Hot in Mesa

Well, it's been a little more than a month since our last blog. Since then we left Arkansas and spent 7 days traveling to Mesa Arizona. Our first day out we traveled as far as Oklahoma City; what a HOT day for traveling! 2nd day out, we made it to Amarillo, TX. Made it just in time, as a big storm came blowing through the Panhandle! We thought it was a big dust storm coming at first; well, until we got pelted by the hail!! Next morning we left for Albuquerque, NM. Very pretty area & we decided to 'rest', and stay 2 nights. On to the KOA park in Gallup, NM, on Saturday morning. Sunday morning we finally made it into Arizona (Cottonwood). We pulled into Mesa, AZ, on Monday afternoon. Good to be back. We're staying at the Mesa Regal RV Park, which we stayed at for a week back in March. We'll be here until the 2nd of January, at which time we expect to move to another park in Mesa; probably staying through January and February.  After that, we've haven't made any future plans.

So the total trip was 1385 miles, and as previously said, it took us 7 days of uneventful travel, Thank God! Gunner travels well, other than at potty stops, he easily get distracted by truck and car traffic noises; having a lot of difficulty finding that sweet spot!

Spending time with my parents was really a good experience. It allowed me to spend a good deal of time helping with repairs, doing some of the cooking, and trying to give my mom a break. It also gave me the opportunity to see the slow effects of Alzheimer's on my father. When I have visited before over the last year or two, my mom has asked if I could tell the difference in my dad. I always said he appeared to be about the same. When you spend 6 weeks with him on a daily basis, then you start seeing some of those things that my mom was referring to. Meal times with dad were always interesting. I don't say this to embarrass him, or my mother. Things that he has eaten for years suddenly, he didn't like anymore. One day he put macaroni salad in his clam chowder. My mom looked at him and said, why did you do that? He said just thought I'd try it. So, it was little things like that which provided some insight into the things that my mom had been experiencing that I would have never picked up on. So the time spent with both of them was very special to me; and I'm sure Sally also. Of course, Gunner just loved my mom. If he had his way; he'd be right under her feet all day long.

Since being here, Sally has re-familiarized herself with a couple of the malls, and re-trained the baristas at the local Starbucks'; we've gone to two Diamond Back baseball games, gone to a shooting range, and met several neighbors here in the park.   Gunner has made some new friends over at the dog run as well! We're waiting for some of Sally's relatives to arrive the first week of October. The weather has been hot; with today being 105. Hopefully in October we'll be in the 80's.

Diamondbacks vs. Padres

Today was the day Sally and I should have received our new IPhone 5's. We had pre-ordered last Friday at an AT&T store in a nearby mall. Unfortunately, the two phones didn't come in today... Of course the AT&T store opened at 8:00 AM this morning and sold out of the new stock that they had received. The pre-orders supposedly have priority, but apparently NOT! The AT&T representative had no status other than "Pending".  She said she didn't know what "pending" meant. It seems today, that customer service becomes worse and worse.  AT&T has millions of customers; one more disgruntled customer is not a big deal! We're just a phone number, and two years guaranteed revenue to them. So, unless I want to go and port two phone numbers to Verizon, then my only choice is to just wait until they come in. Of course, Verizon wouldn't be any better; although my brother Mike just loves them! 

Long Hot Summer!

Well, again, it's been awhile since I put my feeble head towards updating the blog! We're still in Arkansas, visiting with my folks. We've had to endure some of the hottest weather since I was in Dugway Utah, testing in the desert in 2005. The central US has had several weeks of 100+ days, with little or no rain; Harmon being one of those areas. The good thing was the humidity usually being below 30%. But there were several days of 106 degrees plus that we experienced. Not to mention all of the critters; grasshoppers, walking sticks! Everywhere! But, Gunner does consider them quite a tasty treat...! Scorpions not-so-much, tho'...!

I've never seen a 6" Walking Stick before today!

