June 27th - Sat - 100 Mile House
Don’t know what is going on - we got another day off today and went to the Williams Lake Stampede. We left just before 10, got a close parking spot and went to see what was happening. Chariot races were nearly over so we got grandstand tickets that were reserved seating and good for all day. After the chariot races we watched pony chuck wagon qualifying races. They ended about 11:30 and we thought we would wander around and get lunch. Turns out there were only a dozen vendor booths and nothing else to do so we drove the short ways into town and had lunch.
Terry had to park much farther away when we returned. We were just in time for the rodeo which started at 1:00. All the usual rodeo events which were very organized and moved right along. In the rodeo intermission there were pony chuck wagon races. After the rodeo, there was an event called a “ranch challenge” where 10 ranches formed 3 person teams and competed in cattle cutting and wild horse racing. We only stayed for the first round of cattle cutting by all 10 teams and then headed to the casino.
By now it was 5:30 (a long time on hard benches with no backs!) and the casino was very busy with so many people in town for the stampede. It took about an hour for Terry, Marg & I to lose $20 each.
Marg & I made a plan so when we got home she did chores, I started dinner and Terry made drinks.
June 28th - Sun - 100 Mile House
Back to work! We switched to taking out trees behind the shop where Marg wants to build the new storage shed. Terry used a ladder to tie a rope to most of the trees to “persuade” them to fall where they wanted them. Worked very well. We hauled off all the limbs & small trees and towed several trees to the wood cutting area.
After lunch, we started building the storage shed. Of course the spot where we wanted a concrete block had huge tree roots. We moved somewhat but Marg finally had to get the chain saw to get rid of some roots. We got the floor built and called it a day.
After dinner, Marg & I took the ATV to set a snare at a spot where she noticed a trail under the electric fence - probably from a coyote.
June 29th - Mon - 100 Mile House
Marg & I locked the sheep in last night so we could count them this morning. Seem to be missing one ewe and 3 lambs. Friends Francis & Nicole stopped by for a bit and then we worked on the storage shed which is supposed to be our “reward” for clearing trees. Sounds a little weird when more work is the reward for working!
After lunch we had to go back to cleaning up trees by the barn. We felled all the trees that were leaning towards the barn and then Marg & Terry really went to work just behind the barn and got rid of all the dead, leaning and broken trees in a small area. We picked up all the branches and raked up all the little pieces since it is pasture.
Marg, Terry & I took the ATVs to check on the snare (no coyote) and Marg showed Terry a trail that she wants cleared so she can go cross country skiing in the winter.
No afternoon rain today.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
June 23rd to 26th - 100 Mile House
June 23rd - Tues - 100 Mile House
More work in the woods this morning. We have quite a few logs now in the area where we will cut them up later for firewood.
In the afternoon, Dad & I finished the trim on the barn bird houses. Then Terry joined us and we put together a box to be used for transporting bottles of wine from a wine shop. Wine is expensive in Canada so a lot of people buy kits and then use the facilities at a wine shop to make their own wine. A friend of Marg’s was using cardboard boxes to carry her wine so Marg & Dad made 3 boxes that carry 12 bottles each. We discovered that not all the pieces were cut so we will have to finish the box another day.
June 24th - Wed - 100 Mile House
Cool, windy, rainy morning so we finished putting together the wine carrier box. Then we loaded up Marg’s truck with all the stuff sitting around that needed to go to the garbage dump and made that trip. Dad picked up a pair of cross country skis in the “too good to toss” shack that he will use to build a sled.
Marg was home when we got back so we wandered around a bit to show her our progress on various projects. After lunch I helped Marg empty the motor home and got some laundry going after Marg found the filter on the cold water hose that was keeping the washing machine from filling properly.
Marg & I went golfing with the ladies’ league and then had dinner at the golf course restaurant. Terry went to KFC to pick up dinner for him & Dad. He figures they use banty chickens here as the pieces were so small!!
June 25th - Thurs - 100 Mile House
Marg made phone calls, caught up on mail and tended to the garden which I had neglected a bit before she joined the rest of us in the woods. Terry dropped a tree on the “emergency” outhouse. Luckily it was a small tree and didn’t do any damage. After lunch we moved slightly to take down some trees that were either leaning over a fence or towards a barn. Marg maneuvered the tractor to support the tree on the forks of the loader and Terry cut down the tree. Worked great - no damaged fences or barn thanks to Marg‘s expert tractor driving. We picked up 3 loads of debris and called it quits so we could clean up to go to dinner.
It was friend Francis’ birthday today and his wife Nicole invited us and friends Al & Cecile over for dinner. Good friends, good food - what more can you ask?! I rarely use the expression but dessert was a rum cake “to die for”.
June 26th - Fri - 100 Mile House
We took a break today and went to the Farmer’s Market in town this morning. Dad really enjoys a band that plays there occasionally but they weren’t there today. There were quit a few vendors and the sun was shining so we enjoyed wandering around. Next a stop to get Dad’s blood test done and then on to the grocery store, the pharmacy, the feed store and the lumber mill for some 2x4s and some free “scrap” ½ x 6 inch boards.
After a late lunch we intended to hit the logging again but first had to sharpen & gas up the chain saws. While Marg was doing that, Terry started cleaning out a storage shed under 2 fuel tanks on a stand. The plan is to move the tanks and build a storage shed in its place. Since it was all cleaned out, Marg got the tractor and moved the stand & tanks to a place where it is easier to access & load when we find someone who wants it. Next we had to repair the platform that fits on the tractor forks. We ended up replacing the whole back portion which took us right up to chore time and happy hour.
More work in the woods this morning. We have quite a few logs now in the area where we will cut them up later for firewood.
In the afternoon, Dad & I finished the trim on the barn bird houses. Then Terry joined us and we put together a box to be used for transporting bottles of wine from a wine shop. Wine is expensive in Canada so a lot of people buy kits and then use the facilities at a wine shop to make their own wine. A friend of Marg’s was using cardboard boxes to carry her wine so Marg & Dad made 3 boxes that carry 12 bottles each. We discovered that not all the pieces were cut so we will have to finish the box another day.
June 24th - Wed - 100 Mile House
Cool, windy, rainy morning so we finished putting together the wine carrier box. Then we loaded up Marg’s truck with all the stuff sitting around that needed to go to the garbage dump and made that trip. Dad picked up a pair of cross country skis in the “too good to toss” shack that he will use to build a sled.
Marg was home when we got back so we wandered around a bit to show her our progress on various projects. After lunch I helped Marg empty the motor home and got some laundry going after Marg found the filter on the cold water hose that was keeping the washing machine from filling properly.
Marg & I went golfing with the ladies’ league and then had dinner at the golf course restaurant. Terry went to KFC to pick up dinner for him & Dad. He figures they use banty chickens here as the pieces were so small!!
June 25th - Thurs - 100 Mile House
Marg made phone calls, caught up on mail and tended to the garden which I had neglected a bit before she joined the rest of us in the woods. Terry dropped a tree on the “emergency” outhouse. Luckily it was a small tree and didn’t do any damage. After lunch we moved slightly to take down some trees that were either leaning over a fence or towards a barn. Marg maneuvered the tractor to support the tree on the forks of the loader and Terry cut down the tree. Worked great - no damaged fences or barn thanks to Marg‘s expert tractor driving. We picked up 3 loads of debris and called it quits so we could clean up to go to dinner.
It was friend Francis’ birthday today and his wife Nicole invited us and friends Al & Cecile over for dinner. Good friends, good food - what more can you ask?! I rarely use the expression but dessert was a rum cake “to die for”.
June 26th - Fri - 100 Mile House
We took a break today and went to the Farmer’s Market in town this morning. Dad really enjoys a band that plays there occasionally but they weren’t there today. There were quit a few vendors and the sun was shining so we enjoyed wandering around. Next a stop to get Dad’s blood test done and then on to the grocery store, the pharmacy, the feed store and the lumber mill for some 2x4s and some free “scrap” ½ x 6 inch boards.
After a late lunch we intended to hit the logging again but first had to sharpen & gas up the chain saws. While Marg was doing that, Terry started cleaning out a storage shed under 2 fuel tanks on a stand. The plan is to move the tanks and build a storage shed in its place. Since it was all cleaned out, Marg got the tractor and moved the stand & tanks to a place where it is easier to access & load when we find someone who wants it. Next we had to repair the platform that fits on the tractor forks. We ended up replacing the whole back portion which took us right up to chore time and happy hour.
Monday, June 22, 2009
June 19th to 22nd - 100 Mile House
June 19th - Fri - 100 Mile House
A change today with rain in the morning instead of the afternoon. So we worked in the shop in the morning and went logging in the afternoon. This is getting to be a little repetitive and probably boring for our readers but it is too much hard work to be boring for us!
June 20th - Sat - 100 Mile House
Cool, very slightly drizzly morning - perfect for more logging. We have a huge pile to be burned in the fall, preferably after a snow fall so it doesn’t get away. My niece Katrina (brother Bob’s daughter), her daughter Robbie and her aunt Brita are coming today to spend the night on their way to Pemberton and Salmon Arm respectively. So I did some cleaning and changed bedding in preparation.
We were expecting them for dinner but Katrina called just before 6 to say they were still an hour away so we went ahead and ate.
Robbie is just over 2 months old. Dad was so looking forward to holding his first great-grandchild. Robbie was not too co-operative about being held after a full day in the car seat but Dad & Robbie cooed and laughed at each other.
June 21st - Sun - 100 Mile House
Katrina wanted banty chicken eggs for breakfast so I made bacon, eggs & fried potatoes. I gave Brita a brief tour on the ATV and they left about 10:30. We headed for the woods and put in a couple of hours before lunch.
Dad had the bright idea of cleaning up an area behind the shop. We ended up with a full load of sticks and a partial load that he will dump tomorrow before going back to the real logging. Dad & I started working on some log cabin bird houses until there were too many questions that needed Marg so we switched to a couple of red, hip roof barn style bird houses. They need trim for doors & windows so we got out an itty bitty chop saw and got part of it done. Terry finished the final fitting on the TV cabinet and got most of it glued and nailed.
I intended to do my blog tonight but got hooked on one of the computer games that Terry has been playing and just didn’t get anything else done.
June 22nd - Mon - 100 Mile House
Put a load of laundry in before we went logging. Put in 3 ½ hours and 5 tractor loads before our bodies said “enough!”. Terry misjudged the direction of a tree that he was falling so we had to spend some time dragging it with the tractor and a chain to get it to fall past the tree & old stump that it landed on.
We gave Buck (horse) and Snow (donkey) a treat and tethered them out to eat grass for a change. They are normally in the corral as Buck cannot handle much grass.
