CLAUVAL'S TRAVELS

January 29 to 31, 2012; haircuts and brake repairs

2012-01-31T19:52:00.000-08:00

JAN 29, Sunday, Kayaking
We were on the go by 10 am this morning. We, Pat, Rick, Val and I, loaded the kayaks, some snacks and beer and went to Esmeralda Beach for a few hours. We met the Lot people there and everyone went for a paddle around the point then came back. The wind picked up and made the ride back quite rough for everyone. Steve, Manfred and Craig fished for a while but no success there. The four decided to go for a bite to eat so we left everyone, loaded our gears and headed for THE EDGE for hamburger and beer. We were home by 3 pm. The rest of our gang had gone to a beach south of Empalme and got home around 5:30 pm. We had a quick Happy Hour then it was dinner. NO fire tonight.

JAN 30, Monday, haircut for me and Tucker
Val went for her Tai-Chi and I took Tucker for a haircut then went to MARU where I had a haircut. After Val’s shower, we went shopping to TONY then Santa Rosa and found “Franzia red wine” which we bought 6 boxes; a rare commodity here in Mexico! In the afternoon, a local mechanic came to see Al’s Tracker as he had problems with his water pump and Lynden and I made arrangements to have our brakes done. Leo thought it was a good idea and got his Tracker in the mix so tomorrow, the three of us are going to have our brakes done. As far as we can figure, it will be around $250 Cdn which is excellent!! Happy hour was as usual then dinner. No fire tonight!

JAN 31, Tuesday, brake job on the “Beast”
Three of us left at 9 am to take our trucks to the local garage to have our brakes done. Al follows us in his jeep. We went to Santa Rosa for breakfast and the girls met us there. We walked back home and Val started the laundry. It is going to be a hot one...27*C at 11 am!
At 4 pm, we had our Happy Hour for about an hour then everyone went in to get ready. We walked over to the Chinese Restaurant just outside our Park and met the “Lot” people. Today is Al’s birthday...66 yrs young! We had an excellent celebration and a very good Chinese gourmet meal. Al even got to dance with the waitress and, for a while, we had live entertainment thanks to a Mexican guitar player. We came home around 8 pm and found our vehicles parked in their usual spot so the guys brought them back while we were gone; no keys left behind though! We had a fire and I was in bed by 10 pm.
A good way to end the first month of the year 2012! Uploaded pictures in Picasa.

January 25 to 28, 2012: Clam cook out and birthdays

2012-01-29T08:36:00.001-08:00

JAN 25, Wednesday, clam dinner
Another hot day, upper 20’s! After Val’s Tai-Chi, we went over to check the clams and began to get ready for our communal dinner. Val and I walked over to TONY to get some coleslaw materials for her salad then walked back. Another day of relaxing and getting things ready then at 4 pm everyone wandered over to Al and Brenda where we usually hold our Happy Hour. That’s where we get the most sun as it goes down. Things were a bit confusing to some of us as to what exactly was going to happen and when I asked; no one paid much attention until I raised my voice and got it. I may have ruffled some feathers there but it seemed to me that if we plan something for 5 pm and it is quarter to and no one is moving, that it would be time especially since the pasta had to be cooked and the water boiled and no one enjoys eating in the dark. We also had a full large cooler of clams so after saying my bit, I went over to start the cooking by boiling water. I boiled two pots full before I was told that Lynn and Charlene had a recipe to cook them so I served what I had as appetizers. Joyce and Bill joined us and Al and Lucy from two rows down also joined us and provided the clam chowder soup. The whole dinner was very good especially Pat’s butter and garlic clams which I really enjoyed. Of course it got dark as we started too late but that was OK and we had a fire afterwards to keep everyone warm. It gets really cool in the evening as the sun goes down.

JAN 26, Thursday, shopping
We went into Guaymas for grocery shopping. We first stopped in San Carlos to make an appointment for Tucker haircut then MARUE for my haircut, both Monday. We stopped at Arboritos in Guaymas for lunch and had tortilla soup and peppers filled with shrimp. Very delicious! Then it was on to Walmart, a stop at Santa Rosa and the Ley in San Carlos then home to put everything away. We read for a while as everyone was away. Happy Hour at 5 pm; dinner at 6:30; then a quiet evening at home. I was sick last night; I think I ate too many clams!? I was in bed tonight by 8:45 pm tonight!

JAN 27, Friday,
It was another very warm day, it got to 28*C! After Val’s Tai Chi we went to a bank machine to get some cash then we went to BARRACUDA BOB for breakfast and to get some birthday cards (English). We came home and read for a while then I drove Val back to the gym and while she was there, I went to get the truck washed inside and out but he didn’t do a very good job!? I picked up Val at 4:15 pm, drove home, and we had Happy Hour then dinner.

JAN 28, Saturday, Pat’s birthday
Today is our friend’s birthday so the plan is go out for dinner at the Italian restaurant. It is another beautiful and warm sunny day! I helped the guys cutting more wood for our fires then read for a while. We had an early Happy Hour then got dressed up and walked over to PICCOLO restaurant where we had a great dinner. The Lot people showed up in force so that made our table 18 strong. It was quite noisy and hard to carry on a conversation of any kind. We had lots of laugh though. The food was fantastic and the service superb, couldn’t ask for anything better. We came home and had a fire then to bed.

January 20 to 24, 2012; New arrivals and clamming

2012-01-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

JAN 20, Friday, firewood hunting
Tai-Chi for Val then she went to Tekali’s library to return some books. The gang, including us, went looking for firewood in the afternoon and we found quite a bit. We ended up at the gold course “Palapa” for a quick drink then came home, unloaded the wood and had Happy Hour. We stayed home in the evening and watched a James Bond movie.

JAN 21, Saturday, Happy Hour at the “LOT”
Most of the day was spent preparing dishes for our visit to the “LOT”. Five of us, yea I was one of them, did manage a walk on the beach. Val made wraps with flour tortilla which had cheese, mix filling with asparagus, salsa, vegetables, chicken and other ingredients. They were delicious. Lynn made these little green Mexican peppers filled with meat and cheese. We got to the LOT around 4:20 pm and everyone put out the food and we began eating almost right away. They had two guesses show up, Mike and Bob. We had an excellent visit with everyone and had lots of laughs. We watched the sunset (see pictures in Picasa folder) and Billy served his famous tequila. The only down side was the weather. It clouded over and became windy and very cool but it didn’t put a damper on the party mood. We got home around 8 pm and had a fire for about an hour

JAN 22, Sunday, new arrivals
It was cloudy most of the day and windy but the temperature was warm. We all went to the desert where a golf course (of sort) was built and played nine holes. By the time we got home, our clubs were crusted with hard mud. As we were driving in the park, we spotted Bill and Joyce who arrived this afternoon so we stopped to say hi and invite them over for Happy Hour. We went home, unloaded our gears then drove to town to get beer and milk. Happy Hour at 4 pm, Bill and Joyce joined us and we watched a very nice sunset once again. Val made dinner and we watched the football game. No fire for us tonight!

JAN 23, Monday, laundry day
Val went to Tai-Chi. A beautiful blue sky greeted us and the sun is shining bright and warm this morning! It turned out to be a very warm day...27*C. A quiet day at home, we had happy hour, supper then to the fire for a while. Bedtime was early for everyone.

JAN 24, Tuesday, clam day
We left at 11 am to go clamming at a beach about an hour from here. There were the 10 of us plus another couple who followed us in their truck. Pat and Rick came with us. When we got there, the tide was still fairly high but receding so we had lunch and waited about a half hour when we could walk on the mud flats and start digging for clams. After two hours, we got enough to feed and army so we stopped, washed it all, had a beer, enjoyed the sun for a while then drove back home without any incident. We were a bit worried as we were about 10 miles outside the “FREE ZONE” where we supposedly have to have a sticker. No cops came around to check!
At home, we drained all the buckets, then put all the clams into one huge bucket, since them then separated into smaller container and pour salt water over them then corn meal powder which force then to spit it out and at the same time, the sand inside their shells. We had happy hour but no fire tonight; everyone was tired and went to bed early.

January 15 to 19, 2012; San Carlos

2012-01-19T20:41:00.000-08:00

JAN 15, Sunday, SC
Rick came over this morning and asked if we wanted to go for breakfast. We said yes of course and the four of us went to SANTA ROSA, a local restaurant known for good breakfast. Afterwards, we came home and I read for a while then had a snooze for most of the afternoon, I wasn’t feeling that well and nothing to do with the breakfast! Being Sunday, football was in so I watched that after I woke up. Val went for Happy Hour but I stayed in to watch football. Spaghetti for dinner then a movie and early bed.
This was a cloudy day but still warm.

JAN 16, Monday,
Tai-Chi for Val and one of our neighbours left for the States this morning which opens up our row a bit. The gang went to the “golf course” in the desert to improve some of the holes and ended up building 4 more making it a nine holes course! Val and I went for a walk in the beach with Tucker. He enjoys running without a leash and stopped whenever I whistled which was great. For dinner, we all went to JAX-KNAX for pizza. It turned out to be quite good. We all came home and had a fire. Another good day gone by and it is still warm out there at 9 pm.

JAN 17, Tuesday, SC
Internet was down again this morning but re-instated later. This is a daily problem which we have to put up with...life is hell!!! J IT is going to be another hot one...23*C at 10 am!
The excitement today was going to the golf course to shoot some balls on the range. Val and I went to a local restaurant and tried out a “Red Bell with carne, rice and fired beans”. I won’t go back for it but it wasn’t too bad. Rick and Pat moved on our row, across from us. I brought his 5^th-wheel over as he had his hitch out of his truck. Happy hour, dinner then a short visit to the fire, I hit the bed by 9 pm

JAN 18, Wednesday, golfing
The power went out this morning around 8 am and didn’t come back on until late in the afternoon. There is a short in the system and they have everything exposed right now. Val went to Tai-Chi both in the morning and again in the afternoon, there was a special class she wanted to attend. Afterwards, her and Pat were supposed to meet the girls form the LOT and go to Esmeralda beach and kayak around the point and down to the Greek Restaurant’s beach however she didn’t go because she felt the wind was too strong and I think she was tired too. I went golfing with Leo, Lynden and Pat (before the kayak trip). I had a fair game considering it’s been a year since I last played. Lynden made a hole in one and a birdie on a par 5. Pretty good! Happy hour was short, dinner then a fire which only lasted an hour before everyone went in.
Got more propane this morning! Seems to burn faster!???

JAN 19, Thursday, grocery shopping
We went groceries shopping today. First we stopped at TONY for vegetables, chilli renello, and some meats then on to Santa Rosa for more stuff. After that, we drove to Guaymas to Walmart for whatever was left to pick up. At home, I made cerviche scallops which consist of raw scallops cut thinly, red onions, hot sauce, soya sauce, hot sauce, pepper, covered with squeezed juice from lime and lemon, mix the whole thing then let the whole thing sit for about 10-15 minutes and serve. It has to be eaten with a half hour or the scallop overcook and become hard. It is quite delicious if you like cerviche (mixture lime and lemon). I served it for Happy hour and got mix reviews. Some liked it some not. I took some to Paulette and George who introduce me to it and said that they liked mine. (Being nice???? :-) ) Anyway, we finished it all. Billy and Tammy from the LOT showed up and joined us for Happy Hour; they are invited to Pat and Rick for dinner.

January 10 to 14, 2012; San Carlos

2012-01-14T21:12:00.000-08:00

JAN 10, Tuesday, SC
A quiet day at home, it is sunny and warm: 24*C! We went into town with Rick and Pat for a hot dog at El Cheque then picked up our bed cover at the dry-cleaner. For Happy Hour, we all walked over to TETAKAWI RV PARK next door to have a drink with friends we met earlier. It ended with over 20 people showing up...big crowd! The park is quite run down but still open. It is much cheaper than TOTONAKA but not as populated and the electrical wiring leaves a lot to be desired. It is owned by the BEST WESTERN HOTEL in front of it. They don’t seem to have any desire to compete with Joe next door. The eight of us including a new couple, Ron and Elen, decided to go to Charly’s Rock for fish and chips, a special on every Tuesday. We had our usual fire afterwards.

JAN 11, Wednesday, another month paid for
Hard to believe we have been here a month, I went to the office and paid for another month. Tai-Chi for Val this morning and I paid for another month. In the afternoon, we had Happy Hour then it was dinner time. At the fire in the evening, we had Wayne, Glenda, Trish and her friend join us at the fire. We also had a young English family from London join us. They have travelled all over South America working their way around. They have a young 12 yr old son.

JAN 12, Thursday, San Carlos
Another sunny and warm day; 22*C! The gang decided to go to BARACUDA BOB by the Marina for lunch so off we went. After lunch, we stopped at TONY’s and SANTA ROSA to get some groceries. When we got home, Lynden and Leo came behind us with a truck load of wood. In case you are wondering what we use for wood, we usually find pieces of wood all over the desert and also at construction site where we will pick up old 2x4 full of nails or pallets on the mend. We get permission before picking anything off worksites.
We read for the rest of the afternoon then it was Happy Hour which only last one hour. For dinner, we had rice, BBQ shrimps and peppers on a skew.

JAN 13, Friday, SC
We had decided to go for a hot dog cook out this evening; each of us had specific items to bring. Val and I went to EL CHEQUE for a hot dog and bought buns for tonight. We came home and Val made a bean salad then we loaded our chairs, table, beer & wine and the food of course. At 3 pm, the girls walked to the beach to Pillar then to our “Sunset Golf House”. The boys took the trucks and all the equipment and we drove up to the “chalet” (see pictures). We even brought fire wood and our makeshift fireplace. After installing ourselves comfortably on the “patio”, we put the food out, had a couple beers then cooked our hot dogs and had a delicious dinner. Unfortunately, the sky was overcast but it was comfortable enough to just put a light jacket on. We had a great time and took one more item off our “bucket list”. We got back home by 8:30 pm and fun was had by all, there were 10 of us. Another great day gone by!

JAN 14, Saturday, SC
The day began cloudy; we even had about 15 drops of rain fall on us, seriously!!! However, once the sun came out later in the morning, the heat hit us like a hammer. We went for ice cream in the afternoon and at Happy Hour, George and Paulette came over for a drink. For dinner, Val made burritos with the meat we had and left over salad from last night. Uploaded pictures to Folder 81 in Picasa

January 5 to 9, 2012: Geo-Caching, Empalme and mail forwarding

2012-01-09T17:06:00.000-08:00

JAN 5, Thursday, Geo-Caching
Six of us, Al & Brenda, Rick & Pat and us got into our truck and went geo-caching. I had eight caches to find and our first one took us to Delfino which is the back road to Guaymas. Unfortunately, the place was all fenced in so we passed this one. The second one took us to the Naval Base where we turned around as we weren’t allowed to go in, so we drove back a little way, took a side road which took us around a different Bay. We saw this beautiful marina and not one boat on the docks, continued on around the corner and saw a fish canary factory in the distance and the stench of it all finally sunk in. It was repugnant! We quickly turned around as we had gone past our cache anyway, and drove down to the marina. Well the smell just as bad here so we gave up on this cache too. Thank goodness we had stopped for lunch at this little place on the Bay before. We decided to go back to San Carlos where Al & Brenda left us and the four of us continued on. We found two caches on the way to Nacapule Canyon. From here, the GPS took us back towards Soggy Pesos where we stopped just before and went up on this hike to the top of a hill but had no success of finding.(I sent an e-mail to the owner asking for direction). We had seen Steve and Linda going up to Soggy Pesos so we went there and had a beer. They were walking the beach with Ruby, their black Lab. They joined us and we made plans to go out for dinner at 6:30 pm.
We drove back home and joined the rest of the gang having Happy Hour. At 6:30 pm, we, P&R and us, went to PICCOLO near Santa Rosa met Steve & Linda and had a great dinner. The food was excellent. It began with a mushroom cocktail, a salad, the entree and dessert; all for $50 for two including wine and beer. Can’t beat that! We came home, had a drink at the fire and thus ended a marvellous busy day!

JAN 6, Friday, SC
An old friend, Trish, arrived yesterday. She came down with a female friend; she hadn’t been here for 3-4 years. Wayne and Glenda came to take them out and we chatted for a bit. We drove to town (SC) to TONY to get some carnita (cooked pork) and a few other items, then to Santa Rosa to get some wine. I went to Pemex and filled up the truck Diesel is at 10.09 pesos (approx. .89¢/Litre). We came home and read for the rest of the day. The gang went to THE EDGE for hamburgers but we stayed home since we went out last night. We are in charge of starting the fire for when they get back.

JAN 7, Saturday, SC
We woke up to cloudy sky and 11*C this morning at 8 am. Uploaded pictures to folder #81 in Picasa.com, also went to Guaymas to find a light bulb for the kitchen light and bought a few more things along the way. Al came with me for the ride. The sun finally came out and now the sky is clear (2 pm). Val went for a haircut at MARUE and while there, I asked her to call me; she did and only got music so I think there is no reception on my phone which I will have to check on Monday at TELCEL. We got some corn from TONY which was quite good but not as sweet as ours. We watched for the Space Station again tonight, we saw it two nights ago, but to no avail so we all went in to cook our respective dinner. Fire in the evening and to bed early tonight

JAN 8, SUNDAY, EMPALME
We went to the village of Empalme around 11 am. There were six of us, Rick and Pat, Al & Brenda and us; we rode with P&R and A&B took their jeep. We took the new Libremiento road around Guaymas; a very nice highway which comes out by Empalme. No more lights and heavy traffic to fight. We had to really search for a parking spot in the village, it is a popular open air market. We walked the whole thing, bought some sweet corn (yes they do have but not as sweet as home) and a huge cauliflower which we split with Pat at a cost of 20 pesos, about $1.25.
On the way home, Rick took us through San Jose, a tiny village then we went home. There was a Happy Hour but we decided to stay home, just too windy and cold. No fire tonight either.

JAN 9, Monday, Mail forwarded
I took a drive to Guaymas to try to understand how I can make calls and receive them. It took a while but I finally got it I think. For some reasons, my phone doesn’t ring and I am not sure if it is the system or my phone. Anyway, I think I got it figured out. Val did the laundry today and I phoned Salmon Arm to have our mail forwarded.
We had four rigs come in on our row today so we had to move our Happy Hour area and fire pit to another place.

January 1 to 4, 2012; San Carlos

2012-01-04T18:56:00.000-08:00

JAN 1, 2012; Sunday, HAPPY NEW YEAR Everyone!
Ohhhhh the joy of a hang-over!!! That tequila last night was a killer! J Val got up then lied on the couch and fell asleep again; she’s also nursing a huge one (drank more tequila than I). It was a very quiet day all around the park; I wonder why!?? We read, slept and just basically did nothing. At 4 pm, we all met for Happy Hour and even that didn’t last long. Supper than a short stint by the fire and we were in bed by 9pm.

JAN 2, Monday, dentist visit
After Val’s Tai-Chi and her shower, we went to El Cheque for a couple of hot dogs then, after stopping at Santa Rosa groceries store, we drove to the LOT and had a visit with the gang. At 3:30 pm, we went home and then drove to Guaymas to the dentist. We were back home by 6 pm, in time for one drink with the group. Dinner was home-made turkey soup, a Caesar salad with shrimps...delicioso! Evening fire and to bed by 10 pm. Today was my daughter’s birthday. I tried a couple times to call her but she was out celebrating her 48^th birthday I guess.

JAN 3, Tuesday
We had 4 new rigs come in on our row so I had to move my truck. I find it amazing how some people can make it this far south...there was this guy with just a truck and camper, no trailer, yet he had the hardest time backing up into his spot...Amazing!!! They are here overnight only, on their way south to Malaque where we heard on the BC news that a Canadian got shot during a home invasion. No worse than 4 murders in Surrey BC in four nights.
I finally got hold of my daughter on the phone and we chatted for a good 10 minutes then it was time to hang up. We went for some groceries at TONY, SANTA ROSA and the LEY then it was home for happy hour, dinner and a fire in the evening.

JAN 4, Wednesday, girls day out
After her Tai-Chi, Val went shopping to Guaymas with Brenda, Lynn and Charlene. They took the bus to town (12 pesos; 90 cents Cdn). For us, the boys, we spent it cutting wood for our fire at night then it was snooze time until 3:30 pm (for me anyway). We had Happy Hour and Brenda made a new Margarita which was received quite well by everyone but I admit that I didn’t like it...too much lime!? I went home to cook and we had steaks and lobster tails for dinner. Cooked to perfection and absolutely delicious!!! Now we are watching the news, then it will be out to the fire for a nightcap.

December 26 to 31, 2011; End of another year

2011-12-31T23:59:00.002-08:00

DEC. 26, Monday, A new golf course
Val went for her Tai-Chi first thing this morning and I drove to the computer place where I found out that my inverter for the Sirius radio was working, we tried the radio but no luck so I left it there to see if they can fix it. At 1 pm, we went to the desert near the Estuary where Lynden and Leo had built a golf course consisting of 5 holes, sort of! There even was an elevated hole. There were 14 of us out there (Lynden & Charlene, us, Leo & Lynn, Rick & Pat, Al & Brenda, Rick & Judy and Steve & Linda from the Lot). Craig and Billy from the “Lot” also joined the group after we had started. We had a lot of fun, needless to say, walking in the desert and with the recent rain, some spots were still soft and slippery which made things even more interesting; we were paired up with Leo and Lynn. Val got first prize (150 pesos which everyone had to pay into at the beginning, 10 pesos each) for the closest to the pin on the first hole. After everyone had returned, we all drove up to an abandoned building on top of a hill near the course where we proceeded to lay out food and drink beer or wine. Even the dogs had fun and were able to run freely. We were home by 5 pm and were so full that we didn’t have dinner but a snack later in the evening. We went over to Al for the evening fire and after much laughs, ended up going home by 10 pm.
Needless to say I took lots of pictures and uploading them.

DEC 27, Tuesday, SC
The day began sunny but clouded over by the afternoon cooling things down a bit. Val did a load of laundry and I put some of the X-Mas stuff away. We had hot turkey sandwiches for lunch and there is still lots left over. I went to the Computer place where I picked up my Sirius player, they got it fixed. The afternoon was spent reading and while I had my snooze, Val and Tucker went for a walk on the beach. At 5 pm, 6 of us went to Froggy’s pub for pizza, beer and listen to a live band playing jazz and blues. We were home by 7 pm, had a fire and in bed by 10 pm.

DEC 28, Wednesday, visit with Garry and Virginia
Val went for Tai-Chi; Rick and Judy left this morning for warmer pasture...Lo de Marco, north of Puerto Vallarta. Rick, Pat and us went to see Garry and Virginia at their place in “Loma del Mar” and had a great visit. We came home by 4 pm and happy hour at 5 pm. Supper consisted of the last of the turkey, mashed potatoes and carrots and gravy. Evening...fire at Al and Brenda then home for the night

DEC 29, Thursday, kayaking
We went kayaking at Esmeralda beach in the morning and had lunch out there. Present were Lynden & Charlene, Lynn & Leo, Al & Brenda and us of course. There also were a few Mexican families out on the beach. The day was sunny and warm; 25*C! On the way back to Totonaka, we stopped for a hot dog and cerveza then it was home to put everything away and read a good book, enjoying the rest of the afternoon.
The park is really getting full today. A lot of people have come in today and a lot are on their way south to warmer climate in the next few days. Fire was at Al & Brenda as usual.

DEC 30, Friday, fish cook-out
After Val’s Tai-Chi and a trip to Tekalie to return some books, we went in Guaymas for grocery shopping, lunch and the bank. We returned by 3 pm and got the stuff ready for the big fish cook-out a neighbour’s place. Over 50 people showed up from the Park and it was great food. The fish was Yellow Tail. What a way to end the year. Val decided to give Tucker a bath once we were home. He always gets playful afterwards.

DEC 31, Saturday, New Year’s Eve in San Carlos, Mexico
The day began with a beautiful sunrise, remained that way all day with temperature of 25*C. After cleaning house and getting another bottle of propane filled, we cycled to town for a hot dog at EL CHEQUE but ended up at THE EDGE instead for a hamburger. We then biked over to TONY and got some tomatoes and milk and came home. The rest of the day was relax and read. The eight of us (Pat & Rick, Charlene & Lynden, Leo & Lynn, Al & Brenda and us) had a short Happy Hour, got all dressed up and walked over to the Italian Restaurant just outside of our gate and proceeded to have a delicious dinner.
We walked back home and got a fire going, set up a TV outside and proceeded to play bowling on WII. We had a barrel of laughter; whoever got a strike and went into the gulley got shot tequila. Everyone had at least one with some as many as seven!!! I got three and Val four!! We brought the New Year in with lots of noise and joined our neighbours who were also partying. We finally called it quit around 1 am.

December 22 to 25, 2011; Christmas in San Carlos

2011-12-25T19:20:00.000-08:00

DEC 22, Thursday, San Carlos
We awoke to a beautiful sunshine and I watched it rise up as I was up by 6 am. Later in the morning, I took the line converter for the Sirius dock to a local store as it had stopped working, he advise me he could probably fix it so I left it with him. We then drove to Guaymas to TELCEL where I had our kids phone numbers registered as it is faster and cheaper when we phone them. We stopped for lunch then checked out the new by-pass taken trucks and RV’s around Guaymas for free to Empalme. Very nice highway! We had Happy Hour early today and came in when the sun went down around 5 PM. Got propane this morning!

DEC 23, Friday, San Carlos.
What a wind storm we had last night!!! It blew almost everything down; had to bring the awning in during the night. Even this morning, although the sun is shining and it is 16*C, it is still blowing but not as hard as during the night. Everybody is cleaning and picking up their chairs this morning.
It was windy all day so we stayed inside. The sun is shining but that wind is cold and from the North. There must be a big storm in Arizona!? We did into town, San Carlos, and got some milk and the turkey for Sunday...a 14 pounder!
There has been a couple of guys climbing a quadruple ladder to reach the top of the Palm trees behind us and trimming them. It has been quite a show and an entertainment for everyone at Happy Hour. Check out the pictures on the web, it is quite something. Minimum safety, maximum efficiency!

DEC 24, Saturday, Christmas Eve in San Carlos
A quiet but windy day, everyone basically doing their own thing today, getting ready for tomorrow. Val did some knitting and I read.
A 5:30 pm, we went to CHARLY’s ROCK for margarita drinks and dinner. After a beautiful sunset and darkness set, all the boats came out all lit with Christmas lights. They ran in front of the restaurant. Linda, Cathy, Manfred and Bill were in their kayak all lit up with lights. It was really neat to see. After dinner, we continued drinking margaritas which were free and needless to say, not many people walked away sober. Almost all of Totonaka was here too. We got home by 9 pm and it was to bed, after saying goodnight to everyone. Pat and Rick had left earlier than us and when we got home, we each had a small present waiting. How thoughtful!

DEC 25, Sunday, Sunny & warm! MERRY CHRISTMAS to ALL!

We were up by 8 am and Val got the turkey prep for cooking. It is sunny and no wind so far. We spent the morning visiting everyone in the park and wishing Merry Christmas to one and all. The oven is in the oven so we sat outside and read and relaxed. It is a beautiful and warm day. Around 11 am, Val called Joanne and her grand-daughter and chatted with them. At 1 pm we called my daughter’s place and found everyone there including my son so we got to chat to one and all. The girls sounded really great and happy and so did my grand-son Graeme.
At 3 pm we set up the tables in the yard then served the food. There were 12 people over for dinner. Everyone enjoyed themselves and filled up on turkey and all the trimming until one couldn’t get another mouthful. It was a success but then, was there any doubt!? After putting everything away, we had a fire but we called it quit by 8 pm. It was a WONDERFUL day!

