THE NEW DIGS

The drive from the Pima County Fairgrounds to the new place, had to be one of the shortest moves of the motor home on record.  Just a few miles east on I10, then north of the freeway a few miles, and the house on wheels was repositioned at the new Chance Ranch.  When I confirmed that the power had been turned back on Friday afternoon, Marc, Chandra, & Laila drove out to the fairgrounds yesterday morning, and Marc drove the truck so I didn't have to hook, & unhook.  The driveway entry drop off was close, as the center of the motor home only cleared by an inch or two.  Once on the property, I got leveled and set up for the next several weeks.  The fact that there was already a 50 amp plug located next to the house, made the transition fairly easy.

The new place is an 8 year old manufactured home, on 4 acres, and had just been completely remodeled.  Some of the improvements were, new paint, inside & out. New roof to include 2 new skylights, new A/C, new windows, new tile flooring, new kitchen cabinets & appliances, new back porch with cover, & lots of other upgrades.  I'll post some photos of the inside later in the week.  Patty & I have never owned a manufactured home, but have no reservations about living in one.  The majority of our living time is actually spent in a much smaller manufactured home, and it just happens to have wheels under it. 

There's lots of work to be done, particularly on the outside, and the first priority is to get a garage built.  The surveyor will be here tomorrow morning, and once the property lines are established, then I'll know how big, and what type of building I can put up.  My Kubota Tractor will also be her tomorrow, and I've already found lots of ways it's going to get used.  I purchased a new refrigerator at Lowes a couple of days ago, and it will be delivered this Thursday.  Lots happening, and it all starts tomorrow. 
 

 Laila and Grandpa hung out yesterday afternoon, and she spent the night on the ranch.  I'm fixing breakfast for everybody this morning, then it's back to work on lots of projects.

BACK TO TUCSON

The drive from Lake Havasu City to Tucson, is one that we've made on numerous occasions.  With stops for fuel, dog walking, and other necessities, it usually takes about 6 hours for the trip.  I arrived at the Pima County Fairgrounds a little before 2pm, having covered about 325 miles.  After checking in, and getting parked, I drove the truck over to Marc & Chandra's, where I got a warm greeting from my Grand Daughter Laila, & Chandra.   Seeing this little soon to be 7 year old, and being closer to family,  reinforces all of the reasons why we decided to make the move to Tucson.

When Marc returned home, he, Laila, and I drove out to the new place, which is about 15-20 minutes away from their house.  I double checked a few things that had been repaired before we closed escrow, and made sure that the outside electrical plug was the right configuration for the motor home.  Chandra fixed a great tri-tip dinner, before I headed back to the fairgrounds.   Before moving the RV onto the property, I need to trim some of the growth away from the driveway, and that's on the long list of "to do" things today.  The power is going back on sometime today, and tomorrow, I'll park the motor home next to the house.

I'll be here a little over a month, and Patty flies in from Hawaii on the 21st.  I'll start posting some pictures of the new place in a day or so. 

LEAVING THE LAKE

This morning, it's off to the new property in Tucson, leaving Lake Havasu for perhaps one of the final times.  When we purchased this new house 10 years ago, it was just that - a new house.  There was no landscaping, no retaining walls, no RV cover, no shed, no irrigation system, no concrete driveway, no planters,  no trees, & no solar system.  These pictures show many of the backyard improvements that were made during our years of living by this lake in the desert.
 

We both have mixed emotions about moving 300 miles farther east, and there's no doubt, that there will probably be times when we will wish we were back by the lake.  Lake Havasu City has a lot going for it, particularly when the winter temperatures are moderate, and there are lots of activities, and events taking place around the city.  One of the things we won't miss is the brutal summer heat.  Even though we will still be living in the desert, on the outskirts of Tucson, our new elevation will be a little over 3,000 feet, and the temps will be noticeably cooler during the summer months.
A new chapter is about to unfold, and even though there isn't much about moving that's any fun, eventually, we'll be settled in our new home, and much closer to our family.

HOME ALONE

I'm "home alone", after the girls pulled out of Lake Havasu yesterday morning at 8am, and arrived at Nancy's house in Atwater, CA, around 6pm.  They will be in CA until the 6th, when they fly to Hawaii for a couple of weeks at Nancy's condo.  The return trip will bring Patty to Sacramento first, then a couple of flights will get her to Tucson where I will pick her up.  I'm leaving tomorrow morning for Tucson, with a long list of "to do" things. 

