Grace is teaching at the Overland Expo

I am happy to announce that Grace will be teaching, once again, at the Overland Expo. 

Journaling for Kids—Zebra style - Saturday 10am

In this fun hands-on class, Grace will teach techniques for helping kids to

effectively journal. Then, they will make their very own zebra journals to

use on their next adventures. Supplies included.

I Can Knot, I will Knot: Knot-tying for kids - Friday and Saturday 11am

Come learn to tie basic knots in a game setting. Then learn how to tie down tents, awnings or anything so it won’t blow away. We think there are quite a few adults at the Overland  Expo who need this class. 

Grace has been an instructor for the last Overland Expos with a group of girls.  This year she is striking out on her own.  Please come join Grace (and her parents) at the Expo.  We look forward to meeting you!

Grace's Expo Bio: 

Twelve-year-old Grace Howard spends her weekdays attending Basis School in Tucson and her weekends and holidays camping, hiking, and traveling. She is a Junior Ranger at 24 National Parks, has been to 18 states and once spent 2 weeks with her parents touring Japan.  Her favorite activity at the 2012 Expo was learning how to build a bridge from the Camel Trophy folks using nothing but rope and logs. Grace owns a 1968 Land Rover Dormobile that she lets her parents use.

How to Change Oil in a Car

Grace was assigned to write a "How to" article in her English class.  How many sixth grade girls do you know that turn in a "How to Change Oil in a Car" article?  

How to Change Oil in a Car

Are you tired of paying a lot just to get your oil changed?   By replacing the oil and oil filter yourself, you will lower your car maintenance costs.

           

First, you will need to get the right filter and oil for your car.  Next, put an oil pan that will catch the oil, under the filter.  After that, loosen the old filter and let it drain.  Make sure none of the oil is going down a flat piece of metal.  Remove the filter entirely and let it drain some more.  Make sure you put the oil pan under the oil plug.  Now pull the plug.  This drains the engine of oil.  You have removed everything that needs to be removed. You are now half way through.

           

Next, replace the oil filter.  Make sure that it is on tight.  Do not take the oil filter out of the box until you are ready to put it on.  The filter will get dirty and reduce the lifetime of your filter. 

           

Lastly, you will need to refill the oil.  Open the oil container lid and set the lid down.  Very carefully, pour the oil into the hole.  You will need more than one bottle.  Most bottles will sit right in there. 

            

You have now changed the oil on your car.  Make sure you go in order.  First, you remove the old filter. Second, you replace the filter.  Last, refill the oil.  If you follow the steps you will inexpensively and easily change your filter.

Who Needs a Gym Membership? Drive a Dormobile!!

I have discovered some built in features that were not in the original brochure.

No power steering - upper body workout,
No syncro mesh - lower body workout,
No air conditioning - sauna,
Right-hand drive - hand eye coordination
Broken lock on driver side door - Yoga - to get in and out the passenger door.

Bridge Building with the Camel Trophy Guys

At the Overland Expo 2012

By Grace Howard

In the past, I have gone on trails, driven Rovers, gone camping and spotted vehicles, but I never thought I would build a bridge with Camel Trophy guys.  This year at the Overland Expo I did.  On Saturday, after teaching and a good lunch I went over to the Camel Trophy Area.  There Andy Dacey and Duncan Barbour taught me how to build a bridge.

Duncan and I lashing two logs together.

The first step is to cut four logs about the same length.  Then put two next to each other.  Next you tie a timber hitch around one and start wrapping the rope around several times.  Then you frap it.  While frapping one person beats on the rope with a stick and another person pulls on the rope to get it even tighter. Two of the four logs had already been lashed together.  I found out that other AZLRO people had lashed those logs together.  The people that helped in the morning were Ryan Hemphill, Bob Kolander and Craig & Davin Ludwig. 

After frapping you use a winch to move the logs into place.

Here is some "Man Heaving"

  Otherwise you, “Man heave it!” as Duncan put it.  Duncan is funny!   

As we were working over a trench, one person said, “I would just drive my car around the trench!” and someone else said “That’s not how we do it when there are Camel Trophy guys around.”  Some people just don’t know how to have fun!!

They winched the two set of logs across and we fastened them to the ground. I worked with Duncan to show everyone how to fasten the logs in place. 

I helped Andy make sure we placed the logs in the right place, by measuring the wheels of the Defender.  I used a rope and measured from the center of the front tires. 

Then my Mom, Dad and I worked on another set and fastened it in place.  It was fun to work together as a family.  My Mom and I were the only girls who helped with the bridge.

Then they drove a Camel Trophy Defender across. 




Then they drove a remote control Camel Trophy Defender across as well. It was really funny when they let Duncan drive the remote control car.  The remote control car was looking like it was going to fall off.  So, there were lots of comments like, “Camel Trophy guys never give up,”  “Camel Trophy guys never go backward.”  To this Duncan said, “Save your vehicle, not your pride!”  It was one of my favorite things I heard all weekend.  So many times guys are macho on the trail and do crazy things. 

