TaylorHaps

Taylor Beach Camping and Disney

11-15 Oct

After presenting 2 GSLC workshops at the UtSta conference in Layton, I flew to SoCal. Went to Disney that night by myself and then Saturday some with Mackensie. Had a lovely time.

Steve flew in Sunday morning. I went to the Samoan ward for sacrament before picking him up.

We had time to kill before we could check in to our hotel so we went to cafe Sevilla in Long Beach.

Everything was delicious! Including the paella!

I would definitely like to go there again

We went to Doheny Beach and hung out with the Freelands a little bit before checking into our hotel, which was just across the street. Here’s the view from our balcony.

We got upgraded to a suite because our room wasn’t ready as promised. A really nice suite with a patio and a balcony and a full tub and a separate living room.

I finally made it back over to the beach after a long nap and some icing

Steve’s uncle Dave was there with his partner Darren and Darren’s mother. It was really nice to hang out and have dinner.

On Monday, everyone hung out at the beach but I headed in to my place in Anaheim to work, swim, and go to physical therapy.

Tuesday…Disney! Me and Steve, Ken and Nora, Robin, Zay, and Darren, and the Freelands including Eileen. Jonah was not having pictures 😊

The person taking the photo took one before we were posed haha

We had several rides go down when we were in the line (including here at Rise of the Resistance)…

…but we were able to get some shorter times because of the scooter.

And had great food! Smokejumpers for lunch…

Blue Bayou for dinner (and carnation cafe for breakfast!). It was a lovely day!

CA with Gary and Claire

17-21 Sept Flew down for Claire’s trip with her dad.

The next morning, my roommate Mackensie joined us

Claire was really scared to do space mountain but now she loves it!

Same with Incredicoaster. So proud of her!

We got in the virtual queue for haunted mansion. My favorite bit each year…the gingerbread house!

She almost did guardians…Gary and I both love that ride so we went anyway

Ate at the blue bayou. Fun with a Mickey glow cube

Claire really wanted to see the Queen Mary and I had never been so we spent Friday morning and early afternoon doing that

We did the paranormal tour which I thought was pretty contrived but Claire liked it. Gary pushed me in a wheelchair all over the ship

The coolest and scariest bit…the boiler rooms

Then we went to my favorite beach El Matador State beach.

We had planned to go to several beaches but the Queen Mary took way longer than we had thought

Claire went looking fur shells and she found so many!

I wanted to get to Solvang on Friday night but we didn’t get over there until almost 10 so we just went to the hotel and came back Saturday morning.

We had aebleskivers for breakfast and then looked through the shops. Found Ada’s gift shop

Had lunch at my favorite restaurant there. Gary and Claire both loved the town. I’m so glad that we went!

Knee replacements

24 July Steve prepped my non-surgical leg 😊

25 July right knee replacement approaching. My own clothes

26 Oct the first in a long line of meals brought in by people in the ward. So kind!

28 July A few days later thought it might be infected but the redness was just from swelling

1 Aug Plenty of time to watch movies with Steve.

8 Aug Got the bandage off at 2 weeks. Healing very nicely!

Cool bionic knees! No wonder this hurts so bad!!!

10 August. Girls night at my place. We played Gabe’s, ate junk food, talked, laughed, took a series of goofy pictures. 😊

What would I do without the cold therapy machine. What a lifesaver!!

Bought a great new chair so that I can enjoy the backyard

Jul recommended that I celebrate the things I can do instead of focusing on what I can’t. So I made a list of celebrations!

Had to go to my aunt Nikki’s funeral. Such a sad occasion.

1 Sept did a speed puzzling contest with En. It was lovely.

10 sept. Back in the hospital! Not enough bend so the surgeon did a manipulation under anesthesia.

This is how much my knee bent. Set it as my lock screen to remind myself.

18 Sept In Anaheim, I turned my regular bike into a stationary one for knee crunching’

I didn’t want to lose momentum so I swam every day and went through checklists of exercises, including this beaut on the scooter

4 Oct. got a new therapist and they have a cool knee crunching machine

See?

30 Oct Steve drew me some awesome scar monsters for my other surgery on Halloween

I got freaked out when I first saw my leg. The crooked bandage made me think my knee was crooked!

Colorado Road Trip

One last road trip before my knee replacement.

