We Left our Hearts in San Francisco ?

Saturday we headed to San Francisco and stayed in an RV Resort on a bluff over the Pacific Ocean. After we got set up, we headed into San Francisco, driving the truck! Yes, I did say, driving the big truck!!!! We made our way to the Embarcadero (the road which weaves its way past Pier 39 and the Fisherman's Wharf area.) The roads were small, crowded with cars and pedestrians and provided very limited spaces for a vehicle as large as we were to park. Of course, if we were willing to pay $30.00, they would find a place for us. We decided to just continue driving around the city. I don't think George got to do much looking as he was maneuvering that big white behomoth through those tiny, very hilly streets and I was frantically trying to read the map and figure out where the GPS was leading us. I know we must have been a site because everyone kept staring at us!!!

Up and down the hills we went! We drove thru Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Chinatown, the Financial District, and the Mission District. Unfortunately by the time I identified where we were, we were already past the places. Eventually Chatty Cathy (our GPS) quit "recalculating" and she finally put us on a street I could identify on the map. Kudos to George for not throwing me and the map both out the window!!! As we drove back into the RV park, we both agreed that there had to be a better way to see this city or we would literally leave our hearts (along with various other body parts ) in San Francisco. We made a trip into the office and told the assistant manager what we had done and asked for her suggestions. After she closed her mouth and quit staring at us like we were nitwits, she suggested we drive the truck 2 miles to the BART station and take the train into the city. Once we arrived in the city, we could buy an all day pass that would allow us to ride the public transportation and cable cars all over. Well, yeah!!! That sounded like a plan. So, the next morning, we did just that!

The cable car was introduced to San Francisco on August 2, 1873. Wire-cable manufacturer, Andrew Hallidie conceived the idea after witnessing an accident in which a horse-drawn carriage faltered and rolled backward downhill dragging the horses behind it. The first cable car to descend down Clay Street on Nob Hill was an immediate success. Besides creating a vital link in San Francisco's public transportation system, the cable car opened the door for building on steep hills which until this time was thought to be impossible.

Throughout the 1890's, eight transit companies operated 600 cars which covered 21 cable car routes and a total of 52.8 miles. Cable cars remained the primary mode of transportation until the 1906 earthquake. The quake and the fires that followed, destroyed most of the cable car system, and as the City rebuilt, few lines were restored. A municipal railway replaced most lines. Today there are 40 cable cars in the system. On an average day, 26 are in operation. The cars can only move by gripping onto moving cables. Winding machinery in the cable barn keeps the cable moving at 9.5 miles per hour all day long. There are four separate cables - each a continuous loop - that moves in channels under the streets supported by hundreds of small pulleys. The cable used in the present system measures 1 1/4 inches in diameter, is made of steel with a hemp center to increase flexibility and varies in length. The cable itself is composed of six steel strands of 19 wires each that are wrapped around the sisal rope center. It has an average life of 6 to 8 months. San Francisco's beloved cable cars are the only vehicles of their kind still in operation and are designated National Landmarks.

After riding the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf, the home of San Francisco's colorful fishing fleet, we walked to Pier 39 and watched the sea lions play "King of the Hill" on the floating docks. Grown males can weigh 800 pounds and be 7 feet in length and females up to 300 pounds and 6 feet in length. The Sea Lions return to Pier 39 because it is a comfortable place to sleep, there is an abundant natural food supply (fish) nearby, and there are no predators like great white sharks and killer whales. You can tell a sea lion from a seal because the sea lions have external ear flaps. The sea lions at Pier 39 arrived shortly after the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. At first they numbered from 10-50 but eventually the population grew to more than 300, sometimes as high as 900. They are boisterous and love to show off.

Looking out across the Bay, you can see a jutting rock island which is Alcatraz (Spanish for pelican which were originally the island's only inhabitants). the island served as a military fortification in the 1850's and an incarceration facility for war prisoners during the Spanish-American War. In 1934, Alcatraz became the infamous maximum security prison for members of organized crime and high-risk convicts. Although the island is only a mile from shore, there is no evidence of any successful escapes across the icy bay. The prison was the only one in the Federal system that touted hot showers - a luxury designed to keep prisoners from acclimating to cold water. Alcatraz was closed in 1963.

After all this walking, the food started to look really tempting. Anything and everything was available. The Dungeness crab looked especially appealing.

