Happy New Year Family and Friends

 What a surprise.  Friends we've known for years show up just before Christmas at our Couples golf.  Turns out they are building a home in Los Ayala.  Afterwards we drive up to their new home which is not yet finished.  They hope it will be soon.

The lovely dancer in the photo below is Lupita.  She works at the golf course and obviously takes dancing lessons.  Here I caught her smiling for the camera.  She and Paulette entertain us after golf on Sundays.

Mike was walking home from town one day and saw these turtles sunning themselves.  Notice how they have their heads reaching for the sun?  They live beside us in the slough, swamp, whatever it's called.

Wishing you all the best in 2011, we are

 

Holoidays on holiday

Merry Christmas friends and family; Feliz Navidad

It's December 23rd, 2010.  I've been to the market in La Penita; hubby is golfing at Mens' Day at Campo Ensuenado (sp?).  I am making stuffing and Mike is doing Caesar salad for Xmas dinner at the park down the street.  We are so few here that we, being Mike, Mave, Vic and Bev, were invited to El Caracol rv park to have Christmas dinner.
I picked up five heads of romaine, some garlic powder and whole garlic for the famous Lori's Caesar Salad dressing.  I bought a very fresh loaf of white bread which I have already cut up into thin slices to dry for making the stuffing, and some potatoes and onions.  The bread was so good I had to steal a few slices for myself.  Nothing like fresh white bread and strawberry jam for lunch. The market was very crowded today and the traffic on the highway was heavy.  We were going to P.V. for Xmas dinner but the hostess has decided to go back to Edmonton for Christmas leaving her hubby in good hands.
I'm missing my kids.  Only daughter is in Vancouver and I just wish she could have made it out here.  I know she would have loved the beach.  The waves are very quiet this visit.  Last visit they were noisy and strong.  Hubby has only used his boogie board twice so far. 
Only son and lady partner are in Tucson living the rv lifestyle.  Hubby isn't back from golfing yet so I might go to the beach or just lie on my zero gravity chair and have a snooze.  In case you haven't seen it yet, here is a picture of our beach.  It is exactly 260 steps from our park's front gate.  This is a photo from January 2010 when we first came out here, but it's still the same beautiful beach.  You can see why we came back.

Here is the cayman



The sun is warm on this side of the ditch.  He's about six feet long.


Now that you've seen him, don't worry.  He's seems harmless.

Turtles in transit

Here are the little turtles (tortugas) that I told you about in my last blog.  The Grupo Ecologista de Nayarit, A.C. were advertising for anyone interested to come out and help these little guys and gals find their way back to the sea from whence their mother came.  The group watches for turtles laying eggs in the sands near Guayabitos and they collect the eggs and wait for them to hatch.  There were 100 turtles this evening and there were probably 30 people, including a few children, who came out.  We were invited to pick them up (and both Mike and I did just that) and put them on the sand facing the water.  The waves sometimes lapped over them and turned them upside down but by the time it was dark most of them were well on their way out to sea.  It is estimated that out of those 100 only 1-3 would be back laying their eggs.  Most would not survive their journey to adulthood. Just writing about this is making me teary, as it did when we were told about the Riley turtles.

This season, having the car, we are able to go golfing anytime we want to go.  Mike paid 6500 pesos for a four month pass for two.  That is about $270.00 Canadian each.  We have golfed 25 games as of today, December 15.  We have paid for the passes and are now golfing for free.  We go out by 9 am but the breeze doesn't come up until about 10 am.  Then golfing becomes bearable.  The course is a par 29.  Ok, so it's not Royal York or Spallumcheen, but it is challenging.  The grass (if one can call it that) is no where near like our fairways at home.  The tee boxes are small and it is hard to find a good spot to insert the tee.  Number 6 hole is the course signature hole.  The green is on an island, surrounded by water.  It is a par 4, one of two par 4's.  When I first saw that green I refused to try and hit the ball onto it.  Now, it's ok.  Most times I can get close enough to pitch it on without it rolling too far or not enough and it plops into the moat (I call it that).  Twice today my partner and I hit our balls; they hit the rocks on the built up sides and ricoched back onto the fairway. Whew:)

Beside our rv park is a piece of bare land that is virtually a swamp (slough?).  In the early part of the year this year there was a lot of water and wetland birds, eg. egrets etc. and reptiles; like caymans.  Well the cayman is still there but there is not much water and the cows are herded in there to eat.  Anyway, to make a long story shorter, one day our neighbour came over and said the cayman was across the road, sunning him/her self in the ditch.  Sure enough, we took a walk over and there it was; but that is another picture for the next blog.

Cheers for now,
Holoidays on holiday 

It's December already

Happy birthday wishes to Taylor's mom, Trina, today.)  I just realized why November 28 seemed such an important day; Taylor turned 20!!!!  Happy belated Birthday Tayman.  Time sure flies when we're having fun.

I've been pretty lazy recently so I'm writing this blog mainly from my journal notes.

On October 29th we took the rig to a business that makes front window shades for motorhomes.  We left it there for the day although we weren't out of the lot before they started measuring.  Mike, Carol and I then drove over to Algodones, Mexico for a few hours.  I needed to get my glasses repaired.  On the way home from Mexico in the Spring, my glasses blew off a side table at the pool in Jackpot, Nev. and cracked one of the lenses.  The place I bought the glasses was out of business but I found another optical place where they updated my lenses and put in the new ones for me.  They are progressive lenses and only cost about 65.00 US.  I could have had a brand new pair of glasses for only about 120.00 US if I'd been more on the ball.  What matters is that I can see really a lot better now that the lenses are fixed.

The next morning we hit the swap meet before heading south to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  We got two chairs and a large mat for the pad.  Good deal on those.  Not too many dealers there yet at this time of year.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is the northern point of the Organ Pipe Cactus, located south of Ajo, Arizona.


