Home Again

I have been told that I left you all hanging in Revelstoke and that I should have brought us home so here's the scoop.  (Right Sharon?!)

We drove from Revelstoke to Cochrane, just north of Calgary.  The highway was awful, full of potholes in places.  The good news was that we didn't hit any snow.  It was cold in Cochrane though.  Dalton awoke about 4 am for a bathroom trip and discovered that the water wasn't running.  The hose was frozen!!  Out he went to bring it in to thaw it.  Luckily there was no damage and he hitched it back up in the morning in time for my shower.

We went from Cochrane to Vermilion where my brother lives.  We stayed at the provincial park there with no services but at least a level site.  We had a nice visit and were provided with a delicious dinner.

Then on home we came.  We arrived  in the early afternoon of Monday, April 9.

So to those who thought we disappeared in Revelstoke, we didn't.  We are safely home and enjoyed the weekly breakfast today (Saturday) with our RV club, the Sunseekers.  We missed all our RV friends in Saskatoon.  We were fortunate to have visited several Sunseekers in Brownsville, Mesa, Yuma and Hemet.  It is nice to see friends when you are away so long.

So that is the end of the winter saga.

Be glad that you live in Canada.  The economic situation in the US is far worse than here.  Pawn shops, dollar stores and thrift shops appear to be major industries.  We also saw many, many empty stores and office spaces.  Some looked very new but were just sitting vacant.  The US economy is not out of the woods yet.

And so until next fall, have a good summer everyone!  (By the way, Dalton says it feels like fall to him because we have gone from summer weather to cooler weather. Also he had to winterize the motorhome which is usually an autumn job.)

Homeward Bound

We have been slowly making our way home.  It rained through Northern California, Oregon and Washington.  The weather improved a bit in the Lower Mainland.  We did a bit of visiting there with friends of Dalton's from the Edmonton Flying club days and also with my elderly aunt.  My aunt is in her 90s and according to my cousin may, or may not, remember that we were there.  She at times seemed a a bit uncertain as to who we are but then would remember a visit we had (such as when David ate so much chocolate cake that he was sick).  It was a bit sad to see her like that but I was still glad to have had a visit since that family was close to mine as I grew up.

Tonight we are in Revelstoke - actually a little to the west.  It is not cold but there is still lots of snow although the roads are dry.  There is only one other RV in the park and we haven't sen the owners yet although they knew that we were coming.  We presume that they will show up in the morning.  We have power and wifi so all is good.

We hope to make it through the mountains to Calgary tomorrow so we want the roads to remain clear and dry. 

Home soon!!

Good Sam Rally

We drove from Las Vegas back to Phoenix - or rather just to the west of Phoenix - to the race track where the Good Sam Rally was held.  The trip is through some very beautiful country, in cluding the Joshua Tree Forest.

I like the Joshus Trees because they are like the saguaro cacti.  They each stand alone and have an individual character.  Trees are grouped in what we seeas  a forest so in this case, you can't see the trees for the forest.

The Rally itself was amazing.  Imagine 3800 RVs parked in the same place.  We have an aerial view that we bought but here is a view from our RV.

There were many more motorhomes than trailers of fifth wheels.  That surprised us because it is such a change from Canada.  And oh! the size of the Rv industry here is SO huge.  We had no idea that there is such a range of products and services.  We only see a very small portion of it in Canada.

We took advantage of the availability of services and got our front window fixed (yes AGAIN) since it was beginning to crack up into Dalton's line of vision.  In Saskatoon, it took 2 months to get the window in and then there were shipping and handling charges on top of the cost of the glass.  Here, the glass is available the next day.  Arrangements were made with SGI AND the service provider paid our deductible.  It was amazing!  The only one who is poorer is the Saskatoon glass company.  SGI paid less to get it done; we paid nothing; and the local service provider got business.  There were also mobile services for awning repair, vehicle cleaning and oil changes.

