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Our Awesome Travels

Our Awesome Travels
Taken In Quartzsite Arizona Dec 7th 2015

Monday, December 03, 2007

December 2007, Arizona


I'm going to do Our Blog a little different than before, I will put newest entries at the top, so that you can quickly see when our last entry was.
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Mon. Dec.31, 2007

New Year's Eve party was a success, lotsa food music and dancing, a good time was had by all. Then Wed. Jan 3 we are enjoying very warm weather 22c (72f) and sunny. After supper it was still mild and we had a fire with our neighbours. Now Thursday morning and we are preparing for moving on Yuma etc.... not sure where our next internet connection will be but will find it somewhere.
pictures

Sun Dec.30th.

The weather overnight 0 c (32f)today 18c (65f) and sunny, warming up again.
Have had a nice quiet week, relaxing, showing Steve and Barb how to operate their new laptop computer and just puttering about. On friday we went and gathered some more Pecans to shell sometime this winter. We have about 6 lbs done already. Darts friday night and getting ready for big New Year's Eve Party at the Clubhouse. Then prepare to head put to the desert friday Jan. 4th. with Steve and Barb who want to try it out. Hope all have a Happy New Year!!

Christmas Eve and Day

Dec 24th Christmas Eve our Neighbours (Spud & Suzie) invited a few of us over to socialize in their RV. In was a fun evening.
Dec. 25th Christmas morning Suzie and I enjoyed the Yule log on TV and talking to family back home. Later Christmas day we had the Neighbours over for a non traditional Christmas dinner of Scallops, King Crab legs, Fettuccine Alfredo, Casar salad and Pumpkin Pecan pie for desert. There was 9 of us altogether. We had planned to do this outside but a very strong cool wind put us inside our RV, no problem. These neighbours are all full time RV'ers also. And we all just love it.
Christmas Day Pics

Sat. Dec 22

After a nice day outside, about 68f (20c) We went to the clubhouse for an nice potluck ham dinner, Lotsa food and deserts. Over 100 people there. Everyone brought a wrapped unmarked gift. They were put on the tables and as your number was called you went and picked one out and unwrapped for everyone to see. The next person could either take your gift or get a new one. This went on for about 3 hours and was a lot of fun. The good gifts we exchanged quickly but only 4 times then it could not be taken anymore.
The following day was a bad accident on the freeway outside the park, Traffic was stopped for hours while a helicopter came in the police investigated.
Fri. Dec 21

We went down to play darts after supper and had a good time. Suzie was right on and got 2 hat tricks , (3 darts in the bull's eye). Her 3rd in 2 years. ( None for me). A good time was had by all. One of the best players there is Gerry ( 92 years old).
Darts & Party Pics
Wed. Dec. 19th

I went shopping today for Christmas dinner of King Crab, Scallops, caesar salad, crab salad and Fettucini Alfredo. Returning from Casa Grande a couple pulled in beside us from Washington State. They just sold their house and went fulltime in September. He had worked with Spud ( across from us) for 10 years. We met them and sat outside at Spud and Suzies'. Next thing you know people dropped by, including the park managers and we had a gathering! Talk, socialize and refreshment while it was still warm out. Then Spud started a small fire to warm us up before a late supper. Impromptu get togethers are fun.
gathering Pics.
Sat. Dec. 15.

After Darts on friday night we took a drive Saturday morning through Tucson to Nogales Mexico. Arriving there we shopped at the duty free shop and crossed into Nogales. Checking out the sights and sounds and deals we ended up at Johnnies Pub in a back laneway. Very Friendly and inexpensive. Always a nice place to stop for refreshment and a rest. We then walked about a bit and back to the border about a 4 block line up to walk across, but only waited about 45 minutes. On the way Back we stopped at El Guero Canelo restaurant for some really awesome burritos and fixings at a very reasonable price.
some pics

Thurs. Dec 13th

We took a drive out into the country side, with Steve & Barb, past the Prison in the Desert to a spot where there were Pecan trees at the side of the road. We pasted a few spots in the road that were slightly flooded from the previous rains. Stopping here we gathered a few bags of pecans and returned home to sort them and begin cracking them.

Thurs. Dec. 6

We had one more day of nice weather and sat outside with Barb while she shelled some pecans.
Friday night we played darts again, 28 people and went from 6.00pm till 11.00pm a long night.
Sunday morning we took a drive to Tucson to a flea market, and looked about. the bridges over the interstate down here are decorated very nicely with Mosaic tile or huge carvings in the cement. From there we went to a Camping World Store just in time to see an awesome sight, The Sunriders Motorcycle Toy Parade. We waited about 15 minutes while they drove by into Camping World's huge parking lot out back, then the second batch about 15 min later,about 1,000 motorcylces altogether.
Then the weather got cooler with clouds and overcast for about 6 days with a bit of drizzly rain. The daytime highs were only about 60 f (15c) but nights were down to freezing. On Monday there was 18 inches of snow in Flagstaff, about 4 hours north of here but at 7,000 feet above sea level, we are about 1,500 ft here.
We spent a few days showing Steve and Barb how to operate their new computer and the internet. Then we decorated our house for Christmas. Now today bright and sunny, nice.

