Wow! What a busy summer we had! What seemed like maybe a month or so, has turned into 6 months. Thus, the account of our last 6 months will be more in photos than lengthy story.
In April when we left Tucson, we headed for the Petrified Forest National Park. Camping in the area is hard to find spots, so we rocked up at an RV park with everyone else stopping for a couple days to visit the Petrified Forest. It was quite windy for the entirety of our time there, but was still an interesting stop.
Painted Desert Landscape, Petrified Forest National Park 
Petrified Forest National Park, Painted Desert landscape 
Up close shot of a petrified log, Petrified Forest National Park 
Petrified logs, Petrified Forest National Park 
House made of petrified logs, Petrified Forest National Park 
The colors in the rocks were amazing. What a house! Petrified Forest National Forest 
Inside the petrified log house, Petrified Forest National Park 
Imagine that people once lived here, in this windy land with no water in sight. Petrified Forest National Park
The weather was beginning to turn a bit colder than we prefer, so after a check of where it might be a bit warmer, we decided to head towards Page, AZ. A friend we met in Tucson, Patricia, suggested we check out a place called Lee’s Ferry just outside of Page. Lee’s Ferry is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, at the northernmost end of the Grand Canyon National Park. Lee’s Ferry first became known for being the only spot accessible on both sides of the Colorado River for a hundred or more miles, due to the unique geography of the area, and for many years this area provided a consistent opportunity for crossing the Colorado River. In 1929 that Navajo Bridge was built, and the ferry was no longer needed. The homestead, cemetery, and orchard are still present and fascinating to visit. Most people might know of Lee’s Ferry as the put-in for white water rafting on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. At any rate, it was a lovely place to visit and to make it extra special, we were joined by our friend Patricia. You might remember reading about her in our previous post, she was the first woman to solo raft, unsupported, the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1982. It was very special to experience Lee’s Ferry with her, hear her stories from years ago and learn some of the history of white water rafting and how things have changed.
View from the center of the Navajo Bridge, looking down on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon 
Yes! You can drive to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Well almost anyway. The boundary was just a few hundred yards down river. 
The “put in” for rafting the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. Lee’s Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 
Our camp at dusk, Lee’s Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 
Lee’s Ferry at sunset. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 
Colorado River at Cathedral Wash Trail Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 
Corral at Lonely Dell Ranch. Lee’s Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area 
Ruins of a building at Lee’s Ferry. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. 
Looking through history. Remaining window opening in an old building, only partially standing. Lee’s Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. 
Looking down the Colorado River from Spencer Trail. Lee’s Ferry, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
As we made our way south we ventured the Valley of Fire State Park, just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Our campsite in Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada 
A Desert Bighorn Sheep having a snack in Arch Rock Campground. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. 
Large vistas on a hike. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada 
A lizard in the hot sand. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada 
Slot Canyon, White Domes Loop Trail. Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada 
Jared in a cave. White Domes Loop Trail, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. 
A Desert Bighorn Sheep resting in the shade. Near Arch Rock Campground, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
Next we were on our way to Las Vegas to lend a hand restoring a 1969 Buick Sportwagon that had been garaged since 1986. The engine needed an overhaul, hoses needed replacing and the owner of the car, a senior in high school, needed someone with a bit of mechanical knowledge to help with the learning curve and be an extra set of hands. Sunshine and time by the pool was also enjoyed. The surprise to our stay with our good friends was when someone knocked on the door to inform us that someone had hit the Jeep. As the story goes, the neighbor had a mobile dog wash company come by to attend to their dog, and the driver of said mobile dog wash van put it in drive instead of reverse. We could not find any damage to the back of the Jeep, as the van hit the spare tire and barely the hitch. The van on the other hand had to be towed away as they destroyed the radiator.
Using what is around. An engine hoist was made out of a 2×4, some chain, a ladder and good old human muscle to lower the heads in a 1969 Buick Sportswagaon 
Using a torque wrench to properly tighten the bolts on the head of 1969 Buick Sportswagon. 
