A Good Stop

As we travel around the country, once and a while we happen on special places--in the most unexpected locations. In mid-August we left Cortez, CO, for Utah. After checking out campgrounds in both Monticello and Blanding, we choose Blue Mountain RV in Blanding. And was it ever a good choice.

Why were we looking for a place in this area? It was within driving distance of Canyonlands, Natural Bridges and Monument Valley. We originally thought we would be able see everything in a week. But the campground was so nice and we had such a great site, we decided to stay two weeks and have some down time.

Look at this great parking spot with a huge grassy front yard and shade trees!

The park has 42 sites, but the most that were occupied at one time was 13. Look at our open view.  Obviously,  it was very quiet.

In this part of Utah, nothing is close. Actually, in Utah nothing is close. We have volunteered in the state twice and had long drives to a good grocery store or other interesting tourist sites. During our two weeks in Blanding, we drove 550 miles sightseeing. But the other option would have been to move the RV several times. And we had such a great parking spot, why move?

In addition to all this, the family that owns the park is very nice. In fact, Gary brought us vegetables from his garden and his son's garden. He also brought John a piece of grease wood after seeing the carving and walking sticks John has done. He is looking forward to seeing how he can clean up the grease wood.

As an added bonus, we got our kitty fix. A stray cat had wandered into the RV park and was being fed by various campers. The kitten was very friendly and loving. We love cats, but restrained ourselves and left it there. But not after getting and giving a lot of love.

We talked to a number of people in the park who are wandering around Utah, waiting for the weather to cool down a little in Arizona. Since that is what we are doing, we were grateful for such a great place to stay.

A Good Day, But...

Since over a month ago (August 12, to be exact), we have been moving toward this day. We got up this morning with one purpose in mind, to tour the DRV factory in Howe, Indiana, and see our partially-built, new RV. At a few minutes after 8, I called to confirm the time of the factory tour, leaving a message with the switchboard. About an hour later, we received a call from Kyle of DRV. He was in nearby Elkhart, setting up for a dealer show of their new models. He said there was no salesman at the factory to give us the tour. I reminded him that we set up this appointment with him over a month ago. After a few fits and starts and phone calls, and several apologies from him, we arranged to meet with the chief engineer tomorrow to see our rig (and maybe a factory tour?).

Needless to say, we have been disappointed and frustrated today. We are glad we didn't just fly out here for one day. Since we now have all the time in the world, we made the best of it and spent the day browsing around nearby Shipshewana. It is an Amish/Mennonite community with lats of local artisan shops. Typical of Amish areas, we saw folks on bicycles and driving horse-drawn carts. Highway signs warn you of their presence.




There were lots of interesting shops. The first one we went into was The Sign of the Boot Leather Shop, which also houses the Center for Traditional Arts. The boot maker told us about many interesting wood carvings and explained that they host demonstrations of traditional arts from time to time.



We saw a small cafe that looked like a Coca Cola collector's heaven.



Nearby we saw an interesting music instrument shop. Look at the brightly colored violins.



These interesting-looking quash were on sale fro 25 cents each or 5 for $1.



There was this neat carousel.



A large grain mill, right in the center of the shopping district.



Great Amish-made toys.



And wonderful flowers and decorations all through the shopping area.

One street even had a water pump in the sidewalk. (I don't think it works anymore. Maybe it was to water the horses?)



All in all, it wasn't the day we planned, but it was an interesting one.