Hanging out in Kelowna

Friday April 29, 2011

I had a nice visit with sister Anne yesterday as I caught up with her on her day off.  She already had some appointments planned but we managed to squeeze lunch in and then I took her to get her hair done.  A really nice “Hair Design Shop” with really good stylists.  The owner is Oriental and has been cutting Anne’s hair for some time and they were kind enough to squeeze me in for a cut while I waited for her.  She had some blonde foil highlights and a cut but as usual with lots of stylists hers’  really want to froof her up.  Anne looked pretty country when she was done but I’m sure once she washes it her hair will look great, too funny.  A good cut and color.

Don’t you think Anne looks a little worried while Jimmy’s hands are flying ?

Had lunch with one of my other sisters (four of us all together) Elisa today and caught up with her news.  A good visit.  She and husband Ralph have a lake boat that they bought last year and are really enjoying their time on the water.  Okanagan Lake is a beautiful place to be on a sunny day.  A little shopping and laundry for me while Eric and brother Ian did their own guy shopping and visited with nephew Gordon. 

So, nothing big happening and we will head home either Sunday or Monday as we decide.

Late Saturday update.   Heading out early tomorrow morning hoping to make it to Prince George before the final haul home.  Today we organized things, finished our shopping and then walked over to the local public golf course (Michelbrook) for dinner.  Oops, they decided to close because they didn’t have many customers.  What’s up with that.  We walked to two other pubs but it was all too too toooo noisy with the hockey game and some big fight on T.V. so…..we walked home and ate there.  Only a two hour walk without dinner.  I think our feet will hurt tomorrow! 

Night night!

Othello, Washington to Kelowna, B.C.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

We made it.  We rolled into Ian and Linda’s driveway and were parked by about 3:30 pm yesterday.  Really tired and ready to stop driving.

We started out early again yesterday morning at about 7:15 am and it was about 3C and sunny.  Sweet.  Our first stop was supposed to be Moses Lake for fuel but you know what, the route travelled looks different in reverse!   As we approached our usual fuel stop we couldn’t decide if it was the right one and missed it.  Crap!   Luckily we found another one at the far end of Moses Lake and it looked tight but in the end there was a small gravel lot behind it that we could turn around in after getting fuel to get back out onto the road.  This kind of problem used to be a really, really big deal but Eric is so much more relaxed about all of this and seems able to roll with it.  He has done a fantastic job of driving through some nasty conditions and we both seem a lot better at the end of the day than the last couple of trips.  He said it would all get easier but I didn’t really believe him!  He was right!

So a fairly quiet drive up highway 17 to Okanagan, Washington where we stopped for a Mexican breakfast.  Huevos Rancheros for me and Heuvos a la Mexicana for Eric.  A Spanish music video was on the TV and the cook was Mexican so we felt right at home.  Onward to the border. 

Eric stopped on the American side of the border and took the bike paperwork in where they stamped the official title and that was all.  They didn’t look at the motorcycle  or check any numbers.  Sweet. A non event.

At the Canadian border stop I declared some beer (not as much as I had), a bottle of tequila and not the wine in my cupboard.  I told him I had about $200 worth of purchases and a few vegetables.  Eric declared the motorcycle and we were told to park to the side and go inside to complete the paperwork.  I was told to put my vegetables in the customs freezer which I did except for the tomatoes that I hid under my bread.  What a big smuggler I am!  They really don’t want to check anything and as long as you give them something to put on the slip they are happy with that.  They want taxes for anything you buy and we just take off the labels and use or wear whatever we buy, which by the way isn’t much.  You are even supposed to give them tax if you have an oil change done on your vehicle.  How nuts is that! 

Eric filled out all the paperwork inside and then gave them about $1000.00 for tax and import fees.  He got to claim the $750. personal deduction for himself but couldn’t use the rest of mine even though the bike is in both of our names.  So, in the end I could have had another $500. worth of purchases for my deduction.  They gave Eric all his paperwork, told him to file with RIV and said bye, bye to us.  Again, no one checked the motorcycle, or looked at any numbers of any kind!  Couldn’t have cared less, just wanted our tax money.  We will still have to pay PST when we register and insure it after the other paperwork is received from RIV to our home address and also have our inspection done at Canadian Tire.  More dinero to be paid there as well.  Eric says it would have been a harder thing to deal with if we had bought the motorcycle privately. 

