Torrey, Utah: Capitol Reef National Park

The Capitol Reef referred to in "Capitol Reef National Park" was named after two of its geographic elements. The first are several rock monoliths that look very much like monuments in the US Capitol, right down to the white material. 

The second part of the name has to do with another geological feature of this area, which is a huge water pocket fold. It's a massive up swelling of the earth's crust that runs North & South for over 100 miles. This up swelling is so massive and so twisted that for many years it completely blocked the passage of early settlers and travelers headed West (or East). Sailors refer to such features in the ocean as a reef and that was the name applied here.

Put the two features together and you get Capitol Reef.

OK, not very exciting. The park itself however is a different story -- it is very exciting. We drove the 10 mile scenic drive located by the Visitor's Center, stopping at what used to be a small settlement specializing in fruit orchards, named appropriately enough Fruita. 

One of the farms & orchard has been turned into a display of life in the late 1800's and a campground. Mary Lynn and I sampled the homemade ice cream, fruit pies, caramel, strawberry preserves and blended honey which is is honey blended with raspberries -- apply to crusty bread and you are in heaven.

Once we had explored the farm we jumped back on the scenic drive, and at the end of the paved road there is a dirt road. 

Now the ideal way to explore most of Utah and it's incredible national and state parks is in a jeep or on ATV's. Our Honda CR-V is a great car however it's four-wheel drive system is intended for inclement weather, not off-roading. It does not have the ground clearance necessary for off road exploring. 

None the less, we decided to drive the gravel road through the canyon. Feeling like an real adventurer I drove our CR-V back through this canyon, surrounded by steep, rocky cliffs. I felt pretty good about how well the CR-V did until I arrived at the end of the road and found two rental RV's, several standard, non four wheel drive cars parked at the trail end, including a Lincoln Town car.

I mean, come on, who drives a big Lincoln Town car a few miles back on a dirt road? Oh well, the trip was incredible, especially the fact we were just a few feet from the base of these soring cliffs. There were plenty of massive boulders that had cleaved from the cliffs and landed on and right next to the road. Some of these boulders weighed over 100 tons - wow.

In any case, another beautiful day in yet another beautiful part of Utah. Tomorrow we head to Moab to spend time in Arches National Park -- I can't wait.

Se Ya!

Torrey, Utah: Arches National Park & Moab On Tuesday; Capitol Reef Park On Monday

After a series of false starts today we pulled into Torry, Utah around 6 pm this evening. 

False Starts? How about a minor setback? Well about 30 miles after leaving our Kanab campsite this morning I just barely make out that one of the basement compartment doors is open. I quickly pull over and discover its the compartment where I store all of my tools and various hardware for any needed repairs. 

A quick scan and I realize only one item has fallen out. Of course, given Murphy's Law is always working even if I am not, the one item is a small blue canvas bag of the tools I use most frequently. Rather than dig out my big toolbox and lug it around I put the tools I most commonly use into this bag. It has/had the best tools from all my other tool sets.

So I disconnect the toad and reverse our steps thinking I should be able to find the bag. Well, the short version is, despite driving the entire 30 miles back to Kanab and then back to the RV, we did not find the canvas bag.

It either fell out and bounced down into one of the many ravines, fell into and was hidden by tall grass, or the most likely, fell along the side of the road and someone stopped to pick it up.

Oh well, if someone did (or does) find it I hope they are appreciative and able to put them to good use. 

Could have been a lot worse.

As far as our trip is concerned, we turned from long valley onto Utah Scenic 12, which has to be one of the most scenic roads in America.

Red Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument, Kodachrome Basin State Park -- it just goes on and on.

Just when you think you have seem every possible color & shape combinations you turn another corner and are hit with yet another amazing vista. Every one a photo opportunity. I thought by now I was immune to these otherworldly rock formations. Hah! Now I think it's impossible to ignore the spectacular beauty of the landscape as it gets combined with the weather.

Tomorrow we should arrive in Moab, Utah where we'll spend some time at Arches National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park, which looks like a mini version of the Grand Canyon. Can't Wait!

See Ya! 

Kanab, Utah: Bryce Is Twice As Nice

Today Mary Lynn and I spent most of the day in and about Bryce Canyon National Park. 

