Grand Canyon Views

Sunset Crater, Wupatki Pueblo and The Grand Canyon!

We left Distant Drums RV Resort at 8:45 a.m. to head north to the Grand Canyon. Gordon had spoken with Fred (his photographer friend) and some of his friends and it was recommended that we enter at the eastern rim of the canyon. There were also some sights to see on the way. The drive was uneventful thank goodness and we noticed along the way that apparently you aren’t someone unless you have a horse corral in your front yard! We got through Flagstaff and headed north, our first stop to be Sunset Crater Volcano.

Sunset Crater first erupted in the winter of 1064-65. It is the most recent in a six-million-year history of volcanic activity in the Flagstaff area. What is now a 1,000 foot high volcano began to form when molten rock sprayed high into the air from a crack in the ground, solidified, then fell to Earth as large bombs or smaller cinders. As periodic eruptions continued over the next 200 years, the heavier debris accumulated around the vent. The lightest, smallest particles were carried the farthest by wind, dusting 800 square miles of northern Arizona with ash. Perhaps as spectacular as the original eruption were two lava flows, the Kana-a in 1064 and the Bonito in 1180. They destroyed all living things in their path.

We walked on the lava flow, walked along the pathway and took some photos. One of the photos I took is above. It’s very pretty to see all the black lava-like sand with the green trees against the blue sky.

Then we stopped at the Wupatki ruins. To me this is history and I’m not a history type person but these ruins of the pueblo were interesting because it was all red rock like the rocks at Sedona.

We then headed on to the eastern rim of the Grand Canyon. Glad we purchased the National Parks Pass last year. We’ve gotten our moneys worth. It’s $20 to enter the park if you don’t have the pass. We stopped first at the Desert View overlook and a nice lady took our picture on my camera and it is included with today’s blog. We then stopped at almost all of the viewpoints going toward the south rim mainly looking for a good spot for sunset photos. We saw lots of rock, canyons and trees. It is indeed a place to see and I’m glad we went (even though it was a very long day and today I feel like I’ve been pulled through a knothole) however I have to say that the Sedona area with all the red rock is prettier (again in my opinion) and I think Big Bend National Park is also prettier and more interesting. I have however included some photos taken of the Grand Canyon.

We wound up leaving the park just before sunset after taking some photos in the golden light. The sun was bright and there were no clouds so we decided to head back. We left through the southern rim exit and drove toward Williams hoping to find a Taco Bell for dinner.

Not much by way of fast food in Williams but it was interesting to see the town. This apparently is where a lot of people stay when going to the park. It is quite a distance though probably an hour’s drive to get to the south rim.

We continued on, not finding a sign for Taco Bell anywhere even going through Flagstaff. We didn’t get off the Interstate relying on the signs so decided to head back to Camp Verde where we knew there was a Taco Bell. We arrived back at the RV at 8:45 p.m., a very full 12 hours, traveling 340 miles!

Vegged Out Today!

Low 26
High 66

Today Bib and I vegged while Gordon went shooting photos with Fred. Before Gordon left this morning we signed up for one more day here so we can travel through Phoenix on Sunday. Hopefully the traffic will be better on Sunday.

I recorded our monthly expenses, read a bit both inside and outside, went for a couple of walks and packed a lunch for us to take tomorrow on our journey to the Grand Canyon. It’s supposed to be a high of 50Fand sunny at the Canyon tomorrow. The low is 11F but hopefully we won’t see that temperature. We’re leaving fairly early but not before dawn but will probably stay for sunset.

No photos today. My camera is being charged in preparation for tomorrow!

Snoopy laying on his doghouse with Woodstock on his nose

Sedona scenery

Sandra on hiking trail

Beautiful Area but Too Cold!

27F this morning. I think we won’t be staying here another week as we had talked about. Beautiful area but too freaking cold! They even shut the water off in the campground last night. Not that that’s a big deal as we have our own water on board.

Slow start this morning but this afternoon we headed into Sedona for more photo shooting. Gordon is still wiped from yesterday’s shooting from before dawn to after sunset and he has another day planned like that tomorrow. Then we’re off to the Grand Canyon on Thursday for the day, weather permitting.

We drove around and took pictures of the Sedona area. Awesome scenery here! We stopped in the downtown area and looked around the shops for an hour but didn’t see anything I liked better than my money that I could afford anyway. So all I have to show for today are lots of photos. We got home about 6:45 p.m. so it was a full afternoon.

Monday Monday

This morning’s temperature at 7:15 a.m. was 29F. Brrr! But, by 8:20 a.m. it was 39F and warmed up to 61F and was sunny. Mesa days were bright blue sky while here the sky does have some cloud. It’s definitely cooler here but quite pleasant in the sun. I think Mesa is also getting cooler weather right now.

Gordon left before dawn to take sunrise photos and then was picking up Fred, the photographer that we met yesterday and going to Jerome.