After lunch we cleaned up and went to town to get some trim for our TV shelf, take Dad for his monthly blood test and stop at the grocery store. Turned out Dad needed a new special blue card which we did not have so he couldn’t get his blood testing done.
Dad & I then spent some time in the shop putting trim on the barn style bird houses while Terry worked on the TV cabinet. It is looking good!
Chores, dinner, TV, crossword puzzles - the regular.
A change today with rain in the morning instead of the afternoon. So we worked in the shop in the morning and went logging in the afternoon. This is getting to be a little repetitive and probably boring for our readers but it is too much hard work to be boring for us!
June 20th - Sat - 100 Mile House
Cool, very slightly drizzly morning - perfect for more logging. We have a huge pile to be burned in the fall, preferably after a snow fall so it doesn’t get away. My niece Katrina (brother Bob’s daughter), her daughter Robbie and her aunt Brita are coming today to spend the night on their way to Pemberton and Salmon Arm respectively. So I did some cleaning and changed bedding in preparation.
We were expecting them for dinner but Katrina called just before 6 to say they were still an hour away so we went ahead and ate.
Robbie is just over 2 months old. Dad was so looking forward to holding his first great-grandchild. Robbie was not too co-operative about being held after a full day in the car seat but Dad & Robbie cooed and laughed at each other.
June 21st - Sun - 100 Mile House
Katrina wanted banty chicken eggs for breakfast so I made bacon, eggs & fried potatoes. I gave Brita a brief tour on the ATV and they left about 10:30. We headed for the woods and put in a couple of hours before lunch.
Dad had the bright idea of cleaning up an area behind the shop. We ended up with a full load of sticks and a partial load that he will dump tomorrow before going back to the real logging. Dad & I started working on some log cabin bird houses until there were too many questions that needed Marg so we switched to a couple of red, hip roof barn style bird houses. They need trim for doors & windows so we got out an itty bitty chop saw and got part of it done. Terry finished the final fitting on the TV cabinet and got most of it glued and nailed.
I intended to do my blog tonight but got hooked on one of the computer games that Terry has been playing and just didn’t get anything else done.
June 22nd - Mon - 100 Mile House
Put a load of laundry in before we went logging. Put in 3 ½ hours and 5 tractor loads before our bodies said “enough!”. Terry misjudged the direction of a tree that he was falling so we had to spend some time dragging it with the tractor and a chain to get it to fall past the tree & old stump that it landed on.
We gave Buck (horse) and Snow (donkey) a treat and tethered them out to eat grass for a change. They are normally in the corral as Buck cannot handle much grass.
After lunch we cleaned up and went to town to get some trim for our TV shelf, take Dad for his monthly blood test and stop at the grocery store. Turned out Dad needed a new special blue card which we did not have so he couldn’t get his blood testing done.
Dad & I then spent some time in the shop putting trim on the barn style bird houses while Terry worked on the TV cabinet. It is looking good!
Chores, dinner, TV, crossword puzzles - the regular.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
June 16th to 18th - 100 Mile House
June 16th - Tues - 100 Mile House
Back to our logging project his morning while it was still cool. We didn’t stay cool for long though - this is hard work. My arms are covered with scratches & bruises and the mosquitoes love Terry. Dad hangs in there with us driving the tractor and then the 4 wheeler when we drag a couple of logs to the area to cut up later for firewood. We quit before lunch as it was getting too warm and we were getting too tired.
The cable TV has been acting up so a technician came today to see what was wrong. A couple of big trees are interfering with the signal, especially when the wind blows the branches. He replaced a part on the satellite dish, realigned it a bit and it hasn’t had a problem since.
We crossed off an item on our to-do list by insulating and covering an old door opening on the shop to help the heater keep it warm in the winter.
We have a project of our own in the 5th wheel. We are adding shelves to the big TV cabinet since we got rid of our old, large TV and have a smaller LCD model. Terry bought wood yesterday and got started on it today. Rain again this afternoon. The grass may catch up to the sheep if this keeps up.
Couldn’t drag Terry away from computer games tonight. He didn’t give up until he beat Marg’s score at midnight.
June 17th - Wed - 100 Mile House
We got a call that the electric fencer was repaired so we picked it up & installed it. Then we had to check the whole fence to make sure all the sections had enough charge to keep the sheep in. The pastures that the sheep were grazing were running out of grass so we had to get them into a bigger area. Everything went well (Marg had repaired the fence earlier before the fencer quit) so we opened different gates for the sheep.
After lunch we hit the tree cleaning up project. We had to make an opening for the tractor into a different section so we wouldn’t have to carry debris so far to load on the tractor. Luckily there were trees that needed to be removed and we got through. After a couple hours of hard work, Terry noticed some really black clouds and suggested that we get all the gear and ourselves under cover before the rain hit. Just in time! We ran for the porch where we sat and watched hail & rain and listened to thunder. I was supposed to play golf but I don’t start a round when it is raining. Also, the temperature dropped many degrees with the rain and I get cranky playing golf when I am cold!
Then the usual evening routine of chores, dinner & relaxation.
June 18th - Thurs - 100 Mile House.
A haircut for Terry this morning and then we worked on our TV cabinet until we had to take Dad for a hearing appointment at 11. Terry ran some errands while I waited for Dad. It ended up taking over an hour for his hearing tests. We went to a couple of stores and then had A&W hamburgers for lunch.
When we returned, Terry continued working on the TV cabinet shelves. We barely had time to think about getting back to the “logging” when the afternoon thunder started rumbling and changed our minds. Sure enough, more welcome rain. We puttered around some more, retrieved the sheets that I had washed and made the bed, did the chores and then headed inside for happy hour, dinner & TV. Also computer games for Terry - he is hooked on trying to beat Marg’s scores on her games.
Back to our logging project his morning while it was still cool. We didn’t stay cool for long though - this is hard work. My arms are covered with scratches & bruises and the mosquitoes love Terry. Dad hangs in there with us driving the tractor and then the 4 wheeler when we drag a couple of logs to the area to cut up later for firewood. We quit before lunch as it was getting too warm and we were getting too tired.
The cable TV has been acting up so a technician came today to see what was wrong. A couple of big trees are interfering with the signal, especially when the wind blows the branches. He replaced a part on the satellite dish, realigned it a bit and it hasn’t had a problem since.
We crossed off an item on our to-do list by insulating and covering an old door opening on the shop to help the heater keep it warm in the winter.
We have a project of our own in the 5th wheel. We are adding shelves to the big TV cabinet since we got rid of our old, large TV and have a smaller LCD model. Terry bought wood yesterday and got started on it today. Rain again this afternoon. The grass may catch up to the sheep if this keeps up.
Couldn’t drag Terry away from computer games tonight. He didn’t give up until he beat Marg’s score at midnight.
June 17th - Wed - 100 Mile House
We got a call that the electric fencer was repaired so we picked it up & installed it. Then we had to check the whole fence to make sure all the sections had enough charge to keep the sheep in. The pastures that the sheep were grazing were running out of grass so we had to get them into a bigger area. Everything went well (Marg had repaired the fence earlier before the fencer quit) so we opened different gates for the sheep.
After lunch we hit the tree cleaning up project. We had to make an opening for the tractor into a different section so we wouldn’t have to carry debris so far to load on the tractor. Luckily there were trees that needed to be removed and we got through. After a couple hours of hard work, Terry noticed some really black clouds and suggested that we get all the gear and ourselves under cover before the rain hit. Just in time! We ran for the porch where we sat and watched hail & rain and listened to thunder. I was supposed to play golf but I don’t start a round when it is raining. Also, the temperature dropped many degrees with the rain and I get cranky playing golf when I am cold!
Then the usual evening routine of chores, dinner & relaxation.
June 18th - Thurs - 100 Mile House.
A haircut for Terry this morning and then we worked on our TV cabinet until we had to take Dad for a hearing appointment at 11. Terry ran some errands while I waited for Dad. It ended up taking over an hour for his hearing tests. We went to a couple of stores and then had A&W hamburgers for lunch.
When we returned, Terry continued working on the TV cabinet shelves. We barely had time to think about getting back to the “logging” when the afternoon thunder started rumbling and changed our minds. Sure enough, more welcome rain. We puttered around some more, retrieved the sheets that I had washed and made the bed, did the chores and then headed inside for happy hour, dinner & TV. Also computer games for Terry - he is hooked on trying to beat Marg’s scores on her games.
Monday, June 15, 2009
June 14th to 15th - 100 Mile House
June 14th - Sun - 100 Mile House
Marg has a short list of projects to keep us busy so we got going on one this morning. Last winter there was a bad ice storm that made a mess of the trees on the farm. A lot of trees have the tops broken off and many are bent over and will break with snow next winter. So they all need to be cut down and removed. There are also dead standing trees, fallen trees and scrub trees to remove. We had 2 chain saws, 2 ATVs and the tractor and kept them all working. Marg & Terry felled & cut up trees. We had to tie ropes to some trees to persuade them to fall away from fences. We loaded branches & junk on the front end loader on the tractor, drove a short way around the house and created a pile to burn in the fall when the fire danger is not high. Logs suitable for firewood were dragged to an area to be cut up later.
We took a lunch break and went back at it. We stopped about 3:30 so we could shower and make dinner for friends Francis & Nicole. Evening chores are minimal right now and I got a lesson from Marg on what needs to be done. We had a nice dinner and visit with Francis & Nicole. Everyone except Marg was falling asleep by 9.
June 15th - Mon - 100 Mile House
Counted bruises and sore muscles today!!
Marg left for a week long vacation this morning. I sent my cell phone with her as I feel like I might need to call her - not much time for instructions.
We went back to the tree cleaning up project. We got a lot done - Terry on the chainsaw & heavy lifting, Dad driving the tractor to dump the loads of trees & branches and me picking up & loading the tractor. We decided to quit about 11:45 as it was getting quite warm and we were all tiring. We thought at the time that we might do some more when it cooled down but that didn’t happen.
After lunch Dad & Terry went on a farm tour and then we started on another item on our to-do list - replacing screen in a screen door. We tore off all the wood slats & screen and then discovered that the roll of screen was only enough for the bottom - guess Marg figured the top was OK! We had a couple of other errands so we made a trip to town - bank, grocery store, feed store, building supply store and glass shop for screen.
We finished repairing the screen door and it was time for chores and dinner. There was thunder rumbling during the afternoon with some showers and then a short downpour while I was doing chores.
Marg has a short list of projects to keep us busy so we got going on one this morning. Last winter there was a bad ice storm that made a mess of the trees on the farm. A lot of trees have the tops broken off and many are bent over and will break with snow next winter. So they all need to be cut down and removed. There are also dead standing trees, fallen trees and scrub trees to remove. We had 2 chain saws, 2 ATVs and the tractor and kept them all working. Marg & Terry felled & cut up trees. We had to tie ropes to some trees to persuade them to fall away from fences. We loaded branches & junk on the front end loader on the tractor, drove a short way around the house and created a pile to burn in the fall when the fire danger is not high. Logs suitable for firewood were dragged to an area to be cut up later.
