Dec 25th - Tues - MERRY CHRISTMAS from San Carlos
Another lovely day. One of the Rvers in the park arranged a pot luck dinner here so I made (leftover) turkey enchiladas for the event. It started at 2:00 and the wind was cool so everyone ate and broke up early.
Pat, Geri & I went walking on the beach and picked up interesting shells and rocks for Cathy to use in landscaping their lot. Short happy hour until the cool air sent everyone inside.
Dec 26th - Wed - San Carlos
Our group of 8 and one extra (Diane) went kayaking this morning. There is very little tide fluctuation right now so the water was not supposed to be too low in the estuary. It was beautiful - calm & birds everywhere. On the way back we found out that the tide was going out and Terry & I “ran aground”. Terry hit first and got out of his boat and towed it. So when I then got stuck, he was sweet enough to come tow me to deeper water!
After lunch, Rick & Pat and we went golfing. We played the back 9 this time and the guys struggled quite a bit. I got the best score - 52! I think we should not kayak and golf on the same day. It really cooled off just before the sun disappeared which is when we were on the 17th green.
Dec 27th - Thurs - Hermasillo
Rick & Pat and we went on an adventure to Hermasillo today. It is 133 km (about 90 miles) away. It is a large city that we drove though on the way here. We found Home Depot, WalMart, Costco and a casino. Costco has hot dogs like U.S. stores so of course we had lunch there. The casino has slot machines that accept a card with money (pesos) on it. When you hit a bonus, the instructions on the screen are in Spanish. Luckily, we have played enough slot machines to guess where on the screen that you have to touch. Pat & I lost our 250 pesos (about $25) but Terry ended up covering my losses so it only cost us 10 ($1) pesos to play for a couple of hours.
We will go back to Hermasillo sometime. It is clean and fairly easy to get around. They have an outdoor market that we want to check out and apparently have a couple of more casinos!
Dec 28th - Fri - San Carlos
Washed sheets this morning and they were dry on the line just in time for Pat to hang up her laundry. After a late, big breakfast, Terry & I went for a long walk downtown. We started out just on a short jaunt to the visitor info center to look for a Hermasillo map. The info center wasn’t open so we just kept going and checked out a few gift shops.
While we were walking, we saw a truck go by with Oregon plates and a sign that said “mobile RV repair”. Dave & Margo’s hot water tank is not working so when we got back, Dave & Terry hoped in the truck and went to see if they could find the repair guy. He was in the RV park at the other end of town and was just finishing fixing something for someone else. He agreed to look at Dave’s tank and was able to fix it. While he was here, other people in the park came over to see if he could look at their problems but he said he was on vacation and was only doing this work for a friend. Now, hopefully Dave & Margo will stick around a while!
Pat organized a hamburger dinner for our group with everyone contributing something. Again, it was an early evening out due to cool weather. Dave & Margo came over to our rig for coffee afterwards.
Dec 29th - Sat - San Carlos
Busy day today. Dave & Margo, Rick & Pat and we went exploring on bicycles with an eventual destination of Craig & Cathy’s lot. We admired all the work they have done and then stopped on the way back at Charly’s Rock for a beer and some tacos for lunch.
Super-organizer Pat (thank you, thank you, thank you!) made reservations for 18 of us to go bowling and then to dinner. The bowling was a kick - unfortunately the “Happy Hour Bowling” from a few years ago was no longer happening as the alley does not have a liquor license any more. The rental shoes are pretty grungy with no insoles but everyone was smart enough to wear socks.
Dinner was outside on the patio at El Gallo. They have tall propane heaters so it was comfortable. Food was pretty good, service a bit slow as apparently a waiter did not show up so the owner was moving very fast serving and trying to keep an eye on things in the kitchen.
I thought I would be tired enough to sleep through the nightclub noise but I went to sleep too early so was wide awake at 12:40 and a long time after listening to the racket.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Dec 21st to 24th - San Carlos
Dec 21st - Fri - San Carlos
The owner of the RV park provided beer and margaritas for a Christmas get together at 2:00 today. Everyone brought food and we gathered by the pool to drink & eat. My contribution was devilled eggs and I really messed up and put too much salt in the yolks. So I separated more eggs, cooked the yolks in the microwave and mixed them with part of the too salty yolks. They were still too salty but there were quite a few people at the gathering so I figured no one would be eating more than one anyhow!
Dec 22nd - Sat - San Carlos
Terry & I went shopping in San Carlos this morning for our gift exchange. Then Terry went kayaking with Pat & Rick while I gave Dolly a haircut and a bath. It was quite windy for the kayakers so I am glad that I didn’t go.
Pat & Rick, Bill & Geri and we walked to a nice restaurant (Fiesta) for dinner. We sat out on the deck with a drink to watch the sunset and then moved inside for dinner. We all had chateaubriand (for 2) and it was wonderful! The meat was incredibly tender and well seasoned. It was served with a choice of mixed greens salad - dressing on the side - or tortilla soup which Terry enjoyed. Also included a small baked potato, julienne peppers, Harvard beets and garlic toast. The drink waiter “upsold” us on the margaritas and no one thought to ask the price. They ended up costing $12.95 each!! Good thing we only had one round!
Dec 23rd - Sun - San Carlos
Did laundry this morning before going grocery shopping at the Ley in Guaymas with Pat & Rick. It was very busy but all check stands were open so didn’t take long to get out. It takes a while to figure out what might be the item that you want with everything labeled in Spanish!
We golfed at 3:00. Pat & I teed off first as Craig did not show up on time. There ended up being a foursome of guys so Pat & I had time to continue on hole 10 and then cut through some home construction and play back to the clubhouse on hole 18. The wives of the other guys playing with Terry showed up along with another couple (Bill & Tammy) to have hamburgers at the clubhouse restaurant. Pat borrowed a truck to go get Rick and brought back Bill & Geri as well so we had a large group for dinner.
Dec 24th - Mon - San Carlos
Our “group of 8” got together for a turkey dinner today. I cooked a 14 lb turkey (just fit in the oven!) with stuffing made by Pat and gravy made by me, Margo did a broccoli casserole & rolls, Geri provided mashed potatoes & pickles and Pat did a layered pumpkin dessert. Had to set up our tables in the shade as it was too warm in the sun at 2:00.
After dinner & dishes were cleaned up, 5 of us had a good time playing Tripoly. Rick made the mistake of trying to have a nap while we were right outside his rig!
We did a little gift exchange where you can take an unopened gift or steal a gift from someone else. Lots of fun. Then we all put on long pants and jackets to go over to the main road along the beach to watch the decorated boat parade. The boats were nicely done but there were only 13. Apparently there was supposed to be a fireworks show at 10:30 or 11 but we did not stick around. We heard occasional fireworks but it didn’t sound like a large display.
The owner of the RV park provided beer and margaritas for a Christmas get together at 2:00 today. Everyone brought food and we gathered by the pool to drink & eat. My contribution was devilled eggs and I really messed up and put too much salt in the yolks. So I separated more eggs, cooked the yolks in the microwave and mixed them with part of the too salty yolks. They were still too salty but there were quite a few people at the gathering so I figured no one would be eating more than one anyhow!
Dec 22nd - Sat - San Carlos
Terry & I went shopping in San Carlos this morning for our gift exchange. Then Terry went kayaking with Pat & Rick while I gave Dolly a haircut and a bath. It was quite windy for the kayakers so I am glad that I didn’t go.
Pat & Rick, Bill & Geri and we walked to a nice restaurant (Fiesta) for dinner. We sat out on the deck with a drink to watch the sunset and then moved inside for dinner. We all had chateaubriand (for 2) and it was wonderful! The meat was incredibly tender and well seasoned. It was served with a choice of mixed greens salad - dressing on the side - or tortilla soup which Terry enjoyed. Also included a small baked potato, julienne peppers, Harvard beets and garlic toast. The drink waiter “upsold” us on the margaritas and no one thought to ask the price. They ended up costing $12.95 each!! Good thing we only had one round!
Dec 23rd - Sun - San Carlos
Did laundry this morning before going grocery shopping at the Ley in Guaymas with Pat & Rick. It was very busy but all check stands were open so didn’t take long to get out. It takes a while to figure out what might be the item that you want with everything labeled in Spanish!
We golfed at 3:00. Pat & I teed off first as Craig did not show up on time. There ended up being a foursome of guys so Pat & I had time to continue on hole 10 and then cut through some home construction and play back to the clubhouse on hole 18. The wives of the other guys playing with Terry showed up along with another couple (Bill & Tammy) to have hamburgers at the clubhouse restaurant. Pat borrowed a truck to go get Rick and brought back Bill & Geri as well so we had a large group for dinner.
Dec 24th - Mon - San Carlos
Our “group of 8” got together for a turkey dinner today. I cooked a 14 lb turkey (just fit in the oven!) with stuffing made by Pat and gravy made by me, Margo did a broccoli casserole & rolls, Geri provided mashed potatoes & pickles and Pat did a layered pumpkin dessert. Had to set up our tables in the shade as it was too warm in the sun at 2:00.
After dinner & dishes were cleaned up, 5 of us had a good time playing Tripoly. Rick made the mistake of trying to have a nap while we were right outside his rig!
We did a little gift exchange where you can take an unopened gift or steal a gift from someone else. Lots of fun. Then we all put on long pants and jackets to go over to the main road along the beach to watch the decorated boat parade. The boats were nicely done but there were only 13. Apparently there was supposed to be a fireworks show at 10:30 or 11 but we did not stick around. We heard occasional fireworks but it didn’t sound like a large display.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Dec 14th to 20th - San Carlos
Dec 14th - Fri - San Carlos
Yes, I am several days behind in the blog!!!
Terry & I rode our bicycles to a nearby bakery for cinnamon rolls this morning which we shared with Rick & Pat.
We aired up our kayaks and the whole group headed out from some paddling. It was lovely. The water is so clear and there was only a slight breeze. We paddled across a small bay, through a narrow passage and then back around into the bay. There are lots of pelicans here and there were a couple of rock outcroppings with many birds. They usually just watched us go by.
We rode with Rick & Pat and Rick wanted to look for other places to launch kayaks. We ended up on a very narrow, bumpy road along another bay with steep drops into the water - won’t be going there to launch kayaks.
Dec 15th - Sat - San Carlos
Terry took me to the dentist for a 9:30 appointment to re-prep my tooth for the crown. The dentist gave me the Novocain very slowly this time so it did not hurt like the first time. And then I toughed out some discomfort (pain!!) so he wouldn’t have to give me more!
Terry took a card for Dean to a restaurant where US mail is taken to be mailed in the states while I started some laundry. On his way back, Terry saw Dave & Margo heading into Charlie’s Rock for a beer so we went and joined them. Charlie’s Rock has tables & bar stools facing the ocean on the outside wall. There is no glass in the openings and the restaurant is on a small bluff above the ocean so the view is wonderful.
Dec 16th - Sun - San Carlos
We took 2 rigs and all 8 of our group to the Sunday “market” in Empalme this morning. Empalme is about ½ hour from here. Some streets are closed and packed with vendors and people. A lot of “garage sale” stuff, lots of prepared food and quite a bit of fruit/vegetable/meat stands. Total purchases - Geri bought one small wine glass and Pat bought cotton candy - and ate it all by herself!
We stopped at an eatery in Guaymas for a beer and crab tostadas for lunch. Rick led us on a sightseeing tour of Guaymas and ended up at a statue with viewing platforms on a hill above the city.
Dec 17th - Mon - San Carlos
I went to Spanish lessons this morning while Terry did some chores.
When Terry woke up this morning he mentioned that he must have slept wrong as his neck was stiff. Well, it got really bad and he started getting muscle spasms that would almost bring him to his knees. Pat massaged his neck & shoulder with a heating rub and it felt better - but just long enough to go for a walk with Rick & Pat. Geri then contributed some pain pills and Rick added an ice pack. Terry got through a wonderful shared dinner with Pat’s seafood lasagna being the star dish and then I put him to bed.
Dec 18th - Tues - San Carlos
Slept late this morning and Terry’s neck is all better! But now my stomach is upset. Intermittent pains but no other typical symptoms - that we all hope not to get - until late tonight.
Dave & Margo, Bill & Geri and we took our kayaks to the estuary this morning. But we didn’t get too far out and Terry & I were hitting bottom. Terry pushed his kayak further than I did and ended up getting out and pulling his kayak back to deeper water. Dave & Margo and we went searching for another place to launch but didn’t find anywhere.
After lunch I helped Margo set up a blog. At 3:00 we went golfing - Rick, Terry & Craig and Pat, Bill & I. It was a beautiful day.
Dave, Margo & Geri went to a place called Froggy’s at 4:30 to save tables for all of us so we could take advantage of the 2 for 1 pizza night. Won’t do that again - the pizza left a lot to be desired.
Dec 19th - Wed - San Carlos
I helped Rick install some fixes for his virus protection program on his computer before they joined us for another trip to Guaymas and the dentist. Before my appointment we found a bicycle shop for some new brake pads and checked out the Woolworth’s store.
Would you believe that my crown was not delivered to the dentist?! The lab had some problems and the dentist tried to figure out how to get hold of me but as we don’t have a phone that is hard. I had forgotten to tell them where we are staying as the office will get messages to residents if necessary. Made another appointment for tomorrow.
We sort of got lost in Guaymas and saw a lot of the town that we had previously not seen on our way to Sorriana’s grocery store.
My stomach was still bothering me so I read until it was time to go to the cooking class. She gave us a recipe for Picadillo which is a ground meat dish. Pat & I both had baby back ribs to cook for dinner so we got together at their place for dinner. I ate part of my dinner and headed back to our rig as I was not feeling well. I just finished reading a book when I sent my dinner to the sewer. Terry came back when he saw I was no longer in the recliner and we crawled into bed just after 7 and watched TV and I dozed.
Dec 20th - Thurs - San Carlos
To the dentist at 9:00 and the crown finally fit! I am going to get some more dental work done but not until next year.
We stopped at the grocery store (Ley) in Guaymas on the way back and bought a small turkey for a group Christmas dinner. Then we stopped at Barracuda Bob’s, a café beside the laundromat, for a breakfast burrito.
I am still recovering from my intestinal disorder so I did some light cleaning while Terry & Pat took the metal detectors to a beach. They found lots of pull-tabs and pop cans but nothing of value or interest.
Steve & Linda from Boise arrived this afternoon with another couple that we have not met yet.
No Happy Hour tonight which is just as well as I might be tempted to have a drink which would probably not make my stomach feel any better.
Yes, I am several days behind in the blog!!!
Terry & I rode our bicycles to a nearby bakery for cinnamon rolls this morning which we shared with Rick & Pat.
We aired up our kayaks and the whole group headed out from some paddling. It was lovely. The water is so clear and there was only a slight breeze. We paddled across a small bay, through a narrow passage and then back around into the bay. There are lots of pelicans here and there were a couple of rock outcroppings with many birds. They usually just watched us go by.
We rode with Rick & Pat and Rick wanted to look for other places to launch kayaks. We ended up on a very narrow, bumpy road along another bay with steep drops into the water - won’t be going there to launch kayaks.
Dec 15th - Sat - San Carlos
Terry took me to the dentist for a 9:30 appointment to re-prep my tooth for the crown. The dentist gave me the Novocain very slowly this time so it did not hurt like the first time. And then I toughed out some discomfort (pain!!) so he wouldn’t have to give me more!
Terry took a card for Dean to a restaurant where US mail is taken to be mailed in the states while I started some laundry. On his way back, Terry saw Dave & Margo heading into Charlie’s Rock for a beer so we went and joined them. Charlie’s Rock has tables & bar stools facing the ocean on the outside wall. There is no glass in the openings and the restaurant is on a small bluff above the ocean so the view is wonderful.
Dec 16th - Sun - San Carlos
We took 2 rigs and all 8 of our group to the Sunday “market” in Empalme this morning. Empalme is about ½ hour from here. Some streets are closed and packed with vendors and people. A lot of “garage sale” stuff, lots of prepared food and quite a bit of fruit/vegetable/meat stands. Total purchases - Geri bought one small wine glass and Pat bought cotton candy - and ate it all by herself!
We stopped at an eatery in Guaymas for a beer and crab tostadas for lunch. Rick led us on a sightseeing tour of Guaymas and ended up at a statue with viewing platforms on a hill above the city.
Dec 17th - Mon - San Carlos
I went to Spanish lessons this morning while Terry did some chores.
When Terry woke up this morning he mentioned that he must have slept wrong as his neck was stiff. Well, it got really bad and he started getting muscle spasms that would almost bring him to his knees. Pat massaged his neck & shoulder with a heating rub and it felt better - but just long enough to go for a walk with Rick & Pat. Geri then contributed some pain pills and Rick added an ice pack. Terry got through a wonderful shared dinner with Pat’s seafood lasagna being the star dish and then I put him to bed.
Dec 18th - Tues - San Carlos
Slept late this morning and Terry’s neck is all better! But now my stomach is upset. Intermittent pains but no other typical symptoms - that we all hope not to get - until late tonight.
Dave & Margo, Bill & Geri and we took our kayaks to the estuary this morning. But we didn’t get too far out and Terry & I were hitting bottom. Terry pushed his kayak further than I did and ended up getting out and pulling his kayak back to deeper water. Dave & Margo and we went searching for another place to launch but didn’t find anywhere.
After lunch I helped Margo set up a blog. At 3:00 we went golfing - Rick, Terry & Craig and Pat, Bill & I. It was a beautiful day.
Dave, Margo & Geri went to a place called Froggy’s at 4:30 to save tables for all of us so we could take advantage of the 2 for 1 pizza night. Won’t do that again - the pizza left a lot to be desired.
Dec 19th - Wed - San Carlos
I helped Rick install some fixes for his virus protection program on his computer before they joined us for another trip to Guaymas and the dentist. Before my appointment we found a bicycle shop for some new brake pads and checked out the Woolworth’s store.
Would you believe that my crown was not delivered to the dentist?! The lab had some problems and the dentist tried to figure out how to get hold of me but as we don’t have a phone that is hard. I had forgotten to tell them where we are staying as the office will get messages to residents if necessary. Made another appointment for tomorrow.
We sort of got lost in Guaymas and saw a lot of the town that we had previously not seen on our way to Sorriana’s grocery store.
My stomach was still bothering me so I read until it was time to go to the cooking class. She gave us a recipe for Picadillo which is a ground meat dish. Pat & I both had baby back ribs to cook for dinner so we got together at their place for dinner. I ate part of my dinner and headed back to our rig as I was not feeling well. I just finished reading a book when I sent my dinner to the sewer. Terry came back when he saw I was no longer in the recliner and we crawled into bed just after 7 and watched TV and I dozed.
Dec 20th - Thurs - San Carlos
To the dentist at 9:00 and the crown finally fit! I am going to get some more dental work done but not until next year.
We stopped at the grocery store (Ley) in Guaymas on the way back and bought a small turkey for a group Christmas dinner. Then we stopped at Barracuda Bob’s, a café beside the laundromat, for a breakfast burrito.
I am still recovering from my intestinal disorder so I did some light cleaning while Terry & Pat took the metal detectors to a beach. They found lots of pull-tabs and pop cans but nothing of value or interest.
Steve & Linda from Boise arrived this afternoon with another couple that we have not met yet.
No Happy Hour tonight which is just as well as I might be tempted to have a drink which would probably not make my stomach feel any better.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Dec 11th to 13th - San Carlos
Dec 11th - Tues - San Carlos
Pat & Rick, Geri & Bill and Terry & I walked down the street for breakfast at Rosie’s Cantina. Very nice, typical American food available. Stopped at a small grocery store on the way back.
All 8 of us then went for a hike in Nacarule Canyon. It was beautiful. I will try to get the pictures posted soon. I think it was 1.6 kilometers. Just wonderful, not too strenuous but we knew we had been for a walk.
Then we all continued out to a beach and the Soggy Peso Bar for a margarita and a snack. All in all a great day!
Dec 12th - Wed - San Carlos
Back to the dentist today with the same results - the crown did not fit. It turns out the lab did some adjusting on the old crown instead of using the new impression to make a new crown. So I will be coming back again tomorrow. Rick very kindly drove to Guaymas again and on the way back we stopped at a nice hotel/resort and walked around the grounds & dock. Didn’t look like many people were staying there but Rick said it caters more to Mexicans and they do not go to the beach in the winter.
All of the women in our group went to a cooking class this afternoon which is taught by the same lady (Maria) who offers the Spanish class. We learned about different types of chilies and chose which type of salsa we wanted to make tomorrow.
We signed up for Skype which is a way of making phone calls using the computer. We use a headset/microphone and can call any phone number or other Skype users. There is a slight delay when speaking but not too bad.
Craig & Cathy joined us for Happy Hour today so we had a larger group.
