Colorado - September, 2020

 Tuesday - September 8, 2020

We got up about 6:30 and finished packing for our trip to Colorado.  After we ate breakfast Mike tried to fix the freezer door in the trailer so that it would shut properly, but was unable to get it to work.  We just had to duct tape it shut for this trip.  We got the car packed and ready, hooked the car to the trailer, then while putting the trailer lift down it broke.  UGH!  At least it was after we had everything hooked up.  Mike made some calls and found a replacement at Tractor Supply in Farmington so we just stopped there on our way to buy the new one.  Mike took the old one off before we left home.  

Had to take our beginning of trip selfie

It was very hot today - 89 degrees.  Traveling was okay after the bumpy start, we ate crackers, cheese, and ham in the car for lunch.  It ended up raining quite a bit.  We hit the advancing cold front at Wichita, Kansas.  We got to the Salina KOA around 4:30 and the temperature was 44 with misty rain and wind.  We decided to not hook up the water because it would be too cold.  We had leftover rigatoni for dinner.  This was a pretty good start to our first real vacation since February.  All the Covid stuff made everything so different - we use the bathroom only in the trailer, don't go in stores, and have masks to wear anytime we might get close to others.  It still felt good to be starting on a trip.

Wednesday - September 9, 2020

It was really cold this morning - 42 degrees and windy.  It rained overnight which made it feel even colder.  We had breakfast and coffee and after I dumped the black tank we took off.  There was a Starbucks at the gas station so we got another cup of coffee.  We took I70 west all the way to Limon, Colorado where we planned to spend the night.  We got lunch at a Burger King and ate it in the car.   It got colder as we headed west.  It was 34 degrees when we got to the Limon KOA.  There was snow in the fields in Colorado, but not on the roads.  

Snow in Colorado

Another shot of snow by the road

As we were on I70 a car pulled up beside us and the passenger was pointing back at the trailer so we pulled over thinking it was a flat tire.  However, the sewer hose had come out of the bumper on the back on the trailer and was dragging and being ruined.  We picked it up and put it in a trash bag then headed on our way.  We were glad it wasn't a flat.  We were able to get a new sewer hose at the Limon KOA.  We had chicken and rice for dinner.  It was a microwave package of rice and was just okay.  There was a small leak in the trailer while we drove in the rain that got my side of the bed wet.  I was able to use my hairdryer to get it dried.  We have been unable to figure out where the water gets in.  It only happens if it rains hard while we are driving, not when the trailer is just sitting.  We went to bed early.  The 2 days of driving have worn us out.

Thursday - September 10, 2020

We got up early, had coffee and breakfast in the trailer, and left the campsite about 8:00.  We drove through Colorado Springs stopping at a McDonalds in Woodland for lunch.  After we got out of the Colorado Springs area we saw a herd of about 30 elk not far from the highway.  Apparently the cold and snow had driven them out of the mountains.  As we drove through the Hartsel area we saw about 20 pronghorn.  There was a lot of snow in the mountains.

Snow on the mountains

More snow and fog west of Colorado Springs

View of campsite from hiking trail

View of mountains from campground

We got to our campsite at the Buena Vista KOA around 1:00.  The views from this campground were really amazing.  It was nice enough when we got camp set up that Mike was able to put the trailer lift on.  The water at this campground must come from a well because it tasted like it was salty.  We drove into Buena Vista and bought bottles of water and other supplies.  The store was very crowded so we made sure we wouldn't have to go there again.  We tried to get the water heater running so we could take showers, but it wouldn't work.  We decided later that it was just too cold.  We decided that we would have to take showers on Friday in the campground shower house.  Not what we had planned for staying isolated.  I made chili for dinner.  It rained a little bit and was cool out.  We both called it a night by 8:30, very tired but glad to be here for a few days.

Friday - September 11, 2020

After a good night's sleep, I got up at 6:30, made coffee, and sat outside watching the sunrise.  I took a shower in the KOA bathhouse then cooked spam, eggs, and butter/grilled toast for breakfast.

