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Smokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks
  • Kim Verbarg
Sep – Oct 2022

Smokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

Headed out west on the ultimate camper van adventure. Plan to see the Smokey Mountains, the Gateway to the West, Colorado, the National Parks of Utah, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Sedona and more. Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 1, 2022
    Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks
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    Bon Voyage

    September 1, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    We're off! So excited to escape for a month and see the magnificent beauty of this country. With my annual National Park pass in hand, I'm ready.

    This adventure has been months in the making. Much thought and preparation has gone into it, including an elaborate spreadsheet with the tentative travel itinerary, miles and travel times between destinations, expected fuel expense, packing list, to do list and research notes. I also have a 3 ring binder with printed out hiking information for each of the National Parks just in case I don't have phone signal. My Garmin satellite GPS inreach Mini 2 is charged and activated.

    Today I had a dentist appointment and had a filling and a temporary crown put in. My tongue, lips and chin are just now regaining feeling and, after 6 hours, can talk without slurring. I went to a holistic dentist in St Petersburg and was very happy with the care I received. They had to remove an amalgam filing so I was pleased with how careful they were in removing it in a way that minimizes mercury poisoning. Since my dental cleaning 3 weeks ago, I've had severe TMJ pain and have been living on NSAIDS and muscle relaxers as well as going to physical therapy twice a week. I'm hoping that all the efforts I'm taking will make accumulative progress and I can have a relatively pain-free trip.

    While I'm away, I'm having my bathroom in my condo remodeled. The contractor started today with the demolition. I left all the new fixtures and tile neatly laid out for them. So excited to come back to a bath tub and a cool smart toilet.

    I'm not traveling solo this time. So what is crazier... taking a trip out west by myself or taking a man with me that I've only known for three weeks? Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a fair amount of crazy about me. I think a life lived without taking risks is not a life fully lived. My greatest fear is to look back one day and wish that I had done something that I didn't have the courage to do.

    My Doug is an amazing man, and I'm thrilled to share this venture with him. We're both hoping that this is the beginning of something very beautiful, perhaps our forever. Right now, he's driving while eating popcorn and singing Tennessee Whiskey.
    To be continued    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Lanes Southern Orchards

    September 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F

    We spent our first night at at the peach and pecan farm through my Harvest Hosts membership. Pulling in at 10:30 pm, we converted our little house on wheels into sleeping accommodations, readied for bed and quickly fell asleep. I think we were both very tired and I was feeling dizzy from the muscle relaxers. No pain yesterday though, so I'm making progress.

    This morning we awoke before sunrise. I made coffee while Doug set up the chairs to watch sunrise. Doug is like a child with his wild-eyed sense of wonderment about all the little things in life. He uses all his senses and takes in every moment for everything it holds. I on the other hand tend to just get busy, on to the next task. I like this balance. As I write, we sit here with our coffee watching the sunrise and catching up on our worlds through our phones, holding hands and showing each other what we're working on. While I write, Doug plays his online game, Westland Survival. "I'm going to upgrade all the walls and floors of my house to stone," he says.

    At 9 am, the store opens and we can peruse and purchase all kinds of delights. I'm looking forward to the fruit juice sweetened jams, and I see a peach cobbler in our near future.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Little Germany

    September 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 81 °F

    We arrived in Helen, Georgia, by lunch time and landed at Bodensee as our destination. We relished a German meal of potato pancakes with apple sauce and sour cream, along with various schnitzels, German potato salad and sauerkraut. We did a flight of German beer before deciding which one we wanted to order. Our favorite was the Dunkelweizen, a very dark yet mild flavored beer. There was lots of beer. Doug is very familiar with German beer because he did over a year in Germany when he was in the Army before being deployed to Operation Desert Storm. "This is how you toast in German," he explains. "Prost!" he says in a gruff German accent as we clink our glass mugs together, slam them on the table, and then throw them back.

    After lunch, we walked around town, watched folks float down the creek in pink tubes, listened to live music, and ended up in an olive oil and Balsamic vinegrette shoppe. Doug, slightly under the influence, greeted the barista with a thick growl of German. "Wie gehts?" The poor guy looked at Doug with bewilderment and concern. Richard spoke with a thick southern drawl and didn't know a lick of German, but he certainly knew his oils and vinegars. We asked him to let us taste his favorites, so he led us to the Tuscan olive oil blend mixed with the Neopolitan vinegar. It is the perfect vinegrette to drizzle over a caprese salad.

    Next we tasted the chili pepper oil with mango vinegrette... amazing! I asked to taste the rosemary olive oil and Doug tasted the pomegranate vinegar. Between the two of us, we purchased all of them and Richard filled the bottles and sealed them.

    As we walked through town the band began to play "Have You Ever Seen the Rain", and it began to rain so we ducked into a novelty shop and tried on Mad Max glasses. The downpour subsided and we ventured out. The cooler air and the light drizzle of rain hitting our skin heightened our senses. Our Little German town adventure was so much fun.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    RM Rose Distillery

    September 2, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    On a last minute notice, we got a reservation to stay overnight at the RM Rose Distillery parking area overnight. This is located adjacent to the Dillard House in Dillard, Georgia.