While being here, we again had the pleasure of seeing my older brother Mike, with his wife Polly. They came down from Marshalltown, Iowa, for a few days visit.  This coming Friday our daughter Courtney, and granddaughter Melody, will be flying into Arkansas for a visit. This is the first time my parents will have seen Melody since her birth. I'm sure she will charm them as she does her Grandma & Grandpa (although I understand she's very anxious to meet Gunner!).  Much of the time I've helped my folks with cleaning out their garage, transporting items (with Mike's help & truck) to be recycled, fixing little things here and there, working on (many!) little projects with the RV, waiting for the Great Escapes RV dealer to get the parts in to replace my shower stall base. That's suppose to finally happen this coming Wednesday! Then there's dental appts., eye appts., etc., etc. Oh, and Sal did find a coffee house in Harrison! Not quite Starbucks, but she's been there enough that she doesn't even need to order, they already know what she wants!

This last Saturday, Sally and I took a Conceal Carry class in Mountain Home. Interesting to find out the differences & requirements for Arkansas vs Missouri (as we had to 2 gals from Missouri taking the class as well). Hopefully that will provide a little legal protection across the various states as we travel. Sally did a great job with the range firing (lots of practice with the BB guns!), and we both qualified.  Today we went to the Sheriffs office to be fingerprinted and mailed in our applications.

Gunner! Can't forget talking about Gunner! He's about doubled his size, in the two months that we've had him.  He absolutely loves my mother, and just goes nuts when she enters the room.

I adore you Grandma!

About three weeks ago he suddenly started getting more black and brown spots in the previous solid white area of his coat. We thought, if it continued, he was going to look like a Dalmatian! He's visited the Vet. here in Harrison, had his required shots, so he is officially ready-to-travel!

It's Been Awhile!

I didn't realize how the time has flown? You see, when you're retired you go to bed at 7:00 PM, and you get up at about 9:00 AM. So the days seem shorter and the time goes by faster without you realizing it!  I'm sure this isn't my fault; therefore it must be Sally's fault that I didn't post in awhile.  We have been pretty busy since the last post however!

I guess we left off on the last post with traveling to Elkhart Indiana.  Once we go the repairs completed, we traveled 8 hours (toll roads & road work not-withstanding), & headed back to Des Moines for about two weeks. We were awaiting the arrival of our new 'son'. On the 23rd of June, we became proud parents of "Gunner".  Gunner is a 5 Lb. baby boy with brown eyes; white and black hair, and long floppy ears. Another Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, just like Aussie and Reagan. We got him from a breeder in St. Charles, Iowa about 30 miles south of Des Moines. I had been planning this prior to going to Des Moines, but hadn't said a word to Sally, because I knew she was still mourning the loss of Reagan. I knew that once I showed her a picture; she wouldn't be able to resist. I can read Sally like book! I always tell her, I know her like the back of my hand; and I do!

Little Gunner!

Now, I know you're assuming that I named him Gunner? Not true; Sally named him; I wanted to call him "Duke" after John Wayne. Sally said that named sucked; and thought Gunner would be better! I couldn't argue with her on this one! So, Gunner became part of our traveling family. He's a typical puppy; always chewing, sniffing; you have to keep your eye on him every minute.  He seems to be adjusting to traveling life quite well; sleeps in his kennel behind Sally's seat as we tool down the highway.  

While in Des Moines, we stayed at two different campgrounds. We spent a week at Cutty's, where we had stayed while waiting to head for Elkhart, and a week at a new place called Griff's. Very nice campground, north of Des Moines between Ankeny and Altoona. We got to spend more time with Sally's girlfriend, Gerri Mason and her family (always good to visit with Gerri!). Oh, and Sally found an Aveda Salon in Ankeny, so she was very, very happy :)

