Thursday, 29 Sept, LAX to Liberia, Costa Rica

We got up about 6 am.  Got dressed, painted on a happy face and then drove over to the airport.  Rob needed to report in for his flight at 7:30.  I already had my security document and I was pre-check, so getting through  security was a piece of cake.  We went directly to Starbucks just inside for our needed caffeine fix.  
First class was full, so I sat in the back, but I had the whole row to myself, so that was real nice.
I worked on, and finished (as much as I could) my November Kleenex box cover.  I finished all the stitching and sewed two sides to each other and then the other two sides to each other, but not the four sides and the top.  It would be to difficult to travel with.  
It was a 5 hour flight, but it went by real quick. I took some pictures on our approach into Liberia, Costa Rica.  

 Yes, I was sitting over the wing.

 There is a lot of agriculture here

I got through customs and Immigration with no problem.

Rob and one of the flight attendants told me I should go and pay my departure taxes while there so I didn't have to worry about it on the way out.  I tried to, but was told I couldn't, that I had to wait until the day I was leaving.  The nice man who was helping me took me over to the Alaska ticket counter to ask about it, but she said they were in transition and non-revs didn't have to pay the taxes.  Hmm

I met Rob and the rest of the flight crew and we climbed into the van to go to the Hotel.  It was an hour and a half drive from the airport to the Hotel.  We stopped at a little store just before getting there.  The crew likes to stop there and get their beer and snacks.  

They are on a 48 hour layover, so they need their snacks.

Back into the van for the rest of the journey to the Hotel.  

We passed a lot of, what I believe to be sugar cane, fields and some corn, bananas, papaya, coconut. Costa Rica sort of reminds me of Hawaii, and Mexico, but not as impoverished as Mexico.  It is really hot and humid.

The Hotel, JW Marriott is beautiful.  We checked in, went to our room and got unpacked and then changed in to bathing suits.  We were just in time for the sunset, so we decided to go to the beach and watch and then perhaps a swim in the pool.

The sunset was beautiful.

And the resort from the beach was lovely

The pool, however was beckoning!

It was really warm, 

 The water felt so good, I could have stayed in it for hours.

After swimming and enjoying a beer we went back to our room and changed into dry clothes for dinner.

We went to one of the 4 restaurants on the property and had a really nice meal.  I had baby back ribs with truffle flavored mashed potatoes and roasted tomatoes.  They were delicious.  Rob had Seared Red Tuna with roasted palm fruit and spinach.  Everything was delicious, but rich.  Neither one of us were able to finish, so now we have lunch for tomorrow.

We returned to our room and watched the Bengal vs Dolphins Thursday Night Football in Spanish. Bengals won.  Then lights out and in for a good night sleep.

Wednesday, 28 Sept, Fresno to LAX

I slept really well last night and got to sleep all night without any cat fights.  That was nice.  
We stayed inside this morning and enjoyed our coffee while watching Mom's morning political programs.
I got dressed and went up to the corner store to get some kitchen trash bags for Mom.  We forgot them the first day we went shopping, and then were supposed to pick them up yesterday but for got again. I was going to take Bella with me, but she decided she didn't want to go for a car ride, so I put her back inside with Mom.
After I got back I hung out for a little while longer and then went to Mings for Efu-Wan-Ton and chinese chicken salad.  I brought them back to the house and we had a yummy lunch.
After lunch I packed for costa Rica, said good bye to both Mom and Bella and gave them each hugs then hit the road.
It was mostly an easy drive. but the sky was looking really dark and ominous the closer I got to Bakersfield.  It turned out to be a really big wind and dust storm.  Of course it was.  Just before I got to Bakersfield I got gas and got Rob's car washed.  Then in Bakersfield I got his oil, oil filter, and Engine filters changed.  Then I hit the dust storm, and finally, while it was good and dusty I hit the rain.  so much for having a clean car.
Traffic was bad due to the dust storm.  First there was a small accident that backed traffic up and then there was a multi-car pile-up on the north-bound side of the freeway but the first responders were blocking two lanes of the southbound traffic.  It took me 5 hours to get to LAX from Fresno rather than the normal 4.
I got to the Teton and tried the generator, but it wouldn't kick over.  It was hot inside as well.  I had stopped at a liquor store and bought some wine and chips just before getting the the parking lot with the Teton in it. Since it was hot and getting dark inside I sat outside in the cool breeze with the parking lot lights on the steps and enjoyed a glass of wine and some Doritos while waiting for Rob.  He finally got there after my second glass.  He also tried the generator with no luck.  so, he hooked it up to the car batteries and jump started it.  that was nice.
We both took showers and watched a little TV before going to bed.