• Jerome is located on top of Cleopatra Hill at 5,200 feet. Once known as the wickedest town in the west, Jerome was a copper mining camp and grew from a settlement of tents to a roaring mining community. Four fires destroyed large sections of the town during its early history resulting in the incorporation of the City of Jerome in 1899. Founded in 1876 it was once the fourth largest city in the Arizona Territory. The population peaked at 15,000 in the 1920’s and when the Depression of the 1930’s slowed the mining operation, the population dwindled to around 50. It was promoted as a historic ghost town.. In 1967 Jerome was designated a National Historic District and today is a thriving tourist and artist community with a population of around 450. The town sits above what was the largest copper mine in Arizona and produced 3 million pounds of copper per month. Men and women from all over the world made their way to Arizona to find work and a new way of life. Today the mines are not worked and Jerome has become the largest ghost town in America.

While the boys were out taking photos, I stayed at home with Bib and got my housecleaning done, went for a few walks and took a few photos.

The park has really filled up today. Looks like a rally of hi low trailers plus a bunch of others. We now have neighbors on all sides but no one behind us yet.

Yesterday when we were at Fred and Nan’s house a couple of havelina happened by their front door right in the city of Sedona! I snapped a quick photo which is above.

Facts about the Javelina (pronounced Havelina)

• Collared Peccary (Javelina) is the only wild, native pig-like animal found in the United States
• They are called Javelina because of their razor-sharp tusks, Spanish for javelin or spear.
• You may smell a peccary before you see it.
• The prickly pear is ideal food for the Collared Peccary due to its high water content.
• Collared Peccary have poor eyesight and good hearing.

Our site - #111 at Distant Drums RV Resort, Camp Verde, AZ

Meeting New People!

This morning Gordon was out taking sunrise photos while I had a slow start and after our walks took another nap. I knew today would be a busy day as we had made arrangements to go to the home of one of the guys that Gordon has met through pbase.com, another photographer who lives in Sedona. We were to be at their house for 2:00 p.m.

We left at noon not because it’s far away but because Gordon wanted to scout out photo opportunities. There are certainly a lot of them in this area. Sedona itself is a very pretty little city surrounded by red rock mountains of different shapes. The adobe architecture is beautiful! There is not much by way of shopping here but there are all kinds of galleries and craft places. After our photo scouting mission, we arrived at the home of Nan & Fred on time and enjoyed our afternoon, the guys talking photography and places to photograph and the ladies talking about painting and crafting. Nan is taking both oil and watercolor lessons and has done some excellent paintings. She enjoys doing portraits and is really good at facial features. We then went to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, Judi’s in Sedona.

Gordon and Fred are getting together tomorrow and heading over to Jerome while Nan is at one of her painting courses and I’m being a drudge and doing housework and spending some time with Bib as he was all alone all day.

Tonight is TV!

Photos today are of a Sedona scene and the four of us at the restaurant.

On to the Sedona Area

After yesterday’s cloudiness and last night’s extraordinary sunset, today dawned bright and sunny in Mesa. We only had two cloudy days in the three weeks we spent in Mesa.

We got packed up and were leaving the park by 9:15 a.m. and got through Phoenix by about 10:10 a.m. There was a lot of traffic northbound on I-17 just on our way out of Phoenix but that was only for a short while then it cleared out. We stopped at a rest area at Sunset Point and took a couple of photos but other than that the trip was good. We arrived at our campground, Distant Drums RV Resort at about 11:45 a.m. and got set up in good time. Distant Drums is a new resort, 2 years and 4 months old and unlike Mesa, we’re back in the country so it’s only a short walk for sunset shots.

After we were set up we took a drive to Montezuma Castle which is very close by. We had seen the sign on I-17 at our exit. Montezuma Castle is cliff dwellings that were built by the Sinaugua farmers early in the 12th century and then were abandoned in the 1400’s. No one seems to know why. A photo of the cliff dwellings is posted above.

After that we drove into Camp Verde to have a look at the town. It looked very much like we thought a western town should look and we’ll probably take some photos of it another day. We then returned home and I read some of the literature that we picked up at the Chamber of Commerce in town and had a nap.

We walked out to the vacant land beside the park (I think it’s their expansion area) and took some photos of the sunset. It wasn’t as impressive as last night’s and my battery was about to give out so I came back and took Bib out for a walk. He hasn’t wanted to go outside much when in Mesa due to all the noise so he seemed quite keen here.

Tonight it’s hamburger stew for dinner and TV.

Highway Art

A few days ago I commented on how beautiful the retainer walls were along the highways of the Phoenix area. Here are just a few photos that I managed to snap on our way through today. Some might not be very clear but you get the idea.

Our Goodbye to Mesa Sunset!

Since Friday had been cloudy all day we were very happy to have this beautiful sunset for our last night in Mesa!

Mesa Market

Today dawned cloudy but it’s managed to get to 65F. I had decided yesterday that I was going to the Swap Meet on Baseline Road today so after the usual walks this morning, we got ready to go. It’s only a short distance away and I happened to see it the day we drove to Globe. You can see it from US Route 60. It’s actually called Mesa Market. It consists of some 1600 booths and is one of Arizona’s largest covered swap meets. It is housed in a type of warehouse and has free parking and free entrance. Unlike the one we attended over in Phoenix when we first arrived here, this place actually had some really good stuff. We were only there for two hours (that’s usually all my back will allow) so although I walked the whole market, I didn’t go into every shop. They had everything from lawn ornaments to cactus to clothing and also a restaurant and a few snack food counters. Both Gordon and I bought a couple of things each. I saw lots of things I would have purchased if I had still been working and still had a stick house!

