It's Friday afternoon, our fifth day at Bear River Migratory Bird Sanctuary, and while we've done a lot of exploring and setting up, we still have no formal duties. We had a phone call with Mike, our boss, on Tuesday morning and he explained the situation. His main concern is that we're well settled and comfortable here. Our only duties are to research a comfortable outside table, chairs and shade that he will get for us and future volunteers, and to put together a list of things future volunteers should know before they arrive.
We've explored Brigham City and discovered a wonderful bakery that makes great breads and cookies. So far we've sampled a potato cheese bread that was crusty and tasty, and a white chocolate macadamia nut cookie. This is another place that may become a regular for us. We drove up to Logan to stock up at Sam's Club, and discovered a creperie. Don't know about their regular food because the special was a crepe filled with ice cream and raspberries and topped with whipped cream, so that was lunch. The crepe itself was light and fluffy, which Vicky also confirmed with hers.
Logan is a university town (Utah State) but of course there are no students there right now, and the town was relatively quiet. The 25 mile drive up there was spectacular, especially as there is still snow on the higher mountains around here. Since the days have warmed up (highs close to 90) the snow tends to melt during the day but it's back in the mornings. Other than a few rain squalls one evening we haven't had any precipitation her on the refuge.
On our first full day here we investigated the Visitor Center (or more properly the Education Center) which of course is closed. However, there are two trails just outside. We walked the shorter one, which is paved, but left the longer unpaved one for another day. We briefly saw a mole, along with evidence of his track route, but other than a few swallows we didn't see many birds. It was getting towards sunset so we took the auto route.
This involves a 12 mile drive down paved Forest Street (where we're staying) with the refuge on both sides of the road after the first few miles. We stopped several times, identifying various birds including a Harris hawk, but it was at the end of Forest, when we joined the unpaved auto tour route, that we realized what a treasure this place is.
We got close up views of several American avocets, with their distinctive orange-pink necks, several yellow headed blackbirds, which we've searched in many laces but never seen. They really are a beautiful bird. And for good measure, the more common but still striking red winged blackbird.
Lots of wading birds including a green heron and varieties of stilt, and of course swallows.
The California seagull might be a surprise to you since we're close to 1,000 miles from the Pacific, but of course we're right next to the Great Salt Lake, and these gulls are quite common close to inland salt water. They were everywhere. But what charmed us most, as the sun headed towards the horizon, were the Canada geese. A common sight across the western USA as they migrate, you say. Why charming? The answer is families. We saw several, with the mom leading the way across the water (and sometimes across the road!) followed by her flock of from one to six chicks, with dad keeping watch at the rear.
SInce the gate to the auto tour threatened to be locked at sunset, we made sure we were out by then, and enjoyed the sun creeping up the mountains and turning the snow pink as it headed towards the horizon. We'll definitely be back, and taking lots of photographs, although in places the car was surrounded by midges so I'm not sure I'll want to get out!
I'm sure you'll hear more about the sanctuary over the summer, and also get some photos, but I'll leave this story at this point for now.
Friday, May 29, 2020
Update on Quill end of May 2020
If you've been following my blog since the beginning you know that we started our travels with 2 cats. We lost Cosette on New Year's Eve 2018 - she was at least 20 and passed peacefully.
Quill has continued with us, We would never have thought it possible, but since she's become "the cat" she's become even more affectionate and spends a lot of time in our laps. If I'm computing or Vicky is reading, chances are Quill is right there with us, She even joins us in the bathroom.
When we're traveling, she's usually either in the copilot's lap or lying on the dashboard enjoying the view. Her 20th birthday was in January of this year, meaning she's far exceeded the lifespan of the average Abyssinian cat. Although we've always had cats throughout our marriage, nobody has ever stolen our hearts the way Quill has. Never having been blessed with human children, she's become our child and very much a member of the family.
So we're worrying about her at the moment as her health seems to be deteriorating. We took her in to Banfield (the vet at Petsmart where she and Cosette have had regular care for years) for her regular checkup before we left. We were worried about loss of weight and her being off her food. Our longtime vet is on leave of absence looking after her mother, but instead of her partner, Dr. Semick, Quill was seen by a temporary vet who performed a lot of tests and told us Quill has kidney disease (which we already knew). She gave us a prescription, but the test results were not offered until we requested a copy. Even then, they were not discussed with us.
