Issue #6 -- Arizona's Beauty (October 27 - November 15, 2016

Arizona is such a beautiful State. If you've never been, it's well worth your time.  Most people think of Arizona as a desert, but there is so much more to see than cactus.  The State has deserts, plateaus, cedar hills and high pines ... you just have to travel to find them.  One of the most beautiful sights are actually rocks, more to the point, the Grand Canyon and Sedona areas have the most beautiful rock formations and colors you'll ever see.

Because words can't describe the beauty of Arizona, most of this blog will be photos.  We spent two weeks at the Thousand Trails - Verde Valley Campground, which is located between Verde Valley and Cottonwood, Arizona.  The campground is well kept and the sites are large enough to accommodate your rig and vehicle.  The biggest downside to this location is the Wi-Fi.  They claim to have Wi-Fi in the club house, but it doesn't always work, "Seldom" is the word used by long timers.  If you are in need of a 50 amp site you should contact the ranger station to reserve a site and be prepared to pay an additional charge of $3 - $5 dollars per day for the service.  Another added charge is to have your mail delivered (forwarded). There is a $2 charge per item.

We were in the Cottonwood, Arizona area for two weeks, this is enough time to visit some beautiful sights.

Day Trip to Sedona, Arizona:

Our first day trip was to Sedona, also known as "Red Rock Country."  We started our day trip with breakfast at The Coffee Pot Restaurant. The restaurant is  a unique landmark to Sedona since the 1950's.  The restaurant is famous for it's 101 omelettes. The Coffee Pot restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch, seven days a week. Both the food and service are excellent, you won't walk away hungry.

Sedona is a small, artsy town, with lots of shops and eateries. One of my favorite shops is Dahling It's You and my sales assistant was Rita.

You can take a thousand photographs in this area, and you will feel as if you didn't take enough. This was David's playground as a kid, and young man. He was born and raised in the Phoenix area, and hunted and fished all over the State.




Slide Rock and Flagstaff, Arizona:

Just a short drive north of Sedona there is a area known as Slide Rock. This area has always been a popular area with the young at heart. Dave and I used to come here, like everyone else, and play in the water and slide on the rocks.  It's more organized than what it used to be. We'd park wherever we could and hike down to the slide area.  Now there's an official parking lot with a fee and a formal trail/steps leading to the Slide Rock area,

Cave Springs Campground is an area David used to camp during summers as a young boy.  This was also one of David's favorite fishing locations.





Flagstaff, Arizona, is surrounded by mountains, desert and ponderosa pine forests. It's a gateway to the San Francisco Peaks, home to Arizona's tallest mountain (Humphreys Peak) and the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort. Nearby, Wupatki National Monument has Native American pueblo sites, and Walnut Canyon National Monument is dotted with their cliff dwellings. At some of the scenic stops, approaching Flagstaff, you can purchase Native American jewelry.   I purchased a pair of earrings in the shape of a feather and this prayer was included.

Williams, Arizona - Train to the Grand Canyon:
If you have ever been to any part of the Grand Canyon, you already know it's breathtaking.  Well, as hard as it is to believe, my beloved husband, David, has never been to the Grand Canyon, despite hunting, fishing and hiking most of Arizona.  I planned a birthday gift that included taking a train. David loves trains, and what better way to get to the Grand Canyon!
Most people, of age, know of the famous Route 66. It actually went right through the town of Williams, Arizona. Once the new freeway went in, the original Route 66 became less traveled with fewer visitors coming to Williams.  Now a major draw to Williams is the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel.  There are several packages you can choose from.  I chose the one night hotel with the round trip train from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The hotel was lovely and our package included supper the evening we arrived and breakfast prior to boarding the train, the next morning.  But, that's not all! We were treated to an old West shoot-out just before we boarded the train.  The train takes about two hours and fifteen minutes to get to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We were in First Class, which included snacks, refreshments and sodas.  After spending about three hours touring the Grand Canyon, and loads of photos, we were back on the train returning to Williams. Again, in First Class you received goodies.  You can't take an old fashioned train ride without the old West outlaws robbing the train.  Thank goodness there's always an old West Marshal to capture the outlaws and restore peace on the train.

