Adams RVing Adventures

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2012-01-01T23:46:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to our friends and family!

We hope everyone has a healthy, prosperous and wonderful year!!!

Our year started out great with a sunny, 85 degree day!

Christmas in Mesa

2011-12-26T15:20:00.000-06:00

This week has been an emotional roller coaster for us. We were saddened to hear that my Mom passed away on Christmas eve. She was in Hospice care for bladder cancer. Unfortunately, since we don't fly, we will not be going to Michigan for the funeral. Yesterday we had a wonderful day at Barry & Rachel's with their family. Bob & I feel so fortunate that they include us in their holiday celebrations. Another day of good food, good friends and good times. As always, we had many laughs. Thanks again, Barry & Rachel!!!

The front of Barry & Rachel's house...note the blow-up Christmas tree...

Now check out the Christmas tree. :-)

Barry & Rachel's youngest granddaughter, Kourtney.
She is too cute & too funny!

Vivian (my first mother-in-law) :-)
all decked out for Christmas

Tree in the living room

Barry & Rachel's oldest granddaughter, Victoria with her new
Barbie & Me bike. That's the nice thing about getting a bike
for Christmas in AZ, you don't have to stare at it until Spring
waiting to ride it outside.

Just one of Rachel's many, many, many snowmen.

Rachel working hard to get dinner ready.

Thanksgiving - November 24th

2011-11-29T14:14:00.000-06:00

We had a really nice Thanksgiving at Barry & Rachel's daughter & son-in-law's. Rachel's oven was broken and the part was on back-order, so they moved it to Michael & Brittany's. As always, the food was excellent and abundant and we had a lot of laughs. Bob & I were the only ones that didn't bring a dog. There were SIX dogs there! :-) I meant to get a picture of all of them, but forgot until some had already left. We always enjoy spending time with them and they always make us feel so welcome.

Beautiful little Victoria enjoying some pumpkin loaf.

G.G. (Great Gramma), Barry & Brittany with Toby in his tux.

"Aunt" Gwen and her friend, Ed

Nana Rachel & little cutie, Kourtney

Watching the game...Toby is overseeing everything.

Tia Brooke with Kourtney

Red Rock Fantasy - Sedona, AZ, Sunday, November 20th

2011-11-21T01:01:00.000-06:00

Today we drove up to Sedona, which is our FAVORITE place of all the places we've visited so far. They are having the Red Rock Fantasy Christmas Light Display at the Los Abrigados Resort & Spa. We drove around the city for a while, did a little shopping and then had dinner at The Javelina Cantina (the BEST Mexican food in Sedona) before going to the Red Rock Fantasy. The light display was not what we were expecting and we were a little disappointed.

Driving to Sedona...such a beautiful area!

Bell Rock in Sedona.

Sesame Street display at Red Rock Fantasy

Precious Moments display

Cars display..."Mater Saves Christmas"

Carousel at the Red Rock Fantasy

Another red rock formation in Sedona

A Great Day with Great People

2011-11-14T13:55:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we spent the day at Barry & Rachel's. Vivian and her friend, Bob, were also there.This is the first time we've seen Barry & Rachel since we arrived in Mesa because Rachel was really sick for a while and Barry travels for work so much. It was great to see them and their family. They always make us feel so welcome! As always, we really enjoyed our day. After dinner, Rachel insisted on playing Left-Right-Center for dollars and it worked out well for us, since Bob won 3 out of 4 games. :-) Today is Barry's birthday, so Rachel had a birthday cake for him.

Rachel & Victoria with her scary teeth.

Tia Brooke with Kourtney

Papa & Kourtney showing their tongues

Papa & Victoria blowing out his candles

Brittney & her girls

Yummy red velvet cake!

AZ Museum of Natural History in Mesa

2011-09-28T20:52:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the Arizona Museum of Natural History

with Reid & Debbie. It was interesting and they had displays ranging

from dinosaurs to outer space. There was even had a 3-story waterfall

that would create a "flash flood" intermittently. An original jail from the

1800's was there and they built the museum around it.

A photo taken by the Hubble Telescope

Another photo from the Hubble

"Crowned Crocodile" skull

Ancient buffalo skull

Canyon Lake & Tortilla Flat, AZ

2011-09-28T20:35:00.001-05:00

This week we have been spending time with our good friends, Reid & Debbie. They are in the Mesa area for just a week. Monday we went to Canyon Lake & Tortilla Flat (Population: 6).

Reid in the saloon at Tortilla Flat. (He was trying to give me his mean look).
Notice all the dollars on the wall behind him. They estimate that there is
over $100,000 on the walls and currency from 70 countries.

Debbie in the ladies room at the saloon.

Superstition Saloon at Tortilla Flat

Another wall full of dollars.

Beautiful Canyon Lake. We were going to take a cruise on
the Dolly Steamboat, but they were sold out for Monday & Tuesday.

Canyon Lake

Oklahoma State Capitol Building in OKC

2011-09-15T22:44:00.002-05:00

After visiting the Memorial & Museum, we went to the State Capitol Building. If it was earlier in the day, we would have gone on a tour. This is the 3rd Capitol Building we've visited this year (Santa Fe, NM & Little Rock, AR). I guess we need to go to Lansing next summer.

The State Capitol Building

Notice the oil well & derrick. This is the only State Capitol
grounds with active oil wells.

Statue in front of the Capitol. I think
this is Sacajawea.

The back side of the building.

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

2011-09-15T22:33:00.003-05:00

Today we spent the afternoon at the Memorial & Museum. It was very interesting and moving. I did skip one part of the Museum because it was just too emotional for me. They have a room with pictures and momentos from each of the 168 people that died and right after that is a room where they loop video of their funerals, memorial services, etc. I just didn't want to sit through that. Other than that, it was a beautiful presentation and when you hear about the way the people of Oklahoma and the rest of the country banded together after this tragedy, you realize that after it's all said and done there are a heck of a lot more GOOD people in this world than bad.

A very interesting story was that Florence Rogers, the President of the Federal Employees Credit Union in the Murrah Building, was having a staff meeting in her office that morning. When the blast occurred, the 8 employees sitting across from her desk literally disappeared. The floor under Florence's desk & chair remained intact. All 8 of the employees died. Florence had one small tear in her dress and other than that, she was fine. Can you imagine?

This is the outside of one of the end panels at the Memorial.

Some of the debris from the bombing.

More of the damage from the bombing.

A photo of the Murrah Federal Building after the explosion.

This car was parked in front of the Ryder truck that
the bomb was in.

The license plate from the Ryder truck.

The face of a monster.

It's still amazing that he wasn't
sentenced to death. 161 life
sentences should be sufficient, though.

This is one of the end panels at the Memorial which reads
9:03 - one minute after the explosion.

The chairs at the Memorial. There are 168 chairs, one for
each person that died. The smaller chairs are for the 19
children that died.

The other end panel at the Memorial, which reads 9:01 - one
minute before the explosion. In between the end panels
are the chairs.

This press pass was in a display case of
press passes. The rest of the passes were
for access to Oklahoma City.
I found this one to be very eerie.

Part of the fence in front of the Memorial & Museum. I
thought it was interesting that this large one was from
Tawas City, MI.

National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

2011-09-14T20:06:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Oklahoma City today. After we set up our 5th wheel, we went to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. It was interesting, but not what we expected. For some reason, admission was FREE today (instead of nearly $20.00 for both of us). That was a pleasant surprise!

"End of the Trail" Sculpture

Ronald Reagan

Bob...right where I want him. I tried to convince the
guy to throw away the key. ;-)

The Duke...John Wayne

Abe Lincoln

This sculpture was at one end of the parking lot.
I thought it was beautiful.

Mountain Lion sculpture

Rodeo cowboy

Native American rug commemorating 9/11.

Owensville, MO & Grove, OK

2011-09-12T21:40:00.001-05:00

We are at the Bear's Den Resort in Grove, OK for 3 nights and this park is really nice. It's on Grand Lake (which we really think covers have of this city) and we have a great view of the lake and bridge. The park we were at prior to this was the Lost Valley Lake Resort in Owensville, MO. That park is amazing. I really think it has more amenities than any other park we've stayed in. They have a 30,000 sq. ft. indoor sports arena, 3 lakes, 3 pools & hot tubs (2 are indoors), a huge clubhouse, cafe, etc. etc. etc. It's just beautiful! On Wednesday we will be going to Oklahoma City, OK for 2 nights so we can visit the Memorial. After that it will be 3 overnighters and then into Mesa, AZ for 15 weeks.

This is just one of the statues at Lost Valley
Lake Resort in Owensville, MO

The Sailboat Bridge from out campground

A gazebo by the waterfront at Bear's Den Resort

M-R geese! :-)

An egret on Grand Lake

Joplin, Missouri Tornado Damage

2011-09-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

Today we drove to Joplin, MO to do some shopping. When we drove into town we were reminded immediately of the huge tornado that went through there on May 22nd. 159 people were killed and the devastation seemed to go on forever. Seeing the images on TV did not really make the impression on us that seeing it in person did. It's hard to grasp that Mother Nature can cause such fury! The Home Depot seemed to be severely damaged and they had a HUGE tent set up in the parking lot that they were using for a temporary store. The Walmart was GONE and they had one of their semi trailers in the parking lot (which is all that was left) with a sign painted on the side of it saying they looked forward to reopening in the fall. I'm not sure what year they were referring to, but it definitely wasn't 2011!

