Travel Tuesdays: Family Fun

 

Part of the fun for me of heading south again is the stop along the way in Oregon to visit extended family. Parked at my nephew's place, one morning I was greeted with this quiet misty vista. I love these towering oak trees. They aren't indigenous farther north where I live in the summer. This is the area I grew up in and I miss these beautiful trees. Although listening to the acorns drop on the roof of the RV is perhaps not my favorite part!

This time I chose to focus on one branch of the family to keep from spread myself too thin visiting all my nieces and nephews. I love them all, but trying to see everyone in a few shorts day can get crazy and exhausting. Planing a group gathering can be challenging when we don't know how long we'll be there. To all of you that I didn't see this time--I'll catch you next time through.

I managed to get in on a quick trip to Eugene for tea and shopping with my sister Sue and her daughters. When it was discovered that the targeted shop didn't have the right herbs and wasn't open to the public anyway, a plan was hatched to get together a couple of days later and order the herbs online while I was there to make sure of the right ingredients. Some years ago I made up a special blend for Sue of calming herbs that she likes. Her daughter has taken on the task of making sure she has a good supply. This get together turned into a tea party complete with treats, different kinds of teas, and historic family albums making an appearance. 

My grandmother Vera camping in jodhpurs. Brewster Valley. Circa 1920

 We stayed long enough to visit my nephew's church for two Sundays and a Friday night prayer service. We thoroughly enjoyed that. It was so refreshing to be in this group of people who love the Lord and love people so much. Love Jesus, love people. Simple concept, much harder to implement. They are doing this well.

We enjoyed seeing my other niece's property they recently acquired. It will be fun to return and see what they have done to improve things. Big plans. We had a great walk down to the Calapooia river that runs along one edge of their acreage.

The Calapooia River dressed in Fall colors.

 

We stayed a bit longer than planned because of two big storms that blew through, one right after another. We were thankful to be parked on the other side of the barn from the wind. Although, before leaving, I had to get up on the roof and sweep off the equivalent of a large garbage bag of oak leaves. I was amazed at how many had swirled around into piles up there. Since we no longer have the slide topper, it must be swept before the slide gets pulled in. After days of rain, it was plenty soggy up there and took awhile to remove all the leaves
.  

Travel Tuesday: Ocean Shores

The vast expanse of sandy beach, waves a fringe between sand and sky.

Since we needed to move the motorhome anyway, we decided to plan a trip somewhere. Many times we had pulled the motorhome out for some reason, and not thinking beyond that, found ourselves wishing that we could just go somewhere while we were in travel mode.  Instead we just went back to our home park and settled in. Even though our home is mobile, it's a matter of an hour or two of preparation to switch from parked mode to travel mode, especially when we've been parked for a month or more. Things tend to migrate out to the deck, or inside and then I must remember which goes where for traveling. 

We started out with the idea of  two or three days at the coast. A quick getaway that would satisfy the former disappointment of not going anywhere. It rather annoyed me that we have lived less than 2 hours from the beach for four summers and had not made it over there yet!

Finally, off we went to Ocean Shores, parking at the Casino for $10 a night. Since it's only a quarter mile walk to the beach, that's a great deal. It doesn't bother me that it's nothing more than a gravel parking spot, but parking where you can hear the ocean? Smell the salt water? Oh, yeah. Happy Camper time.

After getting settled, I was off to the beach to get some sand between my toes. It was lovely weather, just the right amount of warm with a gentle breeze accompanied by the sound of the surf. Delicious. Walking in sand makes me feet happy--except when it's hot, then, not so much. But the hard wet sand near the surf is cool and inviting. We walked along for awhile, then Jerry went off to run his high intensity interval training (HIIT). I continued to beach comb, then chased the waves letting them catch me. The water wasn't as cold as I expected. Still, I wasn't going in past my knees. Finally I headed for a place to settle into the sand. watch the waves and listen to the ocean song. To me there is no more healing sound than the ocean waves pounding the sand. A God symphony reminding me of His greatness and shrinking my worries.

Right from the first, I knew two days weren't going to be enough time to let the sea-song settle into me sufficiently. In our debate about a third day, we noticed and email from our home park informing us of the road treatment being applied that day. We didn't want to drive on it freshly applied, so we debated some more. Then we read the weather report. With record highs expected (111?!)  it seemed silly to return to Olympia before the weather cooled. A few emails and texts later, we were set to spend a week. Not only would I be missing out on the heat, I'd be able to stay near the beach indulging in my favorite sandy pastimes. I'm pretty sure a Happy Dance was involved here.

