AWOL -- Days 64, 65, 66 and 67 -- Consorting with the Russians - 6/8-11/2020

It's not that I haven't been busy and having fun.  It's just that by the time I get back to the trailer, I am too tired to write.  So here I am in the middle of the last day of our trip.  We have had a wonderful time and I have seen and heard so much Mother Nature.  Out of the news loop too, I'm afraid (NOT).

We visited Fort Ross which is where a group of Russians set up a settlement in the 1800's.  They were hunting -- you guessed it -- sea otters for their pelts.  Here's a door knocker at the fort.

We continued on up the coast and had lunch at The Shelter Cove Inn.  We were able to order up lunch and sit outside.  The cost of lunch was high (California style) but the views made it so worth it! 

We continued up the scenic coastline and made the turnaround at Salt Point State Park.  This is the place I remember spending many weekends with Russ camping while he went abalone diving.  The place is much like I remembered it -- crashing waves, surge and lots of wind. 

Yes, it is a sport only for young.  The ability to dive down 15-20 feet and retrieve one of those animals takes a lot of physical stamina and mental illness if you ask me.  Nuts, I say, just Nuts!

Yesterday (Thursday) and today I was able to get out early in the morning, before anyone else had the chance to rough up the river, on my kayak.  The Russian River here is pretty low so it is easy to put in and paddle for hours without worry of any rapids.  Originally I planned to listen to tunes on my cell phone while paddling but I decided to treat myself to auditory heaven instead.  Listing to the early morning sounds of the river and forest.  It was so nice. At one point I was accompanied briefly by a river otter.

I saw an eagle with her babies high in their nest on a telephone pole, a blue heron, tons of ducks and their ducklings and lots of scary looking seaweed underneath my boat.  

This picture is a duck who was coming to check me out.  She swam close and then looked behind to see that one of her ducklings had followed her.  I heard her squawk at the kid and he turned around and headed back to the shore.  

Just so you know I wasn't making up the Blue Heron thing:

Not sure if I mentioned it but Elspeth came on over to visit with us on Tuesday.  Elspeth is a nurse who worked with Russ and my girlfriend Pat.  When Elspeth saw our photo on my post Sunday, she contacted me and asked if I thought it was a good idea that she come over on Monday night.  She lives in Glen Ellen  and has worked with Pat and Russ at Tahoe Forest Hospital.  We both agreed that it would be great to surprise everyone so we did!

That's her on the right and we are enjoying some of her awesome red wine from the Delaney Family Vineyard:

 

Thank you Elspeth for coming all this way, drinking very little so you could get home safely and bringing us this fabulous wine.  So good see you and re-hash so many memories.  We did you proud on the wine you left behind!

So tomorrow we head out for home.  This trip was expensive, in more ways than one (our awning got messed up) but you can never take away the incredible memories (did I tell you about the fellow camper  who gave us some pot?) and the wonderful friendships we share.  

So, looking forward to the next trip  . . . vaya con dios everyone!

June 7th, 2020 - On the Russian River. Day 63.

Made it to our campground at the Russian River and met up with our friends.  On the way down we realized that we are pretty sheltered in Nevada.  There are so many people in California!! Couldn't find a place to stop for lunch with our trailer so we chose a Walmart and noticed nobody was wearing face masks!  

We are in a whole different world here.  Russ and I usually go camping to get away from it all but this place has back to back campers.  Right now I am looking out the window watching an 8 year old boy who has been cooped up for how long -- who knows -- dancing on the grill of the fire pit.  So glad he is not my charge.  I get it.  It is just so difficult to imagine being the parent of kids who have to be confined to an enclosed space all day -- especially during this time of COVID.  This RV looks like there are quite a few kids in it too.  I hope the parents are having a cocktail. . . . or two.

Dinner tonight was in Occidental (?).  The 6 of us shared a few bottles of wine and a wonderful meal at Cape Fear.   This was their 2nd day open and they are trying so hard.  It is so difficult to talk to someone behind a facemask.  Here we are:

So tomorrow, who knows.  Hopefully a run at sea level.  

 

June 6th already -- Happy Birthday Fritz!! Day 62

Not too much going on today.  We are planning an RV trip to the coast of California -- actually the Russian River where it meets the Pacific, so we have been stocking the trailer with food and clothing.  Of course there is laundry to be done and sheets to be changed.  

