USA November 2009

Plan to spend Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's in Sun City. We will be joined by my mother and my friend Gail from Annapolis who also owns a Roadtrek. I will return to my aunt and uncle's to visit my cousin and her husband when they come down from Illinois on 4 December. I will then travel to San Diego (13-16 December) to meet a woman that will be joining the Peace Corps in Ukraine next year.

Monday 30 November (Chandler AZ)
Early flight for mum back to Tampa Florida and Christine returns home to AZ.

Sunday 29 November (Chandler AZ)
Relax at home for mum to pack.

Saturday 28 November (Chandler AZ)
Walkabout at the Chandler Mall and mum found some AZ souvenirs to take home. The sun has disappeared for heavy clouds and wind and some rain! Mum's chicken dish for dinner.

Friday 27 November (Chandler AZ)
Shopping for groceries for mum to do her cooking....tuna casserole for dinner.

Thursday 26 November (Chandler AZ)
Happy Thanksgiving! Off to visit my mum at my aunt and uncle's in Sun City with my friend Gail from Annapolis who also owns a Roadtrek.

Wednesday 25 November (Chandler AZ)
Received my first retirement paycheck from the State of Alaska!

Tuesday 24 November (Chandler AZ)
Another sunny but cool day in AZ! Enjoyed another DVD from the library...."The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

Monday 23 November (Chandler AZ)
Decided to become more blond today out of a box! The libraries here have a great selection of DVD films so have used the library card that I acquired while housesitting here last year to check some out. I watched the first hour of "Australia" and did not like it so watched "last chance Harvey" and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sunday 22 November (Chandler AZ)
Morning walk to buy heaps of veggies for lunch stir fry with steamed quinoa.

Saturday 21 November (Chandler AZ)
Morning walk then borrowed the neighbor's ladder to wash the roof of my van!

Friday 20 November (Chandler AZ)
Morning walk through the neighborhood and a brief stop to peruse the aisles of Lowes. Met my mother and aunt and uncle at Casino Arizona just ten miles up the road for lunch buffet....delicious food, and heaps, for $9.95!

Thursday 19 November (Chandler AZ)
Mum is flying from Tampa to Phoenix today to stay with my aunt and uncle in Sun City AZ (unfortunately her flight was delayed a few hours due to the computer glitch!). We will gather for Thanksgiving then she will come back with me to stay here before returning to Florida.

Wednesday 18 November (Chandler AZ)
Walked to Great Clips for $12 haircut which actually turned out quite well. You can walk to everything from where Chris lives which is great not having to drive to the store...Whole Foods, Frys, Sprouts.....Trader Joe's is a bit further down the road.

Tuesday 17 November (Chandler AZ)
Oil change for the van at Jiffy Lube...$13 off on Tuesday!

Monday 16 November (Chandler AZ)
Long morning walk through the neighborhood and a visit to the local fitness club. Midday soak of the rays by the pool.

Sunday 15 November (Chandler AZ)
Possible clearing today, I hope! The sun is back....yippee!!!

Saturday 14 November (Chandler AZ)
Still waiting for the clouds to leave and the sun to shine so that I can hang out by the pool and renew my tan! Not much luck for that today though...it is raining! Visited the Chandler Library to see if my card still worked (I had acquired the card one year ago when I was housesitting here before) and my card did work so checked out some DVD films and Lonely Planet books on countries that I plan to visit.

Friday 13 November (Chandler AZ)
Happy Friday the 13th!
Decided to just hang around the house today. When I arrived on Wednesday, I felt a bit of a cold coming on....sore throat and just plain tired out......so am trying to get rid of this before the holidays. Plus it is another grey day in AZ with a threat of some rain, so a good time to relax indoors.

Thursday 12 November (Chandler/Phoenix AZ)
Very overcast grey day here in Chandler! Drove Chris to the airport for her trip to the east coast. I then finished reading my mail that I have forwarded to here....a lazy afternoon!

Wednesday 11 November (Show Low to Phoenix AZ 167 miles)
Happy Veterans Day!
Beautiful morning drive through Salt River Canyon then breakfast at Jerry's in Globe AZ...so nice to be warmer at these lower elevations (Phoenix is at 1117')! Arrived at my friend Chris' home in the afternoon so spent time in the backyard by the pool finishing my book and doing internet until she arrives home from work.

Tuesday 10 November (Glenwood NM to Show Low AZ 140 miles)
Early morning two mile hike at Catwalk. Decided to give ghost town of Mongollon a miss...9 miles on steep narrow road (about 45 minute drive each way) plus whatever is there closed down on 31 October. I am now at the Alpine library, just crossed over from NM to AZ. The sun is still shining but cold! Overnight at Fool Hollow Lake State Recreation Area camping with 100 foot pine trees and had a nice afternoon walk around the lake. They have closed off much of the park for the winter with only a small section opened to campers...but not many of us here anyway....down to freezing tonite here at 6400 feet above sea level.

