We've been busy

Thursday, we had a bit of everything that mother nature could throw at us:  rain, sleet, hail, and snow.  Oh, and thunder.  I never associated thunder and lightning with a snow storm . . . who knew?  We were going to go to Durango to do some much needed grocery shopping but decided against it when the snow just wasn't going to let up.

Friday, the weather improved to where we could get the grocery shopping done.  While in the store, John's phone rang and it was Scott from Holmes Tuttle Ford in Tucson.  It seems that their IT Department scans the internet (blogs) for their company name and guess what, our blog popped up.  Talk about Big Brother!  The gist of the call was to discuss the issue with the diesel fuel filters and reflash of the PCM and TCM modules.  To make a long story short, Scott did a lot of research on our Ford records and apparently had a discussion with the service techs at Steve Coury Ford in Camp Verde and Keesee Ford in Cortez.  Holmes Tuttle Ford is going to reimburse us for the cost to have the fuel filters replaced at Keesee Ford in Cortez.  We spent a long time discussing several topics that have left us frustrated.  We were surprised but appreciative of the effort Scott put forth to open a dialogue with us so that we would consider returning to them for service when we return to Tucson.  We slept with our small bedroom windows open just a bit for some fresh air and were treated to the soft calling sounds of a nearby owl.  Nice.

Saturday, we took a drive to Farmington, NM; why, you ask?  Well, Farmington is the location of the closest Target store.  It was an interesting drive from the outskirts of Durango as you drive up this steep hill to the top of a mesa to head south.  It was like taking an elevator to another floor.  After my Target fix was met, we got a bite to eat and then headed back by taking a different route home.  It was a very nice drive.

Sunday, we took a drive up to Vallecito Lake.  We checked out the Vallecito Resort RV Park for future reference and had a nice conversation with the people in the office.  The road past the RV park winds along the lake.  The area where the river feeds into the lake is so beautiful.  Dandelions are in bloom so there are fields of yellow everywhere.

The access to the lake is all private so you have to pay to have a permit to park on the lakeshore as well as to launch your boat.  We stopped at this funky restaurant called Pura Vida Cafe that looks out over the lake.  We were very pleased with our meal even if the service was a bit slow.  Our neighbors told us after the fact that one can expect the dining experience to take a while especially on a Sunday.  Good food just not fast food - so who is in a hurry anyway?

By the time we got home, the sun was out (yeah) so we sat outside for a while just soaking up the rays.  After a while, I went inside to do some bookwork so John took the camera out on his walk.  John came across a couple of young bucks all in velvet, one of which started to approach him which rattled John for a moment until the deer turned away.

Why get your hooves wet when you can use the bridge?

The resident Alpaca wasn't very happy to have the young buck get close to him/her and started jumping around nervously John said until the deer lost interest and walked away.  Makes you wonder if the Alpaca had a bad experience at one time or another with a deer.

Today, I spent the better part of the morning getting the paperwork together to submit to Good Sam Emergency Road Service as we were billed the over-mileage charge even though we did not exceed the 50 mile range when we were towed.  GS ERS bills you up-front and then you have to pursue getting a refund that can take four to six weeks.  So frustrating!  By the time I was done, I was more than ready to go for another exploration ride.  We saw (from a distance) a large herd of elk - more than 20.  Also, more beautiful lush valleys, hillsides, and many gorgeous homes.

We are enjoying our stay here in Southern Colorado.  Can't say we are having a Rocky Mountain high because we are in the San Juan Mountains but it must be a close second.  

Bayfield, CO

We were suppose to leave Cortez, CO on Wednesday, May 18, but due to a winter storm rolling in, we decided to leave Cortez a day early.  I contacted the Bayfield Riverside RV Park where we are going to stay for a month to see if it would be ok to come in a day early in order to beat the weather.  The owner, Mack, told us were were welcome to come in a day early and that there wouldn't be a charge for doing so. That was very nice of him. 

The drive was uneventful until we got past the ski area, Hesperus, and on the border of West Durango, when a light came on the dash showing a wrench icon.  John pulled over and I pulled out the manual to see what the warning was about.  There were a couple of items it could have been but it wasn't anything that would keep us from getting to Bayview that was only another 18 miles or so.  Once we got set up, John called Keesee Ford in Cortez to discuss the matter with them.  They thought it could be a plugged fuel line.  There is a Ford Dealership in Durango but it would be a week before they could take a look see.  John called Keesee Ford back and they could get to us Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.   Guess where we were headed on Wednesday; yep, back to Cortez from which we came.  John pulled our maintenance records last night and the fuel filters were suppose to have been replaced with our 60K appointment at Holmes Tuttle Ford in Tucson.  Our records do not show that they were replaced.  Something to have Keesee Ford check in to.