2 days later, having seen no change in Quill's health or behavior, Vicky called Dr. Semick who said the medicine needs several days to work and not to worry. Next week, now in Cottonwood, we got an emergency appointment with the local vet who told us Quill was dehydrated but more importantly, the Banfield tests showed a high white blood cell count, which indicated an infection. She did a further test and found Quill did indeed have an e-coli infection.
So now we have a couple of bags of saline solution and we give Quill water under the skin every day. She's usually pretty good about it at first, sitting in my lap. but gets impatient if it takes too long. She also has medicine for the infection, for arthritis (another long term problem) and her regular medicines that are mixed in with her food.
We also have prescription kidney diet for her. We were mixing her regular food, the kidney prescription and the various medicines until Quill decided she didn't like the combination of tastes. So now we feed the food one type at a time, adding a little medicine and this seems to be working as she is at least eating again.
Quill remains loving, but has difficulty leaping up onto the counter, and we're doing everything we can to make sure she's getting a good quality of life. Neither of us really wants to admit it, but we're both worried about how much longer she will be with us. She's brought so much joy into our lives (and hopefully we've done the same for her) so every day we have with her now is an extra blessing.
I'll keep you informed, and the next post will bring you up to date on life here at Bear River.
Quill has continued with us, We would never have thought it possible, but since she's become "the cat" she's become even more affectionate and spends a lot of time in our laps. If I'm computing or Vicky is reading, chances are Quill is right there with us, She even joins us in the bathroom.
When we're traveling, she's usually either in the copilot's lap or lying on the dashboard enjoying the view. Her 20th birthday was in January of this year, meaning she's far exceeded the lifespan of the average Abyssinian cat. Although we've always had cats throughout our marriage, nobody has ever stolen our hearts the way Quill has. Never having been blessed with human children, she's become our child and very much a member of the family.
So we're worrying about her at the moment as her health seems to be deteriorating. We took her in to Banfield (the vet at Petsmart where she and Cosette have had regular care for years) for her regular checkup before we left. We were worried about loss of weight and her being off her food. Our longtime vet is on leave of absence looking after her mother, but instead of her partner, Dr. Semick, Quill was seen by a temporary vet who performed a lot of tests and told us Quill has kidney disease (which we already knew). She gave us a prescription, but the test results were not offered until we requested a copy. Even then, they were not discussed with us.
2 days later, having seen no change in Quill's health or behavior, Vicky called Dr. Semick who said the medicine needs several days to work and not to worry. Next week, now in Cottonwood, we got an emergency appointment with the local vet who told us Quill was dehydrated but more importantly, the Banfield tests showed a high white blood cell count, which indicated an infection. She did a further test and found Quill did indeed have an e-coli infection.
So now we have a couple of bags of saline solution and we give Quill water under the skin every day. She's usually pretty good about it at first, sitting in my lap. but gets impatient if it takes too long. She also has medicine for the infection, for arthritis (another long term problem) and her regular medicines that are mixed in with her food.
We also have prescription kidney diet for her. We were mixing her regular food, the kidney prescription and the various medicines until Quill decided she didn't like the combination of tastes. So now we feed the food one type at a time, adding a little medicine and this seems to be working as she is at least eating again.
Quill remains loving, but has difficulty leaping up onto the counter, and we're doing everything we can to make sure she's getting a good quality of life. Neither of us really wants to admit it, but we're both worried about how much longer she will be with us. She's brought so much joy into our lives (and hopefully we've done the same for her) so every day we have with her now is an extra blessing.
I'll keep you informed, and the next post will bring you up to date on life here at Bear River.
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Arriving in Bear River
The Springville KOA is right next to I-15 but is still quiet and shady, and we take a walk around in the cool evening. I don't think I mentioned that the temperature in Junction yesterday night dropped to 29 degrees F, so tonight's low if 40 is relatively balmy. The KOA park boasts 3 covered wagons, which look just like the prairie schooners that brought settlers west in the 19th century.
We chat to a family who are staying in one, and they let us take a peek inside. These covered wagons are air conditioned and boast a queen bed, two bunk beds and a table and chairs. No bathroom, but there are communal showers etc. in the park. We think they're cool! After a peaceful night in the park, we cross the road to refresh to propane in the RV (29 degree nights require using the heating!) and then head up I015 to Bear River.
