Four Country Gals

It’s getting into November now, and the gals, remembering Ohio are looking for really cold and snowy weather.

They’ve got the fireplace ready. It’s even decorated for Christmas with a “frontier desert” motif. Along with the fireplace, they’ve laid in several cords of wood, as the fireplace will provide most of the “morning heat” and evening “stoke it really good” heat. Even though electric heat isn’t expensive here, they’re not real sure about the quality of their furnace/heat pump.

They can see snow in the really high mountains. That’s actually “Brian Head”, Utah’s most southerly ski resort. It’s situated south of Bryce Canyon and north of Zion National Park.

They even watch some really menacing stuff pass them by on the east. Around here, the main “weather” happens east of the nearest mountain range in what they call the “I-15 Corridor”. That’s where Cedar City is located… and they get an abundance of snow.

In the meantime, cold means it’s below freezing at night… sometimes way below as in barely above zero, and then bright and sunny during the daytime. Oh, and what makes it winter is the north wind.

When the wind comes from the north, especially the northeast, or even east, the wind chill is ferocious. Even the birds look for shelter where they can stay out of the wind.

Think they’re happy?

You bet! With Mom here, and the dogs, “Mindy, Missy, and Koda”, the family is nearly complete. They’ve even managed to get Shawn, Cindy’s son to come out for Christmas. Life is very good, indeed.

Here comes Mom… and not a minute too soon!

The “girls” have now been “without her” for nearly two months. They’ve struggled with making “good coffee”… and Lord knows they’ve not been eating well. They’re idea of cooking is macaroni and cheese… or maybe no cheese.

Of course, with Mom arriving, that means they really need to get their rears in gear and get things put away. With some really creative “unpacking”, and a nice full basement, they’re able to make the living room/dining room and kitchen look presentable for Mom.

Mom is flying into Cedar City, so that will be a short drive over the mountains. One thing I don’t think she expected, is the “tour of the USA”. Her flight takes her from Toledo, to Atlanta, to Salt Lake City, and finally into Cedar City. Luckily, the girls have arranged for “sky cap” service throughout her flight.

She’s pretty exhausted, so a quick stop at Arby’s to pick up dinner and they scoot out of town, heading west over the mountains shortly before sunset.

As Mom sees the valley for the first time, she begins to appreciate her “new life” way out in the country. Shortly after reaching the summit when you’re heading west, you can see for nearly 50 miles from one side of the valley to the other. Bev points out about where they live… just a speck of trees to the “other side” of that silver thingy (a big hay barn with a metal roof).

Now that Mom is here, it’s time to get her room livable. The bed is pretty much in place, the there are still boxes everywhere, and the room is still chocolate milk brown… not Mom’s favorite color.

A quick trip to the “local” hardware store, and they’ve got paint… a really pretty blue. Next, it’s off to Cedar City again to pick out wallpaper for the wall at the head of Mom’s bed.

And then there’s that little strip from the wall to the ceiling. Cindy finds the cutest little lambs! Suppose that’s a “foretelling”?

From what Mom has told me… and I think I remember Cindy mentioning it… there were a lot of “bad words” exchanged as they put up the wallpaper and the “lamb” border. Cindy and Bev don’t argue much… but Cindy is the one with the “short fuse” and when things don’t go together right the first time… well, let’s just say she rear’s back and hit’s it harder.

Uh-oh, Mom’s still on “Ohio time”, so it’s up before the sun comes up. That’s ok. She adores sunrises, and listening to the birds sing. With the little “porch area” in front of the garage, she’s able to enjoy her tea for a few mornings, until it gets too cold to be out there.

Each day brings a totally unique style of sunrise, from highly colored to brilliant gold. All in all, Mom is so glad she’s finally home in Beryl, UT.

Does she miss her friends? Oh yeah, especially “Joey”. They’ve been “best buds” for years. They’ll keep in touch by phone and by snail mail.

They were tired of unpacking, and had found a reason to go to St. George.

When you leave their house you go southwest to get to Enterprise. At the north city limits, there is cut-off to St George. It takes you over a 6150 foot pass and then drops you into the heart of “color country”.

Enterprise is a cute little “country town”. It has a grocery store, a general store, a senior citizen center, a True Value Hardware store, a bank, Post Office, a couple of auto/truck repair places, a beauty salon (at one of the auto repair places), two LDS Churches, and a full school system including an elementary school and high school which serves most of the valley.

St. George is the largest city in “color country”, and is also one of the fastest growing cities in the US. The weather makes it a magnet for retirees, with most being “snowbirds”. They arrive in the fall to enjoy the incredibly beautiful winter weather and then leave in late spring just before daily temperatures go to 100 degrees or better.

