News from Tucson

November has arrived and we definitely see a change in Tucson weather the past few days. Temperatures are quite cool in the morning and the high daytime temps are more like mid 70's instead of the 80's.  This is a great place this time of year.

Life is good at the hostel.  We spent the first week in the "big house" but are now settled in our own little room across the street.  We bought a coffee pot at the thrift store, retrieved our toaster from Matt and we are all set up.  Unless we are working (normally two mornings a week), we have breakfast in our room.  We have been back to the therapy pool at Reid park and found some favorite restaurants to frequent.  The hostel continues to be as entertaining as ever.  We have hosted people from France, Australia and Spain as well as throughout the US.  Zoe, from Australia, went to Sabino Canyon with us one day last week and we thoroughly peppered her with questions about life in Australia.

Last weekend we camped in Madera Canyon, part of the Coronado National Forest, which is about a half hour south of Tucson.  The elevation is high enough to include pines and deciduous forest and it was a treat to see flaming trees, something we have missed this year.  On Tuesday we hiked the Aspen Loop trail at the top of Mt Lemmon and enjoyed the quaking aspens in all their glory.  It was windy and not over 50 degrees, so we got a chance to wear warm clothes!  Megan's Aunt Margaret went with us and it was nice to get acquainted with her.

Now that we are more settled, we have removed the car top carrier and the bike rack on the van, so we don't look so much like gypsies!  The van has been running great and we even got it washed!  In Tucson an automated car wash costs $3 and it includes free use of the vacuum cleaners!  The accumulation of bugs on the front end was incredible.  A wash was definitely in order!!

We will check in later!  Stay well and warm.

Hot Springs and the Hostel

Last week was spent mostly at Faywood Hot Springs in New Mexico.  This lovely high-desert oasis is fast becoming one of our favorite spots.  For $30 a day we have our own little camping spot with picnic table, fire pit and running water and 24 hour access to about 15 different soaking tubs scattered throughout the property.  It is purported to be busy on weekends but during the week there are very few other people around and we wandered back and forth among the charming settings trying to decide which was our favorite.  One afternoon we puttered around the town of Silver Springs where many of the local transplants were bent on convincing us that this was the absolutely best town in the USA in which to retire.  It did seem to have a lot going for it.  We are not quite ready to abandon Ohio though.  

We are back in Tucson and have agreed to settle down at the Roadrunner Hostel for a couple of months to work and enjoy our local favorite haunts and spend time with Matt and Megan when they are not busy with school/work.  We hope to get out camping and hiking on our days off.  We have been camping the past three days near the top of Mt Lemmon where the temperatures are in the 30's at night but just a few miles down the mountain there is a gain of at least 25 degrees!  We had the campground to ourselves on Thursday night but we returned to our campsite on Friday evening to find what looked like a crowded refugee camp!  I guess the combination of a weekend coupled with the opening of campgrounds after the shutdown brought everyone out!  There were dogs and screaming children everywhere.  There were at least 4 other tents set up in our designated campsite.  Oh well!  It was interesting. 

So, we will report back when we have something interesting to say!  There are always lots of unique individuals coming through the hostel, so I am sure it won't be long.

Enjoying time in Tucson

After a couple of days on the Mogollon Rim east of Prescott, we arrived in Tucson and have been hanging out with our son, Matt.  We spent the first night in Tucson at the Roadrunner, the hostel where we worked last winter, and caught up with old friends.  Back to camping on the Mogollon Rim near Payson, Az:  During the night we could hear the bugling of the elk all around us in the heavily forested mountains.  The coyotes were also howling.  Looking up at the brilliant stars framed by the tops of the tall pines was indeed an amazing sight.  The threat of rain and wind convinced us to move on, but it was a great experience.  We took an afternoon to visit the Tonto Natural Bridge and hike the trail that takes you under the waterfall and under the bridge.  Here's a short description of the bridge from their website: "Tucked away in a tiny valley surrounded by a forest of pine trees, Tonto Natural Bridge State Park has been in the making for thousands of years. It is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. The bridge stands 183 feet high over a 400-foot long tunnel that measures 150 feet at its widest point. Today, visitors can stand on top of the bridge or hike down below to capture the true size and beauty of this geologic wonder."