This is a relatively short journey, entirely on I-15 through the center of Salt Lake City and its metro area. I drive all day and generally find it easy. Today is Memorial Day which is a Holiday, so the traffic is not too heavy. Although it's a multi-lane highway I stay mostly in the extreme right hand lane - with the RV being so wide I don't like having traffic on both sides, most of which is usually passing us. The only stressful part for me is several miles of construction - no work going on today but there's a wall right next to our lane, which I have to avoid while still keeping clear of passing traffic on the other side. Apart from one scary moment where a pickup truck was parked on the narrow shoulder sticking into our lane, it's not a problem. Vicky later confides she found it stressful - probably because of my driving.
By mid afternoon we're at Brigham City, "Gateway to the World's Greatest Migratory Bird Sanctuary" according to the neon sign in its main street. We don't go into town at this point since the Visitor Center where we'll be volunteering is right by the highway, We pull into the large but mostly empty parking lot and unhitch the car. The Visitor Center is closed sine die due to the pandemic, but they've still welcomed us to come up.
Just a quarter mile up the road we find the "bunkhouse", actually a house where visiting firefighters stay, and next to it is our RV pad. There's a car parked next to the house, but nobody there. The RV space is a concrete pad, rather overgrown with nettles 4 feet high in places to the side. WE can see the electric and water hookup posts but no sign of the sewer. We search around for a while with no success, and decide to come back with the RV and use our garden tools to clear some of the bush and hopefully find the sewer. We also discover the beginnings of a wasp nest right inside the electrical junction box!
We bring the RV out. We have to pack it into the yard and onto the pad, but with her driving skills and my directions, Vicky's able to do that. We get out the clippers and the rake and after a while find the sewer hole. It's surprisingly far forward and we have to move the RV to be able to reach it, but we're still on the concrete pad so no problem. We also hook up the water.
At this point we meet Stephen, the young firefighter who's staying in the bunkhouse, and his girlfriend. Stephen finds us some wasp killer and after a liberal spraying and knocking off what's left of the nest, I'm able to hook out 50 amp connection and flip the switch. No power! It's Vicky who spots a junction box on the wall of the nearby garage and I find that turning on the circuit breaker labelled "RV Pad" is the key to getting us power.
So we're hooked up and ready to set out the grill, table and chairs, level the RV and extend the slideouts. We feed Quill (she'll get her own post soon!) and Vicky goes to light the grill, only to discover there's no gas getting through to it! I had the cylinder willed in Springville at the same time as the RV, so I know it's full. But it soon becomes clear that no gas is coming out of the cylinder.
At this pojnt since we're both tired, Vicky suggests we go into Brigham City and find a place to eat, and I'm totally in agreement. But I do remember watching the guy fill the cylinder. I noticed him playing around with a screwdriver on the neck, and soon find the screw. I start to unscrew it and propane starts leaking out. I tighten the screw until I can no linger hear leaking gas, and find that I've solved the whole problem. I guess the guy tightened the screw too much!
But we do go into Brigham City, discovering the aforementioned sign across Main Street, as well as the mature sycamore trees on both sidewalks. It's quite magical! There's not much in the way of restaurants that are open, but at the far end of Main we find Firehouse Pizzeria. We don't know how it is, but we do know that Stephen lives it because there's an empty box in the garbage back at the bunkhouse.
They're open for dine in as well as take out, and they find us a quiet booth. Our waitress, Abby, rings us a large pizza with delightfully light but tasty crust and our choice - a combination of meat and veggies. We could probably have finished the whole thing but we settle for half since I've seen the dessert menu. They do cookies, cooked in a skillet and topped with ice cream, whipped cream and drizzled with various sauces. My lemon cookie comes topped with raspberry sauce and the only problem I have with it is making sure I get every last bite. A great find, and like Arnold Schwartznegger, we'll be back!
We're considerably north of Arizona here, and Utah, unlike AZ, observes daylight savings time, so we're able to enjoy a spectacular sunset over the refuge when we return home. Tomorrow we have a phone call with our new boss, but from first impressions this was a good choice!
We chat to a family who are staying in one, and they let us take a peek inside. These covered wagons are air conditioned and boast a queen bed, two bunk beds and a table and chairs. No bathroom, but there are communal showers etc. in the park. We think they're cool! After a peaceful night in the park, we cross the road to refresh to propane in the RV (29 degree nights require using the heating!) and then head up I015 to Bear River.
