Travels of Steve and Cheryl Botts: May 2010

Friday, May 14, 2010

Touring the West with Dove

After we flew back to San Diego with our 13 year old granddaughter we began our whirlwind tour of the west. We had a busy day in San Diego and then headed to HER prime destination, Hollywood. It was great fun. We saw the walk of fame, the Kodak Theater, Graumann's Chinese Theater and then took a 2 hour bus tour through Bel Air and Beverly Hills. Afterwards we headed to Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum and really had fun posing with all the stars. Here are few of our favorite pictures.

It was then off to Las Vegas. We spent one entire day touring the strip and taking in all the shows. Steve and Dove rode the roller coaster at NY NY and Steve said "It got your attention". Cheryl stayed grounded and waited for the report. We saw the beautiful water show at the Bellagio as well as checked out the Rainforest Cafe in the MGM Grand. Dinner was a treat for Dove in Hard Rock Cafe and of course she got a shirt to remember it by.

Next was beautiful Zion National Park.

We were so lucky that our friends Bob and Robi Watkinson just happened to be in the same RV park. They were staying in Zion for a month and we all went hiking on our second day to Angel's Landing. Steve, Cheryl and Dove only made it as far as Scout's Landing but the hike was still spectacular. The Wiggles seen in this photo were really fun to hike.

When we got to the Narrows to hike the river, the hike was closed. You can see from the rushing water why.

From Zion we made our way to Page, AZ and the Glen Canyon Recreational Area. Our campsite was rigt on beautiful Lake Powell.

We took a bus tour to Antelope Canyon, saw Horseshoe Bend, and went on a tour of the Glen Canyon Dam.

Moved on to the Grand Canyon. Spent two nights in a trading post in Cameron. Dove had fun shopping in the huge store there. The day in the Grand Canyon started out very cool, but warmed up nicely. We rode the shuttle all the way to Hermit's Rest and then walked about 4 miles on the Rim Trail. Dove was really ready for her ice cream once that walk was finished!!

We had to change our plans somewhat due to a camper problem, so instead of Arches we headed to Flagstaff, AZ. Spent the arrival afternoon at the RV repair shop. The following day we headed to Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon. Dove loved all the shops in Sedona and after a stop in every shop, finally found a t-shrt she liked.

We did a wonderful 4 mile hike in Oak Creek Canyon, called West Fork Trail. Along the creek the entire way with five or six crossings.

We drove to Mesa Verde from Flagstaff in sustained 30 mile hour wind and sand storms at some points so thick we could see only 200 feet. The next day we went to see the Pueblo ruins. Toured Cliff House and Balcony House. Then made a drive to Durango so Dove could do a little more t-shirt shopping.

Unfortunately when we got ready to leave Mesa Verde discovered our landing gear was "still" not repaired. Finally got the 5th wheel onto the truck and headed for the Royal Gorge area of Colorado in Canon City. Went directly to another RV repair shop and determined we needed an entirely new motor and landing gear assembly. So, they took the RV off the truck and we "camped" in the RV repair lot for three days. We did have lots of fun at the Royal Gorge though.

This is a picture of the highest suspension bridge in the world.

Rode the incline to the bottom of the gorge and also the cable car across the gorge.

The next day, we took a fabulous all day rafting trip through the Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River. The river was rated class 4 so the entire day was a thrill. Dove rode in the front and was drenched. We all were totally exhausted at the end of the day. Here is a picture of the river as it passed through the gorge. We had fun waving to everyone as we rode the rapids!!

Since our RV was not yet ready to roll, we drove to Denver and spent our last night together in a hotel. Once we got checked in, we went mall shopping and found a Chick-fil-a where Dove was finally, after three long weeks, able to get her much needed fix of SWEET TEA!!!! She could not believe that no restaurant in the west made sweet tea. The next morning, with Dove safely on her flight home, we returned to Canon City. The RV repair was complete and we set off to Cheryl's favorite national park, Rocky Mountain National Park in Estes Park, Colorado. More on the rest of our summer adventure to come!!!!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

San Diego 2010

After a brief stop in Palm Springs to attend an LPGA golf tournament and play some golf ourselves, we headed to San Diego to spend a month. We stayed in a great location in Imperial Beach. This is the view from our back window and a view of our actual RV site.. The San Diego skyline can be seen if you look closely but the best part was that we were just off the Coronado bikeway. Had quite a few long rides, one all the way around San Diego Bay.

We were also close to the Tijuana Estuary. Luckily the estuary was in full bloom.

The RV resort is about a mile from Imperial Beach. Great place to walk on the pier and the beach.

We spent one day at Point Loma . The views were fantastic. The lighthouse is the second built on the point. The first was too high and covered by the "marine layer" more often than not.

Here is a view from atop Iron Mountain. This hike was about 6 miles but not too hard. The view from the top while having our picnic lunch was worth every step.

Boarding the ferry from Coronado to San Diego. Then riding back to Coronado.

View of downtown from the ferry ride.

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The first of May we made a quick trip to Tallahassee to see our beautiful new granddaughter. Cheryl got to babysit for one entire day and had quite a time playing. Bree is learning to crawl now. She changes every day.

We also went to Macon and visited Steve's daughter and her wonderful family. Of course with 7 children in that family, Cheryl had even more fun playing.

We then flew our oldest granddaughter, Dove, back to San Diego with us. Made a day of visiting Point Loma, Torrey Pines, La Jolla and the San Diego Harbor area. We are now off to take a whirlwind 3 week tour of the west with Dove.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Arizona 2010

Now that we are beginning our third year of full time rving, we are starting this blog. We have enjoyed our fourth winter in El Mirage, AZ. The RV resort is wonderful and every year we enjoy more and more of the activities. This year had many firsts. Cheryl learned to line dance or at least started learning. This is a real challenge for the mind but the best part was all the wonderful new friends she made along the way. Cheryl also increased her knowledge of stain glass making and made a 20 piece window hanging for the RV. We attended a spring training baseball game with a group of friends. Was a real blowout but still fun to see. We found lots of new hiking and biking opportunities in the Phoenix area. Every year we gain more and more insight about all the fun things in the Phoenix area.

We had lots of company this year too. Friends we met a few years ago in San Diego spent two months and we enjoyed hiking, biking and game playing with them. Also a couple we met four years ago on our first visit were back in the area and we enjoyed biking and dinner out. Karen and Bill came to visit too. We first met two years ago in West Palm Beach. Was so nice to spend some time at Lake Pleasant with them.

We made lots of new friends this year. Attended a few dances and had a great time. Of course we once again got to spend three months with our friends, Lily Mae and Walter Myer from Hingham, MT. They are our regular golf buddies and have become some of our best friends.