December 26 to 31, 2011; End of another year

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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