Heading east

7/10
After some rest and relaxation in Vegas we packed up Bucky and we started East.
Went by the Hoover Dam where they are constructing a bridge to bypass the old road which goes right on top of the dam. The two sides of the bridge have been connected, nust ne they used the modern day version of the golden spike. Impressive engineering task. On to the Grand Canyon where we did a quick drive by and stopped for a few shots.
We didn’t do any hikes here as we had on our last visit.
Grand Canyon pics ----v
http://picasaweb.google.com/bigtcas/2009_07_10_GrandCanyon?authkey=Gv1sRgCK_CueulhuTr6wE

7/11
Toured Mesa Verde and went on a few short hikes, including one guided hike into one of the dwellings. Really enjoyed looking at the various cliff dwellings. Continued on our way east through Southern Colorado, on the way we saw people in the river next to the road so we stopped and checked it out. There was a place where you could jump into the river and float through the rapids. The rapids pushed you under water for about twenty to thirty feet but then you popped up. It was a little odd to watch your kid(s) disappear underwater only to resurface downstream. I think Momma Bear was having a stroke. We enjoyed our refreshing dip and then hopped back into Bucky to go to Great Sand Dunes National Park. We arrived at Sand Dunes just as the sun was setting. Lots and lots of sand, we ran around in the dunes and then split as the bugs were coming out, first bugs this trip.
Mesa Verde pics ---v
http://picasaweb.google.com/bigtcas/2009_07_11_MesaVerde?authkey=Gv1sRgCOLQorX9hvOllQE


7/12
Travelled through Colorado and ended the day in Grand Island Nebraska. Finished our day at a small water park and enjoyed the wave pool, lazy river, and big water slides.
Spent the night at a resort (Super 8 Motel) and yes we were inside of it not just in the parking lot…this time.
Nebraska pics ---v
http://picasaweb.google.com/bigtcas/2009_07_12_Nebraska?authkey=Gv1sRgCMekgMjf9o6HygE

7-11-09 -Danny

7-11-09

Mesa Verde was so cool. It was one of the places I wanted to go to and I’m glad we did. One the journey we climbed up ladders 30ft high and had to hold onto chains to get up a cliff. And when we got to the bottom we could look around at these kivas that were houses underground with a fire pit area and a chimney like ventilation. There were also other buildings underneath the rock that went up. Parts had begun to crumble but you could see they built balconies and got water from these spots where the water had slowly traveled through the sand stone rock above them. Oh I forgot to say we got to go down in one of the kivas at this different place it was so cool (temperature) in there. After Mesa Verde we drove a lot to the Sand Dunes we got there really late but still got to run up them it was so bizarre. I mean there were mountains all around us and right in the middle is like this pile of sand… weird. After our quick stop it was like pitch black and there was many deer crossing the road. As we drove we had to go really slowly three times we saw deer crossing. One time we saw two young fawns. After getting out of there we got to a motel………….parking lot. And fell asleep.

7-10-09 -Danny

7-10-09

After Vegas we had along drive to the grand canyon and along the way we smelled something disgusting in the car. First my family accused my shoes of the stench. They did smell but they weren’t as bad as the other putrid smell in the car. Finally after looking around we found out it was some moldy cheeese mom left out it was disgusting we threw the container out with it. When we reached the Grand Canyon it was amazing. Even having seen it before it still was breath taking. After the Grand Canyon we went to the 4 corners where to our dismay they weren’t open. However we heard from somebody else that we didn’t miss much and saved some good money not going figuring that that’s not the exact location anymore. Oops. As night came we checked into a motel and went to sleep.

Las Vegas -Danny

Las Vegas

Our Vegas stop has been a blast. No more painless waiting for your food over the fire to cook or starting the fire for that matter. Also we have a shower! So far we’ve seen a comedy/magician show staring Mac King he was amazing. I don’t know how he did any of his tricks they were realy cool and hilarious. Katie had been in the pool all the time and we all go down too. Mom and Dad are having luck in the Casinos. Double yay! Plus we spent like a whole day at Circus Circus there they had some awesome rides where I had to drag Katie onto. I remember on one of the scary one’s she was yelling “Danny! Danny!, I’m gonnaaaaaaa killlllllll yooooouuu! It was hilarious seeing her face as we flipped upside down as we spun on CHAOS. We also went on a Stratosphere like ride except bit smaller (well probably a lot smaller). Still it was freaky! You got shot straight up probably 100 feet in the air then you just stopped for like 5 seconds looking down then dropped. It was so sweet. Katie didn’t like it and I wasn’t gonna do it again. As we went through the rides we found one awesome game Laser Tag. There were many tunnels and holes in the walls, it made the one in Vermont look like a joke. We played that many times. Sometimes working together sometimes not. I won the majority of the games but it was still close. Can’t believe the trip is almost over.