We took a lunch break and went back at it. We stopped about 3:30 so we could shower and make dinner for friends Francis & Nicole. Evening chores are minimal right now and I got a lesson from Marg on what needs to be done. We had a nice dinner and visit with Francis & Nicole. Everyone except Marg was falling asleep by 9.
June 15th - Mon - 100 Mile House
Counted bruises and sore muscles today!!
Marg left for a week long vacation this morning. I sent my cell phone with her as I feel like I might need to call her - not much time for instructions.
We went back to the tree cleaning up project. We got a lot done - Terry on the chainsaw & heavy lifting, Dad driving the tractor to dump the loads of trees & branches and me picking up & loading the tractor. We decided to quit about 11:45 as it was getting quite warm and we were all tiring. We thought at the time that we might do some more when it cooled down but that didn’t happen.
After lunch Dad & Terry went on a farm tour and then we started on another item on our to-do list - replacing screen in a screen door. We tore off all the wood slats & screen and then discovered that the roll of screen was only enough for the bottom - guess Marg figured the top was OK! We had a couple of other errands so we made a trip to town - bank, grocery store, feed store, building supply store and glass shop for screen.
We finished repairing the screen door and it was time for chores and dinner. There was thunder rumbling during the afternoon with some showers and then a short downpour while I was doing chores.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
June 10th to 13th - Spokane to 100 Mile House, BC
June 10th - Wed - Spokane
Today is EllaMae’s birthday but we will be waiting until Cindy is here to celebrate it tomorrow. Gary came over for lunch and showed us some of his wonderful waterfowl (and eagle) pictures. We picked up our mail and were surprised to see that my driver’s license (with EllaMae’s address) was sent to our mail box.
Bill & Georgia had us over for dinner this evening. We had so much catching up to do that we didn’t even play Sequence.
June 11th - Thurs - Spokane
Cindy, Don & EllaMae went to the casino at Worley after breakfast this morning. We returned items to the 5th wheel in preparation for leaving early tomorrow and then went to have lunch with friends Dan & Dottie. We visited for a while more after lunch and then came back to finish laundry and packing up. We are not sure if Marg will have her water pump repaired so figured we better wash all dirty clothes.
At 5 we all went to Skip & Kathy’s for dinner to celebrate EllaMae’s birthday. Gary & Suzanne were also there. We had drinks & snacks and then played Ladder Golf - the outdoor game where golf balls on the ends of pieces of rope are thrown at a “ladder” in an attempt to wrap the rope around a rung.
The car was loaded more heavily on the way home after a nice dinner and birthday cake!
June 12th - Fri - to Logan Lake, BC
We left at 5:20 for the 8 hour drive to Logan Lake where we will stay overnight with my cousin Pat & her husband Rick. Uneventful drive - easy customs stop, breakfast in Headley, lovely weather. Pat arranged a get together with 4 other couples that we have met previously. 3 couples live in Logan Lake (Lynden & Charlie, Ian & Pat, Don & Joanne), the other couple was Claude & Val who we met up with earlier this year in Tucson.
I helped Pat with some food prep for the party, we made a quick trip to town for a few items and stopped to see Pat’s daughter’s (Morgan) condo. Terry & Rick took a little walk followed by naps to prepare for the party.
It was great seeing everyone again and we all had a good time. Too much food and lots of laughs.
June 13th - Sat - to 100 Mile House
It was great to sleep in our own bed last night! Pat made breakfast this morning to give us fuel for the just over 2 hour trip to Marg’s (sister) in 100 Mile House. We stopped for diesel and then at the sani station in town to dump and fill our water tank. Arrived at Marg’s just in time to set up before lunch.
We only had time for a little looking around the farm before a couple (George & Helen Purden) who knew my parents stopped in for a visit. By the time they left it was time for a few quick chores and dinner.
Marg has satellite internet and a router so I have a wifi connection while we are here - very nice.
Today is EllaMae’s birthday but we will be waiting until Cindy is here to celebrate it tomorrow. Gary came over for lunch and showed us some of his wonderful waterfowl (and eagle) pictures. We picked up our mail and were surprised to see that my driver’s license (with EllaMae’s address) was sent to our mail box.
Bill & Georgia had us over for dinner this evening. We had so much catching up to do that we didn’t even play Sequence.
June 11th - Thurs - Spokane
Cindy, Don & EllaMae went to the casino at Worley after breakfast this morning. We returned items to the 5th wheel in preparation for leaving early tomorrow and then went to have lunch with friends Dan & Dottie. We visited for a while more after lunch and then came back to finish laundry and packing up. We are not sure if Marg will have her water pump repaired so figured we better wash all dirty clothes.
At 5 we all went to Skip & Kathy’s for dinner to celebrate EllaMae’s birthday. Gary & Suzanne were also there. We had drinks & snacks and then played Ladder Golf - the outdoor game where golf balls on the ends of pieces of rope are thrown at a “ladder” in an attempt to wrap the rope around a rung.
The car was loaded more heavily on the way home after a nice dinner and birthday cake!
June 12th - Fri - to Logan Lake, BC
We left at 5:20 for the 8 hour drive to Logan Lake where we will stay overnight with my cousin Pat & her husband Rick. Uneventful drive - easy customs stop, breakfast in Headley, lovely weather. Pat arranged a get together with 4 other couples that we have met previously. 3 couples live in Logan Lake (Lynden & Charlie, Ian & Pat, Don & Joanne), the other couple was Claude & Val who we met up with earlier this year in Tucson.
I helped Pat with some food prep for the party, we made a quick trip to town for a few items and stopped to see Pat’s daughter’s (Morgan) condo. Terry & Rick took a little walk followed by naps to prepare for the party.
It was great seeing everyone again and we all had a good time. Too much food and lots of laughs.
June 13th - Sat - to 100 Mile House
It was great to sleep in our own bed last night! Pat made breakfast this morning to give us fuel for the just over 2 hour trip to Marg’s (sister) in 100 Mile House. We stopped for diesel and then at the sani station in town to dump and fill our water tank. Arrived at Marg’s just in time to set up before lunch.
We only had time for a little looking around the farm before a couple (George & Helen Purden) who knew my parents stopped in for a visit. By the time they left it was time for a few quick chores and dinner.
Marg has satellite internet and a router so I have a wifi connection while we are here - very nice.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
June 7th to 9th - Spokane
June 7th - Sun - Spokane
I took a turn making breakfast this morning. My sister Marg was supposed to accompany a friend to Ft St John for a few days but when I spoke with her this morning she said her water pump quit so she could not leave Dad & a “sitter” with no water and no electric fence. She knew the water had a problem and had made an appointment but the earliest she could get a plumber was Thursday. Cindy left about 10:30 to fly home to Portland.
EllaMae has an electronic picture frame that Terry’s brother Harry had loaded with pictures. He suggested that I add some of our pictures so I edited some that were on the chip and then added some of ours - a time consuming job followed by a late lunch.
We had made tentative plans to meet Bill & Georgia for dinner but Georgia’s Mom was not doing well so we decided to go to the Coeur d’Alene Casino for a while. I won a few dollars which kept me going until we took a break for dinner. We split the Southern Fried Steak dinner and it is so large that I could not finish my half and Terry was too full from his half to eat more of mine. The casino finally ate our “allowance”.
Georgia’s Mom passed away this evening.
June 8th - Mon - Spokane
A couple of errands this morning. The first sewing machine place did not have my bobbin case so he sent us to another store closer to town. On the way, we stopped to chat with friend Gary in his carpet store. Got the bobbin case and the very nice clerk checked out the needle threader and told me what I might have been doing wrong when it didn’t work.
After lunch, we tried a couple of places to get an oil change and ended up getting it done in Liberty Lake. Back to EllaMae’s for dinner & a quiet TV evening.
June 9th - Tues - Spokane
Skip & Kathy stopped by for a visit this morning. We went on a short shopping trip and returned just in time for lunch. Suzanne (Terry’s sister-in-law) came over to do some paperwork and we had a nice visit with her. Terry was antsy so after dinner we went to Northern Quest casino. Didn’t cost much this time for a full evening of gambling.
I took a turn making breakfast this morning. My sister Marg was supposed to accompany a friend to Ft St John for a few days but when I spoke with her this morning she said her water pump quit so she could not leave Dad & a “sitter” with no water and no electric fence. She knew the water had a problem and had made an appointment but the earliest she could get a plumber was Thursday. Cindy left about 10:30 to fly home to Portland.
EllaMae has an electronic picture frame that Terry’s brother Harry had loaded with pictures. He suggested that I add some of our pictures so I edited some that were on the chip and then added some of ours - a time consuming job followed by a late lunch.
We had made tentative plans to meet Bill & Georgia for dinner but Georgia’s Mom was not doing well so we decided to go to the Coeur d’Alene Casino for a while. I won a few dollars which kept me going until we took a break for dinner. We split the Southern Fried Steak dinner and it is so large that I could not finish my half and Terry was too full from his half to eat more of mine. The casino finally ate our “allowance”.
Georgia’s Mom passed away this evening.
June 8th - Mon - Spokane
A couple of errands this morning. The first sewing machine place did not have my bobbin case so he sent us to another store closer to town. On the way, we stopped to chat with friend Gary in his carpet store. Got the bobbin case and the very nice clerk checked out the needle threader and told me what I might have been doing wrong when it didn’t work.
After lunch, we tried a couple of places to get an oil change and ended up getting it done in Liberty Lake. Back to EllaMae’s for dinner & a quiet TV evening.
June 9th - Tues - Spokane
Skip & Kathy stopped by for a visit this morning. We went on a short shopping trip and returned just in time for lunch. Suzanne (Terry’s sister-in-law) came over to do some paperwork and we had a nice visit with her. Terry was antsy so after dinner we went to Northern Quest casino. Didn’t cost much this time for a full evening of gambling.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
June 4th to 6th - Spokane
June 4th - Thurs - Spokane
Cindy arrived last night (after I posted my blog) for her weekly 4 days to look after her Mom.
We played golf at Fairways CG this morning with good friends Mike & Mary. Weather was beautiful, the course was in good shape and the company was super - but they made us look like the duffers that we are. Then on to lunch at Northern Quest casino which is undergoing a huge expansion and remodeling. Of course we all had to try out the slot machines after lunch.
We got back in time for a nice dinner prepared by Cindy and Don.
