Flathead Lake and Onward…

We left Wilbur with very full tummies.  Even the owner’s fresh warm cinnamon rolls did not sound tempting.  We breezed through Spokane and stopped in Coeur d’Alene for gas and propane.  Thanks to our Gas Buddy app we were able to find the cheapest diesel at $3.87 per gallon.  Propane was $2.50.  Now we’re good to go!

Nice weekend getaway

Heading east on I-90 toward Missoula we thought we might possibly make West Glacier for a couple of nights, do some laundry and get in a hike.  The drive was slow and mountainous and by the time we reached Lakeside at the northwestern end of Flathead Lake it was 5:30 PM, way past the “rule of 3s”, and the driver called it quits.  I had  already located Edgewater RV Resort, a Passport America half price park, called ahead to be sure, then plugged their address into the GPS for a hassle-free navigation.  One less task for a tired brain.

Lakeside by our park

There was a multitude of chores to do after our 10 days in Canada; loads of laundry, grocery shopping, defrosting the freezer, and general cleaning.  Kalispell, 15 miles away, is the closest city and they have all the Big Box stores so was worth the trip.  Glacier NP would have been a 100 mile round-trip drive, leaving little time to get in the Avalanche Lake hike suggested by friends, Marilyn and Bob on Facebook.

Marina across the street

We did fit it in some time at the lake for photos and to glean a few facts and a myth or two.  Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River in the lower US.  The lake is approx. 15 miles wide, 28 miles long and 380’ deep, just slightly larger than Lake Tahoe.

I'm pretty sure that's the monster

Local legend has it that there is a Flathead Monster, similar to Big Foot or the Loch Ness Monster. Some people claim that they have seen a huge serpent-type fish, others believe it to be a school of fish that swim close together that appears to look like one huge fish, and yet others believe it is just a big Sturgeon.  The fact is we may have seen it and the lake was very clear about that!

From the Mountains

Though on a schedule of sorts…we hope to be in Vermont and Maine by the first part of October, we decided to drive the motorhome and spend a couple of days at Glacier’s Apgar Campground and enjoy some hiking and the always beautiful scenery.  Maybe a drive up the Going to the Sun Road. This was not to be.  We headed out the next morning with a thunderstorm threatening and did not want to spend our time at Glacier cooped up inside. 


So we kept on driving along Highway 2, the most northerly US highway, running parallel to the Canadian border.  We crossed the Continental Divide at Marias Pass, and headed into the Great Plains.  Next stop Havre, MT where we overnighter at Evergreen RV Park, about 5 miles south of town in a beautiful setting of grass and trees.  The sites were spacious and quiet, unlike in town by the RR track, and $30 per night.  They even accepted our Canadian dollars!

The Prairies...

I'm pretty sure there's a sign here

Here are more shots of America through the windshield:

Windmill blades on a passing train

It took many tries with traffic stopped

And on it goes....

Back to Tucson...Briefly

It was just last Sunday that we had an uneventful 300+ mile drive back to Tucson after our month by the Sea of Cortez in San Carlos, MX.  Our little motorhome was a welcoming sight and held up remarkably well without us.  Not even a layer of dust or waning power supply as the hot Tucson sun and bank of solar panels kept the batteries full and frig cold.

No, we did not leave the awnings or the slide out!

At this writing we're on I-10 heading west so our brief stay consisted of 5 full days, not much time with a big road trip coming up.  It seems to take 2 days just to unpack a month's worth of "being gone" and stow the bags in the nether regions of the motorhome and put the clothes and electronic gear away. Once again, as in Roatan, we took way more clothes than we needed, and it never tucks away as tidily as I like.  Time to downsize the stuff!

The weather is getting...well nasty is about as nice as I can be.  Hot, hot hot, and very windy and dusty.  It is so nice to be mobile and good that we're about to head for the Pacific Coast, where I'll complain about fog and cold.  Actually May is usually pretty nice!

May is a good month in the Coastside Half Moon Bay area

So began the long process of getting ready to leave after the motorhome, not us, has been sitting here for 3 months plus 3 weeks.  There were two trips to Costco, several to the local hardware store, and we even managed two great evenings with our local BFFs.  

Rodger & Sharon winter in Tucson and summer in MN.  Best friends forever!

Rodger has a fancy workshop full of wood-carving power tools where he makes tiny, intricate ornament-like creations, of which we are the proud owners of a couple.  I asked him for a private viewing and demonstration when we went over for our farewell happy hour.  I'm thinking Christmas decorations or possibly some hanging art, as in a mobile, would be appropriate in our circumstances.