    Jessica told us about their bourbon whiskeys and gave us a sampling of several including different grain mixes, small batch, and flavored whiskeys. We bought cocktails and some bourbon praline toffee. Outside was an old Ford pickup truck circa 1934. Doug hopped in and we did a photo shoot. Across the street was a cemetery, and we set off to find our family names on a headstone. We didn't find any family names; however, we found gravestones for several Confederate soldiers. The band and cheers from the high school football game down the mountain could be heard from where we walked the cemetery through the dark, flashlight in hand.Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Flood Warning & Voracious Waterfalls

    September 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 63 °F

    It rained all night, but kept the van cool enough to sleep without air conditioning. We woke up to flash flood warnings on the National Weather System blaring it's obnoxious alert through our phones. "Do not travel unless necessary," it stated.

    We quickly dressed, made the bed back into a sofa, got our coffee and headed off to Bridal Veil Falls in Highlands, North Carolina. Doug drove this morning. Yesterday, he was getting sick with the mountain curves and my crazy driving. He says that I'm a really great driver, but have a lead foot. Now that he's driving the mountain passes, he understands what it feels like and he gets it, I think. The video dialogue from yesterday goes something like this, "Oh my God, Mario is driving here, the female version. She's trying to kill us. I'm going to get sick. She's crazy. Not sure I'm going to make it." So dramatic. Now as he drives, I imitate him and he laughs. The feminist in me cringes when he says that I'm the best female driver that he's ever seen drive. I must of cringed a little because he edited his statement, "or maybe even the best driver I've seen, except for me, of course."

    It was raining when we arrived, but that wasn't going to shut us down. Raincoats adorned, we headed down the 50 stone steps to the waterfall. It's especially furious today because of the flooding. The sheer volume of water and the roaring of the fall was magnificent. As we walked under the fall on the stone cliff, we were both thinking, "What if the this stone above us collapses under the weight of all that water?" We took our moments, our photos, videos and kisses and returned to the van shaking the water off of our coats.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    The Great Smokey Mountains National Park

    September 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 70 °F

    We traveled on to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park. First stop Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We made a quick lunch of Doug's homemade chicken salad with my freshly grown alfalfa sprouts and our new chili oil and pomegranate vinegar. Yum.

    Behind the visitor center, there is a live demonstration of primitive mountain farm life behind the center, so we headed there first because the rain had given us a bit of a reprieve. We approached the farm house that was built by a man and his two young sons by splitting cypress trees length-wise so that the outside of the log cabin was flat. The nails were made in the blacksmith shop out back and each link on the chain on the doors looked like a looped infinity sign, each interlocking the next. "Hi, Ma! What's for lunch, Ma?" Doug addressed the pimitive woman who was making cornbread on a dutch oven in the cabin. She broke character and started laughing. We asked her if we could sample her cornbread, but she said that she is not allowed to feed it to visitors. She feeds it to the park Rangers if they want it and if not, it goes to the hogs out back. We walked past the hogs and down to the creek.

    The water in the creek was clear and the rocks glistened. Fallen orange leaves floated atop them. My Tevas made excellent grip on the rocks as we walked into the creek bed. Doug bent down to look closer at the rocks and he picked them up one by one to study each. I had his phone, so I took pictures and videos as I waiting for him to find gold... or something. Twenty minutes later... I had four collected rocks in my pocket. Doug is a "stop and smell the roses" kind of guy. I really like this about him. He knows how to live in the moment.

    At the visitor center, I found my Smokey Mountain National Park magnet for the back of my van. Yes, I'm starting a collection of all the places that I've traveled. We purchased a National Park Passport, the Collector's Edition and got it properly stamped with today's date at the stamp table.

    It's a beautiful drive through the park toward Gatlinburg. Today it was cloudy and rainy, so there was nothing to be seen at the overlooks besides clouds. In case you didn't know, the fog of the Smokey Mountains on any given day gives a smokey blue hue in the mountains like looks like smoke, and this is why they call it the Smokey Mountains. But today it's more than smokey; the white clouds block the view of any vista.

    Our goal is to arrive in Knoxville by 4 pm so that we can have dinner with my daughter and son in law. So we pass the overlooks, Gatlinburg and drive on through Pigeon Forge to make our destination on time.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    My Baby is Having a Baby

    September 3, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Moriah and Eddie bought their first home last week in Knoxville, Tennessee. We arrived just minutes after 4 pm. I introduced Doug to my daughter Moriah and her husband Eddie. They invited us in and we grabbed the gifts we'd come bearing including a hand-painted port, sangria glass and pitcher set, a bag of bourbon toffee, and a baby onesie from the National Park. "This is our first clothes for the baby!" they said. It's great to see my youngest daughter and her husband. She's five months along in her first pregnancy, and has a cute little baby bump.

    They have been busy with painting as evidenced by the blue tape on the trim, rollers, pans and brushes galore. The furniture is pulled to the center of the room. They have primed the whole house and are painting "Fast as the Wind" a cool gray with a bluish tint. One wall is painted.

