Monday, June 30, 2008

Tucson #2 06/29/08




Hi everyone,it's me again.


we decided to stay in Tucson one more day so I could do laundry and clean the mohome. Well I got half the stuff done.We do have clean clothes, which were badly needed.


Well maybe i swept the floor and cooked dinner. I'm doing really good. we've been out for 2weeks and I've cooked 2 meals.Boy is that tough.


It was a pretty quite day. The boys swam and worked out at the gym.This is one of those fancy spancy RV parks.They have it all,spas pools Laundromat,store massage and almost 3000 RV spaces.


The hi lite of the day was a thunder and lighting storm that started just after dinner.The boys were trying to take picts.of the lighting. They weren't having much luck and D was getting very frustrated ,so he started using the video part of the camera.The picts .were pretty good.They actually got some good shots.


That's about it for now.


Take care and I'll write soon.




Jan

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Tucson 6/28/08







It's us again,



I'm coming to you from some were in Tucson Az. I think we're on the eastern side. We've been all over this town at least 3times.That's in one day. Just imagine what I could do in a week.Actually it's a pretty nice town. We started out at San Xariers Mission.It's really a beautiful place.5yrs. ago the were restoring the front entrance.They finished that and have moved on to the next section.The detail in their work is amazing.
When we were leaving the mission some of the tribe sell INDIAN FRY BREAD in the parking lot. They are not a rich tribe. No casino to help them out.Besides D and I love fry bread. I was even able to get B to try some. He liked it.amazing.
Next I wanted to find Old Tucson.This is were they shot alot of the old western movies.John Wayne is the only one I can think of[Chemo brain you know]rite now.By the time I found it and we got to the entrance it was after 2pm. there off season hrs.they close at 4pm.It takes half a day to see all the stuff in there.We decided to make it another day.
From there I started looking for the Air museum at Davis-Mon??? Air Force Base. We made it with time to spare.The boys were very impressed with all the planes stuff.The boys went on a flight simulator. I was very impressed that neither boy got sick.[I would have]
From there we started looking for a place to pull in for the night.I thought there might be an RV park somewhere near Kartchner Caverns, so I headed that way.We passed em all. Found nothing without going back toward Tucson.Hooray, we found one.Great place.It has 2000 sites and rooms.Of course I can't find the bathroom or any thing else for that matter. The boys love it. There's 3 pools 3 hot tubs and girls. These are the things We look for in camp grounds.Today is a big day. I have to do laundry.At the rate we go through clothes I may be here forever.I'll try to get it done early so we can get out to the Caverns before noon.I also want to take them to Tombstone today, so we can move on Tomorrow.
The boys have been on a hunt ever since we hit the desert for Rattlesnakes,any lizards and anything that crawls. they've found afew.But last nite they brought back a cutey. A spotted Geigo.He was really cute. Of course I made them turn it loose,so were did they put it? on the window screen of the mohome so they could watch it.
At least it was a little cooler last nite. Nice breeze. I guess they had some rain here a couple days ago,but we haven't seen any.
Well that's about all for now. Take care.

Jan

Friday, June 27, 2008

Organ Pipe National Monument 6/27/08




hi all,


Here we go again.We finally got to the Organ Pipe Cactus Park. It was as beautiful as I remembered.The Saguaro cactus were in bloom, they all looked like they had little hats or crowns on their heads.It was cool.It was sooo worth the trip and heat just to hear the boys. I think they were duly impressed.


We left the park and headed for Tucson via Casa Grande.I thought I'd try the Garmin again. I think that was my first mistake.We stopped at Why for gas and headed out. I had planned to take Indian Rd.#15 to I 10.This was my idea from the maps.But my Garmin had other ideas. It said to take Indian rd.#7. I decided to take #7 thinking it might be shorter.It was not shorter and the Border Patrol seems to frown on 3 people in a motorhome with Ca.plates being on the Indian Reservation.He followed us for about a mile before he turned on his lights.Some how I knew nothing good could come from my Garmin.Actually the officer was very nice ,very polite and really cute.Some stuff is just ALRIGHT!!


After he took Ds' and my drivers licenses back to his car to check them,he brought them back and was very helpful in getting us going the right direction. He even posed for a pict. with the boys.I haven't checked yet but D thinks B might have accidentally erased it.we'll see in a few min.


The rest of the trip to Casa Grande was pretty uneventful. Lots of pretty scenery and stuff.


i think that's about all for tonight.


Take care.




Jan


PS Our Border Patrol pict. is gone.Oh well shit happens. And he was sooo cute tooo

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Gila Bend 6/26/08




Hi everyone,


We're starting to make alittle progress.we made it all the way to Gila Bend today.We did make one slight detour. i saw a sign for the Wildlife Woodland Zoo when we were just about to take I-10 to our next road. I asked the boys if they wanted to go to a zoo in AZ. B hollers YEAH!!, so we went. It was a very nice zoo. Not huge but more then respectable.The grounds were clean the animals looked cared for and the people were very nice and helpful. Our only complaint was IT WAS VERY ,VERY HOT.We really enjoyed the day.Both boys found lots of Peacock feathers.