Rodger in his workshop

A few of his intricate little decorations

We cannot leave without some early morning hikes at Tucson Mountain Park to view the spring arrival of blossoms on the Prickly Pear and Staghorn cacti, and the popping of those buds crowning the stately Saguaro.  It's a bit too early here for the Barrels and Teddybears though.  Anyone have a wildflower/cacti report from the Anza Borrego Desert? 

Prickly Pears at Tucson Mt. Park

The Staghorn, normally not very attractive, sports some bling!

Those buds high atop Mr.Saguaro will soon pop open!

The crowning glory

Staghorn close-up

The Pricklies bud pink and bloom yellow

Providing sweet nectar....

Pretty and deadly as I walked away with a few "bites"!

Another pretty face..

Can't believe it's been two years since I joined Blogger!  I have connected with so many of you who travel and share our lifestyle and interests; learned a lot, laughed at several, and cried over the obstacles that crossed a path or two.  There are some pretty incredible writers and photographers out there.  I'm still not sure I understand the "following" protocol as I follow all of you,  but there seems to be a hierarchy of sorts.  I can't conceive of 2500 page views a month even when many of you have tens of thousands.  I'm also a big Google fan and enjoy the interaction of many products, especially Picasa.  Will be saddened to loose Google Reader and naively thought my blog list on the right hand side would magically update itself.  Just starting to figure out Google+ and already have made several contacts.  

So like us, follow us, share us, friend us, and comments are so appreciated, as the Journey continues...... 

D-Day

The month is winding down here in San Carlos and our sunsets will soon be setting in the Tucson Mountains, another spectacular location. We have yet to go to the top of Gates Pass to catch the sunset, maybe next week. Adding to the list of things not done was getting up during the wee hours this morning to capture the setting full moon over the Sea of Cortez...not a very committed photographer am I!

Our minds are slowly wrapping around departure details, scoping out all the stuff we've tucked away in way too many nooks and crannies.  The actual packing event will start tomorrow as we've decided to leave a day early, on Sunday, thinking the traffic may be a bit lighter and the going around Hermosillo a little easier to maneuver. Not sure about the border crossing on Sunday; could go either way.

There are a lot of homes and property for sale and one day as we were driving out in the Nacapule Canyon we noticed an older subdivision of large RV sites that fell victim to the economical downturn.  Some had elaborate covered patios sporting fancy ceramic tile, with decks on top for ocean viewing, reached by wrought iron spiral staircases.  Full hookups were evident and outdoor bar and barbecue facilities were in place. Some were occupied, but most vacant, overgrown, and for sale.

The RV parking is on the other side of this covered patio

A Gringo development nearby

We had breakfast this morning at Rosa's Cantina, without a doubt one of the most popular places in town, and always packed with ex-pats, tourists, and locals.  The food is excellent and the fresh orange juice propelled us to Walmart to purchase our own citrus juicer, about $10, so we could make our own.

Breakfast as Rosa's

Fresh OJ with our new juicer

With sightseeing behind us, I've settled into some serious reading this last week.  First was Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls, an obvious classic about the Civil War in Spain in the 1930s that I'd somehow missed over the years. Then for a change of pace, David Baldacci's The Hit, a page-turning thriller I couldn't put down.  Now I am absolutely enthralled with Isabel Allende's Maya's Notebook, just released in English.  Meanwhile, Howard is laughing out loud as he reads Catch 22, a satire of military madness with a San Carlos connection.  And then there's computer chess...

Our stay in Tucson will be limited to a few days.  We need to receive mail, get haircuts, visit with local friends, and start preparing the motorhome for the trip west to the Bay Area. We're anxious to get back to our kind of normal, though this has been a most wonderful month.

Montezuma's Revenge...figuratively speaking!

That would be our week 3 travel bug caused by itchy feet and staying too long in one location, not by the slice of chorizo and jalapeno pizza we consumed at the Ley's Supermarket cafe.  Though we have pretty much expended all our driving options within the limits of our tourist visa and settled into ordinary life, we haven't been overly anxious to get back to the motorhome, sadly being abused by the strong winds in Tucson and badly in need of some exercise. Well maybe a little anxious.

Pizza anyone?

We took the jeep to a car wash facility for a much needed cleaning after the off-road experience in search of Catch-22.  This consisted of a backyard lean-to, 2 entrepreneurial young guys equipped with a hose, soap, a couple of rags, a shop vac, and Armor All.  $10 with tip got us a shiny, clean car.  

Then off to the big city of Guaymas in search of a shop that could recharge the AC's 134r refrigerant.  Hmmm...this took some major multilingual sign language.  First we stopped at a taller mechanico, the taller the better.  Though he didn't have the necessary tools he was kind enough to make some calls and do an internet search and found us an aire acondicionado mecanico in Guaymas central.  A Google map was provided and we found Jorge's on the 2nd attempt at maneuvering the busy, narrow back streets. Once again, not exactly your typical American repair situation but oh so efficient and cheap.  Don't let the sign fool you.  Those are pesos so divide by 12!

