Indio October 12, 2011

Our first full day has been very busy.  First order or business LAUNDRY and lots of it.  We had the coach, car and golf cart washed, what a difference, our black car looked brown and muddy by the time we got here and now it is nice and shiny.  Ed worked on the weeds today and getting the outside work done.  I was able to see Sharon the hairdresser today, she is awesome and I love the way she does my hair.  Hair needed a real good cut and she did a great job. 


Robert and Carol have been working on their new lot, they are doing some remodeling and think they have everything ordered and ready to go. The post I wrote yesterday will not post and not sure this one will either but will give it a shot.... that said if I am repeating myself that is the reason, internet is not cooperating.


Sue and Steve are in the area, got a call from Sue when I was getting my hair done so could not talk, left a message and hope we can get together before they leave. We put the water problem on hold, Ed will deal with that when he gets home, not going to cut our trip short.


George and Bev should be home by now, not sure about the rest of our group...


The lot is on the market, we shall what happens with this economy. Still have mixed feelings.


Until Next time.....




Here are some Balloon Glow Pictures

Indio October 11, 2011

Indio October 11, 2011


We left Goodyear about 8:30 am this morning. Took about four and a half hours to Indio. Just one stop for fuel and subway sandwich. We have a bit of work to do to make this lot look spiffy, and we did put it on the market today. Quite a few lots for sale and we want to at least break even so may not be in a big hurry. I have mixed feelings about selling the lot; it is practical to do so as we cannot be down here enough to really get the benefit. On the other hand I do enjoy it here and like the convenience of having our own place with our amenities. We visited Robert and Carol at their new lot. They are going to do some remodeling and it is going to very nice. They have the view they want and are happy with their decision.
Ed talked to George today, he left Casa Grande about 7:00 am and trying to make Bakersfield by this evening. One heck of a long day. Steve and Sue are staying in Casa Grande another day or so. Have not heard from the rest of our traveling group.


We will be here in Indio for a few days, need to get some work done, get to see my favorite hairdresser and maybe even hit the pool...


Until next time...


Some more Balloon Festival pictures....

Holbrook Arizona Octtober 10,2011

We arrived at Holbrook Arizona yesterday afternoon. Robert and Carol, Ed and I traveled together. Tom and Bev, Gail and Jeff traveled together but we all got here at the same time. It got very chilly and we did not have a chance to have a Happy Hour. This is a KOA campground and the cook a Cowboy dinner. Carol and Robert had the New York Steak and it looked yummy. Ed and I had Hot Dogs, we were not too hungry buy wish we split a steak.


This morning we met up with Bev, Tom and Gail at the breakfast they have here. Pancakes, eggs, sausage, very good. Tom and Bev are taking it slow going home. Jeff and Gail are doing miles today and miles tomorrow to get home by Tuesday. Safe travels to you both. Carol, Robert, Ed and I are heading to Goodyear Arizona today. I am calling Paula and Len but think they still may be on their trip. If they are there, hope to get a chance to visit tonight.

Have not worked on the pictures from Balloon Fest, but will have them post in a day or so.


Safe travels going out to our entire group wherever you are...

Until next time....

Final Day Balloon Festival Oct. 9, 2011

The final day here at the Balloon Festival... Absolutely Spectacular. We stayed at the RV camp and all the Balloons flew right over us and some even landed right here in the RV area. I even helped catch one of the baskets and balloon. This is what we drove 1400 miles to see and oh boy it was amazing.


Butch and Betty provided donuts this morning, thank you for the Krsipy Kreams my favorite donut!! George, Bev, Steve and Sue are about to pull out. Ed and I, Carol and Robert, Gail and Jeff and Tom and Bev R. will be leaving in an hour, going to do about a five hour run today. Butch and Betty are staying here in Albuquerque for a few more days visiting family.

There are lots of pictures I need to edit and will be adding those later... What a great trip, we say so much new country and loved all of it. Thanks to our traveling group for a wonderful trip....

Check back for many pictures!!!


Until next time......