-Danny

A word from Bucky…..

Seems like it’s to me for me to defend myself a little bit. First of all for those that don’t know me let me tell you a little about myself. My name is Bucky and I am a 1990 Ford Econoline van, camper top, am fm cassette TV, AC, Automatic transmission with a few miles (130,000+/-). But when I see my reflection in another car’s chrome bumper, I got to say I look pretty good.
I was bought by the Stames family last winter from a dealer in Vermont who said that I had previously been owned by two little old ladies who treated me very well, yah whatever, we’ll stick to that story. I spent the winter basically hibernating and when spring rolled around I just sat in the yard and soaked up the rays. Life was good.
I went on a few excursions with Tom’s soccer team to Burlington, rotten stinky kids but not too much work required on my part. I started to hear muttering about a ‘trip’ planned for the summertime but not too many details. In June there was more activity for me and I was taken to a mechanic to have a checkup. That’s so embarrassing when they pop open your hood and start poking around. The good news is that I got an oil change first one in a loooong time, oops I mean just another regularly scheduled maintenance that I always had with my previous owners (wink,wink).
The day for the trip was now upon us and I was ready for a journey perhaps we would go to Burlington or perhaps as far as St. Albans. My two tanks were filled and away we went, 100 miles no stops, Welcome to New York state, 200 miles no stops, welcome to Canada 300 miles no stops, ummm excuse me but can I get a little break. Does this fanily ever have to pee ?? We finally pulled into a gas station as both my tanks were dry and I was thirsty. I was shut off for a much needed break when Tom tried to restart me I said I don’t think so, I am tired but he hooked me up to a Canadian Dodge and they boosted some life back into me. The Stames family was puzzled as to why I wouldn’t start, well perhaps if they had driven me around a little they would have ‘ciphered out the fact that I don’t like to start when I am warmed up. Well with the extra boost from the Dodge, I was ready to go, surely we would be heading home soon…but noooo.. we kept heading west for another 200 miles. I was all set for a nice shady peaceful campground and a good night’s sleep…but nooo..they park me in the middle of a Walmart parking lot and shut me off. They immediately try to restart me, surprise surprise I didn’t start up, did they think a nice drive in the countryside would magically cure me ????
We all had a nice sleep and I roared to life in the morning, they filled up my tanks and away we went for another 250 miles when they decided it was best to take me to a garage and have me checked out ….good idea Einstein family !!
I was hooked up to more contraptions then you can imagine. The Ford certified mechanic determined that it was my starter that was bad and Tom agreed and said that what was he had diagnosed as well. The Ford master service mechanic was I am sure glad to have Tom’s input.
A new starter was installed and we rested for the night. Next day lo and behold away we go again… 700 miles !!! Where the heck are we going ? Day after day we drive and drive, stop and take pictures etc, etc. We finally get to Yellowstone and there I am faced with mountain passes that have me climbing to 9600 feet. Now this wouldn’t be so bad but I am lugging the entire Stames family, did I mention that they brought clothes, a tent, stove, pots, pans, cupboard, sleeping bags, a grill! …I am surprised there wasn’t a washer and dryer thrown in for good measure !!
I performed admirably considering what was being asked of me. It wasn’t until Yellowstone that I got a little steamed and finally Tom decided to pop the hood and at least check on my fluids, remember I was used to being spoiled by the two little old ladies who used to own me. We finally arrived in Wendover, NV after driving past the Bonneville Salt Flats home of the land speed record of 600 plus mph. I am sure I could have topped that but I wasn’t given the chance. I was parked in the hotel parking lot for the night. The next morning the Stames family came out to go but what wait a minute remember above I had said I was carting around the entire Stames family… well apparently I did not have the entire Stames family, two more appeared, where they came from I don’t know. Well they all pile in and say they want to go UP a hill to see the view. Ummm excuse me but does good old Bucky get a vote in the matter, apparently not. I even heard the new Stames lady said that I looked better in my pictures, well harrumphhh!
The next day we bid a fond adieu to the additional Stames clan and the original Vermont Stames clan and I headed to Great Basin National Park. I welcomed the relief from climbing mountain passes in Yellowstone and look forward to going down hill in a basin. Well we arrived there and the elevation at the visitor center was 5000 feet but there was a road to the summit that climbed to 10,000 feet. Excuuuse me, you want me to pull everyone up another 5000 feet !!! Again I was not consulted, and away we went. I made it to 7500 feet and the stopped. I had a little bit of a breakdown and was spewing antifreeze and was overheated. I was not going any farther uphill. Tom popped my hood and I spilled my guts alond with some antifreeze. We had a good heart to carburetor talk. I asked him how he would like it if someone was on his back always pushing him, making him do more and never asking for his opinion. He said he could not relate but it did indeed sound awful. He replaced the fluid that I had puked out and headed me downhill, off for a scenic drive across Utah.
A few days later and we are in Mesquite,NV and the evil family decides that since it is only 100 degrees there we should drive across the desert to Las Vegas where it is 108 degrees. Guess who has to do the transporting. So off we go across the desert and they decide now is the time to try the AC, which of course works fine but is more demanding of me. I give them the ultimatum, you want to go across the desert fine but no AC or maybe just a smattering, I reminded them that the desert is not where they wanted to be with me having m y hood up. I suggest they use the 260 air conditioning, that’s right 2 windows open at 60 miles an hour.
I got a well deserved break in Las Vegas, I just hung out in the parking lot for a few nights, Every night I had a different car next to me. Hey, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

