Babysitting! 32 degree overnight temps! Fall color! Harvest moon! Fall Season TV premieres! Football. My daily life has been full and exciting. More domestic than usual, but so much fun!

First, my grandson Silas. Circumstances lined up perfectly for me to be here and to be available to babysit each week during September. It was one of the best experiences in my life, and the memories will rest in my heart forever. He is such a sweet baby and having long stretches of time with him was a joy. I am so blessed to have had this experience.

In the meantime, fall definitely arrived. From my RV park about 25 miles north of the grandbaby, I can drive in any direction on a back road that is bursting with fall foliage. Last night, the Harvest Moon rose over the hay meadow behind the camper. I also found a bike/walking trail in the area that Tango and I visit when we are not babysitting! I love autumn.

In anticipation of falling nighttime temps, I insulated the water lines going into my kitchen sink since they are near the exterior wall and froze a bit last year. I kept them warm on cold nights in New Mexico by aiming the little space heater into the lower kitchen cabinet. The insulation should be safer, less of a fire hazard. I also purchased heat tape and insulation for the outside hose that connects the water spigot to my interior water lines. I won’t need that unless temps are consistently way below freezing. I had my first 32 degree night on the same night as the Harvest Moon, but I suspect it was not that low for very long. The next week is back up into the 40s at night.

I have access to TV at the moment and finally caught up on the 2017 season for my TV shows (NCIS series, Bull, Criminal Minds, Life Below Zero, Alaska Bush People). I saw all of the season cliffhangers during one week’s time. So, I am ready for the season premieres, mostly this week. Season 3 of Bull was on last night, and I found it disappointing. Tonight, with NCIS and NCIS NOLA, will be better.

Colville National Forest

However, once I recover a bit more from a cold I got from baby, I am heading out with the mothership for the northernmost part of Eastern Washington. Surprisingly, several campgrounds are still open in the Colville National Forest. After a week+ there, I will move a short distance to Sandpoint, ID to officiate at an outdoor wedding. These are cold winter areas but it is early enough that the RV should be fine. A freak, early snowstorm might be fun, though, if temps don’t stay too low for too long.

Then, the big, highly anticipated adventure to the Olympic Peninsula. As mentioned before, I am hoping this will be a good base area for me. I am going to the Sequim/Port Angeles area, in a rain shadow near Olympic National Park. Kayaking, hiking, mountains, forest, coastline! Lots of reason to have high hopes for this area.

And finally, my new bucket list item: section hiking the northern segments of the Arizona Trail. Did I mention this already? I discovered the Kaibab Plateau on my final trip up here last month. I also discovered the Arizona Trail, which starts near Mexico and finally passes through the Plateau in Northern AZ. These northern sections are not anything more than “moderate” hiking, perfect for me and Tango. However, I do not want to backpack, so I am planning to do day hikes, out and back on each section. I have been studying one book that discusses each section in detail and another that shows all the forest service roads leading to and from the trails. I will be able to camp on Forest Service Land and drive to the trailheads. I will probably do this next fall. The Kaibab Plateau is not snow-free until May, and summer will be too hot. August or September sound perfect. So, I am planning now because Tango and I need to start training. We need to work up to 10 miles, and I am thinking that the Olympic Peninsula and the stellar walking/hiking trails will be perfect.

Arizona Trail. The upper third crosses the Grand Canyon and then travels over the Kaibab Plateau, up to the Utah border

Happy Fall! I miss writing and should have more news once I get on the move again. I still don’t have any particular focus for writing about my Alaska trip so I have set that material on simmer for now! Maybe it will come together in something else. In the meantime, I am happy just to be writing anything at all!