Days of Thunder

We were both pretty excited about being back at Bryce Canyon. The temperatures were nice during the day and for sleeping, we found a really nice private spot where you had to come down into our camp to see us and there were deer and Pronghorn around us all the time. 

The thing we weren't expecting was rain...days and days of rain. Probably should have looked a little better at that weather forecast!

Sometimes rain is welcome but when we get hours of heavy downpours or days of it, it gets a little annoying for many reasons, but mostly because you can't get out of the van and that makes your body ache and your mind turn into mush from all of the computer time. The other reason I don't dig the rain so much, living in the van, is dog potty time; they don't want to go out in it, neither do I but they won't go without a potty partner (me) and their feet and bellies get muddy. Maybe if we had a bigger rig, rainy days would be cozy and kind of cool, but in the van, they're the pits.

Anyway, we looked at the weather forecast the day after we arrived and saw it would probably rain for 2-3 days...it rained on and off for 5 days. Since we mostly live outside of the van, that's a lot of stuff getting wet, muddy shoes and paws (even though we wipe them off as much as we can), a lot of sitting and not being able to stretch out, stand up or lay down (because of how our bed plan is). We can't get into any of our bins because they are covered with the tarp that's trying to keep them dry (but they fill up with water anyway) and at this spot we have no TV, so that leaves us way too much time with our computers and most of the stuff we want or have to do takes internet usage so our data slips by way too fast...
All in all, it's better when it's not raining!

When the Sun started shining with no clouds around, it was a spectacular day...we didn't know what to do with ourselves.

Once we had some dry days we started scoping out the forest around us. We could tell there had been a few forest fires around where we were parked as well as through the entire forest. I guess with the lightning storms and the tall trees it's inevitable but still sad to see... and smell.

 I always think about the animals that live here and where they go when such a thing happens, I guess some get out and some don't...Mother Nature lives on.

After 2 days of sunshine and LOTS of out of the van time, we had 2 more days of rain!
Today, we are praying to the Sun God to show it's purty face for the remainder of our stay.
PEACE

What a Beaut!

Today just slipped right on by me. Can you believe I don't have one single picture from today!? Me neither. After feeling like total crap-o-la yesterday, we rinsed away all the 'dirty' with hot showers and laundry today. Good thing too! With all of the rain we had, we found out that our tarp had not held up so well totally soaking through our duffle bags on-top, totally soaking every single piece of clothing in the bags, plus rolls of toilet paper (yuck)! It made me happy to find this all out at the laundromat instead of anywhere else. Needless to say, there was a lot of folding going on at that laundromat. I totally wish I had at least one picture of what I looked like today. At this laundromat in Ehrenberg, there are many different characters roaming about and it seems everyone and their brother always wants to talk to me. Usually, I do not have a problem with this, I will smile politely and carry on a conversation, knowing it's just how it is in public places...but today, today I was in no mood. I don't mind laundry day, I actually kind of look forward to it. I like to do laundry, I like sorting everything and waiting for it, then folding it in the precise way I do when it's all dry, it makes me feel good. Today though...not today! I really just wanted to take a shower and get on the road but after we found out that everything was soaked to the bone, it held us there an hour and a half more then usual and every single person wanted to have thee longest drawn out conversation. Now, the reason I wanted a picture of me was because of this guy that came in about 45 minutes into us being there. He was a "cool guy", biker dude (he made sure I knew that), probably in his mid 30's. He came in with, who I'm guessing was his mother and starts yelling and cussing at her, dropping F* bombs, about how to put his clothes in the washer. There are about 4 other people, trying not to look up at him yelling at her, minding their own business. After he ranted on her, he left for a minute, he comes back in, walks past me, turns back around to me and says, "Excuse Miss..? (he picks up my hand like he's going to kiss it) Has anyone told you how exquisitely beautiful you are today?" Uhhh..... I wanted to burst out laughing, but just said thank you. He then, of course, wanted to know everything about me. I looked toward J' (who had no idea this was going down) and changed the subject, making it politely clear I was 1- with someone and 2- didn't really want to share anything about myself. Throughout the rest of his time there he still tried making small talk with me...only making me laugh even harder on the inside. First of all, even if I wasn't with anyone, this guy totally just berated and cussed at his mother, or whoever she was, in front of a bunch of strangers...not a turn-on dude! Secondly, you should have seen what I looked like! I had on a pair of J's basketball shorts that went down past my knees, one of his shirts that's bright green and says, Pirates arrrr Cool, black socks pulled up to my knees and my blue and green muk-luks, with my fro' all over the place. If he saw beauty in that, well....good for him, but I don't think so Bub! We made it out of there in three hours, reorganized the inside and the top and drove to Ace Hardware. We had to get another tarp, stat! It was looking like rain and we could not count on that tarp to do its job...we already knew that it wouldn't. We went to Ace and got a canvas tarp to put over the other tarp (double barricade) and drove to our old campsite in Blythe. We told ourselves we wouldn't come back here, but we were so close and didn't want to make a drive back to Quartzsite tonight so we ended up staying for the night. J' put the tarp on, even in the extreme wind, which came out of nowhere...glad he did too...it's raining again! All I can say is, I'm soooooooo happy today is (pretty much) over. My attitude and emotions are raging and it is not pretty. The laundromat was just the tip of the iceberg this morning! Sometimes I wish I would just go straight into Menopause, is it that much worse than this every month? I don't know... maybe I'm wishing myself into a whole different, much worse monster than shark week is. All I know is it's a good thing I know how to cry and that bed, tele and chocolate were invented or this would be a much worse nightmare!

