More Gabbing and Eating

Casa Grande, AZ
Sundance RV Resort

Yesterday George and Linda Morey and Harry and Carlena Schoolcraft came over for lunch.  It wasn't much, barbecue pork from Sam's club.  We all gabbed as usual.

George and Linda are staying at Sundance until Friday but hadn't found a place for the remainder of time before going into Escapade.  I've haven't seen parks this full in town ever.  No one seems to have a vacancy.  Of course, some were here waiting for the FMCA rally in Chandler.  

We rode through Leisure Valley and didn't see an empty site.  Next one was Val Vista and they happened to have 6 sites.  George checked them all out and picked the one they wanted.  

As we drove past Casa Grande RV Resort, George said after two calls, they never returned his call.  Val Vista rates were much better anyway.  

We drove them through town to show them the business area.  I wanted to stop at Norris RV and pick up some lap sealant.  By the time we got back, it was almost time for dinner.  Harry and Carlena went back to walk Boo and to check what time Harry needed to be at the Elks tonight.  At 4:30 Carlena called to say the Elk orientation was 5:30 not 6:30.  We said we'd meet them at the Hong Kong Kitchen and we drove George and Linda over.  Luckily it was still early for the dinner crowd and we were served promptly.

Bill rode with Harry and Carlena to the Elk's and I brought George and Linda back to their truck.  It was a fun day, but dinner didn't last as long as normal.  Today Harry is driving up to Mesa for the soft ball tournament and Carlena is visiting her mom.

Speaking of Harry and Carlena.  Look what they brought us. 

This will go great with the Loosey Goosey bunch.  I think it will look better on our antenna than the current carrot.

Turtle Safely......

Good Sam--the Ending

Casa Grande, AZ
Sundance RV Resort

So what have we been doing the last few days?   What all RVers do--gabbing and eating.

Bill had some trouble with his heart rate and we didn't do a lot.  Of course, if you were't looking to purchase a new RV there wasn't much at this Good Sam thing.  

We all enjoyed the sunshine but still wore long pants.

I don't think we even went down to the vendor area the whole day.  Carlena and Harry went to visit Carlena's mother who was in the hospital.  Stephanie was still not feeling well.  Barb and Dave went to visit Ikea and came back with cinnamon rolls for everyone.

Speaking of Barb, she went to the fabric store and bought me some black out material to make curtains for the Alaska trip.  When she brought the fabric over, she asked for the dimensions as she said she'd sew them up for me.  How nice is that?  

We took our chairs over for the prize drawing and entertainment.  Part of the entertainment was George receiving two prizes out of all the people there.

His first prize was a bag full of barbecue seasoning.  There were about a dozen different kinds in his bag.

If that wasn't enough, he won two extremely nice chairs.  Of course, he and I both bought rocking chairs the day before.  

The band was very good and I saw no one leaving early.  

There was a fireworks show following the band.  Unfortunately, we are spoiled from Winter Blast.  Did I mention that we are already registered for next year?

Sunday morning Bill was in the shower and I heard Harry whistling.  I knew he was up to something.

Harry installed the new fan that we bought.  George came by about the time Harry was finishing and decided he needed a fan for their bedroom.  We walked back over to the exhibition area to get one.  It wasn't very crowded.

About this time, Bill's heart rate still hadn't settled down, so we decided to head back to Casa Grande.  Carlena called to see if she could change her reservation to a day earlier and they came back with us.

Harry lead the way back, and I followed.  I didn't think Bill needed to be driving.  We were going to take Carlena and Harry out to dinner, but we were both tired and postponed it until the Morey's get here.

When we pulled into Sundance, I found out they had a vacancy.  George was having a hard time finding a place in Casa Grande for Monday.  Stephanie and Curtis are also coming in as he has a doctor appointment but they are staying at Rovers Roost.  

Turtle Safely......

Good Sam Rally--Friday

Avondale, AZ
Phoenix International Raceway

It was cold out this morning but our Mister Buddy  warmed us up in a short time.  Bill was having dizzy spells this morning and when he checked his heart rate we knew why.  