Tuesday, 27 Sept, Fresno, CA

We were totally unproductive today.  Mom wasn't feeling very  well and I had no plans.

We watched the political programs on TV durning the morning. 

I went for a run without Bella.  I'm out of shape.  I ran for a mile then walked for about a minute and a half then ran another half mile before having to stop until I could get a deep breath.  I went on that way for about 3.5 miles and then went back to Mom's and grabbed Bella.  We walked over to Glen Agnes because it has big shady trees and grass.  It also has lots of squirrels.  She likes it there. We walked around it twice and then back to Mom's

We chilled for a little while longer then got showered and dressed.  

We stopped by Walmart on out way over to Barbara's for dinner.  We actually got there a bit early and caught her as she was on her way to get ready.  We had a really nice visit and a really good dinner.  She had made a really good casserole and salad.  It was a fun evening.

We got back to Mom's in time to watch most of the new series "Bull" with Michael Weatherly.  It s really good. I watched NCIS New Orleans after ward.  Mom went to bed.  I went to bed after that.

Monday, 26 September, Fresno, CA

I got up and went out with Bella.  Mom still has mystery tomatoes growing in her back yard, but they were full of weeds and some sort of weird mulberry bush right in the middle of them.  I call them mystery tomatoes because no one planted them.  They just started growing there this spring. Not only that, but there are 2 or 3 varieties of tomatoes and we do not know why they are there.  But, they are, they are still producing and they were full of weeds, So I pulled the weeds and cleaned them up.  Then I picked some ripe tomatoes.  
Mom had gotten up so we sat outside and visited over coffee until it became too warm.  She paid bills (boring) and I worked on the blog
Barbara called and invited us to come to dinner tomorrow night.  I sure am glad that we (Mom & Barbara, my Stepmother) can all get together.  It sure makes it nice.
I decided to go for a run.  It has been awhile since I've done that.  I took Bella with me which turned out to be a mistake.  It was a bit warm.  I don't like having her on a leash when I run because she keeps stopping to sniff or pee or poop and it causes me to do the flip back, so I take her off the leash.  And, of course, she keeps stopping.  It's tough running in a neighborhood because at each block there is a street to cross.  If she is ahead of me I make her wait for me before we cross and if she is behind, I have to wait for her.  She kept getting behind, then would have to run to catch up and eventually she got worn out.  We stopped twice and asked the nice people if we could have some water for her and they kindly obliged. Finally, we had to just walk.  We only covered 3.4 miles.  Tomorrow I think I will go without her and then come get her for my cool-down.
I showered and then we settled into a couple of games of Gin-rummy.  We were both interested in watching the Presidential Debate, so when it finally came on we both watched it.  I'm very afraid for America and this election.  I'm afraid of what will happen if Trump is elected with his childish antics and yet if Hilary is elected it will be the same 'ole, same ole.  I wish we had some new, professional blood who is honest, smart, and worth voting for.
Ok, enough of that
We watch the debate and all the comparisons and stuff that followed until we were watching some political program where they just interrupted each other and argued and it made my head swim so I went to bed.  It was 10:00 anyway!

Sunday, 25 September, Fresno, CA

It's gonna be a hot one today.  I could already feel it when I went out with Bella this morning.
I took a shower before Mom got up (but she got up just as I was finishing) and sat down for a nice cup of coffee.  
She has a couple Poli-Sci programs she likes to watch on Sunday Morning; Meet the Press and Face the Nation and Hard Ball.  So we watched them.
We met Art and Barbara at our favorite Mexican Restaurant, Plaza Ventana, for Sunday Brunch.  We generally go to this restaurant after She, Barbara and I go to a Movie, but she wanted to go there so we could all celebrate Art's Birthday which was on the 14th.  
Generally we order off the menu and all have our favorites, and the food is really good.  This time we did the buffet and it was not as good.  But, they had really good Bloody Mary's and we had a real nice visit.  
After brunch Barbara, Mom and I went to Edward Theater and saw "Sully".  That was a great movie and as usual, Tom Hanks did an awesome job.  
After wards, Mom and I stopped in at Walmart.  I had forgotten my medication so had to get it filled again.  I also got some treats for Miss Bella because Mom didn't have any and she had already eaten all from her travel stash.
We came home and watched the Raider game.  I had recorded it to watch later.  Yippee!  they won.  it was a good game.  Then we watched 60 Minutes, and who knows what after that until bedtime.