This used to be a parking garage across from Hope High School.

This tree had metal & steel wrapped around it . A very sobering sight!

South Middle School

Another view of South Middle School

One of many, many destroyed homes

Hope High School...how ironic!

Another view of Hope High School

Walking Stick in Owensville, MO

2011-09-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

This walking stick was on the outside of our 5th wheel right next to the entry door today. I had never seen one before, but I knew immediately what it was. What a large & strange insect!

The Gateway Arch - St. Louis, MO

2011-09-10T16:30:00.000-05:00

It was so dreary & drizzly when we drove through St. Louis yesterday, but I did manage to get a few pics of the Gateway Arch. I asked Bob (once again) if he wanted to stop and take the tram ride to the top of the arch, but (once again) he declined. I thought after willingly climbing all those mountains last winter, he would be up for this. :-)

Beautiful Hartland, MI Skies

2011-08-24T22:48:00.000-05:00

Tonight we met Jason & Andrea at Applebee's in White Lake for dinner. It was Andrea's daughter, Meaghan's 7th birthday. On the way back to Waldenwoods there were some amazing cloud formations so I started snapping pictures. (Imagine that!) There were thunderstorm and tornado warnings all around us, but we didn't even get a drop of rain.

We leave Michigan for Arizona 2 weeks from today. Amazing! Where did the summer go?

Cloud formation in White Lake

Interesting sunset

Old Glory flying in front of the clouds

Clouds at Waldenwoods

Sunset from the kite field in Waldenwoods

Orange sky from our campsite

The sky turned from orange to pink. Awesome!

2011-08-03T11:27:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that we are leaving Michigan in 5 weeks. This summer has flown by. We've had Jason, Connor & Jillian with us for several days and have truly enjoyed it. It's amazing that Jillie is 9-years-old and Connor will be a teenager in December.

We kept Kathy's son, Paul, the last two Saturdays. He is getting so big and acts twice his age. He is also super-smart.

I fell at our campsite at Lake Shore Resort in Davison on July 6th and hurt my right arm. I went to 3 different doctors and they all said nothing was broken. The orthopedic doctor said I had bone contusions (deep bruising of the bones). It's now been 4 weeks and my wrist, forearm and elbow still hurt. :-( I think it would have been better if I broke something.

On Sunday, we took Paul home and Jason, Connor & Jillian went with us. They spent the day on the lake tubing and we had a nice cookout with Kathy & Spyros. They are such great hosts!

Jillian walking on water (with Uncle Spyros).

Jillie, Connor & Paul bustin' a wave.

Oops...Connor bites the dust.

Connor heading for shore.

Father's Day

2011-06-20T23:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to Kathy & Spyros' for Father's Day. Jason, Connor & Jillian, Sue & Bob and my parents were also there. Spyros, Bob & Jason took Connor, Jillian & Paul tubing. Before it was over, Bob & Jason joined them on the tube. :-) We had a great time and Connor & Jillian didn't want to leave. :-)

Paul on his ski trainer.

Spyros & Kathy's beautiful home

Jason, Jillian, Paul & Connor getting some serious air!

Rock on!

Oops...Jason's in the drink...

Grandpa had to show the kids that he may have turned 66 on Friday,

but he can still keep up with the young ones!

Hang on, Grandpa!

Wipeout! Jillian & Paul overboard.

Connor stayed on...

My Dad with his "Cannoli Cake". M-m-m-m!!!

Sue's Fundraiser Luau

2011-06-20T22:56:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, they had a fundraiser Luau Dance at the Waterford Eagles for my older sister, Sue. She found out in December that she had bladder cancer and has been going through treatments and does not have health insurance. The fundraiser was a huge success, with 192 people attending. They also had a bake sale 2 weeks ago that raised over $1,200.00. Sue has helped so many people for so long that it's about time the favors were returned. Good Karma!

They had a couple of professional hula dancers come in and perform. My Dad's head never moved while they were dancing. When my Bob & Kathy took them home, my Dad was doing the hula in his wheelchair and singing "Blue Hawaii". :-) He was still doing the hula yesterday at Kathy's.

Sue & her fiance, Bob

Sue's fiance dancing with professional hula dancers. His grass skirt wouldn't stay up, so the hula dancer raised it up where his "coconut bra" would help it stay up. :-)

Sue's son-in-law, Jimmy, with her 1-year-old grandson, William

Kathy & Sue, my crazy sisters!

My nephew, Wayne; Sue's fiance, Bob & Sue's grandson, Nick getting lessons from the hula dancers.

This guy was amazing

It's Been A While!

2011-06-20T22:27:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted on here. I noticed that my last post had us heading into Oklahoma for 3 days. Well...that 3 days turned into a week because Bob ended up in the hospital. He woke up Monday morning with what we thought was the flu. I took him to the hospital in Gainesville, TX (10 miles away) and he was admitted. He finally was released on Thursday evening. He was so dehydrated that they gave him 8 IV bags of fluids. They said it was a viral infection. They even gave him morphine shots on Wednesday night because he had such bad abdominal pains.

We stopped in Little Rock, AR and visited the Clinton Library. We also stopped on the way there in Hope, AR and visited his boyhood home. After that we went to Natchez Trace State Park and met up with some friends for 5 days. It was nice to sit a few days and relax.

After NTSP, we went to Batesville, IN for a week and then we finally made it back to Michigan on May 17th. We've spent a few weekends with the grandkids and it's been fun. We were shocked at how much they've grown in 8 months.

Amarillo, Texas

2011-04-29T18:28:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Amarillo, Texas this afternoon. Tomorrow morning we will be heading to Oklahoma for 3 days. Sure hope there's no tornadic activity going on! Our RV park is right next to The Big Texan Restaurant where you get a free 72 oz. steak if you eat it and all the trimmings in an hour or less. Bob was kind of bummed that he ate lunch today. He's sure he could do it if he didn't have lunch. I think we'll test him on our way through here in the fall. Our RV park calls there to make the reservations and they send a limo right here to pick you up and take you there for the challenge.

The Cadillac Ranch, just west of Amarillo. It's 10 Cadillacs "planted" in the ground.

I couldn't get a better picture because they were repaving I-40 right in front of the "ranch".

I think we've found a new way to travel around the country. :-)

I thought this was a cute way to spell out Amarillo.

Sandia Crest, New Mexico

2011-04-29T06:18:00.000-05:00

On the way back from Santa Fe, we drove up to Sandia Crest. It was Bob's idea! I just don't know what has gotten into him!!! It was a beautiful drive and the weather was perfect. Although this was the highest elevation we've climbed, the drive was the easiest.

I offered to go on the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway, but Bob declined.

I guess he hasn't gotten that crazy yet.

Now THAT is some fantastic fuel mileage!

Going downhill with the tow haul on, it just kept going up. It stopped at 99.9 mpg. If only...

Part of the Sandia Peak Ski Lodge.

Yikes...Cougars and bears in the area. We didn't see any.

Santa Fe, New Mexico - La Casa Vieja de Analco

2011-04-29T05:36:00.000-05:00

The last place we visited in Santa Fe was the La Casa Vieja de Analco, which is "The Oldest House in America". It was built in 1200 AD. It is located across the street from the San Miguel Mission Church.

The outside of the house.

An old saddle

An old bowl

The ceiling in the house

Santa Fe, New Mexico - San Miguel Mission Church

2011-04-29T05:13:00.000-05:00

The second place we visited in Santa Fe was the San Miguel Mission Church, which is the oldest church in the United States. It was built in 1610.

The front of the church

Above the altar.

The ceiling in the church

This bell was made in Spain in 1356

This wall hanging and the one below were painted on buffalo hides.

Santa Fe, New Mexico - The State Capitol Building

2011-04-29T04:18:00.001-05:00

Today (Thursday, April 28th), we drove up to Santa Fe, NM. We have never been there and several people at the Balloon Fiesta last fall recommended it. It is a great city and I'm sure we will be visiting there again. Our first stop was at the State Capitol Building. It is the only round state capitol building in the U.S. There were three floors of artwork by various state artists and it was very impressive. We were even allowed in the Governor's outer office and above the state senate (surprise...surprise, they were not in session). We truly enjoyed our visit and are considering adding state capitol buildings to our "bucket list".

The State Capitol Building

The state seal in the floor of the rotunda

This bison head was made of all recycled items. It was truly incredible up close.

The entrance to the Governor's office.

One of many statues in the city. Santa Fe is a very artsy city.

This was one of the Art Quilts on display in the Capitol Rotunda Gallery

Another statue outside the capitol

Arizona to New Mexico

2011-04-29T03:18:00.000-05:00

Here's a few pictures I took on Monday when we were traveling from Casa Grande, AZ to Deming, NM

A rock formation at Texas Canyon, AZ

An authentic looking teepee

OK...Pop quiz time. (NO cheating!) What is the Continental Divide?

