We've settled in with our electronics in functioning order
and groceries in the fridge!
It's all good👌👍✌
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Thursday, March 19, 2020
All the Way Home!
We arrived back in Alberta at 6:30 AM, crossing at Coutts.
We had winterized our trailer as we departed from Idaho Falls (we could see frigid temperatures up the road) and made plans to stay in a Shelby MT hotel. Awaking early this morning, we showered and breakfasted and got back in the saddle! After reports of hours-long waits at the border, we were relieved to have only 3 vehicles ahead of us at the border & no complicated procedures. We left there with a handout outlining our self-isolation requirements for the next 14 days.
All in all, our travelling went very smoothly for this time of year. We had a few episodes of rain, light snow and wet dirty roads but no wind challenges.
Going forward, we have our very fine condo neighbours Dave and Barb on our side to help us get through the 14 days of self-isolation. Wherever would we be without Dave & Barb?
Welcome to Spring!
We won't get to enjoy it much for the next two weeks but should have "quality time" to:
🌷get our phone & internet back in gear (so far, we had our Telus cellphone working for about 11 hrs when they dropped us & therefore we can't talk to our IP for restoration of service so we are using our neighbour's internet - Bill is beyond😠)
🌷do our piles of laundry (very low tech)
🌷work on our income tax (oh joy, we e-file)
🌷catch up with family and friends (electronically... see item one!))
🌷answer our Christmas snail mail that was waiting
We had winterized our trailer as we departed from Idaho Falls (we could see frigid temperatures up the road) and made plans to stay in a Shelby MT hotel. Awaking early this morning, we showered and breakfasted and got back in the saddle! After reports of hours-long waits at the border, we were relieved to have only 3 vehicles ahead of us at the border & no complicated procedures. We left there with a handout outlining our self-isolation requirements for the next 14 days.
All in all, our travelling went very smoothly for this time of year. We had a few episodes of rain, light snow and wet dirty roads but no wind challenges.
Going forward, we have our very fine condo neighbours Dave and Barb on our side to help us get through the 14 days of self-isolation. Wherever would we be without Dave & Barb?
Welcome to Spring!
We won't get to enjoy it much for the next two weeks but should have "quality time" to:
🌷get our phone & internet back in gear (so far, we had our Telus cellphone working for about 11 hrs when they dropped us & therefore we can't talk to our IP for restoration of service so we are using our neighbour's internet - Bill is beyond😠)
🌷do our piles of laundry (very low tech)
🌷work on our income tax (oh joy, we e-file)
🌷catch up with family and friends (electronically... see item one!))
🌷answer our Christmas snail mail that was waiting
Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Halfway Home
We have had two good days on the road from Pahrump, NV and tonight are in Idaho Falls, ID. We had a few showers near the end of our drive today but winds have been mostly in our favour.
By tomorrow we hope to be close to the border and only one sleep away from home !
Wonder how busy the crossing will be as there are many Canadian plates driving north?
By tomorrow we hope to be close to the border and only one sleep away from home !
Wonder how busy the crossing will be as there are many Canadian plates driving north?
Sunday, March 15, 2020
On our Way Directly Home 😒
After a disheartening decision, we have abandoned our touring plans and, starting tomorrow morning, are travelling straight home to Calgary.
Global Affairs Canada called upon Canadians currently abroad
to hasten home while they still have the chance
as countries around the world impose ever-tighter travel restrictions.
Today we are trying to get the oil changed in the truck, getting groceries for the trip, digging out our winter emergency gear, watching the weather up the road and getting our heads around the change in plans!
Wonder what we'll find at the border - long lines? temperature taking? recommendations / instructions for social isolation?
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Escape to Death Valley N.P.
While our original plan was to spend the day at Death Valley today, the escape from rainy weather and world problems made it an especially delightful experience! About the only disappointment for the day was THE WIND! Gusts of 25-40 mph (40-65 kph) discouraged us from any of the exploratory trails - indeed at Ubehebe Crater they felt like they could cause dermabrasion and catch us off balance at any time.
Funeral Range to east of Death Valley
Panamint Range to west of the park
Water on the highway into the Park
(rain the last few days left flooding & snow)
Leaving the Park, we saw a vehicle hydroplane in this water -
we watched it leave the road in front of us, landing upright
after it passed through the fence into a slough
Harmony Borax Works historic mining/refining site
20-mule teams hauled the refined borax
165 miles south to Mojave and a railhead in the late 1880s.
The water tank carried 1600 gallons for the mules.
Watching folks on the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
High winds on the dunes
Only found a few wildflowers in bloom as yet
Most were close to the pavement (warmer? wetter?)
like this beautiful orchid-type bloom
Ubehebe Crater formed about 2,000 years ago.
Would have enjoyed the hike around the perimeter,
or into the crater, but the wind just about blew us over on the rim!
Visitors walking to the water at Badwater basin,
the lowest point in North America at -282 FT (-86 M) below sea level
Didn't walk out here either!
Our last activity before leaving the park was a scenic one-way loop through multi-hued hills on Artists' Drive.
