Saguaro National Park

Today Dad took us to the Saguaro National Park. Aptly named after the cactus.

Saguaro Cactus

They have an 8 mile drive through the park that features all the desert scenery and cacti.

Desert Scenery

We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the drive very much. Dad and Marge are great hosts.

Dinner was at the Hifalutin Rapid Fire Western Grill. LINK We had another great meal. Gorgie had the BBQ chicken salad that she said was better than BJ’s. I had the ribeye that was cooked perfectly and had a blue cheese sauce on top-very good.

The Happy Diners

Visiting with Dad and Marge is very special and I am grateful to be able to do this.

More Later, Rich

Tucson, Arizona

We have been in Tucson for the past two days visiting my Dad and Marge. Yesterday they took us to the Biosphere 2 site. Biosphere2 Follow this link to find out more.

They conducted experiments here during the early 90’s to see if people could survive in an artificial environment and living on only what they could grow to sustain themselves for years like in space or on the moon. We took a docent led tour of the place, it was very interesting.

This place is huge there are over 3 acres under glass.

This might be a good time to talk about Gorgie who has always been somewhat technology challenged, has become a email/text, cell phone expert since she got her Blackberry phone for her b’day. These pictures were taken with her phone that she then attached to an email to me so I could post them here, I’m sooo proud.

Later in the afternoon we had an experience we could live without. We were sitting at a traffic light when shooting started very close to us. There was a pop-pop-pop-pop-pop, about 8 or 9 rounds. We had not heard that before, people started running and we got out of there as well. We watched the news and there wasn’t anything about it.

Update 1/3/2010: We found out that one person was killed and another wounded over the wearing of gang colors, how stupid.

We had a very good Italian dinner at Mama Louisa’s, Gorgi had the special and I had the veal parmesan. Afterwards we went back to their house and played sequence and had a great time.

More Later, Rich

Tonopah,AZ

  We spent the night in the small town of Tonopah, AZ.  Saddle Mountain RV Park is a large park, with lots of palm trees, very dark, very quiet, a nice place to stay.  They are holding an FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) rally here this weekend so there is lots going on, but not for us.

I was sitting in the front seat of the motorhome yesterday afternoon talking with Jerry (who is having too much fun on Maui), and I see what looks like a jack rabbit over near the fence. So I went to investigate,

 

 

 

    This is what I found, a steel bunny.

 

 

 

 

We had dinner at a local greasy spoon called Tonopah Jacks, it was actually pretty good.  I had the patty melt, Gorgie had the spaghetti, and we both had the homemade vegetable beef soup. All for less than 20 bucks.

It had been overcast and a bit windy all afternoon but when the sun went down we were treated to this.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                         Sun setting behind Saddle Mountain

 

 

 

 

        

 

 

        Tonopah sunset                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

 

We are off to Tucson to spend some time with my dad.

More Later, Rich

Morning in Ehrenberg

This morning found us in Ehrenberg, AZ, the time here is one hour later than just a couple of hundred yards on the other side of the Colorado River. 

We forgot how nice the sunrises and sunsets are here.

 

This was the scene that greeted us this morning.

Yesterday evening we sat out and watched the sun go down but were too lazy to get the camera for a picture. We are not far from I-10 and as the sun went down it was momentarily blocked by trucks that are about a quarter mile away, we found it interesting anyway.

We had a nice visit with Pam, (Harold was under the weather).  We will spend more time with them when we return in February.

Today is another drive day, only a hundred miles or so.  The plan is to stay at Saddle Mountain RV Park in Tonopah, AZ LINK.

Remember that if you click on a picture you will see a larger image of the photo.

More Later, Rich

Moving Day

We have decided to drive to Colorado River Oasis in Ehrenberg, AZ for one night.  We have some friends, (Harold and Pam) who are there and we want to see them.  We will be returning there on the first of February for a two week stay, but we thought it would be nice to just drop in. 

Our plan was to drive to Tonopah, AZ for one night on our way to see my dad in Tucson.  We’ll still stay there for a night but this will break up the drive and we like short drives.

Last night we wrapped up our month in the Palm Springs area by eating out at the Fisherman’s Market Link . You may recall that we were going to eat there a couple of weeks ago but were inspired to eat in the at Shanghai Reds instead.  Well the fish was as fresh and well prepared here.  We will be back at Indian Waters in Indio when we meet up with Debbie and Jerry in March.

Here is a picture I downloaded of the Costas hummingbird that has been visiting us every day.  Isn’t he handsome?

