On the Road Again! Can you say sunshine, warm weather and outdoor cooking? E-Bikes are a game changer and yes, falling off of them really hurts-especially at my age! Our National Parks are to be treasured-each one different and offering their own unique beauty and majesticness. And oh yeah, we had our first “stolen” item from our campsite, and it was less than 24 hours new!
LEG 2 BEGINS
We are excited to be starting Leg 2 of Coach Addy’s Big Adventure! Don’t get me wrong, the past four weeks have been amazing; our transatlantic cruise to Europe and our week in Paris were trips of a lifetime, but I am ready to be back in the USA and continue our trek across this great country.
A few of you asked why I didn’t continue with the Sunday Morning Musings and Mimosas while we were gone…Well, for me this blog is about Coach Addy’s Big Adventure and Coach Addy didn’t go to Europe! 🙂 So no blog posts from across the pond. Peder did do a couple of posts, if you want to read more about our Transatlantic Crossing on The Beyond, perhaps the most beautiful ship on the sea and how he finally made it to Paris with me! I must admit, I've missed writing my weekly posts and taking time to reflect on all that happens during a week. I am looking forward to resuming my musings and sharing our adventure with all of you! So let’s get to it…
Bonelli Bluffs
We left San Diego on May 18 and spent the first four days at Bonelli Bluffs in San Dimas which has become our custom. This site is a real gem tucked in a suburb of Los Angeles. We had lots of visitors and even though we had to change sites after two days, both sites were beautiful. This is a great starting point for us as we can visit with my dad, who lives just a few miles away, before we hit the road. This stay also included a visit from my sister, Cindy who stayed with us for a couple of days, and our daughter Jamie and her husband Brent joined us for dinner one night. It was a very special night with family. We also had a lovely visit and dinner with our dear friend Eric. We swapped stories of our travels and enjoyed a beautiful evening together! Needless to say it was a busy four days, but so much fun!
Love these two ladies! Can you say Mimosas?! Fun night!
It's Cute, but did you need to steal it?
Cindy and I had a fun trip to "The Walmart" for some last minute supplies, since we will not have a car with us this trip. Cindy was so excited for me to buy this cute collapsible trash can.
Well apparently, we weren’t the only ones to think it was cute. We only filled it up halfway the first night, so I zipped it up tight and left it out with all of our other valuables: eBikes, BBQ, Coleman Stove, Portable Fire Pit, etc…The next morning when we went outside, it was GONE! Really?! Who steals a $14.99 collapsible trash can? I am going with a critter and not a human-as I choose to have faith in my fellow campers. But neither here nor there, we no longer have our cute trash can!
HOT TIP #1- As excited as you are to get on the road and begin your trip, be sure to make time to see family and friends before you head out. This time with my dad is always so special for me.
HOT TIP #2-Don't leave your trash out over night!
Oh the Places, You'll Go...
This next leg of the trip will have us traveling East and North, with stops in Utah, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Canada. It’s going to be a trip through many National Parks and opportunities to visit with family and friends along the way.
ZION
We traveled from San Dimas, CA to Zion National Park, making our way through four states in one day (CA, NV, AZ, and UT). All in all it was an easy drive and we pulled into our campsite at Sand Hollow State Park way before dark. This place is so peaceful and the views are breathtaking! The sites are very spread out and you have acres of open land all around you!
We are here for 5 days and enjoyed some much needed R&R. It seems like we have been non stop for the past 5 weeks. The highlight of our time here was certainly our visit to Zion National Park! OMG!! What an awe inspiring place. I continue to be impressed with our National Parks-each one is so special and each one is so different from the last. As I mentioned earlier, we do not have a car with us during this leg, so getting places is a little more tricky and requires some advanced planning. Not a problem so far, but I’ll let you know how it goes. We got up early on our first morning in Utah and actually drove Coach Addy into Zion National Park. We parked her in the large lot by the visitor’s center and then hopped on the shuttle and enjoyed the most beautiful ride through the park. Breathtaking and spiritual would be my two word descriptors.
The Grand Canyon is incredible to see, but you are looking down on it and it is almost too massive to get a true appreciation for the beauty; but Zion finds you right in the middle of the awesomeness. You are right next to the Virgin River surrounded and dwarfed by the massive rock formations everywhere you look. There is lush plant life and people hiking and biking everywhere. Even with all of this activity, it is very quiet-I think people are just in total awe of the space and extremely respectful of allowing all to enjoy the magic of the moment. I LOVED every minute of our time in the park! After our shuttle ride, it was back to the Coach for lunch and to unhitch our e-bikes for a ride through the park. A man at the eBike store had told us about the Pa’rus Trail and how biking it was the highlight of his trip. We had to experience it for ourselves and it was Indeed the best way to see the park and take in its majestic beauty.
I am so glad that we brought our eBikes on this leg of the trip. Although, I must admit that I am a bit rusty riding a bike and I did take a minor fall on this first outing. Nothing serious, just a couple of scrapes and bruises (including my ego)! But lesson learned, wear a helmet-always! I’m happy to say that we went on many bike rides over the past few days and I am much more comfortable and skilled!
HOT TIP #3-If you aren’t going to have a car with you, e-Bikes are a must! They are a game changer. They really open up so many opportunities to get outside of your campground.
Here Comes the Sun!
Because the weather is so nice (mid 80’s) we are finally enjoying the simple pleasures of a campsite: Coffee outside in the morning, cowboy breakfast cooked on an open flame and cocktails at sunset.
We have also enjoyed catching up on Padre baseball (in spite of their losing record). Thanks to T-Mobile we have free MLB-TV and because we are technically out of network, we can watch almost every game. So fun! Come On Padres-Show us what you got!
Lots of relaxation here at Sand Hollow this week-reading, writing, cooking, biking and getting back into the routine of being on the road again. It feels really good! We leave today for a short drive to Bryce where we will stay for a few days and then head to Colorado.
Thank you for taking the time to read the post, I love sharing my adventures with all of you. I know that this blog will provide a lifetime of memories when this trip is over.
Lesson Learned: Always wear a helmet, no matter how slow you are going and how short the trip!
Bummer of the Week: Leaving my family and friends. For some reason, that was harder this time. I know I will see them all soon, as I fly back on June 29 and stay for a week before flying back to Idaho where Peder will be staying with his sister Hanne and her family. I want to give a shout out to my friends and especially my family for being so supportive of me as I take this year to travel this great country and celebrate all that is good in life. I am looking forward to the next 6 months of our adventure and I am also beginning to think about what re-entry to a more normal retired life might look like. But for now…my focus is on treasuring each day of Coach Addy’s Big Adventure and sharing my musings along the way.
Highlight of the Week: The majesty and awesomeness of Zion National Park!
Goodbye Zion; Hello Bryce! Can't wait to see what this next week will bring! Enjoy everyday and always count your blessings!
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