December 17 to 21, 2011; San Carlos and dentist visit

2011-12-21T15:19:00.000-08:00

DEC 17, Saturday, SC
It was a cloudy and cool day! BEAR was washed today and now looks very shiny. I bought a kilo of huge shrimps and we had some for dinner. 12 of us went to SOGGY PESOS by Esmeralda beach and had a drink, a bit to eat and a walk on the beach...well... the girls did as we, the boys, drank more cerveza and told more lies and resolved all the world’s problems. We came home around 3:30 and just hung out to our individual sites, recuperating. After dinner, we had a fire then it was bedtime.

DEC 18, Sunday,
Cloudy with sunny periods, windy but warm...20*C! Today we went to the beach at Esmeralda and took our yearly X-Mas pictures. Afterwards, we went to TONY and the new LEY to get a few items then came home to read and relaxed. We had dinner outside at Al and Brenda with Rick and Pat. Pat made the lasagne which was delicious, Val made the salad and Brenda provided the garlic bread and dessert. Rick brought over his TV and we watched the final episode of SURVIVOR. IT got so cold that we all came over to our place after everyone had eaten and watched the last hour at our place.

DEC 19, Monday
It was sunny with a few clouds today! We went to take more pictures for our cards after Val did the laundry. In the afternoon, I took the truck into town and got washed in & out for 100 pesos (approx. $8.50). We had Happy Hour with George and Paulette and were entertained by Mexicans climbing a ladder to cut the leaves off a palm tree. It was quite a show.

DEC 20, Tuesday; 5 days to Christmas!
A very quiet day today and quite cool too. It did get to 20*C but with the wind, it felt much cooler, especially in the shade. We stayed home and just read (someone has to do it!). Val went for a walk on the beach around 3 pm then it was happy hour at Al & Brenda with Lynden & Charlene, Pat & Rick and Leo & Lynn. Once the sun was down, Happy Hour became quiet hour as everyone was cold and headed for their respective home. After dinner, we had a fire then called it a night

DEC 21, Wednesday, Dentist visit in Guaymas
Well, today is the shortest day of the year. It gets better and longer from here on in! Or so I thought!? It poured rain overnight, and I mean pour! It woke me up but this morning, the sun is shining as if nothing happened. Val went for her Tai-Chi lesson then we drove to Guaymas for her dentist appointment, we are going to have to return. Afterwards, I took my I-Phone to Nextel and got a chip to call long distance and local. We stopped at LA BOGACHA for a bite to eat then to Walmart to pick up a couple of items. We came home in time for Val to get ready and go with Brenda and Pat to the “LOT” to meet the girls there for a cookie cooking session; another excuse for drinking wine and gossip!!! Hihihihi! I stayed home and read, took Tucker for his walk and caught up to the blog.

December 14 to 16, 2011; San Carlos

2011-12-17T07:29:00.000-08:00

DEC 14, Wednesday, Tucker haircut and wash day!
It was a cool and windy day! We got the laundry together and drove to the Vet to drop off Tucker for his haircut then we went to BARACUDA BOB, a local restaurant and laundry-mat at the Marina. We did the laundry, had breakfast there and then picked up Tucker once the laundry was all done. He looks great again!
In the afternoon, Val visited the neighbours and I put together the new speaker system and then set up the satellite so that we could watch SURVIVOR in the evening. For dinner, we had cod fish that we had bought in the USA.
In town, things have changed a bit; first, there is a new LEY which will open this coming Friday (it’s a mega grocery store like Walmart); TONY’s Place is still there but he has rearranged and improved on the place. Everything else seems to be the same. I got propane today.

DEC 15, Thursday, San Carlos
A sunny day and very warm! Today was the “Ley” grand opening and we went but drove on by when we saw the crowd there. We picked up some coffee at Avia, vegetables and tamales at “Tony’s” then stopped at the Ley for milk; it was still crazy with people.
We had Happy Hour at Al & Brenda. George and Paulette came over for a drink which was really nice. The park is getting fuller with new people arriving daily. We had other friends arrive today: Rick and Judy. They are here for only one night then carrying on to Mazatlan. The evenings are cold, due mainly to the dew blowing form the sea of Cortes and especially after a warm day. After dinner, we all met again at the fire pit. Funny thing is that once the evening has progressed, the air warms up a bit.

DEC. 16, Friday, San Carlos
A sunny day again; 14*C at 9 am; it cooled off as the day progressed though. Val biked to the local gym for TAI-CHI classes. I went to the bank to get more pesos then stopped at TONY to pick some carnita and chilli renello. At noon, Pat& Rick, Al & Brenda and us went to CHARLY’s ROCK for a lunch, margarita and a view of the sea. The afternoon was spent reading and the girls organized the meal for X-Mas. Happy Hour at 4 pm and Rick and Judy joined us, they are leaving soon for Mazatlan. We had a fire in the evening and then it was bedtime

December 9 to 13, 2011; Yuma to San Carlos, Mexico

2011-12-13T21:35:00.000-08:00

DEC 9, Friday, visit with Jack and Mim
Val went for exercises at 8 am then we went to town to find a part for the screen door which turns out I have to bring the screen door to get the right fit. I uploaded a couple pictures to our Picasa web page. We went geo-caching and found over 20 of them then we drove to Albertson to pick up some stuff. We had lunch then drove to Mim and Jack and had a great visit with them. We got back home at 9 pm.

DEC 10, Saturday, Visit with Ed and Judy in Welton, AZ
We went into town to Home Depot and bought a flashing X-Mas tree and a hose connection. We then stopped in Best Buy where we bought a sound system for our TV. From here, we fuelled @ $3.74/gal. then we went to RV CONNECTION to buy a part for the screen door and ended up buying a dual wheel chock and a telescopic flag pole. We came home, unloaded everything, had lunch then drove to Welton to visit Ed & Judy. Jack and Mim showed up about an hour later and after chatting for a while, we had dinner. Judy had made a chilli made with ground turkey and different spices; it was very good and nothing was left for Ed’s left over! We had a great time. We got home by 8:30 pm.
We called the kids tonight but no one was home so will try again tomorrow

DEC 11, Sunday, to Nogales,
The forecast is for rain for Tuesday so we decided to leave a day early. We were on the road by 9 am, drove East on I-8 then I-10 and eventually I-19 south to exit 48 where we spent the night at Mountain View Park. We’ve been here before, it is a Passport America park @ $14+tax with full hook up, WIFI and cable; can’t beat that!!! We arrived here at 3 pm, set up and now just relaxing. We stopped in Eloy for fuel and lunch, $3,80/gal. It is cloudy with sunny period and 71*F.

N 31* 42.230’

W 111* 03.760’
Alt: 3081 ft
We travelled 284 miles (460Km) @ an average 57 MPH in 5 hrs

DEC 12, Monday, to San Carlos, Mexico
We were up by 6 am and on the road by 7:30 under heavy clouds. We drove 45 km to Nogales where we stopped at Walmart to buy last minute items then to the Insurance office to buy our Mexican insurance. We entered Mexico at 9 am and drove south on Hwy 15. The road was really rough until Santa Anna. We were also stopped for about three quarters of an hour due to an accident; a rig missed its turn and flipped over down the embankment. It was quite a mess. We drove on further and saw another accident on a straight stretch where an army truck flipped over in the ditch. We saw a couple of bodies covered with a tarp so it wasn’t a pleasant scene. It rained most of the way down! We arrived at our turn-off where I stopped for fuel @ $0.98 per litre. Then it was onward to Totonaka, San Carlos where everyone was waiting for us. After setting up, we said hello to everyone including George and Paulette who are still here. Also are Lynden & Charlene, Rick & Pat, Al and Brenda, Leo and Lynne. A real home-coming reunion and that doesn’t include the people whom we met previous years. The sky is finally clearing and we had a nice sunset. Six of us went out for dinner at Arbolito and had a great dinner then came home and Al had a fire. We were in bed by 10 pm.

N 27* 57.908’

W 111* 01.490’
Alt: 17 feet
We drove 291 miles (472 Km) in 6.5 hrs at an average 45 MPH

DEC 13, Tuesday San Carlos; sunny with a few clouds.
Temperature was 16* C when I got up at 7 am, it will be a nice day, I think!
Today was set up day! Val cleaned the inside of “BEAR” and I set up the outside. We have the X-MAs tree up and all the decorations. At lunch, we went to the bank to withdraw some cash then went to “El Cheque” for his famous hot dog. In the afternoon, I had a snooze while Val visited the neighbours and read. At 4 pm, the “Lot” people (Steve & Linda, Craig & Cathy, Bill & Tammie and Manfred & Judy) came over for Happy Hour at Pat & Rick. It was a great reunion and we caught up to everyone’s news. After dinner, we had a fire at Al & Brenda. The gang came over including Randy &Shirley and Steve & Marie, neighbours we met last year! Another fun day and evening ends on a happy note!

December 5 to 8, 2011; Yuma and visit with Aud & Marcel and Louise & Dave

2011-12-09T06:53:00.000-08:00

DEC 5, Monday, back to Algodones, Mexico
It is windy and very much cooler today; barely got to 16*C! Val and I went back to Algodones for a dentist appointment. We got some prices on dental work then picked up our tourist cards at the border and paid $50 US. We had breakfast, drove back to Yuma where I filled one propane tank at $23 then came home. Val washed the blankets that were inside the truck and on which Tucker was sick a few days ago. This is a relaxing day at home. Dave and Louise came over for Happy Hour and after dinner, we watched a video.

DEC 6, Tuesday, Yuma
More of the same today; visit with Marcel and Audrey; Louise and Dave were with us in the “Beast”. We ended up at Marcel and Aud where he proceeded to cook us a steak dinner with all the trimming. We had a fun evening and got home around 11 pm.

DEC 7, Wednesday, Yuma
We went to town to meet Aud and Marcel for lunch then we went to mail a parcel for Val’s grand-daughters and X-Mas card for my grand-kids. I’ve been meaning to call Jeff and Rochelle but the timing is never right. We have to before we go into Mexico. We came home and at 5 pm, we, including Dave & Louise, went to meet Marcel and Audrey for dinner at a restaurant called MIMI’s CAFE. Dinner was excellent and we had lots of laughs as usual. This is everyone’s last night in Yuma: Dave & Louise are heading east to Florida and Marcel and Aud are going back to Palm Spring and flying back to Alberta from there after storing their motorhome and jeep.
We got home around 8 pm and called it a night! Tucker got a bath and his treatment for fleas.

DEC 8, Thursday, last breakfast with the gang and some geo-caching
We went to the “Q” Casino for breakfast where we met Audrey and Marcel, Louise and Dave. We had a nice breakfast, a few laughs then it was time to say goodbye! They heading their own way and we went to town to get some groceries then came home to put them away. Afterwards, we went geo-caching until 2:30 pm when we headed to 4^th Ave South and visited our friends, George and Helene from the Lower Mainland, BC. We had a very nice visit and the four of us went out for dinner at a Chinese restaurant that had a buffet for $9.99. Afterwards, we said our goodbyes and went home.

December 1 to 4, 2011; Desert Hot Springs to Winterhaven, CA near Yuma, AZ

2011-12-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

DEC 1, 2011, Thursday; Last day in Desert Hot Springs
We had a really bad wind storm overnight. We woke up to a mess outside and it is still blowing but not as bad. We watched a couple movies, had a drink with M & A then it was a quiet evening at home.

DEC 2, Friday, to Winterhaven, CA
We had breakfast at the club house then we left around 9:30 am. We headed south on Dillon, stopped for fuel for Marcel and Audrey and continues on Hwy 86. In Brawley, we continued on Hwy 78 East to the sand dunes where we stopped for lunch and watched ATV’s cruising on the dunes. After lunch, we continued on and eventually turned on SR 34 south to I-8, and east to Pilot Knob RV Park. We arrived around 2:30 pm local time (Arizona Time, we lost an hour). Our mutual friends, Dave and Louise, were already here so we all visited for about an hour then Marcel and Audrey left for Yuma Lake, approx 14 miles from here, where they are staying with their Coast to Coast membership. Louise cooked us dinner, we visited for a while then headed home to bed.

N 32* 44.774

W 114* 45.819
Alt: 256 feet

We drove 168 miles ( 273 Km) in 3.5 hours at an average 52 MPH.

DEC 3, Saturday, to Algodones, Mexico
Marcel and Audrey showed up at our place around 9:15 am and by 9:30, the six of us were on our way to the Quilchena Casino where we had breakfast. Afterwards, we continued south to the Mexican border, parked on the US side and walked across. Val and I bought our tourist card for our stay in San Carlos which means we won’t have to stop at Km 21, south of Nogales. We then met with the rest of the group and proceeded to visit the town. This was the week-end when Algodones had an “Appreciation Day” for all the gringos so there were free margaritas and some food for free. We visited some shops, stopped for a couple drinks then eventually, it was time to leave. It took us over an hour to cross, what with the line up, but we had fun and it didn’t seem that long. We came home and had a few more drinks, Val made a chilli for everyone and we had more laughs. IT was a Perfect Day filled with laughter, love and friendship. Everyone went home eventually by 8 pm

DEC 4, Sunday, to the local Yuma flea market
Louise and Dave came with us and we drove to Yuma Lake RV Resort where Marcel and Audrey are staying. From here, we went to the outside RV flea market near the Marine Air Base and proceeded to look around. We had lunch here and continued on, we bought two more chairs, Marcel a hat and Dave, RV parts. We also looked at satellite dish for Marcel and Audrey. $2500 sounds like a good price and we may seriously look at it upon our return from Mexico. We came home around 4 pm after stopping for some groceries, walked the dogs, Val made a salad and Louise a desert then we drove to Marcel and Audrey for steak dinner. Needless to say we had a wonderful time filled with laughters and we returned home around 11:30 pm. It was a great day!

November 28 to 30, 2011; Desert Hot Springs with Marcel and Aud

2011-11-30T21:14:00.002-08:00

NOV 28, Monday, Desert Hot Spring
Val went for her exercises first thing this morning. We then went for grocery shopping and a few other items, came home, put everything away and relaxed for a while. Audrey and Marcel arrived in Desert Pools under an invite from us; now they have to listen to the sale pitch but they get 5 days/4 nights FREE! In the afternoon, they went to pick up Curt and Carol then came back here and we proceeded to have a happy hour that lasted until 11 pm. We munched on some finger food and left-over turkey. Lots of laughs!

NOV 29, Tuesday, DHS
Yesterday, I bought a new Tracfone and transferred our number (520-220-2856) and contacts on the new one. This one has “Bluetooth” and connects with my hand-free device in the truck. Val did laundry after her exercises and Aud & Marcel went for a swim. We went to their place around 3 pm and Curt and Carol showed up about a half hour later. We went to “Burger & Beer” restaurant for dinner, a nice place and very good burgers then we drove to “The Nest” where Val lost her earring and they had found it so kept it for her. We had a drink then came home. M&A took C&C back to their hotel in Palm Springs.

NOV 30, Wednesday, DHS
A very quiet day at home. Val did her exercises and then we read. M&A took Carol and Curt to the airport as they were flying back home today. They heard from their son that 8 inches of snow was waiting for them!!!
In the afternoon, Val and Aud went shopping and Val bought a nice swimsuit. We had Happy Hour with Marcel and Audrey. Survivor was on in the evening so we watched it.

Novemebr 23 to 27, 2011; Casa Grande to Desert Hot Springs, CA

2011-11-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

NOV 23, Wednesday, sunny
A quiet day in Casa Grande. I got some internet time from the office so that I could register our new Kindle Fire. Val did a load of laundry and then we went to Best Buy to find a pouch to hold for the Kindle Fire but it was closed to power outage so we went to Office Depot and found something to suit the Reader. We came home, had a drink then it was dinner and news watch.

NOV 24, Thursday, Last day in Casa Grande
A quiet day at home, it is cloudy and much cooler today; temperature only got up to 19*C! We went to Fry’s for a few groceries. I loaded up the kayaks, packed all the toys, BBQ, chairs, Val packed all the trinkets inside and we are ready to leave.
We went to Cracker Barrel restaurant for a Thanks-Giving dinner since the Park we are staying has no cook, came home watched the tube for a while then bedtime. We had been invited at Bud and Judy (Val’s uncle) for dinner in Chandler but I didn’t feel like driving all that way and also because we were leaving tomorrow, so we sadly turned down the invitation.

NOV 25, Friday, to Desert Hot Spring, California
We left Casa Grande around 9:30 am and headed north then west on I-10. Traffic through Phoenix was light so it was a pleasant drive. We stopped for a break at a rest stop around 11 am then again in Quartsite where we fuelled at $3.85/gallon. An hour later, after having lunch, we crossed into California and arrived at Desert Pool RV Park in Desert Hot Spring at 4:45 pm (3:45 local time). Yes we gained an hour and are now on the same time as home. Paid $42 for 7 nights and set up in site 201.
Just as I sitting and relaxing, in came Marcel, Audrey, Carol and Curt whom we had met a few years back in Olds Alta. Out came the chairs and the booze and a few stories were told, most were lies but some truthful! (SMILE)
We made arrangements to meet tomorrow and after they left, we had dinner, washed the dishes, watch the tube for a while then went to bed.

N 33* 55.442’

W 116* 26.053
Alt: 1016 feet
We drove 317 miles (514 Km) in 5.5 hrs @ an average 57MPH

NOV 26, Saturday, DHS
At 10 am, we went over to Marcel & Audrey and Curt & Carol met there too and we all went to the “College of the Desert” swap meet. We walked around for about an hour and half then went to the “River Walk Shopping Centre” and found a restaurant/bar where we had a snack and beer. They went back to Curt’s motel and we drove home to care for poor Tucker who’s been alone all day. We took him for a walk and visited with our neighbours from BC.
At 6:30 pm, we drove to a club named “The Nest” where there was live entertainment. We met Aud & Marcel and Curt & Carol there. The music was very loud and great and the place packed solid; so much so that all you had to do is stand up and dance where you stood. Val had a great time and danced the night away. So did I for that matter. We left around 11 pm and came home. It WAS a fun evening!

NOV 27, Sunday, Grey Cup football and BC WON!!!
We went shopping for some groceries, came home and put everything away. I set up the dish but didn’t have much success so I hooked up to our neighbours who are also from BC. We watched the Canadian Football game between BC and Winnipeg and we jumped with joy when BC won! FINALLY!!!!!! We have the Grey Cup. GO BC!
I tried calling Kevin and Rochelle but had a really bad reception so I sent an e-mail.

November 18 to 22, 2011; Birthdays and visit with TIm & Kim

2011-11-23T07:29:00.002-08:00

NOV 18, Friday, sunny, warm
A quiet day! We went out to find the last two caches from yesterday, picked the antibiotics for Val then came home and read. I had a snooze in the afternoon. It was another very warm day, it reached 84*F (26*C)

NOV 19, Saturday
There was a craft sale in the club house and so we attended. There wasn’t much but I did find a pegs and joker board and phoned Terry & Glenda to find out if they were interested!? The price was a bit steep, $45, so they turned it down. Don’t blame them; I wouldn’t have paid that much either. Val went for her dance lessons and I read my book. After lunch, Val decided to make some muffins. Everything was quiet then someone banged on the outside wall. Val looked out and to our surprise, there stood Al and Brenda from BC. We had a very nice visit with them and had them over for dinner. They are staying down the road, about 25 miles from here. They left around 7 pm as their dog was still at their motorhome and were worry about her. She is a big golden lab, gentle as could be. We watched the tube for a while then it was bedtime.

NOV 20, Sunday, sunny and warm
We were supposed to go visit Tim and Kim today but Kim called saying that Tim had the flue so we postponed our visit to Tuesday. We called T&G right away to let them know so that they could make alternate plans for today if they wanted to.
We went geo-caching (no, really!!!!) and found 10 more to log. We were home by 3:30 pm, had a drink then dinner. I watched Sunday night football and Val went to work on a puzzle at the club house.

NOV 21, Monday,
A bit cooler today but still sunny! We went to find more caches that we didn’t do yesterday. We even got to meet the owners of a cache; he came out as we were searching for it. We also got Val’s “Kindle Fire” through the mail today so now we really need a WIFI connection so that we can register it and work on it. We had supper then watched the tube. We also received our package from the drugstore at home; what happened is that every time I went to check for the mail I would say my last name and of course nothing was there until Val went over and said her last name and...voila...the package had been sitting there for the past two weeks!!! How silly!

NOV 22, Tuesday, visit with Tim & Kim
We went into town in search for a MIFI connection. First we stopped at BESTBUY where we didn’t find what we were looking for then at a VERIZON dealer. We had better success there but it is a matter of deciding if it’s worth the expense especially since we will be out of the USA in about 3 weeks!???
We drove to Mesa where we picked up Terry and Glenda then the four of us went to Scottsdale for a visit with Tim and Kim. We had a marvellous visit and a delicious dinner, nothing fancy but still delicious! We left there around 7:30 pm and drove back to Val Vista where we had a nightcap with T&G then said our goodbyes and were home by 10:30pm. It was a great day!

November 14 to 17, 2011; Finances & Val's mishap

2011-11-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

NOV 14, Monday, Sunny, Happy Birthday Vanessa
Val went for her exercises in the morning and after showering I walked Tucker. We went to “Total Wine” in Phoenix to get more bourbon, wine and beer. Val saw a BIG LOT store so we went over and found our lamp and bought it. We stopped at Camping World for a part on the screen door but no success there and we actually left without buying anything!? AMAZING!!!! We came home, had a drink outside, talked to a couple of neighbours then it was time for dinner.
I went to bed early after talking with grand-daughter Vanessa and wishing her Happy Birthday...20 y.o, and no longer a teenager. Val stayed up to finish watching a program on TV then came to bed too.

NOV 15, Tuesday, Happy birthday grand-daughter McKinley, 1 y.o.
McKinley, Val’s grand-daughter is a year old today; they grow so fast, don’t they?
After Val exercises and me picking up our mail, we went Geo-Caching. By the way, I can’t remember if I mentioned this before but we also got two new folding chairs that I had ordered on line. Same as Terry and Glenda! We found all the caches we had missed previously then came home and had a drink before dinner. I sorted our mail and brought our accounts to date.

NOV 16, Wednesday, sunny and warm, Happy birthday Tucker, 13 y.o.
We called our financial adviser and moved money around to safeguard it. We lost a substantial amount in the past 4 months and it doesn’t look like it will rebound in the near future!? After drying our tears, we went geo caching and found another dozen. We stopped at “The Place”, a local pub and had a beer and snack then came home. I also returned our “Virgin MIFI” as I found it too slow and frustrating. It took 20 minutes to download a 12 MB file. A bit ridiculous, wouldn’t you think?

NOV 17, Thursday, sunny and warm
No exercises, no dancing this morning, we went geo caching and looking back, I wish we had stayed home, well....maybe! We had 6 caches to find and on the third one, Val had a mishap. She went to climb around a pile of rocks, slipped and cut her shin wide open on a granite rock. There was lots of blood and after squeezing the wound shut,, I ran to the truck and got our first-aid kit and got that bandaged in no time. We drove to the clinic where they cleaned it, gave tetanus shot, stitched it together and gave us the bill...$722 US. We were both in shock as we were expecting maybe $300 at the most. Anyway, Val is OK and that is the main thing. We came home and spent a quiet evening at home.

November 10 to 13, 2011; Aud & Marcel visit

2011-11-14T08:12:00.001-08:00

NOV 10, Thursday, visitors leave
We were all up early and after a light breakfast and hugs and goodbyes, Marcel and Audrey left for California. They are hoping that their motorhome will be ready this week; it has already been in there for 2 1/2 weeks.
We went to Big Lots to check on the lamp but no luck so we went grocery shopping then home to put everything away. A very nice day with winds keeping things at the right temperature. I made WHR) and Pilot Knob in Winter Haven, CA (Dec 2 to 16, AOR) near Yuma, AZ. We had a great dinner then it was watch the tube and to bed early

NOV 11, Friday, Veteran’s Day!
After Val’s exercises, we went geo-caching for a couple hours then came home. It is cloudy today but no rain and it is warm. We came home after successful finds, had dinner and watched the tube. Being the 11^th, the “Longest day” was playing so we watched that until bedtime.

NOV 12, Saturday, another cloudy day
But warm! Val went to Line Dancing lessons; I gave up as it is too confusing and frustrating and I thought better to stay away then get frustrated! Afterwards, we went geo-caching and even that frustrated as we didn’t seem to get too lucky in finding them. We came home around 4 pm and one of our neighbours came over to introduce himself and have a drink with us.
Val cooked a great dinner then it was relax time at home

NOV 13, Sunday, a rainy day!
It rained most of the morning but the sun did come out in the afternoon. Val went for her exercises then we went to the grocery store to get some items. After returning home and putting everything away, we spent the rest of the day reading our books. We had a bit of excitement in that a fire truck and ambulance showed up in the park to attend to an emergency about 4 rigs down from us. He was taken to hospital for check-up but otherwise, appeared OK. Val made a delicious chilli for dinner then we watched Sunday Night Football.

November 5 to 9, 2011; Casa Grande and visit from Aud & Marcel

2011-11-10T10:33:00.001-08:00

NOV 5, Saturday, Casa Grande
It was windy most of the night and rained heavily at times, it woke me up! This morning, we have a beautiful sunshine with a few clouds but quite cool; only 8*C (46*F) at 8 am.
I spent the day setting up our camp, putting up the dish for satellite which was very frustrating as we never got it going. Actually not quite true, I had the signal for a while then lost it and never got it back so gave up before becoming frustrated. There was a craft show in the hall and Val bought a small shoulder purse. We spent about a half hour in there then Val went to the library and I came home.

NOV 6, Sunday
A cold night, 6*C but the sun is shining this morning and already 10*C at 8 am. A quiet day at home, temperature went as high as 18*C (67*F); we read, Val went to the puzzle room for a while and I finally got our Star Choice satellite set up, thanks to a neighbour from Alberta. A quiet day at home!

NOV 7, Monday, “the Beast” is back
It rained and blew quite hard over night! Once again we had to get up in the middle of the night to bring the awning in. Now, 8 am, everything is wet but the sky is clearing some so maybe we will have sunshine later. I got a call from the garage that the wrong part was sent so they had to re-order it and should be here early afternoon.
Val is at her “walk the pounds away” exercise class. At 10:30 am, we both went for line dancing lessons! YES! You read that right! It was for an hour and a half and was quite fun and interesting. The Ford dealer finally called me at 4 pm that the truck was ready. They picked me up and I paid the bill then came home to pick up Val. The problem was the PSI hose from the power steering pump to the hydroboost. Val and I went to FRY’s to get some milk, beer and wine (necessity of life) then we came home, cooked dinner and watched the tube. It is quite windy here now.

NOV 8, Tuesday,
A beautiful but cool morning. The sun is shining and it is a balmy 7*C outside (44*F) in the shade at 8:30 am. The forecast is for 65*F today. Val is gone to her exercises.
We went into town to the mall on Florence and shopped at Best Buy (oh! Oh!) , then to a couple of shoe stores for Val and Target looking for plastic wine glasses. Val found her sandals at the Outlet. We came home via Walmart then it was dinner time. After dinner, I set up my new Virgin Mifi and called Marcel and Audrey. We made arrangements to meet them on Thursday in Palm Springs. Their motorhome is still in the garage.

