This is the Road That Never Ends...

If you are familiar with "The Song That Never Ends", then you can probably create the same variation that the family made up while driving through Nevada, and in the last few days I've hummed it a few times myself while Clare has driven what seems like the never-ending I-80, which is the same I-80 we used through Nevada.  Yup, very long road!

So what state am I in now???

So, you might be wondering what was so exciting on the drive home from ClairAnn's that prompted me to save it for another entry.  Well, there were actually a number of things, starting with a stop in Wendover Nevada/Utah.  Clare wanted to find some gift that had to do with the Bonneville Salt Flats, and since that's the nearest town, we figured that was the best place to search for one.  In doing so, I think we crossed the state line at least four times, and when I finally clued in that the line was even painted on the road, I just HAD to get a picture (it was hard to get a good angle so you could read the words, but they do say Nevada and Utah).

After two casino gift shops, and then a stop at the Welcome Centre, we learned that the best place for such tourist trinkets is actually a truck stop out on the Salt Flats themselves.  But all wasn't lost, we had a good lunch and discovered a new playground the kids have all agreed should be called "Puking Park" for its incredible variety of spinning-type equipment.  Always a good discovery after having lunch.  Thankfully nobody actually puked!

Back in the car, but only about 4 miles down the road, we pulled over again for Clare to run into said truck stop, which just happened to be on the way to the speedway itself (you know, that "fastest speedway in the world" we read about on the first trek across this salty land).  So, we headed about four more miles off course, on a small paved road that took us straight out onto the flats and the "official racetrack" just to say we've been there.  Quite honestly, it doesn't look any different than what we looked at from the side of the highway a week before.

Sadly, its early in the season and we were warned not to drive off the paved road onto the salt flats.  Of course, there were others driving out on them, but after KayLeigh lost first one shoe in the soft salt, and then the other, we all agreed not to venture very far.  Instead we had fun with the panorama feature on a cell phone...

Once we'd finished multiplying the kids, we were back on the road, and a few hours later, we were back "home" (or at least my home for one more day).

The following day, which was Wednesday I think, was spent doing all those fun things required to get ready for yet another road trip.  A few store runs, laundry, making food for the journey, and packing were all on the top of the list.  Oh, and the fun of a car wash (something about dripping pine sap onto car windows makes them very hard to see out of).  I'm just glad that it was all done quickly enough that we could have one last "activity", something that's become a bit of a tradition whenever I've visited this family.

We had a tea party! 

Well, that's about it.  We left as soon as we were packed up in the morning, and you've already heard that the drive has been pretty uneventful.  The biggest challenge has been booked campgrounds (go figure its Saturday), which has landed us in a hotel tonight - YAY!  

There is only one goal tomorrow - home sweet home!  Oh, and one more stop for a Build-a-Bear stamp.  I have no idea if I'll convince Clare to write one last entry or not, especially if the drive is as uneventful as the last 3 days have been, so I think I'll just say good-bye to all my fans now.

Until my next adventure...

Whatever!

Just My Point of View

I guess I have to report that I am a traveling bear, not a camping bear.  While the camping thing has been fun and all, and I know Clare likes it, I think I prefer Rissa's method of air conditioned (or heated) hotel rooms that require no more work than driving to its front door.  No offense to all of you who love camping, but I'm afraid this little bear wants to spend more time seeing things and less time setting up and taking down tents.  :D

That being said, we are now just outside of Omaha, Nebraska and Clare has the tent all set up, has sorted out coolers (you know, the whole draining the water and putting in new ice procedure), and we can finally sit down and work on what matters most - ME!

Now where was I before I was so rudely interrupted by the lack of battery power last night?  Oh yes, the Ruckman family camp...  although, I'm afraid I've told you most of the highlights already, since they pretty much all happened on Saturday.
 
Sunday morning was cold and dreary, although thankfully not rainy, and I hate to admit it, but this little bear hibernated the entire day.  Yeah, I know, pretty lame.  I know that at one point the kids were sent on various forms of orienteering work for their group activity stuff, but only because I heard a group of girls yelling stuff about clues to find some pirate booty or something.  Sounds like it could have been interesting, and I can't even blame them for not including me.
 
The other thing I missed out on by my reluctance to come out of hiding, was a trip to Crystal Peak to collect quartz and other cool rocks.  Maybe I would have gone along if Clare had been joining them, but she was staying back with the younger group and nobody even thought to ask if I wanted to go.  Yeah, yeah, I know.  It was my own fault for not being out and visible.  I guess it just shows that I'm not much of a camper.  Sorry guys.

We woke up Monday  morning to light rain, not enough to get soaked, but enough to make sure all the tents were put away wet.  I refer you again to my opening paragraph, and my tendency towards preferring hotels :).

