Meteor Crater RV Park, AZ, Wednesday August 31, 2011

We were up at 6 AM!!  Our plan was to meet Alan for breakfast at 7.  They are serving biscuits and gravy, all you can eat.  Having plenty of time Gerri and I showered since the sewer was still hooked up.  I had to turn the furnace on to take off the chill, it was 49 degrees.
I called Alan and picked him up in time to be in line for breakfast at 7.  There was no line, we were first.
After breakfast we went back to the coach to finish getting ready to travel.  While I was draining the sewer tanks and unhooking utilities, Alan was nice enough to clean our windshield.  I had swept the water off the slide awnings last night so I didn;t have to worry about getting a shower when Gerri brought the rooms in.  We had a little problems with the leveling jacks, the left front jack had sunk into some mud and didn't come up with the other three.  I turned every thing off and after it all reset the jack came up properly, we were ready to go.  After tearful goodbyes, at least I misted up, we pulled out.  I hooked up the Jeep by the grocery store and it was goodbye to Fun Valley.
Fun Valley is a wonderful place!  There is a lot to do in the park,  there are great people to meet and the area offers nearly unlimited opportunities to explore and enjoy the surrounding area.
As you may may remember our original plan was to return home via I-80.  After Joan's death we changed our plans to visit Alan in Fun Valley.  Last year Joan and Alan visited us in Great Falls while Glenna was in rehab after her hip replacement.  We were greatly comforted by their visit.  We are so glad we made the change in plans.  I don't fully know how or visit affected  Alan, but it was very edifying for us.  It is very inspiring to see the grace and strength that Alan has exhibited after this life changing tragedy.  I pray that I have such strength if faced with the lost of a loved one.
We pulled out at about 8:15 headed southwest on US 160.  We topped Wolf Creek Pass and I engaged the highest setting on the engine brake.  In the words of CW McCall;

"Well, from there on down it just wasn't real purdy: it was hairpin county and switchback city.
One of 'em looked like a can full'a worms; another one looked like malaria germs. Right in the middle of the whole damn show was a real nice tunnel, now wouldn't you know?
Wolf Creek Pass, way up on the Great Divide
Truckin' on down the other side
Wolf Creek Pass, way up onmorrow afternoon the Great Divide
Truckin' on down the other side."


It really wasn't that bad, with the engine brake on high, we never got over 30 mph.
Pagosa Springs didn't seem to offer much in the way of quick sightseeing, so we went through pretty quickly.  Thunder storms started after we turned south on US 550 towards Farmington.  Occasionally the rain was very heavy.  We had originally planned to spend the night in Shiprock.  Because of the time we went on to the Meteor Crater RV Park.
We will be back to Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon.
We got to the RV park at 4:15 PDT, Arizona is on Mountain Standard which is the same.  The coach and Jeep are unbeliably dirty.  Why doesn't rain wash off the dirt.
After relaxing, Gerri fixed supper and after TV and computer time we called it a night.