After the zoo we got back on the road for Gila Bend.We got here around 1:30pm. Decided it was lunch time, so we stopped at a Dairy Queen. Had a GREAT lunch AND alittle dessert.ICE CREAM. I haven't had ICE CREAM in months.D was saying he was too full .So I told him Pappas theory on ice cream.[If you've eaten all your meal ,Ice cream doesn't count as dessert because it just melts and fills in all the holes].So we all had ICE CREAM.


We went to the only RV camp ground in Gila Bend and we're here for the nite. We plan on leaving early for Organ Pipe Park. Then Tuscon.


The boys are out terrorizing the local lizards,snakes and bugs. They[the boys] should be back any min. It's almost dark.We are now down to taking picts.of rattle snakes instead of taking their rattles and eating the meat. It's amazing what the threat of bodily harm can do.




I'll talk to you more another day




Jan

Wickenburg,AZ 6/26/08







Hi all,
We're not in Las Vegas any more. We left Vegas at around 9 am. yesterday and went to Hoover Dam. By 10:30 am. the temp was already at 98. We had to park almost a mile away and we couldn't find a shuttle. Soo we just looked at the dam from waayyy up high and took off. Both boys and I were disappointed but we sort of made up for it later. When we got into AZ we stopped at Willow Creek Campground and boat launch. We had lunch there. The boys fed the ducks and waded in the river. It really was beautiful there. Not quite up to Hoover Dam standards but close.
Next we found a camp ground called Burro Creek. This was about a mile off of Highway 93 in AZ. It would have been great except it was about a 100 ft. above the water and straight down. Oh well, we decided to go on. A couple hrs. later we found a horse camp in Wickenburg, AZ. PERFECT for my boys. They were off looking for snakes, lizards, toads and bugs. They found a snake skin and a railroad trestle. They also could have found wild pigs. I would really rather they didn't.
It was sooooo nice to wake up this morning and have it cooler then when we went to bed. It's actually nice outside.
I hope to make it to Gila Bend this afternoon. Then on to Organ Pipe Park on Fri.
Well, you all have a good day and I'll try to write some tomorrow.
Jan

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

What Happens in Vegas


All of us at our best










Hi, it's me,
I'm learning that what happens here may not stay here, but it sure moves slow getting out of town. We came to Vegas to get the generator fixed, and it's taken us 3 days to get 'er done.WE ARE LEAVING IN THE MORNING!!! [I hope]

During our time here both boys have met some great people. First there's Tony from Penn. Very nice young [40ish] man visiting his young son [2] for a once a month visit. I believe he's a roofing contractor by trade. He and I talked yesterday about farming in Redding. First choice was cattle. Second was pigs. Faster turnover. So the last I heard of him, he's planning to start a pig farm in Redding. BOY AM I GOOD. The Chamber would be sooooo proud.

Next came the 2 Swedish girls. [21 and 23] Take a guess which boy started talking to them first? [7 yr.old B] But D did all the clean up. B is quite popular with this stomach roll thing he does.

Last evening D came in and told me he and KAT were going to the movies at the casino,without B. D's first date on the trip. B couldn't have cared less. He was sooooo tired from being in the pool from 9:30 am to 8:00 pm, all he wanted to do was go to sleep.

At 9pm B wanted a snack. I gave him grapes. He was sooo tired he had his eyes closed while eating the last several grapes. He was asleep in seconds.

The plan was to get generator fixed this morning before noon and be on our way. But that didn't happen. By the time we were all fixed it was to late to start out so Wed. is the plan.

Everyone we've met here has been very nice.

The boys are both back in their element. They're at the pool swimming and meeting all the girls.

I'm sitting here writing this blog as the cool people are at the pool. OH POOR ME!!

Talk to you later.

Jan

Monday, June 23, 2008

6/21/08-6/22/08--Ely,NV


It's me.
Today is Mon. June 23, I think. We left Bishop and headed a little n.e. because Death Valley was TOOOO HOTTTT! We chose ELY Nv. because of the cooler temps. Ely was great. 42 in the morn. It was great to be cool when we got up in the morn. Ely is on Hiway 6 and 93.

Yesterday morn. we left Ely for Hoover Dam ,sort of by LAS VEGAS. Guess what? 112 when we got there about 5pm. This wouldn't be a problem any other time, but our generator decided not to work. We were able to get about 5 min. of air conditioning at a time every 45 min or so. Needless to say we were a little hot by the time we arrived in Las Vegas.