Monday 9 November (Gila Hot Springs to Glenwood NM 181 miles)
Not much access to internet along this route! Up early to drive the windy steep sometimes one lane road with no center stripe (route 15) to Silver City. After a stop at the visitor center, I drove east on 152 to view Kneeling Nun rock formation and very large open pit copper mine at Santa Rita. Then south on route 61 to visit City of Rocks (beautiful rock formations in the middle of the desert) and the now closed Faywood Hot Springs (husband died and wife no longer wants to maintain it). Back to Silver City on route 180 then northwest to Glenwood....not much here though! Overnight for free at Bighorn campsite which is part of Gila National Forest.....cold eve! Only five campsites at this location and the other resident was some old guy in a pickup with camper from Colorado.

Sunday 8 November (Truth or Consequences to Gila Hot Springs NM 130 miles)
Up early for soak in the hot tubs! Headed west on route 152 to route 35/15 toward Gila...steep winding roads with beautiful views. Wonderful walk through Gila Cliff Dwellings then overnite at the Gila Hot Springs with a soak in the natural hot springs by the Gila River. Decided to bypass Las Cruces this time, maybe another trip....just another big city!

Saturday 7 November (Bosque del Apache to Truth or Consequences NM 79 miles)
I set the alarm for 4am so that I would get to the park at 5 for the sunrise flyout of the sandhill cranes (sunrise was at 6:30 and the birds finally did their thing at 6:15). Heaps of birds in the park (cranes, duck, geese). Drove the twelve mile loop road and the colors of the trees are still stupendous along the Rio Grande. Continued on route 1 until it ended at I25 exit 92 so back on the interstate to Truth or Consequences (also visited the El Camino Real Heritage Center but did give Fort Craig a miss...too far down a rough dirt road). Stopped at the visitor center for maps and the library for internet again at TorC (the name given by the locals to the town)! The RV parks here are not the greatest and wanted to hangout and enjoy the hot springs so chose a room at the old and funky La Paloma Hot Springs and Spa....great little place with free flow water from the ground and wonderful pebble bottom bath houses (unlimited use). T or C used to be called Hot Springs until 1950 when Ralph Edwards, upon the tenth anniversary of his program, asked for any city to change their name to Truth or Consequences for a local broadcast...which this town did! And Ralph visited this city every year for fifty years to celebrate the anniversary of the name change.

Friday 6 November (Albuquerque to Bosque del Apache NM 97 miles)
Breakfast with Nancy then drove south on I25 to Socorro for walk around the town square and visit to visitor center for maps and library for internet. Then drove route 1 to Bosque del Apache National Park Visitor Center. Stayed the eve at Bosque Birdwatcher RV Park where they charge extra $2 for showers (so I opted for none and hoped that I would enjoy the hot springs of TorC, which I did)!

Thursday 5 November (Santa Fe to Albuquerque NM 94 miles)
Early morning start for slow drive down route 14 (Turquise Trail) via the towns of Cerrillo, Madrid and Golden. I arrived at Vantastic Vans in Albuquerque when they opened at 8 to have work done on the dump system....needed a new hasp and hose. Spent time looking at the other used Roadtreks and Pleasure Ways on the lot. Stayed the evening with friend Nancy who I met in NZ in 1988 and then we travelled together with Rosa to Peru.

Wednesday 4 November (Santa Fe NM)
While Lucy was cleaning the house, I met with Germaine at Harry's Roadhouse for a delicious homemade chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwich. She just purchased a brand new 2010 Roadtrek Adventurous in Mesa AZ and plans to attend the Festival of the Cranes near Socorro with my friend Gail. Rosa and Gary return sometime this afternoon. It is finally getting warmer so should be nice and hot by the time I get to Phoenix.

Tuesday 3 November (Santa Fe NM)
Great four mile loop hike in the Eldorado Community Preserve (4094 acres of undeveloped land that borders the housing community where I am housesitting). There were eleven of us...Larry, Bill, Ann, Randy and Gail, Judy, Jack and Gail, Tom and Vicki, and me! Larry and his wife will be doing a roadtrip to Alaska next spring and may need a housesitter!

Monday 2 November (Santa Fe NM)
Morning walk to the Senior Center for yoga class with Barbara. I met EJ who knows Ellie and Art, hiker friends in Juneau, and she also knows Rosa and Gary (EJ has travelled with Rosa in the past). Finally warm enough to have lunch on the patio with the birds chirping and the trees blowing....it is very windy here most of the time. Full moon shining brightly!

Sunday 1 November (Santa Fe NM)
The snow is gone and it is finally getting a bit warmer (in the 50's) so decided to wash the van (and Rosa's car). I may not be able to wash it in Phoenix due to the water rationing there. And then a nice walk through the greenbelt and along the railroad tracks. Quite a few people out and about with either a dog or a bicycle.