The Last Hurrah (Post #1)

 This is our last trip with the trailer. 

The time has come for us to hang it up, so to speak.  We've always wondered what would go first: us or the trailer?!😟   Now we know!  We still have some good miles left on us, but Don no longer wants to mess with setting it up or taking it down when we travel.  Our Cougar 5th wheel doesn't have the automatic levelers which made for a much easier set up when we pulled into a campground.  There was also a lot of preparation work for each trip which included picking it up, cleaning, loading all the food and clothes, making sure everything is working, etc.  

This is our small caravan heading out from our neighborhood in Avondale.  Doris, Sandy and Jerry had come up on Wednesday from Tucson and stayed in the house with us. We left on Friday morning, February 9th.  The Five of us and our little homes on wheels.

The morning was very cool and cloudy as we headed towards River Island State Park, north of Parker, Arizona.  At least the rain had quit the day before.

Saturday morning at the campground was wet and windy. You can tell it was colder by just looking at Don's outfit (jacket and jeans).  Usually if it was 50 degrees or more, he had on shorts.   It had rained during the night. We were still glad to be together once again, enjoying time with our family and friends.

The constant breeze coming from the west and the clouds meant it was jacket time for all of us.  One of the best ways to deal with the wind was to sit behind Doris' trailer.  We had our own little group area, even if it took up part of the roadway.  😂

Our group is smaller this year, but there were cousins who came all the way from Reno to camp with us.  One couple backed out because they had a leak in their trailer......wonder why they decided not to show up?  Because of storms with wind and rain in the forecast?  Smart decision.

The line up: us, Doris, Sandy and Jerry.  Not in view is Jim & Shelly's motor home, Allen and Cheri's trailer, Bob and Kerry's motorhome and Greg and Lori's motorhome.

This time the campground had an abundance of blackbirds, who spent a lot of time roosting in the huge Eucalyptus tree by our table and common area.  We had to be careful of where we sat.  It reminded me of the old Alfred Hitchcock movie called "The Birds".  Needless to say, if any crumb made it to the ground, the birds took care of it.

Travels with our rig took us to the East coast and up into Maine twice, over the Mackinac Bridge, up into Banff National Park and down into the Everglades. We made it to the Oregon coast with it's spectacular beaches three different times. We hunted down covered bridges and lighthouses in different states.  There were years we traveled alone and explored by ourselves, while other times we joined up with friends and family.  Both ways worked for us.  It was a blessing to have our own bed each night, no matter where we were!  

Those times are now behind us but I have 4 journals full of notes, pictures on Facebook and a blog that keeps all the memories right at hand.  We are BLESSED!

Below is the map that I have highlighted all our travels.  Different colors for different years, some overlapping.  Remember, not all who wander are lost!

The Last Hurrah: Super Bowl Sunday

 This was our whole group on Sunday morning. Left to right: Lori, Bob, Shelly, Jim, Kerry, Greg, Sandy, Jerry, Doris, Don, Allen and Cheri.  It was still a bit cool that morning, although the sun was out and the rain was gone.

                                                            View of the front entrance

The one drawback for this park is the lack of dependable internet service.  You can see Jerry and Kerry checking their phones in the pic below, just to discover there was no cell service either.  Sometimes a text would go through or you would connect to the internet if you were close to the office, but it wasn't a given.  My gosh, we even had to resort to getting in touch with each other the old fashioned way by walking to their rig and talking in person! Imagine that!

Time for the Super Bowl!  No way to watch it on TV, so Jim found a guy who announced each play.  At times he talked so fast I thought he must be an auctioneer!  We did our patriotic duty by standing in the direction of the American flag while Reba sang the National Anthem.

Apparently, listening to the game made a lot of people hungry.  Don and Jerry to the rescue with their dueling grills!

Hamburgers are always a good choice for camping!  Greg was chowing down on his.

As the afternoon sun left, it became chilly.  Out came the propane grills to keep us warm.

The game went into overtime, lasting until 9 PM!  In the end, it was Kansas City 25 and  the San Francisco 49er's with 22.

Above is a picture that Cheri took of our group.  Even I'm in it!

Last Hurrah: Post # 3

 The weather has warmed up...so it's time for a hike up the hillside!  Doris, of course, is in the lead.  She is the fastest walker and has already done this several times this week.  We're headed towards the orange wind sock up on the bluff.

As we turn around, the blue waters of the Colorado River appear along with a partial view of our campground.  Right now, there is no one nearby and it is extremely quiet.  Peaceful.

Another view from here reveals a trio of jet skis heading south down the river.  Across the river is California.  

And as Sandy and I turn around towards the hillside, there is Doris waving to us!  Sometimes I think she has more energy than the Energizer Bunny!

More delicious food is on the agenda for today.  Shelly made taco meat from White Tail deer meat.  It tastes just like regular beef, no gamey taste at all.  She has also cooked up taco shells and there is a huge assortment of toppings including cilantro, guacamole, avocado, different cheeses, non-dairy cheese, lettuce, etc.  Both Doris and Shelly are working hard at getting everything ready.  TACO TIME!

The crowd is down 4 people.  Kerry and Bob, and Greg and Lori left Monday morning to head home and to go back to work.  

Thursday was beignet day.  This is a tradition for Jerry, who makes the dough from scratch.  Then he and Sandy team up to roll out the dough, cook them in the Dutch oven and coat them with powdered sugar.  This is a treat all of us look forward to (except me because of my lactose intolerance-drats).

I'm going to call Jerry "Beignet Boy"! 😀  The Legend Lives On....