Apr 27th - Mon - Hemet
Lazy morning and then Barry & Yvonne picked us up at 11 to go golfing at Sun City. It was cool this morning but warmed up to just perfect for golf. The course is short with no par 5’s but with wicked sand traps in front of many par 3’s.
We finished our game earlier than we thought so Yvonne suggested that we check out a new casino - Pechanga - not too far away in Temecula. For a change, I did not spend my “allowance”. Then we headed back to a Mexican restaurant near the golf course for a nice dinner.
Apr 28th - Tues - Hemet
Yvonne is having a small surgical procedure today so we are on our own. First a trip to WalMart for groceries. Then Terry cleaned the truck and the 5th wheel while I finally worked on our pictures. Next a bike ride around the park - over 3 miles going on all the roads. Still cool enough that I had on long pants and a shirt jacket.
After dinner, I finished up the captions on pictures and posted them - see 2009 #3.
Apr 29th - Wed - Hemet
Another day to catch up on things. I did the expenses for April and Terry spent time surfing the internet. I got a much needed haircut. Then we drove around Hemet a bit and could not go past the Big Lots store without stopping!
We had Barry & Yvonne over for baby back ribs for dinner. A breeze came up and cooled us down just as Terry was finishing the ribs on the barbeque.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Apr 23rd to 26th - Arizona, California
Apr 23rd - Thus - to Camp Verde AZ
We are heading to Quartzsite to visit friends Clem & Marlene (from SD, met in Quartzsite 2 years ago). Said goodbye to Terry & Judy and left about 8:30. We were planning to stop at Flagstaff but the drive was easy & uneventful so we carried on to Camp Verde which is about an hour south of Flagstaff.
We stayed (for free!!) in the parking lot of the Cliff Castle Casino. Hooked up the generator so we could have dinner and watch TV after spending a little time in the casino.
Apr 24th - Fri - to Quartzsite AZ
The casino parking lot was as bright as day with huge lights and it was quite warm so not a good night’s sleep. Terry thought we would be fighting Phoenix traffic and we had just gained a hour again by going back into Arizona so we left at 5:30! But we decided to turn west towards Wickenburg north of Phoenix so we missed heavy traffic and discovered a very nice road (Carefree Hwy) that joined into Hwy 60 which goes most of the way to Quartzsite.
Clem & Marlene bought a house in QZ this winter. It is an acre with a double wide with a large covered patio, a garage with a 2nd laundry area, a bathroom and a covered patio and 3 other sheds. Lots of room to park RVs so we pulled up right beside the house, hooked up to water & electric and had a sewer dump nearby - lovely!
We all went for a good breakfast at the Quail Café and spent the afternoon catching up and playing a dice game. Out for pizza for dinner and turned in early.
Apr 25th - Sat - Quartzsite
Coffee on the patio while we watched birds & rabbits demolish the seeds put out by Clem. Back to the Quail Café for another good breakfast. We spent time looking up shipping container buildings on the internet and then decided we needed to do something so we went to the casino at Parker. We all played for quite a while on not very much money. We were waiting on Terry and he got down to 14 cents when he hit a small bonus. He ended up cashing out $35 when we HAD to get going.
Stopped at a grocery store and Terry picked up inexpensive Scotch & Vodka at the CVS pharmacy. I made chili when we got back and we had Frito Pie for dinner. If anyone wants to know what this is, send me an email. We looked at pictures on our computer, I tried to set their sprinkler system timer and we had dessert before another fairly early night.
Apr 26th - Sun - to Hemet CA
Got up early, made jelly biscuits and packed up before joining C & M on the patio. On the road about 8 for the 3 hour drive today. We checked into the Golden Village Palms RV park where we have a coupon for half off the first week. It is a very nice park - we stayed here last year in early April.
Terry went for propane & diesel after we set up and then we called friends Barry & Yvonne who live here. They came over and we made some plans - dinner at their place today, golf tomorrow, Yvonne is tied up Tues, and dinner at our place on Wed.
Barry had his “family famous” lasagna ready to put into the oven so we could just relax & chat before dinner. I helped Barry download & set up Picasa on his computer.
We are heading to Quartzsite to visit friends Clem & Marlene (from SD, met in Quartzsite 2 years ago). Said goodbye to Terry & Judy and left about 8:30. We were planning to stop at Flagstaff but the drive was easy & uneventful so we carried on to Camp Verde which is about an hour south of Flagstaff.
We stayed (for free!!) in the parking lot of the Cliff Castle Casino. Hooked up the generator so we could have dinner and watch TV after spending a little time in the casino.
Apr 24th - Fri - to Quartzsite AZ
The casino parking lot was as bright as day with huge lights and it was quite warm so not a good night’s sleep. Terry thought we would be fighting Phoenix traffic and we had just gained a hour again by going back into Arizona so we left at 5:30! But we decided to turn west towards Wickenburg north of Phoenix so we missed heavy traffic and discovered a very nice road (Carefree Hwy) that joined into Hwy 60 which goes most of the way to Quartzsite.
Clem & Marlene bought a house in QZ this winter. It is an acre with a double wide with a large covered patio, a garage with a 2nd laundry area, a bathroom and a covered patio and 3 other sheds. Lots of room to park RVs so we pulled up right beside the house, hooked up to water & electric and had a sewer dump nearby - lovely!
We all went for a good breakfast at the Quail Café and spent the afternoon catching up and playing a dice game. Out for pizza for dinner and turned in early.
Apr 25th - Sat - Quartzsite
Coffee on the patio while we watched birds & rabbits demolish the seeds put out by Clem. Back to the Quail Café for another good breakfast. We spent time looking up shipping container buildings on the internet and then decided we needed to do something so we went to the casino at Parker. We all played for quite a while on not very much money. We were waiting on Terry and he got down to 14 cents when he hit a small bonus. He ended up cashing out $35 when we HAD to get going.
Stopped at a grocery store and Terry picked up inexpensive Scotch & Vodka at the CVS pharmacy. I made chili when we got back and we had Frito Pie for dinner. If anyone wants to know what this is, send me an email. We looked at pictures on our computer, I tried to set their sprinkler system timer and we had dessert before another fairly early night.
Apr 26th - Sun - to Hemet CA
Got up early, made jelly biscuits and packed up before joining C & M on the patio. On the road about 8 for the 3 hour drive today. We checked into the Golden Village Palms RV park where we have a coupon for half off the first week. It is a very nice park - we stayed here last year in early April.
