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June 27 - 30, 2011-IA, WI
Monday, June 27. Today would be my mother's 89th birthday. I will always miss you, dear Mom.
The skies were rumbling and flashing all during the night last night. Poor Frisco didn't get much sleep - they sure do bother the little guy.
We gave the house a good cleaning and rinsed the tanks real good before leaving this beautiful RV park in Clear Lake. It is nothing fancy, but has huge sites, convenient hookups, nice concrete patios, fire-pits, plenty of trees, and is just a very nice place away from highway noise. We drove the 17 miles to Forest City and got setup in one of their spots for customers at the sales lot, and will sit tight until tomorrow morning's appointment. We had planned on talking to a sales person but once again, decided the Bravo looks pretty good to us. We don't need to be spending more money, especially when the market today is way, way, down.
Tuesday, June 28. Our appointment at Lichtsinn Motors was at 7:30 this morning, so we were moving a lot earlier than usual. Early indications were that the repair wouldn't be a big deal and the initial walk-around inspection was good.
We headed to the city park and did our morning walk along the river, and it is overflowing its banks in places, as we have seen throughout the country. It is so green here! We keep saying, "the good old midwest" with its lush greenery and 2 story homes with huge yards, and the many small towns. After our walk, we headed to the Winnebago Service Center to buy some light bulbs and some small plastic bushings for the exterior compartment doors that keep breaking on us. No luck, the option was to purchase the entire replacement unit at a cost of $65 but all we really need is the little plastic washer doohicky.
That done, we were off to Mason City to the local Kohls store to stock up on undies for Mike. He either forgot to put enough in the RV or I left some of them at a laundromat. It's a b---ch getting old and forgetful. Frisco had fun shopping at Petco - he really got excited with cats and ferrets.
Our repairs were finished by the time we got back to Forest City and the bill was much less than the worst case scenario we had in mind - $318. We filled up with gas, hooked up the car, had some lunch and were on our way. The Skip-a-Way Resort in Clermont, IA (just west of the Mississippi River) was far enough to drive on a day that was so filled with activity already. It's a nice place on a small lake and next to the Turkey River and even has a bar and restaurant on site so I won't have to cook tonight. Now, I just hope that I can find some low fat food to eat.
Wednesday, June 29. Brrrr! It's only 57 degrees this morning and I'm sitting here with a hoodie and socks on. Reading the news, I learn that a heat wave is coming through and temps in the mid-90s are expected over the weekend. I hope that our AC works ok when we plug in at Dawn & Rich's house. We shall see how it goes.
Pat called at 8:00, expecting that we would be on the road by now. I chuckled and told him that Mike wasn't even up yet and I'm sitting here in my jammies. We didn't plan on arriving too early as everyone would be working anyway - NOT. He got to his job site and nothing was ready for him, so would be heading right back home.
We arrived in Stoughton after about a 3 hour drive through the beautiful Wisconsin farmland, went straight to Pat's house so we could say hello, get a hug, and disconnect the car. It's so good to see him and Savana again. We drove around the block to Dawn and Rich's house and parked the motorhome in their driveway. This is going to be home for a couple of weeks - a nice setup, as she has gorgeous gardens filled with perennials and veggies.
Thursday, June 30. The day started out real good - NOT. We went in the house to have coffee with Dawn and Rich this morning and when walking back to the motorhome, Mike noticed a split in one of our rear duely tires. It was not there when we left Forest City, as they did an inspection of all of the tires and checked the air pressure. So now we have to find some tires and get them installed before long - don't want to be messing around with unsafe tires. It's a good thing that we are economizing by staying with relatives on this trip, it's a bad thing that the market is doing so poorly right now. It's not a good time to be making a huge withdrawal. You gotta do what you gotta do.
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June 24 - 26, 2011-MO, IA
Friday, June 24. In spite of my setback last weekend, we were able to see most of my family here and we had a nice time.
Today is moving day and it was a slow start, almost 11:00 before we got on the road. Fortunately, we had only 200 miles to travel today. Our destination was Cutty�??s Des Moines Camping Club ($22/night with Passport America), a stopover point we have used several times in the past. The place is huge with about 300 sites, lakes, playgrounds, pools, store, tennis, baseball diamonds, you name it. It is a membership park, so members get 1st priority and since it is the weekend before July 4th we didn�??t get a lot of options, although we do have a nice site and will only be in it for 1 night.