The drive to St. George offers breath-taking views of the massive red rock mountains, cliffs, and ravines. On the way “up the hill” from Enterprise you have to keep a sharp lookout for deer on the road. It’s not uncommon to see at least three or four of the critters.

About half-way there’s a little village called Veyo. The little country store there has some of the best pies you’ll ever eat… and the price is reasonable, too.

About half-way between Veyo and St George is the new golfing destination/community called “The Ledges”. Several well-known entertainers are purchasing homes in this community. From the highway, you can see several new homes that are built in the “adobe style” with flat roofs and “pole beams” extending beyond the walls.

St. George is just a few miles north of the Arizona border and is within about 30 miles of Zion National Park. You can see some of the peaks on a clear day.

St George is a “shoppers delight.”

Mom’s room was really ugly. The walls were “chocolate milk brown” and one wall was fully wall-papered. Bev and Cindy thought they could help with re-decorating by gathering paint chips and then sending her pictures as well as the chips. After all, her room would be redecorated espeically for her.

Bev and Cindy’s bathroom didn’t have a “medicine cabinet”. It had a full mirror firmly attached to the wall. Now, they knew better than to purposely break a mirror… but hey, when you’re trying to get a great big (24×36 inch) mirror loose from a wall (it was glued)… stuff happens.

First item on the list… a nice three compartment medicine cabinet.

Remember, Bev had set up the computer in Mom’s room. There was more than one reason for that… She didn’t get to bring her computer desk. At the price of computer hutches, it was smarter to leave that one and buy a new one. They looked all over but didn’t find one Bev liked, so that would wait for a trip to Cedar City.

Cindy had also left her computer hutch and is now using Mom’s, who won’t be getting a new hutch any time soon.

They pretty much made the rounds, going to WalMart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, and any other place that looked interesting, including Costco. They’d been in Sam’s Club’s while in Ohio, but once inside Costco, Cindy’s only comment was “Boy, with a membership here, we could get into serious trouble!.”

What did they actually come home with? Well, they got the medicine cabinet, and the paint chips. And, they didn’t get the Costco membership.

After getting that call from the real estate agent letting them know the house is theirs, it wasn’t long before the previous owner showed up with all the keys they needed. Since she had moved just down the road, it was much easier for her to bring them the keys, than for the agent to drive all the way out.

Keys in hand, they quickly got into the house so they could get their beds unpacked. At that point, the beds were more important than food… can you believe that?

With a few hours of sunlight, no problem getting enough done before dark.

Jimmy had TONS of work to do… You see, he wasn’t just an extra driver, he came along to do those all-important “guy things”, like make sure the electrical was in working order, and the furnace, air conditioning and heat pump worked properly, as well as make sure the plumbing worked.

Within a few hours, he was more than happy to crash on the living room floor in his sleeping bag.

Everyone was up early Saturday as they had lots to do… more lists were made and off they went to Cedar City to pick up stuff like cleaning supplies, air filters, etc.

In addition to all the inside work, figuring out where they expected things to go, cleaning the dust out, they also took time to “survey” the outside. Note this overgrown hedge… it plays an important part later on.

Bev had to take Jimmy to the Cedar City airport Sunday morning. Cindy couldn’t sleep (still on east coast time), so she was up washing windows before daylight, as well as recording one of the most beautiful sunrises.

Within a few hours, Bev returned home and they continued to unpack what they could. Jmmy had a more exciting adventure, going to Columbus Ohio by way of New York City, thanks to severe thunderstorms throughout the mid section of the country. He finally got home about 11PM, after thinking he’d be home by 2PM or so.

It’s now Friday… they’ve been “homeless” since Monday, when they left Put In Bay, Ohio, bidding farewell to a long and storied past.

They had enjoyed the trip, and the adventure to discover their new house… but frankly, living out of the Avalance and Blazer with three people, three dogs, and all that stuff was getting pretty old.

With their new beds and dining room table loaded into the trailer, they again headed over the last mountains to Beryl, and that little patch of sagebrush, tumbleweed and sand.

Mom had gotten her end of the paperwork completed earlier in the week and had personally seen it to the ferry from the island… As of Friday morning, the packet still hadn’t arrived in Utah, so the house wasn’t theirs yet.

The seller gave them permission to work on the outside area. After all, it had been quite some time since the grass was cut, and the weeds “whacked”. Between Jim and Cindy, both the front and back yards were mowed and whacked. I can’t really say there was any grass… more like drought resistant weeds.

