Roller Coaster Emotions

April 28 - May 1, 2013 (4 days) - McGee Creek RV Park, Mammoth Lakes, CA

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I'm too old to have PMS! But it sure feels like that is what I'm experiencing! I don't like it!
Stressed: I wake and take the dogs out. They are pulling more than usual. The campground is chaotic with families being noisy packing up, kids crying because they don't want to leave and two yappy dogs right behind us.
I walk to the Eastside Bakery across the street from the RV park. I'm planning to order some kind of home made pastry and a coffee for breakfast. I'll sit outside and enjoy some peace while reading and eating my breakfast. CLOSED! Grrr. I've got to get out of this place. I need some "me time". How silly. My RV life is almost all "me time".

I'm outta here. This is my note left for Scott when he woke up.

Calm: I head into the town of Mammoth Lakes looking for a quiet breakfast spot.  I walk into Good Life Cafe (review below). I feel myself calming already. Nancy (?), a very pleasant waitress says to pick any table that is clean. I'm so glad that most patrons have preferred to sit outside. The dining room is bright and quiet...just what I need. I enjoy breakfast while reading my kindle and drinking cup after cup of pretty good coffee. The waitress leaves me be and I feel myself, calming, calming, calm.
Thankful: After my therapy breakfast, I head out to Schat's Bakery (review below). Another great experience. No pushy counter help, not crowded. I take my time looking at all the wonderful products. $38.00 later, I head back home. Another realization that calmed me, was the fact that I COULD spend $38.00 on a whim and not have to worry about it. We are very fortunate to have two decent pensions.
Hope: On my way back, I am hoping the families have left. I see Mammoth Mountain RV Park and stop in. Ahhhh, there's hope. This is a beautiful pine forest, pine needle ground covered RV park and campground. Yes I can hope our future destinations will be more secluded.
Melancholy: Later in the day, Scott & I take a drive. Scott plays music on his IPod. It's amazing how music can bring out all kinds of memories.
"Without You" sung by Harry Nilsson playing first reminds me of at age 14, Dad caught me smoking and grounded me. So I wasn't able to see or talk on the phone with the boy I liked. I played this song over and over and over in my room on my little 45 record player. This song also reminds me of my college days and

Similar to this.

my breakup with my college fiance, Jeff.

Deb & Jeff 1976

"Let It Be" Beatles song reminds me of my childhood in Asbury Park, NJ. I would buy the Beatles trading cards with the piece of bubble gum in the pack. The Beatles were my first celebrity crush.
Thinking of my youth is definitely melancholy. The memories, my youth gone, but also thinking, do I really want to relive my youth?
I told Scott that if I'm ever in a coma, to play music. Music would be the most likely technique of jolting my brain and bring me around.
Happiness: I'm once again, happy in the moment. No use wishing for the past or wishing for my youth. Both are not possible. Also I'm happy with my life today in spite of the little annoyances that make my moods swing.
Contentment: I am content, even though I may rant and rave. Part of my contentment is that I can release by ranting. I am content in my marriage with an easy going husband who is devoted to me. I am content in our financial situation. We are middle income retirees with no real money worries and no major health problems. Ahhhh. Life is good.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Good Life Cafe, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
My rating 4 out of 5
Restaurant is in a strip mall, but once you walk in, it has a "homey" feel. There is an outside, umbrella covered deck for al fresco dining. This is a ski town and I'm sure diners enjoy eating out there even in the winter with California's dry cold weather.
Very pleasant waitress.
Swiss cheese omelet: Very good. The omelets are made with four eggs which I think is too much. The norm I find are 3 egg omelets and even that is a large omelet. The swiss cheese was melted on top of the omelet. I prefer the cheese to be inside the omelet. But the omelet was still good.
Hash Browns: Very good. Shredded potatoes, that may have been the previous night's leftover baked potatoes. I could taste the the crispy baked skin of the potatoes in the shredded mixture. I liked it.  A touch of mexican seasoning added to make a nice side dish.
Whole Wheat toast: Oh my gosh! Delicious. I should have asked what bakery supplied this. Hearty multi grain and subtly sweet bread.
Coffee: Average. Good enough for me to drink black.

Schat's Bakery, Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
My rating 5 out of 5
I believe there is a restaurant serving sandwiches also. I only tried the bakery.
Upon entering, my eyes widened in taking the loaves of bread, the pastries, the chocolates, oh my! There's only so much I can eat before items will go stale.

