A Moving Experience

Sanitation Strikers in Memphis

    Leaving Horshoe Bend, we headed for our first stop of the day, breakfast.  One of the really great things about driving some of the backroads of America is the quirky little restaurants and shops along the way.  We stopped for breakfast at a small town called Hardy.  The diner was the kind in which there is a rack for what they call the porch pack.  The porch pack is a group of guys that have their names on their own cups.  They fill up each day and talk about what is going on in the world out front.  There was also a stage, where people could come and do impromtu public speaking.

The bus Rosa Parks Road

    The place is also the kind, in which there are signs all over the walls of sage sayings, like, "Invest in Lead and support the 2nd Amendment" or "This kitchen is a miracle, because it is a miracle that anything comes out of it."  I'm not kidding, you can't make this stuff up.  The best thing about the place, was that we got out the door for less than $30 for breakfast.  Can't find that very many places anymore.
    After breakfast, we headed to Memphis.  We wanted to break up the drive by seeing Beale St. and The Civil Rights Museum.

    We went to the Civil Rights museum first when we arrived.  It is an amazing place that is preserved so well on the outside, that, if not for the wreath on the second floor balcony, you would expect Dr. King to step out and wave hello.
    On the inside, the people who designed the museum did an outstanding job of creating a flow that not only teaches important aspects of the civil rights movement, but walks you through the timeline of its evolution.  I learned many things that I have never seen in history books.  A couple of the facts are as follows.  Rosa Parks was a trained activist before the bus incident.  She was also much younger than I believed her to be.  Also, there were many white people on the Freedom Ride that were treated badly as well as the black people.  Also, Martin Luther King Jr. made his "I Have A Dream" without notes.  He made it up as he was speaking on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
    Watching him give the speech was a chilling and emotional experience.  I don't believe that I have ever heard his entire speech.  I have always heard parts of it, but I will admit that it is the finest speech I have ever heard.  I was nearly moved to tears.

View from the balcony to the boarding house

    The museum has been designed to take you all through the Lorraine Hotel and finished at the actual rooms where Martin Luther King and his advisors were staying.  The visit to this place was special and I would recommend that every person in America make a pilgrimage to this place.  The reason every person should come here, isn't just to learn about the Civil Rights movement, it is to learn from our mistakes of the past.  I would equate the way that the blacks in the south were treated to the way the Jews were treated by the Nazis.
    After our tour of the museum, we went across the street and had lunch at Central BBQ.  The reason I mention going to lunch is because, I mentioned earlier that the ribs we had in Oklahoma were the best, they're not.  The ribs in Memphis have now become our favorites.  They were outstanding and had more kick to them.  The meat fell off the bone and melted in our mouths.  RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!!!!!!!!
   Our bellies completely full, we headed south and stayed at a place called Frog Hollow, a quirky little place with a clubhouse covered with puzzles.  Enough Said!!!
    The next stop, the place of culinary delights.  Until next time. Ribbit!!!!

The Real Driving Begins

This is Kansas for miles and miles and miles!!!!

   The next part of our journey had us traveling through the central part of the United States.  This portion of the trip I planned to take three days to do.  The reason I planned to take three days, was because I wanted to have an open mind and find interesting things along the way.  This part of the country gets a bad wrap, because truthfully there really isn't much to see other than the occasional Aatelope amongst all of the farms and grassland.

The girls want to travel the rest of the way in this.

    The highway that we took led us the first leg from Colorado Springs to the famous town of Dodge City.  Not only did I want to get to Dodge City so that we could check out the town, but it was time for us to do our first load of laundry.  The RV park we stayed at in Dodge City is called Gunsmoke RV park.  Yes, you guessed it, the park was named after the famous television show.  They had plenty of pictures and memoriabilia from the show hanging all over the walls.  Even though this RV park is a mom and pop business, they have done a great job with the small details that have made it our favorite so far on our trip.  Like I said, the laundry needed to be done and this place didn't dissapoint. Their laundry room at this place was awesome.  It had multiple washers and dryers, which made my work go fast.  So, while I did laundry, Claire and Cecelia took and rest.  Taylor swam in the pool.
    After completing the laundry, we headed into Dodge City to explore some of the history.  The dissapointing part about Dodge City, is that the museum is the only real history left.  The town is really depressed and there is not much going on.

