What is ten miles north of Moab, Utah? We are!

It has been three months since I updated my blog. At that time we were in Fairview, Oregon. We loved Oregon—we wanted to stay in Oregon—it's beautiful and we have family there. However, two weeks after the last post, Wayne was back to being "just" a maintenance worker in the RV park in Oregon and four weeks after that, we left. For the sake of my sanity, I am not going to elaborate. Just suffice it to say that we are in Utah and much happier and more relaxed. Movin' on!

Life is busy as usual. Sue continues to copy edit and proofread and we are now working at the Archview RV Resort north of Moab, Utah and oh, what a gorgeous area. Who would have thought that the State of Utah had so much to offer. Until a couple of years ago when we visited Bryce and Zion National Parks in the southwest corner, my "vision" of Utah was strictly Salt Lake City and the surrounding area. We have since learned that Utah encompasses far more than SLC, just like the State of New York is far more than NYC. We arrived here on the eighth of August and at this point, plan on leaving November 1st, and there is no way we will see all this area has to offer within a day's drive. The beauty of the surrounding area is stunning…there is no other appropriate word.

We have already been to several beautiful spots. Here are some of the highlights for your viewing pleasure:

Wayne @ Spruce Tree House

Mesa Verde National Park

Spruce Tree House

Spruce Tree House

The Cliff Palace

Four Corners Monument

Dead Horse Point State Park

Canyonlands National Park - Needles

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument

Arches National Park

The Spectacles

Canyonlands National Park - Islands in the Sky

On the Road Again … February 25 - March 1, 2014

We left Carlsbad KOA on Tuesday, February 25th at about 10:30 a.m.  We intended on leaving at 8:30 but the wind came up early in the morning as opposed to the typical noonish time frame so we were delayed somewhat. It slowed considerably just after ten o'clock so we got on the road shortly thereafter.

We had a very nice trip with only a few miles of windy conditions—nothing too bad though. We stayed at Sky City RV Park near Acoma, NM, adjacent to the Sky City Casino. It was a gravel parking lot … truly … but the sites were long and level and for not even $20/night it was all we needed. We simply wanted an inexpensive place to stop, eat dinner and sleep so we didn't even unhook the fifth wheel. We had homemade stew to eat so there was no need to worry about going to the buffet. According to some reviewers, the food was adequate but nothing to write home about so no big deal. The only negative thing that happened was that I tripped and fell due to very uneven patches of asphalt while walking to the registration building. I now have a bruised and very unhappy knee. Oh well, it could be worse.

Beautiful New Mexico scenery going to Acoma

We got up early on Wednesday and were back on the road west around eight in the morning heading toward Winslow, AZ. We had another non-eventful travel day, which is the best kind of course. We stayed at the Meteor Crater RV Park, which is owned by the group running the meteor crater site. The RV park was really nice—attractive, priced right, and gated. It would definitely be a place we would return to if in the area again.

Meteor Crater itself was an awe-inspiring sight to say the least. The crater’s diameter is 4,100 feet and is 570 feet deep. And to think that the meteor that hit here was not much bigger than a school bus!

Meteor Crater near Winslow, AZ

We had not been able to make any reservations at campgrounds for these first few days since we had no idea up until Monday afternoon exactly what day we would leave Carlsbad. Southeastern New Mexico can be extremely windy and we were watching the weather diligently to determine the best plan. When it became obvious that the area was going to get messy by Wednesday, we decided our best bet was to get out of New Mexico and through Arizona as quickly as possible.

Sunrise at Meteor Crater RV Park

That said, on Thursday morning we left Winslow and again headed west, hoping to stay in Needles, California for eight days. When we arrived, we quickly discovered that the snowbirds had pretty much every RV site in the area! As Wayne said at the time, "Recalculating!" We quickly decided to head to Las Vegas instead and are now comfortably ensconced in the Las Vegas RV Park. It is a very nice and inexpensive park (due to their current special). We are getting some maintenance and cleaning done plus doing a lot of relaxing.

INSIDE Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile Shops!

