I am amazed every time we go to the grocery store that I get to see this wonderful landscape. It just seems so weird that you drive through such scenic wonderment on the way to buy a bag of rice and some ground beef:
Oh, Judy! You Are Going To LOOOVVVEEE This!
We went down to Kanab, Utah today to buy groceries and pick up Judy’s T-Shirt quilt from the quilter. Oh, MY! is it ever beautiful! Jorja did a fabulous job on the quilting. I couldn’t wait to get home with it so I could take some pictures.
Now all I have to do is trim the quilt up, and put on the binding. I will do that this week, and post pics showing the last part of the t-shirt quilt tutorial.
Driving Through Marble Canyon In Arizona To The North Rim Of The Grand Canyon
The last leg of our trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon always seems to be the most scenic. We left Flagstaff around 9:00 a.m. and arrived at our campsite at the North Rim about 2:30 p.m. We stopped once for fuel at Cameron, then for lunch at Jacob’s Lake. The weather was beautiful with not much wind, which was a plus. Here are some pictures of the scenic beauty along the way:
If you look very closely, you will see a house in the center of this photo. It will give you some idea of the scale of those cliffs–they are HUGE! Could you imagine living in that house, out in the desert?
Although this is the fourth year I will be working at the North Rim, I never get tired of seeing this landscape or taking this drive along Arizona Highway 89 and 89A. It is beautiful!
This is Marble Canyon, on Highway 89A in Arizona. It is absolutely gorgeous.
Crossing over the Colorado River on Navhjo Bridge. This marks the far eastern edge of the Grand Canyon.
and here is your one minute video of the Vermillion Cliffs in Arizona:
After lunch we headed south on Highway 67 headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. There was snow in the higher elevations, but it looks like it has been melting quickly.
The higher we went on the Kaibab Plateau, the more snow there was. Still, there wasn’t nearly as much snow as last year.
Last year, the snow was taller than our RV at the entrance station. This year, it wasn’t nearly as high, but it was still cold. The gate doesn’t open to the public until May 15th each year.
USA RV Park in Gallup, New Mexico
- The driveway to USA RV Park in Gallup, New Mexico
Just to show you that I am not whining and complaining all the time, I have to tell you about USA RV Park iin Gallup, New Mexico. We stayed there the next night after the nightmare that was Santa Rosa, and I have to tell you, it is one of the best RV parks we have stayed in in the more than 11 years of living full time in an RV. We noticed when we entered the park that it was lovely, clean, well kept. The driveway was attractive and made the whole place appealing as soon as you enter the property.
- The office and store were immaculate!
When we walked inside the office/store, we were greeted by the people behind the counter. The owner registered us, and gave us a discount for Fabgrandpa being a veteran. That was another first, because in all the years we have RV’ed, not one park has given us a discount for military service! After we paid, and were shown where our site was on the map, the owner handed us his business card with his home phone number on it. He told us if we had any problems during the night to call him personally. We both felt that was his way of telling us that we wouldn’t have any problems, and we didn’t. Everything worked like it was supposed to, all night.
- Our site was flat and level
The whole park was clean and looked so nice. It was hard to believe the price was only $31 and change after the veteran’s discount was applied. The roads were paved, and sites were graveled, so even though the wind was still blowing, there was no dust, and that made it very nice for us. The site was long enough for our truck and trailer without unhooking. We were very very satisfied with our stay at USA RV Park. I didn’t personally visit their bathrooms, but FabGrandpa did, and he said they were sparkling clean.
- Parked by the propane tanks
The next morning before we left, we had to fill up with propane. The service was quick, and even at the price of $3.25 per gallon made filling up a pleasure. I would say if you are on your way along I-40 in Gallup, and need an RV site for the night, USA RV Park is your place.
Sometimes We Need A Little Help From Our Friends
Even if we think we don’t. FabGrandpa and I have been full time RV’ers for more than 11 years. Along the way, many many people have crossed our path and we have made friends all the way from Virginia to Arizona and from Florida to Utah. We keep in touch with so many people after having only spent a couple of days in the same place. It must be because we all have that gypsy spirit, that we have been so blessed in meeting so many wonderful people.
