Back in Tucson

We had such a wonderful time in Sacramento visiting with our daughter, family, and friends for Christmas.  We got to spend some quality time with our girl.  Melissa had a short list of items she wanted her Dad to take care of while we were in town LOL.  Actually, the items got checked off the list rather easily which made John happy and at virtually no cost to Melissa which made her happy.  

As we stayed with Bonnie and Butch, we got some good visiting in with them as well.  I was able to set up a wireless network for them and hook up an external hard drive that they've had around for two years.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time staying in the Aliner as it was like old times and felt like having a private suite.  We could have moved in to the house after the Kinnears left but chose to stay put where we were.  Thanks again you two for opening your home up to us.

We got good check-ups from the dentist, we both were able to meet up with our former co-workers which was fun, but sadly, we didn't get to see some folks we had hoped to meet up with.  It seemed like we were always on the go and hit the bed exhausted each night.  Whew, this whirlwind visiting is tiring.

With hugs all around, it was time to load up to begin the trek back to Tucson.  Thankfully, the weather cooperated as we had good travel days.  

Dorothy said "there's no place like home" to which John and I totally agree.

From us to you

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We hope your day is a joyous one filled with a lot of love and laughter. 

Enjoying family and friends

We left Tucson at the crazy hour of 4:30 a.m. Friday morning as we knew we had an incredibly long day's drive.  All was well as we drove through Arizona and in to Southern California.  Traffic was moving well through Los Angeles until we were 1 3/4 miles from our turn to yet another LA freeway.  Traffic came to a sudden standstill.  About 15 minutes later, the CHP was directing all the freeway traffic up an onramp.  We were grateful we didn't have the trailer behind us as the turn and traffic would have made the experience very tough.  We had no idea where we were but kept our wits about us and just ran parallel with the freeway for a ways until we could get back on the freeway and let Genie (our Garmin) take back over.

As we drove over an overpass and looked back towards the freeway, we couldn't see any accident but just a lot of emergency vehicles.  Hmm.  Soon we were back on the freeway and what we saw was rather shocking considering this is the I-210 in Los Angeles about 1 p.m.:

No traffic in front of us at all.  It felt like we were some of the lone survivors of some disaster. Via my phone, I was able to learn that there was a despondent 16 year old that had climbed on the outside of a fenced overpass and was threatening to jump.  Thankfully, the emergency workers were able to talk him out of jumping but what a back-up he caused.  

As we intersected with Hwy 58 in the Mojave Desert, you could see what looked like blue water off in the distance.  What a mirage? This is the middle of the desert.

What all the "blue" was were solar panels.  Thousands of them generating power.  Probably a very good location especially in the winter when the sun isn't as intense.

After a 13 hour day, we finally landed in Bakersfield.  Boy, were we tired but at least day one was done.  As we only have a shower in our fifth wheel, we both enjoyed a long soak in the tub . . . ah such an indulgence.  John likes to say he hasn't had a bath in a year ha, ha, ha.

When we got up in the morning and headed out to get on I-5, the fog was so dense that you could barely see a few feet in front of you.  Still, the truckers and others went barreling down the road as if they had a clear line of sight.  Crazy; that is how bad pile ups happen.  We pulled off the road a couple of times to let the crazy ones pass. 

We had to stop for fuel and decided we would sit it out a bit with some breakfast.  When we we got back on the road, the fog had burned off quite a bit so that it felt so much safer driving at freeway speeds.

It was so nice to pull up to Bonnie and Butch's house and to know that the "road trip" was done for now.  We were greeted at the door by Bonnie and the most recent adorable addition to our family, Emma (almost 16 months).  It was a while later that Melissa came over to visit.  How nice to be able to visit with her in person and be able to give her hugs.