NOV 9, Wednesday, surprised visit
Up early again today, Val took a break from the exercises and did a load of laundry instead. I researched cost for insurance for Mexico. I went into town and had the truck washed then to Big Lots to see about my lamp exchange but they were still unpacking so I will return tomorrow. I stopped at the Post Office and mailed a b’day cards for McKinley.
Audrey and Marcel showed up here from San Diego; a last minute decision and it’s great seeing them again...it’s been a year since last we got together. After catching up with news, we went to a local pub, “The Place”, and had dinner and lots of laughs. We didn’t get to bed until midnight. They slept on the couch which turns into a bed.

November 1 to 4, 2011; Val Vista, Mesa to Casa Grande, AZ

2011-11-04T20:29:00.001-07:00

NOV 1, Tuesday, Val Vista Resort, Mesa AZ
Another hot one but it’s supposed to cool right down to 69*F by the week-end; kind of looking forward to that!
Val did a load of laundry in the morning and in the afternoon; we went to the pool as they had live music and selling beer for a dollar! T&G and others that we met were there too.
For dinner, it was pork chops and potatoes with greens then we watched the tube and went to bed early. I don’t know why but my eyes were red and burning all day!?

NOV 2, Wednesday,
We had a windy night, I had to bring the awning in but right now, it has calmed down and it is very nice out there.
Val went for Tai-Chi class then the four of us went shopping at Camping World then Costco where I bought a sound bar for the TV, Wal-Mart where we didn’t find what we were looking for then came home as we had a party to go to. From 3 to 6 pm, there was a pool party and everyone brought a “happys” and your own booze or buy at the bar. We had a good time and everyone got wet whether you were with or without a swim suit. Ever seen children with water gun? That will give you an idea what it was like! We came home around 6 pm

NOV 3, Thursday, last day in Val Vista

I washed “BEAR” in the morning and Val helped me drying it then I washed the windows and dumped the tanks. In the afternoon, we went shopping at BIG LOTS and K-MART where I bought a lamp for my corner then headed to Costco where I returned a sound system I had bought but found too big for the rig. We came home and walked over to Terry & Glenda for Happy Hour. Dennis and his wife Gloria whom had come by earlier to say their goodbyes were also there and so was Mike. A while later, another couple came by that had just arrived from BC and left after a drink as they had a dinner date. Moe and his wife, Trish, who had just flown in today, arrived and the six of us had dinner together thanks to Glenda generosity and good cooking. We had pork roast, sweet potatoes, salad, buns and wine. Needless to say that everything was absolutely delicious and we had a wonderful last evening together. Then it was time to call it a night and we came home after saying our goodbyes to Moe and Trish and goodnight to T&G.

NOV 4, Friday, to Casa Grande

The forecast is for a wind storm between 11 am and 8 pm so we didn’t waste any time and left by 10 am after saying goodbye to Terry. Silly me, last night when we said good night, I forgot that Glenda was leaving early for a golf game so we didn’t see her this morning. I guess I owe her two hugs now!
We drove south on Val Vista, west on Hwy 60, south on 101, west on 202 and finally south on I-10. We arrived at Desert Shadows, a WHR park, an hour later and after setting up on site 605, the wind began picking up and we were enveloped in a sandstorm within the hour. Just in time, huh!!!
We had lunch then it was relax time. The park is almost empty, very few people here and the organized activities don’t start until the 15 of this month. They don’t even have a cook yet so we may not get a Thanksgiving dinner!?
We went into town to Big Lots and Walmart then returned home. As I was driving, the steering began making a funny whiny noise so I stopped at the Ford Dealership only to find out a main oil line to the steering was leaking badly and it was suggested we leave the truck there which we did. They drove us home which means no wheels for the week-end. Why does it always happen on a Friday????

N 32* 55.269’
W 111* 45.273’
ALT: 1372 feet

We drove 51 miles (84 Km) in one hour at an average 51 mph.

October 30 & 31, 2011; Val Vista Resort AZ

2011-10-31T23:19:00.001-07:00

OCT 30, Sunday, Val Vista RV Resort

Another hot one, 90*F! It feels so weird, a few days ago we were in long pants and sweater every morning, now it is shorts and sandals!!! Terry took me, Moe and Cal to the wine store that specialized in all kinds of hard liquor, wine and beer. We had filled a basket each; me with 2 cases of wine, a bottle of port wine, a case of beer and 40 oz bourbon and all that for barely $100. When we got back, it was decided to go to a local bar for lunch in Apache Junction. It was a really funky place in the middle of nowhere but the food and service was fantastic. There were 16 of us, all from the park and friends of Terry and Glenda. The bar had an outside patio but we sat inside as it was too hot. Local folks come on horseback and some even carried guns as in cowboys but they have to check in their guns at the bar BEFORE they are served. Once again, we had a good time with good company and afterwards we came home and we called it a day! Val went to the pool for a while and I had a snooze then it was dinner and after, we went over to T&G for a drink as they were sitting outside watching the “Amazing Race”. We were home by 8pm and in bed by 9!

OCT 31, Monday, another month ends

Up by 7 am, already it is 18*C (68*F). I went to the office at 8:30 and registered for 7 nights then I called regarding the rear broken window on the truck and made reservations at Casa Grande (WHR) for two weeks starting Nov 4th. I went to town and got one propane tank filled @ $21.
In the afternoon, we went to FRY’s for groceries and fuel for the truck then we came home and put everything away.
After dinner, we all went to a Halloween dance. The theme was hippies from the 60’s. Terry had a flowery shirt and a spiked hairdo with little lights flashing away. Glenda also had a flowery over coat and these neat glasses made like a heart (see pictures). Val had a flowery dress on and she banned the bra! We had a lot of fun, danced the night away and drank too much of course. We were in bed by 11 pm. A good way to end the month!

October 28 & 29, 2011; Holbrook to Mesa Arizona

2011-10-30T07:59:00.001-07:00

OCT 28, Friday, to Mesa, Arizona via the Petrified Forest National Park

We left at 8:45 am and drove back 17 miles to enter the Petrified Forest National Park. We stopped at the info centre where we watched a 15 minutes movie on the formation of the park. I also bought $30 of fuel @ $4.25/gal. (talk about a rip-off) but I had to as I was down to one quarter. Anyway, we continued into the Park and first looked at the Painted Canyon. It was quite spectacular, full of vivid colors of grey, brown, red and silver. We were on a ridge looking down into it. The road makes a wide loop before returning to and crossing I-40 and continues South to the Petrified Forest. There were points of interest along the way including the “Agate House Trail”, an old Pueblo dating back to 1250 and had 1200 people living there. The next place was the Newspaper Rocks where we saw lots of petroglyphs. We drove further south to the “Giant Logs Trail” where we saw a petrified log forming a bridge over a small gorge. It is supported by cement trust so that it won’t break apart. There were hundreds of pieces of petrified wood lying all over the field, some small, some big, some very colourful. There are signs everywhere warning NOT to pick up any pieces.

It was time to leave so we turned south- east on Hwy 180 to hwy 60 where we headed south-west. As we came around this curve, we had to stomp on the brakes as there was an accident; a guy on motorcycle went into the ditch and was laying face down. The bike was quite damaged too. We stopped to offer assistance but they had everything under control so we left. We stopped in SHOW LOW to buy fuel at 3.74/gal and had lunch here. We turned west on 260 and finally south on 87 at Payson. The drive was spectacular. On 260 we drove to the rim and saw all the mountain ranges south and west. We went down on this beautiful 4 lane highway to Payson. Hwy 87 was lower but as spectacular. In all we went from 7600’ down to 1200 feet in Mesa. We finally arrived at Val Vista RV Park around 5:30 pm and the gate security took us to our site, 106, three doors down from Glenda and Terry. Terry had made arrangements to have them wait for us and take us to our site.

After setting up, we went to T&G where they were having Happy Hour with their neighbours. We had a couple beers then called it quit for the night. It has been a long but wonderful day! We took lots of pictures and most are on PICASA folder #80. Time to go to bed!

N 23* 25.126’
W 111* 45.127’
Alt: 1275 feet

We drove 275 miles (445km) @ an average 48 mph in almost 7.5 hours.

OCT 29, Saturday, Val Vista, Mesa, Arizona

We got up to a very nice sunshine and already, at 7:30 am, it is a balmy 20*C (70*F)! We went out with T&G to a local flea market being held at a church then for breakfast in Apache Junction which was cheap and delicious. Afterwards, we went to the Mesa flea market and got a “Happy Hour” flag and a couple other small items. We came home via Wal-Mart so that I could buy a time card for my phone. It is 88*F outside (29*C) but almost 95* F inside Bear so the A/C went on full blast...should have done that BEFORE we left!

We ended back at T&G’s place for Happy Hour after they had a swim at the pool. Friends of theirs, Moe and Kal came over to join us and we ended up having BBQ hamburgers. We had lots of fun and good laughs.

Oct 24 to 27, 2011 Cheyenne, Wyoming to Holbrook, Arizona via Santa Fe, New Mexico

2011-10-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

OCT 24, 2011; Monday, onwards to Santa Fe, New Mexico
We left Cheyenne at 9:20 am, quite late actually for us. We fuelled at Flying J @ 3.74/gal and headed south on I-25. It was busy going through Denver and we stopped in Colorado Springs for fuel (3.89/gal) and lunch. We continued on and it was great seeing what we had missed when we came through previously in a snow storm heading north! Anyway, we arrived in Raton, New Mexico around 4 pm where we decided to spend the night. We have WIFI and I have uploaded some pictures in folder # 80. The forecast is still for snow by tomorrow night but right now it is a balmy 80*F (25*C) at 6500 feet! The “Beast” has been performing quite well as I’ve been pushing it to 65-70 mph (2200 RPM) most of the way. Believe it or not, I get quite good fuel mileage at that rpm level but it’s hard on my nerves and concentration levels. I prefer going at 55-60 mph!

N 36* 52.900’
W 104* 25.878
Alt: 6549 feet
We travelled 326 miles (528Km) in 5.5 hours @ an average 58 mph

OCT 25, Tuesday, Santa Fe, New Mexico
We got up to a beautiful sunrise. We left around 9:30 am after paying for the night. The drive on I-25 was quite monotonous! Scenery consisted of fields of prairie grass and low mountains in the distance. We stopped in Wagon Mound for fuel @ 3.79/gal then continued on. At Las Vegas, New Mexico (yes you are reading right) the scenery changed and we entered the mountain range. We climbed to 7600 feet and eventually arrived at our campground, Rancheros de Santa Fe Campground, near Santa Fe. As I backed in, Val informed me that we had a flat on the right side of the trailer. Can you believe it!!! Anyway, I called AAA and had them come out and put the spare on. He worked for his money; he had to use two jacks to lift the axle. He told me of a place I can get tires for a good rate so I checked it out and found one to buy. We will take the rig there when we leave here and replace two tires as the spare has a big bulge on the side wall. Hopefully it will hold until we get there (10 miles away).

N 35* 32.725
W 105* 51.813
Alt: 7229

We travelled 164 miles in 2 hrs and 55 minutes @ an average 55mph

OCT 26, Wednesday, Santa Fe
Well, the day began quite nicely considering all the warnings about freeze and snow. We did have rain last evening but right now the sky has a few clouds but also blue patchy sky (7:30 am). The forecast is for rain later today and possible freeze overnight but improving and warming trend tomorrow.
We went to visit Santa Fe central and the historic square. I took lots of pictures and have uploaded them to folder #80. It was really interesting. Our tour began walking through the Capitol building (Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico) then on to a church built in the 1700’ but the Spaniards and the Indians. From here we walked to the Square where we saw local Indians selling their wares. Val ended up buying a pair of earring for herself. They sell at a fair price and there is no tax! From here, we went to “La Fonda” Hotel which takes a whole block and is famous for its art inside and its food. At the lounge, there was a buffet for $10; all you can eat, consisting of local dishes. We filled our faces and our stomach...it was delicious! Then it was more walking and sightseeing, trying to work off all that food. We visited the San Miguel church built in the 1800’s and the Loretto church, famous for its staircase which spiral up and makes two complete 360* turn. The story goes that the nuns wanted to build stairs to go to the balcony but no one could built one unless they took up a lot of room on the church main floor. Then one day, a mysterious man came along and offered to build it and he did it with just a hammer, a saw and some basic tools in a bag then left without saying anything and asking for money! (See Pictures for more details).
From here, we drove up to Taos to visit the Indian Pueblo. This turned out to be very disappointing. We were charge $10 each plus $6 for the camera, then we had a tour guide who gave us a story on the place and what they do to preserve it then asked for money and never took us for walk around. Most of the places were closed as they are private residence except for a few where they sell wares. We did buy two little local individual pies which we promptly ate: they were good! It was raining on and off which didn’t make the walking around very pleasant especially with all the mud. The town of Taos itself is known for its art and artist and we didn’t stopped as it was raining too much and by this time we were put off by the rip-off we had just gone through.
We drove via 518, a mountain pass that climbed to over 8000 feet and was very scenic even though it was raining. We finally arrived back home by 6:30 pm. A long day!

OCT 27, Thursday, new tires and on to Holbrook, Arizona
When I got up at 6 am, there was snow on the ground and the truck; 0*C outside! We got ready and were on the road by 8 am. We went to DISCOUNT TIRE in Santa Fe and just off I-25 where I got two new tires and had them put on the trailer and made sure all the tires were at 80 psi. We were back on the road by 9 am and after purchasing fuel @ $3.79, we drove south on I-25 then in Albuquerque, we headed west on I-40. We stopped for more fuel in Mila for 3.699. The scenery was more desert and prairie grass, kind of boring after a while. It did get interesting when we crossed into Arizona where we stopped at the Info Centre where the rock was sandstone and formed some interesting shape. We had heavy clouds for most of the morning but in the afternoon it began clearing up. We continued on I-40 and finally stopped in Sun Valley near Holbrook where we camped at a Passport America campground for $16. I was tired and didn’t want to go anymore. Seven hours on the road is too much especially being up at 6 am. Tomorrow, we will definitely be in Mesa!

N 34* 58.876
W 110* 03.0358
Alt: 5253’

We drove 296 miles (479miles) in 5.5 hours at an average 54 mph

October 22 & 23, 2011; Livingston, Montana to Cheyenne, Wyoming

2011-10-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

OCT 22, Saturday, to Cody Wyoming.
We left by 8:20 am and drove to Gardiner, Montana, gateway to Yellowstone National Park. We slowly climbed to over 5000 feet and the scenery was mainly prairie grass and rolling hills but we could see tall peaks covered in snow in the distance. At the Park’s North gate, we bought a year pass and drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs lodge at the 6500 feet level. It was a steep climb from the gate to Mammoth but we made it with no problems. The east canyon road was closed so we drove on the west side road which we had visited the last time we were here; at the intersection midway down, we turned left and headed to the east side and the highway to Cody. On this road we climbed to over 7500 feet and did see snow on the side of the highway. We turned east at the fishing bridge and headed for Cody on Highway 14. Here, we saw two grizzly bears, yes, grizzly bear: one was black and the other was silver/grey, awesome view and took lots of pictures. We gently climbed to over 8000 feet at the Sylvan Pass then it was a quick descent of over 2000 feet to the East Entrance gate. Here, we stopped for lunch in a balmy 52*F (11*C). (Kevin, if you are reading this, you would love this road, lots of switchbacks and curves.) As a foot note the speed in the Park is 40 mph and they do enforce it.
Near Cody, we drove by a dam and through two tunnels and finally, we arrived in Cody at 1:30 pm. It was a very scenic and wondrous drive! We got a spot at Parkway RV Park and Motel, paid $54 for two nights, unhooked, set up and went to tour the town. We decided to go out for dinner at a local restaurant and Country music show. The place was next door to us so we could walk over which we did. We had a good meal although Val had problems with hers and she had to order a different meal at a lower rate. Afterwards, we moved to the bar where we listen to live music and had a couple dances even though it’s not my forte. Came home and bed time!

N 44* 30.912
W 109* 05.675
Alt: 5047 feet

We drove 182 miles (294Km) in 4 hours @ 44 mph. We fuelled in Cody at $3.78/gal

OCT 23, Sunday, Cody
I checked the weather yesterday and it looks like it will snow here by Tuesday and if we dally too much we will catch it in Cheyenne so we decided to pack up and head down as quickly as possible so that we don’t get caught in the passes in Colorado. Cody is a neat town but everything of interest is closed for the season so sightseeing is limited anyway! I got a refund for one day and we were on the road by 8:45 am. We drove south east on Hwy 14 then 120. In Thermopolis, we turned south on Hwy 20 to Casper. The road was good and the scenery very boring. We alternated between 5000 and 6000 feet in rolling hills. As we got further south on I-25, the temperature climbed equally and by the time we arrived in Cheyenne, it is a balmy 78*F (24*C). The forecast is for a heavy snow storm Tuesday to Wednesday so we made the right move, we will miss it all by one day. We are camped in this funky RV Park called Terry Bison RV Park. It has a western frontage with a popular Steak House which actually delivers to your site if you so wish! WOW!!! It is a CAMP USA Club member which makes it a bonus. We didn’t try the restaurant. We have a beautiful blue sky and a warm wind.

N 41* 00.092
W 104* 54.246
Alt: 6077 feet

We travelled 407 miles ( 660Km) in 7 hrs @ an average 58 mph. We fuelled in Casper @ $3.92/gal

October 20-21, 2011; Missoula to Livingston, Montana

2011-10-21T17:47:00.000-07:00

OCT 20, Thursday, Missoula
Another cloudy day with sunny period! Temperature got to about 58*F (14C). I went to Les Schwab and got 4 new tires on the truck; TOYOs! Afterward, I came back to the Bear and got Val and we went shopping at Best Buy, Costco, Walmart, and Staples. We found most of what we were looking for. We came home and unloaded everything then at 3 pm, I went back to Schwab to get a wheel alignment. After a great dinner, we watched the tube and/or read until bedtime

OCT 21, Friday, to Yellowstone Park
Well we didn’t quite make it!!! We left at9 am under cloudy skies. We got rained on in a few places but it did clear up by the time we arrived in Livingston. The highway was good and we went over two passes as high as 6000 feet. We stopped in Whitehall to fuel @ 3.86/gal and again in Livingston @ 3.96/gal. We stopped at the info centre in Livingston and had lunch here. We wanted to find out what was closed in the park and found out that the East side highway through the mountains is close but we still can make it around from the west side then cross over half way down then down to the lake where we will turn east to Cody. We also got info on Cody. By this time it was 2:30 pm and I decided to stop here for the night as the campground in Gardiner is closed (we called) and there is no power in any of park campground and since they are all over 6000 feet, I felt that it may be too cold to get caught up there. We are staying at Olsen’s RV Park in Livingston on Hwy 89. The sky is really threatening with black clouds towards the park but here, it is a balmy 60*F, windy and the sun is trying to shine through. The forecast looks more promising tomorrow so it is probably a wise choice.

N 45* 38.258
W 110* 34.784
Alt: 4517 feet
We travelled 241 miles (394 Km) in 4 and half hours @ an average 53mph.

Oct 18 & 19, 2011; Salmo BC to Missoula Montana

2011-10-19T18:42:00.001-07:00

OCT 18, Tuesday, on the road to Salmo, BC.
The adventures begin once again! After saying goodbye to everyone, we left at 09:30 am. We drove on Hwy 1 to Sorrento where we stopped to pick up our 6 months supply of pills. They were short some and we would have had to wait over an hour, more or less so we made arrangement to have the missing pills ship to Arizona. We got on the highway again and just before Revelstoke, we turned south on Hwy 23. We missed the ferry by 10 minutes and had to wait an hour for the next one. Once across, we drove to Nakusp where we fuelled and turned on Hwy 6. That was a very tortuous road and hard on my attention span which isn’t that great at the best of time. My “exhaust Jake” decided to act up and stopped working!? I hope this is NOT a sign of things to come!? We managed to arrive in Castlegar without incident and drove East on Hwy 3 to Salmo where we stopped for the night. We paid $35 for electricity only; the water was turned off yet no rebate!? That’s the Canadian way, hey!
We’re inside warm and cozy and relaxing. Tomorrow, we will enter in the USA.

N 49* 11.267
W 117* 22.267
Alt: 2405 feet

We drove 268 miles (427 Km) in 5 hrs, 45 minutes. We left at 0930 am and stopped at 5 pm in Salmo, BC. Fuel was $1.299/litre

OCT 19, Wednesday, Salmo BC to Missoula, Montana
I was up at 5 am, Val at 6:30 and we were on the road by 7:30am. We stopped in Salmo to mail a birthday card then headed south on Hwy 6 to the US Border. We had a token search, lost one tomato and a bag of green onions. We were across in no time and got on Hwy 31 south. This highway was as bad as Hwy 6 in BC with lots of curves and switchback, downward, thank goodness! We stopped for fuel @ 4.199 and carried on. Eventually we arrive to Hwy 2 where we turned east to Sandpoint, Idaho. I topped up at 3.99/gal then it was east and south on Hwy 200 to Missoula. This was a very nice highway with speed limit of 70 mph. Unfortunately, the whole day was cloudy and foggy so we didn’t get to see much. In Missoula, we camped at the KOA campground and paid $28 per night. We paid for two as I am going to Schwartz tomorrow and Val wants to do some shopping. We arrived here at 4 pm our time (5 Mountain Time, here in Missoula). I topped up at $3.939/gal. We have full hook up except water so had to fill our water tank. WIFI is also available for free. By the way, the sun came out just as I finished setting up!!

N 46* 53.850
W 114* 02.598
Alt: 3182 feet
We travelled 320 miles (515Km) at an average of 50 mph in 6 hrs 20 minutes. We also got propane for $21.50 US.

October 15 to 17, 2011: final days in Lee Creek

2011-10-17T19:39:00.001-07:00

OCT 15, Saturday
I was up early again this morning. Frost on the ground but it warmed up nicely as the sun rose. I dumped the sewer tank, lower the heat and we left for the Lower Mainland around 10 am. We stopped in Merritt for a bite to eat and finally arrived at Jeffrey’s place around 4pm; traffic was horrendous! We had a nice visit with Jeff and Debbie. She is leaving tomorrow for England as her mom has had a couple of strokes and now has dementia. We went out for dinner at a local pub and had a good time.

OCT 16, Sunday
Everyone was up early this morning. Debbie is all packed and ready to go and has to be at airport by 10 am. We said our goodbyes and drove back home. Traffic was light; we stopped in Hope for brunch then home.
At 4pm, we went over to George and Paulette for a drink and he downloaded well over a hundred books on my E-Reader so I won’t be without reading material this winter!!!! We came home around 10 pm and went straight to bed.

OCT 17, Monday
Once again I was up early! I don’t know why I wake up so early but I don’t feel tired so not complaining. Maybe it’s the excitement of our departure tomorrow!?
I washed the truck windows, put last minute stuff away, Val did a load of laundry and in the afternoon, we went to Salmon Arm for our doctor’s appointment, picked up our mail, phone Visa to advise them of our travel plans, dropped off our prescriptions at the Drug Store and last but not least came home to Happy Hour at Bob & Gail; Marcel, Ed & Judy were also there.
Tomorrow, we hit the road. YIPEEEEE!!!!!

October 12 to 14, 2011; final preparations

2011-10-15T06:58:00.001-07:00

OCT 12, Wednesday
It was sunny and warm today although we did get rain later in the afternoon. We spent the day busying ourselves doing chores in preparation of our leaving. Flowers were pulled out, tree was pruned, took the gazebo apart and put it away including all the chairs, winterized the washing machine, put all the ornaments away that were outside, loaded the kayaks on the truck and put air in the tires and the airbags. Val did laundry and then went to Heather for a trim on her hair.
Marcel & Donna were at their new Park Model so we went over for Happy Hour and since they don’t have their propane set up yet, we invited them over to our place for dinner and afterwards, bored them with our pictures.
It poured rain for about 20 minutes in the latter part of the afternoon and I do mean “poured rain”, coming down in buckets but after, the sun came out and made things all better.

OCT 13, Thursday
It is definitely time to leave soon! We got up to frost this morning on the vehicles and grounds. I got a call from our wine maker that our lot is ready to be bottled so I made an appointment for tomorrow. Val went to Kamloops with Gail and Donna and I went to Salmon Arm to pick up our mail and got an oil & lube done on the car. Once home, I went over to Marcel’s place to join both him and Bob in putting up the skirting around the Park model. The girls got home around 4:15 pm and we had H.H at Bob and Gail. Ed and Judy also joined us; they are leaving tomorrow for southern destinations.
It was a sunny and warm (16*C) all day and the forecast is for more frost tonight.
5 days to our departure!

OCT 14, Friday
A crispy morning but it did warm up in the afternoon. I loaded the rest of the food and paper materials in the rig, went to Chase and picked up our wine in bladders, had our mail forwarded to UPS in Salmon Arm, got some US $ and last but not least, bought flowers and a card for Donna & Marcel’s new home.
I helped Bob putting skirting around D&M’s Park Model but had to stop when we ran out of treated 2X4 for the base. Val had gone shopping with Donna and while she was out Joanne and Don from Logan Lake showed up for a quick visit. Don bought a new truck and was pulling their boat back to their house in Logan Lake.
Happy hour at D&M and Donna cooked a stew for everyone; there were 5 couples total and a good time was had by all. We came home around 7:30 pm, watched a bit of TV then went to bed. I called Jeffrey earlier and made arrangements about coming down. ED and Judy were supposed to leave today but he woke up with a very bad cold so they have postponed their departure.
4 days to our departure!

October 9 to 11, 2011; Thanks-Giving with the kids

2011-10-12T09:45:00.001-07:00

OCT 9, Sunday, Thanks-Giving dinner
I was up early this morning and played with Val’s new e-reader, trying to figure it out for her. Everyone began arriving around noon and by 1 p.m everybody was here; 15 all together! The meal was a total success and Kevin gave thanks for our grand-kids for being wonderful and successful and made them his main theme on his yearly speech. Last year, it was the grand-parents. The meal consisted of a glazed ham, scallop potatoes, green vegetables and carrots, Rochelle’s famous jelly salad, another dish made with rice and other things, buns and red wine. For dessert, we had apple pie and/or pumpkin pie with ice cream. We had a marvellous family dinner filled with Love, laughter and good conversations.
Everyone went home around 4 pm and we just relaxed and digested our full day. What a wonderful family I have...I have been blessed more than I deserve!

OCT 10, Monday, to Val’s grand-kids in Coquitlam
We got a call from Joanne and made arrangements to go there by one pm. We spent the morning, reading, surfing on the net, showering and getting ready to leave. It is cloudy and raining this morning! We stopped at Staples first and return the tablet we bought two days ago and exchanged it for a KOBO E-Reader. We drove on to Coquitlam and couldn’t believe all the changes on the highway coming in...Lots of constructions and re-routing!
We had a marvellous visit with the kids and were amazed at the changes in Jenaya and how much more grown she is. McKinley was a bundle of joy for both of us and she made us laugh many times. We had dinner with them, Val played games with Jenaya and too soon, it was time to leave. Coming home, it was pouring in Vancouver making it hard to see the road and it finally subsided around Abbotsford. We got home at 11 pm and everyone was already in bed so we also hit the sack

OCT 11, Tuesday, back to Lee Creek
We got up early this morning to say goodbye to everyone, I played with my new KOBO for a while, showered and finally hit the road by 10 am. It rained all the way to the top of the Coquihalla Pass where the sun finally came out and the road dried out as we got closer to Merritt. We stopped in Kamloops at Costco to get a couple items then drove on home. In our park finally, we saw that Marcel and Donna got their new Park Model and after unpacking, we went over to help them cleaning and set up. Happy Hour was at Ed and Judith who also returned today from Saskatchewan. We came home, had dinner and relaxed from a fantastic week-end.
I have posted pictures in my latest folder!

