I know, I know... I'm in the Desert, Not cold up home.
It's sunny. I get to ride my bike in shirt sleeves... in October... though some pretty Desert Country.
I'm takin' it easy... no worries... what have I got to complain about?
Right?
Picture this... A fella hooks up and drags his rig over to this hole in the ground... It's even got a nice, hinged, brass lid.
He pulls a flexible tube... about 3" diameter out of a bigger tube on the tail of his rig, hooks it onto a pipe on his fiver, and pokes the other end into the hole...
Then... as he's done for near thirty years... he pulled a little handle next to the pipe... and you could hear the gurgle and rush of stuff you don't really want to spend much time thinkin' about...
So... What's to complain about?
Keep watchin'...
The 'Fella' ... takes a step back just as he pulls the lil' handle... to wait for things to 'run their course'... but ... as he looks down at that 'flexible tube' ... he thinks ... "UH OH"
He got lazy.... Instead of stretchin' that hose out in a fairly smooth curve... He left it layin', snakin' around in a couple of turns.... bad choice...
In that couple of seconds, as it filled, it started wigglin', and moving, and crawlin' around... just like a snake... and that 'Fella' ... looking down... saw the fitting... he'd attached to the pipe on his fiver.... start to turn....
OH S_ _T! ... He squeeled as he jumped to grab it....
.... and that Damn, Fool, Lazy, 'Fella' ... who didn't stretch that hose out like he knows he should... got half his butt showered with aromatic, fluid, by-products.... till he could get that 'Little Handle'... pushed back in.... Which is a dang hard thing to do... when you're 'Under Pressure' and gettin' showered by a 3" pipe gushin' 'Aromatic Materials'!
Like I said... a Reeeeeaaally Crappy day! :-)
Well... after I jumped up and down for a while... lookin' around to see if anyone saw... I... uh.... I mean... that 'Fella'.... finished his chores... cleaned up the mess and hauled back... set back up and ... spent a while... Cleanin' hisself up!
I just didn't have the ambition after that, for much in the way of 'athletics', so I just spent the afternoon sittin' in the cool with Lily... finsihin' up some new pages over on my Motorcycle Site... while Heidi and Buck did their Agility thing...
Today... they get their competition stuff done up early... and we've got Bead Store busines down in Tempe... so not much in the way of 'Snowbirding' today...
We're pullin' out sometime tomorrow midday, headin' not sure where... It'll be generally north... Either hookin' around through Wickenburg or straight up I-17 toward Sedona/Flagstaff...
Though... as anti-RV as Flagstaff is... I'll make sure to be fueled and supplied 'fore we get there... That's how I handle those towns that don't like RVers... I just keep my dinero in my pocket... and spend it in the next town down the road... that DOES like my business. That's fair ain't it? . So... Keep your hoses tight, your tires aired, and your beer Kool and your nose in the wind!
Take Good Care Brian
November 1, 2008 11:56 - 1NOV08 Update... Because I HAD to.
Though I have no favorites in the 'race' on Tuesday... and have little respect for either competitor...
I happened across this video today... and HAD to post it here.
Generally, I avoid politics on this site... it's NOT what this site is about...
However... to accept The Freedom, which has been preserved for myself, my family, and all of you... and to enjoy the privileges we do... To simply be able to go RV Boondocking like we do... in Peace and Freedom...
We must Honor those, whose sacrifices provided that Freedom.
No matter what our poliltical beliefs may be... no matter what else we may disagree on...
I HOPE... That we can all agree... Men like this... and Those Who Did NOT Come Home... Stand on a Pinnacle... to which we can only Dream of Climbing.
What they have achieved, and the scars they quietly bear, to pay the price, to pass those achievments on to us... tears my heart apart. I am not worthy.
They are... and Always Will Be... The True American Elite...
They are ... Americas Heroes.
They are my Heroes.
Take Good Care Brian
November 2, 2008 05:48 - Now it's my turn...
The Weekends are for Heidi and Buck...
The Weekdays... I get the Far Country...
Sometime... mid-day we'll pull out and start rollin' North... I'm thinkin' just catch I-17 and head for the canyon... rather than more north westerly to Wickenburg... I'm in a bit more of a hurry to get to a quiet camp... and out of a place with so many people! :-) ... grumpy ol' pussgut!
Developed a leak sometime yesterday... only it just may be it's gonna be one of those 'gremlins' to find the source... as far back as I've been able to track the water... it's comin' from a place where there are no water lines... hmmmm ... apparently... that's NOT the source! ... I've got an idea what the villain is... just haven't been able to find the tracks of it...
'bout the only place the water can be comin' from is nigh on to two feet away... from the shower... you'd think there'd be a trail to follow... what the heck... I needed a mystery to solve in camp anyhoo, right?
Looks like a lot cooler week ahead... Having been in the 90's here... headin' back into what looks to be lower and middle 50's... works for me!... usually!... 'course... a fella whines when it's 90... "It's too Hot!"... so it's probably pretty likely that 52 will be "Too Cold!" :-)
Heidi an' Buck 'll finish up their runnin' this morning... they made the semi-finals yesterday... and Heidi got her 'Trophy Shirt'... so she was happy... but failed to get into the finals last night... That wasn't a 'downer'... as she claims she didn't expect to get that far... making the semi's was her goal... cause that gets you the shirt! :-)
... and that's progress over last year... when they didn't...
I'll start breakin' camp... then all we need do is get the Bike loaded... dump the grey water again... verrrrrrrrrry carrrrrefullly... and we're gone...
I've got my eye on a couple places around cottonwood... a couple north of Flagstaff... and a couple just below Tusayan all the way to the Canyon... or we might just find something else on the fly... Needs be there's a Park Service Campground right at Grand Canyon Village... which would also be a pretty nice spot to settle in quiet for a few days...
I'm lookin' forward to some nice long hikes on the high desert...
But... like I've said before... I'm not on the seat of the truck yet... and once we both are... my mind might get changed... about which particular direction we're goin' today. :-)... hmmm ... curious how that happens...
No matter... as long as it's down the road... and into some far country... it suits me just fine.
Take Good Care Brian
November 2, 2008 18:35 - Finding a Camp...
Like I said... Fueled and supplied BEFORE we got to Flagstaff... and rolled right on through... they don't like me an' my RV... not a problem... the only thing I left there was a tiny bit of tire rubber that wore off going through...