Decided to just sit outside in the sunshine and relax.

Carlena and I realized we didn't sign up for the prize drawing.  We walked back over to do that while Bill and Harry stayed out in the sunshine. 

Look who I found outside the Camping World tent.  It's Mary Lichtenberg, another Montana owner from Nebraska.  She was testing the chairs out.  

Ron was inside buying something.  I thought this was a great photo of Mary and Ron.  Ron's sporting a little more hair this year.

We said hello to Johnny as we walked by.  I can't believe PIR has "music" being played that loud.  It would be difficult for people to appreciate Johnny singing with all the noise.  

This was the first year that I've seen boats for sale at an RV rally.  

Bill thought he felt better and wanted to go to Cabela's.  When he climbed up the steps, he realized he wasn't ready to do any walking.  Maybe another day.

Ron and Mary came by and we had a chance to visit with them.  

Turtle Safely....... 

Good Sam Rally

Avondale, Arizona
Phoenix International Raceway

Today was a busy day with lots of walking.  We walked all around the raceway looking for the entrance to the infield.  It turned out that the show is on the outside of the track.  We walked back and forth until we found the exhibition hall.   

We did find the Good Sam VIP so we picked up our Good Sam bag and the campground book.  It weighed a ton. 

I did notice on Facebook that Chick Thompson said they refused to give him a bag because he registered after the cut off date.  That just isn't right.  

I bought a new fan so we walked back to the coaches.  Harry checked his coach to make sure one would fit and we walked back over to get one for him.  Then we walked over to the Camping World display.  This is a huge show and covers a lot of ground.  I had been wanting one of the piston rocking chairs and they were on sale at Camping World.  I also bought another fold up plastic stool to put in the truck.  It's much easier to reach things in the bed with the stool.  Sharon and Don had stopped in Quartzite to get one for us, and they didn't have them.  Bill also bought a liter of black tank treatment stuff.  We had another heavy load and walked back to the coach to off load the stuff. 

They have the shuttle buses but we aren't that far away to bother with them.  

Bill wanted to fuel up the truck and Harry and Carlena wanted to go to the grocery store so we piled into the truck.  It was lunch time and Harry and Carlena have never been to a Rudy's Barbecue so we took them.  Everyone was happy with their choices.  

When we got back I looked inside to see what Bill was doing.

You can't nap now, it should be happy hour time.  We all walked back over trying to find the spot for happy hour.

When I saw Johnny, I asked him about it.  He said he just played off and on at the Paul Evert booth during the day.  It seems since they are selling drinks, the usual Paul Evert happy hour that we've become used to at the Escapade won't be happening here.  Paul Evert team members delivered drinks to our happy hour yesterday.

Carlena and Good Sam got along fine, but I don't know what Boo thought of Good Sam.

No problem we came back for happy hour between us and the Schoolcraft's to try and block the wind.  Stephanie wasn't feeling well so she didn't join us.  It was very windy so we were glad the wind was blowing from the west.  

Harry helped me figured out what I did wrong when I put the grill together.  I'm so glad we don't have to carry the LP canisters or an extra propane tank.  Thanks Harry and George.  

While we were sitting out this man came by and said "Hi Jan".  He has been reading my blog for awhile and I've been reading his.  

It was Rick Rousseau who writes the blog "It's about time".  You can check it out at ricknkathyrousseau.blogspot.com.
Kathy wasn't feeling well, so hopefully I'll get to meet her before the show is over.  

I think I'll soak my feet and relax tonight as tomorrow promises to be a busy day.  

Turtle Safely........

Early Bird at PIR

Avondale, AZ
Phoenix International Raceway

It was a smooth ride over to PIR for the Good Sam Rally.  We left Casa Grande headed for the rest area on I 10.  As we pulled into the rest area, Curtis and Stephanie were right behind us.  They came from Rover's Roost so they came across the interstate rather than go through town.  

