Arizona with Friends, part two --- Arizona City

Front row:  Lucky, Lucy
Second row:  Tequila, Bandido, Gabe
Back row: Klick

Roger here....  What's this?  It looks like a doggie convention.  It was meant to be a reunion of old (human) friends, and it was.  However, for a good portion of the evening, it was a reunion of old doggie friends.

The drive to Arizona City from Catalina State Park to visit our friends Mike and Brenda was a short one (only an hour).  We slept in a nearby RV park for two nights.  When we checked in, we were told that the designated place for dogs to do their business at the RV park was out the front gate and across an access road.  We were told that the dogs could go anywhere in the desert.  So they did.

Hmmm...Where should I pee?    (Tequila, NOT Dianne)

The first evening we drove three miles to Mike and Brenda's house.  After catching up during happy hour in their walled back yard we enjoyed  a delicious dinner.  Brenda is quite the cook.  

The second day our good friends Jim and Sue drove up from Tucson, where they are spending the winter.  What a reunion for the six of us --- lots of laughs, and another scrumptious dinner.  What fun!

As the chairs indicate, six humans and six dogs....
(Just as it should be)

Mike and the very aptly-named Lucky

The Cook

The videographer

The entertainment for the evening involved "arranging" the six dogs in a straight line for a group picture.

The start was a little rocky.

No Klick.  Let me show you where to go. 

Lucy.  Don't look at Brenda.  Look at the camera. 

Tequila.  What were you doing in the house?  You know we are taking a picture!

Tequila and Bandido have fallen in line, but Klick and Gabe aren't quite with the program yet.  Where are Lucky and Lucy?

One, two, three, four, five, six.  They're all there!  QUICK!  Take the picture.














QUICK!  Take a picture of the photogs before they realize they are being photographed.

Dianne here:  The photo above is our reaction when we learned Jim had taken a video of us coaching the dogs.   In case you'd like to get in on the action, Jim agreed to let us share his video:

We will be stopping by Jim and Sue's rv park in Tucson for a second reunion as we drive back to Texas from our daughter's wedding next month.  Hopefully, Mike and Brenda and Barb and Greg will be able to join us.

On the road again.....   Today's drive from Arizona City, Arizona to El Centro, California was far more interesting than we expected.  

We entered California just west of Yuma.

We had never driven on I-8, so we did not know that we would be traversing the Imperial Dunes.

Now THIS is a desert!

ATVs were all over these dunes.  You can see one in the picture below.  

They were difficult to photograph from our moving motor home as they zipped (dangerously) up and down the dunes.

The picture below shows where all the adventure-seekers were staying.  They were camping without hookups (or camping fees) in any space they could find on the BLM lands next to the interstate.

We will leave El Centro in the morning as we drive west for one more day.  San Diego is just down the road.

Pet Picture of the Day....

This is a shot of Bandido taking a nap.  He was resting up for the day of frolic with his friends.

Dreaming of Klick, Gabe, Lucky, and Lucy....

Arizona with Friends - Part One: Tucson

Roger here...  Three days at Catalina State park, just north of Tucson.  Ahhhhh!  I have to tell you that I love it here.  The views are beautiful.  The weather is perfect.  The campsite is spacious.  Oh, and our good friends Barb and Greg are here.

The Campsite...   Our water/electric campsite ranks among the best we have experienced.  The site was spacious, beautiful and private.

The view of Mount Lemmon from our camp chairs was not half-bad, either.

Dinner with Friends...  The prime reason for our extended stop in Tucson was to visit with our good friends, Barb and Greg.  On the late afternoon of our arrival we took a ten-minute ride to their home.  

Bandido and Tequila were reunited with Izzy.  Bandido actually cried when he realized he was at Izzy's house.  She is his true love and Tequila's bff.

After some wine, we (all of us, including the dogs) squeezed into two golf carts.  We did some joy riding on the golf course cart paths (allowed after 5:00 p.m.).  What fun!  I don't have any pics due to the fact that I was clutching the ever-fearful Bandido, but it was truly a highlight.  