June 5th - Fri - Spokane
We took the 5th wheel in for the slide adjustments. Made a short trip to a nearby WalMart, returned to find out & approve what needed to be done and then went to Northern Quest casino to pass the time until it was done. I lost my allowance but Terry managed to win enough to get us back to even. We had lunch there before picking up the 5th wheel. We were really happy with the work that was done and felt that the price was reasonable.
Phone calls back & forth with Marg today as her electric fence quit. We were trying to figure out if we could get a new energizer for her here.
The ball game went to 10 innings tonight before the Mariners lost.
June 6th - Sat - Spokane
Terry & I went searching for a roll-up blind for Don & EllaMae’s patio. The late afternoon sun shines under the end of the roof so it is too bright and hot to enjoy dinner on the patio. We finally found exactly what we were looking for at Lowe’s. During our shopping, we bumped into friends Dale & Patsy and stood in the aisle at Home Depot and chatted for a while. A short stop at Costco (including a hot dog) and we headed back. Decided to check out a new WinCo grocery store - nice store with good prices but some people don’t like bagging their own groceries.
Terry & I installed the blind - works great. I decided that I had to get the other 2 zippers done on Terry’s short so I ripped out the old zippers while we all watched the end of a movie. Managed to get the zippers done before dinner. But as I was trying to mend some jeans, the thread snarled up. The bobbin case pulled out when I was getting the thread out and it has a piece broken out of it. Don’t know if it just happened but we have to get it fixed.
Sleepy group here this evening. Guys are snoozing in the living room and Cindy & EllaMae are getting a little shuteye while they are not talking to me at the dining room table.
Cindy arrived last night (after I posted my blog) for her weekly 4 days to look after her Mom.
We played golf at Fairways CG this morning with good friends Mike & Mary. Weather was beautiful, the course was in good shape and the company was super - but they made us look like the duffers that we are. Then on to lunch at Northern Quest casino which is undergoing a huge expansion and remodeling. Of course we all had to try out the slot machines after lunch.
We got back in time for a nice dinner prepared by Cindy and Don.
June 5th - Fri - Spokane
We took the 5th wheel in for the slide adjustments. Made a short trip to a nearby WalMart, returned to find out & approve what needed to be done and then went to Northern Quest casino to pass the time until it was done. I lost my allowance but Terry managed to win enough to get us back to even. We had lunch there before picking up the 5th wheel. We were really happy with the work that was done and felt that the price was reasonable.
Phone calls back & forth with Marg today as her electric fence quit. We were trying to figure out if we could get a new energizer for her here.
The ball game went to 10 innings tonight before the Mariners lost.
June 6th - Sat - Spokane
Terry & I went searching for a roll-up blind for Don & EllaMae’s patio. The late afternoon sun shines under the end of the roof so it is too bright and hot to enjoy dinner on the patio. We finally found exactly what we were looking for at Lowe’s. During our shopping, we bumped into friends Dale & Patsy and stood in the aisle at Home Depot and chatted for a while. A short stop at Costco (including a hot dog) and we headed back. Decided to check out a new WinCo grocery store - nice store with good prices but some people don’t like bagging their own groceries.
Terry & I installed the blind - works great. I decided that I had to get the other 2 zippers done on Terry’s short so I ripped out the old zippers while we all watched the end of a movie. Managed to get the zippers done before dinner. But as I was trying to mend some jeans, the thread snarled up. The bobbin case pulled out when I was getting the thread out and it has a piece broken out of it. Don’t know if it just happened but we have to get it fixed.
Sleepy group here this evening. Guys are snoozing in the living room and Cindy & EllaMae are getting a little shuteye while they are not talking to me at the dining room table.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
June 1st to 3rd - Spokane
June 1st - Mon - Spokane
We made our to-do list and started working on it today after a visit from Terry’s brother Skip and his wife Kathy. Driver’s license office was closed so couldn’t get that done. Got license tabs for the truck & 5th wheel, made a stop at Costco and went to an RV place to make an appointment to get the slides on the 5th wheel adjusted. While we were there we had to check out the Montana that has caught our eye - we’ll keep ours for a while.
Don had ribs boiling when we returned and I used leftover carrots & potatoes to put together an au gratin casserole for an easy dinner.
Don & EllaMae like to watch baseball so we are learning to commiserate with them when the Seattle Mariners blow yet another lead.
June 2nd - Tues - Spokane
I got an eye exam this morning and then spent 45 minutes waiting to get my driver’s license renewed. When we changed our address to our mail box 2 ½ years ago, 2 employees allowed Terry & I to use that address. This time, the guy who waited on me said that according to WA state law I had to have a physical address. When I said we lived in our RV he asked where it was and I told him it was parked on the street in front of my mother-in-law’s house. He asked for her address and I was surprised and unhappy to see that address on my temporary license. That means my new license will be mailed here and Don will have to forward it to us.
Visited a couple of stores, washed the truck and returned to the house. Don & I had sorted through the freezer and I used a “well aged” steak to make stroganoff while Don made a run to the grocery store.
Mariners won tonight!
June 3rd - Wed - Spokane
3 overripe bananas demanded to be used in muffins this morning. Then I had Terry haul in my sewing machine so I could replace zippers in 4 pairs of his shorts. They all have nylon zippers that split open at inopportune times. He loves the shorts and they are fairly new so I figured I would see what I could do. I was a bit of a pessimist and only bought one zipper so after I struggled through one replacement we made a trip to get the other 3 zippers.
Terry’s brother Gary came for lunch today which he does most Wednesdays. It was good to see him again. After lunch Don mowed the lawn, Terry trimmed with the weed eater and EllaMae & I sat in the shade and watched them work. But I took my turn later and trimmed some plants overhanging from the neighbor’s yard. Then I cussed my way through replacing another zipper.
We introduced Don & EllaMae to Frito Pie for dinner. I am blogging while the others watch another ball game.
The weather is lovely here right now. Breezy mornings, sunny all day. I am happy that we are sleeping in an air conditioned house.
We made our to-do list and started working on it today after a visit from Terry’s brother Skip and his wife Kathy. Driver’s license office was closed so couldn’t get that done. Got license tabs for the truck & 5th wheel, made a stop at Costco and went to an RV place to make an appointment to get the slides on the 5th wheel adjusted. While we were there we had to check out the Montana that has caught our eye - we’ll keep ours for a while.
Don had ribs boiling when we returned and I used leftover carrots & potatoes to put together an au gratin casserole for an easy dinner.
Don & EllaMae like to watch baseball so we are learning to commiserate with them when the Seattle Mariners blow yet another lead.
June 2nd - Tues - Spokane
I got an eye exam this morning and then spent 45 minutes waiting to get my driver’s license renewed. When we changed our address to our mail box 2 ½ years ago, 2 employees allowed Terry & I to use that address. This time, the guy who waited on me said that according to WA state law I had to have a physical address. When I said we lived in our RV he asked where it was and I told him it was parked on the street in front of my mother-in-law’s house. He asked for her address and I was surprised and unhappy to see that address on my temporary license. That means my new license will be mailed here and Don will have to forward it to us.
Visited a couple of stores, washed the truck and returned to the house. Don & I had sorted through the freezer and I used a “well aged” steak to make stroganoff while Don made a run to the grocery store.
Mariners won tonight!
June 3rd - Wed - Spokane
3 overripe bananas demanded to be used in muffins this morning. Then I had Terry haul in my sewing machine so I could replace zippers in 4 pairs of his shorts. They all have nylon zippers that split open at inopportune times. He loves the shorts and they are fairly new so I figured I would see what I could do. I was a bit of a pessimist and only bought one zipper so after I struggled through one replacement we made a trip to get the other 3 zippers.
Terry’s brother Gary came for lunch today which he does most Wednesdays. It was good to see him again. After lunch Don mowed the lawn, Terry trimmed with the weed eater and EllaMae & I sat in the shade and watched them work. But I took my turn later and trimmed some plants overhanging from the neighbor’s yard. Then I cussed my way through replacing another zipper.
We introduced Don & EllaMae to Frito Pie for dinner. I am blogging while the others watch another ball game.
The weather is lovely here right now. Breezy mornings, sunny all day. I am happy that we are sleeping in an air conditioned house.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
May 28th to 31st - Pendleton to Spokane
May 28th - Thurs - to Pendleton OR
Headed out past all sorts of crops to the Wild Horse Casino which also has an RV park. Set up, made lunch and went to check out the casino. Rick & Pat were going to do some shopping in Boise so we knew they wouldn’t be here for a while. Pat joined us at the casino and then we went back to the RV park for happy hour. Dinner out - seafood buffet at the casino. We all pigged out on crab & clams - very good.
Lucky Pat once again lived up to her name and stashed her winnings in Rick’s pocket before it all went back into the machines.
May 29th - Fri - to Spokane
We took advantage of breakfast coupons before leaving Pendleton this morning. We chose to take the highway route (4 hours) through Pasco rather than the windier, more easterly route through Walla Walla. Nice drive, lovely weather. We are staying at the Hughes Campground (friends Bill & Georgia’s backyard!) for a couple of days. This is not the greatest time for them to have guests since Georgia’s 96 year old Mom had 2 strokes a week and a half ago. She is out of the hospital and in a nursing home but not doing well. Georgia’s sister Arlene and her husband Joe are here from Minnesota.
Pat & Rick made some stops and were a couple of hours behind us. Bill & Georgia’s back deck is being renovated so we all gathered in the shade of the shop near the “campground”. Pat & I made dinner and Georgia provided dessert. A busy day and mosquitoes resulted in a fairly early bedtime.
May 30th - Sat - Spokane
Georgia made a pancake breakfast for all of us before she, Arlene & Joe went to see their Mom. Pat & I went shopping while Terry, Rick & Bill used the pressure washer to blast off the solid layers of bugs on the rigs. Pat & I returned in time to make lunch. Then Pat & Rick and Terry & I went for more shopping. Rick took advantage of his 3 personal shoppers to find a pair of sandals and fail to find a pair of shorts. Terry was tickled to haggle down the price on a TV mount for our new flat screen.
Got back in time for an abbreviated happy hour before dinner prepared by Georgia & Arlene. Then they went for a short visit with their Mom. Next all of us except Rick played Mexican Train dominoes and added a “Chicken Domino” twist to make the game go a little faster. We finished at midnight (latest most of us old folks have been up for a while!) and headed for our rigs. A sprinkler was hitting our truck & 5th wheel and the swing set beside us so I had to get Bill to turn it off. An incident like this might be grounds to get our money back - oh wait, we didn’t pay any money for this wonderful site!!
May 31st - Sun - Spokane
Pat & Rick headed for home this morning. I was putting a batch of Jelly Biscuits (email for the recipe if you are interested!) in the oven when Bill & Georgia and Joe & Arlene returned from church and a visit to Georgia’s Mom. After coffee & biscuits, I spent some time showing Bill how to use one of my favorite programs - Picasa. For the uninformed few, Picasa is free software to manage digital pictures.