Now, Clare and I were informed by a number of my new friends that we could not come so close to Lake Tahoe and NOT go see it.  "It's only about half an hour added onto your drive home" we were assured, and so we played 3D Tetris once again with kids and gear, and headed south  as directed.
 

What is the big deal about Lake Tahoe, you might ask?  Ok, you might not, but I did, and  I was told it is one of the "bluest, clearest lakes you'll ever see, and surrounded by beautiful mountains."  I wish I could tell you that is what I saw, but sadly the clouds and rain that suddenly struck once the lake came into view, meant we didn't even stop for pictures.  It was grey and bleak, and sadly not entirely impressive.  I have looked at pictures of it since, and even found one of the same view I did get a picture of, so I do believe that it could have been quite breathtaking under different circumstances.  Still, at least I can say I've been there!


Not only that, but it was a most glorious drive back to Reno from Lake Tahoe.  Ok, I'm not sure KayRena thought it was glorious as she attempted the many winding switchbacks that took us down through the mountains, but I certainly thought it was.  At one point we even noticed that it was snowing on the mountains, just above the road we were driving on.  Very cool experience in its own right, if you ask me.  I know you didn't ask, but that's not my problem.

A number of hours later, and a lot more of the same brownish-browny coloured landscape, and we were back at ClairAnn's house where everyone eagerly waited their turn to shower.  I gather that "the shower" is the normal conclusion to what is considered the entire camping experience, and although I don't completely understand the significance, it seemed to be the most anticipated part of the day (well, that and flush toilets).  It wasn't long before everyone was asleep!

Surfing USA!  (AKA what happens when the kids get bored in the car)

I think I'll end it there for the night.  There are a few more stories to tell about the drive home, but if I told them all now, what will Clare write about tomorrow night?  The last two days of driving have brought us about half way home, but have been completely uneventful beyond the setting up and taking down of tents.  There wasn't even a Build-a-Bear in Wyoming to get a stamp at (how very sad)! 


So, once again I will leave you with something to look forward to reading tomorrow.
Whatever!

PS.  Thank you to all the Ruckman family members who made Clare and I feel like we were part of the family.  I may not love camping, but I loved getting to play with you all.

  *waves to any new readers I may have picked up*

Camping at Last!

I use that title for two reasons...  First, I'm finally up to the part of the story where I actually slept in a tent, but also because Clare opted for the tent option at our first KOA on the drive home since this particular campground's Kamp Kabin's were rather on the expensive side.  So, here I am sitting at a picnic table beside her tent, and finally telling you about my first camping trip.  Yay!

I believe I left off my story when we arrived at KayRena's parents' house late last Thursday night.  Yes, a week ago!  That's how far behind we are.  Maybe, just maybe, by the time Clare finishes driving across country, I'll have been able to tell you the entire story.

Friday morning, while everyone once again worked on loading vehicles with camping and boating equipment (3D Tetris times four as both grandparents were bringing separate vehicles), Clare, Jake and I took a quick trip up the road to get my Nevada stamp from Build-a-Bear (can't forget that part now, can we?).  Later that afternoon, after about an hour and a half more driving, and finally crossing into California, we arrived at the intended campground - I was beginning to wonder if it even existed!

Well, let me just start by saying they weren't exaggerating when they said "family camp."  I lost track of how many people I was introduced to after a while, and apparently I wasn't even introduced to everyone since I've learned of at least one person asking "Who's Whatever?" in a Facebook chat after-the-fact.  How rude!

Anyways, I was intrigued as I watched more and more people show up and tents get put up all over the place while kids of all ages ran every which way.  It was not until it started to get dark that some kind of order came to it all, as I watched with fascination as the kids eagerly gathered around the fire, put small white squishy things on the ends of sticks and proceeded to light them on fire.  Some pulled them off and ate them.  Some let them burn until they fell into the flames.  Some went over to the table and added the melted pile of white goo to crackers, added chocolate, and then ate that.  I don't totally get what was going on, but I couldn't let the opportunity to go by to at least try it for myself.  Very fun way to end the evening.

The next morning came quite early (it had been the longest day of the year after all), and kids were eagerly running around in matching "Ruckman Family Reunion 2013" t-shirts.  I soon learned that these shirts, in one of three colours, split the kids into age groups for the activities that were planned throughout the weekend.  How fun.

Once breakfast was cleared up the kids got into their three groups to learn all about knots.  My first thought, in hearing this, was of the game I had played at Girls' Camp and was eager to be included, but soon learned that it was not the same at all.  While the oldest group of kids learned all kinds of intricate knots with varying sizes of rope, the three littlest ones were all learning the basic overhand knot with shoestring licorice, and when they succeeded, they got to eat their knot.  I was definitely joining THAT group :D.