Some Pics
Wed. Dec. 5

About six men went to play golf ( not me) and afterwards we met them with their wives at the Tumbleweed Restaurant, for a very reasonable dinner and drinks. Celebrating Bills birthday (68) with a toast and a cupcake. The portions were huge every couple each shared a meal. We returned back to our house and got out or propane firepit and a bunch sat around enjoying the lovely evening. A fire always invites company in these campgrounds. One man dropped by with a huge black Great Dane and shared stories with us as well.Picacho Peak Pics

Tues. Dec. 4th

We headed west to Picacho Peak RV Resort where will stay for 1 month . We were welcomed back by the managers, staff and other campers as we arrived. Really nice. Our friends Steve and Barb had a big pot of chili for us to share with an early supper so, we could be at the clubhouse for darts at 5.30pm. 26 people there, 13 teams and we had a nice evening wrapping up about 10.00pm.


Mon. Dec. 3

We decided to take a short drive to Kartchner Caverns and check them out. In November 1974 two young cavers, Gary Tenen and Randy Tufts, were exploring the limestone hills at the base of the Whetstone Mountains. In the bottom of a sinkhole they found a narrow crack leading into the hillside. Warm, moist air flowed out, signaling the existence of a cave. After several hours of crawling, they entered a pristine cavern. Now 33 years later is a State Park with amazing facilities and excellent tours of this Live wet cave. We did the Big Room tour which lasted about 2 hours in all and was extremely interesting. No cameras were allowed and once you do the tour you understand why. But we did purchase some post cards (cheap) with amazing shots of the caverns. That do not really bring out the real beauty under those hills. Back to camp later to enjoy the afternoon sun and supper.
Cavern Pics
Sun. Dec.2

After 2 days of cool cloudy drizzly weather we drove 20 miles to Tombstone. This was very enjoyable, we saw gunfights at Six Gun City (with an interesting narration of Tombstone's history) and neat stuff, had lunch at Big Nose Kate's Saloon, good meal, country music and atmosphere. Stages coaches and cowboys on horses were all about. Back to camp and washed the RV and car. Then we check out the cactus flowers behind our site. As an added bonus we saw the movie Tombstone on tv and can relate to the sights, buildings etc. It was filmed at Old Tucson (movie studios) not in the real town. We plan to go to Old Tucson later this month from Picachoe Peak where we will stay for a month.

Tombstone Pics

More pics.




Friday, November 09, 2007

Heading South Nov. 2007



Tues.Oct 30.
After wrapping up things at home we are on the road it was getting a little cold there. We traveled 360 miles and stopped at a Flying J Travel Plaza (free secure overnight parking) in Beaverdam Ohio for the night. Nice and warm here. Wed. we traveled 400 miles spending the night at a Flying J in Knoxville Tennessee.
Thurs. Nov.1
We arrived at Mountain Lakes Resort, one of our membership parks. This is located in the Mountain Lake area of Alabama, sw of Huntsville on Lake Guntersville. This is a really beautiful campground with all sites having a view of the lake and the sunset. We arrived just in time for their 6th Annual Music festival with various bands playing country, bluegrass and gospel music. Inside, outside and even at some of the campsites too. The weather here is amazing about 75f during the day, sunny and about 50f at night.
Sat. Nov.3
We took in the flea market in the campground Saturday morning, checking out the many deals to be had. After that we took a drive into Guntersville about ½ hour away. It was a beautiful drive along the lake, up and down the winding roads thru the mountains. Did a little shopping for groceries and toured the town.
Checking out the many areas of the campground, the boat slips, fishing piers, volleyball courts, picnic areas, clubhouse , indoor pool, mini golf, youth activity centre, exercise room, clubhouse, and even a Huge Chapel for Sunday services.
We also met many local people here who were curious about Canada and I just loved listening to their southern drawl.
Mon. Nov.5
Another sunny day about 70f and a drive in the other direction to Scottsboro. This was once again a beautiful drive along the edge of the lake, winding roads and back country northern Alabama. Here we checked out the local Dollar Store and Walmart Supercentre. Also found a hotspot for the internet and was able to download my email.
Some of the campers have left after the weekend and our Wifi internet connection became better. This was rather expensive here so only Suzie signed up while researching her Genealogy
Thurs Nov. 8th
Leaving mountain Lakes we headed south to Styx River Resort just east of Mobile Alabama. We stopped at many beautiful rest areas, all were beautiful places with large clean picnic areas and RV dump stations, really set up for the tourists that are traveling. We passed many grass cutters on the side of the interstate while travelling 70 mph, it must be scary driving those tractors. Styx River is a nice campground with free WIFI (internet) that we will stay at for 4 days and check out the Gulf coast Beaches, Again weather is nice although unseasonably cold at 68f ( 20c) for a couple of days. I think we can handle this.
Fri. Nov. 9th