Passed the boondock sites around Cottonwood... And never got to the ones I knew of a bit farther north of Flagstaff... There's some areas up around Ten-X campground, south of Tusayan... But... Like I also said, sometimes you just follow your nose to new places...
The trick is to slow down... maybe even slow enough to convince them tailgaters behind you to pass... Listen for the camps...
If you let 'em, they'll talk to you... real quiet though... so you have to listen careful... and if you're all cranked up over something... that noise in your head is gonna drowned out the mountains whisperin' to you.
They really do... like tonight... rollin' along, about an hour from where I thought we were goin'... I thought I heard something...
So, I backed off the throttle a bit... that jalopy ford on my bumper passed... the noise in my head subsided, and I could hear it plain... "Yo! Cowboy!... over here... get down an' set a spell." It was just a whisper... but I could hear it plain.
...and right there... drifting back into the timber was a Coconino National Forest road....
Havin' already slowed up, it was an easy thing to slip off the pavement and leave the highway behind....
I was just about to back into a hole in the trees... and there was that whisper again...Naw! not there Cowboy... bring yourself over here... just a little farther...
And there it was... a sweet little camp... a few hundred yards off the road... in a stand of Ponderosa ... with a pretty little meadow for a back yard...
Slick sittin' pretty in his upgraded Motorcycle Carrier... which is workin' better...now that I've loaded a couple times...
Cost? Fuel fill up in Camp Verde... $85 dollars... groceries in Phx... $50.... Camp! Priceless... as in Zero Dinero.
How do you find a camp? It's a 'sense' you have to cultivate. You have to slow down (Both on the road... and in your head) and listen, to the world around you... as you learn to do it... to relax and cull out all the din of 'living'... you'll start finding them without even thinkin' about it... You'll start hearing the 'whispers'... just like the wind in the pines.
... and you'll have these pretty little 'back yards' on a stormy Arizona fall evening... or to wake up to in the morning.
I'll sleep well tonight... with the melody of the wind in those pines... and the cool of 8000 feet... in air that ain't been through six dozen sets of lungs already.
Take Good Care Brian
November 4, 2008 06:48 - Camped in the Grand Canyon
Made a lazy morning of it yesterday... Took a long walk in the morning sun, an hour or so. Made a big circle. Found that, an easy walk on past where we set up, there's a passel more spots for anyone lookin' for a place to overnight... or RV Boondock for a couple of weeks.
We found one narrow trail (But still wide enough for a Bus!) that cut off the road back into the trees. When you got to the end of that...there was an open 'meadow' with a fire pit already arranged and a circle wide enough to comfortably fit a half dozen rigs... Big Fivers or Buses!
So... if you're wanderin' through the west... in the Vicinity of Flagstaff... head up Hwy 180. From just a few miles out of Flag till almost the intersection at Hwy 64 you'll see Nat Forest roads goin' back into as beautiful a country as you'll ever need to RV Boondock in... Take a chance and you'll not regret it.
There's plenty of room to play with the pups too!
Had we more time... If we'd succeeded at bein' 'Full-Time' by now... we'd have stayed for a few days and made a long camp of this place... But we've only got two weeks or so for this circle... and I've got an urge to see the Grand Canyon again... first time in nearly 30 years... so...
We got on the road... something after 10, to head up to the Canyon... I decided to just shoot for the Mather Campground in the Park itself... close and convenient... and we need to do some laundry ...
But... when we got to the gate... The Ranger Gal says; "You won't be able to squeeze in there... the length is only 30'... INCLUDING the truck."
So... dang... I figured we'd have to pull back 5 or 6 miles to an area south of the park where there's plenty of Forest Service roads... but... bein' stubborn... I pulled into Mather anyway... just to check it out...
"Naw... it's 27' for just the trailer!" the gal at the office says... "Well, I'm 30'!" says I... to which she scrunches up her face and starts punchin' buttons on her computer... a Ranger fella mumbled something to her and grinned at me... and she says; "185 should work." and he says, lookin' at me; "185 is a nice site!"
Bottom line... no matter what the gate Ranger tells ya... it's the length of the trailer they go by... not the Truck and Trailer... How some ever... they've only got 5 sites sufficient for fivers in the Mather Camp... There is a Trailer Village (Xanterra) for those that need or want it...
What we have I'll call... semi-boondocking... no power, water or electric... dry camping in a developed site... developed bein' paved apron, a table and a fire pit...
Once we got ourselves settled in... it was back in the truck for a few minutes to run on down by the rim and park, so we could take a nice long walk along the rim trail.
According to their signs, we covered almost 4 miles. Despite the number of people, it's a big enough area, and quiet, so it's a pretty peaceful stroll....
Must be vacation time in eastern europe... I only heard somebody talkin' American once or twice! :-) ... Though, it's a lil' embarrassing when somebody from Romania talks it better'n me! ... an' I'm a 'Native'... :-)
Walkin' along there, the dogs seemed to get just about as much attention as the canyon... go figure!
The Grand Canyon has always been kind of difficult for me to photograph... it's just TOO BIG... and I don't think beautiful is the right word for it... Spectacular... Inspirational... Spiritual... Intimidating... Awsome, all seem to fit better to me. It's just too rough and wild for the B word to fit very well...
I usually try to whittle my photographs down to smaller parts of it... The Whole thing is just too much to try and fit into one picture... Some times I succeed... sometimes not... But with this P80 Nikon... and my laptop... takin' a whole bunch of pictures... tryin' to capture that one or two good ones... don't cost anything! ... once you've bought the camera and the laptop anyhoo...
In the old days... taking a 100 pictures or more cost a pretty penny... what with the price of film and developing and such... It tended to limit the number of exposures I'd take...
Now... I take anything I think might be a 'Photograph'. There's no expense involved! Playin' with a photograph on my laptop, provides my evening entertainment... and... I can often take a 'loser' picture... and crop a goody out of it! ... Something I couldn't do... without a lot of hassle... when I was having to get film developed... Sweet!
So... a few late afternoon/dusk photographs along the Rim Trail... I like some of 'em... some of 'em ... so-so.
We got 'Home' to the Eagle, just at dark... enough time to sizzle some chicken on the stove... and arrange the laptop... so Heidi could get a "Desperate Housewives" fix before bed... Don't need a satellite dish... just an internet connection! :-) ... watch it 'online'... and that way... she can watch it when it fits her schedule... not the networks...
Gettin' a late start again this morning... but I better get movin' just the same...
Take Good Care Brian
November 5, 2008 19:25 - Yesterday was Grand Canyon day 2
... and then today we moved camp a couple of hundred miles... this post is 'yesterday'...
