The Summer of the Bronco (07-01-26)

 The spring of 2026 was filled with  our usual events and a lot of working on the new house. And, of course, making plans for the summer. Paul and I both have doctor appointments in early July in Phoenix, which affects our summer plans, since we can’t go as far as we usually do. Taking the camper and Bronco instead of the 5th wheel makes travel more flexible, and Paul really wanted to revisit some 4x4 trails in Colorado that we did with the Jeep.

The summer was divided in two sections essentially. Pre July 4 and post July 4. 

When we bought our Bronco, we did a full day “off-roadeo” training session, learning about the capabilities of the vehicle. That was done in Nevada but Paul wanted to take the class that they teach in Moab as well. It’s a different class, a half day class called Extreme Offroading. 

 

We left Havasu in early June, with a goal to get out of the heat. We headed to nearby Prescott, which is only a 3 hour drive, but sits at a higher elevation, so is cooler. We have been here before but didn’t have much chance to hike, so we rectified that this time.

Our first adventure was a trail that goes part way around Willow Lake. Everyone raves about this trail and I can see why.

The sky was incredibly blue that day…

Our second hike was also around a lake- this one was the Flume Trail at Watson lake, and it was just as pretty.

While plotting our course to Moab, we realized that Dolores, Colorado is not too far out of our way- so that was one of our stops on the way to Moab. Why? Because our friends Liz and Randy are there.

In addition to just hanging out, we went to an evening of music in town, and took some scenic drives.

Arriving in Moab a few days before our class, we had time to do some exploring. We wanted to do some trails with the Bronco so that we (he) would have the vehicle’s capabilities fresh in his mind.

The first trail we drove is called Chicken Corners. It’s only 48 miles long but took us 6 hours.

Like a lot of these drives, the roads are what they call shelf roads, which usually means there is quite a drop off on one side.

I am kind of a fair weather Trail passenger and there was one spot where Paul just kept saying “breathe”.  We made it through ok but I was not a fan. To me it looked like the tires were going off the edge. This is and out and back trail,  so we had to come this way again. Since I figured we would live through it, I video taped it the second time through.

The following day was the Bronco ride, which started after lunch, about 1:15. Once we were all gathered, we drove into the desert to the trail we were going to do.

Being an Extreme Off-roading class, it was more technical than the original class we took. It was all about how to handle obstacles, and where to place your tires.

I didn’t get much footage of our Bronco because I was either in it or directing Paul as to how to get over an obstacle.

Unfortunately the Bronco in front of us got extremely stuck trying to make it up over some boulders. It took 45 minutes, lots of rock moving, and a winch, to get him out of there. By then it was time to go back. So although we learned a few things, it wasn’t as good as it could have been. What it did do is give both Paul and I a little more confidence, because we had no issues figuring out how we wanted to tackle the obstacles.

The other trail we did in Moab is Onion Creek trail. This trail had all the beauty of Chicken Corners Trail, but none of the hair raising drop offs.

Unfortunately  this picture, in addition to showing the gorgeous countryside, also shows one of the things we have had to dodge this summer. Wildfires. This is the beginning of the Snyder Fire, which ultimately burned 28,000 acres. We have changed plans several times this summer due to the Colorado wildfires.

Our final day in Utah was really hot. We had planned on repeating a hike we have enjoyed before, but realized a) it’s too hot and b) we have never been to nearby (ish) Goblin Valley State Park.

We drove out there, not having a specific plan, other than to check it out.

As hot as it was, we still managed to hike the 3 mile trail to Goblin’s Lair. Luckily, there was a little bit (not much though) of shade along the way.

We stayed off the trail that was completely in the sun…

On the way back we elected to take the scenic route (ie gravel road).

Although the views were great…

…The rocks were apparently sharp, because the Bronco got a flat tire. Luckily Paul carries no less than 3 options for taking care of that type of problem. 

