Hot as Hades

Guess I spoke too soon. It's 7 pm and it is 100 degrees. Yesterday it was 112 in the shade. They tell us they had record heat in July, more than 20 days above 109. We escaped to Prescott today and visited with Don and Penny. We had lunch at the Chinese Buffet with them, then loaded up the truck at Costco's. Paul and Janet stopped by and gave us some pictures they took at the Senior Citizen's Center when we entertained in the Spring. They are such a nice couple. Betty had her 92 ed B-Day celebration in July. And Bob and Julie just got back from a trip to Colorado. Paula and Mike moved to their new place in the park. We'll miss them as neighbors. Several rigs rolled into the park today. Soon the park will be buzzing with activity for the winter. Wonder what tomorrow will bring.

North Ranch Here We Come

Willard is well on the road to recovery. While sitting in Ogden, we decided to go to the shelter and see if there was a little dog we might like to bring home. Sure enough there was. Rocky is his name and he is just perfect for us. He's 5 years old, well mannered, lovable, and likes to travel. (I'll post a picture later) We left Ogden a couple of weeks ago and headed for Cedar City where we stayed with Dan a few weeks. We did some work around his house, visited the grandkids and Dan before moving on to the Ranch. We rolled in here yesterday afternoon. I couldn't wait to see how my gardening survived the record heat in July. My cactus garden is doing just great, our Arizona Sweet Orange tree is putting on new branches and leaves. Maybe we'll have an orange this fall. The Texas Sage is giving us little blue flowers. And the basil florished in the summer heat. I also have thyme, sage, parsley, and marjorium. The neighbors had tomatoes out of my little square foot garden most of the summer. It is great to be back. I can't wait to start line dancing again. Willard wants to do some fishing this year at Lake Pleasant. The mornings are wonderful. So are the evenings. It is hot during the day, but I've got a good airconditioner, so as Aunt Ruth always said, "Who cares?"

Were Still in Ogden

Just as we were getting ready to leave Ogden, UT, Willard fell on our son's front steps. He tore his front thigh muscle from the knee cap. He had to have surgery and the doctor said he would need to stay put for about 8 weeks. OMG! There went our summer travel plans.

So we are still here....2 weeks later. In the meantime we decided to take our couch out and get two matching recliners. They are to be delivered tomorrow. We also got an airbed for visitors.

We made homemade icecream tonight. It was really good. Tomorrow is our 51 Wedding Anniversary. I think it will be a quiet one. All is well........

It's Raining AGAIN!!!

We finally made it Ogden. It seems we were just keeping ahead of tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail, and wind for three days across the mid-west. The weather was just beautiful when we arrived here on Sunday.
Joey and Beth left for a convention in San Antonio on Wednesday. It has been raining since.

We did get our refrigerator fixed at Charlie's Service on Friday. And on Thursday we had a nice visit with MaryAnne and Ray. They came over for dinner. We met them at the Alfa Roadrunner Rally in Quartzsite last January. They were having some work done on their Alfa at Charlie's too. While at Charlie's we also visited with Betty and Joe, whom we met at Q. They were headed for Yellowstone. We've met so many nice people on the road.

Not sure how long we will stay here or where we will go when we leave. Oregon? Southern Utah? Decisions...decisions.

Another Travel Day

Today was a long day traveling for us (abt 400 miles). We made it around Kansas City and on to Nebraska on I 80. We finally found an RV park for the night. Nebraska doesn't let you stay in Rest areas and WalMarts overnight. But RV parks are few and far between. We plan on sailing across Nebraska tomorrow. It's supposed to be windy with scattered rain showers. I can't wait to get to Ogden and park for a week or so. We need to go to Charlies Service in Sunset, UT to have our refer repaired. We have a recall on the Norcold heating element.

Where Has The Time Gone?

Warsaw seems so long ago. That's were we were during my last post. I'll try to bring our travels up to date.

ESCAPADE: We attended the Escapees Escapade in Sedalia, MO for a week. It was great to meet our friends there. We attended quite a few workshops, enjoyed the entertainment, shopping for RV supplies, and having dinner with our friends Charlie and Graceann and BJ and Charles. The highlight was singing two songs ("The Keys in the Mailbox" and "The Cowboy Rides Away") in the Ham-a-Rama. Trevor played guitar with us. He did such a good job. About 1200 people clapped as we left the stage. I think Trevor is hooked. We convinced Charlie to sing one of his songs. He sang "A Daisy a Day" and did a great job. I think he's hooked, too.

