NEARLY TIME FOR ARIZONA

Our time in Grand Junction is drawing to a close.  We are planning to leave here Friday morning and spend three days on the road.   We’ve had a great time visiting our Colorado friends and have had lots of card games.  We went for lunch yesterday with Ken and Marie who had picked up Doug and Corrine who no longer travel to Caliente.  Corrine was the person who spoke up for me at the local Florence bank when I was trying to convert some money when we were first down there ten years ago.  The teller was giving me a hard time about ID and Corrine said “how about I vouch for him” as she overheard while standing at the next wicket.  It was nice to catch up with Doug and Corrine who are about 90 and 88 and have recently moved into assisted living. 

I took one day and wandered off geocaching and exploring and had a great time.  I did find 31 caches but spent more time with my camera poking around.  This is a huge area with lots left that I haven’t seen so if we happen to return, there is still new country for me to explore.

I was invited to put on a photo show last night using Jim and Judy’s large TV.  Ken & Marie, Karen, Jim & Jane, Verne, Ernie & Atha and her daughter Beth and son in law joined us.  Everyone seemed to enjoy watching and I didn’t hear any snoring.  Aileen is off to play cards with a group of ladies this afternoon and tonight we, and Jim & Judy, are going to play cards at Jim & Jane’s.  I’ve been taking advantage of this cooler, duller day to do a couple loads of laundry.  We had been having unseasonably warm weather but that apparently has ended.  Instead of being in the mid 70sF, we are now looking at mid to low 50s for highs.  The nightly hot tub at Caliente is calling to me.

On our after supper walk one evening down at the end of our street, we spotted this rainbow landing on Mt Garfield

The Gunnison River at the Escalante Canyon Road crossing

Escalante Canyon Road

As I was returning to Hwy 50 on the Escalante Canyon Road, I thought this clay hill looked neat against the backdrop of Grand Mesa.

Close up of the cows in Potter's Canyon

I took my lunch in my pack and walked to a geocache in this area then sat and ate my lunch with Potter's Canyon for a view.

Cottonwood Canyon

Along the 25 Mesa Road

90 degrees left from the above photo

And this one was about 30 degrees left of the first 

In this dry country I was surprised to spot this waterfall.  I suspect it is the end of an irrigation ditch that was delivering water to the fields above.

Swallow's nests under a rock overhang

Neat rock walls along the road

I thought this looked like an elephant's trunk and ears

This old house was right alongside the road

Another view

International truck

It was raining up on the Uncompadre Plateau

Aileen and I went for a walk down along the Colorado River about a mile from where we are parked

Walking/cycling path

Mt Garfield reflected

Mt Garfield and the Bookcliffs

Grand Mesa

WE'RE IN GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO AGAIN

We left Penticton on Wednesday  October 17^th about 9 am.  Easy border crossing, just booze, tobacco and firearms were the questions this year.  The agricultural inspection guy came in and peeked in the fridge then bid us farewell.  We put on more miles per day than usual as our friends were having a party in Grand Junction that we wanted to attend so we did the trip in five days, four nights.  When we arrived, they had postponed the party until the Friday night!  It was 2243 kms (about 1402 miles) the route we travelled.  We spent nights in Osburn, ID, Bozeman, MT, Thermopolis, WY and Craig, CO.  Once we got into Wyoming, we were amazed at the abundant wildlife.  We saw hundreds of pronghorns and hundreds of deer.  Traffic was pretty light once we left the interstates behind and started heading south.

Our Colorado friends put on a nice welcoming party for us Sunday afternoon.  Ken & Marie, Ernie & Atha, Jim & Jane and Verne & Charlene all joined us at Jim & Judy’s where we are parked with full hookups for our stay.  We had a great time catching up with them.  Sunday evening we played progressive hand and foot with Jim & Judy then last night Jim & Jane joined the four of us for another couple of games.  Both nights the guys won one and then the ladies won the other.  Aileen has gone off with Marie this afternoon to play with a group of ladies.

In a queer co-incidence, when we came to Grand Junction two years ago, our Rand McNally RV GPS fried itself before we arrived.  On Saturday, while heading south for Grand Junction, the replacement Rand McNally RV GPS that I bought two years ago, died the same way.  Bizarre!  I have been looking for another GPS and it won’t be a Rand McNally!   We used the iPhone GPS function after the big one croaked and that was an adventure.  It decided to take us on a quicker route.  That was fine except it involved several miles of dusty washboard gravel.  So much for my motor home wash job!   Yes, the route was shorter but not faster after creeping along for several miles.

