OLA: Ending the Saga of Our New Used Car in Denver!

the large quartz Bill needs to add to my jewelry collection!

This is the saga of our new used car. There have been such happy events in the past weeks that we couldn’t believe what happened to us. Or maybe we have just been too happy that it was decided we should be tried and tested, too!

First the red Saturn that has been our dinghy for the past 3 years conked out on us. Then we, instead of buying a new one in the US, decided to buy in Canada.  It would have been a lot more expensive otherwise: 1) the plane fare would have cost about $500 for all three of us, Bill, Krishna, and me,  2)  we packed with a road trip in mind so we couldn’t have flown without more expense for luggage fees, and 3) on paper, we found that the 2002 Saturn SL2s we eyed (because we could just move the old one’s towing base plate and wiring to the new one) were even pricier in Seattle!

We researched and prepared all the paperwork that might be needed for the border inspection and the eventual registration in Seattle such as the ‘in transit’ permit from the Canadian Registry Office and the Washington Department of Transportation , the deed of sale from the car dealer, the manufacturer’s compliance letter for EPA and safety standards.  At the border, we were whizzed through in a jiffy. Boy, were we so proud and, boy, were we so wrong!

First the car did not pass the emissions test when Bill was registering it. He had to take it to a Chevy dealer who said that a spring broke on the transmission control box and it is best that we have it done now rather than later. Bill was so glad that the dealer in Canada paid the premium for a $3,000 insurance policy for a year! The part was ordered and the job finished by Friday afternoon.  And the car passed the emissions test. But, that was just the beginning of the ordeal!

It turned out that we had to have a customs clearance from the port of entry.  So Bill went back to the Peach Arch port of entry, 2 hours away, on Saturday. Finally, he got the precious customs clearance. When he went back to the registration office, he was told that he had to have the title. Had we been registering in Canada, the Bill of Sale would have sufficed due to their computerized tracking of the VIN. But we were registering in Washington State, so that Monday, after talking with the Canadian Vehicle Registry Office, Bill sent the car dealer the necessary authorization paper and copies of all documents. Our visit to Jim and his family in Boise, unfortunately, had to be scrapped.

And then another unimaginable thing happened. The car dealer brought the envelope with the document to the Canadian Post Office (not FedEx) who then turned it over to FedEx. This added a day.  Even if we paid for next day delivery, we finally picked it up from the Kent FedEx station on Thursday. The additional delay of a day was because a whole batch of deliveries, which included our little envelope, were released without proper clearance and had to be returned to the Memphis Customs Office!

at the Vehicle Licensing Office in Kent, Washington

Bill camped in front of the FedEx Kent station by 8:30 AM and we got the envelope 5 minutes after they opened at 9. We rushed to the Vehicle Licensing Office and, lo and behold, they quickly had our car plates ready for us! Finally, we were off to two 10-hour, instead of three 7-hour, drive-days. We stopped at Twin Falls, Idaho by 9 PM and the next day, we were off to Denver by 8 AM. At 7 PM, we were tired, but happy to see Suzanne and family again!

finally at Suzanne's driveway in Denver, Colorado!

Even before we reached Denver, we got an email from Cassie, now 12. She has posted 3 more items on her blog: http://askmyparents.blogspot.com. She also has a new phone and the whole trip we kept on texting each other until my last one that said: ‘On 94^th! 1 minute to go’. She is such a sweetie pie. I have shared her blog on Facebook, twitter and Google+. She will definitely beat her friend’s blog with her 350 views as of today!

After a wonderful home-cooked dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, we played four rounds of Mexican train dominoes which I won! But Bill was so tired from 2 days of 10-hour drives he had to retire early but I had to watch the recorded classic quarterfinal match between Federer and Nadal at the Western-Southern Open which we went to in Cincy in 2011. That Nadal beat the legend made my day!

the Happy Harpers at the Weekend Peach Festival

Bill with peach cobblet!