When I got back I fell asleep watching the History Channel’s uncovering of the Scorpion King Tomb.

Since we’re heading north from here to the Sedona area, I decided when I was out shopping for groceries yesterday to make my hamburger stew so today I put it all together and it’s now simmering on the stove. I always like to have something ready for us to eat when we get to a new place. I don’t usually feel much like cooking after riding all day and then setting up. Tomorrow’s drive shouldn’t be very long. Probably the worst part will be getting through the city.

We still have some breaking down to do today as we want to get an early start tomorrow so will be putting away the barbecue and lawn furniture and emptying the tanks today.

We’ve enjoyed this area very much but the traffic is starting to get to Gordon so it will be fun to move on and see some different things. I’m not looking forward to the weather change, but who knows, maybe the warmer weather will follow us north. Reports are that there will be snow in Flagstaff tomorrow but Camp Verde is not at a very high elevation so the weather should be much better. Our plans are to go to the Grand Canyon sometime this week so we’ll probably see some snow anyway!

The photos today were taken at the market.

Laundry, Groceries & Dinner Out!

Today was a busy day for me. Again Bib wasn’t interested in going out this morning so we ambushed him right off the bat and I took him down to a grassy area by one of the dumpsters. We ran about half way there just to keep him going in the right direction. Then on to my own walk.

When I got back I collected the dirty laundry and got that done and while the clothes were drying, I took a shower. One of the showers is right next to the laundry room so I was able to ‘multitask’.

After putting the clothes away back at the RV, I had lunch and got ready to go out to get groceries. I wound up stopping at an Albertson’s because I hadn’t been able to get a seasoned salt at WalMart last time that didn’t have either black pepper or something that Gordon is allergic to in it. Then I stopped at Dollar Tree to get something to put some of my junk in and on to WalMart on E. Southern. After returning to the RV and putting away groceries I lay down for a while to rest my back, read my book and then had a brief nap and watched some TV.

Tonight we went out to a place that was recommended in one of the park newsletters. It’s called Villa del Sol on Country Club Drive and was supposed to be a quaint and charming Mexican restaurant. As it turned out, we were the only customers in the place other than people coming in for take out. It was located in a small strip mall and the ambience left a lot to be desired but I didn’t have to cook, that’s the good thing. The food was okay and that’s about all I can say about it.

The photos are of Gordon and I at the restaurant.

More Photography!

Today dawned bright and sunny again. Bib has decided he doesn’t like going to the doggie park because of the construction noise, I guess so it took forever to get him to go outside this morning so I went for my walk first then eventually Gordon and I ambushed him and took him outside. Lucky for Bib we’re only here for another three days. Our next site, I think, will be more rural.

After computer games and watching TV, I decided that since it’s going to be much cooler where we’re going I shouldn’t be wasting a nice sunny day so went outside with my book for a couple of hours.

At about 3:30 p.m. Gordon came out and said he was going out shooting photos so I decided to go with him so got the dog fed and loaded in the truck and we headed toward Saguaro Lake taking some photos along the way of the Bulldog Cliffs and Salt River. There aren’t many places to pull over around Saguaro Lake but it was nice to look at. We also stopped and walked a bit on the Great Western Trail.

The Great Western Trail is a 3000 mile shared-use backcountry route from Canada to Mexico. Arizona’s 800 mile portion of the trail uses back roads that traverse rugged and beautiful country with many points of discovery along the way.

Then back home for dinner and TV and to get my blog done before Lost comes on!

The photo today is of a couple of Saguaro Cactus at sunset.

Happy Valentine's Day!

We don’t do anything special for Valentine’s Day. It’s just another day to us. We’re happy to be doing what we want to do and being together.

We had a bit of cloud today but it still managed a respectable 79F so after lolling around most of the morning I sat outside and read for a bit but feeling a bit under the weather, came in and rested inside so not much to report today!

The photo today is of a cactus in the park decorated for Valentine's Day.

Shopping!

Palm Tree Gets Mooned

Another slow start today but I had decided yesterday that I was going to go to the Superstition Springs Mall today so I headed out around 11:00 a.m. It’s only a few blocks away. It looked like a really large mall but once I was inside it wasn’t that big even though it does have lots of anchor stores-Sears, Penney, Robinson-May, Dillards and Borders is just being added as well as a large theater complex. I did come home with one item but I can’t say what it was as it’s a gift for someone. Other than that I had a nice free chair massage at GNC which revitalized me so my back wasn’t nearly so sore when I got home today. Usually all that walking on a hard surface is a killer for the low back. I also had a peaceful lunch in the food court.

Gordon and I had talked about finding a different way to go north out of Mesa rather than using the route we came in on so today we headed out around 2:30 p.m. to take the new 202 which is a new loop road that is partially built. They are actually building the south-east portion right behind the park where we are staying. It looked like 202 joined with I-17 but in fact it ends at I-10 and takes you through a very busy part of the city so back to the drawing board there. We did however come back on another loop road – 101 and I think this is the road we’ll take north to I-17. Traffic was very busy today for mid-afternoon on a Monday. Couldn’t believe it and it didn’t appear to be all snowbirds as most of the license plates were Arizona. Our question is always – doesn’t anyone work anymore?

