Another week in Yuma

 

Sunday, February 22, 2009                                                                                                                   Lorraine’s Report

Wow, where do the days go? Another week has passed so very quickly. We are still here in Yuma, AZ and my car thermometer said it was 81 degrees on Saturday, and it was sunny and beautiful out. This is February in the desert! I knew there were other parts of the country where the weather wasn’t gray, wet and cold all winter, like in Bellingham. It just took 35 years for us to find where.

Sunday was go see the “Yuma Lights” on Sunday evening. You need a clear, moonless night to see them. Sunday was a cloudy day, but Steve and Sandy were leaving on Monday, so this would be the only day for them to go. The Yuma Lights are not lights, but more like a fog or mist that shows up on a mountain in the middle of the desert. They can’t be explained. We were lucky they showed up that night, but only for a short time. We went with Mike and Linda, who found the way and led us to the place. Also along were TJ and Sharon, Larry and Kathy, Steve and Sandy, and us. . There were hot dogs, three pasta salads and a fruit salad and lemon bars, as well as snack food. I didn’t think we would see them, but the clouds parted, the stars came out and the lights showed up. Sandy said she could smell salt or something when they were there.

Monday was Susy’s birthday and it was hard for me, but TJ and Sharon and Larry and Kathy came to my rescue. We spent the afternoon playing Pegs and Jokers, so the afternoon went by quickly. Thanks guys, I appreciated your kindness.

Monday we were invited to dinner with Mark and Sue and Connie and Manuel, and the owners of the place where they were parked, Ed and La Vaughn’s, and Mike and Linda and Janey and Pete. This would be the last night we would see them all for quite a while. Mark and Sue and Connie and Manny were headed back to their home in Louisiana and Texas on Wednesday, after a quick trip to Mexico to go to the dentist for a cleaning. It was a wonderful potluck with barbeque ribs, Sue’s gumbo and Connie’s beans and rice, and Janey’s wonderful chocolate brownie cake. It was the first time several of us had gumbo. Thank you everyone for a wonderful evening. We were there till late. It’s so hard to say good bye to good friends, knowing you will not be seeing them for a long while. This week we said goodbye to Steve and Sandy, and Connie and Manny, as well as Mike and Linda. We hope to see Mark and Sue again shortly, as they want to go to Alaska with us in the spring.

Tuesday, Chuck had to figure out our schedule for the next couple of months, so I took the car and went shopping. I had lots of little things to look for. I spent several hours by myself trying to complete my “to do” list.

Wednesday Chuck and I went grocery shopping. We stocked up on Albertson’s meat sale and the rest of the stuff at Wal-Mart. In the evenings, we’ve been playing pegs and jokers with TJ and Sharon and Larry and Kathy.

Thursday Chuck and I went shopping for clothing for the wedding where we will be standing up for Richard and Sandy in June. That day TJ and Sharon came home with a new puppy, a cute little ball of fluff named Gidget. She is a bishon frisee and just a bundle of energy. Cocoa has a new playmate now.

That afternoon Joe and Alice came in from Hemet, CA where they said it had been raining for the past two weeks and had been really cold. We had a nice visit and made plans to meet up on Friday when they moved into the lot they rented for a month.

Friday we met up with Joe and Alice and went to the Swap Meet. I finally made it down all the aisles at the meet. We all had a nice time. It has been heating up all week long here and Friday was warm and sunny. We went to dinner with Joe and Alice to Da Boys for spaghetti. TJ and Sharon were invited along, but decided to stay home with the new puppy.

Saturday, Chuck went to a baseball game with Larry and Kathy and TJ. I went to see Slum Dog Millionaire and Sharon stayed home with her new puppy. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and decided I should buy it when it comes out in a few months.

So that was my week. My prayers are with you Lora for you and your family and with you too Sandy and Dave. I hope everyone’s health improves.

Until next week, see you down the road…..Lorraine

 

Sunday 2/2209                                                                                                                                      Chuck’s report

Another week has gone by.  This was a much quieter one even though we go a lot done.  We had some friends leave this week but also had some come in. 

On Sunday night, a bunch of us got together and headed out to see the “Yuma Lights”.  I can’t explain what they are but will try.  Out in the desert there is one hill that has some sort of light show on it.  Some say it comes from inside the hill, others say it’s a reflection for car/train/plane, others say it’s a spirit of the mountains, I say I don’t know. 

We had to drive on about 6 miles of gravel roads to get there, then go through a small tunnel under the railroad.  We got there about 5:00 or so, started a fire and Steve set up the Bar-B-Q for hot dogs.  The ladies brought enough food to feed about twice the number of folks that were there so we had plenty.  It started to get dark a bit after 6:00 and around 7:15 or so, the lights came out.  Compared to last year, they were larger but not as bright or as frequent.  A couple of times they moved across L to R then back, other times they just lit up and faded away.  They aren’t bright enough to get a picture but interesting just the same.  We plan on going out one more time before we leave the area. 

   Here is the tunnel we had to drive through.  It has standing water and you can’t see the ruts that try to throw you into the walls. 

