Bittersweet as We Leave AZ

We left AZ a day earlier than planned to get over Donner Summit (I-80 at 7325’) before the forecasted snow storm hit.

Although we’ve made this journey many times,  it was somewhat bittersweet and maudlin, to say the least, since this was probably the end of our RVing Adventures, which began in 1971 with a 67 Chevy 3/4 ton camper special truck (which we still have) and a 10.5’ slide in Chinook Camper, with 2 young children and one Dalmatian in tow.  As many of you know, we purchased a park model residence at Canyon Vistas RV Resort in AZ this year, in January (see blog Feb 1) so we will be taking a new direction... as we continue to “wander free”.

The first 2 days of our trip home were wind and rain free with glorious skies and pleasant vistas in every direction, which I hope you’ll enjoy as you follow along via the photo gallery, as we travelled thru Wickenburg, and Kingman AZ before crossing into Laughlin NV via NV 68, then North on NV Hwy 95 to our first nights stop in the parking lot at “Terrible’s Casino” in Searchlight NV.  Day 2 took us along Hwy 95, thru Las Vegas and many favorite haunts, like Goldfield and Tonopah, all the way to Hawthorne.

Tomorrow we’ll make the final leg of this journey and the final journey with our 5th Wheel in tow - as we head for Reno NV and take I-80 west to our home in Colfax CA.  

Blogging entries will continue in CA as we once again take up our “family and friends fun and frolic” adventures.   See you later...   

Ocotillo bloom in Wickenburg as we head

for our favorite restaurant.

Hwy AZ 93 offers interesting

and varied scenery all the way to Kingman.

Hwy 68 to Laughlin NV is also one of our favorite roads,
but it's a steep downhill as it heads for the Colorado River!!!

Cocktails anyone…  We're at Terrible's in Searchlight NV

Las Vegas "traffic" at 8:15 a.m. Sunday morning…
the only way to go!!!

Hwy 95 all the way to Hawthorne with some

interesting places to visit "Area 51"
at Amargosia Valley

like "get out of Jail Free" - a geocache!!!

The scenery continues thru a variety of ole
mining towns...

like Goldfield

Boundary Peaks (on the NV/CA border)
reach up to12,000' and show
us a little snow.

March... “ing”

March 3rd, good friend from my weaving days (Shiomi), who is also a hiking, kayaking and pickleball friend arrived in the Phoenix area with her friend Sharon for a quick visit.  We had fun playing pickleball (although they were in the Phoenix area to play in a Tennis Tournament) for several hours before grabbing a quick lunch before they headed northwest via car for their Journey to the Sacramento CA area.

Then “Memories from the Past” - It was Nov 1958 when I attended the Kingston Trio concert at Woodrow Wilson Jr High School in San Jose CA... a year after I graduated from High School.  I purchased from them their first record album... which I brought to AZ with me this year, as they were in town.  I had taped by ticket stub to the album back in ’58 and when I asked for their signatures they told me “you know, this is the original album for the Kingston Trio”.  I said I know and I was there...   This concert was also great (even though the original group from ’58 has been replaced over the years with newer members as others “passed” or became quite ill.  Bob Shane (80 years old today-and on oxygen) still pops up at a concert now and then (as he did here in Phoenix) and has a great influence over the group today.    The trio now consists of Bill Zorn, George Grove and Rick Dougherty (my favorite).  This time I got all three signatures and a date on my album cover from those who have carried on the name of this fantastic style of music.  The original Kingston Trio singly-handedly revolutionized folk and pop music in America.  

A few days later a group of us met on the Bocci Ball Courts for a fun round-robin game for a couple of hours under the direction of Geo-caching friends, Bill and Kathy Mattish.  After “awards” were presented to “winners and losers”, an even larger group gathered at their RV for  “finger food”, “beverages” and “fun stories”.  Everyone is in panic mode now as friends start to leave the resort and it’s a mad dash to get in one last visit with all our fabulous AZ friends from throughout the US and Canada. 

Now it’s time to prepare for the close of our AZ Home, repack the 5th wheel and head home in a few days… 

Left, Jerry and wife Linda, Coleen across from hubby Curt
and Roe across from Tom, hidden by Curt!!!

At the other end of the table, Frank across from wife Anne,
Dick across from Phyllis, etc...