This area has some very pretty artistic walls that border the freeways. Some are the red adobe and others are gray and beige but nearly all of them have some design, either an Aztec type or some type of animals, Indians, cactus or lizards usually with some sort of inlay. It makes our boring freeway walls look just that…boring….I’m going to try to get a photo. Maybe I’ll be able to take some on the way out on Saturday. Hopefully it won’t be so busy.

When we got back I took my walk around the park then came back to find that I had an email from the park at Camp Verde called Distant Drums. I had sent an email this morning to see if they could accommodate us for next week and they replied in the affirmative so I’ve just emailed them back to say that we’ll be there. So on Saturday morning we’ll be heading north to Camp Verde which is about 20 miles south of Sedona. There’s not much in the way of RV parks in Sedona and the one that is there is VERY expensive.

Another TV and internet/computer game evening.

A Really Really Lazy Day!

Finch on our feeder

After our trip yesterday, I was tired today so called this my lazy day. After walks and breakfast, I sat outside and read for a while. While I was out there I returned a phone call to my younger sister, Margie and got to talk to her and my niece, Danica. It was sunny and cold -21C in Ottawa compared to our 80F and sunny here in Mesa.

After reading for a while, it was getting hot in the sun and I don’t like to sit in the sun long. Our site gets a lot of sun and even with the awning up it doesn’t help much so I came inside and had a nap and read some more.

I just got back from my late afternoon walk. Gordon has gone out to take photos of the moon which is rising before sunset so thought I would take this opportunity before dinner to get my blog updated.

I think the high point of today will be my phone call with my sister and my favorite TV night!

Our Saturday in Arizona

Our day pales in comparison to Danica’s news above.

Today we decided to see some more of the country. We have mentioned that we’ve gone to Tortilla Flat a couple of times and that the road beyond SR88 becomes a one lane gravel road however it does continue onward and joins up with SR188 out of Globe, AZ at the Roosevelt Dam. So today we decided to see what the other end of SR88 looks like.

Hwy 60 which is a freeway going through Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa becomes a four lane road and then a two lane road just outside of the city. The Renaissance Festival which takes places yearly here just started today so the traffic wasn’t that great but we got through it and on our merry way. We drove east on Hwy 60 through a few small towns.

We reached Globe, AZ around 11:00 a.m. and visited the Tourist Information Centre. These places are always a wealth of information. There was a lady at this one who gave us all sorts of information about the three copper mines which also mine turquoise and how only one is now in operation. She recommended visiting rebuilt Indian Ruins at Globe called Besh Ba Gowah. I didn’t go into the ruins but Gordon did and he will be posting photos on pbase at www.pbase.com/merriwolf. I did take some photos from outside the gates.

After that we continued north on Hwy 188 to Indian Cliff Dwellings. Again Gordon climbed ½ mile straight up to the dwellings and I stayed with Bib. My back doesn’t like these kinds of climbs. I prefer my walks around the RV park. Then we drove to Roosevelt Dam which is at the north end of Hwy 88 or Apache Trail. They have a beautiful bridge there called the Roosevelt Lake Bridge which is pictured above as well as Roosevelt Dam also pictured above.

Then we headed back to the park arriving home around 4:20 p.m., had dinner and I just returned from my walk around the park. Now it’s an evening of Law & Order!

Danica Wins!

Last week I got an email from my sister telling me that her daughter, my niece won a $500.00 scholarship so I got an email from that niece today telling me that she had gotten her picture taken accepting the cheque and referring me to a website so I have downloaded the information and picture for my blog.

Danica, we are so proud of you!

Both our niece and nephew are doing so well. Must be thanks to their upbringing so congratulations Margie and John, you’re doing a great job!

Here’s the writeup from the website. The photo is above.

PIERRE POILIEVRE PRESENTS SCHOLARSHIP TO DANICA DE JONG
February 9, 2006 - Pierre Poilievre today presented the Youth Scholarship for Crime-Fighting contest winner with a $500.00 scholarship sponsored by Scotiabank. Last August when Poilievre was working as an assistant to a police officer to learn more about crime fighting and community safety, he announced a scholarship contest for the student who submits the best community safety idea to his website. Poilievre, the police officer judges and Scotiabank are pleased to present Danica DeJong as the winner.

A Much Nicer Day!

Today dawned bright and sunny but only 47F when I got up. Gordon had gotten up and headed out before sunrise for photography so Bib and I got our walks over with as well as breakfast and then I did some interneting and TV watching until he returned at around 11:00 a.m.

He had gone back to Tortilla Flat and beyond but 5 miles past Tortilla Flat the paved road ends and about two miles past that goes down to one lane so he didn’t go any further. One lane mountain roads are reminiscent of going to see the elk in the mountains near Waynesville, NC. Not fun especially in a one ton truck!

I had a fast lunch and then headed out to get some groceries. Almost out of orange juice again! I stopped at the Goodwill Store to see what they had. Sometimes they have great bargains but this one had junk, then on to the 99¢ store. Picked up a few groceries there and then on to WalMart. I had a pair of jogging pants to exchange or return and I wound up returning them. I got my groceries and then headed back to the RV arriving around 3:00 p.m. Traffic was really heavy on Southern Ave. outside the RV Park. Had to wait for a long time before some nice person in a truck stopped to let me turn left.

My back was not in good shape when I got back so I lay down for a while and it’s much better now.

