Left our reservation to make reservations on two reservations

Joan at Besh Ba Gowah

     Time flies in the desert. Here we are already one month into our winter getaway. Like most of our time down here we have been extremely busy with our normal activities and a few abnormal ones this week.

    We spent three days off our reservation this week and on the reservations of two different Native American tribes. Joan is always welcome and the tribes frequently offer her free hotel stays to encourage her to visit their most cultural and sacred sites also known as casinos.

    We never spend a lot in the casino, but appreciate a nice night in a hotel where we don’t have to walk around the block to get a shower.

Salt River Canyon

   This week we spent a night at Desert Diamond in Tucson, which is a casino of the Tohono O’odham tribe and then Saturday and Sunday we drove to Globe, Arizona where we stayed at Apache Gold Resort and Casino.

   In addition to the time at the casino we spent Sunday playing tourist around the Globe area, which is an ancient and beautiful place. We love playing tourist so we spent Sunday traveling in and around the Apache reservation.

   Besh Ba Gowah, an ancient living site of the Salado people from 800 AD to 1200 AD, has been extensively restored and the museum was full of pottery, arrowheads and other artifacts found during archeological digs at the site.

Our dinner view at Apache Prime Steakhouse

   We spent about an hour touring the ruins, watching a film and visiting the museum. So many times in our travels we find some of the most interesting things off the beaten path. It is amazing to walk around a place knowing that more than 1,000-years-ago a vibrant and intelligent society was going about its business in exactly the same place you are standing.

    It is the same feeling I get standing on top of a mountain looking down and knowing that long before I ever came into the world and for a really long time after I leave it the place I am standing will remain largely unchanged. It is both a feeling that makes one feel small and awe struck at the same time.

Besh Ba Gowah sign

   After the visit to the Besh Ba Gowah ruins we took a drive up through the Salt River Canyon north of Globe, Arizona. The canyon was beautiful and was a small reminder of a much larger and “grander” canyon just a few hours away. One of the main differences between Salt River Canyon and the Grand Canyon is that due to the marvel of road engineering, you can drive to the bottom of the Salt River Canyon.

    We returned to our hotel in San Carlos, Arizona after the drive and had dinner for the second night at the Apache Prime Steakhouse. Part of the incentive for going back was the $10 off coupon the manager gave us the night before if we came back.

Phone Line hike

   The restaurant is attached to a large rodeo arena. With no show going on we had a great view of empty seats and darkened rodeo ring. But the food was good.

   On Monday, January 21, I went on the easy hike which was the last one for the long time hike coordinator Brad. We are going to carry on the hikes informally without a leader for the balance of the season. I felt badly for Brad because he has been forced to come to the realization that he can no longer keep up with a group of “youngsters” and needed to retire from the position he has held for about 10 years.

    Tuesday, January 22, brought me to Sabino Canyon with the more extreme hiking group and we did a nearly 9-mile hike up the Telephone Line trail and then back down the Sabino Canyon tram road. In past years we have purchased tram tickets to ride the tram back to the trail head, but since July the tram has been out of business.

My hiking buddy Frank

   The previous tram purveyor was not operating in a manner that made the National Park Service happy and when their permit expired it was not renewed. A new business operator was not able to get up and running in time to smoothly take over so for more than six months, no tram in the canyon.

    It made it a very long hike.

    Wednesday, January 23, was Market Daze and then the evening concert, which was a tribute show to Johnny Cash. We bought a couple raffle tickets at Market Daze and enjoyed the show very much.

   I also got my haircut at the local truck stop. The woman did a really good job and I'll see her again in February. 

    My men’s Bible study was Thursday morning and one that I led on Proverbs. Specifically on the issue of drinking. It is a topic that is very near and dear to me and we had a good and lively discussion on the topic.

   Then on Thursday night, I taught my Bible study that is centered on the Gospel of Mark and again we had a very good discussion. I really enjoy this group of people.

On top of Wasson Peak

    My friend Frank, a 91-year-old Nevada rancher, and a good friend in the park can no longer hike on the more aggressive hikes on Tuesday. But he continues to want to hike so members of our group take turns going with him on more level hikes.

    So on Friday, I picked up Frank at his manufactured home here in the resort and drove us to the Gabe Zimmerman Trail about 10 miles south of here. Despite his age, Frank moves along at a good clip and can do long distances.

