January 31, 2012

January 31, 2012

My outing today included a trip to the Loveland Library, a bead store for wire, lunch at Smash Burgers (don’t even ask), and a stop at Krispy Kreme Donuts for a treat for the boys.

I not only have a cold, but so does Bill, and now Meredith.  No telling who will be next, but Meredith wanted to know if any of you good people would care to contribute to our “Kleenex Fund.”  We have “gone to blows over this matter” many, many times.

Once again I took a long afternoon nap.  Sounds like same old, same old, doesn’t it?

January 30, 2012

January 30, 2012

It has been years since I have had a cold.  I had forgotten what a bother a stuffy nose could be.  I’m sure there is nothing left to blow out except brains, and there aren’t many of those these days.

My son-in law, Ron, went above and beyond the call of duty today and took me to several craft stores to look for beading wire that has become hard to find.  We didn’t find it, but bless his heart, he gave it the “old college try.”

After getting back home at !:00, I took a long nap.  This “cold” business is getting to be a real drag!

January 29, 2012

January 29, 2012

Meredith, Dwaine, and I went to Greeley this morning for a geocache gathering.  There were lots of people there and we met quite a few of them.  

I got some good ideas about looking for specialized caches, such as the ones in cemeteries.  It will take some extra time on the computer to follow the leads that I was given.

We did a little bit of shopping before returning to Loveland.  Michelle, Matthew, and I made a quick trip to Walmart.  When we got home I spent most of the rest of the day resting.  I felt better today than yesterday, but still needed some extra rest.

Before bedtime, Meredith, Michelle, and I looked at the new cast for Survivor, which starts in mid February.  Wow, it will soon be here!

January 28, 2012

January 28, 2012

Meredith, Michelle, and I drove south of Denver today to go to the new IKEA store.  It is a huge store with lots of fun things to look at.  We didn’t buy much, but had a good time roaming up and down the aisles.

On the way home there was a horrendous traffic jam on I-25, northbound.  It involved two different accidents.  Meredith pulled off the freeway at an exit that would allow us to drive to Loveland on back roads.

After resting for a few minutes, Michelle and I went to the library and then to Walmart.

Dinner was "drag outs" aka leftovers.  I went to bed soon after eating, hoping to help get rid of this cold.

January 27, 2012

January 27, 2012

It snowed today...for about two hours...big fluffy flakes drifting down.  I would have liked it to last longer, but it didn’t.  Any snow is better than no snow, and I am an expert on the matter.  Look how long I’ve lived with a flake!

I was still tired from my trip yesterday so I had a lazy day today.  That was a real treat!  Both girls were working from home today and the house was quite, except for an occasional “bark.”  Midmorning Hapa and I shared a nap.  She curled up in a ball and kept my feet very warm.

I have put up with the beginning of a cold today.  Sniff, sniff!  Tomorrow we are going to Denver to shop at IKEA.  I will take a box of Kleenex along so if I have to “go to blows” over anything, I will be prepared.

January 26, 2012

January 26, 2012

We left Q at 5:10.  Traffic was really backed up the closer we got to Phoenix.  We used the HOV lane which helped immensely.  I got an automated message that my flight was delayed by 30 minutes.  I had plenty of time once Bill dumped me out at the curb.  Do you think he was happy to see me go?  He’ll have some much needed P&Q.

Today is Lori’s birthday.  Happy Birthday, Lori!  You mothers out there will understand how special this day was to me all those years ago and how special it still is.  (Insert a “sigh” here, please.)

My flight to Colorado was uneventful.  I was, however, thrilled to see the snow covered mountains as we flew over the Rockies.

Ron met me at the airport so we had a good visit as we drove to Loveland.  It was nearly 3:00 before we got home.  Dwaine and the dogs had gone for a quick walk when we arrived. 

I was in Michelle’s office when they got home.  I don’t know how they knew I was there, but they came flying around the corner and nearly knocked me out of my chair.  Of course, Hapa claimed me as her own private property, but Joey was having none of that!  It’s always nice to be made to feel welcome, isn’t it?

