TOURING PROVO

Today was a great one.  First thing this morning Kathe and I took a long walk along the river and watched the ducks.  There were cows on the other side of the river loudly mooing a greeting which I was happy to return by barking my head off.

Most of the May flies were gone this morning.  A few hundred thousand didn't get the memo that they were supposed to mate and die in the 24 hour period.  I'm thinking that today's bugs were a little like the ones no one wanted to dance with at cotillion, only stuck to the wall forever.

After breakfast, while I took a nap Kathe and Jim decided to go sight seeing instead of the bike ride they had planned.  Something about getting bugs in there teeth.

They decided instead to tour Brigham Young University. By calling ahead they were able to get a private tour of the entire campus.  A student from the School of Communications and Public Relations drove them around on a golf cart pointing out all of the buildings and sculptures on campus.  This is a picture of the library which is actually four stories high, but only one story is visible from this level. This was finals week, so there were some students walking around the campus.  Students must comply with a code of conduct and dress appropriately, also the men must be clean shaven.  It was refreshing to see, imagine 30,000 students and not one scruffy face, no short shorts and  no crop tops with belly buttons showing!

Later in the day they went to the Utah Pioneer Village where they saw several structures from the early days here in Provo.  There was a schoolhouse and several homes that have been restored and furnished to the way they might have looked in the late 1800's. You have been spared an account of the Provo Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum as it was closed today.

MAY FLY FRENZY

We arrived here in Provo, Utah at the Lakeside RV Campground and the first thing we asked the camp host was, "Where's the Lake?"  We've been tricked like that before, so when we pulled in and didn't see any water we were a little upset. 

No worries, the Utah Lake State Park is just a half mile down the road and it's gigantic!  In addition there is a scenic doggie walk all along the Provo River bordering the RV Park on three sides.  There are also lots of mature poplar and sycamore trees all throughout the park.


Everything was beautiful until we noticed that our window screens were covered with little yellow flying bugs.  Yuck! I really hate bugs, and these don't even taste good.  Seems there is a 24 hour infestation of mating Mayflies, and they are flying all over the place.  They like the windshield and the sides of the slide-outs the best which really makes Jim more than a little upset.  Out comes the Mary-Moppins!

Then after lunch, the wind started blowing a gale and tree branches started falling from the sky, and to top it all off it started to rain! So much for our beautiful afternoon at the lake.

We made the best of it, going for a walk in between the rain showers and taking some pictures of the river and the lake.  It's bound to be sunny tomorrow and then we can complain about the heat.

RESTING IN FILLMORE

We left the beautiful red rocks of Zion this morning and headed north to our next stop in Fillmore, Utah.  The little town of Fillmore has a population of 2,253 and is located in Millard County.  Millard Fillmore. Get it?  I don't!  The town was named by Brigham Young when he established Fillmore as the capital of the State of Deseret.  Great plan, but the United States of America changed the name of the state to Utah and the capital became Salt Lake City. All that was left was this small part of a building that was supposed to be the Capitol. 

This little building is now a museum maintained by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.  Good news, the museum was closed today so I don't have to report all the boring things Kathe and Jim seem to think are so interesting in these small towns, but they did take a picture.

Instead, after a tour of the town, we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing.  Well, Kathe and I relaxed while Jim took a bike ride down one of the many ATV trails in this area.  Millard County is the home of the National ATV Jamboree and there are over 3000 miles of trails in the  Fishlake National Forest.  Jim  only road a few miles but he had a wonderful time. Here is a picture he took on the road.


We are staying at one of the very best KOA's tonight with lots of grass, flowers and trees.  It's just far enough off the I-15 that we can't hear any traffic noise, no screaming kids, just the pleasant chirping of the birds.

A LITTLE RAIN MUST FALL

It started raining this morning at about 5:30 so I figured it was a good time to wake up Kathe and go for a little walk.  She put a hoodie over her head, but I could tell she wasn't smiling.  We didn't get too wet and muddy, nothing a little dip in the kitchen sink wouldn't fix.