    Unfortunately on Friday he caught the toe of his boot on a rock and went face down on the trail. He opened a nasty cut on his knee, but I always carry a first aid kit and was able to patch him up and get him back to the trailhead with a minimum of pain.

    He and I are already scheduled to hit another trail this coming Friday so Frank is no worse for wear.

    Friday night we had tickets to the dinner show in the ballroom where we had turkey ala king and then watched a performance by Missouri Opry who did a wonderful show on the music of the 1960s. We have heard them during previous visits here and they are very good.

My lunch time view from Wasson Peak

    Saturday, Sunday and part of Monday, as I previously mentioned, was spent in Apache territory.

   When Monday night rolled around we picked up Bob and Joan, some friends of ours in the park and took them with us to Meet Me at Maynard’s.

   Bob and Joan are from Minnesota and both are widowed. They have a really nice love story. When they were both married to their first spouses they lived on a lake and the families were friends. So his kids knew her kids and they knew each other very well.

    After both were widowed they found it natural to start dating and keeping company with each other. Now they travel together and we have known them since they first came to Voyager about three years ago. We met them at one of the resort dances.

Our hiking group on Wasson Peak

     They are both about 10 years older than Joan and I but we have such a good time with them. They didn’t walk far at Meet Me at Maynard’s but we left them at Maynard’s listening to music while we walked and then went out to dinner with them after.

   When I was trying to find out where they lived in the resort a week or so ago, I went to the street where I knew they lived and began asking neighbors if they knew “Bob and Joan.”  One man asked me to describe them and I said, “they are an elderly couple, with white hair.”

   “Yeah,” the man said. “That describes virtually everyone in the park.”

   On Tuesday, it was back to some extreme hiking with the Tuesday group and we headed up to Wasson Peak.  The hike is 7.2-miles and rises 1,800-feet from the trailhead to the top of Wasson Peak, which is the highest point in the Tucson Mountains.

Strange object outside barber shop

    Starting next Tuesday, and through February, it will be me leading the hikes. My first time doing that as a hiking coordinator at the resort.

   Back at the resort, I got cleaned up and we headed to dinner with our friends Mike and Susan. They were not here last season because they were on an around the world Viking cruise. This was our first time this season to hear about the wonderful trip they took.

     We had dinner at El Corral restaurant and had some really, really good prime rib.

     Was that busy enough for one week?

The circle of life, and death, at the resort

   If you are a frequent reader of this blog you know how much we love being at the Voyager RV Resort in Tucson. Over the 8 years we have been coming here we have made so many good friends. Truth be told one of the main reasons we keep returning is the friends and relationships we have made here.

     Each year when we arrive we have many happy reunions with old friends. Sadly, because of the nature of the resort we inevitably have to say good-bye to some of those friends. This year has been particularly difficult as two close friends died over the summer and fall.

RIP Don and Walt

     In the previous year it was the same thing, except one of those we lost was not from dying but from health reasons that kept them returning. Hap and Ann were the best and it was Hap that taught me how to do some simple wood carving.

    This year Walt, the man we always closed the season by having dinner with before we left and Don, died during the off season. Today, Sunday, January 20, we attended back-to-back memorial services for both men. We had a chance to meet their families and listen to more details of their lives than we knew previously.

    One of them, Walt, was 10 years older than me, and Don was a year younger and like me had served in the Navy. Both men were part of the Men’s Bible Study here and if you recall the story, it was Walt that always lent me his long ladder so I could get on the top of my trailer to do the work I needed to do before storing the trailer.

A Roadrunner at Sweetwater

    It was also Walt who used to ask me to come and pick the lemons off his prolific lemon tree. He would give us a couple and donate the rest to a local food bank. The picking always left me with shredded skin as the thorns of the tree tore through my thin flesh like a hot knife through butter.

   As I get older these memorial services seem to come at an ever increasing rate.

   But the week wasn’t all sadness as life goes on in the desert. On Monday, I went on the easy hike and Joan got checked out for volunteering at the Voyager medical clinic.  Monday night we attended Meet Me at Maynard’s and I won a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant in the drawing.

   During the afternoon Joan and I went shopping  - separately. Joan planned this shopping trip like a military maneuver. She had her list for Walmart and gave me mine for Fry’s (Kroger). I picked up some really good meat bargains and she got the rest of the groceries.   I picked up some nice steaks, pork roasts, ground beef and some produce that was on sale. The receipt said I saved $63. More important, Joan said I did good.