Saturday, 24 September, Fresno, CA

Boy did I ever sleep late, and so did Mom.  There was a big cat fight outside my window in the wee hours.  15 minutes of growling and hissing before they finally got into it.  Silly cats. Just like people, why can't they just get along?!!
We sat outside on the patio chatting and drinking coffee.  No real plans for the day!
Sometime late morning (I thought) we got dressed and motivated.  We went to Mom's bank so she could get some cash.  On the way there my stomach rumbled and I thought man I'm hungry.  I looked at the clock and was shocked to realize it was 1:30 pm.  Where had the day gone.  
We drove out to the Clovis area.  Art had given Mom some gift cards for a place called Sequoia Sandwich Company.  We think he thought they were for Sequoia Brewing Brewing Company which is near where Mom lives and she loves their fish and chips.  She and Barbara and She and I go there often.  Anyway, We decided to check it out.  Costco is over that way and the plan was to go there anyway.
It was a cool little place.  They make their own bread, have fresh meats and cheeses, soups, salads, desserts, etc.  No wine or beer though!  We each had a salad and split a Hot Roast Beef sandwich. They were all very good.  Then we went back and spent most of the rest on desserts.  My Mom is very bad.  I got a cheese cake slice for her, a blonde brownie for me, and an assortment of cookies.  There was still money left on the card (only a couple bucks) so we gave it to them to help someone else out who might be short.  We were both to full to eat any of the desserts, or finish our salads for that matter, so we took them all with us.
We went to Costco and stocked Mom up on soups, heat and serve stuff, and meat.  
She was pretty exhausted.  Costco is a big place.  We stopped in at the neighborhood grocer for the items she needed in small quantity and some dog food for poor Bella, and then finally made it home.
We put groceries away and I broke all her big meat items down into small single portions and put them into freezer bags.
Now to the important stuff.  She makes this wonderful sour cream, horseradish, garlic, dill dip that I love with potato chips.  I was bad at the grocery store and purchased those items.  She made a batch and we settled in with chips, dip, adult beverages and gin rummy with the NCIS rerun marathon in the background. We played two games, each winning one and then moved to the living room to sit-soft and watch a little more TV before realizing it was 11:30 pm.  No wonder I was so tired.  We went to bed.

Friday, 23 September; Salt Lake to LAX to Fresno

Wow!  3:30 am comes mighty fast.  I could not wake up.  Good thing I was all packed and had my clothes laid out already.  I climbed into my clothes only half awake and staggered out to the car.  We left the Rig at 4 am.
Rob dropped me off with my bad and Bella to go check in while he went and parked the car.
I didn't have to wait long to get checked in and going through security was a breeze as well.  I had checked my bag and my security was TSA pre-check so all I had to do was strip Bella and through my purse on the conveyer and carry her through.  It's nice with Bella because we don't get x-rayed.  I do have to take her vest, lease and collar off though so it doesn't beep going through.  With TSA Pre-check you don't have to take your liquids or computers out of your bag, you don't have to remove your jacket or shoes either.  It is nice.  It is a pain in the butt when I have to take all my stuff out and off as well as hers, because at the other end I have to putt everything back on.  That requires grabbing everything with one hand while hold here in my arms and then putting it all on. 
Wow, that was a lot of nonsense about a 5 minute adventure.
Anyway, we went to the gate and Rob wasn't there so I went off looking for Starbucks, which Salt Lake City Airport does not have.  I waited for Rob to come through security and then we found Seattle's Best Coffee.  Odd that they have Seattle's Best in Utah and not Starbucks.
Anyway, the flight was wide open and we were able to actually get seated in First Class.
This may sound odd, but I don't especially care for First Class on Alaska.  You do get treated really nice, you get free drinks and a full meal when the flight offers them, but, although the seats are wider, you cannot raise the arm rest.  When we sit in the back we usually raise the armrest between us and then Bella sits where the arm rest was.  We are all cozy comfortable.
Since we couldn't do that in First Class, she either had to be on my lap (which doesn't work with a tray table) or she got squished between me and the hard arm of the seat.

