Category: Adventures Page 2 of 10

We left Grand Junction and decided to head West to Moab and Arches National Park and get Utah’s Mighty 5 in on our way home for Thanksgiving.

We drove through Castle Valley on the way to Moab/Arches and it was so pretty.  We decided we were going to drive into Arches today, but camp along the river.

Arches National Park. 11th National Park.

Arches National Park.  These famous and not as well known arches (there are over 2000 in the park) are created from the forces of water, but not a stream or river.  Instead its the freeze/thaw cycle of water or “frost-wedging”.

From the weight and pressure of some 5,000 feet of sedimentary rock, a large layer of salt buckled and thrust upward layers of rock also creating “vertical” faults. The formations visible today are from the salmon colored “Entrada Sandstone” (140 mya) and the “Navajo Sandstone” (210 mya)

Biological Soil Crust: Everywhere in this high desert area of Utah & Colorado we are taught about Biological Soil Crust. What is it??

Biological Soil Crust is made up of algae, cyanobacteria, lichens, mosses, liverworts, and fungi. It forms a dark lumpy surface that absorbs rainwater and holds sand grains together and can turn desert sand into soil. It takes decades for a thick crust to form. Up to 250 years in its mature forms. One step can harm/kill the biological soil crust. Biological Soil Crust has many uses.

It prevents erosion. The crust stabilizes the sand and soil. Cyanobacteria has sticky filaments which hold sand and soil particles together.

Helps retain moisture. The crust expands with rainwater and can hold water better than soil after a rain.

Adds nutrients to the soil and makes the soil more fertile. Some Cyanobacteria and lichens fix nitrogen from the air and make it available in the soil in forms that plants can use.

After a stop at the visitor center we went back up the valley to camp along the Colorado River. Which is green by the way compared to the brown of the Mississippi.

Edwin wanted another day to play with Omar so he went to work with him and helped him clean out the catch pits in his car wash.

Thanks Che for playing tour guide and taking us to Colorado National Monument.

We then hung out with Omar’s parents Theresa and Walid

Edwin went golfing with Omar, Che, and their dad Walid.

The girls and I spent our day going to thrift shops, grabbing lunch and walking around a bit before we picked up Owen from school and got some ice cream.

Oh and great RV news, just the screw holding the motor in place came loose so it was an easy and quick fix so Edwin was able to pick the RV back up today.

Che came over for dinner and it was really nice to have a nice, at home, family dinner.

Owen was scared of Daisy at first, but their friends now

And the girls having fun playing with real toys. Mr. Potato head and magnatiles were the crowd favorite.

A stressful morning.

We left early in the am at 7:30 so we could get to Camping World right when it opened at 8am. They promptly told us that they could help us in 6 weeks and they didn’t have enough room in the yard for us to park it. We drove around in circles for awhile making phone calls to all the RV places in the area with basically the same response. We finally parked at a Home Depot as Edwin had the bright idea of getting a piece of wood to jam between the slide out to at least prevent it sliding out a few inches as we were driving. We spent another 1 or 2 with the warranty people that of course sent us to the other warranty place that then sent us back to the manufacturer because they said their extended warranty only kicks in after the manufacture warranty ends. They gave us the “ok” to get it fixed from a “non-authorized Thor dealer” and with no one available in the Denver area, Edwin called around in Grand Junction and got us an appointment at 8am tomorrow. Nicely done. Lets hope its a quick fix. Edwin’s best friend from UCSB lives in Grand Junction so after we secured the slide out we were off.

It was a beautiful drive over the pass, through the valley, through Breckenridge and Vail. We stopped in Vail to walk around, went to the ski and snowboard museum, got some pizza, and were off.

Window shopping in Vail

Vera has been asking and asking to take the bus…it finally dane while we were walking back to the car and we got to ride it for a whole 2 stops and realized we should’ve gotten off the 1 before…but she was a happy camper

Vail is supposed to open on Friday…but i don’t see it…maybe??

We didn’t get far before we stopped off in the thrift shops in Eagle.

Shine if you are reading this…a thousand apologies…Just as we were driving through Breckenridge we remembered you live around Denver and feel completely lame that it didn’t pop into our head a few days ago. Especially since I just looked up where Superior was and we could’ve met you on the way into Estes Park, or out, or you could’ve gone bike riding with us. I’m pretty sure we’ll be back this way again as we also have to see the Wolinski’s again.

Edwin is beating himself up at the moment, but is instantly in a happy place when we gets to see Omar. Thanks for having us Omar, Hannah, and Owen, its nice to get to spend some time together.

Beautiful sunrise this morning.

A little morning math.

The girls are starting their Christmas song practice. Not a bad backdrop…

We drove up the pass as far as we could. They close the Trail Ridge Road going up and over the pass in early October until May so unfortunately we could not drive over the continental divide.