I decided to stop in Vegas to try to fix it. [larger town] As soon as we got here, the boys helped set up and then I sent them to the pool where they were until about 9pm.

They did sooo well in the heat. I heard not one word of complaint from either boy. I'm soo proud of them, because I was getting Very upset with the generator. While the boys were at the pool, they met a very nice young man from N.Y. He made a couple of suggestions as to what might be the problem. This morning when I can make some noise we're going to try them before we call a mechanic. Hopefully one of them might work, cause I don't want too continue on until it's fixed or replaced.

We're also making decisions about which way to go from here. We could do Grand Canyon now and go south later or back to original plan, south then east then north. I'm in favor of south get the hottest part of trip out of the way. Oh well we'll talk more about it today.

I think I forgot to mention it's to be 116 here in Las Vegas today.

Take care and we'll talk again later

Jan

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Bishop




Here we are again,
Getting to Bishop was very uneventful.The scenery was great and the weather was warm.Once in the campground every thing was good.
The boys discovered fish in a canal that runs right in front of of the camp.That's were B spent most of his time, trying to catch them by hand.
We needed to get our laundry done,cause we were running out of clothes.Laundry done [10:30pm] we went to bed in prep. for our run to DEATH VALLEY.
I checked the weather there and found it to be rather warm[113]slight change of plans.I start checking the maps and weather on line.Avoid DEATH VALLEY at all costs.
We decided to stay in Bishop one more day to get some rest and relax.
We changed our route alot. instead of going straight south, we decided to go north and east.Next stop ELY, NV.
While breaking camp and getting everything ready to leave ,we discover we have no coach power. This is not a good thing.[I've done it before],no steps to get out of mohome,no water,no refer.and no generator to cool mohome. This is not good.After talking to our neighbor I remember "THE SWITCH" it runs it all.I check, and somehow it was turned off.HOORAY.
Switch fixed we start our camp breakdown.[Dump holding tanks,fill water,check all compartments,then under the hood.oil and water.]D fills the radiator overflow and it's leaking out faster then going in.I know there's no place to get the part we need.I bought some Gorilla GLUE ,because everyone said it would fix anything..Guess what!It did. this was not a small hole,this was a 3 or 4 in. break in the side of the tank.With the help of the glue and some gray tape,we're doing fine. I just hope it holds.
Today we start south to HOOVER DAM.I think we'll take 2 days to get there.
Oh , I almost forgot one of the most important things.D drove the mohome for the first yesterday. He did a great job.he drove for about 40 miles . That's a big deal for any driver, let alone a new one.

One more i almost forgot. We've been on alot of "open range".The boys got to see first what that is.We had cows and calves all over the road.
Well that's about it for today.Take care.

Jan

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Dayton




It's me again,
Yesterday was oh so exciting! We're in Dayton NV. On Tues. we stopped to see my step mom. The plan was to have lunch and visit with her and my niece for a couple hrs. then be on the road on Weds. morning. That's the beauty of our trip.

Marion[D's mom] was trying to get some last minute stuff to us, that we'd forgotten at home. The plan was to go to Virgina City for a few hrs. look around, buy stuff and take off for Death Valley and parts south. Some how stuff happens for a reason.

We decided to stay the extra day so a package could catch up with us. We went to Virgina City and had a great time. We bought lots of stuff, saw some beautiful scenery and met some wonderful people. We went a train ride [I had taken D on when he was 3yrs]. It was a great day.

For those of you who have never been there, Virgina City was built on the side of mountains during the gold rush of the 1850s. Streets are very steep. We are in a 33ft. motor home. [Steep and 33ft. motor home should never be said in the same sentence]. I'm trying to leave town and my trusty GPS is telling me to turn right at this street and that. I'm telling D they're to steep. I finally get tired of hearing "turn right at so and so", so I turn right. If only my 33 ft. were 29 ft. I would have had it made. The last 4ft. of the mohome got very stuck in the road of the main st. of town. Like there was no going back or forward. We just sort of sat there for almost 2hrs. while they tried to get a very large tow truck to get us out. We were so stuck that the compartment on the driver's side was touching the pavement. It was really sorta cool.
Poor B was upset at first. But I told him It Was An Adventure and he started to lighten up. D was all about the man thing. He's crawling around taking picts. talking to the cop. [Who was very nice,by the way.] I guess this was our 15 mins. of fame, that turned into 2 hrs. People were taking picts. with cameras, cellphones and I think I even saw a couple drawing on sketch pads.

The merchants were great too. One young woman from the coin and cigar shop, came down gave me a big old hug, told me how sorry she was and if we needed anything to just tell her. I told her we were fine, we had lots of water, food and a bathroom so everything was fine. I made sure she knew that everything was fine. I didn't hit any one the boys and I wasn't hurt, so everything was good. It was a great adventure.