Then we traveled back to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where Sally grew up. The temperature reached above the Century mark by the time we got there! Once we set-up,  Sally wouldn't leave the RV (& air-conditioning!), the rest of the day! We stayed at a RV park close to Lake Manawa, called 'Tomes'. Not the prettiest park, but it's general location was good for us. Sally's cousin, Janet, came by on Friday morning. After oohing! & aching! (& gasping!) at some old pictures, we picked-up some cheeseburgers  and headed to the nursing home to have lunch with Aunt Doris. Saturday Jeff so kindly took his sister to the Old Market in Omaha. What a nice brother! Sunday was a busy, busy day! Met up with Sally's Brother & Sister-in-law, Glen & Carol, and with Sally's niece, Angie, and her husband & kids, at a restaurant called 'Cheddars' in west Omaha (highly recommended !).  Jeff, as usual, was our tour guide for Omaha! Thanks Uncle Jeff! Angie & Elliott and Trevor & Emma just got back from their fishing trip in Northern Minnesota. And if we didn't have enough to eat for lunch, Sally's cousin Alice, had arranged a 'Meet 'n Greet' on the farm, near Treynor, Iowa, at 3:30pm that afternoon. LOTS of good good food, conversation, & reminiscing ! Alice & Kevin, Rita & Ron, Aunt Elaine, Glen, Carol & Jeff, Jim & Janet, Aunt Deloris, Gary & Sandy, Don & Patsy, Bruce & Ruby. Thanks so much to Alice (& Jeff) for all their hard work, cleaning, setting-up, baking, (did I mention lots of good food?!). We did miss seeing the (Arizona) Glen & Carol, though I'm sure they were enjoying their time in Apache Junction! Hope to see you guys this fall! Sally's nephew, Craig, and his wife, Mary, invited us over to their new home for a BBQ on Monday evening. The (4) girls are sure growing up! (& busy). Grandma & Grandpa Fahrenkrug & Uncle Jeff were also there. Tues evening was 'Taco Tuesday' at the Pizza King with Jeff, Rita & Ron and their good friends. The 4th of July was also HOT!!! But Shari & Jason so graciously invited us to join their family out-on-the-acreage'! Even Gunner made a new friend; Thanks Sammy for being so gentle with the little guy! Aunt Doris was able to come out & join the fun as well! Thursday night was a quiet supper with Glen & Carol, Sal's older brother, before taking off on Friday morning for Central Iowa.

Gunner & Sammy

It was a (another!) HOT travel day back to Central Iowa! Instead of looking for a 'first-come, first serve' RV spot in Marshalltown, IA, we found a KOA camp just off I-80, near Newton, IA (and the Iowa Speedway). No, there were no races going on while we were there. Didn't need them, though, as the constant sound of semis & air brakes provided plenty of noise! We wanted to be in/ or near, Marshalltown, as we were waiting for my older brother Michael to arrive. Marshalltown, Iowa, is just north of Newton. My bother Mike is the dearest, most supportive brother a guy could have.  He, and his lovely wife, Polly live in Pinehurst, North Carolina. They just recently purchased a second (summer) home in Marshalltown.  Polly retired (for the 2nd time - first from 20+ years in the Navy; now from her nursing career), on the 6th of July. They drove from Pinehurst, arriving in Marshalltown on the July 9th.  Sally and I haven't seen Polly since they lived in Michigan, about 5 or 6 years ago. The house they purchased, is a cute craftsman-style cottage, just about 10 blocks west of the the downtown area. 

They have two dogs (Gracie & Abbie - the 'alpha' dog!), and a fenced backyard, so Gunner has loved running free, and playing with the big dogs! 

Gunner & Gracie

We moved from the KOA to the Shady Oaks Campground in Marshalltown on Wednesday to be closer to Mike & Polly's. Nice little campground that dates back to the 1850's. One of the first campgrounds in Iowa, and helped create the building of the Lincoln Highway. 

So far, we've had a great time together;  played golf twice, did some repair projects, and spent time catching up.  Polly & Sally drove over to Iowa City on Friday, (Oh, and stopped at the outlet mall in Williamsburg, IA, on the way); picked-up Kyle, and brought him home for the weekend. Mike's son Kyle is attending the University of Iowa working on his PhD in Pharmacology. Again, we hadn't seen Kyle since Michigan also. We had a get together at our rig yesterday with Jeff, Mike, Polly, Kyle, Gerri, and Gerri's sister Donna. I made Maid-Rite's and of course, the rain started just as everyone got seated to eat!

Next week, we're planning to head down to my folks in Arkansas; spend some time with them, helping them taking care/ maintaining their two acres. We'll probably stay until late August; then head west to Arizona, with a visit to Courtney's for Melli's birthday.