Well it’s time to start putting things away, More Later, Rich

When Pigs Fly

Today we went to The College of the Desert for the weekly street fair.  They have lots of vendors selling all sorts of stuff and food.  Also they have a farmers market.

We bought some things and Gorgie found this booth selling hand made shoes.  They dye the leather and sent it to Prescott, AZ to be cut and sewn.  Well she just had to have these, if nothing else they will be a conversation starter.

Don’t you think that one pig should fly left and one right, or would that make it look like she is pigeon toed?

More Later, Rich

Merry Christmas To All

We thought we’d take a moment to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  We hope you are all having a merry time.  Of course we miss being with our family at such a special time, so just as you are traveling vicariously with us we will be will be spending Christmas vicariously with you today.

The RV park is putting on a Christmas feast today and we are going to participate in that, it won’t be the same but we are looking forward to the meal and all the nice people we have met both this year and from our other trips.

Next week we will be traveling to Tucson to spend some time with my Dad and Marge.  We are going to leave a day early so we can stop for a night in Ehrenberg, AZ, to see Pam and Harold who are working there this season.

Not to rub it in but I’m sitting at the dining table typing and the sun is shining in, it’s cool about 45° but the temperature will probably get to 70° this afternoon.

 

 

Mister Hummer is enjoying his Christmas breakfast about a foot from my head.

Once again have a Merry Christmas we love and miss everyone.

More Later, Rich

Christmas Post part two:

We had an enjoyable dinner along with about 90 of our newest friends.

The Dinner Crowd

Our Christmas Date

We were outside and could hear carolers coming down the road the first impulse was to hide, but we are glad we didn’t they were pretty good and it was nice to hear and see.

Christmas Carolers

We had a great day.

More Later, Rich

Stormy Day in Paradise

We are having a wind storm today!  And I do mean a wind storm along with a shower and cooler temperatures.  It’s supposed to blow over by this evening (pun intended).  That's okay with us we have a date to play pegs and jokers with Gary and Yvonne.

Isn’t it wonderful that we can travel as we are, and still keep in touch with everyone.  We have the internet, cell phones to talk to anyone at almost any time, text messaging (even I have text now).  Then there are all the devices to make all that work cell phone, blackberry, air card, and two computers.  What did folks ever do before we had all this technology?  I find it hard to think we could do what we are doing without all our stuff.

Keep calling, texting, emailing, we miss everyone but, we also love this lifestyle.  Being in touch makes it feel as though we know what you are doing and  you know what we are doing.

More Later, Rich

Shanghai Reds

Yesterday evening we set out for an early dinner at “Fisherman’s Market & Grill” Clicky in Palm Springs.  We ate there last year and enjoyed it so the plan was to return for dinner.  They actually have two restaurants in the same location.  The other is called “Shanghai Reds” the latter has a bar and we decided to have a drink before we ate.  Well the Fisherman’s Market, is a stand in line to order and most of the selections are fried.  Shanghai Reds is designed to look kind of like a dive joint you may find on the docks somewhere.  There is bar seating and a few high tables as well as tables outside.  The menu had more grilled items so we decided to give it a try.  Gorgie had a fish taco that she said was the best she had ever eaten, I had the fisherman’s mixed grill which was skewered shrimp,fish, and scallops that were grilled.  We both had the lobster,crab, and shrimp bisque.  We met Sandra While enjoying our drink (a great drink by the way), we had the nicest time visiting with her as we all enjoyed one of the best meals of our trip.

We had spent the afternoon reading and enjoying the 78° weather.  What a great day.

More Later, Rich

Settled in at Desert Pools

We have a great site here at Desert Pools.  We are in the southeast corner on a dead end street, so there is very little traffic.  The public roads around here have little traffic and at night it is dark and quiet.  This is not as visually nice as Indian Waters but it is very comfortable.

Gorgie has established  her morning routine of “walk off the pounds” and water aerobics.  She is off doing that as I type.  The pool and the three hot tub spas are filled with hot water from the natural mineral hot springs on the property.  The hot temperatures are different in each one 94°, 100°, 104°.  Last year I never tried them out but I think I will this year.

Yesterday the outside temperature was 77° here and is expected to be the same for the next few days, shorts and t-shirts weather, this is why we came here.

I’m going to take a walk in a bit and take a few pictures to post here.

Just click on a picture to see a larger image.

More Later, Rich

The Hummers will miss us

We have had the feeder out since the day we arrived. They have been feeding inches from head every day. There are two species that visit, Anna's and Costa's the Costa's are similar in color but smaller. There are at least three mated pairs. Several days ago a neighbor left and they had a feeder on their rig. When they were pulling out the Hummers were literally chasing them down the road, what a joy to watch.

