Here we are, sitting in Yuma, Arizona, 33C!
But first, back to 2 weeks ago, before we left – we headed to
Grande Cache to see the kids and grandkids. We left with snow on the ground,
drove past snow and then it snowed while we were there – all a sign that it was
time to “get outta Dodge”. We did have a lovely visit with Adam, Jen, Emma
& Ty – Jen spoiled us with an amazing turkey dinner, we got in lots of
playtime with the little ones and got to enjoy the beauty of the area. Ty had
waited for us before he opened his birthday gifts from us, difficult when you
are only 6! And he read us a book – can’t believe he has grown up so quickly!
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| our "summer" home in Alberta |
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| we learned a new game, Mexican Train |
We popped in at Shane & Sarah’s for a quick visit, to
see Rosemary and to get the rest of our stuff out of their freezer. We have a lovely
huge fridge in the RV but it couldn’t hold everything when we sold our place
(with the freezer).
We left to head south on October 15, it had rained all night
and there was still 2” of snow on the picnic table! We spotted a bald eagle in
Elk Island park as we drove through – we left one hike unfinished this year –
we will have to do it twice next year! We drove down Hiway 36, a nice quiet
route, stopping in Taber, AB our first night – always fun to see the huge piles of
sugar beets (they are yellow) at the Rogers sugar plant there.
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| leaving for the south |
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| Roger Sugar with piles of sugar beets |
An easy border crossing, stop for much cheaper diesel at
$3.34/gallon and on to Helena, Montana. We have a Gem Trails book for most of
the western states and wanted to do some rockhounding along the way. We parked
at Walmart, our go-to overnight spot and drove to Canyon Ferry Lake where our
book promised jaspers and petrified wood in the gravels around the lake. Only
one piece of petrified wood but a fair amount of jasper for the collection.
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| antelope |
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| Montana scenery |
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| Canyon Ferry Lake |
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| a strange roadside bit of history |
Next stop near Pocotello, Utah at Fort Hall Casino’s RV park –
still needed heaters in the morning. Very slow going through Salt Lake City,
got to love the 12 lane freeways! Our GPS took us on an unexpected jaunt
through a neighborhood in our quest for Camping World but we did eventually get
there. We now have 2 lovely padded footstools for outdoor enjoyment – hard to
believe that you cannot find these in Canada!
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| Salt Lake City |
I did a bit of the driving on our way to Panguitch, Utah,
have to keep up my skill, but don’t expect me to do anything fancy like back up
or tricky maneuvering!
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| Big Rock Candy mountain |
We set up in a park (our days of dry camping are
becoming less and less – we appreciate the luxuries of full hook-ups),
especially when you need the heater/fireplace for warmth! Still not far enough
south! The plan was for a couple days of hiking in the area – a gorgeous part
of the country! We drove a good portion of Scenic Hiway 12 through Grand
Staircase-Escalante National Monument, stopping to hike in Kodachrome Basin
State Park (Panorama Trail, 3.5 mi.) and in Escalante Petrified Forest State
Park (Petrified Forest Trail – 1 mile trek going up 200 ft.) I took too many
pictures to count and we enjoyed the long day.
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| Red Canyon |
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| Kodachrome Basin Park |
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| Me in front of one of many towering spires |
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| I had this Western Scrub jay eating out of my hand! |
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| Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument |
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| petrified wood |
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| more petrified wood |
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| Bryce canyon |
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| Red Canyon |
Our trusty Gem Trails of Utah sent us to 2 areas near
Panguitch, one for very cool agate nodules, scrounging around in a dry wash and
to Agate Hill for pieces of different colored agates. We finished that day off
with a couple hikes in Red Canyon.
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| lots of agates |
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looking down from Agate
Hill towards Red Canyon |
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| hiking in Red Canyon |
Our next travel day saw us starting out in Utah, going south
into Arizona then back up into Utah, then south again into the corner of Arizona
to finish up in Mesquite, Nevada! And Robin had me texting the kids every time
we changed states! Sorry guys. We drove through a nasty thunderstorm to arrive
in Mesquite and finally summer – 29C! We spent one night in the casino parking
lot, enjoying their large fountain with palm trees.
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| heading into a thunderstorm |
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| near St. George, Utah |
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| Virgin River canyon, downhill for 12 miles |
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| Casa Blanco casino, Mesquite |
On to Laughlin, Nevada, again to full hook-ups, at the
Riverside RV park - too hot, now we needed the A/C! I had some good luck – I usually
avoid gambling as I never win, Robin never gambles, but I put $20 in a slot and
walked away with $130.85! Nice! After a soak in their hot tub and a Blue Plate
Special dinner we walked down the Riverwalk along the Colorado River looking
for the racoons that hang out there. Little did we realize that they wanted our
leftovers almost more than we did as they gave Robin a chase!
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| a raccoon after our leftovers! |
On to Yuma where we remain, booked into Sun Ridge RV for a
week. We wanted awnings for a couple windows and we ended up getting sunscreens
as well.
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| actually some green in the desert |
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| piles and bales of cotton |
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| our new sunscreens |
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| and new awning |
We brought our bicycles this year, used them to check out the area and
to ride about 10 miles along the West & East Yuma Wetlands (in 34C heat –
no one said that we were smart)! We have spent at least 30 minutes every
morning sweating on the pickleball court – a lot of fun actually. There is a
pool & hot tub here, those we will greatly miss once we get to Quartzsite
(no pool in the whole town!) We made a pit stop at Smart & Final, picked up
4 bottles of booze, 1.75 l, 30 beers and a 5L box of wine, all for $120!!
Should last a good while.
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| biking in rattlesnake country! |
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| Colorado river |
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| irrigation canals, early in the season so still empty |
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| egrets in the wetlands |
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| a strange hut along the canal, ? hobos? |
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| parks along the Colorado river |
We made our first trip across into Algodones, Mexico – for tacos
& tequila, then a cleaning at the dentist for $25.
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| tacos |
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| and tequila! |
We head to Quartzsite tomorrow for a 4-5 month stay - this is a big change for us but we are
looking forward to lots of rockhounding and activities with the local rock club.
We continue to Live our Dream!
