The Big 4-0!

 Can you believe it? Sometimes it seems like yesterday, sometimes it seems like f  o  r  e  v  e  r. ago. And I mean that in a good way. Meaning Barb and I have always been together and there was no such thing as "A life before Barb". When I look at the picture below, I do not even recognize the person marrying that beautiful woman. Nor do I know why she married him. A moment of weakness that changed my life (and hers) forever. 

But it's true, 40 years ago this week, Barb and I got married! I was 23-year-old. Young by today's standards. I dare not mention Barb's age. After the leg picture from the other week, I think my one faux pau per month has already been used up. Let's just say she robbed the cradle. But if that is the case, why is all my hair grey and hers her natural color? Must have something to do with who is driving the other to their grave with their craziness. 

40 years ago, on that night we were honeymooning in an ice shack on Mille Lacs Lake while ice fishing. I know that many of you are wooing with jealousy right now but wait until you hear where we spent the night of our 40th. In the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant! Does it get any better than that? I think not! We did spend the day having fun though as we visited our good friends Red and Pam in Casa Grande. We first met them in 2014, our first year on the road. It had been several years since we've seen them and it was nice to meet up again. We also got to see Sadie and Cooper. Cooper is a chocolate lab that was very tempted to steal and call my own. 

After a few hour visit, it was off to Cracker Barrel where we had a restless night's sleep. I don't think I have ever been anywhere where the birds called all night long. Doves and some other bird were squawking literally all night long!

From Casa Grande it was off to Apache Junction for more visiting. That first night we found a nice bar to watch the super bowl, a so so game. It was after the game where the excitement started. After leaving the bar, we went to the camper to let the dogs out of the camper and put them in the truck. As I was saying in our last post, I have to give Dakota a little boost into the truck and this time was no different. Except my hand was wet after I push her up. It was dark, so I did not see anything. My next step was to smell what whatever was on my hand. (insert puking sounds...blech, gackh). That is when Barb came out and announced that Zoey had diarrhea "all over the camper". She told me to get in the truck while she assessed the situation. You don't have to tell me twice! I rolled down the windows as whatever happened in there was all over Dakota as well. 20 minutes later she returned saying it was all taken care of, but it was on the floor, walls, seat cushions. It was almost like she was an automatic sprinkler and rotated around the camper making sure not to miss a spot. The only saving grace was that she did not get any on the bed. 

Needless to say, we spent the next morning at the laundry mat. A couple hours later, things were back to normal. 

Then it was off to Silly Mountain for a hike! A shortish 2-mile loop up to a viewpoint.  The red circle is our truck. 

 We had a site that night in Lost Dutchman State Park and after getting setup, we were ready to meet up with our friends Harry and Vicki. Most of you know them as Harry the Dog Hater and his lovely wife Vicki. They were nice enough to pick us up from our site in the park. This is our first time at this park and let me tell you, it will not be our last. The views are incredible! 

After picking us up, they drove us to their place in Canyon Vista's RV Resort, about a 15-minute drive. They have a very nice house? Park Model? I really do not know what to call it. Whatever you want to call it, it is very nice. Roomy and comfortable. After hanging out a bit we walked down to the community area for margaritas and beers! They also had live music which was nice. 

The next day we were back at their park to watch Harry play softball. They have a 55 and over league with several levels. Harry plays on two teams, this particular one consisted of men mostly in their mid to upper 60's and even one guy over 80! I have to give these guys a lot of credit, they were out there hustling!

Harry has been a pitcher all his life and this has not changed now that he is in his 70's. I just hope I have half the energy and ambition as most of these guys when I am their age. 

We left them after the game and got some much-needed rest for a big hike we planned for the next morning. Flatiron. Those of you who have been to Lost Dutchman know Flat Iron. Touted as "Arizona's most challenging non-rope hike" with class 3 and class 4 scrambling we were determined to conquer the mountain! 

At just under 6 miles, it is said that this hike should take 4-5 hours. Historically we can get hikes done in the lower part of those timetables, so we planned on 2.5 hours up and 2 hours back. We set off at 8am from our campsite and started walking. The sun was hidden behind the mountain, so we were in the shade almost all the way up. 

Our destination? The little red circle below. 

It started out at a gradual slope for the first mile or so and then it became increasingly difficult. Breaks were frequent and our water supply was diminishing fast. There were parts where you were basically on your hands and knees as you climbed vertically up the rock walls. 

There were a handful of other people on the trail, almost all of them were much younger than us and of course passing us. At the two-hour mark I looked up and began to realize that I had seriously underestimated the time it was going to take us. We were about 2/3rds of the way to the top and still had the hardest section ahead of us. 

At the 2 1/2 hour mark I told Barb that I thought we needed to tap out. According to my device we had gone 2.5 miles since leaving the campsite and climbed 0ver 3,500ft and we still had at least an hour left. Plus, my left arch was giving out of me. So, at the 3/4 point, we turned tail and started back down the trail. I think this is the first trail where going back down was as hard, if not harder in spots than coming up. Remember those spots where we were crawling up the rock wall? It is much easier to up a wall than down! 