Hmmm, Asiago cheese bread or Muesli bread?
Muesli bread was the winner and a great choice. I tried this toasted,but it seemed to dry out. So I next tried it right from the bag. A heavy, hearty, moist bread full of grains, fruit and nuts. Delicious with Philly Cinnamon cream cheese spread thinly on it.

Blueberry Pastry: Delicious. Definitely fresh blueberries made the filling amid a fluffy sweet bread pastry.
Cookies: Good but very crumbly.Take a bite and they fall apart. The lemon & raspberry thumbprint cookies were difficult to eat. The fruit center was so stiff, I couldn't bite through and the cookie broke apart into crumbs.
Coconut peanut brittle: Home made and yummy.

Chocolate Truffles: Excellent! Creamy, rich, smooth decadent center covered in a wonderful chocolate shell.

Cafe 395 aka Crowley Lake General Store, Crowley Lake, CA
Our rating 4 out of 5
This is a gas station/convenience store/cafe.
First off, diesel was 50 cents per gallon cheaper here than 12 miles away in Mammoth Lakes.
Well stocked 7-11 type store. The cafe part has about 3 tables for eating in, a refrigerated section with drinks, ready made sandwiches, & salads.
Very nice staff. The young adult boy/man in the cafe seemed to really take pride in his job.
A little high priced, but it's really the only convenience store in the area, so they can get away with the prices. I would love to have this family run store in my area.
Fresh fruit smoothie: I had a raspberry/banana smoothie with yogurt. Thick and delicious.
Pizza: Being from the NY/NJ area, we are very particular about our pizza. What a pleasant surprise! They make great pizza! If this were the only pizza place around, I'd be very satisfied.

Pre Made sandwiches: Egg salad was fair. Tuna salad with a kick was delicious. Both served on a large whole wheat roll & romaine lettuce. The tuna definitely had a bite to it. I don't think it was jalepeno, maybe more a dash of cayenne pepper.
Definitely a great store to have in the neighborhood.
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BROWSING THE WWW://
Garden Fork video podcast is an interesting and entertaining podcast. I first viewed this because Eric would video his trying to make a recipe for the first time. His wife videos while he cooks. They show his mistakes, as well as his triumphs. They show his lack of measuring skills also. But all in all, it's fun to watch a "real" person try out the recipes.
He has two yellow labs and a quick clip of them playing is thrown into the video podcast.
Mr. Garden Fork aka Eric, also does beekeeping and gardening. So he's always full of info. Check him out. He's a likeable guy. He kind of reminds me of the host of "Dirty Jobs".
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BOOK REVIEW:

As the Crow Dies by Ken Casper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

He lost his legs in Vietnam and is learning to deal with his disability. He comes home to find out his Father is dead.
Decent mystery with good character development. The amputee's feelings how he deals with people and how people react to him is interesting. No feeling sorry for this guy.
He is surrounded by family and friends. The family dealing with racial prejudices and religion. His friends staying loyal. A good read.

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WHERE WE ARE HEADED:

May 2 -  6, 2013 (5 days) - Tahoe Valley RV Park - South Lake Tahoe, CA
May 7, 2013 (overnight) - Kelly's Family Kampground, Upper Lake, CA
May 8 - 19, 2013 (12 days) - Azalea Glen RV Park, Trinidad, CA
Crater Lake, OR

June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

RV PARK REVIEW: Arabian RV Oasis - Boron, CA

RV PARK REVIEW:
April 27, 2013
Arabian RV Oasis, Boron, CA
Site#31 $20./day with partial Passport America discount
Our rating 2 out of 5
This was only an overnight stay and that's all I really would want to stay. Easy pull thru site with a shade tree. Sites close together, but since they were not full it wasn't bad.
Friendly staff. Many permanent residents. The park was surprisingly quiet.
There's a great Mexican Restaurant within walking distance, about 1/3 to 1/2 mile away. Review below.
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RESTAURANT REVIEW:
Domingo's Mexican & Seafood Restaurant, Boron, CA
Our rating 4 out of 5

Wow! Never expected this in Boron. This town looks like a ghost town. Even the grocery store had few cars in lot. Domingo's parking lot was the most full, with good reason.
We were seated quickly. Wait staff was excellent. Very attentive.
Salsa was homemade and excellent! Chunks of onion, tomato, with quite a bit of hotness. The refilled our bowl before we had even finished.
Raspberry and regular Margaritas were excellent.
Fajita mix was chicken, steak and vegetable fajitas. Great seasoning. Steak was a little chewy, but the chicken & veggies were great. I was disappointed that they only gave me two tortillas, but before I even finished, they asked if I wanted more.
Spanish rice was light and delicious.
Red Snapper and crab was heaven! My husband ate very slowly so he could savor his meal longer.
The reason for 4 stars instead of 5?
The Flan was terrible!!!!!! I wouldn't even call it flan. It tasted like a mix custard. There was no caramel sauce (browned sugar), but a thick sticky ice cream topping caramel. Plus they put whipped cream and chocolate syrup on top. It was a bad desert, but it was not Flan.