Easter 2011

2011-04-29T03:07:00.000-05:00

Since we were in Casa Grande for Easter, Vivian (my first mother-in-law) invited us to join her and her family for dinner at her clubhouse. We had a great time and the food was excellent! Once again, we truly enjoyed our week in Casa Grande and can't wait to return there.

"Aunt" Gwen & Vivian

Barry & Rachel's granddaughters, Victoria & Kortney

Victoria

Brittany's husband, Michael, and Barry & Rachel's son, Jaered

Barry & Rachel's daughters, Brooke & Brittany

Kortney with Rachel

Baby Kortney

Vivian & Barry

A beautiful flowering cactus outside the clubhouse.

This & That...

2011-04-20T15:59:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Casa Grande late Monday afternoon. We had a difficult time getting through Phoenix because I-10 was closed, so we had to exit and go through major gridlock to find where we could re-enter. We will be in Casa Grande for a week and then head to Deming, NM for just 2 nights as we begin our trek back to Michigan for the summer. We are sure hoping that it quits snowing in Michigan before we arrive!

The Colorado River sunset on our last night in Ehrenberg, AZ

Ehrenberg Cemetery, which is right across the street from the park we stayed at.

It is one of the oldest cemeteries we've seen.

Gravesites at Ehrenberg Cemetery

A billboard in Phoenix. Why do American companies feel the need to advertise in Spanish???

WELCOME TO AMERICA...NOW SPEAK ENGLISH!!!

Our rollin' condo...

The "Valentine" tree at my first mother-in-law's is now the "Easter" tree.

The Easter tree without the lights on

Looks Like Triple Digits to Me!

2011-04-17T19:04:00.000-05:00

This was taken at our campsite

today at around 3:00 p.m.

It was in the shade, too.

Thank goodness it's a "dry" heat

and there's a breeze off the river.

Another beautiful Colorado River sunset...

2011-04-12T21:56:00.000-05:00

Taken from our campsite at the Colorado River Oasis RV Resort in Ehrenberg, AZ this evening:

Hello to Arizona

2011-04-07T20:08:00.006-05:00

We arrived at the Colorado River Oasis RV Resort in Ehrenberg, AZ at 1:00 today. Our campsite is right on the Colorado River and across the river is Blythe, CA. We have been at this park several times, but today is the first time we've encountered high winds. It was very windy all the way here from CA. In fact, I was watching the hummingbirds feeding at our neighbors feeder and they kept flying to a nearby tree and acted as if they were hanging on for dear life. :-) Poor little things! You can tell by the palm tree beside our trailer blowing in the wind that it is windy today. In case you've noticed...I have been having problems with this blog lining up correctly. I'm not sure what is going on with it, but it's driving me insane. (No comments, please!) I do apologize and I am trying to correct the situation.

Farewell to California

2011-04-07T19:49:00.009-05:00

With sadness, we left California today and are now back in Ehrenberg, AZ for 11 days. Here's a few pictures that I took in the last couple of days in CA.

These ducks were playing in a puddle in front of our campsite in Menifee, CA

We stopped at a rest area in (ironically) Cactus City, CA today

and these beautiful flowers were in bloom.

Twin Peaks, CA

2011-04-04T13:40:00.013-05:00

Where is my husband??? What did you do with him??? Two years ago when we were in CA he made it clear that there was NO WAY he would ever go up the mountain to my cousin Gwen and my cousin Mike's homes. Well, after going up to Jerome, AZ and then to the top of Mt. Lemmon, AZ, he has this newfound courage of the mountains. We have been trying to go up there the last 3 Sundays, but the weather didn't cooperate until yesterday. (Last Sunday they had 18 in. of snow on the ground in Twin Peaks). We went up there yesterday and holey schnikees...WHAT A RIDE!!! It put the AZ mountain drives to shame! There are switchbacks and hairpin turns that are amazing. The road is cantilevered off the side of the mountain in several places and at one point there is a bridge. I must admit, coming back down the "hill" at night was spectacular. You can see lights forever. They said that on a clear day they can see L.A. and the ocean from their house (that's over 60 miles away). On the way up there was fog on the rim, but not too bad. Fortunately, on the way down there was no fog. This mountain has Big Bear Lake & Ski Resort, Lake Arrowhead, Twin Peaks, etc. For the life of me, I can't imagine why anyone would live up there. Just getting into Gwen & Jim's driveway is a driving test. :-) We had dinner at Gwen & Jim's and really had a wonderful visit with them and their family. Their daughter, Jamie, and her family live next door to them, so we were able to spend the day with them, too. Thanks again, Jim & Gwen! Heading up the "hill" Notice how the road is cantilevered off the side of hill. Now THAT'S a switchback!

Cantilevered AND a bridge.

Fog on the rim.

Michael, Mike, McKenzie & Jamie

Bob, me, Jim & Gwen

Hard to photograph at night,

but magnificent to see!

City lights.

Hollywood, CA

2011-04-03T01:42:00.008-05:00

Jason's girlfriend's son, Noah, had a "Flat Stanley" project for school and he sent it to us. We took Stanley to Hollywood and Santa Monica on Monday to take some pictures. (I have been having a hard time getting my blog to upload the pictures and text correctly, so that is why I'm just now posting these pictures). We have been to Hollywood before, so we knew what to expect. Hollywood Blvd. has to be the very BEST people-watching place on the planet! :-) Helen Mirrin received put her hand and footprints in cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre just before we arrived on Monday.

Santa Monica, CA

2011-04-03T00:56:00.010-05:00

When we left Hollywood, we headed to Santa Monica. We had never been there before. Now we have traveled every mile of US-10 from Jacksonville, FL to Santa Monica, CA. Driving down Hwy. 101 - The Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica was a beautiful drive along the ocean.

Route 66 Museum, Victorville, CA

2011-03-21T16:12:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, we drove up to the Route 66 Museum in Victorville. This city is on the other side of Cajon Pass, which my parents still talk about crossing back in 1969. The museum was a blast from the past and every one that worked there was friendly and informative.

Route 66 Museum entrance

A teardrop trailer...there is NO way!!!

The fold-out kitchen on the
back of the teardrop trailer.

Remember Martin Milner from
the old Route 66 TV Show?

A 1917 Model T truck...sure
wish gas was still 18 cents/gallon!

This was for Bob...his grandpa
owned a Gulf station in Oxbow
Lake, MI.

A Chrysler that was on loan
to the museum.

On Route 66 in Victorville.

My California Cousins

2011-03-16T01:12:00.016-05:00

Here's some pictures of my California cousins that my family will enjoy seeing.

My cousin Gwen and her husband, Jim,

at Guy's Italian Restaurant.

My cousin Paul and his wife,

Cheryl, at their beautiful home.

Cheryl & Gwen (notice Bob in

the mirror on the china cabinet)

Gwen & Jim

My cousin Mike with his wife,

Michele, and daughter, Katie

at Vince's Spaghetti House.

Paul & Cheryl's son, Andrew, and his girlfriend, Danya.

Paul II

Paul & Cheryl's grandson, Kyle, with his birthday cake.

Jamie, Mike & Michael. Poor Michael had just had all 4 wisdom teeth pulled.

Gwen & Jim's daughter, Jamie,

with her husband, Mike, and

Michael & McKenzie.

From right: Cousin Gwen,

her husband Jim, Cousin Mari,

McKenzie, Jamie, Michael & Mike.

From right, Bob, me, Gwen,

Jim, McKenzie (in front), Jamie,

Michael & Mike.

Gwen's granddaughter, McKenzie,

with her mega snowcone at Newport

Landing.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

2011-03-16T00:29:00.007-05:00

Yesterday we went to the taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno with Paul & Cheryl, my cousin and his wife. We stood in line for a looooooooong time and then we sat in another line for a long time. You would think that in 2011 they would not have such an archaic way of doing this. It was much easier when we went to see Real Time with Bill Maher a couple of years ago. Jay drove his Ford Cobra GT to work yesterday, but we weren't allowed to take any pictures on the lot. We did have fun once we finally got in the show. Bob kept playing up to the guy that gets the crowd going and on one of the commercial breaks he brought him a Tonight Show hat.

After the show we went to Clearman's Northwoods Inn in Covina for a fantastic dinner. Paul & Cheryl bought our dinner as an early anniversary gift. Thanks again Paul & Cheryl!!!

NBC Studios in Burbank

Johnny Carson Park across
from NBC Studios

Walt Disney Studios in Burbank

ABC in Burbank

Northwoods Inn in Covina

Whales & Dolphins & Seals...Oh, MY!!!

2011-03-15T16:34:00.012-05:00

On Sunday we went on a whale and dolphin watching cruise at Newport Beach with my cousin Gwen and her family and my cousin Mari. We had a great time and the weather was absolutely perfect. We saw some sea lions, two whales, literally hundreds of dolphins and seals. The captain said there was over 5,000 dolphins in the pod. Everywhere we looked we could see dolphins. It was amazing! Afterwards, we met my cousins Paul & Mike and part of their families at Vince's Spaghetti House for dinner. There were 25 of us there. I'm sure our Grandpa DiGiacomo was smiling down on us! It was great to see everyone and we look forward to spending more time with them while we are in California.