We finally decided on splitting a sour dough bread bowl, loaded with steaming clam chowder and a Dungeness crab sandwich. It really hit the spot!!

After such a hardy meal, we decided we needed to walk some more, so we headed over to Chinatown. As we passed through the adorned Pagoda Gates on Grant Avenue, we immediately saw the bright neon chinese signs, smelled the ethnic cuisine, and heard the sound of foreign languages and dialects.

We looked in many of the shops and exhausted ourselves walking up and down the streets.

Back on the cable car, we stopped briefly to take a picture of Lombard Street. Located in the Russian Hill District (say, we were here yesterday with the big truck - thank goodness we didn't get on this street), Lombard Street is known as "the crookedest street in the world" because of its eight sharp turns on a 40 degree slope. The turns, known as switchbacks, were built in the 1920's to allow traffic to descend the steep incline (a 27 per cent grade). The street zigzags around beautiful flowers and shrubs and has a nice view of the bay.

After spending six hours roaming around, we decided it was time to catch the next cable car and head back to Pacifica to our own little home for some much needed rest and foot-soaking. Tomorrow will be a more gentle, less rushed day as we once again tackle driving the truck down to the Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park.

Monday, McKenzie decided it was time for her to get to go see some of the sites - so, we all jumped in the truck, plugged in Chatty Cathy and took off. In case you are wondering, yes I did take all the maps with us. Our first stop was at Fort Funston which was built as a defense area. A battery was built to mount two 5-inch rapid fire guns. During World War II, temporary barracks and other structures were built. After the war, the batteries became obsolete and it was demolished. The last military use of Fort Funston was as a Nike missile battery location which is also, now obsolete. Presently the area is used by hang gliders and also as a dog park. McKenzie enjoyed showing off her new halter to the other dogs.

Further down the highway, we stopped at the Cliff House which is a restaurant perched on the bluffs of the cliffs just north of Ocean Beach. There have been five incarnations of the Cliff House since its original was built in 1858. The Cliff House and Sutro Baths survived the 1906 earthquake with little damage but burned to the ground on the evening of September 7, 1907. Rebuilding of the restaurant was completed within two years with additions and modern restorations. It was a favorite haunt of the elite and rich residents of San Francisco. The site overlooks Seal Rock where more than 30 ships have been pounded to pieces. Our next stop was The Presidio National Historical Park. There were some breathtaking views and we had to stop to take a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge.
And speaking of the Golden Gate Bridge - it was the longest span in the world until the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was built in New York in 1964, Today it is still the seventh longest main span in the world. It is 1.7 miles in length and 90 feet wide. One of the most interesting facts is that only eleven workers died during construction, a new safety record for the time. In the 1930's bridge builders expected 1 fatality per $1 million in construction costs, and builders expected 35 people to die while building the bridge. One of the bridge's safety innovations was a net suspended under the floor. This net saved the lives of 19 men during construction and they are often called the members of the "Half Way to Hell Club". The average number of crossings is about 40 million per year, both northbound and southbound. The bridge's paint color is orange vermillion, also called international orange. The bridge was fully painted when it was first built and then touched up for the next 27 years. In 1965, the original paint was removed because of corrosion and replaced with a primer and top coat, a project which took 30 years. Today the painters touch up the paint continuously. The bridge sways 27 feet to withstand winds of up to 100 miles per hour. The concrete poured into its piers and anchorages would pave a five foot wide sidewalk from New York to San Francisco.

The last stop for the day was a picnic at Golden Gate Park. McKenzie and George found a few minutes to rest on the grass and enjoy the flowers. Golden Gate park is among one of the world's greatest urban parks. approximately three miles long and a half mile wide, it is covered with grassy meadows, wooded bike trails, secluded lakes, open groves and gardens. The Conservatory of Flowers, built in 1879 and beautifully restored in 2003 is modeled after London's Kew Gardens, a glass Victorian displaying a paradise of flowers.
McKenzie definitely enjoyed the yellow California poppies. After a full day of riding and enjoying the sites, we couldn't think of a better way to end the day than to sit down with a nice glass of wine and watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. McKenzie got a greenie as a treat for being such a good trooper all day as well. Tomorrow we will leave the city and head to the Sonoma area to see what we can find there. Hope you are enjoying all the sites just as we have and that you will continue on our journey with us. Until then, be kind to one another and take time to smell the flowers. Life is a gift.