October 4 to 8, 2011; more prep, new purchases and to Chilliwack

2011-10-09T06:02:00.001-07:00

OCT 4, Tuesday,
More rain again today! We returned the rental movie and then went for a drive to Adams Lake as Val wanted to look at the store there and the village which consist mainly of summer cottages although a few people live there year round. We came home and had Happy Hour at B&G. They bought two single chairs for the living room and asked to store the extra couch in our storage unit so I went over after to clear an area as we will move it tomorrow. By the way, I bought an “I phone” 3G on line for real cheap and had it shipped to our friends in Boise who will mail it to us, hopefully before they leave for Mexico on the 17th of this month.

OCT 5, Wednesday
Cloudy this morning but no rain so far! I called TELUS and suspended our phone as of the 24th and reduced the plan to bare minimum as of the 10th. This is so I don’t get charge any extra while we are away as the phone will not be used and TELUS don’t have the “sleep” period anymore that they used to offer.
I helped Bob putting up the cover by the “clubhouse” for their party on Thanks-Giving. By the time we finished, it was happy hour at Ed & Judy so we went over for an hour then came home, had dinner and watched “Survivors” then a movie.

OCT 6, Thursday
A bear was around our garbage can overnight and made a mess outside which I cleaned up promptly. I guess I won’t be doing that anymore. We have blue sky this morning so hopefully it will last. We went to Salmon Arm for my final check up on the c-pap and received my own machine. Then it was a trip to Kal-Tire to get the front tire on the car fixed...it had a slow leak. Val had to go to Zellers for a couple of things then we went to Chase to return a couple movies and pick two more then home. It was cloudy in S.A but sunny in Chase and Lee Creek. We had H.H with Bob & Gail at our place and ended up sitting out in the middle of the street chasing the sunrays. It reminded me of San Carlos at Happy Hour and how we chase the sun by sitting in the lane instead of under the canopies.

OCT 7, Friday
I got a text from Rochelle that they (Rochelle & Kevin) won’t be going to Kelowna so we decided to go down to Chilliwack today.
We packed and left around 1pm. First, we had to stop in Chase for the Post Office and then return our movies. We again stopped in Kamloops to take a look at Readers at Staple where we ran into Bob. We chatted a bit then made our way across the Coquihalla pass and down into the Fraser Valley to Chilliwack. As we arrived in the driveway, Vanessa drove in right behind us. We hugged and had a very nice visit with her and R&K. Kevin cooked steaks for dinner then Vanessa had to go to work at Boston Pizza and we proceeded to drink wine. That daughter of mine can sure gulp it back!!! Anyway, we didn’t get to bed until past midnight.

OCT 8, Saturday
A nice day with the sun shining most of the day. Kevin took me to a couple of job sites his company is presently working on then we came home. Val and I drove to Abbotsford to Best Buy where we checked out some tablets and e-readers but didn’t buy anything. We came back to Chilliwack and stopped at Future Shop then Staple where we finally found a tablet Val liked and after doing some research on prices, we bought a 7” Acer e-reader with WI-FI access and e-mail and web browsing.
Hayley finally got home around 6 pm from Kelowna where her team won first place in the competition. We went out to Mr Mike restaurant to celebrate with her. We came home and watched football for the rest of the evening.

October 1 to 3, 2011; Volleyball in Kamloops & clean-up

2011-10-04T08:09:00.001-07:00

Oct 1, Saturday
Well, got a text from Rochelle that the girls lost 2-1 this morning so they are headed back to Chilliwack. We will see them again next week at home. It is cloudy, drizzling and cool this morning. We spent the day inside reading and watching the tube. I went to Chase to the bank and stopped for a couple movies to rent.
Ed came over for a recipe and ended up staying for dinner at our invite of course. After he left, I watched the tube for a while and fell asleep on the chair then went to bed.

OCT 2, Sunday
I got ambitious today and washed the roof and sides of “Bear” then started taking the gazebo apart (bug screen) and put some chairs away for the winter. Happy hour at Bob & Gail then dinner and movie time in the evening.

OCT 3, Monday
Rain, rain and more rain! We went to Chase for some groceries and a movie then came home and watched it. This is the time one realizes how little a large 5th-wheel is small! I hate being cooped up inside. I did go out in-between showers but it didn’t last long. Anyway, enough complaining! I got our health insurance today so that’s one item out of the way for our travelling. Val cooked a marvellous pork roast in the Crockpot with miniature potatoes and vegetables...it was deliiiiicious!
15 days to go to our departure date!

September 27 to 30, 2011; shopping and visit in Kamloops

2011-09-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

SEPT 27, Tuesday
We went to Kamloops today to shop at Costco and at the mall for Val’s hair and make-up stuff that she cannot find in Salmon Arm or the States. We also stopped at South Thompson where I collected a cheque for the converter that was replaced in Mexico (I had forgotten about it until I was going through some papers of mine and realized that I never collected that money).
At home, we had happy hour at B&G and John, who is out to winterize his cabin, joined us.

SEPT 28, Wednesday
Sunny but cool! I went to Chase first thing this morning for my usual blood test and was told that I couldn’t because I just had one in August so I fasted for nothing overnight. Oh well!!! I helped Bob for a while then did some of my own stuff such as loading the truck for our departure. Val went to work this morning and she got paid this week so she went to Chase after work to deposit her fortune in the bank. Later in the afternoon, we all drove up to John’s cabin on the hill and had happy hour with him. He is leaving tomorrow for Alberta.

SEPT 29, Thursday
Val went to work for her final day! At 1 pm she went to bottle wine while I drove to Salmon Arm to get my apnea machine checked out then to the collision place to pick up my door strip that was damaged while at the tranny garage. I made a stop at 1st Klassen tranny and they checked it for leaks then I was on my way home. I also got an oil change and lube for the truck. Now we are ready to leave...almost! I phone Cartmell to get a quote on our health insurance and he will call again tomorrow for a price. I think things will go up due to my being an “official” diabetic.
We moved Marcel and Donna’s trailer off their lot in preparation of receiving their Park Model. Their neighbours, Len and Terry, moved their Park Model in today. Happy hour at B&G then home for dinner and a quiet evening at home. Got text messages from Rochelle that Hayley is playing volleyball at a local school in Kamloops this Saturday so we will definitely be attending that.

Sept 30, Friday
Another month gone by, time is flying fast! Got more e-mail from friends heading down to Mexico. Even one of our neighbours is talking about meeting us in Nogales then travel down to San Carlos together (Safety in numbers). Cloudy this morning but warmer than yesterday!
We received a text message yesterday from Rochelle that Haley was playing volleyball in Kamloops so we headed out and watched her games at NorKam High school on the North shore. They lost 2 games and won 4 which is excellent for girls on their first year tour. We had lunch together and dinner was at the local pub with Rochelle and Kevin while Hayley went to her room for the night and a light snack with her friends. It was an excellent day and a break from our regular routine. We got home around midnight and it was straight to bed.

September 22 to 26, 2011; Tucker's shots & SURPRISE VISIT from Manitoba

2011-09-27T06:49:00.004-07:00

SEPT 22, Thursday
Work is winding down, I have one day left! It was another cloudy and somewhat warm day! I went to work at 10 am today for a 5 hours shift. First thing this morning, I helped Bob bring his boat out of the water on his trailer. Then, Maurice and Jack showed up and moved the shed off his (Maurice) lot and into the compound. I helped until I had to leave for work.
For dinner we had chicken then it was a quiet evening at home.

SEPT 23, Friday; last day at work ( I think!?)
I went to work at nine so that I could home earlier. As it turns out, I only put in 4.5 hrs as there was very little to do.
Bob and Gail had the neighbourhood over to their place for Happy Hour and House Warming dinner. There were 8 of us and it was a success. Lots of happy’s and beer & wine and for dinner, a nice chilli with cheese bread and carrot cake for dessert.

SEPT 24, Saturday
A pleasant day! I worked some more on organizing all the stuff we intend on taking south then I went over to Marcel and helped him move his shed as they bought a Park Model. Seems like Bob & Gail have started a trend!!!
Happy hour was at Ron and Theresa, our neighbour on the left of us, and Bruce and Joyce also joined in. We had dinner then I started a fire and Bruce and Joyce joined us for an evening of stories. It was a very warm night!

SEPT 25, Sunday
It rained overnight and it is cloudy right now (morning). I helped Marcel again this morning then in the afternoon, Val planted some tall grass plant so I dug up the holes for her. I went over to Brook’s place on the hill and helped him with his satellite receiver. For some reason, he can’t get a signal. After much fiddling, we finally got a strong signal. We ended up having happy hour there! Gail and Bob joined us then their son showed up from Alberta and we met him, nice kid!
We had decided yesterday to have a “last dinner” as a group at the Greek restaurant in Sorrento so we all met there at 6 pm: Theresa & Ron, Gail, Bob and their son Bob, Marcel & Donna and us of course. We had a good time, good food and lots of laughs. T&R are leaving next week for Nova Scotia where Ron was born and raised, he is Acadian!
We left the restaurant around 8 pm and on the way home, Val realized that she forgot her purse so we drove back but the restaurant was already closed. On the way home, we got a call from Gail that she had Val’s purse and had put it on our table inside the rig so things turned out OK!

SEPT 26, Monday, Tucker’s shots
We took Tucker to the Vet for his shots including rabies renewal. He was not a happy camper and gave them quite a rough time especially when the vet did his anal glands. The look on his face was priceless! Afterwards, we went to pick up our mail then groceries. At home, we unpacked everything and were just relaxing when a yellow car drove by, turned around and stopped in front of our place. At first I thought they were just looky-looks but then they got out of the car and to our biggest surprise and joy, here were our good friends Lori and Dennis! They used to be neighbours of ours in Logan Lake then our neighbours here at the park before Donna and Marcel bought their lot. We’ve always kept in touch even when they moved to Manitoba two or three years ago. So what a surprise when they showed up here! They were on their way to Kamloops and had just driven from Kimberley. WOW! We had lots to catch up on but unfortunately time came for them to leave as they had a commitment in Kamloops. We said our goodbyes with promises to see each other again. We were really happy that they would take time to stop and see us before heading on. It rained on and off all day, Fall is definitely here!

September 17 to 21, 2011; Tranny repair

2011-09-22T07:06:00.001-07:00

SEPT 17, Saturday, it rained!
Yes, we had rain overnight and early this morning. The day was cloudy and cool but the sun finally showed up in the afternoon and warmed us up some.
Happy hour at B&G then dinner and early to bed; it was a tiring day at work but I’m off tomorrow

SEPT 18, Sunday
Rain again overnight! It was really cool all day but the sun did manage to shine through again in the latter part of the afternoon. I was up at 7 am and went back to bed around 9 and slept until noon! WOW!!! It was a lazy day sort of; Val did some laundry then we watched a movie. A quiet day at home.

SEPT 19, Monday
I took the truck in to the transmission expert for a check up and service. Val picked me up and we went to check for our mail and had our usual breakfast sandwich at the deli in front of UPS store. We picked groceries at Save-On-Food then drove home after stopping at the Vet and making an appointment for Tucker; he needs his rabies shot renew.
I got a call from “1st Klass Tranny” that I may need a new clutch but they had to investigate further so I gave them the go ahead, I am to call them again tomorrow morning. At home, I took everything out of the basement, vacuumed and washed the floor and wall then organized more stuff. We have less than a month before our departure!!!

SEPT 20, Tuesday
Back to work! A sunny but fresh day! I got a call from the tranny repair shop and it looks like I need more work than originally thought. The pressure pump needs replacing and one other part so what started out as just routine is turning out to be bloody expensive which is not what I was expecting at this time of the year. The truck will be ready tomorrow. I BBQ’ed steaks for dinner and Val made a salad and sweet corn. We watched TV in the evening. Almost forgot...we have new neighbours, Len and Terry (his wife). They bought Morisse’s lot, 4 down from us and are putting in a park model right away. They claim to like Happy Hours!!!

SEPT 21, Wednesday
It was a funny day today; cloudy but warm and windy with definitely Fall in the air. I finished mowing the lawns at work then worked around the sites until 1 pm when I left and went home. I picked up Val and we drove to Salmon Arm to get my check up on the sleep apnea machine then it was over to 1st Klassen transmission to pick up the truck. $1600 later we were on our way home. They damaged the rear bump panel on the door and had it fixed and gave us 10% off the total price for the inconvenience. I think that’s fair! B&G came over for happy hour with Gail’s sister Joyce. We called our friends Lynden and Charlene and chatted for a good 20-30 minutes then it was “Survivor” time

September 12 to 16, 2011; more news

2011-09-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

SEPT 12, Monday
I can’t remember if I mentioned it but Forest River came through with some money to defray the cost of the suspension. It was enough to make us satisfied and now we move on!
I helped Bob with some stuff around his place then washed the car and Val did some laundry for our neighbour, Brook. Another hot one today and the AC is on full time. Dinner then TV!

SEPT 13, Tuesday
A quiet day on the farm, as they say! We did go out Geo-Caching all the way to Anglemont at the north end of the lake, found 12 caches on the way then came home. Bob was working on his trailer and was glad to see us as it meant Happy Hour. In the evening, we watched a movie then to bed.

SEPT 14, Wednesday, busy day!
Val went to work at 5:30 am as janitor and came home at 11 am. We took Tucker in for a haircut and around 2:30, I went to Salmon Arm for a follow-up appointment with my breathing apparatus. I got a new nose breathing mask which is much smaller, only covers the nostrils. I sure hope it works!!! I picked up our mail while in S.A. and stopped at the tranny “1st Class” and made an appointment for next Monday to check the transmission on the truck; just routine stuff.
Gail and Bob received their new Park Model this morning and I took a few pictures for them (see folder #79, Fall & departure for a couple of them). We had them over for a drink and dinner then we watched “Survivor” together. I chatted with my daughter Rochelle for a few minutes getting all the news from home and confirming that she is having “Thanks-Giving” again this year. Early bed time as we both have to work tomorrow.

SEPT 15, Thursday
Both to work! This is my last two days then it’s retirement time or so I thought... I was offered to stay on for another week so I accepted. I will be working tomorrow and this Saturday and again next week.
On the home front, Jack and Mim came out to see B&G new Park Model but since they are not home yet, we had them over our place. Marcel joined us then his wife Donna. Bob and Gail eventually made it home and we all moved over to their place for a visit. George and Dorothy also joined us. Val had to go for a haircut at Heather so left and I came home.

SEPT 16, Friday
When I got home, I learned that CSRD turned down Gateway’s application for a “Destination Resort” so now we’re not sure what will happen. Coo, the major investor from Hong Kong, in this project, had served notice that he may take them to court, so we will see. Happy Hour was lively with discussions on the subject. Supper was fish and rice for us then I watched “Pacific” and went to bed

September 8 to 11, 2011; Gateway & medical news

2011-09-12T07:29:00.002-07:00

SEPT 8, Thursday
There was excitement at work today! A truck caught fire at the Haig-Brown Park across from Gateway and I was sent down to investigate and get some info on the situation. When I got there, the fire trucks and police were there and the truck was smouldering and totally burnt out. After it was taken away, we, the firemen and I, had to clean the black top where it had been sitting. It caused a lot of damage to the asphalt. Anyway, I got the info needed and returned to the office. Other than that, it was back to projects and routine stuff.
Val went kayaking with Jenny in the afternoon and they both really enjoyed it. I BBQ’ed pork chops for dinner then it was a relaxing evening outside as it was still warm around 8 pm.

SEPT 9, Friday, Doctor visit
I only went to work for 4 hours as I had an appointment with a specialist in Salmon Arm. I ended up with a breathing machine which forces air in my throat allowing the air way to be open hence no snoring. It consists of a 2 part machine, a long clear tube and a nose mask. I tried it first early in the evening and had a snooze; Val says I never snored once and my breathing was quiet. IT didn’t feel uncomfortable either.

SEPT 10, Saturday
I slept with the nose piece on and had a quiet night but did wake up two, three times because of this foreign object around my head (straps) and nose. I do feel a bit better though!
Val was called to go to work and I worked around the yard and helped Bob removing the skirting around his fifth wheel as they bought a Park Model which is being delivered Wednesday. I made my supper and when Val got home at 8:30 pm, we visited for a while then I went to bed while she went to Donna and Marcel and visiting with them and their family who were out for the day.

SEPT 11, Sunday
Back to work for me but just for the day! We had Happy Hour at Marcel and Donna with Bob & Gail and Allan and his dad. We all decided to go to Quaout Lodge near here for dinner and had a marvellous time and meal. We got home around 8 pm and everyone called it a night; we had a fire then also called it a night!
The weather is still holding; sunny and hot, near 30*C as a matter of fact and it’s been like this for the past two weeks.

I have uploaded new pictures on folder "#79 Fall of 2011" There are a couple pics of me hooked up to my breathing machine.

September 4 to 7, 2011; Back to work

2011-09-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

SEPT 4, Sunday
A beautiful sunny day! I spent the day re-organizing and cleaning the front locker of the trailer then re-organized the upper locker. I read for a while in the afternoon then we had Happy Hour at Gail & Bob where Bruce and Joyce joined us. Dinner then a walk around the park and visited Herb and company for a while. For dinner today, we tried, successfully I might add, to cook a Roast on the rotisserie and it turned out cooked just right and had a very nice taste to it.

SEPT 5, Monday, Labour Day!
We decided to go Geo-Caching today; it is a beautiful day but very windy so shouldn’t be too hot. First though, I had to cut branches hovering over our lot from our neighbour’s cotton tree. I did a deep cut and as high as the cutters would allow me. IT has an extension on it which can reach quite high. I borrowed it from the Park.
We went to Adams Lake then Chase and the north side of the river all the way to Pritchard, a distance of approx 20 km and return home via Hwy TC 1. We found 9 caches and dropped off a “Travel Bug” at one of them. I’ve had this TB since the States so it was high time I dropped it off.
At home we had a drink with George and Paulette then it was dinner and relaxing evening by the fire.

SEPT 6, Tuesday, Park’s wound-up BBQ party
We went to Salmon Arm to pick up our mail and some groceries. We also drove to Chase so that I could pay a health bill which wasn’t covered by BC Medical. The wine place called and we made an appointment for Friday to bottle our wine.
At 4 pm, we drove to Scotch Creek Provincial Park and had our year end party with the crew from the Park. We had steak/chicken dinner with all the trimming and free booze. We came home at 8 pm, watched a bit of TV then went to bed.

SEPT 7, Wednesday, back to work for both of us
Val went to her job as janitor at Super Value and I went to the Park to work on projects which we never got to finish or do while on the regular summer job. The Park is closed now except for four lanes and those are pretty well full with retirees mainly.
At home, Happy Hour was at our place. Ron and Sheila stopped to say goodbye, they are headed back to Alberta. It was a very warm evening which made it hard to go to sleep comfortably but we did manage!!!

September 1 to 3, 2011; End of work at the Park

2011-09-04T07:21:00.002-07:00

SEPT 1, Thursday
It was a very cool day with cloudy skies; Fall is in the air! The Park is near empty but this is the calm before the storm as we expect it to be full this coming Labour Day week-end. Val went to town to pick up a machine for me which I wore overnight. The purpose is to see how my sleep goes and to test for “sleep apnia”. It consists of a pinch taped on the finger and connected to a small receiver which records my breathing and blood pressure. She has to return it tomorrow. I went to bed early and Val went over to visit with Jenny.

SEPT 2, Friday
Well, I heard about the results of my trial and I am not sure I want to hear them! I apparently stopped breathing 17 times in one hour and my breathing went down so low to make my heart palpitate faster so I have an appointment for next Friday.
Work went well and I am glad it’s over, one more day to go!
We had Happy Hour at our place then dinner with Theresa & Ron, Donna & Marcel at their place. A good day overall!

SEPT 3, Saturday
Last day at work as a “Park Maintenance Operator” and a boring day it was. All the sites are full and no one was moving out so there wasn’t much to do. Even the garbage and recycling runs were without any efforts.
Came home and had Happy Hour at Bob & Gail then cooked fish on the BBQ for dinner. We had a fire in the evening and Brook and two friends came over for a drink. Theresa and Ron also joined us.

August 28 to 31, 2011; Gateway re-zoning

2011-08-31T22:49:00.000-07:00

AUG 28, Sunday
Today was a quiet day at home. Val went to work for 4 hrs but it ended up being 8 hrs. I washed the inside of the truck and wiped the outside then it was water time...YES, WATER TIME! My body was rejecting any kind of booze taste today so I took it easy on it! No Happy Hour although we had visit from our neighbours wondering if I was sick or dying! Hihihihihihi!

AUG 29, Monday
We went to Kamloops to Costco and Super Store. We had to return some items and got more stuff of course and groceries at Super Store. Came home by 3 pm, put everything away then went to Theresa & Ron’s place for dinner. It was a delicious one too: Chilliwack Jubilee corn, perogies and BBQ farmer’s sausage. Afterwards, we played cards until about 8 pm when we called it quit.

AUG 30, Tuesday
Back to work for me; my last week there! Val managed to do one load of wash before she got a call to come in for work; noon to 8 pm. so I fended for myself for dinner. Actually we had bought a Sheppard pie at Costco so I heated it in the oven. Val had some when she got home. Wasn’t bad but I won’t buy it again.

AUG 31, Wednesday
We both went to work this morning. Another month gone by! Time does fly by! Val did more laundry then went to Chase to the bank to deposit her pay cheque. I got home at 4, had an early dinner then we both went to a citizen meeting in Scotch Creek regarding the rezoning of Gateway. This is the third and final reading of the proposal then the CSRD will vote on approving or not the development. We had a good turn out representing our development but so did the Lee Creek Association however it was very civilized and no one bickered or insulted anyone. Got home at 10, posted this blog and went to bed after making my lunch.
GOOD NIGHT!

August 21 to 27, 2011; End of summer

2011-08-28T09:07:00.002-07:00

AUG 21, Sunday,
I went to work for 3 hours this morning as they were short one worker and 124 campers were leaving. In the afternoon, we went to Salmon Arm for the mail and groceries than home and Happy Hour at Gail & Bob. Dinner was lasagne then Val went for a walk with Tucker and Donna while I did the dishes.

AUG 22, Monday
We went to Kamloops to Costco for some meat and bread then stopped at Walmart and Super Store as Val was looking for “colour free sheets” for the laundry but to no avail. We also stopped at a store call “Princess Auto”, a paradise for men!!! Everything you can think of was there on the shelves; I will definitely be back. It was a cloudy day with sporadic rain. When we left Kamloops it was 24*C and it went down to 15* by the time we got back to Lee Creek.

AUG 23, Tuesday
Back to work for me, Val did the laundry and worked in her garden. It was sunny and warm all day. Happy hour was at our place with Gail & Bob. Called grand-daughter Vanessa to wish her and her husband Garrette (who was still at work) a Happy FIRST Anniversary! We chatted a good 15-20 minutes before saying bye. It was really nice talking to her! They went to Whistler for their Anniversary.

AUG 24, Wednesday, sunny and warm
Well, I was the hero again today. A kid was lost/missing so, of course, we are all put on alert and have to patrol the Park until he/she is found. This 5 year old decided to go explore the trails in the Park with friends. His mom was very happy to see him and grateful we found him. He got grounded to say the least. Otherwise, it was a quiet day and once home, it was a quiet evening with the A/C on as it is still very warm outside.

AUG 25, Thursday,
Another hot day! We both went to work and Val ended up doing cashier work. I worked all day on the tractor cutting lawn in various places and fields; there is a LOT to cut, took me 6 hours to do it all and that is with a 15 minutes break and lunch (half hour). Back home, the A/C is on again until it cools off later in the evening.

AUG 26, Friday
After work, Dan came over for a drink then Donna & Marcel. Bob & Gail joined us too and then Ron & Theresa arrived from the coast and came over. Fun was had by all and dinner was delicious.

AUG 27, Saturday
Last day at work before my week-end and 5 more days to go before the end of the season. We went to Herb and Mary’s place as it was his party. Pretty well the whole neighbourhood showed up. They live in a two bedroom Park Model with a huge deck. It was a warm evening and George played music and sang us to dancing. It was a lot of fun and the food was absolutely fantastic; yes they serve everyone food, cold and hot. Their daughter, her husband and friends did all the BBQ’uing

August 12 to 20, 2011; Last of summer in Gateway

2011-08-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

AUG 12, Friday,
Val went to work as a cashier today and she liked it although it was a long day for her...8 hrs! A quiet day for me too except that I lost my sun glasses somewhere and I’ll be dam if I can find them although I know where I lost them!?
For Happy Hour, Gail & Bob came over then our new neighbours Bruce and Joyce then Morisse and his wife Brenda also joined us. Afterwards, Gail, Bob and us went to Scotch Creek Pub and had dinner: fish & chips and a beer! As we got home, the sky opened up and we had a downpour with lighting and thunder even though it was sunny and hot all day. Time for bed!

AUG 13, Saturday,
Val went to work again today as a cashier and she is enjoying it. She works 8 to 4 with a half hour lunch break. I started at 7 am and put in 8 hours, came home, showered and put on clean clothes. We had Happy Hour at Marcel and Donna then it was time for dinner. I fell asleep in my chair so Val went visiting with Mark and his wife as they are leaving for home tomorrow in Fort St-John.

AUG 14, Sunday,
We had a small drizzle early in the morning but nothing serious, it is 15*C at 7 am. I must felt energized this morning as I washed both the car and the truck then cut and placed the bottom boards in the gazebo to hold the screen down, cut a 2x6 into pieces to make new pads for the front jacks, unloaded the truck which had fire wood, went to Scotch Creek and bought some a few items to put up Val’s clothes line while Val dried the clothes that she had washed earlier. Then it was time for a cold one and a relaxing moment before dinner. We had a fire in our pit in the evening; the days are getting shorter and shorter but it is still warm.

AUG 15, Monday,
It rained again overnight and it is overcast this morning. We went to Salmon Arm for our usual mail pick-up and groceries. I had an appointment with my doctor for routine stuff then we went to the mall where I got another pair of sun glasses as I lost my other pair (very bad habit of mine) and a pair of hiking boots as the Park will reimbursed me $50. to replace the ones I’ve been wearing and worn out. We came home and relaxed for a while before having Happy Hour with Dan & Lorie and Bruce & Joyce; Bob & Gail didn’t come over as they were recuperating from their hike yesterday on Mt Todd (hihihihihi!). Val and I had a fire later in the evening then it was bedtime

AUG 16, Tuesday
Back to work for both of us! Val went in for an extra day! At 4 pm, we went to Bob and Gail and Bill joined us. Dinner, news, and relaxing evening

AUG 17, Wednesday
More of the same. Cloudy day and a bit cooler, no Happy in the afternoon but a good dinner then to bed early

AUG 18, Thursday
Sunny but windy and cool! After work, we had Bob and Bill over for Happy Hour then Val cooked dinner for us and Bill; Bob didn’t want to stay (Gail is out of town until later). After dinner, Dan and Lorie showed up with a bottle of wine for Val as she did some check up on Lorie so we proceeded to drink and be merry. Brook showed up later for one glass then left. Bill is going home to Calgary tomorrow.