On the way down, I asked Barb "How often do you think people get hurt on this trail and need rescuing?" My guess is that it is pretty frequent as there were several times where we slide and had to catch our footing. Luckily for us, we were not the victims on this day and two hours, 5 miles, up and down over 3,500' each way, we made it back to the camper. Totally exhausted. 

This is the first time I think we have ever failed making it to the top of one of our hikes. But we did pretty good for a couple in their mid 60's! There were people half our age who turned around well before us. But then again, there were people older than us who made it all the way to the top as well. Another day Flatiron, we shall meet again. 

After resting up (and showering) we were ready for our next meet up! Fellow RVers Dale and Chloe came out to the camp ground for a visit.  We first met them in Quartszite in February of 2018 and have kept in contact since. While we were sitting at the picnic table at our campsite visiting, we noticed a helicopter approaching the Flatiron summit. Then it began lowering itself below the summit near the trail we were on earlier. 

Not good. We watched as the helicopter touched down and we are assuming someone got out before the helicopter went up again and hovered over the area. Soon enough fire trucks and an ambulance came through the campground and staged themselves at the trailhead. 15 minutes later the helicopter dropped back down, picked up the injured hiker and brought them to the ambulance. As if that was not bad enough, once they dropped them off they went back up to get another injured person! Not a good day on the mountain. 

Thursday was checkout day for us, time to move on. But, before that, it was time for one more meet up! Doug and Janell were blog readers who first visited us in South Dakota during the spring of 2019. They just so happened to be from the same area of Wisconsin as us. We had not seen them since then, but here our paths crossed again in Apache Junction Arizona! We had lunch with them after we checked out of Lost Dutchman. I forgot to take a picture, so I stole this off their Facebook page from last week.

Sore, tired and bellies full we are now off to Tucson!

Beginners Guide to Los Algodones: Dental Pharmacy Liquor!

 As many fulltime RV'ers know, Los Algodones Mexico is the place to go to for dental. This was the fourth or fifth time we have been down here for dental work. For those of you curious, the process goes something like this: 

For first timers this process can be intimidating. Especially if it is your first time walking across the border. Which is amazingly simple: you simply just walk across the border. There is a check station about 30 yards into Mexico, a Xray machine you must put backpack or purse through as well as a metal detector you have to walk through. 

 After arriving at our appointed time at Sani Dental, we met with an intake counselor who verified our information and detailed our dental needs. From there you are escorted to the Xray room where they  Xray your teeth, and no, they do not have those old Xray machines where you put the film in your mouth. They have those machines that travel around your head while your chin sits on a pedestal. 

You then meet with a dentist who examines your mouth and goes over your Xrays. In my case they talked over the options for the tooth that I had broken several months ago. It is in the top far back on the left side. There was not enough tooth to put a crown on, so the only option was to extract it or install an implant. I opted for the implant route. After signing an agreed upon treatment plan, my next appointment was with the cashier who went over the charges and took payment. They take cash or credit cards. The total for my appointment was just a little over $1,000 which included a cleaning, the extraction, bone grafting and a surgical membrane.

After paying, it was back to the waiting room. My name was soon called and an hour later I was done. The grafting needs to heal and I am to come back at a later date (anywhere from 6 months to 2 years) for the implant itself. This was the first time we both had dentists that spoke English, the other times the Assistant spoke English, but the dentist did not. 

Barb had a similar experience, but her treatment plan included one root canal ($340), one crown ($230) and one implant for a total of $2,000. I did a quick internet search and this $2,000 is about 1/4 of what this treatment would cost in the states. She had to go back three different days for a temporary and finally permanent crown. Her treatment required three visits, they generally try to do them on consecutive days, if you think you will need a crown, try to make you appointment early in the week. That way you will be done before the weekend. 

Where did we stay? We normally stay at the Quechan Casino about 5 miles up the road from the border. They allow free camping in their parking lot, no hookups, just a spot in the parking lot. You then drive yourself down to the border where there is a parking lot on the U.S. side. $10/day for cars and trucks, $16/day for anything larger. We opted to stay at a recently reopened campground less than a 1/2 mile from the border itself, Sleepy Hollow RV Park. A full hookup site was $200 for the week. This was a good solution for us as the temperatures were up into the 80 and we could run the AC for the dogs. There are hotels down in Mexico you can stay, but we have never stayed there.

For those of you who might be coming to Los Algodones for the first time, prepare to be inundated by beggers and vendors. It is a great place to buy purses, belts, hats, t-shirts and the like. Vendors line the sidewalks trying to get you to stop and look at their good. This short video shows you what you can expect when you walk across the border. 

We have learned just to keep walking and ignore them. On the rare occasion we are interested in something, we typically talk them down to 50% of their initial asking price.  We have only been to Sani Dental, and the Purple Pharmacy so cannot speak for the others. Speaking of pharmacies, we loaded up on some of our pharmacy needs for the next year or so. Ibuprophen, Z packs, Amoxicillin, Benadryl and of course a bunch of those little blue pills Dino asked me to pick up for him.

