Dragoon And Another Montana Mingle

Cochise Terrace
Benson, Arizona

We started out about 9:30 for the Amerind Museum in Dragoon.  Anyone that has ever traveled across I 10 in Arizona has probably stopped at Texas Canyon Rest Stop.  It's a place that you'd just stop at for the sheer beauty not because you need a potty stop.  

The Dragoon exit was closed so we decided to just go on over to Willcox.  I knew there was an information center next door to Apple Annie's.  The information center gave us an alternate route to get to the museum.  

Bill had fixed a breakfast of sausage, eggs, toast, and fruit right before we left and we were both still stuffed so didn't stop for a piece of pie at Annies. I'll regret passing that up later.

We checked out the Elk's lodge to see how full the RV park was.  Bill and I both love walking the streets in old town Willcox.  There would have been enough empty parking spaces to have parked the fifth wheel.  

  

It was a gorgeous day and I could almost hear Rex Allen singing Streets of Laredo.  

Not many towns have a famous horse buried in them.

The last time we visited Willcox we toured the Rex Allen Museum and also Marty Robbins so we did not do it today.

We drove down Cochise Stronghold and over to Dragoon.  We've never been on this road before and enjoyed the drive.  I was amazed at the vineyards and wineries that we passed.  

The Amerind is located in a beautiful area.  Unfortunately, you were not allowed to photograph anything.

Your nine dollar senior admission includes the museum and the art museum that adjoins it.  This place has always been on our bucket list. One thing to note is that there is a well marked RV parking area.  I was really having a problem with my foot today and there were a lot of steps to climb which seems to aggravate it.

By the time we left the day was getting away from us so we headed back to Benson.

Here's a view of the area from our picnic table.  Do you see the roadrunner?

We really love this park and I would request this site again if we return.

Ron and Mary, Gloria and Frank, and Don and Sharon came by for Happy Hour.  

These Montana owners did not know each other before today, but I have a feeling they will see each other again. 

I don't know if I mentioned that Sharon has been a long time member of the MOC.  She was a solo that owned a Montana before she married Don. 

We were heading back to Casa Grande tomorrow, but we've been having such a good time, decided to stay longer.  

Here's my public service hint for the day.  If you want a place to pull over and Texas Canyon is still closed,  there is RV parking here.  For a dollar you can see the Thing.  

Turtle Safely.......

St. Patrick's Day in the Town To Tough To Die

Cochise Terrace
Benson, AZ

St. Patrick's Day didn't start out the way we wanted it to.  Can you imagine a morning without coffee?  Frank and Gloria had asked us to come and visit them around 10 am.  

But we were up around 7 am and the coffee pot wouldn't work.  I was really having trouble functioning. As soon as I got out of the shower we made a trip to Walmart.  

It was almost 10 when we returned from Walmart so we went directly over to Frank and Gloria's Montana.  She immediately served a fresh pot of strong coffee.  What a lifesaver!  I can't remember a cup of coffee tasting so good.

Don had a doctor's appointment today so we didn't see them.

We had told Ron and Mary that we would visit them when we left the King's.  They are staying at a park near the Escapees park.  

Jim and Bev are also at that park but Bev had the crud.  Judy and Charlie are also staying there and Judy was giving a haircut.  

Ron asked Bill if we wanted to go to Tombstone for lunch at Big Nose Kate's.  He also told Bill he would drive.  Now anyone that know's Bill, knows he was all for that.  

We hadn't been to Tombstone since last May so needless to say we enjoyed it.  I have to say there were many people there, maybe because of spring break?

I saw a beautiful sand painting that I fell in love with but when it was taken down off the wall it had a big bow in the frame.  

When we walked up to Big Nose Kate's there was a long line waiting outside to get in.  We walked on up the street or should I say we shopped up the street and by the time we walked back down the other side, there were only a few people in line at Kate's.  

The music was great as always.  Unfortunately, we forgot how big the Ruben sandwiches are and each ordered one.  

It was a great day and we really enjoyed spending time with Ron and Mary.  They are the hosts for the Montana Owners Club Rally in Nebraska.  

It's so much fun when we have a Montana Mingle.  

Turtle Safely......

