Monday, June 19, 2017

Wednesday, May 31, through Wednesday, June 14: Camping in Page, a Reunion, and Home Routine

Becky has always wanted to see Horseshoe Bend from above. It is a turn in the Colorado River where it winds its way down to the Lees Ferry Boat Ramp and eventually the Grand Canyon. Richard and Becky had floated on the Colorado River around Horseshoe Bend many years ago. That was a day float trip from Glen Canyon Dam to Lees Ferry. Becky, Tom, Jon, and Dana made that an early morning priority on Wednesday, May 31.


The hike was only 1.50 miles round trip, but such a beautiful sight!


The next event of the day was Jon's decision to take his well-equipped four wheel drive jeep on a day trip through Escalante Grand Staircase National Monument. Of course, he was joined by Dana, Becky, and Tom.

The trip began an hour northwest of Page, a town of Big Water, Utah. Jon drove and Tom was the navigator. It was a bumpy drive, but the beauty of the area was breathtaking. The lunch stop was in a semi-shaded canyon.


Jon's GPS had a funny feature. Near the end of the day's journey, the GPS thought that Becky and her group were driving --- or boating --- in Lake Powell!


The last stop before heading home was really nice. The jeep and the four travelers found themselves in a cove near the shore of Lake Powell. Several house boats were already tucked in for the evening.


Thursday and Friday, the weather in Page was starting to get hot. Becky made sure that the dogs had an early morning walk without the heat.

On Friday, it was decided to take in an early hike on Wire Pass Trail. Because Jon and Dana might want to do more hiking than Tom and Becky, two vehicles were taken near the trailhead. Becky's truck was stashed and all four road the rest of the way in Jon's jeep.

Several miles into the hike was a beautiful slot canyon. It was nice having the heat of the morning lost in this canyon.


Unfortunately, about a mile into the slot canyon was a twelve foot drop off. There seemed to be no easy way to navigate down without ropes. So, the four decided to turn around. Back at the trailhead, Becky and Tom decided to head back to Page. Jon and Dana continued their day in the jeep.

Becky packed up the trailer on Saturday. She and the dogs drove back to Williams that day. It was an uneventful trip. The dogs were happy to be back in cooler weather.


On Sunday in Page, Tom split with Jon and Dana. Tom had to head in the direction of taking the RV back to Arkansas. Dana had a flight to Michigan on Tuesday that was leaving from Las Vegas.

Earlier in the week, Becky had invited Tom to spend several days at her Williams home. The motorhome had a full hook-up site ready for it in the driveway. Williams and Fayetteville, Arkansas, both lie on Interstate 40 --- just 1,140 miles apart!

Even the weather in Williams was getting warmer. One late morning was spent walking the dogs in the nearby Kaibab National Forest.


Becky had a hair appointment on Monday with her stylist, Shawna Ritter. Shawna has become a fun friend.


The next morning, Becky needed to take her travel trailer in for some more warranty work. The water heater was not igniting and a ceiling band had separated. Becky met with Service person Penny once again. It was agreed to have the trailer ready by the end of the month.

On Wednesday, Tom headed off to Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Becky headed off to a reunion with three high school friends in Park City, Utah. Becky, Sara, Lucy, and Faye were all celebrating their Medicare Birthdays this year --- can you say 65? Sara was the only hold-out --- not turning 65 until November. Faye lives in Park City, so she selected a beautiful Airbnb property near the historic part of Park City. The drive for Becky was over 540 miles, so she broke up the trip by spending a night in Panguitch, Utah.


Becky planned to meet Faye, Sara, and Lucy at Faye's home in Salt Lake City. As she drove through Salt Lake City, she made a stop at Nordstrom Department Store. Becky's niece, Molly Shelton, is getting married on Saturday, July 1. A new dress was in order!  Becky found a nice dress and she also ordered one from Bloomingdales. With both in her closet, she will decide which one to keep and wear to the wedding.


