Training for our upcoming Grand Canyon Hike - May 2017

Sunset at Kirtland AFB Fam Camp in Albuquerque, NM.  Although we did walk 3-4 miles twice a week in Florida, most of the walks were on level ground.  Our goal was getting used to carrying 20-25 pound packs on our backs.  Our goal here in Albuquerque was to increase our distance and also add some elevation to our hikes.   

This photo shows the city of Albuquerque in the far background,  You start your hike from one of multiple parking lots.  We decided to select a hike that was comparable to our second day hike from Cottonwood CG to Phantom Ranch.  The hike is about 7 miles with minor elevation change.  This hike was 6.8.miles and provided multiple up and down routes.  

The Sandia Mountains offer a wide range of hiking as well as other recreational actives including more than 20 hiking trails close to the base.    

We enjoyed the hike so much that we did it again two days later.  The elevation was 6400 feet which is very close to that of the South rim of the Grand Canyon. 

    We began our hike at 7:20 in the morning and hiked 3.4 miles to a rest area where we 

had our PBJ sandwich and took a 20-minute rest before we started our return trip.  This hike was considered a moderate hike.   We hiked at a 25-minute per mile pace.  The hike took us just over 2 hours.  

3M Clear Bra Removal

After 9 years, our 3M Clear Bra which was installed to protect our paint is starting to crack and deteriorate.  Mold has started to form under the vinyl on our 2007 Monaco Coach.   Once it starts, it degrades very quickly.  Your only choice is to remove it yourself or pay someone to remove it for you.  If you decide to remove it yourself be prepared for a lot of hand-to-hand combat.  This photo shows the strips of clear vinyl being removed.  This is the first phase of the project.  The lights are taped to ensure they are not damaged. 

We decided to pay someone with the knowledge to remove ours.   Wayne Michalski of Ugly Shield Removal in Ft Myers FL is an expert in the process. The best part is he completes this tedious job in just one day.  

Wayne's Dad works carefully around the windshield wiper.  This job is done with a one-inch plastic scrapper.  The plastic vinyl is carefully removed to get to the next phase; removing the glue.  

That's me in the chair watching the work being done.   The only way to do this job!  The glue is removed with a spray solution of acetone.  Wayne has been in the detailing business for quite a number of years and has developed this solution on his own.  They work an area about six to seven inches square.  I cannot remember the number of sprays and scrapping it took to remove the glue from the small area being worked.

After 8 hours, the finished product.  The front end looks new!  It's well worth the $800 plus dollars.  Sounds expensive but believe me it would have taken me several months to complete this project and I doubt seriously I would have gotten these results. 

Here's a photo of the entire front of the coach.  Looks like it did when we purchased the coach in 2007. 

Wayne normally attends RV shows and hands out a coupon worth $100 discount. Here's the phone number for Ugly Shield Removal.  I highly recommend them.

Christmas Letter to Friends and Family

Another great year is almost at an end.  After working for Amazon last season, we visited Kathy’s Mom for Christmas.  We started 2016 by traveling to Quartzsite AZ, to attend one of the largest RV gatherings in the world.  We had a wonderful time seeing many great friends of the IRV2 community forum and camped for 2-weeks in the desert.  We also purchased a new HD Satellite system for our motor home.  While traveling west, we saw first-hand the major flooding that closed many major highways.  Major rain caused many rivers and streams to push water over their banks where the water overflowed to reach major highways. 

From Quartzsite AZ, we traveled straight back to Deer Creek to spend some quality time relaxing and playing golf. The reason for the quick return was that our toilet was in major need of repair and we could not find the needed parts anywhere along our route.   

After relaxing at Deer Creek, we traveled back to Kathy’s Moms for Mother’s Day.  We surprised Mom with a portable weather station.  When she opened the package, she looked at us and said:“You brought me a drone?”.  We had a great laugh and explained that it was a weather station that would track and forecast her upcoming weather.  The station sits outside and sends wireless reports to her display in the kitchen. 

In early June, we drove to Baltimore to attend our Grandson Ryan’s High School Graduation. Ryan is now attending Baltimore County Community College and plans to transfer to  the University of Maryland next fall to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering. Jake, his brother, is now a freshman at Eastern Technical High School. His interests are in computing and networking.     We posted photos of the graduation on our blog.  

