Where are we now?

We now have two blogs. This blog is primarily the one we will use when we are traveling around this great country. You can find our second one at http://blueheron98.wordpress.com  In this blog you can follow us in our new life adventure of gate guarding in the oil and gas fields of south Texas.

Since leaving Moab, Utah in October, we went on to Las Vegas, Nevada. We visited Bob's daughter Julia and her family (hubby Chris, sons Austin & Ben) and Bob's brother, Richard, and our sister-in-law, Carolyn. It was great to see them all. We ate lunch at the Rio, where Carolyn works as a waitress. I've never seen a buffet so large... never seen so much food at one place in my life!

One thing we never get to do with our out of state grandchildren is to attend their sports functions. As luck would have it... we were able to attend one of Ben's baseball practices. What a treat!

One of the things I wanted to do is eat at the Top of the World Restaurant in the Stratosphere. Bob's brother Richard joined us for dinner. I had a hard time deciphering the menu, but the food was good and EXPENSIVE! If you've ever dined in the Reunion Tower restaurant in Dallas, this restaurant operates the same way. In about an hour you rotate and get a breathtaking 360 degree view of the cityscape. At sunset it was quite a site.

Next, we went down the strip and saw the magnificent light show at the Bellagio. The light show is coordinated to music. It's awesome!

We stayed at the Circus Circus KOA because our rig is too big to stay at Julia's or Richard's place. We had a deluxe spot which means that in addition to black top, we had grass, a tree and patio furniture. Capt. Jack & Jesse James were grateful for the grass!

This is not our Silver Bullet in this picture, but it's looks like our lot. A breath of fresh air in the heart of Las Vegas for sure. :D

When we left Las Vegas we traveled across the new bridge at the Hoover Dam. If you plan to go over that bridge, don't count on seeing the dam as all. It is hidden. Fortunately we had already seen Hoover Dam in a previous visit to town.

On the way home we stayed at the Petrified Forest KOA. It was a great park with very friendly people. We find that KOA are among some of the friendliest campgrounds to stay at. I've added seeing the Petrified Forest to my bucket list... next trip out west.

When we got home it was time for annual maintenance on the Silver Bullet, us, and the doggies. No stone was left unturned but everyone and everything checked out okay. The rig still needs some things fixed, but they are on the long list and can wait.

On December 19th, we reported for duty at Gate Guard Services at the Carrizo Springs yard in south Texas. You can read more about our preparations for this job and what it's all about. Our trials & tribulations in this new adventure are included as well.

I'll write more in this blog when we get back on the road again.

Happy Trails!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

How to work & live wherever and whenever you choose!

Holy Cow... Let Me Get Through This Alive!

That particular thought/prayer did cross my mind a couple of times Friday night. You see, we went on a guided Jeep tour in the Sand Flats Recreation Area just outside of Moab, Utah.

Our tour guide was the infamous Dan Mick. I must admit I'd seen his signature white jeep, with yellow to orange gradient striped outlines, around town and wondered what made this tall, bearded mountain-man-looking tour guide so revered in this valley community.

Over the course of the next 5 hours we discovered why his reputation was larger than life. When it comes to crawling along the rocks and fins stretching out like fingers & legs all around Moab, this guy is king!

In the picture above where I'm taking a picture through the windshield you see the black streaks on each side of the rock crevice... that would be Dan's own Hell's Gate climb. No one else can lay claim to this steep climb (as we went up I was plastered to my seat by the incline) or has the kahunas to try it!

When I saw that looming in front of us, I had a serious discussion with God!!!

The picture of the Jeep reflecting in the pond is way up high on the slickrock formation. It was getting to be sunset and the scenary was full of reds, blues, pinks and yellows. The rocks and the sky all blended together.

I've enclosed a video of Dan taking me straight up a rock ledge then turning around and going down. Then he backed up the ledge as another jeep full of onlookers cheered him on. As I said, he is a legend in these parts!

There are many good tour companies in Moab and I highly recommend you use one of them when you come to Moab. If you want a white-knuckled trip... see Dan!

