Clouds Roll in but it is still winter in Arizona.

Wednesday, Mar. 15^th here in Ridgeview RV Resort and the clouds have moved in. Still calling for 93F and we are still not complaining. Bill and I were up just after 6:30 this morning to read posts and have our first coffee.

Catching the sun just before she pops up

I need to find some good tea down here. I don’t like the bags with the strings on them, their tea leaves a lot be desired. I bought these by mistake and today I had tea grains with each mouthful. Pitoou! I thought I was buying the right kind, you know, actual tea bags in a box but when they say ‘individual’ they mean individually wrapped in paper and attached to a string. LOL

Horseshoe pits in the park

Enough about tea. Now coffee. Okay, we treat ourselves daily by using our Keurig, I’ve mentioned this before. However, when we shopped at Costco in El Centro, Ca, Bill accidentally picked up the box of Starbuck cups instead of the Kirkland brand. Blech! Not big fans of Tim Hortons’ coffee, because it is so strong, we are even less fans of Starbucks….now. As Bill says, no matter how you doctor it up, it still is not a good cup of coffee, in our opinion.

I'm thinking she'll dance on the pole?? Interesting.

The breakfast blends, medium roast, that we have picked up down here in various stores have been really quite nice. I’ve stopped drinking it and the tea which means I’m drinking apple cider now or my specialty coffee. It just isn't the same, we need to add it to our grocery list.

this Acacia tree is loaded and almost done for the season

There are a few things down here that we can’t find anything to match back home but then there are other things we love. Let’s talk bread. Gag! The loaves of bread here are not fresh, there is no give at all when you try to lightly squeeze for freshness. I’ve bought freshly baked French or Italian and they are nice but unless you ask the bakery to slice it for you, like Oscar does, it is crumbly, uneven and doesn’t make the best sandwiches.

A lot of people in the park taking advantage of this RV wash service

With this in mind, I picked up a pack of hamburg buns, the large ones with sesame seeds on the crust. They were heavenly fresh and great for Bill’s lunch time sandwich. I had already bought a pack of 2 loaves of ‘non-fresh’ bread (my words, not theirs) at Costco and with no room in the freezer, they have kept well in our fridge for at least 3 weeks. What does that tell you? The remainder was made into the bread pudding I mentioned earlier in the week. It is all made up ready to pop it in the convection oven early tomorrow morning.

Nice views from this park, no matter which way you look

We were warned about the cheddar cheese down here, before we came. Told that we would never be happy with the choices. It doesn’t matter who told us that but we think their experience must have been from years ago because we have found two or three brands of the best cheddar we’ve tasted. One is Tillamook, Kirkland and the other name escapes me but I think it was the store brand. We can buy them at a reasonable price in a large 5” x 2” block. Very, very good, their medium and their old/extra old.

I just shoo'd them out of our hitch

Not on Bill's watch!

I was also warned in November that I should savour my last bit of Caesar mix, aka Clamato, because I would not be happy with the choices here. Okay, so I ran out a while ago and put off buying anymore, until last week. It is still brand name, Clamato, but they don’t offer any of the ‘spicy’, ‘extra spicy’ or ‘the works’, just the ‘original’.

Not going to see these back home

Surprisingly, when I do have a caesar at Happy Hour, the vodka and my own spices added to it still glide over my tongue quite nicely. Maybe not the perfect taste, but close enough. So I think once in a while is the ticket, too often and the drink would taste only so-so. I believe I'm done my rant about food/drink in the southwest.

Bullhead City bus 

Oh, I did want to mention that this park has an abundance of pigeons, ravens or blackbirds, mourning doves and quails but it is the pigeons who are the nuisance. We hear them all over but they have a habit of building nests in the fifth-wheel hitches.

Each day for the past couple I’ve heard muted cooing from inside our Suite and each time I’ve come out and watched 2 pigeons scramble from way back inside our hitch. Bill has tried to discourage them a couple of times but today he put an end to their home building. That’ll fix them!

It has been a hot day with a nice breeze and the clouds finally moved out of the way for the most part. Bill and I decided to try Avon again this afternoon and I was able to talk my way into a nice 2 for 1 deal. I had a nice chat with the ladies at Amy’s Avon and they were very inquisitive when I told them I was a rep back in Canada. I can see myself going back but I will call first to see whether what I need is on sale.