A little weather in Kansas.  Tay asked, "Where's Dorothy?"

   On the positive side, the museum is on the sight of the actual Boot Hill and does give some great information.  The first thing I learned, was that Wyatt Earp was never really a Marshal.  He was an Assistant Marshal and a Hotel manager.  The other piece of information, which I found to be sad was how much the Buffalo were destroyed in this particular area.  The only Buffalo that we actually saw were four in a display at an Indian Casino.  I wanted to see them roaming out on the plains in at least a small herd.  Alas, it was not meant to be.  I did want to go realease the four in the pen, so that I could see them in the open field, but my family didn't think it was a good idea.
    The next part of our drive took us from Dodge City to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  After the long drive in the grass plains of Kansas and western Oklahoma, Tulsa was a pleasant surprise.  It was a very nice city and we actually played some golf at one of the municipal facilities down town.  Not only was it very nice, but inexpesive as well.  The pro shop only charged us seven dollars each to walk the course.
    Finishing golf after dark, we decided that it was time to try out some of the famous Bar B Q in the central plains.  That was one thing I forgot to mention about Dodge City that was disappointing, we could find no Bar B Q in town whatsoever.  Anyway, after a recommendation from the starter at the pro shop, we headed for a place called Rib Crib.  We were a little skeptical, because Rib Crib is a chain of rib restaurants in the south.  Despite our skeptisism, the ribs and food we got from them was AWESOME!!!!!  These are the best ribs that we have ever eaten.  The west cannot compare, it is like eating Chinese food in America after living in China. It is just not the same.  With full bellie,s we headed off to a peaceful sleep.

More Kansas, maybe Oklahoma.

   Morning found us taking off early and heading to Arkansas.  We were going to a place called Horseshoe Bend.  The reason we were headed to upstate Arkansas, rather than cutting down toward New Orleans, was because I bought a piece of property a few years back and had never seen it.  Along the way, we were pleasantly surprised by the rolling and wooded countryside of Arkansas.  Everything is green and lush.  The forests are full of mostly hardwoods, mixed with pines.  All of the animals that we saw were happy and fat.  The one thing that we started seeing more that Sonic and Wal-Mart was little places called Flea Markets.  Flea Markets are basically permanent garage sales.  Claire commented that Arkansas was her favorite state so far.  We asked her why she liked it better than the other states.  Her comment was that it was just so pretty and lush.
   When we arrived in Horseshoe Bend, we met the realtors and they led us to our lot.  The lot wasn't anything to brag about.  It was an undeveloped, wooded piece of land that was very quiet.  The only redeaming quality is that it is about a mile from the golf course.  They even informed us that it was about twice as much to build, as it is to by in Horseshoe Bend currently.  So much for a retirement property.

This is our property.  Nice Huh!!!  Anyone ready to buy???

    After leaving the property, we headed to the Box Hound RV Park and Marina.  It was very hot, so it was nice to be staying right next to a lake.  The heat outside was about 95, but the heat index which included the humidity was about 102.  We all felt like we were back in Southeast Asia.
    Unhooking the trailer, we then decided to go for a refreshing swim before playing golf in the evening.  The refreshing part was not so refreshing.  When we jumped into the lake, it felt warmer than being outside in the air.  Also, the farther we swam out into the lake the warmer the water got.  It was really strange. 

The Golf Course at Turkey Mountain

   Drying off and changing into golf clothes, we headed to The Golf Course at Turkey Mountain.  We arrived at 6pm hoping that things would start to cool off.  Our hope was to be denied, because when the temperature went down, the humidity went up.  We were all soaking wet after two holes.  Claire was sweating so much, that she had a bead of sweat on the tip of her nose while she was putting. Despite the heat and humidity, the girls kept a good attitude and we had fun anyway.  One of the really awesome benefits to finishing late, was that Cecelia and the girls got to experience Fireflies for the first time.  They were really cute, running around trying to catch them.  
     If you have never experienced Fireflies, I will tell you that I consider them to be one of the really cool natural wonders of the world.  They always seem to make the evening a bit more romantic and magical.
     Leaving the golf course we headed back for a quick refreshing dip in the lake before bed.  Did I say refreshing again, not quite!!!!