In the middle of the day I took a few hours and drove down to Washoe Lake where a couple of friends are camping.  The Nevada State Campgrounds just opened up -- 50% capacity.  The weather would have been beautiful if not for the 30 mile an hour winds.  Home in Nevada means WIND! After a couple of hours of sitting outside in that, I left.  On the way to and from I was treated to a view of the wild horse herd.  They are so healthy looking.  There had to be at least 50 of them.  

I went to visit Kathy and Joye.  Kathy is a brave woman.  I am not sure how old she is but I suspect, like me, late 60's or early 70's  Quite the vagabond, she has a little 20-23 foot motorhome and circles the USA all year round.  Michigan is her home state and she returns there but not too often.  This lady really knows how to live.  She camps at BLM campgrounds where there is little or no fee.  She doesn't need water, electricity or sewer.  The last time I saw Kathy it was in Truckee last summer.  I didn't ask but I hope she keeps a diary.  I know she has met many folks along the way.  Most recently Kathy came from the southwest where she had pretty much wintered in AZ and NM.  She is turning around here and heading back to Michigan for a recharge and to help her daughter with her wedding.  More power to you Kathy!  I am sure it gets lonely at times but to see the sunrises and sunsets she has seen -- alone and with no buildings to obstruct.  Gotta be a bit jealous, huh?

Can't let this day go by without wishing my little brother Fritz a Happy Birthday!!  He and I are the closest in age in our family of 7 kids.  I think they call us Irish Twins (anything under 2 years apart).  Fritz lives in Florida with his awesome wife Rhonda who is a real estate agent.  Anyways, I had purchased a birthday card for Fritz about 2 weeks ago and guess what -- I forgot to send it.  Caught up with him on the ride home from Washoe Lake.

This is he and me at Dayton -- I know he would not be happy with me sharing this photo but too bad.  My blog, not his.  He went to Xavier College in Cincinnati and it looks like he was there with me during my graduation from Dayton -- yes, I made it!!

Anyways, wish we were closer -- we had some great times.   Love you brother!

Day 60, May 4, 2020 - What I did on my Vacation!

Being retired makes this whole thing so much easier.  I don't HAVE to be any place at a special time.  This means that I totally loose track of what day it is and start scheduling things on days and times that I already have things to do.

Today, I was supposed to host a zoom meeting with my college friends.  I woke up realizing that I had also promised a friend that I would hike a trail along the Truckee River.  Can't do both.  I texted my fellow alumni Anne in Akron, OH and asked her to carry on.  We are so fortunate to have the technology we have today.  Communication across 3 time zones instantaneously.  I could not have imagined that when I was in college.  We had to make a phone call and most definitely, we had to get an "operator" involved.  I mean a real, live person.  Think about that.  Look how the tables have turned.  When was the last time you tried to schedule a doctor's appointment?  Did you get to actually "speak" with a human?  Wow.  A few short years (50).

I digress. 

So I was able to take my hike along the Truckee River.  The stretch of the Tahoe Pyramid Bikeway that was built most recently is the piece between Hirschdale, CA and Floriston, CA.  I wanted to see what it was like and boy what a nice piece of work that is.  There was obviously a ton of work done here.  Lots of improved paths and stairways.  I almost hate to show you guys because it was also very sparsely traveled.  But, here are a few photos.  There is a lot of up and down; so it is a good workout but it is not technical at all; so leave your poles at home.  Traveling in the morning, you will be at full on sun exposure so be sure to lather up with the sunscreen.  We made it about halfway.  Next trip we will use 2 cars and start at Hirschdale.

Yes a Dodge -- didn't fall off the freeway, left there at the end of old Hwy 40

At the end of the trail, we found this piece of artwork -- crafted by a metal sculptor (unknown) out of what looked like an old piece of farm equipment.  

What it is? Anyone's guess.  A scorpion, maybe?

All in all, a good day.  Good hike.  Good company.  Lucky me!!

June 2, 2020 -- Day 58. Blackout Tuesday

Yes, today is Blackout Tuesday.  Many Facebook friends have this as their profile picture, including me:

This is in honor and remembrance of all of the Black people who have suffered at the hands of policemen and others for doing absolutely nothing besides being the color black.   I have to say once again, there but for a chance of fate go them instead of me.  I have done a lot of soul searching today and while the situation seems bleak and unresolvable, I have to go back to the one way we have all learned to correct our behavior and that is through education.  We learned how to stop smoking, how to prevent AIDS, how to not kill people while driving drunk -- all through education.

