Author: Lisa

After “handling” the awning saga, I returned to camp. Read my book (The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah – EXCELLENT!), drank ice water, and ate cold cherries. When it finally cooled off a bit, hiked around camp – Indian Nature Trail and Dorn Nature Trail. Applied a surprisingly refreshing, although I’m not sure about healing, baking soda paste to my swollen and red bee stings. Enjoyed grilled salmon on salad while listening to my neighbors’ loud, I think Korean, music. All in all, a good day! 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a tad swollen, eh?! 

 

 

Although the duct tape held overnight, I added more this morning. The RV shop was short-handed with no repair people but was open for a half day and said to bring it over and he would see what he could do. I drove the 20 miles with my outside mirror focused on the awning, which didn’t budge – yay! The two people at the shop removed the awning and put it in Addie. The rivets holding the brackets are pulling out. I need new brackets and will find a shop somewhere that can fix it. Meanwhile I’ll travel with the awning in Addie and remove it when I camp. Hopefully this will be resolved during the week.

After spending a lovely evening with Sarah and Andy, I slept well in Addie, which was parked in their cul de sac. Then I drove through Napa, stopped and walked in Calistoga, and arrived at my campsite in Clear Lake.
Clear Lake…not very clear…lots of algae, toxic to touch…hot here. Explored the campground, rolled out my awning, sat and read my book (The Four Winds). Salad with shrimp on it for dinner… All good until I went to close my awning. The brackets holding the awning are pulling away from my vehicle. I kept trying to close it, and it wouldn’t close due to the awning’s angle. While trying to close it, I was stung three times by bees! I walked over to a nearby campsite and asked for help. Two wonderful people came over and helped hold the awning up so it was angled properly and I could close it. There’s an RV repair shop 20 miles from here, which Google says will be open on Saturday. Given the holiday weekend, I don’t know if they’ll be open…I’m hoping the awning doesn’t fall completely off while I drive to the shop…. My camper van is named Addie, short for adventure… 
Update: Hoping duct tape and Benadryl cream help with the awning and bee stings.
Relaxing dinner with Sarah and Andy.

 

The awning extended…

 

That’s the creek with green algae!

 
Warning!

 

Algae!

 

Relaxation before bee stings and awning drama.

 

Uh oh!!!

 

Following Emmett-snuggling, I hit the road! Easy first day of driving to Dublin, where I’m “camping” in Sarah and Andy’s cul de sac. Feeling comfortable driving Addie, relaxed, and ready for the next phase of my adventure.

There’s something about driving Addie that just makes me smile. 🙂

 

9.5 pound bundle of pure love and joy!!!

Home!

Posted on by Lisa

Home! Traveled 3,192 miles, explored five states, hiked a gazillion miles, saw amazing geological and cultural sites, camped from luxury to rustic, bonded with Addie. GREAT TRIP!!!

After taking a look at Hoover Dam from the O’Callaghan-Tillman Bridge, I traveled to Red Rock Canyon and Spring Mountain Ranch State Park. Lots of rocky desert hikes, some surprising lush areas, and even a few burros! Ah…! 🙂

Hoover Dam from the O’Callaghan-Tillman Bridge

 

What a story these rocks tell!

 

Me and my red rocks!

 

I love the way colors and shadows add texture to photos.

 

Even I didn’t have trouble finding the trail with all of the cairns!

 

Top of the trail looking down on Las Vegas (to the left). These boots are doing a lot of work this trip!

 

Drew on the wall again…hahaha!

 

Greenery from Pine Creek Canyon trail!

 

Spring Mountain Ranch State Park – has a storied history with multiple owners, including Howard Hughes.

 

Burros!

Final full day in Zion! Made it up to Angel’s Landing – did the first set of chains and then decided that was enough. If you look closely over my left shoulder in the first pic, you’ll see the line of people going up the mountain holding chains. That’s what I did! Afterward, hiked several trails and saw two waterfalls. Ready for my shower and nap! 

 

 

 

“Hiking” the Narrows in Zion National Park. Met my goals: slowest person hiking today and did not fall in. Only solo female I saw (and saw maybe three much younger solo men). What a day!  Time for wine and ibuprofen!

 

Curating my photos of Bryce Canyon National Park from over 150 to my ten favorites took almost as much time as hiking several of the park’s trails! These two-dimensional photos do not do justice, though, to the live three-dimensional experience of this hoodoo-rich delight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kodachrome spires: these are only ten of the over 60 spires in Kodachrome State Park. Spending the past two days hiking and exploring this park has been one of the highlights of my trip so far!