Bonnie's birthday was on Sunday and it was sort of a landmark year.  No, I'm not telling how landmark.  What a joyful birthday celebration she had.  Bonnie's daughter and son, performed an original song that had all of us in complete laughter.  What fun! The only missing components were granddaughter, Jacqueline, who was home with the flu and her mom, Jen, who was tending to her :-(  Later in the afternoon, the biggest surprise was to learn that Emma is going to be a big sister sometime in August.  Woo Hoo another baby to add to the family.  Congrats Team Kinnear.

We've got doctor and dentist visits scheduled for this week along with spending time with Melissa (she has a Dad to do list) and visiting with friends.  It is going to be a busy week.  Looking forward to it all.

What a difference a year makes

We were told by the weatherman that a year ago today the day's high was 85 degrees.  Today's high was lucky to have reached 50 degrees.  It was rain, rain, and more rain.  For the first time, we actually saw the rivers (large washes) with water running in them along with a lot of street closures.  The plus side to all this moisture is that the desert is primed for lots of blooms this spring.  

Rick, Y, John, and I had scheduled our Christmas luncheon for today so that is why we ventured out and about in the bad weather.  Rick and Y were going up to Casa Grande to visit friends on Wednesday so that is why we stuck to our plans as Thursday is packing day.  We all leave on Friday for our respective destinations.  We will be heading west and Rick and Y will be heading east; oddly enough, we will be traveling roughly the same distances.   

Cold temps, holiday lights and more

The first six days of December here in Tucson set a record for the coldest days on record for December.  Even John has been wearing long pants to which everyone comments that it must be cold if John isn't wearing shorts LOL. 

We've been keeping a rather low profile but have ventured out in the past few days. We were going to see the holiday lights at Tohono Chul Botantical Garden but got rained out last Saturday evening - darn it.  Thursday evening, we went to Reid Park Zoo to partake in Zoo Lights with Rick and Y.  The zoo is all decorated up with lights and displays as well as holiday music being performed by local school children.  Other than being rather chilly, it was a nice stroll. We really didn't get to see the zoo so we might have to go back after the first of the year. We did get to hear the male lion and tiger roaring as I don't think they liked their peace and quiet being disturbed by all the people.  Here are a few pictures which really don't do the zoo decorations justice:

After the zoo, we stopped in at Denny's for some warm beverages and the guys had dessert.  It felt good to hold a warm cup of tea in my hands to help warm up my fingers.  It was a nice outing with friends.

Friday afternoon we headed out with Rick and Y and went to 4th Ave Street Fair.  They close down 4th Ave and vendors set up shop in the middle of the street and off on to side streets. We parked at nearby parking facility and took a free shuttle to 4th Ave.  So glad we did because traffic was terrible and parking non-existent or very expensive.  We saw many interesting and unique items.  Living in an RV precludes one from much more than looking but if we had a sticks and bricks home, look out LOL as I would have been really tempted by some of the creations.

Friends, Bruce and Jenna, invited us to go to Lazy Days new Tucson location (formerly Beaudry RV) as they were having RV representatives, seminars, and lots of RVs to look at this weekend.  There is a fifth wheel brand that Bruce and Jenna are interested in and wanted to talk to the representative and hoped to see a few more models.  Needless to say, we had to check it out, too.  The presentation of the rig was very nice, amenities were nice, but there were a few items of concern that only full-timers really pay attention to. It was funny watching Bruce and John crawling around the fifth wheel looking at this and that.  Thank goodness we are not in the market for another rig!!! John and I sat in on a seminar for a company that leads caravan groups to Alaska.  The caravan itself is very expensive and not really our style but the information was good.   When we caught back up with Bruce and Jenna, they were back talking to the representative.  A short time later it was time for dinner and Lazy Days had a spread available for all attendees: coleslaw, beans, BBQ chicken, rolls, and apple pie along with live entertainment which made talking/listening rather difficult. We didn't know this was a benefit to attending their weekend event and as we were all starving, it was most appreciated and tasty also. 

Soon we will be heading to Sacramento to visit with our daughter, other family and friends for Christmas.  We can't wait to see everyone.

