Blog Catch Up Time

Just to update you on our travels since our last post in July 2011.   From July - November we spent most of the time at Kathy's Mom's farm in Indiana. Our goal this visit was to get Mom on a 15-year plan - By that time Mom will be 90 years old and we think she might consider moving by then.  We looked at things around the farm and asked "will that last another 15 years".  If the answer was no, then maybe it needed to be replaced, removed, etc.   Mom had the trees over the house trimmed, had the old chimney removed and a new roof put on the house. Also, the front porch roof was repaired after storm damage.

Mom also had new windows installed in the garage.  We painted the garage floor which looked great. 

We painted the outside of the first barn and Mom had a contractor enclose another with an entrance door and new metal garage door.  

  
The same storm that damage the porch roof split this tree.  The tree had to be removed so we contacted a local tree company to do the work.

Here you can see the crew in action.  


Kathy's brother Mike pitched in and removed all the scrap metal  from the farm.  I help mend the porch ceiling fan and painted the front porch railing.   In addition to everything else that was done, we also added a gravel site to the rear of the house which included a 50 AMP service for our RV.  

Kathy's Mom knee required surgery and healed very quickly this summer and all is well at the farm. In addition to all the work that was done on the farm, Kathy found time to catch the remaining farm cats and had them spayed and neutered.  You would not believe what a gigantic effort it took to get this accomplished.   


In early October our refrigerator cooling unit died.  We were contemplating installing a residential refrigerator.  After careful consideration, we decided to travel to Shipshewana IN, and have an Amish cooling unit installed.  We would highly recommend the Amish cooling unit to anyone that needs to replace their existing cooling unit. JC's refrigeration did an excellent job.     


We also found time to visit our great friends Ron and Jennifer Webb in Bracebridge ON.  Ron is the CPGA Pro at South Muskoka Golf and Curling Club.  During our visit, Ron invited us to play Bigwin Island.

To get to the course you have to take a shuttle boat.  You can see the clubhouse ahead in this photo.  Ron was an assistant Pro here early in his career. The island houses million dollar estates and is one of the premier golf courses to play in Canada.

Here we are at the first tee. Fore!

You can see how beautiful the condition of the course was during our round. Looks like a painting. 

The finishing hole is exceptional.  We had a great time visiting our Canadian friends in Bracebridge ON,  and look forward to our next visit. 

We also had a chance to visit Mike and Sharon Felter (Drifter) in Michigan to help change out his Norcold refrigerator to a residential unit.  Once the unit was removed from its location, we could not get it out the front door without removing the cooling unit.  It took another hour to get it loose and out it went!

We left Mom’s farm in Indiana on the 15^th of November.  We stayed Indiana a little later than normal to attend a wedding in Wisconsin.  Hello Boothy's, Milem's, Kathy and Keith  .  We visited lots of friends in November, both at the wedding and on our way to our current location in Davenport, FL near Orlando.  For some reason most of them were Canadians, don’t you know?    

We told Bill and Olga we would stop by Destin sometime for a visit.  It only took us a few years.  We had an opportunity to golf and enjoy a great seafood dinner right on the water.   Their hospitality was exceptional and the weather was excellent.

During our visit to Destin we stayed at the Destin Army Recreation Center located on the inter coastal canal.  A small but very nice place for a weeks stay.  We would highly recommend this facility for all our military friends.  

Coast to Coast Grandkids Tour - Canyonlands NP (July 2011)

Canyonlands National Park provides many spectacular views looking up, down, and across a seemingly endless expanse of canyons.  I never imagined that sand, stone and rocks could be so beautiful and amazing.

We hiked the 1/2 mile Upheaval Dome Trail. The strange formation consists of a huge circular pit, about a mile in diameter and 1,100 feet deep, surrounded by rings of uplifted rock that were originally several thousand feet under the ground.

No one knows exactly what caused this phenomenon. Our video of Upheaval Dome.

After stopping at the visitor center, a ranger suggested we hike Whale Rock Trail which is one mile in length. 

 Kath and the boys pause for a photo OP on our way up the the formation.

You start out going through a short valley with plenty of trees prior to getting to the base of the

hill.

Here we are walking along the whale's belly. It is very slippery and we caution the kids to stay away from the sides. Does not look that high!

