With Great Friends in Lake Havasu, AZ

After a two-day drive from Albuquerque, we have arrived at Prospector RV Park in Lake Havasu, AZ for a four-day stay. The trip was supposed to include a couple of days in northeastern Arizona to visit a remote, beautiful Nat'l Monument called Canyon de Chelly (pronounced dah-shay, www.nps.gov/cach) but our mid-March timing has bitten us again - heavy snow in the high country. So another plan bites the dust. But we will pass this way again.

Larry and Philly Coon are super good friends from our boating days. We never miss an opportunity to stop here for a visit if we're anywhere close. This time we took in the traveling Vietnam Memorial which luckily happened to be in town and an end-of-season luau at the RV park where they are members. With summer temps commonly above 110, most activities off the lake shut down for the five really hot months. Larry and Philly themselves close up their house and go work at a marina on beautiful Lake Powell.

Old Town Albuquerque

After four driving days, with a couple of one-day layovers (we don't want to overdo it, you know,) we have arrived in the Albuquerque suburb of Tijeiras. This route followed mostly along the Rio Grande river, although we ended up skipping a visit to Big Bend NP this time (it is totally booked up for spring break. Best laid plans, and all...) It was 870 miles just getting out of the Lone Star state, and another few hundred in New Mexico to get here. We are also at an elevation of 6100 feet after nine months around sea level, and are REALLY huffing and puffing, just walking around. We are going up to Sandia Crest, but since that's another 4000 feet up, we thought we'd give our lungs a break and go in to Old Town. Albuquerque is one of our favorite places to visit (we haven't caught the Balloon Festival here yet, but we definitely will some day. Our friends tell us it's a blast.) and this historic section of the city is a highlight - a 300 year-old cathedral, plaza, shops, galleries, and restaurants, including the Church Street Cafe, our fave. And, would you believe, we're still on the Rio Grande river?

Sandia Crest

On our previous trips thru Albuqueque, we somehow missed the tram ride to the top of Sandia Crest. We've driven up a few times, but never did the tram thing. It was a great ride to the top, and of course, never wanting to miss an opportunity to play in the snow...no, wait...that's "never wanting to miss a trip to the bar" we made sure we sampled the effect of martinis at 10,600 feet. Woohoo! (We did play in the snow too.) After the trip down, we ate at a wonderful Mexican grill in the tram station. We can highly recommend the whole combination. It was fun, fun, fun.

2009 - The Mexican Border to British Columbia ...and We're OFF

We are starting 2009 in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. We have spent three months with friends Bill and Josie Roberts in the Snow to Sun RV Park in Weslaco. This area is a favorite winter retreat from the cold north for many Canadians and other American snowbirds, many (and we do mean MANY) from as far away as Newfoundland (the best partyers of all.) We have made scores of new friendships and (massively) helped the local Mexican economy at the many shops and cantinas in the border town of Nuevo Progreso. We've been perfecting our margarita recipe (yumm) and line dancing skills, beachcombing and kite-flying on South Padre Island, and basically enjoying the local culture, flora, and fauna along this million-strong population corridor at the Mexican border. Progreso is small enough and "turista" enough to be immune (so far) to the drug wars that are threatening other border cities as we get ready to say "goodbye" and depart the area on March 15. We are heading West with our ultimate destination being British Columbia sometime in late summer.