Wednesday morning we were on the road around 8 a.m. to Cortez. Roads were dry but the threat of rain and snow were forecast.  We got past Durango before the wrench light came on again with the message that we were running at half power.  We could have gotten bad fuel but the truck didn't act like it.  The truck got taken in before its scheduled time with diagnostics being ran once again.  Tony at Keesee Ford checked the Ford records and interestingly enough, the records at Ford submitted by Holmes Tuttle Ford show that the fuel filters were replaced.  It appears to us that Tuttle Holmes Ford charged Ford for the work but didn't do it by our records (we have a prepaid maintenance plan).  What a sleazy way of doing business. We are beginning to see a bad pattern of workmanship with Holmes Tuttle Ford that we will never allow them to touch our truck again.  If the Ford Dealership in Cotttonwood hadn't caught that Holmes Tuttle hadn't done the reflash and did it themselves, most likely, we would have blown up the engine when the heater hose blew.  I digress. Keesee found that it wasn't bad fuel filters but two thermostats that failed most likely due to the heater hose issue.  The thought is that we could have driven forever with no problems but when towing the trailer, it put so much pressure on them that they failed.  While there, we had them replace the fuel filters at our expense.  Events come in threes so we should be done, right?  

We were headed back to Bayfield a little after 2 p.m.  It had been raining in Cortez so we were knew there was a good chance it was going to be snowing over the pass.  We saw the dusting of snow over the mountains that make up Mesa Verde NP.

The further east we went, the harder it was snowing.

Most people were driving sensibly but then you have some real idiots who drive like the roads are dry.  We were relieved to make it home safe and sound.  We spent the afternoon watching it snow like crazy, rain,  and then repeat.  We were very happy that we made the decision to drive to Bayfield yesterday rather than waiting for today.

Driving Tour

This morning we decided to take a drive up Highway 145 along the Dolores River which is running rather full.  Once leaving the Cortez area, the road opened up to beautiful valleys.  As we drove through the town of Dolores, something caught my eye and I asked John to turn around and go back.  This little oddity is what caught my eye:

It looked like a morphed trailer, bus, and train.  Very odd.  It was parked in front of this little railroad museum.  If the museum had been open, we would have gone in to inquire about their "train".

This is shot of the Dolores River.  The property to the left was gorgeous and all ready for a RV site or two.  I did a little research and you can have this gorgeous 1.71 acres for only $305,000.  Dream on!

After spending six months in the desert, we were soaking up the beautiful views; green grass, pine trees, river and snow-capped mountains.  Wow, this is true Colorado splendor.

The multitude of aspen trees in this area don't yet have their green foliage.  The mountains are going to be even more beautiful once all the trees are green.  Makes me wonder what the fall foliage looks like.

We turned around 21 miles shy of the ski town of Telluride. Other than the scenic beauty of the drive, neither one of the us were too interested in visiting the area. So we headed back to Cortez but took a different route home.  

After dinner, we took a walk around the Cortez City Park and Centennial Park.  It has been overcast today and while out walking, I mentioned how hot it felt in the sun even though the temperature is in the low 70's.  John reminded me that we have been use to the humidity being single digit or the low teens and that the humidity is much higher here if you look at all the grass, water, and ranches that are around.  I joked and said I thought it was because we were closer to the sun.  I checked and the humidity is 24 percent.

Another lovely day.

Mesa Verde National Park

Today was a beautiful day to visit Mesa Verde National Park.  While the park is only 10 miles east of Cortez, you drive for another 25 miles to get to the ruins.  As you drive through the first part of the park, you can see the effects of three fires in the park.  Before the fires, the area must have been beautiful with pinion pines and junipers.  

The park is set up with very nice driving loops.  The Wetherill  Mesa loop had not opened for the season.  Even if it had, it had a weight limit of 8,000 for vehicles so we couldn't have gone there anyway. Still there was plenty to see and the crowds weren't bad at all which was very nice.

