Settled for the Winter in Apache Junction

Fri Dec 31
We visited several RV parks in the Apache Junction area to get a better feel for what is available. We then bid adieu to Milo and Ivan and moved to Countryside RV Park where we have reservations. They had earlier said it would not be a problem to move in a day early as the site was empty. The problems with internet access have apparently been corrected as it is working well this evening. The park is quite nice, seems quiet and has lots of large palm trees. It also seems nice not to be constantly concerned with conservation of power and water and to have continuous access to internet. We will be learning in days to come about all the activities that are available and we plan to make use of the laundry, exercise facilities, clubhouse, pool and hot tub. It is supposed to be another cold one tonight in the 20's but is supposed to warm up in the days to come. We stayed up to play games and usher in the new year. Happy 2011 to all! Our new address is:

Countryside RV Resort
2701 S. Idaho Road
Space 297
Apache Junction, AZ 85119

Who Said Arizona is Warm in the Winter?

Thu Dec 30
Boy what a night last night. The wind was howling, the motor home was rocking and rolling and the rain was beating down all night. It cleared up a little during the day but the wind kept blowing all day and it stayed in the 40's. In the afternoon we went to check in at the park and sign up for internet but the internet service was horrible. We sent a complaint and hope it improves. We plan to move there tomorrow. In the evening we played games with Ivan and Milo and had a fun time before we turned in for a night that is predicted to be in the mid 20's. So what happened to all that Arizona warmth I've heard about?

Frost Coming to Phoenix

Wed Dec 29
This morning we drove into Chandler to visit Dad's Aunt Eula and help her Grandson, Kevin, pick fruit. Aunt Eula is still not looking or feeling well. Tangerines will be damaged with the coming hard freezes that are expected Thursday and Friday nights. We picked about five bushels. Apparently grapefruits and oranges are less likely to be damaged so they were left on the trees. Kevin let us take all the tangerines, oranges and grapefruits we thought we could use and we are in hog heaven. Last night I bought a citrus juicer and the taste of fresh citrus fruit juice is unlike anything you can create with store-bought fruit. Shortly after we got back to camp it began raining quite steadily and it is quite cool. I guess the walk we were going to take will have to wait for a better day.

A Nice Day for a Hike

Tue Dec 28
Today we went with Milo on a 3-mile hike over the Goldmine Trail in the San Tan Mountain Maricopa County Regional Park near here. It was very steep and slippery (loose gravel) in places but provided nice views of the Phoenix area valley as well as lots of desert and mountain scenery. In the afternoon we went grocery shopping and finished the evening watching Red Skelton shows with Milo and Ivan from the collection they gave us for Christmas.

Queen Creek Adventures

Mon Dec 27
We volunteered to clean up trash from Ivan and Milo's property today. We and Milo collected three large garbage bags full, much of which gets carried in by the wind and floods. Milo came to live with Ivan recently and prior to that Ivan's health is such that he is not able to do this kind of physical work. In the afternoon we took the brothers with us to visit the Countryside RV park where we will be staying and looked at our site. It is a nice park with lots of palm trees and a close-up view of the Superstition Mountains. We are excited to get settled for the remainder of our winter here. After that we drove back from Apache Junction into Mesa to the Mesa Temple grounds. On the way in we witnessed a most gorgeous sunset. The temple grounds are decorated with the most beautiful display of lights and Christmas scenes you can imagine. At 7PM we listened to a Christmas concert put on in Spanish by a local choir and orchestra that added a very nice spirit to the experience. After the concert we had dinner at a Chick-Fil-A and headed for the barn. Today was over 80 degrees but record cold weather is predicted for later this week.