    I returned to Walmart where Joan had completed her shopping and we headed home making the most of the limited time we had.

Seven Falls

    On Tuesday, the hiking group went on a 7-mile trek along the Wild Burro Trail near Dove Mountain. It’s a bit of drive there, but the hike is well worth the drive. Tuesday night Joan made her wonderful scalloped potatoes and we brought them to the weekly potluck.

    Wednesday we kind of hung around the resort. Joan did some laundry and then on Wednesday night we went to the concert at the resort. “The Cowboy Way” turned out to be a pretty good show even though Joan’s favorite music does not usually involved country or western tunes. The three musicians were excellent on the guitar and the music was wonderful and “not twangy” which is the kind of country and western music Joan doesn’t like.

    Thursday brought my Men’s Bible study and later the Bible study I teach on Thursday night for a mixed group of people. Joan has been faithfully attending her aquacise class on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday as well as her Friday Woman’s Bible study.

    A small group of new people in the park asked if I would lead them on a hike to Seven Falls on Friday. Two couples and four singles, including me, headed out early Friday for the Falls, which is in Bear Canyon, which is part of the Sabino Canyon National Park.

Cotamundi wanting snacks

Despite the current government shutdown the trails are open and accessible although the recent rains and snow in the mountains have made the seven water crossings along the river very difficult for some folks to do.

     We took our time and only a couple folks got a little wet during the crossings. The payoff was that the Seven Falls were full of water and everyone enjoyed eating lunch in such an idyllic spot. We plan to do some future hikes together as well.  At the Seven Falls area we spotted two cotamundis (weird looking racoon creatures) begging for snacks. I told the group I charge extra for finding wildlife.

    Some folks don’t enjoy hiking with the Tuesday group because of the speed of the group. There is often not time to stop and take pictures at the pace we go so these extra hikes give folks a chance to move a little slower and stop and smell the cactus.

    For once we had a quiet Friday night with no organized activities planned so when I got home from the hike Joan announced we were going to the resort restaurant for fish fry. The fish fry was good, but certainly not up to Buffalo fish fry standards. But Joan didn’t have to cook and I didn’t have to wash dinners so there’s that.

Wild Burro hike

    Joan has been wanting to get back to the Sweetwater Nature area north of Tucson so we made time Saturday for that.  Joan is still hoping to see the bobcat that I saw there last year, but we are going to have to go earlier in the day to see it.

     We did see a Roadrunner, a ruddy duck, a plethora of coots, a hawk, a mallard, a green heron and a small woodpecker, so it wasn't a complete bust.

    We stopped at Walmart on the home to do a little grocery shopping and then went to the Retro Rockets dance Saturday night.

    The Retro Rockets are a very popular group down here and they packed the ballroom with 350 people for dancing.

    Sunday was church and the two memorials already discussed here.  In case you’ve been wondering the weather here is turning for the better and on Sunday it was 76 degrees and sunny.

The Tucson Adventure continues despite cool weather and government shutdown

   A very busy week ended with an afternoon of football watching today (Sunday, January 13) as the New England Patriots dismantled the Chargers and the New Orleans Saints got by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Joan and her MMM wine

    This past week was a pretty typical week for us here in the desert. On Monday I went on the “easy” hike which was a pretty boring trek along the Pantano Wash, but it was 5 miles so got a little exercise out of it. On Monday night (Jan. 7) Joan and I did our first Meet Me at Maynard’s for the season.

   It was our 40^th time and we are just 10 short of getting our 50 pin. We have already earned our t-shirts and our ball caps. We probably won’t make it this year, but next year for sure we’ll get our pin. The next award is a Century t-shirt, but at the rate we are here I may not live long enough to earn that one.

  Joan loves sitting on the Maynard’s patio sipping wine as they do the drawing for restaurant gift certificates at the end of the evening.

Madera Canyon hike

    On Tuesday, I went on the Madera Canyon hike which was a relatively simple hike of 6.5 miles and a total elevation of about 1,000 feet. I did get close to Mt. Wrightson which is where I hiked my brother’s ashes to a number of years ago. While I was sweating my way up the mountain Joan was sweating in the pool in her class.