Another awesome day, At 8.50 am temp was 100f (38c) in the sun, amazing. WE took a drive to the Gulf Shores beaches where it was 84f (29c) . Magnificent beaches white sand, not too many people, (only fri morning). There was people fishing in the surf and this 1 woman only just put her line in and pulled another fish out, 3 fish in less than 10 minutes. There was a big bird (Egret) standing by watching , hoping to sneak a few of her fish. Airplanes flying overhead advertising restaurants in the area. We did a bit more touring, shopping and viewing many acres of cotton fields everywhere, then back to home to enjoy the rest of the day.
more Pics.
Mon .Nov. 12th
Heading from Mobile Alabama to New Orleans about a 3 ½ hr drive, we crossed the Bay in Mobile, and went thru a tunnel, on I-10 then on to Mississippi. At exit 50 we went south to I-90 along the Gulf Coast thru Biloxi to Gulf Port. The cleanup is still in full swing after Katrina in August 2005. Still bridges down and rebuilding new ones. Remnants of destroyed buildings, casinos that were there, Also a lot of driveways that went to huge mansions with only a staircase or footings or parts of fences, signs and buildings left, some buildings are just skeletons. We drove along the coast highway from Biloxi to Gulfport which is right on the Beach, beautiful scenery even thou some areas still not open. Really hard to imagine what was here before the huge tidal wave wiped it all away.
Our campground here is at Abita Springs on the north shore of Lake Ponchatrain about 40 miles to New Orleans. Really nice managers here Rene and Lamar remember us from last year and make y’all feel welcome. Apparantly we just missed a rainfall 2 weeks earlier, they had 12 inches of rain in 1 day! And they just about have it all cleaned up.
Pics of Gulf Shores
Wed. Nov.14.
Today we took a bus trip to the Silver Slipper casino on the Gulf Shores of Mississippi about 1 hour away with a group of eleven people from the campground. This was a fantastic deal and a fun day. Only $10.00 per person which included return bus trip, free lunch buffet (wow) and $15.00 per person of Casino Money to spend and free beverages all day. We had a great time with our group and passed some devastated areas along the way, some being rebuilt. The Casino has just reopened, completely rebuilt after being obliterated. Another interesting day.
Sat. Nov. 17
We took a tour today to the plantations along the Mississippi River about 1 & 1/2 hour drive with another couple from Michigan , Jim and Nancy. I- 55 was a long bridge type roadway about 20 miles long through the swamp, interesting. We drove along the banks of the Mississippi River but were unable to see the river until we took the bridge across, because of the large berms lining the river to prevent flooding. There were quite a few sugar refineries and sugar cane feilds along the river. We pasted a few Sugar Plantatons and choose to stop at St. Joseph Plantation for a tour( circa 1830). This was a personally narrated 1 & 1/2 hour tour by a direct descendent of Joseph Waguespack who purchased this plantation after the civil war over 130 years ago. Very interesting and worth while. Following that we stopped at a small local seafood restaurant for a lunch of catfish, froglegs and shrimp an excellent meal. Then a tour back home.
Sun. Nov 18th French Quarter
We decided to take a drive into New Orleans and tour the French Quarter, The causeway is the short way there, right across Lake Ponchartrain from Abita Springs. About 26 miles long. Driving in Esplanade to Decatur St. we found parking next to the River Walk and the French Market. Sunday is a pretty busy day here and we took in the sights and sounds, a lot of street entertainers and musicians add to the atmosphere, souvenir shops, restaurants and bars everywhere. We stopped again at Bubba Gumps Seafood for lunch with a table next to the sidewalk. Awesome seafood Gumbo! From there we toured around Bourbon St. and Jackson Square then the Riverwalk and checked out the River Boat tours. From here we decided to visit a couple ( Mike & Wendy) that we met from Calgary last year in Rock Port Texas. Was nice to meet up again. Then back across the lake to home and relax.
French Quarter Pics

Thurs. Nov. 22, U.S. Thanksgiving
At Noon we went to the clubhouse for a Thanksgiving (potluck) dinner of Turkey, dressing, potatoes and gravy supplied by the park for $3.00 per person, arranged by managers Lamar and Renee ( an awesome couple). We took a yummy homemade pecan pumpkin pie. There was 88 people in all and a huge selection of different dishes to try from salads, cajun food, casseroles and deserts. Two other couples we met joined us , 1 couple we met in Alabama from Michigan ( Jim and Nancy) , and the other couple we met last year in Texas from Calgary ( Mike and Wendy). A great meal was enjoyed by all and we returned to our house to sit around the campfire and catch up on our travels. A very nice day outside in the sun.