Of course, I didn't ignore the other groups.  I watched with interest as the middle group learned to join ropes of different sizes and then attempt to pull them apart to test the strength.

Then I just had to go back and join the oldest group again to see if I could tie something with the rope that seemed "just my colour".  I'd say I did a pretty good job considering I'm working with giant sucker things on my paws.  Okay, okay, so Jake had a helping hand in the matter.  Still, I tried and that's what matters, right?

The afternoon was spent at the beach, but oh my what a production just to get to that point!  Between getting boats and toys inflated, putting sunscreen on every kid, gathering all the beach toys, towels, drinks, and I'm not even sure what else, I think it took well over an hour just to get ready to go.  Sometimes I'm glad I'm a just a little bear.

Sadly there are no photos of the beach time, which seemed to be one of the highlights of the weekend.  I suppose its either because nobody took their phone/camera with them, or its just that they all were too busy having fun to think about me and my little blog.  I simply sat there and watched them all swim, splash, paddle, squirt, and/or dig in the sand.  In fact by the end of the afternoon they had built quite the river with a town, bridges, canyons, dams, and various waterways.  Too bad nobody took a picture of it so I could show you!

The afternoon was going quite well, albeit incredibly hot (something about California sun) until this giant dog they all called Bubbles, chose to stop right beside me and shake herself dry.  Everyone seemed to find this incredibly amusing, while I just sat wondering if I could find a way to shake myself dry the same way.  I could complain, but in all honesty, it was rather refreshing :).

Eventually the afternoon sun cooled, and the wind picked up and we all returned to the campsite to make dinner, followed by another group activity where each of the groups learned how to light a fire without a match.  The youngest two groups started with learning fire safety while making pretend campfires with candy, and then moved on to using flint and steel with little cotton balls.  I was impressed when even the youngest (5 yrs) were given the chance to try it, AND all made it work.  I was told "Welcome to Ruckman camping", and not for the first, or last, time that weekend.  Apparently this was "normal" for this family.

 

While the younger kids were having fun with flint and steel, the teens had a challenge all their own.  They were using a bow string with a dowel to cause friction on a piece of wood, in the hopes that they could make a coal.  If they got that far, they would place the coal in a "nest" and attempt to get it to light.  Ok, that's a very simplified version of it, and you can imagine that it is not the easiest feat in the world, although they all got very good at reciting their ABCs (which I'm told is vitally important to the creation of fire).  I'm proud to say that one of my good friends, Tristin, was the first to accomplish the task.  

Pretty impressive, I must say!!

By the time everyone had a chance to light a fire (some needing more help than others, but I believe all did it), it was quite dark and pictures weren't turning out :(.  It was fun to see their excitement as each accomplished it though. 

With that said, its getting dark here in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the battery of this laptop is running low, so I'm afraid that's it for my travel stories for the night. 

Until tomorrow...

Whatever!

So When Exactly Does the Camping Begin?

Ok, lets just jump right in where I left off before Clare decides she's tired or hungry or has something else she'd rather do than work for me (perhaps I should pay her more).

After our delicious, yet salty lunch break, we headed a few more hours down the highway to a tiny little place called Spring Creek, Nevada where I was (eventually) introduced to KayRena's sister, ClairAnn, and her children, where we were to spend the night.  Only then did I learn that KayRena, Clare and I had been volunteered (voluntold might be more accurate) to help at something called Girls' Camp the following morning, which I could only guess meant was a camp for girls (I know, I'm pretty intuitive that way).  So, while the cousins all played and watched movies together, the adults of the group spent the evening preparing for some pretty strange sounding activities for this girls camp thing.  It left me very curious.

The next morning I was dragged out of bed and out into the country where I watched a number of groups of teenage girls play the "Divine Games" that had been planned by my adult friends.  I got to help Clare with something she called "Individual Worth BINGO" and "Human Knots".  While the first wasn't very exciting, it was most interesting to watch each group of girls grab random hands and then try and untangle themselves without letting go.  I was even more thrilled when a group that Clare referred to as 'fourth year girls' included me in their game of knots, and very proud to announce that they were the ONLY group that managed to completely untangle themselves within the time allotted (all thanks to me, I'm sure).

The best part of this Girls' Camp experience, in my opinion, was something called pinatas, which I've been told weren't "real pinatas" as they were just drawn dragons on paper shopping bags, but this sure didn't seem to diminish the enthusiasm of the girls.  It was rather fascinating to watch these girls take the stick and beat the swinging bag until it broke and candy fell all over the ground.  Very strange activity indeed, and yet clearly something all these girls had done before as they dove in to collect their share of the loot.  While I loved watching this phenomenon, I have to admit my favourite part was when one of my new friends in the 'fourth year' group helped me have my own turn attacking the dragon.  I could get to like this Girls' Camp thing...

