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Love our Tucson sunsets |
Life is good in the desert. As soon as Elin flew out of her
last weekend (and I got to see her plane bank right over Voyager on its way to
Denver) we began preparations for a short trip to Nevada to visit our friends
Ed and Betty there.
Saturday was spent washing clothes and packing for a
three-day trip to Las Vegas where we met Ed and Betty. Ed and Betty spend a
month or more in Las Vegas during the winter and we try to make a quick trip
each year to visit them. Ed and I are not gamblers so we always make a
pilgrimage to Fry’s Electronic Store which has every conceivable electronic
part you could imagine. Want to build your own computer? It’s all there?
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At dinner with Ed and Betty |
Want to set up an elaborate security system in your
home? Fry’s is your place. Need a drone
to fly over your neighbor’s pool? Fry’s got it! Fry’s also has a large section
called “As Seen on TV” where they sell all that junk you see advertised on
television. Last year we each bought a special bag for microwaving baked
potatoes.
It takes us about 90-minutes to cover the store and look at
all the new stuff and we usually escape with only minor monetary damage. This
time I found a 32 gigabyte thumb drive storage device for less than $9 so I
picked that up for use in doing my Navy newsletter.
Ed bought a surprise gift for Betty in the “As Seen on TV”
aisle, but it was too big and dangerous for him to fly home with so it is
tucked into a storage place in my Tahoe for a future Michigan delivery.
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Petrogylphs from ancient grafitti artists |
We had dinner with Ed and Betty Sunday, Monday and Tuesday
at various places, the most noteworthy the buffet at The Palazzo where we did a
lot of damage to the prime rib and lamb windows. Trust me we got our money’s
worth that night.
While the ladies were playing on Tuesday, Ed and I drove
about an hour north of Las Vegas to the Valley of Fire, which is one of the
most unusual geological places I have been. It is so unusual that apparently a
number of science fiction movies have been filmed there due to its unusual rock
formations.
Ed and I spent several hours driving through the state park
enjoying the ancient petroglyphs and not-so-ancient graffiti that some idiots
just can’t help themselves from doing. While there we ran into two very nice
families. The first was a family of four from South Korea who have been
traveling the country for three weeks. They asked us to take a photo of them
and I immediately turned that job over to Ed who made a living taking photos
and directing the photo department at the Oakland Press.
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Ed taking a photo of our Korean friends |
We actually ran into them at a couple stops and after taking
their photos at each one, they offered us an orange, which I remember from my
Asian visits is a very grateful gesture. The husband and father was pretty
taken with my big Tahoe and his broken English let me know that such a big car would
never work in South Korea. We made sure to make them feel welcome and
encouraged them to enjoy the rest of their visit to our country.
The next family we met had a very strong Eastern European
accent, but when they asked where we were from they were gleeful that we came
from Michigan. They are recent immigrants from Romania and now live in West
Bloomfield, Michigan, which is in the coverage are of the Oakland Press where
Ed and I worked.
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Our picnic lunch spot (my Tahoe) |
At one point I annoyed Ed by going on and on to a couple of
women who asked us to take their picture and I gushed about the fact they were
getting their photo taken by a world renowned photographer who won many awards
during his long career as a professional newspaper
photographer.
Ed and Betty are more than just long time friends, Ed was my
mentor and confessor at the Oakland Press. My first real professional daily
newspaper job was there and Ed took me under his wing, even though I was just a
reporter, and taught me what it takes to bring a story photographically to life.
He and I shared a number of major and national news events, not the least of
which was the “Fatal Attraction” case of Judith Watson.
I got a tip about the fact a woman was stalking a local
attorney and showing up to his home and trying to arrange a liaison with him.
When we showed up to take photos at her house she met us at the door wearing
just a skimpy negligee and when she invited us to come in Ed waved her off and
told her she would have to come outside for the photos.
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The Telephone Line Trail in Sabino Canyon |
Ed was protecting me and him from some future grief. So she
posed in her negligee in the front of her condo and in front of some very
annoyed neighbors. Later Ed and I made a few bucks selling the story and photos
to the Weekly World News. That is just one of many great story memories I have
with Ed.
After reading this post, continue to scroll down and view
some of the great photos Ed took of me while we were visiting the Valley of
Fire.
We were up and at ‘em early Wednesday for the trip back to
Voyager RV resort.
One thing we notice about Arizona that is different from
Michigan is the gas prices can vary by dozens of cents in just a short
distance. Between Las Vegas and Kingman, Arizona gas prices soared to $2.99 a
gallon, probably owing to the fact there were no other stations within 50
miles. Fortunately, I had filled up in Las Vegas so I could wait for a much
better deal.
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Looking down from my rocky perch |
By the time we got to Phoenix the prices were down to $2.09
and by the time I filled up in Tucson they were at $1.29 a gallon, which the
news reported are the lowest prices in the state of Arizona.