    Moriah gave us the official tour of their new home. It's beautiful and perfect for them, and I couldn't be prouder. "This is the nursery," Moriah said. All the bedrooms are very large. In the center of the room sits a brand new swivel rocker-glider chair that also reclines. I take a seat to try it out.... very comfortable. I think I want one for the condo.

    We were planning to go out to dinner later, but first Doug and I were looking forward to taking the first shower of the trip. We cleaned up, had a drink in the kitchen and headed out to the kid's favorite Mexican restaurant, Soccer Taco. The music was fun, the margaritas great, and the food delicious. We mused over possible baby names. Eddie is Wallace Edward Weakley III, but they have already announced to the family that they will not be following suit and naming their baby the fourth. One, Two and Three are all currently living and, well, there just are not any more names to go by. The alcohol is kicking in and we're getting silly. "How about Daily Monthly Weakley IV?", Doug suggests.

    "He's moving!" I move closer and place my hand on her belly to get a chance to feel my grandson kick. But not tonight. Baby will not dance for Pepper tonight.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Boating on the Little Tennessee River

    September 4, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

    Moriah and Eddie took us to visit his grandparents at their beautiful river home in Venore, Tennesee. It was my first time meeting his grandparents, Wally and Susan, and they were truly delightful and full of energy. It was refreshing to see folks of that generation living and loving life so fully.

    We packed the bags and rode down to the marina to aboard their beautiful pontoon. It was a cloudy day, and we were hoping to beat the rain. Wally idled the boat out of the slip and into the Little Tennessee River. Doug and I were riding front starboard and Eddie and Moriah sat across from us.

    It was a cool and beautiful day and we took in the sights of the river homes and the trees along the banks, some of which were just beginning to turn yellow and orange. We saw a Cherokee museum village, the manufacturing sites for Yamaha and Sea Dog, Payton Manning's boat dock, and the mountains in the distance. Various boats with water skiers and tubes pulled behind passed us. It began to drizzle a little and Moriah covered with a towel. It was beautiful, peaceful and relaxing.

    We arrived back to the house just as it really started to rain, and Wally grilled chicken and hamburgers and Susan prepared the baked beans and the rest of the fare. A few of us assisted them in the kitchen and we spent the rest of the afternoon until dusk enjoying each other's company. All three generations of Wallace Edwards in one room and the first son, grandson and great grandson to these great men on the way. "He's moving!" Moriah startles. I place my hand on her tummy and I can feel my grandson kick.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Gateway Arch National Park

    September 5, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    It's Labor Day and we head our early to reach St. Louis by mid afternoon. We park by the Hyatt across the street from the Gateway Arch and, National Park Passport in hand, we walk up to the building to purchase our tram tickets. We have a little over an hour wait, so we hit up the gift shop for a magnet for the van and a stamp and sticker for the book. Then we look at the museum exhibits. Our tram leaves at 3:55 pm.

    We check in on time and are given the number 7 for our tickets to the tram. Each pod can hold 5 persons, so we are paired with a little Asian couple that don't speak or look at us. They are wearing masks and he has a large bottle of hand sanitizer sticking out of his left front pocket. Doug tries to engage them into conversations a couple of times only to be shut down.

    We sit in the pod. The door with open-view glass closes and we proceed to jiggle our way up the Arch to the top. There are 8 cylinder pods joined together by chains. It takes seven minutes to ride to the top at 633 feet. They can get 480 people to the top every hour with the pod leaving every 10 minutes from each side of the Arch. We reach the top to view the spectacular views of St Louis to the west and the Illinois River and Illinois to the east. It's not my first time visiting, but it has been 16 years. It's just as beautiful, and Doug's child-like delight is a joy to watch. "Thank you," he says, "Thank you for bringing me here." He did all the driving today, so tomorrow it will be my turn.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Rooftop Bar

    September 5, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 77 °F

    After seeing the Arch, we went back to the van to change and freshen up for dinner. A few blocks away was the 360 Rooftop Bar on top of the downtown Hilton. We walked over and found ourselves a great outdoor seat on the 26th floor overlooking the Cardinals stadium. They were playing the Nationals and were losing 0-5. We had wine and shared a white mushroom and truffle oil pizza (which may have been the best pizza I've ever had) and a hamburger. We stayed there for over two hours I think until after sunset. Another patron bought us tequila shots. We watched the game, watched all the fans leave, the clay being raked and watered, and the flood lights turned off. We talked and shared and had a great time.Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Confederate War History Sites

    September 6, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    Our goal is to get to Denver by tomorrow at noon, so today we'd like to make it to within 4 hours of Denver.