    Since last year I have been one of the hike coordinators here at the resort which means I either help lead the hikes or bring up the rear and make sure we don't lose anyone. I was the last in line (we call it the "Sweep") for the Madera hike. I will be leading the hikes in February.

     For the first time this season we attended the Tuesday potluck. Joan made up her famous coleslaw and we reconnected with a number of friends there.

Bridal Wreath Falls

    Wednesday brought the first Market Daze, but the man who brings the delicious bags of oranges for $4 did not show so Joan was pretty disappointed. As part of the table and chair set up crew we were busy this week setting up Market Daze, tearing it down and then setting up for the Wednesday night show.

    After my table and chair duties Joan and I went off the reservation so she could get her allergy shot at our local Tucson doctor. While she waited for her shot she sent me on an errand to pick up some groceries at the nearby Trader Joe’s.

   After dinner Wednesday we attended the show which was a John Denver Tribute show done by Jim Curry. He did an incredible job of looking and sounding like John Denver and the show was very well received.

   On Thursday, I attended my second Men’s Bible Study and several more of my friends attended after arriving at the resort this weekend. Some of them are getting older, glad that I’m not.

    That evening I led the first mixed Bible study along with Rev. Ray Burgess who asked me to take the lead on the study of the Gospel of Mark this year. We had a wonderful group of 10 people with several more expected to show up this coming Thursday.

My squirrel buddy at the falls

    Try as I might I couldn’t find anyone available to hike with me on Friday so I went alone to the Garwood-Carillo Trail in the Saguaro National Park. The 6-mile in and out hike ends at Bridal Wreath Falls and I found them in full flow, which is unusual. The current water is a result of the recent rain and mountain snow we have had here in Tucson.

   This is part of the same trail I did last week with my friend Alan, but he couldn’t finish the climb so I went back and completed the hike.

Unfortunately, the government shutdown continues and there is a sign posted at the entrance of the trail warning hikers that they will be hiking at their own risk because all the government personnel are off and not patrolling. The fact is I’ve never seen a ranger on any of those trails, shutdown or not, so it is a pretty well traveled trail and hikers look out for each other. No worries.

   Joan attended her Women’s Bible study Friday morning and then her polymer clay class in the afternoon, but she has finished the projects from Friday so I have no pictures yet for that.

Trail shutdown warning

    We went to a DJ dance in the ballroom Friday night and met some friends there. We were tired and left a little early. Saturday brought some time to do chores around the trailer and I finished a really good book I’ve been reading called “The Great Halifax Explosion,” which is the story of a devastating collision between two ships in the Halifax Harbor during World War I. One of the ships was carrying millions of pounds of war explosives and the resulting explosion leveled much of the City of Halifax and killed about 2,000 people. It was a story I was unaware of but the book was a real page turner.

    Joan did our laundry Saturday and then we went to the “Two’s Company” dance in the ballroom Saturday night. It’s kind of funny that we don’t dance all year at home and then dance nearly every week while we are here during the winter.

  On Sunday (Jan. 13) we went to church and then due to the chilly temperatures hibernated in our trailer and watched the football games I mentioned at the beginning of this post. We’re hoping for better weather this week, but even bad weather here isn’t too bad.

A little snow, a little jewelry and a little hike

Tucson snow, ugh

    When we last met, I told you we were attending the New Year’s Party at the resort. The party was fun, but we were still over tired from the trip and turned in a little early (11:30 p.m.). Because of the advanced age of most people in the park, they had the champagne toast at 10 p.m. so the folks who wanted could go home early.

    The entertainment for the party was Albert Galli, a local resident of the resort who plays a mean clarinet and has a wonderful voice. Lots of music from our era and we sat with a very nice couple from British Columbia who are here in the park for the first time. They spent the evening, when we weren’t dancing, picking our brains about fun things to do around here.

    I was up early on New Year’s Day so I went to the gym for a little work out before returning to the trailer where we watched the Rose Parade and then gorged on football games for the rest of the day.

   The weather here has not been great. Actually it has been poor. At times it was warmer in Michigan than it was here in the desert, but by the end of the week that changed. But for the second time since we have been coming here we had snow on the ground.

A short, but nice hike

   When it snows here it is similar to when we have really bad weather back east as the television weather folks go bananas. The mountains surrounding Tucson are snow covered and it is really quite beautiful. The line for the locals to go up to the mountains is long and, of course, we have no interest in fighting traffic to play in the snow.