The following day I was excited to join them at the Peach Festival in Lafayette, Colorado, an annual event all about the peach. There were peaches galore and everything about peaches: peach cobblers, peach smoothies, peach pizzas, etc.  It was really hot though and, after a few finds, we trooped to Yak and Yeti, a favorite Indian buffet for a late lunch and early dinner.  The night was devoted to recorded tennis semifinals of the Cincy Open and Nadal beat Berdych to land in the finals.

@ Yak and Yeti Indian Buffet

having fun @ IMAX 

Sunday was a great day at the Denver Museum of Science and History. The added fun was the Scavenger Hunt for elves hidden among dioramas of different exhibits, embedded in videos, or painted into murals. The feature on Galapagos Island at the IMAX Theater moved me to write about something and to complete the other 6 Top 10 Islands of Travel and Leisure Magazine we have also not seen. (We have seen Palawan and Boracay, both from the Philippines at #1 and #2, Bali, and Prince Edward Island. 

the Denver Skyline from atop the museum

We also watched The Cosmic Journey at The Planetarium and learned new stuff about our Solar System.  Cassie then led me to the top floor where I got a great shot of the Denver Skyline. Sadly, however, I lost the pop tab bracelet Cassie made for me. We were able to register it at the Lost and Found. I hope a good samaritan finds it! We ended the weekend with the movie Oz, the Great and Powerful.  But I was able to watch Nadal finally beat Isner at the finals! 

the lovely bracelet Cassie made me which I lost!

It was a busy weekend with the Happy Harpers so, with their permission, we decided to stay longer!

OLA: Driving from White Sands to Red Hills to White Mountains!

the red hills at Glenwood Springs, view from our motel

After April Fools’ Day we left the comfort and excitement of Palm Springs, California to begin our trek to Pittsburg, Kansas for the wedding of Bill’s niece, Becky Pallucca. The first part of the road trip would take us to a short visit with Suzanne, Bill’s daughter, in Westminster, Colorado. As it turned out, I-10, I-15 and I-70, the three highways that give the fastest route from California to Nevada,  through Arizona, and then to Colorado are also unbelievably scenic. Literally we drove from white sands to red hills to white mountains.

windfarms off I-10 in southeast California

cause of the road delay on I-10

On I-10 we were first reminded of the wind farms of southeast California but soon a long queue of vehicles blocked the highway. We later found out that a delivery truck was burning just off the road ahead of us. After a delay of at most half an hour we spotted Joshua trees. After an hour from the turn onto I-15, there was this wide white splash that became bigger and bigger. It was Devil’s Playground just before the Mojave National Preserve. It was white desert.

the Devil's Playground off I-10 in southeast California

Mojave National Preerve off I-10 in southeast California

Soon the playground of the desert, the Gambling Capital of the World called Las Vegas, loomed larger and larger on the horizon. We will be back in the city for a month, first at the Las Vegas Casino and Hotel for a treat then at Thousand Trails’ Las Vegas Resort. Actually just after the border of California and right before the border of Arizona are some of Nevada’s mega casinos, too!  Then we had a short rendezvous with Arizona, touching the northwestern tip of the Grand Canyon.

las vegas on the horizon

red hills off I-70 in Utah

By the late afternoon we were in the beautiful state of Utah. The city of St. George, like Sedona, has red rocks surrounding it. We camped at the St. George RV Resort (KOA) for the night in the small town just past St. George named Hurricane. Early the next morning we stored M’A at their storage facility and headed out to Westminster with just our little ‘turn.

From snow-capped Cedar Breaks and its Brian Head Summit to the Big Rock Candy Mountain of the Fishlake National Forest I could not put down our Nikon.  Devils’ and Eagles’ Canyons led us to picturesque Book Cliffs and then to the Roan Cliffs. Small patches of green among white, light and dark greys, yellow, pink, red and brown rocks jut out of the rocky landscape right up to the edge of Utah and Colorado.

red hills off I-70 in Utah

Idaho Springs frozen waterfall

We stopped for the night in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. The view from our motel room was of a red hill swathed with some of last winter’s snow.  Bill had a very relaxing time at the motel’s hot tub with this perfect view (I couldn’t!). Then we went shopping for shoes because I had left my only pair of closed shoes in Seattle.  The next morning, as we drove to Westminster, I thought we had gone from a summer desert to a winter playground!’  We even spotted a frozen waterfall! The mountains turned increasingly white as we rose to almost 12,000 ft. in elevation. But, of course, we dropped down to just above 5,000 when we got closer to Westminster. 