Thanksgiving Pics
Fri. Nov. 23rd
Another nice sunny day, able to enjoy the outdoor weather again. For supper today the park has a " Tag-a-long" to a local Mexican Restaurant, people shared rides and we followed the leader. 30 people from the campground went and we had our own room. They had an amazing assortment of real mexican food, most I could not pronounce. The portions were huge and the prices small and the food excellent, a good way to meet more people from the campground.
The rest of the weekend we stayed in the campground, walking about and talking to our neigbours. Time to get back on the road.
There is a huge detour on I-10 (between Baton Rouge and Lafayette Louisiana) due to a fire in a natural gas well that has been burning for about 2 weeks and at least another week before they can cap it. We will have to go about 30 miles out of our way to get around it.
Monday morning we will be heading west thru Texas to Benson Arizona about 1500 miles. 4 days of travelling and enjoying the Open Road. Traveling thru Houston, San Antonio, Elpaso, then southern New Mexico to Arizona. Probably stopping at Flying J Travel Plazas for a secure nights rest, or maybe a Walmart Supercentre..

Few More Pics
Mon. Nov. 26
We left New Orleans Area heading west, I-10 was open so we took the Swamp Freeway to Orange Texas and Stay at a Flying J. Nice driving.
Tuesday we headed out thru Houstin Texas, wow what an amAmazing city of construction and Interstate Highways, some as mush as six lanes and about 5 levels high, on the northern bypass. Good thing it was about 9.30 am but still a lot of traffic. The Evacuation routes were amazing for hurricanes, signs show where to go and all traffic will leave Houston heading North west taking all of I-10 and no inbound traffic. At exit 514 we stopped at a rest area for the night, again with free wifi. After supper and a good nights sleep, on the road again.


Some pics

Wed. Nov 28

Departing in the morning from the Texas safety rest area near San Antonio at 8.00am we traveled I-10 all day until 3.30pm at Van Horn, passing many beautiful rest areas. There was a ridge that we passed that was just lined with 100's of giant windmills for generating electricity, a great way to harness the energy of the wind. The Road is good and not too busy with a speed limit of 80 mph (130 kph), we of course don't travel that fast. We stopped for the evening and relaxed, enjoyed supper the sunset and a movie.

Thurs Nov. 29

After an overnight stay at another Texas safety rest Area, complete with free WIFI (internet) at Van Horn. Enjoyed the view, dinner and a movie and check our email. These rest areas are well maintained and nicely decorated ( check the Mosaic Tile mural in the mens washroom).
We headed west Past El Paso and thru southern New Mexico. Wide open spaces and rugged country side. The weather was warm but dull and overcast with occasional rain showers not very good for taking pictures but good for driving. The roads so good I had to keep checking my speed as rv just wanted to go. If I did not use the cruise control at 70mph I found it creeping up to 80mph with cars and trucks still passing. This was one of our longest days covering 400 miles in 7 and 1/2 hours allowing including 2 fuel stops and 5 rest areas. We arrived at Valley Vista Resort in Benson Arizona at 3.30pm. We will stay here for 5 nights, travel to Tombstone and some local sites.

pics.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Ontario July to October

Thurs July 5 Have been in Algonquin ( Rock Lake) since July 2, great site right on the water, weather is kinda over cast but have met up with many friends and have enjoyed everyones company once again. Free wifi connection in Whitney at restauarant ( Mad Musher). Looking forward to more days here in the peace full surroundings. Algonquin Pics

July 10th

Went to visit a friend Wayne in Denbigh Ontario ( near Bancroft). At his camp , about 300 acres of bush and lakes. What beautiful country!!! He toured us around the area and we met many friends and relatives. While fishing on Denbigh Lake we got caught in a major rainfall and were thoroughly drenched, luckily it was a very warm rain. Later that day another fishing trip , almost rain again but more fish, later that night we had a nice fish fry.

Denbigh pics

July 18th

We took a day trip from Galvin Bay to visit a family friend Jim on Deer lake. More paradise!!!!!! Such a beautiful peaceful area and his cottage that he built in the 1970’s, A real cottage, outhouse and all!!! Well Jim toured us about Deer lake in his boat with a very informative history of most of the houses and people on the ;lake. He has spent most of his 79 summers on this lake. We even saw the cottage where my parents spent their honeymoon in the 1940’s and it looks like it has hardly changed! What a wonderful visit..

Deer Lake pics

Sat. July 23

My Sister and brother in law moving into their new to them house on Lake Scugog at Little Britain. Beautiful weather, lotsa help along with professional movers. We helped for a couple of days with unpacking, rearranging and enjoying their new hot tub and exploring the lake

Scugog Pics

July 25th

Back to Galvin Bay for a couple of nights to visit with some friends there and enjoy a huge fish fry, About 100 filets of perch and crappy, a great time of food ,fellowship and games ( holy board)

Fish Fry pics

Sat.July 28th

We are back at the farm in New Hamburg to attend wedding In Tavistock with a reception in Stratford Ontario. Suzie’s nephew Reid and his bride Chrissy, another Joyous occasion

Wedding Pics

Sun. July 29th

To visit may daughter Jessie Jay and Grandson Noah the day before she is due to have another son Lincoln. She is painting their livingroom. ( never stops)

Mon. July 30

Lincoln is Born 6 lbs 14 oz. and just a beautiful baby, wow 4 Grandsons now and a baby brother for Noah.

