Palm Creek RV & Golf Resort: Financial Trouble In Paradise?

Whenever I mention I retired in June 2007 I am almost always asked if I miss work. The best answer I can give is both yes and no.

Yes, I miss the people, the interactions, the speed of business and the feeling of making a difference & of getting results. I miss helping people develop their skills , seeing them grow into stronger, more capable team members that make bigger and bigger contributions. And I miss seeing them (and myself) well paid for their efforts. Very rewarding and lots of fun.

And no, I do not miss the 'same stuff, different day' aspect of work where you know what you are doing based on the specific time of the year and month. The end of October, well it's closing business for the end of the fiscal year, working hard to get orders in by SAB cut-off dates for Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, etc. Nor do I miss working on the same issues that you worked on previously that remain unresolved.

So as we travel around the country and see the inner workings of various businesses I can't help but evaluate what they could do better to make their business more efficient and more profitable. After all these years of being focused on results and constant improvement, it's just second nature.

So when I see the RV Resort we are staying in turn away business it makes me wonder what on earth they are thinking. Apparently a new manager has been brought in to make the park profitable, something it has been unable to do for the last several years.

Now, I won't pretend to understand all the in's & out's of this park's business (or any other park's business for that matter) however I do understand empty sites are missed opportunities to bring in revenue.

Just like the hotel business. Yes, they'd like to get $150/night/room however they are willing to settle for less rather than let the room go empty. Better to discount the room to $100 or even $75 dollars than have it be empty and bring in $0. Just basic economics.

Why do I bring all of this up you say?

Well, today, MLA went to the office to extend our stay here at Palm Creek for another week and had talked about making reservations for us to spend a couple of months here this winter. She had a coupon good for another week at a reduced rate. The resort is at best 50% full and yet they told her she could not use the discount coupon. Why, oh why would you turn business away even if it's not 'full' list price?

Mary Lynn, not being one to suffer fools (except me) or to have companies refuse to honor their word, went and made reservations at another park. So on Monday we move to another RV Resort rather than continue to spend money is this park. And she did not make the reservations for a couple of months this winter.

My only hope is that she is not so frustrated with this resort refusing to honor it's coupon that she decides we will be staying somewhere else this winter. I'd like to come back but MLA is hesitant to do business with organizations that don't do what they say they will do. Can't say I blame her... Like all of us she wants to feel she is being treated fairly and with respect.

We'll see; depends on how much she likes the park we are going to next week. A park that we never would have experienced if we had not been 'pushed' by Palm Creek RV & Golf Resort.

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Driving On Empty

Mary Lynn thinks I should share with you part of the fun we had the other evening on our drive back from Yuma.


Last Monday, after spending the afternoon in Mexico we went back through Yuma headed for Casa Grande, which is about 3 hours away.

We passed an RV dealer and noticed they carried Tiffin motor homes, so we stopped for about half an hour to look at the RV we want to get some time in the future. The Allegro Bus is a little longer than we have now however it seems a whole lot bigger on the inside. Very cool.

Anyhow, the sun went down as we were driving east leaving in its wake a beautifully clear night with almost no moon. Lots of stars visible as we traveled through the desert that is almost entirely empty. I mean really empty; 180 miles of open desert with only one or two small towns along the way.

MLA & I became totally engrossed in looking at and enjoying the stars as we discussed how different things are in Mexico. Next thing I know the car's fuel alarm lights up telling us we had 16 miles of gas left before we changed from a motorized vehicle into a very heavy paper weight.

Normally, if this happens you simply get fuel at the next exit, which according to our GPS was 14 miles away. Okay, 14 miles to go and 16 miles of fuel; close but doable. And that's what I confidently told MLA.

Except when we arrived at the exit 14 miles later, there was no gas station. According to the GPS we now had to go 5 miles to the next exit with the fuel range reading 2 miles of gas left. I had already slowed down from the posted speed limit of 75 to 60 mph. I now slowed down to 40 miles an hour, trying to make the gas last as long as possible. I put on the emergency blinkers to keep from being rear-ended by the (fortunately) sparse over-taking traffic.

Of course, Murphy's Law (anything that can go wrong will go wrong) continued to reveal itself. We finally make it to the following exit only to have the GPS tells us to turn right and follow that road for another 3 miles! And the mileage range is now showing 1 mile's worth of fuel left in the gas tank. This road was completely dark; not a street light anywhere in sight. Nor could we see any lights that might mark a gas station. Still, all we could do at this point was hope the GPS was correct about there being a gas station 3 miles down the road.

Oh, and by the way, the road was under construction. There was absolutely no place to pull over. I mean no place. The road bed next to us was at least 1 foot lower than the road bed we were on. Great.

So I immediately began my defensive strategy. I told MLA I forgave her. To say she was shocked is an incredible understatement. When she finally recovered her ability to speak she asked me why I was forgiving her. I explained she was the navigator and as such, she was responsible for the directions AND for keeping track of our fuel situation. Amazingly, she did not hit me or yell at me...

By now the gas gauge showed empty and the mileage range had been on zero for over two miles. We still had a mile to go. Both of us were sweating bullets with the vision of running out of gas and blocking the only travel lane on a pitch black road. Yee Haw!

Of course, as we got closer to the intersection we could see the gas station on the other side of the street once you went through the light. And of course the light turned red well before we arrived at the intersection. Our car's engine stuttered a few times just to make it interesting however the stoplight turned green and I was able to coast into the gas station.

Our CR-V has a 16 gallon fuel tank and I put 16.4 gallons into the car. Don't ask me how we made it, I don't know. I do know that MLA forgave me immediately for 'forgiving' her when it wasn't her fault. What a gal!

In any event, we are talking now and MLA is taking her responsibilities as navigator much more seriously. And I'm helping her with those responsibilities, nice guy that I am...

See Ya!

