Nine Stops to Home and Creepy Little Hitchhikers

Kaibab Lake

This has been an interesting weather trip. Sigh. I know folks experiencing truly devastating acts of Mother Nature – hurricanes, floods, etc. – can rightly say “Cry me a river.” But that still doesn’t make wild temperature swings and battling high winds the least bit entertaining. We usually enjoy keeping our trip planning jello, planning a week or several days out and staying flexible to take advantage of great spots or moving on if we’re not enamored with a site. However on this trip, with the weather as crazy as it was, we were debating routes and timing pretty much until Rog started the coach and a decision had to be made. We considered following Bob and Carole north, where it looked like they would escape the worst of the winds, but we had missed Rog’s mom on the way down. Remember all that SNOW??? And really wanted to make it to Redding, CA on the way home, so we headed west.

We left Petrified Forest National on Saturday, 4/29, with several potential end points in mind. We drove by Prescott National Forest and put it on our list of places we’d like to explore, the scenery was gorgeous with towering dun-colored rock formations and trees! A welcome sight after weeks in the desert. We decided not to push too far and stopped at Kaibab Lake State Park near Williams, AZ.  The entire park was first come/first served until May 5^th and we snagged a huge pull-through site under the pines with a view of the lake. Wow. The weather was perfect and we really, really, really wanted to just park for a few days and enjoy some kayaking and relaxing with the pups. Raney’s birthday was Sunday, 4/30, and it would have been wonderful to be able to spend the day at the lake.

We got a great spot near the lake.

We really wanted to just hang out here for a few day. Can you blame us?

Daddy is being closely supervised by Riley and Raney.

Sadly, that wasn’t in the cards. Rog was monitoring the National Weather Service forecast and Kaibab Lake was right smack in the middle of (not) fun stuff to come. Our weather would have been lovely for one more day and then the winds would kick up to 30-40mph. Every. Single. Day. We would have been trapped, and by Friday there was a possibility of snow. Arrrrrgh! With no weather window to escape later in the week, we reluctantly left early the next morning for Quartzsite, AZ. (Happy Birthday Raney!)

We knew it would be warm in Quartzsite and, even though we love to boondock there, we opted for hookups so we could run the air conditioner to keep the pups comfortable. A good call since it hit 103° on Sunday and was still 90° at 10pm that night! The winds were atrocious during the drive, but worse was on the way. We found a spot at Quail Run RV Park in town and paid for one night with the option to add a second. We were happy to stay put because the winds arrived as promised. I took advantage of our extra day to do laundry. Temps in the triple digits and five industrial-sized dryers running…all I wanted was some ice cream when I finished. We had planned on Silly Al’s for dinner, pizza and our favorite Big Blue Van, and there was a homemade ice cream shop just across the street from Al’s. We drove over only to find that they were repaving the parking lot and both businesses were closed! No ice cream. No pizza. No beer. Disappointed doesn’t begin to cover it. I had to settle for Dairy Queen. Better than nothing, I guess. Lol.

Quail Run - not very scenic, but we did have power. 

Definitely missing the pine trees and Kaibab Lake. Lol. 

Miss Raney is one year old!

On Tuesday, 5/2, we left early for Amboy Crater. Though gusty a times, at least Rog wasn’t fighting a steady 20+mph sidewind the whole way. We set up in our usual spot in the overflow parking area and again, had it all to ourselves. The kids got lots of off leash play and hang out on the patio time.

Great boondocking spot with Amboy Crater in the background.

The pups love hanging out with Dad. 

Wednesday, saw us on the road again heading for Orange Grove RV Park near Bakersfield, CA. After one night there and the requisite jaunt to the California Fruit Depot to load up on snacks, we moved on. Our next stop was Vista Ranch, the Harvest Host location in Merced, CA that we’ve stayed at several times. On this visit, the almond orchards had green fuzzy little baby almond pods. We’d never seen those before. I did not find out until later that the whole pod is edible! I learned that the fuzzy orbs are filled with soft jelly-like skinless almonds that have a delicate nutty flavor and a completely different texture than mature almonds. They’re crunchy and tart and when fresh, the pods can be eaten whole. Did you know that? I had no clue and I’m bummed that I didn’t get to try one.

The almond orchard was full of fuzzy green goodness.