This is a relatively short journey, entirely on I-15 through the center of Salt Lake City and its metro area. I drive all day and generally find it easy. Today is Memorial Day which is a Holiday, so the traffic is not too heavy. Although it's a multi-lane highway I stay mostly in the extreme right hand lane - with the RV being so wide I don't like having traffic on both sides, most of which is usually passing us. The only stressful part for me is several miles of construction - no work going on today but there's a wall right next to our lane, which I have to avoid while still keeping clear of passing traffic on the other side. Apart from one scary moment where a pickup truck was parked on the narrow shoulder sticking into our lane, it's not a problem. Vicky later confides she found it stressful - probably because of my driving.
By mid afternoon we're at Brigham City, "Gateway to the World's Greatest Migratory Bird Sanctuary" according to the neon sign in its main street. We don't go into town at this point since the Visitor Center where we'll be volunteering is right by the highway, We pull into the large but mostly empty parking lot and unhitch the car. The Visitor Center is closed sine die due to the pandemic, but they've still welcomed us to come up.
Just a quarter mile up the road we find the "bunkhouse", actually a house where visiting firefighters stay, and next to it is our RV pad. There's a car parked next to the house, but nobody there. The RV space is a concrete pad, rather overgrown with nettles 4 feet high in places to the side. WE can see the electric and water hookup posts but no sign of the sewer. We search around for a while with no success, and decide to come back with the RV and use our garden tools to clear some of the bush and hopefully find the sewer. We also discover the beginnings of a wasp nest right inside the electrical junction box!
We bring the RV out. We have to pack it into the yard and onto the pad, but with her driving skills and my directions, Vicky's able to do that. We get out the clippers and the rake and after a while find the sewer hole. It's surprisingly far forward and we have to move the RV to be able to reach it, but we're still on the concrete pad so no problem. We also hook up the water.
At this point we meet Stephen, the young firefighter who's staying in the bunkhouse, and his girlfriend. Stephen finds us some wasp killer and after a liberal spraying and knocking off what's left of the nest, I'm able to hook out 50 amp connection and flip the switch. No power! It's Vicky who spots a junction box on the wall of the nearby garage and I find that turning on the circuit breaker labelled "RV Pad" is the key to getting us power.
So we're hooked up and ready to set out the grill, table and chairs, level the RV and extend the slideouts. We feed Quill (she'll get her own post soon!) and Vicky goes to light the grill, only to discover there's no gas getting through to it! I had the cylinder willed in Springville at the same time as the RV, so I know it's full. But it soon becomes clear that no gas is coming out of the cylinder.
At this pojnt since we're both tired, Vicky suggests we go into Brigham City and find a place to eat, and I'm totally in agreement. But I do remember watching the guy fill the cylinder. I noticed him playing around with a screwdriver on the neck, and soon find the screw. I start to unscrew it and propane starts leaking out. I tighten the screw until I can no linger hear leaking gas, and find that I've solved the whole problem. I guess the guy tightened the screw too much!
But we do go into Brigham City, discovering the aforementioned sign across Main Street, as well as the mature sycamore trees on both sidewalks. It's quite magical! There's not much in the way of restaurants that are open, but at the far end of Main we find Firehouse Pizzeria. We don't know how it is, but we do know that Stephen lives it because there's an empty box in the garbage back at the bunkhouse.
They're open for dine in as well as take out, and they find us a quiet booth. Our waitress, Abby, rings us a large pizza with delightfully light but tasty crust and our choice - a combination of meat and veggies. We could probably have finished the whole thing but we settle for half since I've seen the dessert menu. They do cookies, cooked in a skillet and topped with ice cream, whipped cream and drizzled with various sauces. My lemon cookie comes topped with raspberry sauce and the only problem I have with it is making sure I get every last bite. A great find, and like Arnold Schwartznegger, we'll be back!
We're considerably north of Arizona here, and Utah, unlike AZ, observes daylight savings time, so we're able to enjoy a spectacular sunset over the refuge when we return home. Tomorrow we have a phone call with our new boss, but from first impressions this was a good choice!
On the road again in 2020
We're signed up for two volunteer opportunities this year - at Bear River National Migratory Bird Sanctuary near Brigham City, Utah from now until mid august, and at Aztec Ruins National Monument in Aztec New Mexico for September and October.