RAIN RAIN GO AWAY: The only drawback about the Escapade was the rainy weather. We would step out of our rig into ankle deep water. Most of us (abt 700 rigs) were parked in squishy grassy areas. Many had to have their rigs pulled out of the mud when they got ready to leave. A neighbor told us about putting lime behind our wheels as we backed up the 200 feet to the pavement. We did, and out we came slick as a whistle. We were on the road by 8:30 headed for a new adventure.

LOST VALLEY LAKE RESORT: We stayed at this resort which is near Owensville, MO just south west of St Louis. It was so much fun. Trevor seemed to really enjoy it. During a sightseeing trip in the area, we ended up at WalMart to buy some fishing tackle. Trevor and Willard fished nearly every morning. We played music, cooked hamburgers outside, went to the swimming pool and hot tub, rented a paddle boat, played Bingo, had a Catfish Dinner. It was a full three days.

AIRPORT: We took Trevor to the Lambert St. Louise International Airport. It was his first time to fly. I think he was a little nervous. Anyway, we wiped away a tear or two as we sent him on his way to Salt Lake City. We called him on his cell phone when he got seated. Joey called the airlines to check on him during the flight and met him at the gate in SLC to see him off on another flight to Cedar City. That flight was delayed because of a lightening storm. I paced the floor until he arrived in Cedar City about 11:00 pm. I'm getting too old for this! Thank goodnes for cell phones.

JAMES AND CAROLYN'S: The next day we left for James and Carolyn's. They live in Bethel Springs, Tennessee. We decided to take a back road over to I 55. Bad idea. The road was narrow and no shoulder. But we managed quite well until we came upon a Detour to a more narrow, winding, roller coaster road. We were definately in Redneck Country. Soon we approached a railroad crossing with the arms down and the signel going "ding, ding, ding" but no train. Several cars and trucks went around the arms and on their way. I got out of the motorhome to look up and down the tracks. No train in sight. A man came from the other direction in his car and stopped. "Y'all may be here all day. The arms won't go back up. It's been reported, but no one's been out to fix it." Willard assured me he could go around the arms. So, I strapped myself into the seat while my wonderful life flashed before me. And Willard proceeded to weave this 40' motorhome towing a truck around those arms and we were on our way. It was an amazing feat!
We finally reached I 55 only to meet a thunder storm. By the time we got to Tennessee the rain was over and we had dodged the lightening. Our next trial was to get to James and Carolyn's house in the backwoods of Tennessee. They met us on the highway and lead us to their home. More narrow, winding roads, then gravel, then through a gate between trees and onto a dirt road and across an earthen dam. What an experience.


They have a comfortable log cabin on a hill nestled in the woods overlooking a large lake. Their large manacured lawn added to the beauty. The sunsets were breathtaking. We sat in the porch swing each evening and watched the family of geese come for their supper in the freshly mowed grass, hummingbirds defended their feeders, and rabbits romped in the field and took dust baths in the driveway. And we held our breath while a young mockingbird flopped to safety after it fell from its nest. We went to a big flea market, yard sales and an auction. We ate catfish, BBQ, Chinese Food, and Carolyn's wonderful meals at home. Carolyn and I went for long walks, visited some of their friends and relatives and attended Church. Willard, James, and Jerry fished from a small boat in the lake. The first trip out in the boat found them paddeling back because of a gas leak causing them to run out of gas. During the second trip, they had another gas leak, but was able to fix it and putt putted back. They fished from the bank and in the creek after that. Yes, they caught a mess of fish. But, no one wanted to clean them, so back they went. The boys ended up taking us out for a Catfish Dinner. On Saturday about 25 friends and relatives came over for a picnic. Willard and I entertained. It was so much fun getting to know these wonderfully friendly people of the Tennessee Hills. I couldn't believe the week was over. It was time to move on.

http://www.visitmusiccity.com/

NASHVILLE: We left Bethel Springs and headed toward Nashville on Monday. On Tuesday we spent the day touring the area. We visited the Country Music Hall of Fame, hopped on a Trolly for a tour of the community, visited several stores as we walked down Broadway, had lunch at a corner cafe. We even met our RV neighbors at the ice cream shop. In May a tornado had come down in the RV park we stayed in. They were logging the downed trees. No one was hurt, but one camper trailer rolled over with two people in it. I'm sure it gave them quite a scare.