Bev was busy making lists of everything they’d need right away. After all, the big moving van wouldn’t be here until sometime Monday. There was the Internet connection to figure out, the TV to get connected, phone service, etc. On top of that… there was all that sand and fine clay dust.

They all pitched in to shovel the sand from the bottom of the driveway area as well as on the walkway adjacent to the house. No time yet, to even think about what to do with the acreage.

Shortly before 5 PM, the all important call came in… the paperwork had been approved. The financing was all settled. The seller had been paid. The house was now their new home!

Awesome! Tonight they’d be sleeping in their own beds, under their own roof.

Having arrived at Dad’s barn, they set about gathering the many boxes and other items they’d been moving off the island for the past six months or so. Originally, they’d been packing and storing the boxes in the basement of their island home, but the Realtor insisted they move things off and put an end to any clutter.

So, they moved things three times, from the upstairs to the basement, and then back upstairs out the door, onto the truck, to a rented storage building, out of there, back onto the truck… across the lake to Dad’s barn.

By the time they had stuffed the moving van and 12 foot trailer, all available extra space in both the Avalanche and the Blazer, it was nearly 11 PM. Yikes, and they were still in Ohio!

On the road… no matter they’d been up way before the sun. They must press onward.

They convoyed back to pick up the I-80 Turnpike, and head west.

Somewhere west of Toledo at the Swanton Rest Area they pulled off for much needed sleep.

Every time they stopped and started again, Cindy called Shari. It mattered not that there was a time zone adjustment, or that it might be the middle of the night. So, Shari was called after the vet stop, and then again very late, as they left Dad’s barn.

Very early the next morning, with fresh eyes, they again started their trek… Utah or Bust!

Bev and Jim did most of the driving, with Cindy filling in for short stints. On long boring straight highways, Cindy tended to get drowsy (or is that mesmerized).

From just west of Toledo, they put the pedal to the metal, soon heading into Indiana, through Illinois, Iowa, and into Nebraska. They’d be on I-80 until they got to I-76 just west of Ogallala. Even though they had well over 1900 miles to go, they felt like they’d be there in no time.

The towns and cities became a blur as they raced westward, stopping only to fuel the rigs, themselves, the dogs, and to provide a few minutes “out” for the dogs and themselves.

By the time they stopped for the night in Kearney, Nebraska, they’d gone through most of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and half of Nebraska. That’s also four update calls to Shari, who was tracking their progress, as well as keeping an eye on the weather for them.

The found a “dog friendly” motel and crashed for the night, knowing the most challenging section of the trip was still ahead… the drive across the Rockies with the Avalanche pulling a 12-foot trailer.

I had alluded to the fact that “the gals”, without Shari were somewhat familiar with SW Utah. What I hadn’t really said was… they’d made more than one trip to the area. So you really understand, let’s follow their trail over the past couple of years.

In November 2003, with Bev recovering from her bout with cancer (and her hair returning with lots of curls)… Mom, Bev and Cindy had flown to Vegas for a “mini-vacation”. Two days later, Barb drove over and picked them up to stay in Hurricane (just SE of St George).

They figured with Bev retired and on disability, if they were ever to take a vacation… this was the time.

Using Barb’s as a base, they explored the vastness of Southern Utah, even taking time to visit Zion National Park and the Pahrea Movie Set.

Now Cindy, who’s a true flatlander, was absolutely enchanted and fascinated by the mountains. The biggest “mountains” she’d seen were the rolling hills of Ohio. I can only imagine she was like a little kid on the airplane, oohing and aww-ing at the new sites.

Since she’d only ever seen black asphalt or concrete roads, the red rock asphalt paving was a real surprise, too.

From Barb’s place, they ranged about 120 miles or so, and found themselves thoroughly enjoying the scenery, the weather and the people. While sight-seeing, they picked up the “Pioneer Shopper” and soon discovered that land was cheap, really cheap in SW Utah. Had they wanted, there was land available in Hamlin Valley for $100 an acre. Only one minor detail, you’d be living “off grid”, and they weren’t sure they were ready for that.

The second trip, made just two months later at the end of the year was a real house-hunting adventure. Carefully avoiding snowstorms, they drove from Port Clinton to Hurricane, so they’d have their own truck as they looked at a number of properties.

You see, upon returning home, they longed for a change of scenery… permanently.

They found a place to look at in Enterprise. That’s about 37 miles north of St. George. Surprise! Here they’d driven nearly 2000 miles to see a house, and it had gone “under contract” just hours before they arrived.

Now what to do? Look at other options!

They found a place in Hamilton Fort (just south of Cedar City) that looked real promising. It had 20 acres and manufactured house with a log exterior. What a beauty, they thought.