We were due at Bear River on May 1st but had to delay for medical - and RV repair issues. They were OK with this since our job will be to man the Visitor Center, and said Visitor Center is closed indefinitely due to the pandemic. They said we're still welcome to come - we get a free hookup for the RV in return for 20 hours per week of service. Until it does open, we'll be doing other, as yet unspecified tasks - stay tuned to this blog.
This is our third night out of Cottonwood. On Friday we were ready to go about 10am and hooked up the tow car. We were doing our routine check of the lights - brake lights and turn signals on the car - when Vicky heard a strange rhythmic noise from the car - in sync with the flashing of the turn signals. After various unsuccessful unpluggings and repluggings, and consultation of the not very helpful user's manual, Vicky had a brainwave.
The noise was coming from a gadget we had installed inside the car, which operates the car brakes in conjunction with the RV brakes. We'd already tried adjusting the sensitivity of this device, as suggested by the manual, to no avail. Since the car is doubly hard-connected to the RV with the hitch, this is not absolutely necessary. We turned off that gadget and checked that the lights (turn and brake) on the car still worked in tandem with the RV - they did! So we set off, planning to contact the shop who installed the gadget for us on Tuesday (this is the Memorial Day long weekend!)
So at 11:30 we were on the road. Destination tonight - Page AZ, a 200 or so mile drive we've done vefore in both directions with the RV. No traffic or road conditions stopped us as we drove up I-17 to Flagstaff and briefly along the poorly maintained I-40, to reach US Route 89, which we would follow for the next 3 days. We made it to Page in a little over 4 hours and checked into the Page-Lake Powell campground, where we've stayed before.
On our previous visit, we checked in, went for a cruise on Lake Powell, ate dinner in town, slept and left early for a long trip to Gallup NM. So we really didn't see much of the campground. This time we took time to look around. Not only is the campground well maintained, it's right up against some red rocks, and has great views. We walked along a so-called nature trail which took us right up against the rocks, which have irregular striations. It was a beautiful warm evening and as the sun set, we were able to watch the changing of colors on the red rocks - a magical experience!
Saturday morning and we're back on US89. we cross the Colorado River close to the Glen Canyon dam, passing the Karl Hayden Visitor Center, which triggers a discussion about who Karl Hayden is/was! I later discover he was the first Representative in Congress after Arizona became a State in 2012, and later served 7 terms (42 years) as a Senator for AZ,rising to President Pro Tempore of the US Senate (third in line for the Presidency after the VP and the Speaker of the House) and being revered as an elder statesman . . . and neither Vicky nor I had ever heard of him!
It's a beautiful morning and after stopping in Kanab Utah to fill the RV, we head thru familiar country, at first red rocks and later ranchland, until we reach the turnoff of Utah Route 14 to Cedar City. Not going there this time! We continue north on US89 enjoying the ranch country, stopping the RV to make lunch in a little town called Hatch. Unlike its New Mexico counterpart, this one has no chilis. But it does have a little café just up the road from where we parked, and we're able to cap off the meal with scrumptious straight-out-of-the-over chocolate chip cookies.
From Hatch it's only 49 miles to Junction, UT, the 177-person county seat of Paiute County, where we spend the night at a delightful, and inexpensive RV park with lots of shade trees. We thought at first they were cedars, but finally decided they were cottonwoods. On Sunday morning we decide to explore the town - as the camp host said, it didn't take long. We did discover that the original 1903 courthouse is for sale for $469,000. Remembering our time in Thames, New Zealand, where the courthouse has become the Baha'i Center, we thought this would also serve the Faith well, but in a town this small it wouldn't be economically viable.
journey is a relatively short 115 miles to Springville, a suburb of Provo, UT, where we're staying at a KOA. But for that you'll need to read the next post.
We were due at Bear River on May 1st but had to delay for medical - and RV repair issues. They were OK with this since our job will be to man the Visitor Center, and said Visitor Center is closed indefinitely due to the pandemic. They said we're still welcome to come - we get a free hookup for the RV in return for 20 hours per week of service. Until it does open, we'll be doing other, as yet unspecified tasks - stay tuned to this blog.
This is our third night out of Cottonwood. On Friday we were ready to go about 10am and hooked up the tow car. We were doing our routine check of the lights - brake lights and turn signals on the car - when Vicky heard a strange rhythmic noise from the car - in sync with the flashing of the turn signals. After various unsuccessful unpluggings and repluggings, and consultation of the not very helpful user's manual, Vicky had a brainwave.