Got up yesterday and decided to make it a driving day... rather than a walking day... as it was pretty windy... The temps weren't bad... but the wind gave it a bite that I'd just as soon do without.
So, we rolled over toward Desert View...
Along the way we pulled into the Tusayan Ruin site and museum... It's the same sort of place as Mesa Verde... Those folks had a hard life... but I'm bettin' a good one.
There was a small group of Archaeologists working in the ruin area when we walked through... I asked 'em how many times they got injured by all the snakes, and deadfalls and curses placed by those ancient folks... to protect their stuff... according to them... Indiana Jones had a lousy contract... the Park Service clears all that crap out for 'em before they start work! :-)
These guys were taggin' bits and pieces of material... old pottery shards an' such... they'd found this fairly sizeable chunk of a pot of some sort...
When we'd parked the truck... this rig was parked in front of us...
Judging by the "D" on the tail end... it was either from Denmark ... or Deutchland! ... You think UPS charges you a bundle when you get something on ebay... I wonder what they're freight cost was?! ... now that's RVing! I guess they call it a Motor Caravan over yonder.
We tried to take lunch at a pic nik spot in the Junipers just off the rim... but the wind was blowin' so hard... it threatened to make such an activity a bit unpleasant... so we ate it, sittin' in the truck, in the parking area... with a gorgeous view of an outhouse door... flappin' in the wind...
Now... tell me... what more could a fella ask for?
I did catch a few more Grand Canyon pictures...
and then we finally got to the tower at Desert View...
In all the times I came here... I... don't remember... ever... climbing up in the tower... It's a pretty neat old building... Fred Harvey company commissioned it back in the 30's ... it's too bad we don't do such artistic 'public' buildings these days. Leastways in my opinion...
Today it's all about concrete and antiseptic... This old thing... and a couple others around... have personality... screw the concrete crap!... even the bridges we build today... are ugly!
Desert View is pretty much the east end of the place... so we doubled back and dropped out the south end to fuel up at Tusayan...in anticicpation of pullin' out in the morning... we're thinkin' we might just change plans a touch... and not sure of fuel the way we may roll...
Take good care Brian
November 6, 2008 05:59 - Changing 'Plans' landed us in Utah.
It's a not uncommon thing for us to start off south... and end up north. We'll start out with an idea of where we're goin' ... or how we're gettin' there... but... if I had to guess I'd wager that maybe 15% of the time... we actually follow our 'plan'.
That's one of the benefits of a lot of the motor clubs that's a waste of effort for us... layin' out a route... It's kind of like those fancy towels you get when you get married...
The ones with all the fancy stitchin' and such? All they're for is lookin' at? It's kind of like havin' a hammer you're not allowed to bang nails with!
Anyhoo... havin' that trip route service, for us, would be a genuine waste of some clerks time... it'd never get used.
Our 'plan' had been to move over toward Las Vegas somewhere... by way, mostly, of I-40... and find a camp for the night... so we'd have a short run on in to Vegas today.
But... why follow a plan when you can just wander? We ended up changin' gears and makin' a right hook up around the east end of the Grand Canyon.
... past Desert View and Cameron... Marble Canyon... Fredonia and Kanab... to land at Zion National Park.
We'd planned on comin' this way on our way home... and it's a simple thing... we got greedy! :-) Why wait for good things to happen... when you can run out and grab 'em? So... that's exactly what we did...
... 'cept I'm not much good at runnin' any more... so we just set on the truck seat... and let Red do the runnin'!
The Vermillion Cliffs seemed a proper place for a break along the way... and a nice wide spot offered itself up for parking duty...
It's a mostly dry country through there... if you've never traveled that route... and I have to say... as soon as we turned west south of Page... it was a new road for me. Which is sayin' something... 'cause there are dang few roads I've not been on west of St Louis...
Somehow... the area west of Page, North of the Canyon, south of St. George, and east of Vegas has got wandered past and not through! ... Leastways by me.
So... there we are... climbin' back up off that dry desert south of Kanab... headin' for what's supposed to be an awful purty canyon... and there's this big sign... "RV's must stop in 1/4 mile"... Huh?
There's this couple of big signs... warning about a tunnel... a tunnel? nobody tol' me 'bout no tunnel! :-)
The thing says nobody over 13' permitted... anything bigger than 11' and a few inches reuires "Escort" and a fee...
So... Heidi asks; "How tall is ours?" ... "Huh? I don't rightly know! It used to be a ways... then I flipped the axles and it's a ways + 6 inches!" -)
We've gone under a half dozen bridges and such marked 13' 1" or so on this trip alone... and the air conditioner is still up there... so after some quick calculatin'... I put my boots back on... put 'er in gear... and kept on rollin'.
The end of that story is... there's two tunnels. The first one is no problem... you just run on through... The second one... They must have been runnin' short on bang powder... 'cause they made it a lil' tight.
They stop you on either side... if you've got "Big Hips"... then... the rigs, too wide to stay in their own lanes... without scrapin' the roof roll through , runnin' down the center... and it's a long tunnel... something like a mile. Complete with windows to tease you as you roll along.
The switchbacks, coming down from the tunnel, on the other side make you glad you've got that good Jacobs exhaust brake... and the views are so awsome, in nearly every direction... you almost wish you were one of those people in lil' cars that you could stop at every lil' 'almost a wide spot' ... to gawk an' photograph...
But... bein' 8' wide... 45 feet long +- and 19,000 lbs +- ... I expect I'd raise a ruckus if I started doin' that... so I just rolled on to the Watchman Campground to set up quick...hopin' to take a short run 'fore dark....
Not a bad camp for the night, huh?
I decided to pay the extra buck for electric tonight... ($16 regular $18 w/elec... my 'card' gets me 1/2 off) We used a lot of juice the other night... followed by a cloudy day... and even after runnin' a couple hundred miles today... the battery bank wasn't 100%... I really need to get the rest of my panels added!... so gettin' charged up would be a good thing... I may also have to finally break down and add a back up gen set again. :-) ... but for $9 with my 'cripple card'... I'll take it!
Not a bad view from camp either...
Camp was set with enough time 'fore dark for a short drive through a small part... enough to find Thanksgiving dinner on the hoof!
These guys were part of a herd of maybe a dozen... They were a lot more intent on huntin' their suppers than posin' for pictures... so I really didin't get anything worth postin' here... They were grazing right alongside several deer... although I failed in my attempt to capture it on 'film'... it made for a real nice evening sight to enjoy.