We've got choices

We have been without satellite TV since July and after having only two choices (CBS and Fox) with our TV antenna here in Tucson, we threw in the towel and ordered a Winegard Carryout satellite.  The satellite arrived last Wednesday and when we went to start up our DirecTv receiver, we discovered that the receiver was locked on record.  Told John, I don't think this is a good thing.  Nothing we could do on our own or with DirecTv's technical support could get the receiver to work.  A replacement receiver would be sent out.  Gave the tech all our address information and was told that it would be here in 2 days.  

What with the Thanksgiving holiday, we figured the receiver wouldn't arrive until Monday.  We learned that the receiver was suppose to be delivered on Saturday; woo hoo.  Well, not so woo hoo.  We waited around all day for Fed Ex and saw that there was a "delivery exception" related to our order stating the driver couldn't find the address.  Really?????  This is a delivery service and they 1) couldn't call me as my phone number was listed on the address label, 2) check a map or 3) use a GPS.  We were incredulous as Fed Ex deliveries are made almost daily in the RV park.  Frustrated and not trusting that Fed Ex's delivery person could find our address; I asked that the package be held at a local Fed Ex office.  Couldn't pick up the package until Tuesday because 2-day deliveries only happen Tuesday to Saturday (go figure).  Yesterday, the pick-up went seamlessly.  I'm happy to report that once we got the new receiver hooked-up and initiated, the receiver and satellite were talking to one another.  Yahoo, we can watch our favorite TV shows now.  Choices . . . so many choices LOL.

Today, we discovered one of those desert creepy crawlers on the underside of our awning that we put out this afternoon.

We are pretty sure it isn't a tarantula but what kind of spider, we have no idea.  All we know is that it was the largest spider we have seen outside of a zoo.  So that the awning rails wouldn't cut him in half, John gently encouraged him to move with the broom.  Non-plussed, the spider lowered himself to the ground on a web string and went in to the rocks under the rig.  Guess, we will be seeing him around for a while.

Pleasant view

Early yesterday morning, when we raised our blinds, we were treated to this view outside our rig.  

What a great way to start off the day.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE

This will be the first year since we began full-timing that we have not spent the holiday with our family in Sacramento.  This year, we will be spending it with our extended RV family here at the RV park in Tucson.  

We have so much to be thankful for as our lives have been blessed with each other, a wonderful daughter, family, friends, this life on the road, and so many other daily blessings. Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives.  May you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Sabino Canyon

We headed out on Friday to Sabino Canyon.  John and I had visited back in 2009 and wanted to go back.  We thought Rick and Y would enjoy the area also so off we went.  Besides, we really hadn't got out and about exploring any since we arrived almost two weeks ago so we were due.

Sabino Canyon is "a natural desert oasis" that sits in the foothills of Tucson and is part of the Coronado National Forest.  For $8 per person, you can take a narrated 45 minute tour on a tram that has nine stops and covers 3.8 miles.  We took the tram up to the last stop and walked the 3.8 miles back down to the entrance.  For being in the desert, this area has water which means they have abundant wildlife.  There were warnings out about mountain lions and what to do if you come across one when hiking in the back country.  Not a problem, won't be doing any of that!  

Here are some pictures of the area (highly recommend a visit if you are in the Tucson area):

We so enjoyed the beauty of the canyon.  The ranger told us to come back in the spring to get pictures of their blooms.  I think we will most definitely have to do that.

Back home, one of my all-time favorite birds has discovered our feeders and is returning many times daily to help himself to the goodies.  Always brings a smile to my face when I see him visiting.

For the first time last night, I got to see the elusive Javalena's; click here for more information.  We were settling down in bed when I heard crunch, crunch on the rocks and looked out and saw about six of them walking along the rig (two of which were babies as they were much smaller).  We have been made aware of their presence these past two weeks as they have knocked over our bird bath and left muddy snout prints on the truck's running boards and on our step into the rig.  

Last but not least, today is Y's birthday.  Shhh I'm not going to spill the beans on how old she is.  Hope you have/had a HAPPY BIRTHDAY Y.

