Visit our Popular Forums

RIstream'n · 06-26-2008, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not Done

Thanks for sharing. Feels a bit like we're along for the ride except for not pitching in for gas. The Grand canyon is on our To Do list.

The gas isn't that bad once you get used to it. I knew what it was going to cost going in so no big deal. And yes you must get to the GC!! It can't be described or properly photograghed.

RIstream'n · 06-26-2008, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Airhog1

Hey Brian,

Sorry I missed you on your swing through Arkansas...stop by on your way home...we have much nicer parks around here than what you stayed at the other night...what city was that near?

G

Gene I'm sure Arkansas has alot more to offer than our quick stay over. We would like to spend some time there in the future. When we do we'll contact you for suggestions. For your info we were in Van Buren which is just a few miles from Ok on 40.

RIstream'n · 06-26-2008, 11:04 AM

Sorry for the delay again but we've been very busy since making it to the Grand Canyon!! I kind of feel like Chevy Chase when I say that. Anyway we made and it was worth the long drive!! You can't put this place into words you just have to see it. The final leg of the drive was smooth but of course when you start getting close it's agonizing how slow the final miles go. We are staying at the Grand Canyon Railway CG and it's pretty nice. Pretty much a fancy parking lot but it does have some cool features like a community grilling area where there is a covered area with many tables and grills for anyone to use. It's a cool place to meet people and just listen in about other peoples travels, like the group of friends who are here from England. They grill every night and consume many bottles of wine!! We went to Sedona yesterday and did a Jeep ride into the red rocks. We all loved it there. Our tour guide in the jeep "Lefty" was awesome with his knowledge of the area. It was a great side day trip. Well today we head back to the canyon and then we're off to Utah tomorrow. Talk with all soon

Oh I almost forgot, there was a really nice vintage AS here when we pulled in. They were here a day and then gone. Man did that thing shine!!

Jimandrod · 06-26-2008, 11:32 AM

Hey Brian & Donna

Yup... the Canyon just can't be described. It's something that you have to experience.
It really puts things in perspective. Rod and I like to go over there a couple of times a year - usually in the fall and early spring. (fewer tourists)

Before you head off to Utah treat yourselves to a meal at the Pine Country Restaurant. It's in Williams not far from the RR terminal. Whenever we're traveling along I 40 we try to schedule a stop there.

Enjoy Utah. Make sure you get to Bryce. Zion is nice but Bryce is really special!

Keep us posted.

Jim

Relentless · 06-26-2008, 12:26 PM

Where in Utah are you headed? If you get to Moab to see Arches and Canyonlands, then have a meal at the Moab Brewery. Great beer and outstanding food. If you are intending to go to Moab, PM me and I'll give you a couple of parks to stay away from.

John

BillTex · 06-26-2008, 01:16 PM

Hey Brian and Donna, great to follow your trips and glad it is all going so well.
Keep us posted, stay safe.

Check you hitch and lug nut torques, your doing lots of miles.
How are you liking the AS versus the Moho?

Any comments from Folks along the way?

Bill

RIstream'n · 06-29-2008, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillTex

Hey Brian and Donna, great to follow your trips and glad it is all going so well.
Keep us posted, stay safe.

Check you hitch and lug nut torques, your doing lots of miles.
How are you liking the AS versus the Moho?

Any comments from Folks along the way?

Bill

Hey Bill. Yea we've got many comments along the way!! All of them positive, from the older couple in a rest area heading to Alaska who said they WANTED an AS bad, to the guy at Indiana Dunes who said "that is exactly how I'd order it" and then he proceeded to tell me all about AS's history, too cool. We get alot of looks on the road and in camprounds. Donna likes towing better than being in the Moho and I enjoy it more too so it's all good. I have been checking the lugnut torques along the way but not the hitch. I forgot that I had to. Could you pm the torque ratings for each bolt??? Thanks again for saving my butt!!

RIstream'n · 06-29-2008, 09:54 AM

Update time!! So on the way to Utah while Donna is reading her CG directory and all her trip books she says " how about a detour?" Detour I ask?? "Yea let's go check out Lake Powell" So like a good husband who always does what he's told or what's good for him, I can't figure out which applies here, I turn and head to Lake Powell. We figured it would be tough to get a site somewhere on a Friday on the spur of the moment but we figured we'd try and if not just keep going to Utah. Well we pulled into the Wahweap campground and it was awesome!! They had three sites available so we were in. The place was very cool{not really it was about 102 degrees} and we scheduled a night boat ride through Antelope Canyon. It was a GREAT detour, you gotta love having the freedom camping gives you to change up along the way!! We would have loved to stay a day or two more but Utah is calling so in the morning we were up and off to Kanab which was only 2 hrs away. We pulled into our CG here and it was small but very clean and nice. The pool right across from our site was very REFRESHING, our daughter Jenna was in heaven. She hates the heat so you can imagine how much she loves the weather out here!!!So today it's off to Zion then Bryce tomorrow. We're not sure about Tuesday {any suggestions?}and then Wed we head for Moab. I forgot to say the name of the place here is Kanab RV Corral. Nice place. I think I also figured out a way to post pics from our small printer that we took with us. I'll try that tonight so keep an eye out. Donna's calling so gotta go to Zion. Talk with you later........