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WHERE WE ARE HEADED:

April 28 - May 6, 2013 McGee Creek RV Park, Mammoth Lakes, CA

June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

RV PARK REVIEW: Blake Ranch RV Park & Horse Motel, Kingman, AZ

RV PARK REVIEW:
April 25 - 26, 2013
Blake Ranch RV Park & Horse Motel, Kingman, AZ
Site# 7 $22./day with 15% Escapees discount

Our rating 3.5 out of 5
+ SITES: Decent sized, most with a nice shade tree. Pea gravel which was kept refreshed.
+ HOOK UPS: FHU
+ BATHROOMS: Clean but a little bit of a walk from RV.
+ LAUNDRY: Great laundry. I should have done my wash there. Many units, 2 sitting tables with magazines, large table for folding clothes.
+ PETS: Welcome. Two small dog parks. Large enough for a little running and enough room for play.
+ WIFI: Worked well
+ VERIZON INTERNET: Excellent
+ SPRINT INTERNET: Very Good
+ VERIZON PHONE: Very good
+ AT&T PHONE: Very Good
+ BOOK EXCHANGE: Yes.
/ACTIVITIES: Not much. Horseshoes.
/MAIL DELIVERY ACCEPTED: ? I believe so.
-  AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: Not much to do around here. The town of Kingman is 15 miles away and that is where the stores, restaurants are.
This park is conveniently right off I-40 behind a Pilot truck stop. Iron Skillet and Dunkin Donuts within walking distance. Even though we were close to the highway, we were higher up and therefore never heard the trucks nor traffic.
Very clean park.
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BROWSING THE WWW://
It's Good to be us blogger posted, "Stupid about blogging"  I think many of the blogs I follow were started to keep our family and friends informed during our travels. Some have developed into more, but I enjoy the down to earth, post as if your just making conversation blogs.
I started the blog for two reasons. Let family & friends know what I'm up to without having to retell it to each person and the blog is a great way to keep the memories. I would never take as many photos or keep track of what we did if not for my blog. I make a .pdf of each post and save the file for memories when we, if we decide to settle down.
I did find myself getting upset because I only have a certain amount of followers, and other blogs have more. Take a step back. Remember the 2 reasons I blog is for family/friends and myself. Now I can relax and write freely. Maybe I lied a bit. I do blog to educate others that may be thinking of or starting out Full time Rving, but I refuse to put any pressure on trying to add informative things. If something pops in my head, so be it.
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RV LIFE:
I really enjoy reality TV. Not things like The Bachelor, Housewives, celebrities, etc. But I enjoy American Idol, true crime, cooking competitions, PROPERTY BROTHERS, etc.
Reading blogs is my reality RV. My routine is as soon as I wake up, I turn on the computer, make a cup of coffee and start reading the blogs I've + rated. Those ratings could change at anytime.
I really find these blogs are my social outlet also. I'm not a real outgoing person. Reading blogs allows me  to know fellow bloggers a little bit. It's much easier to meet them in person, since I have an inside scoop of their interests, personality, etc. I have found that many RV bloggers enjoy happy hour. That seems to be the time to meet up. A drink or two loosen us all up. We can sit and chat. When it's time for dinner, it's time to leave.

On that note, at Meteor Crater RV Park, while Scott was outside rearranging his side of the basement again, Evan of Travels with Evan and Debbie blog, started up a conversation. Since they are from California and we are heading there, Evan said to stop by later to look over the map.
I felt funny knocking on their door, so I just plopped myself at THEIR picnic table with a bottle of wine and my Kindle and waited for them to notice me. 10 minutes pass and I'm still alone.
Evan was probably thinking that woman out there had a lot of nerve sitting at their table. They hadn't met me yet.  Scott finally came over and knocked.
I had finished my 1st glass of wine. We all sat around the picnic table looking over routes in California and up through Washington and Oregon. Evan had driven trucks in the past, so he was very familiar with what roads were ok for the RV. I wish we had met sooner. He had some suggestions for traveling through California, but we sort of already had our route established and reservations made. We took lots of notes for next time we're in the area. My 2nd glass of wine finished. Only 1/2 glass left in the bottle. Bottoms up!
Now Debbie finally came out. The first words out of her mouth were, "Have you had the chicken pox?". Yes, we both had. Debbie was just getting over Shingles. Thanks for coming out to meet us. I'm sure you weren't feeling your best. Now more conversations start. Evan and Debbie are very easy to talk to. Of course since I had twice as much wine as my norm, I was having an easy time talking also.
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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set in the 1920's when bobbed hair was coming into fashion and showing some leg was also starting to be accepted. A teenager with a talent for dance has an opportunity to go to NYC to attend a dance school and maybe be hired as part of the dance group. She is headstrong, conceited and a flirt. Her Mom hires a local woman to act as Chaperone.
The story evolves to reveal the private struggles of many characters. The book scans through about 50 years of time. Interesting story.
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WHERE WE ARE HEADED:

April 27, 2013 Arabian Oasis RV Park, Boron, CA
April 28 - May 6, 2013 McGee Creek RV Park, Mammoth Lakes, CA

June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

RV PARK REVIEW: Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

RV PARK REVIEW:

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 

Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ
Site#17  $27./day
Our rating 4 out of 5

/SITES: All pull thrus. Level. Average space between sites. Some with new trees. Driveway is gravel. Where picnic table is located is pea gravel.

View from side door

View from back window

+ HOOK UPS: FHU and options for just Water & Electric for lower pricing.
/ BATHROOMS: Did not check out.
+ LAUNDRY: Small laundry with 3 or 4 machines each, but very clean.
+ PETS: Pets Welcome. There are two decent sized dog parks.
+ WIFI: Free, worked fine.
+ VERIZON INTERNET: Worked great.
-  SPRINT INTERNET: No signal
+ VERIZON PHONE: 5 bars
+ AT&T PHONE: 4 bars
+ BOOK EXCHANGE: Yes.
/ ACTIVITIES: None
/ MAIL DELIVERY ACCEPTED: ?
/ AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: Tourist trap Meteor Crater. RV park states they give a discount when a guest at the RV park. $2.00 discount. Not impressed. I think buy one/get one would have been better.
Extra comments: The park is kept very clean and nicely landscaped. Even though the roads are gravel, they are sprayed often to keep the dust down.

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SIGHTS: 
Petrified Forest, Holbrook, AZ $10./vehicle
Our rating 4 out of 5
We happened to visit this Nat'l Park during Earth Day week, so admission was free.
There are many short hikes.

The fallen trees are all over for miles and miles. The petrified logs & trunks are beautiful. They soaked up the minerals in the ground and formed basically tree or log shaped rocks. You can still see the rings and wood grains of the logs, -- beautiful colors.

Driving further through the Petrified Forest led us to the Painted Desert. This is another fascinating display of land formations.

I've had about enough of desert, rocks, caverns, dirt. I'm so looking forward to greener areas.
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RV MOD:
LED Color Changing Light Strip, $37.00
Our rating 4 out of 5
These were easy to install with the adhesive strips.

I love the glow effect these strips provide. Many color combos. If you want to use them to light up the site, you can change to white or soft white. We prefer to just use the colors for atmosphere. We've been enjoying trying the different colors..

 

Two downsides are although the lights are sealed and waterproof, the control box is not, which makes it difficult to leave them out all the time. Scott ended up pulling the wiring through the seal of the slide and mounting the non waterproof part on the inside wall. Now the lights are permanently on display and we can turn on and off inside.
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BOOK REVIEW:

12.24 by Jaron Sean Briggs
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Kindle Version
Worth the money.
I got this book for free, so sure, it was worth the $ and nothing lost except my time.
It held my interest at the lowest level. It was a fast read, so I plodded on.
Sort of depressing, but also enlightens us on how people grieve in different ways.
Somewhat confusing going back and forth in time and going back and forth between generations of characters.
In the end I was very disappointed. Too religious for me.

NightDrake by Lara Adrian
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is not a good book for a first time Lara Adrian wannabe reader.
Set in the future, the main female is tough because she has to be to survive. The cargo she was commissioned to deliver breaks open and...you'll have to read the book.
There was just too much to squeeze into a short story.
We have to learn the way the world is in this time period.
We have to learn about the different type of beings, whether human or other.
A romance or battle has to develop and conclude in just too short amount of pages.
This is not a good book to judge Ms. Adrian's work. I am totally hooked on her Midnight Breed series, and this book does not do her a service.