Sunset from Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument









Parked in front of Paint Ball battleground.  Good thing we left when we did.
PB enthusiasts (combatants?) were there early Sunday morning to wage war on each other. Very polite fellows.  There was an airforce base on the other side of the river and some of these fellows were very clean cut looking, maybe soldiers?

This is our spot behind the VFW in Yuma.  Drycamping wasn't too bad as long as you had water and food and a nice shady spot like this one.  That bike on my last post was something eh?  I'll try to download another picture of it from the interior angle.

Here I worked hard to get two photos included here.  Of course we are in Mexico right now and I am still trying to figure out why my photos aren't allowed to download.  I will succeed.

Next post coming up.

Hasta luego
Holoidays on holiday



Let's try again

Hello friends and other interested viewers,
I had trouble getting back in to do another post, but finally I was able to figure it out and here I am. 

We are in our park of choice here in Lo de Marcos, Mexico.  We arrived Thursday afternoon after a good drive, but a little harrowing, having driven up to Tepic and down to Las Varas, instead of going through San Blas, which we did last year.

When we reached Tepic, we stopped on the other side and undid the tow car.  I drove it all the way down to Lo de Marcos, following the motorhome, and the other couple in their truck/camper following me.

Hubby didn't have any problems driving down that long hill.  He basically drove in second gear to save wear and tear on the brakes.  My tow car is a little Kia Spectra, 5 spd manual and this drive was the farthest I have ever driven it.  We were given this car by our son, who didn't need two cars, because he is living full  time in a motorhome and they only needed one vehicle; of course, how can he tow two cars?  I never had it licensed until the day before we left on our trip so I didn't have a chance to get used to shifting the gears, but I learned pretty quickly on that free for all road from Tepic to Lo de Marcus.  If you are wondering if I have ever driven a standard vehicle the answer is yes and more like 35 years ago.  I guess it's like riding a bike; you never forget.

So my friends, if you are reading this, and want to know if the San Blas road is open yet, the answer is we don't know.

We are the first visitors in this park.  Savage RV park is open and waiting for your visit.  The internet is up and running, thanks to Alfredo and I.  He called on me to help get it set up and between us and the friendly helper on the other end of the phone line, we got it going.  Phew, I'm glad we did because I only have a three hour battery in this puppy and the electrical connection was only two pronged at the office.

Now I'm going to try to download some more photos.



How's this for a Harley?  Quite a story behind this modified rig but all I can say is that it is really different and it actually works.  Couple from South Carolina own it and they were parked at the VFW in Yuma.

Well, it looks as if this is the only picture you will get.  Seems my image uploader on this blog site does not want to upload more than one picture at a time.

It was another hot day today and we went over to the beach today to enjoy the waves.  They were not too big but they were dirty.  The beach had been stripped of its sand and it looked as if the waves were bringing the sand back again.  The waves are very noisy right now and it is quite cool now.  It is 11:50 pm as I write and I've closed all the windows and I'm going to bed.

Adios amigos,

Holoidays on holiday



Here are some photos I promised

We had pretty messy weather on the way down to California but the weather got nicer and Mike's first priority was to clean the rig and the car. 

I finally got a cool shot of these wind machines lined up in an orderly fashion.  These are near Desert Hot Springs, California.







Arhgggggggggg...

Well, it appears that I am not going to be allowed to download any more photos tonight and I had lots more to show you.

We will be leaving Mazatlan in the morning and should be in Lo de Marcos in the late afternoon.  For our friends who are coming down I'll let you know the road situation when we get internet access.  We have decided to take the road to Tepic and down because we've heard that the road through San Blas is not ready for heavy vehicles yet.  We will unhook the car and I will drive it down from Tepic behind the motorhome.

I also want folks to know that there is a good presence of federalies and army and that we have seen no reason not to come to Mexico.  As I think I said in my last blog, the roads are good as expected so far and there are a few people travelling together, we being one of them.   A nice place to stay in Guayamas is at the Hotel de Cortez.   It is a long day's drive from there to Mazatlan but the San Fernando RV park is ok.  The bathroom leaves a bit to be desired but the shower has one of those big round heads on it and it is great to use.  If you stop in Mazatlan check out the Fat Fish restaurant only a few blocks away from the rv park.  The ribs are EXCELLENT.  The price is 160.00 for two. We walked there two nights in a row and had no problems with anyone.  There are not a lot of people in Mazatlan yet and the lady at the restaurant asked us to let our friends know about them. 

Until next time,
Drive carefully for our friends coming down here and hello to everyone who can't or won't come.  You don't know what you are missing.

Holoidays on holiday

We're in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

     We made it today, November 2nd, 2010 to Mazatlan from Guayamas, Sonora, Mexico.  I have not written for a while because we seem to camp out where there is no wifi.  I can't believe it has been since Oct. 25th that I actually put words to computer.
     My daughter-in-law (kind of) had mexican pesos for us but we missed seeing them in Arizona.  That's ok, we have survived without them. 
     Well, since my last post we have been to Quartzsite (sp?) where I found this great BIG bead barn.  Unfortunately for me the hubby said no more beads.  But; he did find a used ladder from the rock guy's place.
     We stayed at the Kofa Mountain RV park.  It was very nice, but again, very few travellers were there.  They had a nice little club house, with a big screen tv but no wifi. 
     We toodled on up to Parker for an afternoon of shopping (for groceries of course) and a mandatory visit to the local casino.  I wouldn't like to stay there.  Not much happening.  There is a river, I think it is the Colorado, just kidding, of course it is.  The casino is situated on the river and has a lovely waterslide built facing the river and marina.
     From  Q.S. we drove to Yuma and met up with Carol and Walter from Vernon.  They stayed in the same park as we did in Lo de Marcos last trip.  We decided to travel together but they left at a different time than we did so we met at the VFW on the north end of town.  There is a dry camp there behind the VFW.  This acronym is short for Veterans of Foreign Wars.  We stayed there two days. 
     Took a look around Yuma finding things we still needed.  One thing we really wanted for the rig was sun screening for the front windows and side windows.  We found a place that had a special on at SewMaster.  We got screening with 85% sun screen in black for the front windows, the driver and passenger side windows and a 20% discount plus a free window cover.  We chose the back window.  They also gave us window wiper covers. Total bill was just under $275.00 US.  I would have had the big side windows done too, but maybe next time.
     On Sunday, October 31st we headed south to the border but stopped at the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  What a very interesting place that was for us.  I have some pictures but I will put them in when I've made the pixels smaller; easier to open and download for the readers.
     Mike claimed he saw wildlife; a rabbit.  This park is only a few minutes drive from the Lukeville border crossing. 
     We had a long wait although there were not many people there.  Just slow processing all the necessary papers.