Thinking there’d be no problem selling their lovely property on the island, they made an offer… probably not the best decision they’d make on this adventure.

Now, this was December 2003 and into January 2004, a rather dicey time to be driving across country, especially from Southern Utah northeast to Ohio.

In their new Chevy Avalanche, they felt pretty secure, so racing a major winter storm wouldn’t really be a problem… but wait! The weather forecast was “snow flurries”… at least for the next couple of days.

They’d neglected to inquire about going into 4WD “on the fly”. Having graduated from a Silverado to the Avalanche, they kind of took the 4WD thing for granted. As the snow began to cover the road, and previous tire tracks were being blown away, Cindy reluctantly called the dealership (in Ohio) to ask about putting the Avalanche into 4WD.

Steve their salesman’s first comment was “Utah! What the hell you doing in Utah?” No time to answer that…

“How do I put this thing in 4WD? Can I be moving? If so, how fast?” Cindy inquired.

Laughing, Steve replied, “How fast are you going? See that knob on the dash? If you’re not going more than 55, turn it to 4WD.”

Before you think… silly girls, why not read the owner’s manual? The did… and that part wasn’t explained.

They’d hit snow just north of Cedar City, and would be in 4WD the rest of the way home.

At about Vail, they were caught in an incredible traffic jam. Seems there’d been a real avalanche, as in tons of snow across the westbound lanes of I-70.

So they sat, and from time-to-time, inched their way to the Eisenhower Tunnel, a distance of some 48 miles. To make matters worse, by the time they got to Denver, they were battling freezing rain.

No time for delays, they were attempting to drive straight through to Port Clinton, Ohio as Cindy had to get back to work.

Shortly passed Denver, they decided to spend the night in Limon, hoping for better traveling during daylight hours.

Fortunately, once they cleared Colorado and raced through Nebraska, they’d outrun the storm. Well, kinda sorta.

You see, the ferry boats stopped running the day BEFORE they got home. This was one of those lucky winters where Lake Erie had yet to freeze, so there was still limited ferry service. Knowing this, they drove straight to Sandusky where they’d now fly to the island, leaving their Avalanche on the mainland. No problem, as that’s something islanders did all the time.

Home safe and sound, they set about putting their home on the market.

But first, remember that storm they outraced? Well, it caught up with them , and solidified the idea that living with “little or no snow” would be a wonderful idea.

It’s o’God-thirty, Monday, August 8, 2005, and time to roll out of bed on the island for the very last time.

Everything that could be pre-packed into boxes has been packed. What’s left are the beds, the major furniture, things that won’t fit into boxes, and stuff that is going in the Avalanche, the 12-foot trailer, or the Blazer.

Cousin Jim (another of Bev’s cousins) has arrived and is on hand to help with the final packing and the drive to Utah.

The closings are “in progress”. Paperwork has been “Fed-Exing” back and forth for a few days. Powers of attorney are all in place. Hopefully, there are no kinks in the process. The plan is simple. Get to the mainland. Sign off on the Ohio property. Get to Utah. Close on the Utah property. Fed-Ex papers to Mom as necessary for her signature.

The truck arrived as scheduled along with the moving crew. No time for breakfast or that last leisurely cup of fresh-ground coffee. Fortunately one of the pizza places on the island opened early… Pizza for brunch, on the fly!

By the appointed time, everything was loaded, final good-byes were said, and the ever-on computer was shut down and loaded into the the trailer. From here on, it was “Utah or bust!”

But wait… where was Bree? The dog that was so sick, and all undone about the move?

Cindy and Bev launched a search. There she was… under the house. Uh-oh… this isn’t good.

Well, Cindy took matters into her own hands, crawled under the house, and coaxed Bree out. With just minutes to spare, they raced to the ferry dock one last time to fill their pre-reserved slots on the last ferry of the day from the island.

They’d have about 30 minutes to get to the vet to pick up all the health certificates and have Bree checked out again. She was in worse shape than before and Cindy was really concerned about her.

Unfortunately, the vet didn’t have good news. She had at least one large internal tumor, and wasn’t really getting enough oxygen, as her tongue was blue. The prognosis wasn’t good. She may or may not make the full journey, let alone recover.

You see, the trip route would take the convoy to over 11,000 feet elevation. After some real quick thought and prayer, the decision was to have her make the journey across “The Rainbow Bridge”.

At least she wouldn’t continue to suffer. Bree, we’ll miss ya’. You’re in a better place now.

Sad task done, health certificates in hand, it was time to point the convoy to the next stop… Dad’s farm (barn) where they’d been stashing even more stuff for the past six months.