The drive from the border at Osoyoos to Kelowna was not a pleasant one either.  They seemed to be paving in every small town we went through (Oliver, Okanagan Falls etc.) and when we hit Westbank on the other side of the lake coming into Kelowna it really got crazy.  As we came over the crest of the hill into Westbank the traffic was stopped ahead of us going downhill and Eric had to make a really quick stop.  Nasty with that big heavy piece of iron attached to our butt!  We thought there was an accident or construction but it was just regular traffic.  Westbank has been hugely over developed in the past couple of years and is now just one mall or office building under construction from the top of the hill almost to the  bridge over the lake.  Much of the land is owned by a First Nations Band and they are doing a great job of “Pave paradise and put up a parking lot!”  Just like the white man has done.  Sad.  There is no paradise in the Kelowna area any more.  They do not have enough water for all of the people moving into the area and the level of Okanagan Lake is dropping from overuse.   It was actually a little quieter when we hit the downtown Kelowna area than it was up in Westbank. 

Eric parked the rig in Ian’s driveway in one smooth move and it was all easy as pie.  He is getting better and better at all of this!  A lot easier on me too!

 

 

Parked in the driveway.

We had a chat with Ian and found out that they had been robbed again since they got home.  Someone, he suspects the house kitty korner to them (dealing drugs?) was watching the house and when he and Linda were out at 1:30 in the afternoon they hit the house again.  A neighbor across the back yard on her deck saw they guys in the driveway but thought they were just doing some work for Ian.  Oh, they were doing some work alright!!!   They opened every drawer and stole everything they didn’t get the first time only this time they got all of Linda’s heirloom jewelry as well.  They took  Ian’s  power tools and all sorts of things that he hasn’t even missed yet.  He said every time he goes to look for something it is gone.   Luckily they  hadn’t replaced anything since he got home or they would have got a pile of new stuff as well.  The RCMP said that it is a usual plan to come back a few weeks following the initial break in  and hit you when they think you have replaced all your stuff with insurance money.  They found a car that they think was stolen and used in this robbery but haven’t confirmed that yet.  So a sad state of affairs.  Double deadbolts on the doors and new patio doors etc. to keep out the thieves.  Ian and Linda’s neighborhood has changed over the last few years and younger families with teenagers have now moved into the area.  He never even used lock his doors and now even locked doors don’t help.  Times they are a changing!  Makes you feel unsafe.

We had a nice visit with our great nephew Angeus who is Ian’s son Gordon’s son.  Grampa Ian was babysitting and running everyone here and there yesterday.   Angeus  is 4 1/2 and quite a clever little guy.  We showed him the motorcycles and took a picture of him.

He thought it was quite a nice bike.  A future Harley rider perhaps!  Probably not if his mother has anything to say about it. 

He enjoyed a tour of the trailer and was impressed that it was just like a little house.  He especially liked the automatic awning going in and out.  Fun!

So today is a quiet day and we will relax, visit and regroup before we think about our final two day journey home.  It is just barely spring her and Ian thinks it is about 3 weeks late.  Apparently the same at home so no huge hurry! 

A hard drive from Meridian, Idaho to Othello, Washington

Monday April 25, 2011

We decided to just suck it up and move today even though the weather over Lime and Cabbage Hill didn’t look very promising.  Once again there was that possibility of snow showers.  It had started to rain when we went to bed last night and then started up again early this morning.  At least it wasn’t snow.  In the end the rain and snow threat wasn’t the big issue.  We left at 7:15am this morning and decided to have breakfast at our first fuel stop.  This has been a new plan for us but seems to be working as it saves us time because we don’t dawdle over breakfast and don’t need to stop for lunch. 

As we were travelling along I had another head ache crop up.  Windows on my lap top decided that there was an issue with my Map Point navigation software coupled with my plug in GPS and decided to shut down.  Great!  I started it a few times but no luck.  I could run Map Point without the GPS but that meant I didn’t know exactly where we were.  Not a good thing.  I left it alone for an hour or more and tried again and no …..problemo!  Who knows what that was all about but having it shut down in the middle of a city would be a huge problem.  Windows can be a giant pain in the ass sometimes!