Continental Divide: Separates the watersheds of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. As rain/snow falls it either goes West and flows into the Colorado River ending up into the Pacific Ocean. If it flows to the east in Colorado it primarily feeds into the Platte River, which then flows into the Missouri, to the Mississippi, to the Gulf, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The big plus of being here in the fall/winter with the roads closed…you can bring your dog on the roads in national parks and we can go bike riding on all the closed roads.

We decided to ride up the Old Falls River Road to Chasm Falls and didn’t quite realize the elevation gain we got ourselves into. The girls were not quite happy in the moment, but Daisy, Edwin, and I were quite happy to feel the burn in our legs and lungs. It was a good 5 mile back/forth, but at above 9,500 feet in elevation it sure felt like more.

Daisy fell asleep on Edwin’s helmet about 2.2 seconds after we started driving

We stopped at the visitor center for junior ranger pledges and in town for some ice cream and to return library books.

On our way out of Rocky Mountain National Park we had a great visit with family. Well Mike’s family (brother in law), but they are all so great and sweet that they’re our family too. We got to see Kathy and Tom’s new home in Thornton, which its always nice to see them. Not to mention they had warm brownies and banana muffins waiting for us and many hot cups of coffee. Thank you Tom and Kathy.

Then we went down to Littleton and descended upon the Wolinski’s there. Even with the not best timing of…returning home from hunting about 10 minutes before we got there and remodeling their home, we felt warm and welcomed. We had a great dinner at the Breckenridge Brewery, but an even lovelier time sitting on the only sittable surface in their home, their staircase🤣 It’s always a fun evening with Matt & Theresa and the girls had even more fun playing with Delaney. It was good to see you too Aidan 🙂 Thanjs for having us Matt & Theresa and cant wait to see it all done.

Unfortunately we went to bed feeling slightly stressed tonight because on the drive out of Rocky Mountain National Park in the super turny drive from Estes Park, the whole slide out SLID OUT while we were driving a few inches. Pretty scary and super annoying because are we “stuck” somewhere we don’t want to be again because we have to get something fixed AGAIN?!? Ugh…this is a big deal, and possibly a big fix and I’m not looking forward to it.

Good Morning Daisy ☀️

It was a beautiful sunny day and we had a lovely day of just kicking at the campground.

The girls and I went on a bike ride around the campground while Edwin tooled around the RV changing out the solar controller. Talk about windy. It felt like we were riding bikes in cement.

When we got back, Vera got to work helping Edwin. It was pretty cute watching her climb under the truck with Edwin getting dirty. Vera is now telling me what she was doing. “I connected the solar plugs. I went under the truck and screwed in some screws. I did some wiring. And, yeah, that took a long time though.” I’m pretty sure Edwin was the happiest.

Isabella and I were more than content reading a book in the sun. It ended up being great that we went to the library yesterday. I don’t know the last time I’ve sat for hours straight reading a book.

The Moraine Park Campground is super fun and a lot to explore right there with lots of rocks and trees to climb on. And the little river was easily accessible as well.

It is dark and cold by about 5:30/6 so we snuggled in bed and read some more and both Vera and I both finished our books. This was a huge deal for Vera who often has a hard time finishing a book she has started. And this wasn’t a little book either, almost 300 pages. Yes, Isabella…she finished the 2 books she rented yesterday. What a treat.

Even though there’s some snow on the ground it’s a beautiful day. It automatically feels good to be back in mountains.

We did our usual first stop at national parks…went to the visitor center, picked up junior ranger packets, and watched the videos.

We then decided to go into town to track down some information about Edwin’s family who used to live in town since it was Friday. We went to the library and were able to get a temporary library card to check out a few books. The girls were beyond excited. We ended up at the Estes Park museum before we headed back into the park for lunch at Bear Lake. The parking lot was full. On a Friday, in November… We had a tasty lunch of fresh baguette, prosciutto, cheese, tomato, cucumber, and avocado, pretty sure my favorite lunch.

We then did the obligatory hike around Bear Lake up to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake, and Emerald Lake. The trail was snowy, but was all packed down because it’s a pretty well used trail. A lot of people were hiking with crampons but we forgot to rent some while we were in town but we ended up being fine. A little slip n sliding, but the fun kind.

The highlight was definitely “skating around” on the already frozen Nymph Lake with just our shoes

We were back at camp by 4:30, enjoyed some rollie pollies by the fire while it was still light and were tucked inside the RV by 6.

The driving to and from different cities combined with going to a new museum, national park, or educational site etc…has left us with less “free” time then I thought we’d be having. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all been for the most part pleasurable , but it’s also been a lot of work and “grind”.

It’s a little pathetic but we bought pumpkins on Halloween and partially because we decided to drive from Wisconsin to Minnesota and partially because it’s been so cold we never carved them. So it’s been a week and was definitely…carve them today or throw them out.

