Heading Down to Denver

Breezy and a bit chilly this morning as I sipped my first cup of hot brew and enjoyed the sun peeking into this little valley -- Hummingbird buzzed by my vinyl window earlier (still amazed at how many of these little birds I had seen here).  Looked again but, didn't see any Elk on the hillside across the road -- there were around 8 of them there yesterday morning (cows and calves).  Cows are mooing in the pastures below the camp and I think I hear some of the Magpies nearby (birds I hadn't seen since I left Colorado nearly 50 years ago).

Broke camp and headed down the valley on my way back through Montrose, then Delta and Grand Junction before hitting I-70E toward Denver.  Planned to stop at Don and Janet's on my way through Delta and had a little something I had picked up in California -- something I thought he would appreciate more as a retired Fish and Wildlife man -- turned out Janet appreciated it more and had a grand idea of how to use it for a little Christmas Tree (what a hoot she is).  Hope I see a picture of it -- or maybe I'll drop back by and see for myself.

Another quick visit and another quick farewell as I headed "down" to Denver from the "Western Slopes" of Colorado.  I felt more comfortable getting on I-70E and looked forward to seeing some of the sights (farther east) that I had seen in the past -- Glenwood Canyon, Lake Dillon, Loveland Pass and Tunnel, Idaho Springs and other small towns on the way (Genessee Park too).  I made a "pit stop" in Rifle and they were sandbagging the Colorado River to keep it from flooding the rest stop.

Glenwood Canyon



Then I continued into Glenwood Canyon where I could see the Colorado River raging alongside the roadway -- flooding all the pedestrian walkways and intermittently throwing torrents of water into the air off some of the hidden boulders.  Near Eagle and Avon I was hit with the reminder about Colorado's summer weather -- an ice, sleet and hailstorm that nearly completely blocked my windshield (had to stop once to get the ice and such off the wipers).

I hadn't given much thought to Vail Pass but, it was a slow tug with the pop-up camper behind and an extremely slow truck ahead (road construction taking away one of the lanes didn't help either).  The town of Vail looked only a bit bigger but, it seemed to have many more 5 or 6 story buildings in the heart of the ski town which resembled Swiss Chalets -- the area was lush and green, the golf course very inviting with a beautiful mountain stream running through and around it (maybe next time).

Lake Dillon Reservoir

Soon I started to see Lake Dillon in the valley below and stopped to get some pictures of it and the surrounding mountains and ski areas (Keystone and Breckenridge) where I had taken my kids on ski vacations in years past -- fond memories of skiing the powder and trees with them (and a bottle of wine afterwards, while they were still skiing).

Breckenridge or Keystone

Then I came to the approaches to Eisenhower Tunnel and unfortunately there was a Medivac helicopter just taking off from the roadway above and to the left of me as I neared the tunnel -- a serious accident had happened on the westbound side after the tunnel involving an 18 wheeler and had all the lanes blocked.  On the other side of the tunnel, I could see all the westbound traffic being diverted over Loveland Pass -- I cringed at the thought and wondered if it was me whether I would have turned around and taken a room somewhere (wait for things to clear).  Glad I didn't have to make that choice.

Farther down, I made another stop in Georgetown -- pretty rest stop with a museum inside -- small stream and lake just a little farther down (visible from I-70).  A few more miles and the road to Berthoud Pass cut-off to the north toward Winter Park (another ski area we had frequented with little sis).  Minutes later, I passed the llittle town of Idaho Springs with its waterfall and waterwheel (mostly saw it in the past when the waterfall would be frozen as we passed on the way to ski).


Idaho Springs Waterfall



Lake at Georgetown

Soon thereafter, the roadway forked to the right and the climb to Genessee Park began -- another tough pull but, managed to get the V6 kicked in just in time to make the climb without slowing to a complete stop at the side of the road.  When I got closer to Denver (when the climb past Genesse and the Buffalo Overlook were done) I stopped on the downhill side of the road and called ahead to let Rick and Kay know where I happened to be (the city was not far ahead after Mother Cabrinni Shrine and the steep decline into the city).

