I'm Not Cold Anymore!

What gorgeous weather! As all you geography buffs know, Mesa is next to Phoenix. Early last week the temperature in Phoenix was 102*. But since then it has cooled down. I think today is the coolest at 82*. We are loving it. In fact we are loving it so much we are staying a couple extra days. We're at Good Life RV Resort in Mesa parked next to Dennis and Sandy. Yes, that is really the name: Good Life RV Resort. So we are enjoying the good life. The park has two swimming pools and two hot tubs. Most of the other activities are shut down for the season -- like the crafts, game nights, barbecues, etc. That's okay; we wouldn't have time for them anyway.

We left Albuquerque Tuesday morning along with all the the RVers. The mass exodus wasn't as confusing as I thought it might be. We headed west on I-40, taking a detour through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in Arizona. The evening found us in Holbrook so we spent the night there and then traversed 3 or 4 different highways to get downs to Mesa.

Ed and Karen are Sandy's brother and his wife. They and Sandy's mom live in Mesa. Since we have been here, we have done a lot of things with the whole family... dinner at Logan's Roadhouse (throw the peanut shells on the floor) Wednesday; dinner with Dennis and Sandy Thursday; barbecue at Ed and Karen's Friday; trip to Costco and the Mesa Flea Market Saturday; worship at Life Community Church today. Also lunch at Sweet Tomatoes. Lots of fun. We just got back from a dip in the pool. Nice!

Ed is a retired minister in the Four Square Church; in fact he retired just a few months before I did. We've had fun comparing notes and getting better acquainted. I had met Ed before but we've never conversed more than just cordial greetings. Joyce and Karen are enjoying their time together. Life Community Church is Four Square denomination. The worship was good and the sermon was excellent (quite a contrast to last Sunday).

We are really enjoying our time here. Too bad it has to end this week. Our plan -- Lord willing -- is that next week's blog will be from Grants Pass. Probably in the rain (just a little pessimistic thinking there).

The Week; The Rally

One aspect of the fun of traveling like this is flexibility, though sometimes being flexible is a little frustrating. About 6 hours after I posted last week's blog Joyce was sick and urping it all up. Apparently she got what Josiah had a few days earlier. So instead of going sightseeing on Monday we holed up in the ol' hacienda to let her recover. Which she did, though she had sore sides for a few days. I spent the time catching up on some computer bookkeeping and doing a little reading. In the evening she felt good enough to join Vern & Pam and Dennis & Sandy for dinner at a nice little Italian place. Weather: not very warm!

Tuesday we drove a loop up to Taos, over the high bridge spanning the Rio Grande gorge (it looks like about 10 miles to the bottom!!), around through some pretty country and back to the RV Park. In Taos we walked old town, ate at a unique little restaurant, and looked at an old adobe church. Taos was the place where Kit Carson lived for many years. We toured his house. He died in Colorado but is buried in Taos. Weather: not very warm!

Wednesday was our day to move over to Balloon Fiesta Park along with about 2000 other RVs. We joined the long, long line and finally were parked in Lot 1, Row 11, Space 121. There is room next to our RV to park the pickup, then it is the next RV, his pickup, another RV, another pickup, etc, etc, etc, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. Do you get the picture? If not, maybe this photo will help a little. We are parked on the grass where the Albuquerque Balloon Festival takes place in October. Not too far away is the "Entertainment Tent." This is a permanent steel framed, fabric covered structure that holds about 2,500 people (on small folding plastic chairs!). Weather: not very warm, but windy!

Thursday we went to a couple seminars at the Rally, then toured the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. There are 19 Indian tribes (Pueblos) in this area. Many of the Pueblo's are open to tours but we didn't make it to any. In fact we didn't make to some other places we had intended to visit. However we did eat dinner at the restaurant there. It was extremely good -- sort of a blend of Indian and Mexican. Weather: not very warm!

Friday was... well, Friday a day unto itself. It started off with us waiting in line about 45 minutes to catch the shuttle bus to the Rally. (The Rally is at the fairgrounds, we are at Balloon Fiesta Park -- about 15 miles apart). When it started to snow, we should have gotten a clue but we're slow learners. The snow was not heavy and did not stick but it was cold. We did stuff at the Rally like a couple seminars, touring the exhibits, picking up freebies, and spending some of our own money. They close the exhibits at 5:00 so about 4:15 Joyce suggested we get in the line to catch a shuttle back to our RV. By that time the line was two blocks long. While we waited in line it snowed, sleeted, hailed, rained! To make matters worse, they did not have enough buses and there was an accident on the freeway which delayed the few buses they did have. It took us 2 1/2 hours to get back to the RV! To protect my head from the freezing elements I put Joyce's sweatshirt on like a hat and tied the sleeves under my chin. Joyce put a plastic grocery bag over her hat and let the handles flap! We were quite the sight but others were doing similar things to keep warm. Weather: just plain downright cold!

A Neil Sedaka concert was scheduled for that evening in the Entertainment Tent. When we got back to the RV we changed into some warm, dry clothes, grabbed a bite to eat, and went to the concert. It started late because they knew a bunch of us were at the mercy of a few fickle shuttle buses. Anyway, it was a good concert but we walked back to the rig in a cold drizzle. Weather: cold!

Saturday dawned a new day with new promise. The only problem was that the places we planed to visit that day had gotten at least a foot of snow during the night. We wanted to go to Bandalier National Monument and Los Alamos but decided that wasn't a good idea. So instead, we went back to the Rally for a little while. Yes, we rode the shuttle because they added a bunch more buses. It was okay. In the evening we went to the last part of Rita Coleman's concert. She is part Indian and sang "Amazing Grace" in Cherokee. Very moving. On the way back to the RV we watched the Balloon Glow. There were 7 hot air balloons tethered to the ground and the operators would make them glow with the burners. Awesome sight. Weather: much warmer!