Oh, The Healing Waters!!!

Like driving through the Grand Canyon

    Leaving Moab, we drove along the Colorado River to Hwy. 70.  It was an absolutely beautiful drive and definitely the road less traveled.  The canyon that we drove through made us feel like we were driving through the Grand Canyon, rather than rafting or hiking.

    Once we reached Hwy. 70, I told the girls that I was going to take them to a special place that would help to heal their aching muscles.  They were feeling a little tired from four days of hiking and biking.  It took us about four hours, but we arrived at Glenwood Springs in the late afternoon.

Glenwood Springs Pool.  The hot end is at the far end of the pool.

    Glenwood Springs has always been one of my favorite places to go.  When I was a young ski instructor, I would go with the owner of the ski school to Colorado to ski every March for three years in a row.  Now remember earlier when I told you I couldn't afford to go to Moab, well the owner of the ski school paid for everything, if you made it through the season with him.  So, one of the stops we would make each year on our way to the ski resort was to stop at Glenwood Springs.  Now, you may be wondering to yourself what is so special about this place.  Well, Glenwood Springs has the largest naturally sulfur heated pool in the world.  Not only is the water heavenly warm, but it has therapeutic and healing qualities as well.  The pool is fed by 3.5 million gallons of water everyday.  You could call this the Old Faithful of Spas.  The pool is shaped like a trapezoid.  The end of the pool closest to the spring is narrow and then as it stretches out from the spring it gets wider.  The reason for this, is because at the short end, the water can get up to 120 degrees.  When you sit on that end of the pool, there are holes in the bottom of the pool, where the treated water seeps into the larger pool.  The wider end of the pool is about 85 degrees.  The average temperature of the pool overall is 104 degrees.

The I-70 Freeway going across the Rockies to Denver

    With that information known, I took the girls to have a little spa time.  We spent about two hours soaking our aching bodies.  Well, Cecelia and I soaked.  The girls were too busy diving off the diving board into the deep end of the pool.  So much for resting their tired and aching bodies.
    A special surprise for us, was the Strawberry Festival in Glenwood Springs.  It was nice, meandering around the booths and having an afternoon snack.
    That evening we slept really well.
    The next morning was Fathers Day, and we started the day off with another bike ride.  This one wasn't quite as intense, but it was equally beautiful and fun.  We rode up Glenwood Canyon from the camp ground and then back into town for breakfast.  The morning was awesome and it was a good start to a day that was going to find us in Colorado Springs.

No words Necessary

    After returning to the campground, we showered and packed up.  We then drove though the I-70 Canyon.  Along the way, I had a chance to share with the girls some of the ski resorts I had skiied as a young instructor years ago.  Rather than going through the Eisenhower tunnel, we drove up to Kestone and Arapahoe Basin Ski Resorts.  I have many fond memories of skiing with my friend Kent Bry at this insane place, that is located just below the Continental Divide.  At the top of the divide, we stopped to have lunch and let the girls play in the late spring snow that was still on the ground.

Claire, get ready for an ear full!!

   After some lunch and a little wine, we
 then made or way to Colorado Springs to play a little golf at an executive golf course.  The family had a great time together, but Taylor and I lost the game, so we had to do laundry at our next stop.  I didn't mind though, it was worth all of the time spent together.
   We finished just in time to see Jordan Spieth win the US Open and then headed out to have some dinner before going to sleep for the evening.  These are the kinds of days that stick with a man for a long time.  I love being a father.  Happy Fathers Day to all of you Fathers out there.

Majesty and Grandeur!!!

Magnificent!!!!!

   In the last episode, we explored one of the great areas of southern Utah, which included a trip to Zion National Park and the Narrows.

This is a broken collarbone ready to happen!!!

Claire showing dad how it is done.

  Our next stop found us in another section of the upper Utah desert at the town of Moab.  I had been waiting 27 years to come to Moab.  Back in the days that I was working my way through college, I was managing a small bicycle shop in Cardiff, CA.  The shop was called Cycles by the Sea and was owned by my good friend Randy Giusta.  While working there, we began to get some of the first mountain bikes into the shop.  They were made by this guy named Gary Fisher.  He wasn't famous in our area, but soon came to be known as the king of mountain bikes.  To this day, Cecelia and I both have Gary Fisher Mountain Bikes.