Thurs. Aug 2nd

We arrive at a friends cottage in Sauble Beach Ontario, they have a nice big driveway and a view of Lake Huron ( they are right on the Beach.) The weather was amazing , hot and sunny but a nice cool breeze off the lake. Thursday and Friday were nice quiet days, but sat, sun and Monday the crowds arrived by the car loads, thousands of people cruising the hard packed sand on the beach and enjoying the waves. We had a wonderful visit with them and enjoyed some amazing food and the famous sunsets on Lake Huron.

Sauble Beach pics

Tuesday Aug 7th

We arrived at Point Farms Prov.park in Goderich for 2 nights and enjoyed the solitude and rustic views of the area. Some huge wind Generators were near the entrance to the park doing a good job of capturing the wind off the lake.

Point Farms Pics.

Thurs. Aug 9

Back at the farm in New Hamburg. We begin helping prepare for the Our Niece Stacey’s Buck and Doe on Saturday night. Everything went well and lots of help appeared.

Saturday afternoon we went to a large (over 200 people) potluck supper at a friends farm. They have been doing this annual event for over 40 years with BBQ turkeys, pork and beef and an amazing amount of side dishes and deserts. It is really nice to socialize with many people from the Plattsville area where we have lived for 24 years.

Returning to the farm for the Buck and Doe at 8:00pm where another dinner was underway of Roast Pork on a bun and salads and deserts. Following the meal was a pie auction, 32 pies in all most going for $30.00 to $50.00 and one even for $100.00. The Auctioneer was our Nephew Greg who did and awesome job.

This was followed by games and dancing throughout the night, especially interesting was the shlocky game, a very energetic game similar to hockey. Then relax by the huge campfire.

Aug 10 pics.

Mon. Aug. 13 Off to Lazy Lakes Resort ( Niagara Falls NY) for a week, enjoying the nice weather. They now have free WIFI in the park by the clubhouse, no more driving to Library for email. Tuesday Aug. 20 Back to the Farm with friends Steve and Barb and their dog Midnight. They really enjoyed the farm feeding the baby calfs, and even seeing one born. We drove the tractor training some cows on how to follow a lead. Again more nice weather and a few campfires with our hosts Dennis and Sandy. A real great week here.

Farm Pics

Thurs. Aug 30

We spent 3 days at Rock Glen in Arkona and the to Long Point Provincial Park for the weekend with some friends. The weather again was awesome as was the amazing beach there. We had a great time and caught up with each others lives. After that back to Rock Glen for 3 weeks to relax and get caught up with email and plan our trip south for the winter.

Long Point Pics

Tuesday. Sept 4

We left Long Point and traveled to our Home Park , Rock Glen Family Resort in Arkona Ontario. Here we settled in for a relaxing 3 weeks to catch up with the internet, Emails, and plan our trip south for the winter. We also enjoyed the Beef and corn BBQ ( supplied by the Park) an indoor pool, hot tub, shuffle board, mini golf , darts, Grand Bend Flea Market and the Parkhill fall Fair with a demolition Derby. This also gave us some time to do some much needed cleaning of our house, shampoo the carpets and furniture. We did have some very hot days and had the luxury of air conditioning and the Park facilities. As September is ending we will be heading back to New Hamburg for a wedding and Thanksgiving Weekend.

Rock Glen PICS

Fri. Sept. 28

We went to Hamilton to celebrate a friends 50th birthday party ( Ron) , with his family and friends. This was a great time at DiMagios Sports Bar with lotsa food , pizza and wings and dancing. We camped at Confederation Park in Hamilton right on Lake Ontario, very nice here. On saturday went to visit John and Wendy for supper , with Ron and Karen there also. What a a great time again with camping friends and not even in a campground. Awesome meal!

Hamilton Pics

Sat Oct. 6.

Wedding day for niece Stacey and husband Mark. We had the privilege of using our RV as the Limo for the wedding party. Really a great time from the picture of the Bride at the farm to the church, to New Hamburg WaterWheel for pictures and New Dundee for the reception, what a joyous occasion.

Wedding Day pics

Sat. Oct. 20th

Down to Lazy Lakes resort, Lewiston NY. for Halloween weekend with 5 other couples. We had a good feast of Bill's famous chowder,( he canned 6 jars for us to take with us too). The kids trick or treat around campground from 4.30p till 6.00pm. We had over 200 kids , then we settled in for a nice campfire and realaxed. On sunday John and Bill went to a Buffalo Bills football game and we got the lowdown and pictures of that sunday evening. On monday morning we moved to a beach front site o enjoy the hot sunny day. From here we went back to New Hamburg for a week to get ready to head south. Lazy Lakes pics

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Back Home, Ontario

Wed.April 25

Have been in Ontario for 22 days now, after some cold and snow are now getting some nicer weather. We enjoyed the hospitality of the farm and all of the friends and relatives that we have visited.