  Standing around waiting for dark.  The hills behind us are where the lights show up.  They covered the small hill on the left and about 1/2 of the large one. 

  Enough food for an army.

  Snacks too.

  Here is a picture of the hills during one of the light episodes, doesn’t show a thing.

On Monday evening we were invited to dinner where Mark/Sue and Manuel/Connie were staying.  They were planning on going to Mexico for some dental work then leaving the next day.  Others there included the owners of the place where they were parked, Ed/La Vaughn, their friends Pete/Janey and Mike and Linda (of Quartzsite fame).  We had a very good time visiting with our friends and the food was great.  The only downer was knowing we wouldn’t see some of them for a while but that didn’t dampen our fun. 

The gals at dinner.

The guys at dinner.

Let the BS begin, Mark is in charge here.

On Thursday, Joe and Alice came to town.  They over to our lot and we visited with them, got caught up on what’s happened.  On Friday, we went to the Yuma market (I call it the swap meet) with them, then went to dinner. 

Also on Thursday TJ and Sharon got a new addition to their family, a little puppy they named Gidget.  I’m not sure of the spelling but it’s a Bishon Frisee.  They already have one about two years old and they are already friends.  Our dog, Misty, had her motherly instincts come out with the puppy.  

Sharon with the new puppy, she sure is happy.

Another one of Sharon and Gidget. 

TJ and the puppy.

Here is Coco, their two year old. 

Saturday I went to a winter league baseball game with TJ and his neighbors, Larry/Kathy.  Lorraine likes to go to the movie house and I don’t so she took advantage of this time to go see a movie.  The local boys lost the game 2 –4 but it was nice anyway.  Can’t beat the weather for watching a baseball game, high 70s, sunny with just a little breeze.  I can take more of this weather, that’s for sure. 

The rest of the week was filled with normal activities.   We were able to get in a couple games of Pegs and Jokers with TJ/Sharon and Larry/Kathy.  If memory serves correct, the guys are ahead in the win column, ha. 

Here is how we like to spend our afternoons.  Lorraine and TJ enjoying the weather.

A picture of TJ/Sharon’s rig.

We don’t have a better picture of them but here is Larry and Kathy sitting in front of their house.  We are parked just this side of the wall shown here.  We have played Pegs and Jokers at their place a couple of time, too. 

So another week, another posting.  Not sure what this week will bring but were are sure of one thing, we plan on enjoying visiting with our friends and will enjoy the weather.  So till next week - - - - 

Thanks  Chuck

Full week in Yuma 2/15/09

 

Lorraine’s report                                                                                                                                         Sunday, February 15, 2009

I had a great phone call last night-my son, Rick. He is back in Kenai, Alaska after a 62 day stint on the ice road. He said he build about 55 miles of it, and had been working 14 plus hours a day, no days off. Welcome back to civilization Rick. I missed you, hope you can now catch up on your rest before you head back up. Your call made my day!

Tomorrow is my daughter, Susy’s birthday. She will be 21 again with 13 anniversaries. This will be the first time in a very long time we will not be together. It will be hard for me not to see her and baby and Mark. We usually bring them home or to where ever we are, but she is finally getting over being ill for the past two weeks, and Mark had it for a few days, also. Happy Birthday Susy! I miss us not being together.

Speaking of birthday’s, yesterday was our friend, Richard King’s birthday. He is headed back to his home in Victoria, Texas. Wish we could have been with you to celebrate, Richard. Happy Birthday anyway, and hope it was a nice day for you.

This week went flying by. We went to the eye doctor and made dentist appointments on Monday in Mexico, we went with Bill and Jeanette. I did not get glasses because it turns out my lens and frame are pretty pricy, and to replace them was costing $400.00, way too much, when everyone else was paying under $200.00 for their glasses. Bill got a pair for $130, I think. Chuck and Bill waited in line for over two hours to get back into the good old USA. They had only three officers working the computers to check you back into the states. Some of the older people waiting sure seemed to be having a hard time, as the wind was blowing hard and it was cold. When we got back we went to Applebee’s for dinner with Bill and Jeanette as they were leaving to head back home to CA

Tuesday we moved down the street as our friend TJ and Sharon had other friends coming to spend time with them on their property. We went to Wal-Mart to stock up.

Wednesday, we went back to Mexico for our dentist appointments. Chuck took my appointment so he could wait in line while I was having my appointment. He had some work done and cleaning, while I had only cleaning. The dentist said my teeth were in good shape, except for the two molars that are loosing the jaw bone, and there is nothing they can do about that.

Thursday we went back to the Swap Meet. We were there with Steve and Sandy. When we were there last week, I bought a magnetic bracelet to try on my arthritic wrists. I couldn’t believe how fast it worked, within 10 to 15 minutes I could feel the pain going away. I wanted to get another one but we ran out of time. I had gotten a shirt and had to return it. They had put the beads on off side, and that took some time for the gal to replace it.