Terry went for propane & diesel after we set up and then we called friends Barry & Yvonne who live here. They came over and we made some plans - dinner at their place today, golf tomorrow, Yvonne is tied up Tues, and dinner at our place on Wed.
Barry had his “family famous” lasagna ready to put into the oven so we could just relax & chat before dinner. I helped Barry download & set up Picasa on his computer.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Apr 15th to 22nd - Albuquerque NM / RV Rally
Apr 15th - Wed - to Albuquerque NM
Terry hooked up the truck last night so we could get an early start. We didn’t know how many others would be lining up at the dump station. Turned out just to be us so we were early to meet Terry & Judy (we traveled with them in Newfoundland and afterwards last fall). We were meeting at a casino near the rally park so we played a bit while we waited. Had breakfast with them and then all gambled a bit more waiting for their friends (2 rigs- Rick & Lorraine and Chuck) to arrive at noon.
We caravanned to the rally park (Balloon Fiesta Park) as you had to arrive together to park together. There was a solid line of rigs snaking into the parking area. We had to pull out of line to allow the owners of the one motor home in our group to unhook the tow car. The large grass parking area was marked off into rows & sites with little flags. Volunteers directed the parking procedure - rigs alternated parking from each side of the double row of sites so no one had to back in. Just pull all the way through and then the next rig pulled past before any slides were out. A little backing was required sometimes to straighten out and end up right on the flag markers. We are parked on the end of a row (right on the access road) so we ended up with a large area to park our truck and Terry & Judy’s truck.
Setting up did not take long as there is no electric & water to hook up. When we were done, we had to go to the Expo Center to register. The Balloon Fiesta Park is about 10 miles from the Expo Center. We got on a bus for the trip - about a 25 minute ride. Registration didn’t take long and we were on the bus heading back - a little slower with rush hour traffic.
It was quite cool and very windy in the afternoon so happy hour (and catching up with T & J) was inside.
Apr 16th - Thurs - RV Rally
Very cold this morning and Terry & Judy’s furnace is not working. Everyone in our group put in their 2 cents worth but nothing worked to get it going. They called a repair service that would be on site and were put on a waiting list.
Today is an early bird day with some seminars so we took the bus in again and went to a seminar on making money with your laptop while traveling - not too helpful. T & J waited for someone to repair their furnace and rode a later bus.
One of the sponsors has a number match “game” during the rally. Everyone is given a large circle with a number and you try to find someone with a matching number. There are actually 4 of the same number. When you find a match, you show up on Saturday with your matching partner(s), receive a small prize (bag or cap) and are entered into a drawing. So you are always looking for someone wearing your number.
I was just starting to make dinner when Judy came over to invite us for dinner.
Each evening there is entertainment - luckily in a tent here at the Balloon Fiesta park so we don’t have to go back to the Expo center. Tonight was a local group called La-La and the Hubcaps. A wacky group with Elvis pompadours and leather jackets. Fun but cold in the tent and very cold walking back.
Apr 17th - Fri - RV Rally
We were waiting for the park shuttle to take us to the bus this morning when it started to snow! We had a 3 bus wait (about 45 minutes) in the cold. Just as we were getting close to the Expo center, Terry H got a call from the repair guy and had to stay on the bus and return to the park. We & Judy shopped and stood in a long line for a not great hamburger for lunch. Terry returned in time to join us going through additional vendor booths. About 3 I suggested that we leave the rest of the vendors for tomorrow and join the line to catch the bus. Little did we know that the line was blocks long. We ended up waiting for 1 ½ hours. Of course it had to start raining so Judy & I found shelter while the guys held our place in line!
I cooked the pork chops that I was going to have yesterday and we got together with T & J for a combined dinner.
Tonight’s show was Neil Sedaka. Hard to believe that he has been performing for 50 years - he puts on a good show. He wrote a lot of songs for other singers and performed many that were well known. Before each show, there is a half hour of rally information and updates. We were supposed to be taking part in trying to set a record for the number of people wearing balloon hats but the hat tent blew away so that was canceled.
It is still cold but we all wore warmer parkas tonight amd weren’t so chilled when the show was over.
Apr 18th - Sat - RV Rally
Sunshine!! What a welcome difference!
We decided to drive to the Expo center today so we and Terry & Judy left just before 9. We looked for matching numbers, registered with number matches and shopped. T & J bought a bunch of stuff from Camping World and then Terry H. had to go with the delivery driver back to the RV park. Terry, Judy & I spent the time looking for a number match for me and playing bingo - free with little prizes.
When Terry returned, we got some lunch and then attended the prize drawings for the day - none of us won a thing. Stopped at an ATM and then filled up the generator gas cans on the way back.
The entertainment tonight was Rita Coolidge. Not our cup of tea so we all decided to join a lot of other people and left after about 3 songs. We went back to our place and played Mexican Train dominoes. Dolly had to go out and when I took her out I looked down the road by our rig. There were some hot air balloons doing a “night glow” where they tether the balloons and light up the “envelopes” with their burners. I called the others and we all walked the whole length of the park to watch the show. It was fascinating and I got some good pictures (which you will see when we slow down a bit!). Since we had a late lunch, we didn’t have dinner - just brownie sundaes while we were playing dominoes!
Apr 19th - Sun - RV Rally
T & J and we went out for breakfast this morning. After the GPS directed us to a restaurant that was no longer there, we ended up a Denny’s which always has a decent breakfast. Then we checked out a swap meet across the street from the Expo grounds - not great.
The sponsor special today was a casino event. The coliseum was filled with Black Jack, Craps, Let it Ride and Pai Gow poker tables. You could go to each table, receive $100 in chips and gamble. When you had enough to pay back your $100, you could then buy raffle tickets - 1 ticket for every $50. People quickly figured out that you bet the whole $100 on a hand and if you won, cash in and buy 2 tickets. Then move to the next table and do it again. Some dealers were “assisting the players” so I ended up with a lot of tickets but again did not win anything in the drawings. Good prizes - generators, GPS systems, lawn chairs, 2 week cruise, 1 week in a condo in Orlando, etc.
We stopped at a grocery store and I made seafood lasagna for us and T & J for dinner. The show tonight was the Osmond Brothers - 3 of the older brothers who have been performing for 45 years. Very enjoyable.