    After days of rain and driving, we're really feeling like we need to walk and move our legs, so we decided to take a 10 mile detour to The Confederate Veterans Cementery and Memorial in Higginsville, Missouri. There we found a grave site for Jasper N. Akers who died in 1904. The stones are not legible, so Doug doug up dirt with his fingers and spreaded it across the stone to highlight the lettering. Doug wonders if this could be a relative. We walked around a bit and make a bowl of Greek yogurt with agave and grapes to share as we drive. We stopped a man walking the park earlier to ask for directions and he came back to tell us about the Lafayette County Courthouse and the Anderson House Museum in Lexington about 20 minutes further up the road. Doug loves history as much, maybe even more than me, so we were all about it. We decided to head that way.

    We arrived to Lexington and parked by the courthouse. We walked through the courthouse which is a functioning government building. We got directions to the museum and started walking that way. We took another detour into an antique furniture store and heard all about the history of several pieces.

    This town is where the Battle of Lexington occurred in 1861. The Anderson house and museum is down a hill and then up a hill not quite a mile from the center of town. We really needed this walk. We arrived to the museum and an beautiful elder woman with long white hair was slumped over her desk, startled, and greeted us warmly. It's not a busy day at the museum. We walked through the museum and learned more about the history of the battle. The Anderson House out back is riddled with bullets and it's a somber moment as the reality of what happened here 160 years ago sinks in.

    We walked back to town and saw the cannonball that is stuck in one of the courthouse columns. We took a picture of us in the center of the road again. Main Street, small town... this is becoming our signature photo.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Center Point USA

    September 6, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 95 °F

    Tonight we landed in Quinter, Kansas, two hours south of the center of the continental United States. After driving for several hours without air conditioning with the western sun blasting on us through the front window, we were hot and exhausted. Doug drove the last two hours with the sun visor in the front window to block the sun. I made the ice pack and he put it on top of his head. We had the camper AC in the back running and a fan, so that helped some, but it only served to completely drain the lithium battery.

    Arriving in Quinter, we stopped at Sinclair to fill up the gas tank. They had their signature green dinosaur out front with a saddle on it, so at Doug's insistance, I climbed up there for a photo shoot.

    We checked in at the Center Point Brewery and had some beers and burgers. Steve, one of the owners, served us a flight of beer so we could test them all. The $7 burger was great and we were just so happy to be in air conditioning.

    The air conditioner did go out today on the main van. Literally, it was blowing hot air. It was 100 degrees outside. Windows down and flies swarming around us, we drove into town in a pool of sweat. To say we were hot, irritated and exhausted would be an understatement. Needless to say, we're staying at a hotel tonight.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    F'n Glitches Galore

    September 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    F'n stands for frustratin'... Camping always comes with challenges. But I have to say that we have been facing setbacks daily on this trip. Besides the AC on the van going out, I've not mentioned the other frustrating situations.

    We're up early today at 5 am. Neither of us can sleep because all we can think about is how to get the van AC repaired. Last night we plugged the van into an exterior outlet at the hotel, but within minutes the breaker flipped without anything large running. So when I thought Doug was just running out quickly to fetch a couple forgotten items, he disappeared for 45 minutes to park the van at a campground across the street where he could plug it in. Of course, we could have just stayed there, but we didn't know this place existed until the guy at the hotel offered that as a solution. We did get nice hot showers though and my hair is nice and clean.

    Right now we're headed to the closest Walmart, 52 miles west of Quinter. Operation AC Repair: 1. Buy a socket set to get to the fuse compartment to see if the fuse is bad. 2. Call my service representative at General RV in Dover, Florida for suggested solutions. The website chat representative was no help yesterday.

    Arriving to Walmart....

    Well, it's not the fuse. 10 phone calls and two hours later, from General RV to Thor to Promaster business line to local Dodge dealerships times 3... and no one can help us until next month.

    Since this trip began, we have had two drawer closures that are broken requiring the drawers to be taped closed, a broken bottle of olive oil that dripped down out of the overhead compartment onto my skirt that was drying on the sofa; and a soap dispenser that fell off the wall and spilled all over the counter, coffee pot and into the stove top requiring an emergency stop, 20 minutes of clean up and half a roll of paper towels. In addition, the bed extension broke and wouldn't allow the bed to close. About 10 screws stripped out of the plywood/particle board. I pushed myself belly up under the bed like a car mechanic with a Phillips screwdriver to give us at least a temporary solution so we could close the bed. It's still not perfect, so that goes on the list of things to repair. The awning is broken as well... not even sure how that happened. We've had frustrations with my phone overheating, not charging, trying to get maps to work, no signal, hotspotting, and Bluetooth connection. We had our first argument over dumping the septic, and supposedly every couple is challenged on communicating when backing in a vehicle.

    At 9 am Mountain time, we are now about 1.5 hour east of Denver at the Transwest Dodge dealership in Limon, Colorado. We might be here 2 or 3 hours, but they are going to take a look and see what the problem is.. after the other six vehicles that are lined up on front of us.

    1:00 pm and we're back on the road with a box of tacos in hand. The verdict is the AC fan clutch rusted and caused both the compressor and condenser to fail. Good news is that it's under warranty. Bad news finding parts is difficult. Only 12 dealerships in the country have a compressor in stock, they say.