After the wild ride, we were treated to a delicious dinner at their home.  Their new "walled" outdoor area was a perfect place for happy hour and dinner.  BTW, dinner was delicious.  Barb is an excellent cook.

The dogs enjoyed watching the world go by after the sun went down from the private gate.

What a Hike!  

The next morning we followed Barb and Greg to a nearby trailhead in Honeybee Park.

"Hey!  I don't think this is the right way."

"It's the other way."

After a restart, Greg and Izzy led the way through this desert wonderland.  I am always surprised by how much I am drawn to the desert.

Did I say that Greg and Izzy led the way?  I must have been mistaken.  It was obviously Tequila, Dianne, and Barb.

Barb must have given Dianne some shocking info.

I'm not sure what this was all about.  I just know that I am in trouble for posting this picture.

Tequila says, "I think we are supposed to go this way."  Izzy said, "No, it's this way!

Actually, it would have been nearly impossible to get lost.  The entire hike was in a sandy wash surrounded by rocky walls on both sides.  





Look what I found!

Dianne and Tequila joined Bandido and me on a rock-climb.

This large boulder 
covered with native american petroglyphs was so interesting.  What a surprise (at least for Dianne and me).

After about two miles, Greg said, "The turn-back point is just up ahead."  And then, the dogs growled.  Ominous growls!  We were all a little startled.  My mind raced.  Was it a mountain lion?  Was it a rattlesnake?  Was it a coyote, or maybe a javelina?  No, it was a cow.  We were not sure how friendly the very large cow would be around unhappy dogs, so we reversed direction immediately.  

Moo.

We went our separate ways after the hike.  Later Barb and Greg picked us up and took us to a restaurant in the small town of Catalina.  We all ordered the sea bass.  It was amazingly good.

The Campground Cookout....

The next evening, it was our night to fix the food.  What a setting for a cookout!

Our grill had been idle too long, so I grilled up some brats that we bought at Opa's in Fredericksburg.   Dianne prepared some delicious beans, and used her instant pot to make pumpkin desserts.

After dinner we said goodbye to Barb and Greg and sweet Izzy.  We all know that our paths will cross again.  

The next morning we moved the motor home a short distance away to Arizona City where we will meet up with other friends.  Stay tuned.

Pet Picture of the Day....

A good picture of Tequila at the campsite.

Tequila asks, "Is that a ground squirrel or a prairie dog?"

Points West ---- Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

Sunrise in Van Horn, TX

Roger here....  We have been driving for 14.5 hours since leaving Retama Village and have finally left Texas.  The stop at Buckhorn Lakes provided us a needed diversion for the long, but hassle-free days of driving ahead.

We have driven I-10 in west Texas numerous times since we embarked on motor home travel.  Contrary to the opinions of some, we still find it interesting and scenic.  It seems like a desolate  entrance to the old west.  We now recognize our own landmarks along the road.  We refer to the formation below at the Mayan Pyramid.

"The Mayan Pyramid" along I-10 in West Texas

After a six-hour (long driving day for us) drive, we stopped for the night in the small town of Van Horn, Texas and spent a peaceful night at the Van Horn RV Park --- nothing fancy, but good wifi, cable and hookups, plus plenty of space to walk the dogs.

The mountain views in all directions provided a sense of solitude.  

Mountain view from Van Horn, Texas

We slept with the a/c off and enjoyed the cool breeze through open windows.  Below is another view of the spectacular sunrise from Van Horn.

Another Sunrise View in Van Horn, Texas

The drive the next morning to Deming, New Mexico finally took us out of Texas.  

14.5 hours of driving from Retama Village in Mission, TX finally brought us to this point.

We stayed at another quiet park, Escapees Dream Catcher RV Park.  It was a simple and easy stop for an overnight.  Hook ups were good --- no cable TV, but good air reception of the major networks. Oh, and there was a nice dog run for our pups. There was no wifi, but the park had an agreement with the Quality Inn, next door, for travelers to use its wifi.  In fact, that is where I wrote the first part of this post. 