We arrived home and Joan whipped up some leftovers in the
fridge and then we headed to the concert “A Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On,”
which was a tribute show to Jerry Lee Lewis and other rock stars of the 50s and
60s. The keyboard player was the same man we saw in our first show and he did
an amazing job of dancing his fingers over the keys. We agreed it was one of
the best shows we have seen here and as readers of this blog will attest that
is saying a lot.
Thursday morning brought my next Men’s Bible study and then
we headed to Walmart to fill the refrigerator with food again. Then Thursday
night I went to the mixed Bible Study called “Experiencing God” and in a weak
moment agreed to lead that class in two weeks when the pastor is away for a
family wedding.
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Poppies on the the trail |
Due to Elin’s visit and then our trip to see Ed and Betty I
have missed two hikes, so on Friday I set out on my own to Sabino Canyon to
hike one of my favorite trails, “The Telephone Line” trail. This is a 10-mile loop
hike that provides stunning views of Sabino Canyon. By leaving from the visitor
center parking lot there is a long climb up to the trail, but then about a
3.5-mile almost level (but very narrow) trail that runs high above the canyon.
I purposely did not buy a shuttle tickets so that I would
force myself to walk out on the canyon shuttle road which is about a 4-mile
walk. On our previous trips this year to the canyon the water has been over the
road in several places due to the high snowfall in the Catalina Mountains and I
tested my waterproof hiking books by wading through several of those crossings
on the way down.
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Looking back towards Tucson |
They worked just fine and my socks were bone dry when I
arrived back to my car. I did manage to develop a blister on my right heel,
probably because I didn’t put on my sock liners in the morning. I also drank
three bottles of water and consumed a 20-ounce Gatorade when I arrived back to
the car.
Back home, I showered and cleaned up for a big night in the
resort. But first Joan spent some time trying to find her e-mail account which
mysteriously disappeared when she tried to sync her e-mail account to her
phone. I proud to say that she restored her account on her own with no help
from me.
Every year in the park they sponsor a “Doo Dah Parade” which
is basically a silly excuse for old people to act like kids again. People
decorate their golf carts and dress in costume and vie for some very tacky
trophies.
Rick, the resort manager, leads the parade on his
motorcycle, and this year the attendance was down a little, but the entries
were pretty good. One group decorated a series of golf carts into “train” cars,
including an engine, a diner car, a coal car, a box car and a caboose.
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Park Manager Rick leads the doo dah parade |
Another group of residents dressed up as clowns and had
their dogs on leashes in a performance of “The Hounds of Voyagerville.” They
also sang, “Who Let the Clowns Out,” which was a not so subtle play on “Who Let
the Dogs Out.”
The winning entry was a group of seniors who had a lawn
chair drill team that was very clever and included a very funny poem, which I
can’t remember anything about now.
Following the parade we all headed to the ballroom for the
“Voyager Night at the Races” which is the senior citizen version of the Boy
Scouts “Pinewood Derby.” People manufacture great small cars and race them for
prizes. While they do that we eat dinner provided by various organizations in
the resort who cook to raise money for their activities.
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The Hounds of Voyagerville lead cart |
Joan and I had the $5 rib dinner hosted by the Pickleball
group, a $2 root beer float provided by a sewing group and a piece of
cheesecake provided by I don’t know who.
It was all good and Joan especially liked it because she
didn’t have to cook.
Saturday morning dawned with us attending the 8 a.m. coffee
and doughnuts presentation in the ballroom. We were there to promote the
“Michigan Party” which Joan and her friend Marcia are organizing.
The Michigan Party is Feb. 29 so time is short. After the
coffee and doughnuts we met with the activity folks to find out where all the
tables, chairs and kitchen supplies are located. The activity office has been
very helpful to us.
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Some of the race cars |
We spent a quiet day around the resort, although Joan took a
“break” to do our laundry. A large group of RVers from Quebec are in the park
and they also apparently needed to do laundry so Joan had to be patient and
wait for machines.
I don’t mean to stereotype folks but in our experience the
folks from Quebec are not particularly friendly. It may be that they don’t
speak English so they simply don’t engage, but even when you give them the
international signal for “hello” like a simple wave, they rarely wave back or
acknowledge you in any way.
We attended the Saturday night Reminiscence Dance and the
French visitor had three large tables. They seemed to have a good time but they
don’t interact with others very much. Again, it may just be that they prefer to
stick with their own because of the language barrier.
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Our Michigan table at coffee and doughnuts |
We had a lot of fun at the dance and Sunday was
another quiet day after church, although I fixed the lock on the trailer’s
basement door and Joan finished up our taxes and I spent some time at the resort hot spot posting this.
Also if you scroll down to the next post you will see some more dramatic photos of The Valley of Fire.