Wah, wah, wah.  boy is this a sniveling blog or what!
Anyway, the flight was fine.  A little bumpy in the beginning, but short and sweet with a nice chicken breakfast burrito and coffee.
We actually found the car quickly with Rob's excellent memory (it was a month ago that we parked it there) and we got back to the Teton with no hassle.  I sure do miss the Teton.  It is so nice.  I wish we could travel in it rather than the Seville, but that would require a Freight Liner to pull the the thing and would limit us as to where we could go since it is 45' long and most places are limited to 35' with some 40'.
Rob has been having problems with getting the generator started due to the age of the batteries.  They are old and loose their charge and don't have enough juice to fire it up.  He tried when we got there, with no luck, so he took them out and took the car to get new ones.
I stayed back and got into a good book.  
He returned and installed the new batteries, but it still wouldn't start.  The batteries were not fully charged.  We have Solar on that rig, so we just let it fill the batteries.  Rob had to leave for his dentist appointment.  I just read my book, and when I finally got the generator to kick on I turned on the water heater and pump.  While he was gone I took a nice shower, got to use the hairdryer and put on a happy make-up face.
Rob came back we said our good-byes and he went off on the scooter to his golf lesson and Bella and I hit the road for Fresno.  
It was an easy drive to Fresno.  There was a lot of traffic on the 405 as I was leaving the LA area which surprised me since it was only noon, but by the time I hit the 5 it was clear sailing and 99 was moving pretty well as well.
I stopped in at my Favorite Bravo Farms and bought some cheeses and crackers, some caramel corn and some wine.  I love their cheeses and crackers.  The wine is a bit pricy, but for one stop shopping you have to put up with the inflated prices.
I got to Mom's at about 5-ish.  Bella was very happy to see Mom and Mom was very happy to see her.  We sat and chatted for awhile and enjoyed one of the bottles of wine and some cheese and crackers.
Then I fixed some chili Verdi burritos and we settled down to political TV until she turned on a program she had recorded called Notorious.  It is a new series and she liked it so recorded it.  It was pretty good.  Then it was Hawaii 5-O , and Blue Blood and finally bed.  I was pretty tired.

Thursday, 22 September, Hill AFB, UTAH

It really rained during the night.  We had put the rugs and patio furniture away in preparation for the storm.
It wasn't too bad when we got up, but it was mostly overcast.
Rob left for his golf lesson.  I worked on the blog.
Then I went to my mani/pedi appointment.
It was at a really nice day spa where they do manicures, pedicures, facials, body waxing, and various kinds of massages.  It was a very soothing zen type of place.  The manicure and pedicure were just basic, no massage chairs, or fancy bowls or salt scrubs.  Both were soak, cuticle, cut, trim, basic polish.  Perfect.  
The massage options were 50 min or 80 min and different varieties that we didn't really look into.  We both got 50 min and they were really nice although Rob felt he should have gotten an 80 and the gal working on me said I should get an 80 min as well to work out all my knots.
After massages we went down the street to a Chinese Restaurant.  I have been craving Chinese for some reason. It was pretty good, although not as good as what we get at The Golden in Fresno, so I am really looking forward to that while I'm there next week.
After lunch we came back to the base.  We took Bella out for a little walk and walked over to the office where we borrowed a movie to watch later.
Rob wanted to go out for a little hike, so he took The Boo Dog.  I stayed back and worked on a Global Entry Pass for expedited entrance through customs from Mexico.  It works weather you are flying or driving, so it's a good deal.  
While Rob & Bella were out there was a base-wide announcement, but it was echoing and I couldn't figure out what was being said.  
Rob came in and said that it was a warning about a big storm coming in with high winds and rain.  Within about 10 min it started to get really really windy.  We brought the Plumeria in and then the whole rig was rocking and shaking.  We pulled all the slides on the driver's side in.  that was the Recliners, the Kitchen and the bedroom.  That was where all the wind was hitting us and then we sat back and waited.  It was horrible.  The wind lasted for about 20 min and then the rain started.  It poured.  We looked on the phones at the radar and saw than another was right behind it.  After about 15 more minutes the wind came up again as did the rain.  It lasted for about 10 min and then it was gone.  
Wow, what a mess.  It broke and blew the cover off of one of our air conditioners and would have shredded the awning over our recliner had we not brought it in.  It is already torn and needs to be replaced.
The wind broke many, many branches and uprooted a couple of trees.  It looks like no vehicles or rigs were hit thank goodness.

 These were taken

Right behind us

This one below is our Rig in the center back ground

The doggy park is all full of branches as well, and to make matters worse, the power is out. We have solar, so as it started to get dark we turned the inverter on and were able to charge our electronics.

I kept a watch outside and finally saw lights on around the park.  Yippee, the power is back on.  So, we turned the TV on and watched Thursday night Football.

I packed for our trip to LA, Fresno and Costa Rica.

