Of course because of the timing of our visits we are here during what is the best weather they have. Well, duh, that’s the whole point, right?
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| Our Arizona "home" for 12 years |
Anyway, our trip started on Saturday, December 23 with the first leg scheduled for a visit with my Dad and sister, Laura in Louisville.
The last time we were there in November my Tahoe blew its transmission so I was really hoping for a better result from this visit.
After packing our stuff and then the car Friday night and finishing Saturday morning we left our home in Lapeer with the temperature at 41 degrees.
In relation to previous trips that is a particularly balmy start to our drive. Before we even got to Lansing a gravel hauling truck and trailer threw a stone and put a large ding in my windshield.
Not a great beginning.
The drive was afflicted with some rain and fog, but nothing serious and the temperature even rose to 51.
We arrived at my sister’s at 2:45 p.m. after an uneventful (other than the windshield ding) drive.
We enjoyed three days of fun with my sister and Dad as well as opening presents and dining on my sister’s gourmet cooking.
We also ate out one night.
On Tuesday, December 26, we said our goodbyes and headed south to the Murfreesboro, Tennessee home of our children and grandchildren.
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| First hike of season |
Over the next two days there was more Christmas present opening, a family bowling outing (not bragging but I won both the games we played) and then a nice dinner out with the family.
We played board games and a fun game called “Sounds Fishy” which is a tame version of the adult game called Cards Against Humanity. (Again not bragging, but I didn’t win any of the games we played with the grandchildren).
Too soon it was time to say goodbye and we started the long trek to Tucson, Arizona. If you have been following our travels for previous seasons (and why wouldn’t you want to?) our usual route is along I-40 to Flagstaff where we pick up our trailer and head south to Tucson.
Last year it was a real challenge due to heavy snow and fog and we made the executive decision to pay a little more for covered storage for the trailer and relocate the trailer to a storage lot about 2 miles from the resort.
In addition to a much, much shorter travel for the trailer to our site it meant we needed a new route to Tucson leaving behind the sometimes iffy weather one can encounter along the Texas panhandle and New Mexico high country.
Our new route took us through Texarkana (we stayed there in the Fairfield Inn by Mariott) and then Dallas along I-20. When I saw this route it opened an opportunity to stop and stay with our son and his lady friend in Mansfield, Texas.
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| Our first Buc-ees |
We had a wonderful, but short stay with them, once again exchanging gifts and a nice meal out.
The leg of the trip between Texarkana and Dallas presented the opportunity to visit our first Buc-ees travel center. Having been to the Iowa 80 Truck Stop this was pretty much the same thing only it was more focused on regular drivers than truckers. It was an amazing place and we escaped with only the cost of a tank of gas and a soft drink. It could have been much worse. It was in Royse City in case you are interested.
It was about then that I made an eye-opening discovery about the drivers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As the holder of a commercial bus license I think I can speak with some authority about the relative skill and abilities of drivers of a number of metropolitan regions in the USA.
For a long time I believe the worst driving one could find was in Florida, followed pretty closely by most metropolitan areas in California.
Well, let me introduce you to the motoring disaster that is the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
We barely escaped there with our lives. Merging is more like a high risk game of 16th century jousting. This high stakes contest of “chicken” was a real eye opener. Congratulations Dallas – Fort Worth you have surpassed the worst of what Florida and California have.
So the rest of journey to Tucson began Friday, December 29 in Mansfield, Texas. There is one unmistakable fact that we learned. Texas is a very wide state. More than 850 miles from Texarkana to El Paso. The terrain is often pretty stark but there were also places of unusual rock formations and beauty.
This is our first time using I-20 so it checked a box we were missing on Interstates that we had not yet traveled on. At one point there was a large ranch that advertised “Wild Hog Hunts – Weddings and Reunions.” Hopefully, not at the same time.
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| El Capitan in Van Horn, Texas |
Leaving the Dallas – Fort Worth area on a Saturday morning was perhaps the best, even if it was accidental, decision I have made. The traffic was light and we made great time as most of the route allows an 80 mph speed limit.
We arrived in Van Horn, Texas (our third stop without getting out of the state) and stayed at the historic El Capitan Hotel.
It was an historic place that rivaled the traditional look of the Benbow Inn that we stayed in while traveling through the Redwoods of Northern California a number of years ago.
Dinner was at the Van Horn Cattle Company and then we retired to our room to watch the Detroit Lions get robbed by the referees in the game against the Cowboys.
Here I am going to mention that I found a new past time for driving long distances. We listed to a 15-episode podcast about the Bakersfield Three. It was a great listen and made the miles fly by. Too hard to explain here – that’s what Google is for.