     Here is how Mike described the process:

1.  Wait in line with passport to fill out application(s) for tourist card(s).  The form is a little different this year.  It is two sided, I mean that it is split in half.  They keep the left side; we get the right side.

2.  Turn left, go to Bank to pay for tourist card(s).

3.  Go back to first office and get passport(s) and tourist card(s) stamped.

4.  Go and get photocopies of passport(s), tourist card(s), vehicle registration(s).  Go back past the tourist card door and walk into next building.  Young man there to make you photocopies of everything.

4.  Go back to Bank with stamped tourist card(s) to get vehicle import card(s).

NB:  do not leave your credit card at the Mexican Insurance office in Tuscon.  The immigration people like to use your credit card to pay for all of this stuff.

That process took us over an hour.  We were not the first in line so of course we had to wait our turn.  The bank is pretty small so it gets a little squishy with eight people in there.
     This day we only went through two toll booths.  Cost was $257.00 Pesos,  not dollars. 
We drove all the way to Guayamas this day.  It was about a seven hour drive.  We usually only drive about four hours but we wanted to get out of the border area.
     I want to reassure anyone reading this that the road from Lukeville to Guayamas was a beautiful new road.  It is a truck route so there were lots of trucks on the road, but the driving was easey-peasey. 
     We unhooked the car, parked the rig and went shopping.  No, it isn't me who goes shopping; it's the food afficionado.  Obtaining some pesos was another priority.
     We stayed at the Hotel de Cortez.  What a beautiful place.  The hotel itself was built in the 1930's.  It has a lovely lobby where the wifi hot spot was located.  Their big patio overlooks the Bay of Cortez.  There is lots of room in the rv park behind the hotel and there is a washroom with mens and ladies showers.
     If you've never been to Mexico I have an important if a bit gross tip for you.  I found out that their sewer systems are not all as sophisticated as ours in Canada and the US.  If you are in a rig, do not put toilet paper in your black waste tank.  If you are using their toilets, put all toilet tissue in the bins in the cubicles.  I know it sounds gross but one does get used to it.  In the bigger cities the newer hotels have more sophisticated systems.  Just check first. 
     Other rvers parked near us told us about a pearl farm quite near where we were staying and it was open until 5pm.  We hopped back in the car; found the place quite easily and pulled into their parking lot.  There is a gift shop there that has pearls set into rings, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, etc. 
 The sales clerk explained how the pearls are grown.  It was a very interesting talk.  They operate on the oysters to place the little balls into the oysters.  Some balls are round and others are half of the round.  The nacre is produced by the oyster when it senses an intruder in its shell.  If you have seen Mabe pearls, these are the half round balls that are inserted.  They are left in the water for two years and produce beautifully hued pearls with many layers of nacre that won't wear off for years.
     It did not cool down overnight, but we left all the windows open in the rig.  Bed by 10 pm and up by 5:45.  We were on the road by 6:45; on our way to Mazatlan.  This was another very long drive for us.  We made a couple of pit stops, but for the most part just kept on driving.  We never got to Mazatlan until 5pm. 
     The traffic from Guayamas was heavy, lots of trucks and Mexicans on the roads today.  In total we went through nine (yes-9) toll booths.  It was a little more expensive this year because we are towing a car.
     Mexicans have a celebration called "The Day of the Dead".  What it really means is that on the 1st and 2nd of November every year the Mexican families buy flowers and visit their relatives long since deceased.  Today driving by the cemetarieswe witnessed the honour that they give their ancestors.  There were people everywhere and they all had flowers on hand to lay on the  tombstones. 
      We made it to the San Fernando RV park just after 5pm.  After parking, hubby and I both needed showers.  It was very humid so even after showering we never cooled down.
     We went out for ribs at a place called Fat Fish.  It is only about three blocks from the RV park.  One of the patrons looked very familiar to us.  Turns out they were at the Cortez when we got there.  They are slowly making their way to Bucerias.  Getting back to the ribs; Mike had the ribs; Walter had the ribs; Carol and I had  the rib eye steaks.  Good meal and all for 160.00 pesos a couple.  Of course that does not cover the cost of the cervazes.
     Our next move will be to Lo de Marcos.  In the meantime, I will get working on my photos and produce a page of them for your perusal.