Hope you enjoy the photos:

We were treated to entertainment by Cody, a  Country Western singer, from the Williams area.

Welcome to the South Rim - Grand Canyon

The train ride back to Williams had a beautiful sunset.

Day Trip to Jerome, Arizona
Jerome, Arizona is an old mining town, full of historic buildings and rich history. The town is in the Black hills of Yavapai County in Arizona. Jerome was founded in the late 19th century on Cleopatra Hill and was a copper mining town and home to approximately 15,000 residents. Today Jerome is an artist and tourist community of about 400 residents.

November 09, 2016 - David's Birthday Dinner:
We found a really good Steak House in the Verde Valley area, Sutler's Steak House.  This is a family owned steak house and the food and service, by Britney, was excellent.

Apache Junction, Arizona
While in Apache Junction, Arizona we stayed at Countryside RV Resort.  This is a mixed use park, but it has lots of sites for RV's.  The park is an Encore park which is associated with Thousand Trails. If you are a Thousand Trails member and part of Ready Camp Go you can make reservations through Ready Camp Go to receive a discount.  The park is very clean and the sites are large.  The staff is friendly and more than willing to help however they can.
Apache Junction is one of the towns outside of Phoenix, Arizona.  This area of Arizona is well known for one of it's mountains, the Superstitions. According to the legend, the Superstition Mountains are home to the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, which has never been found.

While staying in Apache Junction we were able to visit with an old friend, Brian Godsil. Our friendship with Brian goes back to the 70's when David, Brian and I were police officers in the Phoenix area ... that's a long time ago.  Brian is sharp as ever, he doesn't forget anything!

David's Buddy Stops:

Issue #5 -- Two Weeks in Nevada

Two weeks in one place / State doesn't really seem that long, but when you spend the time with really good friends that know the area well, it's amazing!!
Our first week in Nevada was in the Carson City area.  I know when I think of Nevada, I think of a desert. Carson City and Minden are not like being in the desert at all. The area is beautiful and it has changing seasons.  Minden is where our friends, Byron and Carol Hibshman live.

In the neighboring area of Lake Tahoe is where our friends, Pat and Liz Lenhart have a home.  Pat and Liz spend most of their time fixing up a large ranch where they someday hope to raise cattle or horses.
We are blessed to have such good friends.  Even better is that all six of us are good friends and we were able to spend time with both couples together. Next time we need to get some photos with Pat and Liz, I can't believe we didn't do that.
Thank you guys for all the good food and  great company.

During our stay at Silver City RV Resort we were kept busy and enjoyed every minute of all there was to see and do.  There's always time for a beer at the Genoa Bar and Saloon in Nevada.

While at the Genoa Bar and Saloon, we met Territory Manager, Billy Smith of the Tahoe Blue Vodka company. This is a locally made premium vodka. They offered us tastes, and we must say, IT WAS VERY SMOOTH, and definitely a premium grade of vodka. It is available at the local Costco stores in Nevada. We purchased several bottles for our rolling RV bar!

It's five o'clock somewhere!

Sand Harbor Park is such a beautiful place to spend the day just walking around or you could even take a picnic lunch.

David was able to fine the biggest "Rock Butt Crack" I've ever seen!

Byron and I were happy finding the best view of the lake!

It you haven't smelled a Ponderosa-pine, it's one of the sweetest smells in the woods that you'll find.  Just step right up, put your nose into one of the tree's 
cracks and smell.  It's sometimes described as a smell simular to a sugar cookie, others say it smells like vanilla or butterscotch. David told us about his tree smelling adventures (when he was a kid), so we all tried it, and HE WAS RIGHT, definitely sugar cookies.

    

One of our day trips was to Donner Pass Memorial Park.  Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the Northern Sierra Nevadas, above Donner Lake and about nine miles west of Truckee, California. Donner Pass has a well-known and macabre history - the place where George Donner and his party got stuck in the winter of 1846 and were forced to resort to cannibalism to keep from starving.











If you've never been to Hope Valley, CA in the fall, you're missing some beautiful fall colors. 

One of the most photographed structures is this beautiful little farm house.  I can clearly see why!