Friday, 19 July

The main entrance was closed so I drive around from to a little spot on the north side

Spur of the moment, decided to drive up through the canyon portion of Dinosaur National Monument

Drove out to the end of the road and then hiked out to Harper’s Corner

Found a peaceful spot to sit and watch the big birds

It was a long hike and my knees were shot but it was well worth it

Went back to the first overlook, K made a grilled sandwich for dinner and watched the sunset

Slept in my car in Craig.

Saturday, 20 July

Stunning drive all morning through the northern part of Colorado

Met Dave in Estes Park at about noon. We rode the Aerial Tramway up as something to do while we waited for the 2pm no-reservations-needed time at Rocky Mountain. This is the view of the town from the top. We eat our Subway lunch and chilled at the top for a bit

The trip down

We finally made it into the park after an hour and a half wait at the gate. 🙁 And we didn’t even get in line right at 2 like I’m sure lots of people did. Turns out there was only one (!) person doing all the admitting

Sat and talked for quite awhile at this viewpoint

Hiked out a bit and encountered lots of elk

We would have stayed longer in the park but we were almost out of water and everything at the top was closed. No drinking fountains either.

When we get back down to the tramway parking area where we left Dave’s bike, they were closed and the parking lot was blocked off. So we ended up pushing Dave’s bike down a little hillside in order to free it! And it stayed raining so he rode in stormy weather most of the way back to his place. It was a crazy day!

Stopped at Oskar Blues Grill in Lyons for dinner. Good food and a fun Elvis to pose with. I got sleepy about 45 minutes out from Dave’s place, do I stopped and slept in my car somewhere in Lakewood.

Sunday, 21 July found a church and attended sacrament and then headed to Dave’s place. We chatted and then he agreed to go out to Garden of the Gods with me. He drove his bike since I was heading on from there.

It’s stunning! And free to the public always.

We miscommunicated and had trouble meeting up but we finally did and took a short hike through the formations.

We had planned to go to the Airplane Restaurant in Colorado Springs but by the time we finished it was already much later than I had planned to leave the area and it was starting to rain again so we parted ways so that Dave could hopefully stay ahead of the storm.

Made it to Great Sand Dunes with enough time to walk out to the dunes and chill for an hour or so on the sand

I would have done some rolling but my knees had already had a tough day and still had the trek to the car

I love how it feels on my bare feet. Ada would have been in hell

Drove for a few more hours and slept in South Fork CO

Monday, 22 June

Awakened by the sun coming through my window. As per ushe

Got to Chimney Rock NM right as they opened. Was the first one up on the trail.

There’s Chimney Rock. They don’t allow you to hike out any further than this.

They think that there are astronomical reasons for the settlement to be right here. The sun appears right between the rocks at a certain point once every 18 years

The hike out there had some scary narrow parts!

With some bats roosting in the entrance 😊

Yucca House NM. Basically a short wall in an unkempt field.

Unless there is more hidden in this mess 😊

Beautiful views on the way to Capitol Reef. Lake Powell area

Tuesday, 23 July

Sun peeking out over my car where I stopped for the night a few minutes east of the park

I had hoped to snag pies from the Gifford House but I had to be home by noon so I got some banana bread from the general store in Torrey and headed out!

Cabin Fun 2024

I miss being in California but I have loved how much I have been able to come up to the cabin!

27 June Poulsbo Taylors, Teri, Steve, and me

Could live my life in a hammock 😊

Crazy thunderstorm that night

Jim stayed for an additional 2 weeks to help out with cabin projects. For the first week, I planned bought and cooked all the food so that everyone could just focus on the work. It was so much fun! Got a lot of electrical done. Built some walls upstairs, planned what to do in the bathrooms.

2 July I helped Steve a bit with getting running water in our trailer. Had leaks and there are still small issues but we did get it running!

Had grilled stuff and corn on the cob for lunch

Ken helped with getting the fire to the right temp

Steve and I fixed the shade canopy over the swing

6 July The annoying loud open scary stairs we have been living with

The crew that made it happen. Thanks Ken for spearheading it!

16 July. I put up a shower curtain. Yay! I also helped with several failed attempts at a solar shower pulley system. Boo!

11 Aug. I finally made it back up here to do some post-surgery recovery. Steve did all the packing, loading, and unloading and Teri brought and cooked the food 😊

After days of rain, the sun finally came out and we brought out the new swing cushions that Anne bought. They’re perfect!