 

ski runs in Vail, Colorado

Colorado white mountains in spring!

The visit to the Harpers was quite memorable especially when Devin, just turned 14, won the championship at the Lewis Tennis School Spring Fling 2013 B14. That day was really a celebration; Suzanne even bought me chocolate therapy! The night before was hilarious with the rented Redbox movie, “Here’s the Boom’!  More about the Happy Harpers when we come back through Westminster after attending the wedding in Pittsburg, Kansas and returning to Hurricane, Utah for a week in the national parks with M’A ‘turn!

Devin with the runner-ups!

OLA: Dockin' with the Docks, Pittsburg, Kansas!

the cowboy couples having brunch at Fort Scott near Pittsburg, Kansas

From August 18 (and possibly until the end of October), the home of the Docks, Bill’s sister Rosemary and her husband Jack, has been our base.  Our first reason for going, besides visiting, is to attend Bill’s 50^th high school reunion (please see the post http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2012/09/having-blast-at-phs-class-62s-50th-ola.html). The second reason was for me to see Jack’s family doctors for my chronic hives, their dentist for a problem tooth, and their optometrist to upgrade my prescription glasses. In short some ‘Carol(house)keeping’.

our RV parked right on the Dock driveway

Our rig fit exactly into one side of their driveway, up to their 2-acre property line, just past the old maple tree, and right in front of the carport.  Jack hooked us up to 15-amp power, potable water, AND their cable system! The only thing we did not have was our own sewer system and Jack did not want us to hold our breath about this one! So we had meals and showers at their house. I loved our bed which had been installed with a wedge for my GERD. So we used it mainly for sleeping. But their kitchen island and den with the large picture window became favorite places for hanging out. And Rosemary had regular subscriptions to the magazines I like to read…Time and People, the latter frowned upon by Bill!

Rosemary and I, cooking together!

Bill and Jack, grilling together, with Rosemary looking on

We alternated cooking dinners, although I must admit hers were always better than mine (since I have only been cooking for 8 years)! And Bill and Jack alternated doing the dishes, of course.  She helped me find a seamstress to shorten my dress for the Reunion Gala Night.  And Susie, their 13-year old Yorkie, though blind, seemed to recognize me as time went on.  I felt ‘at home’ and began to wish we had a place of our own to settle in to whenever we wished. Bill and I have already talked about looking for a place in the southwest this winter when we finish our North American cruise.

can you spot little froggie?

A cute story was about a little tree frog that 'inhabited' Rosemary's hanging spider plant. She brought it in to the RV to show us but little froggie jumped out of the planter when Bill clicked his camera several times to take his picture. That night we slept with a frog leaping around the rig. But in the morning, he was back in the planter which Rosemary smartly left inside the RV for him to go home to!

Becky, Pittsburg's tough pretty cop!

the couple over pizza at the Docks' dinner table!

The youngest of Rosemary’s children, Becky, 39, is a tough but pretty Pittsburg cop. We met her and her fiancée Tommy (they’re getting married in April next year), another cop but at nearby Frontenac. If ever there was a couple that fit to a ‘t’, then they are it. Although he is 6’4’ and she is 5’2’, their sense of humor is the same and they seem to look at the world with the same lens! They brought pizzas one night, we visited them (with their 3 dogs, Dakota, Huck, and Gauge, at their home one day, and we went to a seafood buffet at Downstream Casino one night.  

the Dark Knights...Bill with Tommy of the Frontenac Police

Joe and Susan with the Docks and us and, of course, Bella

The oldest of the three is Joe, 48, a project manager at Accenture in Kansas City and is married to Susan, 46, a busy events manager at Fiserv (where Bill used to be a business unit CEO) who travels about 60% of the time. Their home is a 3,500 sq. ft. 2-level beauty designed with exceptional classy taste. Though Susan had to meet with a friend, Joe went to a favorite local pizza chain, The Bronx, for more visit time with us.  Like his mother, Joe and Susan have a yorkie named Bella.