Arrived around rush hour so slowly made my way around the city to northeast Denver (old Lowry Air Force base) and to Rick and Kay's place.  Left the Jeep and trailer parked in front of their place and settled in for a nice visit (hadn't seen them since March 2010 when they moved from Virginia).

Visit to Canon City - Grandma's House

Left a little after 8:15 am from mile marker 117 (Black Canyon RV Park) with a pot of fresh brewed coffee, a banana and a nut bar, heading east on Route 50 to visit cousin Richard and his wife (Doris) in Canon City (pronounced like "canyon"), the city where my grandma Cunningham had lived.

While growing up in Denver, we used to make numerous trips down the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains through Colorado Springs, around Fort Carson, and on southwest to visit my grandma who lived there (near the penitentary where my grandpa had worked).  She had some wonderful peach trees in her backyard which we loved to climb (made her scream at us to get down) and she had a great little old wooden wagon that my brother and we cousins (Janet, Gene and David) would pull each other around in.

I remember too, one time my brother and I went to the nearby foothills and collected a mason jar of little white scorpions -- seemed to be under every large rock we turned over (you should have seen my father when he dumped them out on the sidewalk and jumped around stomping them to death -- we didn't know they were so poisonous).  Had lots of fun there in the open park across the street and throwing sticks into the canal on the other side.  Now the trip to Canon City would be from a different direction -- the west instead of the north.  Don't know if I would have remembered any landmarks coming into town the old way -- except maybe the Abbey, where my mom went to school (if it was even still there).

Shortly after leaving the RV park and going over the nearby ridge, I began to see some of the Blue Mesa Lake in the valley below -- the largest lake in Colorado.  Wished I had time to stop but, had calculated my trip to be around 3 hours or more to Richard's so pushed on.  After a bit of a drive along the south side of the lake, the road finally crossed over to the north and wound through the canyon with the Gunnison River offering more beautiful scenes to my right before I reached the town of Gunnison.  Got to Gunnison where cell phone service returned and a message from Richard came through -- indicating their schedule was super busy and they couldn't get together until after 1:00 pm so, I decided to slow down a bit.

The next town of any size would be Salida on the other side of Monarch Pass.  Thank goodness I wasn't towing the pop-up over the pass and I decided then that this wouldn't be my route to Denver.  Salida is where my cousin Shirley used to live before relocating to San Antonio so, I decided to call her from the town and ask for a recommendation where to stop for lunch.  As it turned out, I couldn't get her on the phone so, just left a message telling her where I was and headed down the next canyon beside the Arkansas River.  Now I could stop and enjoy some of the scenery since I had a little more time on my hands.

Monarch Pass Ski Area

The drive down the Arkansas River Canyon was another winding, distracting drive with beautiful scenery -- stopped at one point and took pics where a wayfinding sign was erected (about Zebulon Pike and his trips up and down the river and canyon).  Saw dozens of white-water rafts loaded with adventuresome folks -- numerous takeout points with buses awaited the rafters along the way down the canyon.  Passed by an early pull-off for "Rincon" and for some reason thought it was familiar and that perhaps decades ago we (the Burch family) had been there fishing and wading in the river (the river wasn't as turbulent and raging then as it was now).

Farther on, after the river and canyon disappeared to my right, I passed "Buckskin Joes" and the entrance to the "Royal Gorge" with "Skyline Drive" a little farther on the hillside to the left.  This brought back memories of the Burch family being there (Skyline Drive) and being scared shitless when someone came the other way -- thinking we would surely crash and burn tumbling off the road (learned later from Richard that this was now a "one way" road -- made sense).

Made it into Canon around 12:00 noon and looked for a Bank of America -- checked online too but, closest listed was in Pueblo.  Picked up a couple burritos and a pepsi as I headed to Richard and Doris's place -- still had half a burrito to finish on the porch as they were finishing their lunch too.  Their house is near the old canal that ran near Grandma Cunningham's house (on Riverside and 1st).