The Death of Common Sense by Lori Borgman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the longer version of the emails that circulate about the death of common sense.
Today's youth probably won't get this book, but I sure did.
This book dares to be politically incorrect and may offend the lazy, entitled, brand focused young people of today. Sorry, I'm generalizing. There are some kids & young adults that know that you have to WORK to get things you want. You have to EARN respect, earn a wage, etc.
At times this book is funny and at other times is funny but truly sad because it is so true.
Ms. Borgman has great insight, a good sense of humor and sarcasm, and a very good writer. Check out her website and get an insightful email newsletter once in a while.
Lori Borgman website

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PET PEEVES:

This book (Death of Common Sense) naturally flows right into pet peeves.

While reading The Death of Common Sense, I bookmarked a page that really hit home.

My Pet Peeve: Not stating or doing what needs to be stated or done because you don't want to hurt a person's feelings.

Quote from the book:

We also need to return to thinking as opposed to feeling. We excel at emoting,sniffling, rationalizing, whining, apologizing and bowing, but we don't do as well when it comes to thinking. Emotion-based decisions make us feel better for the short-term, but they are rarely a solution long-term. Only by clear and sound thinking can we link actions with consequences

In other words tough love. 

It is insane that kids are "graduating" from High School without being able to read, or at a grade school level. It is insane that kids are pushed into the next grade so they can be moved through the system, or because of pressure from parents, or so the kid won't be separated from his friends. As stated above "actions with consequences". You can't pass the requirements, you need to repeat until you do. 

Action: you push them through school without earning the diploma.

Consequence: You end up with a kid not capable of holding a job. This young adult has learned that you can get by with as little effort as possible and will be dependent on the efficiency of others.

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WHERE WE ARE HEADED:

June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

I miss New Jersey....

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

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NOT! I do miss Spring in NJ though. I'm sure I can find the same kind of Spring in other areas of the country, but here in Winslow, AZ it's all brown and some green. Sigh.  I've been seeing photos of Spring Flowers on other bloggers posts. Sigh.

Lily in my NJ garden

NJ Garden

NJ hostas

I really miss my hostas. I sort of gave up flower gardenings when we adopted Setters. They are not good off leash, so they couldn't be in the front yard with me gardening. I lost the heart for gardening when there were no dogs to keep me company. But hostas are easy care, great edging, great ground cover and come in thousands of varieties. They start showing in April and within a week are huge. I had them all along the edges of our yard.



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PETS: 
I met a nice young man (don't I sound OLD?) at the dog park here in our campground. He is taking some time to travel the country. Sort of his "bucket list" before he has to settle down with a real job and real responsibilities. He purchased an old Bounder Motorhome and has a scooter. He's from MA and headed West and is now heading back East.  His friends are very envious. He says he invited them along. But they were not adventurous enough to leave their "cook" jobs that they've had since high school. Opportunity lost and may never be possible again, until MAYBE retirement.
His roommate is Rocky, a really nice 110 pound rescued black lab. Devin is thrilled to have a playmate again!

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RV LIFE:
We are having plenty of down time this week. There isn't much to do in this area.  We visited Meteor Crater (review below), and went into the actual town of Winslow, AZ. Rt. 66 passes through there, so of course there are plenty of places with that theme. Sorry folks, I couldn't care less.

There is not much area to walk or hike here either, so this will be a very sedentary week. I do not have the discipline enough to just walk around this small park over and over and over, just to get 10,000 steps in a day that is recommended.


Another thing I don't miss in NJ, my job: 
Ya know what's nice about our RV life? I'm retired and away from the crap at my job.

This is from our APWU (union) facebook page.

Ex Co"worker" Sue's post : APWU Sucks. I had my issues, yes. But my Union Rep got me fired. The union rep (Ed: name deleted) sucks. She called me an F'N C---- I responded and got fired. Thanks for taking my money, Red Bank Local, the most "dangerous local around" (Ed: the union's motto)the only ones you have to look from are the Union Reps. They kiss ass
Ann's reply: So nothing you did was what actually got you fired? They just fired you because a Union Rep said to do so? I'm confused.
My reply:  I guess you don't know Sue.
Sue's reply: Neither do you Debbie. There are always two sides to a story.  Mind you own business Debbie, you never talked to me before, oh yeah, you were another ass kisser,/ supervisor wanna be.
Ann's reply: OK. I see now why.

Perfect!!! Sue showed her true colors in her reply to me. Ann also saw and understood.

Ahhh, those pleasant memories. Do you know how I was an ass kisser? I did what my supervisor's told me to whether I liked it or not. Yep, that's kissing ass and yep, I got along with most of my supervisor's. I had an uneventful 32 yrs in the postal service and glad for it. I put in my time and my work ethic and was blessed by being able to retire early at age 53!

