Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Moving Slowly

We regretted leaving the Parker area, but we must keep edging northward. We drove two hours to Laughlin, Nevada and are currently parked in the Riverside RV Park located on the north end of the "strip".

Yesterday was another extremely hot day and we tried to stay cool by walking near the river, dipping in and out of the casinos, while Doug and Lenore were dipping in and out of the Riverside Casino pool. We couldn't stay away too long as we needed to check on Princess Maggie making sure our AC was keeping her cool and safe. Being in Arizona and Nevada during this hot spell gives us an appreciation of what the heat must be like in the summer months.

Today is going to be a day of laundry, fitness centre, and shopping. I have learned that a couple of friends have comp'd a hotel for two days and I am going to "borrow" their gym for as long as I can.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Much Hotter Winters




The last two days have been hotter than we expected and we have had to resort to spending time with Maggie at the river. She was so hot she would beg to go for a walk as she knew it always ended with a swim in the Colorado.

Nothing seemed to cool Fred and I down. We have been going through at least two gallons of water a day, along with ice-cream drumsticks and fruit bars. Even as we complained about the heat, we looked at the forecast for the trip home and we realized we were very lucky as the temperatures at night still called for freezing. We may have to drain the 5th wheel of all the water, and after spending a winter in warmer climes that is very hard to comprehend.

Tomorrow we are driving to Laughlin, Nevada and will be staying at the Avi RV Park. We will likely see Doug, Lenore and Abbey before we start the final leg of the trip home.


As you can see from the photo, the area around Parker is beautiful and great for sightseeing and hiking. Fred took this photo from a trail just outside our park. California is just across the river.

Saturday, April 12, 2008

River Race





Today we did something out of the ordinary - we watched a Colorado River Race and the best part was that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The races were so different from anything we have seen before that we were fascinated with the event. It was a circle race with the boats going round and round [sounds like a Nascar race].

The boats we saw varied from the Cracker Box to Super Pro category. We know there were other groups, but the heat was overbearing and we could not stay outside too long.

Everyday we keep telling ourselves that we must move north, but everyday something new turns up and we make another excuse not to move. Buckskin Mountain State Park has been good for us - not too busy, but with enough to keep us occupied

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Buckskin Mountain State Park

We left La Paz this morning with the hopes of finding something as comfortable as what we just left. We knew we would be giving up a "sometimes" Internet, but that was the price to pay. As it turned out, we are scabbing off someone else and the service is extremely fast [probably the fastest of the trip]. As you can see by the photo we also gave up some very relaxing mornings, sitting around with coffee and discussing the events of the day.


During the last couple of days we have seen some wonderful golf and had some great times with friends. The pictures we took do not do justice to the course, but I can only hope you can see what we could see.



Doug and Lenore toured Lake Havasu today while we made the long move [5 kms] to Buckskin Mt. State Park. The USA has some awesome state parks and we love to use them as much as possible. While we were setting up, Rudy and Pat from Vancouver Island, pulled in behind us so we spent time reminiscing about the 3 months we spent at Totonaka together.

This state park is also situated on the Colorado River, but it does not see as much boat traffic as La Paz. There is a store and small restaurant on site - nothing like the Roadrunner. Tomorrow we plan on washing the truck and 5th wheel and nothing else.


The weather is a stark contrast to last year's trip home. Last year we sought out the warmer weather and this year we are hunting for some relief from the 30 - 36 degree temperatures.

Monday, April 7, 2008

Parker, Arizona

All week we have been watching the cactus at Desert Palms continue to bloom. When we left Mexico the cactus were already finished blooming so we were surprised when we saw the plants in Arizona - they are very striking and beautiful.


We followed the Baileys to Parker and after our long drive [65 minutes] we were ready for a rest and a cerveza. We are camped at a County RV Park [much like our Regional Parks] and have a front row seat on the Colorado River. There are numerous boats showing off in front of us. This setting is ideal for water lovers, like Maggie.


Just a short walk from our site there is a floating bar/restaurant that caters to the boating traffic, some of whom have had too much to drink. The noise was almost too much for a Sunday afternoon.



This afternoon we have a tee off time at one of the top 10 hidden jewels in the USA [according to Golf Magazine]. Hopefully we can give a good report after the round and not be too frustrated.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Salute to Glenda and Bob

Today was spent organizing for tomorrow's move to Parker, Arizona - laundry, water refills and finding a place for everything that really doesn't have a place.

Getting water is a necessary chore, whether we are in San Carlos, Mexico, Yuma, Arizona, or Salome, Arizona. The dispensers that are so prominent in these areas are almost never seen at home. A gallon of water usually costs 25 cents and if you are like Fred or Doug, you can find better bargains by doing a little hunting around.


We wanted to send our best wishes to Glenda and Bob and for us the best way was to take the time to raise an amber beverage to them from the Cactus Bar.

Friday, April 4, 2008

Another Heat Wave in Salome

After my run this morning, Lenore visited our RV site and told us the forecast was for heat and wind. Like Maggie, we hate the wind, so within the hour we were on the course. The workers were reseeding the greens so only eight holes were open - we played 18 by replaying as many hole as we could. The wind never did appear.

Yesterday, on a day off from golfing, Doug and Lenore drove to Parker to check out a course that all of us have heard many good things about. The Baileys were pleased with what they saw, so on Sunday we will likely move to Parker, Arizona. We don't know much about the city so will have to rely on their guidance.

After Parker we will probably hit different trails, as we 'may' be going to Death Valley, California and Doug and Lenore 'may' go toward Zion National Park in Utah. The "may" plays a prominent part in winters like this.

We missed out on the park's 'pitch and putt', but congratulate me as I won the cumulative week score for our foursome - even par of 66! ( I guess you can tell by this score that the course is not a regulation size course and there is only one par five). Senior play!

BTW -For those who read Lenore's blog, I am truly embarrassed by her behaviour yesterday at 'The Bookman' in Quartzite. If I had know she would take such suggestive pictures I would have distanced myself from her and her fantasies... in reality I am very envious and would love to stop at the "Bookman" and see what he has to offer.