The Weary Travellers Return

The distance from Sandy Utah to Windsor VT is 2,316.2 miles = about 5+ days driving when you include stops or stay overs. We drove a bit further than that ... about 2,500m. After Capitol Reef we headed toward Illinois to stay a couple of days with Chris' sister Joy and her family. We spent a couple of days with them last year. Lars and Roxcy were so excited to see their cousins and Aunt Joy and Uncle Hafe. We had a really nice stay with them. I got to go to a yoga class, Joy and I had a hot chocolate together, Pete continued to try and fix our blocked toilet ... but the highlight was hearing Hafe play the Bag Pipes. He has been learning for the last year and we had the pleasure of a private impromptu performance. Who does not like the Bag Pipes? I love them! I have very fond memories of learning the Highland Fling at the Caledonian Hall on Kilmore Street, which is no longer standing. I loved going along on Saturday mornings putting on my highland dance shoes and dancing to the pipes. Have I already shared that story?? Apparently there are three instruments that speak to the heart ... the Bag Pipes is one. Don't quote me on that ... I have a memory of someone sharing that with me but I cannot quote my source.

We left Joy and Hafe's early in the morning ... the sun was rising and was a breath taking brilliant red, right in front of us as we were driving ... I had to 'try' and get a photo ... this was good as I could get it. I keep thinking 'if only I had a better camera' but I am fooling myself ... it is the person behind the camera that makes all the difference and as you can see by my photos my expertise in this area leaves a lot to be desired but I do my best. Sometimes a good photo is hit and miss and sometimes it is just miss!

When we were on our road trip last year Pete wanted to go to the Dusenberg Car Museum in Auburn, Indiana but it was not on our route. This year we made sure that we went right past there. These cars are spectacularly beautiful. Pete was in awe of some of them, their design, their engines, their speed, their elegance and how beautifully they were put together. I had this moment with Pete where I realised that for him cars are like works of art, they speak to him in a way they do not speak to me. I have been married to Pete for 37+ years and I only just realised this as I watched him walk through this Car Museum and he was totally absorbed by their magnificence. 

I on the other hand was captured by their colour and their mahogany and leather interiors. These cars are beautifully crafted.

I had to have a photo of our companions ... posing in front of one of these beauties. Lars was enjoying the cars, they did get a 'Spot the Car' quiz when we entered which kept their attention. Marigold was tired and grumpy and just wanted to run free ... with a loud voice. You can see the art deco lights in the back ground and the very cool ceiling decorating. The building interior was just as beautiful as the cars. 

The flooring of the car museum ... I love the design ...

We stopped of at Kirtland again and stayed a night at a KOA. While there we visited the Newell K. Whitney store ... another church history site. While there it started to pelt down with rain and Marigold got caught in it ... I could not resist taking her photo. This little girl is the most rewarding child ... I know I have said it several times. She loved, loved, loved being with her 'big' cousins. 

We had planned to stay a night at the KOA in Palmyra NY, we stayed there last year ... but as we were driving we decided to just 'go for it' and head back to Windsor in time for Mike's birthday. We did not to tell the children or Mike and Lucy (Chris knew) ... we wanted to surprise them. It was a long drive ... I was driving again. This was our dinner stop ... our last meal together on the road. I did get pulled over by the police on this leg of our journey. I failed to pull over into the middle lane when passing the police who had pulled someone over on the side of the interstate. They were very pleasant about it ... I did not get a fine, but one of the police officers was pretty steamed at me. 

Mike and Chris were so pleased to see Lars and Roxcy, Lucy was over the moon to have Marigold back. We arrived late at night, Roxcy was still awake and could not believe that she was home with her Mom ... at last. This is a photo of Mother's love ... Chris searching through 'all' of Lars' lego and he has a lot ... trying to find a missing piece for him to complete a lego he was building and she found it. One of those invisible moments that seem insignificant to others watching ... I was deeply touched. 

We have been spending our nights staying between the Snapdragon Inn and our RV, which is parked up Mike and Chris' drive. This is a Saturday evening ... one of Mike & Chris' friends played a concert on the lawn, while listening to the music I noticed the light on the trees. Windsor is so peaceful. The evenings are lovely ... there is no hustle and bustle here. Staying at the Inn is such a treat ... it is very comfortable. A nice way to end 5 weeks on the road.

A tender moment with Marigold and Pete ... what goes around comes around ... his turn to be pushed on the swing.