I believe it could help if schools put the subject of "race" in their curriculum early in the learning process.  I'm not talking about just a month to learn "African American" or "Hispanic American" or "Asian American" history alone.  I submit that the subject should continue from kindergarten through high school.  We as a society need to learn from each other what it is like to be Black in this country.  I think kids need to start their lives knowing what it is like to be different.  I know that forced integration didn't work but maybe they were on the right track.  Searching through my childhood memories, I don't remember ever encountering a Black person until I got to college and then there were darn few.  How could I be expected to not be a little nervous about the "unknown?"  Things haven't really changed.  Even though the government has legislated that people cannot be discriminated against with regarding to housing, people still choose to live amongst similar people. 

If our children grow up in a mixed race community -- do you think all of this would be as bad?  I think children, being children, would be more open and communicative.  

And here's the other thing.  You know how you play a game and you are loosing terribly?  You loose over and over again at that game. Well you come to believe that you can't win.  Don't you think that this principle could apply to Black people today.

I am just so ashamed and sorry.  I apologized to one Black woman at the grocery store for this situation and she said - "oh that's all right" -- I said "no, it is not okay."  

It's Not Okay!  Let's Fix It!!

Day 56, May 31, 2020 -- All Quiet on the Homefront

When I went to bed last night I wasn't too sure what the state of the city would be like today.  It appears that it did in fact survive the night with a total of 23 arrests.  Most of the people were from Reno, Sparks, Fallon and Truckee.  So much for outsiders being bussed in to cause trouble.  If they are, they know how to avoid arrest. 

This morning I took a hike with my girlfriend up a huge hill.  We arranged to meet half way (her way down, my way up).  I was only 5 minutes late.  Now I know.  We had a good chat especially as we sat at a park, drank lemonade (wink, wink) and watched all the puppies frolicking on the grass.  Here we are!!

And the park:

The walk was beautiful and a good way to spend 3 hours this morning.  I need to do more of this.  I practiced it a lot last year in preparation for the Camino with a 15lb backpack.  Got a ways to go before I will feel comfortable doing it that way.

This afternoon I set up the ladder ball game that I am planning to take with us on our camping trip next weekend.  You know, it is just such an effort to do this stuff -- reading directions and all but once I got it set up I got a chance to practice!!  Now I have practice setting up the game AND tossing the balls.  Good drinking game -- a beer in one hand and the ball in the other.  Can't wait!!

I got another little bitch about apple -- I have been a diehard fan but they are really taking it too far.  When I used to transfer photos to my computer, they came in as jpeg format but NOW apple has to have their own format (HEIC- all caps no surprise)  which, of course, does not sync with google aka Blooger.  What a pain.  I have to send it from my phone and change the extension before I can post it here.  I hate to compare this to politics but I just don't know why the two can't work together to make this easy on us.  Rant done for now.

We are scheduled for a cocktail party which I am hosting on Zoom at 5 pm and I still have to walk the dog so - adios for tonight.  

In The Biggest Little City? Really? Day 55, May 30, 2020

Coronavirus has been dwarfed by the situation across our country as a result of the murder of George Floyd.  Right now I am watching a protest unfold on our local TV station KOLO in Reno.  Right now night is falling and things are getting really testy.  You can see the protesters include pros who are wearing flak vests.  There has been a lot of tear gas shot into the crowds as the rioters have damaged city hall, breaking windows and setting fires inside.  

I feel bad for these police -- they are definitely stuck between a rock and a hard place.  

The mayor and the Washoe county sheriff have declared a curfew which all of the people that are on tv right now are ignoring and are therefore in violation of the law.  The freeway exits have been closed in the downtown area to prevent more participants.

I do understand the unhappiness and frustration that we all feel.  I am also devastated and ashamed.  Where do we go from here?  How do we affect a change?  Certainly it is not the way I am watching on TV right now.  

Interestingly enough, I was living and working in Detroit in 1967 during the riots there.  We never got the perspective that we are able to get in this day with video and onsite reporting.  Now I kind of have an idea of what it was like downtown then.

The good news is that Space X got off the earth safely -- just in time!  I am sure that Doug and Bob are happy to be in that peaceful environment and I wonder if they are aware of all of this violence.

Yes, wow this is a shot of the TV made after a tear gas round has been shot off.  Wow Reno, I just can't believe you 😭

Day 53 and 54, May 27 & 28. Why can't we be colorblind like the rest of the world?

