Tuesday 10 April 2012

The end is in sight, April 10th

Got on the road early, nothing to keep a person in Balzac other than gopher hunting with a slingshot.
Made good time as traffic was fairly light. Went up through the bypass, aas we usually do and left the motorhome in Acheson where we fuelled up and had lunch. The gas pump wouldn't take my credit card, so had to go see the mortgage broker - not really, but it was the dearest gasoline we bought on this trip, $1.189/l. When I went in they always ask how much you want to buy, so I just said $250 & it took it all. Gas for the trip home was an arm, leg & naming rights on the first born great grandchild.
Unhooked and drove the car in to see mom. Whe was in great spirits and we had a nice visit. Linda & Lori stopped in so we were fortunate to be able to see then as well. A couple of hours and back to Acheson to get home before dark. As it turns out that was a product of my mind-set from Az, where it sure gets dark early.
On the way home, we got a call from Bill. We knew he had been in Canmore for a few days with the girls and he caught up to us in Fox Creek, where we took on a few more passengers. Made for a very pleasant trip to GP. When we got home Brennan was on the driveway to show us the truck he bought this winter. Pretty proud, 17 yrs old and paid for it himself. Nice to see him.
That followers & lurkers is all there is for the 2011/2012 snowbird season for the Gourlays, we are back in sunny GP!

Monday

Sould not post today as the park did not have wifi. It also didn't have water or sewer or cable tv, nor did it have clean washrooms. I'm not a picky guy, but there shouldn't be dirt from last summer. The parking stalls were supposed to be gravel, well ours had 3 little stones on it, LOL. The roads in the park [advertised as gravel] were a step above a cow path. Will definitely not stay there again. Oh yeh, where is it - Balzac, Alberta, just out of Airdrie. Why stay there you may ask, well,we made it all the way from Dillon & by the time we got there it was getting dark. In the past we stayed there & it was not great, but it is the only handy place around there. Well there is new management, some nice arabic people. If you want all the sordid details, just ask, there is more. We had a great day, it started out on the cool side, but warmed as the day wore on. Although not hot, it was pleasant enough, although the wind blew most of the day. When you are driving a billboard down the road, that creates some challenges. We left Dillon on hwy 41 and got up to the interstate where we could bypass the dreaded Elk Park Pass. It gave us some new scenery through something like the bitterroot mountains where we joined up with the I-15. Made good time and were at the border shortly after noon. Low and behold there was no line up so into the duty free where we left with a 1,74 litre of scotch. Pretty much pulled up to the gate and were served by a very courteous young fellow, made me proud to be a Canadian, being treated like a regular person instead of a criminal. Almost broke in to O'Canada there. I must have been starved for male conversation as he almost had to hurry us along from the border crossing. LOL Drove on past several very nice rv parks in Lethbridge, Ft MacLeod, etc. Oh; one in Nanton where they don't allow rv's with slides. I'm thinking they should maybe get a bit of a update on what rv's look like since 1985, LOL. Went through cowtown at the end of their rush hour, it was still like GP rush hour on steroids. We wanted to position ourselves to make it home the next day while allowing a visit with mother in E town. Then the memorable rv park in beautiful downtown Balzac. By this time the wind was blowing like 'Ole Billy' and had a nasty chill to it, although it didn't freeze. Probably was a half a degree above freezing. By now it the 32C temps of AJ on Friday are a distant memory.

Frosty morning leaving Dillon

It was a chilly morning with frost on the windshield, but the park was gorgeous. We have stayed here in the past and they are both friendly and the park is neat as a pin with a river running through it.

