Good Morning!
First, I have to vent. Blogs are great, but they’re very time consuming. One can while away a lot of hours working on a blog. ESPECIALLY, if after all that time spent, some of it disappears or you can’t place the pictures where you want them. Grrr!!! So…. If YOU ever start a blog, type it in your word processor and save it. I’ve been doing that since the second day, but I lost a lot of the first day. It will be hard to do such a great job the second time around. : )
Also, I know my blog is extremely detailed, but if I don’t write those details down, I may not remember them. My sweet friend Terri says, “Life is in the details.” That’s good enough for me!
It’s Wednesday morning. I have a lot to do today, so I probably shouldn’t be doing THIS. Judy is in Santa Fe and I’m still in Albuquerque. We’re planning to meet in Tucumcari, NM this evening. That’s a three hour drive, technically, but it remains to be seen how long Lacey and I can make it take.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Enchanted Trails
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| Enchanted Trails |
I forgot to tell you about the RV park we‘re in. It’s an old RV park on Route 66 in Albuquerque called Enchanted Trails. There's a picture in the office of this place when it was a trading post. My dad and Mickie stayed here while their home in Albuquerque was being built. I have been staying here since the second time I drove my Roadtrek to Albuquerque.
It’s a Passport America park, so it’s half price. I believe the fee is $15. During the Balloon Fiesta it will be $45.95. Each site has full hookups. I like it here. Its parts are old but the ambiance is nice.
Rest and Relaxation
Yesterday was a very relaxing day. I figured out that the electricity at my site is fine. I just didn’t give the gizmo enough time to do its thing. Frankly, it’s a little slow at getting its job done, but it’s great to know a faulty electrical system will not get the opportunity to damage my Roadtrek.
I spent a lot of time on my blog in the morning, then I took a nice hot shower. I didn’t do the dishes yesterday, so… I have quite a few “dishes” to do today. Honestly, I don’t know where the time went, but it went and before I knew it, it was time to go visit my dad and Mickie. I said goodbye to Judy, who hadn’t left for Santa Fe yet, and headed for my dad’s house, via the post office.
Who knew that a post office with very few cars in the parking lot could take so long? I think I stood in line for an hour to send back something that I ordered by accident and get a few stamps.
I think I arrived at my dad’s house after one o’clock. He and Mickie were waiting for me. We headed for the Santa Ana Star Casino for a buffet lunch/dinner. It was a very tasty buffet. I had some very good Chinese food and then some very good Mexican food. They have a guy behind a glass display case cutting and serving the desserts. It’s a nice feature, but I think maybe it’s because that saves them a lot of money. Mickie and I weren’t shy. We asked for two desserts, one for lunch and one for dinner. No biggie!!!
Afterwards, we were stuffed, but my dad and I headed for the slot machines and gambled for a little while. I had a pretty good poker machine. I’m sure I would have played a lot longer, if I was on my own, but I decided to quit when I doubled my original $5. That’s unusual for me, both doubling my money and quitting while I still have it. Even though it’s a small casino, it took me quite a while to find my dad and Mickie. I don’t think my dad really wanted to quit, but he gave up the casinos for Lent and he didn’t have me as an excuse once I quit, so he had to stop.
We headed back to their house for a siesta. I hung out in the RT with Lacey, working on my blog. It was relaxing and the time flew by.
After a long while, Lacey and I went back in the house to visit before heading back to the RV park. My dad was working on someone’s resume in his office. Go figure!!! He’s a funny guy. Mickie and I watched two hours of Dancing with the Stars. That was entertaining. After a while, my dad emerged from his office and we visited a little longer before Lacey and I headed back to the park.
Lacey is funny with men, like my dad and my brothers. She’s very curious about them and sneaks up when they’re not looking. When they look up or move a little, she runs away barking her head off. I don’t know where she got the idea that we can‘t trust guys. Ha! Ha!
All the other dogs had to stay outside, so she felt pretty important. She demanded a lot of back scratching and Mickie accommodated her. Oh, well!!! She doesn’t see Grandma and Grandpa very often.
We got back to the park about 9:30. I worked on my blog and did nothing but damage to it. About ten o’clock, I remembered the tri-tip from the night before and fixed myself a sandwich. Lacey was very comfy on my bed. She didn’t even get up to check out the sandwich. She was very angry with me when I picked her up to put her in her crate. You don’t want to pick Lacey up when she’s angry. Believe me! She doesn’t really care for the crate. It’s a little bit cramped, but it keeps her from wandering during the night and we both get better sleep, so that’s the way it goes.