Fall weather

We've been here a week now and have certainly seen fall weather come through the area; wind and rain.  Quite a difference from years past when November has been dry.  Spring blooms should be something if the wet weather continues.

Nothing too much to write about as we have pretty much settled in for the winter.  We have our bird feeders out and have seen quite a bit of action from the normal players: house finch, lesser goldfinch, cactus wren, hummingbirds, curve-bill thrasher, Gambles quail, Gila woodpeckers, and bunnies.  The other morning, as I was getting ready to go outside, I spotted this fella sitting on the electrical box of the site next to us.  Thankfully, he/she hung out until I could get the camera and put the long lense on to get this shot.

Guess he/she was wanting to do some window shopping but all the birds had flown away as they are apt to do in a hurry when a raptor is close by.  Great picture though (Coopers Hawk, we believe) .

We stopped at a bike shop to get some spare tubes for John's bike and picked up a nice map of the bike trails in Tucson.  If the weather cooperates this week, we will venture out to do some riding; should be fun.

Safely in Tucson, AZ

We arrived after a long day's travel of 60 miles LOL yesterday.  After getting all set up, the four of us (Rick, Y, John, and myself) headed out to get a bite to eat.  Low and behold we saw Jerry and Darlene had pulled up to check in.  John had just wondered when we would be seeing these fine folks again.

Later in the evening, we got a chance to chat a bit with Jerry and Darlene and then went over to Rick and Y's play cards.  We got a welcome serenade by a coyote.  At bedtime, we head several yipping and carrying on.  Ah, love the sounds of the desert.  

Got up this morning to raindrops and rainbows - AWESOME.

Hint of a double rainbow:

Raining like heck right now but as the forecast for the winter is below normal moisture, can't forsake the area the rain.  Beside rain now possibly means the desert will be beautiful with blooms in the spring.

Hope you are having a great day.

What we've been doing while in Benson, AZ

Basically, we have been pretty laid back and enjoying the weather.

Tuesday evening, we played Bingo and I won a game.  Whoo Hoo!  First time ever winning ($24) and we've played maybe 10 times in almost four years on the road.  

Thursday, we headed out to find some geocaches and at the second location, Rick and John noticed the Jeep was leaking a fluid.  It was speculated that it was the water pump and we headed back to home.  Rick called a Jeep dealer in Tucson and was able to get it in.  Road Trip!  John and I followed Rick and Y and they made it safely to the dealer.  Since we were in Tucson, we decided to give friends Ralph and Cheryl a call to see if they were home at Justin's Diamond J RV Park.  Ralph and Cheryl had recently returned from an African Safari lead by Doc Justin (owner of Justin's Diamond J) and we were anxious to hear some of their tales.  After getting a sneak preview of some of their photos (spectacular) and hearing a bit of their experiences, it was time for dinner.  We all headed to Tiny's and had Steerburgers. After that, we loaded up and headed back to Benson.  

Friday, we went into town to pick up some groceries and a stop at the local lumber yard, Benson Lumber, where service was terrific.  We wanted to get some 2 x 10 pieces of lumber to park the trailer tires on while at Justin's as the rocks are big and chunky.  We had been forewarned that a weather front was going to pass thru along with strong wind gusts (50 mph), possible dust storms, and rain.  Boy, were they right.  It was rock n' roll all night long with the power going out around 4 a.m. for a period of time and then intermittently in the morning.  John did get a bit more sleep than I during the storm.  I don't think I really was able to "sleep" until after 5 a.m. and didn't get up until 9:40 a.m.  The angle of the rig to the wind was worse than we experienced at Elephant Butte Lake in New Mexico where we experienced 70+ mph wind gusts.  

We will be picking up and heading to Tucson on Sunday.  Hopefully, the wind dies down a bit so that the traveling is easy (a whole 60 miles :-))  Until then . . . 