We had a great little camp spot on Lake Shawnee in Topeka Kansas and more importantly there was ☀️ sun. Sunday was a beautiful day too, but we were at the game. Anyway, we had a mellow morning and carved the pumpkins in t-shirts, in 60 degree weather. Very exciting let me tell you.

Of course we then let them climb on top of the RV to drop them down and have them explode

Where are we going now? Where are we going next? St. Louis? I’ve been wanting to see the Missouri go into the Mississippi, but we look at the weather and it’s supposed to rain the next 2 days…

We have been planning to come home for Thanksgiving so we decided to head west and do Colorado and Utah while it’s still nice. We looked at the weather forecast and even though the night temperatures are cold it gets nice during the day so we’re taking advantage. So happy we did an about face because on our drive over this came up as a trending article.

Record lows dating back to 1872. Lovely.

“We conclude in the field of public education the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

This ruling was delivered on May 17, 1954, by U.S. supreme court justice Earl Warren by unanimous ruling in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education.

This was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that American state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality.

The Brown v. Board of Education was 1 of 5 cases brought to the U.S. Supreme Court on February 28, 1951. The four other cases were…

Boiling v. Sharpe in Washington, District of Columbia

Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County FarmVille, Virginia

Bulah v. Gebhart and Bolton v. Gebhart in Wilmington, Delaware

Briggs v. Elliot Summerton, Clarendon County, South Carolina

As a direct result of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments Jim Crow laws were enacted

Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that legalized racial segregation.

Jim Crow laws affected every section of daily life. Segregated schools. Segregated public pools. Segregated hospitals. Segregated phone booths. Segregated drinking fountains. Segregated homes for the elderly and handicapped. Separate movie theaters. Segregated sections in the library. Pretty much everything in daily life was segregated.

Here is a map of the states were segregation of schools were mandatory, optional or not allowed.

In Plessy V Ferguson, 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation for public facilities as long as the segregated facilities were equal in quality.

In the Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling.

Many cases including the Brown v. Board of Education had lost in their original courts because of Plessy v. Ferguson. For instance, in Topeka Kansas where the Brown V Board of Education case took place there was no gross inferiority of the segregated schools it’s physical space, curriculum, or staff.

Two psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark were a big part of proving the harmfulness of segregation. In their study they gave 5 to 7-year-old African-American children a black dog in a white dog. Then they asked him several questions such as… Which doll is the smartest? Which doll is the nicest? Which doll do adults like? Which doll do you look like? From the study it was concluded that, “To separate African-American children from others of similar age and qualifications solely based because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone”

Whats interesting is also that there was a lot of international scrutiny of the United States about how the US was treating minorities, specifically African-Americans. There was a big political push at the time from abroad. This factored into why Plessy V Ferguson was actually overturned as well as why it was a unanimous decision by the courts. The courts felt it was imperative for unanimous decision so that there was no ambiguity or reason to fight and appeal the case.

Of course although the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Brown, it did NOT tell the states how to implement racial desegregation. Instead it used language such as “with all deliberate speed,” de-segregation was not swift or simple.

This led to stories such as the 9 in Arkansas and little Ruby Bridges. Ruby Bridges was the first African-American child to de-segregate the all white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana. Because of protest by the state, and the school, 4 U.S. marshals escorted Bridges to and from school each day. For over a year all but one teacher agreed to teach bridges and for over a year Barbara Henry taught ruby Bridges as if she were teach Ching a whole class

Other than the obvious why this was such a landmark case, after years of fighting against the Jim Crow Laws it was really the catalyst of the civil rights movement and gave ground for why separate but equal was unconstitutional in ALL aspects of life, not only education.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Thurgood Marshall who was the American lawyer during the Brown v Board of Education became the first African-American Justice of the supreme court.

OK, that was a lot, but a great visit…well educationally speaking that is.

We lightened the mood in the evening by going to the Evel Knievel museum.

It was a great tribute to Evel Knievel with lots of videos showing all of his jumps which I don’t think I’d ever seen. He broke almost every bone in his body. For anyone who’s interested go check out the Caesar’s Palace jump. spoiler alert…it was unsuccessful.

Although I have to say hearing and reading about anyone that is successful in whatever they choose to do this quote is very good for all of us to keep near in our hearts.

Thank you Mr & Mrs Ahern for letting us camp out in your front yard. Had a lovely breakfast with the Ahern’s and then headed off to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

We hear you Nagymama/Dédi… We drove by Russel Stover for the 3rd time. Nagymama used to always have these chocolates for presents

What to eat for lunch…well BBQ of course. Today we tried Joe’s BBQ. I had the Z burger, a sandwich it’s known for… everything was really good.

Drove by the KC Royals 👑 on our way to St. Louis…before we realized how close we were to Topeka and the Brown v Board National Historic Site so we turned around and headed into Kansas.