Sunrise view of Mt. Princeton

Mike enjoying the sunrise

We went in to Buena Vista to find hiking sticks since we had left our hiking poles at home.  We found some at Rustic Woods Antique Store on Main Street.  We got back to camp, ate lunch then did a two mile hike behind the campground.  We saw some beautiful views of the mountains.  It was a good hike even if it was still a little cool and windy.

Mike looking at Mt. Princeton

Selfie with the mountains behind us.

A lot of snow on Mt. Antero and Mt. Princeton

Mary on the trail

Mt. Princeton

Mike on the trail

When we got back to camp Mike used the KOA bathhouse to shower then we sat around looking at the views until dinner time.  We saw three dead neotropical birds that were caught by the snow and cold.  This was a good first day at Buena Vista.

Saturday - September 12, 2020

I woke up around 7:00 and noticed that I had missed a call from The Meadows.  I didn't realize that the ringer had been turned off.  I called back and they told me that Mom had fallen and got a small cut on her shin.  When something like that happens The Meadows has to call the family to let them know.  I called Mom later in the morning and she was doing fine.  After breakfast we drove west of Nathrop between Mt. Antero and Mt. Princeton to the Narrow Gauge Trail on an old railroad bed.  It was a nice trail with great views.  We did have to walk through some snow, but it wasn't difficult.  It is 2.25 miles to the end of the trail, but at the 1.24 mile point we had to turn around.  There was an avalanche covering the trail and all of the rocks were snow and ice covered.  Some people just climbed over the rocks, but we didn't trust our footing and the drop off was steep and a long way down.  This still was a good hike.

Sign at the trail head

View from the trail

Mike on the trail

One of the snowy sections

Mary on the trail

Another view

Another shot of Mike on the trail

Beautiful view behind us

A final view from the trail

We drove out the road to St. Elmo.  It was very busy there but it was a nice drive.  After lunch, we drove to Twin Lakes to see Mt. Elbert with snow on it and to check out fishing.  The lake was low and the spot we used to fish had changed.  We decided to wait until we get to Ridgway to fish.

St. Elmo

A building in St. Elmo

Mt. Elbert

Twin Lakes

We got back to camp about 3:00.  It was a sunny, beautiful day.  After talking to Scott we sat outside to see the sunset.  It was only okay.  We were both in bed by 9:30 since it was too cloudy for star gazing.  This was a very nice day.

Sunday - September 13, 2020

I got up at 7:45 after a good night's rest.  We had egg, cheese, and spam burritos for breakfast before leaving camp at 9:30.  We drove up Cottonwood Pass looking for the Lost Lake Trailhead.  We missed it on the way up to the pass so we stopped at Cottonwood Pass to look at the pretty views.  It was too cold, windy, and icy for us to hike on the trails at the pass so we headed back down toward Buena Vista.  We found the Lost Lake Trailhead (first pullover on the east side of Cottonwood Pass), but the parking spots were full and the trail was icy.  

Cottonwood Pass sign

View from the pass

Another view from the pass

We went to Cottonwood Lake where we ate lunch.  When we got back to Buena Vista we got ice cream cones for a treat.  Then we went to the Buena Vista River Park and hiked 1.7 miles on the Bridge - Bridge Trail.  The trail crossed the Arkansas River on a bridge to get to the east side of the river and was very steep on that side.  We crossed back over on another bridge and walked the level west side of the river back to the car.  This was a nice hike with more really nice views.

Arkansas River

Mary on bridge with Arkansas River view behind

Mike enjoying the hike

Mary on the trail

View of Buena Vista and mountains to the west

Mike looking at the views

We got back to camp around 2:30.  I cooked skillet spam and fried rice for dinner.  It was good, but the rice took a long time to cook.  We were pretty tired after the busy, fun day so went to bed fairly early.

Monday - September 14, 2020

We got up around 7:40 and had a light breakfast before hiking on the trail behind the campground.  We hiked about 2.42 miles on the Fistful of Dollars and A Few Dollars More trails.  These trails went east of camp up a hillside to an overlook then back down to camp.  We took about 2 hours hiking and enjoying the view at the overlook.  It was a very nice hike.  