A pelican in flight.

Pelicans on the breakwall.

Two whales "snorkeling". They
never really jumped out of the water,
they would just skim the surface for
air and then dive back down under
the water.

Dolphins!!!

Dolphins!!!

Seals on the channel marker.

They were so cute!

Paul's '52 Chevy Pickup

2011-03-05T14:17:00.003-06:00

This is my cousin Paul's baby. He was just finishing it when we were here 2 years ago. Since he completed it, he has won several "Best Paint Job", Best Interior", "Best in Show", etc. It is one sweeeeeet ride!

Paul & his baby

Bob checking it out.

Oak Glen, CA Area

2011-03-05T14:00:00.004-06:00

Last evening we were going to my cousin Paul's house and Bob wanted to go up to the Oak Glen area on the way there to check out a campground. As luck would have it, we found a beautiful sunset on our way back down the hill.

This is Big Bear totally covered in snow.

California Here We Come...

2011-03-03T00:36:00.007-06:00

Tomorrow morning we are leaving for the San Bernardino, CA area to spend a few weeks with my California cousins. We are soooooo looking forward to it!

Tonight we went across the Colorado River into Blythe, CA for dinner and shopping. On the way back into AZ there was a beautiful sunset in our rearview mirror. So, there I was holding my camera out the window of the truck and trying to snap pictures behind us.

This was the sky to the east.

Another one of the sky to the east.

Behind us.

Another one of the CA sunset.

California sunset.

This was taken in our campground.

This one was taken from our campsite.

Jason, Connor & Jillian at Mackinaw City

2011-02-26T23:39:00.004-06:00

Jason took Connor & Jillian to Mackinaw City for the weekend. Looks like they are having a great time. We miss them soooooo much! It's been 5 months since we've seen them and it will be 3 more months before we get back to Michigan.

Jillie & Connor in the snow

On the ice on the lake with
Mackinaw Bridge in the background

Connor looking through an ice
formation

Jillie looking through the ice

At Pirates Adventure Water

Park in Mackinaw City

Casa Grande & California

2011-02-25T11:24:00.005-06:00

We left Casa Grande yesterday and arrived in Ehrenberg, AZ for a week. We will be going to California next week and plan to be there for about 5 weeks. We were planning to head north to Oregon and Washington and then take the northern tier back to Michigan, but with the ridiculous fuel prices, we are seriously considering changing those plans. I am not happy about it, but it doesn't make sense to go that way now. I'm hoping that next year the prices will be down enough to go that way. On Monday, Barry & Rachel came to Casa Grande and took us and Vivian to dinner at Eva's Mexican Restaurant. It's a great restaurant and we had a really nice time. Thanks again, Barry!

We said our good-byes to Vivian on Wednesday and she seemed really sad that we were leaving. We were very sad, too. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with her and are certainly going to miss her. We WILL be back!

Eva's Restaurant

Rachel & Barry

Vivian & me

Bob & Rachel...notice how Rach

is much closer to Bob than she

was with Barry. :-)

We went over to Blythe, CA

for groceries last night and

these were the fuel prices

there. Very UGLY!!! Thank

goodness we filled up Wed. in

Casa Grande for "only" $3.48/

gallon for diesel.

Casa Grande

2011-02-20T13:54:00.007-06:00

We've been in Casa Grande for over a week and we've spent a great deal of that time with my first mother-in-law, Vivian. She lives right next to the park we are staying in. We were only planning to be here a week, but when we realized that Vivian was trying to get ready for a carport sale and didn't really have anyone to help her, we bought out an extra week at this park and stayed here to help her. She has been sooooo appreciative. She's a great lady and we've really enjoyed our time with her. For 85 years old, she is a little firecracker! She had a great sale yesterday and she's got a few more projects lined up for us before we leave on Thursday. We're just happy to be able to help her out.

Vivian in front of

her "Valentine" tree

Saturday evening I was doing up

the dinner dishes at Vivian's & Bob

told me to come outside...this is why...

Beautiful rainbow over Casa Grande

On the way to the Promenade Mall area

for dinner last night...another rainbow!

Rainbow over Promenade Mall.

Jon, Jason, Connor & Jillian at the Pistons Game

2011-02-05T10:42:00.006-06:00

Jon & Jason took Connor & Jillian to the Pistons game last night. Jason shared these pictures:

Jillian, Uncle Jon & Connor

Jillian shooting free throws

Connor shooting free throws

Taking care of Kid Rock's

courtside seats while he's on tour.

Jason, Jillie & Connor

Jillie with the Automation Dancers

Jillie & Connor

Jillie with Hooper

Connor with Hooper

Connor was saying how he loves to trick his Mom by putting Saran wrap on the toilet. Jillian says, "Yeah, that one never gets old". OMG - they are soooooo much like their Dad!

We moved to Mesa on Thursday. It was only 5 degrees in Benson on Wednesday night and was going to stay cold for a few days. The water line to our kitchen sink froze up, so we found a really nice park in Mesa, got a refund from the park in Benson and moved. It's going to be in the 70's here this weekend, so it was a good choice!

You KNOW it was cold on Wednesday

if Bob was wearing jeans & a jacket!

Gammon's Gulch Old West Town

2011-01-29T22:58:00.008-06:00

This morning another one of our neighbors told us about Gammon's Gulch Old West Town. We decided to drive over there and check it out. We were pleasantly surprised at how interesting and entertaining it was. Jay Gammon and his wife own the place and Jay has collected buildings and artifacts from all over Arizona. Several movies have been filmed here and Jay's father was one of John Wayne's personal security members. It is obvious that this place is a true labor of love for Jay! He is quite a character and his personal tours are great. He does not advertise and yet he had 3,600 people tour there last year. He wants to keep it small and uncomplicated. If you're ever in this area, this is a great place to visit!

The saloon

Jay playing the banjo for us.
He also played the piano.

One of several antique vehicles.
They all run.

Check out the roadrunner
walking in front of the church.

The Town Hall.

Another one of his treasured

autos at the filling station.

Triangle T Guest Ranch - Dragoon, AZ

2011-01-29T22:15:00.006-06:00

Yesterday one of our neighbors here in St. David told us about the Triangle T Guest Ranch in Dragoon, which is very close to St. David. Dragoon is in the "Texas Canyon" area, which has hundreds of huge boulders which make the most interesting scenery. We drove over there and checked it out. We were going to have lunch at the saloon, but it wasn't open. On their website they have pictures of the casitas that they rent out and they are furnished in beautiful old west furniture. There were a couple of RVs camping there.

The entrance to Triangle T.

A stagecoach at the ranch.

The entrance to the saloon.

Our neighbor says they have

great steaks and barbecue.

We may have to go back here...

later in the day next time.

One of many interesting rock

formations.

Mt. Lemmon - Tucson, AZ

2011-01-24T18:48:00.014-06:00

We made our trek up to Mt. Lemmon yesterday afternoon and it was so picturesque! It was about 24 miles to reach the top, which meant there were many, many curves. As Bob said at one point, "Around every curve there is a totally different scene". It was a beautiful day for a beautiful drive. I'm still amazed that Bob drove all the way up and back without the slightest hint of the jitters. I still don't know what got into him, but I'm liking it a lot! I took over 300 pictures going up & down Mt. Lemmon, so it was very difficult to choose just a few to post here.

Interesting rock formations

Beautiful vista

The Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley

at the top.

The sun hitting this formation.

I loved how the setting sun cast

a reddish gold shadow on this area.

Sunset on our way back down.

Another sunset shot.

Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse at Trail Dust Town

2011-01-24T17:59:00.005-06:00

We made it back to Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse at around 6:30 last night. They have fantastic steaks that are cooked on a mesquite wood fire and they are excellent! Bob ordered the "Big Cowboy", which is a 30 oz. Porterhouse and he ate it and all the trimmings (and part of mine) and didn't leave one morsel on his plate. He loves this restaurant! It's a neat atmosphere...no neckties are allowed and if you wear one in, they will cut it off and hang it from the ceiling. Coincidentally, one of the gift shops in Trail Dust Town sells ugly old ties for a couple of bucks. :-) At Trail Dust Town there are several shops, a carousel, shooting gallery and an old west gunfight show. If you're ever in the Tucson area, visit Pinnacle Peak...you won't be disappointed!

Definitely a "Cowboy Cadillac".

Check out the rifles mounted

on the fenders.

Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse...

this picture is deceiving...

this place is very big inside.