Casa Grande, Arizona: Trip Planning And Cost Vs Comfort

While continuing to enjoy sunny 90 degree weather in Arizona, Mary Lynn and I have begun planning our return to the East Coast. We are planning on spending the holidays in Maryland with three of our four children. Distance from Casa Grande to Maryland is approximately 2500 miles.


There are several options for travelling to Maryland, staying for six weeks, and then returning to Arizona right after Christmas. Travel with our dog is one complication, so is the fact that the RV is now our home and has everything we need to live & travel comfortably.

Option A is fly to Maryland, rent a car for six weeks, and then fly back to Arizona. On the plus side:

1. travel time is minimized
2. less expensive than driving RV.

On the negative side:

1. pay to store our RV, car & motorcycle here in Arizona
2. rent a car for six weeks - $$$
3. limit what we take from our home (our RV) back to Maryland
4. unable to stop and see our son & daughter-in-law in Tulsa
5. cannot get RV serviced at factory in Alabama

Option B is to drive our car back to Maryland. On the plus side:

1. have our own car while back in Maryland
2. less expensive than driving RV since car gets better mileage
3. able to take a little more 'stuff' on trip to Maryland
4. can see son & daughter-in-law in Tulsa for a few days

The negatives are:

1. pay to store RV & Motorcycle in Arizona
2. a lot of time 'cooped up' in car
3. pay for hotel room every night
4. have to eat all meals out
5. cannot get RV serviced at factory in Alabama

Option C is to drive the RV to Maryland. On the plus side:

1. stay in our own house
2. eat most meals in RV
3. have our own bathroom/bedroom while traveling
4. all of our 'stuff' is with us
5. can see son & daughter-in-law in Tulsa
6. can get RV serviced at factory in Georgia

On the negative side:

1. diesel more expensive than gasoline
2. RV gets lower mileage
3. must 'winterize' RV while in Maryland

Estimated costs are:

1. Option A: $2000 (airfare, car rental, vehicle storage, meals)
2. Option B: $1800 (Gasoline, vehicle storage, meals, hotel)
3. Option C: $3000 (Diesel, winterize RV)

All in all, we could save $1200 if we drive the car, if we are willing to be 'cooped up' in the car for 4-5 days each way.

Another way to put this is it will cost us $1200 to travel in our RV home, with all of the comforts with which we are accustomed. That works out to $120/day to have our own bed each night, our meals in our own kitchen, and anytime access to our own bathroom.

So far our experience with travelling by RV has shown that just about everything involves trade-offs. Which RV you buy, what type of RV, how far you travel, where you travel, etc. all involve trade-offs involving time, comfort and money. Trip planning is no different.

So now Mary Lynn and I have to weigh the trade-offs and make a decision with the normal trade-offs of money, time, and comfort.

All that being said, we are really looking forward to seeing our friends and relatives when we get back East.

Until next time - See Ya!

Gasa Grande, AZ: Yuma Explorations Completed

Yesterday we explored several possible RV Parks in Yuma where we might spend the winter. Yuma is usually a few degrees warmer than anywhere else in Arizona during the winter so it has been on our list from the beginning.


The US Army's Yuma Proving Grounds are also located there. This is where the Army tests their weapons systems including tanks and big artillery. We passed through this facility on our way to check out an RV resort which is located at a dam site on the Colorado River.

There was a display of tanks, armored personnel carriers and artillery pieces along the road. I figured I would examine them and get a few pictures on the way back from checking out the RV park. Great plan except MLA wanted to go a different route on the way back. And now you and I have to suffer without having pictures of dusty Army equipment siting in the desert. Just because MLA wanted to see different scenery on our trip back to Yuma.

It pains me to admit the alternate route she had us take was very nice, taking us through a variety of date farms. Dates grow in certain varieties of palm trees. They hand down on long stalks just under the canopy.

Of course, over the years these palm trees get quite tall. Apparently workers cover these branches of dates with white bags so you end up with huge groves of tall palm trees that look as if someone has hung up their laundry, albeit only their white laundry.

When you are in the desert and get near a source of water, such as the Colorado River, you are presented with some beautiful and sometimes unbelievable sights.

You travel for miles in the desert, surrounded by sand, rocks, cactus, and scrub brush. You round a corner and suddenly you are presented with an incredible sight: large plots of lush and dark green lands growing all manner of crops. Long, neat, perfectly formed rows of earth berms, plants on top of the berm and water trickling in the low area between the berms. Beautiful.

All of these crops only made possible by large quantities of water provided y many small dams along the river.

When we drove to Yuma on Monday the wind was blowing and a layer of sand obscured the view of distant mountains. Dust devils visible here and there. Along the highway we saw a number of Saguaro cactus that appear to be dieing, the lower portions look like they have been eaten away either by animals or disease. Never did figure it out however it's painful to see these magnificent cactus being destroyed -- not all of them but certainly a large number of them.

All in all, a fun day in Yuma and in Mexico. Did we make any decisions about an RV Park for the winter? Well, we didn't find any park in Yuma that beats where we are currently staying. We'll keep looking however I'm leaning to return to the park we are staying in right now.

See Ya!

Algodones, Mexico: Put Some Ohmm-paw Back in Gran-paw -- Viagra Sold Here

I was told you could buy any dental, optical, or medicine just over the border in Algodones, Mexico, and they weren't kidding. Everywhere you go in a four block area you are bombarded with hawkers trying to get you to buy their wares or willing to recommend someone else.

It started with us driving just over 3 hours from Casa Grande to Yuma. Then you go one exit into California, turn South and two miles later you are at the border. We parked on the US side and walked over.

You should have seen the look on Mary Lynn's face when I parked the car and said get out; we're walking over the border into Mexico. It took awhile for me to convince her it was a lot easier than driving into Mexico, fighting for non-existent parking spots, and then taking the car back through US Customs. Basically this is because vehicles have many 'nooks & crannies' to inspect. Consequently a car is subject to a much longer inspection. This means the line of cars waiting to re-enter the US is quite long. Not to mention you need special insurance for driving in Mexico.

