Sunday Feb 15 2009
Today it was sunny most of the day and it was nearly 60. R & I invited our neighbors over for “coffee and conversation” (actually none of us drank coffee, more like ice water, but that’s a technicality). Tom and Sharon are volunteers from S.D. who have been here for six weeks. On their time off this week, they drove down to Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in N.M. to check it out. They are scheduled to work there Nov. & Dec. this year, so they wanted to see the lay out, etc. They brought us back some information about the area and the park because we are also planning to volunteer there Feb-Apr, 2010. From what I have gathered and the conversation with T & S, it seems that it will be similar to being here, but different. ( Less spit and polish than a national park, but probably more than a forest service location or a wildlife refuge.) I am thinking about calling GCDNM and changing our arrival time to one month later.
We also attended a ranger talk this afternoon at the Puerco Pueblo ruins site, which is also in the park. It was occupied by early Hopi people from about 1250 -1350. R & I will be doing ranger talks about this site in a week so we are absorbing as much information about the place as we can. One way is to listen to other people as they give their presentations. It gives you knowledge, it gives you ideas of ways to present your information, and it helps to cement facts into your mind. I feel that my job as a presenter is not to fill you with facts and figures, but to give you enough information to give you a feel of place or location and maybe pique your interest enough to do some further research or at least, talk about it with your travel mates.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Friday Feb 13, 2009
Friday 2/13/09 - Painted Desert Inn
Today was our first day “alone”. We have been in training for about 2 weeks and had other experienced people around to train and watch over us, but today we traveled the two miles or so to the Painted Desert Inn (PDI) for our 9-5 shift there. The PDI story goes back to the 20’s. A gentleman named Herbert Lore used some Mexican workers and built himself a home on 2500 acres he had originally homesteaded on the edge of the Painted Desert. The home was built out of petrified rock and cement, but neither Mr. Lore nor his workers knew much about building and the structure had more mortar than rock. The other difficulty with the house was that it was built on top of land that consists of bentonite clay. When it rains, the clay swells and it shrinks as it dries out. Between the two problems (mortar and clay), the building needs repair every few years. Lore used the inn as his private residence for a number of years, as well as a tourist stop which provided food, drink, gifts, and a place to stay. When Route 66 was developed, Lore sold his property to the Monument and a road was connected to 66. Because the property needed repairs, the CCC was brought in to stabilize and restore the property. No water or electricity was available; therefore, all the work was done by hand. And, the workmanship is wonderful! Logs needed to be felled and brought to the sight for ceiling supports and furniture. From the Flagstaff area ponderosa pine was brought in for the vigas and aspen for the savinas were transported from the White Mts., over 100 miles southeast. The furniture was made from wood; the light fixtures are tinwork, glass panels hand-made, as well as hand-painted, and the walls on the outside were covered with stucco to replicate the Spanish adobe look. WW II interrupted the work and the Inn was closed until 1946. In 1947 the Fred Harvey Co. was contracted to take over the concessions. Mr. Harvey had worked with the Santa Fe Railroads to provide different an oasis at different stops along the line. His practice was to hire young ladies from around the country to work in the dining rooms. The Harvey Girls as they came to be known, needed at least an 8th grade education, proper manners, and were not to be involved with the clientele during their 6 month contract. Mr. Harvey brought in his designer Mary Jane Colter to look at the Painted Desert Inn design. She changed the windows to the north for a better view of the panorama of the Painted Desert, changed the color scheme, and invited Fred Kabotie, a very famous Hopi Indian artist, to paint several wall murals in several of the rooms. The CCC had added an extra room that became the Monument’s Visitor Center until the new/current VC was opened in 1962-3 when the Monument became a National Park and PDI was closed. For 24 years there was a great deal of controversy over what to do with the crumbling building, from remodeling to bulldozing the building down. PDI was saved for good when it became a National Historic Landmark. After repairs were made, the Inn was re-opened to the public in ‘87. It requires constant monitoring for cracking and the last remodel was in 2004. Keeping this building is service is necessary because it is such a wonderful historic treasure and the view from the windows is breathtaking, especially when snow adds a new dimension to the landscape as it did last week.