Kingston Trio, one more time...

hard to get good photos in the dim light.

Nancy with Bill Zorn and 

the "well autographed" album.

Bill Mattish (right) gets flack from friend Rod

Bill's wife Kathy, coral Bermudas provides winners and losers
names to Bill 

sometimes there was a "roll-off" to settle the tie...

Larry and Neal graciously accepted their awards!!!

The second annual "CV Quilters, Carvers and Creative Crafters Showcase"
was a hugh success - over 800 people attended.

A few of my favorite quilts...

And a rainbow sunset...

Can it Be… February 28th

Our RV Resort puts on lots of activities and events each month, from dances to parties to entertainment, all with elaborate decorations.  And this months Manager's Party was a smashing success with yet again fabulous decorations (and free beer, wine, music and chips/dip). 

Coleen, Curt, Don and I had a fun day as we took a tour of the new Morman Temple in neighboring Gilbert AZ.  This 85,000 square foot Temple is the largest temple the Church has constructed in 17 years.  It’s spire reaches 195, making it the tallest building in Gilbert.  The detailed ivory-colored exterior features high-quality concrete and stone accentuated with beautifully crafted art glass windows.  The motive of the native agave plant is used throughout the temple to signify the influence of one generation on another.  It’s lover leaves create  impressions on the upper leaves, just as ancestors’ legacies leave an impression on the generations that follow.  The interlinked agave leaf patterns symbolize the eternal nature of marriage and family.  These temples are only open for 2 weeks prior to the Mormon dedication. We were honored to have been able to see it first hand.

And later the same day we attended a geocaching party organized by Coleen.

Last month I mentioned the Cal-Am Pickleball tryouts for which Mike and I qualified.   Well we went about 6 rounds but were eliminated before the medal rounds.  Ladies from our park, Bronagh and Debbie (ages 50 & 52) took the silver medal.  I wasn't the oldest for a change, as an 83 year old woman played in the Women's category...

Weather has been very warm, mid-80’s most of the days.  Hasn’t rained since Dec 29, but we’re waiting for the 90% chance of rain to materialize this evening February 28th.

Hiking is mostly out for me, except for last week... too hot, and the rattlesnakes are out.

We’re enjoying our park model and I created a new mirror for the entry hall - a collaboration of mirror, cut glass, and cut and burnished copper, all of which I had to learn from a few friends.  Lots of talent in this park.  I’m on to creating a clock for the AZ room from the leftover glass which you'll probably see in the next posting which I hope will be  sometime in March before we head back to Colfax March 23…

Another Festive Event at Canyon Vistas RV Resort

Incredible inside and out...

Impecable in every detail - fabulous artwork inside
in every room...

And the outside was also beautifully created...

Nancy serves during the Canyon Vistas tournament...

Advanced category winners Men's Tim, Women's Nancy

Coleen "hosts" a bi-monthly geocaching event

while Don and Nancy catch up with friend Mitch.

Neighbor Tom Ridley uses his scroll saw

to cut my piece of copper.  The brush and scrubby

were used to give some texture to the surface,

then friend Debby shows me how to burnish the
copper while Bob and Linda look on.

Don too is amazed with the results.

Linda (with 35 years of stained glass) cuts the
3 1/2 inch straight pieces of the glass

than I glued to the glass and when it dried, I
glued the copper along the bottom edge

Don and I cut some sheet metal channeling, which I painted
black and then nailed it into the studs to hold

our beautiful new mirror - a community affair to say the least!!!

Two CV Pickleball ladies teams play each other during the
tournament...

Debbie and her Dad "rest" and wine… after 16 matches
in the hot sun

and Bronagh receives congratulations from Val.

Debbie and Bronagh receive "Silver"

Bronagh

and Debbie

Val, Bronagh & Don watch several of Mike and Nancy's matches.

Nancy reaches to return a shot

Mike waits to return a SLAM...

We did it one more time...

Then we had to play another mixed team from our park

Mike and Nancy (the ref) and good friends Jerry & Vivian
whom we beat (both were recovering from a local bug
otherwise the outcome might have been different.

a mutant Saguaro...

Look carefully just above center under the
arch of the rock cave and you'll see a desert dinosaur!!!

Three Sisters stand tall and proud

while fellow hikers "dot" the desert with bright colors!!!