California!!! Here We Come!!!!

The last week at Coyote Ridge was filled with last minute events! We tried to get in as much golfing as we could as several of us would be leaving in the next week or two. Our usual group got together and played several times. The weather had warmed and we enjoyed getting out and walking around the desert, looking at the beautiful flowers that had sprung up as a result of the rain. We also went one more time to pick oranges so we could take a good supply with us on the trip. Of course, we had to make another trip into town to get groceries, do laundry and make one more run to the Arizona Market, just in case we needed one more thing before leaving! McKenzie had to make her usual trip to Petsmart for food and treats and just happened to find a real bargain on a new shirt. We had trimmed her down and she now needs to wear shirts for a few weeks until her hair grows a little, so she doesn't get sunburned. At least she chose something that was on sale!!! We had a couple of campfires and a Leap Year day that consisted of games, starting in the afternoon at the activity center and then ending up with a hot dog roast. We played washers and a game named "golf". (How it got that name, I will never know, but you try to throw a ball on a string around a platform made of pvc pipe. It's fun and neither George nor I had ever played, so we had to try it out. ) You are now hearing from the Grand Winners of the water balloon toss! That's right, George and I were the lone couple standing after everyone else had managed to drop or bust their water balloons!!(Wet T-shirts on senior citizens - hmmmm!)

Jack decided to check out the buffet table but decided there just wasn't enough ruffage to suit him. He did reappear for the hot dog cookout though.

After spending a couple of days in Quartzite, we headed toward California with our first stop being at the Elks Club at San Luis Obispo. From this spot, we left the trailer and drove the truck on Route 1 up to see the Hearst Castle. William Randolph Hearst, the man behind Hearst Castle, was an important figure from the twentieth century whose influence extended to publishing, politics, Hollywood, the art world, and everyday American life. His power and vision allowed him to pursue one of the most ambitious architectural endeavors in American history, the result of which can be seen in the magnificent grounds and structures of Hearst Castle. Before we go much further, here's a little background history.


In 1865, George Hearst, a wealthy miner, purchased 40,000 acres of ranchland that included the Mexican Ranchos of Peidras Blancas, San Simeon, and Santa Rosa. In 1919, his only son, William Randolph Hearst inherited this land from his mother. By then, the ranch had grown to encompass 250,000 acres. Originally known as "Camp Hill", its wilderness offered a place for family members and friends to "rough it" on camping trips. Despite elaborate arrangements with separate sleeping and dining tents, Hearst envisioned more comfortable accomodations and dreamed of building a dwelling similar to those he had seen on his European tour as a boy. Hearst amassed a vast and impressive art collection that included classical paintings, tapestries, religious textiles, oriental rugs, antiquities, sculptures, silver, furniture and antique ceilings. His mother introduced him to Julia Morgan, an architect that she had used. Hearst Castle was to become the realization of his dream as he and Julia collaborated for 28 years to construct a castle worthy of those he saw in Europe.

As they were planning and constructing his dream home, Hearst renamed the rocky perch from which it rose "LaCuesta Encantada" - the Enchanted Hill. During construction, Hearst used the Castle as his primary residence, continually entertaining the elite of Hollywood, politics and sports. By 1947, Hearst and Morgan had created an estate of 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. The estate's magnificent main house, "Casa Grande", and three guest houses are of Mediterranean Revivial style, while the imposing towers of Casa Grande were inspired by a Spanish cathedral.

Construction of the Neptune pool spanned 1924 - 1936. Three swimming pools were built on this site, each successively larger. The final version of the pool as it stands at the Castle today is 104 feet long, 58 feet wide and 95 feet wide at the alcove. It is 3.5 feet deep at the west end, 10 feet at drains, and holds 345,000 gallons of water. The Roman Pool is a tiled indoor pool decorated with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes. The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath. The Roman Pool is decorated from ceiling to floor with 1" square mosaic tiles. These tiles are either colored (mainly blue or orange) or are clear with fused gold inside. The intense colors and shimmering gold of the tiles combine to create a breathtaking effect.
Hearst left his San Simeon estate in 1947 to seek medical care unavailable in the remote location. While the Castle was never completely finished, it stands as the remarkable achievement of one man's dream. William Randloph Hearst died on August 14, 1951, at the age of 88. He was interred in the Hearst family mausoleum at the Cypress Lawn Cemetery in Colma, California.