Richard had more hair than me (even though it looked tinted a little) and has some back problems (no more golf for him).  Doris looked good and much like I remembered except grey -- had recent knee surgery (something I could use).  They were getting ready to take off Thursday for Nebraska and then to one of the Dakotas -- would be gone for two weeks so, my timing had been lucky -- nearly missed them and wouldn't have seen them before leaving Colorado.  Their daughter Michelle is living in Minnesota and is forty-eight.  Their son Brian is married to his high school sweetheart (Laurie) and they have four boys (ages 17 to 22) -- live in Denver where he has his own Insurance Agency.

cousin Richard and Doris

Richard is 75, I think, and they have been in Canon since 1999 but, in their current place since 2009 -- got tired of Denver and wanted a warmer climate -- milder winters close to fishing (his back problems have kept him also from fishing for more than a year).  I stayed for dinner after showing slides of pictures on my computer.  We had delicious steaks from the grille, baked potato, corn and a salad -- had to decline strawberry shortcake though so, I could stay awake on the road back to my campsite.  Left there around 6:30 pm and got back to the RV park around 9:30 pm -- driving in the dark was tough and sunset made the clouds of bugs splattered on my windshield tough to see through as well.  Ran into the clouds of May Flies coming through the Gunnison River canyon and around Blue Mesa Lake.

Route 50 is one of the most spectacular drives I will remember and recommend to others -- hope they have more time to stop and enjoy.  My enjoyment was to see Richard and Doris after so many years.  Think it had been 49 years since I had left Denver and maybe the last time I had seen them -- unless they came to my dad's funeral 25 years ago -- that fuzzy memory of mine, not sure (don't ask me what happened yesterday).

Delta Don and his wife Janet

Tuesday, June 27th - Had a wonderful visit with two of the most enjoyable people I've ever had the pleasure to know -- and they're relatives too.  Double Wow!  It had been over 25 years since I had seen them at my dad's funeral service in Denver though, I admit, I don't remember much back then as I was probably still in shock -- he had passed away on my daughter's 4th birthday (buried my mother on my son's 17th birthday so I never forget the dates but, the details are blurred).

I pulled my Jeep into Don and Janet's driveway (after a much shorter drive than the day before to Canon City) and I immediately spied what looked like a Cunningham out back roaming his yard with a can of feed in his hand -- called out to him and he waved me in.  After some big hugs, we sat down on the edge of his feed bins and he pointed out all the pigeon coops and told me how he tested the birds homing skills by releasing them on the other side of Grand Mesa (11,000 ft high with hundreds of lakes).

We walked around and I was reminded of my childhood home in Denver where we had pigeon coops and rabbit hutches in our backyard -- compliments of my dad's handiwork (my brother and I caught the pigeons).  Don showed/fed all his various chickens, cock, doves and other birds -- told me how he had to trap various varments trying to get at his birds (skunks and weasels and foxes, I think).  I saw all his garden plots with various vegetables surrounded by wood planks and he showed me roughly where their 4 acres of property ran -- pond included on the lower portion (grass too tall around it to check it out).  Soon there was a black cat following us and rolling around in the dirt in front of us.  We went into the house and soon discovered a number of other cats as we started talking about various things.  Soon, Janet made it out to get introduced -- didn't recall meeting her before but, that's my poor memory as mentioned before.  I really enjoyed being around her and Don and loved observing the repore they had as a couple -- wonderful to see.

Janet was a bit under the weather and attributed it to food eaten out the afternoon or evening before (maybe fish).  She gathered some Tums (my favorite choice too at those kind of times) and then excused herself to gather some strength to ride around the Mesa in their car.  Don drove us up to the Grand Mesa and we stopped at the Lodge to see what they had to eat -- place was for sale and no service to speak of so, Don wanted to drive on down the other side of the Mesa and get some lunch.

