120815 - Visit Me on Facebook

Although I haven't posted here since May 2012, I still spend my summers in my RV, on the road. I am posting on Facebook, however, most days. So, if you are a friend or acquaintance of mine, and you want to keep track of where I am and what I'm doing, please "friend" me on Facebook.

To make things a little complicated, I have two fb profiles. The first one I made is under "Kathryn Carver", but PLEASE DON'T FRIEND THAT ONE. That account was hit with a virus a long time ago, and I can't access it.

Please friend my "Kathryn J Carver" profile.

See you there!

Kathryn

10 May 2012 - Montana

The drive along the Clark Fork (of the Yellowstone River) is especially beautiful in the springtime, as the snow melt turns the river a beautiful shade of aquamarine blue.


I took a route to Flathead Lake that I hadn't taken before, and drove by this stunning view of Rainbow Lake [on left].

Flathead Lake was just as beautiful as I remembered it. This time I stopped at West Shore State Park and Joey and I had a lovely walk on a trail through the woods along the lakeshore.



We stopped in Columbia Falls for a night before we headed into Glacier National Park. As usual, Joey and I played ball for awhile. As my dad says, Joey's version of ball is more of a "keep-away" game than anything else, but she loves it. She is so proud of that ball, there isn't any way to describe it except to say that she "prances" around with the ball. You can clearly see she's telling you, "See what I have!"

7 May 2012 - Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho

I stopped in Twin Falls and took a break for a couple days. I'd been pushing it pretty hard since I left Arizona and wanted to slow down a little. I knew I was back in the north country when I heard the redwing blackbirds in the marsh next door, and saw all the beautiful lilacs blooming in the campground. And I enjoyed every minute of it. :-)

While I was in town (Twin Falls) I drove to the beautiful Snake River Canyon. I wasn't far from the spot where Evil Knievel tried to jump the canyon in 1974. It's really hard to imagine someone trying to jump over such a huge canyon. I also drove over to Shoshone Falls, known as the Niagara of the West. Both are worth seeing, even for the second time. :-)

Then I drove north, through Sun Valley. This time of year you can still tell that it's primarily a ski resort area. Once again, the drive through the Sawtooth Mountains was incredibly beautiful, with snow-topped mountains on three sides. The majestic view of the mountains on the other side of the Salmon River Valley far below, was definitely worth the drive. Even for the second time. :-)

As I was driving through the Salmon River Valley, on the Salmon River Scenic Byway, I was surprised to see a pair of striking sandhill cranes. I've only seen them in the wild once before, in Wisconsin. They had rubbed clay into their feathers, as they are wont to do, so that their feathers were a beautiful rust color. And, most amazing, while I watched, one of them did a kind of dance for the other. I read later that "dancing" for each other isn't that unusual in a pair. But it was incredible to watch.

6 May 2012 - Great Salt Lake and Antelope Island

I visited my friend Karrie in Salt Lake City and was impressed with the views of snow-capped mountains she has all around her. No wonder she had trouble finding her way around the flat prairies of North Dakota, with no mountains on the horizon to help her get her bearings! :-)

Then I spent a couple nights camped on Antelope Island, another of my very favorite places.

I knew I was back in the West, when I heard the meadowlarks singing all around us in the campground.

The sunsets were exquisite, as always.

Highlights included seeing a chukar for the first time, and adding that to my Life List, and seeing thousands and thousands of earred grebes.






I saw some antelope, but could never get a better view of them than I did last time I was here. I saw some bison, and lots of other birds. But, mostly, once again, I was blown away by the beauty all around me, the views of this island and this lake.

5 May 2012 - Red Rock Country & Bryce Canyon

I spent a couple days in Utah's Red Rock Country, another of my favorite places in the U.S. Besides the Vermillion Cliffs (where Best Friends is located) [left],and views of the nearby Escalante Staircase National Park, [below] I also drove through Red Canyon [below left] on my way to Bryce Canyon National Park. It was too cold for me to stay there long. The elevation is pretty high, and it was forecast to get down to around freezing that night. But the views at Sunset Point [below right] were stunning.







The next morning I was wondering whether it actually got down to freezing that night, until I saw this...

5 May 2012 - Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab, Utah

I've been sending money to this animal sanctuary, and wanting to visit here, for years, since long before they became so well known, due to their work after Hurricane Katrina, National Geographic's popular "Dogtown" TV show, and their work with the "Michael Vick dogs". I'm glad I finally made it. I took one of the several 90-minute tours they offer daily. I took the Volunteer Orientation class, too, because I was hoping to volunteer, but that didn't work out, because I had my dog with me.

I have always been impressed with this organization, and, now I am even more impressed than I was before.