Balloon Festival October 8, 2011

Balloon Festival October 8, 2011

FINALLY!!!! It has been a successful BALLOON DAY!! Ed and I, Carol and Robert, George, Steve, Butch and Betty were up at 5:00 am and on the field by 6:00 am. Talk about chilly; oh boy it was cold out there this morning. I think I had four layers of clothes on, plus gloves and hat. Even Steve showed up in long pants, so you know it had to be cold. The Balloons were suppose to go up at 7:00 am however that did not happen; it was after 8:00 am before they started. It was a long early morning for sure but well worth it. Was quite exciting to see those balloons get ready, some took quite a long time to blow up, there were balloons of every size and shape. Some were very creative. We got back to camp area about 10:00 am. Needless to say the only thing I wanted to do is take a nap.


The afternoon, everyone did their own thing. Unfortunately I had leg cramps so bad I could not go off and see the area. Finally got it settled down and most of the group went to Pizza about 3:30 pm. Since we are scattered here at the RV Parking area it was good to see everyone.

We ventured back to the Balloon field about 5:30. The first order of business was finding a place to sit. I know the standing on concrete in the cold this morning for about four hours did my legs in. We were successful found a place for at least three of us. Bev M. and I kept the benches warm for most of the evening. When the balloons started to light up for the GLOW, Ed and I wandered through the balloons for awhile. I think the entire group was there this evening but once you get into the Balloon area, you better hold on to whoever you are with because it is so crowded. We left the park before the fireworks began, we can see them from our rigs and this way we would not have to stand in a long line for the busses. All in all it was a nice day; we got to see what we all came here to see finally. This is one experience I would recommend to everyone. It is quite spectacular.. I still have to edit the pictures, I think between Ed and I, we have about 300 pictures.

A huge THANK YOU, to Butch and Betty for getting this trip planned and a successful trip. I know it is a lot of work to coordinate all our stops. George and Bev assisted quite a bit and thank you both also. Ed and I had a great time traveling with this group, and hope we have more adventures to come in the future.. Tomorrow we all go in different directions to go home. Some taking side trips, Ed and I will be dropping the RV in Indio for the winter then travel home. Safe travels to you all and see you soon...

Until Next Time......

More Pictures to come

Awesome Glow night

Wells Fargo Glow

Cute characters Glow

Balloon Festival October 7. 2011

Balloon Festival... boohooo go away rain and wind... We got rained out again today. It was raining pretty hard last night and the field was just too wet for the Balloons to go up. We still have hope for tomorrow and Sunday morning. The RV parking area is a muddy mess and since our group has been split up, it is hard to get together here at the rigs. Right now we are watching the news for the final No Go officially for tonight's Glow.

Ominous skies over the RV area

Icky muddy roads

Today, we went to Santa Fe for the afternoon. We went to the Plaza that had many shops and restaurants. The prices in these shops were extremely high. We broke up, some went to lunch and some went on the Trolley that toured the area, some wandered through the shops. Bev and I found a Chico's and Coldwater Creek, retail therapy for sure. The folks that did the trolley tour really enjoyed it. Bev, George, Ed and I found a restaurant right away as I was really hungry and it was pretty good. I think a few of the group had lunch in a pastry shop, sounds yummy to me. Steve and Sue had a delicious lunch at a nice hotel.






There were two Churches we visited. Loretto Chapel that is so beautiful and has a staircase with an interesting history, the nuns had to climb a ladder to the choir loft. A conventional stairway could not be installed without adversely impacting the diminutive Chapel's seating capacity as well as its aesthetics. The Sisters made a novena to their patron saint, Saint Joseph the Carpenter As legend has it on the ninth and final day of the Novena, a mysterious carpenter arrived to design and construct a circular stairway to the choir loft. The miraculous stairway contains thirty three steps in two full 360 degree turns. The stairway has no center support nor is it held from its sides- its full weight rest on its final tread. Upon completion the carpenter disappeared without payment.

Stairway

Another View

The other Church we visited was St. Francis of Assisi. A very large Church and very beautiful also. We took pictures and lit some candles.

St. Francis Assisi Church

Baptism fountain

The Glow for tonight is officially cancelled. Not looking good for tomorrow morning at this time. Ed will get up at 5:00 am again, check the news for update and if it is a GO, we will GO... fingers crossed.