The weather was sunny & warm again today.
Apr 20th - Mon - RV Rally
Back to the Expo center this morning (again by truck, don’t trust the busses!). We lined up for a chance to open a “treasure” chest and found out when we got there that the prizes in the chest were pretty lame. Judy took part in decorating a sombrero, Terry M. went looking at rigs and Terry H and I went to a seminar on Picasa. It was well presented and informative. When we got back together we decided to go “offsite” for lunch and found a good buffet.
We still had some time before the sombrero judging so we went to the casino right there at the Expo center. Of course I finally had to win a bit of money and anything over $50 has to be paid by an attendant. Terry & Judy finally left for the judging while Terry & I waited for my $80.
There weren’t many people at the sombrero judging as all the vendors had closed and the rest of the stuff at the coliseum was being taken down.
No dinner tonight since we had such a large lunch - drinks & snacks sitting outside with the whole group.
We were entertained by Papa Do Run Run tonight. They did familiar songs from the 50’s & 60’s - think Beach Boys, Roy Orbison. Unfortunately the vocals were often drowned out by the instruments but the songs were well known so you knew the words anyway.
Apr 21st - Tues - to Bernalillo NM
This was one of our shortest moves ever - about 10 miles to Coronado Campground just north of Albuquerque.
Everyone figured there would be a huge traffic jam with all the RVs leaving today but some people evened out the rush by leaving at 5 am! Just after 9 we called the RV park where we were going and our spot was empty so we headed out. The city of Albuquerque did an excellent job of placing police officers to control traffic lights and keep the rigs moving onto the freeway. No sewer hookups here so we dumped our tanks at the dump station and set up. Very nice spot on the Rio Grande River (narrow, muddy stream) with a picnic table under a lovely shelter.
We went to the nearby Santa Ana Casino for a $2.99 breakfast and Terry spent the credits on his frequent player card. I had messed up printing my credits so they gave me another code to try again. When we returned, we met up with a couple from Illinois (David & Joanne) who we had spoken to a couple of times at the rally. They came over and we chatted for a couple of hours. Shortly after they left, Terry & Judy arrived. They had spent the day having some work done on their 5th wheel.
After Terry & Judy unwound with a drink, we invited Chuck to join us for leftovers for dinner.
Apr 22nd - Wed - Bernalillo
I helped Judy, Terry, Chuck & Rick get credits on their casino cards and then we all went for breakfast at the casino. I had to play my credits (and some more!) and Terry didn’t do well either. Next a trip to the laundromat (Judy also) and then a quick sandwich for lunch. T & J had brought back quite a bit of shrimp from Mexico so we all got together for deep fried shrimp for dinner. I had to introduce Judy to Big Lots so dinner ended up being a little late - but it was great. Enjoyed the buddy burner for a while and everyone headed home early.
Finally a chance to catch up on the blog while Terry naps on the couch!
Terry hooked up the truck last night so we could get an early start. We didn’t know how many others would be lining up at the dump station. Turned out just to be us so we were early to meet Terry & Judy (we traveled with them in Newfoundland and afterwards last fall). We were meeting at a casino near the rally park so we played a bit while we waited. Had breakfast with them and then all gambled a bit more waiting for their friends (2 rigs- Rick & Lorraine and Chuck) to arrive at noon.
We caravanned to the rally park (Balloon Fiesta Park) as you had to arrive together to park together. There was a solid line of rigs snaking into the parking area. We had to pull out of line to allow the owners of the one motor home in our group to unhook the tow car. The large grass parking area was marked off into rows & sites with little flags. Volunteers directed the parking procedure - rigs alternated parking from each side of the double row of sites so no one had to back in. Just pull all the way through and then the next rig pulled past before any slides were out. A little backing was required sometimes to straighten out and end up right on the flag markers. We are parked on the end of a row (right on the access road) so we ended up with a large area to park our truck and Terry & Judy’s truck.
Setting up did not take long as there is no electric & water to hook up. When we were done, we had to go to the Expo Center to register. The Balloon Fiesta Park is about 10 miles from the Expo Center. We got on a bus for the trip - about a 25 minute ride. Registration didn’t take long and we were on the bus heading back - a little slower with rush hour traffic.
It was quite cool and very windy in the afternoon so happy hour (and catching up with T & J) was inside.
Apr 16th - Thurs - RV Rally
Very cold this morning and Terry & Judy’s furnace is not working. Everyone in our group put in their 2 cents worth but nothing worked to get it going. They called a repair service that would be on site and were put on a waiting list.
Today is an early bird day with some seminars so we took the bus in again and went to a seminar on making money with your laptop while traveling - not too helpful. T & J waited for someone to repair their furnace and rode a later bus.
One of the sponsors has a number match “game” during the rally. Everyone is given a large circle with a number and you try to find someone with a matching number. There are actually 4 of the same number. When you find a match, you show up on Saturday with your matching partner(s), receive a small prize (bag or cap) and are entered into a drawing. So you are always looking for someone wearing your number.
I was just starting to make dinner when Judy came over to invite us for dinner.
Each evening there is entertainment - luckily in a tent here at the Balloon Fiesta park so we don’t have to go back to the Expo center. Tonight was a local group called La-La and the Hubcaps. A wacky group with Elvis pompadours and leather jackets. Fun but cold in the tent and very cold walking back.
Apr 17th - Fri - RV Rally
We were waiting for the park shuttle to take us to the bus this morning when it started to snow! We had a 3 bus wait (about 45 minutes) in the cold. Just as we were getting close to the Expo center, Terry H got a call from the repair guy and had to stay on the bus and return to the park. We & Judy shopped and stood in a long line for a not great hamburger for lunch. Terry returned in time to join us going through additional vendor booths. About 3 I suggested that we leave the rest of the vendors for tomorrow and join the line to catch the bus. Little did we know that the line was blocks long. We ended up waiting for 1 ½ hours. Of course it had to start raining so Judy & I found shelter while the guys held our place in line!
I cooked the pork chops that I was going to have yesterday and we got together with T & J for a combined dinner.
Tonight’s show was Neil Sedaka. Hard to believe that he has been performing for 50 years - he puts on a good show. He wrote a lot of songs for other singers and performed many that were well known. Before each show, there is a half hour of rally information and updates. We were supposed to be taking part in trying to set a record for the number of people wearing balloon hats but the hat tent blew away so that was canceled.