Their location - out in the country, in the spectacular Vermillion Cliffs, with beautiful Angel Canyon all to themselves - can't be beat! There is more than enough room for the horses and other large animals.

I was impressed with how new and nice the facilities looked. The tour included a visit to one of the "cat houses", as well as to Dogtown Heights. I was so impressed with the cat house. It was more like a home than an institution. I wouldn't mind living there myself!! :-) The only cat that was in a cage, was the cat who had just arrived the day before, and it sounded like he would be let out later that day because he was adjusting very well. Caregivers are assigned to a particular house, so that they get used to the cats in that house, and the cats get used to them. A caregiver who knows an animal well is more likely to notice if something is "off" in an animal's behavior, than one who isn't.

The "cat house" had built-in features that cats would love. I was especially impressed with the platforms built up near the ceiling, for "rafter cats" - those cats who only feel safe up high, when they first arrive. There are even litter boxes up in the rafters, so the rafter cats don't need to come down, until they are ready.

The tour guide was very good, providing lots of information, answering all our questions, and even entertaining us. :-) In fact, I was impressed with the helpfulness and friendliness of every person I dealt with during this visit. I learned that there are over 300,000 members of Best Friends now. I learned that National Geographic had originally planned to only have three episodes of "Dogtown", but it was so popular, that it ran for four seasons. I learned that they have rehabilitated, and found adoptive homes for, several of the Vicktory dogs. You might remember that the fighting pit bulls that Best Friends took from the Michael Vick rescue, were the ones the other rescue organizations said couldn't be rehabilitated. And they are still working with the others (although two have died). I was reminded that Best Friends gives workshops continually, for others around the country who want to learn how to run a successful sanctuary operation.

After I took the tour, I spent some time at "Angel's Rest", the animal cemetery. As expected, this cemetery is used for the animals from the sanctuary, and is also used for the employees' animals. But Best Friends has offered to their members, for years, the option of purchasing wind chimes for the cemetery, in memory of a beloved pet. And so the cemetery is full of the tinkling sound of wind chimes. I can only say that this cemetery experience was probably the most pleasant of my life. There is something about all those beautiful wind chimes, that makes it seem like such a serene, spiritual place. I left there thinking that all cemeteries should have wind chimes in them. Having worked Hurricane Katrina for FEMA, I was moved by the memorial to the Katrina animals. But, I was moved by the whole experience. We should all have such a lovely place for our final rest.

4 May 2012 - Route 66 to Grand Canyon West

I didn't realize part of the route I'd be driving to Grand Canyon West, was the old Route 66. I was delighted when I saw these signs along the side of the road:

IF DAISIES ARE
YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER
KEEP PUSHIN’ UP
THOSE MILES PER HOUR.

YOU CAN DRIVE
A MILE A MINUTE
BUT THERE IS NO
FUTURE IN IT.

TRAIN APPROACHING
WHISTLE SQUEALING
PAUSE, AVOID THAT
RUNDOWN FEELING.

THE BLACKENED FOREST
SMOULDERS YET
BECAUSE I FLIPPED
A CIGARETTE.

SLOW DOWN, PA
SAKES ALIVE
MA MISSED SIGNS
FOUR AND FIVE.

I didn't see this one on the road, but, for some reason, I remember it from my childhood:

DON'T STICK YOUR ELBOW
OUT TOO FAR
IT MAY GO HOME
IN SOMEONE ELSE'S CAR.
BURMA SHAVE

Do you remember the days of Smoky the Bear, when the government was trying to convince smokers to quit throwing their cigarettes out their car windows, because they were starting forest fires? (And it seemed like everyone smoked.)

I've been wanting to walk on the Skywalk, the "glass bridge" over the Grand Canyon, ever since I heard they were building it, so I'm glad I did it. But I was disappointed. First, because the artist's rendering of the imagined bridge showed that it went out into the canyon much further than it actually does. Second, I imagined that you would be able to see down into the bottom of the canyon from the glass bridge; you can't. Third, it was expensive ($80, part for "admission to the Hualapai tribal lands" and the remainder for the skywalk itself). There is a distinct contrast between the South Rim and Grand Canyon West. Part of that is the cost. Part of that is the difficulty of reaching the west rim, including an eight-mile "primitive road" that I had to drive at about 8 mph in my rig because of the washboard and ruts. I imagine that Grand Canyon West is the way the South Rim was, a few years back. There are more fences and barricades at the South Rim. But the primary difference, aside from the the massive number of people who visit the South Rim, is the constant sound of helicopters taking off and flying in and over the canyon. It certainly detracted from the experience, for those of us not flying in the helicopters. The tour guides at Grand Canyon West also mentioned criticisms of the other location, which I felt was in bad form. Finally, the canyon is much wider, and much deeper, and more impressive, in the national park.

