January Update

Yuma, AZ - Lettuce Capital of the USA

Time to update.  We're fine & in Yuma, AZ until early March. We moved a day early to Yuma from Tucson due to some winter weather predicted for our planned Jan 7th move.  We came here to check the place out since Donna's cousins winter here.  We've been here just over two weeks.  We've gotten a couple of rain days since arriving with today being one of them.  Temperatures are more moderate here than in Tucson, and the area is covered with snowbirds. We haven't seen this many Canadians in one place in the US since we spent a few weeks in Saratoga, FL in 2010.

We're located in Del Pueblo 55+ Community Park. It's an excellent place to be.  We've got way more room here than in Tucson. Overall, the area is agriculture based along with the MCAS. 

We haven't gotten out a whole lot.  We found Chick-Fil-A, ice cream, one Mexican Restaurant that Thom & Mary took us to, and several grocery stores. We've located several places to hike. Yuma's not all that big, but it's busy.

We've taken a few pictures of the area and posted below.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. Until next time, David

Yuma Army Depot (Indian Wars Supply Depot)

Display set up to give you an idea how the old plank road would look
 

Telegraph Pass Trail

Telegraph Pass Trail

Muggins Mtn Wilderness

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

We're fine.  This is our last week here in Tucson.  We travel to Yuma on Sunday for a couple of months. Donna's cousins Thom & Mary spend their winters in Yuma, so we thought we'd check that area out.

Last week we got out to Tumacacori, AZ to see the Tumacacori National Historical Park - an old Spanish Mission built in 1757.  We enjoyed walking around it and park of the Anza Trail that commemorates the old Spanish trail the mission priests used from down in Mexico to San Francisco, CA. There's some pictures below of the mission area.

We hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and New Year's celebrations.  Thanks for dropping by and checking on us.  David

 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Just a short update.  We did get out to visit Calvin and Stan & Sam (they're all doing fine.) We also completed a couple of hikes in Sabino Canyon. Also got a couple of bike rides in. We're just doing the snowbird thing.

Here's a few picks of Sabino Canyon.  Have a safe holiday!  David

Mesquite Trees

December Update

It's December here in Tucson.  Thanksgiving leftovers gone and everyone is decorating for Christmas.  This weekend we're told we're experiencing a Tucson winter.  Yesterday was a high in the mid 50s and rainy.  We see pictures where it snowed on Mt Lemmon, but we can't see it from the park.  Today it's sunny and low 60s for a high.  Out low tonight is supposedly below 40.  Back to 70s for highs and 40s for lows beginning Monday.

Donna and I continue to sit in dentist's chairs a lot. I'm almost done. Donna's got a couple of more visits.  We've gotten out to Lemmon Mountain & Tombstone plus the west unit of Saguaro NP.  We're having work done on our bicycles.  New tubes, tires, and tube protectors to help out with "goat heads" (overgrown sand spurs that go through bicycle tires and tubes with ease.) Those "goat heads" go through walking shoes, too!

Local Ford dealer was able to fix two recalls.  We now have a new driveshaft and a new backup camera (both on recall for over a year with no parts available).  Nice to be able see out of the backup camera, again.  The local Ford dealer rented us a F150 hybrid. Nice truck and the hybrid worked pretty much seamlessly.  It was also nice to run down an interstate at 75 mph and get 23 miles to the gallon.

We've got plans to get out and visit Stan & Sam and Calvin (all volunteers who we worked with in the past).  Donna will sign us up this week for the Christmas luncheon.  Suppose to be a brass ensemble here Tuesday, so we'll probably go to that. Otherwise, we're in our winter routine.

That pretty much gets everyone up to date with us.  Thanks for dropping by.  Pictures follow, David

On the Way to Mt Lemmon

On the way to Mt Lemmon

What's left of the Clanton gang, Boothill, Tombstone, AZ

Bicycle path along a wash, Tucson, AZ

Petroglyphs at Saguaro NP - west unit
 

Petroglyphs at Saguaro NP, west unit

Petroglyphs, Saguaro NP - west unit

Happy Thanksgiving

Saguaro Cactus flexing it muscles, Saguaro Natl Park (East Unit), Cactus Forest Trail

Happy Thanksgiving!  We're now in Tucson, AZ.  Arrived on the afternoon of November 7th after a brief overnight in Congress, AZ.  We're in Rincon Country East RV Resort.  It's more of a 55+ snowbird community made of park model "villas" with a fair amount of spaces for RVs.  They've got activities galor. If you're bored or can't find anything to do, it's your own fault! So far Donna's signed us up for Thanksgiving Dinner, an ice cream social, and Line Dancing.  Every once in awhile I get this feeling like I'm back in junior high!

We're fine & plan to be here about two months.  Donna got us an early start on dental work, and it feels like we've both spent most of our time sitting in dental office chairs.  I've got a root canal to do by the end of November. Then I'm done for the fall visits. Donna's appointments were extended into December. She'll be done when those are complete (we hope!)  

Since arriving, we've visited Saguaro National Park's East Unit, found homemade ice cream, visited one church, and the local Ford dealer found a repair part for one of our truck's numerous recalls. We continue to experience the front of the trailer slowly dropping over a couple of days. We located one small leak that may have been the culprit.  At least the dropping has stopped for now.

That gets everyone up to date. Here's some pics from our time here. Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us, David

Rincon Country East RV Resort with palm trees strategically located to ensure it's as hard as possible to back in or pull out without damaging your unit

Cactus Forest, Saguaro NP East Unit

Saguaro Cactus, Saguaro NP East Unit

Wash along Cactus Forest Trail, Saguaro NP East Unit

 

Boulder City, NV

Lake Mead RV Park, Lake Mead NRA, Nevada

We left Thompson Springs on Oct 28th and took three days to travel down to the Las Vegas area to visit Coco & Wayne.  It's been a busy week.  We went to our first Halloween party in years, visited the Hoover Dam (required tourist site), visited the Valley of Fire State Park (courtesy of Wayne & Coco), and went to a car show.  They kept us busy!

We leave tomorrow for Tucson, AZ - at least that's the plan! We'll take about two days to get down there. We expect it to be hot and dry.  It's a whole new winter site for us!

Pictures below of things we did/saw.  Thanks for dropping by, David

Lake Mead Marina

Lake Mead - about 200 feet low

Colorado River below Hoover Dam

 

Elephant Rock, Valley of Fire State Park

 

Las Vegas, NV at night

 

Colorado National Monument, Grand Junction, CO

Independence Monument

Earlier this week we took a day trip over to Fruita/Grand Junction, Co to visit Colorado National Monument (NM) and its Rim Rock Drive. This park came highly recommended. We actually prefer this to Canyonlands National Park.

Colorado NM is a plateau-and-canyon area full of red rock geology. The cliffs are about 2,000 ft above the valley. We recommend coming in on the east entrance (Grand Junction) and travel Rim Rock Drive to the west entrance. The pull offs are more convenient. Be aware there are two tunnels on the west entrance. If you're traveling in a RV, you'll want to enter and exit via the east entrance.

There is hiking and some easier trails with at least one trail - the nature trail - being handicapped accessible.  They've got a really nice, small visitor center staffed by volunteers. Didn't check out the campground. For those of you in the east, think of it as a western Blue Ridge/Skyline Drive.

Pictures below.  David

View from the back of the visitor center

Wedding Canyon

Wedding Canyon

Wedding Canyon

View from the nature trail

Nature trail alcove

Nature trail alcove

Otto Trail

Otto Trail

Bighorn Sheep along Rim Rock Drive