My burrito

Bill's burger

Then we stopped at AutoZone so Bill could pick up some cleaner for the truck that he was looking for and he was very happy to find that DEF fluid was on sale. Bonus! We popped in to say hi to Kevin at the Tattoo shop where Bill got his tattoo in November but he hadn’t shown up yet. I got some pictures of his co-worker’s Harley. Love the skeletal hands holding the mirrors.

Love the heat and the skies as we left Chili's

Home again by 2:30 and I soon took off for the pool. Countdown, remember? I only have a few days left to fully enjoy this heat and these amenities in the park. The water is getting warmer every day and I enjoyed both the pool and the sun.

I noticed that Lori and Roland, Judy and Oscar and Shatzi were out when I rwalked back at 4:15 but I just waved hello. Bill had suggested we go to Chili’s, one of my favourite places to eat down here, for supper. Another thing I want to get the most of while here, Mexican fare.

Bill ordered the Ultimate Bacon Burger and fries and I had the Smothered Beef Burrito with a side of black beans. It was delicious and we toasted with a marguerita to the great winter we’ve been having.  My burrito was huge and half of it came home with me. Yum, I get to savour it twice.

When we got back we took Clemson over briefly to say hi to the Dryden gang. Plus I wanted to check out Lori’s hair and congratulate her on her new wheels. Say what?? I hope it isn’t a secret because she is tickled pink……..er, black.

Lori sporting her new 'do'

It was pretty warm inside the Suite so Clemson and I sat outside for a while and read my book. He doesn’t get much out of the book but loves the attention while sitting on my lap. By the time we came in at 7, the sun had set, the air was starting to cool down, now only 82F  instead of 92F and it was more bearable inside.

I was anxious to see if my pictures show an improvement, but they didn't, almost worse so I'm going to have to clean them again. I had tried using my protective lens cover and now wonder if that is what made it worse. The pictures you see today have been 'spot fixed' because they were so bad.

Thank you for reading today, I would love to hear from you.

Time to Move On, Bullhead City, Meeting up with Friends

Tuesday, Mar. 7^th is our day to pull up stakes. Seems like that is the same for a few others we’ve talked to. The sun is up, just not over the Mohave mountain range to our east yet, the sky is blue and a cool start to the day. 47F here at the blm north of Lake Havasu City. We will be sad to leave this place, it is another wonderful spot and will return next trip.

I will miss the sun on my Hand Mountain each morning

We have reservations at Ridgeview RV Resort in Bullhead City for a two week stay and that will also be nice to have that time to settle. Soon it will be time to move, move, move on the trip back home to Ontario. We have friends already at Ridgeview, who go to that park twice a year and also our friends from Illinois are joining us for 4 days. Looking forward to it all.

Quiet roads

Even quieter Route 66

We are pretty much packed up, just the usual last minute things to do and they won’t take long. Usually within half hour from when we start, our wheels are turning. We had a bite to eat and were on the road by 9:30.

Turning off I-95 onto I-40W brought us to the CR1 turnoff towards Bullhead City and Oatman. This is the road we missed back in November and ended up taking the longer way through Needles, CA back onto I-95 again. It is weird because what we are looking for is actually AZ-95, the state highway. It brings us into Bullhead City to the Parkway where Ridgeview RV Resort is located.

Kinda cool seeing 5 para gliders and this one with water skiis

Two lane County Road 1 with some construction

No wrong turns or drive-bys this time, we were on the ball. Funny how the scenery we saw on our first trip and was really impressed by, doesn’t strike me with the same punch after what we have seen further west and south. It is pretty here, don’t get me wrong but in comparison? Well, you get my drift.

We arrived at the park and checked in by 11:00 and even got to choose our site. Last time we were in #60 and had a tree at the south-east corner of our spot. I was not happy with this as it took away the only sun I would get on our patio, since we were facing east. Today we chose #61 facing the same way but no tree so we will have the morning sun. With the rising temperatures, I don’t think I’ll mind a bit of shade later in the week.

