The snow covered Rocky Mountains to our left were a welcoming sight.
Parked the rig at our condo and moved all our "stuff" back into the apartment.
Relocated the trailer to the storage lot the next morning.
Now, for the laundry....
It seemed like it would be a good driving day - calm, clear roads, cold (12F/-12C).
We stopped for lunch in Salt Lake City and set out again only to be caught up in wet roads and then another stop'n'go situation just north of SLC. About 3 hours later...we got moving again after we were re-directed off I 15 when it was finally closed (due to a crash, it seems). Using technology, we had had a few hints to re-direct but those routes also seemed slow and questionable so we just stayed the course. Then, all three lines of northbound traffic (I 15, the east and west drive-arounds) converged when the highway closed!
Overnighted in Idaho Falls and this morning we attack the Monida Pass - always the dread of drivers on this part of I 15. Looks good though - dry and clear this morning.
...and we are in an hotel in Beaver UT tonight!
It's been interesting so far.
Highway 93 from Mesa to the Hoover Dam area was a very rough ride through pothole infested roadways. We spent the night in a campground and then winterized our trailer in preparation for the falling temperatures predicted in Utah. It was a good plan as it is now mid 20s F/minus single digits C.
The roads in NV and UT were smooth and dry until we drove into a snow squall just south of here and quit for the day. Probably would have been further north by now but we had about 90 minutes of stop'n'go as we approached a bridge under construction north of Mesquite, NV. It's always something...
We plan to start driving on Saturday morning. Meanhwile we have laundry to do and a few social activities to attend!
The weather up the pike looks coooold : we expect that the trailer will have to be winterized after our first day and we will be staying in hotels for the balance of the drive. There may also be precipitation (snow!) in our future....
Not sure that we will be posting on the blog or even have cell coverage in many areas so, see you back in Alberta.
Tonight our choir and chimes groups entertained an appreciative crowd in the hall at Rock Shadows. Sweet Caroline really got them participating!
There are about 20 choir members and we are two of four Albertans who sing with the group. We joined this choir our first winter at Rock Shadows and, over and above the vocalizing, have enjoyed the comaraderie.
Roads in the USA and the West (from the Territorial News, Mar 8th 2023)
The most interesting part of this article was the impact that cyclists had on road construction and improvement!
"Revival of interest in road improvement came (after the Civil War), strangely enough, not from those who stood to gain economically, but from a small, somewhat obscure group of bicycle enthusiasts known as wheelmen. The wheel or cycle had been a long time in evolving from the clumsy velocipede through the high-wheeled “boneshaker” to the lighter, more maneuverable “safety bicycle.” The national bicycle craze took fire with the mass-production of Colonel Albert Pope’s “Columbia” safety bicycle in Boston in 1877, and by the end of the century the census reported about thirty million of these vehicles of all kinds in the United States. But the cycle buffs had their problems. Without good roads they were limited in their travels, and they refused to accept this condition without protest. They organized into what became a very effective pressure group—the League of American Wheelmen—that met in local and national congresses, issued road maps and handbooks, and organized tours. Most important of all, they continually prodded both local and national governments to do something about the roads.
From this came this National League for Good Roads, which was founded in 1892 for the purpose of bringing about federal action. ..."
The IRS wants you to report illicit income
Arizona Republic Mar 14th, (by Charisse Jones, originally published in Dec 2021)
Bribes, alimony, gig economy income, stolen items, drug dealing income etc are all eligible!
We spent the afternoon with our son-in-law's parents Ron & Elise. They took us to the Granite Mountain Trailhead in the Scottsdale McDowell Sonoran Preserve. We found the desert habitat here to be quite different from our familiar east valley trails; the piles of rounded boulders differ dramatically from the sharp rock walls and pieces we have become familiar with in the Usery and Superstition areas.
After the hike we enjoyed a fabulous meal that they prepared and then settled in to scan through the previouly recorded Oscars (helped avoid ads and the blah, blah, blah!).
A great time!
Check out the rounded rock formations.
Springtime has festooned the area with lots of wildflowers including the showy Arizona Poppy.
An ambitious suguaro cactus has produced many "arms"
Started early (just after 8 am) because the weather has finally returned to seasonal temperatures! It was our last hike with Jeanne as she is leaving AZ to drive to Washington state to meet up with her daughter and family and husband (when he takes break from work in wintry Michigan). She has been our hiking guide all winter and we have enjoyed hikes and lunches with her, Sharon, Lori & Greg. A very congenial group.
After a month's delay (covid, weather, scheduling) we thrilled to a morning ride.
