Arizona - Week One

Jan. 8 - Woke up to sunshine coming over the mountains.  We have a beautiful site here at the Oracle Junction Mobile Home Court.  There are mostly mobile homes (MH) here, but each cul-de-sac has room for two-four RVs.  We are in Bobcat Circle, #49, with a MH on one side, an RV on another and MH behind us.  We have a concrete patio pad which is wonderful to sit the chairs, table, grill and bike on.
We have palm trees on each side of us and face south/southeast looking at the mountains! Beautiful.

Our AZ home

The view out our front windows

We spent the day setting up and settling in.  In the process, we became aware that the propane was not working again, so the Captain took on that job again.  We ate lunch outside on the patio and in the afternoon went in to Tucson for an extension sewer hose, propane fix supplies and groceries.  Home for supper.  We hoped to sit outside, but it really cooled off after the sun went down.

Thursday - after breakfast, Gary started working on projects, starting with connecting to the sewer system and working on the propane regulator.  The day started out sunny, but then was cloudy most of the day.  I drove to Deb's and went on a long walk with her and our friend, Krista.  It was fun to be out walking and visiting.  The veteran walkers tried to take it easy for me, but I was tired when we were done.  Back home again, to find that once again the Captain had been successful in fixing the propane. He is the best!  The sun had come out by then, so we sat outside until it started to cool off again.  We were both tired from all the fresh air.  After I was in bed, I heard a pack of coyotes howling, they sounded like they were very near by.  There is nothing behind the trailer park here, so they were probably close.

Friday - up and breakfast.  After catching up on more paperwork, we drove to Saddlebrooke (the community that Dan, Connie, Deb & Joe live in) and we walked for an hour on the paths through the neighborhoods there.  We spotted a large roadrunner along the way, our first sighting here.  Back home, we sat outside for lunch.  That night we met Dan, Brian & Krista at their clubhouse for Happy Hour and dinner.  We also saw many of Dan's friends that we have met on previous visits.  It was great to see them all again.

Saturday - Gary had an early webinar session for his RV Inspection business and then we had a Skype interview with a RV industry based company.  It went well and we hope to hear back from them.  After lunch, we went to the shopping center at Oro Valley.  We went to Best Buy, it was time for Gary to upgrade his phone, he now has a smart phone he is learning about.  We walked through a couple other stores and then went to the San Carlos Grill, a Mexican restaurant we discovered here last year.  We had margaritas and watched the Chargers/Seahawks game.  Then we stopped at Walmart for a few supplies.  The view from this Walmart is incredible.  The Catalina mountains are right there and the sun was shining on them.  I will have to get a picture next time.

Sunday -  we went to Mass at 9:00 at the Santa Catalina Church nearby.  This is the church where Dan and Connie were married in October and where they all go regularly.  We returned home and had brunch.  Then we went to Joe & Deb's to watch the football games.  Because we are now on Mountain Time, the first game started at 11:00 AM.  Joe got off work at 12:00 and joined us.  Deb & I went for a walk between games, Gary and Joe went to an open house Dan was having on one of his listings.   We stayed for supper, Joe grilled a chicken (yumm), we visited and watched the sunset.

Monday - we worked on projects in the morning and then went to Deb's softball game at 1:00.   We sat in the stands in the sun and enjoyed watching them play.  This was the first game for this season and unfortunately they lost. Afterward we went back to her house and then walked with her to deliver a form to the clubhouse office.  A good distance for us today, Deb walks everywhere in her community.   Home for supper and computer time.  I heard the coyotes again tonight.

Tuesday -  Hiking today!  We drove to the Rancho Vistoso area to the Honey Bee Trailhead.  This is where we had hiked before with Dan's neighbor two years ago and with Joe, Deb, & Krista last February.  This time we went on the north trail to try and find the petroglyphs documented here. The trail follows the canyon wash and is very sandy.  It was a good workout for our legs,  We walked all the way up until we came to a fence.  At that point, we met people who told us we had missed the drawings, so we turned around and headed back.  We found the drawings, they were on rocks above and easier to see from this direction.  There was a man sitting there when we went by the first time, we had said hello to him in passing and had not looked up.  About an hour and half of walking by the time we got done, but another beautiful day in AZ, seeing the beauty here God created.

We were saluted on the trail

New saguaros growing out of the rocks

The sandy trail created by a large rock dam made by sheep ranchers in the early 1800s. 

Petroglyph rocks drawings by the Hohokam

We went home and showered up, then went to Joe's softball game.  These teams were a little more competitive, Joe had some great plays in the outfield.  It was a little cooler sitting in the stands, there was more of a breeze.  Later we did a grocery run, put on our jeans and long sleeves, then went back to Joe & Deb's for another delicious grilled supper and enjoying the AZ evening.