We're going to take a shorter 'hike' this morning... and then have to be in Las Vegas this afternoon... for the next agility trial. But... the decision's already been made... Sunday... after the trial... we'll be rollin' back here for two days or so... on our 'homeward' run...
I'll have to say... that though the Grand Canyon has it's merits... this here Zion Canyon... has a lot softer feel to it's personality... and is, to my eye, a lot purtier place!... Heidi thinks... and I'd just about have to agree... that this place rivals and probably beats Oak Creek at Sedona.
Soon as herself gets properly prepared for a public appearance... we're off to see the Canyon.
Take Good Care Brian
November 7, 2008 08:21 - Left some of the Boss's best work...
To roll on down to Sin City...
If I had my druthers... we'd not be leavin'... but... you gotta have some of that 'other' stuff...
To make the days in places like this shine... right?
We did get in a nice mornin' 'hike'... if two miles or so qualifies as a hike... 'fore we left.
Was just havin' morning coffee and writin' yesterdays post... and checked for first light outside the door...
Havin' to be in Vegas in the afternoon didin't leave us much time to really enjoy Zion Canyon today... but we were determined to take in some of it... so we climbed in Red and rolled up into the canyon... to the Emerald Pools trailhead...
Actually we went up to the end of the road and came back to it... on the way 'back' there are so many oohs and ahhs you start to wonder which you should stop and capture on 'film'... and again... lot's of 'em are just too much to capture with a camera... you've got to go there... stand there... and just breathe it in your own self...
'bout all I can do is give you a sliver of a taste... if I get lucky with my camera...
... So... if you're wandering though this part of the world... and you're short on time... and can either go to the Grand Canyon... or Zion National Park... This Ol' Buster... would STRONGLY recommend you turn your radiator toward Zion!
It's a place of a spiritual quietness that I cannot believe took me so dang long to search out! All those years goin' by to the west... kickin' up dust to the east... burnin' rubber up passin' by to the north... and here it was... sittin' quiet right here... a place to rival Yosemite and others... and fall is the perfect time to take it in... a lot fewer footprint makers to compete with! :-)
I kind of liked this of the morning sun... just starting to peek down into Zion Canyon... I think they call this "Angels Landing"... there's a trail, goes up on top of that "Half Dome" looking rock... Hopin' to get the Boss Lady to follow me up there next week... when we return!
Comin' back down the canyon is the Emerald Pools trailhead... where we situated Big Red to wait while we gathered a mite of nourishment for the soul!
The first thing you do... is cross this bridge... which I 'captured' from farther up the trail...
Every twist and bend in the trail, opens up new vistas... or new angles on 'old' ones... It's almost impossible to make any progress up the trail... when you have to keep stoppin' every six steps to take another picture... :-)
But... we had to be out of camp by 11am - which we didn't make :-) ... so I managed to keep on pushin'...
Heidi spotted this little jewel... tucked under some trees, in a shady nook along the way... again... it's one of those places, where you really need to pull your eyes in a mite... sometimes... or you'll miss the beautiful 'pieces' right under your feet...
There's somethin' a mite embarrassing 'bout a pussgut, stove up, gimpy Ol' Cowboy... walkin' along a trail... oohhhn' and ahhhhin' every couple of seconds! ... bugger probably drinks his coffee with his pinkie in the air too! :-)
You come around a bend and you start to see a bit of the alcove the lower pool sits in...
... You can hear the runnin' water... always a sweet sound to a desert kid... you can smell it... the place almost takes on the feel of a church... the power in the place just seeps into a fella... puss gut Ol' grump or not!
And then you're there, at the 'lower pool'... the trail goes in behind... almost under the thin, lacy, water fall... a pretty, pretty, place...
These Canyons will be callin' me back reg'lar... I know that for sure... They are not to be missed... Don't make the same error I have for all these years!... I still don't know what possessed me to do that... I wonder... maybe I just needed to wait until I could really appreciate 'em proper?
No matter... I found the place now... one mistake corrected... but it's a long list! :-)
... and then we ran back and broke camp... wove our way out of the canyons and down to the glittering Thing that is Vegas... and
Shudder
... into an RV Park that's something like 1000 sites! all packed into a dang small area for that many rigs... it'll do for the trial... but the Oasis RV park is NOT my idea of RVin...
To each his own I guess... I'll be haulin' My Own back to Zion come Sunday afternoon!
Take Good Care Brian
November 9, 2008 07:19 - Las Vegas... some really like it...
... some, like me... just don't feel the attraction.
Been here for the Australian Shepherd National Show... and The South Point Equestrian Center has been about the fanciest 'venue' we've been at for that... or any other trial.
But...
I don't know that I'd ever come here for any other reason... maybe 30 years ago... I must have changed!
Sherry (My sister) and Bud (Her Husband) and I took an afternoon run out the other day... to a place west of town called Red Rock Canyon... a pretty, desert place... I didn't capture any 'keepers' for pictures there... otherwise...
Heidi and I rode down to the strip with Betty last night... to see the sights... and there's plenty of that... lights, and fountains, and lights.... and humongous casinos... and lights... I don't know how far we walked... but it was a few miles all added up I'm sure. We started at the Mandalay Bay... went by the luxor, some Eiffel tower place... the Bellagio and a couple others...
This town... at least down on the strip... is either High dollar clothing designers... and other shops where tacky and sleazy is the design goal... apparently :-)
or six guys on near every corner trying' to sell you girls...
If you make the mistake of lookin' down... you're walkin' in about the dirtiest city I've ever been in... you'd think... they'd make some 'rules' about all those guys hawkin' the 'passes' and girls... the cards they push on ever'body all seem to just get thrown on the ground... It all makes it, at least to me... about the trashiest place I can think of...
Can you tell I'm not impressed with 'Vegas' ? We were warned not to walk down one street to a place the girls wanted to go... Hmmm... I never heard such a thing when the 'Mob' ran this town... but then... that was 35 years ago.. Oh Well... it ain't my town I guess... and truth is... I don't fit this place any more... if I ever did!
If it's your bag enjoy... Me? ... I'm loadin' up while they finish up at the trial this mornin'... then we're rollin' back to the mountains at Zion!... One of the Prettiest places I've ever been... and just a few hours up the road...
That might get interesting... It's some dark clouds stackin' up this morning... and a bit of a sprinkle... likely be snowin' up higher.
