A LATE UPDATE - FINALLY!

Well I have to apologize to you (we have much been too busy).

Up to a couple of days ago we didn't have full time Internet capability. That's a whole other story. Now we finally have a mobile router so anywhere we have cell phone capability we also have wifi!

Saturday October 20, 2012.
Well... we left Cochrane just in time sort of? (2 pm).
I jokingly said then that "we have to at least make Canmore" as we were so late leaving. 
It was our first snowfall (make that a Blizzard!) and we didn't even make it to Canmore!
We did make it a hour down the road though! 
All the way to the Scott Lake Hill west of Cochrane out by Morley! 

Spending the night in Morley Ab. The first Blizzard of the year came the day we left!

After taking a rest there and catching our breath we continued on to a safe spot for the night. On the way at one point I wondered what that black thing (in the blizzard) was as it was going across our path from right to left? As it turned out it was just another vehicle sliding off the road in front of us into the Median. I'm just glad he got out of the way in time. 

Due to our weight there was no way of stopping it was a sheet of ice!
Our Rig weighs in at 17,000 lbs dry and unloaded, add a 3700 lb Honda CRV (that we tow) and all the luggage - we are heavy!

The wind was howling, snow blowing and talk about ice! The defrosters couldn't keep the windshield clear!

That night we stayed in Morley on the "First Nations Reserve" at their Casino. We parked in the parking lot and we were so thankful for the furnace in that blowing cold snow! 
We had dinner in the Casino and went to bed early.

The next day we got up and hit the road. We made it all the way to Chilliwack BC where Wendy & Tim Woods live and were waiting for us. We stayed at their place a couple of days and we were ready to take flight. 

Wendy & Tim were buying a trailer near Los Angeles so they followed us down the west coast in their beautifully restored 71 GMC pickup truck.

Tim's Beauty - 1971 GMC Restored with lots of goodies including a 383 cid Stroker Motor!

Our first night after leaving Chilliwack was down in the Medford area of Oregon. 
Our second day was a long one and we made it to San Jose California just SW of San Francisco. 
We thank Wal-Mart for sponsoring our stays! We made sure it was worth their while too!


The third and 4th nights were a wonderful high-lite. Staying next to the beach down at Avila on the California coast (next to Pismo Beach). We loved this area after last years visit so had to come back! We had the best location up high over looking the Pacific Ocean and enjoying the Beach, Palm Trees and such beautiful sunsets. Perhaps next year we will stay more than a couple of nights!

The view from our Patio over Avila Beach California

I love this view through the front window of our rig. The Pacific Coast of California!

Ocean side nights in Huntington Beach! This sure beats our first night in Morley!

Our 5th & 6th nights were in Huntington Beach just south of Los Angeles. 
We love that spot too. We camped in the same place as last year next to the beach & ocean. Fred (a close friend that lives in H.B.) was able to join us both nights!




Wendy and Tim picked up their new Trailer while we were here in the LA area as we'll.


On the 7th night we didn't get too far. Tim's pickup truck decided she didn't like the hot So-Cal weather so we didn't get very far down the road. We stayed at another Wal-mart in Moreno Valley in (Riverside Ca.). 
Tim did some fixes (Put in a new aluminum radiator) and we were off!


The next day we got over to Morongo (First Nations Reserve) and camped in their Casino parking lot along with several other RVs. We got up the next morning ready to hit the road and guess what! Another issue with the poor truck? We were getting a little worried this time but Tim got her fixed. A Rocker arm had broke! He happened to have a spare one!

Now this truck is "Un-Stoppable!" Parked here along with Wendy & Tim's new  Tango trailer!

I have to hand it to Tim he's a great Mechanic (As well as a Master Body Man too).
We were hoping that's the last fix needed? Good news - Since then she has been "bullet proof!"


We hit the Freeway passing through Palm Springs and stopping at Palm Desert where we parked in another Casino parking area with about a dozen other RV's.

Camped in the desert at Quartzite Az.

The following night we roughed it 
Boon-docking on open desert land near Quartzite Az. (Free camping!).