Gordon went back out for sunset and I decided to stay here and relax some more.

Temperature today got to about 75F, just beautiful.

TV and internet on the agenda for tonight.

Photos today are someone’s idea of decorating for Valentine’s Day and sunrise on the cactus. You can see the outside edges reflecting the sun.

Not much going on today!

Wow! When I got up this morning at 7:20 a.m. it was 67F but cloudy! There was a bit of a breeze blowing so Bib and I headed out to the doggie walk area. It is near a construction site and with all the noise of booms lowering etc. Bib, my wimpie little dog gets scared so we had to come back and go down the street to a grassy area near one of the dumpsters. All comes with dog ownership! I went for my walk after that and came back and got ready for Gordon and I to take the truck in for its 78,000 km check. That only took about an hour so since we had taken the freeway to get there, we took the scenic road back along Baseline (yes, there is a Baseline Road here too). Lots of shopping and office areas along Baseline but hadn’t been in that area before so since we were there anyway…….

Other than that, I played some word games on the computer this afternoon. I’ve downloaded Scrabble and Flip Words, both good word games.

It’s been cloudy all day today and the temperature reached about 77F late this afternoon. The wind picked up for an hour or so around 3:00 p.m. so I decided to take my afternoon walk early in case it got worse or blew in rain. I always take my camera and today I was looking at someone’s grapefruit tree when the owner opened the window of his park model and told me to pick some grapefruit for myself. He and his wife are on cholesterol drugs so they can’t eat grapefruit. So I picked two and brought them home. They are huge!

It’s been 114 days here without rain and there was none in the forecast, but you never know! It’s so dry here that you can see rainclouds but the rain never hits the ground. Amazing!

When Gordon and I got back to the RV this morning, he didn’t have a picture of the day for his pbase photos so we walked around the park a bit and he took a few photos. His photo gallery can be found at http://www.pbase.com/merriwolf.

The photos for today are of a red rose, one of many on a beautiful rose bush and an orange tree.

Tortilla Flat

Today we dropped Bib at Smoochie Poochie, the dog groomer for 9:00 a.m. He wasn’t impressed and neither were we but they seemed to have lots of clientele. There were three lady groomers in what looked like a small red barn (a sort of shed). I gather from when we picked him up that he was not a good boy. The one groomer commented “he really doesn’t like to be groomed, does he”. Anyway he’s trying to make up by being cute and rolling around on the couch. One of today’s photos is of Bib after we got home from the groomers.

Anyway, while Bib was at the doggie spa, we again headed north on the Apache Trail, our destination being Tortilla Flat. We hadn’t taken any photos of the small town (population-6) when we were there last week as there were too many vehicles in front of the buildings. We got there early enough today so there weren’t so many. Another of today’s photos is of the restaurant/gift shop where we each had a $2.00 cup of coffee. It must have been the ambiance! The restaurant is kind of neat. People from all over the world have been there and the waitress will put a dollar bill (or whatever you want to give her) up on the wall. Consequently, the walls are covered in money! They claim not to know how much is on the walls but now you need a ladder to get to an empty spot. We took lots of photos of the town and Canyon Lake and the area. Another photo for today is of Canyon Lake and the mountains behind it. The other photo is self explanatory.

History of Tortilla Flat

Prior to 1906, this location was a welcome stop for travelers on the Yavapai Trail which connected Tonto Basin with the Salt River Valley. In 1906 the trail, now known as the Apache Trail, was completed as a freight road for the construction of Roosevelt Dam. Tortilla Flat became an important water and supply stop on this road. The Apache Trail is now Arizona State Route 88, but Tortilla Flat remains a welcome stop.

On our return to the RV after picking up the dog, I decided to get laundry out of the way. I’ve been putting it off far too long so that’s done.

We’ve also been trying to decide today if we wanted to follow through on our plan to go to Tucson on Saturday, to head north to the Sedona area or stay in this area. We decided to stay where we are for another week as we still have things to see in this area and maybe by then Sedona will have warmed up a bit more.

It was another bright sunny day here – about 85F at the high point. It also got to be 90F inside the RV but we haven’t turned on the air conditioning since we’ve been here. Dry heat is so much easier to take than humidity. I’m sure I’ll remember the dry heat next year when we’re dripping from the humidity in Florida.

A Very Pretty Sunset!

This morning Gordon left before sunrise again to do his photography. Since Bib had gotten up really early and Gordon let him out about 5:00 a.m. he actually let me sleep till 7:45 a.m. Then we did our walks and breakfast.

Gordon came in mid morning just as I was getting ready to vacuum. So I got the cleaning done and sat outside and read for a while. I bought a cheap AM/FM radio when I was out yesterday to help keep me entertained when I’m sitting outside and also for walking. I didn’t bother with a CD player as we don’t have that many music CDs and no room to store them so good old AM/FM will have to do!

After lunch I decided to go and find the Dollar Tree (it’s an American dollar store similar to our Dollarama in Ontario) where everything does cost $1.00. Amazing how dollar stores have turned into $1.00 and up these days. Also like Dollarama, their merchandise is usually very good. This is where I buy my bags for doggie walking. They are actually for diapers but work well for dogs too. You get 100 for $1.00 unlike the actual doggie bags which are about 40 for between $3.00 and $4.00. The quality isn’t as good in the ones I get but they work for us!