The Rig - Well, since leaving Elkhart, we've had a few more little problems crop up here and there. Sally's brother Jeff has spent a couple of nights with us and found that the air mattress for the sofa bed  has a couple of pinhole leaks. A new replacement has been sent to my folks. Then the motor for the exhaust fan in the bathroom has gone out; a replacement is being sent to my folks. This weekend, Jeff went to step in the shower, and the shower based cracked. Haven't reported that one yet. And of course, our warranty expired Friday night theoretically; or maybe I should say legally!

The place where Jeff stepped has no support underneath, because it was notched to allow installation of the base for the drain pipe. We're going to see if the cover it under warranty?


Well, that's all folks! We'll try to keep the posts coming sooner! Thanks for following us!

Dave & Sally

A Slide That Slides!

I know, we've been quite delinquent in keeping up with our posts; we've been a little preoccupied. Since our last post on Friday June 1st, we left West Omaha; stayed in Council Bluffs for the weekend, traveled to Des Moines for 5 days, waiting for our appointment in Elkhart Indiana at the Thor Motor Coach Service Center on June 11th. We've been there, done that; and are now back in Des Moines.  The time has gone by very quickly it seems.

Council Bluffs Weekend
After a noisy night at the KOA campground outside of Omaha, we stayed for two nights at the Hampton Inn in Council Bluffs, next to the Ameristar Casino. Sally was relishing the thought of a bathtub for two nights. We were able to park the RV in the large parking lot at the Hotel/Casino. On Saturday morning Sally went to the Old Market in Omaha for sightseeing and to see what wares Omaha had to offer. While Sally was sightseeing (shopping), I took the opportunity to checkout the comfy Hampton Inn bed, and contemplated world issues; trying to find solutions. I admit, my eyes may have closed for a couple of seconds, but that was all. After Sally returned, we left Saturday afternoon to visit with Sally's Aunt Doris. Poor Aunt Doris is pretty much confined to a wheelchair with a broken ankle for 4 weeks. Doris seems in good spirits, but you could sense a bit of frustration being in that wheel chair. After saying our farewells to Doris, we drove to Treynor, Iowa, where Sally's brother & sister-in-law live. We had supper and plenty of conversation with Glen & Carol, catching up on Sally's side of the family's stories.  Jeff was able to join us later on that evening, after his classes in Des Moines were finally completed. Sunday was a 'leisurely' day, spent with Jeff, looking for a TV, going out for lunch, and, oh yeah, doing laundry...!

Des Moines 
We left Council Bluffs Monday morning the 4th, and drove the 125 miles to Des Moines. We stayed at Cutty's Campground in Grimes; a northwest suburb of Des Moines. One of my favorite things about Iowa is Maid-Rite! I love Maid-Rite burgers and tenderloin Sandwiches! During the week, I worked on little projects, and Sally went sightseeing (searching for 'Iowa' shirts!). We spent a lot of time with Sally's girlfriend Geri, who lives in Des Moines. Sally and Geri went through OR Tech School together; they worked together for a couple of years (through Mason City, Marshalltown, Des Moines) before I met Sally and took her away from Geri.  ...

Heading For Indiana
On Saturday morning we left Des Moines and headed for Utica, Illinois, for the first leg of our journey to Elkhart, Indiana.  Of course, as we're getting the RV ready for travel, we were running the large (problem) slide in, and it "froze" 8" out. I went and found some neighbors to help me push on the outside as Sally ran the button inside. We tried probably 10 times with no luck. The two helpers took off to find more help while Sally and I discussed our options. While discussing, we heard a loud "pop" on the slide. I told Sally to hit the button and don't let go! Luckily, the slide came in all the way; and we were shortly on our way. We spent the night at Hickory Hollow RV Park in Utica (somewhere near LaSalle, Il), remembering what a pain it is to jockey around the bedroom & dining area with the large slide being in.
We took off the next morning about 8:30 AM and headed for Elkhart. Had forgotten that I-80 in Indiana is a toll road. All automated of course; while we have to put in a $20 dollar bill, our change is in the new 'Liberty silver dollars' or whatever the heck they are called (who uses those??). Finally arriving at the Thor Service Center, we were able to overnight park. In the parking lot they had 50 Amp hookups for dry camping for the night. The next morning they came out, and we began our run- through of our list of issues.