Benson, AZ

We left Deming, NM on Sunday and arrived in Benson after meeting up with Rick and Y in Wilcox for a Subway lunch.  We are staying at the Escapee Park called SKP Saguaro Co-Op.  We got a nice site and everyone in the park is extremely friendly.  Too bad there is a 6 to 8 year waiting list to get one of the leased sites. 

As we were finishing getting set up, I was thinking I wonder if there is anybody here that we know.  Low and behold I hear voices and John is visiting with Art and Connie.  What a pleasant surprise.  Our paths have crossed over the years and we last saw them in Eagle Nest when they dropped by to say hello.  They had just arrived in the park a bit earlier than us from Wilcox LOL.  We also learned that they also will be heading to Tucson on Sunday and will be staying for a week at the same park where we will be wintering.  

Today, we went with Rick and Y for a drive to Sierra Vista and Tombstone to show them the lay of the land.  We also stopped at RV park Tombstone Territories (we've stayed there before) to show Rick and Y the park as a possible wintering site.  From their comments, we think they liked what they saw.

We lost an hour when we left New Mexico for Arizona and with that it is getting dark sooner. It seems we are all having a bit of adjustment as the four of us tonight were looking rather tired and yawning so we called it an early evening. 

Happy Halloween! 

Deming, NM

Left Elephant Butte at 10 a.m. and pulled into the Escapee's RV Park, Dream Catcher, here in Deming around noon.  I like those short travel days!  We will be here for two nights before heading west as part of our slow migration back to Tucson for the winter.  

A must stop for us was a linner (lunch/dinner combo) at Si Senor after getting ourselves settled in.  Linner did not disappoint and as usual John finished off what I couldn't eat.

Other than laundry, not too sure what is on the agenda which is fine with me.

Elephant Butte Lake, New Mexico

We arrived Sunday from Albuquerque.  We were shocked at how low the lake is as compared to when we were here in 2009.  We've heard that it is almost 50% below average.

As we were able to get the same site that we were in when we last visited, here is a picture of the lake taken in April 2009 from our site:

and yesterday from the same site:

Shocking isn't it?  The area all to the left is dry where there was once water.  Forecasters predict another dry year for the southwest.  If that is the case, who knows what the lake will look like next year.

We've done some geocaching and we were able to finally drop off our Madame Bajoules (a cute blue fish) that is a travel bug.  The fish has an identifying number that allows the originator to track the travels of the item as it moves from cache to cache.  Unfortunately, we had possession of Madame Bajoules for two years.  We picked her up in Valley of the Gods in Utah October 28, 2009 and finally deposited her in Elephant Butte October 24, 2011.  Must admit that there were times when we simply forgot we had her and when we did remember, the caches we found were simply to small for her size.  I don't think we want the responsibility of any more travel bugs especially one of any size.

We did have some excitement the other evening.  We have a bucket near our sink to contain our rinse water and such to help stretch out our grey tank as we have no hook-ups and will be here for five days.  Upon our return home from playing cards at Rick and Y's, I happened to look in the bucket as I went to the sink and much to my shock and surprise, there was a mouse trying to get out of the bucket with about two inches of water.  WHAT??!!!  Needless to say, the bucket and him/her went right out the door.  How the heck did a mouse get in?  We believe that when the grey tank was replaced, the underbelly as not stretched as tight as it had been originally so there were a couple of possible access points.  John took care of the biggest offender that evening and then was under the rig in the morning taking care of any other possible entry spots.  We don't believe the mouse was in the rig for that long as there weren't that many mouse droppings in the basement.  Everything in the basement was removed and checked (he got in to some sunflower seeds - must have been a happy critter) and the floor vacuumed.  So how did he get inside?  We think running up the sewer EZ Pivot, through an access point to the basement through the ductwork and then up through the vent.  When we went to town, we got some mouse traps and set them up in the basement.  So far, no more critters and we hope it stays that way.