We also reserved site #62 beside us for our friends, Ken and Nancy who arrive tomorrow for 4 days. We think they will like it. We were all set up inside by 12 noon and I made up a couple of lettuce, cheese and ham cutters for lunch. It feels good to be hooked up to water and electric for a couple of weeks. A little bit of luxury before the overnight stops in our future.

Today, being Tuesday, seems to be the typical day we move and it means getting the satellite dish set up as early as possible. It was easy to find it so we’ll be watching our favourite shows on tv tonight.

We watched our taped version of The Voice from last night and then accepted the invitation to Lori and Roland’s Happy Hour at 3. I’m afraid I was negligent and didn’t get a picture today, next time. We had a great time catching up for a couple of hours before coming back to the Suite for dinner.

The sun was hot and the wind died down before 6, what a lovely evening. When Bill was barbecuing our sausage, he called me outside so I grabbed my camera and caught these guys running through the wash. We were just talking about them with Lori.

Road runner - beep beep

When we finished our sausages and salads we starting watching our shows at 6. Because of the overlaps, we need to record some on our pvr for another night.

My favourite is still the gamble quail

This has been a good day, moving early to a new place and the feeling comes over us of peace and relaxation. I’m hoping the forecast is right so I can take a dip in the pool sometime over the next two weeks………….but not holding my breath, it isn’t heated.

Backed up to the wash in a nearly full park

Site #61

Hope your day was a good one and all the moves happened successfully. 

Good night from Ridgeview RV Resort

Thank you for reading. Comments are always welcome!

Last Day at Ridgeview RV Resort

Monday, Dec. 5, we slept in until almost 8 but I dressed and got a mile and a half walk in around the park. There is a walking class at the clubhouse Mon. Wed. and Fri. but after taking part in a couple, I realize that outdoors is where I prefer to walk. I get bored with the same instructions and instructor too easily, especially on a dvd.

From our site down to the casinos in Laughlin, Nv

Bring on Christmas

Daytime view from our site

My walk this morning took me to higher sights
 Today found us heading into Bullhead City one last time to pick up things on our ever-building grocery/liquor list. Obviously, with smaller spaces in the Suite than in our former home, we find ourselves shopping more often. This is fine, it seems to prevent us from buying more than we need which then means less food to go stagnant.

Looking over the park to Laughlin, Nevada

We tasted a wonderful drink at one of Oscar and Judy’s happy hours last week and within seconds had to know where they got it. Today, we stopped at Walgreen’s to pick up some Christian Brothers Holiday Nog. Oh, my goodness! This treat will be nice for a change this Christmas season. A few stops, the Bank, Pet Smart (to pick up some of the dreaded dogfood the border guard wanted), Walmart and finally to fill up with diesel. Price was right on Bullhead Parkway for $2.39/gal.

We were home again around 1 and began putting groceries away. I know we both slept really well last night so I can’t explain it but when the food was stashed away and we had a bite to eat for a late lunch, all 3 of us had an afternoon siesta. Obviously, we needed it! We have a dear friend who is 91 and lives in B.C. who says “I don’t have afternoon naps, I will have plenty of time to sleep when I’m dead!” but Bill and I believe that we’ve earned a snooze whenever we feel we need one so we take one.

Renewed with energy, we started putting things away in and around the Suite, preparing to hit the road tomorrow. We really like this park and the area and recommend it to anyone, however, we’ve been here 2 weeks and we are ready to move on. Bill worked outside and I worked inside. It doesn’t take us long at all and soon he had one project left and not a favorite. The Q needed a good clean out so we shared the task.

A view of our site from the top of the hill

By 5 pm the sun was starting to lower in the western sky and things were pretty well organized.  With the late lunch, we decided that supper would be a simple meal of toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches. Yum, one of our favourite quick dinners.

We’ve had a wonderful day here with mostly sunny skies, no wind and a high temperature of 68F. Awesome! Tomorrow we will be going to Quartzsite to meet up with George and Suzie for a few days and truly experience boondocking.

Sharing some of our gorgeous sunsets here in the park

I hope your day was great too.

Thank you for reading and of course all comments are welcome.