TODAY: We left the RV park early this morning and head for St. Louis. We stopped for diesel and discovered the area was under a storm alert. We drove out of the rain, but had to deal with the wind most of the day. We stopped of at a Casino to get off the road for awhile and came out $40 to the good. We got back on the road after eating sandwiches bracing ourselves for the Loop around St. Louis. Because of Willard's determination and my map reading we made it safely. Our frazzled nerves told us it was time to get off the road. Now we are at a Rest Area on I 70 for the night. We had Hot Pockets and watermelon for supper, turned on the air conditioner and relaxed to our favorite TV programs. I just wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Warsaw, MO

We are parked at a Passport America park at Warsaw, MO. We got here yesterday about noon. Yesterday we drove into Sadelia to find the fairgrounds and become familiar with the area before driving in for the Escapade Sunday morning. We played music for awhile in the late afternoon. This morning we got up early and visited the Harry S. Truman Dam and Visitor's Center. We also visited a fish hatchery and a turn of the century family farm. Later in the day we visited with a couple (Joyce and Jim) that's going to the Escapade too. They shared their experiences while work camping at Branson, Durango, Denali, AK, and Washington. The boys played music while Willard cooked pork chops on the grill. I prepared the rest of the meal in the rig. We had pork chops, rice & gravy, squash/onions/tomatoes, cantalope and apple pie. After we ate supper we watched the RFD Channel on TV most of the evening. Tomorrow we need to be in Sedalia about 8:00 am, so "it's early to bed and early to rise."

Lake Meade Here We Come

Monday morning we visited a wonderful museum in Tucumcari, NM before we left the area.

Then we made our way to Liberal, KS. The most interesting thing we saw was near Dalhart, TX. There were two of the largest Stock Yards one could ever imagine. You couldn't see where they ended for it was too far away. The poor cows waiting to be butchered kind of took my appetite away for a big juicy hamburger.

Photos by Trevor

By late that afternoon we finally located the Mid-America Air Museum in Liberal, KS. They exhibited over 100 airplanes. There were war planes and helicopters, experimental planes, and private planes. It was so interesting that we stayed in their parking lot that night and toured the museum again the next morning.

Because of sever wind advisories we left Liberal, Kansas and headed for Lake Meade State Park early in the day. Sure glad we were off the road when the wind was at its peak. While at Lake Meade we visited the Dalton Gang Museum at Meade, KS and the Dodge City museum. Both were great museums. Trevor and Willard went metal detecting back at the lake and found about 35 cents in coins. And they also went Geo caching. I caught up on my email messages, paid some bills, and had our mail stopped. It was a good stop.

Today we headed East on HWY 54. We are staying in a small RV park in Eureka, KS. We found one geo-cache, but couldn't find the other. We explored the area and discovered a nice size lake about 5 miles out of town. Then back to town for a Shake we went. Now, we are just lounging around, me on the computer and Willard and Trevor working Sudoku puzzles. It's a lazy afternoon, warm with a gentle breeze. Tomorrow we plan on being in Missouri. Life is good. I think I'll go take a nap......

This is where we are: http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=4875

It's Off To The Escapees Escapade

Guess who's taking the pictures.

The Escapade is in Sedalia, MO this year and we decided to attend. Trevor wanted to come with us so he packed his clothes and cell phone and off we went. We left Cedar City about 7:00 am this morning and headed for Hurricane, UT. The we went up the mountain to Jacob's Lake, across the Indian Reservation to Gallop, NM and stopped at a RV Park just east of Grants, NM. We had a long day. We don't usually travel 420 miles in one day, but there just wasn't any place to stop. The most tramatic thing that happened today was that I thought I lost my debit card, but we found it in Willard's billfold. He used it to get some cash before we left and kept it. What a relief. It is now 9:30. Our tummies are full and we're watching our favorite TV shows. All is well.

Another April Came and Went

I'm making a feable attempt to remember what happened in April. The first week I volunteered to wash dishes for the Busy Bakers at North Ranch. It is indeed a treat when they roll up their sleeves to bake breads and sweet rolls as a money maker for the park. The next week I attended Bead Week at the Activities Center and ended up making two very nice bracelets (if I must say so myself). It was an intense two days. We also attended the Senior Center luncheon. Both the food and company was great. We returned in two more weeks to entertain for about an hour before heading for Cedar City. We spent the rest of the month at Dan's place helping him get some yard work done. We had to repair a fence, put in a clean out for the sewer, run electricty for our motorhome, and fix some leaky faucets. We cleaned the property making a manure pile, lumber pile, compost pile, rock pile, and brush pile. We mowed the lawn, and trimmed some fruit trees. It was a lot of work,but I think it was well worth it. The place is starting to look and feel like a home. It is amazing how Dan has managed to furnish it on a very thight budget. It's been a good thing.