Sunday 8 April 2012

Sunday, Apr 8

A very early start, got up to answer natures call at 5:30 AM and stepped in a puddle on the floor. It turned out the water pressure in the park [at Cedar City] was so high you needed to put on a regulator. I had one, but never checked the pressure as it was a KOA, so spent a bunch of time wiping up water. After I couldn't get back to sleep, so we were up early again and on the road by 7:30 AM.
The good news was that I got a good deal on fuel -$3.76/gallon. Got all the way to Salt Lake City by noon and ran the construction gamut. It's about 30 miles of narrow lanes, giving us less than a foot on each side of the coach at 55 mph. Are we having fun yet? It was good thing being easter Sunday as the traffic was quite light and big trucks almost non-existant. Anyway we got all the way to Ogden where we bought fuel, $3.64 per gallon. At this rate it will be free by the border, LOL. Got a call from Char while we were having lunch there, so I took a picture of where we sat at the time. Although it was cool in the morning, by the time took the pic it was well into the 70's.
After lunch we made it up into Idaho, where Marg took over the driving responsibilities. With the early morning, I was getting a bit of road fatigue. Usually doesn't happen, but then I don't usually get up at that ridiculous hour. I think she drove for the next 3 hours, a nice break, her claim to fame was that she spent less time on the rumble strips than I did. LOL This rig is fairly wide, high [12ft] and long [60 ft with the car]; so although it is not difficult to drive, it requires you be alert & she did fine. By the time she switched seats, we were north of Idaho City [the last camping in Idaho] and had made such good time that we elected to continue on to make the dreaded Monida pass. There was snow in the high country, but the roads were dry and in great driving condition as we entered Montana. We had called ahead to an rv park in Dillon where we had previously stayed and they had room. They held a drive-through stall for us and we were glad to see Dillon, with 600 miles behind us when we pulled in at 6PM. So the marathon continues. Hah! Nice people that run the park and it is kept up in very nice condition as well as being scenic. Southside rv park.
Pretty chilly here, they said not to leave a water line out tonight or it will freeze up. Great tv & wifi and good rates. The owners recommended Sparky's Garage for dinner, so we walked over. It's really quaint, fixed up with period pieces and the food was great. They said their claim to fame was their bbq, so we both had the ribs and were not disappointed. The quantities were something else & we had a large take-away.
Fingers crossed that the water lines don't freeze tonight. Should make the border by mid-day tomorrow.
Happy birthday Vanessa & Krista.

Saturday 7 April 2012

On the road again - Apr 7th

Do you recall where I mention Marg always gets up early on a travel day. Well 6:00AM this morning she was up and about. I managed to sleep until about 6:20 or so, but that was it. Good thing most of the travel prep was done the prior night as I was only half awake. Some coffee & a bran muffin and out to get mobile.
We left Carefree Manor at 6:36AM, that was a first. Made it right throught he heart of Phoenix while the traffic was very light and sometime around 7:30 were on the west end of the city. Took the highway up through Wickenburg and Kingman arriving in Las Vegas at noon. Drove over the new bridge again that bypasses the Hoover dam, always a scenic drive. Being a long weekend the Saturday traffic was pretty light there as well, but stopped for gas and a bite to eat, allowing a bit of time for some confusing traffic around the fuel stop. I think it was around 2:30 when we got back on the road and headed north on the I-15 into Utah. Stopped in the KOA in Cedar city where we will spend the night. Fuel is here is the cheapest we have seen so far, $3.78/gallon, should have passed on the $4 stuff I bought in Vegas. Pretty nice park and they have cable tv as well as free wifi. Pretty funny, all the sites around us are occupied by returning Canadian snowbirds. Our plans on missing the rush at the border may not be as sound as we thought back in AJ.
Our plans have not changed from yesterday & will see us into Idaho tomorrow and through the nasty parts of Montana on Monday.

Friday 6 April 2012

The time has come....

One of my favourite lines - The time has come the walrus said, to think of many things....
Our last day in Carefree Manor / Apache Junction. We have had the best winter yet and have really come to feel part of this snowbird scene. It is a time not just of endings; but beginnings as we close this chapter & open a new one.
We got up early and went with 2 other couples to the Mesa market. Some really good deals and the crowd was much smaller today. We got a few things we didn't know we needed until we got them, LOL! After we stopped at In & Out Burger for lunch. Norm & Mavis had never been there and they were amazed at how quickly you get served with good burgers & fries. Pretty funny, what would you expect at a place with that name, LOL!
After I stopped at Ace hdwe and got some rv antifreeze. Hard to imagine as it was about 87F and was not an antifreeze kind of day down here. They were sold out in the 2 Walmart stores we tried. Looking at the weather in Montana & Alberta, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be required.
Went for the last cocktail hour with the bunch from the park and then supper was Filberto's. It's a Mexican fast food place, sort of like their version of the golden arches. As luck would have it, we had a coupon in our coyote coupon book so the meal was 2 for one, what a great way to end the trip, Hah! The food was pretty good actually & I couldn't tell the difference between it and the more expensive place we went once the sauce was on. I could become a TexMex fan yet. Couldn't finish there was so much food, $10 well spent.
After we got back, I went to play poker. Marg had bought a 1 or 2 ounce Crown Royal that was in a mini purple velvet bag. I took the bag and filled it with coins. When I got to poker the guys said whaaat! So I told them that they had beat me so bad the last 2 times that was all the change I had, so had to downsize. Everyone got a great laugh. We had a good time and although I never won a hand for about 45 minutes, came out OK, the little bag was still full.
Marg and some ladies went for a swim. It was pretty hot, 87F, I think and they all went to cool off. Brenda had gone out for dinner and was dressed up, but stopped in to see what they were up to, but the couldn't convince her to go get her suit on. After dangling her feet in the pool for awhile, she thought they were having too much fun, so just jumped in with her clothes on. I guess they all had a hilarious time, ending in the hot tub.
Said our farewells and left to finish packing.
Some useful Spanish I picked by eating Mexican -
Quisiera [kee-seeay-rah] - I would like
Tengo hambre [tayn-goh-ahm-bray] - I am hungry