A Late Start

Benson, AZ
Cochise Terrace 

Normally we're on the road by nine-ish.  Today was different, we were waiting for a package to be delivered.  It was suppose to arrive yesterday and I can't seem to get a tracking number from the company.  

We left Sundance around 11 and traveled about 118 miles to Benson.  Our plans were to come down last week, but with Bill having problems with his heart rate we decided to leave today.  

Normally we go to the Woodcarvers in Congress in March, but Bill didn't feel artistic.

We'll stay here a couple of days and then head south for the rest of the week.  

When we checked in they had a nice pull through, but I decided to take a back in with a gorgeous few of the mountains.  Yes, I did back it in, but the park host directed me instead of Bill.  I had to do it twice as he had me too close to a tree.  

No sooner than we were parked, Don Del Rosario was at the door.  It's so good to see him.    

We said we'd see them for Happy Hour and about 3:30 we rode over.  I didn't think walking over was a good idea since it was uphill.  

Don was napping when we arrived but Sharon showed us how they have the casita fixed up for the dialysis.  She's learned so much about this.  She'd given Don his dialysis earlier in the day.  

Frank and Gloria King arrived a little while later.  Gigi might have been happy to see us, but Gloria got a bigger welcome.  

Included with our Passport America rate were two tickets for tonight's dinner which included a chicken wrap, applesauce, dessert and a drink.  It was just enough.  

This is a beautiful park and they have plenty of employees to keep it looking perfect.  Unfortunately, they are out of tickets for the St. Patrick's Day Dinner and dance.  

Notice in the above photo that everyone has their phones out.  Everyone was checking their heart rate on the smartphones.  

While we're here, we plan to visit the Amerind Museum.  We've passed it numerous times and decided to try and see it tomorrow.  There is so much to see and do in this area. 

The news was saying that there is a National Adopt a Tortoise day coming up.  The only problem is they live to be 100 years old and I guess we'd be starting too late in life.  

Turtle Safely...... 

A Walk in the Park

Casa Grande, AZ
Sundance RV Resort

Bill wasn't feeling well the last few days and his heart rate has been jumping all around.  You can just look at him and know he doesn't feel his normal self.

This morning when he took his pressure, the heart rate was almost back to normal.  I knew he was feeling better.  The best news was when he took it two hours later, and it was almost the same.  

I want to take a moment to thank all of you who called, and sent prayers.  Your friendship and concern means a lot.  

When we went to visit Dad today we noticed Peart Park was having an art festival.  This wasn't a craft show.  All the artists were very talented.  It was a beautiful day for a walk in the park.  The show had a huge diversity of all different forms of art.  I just marvel at some of the talent people have.  Bill has some artistic ability but my artistic ability is like my cooking--pretty bad.  

There were some beautiful oil paintings but I didn't have any extra thousands or a place to put one of these.  One man shaped his canvases to accentuate the focal points of his paintings .  I fell in love with a southwestern desert scene and a roadrunner was in it and the tail extended past the painting.  It's hard to explain but it was beautiful.  

 Naturally there are a lot of jewelry makers and while these were beautiful, my days of dressing for work are over.  Bill on the other hand would love to buy me jewelry.  He's the only man that when you lose him in a mall, he's in the jewelry stores.  

There were 3 dimensional paintings made out of leather and then some made with turquoise.  Naturally, the Native Americans had some beautiful silver bracelets, buckles, and earrings.  

I did see a giant metal wind thing that had turtles on it.  It was beautiful, but I didn't even ask the price--somehow I knew it was way over my budget.  

There was a small band playing and the music was great.  Just a gorgeous day for a walk in the park. I was surprised by the few people that were taking advantage of the free event. 

I did purchase a treasure.  It was a piece of pottery that is perfect for a Happy Hour dish.  It has a little toothpick cup in it.  

Just before I went to publish this, Bill's heart rate was back up to 121.  I guess we were celebrating too soon.

Turtle Safely......

  

Second Time in 10 Years

Casa Grande, AZ
Sundance RV Resort

It's been an interesting few days here.  This past week, Bill has been complaining about feeling very tired.  Anyone that knows Bill knows he doesn't complain.  

I finally convinced him to check his blood pressure.  The blood pressure was okay but thankfully, we have a monitor that also measures heart rate.  His heart rate was 110 and usually it's about 60.  I suggested going to the doctor to see what he had to say, but Bill has a regular check up in May and thought he'd wait to discuss it then.  Does this sound like a typical man to you?  Have you heard the word "stubborn" to describe a man going to the doctor?

