Our Travel Blog

My photo
Driving Miss Donna - what does this mean? Whenever I want to go somewhere, if Don is home he will usually drive. He always says he is driving miss Donna! This blog is for our travels, usually with our truck and fifth wheel trailer, but sometimes in our other wheels. When we are not vacationing check in for updates, although less frequent, about our life at home and our wonderful family:)

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Sedona Arizona

Well you know how I like songs that go with places?  Anyone out there listen to Shane Yellowbird?  Although I feel he doesn't have that many hits he does strike a good one now and then. He has a song called Sedona Arizona that is worth listening to.
We were wild as we were free
Red rocks under blue sky
Brown eyes I got lost in
In Sedona Arizona...
Have you been to Se-dona?  The red rock is amazing, the peaks and valleys change with every turn of the head. And the little city itself is worth a visit. I often compare it to Banff although a lot larger in population. 
Our first night we spent at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. This is definitely worth a return visit. Unfortunately they were fully booked, hence the one night. But full services allowed us the luxury of long showers and the opportunity to dump and fill our tanks. Then it was off to a selected boondocking location and a meet up with Don's brother Ken and his wife Brenda. This was their first boondocking experience and we were delivering them a brand new set of portable solar panels. 
Our days in Sedona have been filled with a gentle schedule of sightseeing, shopping and accessing wifi at McDonald's. We visited Montezuma Castle and Well, browsed and ate our way through Sedona and Jerome, drove to Prescott with a return home on Cherry Road, hiked the West Fork of Oak Creek trail, and followed a scenic drive through Clarkdale. One stop that deserves a special mention is Violette's Bakery Cafe in Clarkdale. If you get a chance stop for a great cup of coffee and baking to die for!
Since a picture is worth a thousand words...

Montezuma visit - note the unique patterns on the tree pictures.  This is a National Monument that highlights cliff dwellings believed to be habituated between 1100 and 1425 AD.



bark that looks like camouflage



Montezuma Well - a limestone sinkhole fed by a spring,
it moves approx. 1,500,000 gallons each day!

criss cross pattern on bark























Sedona - a city of red rock, gorgeous colors and a unique downtown





And finally a few pictures of the West Fork hike...


Sunday, March 20, 2016

Testing the Waters

And the batteries and the tanks. LOL
Our next destination was Lake Havasu. The temperatures are heating up for us and what better place to enjoy them than this little gem of a town. Lakeside walks, great shopping, good company and plenty of sunshine for the solar panels. Ivan was already set up in a convenient boondocking location south of town, and easily spotted. 
Our days were pretty low key. We did a lot of exploratory driving. One day we travelled the Kingman/Oatman/Bullhead City route. Kingman was lunch, Oatman was donkeys and Bullhead City was Target!
Another day Don and I travelled to the Parker and Quartszsite areas just to see the sites. 
We spent most evenings strolling the beaches at London Bridge, enjoying the cool breezes and taking in the action of spring break. 
After 5 nights it was time to move on. Destination?  You'll have to keep reading.







Tuesday, March 15, 2016

St. George Stopover

As you know we have fallen for St George and the area around it. Sand Hollow State Park has become our choice destination as our first real stop. The campground allows us to de-winterize the trailer and the city gives us the opportunity to stock up on all the food essentials.
Sunday that's exactly what we did then on Monday we decided to take advantage of the last days of our annual inter-agency park pass by visiting Zion National Park. The inter-agency pass is a fabulous deal if you are visiting for any length of time.  For $80 you receive unlimited access to all Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Fish & Wildlife, USDA Forest Services, National Parks and US Army Corps of Engineers attractions. 


We have certainly recovered our dollars plus more. 
So a drive through Zion was in order. Mother Mature was ready for us and it was a lovely way to spend the day. For Don it was a chance to view the scenery without the trailer requiring his attention. 
Again a great stop in an inspiring setting. Until the next post...






Sunday, March 13, 2016

On the Road Again

On the road again
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway
We're the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turning our way

There is no denying we love being on the road. Together. You may have noticed from my previous two posts that I have not had my heart in blogging. But getting back on the road and being with Don has kind of revitalized me. This winter I had the 2nd edition of our blog printed and realized how wonderful it is to record our life this way. So I feel like I'm starting fresh. A break was probably good. 

We left home on Friday March 11. The next day was Don's 90 day health insurance clearance so why wait. It was a great day for travelling. No bad weather on the way, in fact it was a nice Alberta warm. We had sort of decided to break the trek into 3 days and hence our first stop was Great Fallls, Montana. We found our spot at Walmart, turned on the furnace and had dinner out. Not being ones to sleep in when on the road we were up and at it early the next day. Sleeping across from a refinery didn't help!
So destination Payson, Utah. After a few fuel stops and luxury meals at Subway we were there. Salt Lake City traffic was smooth although even when it's busy the multiple lanes aren't so bad. 
The last day left us with a shorter trip to our first real stop of the adventure, St George. And that's where this post ends!  Stay tuned...

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Enjoy Life Eat Cake

Well I know this is becoming repetitive on an annual basis, but if you are a regular reader you know February is about cake and birthdays in our family.
For one set of grandkids and a daughter who plays, it's also becoming about tournaments. 
February was jam packed with visits with everyone, birthday parties and suppers and desserts. Don and I were going to get away for a weekend but there wasn't time. LOL
I attended the annual Federated Cooperative's meetings and AGM in Saskatoon. And this year Don drove and continued to Tisdale to visit his family. 
Don has done quite a bit of work this winter, just in the office instead of on the road. Permits and applications take a lot of time, but it has given him something to focus on. In addition to that we have both had great success with our health initiatives. Don has lost 20 pounds and I've lost 30!  We are both feeling great. Don's has been some minor adjustments in eating, and adding more exercise. Mine the same except I've cut out carbs and so also sugar. 
Don attends heart regard weekly at the Mazankowski Heart Centre in Edmonton. It's a combination of education classes ( which I attend as well) and exercise classes. I'm selfishly happy he now uses weights as part of his routine.
A short talk about ice sports.  We watched so many hockey and ringette games.  Spent hours at the rink!  Blake played in the Stollery tournament, Emerson in the Sweetheart and Silver Ring, Reese in the Sweetheart and Lindsay in the Sweetheart!  Connor and Mason are in swimming lessons and I spent a few Thursday mornings at the pool and then with Lindsay visiting and shopping.  I love our Thursday mornings.
When we return form spring vacation Connor will be playing floor hockey, Blake Lacrosse and Baseball and I'm not sure about the girls and Mason.
I will end this with birthday wishes for our family.
February 3 - Mason turns 2!  What an addition to our family this little guy has been.  His eyes light up with his smile, his why's fill your head, and his love never ends.
February 11 - Cal turns... 30ish - Hard worker, father, coach, runner, hockey enthusiast and of course husband.
February 16 - Emerson turns 7! - The first princess to join our family, Emerson is a deep thinker, sometimes overthinks, spreads her love around unlimited, tries to smile through everything.
February 20 - I turned 54.  Emerson thought I was in my 40's.  HAHA.
February 22 - Jeremy also turned 30ish.  Less 30ish than Cal.  LOL Such a hard worker, father, fisherman, fantastic cook, and husband.
February 28 - Connor turned 4!  How is that possible? I think Connor is a strategic thinker, putting things in order so they make sense to him.  The most loving of kids, eager to say I love you, eager to hug and kiss.  His I miss you Grandma break my heart.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY everyone!