May "The Fourth" be with you....

Today is the 4th of July and we had a pretty easy travel day.  It was cloudy, 66 degrees and a great day to travel.  We stopped at a rest stop for a picnic lunch of ham and swiss cheese sandwiches and, as we were nearing our campground, we spotted the Blue Angels performing an air show over the West Bay of Lake Michigan.  What a sight!  They pulled a nose dive and got as close as 20 feet from the lake.  There were only 5 of them as the 6th died in a recent tragic accident. 

We are staying at Traverse Bay RV Resort which is a magnificent place and has definitely earned the right to call themselves a resort.  We have had reservations here for quite some time so the anticipation has been building and, so far, has not disappointed.  Here is a view

out our front window:

Once we got settled in, we took a drive into downtown Traverse City where the National Cherry Festival was in full swing....a reported 500,000 people to be exact.  We found a restaurant on the West Bay called West End Tavern which had just opened 4 days ago.  The menu was average but the ambiance was fantastic....we waited 30 minutes to get a table outside on a large patio overlooking the harbor where all the boats were moored.

Wow....I'm duly impressed with this area already.  The temperature was perfect with only 35% humidity....that's 35% okay?  Not 95% which is what we it was when we left Florida.

On the road to Michigan...

Friday, July 1 We pulled out of Stonecrest at 11:00 am and, after a few miles, George announced that he left his wallet and watch on the chest of drawers, so we turned around at Del Webb/Spruce Creek CC and returned home to retrieve his stuff so, make that 11:30 that we actually left Stonecrest.

We started an audio book named "Tourist Season" by Carl Hiaasen.  We've listened to his books before and like him ok...albeit a little gorey at times.  However, the title seemed appropriate since we live in a tourist town, are traveling to a tourist town and will pass through many other tourist towns along the way.  The book took our minds off the driziling rain plunking on our windshield and made the drive seem shorter than it was.

After 7 hours, we reached New Green Acres RV Park, Walterboro, SC.   The office was closed but they left us a site map, a lot assignment and a credit card receipt for our nightly fee. We've stayed in this park several times as it's just about the perfect time to stop for the night.  We were, however, a bit worried as Mike Gaskill got his rig stuck in the mud here once and, after all, it had been raining most of the day.  Looked at the site map and, sure enough, looks like we were assigned "Mike's spot".  Just our luck.  Well, it turned out ok as they had laid fresh gravel and, fortunately, we didn't get stuck.  The drive here was 322 miles.  This doesn't sound like a lot of miles but, trust me, in a big motorhome, it is; not to mention the fact that we don't exceed the speed limit, and, in some instances, we don't even go the speed limit.

Day 2 We got on the road at 9:15 am and it was a "slow train through Arkansas" as my mother would have said, except that we were in Virginia and, did I mention that it is still raining?  After 7 hours and 320 miles, we rolled into Fort Chiswell RV Park in Max Meadows, VA.  We have also stayed here before and I remembered that there was a crazy looking cat that hung out with me at the laundry facility.  Took me a while to get up the nerve to pet it but, when I did, it wasn't nearly as mean as it looked.  I asked about the cat and they told me that one of the employees took it home with her (about 10 miles away) but, after a week or so, the darned cat returned to the campground.  Unfortunately, I didn't encounter the cat this visit.

Day 3 Today was our long travel day so we got on the road at 8:15.  More sprinkles today and more audio books.  We finished the first one yesterday and started "Skin Tight".  After 9 hours, we reached Fireside Resort RV Park in Auburn, IN.  Some parks use the term "resort" loosely....this is one of them. 