Then on to Terry’s Mom’s house. Sister Cindy was still here (she comes to look after her Mom each weekend) so we got to see her for just a short time before her mother-in-law arrived to drive her to the airport.
We hauled in our big basket of laundry and had a relaxing afternoon. I spent time on the computer figuring out how to cancel EllaMae’s AOL account when no one could remember her password or security question. Hopefully I got it done. Don made a good dinner and then we looked at a lot of our travel pictures. EllaMae is doing much better than when we were here last year. She cannot walk but sits up straight (she listed to the left last year), uses her left arm more and participates in conversations.
Headed out past all sorts of crops to the Wild Horse Casino which also has an RV park. Set up, made lunch and went to check out the casino. Rick & Pat were going to do some shopping in Boise so we knew they wouldn’t be here for a while. Pat joined us at the casino and then we went back to the RV park for happy hour. Dinner out - seafood buffet at the casino. We all pigged out on crab & clams - very good.
Lucky Pat once again lived up to her name and stashed her winnings in Rick’s pocket before it all went back into the machines.
May 29th - Fri - to Spokane
We took advantage of breakfast coupons before leaving Pendleton this morning. We chose to take the highway route (4 hours) through Pasco rather than the windier, more easterly route through Walla Walla. Nice drive, lovely weather. We are staying at the Hughes Campground (friends Bill & Georgia’s backyard!) for a couple of days. This is not the greatest time for them to have guests since Georgia’s 96 year old Mom had 2 strokes a week and a half ago. She is out of the hospital and in a nursing home but not doing well. Georgia’s sister Arlene and her husband Joe are here from Minnesota.
Pat & Rick made some stops and were a couple of hours behind us. Bill & Georgia’s back deck is being renovated so we all gathered in the shade of the shop near the “campground”. Pat & I made dinner and Georgia provided dessert. A busy day and mosquitoes resulted in a fairly early bedtime.
May 30th - Sat - Spokane
Georgia made a pancake breakfast for all of us before she, Arlene & Joe went to see their Mom. Pat & I went shopping while Terry, Rick & Bill used the pressure washer to blast off the solid layers of bugs on the rigs. Pat & I returned in time to make lunch. Then Pat & Rick and Terry & I went for more shopping. Rick took advantage of his 3 personal shoppers to find a pair of sandals and fail to find a pair of shorts. Terry was tickled to haggle down the price on a TV mount for our new flat screen.
Got back in time for an abbreviated happy hour before dinner prepared by Georgia & Arlene. Then they went for a short visit with their Mom. Next all of us except Rick played Mexican Train dominoes and added a “Chicken Domino” twist to make the game go a little faster. We finished at midnight (latest most of us old folks have been up for a while!) and headed for our rigs. A sprinkler was hitting our truck & 5th wheel and the swing set beside us so I had to get Bill to turn it off. An incident like this might be grounds to get our money back - oh wait, we didn’t pay any money for this wonderful site!!
May 31st - Sun - Spokane
Pat & Rick headed for home this morning. I was putting a batch of Jelly Biscuits (email for the recipe if you are interested!) in the oven when Bill & Georgia and Joe & Arlene returned from church and a visit to Georgia’s Mom. After coffee & biscuits, I spent some time showing Bill how to use one of my favorite programs - Picasa. For the uninformed few, Picasa is free software to manage digital pictures.
Then on to Terry’s Mom’s house. Sister Cindy was still here (she comes to look after her Mom each weekend) so we got to see her for just a short time before her mother-in-law arrived to drive her to the airport.
We hauled in our big basket of laundry and had a relaxing afternoon. I spent time on the computer figuring out how to cancel EllaMae’s AOL account when no one could remember her password or security question. Hopefully I got it done. Don made a good dinner and then we looked at a lot of our travel pictures. EllaMae is doing much better than when we were here last year. She cannot walk but sits up straight (she listed to the left last year), uses her left arm more and participates in conversations.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
May 25th to 27th - Winnemucca to Boise ID
May 25th - Mon - Winnemucca
We returned for the $3.99 ham & egg breakfast this morning. Then we took a drive by some “in the woods” camping spots up into the hills above the town. We passed by some very nice housing areas that you cannot see from the highway area. Stopped at a grocery store on the way back to the park where we dropped Rick off. He was going to do some chores while the 3 gamblers returned to the casinos.
Once again I had a short lived lucky streak that kept both Terry & I in the black for a couple of hours. Lucky Pat struck again and made off with some money. I’m not sure what she told Rick so I can’t put the actual amount in the blog!
Back at the RV park, Pat & Rick did laundry and then I remembered that I wanted to wash our sheets so got that done just in time for happy hour and a combined dinner. We pulled out the cards for Hand & Foot Canasta and the guys let Pat & I win - sure they did!!!!
May 26th - Tues - to Boise ID
We left at 7:45 for today’s 3 ½ hour trip to Boise. Nice roads with little traffic most of the way. Up & down hills/mountains, lots of scrub land, some irrigated & isolated farms and then land that will support cattle. We drove though a stretch of road where there was an insect infestation which we think were Mormon crickets. They were swarming down an embankment and onto the road where a lot of them were run over. The road was red with squished bugs for about ¼ of a mile.
We arrived at the On the River RV park about 1 (back to Mountain Time), set up , had lunch and then scrubbed the bugs off the truck & 5th wheel before we got too lazy. Pat & Rick arrived just as we were finishing. Terry took me for a haircut and Rick took his truck for an oil change. We got back just in time to head to Linda & Steve Holder’s house for dinner. Steve wasn’t home but Linda was a great hostess and made a wonderful dinner. After dinner, we went for a walk on a path along the Boise River which is very close to their house and close to the RV park.
May 27th - Wed - Boise ID
Started today with a 9 o’clock tee time at the Plantation golf course where Steve & Linda are members. Linda, Rick, Terry & I played and Pat enjoyed a nice walk with us. The weather was perfect and all of us got enough good shots to make us want to play in the future. Then we enjoyed breakfast on the patio at the golf course. Back to the park to drop the clubs, picked up Linda and went to Camping World. Rick was looking for a bicycle rack which he found on sale - bonus!! On to Costco and then back to the RV park. Pat & Rick took off again while Terry & I set up chairs & tables and boiled baby backs for dinner.
We invited Rick & Diann Stone (spent some time with them in Mesa/Apache Junction in April) to join us & Linda for dinner.
Terry went with Rick S. to pick up a TV that we are buying from him while Pat & I took a walk around the RV park. We briefly considered playing cards but everyone was ready to crash after a busy day.
We returned for the $3.99 ham & egg breakfast this morning. Then we took a drive by some “in the woods” camping spots up into the hills above the town. We passed by some very nice housing areas that you cannot see from the highway area. Stopped at a grocery store on the way back to the park where we dropped Rick off. He was going to do some chores while the 3 gamblers returned to the casinos.
Once again I had a short lived lucky streak that kept both Terry & I in the black for a couple of hours. Lucky Pat struck again and made off with some money. I’m not sure what she told Rick so I can’t put the actual amount in the blog!
Back at the RV park, Pat & Rick did laundry and then I remembered that I wanted to wash our sheets so got that done just in time for happy hour and a combined dinner. We pulled out the cards for Hand & Foot Canasta and the guys let Pat & I win - sure they did!!!!
May 26th - Tues - to Boise ID
We left at 7:45 for today’s 3 ½ hour trip to Boise. Nice roads with little traffic most of the way. Up & down hills/mountains, lots of scrub land, some irrigated & isolated farms and then land that will support cattle. We drove though a stretch of road where there was an insect infestation which we think were Mormon crickets. They were swarming down an embankment and onto the road where a lot of them were run over. The road was red with squished bugs for about ¼ of a mile.
We arrived at the On the River RV park about 1 (back to Mountain Time), set up , had lunch and then scrubbed the bugs off the truck & 5th wheel before we got too lazy. Pat & Rick arrived just as we were finishing. Terry took me for a haircut and Rick took his truck for an oil change. We got back just in time to head to Linda & Steve Holder’s house for dinner. Steve wasn’t home but Linda was a great hostess and made a wonderful dinner. After dinner, we went for a walk on a path along the Boise River which is very close to their house and close to the RV park.
May 27th - Wed - Boise ID
Started today with a 9 o’clock tee time at the Plantation golf course where Steve & Linda are members. Linda, Rick, Terry & I played and Pat enjoyed a nice walk with us. The weather was perfect and all of us got enough good shots to make us want to play in the future. Then we enjoyed breakfast on the patio at the golf course. Back to the park to drop the clubs, picked up Linda and went to Camping World. Rick was looking for a bicycle rack which he found on sale - bonus!! On to Costco and then back to the RV park. Pat & Rick took off again while Terry & I set up chairs & tables and boiled baby backs for dinner.
We invited Rick & Diann Stone (spent some time with them in Mesa/Apache Junction in April) to join us & Linda for dinner.
Terry went with Rick S. to pick up a TV that we are buying from him while Pat & I took a walk around the RV park. We briefly considered playing cards but everyone was ready to crash after a busy day.
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 22nd to 24th - Winnemucca NV
May 22nd - Fri - to Winnemucca NV
We got an early start for the 3 hour drive this morning to the Hi-Desert RV park (PA) in Winnemucca. Set up and then started several loads of laundry. Had a sandwich for lunch while the laundry was washing - so much to do that we have to multi-task! Pat & Rick are also arriving today so after the laundry was done I did some prep for dinner, we scrubbed the bugs off the 5th wheel & truck and relaxed in the sun.
There is a motorcycle rally (Run-A-Mucca) in town for the weekend so we expect to see a lot of bikes like the 2 that moved into the RV site next to Pat & Rick.
Pat & Rick arrived about 3:30. After they set up, through dinner and after dinner we tried to catch up on nearly a year of not seeing them.
May 23rd - Sat - Winnemucca
We all went for a very good $3.99 ham & egg breakfast this morning. The casinos here are small and most are part of a hotel or restaurant. So after eating we had to try out the adjacent casino. Lucky Pat (as we call her!) lived up to her name and came out money ahead while Terry & I continued to donate.
Next to WalMart for a few items.
Pat’s turn to make dinner today. Before happy hour we napped, watched TV and/or read a book. While we were sitting out later, the wind came up and dust started blowing. We had to close all windows and move inside. There is good cable TV here at the park so we watched a couple of “Deadliest Catch” episodes after dinner since the wind was too cool for us to head back outside.
May 24th - Sun - Winnemucca
We had a 9 o’clock tee time to play 9 holes at the nearby golf course this morning. It is a full length course, in nice condition and the weather was lovely. Pat injured her shoulder last winter so she cannot play yet - just enjoyed the walk and commiserated with the rest of us when we made the expected bad shots!