Saturday, June 25. We moved on to Clear Lake, IA where we will spend the next 2 days at the Oakwood RV Park ($25/night). The park is beautiful with spacious sites and about a block's walk to the lake.
The original plan was to go directly to Forest City so we could look at RVs and just hang out before our appointment for some repairs on Tuesday but we decided that Clear Lake (about 15 miles away) has more to offer in the sense that it is a cute little town and a lake community. It is also the home of the Surf Ballroom, the place where Buddy Holly performed his last concert in 1959, then died in a plane crash that night. It brings back lots of memories, as Mike and I attended the winter Dance parties for about 4 years back in the early 1990s. What fun wearing poodle skirts and doing the bunny hop across the stage of the Surf - a bunch of 50-year-olds acting like kids.
We did take a drive to Forest City but the dealer was closed. I don't know why we even consider a new RV when it is probably not a very wise thing to do financially.
Returning to the RV, we just sat around and enjoyed the day, cooked a nice dinner on the Holland grill, and relaxed. It is so quiet here, no highway noise, no high winds, and no thunderstorms today.
Sunday, June 26. I had an enjoyable walk this morning, headed across the street to the lake but there was no access point. We poked around, read the news, clipped Frisco's nails, did some cleaning, enjoyed our showers and breakfast.
This afternoon, we headed in to Clear Lake and strolled the main street shops, mostly antique shops. The downtown park across the street from the lake is beautiful with a nice stage setup for musical venues. Off in the distance toward the lake, sailboats and power boats could be seen.
We decided to drive out to the site of the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens on February 3, 1959, "The Night The Music Died". We headed north out of town for 4.7 miles and followed the directions given in a tour guide, turned east on a gravel road, then north until we came to some grain silos. Just past them at the fence row, we parked the car and walked about 1/2 mile to the site. The only mark we saw from a distance were some flags flying in the breeze. At the site is a memorial to the 3 musicians and another to the pilot. There is nothing there but fields of corn and soybeans and we could just imagine what happened on that cold and snowy evening. The cause of the accident was determined to be pilot error, he was inexperienced in that plane or with the instruments. Sad, sad, sad.
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June 20 - 23, 2011-MO
Monday, June 20. After a night of fasting, I had the final 2 tests with good results, I was released. And now - we wait for the bills to come in and to see if my gall bladder continues to give me problems. Unfortunately, I still have some of the symptoms that led to this adventure in the first place. It's good to be back home and so nice to see Frisco again. I was smothered with licks from him, something he usually doesn't do - we're both happy.
Tuesday, June 21. Thunderstorms have been a daily occurrence since we got here, although I was aware of them during the night, they didn't keep me from a good nights sleep back in my own bed and with Mike and Frisco by my side.
I had to get a walk in this morning, so I drove to Adam's Dairy Parkway where there is a nice sidewalk (the road in front of Bob's house is narrow with quite a bit of traffic). It was slow going, but felt quite refreshing - should help me to get back to normal life. I still have many of the symptoms that I had and think much of my discomfort could be from the drugs and junk that were injected in me for the tests, so I am drinking lots of water to flush all of that crap out of my body. I think this is going to take a while to get over.
We ran some errands this afternoon and then went to Amber & Joel's house to see them and their 17 month old son, Lincoln. It turned out that Bob and I walked to daycare to get Lincoln as Penny couldn't make it on time - she was getting a speeding ticket. Lincoln was a little unsure about Mike and I, in fact, he went running up to Mike with his arms out to be lifted up and then realized it was Mike instead of Joel. We played in the yard for a while and then went in the house to check out the toys in there. An empty bottle with clothespins to spill out and put back was his favorite toy, although he liked the dinosaur trucks that we took him too.
We went to Siki, a Japanese restaurant for dinner. The food was good but I really limited myself.
Wednesday, June 22 Last night's dinner didn't settle real well, so today starts something completely different. I am only eating those things that are supposed to benefit the gallbladder so it was yogurt and grape juice for breakfast, yogurt and grapes for lunch, and a tomato, sweet potato, some cucumber for dinner. I also learned that vinegar was good for it so I had a glass of apple cider vinegar and that seemed to help more than anything. Amazing!