In the afternoon we had lunch outdoors and a wonderful visit with friends Mike and Betty in Surprise AZ (NW of Phoenix). Mike is making great progress from his heart event a month ago.
Cloud bank to the NW seems almost like a mountain at dusk,
but it is probably the rain we're expecting here tomorrow!
Wed 01 | Day
Cloudy with rain developing later in the day. High 62F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.
We are now in Citrus Gardens, Mesa.
Tomorrow, we're relocating to Mesa for the balance of our time in AZ and plan to be back in Alberta by the end of March. That's the short story...
The long story...
Our intention, when we arrived here, was to leave Apache Junction at the end of February to spend some time with friends Mike & Betty south of Tucson before heading home. Tragically Mike had a major heart event and has been hospitalised in the Phoenix area since the beginning of February. When we went to extend our stay, we learned that our spot had been rented out already and that there were no other spots in this Park. Before the new management, our spot would have been kept vacant until we checked out! A staffer with our new Park management company located another spot in Mesa (they are a rare commodity during March, apparently). This way we will be able to continue our connections to our local activities and to visit Mike as he rehabs with his wife (she's an ccupational therapist) at an RV Park in NW Phoenix.
We were planning to move on Sunday Feb 26 but rain is, once again, forecasted for that day so we will use the dry conditions tomorrow for our move.
Monitoring Mom
Rose Lynn's Mom (will be 100, May5th) was taken to a hospital in Kitchener Ontario to have a nagging cough checked out. After a few hours she was moved back to her retirement resident only to suffer being dropped as her stretcher was removed from the transport vehicle .
(!!!!😢😟😨😧😭😱).
So it was back to the hospital with a black eye and possible neck injury;
there were no fractures and she has since been admitted where she is resting, finally!
This has been a stressful time as we take care of business.
At about 4:30 am we were awakened to wind rocking our trailer; here's why ....at 2 am this wind advisory was issued for the Phoenix area;
WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING... * WHAT...Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph (50 kph) with gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph). * WHERE...The entire Phoenix Metro Area. * WHEN...Until 8 PM MST this evening.
Rain arrived for a short while at dawn and the temperature quickly dropped from 54F/12C to 46F /8C.
Another great day in desert snowbird country!
Good Covid News
Bill has tested negative for covid, his symptoms are fading fast and he's off to play bridge today after a 2 week break! RL was still positive on Sunday.
Bad Weather News
It rained steadily all morning 😒
The warmer, sunny weather we've enjoyed the past few days is gone again for the near future.
After Tuesday's rain, the mountains to the north and east of Apache Junction were topped with snow.
This morning, only the higher elevations were still white.
That was different!
The weather was cool, grey, very windy and, later in the day, we had rainshowers that turned to a downpour complete with thunder and lighning. in the morning Rose Lynn felt like a walk around the Park and found only a few dogwalkers braving the miserable weather. It was another good day to be quarantined because who wanted to be out?
Indoors, we enjoyed some table games while our evening meal bubbled away in the slowcooker. The day wasn't a total loss as we savoured some wine with our meal and followed it up with chocolate covered cherries!
All's well that ends well!
This morning Rose Lynn tested again and she is also positive for Covid.
Her symptoms are mostly congestion with a some catchy/wheezy coughs.
Other than that, she's doing well.
After yesterday's amazing daytime temperatures in the hi 70sF / mid 20sC, today's morning rain and cool, cloudy weather (50sF/ low teens C) made it easy to stay indoors and out of circulation.
Bill tested positve with a home test last night. He's been blowing since Tues evening and now has a wheezy/catchy cough. No fever, sore throat or loss of taste. Lethargic, though!
Rose Lynn has no symptoms and has tested negative (so far!).
Kind of hard to isolate in a 200 sq ft domicile!!!
This Green!
For the first time in 2023, we have had some daytime temperatures above 70F/20sC!
Many days we were lucky to reach mid 50sF/low teens C.
Today we hiked several trails in the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. It was a great weather day and the views were spectacular. We even saw a few white tail deer.
Our photos and movies tell the story of our great adventure!
Five of us were out on a sunny, windy, fresh, day east of Apache Junction in the Arnett Canyon. We didn't walk terribly far (about 4 miles/ 6 kms) but when we came to the third crossing of Queen Creek that meanders through the bottom of the canyon, we called it quits!
Dwarf car beside its 1939 CHEVY sedan twin
Dwarf Cars are 5/8 scale models of vintage cars. They have sheet metal bodies and are powered by 4 cylinder Toyota engines. Many are street legal and have modern comforts e.g. air conditioning! You can read more about these little wonders on the Dwarf Car Museum website below.