Ah, it’s good to be in Colorado.  I hope it snows tonight!

January 25, 2012

January 25, 2012

It was after lunch before we drove out in the desert to hunt for caches.  We struck out on the first two.  This was really hard on the egos of four such seasoned cachers.  Ugh!

After failure on the first two caches, we found the next three easily.  It was a sunny day with very little wind.  We put on a bunch of miles searching for ways to get across some deep, wide washes.

All of this activity made us hungry so we decided that an early dinner was in order.  We had a nice leisurely meal with lots of time to visit.  Tomorrow we go our separate ways.  

Dwight and Sheila are going to California.  Bill takes me to the airport in Phoenix, as I am flying to Colorado.  Bill will go back to Q and wait for me to get back from my visit to Meredith and Michelle’s.

I spent the evening packing and getting some tasks finished.  We leave very early in the morning.  Phoenix is about two hours away, but one never knows what to expect in the way of rush hour traffic.

January 24, 2012

January 24, 2012

Dwight and Sheila went to do an all day power run of caches.  Bill and I chose to stay in Q, do a few caches locally, and take care of some chores at home.

We decided to go to LaMesa RV for pancakes, but when we got there the line was very long.  So off to Sweet Darlene’s for breakfast we went.  They were very busy, but we took a table anyway.  It ended up taking 45 minutes to get our food.  We would have been better standing in line at LaMesa, but one doesn’t always choose the best path, right?

After such a breakfast fiasco we decided to cache out of town a ways.  Our first find was not too far off the pavement, but the second one was a different matter.  

We definitely got onto some questionable paths that could be called “fifteenth-indary” on our Road Classification Chart.  A couple of times we had to back down from the crest of a hill because when we got to the top there was only a coyote path, if that much, down the other side.

Before returning home for lunch, we had found a total of three caches.  Not a great number, but better than none, eh?

After resting and taking care of some computer work, I spent several hours on beading projects I had put aside.  I have been so busy (This is retirement?) I haven’t taken much time to do one of my favorite activities...beading!

January 23, 2012

January 23, 2012

After breakfast we went into Q to find a new series of caches.  Quartzsite has erected nice displays at each entrance to the town.  Each consists of a very large slab of marble, with the name of the town engraved on it and set on a huge stone base.  Also on the base, set out about 18”, are silhouettes of three camels, cut from very thick metal.  The whole effect is so nice.  There was a cleverly hidden cache at each one.

The RV Tent Show opened on Saturday.  Even today there was a huge crowd on hand to go through the displays of items for RVs.  We spent about an hour in the tent before we decided we had seen enough.  I spent quite a bit of time at a bead shop outside of the Tent Show.

We came home for lunch and naps.  A strong wind had started to blow and we just didn’t want to spend anymore time out in it.

A rain shower went through here at 6:00, but moved on past before it could drop much rain on us.  It would be nice to get enough moisture to settle the dust.

January 22, 2012

January 22, 2012

We left at 8:00 to return to the Blythe, CA area for more caches that we didn’t find yesterday.

The first one was several miles out of town.  We went on many back roads to get to within 350 feet of our goal.  From there we walked down into a gully, up the other side, up on an abandoned railroad track for a short distance, down the other side, and over a canal to the spot where the cache was hidden.  Sheila made short work of finding it, signing our names and rehiding the container.  Then we made our way back to the car.  No wonder the cache hadn’t been found since last March.  Whee!

Our next cache was at a Fire Station in the tiny town of Ripley.  It took us a lot of time on this one.  Not the finding and signing part, but the talking to the fireman part.  He was informative about the area and it was a pleasure to talk to him for quite a while.

After wandering around on desert back roads and not getting even close to our next cache we returned to Blythe for lunch.  While there I looked for cache information on my iPhone.  There was a cache that we hadn’t found yesterday after a thorough (we thought) search.  Someone else found it yesterday.  Ugh!  That was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.  We had to find that evasive little thing.  After a short search Bill located it and we were vindicated.  Yea!  This fearless foursome of gray haired oldsters doesn’t handle DNFs gracefully!

