Waiting on June

This is really taking the easy way put but here's what June brought us:

• Baseball games
• Lacrosse tournament
• Visit with Stewart and Susan
• Playing with the Stecyk boys
• Co-op meetings
• Co-op meetings
• Co-op meetings
• Co-op meetings...
• Meatloaf concert
• Father's Day Brunch
• Yoga
• Barre classes
• Finding Dory and lunch with all the kids and their moms
• A long stay at Slave Lake with the Stecyks, Scotts and Paskos

The Meatloaf concert - while you may be aware that Meatloaf had been sick and cancelled some shows.  Sadly this should have been one of them.  We love this artist, and thank goodness we have watched him perform numerous other times or we would be so disappointed.  It was obvious form the start that he was still very ill, and the only thing that kept the show alive was his back up singer and the band.  But the music still moves us, and honestly I would still go to another show.  My heart was pounding when he literally collapsed on stage while performing the encore.  It turns out he was ok, but it was terrifying then.

It is hard to believe this is the last month of school.  All the kids had a great year, and we are so privileged to be able to attend school and sporting events with all of them.  Every one of the five make us proud, whether it is school. sports, or just being great kids.

I am going to save the Slave Lake post for July, so I can tell you all about it.

Thanks for sharing our adventures.

The Camerons in Jasper

Beautiful rainbow at Athabasca Falls

School Family Photo

Finding Dory!

The Cameron and Campbell kids playing Beanbag Toss - carrying on a long tradition!

Out of the Frying Pan

And into the fire...

That's how it feels when you get home from vacation!  But in a great way, not a bad way.  We were quickly immersed in work, social and family life; all of which we miss when we are gone.  But it takes a few days to get used to not being together 24/7 and sharing ourselves with others.

So since it always takes me so long to catch up on the blog during these times, I will offer you the highlights of May, and not bore you with work details.  Depending on a person's perspective working for yourself and mostly from home is a dream life.  Most people seem to believe you have all the time in the world to market your business, keep up with personal and business social media, keep up with your social side, the housework and daily living, and somehow still spend hours working.  That is a fairy tale.  End of rant.

My first week home started with a focus on work clients, then quickly moved into grandma time.  On Wednesday I played with Mason while Lindsay and Connor were at a school function.  Those boys melt my heart.

May 5th was time to celebrate Blake's 9th birthday.  He chose a baseball game party at a park and the afternoon was awesome.  I love seeing the kids interact with their friends, and having plain old fun! Blake is in love with baseball so his presents from us were all focused on that!

If I thought we spent a lot of time in sport facilities when our girls were young, it's nothing to trying to keep up with all the grand-kid's activities.  Friday evening was the start of a lacrosse tournament for Blake.  This is quite a competitive sport in case you didn't know, and I find myself very addicted to the physical side.  I can yell "hit him" and it's okay.  Saturday morning we went to watch Connor play floor hockey.  Far too cute!! And then we also attended Emerson's year end dance performance!  And if all that makes you want to have a drink- we did that too.  It was our friend Mary's 60th birthday party that night.

The next week was a little less busy.  I accompanied Blake on a field trip in Stony Plain to the Multicultural Centre and did a Thursday morning pick up of the Cameron kids at school, then we all drove to the Stecyks to sit with Mason while Lindsay and Connor were at a school program.

The next week started out with the usual meetings, then ended with one of our favorite weekends of the year - the May long trek to Cross Lake for camping!

It was a brutal weather weekend this year.  We never even out the boat in the water.  I sure hope that the summer doesn't go that way.  But we still had days full of fun and adventure, good food and drink and most importantly great family and friend times.  The Stecyks have a new trailer; a fifth wheel with a bunk room for the boys. Although their first one was nice, this one has far more poor weather room in it.

Just a few days at home and I was off to Calgary for a night of adventure with one of my best friends Yvonne.  We met when both working for Volunteer Alberta and although she lives in Grande Cache, she is wonderful at "coming south" and visiting.  This time we combined work with pleasure and attended the Volunteer AGM in Calgary.  I do contract work for Volunteer Alberta and feel it is important to support those that support me.

The month ended as it always does with our anniversary.  It is so hard to believe that 36 years have passed.  So much has happened yet so much is the same!  It's a great time to say thanks to Don for 36 years of Driving Miss Donna and here is to many more.

Blake turns 9!

Connor at Floor Hockey

Just 2 boys and Lego

Nothing like a Conga line to stay warm on May long - thanks Mary!