We began Sunday by going to church in the Entertainment Tent. It was a nondenominational service which had two parts: the music was Mary and Max who sang country gospel and invited the congregation to join them for a couple sing-a-longs. Then came the preacher who was from Texas and spoke about God's greatness. It was all good but notice what is missing. No prayer. No real congregational singing. No scripture except a little with the sermon. Okay, I guess I'm being a little critical but it seemed like we should have talked to God at least once since it was his day and we were supposed to be worshiping him. Then we drove (notice the word, "drove") to the Rally for a some more seminars and freebies. Late in the afternoon we drove over to Vern and Pam's house for pizza. We talked a lot and watched the video of her dad's memorial service. Her dad, Ray Barnes, was my mentor and spiritual father when I was growing up -- and even in later years. Weather: warm!

Today I took a tour (Joyce didn't go) to Trinity Site. A little history here: As World War II was winding down, scientists were putting together a new devise that eventually became known as the atomic bomb. One version they knew would work so it wasn't tested (that one was eventually dropped on Hiroshima). However, another version -- using plutonium -- was a little iffy. It was tested at 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945. The test area was called Trinity Site. This picture is me standing by the obelisk that marks the exact spot (except 100 feet up) where history ushered in the atomic age. This location -- as you might expect -- is literally out in the middle of nowhere. It is kind of awesome to stand where such a momentous event took place. Weather: nice and warm!

Ahhh. This is more like it. Tomorrow we leave for Mesa, Arizona. Yes, that is a change of plans. Details later. Stay tuned.

Albuquerque!

My last blog was quite concise wasn't it? Just to back up a few days and expand on seeing Carlsbad Caverns. They are simply majestic. I was in awe as I walked down the natural entrance. They (Park people) did a great job of making a zigzag walkway down into the caverns. It is steep but not too hard to navigate. As I entered, the shear size of the caverns left me looking around in awe. At the bottom, I met Joyce who had taken the elevator down. We had a bite to eat at the snack bar (which gave me an excuse to sit and rest). Then we walked the circuit around the "Big Room." There are all kinds of the usual beautiful cave features but again the size is what left me exclaiming, "wow!" These two tours are self-guided. I wanted to go on one of the guided tours but we didn't have time and I wasn't sure I had the energy.

From there it was on to Albuquerque. Actually we were in Tijeras, about 15 miles to the east in what the locals call the "East Mountains." We were high -- about 7,500 feet. And the wind blew. And it was cold. And it even snowed! And I wondered what I was doing there. Actually there were 5 reasons we were there -- Jana, Korak, Josiah, Lilly, and Ginger. We had a great 4 days with them -- mostly doing the things the kids would like. We went to the Hot Air Balloon Museum, the Children's Museum, a Park, Old Town for lunch and drive to Tinkertown. Tinkertown is a eclectic collection of miniature scenes -- and that is a mild description.

Saturday morning was the day to depart to house they had rented. So we woke up to 2 inches of snow covering everything! It was a nice house, with nice hot tub but I was glad to get out of there. Our original plans were to go up near Taos for a few days until the RV Rally begins next Wednesday. But that was not going to be a wise move because of the cold so we are on the west side of Albuquerque in a nice RV Park. We'll do day trips from here.

Today is Easter. I have to admit this has not seemed like Holy Week or Good Friday, or even Easter. We worshiped at Hoffmantown Church today. I think it is named after a neighborhood in Albuquerque -- like Allen Creek Church. This is the church Vern and Pam and their family attend. Afterward we went to their son's house for dinner. This was a mix of getting acquainted with Vern and Pam's kids and grandkids, and simply visiting with old friends. Dennis and Sandy were there, also. It was a great afternoon. We eat barbecued steak, talked, and watched the Masters Golf. In a blog a few weeks ago I explained that Dennis/Sandy and Vern/Pam are people I attended church with back in the 50s (yes, I can remember that far back!!!). As a side note here, Vern was my roommate in 1965 when he and Pam (they weren't married yet) and I went to Joyce's church and I met her officially for the first time.

It seems like we always find something interesting to do -- even when we are freezing. Sure wish it was warmer though.

This is us'ens in a balloon basket. Korak is taking the picture.

On the Road Again

Thursday we left Jim and Joyce's place with anticipation of seeing new things but also with sadness at leaving a place where we had so much fun. This will be a quick blog because I'm on a Wi-fi connection that tends to time out after a little while. So basic details...

Thursday evening found us in an RV Park in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The next morning we toured the town plaza in Old Mesilla. It dates to the days when that part of the country belonged to Mexico. Mesilla is known for being the place where Billy the Kid was put on trial (he later escaped). On our way to Alamogordo we stopped at the White Sands Missile Range museum. This is the birthplace of rocketry in the United States (using captured German V-2 rockets). Then it was on to the White Sands National Monument. We watched the sun set over the sand dunes. By this time the wind was blowing pretty hard.

We got a "cheapy" RV Park in Alamogordo for Friday night. But the wind was blowing so hard it pinned us down the next day. They tell me it does this in the spring in New Mexico. So we didn't leave until Sunday, then drove to a KOA campground a little north of Carlsbad. Today we drove down to tour Carlsbad Caverns. They are awesome!!! That is an understatement but these few words can't possibly do them justice. Last night and tonight we enjoyed sitting in the hot tub.

Tomorrow we will join Jana, Korak, Josiah, Lilly and Ginger in Albuquerque. Can't wait. Maybe later I can expand on some of these things. Probably no Trivial Tuesday this week.