Trying to get caught up on some our travels. Still some more updating to do.
All is well on the road !!


7/1/09
Moab, Utah
We spoiled ourselves last night and stayed at a luxury resort, which in Spanish is called Les Grandes Ocho Hacienda (english translation Super 8 Motel). Drove a few miles up the road to Arches National Park. Did a two mile hike to Landscape Arch, which has a span of 300 ft. Great hike. Then drove farther into the park and did a mile hike to Delicate Arch. Great scenery and awesome rock formations. We then retreated back to our fabulous resort for a swim at the pool. Moab has lots of rafting companies offering trips down the Colorado River that flows through town. I left the kids and Carolyn and drove into town and inquired about where we could swim in the river. First place I stopped said to drive twenty miles to a spot, second spot I inquired said don’t go in the river it’s dangerous and they are still looking for a body from a few weeks ago. Stopped in at a little art gallery and asked some locals, they said not to go in the Colorado River but gave me directions to a little place called Mill Creek. I went back to the resort and dragged the family out of the pool and said we were going to check out another place. Drove a mile down the road and then hiked along a stream up a canyon and after about a half mile arrived at this great little swimming hole. We had a blast jumping off the rocks into the water.
While the kids and I were jumping in the water Carolyn started talking to a 20 yr old girl
that was there supervising a few kids (please, let the record show that it was not me that started the conversation with the girl in the swimsuit). Turns out the girl, Melisa, was a camp counselor and was really into mountain biking. Carolyn mentioned that Katie had done the Dirt Divas mountain biking camp in Vermont last year. Melisa had gone to a mountain biking seminar by Nadine Budbill who runs the Dirt Diva camp. Melisa then said that she remembered seeing Katie on the Dirt Diva’s website. Small world !!
After our trip to the swimming hole it was back to the resort for another swim. We then went up the road to Canyonlands Nat’l Park. We did a quick mile hike there to Upheaval Dome and watched the sun go down. Back to the resort to get some shuteye.
Photos from July 1st ----v
http://picasaweb.google.com/bigtcas/2009_07_01_Moab?authkey=Gv1sRgCMit3ufHzYrMwAE