We will leave here next Friday morning and head to Torrance, California to spend the weekend with our son Jon and his family. We will head to the Central Valley on Monday to be with our daughter Julie and her family through Thursday and then over to the Bay Area to spend the next weekend with our son Joe and his family. We sure are looking forward to that! On the 17th we will continue our trip northward, staying at the Klamath Falls KOA on Monday evening and then into our new somewhat permanent campground at the Portland/Fairview RV Park on Tuesday. The adventure continues~

New Beginnings in 2014

Can you believe it is 2014? Wow, this past year just flew by. I had commented to Wayne in 2012 that the years haven't seemed to go so fast now that we are traveling and workamping. I kind of figured that might be because we have typically moved to a new location a couple of times per year, working at one campground for the summer season and another for the winter. Just those changes seemed to s.l.o.w. things down. That changed this year, probably because we have stayed in one location for most of the year.

We have been at the Carlsbad KOA in New Mexico going on nine months—since April 26, 2013. Our time here has been interesting, frustrating, hot, cold, slow, fast, fun, not fun, etc. In other words, it has been a typical year! That's life, right? Some things that happen suit us and other things make us want to run and hide. 

This campground is a great place and we would highly recommend it to any travelers or workampers who want to spend time in this area. It is certainly the nicest campground around and although we constantly hear comments about the price, if you look at what you get, the price is not unreasonable at all. The facilities are top notch and the staff is friendly and helpful. Sure there aren't big trees to shade an RV from the scorching sun in the summer, but this is the desert! There are much smaller trees that provide enough shade for a couple of chairs but that's about it. However, we have found that although it is quite hot in the summer, if you aren't directly in the sun it's not bad. The humidity is very low and that makes a huge difference in how the heat affects you.

The major things that have been difficult here include the extremely hard water and the low humidity. Our skin is dry, our fingers crack around the nails, our hair is dry and flyaway … okay, MY hair is dry and flyaway … oh yeah, and then there is the wind — and the needle grass! I posted pictures of the needle grass a couple of posts ago. It was kinda fun and novel the first time but let me tell you, the novelty has worn off. About the wind — it is CRAZY here and Wayne hates it. I don't like it either but it really bugs him.

Well, all that is quickly coming to an end. When we accepted our positions here as assistant managers, it was an open-ended agreement. We made a commitment to a year but it was always with the idea that we might very well stay longer than that. We fully intended on doing that too through the summer. However, some of the things that frustrated us ended up helping us make the decision to move on when our year was up or at least mostly up. That doesn't take away from the fact that the campground is great and the owners are very nice people. Really what it comes down to is that we have wanted to be closer to our family for quite some time and we simply decided to pursue those desires.

Thus, it is with great excitement that we have accepted jobs at a large RV park just a few miles east of downtown Portland, Oregon. The park is called Portland Fairview RV Park (http://portlandfairviewrv.com) and has over 400 sites. We have conferred with the owners here in Carlsbad and with their blessing, have made the decision to leave here within the first few days of March, arriving in Oregon around the middle of the month. This is obviously a little bit before our year commitment is up but new assistant managers will need to be trained in March and we will simply not be needed. We wish them all the best!

These jobs in Oregon are not seasonal workamping jobs … they are long-term positions. We expect, Lord willing, to be there for a minimum of five years. Wayne will be working in maintenance and Sue will be working mainly in the office, but with some additional landscaping and maintenance duties as well when time allows. Our schedule will be Monday-Friday (wow!) and we will get sick time and vacation. We have already scoped out a couple of Calvary Chapels to visit and can't wait to explore the area. Yes, we know it rains a lot. Honestly, we are looking forward to the rain. We are sort of done with the dry, windy desert. We have been in the desert since October 2012 (Arizona prior to New Mexico) and seeing lots of grass, trees and flowers will be a nice change. Wayne wants to plant roses! Yay!

On the way, we will be stopping in California to see our kids and grandkids on the way from New Mexico to Oregon. We can't wait to see them as well as the rest of the family in Oregon and Washington. We will be sad to be leaving family and friends in Colorado and New Mexico, but hopefully we can find a way to get together sometime in the future. Come see us!

Visit to Carlsbad Caverns

We finally did it ... we managed to get to Carlsbad Caverns. We had both been looking forward to seeing the caverns for years. Now that we were in the area, we had been searching for the perfect time to go. And it was incredible. Of course seeing the bats fly at dusk was an experience not to be missed too. We couldn't take pictures of the bats ... you aren't allowed any electronic devices. They say it might distract or confuse the bats, but one of the rangers told me that the rule actually is in place simply to help everyone enjoy the experience as naturally as possible.