Sabino Canyon in Tucson, AZ

2011-01-24T17:13:00.008-06:00

We had a great day yesterday. We went to Tucson to visit the Sabino Canyon in the Coronado National Forest. We took the tram tour through the canyon and it was nice. When we left there we went to Bob's favorite restaurant in Arizona - Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse at Trail Dust Town. It was 3:30 when we arrived and they didn't open until 4:30, so Bob suggested we drive up to Mt. Lemmon while we waited. I could have fainted! Mt. Lemmon is 9,157 ft. above sea level and Mr. Flatlander decides he'll drive up there. It's 24 miles from the base to the ski lodge at the top. So...up we went and it was a beautiful drive and Bob did fine. We're both still in shock that he did so well. The following 2 posts will show Trail Dust Town & Mt. Lemmon. The photos below are of Sabino Canyon.

This formation is called "The
Mask" or "Winking Tiki"...it looks
like a mask winking at you.

Casa Grande Area

2011-01-12T21:48:00.007-06:00

Today we took a picturesque drive to Florence, AZ. We had been through there a couple of years ago and passed a "Prison Store" where they sell things made by the prisoners. They were just closing when we went there 2 years ago, so we decided to go back there today. It was quite interesting and they had some nice items, but we felt that everything was way overpriced. Oh, well...it was a nice drive!

A saguaro in the mountains

Another saguaro

A load of cotton being hauled
from the field

The Prison Store

An interesting building in Florence

More saguaros

Loved this multi-armed

saguaro

Today Bob found a couple in our campground that make really nice items from PVC pipe. They have copyrights for them and have some technique that they use to create birds, etc. from one piece of PVC. Then they paint them and mount them. They are so whimsical and beautiful! We stopped back by their campsite and I purchased the 2 items below.

This eagle is made to mount on a

wall with a hook or on the outside

of the RV with 2 suction cups. It

is on our 5th wheel in this picture.

These are my Egrets. Aren't

they adorable???

Casa Grande, Arizona

2011-01-12T12:49:00.003-06:00

Yesterday we moved from St. David, AZ to Casa Grande. We have been trying to get into this park for years. We did have reservations 2 years ago, but had to cancel them when my mother was in the hospital and we had to rush back to Michigan. This park is very nice and they have plenty of activities. Vivian (my first mother-in-law) lives right next door to this park, so we will be visiting with her this week. Here's a few pictures I took yesterday:

Driving through Tucson

Picacho Peak, between Tucson
and Casa Grande

These 3 pictures were taken
out of the back window of our
5th wheel. The sunset last
night was spectacular!

Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson, AZ 01/07/11

2011-01-09T15:20:00.015-06:00

On Friday we visited the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson. It was interesting, but a little disappointing that you aren't allowed to go in any of the planes. At Wright-Patterson AFB Museum in Ohio, there were some planes you could go inside, including Eisenhower's Air Force One plane.

The entrance to the museum.

Also at the entrance.

Sweet plane!

This flag was the first one ashore on Utah Beach on D-Day:

Apollo Command Module.

Mars Polar Lander.

Tucson Ring Meteorite.

This plane is at the "Boneyard",

which is part of Davis-Monthan

AFB in Tucson. There are acres

of scrapped planes there. You

may remember seeing scenes

of it in the movie "ConAir".

Titan Missile Museum - January 5, 2011

2011-01-06T22:23:00.005-06:00

We spent yesterday afternoon at the Titan Missile Museum in Sahuarita, AZ. It was very interesting and informative and it sure makes you think about how fortunate we were to have survived the Cold War without ever having to fire one of these missiles. The Titan II missiles could hit a target 6,000 miles away in 35 minutes. WOW! That is moving!!!

Entrance to the Museum

Beyond the gate you can see
the top of the missile silo with
the door in the 1/2 open position.

View of the missile from the top
of the silo.

The Command Center

The red file cabinet which

contained the launch keys and

codes for the missiles.

The tunnel from the Command

Center to the silo.

View of the Titan II

from the 2nd level.

Another shot of the missile

from the 2nd level.

Tombstone, Arizona - January 2, 2011

2011-01-03T18:00:00.018-06:00

We spent Sunday afternoon in Tombstone. Since we have been there a few times before, we didn't go to the Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Birdcage Theater Tour, The Courthouse Tour, etc. We really enjoy visiting this town...it is so well-preserved from the 1880's and it's always a good time there. Tombstone is only 15 miles south of the park we are staying at in St. David, AZ.

Tombstone

There is always lots of people

in period dress on the streets.

The people watching here is

great!

Even the dogs wear their

western garb... :-)

The Famous Big Nose Kate's

Saloon.

The entrance to Big Nose Kate's

My "Tombstone Gambler"

One of the stagecoaches

Boot Hill Cemetery

The undertaker's car at Boot

Hill Cemetery.

Crazy Annie's Bordello :-)

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T01:52:00.007-06:00

We spent Christmas day at Michael & Brittany's beautiful new home. Brittany is the oldest daughter of Barry & Rachel (for those of you that don't know them... Barry is my 1st husband's brother). We had a wonderful day and truly appreciate Barry & Rachel including us in their family Christmas.

Barry

Papa & Victoria

Victoria

Proud Papa & Victoria

Duke

Getting dinner ready

Baby Kourtney & Brittany

Baby Kourtney...she was just

getting her first teeth

Barry making himself at home...

not sure what Jeared is doing

with the doll. :-)

Kourtney ready to

go nighty-night

Merry Christmas from Apache Junction/Mesa, AZ

2010-12-24T16:03:00.007-06:00

We arrived in Apache Junction on Wednesday afternoon. We went to dinner with our friend, Ginger, Wed. night and had a nice visit. Yesterday we had some last minute errands to run and it was a zoo out there! Tomorrow we will be spending Christmas with Barry & Rachel and their family. We ALWAYS have such a good time with them and are really looking forward to it. Below are a few pictures of this area that shows why we like it so much here.

We never get used to how low the
planes fly over the freeway when
landing at Sky Harbor Airport in
Phoenix.

Same plane...

This is my favorite type

of palm tree and it's right

across the street from us.

Here's a corner in Apache Junction

with the Superstition Mountains in

the background.

The Superstition Mountains with

the Phoenix sign made from white

rocks.

Another shot of the Phoenix sign.

The Superstition Mountains from

our campsite...not a bad view!

Quartzsite, Arizona again

2010-12-21T13:19:00.012-06:00

Yesterday we drove over to Quartzsite, AZ again. There are more RVs there and more of the flea market booths are open now. After Christmas it will really fill up. The months of January & February are when they have the Gem & Mineral Show there and there will be thousands of RVs camping in parks and in the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) areas in the desert. Quartzsite is unlike any other place we have been. It's excellent for people-watching and you just never know what you are going to see there.

The Quartzsite billboard...
listing their claims to fame.

More RVs in the desert now

"Welcome to Beer Belly"...not
sure what that's about, but check
out the painting of the miner to
the right.

"No Name Street" and they
even have a sign for it. :-)

Somebody even flies their own
plane into Quartzsite.

Sure glad they didn't have to
climb too "high" to create their
rock artwork. :-)

The sky was so pretty on our
way back to Ehrenberg...

The Official Center of the World in Felicity, CA

2010-12-13T04:42:00.012-06:00

Yesterday (Sunday) we visited "The Official Center of the World" in Felicity, CA. This place is directly across the freeway from our RV park. The idea comes from a children's book named, "COE, The Good Dragon at the Center of the World". Felicity was named after the owner's wife. There are dozens of marble slabs there being engraved to depict the History of Arizona; The History of California; Early Aviation; A Korean War Memorial and Part I of the History of Humanity. One of the marble artists was working while we were there and it is amazing to see how he etches the pictures from a small example. There is also a pyramid that houses the "Center of the World" plaque, a section of the original Eiffel Tower winding staircase, a chapel and a sundial.

The highway sign at our exit.

This is the Chapel On

The Hill. They brought

in tons of dirt to build

this chapel on.

This is a section of the

original staircase in the

Eiffel Tower in Paris. It

was the steel that Mr.

Eiffel installed there in

the late 1800's. It was

replaced in the 1990's.

This is the arm of the sundial.

It is a 3-D bronze replica of

Michelangelo's "Arm of God"

painted on the Sistine Chapel.

The sundial.

The dot in the center of the plaque

is The Center of the World. :-)

The 1st marble slab in

the History of Arizona

section.

This is the section of marble

the artist was working on. The

large picture on the bottom

right of the slab is the same

as the small picture on the

bottom right of the paper.

This is the pyramid that has the

marker for the Center of the World

on the center of the floor inside.

Winterhaven, CA & Yuma, AZ

2010-12-13T03:55:00.006-06:00

We have spent the last week at Pilot Knob RV Park in Winterhaven, CA which is right across the state line from Yuma, AZ. There's not much to Winterhaven, so we have spent most of our time in Yuma for shopping, etc. Below are a few pictures from the past week. Tomorrow (Monday) we leave to go back to Ehrenberg, AZ for 9 days.

In the background you can

see the inland sand dunes,

which are just west of our park.

We aren't just close to the

California/Arizona border,
we're also close to Mexico...

this is the border area on the

Colorado River near here.

I saw this tree (and others

like it) in Yuma. Not sure

what kind it is, but I think

it may be the same as the

one below, just trimmed

nicely.

A tree in our RV park...I love

the white trunk.