The motor home and the car got all dirty from the dust and the rain, but the temperature went down to a cool 80 degrees so no one was complaining too much.  At least there weren't any kids screaming in the playground this morning and we all slept in until the rain stopped. 

Kathe and Jim took the shuttle bus up to the Temple of Sinawava to take the 2 mile Riverwalk Trail. They watched the people wade into the river to walk up to the Narrows.  That part of the trail is entirely in the Virgin River and not too many people went very far down into the canyon.  Some people were wet up to their knees but many turned back as soon as they felt the cold water.

After that hike they went on another shorter hike to the weeping rock. It was only a 1/2 mile hike but it was very steep and that just about pooped them out.

Right now, even though the sun came out again,  they are both back in the motor home just laying around napping and playing candy crush.  I hope things perk up soon and Jim doesn't forget that he promised to barbecue some steaks tonight.

BEAUTIFUL ZION

Did you know when a F-18 flies over your motor home it vibrates the floor so much that there are white cap waves in your water bowl?  That really happened this morning before we left Las Vegas.  Guess we'll pick a different RV Park on the trip back home.

The good news was that we were not too far from the I-15 so we were on the road early this morning traveling up to Utah.  It's really been very hot so Kathe and Jim are keeping the air conditioning on at full blast just for me.

We drove through the beautiful Virgin River Gorge where many years ago the river carved a path through the mountains.  It was such a steep and curvy road that the chairs fell over and the freezer flew open, but we made it in one piece to Zion.  Trying to take a picture while the coach is moving is a challenge but I think I got one good one.



We aren't staying in the National Park this time, Kathe made a reservation at the Zion Canyon RV Resort, and it's just perfect.  This is our view from our site, just below the massive red cliffs, and right along the Virgin River.  We are within walking distance of the park entrance and there is a shuttle right out in front of the resort.

The only thing is, I wish they had a doggy park, but I guess it's too hot to make friends anyway.  And by the way, the squirrels here are being fed by the tourists and are so fat and slow I bet I'll get lucky!

A HORNET'S NEST

Our first day on the road was a long one.   We spent at least an hour loading up the motor home this morning, so we didn't exactly get an early start.  I watched while Jim brought in load after load of food, wine and clothing, paying special attention to the dog food and chicken treats. I had to make sure we didn't forget the important stuff.  Kathe's job was to stow things away and try to remember where she put everything.   Note to self: extra chicken treats are under the bed.

The drive was pretty boring, nothing to look at but desert and more desert.  I twiddled my paws until all of a sudden we saw the monstrous  hotels on the strip.  We were lucky enough to arrive in town right in the middle of rush hour.  I thought traffic was bad in Los Angeles, but this place is much worse.  Seven lanes of bumper to bumper traffic for at least 12 miles before we finally found our exit.

Now I must tell you about the Hitchin' Post RV Resort.  Somebody must have paid off Trailer Life, Trip Adviser and the Good Sam Club.  This place is rated 9.5-9.5-9.5 !!!!  Well, it's true they do have paved roads and a grassy dog park like the review said, but they left out one tiny detail.  NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE.  It's right next to us.  The fighter jets were dive bombing right overhead when we arrived and just stopped about an hour ago.  We're going to sleep now while it's quiet.  They  told me there will be an early wake up call.  An F-18 Super Hornet wake-up call!

THREE, TWO, ONE WE'RE OFF!

Well, it's that time again...Road Trip!!!  All systems were go until lunchtime today when Jim told Kathe and I that he didn't want to stay at the Thousand Trails Park in Vegas tomorrow night.  Something about a nice clean, shiny motorhome and a dirty, dusty campground.  

So,  here I am at the last minute changing our reservation to a different RV park.  Looking for one with a grassy dog park,  paved RV sites and of course no dust.  Wish me luck at the Hitching Post RV Resort, it's right on Las Vegas Boulevard.  As long as the air conditioning works, you know I'll be happy.  It's 105 degrees right now in Las Vegas.

Of course, Kathe and Jim will probably be in some cool casino trying to win enough money for gas while I hold down the fort. Here we go!