Annie's Van-Ventures

Grand Canyon South Rim - 2018

Leaving Williams, I headed up the road to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

I arrived late afternoon and stopped at the visitor's center to get an idea where to park for the night. I got in free with my Federal Senior Pass.

That thing sure has paid for itself!

The nice lady at the Visitor Center told me I could camp at any of the dispersed camping areas right outside the park. There were many state roads I saw as I drove in, and any of those were fair game for camping.

I headed back out of the park and though it was pretty full, I managed to find a nice spot away from the dusty main road where I spent a very peaceful night under a million-starred sky!

My back yard this night was beautiful!

My iPhone just can't capture the moon and stars. It was breathtaking.

Next morning, I was awake at 2 am and couldn't get back to sleep.

I had read some of the handouts from the visitor's center,

and learned that there are free shuttles with stops all over the park,

but that most people begin by parking AT the visitor center,

and that lot fills up early!

So, I quietly drove out to the main road, keeping my lights low as I passed other camps, and headed to the Visitor's Center. There, I caught another few hours sleep and at first light, headed across the street to STARBUCKS!

I met some nice folks in the Starbucks lot who were also earlybirds and waiting for their morning coffee and for Starbucks to open.

Once I had coffee, I rode that shuttle to a few stops and walked the southern rim trail.

I don't know if all these photos will load, but the Grand Canyon is absolutely a national treasure! The views were stunning!

Don't know if you can see the girls out on the ledge - illegally - Darwin at his best!

After hiking the rim,

I wanted to grab a shower,

so I found showers at

the Camper Services Building at the entrance to Mather Campground.

8 am – 6 pm core hours, last laundry wash 4:45 pm.

The showers were $2 for 8 minutes,

and the water was lovely and hot!

Take quarters!

Once I had my shower, I headed toward Flagstaff.

I didn't want to drive all the way back to Route 66,

so I turned East on Hwy 64 inside the park.

It was a smart move, because on the way out, I passed many, many turnouts,

all with spectacular views of the canyons.

Route 66 - Kingman to Grand Canyon Stop

When the temperature reached 112 degrees in Desert Hot Springs,

I knew I needed to get out for a few days.

I decided to continue my trip on Route 66

which I'd begun in the Springtime.

I got a late start and didn't arrive in Kingman

until after dark.

I found a good boondocking spot for the night.

This was the view next morning:

A wonderful sunrise!

In case anyone is interested,

the GPS coordinates for this spot are:

35.205741, -114.096583

There were maybe 3 other cars and vans here.

I felt safe.

There was a brick toilet building, but I didn't go into it.

I would definitely stay here again.

At first light, I made myself some coffee,

and after my yogurt and strawberry breakfast,

I headed to town.

Even though I'd stopped in Kingman earlier this Spring,

I wanted to stop again and see the Mojave Museum,

which I missed last year.

I'm really happy that I stopped there.

It's a wonderful museum with a lot to see about the local native tribes,

as well as Route 66.

A ticket was $3 and covered all 3 museums in Kingman.

Here are some photos from that museum.

These plates of pottery went on to tell the entire tale of the tribes in the area. I won't ruin the surprise for you, but definitely worth seeing!

Plants used for dye in the Indian blankets

Brands used before 1895

Barbed wire samples. I come from a farming family so I found this fascinating!

A rifle left in a tree years ago, and the tree grew around it. We have one of these at the Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon. I guess it wasn't an uncommon practice to leave your rifle behind?

I remember gas tanks like this one at my grandfather's Texaco station in Hanford!

There was also an entire wall of portraits of every

American president and his wife.

I made a quick stop to pick up a free map at the Visitor Center next door.
They gave me a new passport! I had one from Spring, but had left it at home. I guess you can get stamps in this at each town along the route, then mail it in for a certificate. I probably won't do it, but the passport is a nice souvenir.

After visiting Kingman, I headed up old Route 66 toward Williams. I stopped in all the small towns along the way and took in the sights. I was getting hungry for lunch and began looking for food.

First thing I saw was Giganicus Headicus! I thought about stopping here for lunch, but after seeing their menu, decided to go a bit further.

Hackberry was the next town, and there I found the General Store.
It was BUSTLING with tourists!

This place was crazy busy!

I managed to get one photo without tourists.

The front was covered with stickers and roadmaps. Check out the old CocaCola cooler!

This cat was catching some shade near the garage

An old soda fountain

Everywhere you looked was Route 66 "stuff."

I've used a washing machine like this one, and an outhouse too!

This woman was singing songs from the 60's and 70's outside... LOUDLY!