Well, as I said, I have a lot to do today, so I better get with it. It’s almost 8:30 a.m. I’m not looking forward to the drive to Tucumcari. I imagine it will be boring, but it has to be done. I think we’ll be in Palo Duro State Park on Thursday. My dad said that’s one of my brother Grant’s favorite places, so I better ask him about it. Away I go…
Oh!!! Judy just called. Here glasses broke during her visit in Santa Fe. She’s looking for a way to get them fixed. Luckily, she has another pair that will suffice for a short while. We might not leave for Tucumcari today after all. Either way, it's fine with me.
I spent a lot of time on my blog in the morning, then I took a nice hot shower. I didn’t do the dishes yesterday, so… I have quite a few “dishes” to do today. Honestly, I don’t know where the time went, but it went and before I knew it, it was time to go visit my dad and Mickie. I said goodbye to Judy, who hadn’t left for Santa Fe yet, and headed for my dad’s house, via the post office.
Who knew that a post office with very few cars in the parking lot could take so long? I think I stood in line for an hour to send back something that I ordered by accident and get a few stamps.
I think I arrived at my dad’s house after one o’clock. He and Mickie were waiting for me. We headed for the Santa Ana Star Casino for a buffet lunch/dinner. It was a very tasty buffet. I had some very good Chinese food and then some very good Mexican food. They have a guy behind a glass display case cutting and serving the desserts. It’s a nice feature, but I think maybe it’s because that saves them a lot of money. Mickie and I weren’t shy. We asked for two desserts, one for lunch and one for dinner. No biggie!!!
Afterwards, we were stuffed, but my dad and I headed for the slot machines and gambled for a little while. I had a pretty good poker machine. I’m sure I would have played a lot longer, if I was on my own, but I decided to quit when I doubled my original $5. That’s unusual for me, both doubling my money and quitting while I still have it. Even though it’s a small casino, it took me quite a while to find my dad and Mickie. I don’t think my dad really wanted to quit, but he gave up the casinos for Lent and he didn’t have me as an excuse once I quit, so he had to stop.
We headed back to their house for a siesta. I hung out in the RT with Lacey, working on my blog. It was relaxing and the time flew by.
After a long while, Lacey and I went back in the house to visit before heading back to the RV park. My dad was working on someone’s resume in his office. Go figure!!! He’s a funny guy. Mickie and I watched two hours of Dancing with the Stars. That was entertaining. After a while, my dad emerged from his office and we visited a little longer before Lacey and I headed back to the park.
Lacey is funny with men, like my dad and my brothers. She’s very curious about them and sneaks up when they’re not looking. When they look up or move a little, she runs away barking her head off. I don’t know where she got the idea that we can‘t trust guys. Ha! Ha!
All the other dogs had to stay outside, so she felt pretty important. She demanded a lot of back scratching and Mickie accommodated her. Oh, well!!! She doesn’t see Grandma and Grandpa very often.
We got back to the park about 9:30. I worked on my blog and did nothing but damage to it. About ten o’clock, I remembered the tri-tip from the night before and fixed myself a sandwich. Lacey was very comfy on my bed. She didn’t even get up to check out the sandwich. She was very angry with me when I picked her up to put her in her crate. You don’t want to pick Lacey up when she’s angry. Believe me! She doesn’t really care for the crate. It’s a little bit cramped, but it keeps her from wandering during the night and we both get better sleep, so that’s the way it goes.
Well, as I said, I have a lot to do today, so I better get with it. It’s almost 8:30 a.m. I’m not looking forward to the drive to Tucumcari. I imagine it will be boring, but it has to be done. I think we’ll be in Palo Duro State Park on Thursday. My dad said that’s one of my brother Grant’s favorite places, so I better ask him about it. Away I go…
Oh!!! Judy just called. Here glasses broke during her visit in Santa Fe. She’s looking for a way to get them fixed. Luckily, she has another pair that will suffice for a short while. We might not leave for Tucumcari today after all. Either way, it's fine with me.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Moving Along QUICKLY!!! or NOT!
Yesterday, we needed to move along a little more quickly. We wanted to spend some time at the Petrified Forest, but we knew we had a long drive ahead of us. We wanted to make it to Albuquerque by dinnertime, as we had planned. To make it even more challenging, we would be losing an hour going over the border from Arizona to New Mexico. (Truthfully, we didn’t think of that until much later in the day.)
We took a very brief walk around the “RV Park” before setting off for the Petrified Forest. There are a couple museums there, but we didn’t have time to explore. We got away from there shortly after 9 a.m., 9 o’clock being our goal, so not too bad.