Hasta luego, amigos

Holoidays on Holiday

Finally, we can move on

It's been the windiest week we've ever seen.  Too bad I didn't take any pictures.  It wasn't as if there were sand storms, or palm trees touching the ground.  It was the incessant noise as the wind blew day and night creating an atmosphere that for hubby was not an inducement for a good sleep. 
The wind has finally died down and the constant rocking has stopped.  We were able to get some work done around the rig today.  I vacuumed, folexed the spots on the carpet, washed the floor, and did two loads of laundry.  I even managed to iron some of the shirts that came out quite wrinkled from the park's dryers.  Hubby found some trailer stabilizers and it sure makes a difference when we walk around in here.  We are still looking for a few things.  We would like to buy a ladder that is at least six feet high.  Having a ladder will help us keep the rig cleaner.  We will be able to easily reach the windows for cleaning.  We also want to obtain sun screens for the windows.  We hope to find a dealer in Quartzsite, Yuma or Mesa.  These towns have huge flea markets where a person can find just about anything for a motorhome.  Oh yes, I'm still hoping to find some reasonably priced zero gravity lounge chairs.  I saw them in Salmon Arm at the camping store and they were $165.00 each.  They've also been for sale at Wal-Mart and some big box hardware stores for about $45.00 (in Canada).  I'm hoping for a good deal on two of them and maybe a nice director chair with a little table attached.  Only time will tell if we can find them.
It's great to have the car to tow.  What freedom; I even drove it to town one day.  It's a bit awkward for me as many of you know that I am vertically challenged and have to sit with my chest resting on the steering wheel to reach the pedals; but I did manage to get around without stalling the vehicle.  I must admit that I haven't driven a standard shift vehicle since my first vehicle I ever owned.  A green Ford Cortina I bought from the used car department where I worked when I lived in Vancouver.  That poor car.  I'm surprised I never needed a new clutch.  I did need a new distributor cap, but that is another story.
In case I didn't mention it, we are back at the Caliente Springs RV resort in Desert Hot Springs.  There are very few rigs in here as it is early in the season for the snowbirds.  We never got to meet anyone really; even the home owners are not all here yet.  I never even took advantage of the pools this time.  Mike of course, was in the hot pool in the evenings, and they have a pretty well stocked library that we both used. 
Tomorrow comes too soon. 
Take care friends,
Holoidays on holiday

We're on the road again...

Just a short blog today to let you know that we are on the road again.  We left home on October 8, 2010 and stayed in Princeton overnight at the Princeton Golf course.  There is a campsite for trailers, etc.  The site host and hostess were Al and Patty Lambe.  We met them coming home from Mexico in March of this year.  They were staying in the same campground in Huntington, Or. and Al told hubby he worked at the golf course. 
From Princeton we were only going to drive to Rosedale, but I was anxious to get to Vancouver so we continued on our way to Surrey, BC where we stayed at the Plaza RV Park on King George Blvd.  It's not the fanciest place but it is the only one close to hubby's brother.  We spent four days there visiting with relatives and our lovely daughter before heading out on Wednesday, Oct 13, going over the border to stay for the night at the Tulalip Casino in their RV parking lot.  It has no amenities so you either put on the generator to keep warm at night or you pile on the blankets.  We piled on the blankets.  By the way, we left our dog with the relatives in Surrey this time; hubby insisted that the dog would not come with us.  What a quiet trip.  No whining, from the dog that is. 
From Tulalip we travelled to Vancouver, WA where we stayed one night.  It's nice that we are towing a car this trip.  It is surprisingly easy.  Our son showed us the ins and outs of hooking up the car.  It is a quick set up and take down with two people and it tows nicely. 
From Vancouver, WA we drove to Myrtle Creek, OR.  That was a long drive and it was good to get out and walk around.  The campground wasn't fancy but it was suitable.  I guess one could say it was in Tri City.  Our little jaunt in the car exploring found us driving over our first covered bridge and finding the golf course.  Looks intimidating with lots of up and down fairways.  It is open all year round.  We were told that there was usually very little snow there.  That was a surprise because the area is surrounded by hills much like at home.  I think hubby would like to go there to golf.
The next day saw us off again and driving into California to stay in Redding.  We found the Redding RV park and parked on a hilly road.  The pads were stepped down the hill so they were pretty level without having to support the rig.
All the places we stayed are listed in the Passport America book.  Passport America gives 50% off the listed prices of the participating campgrounds. 
From Redding we drove to a place called Patterson, CA.  Again, we used our PA pass for a great deal on our stay.  We have already paid for the membership with the savings we have received from using PA.  I am not paid by PA to endorse their program, but we used it last year and it was great then too.  Only son and partner have bought a life membership to PA.  They will make good use of it. 
From Patterson we drove to Mojave, CA.  We didn't hit the best RV park there but it had electricity and cable, but the WiFi "sucked" as the kids would say.  We gassed up the rig there.  The price of gas in California is a lot more than anywhere we have travelled so far.  We've seen it as low as 2.98.9 (cash price) for regular unleaded to a high of 3.39.9 for regular unleaded. 
In Oregon it is against the law to pump your own gas.  Every service station has gas jockeys to serve you.
It was great to get up this morning excited to finally drive our last stretch of highway to Desert Hot Springs, CA where we will be parked for a week.  Seven days for $129.00 includes wifi, electric, water, dumping, cable.  Our new tv can search out more cable stations than the campground has on their list.  Hubby was very excited to find a hockey game on TV.  The Bruins against the Washington Capitals.  We are big Bruins fans now that his cousin's son plays on the Bruins team. 
I went to Bingo tonight in the hall.  Me - playing Bingo.  How sad is that?!  I didn't even need my dabber.  They used the old style Bingo cards with the little red sliders.  I won the first game-almost got my money back-$1.00, lol.
Hubby has gone to bed and it's my turn to sign out.
Adios, amigos
Hasta luego.

It's time to travel again!!