An evening walk round the pond ... Marigold collapsed! She tried to keep up with Roxcy ... her little legs just couldn't do it. Lars and Roxcy have a simple life in Windsor ... they have lots of play time with friends on their street, they roam free on their bikes in between houses coming and going as they please. I think their lives here are idyllic. We have loved being here with our children and Grandchildren ... watching these three cousins play together, fight together and live together. Marigold is in awe of Roxcy anything she says or does Marigold is her little shadow repeating every word. 

Besides Mike's birthday the big event on our return to Windsor was the Solar Eclipse on August 21. Lucy, who is so creative, got the children making special Eclipse hats and other fancy dress ups for the occasion. Roxcy really got into it. We all went out and sat on the front lawn with our special eclipse glasses watching the moon pass in front of the sun. VT did not really get the full impact like other parts of the States, but it was impressive to see through our special eclipse dark glasses. The next eclipse to pass right over VT is 2024 ... I plan to be here for it.  

We fly out on August 31, we have had a wonderful time with Lars, Roxcy and Marigold. I am hoping to get one more post up before or while we are leaving. 

Homeward Bound

Our broken down RV ... the saga continues. We ended up spending a lot more time in Utah with Lucy and her family than anticipated. We headed out once to continue our journey but it was a false start ... we got about 90 minutes south of Sandy, heading towards Capitol Reef and our good old RV stopped working ... again, the same issue. This time it seemed serious and we knew that we had to do something about it. To cut a long story short ... we turned around, headed back to Lucy's at the same time finding a mechanic to fix our problem. It was a little stressful, ok ... it was a lot stressful. Particularly for Pete. He is the mechanical man in our family ... he knows 'a lot' about cars, their build, their engines and generally how much a repair will cost. We felt very vulnerable, all that knowledge and ideas of who to ring, etc, don't really count when you are in a foreign country ... who to ring is a big stress. Pete is a very resilient and resourceful man so it did not take long at all and he had found a Ford dealership with a mechanic attached, thank you to our modern digital devices. Mean while Sash was heading out to pick us up ... it was a very slow drive back to drop of our RV on the way ... we limped along, literally. 

This is our RV hoisted up and the petrol tank out. It took a few days and Pete doing a lot of the ground work to find the right sized pump. We thought we had it a couple of times but we were mistaken. Finally we found the right size and it was in and the RV ready to go very quickly. 

'It is always the people' ... I remember that quote from somewhere or someone, not sure who, but I believe it fully. Here are some of the people that we hung out with while stranded in Utah. Lucy and her husband Josh ... Rob & Leilani. I find that it is the people that we meet and hang out with that make our travels so much more memorable and enjoyable. Their stories, their lives, who they are ... I come away from these moments feeling different, like part of who they are has rubbed of on me. Rob & Leilani and their family are coming out to NZ to spend Christmas with us and I am very excited to share our country and hospitality with them.

We went out for breakfast with Lucy, Josh, Marigold and Josh's aunt ... into the mountains a little way out of Sandy, it was so beautiful. There are so many amazing mountains in Utah and a lot of great outdoor adventures to be had. After breakfast we went for a drive up to a lake near a ski resort and walked around it. Here is Lars climbing up a rock face along with a few other young people ... no fear ... up he went. I seem to remember Mike and Mack being like this ... no thought of potential hazards or risks just into it.

The lake ...

This little girl has won my heart ... over and over! This is such a Pena look ... 'what just happened' ... 'what is happening' ... 'what do I do now', look. I love to watch her play ... she just throws herself fully into whatever she is doing with so much energy and enthusiasm. There is something incredibly magical about this little girl. We visited a museum kind of natural history place and there were so many varied and interesting activities for children of all ages and likes ... this is Pena at one of the games when it stopped suddenly.

We went for a day hike ... Jordan, Pena, Pete, Lars, Roxcy, Marigold, Lucy, myself and baby Raylee. It was sooo hot. Lucy and Pete had to go back and buy milk for baby Ray and get extra nappies. Jordan and I headed up the hill with Lars, Roxcy, Marigold and Pena. It was hot and kind of steep for the children. Lars was carrying a back pack for a while and holding up the stick in his hand shouting 'none shall pass' in his best Gandalf voice ... this photo reminds me of Mike. I took him on his first tramp when he was about the same age ... 8, with our niece Carly, (Rob & Viv's daughter). Mike was carrying a pack twice the size of Lars' and all I could see was the top of his head and the bottom of legs and feet. We did the St James walkway which is 66 kms long in around 5 days. Mike was so tough ... he just did it! That was beginning of his love of the outdoors I think? He may remember differently. I think we should take Lars on the same tramp when they come out at Christmas.

