Rain from AZ to AL

Warning….boring post. (Just wanting to document this extremely difficult trip for future reference.)

We stay three nights at the Escapees Dream Catcher park in Deming…did I already say that?  Our time in New Mexico seems so long ago but it has been only 9 days!
One of the highlights of our stay is meeting a fellow blogger, Susan, of the Travel Bug.  It’s a brief encounter but it’s great fun to run across someone with so many shared interests! Our paths will cross again.
Leaving Deming we are perplexed about the route back east.  There is a great rain event coming and I can’t decide whether to go through Dallas or San Antonio.  We head east on I-20 and land in Pecos, TX at the Escapees park, Tra-Park.

 

Their dry camping spot is just outside of the office.  If the photo looks desolate, it is a dismal, bleak place.  But we are in west Texas.
It’s raining the next morning.  Nothing significant, just light rain.  We decide to take I-10 as the bad weather seems worse on I-20.
It’s around 200 miles to Sonora where there’s a little RV park at Caverns of Sonora.  It’s a quaint place but we have an electric hookup…our first in several weeks!  We decide against the cave tour as it will take several hours and it’s 20 bucks.  Maybe next year?

The truck and trailer are soaked from the rain and we give them both a good rubdown.
Another day of traveling in the rain deposits us in Boerne, Texas. (Say Burney, rhymes with Barney.)  We locate the Walmart and park in a nice quiet spot close to a Visitor Center. It’s a short travel day…due to the rain we drive less than 150 miles!  I manage to have fun by getting my hair cut and shopping. Forgot to take a photo of our great spot.
The next day we have a huge obstacle in our path…it’s called Houston! It is like a nightmare to drive through this town and I worry that the rain will stress me over the edge. But the rain has slowed and the sun is shining.  And I see clusters of blue growing along the freeway.  I believe it is bluebonnets!
Later I get it confirmed…they are bluebonnets!  My first sighting of the famous Texas flower.
The traffic in Houston is bad but not as bad as the last trip when we hit the city during rush hour.
We stop for the night at the Isle of Capri casino in Lake Charles, LA. Not sure if it is the anticipation of the good food or the great shower but both are appreciated!

I’m amused at the casino advertising.  We know nothing about gambling….I’ve never even played the lottery.  It appears that many people are enjoying this past-time.
We are getting closer to Alabama…just need to get through Louisiana and Mississippi.  But the heavens open and the rain gets heavy.  We go slow and try to stay safe.  I-10 slows to 5 miles per hour.  The west bound lanes are also crawling.  I notice flood waters lapping onto parts of I-10 west.  Began wondering if the flooding would trap us on the interstate.  We decide to go to Fontainebleau SP and get off onto SR 22. Traffic stops again after 5 miles as the road is underwater.  We manage a U-turn and head back to the parking lot of I-10.

This is a side road close to where we made the U turn.
After forever on the interstate we manage to get off at Covington and get to another Walmart.  (This is a special place….where we completed the paperwork last May to buy our Escape.)
We spend the evening doing more shopping and having dinner at a Chinese place.
The trip from Covington, LA to Summerdale, AL is uneventful.  We arrive at Rainbow Plantation, another Escapees park, before noon.  Again we choose to dry camp.  (The dry camping only cost $5.00)

Sylvester and David enjoy the green grass and tall pines.  The sunshine is lovely after all the gray wet days.
The next day we arrive at Gunter Hill COE near Montgomery, AL where we will be for the next 6 days.  And it is NOT RAINING!
Now we are having fun with our non-stop visiting!

Winter Paradise Ending!

 

The warm days are just getting warmer!  Looking to find somewhere cooler we travel east to the Congress area where the Escapees’ North Ranch is located. We decide to dry camp for a couple of days which turns into four nights!

Beautiful flowers are blooming in the ditch next to our spot.

We spend our days exploring the area, looking at the cute little houses and walking in the desert behind the park. A drive up to Prescott, AZ, finds big trees and, surprisingly, fruit trees in blossom!

David has another doctor’s appointment, it’s time to return to the big city of Phoenix.  David’s report is good….heart rate regular!  We say good bye and thank them for their excellent treatment.

We have one last week in AZ before it’s time to hit the road. We decide to spend it at Lost Dutchman SP…our very most favorite place!

 

 

 

 

 

 

It gets hot during the week with temperatures in the upper 80’s but we manage to survive without too much discomfort.

One day we drive up to the Tonto NF to visit Phon D Sutton, our favorite parking lot from last year.  The forest service has now banned camping and the area is deserted.

I get a real treat…no photos…but there is a river otter playing in the waves, one of the few I have seen in the wild.  He’s in the current where the Verde River runs into the Salt and he dives and cavorts..much like a porpoise!

On our last night John and BJ join us for dinner at the campground.

We have a great time sitting around the fire and swapping stories….forget to take photos!