Today was our first day “alone”. We have been in training for about 2 weeks and had other experienced people around to train and watch over us, but today we traveled the two miles or so to the Painted Desert Inn (PDI) for our 9-5 shift there. The PDI story goes back to the 20’s. A gentleman named Herbert Lore used some Mexican workers and built himself a home on 2500 acres he had originally homesteaded on the edge of the Painted Desert. The home was built out of petrified rock and cement, but neither Mr. Lore nor his workers knew much about building and the structure had more mortar than rock. The other difficulty with the house was that it was built on top of land that consists of bentonite clay. When it rains, the clay swells and it shrinks as it dries out. Between the two problems (mortar and clay), the building needs repair every few years. Lore used the inn as his private residence for a number of years, as well as a tourist stop which provided food, drink, gifts, and a place to stay. When Route 66 was developed, Lore sold his property to the Monument and a road was connected to 66. Because the property needed repairs, the CCC was brought in to stabilize and restore the property. No water or electricity was available; therefore, all the work was done by hand. And, the workmanship is wonderful! Logs needed to be felled and brought to the sight for ceiling supports and furniture. From the Flagstaff area ponderosa pine was brought in for the vigas and aspen for the savinas were transported from the White Mts., over 100 miles southeast. The furniture was made from wood; the light fixtures are tinwork, glass panels hand-made, as well as hand-painted, and the walls on the outside were covered with stucco to replicate the Spanish adobe look. WW II interrupted the work and the Inn was closed until 1946. In 1947 the Fred Harvey Co. was contracted to take over the concessions. Mr. Harvey had worked with the Santa Fe Railroads to provide different an oasis at different stops along the line. His practice was to hire young ladies from around the country to work in the dining rooms. The Harvey Girls as they came to be known, needed at least an 8th grade education, proper manners, and were not to be involved with the clientele during their 6 month contract. Mr. Harvey brought in his designer Mary Jane Colter to look at the Painted Desert Inn design. She changed the windows to the north for a better view of the panorama of the Painted Desert, changed the color scheme, and invited Fred Kabotie, a very famous Hopi Indian artist, to paint several wall murals in several of the rooms. The CCC had added an extra room that became the Monument’s Visitor Center until the new/current VC was opened in 1962-3 when the Monument became a National Park and PDI was closed. For 24 years there was a great deal of controversy over what to do with the crumbling building, from remodeling to bulldozing the building down. PDI was saved for good when it became a National Historic Landmark. After repairs were made, the Inn was re-opened to the public in ‘87. It requires constant monitoring for cracking and the last remodel was in 2004. Keeping this building is service is necessary because it is such a wonderful historic treasure and the view from the windows is breathtaking, especially when snow adds a new dimension to the landscape as it did last week.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Petrified Forest National Park
Sunday Feb 1, 2009 - April _____, 2009
After a long hard pull 125 miles from Phoenix (at about 1100 f) to Flagstaff (at 7000 feet). The truck was like the little engine that could but it made it. There was still snow on the ground around Flag. We fueled up, had lunch and headed east on I-40. It's about 115 miles to PFNP and we arrived at the gate about 3:45. By 5ish, we were parked, plugged in, and putting stuff away. I even had a chance to catch the second half of the Super Bowl at the rec room. The headquarters area consists of basically a campus with several housing areas and an office area, maintenance area, and the visitor center. There was a school here at one time.,but the kids now are bussed to Holbrook (25 miles).
After a day of rest on Monday, we started work. Tuesday consisted of driving in a van with 7 people up and down the park road checking out most of the turn outs. Wed, Thurs & Friday were training days. The National Park Service is, of course, a government agency so certain things have to be c0vered. There were 8 of us in the group. Part of the training was in how to give a presentation. In was very good info. It will help us here as well as future sites we will be working. Next week more training.
Phoenix
Friday morning the 30th we hooked up the rig and left Quartzsite for a 2 1/2 hour run into Phoenix. We turned north on the 101 and left our trailer in the driveway of friends in Peoria and drove over to D & K's home north of Scottsdale, the area is called Troon if you are familiar with the area. VERY expensive and nice area. Their house is just west of Pinnacle Peak. It is a beautiful area. Saturday, we spent the day at the Desert Botanical Garden, a beautiful area nW of Mesa near the Zoo. In addition to the many desert plants from all over the world, there was a large display of Chihuly glass throughout the park. It sounds out of place but they looked good there. Look at the pictures here to make your decision. It was a great birthday present.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Quartzsite, AZ
I have heard stories of Quartzsite, AZ. but I had never seen it during it's prime time. Prime time is Dec - Feb. During the quiet time (summer) the town has a population of 3000 hardy souls who can put up with the high temperatures. But during winter, the snowbirds descend upon the area and set up camp. There are campers ( travel trailers, vans, fifth wheels, motorhomes, even some tents) in any direction as far as the eye can see. There are RV parks with full hook-ups and areas that have no facilites at all. The BLM has certain areas for short term camping ( up to 14 days) and others that allow camping from Oct to April. It is very interesting to see the equipment that some of the rigs have.