Enjoying the nice weather

Final shot of Mt. Princeton

When we got back to camp we had lunch then cleaned and organized the car and trailer to get ready to head to Ridgway on Tuesday.  We took showers in the trailer.  We were able to get the water heater to work.  We think it was just too cold the last time we tried to use it.  After that we sat around camp enjoying the nice afternoon.  We had leftovers for dinner then sat out enjoying the sunset on our last night here.  We enjoyed our time at Buena Vista and were ready for the next part of our trip.

Tuesday - September 15, 2020

We got up about 7:40, made coffee, broke camp, and went to McDonalds in Salida to get a sausage, egg, McMuffin for breakfast.  We took Hwy. 50 west to Montrose where we got lunch at a Wendy's.  We went to the WalMart in Montrose to get fishing licenses and supplies and so Mary could get her glasses fixed.  The nose piece on one side had fallen off.  There were a lot of people in this WalMart not wearing masks which bothered us.  We won't be going back there.  We got to Ridgway by 2:00, set up camp, then went fishing at the Big Pond.  We didn't have any luck.  

Reservoir near Gunnison

Another view of the reservoir

I made grilled ham and cheese and corn on the cob for dinner.  The weather here was much nicer than it was at Buena Vista - sunny and warm.  After the full day, we both went to bed early.

Wednesday - September 16, 2020

It got really cool overnight.  I got up at 7:00, made coffee, and had yogurt for breakfast.  Mike got up about 8:00.  It had gotten smokey from the California fires so the views are not very clear.  We fished Ridgway Reservoir at Dutch Charlie access and caught 8 trout.

View of our campsite

View of our campsite from the other side.

Mike fishing at Dutch Charlie

We went back to camp for lunch then did a 1 1/2 mile hike in the campground, primarily by the Uncompaghre River.  We both took a nap then went back to the reservoir at the Dallas Creek area to fish.  This time we caught about 10 trout.  It was a lot of fun!  We went back to camp and I fixed Hamburger Helper Lasagna and corn on the cob for dinner.  It was a nice evening.  After sitting out a while we both went to bed early again.  This was a really good day.

Thursday - September 17, 2020

We both slept in this morning.  It was cool, but otherwise nice.  I cooked spam, eggs, and toast for breakfast.  We washed dishes then went fishing at Dallas Creek where we caught 7 trout.  

View of mountains from Dallas Creek area -
it was really smokey this day

Mike fishing at Dallas Creek area

We went back to the trailer for lunch and naps.  We really took it easy here.  We took showers in the trailer then went back to Dallas Creek about 3:30 where we caught 4 more trout.  We didn't keep any trout, just did catch and release.  We went back to the trailer about 5:00 and had left overs for dinner.  Nice easy day and evening.

Friday - September 18, 2020

We got up about 7:30 and had breakfast then headed to Dallas Creek to fish for a while on our way to Ouray for the day.  We didn't have any luck fishing.  We stopped at the visitor's center in Ouray to find out about hiking trails in town.  The woman told us that the river trail was a nice and easy trail to hike.  She also told us to drive south of town to a camping area to hit another trail.  We decided to hike the river trail first.  It was only a mile long and was not a good trail.  At least half of the time we were walking on a street in town.

View of the Uncompaghre River from the trail - 
the river was very muddy in Ouray

After hiking by the river we drove south of Ouray, up the mountain, to the amphitheater parking by the Cascade Falls trail.  We hiked down steeply to the Lower Cascade Falls.  They were okay to look at .  We turned around to hike to the Upper Cascade Falls.  It was extremely steep going up and the falls were dry.  When we got back to the car we had hiked 1 1/2 miles of extremely hard hiking.  

Lower Cascade Falls

Mike on the trail

View of mountains from the trail 

Had to have our selfie while we hiked

View of Ouray from the mountain south of town

We drove back to Ouray to get lunch.  We had planned to get takeout from Colorado Boy's Restaurant, but since they had outside dining with the tables 6 feet apart we ate there.  We got chips and salsa and I got an order of carnitas enchiladas and Mike got chicken enchiladas.  We both got a local beer also.  The lunch was really good and we had leftovers for Saturday night.  After we got back to camp we walked to the Big Pond next to the campground to fish.  We didn't have any luck.