We dropped off the clubs and went back to WalMart to try to find some shorts for Pat - no luck. Back to the park for lunch and then downtown to check things out.
There was a street market in conjunction with the motorcycle rally so we wandered through that before going to a casino where Pat immediately won some money. That casino and another were not nice to Terry & I until Terry won some and we persuaded him to cash out before he lost it all again. So at the third casino we started with money that Terry had won and I finally got a co-operative machine where I grew my $5 to $120. And Terry was winning as well so unfortunately we will continue to gamble!!
Hamburgers on barbeque for dinner (yum!) and then the cool evening wind sent us inside to watch more episodes of “Deadliest Catch”.
We got an early start for the 3 hour drive this morning to the Hi-Desert RV park (PA) in Winnemucca. Set up and then started several loads of laundry. Had a sandwich for lunch while the laundry was washing - so much to do that we have to multi-task! Pat & Rick are also arriving today so after the laundry was done I did some prep for dinner, we scrubbed the bugs off the 5th wheel & truck and relaxed in the sun.
There is a motorcycle rally (Run-A-Mucca) in town for the weekend so we expect to see a lot of bikes like the 2 that moved into the RV site next to Pat & Rick.
Pat & Rick arrived about 3:30. After they set up, through dinner and after dinner we tried to catch up on nearly a year of not seeing them.
May 23rd - Sat - Winnemucca
We all went for a very good $3.99 ham & egg breakfast this morning. The casinos here are small and most are part of a hotel or restaurant. So after eating we had to try out the adjacent casino. Lucky Pat (as we call her!) lived up to her name and came out money ahead while Terry & I continued to donate.
Next to WalMart for a few items.
Pat’s turn to make dinner today. Before happy hour we napped, watched TV and/or read a book. While we were sitting out later, the wind came up and dust started blowing. We had to close all windows and move inside. There is good cable TV here at the park so we watched a couple of “Deadliest Catch” episodes after dinner since the wind was too cool for us to head back outside.
May 24th - Sun - Winnemucca
We had a 9 o’clock tee time to play 9 holes at the nearby golf course this morning. It is a full length course, in nice condition and the weather was lovely. Pat injured her shoulder last winter so she cannot play yet - just enjoyed the walk and commiserated with the rest of us when we made the expected bad shots!
We dropped off the clubs and went back to WalMart to try to find some shorts for Pat - no luck. Back to the park for lunch and then downtown to check things out.
There was a street market in conjunction with the motorcycle rally so we wandered through that before going to a casino where Pat immediately won some money. That casino and another were not nice to Terry & I until Terry won some and we persuaded him to cash out before he lost it all again. So at the third casino we started with money that Terry had won and I finally got a co-operative machine where I grew my $5 to $120. And Terry was winning as well so unfortunately we will continue to gamble!!
Hamburgers on barbeque for dinner (yum!) and then the cool evening wind sent us inside to watch more episodes of “Deadliest Catch”.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
May 19th to 21st - Utah to Nevada
May 19th - Tues - to Fountain Green UT
Uneventful drive through valleys and more mountains to Burns Bros Ranch & RV park just east of Nephi in Fountain Green. Unfortunately, we made a reservation - credit card requested & given - for 2 days. When we saw the park we would rather not have stayed at all. It was in the middle of nowhere in farming country (as the “Ranch” in the name might imply!) and badly needed mowing. We decided we would stay one night and told this to the young man checking us in. He called the woman who made the reservation and she said we could get a credit for a future stay for the second night. Terry came unglued at this and she ultimately said we could stay one night. The young man said our credit card would not have been charged until we checked in.
We joined the other 5 rigs scattered about the many sites, picked up one fuzzy TV channel and wondered what to do. A huge windstorm gave us something to do for a while - wondering if we were going to be blown over!! It got so bad that we pulled in the slides so Terry could turn the rig to have the wind hit us front-on instead of broadside if it got worse. We saw later on a weather report that towns around us had wind gusts from 45 to 60 MPH.
The young man working at the park was able to answer my question about a great many metal barn-type structures along the road. They used to house turkeys but apparently the market is not supporting them now so some are used for pigs and some for sheep and the rest are empty.
May 20th - Wed - to Wells NV
Out of the frying pan into the fire - almost! Wells is a very small town with nothing much to do. I think I mentioned previously that we are meeting my cousin Pat & her husband Rick in Winnemucca so that is giving us time to spare. Mountain Shadows RV park is OK (PA) with a row of permanent rigs, a couple rows of pull-throughs and a row of back-in for transients. It was pretty empty when we arrived but the pull-throughs almost filled up by evening.
When we were approaching town, there was a sign on the freeway saying the road was closed and we had to exit so we pulled into a service station to fuel up. I called the RV park and received directions since we couldn’t get off the freeway at the given exit. We were at the intersection of Hwy 93 (N/S) and Hwy 80 (E/W) and there were trucks everywhere. Westbound traffic could exit where we did and then get back on the freeway on the other side of town. But eastbound traffic was stuck until the highway opened. We found out later that there was a high speed chase, the pursued car went the wrong way on the freeway and was stopped by a police car but then said he had a chemical bomb in his car. Turned out there was no bomb but the freeway was closed for over 2 hours.
May 21st - Thurs - Wells
Relaxing morning and then we went to check out “historic front street”. Turns out there was an earthquake here in Feb 2008 that did a lot of damage, especially to the historic buildings. They are all falling down and roped off. So we decided to go golfing. Decent full length 9 hole course. Not a lot of golfers and we were the only ones walking. After 9 holes I had developed a blister so I had to make a quick run back to the RV park to put on different shoes. Then Terry also ended up with a blister so he played several holes in his bare feet. I think it improved his game. Actually, his drives were amazing and his back nine was great until we both faded from the heat and unaccustomed 18 holes.
I had put a pork roast in the crock pot and we golfed through lunch time so I made an early dinner. Then I convinced Terry to drive to Angel Lake. The desk clerk at the RV park said it was a very pretty drive. It is also a very steep drive. 12 miles across some hills and then up the side of a mountain. The little lake is still mostly covered with ice but that did not stop several people from fishing. Didn’t see anyone catch anything.
Finally time to sit out & read/watch TV before catching up on the blog. Same scenario as yesterday - the park mostly emptied out this morning but pull-throughs are full now.
Uneventful drive through valleys and more mountains to Burns Bros Ranch & RV park just east of Nephi in Fountain Green. Unfortunately, we made a reservation - credit card requested & given - for 2 days. When we saw the park we would rather not have stayed at all. It was in the middle of nowhere in farming country (as the “Ranch” in the name might imply!) and badly needed mowing. We decided we would stay one night and told this to the young man checking us in. He called the woman who made the reservation and she said we could get a credit for a future stay for the second night. Terry came unglued at this and she ultimately said we could stay one night. The young man said our credit card would not have been charged until we checked in.
We joined the other 5 rigs scattered about the many sites, picked up one fuzzy TV channel and wondered what to do. A huge windstorm gave us something to do for a while - wondering if we were going to be blown over!! It got so bad that we pulled in the slides so Terry could turn the rig to have the wind hit us front-on instead of broadside if it got worse. We saw later on a weather report that towns around us had wind gusts from 45 to 60 MPH.
The young man working at the park was able to answer my question about a great many metal barn-type structures along the road. They used to house turkeys but apparently the market is not supporting them now so some are used for pigs and some for sheep and the rest are empty.
May 20th - Wed - to Wells NV
Out of the frying pan into the fire - almost! Wells is a very small town with nothing much to do. I think I mentioned previously that we are meeting my cousin Pat & her husband Rick in Winnemucca so that is giving us time to spare. Mountain Shadows RV park is OK (PA) with a row of permanent rigs, a couple rows of pull-throughs and a row of back-in for transients. It was pretty empty when we arrived but the pull-throughs almost filled up by evening.
When we were approaching town, there was a sign on the freeway saying the road was closed and we had to exit so we pulled into a service station to fuel up. I called the RV park and received directions since we couldn’t get off the freeway at the given exit. We were at the intersection of Hwy 93 (N/S) and Hwy 80 (E/W) and there were trucks everywhere. Westbound traffic could exit where we did and then get back on the freeway on the other side of town. But eastbound traffic was stuck until the highway opened. We found out later that there was a high speed chase, the pursued car went the wrong way on the freeway and was stopped by a police car but then said he had a chemical bomb in his car. Turned out there was no bomb but the freeway was closed for over 2 hours.
May 21st - Thurs - Wells
Relaxing morning and then we went to check out “historic front street”. Turns out there was an earthquake here in Feb 2008 that did a lot of damage, especially to the historic buildings. They are all falling down and roped off. So we decided to go golfing. Decent full length 9 hole course. Not a lot of golfers and we were the only ones walking. After 9 holes I had developed a blister so I had to make a quick run back to the RV park to put on different shoes. Then Terry also ended up with a blister so he played several holes in his bare feet. I think it improved his game. Actually, his drives were amazing and his back nine was great until we both faded from the heat and unaccustomed 18 holes.
I had put a pork roast in the crock pot and we golfed through lunch time so I made an early dinner. Then I convinced Terry to drive to Angel Lake. The desk clerk at the RV park said it was a very pretty drive. It is also a very steep drive. 12 miles across some hills and then up the side of a mountain. The little lake is still mostly covered with ice but that did not stop several people from fishing. Didn’t see anyone catch anything.
Finally time to sit out & read/watch TV before catching up on the blog. Same scenario as yesterday - the park mostly emptied out this morning but pull-throughs are full now.
Monday, May 18, 2009
May 16th to 18th -Utah parks
May 16th - Sat - Panguitch/Bryce Canyon National Park
We had a wonderful day in the park. The weather was perfect - not too hot, comfortable in long pants and short sleeves. We made a short stop at the Red Canyon info center and then decided to go to Bryce Canyon first. We drove to the far end of the road, took many pictures and then stopped at all the view points on the way back since they are then on the right side of the road. In Bryce Canyon you view the amazing rock formations from above, rather than from below as you do when you drive through Zion Ntl Park. Several view points have short trails to even more incredible scenery. The road & trails are all at least 8000 ft above sea level so even short inclines on trails make breathing difficult. We had packed a lunch which we enjoyed at a stop with picnic tables.
We had gotten an early start so we had time to continue on to Kodachrome Basin State Park. We were very disappointed there. I think you have to be a hiker and an avid photographer to appreciate this park.
After dinner I persuaded Terry to return to Red Canyon and walk some paths to take pictures since we are leaving tomorrow. The sun was just setting and there was no one else on the trails so I really enjoyed my walk. Terry took shortcuts and waited for me.