After spending the day pretending to be visitors of William Randolph Hearst - staking out our bedroom, gathering to socialize in the Assembly Room, and then having dinner in the Refectory - we boarded the bus and headed back down the curvy road to the museum area. It's hard to fathom how a person could put all this together to create such an impressive site!


After leaving the Hearst Castle, we drove about 4 miles to the Piedras Blancas rookery on Highway 1 to view the Elephant Seals, aptly named because of their large long nose. The Northern Elephant Seal is an extraordinary marine mammal. It spends eight to ten months a year in the open ocean, diving 1,000 to 5,000 feet deep for periods of 15 minutes to two hours, migrating thousands of miles, twice a year, to its land based rookery for birthing, breeding, molting and rest. This particular area is home to about 15,000 animals. The time we were here was the breeding and birthing season, so we were able to see everything from babies who are 3 to 4 feet long and weigh 60 to 80 pounds at birth, adult females which are 9 to 12 feet in length and weigh between 900 to 1,800 pounds, and large males which are 14 to 16 feet in length and weight between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds. It is estimated that they swim at speeds of 10 to 15 mph. En route to the feeding grounds, they cover around 60 miles a day foraging as they go. Females, who eat in the deep ocean, eat primarily squid. Males who forage over the continental shelf eat bottom dwelling species such as ratfish, hagfish, rays, and small sharks. They swallow their prey whole and digest it in about six hours.

People often think the seals are dead because they are not moving or breathing. They will often stop breathing and dramatically lower their heart rate - as they do routinely at sea - for periods of a few minutes to half an hour. That apnea and their general inactivity are ways of conserving energy. During the time they are on shore, they are fasting and relying on their stored fat to meet their water and energy needs.


We spent quite a while watching the antics of these mammals and enjoying the beauty of their life and then headed back to San Luis Obispo.


San Luis Obispo boasts that they have the largest street Farmer's Market in California. Every Thursday evening, they close off the main street in town for about 12 blocks and the Farmer's Market opens, selling everything from fresh fruit and veggies to rib dinners. We enjoyed participating in it and bought some excellent strawberries. They were as big as the palm of our hands and sweet as could be. I have to admit that I am not a big fan of the state of California, but there is no place greater for fresh fruits, vegetables and gorgeous flowers! We're heading out tomorrow and will spend the night at Salinas and then drive the next day into San Francisco. We were there on our honeymoon and decided that we needed to go back to experience the city once again. So stay tuned and we'll see what we can find to share with you in San Francisco.

Coyote Ridge Countdown

Our time is getting short and we’ll soon be heading toward the Pacific Northwest. It’s hard to believe that we have been sitting out here in the desert for the past four and a half months. Many people have asked us how we have managed to get along without water or electricity. The truth of the matter is that we have water and electricity – it is just supplied in a manner different from what most of us are used to. We still use our microwave, electric coffee maker and watch Dish TV, but it is all powered by the sun. We have now, five solar panels, four golf cart type batteries and an inverter that changes the solar energy into useable electricity. Our trailer has capacity for 100 gallons of fresh water and 50 gallons of black (toilet) and 100 gallons of grey (shower and sink water). About every 19-20 days, we pull the trailer over to the dump station supplied by BLM (Bureau of Land Management), dump and get fresh water and then pull it back here. (This service is provided as part of our $180.00 fee to BLM) So we’ve learned to be conservative. Now if we could just do something about the gas/diesel consumption???? Anyway, the time has gone by much too quickly, but we’ve had a wonderful winter. Overall, the weather was not bad most of the time. From the middle of December to the middle of February, we had a lot of strong winds, but the rest of the weather was great!
During the time we were here, we were able to visit my aunt in San Diego, three different times and we surely enjoyed the visits with her; my cousin, Gene; his wife, Pat; my second cousin, Kevin; and his wife, Theresa. And of course, we can’t forget Aunt Frances' little Shiz Shu, Peanut. We were within a 3 to 4 hour drive of San Diego so we were able to drive the truck over and leave the trailer out at Coyote Ridge.