No one around just us and the Scorpions, Rattlers, Coyotes and Stick Bugs!
Always worth the adventure and its free!







Sunday November 4th 2012, Phoenix!
To make a long story short we hit the SW corner of Phoenix (the city of Goodyear) and stayed there Sunday evening (Nov 4th) at where else? Wal-Mart!

Prior to settling for the night we stopped at a "truck stop."
Out comes the Visa card and we filled up the gas tank (Thats always scary!) while emptying the stinky tanks so that we had enough room to spend a week in the RV area at the NASCAR races. (Phoenix International Raceway or better known as PIR).
Unfortunately Barb forgot that she had set her wallet on the front bumper of the motor home!

Monday November 5th, 2012
Off to the Races!
It wasn't until Monday morning when Barb realized that her wallet was missing! 
She checked at the truck stop from yesterday and no one had turned it in. You can imagine the panic and phone calls to notify the banks and Visa etc.
The employee at the Truck Stop said it wasn't likely to turn up again - Not in this area!

Monday morning we joined up with 2 other couples who have Class A Motor homes. They are from the Yukon. We met them all last year and they became great friends. 

Arriving at Phoenix International Raceway Campground

So our caravan of 4 Rigs made our way over to the race track where we were to spend the next week "Dry Camping."
(Dry camping is when you camp with no hook ups for water, electricity or even cable TV! ).

Camping at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) is a blast!
LINK: http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/pir/





We got in early and got a great spot near where we were last year. We even got to circle the wagons! We boxed in a great patio area inside the 4 rigs which we parked in a square.


There's no hook ups here so we have to rough it with several thousand other RVers and tents. Sort of reminds me of a modern day Woodstock!
6000 RV's and 24,000 people live in the camping area during race week.

We camped here in the in the desert so Scorpions and Rattlers are always a chance encounter but we still didn't get to see any! The Coyotes make the odd cry out to the moon at night but the rest Is like living in a city of RV's. It really is a lot of fun and one has to see it all to believe it! 

They even have a temporary grocery store (huge), Porta-Potties everywhere, A Camping store and portable showers - all temporary, clean and well kept!


The skies are deep blue and the morning sunrise is some thing I just love down here. The sunsets at night are some of the best anywhere!

Camping at Phoenix Races - Fun both day and night!

The weather at the track was in the mid 90's F and the ground temps were hitting 114 F!

On Tuesday we got a phone call! Someone found Barb's wallet!
All was still there except a small amount of cash! We were so thankful!!!
The funny thing is that on the same day Barb found her I-Pod which had been missing for a year too. Weird!

GOUT "101"
About 3-4 days before this I started feeling a weird pain in my right foot?
It progressively got worse and worse over the days. As it ended up it got so bad I couldn't put any weight on it nor could I walk anywhere! 
It was so painful! We think we narrowed it down to a case of Gout? 

Nothing that heavy hits of codeine couldn't handle though!

Thursday I woke up and it seemed a lot better so we prayed that it was going to leave so that I could make it over to the race track for all the practices, qualifying and races (4 days of events). Well guess what our prayers were answered!

If you have ever had Gout you know what I mean by intense pain. 
If you haven't had gout you don't want to know trust me!


RACES AT PHOENIX
As most of you can imagine this is my favorite part (Jim's not Barb's) of coming down here. We camped there a week and spent 4 days right at the track. A week of camping for $60.00!
We plan on coming back again at the beginning of March 2013 for the next NASCAR Race. More news to come on this later.

Sherry & Rick's Monaco

Circle the Wagons!

Sunset at Zoom Town!

Monday November 12, 2012
On the Monday Morning after the races ended we started to pack up. There is no rush leaving as there is about 5,999 other RVs that want to get out of here too! 

Once we got out we headed to our trusty RV Spot in Apache Junction. This is just on the east side of Mesa which is on the east side of Phoenix. 