This is the "Ocean to Ocean

Highway" bridge in Yuma.

This bridge made it possible

to travel from the Atlantic to

the Pacific on land. It was the

last link to connect the route.

For those of you who remember

when Bob had his beard and had

darker hair (and more of it)...I

was shocked when I saw this guy

at the end of Antiques Road Show.

Bob replayed it and couldn't believe

himself how much this guy looked

like him. :-) Now I'm trying to

figure out how he was in San

Antonio in 2007 and I knew nothing

about it.

Not The Thanksgiving We Were Planning...

2010-11-25T12:13:00.002-06:00

We were planning to be at Zion River Resort in Virgin, Utah this weekend with my cousins from California. Late Tuesday night we checked the weather for that area and realized it was going down to 11 degrees there last night. We decided that was just too cold for our rig (and us) and we headed back to Ehrenberg, Arizona. We cancelled our reservation at Zion River Resort and are still trying to juggle the rest of our reservations. We will be having Thanksgiving dinner at the clubhouse at the park here. We are so sad that we aren't going to be with my cousins and also that we won't be able to visit Zion National Park. At least we'll see my cousins in February when we head into California for a few weeks. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

Las Vegas, Nevada

2010-11-23T13:46:00.007-06:00

We spent all day yesterday in Las Vegas and did not step foot in ONE casino! We just really don't care for Las Vegas since it has become such a zoo. It's just TOO MUCH of everything now. We were really there to have Bob's hearing aids repaired and my wedding rings repaired. We had to wait 4 hours on my rings because once they reantique the wedding band, it has to dry for at least 4 hours. So, we went to lunch, went to Sam's Club and a few other stores. We were very happy to get back to Pahrump and the slower pace!!! We went to the Nugget Casino for their excellent prime rib buffet for the 3rd time this week. You just can't beat a good buffet that's only $10.70 (including tax) for 2 people! I'm sure I couldn't make a meal at home for that. When we first got there, I went into the restroom and Bob dropped $1.00 in a penny machine while he waited for me. When I came out, he had it up to $10.23. So, he cashed it out and we went to dinner. After dinner, he put that slip in a poker machine and ended up cashing out $249.23. YEAH!!! It's about time he carried his own weight! Especially since I didn't have a good night...I lost $45.00. :-( I apologize for some of these pictures not being centered too well. I was on the phone with a friend as we were crusing through Vegas and trying to take pictures at the same time. :-) At least I wasn't driving at the time!

This snow was on the side of the
road between Pahrump & Las Vegas.
YUCK!!! It was in the higher
elevation, but I didn't need to
see it that close up!

Red Rock Canyon between
Pahrump & Las Vegas

I remember when this jerk

had a TV show.

Pawn Stars, Baby!!!

2010-11-23T13:29:00.004-06:00

While we were in Las Vegas, we just HAD to visit the "Pawn Stars" store. If you don't watch Pawn Stars, you don't know what you're missing! It's very entertaining and educational. We learn a lot about history by watching this show. The Old Man, Rick, Big Hoss & Chumlee were all there yesterday, but they stayed in the back room. The place is a zoo! It's not very big and it was wall-to-wall people. About 1/3 of this small store is devoted to selling t-shirts, mugs, etc. now that they are so "Hollywood".

We remembered this saddle

being purchased on the show.

This Coke machine reminded

me of the one that was at the

Amvet Hall when I was young.

Inside the store.

Bob inside the store.

The higher part of the building in

the back appeared to be brand new.

Check out the bullet holes

in the window.

Pahrump, Nevada

2010-11-22T01:48:00.006-06:00

We've had a great time in Pahrump, NV. We've done our share of visiting the local casinos and have actually done quite well. The deals on dinners here are about the best we've found anywhere. The Nugget Casino has a prime rib buffet with an excellent variety of salads, entrees, sides, and desserts. All this is included as well as beverages for $9.99 for TWO!!! For both of our dinners it is only $10.70 including tax!

Tomorrow we are going to Las Vegas as Bob has an appointment there to have his hearing aids repaired. We have a few other stops to make while we are there. We really don't like Las Vegas, but we need to get some things done that we can only do in bigger cities.

We will be leaving here on Wednesday and travelling to Virgin, UT to meet up with my California cousins for Thanksgiving. There will be 19 of us there. The campground we will all be staying at is just outside Zion National Park, which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful places in this country, so we're really looking forward to it. We're just hoping that it doesn't get too cold there and we certainly don't want any of that white stuff to make an appearance while we are there!

This was a tree in our campground
that was changing colors and I thought
it was pretty.

This is a view from our campsite of
a snow-capped mountain. This is the
way I like to view snow...far away on
a mountain top!

Another snow-capped mountain
behind our RV resort.

Scotty's Castle at Death Valley National Park

2010-11-22T01:12:00.006-06:00

While at Death Valley National Park, we took a tour of "Scotty's Castle". This castle was built in the 1930's by a wealthy Chicago insurance executive, Mr. Albert Johnson. It seems that Johnson had invested in a Death Valley gold mine that Walter "Death Valley Scotty" Scott supposedly owned. Scotty was quite the con man and his life was very colorful. Somehow, these two men ended up being very good friends and Albert Johnson didn't mind Scotty claiming that the castle was his. It was actually the vacation home that Johnson built for himself and his wife when he realized that the desert climate was good for his health. The stories of Scotty & Albert are almost more interesting than the castle. The guided tour was extremely interesting. Unfortunately, it was pretty dark in most rooms of the castle and my speed light was in the truck, so I didn't get pictures that were as good as I would have liked them to be.

Scott's Castle

A view of Death Valley from the castle

1933 Packard in the garage

Scotty's bedroom. Once he was

finished entertaining the Johnson's

guests with his tales, he would retire

to his bedroom. Then he would exit

the castle through another door at

the other end of his bedroom and

go to his little cottage that Johnson had

built for him on the property. Scotty's

bedroom was really just a prop.

Part of the kitchen. They had the only

true refrigerator in the area at the time.

This trunk is the most valuable antique

in the castle. It was made in Spain in

1491. It has carvings of King Ferdinand

and Queen Isabella on the front. This

was the year before they funded Columbus'

journey to America.

The ornate woodwork on the ceiling in

the music room where a huge pipe organ

is installed.

The ceiling in the music room.

Death Valley National Park, California - November 21st

2010-11-22T00:25:00.009-06:00

We spent today at Death Valley National Park in California. I was really pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the park is. I don't remember seeing any pictures of Death Valley that weren't of the desert and not really pretty at all. It truly is beautiful and it seems that each mountain range has a totally different look to it. Death Valley is the hottest, driest and lowest place in North America. We travelled through elevations of 190 feet BELOW sea level to over 3,000 feet ABOVE sea level and the temperatures changed accordingly.

The entrance to the park

One of the beautiful mountain views

Another beautiful mountain view

I thought this formation was very

different and interesting

One of the "20 Mule Team" trains

that carried borax from Death Valley

to the neighboring town

Another gorgeous vista

This is Ubehebe Crater which

was formed 2,000 years ago.

It's 1/2 mile wide and over

500' deep.

Sunset glowing on the mountains

Huge moon rising over the mountains

Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park

2010-11-06T14:06:00.008-05:00

Yesterday we took a little road trip to Yuma, AZ. Our GPS (aka: The Bitch in the Box) routed us across the border into California and down through CA to Winter Haven and then back across to Yuma. It was nothing but hay fields and a few cotton fields on the drive there. We took another route back, up 95 through AZ and it was much more scenic. We stopped at the KOFA National Wildlife Refuge just before dusk. The road was terrible and we didn't see any sign of wildlife, so we left.

While in Yuma, we visited the Territorial Prison State Historic Park. It was really interesting! I must say that the City of Yuma was nothing like we pictured it. It is much larger and more modern than we imagined. I guess we've watched to many westerns (3:10 to Yuma, etc.)

Entrance to the park.

The base of this is an 85,000 gallon
water tank to supply the prison. The
water was dissapating in the hot, dry
weather, so they covered it with a guard tower.

Bob in a cell. I've finally
got him where I want him. ;-)

Bob inside the cell. Not much
room for SIX prisoners!

Several westerns have been

filmed at the prison. This entry

was lowered to make Alan Ladd,

Gene Autrey, etc. look taller. :-)
It's only 5' 3", the other side is 6' 4".

The silver bridge is the "Coast-

to-Coast bridge. It was named

that because once it was completed,

you could drive from the Atlantic to

the Pacific without using a ferry to

cross the Colorado river.

Yuma High School Criminals...

after the prison closed, the library

and some of the other buildings were

used as the Yuma High School and

the students were known as the

Yuma HS "Criminals"...and we thought

the Waterford Twp. HS "Skippers" was

funny!

U. S. Army Proving Grounds

north of Yuma

The big (over 175' long), white,

unmarked blimp north of Yuma...

it is a surveillance radar system

used to watch for drug runners

coming across the Mexican border

on land and in the air.

Miscellaneous Arizona Stuff

2010-11-06T13:20:00.006-05:00

Here's some miscellaneous pictures I've taken in the past few days.

