Last Stops- Arches & Canyonlands National Parks

Hi,

Our last days were spent in 2 beautiful parks. We arrived in Moab, Utah in the midst of a terrible wind storm, by the time we got to our RV Park the winds were gusting up to 50 miles per hour. We didn't even put our slides out that night.

The next day it was calm and beautiful so we headed to Arches National Park - I was so excited to get to go along to see the sights, even  though I had to stay in the car when mom and dad went hiking. I couldn't believe the incredible rock formations - I kept my head outside the window so I wouldn't miss anything. So many beautiful arches.....

 interesting rock formations

and scenic views

and more arches

 

beautiful wildflowers

 

and the famous Delicate Arch in the distance

 

The next day we went to Canyonlands National Park, a huge, vast wilderness of rocks, hue gorges and canyons with incredible overlooks and vistas.

 

and  arches

 

A special thanks to Dad, who did all the driving on this trip of 7,000 miles - mom was a great navigator, but Dad had the hard job!

 

We had a wonderful trip -  73 days on the road! So great to see family, friends and such wonderful sights throughout our beautiful United States. Thanks to all of you who followed my adventures. Do you think I should keep up this blog for our next trip?

Adios,
Yuki

Fun with family in Boulder, Co

Greetings,

We had a fantastic time visiting mom's cousin Robin, her husband Rich and their 2 kids, Jessica and Bryce. We were able to park our RV right in front of their house. Of course, my favorite member of the family was Roxie. Isn't she beautiful? She quickly became my girlfriend!!

Robin and Rich outdid themselves making us gourmet meals, home made bread, juice plus smoothies, even a small dinner party with the neighbors the night we arrived.

Cousin Robin in the kitchen

and  Rich and Fiona, the college student who is visiting them from France.

They left Roxie and I at home while they went to El Dorado State Park to show mom and dad some of the places that they go rock climbing.

There goes Bryce

and now dad is following him - hope he is careful

If you squint you can see Bryce and Jessica in the cracks.

and Jessica and Rich making their way down

The last night they all visited us inside our motor home - our "living room" was big enough for a group shot. As you can see I was trying my best to lean over to try to get my last kiss with Roxie.

Adios,
Yuki

The Vast Midwest

Hi,


Again I am very late in updating my blog - so hard to find the time when you are constantly on the go. It is even hard for me to get in my dog naps.

After Chicago we headed to Iowa, stopping first at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library. Here is the small cottage where he was born.

and his library.

Mom told me she had no idea of his early history prior to becoming President and said it was quite impressive. He graduated from Stanford as an engineer and then spent the next 20 years or so abroad in many different countries. The day after he married his wife, the first woman to graduate with a degree in geology, they left for China - and that was in 1900!  He made a huge fortune and was responsible for a large humanitarian effort to get food to Eastern Europe during WWI. The stock market crashed a few months after he was elected and unfortunately  he was blamed by many for the Great Depression.

From there we drove to the Amana Colonies in Iowa and stayed for 2 nights.The Amana Colonies are a National Historic Landmark, founded in 1855 by Germans fleeing religious prosecution.

They originally settled in Buffalo, NY, then moved to Iowa to run a very successful communal living colony, even the meals were taken together. Here is a building here they would store their corn.

We toured the seven towns that make up the Amana Colonies and saw many beautiful old brick homes

even a place for Dad to have a beer

 and me to take a leak

I even saw a John Deere parade

so many beautiful farms

and old  markets and homes

The next day we were in Nebraska

Here is where I sleep when we are on the road, although I would prefer to be in mom's lap

Glad to see his eyes are on the road!

We stopped in North Platte to see Buffalo Bill Cody's home

and huge barn filled with memorabilia from his Wild West Shows.

Then on to the Union Pacific's Bailey Yard, the largest train yard in the world, where 10,000 cars are handled each day on 8 miles of land. Mom and Dad went to the top of the tower while I sat in the car - quite an impressive sight.

We stopped at a small train museum - if you look closely you can see Dad in the drivers seat.

Next stop, Boulder Colorado!

Adios, Yuki

On to Michigan, Indiana & Illinois

Hi,

Lots of catching up to do as I have had limited time and internet access to update my blog.

We spent Mother's Day with mom's friend, Terri in Jackson, Michigan,

The next day we went to President Ford's Library on the campus of University of Michigan  in Ann Arbor,  a very small library as we learned that most of his collection  was at his museum in Grand Rapids - about 160 miles away - oh well...

We had planned to say longer in the area to see mom's cousin, Skipper, but there were reports of a big wind and rain storm coming the next day so to be on the safe side  we took off that afternoon for northern Indiana. We stayed in Elkhart, ID, home of many RV manufacturers and the RV Hall of Fame and Museum - a great collection of vintage RVs from 1910 to 1970.

As it continued to rain we stayed a few days visiting the quaint Amish towns in the area - really beautiful farms and lots of horse drawn carriages - but no pics due to the rain.

Then we headed to mom's cousin, April and her husband Greg Gove, who live in Crete, a small town just outside of Chicago. They have a fantastic house with an adjoining stable for their 2 horses. We parked right in their long driveway.

They have a beautiful backyard that I loved to run around, but mom wouldn't let me go into the woods cause she was afraid I would run into some poison ivy. They also had a great fire pit that we would sit by at night.

I had a great time getting to know Tumbleweed and Louie - Look at Louie trying to see if I was in the RV - I was actually sitting on top of the sofa by the window looking at him!

and here he is trying to kiss me!

but I had the most fun with their dog, Joey.

On Saturday they took Joey and I for a long walk in the woods - boy did we have fun and I got really dirty.

Then they they left Joey and I in the house together  while they went to Chicago. We tried so hard to get the refrigerator open to get the cheese, but no luck, and all the wine was also out of reach, so after we figured out there would be no party we settled down for a long nap.

Mom came back and told me about their day - they drove around Chicago then went to the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute - incredible collection of art then walked around Millennium Park. They ended the day by going to the top of the Hancock Tower to the Signature Room Lounge for drinks -great views!!

but the special treat was seeing the mural that Greg was commissioned to paint in the Signature Room restaurant - really incredible and this is just a small part of the mural.  He is such a talented artist.

Each night we sat by the fire pit.

 Dad got to go on a bike ride. He was really happy!

We had a great time at their house

Adios,

Yuki