We made it to La Grande, Oregon and stopped for a 10am breakfast and then up over the Cabbage Hill.  This time we were going down, and not up,  so not as hard and although there was a really brisk wind it was behind us. 

When we got to Pendleton at the bottom of the hill it got ugly.  The wind really picked up and was hitting us broadside. Big, big wind!!!  Nasty and I was really hanging on.  This was by far the worst wind we have hit yet and it was not in any forecast that we  had looked at.   Tumbleweeds were rolling by and Eric was worried one would go through the radiator and that of course would be a huge issue.  It was a nerve wracking drive until we made our turn up to the Tri Cities.  Even there the wind was blowing like hell but at least it was now slightly behind us.  We made it through the Tri Cities and you really have to pay attention to the exits so you end up where you want to be.   I didn’t screw up which was a good thing as that would have been ugly when we were so stressed from all the wind.  It’s a good thing we had two big Harley’s in the garage to hold us down or we could have been like Dorothy and ended up in Kansas!

We found fuel at the north end of the Tri Cities (Richland, Kenniwick and Pasco) and then on to Othello.  Again more wind and rain and not a fun drive. 

We rolled into the Wal Mart parking lot in Othello around 3:00pm and tucked ourselves out behind in a quiet area.  The main parking lot was really full and there were a bunch of construction trailers parked in front as well as circus trailers from Washington ahead of the parking lot.  Usually there is no one here when we stop going south but this is our first time stopping here going north. 

 

Our view from the Wal-Mart parking lot.

The portable propane fireplace is going, (love the Glow Warm) we’ve had a couple of beers, supper is prepped and tomorrow is another day.  Hopefully the bike importing will go okay and we will be in Kelowna tomorrow night. 

Resting in Meridian before we…travel to….?

Easter Sunday April 24, 2011

I had a nice chat with Krista, our daughter in Pittsburgh this morning as well as grand daughter Ava a.k.a. as “Bunny.”  Ava got her nickname when she was just over a year old at Easter and still is Bunny .  I chatted with her this morning and she shared her news.  She said she and grandson Shane left the Easter Bunny 10 carrots but he couldn’t eat them all.  I said he’d be pretty fat if he ate them all and she thought that was funny!  She told me she got her ears pierced on Thursday and it hurt but she was all right now!  This, by the way was her idea and she told her Mommy she would probably cry but if she held her hand she would be all right.  I told her she was getting to be a really big girl and she replied” Yes, she was getting big, but she was still just a kid!”  Oh, by the way Bunny is just four.  What a hoot!  Shane, Ava’s brother is not so chatty on the phone and said “Happy Easter and bye.”  Eric is about the same on the phone. 

My second phone call was to Terrace to daughter  Erika and the grand daughters.  It was so nice to hear Holly (13) and Abby’s (10) voices.  They are both busy with Holly dancing and singing and Abby riding her horse Zana.  Busy, busy lives they lead.  They were interested to hear that Bunny got her ears pierced and that she and Shane were both doing well.  Erika has taken Holly and Abby to Pittsburgh to see her sister Krista and family regularly over the past few years.  A long journey and such a good sister and Auntie is Erika. 

Eric and I are blessed to have such lovely daughters, son in laws and grand children.   

Today was a day of rest and …..worry about the weather.  It was a decent day here but the weather on the next leg of the journey is not so good.  Rain, possibly snow and maybe some wind.  Crap….I just hate all of that.  Eric has everything ready and hopefully we will be able to move tomorrow morning.  We will try to get as far as Othello, Washington but if need be we will stop somewhere else.  If we can just make it over the Cabbage Hill Pass between La Grande, Oregon and Pendleton, Oregon all should be okay.  We could wait for a couple of days but it doesn’t look like it will improve much.  You’d think winter would have slacked off by now but it doesn’t seem that way.  Hard to enjoy your travels when the weather is always such an issue.  Such is life. 