On Sunday we had my daughter Jessie, Jay and Grandson Noah out to the farm for supper and a great visit.

We are now at Rock Glen resort in Arkona Ontario across from Rock Glen Falls. It is nice to renew old acquaintances (meet new ones too) and catch up with fellow rvers to exchange stories about our winter travels. The water was turned on here Monday so we are back to full hookups again, including wifi at our site. We now have a chance to do a spring cleaning on our coach. And enjoy the indoor pool and hot tub.

On May 1st we plan on moving to Lazy Lakes Resort in Niagara Falls New York for a couple of weeks. To meet up with more fellow rvers

Tues. May 1 st.

We decided to stay 2 more days at Rock Glen, having renewed old acquaintances and enjoyed their company and also hi speed wifi at our campsite. Cleaning up the coach from the dusty winter in the desert and enjoying some on the nice weather that is beginning to happen with a few campfires. There was a going away party for Mike (going to Fort MacMurray Alberta) last week and one for Bill (wed.night) who is leaving to spend more time with his family by working closer to home. both will be missed by many of the campers here. Then off we go to Lazy Lakes on thursday.

Rock Glen pics

Thurs. May 3rd

Went to Niagara’s Lazy Lakes Resort near Lewiston New York to enjoy some good US deals and meet up again with fellow RVers, some we have not seen for quite a while. The weather was good allowing us to enjoy many campfires and sharing many dinners together, cabbage roll casserole, pig tails, ribs, homemade soups etc…. We also did enjoy a bit of sightseeing in the area

Lazy Lakes pics.

Tues. May 15th

Time to move again up to Galvin Bay Resort,(just south of Buckhorn Ontario) It was a nice drive about 4 hours and arriving on opening day of the park, we had our choice of sites. In time to beat the crowds coming for the Victoria Day Weekend. Enjoy company with more friends and celebrate my birthday with my kids and grandkids too.

Galvin Bay pics

Tues May 29th Left Galvin Bay and stopped by daughter Kim's for the night ( parked in driveway) had a great dinner and visit with her and the Grandkids Son-in Law Brian was in Mexico on business (poor Brian). pics at KIM's Wed. May 30th Travelled to friend Jim & Christine (long time friend from school) in Schomberg for a visit and parked overnight, we had nice BBQ supper and played cards. Nice visit. He recently retired also. Thurs. May 31. We arrived back at the farm just after noon welcomed by all there, we enjoyed their company and great hospitality. I even got to cut the grass for a couple of hours on saturday afternoon. Saturday night went to Tavistock for Reid & Chrissy's buck and doe, another great social time. New Hamburg Pics Tues. June 2nd We left the farm and travelled to Rock Glen Resort about 2 hrs west. We will be here for 2 weeks enjoying the warm weather, internet at our site and socialize with more fellow rvers.

Tues. June 5

We are at Rock Glen Resort in Arkona Ontario. The weather is awesome, clear sunny, and hot.85 f ( 31c). Here we enjoy playing darts, swimming and campfires with the other campers. And sightseeing into Grand Bend and the Flea Market, Always bargains to be had there.

Tues. June 19

We headed east to visit our friends Chris and Bill near Norwich, here we supplied a nice roast beef dinner and enjoyed their company for the evening. Catching up on each others lives.

Wed; June 20

Heading towards Kitchener we stopped in Drumbo for a lovely visit daughter Jessie and Grandson Noah, boy how they grow. From there we went camping at Bingemen Park in Kitchener and spent the next 2 days with doctors appointments and shopping.

Sat June 23

We had a surprise 80th Birthday Party for my mother at her house in Waterloo. All had a good time with neighbors, friends and family present and a fieast of KFC and salads. Boy was Mother surprised!!!

Birthday pics

Friday, March 16, 2007

March, LasVegas, Heading home



Thurs. Mar. 15
Today we got on the road at 9:00a.m. heading towards Boulder City and the Hoover Dam. Seeing Lake Mead (formed by the Hoover Dam) with the dropped water levels, it was interesting to see the lake nestled in the mountains. We proceeded along the winding road to the Dam. Having to stop at an inspection station to have all the outside compartments and inside of our rig checked (looking for bombs I think). Winding from there through some on the construction (they are building a new bridge for traffic just south of the dam) narrow winding road. Not a lot of places to park our rig until we began climbing the mountain on the east side of the dam where we were able to stop and take some pictures. This was a very awesome experience. We continued from the Dam the up the steep winding road to the Plateau, observing some real amazing scenery in the process.
By 12:15 pm we had arrived at Kingman Arizona, known as the Heart of Historic Route 66 which was the main highway from Chicago to Los Angeles in the 1940’s and 1950’s, with many old buildings and dinners along the way. In town the main street is Andy Divine Ave. A western movie actor who was born here (all of you older people will know who he is). We located the Wal-Mart in town (free camping) and settled in for the night with many other rv’s. Then we took the car for a drive around town, and back to relax in the cool shade of the parking lot and interesting scenery. It was 94 f again. We enjoyed some fried chicken and potato salad for dinner from Wal-Mart and a nice sunset.