Putting up new solar panels takes a village

Bought a recumbent bike and built it up there so that I have access to good knee exercise

Working on the basement! Teri and Steve de-pack ratted it and put wire mesh down to keep them out (sawyer and max helped with that) Crazy big project!

I was up early anyway so I sat out and enjoyed the sunrise

Yay! First time post surgery in a hammock!

Steve and I secured the inverter to the wall

This is me naked taking my first hit shower in the shower house

I was hoping for northern lights. Good solar storms the night before and the night after but not that night. Darn it!

26-27 Oct. Built a snow gauge that Steve pointed a camera at so we can see from down here the snow level up there

Secured with loop of duct tape inside out around the tree (so it doesn’t hurt it) twine wrapped around that and then secured with duct tape going the normal way (so rodents don’t chew it). I really should be an engineer haha

Bryce Canyon and Cabin

24-28 June 2024

Steve and I drove down on Monday afternoon. Stopped in Panguitch and had dinner at Cattleman’s Steakhouse. Yummy salmon

Pretty little lake behind our hotel building at Ruby’s Inn

We didn’t go into the park that night. We just met up with Jim, Anneke, and Corwin and then Thom and Robin when they got in later that night

After a too-leisurely breakfast at the hotel restaurant and a crazy long time working out bike rentals we finally made it into the park. Yay!

Since my knees are shot, Steve and I drove to the viewpoints instead of riding e-bikes.

Anneke needed to be back to the hotel by 2 for a job interview so she rode with us.

We walked out to any viewpoints that I could manage.

I love how different the viewpoints are!

It was quite hot so we did stop at the general store for very cold water.

Right as we got back to the hotel for Anneke’s interview, the sky just opened up!

I was fully drenched in seconds. Totally took my breath away. What a fun storm!

Unfortunately, the bikers were still in it (they sheltered at the general store during the worst of it). Jim slipped on a wet path and injured his shoulder. 😥

After a short swim for me, ice cream for everyone but me and Steve, saying goodbye to Thom, Robin, and Zay, and a surprisingly good buffet dinner at Ruby’s, we headed back in to do some more viewing while it was much cooler.

Stunning. We sat at Inspiration Point for like an hour and chatted while the sun went down.

Next morning we got a slightly earlier start (at my insistence haha) The Freelands arrived late on Tuesday night so we planned some time with them in the park.

Got smart and brought a chair this time. Which was good because we ended up waiting for everyone for many many minutes at Piracy Point

We hiked out a little bit to another viewpoint through a little forest.

Steve and I took off so that I could make my therapy that afternoon. We drove down to the cabin the next day to spend time there with the Poulsbo Taylors and Teri

The trees above protected me from the rain 😊

This was the most incredible storm I have ever seen. We just watched it for like an hour. It continued for most of the night

Played a lot of Just One. Jim always does crazy obscure stuff so for one round we all did “Jim Clues” for him. He did end up getting it but only because Julia caved and did her regular type of clue. Haha

On Friday, when the Poulsbo Taylors left I was left feeling a bit gutted. Julia spent the whole time ripping on the place and I didn’t want to leave on that note, so I convinced Steve and Teri to stay longer and we spent a very pleasant evening playing games and talking about how much we love the cabin 😊

CA Road Trip May 2024

18-20 May Hitting some more state parks and getting some more beach time before I spend many months in Utah

They have done a really nice job restoring and preserving this fort

Very dry and hot. Would not have loved living out here without air conditioning!

Next stop: Colonrl Allensworth state park

I just happened to come on the day of the big May festival so that was neat. More to see than usual

Colonel Allensworth created an all-black settlement that functioned for many years

It’s a crazy hot and dry place. Quite an accomplishment

Made some grilled cheese in this beautiful grove. What a stunning place!

I pulled off and slept in Marina and then when the sun woke me made my way to Marina State beach

Incredible views all the way down the coast

Dang son

Because of the damage from the storm last year, the way down to that beach was blocked. Alas.

And that’s as far as I got to go. Highway 1 has been broken from here to just beyond San Simeon for about a year.

I send pictures of my necklace to Steve when I’m thinking of him. 😊

Went to church in Seaside and then hit Solvang again. As one should.