We went to Stella's house and hung out with her and Barley in their amazing park-like yard. Frisco had a ball because he had Zoe to play with and almost an acre to roam free in. He's gotten a lot better about coming when we call him, maybe we can ease up on the leash in certain areas. Tonight we went Aaron and Johanna's house so we could spend some time with their 15 month old daughter, Olivia. Rita and Denny and Rene also joined us for pizza that Denny picked up. Olivia is a little sweetheart too. I'm glad it worked out that I could see them again. I don't know when we will be around here again.
Thursday, June 23 It seems like each day is getting better, although my abdomen is still feeling weird. The vinegar water and modified diet seems to be helping. Frisco and I walked along the parkway for about 1.5 miles this morning - that definitely made an improvement on how I felt.
We're sticking around Bob's today, doing maintenance on the RV. I will be picking up my medical records and a few groceries this afternoon. Bob's nephew, Kyle, fixed our generator while we were here and informed us that our house batteries were about shot. That will be Mike and Bob's project for today. I'm going to fix Ben and Jill's Pasta recipe for dinner tonight to give them a little treat.
The dinner was well received and my stomach even cooperated so I could enjoy it too - there was nothing in it that could irritate the gallbladder - and it tasted great too! After dinner, sitting out on the deck, we got a special treat. 3 stunt planes were flying by in formation and they flew over 3 times giving us a great show. They must be practicing for an upcoming event, quite entertaining. The sunset was pretty special too.
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June 15 - 19, 2011-KS, MO
Wednesday, June 15. What a night! We planned to get to bed early last night so we could get an early start this morning, as it is expected to get up in the 90s and we have a 5-6 hour drive ahead of us. Mike couldn't go to sleep and I went to sleep then woke up again shortly after. The park we are in is very nice, but the highway traffic noise is AWFUL! We finally both got to sleep but then I was awake at the crack of dawn when the birds were singing loudly. I usually love that sound but it made me feel cranky this morning.
It was an easy drive and the scenery was pretty nice too, especially the Flint Hills area of eastern Kansas. Mike drove a long 3 1/2 hour shift yesterday and I got the long shift today - a pretty easy drive though. We pulled into Bob's Shady Rest RV Park at about 2:30 and got setup. So good to see him again and Penny once she got home from work and babysitting her grandson Lincoln. Looking forward to seeing all of my family again over the next week.
I'm tired and am looking forward to a night of not hearing highway noise.
Thursday, June 16. Lazy day. After 3 days of driving, it seems that we just couldn't get going today. After Bob & Penny left for work, I did a load of laundry and took a shower, but it was almost 11:00 by the time I was done.
A Momma Cardinal has made her next in the outdoor heater that sits in a corner of Bob & Penny's deck. She has at least one baby in there and I caught a glimpse of her feeding it from the laundry room window. She senses movement and scurries away whenever you get too close to the window. I felt sorry for her today because I was keeping her out of the nest and the poor thing was drenched and all disheveled from the rain. It's been raining most of the day. I laid down on the couch to read my book and fell asleep, resulting in a stiff neck for the rest of the day.
Rita came by after work and then not too long after that, Denny came by and we all had a nice visit. When Bob and Penny got home, we looked at an old family photo album that I brought with me and reminisced and told stories. Steaks, baked potato, and tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and basil from Penny's garden. Yum!
I planned to go to the botanical gardens with Rita tomorrow - we will see, as it looks like rain for most of the day.
Friday, June 17. It was pouring out this morning, so we decided to go to the Toy and Miniature Museum and then to the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. Rita picked me up and then we headed to get Stella and Barley. The toy museum had the largest collection of miniatures that I've ever seen including some blown glass pieces that were only about 1/2 inch tall - incredible. The detail was so intricate on some of these pieces; quilts with tiny 1/8 x 1/8 inch squares, paintings and tiny stitched rugs. Barley was fascinated by the overhead train in one of the rooms and the marble towers. He was a good little boy.
Rita and Denny came over and we walked to the Canoe Club, a restaurant just a quarter mile from Bob & Penny's house. Had a nice dinner and a pleasant visit.
