Redlands and home

Redlands, CA and the end of the line
The RV is now back in Redlands and we are in our base home. The odometer now reads miles and I know that somewhere I recorded the mileage before I left on the trip but I’ll be darned if I can find that now. I believe we have travelled about 12,000 to 15,000 miles but whatever it was it was great. We left with a full wallet and gas tank and now have an empty wallet and ½ a gas tank full of fuel, but I would not hesitate a moment to do it again.
Along the way we met people who could not comprehend why or how we could be gone from home so long. Life is full of choices and for those who asked how we could do it that is not the choice they should make. For me it was the ideal choice to see the Alaska tundra, the Arctic ocean, the glaciers of British Columbia, the redwoods of northern California, the windswept beaches of Oregon, the rolling pastures of Wyoming, the plains and desert of South Dakota, the locks of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River, the places of my youth in Ontario, the art galleries of many of the cities we were in, the rushing water of Niagara Falls, the quaint towns and cities of Quebec, the fall colors of the Northeast, the history of places like Salem and Boston MA, the forests of the Smokey Mountains, the music of Branson, and the Emerald and Carlsbad Caverns.
I know that many will ask what was my favorite and I can only say that like your children they are all loved and although they are different you love them all.
It will be good to see Vera my daughter and Gabe her husband and of course Christopher and Caitlyn my two most beautiful and wonderful grandchildren. It will be a time for family now and the holidays to renew those times when we are all grateful for what we have and what has been given to us.
I will not post in this blog for some time to come as life will be just a monotonous, boring monotone of the same things happening over and over again. Then the next adventure will begin again next fall when we will head south this time to see the wonders of Central America. Yes for those of you who wish to listen in and read we will be going as far as Panama by RV if we can. I long to see more of this world before it is no longer possible for me to do so.
I hope that any of you who have read this found some humor and it has made your life a little richer for the time you have spent reading it. I have not in the past read any of the comments sent to me nor responded to them. It is not that I do not care but time does not permit me that luxury. I have all that I can do just to write the blog usually on a daily basis with all of the other things that need to be done on the trip. You to dear reader have adventures to lead and places to be and loved ones to hug before the day is finished.

Kino Bay to Quartzsite

Kino Bay to Quartzsite, AZ
We left Kino B ay in the morning and made our way back to Tucson, AZ to the Diamond Casino for the night. They had a seafood buffet there in the evening so to help them out we went to the buffet to help pay back for some of the free camping we did in their parking lot. The buffet was really great with king crab legs, shrimp and top sirloin with pie and ice cream for dessert it made for really full tummies for the night. The only downside was that I did not have a wifi signal in the RV and at that point was too lazy to go outside near the casino to get hooked up. So ya all will just have to wait till we get home to Redlands before I can post the last of the blogs.
We arrived in Quartzsite about 1:00 pm and did some browsing and shopping for nothing much of anything. I bought a new water hose for the RV and some misc odd tools for Kino Bay but there really was not much that we needed. The vendors have not really arrived for the winter season either, so there were just a few of the mostly permanent shops that were open. Still Bev managed to find a basket for me to cart down to Kino Bay next time.
After doing that it was about 3:00 pm and I did not relish the idea of driving the 4-5 hours needed to get home so we will spend the night here in the desert. The really cool thing about this area is that you can just camp out on the BLM land anywhere in the desert. There are large expanses of open area available and at this time of year almost no one is around. Not so in just two more months when the desert will fill up with over 250,000 RV’s from the snowbirds flocking here after Christmas with the family in the northwest and northeast. Then it becomes a virtual RV party out here with different groups camped out in wagon wheel style in the open desert.
We will return here also for about a week in January to be with the Southwest Trek Fun Club which meets here every year. About 80 or so RV’s all of which are the same make and manufacturer. It is a pleasant time to meet with those you have not seen in a year and have a really fun time acquainting yourself with others you have never met. People from all over the US and Canada seem to come here.
Well it must be time to close this blog and get some dinner for the evening and then the desert does tend to get cold in the nighttime this time of year so it will be bundle up time.
Tomorrow night we will be safely tucked into our beds once more in Redlands which will be the climax ending to this trip. It was a great time and a wonderful adventure.

