Thanksgiving 2011

Us

Petroglyphs

Ditto

More Petroglyphs

The view back down to the valley

Popular Hiking Destination

Thanksgiving was a little different for us this year, as this was the first time we weren't home with family. We started our day with a short hike in the Superstition Mountains to some ancient Indian petroglyphs. It was about a 4 mile round trip hike. On the way back out we encountered a Tarantula crossing the trail. He / She was about the diameter of a soda can. We thought that we got a couple of good pictures, but when we downloaded the pictures, there were none of the spider. The camera battery had died. So now we will be on the lookout for Tarantulas on our Thursday hikes. This was the first time we had seen one. Later that day we had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner at the community hall. The food was excellent, and we didn't have to do any of the work!!

Wednesday was a golf day for me. That went well, and I managed to shoot a 99 for 18 holes. So I've got the "break a hundred" out of the way. I played 9 holes today with the group from the park and shot a respectable 44 on a par 32. Joyce spent the majority of the day today at a holiday bazaar with a couple other ladies.

Tomorrow morning we have somebody coming in to measure for sunscreens for the windshield and front windows of the motor home. I started waxing the exterior a couple days ago, and will continue that over the weekend. And, I've been informed that the interior needs to be cleaned tomorrow also. That only takes a couple of hours, so there will still be time for relaxing in the sun. Temperatures have pretty much been in the 70's and are projected to stay that way for the next week. It's going to feel pretty cold when we get back home on the 13th of December.

Until next time, stay warm and dry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

Getting Back Into The Groove

Winter Home in The Sun

150 - 200 Year Old Saguaro Cactus

Arizona High Desert Rock Formations

Taking a Break Along The Trail

We rolled into Shiprock RV Resort in Apache Junction on Tuesday in the early afternoon. Tuesday and Wednesday were spent getting set up and reuniting with some of the folks that we've come to know over the last few winters. Thursday morning was the hiking group's first trek of the season. There were 13 of us, and we started off easy with a 4.6 mile hike. I think that was about enough for most of us. Thursday evening marked my return to Hand and Foot (card game) in the hall.

The motor home gets washed on Saturday. 1200 miles, with the last 500-600 going through California farming country makes for lots of bugs that committed suicide on the front of the coach. Then hopefully we will be able to get our sunscreens made for the windshield before flying back home in December.

So far the weather has been perfect, with daytime highs in the mid to upper 70's. With a little bit of luck it will stay this way, then we'll freeze in Seattle in December. As I look out the window now, the sky is clear with a gentle breeze.

Hopefully we'll be able to get onto one of the many golf courses soon. I'm signed up to play with the Friday group next week, but need to get out once (or twice) before then. I think the driving range may be part of my agenda for today.

Now we're all caught up and we even have a few pictures! Until next time, Ernie

A Short Note From Along the Road

Night 3 of the latest journey finds us about 10 miles east of Bakersfield California at the Orange Grove RV park. The oranges are just beginning to ripen, and I think I can find a few good ones tomorrow before we head out.
The plan for tomorrow is to go to Quartzite Arizona, which is about 375 miles from here. Then Tuesday morning we will have about a 3 hour drive to Apache Junction. That way we will arrive during daylight for the first time ever! We should have everything in good shape by Friday.
Weather has warmed back up to the mid 60's and sunny. Good enough for me to get back to shorts and sandals. No more "longs" until December 13th for the flight back up to Seattle. I'm hoping that the weather back home will be better then than it's been this weekend.
Sorry that there's no pictures to accompany this writing, but we haven't taken any yet. We'll try to get some on for the next post from AJ.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Ernie

Back from Hawaii and ready to head south

The beach at Kailua

Waiamea Bay

Stopped to sample the fresh shrimp along the road

Surf's up

Sunrise from our condo at Ko Olina

Punchbowl Cemtery "wreath trees" with Honolulu in the background

Pearl Harbor

We returned from 8 days of warm sunshine last Saturday to temperatures in the 40's/50's. We are now biding our time waiting to head for the warmth of Arizona.
Hawaii was very busy with Patrice and Paul staying with us for the first 5 days, then hanging out with Gail and Randy for the next 3. Saturday the 22nd was Connor and Kelley's wedding which was quite the affair. I don't think we've ever been to more lavish wedding and reception. We had a great time.
The day after the wedding, I came down with something that took the wind out of my sails. No appetite, running a fever, and a rash that made me look like a lobster. After the 3rd day, I thought that it may be a reaction to a new medication that I had just started. I think I was right, as the last 2 days I felt normal again.
Now it's time to head for the desert southwest and back to the 80's. We should be on the road Tuesday or Wednesday barring anymore unforeseen circumstances. The next post will be from Arizona with pictures to match. Ernie