I finally convinced her and we were across the border and into Algodones within two minutes.

This border town specializes in meeting the medical, dental, and optical needs of US seniors. Many of these seniors are on fixed budgets and have little/no insurance. Heck, even with insurance some medicines are obscenely over priced.

Even before you are across the border you see the sides of the buildings in Mexico advertising complete offerings of dental services at unbelievably low prices. Many of the dentists are US trained; some live in the US and commute over the border to take advantage of the lower operating/insurance costs.

It seemed that every dentist office also hosted an optician on-site who could sell you glasses that would be ready for pick-up within an hour or so, including an eye exam. Lowest price we found was $40 for basic frames. They'd even recommend a restaurant to grab lunch in while you waited.

MLA does not particularly like the verbal assault that takes place as you walk down the streets. Several times I had to remind her that she was in charge and could simply say "No, I'm not interested". And as good a bargain hunter that she is, I had to keep reminding her that no one pays the first or second price offered by the vendor; every thing's negotiable. In fact, it's expected and built into the pricing. She likes to comparison shop based on price and that's tough to do when nothing is marked.

That said, the pharmacies were pretty well run. All you had to say is what medicine you were interested in and they would quickly produce both the medicine and the prescription for that medicine, all at a very low price. I've talked with several people staying at various RV parks here in Arizona that have purchased medicines in Mexico and have found the medicine to be effective as well as extremely low priced.

MLA & I get almost all of our prescriptions mailed to us (by US companies) at a great price. With us travelling all over it's easier than moving prescriptions from town to town. However I do have one medicine which is incredibly expensive -- in the US. In Mexico it was less than 20% of the cost in the US. Wow!

Also available over the border is low cost alcohol. MLA and I don't drink much however about once a month MLA likes to enjoy a margarita so we picked up a bottle of Tequila and a bottle of Grand Marnier. That's almost a year's supply for MLA unless she invites the neighbors over...

The best was hearing a few of the hawkers out front of the pharmacies trying to lure the tourists in by saying something to the effect of "Put some ohmm-paw back in gran-paw -- Viagra sold here". Too funny.

In addition their are vendors selling jewelry, leather goods, straw goods, stained glass windows, and a huge variety of gaudy lawn ornaments, usually some form of pottery that's been hand painted in bright colors. Everything you can imagine. Unbelievably (to me) people were buying this stuff like crazy and then lugging it back across the border.

I saw one women struggling to carry a huge turtle about the size of a kitchen trash can as we started through US Customs. Turns out she had several of her friends carrying other pieces of pottery across the border for her.

Not our thing however she was ecstatic with her 'bargains'.

See Ya!

Casa Grande, Arizona: College Football, NFL Football, and Water Volleyball

Great day Saturday capped off by watching the Penn State/Ohio football game. It was played at 8 pm EST so here in Arizona it started at 5 pm. That was nice -- I miss a lot of the games since they start (relatively) early for west coasters.

I mean, a 1 pm EST start time means the game starts here at 10 am. Somehow that's just too early to curl up on the couch and start watching college football. When I was 'back east' I could at least spend the am hours getting errands/chores accomplished before starting to watch football at 1 pm.

As it was, I had to make sure I finished playing Water Volleyball and was back at the RV by 5 pm.

In any case, Saturday's Penn State/Ohio game was exciting to watch. Almost a little too exciting at the end, when it looked as if Ohio would score in the last few minutes. Penn State ended up winning, which is the team I was rooting for. That means Penn State is still unbeaten!

Sunday was another Water Volleyball day. Have to get my fill since tomorrow (Monday) we will driving to Yuma and then cross the border into Mexico.

See Ya!

Casa Grande: Wine, Cheese & The Friday Night Comedy Club

Another day of errands and water volleyball followed by a little entertainment this evening. The entertainment was a comedy show with a couple of comedians from the Phoenix area.

The wine & cheese cocktail party was a chance to meet some additional resident of the RV park; tonight we sat at a table with two Canadian couples that have been coming here for the last few years. Very nice people and a lot of fun to talk with. Always entertaining to get the low down from people who have been here for a while.

After the wine and cheese we adjourned to the ballroom to listen to the. Not great however not bad. One of them is actually a Phoenix policeman; the best part of his act was when he started talking about some of his experiences 'on the streets'.

One thing I will say about this RV resort. They get things done, and done early. The wine and cheese started at 4:30 pm and the comedy show started at 6 pm. And it was over by 7:20 pm.

So not really a comedy night. More like a comedy evening or even a comedy late afternoon. By 7:30 the lights were out and almost everybody had returned to their RVs. I mean this place starts early and finishes early.

I could make a few comments about all the 'old' people needing to get to bed by 9, etc. however I'll let you make your own jokes. The truth is the folks here are active, energetic and very friendly. Not a lot for the blog update other than to let you know MLA & I are having a great time.

Love to all!

See Ya!

Casa Grande, Arizona: Wash Day For Harley & Tiffin

This morning I was able to wash 3 sides of the RV and the Harley before the wind blew up. Not wanting the spray to hit the RV next to us I called it quits, leaving one side for tomorrow.

It's pretty funny because if you approach the RV from the South, it shine and sparkles like new. If you approach from the North, that side is still covered in dirt and grime.

Tomorrow I plan to get up early and go play 'pickle ball'. Don't know much about it however everyone I've talked to says it's both fun AND addictive. Two people on each side and you play with paddles and a whiffle ball on a court about 1/4 the size of a tennis court. Sounds cool; I'll let you know.

After another afternoon of Water Volleyball today I had a chance to explore the park a little bit more. Today I 'discovered' the softball fields and the area reserved for flying remote controlled airplanes.