We are encouraged to read that Utah, Arizona and Colorado may be opening some of their National Parks and recreation areas.  This coming week will probably find us in SW New Mexico visiting Faywood Hot Springs.  We spent a day there last spring on our way home and loved it.  There is room for camping and the use of the springs is included in the price.  

Reporting from Arizona

A combination of the threat of cold weather and the closure of the National Parks has pushed us further south.  Let me try to capture the essence of this past week.
Just to mention a super trail we hiked on our last day near Moab, in case any of you are in the area!  It is a 5 mi., round trip to Morning Glory Arch.  It is not even in the National Park but right on hwy #128 along the Colorado River.  The trailhead is named Negro Bill (named after one of the first non-native american's to settle in the area).  The trail followed a clear, rather wide stream flowing out of the canyon.  There were at least 12 stream crossings along the trail!  The canyon walls were steep, which provided much shade and because of the abundant water, the area was green with trees and wildflowers (and lots of poison ivy)!  At the end of the trail, far into the canyon, was a spectacular arch reaching high up to the canyon ceiling.  Water was trickling out of cracks in the canyon wall.  This has to be one of my all-time favorite hikes!
We reluctantly left our campsite on the banks of the Colorado and moved to Captiol Reef National Park.  We settled in the Fruita campground which is an oasis in the middle of gigantic, red canyon walls.  There are fruit orchards all around and the general public is allowed to pick and eat the apples and pears from several of the orchards. This area was settled by Mormons.  The trail we hiked and liked the best was "Cohab Trail." Evidently this canyon was used to flee federal officers who were hunting down Mormons practicing polygamy.   Unfortunately, there were several huge RV's in the campground that ran generators in the evening and the tent camping was not separated from the RV camping.  Also, by Monday we were receiving reports that the park and all facilities would be closing by Wednesday morning if congress did nothing to prevent the government shutdown.  This did indeed happen, and on Wednesday we drove through southeastern Utah (Glen's Canyon, Monument Valley) and set up camp north of Flagstaff, Az in National Forest land.  The scenery through S.E. Utah was some of the most spectacular we have seen.  Initially we set up on top of a great hill with a view of Mt Humphrey and also the view looking back toward Utah, but the winds were wicked Wednesday night and Thursday and we had to move to a more protected area.  One of our tent poles was damaged by the wind while we were gone into town on Thursday morning, but we feel grateful that the tent was even still there.  It was being beaten to pieces and the tent pegs held tight.  We were able to get a replacement kit to fix the pole at Peace Surplus, a fabulous store in Flagstaff that has everything for outdoor sports and living.
Before signing off, we want to highlight a few of the colorful characters we have met in the last week so we don't forget them.  First there is Ted, an ER nurse, from Eugene, Or. who cruises around on his Harley Davidson on his off time.  He was a gentle, quiet man who we shared morning coffee with and heard many stories  about life in the ER and on the road.  He carried everything he needed for camping on his motorcycle and sat up often during the night in his little camping chair to watch the stars.
Camping on the other side of us was "Santa Monica."  We never did learn the names of this couple from Santa Monica, Ca. but they were a colorful duo who shared our dislike of the RV'ers camped around us.  They had arrived in an extended cab pick up and had everything but the kitchen sink with them.  It took them hours to set up, but they had intentions to stay a week and of course, were not happy about being kicked out of the park.
Then there were the two girls from Maine who we met at the laundrymat in Moab who were rather unfriendly in the beginning, but ended up giving us all their extra groceries as they were turning in their rental and flying home that afternoon.
We camped next to a couple from Ohio outside of Arches and they were the most fit, ambitious hikers we have ever seen (they were just retired so probably in their early 60's).  They were up before sunrise and returned to their campsite after dark, day after day and frequently hiked 10-15 miles without any apparent trouble.  More ambitious than this couple, I assure you.
Our plan is to shower, do laundry and hike near Prescott this weekend with Michaela and then perhaps spend a few days in Sedona area.  Signing off for now!