Elkhart
Elkhart is a interesting town, but laid out kinda of funny. It seems like it takes a lot of driving, just to get to a Walmart, fast-food,  or even a grocery store. I think partly due to the Elkhart River which surprisingly, runs through Elkhart. Sally found this out when she headed towards the mall in South Bend; rather than take the toll road, she took the back roads (slow-going with all of the lights & train tracks!). Thor put us up Monday night in the Staybridge Suites hotel, while they evaluated the fix for the problem slide. In addition, I had provided some additional warranty issues to address as long as we were there, in light of the warranty expiring the middle of July. Tuesday night they wanted us to dry camp in the parking lot, but we elected to spend another night in the hotel at their corporate rate. On Wednesday morning, we called before checking out to find out the status. They informed us that they would have it done by 3:00 PM. Wednesday night we dry camped in the parking lot, with anticipation of hitting the road about 8:00 AM. It had been a chilly night, and I got up and turned on the fireplace about 5:00 AM so the living room would be warm for Sally when she got up about 6:00 AM.  When I got up about 6:30, I noticed there were no flames in the fireplace. We went ahead and prepared to leave. Just before 8:00 ( & just to be sure!), I contacted the Warranty Manager and told him about the fireplace. He came out, and we determined that there was an intermittent, loose connection somewhere in the fireplace. The manager decided to just order a new one, which he installed, and we were hooked-up and back on the toll road by 10:30AM.

The Rig
It seems that Thor has a design problem with the large slide and the RV structure for that large hole cutout (18 ft). The solution was to stiffen and add beams to the frame to prevent flexing and parallelogramming of the structure. They tested the fix by taking it on their rough terrain course. They had resolved all of the other issues, with the exception of bare wood on the edges of the cabinet door panels. They had misunderstood what I was telling them about the pin nailed door panels, which normally float within the door frame. They told me they didn't have any stain, and couldn't re-stain the inside edges that were lacking stain. I said I had some stain & would take care of it. Other than that, we were pleased with the results of the other fixes, plus they gave us a new king size mattress to replace ours, that had a 1/4' wire sticking about 10" out the end!
We had the opportunity to talk with other RV owners who were there for repairs to their rigs. One couple had driven in from Gettysburg, Pa, to have their slide fixed; another came from just north of Chicago & debated whether it was worth driving around & through the Chicago traffic just to have it fixed! We found out the slide is an issue for the Challenger model, with 3 other owners there for the same reason. Luckily, Arkansas has a Lemon Law! Thor assured me that the fix had resolved the problem with previous owners, and they felt comfortable that we would not have any further issues with it. If we do; I'm not driving back to Indiana! (& Sally said absolutely NOT!).

Indiana Wants Me - I Just Hate To Drive There!

Well, it's been almost a couple of weeks since our last blog. Sally and I spent last week in Tooele Utah, visiting my younger brother Kevin. We attended our nephew, Michael's,  graduation on Thursday the 24th, held at the University of Utah. Michel plans include a summer job! A (hand-me-down) white Silverado pick-up! And art school.

The Graduate with Mom and Dad (No, that's not me!)

Driving Into Provo

It was good spending time with the family and seeing small changes in Tooele, since I spent 6 months there in 2005, testing the prototype gun system at Dugway Proving Ground. This time around we just 'tested' some firearms at the local firing range! We also had the opportunity to spend two days in the Provo area on our way up to Tooele. My ex-sister-in-law Patty, lives in Provo; and again, I hadn't seen her, or her husband Steve, since 2005.  It was good to catch up on each others lives.