Leaving Kino Bay

Kino Bay Mexico Leaving
Well yesterday was another shrimp day b ut this time with chicken which I barbequed also. That along with a glass of vino, a salad and some guacamole made the evening just great.
We took a long walk on the beach all the way to the new town pier and then back again. Naturally Bev brought back more seashells than she could carry in her shell bag so I got to help with the effort. We seem to have to collect this endless supply of crustacean shells that lie about the beach here, some things you just do not fathom.
I rearranged the garage again and we did free up some space with all of the unpacking and sorting and “let’s see, why do we even have that here”.
Next I gave the electrician some items that I know we won’t use and this freed up more space so that we can now go out and buy lots more things that are unnecessary. Ah the joys of furnishing a home are always different joys for the man of the house as compared to the woman of the home.
I also got myself a haircut in Kino Bay while I was here. Now this is a real experience you just cn not miss out on. I asked around for a barber shop or una persona querpas mi pello. Well no barber shop but the person to see to do this was Patricia (Patreecia). So off I went in search of Patricia’s salon and after being lost three times finally found it with a faded sign Patricia’s Unisex. She had two people ahead of me and told me to come back in una hora (one hour), which I did faithfully. Next was to decide whether I should have a clipper cut or scissors (you know I just don’t really care about those things). So Patricia you decide what the old guy needs, so scissors it was. Well the room is filled with women and kids all speaking very fast Spanish but I have this grin on my face as they all comment to one another about life in Kino and the strange gringo. She did a really great job on my hair though and for $5.00 it was a real bargain. I shall stop there again when mi pello is long.
Well there was another great sunset over the Sea of Cortez and this was the last one we will see for a short time (need to get back to California and see the grandkids).
Lastly we met with Ariel to go over the list (you know that list of items that still need to be finished before we can really call this somewhat finished). So that didn’t take very long because it was really the same list as last time.
This morning it was put the sheets over things that we did not want to have exposed to the dust, bring in the cushions from the patio furniture, take out the trash and oh yes have another shrimp omelet. Now that was the really good part of the morning.
We packed up the Jeep with the few things that we were going to bring home. That is another nice thing about going here is that you do not need to pack and unpack. All your clothes, toothbrush and comb are already here for you when you arrive, and just leave them here when you go home.
The trip to Tucson was uneventful and the RV was waiting for us when we arrived. So tonight it was decided on to go for a brunch at the Diamond Casino and then head out for Quartzsite in the morning. Well that’s all from the travelers for now and next you here from us we may be home in Redlands.
1 House from the beach
2-4 Old pier and shrimp boats and Pellicanos Island and the beach
5 View of the barbaque and beach

