Reno, Nevada

Reno is a huge and sprawling city.  We are at the KOA in Verdi, NV.  The park is located in Boomtown which has a casino, restaurants, gas station and of all things a Cabela's store.  It was a bit warm here yesterday at 86 with nine percent humidity.  To say the least my sinuses are quite dry.  We are off today to Mt. Shasta, California on our way to Oregon.  We will stop at Crater Lake, Mt. Rainier,  the coast line of Oregon, some Lewis and Clark historical sites, The Dalles, Columbia river gorge, and Pendleton before heading into Washington state.   We don't seem to have very much traffic except around the big cities.  Gas and diesel are $5.20 a gallon.  We thought British Columbia was bad two years ago at $5.75 a gallon.

Yosemite National Park

Today we drove over the Tioga Pass, through Tuolumne Meadows and into the Yosemite Valley.  The Tioga Pass and Tioga Road still have snow piles along the road on on the peaks of the mountains.  We entered the Park toll booth that was 9,925 feet above sea level.  It was cold this morning in them there hills.  We got to remember our adventures of the High Sierra Camps from 10 years ago.  The camps and High Sierra Lodges are not open yet.  Down in the valley it was hot and crowded.  We have a thing about having lunch at a National Park Lodge, so ate at the Awhanee Lodge.  It is only $400 per night for a room.  The Lodge itself was just stuning.  The scenery is just breathtaking and you just cannot explain it in words.  The mountains are very rocky and granite colored, not like our luscious green mountains.  I am going to try to post a picture of El Capitain (a rock climbers dream), and Yosemite Falls (2,442 feet high).  I can just up load one picture-- frustrated with the computer!!  Tomorrow we leave Lee Vining for Reno, Nevada for a few days.  Have a great weekend ya'll.  Love ya'

Lee Vining, California

It has been about 10 years since we were in Lee Vining and believe it or not this sleepy town has not changed.  Nicely's restaurant is still in operation.  We are at the foothills of Yosemite National Park and tomorrow we will travel Tioga Pass into Toualomane Meadows and Yosemite Valley.  We are staying at the Mono Vista RV Park and will stay until Saturday morning.  We traveled today some very interesting landscape from Barstow to Lee Vining.  We started out in the Mojave Desert where everything was beige sand.  Then we moved into an area of springs where there could be desert and the other side of the road as green as a desert oasis.  Then we started up the Sierra Nevada Mountain range --  how majestic.  I was going to include pictures, but my mini computer was having problems downloading them.  Hopefully tomorrow I can download them.  Have a great evening and happy Friday.  The weekend is almost here.

Love ya'll

Barstow, California

We left Williams, Arizona very early this morning to beat the heat and the wind.  We traveled through the Mojave Dessert where the wind really began to blow around noon.  We are staying in Barstow, California at the KOA and we are still in the dessert and it is hot and very windy.  One thing saving grace is that the humidity is only 25%.   Tomorrow we hope to head north and leave the wind as we head to Bishop, California and Mammoth Lakes. 

For all you photo enthusiats --- I am posting two pictures that were taken in the Grand Canyon.  Picture 1  was taken from an observation  point above the Colorado River.  Can you find the raft on the Colorado River 7 miles awa?.  Picture 2 was 10 miles North rim to South rim - can you see the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge?

Grand Canyon -- Day Two

We were up early again this morning to beat the crowd.  By noon there are quite a lot of people riding the suttles - the only way around the Canyon.  We traveled to the East side of the South Rim.  How awesome.  A different look to the canyon.  There are not that many people who visit this side.  One of the major hiking trail starts from here and you are able to look into the canyon and see parts of this trail.  We then went to the Geological Museum and what views we had.  We could see the Bright Angel Trail, Phantom Ranch, and the North Rim Grand Canyon Lodge.  Believe it or not we got a picture of the lodge and it was almost ten miles away.  What a zoom on that Nikon.  We then left the Canyon and went to the National Geographic IMax theater.  Tomorrow we will do wash and leave on Wednesday for Needles California.  The weather here is crazy--- 78 during the day and 33 during the night.  We are now three hours behind ya'll and in a few days we will be 4 hours.  The Canyon was amazing to see what water and errosion can do to a landscape.  Here is one of my favorite pictures.

Miss ya'll

Grand Canyon - Day One

We were up early to head into the Grand Canyon and were able to get a great parking place. You are not able to travel the rim road by car so bus shuttle is the way to go.  We did the west side of the south rim. 

Tomorrow we will do the east side of the south rim.  By afternoon the shuttle buses go very crowded.  All you photo buffs from Sunday School with the Nikon,  we were able to capture a raft on the Colorado from the rim of the canyon (about 3 miles away)----Amazing!!!!  Hope you enjoy the pictures from Hermits Rest and the canyon.  Tomorrow we do it all over again.  I thought the quote from Psalms was a blessing to see in a public venue--Amen and Praise the Lord!!!!

Williams, Arizona and the Grand Canyon

We were up very early this morning and drove to Williams, Arizona.  We battled gusty winds and gained altitude to 7400 feet.  We are staying at the KOA in Williams.  We got to drive some of the original Route 66 as I-40 has replaced  Route 66.  Tomorrow we will travel into the Grand Canyon to spend the day.  We will stay in Williams until Wednesday morning when we will travel to Needles, California. Have a great Memorial Day weekend and keep it safe.  Love ya,ll