Yellow

Yellow is the color of KOA.

Bike Rack Solution

Normally when we want to take our bikes somewhere we use our bike rack which fits into the hitch receiver on our Xterra. But when we're trailing our Casita that isn't an option. We explored ways to take our bikes with us when traveling in the Casita and most ideas we came across were either too expensive (like a roof top rack for the Xterra) too involved (like welding a receiver on the Casita's bumper frame) or too unstable (like a dual receiver adapter.) After some thought and searching we came up with a good solution for us.

We purchased 2 bike fork mounts at our local bike shop in Mesa. These are meant to be bolted to the bed of a pickup truck but we used them in a slightly different way. We got a piece of pine wood that was about the same width as the mounts. The piece was long enough that, when cut in two, it would serve as bases for the two mounts. We needed the mounts offset otherwise the bike handlebars would interfere with each other. After cutting the board in two it was a simple matter of bolting the mounts to the board. The front wheels of the bikes are removed and the forks are attached to the mounts. We then run a nylon strap through the bike frames and attach it to the seat post. The bikes are very stable and do not move at all. The total cost of making this mounting system was less than $60.

We used our bike mounts to take our bikes with us from Mesa to Garden City, UT via Las Vegas, a trip of 860 miles without the slightest problem. The bikes are a bit of a pain to get into the rear of the Xterra and their forks mounted but we only use this system when hauling the bikes long distances.

	The bike fork mounts with the forks attached.
	The bikes mounted in the rear of the Xterra.

Beach Trip

We're at the beach right now having
lunch. Karen went in to wade around.
I stayed on shore to document the
Excitement.

New Experience

We got to try something new today, ATV riding. ATVs are VERY popular in this part of Utah. We'd guess that about 1/3 of the campers that stay here have them. The campground owns 2 ATVs and was kind enough to loan them to us for the day. While fairly simple to operate they still do require some knowledge that we only partially possessed. After a few minutes of getting used to the shifting and throttle operations we took off into the hills behind the campground and spent a couple of hours exploring. At the top of one of the hills we climbed we found a huge concrete storage tank (don't know what's in it) and had lunch next to it. By the end of our time out we felt very comfortable operating the ATVs. One surprise is how fuel efficient they are. After riding for a couple of hours they only took 1/2 gallon of gas - together!

We enjoyed riding the ATVs and really enjoyed the new experience. But we doubt we'll be buying any soon. It's a good way to get from point A to point B quickly, but we prefer hiking. By the end of the day we had had enough of the noise, dust and vibrations.

	Karen on the yellow Honda Recon ATV.
	Ross on the red Honda Recon ATV.

Carp 'N Llama

A few days ago we rode our bikes to the Bear Lake Marina, a Utah state park, which is only about 1/2 mile from the Bear Lake KOA. It's a nice place to ride around and look at boats. We walked down to the floating dock that has a restaurant on it and were amazed to see dozens of large carp following us! They all came to the edge of the dock and stuck their months out of the water in anticipation of being fed. We didn't feed them but we did take their picture.

On the ride back we saw that one of the llamas from the farm behind the KOA had jumped the fence again and was grazing on the other side of the road. This same llama keeps jumping over the fence and even ended up here in the campground a few weeks ago!

	Carp at the Bear Lake Marina begging for food.
	Our neighbor, the llama.

Shhhhh!

Strange camera angle. Jake's paws aren't really that big.