Till next time,

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

How to work & live wherever and whenever you choose!

Such A Beautiful Sight... Well Worth The Climb!

We've been in Moab, Utah since September 6th. This is our second year creating guest guides for three parks here. It's much easier the second time around. The business people recognize you and you develop a friendship.

Some get bolder and kid around with you. It certainly makes the day go faster and makes the time spent here feel more personal. It's starting to feel like a home away from home.

However, as full-time RVers, home is wherever we park, so everyplace starts to feel a bit like home.

Saturday was a beautiful day. Mid 80's so we went hiking. We went to Gear Heads a couple of weeks ago and bought Camelbaks. A red one for me and blue for Bob. They are a backpack with a water bladder in it. Ours each hold 2 liters of water. A tube comes out of it and over your shoulder. It has a mouth piece that you just put into your mouth, bit down slightly and drink. These things are essential for the high desert... like her in Moab.

So Saturday we went to Arches National Park. Last year when we came out here we went to many of the easy hiking places in Arches. We saw the Windows Arches, Turret Arch, the Three Gossips, Balancing Rock and so much more. We drove by the Fiery Furnace fins... they are awesome. You can hike down in those but they highly recommend you go with a ranger since you can easily get lost. It is a very strenuous hike also. I think we'll just admire them from a short distance.

We did not hike out to the famous Delicate Arch last year because we didn't bring enough water. They recommend a minimum of 2 liters per person (and more wouldn't be a bad idea). It's a 3-hour round trip hike and you go up over 500 feet in elevation. About half of it is walking on slick-rock formation and that is very tricky to come down on. There is no real trail once you get on the slick rock. The only guidance you have is to follow the rock cairns. We got off the trail a bit one time.

We set out with our full Camelbaks and began our quest to the famous Delicate Arch. The reason this arch is so striking is because it used to be a fin. AND IT IS HUGE! It was so funny as we were almost to the top where we could be near the arch, people on the way down kept saying "You're almost there!" They'd say, "It's just around the corner."

If you've done this trek you'd know, these people understand. By the time you get up there you are hot, tired, just plain exhausted. But just like childbirth, as soon as you see this amazing wonder, you forget all the torture you want through to get up there. Oh yes, I ran out of my 2-liters of water on the way up. (Note to self, next time bring more water!!!)

In the pictures above, if you look at the very bottom of the arch on the right you'll see two people at the base. They look like a couple of specs. The second picture is of Bob and me. We're standing on a ledge. That's why the Arch looks so much smaller. Seriously, we are about a grain of sand compared to this behemoth! It is awe-inspiring.

I'll be honest with you... I didn't know if I was going to make it all the way up. It was upper 80's to 90 and close to 5000 ft high and I'm very much a flat lander! I found that out in Ruidoso, New Mexico last year. We were also wearing our Sketcher Shape-ups shoes and they were definitely not the right shoes for this hike. (Note to self, get hiking boots before doing this again!)

Would I do it again, you bet! But next time I think we'll do it later in October when it's a bit cooler. Next year we want to hike through the Devil's Garden. That's where the huge Landscape Arch is and the fallen Wall Arch. There is so much to see in this park. If it's not on your bucket list, it should be. Both Devil's Garden and the climb to Delicate are considered strenuous hikes.

When they say that believe them!

Oh yes, the mountains you see in the back ground are the LaSal Mountains. It's a small range and one of the youngest, but Mt. Peale is a respectable 12,747 (or so) feet. We saw snow up there in those mountains just before we left last year. The picture you see here with the snow capped mountains is taken from the City Market parking lot in the Moab valley (city). It was beautiful.

I hope you enjoy these pictures. If you want to see some spectacular sights, go see the National Parks, and please included Arches National Park. And allow more than one day, it's a very large park.

If you've been to Arches, let me know your favorite thing to see!

Vicky & Bob Heron (Capt. Jack & Jesse James)

How to work & live wherever and whenever you choose!