Yes ... we saw a moose ... up close. Not scary at all!!

This guy, Jordan, is the best ... he has soooo much energy. He is always up for an adventure ... he is the sort of guy that you want on your cheer team. He was so generous with himself with the children ... ready to take them on adventures or fun outings. Jordan really made our stay in Utah a lot of fun for Lars. 

Working at the Car Wash ... we took everyone to clean the RV ... it was a fun activity. We all came home sprayed ...

Lucy and Pete working out the next part of our journey ...

Our false start day ... these three are the best travel companions. 

Einstein Bagels ... we discovered these in 1996 when we were in Utah for 6 months, Pete had a teaching stint at BYU Provo. Einsteins became a regular stop for us. I loved their bagels. I was so excited to discover that they are still here and they still make really good bagels! We stopped of there for lunch a couple of times while in Utah.

When we finally got on the road again, on our way to Capitol Reef, Pete decided that it might be a good time to buy new tyres for our old RV ... the tread was coming of. Walmart offered the best deal so we stopped here for a couple of hours while the job was being done

Before we left for the States we had made tentative plans to meet up with Tony & Lynette Mallard, from ChCh, at Capitol Reef. We were uncertain whether we would be able to do it ... but we made it. Tony & Lynette owned the only organic farm in ChCh for a number of years and I used to bike out to buy vegies from them, with a child on the back of my bike. When we got to four children I had to use our car, too many vegies to fit in a pack and too many children to manage on bikes. At one point I worked for them on a Friday and was paid in vegies. I loved their food ... I felt so spoilt and grateful over the years, eating their organic vegies, which were delicious. Their cucumbers, peppers and corn were deliciously sweet. They are some of the best people we know. We had a really nice couple of days with them. We did some walks, had some great talks and really enjoyed the park.  

This old Hudson Super Six belongs to Tony & Lynette. They own three Hudsons, two are in NZ and they have just bought a very sexy Tesla. On Tony & Lynette's first trip to the States they shipped their Hudson 8 over and drove it around. Then they bought a Hudson Hornet and had it shipped to NZ. They bought this Hudson Super Six in Canada and have driven it around the States for the last couple of years. This year Tony put a new straight eight engine in it and they drove it out from Ohio en route to California. Lars loved his ride in their old car ... it certainly stands out. Pete and I often talk about our next car ... I would like something that looks a little different, that is so hard to find in modern cars, they all seem to look the same. Where are the DS Citroens, the old Fiat shapes ... some of those old cars are so beautiful, elegant and distinctive, almost like works of art.

We shared the campsite at Capitol Reef with deer and stag ... 

Capitol Reef is stunning ... beautiful ... so much colour. The red of the rocks/mountains, the blue of the sky, and the pale almost blue colour on some of the rock faces. It was so refreshing staying here, peaceful. The landscape of the National Parks in the US are spectacular. We loved it! We went apple picking and there was a store that sold beautiful fruit pies made fresh every day. I recommend their Peach Pie. 

Don't be confused by this photo ... all is not as it appears. Another small problem arose while we were travelling ... our septic tank stopped working. I cannot even begin to describe the smell. We, actually Pete, tried various ways to get it flowing again, the Coke bottle was one, manually emptying the toilet from the top. We discovered when we got back to VT that it was a very simple problem ... that caused days of discomfort. Depending on the slope of the RV or the bumpiness of the road would determine the intensity of the smell. 

KOA campgrounds are great at having lots of fun activities for children ... this is one.

Pete wanted to go through Nauvoo ... again. We camped in the National Park there. It was a beautiful evening and hardly anyone camping. We had a fun evening there playing at the playground with everyone.

I love this little girl ... she is so smart. She loves to play games and is good at it. We played 'would you rather' ... an easy game I thought ... for example, 'would you rather climb a tree or swim across a river?' My answers were always straight forward ... climb a tree ... Roxcy's answer went more like this 'how tall is the tree and wide is the river?' 'how deep is the river?' 'what animals live the in the river and in the tree?' In my mind I am thinking 'What?' I never thought of any of those questions. I thought the game was simply would you rather ... Roxcy however had a totally different interpretation and approach to the game.

