SW 'Merica

Tony and I took off Monday April 30th on a road trip. We were gone for 24 days, the furthest point away from our PDX home we went to was Lake View Arkansas. Along the way we played in the Steens Mountain range of Oregon. There we drank delicious milkshakes that hurt our stomachs in the town of Fields, Oregon (population 11... the nicest 11 people in a town ever). We also shared the Willow Creek hot springs with a bunch of naked fellas and a snake. Next we scooted along to SE Utah, explored the beautiful 4x4 roads of Canyonlands with our 2-wheel drive RV from 1978, found incredible camping sites, full moons and canyons. Road bikes on sandy dirt roads, to find muddy water to bathe in. I rode with my feet "clipped in" to my bike as much as possible on this trip... needless to say, it was a learning experience and I crashed a lot, and got a little hurt. In Canyonlands we quickly discovered that national parks have a lot more to offer if you get off the paved roads. There is free camping, only a few people and some incredible wilderness (thanks Edward Abbey for the tips). From Canyonlands we scooted over to the Moab area and hiked around the area for a day, searching for Arches that we didn't have to pay to see. They were easy to find and beautiful. From Utah we drove for 2 days and slept in a truck stop on our way to Arkansas (very romantical). Tony and I both have grandma's and family in ARK. It was a delightful family trip, full of clean showers, beautiful people, potato salads, rescued animals (Frank the horny turkey) and coyote-filled walks via moonlight. We were fortunate to visit his Grandma's costume and bridal rental store, she said "take whatever you want" so we did. Two storage tubs later we have 14 vintage plastic masks, an Alf mask, safari gear for Tony and 12 beaded gowns for my girlfriends to prance around in. After Arkansas, we breezed through Oklahoma and Texas again. Our end destination was the North Rim of the legendary Grand Canyon. Now when I have been asked if I have seen the grand canyon i proudly get to say yes! Yes I have explored 'Merica and its GOOD! (Historically I haven't seen too much of 'Merica... except for the Pacific NW, so this trip was quite exciting. The Grand Canyon is surprisingly forested, full of deer and amazing Quacking Aspen trees that were in full Spring time bloom! Little neon green leaves that shimmered in day light. Oh man, too much writing... we saw so much: Santa Fe, Durango, Zion, rocks, mountains, deserts and forests. SO many animals: Frogs, antelope, elk, coyotes, armadillos, snakes, pelicans, eagles, road runners and more! Very fun... happy to be home. My bloody nose from the dry weather is quickly healing, and the comforts of a full-size kitchen and friends make coming back very pleasant. However being on the road in the Datsun Chinook was great. We are officially part of the RV gang, we get to talk to fellow RV'ers about the joys of cooking indoors atop canyon bluffs and pulling out the table to play backgammon underneath the stars of Colorado. LOVE IT. Here are some photos... a lot of photos. xo