Mud Bug Massacre

Ok, all has been going so well on the trip so far so it's time for a "mud bug massacre" (my new name for an RV disaster).  So, I'm blow drying my hair and I plugged in my flat iron -big mistake- then they both shut down and suddenly no electricity.  I tried pushing the reset button to no avail so I had to yell for George and own up to my screw up of plugging in too many appliances at the same time. With the smell of singed wires in the air, he comes running into the bathroom with that "what have you done now Lucy" look.  He immediately tried to diagnose the problem without success so Mike comes to the rescue and sounds like he knows a lot about electrical problems (from previous "mud bug massacre" experiences).  They eventually figure out that one of the main electrical lines had burned up so we call a mobile service guy and wait, and wait, and wait.


The natives are restless so we set off to a shop where the guys buy a $369.00 supposed "fix" to our electrical and, much to our amazement, it worked (after spending the whole day working on it).


So now....on to bigger and better things. 


We took a tour of Reunion Pointe with Richard Parker, the developer.  This is a new RV Port-Home Community with about 31 lots to pick from.  Richard took us through his unit which is still under construction but very nicely laid out on the best lot in the neighborhood.  He also took us through a unit that has just been completed and we were very impressed, however, George is not sure he likes the location of this community but I'm glad we got a feel for what port-home living is all about. 

Panhandle or bust...

We are on a weeklong trip with the Gaskills to Lake Osprey RV Resort in Elberta, AL which is near Gulf Shores.  We stopped by their booth back in January at the Tampa RV Show and each received a coupon for their $99 Special weekly rate so...here we are.  We left at 7:00 am Friday morning and had a leisurely drive over, although a bit windy at times, arriving at 3:00.  And who should be in the lobby to greet us but Mark, a high school buddy of George's.

Mark and George were reacquainted on Facebook and have been communicating about RV-ing for a while now.  Mark is in the market for an RV and came over to observe the set up, etc so George was more than happy to accommodate.  In return, Mark got out his guitar and played some songs that he  has written and recorded.  Ahhh....so nice sitting by the lake in the warm sunshine, having a glass of wine with friends and being serenaded with song.  My favorite is the Mud Bug Massacre...you had to be there!

resort where we shared hors 'd oeuvres and mingled with the residents.  We also met the sales rep and made an appointment to find out all about resort RV living.

We retired back at the Gaskill's coach where we cooked brats on their Traeger grill (THE best brats I've had).  Then off to bed early after a long, busy day.

First Leg of the Journey home...

 

We left Camp Verde, AZ Friday morning and drove 330 miles to Sky City RV Park in Sky City, NM. Along the way, we crossed the Continental Divide.  Then 547 miles on Saturday to Fort Stockton RV Park in Fort Stockton, Texas.  Sunday, it was 250 miles to Buckhorn Lake Resort in Kerrville, Texas.  George is exhausted and has important meetings Monday and Tuesday so we will be here until Wednesday. 
 

      

Poncho

Bandana Cowl

I've had plenty of time to knit over the past three days and finished my grey and white striped Poncho plus another Bandana Cowl. 

 

Monday I drove from one end of Kerrville, TX to the other making a few stops along the way.  Our campsite brochure advertised a half-mile of unique shops, galleries and craftsmen on Old Ingram Loop.  It was easy enough to find, however, the majority of the stores were closed.  However, I found a large craft store in town and it was a combination of Michael's and JoAnn...only bigger.

 

Tuesday, I drove 62 miles into San Antonio, had lunch and visited Yarnivore, an upscale yarn shop on NW Military Highway.  They had tons of yarn, some of which I've never heard of.  Bought a couple of things then sat and knitted with the ladies for a few hours before heading back to the motorhome.  George was still working when I got home.  He had a conference call at 3:00 AM and has been at it ever since, so I took the opportunity to do some laundry and, if he ever gets finished, we are going out to eat then early to bed for the next leg of our journey home. 

