Arizona Bound

 

On Sunday October 24, I finally had what I thought was everything I needed for the trip. As it turns out, I forgot the cork screw :(, lemon juice, and onions. Now how can a girl live without those three essentials? Here’s a picture of me and the boys squinting into the sun eager to be on the road.

We left Elephant Butte about 11 AM and arrived in Benson about 3 AZ time. They don’t believe in DST just another reason why I should live here. So I decided to check out Sierra Vista. I got lost trying to find the only two RV parks which were really mobile home parks and really not very  nice. So I went back up to Benson and stayed at Cochise Terrace RV park using my Passport America discount. Gary and I had stayed there many years ago, and it’s really nice, but I was anxious to get further west.

I arrived in Casa Grande to stop at Walmart, just one of my regular stops when on this route. I was considering going on to Yuma, but decided to check out Palm Creek RV Resort. Gary and I had watched them convert the cotton field to something with many incredibly tall palm trees with a golf course. I thought: why not? At the gate, they asked me if I was pre-registered. Oh, I thought, now I’m in trouble. I explained that I only wanted to spend a night or so. No problem. Just two stop signs and hang a right. This place is more beautiful than Desert Palms in California. Now, I’m really in trouble. Oh well, it’s only money. At the desk, she asked, “You only want to spend one night?” Well, how about a week? Let’s see what we can do. They made me a deal that was so-o-o cheap it was ridiculous. They took my picture for my ID badge and I felt like I was in like Flynn. The park ranger helped me back my rig into my space and told me I drove like a pro. What a guy!

I made friends with my next door neighbors the first night, because that’s when I found out I forgot my  corkscrew. They were putting their lights on their palm tree when I pulled in , so I took a picture of them all lit up. After I got my bottle of wine opened, we visited for a while: great people from Washington. Instead of having a park model, they have a Casita, which is nothing but an outdoor kitchen which is very popular in this part of the country. It’s great for outside entertaining and that’s all we believe in when in AZ. Point being that I was probably a little lit when I took this picture.

The next day I walked to Walmart to get a corkscrew and a few other things. Here are some pictures of this gorgeous place. The first is the entrance.

Since the golf course winds through the middle, I can only get portions; however, today I did see a golf bag on wheels being controlled by a remote control. I was so proud that I didn’t stop and stare and make a fool out of myself.

On Wednesday, I spent the afternoon in the spa and pool.

I almost forgot: they have tennis courts, pickle ball courts, and a great play yard for the dogs.

I considered staying here for a month, but I’m anxious to get to Pioneer Park over in Wellton and renew friendships; besides, it’s cheaper. I’ll head that way on Monday.

Less than a month at home

 

I took a lot of pictures of the sunrises on my early morning walks.

And one sunset.

I wanted to make the dogs movie stars, so I asked them to pose wearing my sunglasses.

Of course, they had human help.

Susie bought me a  new wall decoration which fit perfectly in the livingroom. One of those “for whatever reason” gifts. I love little surprises.

After dinner at The Club, we checked out the Inn to see what was happening. Mo and Eddie posed for a really great picture. We’re all glad to see Eddie looking almost like his old self after his recent stroke. Thank God you can’t slow some people down.

Then DJ, my favorite bartender because he stocks my White Merlot, decided to get a picture of us local crazies.

On Sunday, I left for my winter vacation in Arizona. Stay tuned for more road adventures.

Lake Powell

Wow! What a really great campground! It’s part of Wahweep  Resort which has a hotel, restaurant and tour packages along with the RV  park. The guests in the RV park also get the use of the resort pools. This is the view from my site.

I arrived Monday morning and on Tuesday I took a tour of the canyons by boat along with 80 other people. The people at the head of the line got the seats up top. I was inside, but could move around the boat and take whatever shots I wanted.

We had to cruise closely by a marina full of private house boats. This one “Sotally Tober” caught my eye.

This is Castle Rock, the first thing you see as you exit the marina.

When we were back in the narrow canyon, the captain had to blow his horn  as we rounded each bend. On one we encountered these kayakers.

 

The captain called the white line on the rocks “the bathtub ring.” It’s the same as it is at Elephant Butte; it’s the high water mark.

I tried to get as up close and  personal as I could. Being in your own boat would be better. This reminded me of Marty and Sue and I exploring Elephant Butte, only on a much grander scale.

I loved standing at the back of the boat watching the wake.

I can’t say enough about the RV park. The sites were spacious and paved with full hookups. There were sidewalks and hiking trails to and from the resort and marina and also all around the park. On my last night, I met my neighbors who also drink Beringer White Merlot. We had a great visit with promises of meeting somewhere in Arizona this winter. Home again, home again on Saturday. I can’t wait to take off for the winter.