This circle only has a few days remainin'... Heidi has to be back to her store Friday... and I've got more nuts and bolts and feeders and corral panels to sell Saturday... But, I expect, I'll drag my feet some... before I get there.
I better go check the weather forecast.
Take Good Care Brian
November 11, 2008 07:50 - Leaving Las Vegas...
Can be a problem...
I'd expected to pull out sometime around noon... maybe a touch after... but, that's assuming the folks runnin' the trial have their ducks lined up... When the suckers have no dang idea what a duck is... you pull out shortly after six in the evening! arrrggghhhh!
I was a rather unpleasant fella to be around... havin' figured to be back in Zion, early enough for a nice walk in the canyons... sleeping in a Walmart lot,... up the road a ways... was NOT real satisfying... oh well... out of that town anyhoo... It really ain't my cup-o-tea.
Got back to Zion yesterday morning... 'bout 8;30 or so... got a glimpse of mountain tops through the low clouds as we came out of St. George... but it stayed pretty much solid overcast... and pretty chilly all day.
Pulled back in to Watchman... which was pretty full up!... but there remained at least one proper site for a wanderin' cowboy... which we grabbed... and then headed out for a morning walk... to blow the remaining dust of Vegas out of our lungs...
We walked up the Riverside Walk from the Temple of SInawava parking area. It's an easy stroll along the Virgin River... going up toward the 'Narrows'... If you're equipped and ambitious enough you can continue on up the river... but that requires walking 'IN' the river... and at 40 degrees... I just didn't have the ambition for that... maybe next summer.
Makes for a pleasant morning stroll though...
I'd hoped to climb the 'tough' Angels Landing trail... but that's going to have to wait on a return as well... Don't know that I want to climb up over that slick rock... hangin' on to a chain... with ice and snow likely on the 'trail'... I'll let that wait for summer as well...
Here's a few hikers, more ambitious than this fella... braving the icy water of the Virgin River in November! They're headin' up toward the Narrows... I'm told the water will get waist deep in spots... Nice in July... in November? ... I'll sit in the Lodge drinkin' hot coffee! I might not be real bright... but I am a bronc rider that got the sense kicked into him... not OUT!
It's kind of tough, when the clouds are mostly flat grey, to get good pictures, of far views... but... that's not a bad time, to pull your lens in close... and get the 'shorter' views... that are all around you in a place like this... Heidi even made the comment... "They just don't get it."
When I asked her what she meant she said it was about they people just walkin' by... and not 'Seeing what's right in front of them'... and it's true... people come to special places... like here at Zion, Yellowstone, or just about any mountain... and they look off Far... and miss the jewels that are lyin' right at their feet...
I like to just sit sometimes... and just Look... Listen... and Breathe.
Hard to do though... seems like people are always pushin' you somewhere... but when you can... just let 'em run on by... stop... and just collect the beauty of the place your at... You'll get a more harmonious outcome! :-) ... and now... I'm gonna go take a lil' of my own advice.
Take Good Care Brian
November 12, 2008 07:27 - Angels Landing?...
Maybe... but not likely! :-)
The day started out clear and cool... so... we changed our minds about walking this trail. We thought we'd go as far as we 'wanted'... and see how far that was... up the trail toward Angels Landing...
They call it that... 'cause about only an Angel has the nerve to climb it... and the wings... to deal with the consequences if they slip!
That trail starts out vertical... and then gets steeper :-) ... you're about 1/3 of the way up... stopped at a switchback to catch your breath... and somebody will come by... "Are these switchbacks ever gonna end?" ...
Naw! ... you got "Walters Wiggles to do... after you clear these!" :-) ... Walters Wiggles is a set of switchbacks... 21 to be exact, that they built up the side of pretty much a verticle wall, back in 1924, to get you up to Scouts Lookout...
I was pretty happy with myself! Heidi ran out of ambition at that Scouts Lookout... I really wanted to keep goin'... so I dropped my ruck with her... grabbed on to the chains that take you on toward Angels Landing... and kep' on truckin'...
...about a lil' less than half the way between Scouts Landing... and the final destination at Angels Landing... ! and that's where I lost my ambition.
You have to climb up a bunch of sandy, slick rock, hangin' on to chains... bolted to the rock...
Some, like me, leave fingerprints squeezed into those chains! Then... when you come around a hump of the mountain... you find the final climb up to the landing... and the air just leaks out of your lungs... woosh! ...
... and you realize... this ain't the top... THAT is!
***Angels Landing is the tip top of that big Rock!***
***The first climb is up through that saddle... you can see the trail notched into that tall flat face on the right***
***Looking back down at the first switchbacks on the Angels Landing Trail in Zion***
Along the way... in less strenuous sections... you'll find some places to fill your soul with... while you catch your breath!
Here's the view from Scouts Lookout... where Heidi stopped...
... and the same view... from where I climbed to... several hundred yards further on...
This is where the trail goes... from where I stopped... right up the razor back of rock... to the top!
... and this is where I lost the 'Need' to go! :-)
I thought it would be 'rude' to leave Heidi waiting for an hour and a half or more... while I made that final climb... and descent... Wasn't that gentlemanly of me? ... that ... and the fact that my 'scared of heights' liver was quiverin' like a bowl of jelly sittin' in your lap on a washboardy road!
Hadn't planned on gettin' this far... I believe I could have got to the top... if I started a mite earlier in the day... It was starting to get pretty cool and breezy... and what with Heidi waiting, and I think I left the faucet runnin' at home... LOT'S of good reasons to turn back! :-)
However... I did get a couple pictures that you can only take from one... single... place in the world... so I'm happy! :-)
Today... we have to leave... and start a two day roll home... Not sure where we'll get... maybe up around Captial Reef...
We shall see...
Take Good Care Brian
November 14, 2008 06:34 - Sunshine and High Mountains... the other day...
... Hard wind and snow... in Nunn today!
We pulled out of the Watchman camp in Zion... Wednesday morning, at first, thinking we'd dawdle a mite at Arches National Park as we drifted by...
But... a phone conversation the Boss lady had with our daughter, over to Denver, caused us to keep on rollin'. We got told it was snowin' hard, in the high passes... and we might just have some difficulty makin' the trip. So... we thought; "Maybe we should keep goin', far as we can... in case we have some trouble."
We found a decent roadside between Parachute and Glenwood Springs for a restful night... and then got up fairly early yesterday morning to face the day. Had dry roads, all the way to Vail...