Big Pond

Mike fishing at the Big Pond

We had a very light dinner since we had such a big lunch.  This was a very nice day overall.  We hiked about 5 miles total today.

Saturday - September 19, 2020

This was a lazy day.  We got up about 8:00 and had a light breakfast before going to fish at Dallas Creek.  I got a couple of trout before we headed back to camp.  There were a lot of stand up paddle boarders and kayakers at Dallas Creek which made it hard to fish.  We just laid around camp all day resting.  Late in the afternoon we fished in the Big Pond using spinners.  I caught one trout, but Mike didn't have any luck fishing again this day.  We had leftover Mexican food for dinner.  We didn't do much this day, but it was still a nice day.

Sunday - September 20, 2020

We got up at about the same time as the previous mornings.  We decided to drive to Telluride this day so that we can see some fall colors in the aspens.  We stopped at Dutch Charlies on the way to fish a little.  I caught 2 trout but Mike still didn't have any luck.  The drive to Telluride was beautiful.  A lot of aspen and other trees had begun to change colors.

Some pretty aspens

Another pretty view

Telluride was very busy when we got there.  We had to drive around a while to find a parking spot.  This is an interesting looking town in a beautiful location, but very touristy.  After walking around a little bit we decided to get pizza for lunch.  We were able to sit outside again and the pizza was really good.  It was big enough that we had leftovers again.

View from the restaurant

Mike ready for some pizza

Telluride

Some pretty trees in town

After lunch we drove back to camp.  On our way back we got really excited because we saw a very large herd of elk, however we soon figured out that it was a domesticated herd.  Still fun to look at.  Some of the bulls  were bugeling and chasing the cows.  

View of mountains in Telluride

Pretty trees as we headed out of town

Beautiful fall foliage

More pretty trees

View with the mountains

Selfie with mountains in the background

After getting back to camp we rested for a while then went to the Big Pond to fish.  Mary caught one trout and Mike was still getting skunked.  We had canned soup for dinner.  This was a very good day.

Monday - September 21, 2020

We got up around 7:30, had egg, cheese, spam burritos for breakfast, and washed dishes before heading to Dallas Creek to fish one last time.  Mike caught 7 trout and I caught 3.  We had leftover pizza for lunch then rested for a while.  We cleaned the car and trailer to get ready to leave the next day.  We fished the Uncompaghre River then the Big Pond.  I got a bite while fishing in the river, but nothing else.  Mike caught 3 trout in the pond.  

Mary fishing in the Big Pond

Another shot of Mary fishing in the pond

We had a light supper then went to bed early.  We really enjoyed our time at Ridgway.

Tuesday - September 22, 2020

We got up by 7:30, made coffee, broke camp, and were on the road by 8;30.  We stopped at McDonalds in Montrose for breakfast.  We drove back over Monarch Pass and the trees, especially aspens, were beautiful with fall colors.

Fall colors on the way to Monarch Pass

More fall colors

View as we head up to the pass

Aspens were beautiful

We took Hwy. 50 east to Poncha Springs, 158 south to 160 in Monte Vista than 160 east to Alamosa.  We had to take a 25 mile detour because Hwy. 17 was closed for construction.  We stayed at a KOA east of Alamosa.  It is an okay campground and the owners were very friendly.  The views were not as good as we hoped because of smoke, rain, and sand from the dunes in the air.  

Evening view from our campsite

Our campsite at Alamosa

I made soup and cornbread for dinner on the stove in the trailer because it was too windy to cook outside.  There was a bright yard light in the campground so it was not good for star viewing.  We were very disappointed.