Patty & Steve Huntsman

Springville Rv Park

As the title indicates, we're now on our way to Indiana to the Thor Motor Coach factory. We've been having problems with our large 18' dinette/bedroom slide. When we try and run it in, it stalls. Since our warranty expires in July, now's the time to get it, and several other items, fixed at the factory.  So, our original plans to take a slow trip to Iowa through Wyoming, became a faster trip to get the rig to Indiana and minimize use of the slide-out.  We spent one night ('dry-camping' - utilizing our solar panels!) at Little America; one night in Cheyenne; then the long drive across Nebraska (with an overnight stay in North Platte). So tonight we're in West Omaha, and tomorrow over to Council Bluffs. We'll spend the weekend visiting with some of Sally's relatives, then Monday, we'll head west towards Des Moines. We got delayed being scheduled into the factory, so we'll be spending 5 days in Des Moines. On Saturday we'll drive to Utica, Illinois; on Sunday we'll head into Indiana, in order to be in Elkhart Monday morning the 11th.

So that pretty much catches us up with where we're at, and where we're heading.

Keep checking for updates!


Dave & Sally

Beautiful Utah

On Monday morning we left Arizona after spending more than three months at various RV parks around the Bullhead City, Mesa, and Cottonwood areas. We drove 250 miles to Monument Valley, arriving about 3:00 PM at Goulding RV Campground. The Goulding's (Harry & Mike) started a trading post on a 2500 acre plot given to homestead by the Navajo Tribe in 1923.  Harry Goulding had helped broker a deal between the Navajo and Paiute indians, who where getting ready to go to war. Harry was also identified as the person who first approached John Ford in Hollywood about filming westerns in the Monument Valley area.  Shorting after traveling to Hollywood on his last $60, Harry was successful in convincing Ford to film in the area. Within weeks after Harry's trip to Hollywood, Ford began shooting "Stagecoach" with John Wayne. Up at the lodge still stands the original trading post/living quarters of the Gouldings, and the John Wayne cabin that was used during the filming of "Yellow Ribbon".

Captain Brittle's Quarters from "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"

Still Shot from the Movie

Original Goulding Trading Post Built in 1927

1927 Trading Post - Now a Museum

The Goulding campground was situated in a beautiful canyon surrounded by high bluffs with the opening of the canyon looking out to the monument valley.

On Tuesday, we spent a good portion of the day driving around Monument Valley taking pictures, and exploring the area. Monument Valley is really spectacular, and of course, I'm especially interested because of the history of filming westerns in this area and Moab.

We stayed at the Goulding Campground Monday and Tuesday; Wednesday morning we drove 150 miles north to Moab. After arriving in Moab, the weather was overcast with sprinkles, so we spent the afternoon getting settled and exploring downtown Moab.

On Thursday we traveled to Arches National Park. For the most part, we drove through the park, but stopped and did some short hikes to the various arches. We didn't do the 1.2 mile hike up to the Delicate Arch. We drove another 1.1 miles and stopped and took a picture from a distance.

Today, we traveled to Dead Horse State Park, which is north of Canyonland National Park. Dead Horse had some beautiful sights and is just north of Moab. Each different location that we travel to just reminds us of how unique the earth is and how varied each of these areas are and how they have been created over the millions of years of the earths activities.  After visiting Dead Horse, we ventured down the road another 15 to 20 miles to Canyonland National Park. There we took a 'short' walk to the Mesa Arch for yet more pictures!

Tomorrow (Saturday), we will leave Moab and move north to the Provo area for the week-end. Then it's onto Tooele on Monday. We'll stay there visiting my brother Kev through Memorial Day, when we begin heading east to Iowa.

Cottonwood Arizona

I Know; finally I got off of my pre-diabetic butt and did another blog! I actually started this last Sunday; but knowing we were still going to be touring other places, I convinced myself it could wait a couple more days to be published.

On Monday, we arrived at Thousand Trails Park in Cottonwood Arizona. This area offers a good base for day trips around the area, including the Grand Canyon.  On Tuesday, we visited Sedona, which is about 17 miles north of Cottonwood. Sedona is a beautiful area, with spectacular painted rock formations surrounding the town. For those who haven't visited this area, it's almost breathtaking. The town itself is kinda of yuppie, with Spas, and Salons. Not my thing; but I'm sure, Sally would love to visit some of those Spas. Of course plenty of art galleries; again, I'm not the artsy fartsy type!

Sedona

Sedona from up at the airport

Another shot from the airport

On Wednesday, we went to Jerome, which is about 15 miles south of Cottonwood.  Jerome is an old copper mining town, which sits high on the side of a mountain. There again, I wasn't impressed with Jerome. Supposedly it sat deserted for a long time, until it was 'discovered' by the art community.