Bill and Joe with the Docks at the Bronx, a great pizza place in Kansas City

Bill and Kevin with the Docks and us at First Watch

The middle son is Bill, who graduated summa cum laude (4.0 GPA) from Pittsburg State University where he was also ASB president and president of his fraternity. His work with a major textbook book publisher/distributor includes a lot of traveling. Kevin, his partner, manages at ‘Wild about Harry’, a classy men’s boutique near the presidential library and museum of Truman, known for haberdashery, in Independence, Missouri.

Bill and Kevin at 'Wild About Harry'

Kevin and Bill with Franklin and Suede and,,,me

They live in a pretty bungalow filled with Kevin’s works of art, some of which had been featured in magazines, and aptly decorated for the season.  Kevin also takes great pride in the landscaping which he has been developing for over 10 years…and their 3 lovely cats, Suede, Franklin, and Ginger are a delight to have around. They are a lively couple, so much fun to be with! After our one night stay over, we had brunch at First Watch, a wonderful place for delicious and healthful dishes! And, when we left, I almost, but not quite, cried when Kevin plucked the best rose from his garden and gave it to me!

lying with all the pumpkis in the world

the Docks' great grandkids with their grandma and dad

But before we left for New Mexico we had the unique experience of the pumpkin patch Halloween Weekend. The Woods Farm was just 5 minutes from the Docks' home. Rosemary and Jack's greatgrandkids, Ethan, 5, who was celebrating his birthday, and Trinity, 3, by BJ, Laurie's (Jack's only daughter) son. It was one big children's party even if kids' admission fees were at $5 while the adults were at $2! There were animals (alpacas, steer, shetland ponies)  to pet, a corn crib to swim in, a slide between bales of hay, an orange train, a corn maze, and a hay ride through trees with hanging skulls, ghosts, spooky bats, and gigantic spiders. And, of course, there were thousands of pumpkins (and I found a yellow one!).    

fine dining at the Downstream Casino

Susie meets up with friend Ally at Rosemary's pretty garden

Jack and Rosemary and Bill and I took turns treating each other out at Harry’s and Fat Daddy, both local favorites for bountiful breakfast, Chicken Mary (since we went to Chicken Annie for the reunion), a nice Italian lunch at a local Italian restaurant, Napoli’s. But I wanted to go back to that wonderful steak dinner we had at Downstream Casino when I first visited Pittsburg in 2007. It is the only casino located at the intersection of three states: Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma!  The dinner was excellent but we could not have done any better docking with the Docks!      

OLA: Saving the Best for 'Last'

the von Trapps whose love story inspired  the Sound of Music
reestablished their family lodge among the hills of Stowe, Vermont

We came down from Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick in Canada back to Bangor, Maine to pick up our RV from Webb’s RV.  They had been changing our flooring from carpet to wood laminate. That gave us the chance, at last, to visit Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island, an hour and a half from Webb’s, which they say is the best of Maine!  

Mount Desert Island of Maine

Jackson Laboratory on Mount Desert Island

Bill was in the vicinity 51 years ago when he, together with 28 other high school students  from all over the country, were awarded a  6-week grant from the National Science Foundation to work at Jackson Laboratory on the island. Bill remembers that the pier was where they bought whole live lobsters for a quarter or a large bucket of steamed clams in the restaurant for $1.50 (hamburgers were about $3). Bar Harbor has now turned into a huge tourist area! 

beautiful Bar Harbor

But the main draws really are Acadia National Park in the eastern half of Mt. Desert Island and the beautiful harbor with many small islands.  It was too bad that the day we went there was low-level fog so many of the sights were not picture perfect. The Sand Beach is the only area in the Park that is sandy and the notice read…Swimming, only for the hardy! The water is usually in the low 50’s and with the air temperature in the low 70s, you would not see me even dip a toe! But there was the hardy, frolicking in the cold water.

Sand Beach

Thunder Hole is the hole that thunderously roars as the waves come rushing to its rocks, making the hole a little bigger each time. We were there on low tide and the waves were not as big as they can be. Still, it was a loud cry of the lonely seas. Then we had lots of fun posing atop different rocks, courting a fall from an unbalanced pose. But Bill was there; forever ready to be my knight in shining armor! 