One of these dear people who we feel so proud to call “friend” is Marcie. I met her several years ago online in a forum for full time RV’ers. She and I have many common interests, and see eye to eye on many issues. She and her husband go by the name TaleTellers on the forums, and writes a blog called Ramblings. We finally met in person last summer, when FabGrandpa and I were working at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and she and her husband were work camping in Kanab, Utah. I just learned that Marcie has been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, and must go through surgery and a regimen of chemotherapy. She is in incredibly good spirits about this, and is preparing herself for the fight of her life right now.
Marcie and her husband have no health insurance. The hospital where she is to be admitted for her surgery has made a plan with them that includes them paying UP FRONT $4200 for the estimated seven days she will be in there for the surgery and cancer treatment. If you would like to make a donation to help them out, you can click oon the donate button below:
A Little Bit Of New Mexico For You
While our stay in Santa Rosa was the pits, New Mexico is rather pretty to look at, with some interesting terrain and landscape. Between Santa Rosa and Gallup, we passed through Albuquerque and Lavaland. Albuquerque is a fairly large city with lots of traffic. You have to drive over a large mountain to get there. This combination of traffic and mountain is always scary to me, so I try to distract myself by playing Angry Birds on my Droid. I did manage to get some nice photos though. Enjoy, and know that I sacrificed my nerves to get them:
Between Albuquerque and Gallup, we went through Lavaland, New Mexico. Yes, that is the name of the town. Lavaland. Here is a one minute video of Lavaland, with REO Speedwagon in the background:
Santa Rosa RV Park In Santa Rosa, New Mexico
We stayed at the Santa Rosa RV Park in Santa Rosa, New Mexico on Sunday night. Let’s just say we are marking this one off our list of places to stay on I-40 in New Mexico. The site was level, but it was dirt–no gravel or pavement at all. With the wind that was blowing, it was dusty and miserable while getting the trailer set up. It didn’t help that the electricity connection was on the wrong end of the site, so even with our surge protector box added in our cord still wouldn’t reach. We finally pulled the trailer in backwards and took the electrical cord under the trailer to reach.
After we got all set up and went inside, the breaker in the connector box outside kept popping. Even with the water heater and the refrigerator on gas, and everything else electric turned off, the breaker still popped when we tried to run the A/C, which was needed because it was hot there. FabGrandpa called the office and asked them to send someone down to change out the breaker, and were told they would do “in the morning”. Ok then, we were leaving in the morning.
This place was not worth the $31 we paid to stay there. I kept thinking that the girl who checked us in told me “The water and electric sites don’t have cable TV.” and then thinking to myself “she should have said the water and electric sites don’t have electricity.” I think I can tolerate things that don’t work a whole lot better if the attitude of the people running the place is one of trying to make their customers happy. They didn’t and to me, that is a major FAIL!
Is It Just Me?
Or do the fueling stations in this country treat us all like criminals? Ever since we became full time RV’ers, we have used a certain nationwide chain that is known to have RV lanes, because having that RV lane made it really easy to get in, fill up with diesel fuel, and get out again and back on the road. I noticed on this trip though, that it was very annoying and even verging on being a hassle to get enough fuel in the tank without having an aneurysm. If you scan your debit card at the pump, it now shuts off at $75. With the price of diesel fuel at an average of $4.09 during the time of our trip, and a 30 gallon tank, this made it impossible to fill up without the pump shutting down. And if you go inside, you have to tell the cashier how much you want to spend. Hello? I’m filling up. With your high priced fuel. Just turn the damn pump on!
But no, now you have to go inside, tell them how much you want to spend, then they preauthorize that amount on your debit or credit card. If you don’t pump that much fuel, then you have to go back inside and let them refund you what you didn’t pump. At one fuel stop, I had to go back and forth inside and out, four times! Just to get the tank filled. So, now, forever more, that well known national chain is marked off my list of place to get fuel.
Is it just me?