We wanted to try Skype and call someone tonight but the wifi was down so couldn’t do it.
We found out today via an email from Terry’s brother Harry that Terry’s Mom is in the hospital after an operation on her back. She chipped a vertebra which exposed a nerve - very painful. They used a bonding agent to cover the nerve and removed the bone chip. She should be home in a couple of days. We couldn’t figure out why she had not sent us an email!!
Dec 13th - Thurs - San Carlos
The “cooking class” met Maria at 9:30 this morning to take the bus to the market at Guaymas. Maria led us though the market (the Mercado), showed the different types of chilies and helped us buy ingredients for our salsas. Pat, Geri, Margo and I split from the rest of the group and walked to my dentist appointment, stopping at some stores along the way.
Would you believe the new crown still did not fit. So we will be starting over with the nasty Novocain and re-prepping the tooth to take it down a bit. There is just not enough room for the crown.
When we got back, the ladies made their salsas. Maria had bought a huge bag of fresh tortilla chips and the class met again at 3:30 to taste everyone’s salsa. It was very interesting to see how they all turned out. Most were too hot for me to eat more than one taste but I am a spicy food wimp.
Rick, Terry & Craig went golfing. They got back just after 5 and by then everyone else was cuddled up inside as it was fairly cool so we actually missed getting together for Happy Hour!
We used Skype tonight to make several phone calls. We got dropped at least once on every phone call - apparently the wifi signal was low. But at 2 cents a minute, I can call back a few times. The sound quality was fine - at least on this end - and no one was bothered too much by the slight sound delay.
Pat & Rick, Geri & Bill and Terry & I walked down the street for breakfast at Rosie’s Cantina. Very nice, typical American food available. Stopped at a small grocery store on the way back.
All 8 of us then went for a hike in Nacarule Canyon. It was beautiful. I will try to get the pictures posted soon. I think it was 1.6 kilometers. Just wonderful, not too strenuous but we knew we had been for a walk.
Then we all continued out to a beach and the Soggy Peso Bar for a margarita and a snack. All in all a great day!
Dec 12th - Wed - San Carlos
Back to the dentist today with the same results - the crown did not fit. It turns out the lab did some adjusting on the old crown instead of using the new impression to make a new crown. So I will be coming back again tomorrow. Rick very kindly drove to Guaymas again and on the way back we stopped at a nice hotel/resort and walked around the grounds & dock. Didn’t look like many people were staying there but Rick said it caters more to Mexicans and they do not go to the beach in the winter.
All of the women in our group went to a cooking class this afternoon which is taught by the same lady (Maria) who offers the Spanish class. We learned about different types of chilies and chose which type of salsa we wanted to make tomorrow.
We signed up for Skype which is a way of making phone calls using the computer. We use a headset/microphone and can call any phone number or other Skype users. There is a slight delay when speaking but not too bad.
Craig & Cathy joined us for Happy Hour today so we had a larger group.
We wanted to try Skype and call someone tonight but the wifi was down so couldn’t do it.
We found out today via an email from Terry’s brother Harry that Terry’s Mom is in the hospital after an operation on her back. She chipped a vertebra which exposed a nerve - very painful. They used a bonding agent to cover the nerve and removed the bone chip. She should be home in a couple of days. We couldn’t figure out why she had not sent us an email!!
Dec 13th - Thurs - San Carlos
The “cooking class” met Maria at 9:30 this morning to take the bus to the market at Guaymas. Maria led us though the market (the Mercado), showed the different types of chilies and helped us buy ingredients for our salsas. Pat, Geri, Margo and I split from the rest of the group and walked to my dentist appointment, stopping at some stores along the way.
Would you believe the new crown still did not fit. So we will be starting over with the nasty Novocain and re-prepping the tooth to take it down a bit. There is just not enough room for the crown.
When we got back, the ladies made their salsas. Maria had bought a huge bag of fresh tortilla chips and the class met again at 3:30 to taste everyone’s salsa. It was very interesting to see how they all turned out. Most were too hot for me to eat more than one taste but I am a spicy food wimp.
Rick, Terry & Craig went golfing. They got back just after 5 and by then everyone else was cuddled up inside as it was fairly cool so we actually missed getting together for Happy Hour!
We used Skype tonight to make several phone calls. We got dropped at least once on every phone call - apparently the wifi signal was low. But at 2 cents a minute, I can call back a few times. The sound quality was fine - at least on this end - and no one was bothered too much by the slight sound delay.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Dec 7th to 10th - San Carlos
Dec 7th - Fri - San Carlos
Pat & Rick and we did laundry this morning. We went to a laundromat in town as it is beside a little café so we could have coffee and breakfast while the clothes were washing.
We enjoyed the sunshine while we cleaned the outside of the 5th wheel and the truck. Then we spent quite a bit of time trying to set up the satellite dish with no success.
Pat & I went for a walk along the beach before joining everyone else for Happy Hour.
There is a new nightclub across the street from the RV park with really loud music on Thurs, Fri and Sat. I was awake a long time last night and tonight. At one point the band must have taken a break and Pretty Woman came blasting out. Kind of out of place after the Mexican music.
Dec 8th - Sat - San Carlos/Guaymas
We went to an art & craft show in town before going to Guaymas to get my crown. Dave & Margo were following us so Rick could show them where the large grocery store is and where to park. I got a haircut at the same place where Pat got one on Thursday. I will have to learn how to say “not too short” in Spanish!!
My crown did not fit so the dentist took another impression and sent it back to the lab. I have a very crooked bite so it is hard for the dentist and the lab to get the top & bottom impressions together correctly. Have to come back on Wed for the new crown. At least the dentist is concerned with getting it right.
We went to another large grocery store just so we would know where it is in the future and of course there is always something that you need to buy.
Terry spent more time trying to set up our satellite dish. Then the owner (Joe) came by and said that we needed a larger dish. So he called someone who is going to come out and possibly rent us a larger dish for 4 months.
Today is Rick’s birthday so we all (12 of us) went out to a restaurant across the street for drinks and dinner to celebrate. Most bars in Mexico do not have scotch so Terry was drinking margaritas and keeping up to Dave. Mistake!! Actually, the house margaritas were plenty potent so all of us were happy that we were walking home instead of driving. Pat had baked a cake so we had cake & ice cream when we got back.
Dec 9th - Sun - San Carlos
Inhabitants of this section of the campground were moving pretty slowly this morning. Terry & I went for a bicycle ride into town and then drove to find Craig & Cathy’s lot. They and 3 other couples bought 2 adjoining lots a couple of years ago and are putting in hookups for 4 RVs. Bill & Tammy, who joined us for dinner last night, just moved their motor home out there a couple of days ago as they have water and electricity now. Cathy won’t move until they have a septic tank put in which is happening this week.
The satellite dish guy came out and said we could not get the 2 satellites needed for Dish network here. The satellites are too low and too far apart from this location. So we will get by with the 5 channels on cable here. The reception was pretty bad but a maintenance guy came by and hooked all 4 of us to one feed with better reception so it will be fine.
Did some cleaning, caught up on emails, did some mending and then relaxed and recovered. Short gathering this evening as it was too cold.
Dec 10th - Mon - San Carlos
It rained very hard last night. So the rain kept us awake instead of the loud music.
Margo & I went to Spanish lessons this morning. They are given by the mother of the guy who owns the RV park. I admit to stereotypical thinking and was surprised to see a youthful blonde teaching the class instead of the dark haired, older woman I was expecting. It was fun as she includes tidbits of Mexican culture as well as the language.
We did not plan ahead for Christmas gifts for Dean & family so now we are trying to figure out how to get something to them on time. We went to a couple of places where we had seen S mail coming and/or going but it is all private groups. So we had lunch and stopped at a produce market before coming back.
It rained again a couple of times today and continued cool so we had Happy Hour inside our rig this evening. Everyone was comfortable and the stories were flowing so we didn’t end up having dinner until after 8. Terry is snoozing on the couch so I will get this posted and get to bed.
Pat & Rick and we did laundry this morning. We went to a laundromat in town as it is beside a little café so we could have coffee and breakfast while the clothes were washing.
We enjoyed the sunshine while we cleaned the outside of the 5th wheel and the truck. Then we spent quite a bit of time trying to set up the satellite dish with no success.
Pat & I went for a walk along the beach before joining everyone else for Happy Hour.
There is a new nightclub across the street from the RV park with really loud music on Thurs, Fri and Sat. I was awake a long time last night and tonight. At one point the band must have taken a break and Pretty Woman came blasting out. Kind of out of place after the Mexican music.
Dec 8th - Sat - San Carlos/Guaymas
We went to an art & craft show in town before going to Guaymas to get my crown. Dave & Margo were following us so Rick could show them where the large grocery store is and where to park. I got a haircut at the same place where Pat got one on Thursday. I will have to learn how to say “not too short” in Spanish!!
My crown did not fit so the dentist took another impression and sent it back to the lab. I have a very crooked bite so it is hard for the dentist and the lab to get the top & bottom impressions together correctly. Have to come back on Wed for the new crown. At least the dentist is concerned with getting it right.
We went to another large grocery store just so we would know where it is in the future and of course there is always something that you need to buy.
Terry spent more time trying to set up our satellite dish. Then the owner (Joe) came by and said that we needed a larger dish. So he called someone who is going to come out and possibly rent us a larger dish for 4 months.
Today is Rick’s birthday so we all (12 of us) went out to a restaurant across the street for drinks and dinner to celebrate. Most bars in Mexico do not have scotch so Terry was drinking margaritas and keeping up to Dave. Mistake!! Actually, the house margaritas were plenty potent so all of us were happy that we were walking home instead of driving. Pat had baked a cake so we had cake & ice cream when we got back.
Dec 9th - Sun - San Carlos
Inhabitants of this section of the campground were moving pretty slowly this morning. Terry & I went for a bicycle ride into town and then drove to find Craig & Cathy’s lot. They and 3 other couples bought 2 adjoining lots a couple of years ago and are putting in hookups for 4 RVs. Bill & Tammy, who joined us for dinner last night, just moved their motor home out there a couple of days ago as they have water and electricity now. Cathy won’t move until they have a septic tank put in which is happening this week.
The satellite dish guy came out and said we could not get the 2 satellites needed for Dish network here. The satellites are too low and too far apart from this location. So we will get by with the 5 channels on cable here. The reception was pretty bad but a maintenance guy came by and hooked all 4 of us to one feed with better reception so it will be fine.
Did some cleaning, caught up on emails, did some mending and then relaxed and recovered. Short gathering this evening as it was too cold.
Dec 10th - Mon - San Carlos
It rained very hard last night. So the rain kept us awake instead of the loud music.
Margo & I went to Spanish lessons this morning. They are given by the mother of the guy who owns the RV park. I admit to stereotypical thinking and was surprised to see a youthful blonde teaching the class instead of the dark haired, older woman I was expecting. It was fun as she includes tidbits of Mexican culture as well as the language.
We did not plan ahead for Christmas gifts for Dean & family so now we are trying to figure out how to get something to them on time. We went to a couple of places where we had seen S mail coming and/or going but it is all private groups. So we had lunch and stopped at a produce market before coming back.
It rained again a couple of times today and continued cool so we had Happy Hour inside our rig this evening. Everyone was comfortable and the stories were flowing so we didn’t end up having dinner until after 8. Terry is snoozing on the couch so I will get this posted and get to bed.
Friday, December 07, 2007
Dec 5th & 6th - San Carlos
Dec 5th - Wed - San Carlos
The 4 ladies of our group went for a morning walk through a housing area right next door to the RV park. We chatted with a couple of people and were told that the dentist here in San Carlos where I made an appointment is good but relatively expensive. So we got a name & number of a dentist in nearby Guaymas. Since our phone does not work, Pat & I walked to a Best Western hotel and had the desk clerk call to cancel one appointment and make another for tomorrow.
The housing area next door is interesting as many places started with a travel trailer or 5th wheel and now they are built in permanently to the home. Others have garages for motor homes with casitas, outdoor kitchens and storage sheds. Only 10 houses are occupied year round - I guess the temperature is not super hot in summer but it is very humid being right on the ocean.
Pat, Rick, Craig, Terry & I played golf this afternoon. The price has gone up since last year. It is now $20 for as many holes as you can play after 3:00. We just played 9 holes as we would have a long walk back if we played a few more. And of course we had to get back to join the others for Happy Hour!
Dec 6th - Thurs - Guaymas
Pat & I were going to take the bus to my dentist appointment but Rick & Terry said they would come too so Rick drove. It is quite an experience as most of the streets do not have lines so lanes appear and disappear depending on cars parked on the side and the size of vehicles.
The dentist was another interesting experience. From the front, the building is small and has a barred front window with the dentist’s name painted on it. Inside was a large waiting room and everything looked clean. The dentist works without an assistant and uses older equipment such as “spit basins” and suction that hangs in the corner of your mouth. But it is hard to beat the price. He prepped my broken tooth for a crown that I will get on Saturday - and the total cost is 1500 pesos, slightly less than $150. And the dentist speaks fluent English!
We went to a large indoor market with individual stores that is frequented mostly by locals. We will not be buying any meat from the meat market. Sides of beef, pork & whatever else hang in the open behind a long, stainless counter which is covered with large hunks of meat. You order what you want and the butchers hack off the piece of meat.
Next we went to the mall which has a large grocery store where I imagine we will go for larger shopping trips.
Later in the afternoon, Pat & Rick and we went to Catch-22 beach on the far end of San Carlos to beachcomb and just enjoy the sun. We ended up at a bar at a large hotel and enjoyed a drink on the patio before heading back to the park.
The 4 ladies of our group went for a morning walk through a housing area right next door to the RV park. We chatted with a couple of people and were told that the dentist here in San Carlos where I made an appointment is good but relatively expensive. So we got a name & number of a dentist in nearby Guaymas. Since our phone does not work, Pat & I walked to a Best Western hotel and had the desk clerk call to cancel one appointment and make another for tomorrow.
The housing area next door is interesting as many places started with a travel trailer or 5th wheel and now they are built in permanently to the home. Others have garages for motor homes with casitas, outdoor kitchens and storage sheds. Only 10 houses are occupied year round - I guess the temperature is not super hot in summer but it is very humid being right on the ocean.
Pat, Rick, Craig, Terry & I played golf this afternoon. The price has gone up since last year. It is now $20 for as many holes as you can play after 3:00. We just played 9 holes as we would have a long walk back if we played a few more. And of course we had to get back to join the others for Happy Hour!
Dec 6th - Thurs - Guaymas
Pat & I were going to take the bus to my dentist appointment but Rick & Terry said they would come too so Rick drove. It is quite an experience as most of the streets do not have lines so lanes appear and disappear depending on cars parked on the side and the size of vehicles.
The dentist was another interesting experience. From the front, the building is small and has a barred front window with the dentist’s name painted on it. Inside was a large waiting room and everything looked clean. The dentist works without an assistant and uses older equipment such as “spit basins” and suction that hangs in the corner of your mouth. But it is hard to beat the price. He prepped my broken tooth for a crown that I will get on Saturday - and the total cost is 1500 pesos, slightly less than $150. And the dentist speaks fluent English!
We went to a large indoor market with individual stores that is frequented mostly by locals. We will not be buying any meat from the meat market. Sides of beef, pork & whatever else hang in the open behind a long, stainless counter which is covered with large hunks of meat. You order what you want and the butchers hack off the piece of meat.
Next we went to the mall which has a large grocery store where I imagine we will go for larger shopping trips.
Later in the afternoon, Pat & Rick and we went to Catch-22 beach on the far end of San Carlos to beachcomb and just enjoy the sun. We ended up at a bar at a large hotel and enjoyed a drink on the patio before heading back to the park.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Dec 1st to 4th - AZ to Mexico
Dec 1st - Sat - Amado
Did laundry this morning and met Margo of “Dave and Margo” who will be traveling to Mexico with us. Rick was walking through the park, started talking to them and found out they were going to San Carlos as well and asked if they wanted to join us. They are from Walla Walla, WA. So now our caravan will be 5 rigs.
Went to Green Valley to fuel up and get a couple of items that we thought we might not be able to get easily in Mexico. Had everyone over for “appy” (appetizer) dinner and drinks in our rig. It was pretty cold to sit outside so we made it cozy with 8 of us in our place. We all got to know each other a bit and gave Dave & Margo a chance to bail now if they thought we were all too crazy. Luckily, they fit right in and we are all looking forward to heading south.
Dec 2nd - Sun - to Nogales
We went to Nogales to meet up with the last couple in our group (Craig & Cathy) and to stay in the WalMart parking lot overnight before going into Mexico. We all had some last minute shopping to do - WalMart was jammed with the majority of the cars in the parking lot from Mexico.
Terry & I finished our shopping and set up lawn chairs in the parking lot to have a drink. Pretty soon everyone else joined us. 2 guys in a motor home who pulled into the parking lot for the night also brought over their chairs and joined the group. We lit a buddy burner and had a great time. Had to pull out the heavier jackets as it got pretty cool.
Dec 3rd - Mon - to San Carlos, Mexico
Our caravan left WalMart at 8 and immediately found out that we would have a heck of a time keeping the group together as long as there were traffic lights. Paid for the first toll and were on the highway. Narrow, 2 lane in each direction, with NO shoulders. Rough in some sections. The speed though towns is controlled by “topes” which are large speed bumps. Luckily there are warning signs before the topes.
At kilometer 21 you stop to get tourist cards and also permits for vehicles if you will be driving outside the free zone which is roughly the state of Sonora. Pat & Rick and Terry & I decided to get permits. Terry & I got a trainee with almost no English and it took us 1 ½ hours to get back on the road!
Bill started having truck problems again so we ended up splitting into 2 groups and then waiting for each other and joining back up again. There were 2 more toll booths. It cost us about $23 total for tolls. We arrived at San Carlos just before 4:00 pm. It is only about 270 miles but with the stops and waiting it took us a long time.
We got 4 spots in the RV park (Totonaka) that are all together with Craig & Cathy a little bit away with some other friends. We all got set up and then gathered at Pat & Rick’s space for our first Happy Hour(s) in Mexico. I had not made lunch for us on the road so I made dinner while we were setting up and we were rude and ate in front of everyone else. It was 80 degrees when we got here but cooled down a lot. We were very tired after a bad night’s sleep at the WalMart and the drive so we were in bed watching TV just after 8.
We were VERY disappointed and upset to find out that our cell phones do not work here. Terry had spoke with a Verizon rep in the Tucson Costco and he said we probably wouldn’t get reception as Verizon had lost the use of some towers. We had hoped that he did not know what he was talking about! So we will be depending mostly on the blog and emails for communication.
Dec 4th - Tues - San Carlos
I am sure I will be changing how I post to the blog as we get settled into a routine here but in the meantime I will continue with each day as I have been doing.
We sat out in the sunshine with our morning coffee today, had a late breakfast and then the whole group (4 couples) went in 2 vehicles to explore the town of San Carlos. Rick played tour director in one truck and Pat in the other. It is a very pretty area. The RV park is nicely kept with about 120 spots. It is right across the road from the beach but we didn’t get there yet.
Pat & I took our bicycles back into town after lunch to find a dentist and make an appointment for my broken tooth. A fisherman came through the park this morning with fresh shrimp/prawns so we bought some. $13.00 for 1 kilogram (about 2 pounds). Picked up a couple of small New York steaks at a small fresh produce stand and shared a great dinner with Pat & Rick after meeting with the group for a short Happy Hour. Tough life but someone has to do it!!
Did laundry this morning and met Margo of “Dave and Margo” who will be traveling to Mexico with us. Rick was walking through the park, started talking to them and found out they were going to San Carlos as well and asked if they wanted to join us. They are from Walla Walla, WA. So now our caravan will be 5 rigs.
Went to Green Valley to fuel up and get a couple of items that we thought we might not be able to get easily in Mexico. Had everyone over for “appy” (appetizer) dinner and drinks in our rig. It was pretty cold to sit outside so we made it cozy with 8 of us in our place. We all got to know each other a bit and gave Dave & Margo a chance to bail now if they thought we were all too crazy. Luckily, they fit right in and we are all looking forward to heading south.
Dec 2nd - Sun - to Nogales
We went to Nogales to meet up with the last couple in our group (Craig & Cathy) and to stay in the WalMart parking lot overnight before going into Mexico. We all had some last minute shopping to do - WalMart was jammed with the majority of the cars in the parking lot from Mexico.
Terry & I finished our shopping and set up lawn chairs in the parking lot to have a drink. Pretty soon everyone else joined us. 2 guys in a motor home who pulled into the parking lot for the night also brought over their chairs and joined the group. We lit a buddy burner and had a great time. Had to pull out the heavier jackets as it got pretty cool.