The last month was filled with activities at Coyote Ridge. There were classes on making box kites out of white plastic garbage bags, jewelry from stones picked up out here, and purses made from old blue jeans. We also had the annual golf tournament. This was the 20th anniversary of the Coyote Ridge Open Golf Tournament. Everyone who wanted to play signed up, names were drawn, and teams were formed. We had ten teams of 4 people each and after some coffee and donuts, all the teams were staggered to start playing on the nine holes. Once the first nine holes were played, we posted our scores and ate lunch. Afterwards we were back out there in the desert playing another nine holes. The winning team received special prizes and all other teams got to pick prizes off the gift table. Jan’s team came in 6th and George’s team was in 7th place. After the 18 holes had been played, we assembled at the community area and had a wonderful potluck dinner.

Nancy Davison was able to fly out to Yuma and spend a long weekend with us over the President’s holiday. We had wonderful, warm weather and a great time. Nancy and I spent the day at the Arizona Market walking up and down all the aisles in the twelve rows of tents and finding wonderful bargains, such as the screaming monkey (I had never heard of it before but Nancy quickly brought me up to date by showing me that it was a furry monkey, made into a sling shot and when you shot him off, he sounded just like a monkey screeching.). We also found lighted wine glasses (perfect for those evenings around the campfire. At least you can’t misplace your wineglass!), styrofoam sun visors, and bungee shoelaces. You surely can’t find treasures like these just anyplace!! Oh yes, Nancy and I put on quite a show at the wig shop. After trying on numerous styles and colors we both decided the ones we liked best were the ones closest to the way we currently had our hair cut. No more curly tresses for these two girls!! (And most of the onlookers also agreed – after they were finally able to get their breath once again after the intense fits of laughter.) Once we got home, Nancy found a great surprise when she walked into our rig and found two more of our good friends, Nancy and Cal. They had been here at Coyote Ridge but had left a few days before Nancy Davison arrived. As they had to pass by here to head out, we all decided we’d surprise Nancy and they came back out to the desert for a couple of days. Nancy Davison met Cal and Nancy back in Oxnard, California and then introduced them to us when we visited in 1998. We’ve all been friends since then.

Sunday morning was beautiful and we attended the waffle bake. It gave Nancy Davison a chance to get to see some of the folks she had remembered from the years when she and Lee used to come out here. As usual, the food was delicious. How can you keep from gaining weight out here? It may be time to “Call Jenny” (Craig). Later in the afternoon, we got a visit from Jack, the resident wild burro who has been here for at least 20 years or more. He comes around every day around happy hour to see if anyone will give him bread. Nancy and I fed him some minature carrots which he thoroughly enjoyed. Once Monday afternoon came around, we were very sorry to see Nancy have to get back on a plane to fly back to New Braunfels but we are looking forward to later this summer or early fall when she may be able to join us over in the New England states for a visit. She still has a few years to work before retirement but she has graciously taken several days of her vacations and flown places to meet us. She visited with us in Washington D.C., now here in the desert, and hopefully somewhere in the Northeast. We love having her visit with us!!

On Tuesday after Nancy left, we participated in the Horseshoe Pitching Tournament. It was held out in the desert wash behind our trailer, so we set up a back patio in the shade and everyone came with their chairs to watch. George and I decided to try our hand at it and we actually did better than we had anticipated. It was a perfect afternoon for it and of course, afterwards, we had another potluck. The next day was a potato bake. (Are you beginning to see a pattern here?) Rick and Reita cooked 91 baked potatoes on grills. Each was sliced, stuffed with butter and and onion and then baked. Everyone else brought all the extras to go along with the potatoes. The wind was a bit stronger but this group has never let a little wind stop an eating frenzy, so the cars and trucks were parked in a circle and provided shelter for us while we sat at tables and chowed down.

We’ve experienced some absolutely gorgeous sunrises this winter. McKenzie and George walk every morning and watch the sun come up.(I’m usually watching the sun come up from the comfortableness of my own bed!!!) We will definitely miss all the things the desert has to offer, but it is time to move on and see more of what this wonderful country has to offer. Saturday will be hookup day and we’ll head off to Quartzite for a day or two and then once again begin our travels, slowly making our way to our place in Chimacum, Washington. We’re looking forward to new adventures and lots more places to visit. I’ll update as soon as I can once we get on the road. Til then, take care and God Bless each of you.