Relentless · 06-29-2008, 09:06 PM

At Moab the Moab Brewery is a great place to take the family. Great beer, very good food, fun atmosphere. Very good Mexican at the Mexicanna. The Desert Bistro is very pricey.

Stop at the Tourist info. Center in downtown on the main street. Lots of very helpful stuff and helpful people.

John

RIstream'n · 07-01-2008, 06:29 PM

Zion and Bryce were awesome. Zion was over a 100 degrees but Bryce was about 80 and pleasant. We did a great hike at Bryce. The scenery was very cool. Today we just hung out and got ready to leave for Moab. Donna was a little sick today but she's feeling better now and looking forward to Moab. Even though it was insanely hot I think we liked Zion the best. Next time we'll come in cooler weather and be able to hike more.

RIstream'n · 07-02-2008, 09:11 PM

Made it to Moab today. We stocked up on food, checked out the downtown area and settled in. Man is hot today!! In the am I am going to ride my bike thru Arches then come back and get the family to check it out. Then at night we're taking a boat trip into Canyonlands for a light and music show. The next few days I'll ride out to Dead Horse Point and Canyonlands and who knows what else we'll do but I'll let you all know how it goes. We rearranged our schedule so we can visit Jackson Center on the way home. What a cool way to top off our trip.

Gene · 07-03-2008, 06:40 PM

Brian, good to follow your trip to all these familiar places. I get to re-live them. Where are you staying in Moab?—we stayed at the one a few blocks south of the center of town so we could walk around town.

There's a federal campground at Arches, a couple around Canyonlands and Dead Horse Pt. You probably know all that by now. If you take the road east from Moab along the Colorado R. (127 or 128) it's pretty narrow and that overhang on the south side of the road will be a test. I may have written that before, can't remember. Beautiful drive though. I hope you can get into the Needles at Canyonlands. Your truck may be too big to go over Elephant Hill (where the 4wd drive starts), but you could take bikes or rent a jeep. A spectacular area. I think you have to get permits; we were there many years ago before it got so crowded.

Glad you are doing well with the tow. Those first hours are pretty nervous. How's the backing going?

This trip west is the one where you find all the places you want to come back to and spend more time. Don't forget Colorado.

Gene

RIstream'n · 07-04-2008, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Brian, good to follow your trip to all these familiar places. I get to re-live them. Where are you staying in Moab?—we stayed at the one a few blocks south of the center of town so we could walk around town.

There's a federal campground at Arches, a couple around Canyonlands and Dead Horse Pt. You probably know all that by now. If you take the road east from Moab along the Colorado R. (127 or 128) it's pretty narrow and that overhang on the south side of the road will be a test. I may have written that before, can't remember. Beautiful drive though. I hope you can get into the Needles at Canyonlands. Your truck may be too big to go over Elephant Hill (where the 4wd drive starts), but you could take bikes or rent a jeep. A spectacular area. I think you have to get permits; we were there many years ago before it got so crowded.

Glad you are doing well with the tow. Those first hours are pretty nervous. How's the backing going?

This trip west is the one where you find all the places you want to come back to and spend more time. Don't forget Colorado.

Gene

Gene,
We're staying @ Moab Valley RV Resort. It's 2 miles past Arches and about 2 miles before the center of Moab, pretty much right at Rte 128. I am going to ride my bike up 128 and check it out. I like it here because it's close to Arches and not too far away from town. They are having quite a mosquito problem here though. They say it's because the river was so high this year, who knows. Anyway we went to Canyonlands and Dead Horse today. I thought Dead Horse was cool. After seeing everything we have I think my kids are becoming numb to the scenery. We walked up to Grandview point in Canyonlands, looked for a while and they said "ok let's go." Seriously they've been great it's just alot to take in.
The backing up has gone pretty darn good. I backed up a few times and Donna was like, "wow that was awesome!" I just think about it for a second or two, take my time and that's it. We had one interesting back up at a gas station. I pulled into a very busy place and didn't realize it was too narrow to pull out the other side. So with Donna guiding me I just backed out, swung around and left. To be honest that one was a little hairy!!
We won't forget Colorado. Actually we are headed there Sunday. That brings me to a question. How's Wolf Creek Pass to drive?? Donna is a little concerned with the elevation.
Other than some things going wrong with our AS everything is going great. And yes we are already talking about coming back....