AUG 19, Friday
Work, work work! Then it was Happy Hour and relaxing time. Not much else to report so will keep it short

AUG 20, Saturday,
More work for both of us except that Val was sent home at noon as it wasn’t busy. We held Happy hour then after dinner, went to Ed’s place for a quick drink and chatted around the fire with Dan & Heather

August 6 to 11, 2011; Lee Creek

2011-08-11T20:41:00.001-07:00

AUG 6, Saturday
First Annual Gateway Party! But first, we both had to go to work, both our last day before two days off! I really wrenched my back at work; I got to remember I am not 20 anymore. Anyway, came home, had a shower then it was Party time. Bob installed his big tent, the band had their stuff arranged on the balcony, food was everywhere so let the fun begin. It was a complete success and I think pretty well everyone was there at one point or other. We had 9 BBQ’s set up to cook the meat or whatever one wanted to cook. We also celebrated 100 years of marriage anniversaries between 4 couples (this was actually the excuse for the party) in the park. The party went on until the wee hours but I called it quit around 11 pm. Val stayed on to dance the night away but my back was really giving grief. It was a complete success!
CHECK OUT THE PICTURES!

AUG 7, Sunday
Clean up day! We all went to clean the yard in front of the office and what a mess but it didn’t take too long. It was a good Party! Afterwards, we just work around our own yard and I had a snooze in the afternoon while Val went visiting. It was another sunny and hot day!

AUG 8, Monday
I went to Chase to the clinic for some blood work then we drove to Salmon Arm to pick up our mail and buy groceries. We stopped at Cdn Tire and bought some lights to place in and around the garden. We came home and put everything away. Happy Hour at our place with Bob & Gail and Ed &Judy. Dinner was BBQ’ed pork chops.

AUG 9, Tuesday
Back to the grind, only 4 weeks to go! Busy, busy at work and hot! Val did the laundry and then it was dinner and relaxing time.

AUG 10, Wednesday
We had a big rain fall at work this morning and yet it hardly touched Lee Creek where we live. I worked 8 hours today and Val woke up late and was a half hour late but made up for the time lost. Happy hour at Ed & Judy!

AUG 11, Thursday,
We had more rain overnight. Fairly quiet at work and I got home at 2:30 pm. Val went for Happy Hour by herself, I slept through it. I guess there was a meeting in Scotch Creek about another development and it was not well received. People in this area are really scared of new development and increase in population yet that’s what keeps their business going!?? Oh well, life goes on! Time for bed!

august 1 to 5, 2011; Life at Gateway

2011-08-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

AUG 1, Monday
We went to Salmon Arm this morning for our mail and groceries. Another beautiful warm day with a gentle breeze that keeps the temperature comfortable. Before leaving Ron and Theresa called us over as a snake was eating a huge frog. We watched it for a while and took a couple pictures which I have uploaded in our latest folder. When we got back, I had a snooze while Val read outside. At 4 p, we had Happy Hour with Bob & Gail and Ed & Judy. I haven’t mentioned this before but Ed had his trailer stolen from the storage area. It was full of his hunting gears and an ATV. Snow mobile mounted on a trailer were also stolen. I noticed tonight that the days are getting shorter; it is dark by 9 pm.

AUG 2, Tuesday
Back to work once again! A quiet day, overcast most of the day with the sun peeking through once in a while. Happy Hour at our place with Bob & Gail, Marcel & Donna, Ron & Theresa. Fish and salad for dinner; I am on a no red meat diet for three days as I have to do some test for my blood work and other things (too private). Nothing serious, just annual stuff!

AUG 3, Wednesday
I went to work for 7 am and worked an 8 hours shift. Val at 5:30! In the pm, she went to Salmon Arm to deposit her cheque and get the mail then we had Happy Hour by ourselves tonight. Dinner then relax.

AUG 4, Thursday
A very warm day today; it got to 30*C! We had a quiet evening at home with the A/C on full blast.

AUG 5, Friday
Another hot day and early start for work. We learned this morning that a young guy hired about two months ago, only has a learner driving license. Our manager was very angry about the whole thing as he had been operating golf carts, tractors and the dump truck and would have caused quite a sting had he had an accident.
Val went to her job and learned to be a cashier; she is enjoying this new adventure. Happy Hour was at Donna & Marcel with the rest of the usual gang. Carlo and Sandra arrived at their lot and joined us then it was time for dinner. Mark, another neighbour, came over and we chatted for about an hour or so about this and that. Early to bed as it is another early day for me.

July 27 to 31, 2011; Visit from Jeffrey

2011-07-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

JUL 27, Wednesday,
Cloudy but warm all day with some sunny break; work for both of us! Val went to Costco in Kamloops in the afternoon to pick up some items including her eye lenses. We had a quiet evening at home today.

JUL 28, Thursday,
Is summer finally here? It was a beautiful day, blue sky all day and the temperature climbing to 26*C. My son Jeffrey arrived in the afternoon and after Happy Hour with a few couples from the Park, we took his boat to the launching pad to get it in the water; he will be sleeping there, at our dock. IT was early bed for me.

JUL 29, Friday
Beautiful day again! Work was crazy today, we have an employee off on WCB and there were only two of us to do it all but we managed! Val and Jeffrey hung around here most of the day and when I got home, I BBQ’ed hamburgers and corn on the cob from Abbotsford (Thanks to Ron and Theresa for bringing them in). Quiet evening at home and early to be for me

JUL 30, Saturday,
Sunny and warmer today! A few more people arrived late last night at Gateway. Val and Jeff spent the day sunning themselves while I slaved away earning a living! (YUCK!). Anyway, it wasn’t that hard a day and Happy Hour was waiting when I got home at Bob and Gail. I learned that Ed’s utility trailer which contained an ATV, a hunting rifle and all his hunting equipment was stolen during the night. He had two wheel locks and a hitch lock which were lying on the ground in the morning. A trailer with two skidoos was also taken so it looks like a well planned job. Nothing else was touched in the compound.

JUL 31, Sunday,
My day off! It rained overnight but now the sun is shining. I cooked pancakes for everyone this morning. Jeff decided to go home today so early afternoon, I took his truck and trailer to the park while him and Val took the boat. We loaded it and came back home. Soon after, Jeff left!
We had Happy Hour with Gail & Bob and Theresa and Ron who returned from their trip to Barker Ville with Marcel & Donna. For dinner, it was corn on the cob and chicken with salad. We sat with our neighbour Race by his fire in the evening and Brook came by for a visit with people from Germany.
Another month gone by!!

July 21 to 26, 2011;Visit from Chilliwack

2011-07-26T21:15:00.002-07:00

JUL 21, Thursday
It rained overnight bit cleared some in the morning to allow us to cut the lawn in the Park however it did rain by noon causing us to call it quit early. After lunch it was back to sunshine and the routine continued.
At home, Val did the laundry and when I got home, Bob and Gail came over for Happy Hour!

JUL 23, Saturday,
A cloudy bit warm day; the sun did make an effort of coming out a couple times. After lunch at work, I was driving out back to the Park when I ran into Rochelle and Kevin on their bike; they had been looking for me. After a quick chat, they went to Gateway and I worked until 2:30 when I quit and went home.
After a drink and chat, the four of us went to Salmon Arm and had dinner at a restaurant on the lake. We came home after gassing up and picking up our mail then had a fire and proceeded to drink too much wine.

JUL 24, Sunday
The day began and stayed the way Shuswap usually is...sunny and warm! Rochelle had a hang-over this morning...wonder why!? We had a nice breakfast, cooked by yours truly and then had a short visit before Kevin got the itch to move on. They got all their gear, climbed on the bike and rode into the morning sun. We had a marvellous visit and I hope they return soon.
I had a snooze in the afternoon and at 4 pm; we had Happy Hour with Bob & Gail, Dan & Lori and Race. For dinner, we had fish and rice then it was relaxing time.

JUL 25, Monday,
The day began sunny and promising but as usual, it clouded over later in the afternoon. Bob and I went to Enderby to pick up a washer which they (Gail and Bob) gave to us. We brought it home and I hooked it up behind our rig and outside the shed. For draining it, I ran a hose to the back of the shed and into the gully behind us. We ran a trial wash and all worked well. The only think I don’t like about all this...it makes me feel like this is becoming a permanent encampment!?? Val went for an interview at the Super Value grocery store in Scotch Creek and got a job as Janitor/cashier. She is quite happy about it too! While she was having her interview, I went to Rona and picked up some items I need to re-build my leg pads and slats for the Gazebo. Happy hour at our place tonight!

JUL 26, Tuesday,
Back to work! Val got up at 4:30 and me, at 6:30 a.m. It was a cloudy and muggy day. A quiet day at home for the evening and Val is OK with her new job.

July 16 to 19, 2011; Lee Creek

2011-07-20T19:24:00.001-07:00

JUL 16, Saturday,
My Friday at work! It was a busy day as they had a “Kids Day” with all the trimmings which made it difficult for us to get around with all the kids riding everywhere. Val got her cheque brought home by Donna and we had a quick happy Hour before the skies opened up once again with torrential rain.

JUL 17, Sunday,
More rain overnight but now the blue sky is making its way through all those heavy clouds; the sun is even shining from time to time. I washed Brook’s trailer since he let us use it while ours was in the garage then I washed ours...I felt ambitious!!! I had a snooze afterwards and was awakened by a rain downpour which was followed by sunshine...go try to understand this crazy weather!!?

JUL 18, Monday
The morning began cloudy and grey with a few drizzles. Later in the morning we went to Salmon Arm for mail and groceries. We got back around 2 pm and put everything away then just relaxed and enjoy the sun which decided to show up for a few hours. We had Happy Hour with Bob and Gail who have their two grand-children over for the rest of the summer. So far the weather is holding!
I have uploaded some pictures in Web Picasa.

JUL 19, Tuesday
Back to work for me! When I got to work I found out that there was a gale force wind that went through the park on Sunday morning and caused a lot of damages including a trailer being crushed by a huge tree but thankfully, no one was hurt. We spent the day cleaning the mess along with our daily duties. It was cool but muggy from high humidity. Val went to Kelowna today and visited with a friend there who was family-in-law at one time. She got home around 7 pm. safe and sound.

JUL 20, Wednesday
Cloudy in the morning with sunshine in the afternoon, muggy but a cool breeze came up later in the day. It was more cleaning and clearing today. I took a couple pictures but once again it doesn’t really show all the damages. In the evening, Bob and Gail came over for a drink then it was dinner time: hamburger and sweet corn!

July 10 to 15, 2011; repairs on BEAR completed!

2011-07-15T19:27:00.001-07:00

JULY 10, Sunday
A relaxing day, we went to Salmon Arm to get our mail and then drove back home. We had Happy Hour with Gail and Bob then came home and had dinner. It was a sunny day with clouds but very warm. We also moved clothes and food to Brook’s trailer as ours is going to Kamloops tomorrow for repair.

JUL 11, Monday, Repair in Kamloops
I took the rig over to DARGO in Kamloops to have the suspension fixed first thing in the morning. Val stayed back as Tucker has an appointment for a haircut. When I got to DRAGO, he looked at the damage and made a comment that the frame was not quite heavy enough to support the weight. I took more pictures which don’t seem to show the extent of the damage. From here, I went to BCAA to renew my insurance on the truck then to Costco to pick up a couple items then drove home. Tucker looks great and we settled in in our new home for the next day or two.

JUL 12, Tuesday, back to work
Yes back to work for another day; Val also went to work in Kamloops. It was an overcast day with some sunny periods but around 4 pm, the sky broke open and it rained for most of the evening, heavy at times.

JUL 13, Wednesday,
It was a warm night again. To work in the morning and at lunch time it heavily poured for about an hour. I’ve never seen such a torrent. Two of the employees got caught in it and by the time they got back to the office, they were soaked. Val came over for a short visit then it was back to work. I also called DRAGO only to find out they hadn’t started on the rig yet. I told him we had to get it back soon as we lived on it. I’ll call again the morning to push and reinforce the point. Val is getting ready for her test tomorrow and has not eaten anything since this morning and has to swallow this stuff to make go to the bathroom which is not very pleasant for her.

JUL 14, Thursday
While at work, I got a call from DRAGO that our rig was ready. I finished the job I was doing which was operating the tractor lawn mower and at 1 pm, I left work and drove to Kamloops. I took an inspection of the trailer’s suspension and found it very soundly reinforced. They straighten the “I” beam flange, replaced the 4 springs to stronger one, put tube reinforcing rod between all three brackets holding the springs (6 total) and greased everything and repacked the wheel bearings. I paid the bill and was back at our site by 4 pm and all set-up. It’s great to have our house back, especially our bed. As soon as I have pictures of the work done, I will post them!

JUL 15, Friday
The day started cloudy and cold. The sun finally came out around 5 pm. Work consisted of doing recycling, picking up garbage and doing some weed-eating work. They had a BBQ hot dog with all the trimmings, soft drinks and home cook beans (straight from the can). It was “Employee Appreciation Day” and everything was cooked by the managers adn to make things better, it was payday for us. Our lunch break was a bit longer then our usual 30 minutes but we eventually had to go back to work and finish the day. Val spent the day cleaning Brook’s trailer where we stayed, doing laundry and then worked in her garden. Our neighbour, Al, came over and dropped off 10 dozen beer that he bought while in Alberta (much cheaper and NO HST!!)

June 6 to 9, 2011; Gateway and work

2011-07-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

JUL 6, Wednesday,
Another easy day at work for me! Val also went to work, she got a new job supervising practicum student at the Open Learning in Kamloops. We had Happy Hour at Bruce & Joyce, our new neighbours. There was an open house presentation on Gateway at the fire hall in Scotch Creek. A few of our neighbours attended and I gather there were a few surprises and upset owners including me when I heard. For one thing, they are planning on cutting back on the storage area and put more commercial buildings. This could affect a lot of us on the storage issue. They are also planning on building effluent storage tanks from our sewer treatment plant in the present compound and those near are not very happy. The saga continues

JUL 7, Thursday
Same as yesterday! It was sunny and hot today, work, work, work!

JUL 8, Friday,
It poured rain last night and overnight, heavy at times and lots of lightning and thunder. Most of the morning was rain but it did clear up in the afternoon. I went to work and Val went to Chase to bottle our wine and picked up some groceries. It was business as usual at work even if it rained; we still had to clean sites and make sure everyone was content.

JUL 9, Saturday
There was a “Rate Payer Committee meeting in Scotch Creek and Val attended with Bob and Gail and Ron & Theresa. More complaints about Gateway on that front and they are adamant in stopping the project but that nothing new; we had the same stories last year
Last day at work for this week and it was quiet. I heard all about the meeting when I got home and at Happy Hour. Neighbours Dan & Heather joined us. For dinner, Val made BBQ Pork Chops and I cooked them on the BBQ. Ron and Theresa joined us for dinner then we played Wizard!

July 1 to 5, 2011; Gateway

2011-07-05T21:02:00.001-07:00

JUL 1, Friday
A cloudy day and a bit cool but comfortable. For me, it was work, for Val it was another day at home doing chores and errands. Jeff and Debbie left early this morning for Calgary. When I got home, we went over to Bob and Gail for Happy Hour; Marcel joined us.

JUL 2, Saturday
A nice day, warm and sunny! This is my Friday so it was a quiet day at work. The park is full with campers in the overflow parking lot. I am glad I won’t be here tomorrow when there is a mass exit of campers leaving for the end of the week-end.
I got home in time for Happy hour with the gang. Our neighbour Ron and Theresa have arrived for the week. Val decided on fish for dinner after everyone left then it was relax time.

JUL 3, Sunday,
I think that my age and lack of exercises is catching up to me! The last few days, my back has really been bothering me to the point where I have problems bending over. Either I lose weight and get into exercises but probably both. It’s been a sunny day with a couple drizzle, just to remind us that summer is quite not here yet. I dumped the tanks and Val watered her gardens. We got a call from Jeff that they should be home around 6 pm. Val had a roast on for dinner for all and it was delicious with all the trimmings. We called my son-in-law, Kevin, for his birthday (one day late).

JUL 4, Monday,
Sunny and warm! We went to Salmon Arm to pick up our mail and some groceries. Jeff and Debbie stayed in Lee Creek and played on the boat. We got back around 3 pm, put everything away and then had happy hour with Jeff and Deb. After dinner, we had a fire and our neighbours Bob & Gail and Ron & Theresa joined us.

JUL 5, Tuesday,
Back to work for me. Val did the laundry and did a couple errands in Chase. Work was quiet and not too busy. I stopped at the garage on the way home to fill Brook’s propane tanks (2) and mine. Jeff and Deb left early this morning. We had Happy Hour at Russ and Joyce, new neighbours who bought Jack and Mim’s lot.

June 26 to 30, 2011; visit from the Coast

2011-06-30T18:53:00.001-07:00

JUNE 26, Sunday
My day off! We spent it resting and just visiting neighbours.

JUNE 27, Monday
Worked around the yard and made calls to a few people including DRAGO Axle and Suspension and made an appointment for July 11 to get the rig repaired.

JUNE 28, Tuesday
Back to work for me. Val got a call from Donna and she has a job next Thursday for a day as Donna needs help with a class she is giving.

JUNE 29, Wednesday
Val went to work for Donna today and I was at the Park. Jeffrey and Debbie arrived around 7 p.m. He is on his way to Calgary to wedding. He brought his boat with him. We visited for a while then it was bedtime for me and everyone decided to call it quit too. They spent the night in their boat but during the night, Debbie heard an animal and decided to go to sleep in Brook’s trailer next door which is available for them.

JUNE 30, Thursday
I went to work and Jeffrey put his boat in the water and docked it at our dock. After work, I BBQ’ed hamburgers for everyone and then we visited and caught up to news. It was early to bed again and they both slept in the trailer next door.

June 19 to 25, 2011; Visit from Ontario

2011-06-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

JUNE 19, Sunday, Day off & HAPPY FATHER’s DAY!
The four of us went to Quaaout Lodge near our place here and had brunch for Father’s Day. It was very delicious and afterwards we went for a drive to show Kathy & Louie the sites near here. We took them to Blind Bay and the area then to Sunny Brea Prov. Park where there is a beautiful fall call Margarite Falls. There was a small 10 minutes hike on a well groomed trail. The place was in a canyon full of tall cedar trees criss-crossing the trail. The fall was huge and very forceful due to the high water. We took a couple pictures then left. It was time to come back home so we took the back way through Turtle Valley which is a very scenic drive and arrived home around 3:30 pm. We had happy hour and the neighbours joined us including Dan and Heather and John and Marilyn who arrived yesterday to their cabin above us. Ed also joined us. It was a good time and everyone met Louie and Kathy of course.
After dinner, hamburger and salad, we bore K&L with pictures.

JUNE 20, Monday, Visitors leave
Louie and Kathy left around 10 am under a cloudy day. It’s been a bitter joke with them as they’ve nothing but rain since Alberta a week ago. I called South Thompson only to learn that Forest River and Tippert Axle are refusing to cover the claim on my axle. I guess I am going to have a battle on my hand. I cut some branches off the trees behind our place as they are interfering with our satellite; I had borrow a cutter with extension handle and the 10 feet ladder from our neighbour. At 3:30 we had Happy Hour with Bob and Gail then dinner and early to bed as it is a work day tomorrow

JUNE 21, Tuesday, First day of summer
Val went to work for George painting lumber for a new deck at one of his rentals; Bob and Gail also went with Val. My day was the usual raking sites and clearing brush near the roadways. Val enjoyed her day and Bob complained that she was trying to boss them around barely an hour into it. Ahahahaha!

JUNE 22, Wednesday
Same routine! Nothing exciting

JUNE 23, Thursday,
It poured today so Val didn’t work. I ended going to Vernon with the company truck and took two golf carts to be fixed. IT was a pleasant drive as the sun finally came out

JUNE 24, Friday
A quiet day on the front! Val is no longer working as the job is completed but it did get her a nice little pay cheque. Happy hour at our place. Lots of people coming out this week-end

JUNE 25, Saturday
My last day at work, it was busy as usual. When I came home, Ed came over to invite us for Happy Hour at his place. The whole gang was there. Afterwards, Val took Tucker for his walk and Ron came over to pick me up and take me to the far side of the lot to Don’s place for another happy hour. It was a late dinner!

June 13 to 18, 2010: Back to work and visit from Ontario

2011-06-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

JUNE 13, Monday, Day off!
Val went to Chase for groceries shopping and I nurtured my sore bones and muscles. Actually I worked in the yard finishing the gravel levelling and putting the fence back together. It rained part of the day and made it easy to lie around. Dinner and boob-tube for the evening

JUNE 14, Tuesday, back to work
Today, I spent the day sanding and painting. We are redoing all the picnic tables and there are a lot of them. Val basically puttered around the yard and went for walks with Tucker. We had Happy Hour with Bob and Gail. Ed and Judy are back from Alberta; they were away for over a month.

JUNE 15, Wednesday, more work
I went to work again today and did more painting and sanding. Val spent the day reading, walking Tucker and visiting the neighbours. It’s been cloudy with the odd drizzle all day.

JUNE 16, Thursday,
More of the same except that I spent the day mowing lawns around the park. When I got home, Bob and Gail came over for Happy Hour then it was dinner time and watched the tube for the evening.

JUNE 17, Friday, visit from Ontario
I got a call from Val at work that her sister Kathy and husband Louie arrived in the afternoon. I got home at 3:30 pm and we visited for a while before having dinner. Afterwards, we had a fire and Laurie and Dan came over to meet our guests and to enjoy the fire with us. We rented Brook’s trailer next door for them. It is very nice to see them.

JUNE 18, Saturday,
This is my last day at work for the week. Val, Kathie and Louie came to see me at the shop so I showed them around. They were doing laundry across the way from the park. Afterwards, they went to Salmon Arm to shop while I continued to slave away and earned the money that she is going to spent this afternoon...Poor me!!!!

June 6 to 12, 2011; Problems and back to work

2011-06-13T10:39:00.000-07:00

JUNE 6, Monday, to Salmon Arm
We drove to Salmon Arm and stopped at Canadian Tire to get a couple of little items then we picked up our mail and had our usual breakfast sandwich at Java Jive Bistro. We stopped at the bank to make a deposit then went to get Oil & Lube done on the car. We also stopped at “The Brick” to check out their store. Then it was onward to Crown Royal where I made an appointment for the Bear’s problem with the tires. We came home and had a beer with Jack and Mim who are out for the week then went home and watched the Canucks get slaughter

JUNE 7, Tuesday, Lee Creek
Rain; rain...all day so not much happened today! We read and that’s about it.

JUNE 8, Wednesday
We went to Chase in the morning to do laundry. I made a couple calls to Shaw cable and CML then worked in the yard for the afternoon. We watched the Canucks get slaughter again (now 2-2) then had dinner. My new BBQ is working really well and I am quite pleased.

JUNE 9, Thursday, to Salmon Arm and disaster strikes again!!!
We took BEAR into Salmon Arm to TRI-CROWN to have the suspension and axles checked due to the tire wearing off (See end of April). We left it there and went to town to pick up our new chairs, wine, milk, our mail then to the doctor for Val. She wasn’t there so we had to wait until 3:30 pm. Once that was done, we drove back to Tri-Crown only to learn that the frame needed strengthening as it is bending at the flange and the whole suspension straighten as the driver side tires are leaning and rubbing against the shock absorber. They say it’s a manufacturing defect and that the frame is not strong enough to support the road travelling we do. Good grief...here we go again!!!
We came home and had “Happy” hour with our neighbours then dinner and relax and ponder over this new dilemma.

JUNE 10, Friday, back to Salmon Arm for Dr’s app’t.
I had to go to my doctor to have a medical for my driver’s license as they have learned that I am now on medications for my diabetes. We came home afterwards and worked in the yard. I got a call yesterday from the Parks; they would like me to come to work early so I am starting tomorrow

JUNE 11, Saturday, Back to work
It felt strange getting up at 6:30 but I did it and spent the day painting on a new project which is replacing all the picnic table tops. Val enjoyed her day at home, visiting and working in the yard on her flowers and plants.

JUNE 12, Sunday,
Back to work and more painting. It rained part of the day so we couldn’t do painting so we worked in the Park raking pads and picking up recycling and garbage. I came home sore as my body isn’t used to that anymore. Age is definitely catching up and I have to lose a few pounds!!!!

June 1 to 5, 2011; visit new grand-daughter

2011-06-06T09:48:00.001-07:00

JUNE 1, Wednesday, to Kamloops
We were up early and on the road by 9 am. We drove to Kamloops with “Bear” to get the slide re-adjusted, the couch drawer repaired properly and the leak under the bedroom fixed once again. While in Kamloops, we went to Costco and got propane and a couple other items.
We were back home by 3:30 pm with everything fixed properly and set up once again. I stopped for fuel @ $1.21/Litre then we hit a real heavy rain storm on the way home but once we turned off on Squilax, the road was dry and we were able to set up before the rain began which didn’t last. Early in the evening, the sun came out once again.

JUNE 2, Thursday, Lee Creek
A cool and cloudy day! We didn’t do much today. We went to Chase where Val did a couple loads of laundry and I went to our wine place to order another batch of “cab. sauv.” We came home and after putting everything away, I went for a haircut at Heather’s place then we sat and read for a while or I should say until our friends came over for happy hour and break in our new gazebo. Dinner was late then we watched TV.

JUNE 3, Friday, to Vancouver and Port Coquitlam
After closing and locking everything, we left at 12:30 pm. We stopped in Kamloops for fuel at 1.06/litre then onwards to the coast. It was a pleasant sunny drive. We stopped in Merritt for a bite to eat at Tim Horton then down to the coast where we arrived at Jeffrey’s house around 6 pm. Debbie cooked us all a great dinner then we visited until bedtime.

JUNE 4, Saturday, visit new grand-daughter
After breakfast, we drove over to Joanne and John (Val’s daughter) in Coquitlam to visit and see the new baby, McKinley. What a beauty she is; needless to say we took dozen of pictures over the day. We also spent special time with Jenaya. She had a great time with Tucker, walking him in the park. We had lunch and dinner with them then came back to Jeffrey for the night

JUNE 5, Sunday, Jenaya’s soccer tournament
We were up by 7 am to drive to Port Moody and see Jenaya play soccer in her final tournament. She did well and even scored the winning goal with seconds to go (just like the Canucks game). Afterwards we went for lunch at Robin’s then drove over to their house where we had a short visit before leaving. We drove back to Jeff and had another short visit then left for home. We arrived back at our place around 10 pm and after putting everything away, it was bedtime.

May 27 to 31, 2011; yard improvement

2011-05-31T16:42:00.001-07:00

MAY 27, Friday, to Salmon Arm
More rain today but it did taper off in the afternoon. We went to Salmon Arm to get our mail and stopped at Rona where we bought 12X12 treated decking planks, a 10X10 Gazebo and a new BBQ with a side burner. We were also looking for chairs for couldn’t find what we liked. Since we had the car, we couldn’t carry all that stuff so I will have to come back tomorrow. We did come home with the gazebo in the box after laying down both seats in the back.