Bill at Thunder Hole, braving it all for my photo!!!

 

Next, we hiked a mile to Otter Cliff, America’s highest coastal drop. Again, the photos taken were 

of a risky nature, but fun. But we were so disappointed that the low fog came even lower and masked the beautiful postcard scenery of Jordan Pond with the North and South Bubble (hills) at the background. But we were fortunate that it cleared some when we got to picturesque Bubble Pond.

Yes, that's me...at Otter Cliff

The coup de gras is Cadillac Mountain. Standing at almost 5000 feet, it gave us a view of Mt. Desert Island. However, winds of 25 knots or more prevented me from enjoying the scenery. As usual, the braver of us two had more of the fun.  Acadia National Park is truly a national treasure. Acadia comes from an extended meaning of the ancient Greek name "Arcadia", meaning "refuge" or "idyllic place".  

atop Cadillac Mountain, the highest point in Acadia

    

Montpelier and Nearby Communities of Vermont

From Maine, we drove our RV, M’a ‘turn, to Camping du Compton to start our tour of Quebec and Ontario. But first, we took a day trip to the last state we have not visited on the East Coast, Vermont. Its capital, Montpelier, is only 2 hours away. The officer at the border laughed when Bill said we were going for some scoops of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream at its Factory. But that was an incredible truth… 4 hours of driving for the best ice cream in America.

Green Mountain Cafe

At the Green Mountain Coffee Café (a restored railroad station) we had a light lunch of spinach pie and broccoli cheddar quiche along with a taste of coconut-infused coffee. Bill finally chose to bring home the raspberry truffle coffee from a huge selection of the famous brand.  The Stowe Magazine on the cashier’s counter chronicled the attractions of nearby villages. We found three intriguing places to visit.

Ben and Jerry had our dessert waiting for us! I had 2 scoops of Chocolate Therapy, the most wicked chocolate ice cream I have ever had, filled with chunks of chocolate pudding and crumbles of chocolate cookie. If there was death by chocolate, this was it! Bill had the famous Cherry Garcia, cherry ice cream with chunks of cherries and fudge flakes, quite refreshing compared to my sinful pick.

chocolate therapy: the best chocolate ice cream I have ever tasted!

Then we found Cabot Creamery, makers of “the best cheddar cheese in the world.”   Bill questions this advertising claim. His loyalty is to Tillamook from the west coast factory. They had a tasting table of about 20 different kinds of cheeses, from 75 % reduced-fat cheddar to vintage, New York, Vermont, Adirondack, etc., mild and sharp, Monterrey and Jack, jalapeno, and habanero cheddars.  I finally found a 50% reduced-fat sharp cheddar…I had been missing cheese a lot.

Cabot Creamery's tasting table

Then we went to where the hills are alive. The famous von Trapps left Salzburg in 1950 to recreate their lovely Austrian lodge in the hills of Stowe.  All 2,500 rolling acres are filled with time-share villas, country club, bakery and brewery, green meadows, and wonderful trails. Maria and the Baron had 3 children, in addition to the 7 he already had. The youngest, Johannes, is now taking care of the family estate.

Trapp Family Lodge at Stowe, Vermont

But the best find from the magazine is the Hope Cemetery at Barre, where granite sculptures and inscriptions therein celebrate the legacies of the interred. There was a large soccer ball, dice cube, biplane, and convertible, a woman coddling her love on his deathbed, and great replicas of the Pieta, dual pyramids, and Roman columns. But my favorite is the couple in jammies, whose tombs are their beds, holding hands saying to each other, ‘Set me as a seal upon thine heart for love is strong as death.’ For a detailed Vermont itinerary, check out the Backpack and Snorkel travel guide.

'Love is as strong as death' says the couple, holding hands
in their jammies with their tombs as their bed

The best of Maine and Vermont will be difficult to forget. But the second half of our Canadian tour beckons. And may I add that our new wood laminate flooring is sooooo coooool! This is truly having the best for last!