 

The Birthing of a Mountain



Lava Field

 

Each time a volcano erupts, a mountain is born. I never thought about this before but here it is right before my eyes.  Some 1000 years ago, the powerful forces of a volcano pushed up the ground and sprayed molten rock high into the air forming Sunset Crater Volcano.  The colorful glow from the cinders reminded people of a sunset, hence the name.   In 1930, Sunset Crater Volcano  became a National Monument where, today, we walked through a lava field as black as the ace of spades.  Slowly, plants and animals returned to the area and agriculture improved because layers of ash absorbed moisture, helping prevent evaporation and a climate change occurred providing more rainfall during the growing season.



The nearby Wupatki National Monument reveals pueblo ruins where former inhabitants lived.  Workers were there today building steps to complete a pathway around this monument.  We were able to walk into what's left of the fragile structure.  This was an amazing Wednesday.

Wuptaki Ruins

Wuptaki Ruins

Workers at Wuptaki Ruins

 

 

We met Bill and Janna in Jerome Tuesday morning.  Janna bought a tee shirt but most stores were closed so we left there and came over to the RV.  I made a pot of chili last night so we had that for lunch and just sat around and talked all afternoon.

"In-Folk-Us" Group

Thursday we ran errands over in Prescott Valley then drove over to Historic Downtown Prescott and had lunch at The Palace Saloon.  This building is at least 100 years old and smells like cows, however, the food was very good....some of the best Corn Chowder I've had.  We were fortunate enough to be there when a local folk music group called "In-Folk-Us" were practicing for their evening performance.  They sang old western songs you might hear in a John Wayne film.  What a great lunch!  Afterward, we headed home, had dinner and packed up to hit the road in the morning.


George admiring the wall art

The "Upstairs"

Labor Day Weekend

 

We left Moab Friday and drove 7 hours to Distant Drum RV Resort in Camp Verde, AZ, which is about 40 minutes south of Sedona, one of my favorite places out West.  We were at this campground 4 years ago and it's a great place to stay...in fact, they gave us the same spot we had before.  I vacuumed and cleaned once we got set up and we stayed in and rested up for tomorrow's golf game.

 

Stone Ridge GC

Bev and Randy recommended we play Stone Ridge GC in Prescott Valley so we booked a tee time and headed on over Saturday morning.  It was a very challenging but picturesque golf course.  At times I felt like a billy-goat climbing the steep terrain of this mountainous course.  On #7, we caught up with a couple from Phoenix and they asked us to join them.  Good thing because J.B. knew the course like the back of his hand and was most helpful in advising us where to hit the ball.  I eked out a 99 and was proud of it as the rating was 67.2/127 from the red tees. After golf, we had cocktails on the outdoor patio with J.B. and Susan.  Glad we got to play this one and thanks Bev and Randy for the recommendation.

Stone Ridge GC Par 3

 

Leff-T's Steakhouse

The Albrecht's also recommended Leff-T's Steakhouse for dinner.  We were meeting George's longtime friends, Bill and Janna, for dinner and when we recommended it, they laughed and said that's what they were going to recommend too!  Everyone had steaks except me and I had the ribs (at Bev's suggestion) and they were fabulous (as were the steaks for everyone else). Bill and Janna said they always get a steak.  George and Bill were buddies back in NJ when they were in their twenties, then they moved to CA together....Bill met Janna and stayed and George ended up back East.  The Hawkin's moved over to AZ about 2 years ago. 

 

Sunday morning I gave us both a much needed haircut, did some laundry and made a big bowl of southern-style potato salad.  We drove over to Bill and Janna's ranch where they have 3 horses and 4 great dane's.  The great dane's are almost as big as the horses....one of them came over and sat in my lap...what a hoot!  We were invited over to a neighborhood picnic in the afternoon at Barb and Dave's house where we met 8 of their friends.  Dave grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, Barb made macaroni salad and the other ladies brought appetizers and/or desserts.  It was Barb's 75th birthday so a celebration was in order. 



After the BBQ, we went outside to check out the colorful sunset and feed apples to the horses.  We had a great time!