We had beautiful weather pretty much the whole trip.  We had a shower overnight and a couple more today.  The forecast is for improving weather the next few days but cooling off a bit.   It was lower to mid 70s F yesterday here.  I see Florence, AZ has been having cooler and damper weather lately so I hope that translates into a greener winter out in the desert.  We will be heading that way toward the end of this month, no date set yet.

Near Lander, Wyoming with the Wind River Mtns

When I got back to the motor home, Aileen showed me the photo below she had taken of me with her iPhone whilst I was taking this image

Last one near Lander

A few of the many pronghorns we saw

Craig, Colorado sunrise

The sunrise changed rapidly

This big boy crossed in front of us while we were climbing up to a pass between Craig and Meeker, CO.  There was no traffic so I just stopped in the middle of the road to take a few shots.

We had an early lunch stop so I could spend a bit of time admiring this scenery

HEADING SOUTH AGAIN

We've had a busy three days.  We were up early on Sunday morning and were on the road at 5:22 am heading to Victoria.  We got to the ferry south of Vancouver just after 10:30 which should have been in time to catch the 11 am sailing.  However, it was full and we barely made it onto the 1 pm sailing.  We went to Richard and Robin's when we got off the ferry and Aileen had a nap on the couch.  Richard made us all a tasty supper then we headed into Victoria to stay at Robin's sister's house as they are away in New Zealand.

On Monday, Aileen had her appointment with the eye specialist and he said he was very pleased with how her eye is doing.  She doesn't need to return there until next May which is good news.  Aileen says her vision is improving slowly but steadily so that is good.  I spent part of Monday afternoon buying our travel insurance.  Between my moving up an age bracket and Aileen's eye surgery, we are paying more than fifty percent more than last year.

Today, we were up really early and on the road about 5:25 am heading for the ferry.   Arriving at the terminal about 6 am, we had to wait until 7 am to depart heading back to mainland BC.  The ferry ride was 1.5 hours long then we hit the pavement and were making good time until the freeway was choked up from an accident.  We barely moved for 45 minutes before finally breaking free of that mess.  It was a smooth drive the rest of the way back to the motor home in Penticton.

When we got home, we unloaded and started putting things back where they belonged.  Did a load of laundry so that is caught up, Aileen had a much needed nap and I puttered outside.  I loaded up the car and and packed up what I could.

Karen took Bev and us out for supper as she didn't think we should have to cook after our rushed few days.  We appreciated that.  We really appreciate having good friends and family who allow us to park in their yards and use their services.  Laundry, internet and bathroom privileges make our life much nicer and cheaper.

We intend to pack up and head out in the morning on  our way to Grand Junction, CO.  We are hoping to make it in five days/four nights.  There are a couple of longer than we like days but the last day is only 150 miles.   Our Colorado friends are eagerly awaiting our arrival.  Not sure what our internet connections will be along the way as I don't intend to activate the air card at this point.  Aileen will be able to keep abreast of things via her i-phone and I may just try and rely on public wi-fi and see how that goes.

  

I was impressed with the amount of work entailed in putting this display together in Penticton.  The tractor is a Farmall Cub, which is the same as the one I drove starting at age five.

After some rain, this parking lot offered some nice reflections

In the yard where we are staying, our friend Karen has several deer that make themselves at home

Six deer in this shot

On our way to Vancouver Island on Sunday, we watched the sister ship to ours enter Active Pass

Some little islets along the way heading to Victoria

A couple doors down from where we stayed for two nights was this large Halloween display

Taken from our ferry this morning of a sister ship

Mt Baker in Washington State taken at first light this morning from the ferry

Looking back at the dock we just left.  The ship on the right is the one I took the photo of earlier

Sunrise this morning as we entered Active Pass

Looking out of Active Pass toward Vancouver and mainland BC

Looking down into the San Juan Islands of Washington State

Robert's Bank container loading dock across from where the ferry docks on the BC mainland south of Vancouver

We stopped at a closed campground in Manning Park on our way home this afternoon and had our lunch there then went for a walk along the Similkameen River