    Over the week, Joan has been processing the squash that I grew and that she brought from home. She cooks up the squash and then freezes it for use while we are here. That has become an annual ritual. As I mentioned in the previous post I am back working with the table and chair set up team as well as preparing to lead the Thursday night Bible study staring this week.

    On Friday, Alan, I friend I have met here over the years, and I did a test hike up the Garwood Trail in the National Park. With the shutdown there are no services, but the trails all seem to be open and we did just a short hike (a little over 3 miles and about 600-foot elevation) just to get our feet wet before the more major hikes that start next week.

   The weather has been so cool that Joan and I have been holed up in the trailer so much that on Thursday we decided to go see a movie. “The Mule” with Clint Eastwood ended up being our choice and it was quite good.

   Joan has rejoined her friends in the pool for aquasize and she attended both the Women’s Bible Study and her Polymer Clay jewelry class on Friday. She really enjoys the jewelry making and has really gotten good at it.

Joan's jewelry

    Of course, there have been plenty of minor chores, laundry, minor repairs to the trailer and cleaning that have occupied much of this week.

    One of the sad things about coming back is seeing how many of our friends here didn’t make it back either because they no longer can travel, or worse, have passed away. We are attending the memorial service later this month for my friend Walt Harmer who died suddenly this past fall. Walt, if you recall, is the man who used to loan me his ladder to get on the roof of my trailer and who let me pick lemons off his tree at his home in the resort.

   Each year we would always end the season having dinner with Walt, who lost his wife, the first year we were here. One year we would treat and the next he would treat at different restaurants. A couple other acquaintances have also passed away since we were here last. Guess that’s just part of getting old.

   On the plus side we have reconnected with many of our long time friends here so all the news is not bad.

   Things will really ramp up here next week as the first Market Daze and the first concert, a John Denver tribute, will happen.

   Church tomorrow and we’ll finish off watch Wild Card weekend football as the weather promises to be crappy tomorrow with rain coming into the valley for Saturday and Sunday.

   Lots of new building in the area, including the new Amazon distribution center which is only a mile down the road from the resort. When we left last year the area was a wild empty wilderness area. Now it is a huge building with a completed parking lot that looks like it could open fairly soon. Lots of jobs coming this way with it.

   There have been a number of personnel changes at the resort and the general manager, who we really liked, is no longer here but the new guy seems equally nice.

   We pray that the New Year will be good to all our family and friends. Check in next week and we’ll bring you up to date on our activities.

Smooth sailing and a safe arrival in Tucson

   What a difference a few hours makes.  After Friday night and early Satiurday’s miserable driving conditions we awoke to better conditions on Saturday in Moriarity, New Mexico. A heavy morning fog kept us in Moriarity until about 11 a.m., but the last thing I wanted to do was drive over the mountain into Albuquerque on icy roads in a dense fog.

    It was also very cold and we awoke to 8 degree temperatures outside.

A much nicer day in New Mexico

   To make good use of the delay I drove to a nearby truck stop to fill up the Tahoe. Idling in traffic the night before had drained a good part of the fuel I had and I wanted to start the ride over the mountain with a full tank of gas. The eastbound lanes of I-10 remained closed about 8 a.m. but the west bound lanes were open.

    Joan stayed back at the hotel while I drove to the Pilot Gas Station and when I arrived I found a police officer was directing traffic due to the traffic jam of semi trucks that had camped out in and around the station. Fortunately for me while the semi trucks were lined up 5 and 6 deep at the pumps there were open gas pumps for cars.

   As we headed over the mountain pass towards Albuquerque we had clear sailing, but not so for the folks headed eastbound. On the hill going east out of Albuquerque there was a miles long line of cars and trucks due to an accident on the hill. Needless to say, we were glad to put this part of the trip behind.

   We listened to the Michigan versus Florida bowl game as we headed west towards Flagstaff. Michigan laid an egg, or at least it sounded that way on the radio. After that was over we tuned to the Clemson versus Notre Dame game and this time it was the Irish who laid an egg.

  With this being a short leg of the trip (only 360 miles) we decided to stop at the Twin Arrows Casino for dinner and give Joan a chance to exercise her arm with the one-armed bandits for a couple hours. She deserved a reward for being so patient over the previous 24 hours.