    While we were waiting at the dealership, I did some work and we looked for a campground to stay in when we're in Moab, Utah in a few days. It will be necessary for us to be plugged in to a 30 amp so that we can run the camper AC. I booked a stay for 4 nights there.

    The guys at Transwest Dodge were wonderful! Jesus the auto mechanic and Dan the service manager were so nice and helpful. The parts guy also was so great and helpful. He found a compressor in Kingman, Arizona, for us and called the parts guy there to put the compressor on hold. After we left, I called Martin Swanty dealership in Kingman and scheduled a service appointment for the 19th. Then I spoke to parts to make sure they would have all the parts ready for me.

    This service detour will change our schedule and plans a little bit. Staying at campgrounds until its fixed, cutting our time in Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks by one day each, and staying at least one night in Kingman at a hotel perhaps.

    What doesn't kill us makes us stronger and maybe, just maybe, it will be an even better experience.

    Westward bound.... to check into our campsite and catch a concert at Red Rocks tonight!    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Red Rocks Amphitheater

    September 7, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 86 °F

    Here we are! The famous Red Rocks Ampitheatre. Flume is in concert tonight. We are definitely the oldest people here and the only ones with stadium seats.

    We arrived early to ensure a close parking spot; however. we were directed to the bus parking lot which is at a far distance. Walking through a large tail-gate party in the parking lot, we're greeted with a bit of a culture shock. Everyone is staring at us like we're from another planet. We are their parents.

    Quickly out of breath, we continue up the steep steps that go on forever until we finally reach the ampitheatre. We picked seats about two-thirds up and just right of the center, and we opened our padded stadium seats on the concrete. Doug went to get us some beers.

    The ampitheatre filled slowly with people. The young people here are college-aged. One of 50 might be in their 30's. We meet a few people around us. The guy next to us thought he was the oldest person in the crowd; he can't be over 35. Margo and Zoe are best friends and seniors at Colorado University. "Are you doing any drugs?" they asked in their sweet voices. I replied no, but they continue to hang out with us. They think we are the coolest people for some reason. We talk about their majors, their dating life, shrooms, her dad's recent marriage to the woman that was previously married to the man who predicted the crash of 2008, and the two million dollar wedding in Mexico. They show me pictures. "Do you have any advise for us?" Wow, what do I tell these young, beautiful women? They are like sponges taking us all in. They tell me how they want to have children before they get too old, but are afraid that they won't find the right guy, afraid that their career and dating challenges will prevent them from having children before they get too old. I appreciate hearing how these young women think and feel about life... hopeful and scared. "Don't settle," I tell them, "Be true to yourself; take your time to know yourself, make decisions, and find a man that will fit in with your life and goals. And then, remember life is not perfect. You will have ups and downs, joys and sorrows. So when life throws you a diversion, learn from it and move forward stronger and wiser."

    A young woman with sequins applied to her face approached us. "Do you know how to work this camera?" She has a vintage 126 film camera. "We've tried and tried, but can't get it to work?" Yeh, of course, we've got this. It's been about 30 years, but yeh. "Have you opened it up since you put the film in?" Doug asked her. "Yeh, we've opened it about 80 times and scrolled it through, but it still doesn't work." We explain to her how it will not work now because the film has been exposed. "Why do you have this camera?" I asked her. I can't understand why she wouldn't just take pictures on her phone. She wants to get pictures developed, she says.

    This concert is practically clothing optional. We see men dressed as bunnies, young women in bikinis and the strangest outfits you could imagine. The young women in front of us bend over in see-through fitted dresses that just barely cover their rear ends, whoops not anymore. No underwear.

    As we wait for the concert to start and throughout the performances, the jumbotron camera highlights folks in the crowd randomly and it's entertaining to watch. I'm not sure when Flume will take the stage, so I decided to make a quick bathroom trip. Standing in line at the top of of the ampitheatre, I wave my hands wildly back and forth at Doug below to help him locate me. Doug didn't find me, but the jumbotron camera did. There we are... myself and the girl next to me on the big screen... standing in the bathroom line waving our arms for everyone to see.

    Opening performances began at 6 pm and there were about 3 different acts. We inquire and find out that Flume will not be on stage until after 10 pm! We make another bathroom round. It's dark now and the almost full moon shines in the east to our right. Returning from the bathroom with two beers and a Red Rocks commemorative cup of tequila, Doug couldn't find me in the crowd. In desperation, he yelled, "Has anyone seen my girlfriend?" "I got you. She's up there!" A girl pointed him in the right direction.

    Flume was absolutely amazing and the crowd was alive with excitement... as well as drunk and high. We too felt a bit high from the aroma that filled the air. The frequencies permeated our bodies and the lights were mesmerizing. We sang, we cheered, we danced and waved our arms to the beat. Coming into this, Doug wasn't so sure about seeing Flume; his favorite genre is country. He loved it though, so much in fact that we made it on the jumbotron. Multiple singers came out to vocally accompany the electronic DJ artist. Two mixing boards, one on each side of him, his electronic vibes filled the amphitheater. At one point toward the end of the concert, he seemed to stray from previously composed music and went into a free mix that resembled a Pink Floyd vibe. It matched the energy of the drugged crowd perfectly. My heart worshipped and my arms extended to the star-lit sky. "Let's do this every year," we agreed, "but we don't have to drive every year."    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Bear Creek Lake Park

    September 8, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    We camped at Bear Creek Lake Park last night. It's just a few miles from the amphitheater, and we returned here through the rear entrance in the wee morning hours after a great time at Red Rocks. A little bit of a headache... the alcohol, the altitude. We're hydrating.