March Madness

We began the month of March with our La Fiesta Celebration. The theme this year was Marti Gras. We all hurried about preparing for the big event. We made masks, planned what to wear to the dance, prepared food for the big feast, practiced the program, decorated floats, cars and ATVs for the parade.


We gathered for the parade. I played "When The Saints Go Marching In" on my clarinet. It ended up being the only music in the parade. In about a block of walking and trying to play, I hopped on a golf cart to finish the parade. I can't believe I used to march and play. My my, that was so long ago.

We had a hot dog and hamburger cook-out for lunch at the Activities Center. There was also a dutch oven cookout, a pancake breakfast, and a big dinner before the program. It all ended with the Mask Dance. Artists in the community displayed their works, a dog show was held for our four legged friends, the King and Queen was crowned, and games were played. It was a full two days of activities.

We played "Waltz Across Texas" during the program. Paul played the accordian with us.

Above: Our line-dance group danced during the program.

The above photos were taken byMax Latimer.

We attend the Dance on Saturday night. Oh what fun we had.

Below: Another highlight for March was helping Dan purchase a house in Cedar City. It's on a 1/2 acre lot, so we will have plenty of room to park our motorhome during our Cedar City visits.

It was 16 degrees at night in Cedar Cityduring our brief visit, so the woodstove was welcomed.

Below: On the way to and from Cedar City we crossed over Hoover Dam. We have been watching this bridge being built for the past 3 years. It will be the highest arched bridge in the world and the second longest arched bridge. An amazing feat



March did come in like a lamb and is going out like a lion. It's been windy and cool all day. All is well......

Fabulous February 2009

After the Roadrunner Rally in Quartzsite, we hopped into the Tacoma and drove to Cedar City to visit with Dan and the kids. We had a wonderful visit, but boy was it cold (8 degrees). We had dinner with all the kids, spent the night in a motel and headed back to North Ranch the next morning. Then the rains came. Ol' man winter stopped off in Arizona bringing rain and near freezing temperatures. My tomato plants hung in there though. We covered Willard's gold diggings with a big plastic tarp, so it is still dry for dry washing. Today was a nice day, so he went out to his claim and brought back some gold. I got up early and went to the Activities Center to help the Busy Bakers bake goodies to sell. Afterwards, I attended a Red Hat luncheon in Wickenburg. On Valentine's Day Willard was asked to be the DJ at the Stanton Valentine Dance, so we are going there on Saturday. I am looking forward to it because we had so much fun last year. We are starting to pull out the maps and plan our Spring. We'll leave here in about a month or so and head for our annual Texas visit. We are not going to have a fixed schedule this year so that we can just be as free as the breeze. My 50th class reunion is in July, but we are not planning on being in the area during that time of the year. However, who knows what the next few months will bring. I love this lifestyle. "Boring" is not in our vocabulary.

Goodbye Roadrunners

We packed up and said our goodbys "until we meet again." Ten rigs stayed for another day or two. The rest headed out in every direction. This campout will be a special time in our memory bank. We learned that we can boondock for at least 11 days. We met a wonderful group of people that have chosen this lifestyle too. It will be great meeting up with them down the road and sharing our new experiences. We arrived back at North Ranch early, since we discovered our favorite BBQ place was closed on Sunday. Graceanne and Charlie were already back from their trip. It was good to see them again and hear about their Ham Radio Campout. Of course, we didn't miss the Sunday Icecream Social.

On Monday I went line-dancing and Willard just puttered around the place. He started another Jig Saw Puzzle. We went to the mailbox and ended up having lunch with Graceanne and Charlie at the Frog Rock Cafe in Congress. That afternoon Bill and Karen stopped by for a brief visit. I fixed a pot of Beef Stew for dinner and called Dan to see how things were going with him. Willard went to his Woodcarving class and I watched a movie on TV. Things are pretty much back to normal here at North Ranch.

Today (Tuesday) Willard went out on the desert on his ATV to do some prospecting. I'm washing clothes (it never ends). I called Robbie. Tayna was there so I wished her a Happy B-Day. I can't believe she is already 21. My tomato plants and herbs are thriving in my little Kitchen Garden. Life is great!