... where we finally hit some of the predicted white stuff... but the road was still dry... It never did get to what we'd been warned of... The rig looks plumb awful, from all the spray... but all there ever was, was some slushy junk on the roadside and a bit of wet road... We never did hit any icy or snow packed junk... so it made what we were worryin' over a waste of time.
They had the 'chain law' signs lit for a hundred miles or better... and all I ever saw was some slush... Seems they could stay a mite more current with those signs... I don't see the use in makin' folks nervous without cause! :-)
Fact is though... I don't worry too much about road conditions... I've got this pedal I had installed in the truck... right under that big round gizmo that sits in front of the rider on the left side of the rig?
I call it a brake... and that big round thing above it... can actually make the truck turn... SO... if things get too ugly... I can make that truck... steer over to the side of the road... or into a roadside parking area... where I can turn up the furnace... stew up a pot of coffee... pull a Zane Grey down off the shelf... kick back and wait it out! :-)
I've never even put chains on a pickup in over 20 years! ...and not got stuck neither. I either get where I'm goin'... before it gets that ugly... or I look out the window... first... and say... uh uh... Nope!... I ain't goin' today! :-)
Any hoo... we saw a bit of the white stuff decoratin' the mountains as we ran by...
But...
There was nuthin' of any great concern... till we dropped out of the mountains and into Denver.
Then, we hit the wind. up in the passes... it had pretty much been a tail wind... which for me is a rarity! :-) It had my mileage for the trip bumped up over 15mpg! (for 2700+ miles!) ... got knocked back down nearly a mile and a half in the wind north of Denver... that wind can sure eat diesel!
But... down on the plains... when we turned North... it became a straight on side wind that was knocking tall rigs around... I ended up slowin' up to near 55 by the time we got to Nunn. The rig was wigglin' like a pole dancer in a 'gentlemans club' ... that had their heater break on a cold night!
In the end, we had little real difficulty... and rolled in a bit after lunchtime... and started the 'ordeal' of unloading the rig... and winterizing... as the 'storm' is supposed to crank in here today... and it looks like a weak one is...
It looks like a couple of months to the next 'run'... Guess I'll spend that time... schemin' on the same old issue... 'Divesting'! :-) ... I'm stubborn... and refuse to simply quit! ... one way or another... I'm gettin' where I'm goin! :-)
Those days in the canyons only served to keep the dream lit... and I'll nurture that lil' flame... until I can build a genuine campfire with it.
Take Good Care Brian
November 16, 2008 07:11 - You know you're 'Home'....
...When the thermometer says 18 degrees... when you climb on Slick to ride into 'work'!
yuuuuup!
Dumb enough to want to climb up on that razorback rock in Zion... and ride a motorcycle all through the winter in Colorado!
... Long as it ain't actually snowin'! ... well... hard anyway! :-)
Gonna be nice this morning... middle twenties maybe ! :-)
But you should have seen Slick... when we got home... UUUUUUUUGLY!.... hangin' back there on the bumper... runnin' through that slush over the passes... where I guess they'd sprayed that mag chloride junk... he was a slimy, gritty, grey by the time we got home...
I managed to get him fired up in the cold on Friday... and run down to a car wash in Wellington to get him hosed off a mite... that's fun too... trying to wash a motorcycle... in about 40 mile an hour wind... in a DIY car wash... at about 30 degrees... but I had to... the way he looked was just shamefull... just had to get him presentable again!
Tough nut... or brain dead... one of 'em describes me... not real sure either is a compliment! :-)
Hmmmm... maybe it's really just a maintenance issue... a few loose screws?
Time to go back to that 'other' life... the one where I have to sell nuts and bolts and livestock panels... till I can get back to my REAL LIFE... RV Boondocking on the road!
Take Good Care Brian
November 18, 2008 07:56 - Lot's of excitement.... NOT!
Early winter doldrums... and a bit of 'Indian Summer'...
Supposed to be up in the 70's today! So... I'll take advantage of that and finish getting the rig cleaned from that run over the passes in the slush. Give it a bath... probably even clean the carpet inside!
There's trees to water... The winds on these High Plains are pretty tough on 'em in the winter...
No shortage of work to be done while we plan our next circle and wait on 'events' to present the opportunity to make 'one more run' at selling this place...
I keep thinkin' I've made the decision to 'Wait Patiently'... but... me and patience don't occupy the same territory very often any more! :-)
I'm more like that Ol' Vulture, sittin' hungry up on a dead tree; "To hell with patience!... I'm gonna' go kill something!" :-)
Once I've made a decision to do something... I want to get on with it... right then... not just continue waiting for some foggy time in the future when I can get on with 'things'... :-) ... If I'm forced to wait... When I'm ready to DO something... I start second guessing my 'decisions' ... and then the tinkerin' starts in... and pretty quick... I'm back to squarely sittin' on the fence... tryin' to decide which way to jump!
Being forced to 'mark time'... makes my brain hurt! ... of course... as lil' as it is... some folks contend that can't be much of a pain. :-)
Anyhoo... you do what there is to do... and what you can... and make each day shine as best you can... and try to stay prepared to take advantage of any opportunities that present...
... and try to not repeat the mistakes of the past... but I've got to tell you... sometimes I start to feelin' like a two legged yo yo...
So... I guess I'll just bounce on out and get to work...
Take Good Care Brian
November 19, 2008 17:53 - Murphy and electricity are a tough combination for a slow witted cowboy!
hmmm... maybe a fella should just quit tryin' to plan anything...
Seems like... any time I do such calculatin' ... I end up with tooth marks on my sittin' parts.
Was deep into my work on Tuesday... Just finishin' up washin' down the outside of the Eagle... When the Boss Lady pulled back in... Just after noon... Heck, she'd only been gone to work at our lil' store for a bit over two hours...
... "Why aren't you answering your cell?!"
... "Uhhh... maybe 'cause it's inside on the counter... and I ain't been in there in a while? Been out here gettin' my chores done!"
"Well I been callin' you to meet me in town... 'cause we're going to Evergreen to get that A frame!"... she squalls at me...
Geez... so much for the chores I had planned... So off to Evergreen we roll... get there OK... and then...
The rest of the story...
The lady, where we were pickin' up this here A-Frame... a piece of Dog Agility equipment... sent Heidi an e-mail... it said in part... "just take open the electric fence wire and you can pull right through that gate."
... So... I'm movin' the truck into position... to back through the gate, and when I get out... there's Heidi... hangin' on to that wire... not by the insulated handle... hangin' on to the wire itself... bare handed...