Mid-June, Karyn along with Wayne, grandson Jake and Haley, Wayne’s daughter met us at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio for four days of fun.  We had a great time! 

In July, we drove back to Baltimore in the minivan to attend Karyn and Wayne’s wedding.  The wedding was beautiful.  We wish them both years of happiness! They also have the RVing bug.  They own a fifth wheel and use it most weekends during the summer.

We returned back to Ft Wayne till we started here again in August at Amazon.  

We would like to wish Judy Coors our very best as she fights a health issue.  We also want to wish continued success to Barry Mann as he continues to recover from his surgery.  

We wish a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of our friends and their families.

Our major goal for 2017 is to hike the Grand Canyon from the North to the South Rim or maybe another trip north to Alaska. 

P.S. We added some great photos of our travels.  Enjoy!

Dave & Kathy

Click on any photo to enlarge.

Lower Antelope Canyon,  May 2013 

Alpine Hike with Denali in the background,  May 2009

Barry and Donna Mann, Ooh Aah point, Grand Canyon, April 2013 

Hoodoos,  Bryce Canyon, May 2013

Canyon Area, Yellowstone NP, 2001

Great Sand Dunes NP, June 2015

Glacier, Seward Alaska, 2009

Montezuma Castle National Monument, April 2013

Glacier-Waterton NP, Canada, June 2013

North Rim of the Grand Canyon, 2015

Mount Rushmore National Memorial , 2007 

Father's Day at Cedar Point

On Sunday June 19th 2016,  we arrived for a 3-day visit to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky OH.  Our tickets originally got us entrance to the park on the next day, however my Daughter Karyn surprised me with evening passes for Father's Day!  Here we are entering the park.

One of our first rides was the Raptor, a tune up to the bigger, faster rides to come. 

Someone convinced Karyn, I think it was Hailey, to ride the "Wicked Twister". She was not so "thrilled" as one might think.  

On board the Gate Keeper. That's me, waving to Kathy.

Here's a short video of the Gate Keeper.

The fastest ride in the park "Top Thrill Dragster". It was the first full circuit roller coaster to exceed 400 feet in height, and was the tallest roller coaster in the world, before being surpassed by Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in May 2005.

After leaving the station, the train enters the launch area. To the left of the launch area is a "Christmas tree" light, similar to those employed at the starting line of a drag strip. A brief message is played to the riders to: "keep arms down, head back, and hold on." Once the train is prepared to launch, a motor revving sound effect is played and its magnetic braking fins are lowered from the launch track. It then launches, accelerating to a speed of 120 mph in 3.8 seconds. Shortly after reaching its maximum velocity, the train begins its ascent up a 90-degree incline, twisting 90 degrees clockwise before climbing over the 420-foot top hat. Upon descending, the track twists 270 degrees before leveling out, allowing the train to be stopped by the magnetic brakes.

A photo of Kathy and I standing in front of my favorite ride "Top Thrill Dragster" in the background. 

I am pointing at Kathy's bandage.  She tripped getting out of a ride called the "Monster" and scraped her knee.  She is hoping that snoopy will console her. 

Wayne and Kathy share a seat on the Scrambler. It's listed as an Amusement Park ride. Let's leave it at that.

 Kathy and I in front of the Millennium Force.  May the Force be with us!.  It is one of my favorite rides at Cedar Point. 

Jake and Hailey decided to do the Slingshot.  You strap into the seat; the seat rolls back as shown, then shoots you up above 300 feet at 62 mph.  Jake said you do get to see all of the park, if only for a few seconds.  

Jake and I just chilling at the campground.

A group shot with Hailey, Wayne, Karyn and Jake.  Ryan stayed at home to take care of the dogs; Grace and Oscar, and Jake's Cat Sophie. We had a terrific time.  This is Wayne's first visit to the park. Something tells me it will not be his last.

Kathy and I wish Karyn and Wayne an amazing journey as they get get ready to begin their new life as husband and wife on July 3, 2016.   We look forward to being there for the big day!