I loved waking up to this every morning ... Lars is above the cab, you can barely see his leg.

Life on the Mississippi ...

I saw this statement on the pioneer path going out of Nauvoo toward the Mississippi River and I thought it was worth posting. Women's fight for equality seems to cross all time spans.

This is the Place (Breakdown Continued)

Seeing Pete stand like this, is a common sight for me ... thinking into the problem. I know in his mind he is figuring out a solution ... but every time I see him like this I think it is funny! Do you think it is a male thing ... I wonder?? What you are seeing here, is a great mind at work trying to figure out why our RV has stopped. After a lengthy discussion and consideration we decided to divert our trip to Utah, we did not want to take the risk of being stranded in the middle of nowhere. Utah was always in our plans. We planned to go to Yellow Stone Park ... see some bison, bear and hopefully moose and then head of to Utah. Stay with Lucy for a couple of weeks and then head back to Vermont with Marigold. I have learnt over the years to be open to the unexpected, which can often turn out to be better than the best laid plans.

Our drive through North Wyoming took us past the Devil's Tower ... some of you may recognise it from 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' ... a Steven Spielberg movie. It is very impressive ... even from a distance.

We arrived at Lucy's about 3am. It was a long and exhausting drive into the night ... done by me. We were so relieved to finally get here ... there is nothing like arriving home after a long hard day or journey and there is a light in the window, a nicely made bed and flowers in your room = love. This painting is one of Marigold's creations. I love these colours ... they remind me of sunset, sunrise, Lucy.

The view from Lucy's front lawn. The evening light here is spectacular ... whenever I think of Utah I think of this kind of landscape. 

Roxcy is reunited with her 'blankey'. I knitted this for her when she was born ... she has literally loved it death, she takes it almost everywhere, but mostly to bed or sitting on the couch watching TV ... it is now falling apart and comes in pieces. When we left on our road trip Chris forgot to pack it ... when we arrived at Lucy's it was waiting for Roxcy. She was thrilled to have 'blankey' with her again.

I am obssessed with this little girl ... Marigold ... she is a most rewarding child.

These three are like a tornado, loud and all over the place ... they play really well together. Roxcy is a good leader ... she keeps Marigold and Pena in line.

We have been doing some fun things while here in Utah. We spent a day at Lagoon Amusement Park ... lots of rides and swimming. Sash and I went on a mild and more extreme roller coaster ride. I was so proud of myself ... I was terrified. What is it that makes the terror all part of the fun? Here we all are, our entertainment crew, at the Zoo. Pete got to see bears, at last.

I hate the idea of animals being taken out of their natural environment and relocated to confined spaces ... there is something about it that I find deeply distressing. The children however loved seeing all the animals ... and there were many, snakes, crocodiles, very large turtles, a tiger and giraffes, to name a few. I was completely enamoured by this giraffe ... I thought it looked so elegant and I love the pattern of its coat, it is perfectly symmetrical, if that is the right word, it looked stunning up close and I could not take my eyes of it.

Lars loves Star Wars Lego ... he has a lot of it. Pete and Lars are deep in contemplative thought ... trying to figure out what went wrong here.

The sunset view from Lucy's balcony ... every night it looks like this ... with differing shades of pink, orange and red. 

When we were in Utah last year we discovered the Hatch Family chocolate store, they make the best hot chocolates ... ever. I could not wait to try one again. It was worth the drive across country. I highly recommend their dark hot chocolate. I promise, you will not be disappointed, particularly if you are a hot chocolate lover like I am.

These dresses took me down memory lane. I was introduced to smocking by Marg Cammock and I spent many enjoyable hours making dresses, like these ones for Lucy and Alice. I was thrilled to see Roxcy and Marigold wearing them. They have lasted well. I have to admit I am pretty impressed with my hand work.

We have been reading Under the Mountain to Lars and Roxcy while we have been travelling. We did not have a TV when our children were growing up ... we read lots and lots of books to them ... The Hatchett, Lord of the Rings, The Elfstones of Shanara, they are some of the titles I remember. We would sit together as a family and I would usually read, until my throat was dry and hoarse. I loved it. We are loving reading to Lars and Roxcy ... there has been no resistance, they are really enjoying the book. Sometimes, if we are lucky they might snuggle into us, or lean up against us unconsciously. I love those moments ...