We also happened to be there the weekend of the Sand and Sawdust Days where there are amazing sand sculptures and chainsaw artists in various places around Ocean Shores. We enjoyed watching the artists at work with the chainsaws, but we were also glad to duck into the Convention Center with their air conditioning to visit the vendor booths. Yes, even at the beach it got hot, but not as hot as inland.

Sand sculpture near Convention Center. The pop-ups behind are the wood carvers.

Wood carver checking the design.

Three charming bears keeping an eye on everything.

Our picnic lunch was consumed from our truck on the beach in what became a beach parking lot with rows and rows of cars. We were late comers to the activities and found a place one row back from the waves so we could watch them while we ate. We soon found out why cars had moved--the tide was coming in! We watched in fascination as a couple of cars whose occupants were somewhere down the beach were threatened by the waves encroaching. Finally we felt it prudent to move and drove to the back of the parking area to take pictures of a series of sculptures. Jerry had to go back and take pictures of the one little white car with waves lapping at its tires. It got as high as the axles before we left, still wondering when the owners would arrive to discover their dilemma. The heavy duty tow truck we had seen nearby was likely going to get more business rescuing the unwary.

We returned home to discover trees and shrubs whose western facing leaves were burnt, unused to the triple digit temperatures and relentless sun. I was thankful to only loose one plant in the heat wave, with only a few burnt leaves on a couple of plants. My neighbor did a great job of watering all my plants and giving them love while I was away. 

The saying "Timing is everything" was especially true for this jaunt to the coast. What a gift from Father God, showing the depth of His love and care. Sometimes He strengthens us to meet the challenges we face, and sometimes He whisks us away to a place of refreshing and rest. He's a good like that. And I am so thankful.

When I was sitting on the beach allowing the sand to flow through my fingers, I was reminded of the verse in Psalm 139:17-18:

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand

This thought arrested my attention: God, who knows me so well, loves me so much that He's thinking of me all the time. How many grains of sand were in just my hand? Looking up at the expanse of the sand stretching for miles, my mind was overwhelmed. Just one beach. Just one part of the world. Wow. His thoughts towards me are MORE in number than the sand. Jeremiah 29:11 says that His thoughts towards me are good! I love that. That's a LOT of good thoughts coming my way. Unfathomable. Delightful.

When I was younger I was unconsciously waiting for Him to strike me with lightning or something for messing up. Discovering that He's not like that has not only been a great relief, but a joy. His thoughts towards me are good. He loves me. I'm cool with that.

In His love I am secure and even when He must correct me, I know He has my best interests in mind. He does it so lovingly that I am strengthened and made better by it. Trusting His good plans for me, I don't hesitate any more to go to Him for everything and with everything. Peace, hope, wisdom. He has it all.

The beach is where I feel His presence the most. It is the place where I see this constant reminder of His love and how much bigger He is than my problems. In the pounding of the surf I hear deep call to deep; the deep of His love calls to the deepest part of me. This has been my best "YES" ever.

Travel Tuesdays: January in Quartzsite, AZ

Sunsets are often spectacular in Quartzsite. I'm told it's because of the dust in the air. Whatever!

 

Quartzsite, Arizona in January is a phenomenon. I suspect it is unique in the whole world. Where else would you find so many RV enthusiasts in one place? For over 30 years, upwards of a million people have annually flocked to this desert town during the month of January. Sunshine and warmer winter weather play a part, but the space to spread out plays an even larger part. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) owns miles of land around the town. Not just acres, miles. There are two types of areas where RVers can park. Dispersed camping areas are free to stay for 14 days, no services, just a place to park. The Long Term Visitors Areas (LTVA) is $40 for 14 days, or an annual permit for $180 lets you stay for seven months . Provided is garbage dumpsters, water stations, and dump stations. Some places have pit toilets, but many do not. 