Wednesday - September 23, 2020

We slept in this morning.  We drove 20 miles to the Great Sand Dunes National Park planning to go the the Visitor Center.  However, the Visitor Center was closed.  Another disappointment.  We drove to the Sand Dunes area and walked about 1 mile up onto the first dune.  It was very hard to walk on the sand.  There were people there with boards for riding down the dunes.  That was interesting to watch.  

Entrance to the park

Sign with sand dunes and mountains in the distance

Great Sand Dunes and Sangre de Cristo Mountains

On top of a dune - higher ones further out

Mike on the dune

Mary on the dune

A person boarding down the dune

After visiting the Sand Dunes we went back to camp and just sat around reading the rest of the day.  There is not as much to do in this area as advertised so I called the KOA in Amarillo where we are staying on the way home and changed the reservation to a day earlier and cancelled the last night at Alamosa.

Thursday - September 24, 2020

We got up about 8:00 and had coffee and breakfast.  We drove to the Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge hoping to begin by visiting the Visitor Center, but it was closed.  We walked about 2 miles on the Rio Grande River Trail.  The walk was okay, but the only wildlife we saw was a sandhill crane and a snake in the trail.  

Entrance sign

Rio Grande River

The trail

A snake in the trail

We drove into Alamosa and bought lunch at Wendy's which we ate in a small park in town.  After lunch we went back to the wild life refuge and drove the car tour.  This was another big disappointment because there was nothing to see and all the information signs had been removed.  We went back to the KOA to get ready to head home on Friday.  This is one place we don't plan to visit again.  

Friday - September 25, 2020

We got up about 7:30, made coffee and had breakfast before breaking camp and getting on the road by 9:00.  We took 160 east to I25 south to 64 south to Amarillo, Texas where we spent the night at a KOA. While we were in New Mexico we saw lots of pronghorn.   It was very hot in New Mexico and Texas.  When we got to the KOA at about 4:00 it was over 100 degrees with no shade at our campsite.  We did see the prettiest sunset of the trip here.  

Sunset in Amarillo

Our campsite - there was a light on the pole

We went to bed fairly early, but the yard lights at the campground were so bright that they bothered our sleep.

Saturday - September 26, 2020

We got up at 5:30, broke camp, and got on the road by 6:00.  We stopped at Love's for gas and got coffee and a breakfast sandwich at the Subway.  The sunrise this morning was beautiful.  Eventually we began to see flashing red lights that flashed on and off in unison.  We didn't know what it was for a long time, but eventually figured out that it was lights on the wind turbines.  Very interesting to watch.

Sunrise

Blinking lights on wind turbines

Not much else to view this day.  We drove I40 east to Hwy. 59 at Sallisaw, Oklahoma.  Since we left so early we got home by 3:15.  This was our first trip just for travel since the pandemic began.  We had to cancel two cruises, our summer family beach vacation, a camping trip to Texas, and the Cummings family reunion.  It felt good to get to go somewhere.  We drove a total of 2360 miles on this trip.  

Alexandria, Virginia - July 2020

Tuesday - July 7, 2020

We spent today getting everything ready for our trip to Scott's in Alexandria, Virginia.  This is the first trip we have taken since the explosion of the Covid-19 pandemic.  This makes everything very different.  We are taking our trailer so that we do not have to go inside any business on the way and so that we don't have to hang out in Scott's house.  We are being very cautious about exposure to the virus.  We are so excited to leave in the morning.  We will spend 3 days on the road.  Even with the new dynamics of the pandemic, we have the same feelings the day before a trip; excitement, nerves, anticipation.  Ready to be "On the Road Again".

Wednesday - July 8, 2020

We got up early and left the house around 7:00.  We drove through Fayetteville to Hwy. 45 then hit Hwy. 412 to Hwy 65.  At Springfield we got on Hwy. 60 and stayed on it until we hit I24 in Paducah, Kentucky.  Driving was okay, it was just hot out.  When we stopped to get gas just before we got to the KOA east of Paducah, oil was sprayed out of the engine all over the passenger side of the car and trailer.  Mike discovered that he had left the oil cap off when he added oil on Tuesday.  Luckily the oil cap was still trapped on the engine.  Mike bought a quart of oil and added less than half a quart.  It was a mess.  When we crossed over the Mississippi River and then immediately started over the Ohio River.  There was construction on the bridge and we sat on the bridge for about 15 minutes.  We did not like that at all because the bridge rattled as the traffic passed us in the other lane.