   As a veteran I got $5 free play, which I rapidly donated back to the local Native American tribe. 

Joan was having some success and then after being nice to a lady by watching her machine while she went to the bathroom the woman pointed to one of her favorite machines that her daughter had previously been playing.

   In just a very few minutes Joan spun the wheel and won $359, which we promptly cashed in and then went on our merry and richer way.

    We arrived at our Flagstaff hotel at a reasonable hour and watched the end of the Alabama versus Oklahoma game. This time is was Oklahoma that laid an egg.

    Time out: 11:19 a.m.  (MST)

    Time in:  7:38 p.m.  (MST)

    Mileage out: 3218

    Mileage in: 3597

   I need to say something about the hotel we stayed out Saturday night in Flagstaff. I booked it online because it was in the mid range price for hotels in Flagstaff, but still about $130 a night. It is ski season here so nothing is cheap.

    The hotel had a pretty fancy name “Hotel Aspen Flagstaff/Grand Canyon.”  It did not live up to its name. The facilities were old, but that wasn’t the problem. The room was not clean. Coffee stains on the table, a used chapstick on the floor and it took a Silicone Valley engineer to figure out the television. I called the desk to get directions and between Joan and I we were on hold for nearly 30 minutes before we got an answer.

   The place was packed and I was too tired to make a fuss and the bed looked good so we got a good night’s sleep. I did mention to the hotel clerk in the morning that the housekeeping left a lot to be desired. So if you are in Flagstaff you might want to avoid Hotel Aspen.

   We got out early to head for the trailer storage and arrived to 10 degree temperatures, but very little snow. We checked out the trailer and it appeared in good shape after 9 months without us in the mountains.

    For the second year I made sure I had lock deicer after the problem I had three years ago when all the locks were iced up. For the second year it wasn’t necessary. I did have to use some deicer spray to open one of the storage doors on the front of the trailer where I store the hitch equipment.

A cold hook up

    It took a little longer than usual to hook up because my fingers froze. I had gloves but unfortunately working with some of the equipment requires more dexterity than is possible with gloves on. Once we were hooked up, I took it a little slow at first to make sure that the wheel grease got warmed up a little before we hit the freeway.

   The lowest temperature we recorded that morning was 9 degrees but the temperatures warmed quickly as we headed down the mountain towards Phoenix. By the time we got to Phoenix (thank you Glen Campbell) it was 57 degrees, cool for this area but welcome warmth to us.

   One highway sign we noted was aimed at New Year’s Eve revelers. “Drive Hammered. Get Nailed.”

  The trip to Tucson was uneventful as was the set up for the trailer once we got checked in. We left the trailer winterized because overnight temperatures were expected to fall into the 20s so I hooked up the water this morning (Dec. 31).

   While working outside one of the men I work with on the table and chair set up crew drove by and asked if I was going to help with the New Year’s Eve party set up. I agreed and headed over at 9 a.m. to help set up the ballroom for tonight’s party, which Joan and I will attend. I bought tickets last week over the phone before we left Michigan. Good thing too, because they are sold out.

   We spent the rest of the day Sunday setting up our site and then shopping for food. Sunday I went to the fitness center, did the table and chair set up and then we went back out to pick up a new carbon monoxide detector because the 12-year-old one in the trailer was indicating that it had given up the ghost.

   Cooler than normal temperatures are expected over the next few days, so we will need to take precautions over night to run water in the trailer to keep the pipes from freezing.

Time out at hotel: 7:38 a.m. (MST)

Time in at storage lot: 8:08 a.m. (MST)

Mileage out: 3597

Mileage in: 3614

Time out at storage lot: 8:54 a.m.

Time in at Tucson: 1:35 p.m.

Milleage in Tucson: 3894

A harrowing travel through New Mexico

   In all our 12 years of traveling we have never encountered a day as awful as yesterday. Usually when I write these travel posts I do it chronologically, but as an old newspaper reporter that would be burying the lede.

The I-40 New Mexico parking lot at 11 p.m.

  On Friday morning we left Henryetta, Oklahoma with the knowledge that we could run into some snow as we drove through I-40 in New Mexico. That is not unusual and as an experienced winter driver not something I am even too anxious about. I had been following the weather and over the last week the outlook had been improving for our trip.