We woke up in Deming at 4:30 a.m.!  It is not that we did not get plenty of sleep.  Time zones and daylight savings time caused the problem.  We crossed out of the Central Time Zone in Texas (losing an hour) on the same day that daylight savings time ended (losing another hour).  It will take some time for the dogs (and cat) to adjust to a new feeding schedule.  Us, too!

On the plus side, we were rewarded with another amazing sunrise.

Yet another sunrise --- this time in Deming, New Mexico

Another day of driving took us into Arizona.

No Sandstorms in this Sandstorm-prone Vista --- today.

Just 100 miles, or so, before we arrive in the Tucson area where we will enjoy a few days with friends.  The day-after-day driving is taking a hiatus.

Before arriving in Tucson, we continued to enjoy spectacular views....

.... and after miles of billboards finally got to drive by "The Thing".

No pet picture today, but there will be in the next post as Bandido is reunited with his "girl friend," Izzy Jones.

Points West --- California Here We Come --- Texas Hill Country

It takes a little planning...

It seems as if we just arrived at our home in Mission, Texas, but it is time for another adventure.  This one is a special one for Dianne and me.

We are traveling to California to spend time with our daughter, Robyn, and her fiancé, Atul before their wedding in December.  We are ecstatic!

OK, the bikes are safely stowed in the casita.  The "to do" lists are checked, as are the packing lists.  The motorhome tires are at the appropriate pressures. Dianne has the Retama Village library in good order.   Good-byes to the neighbors have been made.  Time to go.

We do not often talk about our "driving days."  However, it might be interesting to know that other than watching the scenery (and the roadways), we do have other activities to occupy our time. The cubes in the game to the left are Dianne's favorite.  She will explain.

Dianne here:  We purchased this auto bingo game when our daughters were small to take on road trips.  The cubes start out with easy-to-spot items, such as road signs.  As each cube is turned to a different side, the items are progressively more difficult to spot; items such as draw bridges, "Just Married" signs, etc.   Sometimes it takes an entire vacation to find all the items.   Sometimes we still don't get them all.   Anyway, it's fun and helps pass the time, especially in less-interesting portions of the trip.

We typically do not stop to "restroom."  Dianne goes whenever she wants.  I tend to go when we stop for gas.  Meal-wise, Dianne prepares nutritious (mostly) finger foods that we can both eat without pulling off the road.  Since we are mostly anxious to arrive and relax, this works very well for us.

Kerrville, Texas --- Buckhorn Lake RV Resort

Nice Full Moon

Buckhorn Lake Resort, near Kerrville, Texas, is our go-to first night stop when we are traveling west.  It is convenient to I-10 and the sites are great.  It is also near one of our favorite spots in the Texas Hill Country --- Fredericksburg. 

Our night-time walk with the dogs was so calming after a six-hour drive.  The festive lights added a lot to the atmosphere.

We opted to spend two nights at Kerrville so that we would have a day to visit Fredericksburg.   So, the next morning we walked for three miles along Goat Creek Road to exercise the dogs before a day in one of our favorite places.

A bucolic view along Goat Creek Road
(Look carefully and you'll see a rope swing)

Can't walk another step

Tequila was pooped-out after the walk --- as we hoped.  So was Bandido.  Time to drive 20 miles to Fredericksburg.



Fredericksburg, Texas...

Our first stop was at Wildseed Farms where we purchase a couple of gifts.

Stop number 2 was at our favorite vineyard, Grape Creek.  

We purchased four acrylic (non-breakable) wine glasses for motor home traveling. And...

Two glasses of Dianne's favorite wine, Belissimo, that we raised in a toast to Robyn and Atuls' imminent nuptials.  Oh, and we also bought a bottle of Belissimo for a future special event.

Before heading back to the motorhome, we made two stops.  We stopped at Opa's smoked meats to purchase sausages to grill, after we had a delicious lunch at our favorite German restaurant, Auslanders!

Tomorrow we impart on three driving days (Van Horn, Texas, Deming, New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona) before arriving at Catalina State Park, north of Tucson, for three nights.

Pet Picture of the Day...

From Buckhorn Lake RV Resort....

... Bandido says hola!