Faye had a nice quiche lunch waiting for the girls. It was a great start of a wonderful long weekend. Check-in time for the Airbnb was 4:00pm. Shortly after the four got settled, it was time for happy hour and adult beverages on the deck.


Later that afternoon, it was easy to just go to a local market, gather items for appetizers, breakfast, and some lunches. The first evening was filled with good wine, good friends, and good snacks.

The next day, the girls wanted to do a nice hike in the area. Becky took them up to the Deer Valley complex by the Stein Eriksen Lodge. There, they found a nice Mid Mountain Trail --- that followed the ski runs over to Park City.


The four stopped at the Montage Resort in Deer Valley at mile two for a bathroom stop. Faye and Sara turned back to the car and Lucy and Becky forged on to Park City. It was about four miles further to hike back to the Airbnb.

That night, the Kingston Trio was performing at the Egyptian Theater on Main Street in Park City. It was not the original group celebrating 60 years, but two of the three have been performing with the Kingston Trio for over 40 years. Before the concert, there was dinner at a restaurant across from the theater. Life is good!


Saturday morning, Becky and Lucy decided to hike from Canyons Ski Resort to the Mid Mountain Trail. They both noticed that there was something called Alpine Lake on the map. And, also a building called Lookout Cabin. It took four miles to reach Alpine Lake and Lookout Cabin. Alpine Lake was a cement reservoir, but Lookout Cabin had a very picturesque view of the ski area.


During the summer, Lookout Cabin is a venue for weddings and private parties.

Faye and Sara spent the day shopping and walking the historic parts of Park City. The four girls met back at the Airbnb residence, showered, and headed off to cocktails and dinner at the St. Regis Deer Valley. The weather was perfect for the funicular ride and patio dining!


The next morning was departure day, but Faye set up something special. Faye works for a nonprofit organization that hosts weekend special events for breast cancer survivors. Over the past several months, she reached out to the Park City Fire Department at the Deer Valley location. The firemen would welcome the guests, present them with red roses, and photo opportunities. The four girls were set-up for a similar event. It was a hoot!


They were even taken on a thirty minute ride and tour in the larger fire engine.


Park City had a street fair every Sunday. The four ladies decided to head over there for some shopping. Sara forgot a big hat and used one of Becky's hats. She really liked the style. Fortunately, a hat vendor had the same hat. Faye bought one too!


At about 3:00pm, Becky headed to Deer Valley to sprinkle some of Richard's ashes at the Goldener Hirsch Hotel where Donna works. Nothing better than a plant box! The box location was a floor below the suite where Becky and Richard stayed for the Walters Family Reunion, early August last year.



After that, Becky drove to Donna's home in Park City for the night. The three ladies --- Sara, Faye, and Lucy --- headed down to Salt Lake City. Sara had a flight out that night and Lucy picked up a rental car at the airport. Bye-bye,all!

Donna, David, and Emily were at home when Becky arrived. Yummy Mexican food was being prepared for dinner. David made some killer guacamole, too! It was a fun evening at the Bernstein home.


The next morning, Becky got an early start to drive to Kanab for the evening. It was Monday morning and David, Donna, and Emily all had to leave for work.

The drive to Kanab was uneventful. Becky arrived too early for check-in at the Parry Lodge, so she walked around the town. A couple she knew from the North Rim were managers at a local RV Park. Becky was lucky that Suzanne and Doug Townson were on the property.  Nice to see them after so many years!


Later that day, Becky checked into Parry Lodge. She had dinner that night at the home of friend Patricia Wheeless. Always nice to have a home cooked meal! Becky also met Patricia's friend, Bill, who is a Chef at Parry Lodge.


Becky picked up Ramsey, Kelsey, and Libby at Cinder Hills Kennel. They were happy to see her!


Becky went to Flagstaff on Wednesday, Flag Day, to see her facial person, Sue Kelly. Yummy!












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