Fun in the Desert

Things are still windy out here in the desert! We’ve had some 50 mph+ winds which have made it really hard to play golf. What am I talking about – it’s really hard just to stay on your feet! McKenzie found that it was easiest to just ride on the carpet that we use to smooth over the sand greens after we've hit that little yellow, pink or orange ball into the cup. Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas! We went to my aunt’s in San Diego and spent about a week with her. Had a great time shopping and McKenzie enjoyed playing with her dog, Peanuts. Although it took them five days to determine that they weren’t enemies, the last two, they spent running throughout the house chasing each other. We went back for Christmas and gave them a chance to play again.
We’ve had quite a time with our solar out here. Seems a couple of our batteries died and we ended up having to order four new ones. George had always said that we didn’t have enough solar panels on the top of the fifthwheel, so we ordered a new one which should hopefully give us enough power to do the things we want. If not, we are going to have to start dragging them behind us because we have no more roof room for the panels. We’ve added Dish Network and an electric coffee pot since we were out here five years ago and they both draw quite a bit of amps. Gave up the coffee pot and saved the amps for something else. We had to install a new circuit board on the furnace and replace a part on the toilet. Oh yes, the refrigerator door panel dried, cracked, warped and fell out. So--- we had to find a carpenter who could build us a new one! Okay, the fifthwheel is almost 13 years old!!! And it’s a lot cheaper to replace all these parts than it is to buy a new fifthwheel!!!!! Besides, if we continue having to replace all these parts, we’ll soon know how to build our own fifthwheel! Once everything was fixed, we began enjoying our visit.

Our friends, Cal and Nancy arrived and we’ve been spending time with them, playing games, going into town, and having a beer and dinner at DaBoyz in Yuma. (They have wonderful pizzas and Italian food.) Close to Christmas, we all went to one of the churches in the foothills and listened to the dancing lights Christmas tree chorus. It was quite interesting. They set up chairs in the parking lot and we took lots of blankets and some hot chocolate and sat out under the stars in the 49 degree weather and listened to the choir sing Christmas songs. The stage was a giant Christmas tree with 22,000 colored lights on it. The 70 people in the choir stood on a rows of the Christmas tree and the lights were generated by a computerized program to blink off an on in various segments. It was kind of neat and doesn’t take much to amuse us on a Saturday night.

It’s kind of a custom out here for everyone to make, bake, or buy some little something as a Christmas gift for everyone who’s camped out here. Sometimes, it is hand made bags, potholders, cranberry loaves, honey, cookies, candies, etc. I decided to bake cookies again this year. Once ready, I learned that my new, super-duper Cuisinart electronic hand mixer does not work on the inverter! What a job having to cream the butter, flour and sugar by hand. I have a whole new respect for those pioneer women! I am building up some nice muscles in my “stirring” arm though! However, once I was finished, George figured out how to make the mixer work, so looks like I'll be able to save my arms and shoulders after all.

McKenzie is finally learning to walk on the rocks and in the wind. She doesn’t like it, but she’s learning to do it! We took her to the Arizona market and she bought herself a new visor so now she doesn’t have the excuse that the sun is in her eyes. Now if we could just figure out how to keep her sunglasses on!
We found out when we arrived here that the Yuma Proving Ground had erected a new cell phone tower. Yippee!!! Better Coverage! Then we found out we had “no coverage”. The tower was a Verizon and we have AT&T! Okay another trip into town to talk to the cell phone people. We finally decided if we wanted to be able to be in touch by phone, that we’d have to buy a Verizon phone. So we bought one and now should be fully covered anywhere we go. George has a Verizon and I have an AT&T. Thank you Yuma Proving Grounds!!!

The desert sunsets have been really beautiful lately. Though the wind has been very strong , we have still had some beautiful sunny days and the nights are spectacular with the stars filling the sky like diamonds. Wish you each could be here to enjoy this with us. Jack, the resident donkey, has been making his rounds every day around happy hour time to see if anyone has any leftover bread, apples or carrots. He and McKenzie have a "hate" relationship going on so we try to keep her safely away from him. He did attend one of our campfires but he stayed on the outer perimeter and McKenzie stayed on my lap but watched his every move out of the corner of her eye! What a protector!!!!