Most often we park in the dispersed camping areas, although we did stay in an LTVA once. It’s a favorite way to gather in groups. Such places as “Mile Marker 99” a favorite meeting spot for Geocachers and Ham Radio aficionados. “Scadden Wash”, one of the first areas we stayed, is off the worst road I’ve seen yet. This is a ‘paved’ road where the old pavement is so broken and cracked that a rig like ours can only go about 3 miles an hour to prevent being shaken to pieces. Driving on the wide dirt edge is preferred. Clearly, it’s not on any road crew’s maintenance list. Our favorite place now is Plomosa Road, where 3 miles of camping on either side is occupied with different special interest groups. Some groups are as small as two or three, some as large as 200 or more. The Bureau has rangers who come from time to time and check to see that people have checked in with the Camp Host to register. It’s how they get their numbers and can allot resources. One year the Ranger came to the Boomers BOF group and spoke. He said the head count that year was 850,000 people. It boggles the mind because it doesn’t seem that crowded and it leaves you wondering how that many people can be so easily spread out around this small town of 3,000.

What attracts people other than all the space to gather with each other? This area is famous for its rocks. Everywhere you look there are rocks. This has drawn rock hounds from all over for years. The town has capitalized on that and has an annual rock show, where collectors can find not only local rocks, but ones imported from around the world. There are more rock shops in town than gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants put together! After the rock show, there is the Big Tent Outdoor Recreation and RV show. I hear that back in the day it was really something special. Still, it’s fun to see what all the vendors bring. Outside of the Big Tent, there are hundreds of vendors with all variety of goods scattered about town. This year seemed to have less people shopping, but more than I expected in the surrounding area. I think many people headed out to the desert for a safe and enjoyable place to maintain distance while still being able to socialize.  

We reserve a day to shop, but most of our time is spent with the RV groups that have gathered. We have three Escapee RV Club groups (BOF: Birds of a Feather)  that we belong to that meet off Plomosa Rd: Boondockers BOF, Boomers BOF, and Christian Fellowship BOF. Thankfully they are now all within an easy 1/2 mile walk of the Christian Fellowship group where we start out. 

A camp setup that got my attention! There are some great cooks in this group.

 Besides getting to know the other Christians in the group, we enjoy the daily message given by a retired pastor and the time of worship music prior to that. This year I led the worship for the Monday through Friday times as well as the church services on the Sunday before and after. I was thankful for Nancy on her guitar and Kathy singing along. We made a great team and their input was invaluable for choosing songs and praying together beforehand. We were dubbed “The Desert Trio”. I also shared my music after dinner one evening, and although I hesitate to call it a concert, it was well received and appreciated by the group. First I shared songs I had written, which didn’t take long. When I finished, their expectant faces looked for more, so I went on to play favorite worship music and invited them to join me in praise of our Lord, welcoming his presence. What a blessing to know that I am doing what the Lord is asking of me, even if I feel only minimally qualified! He is so good to take what I have to offer and magnify it for his glory.  

The Christian Flag flying in the sunset. 

Travel Tuesday: Valley of Names

Hill after hill of names. We are parked on the other side of these mountains.

 

Even though we have boondocked off Ogilby Rd near Yuma for several years, we have never been to the Valley of Names before. I had heard it mentioned a few years ago and it sounded mildly interesting. In these desert places where vegetation is sparse, leaving rock names or pictures is not uncommon. After all, there are rocks aplenty! It's interesting to see what someone took the time and effort to come up with to decorate the desert.

A few old timers in the group decided we needed to all go see this place to pass on the location of one of those 'don't miss' local sights. I had looked it up before on Google Maps and zoomed mostly to figure out how to get there, but you can actually see the names from the satellite view. (32.874635, -114.683814) That, however, in no way prepared me for actually seeing it in person, on the group with my own two eyes! The sheer size of it astounds! And in the words of one of our group "How in the world do you describe a place like this?" Well, I took that as a personal challenge and went to work taking pictures from all kinds of angles. A picture is worth a thousand words and I knew I needed help! These are a select few from my collection. They really don't do it justice, so I must also try to describe it. As we were approaching the area, we could see a small airplane circling over the area, then we saw it land as we passed it. I think it would be a wonderful way to see this!

Our group parked at the top of the picture. The square at the bottom is about 3 ft x 5 ft in scale.

 

Even though it's just on the other side of the mountain from us, we went the long way to meet up in Winterhaven, CA, with others currently staying in Yuma, AZ. Then we drove north, winding our way past green fields of kale and lettuce, date farms with their huge date palms and irrigation ditches. It was a beautiful drive, but once the pavement ended, it became the familiar arid rock and dirt area, with a dirt road that deteriorated after a few miles into something that made us thankful for our 4-wheel drive truck with a high center. We didn't actually need that 4-wheel drive, but knowing it was available was comforting. 