Then it was back home to rest and do the usual stuff like eating and watching TV.

January 21, 2012

January 21, 2012

After a free pancake breakfast, the four of us...Dwight, Sheila, Bill, and I...drove to Blythe, CA to do some serious caching.  When with the Meeks it’s always serious, but it’s always fun.

We drove north out of Blythe along the Colorado River for a Power Run (That’s a whole bunch of caches close together along a road.)    Bill and I had never been to this particular area. 

We found a total of 25 caches.  The weather took a turn for the worse when we were about half through the Run.  A very strong wind began to blow.  We had to take turns opening doors so the whole inside of the Honda wouldn’t blow out.

One of the caches was a tube, tied to a post.  The tube had to be filled with water to float the cache container to the top.  This particular one had three holes to plug so the water wouldn’t run out too soon.  All went OK for awhile, but something went awry and Bill and Sheila got soaked.  Geez!  Dwight and I can’t take those two anywhere!

Before we left the area we treated ourselves to a late lunch at Sizzlers.  The food was good.

We drove back to Q, arriving home at 4:00.  I don’t know about the rest of the group, but I took a nap.

January 20, 2012

January 20, 2012

The sunrise this morning was magnificent.  Can you believe it?  I was up that early!  Yup!  And it was worth it.

Bill has only been “computer savvy” for about three years.  (Now he has a MAC and a PC.)  He could never understand why some of us enjoyed our computers so much.  Well, Lori got him started on his “quest for knowledge” and I don’t think she had any idea what kind of monster she was creating.  Case in point:  I woke up during the night (3:30) and he was on his computer.  Yikes!  This is a bit “scary.”

Dwight and Sheila arrived and parked next to us just before noon.  After lunch we set off to geocache with them.  The caches were fairly typical.  The interesting thing for the day of hunting was meeting another cacher...in a skirt.  Not a kilt, just a skirt to a little above his knees.  This was a new one for us.  Just when we think we’ve seen it all, something else comes along.

The sunset was more beautiful than the sunrise, and that was hard to top.

January 19, 2012

January 19, 2012

After breakfast we moved the coach to Tyson Wash where the RV Forum Rally will meet.  Bill really likes going to their web site.  We’ve known some of the members for years.  Bill loves talking RV stuff with everybody.

I rested after we got here.  I’m feeling much better today, but a nap is a good thing.  Hopefully we will be able to cache tomorrow.  Dwight and Sheila Meeks are coming from Phoenix tomorrow and they are “possessed” with geocaching.  We always have a great time with them.

On Bill’s birthday, I commented that he was a geezer.  Lori reminded me of a t-shirt she gave her dad years ago.  It said “Geezer!  Formerly know as Stud Muffin.”  Cute, eh?

January 18, 2012

January 18, 2012

I felt much better this morning, but by nightfall arrived I was weak and shaky feeling.  I rested a lot so maybe tomorrow will be better.

Tomorrow we move the motorhome to Tyson Wash West, about three miles south Q.  That is where the RV Forum will have their rally.  The coach will be there until I get back from Loveland on Feb. 7.  On the 8th we plan to go to south to Yuma. 

Shucks!  The weather has been so beautiful and I haven’t been out side since Monday morning.

January 17, 2012

January 17, 2012

Happy Birthday, Bill.  He is definitely a geezer!

Today was Betty White’s 90th birthday.  When ask what her secret to a long life was, she said, “Try not to die.”

I was still under the weather today and spent most of the day in bed.  My appetite was way down.  I wasn’t comfortable eating or drinking anything, even water.

Maybe tomorrow?!

January 16, 2012

January 16, 2012

We went for pancakes with LaMesa RV.  I wasn’t able to eat very much and by the time I left I was feeling really poorly.  We went back to the motorhome and I rested for the rest of the day.

I hope I feel better tomorrow and will be able to write a more interesting journal.

January 15, 2012

January 15, 2012

It was cold, windy, and overcast this morning so we stayed home and tried to catch up on some things like balancing the checkbook (me), taking a nap (Bill), putting pictures on a thumb drive (me),  watching a Western (Bill), beading (me), forums (Bill), and so on, and so on, and so on.  You get the picture of who is the motivated one around here, don’t you?