Shari (the author) was out in Forest Grove, Oregon. Right up until the computer got packed on “the island”, Cindy was providing a “blow by blow” account of everything that was happening.

You see, Cindy and Shari would spend hours chatting back and forth on the computer while they both did whatever they were doing on the computer. Had it been possible, Bev and Cindy would have flown Shari to Ohio to help them drive the vehicles out to Utah… but there were other options that made more sense.

So Shari stayed put, and got very frequent updates. Even when the gals were on the road, Cindy checked in by cell-phone at least when they crossed state lines. Shari also had their itinerary on her computer, so knew about where they were at all times.

Before Beryl and a homestead, there was an island, where first Cindy, then Bev, and finally Mom made their home.

Now, normally when you think “island”, your mind drifts to somewhere tropical. Not so in this case. Ever heard of Put In Bay. OH? It’s one of several islands in Lake Erie… not tropical, but still one really hot party place in the summer.

Cindy moved there shortly after a divorce, choosing to bring her son up with a real appreciation for nature (trapping, hunting and fishing), while still getting a regular education. As for Cindy, she was commercial pilot, flying folks on and off the islands for a number of years. She later worked as a State Park Ranger, Police Officer, and Dock Master.

Bev was hired by the Put In Bay Police Department. When looking for a place to live, Cindy’s name came up as maybe looking for a roommate. Life isn’t exactly cheap on a resort island, and there wasn’t much in the way of rental property.

That was over twenty years ago. The two have become close friends, and continued to share a household. Now, before you get the wrong idea… there’s no joint underwear drawer, or sharing of other personal space.

Cindy’s Mom used to spend the summers after she and her (now ex) hubby retired from their “Fish and Bait” Company. After a few summers, she chose to stay on the island. Cindy and Bev enlarged the house, and made a really nice addition just for Mom.

Mom’s health started to waiver a bit. First there was the heart attack, and later the knee replacement. Perhaps they should start looking for a place “a little closer” for medical help. After all, getting off the island wasn’t the easiest thing, even during the busy season.

In 2002, their lives turned upside down. Bev was diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly plans to relocate were put on hold while they cared for her. Fortunately, she pulled through. If you ask her though… it’s not something she ever wants to do again. After 20 years, she retired from the Police Department as “second officer in charge”… quite an accomplishment for a woman, even in 21st century.

By 2004, it was time again to look for “new digs”. They (the three of them) wanted somewhere warm, dry, unspoiled, and generally quiet, yet not too far from medical needs, and general shopping.

So, they put their beautiful island home on the market, and set about re-inventing their lives.

Where to go?

Well, Bev had a cousin who had recently moved from Southern California to Southern Utah and she shared her excitement and love of the area. After a trip to the area, they were convinced. This is where they’d go.

Ever tried to sell property on an island where you have to take a ferry in the summer and fly off of it in the winter? Let’s just say it took a while.

So, how did Shari get into this adventure?

In 2003, Cindy thought it would be great to make some money on the Internet. She found a program called “Affiliate Showcase”, and in turn discovered an e-book which explained the program in great detail. She promptly ordered the e-book, and then… well, and then… she had all kinds of problems with e-mail getting blocked.

Shari, the author of the e-book, couldn’t get her link to Cindy, and you guessed it… Cindy filed a complaint with PayPal. Fate intervened and one day, Shari just happened to see Cindy pop up on MSN Messenger (thanks to having her e-mail link stored).

Well, the two gals got the differences settled. Cindy canceled the PayPal complaint, and over the next couple of years, they became best friends. Thanks to a couple of other programs they were both working, they could chat for hours… boy did they!

Through the summer, into the fall and winter… finally spring, the house was still for sale. Even through the next summer and back into fall… no takers. In the meantime, Cindy and Bev had located (and put earnest money down) on one home in Southern Utah, only to lose their earnest money when their place failed to attract a buyer.

They would locate several more, but having been burned once, they were much more wary… kind of like a walleye once caught.

One more winter on the island.

Finally, Bev was feeling pretty perky again, although not able to work. Cindy was working “gigs” that were more part-time as they didn’t really want to commit to yet another year on the island. May 2005, some folks came to see their property. A couple weeks later, they came back.

Yahoo! In June they made an offer, which the girls countered. Offers accepted, the real work began. Would you believe they really wanted to close by July 4? The girls talked them into closing the first week of August. Yikes… that was still only 45 days… and they didn’t have anything to move to in Southern Utah!

“Oh Kathy (the realtor)! We need a place with a roof, three bedrooms, and room (fenced) for the dogs. Pronto! Like yesterday!”