I couldn't help but wonder if this is what the whole camping-deal was all about.  I was getting more and more curious by the day.

After lunch with about 200 girls, it was definitely time for this little bear to move on.  We returned to ClairAnn's house where they had to repack our van, as well as help pack ClairAnn and her kids into their own van.  It was nearly 6pm before we were finally on the road again!  Little did I know we still had over four hours to drive to our next destination... which was still NOT camp!

Let me pause here to tell you that the landscape through Nevada leaves a lot to be desired.  Its pretty much brown, brown and more brown in various degrees of flatland and mountain-like lumps, with long stretches of completely nothingness.  There were, however, a few points of interest along the way, the first one spotted from the highway at Battle Mountain.  Now, I've seen my share of giant letters painted or otherwise placed on the sides of mountains throughout Utah, but I'm really not sure the letters "BM" are the best initials to place on a giant brown pile of dirt.  Just sayin'

Just as it was getting dark, ClairAnn unexpectedly pulled off the highway to show me a place called Thunder Mountain.  While the kids fondly spoke of some roller coaster at Disneyland by the same name, I was eager to explore this very strange native land where some guy had started building with anything and everything he could find... and I mean EVERYTHING!  I don't even know how many pictures we took of the strange artifacts and creations all over the site.  Very strange indeed, but definitely worth a look around.

It was after 11pm when we finally reached KayRena's parents' house in Reno, Nevada.  The couple may have been very eager to see their grandchildren, but I think they were equally eager to be able to get the sudden onslaught of relatives settled in beds so they could do the same. 

It had been a long day for everyone I guess.

And we were still NOT camping!
Whatever!

Please Pass the Salt

I know its been a week since you've heard from me, and I'm sorry if you've begun to wonder if I'd dropped off the face of the planet, but it is mostly due to the fact that we have been out of contact with reality...  oops I mean civilization, for most of it.  Well, the entire week wasn't in Boonie-ville, but without internet access, updating my blog is a little difficult, so I'll do my best to fill you in now that we are back (or at least get as much of it down before my scribe falls asleep on me).

The big "Family Camp" (an annual event apparently) was being held at the Stampede Reservoir in California, which meant packing all kinds of camping equipment, food, and whatever else you humans need to survive, into a van along with five kids, two adults, and at least one cute bear, and then driving along what might be the most boring stretch of highway ever created for about ten or more hours!  Ok, the drive wasn't done in one go, and we had a lot of grand adventures along the way, but as you can imagine, it was a rather tight squeeze getting everything in/on the van (Clare calls it 3D tetris - very interesting game, I must say).

So it was, that after a morning of packing, and organizing, we were on our way.  Shortly after passing the airport, we could see The Great Salt Lake stretch out to the north of us, and then I started to see the ground around the highway was white, and soon learned that it was the beginning of the salt flats.  As we drove, I noticed words or symbols written out with rocks along the side of the highway, and at one point even saw someone stopped along the side of the highway adding their own decor to the salt.  Needless to say, I was very eager to add my name to this collection, and insisted on it when we finally stopped for lunch.

Our lunch stop had been planned before we even left home, and was about two hours into the drive, at a rest stop on the Bonneville Salt Flats.  This was a site I've silently hoped to see since my first trip to Utah, as I'd heard rumors of it being the "fastest track on earth" or something like that.  But more importantly, it was the site of a long-ago asked question by Clare's nephew, Haydon...

"If you lick the salt flats, does it taste like salt?"

Naturally that required intensive scientific testing by seven of my favourite humans (yes, the photographer tested it too)!  The fact that we had seen (and taken photos of) two salt mines along the highway that probably proved that it was indeed edible salt didn't stop me from requesting the taste test.

The answer?

Yes, it most definitely does taste like salt... and I kindly bottled a little bit up for Haydon.  After all, I wouldn't want him to be denied the privilege of discovering the answer for himself.


Once we finished playing in the salt, making snowman (or should they be called salt-men?) and other salt fun, we headed to the foot-washing station.  Yup, I'm serious, there was a sign and everything!  I'm not totally sure why they felt it necessary to wash my feet, as I hadn't walked on the salt at all, but I think it has something to do with them still feeling like I'm some little mascot and they just wanted the picture.  Whatever!

Well, my fears have been confirmed, and Clare is complaining about being tired and everyone else already being in bed.  I finally got to go camping, after all these weeks of waiting, and now she won't even keep her eyes open long enough for me to tell you all about it!  How selfish can one get!  Well, I guess you'll all have to wait another day for the rest... 

Until tomorrow
Whatever!

The Rest of the Story

I've decided to try and catch up on the whole week while I actually have Clare's undivided attention.  Okay, it is divided, but at least part of that division is on my blog so I'll take what I can get.