Fri. Mar. 16
From Walmart heading east to Williams Arizona on I-40, from 3,000 ft to 6,500 elevation all uphill for 95 miles. A little cooler here 74f during the day but 25f at night. Going to take The Grand Canyon Railway to Grand Canyon Village all day saturday should be a fun day.
Sat.Mar.17 GRAND CANYON
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
A beautiful day today (forecast sunny and 74f) starting with a western show by the train station at 9.15 am. Very entertainting and lots of people there. From there we board the train for Grand Canyon Village, 61 miles, 2 hours and 15 minutes. We had 2 seats in the coach car and the train was pretty well full, about 10 cars including a dining car. During the trip the scenery changed as we climbed to 7,100 feet above sea leavel and had free soft drinks and a wandering minstrel singing old western songs(very good). It was stated that Arizona is a free range state, meaning that cattle are allowed to roam freely and if you do not want them on your property you fence them out! If you had to hit one with a vehicle like a train or car etc. you must pay the farmer for the animal! Animal rights.
We arrived at the Village and proceeded to walk to the rim of the canyon. WOW!! what an impressive sight! About 10 miles across here and 1 mile straight down. There was very little in guard rails and some places none at all. Just warnings to stay away from the edge.We walked around some of the shops then boarded one of the free shuttles to Hermits Rest route. 8 miles with about 7 overlooks where you could get off and reboard another bus anytime. Every one was different angles and lighting, truly a Wonder of the World some 270 millions years old. A few places you could see the Colorado River at the bottom and if you look closely a few buildings. All of the pictures do not really do it justice. We spotted some Condors ( huge birds with a nine foot wing span that are a sight to behold).I had exhausted the battery in my camera by taking over 150 photos so we missed of few on the way back.
After 4 hours at the Canyon(not nearly enough time) we reboarded the train only to find out one engine broke down. After a delay of about 20 minutes a temporary fix was done and we proceeded slowly back to Williams. About half way back we met up with another engine to help us out and return home 1 hour late. On the way we had a mock train robbery. The train was stopped by 4 masked cowboys on horseback and they boarded the train to rob us all at gunpoint, lotsa fun. Returning back home at 7:15 we decided to go to the Route 66 Diner for some delicious BBQ ribs and Chicken. A lovely end to an amazing day of sightseeing.