The Petrified Forest is a national park. I bought a National Park Pass at Death Valley last year, so I was good to go. The lady at the kiosk asked to see my card and my license, then she exclaimed, “These two signatures are nothing alike!” I asked to look at my license. It was one of those scribbled signatures you get when you use a machine to sign your name, but they were clearly the same signatures. She told me if I sign my name on the card again, she’d let me go through. Foolishly, I asked her what would happen the next time. She told me to be sure the signature on the card looks like the one on the license. I told her that would be impossible. She finally let me through. Now… What are the chances that I found a Christine M. Pettit who looked like me and a card that had the signature Christine M. Pettit. I think she took her job a little too seriously!
We stopped at the first visitors’ center. Judy went inside and I walked Lacey. Afterwards, we started out on the “trail”. It’s not real exciting, but you DO see petrified wood and you get pretty good exercise going up and down the steps. Lacey was happy because they allow dogs on the trails at the Petrified Forest. After our “hike,” I put Lacey back in the RT and went inside to get my passport stamped. I remembered to buy a postcard for my mom again and I mailed it right there. Good daughter!!!
After that, we decided we better stay in the car and enjoy the view as we drove the 25 miles or so through the park. It was a nice drive.
We found the rest of the trip to ABQ a little more challenging. We needed to stop a few times to snack/eat, then walk around to try to wake up. It’s a long mesmerizing drive. I wasn’t sure I would make it. I kept calling my dad and Mickie to let them know we’d be a little later and a little later.
We originally planned to head for the RV park and leave Judy’s RT there, but there was no time for that. Fortunately, I had called from one of our stops to make reservations. They told me they’d leave our campsite information taped to the front door, if we didn’t get there before they closed.
About 6:30, or possibly later, we finally arrived at the home of Virg and Mickie Gaul. My dad came running out to help us squeeze our two vehicles into the one spot in front of their house. He did a good job. We fit there perfectly.
We got exactly what we ordered for dinner. (My dad insisted that we tell them what we wanted.) We had delicious tri-tip with delicious potatoes and salad and veggies. For dessert we had yummy strawberries on Angel Food cake. We didn’t order the dessert, but Mickie just KNEW. Imagine that!
We had a nice visit. I think maybe Judy now knows more about my dad and Mickie than I do. She was “interviewing” them while I was running around with Lacey. Just kidding!!! Judy was her usual friendly self and we all had a good time chatting.
We were pretty wiped out, so we didn’t stay too long. I had decided early on to leave Lacey in my van. She couldn’t believe all the scary dogs around there that were barking and carrying on. She decided the RT was a good place to be. I left her some dinner, but she didn’t eat it until we were on the road to the campground. I guess she had a nervous tummy and couldn’t eat. She likes the quiet campground a lot better. Now it’s her turn to bark and be annoying.
After getting to the campground, I plugged in my electrical cord with the handy dandy gizmo that I had installed when I was in Quartzsite in January. It protects the RV from any electrical problem at the park. Well… It’s the first time I’ve used it and, of course, I couldn’t remember anything that Dan had told me. There was a flashing code and it wouldn’t allow any power to the RT. In other words, it was doing it’s job. I was too tired to deal with it, so I decided I would be fine without electricity for the night.
This morning, I got on the Internet and found a list of codes. Later, I’ll plug it in again and check out the code, so I can advise the office, if it still if it’s still telling me that there’s a problem. I’m in my favorite campsite though, so I probably won’t move. I can manage without electricity for now.
Judy will be heading for Santa Fe today. She will visit a friend she hasn’t seen for thirty years and a SoloTrekker that lives there too. I’m going to stay right here in ABQ. I told my dad not to expect me until noon or so. I got up about 5 a.m. and fixed some coffee, then started working on my photos. After that, I had a nice hot shower. It’s a GOOD DAY!
We took a very brief walk around the “RV Park” before setting off for the Petrified Forest. There are a couple museums there, but we didn’t have time to explore. We got away from there shortly after 9 a.m., 9 o’clock being our goal, so not too bad.
The Petrified Forest is a national park. I bought a National Park Pass at Death Valley last year, so I was good to go. The lady at the kiosk asked to see my card and my license, then she exclaimed, “These two signatures are nothing alike!” I asked to look at my license. It was one of those scribbled signatures you get when you use a machine to sign your name, but they were clearly the same signatures. She told me if I sign my name on the card again, she’d let me go through. Foolishly, I asked her what would happen the next time. She told me to be sure the signature on the card looks like the one on the license. I told her that would be impossible. She finally let me through. Now… What are the chances that I found a Christine M. Pettit who looked like me and a card that had the signature Christine M. Pettit. I think she took her job a little too seriously!