It is still cold but we all wore warmer parkas tonight amd weren’t so chilled when the show was over.
Apr 18th - Sat - RV Rally
Sunshine!! What a welcome difference!
We decided to drive to the Expo center today so we and Terry & Judy left just before 9. We looked for matching numbers, registered with number matches and shopped. T & J bought a bunch of stuff from Camping World and then Terry H. had to go with the delivery driver back to the RV park. Terry, Judy & I spent the time looking for a number match for me and playing bingo - free with little prizes.
When Terry returned, we got some lunch and then attended the prize drawings for the day - none of us won a thing. Stopped at an ATM and then filled up the generator gas cans on the way back.
The entertainment tonight was Rita Coolidge. Not our cup of tea so we all decided to join a lot of other people and left after about 3 songs. We went back to our place and played Mexican Train dominoes. Dolly had to go out and when I took her out I looked down the road by our rig. There were some hot air balloons doing a “night glow” where they tether the balloons and light up the “envelopes” with their burners. I called the others and we all walked the whole length of the park to watch the show. It was fascinating and I got some good pictures (which you will see when we slow down a bit!). Since we had a late lunch, we didn’t have dinner - just brownie sundaes while we were playing dominoes!
Apr 19th - Sun - RV Rally
T & J and we went out for breakfast this morning. After the GPS directed us to a restaurant that was no longer there, we ended up a Denny’s which always has a decent breakfast. Then we checked out a swap meet across the street from the Expo grounds - not great.
The sponsor special today was a casino event. The coliseum was filled with Black Jack, Craps, Let it Ride and Pai Gow poker tables. You could go to each table, receive $100 in chips and gamble. When you had enough to pay back your $100, you could then buy raffle tickets - 1 ticket for every $50. People quickly figured out that you bet the whole $100 on a hand and if you won, cash in and buy 2 tickets. Then move to the next table and do it again. Some dealers were “assisting the players” so I ended up with a lot of tickets but again did not win anything in the drawings. Good prizes - generators, GPS systems, lawn chairs, 2 week cruise, 1 week in a condo in Orlando, etc.
We stopped at a grocery store and I made seafood lasagna for us and T & J for dinner. The show tonight was the Osmond Brothers - 3 of the older brothers who have been performing for 45 years. Very enjoyable.
The weather was sunny & warm again today.
Apr 20th - Mon - RV Rally
Back to the Expo center this morning (again by truck, don’t trust the busses!). We lined up for a chance to open a “treasure” chest and found out when we got there that the prizes in the chest were pretty lame. Judy took part in decorating a sombrero, Terry M. went looking at rigs and Terry H and I went to a seminar on Picasa. It was well presented and informative. When we got back together we decided to go “offsite” for lunch and found a good buffet.
We still had some time before the sombrero judging so we went to the casino right there at the Expo center. Of course I finally had to win a bit of money and anything over $50 has to be paid by an attendant. Terry & Judy finally left for the judging while Terry & I waited for my $80.
There weren’t many people at the sombrero judging as all the vendors had closed and the rest of the stuff at the coliseum was being taken down.
No dinner tonight since we had such a large lunch - drinks & snacks sitting outside with the whole group.
We were entertained by Papa Do Run Run tonight. They did familiar songs from the 50’s & 60’s - think Beach Boys, Roy Orbison. Unfortunately the vocals were often drowned out by the instruments but the songs were well known so you knew the words anyway.
Apr 21st - Tues - to Bernalillo NM
This was one of our shortest moves ever - about 10 miles to Coronado Campground just north of Albuquerque.
Everyone figured there would be a huge traffic jam with all the RVs leaving today but some people evened out the rush by leaving at 5 am! Just after 9 we called the RV park where we were going and our spot was empty so we headed out. The city of Albuquerque did an excellent job of placing police officers to control traffic lights and keep the rigs moving onto the freeway. No sewer hookups here so we dumped our tanks at the dump station and set up. Very nice spot on the Rio Grande River (narrow, muddy stream) with a picnic table under a lovely shelter.
We went to the nearby Santa Ana Casino for a $2.99 breakfast and Terry spent the credits on his frequent player card. I had messed up printing my credits so they gave me another code to try again. When we returned, we met up with a couple from Illinois (David & Joanne) who we had spoken to a couple of times at the rally. They came over and we chatted for a couple of hours. Shortly after they left, Terry & Judy arrived. They had spent the day having some work done on their 5th wheel.
After Terry & Judy unwound with a drink, we invited Chuck to join us for leftovers for dinner.
Apr 22nd - Wed - Bernalillo
I helped Judy, Terry, Chuck & Rick get credits on their casino cards and then we all went for breakfast at the casino. I had to play my credits (and some more!) and Terry didn’t do well either. Next a trip to the laundromat (Judy also) and then a quick sandwich for lunch. T & J had brought back quite a bit of shrimp from Mexico so we all got together for deep fried shrimp for dinner. I had to introduce Judy to Big Lots so dinner ended up being a little late - but it was great. Enjoyed the buddy burner for a while and everyone headed home early.
Finally a chance to catch up on the blog while Terry naps on the couch!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Apr 14th - Grants NM
Apr 14th - Grants NM
We are going to be dry camping for the next 6 days at a huge RV rally in Albuquerque so we did some prep today - laundry, fill propane, fill water, call friends to arrange a meeting place. I will not be posting my blog until after the rally as I probably won’t be plugging in the computer when we are running the generator to charge the batteries.
Two pieces of not good news today. Terry’s Mom (Ella Mae) went into the hospital last night with pneumonia. Her husband Don says we are not to try to head to Spokane immediately.
The next ugly news concerns Terry’s cousin Theresa who we visited in Texas. Their farm was totally burned in the wild fires in north Texas last week. I was concerned about fires in Oklahoma as they have property there as well but the fires just missed them there.
There are lots of RVs heading for Albuquerque on Hwy 40 today. The park where we are staying has many units heading there as well. We are really looking forward to the rally and will report on it next week.
We are going to be dry camping for the next 6 days at a huge RV rally in Albuquerque so we did some prep today - laundry, fill propane, fill water, call friends to arrange a meeting place. I will not be posting my blog until after the rally as I probably won’t be plugging in the computer when we are running the generator to charge the batteries.