The best parts of the experience: The drive through the Joshua Tree forest was delightful. I did enjoy watching a couple of Hualapai dancers (though their dance is the simplest of all the native dances I've seen, mostly just rocking back and forth, and I didn't appreciate the unprofessional, insolent, attitude of the gourd rattler). And I enjoyed seeing the western part of the Grand Canyon, including especially Eagle Point [photo above], which looks like the head, shoulders, and outspread wings of an eagle (with a little imagination).

2 May 2012 - Grand Canyon

So where is Joey now? [See photo left] The Grand Canyon! It had been years since I was at the Grand Canyon, and something I'd been wanting to do for awhile, so it was a treat. We stopped in the thick ponderosa pine forest on the way there, and I inhaled the wonderful pine scent that I miss when I'm in the desert. It was Joey's first visit to the Grand Canyon! :-) She wasn't impressed with the scenery, as we stopped at each of the overlooks on the South Rim, all the way east to the eastern-most Desert View. But I was. When you are there, you can understand why, on every list of its kind, this is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. I hadn't been to all the overlooks on the east end before, so especially enjoyed those, and the historic Watchtower. Some of the tourists were impressed with the size of the ravens that hang around the overlooks, as was I. We went back to Navajo Point, which was one of my favorites. Then we watched the sunset from another favorite, Lipan Point. It was a little windy, and it got too cold for me to be comfortable hanging out at the rim, so we went back to our snug, warm RV, at a campground in Tusayan.

1 May 2012 - On the Road Again! North Ranch

It's summer time, and time to get on the road again! [Flowers from a Palo Verde tree on left].

I left Mesa on Tuesday, May 1st. It feels good to be back on the road, but I've left a chunk of my heart back in Mesa. I pretty much got settled into my new home, but spent as much time as I could with the new man in my life, who is in Mesa. :-)

My first stop was at North Ranch, which is an Escapees park outside of Congress, AZ. Although it's only about 90 miles north of Phoenix, it's not in the Valley of the Sun, and so the temp there was 77, instead of the 91 in Mesa. I'd been hearing about North Ranch for years from other Escapees, and wanted to check it out. And I wanted to get my rig weighed. I've been going to do that for awhile. It's a service Escapees offers at North Ranch (and other places), for a fee. I got only good news. My rig is well balanced, and not carrying anywhere near too much weight on any wheel. The total is 10,500 pounds. About what I expected, but I'm glad to have it confirmed.

Joey and I enjoyed our walks around the grounds while we were there. If you stop, you must see Methuselah, the largest saguaro I've ever seen, for sure. They think he's over 400 years old, and he towers over the buildings there.

16 April 2012 - St. Anthony's Greek Orthodox Monastery

I drove out to Florence (only about an hour's drive southeast of Mesa) to visit my friend Sue, who has an RV on a lot she purchased out in the country there. It was great to see her and get a chance to get caught up on each other's lives. She has a large lot out in the country - very nice. She suggested we drive over to St. Anthony's nearby, which was a great idea. The monastery has been here about ten years, and they have done an impressive amount of building and landscaping in that time. All the women have to wear long sleeves, skirts, and head scarves, so they loan clothing to the tourists to use while they are walking on the grounds. Bit it's worth it! (I don't think I'd feel as good about it, in the middle of the summer, though.) [Don't we look like old ladies?!?!?]

The cathedrals, other buildings, and grounds are beautiful. I enjoyed the beautiful architecture, including onion-shaped domes, tiled roofs, curved arches. The ornate interiors included stone mosaics on the floors, lots of gold and silver decorations, beautiful tapestries, intricately-carved wooden fixtures, and parquet-like patterned wooden ceilings. The landscaping includes fountains, statuary, and intricate masonry on the grounds. I got the impression that it had all been done with such loving care. What a treat! It's definitely worth the drive out from Mesa.

21 March 2012 - Desert Botanical Garden

Before they headed out of town, back north for the summer, my friends Mike and Rhonda and I visited Desert Botanical Garden, where they were having a butterfly exhibit. [Buckeye moth at left]

I always enjoy my trips to Desert Botanical; I enjoyed sharing it with Mike and Rhonda, as it was their first time. This time there was the added attraction of the butterfly exhibit. [Zebra butterfly at right]

This was the first time I visited when the hummingbird garden was in full bloom, and we got several really good views of hummingbirds.