Believe it or not, the Cowabunga Bay day did not end with the water-park; it just seemed like a really logical place to end that particular entry.  Once we all returned home, somewhat exhausted, it was decided that a Harry Potter marathon would be a fun event.  What is it about trips to Utah and watching Harry Potter movies?  If anyone has followed along on my previous adventures, they will know that we went to the seventh movie when it was released while we were here the first time, and then watched it again at the teen-sleepover six months later.  Now, here I am, two years later and they want to watch ALL EIGHT movies in a row!  All I could say to that was... whatever!

Ironically, this family did not have all eight movies in watchable condition, and since we were still trying to find a time for my BFF Di to come visit, we called her up and asked if she had all the movies, and about an hour later Clare was on the road to bring her down.  I was not included on that ride, since a younger member of the family (who will remain nameless) refused to let me go, and I guess Clare decided it wasn't worth the fight.

It's a three hour round trip to Ogden, so we didn't actually start the marathon until the following morning.  I had stayed up a little later than planned visiting with my good friend Di, but the rest of the family didn't seem to care if I was tired or not.  They were awake, and they were starting the first movie, which naturally meant that I was pulled from the bedroom and sat on a chair with some other bears, in the newly rearranged family room (three neat rows of chairs and couches for everyone's viewing comfort).

I won't go into all the details about this marathon of sorts, but if any of you have all the movies, you already know that it would take considerable time to watch them all.  There were distractions, of course, but in two days we managed to get through five movies, and started the sixth before it was time to leave for the Summerfest parade (Orem's annual summer festival, in case you couldn't figure that out by the name 'summerfest').  I'd never been to a parade, so I was rather excited to learn what this was all about.

I think I have determined that 'parade' means people standing in front of other people who have set their chairs up for a good view of things going by.  I don't really know what things were going by, but I got a really good view of the people doing the standing in front part.  If that's what a parade is, I think I'll pass next time.

My friend Jake was great though, and didn't mind pushing his way forward and got some great pictures of the floats going by.  Looking at these pictures was rather intriguing to me, as I saw many elaborately decorated trucks, trailers and any other means of mobility, all for the purpose of a half hour walk down a road while people sit (or stand in front of those sitting), looking on.  You humans do have some very strange customs.

Something tells me that this particular float isn't found in typical parades elsewhere in the country.  

Oh, and since I'm on the subject of Mormons (ok I hadn't actually mentioned them, but it was implied), we'd also taken a detour earlier in the day to see the old tabernacle (one of the first assembly buildings in the area).  This building was completely gutted by fire a year or so ago, but since it has sentimental value to the people (or whatever it is you humans call it when you don't want to tear it down), the LDS church decided to convert it into a temple.  Currently the entire building is on stilts while they dig out the foundation to put in the baptismal font.  A rather interesting feat of engineering regardless of ones interest in this particular church (in my opinion of course).

 

After the fireworks later in the evening, it was determined that the movie marathon had to be cut short as certain members of the family needed to get to bed for church the following morning.  Since I've already seen the remaining movies, I have to admit I was not disappointed.  

Once church was over, we enjoyed a birthday/Father's Day lunch and then Clare, Di and I headed back to Ogden.  I was very sad to have to say good-bye to Di, especially since I never got my promised spa treatment.  Oh well, I can't have everything my way I suppose (as much as I try).

That brings me to today - I know, finally, right?

Not that there has been much to write about thus far today.  We leave for the big "family camp" on Wednesday (the main reason for the dates of this trip), and so things seem to be revolving around the getting ready for said trip.  I still don't always understand you humans and your needs for "stuff" but since I don't need to worry about things like food and clothing, I supposed I should just remain silent, and look forward to what this camping thing is all about.

Until I can get Clare to write for me again...

Whatever!

Cowabunga Dude!

Well, just as suspected, it has taken me almost a week to convince Clare to write for me again.  She's a lazy one you know.  Someone should really get on her case about her lack of dedication to my fans.

As I travel back in time to last Thursday, I can take you on our wonderful excursion to a place called Cowabunga Bay.  This twisted collection of brightly coloured plastic was discovered on my previous trip to Utah two years ago.  It was spotted by one of the kids as we drove home from some adventure or another, and was investigated further as soon as computer access was attained at home.  We quickly discovered that it was a water-park, and all were eager to try it out until we learned that it didn't open for the season until the weekend Clare and I were to leave.  The idea had to be dropped until I returned.

So it was that on Thursday morning every child (and adult) eagerly finished their chores and were in bathing suits by 10 am, ready to go (I think its the fastest I've seen them pile into the van yet). 