Don's very own cabin on the mesa

Another reason for going up to the lodge was to see the cabin that cousin Don had occupied 2 months of each summer when he was just getting started in the Forest Service (he may have been around 18 years old).  He said he worked on a study of the Pocket Gophers while he stayed on the Mesa so they could learn how to control them -- their tunnels were a major nuisance.  The Grand Mesa is a real gem of the western slopes with all its beautiful lakes and ponds -- a fisherman's paradise.  Saw a couple people in floating tubes on the lake next to the lodge and one actually brought in a fish while we watched and I took pictures of the surroundings.

The drive down took us to Callbran (thankfully a gas station too on the way) but, the place Don had in mind didn't have a restaurant so we went back to Plateau, CO.  They sampled shakes and burgers while I had a corndog and shake -- plenty of flies in the restaurant confirmed it was good food (lots of people too).  There was a sign in the restaurant that said "any unattended children would be given ice cream and a puppy" (LOL).

After lunch we looped around the valley of Plateau creek and onto I-70W through some wild looking cliffed canyon.  The Colorado River was running super high and was a big distraction to Don -- guess he hadn't seen the river that high in some time.  Then we went through the east end of Grand Junction and down Route 50 over the same concrete bridge I had taken over the Colorado River -- now another distraction for Don as he too couldn't believe how high the river was.

Megan, Jordan, Don and Janet

We stopped around 3:00 pm at their daughter Andrea's house and met Don and Janet's granddaughters Megan and Jordan (17 and 6 respectively).  Had a pepsi and a short visit there before heading to Don and Janet's to look over slideshows/pictures on my computer.  Janet brought up a box of old pictures that our uncle Gene had brought to them some years back -- lots of Don and Bob, their mother and Leo, Kansas house with grandma and two boys, one of the old house in Canon City showing the canal and Arkansas River, fields around -- heard the story from Don that the kids (our uncles, I think) used to float wood in the canal toward the house and pop-it out when it got near the house.  Some day would love to get scans or copies of some of those old pictures.

Don and Janet's son is named Donald (not a "junior") and I believe they said he is in the Pittsburgh area and has a solar panel business with a partner -- doing well, with Menonites buying panels for their homes and farms.  Andrea I think is a CFO, maybe for Kaiser Steel or Metals in Grand Junction and has only a half hour commute to work (from their beautiful house near Delta).

Had a wonderful dinner with Don and Janet at their house -- stuffed pasta (cheese and meat) with salad made with fresh lettuce from their garden and a little Rosemary added in with freshly grated cheese -- glass of white wine paired nicely with the feast (so much better than hamburgers or hot dogs from my little table top grill).  Plus the company made it that much nicer.  Thank goodness too, I didn't have to drive over any mountain passes or through those clouds of May Flies again on my way back to the campsite (still dark by the time I got back though).

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Drove down route 50 from Grand Junction and crossed the Colorado river at the southern edge of town where the raging, muddy waters were precipitously close to the top of the old concrete bridge -- as high as I imagined it has been in recent years.  Shortly after crossing the Gunnison River in Delta, I pulled into a little rest stop/visitor center right off Rt. 50 and then called Don's house to see if I could drop in for a quick visit before heading to the RV park farther down the road.  I spoke to Don's wife Janet and she said he was not feeling well (too much wine with his brother-in-law the night before) so, I instead made a quick visit to the Ace Hardware store just across the street -- picked up a hatchet and a little table-top grill and drove on down the road to find the Black Canyon RV park.

After a couple more small towns (Olathe and Montrose), the road came down to two lanes as it winded around the valley and into the hills.  According to the RV park manager, I would be looking for the camp or park on the right hand side about 4 miles past Cimarron, CO -- just past mile marker 117 as it turns out.  A winding stream near the road caught my attention and saw a couple nice little roadside stops but, decided not to try pulling in with the camper/trailer still in tow.  I also passed the entrance to the south rim of the Black Canyon before getting to Cimarron and the RV park -- it was on the left before Cimarron.

I arrived at the RV park, got settled in by about 12:30 and decided to get a nap before heading back to the Black Canyon park.  It was extremely breezy and with the noise of the camper sides flapping, could only get a brief nap so, decided to head for the south rim -- get some time in at the canyon before daylight disappeared in this little valley.  Free to roam now in the Jeep with no trailer attached.

