Crazy 2 months

Let's recap October & November, which were in preparation for our new "winter season" in FL. As I begin, Neil Sedaka's "Calendar Girl" song comes to mind.  Funny how things like that pop in your head.  :-)

Anyway, other than telling lots of friends and family good-bye, October was filled w/lots of excitement.  The biggest one being trading our 2005 Suite in on a 2015 bath and a half model Suite.  Tom customized the exterior colors and it's a beauty!  As is typical whenever anyone buys something new (cars, homes, RV's, etc.), he's had to make some changes (inside and out) but I can honestly say we're both really happy w/this floor plan, upholstery color scheme, etc.

After celebrating Chase's "golden" birthday

on November 3rd and leaving Clay, Kim, Kenley & Chase for the winter (I hate good-byes), we headed to VA to spend a few weeks w/Scott, Valerie, Sophia and Naomi.  I usually do my fair share of driving but let me tell you, I did not like driving through so many hills & hollers in WV and VA while towing.  On the day we arrived at the Heavenly Acres cg in Stanardsville VA, Tom drove all but about 1 1/2 hours that day.  Poor guy.

While in VA, we enjoyed going w/the kids to the Amazement Square Discovery Museum, the Monticello museum (will have to go another time to tour Thomas Jefferson's home), had lunch at the famous Michie's Tavern and saw lots of pretty colorful trees and a few deer.  We'll go back next year and plan to check out a few historical areas like Mt. Vernon, Washington D.C., etc.

We left some really cold weather

on the 25th for a few days camping at the Hardeeville cg in Hardeeville SC so we could spend a few days in GA.  Took the city tour in Savannah and toured the Juliette Gordon Low house (she was the founder of the Girl Scouts), checked out the cannons at Ft. Pulaski

and walked out on the pier at Tybee Island.  Definitely more comfortable weather but still chilly and breezy.  Savannah is a neat old historical town.  We'd like to go back again sometime during warmer weather and with some friends to actually walk around the different districts plus check out the nightlife down on the river.

On the 30th, we had fun visiting with our friends, Rick & Ellen, at The Villages then arrived at our winter destination in Frostproof on December 1st.  Lakemont Ridge is a nice cg and we like the spot we're in for the next several months.  The highlight of the day was seeing our good friends and traveling buddies, Tim & Trish, pull in next to us.  They got a new RV too.  It's a toy hauler so we just watch next door to see when Tim's Big Deck is out.  That means it's time to go next door and party! 

Homeward Bound

After having fun in CA the month of March, we headed to NV on April 1st and camped at the Wine Ridge RV Resort in Pahrump, NV (same owners as the cg we stayed at in Casa Grande).  Saw some neat Joshua trees and dunes on the way.

  Amazing how you can be driving on flat land and see dust devils start swirling around like little tornadoes and then lonely sandstone formations sitting out all by themselves.

After playing some card games with Tim & Trish on April 2nd, Tom and I went to Las Vegas.  Browsed around inside the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop but, since it was after 5:00p.m., we didn't see Rick, the old man, Corey or Chumlee.  Pretty neat shop, though.  Went from there to the "original strip" on Fremont Street.  Lots more "characters" (minions, Michael Jackson, showgirls, etc.) walking around for photo ops than we remembered from our trips to Vegas in the past.

On April 3rd, we went to Death Valley.  Not at all what the 4 of us thought it would be.  Expected to see lots of flat land w/a few tumbleweeds blowing in the wind and a few cactus.  Nope, mountains all around that you can climb and explore.  Did enjoy "tasting" the Badwater salt lake and looking behind us at the top of a mountain showing the "sea level" line.  Boy, did I feel insignificant!

Arrived at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Resort on April 4th and, after a great meal at the "Pine Country" restaurant, it was fun walking around historic downtown Williams, AZ.

On April 5th, we drove over to the Meteor Crater and then stopped in Winslow, AZ.  While "Taking It Easy", we were sad at how depressed this little town made famous by the Eagles is.  Had some good burgers at "Dar's Diner" and our waitress said their population is around 10,000 but most of them are in the prison.  So, no great support from the local and surrounding communities.

Awesome views at the Grand Canyon on April 6th.  Saw some mule deer (huge ears!) and very friendly elk.  They'd let you walk right along side of them knowing they weren't endangered.  Love that!  Tom even made the comment he was more impressed looking at the canyon this trip than when we were there in 2006(?).