Wow -- what a place. When I first approached the edge of the canyon and looked down onto that massive, otherworldly landscape I was thunderstruck. It simply stopped me in my tracks. 

Bryce Canyon is just out of this world. Fantastic shapes in the form of spires, fins, hoodoos, arches, windows, peaks & valleys -- you name it and you'll find it in the park.

These forms come in all shapes and sizes although most come in XXL - 

Extra Extra Large. And the colors just take your breath away.

The weather kept changing all day. It was pretty cold with temps in the low 40's and high 30's although the 

temperature dropped to 34 at one point, the wind kicked up and it started to snow. It cycled through cloudy and overcast to sunny and back to cloudy several times throughout the day. And at the end of the day a big storm with very dark clouds blew into the park creating some spectacular sights.

As usual the photo's only capture a part of the beauty and sense of majesty that fills you while gazing into the canyon. 

Mary Lynn and I will leave Kanab tomorrow morning and head towards 

Arches National Park near Moab, Utah. Along the way we hope to explore more of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, Escalante Petrified Forest State Park, Capitol Reef National Park, and Goblin Valley State Park.

Sweet -- except temperatures have definitely taken a dive into the 50's & 60's during the day and much colder at night. Oh well, might have to exchange shorts for long pants -- no biggie.

See Ya!

Kanab, Utah: Zion National Park

Yesterday Mary Lynn and I spent the day in Zion National Park, which has to be one of my favorite National Parks. It certainly is the location of my favorite National Park memory.  I'll share my memory along with some of the pictures from yesterday visit. This first picture is from the site listed on the photo however it shows the saddle from Scout's Lookout that needs to be traversed to attain Angel's Landing. That's all I'm going to say about that for now... The rest of the pictures are mine.

About 10 years ago a good friend of mine, John G, arranged a trip to Zion for three of us. John,n Peter and I arrived at Zion in early afternoon and John, who has visited almost every National Park in the country, immediately took us on the Angel's Landing hike.

Unbeknown to me, this is one of the most famous & thrilling hikes in Zion. The overall elevation gain doesn't sound too bad until you realize that four of the 5 miles the hike covers is on relatively flat ground, leaving the full 1488' elevation gain to be accomplished in only 1/2 mile. A relatively easy 2 mile hike followed by a 1/2 mile of pure leg burning, chest heaving, air gasping...  beautiful vista's. 

Once I arrived on top at Scout Lookout things started to get interesting. After climbing 1500 feet, including 21 steep switchbacks called Walter's Wiggles, you are faced with one of the biggest decisions of the hike. Standing there enjoying incredible views of almost the entire park, I could see that the next part was across a narrow saddle that was only a few feet wide in places, but whether narrow or less narrow, the 

cliffs dropped off 1200 feet on one side and 900 feet on the other. 

Once across the saddle there was a pitch so steep and on such a narrow ledge that the park service had anchored chains into the wall to help you stay on the trail. 

For me there was no decision to make. No way -- I was going all the way to Angel's Landing. John had announced earlier that day we were going to the top and that was that. And he said we had better hustle since it was late in the day. 

I joined John & Peter at Scout Lookout. John & Peter, who by now were not showing any signs of the effects of climbing 1488 feet, took a minute or two to enjoy the view, snap a few pictures, and immediately took off across the narrow saddle. 

So I followed. I knew that no matter what I shouldn't look down; I'd heard that advice on every TV thriller involving heights. The super cool 'afraid of nothing' hero would confidently tell the person terrified of heights: "Just don't look down"; invariably the terrified  individual always looks down. Sitting on the couch watching TV I was able to convince my self that under no circumstances would I look down if I was ever in the situation...

Halfway across the saddle I wasn't any stronger than those people on TV; I looked down. OMG! Well, those were not my exact words however you get the idea. The bottom of the canyon was impossibly far away and the edge of the trail was impossibly close to over 900 feet of empty air. OMG!

I focused on every rock on the top of that saddle and scrambled to the relative safety of the next section. Despite the narrow ledge on the next section, barely side enough for your shoe to fit, after the saddle, the chains were incredibly reassuring. 

