Places We’ve Been | FabGrandma

Our First Trip To Kanab

April 26, 2012 By Fab Grandma 7 Comments

Our first trip of the season to Kanab, Utah came a little earlier than planned.Both Fabgrandpa and our friend, Geogypsy, were sick and needed to go to the doctor at the clinic in town. I drove the ambulance, I mean, truck. As we left the North Rim, it was a gorgeous day. Because the road is not open yet, there was very little traffic out there. The only people we passed were people who work up here, and Arizona DOT employees where were spraying oil on the road. Everyone is getting ready for opening day.

A beautiful day

When we got to the scenic view on Hwy 89A, we saw clouds that were raining, but the rain was not touching the ground. I learned from Geogypsy that this is called virga. I have never known that it had a name.

Virga--rain that doesn't touch the ground.

We got into town and went straight to the Kane County Medical Clinic, where the two of them had appointments. They were seen promptly, diagnosed, and sent on their way with prescriptions in hand. Fabgrandpa has bronchitis. We went over to the pharmacy and dropped off the prescriptions, and went to lunch at Houston’s Trails End. It was too late for breakfast, so we ordered hamburgers (mine with no bun as usual). After lunch we picked up the meds, did a bit of grocery shopping, and headed back up the plateau.

Near the Utah/Arizona border

The sky was looking a little more fierce but the rain was still evaporating before it got to the ground. We saw several lightening strikes in that storm.

Dark skies in northern Arizona

The farther we went down the road, the darker the sky got, but the rain was still not falling all the way to the ground. We probably only had twenty drops of rain hit the windshield the whole day.

Virga in Northern Arizona

We got back home around 4:30, with no rain to speak of. I am happy to report that both patients are recovering nicely from their respective ailments.

Filed Under: Arizona, Life on the road, Utah

Campground Review: Grants, New Mexico KOA

April 23, 2012 By Fab Grandma 1 Comment

Easy access off I-40

We stayed at the Grants/Cibola Sands KOA in Grants, New Mexico for two nights on our recent roadtrip. The campground was well marked with signs and was an easy access off of I-40. The first thing that grabbed our attention was how nice the owner was. She got us registered and on our site very quickly, and even gave Fabgrandpa a couple of fresh chocolate chip cookies.

the office

The office building also contains a camp store, a game room, a small diner type restaurant, and a laundry room.The management offers a free continental breakfast, and you can buy dinner meals from their menu. We ordered dinner on our second night, and it was delivered to our door. Fabgrandpa had the turkey and dressing and I had “Suzanne’s Favorite Plate” which was a boneless chiclen filet baked to order with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. The person working the desk was very familiar with the needs of a gluten free diet and was able to suggest several choices on the menu that would be gluten free.

the store and diner

Most of the sites at this campground are long pull throughs, and are very level. There aren’t many trees on the property, but it is New Mexico and in this part of the state there aren’t many trees anywhere. It is a nice campground, though, if you are passing through on I-40 to somewhere else, or if you are planning a stay in Grants to see the many unique sites the area has to offer.

our site

There weren’t many campers staying at this campground this time of year, but it was still cold out, with temperatures dropping below freezing at night. There were several units that pulled in in the evening both nights, though. The campground offers tent sites, and has two Kamping Kabins as well. There was a nice playground for the children.

Kamping Kabins

the playground

The campground, laundry room, and showers were very clean and well cared for. They provide free wi-fi access, which worked very well for us. There is a dump station on the property and they sell propane on site. There are several interesting local attractions that would be well worth staying an extra night, such as Bandera Volcano and Ice Caves; the New Mexico Mining Museum (call ahead to make sure they are open); and Acoma Pueblo.

As with most campgrounds, the camping fees vary according to what type of site you require. We had a long pull through site with full hook ups and 30 amp electricity. The charge per night for our site was $44.50 plus tax, making a two night stay cost $94.95. If you have a KOA Value Kard, you get a 10% discount.

Filed Under: Campgrounds, NewMexico

Roadtrip: Georgia to Arizona 12th Day

April 20, 2012 By Fab Grandma 4 Comments

This was the last day of our roadtrip to Arizona. We left Flagstaff, headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, to our seasonal jobs there. Though the North Rim doesn’t open until May 15th, Fabgrandpa has to start working on Sunday, so he wanted to get there a couple of days before that. The drive from Flagstaff to the North Rim has such diverse landscape. It is unbelievable how it changes so in just 195 miles.

We passed by snow covered mountains near Flagstaff.

San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff

Ponderosa Pines along the roadside north of Flagstaff on Hwy 89.

Hwy 89 north of Flagstaff

Just a few miles later you are driving through painted desert land.

Painted desert

You see some really different types of land formations along this road.

A butte along Hwy 89

Then the landscape changes again to red cliffs.

Hwy 89 north between Flagstaff and Page

The look of the cliffs changes again when you turn west on Hwy 89A into Marble Canyon.

Cliffs near Lee's Ferry

The cliffs are near the road when you head into Marble Canyon at Navajo Bridge

Rounding the bend into Marble Canyon

Even though I have seen this place many times in the last five years, I still am amazed by it.