Two pieces of not good news today. Terry’s Mom (Ella Mae) went into the hospital last night with pneumonia. Her husband Don says we are not to try to head to Spokane immediately.
The next ugly news concerns Terry’s cousin Theresa who we visited in Texas. Their farm was totally burned in the wild fires in north Texas last week. I was concerned about fires in Oklahoma as they have property there as well but the fires just missed them there.
There are lots of RVs heading for Albuquerque on Hwy 40 today. The park where we are staying has many units heading there as well. We are really looking forward to the rally and will report on it next week.
Apr 9th to 13th - AZ to NM
Apr 9th - Thurs - Apache Junction
I made a nice, late breakfast while Terry was cleaning the truck a bit. There has been enough wind to coat everything with a fine layer of dust. I spent time figuring out how to reorganize a storage compartment under the oven. This required a trip to find racks for vertical baking pan storage and a stop for groceries on the way back.
Nice & hot so we went to the pool, came back for a lunch snack and then returned to the pool. What a wonderful, relaxing day.
Apr 10th - Fri - Apache Junction
Visited with Luke & Judy this morning. Soaked & pre-washed Terry’s micro fiber cloths and then took them and a load of towels to the laundry room. I exchanged books at the large park library on my trips to do the laundry.
We went to Hobby Lobby to buy 10 pounds of paraffin wax for our buddy burners. We want to compare paraffin to the candles that we have been using and that are hard to find for a reasonable price sometimes. Terry melted enough wax to fill the one burner that we had used while I did misc chores.
Very warm again so we spent some time at the pool.
Apr 11th - Sat - to Tucson AZ
Left at 8:30 for a 2 hour drive to Tucson to meet friends Claude & Val who are just returning from a winter in Mexico. Rained last night and one & off on our drive. We arrived at the RV park before them, paid and went to park as they were turning into the park so they just followed us to our site. The spots turned out to be too short for our rigs. Terry gave it his best shot but in order to miss the power box with our slide we were sticking out at least 4 feet onto the road. So we stood in the road & the rain and found another park. We got our money back (they were very nice about it) and found our way to the second park (Rincon Country West) which turned out to be beautiful. It cooled off enough that we moved inside after sitting outside only a short time after setting up.
We made dinner for Claude & Val and then introduced them to one of our favorite board games - Sequence. They both enjoyed it and caught on quickly.
Apr 12th - Sun - Tucson
C & V’s dog Tucker had a nasty cough so they decided they better find a vet to get him checked out. Their truck is going into the shop tomorrow so they will be without wheels and unable to wait for Monday and a “regular” vet as opposed to an “emergency“ vet. They also needed groceries and asked if we wanted to ride along with them. We didn’t have other plans so off we went.
On the way out of the park we saw some people using the park’s model train setup in front of the office so we stopped for a look. It was wonderful - buildings, flowers & small shrubs, figures, a circus and a farm complete with a scarecrow in a garden and someone using the outhouse. It had 4 rail lines and there were 3 trains chugging around puffing smoke.
When we got to the vet office, there were other people waiting and the staff was working on some major emergency. After a while we were told it would be an hour so we went to Camping World (closed for Easter!) and then stopped for something to eat. When we arrived back at the vet in 1 ½ hours, everyone was still waiting but their pets had been looked at. End result - we were there for probably another hour, the vet did not know what the problem was and wanted to do x-rays & tests which would be very expensive. He did say that Tucker’s lungs sounded OK so C&V decided to wait a couple of days and see how things went.
A stop at a grocery store for Val to stock up, back to the rig for happy hour and dinner prepared by Val. It was late by the time we finished dinner and looking at jokes & pictures on our computers so we didn’t get back to Sequence.
Apr 13th - Mon - to Grants NM
Long drive today so we were on the road at 7:15 after saying good-bye to Claude & Val. A sign informed us that there were daytime closures on Hwy 77 so we went, as advised, to Hwy 79 which was the same road that we took going to Tucson on Saturday. So we hit a “single lane” delay of 20 minutes on Hwy 60 between Superior & Globe instead. Then a “wait for pilot car” delay on Hwy 61.
The highlight of the trip was the Salt River Canyon between Globe & Show Low on Hwy 60. The road winds down one side of the canyon, crosses the Salt River and climbs out the other side. We stopped once for pictures when we reached the canyon and then I took lots of pictures as we drove. Very beautiful and worth a detour if you are near the area.
We finally arrived at the RV park (Blue Spruce) at 4:30 which was actually 5:30 in New Mexico as it is in the Mountain Time zone but does observe daylight savings time. It is a small park just off Hwy 40 - adequate for a couple of nights. They have a narrow strip of drive-through spots. Our length & the power box blocking our slide means that we are blocking the driveway to drive into sites past us. The guy who checked us in said that the people beside us are leaving in the morning and if someone else comes in there tomorrow they will have to back in - “if they can’t back in, they shouldn’t be driving” according to him!
I made a nice, late breakfast while Terry was cleaning the truck a bit. There has been enough wind to coat everything with a fine layer of dust. I spent time figuring out how to reorganize a storage compartment under the oven. This required a trip to find racks for vertical baking pan storage and a stop for groceries on the way back.
Nice & hot so we went to the pool, came back for a lunch snack and then returned to the pool. What a wonderful, relaxing day.
Apr 10th - Fri - Apache Junction
Visited with Luke & Judy this morning. Soaked & pre-washed Terry’s micro fiber cloths and then took them and a load of towels to the laundry room. I exchanged books at the large park library on my trips to do the laundry.
We went to Hobby Lobby to buy 10 pounds of paraffin wax for our buddy burners. We want to compare paraffin to the candles that we have been using and that are hard to find for a reasonable price sometimes. Terry melted enough wax to fill the one burner that we had used while I did misc chores.
Very warm again so we spent some time at the pool.
Apr 11th - Sat - to Tucson AZ
Left at 8:30 for a 2 hour drive to Tucson to meet friends Claude & Val who are just returning from a winter in Mexico. Rained last night and one & off on our drive. We arrived at the RV park before them, paid and went to park as they were turning into the park so they just followed us to our site. The spots turned out to be too short for our rigs. Terry gave it his best shot but in order to miss the power box with our slide we were sticking out at least 4 feet onto the road. So we stood in the road & the rain and found another park. We got our money back (they were very nice about it) and found our way to the second park (Rincon Country West) which turned out to be beautiful. It cooled off enough that we moved inside after sitting outside only a short time after setting up.
