Paws and Friends

 Let me set the stage for you. It is May 24, 2021. We departed Spanish Trail RV Resort in Moab, UT early so we could get to Rifle Gap State Park, just north of Rifle, CO, get set up, unload our bikes, and enjoy riding around that beautiful park (thanks, Jo and Bob, for your reference!) We have exited I-70, #87, for Rifle. Here we go. In first place:  52,000 pounds, Allegro Bus 37 AP In second place:  GMC Sierra Denali In third place:  Black Denali GMC SUV In fourth place:  Envision Gulf Stream trailer--about 26 feet In fifth place: one small, blue Chrysler 300 S car And the ignitor?  Why, vehicle number 5!  Smashing into the trailer, pushing the spare tire almost to the axles, and  through this smashing of the rear trailer wall, strewing its contents out on the exit ramp. Said person also was arrested:  suspicion of being impaired. Yes, she walked away from the vehicle. There were no skid marks. This individual said she was "reaching for her ...

We had a "quiet" fall/winter season in AZ. Roving Rider's Roost was a good place to "settle" in the Covid 19 situation. We got together with our small group, our "pod" we called it:  playing cards, going on UTV rides, and rather than eating out, we had picnics in the area!  Starting in mid January we were able to get Covid 19 vaccinations from the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, becoming fully vaccinated by the end of February. Picnic Alamo Lake We celebrated birthdays of our small group with a picnic (we DO like to EAT!) out in the desert on our side by sides in January. We had several rides out in the desert with our small group. Above two pictures:  China Wall Box Canyon We headed out from Roving Rider's Roost April 30, seeking the coolness of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana! We are currently near Mancos, Colorado, having successfully escaped the heat of AZ! We are half a mile from the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park, and we have been t...

  No, that is NOT a black and white photo, even tho' it looks like it.  We are currently at the Rafter J Bar Ranch RV Resort just south of Hill City in the "Central" Black Hills of South Dakota.  We initially received a weather watch regarding snow which was upgraded yesterday to a weather warning for snow 6 to 10 inches at elevations above 5000. We are at 5200. Yes, we received around 6 inches of snow last night! We were ready! The park had turned off the water and we had stowed all the "water" tools, after filling up the fresh water tank to 90%.  The high today will be 39 degrees. For most of the morning it has been just under 32 degrees or right at 32 degrees. Mike has been on the roof three times so far, trying to remove as much of the snow as possible to prevent freezing.  Lindy "shoveled" the snow away from the sewer hose set-up. Again, to prevent freezing as much as possible. We had decided Sunday to stay a couple of extra days here, anticipatin...

 Why are we here? Gee! A very deep question, no? If you are following us, you might have one answer to that question. As full timers, we seek locations that have a beautiful back yard and terrific views. The Rafter J Bar Ranch Campground certainly has all of these!  But there is one more positive attribute added to the mix. The proximity of the 109 mile George S Mickelson Trail. You can find several web sites with information about this trail. Here is one from the South Dakota Game, Fish and and Parks website. This website starts out with: Imagine a path where the ghosts of Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane still roam; where bicyclists, hikers and horseback riders can explore spruce and ponderosa pine forests; and the very young, the very old and people of all abilities can enjoy. Are you hooked? You might guess that with our new e (for electric) bikes, we are! On one of our recent rides, we were asked about our "power" bikes. The fellow asking said he had one, but had not...

July 28, while staying at Yellowstone's Edge RV Park, we drove down to MM 9.65 (no, there wasn't an actual MM, but a road to the left to the trailhead parking area just a tad past mm 10 😃). The Forest Service has changed the access to the trail head for the OTO (original brand--and if you look at it closely, you will see two oxen linked by a yoke) Ranch access, and this was it! After climbing up a narrow but good gravel road, we reached the trail head parking lot and guess what! We were the only vehicle! And we were the only ones hiking up to the old OTO Dude Ranch!  We gathered together our "stuff":  backpack with water, snacks, one can of bear spray (thanks Lisa and Carol for the loan!) and other small odds and ends, and took off walking! Lindy uses the app AllTrails to "track" hikes, bike rides, and other trails. This hike was 3.8 miles total:  up to the old dude ranch and back. Total elevation gain was 545 feet, and moving time was 2 hours. We spent a t...

We knew it was coming. DM is called an insidious disease. Knowing does not make facing it any easier.  August 10, 2020, Rupert fell into forever sleep on Mike's lap, at a great Vet's office in Rapid City, SD.  Early Tuesday morning, the 11th of August, Mike watched a lightning storm behind a hill over Rapid City from our site here in the Black Hills. Then, a meteor burst across and into the lightning cloud, "exploding" and disappearing.  Rupert made his entry to the Rainbow Bridge. He joined the Paws and Friends December 2010, 6 months into our full-timing adventure. He loved riding:  in the motorhome, in the pickup, in the car, in the Blue Buggy, in his chariot behind Mike's bike... He LOVED going, being with his people wherever we went.  We miss that silly guy! (Maddie not so much, if she were asked, and if she could actually tell any listener. ..) We do cherish the memories! We are adjusting. It has taken some time for us to get used to a new routine. We are...

Tuesday, July 21 we drove down into Yellowstone National Park 5 miles past Mammoth Hot Springs to hike the Bunsen Peak Trail. At 9:15 we were lucky to get one of the last parking spots at the trail head! Note to self:  GO EARLY, EARLY into the park! That note was even more important as we drove back after the hike, at 1:30! Mammoth Hot Springs was a MESS.  But I jump ahead!  Flowers were in abundance!  You can see from the graphic at the top of this post that indeed, the going up was just that--going up for most of the way! The total elevation gain for us, as we stopped just short of the final stretch to the actual peak, was 1,273 feet.  It was a beautiful hike! Great views! Lindy only hugged the hill side a few times...maybe a little more than just a few.  And she completed the hike without mishap!!!!  Even on the rocky part!  As the morning progressed, we met more hikers on the trail:  those coming up behind us and meeting those coming down...