Get Back

"Jojo was a man who thought he was a loner/But he knew it couldn't last/Jojo left his home in Tucson, Arizona/For some California grass."

Well why would anyone leave Tucson?  I love the area. We picked Catalina State Park as our home here for a few days. It was such a good choice. As well as the area being simply beautiful, there were some day trips that added to the fun, and a campground and weather that helped make the evenings enjoyable.  One of the neat things about revisiting an area with people who haven't been there is either showing off your favorites or discovering again through others eyes. We had the opportunity for both.

Our first day trip was to the Pima Air and Space Museum. The last time Don visited an air museum was the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon and I had declined accompanying him, thinking I wasn't that interested. After visiting this museum I may have been wrong. It was an informative but interesting visit. And of course I had Don along to answer my hundreds of questions about each plane and period of time they were in the air.  There were several hangars full of planes, as well as over an acre of outdoor displays.  Kudos to Brenda for selecting this. A successful day!

Our next day trip was a jaunt to Tombstone. I think last time we visited we weren't in the right mood, as I had stayed we didn't see a need to go back. But my apologies to Tombstone tourism, as this visit we actually enjoyed. Maybe it was the additional company as well. We wandered the streets and shops, had a fabulous lunch and spent a rather long time in the museum. We didn't take any photos here as they were posted in the blog form our last visit.  Check it out here if you wish, from our 2014 trip.  When we returned home we actually watched a Wyatt Earp movie, so our OK Coral education was complete!

Not to be outdone by our need for RV tires, Ken needed a truck tire as well. As they were headed home to Saskatchewan after this, the repair which turned into a replacement was taken care of in Tucson. Seems simple enough but nothing is ever simple.  In any case though they did get a new tire put on.

This wraps up our three weeks with Ken and Brenda. It was a great time together and they will be missed. This is a photo from our hike but a fitting farewell!

Take Me Out To the Ballgame

The Phoenix area was our next stop. It was going to be a special stop for us as the Cameron family was spending spring break at a house in Buckeye.

Some time ago when we were orchestrating the details of this segment of the trip with Ken and Brenda I checked on campgrounds in the area. Thankfully I did that because it was late January and already the sites were quite full. Although we don't normally book that far ahead there are times when you just know better. This was one of them.

So we reserved at White Tank Mountain State Park on the west side of Waddell. 

Besides shopping, which I seem to be running a marathon in on this trip, we spent a lot of time just relaxing and visiting the Cameron's. The home they used is owned by a good friend of Lindsay's. I fell in love with the place. Four bedrooms, large living room and kitchen dining room open to the house and an outdoor patio and pool.

Our other new adventure was attending some games in baseball's Cactus League. This was a new experience for me and I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. But we did spend years at ball diamonds with the girls, although that was softball. I think it was as much fun to see how excited Blake was to be there as anything. I love people watching as well so this was a good opportunity. It might be spring training to us but let me tell you there are some die hard baseball folks there. Like Blake or my brother in law Ken!  One day we all attended a game. The weather was ideal - warm and breezy.

The next day the guys went and the girls shopped. Emerson thought we should eat at Chick Fil A and so we did. I'll tell you if I'm going to eat that sort of fried deliciousness that is the place to go. Yummy food.  The Cameron's were on their way home on Thursday and we extended out stay to make a day trip to Mexico. As you know I consider Los Algodones my dental plan, but this trip I was also hoping to get a back up pair of prescription sunglasses. When we are boating in the summer I'm always worried about my Maui Jim ones getting lost or damaged. I didn't end up having my teeth cleaned as my facial neuralgia was troubling me and a dental visit typically makes it worse, but I did find an affordable pair of sunglasses. Brenda did well too, scoring two pairs of progressives for a great price. Besides a stop for a cool one and lunch, our Mexican day adventure was complete.

We made plans to visit Pat and Walter for dinner, meeting at the Quechua Casino. We had a great catch up and then it was time to trek back to our campers. Our last day was spent relaxing, and getting ready for the next part of the great Smith road trip.

Oh but did I mention we needed tires on the fifth wheel?  We knew this was in the future and there is one tire that always have issues before the new axles (Yup you read that right, new axles last year). So that was another task to fill our time. Finding a Costco with 4 tires. It wasn't possible so we bought one at one store and three at the other where they were installed. The installation we took care of on our way to Tucson, the next planned stop. See you there. 

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...

Thanks for driving with us!

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.

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...

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...

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!