I worried all night about it and the next morning his heart rate had gone up to 120.  Now aware that this isn't going in the right direction, he agreed maybe he should see the doctor.  

Since we don't need an appointment to see our family physician, we headed straight for his office.  Dr. Gonda was very concerned and asked a lot of questions trying to rule out causes.  He then took a ECG which came back abnormal atrial fibrillation.  His office attempted to get Bill in to see his cardiologist but he wasn't available.  The best they could do was an appointment the next day with an associate of that office.   

Our doctor ordered some pills which needed to be taken every 6 hours.  He said if the heart rate rises, to go directly to the hospital.  

He took the pill immediately after getting the prescription filled.  We took his blood pressure and the heart rate had gone up to 123.  At this point, I was ready to drive him to the hospital.  He said he'd wait another hour and see what it was.  After that hour it dropped to 110.  We set the alarm clock so that he wouldn't miss his every 6 hour pill.  

The last time we used an alarm clock was when we took a flight for our South Africa trip and we haven't used one since we retired. 

Dr. Gonda also showed us some apps on our phone that record your blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen lever, vision, hearing, lung capacity, respiratory rate, emotion, autism, and psychological level.  The free one I loaded on my phone was iCare Oxygen Monitor.  I have no idea how this works but I compared it to our blood pressure machine and it seems to be the same.  

This app records the data and has a lot more things on it.  If you aren't using one, and you happen to be a senior citizen you might want to try one of these apps.  Thankfully, it hasn't figured out how to weigh us.

The following morning we went to see the cardiologist.  It felt strange not going to our normal one, but we really liked this doctor right off.  

He ordered an ECG and said he thought it was atrial flutter. Bill's heart rate was back down to normal.  He put him on Pardaxa, a blood thinner to prevent a stroke.  

Lucky for us, he gave us a one month sample of the drug.  Walmart wants $330 for a one month supply using our Medicare Part D.  Not sure how much it would cost without the insurance.  

I checked the internet for discounts and medicare patients don't qualify.  I did find it could be ordered from Canada for $503 for a three month supply.  Have any of you ever had experience with ordering from Canada?  I also thought about checking to see if we could buy it in Mexico.  Let me know if there is any place that you know of that might be better for us.  

Bill has a follow up appointment in April.  We had been tossing around the idea of going to the Escapees Ware Rally.  I'm glad I didn't send in our reservation money.  There is something about that rally, that every time we register and plan to attend something seems to happen.  Last year it was my shattered heel, another time we were en route and something happened and we cancelled.   

We had planned to attend the Chapter 21 Escapees luncheon in Benson yesterday with Ed Allard and Jeanne, but needless to say we weren't able to attend.

The doctor ordered a blood test to make sure Bill's kidney's were okay for this drug.  As we were leaving the lab, Ed called to say they were going to stop on their way home from Benson.  

We enjoyed our visit with Ed and Jeanne.  The conversation topics went from a chapter rally, hearing aids, heart conditions and where to travel and visit.  Somehow we didn't even try and solve the world problems.  

John and Gerri Beckman stopped by today.  We always enjoy their visits.  It was nice to hear that Dick and Judy George are doing better.  

Sherry and Dave stopped by while the Beckman's were here.  After everyone left, Bill took his heart rate and it was back up at 120.  We'll monitor it closely and if it gets worse, call the doctor.  

Turtle Safely........  

Another Montana Mingle--March

Casa Grande, Arizona
Sundance RV Resort

Where has the time gone?  I can't believe it's been so long since I blogged.

Bud and Susie Walsh left for Colorado as Bud had some ski lessons to give.  Just knowing Bud and his personality I'm sure he's a great instructor and his students love him.  I remember him explaining about skiing during the Olympics and he has a real passion for the sport.  He made it all sound so simple.  I'm not ready to try it yet, but if I were, Bud would be who I would employ. 

Susie called after they were on the road.  She was afraid she didn't close the slide all the way.  No problem, we went over and double checked for her.  The RV park is allowing them to stay on the site and pay one dollar more than the two dollar charge for storage.  They will be all plugged in and set up when they return.  Not a bad deal.  