Since this was the one (and probably only) chance all of us would get to enjoy this park, Clare splurged a little and even rented a cabana for our time there.  This added bonus gave us a shaded place to keep our stuff, and our own server (who would bring us anything we wanted, including making sure our free jug of ice water was always full), and the added entertainment for one child to press the "call your server" button.

It didn't take long before everyone was off exploring the mish-mash of water slides, fountains, splash pads, the lazy river and anything else the creators could come up with for getting people wet, and I was left to sit and wait while everyone else had fun (something about keeping my precious fur dry).  I didn't mind too much though, as it was quite fun hearing their excitement each time someone came back for a drink or a chance to just sit for a few minutes.  Apparently one slide was in complete darkness, while the lazy river kept you floating along soaking in the sunshine, and a giant bucket could dump tons of water down on you if you were in the right (or wrong) place at the right (or wrong) time.

After about two hours of excitement they all returned for a lunch/snack and Clare surprised them with some bonus treats as an early birthday present for KayLeigh.  By this point, the kids were loving the special attention, and saying they were princes and princesses for a day (the two blow-up crowns that were delivered with the other treats probably helped with that feeling).  Still, it was pretty fun to see the big grins on their faces as they enjoyed being VIPs for a day!

It wasn't long before I was left alone once again, so they could all get their fill before their four hour passes were up.  Jake and Tristen even tried out an extra activity (aka extra cost) that looked to me like a giant hamster wheel with water in it.  I have to say that this was one of the highlights of my day as Clare took photos of them, and I just sat and laughed as they rolled and flipped over and over again, trying desperately to stand up, until it looked more like exhausted flops as it continued to spin them when I think they were pretty much done.  Yup, very enjoyable to watch indeed :D.

While some of the kids had wanted an all-day pass, it turned out that a four hour pass was perfect.  When Clare told them they had 15 minutes left, and should line up for any last slides they wanted to go down, they all admitted they were done climbing stairs, and all went on one last leisurely float down the lazy river.  It was a perfect end to a wonderful visit in the park.

Whatever!

Just One of the Family :)

Well, just as I expected, Clare has been too "busy" to keep my blog up-to-date.  I can't complain and say she's left me sitting on a shelf somewhere, as I've had a good couple of days also.  I just wish she would help me keep all my fans up-to-date with a little more consistency.

Our first day in Utah started early - very early - when someone decided to announce to the entire house (very loudly) that french toast was ready for anyone who wanted to test out the home made maple syrup that Clare had brought with her.  Good-morning everyone!

I went back to sleep when I learned that a shopping trip was the next item on the agenda (what is it about you humans and your shopping anyways??).  Although... after the two girls (KayRena's daughters) went off to their dance camp, I quickly jumped in for the trip to Build-a-Bear.

Yes, really!

I didn't need a stamp for Utah, as that had been acquired on a previous trip here, but Clare had given KayRena a gift card as a birthday present, and, well, I guess KayRena was giving Clare the same present in return (no wonder these two are friends).  So once they were free of younger children who might want to tag along, the three of us headed straight over to my favourite store (ok the only store I really 'get' at all).  So, here is the newest members of the family (Shaelyn and Saydie - don't ask about the names, I'm not explaining it all, and most of you really don't care anyways).

The rest of the evening was spent "hanging out" (whatever that means).  I simply went back to bed to try and make up for the very early wake-up call.  Not sure when Clare decided to do the same, but I don't think it was very late for her either.

Yesterday I got to be part of a Webelo Den Meeting (Cub Scouts for those of you who have no idea what that is).  They were working on their craftsman merit badge, and building a shelter for the food tray of a chicken coop.  I had a great time meeting these boys and helping them plan and build.  I don't know that I was good enough to earn any kind of merit badge, but I sure tried hard.



The afternoon was rather quiet and boring for me, but I was ok with it as I was looking forward to going to a play in the evening with KayRena and Clare.  The play was called Urinetown, and yes, it was as umm... lets say "interesting" as its title sounds.  While KayRena was told by numerous friends that it was hilarious and not as bad as the title made it sound, lets just say it wasn't quite my type of humour (nor Clare or KayRena's from what I gathered by their reaction).  The acting, singing, choreography and even energy of the cast was fantastic, and we did laugh a lot and really enjoyed the evening out, so don't get me wrong, it wasn't a "bad" play, just not for me (yeah, who knew I had standards, right?).  Still, I couldn't help but stop and make Clare take a few well-placed photos on our way out of the theatre :).

This morning I learned that KayLeigh's birthday is this weekend, and so I decided to treat her to pizza lunch.  Ok, Ok, it wasn't exactly my money, and had more to do with having free coupons for the girls, but hey it was still a good excuse to go out with the youngest members of this family and just have fun for a while.  I love these two girls - they always treat me as if I'm "real" (unlike most other people I know).  They make sure I get included in everything, so it only seems fair that I make sure to include them in my blog as well.