Today is Thursday, I think, or maybe it is Sunday or what???  I really have no real memory of what I did yesterday but this morning I woke up determined to get back into the walking mode.  It is so hot here that I knew it had to be done early.  I took a little 4 mile walk downtown and back and noticed a lot of things opening up.  There were coffee shops with a few people in them, some people strolling by the river and some even kayaking in it.  

I returned up Arlington and was treated to some beautiful backyard flowers and overhanging shade trees.  Reno really is a special little city.

So later in the day I had the opportunity to experience a trip to the dispensary.  This is not a common occurrence for me, in fact, it is only my second trip.  I had done research online to figure out what tincture would best help me with joint pain and sleep.  I had a recommendation from a friend and after several emails to the dispensary of choice I figured I had it down.  You see, right now there are no "consulting" people available at the dispensaries, so I had to wing it.  

The experience was very okay.  They only allowed 10 customers in the place at a time so as one went out, another came in -- kind of reminded me of The Bookstore Bar in college.  There they kept their occupancy limit by forcing potential customers to line up outside in the cold and snow while waiting for a current customer to get sick, puke and have to leave (that was the ONLY reason you would leave that bar once you were in).  This time we were forced to wait outside in 95 degree heat and wait until the current customer exited the building.  We were also made to wear our face masks, no problem.  It seemed that most people in line were regular customers and knew exactly what they wanted so the line moved quickly.  For the record, NONE of this was unexpected or a problem for me.  Glad to see cooperation here.

The other similarity this place had to the bar was that they checked your ID when you entered.  This time they ran it through some kind of machine though which makes me think that they now know I have been there.  

Following my visit to the dispensary I made another stop at the Wine store where I stocked up on enough wine to last the week (I hope).  If the mj doesn't work -- the alcohol will!!  Let you know.

I can't leave this day without sharing my thoughts on this recent killing of a George Floyd in Minneapolis.  Right now I want to stop every black person on the street that I see and apologize, beg their forgiveness and ask what I can do to help change this horrible situation in our country.  I just can't believe it has come to this -- where did we go wrong?  And don't tell me it is Trump, alone.  Racism has been here, in this country, since I was little.  I'm also sure that there were white men murdering black men then -- we just didn't hear about it.  I just don't understand why the US has such a problem with BLACK!  The rest of the world  seems to be colorblind.  What is wrong with us and what can we do about it?  Electing a president who is black didn't seem to help -- what will?  I pray for the answer to this every night.  

Enough for now.  

Day 52, May 26, 2020 Wow! Somebody turned up the heat here!

I knew it was going to be hot this morning so Cirila and I planned to meet on Mt. Rose for a hike at 9 am and I am glad we did.  We walked the  Incline Flume Trail .  On the way up the mountain I saw so much snow on the south side that I was pretty sure we wouldn't be able to walk the trial but I was wrong.  The trail was clear with only a couple of small creek crossings and snow patches.  The views were, as always, spectacular:

After the turn-around, we encountered quite a few more folks.  It was difficult to "socially distance," with the single track trail.  We only saw one couple with masks, but I was sorry I didn't have mine at my fingertips.  I have grown so accustomed to using it.

That brings me to another place.  I find myself watching a show on TV where people are close to each other and hugging and in crowded places and my instant reaction lately is "what are they doing?" they are too close.  I wonder if others  have a similar reaction?

I digress. 

Tonight I had a zoom meeting with 8 other ladies who are Baja girls.  It was so fun to connect with them.  We were supposed to be in Baja this past month but alas, you know where that is right now.  So for now, here's a picture of us:

Don't we look like a "fun bunch/"

It was good to check in on what is happening in various parts of the the west.  One of my friends who lives in Idaho says that things there are "business as usual."  Nobody wears masks, nobody seems to be concerned.  Others who live in the LA area describe continued lockdown and surprise at any lack of social distancing.  All of us are ready for this to be over. Period!

Day 50 & 51, May 24 & 25, 2020 - A little backyard Celebration

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day Celebration yesterday.  We decided to do a low-key but in-person backyard visit with our family.  Cohen, Montana, Uriah, Joye, Russ and I and Ceilidh shared an all American meal of hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, beer and a flourless chocolate cake. 

Since I don't have any new photos I thought I would share this one of my grandson who is 7 years old.  We haven't been able to touch him in 3 months and this is a rare occasion when we are actually within 10 feet of each other.  In this picture he is standing in front of a greenhouse that he and his Dad made a few weeks ago.  the vegetables are beginning to grown but I understand that somehow a bunny got in and stole some lettuce. 

