Tuesday, September 11, 2007

GRAND CIRCLE CARVAN - TRAVELING JOURNAL

We left Sun City on Sunday, Aug 26 and after 2065 miles arrived at Moab, UT on Wednesday Sep 5 where we joined up with the Winnebago-Itasca Travelers, the organizer of the tour. There are 21 Winnegago motorhomes in our tour from all over the country. We are the only ones from South Carolina.
Our first tour was to the Arches National Park. Words cannot describe the wonderful scenery. The geological formations were simply fabulous. With a little immagination, one can associate each shape with an animal, cartoon character, etc.




















A number of Western movies were filmed in these national parks, including Thelma and Louise and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

After visiting the Arches National Park, we went to Dead Horse State Park from which we could see the canyon lands near the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers, just outside Moab. The scope of these canyons was just breath taking. I never saw so many canyons in one place. They may make our visit to the Grand Canyon anticlimatic.














We had a free day on Sunday so we took a ride along route 128 to the La Sal Mountains. This scenic road goes along the Colorado River through canyons and alongside vinyards. From the road up the La Sal Mountains we got excellent views of Castle Mountain and the Moab valley.

We left Moab on Monday for Torrey, UT, about 160 miles southwest of Moab. Along the way we stopped at the Goblin Valley State Park. Here we saw thousands of sandstone formations that resembled goblins and other weird creatures. The goblins are made of Entrada sandstoneand show evidence of being near an ancient sea with the ebb and flow of tides, tidal channels, and coastal sand dunes.
















On Tuesday, Sep 11, we all took cars and toured the Capital Reef National Park. The highlight of this trip was the drive and hike through Capital Reef Gorge. Again, the cliffs, domes, and monuments were breathtaking. We saw ancient Indian petroglyphs or drawings along with a part of the gorge where the pioneers from the 1870s and later had written their names and dates.














Afterwards, I hiked up a one mile trail to Hickman Bridge, a natural bridge. This was a real strenuous hike, up and down, at altitudes of 7,000-8,000 feet. The views though were fantastic. The hike took me over an hour, Lillian waited nervously below for me to return. On my way down, I met a couple hiking up who relayed a message from Lill that she was concerned about me. But I returned safely to her. That ended our day at the Capital Reef National Park and the surrounding area. I returned to the campground tired and hungry and thursty. These are the times when a beer or two or three taste especially good!















I've taken over 500 pictures and have run out of space on this blog. After Gremlin Valley where there were thousands of sandstone forms that resembled aliens from outter space, ET type animals, &, yes, gremlins, we visited Bryce Canyon, Zion, Durango, Mesa Verde, Grand Canyon (North & South Rims), and the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

Of all the canyons we saw, Bryce, due to its many interesting formations and colors was our favorite.



On our way home, we stopped in Little Rock to visit the Clinton Presidential Museum & Library. We were very impressed with the Clinton Museum, especially with Hillary Clinton's very active involvements and accomplishments as First Lady.






All in all, I think our high point was Mesa Verde, so below is our last picture from this wonderful six week trip of 5750 miles.

Friday, August 24, 2007

WALLY & JULIA GET NEW HOUSE



In July 2007, Wally & Julia relocated to Augusta, GA and bought a nice, four bedroom house in a quiet neighborhood just off of I520. The proud owners seem quite happy in their home. They've been busy painting the interior and getting furniture. To complete the kitchen, a dishwasher was recently installed. Good luck to the happy homeowners!!!!!

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Performance Center Delivery

On July 16, 2007 we picked up our new BMW 335i convertible at the BMW Performance Center in Greer, SC. BMW put us up at the Marriott the day before. Prior to delivery, we drove a BMW 335i coupe supplied by the Center
on their test track. There were about 15 of us picking up our cars that day. We were split in groups of about 4 or 5 and taken on the track to learn how to use the performance of the cars we purchased. Each had a BMW similar to the one purchased. We communicated with the instructor via two-way radios. We all also drove the BMW X5, which is made in Spartenburg, SC, on their off-road test track.
Wow! What an SUV! We went through water, up and down steep grades, and sideways on a 45 degree slope such that while in the driver's seat, I could look down on the ground through the sun roof. One impressive demonstration was when I had the X5 on a hill such that it was balanced only on the front right and rear left tires. The instructor then came over to the X5 and opened the rear door, it opened and closed with out a problem, illustrating the structural integraty of the frame.

After lunch, we then went and saw our new BMW. It was in its own room with the top down. Beautiful.



We drove it back to the Marriott. That evening, Lisa and Karen, who happened to be that weekend in Greer their old home town, joined us for dinner at Joe's Crab Shack.

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Wagner, Class of 1958 50th class reunion

Wagner Class of 58 reunion will take place on June 6, 7, & 8, 2008. Keep these dates open. Stay tuned to this blog for updates. Our goal is to raise $100K to establish a Class of 1958 Endowment. If we all do our share, we can realize this very worthwhile goal and accomplish something really meaningful and beneficial for both our alma mater and its future students. Contact our Class Agent Milt Keen or Gail Kelley,Reynolds House, One Campus Road, Staten Island, NY 10301.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Wood Ibis Spotted at Lake Somerset



A few weeks ago I spotted a pair of Wood Ibis by our home in Sun CIty. We've been here for nearly 8 years and this is the first time I saw these beautiful birds. They are a larger version of the white ibis which is common in this area, but they have a distinctive black coloring at the end of their feathers. On the 28th of April I took these pictures of one of them feeding in the lake by our house. Hope to see many more of these in the future.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Michelle's 17th Birthday


On Sunday, April 15, we celebrated our Granddaughter Michelle's 17th birthday with a special cake from the French Bakery and a dinner at the Kobe Japanese restaurant in Bluffton. Mom, Dad, & Sister Karen joined Grandma & Grandpa to make a very festive celebration.