Packing up for the big 26 mile move, but we are in no hurry to get going so we'll push the checkout time.

Next post will be from Desert Pools RV.

More Later, Rich

Sunny Indio

Today is our last day here at Indian Waters RV Resort. In the morning we will make the 26.4 mile journey to Desert Pools RV Resort, in Desert Hot Springs. We had heard that is was busy up there so yesterday we went out for lunch and drove over there to check it out. Sure enough they are pretty full but there are still some nice sites available. But given WHR's pattern of assigning the worst sites first we'll just have to see. There is alot of grumbling going on about the future of Western Horizons.

The other day we went to dinner at Cactus Jacks Grill and Bar here in Indio. What a find, the people were so friendly and the food was superb. They pour a really good drink here. Gorgie had the special which was roast pork with mashed potatoes and stuffing, she got two meals out of that. I had the prime rib and it was lean and fork tender, I got two meals from mine as well. We both had the tomato bisque soup, also very good. Oh, did I tell you that they pour a really good drink? Today we need to run some errands in anticipation of our long journey, and I think we'll take another drive around town.

More Later, Rich

Lots going on today

We are having the carpets cleaned today.  There are people around here who have small businesses specializing in RV’s.  We have hired a fellow RVer who is staying here to clean our carpets.  This will be the first time since it was detailed by the dealer when we bought our rig.  The weather forecast today is calling for some showers and everything inside needs to be either put up or taken out.  But we are from the NW and not worried about some rain showers.  I’ll put out the awning and everything will be out of the weather.

I did build the clothes dryer yesterday and I think it turned out well.

This is what we used before

  

 

   

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                          This is what we have now.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                           

 

Pretty nice if I don’t say so myself.  Well I need to start moving stuff.

More Later, Rich

Settled in and having a great time!

We are having a great time.  We have more or less established a routine, we get up at the same time as at home.  Coffee and tea, are prepared, then Gorgie reads and I get on the computer.  At 8:00 she goes down to the clubhouse and does the “Walk off the pounds” routine.  Then we enjoy our breakfast. After showers and puttering around the rig it’s time to set up the lawn chairs and sit in the sun and read for a while.  If we have any errands to run or take a walk the early afternoons are the right time for that.  Later we may play cards or just read some more.  We have played pegs and jokers with our neighbors Frank and Gwen and another couple Bill and Phyllis.  We have not gone out for any adventures yet but we will. 

On Monday there was a rain storm that dropped 3 inches of rain and left the surrounding mountains covered with snow.  The mornings are chilly but we sit out in the sun in short sleeves in the afternoon.  The hummingbird feeder is up and there are two species that visit all day long; Anna’s and Costa’s, they are a joy to watch.

Yesterday I went to Home Depot and bought some PVC pipe and fittings and today I’m going to make a clothes line to attach to the ladder on the RV for Gorgie to hang laundry on to dry outside.  Then we have a date to play more cards.

So I need to get busy.

More Later, Rich

Indio Tamale Festival

We went to the tamale festival yesterday, and my tummy failed it's test and we had to return sooner than we would have liked, (but the tamales were great).
So today we returned and had a great time. We stood in line for 40 min. to buy tamales from Grandma Lupe, she is a little old Hispanic lady with lots of family and friends to help out. They only sell them once a year at this festival. They were the best tamales we have ever eaten. They were all sold out of beef and chicken. We had to choose from pork, cheese and chilies, strawberry, pineapple, chocolate (with nutmeg, nuts, and chocolate chips). Now you might ask strawberry? chocolate?, well we did, but Gorgie being adventurous decided to try the strawberry after talking to a lady while waiting in line. I'm here to tell you they were awesome, the masa was infused with a strawberry puree and it was stuffed with cream cheese, these are to die for. Oh, the pork was awesome as well. We did get some to go so for dinner we will have a pork tamale and either a strawberry or chocolate for dessert.
This is a very popular festival attended by hundreds, they had 200 booths selling all sorts of tamales, rides for the kids and three stages with entertainment, alot of them kids from schools in Mexico. We will come back to this again.
By the way I'm well now.
More Later, Rich

Indian Waters RV Resort

We are at Indian Waters RV Resort in Indio, CA.  This post is later than I had intended but better late than never.  As I posted earlier the drive down was pretty much uneventful, but 5 consecutive day on the road even if not more than 5 hours in a day takes it’s toll.  I wound up with some intestinal problems that kept me down for a day.  All’s well now though.