Thursday 5 April 2012

Thursday, Apr 5th

A very nice day in AJ, I think it got to about 90F in the sun. There was a bit of wind and the breeze was very welcome. Started out the day by going to coffee & donuts. The big surprise for those present was that Marg went. I think in the 3 months we have been here, that has only happened 2 or 3 times. For some reason she was up at 6AM today. I think it might be her way of getting ready to travel. Travel days she is usually up at the crack of dawn and ready to roll very early in the day. In the afternoon I was busy, but a couple of guys came by asking Marg if I could come out and play. I was down the block visiting when this happened but could see them at the motorhome, so thinking Bob needed help with his move came to see what I could do. Turns out Bob is leaving tomorrow & they just wanted one last game. I went and played pool with them. Lots of laughs, a couple of good guys. For supper we went and met Gerry & Deb at the Golden Corral, buffet. It's really good and we wanted to say goodbye to them anyway. The food is always good; the steaks are tender, the salad bar well stocked and the desserts include bread pudding, chocolate volcano, a chocolate fountain, ice cream, a candy floss machine. Well you can see why we went. We are nearing the end of the blog season for you followers & lurkers, as we travel homeward Saturday. Are we looking forward to it - YOU BET!

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Wednesday

Early start to the day again. Packed up the motorhome and took it in for an oil change and service on the a/c and the car for an oil change. The place we took them is new to us, but I wanted a place that could look at the ac. They did a good job for us, but it turns out the compressor on the ac is leaking. It's covered in the leak detecting solution the Ford garage in High Prairie put in, even though they could not detect the leak. That was all when it was on warranty last summer. After an hour and a half on the phone with 6 different people at Ford Canada, I learned that the warranty has expired and I am on my own, even though it was in to the dealer twice without being fixed. To say I was in a poor humour is an understatement. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest their armpits. While the service was being done, Marg & I went to Mickey D's for breakfast. It was good and the place was not so crowded with snowbirds leaving. Took the motorhome to Frys for fuel [just over 50 gallons] and then filled the propane. After supper I played poker and Marg went back to Frys to stock up on groceries, etc for the trip home. It was warm today, 90F, but should cool off a bit by the weekend. As we are leaving on Saturday AM, I hope that happens. We are now planning on going home the same way as in prior years to get around some weather forecasted for the weekend. That will take us up the I-15 through Salt Lake City Sunday and through the border at Sweetgrass, Montana around Monday.