Bridge over the Mississippi River

Bridge over the Ohio River

Ohio River

Another view of the Ohio River

We got to the Paducah/Kentucky Lakes KOA at about 4:30.  This KOA was  pretty nice with lots of shade.  

Campsite for the night

It has been different traveling during the pandemic.  We are extremely careful about wearing masks inside, keeping our hands clean, and not touching anything outside the vehicle as much as possible.   It did feel good to get to go somewhere away from home.

Thursday - July 9, 2020

Not much happened today.   We fixed coffee and pbj sandwiches for breakfast and got on the road by 8:00.  We traveled through Kentucky most of the day.  We spent the night just inside West Virginia at the Huntington/Fox Fire KOA.  It was an okay KOA, but our site did not have much shade and it was hot again.  I was bothered by the fact that no one except me and one other person in the office were wearing masks.  It was kind of hit and miss about the mask wearing.  We had leftovers for dinner then just sat around inside the trailer until time for bed.

Friday - July 10, 2020

We got up around 7:00 am, walked around the campground a couple of times, had coffee and breakfast, and got on the road by 8:00 am.  We traveled on I64 through West Virginia.  This stretch of road has a  toll road through the mountains.  It cost us $10, but was well worth it. It was another hot, steamy day.   We stopped for gas late in the afternoon at a Love's that had a Wendy's so we splurged and both had a Frosty.  YUM!

Bridge over the Kanawha River in Charleston, WV

Kanawha River

Traveling through the Smokey Mountains

We got to our campsite at the Fredericksburg KOA about 4:30.  This is a nice KOA just about 1 hour out of the DC area.  We stayed here so that we could get to Scott's house on a Saturday morning when the traffic on Franconia will not be as heavy.  We had leftovers for dinner, sat around reading, and called it a night early.  

Saturday - July 11, 2020

We got up, had coffee and breakfast, dumped both tanks, and got on the road about 8:00 am.  The traffic into Alexandria wasn't too bad.  We took I95 until the exit for Alexandria.  When we got to Scott's, Mike had to pull the trailer onto the road across Franconia from Scott's driveway.  Scott and I waited until no cars were close then stood in the road stopping traffic while Mike backed into the driveway.  It really wasn't too bad, Mike got the trailer where it needed to be on the first try.

We were so happy to be here.  We hadn't seen Scott and the kids since Christmas.  That is too long!.  We spent the day hanging out in the back yard, moving our chairs and fans so that we could stay in the shade.

Where we parked our trailer for 10 days

Social distancing in the back yard

Aslynn, Elli, Hunter, and Oscar enjoying the pool

The kids spent a lot of time in the pool

We social distanced outside so that we didn't have to wear masks all the time.  It was hard not hugging the kids and doing stuff real close, but we at least got to see everyone.  Cristin, Aslynn, and Hunter were staying at Scott's while we were there, so we got to visit with everyone.

Sunday - July 12, 2020 through Tuesday, July 14, 2020

Not much happening these days.  It was really hot so we hung out early in the day and of an evening.  Mike and I rested in the trailer during the hottest part of the day.  It got up in the upper 90's every day with a heat index over 100.  Scott had to work some of the time during the week.  Mike and I did everything in our trailer, except for using the bathroom during the day.  Scott sanitized his downstairs bathroom so that we could use it safely.  Trying to not spread the Covid.  Mike and I were able to use the shower in the trailer because we could empty the gray water tank into Scott's flower beds.  We couldn't dump the black water tank, so we had to quit using it at all eventually.

Wednesday - July 15, 2020

Another hot day, but we went for a hike not far from Scott's house pretty early in the morning.  We walked on the trail for about 2 1/2 miles.  It was a fun hike and good to get away from the house.