Nothing to it. Grasp the chain, I pulled hard on said chain while inching my feet along the ledge trying to hit a wide spot on the trail at the same time as the people descending. Nothing like passing another couple of hikers while hanging on the side of a ledge. Wow!

The only thing I can say is that that climb, as exciting as it was, was nothing compared to the feeling of being on top of Angel's Landing. It was incredibly beautiful and peaceful. When people spoke, if they spoke at all, it was in hushed tones. And not just because people were out of breath. Nope, the view and the sense of accomplishment were simply overwhelming. We hit the top a little before sunset and the colors were amazing. 

It was only the next day, while we were at the Zion Lodge, that I realized just what an accomplishment climbing the Angel's Landing trail was.

And for that, I will forever have John and Peter as co-conspirators in one of my favorite memories and, even more importantly, to thank for dragging me along.  

I'll tell you about hiking the Narrows, which we did the next day, on another post.

See Ya!

Kanab, Utah: Happy Birthday Kasey Lynn!

First of all, Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter Kasey Lynn who turned 23 today. We are incredibly proud of her and love her so much.

We have been using Kanab, Utah as our base of operations while exploring Cedar Heights National Monument, Dixie National Forest, Coral Sands State Park and Zion National Park which has worked perfectly. Just like Page, Arizona, (home of Lake Powell's Glen Canyon Dam), there are a ton of things to do in & around Kanab. 

Yesterday we had lunch at the Perry Lodge, which is the home of the stars when they are in town making movies. Over 30 films have been made here using the spectacular scenery and in some cases the Perry Lodge itself. The walls were covered with over a hundred autographed photo's of the stars who stayed here while making movies.

There were lots of great comments the stars had written to the Perry family and staff however my favorite was from Tim Conway, who wrote "I know we'll being staying 

in touch for a long time, I'm not paying my bill!".

Perry Lodge is truly incredible, a step back in time. This is an old time travel lodge with a row of small rooms, with parking out front, just off of the small (make that very small) pool. However the service here is great, as is the food 

in the dining room. Each of the small bungalows are named for one of the stars: John Wayne of course, Walter Brennan, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr, Telly Salvalis, --- there were dozens more that anyone past a certain age would remember...

Across the street is Denny's Wigwam, an old fashioned trading post which has managed to keep up with the times. Inside this old building, crammed with every possible item, both tacky and cool, from clothes to sandstone art to polished stones/gems, it's a step back in time. 

Mary Lynn and I are in this big old trading post, wondering how on earth they stay in business, when four staff members streamed onto the floor from different parts of the building, one of them yelling " We got a bus coming in!". 

It was as if the Captain of a ship sounded the battle stations alarm. People flowed to different locations, made sure their equipment was in order, checked their uniform/clothing, and strapped on a big smile. "Battle stations! Battle stations! We got a bus coming in!".

This place may have looked old fashioned but they had a modern day video alert system.

Later we drove up to Cedar Heights, which was still mostly covered in snow. Beautiful Ponderosa Pine forests, great scenery in every direction, lots of wildlife however there was still snow that was several feet deep in some places. The main road was open however most of the side roads were still impassable.

Today we went to Zion National Park, one of the most beautiful and popular National Parks in the country. Truly one of the most spectacular places on earth. Another time I'll tell you about my experience a couple of years ago where two friends and I hiked to the top of Angel's Landing one evening and the next day hiked through the Narrows to a side canyon. One of my most memorable hiking accomplishments/adventure & one I'll never forget.

The temperatures will be dropping by 10-15 degree this weekend. We still plan to go to Bryce Canyon on Saturday. 

See Ya!

Kanab, Utah: Zion & Bryce Here We Come

We left Lake Powell this morning and drove less than 100 miles to Kanab, Utah. Kanab bills itself as the home of the old Hollywood western movie. They also say the town is "Home of the Greatest Earth on Show".

On the way here we passed the old movie town/movie set of Paria, Utah, where dozens of spaghetti westerns were filmed. Pay close attention to the background scenery the next time you watch one of those old westerns. Chances are you are enjoying the wonderful scenery in the great state of Utah.

Our drive here today also included a visit to the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument which is almost 2 million acres of deep sandstone canyons, huge expanses of slick rock and a tremendous number of buttes and plateaus. This area was the last area mapped in the lower 48 and includes the last river to be named, the Escalante. 