GRAND CANYON PICS


Sat. March 24,
We spent the night at another Flying J Travel centre in Chicotah Oklahoma.
Last Monday we left Williams, Arizona following I-40 to Gallup, New Mexico Walmart, then Tuesday the stayed at the Walmart in Albuquerque New Mexico. A very friendly security guard there. Wednesday Morning we got at front end alignment on the RV and carried on to Amarillo Texas. Here we encountered a very heavy rain storm with hail, by the time we found a place to pull over it had mostly stopped We observed some amazing colours on the hillsides and mountains . We traveled most of the week with heavy winds and a couple of rainy days. Now we are down to elevation of about 800 eet from 7,000 at the Grand Canyon, The grass is green and colourful flowers on the trees. All the huge windmills were also an amazing site to see for miles. The rest area in Oklahoma with the 2 dog walks, one for city dogs and one for country dogs was cute.
We have been through 2 time zones now and are only 1 hour behind Ontario. Now we are planning to get to Memphis on Sunday for a couple of days.
Graceland
Sun. Mar. 25
Arrived at Graceland RV Park , right behind the Heartbreak Hotel across the road from Graceland. Weather here is awesome around 90 f during the day 70 f at night. They say too warm for this time if year. Have free wifi at our site so is nice.
Mon . Mar. 26
Another nice day, did some grocery shopping then walked to Graceland (2 min walk) for 9:30 am. Line up for tickets and quite busy. We were allowed to take pictures without a flash so took lots and used up battery again over 100 pics, most turned out. What an amazing collection of Elvis’s life here. Apparently he bought Graceland when he was 22 yrs old for $100,000.(14 acres) Furniture and decorations in house etc from early 70’s, even kitchen. The tour was busy lotsa people all with a neat audio headset that you could control and supposedly go at your own pace. Thru the living room, dinning room, kitchen, jungle room, downstairs to TV room ( 3 tv’s), pool room,more collections, then out to back yard. We went to the office, recording studio, shooting range, and the inside Racketball court with a large collection of gold records, jumpsuits and possessions. Then out by the horse stable, pool and meditation area where Elvis and his mother and father are buried. This ended our tour of Graceland Mansion and back across the street, to the mall and his car collection, more jumpsuits and clothes and to view his 2 airplanes. What an overwhelming collection of such a great musician and person who lived such a short life. Graceland is a well preserved time capsule and well worth experiencing.
Tues. Mar. 28.
Today we will take a drive to downtown Memphis. Everything else happens there. Once there we had to decide if we wanted to see the ducks march at the Peabody Hotel, Or do the sightseeing tour Ride the Ducks both happened at 11:00am. Well ride the Ducks was fun and got us around town. So off we went. The Duck is a WW2 amphibious vehicle that is open air, sits high and travels on land and water. Our tour guide took us around town for over and hour, passing all the places of interest, Sun City Records ( made famous by Elvis) ,The Pyramid (a sports stadium that became a white elephant), Mud Island Park, (where we entered the river and drove around a bit) Gibson Guitar Factory, the old trolleys, some old mansions, the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King was assassinated April 4 , 1968. and the 2 block area of Beale st. where blues the began. All during the tour music was played for various areas that we passed with a few people dancing to music as we passed, only to be stopped when narration was required. It was a fun tour good value. Returning back home we relaxed and took a free Limo ride to Marlowes Restaurant for their award winning BBQ pork ribs, Awesome!!!!! and a Gigantic Brownie for desert.
Wed. March 28
We left from Memphis this morning and traveled a short day to Matthews Missouri. It was a beautiful warm sunny day and we enjoyed the free hospitality of the Flying J Travel centre again. The grass was very green and blossoms on the trees, spring time.
Thurs. Apr.29
Was a longer day traveling to the Flying J in Indianapolis Indiana. The weather is still nice and warm.
Fri. Mar. 30
Up early and only a 3 hour drive to visit with a couple we met in Picacho Peak Arizona, Dan & Marsha arriving about noon. They have a beautiful place on a channel with access to a string of many small lakes. The weather was very warm for the whole afternoon and we enjoyed sitting on the deck just steps from the water and awesome scenery. The neighbours across the channel joined us as did their daughter Sissie for the rest of the afternoon and a delicious dinner of potato salad, beans and BBQ pork tenderloin. Even their friendly resident swan (Charlie) dropped by for a visit and Suzie managed to feed him. With a smaller home they have their heated garage set up with a kitchen table and chairs and carpet on the floor, for larger gatherings. It brings back memories of my cottage life as a kid congregating in the neighbour’s boat house for many hours of activities.
Sat. Mar.31
This was a cool overcast day and we enjoyed the hospitality of Dan & Marsha again. Relaxing, catching up, swapping stories and puttering about. Marsha made a couple of huge pots of vegetable beef soup that just simmered all day long, so we could eat whenever, no fuss, fantastic idea.
Before we know it bedtime again.
Sun. April 1
Another bright sunny day and we get ready to hit the road again. We reached the Flying J in Lansing Michigan by 2:00pm and decided to call it a day, was rather windy driving, so we stopped to relax, have supper and carry on in the morning.
Mon. Apr. 2
We arrived back in Plattsville at 2:00pm and parked in Jeff’s driveway (the nest) for the night. Many people in town welcomed us home and visited.
Tues. Apr.3
Had service done on our coach, filled it with propane and got it out to the farm and parked before the rain started. Then I got ready to run some errands on Wed.
Thurs. 5
We woke up to a blanket of snow -10c (14F) brrrr and a frozen hot water line. Hopefully we can thaw it out with no damage done. It was very cold with blowing snow. We are quite warm and cozy in our coach thou, no problem there.
Easter weekend.
Woke up again more snow but water lines have thawed out (no damage). We pulled our slide in to prevent more freezing.
We visited with mother and my family in Waterloo with a lovely Honey Ham for lunch on Friday.
Saturday we drove to Aurora to visit with daughter Kim & Brian, our 2 grandsons, Alex and Andrew. We had a great visit with the kids, grandkids and even my son Ken was there. An amazing pork loin roast was enjoyed by all.
Sunday was in Kitchener with Suzie’s family with a large gathering (about 27) and another excellent meal.
Then Sunday afternoon back to the farm, inspect the RV and relax after a busy weekend.





Laughlin to Las Vegas

Where are we today ?
Las vegas



Tues. Mar.13
We left Laughlin 9:00am for the 90 mile drive to Las Vegas. All uphill we did one stretch for 14 miles at an 5 to 7 % grade up to about 3,700 feet.(full throttle 45mph in second gear) Coming into Las Vegas was something that looked like smog or dust over the whole city. We arrived at Arizona Charlie’s Casino and Campground on the Boulder Hwy. at 11.00am and checked onto our site. We could get only 2 nights (most campgrounds were full) because of spring break and Nascar. We took a drive to the strip and Freemont St. in the afternoon. It was a very warm 92 F. On our way back we stopped at Sam’s Town, a huge Casino, hotel and RV park down the street from our place. Very nice.
After supper we went back for the Freemont St. Experience. An amazing video and sound show over the whole area of old Vegas about 4 blocks. The cost of this was 70 million dollars. A must do when in Vegas.
Then we drove down the strip to check out some of the lights and sights at night also very impressive.