I tell her she oughtn't do that... "That's an electric fence." I say... and she retorts... "It isn't on!"
So I go to opening the pipe gate the hot wire is goin' past... and, not listening to my own warning... 'cause after all, she advised it; "Wasn't on"... I was a mite careless about that wire she was still fiddling with...
YEOOWWWZA! ...
Ain't on? ... Ain't on my nether parts! ... That wire that "Wasn't on"...
Dang sure was on! ... and when it hit me in the arm it jumped me half way 'cross the road!
The shoes she was wearin' insulated her butt... and mine didn't! I was grounded, and she weren't! - probably 'cause she was standing in her rubber soled shoes... and so was I... only, I was also hangin' on to a steel gate! :-) YEOOWWWZA! ... If I had much hair left... it'd be curly now!
I'm tellin' you... if I don't cross every T... and dot every i...
Very Carefully...
... That Ol' Murphy fella slaps me up side the head... Real Hard! Makes it double uncomfortable when he uses electricity to juice up his 'reward'!
We stopped to take a short hike... just a couple miles... in a Jefferson County open area just outside of Evergreen... The Sisters Open area I think they call it...
And Ol' Murphy Whacked me again! Here I was in an awful purty place... and I'd got rushed out of the house so fast... I forgot lil' Nikon... so I don't even have any pictures of it!
Sometimes it don't even ever pay to climb off the mattress of a mornin'!
But... I survived another couple of days now... That's two more days off of the wait till my next circle... which unless I get lucky somehow... looks to be our annual Tucson run for the big Bead Show... which happens every February... So I have something just over two months to wait for another regular run with the Eagle...
Have to try and maybe make a long weekend or two somehow... maybe even motel it!
ARRRRGGGH!... Hiss! Hiss! Blasphemy! :-)
Naw...
I figure... any old Auto Road Trip... by hotel, motel, B&B or camping... Motorcycle touring by camp or motel... horseback in the High up and Lonesome, or RV Boondocking... anything which gets me on the road to do some yondering, is Class A, O.K. with me!
It's all good!
Take Good Care Brian
November 22, 2008 06:06 - Thought it was just winter doldrums...
... But it looks more like the bigger part of it is a big Ol' nasty bug.
I mostly lazed around this week... feelin' 'off'... It did get me back to work on a big 'writing' project... since I just lacked the ambition to actually go outside and do much... but then late yesterday I went to Coughin' an' wheezin' like a Stanley Steamer with a leak...
... and realized... I ain't lacking ambition... I'm just another victim of the latest 'crud' makin' the rounds... Lucky me!
Was reading Mark's Artful Adventures blog and I think I'm goin' through the same 'stage' he is... only... since I'm still fightin' to get loose... I may be a mite early! :-)
But I find myself still asking the same sort of question... "Is where I'm tryin' to get, what I'm tryin' to do worth all this heartburn?"
I fret over it quite a bit... since I've carved myself out so much time to think... and events keep adding on more obstructions that I'm slower and slower at dealin' with...
and then... it takes me so much more time, these days, to do the thinkin' I used to do... without thinkin'! :-)
Mostly, all I have to do is go back and read a couple of my own posts... and take a look-see at some of the pictures... of where we've been and it's mostly answered... YUP!
I suppose I have one lil' advantage on Mark... Leastways when it comes to the 'wanderin' bug'. I was born a 'genetically enhanced' Gypsy. It's not that I'm happy on the road, yondering... it's that I'm UNHAPPY, when I'm not! :-)
I think sometimes we get too hung up on bein' giggling, goofy happy... and miss the solid feel of just... takin' a breath and livin' easy. Everything doesn't have to be a joy. It doesn't have to be 'productive'... each moment doesn't even have to be successful.
It takes the bad jokes to raise the good ones up... if they're all good... then they're all just average! :-)
The thing is, I think... a fella can't maintain the pace, if it requires a constant sprint for the 'Brass Ring'... that just burns too much emotional and physical energy.
Happiness... (for me a relaxed contentment) ... is best achieved by somehow, finding that trail to follow... where you appreciate each step along the way... equally.
A trail without an ultimate destination... One where you're only goal is to seek out what you haven't seen, do what you haven't done, and follow your nose... where ever it leads... without worryin' if any... body... else... is gonna see your life as productive!
The only person who needs your life to be fulfulling, in the end, is you... The person who needs to look in the mirror and see a fella he likes... is you. Judge your self... and don't waste a whole lot of time worryin' about what that other fella is sayin' about you... mostly he's got his own agenda he's tryin' to herd you into.
... and you're the only one who can change what you're lookin' at... if you decide the picture don't fit your imagination.
RV Boondocking and Yondering, for me, feeds my imagination. Clears my head and the 'answers' seem plain... my priorities un-confused... when I'm walkin' down a mountain trail... it's when I come back to all the crud and corruption we all have to deal with, in this 'other' life... that everything gets 'muddy'.
On occassion... I only need to go follow along with some other 'Wanderers' for a few days... or check my own backtrail... to clear out some of the confusion...
Take Good Care Brian
November 23, 2008 16:00 - More lessons learned... by ME!
#1? ... step outside.
Put your right hand up to your ear... and point it toward Nunn, Colorado...
Hear that 'Thumpin' sound?
That my friends... is this nasty, cowboy eatin', bug that's a whompin' me plumb raggedy! I'm certain sure you can hear the bangin' in my head! It's learnin' me I ain't anywhere near as tough as I thought I used to be!... I even called in feeble this morning... something I just rarely do... and after the three week... or nearly so, sojurn earlier in October and November, I can't really afford the missed time. But... I'm tellin' you...
Don't get this crud! ... I feel like I just got chased six miles... by a hungry rhino, with a 100 Lb. pack of lettuce on my back... If you've seen me run... you'd know what I was talkin' about... The way my legs work any more... They're not real efficient... I'm not gonna be much of a threat to those Olympic Racers... Rhino on my tail or not! I can feel muscles that hurt... that I didn' even know there was a muscle there... and even my bones hurt... 'specially the big one between my ears.
Between the coughin'... the sneezin'... the runnin' to the lil' boys room... gruntin' an' groanin' cause ... "Mommy, I hurt all over!"... I'm not likely to be productive at doin' anything this week... Hopin' to just get ambulatory enough to go in and do my time in the morning.
You guys are lucky to not be around me just now... I am NOT a good patient! :-)
and Lesson #2 came from ... other RV Travelers... and one in particular.