Cecelia pushing through to the finsh.

    At that time, mountain biking began to take off and my friends and I had heard about this mythical place called Moab.  Moab became a place that all mountain bikers needed to go in order to fill their mountain biking dreams.  Going there was like people making the pilgrimage to Mecca.  At that time though, I was a poor college kid and couldn't get enough money or the time off to make the trip.
    So, with that background story told, you can understand how excited I was to finally get here with my family.  Shortly after arriving, we unhooked the trailer and headed for the nearest bike shop to get some needed supplies for our upcoming rides.  After leaving the bike shop, we headed for a couple of the easier trails to get warmed up.  We ended up riding a trail, ironically named The Double O Loop.  It was outstanding and we all had a good time.

Cliff House

    The next morning we split up and did two different rides.  Cecelia and Taylor rode along the Colorado River.  Claire and I rode the trail that I have been dreaming of riding for a long time.  It is called The Slick Rock trail and is famous to mountain bikers world wide.  The trail was everything I dreamed it would be more.  The fun part was how sticky the rock was.  You could ride up and down some amazing inclines.  The more challenging part, was the physically taxing nine mile loop.  It took Claire and I almost three hours to complete the trail, and when we finished we were spent.  Despite it being very difficult, Claire had a great attitude and humored her dad through the entire ordeal. She said it was the most difficult thing she has ever done in her life.

Tree House

    Now at this point, you are probably wondering what the title of this blog has to do with mountain biking.  It doesn't, but the next part of our stay in the area does.
    After our morning bike rides, we met up at the trailer and then headed for Mesa Verde.  It is about a two hour drive down to the southern corner of Colorado where Mesa Verde is located.  The drive gave us all a chance to rest from our morning rides and to see more of the magnificent Utah landscape.  When you are driving through the area, you think that you are in a desert, but yet you are actually on a high plain.  We were traveling at five to six thousand feet the entire time.  Also, when you get to Mesa Verde you travel up the side of a mountain and end up at around 8000 ft.  The views from the upper plain are spectacular.

The Apples of my eye!!!

    The first stop at Mesa Verde was the Cypress Tree House.  It is the only section of the park, where you can walk into the Lodges without a guide.  It is amazing to see the ingenuity of the Anasazi.  As a guy that likes to build weird things in strange places, I started to get some great ideas from seeing the structures up close and personal.  I'm thinking an underground sweat lodge is in our future.  (Just Kidding!!!)   Despite the creativity, I was surprised at how small the buildings actually were.  I was also impressed with how compact, functional and organized the Anasazi were.  This set of houses had a kiva that you could climb into, which of course the girls promptly did.
    After leaving the Cypress Tree House, we went to view the Cliff House.  The Cliff House is the largest of the Dwellings.  We viewed it from afar, but it was still impressive.  In the late afternoon, the lighting made it a very majestic sight to see.  Fortunately for all of us, we didn't have to hike very far to experience the park fully.

This arch is called Delicate Arch

    We then headed home to Moab.  Before getting back to the trailer that evening, Cecelia wanted to experience The Slick Rock trail herself.  At the trail they have a short intermediate loop so I suggested that she ride it to get a taste of what Claire and I had done earlier in the day.  Neither of the girls wanted to ride with their mom. So, being the awesome husband that I am, I sucked it up and rode it with her.  To tell you the truth, I just didn't want her to do it by herself. Believe it or not, I actually felt pretty good and didn't get too tired.  Cecelia will tell you that she did horrible, but she only got off and walked a couple of times.  She did outstanding. This is the kind of trail that you have to be an expert rider to complete without getting off.  After we finished, all of us headed back to the trailer for dinner and a much needed night of sleep.

Do you think we are having fun yet?