   At one time there was a prediction of 12-inches of snow, but that was readjusted several times to the final prediction of 3-5 inches of snow and most of that was to occur before we ever got to New Mexico.

   So the trip was going along quite well, we hit a little flurry action in Amarillo, also not unusual this time of year, and we were able to maintain a good speed and make great progress.

  My first indication (and my first mistake) was when I punched in our destination for the night (Moriarity, New Mexico) and OnStar gave us an incredibly long alternate route to get there. 

Unfortunately they didn’t explain (and yes, I did ask) why the unusual route, but we soon found out.

   Just outside Tucumcari, New Mexico traffic came to a standstill. I pulled up my phone and found out that accidents ahead had closed I-40. So I got back to OnStar and they gave us another alternate route to get us around the problem. The problem kept moving east. As soon as we leap frogged to Newkirk, New Mexico, we were informed that new accidents had occurred ahead.

Late for Monday Night football?

   In Newkirk, road crews were loading dirt from a field onto plow trucks and spreading it on the freeway just as we were released to continue our journey at 4:48 p.m. We had gotten off the freeway in Tucumcari about 2 p.m. and gone only about a total of 30 miles on I-40 with the detour.

    Being just 47 miles from out destination with reservations in hand we decided to wait it out over dinner in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Surely, they would have the mess cleaned up after our leisurely dinner. Wrong.

   The fun was just beginning. No hotels were available anymore and I-40 was a virtual parking lot for 30 miles. It wasn’t snowing anymore, but it was cold. Fortunately I had filled up fuel in Amarillo as part of the difficulty along the route was that many people simply ran out of gas waiting in traffic and abandoned cars in traffic lanes. That made matters so much better.

During the good times Friday

    At one point when we finally started to move, I nearly plowed into a car in the left lane that I thought maybe had just forgotten to turn the lights on but at the last moment realized was just abandoned. People were very courteous to each other (there was the occasional idiot who drove like a maniac but I’m not talking about him) and made room for people to move over when the need arose.

   People were out of the cars and trucks talking and walking and stretching but some of the waits were 90 minutes at a time. We left dinner in Santa Rosa about 7 p.m. and checked into our hotel at 1:09 a.m. People were being turned away so I was very glad I had a reservation. I guess the traffic and snow made the news, but I was too tired to watch.

    We are thankful to be alive and grateful that in all the mess apparently no one was killed or seriously injured. It’s a pain to be delayed, but worse if you are the one in the accident that caused it.

    Not sure why the New Mexico Department of Transportation fell so far behind the road clearing for a relatively normal snowstorm but in any event we are safe and ready to continue our journey after a harrowing night and a good sleep.

   I love being a part of history, but this little episode I could have gladly missed. And before you say it out loud, I made several errors in judgement this night and I ended the evening by apologizing to Joan for not making better decisions along the way. Live and learn. 

   Earlier on the trip Friday we spotted a couple Monday Night Football Trucks traveling east on I-40 and later one was parked at our hotel in Moriarity so he must have been coming way behind the other two.

   We also noted a lot of Michigan license plates along the route, most of us probably wondering why we had left relatively good weather to drive through this bad weather.

Time out: 8:39 a.m. (CST)

Time in: 1:09 a.m. (next day MST)

Mileage out: 2587

Mileage in: 3218

  Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

  We left Michigan at 5:40 a.m. on Wednesday enroute to Murfressboro, Tennessee to have Christmas with our son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren Wednesday night.  It was 32 degrees when we left but rose through the day to a high of 62.

Opening presents

   We spotted lots of hawks along the freeway looking for food. A highway sign we saw said “Even Santa wears a seat belt.”  Another notable sign spotted in Nashville was “Grandma got run over by a reindeer? Call Morgan and Morgan attorneys.”

   This portion of the trip was uneventful and we had a wonderful time watching everyone open presents.

Time out: 5:40 a.m. (EST)

Time in: 3:45 p.m. (CST)

Mileage out: 1307

Mileage in: 1949

   On our second day of traveling we left Murfreesboro and headed to a new destination for us, Henryetta, Oklahoma. The location worked for the timing of the trip (not knowing what was to come) but was notable for one thing, nothing notable in Henryetta.

   Usually when we stay in a hotel you can find “Things to Do in ??” booklets in your room. Not in Henryetta. But we were just there for the night so we weren’t planning any sightseeing trips anyway.