Friday we drove around the area where TJ and Sharon live looking for a lot for our friend, Joe and Alice, to come to next week. We found several and gave the numbers for Joe to call. We then went to Paradise Casino, but it was so crowded, we only stayed a short time. Sandy called and we ended up at their place, to play a game of Pegs and Jokers.

Saturday, we moved back to TJ and Sharon’s. That shirt I had replaced earlier in the week, well the gal made it up in a smaller size, and I didn’t see it until I washed it and was hanging it up. So back we go to the Swap Meet. Only, this time the gal didn’t have the appliqué or the right size shirt, so she gave me back my money. And remember the magnetic bracelet, I was able to find the place again, so I bought two, one for me and one for my sister, Thelma.

This was Valentine’s Day so I had called the Texas Roadhouse yesterday and made reservations for 16 of us to go to dinner. We all showed up, including TJ and Sharon, Mike and Linda, Mark and Sue, Manuel and Connie, Steve and Sandy, Bill and Kay , Ed and La Vaughn, and Chuck and I. A fun time was had by all and of course the food was very good.

Some of us came back to TJ’s and sat around the fire their neighbor, Larry and Kathy had burning. It was the prettiest fire I have ever seen. Larry had put a copper pipe with some water hose in the pipe and put it at the bottom of the fire. This made the fire turn green, blue, purple and many shades of these three colors. It was quite incredible to see.

So here we are, it’s Sunday and I’m doing my blog. We plan on going out to see the Yuma Lights. It’s these weird lights that show up on a dark, clear moonless night, out in the desert against a mountain. Everyone that went to dinner last night plus Larry and Kathy from next door will be going to try to see them tonight. We will be having a wiener roast and potluck. It may be cloudy, so I’m not sure if we will see them.

A great big “Thank You” to TJ and Sharon for letting us stay on their lot again. We enjoy your beautiful area. It is so beautiful and quiet.

Also, hang in there Dave and Sandy, our prayers are with you both.

So till next time……Have a great week and we’ll see you down the road……Lorraine

 

Chuck’s Report

We completed what was supposed to be a quiet week here in Yuma.  Seems Lorraine and I need to do a refresher course on taking it easy, we were going most of the week.  Hopefully this week we can practice taking it easy until we get it right.  I will say here that we didn’t get a lot of pictures this week.  Once again, for more information and pictures, you can check out Connie’s blog at http://esparzacm.blogspot.com/.  She takes very good pictures and she updates more often than we do.  Thanks Connie, you have a good blog. 

Sunday evening we made plans to go over to Mike and Linda’s to play some card games.  TJ and Sharon rode with us, we met Bill and Jeanette there.  It had been raining off/on for most of the day and Mike had a small lake around their front door.  Linda had called to warn us to bring another pair of shoes or slippers as we would get wet getting into their coach, she was right.  In spite of the rain, we had a good time playing Pegs and Jokers.  After eating some snacks, we said goodnight to our friends and headed back to our coach. 

One of the reasons we wanted to stay here in Yuma for awhile is because of its closeness to Algondones Mexico.  This is a border town that caters to Americans with dentist, optical and medications.  Lorraine had some dental work done there last year and is very pleased with the results.  She wanted to get some work done on her bottom, front teeth to match the top she had worked on last year. 

Our plan for Monday was to go across the border, get some glasses for Lorraine and make dental appointments for both of us.  So away we went on Monday, with Bill and Jeanette riding with us.  We walked across the border and went into the optical place.  After waiting until our turn, Lorraine finally got her eye exam.  Her prescription was just a little different so she picked out a couple of frames and waited her turn again.  She showed them her frames and asked the price, it was over $400 due to her frames and lenses cut.  Everyone else was getting their frames and lenses for under $200 so we told them we would go to other optical places and check their prices.  After checking, we decided not to buy any now, rather we would wait and see what our guy back home could do for us.  We did make appointments at the dentist for Wednesday for cleaning and checkup and Friday for whatever work they found we needed.  We also picked up some medication to keep in the coach, pretty inexpensive to get it there.  Lorraine had just mail ordered some of her prescriptions and would have been able to pick up some of then here instead.  I wanted to get some antibiotics to  have, just in case, so picked up some Z-Pacs for $4 each. 

We did walk down a bit to a Taco stand where Lorraine, Bill and Jeanette had shrimp Tacos.  They said they were very good.  After our lunch, we met with Mike and Linda at a restaurant for a Margarita before crossing back into the USA.  I had a quick beer and went to wait in line, it was over a 2 hour wait to get to the border checkpoint on the American side.  Bill came and waited in line with me, when we got to the corner, Lorraine and Jeanette met with us, they had sat under a tree.  Mike and Linda had ordered new glasses and they weren’t completed yet so they stayed behind and did some shopping. 

We were staying at TJ and Sharon’s lot in the foothill, they had some friends coming into town and they had plans to stay at their lot so we went to a local campground for a few days.  We found a place that would give us 30% of the total price if we stayed 4 days so we signed up for a four day stay.  Tuesday was moving day, we have the same chores when moving across town as across country.  Lorraine has to put away all the breakables and get the coach ready for moving down the road.  I put away the chairs and such, disconnect the sewer and water hoses and disconnect the power cable.  We bring in the slides, raise the jacks and we are ready to go.   We got checked into our spot and set up there. 