Today we got a few groceries at my favorite store….WinCo.  I won’t bore you with that again but it really is a nice grocery store.!  I did pick up a bit more of the Tillamook cheese which comes from Oregon where our winter friends Manny, Connie and Ramona live. 

Tonight we had an Easter pork roast dinner with fresh spinach from ….Mexico and it was all good.  So, relaxing, hope to have a good sleep and that tomorrow will go well. 

Ely, Nevada to Meridian, Idaho

Saturday April, 23, 2011

Well it didn’t freeze last night but it was snowing this morning!  We made coffee, didn’t drink it and hit the road at 7:15am in case it got worse.  Just down the road it eased off but it’s always better to air on the side of caution.  We can have breakfast in Wells when we get fuel.

Hooked up fast as it is snowing here in Ely this morning.

No leaves and snow on the pick nick tables.  Yuck, time to go!

The drive through the great basin is flat as a pancake and the road is straight as an arrow with huge snow capped mountains in the distance.  Pretty but the temperature is only about 3C. so it is not spring here yet.  The grass is trying to grow but the trees have no leaves. 

That is one wide open plain.

Yes, that is snow all over the ground. 

Gorgeous snow capped mountains.

By the time we hit Wells around 9:30am it had warmed up to a balmy 5C.  We got fuel and I checked out the casino for breakfast but…..too smoky so over across the highway to Bella’s coffee house.  Everything is home made and the coffee is fresh ground.  We both had a huge, delicious but very expensive breakfast.  $30 with a tip.  Outrageous but good and now we’ll just skip lunch.  So, on the road to Twin Falls and it is sunny and we have a tail wind so we are getting 10miles to the gallon.  Way better than yesterday.

Still at 6000 ft. at Wells so really high.  Warmed up and got sunny as we hit Jackpot, Nevada.  There is RV camping at Jackpot but it is even colder than Ely.  Hard to look at any of these places either going south or coming north as it is always too cold. 

 

Coming into Jackpot, Nevada.

The Casino which has parking to the south of it.

Cheap fuel prices in the U.S. of A. are long gone!

Just as you leave Jackpot and loose the last of your money you cross over the state line into Idaho where gambling is not legal like it is in Nevada. 

So, did you hear the one about the beauty queen from Idaho who was banned from the pageant because her banner said: I…da…Ho!  Get it!  Pretty bad eh!  I think I’m loosing it because now I’m telling bad jokes on my blog.  Sad!

Tried the truck route through Twin Falls this time.  Took the highway 74 cutoff which runs east/west south of Twin Falls and then north  on …which joins up with 93North.  No stop lights but under construction on part of it running through an old residential part of town with schools etc.  An odd place for a truck route.

 

On the bridge crossing the Great Gorge over the Snake River leaving Twin Falls.  We must stop here some time.

Stopped for fuel on the north side of I84 at the Flying J just before we got on the interstate  to Boise.  So here comes a pet peeve…..At many fuel stations and especially this one, people park to get fuel and then abandon their cars while they go inside for a little shopping trip.  We usually can only get fuel on an outside lane and it is hugely irritating to sit and wait for people who are inside buying junk food and just pissing around.  Get your darn fuel and park your vehicle away from the pumps while you shop!!!!!!  Some people are actually trying to get fuel and don’t have time to wait while you dawdle around.  Drives us crazy!!!

Another 100+ miles to Boise on the interstate through another big open flat plain with wind generators on the ridges.  Scares us every time we go through here but so far we haven’t been blown off the road.  We know what turns those things…..wind….the enemy of the RV!

Rolled into the Boise/Meridian RV park around 3:30pm PST although it is an hour later here in Idaho we just ignore it. 

Parked in the sunshine.

The beautiful Boise/Meridian RV park.  All the services are in the right spot.  Easy pull thrus and all neat as a pin.  A nice stop.

Kingman, Az. to Ely, Nevada

Good Friday, April 22, 2011

Pretty quiet in the Fort Beale RV park overnight except for the …..train whistles!  Eric says I would get used to them if we stayed awhile but not this time!  Hit the road at about 8:30 am on our way to Boulder City via the Hoover Dam and then through Las Vegas and north.  There wasn’t supposed to be much wind as they cancelled the high wind advisory at 8pm last night but there was still a nasty head wind to wreck our mileage.  As diesel is running around $4.25 an American gallon it’s an expensive journey home.  Oh well, quit whining or stay home, right! 