Sunday, June 19. What a night we had on Saturday. I was feeling kind of sick when I went to bed, but thought if it persisted in the morning, I would get medical attention. Terrible storms came through during the night with winds of 70 mph in places, the sky rumbled and flashed like crazy. Penny sent us a text warning us of the approaching storm but it was the storm that woke me up about 10 minutes later, the worst of it had passed. While I was up I got this terrible feeling, with bloating and pressure in my abdomen and lower back, a flushed and kind of dizzy feeling - not normal at all, quite scary in fact. So, I called 911 and that led to a 2-day experience in the hospital in Lee�??s Summit. It was a process of elimination to rule out possible causes.
First, the heart - it turned out to be ok. They did find a condition called a bundle branch block in the lower left side of my heart (provides electrical impulses to the heart) , a condition that I probably have had for years. Since it showed up on the EKG it is considered a good sign. Nothing to be concerned about, but a good thing to know in the future. Second, a female problem similar to one that I had last fall - it turned out to be ok with the exception that I need to get off the hormones I�??ve been taking. Thirdly, the diagnosis turns out to be a gall bladder flare-up. The ultrasound was borderline for a blockage, it could clear up or it could get worse. I will just have to see what happens and follow a low-fat diet. I�??ve never been through the mill like that before, I was hooked up to so many machines; EKG, echocardiogram, ultrasounds, sonograms, poked and prodded, and found to be in general good health once again.
Being in the hospital means I missed the family gathering today, my only opportunity to see some of my nieces, nephews and their kids. Rita & Denny and Rene & Mike came by for a short visit. Mike sent me some pictures from his phone and he brought me some of Bob�??s ribs and smoked chicken for dinner. After a day of fasting, it all tasted pretty darned good.
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June 13 - 14, 2011-UT, CO, KS
Tuesday, June 14. Almost the entire drive yesterday was through mountains; climbing hills, descending hills, sharp curves, construction, and lots of tunnels. We followed the Colorado River for much of the way and it was overflowing it's banks and fast moving in many places. Some smaller rivers were just rolling white water and we spotted several rafters along the way. I�??m surprised we made it all the way to Aurora but there weren�??t a lot of RV park options on the western side of Denver and the high elevations really have an effect on how Mike feels. At the highest points, I was even having ear problems, labored breathing, and a slight headache.
We checked into the Denver Meadows RV Park ($35 - no discounts) a really dumpy place right next to the freeway in a not really nice part of town - it's a good thing it's only for one night. We got setup and I gave a call to my 2nd cousin, Jeff to let him know that we were there. He and his little Bichon, Rosie, came by and chatted for a couple of hours. It was a nice reunion, as it probably has been at least 30 years since I saw him, he wasn't even out of high school. He�??s traveled a lot in his many years of serving in the Army and lived for several years in Anchorage, AK.
I called Jonnie to see how Marty is doing and the news is not good. She cannot have any surgery to correct the problems she�??s having that are due to numerous tumors in her intestines. They will try to make her comfortable and relieve her pain, hopefully getting her well enough to go back home. I feel so bad for them both, as they are in Florida with no other family around for moral and emotional support. Once we get to Wisconsin, I might see if there is any way that I can get down there to be with them for a while.
We saw thunderstorms tonight for the first time in ages. They really upset Frisco and he was snuggled up with us and jumping at every crack of thunder.
Today was completely opposite of yesterday, we drove one long straight stretch of highway at quite low elevations. We had a little rain but nothing severe. Somehow, Mike was at the wheel for 3.5 hours before pulling over for a break and I drove the last 2 hours. We settled into the KOA at WaKeeney, KS ($35 - no discounts) at the recommendation of my brother-in-law, Denny. Thanks Walks!
We thought we would be seeing some storms once we got settled, but the sky is clear and should be through tomorrow. It's going to be hot, so we're hoping to get an early start. We'll see. We're not very good at that.
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June 7 - 12, 2011-AZ, UT
Wednesday, June 7. We were hoping to get an early start this morning, but I had to go into Cottonwood at 7:30 to have some blood drawn for a follow-up with my doctor. It was a little after 9 when we got on the road.
Our route took us to Flagstaff and then to the northeast into Utah. The drive was spectacular all the way, the roads weren't bad (although it was two-way traffic with a few passing lanes here and there), and there weren't many slow-downs in the way of towns. The roadside was scattered with little shacks where Navajo Indians sold their local wares. We were warned of elk, wild horse, and deer crossings but only saw 3 dogs (they darted across the road in front of me) and 2 very confused sheep. The views of crazy, wild red rock formations through Monument Valley were incredible and after that we were driving through Canyonlands and seeing things like Church Rock, Wilson's Arch, and Hole in the Wall. It was definitely a day of visual stimulation.