As you might have noticed, we were retracing our steps back to Rian’s in Sacramento. We arrived at her house Friday afternoon, 5/6, and Rian cooked us a wonderful chicken dinner. She and I went thrifting and hit a couple estate sales on Saturday. We hit one gold mine where she got a whole set of vintage Fire King mugs for $1. The folks were just trying to get rid of stuff, so everything was sold in lots for a dollar. We really got some great bargains at that sale! 

Rian loves up the puppy sister and puppy brother.

Rian's favorite buy of the day!

While Rian and I were out treasure hunting, the pups were enjoying the back yard and Rog was having a less than enjoyable time trying to repair the rear air conditioner on the coach. He had a new control board delivered to Rian’s and was hopeful that would do the trick. But when he installed it, not only didn’t it work, but it started acting weird in new ways. Ugh!! Looks like it might require professional attention. I guess he used up his quota of repair miracles fixing the rear slide. Lol.

On Sunday, we did a Costco run in the morning and then helped Rian pick up a new dining table and chairs. She scored a great deal off Facebook Market Place, $50 for a vintage table and five chairs. She needed something she could expand for company and this one came with a leaf. When we got it home, we found it also had a second butterfly leaf, so it goes from 5 to 6 to 7 feet. Perfect! She had her old table sold before the day was out, what a great way to trade-up.  We spent the rest of the day just hanging out, watched a movie, and ordered in sushi. It was delightful to kick back and relax for a bit.

Rian's new dining room set, another great score!

Rog cuddling Rian's fur-baby, Floyd,
Riley (the ultimate daddy's boy) says, "What the heck!", and then
comes to Mommy for advice. Lol.

Monday, 5/8, was Rog’s birthday and we made strawberry waffles for breakfast. (But no mimosas ☹, he was driving.  Lol.)  Then we got on the road to Redding and our awesome moochdock spot at his mom’s house. Just as we pulled onto her street it started to rain. In a matter of minutes, it was a downpour interspersed with hail and the occasional crack of thunder. We braved the elements to get the car unhooked and the rig parked. Maybe five minutes after we finished it was blue skies and sunshine! Really?? Still trying to figure out what I did to piss off the weather gods. Lol. The pups enjoyed lounging in the backyard. The weather stayed lovely, although it was ramping up to the mid-90’s by the end of the week.

The rain stopped and we had sunshine the rest of our stay.

We enjoyed our visit with Rog’s mom and her partner Ed in Redding. We had just missed them in Sacramento, Barb was there to have surgery for skin cancer on her face. Something Rog can sympathize with since he had a similar procedure several years ago. Once we got settled, I went to work on the laundry, both Riley and Raney got much needed baths, and Rog ticked a few things off his mom’s “honey do” list. Rog and I made a point to check out Final Draft Brewery in Redding because they had several sours on tap. They had 35 taps and an incredible selection, well worth the visit.  On Wednesday, to celebrate Rog’s birthday and Mother’s Day, we all went to Moonstone Bistro, a favorite of ours. Fresh, quality ingredients creatively prepared – it’s always a treat. (Thanks for dinner Ed!) 

Wow - check out that extensive tap list!

A lovely dinner at Moonstone Bistro.

Make a wish!

We hugged Mom goodbye on Thursday morning, 5/11, and made our way to Valley of the Rogue State Park just south of Grants Pass, OR. The weather seemed to be in a rare cooperative mood, and we were treated to glorious views of a snow covered Mt. Shasta. All the lakes and rivers we passed were higher than we’ve seen them in years. Hopefully this bodes well for the summer.

Beautiful snow-covered Mt. Shasta.

We’ve stayed at Valley of the Rogue on several occasions and chose it over a Harvest Host location in Grants Pass so we could walk the pups on the trails and let Riley play in the river. We did have a lovely walk and Riley did his best crocadog impression in the Rogue River.  I’m not sure if it was the time of year or the wet spring or what, but when we got back to the RV Rog pulled a bug from behind his ear and showed it to me. Is that a tick? Yep. A few minutes later, he found another one. Then I found one on me. Ugh! We went over all four of us with a fine-toothed comb, both literally and figuratively. Before we were done, we’d pulled 15 of the creepy little hitchhikers off us! Ick. I’m still twitchy. Every time a stray hair brushed my neck, I’d do the boogie-woogie dance and have to go make sure nothing was there. I’ll be checking the kids regularly too, even though they are both on flea/tick preventative, I prefer not to take any chances. Sorry, but I’m just a little put off by blood sucking vermin that can transmit deadly diseases. Ok, make that a lot put off. Ick. Ick. Ick.