Kissing the Southern Tip of Illinois (5/13/25)

 Looking for new places to explore along the way to North Carolina, the name Cave-In-Rock caught our attention. It’s a state park in the southern part of Illinois with camping. The added bonus is the  nearby park called Garden of the Gods ( not the one in Colorado) where there is also some great hiking.

We booked 3 nights here but the weather forecast was not great. Because of that, when we arrived to dry conditions, we headed out immediately to the cave.  The ranger was happy to tell us that we arrived at a great time- by tomorrow he expected the river to “show up” which would make the cave inaccessible-and since the river had “ just left” he thought that maybe we would be able to get there. We wore our boots for the two mile walk.

Turns out that on the way back the trail passes by a restaurant with homemade pie- so yeah we stopped there and relaxed with some dessert on the way home.

Although damp, we were able to walk down to the river and into the cave.  It was ok, especially if you hadn’t seen a cave like this (we have). It certainly fell into the “ we are easily entertained” category, but that’s fine. The weather was not great so we weren’t really looking for a long hike or anything.

For the first time this summer we set up our new screen tent. It has screen sides but also has solid sides to keep the wind and rain out-We thought maybe the weather would be rainy but fun, so we would sit out there. It was rainy, but not so much fun- so we sat out for a while and then the tent just got wet all by itself.

Taking care of the cave on day one left us two days to explore and hike other areas.

Our first hike was to Mantle Rock. To get there, we had to cross the Ohio River.  There is no bridge but luckily there is free ferry that runs all day.

Of course with all the rain, the trail was a bit of a mess, but we ran into someone who hikes it all the time and he gave us some pointers.

This trail is part of the Trail of Tears- the path that the Cherokee took in 1838-39 when they were forced to leave their ancestral homes in the east for new homes further west. During that winter, thousands of Cherokee camped in this area while they waited for the river to thaw enough for the ferry to take them across. Hundreds of them did not survive the trip.

Mantle Rock itself is the largest free standing arch east of the Mississippi River. You can see there is a tree that has grown up on the other side of the arch. Pretty cool.  It started raining again just as we got back to the truck. For perspective, Paul is in this picture.

Our second day we drove further afield and managed three (short) hikes. The first was a 2 mile loop called the Rim Rock Loop in the Rim Rock National Recreation area. Apparently there were stairs that led to interesting rock formations but they are gone, so there wasn’t much to see.

The second trail was less than a mile long but had Lots to see.

There were plenty of boulders to climb on …

and several pathways that led to pretty good views…

The final trail was just under two miles, called Indian Point trail.

 It had some interesting rock formations but my favorite part was seeing my first ever Summer Tanager..

(corrected from an earlier version which identified it as a Scarlet Tanager- that one is in the next post)

William Jefferson Clinton (5/8/25)

 Paul and I have never been ones to have a specific “bucket list” of places we want to visit- we don’t need to get to all the states, or all the national parks, or all the presidential libraries- but that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy visiting all of the above.   The last time we came through Little Rock, our focus was on Hot Springs National Park ( my least favorite national park, by the way). Since I felt no need to re-visit, we could focus on the William J. Clinton Presidential Library.

The library has a fair amount of information about both Bill and Hilary, starting from their childhoods.

Hillary grew up in the Chicago area, the oldest of 3. Even as a young child, she wanted to make a difference- a copy of her handwritten paper is on display and reads (in part)

                                                            My Future

When I grow up I want to have had the best education I could have possibly obtained.  If I obtain this I will probably be able to get a very good job. I want to either be a teacher or a nuclear physics scientist. Sometimes people as  me why I would want to be a teacher. The way I figure it though, is that the government  and adults are always talking about how the children of today are the citizens of tomorrow. With this thought in mind you have to have teachers to train the young citizens…

She attended Wellesley College for her undergraduate degree in Political Science, and received her  law degree from Yale in 1973. Soon thereafter she was appointed to the Impeachment Inquiry staff, in Washington DC, which advised the house committee regarding impeachment proceedings against President Nixon.