Lorraine needed to resupply so away we went to Wal-Mart.  Isn’t it amazing how many things they have at a Super Wal-Mart that you must have?  One of my biggest complaints about shopping at Wally World is having to wait in a check out line.  I think if someone wanted to give me money, I would make sure they didn’t have to stand in line to do it.  The checkout clerks here sure aren’t in a hurry, I don’t think they could ever work at a real grocery store, they aren’t fast enough.  Oh well, enough of that, we got what we needed and went back home. 

On Wednesday we headed back to Mexico for our dental appointments.  We were a bit early so we checked in and then walked around town to do some shopping.  Lorraine was scheduled for the first appointment, I was an hour later but I took the first one, hoping to complete it and then wait in line at the border crossing and have Lorraine meet me there after her checkup. 

My cleaning and checkup when fine, the doctor found I needed three fillings.  He said he could do them right then or we could return on Friday.  In the mean time, Lorraine was getting her checkup and they said she didn’t need any follow up work.  So I decided to have the fillings done while I was in the chair.  The doctor asked if I wanted a deadening shot or not, said they were small and not very deep.  We agreed to start and see how much they hurt and get a shot if needed.  I felt some pain but not too bad at all, he ground out and filled three small places without need of pain medication.    So again I went to the end of the line at the border crossing and Lorraine waited until I got to the corner.  This time the wait was just under 2 hours.  But we had completed our dental work and didn’t need to return again.

On Thursday I did manage to get some time setting in the lounge chair outside, maybe even checked my eyelids for leaks for awhile.  We then decided to go to the Yuma swap meet, Lorraine had a couple of things she wanted to check out.  So after a couple of hours, we returned to our coach.  We didn’t want to go out to eat, we were both tired and I didn’t want Lorraine to cook so we had popcorn for dinner.  We don’t do that often but it was nice and easy. 

Friday I got a call from Joe Morin, a friend of ours who is coming to Yuma next week.  He doesn’t have a place to stay yet and asked if I would look around and find a few places for rent and he would call them.  So we drove around the TJ’s neighborhood, found a few places for Joe to call.  Afterwards, I took the car in for an oil change and wash.  Lorraine had been wanting to check out one of the casinos in town so we decided to try one this afternoon.  It was too crowded for me, they didn’t have any tables open and you had to wait for someone to leave a slot machine so you could sit down.  After an hour of this, we had enough and left.  We later met at Steve and Sandy Allgire’s coach for another rousing game of Peg and Jokers. 

Saturday we moved back to TJ and Sharon’s lot.  After getting set up, we played a quick game of Peg and Jokers with them.  We are getting to like this game.  This being Valentine’s day, Lorraine made reservations for most of our friends in Yuma to meet for dinner at a steak house.  All 16 of us met at 5:00 and we had a very good dinner

 

  A hot air balloon taking off while we were waiting to get into the restaurant on Saturday.  

Part of the group waiting outside the restaurant.  L to R we have Mike, TJ, Mark, Sue, Lorraine, Ed, Linda and Kay.

At dinner, we have Manuel, (Connie must have just stepped out to take a picture), Mark/Sue, Sandy/Steve and Lorraine/Chuck.

Here we have Bill/Kathy and LaVaughn and Ed.

And at this table we have Mike/Linda and TJ and Sharon.  I guess I’m the only one who knows him as TJ, was a work thing, everyone else calls him Ted. 

We don’t have to return to Mexico this week, hopefully just chill out, rest and visit with our friends.  We plan on being in Yuma for at least two more weeks, we need get our schedule roughed out.  I know we have to be in the Bay area for Kaitlyn’s fourth birthday on April 15 and then head North.  Need to get a bit more of our itinerary filled out soon.  

Lorraine got a phone call from our son, Richard.  He has been working in Northern Alaska, building the Ice Road, for the last 60 some days, 12 to 16 hours each day.  He finally is getting some time off and will be working on getting an update to his Coast Guard license this week.  Hope you get some much needed rest before/if you go back up North. I don’t know which outfit he will be working for this summer but as far as I know, he will still be a fishing guide on the Kenai River.  So if anyone is planning on going to Alaska and is in need of a fishing guide, let me know.  Brad, now that you have joined the ranks of the retired, are you interested??

I talked on the phone.with our friend Dave Hasselberg this week.  Some of his family and some of his friends are going through some medical issues.  Hang in there Dave and Sandy, we wish you and yours the best.  Keep us informed. 

So another week bites the dust.  Even though I say we were busy, compared to those who still have a job, our lives are pretty laid back.  We really enjoy our friends and want to spend more time with them before they leave so that will be most of our upcoming week.  We already had to say goodbye to some of the friends who were with us in Puerto Penasco.   Although we enjoy our time alone, it is nice to spend so much time with so many friends too.  What a good life we are living!!