Jorge's shop in Guaymas

This is hardly ordinary life as we know it though the sunsets and beach scenes and the fancy surroundings are quite nice.  We dearly love Mexico and San Carlos is a great town, but when our conversations become dominated by travel talk and then expanded to circumnavigating the country, with a lot of what ifs and how abouts thrown in, you know we're missing our gypsy lifestyle and little casa mobile!  We are both approaching milestone birthdays, albeit a decade apart, so we need to stay healthy; wealthy and wise would be nice too!  I know, I know..we can't keep doing this forever that's why we gotta keep going while we can. We're missing our family so May through July will be spent in the Bay area before any major trips materialize.  But in the meantime, here's a look at the last week or so.

The Saguaros are blooming

An island of Organ Pipes in Guaymas bay

A short hike into Canon de Nacapule to a small palm grove, sort of a mini Palm Canyon as in Anza Borrego

An odd symmetry along the Miramar waterfront (located between San Carlos & Guaymas)

A San Carlos landmark

A nice anchorage my sailing friends!

Mount Teta Kawi dominates the San Carlos Marina landscape

A whole bunch of conch shells at Bahia Delfin

A colorful collection of blankets and hamacas

Don't forget 12 to 1, pesos to dollar, makes for a cheap happy hour

A cloudy sunset is still beautiful

All sunsets are beautiful!

Life onboard...

We are spending the month of March here in the Tucson Mountain area at the Bar J RV Park.  It is small, eclectic, and very accommodating; oh, and did I mention inexpensive.  Our BFFs, Rodger and Sharon, found it for us, as it is near their winter home in Tucson Estates.  What really sold us is that the owner let us store the motorhome, unplugged in our site, for our month in Roatan and will again in April when we spend a month in San Carlos, MX.  So stay tuned for that adventure!

However, these last few weeks have been task oriented for the most part.  First of all, we took the laptop computer in to the Geeks for a tune-up as it was loading so slow, freezing up, and generally in bad health.  But first we finally broke down and got a smart phone (everyone say I told you so); a Droid Razr Maxx HD.  It is pre-loaded with all my Google stuff; Chrome, Picasa, Google+, Maps, and much, much more.  It does all the things my computer does except allow me to comfortably write long missives, which explains why I have been absent from the Blogosphere for so long. 

And we have been painting dark wood walls in our tiny closet-sized head.  This has turned out to be literally a pain in the ass back!  There is a 3-inch space between the shower enclosure and adjacent wall, probably 2 feet deep.  One has to extend the arm very carefully in and maneuver paint-loaded brush/roller to cover the wall surface while bending the elbow at an opposing angle without getting said paint on the shower glass.  Next, one kneels on hard tile floor getting underneath the cabinet and lower walls; not to mention behind the toilet...seriously!

But probably even worse was picking out a couple of matching yet contrasting colors that would lighten/brighten up this dark small space.  Honestly, we tried at least 10 of the small sample cans from Home Depot for $3 a piece before we settled on Clamshell for the walls and Pueblo Sand to provide a little contrast for the trim.  Now that they have been applied it all just looks pink with very little contrast.  And it's too late to start over, and our bodies aren't used to this much contortion!  We'll just have to add colorful towels.

Just a few samples pictured!

Pueblo Sand (left), Clamshell (middle)

Notably missing are pics of the finished product as it is still a work in progress.  Touch-ups and clean-up needed, and cabinet doors remain off and drying.  Our bedroom received a coat or two of one of the rejected samples, applied over factory-installed wall paper....We actually like the way this turned out.

It hasn't been all work and no play.  The motorhome has been sitting for almost two months so needed to turn its wheels and loosen up those parts that don't sit well for extended periods of time, so we went for an overnighter in Benson to meet up with Facebook friends, Roxie and Walt, who just bought an RV lot at Arizona Legends RV Resort.  We were kindly accommodated and fed very well!

With new friends, Walt, Roxie and brother Doug...

Actually, we had a tailgate party!

There have been dinners and happy hours with Sharon and Rodger.  Even a much-needed yoga class last night (boy am I out of shape), and of course our hikes in Tucson Mt. Park provide us with such beauty, and more hints of spring on every visit.

Sharon and Rodger at their winter home in Tucson Estates

A new trail explored

More signs of spring on the just-blooming Ocotillo

A Gambels Quail provides a priceless pose!

And hasn't it been exciting following Gaelyn's travels in South Africa!