The town itself transforms also. Portable restaurant spring up. Vender booths appear. A large white tent is erected and used for a series of events from a RV show, to a vendor sales area, to a car show, and so it goes on. And always there are hundreds of vendor booths scattered through out town. It is a fun place to look around for some treasure you did not even know you needed. If you ever in the area in the winter, it is definitely worth a "stop and see". I think we will stop by for a few days next year on our way down south.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Beginning
Day 1 Eugene-Klamath Falls Tues Jan 20
Left the house at 10:20 Uneventful trip over Willamette Pass. Got to J & T about 3. Went to dinner at one of our favorite stops Wingers (good salads). Had lots of fun opening presents from Christmas. Always fun to be at their house.
Day 2 Left KFalls about 9:30. Headed down 39 which becomes 139 as it gets into Ca. Drove past Lava Beds National Monument and the site of Captain Jack’s stronghold again. Every time we pass it we say next time we are going to stop.... Well maybe next time. Had lunch alongside the road at ice covered Eagle Lake. Diesel was 2.35 at Susanville, but I wanted to wait until Reno so that we could make it to Bishop before fueling again. Well, paid 2.49 at Reno so the idea that fuel is always more expensive in California is not necessarily true. After fuel and a few groceries in Reno we continued south on 395. Lots of traffic through Carson City and the turn off for Tahoe, but it thinned down after that. However, the highway also started going up. I had not studied the map that carefully for mountain passes. I looked at the towns and noticed that they were few and far between but didn't put two and two together to realize that that may mean mountains.
There are several grades between Carson City and Bishop and Topaz Lake is on the other side of one of those grades. It would be a nice view, but it was starting to get dark by then and so we did not get to appreciate it. Devils Gate is the pass there at 7519 then down to Bridgeport. Conway Summit is next at 8143 and then to Lee Vining and Mono Lake. We have seen the lake in the daylight and it is neat. My memory will have to suffice because it was as dark as the inside of a bear’s belly when we drove past. I had read online that free overnight parking was available on the south side of the lake, but never having been there and not having daylight, we decided to move on. A young man at the Chevron station in Lee Vining told me that there was a Vons grocery store in Bishop. So we slogged up and over Deadman Pass (8039) and past Mammoth Lakes and down the Deadman Grade (a 6% grade for 8 miles which meant 2nd gear and keeping the rig at around 30-35mph during the decent). Arrived in Bishop about 8:30, found Vons, pulled over into a corner of the parking lot, had some soup and went to bed.
Day 3 Bishop to Quartzsite. As we fueled up in Bishop the attendant told me that chains were required from June Lake to Mammoth Lakes so I’m glad we kept going the night before. If we would have stayed at Mono Lake we would have been in snow. The drive south from Bishop on 395 was fun. Several quaint towns, Bishop being one of them, but also Big Pine, Lone Pine, and Independence and many campgrounds along the way. Spent on hour at Manzanar National Historic Site. It was one of the locations in the US where people of Japenese origin were sent during WWII. They were taken from their homes where ever they lived, allowed to bring only what they could carry, and brought to these places. There were about 10 of these "facilities" in the western US. Manzanar and Tule Lake were the two in California, but there were some in other states such as Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, etc. If you want some further information about what went on during those times, www.nps.gov/manz/ .
Left the house at 10:20 Uneventful trip over Willamette Pass. Got to J & T about 3. Went to dinner at one of our favorite stops Wingers (good salads). Had lots of fun opening presents from Christmas. Always fun to be at their house.