So on Sunday, December 31 (New Year’s Eve) we started our final leg of the trip to Tucson. Part of the route (I-20 turns into I-10 just before Van Horn, Texas) had us driving through El Paso. This is the first time either of us has been there and we were amazed at the size and scope of that city. It seemingly went on forever (well, not quite forever).
The trip to Tucson was smooth and we collected our trailer from the storage lot, got it mostly set up Sunday afternoon, made a quick trip to the grocery store and met our friends at the New Year’s dance at the Voyager by 8 p.m.
We danced until dawn (well, midnight) and then fell into bed and slept in late.
On Monday, we finished the job of cleaning and organizing the trailer. I got in my first workout in the gym. We have been reconnecting with our many friends here at the resort and made a trip to downtown Tucson for Meet Me at Maynard’s.
Unfortunately we did not get the word that Meet Me at Maynard’s was a virtual event that night because of the New Year’s holiday and so we walked around town and then returned home to have dinner because no restaurants downtown were open.
In the days that followed I went on my first hike and Joan attended Zumba, the Women’s Bible Study and her polymer clay class.
I am coordinating the Men’s Bible Study and leading the Thursday night open Bible Study. As in previous years I am involved with the table and chair volunteer set up team and Joan is giving her time to the resort clinic every Thursday.
We attended our second Meet Me at Maynard’s on a very cold and blustery Jan. 8. Our friend Deb joined us for the night and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Elliott’s downtown Tucson. As soon as we arrived in Tucson the area experienced its coldest weather in a year. You're welcome, Tucson.
On Wednesday, Jan. 10 we attended the first of 12 weekly concerts here at Voyager and this one was a great one. Karen Hester as Dolly (Parton) did not disappoint.
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| Me and "Dolly" |
Well, there was that odd bit of luck I had when out of 640 concert goers I got chosen to stand up and be embarrassed as Karen’s “cowboy.” She sang “Why’d you have to come in here looking like that?” Wish my luck extended to the lottery.
She told everyone I looked like Kenny Rogers. (Wish I had his money).
In the days following (and likely many more days to come) I have been stopped by total strangers who call me Kenny Rogers.
It’s going to be a long time before I live this down. The only photo of this event is me from the back of my head, but you can see Dolly singing to me. If you go on You Tube or google Karen Hester as Dolly you can get a sample of her work.
She won a national contest as a tribute performer and has appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show.
Of course as we do each year we attend the chapel here and enjoyed our first Market Days this week.
Also on Friday night we went to the 80’s theme dance here at the Voyager to the tunes of the Hardscrabble Road band. We love attending the dances with our friends and truly enjoy the chance to dance the night away. Well, if you call staying up until 10 p.m. “dancing the night away.”
Unfortunately, I never remember that my phone is actually a camera so I forgot to take any photos of our time with family in Louisville and Murfreesboro, Tennessee so sorry about that.
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| The sky on fire at sunrise |
Fortunately I had already paid and taken possession but he warned me that the next time I came in to fill I would need them recertified or have new tanks.
At one point the trainee was being very deliberate and careful while filling the tanks and apologized to me for the delay. I told her not to worry that I would prefer that she take her time and get it right as doing that job wrong could be catastrophic to a lot of people, me included.
Anyway, we're in our trailer this Saturday (Jan. 13) watching playoff football and enjoying an uptick in the temperatures (in the 60s today) while back home our house is buried in snow.
See you soon!
Departure from Lapeer: 7:32 a.m.
Mileage: 145334
Temperature 41 degrees (maybe the highest ever getaway temp)
Arrival in Louisville: 2:45 p.m.
Mileage in: 145789
Departure from Louisville: 8 a.m.
Mileage out: 145981
Temperature 54 degrees
Arrival in Murfreesboro: 11 a.m. (CST)
Mileage in at Murfreesboro: 146197
Temperature 51 degrees
Mileage out at Murfreesboro 146197
Time out at Murfreesboro 9 a.m.
Temperature 38 degrees
Arrival in Texarkana, Texas: 5 p.m.
Mileage in Texarkana: 146715
Time out from Texarkana: 9:51 a.m.
Mileage out from Texarkana 146715
Arrival in Mansfield, Texas: 1:40 p.m.
Mileage in to Mansfield: 146941
Time out at Mansfield: 8:40 a.m.
Mileage out: 146941
Temperature 38 degrees
Arrival in Van Horn, Texas: 3:55 p.m. (CST)
Mileage in Van Horn: 147440
Time out from Van Horn: 8:17 a.m. (CST)
Mileage out: 147440
Temperature: 31 degrees
Arrival at Tucson storage: 1:25 p.m. (MST)
Mileage in: 147864
Temperature 62 degrees
Arrival at Voyager: 2:15 p.m.
Mileage in: 147869
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