So I found Dollar Tree, got my bags and a few other items and also went to Big Lots. I picked up a few things there as well. There was a Crafters Market too and I toured that but didn’t buy anything. If I still had my craft room though………

Came back and packaged up all the meat I bought yesterday. They put meat in such large Styrofoam containers these days and with my small freezer I can pack in much more by repackaging.

As I was sitting down to write tonight’s blog, Gordon said he was going out for sunset photos so I decided to go along. We headed north to Hwy 87 looking to photograph Red Mountain from the north side. Then we drove through a very high end part of Scottsdale. Very nice houses! Almost felt like we couldn’t afford to drive through the place. Then we headed back toward Mesa on the Bush Hwy taking some photos of the sun shining on the mountains and then stopping just before coming in to Mesa and took photos of sunset, one of which is shown here. Then to Taco Bell for dinner.

When we got back at about 7:30 p.m. I went for my walk and then we settled in for a night of TV.

Off to Wally World!

This morning it was quite windy but almost 55F when I went to walk Bib so it was quite pleasant. Also on my walk this morning I got to talk to the owner of the other Titanium here. They are from Stratford, Ontario and are here till February 19th. It’s the first time I had seen someone around their RV.

Yesterday I had decided that I needed to shop for groceries today. We ran out of lots of things this morning including bananas and orange juice so off I went to Sprouts as I’ve been told that their fruit and vegetables were good. Their store is much like Rainbow Foods in Ottawa except it has a large produce section and meats as well but does have the vitamins, breads and some gluten free foods as well.

After I finished there I headed to Wally World to part with lots of $. For some reason every time I go there for groceries I come out with over $100 of stuff. Where do I put it in an RV? Who knows? I decided to drive myself today as Gordon doesn’t enjoy grocery stores and sitting in the truck today waiting for a couple of hours would have been very hot. It reached 78F today on our indoor/outdoor thermometer.

When I came back I read for a while (inside) and tried to take a nap. I was trying to rest my lower back as it gets sore when shopping these days. Decided I wasn’t tired so made potato salad for dinner tonight and then we went to take our showers.

I need to go back to the recreation centre to their library and turn in three books and get some new ones. I love the lending libraries at RV parks. Some of them are huge. The one here is quite large but I think the largest one was in Surrey, BC.

Not much new and exciting today!

The photo today is of some of the palm trees in the park. These are very tall.

A Cactus Forest

This morning started as usual with walking and breakfast. I was happy to see it was 51F this morning, unusually warm. In the morning the birds are singing and it sounds like spring in Ontario.

We had planned to drive to Saguaro Lake but it was cloudy so since I was still tired I went back to bed and read for a while and then back to sleep. I woke up shortly after noon and felt lots better.

It was looking a bit sunnier so we decided to drive up to Saguaro Lake anyway. On the way we stopped at Michaels and I bought the wood plaque for our names to hang on the front of the RV when we’re in a park. When it’s done, I’ll take a picture of it but don’t expect it any time soon.

We headed north on Power Rd which turned into the Bush Hwy and into the Tonto National Forest. There are some very pretty mountains and lots of cactus of all kinds. The picture today is a forest of chainfruit cholla cactus that we saw. There are a number of recreation areas along the Bush Hwy but all of them require a $4.00 fee. Since we’re only going to take a few photos and move on, we’re not interested in paying $4.00 to do so. It would be different if we were spending the day of part of the day there so we left. We saw Saguaro Lake but there wasn’t really much place to take photos of it and besides the light wasn’t right so Gordon has now headed out (5:30 p.m.) for sunset to take some photos. I decided to stay behind and get dinner ready. I expect we’ll be going back up there this week.

We’ve noticed in the west that people use cattle guards often in place of fences. For those of you who have never traveled to the great west, cattle guards are horizontal steel rails placed at fence openings on highways to prevent cattle from crossing. For some reason the bovines will not step on the guards, probably because they fear getting their feet caught between the rails. We’ve seen these in British Columbia, Arizona and last year in Texas. I found it quite interesting that these things would keep cattle where you want them.

On our way back to Mesa a young coyote crossed the road in front of us with a small animal in his mouth. That’s only the second one we’ve seen, the other one being from our picture window over the fence at Catalina Spa at Desert Hot Springs. I would have thought we’d see them on BLM land at Brenda.

When we got back I went for my late afternoon walk again and took a few more photos around the park. There’s a bush of light pink roses in front of someone’s park model that are very pretty but people were outside so I didn’t photograph it. There are so many flowers out here, it’s just so beautiful!

I don’t expect much to happen for the rest of the day other than Desperate Housewives and Gray’s Anatomy!

Canada Day in Mesa, Arizona

Today after my morning walk and breakfast, I decided to go to the pool and spa. Gordon was busy interneting so I walked up to the pool and was just going through the gate when my sister, Betty called from Toronto. She said it was cloudy there but not cold but they are looking forward to their trip to Spain which is coming up shortly. We had a nice chat and then I sat by the pool for a couple of hours. I spent some time in the spa and then in the pool returning in time for lunch. While I ate lunch I sat outside in my lawnchair and read. It reached 83F today but very pleasant with no humidity!