Just beautiful!

The landscape changes yet again as you begin the climb up the Kaibab Plateau. There begin to be trees again, this time scrub pines and desert plants.

Climbing up the Kaibab Plateau

Once you turn south on Hwy 67 towards the North Rim, you begin to see Ponderosa Pines, fir trees, and aspens. There are lots of meadows, too.

On Hwy 67 south towards the North Rim

About ten miles south of Jacob Lake, you’ll drive through eleven miles of burned forest. This was the Warm Fire that was caused by a lightening strike in 2006 and burned about 60,000 acres.

The Warm Fire burned in 2006

As the elevation gets higher, the temperature gets colder. This frozen pond created by snow melt is about five miles from the entrance to the North Rim Grand Canyon.

Frozen pond created by snow melt

The entrance station to the North Rim. The park doesn’t open until May 15th so the gate is locked until then. There was not as much snow this year as there have been in recent years.

The entrance gate is locked

You can see the difference in the amount of snow in this picture, that was taken in 2010 on about the same date as the one above.

Entrance station in April of 2010

This is about a mile south of the entrance station inside the park on Hwy 67. It looks like a lake right now but it’s just snow melt in the meadow.

The first bend in the road inside the park

We finally made it our campsite, within view of the canyon. I love my summer home!

View from my campsite at the North Rim

Filed Under: Arizona, Life on the road

Roadtrip: Georgia to Arizona, 10th & 11th Days

April 18, 2012 By Fab Grandma 2 Comments

Our plan was to spend three nights and two full days in Flagstaff. It is the last town before we reach our destination of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where we work for the season, from late April through mid October. We always stock up on supplies we’ll need before taking that last two hundred mile drive. This year was a little bit different from other years, because we decided to actually see a little bit of Flagstaff. But first, we had to get the chores out of the way. Laundry, grocery shopping, etc.

My favorite store in the world!

A trip to Flagstaff always includes a shopping trip to New Frontiers, a health food store. They have so much good stuff! Lots of gluten free items, even gluten free options in the pastry case in the bakery. Another must go place for us is Picazzo’s Pizza. Fabgrandpa can get regular crust and I can get any item on the menu prepared gluten free. We usually wind up getting two pizzas and taking home most of it. It is delicious reheated.

Purl in the Pines

Yesterday, after breakfast, and the trip to New Frontiers, we had to do laundry. It didn’t take very long though with us working together to get it done. Then while Fabgrandpa took a nap, I went out to Oodegarde’s Sewing Center to find some flannel fabric to make myself a new pair of jammie pants. My old ones have a massive hole in them that I have already repaired twice. It’s about time for a new pair. I also made a trip to Purl in the Pines yarn shop and picked up some nice cotton and bamboo blend yarn to make some washcloths. I want something lush and soft and 100% organic to wash my face with.

My haul from the fabric and yarn shops

That little ball on the left is cotton and bamboo, and the greens and browns are 100% cotton. That pink hank is one I found in a thrift store and is cotton and viscose. I’m loving these colors. And they are displayed on the green flannel I got for my jammies.

Today we went to Wal-Mart to finish up our grocery shopping. After everything was put away, we decided to go to downtown Flagstaff for dinner and a walkabout. Dinner was at Pata Thai. I had the Pineapple Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice and Fabgrandpa got the Spicy Scallops. Both were yum, but I couldn’t take more than one taste of his because he got his hot!

Spicy Scallops

Pineapple Fried Rice

After dinner we walked around downtown “old” Flagstaff, going in and out of stores and window shopping. We loved one shop, The Artist’s Gallery. There was so much in there that I want that I could spend my whole salary in there. We bought one piece, a kiln fired glass wall hanging. I love it! It will hang in our hallway someday at the house.

Kiln fired glass "face"

On the way home, we saw this unusual cloud formation:

What a weird looking cloud!

In the morning, we’ll hook up the trailer and be on our way again. The last two hundred miles from Flagstaff to the North Rim will slip by really quickly, and then we’ll be “home” for the season.

Filed Under: Arizona, Life on the road

Roadtrip: Georgia to Arizona, 9th Day

April 16, 2012 By Fab Grandma 1 Comment

headed west

It was a lovely day for traveling–no wind, smooth road, sunshine, 47 degrees. We headed west once again towards Flagstaff. Although our end of the road on this trip is the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, I always feel like I am “home” when we arrive in Flagstaff. I love that town!

Western New Mexico

We fueled up in Grants after seeing the Ice Cave yesterday. Diesel was $3.999 at Speedy’s in town. When we were in the planning stages of this trip, we planned on getting 10 miles per gallon and paying $4.25 per gallon. Both of those estimates have turned out to be wrong, both in our favor. Right now the truck is saying 11.4 miles per gallon.

Western New Mexico

This leg of the trip was just so nice! The scenery in western New Mexico is eye popping gorgeous!

A little bit of water

These washes are usually dry when we come through here. It was good to see a little water flowing today.