The first priority will be the shop/garage building, and step #1 is the survey which will be done sometime this coming Monday.  That's also the day when my Kubota Tractor/Backhoe will arrive on the property.  Once I know exactly where the property lines are, then I'll be able to start the process of putting up a building to house the motor home, vehicles, motorcycles, and all of the other stuff.  Even though the Lake Havasu house goes on the market in a few days, we're not in a big hurry to sell.  If it were to sell quickly, then lots of stuff would have to go in storage while the garage is being built. 

This will be Patty's third trip to the Hawaiian Islands, but it's been many years since her last trip.  I know she and Nancy will have a great time, and much of that trip will be on Nancy's blog, which is linked to this one.  Stay tuned for progress in Tucson, and happenings in Hawaii. 

Nancy's motor home parked next to the house before leaving for CA.

PACKING UP

It was about 10 years ago, when we moved from Central CA, to Lake Havasu City, AZ.  At the time, I distinctly remember saying that I was never going to move again, that I was going to live my last days in this house.  Well, here we go again, packing and sorting through all of our stuff, in preparation for a move closer to Marc, Chandra, and Laila in Tucson.

Moving is such a pain in the you know what.  The only redeeming fact about moving, is it provides one the opportunity to get rid of a lot of junk that has accumulated over the years.  Since returning home on Thursday, the 20th, we've made a pretty big dent in getting lots of stuff packed up.  Patty & Nancy have been like whirling derbishes, moving from one room to the next, as they fill up boxes to take, and other boxes for a mega garage sale that will take place in a month or so.

I thought that packing up the China Cabinet would take at least haft a day, but the girls had it done in less than a couple of hours.  When we quit yesterday afternoon, the stack of boxes in the garage had grown quite a bit, with much less in the house.  More of the same today, and perhaps tomorrow, or the next day, we'll be headed in opposite directions.
 


The girls will be driving back to Nancy's house in Atwater, CA, where they'll be getting ready for their trip to Hawaii.  A day or so later, I'll be taking the motor home and the truck to our new home in Tucson, where I'll be busy with lots of initial projects.  The first priority will be to get some type of garage building erected.  Lots of associated tasks before that can happen, and one of the implements that will make it easier, is the tractor that I purchased about a week ago.  Now that I'm back with a good Internet connection, here's a few more pictures of the Kubota L39 Tractor/Backhoe, and the accessories that came with it.  Anybody want a good boat?

Yesterday, we did all of the necessary paperwork for the sale of the house.  Our asking price is $215,000, and that's about how much money we have invested in the property.  Just a few years ago, the value was over $300,000, but that was then. and this is now.  The reality of today's real estate market is that it's a good time to buy, but not sell.  I guess it's all relative in the long run. 

 Post Hole Digger

 Pallet Forks

 Rock Sifter/Scrapper

 Box Scrapper

BACK TO LAKE HAVASU

We left the Verde Valley day before yesterday, driving south toward Phoenix, then turning west on Hwy 74 to Wickenburg.  From there, it was Hwy 60, Hwy 72, & Hwy 95 through Parker, and north to the homestead in Lake Havasu City.  We did our usual disconnecting of the Jeep at the high school, and then moved the boat and trailers out of the shade cover to make room for the motor home.  When that was done, Nancy moved her motor home into the yard, and quickly hooked up to the 50 amp service.  With temps in the 105-110 range, running the motor home A/C's is more than a convenience, it's absolutely necessary. 

Yesterday, the girls started sorting through a bunch of stuff, and packed up the entire china cabinet while I made a trip to a local boat dealer.  We got a good start on the moving process, but still have a long way to go before Tucson becomes our new home. 

MONTEZUMA'S CASTLE & WELL

Yesterday, we played tourist, and took Nancy to  Montezuma's Castle, and Montezuma's Well.  These two National Monuments are in the Verde Valley, and not too far from where we're parked at the Thousand Trails.  This is about the 3rd, or 4th time we've been to the Castle, and the 2nd time at the well.  Native Americans built the castle around 1,000 AD, and used the spring water from the well to irrigate their crops.  From the well, we returned to the motor homes, took the dogs for a walk, then drove over to Prescott.

The girls headed for a fabric store, and I stopped by one of my favorite gun stores, J&G Sales.  This is one of the largest gun dealers in the U.S., advertising in every issue of Shotgun News, and shipping merchandise all over the globe.  The next gun on my radar is a Ruger Mini 14, but after just spending a whole bunch of money on a tractor, I decided to hang on to the bucks for lots of future projects at the new place in Tucson.