The drive down to the dam and over the new bridge was spectacular but a little high for me.  No pictures as I was hanging on and we didn’t have time to stop.

Okay, one picture that’s the bridge over the river by the Hoover Dam.

Clear sailing through Las Vegas and not too, too busy.  Still always a bit stressful.  Fuel at the new Love’s on the intersection where you head up 93 to Ely and then on to Ash Springs for…..more fuel!! and lunch.  We’ve decided to make a run for Ely even though it will likely be cold tonight.  Right now it is sunny and about 20C so here we go.

4pm and we are in Ely, Nevada parked in the Valley View RV park at the north end of town.  You can get cheaper pull thrus at the casino but they are usually all full and so we stay here.  $22.37 with 50 amps and Wifi and yes it is noisy by the highway but it usually quiets down over night.    It is a bit windy, cloudy could freeze tonight so we haven’t hooked up the water.  We did about 338 miles today which was a long day for us especially since you climb to 7300 ft at the pass just south of town.  Add to that fact that we have two heavy Harley’s in the back of the rig.  An additional 900 pounds so it is a grunt up all those big hills.  Eric still can’t believe how our 2005 GMC 3/4 ton Duramax diesel can actually pull all that weight.  A great truck!  Who knows what the loaded rig actually weighs and we probably don’t want to know!

Tomorrow we will try to make it to Meridian, Idaho  which is about 380 miles and there we will stay an extra night to relax.  If we don’t make it that far because of wind or rain etc. Twin Falls is an okay stop too so we’ll see how it goes. 

We made it to Kingman

Thursday April 21, 2011

This morning was a “non event” and by that I mean it was a good thing.  Eric had been stressing for days about trying to Evel Kneivel both bikes into the back of the rig but I knew he would have no problemo!  I was right.  All went as planned and we were loaded up and ready to roll by 10am. 

The rig has been moved onto the street waiting for the bikes to be loaded.  They are ready!

Here comes Eric on Red and I’m on the tailgate holding it down so there is a level place to ride up the ramp into the garage.  

Red’s in, no problem!  Whew, Eric didn’t land up in the kitchen.  Bonus!

Eric’s relieved, one more to go!

Tying her down.

Here comes Blue!

She’s in, no problem!  Doesn’t she look tiny compared to Red?

  All tied down and ready to go.

  As we were leaving Eric had  a little chat with Troy who was also staying in the park.  It had turned out that he went to Burnaby Central High School in Burnaby where Eric and I both graduated and was one year ahead of Eric.   He had talked to Eric a few days ago but he didn’t have time to hook up him with all that was going on.  Troy also knows people from Terrace (Karpyshyn’s and since Troy is a  Harley rider that’s how he and Eric originally struck up a conversation .   Troy rides an older Road King Classic that he told Eric he’d spent “way too much money” prettying up.  The wife said “Enough.”

So, on the road and up along the 202 to the 101 and then on to the  17(Carefree Highway)  to Wickenberg and onto the 93 (Joshua tree Parkway) as we headed up to the 40 and into Kingman by 3:30.

 

The Joshua Tree Parkway.  A really beautiful drive.

  That’s a Joshua tree on the right.

Flat mesa mountains.

Aren’t those some boulders!

East side of the Fort Beale RV park office and shower building.

Parked in the nice huge pull thru.  Bueno!

A nice vista of the mountains.

The view out the window.  Not bad!

No problem except it was freaking windy by the time we rolled into the Fort Beale RV park at the west end of Kingman.  Turns out there was a wind advisory that I didn’t see.  Crap!  It’s a good thing we hadn’t planned to get to Boulder City just south of  Las Vegas because it was even worse down that way.  Just a minor little problem finding the park as you could easily end up back on the freeway heading east looking for your left to the park after getting off I40 on exit 48.  Right between Carl’s Jr. and the Esso Station.  Found it, all is well. 