7/2/09

After our two day stay at the luxury resort we hit the road and headed for Capitol Reef National Park. We arrived at Capitol Reef and inquired about hikes in the park. We were told that there were flash flood warnings so it was not advisable to hike into the canyons. We drove around the park and checked out the sights. Then on the road again. Our next stop was Calf Creek Recreation area. We hiked for three miles up a box canyon before we came to a 120 ft waterfall and dove in to the pool at the base of the falls, quite refreshing !!! We then hiked the three miles out of the canyon and continued on Rte 12 in Utah. The road at some points had no shoulders and sheer cliffs on both sides of the road. We stopped at a campground that was about 10 miles from Bryce Canyon National Park. On the way we saw cattle grazing on the open range, no fences, highway is part of the pasture. After avoiding buffalo and bears on the road in Yellowstone it was odd to have to be on the lookout for cows.
Photos from July 2nd ----v
http://picasaweb.google.com/bigtcas/2009_07_02_MoabEscalante?authkey=Gv1sRgCMCBv4T3pOn7cw

7/3/09
Woke up and headed to Bryce Canyon. We did a hike to Queen’s Garden in the park . The hike is touted as the most scenic three mile hike in the world. Not sure who does the rating but it was a great hike with beautiful rock formations. A lot of great views of the orange rock formations in Bryce Canyon. We the took a short drive and stopped early at a campground with a pool and just hung out and played cards and had supoper over the campfire. We had driven in to ‘town’ to pick up some groceries, the groicery story did not have much, ie the meat section had hamburg, hot dogs and a few chicken breasts. I gues if you live in this part of the country you raise your own beef. Played hearts after supper, no need to say who won but his name rhymes with Mad.
Photos from July 3rd ----v
http://picasaweb.google.com/bigtcas/2009_07_03_Bryce?authkey=Gv1sRgCJGggav4qdG5lgE

7/4/09
On to Zion National Park. Arrived at Zion at start of day and Danny, Katie and I saddled up for a horseback ride. As we were waiting to have our horses selected we noticed that one was a extra strong one. The cowboys assigned that horse to me, must be they took one look at my broad shoulders and figured I was the cowboy that could handle such a strong horse. We had a good time with our horseback ride across the river and through the canyon. Carolyn took a hike, somehow she missed the horseback riding. She’s just no Annie Oakley. We net up after the ride and went for a three mile hike to the Emerald pools where we could jup in to the water, which was quite refreshing as it was 97 degrees. We the rode the shuttle bus up to another riverside walk into the canyon. After our hikes we pressed on to Mesquite Nevada and stayed at a hotel with a pool and watched the fireworks (all five minutes of them!).
Photos from July 4th ----v
http://picasaweb.google.com/bigtcas/2009_07_04_Zion_Mesquite?authkey=Gv1sRgCOqpqcuFxsiVAQ

Two Cents from the Peanut Gallery

6/4/09
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP SO FAR
*Spending quality time with my family 24/7.
*Observing all of the wildlife in Yellowstone and the Tetons.
*Hiking Trout Lake in bear country, Yellowstone. Yes, we’ve seen 4 Grizzly Bears. I was rather daunted by the experience.
*Touring Mount Rushmore, Rushmore caves, and Devils Tower.
*River rafting on the Shoshone River in Cody, Wyoming.
*Swimming and picnicking at Bear Lake in Utah. The water was so beautiful and clear.
*Visiting with Dad and Vi in Wendover, Nevada.
*Hiking in Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Park.
*Trusting Tom on his wild goose chase hikes, which has lead us to beautiful waterfalls.
*Watching the sunrise in Cannonville, Utah.
*Playing great games of Hearts with our family. (It’s a card game)


AHA MOMENTS
*Tom drives by the first casino in Hoganburg, New York and doesn’t stop.
*Our van not starting after the first fuel stop. We had to ask a man for a jump. We ended up having the starter replaced.
*Tom buying the movie, Close Encounters of the third after we toured Devil’s Tower. I just keep falling asleep when we try to watch it.
*To think that Danny is the cleanest member of the Stames family. He has to have a shower every day. Showers in Yellowstone cost $3.25 per person.
*Doing laundry after one week, and only folding a pair of underwear from 2 different people.
*Bucky not making the trek up Great Basin National Park. Let’s just say it involved anti-freeze.
*Danny seemed to have misplaced his watch and camera.
-Carolyn