We are leaving at 4 am tomorrow for the airport, so I went to bed.

Wednesday 21 September, Hill AFB, Utah

I am afraid today will be a boring post with no pictures.

It was a lovely morning and we sat outside drinking our coffee.

We really had no desire to day anything particularly adventurous today so, we did laundry!

tomorrow is our last full day here and it is supposed to be rainy.  We are flying out in the wee hours on Friday morning. We probably should do something more interesting today, but it has been 2 weeks since we have done laundry so this is the plan.

We received an email from 24Pet, which is the insurance on Bella, saying our last payment was returned and we were overdue.  I called them and so they will run it again, but in the mean time, I said hey, you haven't paid anything on any of our claims.  My vet submitted the claim back in May for $419. which was Bella's annual, currency for her shots, her 3 new vaccines (rattlesnake, Lyme's and the third I cannot pronounce so can't remember) and her health Certif.  the lady on the phone said she never received it.  I asked if I could email it to her and she game me the email address. So I scanned it plus 3 more claims and emailed them all in.  We'll see what they pay.

In the mean time, sweet Rob had gathered all the laundry and taken it over to the machines and started it.  

I told Rob I wanted to get a haircut, a mani, a pedi and I would love to get a massage before we left.  So, we started looking on yelp.

As it turned out, there is a place that does manis, pedis, and massages.  Rob is doing a golf lesson tomorrow so we scheduled me for a mani/pedi while he is doing his lesson and then both of us for massages afterwards.  Yippee!  Then I found a place to get my hair cut.

We walked over to put the laundry in the dryers then took Bella for a walk. 

There is a man here in the park who has a truck that has "Book Tour" for "The Captain's Airline"  Rob had heard of the book and wanted to talk to the man.  He was finally in, so we stopped in and talked to him.  He is a retired Navy pilot and also retired from Delta. We all chatted for awhile and he gave Rob an autographed copy of the book.  Nice!

We walked over to the gym.  They have a wellness center and we wanted to see if they did massages.  They do not.

We walked back, dropped off Bella and then went to fold the tons, and tons, of laundry.

While at the gym we looked at a map of a 13 mile loop around  the base.  Rob wanted us to go ride it twice.  So, he put Bella's basket on my bike and we set off.

Remember way back when I first got my bike and I crashed it badly and broke the computer off of it?! Well we taped it back on and it worked fairly well, and in the mean time they sent us a new one.  I told Rob I didn't want to put the new one on until the old one stopped working.  It slides into a bracket where it makes contact with the electrodes that powers it.  The brackets are what broke, so we were tapping it down so it would make the contact.  Every now and then it would loosen up and not make contact. Now remember also, that the bike weighs 65 lbs.  Rob's weighs like 5 lbs.

Anyway, it chose today to no longer work no matter what we did.  It would work, but then I would hit a bump and it would get knocked loose.  So, after about 3 miles, where Rob noticed that I kept falling behind, I told him it wasn't working at all anymore and we returned to the rig.  I didn't really want to go anymore.  I had an appointment to get my hair cut in two hours and I really wanted to work with Bella.  So he went off and I cut up some treats for her and took her out.

Bella is a Registered Service Dog and generally she is very good.  But I decided she needs to know when she needs to act like a Service Dog, which would include heeling, sitting, staying, laying down on command, and then when it was ok for her to act like a dog.  I decided she needed to learn the commands "Service" and "Free".  Service means she needs to come to my side, walk right next to me in Heel and sit when I stop.  So we practiced.  We have been working on her heeling, especially when we cross streets, and we have been trying to work with her on sitting.  She is already real good about staying, which is interesting.  She did pretty well, but we need more work.  Especially with the automatic sit when we stop. It was fun working with her.
Rob was still out riding when I left for my hair appointment.  I got a trim.  She cut a little too much off the top (I'm trying to let it grow out) but I like the cut.
I came home and Rob was still out.  He had gone out to hit some golf balls.
He got back and we had dinner then watched the season premieres of NCIS, Chicago PD and NCIS New Orleans.  Then I watched the news and went to bed.