Supposedly it includes many areas that have not been visited in the last 400 years -- we didn't visit those areas because -- well, because it would ruin this park's ability to say no one has been there 400 years.  I just wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing MLA and I were responsible for eliminating one of this park's major attractions. 

The Grand Staircase is special because the land lies open with the many layers of the Colorado Plateau. Most visible are the cliffs or escarpments that show the transition from one layer to another. You can literally walk back in time if you can read the various layers: Tertiary, Cretacean, Jurassic, Triassic, & Permian are all on display.

MLA didn't get too excited over the various layers. She simply told me to take her to the area with the best colors (She was impressed by the dinosaur tracks we viewed yesterday during our tour of the Glen Canyon Dam).

From our central location we should be able to spend time in Zion and Bryce plus visit the many attractions in the Kanab area. 

Today I actually found a camera shop that specializes in film cameras. No digital camera's for this owner, no sirree. His shop was full of old Nikon's, Hassleblad's, Leica's, etc. I saw dozens of film cameras that previously I had only read about. His little shop was so stuffed with old cameras and lenses it was overwhelming. I may have to re-visit...

We should be here for  4 or 5 days before heading off to Moab, Utah to see The Arches National Park. Might even be able to squeeze in a visit to Capital Reef National Park.

There's just so many things to see in this part of the country.

See Ya!

Page, AZ: Thanks For The Dam Tour ! Glen Canyon Dam & Lake Powell

Yesterday we set out from Camp Verde headed towards Kanab, Utah.

As we approached Flagstaff, AZ we were greeted by snow capped mountains in the distance. These mountains remained with us for a few hours until finally disappearing in our rear view mirrors. 

 Along the way we stopped to enjoy the Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument which in turn lead to the Wupatki Heritage Site and the Palatki Heritage Site where there are ancient ruins to explore. 

We explored this area for most of the afternoon before setting off again towards Kanab, Utah. When we saw the signs for Page, Arizona we knew we had to spend a few days exploring Lake Powell and the surrounding area. 

Today Mary Lynn even agreed to join me on a tour of the Glen Canyon Dam. I find the dams fascinating however MLA likens a tour of a dam to watching paint dry so it was a big deal for her to descend to the depths of the Glen Canyon Dam.

I found it fascinating. The scale, the engineering, the sheer determination & willpower required to accomplish such a massive project never fails to amaze me. 

And of course our guide ended the tour with the traditional "Thanks for taking my Dam Tour" to which we responded in the traditional manner: "Thanks for the Dam Tour!". Like a little boy I never get tired of that word play; some times its hard to believe I'm 52...

Tomorrow we're going to try to explore Antelope Canyon, home of several famous slot canyons. Slot canyons are narrow canyons carved by water & wind into narrow,, undulating passages. Sometimes the canyons are so narrow and the canyon walls so tall that light can barely penetrate the interior.

Today's visit to the Glen Canyon Dam included a slab of sandstone with dinosaur footprints clearly embedded. The picture only hint at the scale; the largest footprint measured almost two feet across. They estimate the dinosaur was 20 feet long and weighed over a ton -- and could run faster than you or I... Wow!

And then it's off to Kanab, Utah again, unless another national park/monument catches our eye again. There's just so much to see in this area.

See Ya!

Camp Verde, Arizona: Enjoying Another Beautiful Day

We decided to stay another day or so in beautiful Camp Verde. The weather today was just so perfect it was hard to imagine being cooped up in a motor vehicle.

We sat around reading, relaxing and enjoying each other's company. At one point Dobbie, on her leash, joined us outside while we relaxed in our lounge chairs. Mary Lynn was going inside and was going to take Dobbie in. Well the dog was halfway around her lounge chair with the leash trailing behind. Mary Lynn circled that lounge chair half a dozen times before realizing the dog was simply following her... around and around in circles; I nearly fell out of my chair watching the two of them.

Met a fellow Tiffin owner who also has the front engine diesel Allegro Bay. Turns out he and his wife went to Alaska a couple of years ago and he was happy to share some advice on where to stay, attractions, road conditions, etc.