   I did find out it was named for Hugh Henry who found coal there many, many years ago. It's most notable resident is Troy Aikman, Hall of Fame quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys.

   What we originally thought would be the most aggravating storm of our trip turned out to be mile in comparison to what was to come. Just outside Little Rock, Arkansas we got into a thunderstorm that took us about 90 minutes to drive through. I guess this was the same storm that would hit the east coast the next day.

   We had hoped to stop and see my cousin, her children and grandchildren but the storm and its delays caused us to have to cancel that stop.

Presentation was a problem

   A small airplane on a flat bed truck was the most unsual sighting of the day, but the weather was seasonable and temperatures got up to 65 at the highest. Little did we know.

   Because of the storm delay we stopped for dinner before finishing the drive to Henryetta and the only place we could find was a Pizza Hut in a small town an hour east of our destination. We had what could be described only as a very average meal, served in an aluminum foil pan and presented to us in a sandwich basket (see photo).

Time out: 8:51 a.m. (CST)

Time in:  7:24 p.m. (CST)

Mileage out: 1949

Mileage in: 2587

Home again safe, sound and freezing

Laura & Joan at the distillery

The long ride home is over. After a wonderful stay at my sister’s house in North Aurora, Illinois along with her husband, we made the final 5-hour leg trip home to Lapeer on Wednesday.

We had dry, but cold weather from Des Moines to North Aurora on Monday. The only obstacle on that trip was some extensive construction on I-88 which was surprising because that is a fairly new toll road.

The highest temperature during the day Monday was a 39 degree temperature just before we arrived at Laura’s house.

My sister was still working (she works from home) so we entertained ourselves by catching up on email and Facebook until she was done working.

As is the custom, my sister cooked my favorite dinner, spaghetti, which I consumed in great quantities. If I haven’t said so previously, my sister is a great, great cook.

In the morning while my brother-in-law worked, we headed to Fox River Distillery near my sister's house to get a personal tour of the place from my sister. I'm not a drinker, but they have won a bunch of awards for their Bourbon, whiskey and moonshine, so we bought some bottles for the Family Literacy Center Auction later this year.

Some barrels of bourbon

The next day, all of us went to the Ellwood House in DeKalb, Illinois for a wonderful house tour. Built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the home was the residence of a man who produced barbed wire and turned it into a multi-million dollar operation.

Our tour guide was wonderful and we learned a lot about the house and its family. Afterwards, we went to a really nice restaurant (the name of which I can’t remember right now) and then headed home for our final night on the road.

My sister and brother-in-law were kind enough to remodel the guest bathroom for us prior to our arrival so we felt very special, although I’m sure she didn’t do it just for us.

The "still"

The next morning we were up early and then on the road for the short trip home through Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.

As we always seem to do, we hit a major traffic jam on I-80 through parts of Illinois and Indiana which was due to a traffic accident. That cost us about 40 minutes, but soon we were off and running and the rest of the trip was uneventful.

From the time we left California we never had a temperature above 57 and Wednesday was no exception although we did hit 57 a couple times during the trip.

The product

Entering Michigan we were immediately struck by the poor conditions of the freeway, but then that is always the case in Michigan. We have some of the highest gas taxes in the country, yet still some of the worst roads. Gas prices in Michigan are second highest to any we saw with the exception of California.

The house came through the winter in good condition (thanks Tim) but we do seem to have a little bit of a septic back up issue brewing, something we are in the process of taking care of. We had a nice dfinner Friday night with daughter Elin and son Tim at Whitey’s in Davison and I have already started back to work driving my bus.

Of course, the weather has turned crappy since we’ve been home and as I write this we are in the middle of a stupid ice storm. I guess if I want to avoid Michigan’s bad weather we’ll have to stay in Tucson until June.

Laura & Me

So another winter trip to Arizona is in the books and life is back to real here in Michigan. I thank all of you for following along and the Lord willing we’ll do it all over again next year. Peace!

Mileage out (Des Moines): 103945

Mileage in (North Aurora) 104255

Time out: 10:12 a.m. (Central Daylight Time)

Time in:  3:10 p.m. (Central Daylight Time)

Mileage out (North Aurora): 104255

Mileage in (Lapeer, MI): 104589

Time out: 8:40 a.m. (CDT)

Time in: 3:08 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time)