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SIGHTS:
Meteor Crater, Winslow, AZ $16.00/per person admission
My rating 1 out of 5
Scott's rating 3.5 out of 5

Scott really liked it and would have rated it a 4 out of 5 if the price was cheaper. I would have rated it 2 out of 5 if the price was cheaper.

This is the best preserved and first proven meteorite impact site on Earth. It is about 1 mile across, 550 feet deep, and about 2.5 miles around. In the museum is a detailed history of the founder and how it was eventually proven to be a meteor crater and the money spent and possible wealth in iron, blah, blah, blah. Glad I brought my Kindle to read!

Scott was a Geology major at Catawba College in NC, so he's really interested in this and can understand it better than I can. He really enjoyed the museum. What turned me off was there was a replica of a piece 3' long, 2' wide piece of a meteor (Helsinger meteorite). The real piece was on display just outside the museum. Artists can make things look and feel so real, I become very skeptical of anything on display. I'm outta here. I sat on a bench reading, while Scott enjoyed the museum.

Seeing the crater itself was anti-climatic. Is it because we just were at the Grand Canyon the week before? Or was I truly able to judge this crater on it's own? Either way, it is difficult to realize the size of it from their 3 viewing posts. Yes, they state the rim is about 2.5 miles around, so we were prepared to walk the rim. Not gonna happen sucka! You are not allowed to walk around it, and can only view at their 3 lookouts.

Can you tell I'm not a fan? They are spending 20 million dollars!, yes, 20 million dollar$!$!$ on a "Sustainable Visioning Masterplan" to renovate and expand the visitors center. I did not see a railing and walking path around the rim in that plan. What a waste!

A definite tourist trap at $16.00 per person. 

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FOOD:

On to a much more enjoyable topic. Lunch! Ever since enjoying the home made tortillas at Verde Lea Market in Cottonwood, AZ, I am so hooked on putting almost anything between them.

I stated before my coleslaw mix, pica de gallo in a tortilla. Today I added sliced cucumber and some Tuscany Herb olive oil. I bet it would taste good with cucumber or ranch dressing also. Maybe add sliced avocado, hmmmm.

A healthy lunch.

Eat those veggies!

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FOOD PRODUCT REVIEW:

Philadelphia Indulgence, Cinnamon

My rating 4.5 out of 5 

I rated the chocolate flavor in a previous post. Now it's time for my second sampling. This is also delicious, although it won't satisfy my chocolate "needs" like the chocolate cream cheese does. This tastes almost like the Cinnabon frosting, only thicker.  I'm not sure what to use this on other than maybe a sweet roll, or...tortillas! I told you I was using all kinds of things to stuff a tortilla! 

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RECIPE:

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Rollups

Soft Tortillas

1 pkg. Philadelphia Indulgence, Cinnamon

Sliced apples or bananas (optional)

Spread cream cheese (and fruit) on tortilla, roll up and eat or layer, then roll up and slice for a nice bring along snack while visiting friends.

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CRAFTS; 
My 6"x9" rectangles have been shipped off the the HAP (Handmade Afghan Project) to make into an afghan and sent to VA hospitals.

1850 Old South Gown This is a crocheted outfit for a "Barbie" type doll. This is for display on your bed. I've had these patterns for years and years.
When I had to purged my craft room to get ready for RVing, I had to decide whether to keep these supplies or give them away. So I brought the material for one project and have been working on it for the almost 2 yrs we've been RVing. My heart is not in this project. What am I going to do with it? I guess try to sell it on Ebay or Etsy or find a nice Grandmom who would want it for her Grandchild.
So far I've completed the base of the skirt. I'm now ready to crochet the ruffles. I am a project crafter. I hate to have a project unfinished. So this project is my outside craft project because the sun give excellent light for this thin thread and tiny crochet hook use.

Sample

I'm also experimenting with a sun hat pattern. I've seen so many sunhats for sale in this area. They are crocheted and I KNOW I could make them, but...what is the material they use? It's not cotton, it's much stiffer so the hat holds it's shape. So I'm experimenting with some twine I bought at Walmart. I plan to make the brim wider and hopefully curl up a touch. Well see.

Cable Jacket

Sample

 I've been a good girl knitter and knit a swatch, soaked and blocked.