Heading east, we take a new route through Globe and stay on HWY 70 until Lordsburg, NM.  We decide to stay in Safford, AZ at a RV park but it is not too appealing and there is a WalMart handy.

 

The Dream Catcher Escapees Park in Deming is our destination and our current location.  We are waiting for the big rain to move out of our path.  Meanwhile we are socializing and learning how to line dance!

The plan is to stay at Escapees parks on our way east…but you know how it is with jello plans.

Reservations at Gunter Hill COE start on 3/14/2016.  See y’all!

A Week at Buckskin and Musings

 

The musings come first.  Been wondering why on earth can’t I make myself sit down and write? Decided that I am just not motivated or there’s too much distraction with the ongoing medical issues and managing all the demands of the trailer.  And I’m seriously short on my “alone” time 

It is good to be around real live bodies instead of just cyber relationships but I’d like to have a better mix of both as I am missing my blogging friends.

With that said, I can resume our travel story.

This is the Colorado River at Buckskin Mountain State Park near Parker, AZ. The rv park on the opposite shore is in California. 

We are fortunate to book 3 nights at Buckskin just after the big Dome Rock gathering.  It is very hard to get into this park due to it’s popularity.

 

Our site is close to the river but it is also on a very busy corner with lots of traffic! On the third day the temperature hits 90F. We stay in with the A/C blasting!

We find that there are cabanas available and we move even closer to the river!

We stay another 4 nights, just not ready to leave the river, the coots and mallards and the ever changing colors of the Colorado River.

One morning I hike up the campground trail.  The path is straight up from the entrance.  The views are breath taking!

That’s our blue Tundra, middle left, at the top of the row of cabanas.

 

 

As I take this last shot, a fifth-wheel drives by and blows a friendly greeting. I wave, feeling connected to this vast world of snow birds.

David and I have been to this part of Arizona in 2012 but we didn’t go see the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City. It’s time to see a piece of history!

 

 

The path goes along this canal.

 

This is the 25th anniversary plaque. The bridge was taken apart piece by piece in London and shipped to CA.

We also missed the Parker Dam on our first trip. The road goes along the California side of the river.

It is famous for it’s depth under the river bottom.

It goes 235 feet below the river bed and 85 feet above.

 

 

These sad, but cute, little panhandlers were mooching just past the dam. Signs are everywhere saying to watch for the wild burros.

We say good-bye to Buckskin Mountain and head east, searching for some cooler temperatures.

There is an Escapees park with dry camping in Congress and the weather is said to be cooler!

We stay four nights at North Ranch, enjoying every moment. David sees his first pickle ball match.

We take the winding road up to Prescott (and stumble across more fiberglass friends hidden in the forest). We have dinner in a fancy small town diner and see real cowboys in Wickenburg.

And now we in the Phoenix relatives’ back yard, getting ready to celebrate the granddaughter’s birthday. It’s hotter than it is suppose to be by  15 degrees.  Would like to land on a mountaintop but David has another doctor’s appointment. Will be heading back to Apache Junction tomorrow.

Hello, Superstition Mountains!

Desert Rally and Rivers

 

Time to get caught up!

It is Superbowl Weekend and my new husband…the one with his heart in rhythm..says he must see Peyton play his last game. The big fiberglass rally at Dome Rock in Quartzsite, AZ starts Monday and we join our Texas/Mississippi gang at a park a few exits west of Dome Rock.

The campground is on the Colorado River. While the gang enjoys the game, I enjoy the water.

Meanwhile, back at the game, David seems to be enjoying his bowl of chili as much as the action.

 

Lots of socializing…we all have been going in separate directions for the past few weeks.

Monday morning comes too soon.  It’s time to give up all those extras….like electricity and water!

We relocate under the Dome Rock just off the road by the same name. Our Oliver friends,  our Mesa friends and other blogger friends are already there.

Over the week we watch all the fiberglass trailers arrive….until the rally morphs into the largest fiberglass rally ever!  By the following weekend, Greg, the host, reports 183 trailers register.

We choose a site ontop of the ridge that overlooks the rally.

We set up the baby Clam, hook up the portable solar panel and we are ready for a week of visiting.

View from our back yard….

Views from our hill top site.

 

I try to get a better photo of all the trailers and give up!  Everyone is spread out.  I visit by riding my bike from camp to camp.

Socializing is the main agenda! Taking sunset photos is secondary.

 

 

 

John, BJ and I decide to hike up Q Mountain. John finds the trail and BJ and I follow.  It is a very short hike but straight up!

 

Another view of the mountain.  There is a flag on top.

John and BJ do a little geocaching and I discover there is an app for that!

 

View from the top!

Looking down at an old mine.

Back to the rally.  This rally only has organized events on the last day.  The Ladder Ball Tournament is a favorite.

Music and campfire is a great way to end the week.

And the 2016 (record breaking) Q rally is over!

After the rally,we manage to get 3 nights at a state park in Parker, AZ.

But not ready to tell that story, yet!