New Years Eve and 2014 begins

Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2013     We left Council Bluffs and headed south.  Again blessed with dry roads and a sunny day, the day went quickly and late afternoon we were back in Coffeyville.  We stopped to pick up grocery essentials one last time at the Walmart there and then went to the motorhome. The RV park looked quite bare with all the Amazon workers gone.

We opened up the motorhome again, put some clothes away and then went to 5:30 Mass at Holy Name.  Afterward I made supper and we celebrated New Year's Eve together in our little home.  We did not even try to stay up to see the New Year in, we wanted to get up early to start our travels to head south to warmer weather.  It was nice to be home.

New Year's Eve 2013

Jan. 1, 2014  -  Up early, we left Coffeyville about 9:00 AM heading south into Oklahoma.  Past Tulsa and Oklahoma City, we arrived in Sayre, OK about 4:00 PM.  300 miles.  We stayed at the City Park there, it was windy and sunny when we arrived, and turned colder quickly as the wind picked up. Gary hooked up our heated water hose and we settled in.  I made pasta for a supper casserole dish, we hibernated that night.  It got really cold with the wind chill.

Sayre site

Sayre, OK City Campground

Jan. 2-  woke up early, excited to get on the road again. The Captain was concerned about the hose being froze to the hydrant, but all was well.   A new fifth wheel camper had pulled in beside us the night before, they were going to have to stay until they had a service person come out - one of their slides had gone out crooked and would not pull back in.  We had breakfast, packed up and headed west on I 40.  About 300 miles again, windy driving today.  Arrived at the Santa Rosa Lake State Park about 1:30 MST. This park is nine miles out of town, there was a camper that pulled in before us and about three afterward for the night. Cool, but sunny.  We had not had lunch, so after setting up we went in to town for an earlier supper. We ate at Joseph's Bar & Grill on old Route 66 which opened in 1956 and is still family run.  Very 50's-60's decor, with the vintage formica booths, calendars, lighted beer signs, etc.  It was dark by the time we got back to the motorhome.
When I went to bed that night, I noticed the furnace was not running.  When I woke up again after midnight, it was even colder inside, so I woke up Gary and he discovered that the propane was not flowing to anything in the motorhome and so the gas furnace was not putting out any heat.  We turned up the electric heater and snuggled through the night.  Luckily it only got down in the low 30's, so we did not get real cold.

Joseph's - Santa Rosa, NM

Santa Rosa State Park

The next morning, the Captain researched the problem on the internet and decided we probably needed a new regulator.  We packed up and drove in to Santa Rosa, there was a hardware store and a propane dealer there.  He checked with both of them and then we went to the large RV park in town that also sold propane.  Hallelujah, they had the regulator we needed. Gary changed the regulator while we were parked in town and the propane flowed again!  (He is very handy to have around.) After getting gas for the motorhome and propane filled, we headed out of town finally at noon.

Our route today was down Hwy 54 to Carrizozo.  We unhooked the car there and I followed him then on Hwy 380 through Capitan and to my cousin's place outside of Lincoln.  A sunny, dry day again, although windy - it was nice to get there and parked.
We spent the weekend with the Moore's, parking the motorhome in their side driveway and staying in the house.  The propane kept working (!!) and we kept everything warm when the night time temperatures went lower, reaching 5 degrees above on Monday AM.  We hiked the mountain behind them on Saturday and then watched my KC Chiefs lose the playoff game. (Darn!!) Sunday we went to Mass in Capitan, helped Ginger take down her Christmas tree and watched the Packer/49er's game.  Sad for the Packers, but the 49er's played hard too.

Winston's horses & mule

Cabin in Capitan Mountains

Hiking Captain

View looking down toward Ginger's place

Monday AM was cold and then Gary discovered we had a flat tire on the car.  He took it in to Capitan right away that morning and got it fixed.  We packed up and left there about 10:00 AM. Today we are headed to Deming, NM.  With the mountains all around, our best route was back up #380 to Carrizozo, then Hwy 54 to Alamagordo and Las Cruces, finishing on I-10 to Deming.  We arrived there about 3:30, checking in to the Little Vineyard RV Park.  After setting up we went and visited the St. Clair Winery, supper at Si Senor's, a grocery stop at Walmart and home to bed. Tomorrow we reach Arizona!

Office - RV Park

Tuesday -  we packed up, got propane and gas in Deming and on to I-10 headed for Arizona.  We left about 9:00, stopped at a rest stop in Arizona for a break and to make coffee and then onward. We arrived at Oracle Junction Mobile Home and RV park at 2:00.  Sunny and warm, paradise we are here!  We let the brothers nearby know that we had arrived, parked and set up for living here. We have a nice cement patio pad and our own palm tree in our yard.  Later we met Dan & Connie, Joe & Deb for supper at Mi Tierra's, our favorite Mexican restaurant in nearby Catalina.
We are here - for several months - pinch me, I still can't believe it!