A short time later, Barb and Dave arrived and we headed up the highway.  We always take Riggs Road and go across the reservation rather than drive through Phoenix.  

I called Carlena and Harry who were waiting at Vee Quiva Casino along with George and Linda and told them we were on the way. 

It was a smooth ride over to PIR.  Harry was in the lead and one motorhome got in between us as we made the turn into the grounds.  Harry pulled over after going through the gate.  Carlena had the confirmation but not the windshield paper for parking.  The gate person wasn't happy that she left it on the table.  Well guess what?  We followed and I had the confirmation but the windshield paper was in the drawer.  I had to climb over the kitchen island to get to the living room with the slides in.  

The parking crew was waiting to show us to our site.  We are on the pavement in Row L, #58.  In no time at all every one was set up.  Curtis and Stephanie are in the middle, so they have the designated happy hour spot.  The first year at PIR the rows were so close together, if there was an emergency it would be very difficult to get out.  I'm happy to say they have left a lot more room.

Here's Harry's site with us along side.

Curtis had a fall while at Quartzite and finally saw a doctor while in Casa Grande.  He said the boot really helps.

George and Linda should be exhausted as they came from Lake Havasau City this morning.

Barb and Dave are sporting the new Montana Owners Club logo.  

Turtle Safely......

The Blast--Shut Down by the Fire Marshal

Casa Grande, Arizona

I had a couple of calls asking how the Blast was.  Saturday morning it was cloudy and there were sprinkles off and on all day.  

We walked over to the grandstand area for the dinner and to listen to the band.  It's a great place to have happy hour.  Carlena and Harry came over to our coach to watch the show.  They are in the row behind us and didn't have a very good view.  There was no point being outside with bad weather when we had a perfect view from the recliners.

I was unable to get the audio portion on the radio.  After about an hour, everyone started leaving.  Later we found out that there was a traffic accident and the vehicle leaked gasoline.  The fire marshal shut the pyrotechnic show down.  
Sunday morning the weather was much better.  It didn't rain enough the night before to leave any puddles.

I must say that I was extremely disappointed in the meals that were served at the rodeo grounds.  In the past, they were very good and worth the $10.  They were very stingy with the servings.  Jan got four potato chips the size of a half dollar.  The meat on the sandwich was so thin you couldn't see any when the bread was together.  On the plus side, the grounds, showers, and rest rooms were very clean.  The people were friendly.  They closed off the road on the wall side and used the paved road to escort people to their sites.  The staff is very friendly.  The band was very enjoyable.  

Dennis and Carol Hill invited us over for biscuit and gravy breakfast.  He thought it would be nice for the Loosey Goosey bunch to get together.  

It was really fun and informative too.

Everyone was ready to eat at 8:30 except Harry and Carlena weren't there.  I said these people are never late.  It turns out their clocks bounced off the California towers and they were on California time.  

The discussions were all about Alaska.

Dennis convinced us to take our big camera to Alaska.

Mark helped me get my emails on my new phone.

Mark did suggest, I get a real screen saver.

I took this photos for those people that attended in the past.  Closing off this road made a huge difference.

Bill and I went for a walk and we watched the kids sled riding down the sand hill.  I went to get my camera and when I came back there wasn't a kid in sight.

The next thing we knew, it was time for happy hour and to listen to the band.  

The band played and one little girl about two stole the show dancing.

John and Gayle are enjoying the sunshine.  They never seem to get cold.

Carolyn and Craig really enjoyed themselves and they are planning to come back next year.

The Sunday show was spectacular.  Everything that wasn't launched was shown then.  It seemed more fitting that the last show should be the best.

Sunday morning everyone seemed reluctant to leave.  We had originally planned to stop at Quartzite on our way home as we had a picture freeze and a 775 error on our TV one day.  It never did it again so I cancelled the appointment.  Paul of Satellite Advantage suggested I stop anyway as there had to be something wrong.  He said he'd personally check it out for us.  