Gene · 07-05-2008, 09:28 AM

Looks like you're having a great time other than scenery overload. I recall that campground (I think) and don't think it was open when we went to Moab last November. I think it lacked trees.

128 doesn't allow 18 wheelers, but no ban on RV's. Just go slow through the narrow spots and hope a giant MOHO isn't coming the other way. If you have a good sense of the width of your Safari it should be ok. It is a nice drive and there are some things to see along the way around Fisher Tower. Wait 'til you see Cisco, the retirement community from hell.

Backing definitely should be done slowly. Sometimes I'm perfect, sometimes I'm terrible. Making the sharp corners in reverse is the most challenging. I think it just takes a lot of time to be really good at it.

I had the same gas station experience in Kingman, Arizona. The place was packed with cars, RV's, and I tried to look confident as I backed out, but some of the those people in the cars I was looking down at didn't look confident at all. I made it though without hitting anything.

They've rebuilt Wolf Creek Pass. Several years ago we went through while it was under construction. I don't know what it's like now. They put in tunnels, so I guess the grade isn't as bad as it used to be. All the major Colorado passes are very high, so there's no escape (unless you go through NM). Just take it easy and don't start out from Pagosa Springs with the fuel gauge on 1/8. I-70 was built for truck traffic and probably has the most gradual grades, but there are more passes on I-70 and it may be way out of the way for you. Are you going to the Sand Dunes? Wolf Creek Pass and one of the campgrounds on the east side were in "Vacation".

Gene

RIstream'n · 07-05-2008, 12:20 PM

I think we're ready for the elevation. We're going out 191 to 491 to 160 on our way to Mesa Verde. After a few days there we'll get on the W.C. Pass to get to Colorado Springs. Then we're headed home but not until we visit Jackson Center for the tour and hopefully getting some service while we're there. I'll keep a close eye on the fuel gauge as I have the whole trip, I wish it wouldn't move to the left so fast!!! Take care Gene

Gene · 07-05-2008, 12:44 PM

Brian,

If you want to see some more isolated, less touristy Anasazi ruins, look up the various parts of Hovenweep NM in SW Colorado and there's one part in Utah. It's not that easy to get there and the final access are dirt roads and don't go if it's rained recently. It hasn't rained here in a month. Hovenweep is not anything as large as the ruins at Mesa Verde, but shows another aspect of that culture. Leave the trailer in Cortez or somewhere near. Before I think of 10 other places to visit, I'd better stop. You'll never get back to RI.

I swear I could actually see the fuel gauge move when we went up Monarch Pass (US 50) a couple of weeks ago. If you take 160 all the way over to I-25 at Walsenberg, you'll also go over La Veta Pass, a pretty mild one. Alamosa is the place to get gas in the San Luis Valley—there's a City Market on the north side of the highway with easy in and out for a trailer.

Gene

RIstream'n · 07-05-2008, 12:54 PM

Donna tells me that 160 to I-25 is the way we're going so I'll look for the gas station in Alamosa. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

RIstream'n · 07-07-2008, 05:47 PM

Update time. We made it to Cortez no prob and we're at the KOA. Nice place and a cool Bambi just pulled in. We went to Mesa Verde today and it was pretty cool. Yesterday when we got here we drove out to the four corners spot to check it out. It was cool and kinda tacky all at the same time

. Of course we took a bunch of silly pics so it was fun. Speaking of pics I've decided to wait until I get home and then post a bunch. We're here one more day and then onto Colorado Springs for a day or two and then we're headed home. On the way we're stopping @ the mothership for the tour and some service. I emailed them for an appointment and they got back to me today and we're in for the 14th. I wasn't going to bother with the service but the list has kind of been growing and on the last leg here one of the cabinet doors fell off so I figured, ok I need this stuff looked at while we're there. We're really looking forward to seeing the factory!! We'll talk with you again soon, take care.....

RIstream'n · 07-12-2008, 07:52 PM

We should be pulling into Jackson Center tomorrow and have our baby serviced on Monday. We'll let you know how it goes.

ROBERT CROSS · 07-12-2008, 09:13 PM

Brian, Donna & Family

You have brought back some great memories for Sandra & I.

Zion was one of our favorites also. Another being Rocky Mtn. N.P.

Wind Cave in Montana, Going-to-the Sun Road, Glacier N.P.

And a great "old" section in Az. of the original RT.66.

Have a safe journey.. home

can't wait for the Photos.