It was 6:00 by the time we arrived at the OK RV Park in Moab, Utah - a long, long day of driving for us. I chose this park because of a review by Lori and Odel, fellow RVers that keep a blog of their adventures, including very thorough reviews of parks. We will spend the next 5 nights here at $18.50/night (Passport America rate). The view to the back of us is the La Sal mountains, about 12,000 feet and they still have snow covered peaks. To the front and sides are red rock cliffs towering above the Cottonwood trees. You can't do much better than that.
Thursday, June 9 We planned to take a drive through one of the National Parks today, but were both feeling drained of energy so decided to just hang out at home. Believe me, not much has been accomplished other than a walk this morning and some good reading and travel plans.
It turns out that we will be heading to Kansas City when we leave here on Monday. We had planned to go straight to Forest City, IA to have the AC fixed, but they couldn't get us in until the 28th of June. That's OK, it's always nice to see family again. I just hope the heat wave and storm activity that has been going across the United States have come to an end.
We sat outside last evening, enjoying the beautiful weather, great scenery, cooked bison burgers on the grill, and had a great conversation with Tom, the guy that is camped next to us. He had great stories to tell about his life in Thailand since he retired and his travels in his motorhome when he comes back home to the US every year.
Friday, June 10. My day started with a nice conversation with Ben where I learned that Jill's latest checkup indicated that all is well with our grandbaby. Naturally, they are hyper-aware of changes that occur and are sometimes nervous or scared, wanting to get medical attention immediately if necessary.
We decided to explore Arches National Park today and what an enjoyable time it was. We started by watching the 15 minute video at the Visitor's Welcome Center where we learned how the arches were formed. It turns out that the park is on top of an underground salt bed, deposited 300 million years ago when the area was a sea that eventually evaporated. Then, as millions of years passed, the salt layer shifted, pushing all of the rock layers above it upward, causing many sections to break up and fall into the cavities that it created. Then over time, water seeped into cracks, joints and folds of these cavities, winds cleaned out the loose debris, and then the flow of wind and water formed the arches.
We pulled into each of the viewpoints, walked the paths, and snapped many photos. Other than several fast moving lizards, and a kangaroo rat running across the road, the only wildlife that we saw was a little ground squirrel perched on the branch of a small tree, feeding on the leaves. It was a good thing that the rustling sound that he made caught my attention and I was able to get a picture of him.
Every time we visit one of the National Parks, we marvel at how fortunate we are in this country, to have so many of these beautiful areas set aside for our enjoyment. It would be such a shame to have them shut down because our government can't manage our money.
Saturday, June 11. Today was the day to take the Island in the Sky drive through Canyonlands National Park, a 33-mile drive from Moab. The park is immense and there is no way that we will be able to see all 3 sections. It is described in the brochure as a wilderness of rock where 2 canyons are carved by the Green and Colorado Rivers. In the southern part of the park, the 2 rivers meet.
The views were breathtaking, it is said that you can see 100 miles in the distance and when looking down, to depths of 1,200 feet. Part of the drive took us through a prairie-like setting, with beautiful grasses and wildflowers billowing in the wind, the La Sal mountain range as a backdrop. Standing on the rim at various places, we got a glimpse of the Green River when looking to the west and the Colorado River when looking eastward. Also, when looking into the canyons, hiking and 4-wheel-drive paths where everywhere.
After an afternoon of sightseeing, we decided to have some BBQ at the Branding Iron, not far from our RV park. We shared a rib and chicken combo dinner, both thought that the ribs, home-made french fries, fry bread and salad was good - the chicken breast (processed, not real) and corn on the cob (mushy and yucky) was not good.
I talked with Marty in Ocala this evening and did not get good news from her. She has battled Ovarian Cancer for the last 2 years and learned that she now has several tumors in other major organs and that surgery is not an option for her, nor will she ever be able to eat food again. She will be getting her nutrition through an IV every night. I just really feel so bad for her and her partner, Jonnie. They shouldn't have to be going through this. All we can do is pray that her prescribed treatment helps her get through this and that she can go home and have a good quality of life. Our thoughts are going out to you both.