    The next morning we got up early and made our way to Arches National Park.  This is where the term Grandeur comes into the title for today.  This place was an amazing surprise.  I have seen pictures of the arches and it has never been one of the places that I would have placed on a top ten list, but now that has changed.  I would definitely put it in the top ten for Awesome things I have seen or experienced in my life.  When you are standing near or under one of these awe inspiring pieces of Natural Art, you get an overwhelming feeling of peace and amazement.  My favorite arch was The Double Arches.  It reminds me of those carvings that people do, where they carve the squares inside of each other, like a puzzle.  How the wind and ice carve these amazing structures is mind boggling.  It was truly an inspirational experience.
   We then made our way back to the trailer and headed for our next destination.
    The place of healing is our next stop!!

     
 

The Walls are Closing in Already!!!

High Desert Panorama

   So, based on the title you would think that I was already tired of being cooped up in a 60 sq. ft. trailer and that Tiny House Nation isn't for me, but you would be wrong.
    The third leg of our trip found us driving to the small town of Hurricane, Utah.  When we arrived around mid afternoon, we took a rest to beat the 105 degree heat.

View from the clubhouse balcony at Sand Hallow

    After our rest, we didn't waste any time.  We went to play a little golf at Sand Hallow Golf Resort.  When I say a little golf, I mean, we went and played nine holes on the par three course.  I wanted to get the girls warmed up to play golf, since they had not touched a club for the past two weeks.  We had a great time and it was a good start to getting ready for golf across the country.  We had a little competition to see who would have to do dishes that evening, unfortunately Taylor was the victim of a bad putter.  She is ready to trade in the one she has for a new one.
    Sand Hallow is an outstanding facility.  It is quality high desert golf.  They have a championship course, nine hole links course and the nine hole chipping course that we played on.  The cost in the afternoon is only $35 for 18 holes with cart.  By the way, the practice facility is outstanding as well.  I would love to run The First Tee of Hurricane at this facility.  Just kidding!

Taylor rocking the trail!!

    Returning to the trailer from our very competitive golf competition, we promptly switched out of our golf togs and jumped into our mountain biking gear.  I had done a bit of research and found some awesome mountain bike trails near our campground.  Along with easing the girls into golf, we did the same at the mountain biking area near Hurricane, in preparation for later mountain biking excursions.  The trails were outstanding and very appropriate for the ability of everybody.  There is nothing better than mountain biking in the high desert in the late evening.  The air and the sunset were spectacular.

    The following day, we made our way to the area that makes Hurricane similar to Oakhurst.  Hurricane is actually base camp for many people going to Zion National Park.  So, we made our way to the Visitor Center at Zion.  From there, we took the shuttle up to the end of the route.  This is the entrance to The Narrows.  The Narrows is the part of Zion, in which people hike through the river and the narrow canyon walls.  The trip was an awesome experience, but when we first started I was a little disappointed.  The canyon walls were not as narrow as I had imagined and there were way too many people for my taste.  Fortunately, the farther you go up the canyon, the narrower the canyon walls and a lot less people.  We even got to a section that had a small tributary coming into the main river.  After scoping it out we decided to take the tributary.  It turned out to be a great choice, because the canyon walls closed in upon us, so much so that it blocked out the sun and you could barely see a sliver of sky between them.  The other great thing was the lack of people and the extra bonus of deep pools and waterfalls.  Cecelia, the girls and I hiked up a ways and stopped for lunch near one of the deepest pools.
    Lunch seemed to just taste a little better than usual.  I don't know, I think it was the company combined with the atmosphere.  Completing our short meal, we explored up the creek a little more and then began to make our way back.  Overall, it was an outstanding excursion.  Unfortunately on the way back we had a couple of casualties.  Somehow, my water resistant phone and Claire's iPhone 6 got wet and refused to function any longer.  It wasn't like they were submerged or dropped, they just got a little residue on them.  So, if you have either an iPhone 6 or the new Droid Turbo don't get them near water.  Even with insurance it is going to cost around $300 to replace them both.  The worst thing about it is that we both had some great pictures that we wanted to share.  My phone even had the Blue Man Video that I was going to share with you.
    We arrived back at the trailer around six, and Claire, Cecelia and I decided to finish the day off with another bike ride.  I know, you would think that hiking through a river for six miles would be enough, but we're just crazy like that.
    Anyway, the three of us went up and rode a seven mile loop.  The ride was a bit tougher than we did the day before.  We should have known, because the trails were named Cryptobionic and Goose Bumps.  No, we didn't see the Terminator or Ghosts, but we did see an awesome three foot rattle snake next to the trail.  I didn't take a picture because I didn't have my camera and at that time of the evening it didn't seem like the smart thing to do.  Other than that, it was a great way to finish off the day.