Arizona Sunset last night

Airzona sunset last night...north of Yuma

Beautiful sunset!

Why Arizona ROCKS!!!

Beautiful Arizona views!!!

Imperial (Inland) Sand Dunes

in California...just across from Yuma.

Mountain view...

Another mountain view.

Yet another one...

This is in Quartzsite, AZ...a plane

at an RV park. For those of you not

familiar with Quartzsite...thousands

of RVers converge there every winter

and most of them "boondock" in the

desert. You see a little bit of everything

there!

I called this one a "Quartzsite Special". :-)

Neat cutouts in the field between

Phoenix and Ehrenberg.

I never get used to how low the

planes fly over the freeway landing

at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix!

This huge saguaro cactus

was right behind our 5th

wheel in Apache Junction.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T14:31:00.005-05:00

We've been having a great time in the Apache Junction/Mesa area. We went to the huge swap meet in Mesa with Ginger (she is a good friend I worked with in Michigan) on Friday. Everything there is new and they have some beautiful stuff there. I didn't buy a thing, but Bob sure was on a roll! Every time he caught up with Ginger & me he had another bag in his hand. Then we went to Barry & Rachel's (my 1st husband's brother & sister-in-law) for dinner on Friday. We had a great time...it's always a lot of laughs with those two! They invited us to spend Christmas with them, which was so nice of them! We're leaving Wednesday to head toward Utah to meet up with my California cousins for Thanksgiving, then we'll work our way back into Arizona until February, when we will go into California for a couple of months.

Yesterday we went to Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino in Maricopa, AZ with Ginger. They offered $15.00 in free slot play and a free buffet with a new player's card. Bob & I won $255.50! :-) Ginger didn't fare as well, but we had a good time. When we left the casino, I suggested stopping by Barry & Rachel's to see their little granddaughters trick-or-treating. When we got there, Vivian & Ronnie were there, as well as the rest of the family (except Barry, who was out of town on business), so I was glad we stopped by. Vivian looked so much better than she did the day of Judd's memorial service, so I was happy we saw her and that she is doing better.

Rachel handing out candy.

Little Victoria & Great-Grandma Vivian

Baby Kortney, the bat girl.

Brit, Lil V & Kort

Michael, Britney & Kortney

Ronnie & Rachel. Looks like
Barry better get home soon. ;-)

Vivian & Bob

Tuzigoot National Monument, Clarkdale, AZ

2010-10-25T16:18:00.007-05:00

Tuzigoot (LOVE that name!) National Monument is another ancient dwelling of the Sinaguans. It was built around 1000-1400 A.D. The name TUZIGOOT is an Apache word for "crooked waters" and this ancient ruin was probably named after the meandering Verde River. This, like Montezuma Castle, is another excellent reminder of their superior level of civilization.

Tuzigoot National Monument.

Another outside view of Tuzigoot.

Tuzigoot

Inside the dwelling.

Another inside view.

The beautiful Verde Valley.

Fort Verde State Historic Park, Camp Verde, AZ

2010-10-25T16:07:00.004-05:00

Fort Verde State Historic Park was built in 1871, mainly as a supply and operations base.

Renovated jail.

Fort Verde

Fort Verde.

Montezuma Castle, Camp Verde, AZ

2010-10-25T15:23:00.011-05:00

Yesterday we spent the day playing tourists and visited Montezuma Castle National Monument, Fort Verde State Historic Park and Tuzigoot National Monument. These pictures are from Montezuma Castle. It is neither a castle nor did Montezuma ever travel this far north, but the name has stuck. It is the best preserved and most dramatic cliff dwelling in North America. Visitors used to be able to go inside, but once the freeway was built nearby, they had to stop allowing access because there was just too many people visiting the park. It is amazing to us how intelligent these ancient people were in constructing their homes. The Sinaguans left this area in the late 1300's, although it is not known why.

Montezuma Castle.

Arizona Sycamore trees.

Their spotted bark was

so different from other trees.

This is Castle "A", next to Montezuma Castle.

Snake!!! There were several

small snakes & lizards in the

brush.

Depiction of the inside of the

Montezuma Castle.

Beaver Creek...the water source

for the Sinaguans.

Blazin' M Ranch, Cottonwood, AZ

2010-10-24T00:34:00.007-05:00

This evening we went to the Blazin' M Ranch in Cottonwood for a Cowboy Chuckwagon Supper and Cowboy Variety Show after dinner. It was a really fun and entertaining evening! When we first got there, we went in the shops on the ranch and then took a wagon ride through the ranch. Then we went in the barn for supper and the show. The dinner was chicken, ribs, roasted redskin potatoes, corn salad and baked beans with apple pie a la mode for dessert. The entertainers were excellent...they could sing, tell jokes and were excellent musicians. One guy did a screamin' version of Orange Blossom Special on his fiddle! This entire evening was so different from anything we've ever done and we would definitely return here again when we're in the area. We met John, Jane & Bonnie on the wagon ride and then they sat at our table at dinner. They are from Utah & Colorado and we really enjoyed visiting with them.

At the ranch

These were mechanized wood
carvings. It was just amazing
what this guy did with wood!

Another wood carving...

I've finally got him

where I want him. :-)

Graveyard we passed on the

wagon ride.

Inside the barn theatre

The band.

This is Otis...don't let his crazy

looks fool you...this guy could

SING! Plus, he was hilarious!!!

Sedona, Arizona 10/21/10

2010-10-22T02:03:00.006-05:00

We spent today in Sedona, Arizona. Of all the places we have visited so far, Sedona is by far our favorite. This was our 3rd visit there and it is never disappointing! We had dinner at the Javelina Cantina. It has been voted the #1 Mexican restaurant in Sedona for 12 years running and it was easy to tell why. It was excellent! On our last 2 visits we ate at Oaxaca Restaurant and it does not hold a candle to Javelina Cantina. We will definitely eat there on our next visit. For those of you who have never been to Sedona, you really should add it to your "Bucket List"! Hopefully these few pictures will show why we love it there.

When we got back to our campground tonight, one of the workers was at the lot next to us and Bob mentioned we had been in Sedona all day. He said, "You know what they say about Sedona, don't you?" Bob asked what it was and he replied, "When God created the Grand Canyon he was living in Sedona". :-)

This was Lucille Ball's Sedona home.
When she lived there it was pink.

Cathedral Rock.

One of many statues in town.
Sedona is very artsy and has
several art galleries.

This is our new home we
purchased today. :-)

Red rock formations.

Is this gorgeous or what?

Bell Rock.

Chapel of the Holy Cross.

Moon rising over Sedona...

RIP, Judd!

2010-10-20T16:10:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we went to a memorial service in Sun Lakes, AZ for my first father-in-law. He passed away last Friday and since we were in Arizona, we felt fortunate to be able to attend the service. It was a very nice service and afterwards they had a luncheon at the church. My first mother-in-law invited us to her house in Casa Grande afterwards to visit with the family. We did go and really had a nice time. We had a lot of laughs and it was great spending time with them, I just wish it could have been under better circumstances.

I took this on the way to Sun Lakes.

Vivian, Barry, Ronnie & Lezlie.

Rachel, Barry, Vivian (& Toby),

Ronnie, Lezlie, Aunt Gwen (& Maggie).

Jerome, Arizona

2010-10-17T22:31:00.005-05:00

Today we were going to the next town, Cottonwood, to get an inner tube for Bob's bike. He was certain that he would never make the drive to Jerome because in his "Mountain Directory" it shows how curvy and hilly the road there is. After speaking with a guy at our campground here, he decided to give it a try. He made it there and back with NO problem. Jerome is quite a place! It was a billion dollar copper mining town back in it's heyday. It is now called the "biggest ghost town" in the US. It has 300 residents now and is supposedly haunted. We had lunch at the Jerome Palace "Haunted Hamburger". It was highly recommended and we can see why. We both had hamburgers, steak fries and cole slaw, plus Bob had a bowl of chili. Everything was EXCELLENT! It was worth the climb from the main street up another level to where the restaurant was.

The Flatiron Cafe

This was taken for our grandson, Connor

Looking down the mountain

Looking down from the upper level

The Haunted Hamburger

Looking down at Main Street

Jerome..

I just HAD to buy Bob a t-shirt,

I was so proud of him. :-)

Not that the road had hairpin

turns or switchbacks... YIKES!

Tornado Damage In Bellemont, AZ

2010-10-14T14:04:00.006-05:00

Yesterday when we were travelling from Grand Canyon National Park to Camp Verde, AZ we went through the area near Flagstaff that the tornadoes touched down a couple of weeks ago. These pictures show some of the overturned train cars and the extensive damage to the Camping World store in Bellemont, AZ. We are in Camp Verde now for 2 weeks. We are just a few minutes from Sedona (my favorite place) and will certainly be visiting there as well as several other places in the area while we are here.

Overturned rail cars.

More of the overturned cars.

RVs destroyed at Camping World.

It gives me chills to see how much

damage RVs sustain in a tornado.