They have so many activities and most are priced pretty reasonably. The woodworking shop is huge with every imaginable tool. Costs $1 per hour to use the wood working shop. I would like to build a few shelves for the cabinet in the bathroom and a pill out drawer/shelf for the cabinet under the sink. It's an irregular shaped space so building that drawer should be a lot of fun.

Mary Lynn is excited about the lapidary room. She could see tumblers and all kinds of devices to cut, grind and polish gems. If you have been reading this regularly you know we have been lugging around about 25 pound of gems/rocks since we went gem hunting back in June/July. Now she'll get to start converting the raw material into gems. Very cool.

Up until November 3rd (2008) you can reach us via a land line at: 520/876-7421. This should ring directly in our RV.

See Ya!

Casa Grande: Water Volleyball Championship

My face is sun burnt. My toes are raw from scrapping on the pool bottom. My muscles are sore. My fingers ache from hitting the ball. And I barely made it back to the RV before a nap overtook me.


In other words: What a perfect time I had playing in the Water Volleyball Championship games today.

OK, OK, it wasn't really the Water Volleyball Championship game or even the play-offs. In fact, today's games were just part of a daily Water Volleyball competition that takes place at the main pool here in the RV resort.


OK, it's not really much of a competition. You can hit the volleyball an unlimited number of times. In fact, the same person can hit it repeatedly until they get it over the net.
The only real rules seem to be don't hit it out-of-bounds and don't let it hit the water. Otherwise, all is fair.

Water Volleyball takes place after water aerobics but before Happy Hour. And of course the card games start right after happy hour.

Tonight was Poker night however I'm in no position to lose $10 after seeing what happened to the stock market again. Every body's 401K looks more like a 201K.

In any case, MLA read and relaxed at the pool while watching me make a fool of myself. In fact, today was mail day for us. You can see MLA opening our mail sent to us by our mail service. Every week or so we get a shipment and it's like Christmas (except for the bills of course).

All in all, I feel great. Despite having played water volleyball for just over two hours, I can't wait for tomorrow.

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Living The Good Life At The Pool

Today marked the first full day of our two week stay at Palm Creek RV & Golf Resort. First thing we did was explore the small town of Casa Grande. Nice place. Small enough to get around easily yet big enough to support 3-4 grocery stores: Safeway, Walmart Super center, Fry's, etc PLUS a shopping mall on the other side of the freeway with a couple of popular anchor stores. AND I found a sushi restaurant about ten minutes from here - most excellent.

MLA found one of those stores that combines all the ingredients you need for a meal you cook at home. You can assemble the ingredients yourself or simply grab a complete kit out of the refrigerator. She's happy -- super easy to put together and the price is reasonable.

We spent the afternoon doing laundry -- the laundry holds at least 20 machines and just happens to be next to the pool. To be more correct I should say MLA did laundry and I made sure the pool was working correctly. I did plan to help her fold however I was so engrossed in the book I was reading I didn't hear her say the clothes were dry. Is that a great book or what?

Weather has continued same as the last few weeks -- hot during the day and cool at night. Very nice.

We plan to do a few more activities tomorrow and I hope to get the RV washed (finally) sometime this week. Many places do not let you was the RV so I have been really wanting to get it clean and sparkling again. I'll have to work on one shady side at a time. Surface gets too hot otherwise not to mention it's too hot to work in the direct sun.

I mentioned Kasey and Jenna had been 'rear-ended' by a young diver on the way to the airport when they came out to see us two weeks ago. Well, Jenna's back has been giving her a fit. The Doctors say her muscles are so tense they have her spine in an "S" shape. They have given her muscle relaxers but so far no joy. The Doctor ordered a back brace which she will have to wear for a week. Of course, she won't be able to work for another week and she is worried about the impact on her job. With the economy you don't want your place of business to see they can 'get along' without out you.

She and all of our family and friends are in our prayers. We feel very blessed to be able to do what we are doing. I know we worked hard to get here however lots of people work hard and not all are able to enjoy travel the way we are.... Oh well, someone has to do it.

The toughest part is taking the first step of telling yourself you deserve it and then ignoring the 101 reasons why you shouldn't travel or it's not the perfect time to travel, etc. You simply have to leave home/your comfort zone, etc. and get started.

Hope to see you on the road...

See Ya!

Casa Grande, AZ: Luxury Living At Palm Creek RV Resort

On Monday we moved to Casa Grande. Mary Lynn found a "buy one week, get one week free' special at a very nice RV resort, The Palm Creek RV & Golf Resort. This is one of the places we are considering staying this winter so it gives us a chance to see what the resort is really like before committing for a couple of months.

Monday evening we had dinner with Newt W., who was my boss when I retired from HP. Newt's a great guy and it was a lot of fun getting caught up with him. He's pretty inquisitive by nature and we spent a ton of time discussing life on the road in an RV. In turn, he updated us on how things are going at HP.

Considering the economy, things are going pretty well. I let him know he and the rest of his extended HP team have 18 months to get the stock price back up to at least $50 per share. He told me he'd 'get right on it'. In any case, really great to see him and hear about his family.

On Friday we spent half the day at a huge open market in the Apache Junction area plus explored several RV campgrounds. The market calls itself a swap meet however everything is new. Absolutely huge; fours rows of stalls, each about a 1/4 mile long. It just went on forever.

On Saturday we drove to Casa Grande to see the resort where we are now located. Couple of great pools, spas, and every imaginable activity you can think of: Golf of course, tennis, pickle ball, lawn bowling, shuffleboard, all kinds of card games every night, bingo, and classes on silversmithing, lapidary, stained glass, computers. Plus lots of aerobics and water aerobics every morning. Organized trips, dances, parties, etc. And, there are a number of motorcycle owners in the park that frequently get together for rides around here and into the mountains. Too cool.