I know that those of you who are grandparents know what I mean about how hard it is to be apart when we live so close.  I am hoping that we will be able to help out this summer and take him camping -- if he will go, or at least have him stay with us so Mom can go back to working in the office.  

Anyways, that is a couple of weeks off.  Can't believe school is almost over!  

We played bocce ball and ring toss.  The grass is so long and healthy (thank you Ruben) that we had a difficult time finding the little white ball to shoot for.  Cohen won, of course.  

Beautiful weather -- people are pretty good about keeping their distance at the lake. 

Tonight we will do a zoom cocktail party with the friends that we plan to camp with in 2 weeks.   

Tomorrow I'm going on a hike with Carila and Ceilidh.  Hopefully I will have more pictures and cool stuff to report.  I hope we don't run into too many people.  Because of social distancing, we have to travel in 2 separate cars to the trailhead.  Pain in the butt!! It will be worth it though.  We are heading out early because it is supposed to get toasty in Reno for the next few days. 

Be safe all💋

Days 58 and 59, May 22-23 Let the Summer Begin - from a distance please!

Yes, it is here.  You can feel it in the air and you can see it at Virginia Lake.  Many people are out and about, ignoring and/or abiding by social distancing rules.  It just kinda blows me away that people would not want to just be sure.  It's kind of like going to church in case there really is a heaven.  Why wouldn't you do it?  Who is going to laugh at you for wearing a mask?  He who laughs last, laughs longest.  Whatever. 

I understand that some of my friends in Truckee are complaining about the same problem.  Locals are not happy with visitors right now to their paradise and I don't blame them.  We all need to be really careful on our way back to some semblance of reality.  It's going to take a long time but it will take longer if we don't follow common sense rules. 

Yesterday I was sitting at the pickleball court waiting for my turn when I noticed a group of about 6 teens walking down Plumas.  They were definitely not following the 6 foot rule.  But the amazing part to me was that they were also not hanging all over each other.  They were all -- and I mean all -- studying their cell phones.  You would think that if they wanted to break the rules, they would want to do it so they could do what teenagers do -- maul each other.  But I guess that's not what they do anymore -- they check out their social media. . . .

So today (Saturday) I got in a 3 mile run on the road.  It was a beautiful day weather wise.  Here is what my backyard looks like

I love this time of year.  Everything is so green and the blossoms are on the trees.  Soon (this week) it will be 90 degrees and dry.  

Tomorrow we will do a social distanced celebration of Memorial Day.  We will be here in our backyard with hot dogs, potato salad and corn.  I also made this cake from a recipe I found on the internet.  It is a flourless chocolate cake.  The ingredients are butter, sugar, chocolate, eggs and cornstarch.  We will cap it off with raspberries soaked in cognac.  Oh yes and a little whipped cream on top of that.  

Oh by the way, that bottle you see in the upper portion of this picture is the $300 bottle of Platinum Patron that my brother-in-law Chuck purchased for me as a gift and let me tell you -- it is pretty special. 

Whatever else you can say about Chuck -- he never does anything half-ass.  Thank you Chuck!

Home Means Nevada!! May 20 & 21. Day 56 and 57

We left these folks this morning at the highly recommended Prospector Hotel in Ely, NV.

And after the circuitous route that we had taken on Tuesday:

Our way home was pretty straight forward.  We hopped on Hwy 50 -- the loneliest highway in the USA and only stopped for pit stops until Fernley.  The one pit stop we needed to make in the wilderness we both stepped out of the car, pulled down our pants and -- you guessed it -- a car pulled up.  So much for lonely.  What are you gonna do?  There is no easy way up, or down. ....

We had been craving a good cup of coffee for a couple of days so the next stop was Fernley where, lo and behold, we found a Starbucks!  Now I'm not a fan of this coffee but compared to whatever that colored water was in the hotel rooms we stayed in, it was liquid gold (brown or whatever).  

1.5 hours later we were at Costco  in Reno to fill up with gas for Carol's final leg to Truckee with her new car!!  Then it was home for me.

For those who haven't traveled the southwest, it is really something to see.  Here there are no city lights, no hustle-bustle; nothing but clear blue skies, ominous grey clouds or puffy white ones, incredible land formations and a lot of nobodies.  It is a place to be experienced by everyone who lives in this country -- hell on this earth!  Here is Mother Nature/God's extraordinary creation!  Do yourself a favor -- just go see it!  The pictures do not do it justice, believe me.