Here are some amazing pics of Carlsbad Caverns from the very top and then on down over seven hundred feet below ground! It was well worth the wait.

The Natural Entrance (also the bat flight exit)

It winds down and down and down~

Ta-da!

Eight days left (only six workdays)!

    We are on the final countdown to leaving Casa Grande, Arizona. Overall, it has been a good winter here at Sundance 1 RV Resort. I can't say we enjoyed the housekeeping we have done, but I can say we did the best job we could and got lots of compliments. For the most part, the people here have been very nice and we have made some friends. We have especially enjoyed our church family at Calvary Chapel CG and that is the one place we will miss when we leave.
    Physically this job has taken a toll on both of us. Perhaps we aren't in the best shape but we certainly get plenty of exercise while we work. Actually, I think it is the repetitive nature of what we do that has caused the problems. Wayne's hips and thighs hurt from all the mopping and my hands and fingers hurt from the same thing. We are very ready to be done.
    The highlight for me during our stay was the opportunity to participate in the annual play held at Sundance during the last week of February. The play was called "A Mad Breakfast" and was truly hilarious. Written and set in the 1920s, the play takes place in an old-fashioned boarding house. One of the male residents decides to play a practical joke on the landlady and the other residents. He has invited a gentleman to breakfast that morning, who placed an ad in a newspaper where he requested to be allowed to observe the residents of a lunatic asylum.

Miss Smith trying to demonstrate her acting skills

He lets one of the women in on the joke and together they take each of the others aside individually and tell them all different stories about what to expect from the visitor that morning. They tell the landlady he is an inspector of boarding houses, they tell the resident "artist" he is a millionaire who thinks he looks like Napoleon, etc. My character was a wannabe actress (Miss Smith) and they tell her the gentleman is an agent looking for talent. Of course the hapless visitor is caught in the middle of the chaos as each one tries to get his attention and impress him. He has no trouble believing he is in the presence of crazy people, poor fellow. All in all it was a ton of fun and we were all sorry to see it end.
     Anyway, we will be leaving on Saturday the 13th—sans trailer and our dog Lucy—and making a beeline to California to see our family. We will arrive at our son Jon's house early evening and will enjoy visiting with Jon, Cristen, Anne and Maddee through Monday night.

We will leave on Tuesday morning and head up to the north Bay Area (Sausalito) to see our son Joe, daughter-in-law Daunielle and their new little baby boy Oliver. We can't wait to meet this new little guy.

On Friday evening, our daughter Julie and her family are coming over from the Central Valley to Sausalito so that we can spend time with both families. We will celebrate four April birthdays together: Wayne (12th), Julie (16th), Joe (10th) and Kaitlyn (1st).

    Although we will enjoy our time with all of them, the time will be too short and we will have to say goodbye way too soon. We will head back to Casa Grande on Monday the 22nd, arriving on the 23rd, to pick up our trailer and Lucy. On Wednesday morning we will head east and arrive at the Carlsbad KOA on Friday the 26th to begin our new jobs there as Assistant Managers. We would appreciate your prayers as we travel.

Out of Idaho and into Arizona!

Things have moved along since the last post about our adventures. Actually, the last post was a book review, so that doesn't even count, does it? I guess it has been almost two months since I posted about what and how we are doing.

That last post was on July 24th, and a whole lot of things have happened since then. I alluded to some ... umm ... challenges, shall we say, we were having at the campground at that time. A couple of weeks later, I did the unthinkable (for me) — I broke down and initiated a conversation. What a difference a little communication can make. The last month was great, and we ended up sad we were leaving rather than excited. Of course, the proverbial "hitch itch" had set in, so we were glad to move on to something new. However, it was nice to leave on a good note. Any of you who know me understand that I avoid confrontation to a fault, so you know how hard that was for me. But I have to say, I think I learned that perhaps I need to be willing to talk things out just a bit more and for sure, sooner.

Our last work day at the campground was Sunday, September 2nd. We took an easy day on Labor Day to get ready to pull out, and pull out we did on Tuesday. Now I have to stop and document the "Amazing Grace" our God poured out on us at this point. I had been quite stressed about our finances. Our job in Casa Grande, AZ doesn't start until October 1st and we won't get paid for two weeks after that. Do the math ... that is six weeks without income, and for us, that would have meant putting everything on credit cards and jacking up our balance even more. (We want to get rid of it, not make it worse!)