The last night on the road was spent at a park called “Orange Grove RV Park” in Bakersfield.  It is a very nice park all the sites are lined with orange trees and they invite you to help yourself to the oranges so we did and now we are enjoying fresh orange juice.

 

  Orange Grove RV Park

 

 

 

 

 

We are in a very nice site here at Indian Waters with lots of space and green grass.  They do a great job keeping this place up.

 

                                                                                                     

 

                                                                                                                                                                        The temperature is about 75°

 

 

 

Yesterday we had the coach washed and waxed and they did a great job it was so much easier to watch them do it than it is to do it ourselves, and faster too.

 

 

 

 

  Pond in the park

 

 

 

We plan to attend the Tamale Festival today and test my tummy.  I’ll let you know how it works out.

More Later, Rich

Three Days on the Road

We have been on the road now for three days.  Tonight finds us in Delhi, CA at the Merced River RV Park.  This is an older but well kept park, not far off the CA-99 freeway, but the noise is tolerable. 

The drives each day have been uneventful for the most part.  We have not had any rain along the way.  The first night was spent at the Seven Feathers Casino RV Park.  This is a beautiful resort with everything you could want.  Saturdays drive through the Siskiyou’s was a little bit white knuckle.  We had planned to get on the road so we would cross the pass at about noon after it had warmed up.  When we were almost at the pass there was a pickup towing a fifth wheel that had jackknifed on some ice, we were sure sorry for them and glad we had waited.  Descending down the California side is always exciting, but we made it fine.  The night was spent boondocking at the Win-River Casino.  It was a quiet and comfortable night. Today's drive was long but easy, lots of traffic but tolerable.

Tomorrow we will get to Bakersfield for the night and then on to Indian Waters RV Resort in Indio, CA for two weeks.

More Later, Rich

The Countdown Begins

Just one week from today we are due to arrive at Indian Waters RV Resort in Indio, CA. 

But first we have Thanksgiving, I have been preparing as much ahead as I can, today was garlic mashed Yukon gold potatoes.  All that’s left is the turkey, stuffing, and gravy.

Everyone else is bringing all the other dishes and desserts.  It is going to be a great meal with everyone.

We are pretty much ready to take off, what’s left won’t take long.  I have put the weather sticky up for the Palm Springs area so you all can see what we are in for in the way of weather (pretty hard to take huh?).  I have made a reservation for Saturday night at the Seven Feathers Casino RV Park, and the weather over the pass while cold, looks like we can make it without any problems.  The next post will likely be from the road.

More Later, Rich

The Preparations Continue

Gorgie continues to run around like a chicken with it’s head cut off.  Me I’m my usual calm and collected self, NOT-we are both doing that running thing. We are worried that we will forget something both around the house and in the motor home. We will be having the usual crowd of about 20 over for dinner on Thanksgiving, so there is shopping and cooking for that and we still need to finish shopping to provision the RV. We know everything will come together but if we don’t pay attention something will surely fall through the cracks. 

We really look forward to having everyone over for the holiday, we will miss everyone while we are gone but, through the miracle of the internet and this blog we will be able to keep in touch. Now we also have a “TEXTER” on this trip, maybe Gorgie will start to tweet with her new Blackberry, then everyone will hear more from us than when we are home.

I hope you enjoy our blog, we will try to keep it interesting for you.

More Later, Rich

Snowbirds III

Every adventure should have a name, so I named this trip “Snowbirds III” since this is our third trip south for the winter.

So far we have made plans and some reservations to be at the following places this winter.

We will be at:

Indian Waters RV Resort in Indio, CA from 12-2 to 12-16,

Desert Pools RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs from 12-16 to 12-30,

South Forty RV Resort in Tucson, AZ from 12-31 to 1-6,

St. David RV Resort in St. David, AZ from 1-6 to 1-20,

Valley Vista RV Resort in Benson, AZ from 1-20 to 1-30,

Colorado River Oasis in Ehrenberg, AZ from 2-1 to 2-15.

These are all the reservations and plans that we have made so far but other stops will include Pilot Knob RV Resort in Winterhaven, CA (Yuma),

Desert Vista in Salome,AZ, and then back to the Palm Springs area either to Desert Pools or Indian Waters.

Of course there will be stops along the way to break up the distances between destinations because we don’t want to drive more than 200-250 miles on any day if we can help it, we’ll report on those as we travel along on our Snowbirds III adventure.

More Later, Rich