While in Casa Grande we have several trips/activities we would like to accomplish. A day trip to Yuma and Algodones, Mexico is a definite. Plus we'd like to explore the Arizona State Fair, the Case Grande Ruins, Tucson, and some local parks. Maybe even take a trip down to Rocky Point, Mexico, which is on the Sea of Cortez, about 3-4 hours away. I've never seen the Sea of Cortez so that would be really cool.

Wow! Lots to see and do, just the way we like it.

See Ya!

Gold Valley, Arizona: At Home In The Wild, Wild, West

Busy day today in the Wild, Wild, West. Not sure why I feel like it's the Wild, Wild, West. At least not in this day and age. Previously, 100 years or more ago? Absolutely, this was the epi-center of the Wild, Wild, West.

We are still camped in the Usery Mountain Regional Park at the base of Usery Mountain. The mountain's nickname is "Scarface" due to an exposed rock wall visible for mile around. Apparently a portion of the earth slipped/dropped exposing a section of rock 100 feet tall and half a mile long. Very distinctive look which you can just make out in the photo above.

Ever wonder how places get their names? I do. Sometimes a place/mountain is named for someone as a honor or after the person who 'found' it. I put that in quotes because it is almost always an insult to the Native Americans who had lived in the area for generations and never realized the place was lost. Or that it needed a name other than what they had called the place/mountain for centuries.

In any case, white settlers did rename this mountain and the story of how this mountain came to be called Usery Mountain is a little strange. Turns out Usery Mountain is named for King Usery. No, he was not a real king, that was just his first name. King Usery was cattleman in the 1870's who was a having a tough time making ends meet just by raising cattle. So he and a buddy named Blevins decided to supplement their income by robbing the Globe-Mesa stagecoach. The take? Two bars of silver.

When the stagecoach driver reported the robbery, was able to identify both the the robbers as Usery & Blevins. Someone else had seen King Usery digging near a swampy area. The silver was soon recovered and Usery & Blevins arrested. Usery was sentenced to seven years in jail. After serving two years he was pardoned by the Governor of Arizona. Who knows why he was pardoned.

Even stranger than a pardon after two years was the fact that the mountain was named Usery Mountain after King Usery. Maybe naming mountains after stage coach robbers was a tradition of the Wild, Wild, West. I don't know. In any case, it makes for an interesting story.

Last night, securely camped at the base of Usery Mountain, we slept with the windows open and were rewarded with caresses of cool air all night long. Cool and warm at the same time. You need to run the air conditioners all day to stay cool as the temperatures reach the mid-nineties. They can call it a dry heat however it's still hot....

In the evenings we turn off the air conditioning to take advantage of the quickly dropping temperatures. The air here is fresh and clean -- really delightful. Last night that fresh air swept through the RV replacing the air that had been conditioned all day. I imagine that's what the air is like in heaven -- cool, gentle and refreshing.

Today we looked at several possible RV Resorts in the Apache Junction area and found one we really like. So if we decide to stay in the Phoenix area this winter, we will probably stay in the Apache Junction section. Apache Junction is the eastern most part of Phoenix (at least for now); about 35 miles from the Phoenix airport. Phoenix just keeps growing and growing.

We also want to look at two other parts of Arizona: Case Grande, Arizona is about an hour south of Phoenix and Yuma, Arizona, which is about three hours southwest. Yuma s very close to the border of Mexico. In fact its only about ten miles from Yuma to the town of Algodones, Mexico.

Algodones specializing in providing goods and services to Americans at extremely low prices. Many retirees cross over the border to buy prescriptions, eyeglasses, and have dental work performed for prices that border on unbelievable. All you need is a passport. Drive over in the morning, do your shopping and you are back in the states later that afternoon.

Some of my prescriptions, even with insurance are expensive and the insurance company only lets me get enough for 30 days at a time. Of course, with all of our travels, every thirty days we are not only in a new location, it's usually a different state as well. That means getting the 'new' pharmacy to call the 'old' pharmacy to have the prescription transferred to the 'new' location. Which of course becomes the 'old' location thirty days later. Takes forever and the pharmacies are continuously making mistakes.

So, being able to buy a years worth of prescriptions at better prices than I pay with insurance sure sounds appealing. And yes, I know the pharmaceutical companies in Mexico are not regulated by the FDA. However, after the meltdown of the financial systems/markets, having US Government oversight is not quite as reassuring as it once was. And many people have had their Mexican supplied pharmaceuticals tested and they passed with flying colors.

In any case, we'll check out Yuma and Case Grande. There are a couple of nice resorts in each location. Then we'll have to decide where we want to spend January through April.

But you know, compared to the snow and ice back east, it's hard to go wrong with any of these choices.....

See Ya!

Apache Junction, AZ: Just Blowing in the Wind

Last night we dropped Kasey & Jenna off at Sky Harbor for their flight back to Maryland. They had a 'red-eye' flight leaving at 11:55 pm which, after a transfer in Atlanta, put them into BWI around 9:30 am.

After such a great week of having the girls here and taking them to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and camping in the Sonoran Desert, it was really sad too see them leave. However, all good things must come to an end, at least until retirement ;) .

Today we took it easy, transforming the RV back to 2 person living. The RV can easily sleep 4 (or more) people however it really is best suited for two. The temperatures have started to climb here and today we got to a high of about 95. That said, it was very comfortable in the shade, especially since there was a slight breeze blowing.

OMG. Last night I thought the wind was going to blow the RV over onto its side. It started around 11 pm and just got stronger and stronger. It woke me up around 2:30 am and I sat up for a while, trying to figure out if there was something I could/should do to help the RV 'weather the storm'. It sounded like the wind was going to rip the covers off of the slide outs or blow the air conditioners off the roof. I did lower the TV antenna however everything else was as buttoned down as I could make it.

So, after listening to the wind for about an hour, I went back to bed. This morning everything was fine and no damage to the RV. A couple of chairs overturned outside was the total extent of the damage...