This morning, we're packing up, and driving back to Lake Havasu City.  There's a long list of things to do, as Patty & Nancy prepare for their 2 week trip to Hawaii, and I pack a few things to take to Tucson.  It's still 100+ degrees in our city by the lake, and after a summer of cooler temps, we still have a few more weeks of hot weather before it starts to cool off.  We're looking forward to returning to our home, and also looking forward to starting a new chapter in Tucson.

JEROME, SEDONA, & A TRACTOR

For the last two days, the girls have been in a "shop till you drop" mode, spending most of one day in Jerome, and yesterday in Sedona. Actually, I think it's more of a browse till you drop, because I haven't seen much in the way of purchases yet. Nancy did find a cowgirl hat that she's been looking for, and scored some Elk antlers at an antique shop.

Jerome is an old mining town, that sits on the side of a mountain above the Verde Valley. Not too many years ago, it was a virtual ghost town, until the artsy - fartsy folks discovered the place, and now it's full of business that cater to people looking for that one of a kind item.

Sedona is famous for it's red rock mountains that surround the town, and it has become a tourist destination. As with any place that attracts lots of visitors, Sedona has lots of shops, with the same old stuff for sale. I like to drive through Sedona and look at the scenery, but that's about it. So, while Patty & Nancy have spent the last two days in gift shop heaven, I've been busy looking for a piece of iron.

These two pictures were taken at the Thousand Trails in Verde Valley where we are now parked. This is one of our favorite TT, and we've been here many times. In the past, we've stayed here in the spring time, when the temps were a little cooler. At low to mid 90's, it's not too bad, and it's been cooling off into the 60's at night.

Yesterday morning, while browsing the very slow Internet, I discovered a Kubota L39 Tractor, loader, backhoe for sale in Phoenix. I've been in the market for a tractor for a couple of months, and this looked like a pretty good deal. After calling my buddy Everett in CA, who knows more about heavy equipment than just about anybody, I drove down to Phoenix to take a look. To make a long story short, I bought the tractor, which came with a box scraper, post hole digger, and some other accessories. After the seller and I went to the bank, I made a deal for him to deliver the tractor to Tucson when I get there in about two weeks. When we get to a better Internet connection, I'll post some more pictures of my new toy. With any luck, I'll be able to get rid of an old toy called a boat. I think there's a lot of truth to the saying "the best two days in a boat owners life is the day you buy, and the day you sell".

VERDE VALLEY THOUSAND TRAILS

After a round of good byes, we pulled out of the Grand Canyon RR RV Park at 10am, and headed east on I40. Our first stop was just a few miles down the road at the Pilot in Bellemont. Nancy was following us in her new Phaeton motor home, towing her new Jeep Liberty, and we both pulled in to top off the fuel tanks. Diesel was 4.22 a gallon, with different rules at the pump. Here's where technology gets frustrating. We both have the Pilot/Flying J rewards card, and we both used a VISA debit card. Nancy's card is from her credit union, and mine from Wells Fargo Bank. At $75, my pump shuts off, and hers keeps going. We're using the same pump, only we're on opposite sides. So, what's the deal! When I tried to use my card to purchase another $75 worth of fuel, the digital display said "see cashier". At that point I'm not in any mood to give Pilot any more money, much less walk into the building and see the cashier. I was close to full anyway, so off we went to what we thought was Camping World on the other side of the freeway..............NOT!

It seems that this Camping World has been closed for quite some time, although there were lots of RV's parked around the building, it was locked up tighter than a Scotsman. I guess due to it's kind of isolated location, there wasn't enough service and sales business, so they had to close the doors.

From the closed Camping World, we drove farther east on I40, then south on I17 to the Verde Valley. From the freeway, it's only a few miles west on Hwy 260 to the Thousand Trails (TT) RV Park, just outside of Cottonwood. This is the park where we first joined TT about 5 years ago, and is one of our favorites. We paid the extra $5 a night for 50 amp service, and with an elevation of about 3500 feet, the temps were up in the low 90's. We needed to run both A/C's in the afternoon, so I'm glad we got the 50 amp sites.

Our Sprint data card is marginal in this area along the Verde River, so I don't think I'll be able to load any pictures while we're parked here. The girls have lots of shopping planned in Sedona and in Jerome, while I take care of the highly important job of making sure that nobody steals the motor homes. It's going to be a tough job, but I'm up to the task!