Riley and Raney in the Rogue River.

Sometimes it's hard to get the Crocadog out of the water. Lol. 

A very large skink that had me doing the two-step, until I realized he had legs. 😝

After a restless night (was that something crawling on me??? Lol.), we left on Friday, 5/12, for our final stop before home. We have come to really enjoy the Boondockers Welcome hosts at Hazelnut Haven in Hubbard, OR. We used to stay at the French Prairie rest stop just south of Portland, but this is so much nicer. No semi-trucks pulling in and idling their motors half the night. The hosts, Gerald and Sheryl, are super nice and greet each visitor with a small bag of hazelnuts from their farm and home baked cookies. What a treat! We parked next to the orchard and the pups loved being outside after a long drive in the coach. 

Parked next to the hazelnut orchard for the night. 

But wait, that’s not all! Hazelnut Haven wasn’t too far from Raney’s breeder, who we affectionately call Grandma Mai. If you recall, this is where we stayed when we picked her up almost a year ago. I contacted Mai to see if she was available for a brief visit Saturday morning. This is dog show season, so I was pleasantly surprised that she was home. She was excited to see Raney and we agreed to meet at a schoolyard where Raney and her sister, Nova, would have more room to play. And play they did! The girls had a total blast. Gma Mai spoiled Raney, bringing her a huge birthday bag filled with toys and treats. It was great to see Mai and her husband, Dave, and we’re hoping to host a puppy reunion this summer.

Gma Mai, Raney, Nova and Dave.

Raney and Nova.
Good looks run in the family!

Raney and her proud Mommy.
(Thanks Mai for all the pics!)

The spoiled Birthday Girl loved her toys and treats.
Thank you Gma Mai and Dave!

Raney has a lot of catching up to do – two of her siblings, Nova and Gunthar, have already finished their AKC Championships! Raney’s dad, Marco, was invited to the 2023 Westminster Dog Show where he received an Award of Merit and then proceeded to win several honors at the Mastiff Club Of America Specialty Shows. Raney’s mom, Kiska, has an alphabet soup of titles including AKC Bronze Grand Champion. Girlfriend has some very big shoes to fill. Good thing we all agree she is gorgeous. Lol. (Am I biased? Naaaah. 😊)

Raney's Dad!
GCHG R3 Cabezon One More Ride "Marco"
won Select Dog at 2023 Mastiff Club Of America Regional Specialty.
(Pictured with the Judge, his handler, and owners.)

Rog had gone ahead in the RV, so after the play session I met back up with him and Riley at a rest stop. The remainder of our drive was uneventful – except he still had a stiff side-wind part of the way. Really?? Rog had hoped we’d left the wind behind when we left the desert, but apparently it decided to tag along. Lol. Rog said he felt like he’d done more driving on this trip than last year, so I checked the spreadsheet. He was not wrong. This year he drove 4905 miles over 81 days compared to 3350 miles over 85 days last year. We both agreed that we had not scheduled enough down days to just relax – something we need to work on. But there’s so much to see and do, it’s sometimes hard to remember that tired and cranky does not make for a fun trip. We’ll work on that. 😉

We made it home to the jungle on Saturday, 5/13. Not exaggerating there. Before we left in February, Rog fertilized the lawn and threw down ten pounds of grass seed with a wish and a prayer. The big pups totally trash the yard, and he was hoping it might recover in our absence. The grass was knee high in places, so I guess that’s a win. Lol.

Welcome home.

We have lots to do before we head out again. But, our next trip will be much shorter. We’ll be heading for the boonies to get Riley away from all the fireworks over the 4^th of July. We’re going back to Cottonwood Canyon in OR with a group of family and friends, hope you’ll join us!

The Petrified Forest with Friends

We last visited Petrified Forest National Park in 2017 during our year on the road. We spent four days exploring the park and if you want more stunning rainbow stone trees and color-banded badlands check out our previous blog post: Go Around the Bend: A Rainbow Forest and a Painted Desert. I loved it then and the second time around was all the more fun because we got to share it with friends. Yes, we met up again with Bob and Carole and Ruby! Oh, and in case you were wondering, the piña colada beer from Junkyard Brewery was a hit at happy hour! Lol.