One thing coming up this week is our daughter’s birthday tomorrow.  Lorraine is sad that we won’t be spending it with her, they have been together on most of her prior birthdays.  Anyway, Happy Birthday, Susy!!  We will be thinking of you and will see you in April.

So until next week - - - -

Thanks  Chuck

Back in the Good Old USA after PP

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Lorraine’s Report

We are in Yuma, AZ at our friend’s, TJ and Sharon, lot on the east side of town, just beneath the mountains. We got here Thursday afternoon, after spending the night in Gila Bend, at the gas station RV park.

Monday was a day spent shopping and looking in Puerto Penasco, MX. We ate lunch in old town with Virgil, Sharon, Linda #1 and #2, Jeanette, Sue, Marcia, Chuck and me.

Everyone was looking for specific items to take home. We finished up in town and went to Shack’s for more looking around.

Tuesday was our last full day in PP, MX so the guys went into town at 8 am to get fresh shrimp and fish to take home. Patsy and Sue packaged up the shrimp in no time for all three of us. We went back to town, this time the shopping was finished in fifteen minutes. Mark and Sue wanted fresh oysters so we drove out of town to an oyster farm. Mark bought some to take home. We then went back to make our side dishes for the sunset dinner cruise.

The dinner cruise is how the group that started this trip to Puerto Penasco ended the last night of our week in Mexico. All 23 went out on a catamaran boat for fun, food and free margaritas. Mark barbequed all the assorted meat, shrimp, chicken and fish we all brought as main dishes. There was so much food, that when a young Mexican girl vendor, with three young children came on board at the end of the meal, selling her wares, we wrapped what was left up and sent her home with enough food for several days, hopefully. Then we went out for the sunset. The water was not too rough, about one and a half foot to two foot swells, but I found it hard to walk. They cranked up the music and everyone danced, some more than others. Sunset was extremely beautiful, with lots of clouds and color, it felt like God was talking to us. We returned to port one tired group of people.

Wednesday was moving day, back to the good old USA. We traveled with the Kings, the Didelots, and the Esparzas back the way we came. We had no problems at the border, but some of the group that went another way did.

We arrived in Gila Bend and went to the RV Park where we were before the trip. We spent the afternoon cleaning the inside of the coach. Then the gals threw together another potluck for dinner, hot dogs and hamburgers. Linda #1 and Mike came to the same park after us and joined the group for dinner. It would be our last night together as a group.

Thursday morning Chuck and I and Mike and Linda left to go to Yuma. Mike and Linda are at Yuma Lakes RV Park and we came here to TJ’s and Sharon’s. We spent a great afternoon with them, just relaxing, watching the shadows on the mountains, enjoying the warm sun, and then had a wonderful dinner that Sharon prepared for all of us. It is so nice and peaceful here.

Friday, Chuck had to go back to Ehrenberg to pick up a part for the broken blind that hadn’t arrived at the post office. I had a ton of laundry to do. I was fortunate enough to be able to use Sharon’s outdoor clothes line. Everything came out smelling so fresh and clean. Then Sharon took me to Dillard’s for my face cream. I picked up a gift for Susy’s, (our daughter) birthday on the 16^th. We stopped at a shoe store out here by the foothills and Sharon bought a pair, and I ordered a pair. They were both on sale.

We got back to the lot, and I brought in laundry and then it was time for dinner. We had invited TJ and Sharon to dinner, since they we so kind to let us store our car here. Dinner was at the Texas Roadhouse, a great place to eat and very busy. We enjoyed ourselves very much.

Saturday we met up with Mike and Linda and Bill and Jeanette at the Yuma Swap Meet and spent the rainy morning and afternoon looking and shopping. We went to Cracker Barrel for a late lunch and decided to play a new game for the evening. We went to Mike and Linda’s and brought TJ and Sharon with us for a game of Pegs and Jokers. Bill and Jeanette were there also, so we all learned the game from TJ and Sharon. It was a great way to spend a rainy evening.

That was our week, I hope this finds everyone well. Take care and we’ll see you down the road…..Lorraine

Chuck’s Report

We are back in Yuma after a good week in Mexico. We were had some concerns about going into Mexico, the US government even has warnings about driving down there. Mike and Richard assured us we wouldn’t have any problems so we agreed to go along. They were right, we were waved through the border into Mexico, didn’t have anyone stop us along the way. In fact, there are signs along the road saying “US Vehicle Hassel free Zone” or something like that. Once we got to the campground, we weren’t hassled by anyone (although the vendors could and did stop us along the beach). The trip back to the US was uneventful, we were asked a few questions at the border by the US Border Patrol and then home. In fact, it was so uneventful, I wouldn’t hesitate going again sometime. Now that doesn’t mean everyplace into or out of Mexico is the same, some of our group crossed at a different town and they were stopped by the Mexican Police along the way and had more problem crossing back home.

Last week we watched the Super Bowl at our place. It was a bit chilly, some of the guys were cold but the women were smart enough to watch it inside our coach. All the guys were hoping for Arizona to win, we got real excited when they scored late in the fourth quarter and got disappointed when Pittsburg came back to win. Oh well, at least it wasn’t a blowout like some previous Super Bowls.