Maureen and Ed at Santa Fe Plaza

Guess Who

Does this surprise you?

Sue and Steve

Thanks for all the rides on this trip!!!

So until next time.....

Balloon Festival October 6, 2011

Balloon Festival October 6,



The Balloons did not fly this morning, too much wind, however Ed walked down, George, Butch and Steve rode their bikes. The balloons were blown up but not able to fly. Ed said it was awesome. He took some pictures. We probably won't be able to see anything tomorrow as the wind is really whipping it up now. We had plans to ride the tram today and have lunch at the Casino and those plans were changed due to the winds. The plan now is to go to Old Town and have lunch and wander the area. It is a shame that Mother Nature decided to have a tantrum this week. Just wanted to get this blog started this morning and will update tonight....


Our group enjoyed a nice lunch at a Mexican Restaurant in Old Town, browsed through the shops. There was a neat park in the center of the Plaza with music all afternoon. It is getting pretty windy in this area. The balloon event was cancelled for this evening. Robert and Carol, Gail and Jeff, Bev and Tom, Ed and I went to Cracker Barrel for dinner tonight. As I have said before, this restaurant is not in California so we really enjoy it when we find one on our travels. On our return to the RV area the fireworks were going off. They were set off early but we still got a chance to see quite a bit. Very extensive firework display... The plan for the mooring is getting up at 5:00 am, which in my opinion is the middle of the night; catch the bus that goes to the balloon field at 6:00 am. Ed will check the news at 5:00 am to see if the morning events will be able to go on, depending on the weather. Will let you know if I will get through the morning plans.... it is mighty cold out there in the morning. So until next time.....

Only a few balloons inflated due to weather

Silly guy

Blimp

Having lunch in Old Town Albuguerque

Group going to Old Town

Back row Steve, Tom,Carol, Robert, Maureen and Ed

Front row  Sue, Bev R. Betty, Bev and George

Travel Day to Balloon Festival October 5, 2011

Balloon Festival Travel Day Travel Day to Balloon Festival October 5, 2011





Travel Day started out OK, but sort of went downhill from there. We left Durango in two groups and met up about 100 miles down the road. It was a Shell Station with a McDonalds. Not the best lunch idea but there just was not a lot of choice. Ed was fueling up and most of the group were finished and ordered lunch. A bus load with about 44 people pulled up, I am thinking oh boy there goes lunch.. We had to unhook the tow vehicle just to get to the pumps. Sue cane out to volunteer to stand in line and get our order, thanks again Sue. We pulled over to the side and gulped down our lunch, got the word we are pulling out.. Started the engine and here comes a stupid idiot trying to get by us on the passenger side, absolutely no way to get thru and hits our mirror. Ed laid on the air horn and we screamed for him to stop. By the time I got out of the coach to see the damage, he was backing up and around the other side. Some people have no right to drive and especially this idiot. We finally got back on the road.


We heard from Robert and Carol who were meeting us at the Balloon Festival. They told us we had our sites and to just come on in.. Now this is where it really went downhill. We pull in and the people at the resignation area have no clue who we are. Robert came down and told them we had our spots but the volunteers here have no clue what the others are doing. They moved us several times to different areas and we had roads blocked for at least an hour. Butch has a lot of patience but this was really getting to him and the group as well. Frustration, Anger are just a few emotions running high. Butch finally got things settled but we had to break up as a group. The entire situation could have been avoided it these volunteers had a clue what was going on. I know volunteers are valuable, Ed, George, Bev and I worked the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee RV area for several years and if we had this mess, we would not have anyone return. It is not that hard people, the assigned sites go to those assigned and don't bring other rigs in. It seems like this event was overbooked and this is just not good business. Big thanks to Butch for getting us our sites and being so patient...





Since the weather was OK tonight we went ahead with our appetizer and Happy Hour tonight. I think this worked well, gave us all a chance to settle down and get together for a good time. Gail decided to cook an entire meal for everyone. Tri Tip, Potatoes, Salad, Watermelon, and Sue contributed zucchini. What a feast, and so nice of you to go to all that work. We introduced Carol and Robert to everyone and all in all it was a good ending to a very frustrating day. We are watching the news and hope it will be a decent day tomorrow so the balloons will fly. Fingers crossed. Time for a good night sleep to get ready for the adventures tomorrow.