It was great fun!!  Something I never want to do for real, but I now know how to tie a timber hitch and overhand knot, I know what frapping is, and I got to spend a great afternoon working as a team with awesome people. 

Viewing the Sun Safely

Warning!  Do not look directly at the Sun with your remaining eye!  Seriously, you can lose your eyesight by looking at the sun, especially if you do it through binoculars. 

There are several techniques for viewing the sun safely.  One of the best is eyepiece projection, which we used to view the partial solar eclipse at the 2012 Overland Expo near Flagstaff, Arizona. 

A pair of binoculars were placed on a tripod.  A screen was made by taping a white sheet of paper to a box lid, and placed in the shadow of the binoculars about 3 meters back.  The binoculars were pointed at the sun (NEVER look through them when you do this!) - this takes some fussing but you can tell where they are pointing by the way the shadow of the binoculars looks on the screen.  Once the sun is found, you will have two images.  Cover one of the lenses with a cap if you find this annoying.  To improve contrast, a cardboard shield with two holes in it can be added around which casts a shadow on the screen.  Finally, adjust the focus.  You may see some black spots on the image.  These are sunspots, and each one you see is much larger than the size of the Earth. 



Grace demonstrating eyepiece projection.  Note the image of the partial eclipse on the screen.



Spring Break in the Chiricahua Mts.

This year for Spring Break we decided to go visit the Chiricahua Mts. in southern Arizona.   James and I visited Chiricahua National Monument in 1996, but it was time to take Grace.  We were very curious about how things would be since the Horseshoe 2 fire last summer.  

We headed to the monument and found a campsite at the Bonita Campground.  It was nice, but the sites are way too close together for our liking.  The bathrooms in a CCC-built building were very nice with new tile and flush toilets.

First we went to the visitor's center to pick up Grace's Junior Ranger booklet.  Then we drove the road up into the park and stopped along the way.   It truly is a "Wonderland of Rocks"

Massai Pt

Here is Grace looking at the China Boy formation.  Grace couldn't see it.  She didn't know the traditional hat that the Chinese wore.  When we got home, I showed her a picture and she then got it, but thought it was weird.  

Faraway Ranch House

Within the Monument there is the Faraway Ranch.  It was a guest ranch for many years that operated outside of the monument.  In 1973, the Park Service acquired the ranch and it became part of the monument.  The ranch is a fun place to visit.  The chimney of the main ranch house has the names of Buffalo Soldiers carved into it.  They also have a nice little display on the ranch and the CCC in the monument. 

After the visit to Faraway Ranch we headed to the visitor’s center so Grace could get her Junior Ranger Badge.  She is now has over 30 Junior Ranger badges.  At Chiricahua National Monument you get a patch instead of a pin-on badge, which is very nice, since the pins pop off and get lost.  One of these days, I will sew the patch on Grace’s Camelbak.  

The next day we headed to Fort Bowie National Historic Site.  To visit Fort Bowie you have to hike in a mile and a half to the visitor’s center and the ruins of the fort.   

Apache Spring

We hiked in and on the way we passed the reason for the fort, Apache Spring.  When Grace saw it she said, “That is it?”  She had read about the fort before our visit and I think she was expecting a big gushing spring, not a little trickle of water.  We sat had a drink from our water bottles and pondered all who had drunk from the spring before us, Geronimo, Cochise, General Howard, countless natives and military personal, pioneers, and now us.

We got to the fort and picked up Grace’s Junior Ranger booklet.  We then went around to many of the ruins.  I had no idea what a big place it was.  The big problem was they put the fort above the spring, so the spring became contaminated, so they had to pump water from a spring in the next valley over.  It is kind of funny all that conflict and then it becomes useless to them.  

Another Junior Ranger!!

The fort has a long history of the conflict between pioneers, then the military and the Apaches.  The Park Service does a very good job of telling the story without judgment on either side.  When Grace asked us who was right we replied, “They were both right.  Both sides were just fighting to preserve their way of life.”  Grace said, “Aren’t most wars fought for way of life?”  She is right.  I have a smart kid!!!

Fort Bowie is definitely worth a visit. 

We had planned on camping in the National Forest, but had heard from many people of the devastation the forest had sustained from the Horseshoe Fire 2 that had raged for over a month in 2011.  So, we stayed in the Monument’s campground for the first three nights.  On the third day, we headed out to drive over the mountains via Pinery Canyon road and survey the damage.  Our goal was Sunny Flat Campground near Portal, AZ. 

When we started over the mountains you could see the road was the fire line.   

Green on one side, black on the other. 

Then we got up higher and all we could see was burned trees, it was a crowning fire and the damage was extensive.  I am not sure what the plan is for forest, but I expect it will be a long time before the forest recovers. 

Our campsite!!

We ended up in one of our favorite campgrounds.  We typically try to avoid campgrounds as a rule.  Why have a Dormobile and go where everyone else goes?  We have it to go where others are not willing or able to venture.  But Sunny Flat is a campground we go back to time and time again.  It was designed by a camper, for campers, but the best reason is the scenery. 