In his opinion anywhere on the water is spectacular however he was not a big fan of the inland destinations. The land is just so incredibly vast. He also shared some info on travelling through British Columbia, which he found as beautiful as anything in Alaska.

We'll see; MLA and I are very excited about the trip. 

Looks like our son Scott, will be coming to Alaska in July to join us for a week. He loves to fish and, since we'll be somewhere on the Kenai Pennisula at that time, he should get to experience some of Alaska's best fishing. 

Went out this evening to take a few photo's however the sunset never really developed into much. Oh well, there's plenty of spectacular sunsets ahead of us. 

Hope you are taking time to enjoy the sunsets, flowers, etc. Or at least enjoying the time you are spending with family...

See Ya!

Rancho Verde, AZ: Tuzigoot National Monument, Cottonwood & Clarksdale ROCK!

That's right, Tuzigoot, Clarksdale, Cottonwood, Jerome, & Sedona all Rock! Literally & figuratively, this place rocks. Red rocks actually. Sedona bills itself as the most beautiful place in America and they just might be understating their case. Sedona and the surrounding area has some of the most beautiful red rock formations you will find anywhere.

After breakfast we went straight to Tuzigoot National Monument. Don't you just love that name? 

Tuzigoot. Tuzigoot. Tuzigoot. 

The remains at Tuzigoot, excavated in the early 1930's, are one of the few ruins in the area that allow you to explore in detail. You are free to explore as long as you stay off the walls and on the path. Once home to ~ 225 Native Americans, they disappeared in the 1400's and to this day, no one knows why. Drought, plague, crop failures, inter-tribe warring? No one knows for sure. It happened throughout the Southwest.

Afterwards we explored the shops in the small town of Cottonwood. Lots of 

fun eclectic stores, galleries and boutiques.

All in all a beautiful day in a beautiful part of the USA.

See Ya!  

Camp Verde, Arizona: North To Alaska

We have been working on a variety of projects getting ready to leave Casa Grande and head north towards our eventual destination: Alaska.

Actually, we won't get to Alaska until May 21st when the Alaska Maritime Ferry will take us from Prince Rupert, British Columbia to Alaska via the inside passage. 

Between now and then we plan to visit several national parks in Utah, see a little bit of Idaho and then explore western Montana on our way to Kalispell. That's where we will officially launch our Alaska trip.

Over the last couple of days we have had the ac/heat pumps repaired, installed a mud flap, a Toad Charge system, a Toad Shield, tested the new tire inflation system, etc., etc. Mary Lynn always has a long 'honey do' list before we take off and this time was no exception.

We had planned on leaving yesterday once the ac/heat pump parts arrived and the RV Medic finished the repair on the rear unit. Well, the parts came in OK however the wind was so strong the repair technician was unable to work on the roof. Go Figure.

In any case, the repairs were completed today by noon or so and we finally got underway this afternoon.

We are currently camped in Camp Verde which is between Phoenix and Flagstaff. Just enough distance to ease us back into our RV travel routine. Funny how quickly things are coming back after a three month hiatus.

Tomorrow we go exploring the Tuzigoot National Monument & the Palatki Red Cliffs Heritage Site, both of which are ancient cliff dwellings. If we have enough time left we'll head over to Sedona. 

Should be another great day "On The Road Again".

Oh yeah, the pictures: the first is Tuesday's sunrise in Casa Grande and the second two are of a scorpion I found under a tarp I left on our patio. (I left out the picture I took after I put him under my boot!).

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Getting Ready To Hit The Road (Again)

The last few weeks have seen a mass exodus from the park, a trend that will continue for another two weeks or so. After that, just about the only park inhabitants will be the full time park residents, numbering 600+ intrepid lovers of Arizona branded desert heat. Sure, there will still be a few more RVers that depart in late April and May, however most of that train has left the station.

As for Mary Lynn and I , we have been getting everything ready to go. It's a mixture of ordering, repairing, installing and cleaning whatever needs to be ordered, repaired, installed and/or cleaned. 