After checking it out, I bought myself a nice cold ice cream

and I hit the road again.

I was really getting hungry now.

I passed through Seligman,

and thought I'd stop at the Snow Cap Drive In.

But holy moly, it was PACKED with tourists,

so I just took a good look at it

and all the other old places in the guidebook,

and kept driving.

I headed for Peach Springs, and Grand Canyon Caverns.

I wasn't too interested in going down 1000 feet

to see the caverns,

but I was thinking this might be a good place to get some food.

I took one look at their menu,

and I walked out.

They wanted $14.99 for a HAMBURGER!

Then another $2.50 for a soda.

I just couldn't bring myself to do it,

no matter how hungry I was.

I decided if I was going to spend $16

I was gonna get a STEAK!

And I'm glad I waited!

I soon arrived in Williams,

and headed straight for Rod's Steak House

where I had a wonderful, scrumptious,

big old fat steak

and potato salad

for just about the same money that wimpy hamburger

would have been!

Definitely worth eating at this place!

The menu for lunch was quite reasonable for a tourist town.

Stained Glass Window

This was one of the best steaks I've ever had - really good!

After lunch,

I decided to take the road

up to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon,

since I hadn't been there in 30 years.

Stay Tuned,

Annie

Home From the Hills

Well, I had a wonderful few days on Route 66 crossing Arizona, though the Universe interrupted my trip more than once. I'll post photos of the stops I made in later posts today, but for now, I'm back in Desert Hot Springs and here is why.

I spent a wonderful night in the Grand Canyon on the south rim. After two days exploring, I continued on my way, looking for a place to ride out the heatwave here in DHS.

I had connected with a couple of van dwelling ladies and hoped to camp at Flagstaff for a couple of weeks. But the morning I arrived, the Forest Service was doing controlled burns, and I drove into a big old cloud of smoke. With my MCS, I knew this wouldn't work for me, so I had to keep going.

Next hopeful camping spot was Walnut Canyon National Monument. There is dispersed camping there on one road immediately before entering the park. The camping spots were very full, and the ones remaining weren't too good for my van, as the roads into the spots were rutted quite deep. But I finally found one spot I could get into, then in about two hours, had to rush out. I'll be darned if the smoke hadn't reached that place also...

I slept that night in the parking lot of the Twin Arrows Casino. Looking at my maps, I found a nice campground just past Gallup New Mexico. In the pines, the weather was beautiful and cool and I was hopeful. HERE was a place I could stay for $2.50 a night for a couple of weeks.

I drove in and as I was picking up an envelope to register, I saw the sign, "CAMPGROUND CLOSES SEPTEMBER 17 AM."

WHAT???

Just then a car with a "CAMPGROUND HOST" sign pulled up and stopped next to me. There was a couple inside, and I asked the fellow, "Really? They're closing tomorrow???"

He said sadly yes, and that I should probably follow him up to the next campground. He said, "The campground host here said he's locking up as soon as he collect the money tomorrow morning. Last year he locked one camper in!"

I asked how the camper got OUT of the campground and he said he used bolt cutters on the lock. WHOAH!

So I followed him up to McGaffey Campground, a beautiful spot in the pines with meadow views. There was only one other camper besides myself and van dwellers in the area might want to make a note of this place. I'll definitely be returning next season to continue my Route 66 trip across New Mexico. The cost is $5 per night which is only $2.50 with the LifeTime Federal Pass.

Photos of that campground later.

Anyway, after that, I decided the Universe was telling me this wasn't the time to continue my trip. I was tired of driving every day, and with no place to settle in, I decided my trip was over and it was time to return to home base in Desert Hot Springs. I will have this place to myself for 5-6 weeks, and will try to get some stock into my Etsy shops for the holiday season.

Sooooo.... that was mighty short trip, though it WAS fun.
I'll post photos later today.

Until then, stay cool, van dwellers, and Happy Trails!
Annie

Get Your Kicks on Route 66!

I'm feeling the call of the road again after being in a house for a week!

One of the items on my bucket list is to do Route 66 through Arizona and New Mexico, and so I spent time today doing some research. The temperature is 10-20 degrees cooler in northern Arizona and New Mexico. If I begin by driving up to Kingman, doing Route 66 backwards I would hit the following towns:

Hackberry
Valentine
Crozier
Trusxton
Peach Springs
Grand Canyon Cavern (camping here)
Seligman
Jerome Ghost Town
Grand Canyon National Park
Walnut Canyon National Monument (camping here)
Williams (camping here)
Meteor Crater
Winslow (camping here)
Holbrook
Painted Desert and Petrified Forest

These may not be in perfect order, and those are just the camping spots I've explored. By looking at freecampsites.net, I can see places to boondock all along the route, at least through Arizona.