Well, I'm off to get my "beauty sleep"...hahaha that guy kills me!

PEACE

Desert Rain

The rain picked a good time to come. It rained on and off during the night, waking up to more rain this morning. I guess we picked the perfect day (yesterday) to walk the Big Tent, today would definitely be an inside day.

[caption id="attachment_3659" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Rainy Day[/caption]

I finished the velcro on the curtain for our sliding door! Now we have something to keep the warm in and wandering eyes out.

[caption id="attachment_3660" align="alignleft" width="150"] Hard @ work![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3661" align="alignright" width="150"] Finished![/caption]

I'm just glad it's finished, it's a really big job...especially without a darn thimble...ouchy! It took me most of the day to get it done, taking breaks to mess with Savannah, eat some junk food and look at the weather. The rain finally cleared up around 3:45-4:00 p.m. making camp look totally different than it has the whole time we've been here. The sun was glistening off of the wet dirt roads and clouds were hanging low on the mountain tops...very pretty!

Savannah was super excited to run around and fill her nose of all of the accentuated smells!

She was so thrilled to be out of the van that she took it upon herself to celebrate in her own little way...rolling in da' poo-poo...for the second time in 2-3 days! What a mess she is! She was not celebrating so much though, when she got her second scrub down of the week with freezing cold water.

[caption id="attachment_3665" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Not so happy[/caption]

We also gave ourselves a Head-Up cleansing since we were already in the groove. I love the picturesque scenery after it rains in the desert, it's just so beautiful...there's really nothing like it.

[caption id="attachment_3668" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Ah-some!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_3667" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Panoramic View[/caption]

I love the rain. It's very cleansing. When the clouds have squeezed out that last drop of rain and the sun starts to shine, playing over the mountains, bringing out different colors and objects in the distance...it's spectacular.

Maybe it's time to say, "See ya later" and move on down the road, to the next adventure, the next leg of our journey...? Tomorrow will be the only one able to tell us that, for now I wish you all a warm and moist day...kind of like a Brownie! Mmmmmm Brownies!

PEACE

Rainbows in the Dark

** Packed full o' Pics**

This morning was different than any other day we have woken up. 1- It was raining, not pouring but a steady spray of moisture and 2- It was pretty nipply...even under the covers! 

[caption id="attachment_1375" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Snug Bug[/caption]

I was taking pictures from bed of the outside when we saw a rainbow. I tried to capture it from bed but the windows had too many droplets of water on them to get a good picture. This rainbow got me out of bed, (most probably would) but it was so very worth it. If you know anything about me, it's that I am a total sucker for rainbows and feel that when I am lucky enough to witness one...or many, that I am being loved on from above, especially from my passed on pup, Roxy Love! When I got out of the van this is what I saw...

[caption id="attachment_1376" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sending me some love[/caption]

 And as I turned to see the rainbow in its entirety, I saw that we were getting double-blessed with of course, a double rainbow!

[caption id="attachment_1377" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Double the blessings[/caption]

 I was super excited, these rainbows just made my day and it wasn't even 9 a.m.! After the beautiful roads of light left us, we went on with our day like any normal day although, everything around us was ever-changing. The clouds rolled in, rolled out, rolled by the mountains, sat on top of us for a long while and then would disappear like it was just another sunny day.

[caption id="attachment_1379" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sunny...for now[/caption]

With the cloud coverage and the rain, the weather sure got wintry on us. By 10:00 a.m. I was all dolled up in my semi-winter gear; jeans, hoodie, knit cap, and socks.

[caption id="attachment_1380" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Um, brr[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1381" align="aligncenter" width="300"] In our "internet cafe"[/caption]

In between snuggles in her chair, Savannah was out enjoying all of the fresh smells the rain had brought...her nose was going crazy, she looked like a lil' bunny rabbit!