There are many apple orchards in the Camino California area. The Apple Hill growers cover a very large area and you can print out a map at the Apple Hill Growers website. Visiting the apple orchards makes for a fun day trip.  Many of the orchards have a variety of things going on, such as arts and crafts vendors and stores in which to purchase fresh fruits, nuts, jams and even a fresh baked apple pie.  Depending on the time of year you visit, they'll have special events for each season.

A really well kept museum is the Larsen Apple Barn and Museum.  There are several apple orchards in this area. One of the Larsen descendants was on hand to answer all of our questions about the fruit growing cooperative, his particular farm and about various antique equipment in his barn museum.

Virginia City, NV is another must see and a great day trip.  Virginia City has that old western feel as you walk through the town.















With all the traveling we've done over the last year, we have never run across the actual Starbucks roasting plant.  Thank you again to our good friends Byron and Carol for letting us know it is actually located in Minden, NV.  Thank You! As you drive in the area you can smell the coffee roasting in the air.









Carson City is home to Nevada's National Train Museum.  If you are as big a train buff as what David is, then this is a must see for you. David's uncle, Gene Dains, was a Santa Fe Railroad engineer on the passenger lines between Phoenix and Tucson. David got to ride with his uncle, as a kid, and has been a big train buff ever since.





We just can't thank our friends Byron & Carol and Pat & Liz enough for showing us such a wonderful time during our stay in their area of Nevada.  THANK YOU!

On to Las Vegas for a week:

In Vegas we stayed at Thousand Trails RV Resort.  We've been members of Thousand Trails since about 1982.  At the time we purchased our membership Thousand Trails was new and spoke of the obstacles of finding affordable and secure campgrounds in the future. Now it's 2016, and Thousand Trails ownership has changed hands several times and added many membership upgrades over the years, but not any amenity upgrades to their park system.  It used to be when we would plan a trip, Thousand Trails was the first place we'd check for an available camp site, but now it's not.  You might as why, but if you, too, have been a member for as long as we have, then you know the parks/campgrounds have not been well kept and they have not kept up with the changes in RV's and fifth-wheels, both in size and push-outs.  A lot of today's RV's need 50 amp and the push-outs require more space.  The Las Vegas campground suffered some wind damage this last year and currently does not have a usable pool, club house or wi-fi. The spaces are small and cramped, leaving little to no room for both an RV and personal vehicle.

We managed to see two Las Vegas shows, Cirque Du Soleil's KA' and Michael Jackson One.
They were both good shows, but of the two my favorite was KA'. Beautiful sets, great choreography, and a wonderful Asian tale of "Love Overcomes All."
We managed to get some down time and rest a little.  It's been such a long time since we've been to Vegas.  I was amazed to see how much it has grown. We don't gamble, but the shows and the spectacle that is "Las Vegas," is always fun.





David's Buddy Stops

David always says, "Where there is Starbucks, there is civilization."  You be the judge!!






















Our next blog will be about our visit to Cottonwood, Sedona, Jerome, and the Grand Canyon, all located in the beautiful state of Arizona.

Issue #4 -- On The Road Again

 

Lobster dinner with Rick & Cheryl at Timberland Acres.

Lobster Fun Facts:

• Lobsters can live to be 100 years or older.
• During colonial days, lobsters were plentiful and were the food for the poor.
• A lobster's brain is in its throat, and they taste with their feet.
• Lobsters are a great source of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
• Three and a half ounces of lobster is only 96 calories and about two grams of fat.
• Lobsters can grow up to four feet long and weigh as much as 40 pounds.
• Lobsters aren't red. They turn red when cooked, but in nature they can be green or yellow or even a bright blue.

On The Road Again!

We left beautiful Maine, Timberland Acres RV Park on September 26th.  We're heading to Goshen, Indiana to attend the Thor Diesel Club International Rally.

First things first, we have to travel four days to get to Indiana so we'll be making three overnight stops. Our first night, Sept. 26th, will be at Cabela's in Hudson, Massachusetts. These are a great place for an overnight, they have a nice dry camp area and even provide outdoor pens for your dogs or a corral for your horse. The best part is we get to shop!