Many thanks to Rick and Y, who so graciously lent us their Pep Wave signal repeater so that we could connect to their internet signal.  Otherwise, there would be no post.  Here is a picture of the parking of the two rigs:

Oops, just got word that Rick and Y now have a mouse visiting them in their rig.  Luckily, we have two extra mouse traps to share with them. This is the first time for them as well to have any mice/mouse issues.  We are in the desert but have been many times over the years with no mouse issues.  The only difference is that we've both had our underbelly's removed recently for tank replacements.  Coincidence?  Update on mice issue: Dyer/Prather 2 - Mice 0  whoo hoo.

Albuquerque, NM

Left Eagle Nest on Sunday. After saying our goodbyes, we got on the road around 10:30. After a stop for fuel (truck and us) in Las Vegas, NM, we pulled in to our RV park a little after 4 p.m. The traffic was light and the wind did kick up a bit but nothing like yesterday. We were very thankful we chose to leave when we did. I'm updating the blog on my cell phone as my computer does not have wifi access so I may not be posting to any great length for a while. Gotta go as we are headed to Trader Joe's this morning. Yahoo!!! It is wonderful being back in a big city . . . at least for a few days LOL.

Quiet and windy here in Eagle Nest, NM

The snow and power outage over the weekend has been the most interesting things going on here the past few days.  John has one more day of workamping and then we will turn our sights on to getting ready to  head out on Sunday.  That is, if a package that I am waiting on arrives prior to Sunday (I have my fingers crossed).  Where are we headed you ask:  Albuquerque for a week of hopefully warmer temperatures and some retail therapy.  Actually not retail so much but a visit to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods is big on my list.  

Until later . . . 

Snow + no power = cold

The weather forecast was for snow during the evening and overnight.  The forecast was correct as it started snowing around 8 p.m.  During the night, the power went off a couple of times and then stayed off around 2:30 a.m.  John was just getting ready to start up the generator when the power came on around 7 a.m. - yahoo! Trying to be good neighbors, we didn't want to start up the generator before 7 a.m. unlike our neighbor in a motor home who started their generator up around 3:30 a.m.  Outside temperature was 31.5* when we got up while the inside temperature was 44*.  The furnace was set to come on at 55* but with no power, we turned it off so that it wouldn't drain our batteries during the night.  The heat from the furnace was much appreciated this morning.

This is what we woke up to:

Took this shot of John's flip flops that he leaves outside.  Not surprising, he wasn't interested in putting them on LOL.

This storm was a bit unusual/early but weather will be back to normal within a few days.   The sun is now shining,  the wind has come up, and it is currently 33* at 9 a.m.  Who knows, we may get more snow later today.  As we have no place we have to be, we will just sit back and enjoy whatever mother nature throws at us.

Road trip, work, batteries

On Monday, we took a road trip with Rick and Y through Taos and up through the mountains towards Chimayo.  We stopped at Rancho de Chimayo were we had a very tasty lunch. Then on to Espanola where we made a quick grocery stop, headed back towards Taos and then back home to Eagle Nest.  Whew, it was a long day but a good one.

Here is a picture of Rick, Y, and John in front of the Rancho de Chimayo.  Notice all of the red chili ristras hanging like bead strands.

Tuesday thru Thursday were work days.  The retaining wall construction got finished up (other than back-fill).  Finishing up handling all of those creosote soaked railroad ties for the retaining wall was a relief to the guys.  Boy, were they dirty at the end of each day!

Next up will be fixing an erosion problem under the stairs from the upper level to the lower level.  This too will involve more railroad ties but at least not as many will be handled as in building the retaining wall.  Most people don't realize that there is always something needing to be done at an RV park.  

Here is a picture of John with Golden Eagle RV Park owner, Bruce Manakas, discussing who knows what LOL. 

Bruce and Bridgette provide lunch for the working staff.  Even though I am not working, I have been graciously included.  An added bonus this past week was that dinner was also provided with us bringing a dish to add.  The family style atmosphere has been very enjoyable and it is nice that everyone is so congenial.

