January 26, Hiking

Up at 6:00am again, this time to go on a hike out of Apache Junction with Diane's hiking group.

There were 18 participants on the hike, which followed a rocky trail with interesting vegetation, including several different cacti.

                                              And away we went!

 

Weaver's needle is a landmark around here.

After about 1 1/2 hours, we stopped for a rest before heading back. 

On the way back to the parking lot, we met up with these riders on horseback.

 

Don't hug the Teddy Bear!

                                                                            Saguaro (pronounced sayaro) cactus can grow    7                                                                             for 75 years before appendages sprout.

When we returned to Mike & Diane's, Mike made lunch then took us on a tour of Leisure World, their community, which is awesome!

January 25, Visit to Quartzsite

We were up at 6:00am to be ready for Mike & Diane to pick us up at 7:00 to head off to Quartzsite, 2 1/2 hours west.  We were off to check out the annual RV Show which attracts thousands of people to a small, dusty town consisting of only 3500 permanent residents. The tents were packed with hundreds of vendors and thousands of shoppers!

Every January something happens that is hard to believe, unless you have seen it! According to the Arizona Highway Department, as many as 750,000 to 1,000,000 people, mostly in RV’s, converge on this sleepy little desert town, located just 20 miles east of the California border on Interstate 10, for the rock, gem and mineral shows, plus numerous flea markets and the Quartzsite Sports, Vacation & RV Show. This phenomenon started over 35 years ago and is now billed as “The Largest Gathering Of RVers in the World.

After walking up & down the aisles for 5 hours, we headed out to make our way back home. Stopped at "Sweet Tomatoes" in Tempe for dinner, which was great!

Got back to Sun Life at 7:45, very tired and dusty!  

January 24, Moving on to Mesa

Woke up to clear skies and -0.8C. Frost on the ground.
10:15am Packed up and on the way south under sunny skies and 7C.

Had to climb from 3200ft to 4688ft, then started down. At 3000ft. we had the first sighting if Saguaro (pronounced sayoro) cactus!

The temp has warmed to 15C. That's more like it!

At 12:45, we arrived at Sun Life RV Resort and checked in for 6 nights. It is quite the place, considered a small resort with 761 sites mostly permanent homes and all the facilities one would like!








Got settled in and went for groceries.

January 23, Montezuma Castle & Well

It was rather chilly last night, down to -3C.
Went for a hike this morning on the Nature Trails on the property.
On the advice of a fellow camper, we went to visit Montezuma Castle & Montezuma Well, which were both very interesting! It is not really a castle, it is the ruins of a cliff dwelling built in the 12th & 13th centuries. The 5 story "castle" contains 20 rooms and was accessible only by ladders. It stands in a cliff recess 100 feet above the valley floor. Early settlers marveled at the structure and assumed it was Aztec in origin, hence the name Montezuma Castle.

The "Well" is actually a limestone sinkhole, 470 feet wide and 55 feet deep and is rimmed by pueblos and cliff dwellings. Subterranean springs replenish the well with over a million and a half gallons of water a day. The water maintains an even temperature of 76F (25C) year round, flows out through a side cave in the limestone cliffs and was used for irrigation by the Sinagua Indians.

It is chilly!

The "Well"!

January 21, 2012, Cottonwood

Woke up at 1:30am to see that the clock radio was off - oops - no power! Don't know how long it had been off, but the temp in the trailer was 54F! The breaker had tripped, as Marcel discovered then we were back to sleep. It was chilly outside!
At 7:00, the temp was -1C  rather chilly!
Went in to Cottonwood to do some grocery shopping. Through the day, the cloudy skies cleared and sun warmed things up to 16C.
This evening, I had to brave rain to come to the "Family Centre" to get online. Who knows what to expect next. However, we are enjoying the change of scenery, which is awesome!
No shovelling, here.

Friday, January 20, 2012, Cottonwood

Visited the Wells Fargo bank this morning, since my debit/credit card was declined 4 times yesterday! Thank goodness Marcel's still worked! Turned out the magnetic stripe was bad, so they have to issue a new card. Yet another blip in the grand scheme of things.
Short drive to the park in Cottonwood, where the trailer is stored, and we moved it out of storage to a campsite. Spent the afternoon de-winterizing and unpacking. It was a lovely day today, sunny & 12C, but apparently there is a cold front moving in. We have booked to stay here until Tuesday, for some rest & relaxation. Also want to tour the area.
Glad we have our winter coats - we might need them!

Thursday, January 19 - on to Flagstaff!

Got up early today in preparation for a long day on the road. Loaded up after a hot breakfast and pulled out onto the highway at 7:20 - still dark! No frost this morning, +6C.
We enjoyed watching the gorgeous orange sunrise behind us as we passed a huge wind farm!
At 8:18, we entered New Mexico, which involved another time change - now on Mountain time (7:18).
By 9:30, at 6800ft elevation, we started seeing

 patches of snow beside the highway.

On reaching Albuquerque, the temp had increased to 10C under sunny skies.

Entered Arizona at 1:00, where it was sunny and 15C. Within 2 hours we hit 20C! WOW!

Arrived in Flagstaff at 3:30 & checked in to a Super 8 Motel. Went for a walk after driving 1001 KM today, and out for dinner.
Interestingly, there was a lot of snow here, with the famous Arizona Snowbowl ski area doing well. A week ago, the weather turned warm, the snow has all gone and the Snowbowl has closed. Normally, it is opem from December until mid-April.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Frosty morning, -6C, but sunny with a clear blue sky.
Crossed in to Oklahoma and the skies clouded over. Obviously, it is a boring drive when I report on the clouds in the sky!
Good news is that by 9:30 it has warmed up to -1C as we continued south-west. By the time we crossed Oklahoma, the temp had improved to +7C. The terrain consists of flat plains boasting large cattle ranches.
By 2:00, we had entered Texas and it was sunny and +9C. From there, it warmed up quickly, reaching +17C (63F) by 3:30, when we arrived in Amarillo, Texas. Checked in to the Day's Inn and went to find the Wells Fargo bank to transfer some US funds. Nice to not have to wear a coat!
Will see what tomorrow brings. 783KM today.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Woke up at 6:15 this morning to thunder and lightening. After a full breakfast, we packed up & were on the road at 7:45. The thunderstorms had passed & light rain persisted. Over the next couple of hours, we experienced everything from heavy rain with thunder & lightening and +12C, to clearing skies and the temp falling.
We gained an hour upon crossing into Illinois, Central time.
By noon, we had crossed the St. Louis bridge, entered Missouri and the temp has dropped to 0 C! The upside is that the sky is clear & sunny.
Called it a day at 4:10, when we pulled into the LaQuinta Inn in Joplin under sunny skies. However, with the temperature at 2C and expected to drop drastically through the night, we unloaded most of the contents of the truck into the motel room.
868km travelled today.

Monday, January 16, 2012 - Back on the road

Yesterday, we packed up the truck and headed south to Mississauga to our son & daughter-in-law. Had a nice visit with them and their boys and a delicious roast beef supper, complete with yorkshire puddings. MMMMMMMMM
This morning, we were off at 8:00am, towards Sarnia. Crossed the border without incident, although the border agent did have LOTS of questions!
The weather is moderating from the -29C that we left yesterday in Callander. By the time we reached south Indianapolis, 884km later, we experienced light showers and 45F temperatures. I'll take it!
Heading towards Oklahoma City via St. Louis tomorrow......