Our first glimpse of the names made from arranged rocks wasn't that impressive, until we looked up and past them to the rolling hills of names that went on and on and on! Name after name. I tried to guess at how many acres were covered with names! The sheer scale and size of this was astonishing! One name spelled out of rocks is not uncommon out here. But hundreds upon hundreds? I was beginning to wonder if the lead car was going to ever stop so I could get out and wander around looking and taking pictures. Finally, easily a half mile past the first name we stopped. The names kept going. I eagerly hopped out and began trying to capture this surprising place with photos. Many with two names and a plus sign. Some with hearts, others with rectangular outlines. A few rock collections painted blue, some black. Some people had brought in bricks to spell out their names, sure to be visible from a satellite. Some had dates. They ranged in sized from 2ft x 3ft to 5 ft x 12 ft. Having filled our eyes with this wonder, we then went on to see Senator Wash/Imperial Dam (where we have stayed before) and then Mittry Lake (that we hadn't seen before). What a fun day trip.

Travel Tuesday: Valley of Fire

Valley of Fire State Park had never been on our radar. Only because of staying nearby were we even made aware of it. We are so thankful that we got to see it!. It is the most breathtaking landscape with all kinds of colors of rock and soil right next to each other, sometimes in layers, sometimes in folds, sometimes jutting out. Every turn of the road brought more amazing sights and I was very busy with my camera trying to capture it all.

Below is the best of what I took. We did two hikes which was enough for me, but there are more for next time. The $10 entrance fee per vehicle was easily worth it. 

Driving into the Valley of Fire State Park. Even the drive in is fascinating.

So. Much. Color. Every turn and twist of the road brought more breathtaking scenes!

The Seven Sisters is a series of tall outcropping with nice picnic areas nearby.

It's not hard to see why the destination of this walk is called Fire Wave! What amazing colors and shapes! The walk began on the other side of the large red rock outcropping at the top right. The next few pictures are in the same area, just looking in different directions. The variations of color, texture, shape and height are amazing!

On the left, the red and white striped rock, the next to it a greenish and brown color, and behind that a deep burgundy color! The arid climate makes all of this so dramatic since there is sparse vegetation.

Returning along the Firewave trail, just past the large red outcropping looking into the next valley. 

To the right, this is what is left of a movie set built in the 60s. There is a plaque explaining that this area has been used for many movies over the years. The fantastical shapes and colors makes for great backdrops, especially for filming movies like Star Trek Generations. 

Layer upon layer of different colored rocks. I can't help but wonder what the composition is to create all of these varied colors. Coming from a place where the vast majority of rocks are just grey, I'm always fascinated by the colors of rocks in the Southwest and especially here. 

This slot canyon may not be as large or as deep a red as the famous Antelope Canyon near Page, AZ, but it's still beautiful, picture-worthy and fun to walk through. I love the contrast of grey gravel on the floor to the pink walls. The picture just above is near the entrance to the slot canyon just before it got narrow. There were so many holes and caves dotting the walls. And a very sturdy bush stubbornly growing in the barrenness. What a great reminder that life continues, that life can grow in unexpected places and survive when it doesn't seem possible.

This Valley of Fire is a place that warrants repeat visits. It's hard to take it all in in only a day. They have a campground there which is in a beautiful setting, and staying there would be a great place from which to go on the many hikes. It's first come, first served so you have to be early and quick to grab a spot. We drove all through the park, but only did two hikes: Fire Wave and White Dome. That was enough for me for one day. I'd like to return some time and do the other hikes. It's a place that begs to be explored, photographed and enjoyed. 

Travel Tuesday: On the Road Again, 7th Snowbird journey

As the air started to get nippy and the rain began in earnest, we got our lot ready for winter, loaded ourselves up, said our goodbyes to family & friends & headed south. It's amazing that we've been able to do this for six years in a row, with this being our seventh. Where did the time go?!

One of the fascinating things about traveling from the NW to the SW is the variety of landscapes we see. This time I decided to chronicle the changes. When I wasn't driving, I captured several shots from the passenger seat. Although there were a few places where I would have liked to snag a shot while driving, I didn't. I think my collection shows sufficient variety even without them. We typically trade off driving, but Jerry still does the bulk of it. 