There were entertainers every night: Bill Cosby, Martina McBride, Bowser's Rock and Roll Party and Ticket to Ride (Beatles tribute).  There were also loads of seminars.  Dalton went to a couple of really good technical ones that he thought were particularly helpful. 

Now we are back in Las Vegas getting ready to begin to move north.  We are going up through California, Oregon and Washington into the Lower Mainland.  It is hard to believe that the winter is over!

Vive las Vegas II

We went to a show by the Blue Man group last night.  It was at the Ventian Hotel/Casino complex.  That was an experience in itself.  They have a canal a la Venice with gondoleers who sing.

There are also beautiful ceilings.  We didn't get a really good picture but you will get the idea.

Oh!  The show.  It was crazy and fun and indescribable.  Here is a bit of it from YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOL8-qIYemg
  You have to be there to experience it but let's just say that it is off the wall so you just have to roll with it.  Recommended for a Vegas experience.

Now on to the Good Sam Rally outside Phoenix.

Vive Las Vegas

We have been here in Las Vegas now for a couple of days after an interesting drive from Hemet.  The countryside is dry and harsh looking.  I liked the Joshua trees though.  That is one in the second photo, I think. 

The first day we walked down the old strip since we had pretty well done the new strip when we were here for Beth's wedding.  The old strip has its own character.  And speaking of characters, we saw a guy who looked like Jack Nicholson.  He was acting so obvious that we decided that he was an impersonator and would want to sell you tickets to something if he thought you had recognized him.

And now, for the ultimate in tacky: the Heart Attack Grill.  From what the sign said, it is the home of the fattiest food you can imagine. 

We saw quite  a few people along the mall who would qualify (unfortunately) and saw some going in.  They even have am old ambulance sitting outside!

To get away from Plastic City, we went to the town of Boulder and to Hoover Dam the next day.  It is an amazing engineering feat and like the dams in California helps to bring water to Southern California, western Arizona and Nevada.

It was very windy when we walked along the dam.  I was glad that there were big walls between us and the abyss because it felt as if you could easily be swept over if the wind caught you.

Since my internet connection seems to be having trouble with pictures again, I will have to continue another time.



Water and Wine

We went to visit the Diamond Valley Lake south of Hemet with our friends Lois and Gerry.  This lake is part of a system that stores and distributes water to Southern California. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 city and public water agencies that serve 19 million people in 6 counties.  Water from Northern California and the Colorado River is transported to supplement local supplies.  In addition to its on-going role in water supply, the lake provides a 6 month supply of water in case of an earthquake on the west coast.  The lake has a 264 billion gallon capacity. 

The lake is multi-use, with boating and fishing allowed.  Around the edges there are extensive hiking and equestrian trails.  There is also a Visitors’ Centre and a Center for Archaeology and Paleontology.  Some amazing fossils were found during construction of the dams and the lake, including mammoths, mastodons and a giant long-horned bison.

You can see the Saddle Dam on the left.   The Saddle Dam fills in a gap in the hills and forms the northern boundary of the reservoir. It is 130 feet high and half a mile across. 

The dams are amazing.  They are made of nearly 110 million cubic yards of clay, sand and rock.  There are three dams and they comprise the largest earth and rock fill dam project in the United States. Besides the Saddle Dam, the East Dam is 2.2 miles across and is 180 feet high.  The third one is 1.9 miles wide and 280 feet high.  You can see the canals spreading out from the area, heading south towards San Diego.

The following day we did a little wine tour near Temecula which is south of Hemet where we are staying.  There are over 30 wineries in the area but we only hit three.  We contained ourselves!!  The wines were very good and we took a few to sample before we cross the border in early April.  They are much like the wineries in Kelowna and are beginning to have bistros and restaurants,   just like in BC.

I like the size of the bottle in the foreground!!

These are the vineyards of the Wiens winery that we liked the best of the three.  They, of course, are not green because of the time of year.  The winery had a nice tasting room and just seemed more hospitable.  Plus we got a free wine glass.  I should mention that tastings are $10-15 at the Temecula wineries.  We shared a glass because it seemed so pricey.  We haven't done the Kelowna wineries for a few years now but they at least used to take the price of the tasting (if they charged at all) off the price of any bottles you bought.  I think they did that in Washington State as well.