We made dinner for Claude & Val and then introduced them to one of our favorite board games - Sequence. They both enjoyed it and caught on quickly.
Apr 12th - Sun - Tucson
C & V’s dog Tucker had a nasty cough so they decided they better find a vet to get him checked out. Their truck is going into the shop tomorrow so they will be without wheels and unable to wait for Monday and a “regular” vet as opposed to an “emergency“ vet. They also needed groceries and asked if we wanted to ride along with them. We didn’t have other plans so off we went.
On the way out of the park we saw some people using the park’s model train setup in front of the office so we stopped for a look. It was wonderful - buildings, flowers & small shrubs, figures, a circus and a farm complete with a scarecrow in a garden and someone using the outhouse. It had 4 rail lines and there were 3 trains chugging around puffing smoke.
When we got to the vet office, there were other people waiting and the staff was working on some major emergency. After a while we were told it would be an hour so we went to Camping World (closed for Easter!) and then stopped for something to eat. When we arrived back at the vet in 1 ½ hours, everyone was still waiting but their pets had been looked at. End result - we were there for probably another hour, the vet did not know what the problem was and wanted to do x-rays & tests which would be very expensive. He did say that Tucker’s lungs sounded OK so C&V decided to wait a couple of days and see how things went.
A stop at a grocery store for Val to stock up, back to the rig for happy hour and dinner prepared by Val. It was late by the time we finished dinner and looking at jokes & pictures on our computers so we didn’t get back to Sequence.
Apr 13th - Mon - to Grants NM
Long drive today so we were on the road at 7:15 after saying good-bye to Claude & Val. A sign informed us that there were daytime closures on Hwy 77 so we went, as advised, to Hwy 79 which was the same road that we took going to Tucson on Saturday. So we hit a “single lane” delay of 20 minutes on Hwy 60 between Superior & Globe instead. Then a “wait for pilot car” delay on Hwy 61.
The highlight of the trip was the Salt River Canyon between Globe & Show Low on Hwy 60. The road winds down one side of the canyon, crosses the Salt River and climbs out the other side. We stopped once for pictures when we reached the canyon and then I took lots of pictures as we drove. Very beautiful and worth a detour if you are near the area.
We finally arrived at the RV park (Blue Spruce) at 4:30 which was actually 5:30 in New Mexico as it is in the Mountain Time zone but does observe daylight savings time. It is a small park just off Hwy 40 - adequate for a couple of nights. They have a narrow strip of drive-through spots. Our length & the power box blocking our slide means that we are blocking the driveway to drive into sites past us. The guy who checked us in said that the people beside us are leaving in the morning and if someone else comes in there tomorrow they will have to back in - “if they can’t back in, they shouldn’t be driving” according to him!
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Apr 6th to 8th - Apache Junction
Apr 6th - Mon - Apache Junction AZ
I corrected our current location on this entry. We are only a few minutes from the RV park in Mesa but we are actually in Apache Junction.
Rick & Diann left late this morning - heading for home (Boise, ID). We had a lazy day. Rode the bikes around the park which is not too far since this is a small park. Printed our copy & e-filed our federal income tax return and then went to the pool. The water is a little cool but feels great when you get in. We were kind of hungry so we came back and snacked a bit. Soon we were hot again so we returned to the pool and chatted with a guy from Illinois.
By the time we were sitting out again, we were in the shade of our rig and it was absolutely perfect. After dinner we went for a walk and did not get far before we stopped to talk with a guy (David) who is from Devon, Alberta - near Edmonton. Actually, his summer “home” is a spot in the Devon Lions Club campground where we stayed. It was nearly dark when we left him so our walk was short .
Apr 7th - Tues - Apache Junction
We went for a long drive today. We headed NE on Apache Trail Historic Road (Hwy 88) and stopped first at Goldfield which is a reconstructed gold mining town. It was a little before most of the stores opened so it didn’t take too long to walk through “town”. A lot of the drive was through the Superstition Mountains and very scenic.
We stopped at Tortilla Flats - it doesn’t seem to have changed much since we first saw it over 20 years ago. Stopped at several overlooks for short walks and pictures. Right past Tortilla Flats, a 22 mile stretch of dirt, wash board road began. Fish Creek Hill is a particularly narrow, windy, hilly portion of the dirt road. Apache Lake is a beautiful lake created by a dam on the Salt River.
At Roosevelt Dam, pavement was a welcome sight. We stopped for lunch in Globe and turned onto the
Gila-Pinal Scenic Road (Hwy 60) for the rest of the loop. There are huge tailing “mountains” from copper mining in the area with current mines visible from the highway at Superior.
Terry dusted the truck and washed the tires when we returned - not that it needed it much!
Our neighbor Luke came over for happy hour. When we pulled out a buddy burner he went and got his wife Judy to see it. She hadn’t joined us earlier as she had a sore throat & coughing spells. The weather was perfect and we sat out until 8:30 when we were all getting hungry.
Apr 8th - Wed - Apache Junction
Chores today but first a visit with Bob & Susan from Bellingham WA. Then we spent some time getting Luke’s laptop to talk to the park wifi which blocks Skype and Vonage. Vonage was starting automatically on Luke’s computer so he got an error when he tried to connect. He had taken the computer to the office but the lady there had not been able to figure out the solution which was to not let Vonage start up.
Next was laundry. The laundry room is close so we came back for lunch once the clothes were in the dryers. We did some rearranging of items in the main & front storage compartments with a view to sometime putting a small TV in the main compartment for outside viewing.
A trip for groceries and the evening spent inside as it cooled down a lot and a wind came up
I corrected our current location on this entry. We are only a few minutes from the RV park in Mesa but we are actually in Apache Junction.
Rick & Diann left late this morning - heading for home (Boise, ID). We had a lazy day. Rode the bikes around the park which is not too far since this is a small park. Printed our copy & e-filed our federal income tax return and then went to the pool. The water is a little cool but feels great when you get in. We were kind of hungry so we came back and snacked a bit. Soon we were hot again so we returned to the pool and chatted with a guy from Illinois.
By the time we were sitting out again, we were in the shade of our rig and it was absolutely perfect. After dinner we went for a walk and did not get far before we stopped to talk with a guy (David) who is from Devon, Alberta - near Edmonton. Actually, his summer “home” is a spot in the Devon Lions Club campground where we stayed. It was nearly dark when we left him so our walk was short .