Sunday, June 12. An R and R day was in order today, neither of us felt like doing much at all. I did get a couple of loads of laundry done this morning and picked up some groceries. You can tell that this area caters to outdoor enthusiasts as the grocery shelves were stocked to the brim with fruits, healthy snacks, yogurts, and easy to carry items. The customers fit that bill and the parking lot was loaded with ATVs, bikes, motorcycles, and lots of Jeeps.
We relaxed, enjoyed the light cloud cover and breezy afternoon. Tomorrow we will take off and try to get somewhere near Denver. If we make it as far as Aurora, we will have dinner with a 2nd cousin of mine, Jeff. That will be a stretch, as a 350 mile drive through the Rocky Mountains is a long haul for us.
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June 6 - 7, 2011-AZ
Monday, June 6. Frisco and I met up with a dog this morning on our walk that could have been related to him. The color was exact, the face and ears were very similar, but the hair was even more scruffy than his. Later in the morning, as we were driving out of the park, we saw it again and Mike thought that we should give it a home and we would have twins. Thanks a lot, Mike! I think it already has a home.
We took a drive to the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park, about a 35 mile drive to the west of Camp Verde. What a gorgeous drive it was along the Mogollon and Tonto Rims - yes, we were up on top of the mountains, driving through the beautiful Ponderosa Pine forest. The views from the road were incredible.
Driving in to the state park was a steep and windy road that dropped down to the base of the small valley. The natural bridge is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world, standing 183 feet over a 400-foot long tunnel that is 150 feed wide at it's widest point. Because we had Frisco with us, we were only able to see it from several viewpoints along the path, we were not allowed to take him on the trails. Standing atop the bridge, we were sprayed by water from a small waterfall - the spraying occurred because of the high winds we were having today - it kind of felt like a cold, cold shower.
The view from another of the viewpoints directed us to the other side of the bridge where it actually looked like an above ground cave. There are stalactites and stalagmites, all above ground. As we were heading back to the car, we actually saw some wildlife, 3 Javalina were feeding on grass near one of the picnic areas. Mike headed straight to the car with Frisco, as we had just read that they will attack a dog, as they think the are coyotes, one of their natural predators. I was able to get a little closer and take a few photos.
On the way back to Camp Verde, we stopped at the Strawberry Lodge in the tiny community of Strawberry (named in the early days for the abundance of wild strawberries that grew in the area). Naturally, we had to have a piece of pie, I had strawberry and Mike had blueberry. Yum, yum!
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June 1 - 5, 2011-AZ
Wednesday, June 1. Happy Birthday, Savana! It's hard to believe that our granddaughter turns 18 today and by the end of this week she will have graduated high school!
Today starts our summer of travels. Most of our stuff is loaded in the motorhome and we just have to finish that project, load the bikes on the car rack, hook up the car, and close up the house. We are only headed to Camp Verde, AZ today, so there is no reason to be in a big rush, as we can't even check in until after 1:00. I think we can handle it.
I've got mixed feelings about this trip. First of all, I will miss our home, especially when we consider that we will only be here for 2 out of the next 11 months, as we plan to provide child care for our new grandchild that is due in September. We have found that time flies way too quickly, so before we know it we will be asking ourselves "where did the time go"?
Secondly, the cost. Gas prices have gone down some, the latest we saw was $3.61/gallon. The travel budget was calculated at $4.00/gallon.
Thirdly, I'm not looking forward to the rainy, humid weather or the mosquitoes in Wisconsin. They have had a real wet spring, so the little buggers have had plenty of places to incubate and hatch.
I am looking forward to seeing family and friends and to exploring some areas that we haven't seen before.
We left our house a little after 12:00. I thought I had just a few loads to haul out, but it seemed like a never-ending job. Finally, at 11:00 we were ready for showers. The drive was only a couple of hours, but our front AC was really struggling to cool the 95+ degree air today. Once we got out of the city, the windows did a better job. It's just another one of those things that are going to need repairs. We keep thinking that a stop in Forest City might not be a bad thing - they were really willing to give us a good trade-in on this a year ago. It might just be the time to upgrade.