Dec 3rd - Mon - to San Carlos, Mexico
Our caravan left WalMart at 8 and immediately found out that we would have a heck of a time keeping the group together as long as there were traffic lights. Paid for the first toll and were on the highway. Narrow, 2 lane in each direction, with NO shoulders. Rough in some sections. The speed though towns is controlled by “topes” which are large speed bumps. Luckily there are warning signs before the topes.
At kilometer 21 you stop to get tourist cards and also permits for vehicles if you will be driving outside the free zone which is roughly the state of Sonora. Pat & Rick and Terry & I decided to get permits. Terry & I got a trainee with almost no English and it took us 1 ½ hours to get back on the road!
Bill started having truck problems again so we ended up splitting into 2 groups and then waiting for each other and joining back up again. There were 2 more toll booths. It cost us about $23 total for tolls. We arrived at San Carlos just before 4:00 pm. It is only about 270 miles but with the stops and waiting it took us a long time.
We got 4 spots in the RV park (Totonaka) that are all together with Craig & Cathy a little bit away with some other friends. We all got set up and then gathered at Pat & Rick’s space for our first Happy Hour(s) in Mexico. I had not made lunch for us on the road so I made dinner while we were setting up and we were rude and ate in front of everyone else. It was 80 degrees when we got here but cooled down a lot. We were very tired after a bad night’s sleep at the WalMart and the drive so we were in bed watching TV just after 8.
We were VERY disappointed and upset to find out that our cell phones do not work here. Terry had spoke with a Verizon rep in the Tucson Costco and he said we probably wouldn’t get reception as Verizon had lost the use of some towers. We had hoped that he did not know what he was talking about! So we will be depending mostly on the blog and emails for communication.
Dec 4th - Tues - San Carlos
I am sure I will be changing how I post to the blog as we get settled into a routine here but in the meantime I will continue with each day as I have been doing.
We sat out in the sunshine with our morning coffee today, had a late breakfast and then the whole group (4 couples) went in 2 vehicles to explore the town of San Carlos. Rick played tour director in one truck and Pat in the other. It is a very pretty area. The RV park is nicely kept with about 120 spots. It is right across the road from the beach but we didn’t get there yet.
Pat & I took our bicycles back into town after lunch to find a dentist and make an appointment for my broken tooth. A fisherman came through the park this morning with fresh shrimp/prawns so we bought some. $13.00 for 1 kilogram (about 2 pounds). Picked up a couple of small New York steaks at a small fresh produce stand and shared a great dinner with Pat & Rick after meeting with the group for a short Happy Hour. Tough life but someone has to do it!!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Nov 28th to 30th - Amado
Nov 28th - Wed - Amado
Took Pat & Rick to Tubac for shopping today. Not much buying, just shopping. Checked out a different restaurant for lunch. As we were leaving, we drove past some new houses on a golf course/resort and there were some models open for viewing. So Pat went and talked to a salesman, got all the info and then we all viewed 4 houses. There were all furnished in heavy furniture. Some were painted in very bold or dark colors and all had busy, patterned tile in the kitchen and/or bath. All had casitas which are bedroom/bathroom “suites” with a separate entrance and are designed to be rented out by the resort when the owners are not there or not using it.
We each fixed our own dinner and then Pat & Rick came over for some TV viewing. They forgot the remote control for their TV so they cannot program it to pick up available cable channels. Rick’s mom has mailed the remote to Mexico so hopefully it will be there when we arrive or shortly after.
Nov 29th - Thurs - Amado
Can you believe we have stayed so long in one spot!!!
We went to Nogales today so we could get our auto insurance for Mexico and to buy some pesos. Of course, we also had to stop at Wal Mart (plug-in cooler to extend “fridge” space) and Big Lots.
Next we went to Patagonia Lake State Park as we were thinking of moving there tomorrow. It was nice but the weather forecast is for rain and we decided we might as well stay where we are until we leave for Mexico on the 3rd. We looked at a map and figured we could take a different route back to the RV park. Wanda confirmed this so off we went. Part of the road was shown as “other” which turned out to be gravel, narrow, windy and very washboardy for about 6 miles. It was through mountains and was very interesting - at least for the passengers. By the time we got home and boiled some ribs, Terry was barbequing in the dark again.
Nov 30th - Fri - Amado
Paid for 2 more nights and then set off to Nogales. One of the couples that will be traveling and staying with us in Mexico - Bill & Geri Smith from Sequim, WA - had finally contacted Rick and we found out that their truck was having problems and they were at Beaudry Motors waiting for repairs. We thought we would go give them some moral support and go to Costco & PetsMart for some Dolly food. By the time we got there, Bill & Geri were repaired and heading for Amado. We did our shopping, including the mandatory hot dog at Costco, and headed back. Rick was driving today and still figuring out his new GPS navigation system. He was messing with it at a stop light and we ended up taking a long, scenic route back. But again, it was fun.
Pat made dinner for us and Bill & Geri. It had rained a bit during the day and started raining hard this evening. Then the wind picked up and it was really nasty all night.
Took Pat & Rick to Tubac for shopping today. Not much buying, just shopping. Checked out a different restaurant for lunch. As we were leaving, we drove past some new houses on a golf course/resort and there were some models open for viewing. So Pat went and talked to a salesman, got all the info and then we all viewed 4 houses. There were all furnished in heavy furniture. Some were painted in very bold or dark colors and all had busy, patterned tile in the kitchen and/or bath. All had casitas which are bedroom/bathroom “suites” with a separate entrance and are designed to be rented out by the resort when the owners are not there or not using it.
We each fixed our own dinner and then Pat & Rick came over for some TV viewing. They forgot the remote control for their TV so they cannot program it to pick up available cable channels. Rick’s mom has mailed the remote to Mexico so hopefully it will be there when we arrive or shortly after.
Nov 29th - Thurs - Amado
Can you believe we have stayed so long in one spot!!!
We went to Nogales today so we could get our auto insurance for Mexico and to buy some pesos. Of course, we also had to stop at Wal Mart (plug-in cooler to extend “fridge” space) and Big Lots.
Next we went to Patagonia Lake State Park as we were thinking of moving there tomorrow. It was nice but the weather forecast is for rain and we decided we might as well stay where we are until we leave for Mexico on the 3rd. We looked at a map and figured we could take a different route back to the RV park. Wanda confirmed this so off we went. Part of the road was shown as “other” which turned out to be gravel, narrow, windy and very washboardy for about 6 miles. It was through mountains and was very interesting - at least for the passengers. By the time we got home and boiled some ribs, Terry was barbequing in the dark again.
Nov 30th - Fri - Amado
Paid for 2 more nights and then set off to Nogales. One of the couples that will be traveling and staying with us in Mexico - Bill & Geri Smith from Sequim, WA - had finally contacted Rick and we found out that their truck was having problems and they were at Beaudry Motors waiting for repairs. We thought we would go give them some moral support and go to Costco & PetsMart for some Dolly food. By the time we got there, Bill & Geri were repaired and heading for Amado. We did our shopping, including the mandatory hot dog at Costco, and headed back. Rick was driving today and still figuring out his new GPS navigation system. He was messing with it at a stop light and we ended up taking a long, scenic route back. But again, it was fun.
Pat made dinner for us and Bill & Geri. It had rained a bit during the day and started raining hard this evening. Then the wind picked up and it was really nasty all night.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Nov 26th - 27th - Amado
Nov 26th - Mon - Amado
Checked out nearby golf courses and rates online so we can golf when cousin Pat & Rick join us here tomorrow. Most are pretty expensive but I found one in Sahuarita that is $12 for 9 holes so we will check it out.
It has cooled down a lot so we were lazy until we left around 2:30 to meet Pat & Rick at the Desert Diamond Casino where they are staying overnight before coming here. Our timing was perfect. We drove around the casino looking for them, parked where they would see our truck when they drove in and did not even have time to get out when they drove in. We joined them for a drink and some catching up and then went to the casino. Pat was her usual lucky self on some slot machines so she used her winnings to treat us to the seafood buffet. Gambled a little more after dinner and then we headed for “home”.
Nov 27th - Tues - Amado
Pat & Rick arrived early (long, 20 minute drive for them today!) and got set up. After lunch we left for the golf course. The course has a deal after 1:00 where you can play as many holes as you can get in before dark for the 9 hole price of $12. It was a nice course and we played 13 holes (Pat & I played 14) before heading back. We had a long walk back as the course winds through houses and we took the long route.
Stopped at WalMart and a grocery store for Rick to stock up on wine, then to our place for dinner. I got to use the pork/chile mix for stew and Pat made a salad so dinner prep was a snap. Then we all watched the last episode of Dancing with the Stars and Rick enjoyed the wifi connection by giving Claude a bad time!
Checked out nearby golf courses and rates online so we can golf when cousin Pat & Rick join us here tomorrow. Most are pretty expensive but I found one in Sahuarita that is $12 for 9 holes so we will check it out.
It has cooled down a lot so we were lazy until we left around 2:30 to meet Pat & Rick at the Desert Diamond Casino where they are staying overnight before coming here. Our timing was perfect. We drove around the casino looking for them, parked where they would see our truck when they drove in and did not even have time to get out when they drove in. We joined them for a drink and some catching up and then went to the casino. Pat was her usual lucky self on some slot machines so she used her winnings to treat us to the seafood buffet. Gambled a little more after dinner and then we headed for “home”.
Nov 27th - Tues - Amado
Pat & Rick arrived early (long, 20 minute drive for them today!) and got set up. After lunch we left for the golf course. The course has a deal after 1:00 where you can play as many holes as you can get in before dark for the 9 hole price of $12. It was a nice course and we played 13 holes (Pat & I played 14) before heading back. We had a long walk back as the course winds through houses and we took the long route.
Stopped at WalMart and a grocery store for Rick to stock up on wine, then to our place for dinner. I got to use the pork/chile mix for stew and Pat made a salad so dinner prep was a snap. Then we all watched the last episode of Dancing with the Stars and Rick enjoyed the wifi connection by giving Claude a bad time!
Monday, November 26, 2007
Nov 23rd to 25th - Amado, AZ
Nov 23rd - Fri - to Amado
We got a fairly early start and headed to Amado which is on Hwy 19 about halfway between Tucson and Nogales. Wanda sent us on a non-freeway route which was great. The roads were still fine and we got to see different areas from Hwy 10 which we have driven previously. I will generously describe the RV park as “basic”. But the rate is reasonable and we do have to cut back on some things so we can keep going to casinos!!
We had selected a spot and registered before we asked about the wifi access that was mentioned in Trailer Life and on their web site. Turns out they had problems with wifi and had gone to Verizon cards that you have to rent for $35 a week. We said (truthfully) that one of the main reasons that we chose this park was for the wifi and we were prepared to get our money back and leave. So they gave us a Verizon card to use for the week that we will be here. It works very well and is so nice to have right in our rig.
Nov 24th - Sat - Amado
We went to Tubac this morning. It is a small town with many “southwest” shops - a lot of pottery, patio art, jewelry and home furnishings/décor. We walked and shopped for a few hours before stopping for a nice lunch. Then we continued on to Nogales as we needed fuel and wanted to check it out so we would know where we were going when we leave here. Ended up at WalMart and stocked up on some items that I thought we might not easily find in Mexico. Back “home” for drinks and dessert - didn’t need dinner after our large, late lunch.
I did get more pictures on the internet so check it out.
Nov 25th - Sun - Amado
Lazed around and had a late breakfast today. Then we went to the Desert Diamond Casino (!!) which is back towards Tucson. Signed up for the player’s club to add a card to our collection and we each received an insulated lunch bag which is great as we left ours in a golf cart back on Vancouver Island. The casino allowed us to play for several hours before finally taking our allotted money so it was fun.
On the way back we drove through Green Valley and stopped at Safeway for a couple of items that we could not find at WalMart. I picked up a large package of boneless country style ribs which I trimmed, browned and simmered. Added gravy to part for dinner tonight and added green chilies to the rest to which I will add corn, potatoes and black beans for a stew.
Made use of the internet connection to surf the web and clean up emails.
We got a fairly early start and headed to Amado which is on Hwy 19 about halfway between Tucson and Nogales. Wanda sent us on a non-freeway route which was great. The roads were still fine and we got to see different areas from Hwy 10 which we have driven previously. I will generously describe the RV park as “basic”. But the rate is reasonable and we do have to cut back on some things so we can keep going to casinos!!
We had selected a spot and registered before we asked about the wifi access that was mentioned in Trailer Life and on their web site. Turns out they had problems with wifi and had gone to Verizon cards that you have to rent for $35 a week. We said (truthfully) that one of the main reasons that we chose this park was for the wifi and we were prepared to get our money back and leave. So they gave us a Verizon card to use for the week that we will be here. It works very well and is so nice to have right in our rig.
Nov 24th - Sat - Amado
We went to Tubac this morning. It is a small town with many “southwest” shops - a lot of pottery, patio art, jewelry and home furnishings/décor. We walked and shopped for a few hours before stopping for a nice lunch. Then we continued on to Nogales as we needed fuel and wanted to check it out so we would know where we were going when we leave here. Ended up at WalMart and stocked up on some items that I thought we might not easily find in Mexico. Back “home” for drinks and dessert - didn’t need dinner after our large, late lunch.
I did get more pictures on the internet so check it out.
Nov 25th - Sun - Amado
Lazed around and had a late breakfast today. Then we went to the Desert Diamond Casino (!!) which is back towards Tucson. Signed up for the player’s club to add a card to our collection and we each received an insulated lunch bag which is great as we left ours in a golf cart back on Vancouver Island. The casino allowed us to play for several hours before finally taking our allotted money so it was fun.
On the way back we drove through Green Valley and stopped at Safeway for a couple of items that we could not find at WalMart. I picked up a large package of boneless country style ribs which I trimmed, browned and simmered. Added gravy to part for dinner tonight and added green chilies to the rest to which I will add corn, potatoes and black beans for a stew.
Made use of the internet connection to surf the web and clean up emails.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Nov 21st & 22nd - Mesa - HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Nov 21st - Wed - Mesa
Our friend Chuck Kambouroff who lives in Phoenix came to visit today. He came to see us last year in Quartzite. It is so nice to be able to see old friends - and new friends - as we travel.
While we were having lunch with Chuck, I lost a large filling and the side of a molar. I managed to get into a dentist. He said it could not be refilled as there was not enough tooth and a crown would be $841. He had equipment where he can make a crown in his office in about half an hour - and it still costs that much!! We were already planning on getting some dental work done in Mexico. I’m not sure I can go that long with this broken tooth but we decided to wait until next week and check with another dentist. Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a lot of offices are closed Friday as well, there won’t be much we can do until Monday.
Nov 22nd - Thurs - Mesa
Started our Thanksgiving day with an unusual activity for this day - laundry!!
There was a Thanksgiving dinner (part provided by the park, part potluck) here at the park but we decided to go to the Gila River Casino instead. We prefer penny slots so we can slow the losses when we are not doing well. This casino had very few one cent machines and the 2 cent ones where not very nice to us! The buffet had a huge line and I did not want to pay $14.95 when I could only eat a few different items. So we left, licking our wounds, and went to Denny’s for an adequate turkey dinner.
Our neighbor Eileen told us about a lighting event at the Phoenix zoo so we waited until dark and went there. The display is great. It is called “Zoolights”. There are lights everywhere - trees, shrubs, buildings and freestanding animals. You do not see any zoo animals as they are all asleep - except for some zebra. There is Christmas music everywhere and a lot of the figures are “animated”. I did take a lot of pictures so will try to get them posted tomorrow.
Our friend Chuck Kambouroff who lives in Phoenix came to visit today. He came to see us last year in Quartzite. It is so nice to be able to see old friends - and new friends - as we travel.
While we were having lunch with Chuck, I lost a large filling and the side of a molar. I managed to get into a dentist. He said it could not be refilled as there was not enough tooth and a crown would be $841. He had equipment where he can make a crown in his office in about half an hour - and it still costs that much!! We were already planning on getting some dental work done in Mexico. I’m not sure I can go that long with this broken tooth but we decided to wait until next week and check with another dentist. Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a lot of offices are closed Friday as well, there won’t be much we can do until Monday.
Nov 22nd - Thurs - Mesa
Started our Thanksgiving day with an unusual activity for this day - laundry!!
There was a Thanksgiving dinner (part provided by the park, part potluck) here at the park but we decided to go to the Gila River Casino instead. We prefer penny slots so we can slow the losses when we are not doing well. This casino had very few one cent machines and the 2 cent ones where not very nice to us! The buffet had a huge line and I did not want to pay $14.95 when I could only eat a few different items. So we left, licking our wounds, and went to Denny’s for an adequate turkey dinner.
Our neighbor Eileen told us about a lighting event at the Phoenix zoo so we waited until dark and went there. The display is great. It is called “Zoolights”. There are lights everywhere - trees, shrubs, buildings and freestanding animals. You do not see any zoo animals as they are all asleep - except for some zebra. There is Christmas music everywhere and a lot of the figures are “animated”. I did take a lot of pictures so will try to get them posted tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Nov 18th to 20th - Mesa
Nov 18th - Sun - Mesa
We made breakfast for Barry & Yvonne before they left for home this morning. And then we kind of felt at loose ends with the empty spot beside us!
We rode our bikes around the park looking at park models that were advertised for sale on a bulletin board. There wasn’t anything that made us think that we would like to come back here each winter.
After spending some time on the computer/internet, we returned to the swap meet. There was only a little over an hour until vendors started closing down - supposed to be open until 4 but vendors were closing at 3 - so we didn’t buy anything else. Spent a quiet evening after dinner watching TV and making phone calls.
Nov 19th - Mon - Mesa
Terry spent a lot of time cleaning the 5th wheel today while I did fun things like shorten some jeans, cut Dolly’s toe nails and misc inside cleaning. Spent some time on the internet and visiting with some neighbors. Not too exciting but good to get things done.
Nov 20th - Tues - Mesa
Finished cleaning the 5th wheel and then finally completed Terry’s internet application for social security benefits. We found out that we could go to a local office with the necessary documents rather than having to mail an original birth certificate. So after taking advantage of the lunch offerings here at the park, we spent a couple of hours at the social security office getting everything done. Terry is SO happy that it is done.
Made a stop at Home Depot for some supplies and did some little fix-it items on the 5th wheel. Then Dolly drove our neighbor’s dog (Mindy) crazy with her “ignore all dogs routine” while we sat and had a drink with her owners Merle & Eileen.
We made breakfast for Barry & Yvonne before they left for home this morning. And then we kind of felt at loose ends with the empty spot beside us!
We rode our bikes around the park looking at park models that were advertised for sale on a bulletin board. There wasn’t anything that made us think that we would like to come back here each winter.
After spending some time on the computer/internet, we returned to the swap meet. There was only a little over an hour until vendors started closing down - supposed to be open until 4 but vendors were closing at 3 - so we didn’t buy anything else. Spent a quiet evening after dinner watching TV and making phone calls.
Nov 19th - Mon - Mesa
Terry spent a lot of time cleaning the 5th wheel today while I did fun things like shorten some jeans, cut Dolly’s toe nails and misc inside cleaning. Spent some time on the internet and visiting with some neighbors. Not too exciting but good to get things done.
Nov 20th - Tues - Mesa
Finished cleaning the 5th wheel and then finally completed Terry’s internet application for social security benefits. We found out that we could go to a local office with the necessary documents rather than having to mail an original birth certificate. So after taking advantage of the lunch offerings here at the park, we spent a couple of hours at the social security office getting everything done. Terry is SO happy that it is done.
Made a stop at Home Depot for some supplies and did some little fix-it items on the 5th wheel. Then Dolly drove our neighbor’s dog (Mindy) crazy with her “ignore all dogs routine” while we sat and had a drink with her owners Merle & Eileen.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Nov 16th & 17th - Mesa
Nov 16th - Fri - Mesa
The weather was back to beautiful so we cleaned the truck and then played golf at the same 9 hole executive course - Sunland Village East. I did terrible, Yvonne good, Terry not so bad and Barry was not happy with his game.
When we returned from golf we drove to the office to see if our forwarded mail had arrived. It was not there so we decided to stay a few more days to be sure we are here when it arrives. We were going to stay 4 more days until the lady at the desk thought we wouldn’t want to be moving on Thanksgiving Day so we said we would stay until the 23rd. When we got back to our site, our forwarded mail package was on the table by our door!
So then we had a lazy remainder of the afternoon and evening.
Nov 17th - Sat - Mesa
Today was “patio sale” day here at the RV park so we took a quick drive around to see if there was anything we “needed”! Then we went with Barry & Yvonne to the Mesa Marketplace Swap Meet. It is a large, covered sale that is open Fri/Sat/Sun in the winter. We had breakfast there and then walked and walked and walked. And did some buying - but not as much as Barry & Yvonne. We always see that they get into trouble when they are with us.