We stopped at the first visitors’ center. Judy went inside and I walked Lacey. Afterwards, we started out on the “trail”. It’s not real exciting, but you DO see petrified wood and you get pretty good exercise going up and down the steps. Lacey was happy because they allow dogs on the trails at the Petrified Forest. After our “hike,” I put Lacey back in the RT and went inside to get my passport stamped. I remembered to buy a postcard for my mom again and I mailed it right there. Good daughter!!!
After that, we decided we better stay in the car and enjoy the view as we drove the 25 miles or so through the park. It was a nice drive.
We found the rest of the trip to ABQ a little more challenging. We needed to stop a few times to snack/eat, then walk around to try to wake up. It’s a long mesmerizing drive. I wasn’t sure I would make it. I kept calling my dad and Mickie to let them know we’d be a little later and a little later.
We originally planned to head for the RV park and leave Judy’s RT there, but there was no time for that. Fortunately, I had called from one of our stops to make reservations. They told me they’d leave our campsite information taped to the front door, if we didn’t get there before they closed.
About 6:30, or possibly later, we finally arrived at the home of Virg and Mickie Gaul. My dad came running out to help us squeeze our two vehicles into the one spot in front of their house. He did a good job. We fit there perfectly.
We got exactly what we ordered for dinner. (My dad insisted that we tell them what we wanted.) We had delicious tri-tip with delicious potatoes and salad and veggies. For dessert we had yummy strawberries on Angel Food cake. We didn’t order the dessert, but Mickie just KNEW. Imagine that!
We had a nice visit. I think maybe Judy now knows more about my dad and Mickie than I do. She was “interviewing” them while I was running around with Lacey. Just kidding!!! Judy was her usual friendly self and we all had a good time chatting.
We were pretty wiped out, so we didn’t stay too long. I had decided early on to leave Lacey in my van. She couldn’t believe all the scary dogs around there that were barking and carrying on. She decided the RT was a good place to be. I left her some dinner, but she didn’t eat it until we were on the road to the campground. I guess she had a nervous tummy and couldn’t eat. She likes the quiet campground a lot better. Now it’s her turn to bark and be annoying.
After getting to the campground, I plugged in my electrical cord with the handy dandy gizmo that I had installed when I was in Quartzsite in January. It protects the RV from any electrical problem at the park. Well… It’s the first time I’ve used it and, of course, I couldn’t remember anything that Dan had told me. There was a flashing code and it wouldn’t allow any power to the RT. In other words, it was doing it’s job. I was too tired to deal with it, so I decided I would be fine without electricity for the night.
This morning, I got on the Internet and found a list of codes. Later, I’ll plug it in again and check out the code, so I can advise the office, if it still if it’s still telling me that there’s a problem. I’m in my favorite campsite though, so I probably won’t move. I can manage without electricity for now.
Judy will be heading for Santa Fe today. She will visit a friend she hasn’t seen for thirty years and a SoloTrekker that lives there too. I’m going to stay right here in ABQ. I told my dad not to expect me until noon or so. I got up about 5 a.m. and fixed some coffee, then started working on my photos. After that, I had a nice hot shower. It’s a GOOD DAY!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Kingman to the Petrified Forest
Yesterday was a good day!
I got up early and got my rig squared away. Then, I took Lacey for a quick walk. I thought I was up before the others, but when I went in for my shower, Kit and Judy were in there making coffee. That was a pleasant surprise. After my shower, I found Kit in the kitchen cooking eggs, bacon and toast. What a treat!
After breakfast, Kit and Judy took Lacey for a nice long walk while I installed my ScanGuage. It’s a neat little gizmo that keeps track of your gasoline usage. You can see how slowing down improves your mileage.
It was hard to leave the comfort of Kit’s home, but we finally got on our way late in the morning. We stopped for gas, Judy equipped me with one of her walkie talkies and away we went.
Along the way, Judy spotted a sign for the Roadkill Café in Seligman, Arizona. It’s on Route 66. The food at the Roadkill Café was delicious! I had a hamburger and homemade potato salad. Yummy! The soda was served in a large mason jar. Luckily, I remembered to get a postcard for my mom and I mailed it at the post office across the street. That was convenient.
Some of the shop owners on Route 66 have really gone all out to decorate their places with vintage displays.
Soon, we set off for Flagstaff. Judy wanted to stop at a store with camping gear. We found it, but it was closed. That lunch may not have been a good idea. I was beginning to feel sleepy, but we stopped and got out, ate a little chocolate, and I was good to go.