Yes, it is full of cables, but it is made with worsted weight yarn, so the bumps and jolts riding in the truck will not be too much of a problem. Come back next year to see the finished project. I hope it doesn't take that long! But it could.
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WHERE WE ARE HEADED:
Apr. 25, 2013 (Tentative) Calizona RV Park, Needles, CA
Apr. 26, 2013 (Tentative) Sierra Trails RV Park, Mojave, CA

Apr. 27 - May 5, 2013 (Tentative) Sequoia RV Ranch, Three Rivers, CA

June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

RV PARK REVIEW: Trailer Vlg, Grand Canyon, AZ

RV PARK REVIEW:

Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 

Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ 

Site # I-60 $35.00/day

Our rating 4 out of 5

/ SITES: Gravel and very unlevel.. Close, but enough space to let our dog out on a 15 foot tether. Sights at the end of rows are more spacious with shade. Some sites are open, others have shade. Our site had a beautiful Utah Juniper tree for shade.

+ HOOK UPS: FHU

/ BATHROOMS: Toilets only, no showers. Did not check for cleanliness, did not use.

-  LAUNDRY: No

+ PETS: Pets allowed. Plenty of area to walk the dogs. Many paved walking paths and woods are cleared so easy to walk through. Dogs are not allowed on shuttle buses nor on many unpaved trails into the Canyon. There is a day kennel if needed.

-  WIFI: No

+ VERIZON INTERNET: Worked very well.

-  SPRINT INTERNET: No service

+ VERIZON PHONE: good

-  AT&T PHONE: No service

-  BOOK EXCHANGE: No

+ ACTIVITIES: Hiking the Grand Canyon.

/MAIL DELIVERY ACCEPTED: No, but there is a US Post Office in the Park at Market Plaza.

/AREA/TOWN/SIGHTS: Did not venture outside of park.

Other comments:

We saw huge Mule Deer almost daily in the RV park. On two occasions we saw Elk just grazing in the RV sites. Very cool experience.

Free shuttle bus to other areas of the South Rim available right outside the campground (walking distance).

Market plaza is maybe 3/4 to 1 mile from campground with a well stocked, but premium priced grocery, the US Post Office, a cafeteria, Chase bank, and a gift shop with hiking equipment available for rental or purchase.

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

Apr. 25, 2013 (Tentative) Calizona RV Park, Needles, CA

Apr. 26, 2013 (Tentative) Sierra Trails RV Park, Mojave, CA

Apr. 27 - May 5, 2013 (Tentative) Sequoia RV Ranch, Three Rivers, CA

June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014

Wackadoodle day!

Apr. 11 - Apr. 17, 2013 Trailer Village - (Part of Grand Canyon Park), AZ

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RV LIFE: 

What a weird day I'm having! It's not what I expected.

First, Devin wakes me up at 3:30am. He had to go out. He's been a pooping machine lately. We're not feeding him anything different. At 3:30am it is 31° outside. Brrr! That sure woke me up. No going back to sleep now.

Time flies while on the computer in the wee hours of the morning. Somehow 7:30 arrived and it's now 29° outside. Our propane RV heater, and 2 electric heaters are keeping the RV toasty. 

Since I only had about 4 hours sleep, Scott asked me if I still wanted to hike the Bright Angel Trail. 

I told Scott it didn't matter. If he wants me to go with him, I'm fine with that. He actually said he'd prefer to go alone. That way he won't have to worry about me falling off the path, over the edge! He was concerned I may not be as alert as I should with so little sleep. So, I opted out of hiking today. I'll just enjoy a virtual hike of Bright Angel Trail.

I thought I might have another "down" day. Especially being so cold, I'll just snuggle under the afghan. Unlike yesterday, I did get out of my jammies and into street clothes. I walked the dogs about 1/2 mile to the US Post Office that is right here on the Nat'l Park grounds in the Market Plaza.

So just as I begin to clean up the kitchen and get ready to settle down to read, it starts snowing, well barely snowing, but I did not expect this out West in April. But I guess at 7000' high, it's a different climate than lower down.

I know it's not much but still seemed odd to me.

So as I'm outside trying to take photos of the snow, I almost walk into....An Elk, or 2! Actually there are FOUR Elk just grazing all around our site. Cool! I'm glad I didn't go on the hike. I would have missed the wildlife show!

Next thing I hear is our African Grey Parrot growling and spreading his wings. Yes, our parrot growls. He growls when he sees a strange animal (usually a foster dog). The parrot is growling, Devin is barking, poor Lyla who is deaf can sense something's going on and is just looking at me for reassurance. Ok, ok kids, calm down. What the...? Trot, trot, trot....