No sooner than we returned from the RV park, I received a call from Dennis and Linda Ward.  They were coming to Casa Grande and wanted the name of the park.  I told them there were plenty of sites, as we just returned from the park so no need to reserve.  They thought they would be in in the afternoon.  

We had an appointment to get the vehicle serviced and they called while we were in the store killing time waiting on the repairs.  It was so nice to get to spend time with them, while not in a big group.  They have a beautiful Montana with one of the nicest floor plans, that Montana discontinued.  

Bill told Dennis that we had Yuengling Beer in the refrigerator and it didn't take long before they were knocking on the door.  Dennis and Linda visited the brewery last fall and it is on our bucket list for this year.

After we solved about half the world problems, we went for Chinese food.  We were all talking so much, I don't think Linda heard us say they were big portions and we usually split a meal.  Bill and I still had enough left of our meal for another one.  Dennis had a couple of boxes of food left.  

We went to the Escapees Chapter 45 luncheon in Apache Junction the following day.  This was the last meeting that we attend until the fall.  They do have an annual picnic planned in April, so if you're an Escapees you might want to come.

When we returned, we found out they decided to stay another day.  They came over and we visited again.  I think we may have left a world problem or two unsolved.  

They were planning to head to Tucson and stay at the fairgrounds but they were charging $30 a night because there was a big event going on.  I suggested they stay in Amado if they were going to pay those prices, they should have some amenities.  They love to swim and De Anza has a nice indoor salt water pool.  

John and Shirley Kohl had e-mailed me (everyone knows I don't text) to say they were in Organ Pipe and coming this way by Friday.

I had ordered a poster for Dad last week.  I can't believe what I paid for expedited shipping and it still took that long for a sheet of paper.  No wonder the postal service is having problems, although we do have the best postman in town. 


Dad wanders the halls of the assisted living place and is having trouble finding his apartment.  We thought since he's living in the days of his time spent in the navy, if we put a poster of an aircraft carrier on his door, it may help him find his apartment.  At this point, it's something we have to try, even if it doesn't help.  

We also bought more Dr. Pepper.  I don't remember if I posted the story of the Dr. Pepper.  We took him a case of Dr. Pepper and the next day when we went over, the entire case was gone.  This has been going on for a while, so yesterday we only took a 12 pack.  We'll see if it is still there.  He must give everything he has away as he thinks he's being shipped out immediately.  

When we were walking in the door from visiting Dad, John called to say they were parked and settled for the night.  We drove over and picked them up and showed them around the area.  Shirley said she had stayed at that park a while back.  Once again it was nice to be able to visit with just them and not have to share them with others.  John and Shirley are newlyweds and they just glow with happiness.  While we've known John since we first joined the Montana Owners Club, we're pleased to get to know Shirley better.  It's hard to believe we enjoy her more and more and we see why John fell head over heels for her. 

Naturally, we went out to eat.  We told John to pick the place and he chose Suki's Barbecue.  I hadn't been in there since the ownership change and thought of it more as a take out place, but it worked out fine.  They had a sampler meal for two that had all the meats and three sides.  We all shared one sampler and there was plenty for everyone with even some left over.

I was hoping they were going to stay longer, but hopefully next time they will.  

Turtle Safely..........

Back in Casa Grande

Sundance RV Resort
Casa Grande, AZ

Not a lot happening here in the past week.  I did the driving when we left Pilot Knob.  Bill had some long bad driving days in California the entire week, so he enjoyed being in the copilot seat.  


I did manage to back the fiver in perfectly straight when we arrived at Sundance.  I think I just need to do it more often so I get used to doing it.  Practice does help.

Dad's condition hasn't changed.  He still thinks "they're coming to get him tomorrow."   He didn't even seem like he knew we were gone.  

Susie and Bud invited us over for Happy Hour.  Skip and Linda were there as well as John and Gayle.  Susie was having a hard time as she had fallen while playing pickleball.  Of course, she made a full blown meal instead of happy hour food.  

I know how cool it can get in the evenings and I wore long pants.  I guess you could say I was over dressed.

Zoey and Khaki were telling Bud that they wanted their leashes lengthened so they could visit with everyone.

Zoey had a chance to see "hello" to everyone.