Tuesday, 20 September near Salt Lake, Utah

Reveille at 7:30 am (o730); The National Anthem with the lowering of the flag at 5:00 pm, (1700) and Taps at 9:00 pm (2100) is one of the reasons I love being on an active Military Base. Especially Taps, only I'd prefer it to be more like 10 pm when I'm in bed rather than 9.  Anyway, Taps was always soothing to me.
It was nice getting up to a warm, sunny morning.  Much nicer than freezing in Wyoming.
When we arrived here yesterday it was hot.  But, it cooled off to be a nice cool night.
Apparently the nice warm weather is only going to be here today and tomorrow and then a storm is supposed to be moving in.  Well that's ok, We are flying out of here on Friday.  We are flying to LAX.  Rob has a 7 day trip starting on the 24th.  I am going to drive from LAX on Saturday to visit my Mom, Stepmom, and Brother.  It'll be nice to see everyone again.
Now back to today....We sat outside enjoying our coffee and watching early morning joggers.  We are right across the grass from a really nice rubberized quarter-mile track with a big football field in the center.  In the morning the Airmen are out doing their PT, (physical Training) and then after them other people use it for their running training.  The last two afternoons there have been organized  Flag football games going on with official Referees.
After coffee we paid bills! Every 5th and 20th!  Yippee, always happy when it is over with. 
Next we did a little trip planning.  We decided from here we will suck it up and drive 6 hours to Durango, CO.  We figured we would drive for 3, stop and have lunch and go for a little walk/hike, then drive the other 3.5 hours.  Rob called to make reservations at a KOA and while on the phone the woman asked him if we were going to take the train on the leaf peeping train.  Soo, we made reservations on thus train.
After bill paying and reservations making we decided to go play golf.
We made a Tee time and had an hour and a half before the 5 min drive to the course.  So, we went for a little walk.
Golf courses on Active Duty Military Bases are generally in pretty good shape and this one is no exception.  The other thing nice about Military Golf Courses is that there are no houses on them.  

Hubbard Golf Course is pretty and green

 It is surrounded by Mountains.

 Rob really enjoyed it.

Bella liked it as well.

After golf we went to Walmart to refill a prescription, then to Apple so I could get a new keyboard cover for my iPad.  It fell off the table during one of our moves and the case broke.  The keyboard probably still works, but it won't stay attached to the pad.  

After that we went to Costco.

We came back and I got to watch the season premier of one of my favorite shows, NCIS, the premier of the new series with Michael Weatherly (from NCIS) called Bull.  It was good!  NCIS was good even without DeNozo, but I still miss him on it.  He was real good in Bull thou.

Anyway, I watched them and then the news and then went to bed.  

Monday, 19 September, Star Valley, WY to Hill AFB, UT

Wow, it was a really pretty morning.  No fog, no rain, and not freezing. We enjoyed our coffee and then started packing and stowing.
We hit the road at 10:30.  My car's nav system said we would arrive at 2:15
The drive was easy for me, but Rob had some painfully steep hills that he could only creep up without overheating.  
I stopped a couple times to take some pictures.

There were some really pretty views of harvested hay fields that were amazing, but I didn't stop and take pictures.  Also, Bear Lake was real pretty, but again, I didn't stop.

One of the things that I really liked about Wyoming is that there were many, many ranches and large fenced areas that had 15 to 20 or more horses ranging.  It was wonderful to see.  I always wanted to live on a horse ranch.  That is one of the reasons I was so sad about missing out on going to Aunt Gene's Ranch when I was growing up.  My cousin Ken has some wonderful memories that he has shared with me on a couple occasions about going to the ranch and riding horses and fishing and all that.

Any way, back to the drive.  I entered Utah at 12:10.  I had passed Rob to go on ahead and check us into the Base before he got there.  

As I was driving down into Logan Canyon after Bear Lake there were hillsides of Sheep, and then I saw a huge flock being herded by cowboys and dogs.  That was pretty cool.  I wanted to stop and take pictures, but there really wasn't anyplace to pull over.

Further into the canyon I came upon cows grazing along the side of the road.  Hmmm, there were no fences.  A little further along there were more cows on the side of the road and after I went by I saw in my rear view mirror that they were crossing the road. Cars were flashing each other (me included) to warn each other that there was a hazard ahead.  I tried to call Rob to warn him, but I had no cell signal.

A bit further along in Logan Canyon, perhaps 20 mins later,  a Sheriff came at me with lights and sirens, then another and then a couple unmarked police cars and an ambulance. I immediately thought about Rob and those cows in the road.

I  drove by a rest stop on my left and saw a Sheriff in a pull out on the right.  He was standing by his SUV loading a rifle, as I was coming up on him to go by another Sheriff SUV pulled in behind him.  The first Sheriff now had two riffles.  I looked at my phone and had a signal.  I tried to call Rob, but only got his voice mail.  I left him a message to please call me to let me know he was ok.  I thought about going on, but then I decided to turn around and go ask those two Sheriff's what was going on.