We saw Pit Houses

Square Tower House

 Kiva's

 Cliff dwellings

 More cliff dwellings

 Famous Cliff Palace

You can take a Ranger lead tour of Cliff Palace for $3 per person if you want to climb five 8 to 10-foot ladders including a 100-foot vertical climb to exit.  There is also a Ranger lead tour of Balcony House (you can't see it from the road) also $3 per person that entails a 32-foot ladder to enter the dwelling, a 12-foot x 18-inch wide tunnel you have to slither through, and a 60-foot climb along an open rock face and two 10-foot ladders to exit.  Sounds like fun doesn't it?  We passed although I told John if he wanted to do one of them, I would be happy to wait for him.  He said he wasn't interested as he had seen what he had come to see. 

How did these people build these things?  Their tools were minimal yet the construction of the kivas and the cliff dwellings are unbelievable.  Walls are straight and tall and have stood the test of time.  Amazing.  The Ancestral  Puebloans lived up on the mesa's and it was just the last 75 to 100 years that they lived here, when they built and lived in the cliff dwellings.  Makes you wonder why.  Can you imagine raising children in these dwellings?  These people must have been in fabulous shape because they all would have had to climb the walls of the canyon with finger and toe holes. 

Here is a picture of Mancos Valley with beautiful snow-capped peaks in the background.  What a view.   

Later in the afternoon, we walked across the street to the Colorado Welcome Center and picked up some literature on what Colorado has to offer.  We then walked around their two beautiful parks, Cortez City Park and Centennial Park, here in the center of town.  One of the nicest city park areas we have ever seen. The Centennial Park even has a disc golf course.  Hmmm, I wonder if we could play it like we play Wii Frisbee Golf.  We may have to get a couple of Frisbees and find out.

What a great day!

Truck News

After a fitful night of sleep worrying about the truck, we walked over to Keesee Ford to make sure our truck was there and to give them written authorization to work on the truck.  We had been told that the truck might not be looked at until Friday so we were surprised to learn that they already had it in the shop and were running diagnostics.  After having breakfast and killing some time in their waiting area, we got the news that there was nothing wrong with the engine and that a heater hose clamp had come loose under pressure.  We were told that we could go ahead and drive the truck but it was recommended to replace the hose as we will be towing, so that will be done on Monday.  We were just plain relieved with the news.  We have been very impressed with the people we have dealt with at Keesee Ford.

After we got home, I also got on the phone with Good Sam Emergency Road Service to see what I had to do to get refunded the over-mileage fee that Mario said we were being charged because "their system" said it was more than 50 miles to Cortez from where we were stranded.  Actual mileage was 43 for the trailer and 41 for the truck.  After reaching Good Sam's customer service representative, I was told what their policy really was and that Mario was incorrect in how he explained it to us.  What we were suppose to have been told was that because their system said the distance we were to be towed was greater than 50 miles, they would need to get a credit card number from us to have on file.  If the records from the towing company showed that the miles did not exceed 50, then there would be no charge.  If the miles exceeded 50, then we would be charged $4 a mile for every mile that exceeded 50.  She had me check to make sure that our credit card had not been charged and told me to contact her should any charges appear.  I told her that what she was saying made sense but that the way it was explained to John and I sounded like an upfront charge so it felt like a combination of blackmail and being held hostage for our credit card number before help would be initiated.  I told her that added to an already stressful situation.  She apologized profusely and said Mario simply did not explain himself well.  So that matter is resolved, I hope.

Oh, what a day!

We left Page around 8:30 a.m. and headed towards Cortez, NM. Weather was good, roads were good, and traffic was light.  Doesn't get much better than that.  Then things went south from there. A little after noon, John noticed that the engine was overheating.  We pulled over to the side of the road to let the engine idle.  Engine cooled off so we pulled a few feet when it start overheating again.  Not good.  John got out and discovered that we had coolant running out.  He looked in/under the engine compartment but couldn't see where the coolant was coming from to see if it was a hose or what.  

Time to get on the phone with our Good Sam Emergency Road Service (GS ERS).  Our GPS said we were 43 miles from the RV park in Cortez.  Thank goodness we had cell service and 3G available so I was able to determine that there was a Ford Dealer in Cortez so we requested that the truck be towed there and our fifth wheel be towed to the RV park in in Cortez.  Mario at GS ERS said that their towing range was 50 miles but that he was showing that Cortez was more like 69 miles from where we were so we were on the hook for the extra 19 miles @ $4 a mile times 2 (truck & trailer).  I told him that his calculation were off and we would deal with this issue later as we had to get off the road.  Nothing could be done/started until we gave him our credit card number.  While waiting for Mario to get us a tow, I called the RV park to let them know our situation, that we would be late arriving, and could we find out our site number so we weren't wasting any time.  We also called the Ford Dealer in Cortez to let them know our truck was coming in after hours.  Angie at Sundance RV Park was very helpful as was Debra (or was it Donna?) at Keesee Ford.  