MAY 28, Saturday, back to Salmon Arm
It was sunny with cloudy period today! We went to Scotch Creek near our place to check out a couple places for chairs to no avail but did buy some soil for Val’s flower garden and dropped that off at home before heading to Salmon Arm. I picked up all the stuff we bought yesterday plus a sheet of ¾ plywood then came home and unloaded the load. I got work ahead of me! I started putting the BBQ together which took me a couple of hours then the gang came over for Happy Hour. Afterwards, we had dinner then Ron and Theresa invited everyone over for a fire so that took care of the evening.

MAY 29, Sunday, Lee Creek
SUNNY and warm, it got up to 19*C! We spent the day working in the yard. I finished putting the BBQ together, began digging and levelling the area where the gazebo is going and helped Val in her yard work. She finished off the rock half moon corner and planted flowers and little plants and finished off her pots too. It was a good and busy day. We said good-bye to Ron and Theresa who went back to the coast and we had Donna and Marcel over for Happy Hour. It’s been a great and warm day and after BBQ’uing steaks on our new BBQ, we relaxed for the evening. We will take pictures when everything is finish.

MAY 30, Monday, Lee Creek
Sunny and warm, we had a short thunder storm and a bit of rain last evening! I dug the yard where the deck will go, levelled it then built the deck. Our neighbour, Bob & Gail, came over and gave me a hand. We had the whole thing done by 3 pm. My back is sore but it feels good to see it finish. We all sat on it and had a beer. Just as we were finishing the second one, Joanne & Don and Pat & Rick, from Logan Lake, showed up! They had spent the night at Don & Joanne’s cabin and were on their way home and stopped for a short visit. Of course, Val showed them all her garden, the deck and the decorations in the house (trailer). They didn’t stay very long and after everyone left, I continued putting screws in the deck boards.
We had dinner then relaxed in front of the TV

MAY 31, Tuesday, Lee Creek
Another sunny day! I finished screwing the deck then we put the gazebo together and screwed it down on the deck so the wind won’t blow it away. It looks great and we took a few pictures. Jack and Mim stopped by and had a drink with us then it was dinner and relax time.

May 24 to 26, 2011; Kamloops for repairs and home

2011-05-26T23:06:00.001-07:00

MAY 24, Tuesday, Kamloops for repairs
We were up early and drove to Kamloops with “Bear” to get some minor repairs and warranty work done. Once we dropped the rig at South Thompson RV, we drove up to Costco to pick up a few things then went for lunch. In the afternoon, we hung around STRV as we had no other things to do. Later in the afternoon, we learned that we would have to spent the night there so we went out to a local pub, had dinner and watched the Hockey game and what a game it was! Excitement and suspense to the max.!

MAY 25, Wednesday, back to Lee Creek
They finished the work and after paying the bill, we drove back home to Lee Creek. As we walked inside the rig, we found the drawer under the couch had come off its track and was lying on the floor. We also found that the slide which had supposedly been adjusted was still out of whack and the water under the sink was leaking again. Frustrated and angry, I called STRV only to be told that they were short man power and we would have to drive back to Kamloops. Needless to say I wasn’t happy! Bob came over and we tried to get the drawer back on but the slide was not holding it. We tried to adjust the main slide only to find out it was out by one inch. I made arrangements with STRV to go in the morning then we went to Bob and Gail for happy hour and drown my sorrows. Jack and Mim were also there so we had a few laughs anyway.

MAY 26, Thursday, Lee Creek
We got up to windy and rainy day so I call South Thompson to let them know we would not be coming in today but next week. Val did a load of laundry and I stayed home doing a few little things. In the afternoon, we went over to Ron and Theresa’s place and played cards until supper time. Val made her famous meat balls and sauce then we watched the tube. Still raining but the wind has died down.

May 19 to 23, 2010: Whistler and Surrey

2011-05-24T08:22:00.001-07:00

MAY 19, Thursday, to Whistler, BC
Another nice and sunny day! We left the house at 9 am for Whistler only to turn around at Chase as I had forgotten my camera, so back we go, pick up the camera and return to our journey. We returned a call from Terry and Glenda about what they are allowed not to carry across into Canada then it was on to Logan Lake where we dropped off Tucker at Lynden and Charlene for the week-end. We continued on to the copper mine over the top and descended to Ashcroft, a drop of about 4000 feet in less than 10 miles. In Ashcroft we connected with Hwy 1 to Cache Creek where we took Hwy 97 north to Hwy 99 West.
Hwy 99 was very picturesque and quite nicer than what I remember of it. There was one section that was rough but most of it was good. In the rough section, we got to an area where I wanted to take a picture so we stopped. There was a Hwy Dep’t employee parked nearby and he told us to continue on as they were about to close the hwy due to avalanche control so off we went. I did get my picture though!
When we neared Mt Currie, we were driving in snow although the hwy was bare. We dropped 3000 feet in less than 5 miles with switch-backs, steep grade (14% at one point) and arrived safe and sound at the bottom into the village of Mt Currie. What a contrast; above, the trees were just blooming and down here it was lush green vegetation. We continued on Pembroke where we stopped for a beer and sandwich at a local pub and watched hang-gliders coming down from the top of the mountain. There were 8 of them and fascinating to watch. We went on to Whistler and arrived around 4 pm. We booked in our hotel, the Summit Lodge, room 418 then called Rochelle and Kevin. They had also just booked in so they walked over and we went to a jaunt through the village, a beer at a local pub and dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory. Hayley was along too of course and we got to hear about her schedule for the week-end competition. She will be performing solos and duals with her good friends, should be interesting.
We called it quit at 10 pm and went to our respective hotels; they are staying at the Fairmont Hotel where the competitions will be held.

MAY 20, Friday, Dance competitions in Whistler
We were up by 9:30 am (feeling lazy) and had coffee on the veranda first then it was shower and dressing time. We went for breakfast at a small nearby coffee shop then walked over to the Fairmont where the kids are staying and the competition is taking place. They met us outside and we went for another coffee as the show didn’t start until 1 pm.
The dancing was absolutely marvellous. It’s amazing how these young kids can perform. The age groups were from 5 to 18 years old. Hayley excelled herself in her solos and won first and second prize. We watched different groups then went for dinner at Milestones. We ended up in Rochelle and Kevin’s room where we proceeded to have a heated discussion on the pros and cons of the much hated HST.
Our walk back was a bit cool as we were dressed for warmer temperature which had dropped considerably but we made it sound and safe and went to bed.

MAY 21, Saturday, more dancing
We met the kids at noon and the dancing began at 1 pm. This time, Hayley did two groups dancing which turned out really well for them. The hall was packed this time and it was hard to find a seat. There are dancing from all over BC.
After the dancing, we all went for another walk in the village. It is cloudy today and much cooler with some light drizzle on and off. Kevin decided that he wanted steak for dinner so we ended up at the Keg. Once again the food was delicious and we had fun. We walked to their hotel room and had a night cap then it was time to call it quit. The conversation got quite heated as we discussed the pros and cons of the infamous HST.

MAY 22, Sunday, last dance and to Vancouver
Cloudy but with sunny periods; we met the kids in the afternoon and Hayley had her last two dances at 4 pm, another group dance. They had the award presentation right after and her dance class group won the $500 award and the first place trophy: WELL DONE!
Right after that, we said our goodbyes and headed back to Surrey to Jeffrey’s place. The highway was light in traffic and very nice. It was rebuilt for the 2010 Winter Olympics. There has been a tremendous amount of improvement on it.
We arrived at Jeffrey around 7:30 pm and had dinner with him and Debbie, chatted for a while then it was bedtime.

MAY 23, Monday, Back to Lee Creek
The sun is shining from time to time so it made for a nice drive. We were up early, had coffee with Jeff and Deb then Jeff took us to his new shop. Very nice and spacious. I forgot to take pictures but will next time. We said our goodbyes and headed back to Logan Lake where we picked up Tucker. We stopped at the Tate’s as Glenda and Terry were there and we said a quick hello then headed home.
Our neighbours, Ron and Theresa are out for the week so they came over and we had a fire in the evening.

May 14 to 18, 2011; Lee Creek, Kamloops

2011-05-18T16:45:00.005-07:00

MAY 14, Saturday, Lee Creek
The blog site was down yesterday so I uploaded it this morning. I spent some time checking out the Pension plan from Canada when we reached 65 in 10 months. Val went into town with her friend Donna to check out and drop off a few resume on prospective jobs in her expertise.
It is sunny this morning so time to go outside and do some chores.
For Happy Hour, Dan and Heather came over to join us. We had a nice visit and once they left at 7 pm, we had dinner then watch the tube.
I discovered extra charges on my visa that I suspect are fraud. They are from Mexico and the transactions took place at the beginning of this month!?? I reported them and my visa was put on hold until further notice. Great!

MAY 15, Sunday, Lee Creek
Sunny most of the day but with lots of clouds around, we had a lazy one and didn’t get mobile until late. We decided to take a day off so no work in our yard but we ended up at our neighbour helping him to shovel and rake gravel; so much for the day off!
At 3:30 pm, we went to George and Dorothy for happy hour with the rest of the neighbourhood (5 couples total). We came home around 5:30, cooked steaks and shrimps for dinner with a salad from a recipe of Rochelle then we watched the last episode of Survivor! “Boston Rob” won; no surprise there!

MAY 16, Monday, Lee Creek
It is raining today! Once again, we didn’t do much. I made a few calls and got an appointment with South Thompson RV for May 24. My excitement was to dump in the morning, the tanks that is!! I went to Sorrento to turn in our papers from Mexico on the trailer so we can get our insurance refunds

MAY 17, Tuesday, to Salmon Arm
We went to SA for a Dr’s appointment for Val. We also stopped to pick up our mail, went to Canadian Tire to exchange a couple items and ended up buying more stuff, did a grocery shopping then came home. We got our papers for Old Age Security so filled that up and will mail it tomorrow. BBQ’ed pork chops for dinner then we watched the tube.

MAY 18, Wednesday, to Kamloops
Val has an appointment at a specialist in Kamloops for some test so off we go. While there, we stopped at BCAA for a Passport picture and to turn in my papers on the truck to get a refund on our insurance while in Mexico. We went to the Federal Gov’t building and applied for my new passport and our OAS application papers. We made a stop at Walmart then it was time to return home. Fish and rice for dinner and by the way, it was sunny and very nice all day.

May 8 to 13, 2011; Chilliwack to Lee Creek and Logan Lake

2011-05-14T09:52:00.003-07:00

MAY 8, Sunday, Happy Mother’s Day!
Everyone got up late this morning! We had a delicious breakfast in a casserole and prepared yesterday. All the kids showed up around 10 am and we had a fun family breakfast. Graeme and Candice left first then Vanessa and Garrette as she had to work so that left 5 of us. Later in the afternoon, Rochelle and Valerie prepared the dinner, a roast with all the trimmings and Kevin’s parents, Sid & Vera, showed up around 4 pm. We sat around for a while and chatted then we had the dinner which was absolutely perfect. Si and Vera left around 8 pm and we watched the Amazing Race on TV then went to bed. IT was a perfect day!

MAY 9, Monday, Back to Lee Creek
We got up early to say our goodbyes to Rochelle and Hayley as they went to work and school respectively. After they left we showered, Kevin helped me load the freezer on the truck, we said our goodbyes then left. The ride back was uneventful except that once in Merritt, we took the old Hwy 5A which was a bit rough but very scenic in sceneries.
We arrived home around 2 pm and unloaded everything and parked the truck. Mim and Jack were in the park so they came over for a glass of wine, then Bob across the street showed up and eventually, George and Catherine with his new Ford F350. We learned that he sold his motorhome and bought a park model for his lot. WOW! The happy hour continued on until 8 pm then after everyone left, we had a quick light dinner as Val had served lots of happies while the crew was here. The sun was shining and it is much warmer.

MAY 10, Tuesday, Dr’s appoint. and to Logan Lake
We went to Chase early in the morning for eye appointments then did the laundry. After dropping everything at our place, we drove to Kamloops and made a stop at Costco where Val returned eye contacts that were malfunctioning. We then drove to Logan Lake to Lynden and Charlene, had a nice reunion then walked to the Black Bull Pub where we celebrated our friend Don’s 60th birthday. We had a room in the basement with our own bar and waitresses (2). There were about 50 people there. We had a great time and finally called it quit around 9:30 pm. We walked back to the Kirkby’s house as we had walked down to alleviate any problems with our drinking which we did freely.
We were in bad early as everyone was tired.

MAY 11, Wednesday, back to Lee Creek
We got up early only to find that it was raining. Yuck!! We left around 9 am after saying goodbye and drove to Costco in Kamloops where I gas up at $1.07/Litre. The amazing thing is that in Vancouver it is $1.44/L and the Barrel of oil is down to $99...go figure! We got home, put everything away then Val decided to vacuum the place so Tucker and I had to get out of the way.
After dinner, we watched Survivors and just as the program ended, our power went out in the whole Park, bummer!! Time to go to bed anyway; it’s raining outside.

MAY 12, Thursday, Lee Creek
Took Tucker for his haircut this morning; he looks like a totally different pooch now and much happier! Val had a couple of medical trip to make to Chase, nothing serious! It rained on and off most of the day, cleared later in the afternoon and we had a big dump later in the evening; just crazy weather! I did a couple of minor repairs/touch up inside the rig then it was time for Happy Hour. I have uploaded new pictures in folder: “SUMMER 2011”

MAY 13, Friday, Lee Creek
A sunny day greeted us! We spent the day doing chores around the lot and home. Not much else to report. I Posted new pictures in Folder #78 SUMMER IN BC

May 4 to 7, 2011; Lee Creek and Chilliwack

2011-05-08T07:55:00.003-07:00

MAY 4, Wednesday, Trip Stats
I calculated our expenses for the past 6 months away this morning and here are the results: we averaged $3802 per month on expenditure such as groceries, entertainment, cloths, camping and other incidentals. Our time in Mexico was the costliest when I factor in the camping cost, vehicles insurance, tolls and vehicle import tax; we were down for three months. We also spent an average of $494/month on fuel and propane. Our trip began at $3.19/gallon and ended at 4.54/gallon in the U.S, $0.99 to $1.26/litre in Canada; Mexico being the cheapest at $0.94/litre. We drove through 9 Western States in the US and two Western States in Mexico (Sonora & Sinaloa) for a total of 17,626 KM (11,016 miles) including side trips and sight-seeing.

I power-washed the sidewalk and the awning on “BEAR” then brought it in. We have cotton trees behind us and they are shedding sticky seeds which make a real mess. While at it, I washed the windows so that we could see outside. We went to Chase to return the movies and stopped at our friend’s new place, Jack & Mim. They bought into a co-op condominium and now have a nice apartment with two bedrooms. From here, we went to the grocery store to get a couple things then came home.

MAY 5, Thursday, Lee Creek
Raining this morning! Dennis and Ruth left this morning; they are gone for the summer to Newfoundland where some of his family live. This is a trip I would like to do one day soon! Val went for a haircut at Heather, one of our neighbours. Since it was a grey day, we spent the day cleaning and re-organizing our closets, drawers and cupboards; got rid of a few things. I went to the basement to get some stuff and when I pulled Tucker food bag, part of it ended up on the floor. Upon further investigation, I found a nest build inside the bag...what a mess! Cleaned up the whole thing and put all the food in a bin. While at it, I cleaned out the basement and will wash it later and plug some holes with foam. I also set up a trap in case that mouse or whatever it is, comes back or is still there. Then it was time for Happy Hour, dinner and just a relaxing evening.

MAY 6, Friday, Salmon Arm
We went to SA today for our doctor’s appointments. Afterwards, we picked up our mail and did some shopping. We also stopped at our favourite restaurant for our favourite breakfast sandwich, bacon, egg, tomato and lettuce on dough bread.
We came home and put everything away then went over to Bob & Gail for Happy Hour. George and his friend Dorothy also joined us.

MAY 7, Saturday, to Chilliwack
After taking everything out of the rear box on the truck, we left for Chilliwack to Rochelle and Kevin. We stopped in Kamloops for breakfast then went over the Coquihalla. Of course it just poured rain most of the way, especially on the Coast side. There was a lot of snow on top of the pass at 4900 feet. We arrived safe and sound and after visiting with the grand-kids, they left for their work or whatever and Rochelle cooked us a nice steak dinner. We proceeded to empty 4 bottles of wine!!!

May 1 to 3, 2011; Life in Lee Creek, North Shuswap

2011-05-04T08:37:00.001-07:00

MAY 1, Sunday, Lee Creek
Up early as usual. Did some internet business (banking) and chatted with Louise & Dave on Skype. It is sunny and supposed to go up to 18*C (66*F). We got a notice yesterday that our address has been changed. We are now officially “LEE CREEK” Postal Code: V0E 1M4...Exciting!
Spent the day getting our place in shape, flushed and cleaned the water tank and all the water taps, changed water filter and at 4 pm, we went to Ed & Judy for Happy Hour.

MAY 2, Monday, home
Cloudy and cooler today! We made some calls to our doctors for appointments, went to the Park but no one was there so will go back tomorrow then it was back to Chase to vote and get a couple things and picked up some movies for tonight. We watched the elections results after dinner then the movies. Big surprise in Quebec!!!

MAY 3, Tuesday, Chase
I went to Chase again for my blood test then picked up our wine at 11 am, dropped off the movies and got more for tonight. I went to the Provincial Park and got my schedule and uniform. I start the 21st of June which is kind of late. I may look for something else. They had me scheduled for the long week-end but we already had commitments for those days.

April 29 & 30, 2011: Oliver to Lee Creek; North Shuswap

2011-04-30T19:21:00.002-07:00

APR 29, Friday, HOME, North Shuswap, BC
We were ready to go by 9 am but first, we had to stop at a tire shop to get a new tire on “Bear” for the street side and the spare went on the curb side for the time being; I will have to get that spare changed later. We left after an hour of tire work and stopped in Summerland at Travel Land RV to see about a wheel alignment on the trailer. After a lengthy discussion, we decided to go home as there was no way for them to assure us it would be fixed today. As he said, it is Friday and if any problems occur, we could be stuck here for the week-end. We were assured that it would be OK to drive on it without any other problems.
We stopped in Enderby for lunch then went on to Salmon Arm where we picked up our mail and then went to home in Lee Creek, North Shuswap. We arrived at 4 pm, parked and set up and now we relax. HOME SWEET HOME!
We went to visit with Marcel and Donna for a while then it was time to call it a day!

We drove 166 miles in 4 hrs @ 42 MPH average! Now the summer routine begins!

APR 30, Saturday, Lee CreekWe had a great first day at home. Almost everyone is back now. We went to Sorrento to get some meds refilled until we can see our doctors; bought insurance for 6 months for the car then headed to Chase to make an appointment to bottle our wine, do the laundry and buy some groceries. We thought we would go to the local pub and have lunch... that was a mistake!! We had two beers each, two hamburgers and the total cost...$42 including the infamous GST. WOW!!! What a rude awakening. I guess we won’t be pubbing in BC anymore.
When we came back and after doing some work around the place, setting up for summer, we spoke to George and Paulette then we went to Bob and Gail for happy hours with about 8 other people. We had a great time and now it’s dinner time then relax in front of the TV. It’s been sunny with cloudy periods and fairly warm all day.

April 28, 2011; Moses Lake to Oliver, BC, Canada

2011-04-29T07:39:00.002-07:00

APR 28, Thursday, to Oroville, Washington then Oliver, BC, Canada
We were on the road by 9 am. I stopped for fuel @ 4.54 so only put $50. until we get to a bigger city. We had to go to Wenatchee first to find a Target store instead of heading straight North on Hwy 17. We bought an ice maker back in Nevada because the old one gave up so when I finally connected this new one, I suspected it was a used one because it was dirty, sure enough, it didn’t work either. There was no problem exchanging it at the store. From here we tried to get back on Hwy 97 and managed to get lost on detours due to constructions but we eventually made it.
We stopped in Oroville, Washington, at the Canadian border, to do some last minute shopping but didn’t buy any vegetables...we learned from last time! At the Canadian border, believe it or not, we had a sudden squall with hail, YES HAIL! Can you believe it!? What a welcome back! It only took 30 minutes to cross after paying duties on the extra booze we have. We went on to Oliver and stopped for the night where Val discovered a tire with a bulging bulb on the outside wall. On the other side, the front one was actually bald. As I inspected the suspension, I found that the tire was out of line so will have to get that fix tomorrow. Is that bloody black cloud back?????
We are at a park we stayed a couple years ago, a municipal park with good prices in Oliver, BC. Tomorrow, we will be home hopefully!

We drove 228 miles (367 Km) in 4 hrs and 30 minutes @ an average 48 MPH. We left at 9 am and arrived at 3:30 pm
We stopped twice for fuel: Quincy, Wash. @ 4.54 and Omak @ 4.29/gal
N 49* 11.037
W 119* 32.880
Alt: 986 feet

April 25 to 27, 2011: From Valley of Fire, Nevada to Moses Lake, Washington

2011-04-27T17:35:00.001-07:00

APR 25, Monday, To Heyburn, Idaho
It was a cool morning but the sun was out. I topped up “the BEAST” before leaving then we turned north on Hwy 6 from 50, just outside of town. The scenery became more and more of cultivated fields and we noticed the amount of churches everywhere too. We eventually got on Hwy 68 and drove into the suburbs of Salt Lake City. To get around the city, we took 215 which brought on I-15/84. We hit rain in Salt Lake City and snow on I-84 over a 5500 feet summit and strong winds. We called it quit at Heyburn, Idaho and are staying at Country RV Village. It rained and snowed here too but now, 7 pm, the sky is clear although we can see dark clouds all around us. Where did the heat go!?????

We drove 308 miles (495 Km) in 5.5 hours @ an average 55 MPH. We topped off on fuel in Delta @ 4.17/gal before leaving and in Ogden, Utah 4.19/gal. The head winds on 84 sure didn’t help.
N 42* 34.172
W 113* 43.547
Alt: 4148 feet

APR 26, Tuesday, to Boise
What a windy night! And it still is, gusting to 30-40 mph. The wind is supposed to abate once we get pass Twin Falls so... Saddle up and Forward Ho, nice and easy!
We headed NW on I-84, stopped for fuel at Flying J in Twin Falls @ 4.19/gal then onwards to Nampa, just past Boise where we stopped at Garrity RV Park, a Passport America member (half price on camping fees). It was windy the whole way and a head wind to boot. Needless to say the fuel consumption was lousy; three quarter of a tank!!
We called Linda and Steve once we were set up and went over to their place. We had a marvellous visit and a delicious dinner to boot. We came back to our place around 10:30 Local time (Mtn Time). I fuelled on the way home @ 4.29/gal

We drove a total of 177 miles (285 Km) in 3 hrs and 15 minutes @ an average 54Mph
N 43* 35.262’
W 116* 31.587
Alt: 2553 Feet

APR 27, Wednesday, To Moses Lake, Washington
We left Nampa near Boise, Idaho at 9 am, local time (8 PDT). We had the wind behind us this time so made better mileage on I-84. We stopped in La Grande, Oregon, for fuel and brunch (4.35/gal). We also moved our watches to PDT. The highway was cleared of snow and we had sunshine most of the way. It began clouding over around Pendleton. We turned north on 395 then hwy 17 to Moses Lake, Washington. 3:30 pm and we are in Sunrise RV Resort in Moses Lake, an R.O.D. Park so it is free for us which is great. It’s been a good day and an easy drive.

We drove 346 Miles (556 Km) in 6 hours @ an average of 57 Mph. We fuelled Meridian, Idaho @ 4.39/Gal and Flying J in LaGrande @ 4.34/Gal (and here I thought Oregon was always cheaper.
N 47* 06.161’
W 119* 19.725’
Alt: 1053 feet

April 19 to 24, 2011; Las Vegas to Valley of Fire, Nevada

2011-04-24T19:59:00.002-07:00

APR 19, Tuesday, Las Vegas, Nevada
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! So they say, but, I will tell all!
After a lazy morning, we had to go to the grocery so we asked G&T if they wanted to come along which they did. We first stop at BIG LOT where Glenda wanted to show us a small side table they were interested in. It was very nice with a top marble like. This store sells just about everything so I picked up the groceries we needed and Terry and Glenda decided to buy that little table after all. From here we went to Walmart where Val wanted to check on tops but found none. It was time for a drink so we went to a huge casino, SAM’S TOWN, just across the street and we watched a light and water show while having a beer. Unfortunately I didn’t have the camera with us. There was this big waterfall with mechanized animals such as cougar, grizzly bear, birds, an owl and a couple of others. When the show began, the falls became quiet, a mist began rising then on top of the waterfall on this rock, a wolf came out of a cage, howl like one and looked below at all the people. It was mechanized too but so real! Then the water began giving its show, rising to the height of the falls and twisting and dancing. It was very spectacular!
We came home after the show and rested until 5 pm when we went to experience Fremont Street. Very, very awesome! It consists of 2 or 3 blocks with no car traffic and covered with this huge dome where light shows go on as it gets dark. The street was packed with people. We went to one of the 4 QUEENS CASINO, played a couple of slot machines where I won $40 then we went for dinner where they had 2 for 1 dinner. We just had to get a member’s card and a voucher each for the free meal and a free deck of cards. The food was great and the booze cheap. After dinner, we walked Fremont Street from one end to the other and back, watched the light show on the dome, there was a zip line over 280 feet long where some adventurous young people were zooming by over our head for the price of $20. The light show is every hour on the hour so in between, we went gambling and I came out $100 ahead and Val broke even. Took lots of pictures which are posted in Folder “CALIFORNIA TO NEVADA”. Fremont Street is definitely an experience in itself and worth going to. There were all kinds of characters on the street such as Marilyn Monroe, MR T, a warrior from the Athens days, KISS characters and even a guy curling himself in this little box. Of course, there were also show girls clad in very little clothing but huge plumage, bands playing Rock & Roll and Motown. It was noisy and exhilarating! We finally called it quit around 11 pm as Glenda and Terry were driving to the “Valley of Fire”, east of Vegas, early in the morning with their friends Bill and Laurie.
It was a GREAT day and evening and pleasantly warm!

APR 20, Wednesday, Last day in Vegas
Val got dinner going early, a chuck roast, in the slow cooker while I went to the garage to fuel @ $4.15 and got propane for $24. It is sunny and warm again but no complaining when looking at the temperature at home! About 3 pm, someone knock on our door and when I opened it, there was Fred from Alberta whom we met in San Carlos, Mexico. He and his wife Debbie are here for a couple days on their way to Alberta.
Terry and Glenda showed up at 4 pm and it sounded like they had a good day. We had Happy Hour then dinner with them. It was all a success and after dinner, we had ice cream then they went home; Terry was falling asleep on his chair...they did have a long day; over 100 miles drive. We said good night and watched Survivors then it was bed-time for us too.
Tomorrow, we head for the Valley of Fire for about 4 days IF we can get a camping spot as it sounded from Terry that the Park is full!? Easter week-end is coming up at the end of this week!