Hiking in the creek bed of Clermont Park

Kids found a frog in the small pool of water

Oscar, Hunter, Aslynn, and Elli

Mike and I enjoyed hanging out with the grandkids

We spent the rest of the day hanging out in the back yard.

Thursday - July 16, 2020

We got everything ready on Wednesday to head to the beach on this day.  We left the house around 9:30 for the 45 minute. drive to the beach.  Scott, Cristin, and the kids went in Scott's van and Mike and I took our car.  When we got to the beach there were so many people there that we were not comfortable staying there.  It was a major disappointment.  It seemed like every fun thing we planned had to be cancelled because of Covid.  We had been to this beach before and there never were more than 2 other families there.  We left the beach and stopped at a park on the way back to the house to eat a picnic lunch.  After lunch we did about a one mile hike then Scott and the boys tried flying a kite before heading back to the house.

Scott flying a kite

More kite flying

After getting back to the house, the kids and I made a pretend amusement park in the backyard.  We made a couple of places to play 'miniature golf', had a ring toss, an obstacle course, and a photo booth.  This was our way of compensating for not getting to hang out at the beach.

Elli and Aslynn with photo props

Mike with a fake mustache

We had dinner outside and sat out visiting before calling it a night about 9:30.

Friday - July 17, 2020 

Another hot day.  Cristin had gotten supplies for tie-dying t-shirts, so the kids and I spent the morning making each kid a tie-dye shirt.  This was a fun activity to do on a hot day.

Helping the kids with their tie dye shirts

More tie dying

Everyone worked hard on their shirts

Hunter and Oscar making 'lava' shirts

After getting the shirts in bags soaking up the dye, Cristin and her kids went on a 'play date' by her house.  While they were gone Elli, Oscar, and I played in the pool.  The pool wasn't big enough for me to get into with all 4 kids there.  I had fun getting to play with Elli and Oscar and it felt good to be in the water on this hot day.

Saturday - July 18, 2020 through Tuesday - July 21, 2020

We just basically hung out in the back yard these days.  Elli and Oscar went to Beth's house on Sunday and were gone through Tuesday.   We went walking in the neighborhood most days, and occasionally the others joined us.  

Aslynn in a flower garden on one of our daily walks

Scott had to work every day during the week so Mike and I mainly hung out by ourselves.  Cristin spent a lot of time moving things to her house and getting things organized for when Scott, Elli, and Oscar move over there.  Scott moved a tv and his Switch into the garage so that the kids could play a game out there one night and then he and I played Mario Kart another night.  It rained hard and stormed the last 2 night we stayed at Scott's house.  One night it was so bad that Mike and I had to go sit in the house with them with our masks on.   This will be the last time Mike and I come to this house since Scott is moving in with Cristin.

Wednesday - July 22, 2020

We got around and prepared to leave Scott's.  Cristin's parents have a house in the mountains that we are going to spend a few nights at.  Her parents were at their condo in the Florida Keys.  Mike and I left at about 11:00 am since we had to go by the Fredericksburg KOA to dump our tanks.  The trip to the KOA was uneventful and we were able to get our tanks emptied.  It was a bit pricey ($30) but had to be done.  Shortly after we left the KOA we were hit by a thunderstorm with lots of lightning and heavy rain.  Luckily it only lasted for about 5 minutes.  Scott and Cristin weren't so lucky.  They took a different route and basically followed the storm the whole trip.  Their drive took 5 hours instead of the normal 3 hours.  Mike and I got to the house about 20 minutes before the others.  Since we didn't know where to park the trailer, we just hung around while we waited.

The house in the mountains where we stayed for 4 nights

After Scott and Cristin got to the house, we tried to pull the trailer to the top of the driveway so we could have a level spot to park close to an electric outlet.  However, the driveway was so narrow, steep, and wet from the rain that we couldn't get the trailer to the top.  Mike got stuck because the drop off by the driveway was to deep to drive over and the grass and dirt were so wet the tires just spun out.  

This shows the drop off on the right side of the trailer

The front tire was off in the grass

We decided to leave the trailer overnight.  There is a spare bedroom and bathroom downstairs that we could use and not be breathing air from the others.  Once we unloaded the cars and rested for a bit we all walked up the hill to the fence by the horse pasture.  The kids enjoyed petting the horses and feeding them grass.  