Moved to the Lake Powell CG in Page, AZ on April 8th.  We went on a tour led by the Navajo Indians to go onto their land and see Antelope Canyon (they won't let you go on your own due to people desecrating the Canyon w/graffiti, etc.).  This sandstone canyon is very pretty on the outside but the view from the inside of it, since there are a few holes in the top, is so beautiful w/lots of shades of red, blue, purple and gray.  You have to pay extra to go at noon because of the way the sun shines through those holes and gives it a whole different level of beauty.

Arrived in Glendale, UT on April 9th for 3 days.  This made the 3rd state we got to add to our U.S. map since we didn't have CA, NV or UT before this trip.  Over the next couple of days, we went to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and Red Canyon.  Saw more unique colorful rock formations, Pronghorns and very nice visitor's centers full of interesting information.  Tom thinks he saw a condor too.  That would've been neat.

A big disappointment awaited us in Gouldings, UT.  Tom really wanted to see Monument Valley, where John Wayne, John Ford and others made western movies and other films.  We opted to drive the valley ourselves.  17 miles but we only went about 5 or 6 as the road was horrendous.  With the previous problems we'd had w/the camper, I was petrified that something was going to happen to his truck.  Not sure but I think Tim & Trish were just as ready for us to turn around and get back to a real road as I was.  There was no way the 4 of us would've been able to get us out of a washed-out rut in the road.

All good things must come to an end so on April 13th, we said good-bye to our travelling buddies.  They headed north to wind their way back home to Michigan while we headed south to pick up I40.  We stopped at 4 Corners for a photo shot of me lying in UT, AZ, CO & NM all at once.

Had overnights in NM, TX, OK and MO before finally pulling into our home base in Petersburg, IL.

This winter has provided lots of wonderful memories w/great friends and family.  We've actually decided to do a winter circuit rather than call 1 state our winter home.  So, next winter we'll be in FL, the following winter in TX and then the winter after that in AZ, then start all over again.

Since we'll be seeing most of you over the summer, I'm probably not going to post any more blogs for awhile.  However, I know most of you will be seeing posts and pictures on Facebook.  Hope all of you have a healthy and safe summer.  I'm outta' here!

T&C's March Madness

We planned to tour throughout California the month of March, knowing it was going to be an expensive adventure.  However, we sure were surprised that our March madness included several repairs to our Suite.  It started with a broken bolt on our kitchen slide.  A few days later, our refrigerator decided to warm things up rather than cool things down.  This past WE, the converter quit so we brought out our trusty Coleman lantern for a couple days of "romantic" lighting.  Fingers are crossed that we're done with all problems related to home ownership.

Now for the good part of our March madness.  Our 1st stop in CA was Anaheim where we were thisclose to Mickey's backyard.  Liked watching Disneyland's evening fireworks display but a 1-day ticket was too high.  Also enjoyed meeting and spending some time w/Tim's and Trish's family (Ken, Trish, Josh and Alyssa)

 

 

for a couple cook-outs.  Made it to tapings of "Last Man Standing" and "Mom", walked along the beaches at Huntington Beach, Santa Monica and Venice Beach but the highlight for me was watching the whales at Dana Point.  Beautiful sea creatures. Oh, and Tom got to celebrate his 65th birthday at 3 different restaurants.  He loved getting free dessert!

The following, we went to Fresno where we saw some giant redwoods and majestic sequoias plus some beautiful snow-capped mountains at Yosemite Nat'l Park, Sequoia Nat'l Park and Kings Canyon.

The last part of March was spent in San Francisco.  I had as much fun  this time as I did on my 1st trip out there with Valerie for a "mother/daughter" vacation in March 2008 before she and Scott got married a month later in April. We liked taking the ferry (within walking distance of our campground) over to the Bay, which gave the guys a break from driving.  Some of my favorite things were going to Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, hopping off and on the cable cars and trolleys and Fisherman's Wharf.  The highlight for me, however, was getting to see the Haight-Ashbury district. 

Still kind of a "hippie" feel as we saw a demonstrator, people standing or sitting on the ground playing instruments, 60's and 70's clothes shops (used to be able to wear those crop tops and bell bottoms!), some cool murals on several shops and, of course, some "funky" smells, if you know what I mean. The highlight for Tom was Muir Woods National Monument with its giant Redwoods.

So, we're into April and have a few more sightseeing trips before getting back home the first part of May.  Heading to the Grand Canyon this morning so we'll catch ya' later!

Westward Ho (Part 2)

California or bust...literally!

