you've grown up within six hundred miles from here.  Yeah, it should be on a bucket list.  It's that God Awful Beautiful

Some of the following pics are taken in Panorama and work well with touch screens.  Some are black and white.  Either way, I'm impressed they seem to capture some of the beauty of this place.  

                                 Lisa not getting out of the Truck again. Woman just don't like heights.

I took this with a Telephoto and was pleasantly surprised that it was an overlook and people were present, not visible to the naked eye.  I then took another pic with the Telephoto backed off to show perspective of the amazing immensity of this place.. 

                                This one.  Try and spot the people.

Yeah, another people perspective shot.  The one after it is the Telephoto pulled back

Yeah, I just held the Camera out a bit.  Long ways down.

                     

Monarch Peak

I asked Lisa, what do you think of a Scenic Tram Ride up 12,000 foot Monarch Peak.  She said NO!  HELL NO!  "The height thing again huh?"  I muttered "Wimp" .  She said WHAT?  I said " Still got this damn LIMP".  Take pictures she said as I hopped into the Truck

So I had to go myself.  It's a 22 mile drive to the summit, itself around 11,000 feet climbing around 4000 feet. A big parking lot with a gift shop and the scenic gondola ride is located.  It's a bit of a climb to where the embarcation point is and at eleven thousand feet I was huffing and puffing.  The attendant guy looked at me a bit scared.  Something about my blue lips.  "It's nothing" I said.  "Just a snow cone I had before I got here". Then I  paid making damn sure I got that  Sr. discount I'd worked so hard to get in order to save myself three bucks.  "Paid for my gas up here I said".  The attendant, nice guy, looked at me a little funny.  I realized my mistake immediately but retained my composure and dignity.  There's just no way I got that Mayo completely off my Mustache from two days ago before coming up here.  That and the blue lips, I must look really funny.

Now in my youth I must have taken a thousand rides up the ski lift.  Many just as high and steep as this one.  But now I'm older.  And though I might yet still hop on a ski lift someday, should it malfunction in some manner, I like the option of lying broken and bloodied on the side of the Mountain rather than soupified by rolling to the bottom trapped in a rolling fiberglass ball.  Kind of like making the decision to jump or burn.  Few stay to burn.

Those were exactly my thoughts as he locked the door from the outside  But sweaty hands and all ,I weathered the trip completely in control of all my faculties until a couple of yards from the top.  Then the little gondola rocked to and fro as it was hit with a fifty plus MPH wind.  Even then I remained stone faced.  Just unsure where that shrilling sound was coming from.  So after all, nine out of ten faculties ain't bad.

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There's an observation bldg up top.  And amazing views of both sides of the Continental Divide.  It's cold and windy as hell and visitors only stay a short while.  But I did get awesome pictures.  There's even an imaginary line of the Continental Divide but in reality, it's the entire ridge.

I put a Panorama in that works nice if watched with a touch screen.  Still have not worked a viewer in.

Saratoga, Wyoming

Beating the Man one Campsite after another.

Free Hot Springs Saratoga

Link

When most people, including myself in years past go camping, they tend not to live in their Travel Trailer as we do.  Preparations before and the work unpacking whatever vessel you happen to be sleeping in ritualistically signals the difference between coming home and the end of Vacation.  While we, on the other hand view the same scenery indoors wherever we land.  Get's to be a little bit weird.  I've looked out of this same door at illegal Hispanics when we were camped so close to the border it could be counted in yards.  To the beautiful Gulf Coast Beaches where we watched Tugs and Tanker Ships cruise by, sometimes withing shouting distance. And now We've been seeing  the Mountains and Rivers in Colorado and Wyoming. The possibility exists that I may get the opportunity to look out on Denali next year.  Or see Orca's in some Alaskan Sound from this same old RV door.  But our television is located just below the Clock like it always is.  And my clothes are in the same overhead Cubby and small Closet. Thanks to Lisa cleaned and washed regularly. So for us, no line exists between coming home and unpacking.   All of our possessions go from one campsite to the next.  (Believe me, certainly enough to take notice whilst trying to get over an eleven thousand foot pass).  

So it's dark, early evening and a pretty strong wind just blew through here cooling us down from out long drive.  Expecting the lows to be about fifty.  We're in a secluded spot several miles from the highway and although we're not alone,  (A couple of other campers)  It's quiet as a mouse out there.  With only one meal today, I was about to crack a little tin of Smoked Oysters.  Then I realized, this may be Bear country.  Worse yet, Grizzly Bear Habitat.  Best to forego the Oysters methinks.  And though I miss the evenings of quiet contemplation of the past two years such as I'm enjoying now, usually while Lisa sleeps and I'm alone.  A more frequent occurrence when we were working in the Oilfields camped out in so many different areas of the Eagle Ford.  But instead, the days, one could argue are limited, are filled with other things.  

Not everyone would enjoy our life.  

People choose their path, even in this lifestyle.  For instance today I chatted with a guy travelling the Country from Dallas.  He's invested a lot of money in a massive "Class A" pulling a late model economy car.  There's no denying their evenings are spent in much more luxurious surroundings.  That is until they step out the door. Packed like Sardines  in the few 50 Amp pull through spots one can find. So he'll gladly pay his fifty bucks a night.  He'd play hell getting here.  Where Lisa carefully calculates the number of wooden blocks under the wheels in order for us to level and stabilize our trailer.  All for the sake of the damn refrigerator that requires a perfectly level platform to operate. We could have pulled right out to the rocky beach of the river. 

Below, an escapee from the nearby pasture.  We notified the people we could.  He was a little upset and beat up.  Soon disappeared in the brush.  Thankfully we are several miles from the highway.  He wasn't about to be captured right away.

Tonight the above pics are taken just a couple of miles out of Saratoga, Wyoming.  Down and dirt road a couple of miles to a beautiful wooded area alongside the North Platte River.  And did I mention it was free.  Compliments of this site Free Camping.  We've only expended about seventy bucks so far on Campsites.  We boondocked for nine days outside Salida, CO.  I'm more than confident that we'll be expending very little on paid camp sites.  We may stay a day or a week.  But tomorrow morning after breakfast, We'll be heading into town for a soak in the free Hot Tubs.  

We just drove from Caspar.  Couple of pleasant days meeting with Lisa's sister Linda, her Niece Summer and family.  Because Lisa forgot to take pictures.  I got into trouble because I took video's of the Cool Dog Australian Shepard "Cornelius" and the Macaw "Eeooo".  Guess I got that right.  She's the people person.  I'm just the "Squirrel" .  So I sputtered out my "yes Dear's and I'm sorrys"  So's not to get into too much trouble.   But Summer and her Husband Jeramiah run a Restaurant at the Golf Course in Caspar.  Here's a link to their Face Book page.   Caddie Shack.   We only had lunch there, but I can vouch the prime rib sandwich was the best I'd ever had.  If you are ever in Caspar, Wyoming. Anyways.  Oh yeah, Cornelius the Dog

We were literally playing catch by the way.  I'm just not good enough to video it.  Cornelius hit the pig so hard that several times it just bounced straight back to my hand.   This video may not work outright and need some work.  I'll get it fixed.