What a great summer we had here in the North Okanagan.  We were away most of July visiting relatives, etc. but we came home to enjoy another holiday with our golfing group.  We went to Fauquier in the West Kootenays for a three day camping/golfing trip.  We all enjoyed it so much we plan to do it again next year.  Tukaluk Campground is only about a quarter mile from the Fauquier Golf Course so we were able to pack eight people and golf bags and carts into three cars.  The day started out a bit cloudy but as we continued our play (no don't ask how I did) the weather improved as the day went on and we girls left the boys after doing nine holes and went back to the campground to "mellow out".  They caught us giving each other pedicures.  The pedicures delayed supper by about two hours (a minor nuisance according to my hubby).   By the way, I'm giving a plug for the campground even though there was a fire ban in the district.  The owner, Gloria, was just great.  She greeted us and took hubby on a tour of the campground in her golf cart and showed us where we could all set up.  It was great. 
At the end of August, hubby and I participated in the club championship at our little golf course in Armstrong, BC.  Hubby won his flight low gross and I won my flight low gross.  I was VERY focused.  I had been golfing like a beginner all year and I finally hit the ball, chipped good and putted good.  It was enough to win by one stroke.  Two gift certificates to the golf course will come in very handy next year.  We also decided to buy our membership on a limited basis.  That means we can golf only during the week.  We counted how many weekends we had golfed and guess what?  not once except for the club championship.  We'll save a couple hundred dollars on that too. 
Last year our clubhouse burned to the ground.  We were hoping we'd be in the clubhouse by now but they are building it very slowly.  It is going to be a spectacular timber frame building and hopefully we will be in it next year when we get back from our trip.
Our son worked at a golf course  this year about 25 miles from our home.  He and his sweetie will also be travelling south a few days after we leave. 
The weather in Lo de Marcos has been very rainy this summer and we may wait a while before going to Mexico.
We are travelling with folks from Vernon and Ontario into Mexico this year.  We are trying to downplay the news reports about the violence between the drug cartels and hopefully we will be safe.  The people down there depend on us "snowbirds" for our custom.  I am humbled by the privilege to travel in their country.  I did not find the language barrier as bad as I thought it might be.  Son's sweetie is fluent in Spanish and she helped us along the way.  When we left them we were on our own and we made do; a few words seemed to help us ok.
Well, we'll keep in touch with everyone as we get underway in a week or so.

Adios for now,
Holoidays on holiday

We're home!

     Well folks, our trip down south has ended.  We're back in our little city in the North Okanagan Valley of British Columbia  exactly five months from the day we left home. 
     We, I should say I, have been sleeping in late into the morning.  The air, the light, everything is condusive to sleeping, but I am managing to stay up and not go back for a nap in the afternoon.  We got back Friday, March 26th after driving from Pasco, WA to Oliver, BC on Thursday.  I know the last blog said we were staying in Oroville, but it was early afternoon and we still had lots of daylight, so we got through the border in very quick time and drove to Oliver, where we found a new RV park right on Hwy 97, called Desert Gem RV park.  The rate was very reasonable, the traffic noise barely heard and the park not full so it was also very quiet.  Because it is new the washrooms and showers are very clean.
     We've been putzing here at home too.  The rig is slowly getting emptied of the detritus that follows a long trip away.  The inside of the rig is pretty empty of all foodstuffs and clothes, but we haven't touched the basement yet.  I've already done a load of laundry and now my laundry basket is full again.  Tomorrow is another putzing day so the laundry will probably get done then.  On Saturday we reinsured our vehicle and today Mike took it out of the garage and put the plates on it.  Now I'm just looking for more sunshine and warmer weather.  It is, after all, Spring.
    One last thing; we like to say thank you to all the people we met who were so good to us on our travels, giving us rv and travelling advise, rides to the market, putting us up in your beautiful homes, etc. I can't forget our neighbour, Arnie, for collecting our mail and generally keeping an eye on things here at home; and to our kids, who stayed in our home and looked after it when they needed a place to stay.  We hope to see you this summer if you live around us and next winter if you are going back down South.  Keep in touch eh?
The Holoidays back home.

Almost home!

     Today we made it to Pasco, Washington.  We left Apache Junction Sunday, March 14th and drove to Kingman the first night and from there to Vegas the second day.
       We stayed in a park called Main Street Station RV park.  It is operated by the Main Street Station Hotel and Casino right down town near Fremont Street.

We had a great time every evening, going over to Fremont Street to enjoy the music, casinos, and people watching.  Wednesday was our special reason for going there.  It was St. Patrick's Day.  We knew it would be a buzz.  There were all kinds of characters there.  We were caught hobnobbing with the real Irishmen.

  We stayed there a few days before moving out to Sam's Town RV park on the Boulder Hwy.  That was a nice rv park and it was across the road from a Wal-Mart store.   It was also the easiest way out of Las Vegas for us heading north to Ely, Nevada. 

We stayed here until Sunday morning, March 21st when we decided it was time for us to really head home.  The traffic was very light and the day sunny and just the right temperature for driving.  All of a sudden, Mikey pulls over to the side of the road.  I asked him why he was pulling over.  I soon found out... 

Yep, that's me behind the wheel, white knuckling it for about half an hour while I tried to keep the rig on the road.  I succeeded but was most anxious for Mikey to take over, especially when the first curve came into view. The road had no curbs to speak of; sort of like the roads in Mexico.  Oh my goodness, the roads in Mexico are no different than these roads after all!

     Near Ely we  came across the first snow near the highway and it was also very cold.  In the morning we looked out our windows to see what was previously a large mud puddle was a skating pond.  I jest, but it was frozen.

     From Ely we drove to Jackpot, Nevada on Monday, March 22nd. We did finally meet snow coming down in a squall just outside of Wells, NV.  I was all for staying there for the night but Mikey insisted on keeping going to Jackpot. 

We stayed at Cactus Pete's on the highway. There is a nice RV park there, but now it was very windy and cold.  There are two areas to park.  We started out in this area near the front of the hotel, but we found the showers were behind the hotel in the other lot.  The showers were clean and the room was nice and warm.  The robins are eating the berries off the tree beside our rig.

Today was a special day for two reasons.  It was Mikey's sister's 60th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his mom's passing.  Where does the time go?  Happy birthday Patty and Mom, we miss you.

     Last night we stopped on the Snake River near Huntington, Oregon.  The rv park was called "Oasis RV".  It was located off the freeway so we had a good night's sleep.  Hubby met some people from Princeton and Grand Forks who were on their way home from wintering further south.  Dog walking is very helpful in starting conversations with strangers with dogs.

