We Tried

Nothing we did seemed to work! We cheered, we yelled, we even swore a few times, but we couldn't pull it out. We even tried to get Rouben, the paper delivery guy, to cheer for the Riders! Saskatchewan seems to be "next year" country.

In our large group of Canadians there was only one Montreal supporter [I guess we have to allow that since she was born in Quebec]! To top it off, she won the pool twice!

We usually gather at a house on the golf course because they have a huge garage that is perfect for gatherings such as this. Thanks Barb and Rip!

Just a Big Pile of Bricks

Today it is just a pile of bricks, but in a few days it will be the new street surface in front of our house. The streets in our park are cobblestone with the intention of all being replaced with adoquin within three years.

Ours was paid for before we left in April with the understanding that it would be completed before we returned, but we weren't really surprised when it looked the same in November. Remember the slower pace!

Regardless, it will be much easier to ride our bikes when this is finished. Good bicycle seats are a necessity!

Finally!

After the hurricane of a year ago, we have been leery of letting Maggie run freely in the desert. Valley Fever has been reported in dogs and we tried to avoid it the best we could.

Today was the day! We let her loose and she loved it. The best part of this whole exercise bit was that she slept for hours after and if you know Maggie, this is a rarity.

Dolphin Sightings

The Book Fair! I go every month, grab a few books I don't want and then I even give a donation for the books. Why? Our house is filled to the brim with these books, but I can't resist.

Adelle, on the ride back I spotted the dolphins across the street from our community. They were putting on a spectacular show close to the beach. The ten or so dolphins were entertaining a large group of people, most with cameras. I think I was the only one without one. Fred had gotten bored at the book sale and left me for better shopping elsewhere...and he was the one with the camera! This was a great photo op, one that will be repeated many times in the next five months so there will be pictures coming.

Rider Pride

What some people won't do to watch the Riders! Our TV quit working this morning and we immediately drove to Guaymas to buy a new one.

No searching, no price checking, just "go and buy"! My type of shopping!

The only thing left is a victory tomorrow.

Crossing the Border

As soon as we crossed the border at Nogales our pace became much slower. Mind you, not all of this slow down was voluntary! We are constantly amazed at how laid back and deliberate the Mexican people are. Over the years the ordeal at the Mexican customs and immigration has been frustrating, but we are becoming more patient and better educated to their ways. The drive from Tucson to San Carlos was the usual 6 .5 hours so everything appears normal.

If we had listened to the warnings of the dangers in Mexico we would never have ventured into this country. However, the drive was easy and very safe. We did not see an increase in a military presence nor did we see any unusual activity on the road. The one difference was that there were very few US cars or RVs on the road. Canadians appear to be fearless - of the eight people in line at immigration, six were from Saskatchewan. Go Riders!


San Carlos is suffering from the fewer number of travellers and a few businesses are closing their doors. Hopefully things will turn around soon. In fact, the rumours are that the huge boat [414 feet] just offshore is owned by Paul Allen, co-founder of Microsoft. That may be a sign!

Trip South

With the exception of the first day, we had excellent weather on the drive. After three days of driving we stopped at Laughlin, Nevada to take a short break. We put Maggie in the kennel and checked into Harrah's Hotel and Casino.

We spent two days doing absolutely nothing! We enjoyed the small beach behind the hotel, walked along the Riverwalk and tried different restaurants. The water taxis that carried people from hotel to hotel were perfect for someone fighting the flu.

We are presently camped at a new RV Park in Tucson, as our old favourite has completely disappeared. Beaudry RV, along with the rest of the Beaudry Company, has gone into receivership and closed down.

We plan on spending the day finalizing things before we head out early tomorrow morning. We want to be at the Mexican border by 7:00 am so we do not have to drive at night.