We spent the next day relaxing, reading and watching Grace build dams in the creek. 

Grace setting up my bed!

 One of the great parts about Grace getting older is she is expected to help out more:)

After seven days and six nights we reluctantly headed back to civilization and “real” life.

How to Pick Up a Range Rover in Style

About a year and a half ago James and I decided we wanted another Range Rover Classic. I was the main force behind this decision. When I first met James in 1995, he had a Series III, 88 inch wheel base Land Rover. We went on a trip to Moab and met up with a friend from Colorado. He had a Range Rover. I was hooked and the next year, I came back with a Range Rover of my own. We used that Range Rover at our wedding, brought Grace home from the hospital, and drove it to over 290,000 miles. Our wedding picture with the Rover is still on our photographer’s website - http://www.lindastoryphotos.com/page4.html I love the Dormobile, but it is hard to drive, and I missed the ease of a modern car, and my old Range Rover.

We had looked at multiple different RRC’s. Then this spring one of our Land Rover friends in Northern California put his on the market. We knew this was the one we had been waiting for. I showed Grace a picture of it, she was so excited. She said, “It is just right for us. The Dormobile has a green body with a white roof and this Range Rover has a green body with a white roof.” She was so excited and then at dinner that night said, “I have got it!! We have a Dormobile and now we will have a “Rangemobile!” It is kind of ironic because in 1999 both our Dormobile and our Range Rover were on a Mendo Club trip around the Four Corners area. Back then the Rangemobile was white. It got new body panels after a trip through the Rubicon.

So this summer we were off on another great adventure. One could argue that buying a 19-year-old Range Rover is silly, buying one 1000 miles away is crazy, and setting off on that long road trip to pick it up in a 43-year-old Land Rover in the hot summer months is foolhardy. I just think of it as being optimistic.

After two long hot days of travel across the desert we were there. Here are some of my favorite spots along the way.

Paso Robles -

James and I had traveled through here in 1999 and loved all the wineries. We made a point to hit a couple of our favorite wineries and found some new favorites.

Elephant Seals –

About a mile north of Hearst Castle there is a beach where Elephant Seals hang out. It is very cool to see them in their natural habitat. These seals even have their own webcam - http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=25732

Camping at Laguna Seca Raceway –

This was so unique for me!!! There was no need for an alarm clock. We were woken up bright and early by the race cars. So fun to eat breakfast and watch the races!!!

Golden Gate Bridge –

Grace was so excited about getting to go and take the Dormobile over the Golden Gate Bridge. She was so sure we could get a shot of the Dormobile on the bridge. When we told her that would be just about impossible, she understood once we were there. She loved it all the same.

Camping on the beach at Bodega Bay –

Grace played and played in the freezing water. Grace’s lips were blue and she was shivering, and when she finally got out all she could say was, “I am not cold!”

Visit to Korbel Winery –

In the Russian River Valley there are many wineries. We really enjoyed the Korbel winery. We found out that Korbel “Natural” is the Champagne that has been served at every Presidential Inauguration since the early 1900”s. So, drinking it is kind of fun!!! (Cost Plus sells it.) The winery also has a cool history of immigrants who came to this country for a better life and found it.

Camping in the Redwood Forest –

We camped one night among the Giant Redwoods. So Cool!!! Plus, we had purchased some crab right off the dock and had Champagne and fresh crab for dinner. Yum!!

Redwood Forest where “Return of the Jedi” was filmed –

This drive was kind of surreal. We kept thinking a Storm Trooper would come out around a tree, or that two legged robot thing would appear. It was a fun drive. I wish we would have had the Star Wars score on our MP3 players. I would have downloaded it if we would have had cell phone service, instead we just imagined.

Picking up the Rangemobile –

June 21^st – This was our 14^th wedding anniversary. Did you know 14 is the Range Rover anniversary? We arrived at Granville’s house to pick up my Range Rover. We have known Granville and Melanie for many years and they were gracious hosts to James, Grace and I. They have chickens and roosters, one rooster kept trying to attack me. Their dog, Rosie, always came to my rescue. Grace loved Rosie and seeing all the chickens.

Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks –

Half of a day is not enough time to explore these parks. We will be back at some point in the future. The drive through the Giants is not to be missed. One of the most interesting things I learned was that they cut down a 24 ft diameter tree to take to the World’s Fair in 1912. They could not transport the whole tree so they just took a cross section of the tree, and the World’s Fair would not let them display it, because they thought it was a hoax.

Homeward Bound –

We drove early in the morning and late in the day, since neither car had air conditioning. Around Needles, we had an issue with the infamous ignition module overheating on the Range Rover, so James squirted water on it and the engine fired right up again. The sunroof also had a rock hit it while on Highway 95 in California and shattered. We duct taped it and drove on home.

The trip up Highway 1 was awesome. I am so happy to have the new addition to our family of cars. Our adventures with it are just beginning. Grace is already talking about how she is going to learn to drive on the Rangemobile. I can’t wait to teach her. I have a feeling it won’t be too long before she is driving off pavement.