Three sets of eyes and two sets of hands were needed for getting the oil pan gasket properly in place. It was a bit of a buggar! 
Sunshine and tropical drinks poolside. 
The van that lost to the Jeep.
With the Buick Sportwagon in running order, we headed off for more adventures. Cathedral Gorge State Park was our first stop where sunset was amazing! The big adventure was Great Basin National Park. It is a bit out of the way, but so worth it!!! The campground was above 7,000 feet with lots of wild flowers in bloom, and the occasional sound of wild turkeys, which we eventually saw roosting in a tree across from our camp. The park is home to Lehman Cave, a large cavern system that has had many uses over the years including being used during prohibition. We did not see the cave or take the tour, they were booked out months. We did however hike through a Bristlecone Pine forest at above 10,000 feet. Bristlecone Pines are considered to be the oldest living thing in the world, some of them 5,000 years old. It was a beautiful hike, taking us a bit longer with the high elevation, but so worth it!
Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada. 
Enjoying some wine while watching the sun set. Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada 
Nevada Hwy 50 sign, “The Loneliest Road in America” 
Though we have been on lonelier roads, they certainly weren’t this long. We drove this road from Great Basin National Park to Reno, Nevada, which is just about across the entire State of Nevada.
Wild Chives maybe? Great Basin National Park 
Delicate little wild flowers, Great Basin National Park 
Wild pink rosebush. Great Basin National Park 
Purple wild flowers. Great Basin National Park. 
Wild flowers that remind me of mini daisies. 
Wild flowers of the white variety were in abundance at the campground.
Bristlecone Pine Interpretive Trail placard. Great Basin National Park. 
A small forest of Bristlecone Pine above 10,000 feet. Great Basin National Park 
Bristlecone Pine Forest at the base of the glacier. Great Basin National Park 
The Bristlecone Pines often had a bit of a fun twist to them. Great Basin National Park 
The hike to the Bristlecone Pines started at above 10,000 feet. This hike took us a but longer than expected due to the high altitude. 
Our campsite at Great Basin National Park, about 7,500 feet in elevation.
A couple days later we arrived to Reno, NV to visit a friend and look into a charging issue we were having. While we were traveling Africa, our friend KP was traveling the Pan American route. He has since settled in Reno and has quite the business setting up vehicles with proper 12volt systems for living on the road. We enjoyed some beautiful camping on the outskirts of Reno, met some fellow travelers (DirtSunrise) and borrowed a bit of space in KP’s shop to track down what turned out to be a loose ground.
Camping out of the wind on a hill above Reno. 
Using the voltmeter to find where we are having a loss of current. 
Tightening all the grounds and making sure all the battery cables are secure and tight. 
We camped above Reno on National Forest land.
Next big adventure: Oregon! We have spent quite a bit of time in Eastern Oregon, but always seem to visit the same places. This time through, we wanted to experience some new parts. Our first stop was Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge. Up on top there is a small campground with pit toilets and a hot spring! Much to our surprise, it was quite lush up on top where the hot spring is, complete with plenty of mosquitos!
Setting sun from our campsite on Hart Mountain. 
Campsite on Hart Mountain 
Hot Spring enclosure on top of Hart Mountain.
A few hours drive from there is the Steen’s Mountains, also somewhere we had never been. There is a lovely drive through the Steen’s Mountains with lots of pullouts for educational reads and amazing views. Though there is a campground up there, there is also quite a bit of dispersed camping, which we took advantage of. It was the perfect time to be there, as at elevation the temperature was in the 80’s, while in lower elevations much of Oregon was experiencing a heat wave with temperatures between 100-115ºF.
Dispersed camp spot on Steens Mountains 
Aspen around our camp with curly trunks. 
Wild flowers in bloom on Steens Mountains at one of the overlooks. 
View from one of the pullout areas. It looks so pristine. 
At the highest pullout on the Steens Mountains, with melting snow in late June. 
From the top of the Steens Mountains looking down onto the Alvord Desert. 
A lush green meadow with wild flowers along the road on Steens Mountains.