This long sandstone formation looks like a giant beached whale that came ashore on the Island in the Sky. We thoroughly enjoyed this hike.

Coast to Coast Grandkids Tour - Arches NP (July 2011)

The sultry red rock landscapes of Arches National Park are among the most dramatic in the country.

Balanced Rock is one of the favorite places to see while at the park.  Who knows when this thing will fall off its pedestal.

Dave and Ryan waving during our primitive loop trail walk. 

The park boasts over 2000 stone arches, including the world-renowned Delicate Arch, a favorite spot for gazing at the sunset, and the 306 foot long Landscape Arch, one of the longest arch formations in the world.

Kathy and the boys decide to take a rest at Double Arch before continuing our walk.  

This formation is know as the Pot Hole Arch.

Delicate Arch is a 52-foot (16 m) tall  freestanding natural arch. It is the most widely-recognized landmark in Arches National Park and is depicted on Utah license plates.  The Olympic Torch Relay for the 2002 Winter Olympics passed through the arch.

The boys have to climb everything and anything here in Sand Dune Arch.

Think we can balance three people on this rock?

I hope Ryan's Mother does not see this photo!

Jake trying his hand at rock climbing.  He found one of the cool places among the rocks.  The further you get to the inside of this crevice the cooler the temperature gets.  It was very hot during our walk.

That's right, Dave is on top of the rock with Ryan.  I honestly do not know what goes through his mind sometimes.  Now, get off the rock!

Now Dave gets both the boys in action.  I thought this area was for kids only!

Landscape Arch at 306 feet long.  On September 1, 1991, a 73-foot slab of rock fell out from underneath the thinnest section of the span. This was captured on video by a Swiss tourist who happened to be behind the arch at the time. On the sound track of the video, another hiker can be heard saying "I don't think I want to walk back under there!"

Jake decided to complete the Junior Ranger Program here at the park.  Here we are at his swearing in ceremony.  He and Ryan completed four Junior Ranger programs last year during our vacation.

Coast to Coast Grandkids Tour - Great Basin NP (July 2011)

Kathy and the boys hanging at the entrance to Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

Here we are hiking the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail.  The trail passes two beautiful lakes and you get to see good views of Wheeler Peak.

We stopped at Lake Teresa for a short break.  The water is a dark turquoise and looks inviting, but it's really cold and no one is getting in.  What's wrong with this picture?  Ryan has a jacket and everyone else has short sleeve.  What's up?

You can see there were other visitors on the trail.  The hike was about 2.7 miles in length.

Yes, we did have some snow to manage during our hike.

<>

 

In the shadow of 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, 5,000 year old bristlecone pine trees grow on rocky glacial moraines.  The glaciers are covered by ash so you cannot see them, but you can definitely see how deep the snow is on the edge leading up to the peak.

On our return hike, Jake finds a great seat to take a rest.  Ryan has Mom Mom's pack.

Here we are awaiting our Ranger lead tour of Lehman Caves.  Lehman Caves is a beautiful marble cave ornately decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone, popcorn, and over 300 rare shield formations.

Here our Ranger briefs us on stalactites, the ones hanging from the ceiling, and stalagmites, the ones growing from the floor up.

Over 300 shields are known to exist in Lehman Caves, more than any other cave in the world.

Lehman Caves is a beautiful limestone cave with charming and unusual formations.

You can see here that some areas of the cave are wide but there are a few places that you have to bend and stoop to get through.

The camera does not do justice to the beauty of the cave.   The elevation at the cave entrance is 6,825ft. The temperature in the cave is a constant 50° F (10° C) year round so a light jacket is recommended.

Here you can see a pool of water. There are several different pools throughout the cave.

These look a little like jellyfish you see in the ocean.  Others have said it looks like an elephant stepping in bubble gum.

These are rare tulip bulb formations. Lehman Caves is a window into the past. Information about past surface climates are preserved in the layers of cave formations, while much can be learned about natural history from the "treasures" in the cave itself.

A ranger had a telescope set up to view the sun.  We all took turn trying to find a sun spot or solar flare.

Here, Jake holds a board during a demonstration on the phases of the moon.  Here at Great Basin the night skies are among the darkest in the country so we decided to attend the stargazing program.  We had a great time viewing the Moon and Saturn where you could see its two rings.