Some of Bev and Tom's Balloon Pictures

Tom, Bev and Gail

So until next time.....

Durango-Silverton Train October 4,2011

WET... RAIN...WET.... Our trip on the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was WET, but I think we all had a heck of a good time anyway. Sometimes we just have to go with the flow. The trip up to Silverton is three and a half hours. It was barely sprinkling then so hope we all got some good pictures. It was pretty scary in parts, would go over huge deep canyons and all you see is straight down. The scenery on this train trip is outstanding. The colors are changing and the river is awesome. We saw where they had a slide a while back; sure glad there was no train going through at that time. The conductor said it was one of the largest they ever had.







When we got off the train in Silverton is was pouring rain, the streets were flooded and people were just running to get inside restaurants or shops. We had two recommendations from Susie; one was Brown Bear and the other Handlebars. I was looking for Handlebars when Brown Bear came it site so Ed and I, George and Bev dived in there. With all the people we lost the rest of our group and they did find Handlebars. Sort of wish we did also as they all raved about the place. Brown Bear was good also but they had so many different choices. Something to visit next time.... and I know Ed and I will be back to this area again.






We had an option to take the bus back from Silverton but we all chose the round trip on the train. They told us we could see if there was room on the bus for the return trip but none of us inquired. We were in an inside car and coming back down on the train there is more to see on the opposite side. There were open cars as well and those folks had to be freezing and so wet. Conductor told them there was room inside but few came in. One gal we talked to was a Brit and she said she was just used to it.






When we got back to Durango, Susie called and wanted to know if we were all fine as they have not had this kind of rain in a very long time. Needless to say we did not have Happy Hour tonight. Big thanks to Sue and Gail for taking care of all the pooches. Hope you two had some good retail therapy as well...






I am hoping to get the pictures edited tonight but will not be able to post as I did last night because it is just to dang wet out there by the laundry rooms where I worked last night. I hope to get some pictures from some of the others in our group and will get as many on as I can. So check back often.


Once we get to the Balloon Fest, I may be able to post text from the Ipad but not pictures. From what we are hearing, it is a raining mess down there also. We will have a nasty driving day and hope the rains let up by the time we get there....






Until next time.....

Some of our passengers

Durango-Silverton Train

Huge Canyon to the Animus River

Another view of the river from the train

Lunch at Brown Bear in Silverton

Ed M, Carol, Steve, Bev, George, Maureen, Betty
Butch, Bev R, Tom
Ed was taking the picture

Calm River

Ed

Glider Airport near the RV park
Picture taken from train

Durango October 3, 2011 Afternoon

Decided to start a new post for the afternoon. The connection is acting up again so I do not want to mess with what is already posted. I got the domestic chores out of the way in the morning, laundry etc. Suzie picked us up about 1:00 pm and ran a few errands with her. Went up to her and Dan's house for a very nice leisurely afternoon and a great visit. The views from their deck are amazing, the fall colors are changing, I can't say enough how beautiful this area is. Dan and Suzie were visiting six years ago, possibly thinking of building one day in this area. The realtor had to make a stop at a home he was listing; they walked in and bought it. I love the house and like I said cannot beat the view. When they returned to Orange County to sell their house, it sold almost immediately without even being listed. Dan and Suzie were meant to live here in Durango. They are so busy here, a lot of charity work and they just love it here. We went to dinner and Ken and Sue's one of their favorite restaurants. Thanks you Dan and Suzie for a very nice day... in fact we were so busy, Ed did not take many pictures (darn it)


The golfers enjoyed the Hillcrest golf course and had a nice day. The rest of the group shopped and just relaxed at camp. They all went to Francisco’s Mexican restaurant and after we had dinner, crashed the party. Margaritas sure looked good..


Tomorrow is our Silverton Train trip and really looking forward to that.

Suzie and Dan's Deck

View from Deck... Picture is not complete