Home now one day and really relishing and appreciating my little place.  I plan to meet the pickle ball girls tomorrow for a game or 2 (outside court).  They asked me so I told them I had been out of town and wanted to be sure they knew.   They said -- good to go.  Just bathe in Whiskey or Tequila.  Thought I would start with this, a precious gift from my brother-in-law Chuck:

Reno seems to be easing back into pre-corona virus mode (will there ever be a normal?).  I plan to keep myself out of public places  (other than outdoors) for 2 weeks just to be sure.  Fingers crossed.

  

Day 56, BIG VIEW DAY! May 19, 2020

We set out today from Kanab, Utah which turned out to be a just beautiful town.  I had heard that it was a nice mountain bike place and after checking out the topography I would have to say that it looks like a winner! 

We headed out on scenic route 89 towards Zion National Park where we were treated to some more hugely astounding natural wonders

All pretty much from the front seat of our car.  The place was deserted which made it even more enjoyable.  There was no problem with "social distancing" here -- not many people. 

The skies were beautiful with storms in the air and after 2 hours car touring the park, we continued our journey towards home. 

We had lunch at a sweet little park where the restrooms displayed a sign that said "these restrooms are open to the public.  They are disinfected 2 times a day. Provided by the town of Springdale, UT"  I thought that this was so amazing.  Thank you Springdale Utah for making this COVID experience just a little bit less stressful.

Front and center at this park also was a statue entitled "Mother Earth":

We crossed the Utah-Nevada border (#homemeansnevada) and continued to revel at the scenery that played out before us, stopping along Highway 93 for a brief visit to the Cathedral Gorge State Park in Nevada where we checked out the slot canyons:

Didn't spend too much time here as the storms were quickly approaching and while they looked menacing, they sure made for a pretty picture:

We arrived in Ely, Nevada, our destination for the night and checked into the Prospector Hotel-Casino.  The Casinos are shut down in Nevada but this Hotel and restaurant are open.  How welcoming and bustling this place was after being places that were so somber and sad.  The folks here are so great and accommodating.  It is such a relief after months of everyone hiding from each other.  We are all following social distancing rules and timidly coming out of our shells.  We are social people and we all need each other -- no matter what. Especially these folks:

Here's to our last night on the road.  

Tomorrow by the grace of God, we'll be home.

Days 54 and 55 -- missing a few long days. Today, May 18. 2020

Yes, it has been a long 3 days, and there has not been a lot to share with myself.  Miles and miles of highways broken up only with stops for restrooms, lunch and gas.  There is not much in the way of cuisine out here. Every state is different but the folks in New Mexico seem to be the most strict with the COVID requirements.  It is really cool though that everyone that we have met along the way, in the hotels or the gas stations, with the exception of a very few, are observing social distancing and donning face masks.  I am so hopeful that all of this will prove to help all of us humans stay healthy and beat up this bug -- until science can help us with it!!

We have only eaten in one restaurant and that was in Texas at an outside patio.  the rest of the time we have had to purchase to go food and eat it in our rooms/car/park. 

Today was the brightest spot in our journey so far.  After spending the night at the Best Western in the Grand Canyon Village near the south entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park, we were treated to a 25 mile tour of the overlooks.  Because of the COVID, the park service is only allowing the public to enter the park from 6 am until 10 am.  You can spend the entire day there if you like, but you have to enter between those hours.  This is brilliant because it limits the amount of folks who are near each other. 

The day was perfect.  Temperature 70's with awesome blue skies.  Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.  I took so many and will have to delete tons off my phone.

As you can see the views were amazing!!  What an absolutely wonderful world we live in!  No one can take that away from us. No other country is as beautiful as ours is.  I have been all across it and I know that people who come from other places in the world would die to have this kind of vast beauty. 

We stopped along the way at a deserted Indian Craft Stand.  They are all deserted because of this COVID thing.  We wondered wether this was ordered by the state or just because of a lack of customers.  Either way, we were saddened by the economic blight that has reached here on the Indian Reservations because of this virus.

We chose to continue the beauty by taking the scenic route up Highway 89 North and crossed the border into Utah.  We arrived in Kanab around 6:00 pm, enduring yet another time zone change. 

Tomorrow, Tuesday, we press onto Ely for one more night on the road.