Thanks for the great lunch girls!

Whatever!

A Leisurely Sunday Drive

Ok, maybe not so leisurely, but it was Sunday.  At least I think it was Sunday.  Is it Sunday?  I've lost track.

First of all, my apologies to all my fans who woke up this morning with no email from me.  Well, you may have already guessed, but the internet at the campground wasn't co-operating with us and completely refused to post anything.  I would love to blame Clare (because its so fun to do so), but it really wasn't her fault.  Besides, now you you get to enjoy two posts at once!  Aren't you thrilled?  Well you should be!

Not that I have much to tell you about today.  It was a 10 hour drive from Colorado Springs to Orem, Utah and I guess Clare decided we were finished touring now, and were going straight through in one day.  I was excited as it meant I'd finally get to see my other family again!

Besides being fascinated by the drastic changes in landscapes that continued to change as we drove, nothing much happened until we finally reached the Utah state line, where it seemed appropriate to stop at the Utah Welcome Centre.  It's not that we really needed to stop there, I just wanted a photo so I made Clare stop.  I got a little bit more than I bargained for though (in the photos department), when Clare discovered that the bathrooms were closed and everyone was being sent to an outhouse on a hill... Welcome to Utah everyone!

What is it about long drives that make you get excited when the town you are diving to finally shows up on the mileage sign posts?  Well, anyone who knows much about Utah knows that Orem doesn't really show up on signs at all until you are pretty much there.  Before that, you better know to follow Provo signs or you're done-for.  Either way, seeing Provo show up on those signs made me giddy with excitement (or maybe I was just tired, or bored, or a bit of both).  Either way, we were finally "home"!

Now comes the most insulting part of the entire journey.  I was left in the car.  Yup thats right my dear readers, in her excitement to see her friends (or perhaps to just get out of the car), Clare disappeared into the house without me.  It was some time later when someone must have clued in and asked about me, and came running out with my old friend Ida Know.  If you don't know who she is, then you might want to go back and look through the posts from May 2011.  Then again, you might not care, in which case I'm not going to tell you.  I'm tired and I'm just pleased that Clare has taken a few minutes out of her reunion time to write for me at all.

Now, for those of you who are new to my blog, I should probably point out that I have no idea what will happen for the next couple of weeks.  I know there are plans in the works, but how often they will be shared with my readers is still unknown.  I will try and bug Clare to write often, but we'll see how well that goes.

Stay tuned though, as I'm sure there are plenty of adventures in this trip still to come.
Whatever!

Beneath the Rocks

Pike's Peak peeking out :)

The Cave of the Winds lantern tour is something we've looked at since the first day we got here, but it was not until today that we finally did it.  The website says to book tickets for this tour ahead of time, as it fills up quickly, but the website wasn't letting us book them, so not sure how we were supposed to do so!  Instead, we just aimed to be there when the place opened, and get on the first tour we could.  It worked.

What is the latern tour, you  might ask (or you might not, I don't care either way).  The Cave of the Winds were discovered in the 1800s sometime. The way they searched the tunnels then, was to tip tin buckets on their sides and stick a candle inside.  So, while the shorter tours at this place take people through the main part of the caves, where it is fully lit with concrete floors and stairs with handrails, the lantern tour takes you beyond that, into the deeper parts of the caves, where there is no electricity, and you are completely reliant on buckets with candles in them (yes, they were real candles, well oil burning ones, but they looked like candles and they were still real flames).  Naturally I had to do THAT tour, and really didn't care what Clare wanted!

As the tour starts, our guide kindly points to a 4 foot hole in the wall, and tells us that some of the crawl spaces are this low, including one that goes for about 20 feet.  She then reminds us all that this is a haunted cave tour, and if we don't like the dark, or small spaces, if you have bad knees or a bad back, or if you are afraid of ghosts, then this tour is not for you.  Ok, so what she didn't mention was that you also needed to be able to keep up with her - a young, fit girl probably still in her teens!

While we raced through these caves and caverns, I hit my head a number of times (yes, me, the bear).  You see, I was still attached to Clare's backpack and while she managed to stay low enough to not bang her own head, she didn't seem to mind banging mine!  I was rather relieved when she decided to wear her backpack on her front (does that make it a frontpack?).

The ghost stories seemed far-fetched most of the time, all a good act to sell the tour, I figured.  Although I did notice that as the tour ahead of us was coming out, their guide told us that they saw (insert name I don't remember here).  I figured its what they all say to the new tour, but when we returned and saw the next group, our guide said we hadn't seen a thing (which of course, we hadn't).  I'm not saying I do or don't believe in ghosts, but man that would have been cool to see one!