Stone trees! 

We arrived on Wednesday, 4/26, at the Crystal Forest Gift Shop and RV Park which offers free camping (four night limit) right outside the south entrance to the National Park. We pulled in nose to tail so we could share patio space and this time we had nearly perfect weather. A pleasant change for sure. Still a bit windy at times, but it seems like that has been a recurring theme during this trip. At least we had sunshine and blue skies.

Check out the huge stumps of petrified wood in our campsite.

A cautionary tale. 'Nuff said. 😆

We hit the south entrance visitors center and did several of the shorter hikes, Giant Logs, Long Logs, and Agate House, on Wednesday afternoon. Stealing this quick primer on petrification (new word!) from my earlier blog. Lol. About 216 million years ago, these trees died and fell into a river. They were buried under layers of silt, mud, sand and volcanic ash, which protected them from decay. Mineral-laden ground water percolated through the layers carrying silica from the volcanic ash and other trace minerals. The absorbent dead wood became saturated and slowly, over time the silica, or quartz crystals bonded with the cells of the tree replicating the organic material in perfect detail. Eventually, silica completely replaced the wood and BAM! you have a stone tree.

Giant Logs...

Loooooong Logs...

... and Agate House.

The colors depend on the minerals that soaked into the wood along with the silica. Iron minerals produce bright yellow, orange, deep red, ochre, and black. Manganese minerals cause blue, purple, brown, and can create fernlike patterns. Other minerals may also be present – and of course, there are the awesome quartz crystals.

Arizona Rainbow Petrified Wood comes by its name honestly!

I love all the rocks, but I would really love for some of these to follow me home. Lol. 

I was delighted to learn that the trails in the park are dog-friendly, so we set out with the pups on Thursday, 4/27. We stopped first at the 1-mile Crystal Forest Trail, but it was full sun and Riley was not excited about walking on a paved trail past more rocks. Lol. We cut that one short and opted to try the Jasper Forest Trail, which is longer, but with more opportunities to get off the beaten track. We found a place to give them some off-leash play, but the sunshine, which I was so happy to see, really takes a toll on the big kids. Even Ruby was searching out any little bit of shade she could find. So we cut our hike short again.

On the Crystal Forest Trail.

The ground is littered with petrified wood along the Jasper Forest Trail.

A petrified log on a plinth.

The puppers were not enthusiastic about the hike.
Even Ruby was looking for any scrap of shade.

At least this guy was enjoying the sunshine!

Loved the lime green lichen on the logs.

Bob and Carole back at parking lot.
Ruby is ready for the air conditioned car. Lol.

We made a brief stop at the Agate Bridge and then decided it made the most sense to take the kids back to the RV.  We hung out there with them for a few hours, they were content to chill and play in shade. When we left, they were much happier taking a nice nap in the coach. Spoiled much?

Agate Bridge.

Riley, Raney and Ruby - playtime on the patio!

Later in the afternoon, we drove to the north end of the park stopping at several of the overlooks. The north side of the park is called the Painted Desert, a spectacular area of colorful badlands. It has little to none of the petrified wood that the south end of the park, the Petrified Forest, is known for. Even though the region is semi-arid, water shapes the landscape. Heavy summer monsoons cause the erosion that forms the badlands. The multi-colored bands were caused by oxidation of the original river sediment. Bentonite clay is one of the main components of these formations, it swells as it absorbs moisture, then shrinks and cracks as it dries giving the hills a wrinkled elephant-skin look.

While the views from each of the overlooks were very different, they were all stunningly beautiful.

Friday morning we headed to the north side of the park again, this time to visit the Painted Desert Inn and the Visitor’s Center Complex, which were both closed by the time we got there yesterday. The Visitor Center had exhibits on paleontology, archeology, and geology. There was also a gift shop and small diner with Indian Fry Bread, yum!

Making friends. 

The Painted Desert Inn was originally built in the early 1920’s out of petrified wood as a roadside tourist attraction and called the Stone Treehouse. Unfortunately, it was built on an unstable seam of bentonite clay causing the foundation to shift and walls to crack.  In the early 1930s, the park purchased the property. Due to its structural problems and the popularity of Pueblo Revival Style in the 1930s, the inn was redesigned by the National Park system.