This is really great ice cream that I should totally get again 😊

Caught this at sunset as I was driving through the Santa Barbara area. I think it might be Cachuma lake?

Stayed in my car at Point Mugu State Park

Hit Universal on the way home. My annual pass expires next week

It’s fun to see all the bits from The Good Place

They did a special backlot tour to celebrate their 60th anniversary. They let you off for photo ops with the psycho house…

…and Jaws. I just took photos from a distance because I didn’t want to wait in the lines

I didn’t even stay the whole day. Lines were pretty long and my knee doesn’t do those right now. I did the mummy a few times and Jurassic park because I discovered the special single rider/ wheelchair lines.

Utah State Park Wanderings

Newspaper Rock State Historical Monument

16 May Started off for a fresh morning after staying in my car in a parking lot in Page.

Did a small hike. My knees just made it 😊

Drove from here to Anaheim…

Palisade Lake Christensen get together 10-11 June 2024

Enjoyed sitting next to the lake as the sun went down

Julie Spencer and Weston came down from their cabin to my campsite for a camp fire. Love a camp fire so much! Slept in my car at the site

Kaylie and some of the kids and Allie and Mike and their boys came down on Tuesday for the day. We rented several boats and boards and just had a lovely time

I unfortunately had to leave at 4 so that I could be home that evening for Mars’ birthday 😥

CA Road Trip April 2024

26-28 April

My state parks pass expires this month so I planned another road trip to catch a bunch more and to spend some good nature time 😊

Started in Solvang with my favorite fish at Bit o’ Denmark

Stayed at a Motel 6 in San Simeon after looking around a bit for a place to just pull over and not finding anything

I totally remember this pool from when my family toured this place when I was little

Bam Egyptian statuary. Such a weird mix of things

I was excited to see the Spanish architecture

Scared me to death when I was a kid. I couldn’t see the bottom and thought I would fall in and be lost forever 😁

Piedras Blancas lighthouse is permanently closed do this is as close as I’m getting hehe

Did catch some awesome sea lion action nearby

Had lunch at a cafe in San Simeon old town

Drove right down onto the beach. But didn’t go far since I didn’t want to get my new car stuck

Had such a lovely time sitting alone on the dunes watching the sunset

Stayed in my car at Emma Wood

Solar Eclipse Texas Trek

6-10 April 2024

Yay for the solar eclipse a few states away! My original plan was fly to Houston (not one of the airports in totality, rent a car, drive in to see the eclipse, stay at a hotel in Fort Worth just out of totality and then drive home. Decided to sacrifice a bit more time and save a whole lot of money by driving my car out and bank. Flexibility to sleep wherever and drive as much as I wanted each day, combined with no exorbitant airfare, crowded airport, traffic, expensive hotels, car rental, and gas to fill the guzzler made it the best choice.

So cool! A baby owl lives there in the structure. Mom and Pop both in the rafters of the pavilion above.

Not sure if this is because of increased eclipse traffic but the rest stop in Van Horn that I stayed at was really packed.

7 April Lyndon B Johnson National Historical Park

LBJ presidential library in Austin closed just a few minutes after I got there 😥 so the statue outside was all I got!

Ms Pearl the Roadside Squirrel in Cedar Creek TX

All decked out for tomorrow. Saw my first bad traffic but it was as I was heading OUT of the zone heading to College Ststion

Bedroll pecan Candy and Gifts…turtles I thought were the best use of the aforementioned 😊

8 Apr stayed at a Hampton in College Station. Hit the library first

I really like to learn about the people behind the job. I always learn a lot

The Day the Wall Came Down. Artwork depicting breaking out of the Iron Curtain. Fitting at the resting place of a great horseman

Drive in to Waco Mammoth National Monument to watch the eclipse.

They were all set up with info and lots of free eclipse glasses

Didn’t get to see the park because they closed it fine for the festivities but it was a really nice place to view from

Set up camp in an overflow parking section right at the front so that I had an easy exit strategy.

Sat in my reclining camp chair and cooked some lunch right there on my camp stove. I have all the things in my car so that I can basically live out of it 😊

Super fun watching the progression and talking to people around me

My spot was next to a little wooded area so I wandered in there both before and during to see the changes

I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to capture the experience with my camera. Wanted to experience it with my eyes! But this shows a bit of the atmospheric changes.