The noise was coming from a gadget we had installed inside the car, which operates the car brakes in conjunction with the RV brakes. We'd already tried adjusting the sensitivity of this device, as suggested by the manual, to no avail. Since the car is doubly hard-connected to the RV with the hitch, this is not absolutely necessary. We turned off that gadget and checked that the lights (turn and brake) on the car still worked in tandem with the RV - they did! So we set off, planning to contact the shop who installed the gadget for us on Tuesday (this is the Memorial Day long weekend!)
So at 11:30 we were on the road. Destination tonight - Page AZ, a 200 or so mile drive we've done vefore in both directions with the RV. No traffic or road conditions stopped us as we drove up I-17 to Flagstaff and briefly along the poorly maintained I-40, to reach US Route 89, which we would follow for the next 3 days. We made it to Page in a little over 4 hours and checked into the Page-Lake Powell campground, where we've stayed before.
On our previous visit, we checked in, went for a cruise on Lake Powell, ate dinner in town, slept and left early for a long trip to Gallup NM. So we really didn't see much of the campground. This time we took time to look around. Not only is the campground well maintained, it's right up against some red rocks, and has great views. We walked along a so-called nature trail which took us right up against the rocks, which have irregular striations. It was a beautiful warm evening and as the sun set, we were able to watch the changing of colors on the red rocks - a magical experience!
Saturday morning and we're back on US89. we cross the Colorado River close to the Glen Canyon dam, passing the Karl Hayden Visitor Center, which triggers a discussion about who Karl Hayden is/was! I later discover he was the first Representative in Congress after Arizona became a State in 2012, and later served 7 terms (42 years) as a Senator for AZ,rising to President Pro Tempore of the US Senate (third in line for the Presidency after the VP and the Speaker of the House) and being revered as an elder statesman . . . and neither Vicky nor I had ever heard of him!
It's a beautiful morning and after stopping in Kanab Utah to fill the RV, we head thru familiar country, at first red rocks and later ranchland, until we reach the turnoff of Utah Route 14 to Cedar City. Not going there this time! We continue north on US89 enjoying the ranch country, stopping the RV to make lunch in a little town called Hatch. Unlike its New Mexico counterpart, this one has no chilis. But it does have a little café just up the road from where we parked, and we're able to cap off the meal with scrumptious straight-out-of-the-over chocolate chip cookies.
From Hatch it's only 49 miles to Junction, UT, the 177-person county seat of Paiute County, where we spend the night at a delightful, and inexpensive RV park with lots of shade trees. We thought at first they were cedars, but finally decided they were cottonwoods. On Sunday morning we decide to explore the town - as the camp host said, it didn't take long. We did discover that the original 1903 courthouse is for sale for $469,000. Remembering our time in Thames, New Zealand, where the courthouse has become the Baha'i Center, we thought this would also serve the Faith well, but in a town this small it wouldn't be economically viable.
journey is a relatively short 115 miles to Springville, a suburb of Provo, UT, where we're staying at a KOA. But for that you'll need to read the next post.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
The Cat Connector - a summary of the winter and Spring
I never did finish the 2019 trip. Beyond Las Cruces we got our stabilizers fixed in Deming by the company that had installed them incorrectly, then traveled thru the White Mountains via Glendale New Mexico and Alpine AZ and eventually arrived back in Peoria.
A stressful tax season in 2020 - the Covid-19 scare didn't help, but we made it thru and both declined the offer to continue doing taxes after the government extended the deadline until July 15.
The start of our travels was again delayed, first by the epidemic, then by a doctor appointment for Vicky, but now we're on the road, so let's get you up to date.
We left Peoria on May 2nd. We had hoped to stay at Thousand Trails where we are members, but they weren't taking new arrivals for health reasons. I found Rio Verde RV Park, a real gem on the Verde River just at the northern end of Cottonwood on AZ 89A. Lots of shady cottonwood trees (what else) and easy access to the high desert.
In the middle of this we drove the RV back to Phoenix to have some repairs done to the valves in the sewer system. It was covered under the extended warranty but we had tp stay in a Residence Inn for 4 nights until the shop got approval from the warranty company whose computers were down for 2 weeks! Quill enjoyed the small suite, sleeping on the bad most of the day.