After lunch (leftovers from Sweet Darlene’s) we decided that the temperature had warmed up enough to go geocaching.  We had found three when “rain” started to fall.  Actually, it was more like a sprinkle.  Bill announced that we had a 12” rain.  In “Bill-speak”  that means the drops were 12” apart.

We spent the evening on our computers and managed to get to bed early.  That’s a rare treat for me, especially since I didn’t have a nap today.

January 14, 2012

January 14, 2012

After logging three caches this morning we went to La Mesa RV for a bowl of soup.  While eating we talked to a couple who have been coming here in the winter for many years.  Some of their tales sounded like they were out of the Old West.  Like when the former mayor had the new mayor shot.  And many more stories like that, including the town council putting the entire police force under house arrest.

Just since we have been here the city council has fired the mayor and the person who writes the paychecks was accused of making checks to fictitious workers.  

Keep in mind that Quartzsite is a town approximately 2200 year-round residences.  This really is the Wild West, eh?

Parked near us here on the desert is a gold miner from Montana.  He goes into the hills and gets a box of dirt from one of the washes.  He brings it back and pans it here.  There isn’t any moisture anywhere on the desert this year to make panning at the site possible.  He found some specks of gold, but not much.  He said he does much better in Montana.  I think he is the first miner we have ever met.

For dinner we went to Sweet Darlene’s.  She has had a restaurant here for many years.  In case you think Darlene is a little grandma-looking lady, let me clear up the misconception...I’m sure she could whip a bear with a switch...a BIG bear!  When we first came here years ago, her business was in a large tent with a canvas floor.  She now has a permanent building with a “real floor” and nice decorations on the walls.  She’s come a long way.  And the food is still great!

Tonight, we watched the Bronco game against New England.  It was sad, very sad.  

January 13, 2012

January 13, 2012

Happy Birthday to our son-in-law, Dwaine!  It sounds as if you had a great day in beautiful Colorado.

Years ago, Bill and I created a “road classification” chart to cover some of the roads that we travel.  Here is a refresher course in case you have forgotten:

Interstates are rated 1, although sometimes that is debatable.  

Secondary are most state highways, especially in Texas.

Third-indary are narrower, but still in good condition.

Fourth-indary are rough and in need of much help.

Fifth-indary have pot holes so big that ducks can swim in them after a good rain.

That’s as far as our classification project went at the time.  But that was before we discovered the desert regions of Arizona.  The “roads” two days ago would have probably rated at least an eighteenth-indary because they were little more than tracks and not at all flat...lots of steep inclines (and what goes up must go down) with washed out places to give them more of a challenge.

We ventured back up in the hills this morning, but not as bravely as before.  We had threatening messages from some of our children and, for now, we’ll listen to them.  We also had a comment from Dwight and Sheila Meeks, whom we have traveled with sometimes in the past 14 years.  Their opinion was that we needed to join their “Idiots Club.”  I guess Sheila has forgotten about the time she and I got stuck in the sand at a very remote beach in Mexico...but that’s another story!  

This morning we walked further to the caches in order to avoid the worst of the roads.  (See how much we take comments to heart.)  I was really tired when we got home and treated myself to a two hour nap.  Ah-h-h!

January 12, 2012

January 12, 2012

Once again we drove out into the desert to hunt for caches.  We were able to find only three.  We spent lots of time hunting for the ones we did find.  It was cooler today and the wind was blowing so much of the time I was cold.

I got a haircut this afternoon and then spent about 30 minutes in a craft store while Bill went on some errands of his own.

After dinner I worked on a beading project while we watched TV.  I also spent about an hour getting additional cache info on all of our Garmin GPSs.  So we are ready for a big day tomorrow.

January 11, 2012

January 11, 2012

After a free pancake breakfast again this morning, we went to log a cache.  We had found it two days ago, but didn’t have one of the “essential items” that we needed...water.  