My check of the weather suggested that it would be only in the 90’s along the Owyhee and we had on our list to check out Birch Creek Ranch that is down on the Owyhee River, Leslie Gulch on the Owyhee Reservoir and Succor Creek. My weather intel was incorrect! At Leslie Gulch it was 114ºF, the low water of the reservoir smelled like mildew and there was no where to really cool down. We spent one night at each of these destinations and moved onward!
The drive into Birch Creek Ranch. Eventually we will be at the bottom of those mountains. 
A 4 mile descent into Birch Creek Ranch on a one lane dirt and rock road. Always hoping no-one comes in the opposite direction. 
Historic Birch Creek Ranch. Some amazing history here with well preserved buildings and a caretaker. 
Leslie Gulch. It was a beautiful drive, with a quail family running down the road ahead of us. Lots of hiking trails to be had. 
The drive into Leslie Gulch with towering rock formations and trees of green, a rare sight in the desert. 
The water was quite low in the Owyhee Reservoir, with the boat ramp falling quite short. The water was horribly warm and smelled a bit of mildew. 
The drive through Succor Creek was beautiful, and much cooler down in the bottom of the canyon.
After a brief stop in Bend, we headed for Portland. We would use Jen’s parents as a home base for the summer. They had some projects they needed help with, we had some projects and also needed to make a trip to eastern Washington and Oregon to visit Jared’s family. We were busy!
We logged and cleared property for Jen’s parents
We let Bob do all the heavy lifting! With Jen’s dad in the driver seat of the Bobcat, Jared ran the chain saw to get the logs cut into manageable sizes. 
We split and stacked a decent amount for use in the shop and delivered some to good friends of the family. 
Three cheers for Bob! This job would have been a lot harder without the Bobcat.
With no good place to store Lucy, Jen’s 1960 Valiant, and no plans for us to land somewhere anytime soon, it was time for Lucy to have a new owner. We pulled Lucy out, aired up the tires, added some gas to the tank and it started right up. Lucy sold and we delivered her to the new owner.
Pulling out Lucy to determine what all is needed for putting her up for sale. 
She isn’t perfect, but she runs like a champ!
The awning on the trailer needed to be replaced, as it was disintegrating in the sun. We pulled it off, sent it in for a new one to be made and replaced it with the new cover about 6 weeks later.
Removing the awning was a bigger chore than expected and at times took 3 of us. Putting it back on would be interesting. 
With the awning cover removed, we could really see the deterioration in the fabric. 
The new awning cover for the trailer! We were quite pleased with the overall work and that the new material should tolerate the sun better. 
The new awning cover fit perfectly!
Dismounted the awning on the Jeep to replace the cover and also needed to weld a few cracks in the rack.
The awning cover on the Jeep had definitely seen better days! Luckily, we had a backup and it was a quick swap after having the new one reinforced so that it will travel better at highway speeds. 
We actually found two cracks. One on each side. 
Lucky for us, Jen’s dad can not only weld, but he has a welder! after getting all the paint off and prepping the space, he welded up the cracks and Jared painted over them.
More logging…
Is this really how we should be doing this? 
Another day, another tree. For a while it seemed like it would never end! 
When the tree is fell into the driveway, it must be taken care of immediately. Thankful this one didn’t have lots of limbs!
Replaced seals on the trailer.
The seal on the back door was in the worst shape. 
The new seals look great! and the glue for mating the ends worked perfectly.
Took the Jeep in for a new head gasket, wound up with a new head.
The old head with all the white marks pointing out the cracks. 
a pretty obvious crack in the head.
More logging…
Installed an air vent in the hood of the Jeep.
Laying out the template so it would be even was probably the most time consuming piece. 
Marking through the template with a center punch so the holes are drilled in the proper spots. 
Drilling bigger holes to have enough room to cut out the pieces. 
Cutting out the pieces by the connecting the dots. 
With all the pieces cut out. 
The new hood vent!
And our product from South Africa finally arrived, about 3 months delayed.
We are excited to be starting a business. The details will be announced once we have finished jumping through some hoops and are actually able to offer product for sale.
