May 26 Grand Canyon

Mileage 38075

Before the sun hit the skies I had Bob out of bed and into his cycling clothes. Not even stopping for coffee, which for me is not normal. We wanted to watch the sun come up over the valley. The West Rim Road is closed to traffic except buses. This makes for a great cycle.

Wait, wait, wait….. I’ve been living with Deb for two years now, and this is the first time since I’ve known her that she has not had her cup of coffee in the AM. "not normal" is a gross understatement. I was stunned.

After the crowds of the day before, we were quite pleased with the quiet and peacefulness of the valley at dawn. At each vista there was maybe one if any people to clatter up the silence.

It was a great ride. The GC is absolutely gorgeous in the AM during the sunrise. After the throngs of tourists the day before – none of who spoke English – it was great to enjoy the serenity of the canyon alone. It was as though someone had built it just for us.

Once home, back at Vinnie, we packed up and headed for the showers. Feels good! We stopped at the many vistas along the East Rim as we headed for the North Rim. This is a long drive. With all of the stops and driving time, we spent 6 hours in the car. THEN the campgrounds, lodges, cabins were all full at the park.

We discovered this shortly after another iteration of Deb’s famous statement… ""We won’t need reservations. There won’t be anyone there at this time of year." I have heard this before. It didn’t work then either.

Bob crossed the GC off his list as we headed back down the road. We found a very nice, flat, forest service road on the ridge with the sunset vista for $0.00. Can’t often beat that!

May 27 National Forest Road outside of Jacob Lake

Mileage 38348

Early start with the dawn…heading north towards Zion. We stopped at a scenic overlook and Vinnie is leaking again. I told Bob I did not want him touching the sewage lines because he gets so grumpy. Guess what? He agreed not to touch them. I resealed the flanges and we are fixed for the moment.

It took me two weeks, but I finally convinced Deb that her training in the laboratory sciences and microbiology were perfect qualifications for her to assume responsibility for our sewage treatment functions. I’d love to help, but I do computers, not shi…. sewage.

The little valley leading to Zion is lushly green this spring. This park is magnificent. Cotton balls fluffing through the skies (from the cottonwood trees, of course).

From the top of the Valley Road I donned my riding clothes for the downhill back to Visitor’s Center. It felt good after being in the car. I had to break constantly because of the tour bus in front of me but I got to hear his monologue. Started to rain and I didn’t want to slide out so early in the trip, so Bob picked me up.

Zion is much more magnificent that I had remembered it. We took two hikes which were quite unique and breathtaking.

He took me out to dinner. I had Summer Citrus Salsa Salmon. Yumm!

I had chicken. I like chicken. I wanted wine, but the laws in Utah are "different" from other places. You have to consume your drink at your table. Any liquor or wine bottle must have Utah tax stamps. You must finish one drink completely before ordering another. You cannot take unfinished wine with you. Weird place. Mormons everywhere!

I will say, however, that Utah is noticeably neater and cleaner than other states. Houses and businesses are clean and well-kept. I’m impressed.

May 28 Springdale, Utah

Mileage 38447

Woke up to the sounds of the cement mixer next door. Then generators revved up. Vinnie is on the route to the restroom/shower so you know we didn’t sleep much later.

We are having exasperating problems with the modem connecting to our ISP and downloading E-mail. I am frustrated at how much time this takes and am beginning not to care about this messaging system at all.

We left Springdale and headed for Bryce. We stopped to explore St. George where we saw Brigham Young’s summer home and a nice Mormon Temple. We also bought some supplies and groceries.

We stopped at Cedar Break National Monument. Neither of us had been there before. It was small, but quite spectacular. The colors were magnificent.

The crest atop Cedar Break is 10,400 feet. We are back in the snow again. At Chessmen’s Overlook we got out of Vinnie in shorts and flip-flops and took pictures of another couple so gowned up you couldn’t even see noses. The woman said "Nice rig they have" and I looked as she got back on the chopper for the cold ride downhill.

Each of these parks is so uniquely colored. The rocks are all of differently consistency and grains. Plus we go from desert to alpine meadows and back. It has been interesting.

We got to Ruby’s Inn at the mouth of Bryce Canyon, which I have passed through or stopped at many times previously. Each time it’s grown. The first time I was here in 1960 or so it was just a motel. Now it’s a huge complex with indoor pools, stores, restaurants, cafes, RV park, campground, and more. It's been fun watching it grow.

May 29 Ruby’s RV Park and Campground, Bryce Canyon, Utah

Mileage 38,631

Since we had promised we would be back in Prescott for Louise’s birthday on Sunday, we did not have enough time to ride our bikes up into Bryce. The ride is about 20 miles and would have been a great day up and back with many exploration vistas. We packed up Vinnie and drove the road…much easier but less satisfying.

Once again we are on the road by 5:15 so there is very little tourist traffic out yet. Plus this is Sat of Memorial Day weekend, so we expect the crowds to increase. This is another spectacular park. I had seen pictures before, but in person was awesome.

Getting up early is a good thing. At many of the overlooks we were the only people there. It was nice of the government to build it just for us.

Then we had a long drive back to Prescott. The winds were horrific. Crosswind gusts thrashing at the side of the van. Two hands gripping the wheel. As Bob said, "Not fun". Long, long day. We found another area we won’t be living in.

Cousin Jim Edmundson and his wife Bev were here for a weekend visit. Yummy steaks on the grill and good stories around the table with much laughter. Early to bed for Bob and Deb.

It’s not normal for "Mr. Fun" to feel like a killjoy, but we’ve gotten so used to going to bed and rising early that I tend to fade about 9:00PM. Besides, this way I don’t have to help with the dishes.

May 30 Prescott

Hangout day. We printed up a T-shirt for Uncle Ted with a picture of Thumb Butte. It is the view from his back yard. Around it was the saying "I wasn’t born in Prescott, but I got here as soon as I could". This is his favorite saying.

Even though it is Louise’s birthday, we wanted to have something for Ted. It’s sort of a thank-you gift for being the best host in Arizona. They have treated us extremely well. I felt at home right away.

Washed clothes and rested. Then for dinner another cousin Dennis and his wife Patti came for ribs and Louise’s birthday celebration. I am lucky to have been brought into this family.

The truth is she kind of bullied her way in. She doesn’t really know any of these people. She went to the newspaper office, researched the Edmundson family in the archives, and made up a story about being related to some guy named Warren Edmunsdon. Then she shows up at Ted Edmundson’s door with a bunch of family facts, tells them she’s related and asks for free food and lodging. I just follow along because it’s much cheaper than paying for stuff. But if we get caught, it’s not my fault! It was all her idea. Were going to try it in Texas with the Houstons.

May 31 leaving Prescott (again)

Mileage 39057

Memorial Day! We had breakfast and left Ted and Louise’s house around 10:30AM and began driving into Eastern Arizona. At Ted’s suggestion, our destination was Wood’s Canyon Lake on the Mogollon Rim. There was a lot of holiday traffic returning to Phoenix, but it was a fairly easy drive for us since we were going against traffic.

We stopped in Jerome, an old mining town built on a mountainside. The glory days of copper mining were long gone, but the artists had found it, and it is now a busy artist colony. There were some nice shops and some very impressive art.

"Impressive" to Bob means raku.

We got to Wood’s Canyon Lake around 4:00PM and took a few short hikes along the rocky shore. People were catching respectable 12-14" trout. The campground is very nice. I notice that both Deb and I are mixing our tenses. Too bad! It’s our journal, and we can if we want to.

Neener-neener!