    I'm finally caught up on my trip.  Tonight, Wednesday, March 24th, we are in Pasco, Washington staying at the KOA;  also known as the Sandy Point RV in the Big RV Book.  It was cool this morning but it turned out to be nice and warm.  Tomorrow we will be in Oroville, Washington.  We will stay overnight and cross the border at Osoyoos, BC on Friday.  We should be home in time for POETS, acronym for P...s on everything, tomorrow's Saturday.

ttfn,

Holoidays on holiday

Two whirlwind visits

Hi everyone,
     We're almost in Vegas.  Tomorrow we'll be driving a short while to Vegas.  It's only a hundred or so miles from where we are tonight-Kingman, AZ. 
      We had a great time in Florence, AZ.  I think I mentioned where we stayed. 

The Caliente Casa de Sol is a nice park but it is owner run and to stay there rvers need to know someone or find a place to rent from the many places for rent by owner.  We managed to find a nice spot for only $125 for the week we stayed. 
     For those who are asking, Florence is about 20 miles east of Casa Grande.  We'd never heard of it either but our niece and nephew built a second home there so we had to see it.  It is located in Merrill Ranch, a large housing tract in the desert between Coolidge and Florence.
Now, Florence is not the most beautiful place in the desert and they realized that having found out after they bought that Florence is home to state and federal penitenteries (there is no spell check on this blog site).  The good thing is that Merrill Ranch is a gated community (kind of).  The home is small and comfortable.  Myrna and Amanda took us to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner (located in Chandler).  No I did not have any cheescake.  I wish I had had my camera with me.  The chicken caesar salad I ordered could have fed the four of us.  Expect to take home a doggie bag if you ever eat at this place.
      She lent us her car and we went to Mesa.  A store clerk told me about the Mesa swap meet and I had to go.  His directions were very accurate, only "it's just over there" ended up having us drive about 15 miles east of where we were (Queen Creek).  We found the swap meet-it's a shopper's heaven-but we only spent an hour or so there.  Myrna needed her car back to pick up her friends who were flying in for Spring Break.
     We knew that hubby was coming in and hoped to see him too and see him we did. 
Tuesday about noon we get company.  Mike is out on the street with the camera and just happened to spot these four intrepid bikers.  They rode across the desert taking about two hours to get to our rv site.  It was sunny when they arrived but only a half hour later a rain storm hit.
It's amazing who a person can run into anywhere in the world now-a-days.  Our bikers met someone they knew before they got out of the park and were sheltered and driven home by folks from Kamloops.

     Wednesday, five of the folks went to the Canuck/Phoenix hockey game.  I stayed home with the dog because the car only held five.  Too bad the Canucks lost in a shoot out.  Thursday,  Mike and Myrna had a bbq that also had food for an army, but was it good, yumm!

     Thanks again folks for looking after us.  We love you!!!

Friday we were off again, this time to Apache Junction.  We found a great little park.  I highly recommend it.  We will probably make it a stopover in the fall on our way down to Mexico.  Friends of ours from Vernon just happened to be staying there for the winter and we were able to park our rig right beside theirs.

Ernie's rig is on the left in the picture below.  It wasn't cheap there but it was very neat and clean and the park is built in a circle, with the clubhouse, pool and common area in the middle.  Think of a wagon train in a circle and you will have an idea what it looks like.  Great little place, not large at all, nice wide lots.  Worth the $35.00 a day.  We kept our friends very busy, running here and there.

  We went to Glendale  on Friday to a RV show.  Gave us some good ideas if we ever decide to upgrade our rig.  We went back to Mesa on Friday to the swap meet and Saturday took a nice drive out to Tortilla Flat.  We had the dogs with us so we took them back to the park before going back to the Mammoth Goldmine tourist site for the afternoon.

We stopped for a drink in Tortilla Flats.  We moseyed up to the bar.  The only seat left was a saddle.  I got on okay but getting off was a different matter, lol. 

At the Mammoth site, the boys were hungry for red meat.  Why didn't I take a picture of the 14 oz. New York strips Mike and Ernie ordered?  Too gross! And they ate every bite.  It was a great afternoon.  Thanks folks!

We're 'back in the USA'

Howdy friends and family,
     Today we're resting in Caliente Casa de Sol, an adult retirement travel trailer and rv resort in Florence, AZ. 
     Just to catch up a little on our trip so far, we left San Carlos on Monday, March 1st and drove up to Santa Ana in Sonora state in Mexico.  We didn't have that long a drive and arrived around 12 noon so we settled into a very small, privately run campground.  Edgar and his American wife, Anna, greeted us very kindly and showed us where to park our rig.  By the evening there were two other families in with us.  One rig was from Colorado.  The other, a b class, was from BC.  We had a good night's sleep despite being right on the highway and were up and on the road by 7:30 am.  We got to Km 21 and were out of there very quickly.  The vehicle permit sticker was removed with efficiency and we were on our way again.  One question we had was:  what do we do with our temporary visitor permits?  No one seemed to know there so we just kept on going.  We were at the Nogales border crossing by 10 am (yes the truck crossing, lol) but the line up was long and we were in line for an hour before we reached the booth.  We were asked to pull over and we did without any hesitation.  We were boarded and searched by two very nice women officers and one fellow who came on board to say hello to Weaver.  We sat and chatted for a while; the one lady offered Weaver doggie treats which he accepted very politely.  She was a dog handler and I think Weaver knew she was carrying something in her pockets.  He sat beside her all the time she was sitting down.  The only thing they wanted to check was the dog food.  We had cleaned out all the fruits (courtesy of the fruit police earlier in our trip) and had cooked our chicken up in Santa Ana. 
     We headed out to Tucson where we stopped at San Xavier Insurance Company where we had purchased our Mexican vehicle insurance.  Suzan and her staff were very accommodating to us and she gave us her business cards and some Mexican maps.  Anyone want them, just get in touch with us.  We'll go there next year to get our insurance.
     We started using the Magellan we bought at the beginning of our trip.  Actually this one was the replacement we received when our original purchase broke down and Dave and Kelsi brought it to us from home.  We got a little lost because the Magellan lady (I'll call her Ruby) didn't know that one of the roads was closed because of flooding.  We were able to get back on the freeway very easily and onto the highway we wanted to get to Myrna's home in Merill Ranch.
     Myrna and Amanda (Mike's niece and gr. niece) were out shopping but showed up a few minutes after we got there.  We stayed to visit for a while and then Mave and Myrna went on a rv park hunt.  We found the Caliente and went back to the house where Mike was anxious to get going and parked before dark.
     We parked overnight in the Clubhouse parking lot and in the morning Mike went to see the office lady, Diane, about renting a spot.  Seems it turns out that all these lots are owned and if we want to stay here we have to usually know someone here who has a lot or unit for rent.  She gave us a list of owners wanting to rent/sell their lots/units and we found one.  The owner was willing to rent to us for $120. a week.  It's a nice lot.  Our rig fit on it ok.  The lot sizes only hold rigs up to 36 feet so we were within the size limit.  It's nice and warm out right now so we're cooling it inside and relaxing until we can get a hold of Myrna.
     More news later,
Mave n Mike n Weaver the Wonder dog aka Brutus