May 17th - Sun - to Torrey UT
It got very cool last night. I am happy not to be in one of the several tents in the campground.
Not a long drive today - a couple of hours. We were on Hwy 12 which has been designated a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road indicating that it has one-of-a-kind, exceptional features. It was an wonderfully scenic drive - not so much for the driver as for the passenger who could look at all the scenery.
We climbed to 9600 feet at one point. Unfortunately, most view points were on the left side and, since we were towing the 5th wheel, we could not stop at any. One section of the road ran along a narrow mountain ridge that was barely wider than the road with steep drops on both sides.
We picked a site as instructed by a sign on the office door of the Wonderland RV park and set up. We went to a nearby visitor information center to get brochures for tomorrow when we will go to Capitol Reef National Park just down the road. We drove into the small town of Torrey and then just relaxed for the rest of the lovely warm afternoon.
May 18th - Mon - Torrey/Capitol Reef National Park
Looks like we are trying to hit all the National Parks! Just a few miles to the park boundary and a short walk to our first viewpoints. A stop to see some pictographs and then a hike to Hickman Bridge (arch). It was a mile each way and it was hot. Uphill most of the way there otherwise we would not have continued - only did so knowing the return trip would be downhill. Saw 4 bighorn sheep with full curl horns.
Then to Gifford Farmhouse to check out the homemade pie & ice cream - very good. Revived us to go on the 10 mile scenic drive into the park. The rock formations are varied and incredible. We checked out 2 dirt roads where you drive down washes & gullies, sometimes with straight, solid rock walls. There were trails at the end of each but they were classified as “strenuous” and we barely handled the “moderate” hike earlier! I will post too many rock & mountain pictures shortly.
We crashed and relaxed when we got back. After dinner we drove across the street to wash all the dirt off the truck.
We had a wonderful day in the park. The weather was perfect - not too hot, comfortable in long pants and short sleeves. We made a short stop at the Red Canyon info center and then decided to go to Bryce Canyon first. We drove to the far end of the road, took many pictures and then stopped at all the view points on the way back since they are then on the right side of the road. In Bryce Canyon you view the amazing rock formations from above, rather than from below as you do when you drive through Zion Ntl Park. Several view points have short trails to even more incredible scenery. The road & trails are all at least 8000 ft above sea level so even short inclines on trails make breathing difficult. We had packed a lunch which we enjoyed at a stop with picnic tables.
We had gotten an early start so we had time to continue on to Kodachrome Basin State Park. We were very disappointed there. I think you have to be a hiker and an avid photographer to appreciate this park.
After dinner I persuaded Terry to return to Red Canyon and walk some paths to take pictures since we are leaving tomorrow. The sun was just setting and there was no one else on the trails so I really enjoyed my walk. Terry took shortcuts and waited for me.
May 17th - Sun - to Torrey UT
It got very cool last night. I am happy not to be in one of the several tents in the campground.
Not a long drive today - a couple of hours. We were on Hwy 12 which has been designated a National Scenic Byway and an All-American Road indicating that it has one-of-a-kind, exceptional features. It was an wonderfully scenic drive - not so much for the driver as for the passenger who could look at all the scenery.
We climbed to 9600 feet at one point. Unfortunately, most view points were on the left side and, since we were towing the 5th wheel, we could not stop at any. One section of the road ran along a narrow mountain ridge that was barely wider than the road with steep drops on both sides.
We picked a site as instructed by a sign on the office door of the Wonderland RV park and set up. We went to a nearby visitor information center to get brochures for tomorrow when we will go to Capitol Reef National Park just down the road. We drove into the small town of Torrey and then just relaxed for the rest of the lovely warm afternoon.
May 18th - Mon - Torrey/Capitol Reef National Park
Looks like we are trying to hit all the National Parks! Just a few miles to the park boundary and a short walk to our first viewpoints. A stop to see some pictographs and then a hike to Hickman Bridge (arch). It was a mile each way and it was hot. Uphill most of the way there otherwise we would not have continued - only did so knowing the return trip would be downhill. Saw 4 bighorn sheep with full curl horns.
Then to Gifford Farmhouse to check out the homemade pie & ice cream - very good. Revived us to go on the 10 mile scenic drive into the park. The rock formations are varied and incredible. We checked out 2 dirt roads where you drive down washes & gullies, sometimes with straight, solid rock walls. There were trails at the end of each but they were classified as “strenuous” and we barely handled the “moderate” hike earlier! I will post too many rock & mountain pictures shortly.
We crashed and relaxed when we got back. After dinner we drove across the street to wash all the dirt off the truck.
Friday, May 15, 2009
May 13th to 15th - Pahrump to Panguitch UT
May 13th - Wed - Pahrump
I made my delicious (if I do say so myself!) jelly biscuits for breakfast which we enjoyed with coffee outside - in the shade. Next a trip to Radio Shack & WalMart to get the TV for outside. I caught up the blog while Terry ran wires from the bedroom to the large storage compartment. Terry now thinks the 19” TV is a bit small but I think it is just fine as long as he keeps the volume down so the rest of the park does not have to listen to it.
We had the leftover baby back ribs for dinner. There were so many that we were not able to finish them. Last night we had joked with our neighbors Bob & Loretta about being able to watch “Wheel of Fortune” on the TV outside so they joined us to do so and to chat for a bit.
May 14th - Thurs - Pahrump
Busy day. Before 10 we had cleaned the underside of our awning, cleaned the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and the truck, dusted the truck and laundered a load of sheets. Then we walked over to the casino and had an excellent breakfast for a low price. We drove all over town looking for Velcro without a sticky back - could not find any. I got a piece of fleece material and sewed a cover for the new TV to protect it when we travel.
The laundry room is right across the street from our site so I decided to do a couple more loads in the afternoon. While they were washing, we walked to the pool for a cooling dip.
Nice dinner on the BBQ, chat with neighbors, relax.
May 15th - Fri - to Panguitch UT
Left about 7:30 this morning. Terry wanted to avoid going through Las Vegas so we took a slightly different route - which took us through Las Vegas! Some construction slow down but not too bad.
We stopped at a casino in Mesquite for breakfast & fueled up in Cedar City. From Cedar City we headed east on Hwy 14 which goes up to 9900 feet and then back down but I don’t know the elevation where it joins into Hwy 89 heading north. Very picturesque. We saw quite a bit of snow on the ground when we were driving along grassy, lightly wooded areas on top. There are also a surprising number of nice, mostly log construction, “cabins” along Hwy 14.
We are staying at the Red Canyon RV park south & east of Panguitch, 15 miles from Bryce Canyon National park. It is a small park, pretty basic. The weather is much cooler (75 when we arrived) and there is a slight wind. Utah is in Mountain Time so we are an hour ahead of our PDT friends.
I made my delicious (if I do say so myself!) jelly biscuits for breakfast which we enjoyed with coffee outside - in the shade. Next a trip to Radio Shack & WalMart to get the TV for outside. I caught up the blog while Terry ran wires from the bedroom to the large storage compartment. Terry now thinks the 19” TV is a bit small but I think it is just fine as long as he keeps the volume down so the rest of the park does not have to listen to it.
We had the leftover baby back ribs for dinner. There were so many that we were not able to finish them. Last night we had joked with our neighbors Bob & Loretta about being able to watch “Wheel of Fortune” on the TV outside so they joined us to do so and to chat for a bit.
May 14th - Thurs - Pahrump
Busy day. Before 10 we had cleaned the underside of our awning, cleaned the bugs off the front of the 5th wheel and the truck, dusted the truck and laundered a load of sheets. Then we walked over to the casino and had an excellent breakfast for a low price. We drove all over town looking for Velcro without a sticky back - could not find any. I got a piece of fleece material and sewed a cover for the new TV to protect it when we travel.
The laundry room is right across the street from our site so I decided to do a couple more loads in the afternoon. While they were washing, we walked to the pool for a cooling dip.
Nice dinner on the BBQ, chat with neighbors, relax.
May 15th - Fri - to Panguitch UT
Left about 7:30 this morning. Terry wanted to avoid going through Las Vegas so we took a slightly different route - which took us through Las Vegas! Some construction slow down but not too bad.
We stopped at a casino in Mesquite for breakfast & fueled up in Cedar City. From Cedar City we headed east on Hwy 14 which goes up to 9900 feet and then back down but I don’t know the elevation where it joins into Hwy 89 heading north. Very picturesque. We saw quite a bit of snow on the ground when we were driving along grassy, lightly wooded areas on top. There are also a surprising number of nice, mostly log construction, “cabins” along Hwy 14.
We are staying at the Red Canyon RV park south & east of Panguitch, 15 miles from Bryce Canyon National park. It is a small park, pretty basic. The weather is much cooler (75 when we arrived) and there is a slight wind. Utah is in Mountain Time so we are an hour ahead of our PDT friends.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
May 10th to 12th - Pahrump NV
May 10th - Sun - to Pahrump NV
Turns out that Terry & the swap meet vendor were not communicating too well so the TV mounts were not what we wanted. The detour to meet him added about 30 miles to our trip today and sent us over the Hoover Dam which is a pretty way to go and the security check takes only a few minutes.
We are staying at Terrible’s Lakeside which is a very nice park with the sites around a little man-made lake. Lots of grass & trees.
I made a late lunch after we set up and then we went driving and hit a couple of casinos where I came out a few dollars ahead and Terry didn’t lose anything - what a change!! Back to the park where we went for a bike ride, a swim and took a peddle/paddle boat for a lap around the lake. The peddles are too close to the seat so it is not comfortable to go too far or too fast. Got out the BBQ for dinner. It was warm today but the neighbor’s rig and a tree provided late afternoon shade so it was lovely.
May 11th - Mon - Pahrump
To WalMart for a few groceries and Terry checked out the TVs again. Yet another casino and Terry hit a little lucky streak this time. He ended up with enough points on his card to get “2 for 1 buffet” for a late lunch. Back to the park for a cooling swim followed by a relaxing drink. Then walked to the on-site casino for a bit. You’d think we would be tired of casinos by now! True gamblers I guess.
Since we had a late lunch, I also made us a late dinner.
May 12th - Tues - Pahrump
Sightseeing in Death Valley today. We ate breakfast, headed out shortly after 8, filled up with diesel and over-rode Wanda’s instructions for miles. She wanted us to go many miles out of the way. We stopped for a short walk to the Zabriskie viewpoint where there is different scenery every way you look. At the park Headquarters & Visitor Center in Furnace Creek (-109 ft below sea level), we watched a short, narrated slide show and went through an interesting museum of the park history. We choose to go north to Scotty’s Castle rather than south to Badwater so we missed the lowest point (-282 ft) in North America. It is quite a long drive to Scotty’s castle - 58 miles from Furnace Creek. We arrived just in time for the noon 50 minute tour of the castle which was well worth the time & money. Very briefly - Scotty’s Castle was a vacation home owned by a wealthy man from Ohio named Al Johnson . William Scott was a con artist who ended up being a good friend of Al’s after conning him into investing in a non-existent gold mine. Al built his home over a long period of time, allowed Scotty (for various reasons) to call it “his” castle and supported Scotty with a lot of money over the years.