Cecelia killing it on the single track!!!  This is one of the many reasons I love my wife!!!

   


    Until the next leg, we want the people in Oakhurst to know that we are praying for you and hope the fires settle down soon.

"Bright lights City gonna set my soul........"

Friends,

    The second leg of our journey found us in sin city.  Cecelia and I had decided to give the girls their first taste of Vegas.    We actually came here to go to a show and not teach the girls the facts of life.  Fortunately Vegas during the day is pretty tame.  So, we began by arriving at The Circus Circus RV Park.

    We then began the afternoon by walking down the main strip to the Monte Carlo.  Along the way the girls had the opportunity to see Treasure Island, The Mirage, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, and finally Aria.  Aria was their favorite, because of the art and ice sculptures.  The air conditioning wasn't so bad either.

    Finally we arrived at the Monte Carlo and went directly to purchase tickets for the surprise show.  We had not told the girls what show we were going to see, but when we arrived they guessed.  They didn't have a hard time figuring it out, since they have Blue Man Statues and it is called The Blue Man Theater at Monte Carlo.

   We then had a quick dinner and headed into the concert which is the Musical Collective called The Blue Man Group.

    The show was awesome!!  Other than a couple of kill joys in the seats next to us, this show was very interactive and the music was outstanding.  The Blue Man Group has come up with some amazing ways to make music.  As well as music, they have put together a couple of skits that include the audience that are very funny.  It was a two hour concert that seemed to go by very quickly.   It was a great kick start to the road trip part of our adventure.    Enjoy and I will share our next excursion with you soon.

Rolling O's Gather No Moss!!!

On our way out of Dodge

Hello Friends,

    It has been awhile since I graced the high speed digital highway with my lucid thoughts.  So, here I am again sharing with you a new family adventure for this summer.  Just as a rolling stone gathers no moss, neither do the Oetingers.

    This new family Adventure is going to encompass a tour of some of the United States.  Cecelia and I figured that we already traveled with the girls to some foreign countries, so we should explore our own a bit.    I will be sharing with you our adventures as we embark on the ultimate road trip.  I can only pray that it doesn't turn out like Chevy Chase's family Vacation.  With that being said, here is the first stop in our Excursion.

Gooey Cinnamon Goodness, courtesy of Abby Madaus and Family.
Much thanks for their hospitality.  The Best Cinnamon Rolls in the World!!

    We began by traveling south from Oakhurst to sunny Solana Beach, CA.  Unfortunately for us, somebody forgot to tell the Chamber of Commerce that we were coming, because the weather stinks down here.  I hated June gloom when I lived here, and I still don't like it now.  I have a hard time leaving the sunshine of Oakhurst for the Cloud covered drizzle that is common for June in North County.
  The next morning we went to the Del Mar Fair to visit our friends the Madaus family.  They are the wonderful people that own Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls.  There is nothing like starting the day off with a tour of the process and a hot fresh cinnamon roll straight out of the oven.  You know, the cinnamon rolls that Ryan and Willy Madaus make are very healthy.  They are made out of whole wheat dough, lots of cinnamon and TLC.  Now doesn't that sound like it is good for you?

  After our tour of the cinnamon roll factory and the sugary, cinnamony bliss, we headed for our favorite part of the fair, the Gadgets.  It is always cool to check out the newest way to slice, dice and clean things.  We ended our day at the fair by checking out the live stock.  You know, we go see the animals all the time but isn't a chicken just a chicken or a sheep just a sheep?

Thai Food with our Friends the Jilkes

  We then exited the fair and headed to the beach to meet our friends the Jilkes.  A little surfing and Thai food made our visit a memorable one as usual.
  The rest of the time, we spent visiting our friend Joan, short visits with family taking walks on the beach, playing cards
and enjoying our discussions with Cecelia's parents Ray and Mary.

This is not a Selfie, it is a Groupie

      Until the next stop!