Today, MLA and I relaxed and enjoyed the beauty of the desert. The campground we are in is mostly deserted, only about 25% of the sites are occupied. People are normally pretty careful when selecting a site to pick one away from people who are already set-up.

Tomorrow we will begin our search/evaluation of a campground/RV resort to spend the winter. There are many, many RV resorts here however most are mobile home parks that keep a few sites set aside for RV's. Apparently there is a tax break/advantage if you rent space to RV's. Many only pay lip service to the RV rentals, shunting them aside in the less desirable sections.

Some RV resorts really are oriented to RV'ers. So the challenge is to find an RV Resort that welcomes RV's, has lots of activities, great amenities, warm weather and is not in an area with lots of traffic. We have narrowed down our search to about 18 resorts, mostly in Mesa, Casa Grande, and Yuma.

We'll explore the one here in the Phoenix area first, then move to Case Grande, about an hour away, followed by a move to Yuma, which is another two hours away. Wow! I'm exhausted just thinking about it all....

See Ya!

Usery Mountain Regional Park, Arizona: Camping With The Snakes & Scorpions

Before we left Camp Verde this morning we drove over to Montezuma's Castle, which is a Federal Monument. Once again our $80 National Park Annual Pass let the four of us in without additional charge. Saved another $20 on this trip. That's over $100 dollars in savings on this trip. Wow - what a bargain if you are traveling and planning to visit just a few national parks and/or monuments.

Montezuma's Castle was originally thought by early settlers to be of Aztec origins, hence the name Montezuma's Castle. Even though it was soon proven that the Aztec's had nothing to do with it's construction, the name stuck.

Today it's a very well preserved example of the cliff dwellings built by the Sinagua. It's essentially a 20 room, four level apartment building that was built in stages. Built high on a south facing cliff, under a large under hang, it could only be entered via a series of ladders. These ladders could be quickly pulled up into the dwelling for protection.

The Sinagua were a farming based culture, using water from nearby Beaver Creek to irrigate their crops on small patches of level land. There were several of these buildings in the area. One of them was about 300 yards further west along the cliff however it was destroyed by fire right around the time the Sinagua abandoned the area around 1500 AD.

No one is sure why they left: Drought? Disease? Enemies? We'll never know for sure. What we are sure of is these people were skilled builders and farmers who clearly planned to be here for a long time to come and built the dwellings accordingly.

All in all, very cool.

After exploring Montezuma's Castle we headed south to Phoenix and, 2.5 hours later, arrived at Usery Mountain Regional Park. This is a county camping facility with the campsites spread throughout a high mountain desert location. We have water and electric however there is no septic so we'll have to move the RV every 3-4 days and dump the gray & black tanks. Small price to pay for such a beautiful location.



It's about 30 miles from downtown Phoenix and Sky Harbor Airport. Late tomorrow evening the girls leave to go back to Maryland. It has been so much fun having them with us for the last week. We have seen and done so much, laughing our way across many of Arizona's best known sights.

Can't tell you how much we will miss them...



Tomorrow we plan to go Indoor Sky Diving. Hopefully we can get in a few 'jumps'.

See Ya!

Fort Verde, Africa: Make That Fort Verde Arizona

Having our daughters, Kasey & Jenna, here this week has been a real gift. We have had a great time seeing the best of Arizona and enjoying their company. Terrific fun in a hot Arizona sun.

Well, normally it's pretty hot here although for the last two days the temperatures have dropped about 20 degrees below normal. Still very nice and of course, still sunny.

Today we headed for the Out Of Africa park to see a wide variety of Africa's best wildlife: tigers, lions, pumas, panthers, giraffes, camels, grizzly bears, black bears, some kind of horned animal ending in 'bock', guinea fowls, zebras, tortoise, etc.

This area of Arizona high desert is a surprisingly good surrogate for Africa, right down to trees and shrubs that are related to Africa's acacia trees.

They have a number of events throughout the day including a Tiger Splash, a Serengeti Safari and a Predator Feeding. We organized our day to we could attend as many of these shows as possible.

The Tiger Splash was a hoot. A group of three handlers acted as 'bait', attempting to get the tigers to chase them into the pool. All went well, with the tigers giving chase as expected, following the men right to the pool.

The men jumped into the pool with the tigers in hot pursuit only to have the tigers stop at the edge of the pool. Being a little cool the tigers wanted nothing to do with the water. It took a good ten minutes of trying before the tigers jumped into the pool in the process of hunting/chasing the 'bait.

It was a lot of fun watching these grown men look kind of silly. It was also eye opening seeing just how fast and powerful these 400+ pound bundles of muscles really are. Turns out the handlers and tigers play, with the tigers withholding all of their power (and claws) because of the handler/tiger relationships.

On the other hand, the tigers attacked the toys the handlers teased them with with vigor. It gave you a glimpse of the power at their disposal. Once or twice we heard a growl that sent a shiver all the way down your spine. I can't imagine how our ancestors dealt with those sounds when they both shared the same home turf.

Easy to imagine in abstract terms; too frightening to think about in real life for any length of time. I mean, that tiger's roar literally vibrated through my body. Hard to describe the emotions it released. Nights must have seemed to last forever...

The Predator Feeding was pretty cool, watching the handlers heave huge pieces of meat into the lion's pens. They did a good job of separating the lions somewhat, keeping the lion-on-lion fighting to a minimum.

Some of the animal exhibits/parks we've been to left you feeling pretty sad for the animals, usually kept in relatively small cages/pens. Not here. They had pretty large areas for the animals to roam plus the animals appeared to be well cared for. Well fed and clearly loved. It was great seeing some of the handler/animal relationships.

At the end of the day we took a ride through the 'Serengeti Safari' where we had a chance to feed the giraffes and camels plus see a wide variety of animals that we were warned against feeding.

Especially the zebras, which are notorious biters. Try to pet/feed a zebra and you'll end up with less fingers than you started with... not fun.