    Nice relaxing morning watching sunrise and drinking coffee. My repairing the bed once again... see picture of me peering out from underneath the bed slide. Cleaning the van.

    We're off to see Doug's mother today.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Visiting Doug's Mother

    September 8, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 95 °F

    Dougie's mother lives in Denver and he hasn't seen her in three years, so he has to see her and I make sure of it.

    Since we've rescheduled everything else because of the AC going out, there really is no schedule to keep besides getting to Kingman by the 19th and Las Vegas by the 22nd.

    Karen is an amazingly strong, kind, and good- humored woman. It was a pleasure to meet her and hang out with her and her dogs, Ranger and Callie, for the day. It's always interesting to see how family members interact, and seeing Doug and his mom together was endearing. He didn't hold back in his teasing and jokes, nor his love for his mama. They embraced and held each other for a couple of minutes when we arrived and departed. They went through old photos and keepsakes together, hunted for great grandma's Bible copyright 1903 but couldn't find it. We made breakfast together. I did a load of laundry, cooked spaghetti for dinner, got the van cleaned up and organized and used my clothesline for the first time inside the van to dry my clothes.

    Doug showed me old pictures of his family, his father and grandparents, his childhood photos, his siblings, aunts and uncles, his dad's truck, his prom date, his wedding picture, the picture of him coming back from Iraq, and his mom's car... along with stories to accompany each. Karen also reminisced and shared the history of the family and things she remembered. She told us about her little brother Remmy Lee who died at age 5 after playing with matches and catching himself on fire. Doug didn't know about this, and suddenly some things that had been disturbing him about his childhood came into focus and made sense.

    So often we as humans are quick to judge, to make assumptions and only see things from our one-sided perspective. How much more peaceful life could be if when we feel hurt or angry, we could just stop and think about things from a different perspective? "What on God's earth happened to that person or is happening to them right now that caused them to do this?" Empathy and compassion go a long way. Yes, there are real jerks out there, but I'm not going to let them bring me down to their level. "Bless those that curse you," Jesus said. Forgiveness is powerful and opens up the power to manifest beautiful things in life.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Lone Duck Campground at Pikes Peak

    September 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F

    We arrived at Lone Duck Campground last night after dark. We really rocked the backing in flashlight, walkie-talkie thing in the dark. No fighting. We speak different lingo when it comes to directing. I was directing this time and he laughed at my "straighten up" and "whoa".

    We woke up to a crisp 58 degrees to enjoy our coffee in the mountain air. We'll stay here another night, drive up to Pikes Peak and visit Woodland Park. The bikes are out and ready for a ride.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Bike Ride to Green Mountain Falls

    September 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Green Mountain Fall is a blink you miss it small town about 3 miles from the campground. The camp hosts said it would be a nice bike ride and there's a great little restaurant for breakfast.

    We rode up the curvy mountain road into town and ate breakfast at The Pantry. I had huevos rancheros vegetarian style and Doug had biscuits and gravy while I read my Pattern reading about mercury being in retrograde and how that messes up communication. Set aside your expectations for the next three weeks as you realize things just won't work so smoothly, it said. Doug received bad news from his mother about her health and we held that space for a moment.

    Doug and I are learning a lot about each other on this trip. Over coffee we were talking about how a new couples' van camping trip would make a great reality TV show. We're learning how to communicate, be patient with each other, our likes and dislikes and our triggers. Stories of our pasts keep coming out. Who would have known that Dougie used to be a Mormon but was shunned after he got the skull of the dead tattoo on his left ring finger. So we both have our cult story experiences! No matter how crazy, I love hearing people'sstories. "Live FREE or die," we agree.... our experiences have taught us that there is no other way to live.

    The bike ride was fun and beautiful, but it was difficult as well. Not only was I riding a road bike on a mountain trail and trying not to slide it out from under me, but also my gear shift was broke as the cable was shredded. Also, we're oxygen deficient due to the high altitude at 8500 feet.