Mid-afternoon we went for our showers to be ready for the potluck at 5 p.m. Canada Day is a yearly event here and apparently at most parks in the area. Each year it is hosted by residents from a different province and this year was hosted by Manitoba. We had a great meal. I’m still stuffed! They handed out information pamphlets about Manitoba and then we had a quiz. It so happened we had a retired teacher from Bell High School in Ottawa at our table so although Gordon and I completed the quiz for the table, Chad marked it and we got 100%. At our table was the couple from Ottawa, Aggie & Chad and Ken and Joyce from Regina. These potlucks are only for Canadians in the park. Apparently each state also has a potluck between now and the end of March.

When we got home I decided to take the garbage out and go for a walk. I didn’t walk nearly as far as I usually do in the late afternoon but it was nice walking in the evening.

After returning to the RV I checked my email and I had two emails from my nephew, Nicholas, one sending the promised pictures of his paramedic team and the baby they delivered which is my picture for today! My handsome nephew is the farthest on the right. Thanks for the photos Nick and it was great to hear from you!

Hot and Sunny!

This morning started as usual, Gordon left before sunrise to get photos, I walked the dog, walked me, and had breakfast. I had decided yesterday I wanted to go to the SwapMeet over in Phoenix. I had picked up a card at the tourist information place at the RV office giving us free admission. Sure glad we didn’t have to pay to get in! Mostly tacky junk, probably worse than Quartzsite. We saw the place (they claim it’s 3 acres indoors) in an hour and then headed back. I wanted to go to Michaels to get some wood to start our plaque but couldn’t find it on the way back. I checked on line when we got home and now I know where it is.

This afternoon I again sat outside. It was quite hot in the sun today and it probably got to 78F. Very nice day! The only difference was I didn’t have a nap!

When I came in I asked Gordon if he wanted to go to the tourist information place over on Apache Trail so we loaded the dog and ourselves in the truck and headed over there. It wasn’t much either so we continued on to the overlook that goes to Weavers Needle. I only had sandals on so I stayed with Bib. Also it was too hot to leave Bib in a closed up truck so Gordon walked the mile or so to take photos of the Needle.

Then back home and I again went for a long walk around the park. I can see a difference in myself when I do these walks twice a day. Other than my back, I feel better.

Gordon is now barbecuing some burgers for dinner. Tonight is one of my favorite TV nights – Ghost Whisperer and Close to Home.

Photos today are of a flowering cactus and a bottle brush tree.

Sunny and Warm!

This morning after walking Bib, I went for another long walk around the park by myself, then came back to do some internet and watched some TV before heading out for our showers at the park. I like to use the park showers if they are clean, less cleaning for me although when we do use them, Gordon is the one that uses the squeegee to wipe down the walls.

This afternoon I had my dentist appointment. Very nice people, lots of forms to fill out. I even had to have an x-ray as the dentist wanted to be sure that there was no fracture. Apparently an old filling has chipped and in his opinion the tooth needs a crown. He said he thought it could wait until I get home but no guarantees so I’ve decided to take my chances and wait as I don’t really want a crown. I’m hoping my dentist in Ottawa can remove the old filling and just put in a new one. Since I saw the ad in the magazine they have here at the RV park which had a coupon for free examination and free x-rays – NO CHARGE! I had visions of hundreds of dollars.

We stopped at a grocery on the way back so I could get some beans to make my Calico Bean recipe for the potluck on Saturday. It’s better made ahead of time so I’ll do it tonight.

I sat outside and read for a while when we came back, then fed & walked Bib and then Gordon and I went for a walk around the park. He wanted some bird photos. He did get a couple of shots but they weren’t close enough for me to photograph with my little camera.

It was another beautiful sunny day and it reached about 75F. It also hasn’t been getting so cold at night and was 47F when I got up this morning. Lots better than 32F that we had some mornings in Quarzsite!

Nothing else happening around here today!

Photos are of some flowering trees around the park.

Not Much Happening Today!

Today's photos-top to bottom:
Bird on a cactus
Bunny seen on my walk this afternoon
Sky view from my lawnchair

Gordon got up before sunrise and headed out to take photos. Bib and I went for our usual walk and after I brought him home I went for a real walk. I think I’ve covered most of the park by now. It’s interesting to see where people are from either from their license plate or plaque that they have hung somewhere. I haven’t seen anyone else here from Ontario but I have seen people from Manitoba, B.C. and Alberta. It will be interesting to see how many people are Canadian that turn up for the Canada Day potluck on Saturday.

I made an appointment for next week for Bib to get a haircut at Smoochie Poochie and made myself a dentist appointment for tomorrow. I chipped a front tooth before Christmas but we haven’t been in one place long enough or in an area that has dentists that can take you right away so I was lucky to find this dental office and close by. Let’s hope it’s a minor repair at least until I get home.

I had planned to go to the Mall but decided I was too lazy. There’s a SwapMeet this weekend that I’d like to attend and I think I’ll check that out first.

I’ve also been thinking about making a plaque for us with our names and where we’re from. I had hoped to find someone who would make one at Quartzsite but the only one that looked like it might make signs to order was never open when they were there. So, I thought I could go to Michael’s and get the wood (after all the wood I practically gave away for crafting when we sold the house), I have my paints. We have the expertise! I even have a wood burning tool if I decide to go that way rather than paint. Anyway it’s still in the planning.