All in all a great day. Made even better by being able to share it with Kasey & Jenna. Too cool.

Tomorrow we head back south to the Phoenix area because the girls fly out of Sky Harbor Tuesday evening. We'll miss them.

Before they go we hope to go indoor skydiving, which is offered by a company in Phoenix. Stay tuned.

See Ya!

Sedona, Arizona: Red Bluffs, Pink Jeeps, and Orange Prickly Pear Cactus

What a great day, most of which we spent in Sedona. After a great breakfast in Cottonwood at Georgia's Diner, we headed off to Sedona.

One of the best ways to see Sedona's incredible variety of cliffs, bluffs, buttes and mountains is via a jeep. Jeeps allow you to get to many of the areas completely inaccessible by car. Not to mention the fun of off-roading in a jeep!

At the Visitor Center we were told there was no way we would be able to go on the Pink Jeep Tour as they were sold out due to the holiday weekend. Never the less, MLA called the Pink Jeep Tour people and they informed her they just had a cancellation on one of their most popular tours, the Broken Arrow Extreme Tour.

We didn't know what they meant by 'extreme' but it didn't really matter. That was the only opening and if we wanted to go with the Pink Jeep Tour folks that was our only choice. Of course, we immediately accepted.

It couldn't have worked out any better. We scooted across the street, paid our money, loaded up on water for the ride and had a few minutes to peruse the Pink Jeep Tour gift shop. Then we were off on the Broken Arrow Extreme ride. This ride was 95% off road through some of the toughest trails in the area and takes you to some of the best views of Sedona available.

And by the way, 'extreme' means off road, and many times completely off the trail. What a blast!

Our driver was Shane, and he did a great job of driving, explaining the flora and fauna as well as spending a few minutes describing the geology. Just the right blend of facts and humor.

Two hours later we pulled into the lot of the Pink Jeep Tour company. We spent some time shopping on Sedona's main street --too little time for Jenna & MLA; too much time as far as Kasey & I were concerned.

By then we had worked up quite an appetite. Our original plan of driving back to Camp Verde (35 minutes away) quickly evolved into getting 'a little something to hold us over' to 'let's just have dinner here in Sedona' once we found the Cowboy Club restaurant. Their specialty is Prickly Pear French Fries, Snake Bites, and Buffalo Burgers.

Everything was great however the Prickly Pear French Fries were especially good with the chili hot sauce. OK, the snake bites were a little chewy; waiter said something about a national shortage of rattlesnake meat and they substituted python. Definitely not a python fan.

Tomorrow we plan to visit Montezuma's Castle and the Out Of Africa animal exhibit.

See Ya!

Camp Verde, Arizona: Welcome To The Bull Bash!

We have a tourist map where Sedona, Arizona bills itself as the most beautiful place on earth. Wow. Nice to see they don't let modesty get in the way of promoting the place. Sedona is a seriously beautiful place, located in the heart of Red Rock Country. While I wouldn't agree Sedona is THE most beautiful place on earth, I'd easily agree it is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

We are staying in Camp Verde, which is about 30 minutes from Sedona. The campground in Sedona we wanted to stay in was completely full this weekend. Apparently this is a three-day holiday weekend. MLA and I can barely keep track of what day of the week it is yet alone is it a holiday weekend. This is the first time in a long time we were not able to get into the park of our choice.

So we ended up in Camp Verde at a really nice small campground that has shade trees, grass, and a small stream. Since we are in the desert most of the campgrounds around here are big open fields, sometimes paved, sometimes not. In my opinion, there's nothing worse than staying in a big parking lot under a hot baking sun. And yet some people think that's the ideal place to camp. Pleeeease!

This weekend just happens to be the 52nd Annual Fort Verde Days in downtown camp Verde. So of course we headed over there this evening to check things out. It's a really charming small town carnival/fair that features a "Bull Bash" .

What's a Bull Bash you ask? Well, when I asked one old timer what a Bull Bash was he explained that it is a bull riding competition for kids. He went on to say they have just about ruined it compared to the old days. Today the kids wear helmets, protective padding and the bulls horns have been 'modified' to prevent injury to the kids.

The old timer explained that in his day, you rode the bull and you 'took your lumps' if you wanted to win. Really nice guy except for his desire to see small children carried around the ring on the horns of a bull....

Seriously, you meet some of the most interesting people as you travel this country.

And apparently we arrived too late for the BLM's (Bureau of Land Management's) Wild Horse and Burro Auction. Too bad, I've been looking for a good deal on a burro or two. Given the price of fuel, MLA and I may need an alternative means of transportation.

I did manage to win a stuffed animal at the carnival. You should have seen the crushed looks on the faces of all of those young kids I beat to win the top prize. Hey, they have to learn sometime it's a tough world out there.... just look at the stock market.

Tomorrow we will explore some of the National Monuments and State Parks in the area as we head over to Sedona. Hope to get some interesting sunset picture of Red Rock Country... we'll see.

See Ya!

Grand Canyon, Arizona: South Rim

Today we spent time exploring and hiking the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Photographs simply do not capture the majesty and grandeur of the Grand Canyon (and yet I still took a lot of pictures).

Most people understand and appreciate the fact the Grand Canyon is wide and deep; it takes your breath away when you first approach the canyon rim and see the earth simply drop away in front of you. Over a mile deep, up to 20 miles wide in places, the size of this hole in the earth hits you right between the eyes. Then the colors and complexity of the main canyons and side canyons begins to enter your thoughts.

The whole time you can't help wondering how a river only a hundred yards or so wide could carve such an immense and deep hole in the ground. Plus you realize the mighty Colorado river carved this canyon for over 220 miles. It's impossible to fully comprehend how the river could carve something this massive.

Mary Lynn, Kasey, Jenna and I had the opportunity to get as close as possible to the edge of this giant chasm. Incredibly steep canyon walls fall away from you. In some areas the rock you are standing on is undercut slightly; you actually stand on a point of rock that projects out over the canyon.