Off to Vegas next.  I want to see the old Strip.

California, here I come

We are now in Hemet, California which is about 90 miles east of Las Angeles.  It seems to be a nice enough community but for us the main attraction is that it is a central place to go out from.  The drive here was interesting but one thing that was fascinating was the valley of windmills near Palm Springs.

From the motorhome (or car) I was unable to really get a shot that shows how many there are in that valley but if you think of a windmill forest, that will be close.  There were several sizes of windmills and some have two propellers and some had three.  It must take quite a computer program to figure out where to put them, what type and what size.  Also some were running and some were stopped, even in the same row.

 It is quite dry country but still quite pretty.

Today we drove back to Palm Springs to look at the Indian Canyons.  The Agua Caliente Cahuilla (pronounced Kaw-we-ah) settled in the Palm Springs area cenuries ago.  In 1876, the U. S. federal government deeded in trust 32,000 acres to the Agua Caliente for their homeland.  6,700 acres lie within Palm Springs city limits with the remainder fanning out across the desert and into the mountains.  We paid about $7 each (old folks' rate!) to get into the area.

The first canyon we went to was the Palm Canyon. It is considered to be the largest California Fan Palm Oasis.  It is a true oasis in the desert with shade and water in the midst of very dry country. It is 15 miles long.

We began the walk at the restaurant and trading post on the left above.  From there, we took a trail down to the oasis where there was water flowing through.  You could imagine the Agua Caliente finding coolness and water here.

This is a view from the top at the restaurant.

You can see the path where we walked down into the valley.

There were a few somewhat deformed palms.  One was still alive although on its side and this one was bent but still alive. 

Next we drove to the Andreas Canyon.  Through it runs the Andreas Creek.  There are many interesting rock formations.

The walk was beside the creek and it was so beautiful all around us that the photos cannot do it justice.

The somewhat fluffy looking bush is a cholla cactus, I think.  We saw them just outside the parking area leading to the exit.  It isn't the Teddy Bear Cholla that was common in Arizona and I can't quite tell which one it is from my cacti book.  I think it might be a tree cholla.  Also notice that the flowers are out here.

We noticed that there were few non-Californians parked in the Indian Canyon areas.  We don't know why.  It is so unlike other places we have been in the South.

Don't fence me in

We stayed in Yuma an extra day, again because of wind.  This is obviously not the part of the country for wind phobic Dalton!!

I forgot to show you the picture of a golf course that I took north of Quartzsite.  We couldn’t stop to get pictures of the craziest tees.  There would be a little natural mound (I don’t know how they got up to them.) and the tee would be on the top.  I think it would be an interesting golf course to play.  Ity might be difficult to use a golf cart though.

Yesterday we saw the Yuma Territorial Prison.  It was used from 1876 to 1909.  Then (if you can imagine) it was used as a high school from 1910 to 1914.

Today we went to the Quartmaster Depot State Historic Park which supplied the military posts in the Arizona Territory from 1864.  The railroad coming to the area in 1883 brought an end to this function but it then served as the headquarters for building the area’s canals and dams.  There is a very extensive canal system around Yuma that serves the city and the agricultural lands around it.

We also went to the old Yuma downtown.  We stopped at a famous bar for a beer ( Jimmie D’s) and looked at all the old stuff on the walls.  We then walked around but there was little to see except a few shops.  They don’t seem to have done a very good job of getting the people who come for the winter to go downtown.  As in other places in Yuma, there were lots of empty stores and buildings.  Actually we have seen this from Texas on west.  The downturn in the economy has hit hard.

It's a Date

We stayed in Quartzsite an extra day because the wind came up and blew with gale force.  It did not see to be a great day to drive a 13 feet tall motorhome!!