The cache container was a tube, with a hole drilled in the bottom, attached to a pole.  To get the log out, we had to plug the hole, pour in water, and grab the log container as it floated to the top.  With that accomplished, we unplugged the hole, signed the log, and put the container back in the tube.  Clever, eh?

From there we searched for a back road to several other caches.  We didn’t find one, even after going up and down some very steep, rocky little roads.  Finally, I’m sad to say, we gave up!  That doesn’t happen often, but at one point we thought we might be stranded in a rather desolate place, so we decided it was time to get back to civilization.  

Bill was especially tired when we got back to the MH.  It was a tough driving experience for him...one he doesn’t ever want to repeat.  Basically, my job was just to hang on.  Sometimes I had to look out the side window to see if the road turned right, because when we would reach the crest of a hill we couldn’t see anything until we started down the other side.  Often the road turned at that point.  

I’ll tell you, it was really a rough way to see the back country.  If we ever want to open “Six Flags Over Quartzsite” I know just the place for the major attraction.

January 10, 2012

January 10, 2012

After standing in line at the Post Office for 45 minutes, our package from Lori was in our hands.  Natalia has a new MAC so Lori sent her old one to Bill.  He is so happy to have a computer of his own again.  His Dell got sick (a virus) a week or so ago.  I have generously shared my MAC with him.  We are both happy to have another computer is the house.

We drove toward the tiny town of Bouse (rhymes with house) about 30 miles from Quartzsite.  On the way, we found eight geocaches.  Our favorite one today was called “OK Corral.”  Out on the desert, miles from nowhere, was a corral with chutes and pens.  The only thing missing was cattle.  In all the years we have been in this area and roaming around the desert, not once have we seen even one cow.  Go figure!

When we got to Bouse, named after a rancher who died from a rattlesnake bite, we went to the Stagecoach Cafe for lunch.  I ask the waitress what the population of Bouse was.  She said, “Less than nothing,” and then laughed before telling us that about 250 people lived there.

After lunch, we went to the old Bouse Assay Office to find a cache.  With that logged in, we looked at some of their old machinery, including an old road grater.  While there, one of the locals, a woman of about 50, started a conversation with us.  She said that during WW2 she flew a fighter plane and tried to shoot down Hitler’s plane.  I guess every town has at least one local crazy, eh?  It was our lucky day.  We just happened to find Bouse’s colorful resident.

Our lives don’t seem to have much time to get dull, do they?  

January 9, 2012

January 9, 2012

This morning, we went into Quartzite to La Mesa RV for a pancake breakfast.  The pancakes were really good.  With happy tummies, we went out to hunt for some caches.

Our “hunt” today took on some really wretched desert “roads.”  We were up and down gullies, washes, and empty stream beds.  The Honda did a great job for us.

One of the caches was hard to get to.  We left the CRV in a wash and climbed up a rocky slope.  Bill retrieved a rather large container from among the rocks.  He couldn’t find the log book so we signed on a card inside the container.  As he put it back in, I saw a rat.  He pulled it out and I told him to twist the head off.  Sure enough, the log book was inside the rat.  Yuck!  Oh, did I tell you it was a rubber rat?

After seven finds, we went home so the “rat catcher” could take a nap.  I went on a couple of errands by myself.  Not a good idea!  You that know me know that I don’t like to go in reverse.  

I went to a bakery. The sign said “get your buns in here”.  So I did.  When I left the bakery and backed out, I backed into a humongous pickup.  The truck was OK, but the Honda now has a small crease in the left rear fender.  Ugh!  

January 8, 2012

January 8, 2012

After breakfast at McDonald’s, we went 15 miles out on the desert to do some caching, taking up where we left off yesterday.  After finding 14 of them, we both thought it was time to stop for the day.  The most unusual hiding place today was inside an old muffler on the ground next to a bush.  That was different.

Our afternoon was spent watching the Broncos-Steelers game.  It was such a good game.  I could hear cheering from Walnut Creek, CA clear to Loveland, CO, and in between (me)!  The Broncos won in overtime.  Wow!  What an ending!

And to end a really great day, we watched an episode of Zorro.  Life is good!