I turned around, but when I got to the turn out the two sheriff vehicles were gone.  I decided I would just keep driving back until I ran into Rob, then I would know he was ok. But, just past the rest stop the road was blocked and the Sheriff was directing everyone to into the Rest area.  I asked him what was going on and he said there was and emergency and the canyon was closed.  I told him I was worried about my husband who was pulling the RV somewhere behind me and was worried it might be an accident where he hit the cows.  The Sheriff told me there were no vehicles involved in the emergency.  Phew!  That was a relief.  I started to go on, but decided to turn around and wait at the rest area until Rob came through.  I walked up at the road block.  Some guy was listening to the police band.  He wouldn't tell us what was going on, just told us to wait for the news.  I told him I was worried about my husband pulling the RV.  He said someone had been shot.

I talked to the police at the road block again and they said if he were already in the canyon when the incident happened he would be coming through, otherwise, the canyon was blocked at both ends.

I waited for about 20 min and then Rob came driving through.  I whistled at him and motioned for him to call me, then I headed for my car.  He didn't have any idea what was going on.  He just saw about 10 law enforcement vehicles coming at him with lights and sirens.

I got back on the road  we still had about 40 miles to go.  

I decided I wanted a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks and a scone, so I went in search of one.  They were both yummy.

By the time I got to Hill AFB and the RV Park Rob was already there and in the space.  I went and checked us in and then went to help Rob set up.

We set up real fast.  It's hot here.  It was 86 degrees.  Rob decided he wanted to go work out (we are right across the street from a running track and the gym). I was thrilled that I had cell service and decided to get caught up on the Blog while he was gone.

While I was working on the blog I decided to look on the internet and see if I could find out anything about the incident in the Canyon today.  I did

It turns out that at 10:30 this morning the police we called about a man who was suicidal and had a gun and was threatening someone else.  So, they went zooming in there two hours later.  As it turned out, the man wouldn't give up the weapon and the Sheriff shot him.  they then tried to render aid to him and sent him to the hospital in an ambulance, but he was dead on arrival.  

At 5:00 pm, while Rob was gone, they lowered the flag here o base and played the National Anthem.

Rob came home and showered and then we walked over to the dinning hall.  We were told that as retirees we were not authorized to eat there.  We were allowed to eat there tonight, but were told we wouldn't be able to eat there after tonight.  Cool. We ate there and it was ok.

We walked back and grabbed Bella and took her for a walk.  

She was happy about that.

We took her to the doggy park and threw sticks for her.  She got to run around until she was pooped.

We came back and set up the TV antenna and picked up about 20 Digital TV stations.  they are super clear.  But, no Monday night Football.  I think they are on Cable and there is no cable her in the RV park.

We watched the conclusion of the JonBenet Ramsey investigation and then the news and then went to bed.

Yippee!  I am finally caught up on the blog!

Sunday, 18 September, Star Valley, WY

It was raining when we got up.  I was like really?  Isn't it ever going to be sunny in this area?!
We were looking forward to today.  It is our last day here and we are playing in a golf tournament with Jesse, Sharon, and a bunch of their friends.  All the people who were at the football party at their house the first night we arrived in Star Valley were in the tournament.
There were 8 teams of 4, 32 people.  The first team started off at 11:15.  It was funny, because we were told it was a couples' tournament, but none of the couples played with their spouses.  We were all split up.  Rob did play on a team with Jesse.  I played with a gal Kathy who I had met at Jesse & Sharon's and two men.  It was really fun.  It was an odd format.  Kathy and I had to alternate hits on the first three holes and play with a special assigned ball.  The two men, Rick and Chris played their own balls and they used the best of their scores.  The next three holes I was teamed up with Rick alternating hits, and Kathy and Chris played their own balls.  then Rick and Chris alternated, then Chris and I, then, Then Kathy and Rick, then Kathy and Chris.  I as usual had some beautiful Drives, and some really nice chips, and as usual, my putting was horrific.  I was very embarrassed.  
Rick was really good, as was Chris.  That is probably why Kathy and I were teamed up with them.  
When everyone was finished we all met at the pro shop/bar. The group had chips and Salsa and we all had drinks while all the scores were tallied.  
They announced 1st place, second, third and the booby prize for last place.  Amazingly, Rick, Chris, Kathy and I came in first!  We each won $15.00.  Sharon's team got the booby prize.
We hung out for quite a while chatting with the nice people.  There was a house on the 18th fairway that Rick told us about.  It is a log house with a porch on two sides, two bedrooms, kitchen and living room upstairs, a loft, and a basement with another bedroom and full gym.  The people are selling  it fully furnished, "Turn Key" including all the gym equipment for $265,000.  Wow!  Then we were asking Rick about HOA dues and Golf fees.  He said HOA is only $350 per year.  (we pay $410/month down in SoCal).  Golf for them is $1200. per year for the two of them to play unlimited golf on two courses which also includes golf carts on each of the courses.  That alone would be incentive to buy there. The people there are awesome.  They are super friendly and fun-loving people.  But, it is not our favorite place that we have been so far.  So far, we really like Lakeside, MT and it's nearby Whitefish and all the awesome lakes around them.  We also really likes Sand Point and Priest Lake, ID
We came home after the fun golf tournament and visit with all the nice peeps.  Oh, one cool thing that can out of it is that Rob was talking to this gal Pam about wanting to be i the New England States this time next year for the Leaf Peeping.  She said they wanted to do it as well, and Jesse joined in saying they also wanted to go.  So, now we are talking about caravanning through the New England states next year.
We gave hugs to all our new friends and especially good-bye hugs to Jesse and Sharon and then came home.  We took the Boo for a walk and run around, watched the investigation of the JonBenet Ramsey Murder and then went to bed. It was a fun day, especially for our last day.