In New Mexico, I could buy the annual pass, or maybe just see what I could find in the way of camping. I'll be doing the route backwards, so it's been interesting researching.

Looks like I will want to stop in the following towns:

Shiprock and Four Corners: Include Salmon Ruins, Aztec Natioal Monument, Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde National Park, Hovenweep National Monument, and Canyon de Chelly.

Gallup and Red Rock State Park
Fort Wingate
The Continental Divide
Thoreau
Milan-Bluewater - Prewitt
Grants
San Fidel - McCarty's
Cubero
Budville
Laguna
Isleta and Los Lunas
Albuquerque
Tinkertown
Moriarty
Clines Corners
Jemez Mountain Trail National Historic and Scenic Byway
Santa Fe and possibly Taos
Pecos National Historic Park
Cuervo and Tucumcari

Once I crossed New Mexico the weather should be cooling down. I can drop down and come back across Southern New Mexico and Arizona, back to Desert Hot Springs and be here in time for the holidays and WRTR.

So that's my loose plan for now.
I have to stay here to accept a few packages and get my van in order for the trip.
I need to decide what art supplies I'll carry and what clothes I'll need.
But I expect to be on the road within a few days.

Let me know if you feel like coming along. Company might be nice.

Stay tuned and feel free to comment below if you have advice about things not to miss or places to camp!

Happy Trails!
Annie

It's a Bit Warm Here . . .

I picked up my mother and we arrived in Desert Hot Springs September 1.

After a very stressful week together,

I took her back home to Hanford on Thursday.

I think a psychologist could make a million trying to sort out this relationship.

Part of the strain for me is what could be

early stages of dementia on mom's part.

I'm constantly in a state of MCS flare because she smokes like a smokestack,

and so my nerves are frazzled to begin with.

She is hard of hearing and refuses to wear hearing aids.

Having to repeat what I say 5 times,

and having her ask the same questions over and over,

paired with her EXTREMELY negative attitude,

wears me down even further.

I think a person needs the patience of Job to deal with this situation,

and I just don't have it.

I try to steer her thoughts in a positive direction,

telling her how lucky we are to be alive,

how wonderful it is to be able to see, hear, smell, taste, and walk,

how beautiful the desert is,

and she just complains and complains, and complains some more.

She hates her life, everybody, and everything.

She hates Hanford.

She hates the desert, and says it's ugly.

She won't go to her church because she doesn't like the preacher.

She hates her beautiful 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house.

She doesn't have a good word to say about anything or anybody.

It's disheartening and exhausting.

I feel like I'm with a psychic vampire!

Friday morning, I drove back to Desert Hot Springs and unloaded the van.

Joe has kindly offered to let me split the HOA fees with him

for the season.

This will be my home base for the winter.

As you can see by today's weather report, it's a bit warm here!

But I don't care!

I'm alone and I'm loving it!

I have PEACE and quiet and my art supplies!

Working on a new watercolor

I'm comfortable inside with a nice swamp cooler running.

I've been sorting through my supplies,

and having fun!

I've been wanting to make color charts

for my paints and pencils,

so I spent the last couple of days

working on charts.

I bought a set of Derwin Inktense Pencils. I love them because you can layer them after they dry and make them more intense without lifting any of the pigment.

Coliro Pearl Color Watercolors

Too bad you can't see the shimmer in this photo.

These pearl watercolors are shiny and beautiful!

I can't wait to use them!

Derwent Coloursoft Pencils

I also wanted to do a color chart for my Derwent Coloursoft Pencils.

It took 3 pages to do all 72 pencils,

but now I can see at a glance what colors I need.

Prismacolor Pencils

I love being able to see the difference between the Derwent

and the Prismacolor pencils at a glance!

I started a new Anna Mason lesson.

I'm going to watercolor this hand

because I want to learn to do skin tones

so I can paint portraits of my grandchildren.

I love Anna Mason's technique of layering the pigment.

I used this technique to paint these portraits

of my "grand-dog" Data

and my "grand-cat" Jax.

Data Doggie

Jax the Cat

I tend to flit from project to project,

so when I'm weary of painting,

I've been working on this poncho

for the chilly Quartzsite evenings.

I love the colors,

they match my hair!

Anyway, that's it for now.

I'm hunkering down here for a few weeks

until the heat spell breaks.

I hope to see all of you at the RTR this season.

Have a great rest of summer and

Happy Trails!