9 Apr 2012 - Mesa

One of the reasons I got a dog, is because I knew I would get more exercise, and I would get out more. Being an introvert at heart, there are times that I could just sit in front of my laptop for hour after hour (or day after day, actually!) without venturing outside....but, no. I have a dog now, and she needs to be walked at least three times a day. I thoroughly enjoy these walks, as does Joey. Being a birdwatcher, I am constantly on the lookout for birds, and always rewarded. Before I moved to the retirement community on 28 March where I recently purchased a mobile home, I mostly walked in the neighborhood around the RV park where I was staying. Since I moved into my house, I am mostly walking around the retirement community neighborhood. I regularly see and hear: cactus wrens (Arizona state bird), mourning doves, pigeons, house finches, house sparrows, curve-billed thrashers, gila woodpeckers [photo on right], starlings, peach-faced lovebirds, Eurasian collared doves, house finches, and Gambel's quail. This time of year I am on the lookout for birds nesting, and have spied six just on my street, including one pigeon, one cactus wren, and several doves. A couple of the nests look a little precarious.

On one of my first morning walks after my move, a group of neighbors were gathered around a cactus, admiring the blooms. They told me that this cactus only blooms one day each year (I wish I'd asked what kind of cactus it is, but I didn't), and this was the day. The blooms were gorgeous, as you can see, on the left.

I've taken a few short trips to my favorite parks in the area,though not nearly as many as usual because I've been busy getting settled into my new house, and have been spending as much time as possible with a new man in my life. :-) I have managed trips to: Wind Cave (a strenuous hike up into the mountain and back), South Mountain, Papago Park [green heron photo at top], Riverview Park, and Gilbert Water Ranch.

I'm also getting Carri ready for my summer trip. I'm planning to head north the end of the April. :-)

8 Feb 2012 - Anna's Hummingbird Nest

I've been watching an Anna's Hummingbird nest in my RV park, just across the street from me. I first noticed the nest shortly after I got back from California, on the 17th of January. At first all I saw was the mother hummingbird sitting on the nest. She would sit on the nest for awhile, then leave briefly, then get back on the nest again, throughout the day.

Then on the 22nd of January, I noticed a difference in her behavior - before she got back on the nest she would stop at the side of the nest and feed two babies! [You can clearly see one baby's head in the photo on right if you enlarge it - click on any picture to see a bigger view then click on your "back" button to return.]

Then I got a surprise, when looking at my pictures on the 31st, to see there were clearly three little mouths! [left] Three is unusual; most of the time there are two eggs in a hummingbird nest. [On this photo you can also see that she is "flashing" a few of the bright pink feathers at her throat that help to identify her as an Anna's Hummingbird.]

When I told a ranger at a local park about the three babies, she warned me that it isn't unusual for one of the babies to get pushed out of the nest, when there are three. And, in fact, it appears that is what happened, as I never saw three babies again - only two. :-(

The babies are getting bigger and growing fast. It's been a joy to watch them, but I don't know how much longer they will be here. As fast as they are growing, they may be fledging soon.



Post Script - 12 Feb: This photo on the right, taken 12 Feb, is the last one I took before the remaining two babies fledged. The larger one (in front) had been doing a lot of preening,and flapping its wings, and I knew they would be gone soon. I have mixed feelings about that. Sad that I won't get to watch them any more. But happy that they have successfully fledged.



28 Feb - Post Post Script: I thought that was the end of the story. But I decided this afternoon to measure the hummingbird nest, and take a couple pictures of the tree, to give you a better perspective on just how tiny this nest is. I've read that hummingbirds don't re-use their nests, so I didn't figure Mama Hummingbird would mind if I examined it, now that she's through with it. I took a picture of the tree that the nest is in. Can you spy the nest? I'll give you a clue. It's on one of the bottom branches on the left. Still can't find it? I'll give you a little closer view, and see if that helps. Can you see it now?

Due to my mother's recent illness, I haven't been home for a couple weeks. But this afternoon when I was measuring the nest (1 inch high, 1 3/4 inch across), I heard the sound of a hummingbird "chattering", and, to my surprise, I saw a hummingbird in Mama Hummingbird's favorite spot, at the top of the tree next to my house. Not only did it seem to be talking to me, like she so often did, as I went to and fro from my RV's front door to my car, but it gave the little dance in the air, that I've come to associate with a greeting, similar to "I'm glad to see you". I was very surprised, but, especially so, when I realized it wasn't Mama Hummingbird that was greeting me, but one of the juveniles!!! :-) [photo above] Did my heart good. What a wonderful experience this has been.

And, finally, this is a photo I took last year of a male Anna's Hummingbird, flashing his bright pink colors. If one of the juveniles is a male, this is what he will look like when he grows up! :-)