Same place as last year cuddled up near the Superstition Mountains. The Wood's are here with us as well as Ruth & Don from the Yukon. Our other friends Sherry & Rick have a house in Mesa so they just park their Rig (photo above) and stay at their house (They are from the Yukon too).

As of November 19th we have been in Apache about a week. Most of the time spent here is relaxing, visiting, polishing cars, fixing stuff or out shopping. Soon I'll get enough nerve to wash and clean the outside of the motor home!

Drag Racing and... well... even more Stock Car Racing.
On Friday night we went with Rick and Ron to FireBird Raceway and went Drag Racing. They have two Drag Race cars. What a blast!

Last week we found out there is a dirt track (Stock Cars) about 7 miles away as luck would have it they were to race Saturday night. 

Sunday was... yes you guessed it the final NASCAR race on TV. That was our weekend! 
We had to get our last fill as NASCAR is over now until February.

So there... you have it. We lead boring lives really... unless you like car racing hahaha.

This week we plan on doing more Reno's to the motor-home. Barb just installed new bathroom taps! They look great. We also put in a new Shower Head so its just like living at home now!

Another thing on our agenda is the "Wing Nite" at "Filly's."
One of our favorite places to go for a relaxing feed of huge tasty wings, its becoming a weekly event since last year!

Most mornings are spent on the patio with coffee. I have been getting up between 6 and 7am most days so its nice, quiet and a slow way to wake up to such beautiful days. I take Romeo for a walk and sometimes even take my bike for a spin.

November 21, 2012.
Today we went out and bought a new "Laytex" foam bed. Most mornings I wake up with a sore back and neck so we made the plunge. I can not wait until it is ready, its being made right now.

Barb has gone on one organized hike and expects to go each and every Friday. I'll join her if my back gets to normal.

Other days are spent touring around, shopping and some of the gang go to Auctions & Garage Sales. Its amazing what they come back with!

I brought my Mountain Bike down this year so got her all tuned up and have started to ride again. Its no Harley but its fun and exercise is something I have been lacking.

COYOTES
The other night I was relaxing in the warm dark evening on my patio. I could hear some rustling in a garbage can somewhere off in the distance. Within a minute or so I was visited by a single Coyote. They are smaller here and I'm not sure he was even aware of my presence. He wasn't any more than 15 feet away! Amazing!

GUNS, GUNS & MORE GUNS!
As you may know carrying guns here is entrenched in the American Constitution. I have seen people before down here wearing side arms like a police officer would back in Canada. Today when we bought our mattress we were dealing with the owner of the company. A nice man and very honest. As we were looking at the display models in the showroom he laid down on a bed on his tummy. It was at that time I noticed he was wearing a small pistol inside of the back of his pants. No matter how many times I see normal everyday people wearing guns I'm still not used to it! It makes one wonder how many are packing that you don't even know about? Lesson of the day: Drive nicely!

ROMEO
Our pet dog Romeo hasn't been fairing too well this trip. He has had problems with an infection on his tail which we hope is finally healed. Add to that... one day he fell of the bed and hurt either his hips or lower back (or both). We took him to a Doctor and they felt that he had arthritis (we already knew) and likely pulled muscles and or ligaments. Thankfully nothing was broken! He has had some bad days and some good one's too but he's definitely slowing down a lot. Some days he can't even walk at our speed. This saddens us so he is being spoiled as best we can to keep him comfortable and happy.

BACK HOME MID DECEMBER to MID JANUARY!
We have been missing our family, our 3 great Children, their spouses and our Grandson.
Its hard to believe we will be making the Trek back home in just a few weeks. We hope to leave here about Dec 10th as its 3 long days to drive home and may be worse depending on weather. We are excited as we have another Grand-Baby coming due Dec. 14th!
So we will get to share in that and Christmas with family too!

MAP
Here's a map so you can see where we are staying: (scroll to the left to see Phoenix).  
LINK: http://www.arizona-mapsite.com/us_az_apache_junction_go.html


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We hope life is warmer up there this week for you! Stay warm and stay safe!

Jim & Barb
E: JGMessner@Gmail.com

Loving Life in the Desert!