This is one of my biggest fears when

full-timing in an RV and one reason

that we now have a weather radio

that Bob religiously sets for whatever

county we are currently in.

Camping World.

Camping World. The building

looked fine, but their website

states that this store is closed

until further notice due to

tornado damage.

Grand Canyon - Day 2

2010-10-12T23:30:00.004-05:00

Today was our only full day at the Grand Canyon and we went to all the places we missed yesterday. This place is so amazing, there really aren't words to describe it. We will leave tomorrow for one of our membership parks in Camp Verde, AZ for 2 weeks.

I went out this morning to take
a picture of our campsite and this
mule deer was under the front of
our 5th wheel. :-)

The Canyon

The Canyon

Interesting rock formation!

Sweet Cheeks at the Canyon

Ravens are everywhere...and

they seem to be talking to each

other all the time.

Vishnu Temple

Another Canyon view.

The mules that take people down

into the Canyon back at their

stables.

Grand Canyon National Park

2010-10-11T23:46:00.005-05:00

We arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park this afternoon. As we were pulling into our campground, there were 2 mule deer just grazing in the park. We got set up and went to 3 different points to view the canyon. The 3rd one was the Desert View Point and it was 25 miles from the campground. This park is HUGE...over 1.2 million acres! We were at Desert View for the sunset tonight. On the drive there we saw a huge elk, but he was moving further back in the woods and I didn't get a real good picture of him. We'll have all day tomorrow to visit the other viewing points. Check another one off of my "Bucket List". That's THREE this week! I need to slow down on completing the list! :-)

Mule deer in Trailer Village Campground

2 mule deer grazing

The Grand Canyon

Another shot of the canyon

There is no way pictures

can do it justice...

The Watchtower at Desert View

At Desert View just before sunset

Isn't this sky gorgeous?!?!

It's at the east end of Desert View

at sunset

Another shot of the pink & blue sky...

it was breathtakingly beautiful!

Standin' On A Corner In Winslow, Arizona...

2010-10-11T23:37:00.003-05:00

You just CAN'T drive by Winslow and not stop!

Bob..."Standin' On A Corner In Winslow, Arizona...

It's such a fine place to be...

There's a girl my Lord in a flatbed FORD...

Takin' it easy...

Petrified Forest & Painted Desert National Park

2010-10-11T00:21:00.005-05:00

Today (Sunday) as we were traveling from Albuquerque to Sun Valley, AZ we realized that we were going right by this national park and decided that we should stop there. It is right on I-40 and just a few miles before the exit we were taking for our campground. It is a 28 mile drive through the park and it was so beautiful and interesting. The sad part is that so many people are stealing the petrified rocks that the landscape has changed a great deal already. Although it is a federal offense, they estimate that one ton of rocks are being stolen every month. It was a little strange to travel through a national park with our 5th wheel in tow. Tomorrow we arrive at the Grand Canyon.

The visitors center at the park

An interesting rock formation

Painted desert

Our "home" inside the park

Petrified rocks

Another interesting rock formation

Painted desert

Petrified rocks

A petrified log protruding

from the rocks

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

2010-10-09T23:44:00.005-05:00

This morning we woke up at 3:00 a.m. and got ready to go to the Balloon Fiesta Mass Ascension. We had to be at the Coronado Mall at 4:00 a.m. to catch the shuttle bus to the balloon field. It was an amazing experience! There were over 800 balloons that went up in 1 1/2 hours. It was really cold (39 degrees when we were driving to the mall) and we thought the sun would never appear. Once it did come up, it was bearable, but still not hot. This is one more item checked off my "Bucket List". It is something that everyone should experience at least once.

Darth Vader

Getting ready to launch

This cow was from a dairy in

Canada. She is 120' long!!!

This "tourist penguin" was just

too cute! He even had Balloon

Fiesta pins on his camera strap.

You just had to smile at her.

Obviously, one of the best! :-)

One flying directly overhead.

Turner Falls Park - Davis, Oklahoma

2010-10-01T19:42:00.004-05:00

When we left Arbuckle Wilderness Wildlife Ranch, we stopped at Turner Falls Park which was only about 1 1/2 miles away. This park is also in the Arbuckle Mountains and has caves, waterfalls and 2 natural pools. They also have camping there. There was a large group of bikers there on trikes (Brothers of the Third Wheel was the name of their group). :-) Here's a few of the pics that we took there:

The falls

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

The entrance to Outlaw Cave

This trike was coming in, pulling

a pop-up camper. :-)

Arbuckle Wilderness in Davis, Oklahoma

2010-10-01T19:09:00.007-05:00

Today we went to Davis, OK to visit the Arbuckle Wilderness Wildlife Ranch. It's one of those places that you drive through and the animals come right up to your vehicle. It was so much fun!!! We took dozens (OK...hundreds) of pictures and I've put a few of my favorites on here. We saw so many different animals and birds. The emus would follow us for quite a way. The Arbuckle Mountains are part of this area and it was very beautiful.

Turtles...doing what turtles do...
sunbathing

Zebras greeting the car ahead of us

A baby giraffe...so cute!!!

Big Daddy Giraffe...this guy was HUGE!

An emu staring in my window

An addax (antelope)...their antlers

looked way too big for their heads.

Another emu :-)

A water buffalo

Miniature sicilian donkeys

A llama

A camel...they were pretty

agressive, too. They kept

trying to get their heads in

window of the truck. Bob

was freaking out! :-)

Gainesville, Texas - 09/30/10

2010-10-01T18:49:00.005-05:00

We arrrived in Thackerville, OK on Tuesday afternoon. We're staying at the Red River Ranch RV Resort for 9 days. It is just across the Red River from Gainesville, Texas. Yesterday we went to Gainesville and visited the Morton Museum of Cooke County. It was a rather small museum, but interesting. The lady that ran the museum suggested that we go on the driving tour of the historical homes in the city, which we did. She also suggested a couple of places for lunch and the Backstage Cafe next to the historic State Theater sounded great, so we went there for lunch. It was fantastic! The food and service were excellent and the portions were huge. We brought home a whole bag of leftovers. We may have to return there before we leave the area.

The Red River between
Thackerville, OK and
Gainesville, TX

The sign at the Davis Home

The Davis Home on the historic
homes tour

The sign at the Gainesville
train depot

The Gainesville train depot

Grove, Oklahoma

2010-09-27T20:17:00.004-05:00

Today we traveled from Owensville, MO to Grove, OK. We arrived at our campground and were not even going to unhook the truck since we are only here for one night, but our lot was just a little too uneven, so we unhooked. Once the truck was unhooked from the trailer, Bob decided we should go get fuel. We went for a drive to check the area out and looked for a station we had seen on our way into town that had cheap diesel fuel. ($2.74/gallon) We noticed that there are several casinos in the area, since most of it is in the "Wyandotte Nation". We decided to stop at the Grand Lake Casino for a few minutes. We each put $20.00 in and 45 minutes later we each cashed out $100.00. So, for $40.00 we made $160.00. Not bad. Normally, we would have stayed and gave some, if not all, of it back. I looked at him and said, "It's time to take the loot and scoot"...and he agreed. We left there and went to a nice Mexican restaurant for dinner.

This campground is another nice one. It's right on Grand Lake. There are a lot of lakes in this area. Since we're staying 9 nights at our next stop, we decided today that we should have broke them up to 5 nights each. Oh, well...

Sign at our park

View of Grand Lake from our campsite

I thought this was a neat sign
welcoming us to Grove

Grand Lake Casino...thank$!!!

Alpaca Ranch & Hermann, Missouri

2010-09-25T23:11:00.004-05:00

Today we went to an open house at the Rockin' W Alpaca Ranch, which is just up the road from the campground. The alpacas are so cute and docile! I really enjoyed watching them. After the open house, we went Hermann, MO which is a nearby German town that was having a BarBQ & Brats festival at the city park. There were dozens of motorcycles in town, including several trikes. It was a really quaint city right on the Missouri River. On the way back, we stopped in "Swiss" at the Swiss Meat & Sausage Co. They had several varieties of meats and cheeses. I did find one beef tenderloin that was less than 3 lbs. and it was over $48.00. Holy shit! It was $17.95/lb. I have NEVER paid anywhere near that much for meat and I hope I never have to.

An alpaca

This brown one was my favorite.

I think it might have been due for

a shearing.

Time for a rest...

Downtown Hermann, MO

Hermann, MO

This trike (to the left) had an

8-cylinder engine...it rumbled!!!

Owensville, MO - Part II

2010-09-23T13:33:00.010-05:00

Here's a few more pictures from the area. Lost Valley Lake Resort is absolutely beautiful I'm sure once the colors start to change it will be spectacular. We are enjoying our week here, just "chillin' out" and will leave Monday for Oklahoma.

A view of one of the lakes in
Lost Valley Lake Resort.

A waterfall in the campground
near the riding stables.

Historic Route 66 Marker in town.
We're hoping to visit a couple of the
Route 66 Museums as we travel West.

This is the view out of the window by
our table. Lost Valley Lake Resort is
very picturesque!!!