Terry worked on my squeaky bicycle brakes so we took a ride to check out the repair - not so much squeaking but not so much braking power either! We went to dinner with Barry & Yvonne. While we were waiting to be seated at the restaurant, we walked to Target and Yvonne found her double-boiler so she can make covered pretzels.
We all went to the dance at the park tonight - country band which was very good. Had to wear off dinner somehow!
The weather was back to beautiful so we cleaned the truck and then played golf at the same 9 hole executive course - Sunland Village East. I did terrible, Yvonne good, Terry not so bad and Barry was not happy with his game.
When we returned from golf we drove to the office to see if our forwarded mail had arrived. It was not there so we decided to stay a few more days to be sure we are here when it arrives. We were going to stay 4 more days until the lady at the desk thought we wouldn’t want to be moving on Thanksgiving Day so we said we would stay until the 23rd. When we got back to our site, our forwarded mail package was on the table by our door!
So then we had a lazy remainder of the afternoon and evening.
Nov 17th - Sat - Mesa
Today was “patio sale” day here at the RV park so we took a quick drive around to see if there was anything we “needed”! Then we went with Barry & Yvonne to the Mesa Marketplace Swap Meet. It is a large, covered sale that is open Fri/Sat/Sun in the winter. We had breakfast there and then walked and walked and walked. And did some buying - but not as much as Barry & Yvonne. We always see that they get into trouble when they are with us.
Terry worked on my squeaky bicycle brakes so we took a ride to check out the repair - not so much squeaking but not so much braking power either! We went to dinner with Barry & Yvonne. While we were waiting to be seated at the restaurant, we walked to Target and Yvonne found her double-boiler so she can make covered pretzels.
We all went to the dance at the park tonight - country band which was very good. Had to wear off dinner somehow!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Nov 13th to 15th - Mesa, AZ
Nov 13th - Tues - Mesa
Quiet day today. We do not get wifi at our site so we have to go to the office. Posted to the blog, arranged for our mail to be forwarded and checked out the women’s clothing sale at the “patio”. We went to the pool & spa with Barry & Yvonne in the afternoon.
We had baby back ribs with Barry & Yvonne for dinner today. Yvonne & I made a quick trip to the grocery store for a couple of items including white candy coating and pretzels. After dinner, I showed Yvonne how to make coated pretzels.
Nov 14th - Wed - Mesa
We finally got the satellite dish set up. We will be shopping for a new compass!! Terry had a hard time finding south again so we spent way too long trying to get it set up but finally got it done. Of course we then had to go to the office to get new decryption keys from the internet. After we had been watching TV for an hour or so, the signal was scrambled again (!?) so we drove to the office area to search for more keys which did work but only for some channels. This sounds like a pain, doesn’t it?
Barbequed steaks with Barry & Yvonne. They mostly go out to eat so it is nice to have their company while we are here.
Nov 15th - Thurs - Mesa
When we went to the office to access the internet for a new program for our satellite receiver, we also had to wander through the weekly “Country Store” sale here at the park. The new program totally fixed our satellite TV so Terry is a happy camper - literally!
We were scheduled to play golf today but it rained and was very windy so we canceled. Barry & Yvonne came over and we watched the movie “Happy Feet” on TV. It is the animated movie about penguins. Terry thought I was crazy wanting to watch it but it was fun.
Barry bought new golf clubs which he was dying to try so he & Yvonne went to the driving range (in the continuing wind and showers). Terry & I made a trip to the grocery store and then I started the pork chop dinner which we were all sharing tonight. Yvonne wrote out some recipes from my recipe box but Barry said he “will believe it when he eats it” about Yvonne doing more cooking.
Quiet day today. We do not get wifi at our site so we have to go to the office. Posted to the blog, arranged for our mail to be forwarded and checked out the women’s clothing sale at the “patio”. We went to the pool & spa with Barry & Yvonne in the afternoon.
We had baby back ribs with Barry & Yvonne for dinner today. Yvonne & I made a quick trip to the grocery store for a couple of items including white candy coating and pretzels. After dinner, I showed Yvonne how to make coated pretzels.
Nov 14th - Wed - Mesa
We finally got the satellite dish set up. We will be shopping for a new compass!! Terry had a hard time finding south again so we spent way too long trying to get it set up but finally got it done. Of course we then had to go to the office to get new decryption keys from the internet. After we had been watching TV for an hour or so, the signal was scrambled again (!?) so we drove to the office area to search for more keys which did work but only for some channels. This sounds like a pain, doesn’t it?
Barbequed steaks with Barry & Yvonne. They mostly go out to eat so it is nice to have their company while we are here.
Nov 15th - Thurs - Mesa
When we went to the office to access the internet for a new program for our satellite receiver, we also had to wander through the weekly “Country Store” sale here at the park. The new program totally fixed our satellite TV so Terry is a happy camper - literally!
We were scheduled to play golf today but it rained and was very windy so we canceled. Barry & Yvonne came over and we watched the movie “Happy Feet” on TV. It is the animated movie about penguins. Terry thought I was crazy wanting to watch it but it was fun.
Barry bought new golf clubs which he was dying to try so he & Yvonne went to the driving range (in the continuing wind and showers). Terry & I made a trip to the grocery store and then I started the pork chop dinner which we were all sharing tonight. Yvonne wrote out some recipes from my recipe box but Barry said he “will believe it when he eats it” about Yvonne doing more cooking.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Nov 10th to 12th - CA to Mesa, AZ
Nov 10th - Sat - Desert Hot Springs, CA
We played golf in the wind again. Not quite as windy as yesterday and still warm. We stopped for some lunch and then went to the Coachella Valley Preserve which is a couple of oases. The first oasis has an old cabin that is now a visitor center. The ground is muddy in some spots with boards for walkways. The palm trees are untrimmed which makes them very shaggy and “jungle-like”. We took a mile walk through the desert to the second oasis. There is actually a lake surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation. There are tiny fish called pupfish and very small crawdads in the lake.
We received a free dinner at the RV dining room with our sales presentation so Claude & Val joined us. We were still talking with others at our table when a karaoke session started so we stayed to listen. We couldn’t talk Val into getting up to sing!
Nov 11th - Sun - to Mesa, AZ
We said farewell to Claude & Val and headed to Mesa. We were to meet Barry and Yvonne from Hemet, CA for a week. Against all odds, we actually passed them on the freeway heading to Mesa! We both stopped for fuel at the AZ border - diesel is 30 cents a gallon cheaper in Arizona than in California. We didn’t follow Wanda’s instructions correctly but after a couple of goofs we arrived at the RV park. Barry had a prepaid reservation through Coast-to-Coast but the gate guard wanted him to pay for one night. Barry managed to convince the guy that he had already paid and would check in at the office in the morning since the office was not open on Sunday. Then it was our turn. We did not have a reservation as I was told when I called that there was lots of room in the pet section and we wouldn’t need a reservation. We finally were able to pay for one night and get a site. We were escorted to our spots to find that they were occupied! So we were assigned spots on the other side of the park and got settled in just in time for “happy hour”. Then we all went out for pizza.
It was brother Bob’s birthday today so I spent the rest of the evening talking to him and to Marg & Dad on the phone.
Nov 12th - Mon - Mesa
We walked to the office this morning to pay for our stay without knowing how large the park is. We are at the opposite end from the office buildings so it is quite a hike. There are about 1700 sites in the park - Valle del Oro. We started to walk back and a lady in a golf cart offered us a ride so we took her up on it. We needed to find the garbage so this time we took the bicycles and continued to ride all around the park. It is 2 miles around the perimeter roads.
We went golfing with Barry and Yvonne this afternoon at an 18 hole executive course. Stopped at a grocery store on the way back and threw some chicken on the barbeque. Barry & Yvonne came over and then some neighbors stopped by to see what the heck our “buddy burner” was. I wanted to catch “Dancing with the Stars” but we ended up seeing only the last half hour as some TV shows appear at the Central time which means they are an hour earlier than usual here.
We played golf in the wind again. Not quite as windy as yesterday and still warm. We stopped for some lunch and then went to the Coachella Valley Preserve which is a couple of oases. The first oasis has an old cabin that is now a visitor center. The ground is muddy in some spots with boards for walkways. The palm trees are untrimmed which makes them very shaggy and “jungle-like”. We took a mile walk through the desert to the second oasis. There is actually a lake surrounded by palm trees and other vegetation. There are tiny fish called pupfish and very small crawdads in the lake.
We received a free dinner at the RV dining room with our sales presentation so Claude & Val joined us. We were still talking with others at our table when a karaoke session started so we stayed to listen. We couldn’t talk Val into getting up to sing!
Nov 11th - Sun - to Mesa, AZ
We said farewell to Claude & Val and headed to Mesa. We were to meet Barry and Yvonne from Hemet, CA for a week. Against all odds, we actually passed them on the freeway heading to Mesa! We both stopped for fuel at the AZ border - diesel is 30 cents a gallon cheaper in Arizona than in California. We didn’t follow Wanda’s instructions correctly but after a couple of goofs we arrived at the RV park. Barry had a prepaid reservation through Coast-to-Coast but the gate guard wanted him to pay for one night. Barry managed to convince the guy that he had already paid and would check in at the office in the morning since the office was not open on Sunday. Then it was our turn. We did not have a reservation as I was told when I called that there was lots of room in the pet section and we wouldn’t need a reservation. We finally were able to pay for one night and get a site. We were escorted to our spots to find that they were occupied! So we were assigned spots on the other side of the park and got settled in just in time for “happy hour”. Then we all went out for pizza.
It was brother Bob’s birthday today so I spent the rest of the evening talking to him and to Marg & Dad on the phone.
Nov 12th - Mon - Mesa
We walked to the office this morning to pay for our stay without knowing how large the park is. We are at the opposite end from the office buildings so it is quite a hike. There are about 1700 sites in the park - Valle del Oro. We started to walk back and a lady in a golf cart offered us a ride so we took her up on it. We needed to find the garbage so this time we took the bicycles and continued to ride all around the park. It is 2 miles around the perimeter roads.
We went golfing with Barry and Yvonne this afternoon at an 18 hole executive course. Stopped at a grocery store on the way back and threw some chicken on the barbeque. Barry & Yvonne came over and then some neighbors stopped by to see what the heck our “buddy burner” was. I wanted to catch “Dancing with the Stars” but we ended up seeing only the last half hour as some TV shows appear at the Central time which means they are an hour earlier than usual here.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Nove 7th to 9th - Yuma & Desert Hot Springs
Nov 7th - Wed - Yuma
Another beautiful sunny day on the golf course. We played the same 9 hole par 3 - Joanne & I bettered out scores from the time before but the guys struggled a bit. We all stopped for breakfast on the way back to the RV park. Then we took a little trip to Mexico - just over the border from Yuma to Algodones. We parked and walked across the border. Joanne & George had been there yesterday to get new glasses but there was something wrong with Joanne’s sunglasses so they had to go back and asked if we wanted to ride along. We went to the optical store first and there was still a problem with the glasses so we had to go back in 2 hours. So we wandered through stores and Joanne haggled on loose “dresses”/bathing suit cover-ups for her & me. It was very hot so we passed the rest of the waiting time in a cooler bar drinking beer and margaritas. There was quite a line to go back across the border but it moved quickly.
Since we are leaving tomorrow, I asked George & Joanne to come over for hamburgers for dinner. This necessitated a quick trip to the grocery store and then we enjoyed our evening and the good company.
Nov 8th - Thurs - to Desert Hot Springs
We are joining Canadian friends Claude & Val at Desert Pools RV park in Desert Hot Springs for a few days. It took about 3 ½ hours to drive. It is a Western Horizon park so we agreed to attend a sales presentation in exchange for staying here “rent free” for 3 nights. We have been wanting to find out about camping associations so this is a good place to start.
Claude & Val came over after lunch and we caught up on news. Then we all cooled off in the pool and enjoyed the mineral water hot pools. Val cooked dinner so we continued our gab fest all evening.
Nov 9th - Fri - Desert Hot Springs
We attended the sales presentation this morning and then went to talk it over with Claude & Val and between ourselves. Decided that this is not the right time to join but it looks like a possible option.
After lunch, we played golf at The Sands, a 9 hole executive course. It was extremely windy but we played anyhow as it wasn’t cold. Tonight was our turn to cook. It gets dark here at 6 so Terry barbequed the ribs in the dark again. Managed to talk our way through too much scotch & wine for another great evening.
Another beautiful sunny day on the golf course. We played the same 9 hole par 3 - Joanne & I bettered out scores from the time before but the guys struggled a bit. We all stopped for breakfast on the way back to the RV park. Then we took a little trip to Mexico - just over the border from Yuma to Algodones. We parked and walked across the border. Joanne & George had been there yesterday to get new glasses but there was something wrong with Joanne’s sunglasses so they had to go back and asked if we wanted to ride along. We went to the optical store first and there was still a problem with the glasses so we had to go back in 2 hours. So we wandered through stores and Joanne haggled on loose “dresses”/bathing suit cover-ups for her & me. It was very hot so we passed the rest of the waiting time in a cooler bar drinking beer and margaritas. There was quite a line to go back across the border but it moved quickly.
Since we are leaving tomorrow, I asked George & Joanne to come over for hamburgers for dinner. This necessitated a quick trip to the grocery store and then we enjoyed our evening and the good company.
Nov 8th - Thurs - to Desert Hot Springs
We are joining Canadian friends Claude & Val at Desert Pools RV park in Desert Hot Springs for a few days. It took about 3 ½ hours to drive. It is a Western Horizon park so we agreed to attend a sales presentation in exchange for staying here “rent free” for 3 nights. We have been wanting to find out about camping associations so this is a good place to start.
Claude & Val came over after lunch and we caught up on news. Then we all cooled off in the pool and enjoyed the mineral water hot pools. Val cooked dinner so we continued our gab fest all evening.
Nov 9th - Fri - Desert Hot Springs
We attended the sales presentation this morning and then went to talk it over with Claude & Val and between ourselves. Decided that this is not the right time to join but it looks like a possible option.
After lunch, we played golf at The Sands, a 9 hole executive course. It was extremely windy but we played anyhow as it wasn’t cold. Tonight was our turn to cook. It gets dark here at 6 so Terry barbequed the ribs in the dark again. Managed to talk our way through too much scotch & wine for another great evening.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Nov 5th & 6th - Yuma, AZ
NOTE - new pictures have been posted!!
Nov 5th - Mon - Yuma
Another lovely morning for our golf game. Actually seemed warmer than yesterday as there was no breeze. We all did better today.
We stopped for diesel and propane on the way back to the park. Yesterday, one station had diesel for $3.28 and this morning it was $3.39. Across the street it was $3.l5 so we thought we would top up before it changed too. By the time we got there after golf, it was $3.17.
It was our anniversary today so we treated ourselves to a trip to the casino. Actually hit two casinos - Cocopah and Paradise. Did not hurt the profits at either one!!
Nov 6th - Tues - Yuma
“Puttering around” type day today. Cleaning, laundry, getting bulbs & wiper blades for the truck, haircut for me. Had a late breakfast so stopped at DQ to have a Blizzard for lunch!!
Cooled off in the pool and visited with others in the pool this afternoon. There was bingo this evening but someone said it starts at 6:00 which is way too early to have dinner done. Later I found out it was at 7 so we could have gone. Oh well, better that I took the time to add captions to pictures and finally get some more posted to the internet.
Nov 5th - Mon - Yuma
Another lovely morning for our golf game. Actually seemed warmer than yesterday as there was no breeze. We all did better today.
We stopped for diesel and propane on the way back to the park. Yesterday, one station had diesel for $3.28 and this morning it was $3.39. Across the street it was $3.l5 so we thought we would top up before it changed too. By the time we got there after golf, it was $3.17.
It was our anniversary today so we treated ourselves to a trip to the casino. Actually hit two casinos - Cocopah and Paradise. Did not hurt the profits at either one!!
Nov 6th - Tues - Yuma
“Puttering around” type day today. Cleaning, laundry, getting bulbs & wiper blades for the truck, haircut for me. Had a late breakfast so stopped at DQ to have a Blizzard for lunch!!
Cooled off in the pool and visited with others in the pool this afternoon. There was bingo this evening but someone said it starts at 6:00 which is way too early to have dinner done. Later I found out it was at 7 so we could have gone. Oh well, better that I took the time to add captions to pictures and finally get some more posted to the internet.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Nov 3rd - 4th - Yuma
Nov 3rd - Sat - Yuma
Terry got the truck serviced (oil, transmission fluid, etc) while I caught up the blog and gave Dolly a haircut.
Took some measurements, made a short list and returned to the Swap Meet. We met George & Joanne (from the park beside us) there and spoke with them a bit. George was going to check out a couple of golf courses so we said we would come by and see what he found out.
Stopped at a grocery store (frequent occurrence when you have limited space and practice “just in time” shopping!) then took a dip in the pool. We rode our bicycles over to see George & Joanne and had a drink & BS’d with them for a while.
Talked to sister Marg today and she said it was snowing in 100 Mile House. Don’t miss that weather much!
Nov 4th - Sun - Yuma
We went golfing with George & Joanne this morning. Joanne has not played much - she started and then was sidelined by a bad back. She was going to go to the driving range while George golfed but we talked her into playing with us. It was a 9 hole par 3 course so a good one for her to start on. She had a rocky start but ended up doing just fine. We all stopped for lunch after our game.
I did a load of laundry and swam and read by the pool while it was washing & drying. Makes laundry pretty much painless! George came by while we were waiting for our ribs to cook and said that Joanne wanted to play golf again tomorrow and asked if we wanted to join them. Since we can always use practice on the short game, we said yes.
Terry got the truck serviced (oil, transmission fluid, etc) while I caught up the blog and gave Dolly a haircut.
Took some measurements, made a short list and returned to the Swap Meet. We met George & Joanne (from the park beside us) there and spoke with them a bit. George was going to check out a couple of golf courses so we said we would come by and see what he found out.
Stopped at a grocery store (frequent occurrence when you have limited space and practice “just in time” shopping!) then took a dip in the pool. We rode our bicycles over to see George & Joanne and had a drink & BS’d with them for a while.
Talked to sister Marg today and she said it was snowing in 100 Mile House. Don’t miss that weather much!
Nov 4th - Sun - Yuma
We went golfing with George & Joanne this morning. Joanne has not played much - she started and then was sidelined by a bad back. She was going to go to the driving range while George golfed but we talked her into playing with us. It was a 9 hole par 3 course so a good one for her to start on. She had a rocky start but ended up doing just fine. We all stopped for lunch after our game.
I did a load of laundry and swam and read by the pool while it was washing & drying. Makes laundry pretty much painless! George came by while we were waiting for our ribs to cook and said that Joanne wanted to play golf again tomorrow and asked if we wanted to join them. Since we can always use practice on the short game, we said yes.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Oct 31st to Nov 2nd - Arizona
Oct 31st - Wed - Salome - HAPPY HALLOWEEN
We played golf today. I would call it a semi-desert golf course. We actually played it last year - grass tee boxes and greens, dirt/sand/gravel fairways. This time we had plastic tees so we could tee up the fairway shots and not worry so much about messing up clubs by hitting rocks. I told Terry when we finished that we could have saved the $16 and just gone for a long walk in the desert - but it was nice to get out & golf.
We stopped at the best stocked (1 of 2 stores!) grocery store to find something to put on the barbeque tonight. I don’t thing we will ever be spending a winter here with such a small selection of meat unless we had another freezer and stocked up. The nearest large grocery store is in Parker which is 60 miles away.
The golf game also made a long soak in the pool very enjoyable. We actually had 6 trick-or-treaters this evening - good thing that we had some small candy bars in the goody tin.
Nov 1st - Thurs - to Yuma AZ
Short drive again today - 107 miles. Stopped for diesel in Quartzite - $3.14. We are actually going to stay here for a week - we may grow roots! Had a little trouble with Wanda. I spelled the name of the park to find the address but did not notice when it came up that the address number was different from the PA book. So Wanda took us to the North Frontage road instead of the South Frontage road and announced that we were “arriving at destination” in a residential area. But I was able to quickly figure out where we were and how to get back across the freeway to the park.
I had heard an ad clearance sales at Kohls department store so we did a little shopping this afternoon. The shopping center is so huge that you drive from one area to another as it is too far to walk.
We went bike riding around the park and around the neighboring park. There are many Washington & Oregon license plates. We spoke with a guy from Spokane and with a couple that had Washington plates but were actually from California (George & Joanne). They just have an address in Rochester (where son Dean lives!) as they are full timers.