Most of the morning I did interneting and watched TV. This afternoon I sat outside in the sun for a while where it was really hot although only about 70F and then moved to the shade where it was quite cool. I took another walk around the park and back to internet.

Today Started Out As Ho Hum!

Today started out very slowly. I was up early to walk the dog but still felt tired so after my walk around the park and breakfast, I lay down on the couch and read for a while and fell asleep. I got up and went to sit outside but it was a bit cool so I took my blanket and sat out and read and napped again.

This afternoon was partly cloudy and a bit windy and not a good day for sitting outside so we decided to go “scouting” for pictures. We wound up driving north on Apache Trail to a little bit past Tortilla Flat about 20 miles away. We saw some very pretty sites and took lots of photos. Mine are posted at: http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/smerrikin/album?.dir=9ae2 . Some of them haven’t been named yet as I haven’t found out the name of the mountains. We got back about 5:30 p.m. in time for a shower, walk the dog and make dinner.

I got an email today telling me that we have been named RVers of the month for February by RV Resources. Here’s the link: http://www.rvresources.com/links/rv_travelogues.php

RV Resources is an internet directory specializing in information on RV's. It has links to dealers, manufacturers, suppliers, rentals, service, insurance etc. The site is focused on providing the best information about RV's available on the internet.

Tonight is internet and TV!

Today’s photo is of Bib and I with Canyon Lake as the backdrop taken by my husband, Gordon.

Beautiful Day in Mesa!

When we arrived on Saturday we were to go to the office on Monday at 8:30 a.m. to get registered. So we showed up but were told that the office computers had locked up and to come back later.

Since groceries were the next on the list and Gordon wanted to do some more scouting for photos, we went to the WalMart on Apache Trail where he dropped me off. I got groceries, finally got my watch band resized and got my blood pressure reading to keep my doctor happy.

When Gordon got back from his scouting trip, we had coffee at the Subway at WalMart, then came back and unloaded the truck.

After putting groceries away, we headed back to the office but they were closed for lunch so we hung around, finally got registered and paid. While I was waiting I noticed they are having a “Canada Day” potluck on February 4th so I signed us up. More food!

It was such a bright, sunny and warm day when we got back to the RV, I put together my new folding table that I bought at WalMart to go with our outside chairs, sat outside and read and yes, again took a short nap. I spent about 1 ½ hours in the partial sun. Gordon had put the awning out but it didn’t keep all the sun off me so I lathered up with sun block. Then I took a long walk around the park looking for a photo to take to put on my blog. So, today’s photo is of the swimming pool and spa. I may spend some time there tomorrow as it’s supposed to be another beautiful day and even warmer than today.

We had a treat for dinner tonight. Gordon got out the BBQ and cooked chicken breasts. It’s been a long time since the BBQ has been out as by the time we eat dinner it’s usually too dark. They were yummy!

Now it’s back to the internet and TV for this evening.

Saturday Night and Sunday

When I uploaded my blog yesterday I thought that other than dinner and TV we were finished for the day but Gordon got his second wind and we headed east to see some of the sights. He was particularly interested in photographing the Superstition Mountains so we headed in that direction and wound up at the Lost Dutchman State Park where we took a few photos then to an “authentic” reproduction gold miner’s town called Goldfield Ghost Town which might have been authentic except for the phone booths, signs for jeep sightseeing trips and prices for the sightseeing trips that you would have been able to buy a farm for back in the 1800’s. Anyway, when we left I told Gordon that I didn’t have anything ready for dinner so he suggested we find a Taco Bell. I checked the internet before we left and found two on Apache Trail which was the road we were taking over to the mountains. So on our way back, we stopped there for dinner and watched the beautiful sunset. I did take a picture but with all the wires and signs, it isn’t much of a sunset photo.

This morning we were slow moving. After getting showers and sitting outside to read for a short time, it was noon! This afternoon, I again took my book outside and read a bit and I will admit had a short nap in the sun. It was very nice in the sun with a gentle breeze. Then I came in and asked Gordon if he wanted to drive over to the nearest WalMart SuperCenter so I could see where it is. I usually don’t mind driving as long as I know where I’m going. The traffic is bad getting out of the park and you do have to make a left turn on a 4 lane road. That will probably be the worst part. We found the WalMart and also a large shopping mall that I just might have to check out. If my back was the way it was five years ago I would walk to the mall, walk around and walk home but about two hours walking is all it can take these days and then it’s tightened up for a few days.

After we located WalMart, Gordon asked me where I wanted to go and I said I didn’t care so we headed for downtown Phoenix to see what it looks like. It’s about 20 miles away but we found it. Lots going on there, also lots of construction so Gordon took a few photos and then we headed south on I-10. I-10 is quite puzzling here and I don’t really know how to explain it but we had to double back and then came in on the new 202 Loop which isn’t finished so we took the last exit and came north to the park from there. We saw a lot more of the area anyway.

So tonight it’s hamburgers for dinner and my favourite shows – Desperate Housewives and Gray’s Anatomy.

Today’s photo is me at the “authentic reproduction” jail. I’ve posted a couple of other photos on my yahoo photos website at: http://ca.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/smerrikin/my_photos

For our original website go to: http://web.newsguy.com/gordonw/News/News.html Links to both our photo websites can be found here as well.