    A beautiful older woman with long white hair seated us at The Pantry. She told us that she was here in the area visiting her daughter who just had her first baby, but despite the fact that she had four 10 pound babies naturally herself, her daughter knows everything. Doug tells her that I'm a midwife, and she shares her story with us. Her mother who is currently living at age 103 was a midwife for years in the hills of Virginia. The doctors called her to help them with their deliveries. After she lost her mother at age 6, she was raised by distant relatives where she was basically a servant for them living on a steam ship on the Mississippi River. The kids however were not allowed to sleep on the ship. Our host had 4 natural births out of the hospital back 37-47 years ago in Washington state. "You must have been a hippie," I said. As she's walking away, she turns and smiles, "My first baby, I named Freedom."    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Manitou Springs

    September 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Manitou Springs is an adorable, mountain town with plentiful unique shops, fun food, mineral spring fountains, and a bubbling creek that runs behind the shops. We arrived late in the day at almost 4 pm. Walking through the town, we ducked into several stores looking for sweatshirts and anything that struck our fancy. I finally found a Pikes Peak sweatshirt that I liked that wasn't $50 plus dollars. Doug treated himself to a double scoop waffle cone of Colorado City Creamery Rocky Mountain Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake ice cream. I found a magnet for my van and a tee-shirt for my granddaughter. In the sign store, Doug made me pick out a license plate for the front of the van. I selected Beach Girl, and Doug bought it for me.

    We did our signature middle of the street selfie and began the walk back to the van. As we walked back down the hill, Doug stopped me for a moment as is common for him. He wrapped me in his arms, and asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?" Well, I thought I already was his girlfriend and he was just playing around, but I went along with it, "Yes, I will. I would love to be your girlfriend." We got rained on a little bit, but we didn't mind. We felt sweet bliss just being together. Later, I found out that he was actually serious, and we are now officially "going together". ❤️ Yesterday was one month since we met online, and tomorrow is one month from the day that we first met in person.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Camp Fire & Arcade

    September 9, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Back at the campsite, we poured a drink, heated up leftovers and started a campfire. Douglas passed the Boy Scout test. It was a crisp 50 degrees outside and we huddled close to the fire.

    The main office and facilities is next to our campsite and there is an old-school arcade room, so we headed over there to play some games. Doug rocked Ms Pacman.

    I got myself really cold tonight, like cold to the bones. So once we crawled in bed smelling like a campfire, Doug reached over and his reaction was so hilarious. "Oh my God, baby! How did you let yourself get this cold? How would you ever let yourself get this cold?" He scratched me a little with his fingernail as he was briskly rubbing my skin for circulation. I didn't feel it. "She wants to go to Alaska. I need to clip my fingernails. I need to shave," he blurts out randomly. Its been 3 days since we've had showers and he hasn't shaved since we left Florida. At this point, I was laughing hysterically at his reaction. "Oh my God, baby, what were you thinking? Babe! Put this on your legs. You've got goosebumps the size of Pikes Peak!" And we laughed ourselves to sleep.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Breathless at Pikes Peak

    September 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 36 °F

    Pikes Peak is not the tallest mountain, but it is unique in that you can drive to the summit. It is called America's Mountain. At 14,115 feet elevation it is certainly tall, and the oxygen is low at that elevation.

    It was a rainy morning down below the clouds, but rain or shine, Pikes Peak here we come. We packed up after coffee, without showers, and headed to the National Forest. It's a State Park and National Forest and they charge $15 a person for entry at the gate at the base of the mountain.

    It's a 19.5 mile drive to the top with narrow twisting roads, steep cliffs and often no guardrails. We stopped at the first visitor center, but it was only a gift shop and they wanted $73 for a sweatshirt. At 8,000 feet we could hardly breathe. Short of breath and dizzy, we walked slowly back to the van. "Don't turn too fast or bend down." Doug warned me as he lost his balance and held his head.

    At 8,500 feet, we noticed that the trees started to get shorter which we assumed was from the lack of oxygen. The Pikes Peak Marathon is next weekend. I can't even imagine how people run this. There were bicyclists and hikers headed up.

    At 11,000 feet we were above the clouds and it was sunny and bright, 31 degrees. At 11,800 feet the trees stop growing completely and there is only rock and some short grass. We were on the lookout for mountain goats. At 13,000 feet, we spotted some mountain goats, but they were at a distance and difficult to photograph. There was a small crater lake in the flat part of the grassy mountain nearby. By 13,700 feet there was no more grass.

    We arrived to the summit and laboriously got ourselves out of the van for the hike to the visitor center. The air was cold and the wind whipped around us. The visitor center is a large building built on the edge of the cliff. It's mostly glass on the back side for the view. We can only see to the top of the clouds though, so the views are limited. I'm afraid of heights, so going to the edge of any railing or structure isn't my forte. It's warm inside. There is a Cafe, gift shop, and an interactive historical museum. After roaming around and taking our photographs, we sat down for a minute to get our nerve up to go back outside. It's beautiful up here, but almost too uncomfortable to fully enjoy it. We made tuna sandwiches and it was time to head back down the mountain.

    On the way down, we saw a couple of mountain goats next to the road and they posed for us. Doug was driving. The van wouldn't shift down to first gear. About mile marker 18, the brake light came on. We pulled over and let a few vehicles pass us. A van with a family of 8 that we saw at the summit passed by us, and we could smell their brakes burning.

    A little bit further down was a brake check stop point. The woman checked our brakes and said they were hot. She advised that we pull over for 20 to 30 minutes to cool down, drive in first gear for the next 3 miles, then use second gear.