After meeting up with our great traveling buddies, Tim & Trish, and spending January and February in Casa Grande AZ, plus 3 days in Yuma AZ, it was time to continue our journey west into CA for the month of March. We knew yesterday (March 4th) was going to be a long travel day but sure didn't count on the extra 4-hour delay in Cabazon CA. After stopping there for lunch, our kitchen slide wouldn't come back in. Thank goodness we have the Good Sam Road Assistance as they were able to track down a repair service to come help us out. Seems a bolt on the slide sheared off. Sure glad we had a bolt and it wasn't a part that needed to be ordered. We finally reached the Valencia Travel Village in Castaic, CA RV Resort around 8:00 p.m. CA time.

Now, back to our time in AZ where, except for just a few days, we had gorgeous weather. We had a hard time wrapping our heads around the fact that our families and friends back in Illinois, Michigan, FL, etc. were dealing with record-breaking cold temps, snow and ice.

We never lacked for something to do, whether at the campground or in and around the Casa Grande/Tempe/Mesa/Phoenix/Scottsdale areas. Sightseeing trips included watching skydivers from all over the world do their jumps in Eloy (civilian and military skydivers);

Tombstone (a re-enactment of the gunfight at the OK Corral and their cemetery); Quartzite (huge flea market and lots of campers that just pulled off onto the desert sand to set up camp. Gonna' need a generator before we do that since it's all dry camping); Sedona (beautiful red mountains), a little town called Jerome (which was an old mining town that became a ghost town for artists, hippies and the Hells Angels.

When not sightseeing, we learned how to play a fun outdoor game called "Pickle Ball". Very similar to ping-pong but you play on top of the table. Lots of fun and great exercise. Tom really took to it so played almost every day. He even found a place in Springfield that has Pickle Ball courts, so I'm sure we'll be playing a couple times a week.

We also had great fun getting together with Micki, Chic & Kim. We were glad that Tim & Trish were able to hang out with us for "family fun" a few times also.

Tom, Tim & Trish even squeezed in a golf game one time.

This past SA we headed to Yuma. On SU we toured the Yuma Territorial Prison.

On MO, we crossed the border to check out the Los Algodones entrance into Mexico. Trish discovered on the internet that this town has more dentists in it than any other city in the world. I would agree as there were literally hundreds of dental offices and pharmacies. After Tim's DDS appointment, we found a good restaurant for dinner and margaritas!

We're looking forward to more adventures in March as we work our way up the coast of CA so stay tuned!

Our Westward Ho Winter (Part 1)

We've been here in Casa Grande, AZ since January 3rd and today (FR, 1-24) is our first bad day.  Big ol' windstorm came up in the middle of the night.  It and the ensuing dust storm are blocking the normally beautiful sun but everything is supposed to settle down late afternoon.  Yea!  Hoping the rest of you are staying warm, healthy and safe, wherever you might be located this time of year.

Over the past 3 weeks, we've been staying busy going places and doing things w/our good friends and traveling buddies Tim & Trish, and have also enjoyed hanging out with more good friends, Don & Phyllis, for a few more weeks before they move on. 

We went up north last FR to hit a flea market in a residential area in Mesa then went to a "local favorite" Mexican restaurant in Phoenix for lunch (complete w/bars on the windows for security) called "Carolina's".  Afterwards, we checked out some new campers (no, we're not in the market) and ventured up the "Hole in the Rock" (an easy climb and good exercise)

then drove to the top of "South Mountain" at dusk for a beautiful view of Phoenix at night w/all the lights filling the landscape as far as the eye could see.

Last SA, we went to the Casa Grande Street Fair/Car & Bike Show and saw some really cool  old classic cars.

This past WE (1-22), the four of us went to Quartzsite AZ to see what all the buzz was about.  Well, everyone who has ever told us we need to go there at least one time to see it was right.  It's so HUGE w/all of the RV's just pulling up anywhere on the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and camping there for whatever amount of time they want to and venturing through lots of vendors and fair food areas that will satisfy everyone's needs.  I'm not sure if Tom still wants to actually camp there for a few days or not but I'm content to scratch it off my Bucket List.

I've also enjoyed being able to get together w/my sister, Micki, and brother & sister-in-law, Chic & Kim, since we're only about 35 miles apart.  Hoping to visit w/them a few more times while we're in AZ through February.

Even though Tom came down w/a cold yesterday (TH, 1-23), we're staying active w/lots of walking, riding our bikes and playing "Pickleball".  A fun game that was originated, so we're told, by some seniors in WA state.  It's very similar to Ping Pong but you actually play it on a court similar to a tennis court.

Still have plans w/Tim & Trish to do some more sightseeing including visiting some Indian Ruins and going to Tombstone so will keep you posted on those little adventures and others.  Stay tuned!