Monday some of the folks went into town for some shopping and placed our order for shrimp and fish pickup the next day. We had found a fish vendor earlier, he had good shrimp and would have enough for all of our group.

Some of the gals at lunch.

This shop was three stories high and full of stuff. I don’t think anyone bought anything here, they didn’t want to dicker in the prices.

Tuesday was our last full day in Mexico and we ended it with a sunset cruise.

Sunset pictures. The whole gang. We missed Mike and Kathy, they weren’t feeling well so they didn’t go on the cruise with us.

Virgil leading everyone in doing the “Margarita”

Of course they had to do “YMCA”.

Lorraine didn’t feel too steady on board so she held on to the pole whenever she stood up.

Bob and Jim dancing.

Bob and Virgil dancing.

Bob asking Richard to come out and dance?

Bill and Jeanette from California.

Yep, we were there too.

Richard and Patsy.

Connie and Manuel.

Sue doing her version of pole dancing.

After dancing the night away, we headed back to port and then back to our campground. I don’t think anyone stayed up too late that evening, we were beat.

The next day, Wednesday, was our travel day. We weren’t ready to leave when the first group headed out but were in the second bunch. Although we enjoyed our time at Puerto Penasco, we were ready to head back home.

We made it back to Gila Bend and had a good time with Richard/Patsy, Manuel/Connie, Mark/Sue and Mike/Lynda. Once again, Mark was asked to do the honors at the Bar-B-Q and he did another fine job. Lorraine and I were leaving the next morning, I managed to get a couple of sunrise pictures for Richard, he said he hasn’t seen a sunrise in a while.

We left friends there and headed to Yuma. I called our friends, TJ and Sharon, who winter in Yuma on their RV lot. We had left our car with them while we were in Mexico and needed to pick it up. They have an extra RV hookup so I asked if we could stay with them. They allowed us to stay here until next week when they have another friend coming by. They are nice people, we wanted to visit with them, not just use their spot.

Here are Sharon and TJ, thanks for letting us stay at your place for awhile!

That’s us on the right, you can see their coach on the left.

Thought I would include a picture of our dog, Misty. She has turned into a good traveler. She seems to like go to new areas and seeing new things too.

Saturday, we went to the Yuma swap meet with Mike/Linda and Bob/Jeanette. Afterwards we had a good meal at Cracker Barrel. It had been raining off/on most of the day so we were to go to Mike/Linda’s place to play Pegs and Jokers. They are staying at Yuma Lakes and in the rain, they had quite a water puddle in front of their coach. With four couples playing and most of us new or inexperienced in the game, we played one round with everyone showing their cards. Maybe I can talk everyone into showing me their cards every time we play, it may be the only way I can win as I won this game.

So here is our week, once again. We are really enjoying ourselves, visiting with friends and meeting new people. Our plans have us staying here in Yuma for the couple of weeks, going to Mexico for some dental work and eyeglasses. There are a couple of casinos in the area which I’m sure we will have to visit sometime. And I hope to have a few days where we just sit around in the sun and do what I do best - - - NOTHING—.

So for now I’ll say bye and get this posted.

Thanks Chuck

Puerto Penasco, Mexico

Sunday, February 1, 2009
Lorraine's Report

It’s that time again, time to write for the blog. We are here in Mexico at Playa Bonita RV Resort in Puerto Penasco. We are just a short distance away from the beach. It has been sunny, with the temperatures in the lower 70’s during the day and 50’s at night. Some days the wind blows a lot while other times its calm. The beach is just a short distance from our coach.

We were in Gila Bend, AZ on Sunday and Monday, to stock up, clean up and wash everything up for this trip.

Tuesday we went to Organ Pipe National Park with Richard and Patsy Kind, Mark and Sue Didelot and Connie and Manuel Esparza. What a beautiful park. We took the 20 something mile loop and toured it all. All the different cacti in that park are so majestic and beautiful. When we finished the tour, I cooked spaghetti dinner for all of us.

That was sure was a great national park, but I thought the time you could run your generators could be more conducive for the rv’ers. Generator times were 8-10 in the morning and 4-6 in the afternoon, not enough time if your batteries were really low to charge them. Now this park was dry camping, no hook ups or water and the sites were narrow, with lots of cacti on each side of the pad. We got several deep scratches from the hanging branches on the side of the coach that Chuck is having sanded down and painted here in Mexico.

Wednesday morning all thirteen motor coaches met up by the US/Mexican border and started our drive into Mexico. We were seventh in line and I felt very safe. The Mexican border town was very poor looking with bars on most windows. That is very common all over here in PP.

Thursday was go shopping and exploring day for everyone. We all met up for lunch at Mary’s, a local restaurant that Linda #1 said had good margaritas. They had very good shrimp cocktails and great shrimp tacos. We all wound up back at the rv park for 5:00 o’clock happy hour and shared all adventures with each other.