February still isn't it?

     Yes it is.  This is the last day of February and it is my good friend's birthday today.  She knows who she is.  Happy Birthday from Mave and Mike and Weaver.

     We are on the road again.  We left Lo de Marcos on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 8 am.  We travelled all day driving through to the Celestino RV park in Celestino Gasca.  Celestino is about 70 miles north of Mazatlan and on the Pacific Ocean.  The park was quite filled with greenery between each rv site.  Our site had a tree of hibiscus flowers and bougeanvilla.  The hibiscus flowers themselves were the size of my hand.  Here is an example:

There are four parks there and we ran into Dave and Sara who were staying in the Savage RV Park for a week.  They were on their way to Las Vegas. 
   Early Friday morning we were again on the move.  This time we drove through hundreds of kms of farmland to the Mexican town of Los Mochis.  The trailer park there is very dilapitated but the electricity worked and the toilets worked so I didn't complain.




 The RV park wasn't very busy as you can see by this picture.  I must admit there was a vehicle and trailer to right of this picture and later two more rigs pulled into the park.  Oh yes, it is on the road to town so it was quite noisy in the daytime but I never heard a thing after I went to sleep.  From Los Mochis one can take a train into the Copper Canyon.  Our neighbouring campers had done so and knocked on our door that evening to introduce themselves.  Grant and Sharon from Port Alberni had just got back and told us a little bit about their trip.  She showed me the beautiful baskets she bought that were made by the Mexican natives up there.  I think next year we will put that trip on our itinerary.

     Have I mentioned that Weaver the wonder dog is happy as a clam on our return trip so far?  Yes, he's quite content to sit beside his dad.  He parks his front paws on the arm rest and his hind feet are on the couch.  When he's ready to make his move he hops up on the arm rest and sits there as pleased as all get out.  He would stay there for miles and miles, then get a little restless and come and visit me for a hug, then back he'd go to his 'seat'. 

      Again, on Saturday morning we were on our way north.  Saturday's goal was to reach San Carlos and reach it we did without any problem.  First people we saw were Dick and Ann from Nelson, BC.  They had stayed at Savage in Lo de Marcos and were taking a break here before heading back home.  We took a long walk to the Oxxo so hubby could get some more pesos.  We found a restaurant right beside the Totonaka RV park and went out for supper because Mike was too tired to cook.  I had crab in butter and Mike had a marvellous concoction of fish stuffed with seafood.  I think it was the best seafood dish I've had in Mexico, and I've had quite a bit of seafood.  We had planned to stay only one night but Mike wanted to rest one more day so we stayed here today and I did laundry and Mike and I watched the Big Game on TV and it was in English.  Way to go Canada!!!!!  Tomorrow we will drive to Santa Ana which is not too far from Nogales, but will give us a chance to rest before driving over the border and on to Tucson. 

     Later dudes and dudettes,
Mave, Mike and Weaver

February 20 and all is good

Hola amigos,
     The sun is out today, hopefully for all day.  We are back from Yelapa where we visited with retired colleagues Ray and Donna.  After spending four nights there we headed back to Puerto Vallarta by way of boat to Boca.  We got off there and walked up the village to the highway where we caught the local bus to the old town.  We walked around a bit but carrying two backpacks got rather tiring so we found a bus stop and headed out to the Fluvial area to visit with Mike's cousin Mike and his wife Debbie.  We got off the bus at Costco and walked from there to their home.  We stayed there two nights and on Thursday Mike drove us to the bus depot where we boarded yet another bus (Pacifico) for Lo de Marcos.  It was raining very heavily by the time we got to Lo de Marcos and we quickly headed to the Oxxo (like a 7-11 store) where I needed the bathroom and we tried to wait out the rain.  That was unsuccessful so we dashed across the street where there was a building that had a large overhang.  Mike was not having success flagging a taxi and we were just about to give up and start walking when our good neighbours, Vic and Bev came around the corner and stopped when they saw us.  Thank you good folks!
     The kids were successful in finding their home on wheels.  We have only had two blogs from them since they left here.  Hope they have made it back home by now so they can license the Gypsy.
      Some of you readers will know Ray and Donna from the School District.  We had a great time with them and their home is really like a big cottage with the big screened porch that they use for eating and sleeping.  Yelapa is hard to describe so I suggest you google Yelapa info.  I'm attaching some photos for you all to see if you've never been there.
     Tony and Kathy were supposed to come but unfortunately Kathy's Dad passed away the evening before Tony was to fly in.  Mike and I send our condolences on your loss.
     Water taxis run often along the Banderas Bay coast so if you want to visit Yelapa go to Los Muertos Pier at the south end of the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta (P.V.) and catch one there.

The boat is almost full of day trippers.  One good tip for going by boat-try to sit in the bow of the boat where the helmsman is steering.  The ride won't be so bumpy!