Best Friends

 

On Saturday, Judy and I took a two hour tour of Best Friends Animal Refuge just on the outskirts of Kanab. They have 3800 acres of purchased land plus 3000 more that they lease from BLM and 480 paid employees along with volunteers. Aside from cats and dogs, there are horses, pot-bellied pigs, goats, and donkeys. This is a picture of the front garden near the entrance. The grounds are beautifully kept.

We toured in two modern air-conditioned vans (15 seats). Our first stop was Angel’s Rest, the burial ground for those who wish their pets buried there.

There are many specialized areas for the dogs and cats, but we actually went inside Dog Town and the attendants explained how they care for the dogs.

The kitty area was amazing; there was no odor at all.

On Sunday, we toured Kanab, but a lot of places were closed. We had lunch at Grandma Tina’s, a really great Italian restaurant. Then we found the city park which was lovely and being used by picnickers and their children.

While we were driving around town, we found a new subdivision with very nice homes, but sort of in the middle was this was a cabin which was a movie set from Gunsmoke.

On Monday morning, I left Kanab promising to meet up with Judy and her friend Rex in the next couple of months.

Zion

My friend Judy got here to the Hitch’n Post RV Park in Kanab on Thursday in time for us to check out the Lotsa Motsa Pizza place for lunch. Not bad. On Friday morning we headed for Zion. The road into the park was totally under construction. It’s amazing the number of RV’s that braved the road, mostly the rented ones.

This is Judy at one of the first stops we made. The construction was improving  the smoothness of the road, but did not widen it. The only place to pull over was the designated pull-outs.

We went through a 1.1 mile tunnel that was constructed in 1930 before we got to the Visitor’s Center and the place where we had to take a shuttle. In 2000, the park decided it couldn’t handle all the cars, rvs, and tour buses stopping along the way, so the only way you can do the park is on a shuttle. Actually, it’s painless and the tour guide is very informative.

 

The other thing I might  mention is that the only way to see all the narrows, arches, and other great photo ops is to HIKE. We hiked at various stops, but the younger people hiked the narrows. Here’s the hanging gardens formed from water seeping through the rocks.

This is a small waterfall on the Virgin River and people walking the middle of the river heading toward the Narrows.

Judy got this squirrel to pose for me. There’s a sign at the beginning of the trail telling you not to feed the squirrels because they bite; however, they are constantly underfoot.

The hike up to Weeping Rock was almost straight up, but this is the picture I took from underneath the rock.

On our way out of the park, we had to stop for road construction, and I got a picture of what I call a future arch.

Utah is definitely a place to continue exploring in the future.

Bryce Canyon

Before I got to the park, I took a picture of Mossy Cave Trail, just a preview of scenery to come.

This is the most accessible and kodak-friendly park so far. I stayed at Ruby’s Inn RV Park and signed up for a FREE tour on a big tour bus. The driver was extremely knowledgeable and told stories about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid who were from around here. Here is an elk that stopped to pose just for me.

This is a rock formation that is supposed to be a turtle with Leif Erickson to the left. Honest, and no adult beverages to be had!

This formation is supposed to be Queen Victoria.

This is the Natural Bridge Arch. I took a lot of pictures of this formation, but this one is  my favorite.

Fairyland Point let’s you use your imagination and pick out your favorite cartoon character. Of course, I flunked cartoons same as kindergarten, so this is my best shot.

In this one, if I move backwards, it’s goodbye Dolly. I think I look a little tense.

The next day, I left for Kanab, but on the way down, I came through Red Canyon which is extremely beautiful and at the entrance to Zion. I came through two tunnels that look like natural arches (didn’t get a picture), and really didn’t want to stop because of road construction.

I’m staying at the Hitch’n Post RV Park, and my friend Judy from MO just got here, so we are going to do Zion and Best Friends tomorrow. She actually stayed in Red Canyon and said it was great. Oh well, next time.

Capitol Reef

On the way to Bryce National Park, I was able to drive through Capitol Reef National Park. The scenery here in southern Utah is always spectacular. The key to good pictures is the time of day. I have a tendency to travel between 8 and noon which is not an optimum time for pictures, so I cheat a little with my Elements 7.

This is Navajo Dome.

The Grand Staircase is a fairly new national monument that spans a lot of acreage. It’s really just more spectacular scenery.

Along the way I stayed at Thousand Lakes RV Park outside of Torrey. I got there just in time because the wind starting blowing like springtime in New Mexico.

The gift shop had some great stuff, so I did some Christmas shopping. I also got myself another hat and some earrings. This the view from my spot.

On the second day I walked the three miles into town, just trying to stay in shape. This is one of the remaining log churches. It was built in 1898 and served as a church and school house for the LDS church. It was the first building in the pioneer town of Torrey.

This is downtown Torrey. There were several restaurants and B & B’s. In Utah, when you’re not looking at crazy rock formations, you’re seeing some pretty farm country and valleys. They do have trees.