The Blues Brothers

Anticipation

I always get so restless on the last leg of the journey home. 

There's so much to look forward to, but also so much being left behind. It seems I fill the last few days of vacation anticipating what I wil do when home, whether that is family, social or work. But then I reflect on what is left behind; days with Don, just the two of us, a tiny uncluttered space to live in, and a weird type of solitude not found as easily once "home". 

Our last 2 nights on the road were spent kind of treating ourselves. Supper out, nice cold beers and in one case full services and a fireplace. The fireplace helps the weather transition just a bit, although the forecast at home is as warm as I like it. 

I'm glad we are going to be home in time to see all the kids before Monday and the school race. We've missed them like crazy, and if I could see them at least monthly while on the road, I would be happy to be gone for months. 

We have so much camping booked this summer I certainly won't miss he trailer at all. I'll tell you all about that through the spring and summer. Of course there's no need to remind you that updates won't be frequent!

Take care and thanks for joining us!

Touching Base with my Roots

This is my sick sense of humour. How many people know that at one time in my very innocent youth my family was Mormon?  I don't have many details and so I'll leave it at that. Just wanted you to know this next stop was Salt Lake City.

It seems to be a habit now to stop at Utah Lake State Park for a few nights before we make the serious rush to Alberta. The weather here is usually about the same at home, or as in this case, a bit colder. It has also been somewhat rainy. But will full hookups allowing the fireplace and the coffee pot for nonstop essentials, it is still a great place. The campground has numerous walking opportunities with large jetties to explore, as well as miles of walking on the Provo River Walkway. We spent our day with a slow morning, then a visit to a couple of stores. Don needed a part for his Trimble GPS and we hoped Monsen Engineering would have it. They are the Trimble  dealers in Utah and carry many used parts and equipment. They did indeed have the parts needed, and we also viewed some used equipment. The items were priced right, but not with the Canadian dollar exchange, so we left with a small purchase. One unique area at the store though was a display of Trimble GPS's through the times. It was comical to see a few that Don has used locked up in the display case, and one that his peer Dave still uses. Sometimes a company makes a good product you can't beat. 

I made one last stop at one of my favorite American stores, and that was the day. Downtown SLC has such a combination of old and new. Always an interesting drive. 

That morning when we woke up it was to sunshine and warmth. We fit in a long walk before lunch and actually got our steps in. We had cases out a coffee shop on the bike trail for the next morning, but when we woke up it was to rain. We're no fools and knew that was our cue to pull up camp and continue home. Only a day sooner than planned, which is not too bad for us. 

We will see where the next couple of nights take us, but with home in our eyes, it won't be long. 

A Favorite

This post could be called many things, a favorite, an old friend, a scenic stop. It's Stewart's Point on Lake Mead. We were first introduced to this boondocking spot by Ivan. Our first foray into boondocking. True boondocking at its finest. We've done a lot of dry camping over the years in managed campgrounds without services. In fact last year in the Moab adventures we boondocked on BLM land but it still an organized campground with a charge. And this year we boondocked by Sedona. But the difference here is the tranquility and removal from highways and people. There were of course other boondockers but the terrain and distance made them hard to find. A glimpse of a rooftop or an antennae peaking out, or the glow of a fire or evening lights alerted you to neighbours. Don has read blogs recently where people thought Stewart's Point was closed to camping. This is not the case. The only signs you need to heed are the BLM signage. And this one is pretty clear. It's quite clear there is no problem staying here.

I've developed a deep curiosity about Stewart's Point. In fact my imagination has gone overtime developing stories about the cabins that remain here and the people who belong to them. I'm going to have to do some major googling about this area and dedicate a blog to it. For now I don't have any photos to share with you of those cabins.

A few years ago when we first stayed here Ivan showed us a unique rock garden area. We wondered around until we found it again and we're pleased to see further development. As I've said, this took some talent as well as a time on your hands!
 

 

We were here just over a week and awed with our boondocking abilities. The solar panels provided more watts than we would ever need. We've even discovered we can run the microwave, which we did not do, but the fact that we can appealed to the geek in us. We left with no empty fresh water tanks and no full black or gray tanks so that equals success. 

We took it pretty easy during this stay, but admittedly more due to weather than ambition. We had hoped to do some hikes within the Valley of Fire but the temperatures in the mid 30's and winds in even higher blowing patterns deterred us. Instead we explored by truck, taking in our favorite haunts such as Las Vegas' Freemont Street, Overton McDonalds for wifi and the various state parks and beaches along lake Mead (Echo and Callvile Beaches). We discovered Mesquite, meaning looking around and acknowledging that it is a rather large community with many amenities and services other than casinos. 