A nice park with spotless washrooms and showers, huge pull thru sites but noisy because the I40 is right next to it and we also hear some…..trains.  Still, a good convenient stop for an overnight. 

Tomorrow the wind is supposed to die down and we’ll head towards Lund,Nevada although it isn’t warm there at 5000 ft.  However we are trying to run from the cold and get back to Canada.  It’s going to be cold with a bit of rain or snow as we head towards Twin Falls, Idaho but the wind isn’t supposed to be bad so I guess that’s a good thing. 

We’ve both had a shower dinner is almost ready and tomorrow is another day!  A good one I hope.   Oh, and by the way the showers here get a 10+ probably the nicest ones we have ever been in. 

One sweet ride!

Today was a day of rest

Wednesday April 20, 2011

Okay, the time has come and we are going to actually move!

However, this is what we are going back to so how can you blame us for lolly gagging around.

Beautiful but still a little cold.

This is the road where we drive through the gate to our house.  See that little tiny red roof up there, that’s the house.  It will be about 10 to 12 days till we drive through that gate so hopefully that nasty snow will be gone. 

This photo came from our buddy Don McRobb.  Thanks Don!

We will be happy to be home but first we must journey back to Kelowna, B.C. for a stop and then home.  

Tomorrow Fort Beale, Kingman, Az  and then somewhere close to Lund before we head up the hill to Ely, Nevada and on to Twin Falls, Idaho. 

I’ll keep you posted.

A windy ride, a stolen bicycle etc.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

We had a good day with Kenny on Sunday and we had stopped by his place for a visit before he joined us here and then we all went out for dinner.   Kenny shared lots of his old stories with us and we had a great visit.  Anyone who knows Kenny finds him a great story teller and he is really funny!  A good friend.

Yesterday (Monday) was another hot windy day and we had decided to take a ride south out towards Florence.  I popped up to the office to pay our last days and when I got back Eric informed me that his “personal ride” – his Trek bicycle had been stolen in the night.  Crap!  He forgot to lock it up last night after we got back from dinner with Kenny and now it’s gone.  He said he only had himself to blame and just sucked it up and we got ready for a ride.  He just blamed himself.  He loved that bike and spent a lot of time working on it. 

So.. first the ride.  It was really windy yesterday and smoking hot too boot.  Really getting too hot to ride and enjoy it here already.  Summer must be a horror at 100F and above.  Not for us, and especially not for a gardener because it is too, too hot!  The ride was hard in the wind  and after we got to Florence we headed west towards Picacho Peak but then ended up turning north and up to Casa Grande.  This again is not a favorite area for us as it is all farming so lots of wind and huge amounts of dust and no fun on a motorcycle.  We got some directions at a gas station and headed back through Casa Grande to Coolidge for a late lunch.  We ate at Tag’s cafe where we ate a couple of years ago and it was again good.  A local landmark.  A ride home and exhaustion from the heat and wind.  At that point Eric found that a piece of the rail on the right bag had fallen off!  Crap! 

Today is Tuesday and it started off as a better day.  I got the laundry done early and Eric “walked” …..no bicycle to the Harley dealer a block away for parts.  Success they had everything he wanted, even the small pieces that fell off.  We thought we’d have to buy a whole new rail.