After Clare got a drink and enjoyed the view from their gift shop balcony on a cliff, we headed down the road to the cliff dwellings, where I suppose... cliff's dwell.  Actually, these were pretty elaborate homes built into and under the cliffs where they have been preserved for a thousand years or more.  Like my Incan friends in Peru, these ancient people also disappeared many years ago, and without a written language, we are only left to guess why they did things the way they did.  It was amazing to walk in and around these houses that truly made use of the landscape. 

Something tells me this wasn't part of the original home

Before I knew it, we were done touring and back at our campsite.  Something about needing to sort our stuff (hey my stuff is sorted - its HERs that needs sorting), and do laundry, and pack the car, and whatever else needs doing before we head out for Utah tomorrow, and my wonderful friends that treat me like family.  I guess I'll just sit quietly and be glad she's at least writing my blog for me tonight.

Who knows if there will even be an entry tomorrow.  I mean, we're spending the day in the car, and when we get to the other end, I'm guessing Clare and KayRena aren't going to shut up long enough to write anything for me.  Ok, maybe I'll at least be able to get her to write that we arrived so that nobody's left wondering... I'm just not getting my hopes up, so I suggest you don't either :).

Whatever!

From Tiny Gold Flakes to Giant Red Rocks

*waves from the window (can you find me)

I think Clare's still on her own time zone (2 hours ahead) because she seems to be getting up really early, and I don't think its because she's that excited to get going.  In fact, this morning she was showered, had breakfast, and sitting on her bed trying to figure out what to do with the half an hour we had before anything we wanted to see opened.  At least that wasn't as bad as showing up at a Build-a-Bear to find it doesn't open for another hour :D.

Our first stop of the day was "Ghost Town" (a museum), where we got to check out a recreated wild west style town, with lots of fun stuff to look at and learn, but by far the best part (at least for little me) was panning for gold.  There were signs to explain how to do it, and that told us they stocked the sand with bits of gold daily, so just be patient and you should find something.

So we set to work.  Well, I tried but when the pan is bigger than you are, it makes it a little hard to hold it, so I just let Clare do it for me.  After a number of tries, and even switching locations, we were getting a little frustrated (so much for patience lol).  Only after re-reading the signs did Clare realize that there is a difference between "swirl the pan underwater" and "shake it back and forth" (she was doing the latter).  Things went better after that, and after a few more attempts, we managed to find three pieces in one pan.  Yay us!

Those three tiny dots on my leg - yup that's gold alright!

So far everything we have done, has been in the same canyon as we are camping (again thanks to Rissa for finding us such a great spot), but after striking it rich in the gold panning business, we headed back into Colorado Springs for the first time since arriving here.  Guess why.  I bet you can't guess.  Come on.  Guess.  Give up?  We went to Build-a-Bear!  Yup, we had been in town almost 3 days and still hadn't been to get my official Colorado stamp.  Sheesh, Clare's been slacking or something!

After our short shopping trip, Clare checked the map to see the best way to get to our next destination, which was back in the canyon we are camping in.  It didn't take much to realize that the best route was to drive through the Garden of the Gods, which we hadn't even decided if we wanted to see or not (oh, and by the way, that's Pike's Peak there in the background - we finally got to see it from ground level).

Well, I guess the decision was made, and we headed over to the park's Welcome Centre (which unlike yesterday, we found easily; actually it was pretty hard to miss).  We checked out the film they have on how the "giant red rocks" got there, and had the entire theatre to ourselves (busy day?).  Then we got our map and headed into the park - for free!  Yup, turns out that the original owner of the land many years ago willed it to the city of Colorado Springs with only one stipulation; that it would always remain free for everyone to enjoy (naturally they make up for that with those all-too-well established gift stores full of - stuff).

Let me just say that this park was pretty much like The Arches, only without the umm... arches :).  Seriously though, the creation process was pretty much the same, and the result was equally as stunning.  In fact, the rest of the day was spent driving, and wandering around the park, taking lots of pictures of giant red rocks.

Our last stop of the day was the Garden of the Gods Trading Post (which while still part of the park, is listed separately on every guide map we've seen.  It is quoted as "the largest souvenir and gift shop in Colorado Springs".  Naturally that meant Clare had to go inside.  I chose to stay in the car and take a nap.  All that being carried around giant red rocks can be exhausting you know!

I'm not sure how long she was in there, but it seemed like hours to me.  Finally she returned, without as much stuff as I'd thought she might, and we were on our way back to the campground, where we discovered that things had really picked up in the neighbours department (I guess campgrounds tend to do that on weekends).

We still have more to see, and thanks to my indirect hinting yesterday, we are staying here one more night... so stay tuned tomorrow for more of my adventures from Colorado Springs!

Night all

Whatever!