Nov 2nd - Friday - Yuma
More shopping today - this time at the Swap Meet. We went to the Swap Meet last year with friends Francis & Nicole. It is very large & all under cover. But it got very warm in the afternoon as the canvas walls stop the breeze. You would think that we wouldn’t have need/room for more stuff but it is surprising how many little items that you pick up. Some of the things that we got are geared towards staying in one place for a longer time (Mexico!) - stronger tablecloth clips, rebar with a loop to secure the awning, a collapsible garbage container for outside and more of the multi-purpose large washers with a small center hole that we discovered in Quartzite. While we were wandering around, we ran into a couple (Ed & Joanne) that we knew from the RV park last year in Quartzite - small world. They are back in Quartzite for the winter.
When we got back, we relaxed our weary feet and legs in the swimming pool and chatted with a couple from the Seattle area.
We played golf today. I would call it a semi-desert golf course. We actually played it last year - grass tee boxes and greens, dirt/sand/gravel fairways. This time we had plastic tees so we could tee up the fairway shots and not worry so much about messing up clubs by hitting rocks. I told Terry when we finished that we could have saved the $16 and just gone for a long walk in the desert - but it was nice to get out & golf.
We stopped at the best stocked (1 of 2 stores!) grocery store to find something to put on the barbeque tonight. I don’t thing we will ever be spending a winter here with such a small selection of meat unless we had another freezer and stocked up. The nearest large grocery store is in Parker which is 60 miles away.
The golf game also made a long soak in the pool very enjoyable. We actually had 6 trick-or-treaters this evening - good thing that we had some small candy bars in the goody tin.
Nov 1st - Thurs - to Yuma AZ
Short drive again today - 107 miles. Stopped for diesel in Quartzite - $3.14. We are actually going to stay here for a week - we may grow roots! Had a little trouble with Wanda. I spelled the name of the park to find the address but did not notice when it came up that the address number was different from the PA book. So Wanda took us to the North Frontage road instead of the South Frontage road and announced that we were “arriving at destination” in a residential area. But I was able to quickly figure out where we were and how to get back across the freeway to the park.
I had heard an ad clearance sales at Kohls department store so we did a little shopping this afternoon. The shopping center is so huge that you drive from one area to another as it is too far to walk.
We went bike riding around the park and around the neighboring park. There are many Washington & Oregon license plates. We spoke with a guy from Spokane and with a couple that had Washington plates but were actually from California (George & Joanne). They just have an address in Rochester (where son Dean lives!) as they are full timers.
Nov 2nd - Friday - Yuma
More shopping today - this time at the Swap Meet. We went to the Swap Meet last year with friends Francis & Nicole. It is very large & all under cover. But it got very warm in the afternoon as the canvas walls stop the breeze. You would think that we wouldn’t have need/room for more stuff but it is surprising how many little items that you pick up. Some of the things that we got are geared towards staying in one place for a longer time (Mexico!) - stronger tablecloth clips, rebar with a loop to secure the awning, a collapsible garbage container for outside and more of the multi-purpose large washers with a small center hole that we discovered in Quartzite. While we were wandering around, we ran into a couple (Ed & Joanne) that we knew from the RV park last year in Quartzite - small world. They are back in Quartzite for the winter.
When we got back, we relaxed our weary feet and legs in the swimming pool and chatted with a couple from the Seattle area.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Oct 26th to 29th - Albuqueque to Salome, AZ
Oct 26th - Fri - to Albuquerque, NM
We took a long way around to get to Albuquerque to avoid going all the way through town and the big hill that we drove the first day we were here. The RV park that we chose happened to be ½ a mile from a Camping World store so we had to browse there for a while and picked up a couple of small items - cheapest we ever got out of a Camping World store. Fueled up and found a grocery store and then kicked back.
Oct 27th - Sat - Albuquerque, NM
Had to make another trip to Camping World to buy some lights for the awning - not such a cheap visit this time! Went driving/exploring and ended up at a big casino. This time we received T-shirts without having to “earn” them by getting points on the player’s club cards. Unfortunately, we got large shirts and we both would have been more comfortable in x-large - better lay off the food and get some exercise. The machines allowed us to play for hours before finally saying “that’s enough”. We tried to get Wanda to find us a visitor’s center but she sent us to the center of town and we never did find it.
We met a couple in the park from Vernon, BC (John & Carol). We stood and chatted while our dinner was burning and then invited them over to visit some more. They sold their house and put stuff in storage to try traveling for 6 months. They think they will fulltime longer but they have to figure out the BC medical restrictions to do so. We really enjoyed them and hope to meet up with them again sometime.
Oct 28th - Sun - to Meteor Crater, Arizona
Easy drive today. Meteor Crater is about 40 miles east of Flagstaff and consists of a service station and an RV park a few miles from the actual crater. We set up and then went to see the crater. Terry is still kicking himself for paying $28 to look at a hole in the ground!! There was a 10 minute film and a museum but I guess we are just not into meteors enough to appreciate this attraction.
Not much else to do except sit out and enjoy the sunshine (hard to take!) and visit with campers who moved in next to us.
Oct 29th - Mon - to Salome, AZ
Yes, Claude, we are on the move again! A longer drive today that was made even longer as you will see by the story below.
We drove without incident to Prescott, AZ - freeway and nice 4/2 lane all the way. Diesel was a little more expensive - $3.24 - but we just pay and move on. At Prescott we were to take highway 89 south to join Hwy 60 and then to Salome. As we hit 89, there was a sign that said no trucks over 40 feet. 4 miles further we were into a windy, narrow road and another sign saying no trucks over 40 feet. Terry decided to believe the second sign and turned around. We looked at the map and figured we would have to go around nearly to Phoenix which would add a lot of miles to the trip. As we approached Prescott again, we saw a sign for Visitor Information which of course was right in town with no RV parking. So Terry pulled halfway off the street and I ran back to the building. A guy there said “you didn’t hear it from me” but as long as we were comfortable with very windy roads and drove slow we would have no trouble on 89 - or we could take another road out of Prescott that joined 89 about halfway through and was also a longer route.
We decided to give 89 a try and headed out again. It was indeed very windy and narrow but the road surface was very good and there were a lot of pullouts so you could let cars pass. I probably enjoyed the drive more than Terry did. It leveled off for a bit and then there was another very steep windy section as we dropped off the Mogollon Rim that is the edge of the section of Arizona that is higher in elevation. Finally we were back on level ground and arrived at Salome in 88 degree weather. We planned to play golf here but apparently most Arizona golf courses have been over-seeded right now and are closed!
The pool was open (and heated) so we joined a couple from Westbank, BC (George & Liz) to enjoy the pool and non-stop talk for about an hour. Terry tried to set up our satellite dish but could not get it to work. We now think that maybe it was damaged when it fell over back in Yellowstone.
We took a long way around to get to Albuquerque to avoid going all the way through town and the big hill that we drove the first day we were here. The RV park that we chose happened to be ½ a mile from a Camping World store so we had to browse there for a while and picked up a couple of small items - cheapest we ever got out of a Camping World store. Fueled up and found a grocery store and then kicked back.
Oct 27th - Sat - Albuquerque, NM
Had to make another trip to Camping World to buy some lights for the awning - not such a cheap visit this time! Went driving/exploring and ended up at a big casino. This time we received T-shirts without having to “earn” them by getting points on the player’s club cards. Unfortunately, we got large shirts and we both would have been more comfortable in x-large - better lay off the food and get some exercise. The machines allowed us to play for hours before finally saying “that’s enough”. We tried to get Wanda to find us a visitor’s center but she sent us to the center of town and we never did find it.
We met a couple in the park from Vernon, BC (John & Carol). We stood and chatted while our dinner was burning and then invited them over to visit some more. They sold their house and put stuff in storage to try traveling for 6 months. They think they will fulltime longer but they have to figure out the BC medical restrictions to do so. We really enjoyed them and hope to meet up with them again sometime.
Oct 28th - Sun - to Meteor Crater, Arizona
Easy drive today. Meteor Crater is about 40 miles east of Flagstaff and consists of a service station and an RV park a few miles from the actual crater. We set up and then went to see the crater. Terry is still kicking himself for paying $28 to look at a hole in the ground!! There was a 10 minute film and a museum but I guess we are just not into meteors enough to appreciate this attraction.
Not much else to do except sit out and enjoy the sunshine (hard to take!) and visit with campers who moved in next to us.
Oct 29th - Mon - to Salome, AZ
Yes, Claude, we are on the move again! A longer drive today that was made even longer as you will see by the story below.
We drove without incident to Prescott, AZ - freeway and nice 4/2 lane all the way. Diesel was a little more expensive - $3.24 - but we just pay and move on. At Prescott we were to take highway 89 south to join Hwy 60 and then to Salome. As we hit 89, there was a sign that said no trucks over 40 feet. 4 miles further we were into a windy, narrow road and another sign saying no trucks over 40 feet. Terry decided to believe the second sign and turned around. We looked at the map and figured we would have to go around nearly to Phoenix which would add a lot of miles to the trip. As we approached Prescott again, we saw a sign for Visitor Information which of course was right in town with no RV parking. So Terry pulled halfway off the street and I ran back to the building. A guy there said “you didn’t hear it from me” but as long as we were comfortable with very windy roads and drove slow we would have no trouble on 89 - or we could take another road out of Prescott that joined 89 about halfway through and was also a longer route.
We decided to give 89 a try and headed out again. It was indeed very windy and narrow but the road surface was very good and there were a lot of pullouts so you could let cars pass. I probably enjoyed the drive more than Terry did. It leveled off for a bit and then there was another very steep windy section as we dropped off the Mogollon Rim that is the edge of the section of Arizona that is higher in elevation. Finally we were back on level ground and arrived at Salome in 88 degree weather. We planned to play golf here but apparently most Arizona golf courses have been over-seeded right now and are closed!
The pool was open (and heated) so we joined a couple from Westbank, BC (George & Liz) to enjoy the pool and non-stop talk for about an hour. Terry tried to set up our satellite dish but could not get it to work. We now think that maybe it was damaged when it fell over back in Yellowstone.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Oct 24th & 25th - Ruidoso, New Mexico
Oct 24th - Wed - to Ruidoso, NM
Just over 150 miles today but it took us almost as long to find an RV park as it did to get here. I had found a park in the PA book which was not in our GPS system. But I could see on a general map the junction of 2 highways that were in the driving instructions in the PA book so I figured we could find it. Well, the roads did not exactly look like the map so we made a guess and ended up on a narrow street and having to turn around in a motel parking lot by backing out onto the street. A lady at the motel gave us a map of the town and stopped traffic while we backed out. The new map was a “touristy picture map” which wasn’t to scale so we ended up driving forever - it seemed - and went up and then down a steep hill/mountain. We did find the RV park and said “no way”, turned around and went back up and down the mountain. Then Terry drove into a park that he saw and it turned out to be all permanent tenants. The internal roads were very narrow and lined with trees so it took all of Terry’s driving skill to exit successfully. In the meantime, I was making phone calls to find a park with wifi. I saw one park on the map, directed Terry to turn on a road that he did not really like but which turned out to be correct and we finally got a spot. It is very nice.
By this time it was after 2 so we set up and I settled Terry’s nerves with a Scotch with his lunch!
Ruidoso is hilly and spread out along ravines and rivers. We went to a nearby area of shops and wandered around in the lovely sunshine. After dinner we had to make a small donation to the local casino! It is a large hotel/convention center/casino/golf course - Inn of the Mountain Gods.
Oct 25th - Thurs - Ruidoso, NM
We woke to see the truck covered in frost this morning. But the sky was clear and it warmed up quickly once the sun hit.
We drove to Alamogordo (50 miles) and went to the White Sands National Monument. The white sands are gypsum sand dunes stretching about 275 miles. There is an 8 mile road into the dunes with several trails that you can walk. Near the end there are some picnic areas with covered tables and restrooms. The road is paved most of the way and then is dirt/sand. The roads have to be plowed to keep them clear of drifting sand. There are large parking areas that are also kept cleared. You can climb and play on the dunes to your heart’s content. The visitor center sells sand sleds for kids to climb up the dunes and slide down. I had to climb a dune to see what was on the other side. It was tough climbing with about a foot of soft sand on top of a firmer layer. But the view was great!
We came back through a little town called Cloudcroft with an elevation of 8940 feet. (Ruidoso is about 6400). Nice drive but not too much to see besides cows and horses on really tough pasture. We went through some type of insect “hatch” which just peppered the windshield. So Terry had to clean the truck and the front of the 5th wheel when we got back while I did a little cleaning inside the rig.
Just over 150 miles today but it took us almost as long to find an RV park as it did to get here. I had found a park in the PA book which was not in our GPS system. But I could see on a general map the junction of 2 highways that were in the driving instructions in the PA book so I figured we could find it. Well, the roads did not exactly look like the map so we made a guess and ended up on a narrow street and having to turn around in a motel parking lot by backing out onto the street. A lady at the motel gave us a map of the town and stopped traffic while we backed out. The new map was a “touristy picture map” which wasn’t to scale so we ended up driving forever - it seemed - and went up and then down a steep hill/mountain. We did find the RV park and said “no way”, turned around and went back up and down the mountain. Then Terry drove into a park that he saw and it turned out to be all permanent tenants. The internal roads were very narrow and lined with trees so it took all of Terry’s driving skill to exit successfully. In the meantime, I was making phone calls to find a park with wifi. I saw one park on the map, directed Terry to turn on a road that he did not really like but which turned out to be correct and we finally got a spot. It is very nice.
By this time it was after 2 so we set up and I settled Terry’s nerves with a Scotch with his lunch!
Ruidoso is hilly and spread out along ravines and rivers. We went to a nearby area of shops and wandered around in the lovely sunshine. After dinner we had to make a small donation to the local casino! It is a large hotel/convention center/casino/golf course - Inn of the Mountain Gods.
Oct 25th - Thurs - Ruidoso, NM
We woke to see the truck covered in frost this morning. But the sky was clear and it warmed up quickly once the sun hit.
We drove to Alamogordo (50 miles) and went to the White Sands National Monument. The white sands are gypsum sand dunes stretching about 275 miles. There is an 8 mile road into the dunes with several trails that you can walk. Near the end there are some picnic areas with covered tables and restrooms. The road is paved most of the way and then is dirt/sand. The roads have to be plowed to keep them clear of drifting sand. There are large parking areas that are also kept cleared. You can climb and play on the dunes to your heart’s content. The visitor center sells sand sleds for kids to climb up the dunes and slide down. I had to climb a dune to see what was on the other side. It was tough climbing with about a foot of soft sand on top of a firmer layer. But the view was great!
We came back through a little town called Cloudcroft with an elevation of 8940 feet. (Ruidoso is about 6400). Nice drive but not too much to see besides cows and horses on really tough pasture. We went through some type of insect “hatch” which just peppered the windshield. So Terry had to clean the truck and the front of the 5th wheel when we got back while I did a little cleaning inside the rig.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Oct 19th to 23rd - Texas, New Mexico
Oct 19th - Friday - Grand Prairie (Ft Worth) TX
We took a tour of a federal printing and engraving facility today. They print money, stamps and other “controlled” items. The tour takes place on glassed-in elevated walkways looking over the production floor. There are 2 museums - past and present. Very interesting.
We were then going to check out the downtown stockyards area but just ended up driving through as we didn’t really feel like doing any shopping and did not see anything else and parking at the same time.
Oct 20th - Sat - Grand Prairie TX
Next door to the RV park is a huge weekend market area - some literature says 120 acres and some 154 acres, including parking I‘m sure. Vendor counts range from 2800 to 3500. Either way, it is huge! There are buildings with walls & doors, large covered areas and open areas. We wandered in the morning and bought a tripod for our satellite dish. So we went back to the rig for lunch and to rest our feet. Then we went back, bought a couple more small items and then it was just too hot and our feet were tired. It got to 92 degrees - just perfect to pull out the big recliner lawn chairs and relax in the shade.
Oct 21st - Sun - to Lubbock, TX
We weren’t exactly sure where we would end up today. We have a tire on the 5th wheel that is wearing badly. We actually replaced it before going to Alaska and then of course never found the underlying cause of the problem. Terry figured we needed to stop at an RV repair place but kind of forgot that today is Sunday so that wouldn’t happen. He looked online for tires matching the ones on the other side that we had to replace when we had the blowout but they are sold by Les Schwab which is only in west coast states. So we just kept going and ended up in Lubbock.
We are in cotton country now. Miles and miles of enormous cotton fields. Some are being harvested and others are still green. Just before Lubbock it was 95 degrees and ½ hour later it was 75 degrees. We hit the cold front that has been in the weather forecast for a couple of days.
Oct 22nd - Mon - to Carlsbad, New Mexico
If anyone is following our trip on a map, it appears that Lubbock was out of the way to get to Carlsbad. You are correct! I was looking in the PA book for a campsite and saw one at Post which is about 40 miles from Lubbock. I asked Terry if that was where he had wanted to go and he said yes without actually looking at the map again. It wasn’t exactly the right direction but we didn’t figure that out soon enough. Then we thought we could find an RV repair place in Lubbock so carried on.
This morning Terry decided to replace the worn tire with the new spare which should get us to a Les Schwab to get matching tires. So we packed everything up and then changed the tire in the RV site - much better than trying to do it on the side of a highway!
The landscape is very flat and dry. More cotton and then the addition of oil pumps, hay and some cattle. We arrived in Carlsbad a little too late to go to the caverns so hit a grocery store and kicked back. Later we realized that we were in a different time zone so could have squeezed in a visit to some attraction.
Oct 23rd - Tues - Carlsbad, NM
Busy day today. I entered four days in my word processing file for my blog but we do not have wifi so I will have to wait to post it. We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens just a few miles away. Having been to the Desert Museum in Tucson, we were not overly impressed with this one. Even though animals were in “natural” environments, I felt sorry for them being in captivity as they did not have acres to roam in. The weather was nice though so I enjoyed the walk.
Next we went to Carlsbad Caverns. I couldn’t talk Terry into walking the extra mile by using the Natural entrance so we rode the elevator down and toured the Big Room - it was amazing. Unfortunately, you cannot capture the immense size with a camera as it is dimly lit with highlights on certain features. We rented an audio “tour guide” so, along with guide boards, we had quite a bit of information as we walked for about 1 ½ hours. We were going to stay and watch the bats fly out of the Bat Cave but they were guessing that they would leave about 5:30 and we didn’t want to stick around that long. Last night they estimated 4:30 and the bats did not fly until 5:30 so we could have had a long wait.
We found a visitor information site and picked up booklets for other New Mexico areas as we will take off tomorrow.
We took a tour of a federal printing and engraving facility today. They print money, stamps and other “controlled” items. The tour takes place on glassed-in elevated walkways looking over the production floor. There are 2 museums - past and present. Very interesting.
We were then going to check out the downtown stockyards area but just ended up driving through as we didn’t really feel like doing any shopping and did not see anything else and parking at the same time.
Oct 20th - Sat - Grand Prairie TX
Next door to the RV park is a huge weekend market area - some literature says 120 acres and some 154 acres, including parking I‘m sure. Vendor counts range from 2800 to 3500. Either way, it is huge! There are buildings with walls & doors, large covered areas and open areas. We wandered in the morning and bought a tripod for our satellite dish. So we went back to the rig for lunch and to rest our feet. Then we went back, bought a couple more small items and then it was just too hot and our feet were tired. It got to 92 degrees - just perfect to pull out the big recliner lawn chairs and relax in the shade.
Oct 21st - Sun - to Lubbock, TX
We weren’t exactly sure where we would end up today. We have a tire on the 5th wheel that is wearing badly. We actually replaced it before going to Alaska and then of course never found the underlying cause of the problem. Terry figured we needed to stop at an RV repair place but kind of forgot that today is Sunday so that wouldn’t happen. He looked online for tires matching the ones on the other side that we had to replace when we had the blowout but they are sold by Les Schwab which is only in west coast states. So we just kept going and ended up in Lubbock.
We are in cotton country now. Miles and miles of enormous cotton fields. Some are being harvested and others are still green. Just before Lubbock it was 95 degrees and ½ hour later it was 75 degrees. We hit the cold front that has been in the weather forecast for a couple of days.
Oct 22nd - Mon - to Carlsbad, New Mexico
If anyone is following our trip on a map, it appears that Lubbock was out of the way to get to Carlsbad. You are correct! I was looking in the PA book for a campsite and saw one at Post which is about 40 miles from Lubbock. I asked Terry if that was where he had wanted to go and he said yes without actually looking at the map again. It wasn’t exactly the right direction but we didn’t figure that out soon enough. Then we thought we could find an RV repair place in Lubbock so carried on.
This morning Terry decided to replace the worn tire with the new spare which should get us to a Les Schwab to get matching tires. So we packed everything up and then changed the tire in the RV site - much better than trying to do it on the side of a highway!
The landscape is very flat and dry. More cotton and then the addition of oil pumps, hay and some cattle. We arrived in Carlsbad a little too late to go to the caverns so hit a grocery store and kicked back. Later we realized that we were in a different time zone so could have squeezed in a visit to some attraction.