Once out of town we went back to my step mom's house to pick up the package from home. We stayed and visited for awhile. Left came back to camp ground before the nite. We got to meet the manager of the campground and her husband. They are great people. We all went for a walk and just enjoyed their company.

I'm a firm believer in "things happen for a reason". If we hadn't stayed for the package we wouldn't have met our managers. SEE, IT'S ALL GOOD.

Today we head for Bishop and Death Valley.

Talk to you all soon.
Jan

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

June 16 and 17


Hi everyone,

We've just finished our 5Th day since leaving Anderson. D and I went to Los Osos to pick B up at his house. We were able to spend 4 days with Stella, Mike and Danny before taking off on the rest of our adventure.

Yesterday we left Los Osos,Ca. at about 10 am. We took our time heading for Yosemite National Park. The boys both LOOOOVVVVEEEE!!! McDonald's food. So being the kind, loving grandmother I am, we stopped there for lunch around 1:30pm. As it turned out it was the only REAL food we had. We took one of my side trips. We were looking for Bass Lake. We thought we'd camp there over nite then head to Yosemite in the morning.

We found a resort, but no camping. We could see the lake water but could not find the camp grounds. WE EVEN STOPPED FOR DIRECTIONS. After about 2hrs. we gave up on Bass Lake.

We continued our search for Yosemite and a camp ground. As we entered the park, the rangers told us "no vacancies". Oh well, I decided to take the boys through the park and see about "OVER FLOW"parking.

BOY, was I ever glad I decided to go on through the park.

The time of day was prefect. The boys were looking out all the windows in the old Winnie at the same time. They were impressed with all the scenery. The trees, the rock formations, the deer and the tunnels. They're still talking about the tunnel sign the mirror clipped. I think the sign is a break away. Did no damage to mohome, just my pride.

Anyway, the boys were taking picts fast and furious. Half Dome was prefect. Shadows just rite. As we're traveling through the park, B sees a deer who sticks his tongue out at him. What a great place. They have the deer trained to stick their tongues out at kids. Continuing on we arrived at the opposite gate and we were told Over Flow was Full. By now I'm getting very tired. We try the two over flow sites and they're full. By chance I see a pull thru along the side of the road. I pull in and we have the prefect campsite, nice and level and off the road. I should mention that we've been in patchy snow for the last several hours. It's almost dark and I'm trying to wear B down so he can sleep after being in the mohome most of the day. He's telling me about the bear that might come visit us in the night. I'm saying "no the mohome is very safe". Who was trying to convince who?

We all finally went to sleep. Hoooray. I wake early, so in the morning I open the curtains to the most beautiful site. At least the boys were as impressed as I was. We were across the road from Mirror Lake with all the snow and shadows it was one beautiful site.

We were back on the road about 9am. We stopped in Lee Vinning and bought gas. 5$ a gal! I just ABOUT HAD A HEART ATTACH. $200 FOR 40 GALS. OH WELL PRICE MUCH BETTER IN Dayton NV. We had lunch and dinner with my step mom and my niece. Both boys met 2ND and 3rd cousins they'd never met.

We're staying in Dayton one more day so some mail can catch up with us. I'm going to try the pict.thing again.

Sorry I'm so long winded ,but a lot happened the last couple days.

Talk to you later.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

We've left Anderson

Hi everyone,
Well ,we got out of Anderson a couple hours late, not bad for us. We had a few little set backs.
First, D had a Drs. appointment. Then the pharmacy didn't have the pills we needed to pick up.
We had everything loaded and couldn't get out on time. BBBUUUTTT!!!!! guess what?We tried the GARMIN GPS. It sent us the fastest way. Totally different then any trip I've made down to Stella's. Usually 8 to 9 hours. This trip was not quit 8 hrs. Maybe we'll use the GPS when we get lost. Otherwise we'll Hide it. It's way more fun that way.

Well, I'll be talking to you and sending more pics ,real soon.
I hope I'm learning more about this blogging everyday. B's mom [my eldest daughter] is trying to get me through this. I sure hope I can remember all this stuff.








Tuesday, June 10, 2008

We're almost ready!!!


Hi everyone,
Well the mohome is ready, clothes put away, food put in cupboards, all camping gear is in the outside compartments...
We've been working on getting ready FOREVER.
D has worked extra hard on getting ready. He's built shelves for me, put things away, washed the out side of the mohome and now we're almost ready. 2 more days. Our plan was to leave by 8:00 am on Thurs. But we forgot about a Drs. appointment at 9:00 am. Oh well , stuff happens. Life goes on.
Once we get started we'll be even more excited. We'll be staying at my daughter's and son-law's for 4 or 5 days. Then we're on our way. I can't wait.
I'm going to try to put a pic of the boys washing the mohome.
I hope to add more in a few days.