Apr 7th - Tues - Apache Junction
We went for a long drive today. We headed NE on Apache Trail Historic Road (Hwy 88) and stopped first at Goldfield which is a reconstructed gold mining town. It was a little before most of the stores opened so it didn’t take too long to walk through “town”. A lot of the drive was through the Superstition Mountains and very scenic.
We stopped at Tortilla Flats - it doesn’t seem to have changed much since we first saw it over 20 years ago. Stopped at several overlooks for short walks and pictures. Right past Tortilla Flats, a 22 mile stretch of dirt, wash board road began. Fish Creek Hill is a particularly narrow, windy, hilly portion of the dirt road. Apache Lake is a beautiful lake created by a dam on the Salt River.
At Roosevelt Dam, pavement was a welcome sight. We stopped for lunch in Globe and turned onto the
Gila-Pinal Scenic Road (Hwy 60) for the rest of the loop. There are huge tailing “mountains” from copper mining in the area with current mines visible from the highway at Superior.
Terry dusted the truck and washed the tires when we returned - not that it needed it much!
Our neighbor Luke came over for happy hour. When we pulled out a buddy burner he went and got his wife Judy to see it. She hadn’t joined us earlier as she had a sore throat & coughing spells. The weather was perfect and we sat out until 8:30 when we were all getting hungry.
Apr 8th - Wed - Apache Junction
Chores today but first a visit with Bob & Susan from Bellingham WA. Then we spent some time getting Luke’s laptop to talk to the park wifi which blocks Skype and Vonage. Vonage was starting automatically on Luke’s computer so he got an error when he tried to connect. He had taken the computer to the office but the lady there had not been able to figure out the solution which was to not let Vonage start up.
Next was laundry. The laundry room is close so we came back for lunch once the clothes were in the dryers. We did some rearranging of items in the main & front storage compartments with a view to sometime putting a small TV in the main compartment for outside viewing.
A trip for groceries and the evening spent inside as it cooled down a lot and a wind came up
Monday, April 06, 2009
Apr 3rd to 5th - Mesa AZ
Apr 3rd - Fri - Mesa
Terry got plenty of exercise today - pacing back & forth inside and outside the rig while he worried about the truck and waited for a phone call. He also packed up stuff to move tomorrow.
I baked muffins for breakfast, gave Dolly a haircut and a bath, did a load of laundry, hand washed Dolly’s bed and vacuumed. Amazing what you can get done when you can’t go anywhere! Actually, Diann phoned and offered to come pick us up if we needed wheels. Also, a lady camped behind us came over and said that she noticed that our truck had been missing for a couple of days and said to let them know if we needed a ride anywhere. This is one of the wonderful things about this lifestyle - we had not spoken to these people before as they and we have been gone a lot .
The shuttle from the Chev dealer picked us up about 2:30 and we picked up the truck. Then we made a mad dash to the Mesa Marketplace so we could pick up a coupon to stay for a week for $75 at the park where Rick & Diann are staying. The lady in the booth was just leaving but we got our coupon.
Terry was not interested in eating lunch but once we had the truck back he was suddenly starving. So we stopped at WalMart and got some of their good General Tsao chicken for an early dinner.
Apr 4th - Sat - Mesa
Less than a 3 mile drive this morning to the Meridian RV Resort so we pulled in shortly after 10. We are a site away from Rick & Diann but the occupants of that spot left right after we parked. This park has only RVs, no park models.
After setting up, visiting with R&D and having lunch, we all went to a couple of flea markets in Phoenix. The first one was pretty small but R&D got a couple of items. The second one is at the greyhound park and is larger. But it was nearing closing time so we just took a quick walk around. Stopped at Costco on the way back.
We moved our chairs onto the patio of the site between us so we could enjoy the sun for a while with our happy hour(s). When the sun went behind R&D’s rig, we moved inside as it instantly cooled off with a slight breeze. We had planned to go out for dinner but after too many snacks & drinks we finally decided to each do our own thing for dinner.
Apr 5th - Sun - Mesa
Terry & I returned to the greyhound park swap meet this morning and did not find a thing to buy. Got a lot of exercise however - the first clue that it was a bad parking spot (far from the entrance) should have been that there were many spots available! Then we carried on to the Goodyear Marketplace which is west on Hwy 10. Almost identical to the Mesa Marketplace - we had some lunch while we listened to a lady singing and headed back.
Stopped at Camping World for a water pressure valve and at WalMart to check TV prices. Rick has a 26 inch LCD TV for sale and we are trying to decide (with our recent truck repair in mind!) if it is too good a deal to pass up.
Shorter happy hour today and then to a Chinese buffet for dinner. It was a wonderful buffet - very busy so the dishes were replenished often which kept them fresh & hot. I tried a few different types of sushi (including one with eel which I did not like), baked mussels & seaweed salad as well as several familiar items.
Got back at 8 and crashed as everyone was tired and full.
Terry got plenty of exercise today - pacing back & forth inside and outside the rig while he worried about the truck and waited for a phone call. He also packed up stuff to move tomorrow.
I baked muffins for breakfast, gave Dolly a haircut and a bath, did a load of laundry, hand washed Dolly’s bed and vacuumed. Amazing what you can get done when you can’t go anywhere! Actually, Diann phoned and offered to come pick us up if we needed wheels. Also, a lady camped behind us came over and said that she noticed that our truck had been missing for a couple of days and said to let them know if we needed a ride anywhere. This is one of the wonderful things about this lifestyle - we had not spoken to these people before as they and we have been gone a lot .
The shuttle from the Chev dealer picked us up about 2:30 and we picked up the truck. Then we made a mad dash to the Mesa Marketplace so we could pick up a coupon to stay for a week for $75 at the park where Rick & Diann are staying. The lady in the booth was just leaving but we got our coupon.
Terry was not interested in eating lunch but once we had the truck back he was suddenly starving. So we stopped at WalMart and got some of their good General Tsao chicken for an early dinner.
Apr 4th - Sat - Mesa
Less than a 3 mile drive this morning to the Meridian RV Resort so we pulled in shortly after 10. We are a site away from Rick & Diann but the occupants of that spot left right after we parked. This park has only RVs, no park models.