Entering Jerome

On Thursday we didn't go to the Grand Canyon as it was forecast to be a cloudy day, so we waited until Friday. We  took the scenic (& curvy) mountain route up through Sedona, and Flagstaff. In Sedona, we stopped to verify our chosen route at a Visitors Center.  While talking with the tourism specialist, he convinced us we should take a trip on the VerdeValley Railroad on the next Monday. The trip normally would have cost about $180 for the two of us, but if we were willing to sit through a 90 minute presentation at a nearby retirement resort, it would be free. So, we said what the heck, we can do that.  We took our maps and continued with trip to the canyon. It was a very scenic trip, and was about 145miles until we arrived at the Visitors  Center. Pretty spectacular! The views along the walkways at the edge of the south rim of the canyon were great, although very crowded with people. I think we were the only Americans there that day.  After spending time doing the walk, and taking pictures, we jumped in the car and began heading east along the rim of the canyon.  Again, spectacular views on each of the turnouts, where we stopped and took more pictures. 

On Saturday, Sally and I went next door from the campground to a Vineyard. We had to pay $10 each to taste 5 different wines; only a couple being from this vineyard. I think they gave us three tablespoons of each wine that was provided to sample.  I know, I'm hard to impress!

My last wine tasting was at several vineyards in the Barossa Valley, near Adelaide, in South Australia in 1994. We didn't have to pay anything. I know, I'm just a cheap Charlie!

The Vineyard

On Sunday we attended the 90 minute presentation at a resort complex (called Cornville; no, really!), just north of Cottonwood. It was a time-share resort, which for only $30K you could get 43,000 points per year to stay at 2500 different places or locations for one week. They were unable to set the hook in our mouth; but we still got the voucher for the free train ride the next day.

On Monday we traveled back to the 'Old Town' area of Cottonwood (Clarkdale), to ride the Verde Canyon Railway. It was a four hour trip that took us 20 miles; almost to Prescott, to a small town called Perkinsville (did we say small?!). It wasn't really a town, more like a farm. It was the stop for the train back when it was used for transporting copper from the copper mine in Jerome. It was very scenic, but at times became a little boring. Of course, we ended up with First Class accommodations from sitting through the resort presentation, which made it a little easier to take! (Dave did find time to take a little nap on one of those fine couches!).

On Tuesday, Sally went to Sedona shopping (disappointment in their selection of stores!), and Dave stayed home to sanitize the fresh water tank. It doesn't get any better than sanitizing the fresh water tank! Oh, and when Dave drove back into Cottonwood later on in the afternoon, there was a 'critter' in the middle road, here in the park...yes, one of those pesky rattlesnakes! And he was grumpy! YIKES!

On Wednesday we went to Prescott, which pretty much finished up all of the places to visit around this area. Again, we traveled the 'scenic' (curvy!) route up the mountain, through Jerome. Prescott was okay, but not cracked-up to all of the hype we had read about the town (it always seems to be on those lists of 'Best places to Retire'). Dave sat on a bench in the town square, visiting with some of the locals, getting the 'scoop' on WHY all of the Phoenix TV stations were in town, and WHY the Fire Dept. was there? Seems an old bar on 'Whisky Row' burned down the night before, damaging both businesses on either side.  The FOX 11 local station reporter in a brown suit walked down the street looking at each person, then up the middle of the street around the taped off area in front of the destroyed bar. He found that perfect person to interview on camera; a homeless guy! Typical main stream media!!!  Sally toured the town square shops and came back empty handed. And luckily there was another way out-of-the valley that led to I-17, by-passing the mountains, and a quick ride home.

Three Buildings Burned Out behind SUV

The Reporter and Homeless Guy

The Sharper Two Locals

The Mayor

We have three days left  in Cottonwood (& Sally just trained the local Starbucks on how to make the perfect Iced Americano :(  Then we start heading north to Monument Valley this Monday. From there to  Moab, then someplace between Moab and Tooele, UT. and then Tooele, where my brother lives. Were planning on spending a week in Tooele, then start heading east to Iowa.