I didn't get all of my pictures edited like I often do, cropping for the best view. So, here they are, windshield wipers, glass reflections, screens and all. In the raw! Enjoy the view. It's what it looks like while we're on the road.

Beautiful sunset in Southern Oregon on our way to our first night's stop in Canyonville, OR. In this crazy year of Covid, we didn't do our usual stop for visiting relatives in Oregon. Instead we pushed on while the weather was cooperating.

This is Mt Ashland just south of Ashland, OR. In past years there has been snow on the ground as we drove past. This is the beginning of the big climb over the Siskiyou Mountains. A few miles beyond this is the Siskiyou Mountain Summit at 4310 ft. A rig our size takes this pretty slow! The weather is a big factor in getting over this pass and getting an early enough start helps.

Our first peek at Mt Shasta. No snow to be seen this time! The sign is for Hwy 97 heading for Klamath Falls. We are about 50 miles or so south of the Oregon/California border. We inserted an extra stop in Yreka for the night since the winds were supposed to be very high farther south. Weather dictates when and how far we drive in a day. How windy will it be? What's the nighttime temperature? 

The rolling hills of Northern California is so typical of the area. Lots of grass and deciduous trees

We saw evidence in several places along our way of the devastating fires in Southern Oregon and Northern California. This was the largest burn we saw from the road. Some of the places we saw were a mix of burned and not burned, like the fire did some kind of crazy dance touching down there, jumping up and missing here, spinning to over there.

Because this is out my side window with the screen, it's not very clear, but there are miles and miles of forest, down into a valley or two, up over a ridge. We got pretty high up as we crossed from Northern California up over the Cascade mountain range to Reno.

I loved driving through this corridor of trees. This is likely my last view of huge trees until our Springtime return. These trees feel more like home to me than the desert, but I have learned to love the stark beauty of the desert and the very different vegetation and all of the variety of rocks.

Unexpected rock outcroppings pop up everywhere! 

Here we go into the arid regions. This is just the northern tip of Walker Lake. It is a huge lake and the view as we drove by was beautiful. However, since I was driving, I didn't get to take any pictures. My copilot managed to capture this one. There are places to stay nearby, but we pushed on to make more miles, for a total of 405 miles in one day. We were trying to get to our destination before the big storm hit the whole region. With nighttime temps predicted to drop really low, we determined to push on.

Miles of road like this crosses Nevada. We like to listen to good teaching as we travel which makes the miles fly by. We made a stop for the night in Tonopah, NV at Miller's Rest Area. In the past we've seen several RVs parked for the night and have even run into friends. This year, we had the place to ourselves! The nighttime temps were still tolerable the night we stayed, but expected to drop into the teens the next night. On our way!

Joshua Trees dotting the landscape. I've not seen them before marching along at the top of the hills this way like sentinels! This picture had to be cropped in order to see the trees, so it's a bit of a blur. 

Ah! Finally! After 1268 miles and 5 days of travel, we arrived ahead of the wind and clouds. It sure is a beautiful spot. We were thankful to hunker down and rest up while the wind rocked us for a couple of days. Once the storm passed, it was gorgeous and hot! Finally, Jerry is a happy camper!
 (Photo by Kathy Sweet who joined us after a couple of days.)

Travel Tuesdays: Death Valley

Little Hebe at Ubehebe Crater.

   After we left Death Valley, I was faced with the daunting task of going through over 500 photos to decide what I would use for a blog post. Since I usually only use a handful here, I created a link to a photo album with more here, the Best of Death Valley 2019.

At the salt flats, the lowest pace at -283 feet. With Ines.

  Death Valley was unexpected from the time we entered to the time we left. We sure didn't expect the 16 miles of downhill grade that we needed to take very slowly so we didn't burn up our brakes! And we didn't expect the amazing beauty and variety of this huge place. It will definitely require another visit or two to cover all that we would like to see. Thankfully, we had an experienced person in our group who served as tour guide and took us to many of the must-see places.
   We met up with the Christian Fellowship BOF group, and also saw several from the Boomers BOF group there as well at the Sunset Campground. We arrived more than a week before the 49er Days events and spent the time sight-seeing, interspersed with times for worship and devotions and many potlucks. I stepped up and lead the worship time on my keyboard with Nancy helping out on her guitar. It was lots of fun and a good experience. We weren't able to use any amplification in the National Park where we were, but everyone seemed to be able to hear me OK.

At dawn, I turned around...

