Month: February 2020

After braving the cold in Huntington, we were looking forward to the 80F and sunshine every day in Hurricane, promised by Lyle. Well, it rained all day and was cold! Okay, it wasn’t too bad after that one day of rain.

We spent time with Mary and Lyle (Bob), Donna’s sister and brother in law. Visiting was fun, and Kevin got to return a favor by helping Bob install a range hood. This doesn’t come close to covering all the assistance Bob provided over the last two years building our house… We also played many rounds of golf (the card game, since Bob was still recovering from surgery), and just enjoyed hanging out.

We took one day to travel to nearby Mesquite, NV to play Bingo. Bob was the big winner of the day, which will surprise very few who know him. Mequite was nice, and the Virgin River Casino looked like a fun place to stay and gamble.

Hurricane is in Southwest Utah, very close to Zion National Park which we visited and you can read about in another blog. We stayed at the Sand Hollow State Park, which was lovely. Sand Hollow is on the site of a reservoir creating a great spot for fishing, sunning on the red rocks, or cruising the surrounding dunes and desert on a ATV/UTV – or on foot, as we did. There was a curfew for those staying at the park because of the concern of invasive mollusks coming into the reservoir on boats. So we had to finish out visit every day by about 8:30 to be back in the park by 9:00 so they didn’t lock us out. But the park was clean, the camping spots were ample, and the park was beautiful.

We took a day to visit Zion National Park. Donna and I hiked three trails at the Park, The Upper Emerald Pool trail, The Riverside Walk Trail and the Canyon Overlook Trail. Each trail was brimming with spectacular scenes. On more than one occasion, we grabbed the camera to snap a picture, only to look through the viewfinder and realize there was no way to truly capture the experience. The colors, expanse, depth and magnificence just escapes the frame’s edge, and honestly, description. But we tried.

The Emerald Pools trail begins with a steep stair case, and continued to climb over the next half-mile to a pool fed by a misting fall from the mountain above. The pool was surrounded by mountain, and large boulders, and is only apparent from close proximity. It’s hidden nature adds to the quality of the experience and the aura surrounding the pool. As we descended, we took a trail that led to another pool fed from the pool above. This pool opened to the draw of the mountain, and you could see the valley below. There was quite a cliff at the edge, and we heeded the warnings to not get too close. The trail presented many views of the river valley below.

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We drove out to the Riverside Walk trail head and hiked up the Virgin River. As we progressed the cliffs on either side diverged. This natural occurrence from the years of erosion was breathtaking. There were many places along the paved trail to step off and get right down on the river. There were a ton of photographers (apparently there was a workshop going on) trying to capture the essence of nature in this wonderful place.

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The final trail for the day was the Canyon View Trail. We had to drive out top the trail head which involved a tunnel through the mountain that was completed in 1930. The tunnel had several windows carved out of the mountain. These windows provided the only light to the tunnel and also great views as you passed. This trail caused the most trepidation of the day. Donna was a good sport and posed for a couple pictures by the most uncomfortable of places on the trail. (Editorial comment (from Donna): Kevin is being far too kind. This trail scared the crap out of me!!! ).

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We visited on a Monday, which Mary advised would be good because we were off-season, and we would miss the weekend crowd. Of all the National Parks and Recreation Areas visited on this trip to date, this was the most crowded. We would recommend visiting off season. The trails are quite narrow, and passing other hikers could present a challenge if the trails were more populated than we experienced. And finding a parking place was a significant challenge. All in all, this park was amazing.

From Spokane we backtracked just a little in Washington and Oregon and headed down through Idaho and far-eastern Nevada on our way to Huntington, Utah. Where is Huntington…and why on earth would we go there, you ask?? Well, Huntington is a tiny town situated in central Utah, and it is the home of Donna’s brother Clair and his wife, Lee (and their super-cute dog, Maggie). Donna has been to Huntington in the past, but this was Kevin’s first visit. The weather was a little colder than we would have liked, but totally worth it to hang out with family for a little while.

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While in Huntington we toured a really awesome old cabin that Clair is rebuilding. One of Lee’s ancestors once lived in the cabin but it has been uninhabited for 70+ years. So cool! Donna is a major family history geek, and Kevin has certainly done his share of home renovations over the years, so this was right up our ally. We can’t wait to come back and see the cabin once the project is complete!

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Huntington State Park and Huntington Canyon are nearby scenic attractions (as you could likely surmise given their names…). We took a day to hike around the park and drive up the canyon. Midway through our drive up the canyon it started to snow (really lightly). From that point until we descended into town, Kevin refused to get out of the car.

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We were also fortunate enough to catch up with Donna’s nephew Caleb and her niece Ora while in Huntington. AND we made a trip to Arches National Park in Moab (but that’s another post).

While visiting Donna’s brother in Huntington, we took the opportunity to drive a couple of hours down to Moab to see one of Donna’s nieces. As it so happens, there are a TON of amazing parks near Moab…so we stopped at one of them on our drive. We chose Arches National Park because, frankly, the scenery was positively stunning!!