And we travelled the Extraterrestrial Highway, the borders Area 51, a United States Air Force range. 

As always whether it's the tourists or entrepreneurial locals, this highway has become a "site not to miss". And as we often find quite frankly just odd. LOL

There was one day that we planned in visiting the Hoover Dam, but this time in a new way. We discovered the Historical Railway Trail which follows the railway of the US Government Rail during construction of the Hoover Dam. The trail ends at the Hoover Dam and Visitor Centre and is approximately 12 km return. The trail is gravel all the way, gentle sloping, and follows through 5 tunnels. It was a great day and wonderful to finally put some muscle to use. I added one picture of Las Vegas Marina as viewed from the trail.

 

As always Stewarts Point was a wonderful stop regardless of the strong winds and hot temperatures. Always a return destination!

Life is a Highway

Life is a highway
I want to ride it all night long
If you're going my way
I want to drive it all night long

No matter who sings it this might have to be the tag line for Driving Miss Donna. This time the highway took us to an old favorite - Laughlin, and a relatively new favorite campground, Big Bend of The Colorado Recreation Area. 

No surprise that the campground is right on the river!  The real treat is the campground itself. Being on the quieter edge of Laughlin, away from developments, makes this location so quiet. Add to that attraction the huge sites, full services, and easy access to the area and its tourist activities ( such as bars, diners and casinos) and you have a winner. 

We have done nothing here. Literally. Except for relax, walk the river walk, have some cold beverages and go for a few drives. One of which included an afternoon in Las Vegas and a stop at Freemont Street. And Costco.

When in Laughlin our evenings are typically spent with a river walk and a few dollars on the machines. I've had good luck this time around and have supplemented Don's Bonus Poker with my Lobster Mania skill. We're not sure yet where the highway will lead tomorrow when we leave, but I will let you know.

Will You Take Me Places I've Never Known?

Well in anticipation of the upcoming Meatloaf concert in Edmonton, we have been listening to some tunes.

As I'm trying to place a song with this next blog I hear this line. And I realize we are going somewhere new. So a perfect fit. 

We spent the last 4 nights in Safford. What drew is to this location was reports of great boon-docking at Hot Well Dunes recreation area. We landed in Safford, unhitched the trailer at Walmart, and headed out to determine if we in fact wanted to camp there. The road in was paved nearly the whole 25 miles. Upon arrival the campsites were incredibly large and private. And there was phone reception. Although that all sounds like a dream, it didn't really fit our wishes. With the exception of the hot tubs, it wasn't our kind of spot. We were thirsting for a place to walk and bike and this was an ATV dream. The thick sand roads and trails were not bike friendly, and not really up for walking either. So we headed back to town to determine next steps.

The map showed a state park on the outskirts of town. I don't normally miss these when I'm searching but I did miss this one.  We drove to scope things out and it seemed appropriate. We didn't need services so the price was okay, and although they were full that night, they had plenty of openings on Sunday. Hence we spent the evening in the Walmart RV Paradise park. On Sunday when we arrived at Roper Lake State Park the attendant told us we were getting the most sought after site there. We were a tad skeptical, but blown away when we pulled in. Why can't we have these places in Alberta??  Backed onto the lake, the site made private by both water and trees, trails to hike and bike and a natural hot tub?  Yup, were in for a while.

We really took it easy on this stop (because you noticed we were so busy previously LOL). Our only out of area excursion was a drive over the border to New Mexico. It was actually raining somewhat were we to do?  We visited a little city called Silver City. A stroll through their downtown area, with a. Lunchtime stop at a small cafe, and we were in our way home.  I like to take photos of the signs when we enter new states so here is New Mexico, although by the graffiti everyone isn't as pleased as I am.

During our time here we heard from Ron and Bev that they were going to be in Apache Junction again, getting theoretic packed up for the return to Saskatchewan. As plans are often as solid as jello, and a highway we were planning on using was closed, it was an easy change of plans to pop into their resort and stay a night or two. So we did.

Bev and I had a great girls day out with shopping and lunch, then she treated us to an amazing supper. We had such a great although short visit, then it was time to hit the road. We've decided to return to Laughlin for a few days. There's a campground there that win is over last year and we are going to treat ourselves. See you soon!