Renewing Family Ties

Fri Dec 24
We hit the road early and arrived at Dad's cousins' place near Queen Creek just after noon. His cousins from his Uncle Lowell Walker (Grandma Lewis's brother) and Aunt Florence are Ivan, Ruby and Milo. Ivan and Milo are now single and living together on three acres of land pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. It is quiet and we now have reliable internet until we move into our park January first. Milo's oldest son and his family are here for the weekend from the Salt Lake area and Ruby's daughter Alayne and her kids, who live in the area, came over in the afternoon. We had a wonderful pot luck dinner and played games until we laughed ourselves silly. The two favorites were "Mafia" and "What if." Our kids will relate to Mafia. In "What if" everyone writes a question that begins with, "What if...." The papers are then shuffled and redistributed and everyone writes an answer to their question. Then we go around the circle with each reading their what if question and the next person reading their answer (which was to a different question). Most times the unrelated answer coincidentally answers the question in a very funny way. We would all have a great laugh and then proceed until all questions had been answered. Try it some time and you will be surprised how fun it can be. We then all retired to wait for Santa's arrival.
Sat Dec 25
Christmas day! We woke up and let the families do their Christmas thing before going in for another delicious pot luck dinner. We then sat around and visited and got better acquainted and the kids had fun with our ladder golf game outside. We also got on Skype and talked with all our kids to check out their Christmas.
Sun Dec 26
We all attended church meetings with Milo and Ivan and Aaron's family in the morning. It was amazing to be back in a "normal" congregation with multiple babies fussing, few seniors and all Aaronic priesthood youth administering to and passing sacrament. When we got home we rested a while and then drove into Chandler to visit Dad's Aunt Eula who has been very ill and was just released from the hospital. She is 87 years old and is his Uncle Leland Walker's wife. Uncle Leland, who is already deceased, is another of Dad's mother's brothers. Aunt Eula is still not doing well but we hope her health improves. After that we drove on into Mesa to visit Dad's cousin Norman Walker and his wife Kathy. Norman is the son of Leland and Eula. We visited them when we were in Arizona with Lindsy about ten years ago and Lindsy and one of their daughters, Katy, became friends. We had a nice visit.

Yuma and Mexico

Wed Dec 22
Happy birthday today to Emilia and Avery! They look soooo cute and have really grown. Betty invited us over for breakfast to start the day. We then did some shopping and Dad and Keith went to glean broccoli and cabbage from fields already harvested. They then bought fruits at amazing bargain prices directly from the orchards. They came home with lemons, tangalos and grapefruit. Keith, Dad and I squeezed several pints of orange juice. Weather wise it has continued to rain off and on today but not a lot.
Thu Dec 23
We woke up to a bright sunny day and went with Keith, Betty and Paula to Los Algodones, Mexico just across the California border. We parked in a huge parking lot and walked across the border. There was absolutely no security check into Mexico. The streets were lined with sidewalk barkers for dental work, pharmaceuticals, liquors, jewelry, blankets, clothing and many forms of art and craft works. I bought some antibiotics at a pharmacy and four silver necklaces. Dad bought a custom-painted, personalized ammo can for his dune buggy tool box. We then sat and watched about a half hour while the artist painted it. He used spray paints and fire and dobbed what looked like sprayed paper with very little brush work for the details. It turned out absolutely beautiful. To me it looks too nice for the intended purpose. We had lunch while listening to live music under a huge tree in an open area surrounded by shops. Then to get back across the border we waited in a long line to go through customs. Upon returning back to Yuma Dad and I went to visit the Old Yuma Territorial Prison State Park in town. It operated from 1876 through 1909. To begin with it was built by the same inmates that were imprisoned there. There was a short video and many exhibits in the museum with much detail about inmates, their crimes and punishments and prison life in general. It is located on the banks of the Colorado River and the area is quite scenic with a couple of historic bridges across the Colorado River next to the prison. Toward evening we bid Betty and Keith adieu, started for the Phoenix area and stopped at a rest area just before dark for the night.

Checking Out Yuma

Mon Dec 20
This was a day of breaking camp and preparing to leave tomorrow morning for Yuma. We have made plans to meet with Betty and Keith Tilley (Evan's mother and step dad) there and spend a couple of days exploring the Yuma area before moving on toward Phoenix by Christmas Eve. This afternoon, even though it was a little breezy, we took a five mile hike around town from camp and back. We also visited a large RV service dealer west of town and noticed some miniature Christmas trees that were decorated around the store. I made the comment that I had been looking for a small Christmas tree for my motor home and the lady picked one up, handed it to me and said, "Merry Christmas." So now I have a Christmas tree for the motor home.
Tue Dec 21
We made the relatively short trip to Yuma today and found Betty and Keith and Betty's sister Paula. They have a very nice park model in a large park in Yuma. The scenery change was amazing just as we were entering Yuma as desert changed to huge fields of lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower and other vegetables. There are also many citrus fruit trees all around town loaded with oranges, tangerines, lemons and grapefruits. It rained on us a little off and on all the way down and then rained considerably more after our arrival. We spent a quiet afternoon with Keith, Betty and Paula and we enjoyed a very nice lunch and dinner in the evening with them. Our motor home is parked in a different park a short distance away in front of a park model that is currently vacant that belongs to Keith's sister.

