Catching up!

We've spent the past month in Florida at our winter home. The first week was spent cleaning up around here, getting the shrubs trimmed, the flower beds weeded and freshened.

After catching up on the chores we've been busy around the resort.Ray was asked to DJ the Halloween party. We went in costume as "Jake From State Farm", that was easy to get Ray into that costume, and "Flo, the Progressive girl". We won the prize for best original costumes, aka homemade.

I've been teaching line dancing to some of the ladies here a couple of days each week and there is Power Walking class daily and Monday, Wednesday, Friday we have water aerobics.A couple of nights a week I play Hand & Foot. We've been busy with the activities here and a couple of days shopping, too.

Let's Go to Iowa!

Why are you going to Iowa? Everyone asked the same question and our response was, to see what's there beside corn and pigs and to meet Terry and Vicki. They had a few days they could get away and we did, too. They drove our way and we drove their way and we met near the middle in Iowa.

At the Amana Colonies we learned about the people who came from Germany to America to settle there when we visited the museum, sampled the fudge, smelled the fragrant soaps and bought a few of them, enjoyed pastries at the bakery, admired the beautiful flower gardens and looked through more shops before enjoying a family style dinner at The Ronneburg Restaurant. At the broom shop we had our picture taken as we sat in "The World's Largest Roocking Chair". At the RV park, we visited the Wood Crafter Festival. 

we were told the about the Amish and Mennonite communities of Kalona while on the Chamber of Commerce By-ways Tour. We visited a Mennonite woodworking shop and store, an Amish bakery and also  a general store also known as the "Amish Walmart".

We visited the Brucemore Mansion, a beautifu Queen Anne style home, in Cedar Rapids. The house was built in the late 19th century and only 3 families lived there. 

Another day we journeyed up to Waterloo to tour the John Deere Museuem, where we met Pete, a proud employee. Pete started working at the John Deere factory in the 1960's before going to Vietnam for 3 years. Even though he had only worked at John Deere for 5 weeks before being called to military service, he returned to his John Deere job with 3 years (military time) and  5 weeks seniority. He told wonderful stories of John Deere's beginnings and survival through WWII and recessions and the growth of the company. 

There was also a stop at Wapsi Valley Vineyard where Terry's cousin and vineyard owner, Ron, gave us a personal tour of the vineyard and there was also a grape tasting. Who would have guessed there are so many varieties of grapes for wine making? We enjoyed the afternoon spent there.

Now we must head home, even though there is much more to see and do in Iowa. I would still like to see the Bridges of Madison County and the birthplace of John Wayne. Iowa has corn and pigs and so much more. 

Day 1 of Vacation with Grandkids in Pigeon Forge

We brought 4 of the grandchildren to the Smoky Mountains for a quick vacation before they start school. It has been a rainy afternoon, but we caught a few minutes of dry, clear skies right after dinner. We spent that bit of time at The Island and made back to our room before the downpour.

On the Road Toward Home

The past two days have been full days of travel. This part of Summer Adventure 2016 is coming to an end. Ray has a couple of doctor appointments, I have a dentist appointment and the all important date with my niece, Kerri, for my shaggy hair and we have a date with grandchildren to go to the Smoky Mountains.

Friday we drove 452 miles from Green River, Utah to Seibert, Colorado. The drive in Colorado became congested and the road was rough with steep grades and there was a sustained wind. There were a couple of tunnels to pass through,  the longest was about 1.7 miles and it was eerie to be descending the 1.64% grade while inside the tunnel walls. It's a good thing we entered at 11,158 feet above sea level because it seemed we were diving into the bowels of Earth.  The views of the Rocky Mountains were incredible. 

When we reached Denver, I sent my friend, Terry, a text message to say hi and I would have said hi to Gail, if I had her number. After rolling through Denver the road leveled out, but the wind was steady and pushed against us until we stopped for the night in Seibert. 

The rocky ride caused a few problems....the door to the utility compartment had become lodged; it took 3 men to work and pry it open, only after I had been out lying under the coach trying to dislodge that door. Then we noticed the clock with indoor/outdoor temperature wasn't displaying the outdoor temperature. We assumed it had been jarred loose and lost, the kitchen backsplash dropped a section of tile. If we had wine, I think I would have had a glass. I ate potato chips, instead. 

Saturday we were up and on the road again. The road was better, traffic was minimal, but the wind was continuous. We stopped at a rest area after about 100 miles for a safety check of everything, especially the utilty door Ray put Duck Tape on to ensure it wouldn't blow open after being pried open the night before. All was well and we were rolling along another 150 miles. We stopped to make a sandwich for lunch. Ray went to look everything over. The tow lights were gone. I guess the wind carried them away. I'm glad there wasn't much traffic or those lights could have done some damage to a car. We didn't travel as far as we had planned. It was suppertime so we decided to stop for the night. I was chatting with Vicki A., as we often do, and she told me about a nice place they had stayed in the area. Deer Creek Valley RV Park was just 24 miles ahead, I called them, they had a place for us. Just as Vicki had said, it was a very nice place. 

We have another 652 miles to go. We may get there today. I hope you have enjoyed this adventure with us. I have taken more than 2,000 pictures, look for some of them to show up on Facebook after we get home. We've made a list of things to fix on the coach when we get there. I'm sure when the list is completed Ray will be ready for another adventure, maybe to find a pontoon ride in Wisconsin!

Two National Parks in One Day!

This morning was another early start and we finished just after lunch time, so we headed on over to the second park. Beginning with Arches National Park, we did a bit of hiking and lots of photography and video.  As you know, we have visited a number of national parks and seen a multitude of mountains, cliffs and canyons; but we have been amazed at the different beauty of this part of Utah, from the San Rafael Swell to Arches National Park to Canyonland National Park.

I-70 cuts through the split in this portion of the San Rafael Swell.

Balancing Rocks at Arches NP

Window Arch

Sand Dune Arch

Views from Canyonland NP

The Scenery of I-70...WOW!

As we drove to our next stop on Summer Adventure 2016 we are heading east on I-70. There is nothing boring about the trip today. Utah is a really gorgeous state.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Vicki J. recommended we go by the sand dunes while we were in the area of Zion NP. It was interesting to walk in those mounds of pink sand, see the plants growing there and we watched a couple of dune buggies out there playing. There was a couple out on the dunes with their two grandsons. It was interesting listening to the grandma, you could tell she had been a teacher. She had the boys out on a field trip and I'd guess they learned all there is to know about the dunes.

Now to answer your questions.... the sand is from erosion on the mountains south of the dunes, the wind blows and passes between two mountain peaks, which increases its velocity and carries the sand out to the dunes.  (the short version)