Pictures...maybe?

Mike is working on downloading Michaela's pictures of Glacier and Yellowstone.  There is hope.

We are in Moab catching up on laundry, sending out some mail, washed our hair (yoo hoo) and then will probably take our last hike around here before heading to Capitol Reef National Park tomorrow.  It has been so nice to be set up at the campsite for 5 days and not have to mess with rearranging gear.  We have had some nice campfires and even made crispy, tasty burritos over the fire last night.  The wind has died down.  We came back to the campsite the second evening to find our bedding and tent covered with fine, red grit!  Everything had to be shaken out.  We learned to zip the windows shut.

Yesterday we spent the day in Canyonlands National Park.  It is only 30 miles from Arches, so we kept our campsite.  Canyonlands is similar to the Grand Canyon but with canyons much wider and not quite as deep.  The Green River flows on the west side of the park and the Colorado flows on the East, so there are places where you have vistas of both.  There is also a strange dome with a crater in the middle that we hiked to.  The geologists don't really know what caused it, but it is very strange looking...about 2 miles across.  There were lots of BIG rocks to scramble over to get to the viewing points.  More later from further south in Utah!

Stunning Arches and Windows

Mike was discharged from the emergency room just before 10 pm last night. No definitive diagnosis but most likely just a case of dehydration. We hit Wendy's for a baked potato and chili and then drove back to our campsite and crashed.  It was heavenly sleeping in the tent, listening to the Colorado River rush by and Not being cold.  We were up at dawn for coffee and oatmeal and then spent the morning in Arches National Park, where Mike wore the camelback and sipped water continuously!  We especially enjoyed the primitive trail that took us behind the North and South Windows (for those of you who have been there...like Joe and Mary!).  It gets hot by mid afternoon, so we are hanging out in town for awhile, catching up on email and getting the van gassed up.  Bert, I am looking for a post office as I have a card to send you!!  I hope to get it in the mail today.  Jeannette sent me a text that the funeral was today.  I wish I could have been there to celebrate Joe's life with you.  He will always be remembered fondly in my heart.  We are very happy with our campsite.  It is large and has lots of shade.  We will have a fire tonight and roast potatoes (sounds like we like potatoes, doesn't it?)  We will probably stay put at this site for a few days.  We can see a lot of the area by fanning out from here.

nothing but time...

I am stuck with nothing to do but I do have internet so I will update.  Mike is in the emergency room in Moab, Utah having some tests run after collapsing this afternoon and passing out.  Of course, the doctor wants to rule out any major problems, so here we wait, but we are fairly convinced that he was dehydrated.  He is now on an IV drip and is feeling better, although still weak.  We traveled most of the day and experienced a dramatic change in temperature (35 degrees where we got up this morning and 83 degrees at our campground next to the Colorado River).  I think he was not drinking enough water.

Sunday and Monday were spent in charming Idaho Springs where we got Michaela sent off for home and Mike changed the muffler on the van in the O'Reilly's parking lot.  We ignorantly asked the guy in the store what were the major industries that kept Idaho Springs going, and he looked at us with a blank stare and said "potatoes."  We also got some prescriptions filled at Sam's, ate lunch downtown at a restaurant much like Panera, and poked around in a very well-organized, used bookstore.

We fully intended to go to the Grand Tetons but the weather there was forcast to be quite cold and we decided we had enough of cold noses poking out of our comforter at night and shivering while waiting for coffee to perk (thanks again to Jeannette for the camping coffee pot) in the morning.  We have a campsite on BLM land right next to the Colorado River with quite a bit of shade, so we will probably stay put for two or three days.

Well, here's hoping we get out of here soon!