Preparing to Leave Quartzsite

Sat Dec 18
Today was a laid back day. We read our books until after noon. Then I hauled Dad around shopping. The huge gem store was full of beads and jewelry. It was the biggest store I have ever seen with beads and the makings for jewelry. Even at that I didn't find what I wanted so we went to another jewelry store. Then we hit a few flea markets loaded with the most junk I have ever seen. We bought groceries at the General store where I got sticker shock to say the least. We than came home to eat dinner and read our books. Can you tell it was a good day?
Sun Dec 19
We woke up to watch a gorgeous sunrise and attended church. The branch choir put on a very beautiful and touching Christmas program. It has been very windy for the past couple of days but still not too cool.

More Quartzsite...

Wed Dec 15
This morning we did laundry and had some downtime. We also found a more padded bicycle seat for me. Then in the afternoon we took an 8-mile bicycle hike. At the end my back side felt much better than the two earlier times. I might just be able to get used to this bicycling thing. It is overcast and cooler today than it has been but still pleasant. We finished the day by inviting Phil to dinner in town (good BBQ ribs) and a movie afterward.
Thu Dec 16
It was raining and a little cooler (60's) than the last few days. We first went to a craft and painting class at the QIA (Quartzsite Improvement Association). After that I wanted to look at RV's (Dad didn't know why). Anyway we talked to an RV salesman for about two hours and got a free lunch for looking at a motor home. Dad says I am thinking we are richer than he does but it was nice. Anyway this was just "entertainment" wasn't it? After that we visited the Tyson's Well Stage Station Museum in town. This was a historic stage stop with a good well that was welcome to early desert travelers. There were many historic artifacts and photos to see in the original adobe brick building that has been restored. In the afternoon we took a good two-mile hike down the Old Yuma Road past where Phil is camped. On the way back we stopped for a brief visit with him and then returned to camp just about dark. In the evening we went to a "Desert Music" show at the QIA center. This consisted of a five-person band, four guitarists and a lady on the keyboard. The band accompanied a number of artists playing guitar or fiddle while singing in turn. The show started out with a couple of Christmas songs by the band and then the main show was a Western theme. Nearly all performers, band members and songs they sang predated me but suited the average audience very well if you get my drift. However we did have a fun time and very much enjoyed the show. After the show we toured the town to check out all the entries in the city Christmas Lighting Contest. A number of entries were in RV parks. Now when was the last time you toured trailer parks in Pocatello to see Christmas lights? Well here that's where the rich people live. It was also strange to me to see so many palm trees decorated with Christmas lights. Some displays were very pretty and we picked our choice to vote for.
Fri Dec 17
We took it easy around camp in the morning. Then I prepared a casserole for the ward pot luck Christmas party later today. We then took an 11-mile bicycle ride with Phil that pretty much traced the outer perimeter of the town of Quartzsite from camp and back. This time it was Dad's turn for a minor crash just as we were returning to camp. In the evening we went to the ward Christmas party. There were a lot of people there and plenty of choices for our meal. After dinner there was a program featuring a number of musical numbers by branch members and visitors. All were Christmas related and we had a good time. However it seems hard to get the Christmas spirit without the traditional home environment and weather.

More Quartzsite...