Most of the people who are coming here for the winter have now arrived and things are getting busier. Several of us decided to take the 4 wheel vehicles and head over to the Castle Dome silver mine museum. We had a great time there and the gentlemen who owns the property, Allen Armstrong, has done a fantastic job of restoring many of the old buildings to look just as they were in the mid to late 1800's. Allen took all of us on a walking tour of the old silver mines and shafts and imparted some very wonderful knowledge to us about the old miners of that time. Colonel Jacob Snively, after serving as Secretary to President Sam Houston began the first mining venture here in 1862. In 1864, the Castle Dome City's population was 12. In the 1880's, it exceeded that of Yuma. It was a meca for those wanting to get rich quick and for desperados hiding from the law and seeking an easy opportunity. The lonely, the misfits, the dreamers, the fools and the notorious women all came to Castle Dome. There were shootouts, brawls, murders and untimely deaths. Fortunes were made and fortunes were lost! That time and life is gone but Allen and his wife did a superb job of restoring it. While walking thru the midst of this city he has created, we listened to the echoes of the past and marveled at how life could have been abundant at all in the harsh but beautiful landscape.

We have had one set of the Coyote Races here so far. There are six to eight people who are assigned a coyote (a golf club with a cardboard cutout of a coyote head on it). They line up and as three dice are thrown, the three coyotes with those numbers move forward one square. Whoever gets to the finish line first wins! Bets are made and winners of each race compete in the final race to see who is the "fastest coyote on the ridge".

We've also had one of our waffle bakes. Several of the guys have waffle irons that sit on pipes filled with charcoal. Each of them gets a hat and an apron and they are named after the seven dwarfs - I especially liked "Grumpy"! Everyone brings a topping or something that will complement the waffles and what a feast it becomes! This first waffle bake fed aroung 40-50 of us. A second one will take place later in February. Yes siree!!! We sure eat good out here!!

Cal, Nancy, George and I took a day trip into Quartzite. The big white tents are expanding every year and there are hundreds of vendors trying to separate you from your money! The RV show is the beginning of Quartzite's really busy time and there are usually close to half a million RVers there. We've noticed that there aren't as many people as usual out here this year. I'm sure the price of fuel has something to do with that. Anyway, we spent the day there and found that there wasn't much that we just couldn't live without. So, we left the hustle and bustle of Quartzite and headed back to our peaceful, beautiful ridge.

We have about six more weeks here and then we'll be heading toward Washington State. We have sure enjoyed the winter thus far and are looking forward to the next few weeks. Wish all of you could be here to experience this with us. Hope you are enjoying Coyote Ridge as much as we are!

P.S. Somebody had her 6th birthday this month. Can you guess who?

Catch-Up

No, we haven't dropped off the face of the earth, I've just been having so much fun, I couldn't find a good time to update the blog. Sorry to all you folks who have been wondering and worrying about us and I'll try to get you updated as soon as possible.

When we last updated the blog, we were heading from Illinois and our son's family toward Texas by way of Kansas to look at some custom-made fifthwheels. We took our time and scouted out some very lovely campsites where we spent a night or two before getting into Kansas and the first custom trailer maker which was Spacecraft. We spent approximately 1/2 a day there visiting with the folks and looking at the current fifthwheel they were building. We must say that Spacecraft is truly a custom made rig from the bottom up. You draw up the plans and select every detail. Then the plans are given to their engineers to make sure that the finished product will be safe and roadworthy. Once that approval is given, you choose every single thing you want- just as you would in building a house. We were impressed with them, but aren't sure we really want to get into that much detail. So, on we drove to New Horizons. They also make a custom fifthwheel, but they do it differently. They have several floor plans to choose from and you can add or subtract, within reason. We had initially been very impressed with this factory when we saw them about three years ago, but we decided this wasn’t really the way we wanted to go either. The prices would certainly make you think that there should be a lot of quality there, but the fact is, there isn’t. Our old fifthwheel is looking better and better.

After roaming around the trailer manufacturers, we decided to head over to Hutchinson, Kansas and spend a week just resting up. After a few days of getting chores done and getting in some good reading, we decided to take a trip to the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. The adventure began aboard a double decked elevator that took us to the mine carved from salt deposits formed 275 million years ago. While going down, you are surrounded by total, black, black darkness. (I know that is repetitive, but I mean to tell you, it was really, really dark!) When the doors open 650 feet below, we were surrounded by walls that stretched for miles in a calm, exotic subterranean world where it is always 69 degrees. We boarded a tram and were given a very detailed ride and description of the salt deposit. From 1923 to 1965, the Carey Salt Company mined salt from this huge deposit. It also is a storage facility for many important documents, tapes, and materials.