We wanted to make it to the entrance to the Petrified Forest.
It started getting dark and we reconsidered, but we decided to go on to find the free dry camping place outside the entrance. I’m glad we did. It’s pleasant enough here. We’re near a bright light, but that turned out to be good for Lacey and I. It would have been a little creepy in the pitch black dark. We feel safe here and you can’t beat free!
Judy invited me over for some lentils. That was tasty! We discussed our plans for the next few days. I was tired, so Lacey got one last walk, then it was slumber time for both of us.
It’s early in the morning. The sun is up. I made myself some coffee. It’s time to get this day started. Lacey went back to bed. Lucky her! She doesn’t have any responsibilities. She can’t even type, so I have to do all the work around here.
We’ll be driving through the Petrified Forest today. It should be beautiful. We’re expected in Albuquerque by dinnertime. We’re hoping to get registered at our campground before dinner. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I got up early and got my rig squared away. Then, I took Lacey for a quick walk. I thought I was up before the others, but when I went in for my shower, Kit and Judy were in there making coffee. That was a pleasant surprise. After my shower, I found Kit in the kitchen cooking eggs, bacon and toast. What a treat!
After breakfast, Kit and Judy took Lacey for a nice long walk while I installed my ScanGuage. It’s a neat little gizmo that keeps track of your gasoline usage. You can see how slowing down improves your mileage.
It was hard to leave the comfort of Kit’s home, but we finally got on our way late in the morning. We stopped for gas, Judy equipped me with one of her walkie talkies and away we went.
Along the way, Judy spotted a sign for the Roadkill Café in Seligman, Arizona. It’s on Route 66. The food at the Roadkill Café was delicious! I had a hamburger and homemade potato salad. Yummy! The soda was served in a large mason jar. Luckily, I remembered to get a postcard for my mom and I mailed it at the post office across the street. That was convenient.
Some of the shop owners on Route 66 have really gone all out to decorate their places with vintage displays.
Soon, we set off for Flagstaff. Judy wanted to stop at a store with camping gear. We found it, but it was closed. That lunch may not have been a good idea. I was beginning to feel sleepy, but we stopped and got out, ate a little chocolate, and I was good to go.
We wanted to make it to the entrance to the Petrified Forest.
It started getting dark and we reconsidered, but we decided to go on to find the free dry camping place outside the entrance. I’m glad we did. It’s pleasant enough here. We’re near a bright light, but that turned out to be good for Lacey and I. It would have been a little creepy in the pitch black dark. We feel safe here and you can’t beat free!
Judy invited me over for some lentils. That was tasty! We discussed our plans for the next few days. I was tired, so Lacey got one last walk, then it was slumber time for both of us.
It’s early in the morning. The sun is up. I made myself some coffee. It’s time to get this day started. Lacey went back to bed. Lucky her! She doesn’t have any responsibilities. She can’t even type, so I have to do all the work around here.
We’ll be driving through the Petrified Forest today. It should be beautiful. We’re expected in Albuquerque by dinnertime. We’re hoping to get registered at our campground before dinner. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
We're on our way!!!
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| Chris & Lacey March 2011 |
Welcome to the adventures of Chris and Lacey. This is the first day of the rest of my retirement and I'm looking forward to it.
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| Lily 2000-2011 |
We finally got away from home about 3 p.m. yesterday. After a couple wrong turns and a quick stop at McDonald's, we were on our way! I thought I might stop in Barstow, California for the night, but it was too early when I got there, so I decided to keep going and try to make it to one of my favorite vacation spots of long ago… Laughlin, Nevada
I’d forgotten about the ride into Laughlin. It’s like a rollercoaster. The roads are improved, but it’s still a two lane highway and it’s dark out there!
We arrived in Laughlin about 8 p.m. Laughlin hasn’t changed much, but the main drag is all torn up, which wasn‘t very pleasant. I guess it will be a better road whenever I make it back again. The parking lots were pretty full and there were a lot of people walking around. I guess business is booming. The Ramada Express is now called the Tropicana Express and the Colorado Bell still looks like the Colorado Bell always looked. It was fun to be in Laughlin again.
I found a spot to park at Harrah's free RV parking lot. We were supposed to check in at the convenience store, but it closed at 7 p.m., so we settled in anyway. It’s a very clean place. It’s just a parking lot, but the RV spaces were clearly marked and numbered. There weren’t many guests, but just enough. I felt safe. As soon as I could clear a space on my bed, Lacey went into her crate and I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep.
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