Don and Sharon wanted something in Quartzite and Carlena and Harry also wanted to stop in Quartzite.  All three of started down the road together.  

Paul changed out two components for us and then started checking things.  At first he though it might be our receiver so he tested it on theirs.  The problem turned out to be a long standing one.  When we first got the coach, we never used satellite in the bedroom.  When we did hook it up, we found that the satellite coax connection didn't work.  

The coach was out of warranty but Montana sent us to a RV repair shop at no cost to us.  At that repair shop, I said if they wanted to run another coax they could install it closer to the TV.  They installed it and it worked fine up until I got the rooftop antenna that gets Direct TV on HD.  Paul was upset about the inferior coax that was used and the way it was done.  He corrected it all for us and never charged us a penny.  I highly recommend Advantage Satellite for any satellites you may use.  He also does work in the Phoenix area.  

We got back to Casa Grande a little after 4.  We picked up Sharon and Don for dinner about 5:30.  They wanted to try Manuel's since Bedillon's is closed on Mondays.  

 It was wonderful being around these two after all they have been through.  Looking forward to seeing them again next month.

Turtle Safely........

Winter Blast--Thursday/Friday

Sara Park Rodeo Grounds

How did I get behind?  Just way to much fun.

Yesterday we all took a tour of the London Bridge.  This tour was put on by the visitors center.  Our guide had a video that he played but he really knew his stuff.

 The fountain is something the city erected when they removed the grass.  The fountain was made in Mexico and the lions came from an old casino in Vegas.

This entrance gate came from England and was built in 1862.  

What a remarkable undertaking to dismantle, then move this bridge over 5,000 miles and then reconstruct it. 

This tour wasn't just about how they moved and erected the bridge.  The complete story is how McCullough built the town of Lake Havasau City for his London Bridge.

 We had to climb 52 steps to get up on the bridge.  When the bridge was in London, the tides came in and out thus the need for so many steps during low tide.

Our guide gave us a breather after climbing those steps by the statue of McCullough and C. V. Woods.

The red cord around Bill's neck is the audio monitor so we could hear our guide.  It really makes a difference in a tour.

I'm sure every one knows about the "love locks".  The city has decided to leave them as part of history.

These light poles were made from the metal from the cannons of Napoleon.  

We've driven over the bridge many times, but you get a better feel for it when you walk over.

Lake Havasau City is truly a beautiful city.

Craig, Harry, Carlena, Bill and I stopped by the bridge for lunch, it was good and reasonable.  Jan and Paul came in and we made room for them.

By the time I got back I had lost track of time.  When I realized that it was only 20 minutes before time to go to the Boomer's Pot Luck, I walked down and told Don and Sharon we wouldn't make it.  I needed an hour to bake my dish.

Today we took a trip into town to Starbuck's with Harry and Carlena.  Of course, we also found a couple of places to stop.

Before we knew it, the band was playing and we walked over to secure a big table for our dinner.  

I have to say the temperatures were in the 70's but the wind was blowing and the sky was cloudy most of the day.

Harry and Carlena are having a good time.

I know I keep saying it, but it sure is good to see Don and Sharon back loving life. 

The first timers were all amazed at how good the band was. The wind was playing havoc with the microphones.  Paul even told us that the drums blew off the stage from the wind while they were setting up. 

Dinner was late, but it went well.  Tacos (choice of three meats, rice, beans and chips.

Do you think they are having a good time?

I can tell it's Friday by our red shirts.

The weather wasn't bad while we were sitting here because the bleachers broke the wind.

Carol and Mark showing the youngsters how to dance.

Carolyn and Craig Mills are having a good time too.

This is the first time at the blast for Bud and Susie.  The dogs have settled down a lot from the first day.

Gayle and John were also out on the dance floor.

We came back to the coach and decided to watch the show from the recliners.  We thought maybe they might not have the show, but it's been a really good show compared to last night's show and it's still going on as I write this blog.

Turtle Slowly......