Tag: Fruita

Colorado

Catching up

by Ingrid51 Comments on Catching up

First off, allow me to extend a heart-felt thank you to all of you who commented on my last post.  I appreciate your warm thoughts beyond words and hope Rhonda and family have found some comfort in them as well.  Rhonda wrote a final post sharing Wayne’s last days and a selfless act.  That post can be viewed here for anyone interested.  Thank you again for your care, concern, and friendship.

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With Moab in the rear view mirror, it wasn’t long before we pulled into site #3 at the James M. Robb State Park Campground near Grand Junction, Colorado.  We really enjoy staying here and since we pass through Grand Junction regularly this has become our go to stop for spending a few days while in the area.

Colorado State Parks
Colorado National Monument

Colorado State ParksThe stunning Colorado National Monument acts as a beautiful backdrop to the James M. Robb State Park…. a sight that never gets old.

During our ten-day stay, we had a couple of things to tend to, but most importantly a lot of catching up to do.  You see, my brother and his wife live in Grand Junction, and a year had passed since our last visit.

Fruita Colorado
James M. Robb State Park, Fruita, Colorado

First on the agenda was dinner with brother and sis-in-law, which became a recurring event during our stay.  Yum, is all I have to say as sis-in-law is a great cook.  Unfortunately, due to the combination of my brother’s work schedule and the ever fickle weather, we weren’t able to take any memorable hikes together during this visit.  You can click here to read about one of our epic hikes a couple of years ago.  The thought of that hike still makes me laugh.Colorado National Monument

It’s impossible not to explore the “Monument” and for any first time visitor I would highly recommend the 23 mile Rim Rock Road scenic drive.  The road takes you to the top of the mesa with numerous scenic overlooks giving a visitor a bird’s eye view of some spectacular scenery.

After taking in the scenery from the car, next up is hitting the trails.  One of my all time favorite hikes was one I did with my sister-in-law almost 2 years ago and ever since then, I’ve wanted to share that trail with hubby.hiking in Colorado

So on our first rain free day, Al and I set out around nine in the morning to tackle the Lower Monument Canyon Trail.Colorado National Monument

After a 2 1/2 mile trek, we found ourselves at the base of the stunning 450 foot tall monolith named Independence Monument; our destination.  The post from the hike with my sister-in-law offers a little more info.  If interested, you can click here.

Colorado National Weather
We were down in that canyon at the base of the Independence Monument – rock monolith
Colorado National Monument
Al on the trail ahead of me returning to the trailhead

Colorado National MonumentAfter spending a little time taking in the sight of the beautiful canyon, we retraced our tracks back to the trailhead making for a great 5 mile hike.

Colorado breweryToward the end of our stay, we met Mike and Linda for lunch at the Edgewater Brewery and on our last evening we met Pam and John for a quick bite at Suds Brother’s Brewery.

Let’s see….. we took care of a couple of scheduled appointments, took in the fantastic scenery, got in some exercise, visited with family AND visited a couple of brew pubs with fellow bloggers.

All in all, it was a great visit to western Colorado.  Now it’s time to move on.  I have a feeling there could be a little more social gatherings in our near future.  You never know who we’ll bump into in Denver this summer!Colorado National Monument

Grand Junction Hiking Guide (The Pruett Series)

I recently started a food blog called “Dally in the Galley”
Feel free to stop by – click here

Colorado, RV Tidbits

Antenna E.D.

by Ingrid53 Comments on Antenna E.D.

Hubby and I have talked about making a written check list.  You know, the kind of list pilots use.  After almost a year of full-time RVing, we still haven’t made that list; a take off list so to speak, a list to review before hitting the road.

Knowing Al and I, we’d probably forget to use the list anyway.  And speaking of forgetting; check out the photo of us visiting the dump station at the Fruita visitor center.  The visitor center is located just west of Grand Junction, Colorado, in the town of Fruita and is a great place to stop, relax, and pick up all kinds of info on the beautiful state of Colorado.

erectile disfunctionLooks like someone forgot to lower the TV antenna.  The helicopter is part of a lovely Vietnam War Memorial and the rugged terrain of the Colorado National Monument can be seen in the distance.  We always enjoy our time hanging around the quaint little town of Fruita….  gateway to the Colorado National Monument and nearby world renowned biking trails.