  Potlucks are always a challenge, but there were several people who contributed things we could eat and for that we were very thankful. It took a wee bit of planning, but it worked out very well and several people wanted the recipe for the Curtido that I made and shared. (I posted the link for it on the Favorite Recipes page.)

Zabriskie Point just before dawn.

Getting up before dawn is not something I do very often, but it was worth it to watch the sunrise spill color and light, first behind and then hitting the tip of Zabriskie Point. Besides our group of about 10 people, there were probably another 50 or so, cameras in hand from all over the world, waiting for that special moment.
     Mosaic Canyon was another favorite place with amazing rock formations and the conglomerate rock filled with chunks of marble and pebbles right up against huge sections of marble. The forces of nature required to do that boggle the mind! We were instructed to bring spray bottles and extra water for them so we could spray the sections to bring out the colors. It was really fun to watch the colors deepen and I soon had to beg more water from someone! I took so many pictures, but this is my favorite.

Amazing rocks in Mosaic Canyon.

A beautiful pool with rare little fish.

 Another place we went was Ash Meadows Wildlife Refuge. It is an unexpected oasis of pools, streams and green. In one of the pools, there are rare, blue Pupfish about 1-1/2" long that dart around here and there. It's a fun thing to see this unique area and this is the only place in the world they are found. Back in the day there were farms here, but much of it has been returned to original habitat, an ongoing process of restoring the land and removing invasive species of plants.
   The Death Valley 49ers are a group who gather yearly to commemorate the wagon trains that first stumbled across Death Valley in 1849 looking for a shortcut the the gold field of the California Gold Rush. Most of them made it out with their lives and little else. Remarkably there were a few families that survived it. Reading about it made me even more thankful for the comfort and conveniences with which we travel and stay in this very arid area. The celebrations included demonstrations of gold panning and blacksmithing, a costume contest of clothing from the 1800s, an Art Show and various vendors. I got to participate in the "Come Paint" area where an artist has a basic outline that he helps you paint by teaching techniques, helping mix colors and showing how it's done and then handing over the brush. More fun than paint by number, for sure! I enjoyed the Cowboy music in the evening, the old kind. There were some really great musicians! One night before the actual opening there was a kind of Talent Show called Coyote Howl and Nancy roped me into singing with her and playing my baritone ukulele (that I inherited from Dad). We sang an old cowboy song from a book she found circa 1940s. It was great fun and Dad would have appreciated me playing his bari-uke in this setting! He would have loved all of this so much. When one of the groups started in with a harmonica, it brought back such a flood of memories of watching Dad in fascination make such beautiful sounds out of something that had me totally stumped! I might have leaked a little bit....

Selfie with the 20 mule team. 

    One of the most fun things was watching the 20 Mule Team pulling replica wagons of those used to haul boron out of the valley in the later 1800s. (See video in photo album, link above) They were followed by people who came in covered wagons pulled by mules, dressed in period clothing. It was fun to talk to them and see their various setups once they pulled into the parking lot. Some of them had taken a week to pull their wagons 100 miles. This is truly reenacting! The mule train went on past, and then returned a couple of hours later and stopped so we could get pictures and even pet them!

The fury of the flames were awe inspiring!

     After 12 days, we took off toward Indio, CA hoping to make good time. But when we came up behind an RV with flames coming up from the towed vehicle, I was unwilling to drive past due to risk of explosions. We parked and had a front row seat to this unfolding drama. All I could do was pray. So shocking to watch this. Thankfully, the lady and her dog got out safely. She had grabbed her purse so she had ID, but her phone and laptop and all her other possessions went up in smoke. It's unclear what started the fire with the CRV she was towing, but there was something causing resistance. She stopped several times trying to figure out what was wrong. Then she saw smoke and by the time she pulled off the road and got out, it was beyond what a fire extinguisher could do. Thankfully she had a friend and fellow RVer that was in the line up of vehicles stopped behind us, so she had help.
    An hour and a half into this, it was still burning. The fire truck had run out of water and it would some time before a water truck could get filled and get to the site. So when a park ranger told us the road would be closed another couple of hours more, we turned and left by Badwater Rd. There were sections of that road that were rough enough that I could only do 20 mph, but we made it out. I don't intend to take that road again unless it's the only way out! It took about 7-1/2 hours of driving to get to our destination, not counting the delay. Maybe it would have been quicker to just wait it out?! Who knows, we're just thankful and counting our many blessings.