A Week Already!

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
August 8, 2014

What a pleasant surprise the weather has been here in Moab. As excited as I always am to return to one our favorite places, I was dreading the hot temps August usually brings in this area. But, according to locals, this August  has been more mild than in the past. Yippee! The mornings and evenings have been very pleasant for sitting outside and I even found myself in a sweater as we lounged outside at coffee time today. The hottest time of day is between 2:00 and 4:00 and we all know what those hours are for...that's siesta time!

 Belle is quite at home in site M22 here at Portal. There is not a bad site here, but since this is an owners resort, some lots have more appeal than others. We like M30 and M18 also, but the pergola and sunscreen, comfy seating, and beautiful garden on site M22 gives this spot a "real home" feeling...just right for a three month stay!


We only have to take a few steps to enjoy the simple pleasures of nature in our own "backyard".  The hummingbirds have been zipping, zooming and hovering all around...and emptying the feeder!

The butterfly bushes have had lots of visitors too...

Two-tailed Swallowtail Butterfly

 This beauty became Arizona's State Butterfly in 2001. It is only found west of the Mississippi in North America. Its wingspan is 3-5 inches with 4 almost parallel stripes on its wings. The innermost strip is the longest while the outermost two may simply be bars.

 

 

 

A Hummingbird Moth

There are about 125 different species of hummingbird moths in North America. They are all in the Sphinx family. These unique moths are active during the day traveling from flower to flower to sip nectar.

As it was getting dark a few nights ago, Wrecks began to get a little antsy on the patio. We had a visitor... 





This is the meadow behind Belle.

Of course, mama wasn't far away...

The Tan Clan is enjoying these cool morning and evenings too.

Sally had a vet appointment last Wednesday for blood work to check her thyroid and also a urinary PH balance test. 

As a result, she was prescribed a lower dose of thyroid meds and will return next week for another PH balance test.

She has lots more energy these days...

Pat Parelli

We did enjoy a presentation by Pat Parelli...a former rodeo bronco rider and all-around horse lover. Its a people-training focused on the study of horse behavior and horsemanship skills. If interested check out his web site, www.parelli.com for more info. It was very interesting and we saw first hand how one handler had amazing results with his horse Chole.

We also had ourselves quite a fun ride on Jax Trax this week. The Red Rocks 4-Wheelers Club will introduce this trail during the Labor Day Safari. Its an older trail that hasn't been used in awhile.

It wasn't all play...signs were corrected, painted and/or secured...

...and side routes/shortcuts were blocked to insure no one goes off trail.





But the highlight for Joe and I was meeting Ber.

That's Ber in the center of the photo wearing a white t-shirt and kaki pants. He just turned 90 and has been wheelin' for over 40 years!


Ber drove behind us...what a character he is!

He has a 1980s CJ7...what a character it is!







Ber nor his Jeep shied away from any of the obstacles...

 

 

Did you know there will be a full moon this week-end? Not just a full moon, but the largest full moon of the year. It is the moon's closest encounter with earth for 2014. And,  peak nights for the Perseid meteor shower are August 12-13. AND, guess what we have planned?

 

Have a wonderful week-end. Until next time, enjoy and...

 

 

...happy trails!

Pass Creek Hike on Engineer Mountain

Jellystone RV Park of the Black Canyon
Montrose, CO
July 30, 2014

Our change in altitude has not been so kind to Joe. Taking the trails in Pearl had not been a problem, but hiking has been...some fatigue and shortness of breath. So, imagine my excitement when Sue and Paul invited me to join them on a hike with their Cobble Creek Hikers Club. Their hike was planned for Wednesday (7/30) about 13 miles south of Silverton. It was early to rise to beat the afternoon thunder storms forecast for the day. As it turned out, its a good thing Joe didn't go because it was about an 8 hour excursion.

Gaining 2,300 feet in about 2.8 miles, this out-and-back climbs the slopes of Engineer Mountain. The rewards are the high-altitude wildflowers and spectacular views.

Right from the beginning it was a mouth dropper for me...to be walking on this narrow path lined with wildflowers as tall as I am was like a dream come true. As usual, I found myself at the back of the line. I sure didn't want to hold anyone up photographing everything in sight...and this was just the beginning! Imagine being face to face with these beauties.

Mix in some Tall Larkspur and Cow Parsley...worked great to keep my mind off the fact we were traversing a steep grassy slope.

 Our climb intensified as we entered the spruce-fir forest...but not to worry. There was plenty there to keep me occupied.

You know how I love trees, bark, ferns, forest smells, damp dirt, green, more green, other colors, shapes, anything that moves...just
 everything about the forest!






So what did I see?

A hummingbird...

horses...











tiny bits of color hiding among the green...

a helper...

many beautiful clumps of Columbine...

 red, purple, and cream...



Red Columbine

Elephant Flower

Ram's Horn (Curly Lousewort)

a butterfly...

a lake...

rocks...

very tall trees and very short flowers...

and a friend...

just to name a few.

We continued to climb past the tree-line. As promised, our efforts were rewarded by panoramic views and fields of flowers.

No one in our group chose to climb to the summit...another 0.6-mile out-and-back and 700 feet in elevation...rock scrambling required!

Summit of Engineer Mountain

 The Montrose-Ouray area offers so much to satisfy adventurous spirits. We have just begun to scratch the surface here. Every second spent in this part of Colorful Colorado has been "the icing on the cake" so to speak. One of the many reasons we have chosen to full-time RV...what a life! I am already counting down the days till we can return. Sue says I must see the aspens in the fall. Sounds mighty nice to me!

 Friends Ronnie and Carol and Dave and Lynn moved on to new adventures this past Wednesday while I was hiking.

Lynn, Dave, Allie and "Red" in the back spot...Ronnie, Carol, Cooper and Jade in the front...safe travels to all!

 Today was our packing up day. Tomorrow we head to Moab for awhile. So, until next time...follow your heart...

Alpine Marsh-Marigold

 and happy trails!

 

Up next...not sure, so stay tuned!