Bud and Susie are going back to Colorado to ski and will return in a month.

We'll miss the whole family.

You Never Know Who You're Going to See.

Winterhaven, California
Pilot Knob RV Resort

You never know who is nearby.  Can you believe three different couples that we didn't know were here?

We knew Ray and Cindy Warner were nearby but they have such a busy schedule we didn't even call them since we only planned to be here overnight.  

This morning I received a call from Freddy and Delcie Prather.  They were in the Escapees Class of 2009 that we were adopted into by class president, Sandie Dixon.  It's hard to believe we've known them so long.  We last saw them at an Elk's lodge in Lubbuck, Texas last October.    

After a short discussion we, extended our stay another day and a chance to visit with them.  Since we were staying another day we decided to go to Mexico this morning.  I'm sure Shay and Misty will be happy to know we did get two bottles of Tekali--almond flavored tequila.  I put them away for safe keeping until we see them this summer.  

The Quechan parking lot was almost filled to capacity. Once we crossed into Mexico all the vendors were calling Bill "cowboy".  I love hearing all their ways of getting customers to stop in the "stores".

The lines to get back into the United States were very short at the border and it only took us 20 minutes to get through customs.  Of course, you can't purchase liquor until 11 am in Mexico so the people that crossed the border to buy liquor were just starting to get in line to go back across the border.  

While we were waiting in the Purple Store for the 11 am time when we could purchase the tequila, I saw a sign in the pharmacy section that they had hand cream.  I went back to check out that section.  I found the turtle cream like what I bought in Australia for over $20 which was in a very small bottle.  This bottle was 32 ounces and cost $2.63.  

Once back on US grounds we gave Freddy a call and found out they were in the spot where we stayed a couple of years ago.  Their rooftop is visible from our site.  

It was so good to visit with them.  I couldn't believe how big Echo is.  She was a tiny puppy when we saw her in October.

The second couple we found that is in the area is Dennis and Linda Ward.  They were having more solar panels installed.  They met us at Da Boyz for dinner.  The four of us shared the family feast.  It was two large serving bowls of spaghetti, a large salad, garlic bread, and a large pizza.  Linda and Dennis were good and only ate the salad and pizza and took their spaghetti home for tomorrow's dinner.  I cleaned my plate. Oh yes, the price for all that is $22.99 for four people.

I then found out that George and Susie Yates are in site #77 and invited us for Happy Hour.  By the time we returned from dinner it was way too late to visit with them.  Oh well, I know our roads will cross again sometime in the future. 

Bedtime is going to be early tonight.  

Turtle Safely........ 

Indestructible Flashlight

Winterhaven, California
Pilot Knob

What a day!  I think the past four days have caught up with us both.  Normally, we always stay two days somewhere and usually we do not go anywhere immediately after we are parked.  We broke all of our rules these past days and we really paid for it today.  

Yesterday we drove 150 miles round trip and also spent the time touring the Reagan Presidential Library.  

It started raining pretty steady after we returned to the Elk's.  When we arose this morning, it was still drizzling.  I watched the weather and it said it would stop at 9 am.  Bill and I debated whether to stay or go and about 10, the sun came out.  OK, we're leaving.  About 5 miles down the interstate, we caught up to the rain.  Did I mention the horrendous traffic?  Add the rain and the traffic and it makes a bad driving day.  

I kept looking at the MPG gauge on the truck.  I couldn't believe we were getting this mileage towing. 

Over twenty miles per gallon, I couldn't believe it.  As soon as we stopped at a rest stop, I understood why.  The winds were blowing so hard, I was having trouble opening the truck door.  The tailwind was blowing us down the highway.  We watched a workmen at the rest area who had a barrel size container full of water that blew over.  The water blew clear across the bathroom building. 

Unfortunately, we turned south at Indio and lost the wind.  We hadn't taken the drive around the Salton Sea in a long time.  It should be a relaxing drive.  Well it should have been.

The road was in terrible shape.  It was washboard most of the way.  

We were both exhausted but  said no to this RV "Resort" in Brawley.

We stopped at Pilot Knob.  That's when we found out how indestructible our flashlight is.  I heard a sound when I tried to put the slide out.  Bill and I looked around and didn't see anything in the way.  The slides when out without a problem.  

Then I saw this!  