Friday, a group of eleven from our group went out on a local charter. They left at 8 am and were back around 1:30. The cost was about $50 if you fished and $25 if you went along for sightseeing. It turned out the guy that promoted the fishing trip sub-contracted this trip out. They ran out of the bait that was catching the fish after a half hour. The wind was blowing and I guess it was rough seas, so several got sea sick. They ended up catching around three and a half pounds of fish for the trip. Several of the guys that stayed behind went into town and bought ten pounds of fresh fish for the fish fry that evening.

The gals that stayed behind went shopping in the morning down town, then had a great lunch. After that Manuel, Connie, Sue and I went looking for a beauty salon. Manuel, Connie and Sue wanted hair cuts, Connie and I wanted a manicure, as did Manuel.

Well, we went into one here and hair cuts were as much as back in the states, so we left. We went back to one we saw while looking for the first one. We went in and they said they could do all of us. That was about 1:40. They took Connie first for her pedicure. Around 3 pm, none of the rest of us had anything done. About 3:20, several gals came in and one took Sue in for her hair cut. One gal was a good hair cutter. A short time later, they took Manuel for his pedicure, then they cut his hair. They brought Connie out from her pedicure and cut her hair. By then, it was close to 4:15 to 4:25 and I asked Connie to tell them I did not want my pedicure. They were so slow, and I felt they wouldn’t be done in time to get back for our five o’clock happy hour. I should have gone shopping or sightseeing instead of wasting my afternoon in a tiny non-air conditioned shop. You live and learn.

Saturday we went back to what is called “Shack’s Fifth Avenue”. It is a street with a bunch of small shacks that sell souvenirs to tourists. Patsy was looking for a metal wall hanging for her coaches’ bathroom wall. She saw one earlier in the week but had to measure to make sure it would fit and it did, so she bought it.

Saturday was Sue Didelot’s birthday. Patsy baked her a cake, Connie made up some green tea and Trader Joe’s cake, and I took the last of the ice cream and we had a little party for her in the afternoon. Then that evening we all (25 people) went to the Playa Bonita Hotel’s restaurant for Sue’s birthday dinner. They had Mexican buffet for $8.75 and $2.00 margaritas for happy hour. There was a band, people were dancing, the food was good, a fun time was had by all.

So that brings us to today. It’s Super Bowl Sunday, so I decided to put on a pot of chili for the entire group. There’s suppose to be happy hour, then chili at half time. We went for a ride with our little group this morning. Then some of them went back out sightseeing and bought more shrimp to take back to the states.

I miss having our car here, so we could come and go as we like.

Well, that has been our week here in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. Till next time…we’ll see you down the road.

Lorraine




Sunday 2/1/09
Chuck's Report

Here we are in Mexico, having a good time. We are here with 12 rigs, most of whom were with us in Quartzsite for part of our time there. We are having a ball here, daytime temperature is in the 70s, nighttime in the high 40s, with a sea breeze almost all the time. We are having our regular 5:00 get-together with snacks enough for dinner. Sometimes we break out and play cards or something, pretty relaxing.

We left Gila Bend on Tuesday and headed towards Ajo, Az. to pick up our insurance papers. Everyone traveling to Mexico is required to have Mexican liability insurance and we had to purchase comprehensive to cover our rig too. There isn't much in the little town of Ajo but we managed to find a Dairy Queen for lunch. Not very fast service there, however, so would suggest next time you are in Ajo, don't stop at Dairy Queen.

We traveled a bit further and in Organ Pipe Catus National Park for one night as it's only about 20 miles from where we cross over into Mexico. While pulling into our site, I managed to put a new long scratch on the side of the coach, damn. And I wasn't even towing the car so can't blame it on that, just wasn't watching close enough. Another not so smart move on Chuck's part.

We got to Organ Pipe early enough so we took a car trip on a 20 mile scenic route with two cars. We rode with Mark and Sue, Manuel and Connie had Richard and Patsy ride with them. There are sure lots of catus in this area, different kinds too. It's pretty rough country with it's own style of beauty but don't think I would like to live here. The weather is nice this time of the year but it gets too hot 8 or 9 months of the year.

Next morning, we were to meet up with the rest of our group at the border in Lukeville, Az. We pulled into a large parking lot on US side and waited until everyone was ready. With some last minute instructions from Mike, we took off as a group for the border, just a few hundred feet South. I think only two people were even questioned at the border, they just waved the rest of us on through.

The 70 miles to Puerto Penasco (also called Rocky Point) was pretty un-eventfull. We are located at the Northeast portion of the Sea of Cortez. We passed through a couple of small towns and lots of desert and catus to get here. We traveled pretty much as a group, doing the speed limit but there still were lots of folks that had to pass us, once Mark had to almost pull off the road to avoid a car passing and one coming. All of the road is paved and in good condition, just like back home.

Once we got to town, we got spread out a bit more due to the stop lights and stop signs. As long as you could keep the rig in front in sight, we did fine. The roads in town had sand blown on them, a couple of places we had to travel dirt roads. Once we got to our campground (Playa Bonita Beach) and checked in we got to our spot and set up. Some of us had to go to the beach and check it out, Lorraine told us the water was cold, I believed her and didn't try to go in.