Kino Bay, Sonora, Mexico

Kino Bay, Sonora, Mexico
Well we travelled two days ago from Tucson to Kino Bay where our second home is. This is about a 4-5 hour drive with stops and is about 250 miles from the border to our home.
First is a stop in Nogales for gas and an Egg McMuffin ( I have not had one on about 4 months so it was time). The across the border for an inspection which we were passed by on and then on to KM 21 where you get your Tourist Visa. For us this is old hat and we only needed a 5 day one for Sonora only so there was no charge. We did have to pay the three toll road fees down to Kino but by now we are used to that and the toll road was just resurfaced for most of the way so I was happy to pay.
Next was a stop in Hermasillo to get some food as whe have not been home for 5 months and the pantry was empty. So after leaving Wal Mart we were on our way for the final 65 miles to Kino and home.
We arrived and had to pick up the extra key at LaPlaya Hotel where they keep it for me to let the cleaning lady in once a week. Thankfully, they know us right away and just handed over the keys and we were on to the house. I had forgotten that they had installed the security alarm and did not even know the combination so needless to say after 30 seconds we made quite an alarming homecoming. Well back to the Hotel to get the code and then all was well again.
It is always interesting to come home to a place that is not quite finished. Our clothes were still in boxes and we spent the next day and a half unpacking and putting the house in order. Thankfully the closets were finished and the clothes bars were up. Next in the order of business was to get the boxes in the garage down that Bev wanted to go thru and then I was off to Hermasillo and Home Depot to check on some light fixtures that we want to put up. I have been trying to get these for 1 ½ years and maybe just maybe we can get them in another 17 days. That is the frustration of building a home, if you want it has to be ordered and it may or may not come in.
We went to dinner at El Paro Rojo the first night as we were both very tired and cooking just was not an option we wanted to look at. I do like their fish stuffed with octopus, shrimp and oysters and covered with a betchemal sauce, mmmm good and for dessert a cream cheesecake. Well stuffed and tired we went right to sleep.
For the next two nights we had a steak barbeque ant then steak and shrimp. Wow the shrimp were really big and for $5.00 I was able to get more than enough for dinner and then a shrimp and egg omelets for tomorrow morning. You can see the shrimp boats out in the ocean just off the house so that is why they are so plentiful now.
We met with our builder and architect today and Ariel has a list now of things to complete before we return next time. I finally feel that we are getting to the end of this project and will be happy when the final little things are finished. A home is never really finished but you finally get to the point when you say enough, it’s done.
So we will stay tomorrow and then on Monday leave for Tucson again and then back to Redlands and the adventure is over. Well there is always another adventure just over the horizon you just don’t know sometimes where it will take you.

1 Desert driving
2 New agriculture in the area
3 Welcome to Kino Bay
4 View from the entry
5 Kitchen area

El Paso to Tucson, AZ

El Paso to Tucson. AZ
We tried to leave early from El Paso area but by the time we got out of there it was 9:30 am and the wind had already picked up. Now wind in the desert is something to really contend with in an RV. Especially the 30 mph winds that always come up when the desert air is warmed during the day. This is almost always either a head wind when I am driving or a cross wind. Why do I so seldom get a tail wind which would make life so much easier.
The desert gradually changed from the Chiwauwa Desert to the Sonora Desert after going over several mountains and thru many long desert valleys. This was really boring driving with nothing to see but the sagebrush and signs warning of sandstorms and zero visibility.
Finally we arrived in Tucson and made our way to the Desert Diamond Casino where I found out that I could leave the RV for up to 7 days. So tomorrow we are off to Mexico and Kino Bay.
We did visit the San Xavier Mission today and took some pictures. This is one of the lovelier missions founded by Father Kino here in AZ. The grounds look pretty much as they did in 1698 when the mission was first settled and we also climbed the hill behind the mission for a look at the cross which is there.
Well so long for today I have posted most of the last blogs and so am now up to date except for this one. Maybe tomorrow morning as I need a siesta right about now. It was a long day and now is the time for night –night.
1-2 Desert and the reservation
3-4 San Xavier Mission
5 The reservation

Carlsbad Caverns to El Paso, TX

Carlsbad Caverns to El Paso, TX
After viewing the Caverns and exploring them during the day I decided to drive as far as possible before nightfall and then rest. Little did I realize that there is nothing between Carsbad Caverns and El Paso but nothing. First you are in the Chiuwawan Desert and you begin a slow climb along the desert floor and then onto the side of the desert next to the Guadalupe Mtns. Now you climb the Guadalupe’s and they are not small short mountains.
You are on the old Butterfield Stagecoach route and following the Texas Mountain Trail as you now descend the Guadalupe Mtns and are into the desert floor once more with salt flats for which there was a minor war fought over in the 1800’s and now you continue westward wit hthe sun in your eyes always as you first ascend and then descend into El Paso.
This is a huge city which I tried to skirt but we went right thru the center of it at night with all of the traffic that a huge city has. So now that that has been accomplished we must now get out of this truck parking lot we were in for the night and continue to Arizona. Ah well at least gas prices dropped in TX and it was $2.39 last night when I filled the tank.
1-4 Desert driving and landscape

Carlsbad Caverns picts

Some pictures