This is our flashlight that rolled under the slide and then was caught in the slide.  The light color is the underside of the flooring that was also stuck.

It took some in and out on the slides but we finally got the flashlight out.  

It still works fine.

Bill and I are going to hibernate all day tomorrow.  We just need a down day by ourselves.  

Anyone with ideas of how to repair the damage, please let us know your thoughts.  

Turtle Safely........

A Hangar Full of Planes

Ontario, California
Elk's Lodge #1419

Yesterday as I was ready to post the blog we had some company.  It was Bill's sister, Denise and her husband, Dan Wotring.  We had talked with them on the phone while we were touring the Nixon library but thought the lateness of the day and the horrible California traffic, would prevent a visit.  

Boy, were we happy and surprised to see them.

We had a great time visiting with them.

And then there was another knock on the door.

It was Daniel, Bill's nephew.  We enjoyed talking with him and he offered to show us his business, Aviator Flight Training.  

Lucky for us it is located in the world's largest private airport, in Upland, which was a short drive away.  It was dark so Daniel drove us over.

The first plane he showed us was his  DC 3.  I hope I remembered all the details correctly.  There was so many interesting things I think my brain was on overload.

This plane was used by the military in the invasion of Sicily.

I was a nervous wreck sitting in the co-pilot seat.  There was a red level that I couldn't step on because it was used for ejection.  

Daniel said that later in it's history', the plane was used as mail delivery and there was a side door where they loaded the mail.  When he opened the door the propeller was very close.  I took a photo of it, but it didn't come out in the dark.  I think Daniel said it was called a hamburger door.

Here's a photo of what it looked like when new.

Daniel said when they were renovating the plane they found signatures of the military men and bullet holes.

The plane was also used as a commercial plane.  Daniel said the plane was rented to be in movies and TV, most recently in the Showtime series, Masters of Sex.   

We then drove down to one of his hangers.  This was the plane that started the business.  

Daniel is an expert in tailwheel training.  Warbirds are his specialty.  He also gives rides which during the Christmas season is very busy.

Daniel does all the work and when not doing that he instructs at Edwards Air Force Base.  He puts real meaning into the word passion.  

We also understand that his wife, Samantha is very supportive of his passion.  

I wish we would have taken more photos but we were so interested in everything Daniel was telling us, photos were the last things we thought of.

We're so proud of Daniel!

Today we drove the 75 miles over to Simi Valley to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.  The traffic is bad but it was worth the drive.  The Library and Museum opened in 1991 and encompasses 100 acres.

Bill and I both commented yesterday that we didn't see a replica of the oval office while at the Nixon Library.

We weren't disappointed at this library as there was an oval office display.

We've seen a lot of these rooms at other presidential libraries.

It was so much better than yesterday's visit.

What a fete to get this airplane up the hill to the library.  The building was built around it.

This Boeing 707 was used by seven presidents until replaced in 1990.  

"2700 was disassembled over a nine week period by a nine person crew from The Boeing Company into the following sections:  fuselage, tail and stabilizers, engines, main landing gear and wings.

2700 was transported to the Reagan Library by truck, on a specially designed trailer crossing four freeways, traveling 104 miles.  The truck departed San Bernardino at 11:00 pm on June 20, 2003 and arrived at our hilltop at 5 am on June 21, 2003."

There was an exhibit on the secret service as well as the limousine, cars and motorcycles.

I don't know if you can see the license plate on the front.  It says "Gipper".

You were allowed inside Air Force One.  

I didn't hear the facts on how large the crew was but the plane holds 52 passengers.

 I thought it was strange that there were two kitchens, one strictly for preparations for the first family and the second for others, but they all had the same food.

Marine One was also on display and you could walk through it.  

We decided to view Air Force One and Marine One without seeing the other exhibits in order.  There were a lot of school children and that way we managed to get ahead of them.  

The Berlin Wall exhibit was very interesting.  

When we went outside to see the rose garden and actual Berlin wall, it was starting to sprinkle.  

It was a great Presidential Library and I highly recommend visiting this one.  

The only down side is the traffic getting there.

Yes, this last 24 hours has been great.  I told Bill if we hadn't had the tour of Daniel's business and hanger the library would have been a bigger highlight.  Just goes to show, family comes first. 

Turtle Safely.......