Immediately after making the turn onto the road to the East Portal, I stopped at a little store on the corner -- saw that it was just a little tourist trap and quickly headed up the road to the park.  My senior park pass got me in for free (saved $15) and proceeded to the visitor center before hiking and seeing all I could this afternoon.  First, some sunscreen though because the altitude (above 8,000 ft.) and intense sunshine were a threat to burn for sure.

My first short hike was to the overlook just below the visitor center and there were numerous graphic rails interpreting the scene(s) and offering facts or additional information of the surroundings.  The canyon is over 2700 feet deep in some places and the overlooks (even with the sturdy rails) made me err on the safe side -- no leaning over for me.

 

The roadway seemed to be freshly paved with asphalt or was really well kept in this desert like environment.  There also was a warning posted about a "troublesome bear" in the neighborhood -- didn't say anything about bobcats or mountain lions but, sure looked like the kind of country they would inhabit.  Didn't see any of them on my walk hikes -- just some birds and an awesome looking lizard.

I made most of the stops along the road and snapped many pictures -- thought "Sunset View" had the most impressive views even though I hiked out to "Warner Point" (3/4 mile hike each way).  Along the trail to Warner Point, I thought I heard some rustlings or noises in the brush a few times -- made me think a mountain lion might have been stalking me for dinner.

Needed to make another stop at the visitor center on the way out -- needed more water before heading back to the RV park.  After seeing the Black Canyon in person, I now had the corrected image of this area -- had lived in Colorado and grew up in Denver with this image of the Gunnison River and Black Canyon with a train running alongside the stream and fisherman wading/fishing.  That was a different location -- maybe Craig or Silverthorne.

After getting back to the RV park, I found that the awning on my camper was on the ground -- still in the bag but, the stitching ripped apart by the high winds.  Oh well, if Tim had still been with me we might have set it up but, surely it would have been damaged more.  Time for dinner and a beer.  Cooked burgers and hot dogs with corn on the grill -- no campfires allowed.  Even had some leftovers -- forgot Tim wasn't here.  Tomorrow morning would be heading to Canon City to visit Richard and his wife Doris -- hadn't seen them in over 49 years.

Getting to Grand Junction, CO

Morning of June 25th, threw my things back in the Jeep and grabbed a pastry and coffee from the motel lobby before getting back on I-84E (going southeast through Idaho and Utah).  Travelling through southwest Idaho and northern Utah (including Salt Lake City) didn't see any appealing areas or vistas that begged me to stop and enjoy the surroundings -- only quick exits and bypasses seemed appropriate (unless you were looking for a half dozen wives, perhaps).

Took the cut across at Provo (route 6) to get to I-70E into Colorado -- hoped the road would be in good shape and not some 2 laner winding through the mountains.  As I recall, the road was fine and besides I didn't have any desire to head to Las Vegas as I-15 would have taken me -- where would I park a camper while I was in the casinos gambling?  Only had to stop for gas in Ogden (above SLC) and again in Thompson, UT to be sure I had enough gas to get me to Grand Junction (little piece of mind too).

As I drove across the high plains on I-70E, I hit some pretty strong cross winds coming from the south and I could see in my rear-view mirror that the wind was alternately blowing the awning and its bag onto the top of the pop-up camper and back down again.  The winds tried heartily to blow the trailer around as well but, think the torsion-sway bar I had installed helped to prevent that and kept me running fairly straight even in the strong winds -- thankful I had invested the $400 or $500 for it.  Later in the RV park 2 days later this whole unit was blown down by some of the same strong winds while I happened to be out hiking.

Arrived in Grand Junction a little before sunset and drove from the west end of town to the east looking for a decent place to spend the night.  Ended up circling back to the west end and stayed at a Comfort Inn -- most expensive one night spent on a motel (cost more than three nights in the priciest RV parks).  The breakfast next morning was about the best I had in a motel (should have been for the price of the room) -- dinner was a different story as most of the fast food places shut-down before 10:00 pm and had to make do with my leftovers (tunafish sandwiches in the room).