The last exit before Arizona

We crossed over into Arizona around 11:00 a.m. and gained an hour because Arizona does not observe daylight savings time. They stay on Mountain Standard Time all year long.

The state line to Arizona

We have been traveling now for nine days, seven of them driving days. We have been in ten states!

San Francisco Peaks

It’s always exciting to me to see the first glimpse of the San Francisco Peaks, the mountains in Flagstaff. This was fifty three miles from Flagstaff. We’ll be camping at the base of those mountains at Flagstaff KOA.

Flagstaff

We arrived in Flagstaff about 1:30 p.m. and got set up in the campground. We were expecting our friend and co-worker, Gaelyn, to be there already. About five minutes after we got there, though, she posted on Facebook that she had trouble with her truck and was waiting for a tow truck two miles outside of Flagstaff. A little while later her rig was towed in to drop off her fifth wheel at the KOA, then they towed her truck to the Ford dealership in town. We are all hoping they will be able to get her on the road again in two days.

Filed Under: Arizona, Life on the road, NewMexico

Ice Cave and Bandera Volcana in New Mexico

April 15, 2012 By Fab Grandma 3 Comments

Today we decided to go do a little site seeing. We’re stopped at the KOA in Grants, New Mexico. I have noticed the signs advertising the Ice Cave every time we go through here (twice a year now for 4.5 years) and have always wanted to go see it.

Brrrr! It's cold here!

It was cold out, about 32 degrees, and the wind was blowing, but not as much as yesterday. It was also threatening to snow. We decided to go anyway and I am glad we did.

On the way

By the time we ate breakfast and got on the road, the sky looked a little better. To get to Ice Cave, take New Mexico Hwy 53 south from I-40 in Grants. It’s a 28 mile drive but there is really nice scenery on the way there.

The road into Ice Cave

We didn’t have our RV in tow, but the road into Ice Cave is a pretty good gravel road. It is a little bumpy but no ruts and it is not steep. The parking lot at the end would accommodate a large RV.

General Store

The General Store is the starting point for self guided walking tours of both the Bandera Volcano and the Ice Cave. The fees are $10 per adult and $5 per child. They also offer a senior discount but you have to be 65 to get that discount. They give you a brochure with a numbered guide that corresponds to numbered markers on the trails.

The General Store was built in the 1930′s along with a saloon and a dance hall. At that time, the Zuni Mountain Railroad was in operation and the logging industry was in full swing. They kep their beer cold using ice from the Ice Cave. There are some really nice ancient artifacts on display, most of which were found in the lava, dating back 800 to 1200 years.

Lava Flow

This is a field of lava composed of jagged, broken lava produced when the surface of the flow hardens when the underlying lava is still moving. Lava from this volcano can also be seen along the side of I-40, thirty miles away.

Twisted gnarly trees

The trees growing in the lava bed are not able to establish a good root system so they are twisted and gnarly. They also absorb lots iron from this lava, so they are prone to be struck by lightening.

On the trail

The trail to the Bandera Volcano Crater is a half mile on a 5% grade. It is paved with lava cinders, so it is sort of hard to walk on. However, Fabgrandpa and I both made it to the end. We were huffing and puffing, but we made it. (Remember, this is about 8,000 feet elevation and we spent the winter in Georgia at about 250 feet.)There are lots of benches along the way to sit down and rest. Be sure to take a bottle of water for each person.My camera battery died before we got to the end of the trail, so I don’t have a picture of the crater, but I promise you, I did go all the way out there! Lesson learned: Take extra batteries! Oh, and did I tell you it was cold? and the wind was blowing? and it was spitting snow?

Along the trail to the Ice Cave

After a short rest in the General Store (and purchasing some batteries for the camera) we took the short hike to the Ice Cave. Along the way to the cave you’ll see a smaller cave that was once used as a natural “refrigerator” for the people who owned the land; sinkholes created by collapsed lava tubes; and some Anazazi Indian ruins.

Yikes!

There are about 70 steps down to the Ice Cave. It is broken up with a couple of landings, again, with benches so you can rest a bit. Once we got down there, it was awesome! The temperature in the cave never gets above 31 degrees F, so as rain water and snow melt seep in, it freezes. The ice floor is approximately 20 feet thick, with the deepest ice dating back 3,400 years! The green tint is caused by Arctic algae. Ancient Indians and early settlers mined the ice, but that was stopped in 1946.

Ice Cave

That is solid ice on the floor of the cave. I couldn’t tell if it was colder than the outside air because, well, it was cold today.

Ice Cave with frozen waterfall

The greens and oranges you see on the lava are lichen and Alpine moss, which is very rare this far south.

Geode or Ice?

We couldn’t tell if this was a geode or ice? What do you think? For more information on Ice Cave and Bandera Volcano, click here.

Trees growing in lava

By the time we were walking back to the General Store, the dark storm clouds had drifted away and blue sky was showing. These trees were growing atop a lava ridge.

On the way home we had a fabulous view of Mt. Taylor, 11,301 feet, north of Grants.