While staying in my brother and sister-in-laws driveway, we would make a weekly visit to the Fruita visitor center to clean our tanks.  We wanted to make sure our tanks didn’t come close to filling.  Hmm, where’s that check list?  We obviously made it to the center without a problem with the antenna in the erect position, but on the return drive we weren’t so lucky.  Our TV antenna met some tree branches and after a quick altercation, the tree won.erectile dysfunction

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t erect the antenna.  It was official, our antenna was suffering from erectile dysfunction.  This was a problem a blue pill couldn’t fix.  The antenna was also beat up pretty bad and the mother board was even exposed.

Al and I were surprised the antenna worked at all, but it did ok by bringing in a couple of channels which allowed us a little TV viewing until we could have a new antenna delivered.  We even received some reception during a heavy rainstorm which amazed us considering how damaged and exposed the antenna was.

After some research, we chose this Jack RV TV antenna that doesn’t require raising and lowering.  No more need to remember to crank the antenna down.  Yay!

JACK Digital HDTV Over-The-Air Antenna w/Built in Signal Finder – White

Although it was relatively easy to install the new antenna, it did take us most of the morning to complete the task.RV antenna repair

First the old RV antenna needed to be removed and since we have a rubber roof on the 5th wheel, it was crucial we take our time and not cause any damage to the roof.  Al used a blow dryer to heat up the old caulk and with a PLASTIC putty knife he gently lifted it to remove.  A metal putty knife could easily rip the rubber roof membrane.RV antennas

RV rubber roofsOnce the old antenna was removed, we set about installing the new one.  Once Al had everything hooked up and fastened with screws, I set about with the caulking. I used a special RV roof sealant that has a rubber consistency once dried.caulking RV roof

Geocel 56801 White Advanced RV EPDM Roof Sealant

We’ve been enjoying our new antenna for about a week now and are very pleased.  We seem to get better reception and the colors appear to be more vibrant…… better yet, we don’t need to remember to lower the antenna before hitting the road.replacing RV antenna

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty – Winston Churchill

Photography

Wordless Wednesday

by Ingrid39 Comments on Wordless Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everyone!  Today we find ourselves back in Grand Junction, Colorado, getting caught up on repairs and spring cleaning.  As busy as we’ve been, there’s always a little time to get out and about with the camera………photographywordless wednesdaywordless wednesdayColorado State ParksPhotos taken at James Robb State Park, Fruita, Colorado

Colorado

Happy Birthday Bro

by Ingrid20 Comments on Happy Birthday Bro

Grand JunctionWe’ve been happily camped at James Robb State Park Fruita Section located west of Grand Junction, Colorado for a little over a week now.  I think Al and I are finally settling into the RV life and joke about living on “RV time”.  I’ll admit the move took a lot more out of us than we ever could’ve imagined.  In retrospect, I wish we had gone about this move and change at a slower pace.  Moving is nothing new to us, but the major downsizing was overwhelming beyond words.

We arrived in Grand Junction just in time to help my brother celebrate his birthday.  He has a favorite Japanese Restaurant that he and his wife frequent in downtown Grand Junction.  Al and I aren’t fans of Sushi but do enjoy other Asian dishes accompanied by a little Sake and plum wine.


The Farmer’s Mart is held every Thursday evening throughout the summer in downtown Grand Junction.  The city closes several blocks to automobile traffic and the streets are lined with easy-up tents hosted by various vendors and entertainers.  The multitude of vendors marketing their products includes everything from wine by local wineries to a special blend of Bloody Mary Mix (a favorite of my brother’s…..do I hear birthday gift?), to a variety of food products, crafts, local veggies, fruits, etc.  Some of the local store fronts even offer specials.


After a delicious meal at the Suehiro Japanese Restaurant complete with Al and me sampling lots of Sushi (I’m still not a fan), we head to the streets to meander amongst the vendors and listen to the various musicians entertaining the crowds.   The skies looked threatening but fortunately the storm held at bay long enough for us to enjoy a wonderful evening.

Brother & Al perplexed!

 

The four of us had a great time and I loved being able to celebrate my brother’s birthday with him.

This past week in Grand Junction has whizzed by and Tuesday we’ll head to Ridgeway State Park for 8 days.   My brother and his wife will join us in their new travel trailer for four of those days.  We’re all looking forward to getting in a little biking, hiking, and lots of R & R.  We may even try to coax Mark over at Box Canyon Blog to take us on one of those beautiful hikes that he shares with fellow bloggers (His photos are always stunning)……  That is if we’re not too busy “watching the shade move”….. my sister-in-laws response to me when I asked her what she wanted to do while we were at Ridgeway State Park 😀

James Robb State Park
James Robb State Park Fruita Section

We’ve loved our time here at James Robb State Park but are already looking forward to moving on.  So if any of you are near Ridgeway State Park July 23 – 31 feel free to stop by and say “Hey”.