Casa Grande, Arizona: Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort Rocks

First of all, let me say Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. I hope you were able to spend time with the one you love -- I know I did.

Wow! I can’t believe how long it’s been since my last post. Normally when Mary Lynn and I are travelling I post every two or three days. In this case it’s been over two weeks since I last posted.

We originally left Maryland just after New Year’s Day, travelling south through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. When we camped just outside of Atlanta there ground was frozen and covered with snow. In Atlanta! We had some work done on the RV at Tiffin’s service center in Red Bay, Alabama, and during a brief break in the weather decided to head north to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we visited our son and daughter-in-law.

After leaving Oklahoma  we travelled across Texas, New Mexico and half of Arizona before MLA and I arrived at Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort around the beginning of February. And boy, have we been busy. We are having too much fun.

I hesitate to mention just how nice the weather has been. With most of the country suffering through one of the worst winters on record, we have been enjoying lots of Arizona sunshine. A little cooler than normal for southern Arizona but still in the 60’s and now the forecast is for mid to high 70’s for the next week or so. And like I said, lots of blindingly bright Arizona sunshine. It’s hard to describe just how wonderful it feels.

Our family and friends back in Maryland have been inundated with snow. Lots and lots of snow. In fact our friends John and Liz in Deep Creek, Maryland shared some pictures with us from last week, when they received 5 feet of snow. That brings the total snow in Deep Creek for this season to 190 inches (for those of you struggling to do the math that’s two inches short of 16 feet). Wow! Plus there are at least two more months of winter before the final tally is complete.

I’m hoping to convince John and Liz to dig out and then join us in Arizona for a week or two. It will take them that long to thaw out!

Pulling into Palm Creek was great. There’s a huge sign at the main entrance that screams “Welcome Home” and you know, after spending three months here last winter, it does feel like home. It’s great seeing all of the people we met last year, renewing friendships and making new friends.

 

We arrived at our site around 1:00pm and before I had completed making the water and electric connections, a friend of mine was dragging me off to play water volleyball. I was in the pool by 2pm, laughing and playing as if I had never left. Well, not quite – after spending last summer in Alaska and then spending the fall in Maryland, I had no tan what so ever. Fortunately I have since resolved that problem but not before I blinded a few water volleyball players with my ‘whiteness’. It wasn’t pretty…

We started playing Pickleball again (that’s always a blast) and we ride our bikes everywhere.

Did I tell you about our little bicycle adventure? Well, it started when MLA asked for a bike carrier for Christmas that would fit on top of the CR-V. So I ordered the carrier and, as a surprise, I bought her a new bike (come on, she had to have a least one gift that was a surprise). So I purchased a cruiser that had seven speeds and was hot pink in color. She loved it.

When we left Maryland (during a break in the snow storms), we strapped that new bike to the top of the CR-V on our new bike carrier and proceeded to travel all across America with that brand new pink bike hanging out on top of the toad. Only problem was when you drove the CR-V, -- you could not see the bike up there and one could easily forget there was a bike on top of the car. Not only could one forget, one did forget. Me (You see where this is going –right?).

Sure enough, when we went to dinner in Pecos, Texas I went to park the car and didn’t realize the overhang on the restaurant was a couple of inches lower the the top of the bike. Wham! Boom! Bang! As soon as it happened I looked at MLA and told her I had just destroyed her new bike. She hadn’t even had a chance to ride it yet.

Turns out it was not destroyed. In fact, there was no damage to the bike at all. It broke the straps that hold the bike on top of the carrier and shot it off off the car’s roof. However, other than the two bike carrier straps, no damage to the bike or to the car. I really felt like we dodged a bullet.

Oh, and of course, when we arrived at Palm Creek MLA finally had a chance to ride her new bike – and immediately told me she prefers her old bike – the one without gears and with coaster brakes.

Oh well, anyone interested in a brand new bike that’s travelled 2000 miles from home and has only been ridden around the block?

See Ya!

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