After setting up, visiting with R&D and having lunch, we all went to a couple of flea markets in Phoenix. The first one was pretty small but R&D got a couple of items. The second one is at the greyhound park and is larger. But it was nearing closing time so we just took a quick walk around. Stopped at Costco on the way back.
We moved our chairs onto the patio of the site between us so we could enjoy the sun for a while with our happy hour(s). When the sun went behind R&D’s rig, we moved inside as it instantly cooled off with a slight breeze. We had planned to go out for dinner but after too many snacks & drinks we finally decided to each do our own thing for dinner.
Apr 5th - Sun - Mesa
Terry & I returned to the greyhound park swap meet this morning and did not find a thing to buy. Got a lot of exercise however - the first clue that it was a bad parking spot (far from the entrance) should have been that there were many spots available! Then we carried on to the Goodyear Marketplace which is west on Hwy 10. Almost identical to the Mesa Marketplace - we had some lunch while we listened to a lady singing and headed back.
Stopped at Camping World for a water pressure valve and at WalMart to check TV prices. Rick has a 26 inch LCD TV for sale and we are trying to decide (with our recent truck repair in mind!) if it is too good a deal to pass up.
Shorter happy hour today and then to a Chinese buffet for dinner. It was a wonderful buffet - very busy so the dishes were replenished often which kept them fresh & hot. I tried a few different types of sushi (including one with eel which I did not like), baked mussels & seaweed salad as well as several familiar items.
Got back at 8 and crashed as everyone was tired and full.
Friday, April 03, 2009
Mar 31st to Apr 2nd - Mesa AZ
Mar 31st - Tues - Mesa
Terry wanted to wear a favorite shirt this morning and we couldn’t find it. He went back to the laundry room and found several shirts that I hadn’t removed from a dryer! Never did that before.
I finally caught up on entering expenses in the computer, dealt with emails and used TaxCut to prepare our tax return. We are using this stay to catch up on some chores so we continued today by going through some storage containers and tossing items that have not been used since we started our full time traveling in Nov 2006.
We went to the small post office here in the park to mail Theresa’s hand lotion and discovered lunch being served beside the pool. So we had a hamburger before looking for a place for me to get a haircut. I would have had to wait too long at a couple shops so we continued on to a casino. Should have waited for the haircut!
Back to the park to relax in the lovely sunshine and warm weather.
Apr 1st - Wed - Mesa
Finally got a haircut this morning - not so great! Picked up a couple of items at WalMart and then found a Costco. Forgot how inexpensive Scotch can be in Arizona. And then - no April Fool’s joke - the truck would not start. It cranked over just fine but would not catch. A bystander suggested a 10 minute wait to reset “something” but that did not work. Looked up a Chev dealer in the GPS and they recommended a tow service called Pinky Tow with a bright pink tow truck. The driver was wonderful. We pushed our truck out of the parking spot and he had it loaded on the flatbed in no time. Luckily, the Chev dealer was less than 3 miles from Costco and we got there about 2.
And then we sat & waited & waited. It didn’t take them too long to determine that it wasn’t getting fuel and move it to the diesel specialist. But then they could not find the “leak”. At 5:25 they gave us a ride back to the RV park. We can look on the bright side and be thankful that this didn’t happen when we were towing in the middle of nowhere. And that we had a small cooler in the truck with frozen chicken to keep a large pork loin cool!
Apr 2nd - Thurs - Mesa
Rick & Diann picked us up this morning to go golfing. On the way, we got a call from the Chev dealer - bad news. They have to replace the fuel pump (or the diesel equivalent) which is a big job on this truck. We will get the truck back tomorrow afternoon.
The golf course (The Links at Queen Creek) was beautiful and the weather was perfect - sunny, warm and a slight breeze to keep us cool. We had a great time and Terry almost managed to forget about the truck for a few minutes. We had lunch at the pro shop, stopped at a meat market and toured the RV park where Rick & Diann are staying before they brought us back.
Between salad & dinner, we went for a bike ride around the park. The weather at 7:00 pm is so perfect for riding - lots of others doing the same.
Terry wanted to wear a favorite shirt this morning and we couldn’t find it. He went back to the laundry room and found several shirts that I hadn’t removed from a dryer! Never did that before.
I finally caught up on entering expenses in the computer, dealt with emails and used TaxCut to prepare our tax return. We are using this stay to catch up on some chores so we continued today by going through some storage containers and tossing items that have not been used since we started our full time traveling in Nov 2006.
We went to the small post office here in the park to mail Theresa’s hand lotion and discovered lunch being served beside the pool. So we had a hamburger before looking for a place for me to get a haircut. I would have had to wait too long at a couple shops so we continued on to a casino. Should have waited for the haircut!
Back to the park to relax in the lovely sunshine and warm weather.
Apr 1st - Wed - Mesa
Finally got a haircut this morning - not so great! Picked up a couple of items at WalMart and then found a Costco. Forgot how inexpensive Scotch can be in Arizona. And then - no April Fool’s joke - the truck would not start. It cranked over just fine but would not catch. A bystander suggested a 10 minute wait to reset “something” but that did not work. Looked up a Chev dealer in the GPS and they recommended a tow service called Pinky Tow with a bright pink tow truck. The driver was wonderful. We pushed our truck out of the parking spot and he had it loaded on the flatbed in no time. Luckily, the Chev dealer was less than 3 miles from Costco and we got there about 2.
And then we sat & waited & waited. It didn’t take them too long to determine that it wasn’t getting fuel and move it to the diesel specialist. But then they could not find the “leak”. At 5:25 they gave us a ride back to the RV park. We can look on the bright side and be thankful that this didn’t happen when we were towing in the middle of nowhere. And that we had a small cooler in the truck with frozen chicken to keep a large pork loin cool!
Apr 2nd - Thurs - Mesa
Rick & Diann picked us up this morning to go golfing. On the way, we got a call from the Chev dealer - bad news. They have to replace the fuel pump (or the diesel equivalent) which is a big job on this truck. We will get the truck back tomorrow afternoon.
The golf course (The Links at Queen Creek) was beautiful and the weather was perfect - sunny, warm and a slight breeze to keep us cool. We had a great time and Terry almost managed to forget about the truck for a few minutes. We had lunch at the pro shop, stopped at a meat market and toured the RV park where Rick & Diann are staying before they brought us back.
Between salad & dinner, we went for a bike ride around the park. The weather at 7:00 pm is so perfect for riding - lots of others doing the same.
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