January 7, 2012

January 7, 2012

We spent the morning driving and walking around the desert in search of geocaches.  We found 10 before turning around and heading back to Quartzsite.  Just as we got back to a paved road we had to stop while a parade went by.

In 1856, there was a regiment of camels located here to transport freight and people across the desert.  The idea didn’t work out so the camels were set free to fend for themselves.  One of the Syrian camel caretakers named Hadji Ali (called Hi Jolly by the locals) stayed in the area until his death in 1902.  He was popular with the people, who built him a pyramid tomb of petrified wood and quartz, in the town cemetery.

Well, the parade today was for Hi Jolly Daze, taking place this first Saturday in January.  There were many old cars, motorcycles, and floats (kind of) in the parade.  And, yes, there was a camel complete with a Syrian looking guy in a camel herding costume as the highlight of the parade!  The fun just goes on and on!

After the spectacle went past us, with a Quartzsite Police Department Humvee bringing up the rear, we took a back road to Burger King.  That was a great way to end our morning of excitement.

In case you are interested, there is a cache in the cemetery by the tomb.  We found it several years ago.  Also, this was our third Hi Jolly parade we’ve been to in Quartzsite.   

After Bill took a nap, we went out in search of more adventures.  We wandered up and down trails west of town, searching for a road that would take us to some caches.  As we headed back  toward town we came upon another cache by accident.

It has been a long time since I have been able to report any critter sightings.  Today, in addition to the camel, we saw a rabbit and a lizard.  Wow!

January 6, 2012

January 6, 2012

At 7:10 this morning we sang our traveling music...”On the road again...”  Clear skies, 47°, no smog, and not a house in sight as we drive through the desert.  Not long after getting onto I-10 a sign read “154 feet below sea level.”  We immediately started up a 7 mile grade and were soon at 1700 feet.  

The road continued a gradual climb until we got to Chirlaco Summit.  There is a General Patton museum there.  During WW2, there was a lot of tank training here.  We stopped at the museum on a previous trip.  It was very interesting.  There was a small campground of sorts behind the building.  I remember it being very weedy with an abundance of big rocks.

When we crossed the Colorado River we drove into Arizona (Honk, honk! Yahoo!).  It has been a long time (Oct. 25) since we did our “state line” routine.  We did it twice just for old time’s sake.

We stopped at Flying J for diesel and then drove on to Exit 19, the east exit to Quartzsite.  There is a free area that we have before.  After parking the motorhome, we rested, ate lunch, and then went to explore.  There have been some major changes since we were last in Quartzsite.

While wandering around we were able to log four caches.  

January 5, 2012

January 5, 2012

Our plans for going to Quartzsite today were delayed.  We plan to go tomorrow, if all goes well.

We met RVing friends, Don and Mary Busic, for lunch.  Their daughter, Meredyth, was with them.  We had a really good visit.  Don and Mary spend part of the year in Reno and part here in Southern California.

After lunch, we went back to their house for more reminiscing.  We have known Don and Mary for a long time, having met them at a state park in Indiana quite a few years ago.  Don reminded Bill of the time he helped fix our inverter.  After working on it for a long time, Don fell against it as he was walking away.  It started working!  From then on when the inverter caused a problem, Bill would tap it with a hammer...if Don wasn’t around to work his magic.

It was 3:30 before we got back to the MH, so Bill agreed to stay in the casino parking lot one more night.  It is good to have the freedom of our own schedule at times like this.

January 4, 2012

January 4, 2012

One of our errands for today was to do some shopping at Winco.   We bought several different kinds of fruit and vegetables.  They also had a good selection of bulk food.  We purchased several kinds of candy and a variety of nuts.  As if we didn’t have enough “nuts” in this household already. 

As we left the area my iPhone listed a cache at Target across the street.  It took a bit of searching, but we were finally successful.  It was in a very clever hiding place among some climbing vines.

Our next stop was at Sam’s club for hotdogs and a couple of items.  From there we went to Walmart to stock up on groceries before we head for Quartzsite.  Shopping at that tiny town is extremely limited.