Since then, we have been to two sections of town for shopping. One area is affectingly called Shacks Fifth Ave. with lots of vendors (see picture below). The other are is called Old Town, this is on the East side of the harbor from where we are. Here is where the fish/shrimp vendors are located. You can buy fresh from them, we bought some shrimp and the ladies fixed them in different ways for a good feed.

On Friday a group of people were going fishing on a charter boat. I was going to go along with them but had the paint guys working on our rig so I elected to stay and supervise. There are a couple of other rigs getting work done. One of them is having the whole bottom section repaired and painted. These guys are doing a great job so far, can't tell where the damaged area was. Lorraine didn't want to go fishing either so she went into town to Shacks where she bought a gift for our daughter. Ha, ha, I know something you don't know, Susy.

They finished up with painting and buffing our rig on Saturday afternoon. I think they did a good job and the money was right too.

Three of the guys brought their four wheelers and invited some of us to go out riding with them. So we spent part of Saturday morning riding, what fun. I enjoyed this a bunch and wanted to have Lorraine try also. We set up a ride for her, Sue and Patsy for Sunday morning.

Saturday was also Sue's birthday. In the afternoon we went to Richard and Patsy's where we had cake and gave Sue some presents. That evening, everyone in our group got together and walked or rode to a restaurant just up the beach for dinner. I think everyone had the Mexican Buffet, it was ok. After dinner, Lorraine played cards, I learned a new game called Pegs and Jokers. After a couple of games, Lorraine and I decided to head back to our rig and call it a day.

So today is Superbowl Sunday. Lorraine, Sue and Patsy got their chance to ride the four wheeler this morning. Lorraine was riding for just a little bit (with Richard driving) before she decided it wasn't for her. Even with a much more sane driver (me) she still wanted to return to the rig so we came back. The game starts at 4:00 our time and we plan on watching it on our outside TV with anyone who cares to come over. Lorraine has been busy making chili for half time.

We also made a trip into an small town to the West of us after the four wheeler ride. There are lots of unfinished houses here, don't know if they are still working on them or if our economy is so bad they just left them unfinished for awhile. Also, there isn't any water system in town, all the building have tanks on their roofs and get water delivered to them. Some of these house look like they could be million dollar house and they don't have running water. I don't think I would like to live like that, having to be aware of all of your water usage at all times. Nice looking places but not for me.

So that was our week. Once again I have added lots of pictures, we were busy with our friends again. We will be here until Wednesday then head back to Gila Bend and Yuma for next week. Not sure where we will be parked in Yuma, have a couple of ideas and we will work that out before we get there.

So until next time, here are some pictures.

Chuck

Sue is surprised at her birthday party with a kiss from the waiter.


Sue being fed a shot of Tequila. She didn't know this was coming either.

Here we are after Lorraine agreed to dance with me, I don't think I stepped on her toes one time!

Nice sunset while we were eating at the restaurant.

A picture of the group at dinner.

Mike giving Sue a birthday present, wooden flowers he bought from a vendor on the beach.

Bet Sue wishes she had a real bottle that big, the band is singing Happy Birthday to her in Spanish and English.

The whole gang before we headed over the restaurant for dinner on Sue's Birthday. What a group and what fun.

Just to prove Sue did have a birthday cake. Happy Birthday, Sue!

A picture of our side of the loop we are parked, we are the second rig.

I put another scratch on the side last week. They do repairs plus painting for a very reasonable price right in the campground. Here is where they are working our our rig. Turned out real nice plus they buffed out all the tree scratches on that side too.

A picture of the harbor in town.

Lunch in town, no I wasn't drinking.

A picture from where we were eating lunch across the harbor to our campground.

Some of the stuff in a vendor's site.

More stuff. One of the shop owner said he had all the junk we didn't need for sale, know what, he was right.

More boats in the harbor.

Lorraine getting her feet wet in the water on the first day here. I took her word that it was too cold. Nice beach with very fine sand however. I was surprised at the tidal action, it looks like about 10' of water level change.

Here is the beach and a shrimp boat, view from our coach.

We drove through town to get to the resort, I think there were nine stop lights or signs so we got a bit staggered.

We waited just across the boarder for everyone to get through.

I wish I could remember what I was saying, everyone was paying lots of attention.

Some of the catus in Organ Pipe Catus National Park. We took a 20 mile drive through here.

A dying Organ Pipe Catus.

This catus seems to want to hug someone. Lots of different shapes on these catus.

Closeup of needles on a catus. I had one attach itself to my shoe, hard to pull the needles out.

One of them had some flowers. After the wet winter they had, they say there will be lots of flowers this spring.

A view of the desert. This is where the illegals travel, pretty rough area to travel though on foot. They really must want to be in the USA badly to go through this stuff.

R to L Lorraine, Connie, Sue, Patsy and Richard in the background.

Another Organ Pipe Catus.

Lorraine and Sue at a roadside catus.

One of the tallest ones we saw, over 50'. They grow about 1 - 1 1/2" per year and don't develop arms until they are about 50 years old, I'm told.