Tuesday 3 April 2012

Tuesday, Apr 3rd

Got a fairly early start to the day. Looking out the front window we saw a park model being moved in. It was Bob & Karen's and the guy made a wrong turn at the gate. They bought it and are having it moved on site so they won't have to pull their 5th wheel from Ohio. Caused quite a stir in the park. We went down to LaMesa RV to talk to them about the ceiling. The service rep figured about $1,600 to replace our bedroom ceiling & they need the coach for 1 1/2 wks. Something to think about, but I think we will try some of Marg's repair ideas when we get home first. Went over to Camping World across the street and their repair shop wouldn't even consider it. This is the same response we got in GP & Edm a couple of yrs ago. The tech's from Sunridge messed it up and no-one seemed to want to bother with it after that. At Camping World we bought some accessories including a dining room style fixture. Stopped at Superstition mall on the way back. This is the first we have been there this year. Macy's had a big sale on, so Marg had some good fortune with the stop. I went to Sears and got a new soldering gun. Lunch was at one of Marg's fav's - Ruby Tuesday, it's always good there. When we got back to the rv, it turns out the fixture was a poor fit & created a bunch of other problems, so ... back to Camping World. Now that may not seem a big deal, but they are on exit 180 of the freeway, about 15 miles from here. After the exchange, we had to go back past Total Wine, so stopped in there for a good deal on Crown Royal. Wish us luck at the border. LOL After we got back we went over to cocktails as it Larry & Nancy's last night before heading home to South Dakota. Nice folks, so we had to say our farewells. There were quite a few there, which was nice to see. You can always tell when a couple are ready to leave, the car is generally filled to the roof, with just enough room to sit and see out - LOL. After supper we did a bunch of stuff in preparation of moving the rv tomorrow. There are lot's of loose ends when you sit in one spot for 3 months. Anyway, we should be able to get it on the road very early tomorrow and get the oil changed in preparation for the return trip. I stopped in at Patriot and asked if they needed to know if I wanted synthetic oil & they said no, because I told them that when I made the appointment. Down here they call that - A Senior Moment, although one of the guys calls them - Brain Farts. Hah! Seem to have them every so often. Took a walk through the park and met up with Sheldon & Delaine, so chatted en-route. One of the old fellows who has been here a long time passed away yesterday and he had a park model here. We debated whether we should express any interest in it, kind of a sensitive subject. There is another couple from Calgary that won't return because of his medical condition & another from Kamloops that are not sure they are returning. As with everywhere, there are comings and leavings in the park. Lots of short term campers in the park now with the long term renters leaving - like we are doing at the end of the week. Most of the U.S. is having very nice weather, so people are anxious to get on the road. Some not so nice, like the big tornado in Dallas today. We were a bit concerned until Marg heard back from Debbie that she was fine. Actually there are quite a few people here that we have met that have been through some fairly serious weather.

Monday 2 April 2012

Monday, April 2nd

Another week, the last one down here for us has started. It was windy again today and much cooler, I think it only got to 70F. Still managed to stay in short pants, it was just like the average summer day at home. Went out in the morning for a trip to the bank. The staff at Wells Fargo don't charge anything for cash withdrawals from home if we do it in the bank. We still have US funds left in the account down here, but we are leaving it for seed money for next year, LOL! Stopped at Walmart and loaded some minutes on the telephone. We will be good now for the time we are away as our service days are beyond a year, so will be able to keep our number. There is a significant advantage to keeping the number from yr to yr. After lunch I played pool with the guys. Again a smaller group with only 7 players. Marg went to get some more stuff from the dollar store & Bells. I think she has just about filled her list of stuff she needs to take home. When she was in Bells, the salesgirl was marking down socks and talked her into them saying they were 95% off. All this recreational shopping, when we leave here it will be like a raise in pay, LOL! Before supper we went over to cocktails for an hour. Only 4 couples attended as everyone is getting ready to join the great snowbird migration. Played poker tonight and there were only 5 of us. I think they got me for a few sheckles, but overall should still be ahead. Gee now they want to play on our regular Wednesday & then on Friday. Not sure about Friday as we may be pretty busy then. Looking at the weather we are definitely leaving AJ either Friday or Saturday as there is some bad weather in Montana for the weekend. There is some questionnable weather in Utah, so we will try a new route north through Nevada, entering Idaho at Jackpot & then back on to the I-15 and our regular route. Unless there is a change, we will be aiming to cross Montana & the border on Monday or Tuesday of next week. We will probably spend a night in Lethbridge if I can get together with cousin Eleanor there.

Sunday 1 April 2012

Sunday

Well the weather has cooled off quite a bit, I think it was only about 79F today. Almost had to go back to long pants, LOL. Tomorrow it is supposed to be a high of 72, we may have to go back to wearing parka's -- NOT! We got up and went to Harbour Freight where there was supposed to be a huge sale. Alas, I couldn't find anything that I would stand in the long cash lines for. Then we went to Big Lots where Marg got some stuff like a cleaner that she has been seeking. Nothing exciting. After lunch we decided to liven things up and went to Bass Pro shop in Mesa. It is huge and the deals on boats there are unbelievable. We talked about selling our boat this summer and then buying a new one when we come down next winter. The pontoon boats & bass boats are where the real deals are, less than $20K for some real nice stuff. Managed to pick up a few hooks that will be sure fire winners when we get out for walleye this spring. It's such a huge store it is hard to describe, perhaps their web site has some pics. It's really not that far from here, now that's how we know we've been here a long time. At the start of the season we don't go there because it is too far, LOL! Forgot to go for cocktails this pm, but must remember either tomorrow or Tuesday as Larry & Nancy leave on Wed of this week. Also forgot to go to the big Az fish & game show. We were really miffed about that as we had a very good time there last year. After a bbq dinner, Marg went to play 31 with the card players. Usually they play after the ice cream social, but alas they are no more. Did she win, no, but she knocked out some of the veteran players, so must have had fun.