[caption id="attachment_1382" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bunny or Bug?[/caption]

There were storms all around us, more so than yesterday, but also like yesterday they were dancing around us. Every now and then we would get hit with a few drops, thinking we were about to get hammered...then it would just move on. We were really wanting some rain... come on man!

[caption id="attachment_1383" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Will it come our way?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1384" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Now THAT is rain![/caption]

You would think, from looking at the above pics, that we got the pummeling we wanted....nope! Little bits of spit and spray for us, but the mountains were getting the brunt of it for sure. Again, I was taking pics of the awesome sky changing every few moments and again I was able to capture another blessing. My girl was checking in on her mama today!

[caption id="attachment_1385" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hi baby girl[/caption]

It was just marvelous, the entire day was like this. We would get a little sprinkle, some crazy cloud formations in and on top of the mountains, rainbows, some pretty brisk winds and then the sun would pop out...then it would start all over again.

[caption id="attachment_1390" align="aligncenter" width="300"] It was really sunny![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1391" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Small potty walk[/caption]

Around 5:00 p.m. we all got out of the van again to take in the scary looking scenery. If we thought it was going to rain those other times...that was nothing. It was definitely going to rain on us now...I mean pour and pelt us with cats and dogs!

[caption id="attachment_1392" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Are we going to get our wish?[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1393" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Run Nana!![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1394" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Even the robots are getting in on the storm action[/caption]

We rushed and got back in the van only to sit there and wait and wait and wait. Finally, we ended up pulling the van door back open because it was getting a little warm in here. When I slid it open, guess what I saw??? If you guessed a group of grown men playing freeze tag...well you were wrong. If you guessed another rainbow, well then you were almost right. Anyone? Anyone? Yep, another double rainbow! Whoa...two double rainbows in one day...yes, please!!

[caption id="attachment_1396" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hello Lovely![/caption]

However, after we enjoyed another lovely set of rainbows we finally got the storm to come to the van. It wasn't the punishment we deserved, but it was a nice enough rain to satisfy our need...again making the desert look like a totally different place.

[caption id="attachment_1397" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Looks like snow, huh!?[/caption]

We were sure we would go to bed with it windy and drizzling but were wrong, yet again today. Pahrump gave us another clear & beautiful sunset, complete with the shimmering lights of the city. I don't think we'll ever figure this place out...and that's just fine with me, makes for better pictures!

[caption id="attachment_1398" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Lights of Pahrump[/caption]

 Hoping you also had a crazy magical day!

PEACE

Rain, Rain Come our way!!

I'm just going to skip yesterday all together due to not being able to walk, really at all. I cannot put my heel down in the slightest, it feels as if I might have a little bit of nerve damage but maybe my foot is still just in shock. It doesn't even look that bad, but it hurts like hell!

[caption id="attachment_1365" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Bruised and major swelling[/caption]

I did however get in a chilly shower and with the wind being sooo crazy, I got a natural blow-out for free!

[caption id="attachment_1364" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Scary, huh[/caption]

I've even been thinking, for about three weeks now, about really cutting my hair. It's a constant thought so maybe I'll just take the plunge soon...we'll see. Anyway, it's a pretty nippy day today. It started out a little breezy and as the day goes on I'm finding myself putting on more clothing. Even though it's only about 64 degrees right now, being in the middle of the barren desert, it feels a bit colder than that.

[caption id="attachment_1366" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Snuggled up but can still "window hunt"[/caption]

From the news and weather we've been catching on the tube, they have been saying it's supposed to storm this week and by the looks of it...they were right! The clouds are definitely moving in, along with the cooler weather. I'm just glad we got our showers in yesterday!

I think if the rain does come it will be fun to see and with all of our stuff contained it will be fun to sit in it. We had that one "big rain" at Tai Shan but I think the rains out here are going to make that look like a sprinkle...but what do I know, I've never camped in the desert. Either way it should be fun and interesting!

[caption id="attachment_1368" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Looks like rain[/caption]

I really like it out here. I think it's a photographers' dream for landscape work. Now we all know that I'm no professional photographer but I do love to take pictures and it's amazing to see how the scenery changes, literally from minute to minute. The sun hits the mountains, the land, the clouds, everything is different moment to moment...it's amazing!

The rain actually never hit us today. It just danced around us in the mountains all day. I was happy to get some good pics and we still have two more days (per weather forecaster) of rain, so maybe we'll get lucky with a downpour tomorrow!?

'Til then, we'll catch ya on the flip side, yo!

PEACE