    We pulled over and Doug went on a hiking excursion. 11,000 feet somehow felt so much better than 14,000. We were acclimating. I had signal on my phone, so I stayed in the van to map the rest of the day. I'm not feeling stellar today as the TMJ pain has flared again and I feel like I'm getting a cold. The sugar and campfire has done me in.

    We used the walkie-talkies to communicate. Doug's handle is Noodle and I am Pepper. "Oh my God, babe, it's so amazing up here! Open the side door of the van and look up." I can see him in the distance up on the rocks through the trees. Doug missed the sign that said "No hiking past this point", so he was hiking the rocks, testing out his new hiking boots. He found a grassy knoll and laid down in the grass.

    Doug returned alive with excitement, a story, and a handful of gift store items including matching Pikes Peak T-shirts and another magnet for the van.

    We made it safely down the mountain. Moab, Utah is 8 hours away, and that's our destination for tonight. I'm driving.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Pa

    September 10, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a National Park out in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. It's a canyon gorge of gorgeous dark rock and was definitely worth the drive in.

    We arrived after the visitor center closed just as the setting sun was casting sunlight on the side of the gorge. As the sun quickly lowered, the light on the gorge was gone. We stopped for photos and a kiss and got back on the road.

    We'll arrive in Moab at 10:40 pm. I'm serving turkey rolls, sliced smoked gouda and smoked salmon as we drive. Doug eats his sunflower seeds and spits the hulls into an empty water bottle.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Day of Rest & Catch Up

    September 11, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 79 °F

    Today is for rest and cleaning. Doug had lots of energy this morning, so while I was blowing my nose, blogging, doing laundry and making campsite reservations, Doug washed the van, cleaned out the cargo, went shopping on his bicycle, and fixed my bike.

    After 5 days,we finally got a shower and shave! By mid afternoon, Doug started to have cold symptoms as well, so we did nasal flushes together and went to bed early.

    I was able to get a timed every pass for Arches National Park for tomorrow morning.

    On the home front, Kris says that the bathtub and shower plumbing has been set in place.    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Arches National Park

    September 12, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    The only way to get into Arches National Park is with a timed reservation pass, which is a brilliant idea. It means that only 200 cars are allowed to enter the park each hour and your entry wait time will be about 30 minutes. I was able to get passes last night for 9 am. It was a hot day so in hind sight I wish I had got the earlier reservation. By 10:30 it was just too hot to hike anymore, especially since I was not feeling well. I persevered; however, and we did a 2 mile hike on the Park Avenue Trail. Doug hiked out to the arches, but I couldn't handle the heat.

    We drove through all areas of the park and stopped at every overlook as well as the visitor center. The rock formations are beautiful. There really are no words to describe them. As we drove through and on our hike, I had a sense of awe and quiet reverence that came over me.

    Back to the campground, we began researching B plus RVs and were looking at the Leisure Unity. We found it online first, but then a retired couple, who are doing RV travel full time since last summer, pulled into the campground, two hookups down from us. We went to talk to them and they showed us their RV. It's similar to the Airstream model, but quite a bit cheaper. There are five different floorplans.

    Besides all the issues this van has had, Im tired of the 8 minute bed conversion every evening and morning, requiring calisthenics. This van has had so many issues on this trip. Every day it seems like there's something else wrong with it. I believe I'm ready to trade it in. Here is the list of things that are broken:

    Water leaking out from under bed
    Hot water heater doesn't get the water hot and takes 45 minutes to heat to barely warm
    Bed front panel doesn't latch, screws stripping and metal frame not installed correctly underneath the bed, difficult to open and close
    2 drawers will not close so they are held with tape when on the road
    Awning not functioning at all, only used it once back in April
    AC on van chassis broke... to be fixed on the 19th
    Table broke,  stripped off paneling
    Sensors on tanks, gray and black not accurate when empty they read 2/3

    Mind you, this is a 2022 Thor Sequence built on a 2021 RAM Promaster chassis. I've owned it for six months. It's under warranty and they will fix everything, but really?    Read more

  • Kim VerbargTravelerSmokeys, Rockies & Red Rocks

    Canyonlands National Park

    September 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F

    Canyonlands is even more beautiful than Arches in my opinion. Arches seems to be the more well known and popular park, however. Maybe because of its name or because it's close proximity to Moab.

    This park is gorgeous. Beautiful rock canyons of every color, weaving in and out like a vast winding river. The Colorado River does flow through the bottom supposedly, but we couldn't see it.

    We hiked about 2 miles on the cliffs. It was more like climbing rocks along a cliff edge with abundant opportunity for photo shoots. Doug was frequently getting very close to the cliff edge. It made me nervous; I had to turn and not look. After being there for awhile I adapted and I was getting closer to the edge than I thought I would. We walked and we walked and we got some great pictures. I didn't want to turn around and head back to the van, but we hadn't brought water with us because we thought it was just a single overlook viewpoint.

    Heading back, there was a rainbow through the Canyon. I've never seen a rainbow that was at a lower elevation than me. It was also especially wide, with each color of the rainbow uniquely predominant. Of all the places, we've been so far this was my favorite.    Read more

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