Day 2 Left KFalls about 9:30. Headed down 39 which becomes 139 as it gets into Ca. Drove past Lava Beds National Monument and the site of Captain Jack’s stronghold again. Every time we pass it we say next time we are going to stop.... Well maybe next time. Had lunch alongside the road at ice covered Eagle Lake. Diesel was 2.35 at Susanville, but I wanted to wait until Reno so that we could make it to Bishop before fueling again. Well, paid 2.49 at Reno so the idea that fuel is always more expensive in California is not necessarily true. After fuel and a few groceries in Reno we continued south on 395. Lots of traffic through Carson City and the turn off for Tahoe, but it thinned down after that. However, the highway also started going up. I had not studied the map that carefully for mountain passes. I looked at the towns and noticed that they were few and far between but didn't put two and two together to realize that that may mean mountains.
There are several grades between Carson City and Bishop and Topaz Lake is on the other side of one of those grades. It would be a nice view, but it was starting to get dark by then and so we did not get to appreciate it. Devils Gate is the pass there at 7519 then down to Bridgeport. Conway Summit is next at 8143 and then to Lee Vining and Mono Lake. We have seen the lake in the daylight and it is neat. My memory will have to suffice because it was as dark as the inside of a bear’s belly when we drove past. I had read online that free overnight parking was available on the south side of the lake, but never having been there and not having daylight, we decided to move on. A young man at the Chevron station in Lee Vining told me that there was a Vons grocery store in Bishop. So we slogged up and over Deadman Pass (8039) and past Mammoth Lakes and down the Deadman Grade (a 6% grade for 8 miles which meant 2nd gear and keeping the rig at around 30-35mph during the decent). Arrived in Bishop about 8:30, found Vons, pulled over into a corner of the parking lot, had some soup and went to bed.
Day 3 Bishop to Quartzsite. As we fueled up in Bishop the attendant told me that chains were required from June Lake to Mammoth Lakes so I’m glad we kept going the night before. If we would have stayed at Mono Lake we would have been in snow. The drive south from Bishop on 395 was fun. Several quaint towns, Bishop being one of them, but also Big Pine, Lone Pine, and Independence and many campgrounds along the way. Spent on hour at Manzanar National Historic Site. It was one of the locations in the US where people of Japenese origin were sent during WWII. They were taken from their homes where ever they lived, allowed to bring only what they could carry, and brought to these places. There were about 10 of these "facilities" in the western US. Manzanar and Tule Lake were the two in California, but there were some in other states such as Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, etc. If you want some further information about what went on during those times, www.nps.gov/manz/ .
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Getting Ready to Hit the Road
Well it's time to start loading the rig. In just over 2 weeks we will be hitting the road with the truck and fifth wheel. I have been itching to go since we arrived home from Burns last October. The rain and snow and cloudly weather are getting old fast.
The trailer is physically ready. Clothes and food need to be added. The truck goes for a check up and oil change on this Tuesday and it will be primed for the trip. The only challenge will be the weather. This time of year the trip over the mountains is always a day-to-day thing. I hope to travel Hwy 58 over Willamette Pass and onto Klamath Falls and then south. If the weather gets iffy, then we may have to go I-5 over the Siskiyou Pass. It has many more ups and downs, but it is better taken care of because of the high amount of traffic. The truckers, if given a choice, will take Hwy 58 because there is just one "hill" to go over on the way south.
Our path southbound has not been decided (of course the snow level will dictate some of it). Having only a general idea is part of the fun. I do plan to visit friends who are parking their rig in the Quartzsite, Az area. I haven't been to Quartzsite at this time of year, but I have heard that the desert population explodes right now. I will post pictures of what I find. Wait until I tell you where R and I are going to end up! (Hint: see above)
The trailer is physically ready. Clothes and food need to be added. The truck goes for a check up and oil change on this Tuesday and it will be primed for the trip. The only challenge will be the weather. This time of year the trip over the mountains is always a day-to-day thing. I hope to travel Hwy 58 over Willamette Pass and onto Klamath Falls and then south. If the weather gets iffy, then we may have to go I-5 over the Siskiyou Pass. It has many more ups and downs, but it is better taken care of because of the high amount of traffic. The truckers, if given a choice, will take Hwy 58 because there is just one "hill" to go over on the way south.
Our path southbound has not been decided (of course the snow level will dictate some of it). Having only a general idea is part of the fun. I do plan to visit friends who are parking their rig in the Quartzsite, Az area. I haven't been to Quartzsite at this time of year, but I have heard that the desert population explodes right now. I will post pictures of what I find. Wait until I tell you where R and I are going to end up! (Hint: see above)
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