Mon Dec 13
Today was a fairly quiet day. We visited the senior center this morning for wifi and to check out the crafts class. We then did a little shopping and went for about a 3-mile bike ride. My bottom was far to sore from the ride last week for any more.
Tue Dec 14
We went touring south of Quartzsite today, again with Phil. It has been fun spending time with him. We did quite a few miles of gravel roads to see two attractions. The first was Palm Canyon. This is the only place in Arizona where palm trees grow in a canyon. They are seen after a steep, rough half-mile hike from the parking area in a narrow canyon high on the mountain within a larger canyon. The mountains are solid rock, almost devoid of vegetation, very steep and quite picturesque. The small palm grove provided quite a contrast. We then traveled further south to the ghost town and mining district of Castle Dome City. Silver mining was done here from the mid 1800's through the 1970's. It was very well preserved and well worth the long dusty gravel road to reach it. The city area was similar to Custer on the Yankee Fork near Stanley, Idaho but with much more to see. There were many buildings including a church, bank, several bars, motel, blacksmith shop, sheriff's office and jail, general store, dentist's office, gas station and much more. All were well preserved with more displays of era memorabilia in each building than one might imagine. Much history was recounted and posted throughout the town. The adjacent mining area was ticketed separately and was interesting but nothing compared to the town site. It was a somewhat tiring day but very worthwhile. The weather continues to be sunny and into the lower 80's. We learned that yesterday set a record high for Quartzsite.

Quartzsite Continued...

Sat Dec 11
This morning I cut Dad's hair outside the motor home. Then we toured again with Phil. We first headed west on I-10 to Ehrenberg, Arizona and took a gravel road south along the Colorado River where we saw huge cotton fields being harvested. Along the edges of the fields the cotton had been pressed into huge bales. A little further we came to a cliff alongside the road that had a large honey bee hive in an opening in the cliff face. The bees could be seen flying in and out and many honey combs dangled from the ceiling of the opening like a large vertical venetian blind. A little farther on we crossed the river into California and traveled south through the small town of Palo Verde to the Palo Verde County Park on Oxbow Lake which is a narrow lake that branches off the Colorado River. It was a pretty scenic place. We then retraced steps somewhat back to the Arizona side of the river to the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge. Near the visitors center is a loop drive with a one-mile loop trail part way around the drive where we enjoyed a peaceful and scenic hike to a viewing blind. This overlooked a huge swampy field where literally thousands of Canadian Geese and a few Snow Geese were spread out before us making a lot of noise. We found that the noise was due to a coyote that was looking for lunch with no luck as clouds of geese took to the air in front of him and eventually settled back down. Along the trail we also saw a pair of mule deer and a number of different song birds. Once back in the car to finish the driving loop we saw Sandhill Cranes, many more geese, a Road Runner, hawks, a small Burrowing Owl, a large herd of deer and many more small birds. Around camp we have also seen numerous small quail, mourning doves and other birds. We then headed back through the tiny and very poor looking town of Ripley to Blythe, California where we had Chinese food for dinner and headed back to camp to witness another beautiful sunset.
Sun Dec 12
Today we attended church here at the branch in Quartzsite. The chapel and cultural hall were packed with about 98% of the congregation over 60. It was quite a different experience from times past in Island Park on Memorial Day with similar crowds but with a much more diverse age distribution. We have enjoyed another day in the lower 80's and I'm loving it! Today has been a time to catch up with internet business, talk to families and watch another beautiful sunset. Happy tenth birthday tomorrow to Travis McKnight!

Exploring Quartzsite Area

Thu Dec 9
First thing this morning Dad tried to find out why the air conditioning on the Elantra has quit to no avail. The remainder of the day was spent getting better acquainted with the town. We signed up at the senior citizen center to get more reliable wifi. We lunched at the Jerky Store then visited the library and a whole lot of flea market stores along Kuhen Road. In the evening we went to town to Skype as many of our kids as we could find home. It was fun visiting with each family and we plan to try again tomorrow evening.
Fri Dec 10
This morning we got our mail that Leta Shaffer had forwarded. This left plenty of business to take care of with taxes, insurances and bank statements. But we still spent over three hours touring the town on bicycles with Phil. Since he knew the area it went quite smoothly until just before home I crashed with some minor scuffs and bruises but nothing serious. In all we covered just about ten miles and visited a number of interesting places with a couple of rest stops along the way. The first was a car lot that specializes in cars with few exceptions from the 40's through the 70's. Some were customized and many were in very nice condition. We then made our way to the city park and visited Celia's Rainbow Gardens that were inspired by an 8-year old girl's untimely death who had dreamed of making the world a better place. Close to that near city hall were a number of Native Ironwood Trees along a wash, some of which are known to be over 1000 years old. It was over 80 degrees today and in spite of being a little sore it was a pleasant and fun day that was finished of with a beautiful sunset.