Eric took the cell phone and headed of for a ride on Red by himself and I got ready to do some last minute shopping.  There was a knock on the door and Mary Jane (manager) said Eric had just called and he was at a nearby gas station and he had found his bicycle.  Can you believe it!  I jumped in the truck and roared off to pick up the bicycle.  There was a yelling match going on when I arrived because it turns out that it was the lady working at the Esso stations son who was on the bicycle.  Eric had stopped at the red light and the kid (26 years old!) pulled up beside him.  Eric saw his bike and he dropped Red onto the kickstand and grabbed the bicycle from the guy.  The “thief!?” sustained scratches to his leg and they moved to the gas station parking lot where the “boy’s” mother said she was going to press charges for assault!  The police were called and Eric was going to just load up the bicycle and head home.  More yelling by another worker at the station.  Finally everyone calmed down.  By the time I arrived the “boy” had already disappeared in his mother’s car and gone home.  If that was my son I would have slapped him upside the head for either stealing it or buying stolen property.   The police arrived and we now had to prove it was our bike.  Luckily there is a Blogger in the family who just happened to have her camera with her with pictures of the bicycle on it.  The luggage rack was gone, there was a water bottle holder on it,  the seat had been changed and the identifying ends of the handle grips had been removed.  Still Eric’s personal ride.  In the end the cop was convinced it was our bike and he said” Take it home” He had sent an officer to the address where the “boy” lived….not home….and not answering his phone either.   A real nice policeman  and he knew what was going on but he has to follow the law.  We should have recorded the serial numbers and reported it stolen.  Our mistake.  He knew it was ours and that the rider was either the thief or bought it from a thief.  The “boy” said he bought it from a homeless guy for $40 and that he was a Christian and was just helping him out!  What a crock!  So, luckily Eric didn’t pop the thief because that would have made a mess out of this and we’d be staying for awhile in Mesa!  He said he really, really wanted too.  I guess Eric is growing up!

What a wild story.  Almost as good as back in the 70’s when Eric’s chopper was stolen.  Once again while he was working for the phone company he drove around looking for it and found it parked in the front yard of the “Gypsy Wheelers” motorcycle gang.  Different color and all changed but he built that bike from the ground up and it was his.  He finally convinced the cops to go in there and they seized it.  The serial numbers had been ground off but an acid test raised them and they knew it was Eric’s bike.  It took almost a year to get it back and no one was ever charged.  Luckily we had insurance and we could replace lots of the missing parts  You know the old story….I bought it from a guy!!!!  Eric said when they rolled into the front yard the guy who had it just kept saying Oh Shit, Oh Shit.  Did he steal it, you bet, did he do time for it….of course not.  Same story….different kind of bike! 

So, our KARMA was good today.  Eric took the cell phone, the manager was in the office, I was still home when she came to tell me, Eric and the thief stopped at the same light at exactly the same time!!!! and I had my camera with me when I went to pick up the bicycle. 

The rest of the day Eric spent driving around Mesa buying the parts that had been stolen of his personal ride to the tune of $70.  This used bicycle has cost him so much he can’t afford to get rid of it.

We had planned to leave tomorrow but we will delay our trip by one day to just sit and do nothing!  Plans are made to be changed, right?

We had another good ride!

Sunday April 17, 2011

Yesterday was a really nice ride up the Bush highway towards Payson and the cut off to Roosevelt Lake.

High up heading toward Payson.

 

Saguaro Lake on the way to the Roosevelt Lake cutoff.

We rode along the man made lake (Roosevelt Dam created it) and then on to Globe for lunch at Judy’s Diner. 

Beautiful rock formations!

The long hill down to the cut off.

West end of Roosevelt Lake.

Stopped at one of the campsites to stretch our legs.  I love the self timer on the new camera!

Heading along the lake.

The bridge over the dam area.

The dam.

We tried to eat there a couple of years ago but the staff was having a melt down and we couldn’t get seated and gave up.  Today all was okay and we a good lunch.  It was however, the loudest place we have ever eaten in!  The staff was a bright and friendly but they all yell at each other.  I should have left my ear plugs in when I got off the bike!  Yikes! 

Heading south of Globe back to the highway south to Tucson and Florence.

Look at those craggy peaks.

One tunnel to go through.

From Globe back to Apache Junction and it was another 170 mile day and you know what…..I wasn’t sore anywhere.  How great is that.  She’s a cruiser and we are really happy we bought her. 

Palo Verde trees are all in bloom and my nose has been running steady.

This morning I once again checked the weather and we will delay our departure for another couple of days.  There are snow warnings in the Ely area and the overnight lows are still below freezing until the end of the week in many of the places we will stop.  So,  Wednesday and Thursday below the climb to Ely and then onwards.  We hope.  Eric has no desire to drive in the snow or camp at below freezing temps and neither do I.  It just isn’t safe. 

Today we will hook up with Kenny and have a blab before we go out for supper together. 

P.S.  All my pictures are shot on auto while whizzing along on the motorcycle.  The new camera is good!