A while back I was passing through Chuck Woodbury's home on the web... and he was gabbin' bout something that has rattled around in the extra space I have ... since way back in the beginning... and I've mentioned it a bit, here and there...
If you check my home page... I mention the possibility right near the bottom.
That possibility... or growin' liklihood,... rather than Full-time RV Boondocking... which still tickles my dreamin' times... is, setting up to part-time or circle out of a base camp.
There's times on the road... I miss my shop... and times in the shop... I miss the road... so, I expect, I'm afflicted with a split personality just like Chuck claims to have...
Let's face it... the economic realities of the last 2+ years of trying to sell out have had a huge impact on my thinking. That's not all of it... but it sure is in the mix... and the last three or four months have been no help! :-)
So... when it's all said an' done... we're gonna go the route of makin' circles out from here... hopefully with increasing frequency and length... and when we get a bit road weary... or some shop projects are cryin' for some attention... we'll swing back this way... I think, in the end... it'll end up deciding for itself... we'll either continue like that... permanently... or the road, or the place will take command on it's own...
Onliest thing I know... from this point on... I just ain't gonna stew over it any more... I tried hard and just couldn't make it work out like I sketched it... Oh well... life in the west!
On to the challenge of makin' THIS idea work! :-)
Take Good Care Brian
November 25, 2008 16:02 - What would you have built into a rig that you'd consider an Ultimate RV Boondocking Rig?
Hmmm... But first ... one way to NOT improve your popularity with the Boss Lady... is to have her get infected with the same nasty bug that's had you on your butt for three days!... Why didn't you guys warn me? :-)
Now there's two of us suckin' down Nyquil, Dayquil, Echanacea ... juice by the gallon... lozenges by the dozen... and cussin' each other! :-)
So... with all this extra time on my hands... and havin' healed to the point I even feel like sittin' up a bit... I'm sittin' here wheezin', and hackin' and sneezin'...and thinkin'... just to take my mind off how lousy I feel...
...What would I put on a rig, if I was building it from the ground up, to be, my Ultimate RV Boondocking Rig?
What sort of parameters would there be?
Hmmm... It would have to be built with easily located and commonly available parts for repair and maintenance. Nothing worse than havin' a rig down 'cause you can't find the parts to fix it!... especially if you're livin' in it!
Fuel economy would take a high priority... both in movin' it and in operating the RV Boondocking Rig in camp... so, insulation of the right kind... in the right places would be a high priority as well...
Being that I'm what you might call a 'Pickup Man' ... My Ultimate RV Boondocking rig would be a Travel Trailer! I'm thinkin' smaller than the 5er we've got now... to be lighter and shorter, getting into deeper pockets in the woods, than we can now... consuming less fuel to tow it, and allowing me to carry my motorcycle on the truck rather than hung out behind.
I'd actually want a rig that was focused on living 'around'... rather than 'in'! Kind of a subtle change in wording but a pretty huge difference in mentality don't you think?
...and then my shopping 'wish list' would go on to include...
100 gallon fresh water tank
100 gallon grey water tank
50-75 gallon black water tank
(2) 40# propane bottles
(2) fantastic ventilation fans (no air conditioner ala Tioga George)
Intensive Solar power (700+ amp/hours of battery - 780 watts of PV Panels)
An outdoor kitchen - built into an outside compartment
Water filtration - to allow safe use of surface (lake and stream) water
Small, backup generator w/fuel tank
Good wardrobe space
Electronic tank monitor for maximum accuracy
Suspension Clearance for back road 'off-road' towing
Keep the roof height under 10' (to improve access to tight spots... and cut wind resistance)
Storage for camp and 'sport' equipment
Subdued Body Paint... not camouflage... but a softer scheme that's less obtrusive in the mountains
Built in air compressor
Diesel and Gasoline (Motorcycle) tanks on the truck
electric leveler system
Whud-a-ya think? What would you put in a one-off, purpose-built, just for RV Boondocking rig? If you could build whatever you wanted?
Wouldn't that be a shining way to spend the next year or two... if you had the shop to build such a rig in?
Hmmm....
Take Good Care Brian
November 27, 2008 08:17 - Now That was a Fine Gift on This Day!
Yesterdays post was pretty fun! It's been a 'fantasy' hiding in the spaces twixt my ears for quite a while... When I look at some of the handbuilt rigs other people have created it has a pretty strong pull.
The response to that single question yesterday would seem to say there's some interest by other folks as well... Hmmm ... thinking hard some more! :-) ... it would seem I may have the time...
It also made it clear that I'm a pretty lucky fella. Lots in my world has not gone accordin' to how I wanted it to... and at times... I raise a ruckus about it... whine, grouse and complain... but, given time, the hulaballoo settles down and I'll get back to a proper perspective... back to what counts.
A fella just has to Cowboy Up... and get it done.
I may be too stove up to cowboy any more... not rich enough to just lock the door and drive away... actually, we exist in that gray area between somewhere in middle class and poverty! :-) ... but when the dust settles... I've got it pretty darn good...
Nobody is shootin' at me... I've got a roof over my head... propane in the tank, groceries in the pantry, things that interest me to occupy my head... a few assets now and again to pursue those interests... reasonable prospects for the future... many fine memories of the past...
and I only have to spend 30 hours a week at a 'day job'... leaving the rest of the time to chase other possibilities...
... and now... the part that continues to amaze me ... and keep me wonderin' ... thousands of people, comin' by each month, to see what I've got to say.
That is very likely the finest gift of all. To have a goodly number of people who, by their actions, put a value on your words! A finer compliment can not be made, and I have a real difficulty putting into words just how treasured that compliment is to me.
One day I may get where I've been workin' so hard to get. Maybe not. But this morning, the storm clouds over the mountains were beautiful. My wife... is still mad at me for given' her the 'crud' :-) ... the dogs are healthy and happy. I'm warm and sheltered from the wind inside a fine house. We'll share a Thanksgiving dinner with my Daughter, her husband and a small group of friends.
Valuing each step along the trail is the way... at least the way for me. Worryin' about what might have been, or should have been or will be... is not a bad thing.... Just a thing to not spend very much time on. Trust me... if you let yourself stew on what went wrong... for too long... it starts to turn you into one of those grumpy ol' B@$#%&$S that sits on the porch chuckin' rocks at the neighbor kids...
I think I'd rather be the goofy ol' geezer out there gigglin' with 'em... wouldn't you?
Give it a thought. Then put it aside and get back to today!