This is looking out our back window!
Holy crap, we're surrounded!

Devin's keeping an eye on those huge "dogs". They don't look like they want to play. Devin is staring at the Elk behind this tree on the left. You can barely see if. He's in between the white trailer and the tree.

The Elks seemed to graze in pairs. So there's the one pair that Devin is watching, where are the others? I go to the front door to see if they are on the other side. Holy double crap!

He's at my door!

Woo hoo! What a great experience! I'm thrilled!

Beautiful

It's only 2 in the afternoon. What other adventures await just sitting in the RV? Maybe Scott will have some stories about his hike.

SIGHTS:

The other day we planned on taking the dogs along the "Trail of Time". We walked from the campground to the trail. Lyla & Devin were enjoying all the smells. I made sure I had a good hold of Lyla while walking along the rim. I don't want my nightmares about her chasing something over the edge to come true.

We walk about a 1/4 of a mile on the trail, when Scott & Devin lag behind. What's up? Lyla is a senior and I'm not in very good shape any more. I turn around and there is Scott struggling with Devin to stay on the trail. Is Devin afraid of heights? Does Devin know he could fall off the edge? Nope. Devin is afraid of children. This was a Sunday afternoon and many kids were jumping, skipping, oohing and ahhing, complaining and just generally making kid noises. Devin was pulling as hard as he could to get away from them. He just wanted to hide under a tree. We have no idea why he is like that. Sad. Instead of struggling and instead of making Devin go through this panic state for the next 2-3 miles, we opted to go back home. We'll do the trail minus dogs another day.

Another day came (what a surprise) and we did walk the "Trail of Time" just Scott & Debbie. I tried to take in all the info along the trail. Signs explaining what layer of rock, mineral, whatever was formed at that time. The trail starts at present day and goes back 100 million years or so. I gave up on taking in all the info at 14 million. It just all blended together into mush in my brain. It is an easy, paved fairly level trail. 

There are big chunks mounted on cement of whatever substance layer was formed at the time along our walk.

Scott on South Rim

Ther are many campers who only stay a day or two here. I guess it's just enough to say "been there, done that" or "check that off my bucket list". Many Cruise America Class C rentals in the RV park. I did see a unique "RV" rental. It's called Jucy rentals. 

 The top is called the "Penthouse". It is not just a car top carrier, it's a...

sleeping quarter. It literally is a car top carrier made into a bed. Whatever works.

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COFFEE REVIEW: 

Major Dickason's Blend, by Peet's

My rating 5 out of 5

When living in NJ, I used to mail order this. You couldn't find it locally. This company started out as just a coffee house in California, and kept expanding their coffee sales. Now you can find Peet's Coffee fairly regularly in major grocery store chains.

I purchased the Whole Bean bag and then Espresso ground it at the in store grinder. 

Flavor Notes from their website, "Rich, smooth, and complex, with a very full body and multi-layered character." I think that describes this blend perfectly, although I don't know what multi-layered means.

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AUDIO BOOK REVIEW:

Listening is an Act of Love, by Dave Isay

My rating 4 out of 5

This is an interesting concept. These stories are non-fiction.

Story Corps is a non profit organization that has recording studios both in stationary buildings and in a traveling Winegabo. You reserve recording time to record YOUR story, whether it be a fictional story you created or the story of your life and experiences. Listening is an Act of Love is a sampler of those stories.

Publisher's Summary on Audible " Drawn from the work of StoryCorps, the largest and most ambitious private oral history project in American history, comes this tapestry of the stories Americans have been sharing from their lives to leave behind to their loved ones."

What I listened to was a younger relative asking a senior relative about their life and memories. It is a great way to not only remember your family, but also to record life as it was and as it is now for future generations. These books I don't think are private. There is a copy kept at the American Folklife Center in the Library of Congress.

I found it very interesting listening to how things were in our grandmother's time. I think a great idea would to be record your story of going through a struggle and how you are dealing with it. That would be a help to others going through similar problems. 

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WHERE WE'RE GOING:

Apr. 18 - Apr. 24, 2013 Meteor Crater RV Park - Winslow, AZ

Apr. 25, 2013 (Tentative) Calizona RV Park, Needles, CA

Apr. 26, 2013 (Tentative) Sierra Trails RV Park, Mojave, CA

Apr. 27 - May 5, 2013 (Tentative) Sequoia RV Ranch, Three Rivers, CA
June 14 - 24, 2013 Armitage County Park, Eugene, OR 

NV, CA, OR, ID, WA, MT, ND, SD, WY, then south for the Winter of 2013/2014