APR 21, Thursday, to Valley of Fire, Nevada
We left at 9:30 am after saying goodbye to Glenda & Terry and Fred and Debbie. We drove north on Boulder Hwy to get on 515 south then East on Lake Mead Parkway. On the way, we saw a TARGET and stopped to buy another ice maker as ours gave up a couple days ago. We continued on Lake Mead road which eventually became Northshore Drive! Wow, what a drive and the sceneries!!! It was hard to keep my eyes on the road. We stopped at Echo Bay and there was lots of camping available but we decided to continue and try our luck at “Valley of Fire”. It turned out to be to our advantage as we got a spot with water but no electricity which is OK as we have our own generator. We paid for three nights to begin with. After setting up in #4 @ “Atlatl Rock” Campground in the “VALLEY of FIRE”, we went for a little tour of the place. We are near the West entrance so we went back to the Visitor Centre which had a great display of the history of this region and some interesting mock-up of the wild life and the aboriginal people that lived in the region. It also gave a history on the formation of the Valley. It was under water at one time, millions of years ago! Most of the red rock is from sandstone carved by centuries of water and wind erosion and is the newest of the surrounding mountains which are darker. The red color is caused by the iron oxidisation and the holes are from erosion of the wind, water and cold and hot temperature.
From here, we drove on a road leading to the “WHITE DOMES” but first, we stopped at the Petroglyph Canyon and the “MOUSE’S TANK which consisted of a walk down this canyon for about a half mile and where there was two pools of water within the rocks. It really was interesting and beautiful. We drove on to RAINBOW VISTA and WHITE DOMES where there was a mile and half hike but I only did a half mile. About a dozen movies were filmed here including “1000 YEARS BC”, STARTREK and others including cowboys movies. Quite interesting!
After all this excitement, we went to find two Geo-Caches placed here by State Park employees to commemorate the 75th anniversary of this State park. One of caches took us up these stairs to look at petroglyphs near our camp site and the other at Petrified logs.
We came home and had Happy Hour then supper. We sat out to watch the night sky and all the stars. A great day!

N 36* 25.071’
W 114* 33.156’
Alt: 2274 feet

We drove 84 miles in 2 hrs and 15 minutes at an average 37 MPH. We stopped for ¾ hour at Target and the Park entrance.

APR 22, Friday, Valley of Fire; sightseeing and geo-caching
It was a very pleasant night but for some reasons, I was very restless. Got the coffee perked on the stove and sat outside for a while. I got the generator going so Val could do her hair. We left around noon and visited everything else we missed yesterday. Our first stop was the other campground and the Arch Rock where we got another cache. From here, it was the “Beehives”, a couple of huge rocks that looked like a bee hive with its little holes on it. We also got another cache. We drove east to the “Seven Sisters” where we had lunch. There was a group there with kids and as we were walking the desert, Val found a plastic Easter Egg and upon opening it, got a bunch of candy and a dollar bill. This is when we noticed that there were a whole bunch all over the place and realized that it was for the kids so we put it back intact. How neat! We took a few pictures and had lunch then left for the “Cabins” built in 1935 by the CCC to accommodate hikers and visitors. From here, it was the East Entrance and the “Elephant Rock” (SEE PICTURES FOLDER # 76 Valley of Fire). This ended our visit to “Valley of Fire” State Park! We drove on to Lake Mead highway and stopped in Overton, a small town on the north-east side of the park. We got a few more caches on the way, stopped in town for milk and a couple beers then called it a day. The weather was great and we had a good time.

APR 23, Saturday, Last day in Nevada
Once again, a warm night and a gorgeous day! After showering and having breakfast, we headed to the West Gate and I-15 to get the balance of our listed caches. We found 4 on the way, got on I-15 North East to the turn off to Langdale and Orton where we got 4 more. There was an info card where we had lunch and read about the Spanish Trail/Mormon Trail. Interesting stuff and I took a few pictures which can be seen in folder #76. After lunch, we headed south-east, to Orton where we stopped for a beer and picked up some groceries. We eventually made it home by 4 pm and had Happy Hour then dinner, BBQ’ed steaks from Costco and after dinner, Tucker got his bath; he was very dirty from the desert dust and dirt. The park is not quite full as a few people left today. This has been a wonderful 3 days and we would definitely come back here. It has been warm, pleasant, quiet and peaceful. People have been coming in and out throughout the week-end. This is definitely a family place. We observed young kids going up rock faces and playing King of the Hill. Parents have been involved too and it has been fun to watch them.
Tomorrow we head out north towards home!

APR 24, Sunday, Happy Easter; Onward Ho!
We were up by 7 am and after showering and eating, we loaded our stuff, the generator, hooked up and drove to the dump site. We were on the road by 9 am heading west to I-15 and turned south to Hwy 93. We stopped to get some coffees and headed north. The scenery was quite awesome and spectacular. I love deserts and the way they lay. I find it amazing how you can head for a mountain or hill and VOILA, there is a passage through.
We stopped in Caliente for lunch and for fuel @$4.28/gal. We eventually came to the cross-road for Hwy 50, known as the loneliest Highway in the US and I can attest to that reputation. I stopped again at the Utah State line and filled up @ 4.36/gal. Definitely not cheap anymore!
We arrived at Delta, Utah and found an RV park. It is 4:30 pm (5:30 local time, Mountain Time) and we are staying at Antelope Valley RV Park, an AOR member. We came in late so no one was in the office.
We hit rain on the way up on and off. As we neared Delta the sky was really black and we got in on the tail end of a storm according to our neighbour. We climbed over 3 passes and went as high as 6500 feet but easy climbing.
We left this morning, it was 75*F, in Caliente it was 65 and here...54*F (12*C). Val wants to go back to Vegas!!! We have WIFI so will upload the blog finally and post my pictures. I started a new one # 76 Valley of Fire and # 77 Nevada to Home.

We travelled 387 miles (684 Km) in 7 hours and were stopped for 45 minutes @ an average of 56 MPH.
N 39* 21.086
W 112* 35.633
Alt: 4607 feet

April 17-18 Parker AZ to Las Vegas Nevada

2011-04-19T10:25:00.005-07:00

APR 17, Sunday, Last day in Parker
Another sunny and hot day; the forecast is for 104*F and it did reach it! I went to the office this morning and got on the internet and uploaded my blog and some pictures. Got the Kirkby’s on Skype and wrote to them to catch on the news...it is snowing at their house!!!
We went to town to explore the place. Not much to see; lots of restaurants and bars though! We found the last of our caches, some in California across the river. I called the Marche’s and talked to Terry. They are presently in Vegas for a week so we may see them, will see!
We went to the ROAD-RUNNER BAR & RESTAURANT just past our campsite and had lunch. What a place! What a show! Most were young people wearing flimsy bikinis and some shouldn’t have been in them!!! We came home and relaxed for the rest of the day.

APR 18, Monday, to Las Vegas Nevada
After dumping our tanks, we got on Hwy 95 North 9 am. It is already quite warm! We drove north to I-40 and turned north east to Hwy 93 where we turned north again. We stopped for brunch in Kingman then continued on. The reason we came this way was to experience crossing the new bridge at HOOVER DAM. They re-routed the highway near the dam to accommodate the new bridge, a four lane crossing, however, due to high cement barriers, there was no view to be had and we crossed without any fanfare into Nevada! We stopped in Boulder to get some info on Lake Mead and the Valley of Fire which we plan on visiting.
We had decided at Kingman to stop in Vegas and visit with Terry and Glenda whom are camping here for the week. We are presently at ROAD RUNNER RV Park. We paid $16 per night for three nights. Pretty cheap! It is a balmy 88* F here and yes, the A/C is on
After setting up at site 21, we went to visit them at their site. We had Happy Hour together and Glenda insisted on cooking dinner for us so we had that together. Tucker was happy to see Glenda again and the feeling was mutual too. Afterwards, we chatted and watched Dancing with the Stars then came home and went to bed.

N 36* 07.241
W 115* 04.243
Alt: 1714 feet

We drove 188 miles (302Km) in 3.5 hours at an average of 49 MPH. We fuelled in Kingman for $4.01/gal and were stopped for 1.5 hr.

I have UPLOADED new pictures in Folder "ARIZONA TO NEVADA"

April 11 to 16, 2011; Ehrenberg to Parker, Arizona

2011-04-17T09:45:00.004-07:00

APR 11, Monday, Ehrenberg
A warm and sunny day! Val went for exercises at the club house and afterwards we went to Quartzsite, 20 miles from here, to get a couple parts for the “Bear”. While there, I fuelled @ 4.09/gal then we came back this way but not before picking up a couple of caches off I-10 in the hills. One of them, we took the wrong road and ended doing “real” 4X4 before ending back on the right road. Talk about cross-country! Anyway, we found them then came back to town and had lunch at a new pub in Ehrenberg. We then went to find 4 more hides around here and called it quit just in time for Happy Hour then dinner. I uploaded some pictures...nothing exciting, in Folder “California to Nevada”

APR 12, Tuesday, to Blythe, CA
Exercises for Val; blog, made up an expense spread sheet for the BEAST and BEAR and shower for me then made the bed and took Tucker out for his morning constitution. Sunny and warm once again! We went to find another cache on this side of the river then it was off to Blythe, California, approx 3 miles from here across the river. We went to Wal-Mart where I bought a couple of shorts and Val got some cosmetic stuff. Then it was off to find more caches. We got lost at one point, actually it was more disoriented but did find the cache we were looking for and all the other ones; 15 in all total between today and yesterday. Once home, we went to the pool to refresh ourselves as it was 90*F today and no wind. Even Tucker is having a hard time with this heat. We have the A/C on right now and just finished talking to Louise and Dave on Skype. APR 13, Wednesday, Ehrenberg Sunny, warm and very windy! We went back to Blythe in the afternoon to return and exchange the shorts I bought yesterday. We stopped at Albertson and got some groceries then came home and put everything away. We then sat outside and read and relaxed. We had dinner then watched Survivors. A very quiet day!

APR 14, Thursday, Last day in Ehrenberg
Sunny, warm and windy again; probably a good thing as it kept the heat bearable. Val did some laundry and I washed the BEAST and the front of the BEAR. As I was loading the kayaks, a motorhome parked beside us and hold & behold if it wasn’t an acquaintance, Bill, whom we met about 3 years ago right here in this park. His wife, Vicky, wasn’t with him but was in Denver running a business on a temporary basis. Bill is on his way there after doing some business in California. After we re-acquainted, I finished loading then for dinner, the three of us went to the local pub where we had gone 3 years ago. We caught up to each other’s news and had a good time. Too bad we are leaving tomorrow but such is timing that he would show up here; we had been thinking of them a few days ago so it was good to see him at least one day!

APR 15, Friday, To Parker, AZ
Sunny and warm! We had a lazy morning and loaded everything else that wasn’t packed. After breakfast, we said our good-byes to Bill and got on State Hwy 1, AZ. We drove about 50 miles, turned on Hwy 95 North and arrived in Parker about 3 miles later. We stopped for brunch at a roadside restaurant where we had an excellent breakfast then drove on another eight miles and turned on Riverside to our campground, LA PAZ COUNTY RV PARK at 12:15 pm. The drive was very pretty with fields after fields of wheat, vegetables and straw with mountains in the distance. Past Parker, the scenery became more hilly and rocky. We are parked on the Colorado River with California across and dozens of RV Parks. It is very hot....95*F (33*C). After setting up, we drove back to Parker to Walmart for some shopping then a stop at Beal but Val couldn’t find anything that suited her. On the way back we stopped at a bar besides the road and had a beer then another one where we had happys and it became our dinner. Home to relax and watch the sunset and the crazies on the river. There are a lot of boats for such a narrow river. The park is near full and there are at least 4 Canadian rigs here.
N 34* 13.797
W 114* 11.352
Alt: 371 feet
We travelled 53 miles (85 Km) in one hour and 10 minutes @ an average 44 MPH. We stopped for an hour for brunch

APR. 16, Saturday, Parker; Sunny and HOT...100*F (35*C)
After a lazy morning we finally got going and went to find a few caches near town. We stopped at Walmart to get soap for my dry skin. Then it was time to follow the directions of a few more caches which led us to the famous “DESERT BAR”. It is approx. 5 miles on this gravel road leading into the mountains and the desert. We drove around a bend and there it was! First we saw a church which consisted of one wall built of steel with the steeple and the bell at the top; then we saw a house and huge canopies. When we parked in this big parking lot, we could hear the music; they had a live band. We walked to the entrance way which was a covered bridge and entered into the bar area. There were chairs and table everywhere under the canopies and there was a building with more tables and chairs and the bar where they served beer and wine for really cheap prices. Across the way was another bar but that was where they cooked hamburgers, chilli and hot dogs. Nothing special but the beer was cold and the food cheap in price. This whole place is the work a man who started with just a covered bar and it progressed to what it is today. As we sat there at the bar, we met a couple from Oregon; Barbara and Doyle Hopla. After a while they found a seat outside so we joined them; sitting with them was another couple, Don Dahlgren and Shirley Henderson from Airdrie, Alberta. Don and Shirley are biker friends of Russ and Silvia neighbours of Marcel and Audrey, Val’s sister, in Olds Alberta and whom we know well. What a small world! Needless to say there were a lot of chatters from then on!!! Eventually though, we had to leave so we said our goodbyes and went to find the last two caches near here then home to a cool house! It is 103*F out at 3:30 pm. and a slight breeze. Needless to say the A/C is working full-time.

April 8 to 10, 2011; California to Arizona

2011-04-10T19:34:00.005-07:00

APR 8, Friday, DHS
The wind continued overnight but abated some. This morning it is cloudy with sunny periods and the wind is picking up some again. We’re supposed to have this until tomorrow. The park is really empty now...only about a quarter full. After her exercises, Val did the laundry and I helped. When that was completed, we went to Desert Hot Springs to get some milk and a couple other things then, yeah, we went geo-caching and found the last seven that I had on our GPS and picked up two Travel Bug that I will drop in Arizona around Ehrenberg. We came home and prepared and had dinner. It’s been quite cool all day; mid 50’s to low 60’s and gusting winds but not as strong as what they were yesterday.
APR 9, Saturday, last day in Desert Hot Springs.
Sunny but windy and cool, only reached 68*F (19*C). We busied ourselves cleaning house, vacuuming, putting stuff away outside and loading the Kayaks. For dinner, we went to the club house where they had pork, chicken ensalada, green salad and green beans. The place was almost full which was nice to see. The meal was delicious and to top it, I won the 50-50 draw: $26. This is the last meal cooked at this park for this season. After dinner, Val and I went to the pool and soaked ourselves in the hot tub. They are fed by hot mineral water and there are three of them with temperature of 98, 100 and 104 degrees. We were there for about an hour then came home, watched TV and went to bed where I had a very good sleep.

APR 10, Sunday, to Ehrenberg, Arizona
We left around 10 am, drove south east on Dillon and eventually got on I-10 East. We stopped at Chiriaco Summit for breakfast. There is also a museum here dedicated to General Patton who had a small camp near here and trained his tanks for the battles ahead. We arrived at Ehrenberg, Colorado River Oasis RV Park, a WHR park and we are here for 5 days. We are parked on the river and a beautiful grassy spot behind our rig. We went for a walk to explore the place. For dinner, I BBQ’ed steaks and shrimps (from Mexico) while Val made a salad and got the table ready.

N 33* 36.479’
W 114* 31.559
Alt: 283 Ft
We drove 123 miles @ an average 54MPH in 2 hrs and 17 minutes. We were stopped for 43 minutes.

April 4 to 7, 2011; In Desert Hot Springs

2011-04-08T09:25:00.002-07:00

APR 4, Monday, DHS
Sunny and warm...90*F and NO wind! Val went for pool exercises but ended up with no teacher as the regular one took the day off and her replacement had a heart attack and was also unavailable. Yeah, you guessed it, we went Geo-Caching after we showered and cleaned up. We found all of 14 of them then came home and Val went directly into the pool. I entered our finds on geocache.com. The A/C is on!

APR 5, Tuesday, DHS
Another hot day; 94*F and hardly any winds. Val went for her exercises in the morning and I dumped the tanks, really exciting stuff! We spent the afternoon sunbathing, puzzling and reading. We met Dave and Louise at 4 pm at Mario’s for Happy Hour: all drinks for $2. until 6 pm and cheap appetizers which became our dinner. Gerry and Linda also came out with D&L and we had a pleasant 2 hours before it was time to say goodbye and go each our own way. We won’t be seeing Dave and Louise until at least 2 years if not before. We came home and sat outside for a while then it was time to call it a day! The wind has picked up and the sky is clouding over. The forecast is for a change by the end of the week.

APR 6, Wednesday, DHS
RAIN! YES RAIN! First rain in almost 5 months! It didn’t last long but did come down heavy. Val still went for her swim exercises and afterwards, we went to Walmart where I bought a pair of sandals and Val got some tops. We then went to Sally as Val was in need of some make-up. Then, you guessed it; we went Geo-Caching for the rest of the afternoon. We found seven along this canyon road. We had a marvellous view of the valley below and also could see where the rain was falling near Coachella and Palm Springs. We came home and had dinner then watch “Survivors”.

APR 7, Thursday, Desert Hot Spring
We woke up to strong winds! Val did go to her swim exercises though. After breakfast, we went back to Walmart to return the sandals I bought yesterday. They were really uncomfortable and my feet kept coming out of them. Afterwards, we went for lunch at a local pub then we went Geo-Caching near our campground. We got ten of them and got to see more country side. It was quite windy though, gusting at times to 35-40 miles. When we got home, the kayaks had been moved by the wind and the satellite dish was blown over. So we set everything once again then it was time for Happy Hour. The winds are so strong now that the whole trailer is shaking.

April 1 to 3, 2011; Desert Hot Springs

2011-04-03T16:56:00.004-07:00

APR 1/11, Friday, Last day in Indio; 90*F sunny
The month is starting on a very HOT note! It is already 101*F at noon, YES 101*F (40*C)! The A/C really has a hard time keeping the rig cool. Dave came over this morning and helped me installed two AC outlets; actually he did all the work as I am not that good at that stuff...electricity scares me! I then loaded the bikes and packed the truck. Val did a load of laundry and now she is at the pool with Louise. We met at the Ennis for Happy Hour and Gerry and Linda joined us. The girls decided to go out for dinner so we went to the “Cactus Grill” down on 101. It was a bit pricey but the food was excellent! We had a good time and came home and sat out with L & D and Gerry and Linda for a nightcap. 10:30 pm and it is still 86*F (28*C) outside. The A/C has been on continuously since this morning. Tomorrow we head for Desert Hot Springs, about 45 minutes from here but at a higher altitude so hopefully, a bit cooler!?

APR 2, Saturday, to Desert Hot Spring, CA;
80*F sunny with cloudy period I had a lousy sleep due to the heathence my being up by 6:30 am. I even put our standing fan in the bedroom to help cool off. After packing and saying goodbye to everyone, we got on I-10 by 10:30 am and were at Desert Pool RV Resort by 11:15. We unpacked and then went to town to get some groceries and stopped for Chinese food at the mall. We came home and put everything away. The wind really picked up in the last hour, gusting to 25 MPH. There is a partial cloud cover but it is still sunny and warm...80*F (25*C). N 33* 55.435 W 116* 26.006 Alt: 1055 ft We travelled a whole 28 miles (46Km) in 45 minutes @ an average 38MPH. A long and tiring day. :)

APR 3, Sunday, DHS;
After a very nice cool sleep (50*F overnight) and a very lazy morning, we finally showered. I took the kayaks off the truck and set up the satellite dish. In the afternoon, we went to Costco to pick up a couple items then came home and put everything away. I got a 50 oz of vodka and bourbon for $21 each. I also picked up six (6) huge and thick New-York steaks for $29. Sure can’t beat those prices at home. I also filled up the truck @ 4.25/gal; cheapest anywhere in town at Valero. Earlier, I also skyped the Kirkby’s and learned that they are in Parker with a few mutual friends; unfortunately we will miss them by the time we get there but will see them all at home. Brenda and Al are already in BC at home. Val went to the club house to work on a puzzle and I caught up with my blog. IT is quite windy right now and keeping things cool. It is 73* F right now (5 pm) but it had gone up to 80*F

March 30 to 31, 2011; Indio & Salvation Mountain

2011-03-31T19:54:00.003-07:00

MAR 30, Wednesday, Indio
It was a very warm evening and it is already 80*F at 9 am! Val went for her exercises and at 11 am the guy from “Pro-Shade” showed up and installed our new window sun screens on the back and dining room windows. They are black and keep the sun out while one still can enjoy the view from inside. It also affords extra privacy as one cannot see it through them from outside during daylight. I had a snooze in the afternoon while Val attended a show about the “Follies” then did some puzzles. At 4 pm, we went to Jackalope Ranch which was mostly a very fancy restaurant but we had heard they had cheap “Happy Hour”. Well, it turned out to be cheap IF you were rich with money! A beer was $4.50 and an order of fries with gravy was $5. So,,,, we had ONE beer and left as quickly as we could. We came home and had Happy Hour here.

MAR 31, Thursday, Drive to Slab City
Another month gone by and it is ending on a high...forecast of 96*F (33*C) for today! The four of us drove to Slab City today, a little RV community east of Niland, CA. We took Hwy 111 south to get there. We first stopped at “Fountain of Youth RV Resort” where there are mineral water swimming pools. A very nice place and I took a few pictures. Then we drove on to Niland where we had a bite to eat before heading to “Salvation Mountain” and “Slab City”. What a place! It is an area in the desert where this guy built and painted an area on the hill side that is totally dedicated to God. It was extremely colourful and nicely done. Hard to describe so I’ll ask you to check out our pictures in Picasa Folder # 75, California, to really get a feel of it. The man that built this was in the hospital when we were there but a young man was looking after the place and was very informative on the owner and the place. This place has actually been on National Geographic, Ripley’s believe or not and Discovery Channel. After this we drove on to next door where the “Slab City” is located: an old abandoned Army Base where the cement slabs are still existing and people have built themselves a place to live in their RV’s. It is totally boon-docking and there are all kinds of people living there. We saw rigs from Alberta, BC, Ontario and just about every States; an organized disorganized area, if that makes sense. After spending over an hour in the area in 105*F heat, we left to come home. We stopped for a beer in Bombay RV Park along the Salton Sea and had a beer at this really neat funky bar. Louise even left a signed dollar on the wall (see pictures). Fun we had then came home just in time for Happy Hour. We met a new neighbour, Linda and Jerry and had the pleasant surprise of Rudieger and Charlotte joining us. Val had gone over to invite them over but they weren’t home at the time so it was nice to see them. Happy Hour lasted almost three hours! R&C are leaving tomorrow so we said our goodbyes to them with promises to meet again. Now it’s time for dinner and relax with the A/C on. 7 pm and it is still 87*F ( 29*C) outside!

March 27 to 29, 2011; indio & visit with T&G

2011-03-30T08:56:00.001-07:00

MAR 27, Sunday, Surprise visitors
The wind has abated a bit but still blowing strong. I went to Lowe with Dave while the girls went for a walk with the dogs. Spent most of the day reading then around 4 pm, friends Rudieger and Charlotte showed up for Happy Hour along with L&D. We had a nice visit with them and caught up to their adventures in Mexico (San Felipe, Baja). After they left we had dinner then watched the tube.

MAR 28, Monday, Indio
Val went for her exercises first thing this morning. It is sunny again and yes, the wind is blowing but more like a breeze which is keeping things tenable. It went to 80*F (25C) today! We didn’t do much today; just sat around and read and played on the computer. I went to an RV store nearby with Dave to pick up a door hook as I broke the one on there now. Once home, I replace the door latch. We went for Happy Hour at Louise and Dave then it was dinner time. Pleasant evening, we sat out for a while.

MAR 29, Tuesday, to Desert Hot Spring
After Val’s exercises and showers, we went to visit Glenda and Terry in Desert Hot Springs. There was an accident on the road again and the traffic was backed up for almost 5 miles. We finally made it to our turn off and headed to Sands RV & Golf Resort. We played a nine holes golf game in which Val did very well and mine wasn’t bad but not great either. It was really hot but a cloud came over and covered the sun from time to time and we had a breeze of sort. Anyway, we still had a good time and went over to G&T’s place afterwards where we had a nice COLD beer to refresh ourselves. We chattered for a while and Glenda made these very delicious toasted cut bread with bruschetta sauce and fresh veggies with a dip. Glenda had cooked a Pork Roast which we had for dinner along with sweet potatoes, apple sauce, a salad and buns. It was delicious and we had it outside as it was still very warm. We visited some more after dinner but unfortunately time to come home came too soon. We said our goodbyes and came back to Indio. It was still so warm that we sat outside for a while more.

March 21 to 26/11; Family visit in Indio, CA

2011-03-26T23:08:00.002-07:00

MAR 21, Monday, Indio
It was a windy night and still is this morning but the sun is showing its brilliant face! It is nice to have hook-ups again and Internet! Val for exercises first thing this morning and I downloaded new caches near here from geocache.com. After showering, we went to do the laundry at a laundry-mat a few blocks from here which was cheaper than here in the park. While she was doing that, I went to fill our propane tank then once those chores were done, we headed for the mall north of here to get some groceries and then made a stop at Target so I could buy new slipper and pyjama bottom. The afternoon turned quite cold and overcast; even got a few drops on our heads. We came home and put everything away then it was time for dinner. By the way, I forgot to mention that we encountered old friends we met in Pahrump last year and did some back-country four wheeling with, Jim and Janette but unfortunately they are leaving day after tomorrow. Rochelle called to say they were coming over after dinner so we had dinner, washed the dishes and just in time for Rochelle and Hayley to show up. We had a nice evening, showed some pictures, chatted and too soon, it was time to drive them back.
A very good day indeed!

MAR 22, Tuesday, Indio
We have blue sky today and warmer. I called AOR and made reservations for our resort in Desert Hot Spring for 7 nights starting Apr 2.
I spend the day fixing my scissor leg outside as it was damaged when I hit a piece of tire on the highway, then I fixed the coat hook that had come off. Fixing the leg cost me $10 which was pretty cheap. The girls are sun tanning at the pool so we are picking them up at 4:30pm. We took them to Red Robins, Hayley’s favourite, and then came to our place and we bored them with our pictures. Hihihihihihihi!

MAR 23, Wednesday; Indio
An early rise to a windy morning but it did calm down later in the day. We kept around here most of the day. This guy from “Pro-Shop” was in the park; I got an estimate and confirmed an order to have a black sun-screen installed on our dining room and back windows. We picked up Rochelle and Hayley at 4 pm and took them out for dinner but first, we found and showed them two Geo-Caches. I am not sure if Hayley was impressed or not...it’s so hard to read her!!!
We took them to the Cheese Factory (Hayley’s choice) in Rancho Mirage which is about 12 miles from here on the way to Palm Springs. We had a very nice time and celebrated Hayley’s 17th birthday (actually officially tomorrow)! She is such a beautiful young woman! The restaurant was very nice and our waitress superb! Prices were quite reasonable too. Afterwards, we walked the outside mall and Hayley bought her birthday present from us. It was nice taking her out again. Before our RV Life we used to take the girls on their birthday for dinner and shopping for their present and it was always so much fun. I missed it!
We came to our place for a nightcap then I drove them back to their Resort/hotel.

MAR 24, Thursday, Kids leaving; Happy Birthday to Hayley!
Rochelle and Hayley are flying back today so I got up early and drove to the airport. There was a major accident on I-10 and I was lucky to get caught in the early stage but Rochelle’s mom and Gord were a bit behind and were late arriving at the airport making it a rush for Rochelle and Hayley to check in their luggage and board the plane but they made it and left on time at 11 am. I came back home to find all our furniture outside; the carpets were cleaned this morning and Val had an appointment with his wife for a haircut. In the afternoon we went Geo-Caching and found the rest of the caches I had downloaded. Louise and Dave arrived today and are at site 187. When we came home, they came over for a quick visit then it was dinner time.