 







Monday we went on a Jeeping adventure on Schnebly Hill Road in the Coconino NF near Sedona.  Even though it was rated easy, it was a rough,  bumpy 10.7 mile road; however, we climbed roughly 5 miles up to Merry-Go-Round Rock and could see hikers at the top of this monstroscity.  The views were nice but, honestly, the road was a bit too rocky for me.  



Merry-Go-Round Rock

We encountered more than a dozen Jeeps along the trail including a lot of "Pink Tour Jeeps".

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I also noticed a lot of purple cacti in bloom and couldn't resist a picture...kinda looks like a radish.

Purple Cacti

A view from the top...

 

 

We ended up near Flagstaff where we picked up Highway 89-A back down to Sedona through the beautiful Oak Creek Canyon.  There is an area called "Slick Rock" where the rocks provide a natural water slide and there were tons of people parked on both sides of the road for what seemed like miles, to partake in a beautiful Labor Day.

We had to make a PetSmart run for cat food and, lo and behold, there was a yarn shop called Sedona Knit Wits in the same shopping center.  I browsed through the yarn shop while George shopped for cat food.  There was a Mexican Cafe' a few doors down from the Knit Wits, so we had lunch there.

Once home, we relaxed the rest of the evening.....all-in-all, it's been a Great Labor Day Weekend!

 

 

Two Trails

Dune Buggy

We made it to Thursday and went Jeeping again today.  We hit two trails plus a ride through Arches, my favorite National Park.  Again, I packed my "necessary" bag full of apples, bananas, cheese,  peanut butter crackers plus ice and water in the Rock City cooler.  Oh yes, and TP (just in case).

Rock City Cooler

 

 



Picture Frame Arch

The first trail was Picture Frame Arch, a 6 mile trail rated easy which included two impressive arches.  Part of the trail was over rugged rutted rocks (rrr?) but some of the trail was just a sandy dirt road.  It was lots of fun.

 I bought a rock pick in Moab and picked at my first rocks here....

Lone Rock

"RRR" Road

Once finished with that trail, we drove through Arches but didn't stop to hike as it was a very hot day and my stamina is still not up to par.  The park was full today and there were very few parking spaces and lots of hikers.  Our RV park is also filling up for the Labor Day weekend.



Balanced Rock - Arches

Three Kings - Arches

 

From Balanced Rock in Arches, we took a 7-mile Jeep trail through Willow Flats which ended up on Highway 191, near our campground.  The trail was pretty rough in places, maybe the roughest we have encountered so far; however, our "Dune Buggy" made it.  I call it that because the color is called dune.

 

Willow Flats

Dune Buggy on Willow Flats

YIKES!

We grilled steaks tonight with sautéed mushrooms, a baked potato for George and a sweet potato for me, then early to bed as we are leaving for Arizona in the morning.

 

Moab Fun...

 

It's Tuesday and George's last day to work, then he has the next 12 days off - YEAH!  I figure it's going to be a long day for him, so I took off to Desert Thread, the local yarn shop.  I was here 4 years ago and visited with Cathy, the owner.  She is working on a beautiful shawl and has some really cute items in her store.  She gave me a free pattern for a scarf called Wheat (you can find it on Ravelry).  She made a store sample which knitted up real nice so I bought 2 skeins of Malibigo superwash wool. 

We were going to grill steaks tonight, however, it came a thunder-boomer right at dinner time so I made Jambalaya with Andouille Sausage and it was yum!

Wednesday is golf day at Moab Golf Club.  We wanted to play this course when we were here 4 years ago but I think it rained us out.  We played much better today, but, this course is not as difficult as Devil's Thumb.  It's rated 69.4/128 from the blue tees and 66.5/118 from the reds.

Here are a few pictures of the course as it winds around the red rocks:







Speaking of Devil's Thumb, this course has a "thumb" too!

We stopped for lunch at the Moab Diner.  I had a salad and George had a Banana Split....what you gonna do?  He's on vacation!