We did not find a place where we wanted to stop for lunch on the way back (came back on Hwy 95 rather than back through the park) so had a small snack with a cool drink when we returned. Then we walked to the casino to have the $9.99 baby back rib special. You get a whole, LARGE rack of ribs so we have plenty for dinner tomorrow night. If we had seen a plate before we ordered we would have split the dinner.
We were enjoying the perfect “sitting out” weather when a new neighbor walked by. He (Bob) joined us, then a couple (Jim & Sharon) from the other side of us came over (we had spoken with Jim earlier) and then Bob’s wife (Loretta) came out. Jim & Sharon are really new (1 week!!) full timers. Non-stop talking & a buddy burner made for a great evening.
Turns out that Terry & the swap meet vendor were not communicating too well so the TV mounts were not what we wanted. The detour to meet him added about 30 miles to our trip today and sent us over the Hoover Dam which is a pretty way to go and the security check takes only a few minutes.
We are staying at Terrible’s Lakeside which is a very nice park with the sites around a little man-made lake. Lots of grass & trees.
I made a late lunch after we set up and then we went driving and hit a couple of casinos where I came out a few dollars ahead and Terry didn’t lose anything - what a change!! Back to the park where we went for a bike ride, a swim and took a peddle/paddle boat for a lap around the lake. The peddles are too close to the seat so it is not comfortable to go too far or too fast. Got out the BBQ for dinner. It was warm today but the neighbor’s rig and a tree provided late afternoon shade so it was lovely.
May 11th - Mon - Pahrump
To WalMart for a few groceries and Terry checked out the TVs again. Yet another casino and Terry hit a little lucky streak this time. He ended up with enough points on his card to get “2 for 1 buffet” for a late lunch. Back to the park for a cooling swim followed by a relaxing drink. Then walked to the on-site casino for a bit. You’d think we would be tired of casinos by now! True gamblers I guess.
Since we had a late lunch, I also made us a late dinner.
May 12th - Tues - Pahrump
Sightseeing in Death Valley today. We ate breakfast, headed out shortly after 8, filled up with diesel and over-rode Wanda’s instructions for miles. She wanted us to go many miles out of the way. We stopped for a short walk to the Zabriskie viewpoint where there is different scenery every way you look. At the park Headquarters & Visitor Center in Furnace Creek (-109 ft below sea level), we watched a short, narrated slide show and went through an interesting museum of the park history. We choose to go north to Scotty’s Castle rather than south to Badwater so we missed the lowest point (-282 ft) in North America. It is quite a long drive to Scotty’s castle - 58 miles from Furnace Creek. We arrived just in time for the noon 50 minute tour of the castle which was well worth the time & money. Very briefly - Scotty’s Castle was a vacation home owned by a wealthy man from Ohio named Al Johnson . William Scott was a con artist who ended up being a good friend of Al’s after conning him into investing in a non-existent gold mine. Al built his home over a long period of time, allowed Scotty (for various reasons) to call it “his” castle and supported Scotty with a lot of money over the years.
We did not find a place where we wanted to stop for lunch on the way back (came back on Hwy 95 rather than back through the park) so had a small snack with a cool drink when we returned. Then we walked to the casino to have the $9.99 baby back rib special. You get a whole, LARGE rack of ribs so we have plenty for dinner tomorrow night. If we had seen a plate before we ordered we would have split the dinner.
We were enjoying the perfect “sitting out” weather when a new neighbor walked by. He (Bob) joined us, then a couple (Jim & Sharon) from the other side of us came over (we had spoken with Jim earlier) and then Bob’s wife (Loretta) came out. Jim & Sharon are really new (1 week!!) full timers. Non-stop talking & a buddy burner made for a great evening.
Saturday, May 09, 2009
May 4th to 9th - Laughlin NV
May 4th to 9th - Laughlin NV
We checked in here for a week before we knew there would be an unseasonable hot spell in the weather. The 6th through today have been over 100 degrees - yesterday & today officially 103. So any plans to ride bikes around the large RV park were abandoned. We have done a lot of walking along the river walk to various casinos. The casinos have not been nice to us but you can keep cool in them. The air conditioner in our 5th wheel cannot keep up with mid afternoon heat so it gets to about 85. Any movement causes sweating! I even put my convection toaster oven outside to cook dinner.
We have also done some driving around the area but there is not much to see. We have already been to Oatman so didn’t go there again. Cars started arriving yesterday for a big car show so they have been parked all over town. We found a swap meet today and are going to meet a vendor when we leave here tomorrow to buy a couple of TV mounts that he had at home.
We checked in here for a week before we knew there would be an unseasonable hot spell in the weather. The 6th through today have been over 100 degrees - yesterday & today officially 103. So any plans to ride bikes around the large RV park were abandoned. We have done a lot of walking along the river walk to various casinos. The casinos have not been nice to us but you can keep cool in them. The air conditioner in our 5th wheel cannot keep up with mid afternoon heat so it gets to about 85. Any movement causes sweating! I even put my convection toaster oven outside to cook dinner.
We have also done some driving around the area but there is not much to see. We have already been to Oatman so didn’t go there again. Cars started arriving yesterday for a big car show so they have been parked all over town. We found a swap meet today and are going to meet a vendor when we leave here tomorrow to buy a couple of TV mounts that he had at home.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Apr 30th to May 3rd - Hemet, Laughlin NV
Apr 30th - Thurs - Hemet
Did some shopping today. Quite a few uses ago, my convection toaster oven started burning the top of everything. We checked 4 stores before finding what I wanted at Target. Then Terry spotted an ice maker there that he just had to have so we got it too.
Barry & Yvonne invited us over for dinner amd we enjoyed a great steak meal. We also enjoyed sitting out on the front porch after dinner.
May 1st - Fri - Hemet
Worked on emails and tried to plan our next three weeks this morning before doing laundry. Grabbed a very good hamburger poolside at the RV park before Barry & Yvonne picked us up to go golfing again. We went to Seven Hills GC. Summer rates started today so it cost $14 for 18 holes and a cart. The course was in great shape. I could get used to this type & price of golf!
I put a roast into the crock pot before we left so just had to do potatoes & veggies for a great dinner for all of us. The weather was absolutely perfect to sit out after dinner and enjoy a buddy burner for a while.
May 2nd - Sat - Hemet
Barry & Yvonne took us on a big sightseeing loop today. They picked us up at 8:30 and we headed towards the coast. An hour drive took us to a huge golf store where Barry & Yvonne both bought a new club. Then on to a large outdoor swap meet/market. The weather was lovely for walking up & down the whole place.
From there we stopped for lunch and then went to Newport Beach. We took a tiny ferry to Balboa Island, squeezed through the very narrow streets and off the other end by a bridge. We intended to head south a bit and then go to Capistrano but our tour guide kind of missed the turn so we got to see more scenery and came back via Oceanside.
Back to our rig to water & feed Dolly and then to a Chinese restaurant across the street for dinner. We are leaving tomorrow so we said goodbye to Barry & Yvonne after dinner.
May 3rd - Sun - to Laughlin NV
We did one of our “change our minds as we’re driving” routines today and ended up in Laughlin instead of Pahrump as planned. We are meeting my cousin Pat & her husband Rick in 3 weeks so figured we had some time to burn.
Most of our drive today was though miles of nothing in the Mojave Desert (Hwy 40). Quite a few hills. It was very warm when we checked into the Riverside Casino RV park. We relaxed outside for a while and chatted with some neighbors. Then we went to see Robosaurus - a huge robot that shoots flames from its nostrils and crushes cars in its claws & jaws. Why? Because it was nearby and we can add it to our “quirky” list.
Of course this lead us to a casino. For a change, Terry won enough small amount at the slots that we broke even when we left at 9:15. Talked to Marg (sister) on the phone and cooked a couple of lovely artichokes for dinner.
Did some shopping today. Quite a few uses ago, my convection toaster oven started burning the top of everything. We checked 4 stores before finding what I wanted at Target. Then Terry spotted an ice maker there that he just had to have so we got it too.
Barry & Yvonne invited us over for dinner amd we enjoyed a great steak meal. We also enjoyed sitting out on the front porch after dinner.
May 1st - Fri - Hemet
Worked on emails and tried to plan our next three weeks this morning before doing laundry. Grabbed a very good hamburger poolside at the RV park before Barry & Yvonne picked us up to go golfing again. We went to Seven Hills GC. Summer rates started today so it cost $14 for 18 holes and a cart. The course was in great shape. I could get used to this type & price of golf!
I put a roast into the crock pot before we left so just had to do potatoes & veggies for a great dinner for all of us. The weather was absolutely perfect to sit out after dinner and enjoy a buddy burner for a while.
May 2nd - Sat - Hemet
Barry & Yvonne took us on a big sightseeing loop today. They picked us up at 8:30 and we headed towards the coast. An hour drive took us to a huge golf store where Barry & Yvonne both bought a new club. Then on to a large outdoor swap meet/market. The weather was lovely for walking up & down the whole place.
From there we stopped for lunch and then went to Newport Beach. We took a tiny ferry to Balboa Island, squeezed through the very narrow streets and off the other end by a bridge. We intended to head south a bit and then go to Capistrano but our tour guide kind of missed the turn so we got to see more scenery and came back via Oceanside.
Back to our rig to water & feed Dolly and then to a Chinese restaurant across the street for dinner. We are leaving tomorrow so we said goodbye to Barry & Yvonne after dinner.
May 3rd - Sun - to Laughlin NV
We did one of our “change our minds as we’re driving” routines today and ended up in Laughlin instead of Pahrump as planned. We are meeting my cousin Pat & her husband Rick in 3 weeks so figured we had some time to burn.
Most of our drive today was though miles of nothing in the Mojave Desert (Hwy 40). Quite a few hills. It was very warm when we checked into the Riverside Casino RV park. We relaxed outside for a while and chatted with some neighbors. Then we went to see Robosaurus - a huge robot that shoots flames from its nostrils and crushes cars in its claws & jaws. Why? Because it was nearby and we can add it to our “quirky” list.
Of course this lead us to a casino. For a change, Terry won enough small amount at the slots that we broke even when we left at 9:15. Talked to Marg (sister) on the phone and cooked a couple of lovely artichokes for dinner.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Apr 27th to 29th - Hemet CA
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.
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.
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.
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