Oct 23rd - Tues - Carlsbad, NM
Busy day today. I entered four days in my word processing file for my blog but we do not have wifi so I will have to wait to post it. We went to the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens just a few miles away. Having been to the Desert Museum in Tucson, we were not overly impressed with this one. Even though animals were in “natural” environments, I felt sorry for them being in captivity as they did not have acres to roam in. The weather was nice though so I enjoyed the walk.
Next we went to Carlsbad Caverns. I couldn’t talk Terry into walking the extra mile by using the Natural entrance so we rode the elevator down and toured the Big Room - it was amazing. Unfortunately, you cannot capture the immense size with a camera as it is dimly lit with highlights on certain features. We rented an audio “tour guide” so, along with guide boards, we had quite a bit of information as we walked for about 1 ½ hours. We were going to stay and watch the bats fly out of the Bat Cave but they were guessing that they would leave about 5:30 and we didn’t want to stick around that long. Last night they estimated 4:30 and the bats did not fly until 5:30 so we could have had a long wait.
We found a visitor information site and picked up booklets for other New Mexico areas as we will take off tomorrow.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Oct 15th to 18th - AR, OK, TX
Oct 15th - Mon - to Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Very short trip today - we took the long way and it was only about 1 ½ hours. Checked into a PA park, made some lunch and then went for a drive into town. Eureka Springs is built on hills and almost the entire town is on the National Historic register. There are no two streets on the same level and no right angle intersections. We drove the “historic district” loop - talk about narrow and windy. We looked for a parking spot but the couple that we saw were not big enough for our truck. We took another drive out of town, across a dam and back to town in a big circle. This corner of Arkansas is hilly and treed - very pretty. The town has a trolley system to take people into and around the town since there is not much parking so I went to the RV office to get some info when we got back. They quit running at 5 so we decided that if tomorrow is nice we will stay another day and take the trolley into town.
Oct 16th - Tues - Eureka Springs, AR
The weather forecast is for thunderstorms but not until late tomorrow so we took the trolley into town and walked uphill and back down the main shopping street, taking pictures and wandering through shops. Had lunch and then took the trolley on the historic loop so I could get some pictures. You get a pass for the whole day on the trolleys so can get on and off as often as you wish on 5 routes. Back to the park and enjoyed sitting in the sun for about 4 minutes and then had to move into the shade!!
Took another drive to a retirement community just north of Eureka Springs (Holiday Island). Nice golf course through one subdivision, pretty big houses for retirement in another subdivision - 2000 sq ft minimum.
Oct 17th - Wed - to Thackerville, Oklahoma
We were pretty worried about the weather as possible tornados were added to the mix. We both woke up very early and had the TV on at 5 to check the weather. We got an early start (had to wait until a decent time -7:00 - to get our neighbor to move her car so we could get out) to head south and west to get around the storm front before it developed into ugly stuff. We hit some pretty good winds but otherwise the 6 hour drive to another PA park was uneventful. Thackerville is only a few miles from the Texas border.
The landscape continues to be hilly and treed. The only natural flat spots seem to be rivers & lakes. The highways must be costly to build as they have a lot of long “bridges” over gullies. Oklahoma has quite a few toll highways which we were able to avoid but I think drivers are encouraged to use the toll highways by the lack of maintenance on other highways - pretty rough.
There is a HUGE casino just a couple of miles away so of course we had to go check it out. Not much else to do here especially since it is still windy and very muggy. I am about ready to quit gambling - I just cannot win on anything any more. Luckily, Terry is still picking up some of my losses!
Oct 18th - Thurs - to Grand Prairie (Fort Worth), Texas
Another short drive today. I wanted to see some sights in Fort Worth so we found an RV park in Grand Prairie which is between Ft. Worth and Dallas. Hard to tell you are in a different town, they all kind of run together. Wanda did a fine job of guiding us in on several freeways while not going right through Ft. Worth.
We decided to use a lovely afternoon to get some chores done - including cleaning up the 5th wheel and truck. The park does not allow vehicle washing but we just used wet micro fiber clothes to clean the 5th wheel and then took the truck to a nearby car wash. Then it was great to relax in the sun (in shorts, 82 degrees) and read the mountain of info on Texas that we got at a tourist information center.
Very short trip today - we took the long way and it was only about 1 ½ hours. Checked into a PA park, made some lunch and then went for a drive into town. Eureka Springs is built on hills and almost the entire town is on the National Historic register. There are no two streets on the same level and no right angle intersections. We drove the “historic district” loop - talk about narrow and windy. We looked for a parking spot but the couple that we saw were not big enough for our truck. We took another drive out of town, across a dam and back to town in a big circle. This corner of Arkansas is hilly and treed - very pretty. The town has a trolley system to take people into and around the town since there is not much parking so I went to the RV office to get some info when we got back. They quit running at 5 so we decided that if tomorrow is nice we will stay another day and take the trolley into town.
Oct 16th - Tues - Eureka Springs, AR
The weather forecast is for thunderstorms but not until late tomorrow so we took the trolley into town and walked uphill and back down the main shopping street, taking pictures and wandering through shops. Had lunch and then took the trolley on the historic loop so I could get some pictures. You get a pass for the whole day on the trolleys so can get on and off as often as you wish on 5 routes. Back to the park and enjoyed sitting in the sun for about 4 minutes and then had to move into the shade!!
Took another drive to a retirement community just north of Eureka Springs (Holiday Island). Nice golf course through one subdivision, pretty big houses for retirement in another subdivision - 2000 sq ft minimum.
Oct 17th - Wed - to Thackerville, Oklahoma
We were pretty worried about the weather as possible tornados were added to the mix. We both woke up very early and had the TV on at 5 to check the weather. We got an early start (had to wait until a decent time -7:00 - to get our neighbor to move her car so we could get out) to head south and west to get around the storm front before it developed into ugly stuff. We hit some pretty good winds but otherwise the 6 hour drive to another PA park was uneventful. Thackerville is only a few miles from the Texas border.
The landscape continues to be hilly and treed. The only natural flat spots seem to be rivers & lakes. The highways must be costly to build as they have a lot of long “bridges” over gullies. Oklahoma has quite a few toll highways which we were able to avoid but I think drivers are encouraged to use the toll highways by the lack of maintenance on other highways - pretty rough.
There is a HUGE casino just a couple of miles away so of course we had to go check it out. Not much else to do here especially since it is still windy and very muggy. I am about ready to quit gambling - I just cannot win on anything any more. Luckily, Terry is still picking up some of my losses!
Oct 18th - Thurs - to Grand Prairie (Fort Worth), Texas
Another short drive today. I wanted to see some sights in Fort Worth so we found an RV park in Grand Prairie which is between Ft. Worth and Dallas. Hard to tell you are in a different town, they all kind of run together. Wanda did a fine job of guiding us in on several freeways while not going right through Ft. Worth.
We decided to use a lovely afternoon to get some chores done - including cleaning up the 5th wheel and truck. The park does not allow vehicle washing but we just used wet micro fiber clothes to clean the 5th wheel and then took the truck to a nearby car wash. Then it was great to relax in the sun (in shorts, 82 degrees) and read the mountain of info on Texas that we got at a tourist information center.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Oct 12th to 14th - Branson
Oct 12th - Fri - Branson
We went to the one show with a known country artist this afternoon - Moe Bandy. It was again very enjoyable. One cast member played a couple of comedic characters which added a fun touch. The band was good and looked like they were enjoying the show as well. Female dancers rounded out the show.
A little bit of shopping before going back to the rig for dinner and to visit Dolly. Then to an 8:00 pm show - Country Tonite. Another variety show with singers, dancers and a little comedy. The band definitely did not look like they were having as good a time as others. I wondered if we were getting burned out on shows.
Oct 13th - Sat - Branson
Another day with 2 shows. At 2:00 we went to see Kirby Van Burch, a magician. He and his wife Bambi have both been voted “Magician of the Year” by some national magicians’ organization. Terry really wanted to see this show so we bought tickets - full priced! - here. Kirby & Bambi were both very good and it was mostly a fast paced show that kept your full attention. But we were both somehow a little disappointed and we are not sure why. I felt like Kirby was somewhat arrogant.
Back to the rig again for dinner before the evening show - Bart Rockett. Bart is also a magician but he says he is a “comedian with props”. The show is not as slick - especially since his light & sound person had the night off and the replacement got sick so the lead dancer took over the music & lights. He includes a lot of current news events in his jokes and one-liners. He also does a fun ventriloquist number - and is a respectable magician. We actually enjoyed this show more than the earlier one today.
Oct 14th - Sun - Branson
The lovely sunny, warm weather continues. No show until this evening so we did some laundry, chatted with a couple that we met the first night we were here, cleaned up some stuff on the computer and talked to sister Marg on the phone for quite a while. For everyone who has asked in the past - Dad is doing fine.
After lunch we went to Branson Landing which is a new shopping area on the Taneycomo River that runs past old Branson. There are also a lot of what appear to be apartments and/or hotels above the shops. There is a central plaza area with “fountains” that are used in a water and music show every hour. There are also huge metal upright tubes behind the fountain nozzles that belch fire along with the water shooting up. Quite different.
The trees above our rig are oak trees and the squirrels cause most of the acorns to fall on our roof. The dog next door looks up at the trees when he comes out and barks at the squirrels. Luckily, Dolly has not seen a squirrel or figured out what is causing the noise.
Our last show was tonight at 7 pm - Ozark Mountain Jubilee. It was a family singing group - the Max Bacons (Dad, Mom, 3 sons, 1 daughter-in-law and a couple of songs by grandkids) - and a band. The pianist was the “announcer” and goof-ball / comic relief. It was another very enjoyable couple of hours.
We went to the one show with a known country artist this afternoon - Moe Bandy. It was again very enjoyable. One cast member played a couple of comedic characters which added a fun touch. The band was good and looked like they were enjoying the show as well. Female dancers rounded out the show.
A little bit of shopping before going back to the rig for dinner and to visit Dolly. Then to an 8:00 pm show - Country Tonite. Another variety show with singers, dancers and a little comedy. The band definitely did not look like they were having as good a time as others. I wondered if we were getting burned out on shows.
Oct 13th - Sat - Branson
Another day with 2 shows. At 2:00 we went to see Kirby Van Burch, a magician. He and his wife Bambi have both been voted “Magician of the Year” by some national magicians’ organization. Terry really wanted to see this show so we bought tickets - full priced! - here. Kirby & Bambi were both very good and it was mostly a fast paced show that kept your full attention. But we were both somehow a little disappointed and we are not sure why. I felt like Kirby was somewhat arrogant.
Back to the rig again for dinner before the evening show - Bart Rockett. Bart is also a magician but he says he is a “comedian with props”. The show is not as slick - especially since his light & sound person had the night off and the replacement got sick so the lead dancer took over the music & lights. He includes a lot of current news events in his jokes and one-liners. He also does a fun ventriloquist number - and is a respectable magician. We actually enjoyed this show more than the earlier one today.
Oct 14th - Sun - Branson
The lovely sunny, warm weather continues. No show until this evening so we did some laundry, chatted with a couple that we met the first night we were here, cleaned up some stuff on the computer and talked to sister Marg on the phone for quite a while. For everyone who has asked in the past - Dad is doing fine.
After lunch we went to Branson Landing which is a new shopping area on the Taneycomo River that runs past old Branson. There are also a lot of what appear to be apartments and/or hotels above the shops. There is a central plaza area with “fountains” that are used in a water and music show every hour. There are also huge metal upright tubes behind the fountain nozzles that belch fire along with the water shooting up. Quite different.
The trees above our rig are oak trees and the squirrels cause most of the acorns to fall on our roof. The dog next door looks up at the trees when he comes out and barks at the squirrels. Luckily, Dolly has not seen a squirrel or figured out what is causing the noise.
Our last show was tonight at 7 pm - Ozark Mountain Jubilee. It was a family singing group - the Max Bacons (Dad, Mom, 3 sons, 1 daughter-in-law and a couple of songs by grandkids) - and a band. The pianist was the “announcer” and goof-ball / comic relief. It was another very enjoyable couple of hours.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Oct 9th to 11th - Branson, MO
Oct 9th - Tues - to Branson, MO
Another beautiful sunny day for driving to Branson. We stopped at a visitor info site in Nevada (with a long “a”) not far across the border in Missouri. They gave us the usual books & pamphlets and then told us that the local radio station had show tickets for sale at very low prices. They are given the tickets in exchange for advertising and then have a auction on Friday evenings. You can then go and buy tickets at the highest auction bid price. Of course this was a small town and the radio station was downtown on narrow streets so Terry was nearly ready to bag it when we found the station and a place to park. We ended up with 6 shows - no big names - for $90. Most of the shows were normally $25 to $35 per person.
Stopped at grocery store just out of Springfield and then started calling the RV parks in the PA book. To our surprise and dismay, Sept & Oct are busy months here and places were full. We found one PA park that could give us a space for Wed, Thurs & Fri and then said they could put us in a pull through (normally reserved for very long rigs) tonight. So even though we would have to move and also wanted Saturday, we said fine. By the time we got to the park I realized that one show was only on Sunday night so we would need Sunday as well. When Terry went to register, the owner said she had switched some rigs around and could give us a spot through Sunday. At $15 per night we were happy!
When we were setting up, the large slide started to go out crooked. Thanks to friends having this problem, Terry knew what to look for (missing bolt) and thanks to a neighbor with a box of misc parts, he was able to replace the bolt and all is well.
Oct 10th - Wed - Branson, MO
Branson is set in/on hills with a lot of trees - quite pretty. We waited until our new site was vacated and then moved before exploring a bit and finding the theaters for our shows.
We went to a show called “Comedy Jamboree” this afternoon. A variety type show with dancers, singers and comedy. The pianist in the band was incredible. They were filming the show and showing it on two large screens at the same time. The pianist’s hands were moving so fast that they blurred on the screen.
There was an group of 3 men playing guitars & drums and singing in the covered picnic area in the RV park so we walked over and listened to them for a while.
We are parked in the trees and one of the trees is a hazelnut tree. So we get nuts hitting the roof. We will have to sweep the slides before we leave.
Oct 11th - Thurs - Branson
Cooled down a bit today but still sunny. We went to the “Buck Trent Morning Show” at 9:30 today. He is a banjo/guitar player who has played for 50 years with various artists including Porter Waggoner, Dolly Parton and Roy Clark and on shows such as Hee Haw. There was a band (of course), 2 excellent fiddle players and a guitar player who sang a lot. After asking the audience about birthdays and anniversaries, they played Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago (Somewhere My Love) that was absolutely wonderful. The entire cast sang on some songs and they had to throw in some jokes and one-liners. Very enjoyable. The shows yesterday and today were both 2 hours with a 15 minute intermissions so they could sell some CDs.
Drove around some and had lunch before going to another show at 2. It was “Island Fire” and not country at all. It was a group of 14 dancers from Samoa who performed Polynesian dances. There were also a couple of guys who twirled flaming torches. The male dancers had amazing energy and speed while the women performed traditional “Hawaiian”, graceful dances with storytelling hands and swivel hips.
Another beautiful sunny day for driving to Branson. We stopped at a visitor info site in Nevada (with a long “a”) not far across the border in Missouri. They gave us the usual books & pamphlets and then told us that the local radio station had show tickets for sale at very low prices. They are given the tickets in exchange for advertising and then have a auction on Friday evenings. You can then go and buy tickets at the highest auction bid price. Of course this was a small town and the radio station was downtown on narrow streets so Terry was nearly ready to bag it when we found the station and a place to park. We ended up with 6 shows - no big names - for $90. Most of the shows were normally $25 to $35 per person.
Stopped at grocery store just out of Springfield and then started calling the RV parks in the PA book. To our surprise and dismay, Sept & Oct are busy months here and places were full. We found one PA park that could give us a space for Wed, Thurs & Fri and then said they could put us in a pull through (normally reserved for very long rigs) tonight. So even though we would have to move and also wanted Saturday, we said fine. By the time we got to the park I realized that one show was only on Sunday night so we would need Sunday as well. When Terry went to register, the owner said she had switched some rigs around and could give us a spot through Sunday. At $15 per night we were happy!
When we were setting up, the large slide started to go out crooked. Thanks to friends having this problem, Terry knew what to look for (missing bolt) and thanks to a neighbor with a box of misc parts, he was able to replace the bolt and all is well.
Oct 10th - Wed - Branson, MO
Branson is set in/on hills with a lot of trees - quite pretty. We waited until our new site was vacated and then moved before exploring a bit and finding the theaters for our shows.
We went to a show called “Comedy Jamboree” this afternoon. A variety type show with dancers, singers and comedy. The pianist in the band was incredible. They were filming the show and showing it on two large screens at the same time. The pianist’s hands were moving so fast that they blurred on the screen.
There was an group of 3 men playing guitars & drums and singing in the covered picnic area in the RV park so we walked over and listened to them for a while.
We are parked in the trees and one of the trees is a hazelnut tree. So we get nuts hitting the roof. We will have to sweep the slides before we leave.
Oct 11th - Thurs - Branson
Cooled down a bit today but still sunny. We went to the “Buck Trent Morning Show” at 9:30 today. He is a banjo/guitar player who has played for 50 years with various artists including Porter Waggoner, Dolly Parton and Roy Clark and on shows such as Hee Haw. There was a band (of course), 2 excellent fiddle players and a guitar player who sang a lot. After asking the audience about birthdays and anniversaries, they played Lara’s Theme from Dr Zhivago (Somewhere My Love) that was absolutely wonderful. The entire cast sang on some songs and they had to throw in some jokes and one-liners. Very enjoyable. The shows yesterday and today were both 2 hours with a 15 minute intermissions so they could sell some CDs.
Drove around some and had lunch before going to another show at 2. It was “Island Fire” and not country at all. It was a group of 14 dancers from Samoa who performed Polynesian dances. There were also a couple of guys who twirled flaming torches. The male dancers had amazing energy and speed while the women performed traditional “Hawaiian”, graceful dances with storytelling hands and swivel hips.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Oct 6th to 8th - IA, NE, KS!!
Oct 6th - Sat - Emmetsburg, Iowa
On to the Spam Museum at Austin, MN. It was a fun stop and we had to buy a couple of cans of Spam at the gift shop as it has been so long since we have eaten any. There was more information in the museum than we had time to read - very well done and a worthwhile stop for anyone.
Then we finally headed to Iowa as we had intended to since we left South Dakota. We found out why one of the state’s nicknames is “The Corn State”. There are miles of corn fields, most not yet combined.
We went to the Grotto of the Redemption at West Bend, IA. It is a “shrine” constructed of rocks, petrified wood, crystals and semi-precious stones. It was one man’s vision and was built by him and 2 friends. Since we are not church-goers, we did not relate to the religious aspects of the Grotto but you can still appreciate the immense task.
It was late afternoon by the time we left the Grotto so we were looking for a place to stay. And what should appear in our path but another casino - with an RV park for $15 a night. Seemed like fate! It was so warm when we set up that we both put shorts on and turned on the air conditioner. A bit of gambling when we went to register and then drinks & dinner.
Oct 7th - Sun - Beatrice, Nebraska
Another huge rain storm last night but dry and hot this morning.
We had a food coupon for the buffet at the casino so we had breakfast before we left. And then we drove south - imagine! Lots of corn fields here too. We ended up in Beatrice, NE at a great park that is owned by the city. It has a 20 site RV park with full hookups, a huge covered barbeque/picnic area, an 18 “hole” disc golf course, paved trails and acres of mowed grass. We spoke with a couple who were “golfing” and the guy gave us a quick lesson which was very interesting. We will put this spot in our file for a return visit.
About 9 the lighting and thunder started and once again a downpour of rain. At least the days are nice.
Oct 8th - Mon - Lyndon, Kansas
We visited the Homestead National Monument just out of Beatrice this morning. It is a new building that has the residents of Kansas complaining about the cost. It has well done displays about every facet of homesteading but really not much that we have not seen in other forms in other places.
We are really moving through the states. We left the corn fields for a while but then got into them again as we got a little further south. A lot more trees and hills than in the parts of Iowa & Nebraska that we saw. We went through Lincoln on freeways to Lyndon about 22 miles south of Lincoln. It is a nice PA park. We have been surprised by the number of long-term residents in RV parks lately. In Beatrice, there were a lot of people working on a pipeline.
Arrived here mid afternoon so had time to give Terry a haircut and do some laundry. Also spent quite a bit of time digging around the internet since we have wifi at the site.
On to the Spam Museum at Austin, MN. It was a fun stop and we had to buy a couple of cans of Spam at the gift shop as it has been so long since we have eaten any. There was more information in the museum than we had time to read - very well done and a worthwhile stop for anyone.