Sunday evening when we got off work for the final time, I sat down to check my e-mail. I saw I had an e-mail from the publisher I work for as a copyeditor and eagerly opened it. I found he had not one, but two books for me to copyedit this month, and in addition, three books for me to proofread! All in September!

• But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
• Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

God surely supplied all our needs according to HIS riches, and absolutely above all that we could ask or think!

Needless to say, I have been busy these last couple weeks. I copyedited the first book and have gotten through two of the books to proofread. I may be busy, but it is fun busy. Now I am praying that God will send a consistent supply of manuscripts to me so that I can focus on copyediting and proofreading alone, and dispense with most of the campground work. It's not that I don't enjoy it, but I don't have to hear to copyedit, and that's much better for me.

Now, back to our travels. Once we left Idaho, we came down through Utah and into Arizona. Currently, we are camped at North Ranch in Congress, AZ. This is an Escapees Rainbow Park, and we are quite comfortable here. HOT, but comfortable.  We arrived here last Friday and will be here through the 25th.

On our way through Utah and Arizona, we were privileged to stop at three national parks: Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Grand Canyon National Parks. They were all breathtakingly gorgeous! My first look into Bryce Canyon brought tears to my eyes and the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. I used to listen and sing as my mother played it on the piano. "Creation shows the power of God, there's glory all around. And those who see must stand in awe, for miracles abound. (I Believe in Miracles)." I will leave you with a few pictures of God's creation.

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

Has it really been a month??

Wow—time sure flies when you are having fun ... or working ... or reading. I had no idea I hadn't updated my blog since the end of April. Sorry about that!

We have gotten acclimated to Montpelier, Idaho in every way possible. We are mostly used to the 6,000+ foot elevation, we are used to our four 10-hour day work week (Thursday through Sunday), and we are most certainly used to—and loving—our three, wonderful days off.

Today is Tuesday the 29th and we traveled to Pocatello, Idaho today. The biggest reason was because I had an appointment for a hearing test at 2:00 p.m. I hadn't had my hearing tested since 2009 and I knew things had changed for the worse. I wasn't quite prepared for how much it has changed though, and it may necessitate new hearing aids. One more huge expense we hadn't planned on. Oh well, such is life.

We are enjoying working at the campground. It is a lot more physical work for me than I am used to but about the same for Wayne. There are only 35 or so sites here, so there is really no need for me to sit in the office all the time waiting for the phone to ring to take a reservation, or waiting for a camper to come in to the office. The park is small enough that we just put a sign on the door the says, "We are working the campground" and if a camper needs us we are easily found in our yellow shirts. I just forward the phone and take it with me. No problem. Getting more physical exercise is always good, right? Anyway, we love the area and have committed to coming back here next summer. It is just so beautiful. We have also been hired in Casa Grande, AZ for the winter as housekeepers at a 700+ site, 55 and over RV park. As much as housekeeping isn't as fun as registering campers and working in the camp store, it will actually be easier for me, as I won't have to worry about hearing anyone.

Last week on our days off, we left Lucy with Stuart and Kathy, the KOA owners, and went to a bed and breakfast near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This is a second time at a B&B and we have enjoyed it both times. From there, we traveled to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. We ran into some serious snow in Yellowstone but it was so fun. Neither one of us has ever been there when it was still snowy and Wayne remarked that it looked like a winter wonderland. It was stunningly beautiful. We were able to see quite a bit of wildlife too, which was just the icing on the cake. We saw a grizzly bear, several buffalo and elk, some pronghorn deer, a porcupine and probably a few more that I can't remember. Fortunately Wayne enjoys driving, because he drove about 13 hours on Tuesday through Yellowstone, and another 10 or so hours on Wednesday through the Tetons, back to see Old Faithful in Yellowstone, out the west entrance into Montana, and back home to Montpelier. We had a wonderful time and it was over way too quickly.

Lots of snow in Yellowstone!

Beautiful colors in the thermal pools.

A few of the buffalo we saw.

Well, that should catch everybody up to date. I will try very hard to do better!