Did get in touch with the cousins (Don and Richard) to check and see when it might be convenient to drop in on them.  It turned out that Richard and his wife Doris were leaving town on Wednesday and wouldn't be back for a couple weeks -- that meant I needed to see them first in Canon City and then Don in Delta.

Turning East - On The Oregon Trail

After making a stop at the local Safeway store to get some groceries and firewood, I headed over to Curtis Trailer to get the camper/trailer.  Wheel bearings were repacked and the brakes were fine (over 75% they said) so, I headed for I-84E and through the Columbia River Gorge on my way to western Colorado where I planned to visit cousin Don in Delta, CO and cousin Richard in Canon City, CO.  Since I had a week before the end of June, it seemed I could do these visits before heading into Denver where my brother, his wife and their son and daughter were.  Aunt Alta and cousin Gene there too - Aunt Alta being the most important since she would be turning 99 in August and winter not far away.

"Multnomah Falls"

The drive through the gorge was scenic and the Columbia River was impressive in its size and flow (miles across in places) -- made me think of the huge quantities of Salmon that each year had to run up this river and the Snake River further to the east -- wishing I could catch but one of these monsters to feed me for the rest of my trip to Colorado.  There were a few dams and power plants along the river and large wind farms on the Washington State side of the gorge.  At the eastern end of the gorge, the road peeled away to the southeast and into the high desert of eastern Oregon, southwest Idaho and Utah.

One brief stop - stunning too.

Had hoped to come across a vista of Mt. Hood somewhere along the gorge but, nothing came into view and time was getting a bit more compressed now -- not a problem but still would have been nice to get a closer glimpse of this peak to my south.  Did later see signs for the road to the mountain but, this would have put me on some smaller state roads through the mountains and the steepness of some I had passed made me think to stick to the interstate.

Well, I nearly made it out of Oregon but, after another day of driving, decided to stop in the town of Ontario, OR just at the border of Idaho -- short hop into Utah from there.  Stayed in a Colonial Inn and while checking in, the clerk was distracted by a young man who apparently had arrived out front earlier after catching a ride with an 18 wheeler.  Now, he was trying to consolidate his belongings into overloaded trash bags (clerk may have provided the bags) and he came seeking directions/cost to the local bus station -- ultimately he hoped to get to Walla Walla, WA.

The motel had some typical long spaces for 18 wheelers so, I left the trailer hitched to the Jeep and parked in one of those spaces and hauled some things to my room on the opposite side of the motel.  Then, I walked across the street to a "Country Kitchen" hoping for some home-style cooked food -- a tasty and satisfying meal after some time on The Oregon Trail.  The motel was a bit rustic and appeared to be under renovation in some sections but, under $50 for the night seemed like a good deal -- indoor pool near my room was appealling to some, though not to me.  Time to plot out the next days drive to Grand Junction, CO.

More Sentinels - More Cousins to see

After leaving Mt. Shasta City and getting around to the northern side of this spiritual mountain, it appeared even more majestic as it rose inspiringly and abruptly from the surrounding plains -- had to stop and turn my attention back around (instead of seeing it in the side-view mirror) to get a more full view of this -- a greater appreciation of what I was passing by on my way to meet my cousins.

Soon there were more sentinels to the north and northeast beckoning again to me -- ones I would like to have had more time to get closer to and get better views of but, not to be this time through.  Most important things ahead were Keith in Portland and Paul in Vancouver, WA though, these sentinels made the drive inspiring and made me hopeful to see them better as I drove on.  Their approaches were a bit more difficult to track and find -- not my cousins.

Fell slightly short of getting into Portland after another full day of driving so I stopped at a Motel 6 in Tigard, OR just about 15 miles from the busy part of the city and the northeast side of town where my cousin Keith lives.  The motel had 8 or 10 long parking spots for 18 wheelers and my rig occupied one of them -- negating the neccessity to park and unhitch the camper/trailer.  Later in the evening, I wished I had parked in one of the end spots as two rigs with flatbeds and oversize loads came precariously close to mine as they maneuvered to get into the spot next to mine (took license plate numbers and made an appearance to be sure they knew I was watching -- didn't need to have another delay for damage to my vehicles).