Some liquor is cheaper down there. Mainly tequila, Kahlua and other Mexican made liquors. You are allowed to bring back one liter back with you without paying duty. Oh, and if you are a baker, vanilla is really cheap down there!

There are plenty of places to eat down there as well and their mango margaritas are delicious!

What else did we do this week? The highlights of the week were meeting up with a couple of blogger/RV friends. One was a new meetup, and one was with a couple we first met three years ago. On our way down here, Barb had set up an overnight stay at Vulture Peak Brewing Co in Wickenburg which just happens to be the winter residence for fellow bloggers Mike and Janna. We have been reading each other's blogs for years. We had been close to meeting several times over the years but one thing or another got in the way. This time we made it happen! We met them at the brewery where we had a beer and then we went to a restaurant called Qorri's where we had probably the best pizza we have had in years! 

After spending an hour or do visiting with Mike and Janna, they dropped us back off at our rig and said our goodbyes. What a great couple, we are so glad we took the time to meet them and hope it is not the last time. I did screw up though as Wickenburg is also the home of another blogging couple we have wanted to meet for years. Suzi and Dave from Beluga's Excellent Adventures also live there. Somehow, I had it in my head they lived down Tucson and missed meeting them! Totally bummed. 

Our next meet up was with fellow RV'ers/bloggers Gay and Joe. We first met them three years ago in Tucson. Again, a great couple with like-minded interests and views of life. We met them at El Charro and then followed them back to their campground where we let Lucy and hung out for a couple more hours. 

That is a wrap for this leg of our journey, next week we have a lot of visits planned. I think we are seeing people every day except one! Now it is time to hit the road and head east, next stop Casa Grande!

Off to a Rocky Start

 Literally, after two days of travel we had only made it 451 miles to Rock Springs Wyoming. While we missed much of the snow that was going across the country, we did not miss the wind and that is what did us in. 

Day 1 of our travels found us leaving our house a little after 10am. Destination Rawlins, Wyoming. But not before stopping at our absolute favorite Chinese Restaurant in Casper where we picked up three entrees and a couple of sides. From there it was only two hours to Rawlins. Normally we would just find a place to boondock, but we opted for a campsite with electric. Why you ask? The cold. While we have a furnace in the camper, it really draws on the camper batteries, so we needed to be plugged in. 

The next morning, we loaded up and continued west. All was going well until about 11am and we passed a wayside rest which was full to the brim with semi-trucks. Something seemed off, there is no reason the truck stop should have been full that time of day. I asked Barb to look at the road conditions ahead of us. Sure enough, the roads were closed to high profile vehicles under 45,000lbs due to high wind conditions. We are less than 10,000 and definitely high profile. By the time we figured that out, we were well into the restricted area, so I just tucked in behind a semi and hid from the wind until we got to the next big town, Rock Springs. 

Once in Rock Springs, we found a local watering hole and watched the first half of the Denver/Patriots game hoping the roads would reopen to high profile vehicles. It did not. So Barb made reservations at the KOA in Rock Springs for the night hoping the next morning would bring calmer winds. 

We have learned two things so far on this trip. Both of them involving Dakota. She can no longer jump into the truck without assistance. She tries, but one of us needs to be there for that extra push as she goes up. The other is the flooring in the camper. Since Barb replaced the floor with the LVP, it has become lava to Dakota. We have a couple of rugs in the main part of the camper so that is not a problem, but the stairs are made of the same material and she needs assistance getting in and out.  

The next morning we were up at 5am and hit the road well before the sun rose and the winds picked up. By the time the sun came up we were going through Park City Utah where there was very little snow on the ski slopes. 

That night we spent the night in Hildale Utah at a Harvest Host named Zion Cliff Lodge. We spent an hour talking to the owners, a very nice couple. Boy, do they have some nice views!

The scenery between Hildale and the Grand Canyon was incredible. We stopped several times to take pictures and/or walk the dogs. 

There was one wayside rest along the Colorado River that was very cool. The bridge was almost 500' over the river. Even though we knew we were safe, I still held onto the rail as we looked over the edge. 

From there it was to the Grand Canyon! Get ready for picture overload, but one cannot help but take picture after picture of the scenic vistas there. I cannot believe it took us 12 years to finally get here!

The hiking trails were too ice covered to do any serious hiking, so we just walked the overlooks and rim trails. What an incredible place!

That night we spend in the National Forest outside the town of Tusayan, AZ. We were still "cold camping", meaning we the camper was still winterized and we had no water other than bottled water. The temps were still down in the teens at night so we did not dare fill the camper with water yet. 

Then it was back to the canyon for more walks along the rim just taking in the views. 

That afternoon we drove down to Williams AZ where we stayed at the KOA where we could get the batteries recharged, shower and do some laundry.  That stay marked the end of this sightseeing phase of our adventure. Next up we get to visit with fellow RV'ers and bloggers!