We ordered some additional camera gear, including a video camera which we will use on our trip to Alaska. In addition we have ordered a trickle charger for the Toad which should prevent the battery from being depleted on those long travel days. The CR-V's battery is used for the toads lights and braking system. Most of the time it's no problem for the battery but occasionally events occur that conspire to drain that puppy. It does not happen often however happening just once anywhere in British Columbia, Alaska, or the Yukon is bad news. At least that was the justification I gave MLA. If your spouse isn't sure you need that new piece of gear just let her know it's a safety item!

The repairs to the RV's A/C/heat pumps should be completed next Tuesday. All the parts will be in and the repairmen has offered to show me how to clean the ac/heat pump coils myself. This will save us about $100 on each of the two units, which needs to be done annually.

It was scorching hot the other day when I installed a mud guard that hangs under the rear of the RV. It's as wide as the RV and should keep rocks/debris from being thrown up by our RV's wheels and hitting the toad. I'll come back to the controversy and why I say 'should' in just a minute.

I've also installed hardware on the screen door to minimize bugs getting into the RV, which might come in handy in Alaska where the state bird is the mosquito...  I have everything needed to install a CB radio and a "T" adapter to our propane system. The CB will be useful for communicating with the other couple who is joining us on our Alaska trip. Or we are joining them on their Alaska trip -- I'm not sure which. 

The T adapter allows me to add another propane tank to the RV. That way, if we run out of propane I can add propane (which we use for heat/cooking) without moving the RV or waiting till we get to a propane pump. Plus it lets me run the grill off of the main propane source rather than those small propane canisters that cost an arm and a leg. Convenient but pricey.

We have done a preliminary cleaning of the various closets and outside compartments; it's now time to go through and be a little more ruthless. Plus, when we leave the Harley in Montana, I'll have a list of gear we do not need to take with us on our 5000+ mile journey: motorcycle jackets, helmets, etc. That way we'll have plenty of room for all that salmon we'll be catching. Of course, I haven't figured out how we will keep said salmon frozen/cold just yet...

I've also been lubricating anything that needs lubricating using my trusty WD-40 and some grease less slide lube used on the slide outs. 

We accomplished all this while attending the numerous pot lucks and good bye parties, including a pot luck dinner for everyone who attended the Grand Canyon River Rafting Trip, where we exchanged pictures. I've included a picture taken by the trip leader, Wild Man Phil, of me enjoying the 47 degree water. Yee Haw! I also have a few small videos and will try to add them to the blog as well.

Before I go I said I'd say a little bit more about the full width mud flap that is now hanging under the rear of the RV. After I had spent ~$100 and a day's worth of effort to purchase and install the mud flap, I read in one of the on-line RV forums that maybe, just maybe, a full width mud flap kicks up more stones than they block. What, are you kidding me? All I can do is make sure the mud flap has the necessary clearance once the RV is loaded and hope for the best...

We purchased a cover for the toad that shields the windshield, hood, front end and the front sides of the CR-V, which will hopefully keep any rocks/debris that is thrown up by on-coming truck traffic from doing any damage. everything I read and everyone I talked to recommended the toad cover and the mud flap. 

Oh well, we've prepared as best we can. Now we get to see for ourselves how all of these preparations work. Or don't work. We should leave next Wednesday if all goes according to plan and are thinking about going north into Utah on our way to Montana. I'd love to visit Bryce & Zion again plus a few of the other national parks in Utah. My only concern is it may be a little early -- translate that to snowy and/or cold. 

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: On-line Camera Scam Artists

Mary Lynn was feeling a little under the weather this evening so, while she laid down, I went and visited with our neighbors across the road, Mike and Janice. There are from Ottawa, Canada and I always enjoy our talks.

Tonight we covered a wide variety of topics during our 'front porch' session however one of the most interesting had to do with where MLA and I might settle down one day. Mike and Janice both wondered if we would settle in the DC area since that's where we have lived for the last 30 years. 

True, it's where we have lived for 30 years and it's also true that it is a great place to both raise a family and to make a living. However, it's now more crowded and more expensive than ever. Even with the latest adjustment in housing prices it's still an extremely expensive area in which to live.

So MLA and I are keeping our options open. We are leaning more towards the warmer sections of the country. In fact, I told MLA the other night if I were to go back to work I would want to live here in the Phoenix area during the winter and in the Maryland area during the summer. If we didn't already own a home in the Maryland area I doubt we would live there while working or retired.