During the early evening, I hoofed it to a nearby restaurant for some fast food and then later went online to find an RV dealer in Portland who could repack the wheel bearings on the trailer and check the brakes on the unit too while I was visiting Keith and Paul.  Next morning on my way to Keith's I dropped off the camper at the RV dealer on the east side of Portland and headed over to Keith's place.

Keith and Colleen's home

As best I can remember, I arrived late morning at Keith's and he unlocked his door to let me in then (after some hugging and pats on the back), we visited for awhile until his daughter Claire emerged from her room to say hello.  She had recently returned from England and unfortunately had also been recently layed off from her employer because of some down-sizing.  A little later we drove over in Keith's car to visit with Paul and the two of them enjoyed a couple cigars while we chatted and recounted our memories of the past.  Three lives and a lot of time gone by -- some good memories and some bad -- all in the twinkle of an eye it seems.


Keith and Paul enjoy those cigars











Paul and Pat's home


If you could have seen the "twinkle" in Paul's eyes, you too might have wondered, as I did, how it could still be there after all that he has been through but, I'm convinced it is because of the woman that stands beside him and supports him in all that he has been through.  I was amazed to hear that he and Pat had ventured out a few years back to travel back to Colorado to visit relatives -- breaking down on the way and with Paul restricted to his wheelchair -- no help to Pat (unless it was verbal).

Paul and his wife Pat

Same thing is true of Keith too, now that he has been diagnosed since 2007 with the same disease as his brother (though he says it is "a milder version" of MS that has struck him) -- Colleen stands resolutely (with her nurses training) to support and help my cousin in his battle with this debillatating disease.

Collen, Keith and Claire

So glad I could make this trip and to see such strength in my cousins and their partners (some of the stories too that I heard from them were so enjoyable to hear -- some thought provoking -- some things not expected but, enlightening of times gone by and some people gone now).  If I could just have some pot -- things would be clearer, I'm sure.

San Jose to Portland

Tim and Kathryn came to the Ramada Inn this morning and helped me to get the camper/trailer hitched up to the Jeep and then it only took me a few minutes to get on the highways to Portland.  I had already decided a couple weeks earlier that I needed to make this trip up to Portland to see my two cousins (Keith and Paul).  Both have MS now and one (Paul) is no longer mobile enough to make many trips to see family -- we hadn't seen each other since he was eleven and I was nine (over 55 years ago).  This trip from San Jose to Portland would be some 666 miles (a devilish distance) but, definitely something I needed to do (maybe it was my sister's voice inside my head telling me to go -- just go).  I had almost two weeks before I needed to be in Denver too (though I had two more cousins in Colorado I hadn't seen in 25 years and 49 years -- had to see them too somewhere along the way).

After getting around the bay and over the Sacremento River, into the northern valley of California, another "Sentinel" appeared on the horizon beckoning me forward -- Mt. Shasta.  It rose up in the distance and was still there when I decided it was time to rest for the day -- get some food and then some sleep.

Sunset in Mt. Shasta City



Mt. Shasta still in my side-view mirror and still in CA



San Jose - Father's Day

Well, another beautiful day in Caliphornia and time to head to San Jose.  Packing up goes more quickly with two people and really is much easier to get the hitch and ball aligned -- still have to watch those fingers if it resists dropping down onto the ball.  Plus or minus a quarter inch makes all the difference it seems.

We headed north for Hollister on CA 26N after the short drive on the park road.  After less than a couple hours we were in San Jose and looking for a motel to park the pop-up camper/trailer -- ended up just a couple blocks from Kathryn's place at San Jose Ramada Inn.  Had to drop the trailer in one space and put the Jeep in the adjoining space, put some things in the room (like the cooler) and then grabbed a couple bags (some dirty laundry) and headed with Tim to meet up at Kathryn's apartment.  We arrived there a little before she did and were able to get a shower before she arrived back -- had been running some errands Tim said.