Saturday, 17 September, Star Valley, and Teton National Park

Oh my goodness.  We had a tee time at 8:30 am.  It was really cold and there was no one else on the course.  This time the greens were still wet, but there were no marks, footprints, ball roll marks or anything ahead of us.  That was kind of cool.  Rob and I took turns walking the holes.  Had to get our steps in.  Sharon and Jesse were alternating walking as well.  It was a fun round of golf.  We enjoyed it, cold and all.  
We brought Bella with us to play golf and wrapped her in a blanket as well as having put her sweater on her.  We brought her because we were planning on going for a hike in Teton National Park and she is not allowed on the trails.
We took her for a walk when we got done.  
We drove up to Jackson and beyond.  Along the way we stopped to take a couple pictures in turnouts

We drove to the Jenny Lake Visitor Center.  From there we began our hike.  The visitor center is under construction so we could not begin at the regular trail head. Instead, we had to hike a half mile up to another parking lot and begin the hike from that trail head.  Hmm, why didn't we park up here?!

This is a horse bridge.  There is a sign that says people please get off the bridge when the horses are present.

Jenny Lake was pretty and calm.  

 There were a couple of people kayaking on it, but we didn't get a picture of them.

We first walked to the lake, then along the edge of the lake 

(The water is really clear!)

and then climbed up above the lake.

There were a lot of beautiful view.  We came upon a waterfall.

And kept climbing

Finally we got up to Inspiration Point after hiking 4 miles.

It was really pretty.  We hiked around up there for a little bit

This is a wasp nest.  Isn't it odd?  As we were  hiking down we were thinking, "how was it built?" It looks like it was pieces of cloth wraps.  Hmmmmm

It was a bit chilly at the top.  We started down.  

It got warmer as we got lower.

It was a total of 8 miles total of hiking.  I was so glad when we finally got to the upper parking lot.  My feet were hurting, my knees and my hips were really talking to me.  I was soooo glad when we finally got to the car.  

Originally we were planning on going to the Jackson Lodge at dusk for dinner, because we heard it was an awesome time to watch wildlife come out to eat.  By the time we got to the car it was already dusk.  It would have taken at least 30 min to get to the Lodge and by that time it would be dark and we wouldn't be able to see any wildlife at all.

We decided, instead, to go to the Teton Ski Village to a place called the Mangy Moose.  

On the way, we did see a really big Elk at the side of the road. We stopped to take a couple pictures.

The Mangy Moose was a nice place.  Kind of rustic inside, but really nice.  Rob had their special which was Trout and I had their specialty which was Prime Rib.  They were both really good.

The other nice thing about it was that I had a cell signal.  I also had brought my computer.  I took advantage and transferred pictures from my phone to the computer and transferred pictures onto the blog for two days.  I think I actually finished and published Tuesday's blog.  

While there, I noticed it was 10:00. Wow.  We still had an hour drive back home.  I also noticed we were like the last people there.  I closed my computer and we left.  

It was a long drive home and we went directly to bed (after playing with Bella for a bit.  Even with a little play time she still brought some treats and a toy to bed.  She definitely was not ready for sleep)!@