As we drove in, through, and out of the Park, every corner delivered a new sight to behold. The colour, shape and panorama of the landforms was jaw dropping; for those who have driven through the badlands of Alberta you might say that Death Valley is like the Drumheller valley on steroids!!
Friday, March 13, 2020
Family Week
We had a fun week with Janine, Colin, Zach (6) and Magnus (2) while they were staying in Phoenix with Colin's parents. There were a few warm, sunny days when we were able to ride and the youngsters could be outdoors.
Then there was rain and the dark clouds of Covid-19....that meant a lot of indoor activities and that the children's hopes to go to places like Legoland and the Children's Museum were cancelled. So disappointing.
Now, the travelling family is facing two weeks of self-isolation on their return to Alberta, our condo, and the RV Park where we wintered in Apache Junction, have cancelled all public activities and our travel plans to Ontario to see Rose Lynn's Mom and our son Tyson & Veronica have been delayed. Wonder if we will be able to travel to Scotland in late June?
Meanwhile, tonight we are at Pahrump, Nevada, just outside Death Valley National Park hoping it will be dry for the next two days for us to tour this treasure for the first time!
We have lots of questions to answer in the next few days - do our friends in California and Oregon still want to take a chance seeing us? do we want to take a chance seeing them? or should we just head straight home?
Stay tuned
Sky at the start of our ride Sunday morning
Homeowner along the bike trail made art with wheel discs/hubcaps
Other creative flowers
#1
We are putting all of our Monday hike photos here for you to enjoy!
It's hard to get 8 people on the same page for a quick photo.
Luckily our walk through the interpretive trail at the
McDowell Sonoran Preserve went more smoothly than the picture taking 😏😄
#2
#3
Then there was rain and the dark clouds of Covid-19....that meant a lot of indoor activities and that the children's hopes to go to places like Legoland and the Children's Museum were cancelled. So disappointing.
Now, the travelling family is facing two weeks of self-isolation on their return to Alberta, our condo, and the RV Park where we wintered in Apache Junction, have cancelled all public activities and our travel plans to Ontario to see Rose Lynn's Mom and our son Tyson & Veronica have been delayed. Wonder if we will be able to travel to Scotland in late June?
Meanwhile, tonight we are at Pahrump, Nevada, just outside Death Valley National Park hoping it will be dry for the next two days for us to tour this treasure for the first time!
We have lots of questions to answer in the next few days - do our friends in California and Oregon still want to take a chance seeing us? do we want to take a chance seeing them? or should we just head straight home?
Stay tuned
Friday, March 6, 2020
Starting the Journey back to Alberta...
Today we move to a campground in N Phoenix to await the arrival of Janine & family for a week's visit. As usual they will stay with Colin's parents and the two families will spend lots of time together. The weather is very warm - 80sF / hi 20sC so pool time should be a popular activity!
Then we are off to Death Valley for a first visit - looking forward to that. We'll follow that up with a visit to friends in coastal California near San Luis Obispo. Hope to see Yosemite National Park as we head north and then plan to visit friends in Oregon before crossing the border into Canada by month end.
Then we are off to Death Valley for a first visit - looking forward to that. We'll follow that up with a visit to friends in coastal California near San Luis Obispo. Hope to see Yosemite National Park as we head north and then plan to visit friends in Oregon before crossing the border into Canada by month end.
Monday, March 2, 2020
Road Trip Wonder
On the suggestion of a friend we took a drive through a very scenic area east of Apache Junction; it's a rugged remote area of dramatic roads and past & present copper mines. Our Calgary friends, Bob & Ann, came along for the ride.
On a sunny cool day, it was a fun time being amazed around every corner, over every hill and into every valley. There were many Wow! moments.
Lunch time found us in the historic copper mining town of Globe. Here we found Spring, a good Mexican restaurant, La Casita (around since 1947), and the unexpected pleasure of the Copper Country Quilt Guild's 40th annual show at the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts (the former courthouse built in 1910 and beautifully restored in the 80s).
On a sunny cool day, it was a fun time being amazed around every corner, over every hill and into every valley. There were many Wow! moments.
Lunch time found us in the historic copper mining town of Globe. Here we found Spring, a good Mexican restaurant, La Casita (around since 1947), and the unexpected pleasure of the Copper Country Quilt Guild's 40th annual show at the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts (the former courthouse built in 1910 and beautifully restored in the 80s).
(a borrowed photo of the Cobre Valley Center for the Arts)
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Arts & Craft Show
Arts and crafts groups active in the Park exhibited their works this afternoon. There were painters, wood carvers, stained glass, beaders, knitters, jewellery makers, barn quilt painters (square wooden frames painted with quilt patterns) and, of course, quilters!
Rose Lynn poses with the quilt that she started at home.
The "crazy quilters" make quilts for a local family charity. Apart from the batting, all the fabric and time is donated. We've made 16 (maybe more) this winter.
Using the "Fun & Done" technique* that the quilters use, Rose Lynn applied the multiprint strips that came already cut in a bag of "surprise" fabric from a local thrift store. She joined the finished squares together until the home space was too small to continue and the rest of the quilt was assembled in our meeting room by another sewer.
The back of the quilt which is 70 x 84
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