Turns out I had forgotten it was Father's Day and Kathryn had been gathering some things for a wonderful brunch which she had prepared.  What a treat and a wonderful surprise.  We went to the top of the building and she had reorganized some of the furniture and carpet there for us in a nice cozy arrangement in the warm sunshine (with a beach umbrella to shield us from the hottest sunshine).  We first had a celebratory drink downstairs before heading up.  Then, they gave me a great card and a thoughful gift of some new dishes for my camper -- heavy-duty, porcelainized steel (to replace the plastic ones I had that kept breaking).

I could not eat all that Kathryn had prepared and neither could Tim -- maybe in the days following my departure, he might have.  We all decided after the wonderful brunch that we needed a nap (especially the old man) and I retired to the motel with the plan to meet up later for a little walk around downtown San Jose, have some dinner and a treat afterwards.

What a fantastic end to an evening and a wonderful time in California with my son -- a perfect Father's day in my mind.

Pinnacles and Condors

Morning of June 17th and we are packing up again getting ready to head across the valley and a bit north in the direction of San Jose.  Had written a note the night before to Laura and put in checks for AMEX and the mortgage payment -- mailed them on the way out of Sequoia RV Ranch (snail mail didn't arrive until 2 plus weeks after Tim stuck them in the mailbox as we exited the campground).  Facilities here were the bare minimum but, quite pleasant and serene -- like a quiet retirement village at the west end with trailers parked permanently and people settled in permanently too.

Our drive to the Pinnacles Campground at Pinnacles National Monument went smoothly with mostly two lane roads winding over hills and farmland or pastureland -- to the middle of nowhere it seemed.  Two lane roads for nearly the last 50 or 60 miles had no shoulders on either side so, a flat tire or breakdown would leave you in trouble -- no towns of much size anywhere near.  No gas stations or grocery stores nearby and if you didn't gas up when you had a chance there was a strong possibility of running out in the middle of nowhere -- before getting to the park.  We approached from the south but, the entrance from the north on the same road looked to be about the same.

After getting checked in at the Ranger Station/Store, we quickly set the pop-up and headed for the pool behind the store -- restrooms and showers were right there too but, were disgusting and poorly maintained -- only one toilet working in the mens room.  The park campground was extremely busy and the pool drew all the little kids since it was very dry and warm -- the water was quite refreshing but, the grass and mud surrounding the pool were a big negative (no chairs either - had my own with me).

Our site had a huge tree next to us and the usual picnic table but, only one potable water station was a short walk back toward the Station/Store.  Sounded like lots of spanish-speaking families and the music matched.  Adjacent to our site, there were 8 or 10 folks camped in tents and most of them seemed to be young and turned out they were mostly rock climbers -- here for the challenge.  A couple of them were guitar players and a couple groups sang late into the evenings.

Tim had been here twice before and always came looking to glimpse the Condors that were the main attraction but, had never seen them -- or the rattlesnakes we were warned about (when we stopped for gas in the town of Coalings).  With both of these creatures on our minds, we hiked cautiously around the hills and peaks -- or to the bathrooms at night.  We did discover some additional sets of restrooms in the opposite direction and found those to be less busy and much cleaner than the ones by the pool.
 

Fortunately, we did get some fantastic sightings of the Condor flying overhead as they glided from the Pinnacles and landed again and again -- only got close enough to view them with binoculars but, the views of them were much better than with the naked eye (or with the new camera).

We had hoped to hike through some of the bat caves but, they were closed for the most part due to too much guana, I think.  Seemed like we made our way through a few caves and the rock formations were amazing -- sometimes scarey as you thought an earthquake most certainly would bring them down on you as you climbed under and around some of them.  The climb through the cave area and up the stairs to the reservoir was difficult to follow and some people were fooled by the route to follow -- some turned back not thinking the trails were open.

Single-file Please

Follow Me?

It was dry and dusty on the trails but, luckily no rattlesnakes were to be seen.  Did hear some Coyotes at night (or some kids doing good imitations).