Randy DeLaMare

Are You Gruntled?

Now and then we come upon a word and we are not sure what it means. My grandpa used to ask me if I was gruntled. No, I would say I am happy. Then he would chuckle and say, it's the same thing. What is gruntled? Well I ask you what does disgruntled mean? We hear it in the news, a disgruntled employee went on a rampage. We all seem to know what disgruntled means. Then why not gruntled being the opposite of disgruntled. Just remove dis and one would assume that the outcome would be happy or gruntled. Again I ask, are you gruntled?

Ok so I was thrilled a week or so ago on this post http://activerain.com/blogsview/832712/139-Merry-Christmas and now it is even better! Costco has gas at $1.26 today at 1 of the locations at least. I hope the rest of you are seeing lower prices as well. I can remember paying $1.32 back in 1980 and being really bugged at how high gas prices had gone. Now I am thrilled to see $1.26. At least there is a silver lining there. Who knows how long it will last--Let's hope a good long time. Merry Christmas to all you rainers. And here is to a prosperous new year for all.

Capitol Reef National Park

Capitol Reef is not a well known place in comparison to the Grand Canyon, Zions National Park, or even Bryce Canyon. The terrain is beautiful here. Much diversity. Great hiking, mountain biking, camping, and sight seeing. There are places you can jump from waterfalls to pools below, There are many different types and degree of difficulty hikes throughout the area. Capitol reef has been a National Park since December 1971. You can read more here: http://www.nps.gov/care/historyculture/index.htm My family loved our trip here with several of our neighbors. There are nearby hotels, campgrounds, and towns to give all types of lodging. Stay right in the park in a beautiful grassy campground including RV's. Read more here:

The Fruita Campground is often described as an oasis within the desert. Adjacent to the Fremont River and surrounded by historic orchards, this developed campground has 71 RV/tent sites, each with a picnic table and grill, but no individual water. sewage or electrical hook-ups. An RV dump station, located near the entrance to Loops A and B, is open during the summer. Restrooms are heated and feature running water and flush toilets, but not showers. The nightly fee is $10.00, or $5.00 for Golden Age/Senior Pass and Golden Access/Access Pass holders. An accessible site is located in Loop B adjacent to the restroom.

Open year-round, the Fruita Campground is the only developed campground in Capitol Reef National Park and as a result often fills by early to mid-afternoon during the spring through fall seasons. Sites are first-come, first-served and self-serve, and campground hosts (located at the beginning of Loop A) are available to assist you during the summer season. We do not take reservations.

Bryce Canyon

One of the prettiest places I have ever been, and I've been to some pretty places, is Bryce Canyon National Park. There are such wonderful varieties of beauty. The colors are incredible, ever changing all day long. Each lookout brings a whole new joy to the eyes. If you enjoy hiking there are all kinds of hikes down into this canyon. Short hikes to several day hikes. It looks great from up top but there is so much more to see below the rim. The Grand Canyon is a vast wide hole that is quite impressive, but the beauty is nothing like that of Bryce Canyon. Be forewarned that it is geougeous in the winter but you had better be tough, the cold is intense. The most enjoyable time to visit this incredible place is between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

I have been wishing I was still in Hawaii all this week. It has been snowing all day today here and I was not ready for it. I was on facebook a few minutes ago and found a post about the flooding in Hawaii. here is a link to all of the crazyness. http://www.khnl.com/global/story.asp?s=9506720 I just talked to family that lives there to see if they were ok and they are. It looks like a mess over there. I hope nobody was hurt in the path of mudslides, raging rivers, and high winds. It seemed like a paradise to me while I was there. That is how I will remember it.