Saturday - The Last Day of the Campout in Q

The Sheriff's Potluck Dinner

A group of early risers gathered around the Louisiana Fireplace for coffee and donuts. I started preparing for the trip back to North Ranch. At 1:00 the women gathered to discuss ideas for living in our Alfa See Ya motorhomes. MaryAnne had a hot plate that I just loved. I must get one. She had some other great ideas to become more organized in the the kitchen. I also liked Robin's fold up colander. Dick and Melinda came over and we had a jam session. It was so much fun playing bluegrass music. It was a stretch at times because we were not familier with many of the songs; but, it was a good experience. Then...you guessed it....Happy Hour. Then at 5:00 we lined up to fill our plates with the food we all brought to the Sheriff's Potluck Dinner. Afterwards the sheriff was revealed. It was Nancy! She had spent the week taking notes on those of us that did not follow the rules. She fined Willard $1.00 for not remembering my birthday until 6:30 Suncay evening. I got fined for being too nice. Everyone had to pay a fine for some reason or another. It was all such fun. Clayton got a call from a Roadrunner trying to find our camp in the dark. Dianne and I went out to meet him and lead him in. It is hard enough to find this camp in the daytime much less at night. I think he was glad to see us. Don told me about a book they use while traveling: BIG RIGS, BEST BETS CAMPGROUND DIRECTORY. I will surely get that book before we take off in April. After a couple of hours socializing, we are back in the rig for the evening. Another great day with a lot of wonderful people. Life is good.....

Thursday and Friday

After coffee and donuts at 7:30, Dianne and Clayton brought out the grills and pancake batter and I prepared the sausage for our Pancake Breakfast. The pancakes were simply delicious. Dianne added some beer to the batter which made them light and fluffy. Nothing was scheduled for the rest of the day. Some went riding out on the desert in ATV and bicycles. Some went hiking and others went back to town. We ended up at the Tyson Wells Flea Market where we wondered in and out of hundreds of booths filled with almost anything you could ever want. Willard bought some Bass wood for carving and I bought a bow for my hair. Then we had to walk about 1/2 mile back to our truck. I was glad to get back to camp. Of course, we finished off the day with Happy Hour.

On Friday we had our new awning installed. Again nothing much was scheduled other that the usual coffee and donuts and, of course, Happy Hour.

Wednesday

We began another beautiful day with coffee and donuts. Then it was back to the Big Tent for most of us, where we waded through people to see the latest RV assessories, cleaning and cooking supplies, clothes, jewelry and massage machines. You could sign up for insurance, refinancing, and park memberships. This year we bought a big slide awning and some toe bar pins. We returned to the camp site just in time for a nap before Happy Hour at 4:00. We snacked on appetizers and engaged in great conversations while standing around the campfire. Slowly people retired to their rigs for the night, exhausted from another busy day at Quartzsite.

Tuesday at the Campout

This morning we had Omlets in a Bag for breakfast. The table was filled with goodies to put in our omlets. We had a yard sale in the afternoon followed by Happy Hour and then Bill conducted our business meeting. Nothing was really decided, but we did discuss several concerns. We finished the evening with lots of sharing and Willard played his guitar and sang in the background at the campfire. Another nice day.

Roadrunner Quartzsite Campout Photos

This is the crew in front of our motorhome. Looking forward to seeing everyone again in Jan. 2010.

Craig led a great problem solving group concerning our Alfa See Ya motorhomes and ideas on how to boondock with our rigs. That evening we prepared a good campfire for our weiner roast. What a great bunch of people to be associated with.

Roadrunners Quartzsite Campout

On Monday morning the guys gathered around the Louisiana Fireplace, the campfire, and the table with serious discussions.

Day 3 of the Alfa Campout at Q

We got to sleep late this morning because the Bakery was closed. It was a lazy morning. Willard, Charles and ___ Wiggington went out on the desert to look for Quartz and basically enjoy the area. I stayed home and puttered around the rig. We spent the rest of the day just visiting and not doing much of anything. At about 4:00 food started arriving from every direction and filled up four tables. It's hard to believe that we didn't have any leftovers, but we didn't. Willard and I entertained the group for about 30 minutes. They seemed to enjoy our music. Graceann and Charlie came over to visit. It was my birthday today. Alice White and Carolyn called and sang "Happy B-Day" to me. Graceanne gave me napkins with her beaded napkin rings around them. Willard had the group sing "Happy B-Day." We spent the rest of the evening talking and nuturing friendships while we gathered around the campfire. It was a good day.