To entertain ourselves for an extra day, we drove north to Lake Havasu which is about an hour and a half drive north of Quartzsite.  We stopped along the way at the Parker Dam and then continued on to the tourist area  - Lake Havasu.  The drive up went through some pretty wild country.  Dry, but really beautiful in its  own way.

Lake Havasu was created by the Parker Dam in 1938.  It is fed by the Colorado River. The lake is 45 miles long and 3 miles wide at the widest part.  It supplies water to Arizona, Las Angeles and smaller cities.  The land in the area used to be an Army Air corps landing strip but industrialist Robert P. Mc Culloch Sr. (of chain saw fame) bought the land in 1963 and turned it into a recreational and retirement community. 

In 1968 McCulloch bought the London Bridge. It isn’t much to look at and I wonder if he thought he was buying Tower Bridge. One couple we know drove over it 3 times before they realized that is was THE London Bridge! Lake Havasu is a real tourist town with all the required fast food places, etc. that you expect in such a place. The lake area is beautiful though and the beach is pristine.

                                                           London Bridge

We drove to Yuma on Saturday and got settled in a nice camp.  We contacted a couple (Wilma and John) that we know from our RV club who are here for the winter and we visited and then went out for a buffet dinner.  It was nice to see them.

On Sunday. we visited a couple (Eileen and Ernie) who used to live in Saskatoon.   They live in southern  Alberta now so it has been a few years since we have seen them.  Their daughter used to babysit our kids.  They have a fifth wheel and travel around the southern U.S.in the winter.  Last year they won 3 months at a park here so they have been here since January. 

Yesterday we went to a date farm.  We had a date shake which was more like a Date-Banana Blizzard.  Very tasty.  We also bought some dates just to eat.  It was in the 80s today so it was nice to sit in the shade and eat ice cream.

So here’s what I know about date palms and their farming.  They are pollenated by hand from the male date palm to the female flowers.  As the flower bunch grows, it is thinned out to ensure larger dates. When the thinning is complete, 8-9 inch wire separator rings are inserted to spread the strands and allow for more circulation.  In August, cotton bags are placed on the bunches to protect them from birds, insects, dust and the elements.  The harvest begins in September.

The type of date that is grown on this farm is from Morocco.  They are about 2 ½ times the size of the common date.  They are very sweet and an excellent source of potassium.


We went to an old prison today but I have not taken the pictures off the camera yet so you will have to wait until the next time I have some sort of internet service.

Today we are expected a lot of wind again but so far it has not materialized.  We hope that if it does come later today, it will settle down so that we can move on again tomorrow.  We are going to Hemet, California.  We could not find a reasonably priced place to stay in San Diego.

Quartzsite

We are in Quartszite, Arizona now. Quartzsite is 125 miles from Phoenix, west on Highway 10.  It is a town where people camp in the desert and is now a service town to all the people who come to camp, search for rocks and escape winter.  I had a vision of a quaint little town but it has a McDonald's so you can imagine how quaint it is.  It does have a few interesting places though.  The book store is one such place.

This store has a really large selection of old books and magazines.  The drawing card is the owner though.  He walks about , naked from the waist down except for a .....  tea cozy - I guess you would call it-  over his private parts. (OK Now none of you will ever be able to look at a tea cozy in the same way again.  Sorry.) He is skinny as a rail and it is quite a sight.  People were having their picture taken with him.  I think he is one of the few things left of the old Quartzite.

We drove around the area and saw some people dry (no services) camping in the desert.  Some areas seemed OK but since it is the off -season it seemed a bit lonely.  I am sure that all the Americans had fire arms so I suppose that they worry less.  One area was quite flat but another was near the mountains (hills) and was more picturesque but more difficult to find places to park.

Here is the area where people camp for up to 2 weeks that is just to the west of Quartzsite.

We opted to camp at a place in town, fairly primitive but it has good wifi!!  We missed the high season which ended in January with a huge swap meet, RV show and a rock show (that would be the hard natural rock, not music), among other things.  Thousands come for that.  A bit of the swap meet is left so we had a walk through but it had merchandise like the one we saw on Mesa.

Tomorrow we are off to Yuma.