Once we left Kansas, we headed to Huntsville, Texas to visit with Jan’s parents. We parked our rig at the Elks Lodge in Huntsville and spent three great weeks visiting with George’s sister and brother-in-law and Jan’s parents. They were having a sun porch built on to their home and it is really going to be nice. We know it will give them many, many hours of enjoyment. Though we hated to leave there, we felt we’d better move on if we wanted to make it to the desert before the winter was over. However, on the way, we definitely wanted to stop to visit with our dearest friend, Nancy, in New Braunfels. We had a great five days with her, shopping and spending evening hours sitting in front of the fire with a good glass of wine and her favorite, furry companions, Nell and Willow. Then gradually we made our way back over to Yuma, Arizona where we would spend the better part of the winter.

We arrived in Coyote Ridge (which is about 20 miles outside Yuma and about 4 miles from the Yuma Proving Grounds) around November 11th. Several of our Canadian friends were here already and we began settling in. We quickly adopted somewhat of a routine in that we’d watch the sunrise come over the mountains, have breakfast and then step outside our door to the golf course and play “sand golf”. For those of you who have never played, let me explain. First of all, you don’t have to have any ability for golf in order to play “sand golf”. You tee your ball up on a small rubber tee that looks somewhat like a small funnel. Then you hit the ball and watch closely. Once it hits the rocks, it may continue on toward the green (which is really very fine sand), or it may bounce all the way back to you. We normally play on teams and use the best ball for each shot. At any rate, it can make the most experienced golfer very humble! We normally play 9 holes in the morning and 9 holes in the afternoon. Along about the middle of February, we will have a golf tournament which will consist of about 100 golfers, a potluck, and who know what else!

Now, if you don’t want to golf, there are lots of other things to do. Happy hours are most days at 4:00 p.m. and you can really learn lots of interesting and exciting things at those times – such as who got locked in their bathroom the night before when the door handle got stuck and who’s going to be heading up the public works department out here to ensure that water and waste tanks are emptied? Anyway, as you can see, it is a worthwhile event even if you didn’t want to have a glass of wine and cheese and crackers. Okay, so if that is not your cup of tea, how about a trip to Algodones, Mexico. We always go to get our teeth cleaned and pick up thyroid medication (a year’s supply costs $10.00) – usually avoiding the hawkers with all the junk for sale. If Mexico is not your bag, we can always go to the Arizona market where booths are set up to sell all sorts of things that snowbirds and rvers can’t do without.

As if this is not enough, we also have campfires at night, play games, participate in horseshoe tournaments, and cheer on the homemade boats that race in a children’s swimming pool. There’s hiking and animal watching also. For as many years as I can remember, there has been a donkey, named Jack, who has always visited the many rvers out here. He normally comes around about 4:00 p.m. (as someone always has some stale bread to feed him at happy hour). Jack also loves to have people scratch his back with a yard rake, but he has no great love for dogs! Of course, the feeling is mutual with McKenzie now that she knows that he’s not an overgrown, furry, dog! We were walking in the wash one day and met Jack. He started to come over to us and McKenzie immediately took the “attack stance” and barked, growled and howled at him. Jack did a “Mr. Ed” with his lips and “hee-hawed” as loud as he could. This went on about two minutes between Jack “hee-hawing” and McKenzie barking and then finally everyone decided to just go on their way. McKenzie was sure she could have “taken” Jack and once he turned tail and began to amble away, she tugged on the leash and wanted to chase him down. I figured we were blessed enough to have him leave us alone and refused to let her have her way. We also have coyotes (not good for McKenzie – we watch her very closely when she is outside the trailer) and small red kit foxes that like to join the campfires. I’m sure there are lots of other creepy, crawling things that are currently under the ground and as far as I am concerned, they can stay there!

We are fortunate this year to have one of the Canadians who has lots of power and has set up a Wifi for everyone to use. Imagine, we are out in the middle of the desert, but can still send e-mails and update the blog! What a deal!! I’ll sign off for now but will try to keep a regular update going while we are out here. Stay tuned and we’ll join you again soon.