When Bill was elected president, she was the first professional woman to serve as First Lady, and the first First Lady to have her own office in the West Wing.

After his presidency she became the first First Lady to launch her own campaign for an elected office, which she won, in 2001, becoming Senator Hillary Clinton.

Bill Clinton’s childhood was completely different. He was born William Jefferson Blythe III in 1946. His father, William J Blythe, died before he was born and his mother later married Roger Clinton.

As a teen, Bill officially changed his last name to Clinton, in part so that everyone in the household would have the same last name (he has a younger half brother).

After receiving his bachelors degree from Georgetown University, he went on to receive his law degree from Yale, where he met Hillary Rodham, the future Hillary Rodham Clinton.

He started his political career as the Arkansas Attorney General, and by 1978 had become one of the youngest ever governors of Arkansas.

In 1992 he ran for, and won, the election for U.S. President, against George  H. W. Bush and Ross Perot.

Of course, many of the displays detail his political career, especially his presidency. Walking through the halls of photos and information plaques, I was reminded that there was much to like about Bill Clinton as a president. I suppose that is also why he easily won re-election. As a man, he certainly isn’t perfect, but I feel like he accomplished so much as the leader of our country.

Some of my favorite accomplishments of his:

The first bill he ever signed into law was the Family and Medical Leave Act.

In 2000 he established Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. I have hiked here many times- including our recent trip to hike the Wave. It is fantastic that this place is protected.

He worked on Welfare reform- his goal- ending Welfare as we know it,  and decreasing dependence on government subsidies.

He was the first president in decades to commit to a balanced budget. It took years but in 1998, for the first time in a generation, the federal deficit officially hit Zero.  We have not had a balanced budget or surplus since Clinton left office.

This is so huge to me- an amazing feat and yet once he accomplished it we perhaps should have insisted upon it from that point on?

Each president gets to decorate the Oval Office any way they want, which of course would make it more personal and comfortable for them.

The same is not true of the Cabinet Room. Taking a short break, Paul and I sat at the table in the cabinet room replica,  and were soon joined by a volunteer who was extremely informative.

The room has remained essentially the same for decades- with two exceptions. In 1970, President Nixon gifted a new table to the administration. The old table was rectangular, making it difficult for everyone to be seen by all others at the table. The oval shape works much better.

Also, each president can decide which two portraits hang on the wall.

Cabinet meetings are held an average of once a week, more if necessary. The record was during the Bay of Pigs, when President Kennedy held cabinet meetings daily, and sometimes twice a day.

The protocol of who sits where is not determined by seniority, at least, not seniority of the individual at the table- it is decided by seniority of the position. So, for example, the Secretary of State sits next to the President even if he has held the position for a week because the Secretary of State position is the oldest.

All along the corridor are displays of gifts given to President Clinton.  You might think that there would be rules against our President accepting gifts from foreign leaders, but it was George Washington who decided it was virtually impossible to say no to every gift that was offered by a head of state.

Instead, he decided that these gifts would be gifts to the American people. Most of them are housed in the National Archives, or in Presidential Libraries. (gift from Chihuly)

There were many more displays than I can describe here. These were the ones that were highlights for me.

As a side note, there is a kiosk where you can call up any date during Clinton’s presidency, and a picture will pop up with his schedule for that date. It was kind of  fun looking at random dates and also makes you realize how scheduled they can be….

We had a second day to spend in the Little Rock area and after spending an entire day inside, we headed for Pinnacle Mountain State Park. There is a 3 mile loop to a peak that can be done from two different sides. They both reach the pinnacle, but one is harder going down ( always more of a challenge).

Well, we chose wrong and spent a long but doable 1.5 miles going up to the pinnacle. The trail is mostly bouldering, which is fun, if it isn’t too steep. It was slow but fine on the way up.

The views from the top made it all worthwhile …

But of course the more difficult route was going down. Making sure we were not going to fall can be a challenge on a trail like this.

Ah well, all in all it was fun.