We arrived at the Camp Verde RV Resort (one of our Western Horizon's membership parks), got registered and settled into a nice shady site. All systems worked well. It was cool enough to sit outdoors and enjoy the cool breeze and the sound of the nearby freeway. We are just across from the Verde River (it actually has lots of water in it) but it is hidden by the huge Cottonwood trees.
Friday, June 3. Brrrrr! It was only 42 degrees out when I awoke at 6:00 this morning. I even had to put another blanket on the bed during the night. The inside temperature was 58, so we tested the furnace to see if that still works - yeah! - it does!
Yesterday was a nice and relaxing day, we did some cleanup around the house, took walks, and enjoyed the RV with the fresh air coming through most of the day. It got pretty hot between 2 and 7:00 pm.
We had grilled Salmon fillets and a salad for dinner. Costco had the best salmon I've ever tasted - can't wait to get some more.
We did it again. Spent the afternoon looking at new RVs in Prescott - what a way to waste a day. They sure look good, but when we look at the numbers, we would have to take a big chunk of money out of our IRAs and then finance something for the next 20 years. Midway through that time, we would have a rickety old RV that is no longer covered by warranties and worth way less than what we owe on it. That is exactly how we are feeling right now with the Bravo, but we're stuck with it and it will cost a whole lot less to just fix and repair what goes wrong - the engine and frame are solid but the appliances are over 10 years old now.
Back at the RV park, we were ready for a Tito's and tonic and a yummy steak dinner.
Saturday, June 4. I went in to Camp Verde to shop for a few things that I had forgotten to bring along; a screwdriver, pot holders, a cookie sheet. The only household type stores they have here are dollar stores and I didn't find what I was looking for. The cookie sheets were all too big to fit my oven and the potholders all came with towels and mitts that I don't need. Oh well, now I have a new quest. I do have 2 silicone potholders that get really hot, although they probably do protect you from burns. I find them hard to hold, though. Picky, picky me.
We went over to Page Springs (a small town between Cottonwood and Sedona), about a 17 mile drive from us, to hang out with Jan and Jim. They were camped with their family at the Lo-Lo-Mai Campground, a very nice resort with RV and tent sites plus many rental cabins. The camp sites are scattered along a small stream that is fed by a little waterfall - giant cottonwood trees shade the sites - a real pretty place. Had a nice time and then enjoyed a beautiful drive along a hilly, windy road that took us through the Verde Valley on the way back. What a nice day!
After dinner, I took Frisco for a walk and he got all freaked out. His ears perked up and he looked around, got in a pointing position, whimpered, growled, and then all he wanted to do was to head back to the RV. We sat outside and he was sitting right up against my legs and continuing to look concerned and whine and growl. Hmmmm? Did he hear fireworks off in the distance or sense a coyote or other wild animal? We will never know.
Sunday, June 5. Congratulations to our grand-daughter, Savana on her graduation from high school today!
I was walking with the guy next to us this morning and he told me that his wife has seen coyote around here - that might explain Frisco's behavior last night. His dog is 16 years old and he has to lift her over the steps to let her out. I remember those days with Belle and Lucy, poor old geriatric dogs.
Paul and Karen came by late this morning and we sat in the motorhome catching up for a while. Then we headed to Cottonwood to have some lunch and check out some of the shops in Old Town. We had a great lunch at Concho's Mexican but when we walked down Main Street, many of the shops were closed. We did stop at the Arizona Stronghold Wine Shop, sampled a couple of their wines but didn't like either - they are a new winery and I think they might need some practice.
What a nice afternoon - we are definitely looking forward to spending more time with them in the future.
I sat here watching a family park in the site next to us and felt glad that we have just a simple motorhome. Usually, the woman guides the man into the site, but this gal was looking off in other directions as she waved her hand for him to back in, all as her *bleep*er Spaniel pulled at the leash and darted under the wheels of the 5th wheel trailer. The poor guy had to make at least 5 attempts before positioning it correctly. Then 2 young boys jumped out of the pickup, and they were also darting around, getting in the way. I don't know what their story is, but their trailer is trashed; the laminate is bubbling up in huge sections, a panel that covers an appliance is missing, an antenna is hanging down instead of standing up, there are wires running along the roof. I just couldn't help myself from watching, they provided me with good entertainment for an hour or so.
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Created on 05/31/2011 09:21 AM by bridge
Updated on 08/15/2011 12:59 PM by bridge
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