RAILS TO THE RIM

The first order of business yesterday morning, was to take Sami over to the RV Park Office, where they have a super nice kennel for dogs and cats. I suspect most of the usage is from folks like us who ride the train. At $23 a day, (weekly rates also), it's a little pricey, but when you're gone from the motor home for almost 10 hours, or more, it's nice to have a convenient place for your dog.

"Wait a minute, what did we do to deserve a jail cell?"
Sami above, Nancy's Jessie & Cooper lower left, and Bill & 'D's' Sophie & Bitsy lower right.
All 5 in the slammer!

With the dogs safely incarcerated for the day, we wandered over to the wild west shootout before boarding the train. This 15 minute skit plays out every morning, and provides a few laughs, as the characters have fine tuned this melodrama over the years. The backdrop is a false front western town.

Two friends waiting for the train.

Our steam engine for the trip to the Grand Canyon was #4960, a 1923 Baldwin locomotive, that has been restored to an almost new condition. It has been converted to burn waste vegetable oil, and if you closed your eyes next to the engine, you could almost smell the french fries. We departed the depot in Williams at 9:30 sharp, for the 2 + hour ride to the canyon.

A picture of Bill Hall after he took some pictures on the train.

Nancy, Bob Tucker, Patty standing, Ed & Anita Price.

Ron & Ann Slavicek, & Bill & 'D' Hall.

We had a crystal clear weather day, with temps in the mid 70's. Upon arrival at the Grand Canyon Village, lots of people gathered around the steam engine for pictures. Our fearless photographer, Nancy, found the perfect angle for a photo in front of the engine.


Ed & Anita took advantage of a tour & lunch offered by 3A, and the remaining 8 of us walked to the Bright Angel Lodge for lunch. After our meal, we walked down to the Red Route, and boarded one of the shuttle buses for a trip up on the Hermits Road. We were able to make 3 stops for different views of the canyon, and then it was time to make the return trip back to the train.

This picture of Bill, 'D', Nancy & Patty was taken from the Trailview Overlook bus stop, looking back at the Grand Canyon Village.

What would a train ride be, without a train robbery? Well, we weren't disappointed, as the train robbers dismounted their horses outside of Williams, and came through the cars, posing for pictures, and relieving those of their money, who volunteered to be robbery victims. Hot on the heels of the train robbers was the marshall, who couldn't quite muster the speed to catch up with the bad guys.

Upon return to Williams, we posed for a picture next to the steam engine. After the dogs were busted out of jail, we headed downtown for a dinner meal at Poncho's Mexican Restaurant, and brought an end to a great day on the railroad.

Left to right -Anita, Ed, Ron, Bob, Nancy, Patty, Bill, Ann, & 'D'.

A VISIT TO BEARIZONA

Bearizona is a relatively new drive through wild animal park, located just east of the town of Williams. It opened last summer, and the reviews from the folks we ran across at the canyon this summer, were all positive. We knew that at some point, a visit to this attraction was going to happen. Yesterday was that time, as our group of 10 loaded into 3 vehicles, and we drove the short distance to Bearizona.

I took a bazillion pictures of all the critters, of which most were native to North America. The first part of the experience was the 2 mile drive through, where we saw goats, sheep, bison, & wolves, to name a few, and all were in huge enclosures that replicated their natural habitat. Seeing these captive creatures in a natural environment is so much better than what you see at most zoos, where cages are the home for many of the animals.

After the drive through, we parked the jeep, and Patty, I, Nancy, & Bob Tucker headed for the more traditional enclosures where there were Bears, Lynx, Racoons, & a birds of prey show. The Bobcats were in jail, because they had figured a way to escape from their enclosure. All of the enclosures were large, giving the animals lots of room to do what they normally do.

There were 12 black bears, all born this year at the park, and they were doing what most kids do, wrestling with each other, and chasing all over the area. It was fun to watch their antics, as they played, and did all sorts of goofy things.

We were impressed with the facility, and would highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see wild animals, mostly in a natural setting. Evidently, the park is doing quite well, as the local newspaper had an article stating that 6,000 people visited Bearizona over the Labor Day weekend.

Later in the day, all 10 of us had dinner at Rods Steak House, a family owned restaurant that has been at the same location in Williams since 1946. From the conversation, I think everyone had a good meal, I know my New York steak was excellent. After dinner, we drove down main street, and it looked like the town was very much alive, with people everywhere, and most of the shops still open at 8pm.

It was a good day with good friends, and as the morning sun rises, we'll soon be heading over to the train depot, and boarding our steam train to the Grand Canyon. I'll close with a few more pictures of the critters.