The original Stone Treehouse.
Photo: Petrified Forest Museum Association

The work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the inn reopened for business on July 4, 1940 suppling Route 66 travelers with meals, souvenirs, and lodging. WW II ended the good times and the inn closed in October 1942. Five years later the Painted Desert Inn reopened under the renowned Fred Harvey Company. Fred Harvey partnered with the Santa Fe Railroad in 1876 and his facilities for travelers were well known for comfort and quality. The Harvey Company made further renovations to the inn and hired Fred Kabotie, a renowned Hopi artist, to paint murals on the dining room and lunchroom walls.

The CCC at work transforming the Stone Treehouse into the Painted Desert Inn.
Photo: National Park Service

The Painted Desert Inn today.

Carole told me about the Harvey Girls, which I had never heard of before. The company recruited women from towns and cities in the East and Midwest. These young ladies had to be of good moral character, have at least an eighth-grade education, display good manners and be neat and articulate. Their contract stipulated that they could not marry and must abide by all company rules during the term of employment. If hired, the women were given a rail pass to their place of employment, a smart uniform, good wages, and room and board. Since their beginning in the 1880s, the Harvey Girls have become American legends. The inn even has a movie poster featuring Judy Garland and Angela Landsbury in “The Harvey Girls”! Movie night!!

Inside the Painted Desert Inn. 
Check out the movie poster!

Severe structural damage to the inn forced the Fred Harvey Company to move to the newly completed visitor center complex in 1963. The inn’s doors closed and it was scheduled for demolition in 1975. Due to a public campaign to save the Painted Desert Inn, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1987. The Inn functions only as a museum now with displays highlighting its fascinating history, Route 66, and the CCC. The views of the surrounding Painted Desert are just stunning.

View of the Painted Desert from the inn.

Speaking of Route 66, the place where it once went through the park
 is marked with a 1932 Studebaker.

We also did the one-mile hike through the Blue Mesa. This has to be one of my favorite areas - you get both colorful badland formations and pertrified wood! What a great combo. No point trying to describe it, so here are some pictures although they just don't do it justice. 

Gorgeous striped badlands and lots of petrified wood too!

What a stunning area to explore.

More scenes from the Blue Mesa hike.

Can you read the fine print on the sign at the trailhead?
"Please be in your vehicle by 7:00PM...or hungry coyotes might eat you." Lol.

If you know me, you know I love rocks and all that gorgeous Arizona rainbow petrified wood just sets my inner crow to twitching. Unfortunately, picking it up in the park is a no-no and purchasing it in the many gift and rock shops is prohibitively expensive. In 2017, Rog found Dobell’s Ranch where we filled a 5-gallon bucket with petrified wood for $30. We went back with Bob and Carole and it was a bit of an adventure. Lol. The young guy, Noah, who lives there and runs the place is super nice, but he just doesn’t seem to have the funds for upkeep. It was looking pretty down in the heels with piles of junk, machines in various states of disrepair, and tools scattered everywhere. We couldn’t find anyone and were about to leave when Noah came out. He was still doing the bucket deal, but for $40 now. That’s close to 100 pounds of rock, what a screaming deal! 

Carole and I decided to share a bucket and we had a total blast digging through piles of petrified wood to find our favorite pieces. Even Bob and Rog contributed – they also got to carry the bucket. Lol. I forgot to take a picture of our haul and Bob and Carole graciously offered to tote it all home. Riley and Raney appreciated not having to share the limited space in the pupwagon with all that rock. Lol. We also drove into Holbrook to check out Jim Gray’s Petrified Wood Company. I spent more there than I did at Dobell’s Ranch and carried my purchase out in my pocket. Lol. We also drove through the parking lot of the Wigwam Village Motel. What a kick seeing all the old cars parked outside the teepees. Apparently, this was a small motel chain in the 1930’s and 40’s and three of the seven motels are still in business. How fun is that?

This tiny petrified wood marble cost more than my share of the 5-gal bucket. Lol.

Wigwam Village Motel.

We were sad to part ways with Carole and Bob on Saturday, 4/29, but they were going north while we were heading west. We had several stops lined up with the goal of making it to Sacramento to visit Rian and then to Redding, to see Rog’s mom. We’re keeping our plans, both route and timing, flexible since it looks like our friend the wind is baaaack. Lol.