There was a cache listed in that area, but we searched for quite awhile with no luck.  By then, we were both too tired to do anymore “treasure hunting,” so we went back home.

This morning during our exploration of the area on the way to Winco, we located a laundromat.  At the time, Bill commented on the shoddy neighborhood, but the laundromat itself was clean and had new equipment.  

After resting, Bill went to “suds our duds.”  While there, he was chatting with a young man who told him that he should be out of the area before dark as there is quite a bit of shooting around there.  Yikes!  Bill beat a hasty retreat back to the coach just as the sun was setting.  Old Tex may like to watch gun fights in the Westerns he watches on TV, but he had no desire to actually be in a “wild west” shootout.

January 3, 2012

January 3, 2012

The group gathered this morning for juice and sweet rolls, and to say goodbye to new friends as well as old ones.  This has been an all around great experience.

We left the campground at 10:30.  It was a bumpy ride on I-5 until we got onto I-210.  The road improved and we had very little traffic until I-210 joined with I-10.  Then things went back to bumpy and congested.

From the campground north of LA to the casino in Indio we traveled 167 miles, most of it through populated areas.  As the saying goes, “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”

We parked at Spotlight 29 Casino.  There were very few RVs when we got here at 3:00, but the parking lot started filling up as darkness came upon us.

We left all the errands needing to be done until tomorrow, and just spent the time resting.  Two coaches from the rally were parked here when we arrived.  After dinner, Gale and Joan Johnson came to visit and share pictures of their new house in Arizona.  

January 2, 2012

January 2, 2012

Today is the day we’ve looked forward for a week...the Rose Parade.  The bus left at 6:30 this morning.  The closer we got to the parade route the worse traffic became.  By the time we got to the place for parking the bus, traffic was so thick you couldn’t stir it with a stick.

When we got off the bus we had to walk about three blocks through crowds of people.  There were long lines to battle, also.  The lines were at the porta-potties, the busiest places at the parade.  We didn’t need the facilities so we went on to our seats in the grandstand.

It was about an hour before the parade got to us.  There was all sorts of entertainment out in the street to keep us happy.  One was a group of bicyclers on all kinds of bicycles including the old ones with large front wheels and tiny back wheels.  I wonder how the riders get up on the seats.  There were also some interesting bicycles built for two.

We also watched a demonstration of precision riding put on by LAPD motorcycle officers.  They were very good.

The parade itself was fun and interesting...lots of floats, bands, and horses.  Even the crews that followed the horses to clean up after them were sometimes entertaining.  They were having a good time doing a less than desirable job.

JR Martinez was the Grand Marshall for the parade and got a huge response from the spectators.  He was as hyped as the crowd was. 

Toward the end of the parade there was a group of 100 palomino horses in honor of the 100th birthday of Roy Rogers.  The last time we were at the Lone Pine Film Festival, I met the granddaughter of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.  She teaches kindergarten in the LA area.  She was riding a palomino.

Once we were back on the bus, it took us nearly as long to get out of Pasadena as it did to drive on the freeway back to the campground.  

The Oregon Ducks played, and won, in the Rose Bowl.  It was an exciting game, but sometimes it was hard to stay awake and pay attention.  It was a good day, though, to be a Duck fan.

January 1, 2012

January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!  The years are rolling by way too fast, but we hope this new one will be a fantastic one for all of you, as well as for us.  

We had a day off from our Rose Parade activities today.  It was mainly a rest day for us.  I slept late.  When Bill heard me stirring he started cooking a special breakfast.  By the time I was really awake we sat down to great New Year’s Day vittles...bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast, and juice.  Yum, yum!  What a great way to start 2012!

Bill took a long nap while I watched the Bronco game.  It didn’t end the way we would have liked it to end, but apparently they will be in the playoffs anyway, because Oakland lost.  I don’t quite understand it all, but it is what it is!

I also worked on a beading project.  That’s a great way of relaxing for me!

After Happy Hour at 4:00, Bill and I went to In-N-Out.  As always, it was a good place to eat.  When we got back to the campground we spent an hour visiting with Gale and Joan Johnson, RV friends for 15 years.