Friday was our day to run in to Taos for some shopping.  Little did we know that our plans would include new batteries for the truck.  We went to leave Friday morning and the truck wouldn't start.  Rick gave us a jump start so we could get to Taos.  The batteries were four years old and we had been told that one cell was bad back in Cortez, CO but we were hoping that they would last until we got back to Tucson.  With the cool temperatures at night, it wasn't to be.  Now we should be good to go for at least another four years.

Saturday, John and Rick put in our new water pump so that deed is done.  John was also able to exercise the generator, vacuum out the basement, and reorganize the basement. Amazingly, every time John does reorganize, we have a bit more room.  The downside is that arrangement of the basement is much like a jigsaw puzzle, all the contents must go in their proper place. The basement is John's . . . an area where I am not allowed LOL!  We had a fun evening at Rick and Y's along with Lee and Connie where we shared a pot-luck dinner, played some Pegs and Jokers, and laughed a lot.

Sunday was a kick-back kind of day.  The six of us played Pegs and Jokers down in the Rec Room in the evening.  Bruce and Bridgette were able to join in for the final game.  After four games, we were tied as it was the gals versus the guys.

A while back, Rick bought new 17" wheels and J rated tires for their fifth wheel.  Lee and Connie are installing Rick's old tires on their fifth wheel as Rick's old tires are higher rated than what Lee and Connie currently have on their fifth wheel. So it is a win - win situation for everyone.  John and Rick are helping Lee to install the wheels/tires this morning.   What is left on the agenda for the day, who knows.

Life is Good!

Retaining wall building

As we were planning on staying here in Eagle Nest until mid-October, John decided to lend a hand here in the park three days a week to help with park projects.  By doing so, that will help cover our cost of our extended stay here until we leave.  While John is working, I have projects here in the rig that I have wanted to take care of for a long time and will use my free time to get them done.

First project is building a retaining wall out of railroad ties.  The owner, Bruce, is wanting have rain runoff drain better while at the same time, lengthen out a few sites.  This has been a big job and after three days, it still is not complete.  The four guys (Bruce, Bill, John, and Rick) working on the project have been dog-tired each night with muscles they didn't know they had being sore.  Bill, has a work truck with a hoist on it that they have utilized for moving the railroad ties in to place.  All agree that hoist has been a blessing as the railroad ties are very heavy.

As the work is being done right outside our rig, I have been able to watch the progress, that is, when I haven't been busy doing my inside stuff.

Here are a few work in-progress pictures:

Bill and John

 Bill and Rick

Rick using the post-hole digger.

 John and Bill mixing up the concrete for setting the railroad ties

After three hard days of work, the guys are off for two days and will be back working on the retaining wall on Tuesday.  Collectively, I think all of their bodies need the rest.

Cimmaron Canyon, fall colors, visiting friends

Went in search of a childhood memory today.  Some of our extended family resided in Springer, NM and during a reunion circa 1960 to 1963, we all drove up to Cimmaron Canyon for the day.  The only real memory I have that left a lasting impression was this large log had a trough that had water from a stream running through it.  I remember how cold the water was and how neat it was that we could drink the water (that was then, I wouldn't do that now).  Anyhow, we heard there is still a log (not the same one from the early 1960's) so we went in pursuit.  Thanks to Rick and Y, we knew the general area where the log could be found.  Sure enough, we located it.  Not as I remembered or recall from family photos.  The new log is not as big in diameter because in family photos, the adults didn't have far to bend to get to the water.  This log trough is manmade while the original was natural (I think).  The water was cold though so that part of the memory holds true.

We noticed as we drove through the canyon that fall colors are beginning.  In another month, the canyon should be really beautiful as you drive through it.

Later in the day we had a visit from fellow bloggers/friends, Art and Connie.  They are spending a few days here in Eagle Nest before heading on down towards Albuquerque for the Balloon Festival.  We had a nice visit getting caught up.  We just never know where or when our paths will cross again but from past experience, we know they will somewhere down the road.  Safe travels you two.