Our second night is one of our favorite places in New York, The Villages at Turning Stone Casino. The RV park is Good Sam and Escapees discounted, and a great place to visit for more than just overnight. The park is located in Verona, New York and is not far from Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame.  The casino is just down the street and there is a 24 hour shuttle that runs seven days a week.  Dave and I are not into casino gambling, but there are several good places inside to casino to get a good meal and a cold beer.
When we arrived at The Villages RV Resort, I noticed a problem with our right front tire on the RV.  Mind you, this is a new rig, with less than 6,000 miles on it. Turns out our rear thrust alignment and our front end alignments were both off. The rear thrust was almost an inch off which caused the wear on the front tires.  We contacted the nearest Freightliner dealer in Buffalo, New York and made an appointment to get in the next morning.  It cost us about $1,700 to replace the two front tires and Freightliner picked up the cost of the front and back realignment. Once back on the road we were able to contact Thor's Southeastern area customer service representative, Anson Adams (no relation to the famous photographer), who assures us we will be reimbursed the cost of the new tires.

                                                          

We are very grateful for the good people of Thor, we love our coach and look forward to all the travels ahead of us!
So, after the detour we headed to Erie, Pennsylvania where we overnighted at another casino. Our forth day on the road took us into Elkhart, Indiana. Here we'll spend three nights at Elkhart Campground so we can visit our friends, Steve & Sharon Jimenez of Las Vegas, Nevada.  Steve & Sharon are in Indiana at the Entraga factory to have their coach serviced.  It's been about a year since we last saw them at Deer Park RV Resort in Spokane, Washington. It was a fast couple of days, but we had a great time and hope we'll be able to see them again when we get to Las Vegas for a week.
On Sunday, Oct. 2nd, we moved over to the Elkhart Fairgrounds for the Thor Diesel Club Rally.

The rally lasted five days and what a great rally!
We met lots of great people and ate good food (both breakfast and supper were provided), and drank a little, too. These folks really know how to put together a rally, there was tons to keep you busy - vendors, seminars, coach service and HAPPY HOUR every afternoon.  I can't say enough about the Thor service techs, they are some of the greatest people around. They were out early every morning and worked long hours to complete the many requests for service.  Thor was well represented by their customer service and area representatives who did not hesitate to speak with the coach owners.  The newest Thor line of coaches were on display to tour and I'm sure someone left in a new rig.
A BIG THANK YOU, to all the volunteers who worked so hard to put together such a fine rally.

On The Road Again!

Yes, we're back on the road heading to Minden, Nevada, where we'll visit some good friends.  The drive should take us about a week.
We live in such a beautiful country, America.  I love being on the road, can't seem to take enough photos.
As we travel to Nevada, we've enjoyed the changing of the colors as we head into fall, and soon, winter.  The roads have been very good, but, you can't avoid tolls, and construction.

                                                   

Being on the road nearly a week we needed to find places to overnight.  Our first night was at Walmart in Coralville, Iowa. The next night was at Cabela's in Kearney, Nebraska. Again,we went shopping.  It turns out we were at the smallest of all the Cabela's, in fact it was the second retail Cabela's opened. If you haven't heard, Cabela's is being bought by Bass Pro Shop.






The next night we stayed at A.B. Camping RV Park in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  After two nights with no hookups we really needed an RV park.  The park was  just OK, nothing to write home about.






 Ft. Bridger RV Campground is where we choose to spend the forth night. This park is located in Fort Bridger, Wyoming and is a family owned park.  It's a nice, clean park with friendly operators. The town is very small, a population of under four hundred people ... that's small.  Just outside the RV park is a General Store. There you can get the best root beer float you've ever had. Fort Bridger is named after Jim Bridger, the famous Trader, Scout and Mountain Man. One of many tough, real men who helped spread America Westward.

We found ourselves a day ahead of schedule, so we can either do another overnighter and drive on to Minden, Nevada or spend two nights in Elko, Nevada.  We choose to spend two nights in Elko at Ironhorse RV Resort, Ironhorse RV Resort is very nice. It has full hookups and is very clean. Dave was able to get some laundry done and still get in some down time. We leave here on Oct. 13th and will be staying at Silver City RV Resort in Minden, Nevada for a week.

                                                

That's about it for this blog. Next, I'll let you know about where we spend our winter months.

David's Buddy Stops!