Oscar really enjoyed the horses

Elli trying to get the horse's attention

Oscar watching while Aslynn fed a horse

Aslynn feeds her favorite horse

Mike, Cristin, and Elli with the horses

Aslynn, Hunter, Cristin, and Oscar

It had been a long tiring day, but this is a nice place to stay for a few days.  Scott needed to get out of the city, even if he had to work some while we were here.

Thursday - July 23, 2020

Another hot, humid day.  We basically hung out in the house.  Right after breakfast Mike and I were able to get the car and trailer moved since the driveway and grass had dried off.  We just moved the trailer to a parking spot at the bottom of the driveway.  All the adults kept masks on while we were in the house.  The kids did a lot of playing outside on the swing set and went exploring on the trails in the woods.  In the afternoon, Cristin took the kids to the nearby lake to swim.  It wasn't crowded so they got to have lots of fun.

Field just below the house.  There is a deer in the back of the field.

After dinner Scott and I stayed up late doing our normal talking about world problems.  It was after midnight when we went to bed.  Cristin's dad has a room filled with stuffed game that is next to Mike's and my bedroom.  The kids had left a light on in the far corner.  I went to turn it off and on the way back ran into a sharp place on the ear of an African caped buffalo.  

The game room with the African caped buffalo

It split the right side of my forehead open and Cristin had to drive me to the hospital in Waynesboro - about 30 minutes away.  I got 10 stitches and we were able to get back to the house at about 5:00 am.  We were extremely tired.  It made us nervous to be in the emergency room because of the Covid - 19.  There was even a call to do a Covid test 2 rooms down from us.  We made it back safely and immediately went to bed.

Friday - July 24, 2020

Cristin and I both spent most of the day sleeping.  Scott took off from work so that he could take care of the kids to let Cristin sleep.  That evening after dinner, Cristin and Scott took the boys outside and let them use the golf clubs at the house to learn how to hit golf balls.  Both boys were pretty good at it.

Scott, Cristin, Hunter and Oscar hitting golf balls

Another shot of the golfing 

A beautiful sunset

Not much else happened this day.  We all called it a night fairly early after the tiring night on Thursday.

Saturday - July 25, 2020

Today Scott and Cristin took the kids back to the lake right after breakfast.  They wanted to get there early to avoid the crowds.  They all had a good time.  They made it back to the house about 12:30.  While they were gone Mike and I did some cleaning at the house to help get ready to leave the next morning.  Mike and Scott went to a barbeque place to get take out for dinner.  After dinner Mike pulled the trailer and car through the yard to get it turned around.  That turned out to be pretty easy.  Our whole problem on Wednesday was due to the heavy rain.  Not much else happened this day. 

Sunday - July 26, 2020

After breakfast, Mike and I got our trailer and car packed so we could get on the road.  We left Cristin's parents house about 10:00 am while Scott and Cristin were finishing getting all of their stuff ready.  It was really hard to leave.  It was probably the most tearful that I have been since Scott first moved to the DC area.  We took I64 west to the Huntington/Fire Fox KOA.  While still in the mountains we saw a young black bear run across the interstate.  That was exciting.

A view of the Blueridge Mountains

Another view of the mountains

We got to the KOA at about 4:30.  I had asked for a shady spot and we were given a nice place.  Had a lot more shade than when we were there on our way to Scott's.  I fixed chicken alfredo with canned chicken and peas for dinner.  We called it a night pretty early so we could get up and on the road fairly early the next day.

Monday - July 27, 2020 and Tuesday - July 28, 2020

Not much happening these two days other than driving home.  We basically just reversed our drive out to Scott's.  We stayed at the Paducah/Kentucky Lake KOA on Monday night.  Then on Tuesday we had a 10 hour drive to get home.  It was a long drive, but we had a good trip and really enjoyed getting to see Scott, Cristin, and the kids.  As always, we were glad to be home.