Birthday party

Council Bluffs, IA -  when we arrived on Saturday it was a nice sunny day, high in the 50's.  We made a quick stop at Camping World for a water filter we needed and a grocery stop. The weather changed drastically after dark with a very cold wind and became wind chills of twenty below zero on Sunday.  Brrr again!

My family gathered that evening - it was great to see everyone again.  We had supper together and then all worked on our parts of the celebration for the next day - my Dad's 80th birthday party.

Sunday morning we attended church and then met in the church hall for the party. The guests arrived - we had a great time visiting and celebrating with Dad.  Mom had the party theme as "His Favorite Things" - so she served his favorite foods and beverages, played his favorite songs and decorated with many of his favorite items. The program included memories told by family members and trivia about what he had done through the years.  Thank you to all the family and friends that attended. We will look forward to celebrating again in the years ahead.
That evening we gathered at Pizza Ranch for supper together and then back to the hotel for a spirited game of Progressive Rummy.  My eight year old niece, Jenna, who had never played before, beat us all.

The Guest of Honor

Our family

Monday AM -  Ben and Kelsey left early for their trip to Denver.  Some of us, including the little boys, went next door to the Bass Pro Shop to see the animals and fish displayed there.  Gary and I had never been to one, they have nice displays, we had fun watching the boys enjoy it all.  Then Katie, Jordan and family left to go have lunch and head back to Sioux Falls.  Time for goodbyes, we won't get to squeeze the boys again for a while.   We had a bite to eat there and then back to the hotel.

Riley, Jenna, and Sam

Most of the group, including us, took an afternoon nap and then we gathered again in the breakfast room of the hotel for another game of Progressive Rummy.  Eleven players, 3 decks of cards, snacks and great visiting!   (Princess Amanda beat the Captain for low score!) Later, Gary, my Dad, my sisters and I walked across the street to the casino - time to try our luck and we also wanted to see if they had a birthday money machine.  No to that, but we spent some time giving them some of our money. Treena had the best luck, she played for quite a while and broke even.  Back to the room, time for us to pack some things and get to bed.  We are leaving in the morning to head back to Coffeyville and reclaim the motorhome.

Up early - packed and went down to have breakfast with my Dad on his actual birthday.  All the family members there gradually joined us and then we said our goodbyes.  My sister and family flew out later that day, the rest were staying at my brother's for one more night.

Christmas Week

Saturday, after arriving safely in Sioux Falls, we unloaded our suitcases and gifts at our daughter, Katie's home.  She and her family were not home, they were greeting Jordan's sister and family at the airport and then went out for lunch.  We headed downtown to pick up a couple gifts and had a great holiday lunch at JL Beers.  Then another errand and back to the house to see everyone.  We had a nice visit with Katie and Jordan and then surprised the boys when they woke from their naps.

Katie and Jordan were hosting his family that night at their home, so we joined in the festivities and enjoyed seeing everyone there.

Sunday we were excited to be able to attend Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, our home parish. It was so great to hear Fr. Tom again and listen to the organ and music!  We greeted friends after Mass, then had a nice brunch at Caribou Coffee.  We went back to Katie's and spent the afternoon going through the storage tubs we had left with her when we moved out of the apartment and I wrapped Christmas presents.  A good job done when they were not home.  We joined them for the evening at the Breckenridge's for a great meal and holiday celebrating, Jim & Linda are such gracious hosts!  We are blest to have them as extended family.

Our mornings here started off early - for one, we are used to getting up early, so our bodies wake us and then for two and more fun, two little boys came down to see us after they woke up early.  We got up with them and read stories and played games - a great time to cuddle and visit.

Monday AM we had our Planet Heart appointments.  They did our blood work and the heart scan, we both passed with great scores.  Now we have a base record for any future tests and had numbers to give to our doctors at our appointments later in the week.  Brrr - this day was cold, -15 degrees for the high and windy.  Good thing the sun is shining.  Went to Panera for breakfast/lunch and coffee.  Ran a couple of errands, then Gary dropped me off at the Chancery where I used to work. Half of the staff was gone for Christmas vacation, so I visited with those present for about an hour while Gary went to do our banking at the credit union.  Before leaving, we picked up the music for midnight Mass - Dr. Ostermann had invited us to sing with the choir. Then on to our important date at McNally's - we were joined there by friends, Olesons and Kathy.  Back to Katie's by 6:00, we had a webinar for workamping we needed to listen to.

Tuesday - up to make Christmas cookies with Katie.  She was making the rolled sugar cookies I always had made, we helped her frost them.  We spent Christmas Eve evening with our good friends, Lyn & Diane, a great meal and precious time together to catch up.  Then to Cathedral to participate in the Lessons and Carols choir program and Midnight Mass.  When we arrived Gary was asked by our director to read one of the lessons. We were joined there by Ben and Kelsey, it was great to see them and all be part of our tradition of singing together on Christmas Eve.  Home and to bed by 2:00 AM.