MAR 25, Friday, IndioA sunny and relaxing day! I called Glenda and Terry to make a golfing date next Tuesday then our club to set up reservations for Apr 10 to 15th in Ehrenberg, AZ. We went Geo-Caching in the afternoon and I filled up the truck @ $4.15. For the first time, I’ve hit $100 to fill the truck!!! Happy Hour with Louise and Dave then dinner, it was not pleasant BBQ’ing in the wind. The wind really picked up in the evening.

MAR 26, Saturday, College of the DesertThe wind blew all day, gusting to 35 MPH at times and rocking big Bear! We went to get some groceries then came home and read all day and/or watch TV. We were supposed to go out with Doreen and Gord but she was sick so it was cancelled; just as well because the College of the Desert was cancelled too due to high winds. It is now 10 pm and still blowing hard. What a day!

March 17 to 20, 2011; Imperial Dam to Indio, California

2011-03-21T08:26:00.001-07:00

MAR 17, Thursday; Imperial Dam
The sky is overcast this morning, high clouds but no rain in the forecast. It is 67*F (17*C) already at 8 am. We had a light wind all day which kept things cool.
Last night, Val saw and fed three burrows that were walking by our site. She said they were really cute and friendly; I guess so...carrots! Unfortunately, she didn’t take any pictures.
We went for a drive to the Army Base and looked around then had a hamburger and beer at their bowling alley and theatre building. It was good and cheap! We had our laptops with us so we all checked our e-mail and banking and I brought our blog to date. From here, we went to the museum but it was closed (after 4 pm) so we drove back, found a couple caches and stopped at the RV Resort to check their golf course...$4 for 9 holes and it is a very nice course.
Once home, Val and I went for a kayak ride for about an hour on Senator Wash/Lake which is the one we are staying on; then upon our return, we had happy hour which lasted until 10 pm. Our neighbour, Frank, joined us.

MAR 18, Friday; Imperial Dam
Our water is getting low so I think I will have to get some tomorrow. I had the generator on for about an hour to re-charge the batteries and let Val curl her hair after we went for a shower. We spent the morning reading and Val & Charlene went for their exercises at 9 am. In the afternoon, C&L went to check a few things and we did some geo-caching then we went to the Army Base to get some gas for the generator and see the museum. It was very interesting and well done...Yuma Proving Ground is a testing area for all of the Army’s weapons, and vehicles. It reminded me of my dad’s work as he used to do the same back in Quebec for the Federal Government.
At 4, we met L&C for a golf game at the HIDDEN VALLEY RV RESORT which cost us a whole $8 for both of us for nine holes. We had a good time then came home only to find some young people had set up camp nearby with Sea-Doo, loud bikes and it looks like they are here for the week-end. One of them even set up his/her tent in the middle of the roadway. Thank goodness it’s a wide driveway.
After a delicious dinner cooked by Val, we had a propane fire outside as we ran out of fire wood. We sat out until about 9 pm then called it quit. It has been a very nice week and it has come to an end. Tomorrow we pack and the next day we leave this area for good or at least for this year! The weather has been cooperating but it has been cooler today due to the wind which is OK by me! There has been a haze in the air which is like smoke or sand storm!?

MAR 19, Saturday; last day in Imperial Dam
The wind blew all night; now it has calm down a bit but not much. At least the sun is shining through the haze which is still in the air. I had to get some drinking water from above and siphoned it in our tank as we were out. We spent the morning reading and relaxing!
In the afternoon, I washed and stored all our toys and equipment then I took Tucker for a walk. It was windy most of the day so in the afternoon we played “Sequence” with the Kirkby’s. We let the girls win to keep peace.
For dinner we went out to the RV Park at their restaurant and had dinner there. It was very good and best of all, it was cheap. On the way home, we came across 3 burrows on the road so I took a couple pictures of them. It is now 8 pm and we are home and reading.

MAR 20, Sunday; to Indio, California
We got up at 7:30 and after a nice hot coffee, we went over to the shower rooms and had a vigorating warm/hot shower. Then, it was packing the last of the things still out, hooked up “Bear” to the “Beast”, said our goodbyes to the Kirkby’s then headed to the top of the hill to dump the tanks.
We left around 10:10 am and got on Imperial road west, Hwy 28 to I-8 and west to Hwy 111 North. We made one stop in El Centro for coffee, a bite to eat and fuel @ $4.29 then continued to Indio where we arrived at Indian Wells RV Resort, a WHR Resort. We booked in and are now at site 253 in the parking lot; figure of speech as it is quite nice and there is full hook-up except sewer which is dumped by the “honey wagon” three times a week for free and there are cement pads but gravel instead of grass. There was no room in the grassy area.
I called my daughter, Rochelle, and made arrangement with her to meet here. They, Rochelle, grand-daughter Hayley, Doreen (Rochelle’s mom) and her husband Gord showed up around 5:30 pm and we had a warm reunion and a Happy Hour then Rochelle, Hayley and we went for dinner at Red Robin, Hayley’s favourite. Afterwards, we drove them back to their place at World Mark Resort, a Time-Share resort and they gave us the grand tour. We had a nightcap then it was home after a wonderful day. AND...for the first time in 4 months, we had a light drizzle falling on us; the wind has picked up some too! Oh, and in my excitement of seeing my kids, I forgot to take pictures.

N 33* 42.415
W 116* 12.806
Alt: minus 14 feet

We travelled 166 miles (268Km) @ an average of 48MPH in 3.5 hours. We stopped for an hour.

March 13 to 16, 2011; Welton AZ to Imperial Dam, CA

2011-03-17T14:42:00.001-07:00

MAR 13, Sunday, Laundry and more Geo-caches, Welton, AZ
We went into town to the Laundromat as we won’t have a chance for that while at Imperial Dam, I don’t think!? After laundry, we went for lunch at a nearby restaurant that had attracted our attention. From here, we went to find our last 5 caches in this area then picked up some groceries at the local grocery store. We dropped everything at home, put it away then went to Ed and Judy’s place for Happy Hour. They are in a park about 2 minutes from here. We can actually their park from our site. Now it’s time for dinner then a relaxing evening.

MAR 14, Monday, stop in Yuma then onward to Imperial Dam, California
We left Welton at 9:30 am, and drove to Flying J Travel Centre in Yuma. I fuelled there at $3.87/gal then we went for breakfast. I called the technician to ensure he was still coming for 11 am. He showed up at 11:30 and proceeded to check the toilet. Low and behold if the blooming thing didn’t work just fine. We tried a few times and it worked fine so after paying $20 for his trouble, we went on Hwy 95 to the turn off for Imperial Dam. We drove through the Army Proving grounds to get there and stopped at the exhibits they had beside the road. We drove past the Army Base and finally arrived at our destination near a lake, on the California side, where we met the Kirkby’s and had a great reunion. We parked, set up and enjoyed a hot but beautiful afternoon. Kids nearby borrowed our kayaks and went to play on the lake. We caught up to all the news then it was time for dinner, cooked outside, and tried out my new table too! In the evening we had a fire and had visitors in the form of wild burrows, on the hill side. We used a flashlight to watch them. We are here for a week!

We travelled 42 miles (67 Km) at an average 33MPH in one hour and 16 minutes and were stopped for a total of 2 hours.
N 32* 54.196
W 114* 29.574
Alt: 240 ft

MAR 15, Imperial Dam
This has to be the hottest day yet!? We could barely stand being in the sun; thank goodness there was a slight breeze and didn’t really help a lot but was still welcome. After cooking breakfast (me) for both of us, we lazed around for a while then it was time to go the “gravel pit” where there was an organized pot-luck lunch. We decided to go at the last minute and brought a noodle salad. It was a feast and the main thing was sauerkraut and sausage. It was delicious and lots of dessert too.
In the afternoon, Lynden and I went back to the “tank display” near Hwy 95 where we finally got a signal on our phones. He called his son Trenton and I called our mail service to have our mail forwarded and then Rochelle to see how to get a hold of her only to find out she is already in Palm Springs so we will see them next week.
We came back home to Happy Hour, everyone went for a soak except me (chicken) and Val decided to go for a paddle in the kayak then it was time for dinner and a fire afterwards. Our neighbours Frank and Lyn joined us and so did two others whose names escape me right now.

MAR 16, Imperial Dam
Val and Charlene went on the quad to the “gravel pit” where they were doing aerobics. They were gone for an hour. I had a shower and shave then brought the blog to date. The new generator is coming in pretty handy and is operating smoothly. We have it on for about an hour each day. Today was another hot but windy day. C&L went to Bart, a small village nearby to find a Post Office and we went exploring the area and found 4 Geo-Caches. We came home, had Happy Hour then dinner. We sat out in the evening but no fire tonight. The water level has come up quite a bit in the past three days and now the water is about 10 feet away from the trailer and is covering our fire pit

March 10 to 12, 2011; Casa Grande to Welton, AZ

2011-03-13T08:19:00.001-07:00

MAR 10, Thursday, last day in Casa Grande
Another hot and dry day! I picked up my mud flap bar from the welder. Val defrosted the fridge and I organized the cupboards and fixed two chairs which bottom had fallen off. Val spoke to her daughter on Skype and saw her new grand-daughter...really cute; now Val is very happy and floating on cloud nine. We went out to find the last two geo-caches then fuelled the truck @ 3.77/gal at Fry’s. We stopped at the bank then at a local bar for a beer then home. It is HOT! 93*F, crazy! Tomorrow we leave for Welton, Arizona...getting closer to California! The Mourning Doves have sure been active and noisy around here, we even have one nesting on the roof; he’s in for big surprise tomorrow!

MAR 11, Friday, to Welton, AZ
First thing I did was pick up my mud flaps bar which had to be re-welded. After packing, we left at 10 am for Welton, AZ. Took hwy 84 west then I-8. We made one stop for lunch on the hwy and arrived in Welton around 1:15 pm. It is HOT here. 85*F (24*C), very dry! We are in M&M RV Park; we paid half price due to our memberships. We are here for the week-end only, leaving Monday for Yuma to get the toilet fixed. After a few phone calls, I found someone who can do it Monday morning. We have the A/C on and Val is out doing a puzzle in the club house. We also called Jack and Mim in Yuma and we went to Ed & Judy for happy hour, they are only a mile away from us. We had a nice visit for about 2 hours then came home, had dinner, talked to Louise and Dave on Skype then it was relax time.

N 32* 40.187
W 114* 08.962
Alt: 243 Ft

We travelled 148 miles (238Km) in 2hrs, 45 minutes, driving time, @ an average speed of 53 MPH. We stopped for a half hour lunch break.

MAR 12, Saturday, Welton and Yuma
Another hot day! We went Geo-Caching in the morning until noon and found 6 caches. We stopped at a local pub and had a snack and beer then came home to pick up Tucker; we went to Yuma and stopped at Fry’s only to run into Jack & Mim and Ed & Judy. I bought some wine and beer then we went to the Flea Market where I bought a small table for the BBQ. At 4 pm, we drove to Jack & Mim’s place and had happy hour with them and Ed & Judy. It was really nice to see the gang from home. We had a good time but like all good things, it had to come to an end and we drove home, about a 20 minutes drive. Good day overall!

March 6 to 9, 2011; Casa Grande, AZ

2011-03-09T23:17:00.001-08:00

MAR 6, Sunday, Casa Grande AZ
10 AM and it is 72*F (21*C) already! The sun is shining but there is also a thin layer of clouds blocking the sun form time to time. Val did laundry this morning and then we went shopping in town. After buying groceries at Fry’s, we went to BIG 5 Sporting store where I bought a needed pair of running shoes. From there it was Walmart where I got a seat for my bike and a horn for Val’s; we also picked up a couple movies for tonight. We stopped for fuel at Fry’s for 3.77/gal, stopped at Jiffy\s Lube to get an oil & lube change then came home, put the groceries away and had a drink. We phone our friends and neighbours, Bob and Gail and made arrangement to see them tomorrow.

MAR 7, Monday, Casa Grande; clouds & strong winds but warm
We were to go to Phoenix today but cancelled due to high winds and sand in the air. Val went for the “walk the pounds” exercise this morning and I fixed the cupboard door which hinge had come undone; I fixed my bike seat and installed the bell on Val’s bike. I also changed the air and fuel filter on the truck
We went to Walmart to return a couple items then went geo-caching for the rest of the afternoon. We found 6 of them!

MAR 8, Tuesday, Phoenix; Sunny & warm
After Val had her exercises and shower, we drove to Phoenix to Costco, Camping World and Walmart. We then headed to Bob and Gail in Mesa for a visit and dinner. We had a very nice visit and came home around 8:30 pm.

MAR 9, Wednesday, Casa Grande
This was a hot day! I took my back mud flap bar to the welder as it has a crack and is ready to break. In the afternoon, we went geo-caching for a couple hours then it was pub time to wash all that dust from the desert. We also went to the movie place to return the movies we had rented and then to Fry’s to pick up milk. Came home and had a drink before dinner.

March 3 to 5, 2011; Tubac to Casa Grande, AZ

2011-03-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

MAR 3, Thursday, Tubac; sunny and warm
I got up this morning to find the toilet bowl overflowing! It even got the carpet on the stairs wet. I cleaned it and check the valve but all seemed OK. Now the water barely comes out when flushing the toilet so will have to get a new valve I think.
We left around 11 am for Tubac but first, we had to pick up two geo-caches. We eventually made it to the Info Centre and got some pamphlets then went to the “Presidio”, the original site of Tubac. Tubac was first populated by Piman Indians. In 1691, Jesuit Francisco Kino came to the area and built a mission. Colonist (Spanish and Mexican) began settling the area but the Apache gave them a run for their money and the area was abandoned a couple times over the next century. Tubac was the first European settlement in Western North America and played a major role in the Anza Trail to what was to become San Francisco, California. Now Tubac is a tourist attraction and full of art and craft shops. There is a trail nearby which goes from the Mission to Tubac, a four miles walk. We had lunch at the “Old Tubac Inn” then walked the village with all its shops (very expensive by the way). At the end of the day, we went to find two more caches, stopped at this neat place with a huge bed, took a couple pictures, stopped at a side road pub then came home.
We had a quick Happy Hour then it was dinner time and relax evening catching up to all the pictures and the blog.

MAR 4, Friday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY VAL!
The day began with a drive to the Tumacacori Mission, a National historical Park. We were in time for the guided tour of the Mission dating back to the late 1600’s. It was built first by the Jesuit and finally partially completed by the Franciscans in 1828 when they were forced to leave due to the area sold to the US. The history in this region is quite vivid with Apache war.
Dave and Louise had to go back to get new shoes so we walked the Anza Trail to Tubac, a 4.5 miles hike. It took us two hours and we met D&L at the pub where I downed two beers quickly to quench my thirst. Then it was time to find a cache in the old cemetery. IT consisted of finding 8 grave stone and figure out a puzzle. Then the resulting coordinate take you to the actual cache. We completed it but unfortunately we ended up with the wrong numbers and didn’t have time to redo it. We did find one that we couldn’t find yesterday though
At 6 pm, Dave and Louise took us to a local restaurant and we had a marvellous dinner at their expense to celebrate Val and my birthday and to thank us for the last 3 months in Mexico. Live music was being played and we had a lot of laughs reminiscing over the last months. We came home and had a nightcap at their place then it was time to say goodnight.
Tomorrow, we separate and go each our way but will meet again in Indio California

MAR 5, Saturday, MY BIRTHDAY! And to Casa Grande, Arizona
We got up around 8 am to sunny warm and forecast of 77 to 82*F! We said our final goodbyes to Dave and Louise then we began our own packing. We left at 10 am and stopped at Camping World to get the toilet fix but no service on Saturday. I consoled myself by buying a couple items. We went to Denny’s for a quick bite to eat. I got a surprise call from our neighbours back at home who are presently in Mesa so we will try to see them before we move on. We then got on I-10 and drove to Casa Grande. We arrived here at 2:30pm, booked in under AOR and set up at site 109. It’s warm out there and we are content! Oh, and we got all our mail and the new GPS so now I have a few magazines to read and all the paper work for my income tax on line. We got a call from our friends Louise and Ron whom we had met in the Baja a couple years back. They are in southern California and just came out of Mexico where they spent a few months in the Baja.

N 32* 55.270
W 111* 45.222
Alt 1386

We travelled 115 miles (185 Km) in 2 hrs and 20 minutes at an average speed of 49 MPH and were stopped for 2 hours.

MArch 1/2, 2011; San Carlos, Mexico to Tubac, Arizona

2011-03-02T21:34:00.001-08:00

MAR 1, Tuesday, Last day in San Carlos, Mexico
What a busy day! It began with Val going to Tai-Chi and me showering early then going out to put the rest of the stuff away. We had the rig washed and then went for lunch at El Cheque for a hot dog. While there, we got a call from the dentist for an appointment at 1 pm so drove directly there. Val got her new plate then it was driving back to San Carlos to fuel and put air in the tires and air bags then home to move the “bear” on the street. Once that was done, we un-hooked and drove to Peter and Marg’s place for a beer and a visit. We left around 5:45 pm and drove back to Totonaka to meet the rest of the gang for dinner. Craig and Cathy were there to meet us and the 8 of us walked to “Los Aboritos” to have dinner. It was a great time and we had fun. We were there until 9 pm then came home and met at Dave and Louise house for a nightcap. Val and I went over to Bill, Roger and Mike to say our goodbyes then we joined Dave& Louise, Joyce & Bill for a final nightcap. We got home at 10:30pm!

MAR 2, Wednesday; to Tubac, Arizona, USA
A sunny day and very warm! I was up at 6:30 and put the coffee on then shower and got dress. Val was up at 7 am. We were on the road by 8:15 after saying goodbye to Joyce and Bill. We headed north on hwy 15, through Hermosillo around 11 am and stopped in Benny’s Hill for fuel and lunch. We continued north to Km 21 where we turned in our truck permit and tourist card. I kept the trailer permit as it is good for ten years and we are coming back down next fall.
At the US border, it took us an hour to cross but had no hassles with the mandatory checks. We were in the US by 2 pm! We stopped at Walmart and got necessary groceries. From here, it was an easy drive on I-19 to Amado(just north of Tubac) where our RV Park was located. We paid $87 for 3 nights. We set up, had a drink with Louise and Dave then it was home for dinner and a relaxing evening from a long day of driving. It is still very warm at 10 pm!

We drove 284 miles (465 Km) in 9 hrs and 30 minutes @ an average speed of 47 MPH. We were stopped for 3 hrs and 15 minutes (Lunch, Km 21 and Border crossing). We fuelled in Benny’s Hill and Km 21 @ $0.90/litre.

N 31* 42.230
W 111* 03.760
Elev: 3079 feet

February 27 & 28, 2011; last days in San Carlos

2011-02-28T19:40:00.001-08:00

FEB 27, Sunday, SC
We got up to clouds and a light wind this morning. We figure it’s the edge of the storm going through Tucson, north of here. We went to visit friends, Glenda and Wayne, who are renting a house here in San Carlos. Val got a bunch of sea shells from them. We were there for over an hour visiting then we went for breakfast at “Evies”. After a good breakfast, we went to find some other friends from Alberta, Marg and Peter but couldn’t find them so came home. It is very windy right now but still warm when the sun shines through the clouds.
Around 3 pm, we went to the Lot to say our goodbyes to Steve and Linda. Cathy and Linda had left for the beach so after a short visit with Steve who was still in packing mode, we said goodbye and came back to our place. Cathy and Linda stopped by after their walk and visited with all of us for a while then it was time to say goodbye. Hugs and kisses were exchange and too soon, they were gone.
We had happy hour at D&L then dinner which consisted of BBQ steak, shrimp, Greek salad and buns. Couldn’t ask for better! We watched the Oscars after dinner.

FEB 28, Monday, San Carlos
We got up at 5:30 am and walked to the main road for 6:50 to say our “Canadian Goodbyes” to Steve and Linda but unfortunately, after waiting until 7:15, we admitted that they had already gone by so came back to a warm house. At least we got to see the sun rise, that’s something!
Another month gone by, WOW! Time sure flies when you are having fun. I got more time on my phone to ensure we get the call from our dentist for Val.
Later in the morning, the four of us went to JJ’s, a local eatery and had tacos and other dish, then it was off to Soggy Pesos where I went to find my last cache here in San Carlos. It was situated on an Island which we could access at low tide. The wind was quite strong and cool. We got back to our sites and started packing and getting ready to have our rigs wash tomorrow.
At Happy Hour, Joyce and Bill and Randy and Shirley came over to join us and we had one of our last Happy Hour. The funny thing is that it was really cold (from what we are used to) and were sitting out there with blankets and jackets and having fun. Finally it was time to come in and have dinner.

February 24 to 26, 2011; San Carlos, Mexico

2011-02-27T08:42:00.000-08:00

FEB 24, Thursday, San Carlos
Another warm but windy day! We went to the “Lot” in the afternoon for a Cathy’s birthday party and a joined lunch. We arrived around 2 pm, sat outside behind a bamboo blind to protect everyone from the wind and proceeded to chat, eat and drink (not necessarily in that order). Linda got a birthday cake for Cathy and she had to blow a “big” candle then we shared the cake. We eventually had to depart and arrived home around 4:30 pm. The girls went to Sagittarius, where an art show was happening. Val’s Tai-Chi teacher had some of her art there so she wanted to show support by making an appearance.

FEB 25, Friday, Tucker’s haircut
A very hot day today...went up to 85*F (23*C). Val and Joyce went to the book exchange store and came back with a few books then we went to Evie to get more coffee grounds. At noon, we took Tucker for his haircut and I went for one at Maru so now we are all ready to return to the States side. In the afternoon, we read and Val made a salad for our get together later this afternoon with Garry and Virginia.
It is now 9:30 pm and we just got home from Virginia and Garry in the Ranchitos. We got there around 4:30, Louise & Dave, Joyce & Bill and us. We sat around for a while and had a few drinks and spiced shrimp made by Louise and smoked tuna on cracker and cream. Garry cooked the ribs and we had dinner around 6:30 which consisted of Spare Ribs cooked to perfection, Mexican beans which Garry had made from scratch, a broccoli salad from Val and corn bread made by Joyce. It was all delicious! Wine was served freely then after dinner it was desert consisting of ice cream, whipped cream and wafer cookies followed by a shot of Mexican brandy. We had many good laughs, reminisced over the first time we met and talked about the future. Then, too soon, it was time to call it quit and after saying our goodbyes, came home.

FEB 26, Saturday, SC
Today was final chore day; laundry, truck washed in & out, clean house. We leave for the U.S. in 3 days. I met Cathy at “the Edge” as I having a burger and cerveza while waiting for a space to get the truck in for a wash then as I was leaving, I met Linda, Steve and Craig at “El Cheque” so had to stop for the mandatory hot dog. The afternoon was spent relaxing and reading. For dinner, the six of us (D&L, us and Joyce and Bill) went to the Italian restaurant just outside of our gate and had a very good Italian dinner. Dave and I had the spaghetti and meat balls while the others tried different dish. We had a good time and sat out on the patio. The place filled quite quickly; it has become a popular place. We watched the fog rolled in (first time since we arrived) and decided to call it quit as it was quite cold when walking home.

February 19 to 23, 2011; San Carlos and dental work

2011-02-24T06:59:00.002-08:00

FEB 19, Saturday, SC
We got a call from the Holder’s about joining them at Santa Rosa for breakfast so we asked the Ennis if they wanted to come along which they did. We had a very nice breakfast then came home and showered. The four of us went for ice cream, just down the road then Louise and Val took the dogs to the beach. We joined Randy and Shirley for Happy Hour, our neighbour, then after dinner we had a fire and Joyce and Bill, Graham and Jean joined in.
I forgot to mention yesterday that my converter arrived with George who is on his way to Mazatlan. Mike and Roger helped me put it in and after testing it; it worked fine so now I don’t need to hook up the battery charger every time we are stopped. It’s an Intelli-Power 9200C, 60 amps with a wizard to maintain the batteries. I had ordered it on line and had it sent to George’s place in Oregon as he was coming down.

FEB 20, Sunday, SC
We left around 11 am for Nacapule Canyon, north of here. We drove by the Ranchitos then up this dirt road to the Canyon. They have done a lot of work around the entrance to the Canyon; there are now two bathrooms under construction and 4 Palapa to park and have a picnic under.
We parked out and walked into the canyon. It consisted of a dry river bed full of pebble, gravel and assorted rocks size. We slowly climbed to the first oasis and found that a few Palm trees had been blown over from the hurricane of 2009. Big rocks from the mountain walls had also felt down diverting the trail. At this point, the canyon splits in two; we headed for the one on the right and climbed over big boulders and followed the trail. We got to a point where there was a cave. During our previous visit here, this cave had an exit to the upper part of the canyon but now was blocked so we turned around. When we came outside, about 5 Mexicans youths met us and one of them spoke English and showed us the new passage which consisted of climbing over a couple boulders, go through a small tunnel and emerge on the top. Louise didn’t feel agile enough to do that and Dave definitely not so we watched the boys go up and disappear on the upper trail. We headed back to the truck. We took a few pictures which are posted on the Picasa Website. We had a beer when back at the truck then drove to Soggy Pesos for lunch. The wind was blowing quite strongly and the sand was been blown around so we went back to town and stopped at “The Capitane” restaurant/bar and had lunch there. Cathy joined us which was a nice surprise. We went home, had Happy Hour then called it quit for the evening. I ordered a new Delorme GPS to replace the one I lost in Mazatlan.

FEB 21, Monday, SC
Val went for her Tai Chi in the morning and I read then dumped, very exciting stuff! I made a couple calls, one to reserve a spot at Casa Grande, one to have our mail delivered at Casa Grande. In the afternoon, the two of us went to Guaymas to do some shopping then came home in time for happy hour. Another cool day, warm in the sun but the wind is very cold

FEB 22, Tuesday, SC
The big event today was a Park get-together put in place by Joe, the owner of Totonaka. Pretty well everyone showed up and each brought a snack and Joe provided all the margaritas and beer. We were planning on going for only a half hour and stayed for almost 2 hours. There was so much food that we forfeited supper. Linda from the Lot came for a bit and so did Fred and his wife (they were here before and bought a place in the Ranchitos). We met Joe’s wife and his 2 years old son.
Later in the early evening, our lane met on the road with two propane fire pit and we continued the camaderie and socializing. There was at one point 18 people present. This has been a good group to be around...very friendly!

FEB 23, Wednesday, dentist visit in Guaymas
We were at the dentist by 11 am. but he didn’t show up until 11:30 am...typical! Anyway, we had our teeth cleaned and some repair done for 1000 pesos ($95cdn) and we have to come back Saturday for Val to get some adjustment. We were there for 2.5 hrs including the waiting time.
We came back to San Carlos and stopped at El Cheque for a hot dog and pop ( so much for clean teeth), then it was home for some relaxing time before Happy Hour. We had dinner with the Ennis’; she served Shepperd Pie, a French Canadian dish made of mash potatoes, corn and lean beef, green beans on the side and fresh bread cooked and bought this morning. This is a dish I like making from time to time and I make it a bit different than hers. I won't get into which is better (SMILE). We had a nice evening until Dave had to watch CSI at 9 so that was our clue to come home. Good day again in Paradise although it was windy today and quite cool!
Uploaded new pictures in last folder