GS ERS tried to find a one large truck to carry the truck and pull the fifth wheel with rather than two vehicles to get us off the road.  So there we  sat on the side of the road until 5:15 p.m. when a flat bed truck for the truck arrived and a pickup arrived to tow the fifth wheel. We were fed misinformation like what type of vehicle was coming, as well as their estimated arrival time.  We gave GPS coordinates, mile marker information, and good details about having just turned on Highway 160 just past the intersection of Highway 64 and Highway 160 heading east to Cortez and about five miles to Four Corners to no less than two Good Sam people.  Yet if we hadn't called the towing company, they would have been heading to the wrong location.  Sheesh.  

The later it got in the day, the more stressed I got because I didn't want to be sitting on the side of the road in the dark.  Also, there was a lot of should of, could of, kind of second guessing going on which doesn't accomplish anything.  So here we sat for hours, did not see one Arizona Highway Patrol officer nor did anyone stop to see if they could assist.  Gave us a different perspective about seeing someone pulled off the road with blinkers on.

What a relief to see the towing people show up.  It didn't take long and we were on the road and finally made it to Cortez.  The truck being dropped at the Ford Dealer and us to the RV Park.  We were given a pull-thru so it was easy for the tow truck driver.  When I checked in at the office, I realized that the time had changed and it was now an hour later than thought.  John just got us set up with water and electricity and discovered that one of our rear hydraulic levelers would not extended.  This had happened a before and it was a loose wire so that is what we are hoping for but John will check it out in the morning.  Too much to deal with today.

We were starving as I had only brought a few light snacks with us because we had planned on arriving in Cortez around 1 p.m. so we headed off to the diner next door.

Needless to say, this not knowing how serious a problem we may or may not have is distressing on so many levels.  So here we sit until the Keesee Ford can take a look see and let us know what is going on.

Glen Canyon Dam

After our tour of Antelope Canyon, we got a bite to eat for lunch and then headed over to the Glen Canyon Dam to check it out.  You start out at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center.  We read up on the history of the building of the dam, signed up for the 2:30 tour, and looked through the Gift Shop.  Cost for the tour was $5 per person which we didn't think was outlandish.  

Some dam facts:  Construction started in 1956 and began producing power in 1966.  The lake has been filled to capacity only twice since being completed.  The dam has three functions: water storage, power generation, and recreation.  Length is 665 feet, width is 150 feet, and height is 100 feet.

What we thought was green scum when looking down from the bridge or dam (in the bottom of the picture above) turned out to be lawn.  There are some pipes in the ground (don't remember what they do) that were surrounded with sand.  When the wind blew, guess what happened to the sand.  It wasn't too long before Bermuda Grass was planted to keep the sand from blowing away.

There is always continual maintenance on the turbines.  The one that is being worked on now will be completed some time next year.

 Power House

After the tour, we went in to the auditorium to watch a movie on/about the dam.

View of the Glen Canyon Bridge.  When the dam was under construction, this bridge was originally a suspension footbridge with see through plating and a cable that ran on both sides as handholds.  Yikes, I couldn't/wouldn't have crossed that for anything.  Thankfully, this bridge was constructed once the dam was completed.  I did walk the length of both sides and even looked over the edge down to the river.  With no way to fall over or jump, my fear of heights/falling didn't kick in.  

Pretty river view just down stream from the dam.

It's not hard to imagine that dinosaur fossils can be found in and around the area.  The tracks below came from a one ton, twenty foot long, meat eating dinosaur.  The chunk of sandstone came from a nearby canyon. Talk about big feet.

John liked this replica of a pterodactyl (?).  Could it be because it was made out of sheet metal?  I thought it was rather cool myself.

The weather didn't exactly cooperate but it sure didn't stop us from having a great day.

Antelope Canyon

If you were wondering why we came north to Page, the primary reason was to see Antelope Canyon which is possibly the most photographed of Northern Arizona's slot canyons.  We were hoping for a beautiful bright day but that wasn't to be as we had rain during the night and the sky was overcast when we headed to the canyon.  As Antelope Canyon is on Navajo land, one must take a guided tour to have access.  Tours are offered at various times during the day so it depends on what kind of pictures you want to take.  Our tour was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. with Antelope Slot Canyon Tours and our guide, Josh, was great.  Josh showed us different rock formations and helped with picture taking.