You know the saying "If it sounds too good to be true it probably isn't?". Well, over the weekend while surfing the Internet I found a really good deal on a small video camcorder that I figured would be perfect for our trip to Alaska. So I ordered a Canon flash memory based HD camcorder figuring I could post short video's on the blog. In fact MLA agreed to be the videographer while I continued as the photographer. Great idea, huh.

Well, almost. After ordering the camera from a company called the 'Camera Giants' I received an e-mail saying there was a problem with the order and to call them. I called and they told me the order was on hold until I selected which battery I wanted to ship with the camera. One was an additional $125 and the other was an additional $175. 

I told them I wanted the standard battery, as advertised, which is included with the Canon camera. The guy on the phone said OK but the standard battery only lasts for 30 minutes. I replied that the standard battery lasts longer than 30 minutes and that I had already ordered an extra battery for a whole lot less. OK, he says, I'll get your order out right away.

Well, today I get an e-mail that says the camera I ordered has unfortunately been back ordered and won't be back in stock for at least 3-4 weeks. Included in the e-mail was a note on three different ways I can cancel my order. Clearly they are trying to get the order cancelled so they don't have to fulfill the order at a low price.

Obviously this while experience is 'fishy' so I check out the company on the Better Business Bureau's on-line site and sure enough, this company has a grade of "F" with the BBB. The BBB describe the complaints filed against the company as the very same tactics of trying to force you to buy additional over-priced accessories and then, if you refuse to buy the additional items, not shipping your order. 

The BBB says the 'Camera Giants' have failed to resolve or even respond to any of the consumer complaints filed against them so I don't think my complaint will do any good. What a bunch of scam artists -- I can only hope they get what they deserve. So, as much as I didn't want to succumb to their high-pressure delaying tactics, I cancelled the order.

I found the same camera at another store and have ordered it. The price however is good, but not as good as the first company. I checked the second company out with BBB and everything looks good however I'm now a little 'gun shy' regarding on-line digital products retailers. Never had a problem previously however in the past I've always used reputable online retailers like Amazon.com, etc.

I'll let you know what happens. hopefully in a small video clip!

See Ya!

Phoenix, AZ: Dental Woes & Camping World Wonders

Mary Lynn needed some dental work, specifically a cap, and found a dentist in Phoenix who specializes in caps. That's all he does. In fact , you'll never believe the creative name he came up with for the business: "Caps Only". Is that creative or what. 

So last week I took her to "Caps Only" where she had the pre-work performed and temporary caps installed while she waited for the permanent caps to be manufactured.

Yesterday, while eating a hamburger, MLA's temporary cap came off. The dentist told us to come in this afternoon and he would install another temporary cap. We did so and then he did so.

So far so good we thought. It just over a hour away and his appointment are always in the afternoon so we get to experience that wonderful Phoenix rush hour. As you can imagine, reinstalling a temporary cap had MLA feeling lousy however she still wanted to complete the items on our "Phoenix to do list". I stopped to get her some Advil and she started feeling a little better.

After the dentist we went to Camping World in Mesa. There are a couple of key items we need before our trip to Alaska, especially a rear mud flap to keep stones from flying back on to the toad and a CB radio. Plus, as always a few other items. Camping World is like the old Sears Christmas catalog was when you where a kid; they have everything you can imagine for RV's and then some.

While we were checking out of Camping World,  the temporary cap that was just installed came off again. One minute she's standing there talking and the next minute she has this temporary cap rolling around in her mouth. Needless to say MLA, who was already not feeling great, was not a happy camper with this turn of events. And trust me, when mama's not happy, no one is happy!

So it's back through the rush hour traffic to the dentist. They requested the permanent caps be finished early and have promised us they will be at the dentists tomorrow afternoon. So we made our way home with a third trip through the Phoenix traffic, all the while knowing we have to do again tomorrow. 

Hopefully that will get this issue resolved once and for all!

As soon as we arrived back at Palm Creek our friends Mary Ann and Dave called and invited us over for happy hour. I was only too happy to get MLA out of the house to enjoy our friends company and to enjoy a Margarita. Now she's a happy camper, at least until the Margarita wears off! 

I might turn in a little early tonight....

See Ya!