Then we finally headed to Iowa as we had intended to since we left South Dakota. We found out why one of the state’s nicknames is “The Corn State”. There are miles of corn fields, most not yet combined.
We went to the Grotto of the Redemption at West Bend, IA. It is a “shrine” constructed of rocks, petrified wood, crystals and semi-precious stones. It was one man’s vision and was built by him and 2 friends. Since we are not church-goers, we did not relate to the religious aspects of the Grotto but you can still appreciate the immense task.
It was late afternoon by the time we left the Grotto so we were looking for a place to stay. And what should appear in our path but another casino - with an RV park for $15 a night. Seemed like fate! It was so warm when we set up that we both put shorts on and turned on the air conditioner. A bit of gambling when we went to register and then drinks & dinner.
Oct 7th - Sun - Beatrice, Nebraska
Another huge rain storm last night but dry and hot this morning.
We had a food coupon for the buffet at the casino so we had breakfast before we left. And then we drove south - imagine! Lots of corn fields here too. We ended up in Beatrice, NE at a great park that is owned by the city. It has a 20 site RV park with full hookups, a huge covered barbeque/picnic area, an 18 “hole” disc golf course, paved trails and acres of mowed grass. We spoke with a couple who were “golfing” and the guy gave us a quick lesson which was very interesting. We will put this spot in our file for a return visit.
About 9 the lighting and thunder started and once again a downpour of rain. At least the days are nice.
Oct 8th - Mon - Lyndon, Kansas
We visited the Homestead National Monument just out of Beatrice this morning. It is a new building that has the residents of Kansas complaining about the cost. It has well done displays about every facet of homesteading but really not much that we have not seen in other forms in other places.
We are really moving through the states. We left the corn fields for a while but then got into them again as we got a little further south. A lot more trees and hills than in the parts of Iowa & Nebraska that we saw. We went through Lincoln on freeways to Lyndon about 22 miles south of Lincoln. It is a nice PA park. We have been surprised by the number of long-term residents in RV parks lately. In Beatrice, there were a lot of people working on a pipeline.
Arrived here mid afternoon so had time to give Terry a haircut and do some laundry. Also spent quite a bit of time digging around the internet since we have wifi at the site.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Oct 4th & 5th - Mystic Lake, MN
Oct 4th - Thurs - Mystic Lake, MN
I updated the blog while we waited (hopefully) for the rush hour traffic to clear out so we could go to the Mall of America. It is in Bloomington which is a southern portion of Minneapolis. Wanda took us directly there on a route that did not occur to us when we looked at a map. We wandered, went to the aquarium, had lunch - and bought nothing except lunch!
We made use of the lovely, warm, sunny weather (79 degrees) by washing the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and washing the truck in a car wash in the RV park. Then, what else could we do but visit the casino.
It is a huge casino. It seems even larger because it has been added on to over the years so it is kind of broken up and confusing inside. We weren’t doing too well so we headed for the exit. Only problem was, we couldn’t find the right exit. On the way across the casino to the right spot, Terry spotted some slot machines that he likes but hadn’t seen earlier. Luckily he tried one, and then another and I ended up dragging him out just after 9 as I was starving - but he was still winning.
A forecast rainstorm hit at midnight just as we were trying to go to sleep. Lightning, thunder and torrential rains made for a very broken night’s sleep. Dolly barks at thunder so that added to the disturbance. The storm lasted on & off all night and we saw lots of flood watches when we turned on the morning news.
Oct 5th - Fri - Mystic Lake
Terry thought yesterday morning that we should stay another night so we wouldn’t be packing up in a rainstorm - good decision as the rain did not stop for good until late morning Also, it gave me a chance to finish putting comments on a lot of pictures and get them loaded to the internet. It is a very time consuming process which took longer when I answered email and read other blogs first. But all our pictures are posted now and I hope not to get so far behind in the future.
Terry said he would “get out of my hair” this morning and went to the casino while I was on the computer. Talk about a flimsy excuse to go to the casino! He was back about 12:30 which meant he didn’t do well. Spent the amount we were ahead from yesterday. I rustled up some lunch and then we found a grocery store. The roast in the crock pot needed a couple more hours so we visited the casino again. And again, didn’t do so well until suddenly Terry hit on a couple of machines and we came out ahead again.
By the time I made potatoes, carrots and gravy to go with the roast, we were eating after 9 o’clock again. And now Terry is napping on the couch while I do the blog. What a domestic scene!
I updated the blog while we waited (hopefully) for the rush hour traffic to clear out so we could go to the Mall of America. It is in Bloomington which is a southern portion of Minneapolis. Wanda took us directly there on a route that did not occur to us when we looked at a map. We wandered, went to the aquarium, had lunch - and bought nothing except lunch!
We made use of the lovely, warm, sunny weather (79 degrees) by washing the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and washing the truck in a car wash in the RV park. Then, what else could we do but visit the casino.
It is a huge casino. It seems even larger because it has been added on to over the years so it is kind of broken up and confusing inside. We weren’t doing too well so we headed for the exit. Only problem was, we couldn’t find the right exit. On the way across the casino to the right spot, Terry spotted some slot machines that he likes but hadn’t seen earlier. Luckily he tried one, and then another and I ended up dragging him out just after 9 as I was starving - but he was still winning.
A forecast rainstorm hit at midnight just as we were trying to go to sleep. Lightning, thunder and torrential rains made for a very broken night’s sleep. Dolly barks at thunder so that added to the disturbance. The storm lasted on & off all night and we saw lots of flood watches when we turned on the morning news.
Oct 5th - Fri - Mystic Lake
Terry thought yesterday morning that we should stay another night so we wouldn’t be packing up in a rainstorm - good decision as the rain did not stop for good until late morning Also, it gave me a chance to finish putting comments on a lot of pictures and get them loaded to the internet. It is a very time consuming process which took longer when I answered email and read other blogs first. But all our pictures are posted now and I hope not to get so far behind in the future.
Terry said he would “get out of my hair” this morning and went to the casino while I was on the computer. Talk about a flimsy excuse to go to the casino! He was back about 12:30 which meant he didn’t do well. Spent the amount we were ahead from yesterday. I rustled up some lunch and then we found a grocery store. The roast in the crock pot needed a couple more hours so we visited the casino again. And again, didn’t do so well until suddenly Terry hit on a couple of machines and we came out ahead again.
By the time I made potatoes, carrots and gravy to go with the roast, we were eating after 9 o’clock again. And now Terry is napping on the couch while I do the blog. What a domestic scene!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Sept 29th to Oct 3rd - SD, Minnesota
Sept 29th - Sat - Hermosa
Chore and relaxation day - catch up on the blog, give the dog a bath, laundry, captions on some photos and watching the President‘s Cup (golf). The weather was nice again so we drove into Rapid City and got some steaks to put on the barbeque. Yes, I know we went grocery shopping yesterday but………
Sept 30th - Sun - to Mitchell, SD
I should not have made the comment about the weather feeling like summer - we had a heck of a windstorm yesterday evening and night and a dump of rain during the night. Terry thought he would be packing up in the rain but it stopped just in time.
After stopping for the obligatory wander through Wall Drug, we took the scenic loop drive through the Badlands. Part way through, the memory card in my camera filled up and I couldn’t take any more pictures. Luckily, we have a small card which I was able to use once I realized that I had a bunch of old pictures on it which I deleted.Pretty flat, uneventful driving - I don’t want to say boring but it would be if you had to do it again! Stayed in Mitchell which is one of the larger towns on I90.
Oct 1st - Mon - to Madison, SD
We went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell this morning. It is a large building that is “decorated” on the outside with 12 different colors of corn cobs. The theme changes each year and the designs/pictures are drawn on black roofing paper and marked with colors - paint-by-number with corn. The annual change-over was taking place while we were there so we got to see the process. The inside of the building has pictures of previous years’ themes and historical panels. It also has a large auditorium with a basketball court, a stage and permanent tiered seating so it is used for concerts and other entertainment.
After breakfast at the rig, we left for Madison, SD to visit our friends Clem & Marlene. We parked by their house and got busy catching up since they do not have internet access so do not keep up with us on the blog.
Then they took us on a sightseeing tour around the area and ended up at a casino. We showed them how to play some different slot machines which they enjoyed more than the usual machines they play when they infrequently visit casinos. Had dinner at the casino and got back early enough for a drink and more visiting.
We have a lot of laughs with Clem & Marlene so it was a great day.
Oct 2nd - Tues - Madision
Clem treated us to a late breakfast at a little restaurant on a nearby lake followed by a drive through a large state park. At the park we saw six men (fish & game) with nets set up on the edge of the lake. We stopped to see what they were doing and decided that they were catching suckers - probably to kill them and protect other fish. The wind was blowing very hard and they were having a tough time pulling the net into the boat. Four additional men arrived to help and still had problems. Once a lot of the net was pulled into the boat, they secured it with ropes and stakes and left. We think they quit for the day because of the wind. Terry and Clem went to check if anything was happening later in the day but the net was still just the same.
I used Marlene’s sewing machine to hem some T-shirts and do some mending. Also had to maintain my computer support skills and loaded software on Marlene’s computer and taught her how to download and edit pictures from her new digital camera.
Back to the casino - Clem & Marlene were looking forward to trying more machines! Terry won $187 and then $60 so he was happy. Good thing he did so he could cover my losses! We went to a restaurant in the nearby town for dinner (the casino ran out of their steak special) and then returned to the casino. Good move for Marlene - she won $180 and was smart enough to quit and take it home with her.
Another fun day!
Oct 3rd - Wed - to Minnesota
The plan when we left this morning was to head for West Bend, Iowa to see an attraction recommended by Clem. But everyone knows how our plans change!
We spoke with a couple in a tourist info place on I90 just into Minnesota and they were going to Pipestone National Memorial and to the Spam Museum. Both sounded interesting to us and not too far out of the way. So we went to Pipestone which is where native Indians quarry a soft red stone used for ceremonial pipes. Took a ¾ mile walk around the area - quite windy but not cold.
I was looking for a campground near the Spam museum when I noticed that the Mall of America was only 90 minutes from a town that we had to pass to get to the museum. Time for another change of plans!! I set Wanda (GPS) for a new destination and started looking for a campground. Found one with wifi and cable TV that was not too far from the mall. We got set up but Terry could not find the cable hookup. He went to check and discovered that our spot did not have cable. The spot was expensive and they added $3 per night for a pull-through without mentioning the extra cost so the lack of cable was the last straw for Terry. He went and got our money back, we packed up and left. By this time it was just after 6:00. We headed for a casino that we had seen signs for on the way in. As we were driving I discovered that the casino had an RV park - perfect! Just as we were nearing the casino, there was a “road closed” sign - fit right in with the rest of the day. But the detour took us right past the casino so we got a spot, set up and relaxed.
Chore and relaxation day - catch up on the blog, give the dog a bath, laundry, captions on some photos and watching the President‘s Cup (golf). The weather was nice again so we drove into Rapid City and got some steaks to put on the barbeque. Yes, I know we went grocery shopping yesterday but………
Sept 30th - Sun - to Mitchell, SD
I should not have made the comment about the weather feeling like summer - we had a heck of a windstorm yesterday evening and night and a dump of rain during the night. Terry thought he would be packing up in the rain but it stopped just in time.
After stopping for the obligatory wander through Wall Drug, we took the scenic loop drive through the Badlands. Part way through, the memory card in my camera filled up and I couldn’t take any more pictures. Luckily, we have a small card which I was able to use once I realized that I had a bunch of old pictures on it which I deleted.Pretty flat, uneventful driving - I don’t want to say boring but it would be if you had to do it again! Stayed in Mitchell which is one of the larger towns on I90.
Oct 1st - Mon - to Madison, SD
We went to the Corn Palace in Mitchell this morning. It is a large building that is “decorated” on the outside with 12 different colors of corn cobs. The theme changes each year and the designs/pictures are drawn on black roofing paper and marked with colors - paint-by-number with corn. The annual change-over was taking place while we were there so we got to see the process. The inside of the building has pictures of previous years’ themes and historical panels. It also has a large auditorium with a basketball court, a stage and permanent tiered seating so it is used for concerts and other entertainment.
After breakfast at the rig, we left for Madison, SD to visit our friends Clem & Marlene. We parked by their house and got busy catching up since they do not have internet access so do not keep up with us on the blog.
Then they took us on a sightseeing tour around the area and ended up at a casino. We showed them how to play some different slot machines which they enjoyed more than the usual machines they play when they infrequently visit casinos. Had dinner at the casino and got back early enough for a drink and more visiting.
We have a lot of laughs with Clem & Marlene so it was a great day.
Oct 2nd - Tues - Madision
Clem treated us to a late breakfast at a little restaurant on a nearby lake followed by a drive through a large state park. At the park we saw six men (fish & game) with nets set up on the edge of the lake. We stopped to see what they were doing and decided that they were catching suckers - probably to kill them and protect other fish. The wind was blowing very hard and they were having a tough time pulling the net into the boat. Four additional men arrived to help and still had problems. Once a lot of the net was pulled into the boat, they secured it with ropes and stakes and left. We think they quit for the day because of the wind. Terry and Clem went to check if anything was happening later in the day but the net was still just the same.
I used Marlene’s sewing machine to hem some T-shirts and do some mending. Also had to maintain my computer support skills and loaded software on Marlene’s computer and taught her how to download and edit pictures from her new digital camera.
Back to the casino - Clem & Marlene were looking forward to trying more machines! Terry won $187 and then $60 so he was happy. Good thing he did so he could cover my losses! We went to a restaurant in the nearby town for dinner (the casino ran out of their steak special) and then returned to the casino. Good move for Marlene - she won $180 and was smart enough to quit and take it home with her.
Another fun day!
Oct 3rd - Wed - to Minnesota
The plan when we left this morning was to head for West Bend, Iowa to see an attraction recommended by Clem. But everyone knows how our plans change!
We spoke with a couple in a tourist info place on I90 just into Minnesota and they were going to Pipestone National Memorial and to the Spam Museum. Both sounded interesting to us and not too far out of the way. So we went to Pipestone which is where native Indians quarry a soft red stone used for ceremonial pipes. Took a ¾ mile walk around the area - quite windy but not cold.
I was looking for a campground near the Spam museum when I noticed that the Mall of America was only 90 minutes from a town that we had to pass to get to the museum. Time for another change of plans!! I set Wanda (GPS) for a new destination and started looking for a campground. Found one with wifi and cable TV that was not too far from the mall. We got set up but Terry could not find the cable hookup. He went to check and discovered that our spot did not have cable. The spot was expensive and they added $3 per night for a pull-through without mentioning the extra cost so the lack of cable was the last straw for Terry. He went and got our money back, we packed up and left. By this time it was just after 6:00. We headed for a casino that we had seen signs for on the way in. As we were driving I discovered that the casino had an RV park - perfect! Just as we were nearing the casino, there was a “road closed” sign - fit right in with the rest of the day. But the detour took us right past the casino so we got a spot, set up and relaxed.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Sept 25th to 28th - North & South Dakota
Sept 25th - Tues - to Miles City, MT
Terry was concerned about the snow forecast so we left rather than taking another day to tour the rest of Yellowstone. We have been to Yellowstone previously so have seen the loop that we missed this time.
We went north on 191 from West Yellowstone to Bozeman and then across I90 to I94. We stayed at Miles City. Not a very exciting drive today! The people parked next to us were from Spokane - originally just a few blocks from where we lived. Small world!
Sept 26th - Wed - to North Dakota
We had planned to stay at Dickinson ND and do some sightseeing but a viewpoint on the way in showed us the supposedly best view of the ND badlands so we decided not to stay there. We had read about a stretch of highway named the Enchanted Highway which was actually one reason for going to ND. A schoolteacher determined that a small town (Regent) needed some tourist attraction so he welded seven HUGE metal sculptures and placed them along a 32 mile stretch. Some of the figures are over 100 feet tall. They are amazing. They include grasshoppers (many - large & small), fish, a horse, flying geese, an “outlined” man on a rearing horse, a family (mom, dad & son), and pheasants. If I ever get captions on a bunch of pictures I will get them on my blog.
We were amazed at the many acres of sunflowers in this part of ND. And there are antelope everywhere. We ended up staying at Bowman in an RV park managed by the city. There was one tent and two other rigs in the whole place - it was quiet.
Sept 27th - Thurs - to South Dakota
Highway 85 south to Spearfish, then through Sturgis and Rapid City to our site near Hermosa which is about 15 miles from Mt Rushmore. We set up and then went to Keystone where we wandered the “old town” tourist shops and went to the Gutzon Burglum museum. He is the sculptor responsible for Mt Rushmore - very talented artist with many pieces all over the world. From there we went to view Mt Rushmore. We took a very narrow, windy road back to our campsite. It has “pigtails” to climb the hills. This is where the road goes under an overpass, makes a tight, climbing loop and immediately goes on the overpass that you just went under. There are also several one-lane tunnels with limited clearance. There is a wonderful view from the top and then you wind back down cutting the corner of Custer State Park.
I had a large grocery list but we didn’t go near any decent stores so we just stopped in Hermosa and picked up a couple of items to go with our ribs for dinner.
Sept 28th - Fri - Hermosa SD
Took a trip to Deadwood today. We went through Keystone where we stopped for breakfast. Then another windy road to Deadwood. And a beautiful sunny day.
Deadwood is an historic town that has capitalized on its gambling roots. Every establishment has slot machines! I won a bit of money right away by getting lucky on a mistaken max bet of $2.00. Terry also somehow hit max bet of $2.00 on the first spin on a machine and won $267. That kept him going with a lot left over and I went up and down to end up $37 ahead so it was a good day. We were there from 11 until 4:30 with a break to view a parade down the main street at 1 and we still did not go in all the places on Main Street.
We stopped at Albertsons in Rapid City on the way back and stocked up on groceries including ingredients so I could make Gayle Earling‘s “Salsa Salad“ - it is so good. The temperature was up to 83 today - feels more like summer than early fall.
Terry was concerned about the snow forecast so we left rather than taking another day to tour the rest of Yellowstone. We have been to Yellowstone previously so have seen the loop that we missed this time.
We went north on 191 from West Yellowstone to Bozeman and then across I90 to I94. We stayed at Miles City. Not a very exciting drive today! The people parked next to us were from Spokane - originally just a few blocks from where we lived. Small world!
Sept 26th - Wed - to North Dakota
We had planned to stay at Dickinson ND and do some sightseeing but a viewpoint on the way in showed us the supposedly best view of the ND badlands so we decided not to stay there. We had read about a stretch of highway named the Enchanted Highway which was actually one reason for going to ND. A schoolteacher determined that a small town (Regent) needed some tourist attraction so he welded seven HUGE metal sculptures and placed them along a 32 mile stretch. Some of the figures are over 100 feet tall. They are amazing. They include grasshoppers (many - large & small), fish, a horse, flying geese, an “outlined” man on a rearing horse, a family (mom, dad & son), and pheasants. If I ever get captions on a bunch of pictures I will get them on my blog.
We were amazed at the many acres of sunflowers in this part of ND. And there are antelope everywhere. We ended up staying at Bowman in an RV park managed by the city. There was one tent and two other rigs in the whole place - it was quiet.
Sept 27th - Thurs - to South Dakota
Highway 85 south to Spearfish, then through Sturgis and Rapid City to our site near Hermosa which is about 15 miles from Mt Rushmore. We set up and then went to Keystone where we wandered the “old town” tourist shops and went to the Gutzon Burglum museum. He is the sculptor responsible for Mt Rushmore - very talented artist with many pieces all over the world. From there we went to view Mt Rushmore. We took a very narrow, windy road back to our campsite. It has “pigtails” to climb the hills. This is where the road goes under an overpass, makes a tight, climbing loop and immediately goes on the overpass that you just went under. There are also several one-lane tunnels with limited clearance. There is a wonderful view from the top and then you wind back down cutting the corner of Custer State Park.
I had a large grocery list but we didn’t go near any decent stores so we just stopped in Hermosa and picked up a couple of items to go with our ribs for dinner.
Sept 28th - Fri - Hermosa SD
Took a trip to Deadwood today. We went through Keystone where we stopped for breakfast. Then another windy road to Deadwood. And a beautiful sunny day.
Deadwood is an historic town that has capitalized on its gambling roots. Every establishment has slot machines! I won a bit of money right away by getting lucky on a mistaken max bet of $2.00. Terry also somehow hit max bet of $2.00 on the first spin on a machine and won $267. That kept him going with a lot left over and I went up and down to end up $37 ahead so it was a good day. We were there from 11 until 4:30 with a break to view a parade down the main street at 1 and we still did not go in all the places on Main Street.