Of course, there's something in human nature that calls you to get closer to the edge, just to see how high you are or how steep the fall would be if you fell. Over and over again you see people irresistibly drawn to the edge.

MLA tells me there's no way she would have survived bring the kids to the Grand Canyon when they where young. All of them (almost all kids for that matter) are fearless, pushing themselves to get closer. Add a little adolescent clumsiness and maybe an unpredictable wind and you have a real recipe for disaster.

In fact, many books are written (and sell briskly) about people who were killed at the Grand Canyon when they went beyond the safety barriers or marked paths.



We had a great day there and enjoyed every minute. We discussed coming back and rafting the Colorado through the canyon. There are trips that last from 1-3 weeks. I suggested two weeks as a compromise however MLA said she would be willing to 'rough it & camp under the stars' for a week max. Still, a weeks better than no trip at all.

Tomorrow we move to Sedona, one of MLA's favorite places in the US (so far).



See Ya!

Phoeniz, AZ: Arizona State University Campus Cruising

The weather here in Phoenix is beautiful. Technically we are in Tempe however it just seems like Phoenix. Especially when all of the surrounding communities blend with one another. The only way to know you have moved from one city/community to another is to look carefully for the signs along the road. Everything has grown together. Even Scottsdale & Phoenix have grown together. There used to be two separate communities but no more.

Regardless of any technical definition on which community are feet were touching, the weather transcends any lines on a map or signs by the road. It was perfect weather to relax and to enjoy the pool. This RV park is on the small size, as is the pool, however the water is cool & refreshing. I spent some time there last night and again this afternoon. Perfect. And the forecast for the rest of this week is for continued temperatures in the high 90's. Next week should return to temperatures in the mid-80's.

We drove around and through the campus of Arizona State University -- what a great campus. It's in the middle of Tempe, Arizona and the light rail system run right through the campus. Have not tried the light rail however it appears to be clean and well run. Best of all, some of the calls are specially designed to carry a bicycle so users can 'commute' from home to the rail terminal o work or where ever. Very cool!.

Picked up the girls from Sky Harbor International Airport around 9 pm Monday evening. It is so terrific to have them with us. On Tuesday we'll explore the Phoenix area before heading up to the south rim of the Grand Canyon.

See Ya!

Phoenix, Arizona: Vegas to Phoenix Via Hoover Dam

We left Vegas this am headed to either Flagstaff, Sedona, or Phoenix. We decided to see how things progressed on the road before deciding our ultimate destination. Knowing we need to pick up the girls on Monday evening at the Phoenix Airport was a deciding factor.

We took our time as we headed south, enjoying the now familiar desert landscape. We, well I, decided MLA had to see Hoover Dam. You know how much she enjoys dams right - not. In fact, she cannot understand what possible fascination they hold for me or anyone else for that matter. I don't know how to explain the way I feel about dams. I think they are marvels of engineering, none more so than Hoover Dam, which was completed in 1935.

Anyhow, despite the numerous "No Trucks or Buses" signs we followed the road to Hoover Dam out of Boulder City. Boulder City is the town the government constructed to house all of the workers who built the dam. This was absolutely necessary when the dam was built because it was in the middle of no where.

About a mile before you get to the dam there is a security check-point where they inspect all trucks, trailers, RV's etc. They looked in every compartment of our RV and one of the agents walked through the RV. Clearly they are looking for any vehicle which might be loaded with explosives.

The road you drive on goes right over the top of the dam. It's easy to imagine the damage that could be achieved by terrorists exploding a vehicle (or two), possibly causing the dam itself to rupture, draining Lake Mead and causing widespread destruction and flooding downstream.

It was good to see the agents taking security so seriously. They are constructing another road and bridge which, in a few years, will take all traffic off of the dam itself.

This should alleviate the prospect of damage by terrorism as well as improve traffic flow. Currently traffic flow could realistically be called a 'dribble'. You can see the new bridge in the background of the two pictures above. Both pictures are taken by MLA from on top of the dam while I drove the RV across the dam.

After driving over the bridge we headed further south. In the afternoon around 3 pm we need to make a decision. Flagstaff was 140 mile further east and Phoenix was 165 miles further south. We decided to go to Phoenix because 1) we would not have to 'break camp' and drive again tomorrow 2) we would be close to the Phoenix airport so as to avoid Phoenix traffic tomorrow evening and 3) we would not have to put the girls in the car for a two hour drive after they had been flying for 6 hours.

You'll notice in the picture above just how low the water is in Lake Mead. If you look closely you can see the 'high water' marks just under the lip on the back of the dam. The drought out here has been serious.

Currently we are about 10 minutes from the Phoenix Airport at a small campground. It does have a pool and spa (I tested both before posting this evening's blog; they work perfectly). I've been looking on-line at 'Things to do in Phoenix" . We'll explore Phoenix on Monday & Tuesday and then take the girls north to Sedona, Flagstaff, Williams, and the south rim of the Grand Canyon starting Wednesday.

One last thought/question. Why is it we show the worst side of ourselves to the people we love the most when we get stressed out? Moving days are always a little stressful for us. We are usually going someplace we've never been before driving an RV that cannot back up while towing the car. If you make a wrong turn and cannot go around the block or make a (very wide) u-turn, you have to disconnect the car in order to turn the RV around. Usually only takes a few minutes and is not a big deal except when you are holding up traffic and they have to wait for you to disconnect the car.

Well, today I ended up getting upset at a truck that kept passing us and then slowing down. Instead of simply backing off and reflecting on the fact that we are not in a hurry, I ended up yelling at MLA to 'fix the GPS' or something equally stupid. Ended up hurting her feelings and we both felt bad for the next few miles. No biggie however she's the the last person in the world I want to hurt. Oh well, live and learn....

See Ya!