Merry Christmas!  Two little boys were up at 6:30 and excited that Santa had come.  They opened their presents from Mom & Dad and then came down to get us up before going to see what Santa had brought.  We so enjoyed being a part of that special time.They all left mid morning to go to the Breckenridges', we got ready and drove out to Jan and Bob Laufmann's, (Gary's sister) and their daughter, (Dr. Jennifer). They live west of the Baltic exit.  The blowing snow made the road drifted and slippery after we left the interstate - real winter driving that we have not done for a long time. We had a wonderful brunch there with them and were also joined by Tom and Rosie (Gary's brother), and their son Daryl.

Mid afternoon we headed back to Sioux Falls - the wind had gone down, but the roads were still not plowed.  We spent the evening with the Klein's and their family, a wonderful meal and fun time catching up and playing cards.

Thursday AM - Dr. appointment for me and a couple errands to finish Christmas shopping for our family celebration this evening.  We were supposed to have lunch with the Pickle Barrel boys, but they were not available.  We took Katie and her family out instead.  An afternoon Dr. appointment and then home for our family Christmas. Ben & Kelsey had arrived, Gary and Katie had been to the grocery store to get supplies for the Peppers & Shells recipe for supper and the celebrating began. A fun time together.  We were joined that evening by my folks and sister.

Friday - Gary and I were up to get ready for our dentist appointments, but received a call that our hygienist was ill and would like an appointment for next week.  Sorry, we will no longer be in Sioux Falls.  Gary ran some errands and then took me to my hair cut appointment.  A friend picked me up and we went to lunch with more girlfriends from the Chancery.  The other Deb Sieverding (my sister-in-law) joined us, she was home from AZ for the holiday also.  That afternoon we met Jenny and Gregg at the Grille to see them and then were invited to Kathy's for our Papa Murphy's pizza fix and visiting with more friends.  What a great time we have had this week seeing everyone!!

Saturday AM was spent packing up our storage tubs to take with us and our suitcases for the trip. We are only leaving two tubs now, we have two with us, left one with Gary's sister and purged the items that were in the others.  This afternoon we head to Council Bluffs for my Dad's 80th birthday party to  be held there Sunday afternoon.  Another sunny, dry drive - the best way to travel.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours.

Leaving Amazon & Coffeyville

Friday, Dec. 20 -  We have been released early from Amazon.  We left the plant at 11:30 and stopped at Cox Communications to drop off our modem and cable box.  Then home.  As we drove to the motorhome, we discussed when we were going to leave.  The forecast that morning said rain/freezing rain would be starting Saturday morning.  The Captain thought we should still wait and leave Saturday AM, concerned that if we tried to pack up quickly we might not remember to do everything before leaving.  We decided to stay.  Once home, I started doing laundry and we had lunch.  Gary did some paperwork and then took a short nap.  Then he went outside and started putting our lights and other hoses away.  He came in and said it was getting colder and damp.  He checked the weather again and found out the freezing rain was now to start at midnight.  Then he said, "how fast can you defrost the freezer?  I think we should drive to Kansas City tonight and beat the weather".  It is 3:00 PM.  We got right to work on that and putting things away.  I had food in the frig yet for the day and a half we thought we were staying, most of that went in the trash.   We put the condiments and our ice packs in our 5 gallon beverage cooler to stay cold while we were gone.  The clothes were done washing, but not dry.  I kept them drying until he was ready to unplug, then had to drape them over furniture to finish while we are gone.  Long story short, we had everything done, in the car and left Coffeyville at 5:30 PM.  It had just gotten dark, but was still dry out and not windy.

We drove up Hwy 169 to Kansas City, it was just two and a half hours.  We stopped for a sandwich and checked the map and the weather.  Kansas City was to start getting snow at noon on Saturday, 6-8 inches.  The Captain decided to push on a little farther, we stopped and stayed in St. Joseph, MO for the night.  After checking in to our room at the Drury Inn (very nice) we checked the weather for Coffeyville and found out the freezing rain had already started.  We made a very wise decision to leave early!

A good night's sleep (we would have been worried all night if we had stayed in Coffeyville) and back on the road by 9:00 headed for South Dakota.  Again, dry roads and no wind.  We did not see snow on the ground until north of Beresford, SD and then more and more all the way in to Sioux Falls.   And cold!  Later checking the weather, we realized we would have driven all the way through Kansas on icy roads if we had left there that morning.

Here are pictures others posted of the ice in Coffeyville.  Some that stayed could not get their slides pulled in because of the ice and others had trouble hooking up their tow rigs to the trailers.  We were so lucky!
These pics are courtesy of Becky at InterstellarOrchard.com.  She had to stay and work Monday!