We stopped at Albertsons in Rapid City on the way back and stocked up on groceries including ingredients so I could make Gayle Earling‘s “Salsa Salad“ - it is so good. The temperature was up to 83 today - feels more like summer than early fall.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Sept 21st to 24th - Challis, Yellowstone
Sept 21st - Fri - North Fork, ID
A cold that has been threatening me for several days finally got the upper hand yesterday. So Terry decided that we would stay another day here - the campsite and owners are really nice and I could take it easy and try to get rid of the cold. You can wash your rigs at your site in this park so Terry took advantage of that to clean both the 5th wheel and the truck. I caught up on the blog and did some much overdue backups on the computer. I was also able to swap a bunch of paperback books that I had read. Turned out to be a very productive day.
Sept 22nd - Sat - to Challis, ID
Short drive today to Challis Hot Springs Resort. From the Montana border you drive through narrow valleys. Then just north of Challis it opens up into a wide valley. Very pretty. There are a lot of large cattle herds and a few large hay farms.
We relaxed in the indoor (107 degrees) and outdoor (97 degrees) pools that are filled with water from the hot springs. They do not have the nasty smell often associated with hot springs and are very clean with water continuously running in & out.
Terry set up the satellite dish with no trouble at all. Then we had to go to the lobby to get wifi and download new keys for the receiver. Worked great after one more trip to the lobby for more info. Terry was tickled to have all his TV channels again. I didn’t even mind not going to the pools again as there were lots of families with kids there in the evening.
Sept 23rd - Sun - to Yellowstone
Had a big rainstorm last night with lightning and thunder. It rained off & on as we drove south. Terry checked the air pressure in the tires and discovered that we had a valve stem leak in a front tire on the truck. Little towns that we went through were all closed up for Sunday but we found a tire shop open in Idaho Falls and got it fixed. We stopped for lunch and had another huge cloudburst as we were eating that stopped by the time we had to walk back to the truck.
Nice drive to Yellowstone. Some bushes and trees are turning color and there was bright yellow and red scattered on the hills. We stopped at a PA park that turned out not to be honoring PA any more so we continued on to a National Forest campground 3 miles north of West Yellowstone. The spots are large, separated from each other and have 50 amp electric service for $20.
We spent over an hour trying to set up the satellite dish and could not get the signal!! Very frustrating. The antenna does pick up 3 channels so Terry had something to watch as the temperature kept dropping.
Sept 24th - Mon - Yellowstone Park
Spent the day in the park. It was cool but there was no rain. Some of the hills had a good dusting of snow and people are saying it is going to snow here tonight. The forecast is for temperatures below freezing tonight in West Yellowstone.
We did not see Old Faithful erupt. There was an hour to the next projected eruption when we were there and we did not want to wait. We did a lot of walking on trails to view mud volcanoes, water falls, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and misc steaming holes. We saw lots of buffalo, some elk & deer, no bear and lots of fly fishermen in the rivers.
We came back to the rig to pick up empty propane tanks and went back to town to get them filled. The first service station said they only filled tanks between 8 and 3. The guy said there was only one other place to get propane and it probably wasn’t open since it was 5:15 (he was right). We drove around some more and saw another service station with a propane tank that had weeds around it like it wasn’t used any more. We checked anyhow and just had to wait a few minutes while a guy came to fill our tanks. Another guy stopped with 2 tanks while we were there. He had gotten the same unhelpful response from the same station that we went to first.
A cold that has been threatening me for several days finally got the upper hand yesterday. So Terry decided that we would stay another day here - the campsite and owners are really nice and I could take it easy and try to get rid of the cold. You can wash your rigs at your site in this park so Terry took advantage of that to clean both the 5th wheel and the truck. I caught up on the blog and did some much overdue backups on the computer. I was also able to swap a bunch of paperback books that I had read. Turned out to be a very productive day.
Sept 22nd - Sat - to Challis, ID
Short drive today to Challis Hot Springs Resort. From the Montana border you drive through narrow valleys. Then just north of Challis it opens up into a wide valley. Very pretty. There are a lot of large cattle herds and a few large hay farms.
We relaxed in the indoor (107 degrees) and outdoor (97 degrees) pools that are filled with water from the hot springs. They do not have the nasty smell often associated with hot springs and are very clean with water continuously running in & out.
Terry set up the satellite dish with no trouble at all. Then we had to go to the lobby to get wifi and download new keys for the receiver. Worked great after one more trip to the lobby for more info. Terry was tickled to have all his TV channels again. I didn’t even mind not going to the pools again as there were lots of families with kids there in the evening.
Sept 23rd - Sun - to Yellowstone
Had a big rainstorm last night with lightning and thunder. It rained off & on as we drove south. Terry checked the air pressure in the tires and discovered that we had a valve stem leak in a front tire on the truck. Little towns that we went through were all closed up for Sunday but we found a tire shop open in Idaho Falls and got it fixed. We stopped for lunch and had another huge cloudburst as we were eating that stopped by the time we had to walk back to the truck.
Nice drive to Yellowstone. Some bushes and trees are turning color and there was bright yellow and red scattered on the hills. We stopped at a PA park that turned out not to be honoring PA any more so we continued on to a National Forest campground 3 miles north of West Yellowstone. The spots are large, separated from each other and have 50 amp electric service for $20.
We spent over an hour trying to set up the satellite dish and could not get the signal!! Very frustrating. The antenna does pick up 3 channels so Terry had something to watch as the temperature kept dropping.
Sept 24th - Mon - Yellowstone Park
Spent the day in the park. It was cool but there was no rain. Some of the hills had a good dusting of snow and people are saying it is going to snow here tonight. The forecast is for temperatures below freezing tonight in West Yellowstone.
We did not see Old Faithful erupt. There was an hour to the next projected eruption when we were there and we did not want to wait. We did a lot of walking on trails to view mud volcanoes, water falls, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and misc steaming holes. We saw lots of buffalo, some elk & deer, no bear and lots of fly fishermen in the rivers.
We came back to the rig to pick up empty propane tanks and went back to town to get them filled. The first service station said they only filled tanks between 8 and 3. The guy said there was only one other place to get propane and it probably wasn’t open since it was 5:15 (he was right). We drove around some more and saw another service station with a propane tank that had weeds around it like it wasn’t used any more. We checked anyhow and just had to wait a few minutes while a guy came to fill our tanks. Another guy stopped with 2 tanks while we were there. He had gotten the same unhelpful response from the same station that we went to first.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Sept 16th to 20th - WA state
Sept 16th - Sun - Rochester
Went to breakfast with Skip & Kathy and then went to Dean’s so Skip & Kathy could see his place. S&K left from there to go see Kathy’s Mom in Portland and we returned to the rig. Terry went back to the casino and played for hours to make another $20 or so. Much better than losing! I updated the blog - waiting for rain to let up to run over to the hotel lobby where I could get wifi - phoned Marg and relaxed with a book. I expected Terry to return to the casino after dinner but he was “gambled out” - and I expect didn’t want to walk over in the rain!
Sept 17th - Mon - to Spokane
Didn’t want to get going too early this morning and run into rush hour traffic on the freeway. We left about 9:30 and by the time we were slowed for freeway construction, stopped to dump the holding tanks, stopped for fuel and stopped to fix lunch, it was 4:30 when we arrived at Terry’s Mom’s (Ella Mae & Don) house. A drink, a nice dinner and a little TV and we were done for the day.
Sept 18th - Tues - Spokane
We got busy and pressure-washed Ella Mae’s house this morning while Don went off to work. Finished just as it started to rain again. After lunch, Terry & I went and did a little shopping and then took advantage of Ella Mae’s laundry room. After dinner I got really ambitious and hauled out the pressure washer again and cleaned the driveway. Of course, Terry & Don could not stand to just watch me work so they took turns too. It was dark by the time we finished (7:45) but thought we could check the results in the morning and redo bad patches.
Sept 19th - Wed - Spokane
Driveway looks fine so no redo-ing required.
We have been in contact with Claude & Val (friends from Canada) for the last few days. They were in Le Grande, OR getting some work done on their 5th wheel and were going to be heading north through Spokane. So we turned Bill & Georgia’s back yard into an RV park!! We stopped for some groceries, set up at Bill’s and then went golfing with Bill at a 9 hole executive course nearby. Golf not so good, the day & the company - great!
Claude & Val arrived about 3 - just before Georgia came home from work. We sat outside until it just got too cool and then moved into the house to fix dinner. After dinner and conversation, we introduced Claude and Val to Wii - an interactive computer game - and did a little golfing and bowling. It was a great day.
Sept 20th - Thurs - to North Fork, ID
Claude & Val wanted to get an early start today but I persuaded them to stay while I fixed breakfast for all of us - except Georgia who had to go to work after we kept her up so late. So they got out before 9 and we left shortly after and headed to Missoula, MT. From there we went south on hwy 93 with an eventual destination of Challis, ID. We made a 25 mile (each way) detour to Lolo Hot Springs but there was absolutely no one there so we turned right around and came back. Hwy 93 goes up a huge climb at the MT/ID border where there is a big ski resort - Lost Trail. Then it drops back down and starts following the north fork of the Salmon River. We passed a couple of small towns and then stopped for the night just south of North Fork at an RV park that I found in the Trailer Life book. Very nice place (Wagonhammer) right on the river. We got to sit out a bit before it started to sprinkle.
Went to breakfast with Skip & Kathy and then went to Dean’s so Skip & Kathy could see his place. S&K left from there to go see Kathy’s Mom in Portland and we returned to the rig. Terry went back to the casino and played for hours to make another $20 or so. Much better than losing! I updated the blog - waiting for rain to let up to run over to the hotel lobby where I could get wifi - phoned Marg and relaxed with a book. I expected Terry to return to the casino after dinner but he was “gambled out” - and I expect didn’t want to walk over in the rain!
Sept 17th - Mon - to Spokane
Didn’t want to get going too early this morning and run into rush hour traffic on the freeway. We left about 9:30 and by the time we were slowed for freeway construction, stopped to dump the holding tanks, stopped for fuel and stopped to fix lunch, it was 4:30 when we arrived at Terry’s Mom’s (Ella Mae & Don) house. A drink, a nice dinner and a little TV and we were done for the day.
Sept 18th - Tues - Spokane
We got busy and pressure-washed Ella Mae’s house this morning while Don went off to work. Finished just as it started to rain again. After lunch, Terry & I went and did a little shopping and then took advantage of Ella Mae’s laundry room. After dinner I got really ambitious and hauled out the pressure washer again and cleaned the driveway. Of course, Terry & Don could not stand to just watch me work so they took turns too. It was dark by the time we finished (7:45) but thought we could check the results in the morning and redo bad patches.
Sept 19th - Wed - Spokane
Driveway looks fine so no redo-ing required.
We have been in contact with Claude & Val (friends from Canada) for the last few days. They were in Le Grande, OR getting some work done on their 5th wheel and were going to be heading north through Spokane. So we turned Bill & Georgia’s back yard into an RV park!! We stopped for some groceries, set up at Bill’s and then went golfing with Bill at a 9 hole executive course nearby. Golf not so good, the day & the company - great!
Claude & Val arrived about 3 - just before Georgia came home from work. We sat outside until it just got too cool and then moved into the house to fix dinner. After dinner and conversation, we introduced Claude and Val to Wii - an interactive computer game - and did a little golfing and bowling. It was a great day.
Sept 20th - Thurs - to North Fork, ID
Claude & Val wanted to get an early start today but I persuaded them to stay while I fixed breakfast for all of us - except Georgia who had to go to work after we kept her up so late. So they got out before 9 and we left shortly after and headed to Missoula, MT. From there we went south on hwy 93 with an eventual destination of Challis, ID. We made a 25 mile (each way) detour to Lolo Hot Springs but there was absolutely no one there so we turned right around and came back. Hwy 93 goes up a huge climb at the MT/ID border where there is a big ski resort - Lost Trail. Then it drops back down and starts following the north fork of the Salmon River. We passed a couple of small towns and then stopped for the night just south of North Fork at an RV park that I found in the Trailer Life book. Very nice place (Wagonhammer) right on the river. We got to sit out a bit before it started to sprinkle.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Sept 10th to 15th - NW Washington
Sept 10th - Mon - to Forks
We drove to Forks this morning, checked in at the visitor info center and decided to go to an RV park halfway between Forks & La Push. It is a rustic park in the trees. Tried the park café for a mediocre lunch and then drove to La Push. Beaches are not readily accessible from there. I walked quite a ways on a path through a forest and still could not see the ocean.
Next we drove to Mora and enjoyed relaxing a while on Rialta Beach. Back at the park Terry tried to hook up the satellite dish. We have not used it for months and had no luck getting a signal and no luck trying to access some web sites for help.
Sept 11th - Tues - Forks
Enjoyed the continuing sunshine by driving to Neah Bay - about 1 ½ hours each way. It is a lovely drive and a larger village than we expected. The road to Cape Flattery (NW-most point of lower US) was closed so we couldn’t go there. We went into Forks for a bit of shopping, had lunch back at the rig and did some “fix-it” things. The RV park was mostly empty so there was no one to visit with, no TV for Terry and the weather was getting cool and windy so we decided to pack up and drive a ways to shorten tomorrow’s drive. We ended up back at the casino in Shelton as we knew we could park there and would have something to do for the evening. We had great Rueben sandwiches there for dinner and with a discount from signing up for their player card, a sandwich and a beer each ended up costing only $13 - great deal!
Sept 12th - Wed - to Puyallup
Took advantage of the inexpensive buffet breakfast at the casino before leaving for Puyallup which also helped us avoid rush hour(s) traffic on the freeway. There was no one at the RV park office so Terry called the number on the door and was told which site to use. We set up but the site was a bit short so we intruded on a small space behind us and our stabilizer on the front was on the road a bit. A car in the spot beside us was parked crooked (no one home) so Terry gave them a bit of room to get out. This made the other side where we had to park the truck quite small so Terry parked in the empty spot behind us. When Terry went to register, he was told to park the truck on our spot which put it right beside the steps. He told them how bad it was when he went to get change for the laundry so they gave us another spot which was longer. So we unhooked everything, put in the slides, moved a few feet and set up all over again!
We found a Costco to see about getting a couple of tires on the back of the truck. They seemed quite expensive so I found the receipt from Discount Tire in Spokane where they were quite a bit cheaper. We called the Discount Tire in Puyallup and they were cheaper but they did not have any in stock. The guy first said it would take 3 to 5 days to get them but when we said it had to be tomorrow he suddenly could get them by 8 am. We drove by and then he said it might be 9 before he could get them. We are going to the fair tomorrow so figured that would work.
Sept 13th - Thurs - Puyallup
No call from Discount Tire so by about 9:30 I figured we should head for the fair since the parking yesterday looked like a nightmare. We were early enough that there was lots of room in the city lot across the street, but unlike Spokane where the parking is free, here it is $8.00 for the day. In fact, the gates did not open until 10 so we had a short wait.
The grounds and fair are huge! We were there from 10 until 5:30 - on our feet except for a lunch stop and about half an hour to watch the “Mutton Busting” - kids riding sheep. Our feet and legs were very tired. We made use of a “JiggleFoot” machine which are all over the grounds. You sit with your feet on a platform which, for 25 cents, jiggles the heck out of your feet for a couple of minutes. Your legs and feet do feel better - for a short while.
We never did hear from Discount Tire!
Sept 14h - Fri - to Rochester
The reason that we hung around the northwest was to attend a surprise birthday party for our son Dean. It is his 40th birthday today and the party is tomorrow. I called him today to wish him a happy birthday and told him we were in Sequim when in fact we were ½ hour from Rochester. Dean said his family had all been sick but were getting better. They were going out for dinner tonight for his birthday.
We are staying at the Lucky Eagle casino again. We ran around looking for a birthday present for Dean and got some groceries. After dinner we had to visit the casino. It treated us quite nicely - allowed us to play for several hours on little money.
Sept 15th - Sat - Rochester
Spent the morning ironing, hemming a pair of pants, getting a veggie tray ready for the party and cleaning the inside of the truck. Skip & Kathy (Terry’s brother) arrived about 1 and followed us to Jennifer’s cousin’s house where the party was being held. Dean was told that Jennifer was taking him somewhere special (just the 2 of them) for his birthday. She blindfolded him and drove him around for half an hour so he would not know where she was taking him. He was indeed surprised when they took the blindfold off when he was in front of all his friends and relatives. We chit-chatted, drank and ate for the afternoon. We and Skip & Kathy left about 7. Skip & Kathy are staying at the hotel here at the casino. We had to visit the casino but it was very busy and we were tired so it was an early evening.
We drove to Forks this morning, checked in at the visitor info center and decided to go to an RV park halfway between Forks & La Push. It is a rustic park in the trees. Tried the park café for a mediocre lunch and then drove to La Push. Beaches are not readily accessible from there. I walked quite a ways on a path through a forest and still could not see the ocean.
Next we drove to Mora and enjoyed relaxing a while on Rialta Beach. Back at the park Terry tried to hook up the satellite dish. We have not used it for months and had no luck getting a signal and no luck trying to access some web sites for help.
Sept 11th - Tues - Forks
Enjoyed the continuing sunshine by driving to Neah Bay - about 1 ½ hours each way. It is a lovely drive and a larger village than we expected. The road to Cape Flattery (NW-most point of lower US) was closed so we couldn’t go there. We went into Forks for a bit of shopping, had lunch back at the rig and did some “fix-it” things. The RV park was mostly empty so there was no one to visit with, no TV for Terry and the weather was getting cool and windy so we decided to pack up and drive a ways to shorten tomorrow’s drive. We ended up back at the casino in Shelton as we knew we could park there and would have something to do for the evening. We had great Rueben sandwiches there for dinner and with a discount from signing up for their player card, a sandwich and a beer each ended up costing only $13 - great deal!
Sept 12th - Wed - to Puyallup
Took advantage of the inexpensive buffet breakfast at the casino before leaving for Puyallup which also helped us avoid rush hour(s) traffic on the freeway. There was no one at the RV park office so Terry called the number on the door and was told which site to use. We set up but the site was a bit short so we intruded on a small space behind us and our stabilizer on the front was on the road a bit. A car in the spot beside us was parked crooked (no one home) so Terry gave them a bit of room to get out. This made the other side where we had to park the truck quite small so Terry parked in the empty spot behind us. When Terry went to register, he was told to park the truck on our spot which put it right beside the steps. He told them how bad it was when he went to get change for the laundry so they gave us another spot which was longer. So we unhooked everything, put in the slides, moved a few feet and set up all over again!
We found a Costco to see about getting a couple of tires on the back of the truck. They seemed quite expensive so I found the receipt from Discount Tire in Spokane where they were quite a bit cheaper. We called the Discount Tire in Puyallup and they were cheaper but they did not have any in stock. The guy first said it would take 3 to 5 days to get them but when we said it had to be tomorrow he suddenly could get them by 8 am. We drove by and then he said it might be 9 before he could get them. We are going to the fair tomorrow so figured that would work.
Sept 13th - Thurs - Puyallup
No call from Discount Tire so by about 9:30 I figured we should head for the fair since the parking yesterday looked like a nightmare. We were early enough that there was lots of room in the city lot across the street, but unlike Spokane where the parking is free, here it is $8.00 for the day. In fact, the gates did not open until 10 so we had a short wait.
The grounds and fair are huge! We were there from 10 until 5:30 - on our feet except for a lunch stop and about half an hour to watch the “Mutton Busting” - kids riding sheep. Our feet and legs were very tired. We made use of a “JiggleFoot” machine which are all over the grounds. You sit with your feet on a platform which, for 25 cents, jiggles the heck out of your feet for a couple of minutes. Your legs and feet do feel better - for a short while.
We never did hear from Discount Tire!
Sept 14h - Fri - to Rochester
The reason that we hung around the northwest was to attend a surprise birthday party for our son Dean. It is his 40th birthday today and the party is tomorrow. I called him today to wish him a happy birthday and told him we were in Sequim when in fact we were ½ hour from Rochester. Dean said his family had all been sick but were getting better. They were going out for dinner tonight for his birthday.
We are staying at the Lucky Eagle casino again. We ran around looking for a birthday present for Dean and got some groceries. After dinner we had to visit the casino. It treated us quite nicely - allowed us to play for several hours on little money.
Sept 15th - Sat - Rochester
Spent the morning ironing, hemming a pair of pants, getting a veggie tray ready for the party and cleaning the inside of the truck. Skip & Kathy (Terry’s brother) arrived about 1 and followed us to Jennifer’s cousin’s house where the party was being held. Dean was told that Jennifer was taking him somewhere special (just the 2 of them) for his birthday. She blindfolded him and drove him around for half an hour so he would not know where she was taking him. He was indeed surprised when they took the blindfold off when he was in front of all his friends and relatives. We chit-chatted, drank and ate for the afternoon. We and Skip & Kathy left about 7. Skip & Kathy are staying at the hotel here at the casino. We had to visit the casino but it was very busy and we were tired so it was an early evening.
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