This period included our 41st Anniversary and it turned out that The Melting Pot opened that day after the mandatory closure. We'd decided not to eat out for fear of exposure but The Melting Pot has private booths (with curtains, even!) so we could be isolated. It's a fondue restaurant we had discovered for my birthday, and we went for the 4 course dinner. A cheese fondue with veggies and bread to dip starts you out. . With several choices we opted for one with Hatch green chilies (which you'll remember I had trouble finding in Hatch New Mexico last year. It also included several exotic cheeses whose names escape me now.
Second course a choice of salads - all fresh. Mine included blue cheese and bacon. Then a choice of meats and/or seafood - we did the combo - beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and salmon. Everything is served raw and you cook it yourself. They have several broths you can fondue it on but we chose to grill it ourselves at the table. It comes with small new potatoes, asparagus, squash and peppers which you also cook yourself - the chefs were great!
For dessert, a choice of chocolate fondue - we went for the yin-yang, a mixture of white and dark chocolate artfully displayed with the yin-yang symbol. We destroyed the art by dipping an assortment of fruits and cakes into it. A great way to celebrate, although we'll be limiting restaurant meals for a while.
Back in Cottonwood e took evening walks each day, either in the desert or just along the road into town - 1.5 miles each way. Not a lot of social interactions because of the pandemic, but wee did make friends with Karen and her cat Willie in the RV next door. I should say Vicky made friends with Willie - he doesn't like men and even the Phil charm didn't work! We also ventured out to a local restaurant - Bocce Pizzeria and shared a light 3 meat pizza (Meat Pie Pizza!) as well as a wonderful ravioli salad (don't knock it until you've tried it!).
I'm writing this in Springville, Utah. I'll post this now and write another post to tell you how we got here.
A stressful tax season in 2020 - the Covid-19 scare didn't help, but we made it thru and both declined the offer to continue doing taxes after the government extended the deadline until July 15.
The start of our travels was again delayed, first by the epidemic, then by a doctor appointment for Vicky, but now we're on the road, so let's get you up to date.
We left Peoria on May 2nd. We had hoped to stay at Thousand Trails where we are members, but they weren't taking new arrivals for health reasons. I found Rio Verde RV Park, a real gem on the Verde River just at the northern end of Cottonwood on AZ 89A. Lots of shady cottonwood trees (what else) and easy access to the high desert.
In the middle of this we drove the RV back to Phoenix to have some repairs done to the valves in the sewer system. It was covered under the extended warranty but we had tp stay in a Residence Inn for 4 nights until the shop got approval from the warranty company whose computers were down for 2 weeks! Quill enjoyed the small suite, sleeping on the bad most of the day.
This period included our 41st Anniversary and it turned out that The Melting Pot opened that day after the mandatory closure. We'd decided not to eat out for fear of exposure but The Melting Pot has private booths (with curtains, even!) so we could be isolated. It's a fondue restaurant we had discovered for my birthday, and we went for the 4 course dinner. A cheese fondue with veggies and bread to dip starts you out. . With several choices we opted for one with Hatch green chilies (which you'll remember I had trouble finding in Hatch New Mexico last year. It also included several exotic cheeses whose names escape me now.
Second course a choice of salads - all fresh. Mine included blue cheese and bacon. Then a choice of meats and/or seafood - we did the combo - beef, pork, chicken, shrimp and salmon. Everything is served raw and you cook it yourself. They have several broths you can fondue it on but we chose to grill it ourselves at the table. It comes with small new potatoes, asparagus, squash and peppers which you also cook yourself - the chefs were great!
For dessert, a choice of chocolate fondue - we went for the yin-yang, a mixture of white and dark chocolate artfully displayed with the yin-yang symbol. We destroyed the art by dipping an assortment of fruits and cakes into it. A great way to celebrate, although we'll be limiting restaurant meals for a while.
Back in Cottonwood e took evening walks each day, either in the desert or just along the road into town - 1.5 miles each way. Not a lot of social interactions because of the pandemic, but wee did make friends with Karen and her cat Willie in the RV next door. I should say Vicky made friends with Willie - he doesn't like men and even the Phil charm didn't work! We also ventured out to a local restaurant - Bocce Pizzeria and shared a light 3 meat pizza (Meat Pie Pizza!) as well as a wonderful ravioli salad (don't knock it until you've tried it!).
I'm writing this in Springville, Utah. I'll post this now and write another post to tell you how we got here.
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