Our photographs are beautiful but they just don't do the canyon justice.  The canyon is narrow and flat with beautiful, fantastic shapes created by swirling water and wind.  Light only enters from the top so it gives the red sandstone a warm orange glow and illuminates the purple-color sections of the stone.  We had heard about how crowded the canyon got but we didn't find it too difficult to get nice shots so we are thankful that we are here before the crowds really arrive.  

Here are some of our favorites pictures:

Just as we were leaving, the sun broke through for a short while and we were treated to a sunbeam.

We have enjoyed our time here and would return.  If we did, we would take another tour to Antelope Canyon for another round of pictures at a different time of day.

Another big tourist draw is Rainbow Bridge, the world's largest known natural bridge and is considered sacred by five different Indian nations.  The bridge is only accessible by a 5 1/2 hour boat ride, costs $113 per person, and ease of access is dependent on the water level of Lake Powell.  This trip did not appeal to us for a variety of reasons but we were hopping that John's sister and brother-in-law would give us their opinions as to whether it was worth it or not should we return to the area.  We learned tonight that they have decided not to come to Page.  Darn.

 

Page, AZ

After a very windy day on Saturday in Cottonwood, we were very happy to read that we would have a strong and gusty south wind as we headed north.  As we left the RV park, we had a large Red Tail Hawk fly right in front of us.  What a great view but any closer and I'm afraid he wouldn't have made it and I'm not too sure about our windshield.

The drive up to Flagstaff was very scenic but sure sucked the fuel. Added bonus on the drive up, I saw a bald eagle soaring overhead. We lucked out and found diesel at Sinclair for $4.01 a gallon . . . cheapest diesel we've had in a while.

Once headed north from Flagstaff, the drive had some interesting terrain.  For miles, we came across these mounds that looked like they had been dumped there from out of nowhere.  The colors in the dirt were pretty.  There were sections of the drive that reminded us of the Badlands in South Dakota.

We got passed by a Phaeton as we neared the climb up to Page. Keep in mind we had a very strong, gusty SSW wind and this person passed us going 65-70 mph.  They were all over the road swaying back and forth in to both lanes.  Scared the heck out of us just watching the motorhome weave back and forth.  Crazy driver. He/she could have slowed down a bit and not been as exhausted at the end of the day.

Our first sighting of Lake Powell.  

More Lake Powell shots

 Lots of boats at the Wahweap Marina.

Bridge crossing at Glen Canyon.  There is a nice Visitor Center next to the Glen Canyon Dam (just north of the bridge) that we want to visit tomorrow.

We are staying at the Wahweap Marina RV and Campground.  It didn't register with me that this area is part of our National Park system so it came as a surprise that we had to either pay $15 to enter the area for the week or provide a National Parks pass (which we don't have).  

The campground is very pretty and laid out in loops.  We are in Loop C - Site 19 and have full hook-ups.  The roads are a little narrow and they could have made the pull-thrus a bit wider.  There are some super wide back-ins which would have been nice but we are happy with our site.  

We especially like being able to sit out at our little "patio" and not see another rig.  

This is a view out of one of our windows.

Each loop has a pueblo looking building that houses restrooms. Showers (for those not self-contained) must be taken down at the Campground Office/Store where they also have 24 hour laundry facilities.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that they had recycling containers at each restroom building.

We are looking forward to exploring this area the next couple of days.

Last but not least, Happy Mother's Day to all.  

Verde Canyon Railroad

After a recommendation from friends and hearing from others here in the RV park what a scenic train ride that the Verde Canyon Railroad offers plus the viewing of wildlife, especially bald eagles, we decided to take the plunge.  The train rides that we have taken over the years have proven to be a disappointment and way too long for our liking.  A two hour train ride should only be an hour, four hour train ride should only be two hours - you get the picture.  That opinion still holds true after this train experience.  The scenery was pretty, we were shown some neat rock formations, and provided with bits of information.  

Here's a picture of our car The Cottonwood and the outside rail car we spent most of our time on.

An empty eagle's nest

Scenery shot

The train had two FP702 engines of which only twelve remain.  Both engines were painted with an eagle on their sides.  

Our only view of an eagle way off in the distance.  Wasn't sure it was an eagle until I was able to blow up the picture.

A couple more scenic shots.

Our only other wildlife viewing.

If we had seen a few bald eagles and some other raptors soaring in the sky, our opinion would probably be different.  In all fairness, the train personnel said the best time to take the train is in March and October.  The train personnel assigned to our car and flatbed were very personable and knowledgeable and did add to the experience.