Goose Lake

Went on a jeep ride with Rick and Y up a forestry road to Goose Lake.  The distance was a little over 7 miles and it took an hour to get to the lake.  It was, at times, a very bumpy ride. However, the reward came with a view of a very pretty little mountain lake.

Y had brought some stale pecans to feed to the local critters.  Boy, do they know the routine as we almost got overrun with critters all looking for the good eats.

 

If anyone knows what kind of bird below is we would appreciate you letting us know.  We saw these in the area where we workamped for two summers in Custer and then saw them again at Goose Lake.  We have not been successful in identifying them with our bird books.

Nice shot of an incoming of our unknown bird.

Here we are up over 11,000 foot elevation and my phone rings.  The call got dropped shortly after it started but it always amazes me at where you can get a call these days.

Rick and Y say that they have seen mountain goats across the lake but no such luck this trip.  We just got to enjoy the mountain splendor.

On the way back down the mountain, we did spot some deer which is always a special treat.

Great day spent with terrific friends.

Tough Mudder - Squaw Valley, CA

This is a big shout out to our daughter, Melissa, who along with her team of four others (Kelly BFF, Ryan, Jason, and Brandon) completed the NorCal Tough Mudder competition held this weekend at Squaw Valley, CA.

So what is Tough Mudder?  Well, it is a 10 to 12 mile obstacle course that is designed by the British Special Forces to test strength, stamina, mental toughness, and most of all, camaraderie.  Tough Mudder is a fund raiser for the Wounded Warrior Project.  It is noted on their website that the NorCal event raised more money for the Wounded Warrior Project than any other event to date - way to go NorCal!  The website also states that the NorCal event is rumored to be the steepest Mudder so far (Melissa believes it LOL).  A link to the Tough Mudder website is here and can better explain what it is and what is expected of the participants.  They claim that on average only 78% finish the event and we can proudly say our daughter is one of them!  Click here to access a page that shows the course along with explanations of each obstacle.  Can I say again, how much in awe and how proud of our daughter we are - WOW.

We spoke with Melissa this evening and boy is she sore, black and blue, and extremely tired. She said it was the hardest thing she has ever done but what an experience.  We told her that if she ever had doubts about being able to do something ever again, she could just cast them aside because she knows she is one TOUGH MUDDER!

Here are a few pictures from the event (thankfully taken by Jason's wife, Lisa):

Start line (Melissa is in green)

One of the obstacles

Finish line

Exhausted and filthy but what a sense of accomplishment plus a cold beer to enjoy.  The orange headbands were awarded to all of the finishers.  Personally, I think they deserved medals.

Sleep well our lovely daughter and hope you have a good stock of ibuprofen for all the aches and pains tomorrow.  We think you rock Melissa!

Salmon Ranch - Mora, NM

We took part in a tour lead by Leroy and Lois on Wednesday to the Salman Ranch were we picked raspberries.  I think it was a case of pick one, eat two or three.  So tasty!  As it had been raining on our way to the ranch, the raspberries were freshly washed.  We all came away with a better understanding as to why berries are so expensive to buy at the market.  

Our bounty - 3 1/2 pounds of raspberries:

We have been having a lot of rain lately.  We've been told that September is one of the best months to be here as the weather is usually wonderful.  Not so much this year it seems.  We have been here three weeks now and every day it has rained; some days more than others. I just wish some of this moisture could make it over to Texas where they need it so badly.

Speaking of Texas, we are happy to report that both of Rick and Y's children's homes were not harmed by the recent fire in Bastrop.  We are so happy/relieved for them but feel for the ones that lost everything.  Seeing the aftermath of the fire on the news is simply heartbreaking.

John helped Rick with replacing the pump in their washing machine yesterday.  We were told it was quite the chore and rather challenging to work on in the small bathroom.  Y and I wisely went to the rec room and put a puzzle together leaving the guys to do their thing.

The evenings have been spent playing Pegs and Jokers in the rec room.  There are four couples playing and we have been having a good time.  So far, the gals are behind but another night like tonight (gals won 2 out of 3 games) and we can get caught up.