This is a postcard view of the beach at Yelapa.

This is a beautiful view of the bay from the front of the house.  The hammock is very comfortable.

There is no beach here, just big rocks that are used as drums for the water to beat on.  The pathway is crude but it's beautiful when you get to the water.

Casa Piedra, home to Ray and Donna for six months of the year.  Now to get to the house, follow the pictures from the house to town; oh, and watch out for the donkey droppings.

The path to town is used regularly by donkeys carrying supplies further up the hill to a very fancy spa, called Verana.  They also have a dock that is used by their guests so they don't have to walk up and down the hill.

"Come on Mike, keep up", says our host.

We're off the hill, but the dangerous part is starting.  Don't forget that the tides have been very high this winter all along the coast and Yelapa's coastal waters are no different.  This time I didn't get wet, but the first evening out I got drenched by a rogue wave.  I wasn't taking any more chances.  I was on alert.  Just checking that my glasses were on snugly.

We made it to Casa Isabelle without mishap on this trip.  We still have a ways to go to get to the town centre but at least the path is higher now and the only thing we have to avoid is the donkey droppings.  The walk is now easier and we'll find a restaurant to have dinner.  The restaurants are plenty and the food is good.  I never did see a donkey carrying anything up or down the route to Ray's place. 

Many hours were spent just sitting and watching the water traffic float or paddle by; the fishers cleaning their catch and the sea birds coming in for the spoils; on Sunday morning Donna first caught sight of a whale so the binoculars were brought out and the whales' progress was excitedly tracked.  Meanwhile, Lola the cat found the butterflies a very interesting subject.  Moses, the other cat in residence, preferred to sleep on the bed in the sun porch. 

It seems that I cannot download any more photos on this blog, so I'll sign off and continue tomorrow. 

Hasta manana muy amigos.

Still in Lo de Marcos

Good evening friends and family,
We are still in Lo de Marcos and I thought that I better let you know that we are healthy and fit and enjoying life here at the Savage RV Park.  We've made some friends here and that has been very rewarding for us.  Vic and Bev from next door became 1st time grandparents of a baby girl at the end of January.  Jan and Dale have their daughter and son in law visiting them from Ontario.  Carol and Walter from Vernon took us to LaPenita today to the market.  Thanks for the ride.  Last week we were in Puerto Vallarta visiting hubby's cousin.  We had a great time there.  We stayed longer than we thought.  Thanks kids for looking after Weaver for us.  I hope your experience didn't deter you from the idea of rving and that you've had a chance to find your dream home.
The weather continues to be mixed up.  Last week most of Mexico had rainy weather-almost unheard of for this time of year.  Our trip to Puerto Vallarta consisted of rain for about three days. Today we had a little shower but the weather cleared up for a while and now it is cloudy again. 
Tomorrow we are taking the plunge and going to Yelapa to visit retired colleagues of ours who live in Yelapa.  They went back to Salmon Arm in December but the weather was so miserable they decided to come back here early-in February instead of March. So... here we go.  Weaver is going to doggy day care courtesy of Beach dogs in Mexico, a kennel and dog grooming business here a few blocks from us.  I think he knows something is up because he's been awfully quiet today.  The sight of a suitcase being packed could also have given him the "heads up".  Vic and Bev (from Thornhill,ON) will keep an eye on the rig for us.  Thank you neighbours!!
I must get to bed.  We have to have the dog to the kennel around 8 am and that is going to come earlier than I'd like.
Till next time,
Mave n Mike

More of Lo de Marcos

      It's been a week since I last did a post and I have no excuses this time.  Let me see now, could it be because I'm having too much fun being a lady of leisure and that I can do absolutely anything I want to do or don't want to do?  Yes, that might be it.  No that isn't it. My mind is in a fog.  The days are flying by and already it is January 29, 2010.  Today is Dena and Tusi's birthday.  Happy Birthday you two.  We go back a long way, to good old Deloraine, Manitoba.  But, I am digressing.

     This week and most weeks our schedule is as follows;  get up, have breakfast, do dishes, read the news and our emails.  By the time we are finished doing that, it's about 11o'clock.  We have a look outside, see that the sun is shining and it is very warm out and decide it's time to go to the library. It's usually still cool in the library as there is a nice breeze blowing.  Here are Vic, Bev and Mike getting settled in. Alfonso has made a bookcase to house the books that are in the library.
I should also mention that the library is also the Happy hour meeting place.  The chairs are set this way so that the gecko droppings will not land on the seats. :} 
Alfonso is the very nice, capable, Mexican fellow who manages the park.  He speaks English, but his wife, Erica, who is the housekeeper, does not.  There are some bungalows here for rent plus 12 rv spaces.  Right now there are 10 rvs here but no one booked into the bungalows.  We are a family here .  It is a good feeling.
The bakery here in town travels around to the rv parks selling fresh baked goods.  Sorry, Doc.  I know you told me to stay away from sweets, but everything is so good and until I got settled in Mexico I was being really good.  But the bakery isn't the only merchant who is mobile.  The produce truck also comes at least twice a week.  Saul also has a restaurant in town.  This is Saul's son.  Notice the weigh scale on the hood?  There is Walter trying to decide what to get.

 This past week marked a period of very high tides.  After one very noisy night of wave pounding on the beach we discovered that the beach lost a lot of sand.  Much of the lost sand has returned thank goodness.  It felt weird to be walking on rocks.  The wave activity has also left behind on the beach a multitude of stones of all sizes. This is annoying to the boarders who are scraping feet, toes and other body parts on the rocks as they attempt to come ashore.

This is the serious surfers' area at the south end of the beach.  Oh yes, I have to add that I went out with Mike holding my hand and I experienced for the first time what it is like to dive under these waves.  It is an experience only you dear readers can have by being here.  

     Tomorrow David and Kelsi take over rv living while Mike and I take a break in Puerto Vallarta.  They will look after the dog for us.

      Till next time,

Mave n Mike