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Since we only had one afternoon, we chose to hike a couple of the shorter trails in different areas of the park (rather than just one longer hike). We chose Windows Trail, Landscape Arch and Wolfe Ranch (with view of Delicate Arch). Driving between our hikes we saw so, so many breathtaking sights….too many to mention. If you have a chance to visit Arches, do it!!

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A little Arches trivia for you: In 1991 part of the underside of Landscape Arch (the widest of the arches in the park) fell. The part that fell was 60 feet long, 11 feet wide and weighed somewhere around 180 tons. You used to be able to hike underneath Landscape Arch…but…not anymore! Find out more about Arches National Park at https://www.nps.gov/arch/index.htm .

…we certainly wouldn’t be in Spokane, Washington. But, since, we are here we may as well enjoy the mild winter.

Spokane, which apparently means ‘people of the sun’ certainly lived up to its name. We explored the city with “science daughter Chelsea” and her boyfriend Tanner. They showed us around the city, and took us to a couple of their favorite haunts. Beautiful city….we would love to come back….but maybe when it is a little warmer?!?!

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We camped at the Spokane KOA Journey, in Spokane Valley. The campground was nice, and the accommodations were great. The campground is walking distance from the Centennial Trail that runs for miles along the Spokane River.

Donna and I took advantage of the trail and ran/walked a couple miles each way. The trail is multi-use and was saw numerous people taking advantage. The Centennial Trail is 37 miles long, and has access points all along to take advantage of local conveniences. (The first time we hit the trail we came across a white rabbit…..if you’re a Monty Python fan you may understand our humor….)

We also decided to visit the quaint Northern Idaho town of Coeur d’Alene on our last day in town. We enjoyed a beautiful walk around Lake Coeur d’Alene and the downtown area. A knowledgeable gentleman in the visitor center filled us in on a little area history and best places to visit in town. We even found a coffee shop that served the most delicious huckleberry hand pie. YUM!!

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One of the local history bits we learned was that there used to be a U.S. Army fort in town that was named for General Sherman (of Civil War fame). Only two buildings remain, and they are tucked away on the campus of North Idaho College.

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February 6…….we woke up in Lompoc, CA and drank some much-needed Starbucks coffee. Our travel plan for the day was to drive around 6 hours or so and wind up near Sacramento on our way to Washington. We stopped at Pismo Beach to stretch our legs….and as we pulled up at Dinosaur Caves Park for what was supposed to be an hour or so driving break….the motorhome was making some pretty interesting noises. Long story short, Kevin wound up replacing the alternator in a parking lot. (This was way better than his initial assessment of a possible defunct water pump!). By the time he had figured out what was wrong, gotten the part, and replaced it we decided it really was not going to be very productive to drive on. So…we found a nearby RV park and made the best of it! (Lovely RV park by the way – very clean, great amenities https://www.pismosands.com ). And hey, there are worse places to be stuck than on the California coast on a beautiful sunny day!

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We stayed at the Bisbee RV Park Campground in Naco, AZ ( https://bisbeervpark.com) while exploring Southern Arizona. The RV park was very nice, and our host, Bruce, made sure we had all the essentials. The park was very affordable and offered monthly rates… We will likely take advantage of this location again.

The town of Naco is a historical border town. During the Mexican revolution, both sides fought to control Naco, because of its economic success and location on the US border. Fort Huachuca stationed US Buffalo Soldiers in Naco, AZ to protect US citizens who went to Naco to watch the Mexican fighting. Eventually the Army build a camp to house the Soldiers permanently. Parts of Camp Naco/Fort Naco still stand in the original adobe. There are apparently efforts to restore the site (it looked as if work had recently been done on a couple of the buildings), and it is the only remaining military site of 12 the U.S. built along the border between 1910 and 1920 during the Mexican Revolution. (If you are interested, find more information at http://www.azbackcountryadventures.com/naco.htm ).

What is a hash run, you say? A lot of fun with some people who like to run, drink, and socialize. Donna’s sister Diane has told us about hash runs for years…and we finally had an opportunity to tag along!!

Hash House Harriers are social groups that exist all over the world. From our understanding they meet roughly weekly for the hash (or hash run). The hashers will sometimes allow for walkers as well as runners.

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Here’s how it works. Everyone meets at a common start point. By this time someone is already designated as the hare (or hares). After everyone arrives, the hares begin running. The hares leave a trail (using chalk markings) for the rest of the group (the hounds) to follow. After the designated waiting time, the hounds take off, following the trail in hopes of catching the hares. The hares leave false trails, and decision points to confuse the hounds. And they can leave the trail marks in pretty non discrete locations, to further shake the hounds.

At the end of the course, there is a cooler of beer and sundry snacks. Our hosts, the Huachuca Hash House Harriers also provided non-alcoholic beverages. After the race, the hashers circle up and celebrate some social time. There are awards, and recognition and some good fun. We’ve left a lot out, because we don’t wish to spoil the fun for those who might find an H3 group.

Following the trail was a blast, and it kept our minds off the distance we ran. We are both interested in finding a Hash group when we get back home. And we would recommend you give it a shot, if you come across a group.