Tag Archives: travel

Day 98 – Saturday – Green Valley, Arizona

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Today was a good one for a number of reasons. First, Diane had us scheduled to visit Green Valley to go see the Festival of the Trees at St. Francis Episcopal Church.

Green Valley isn’t very far from where we currently live, so it was an easy drive down I-19. It’s just a little way beyond San Xavier Mission so we got to see a little more of Southern Arizona and got closer to Nogales than we’ve ever been. Maybe we’ll make it to the Mexican border before this trip is over. We can’t cross it because Diane doesn’t have her passport. I don’t have mine, either, but I’ve got the magic driver’s license that will allow me permission to cross over. I won’t, however, because I made a promise to never go to Mexico without Diane. So, we’ll just get close.

Once at St. Francis Diane went in to see the trees while Max and I roamed around the parking lot. At the entrance there was a prominent sign alerting everyone that pets were not allowed. Although Max was wearing his working vest, I didn’t try to get him in because I suspect he would have found a reason to pee on one of the trees. Instead, he stayed outside and peed on bunches of rocks. It was OK. When we left the church, Diane drove around in the urban area so we could look at houses, just for fun. Green Valley is a nice place, and we discovered that houses here are wildly expensive, just like they are at home. We both like the architecture and the colors used to make the adobe-like homes. It’s very pleasing. I’m not a big fan of yards full of rocks and various kinds of cacti, and would rather have a lawn to mow but that doesn’t seem to be an option down here. They do get into the holiday spirit here, though.

Then we went to lunch.

I selected KFC because it’s one of our favorite places. When we got our order the young girl at the counter asked if she could give Max a chicken strip. I had to accept because I think there’s a rule somewhere about severe consequences if you turn down a free chicken strip at KFC. I chopped it up for Max and he gobbled it up rather quickly because he really likes dead chicken.

After lunch Diane stopped at a DQ and got me a large chocolate malt and herself a dipped cone. I paid for them. Now I only have $3 in my wallet. That’s OK because I don’t spend much cash. No one offered Max an ice cream cone, so we drove directly home.

The mountains caught my eye. We find them pleasing. These things surround the entire valley where Tucson and a bunch of other villages live.

When we got home, I gave Max his lunch. It was only a few hours late, but he didn’t seem to mind. He did, however, make short work of it. Once he was done, we took a walk around the park. He earned it because he’s really a good traveler. We walked a long way and found this little resting area that has 2 chairs, a bench and an ashtray for smokers surrounded by very large rocks. We didn’t stop to sit. Max just peed on a couple of the rocks, and we went on our way.

Around 1630 we got ourselves comfortable on our couches to watch football. Today the Oregon Ducks played Penn State for the Big10 Championship. The game was in Indiana. I don’t know why Oregon had to travel 2500 miles and Penn State only had to travel 497. That didn’t seem fair. Seems like whoever chose the venue for the game wasn’t a Duck fan and wanted to make it easy on Penn State. Surely that’s true.

I won’t bore you with details, but despite the travel distance disparity, and the ho-hum chatter about the Ducks by the TV announcers, THE DUCKS WON 45-27! It was a great game most of the time but we had to turn the TV sound down so we didn’t have to listen to the announcers proclaim how great Penn State is even though they were getting beat the entire game. Oregon scored first and never looked back. What fun. The Ducks are 13-0 and is the #1 seed for the Championship playoff. We also heard, from our daughter, Jennifer, that the Ducks are playing in the Rose Bowl this year. More fun.

Now it’s time for bed. I believe we will sleep well tonight.

Day 83 – Friday – The Toilet Blew Up!

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Yes, today the RV toilet chose to fail. It didn’t really blow up and it didn’t really fail completely, it just decided it wasn’t going to flush any more. The little flapper thing was frozen in place making it impossible to rid the bowl of whatever was deposited in it. That’s a problem. So, I got my tools and dismantled it. I’m pretty good a taking things apart and I can usually get them back together with very few parts left over. In this case, there really aren’t a lot of parts. To totally dismantle this thing required that I remove only six 1/2″ nuts, and 4 screws. Amazing, right? So, if you ever need your toilet dismantled, I’m your guy.

Now I know how it works and what it needs to return to service.

This is the sit-upon part that didn’t need a lot of cleaning and nothing on it was broken. I placed it out of the way in the hallway to the bedroom.

All I had to do was discover an RV parts store that had what was on the short list for repair. Considering that this effort began in the afternoon, we went to Camping World, without calling first, to see if they had the necessary items. They had a couple but not the flapper thing. But the guy behind the counter wrote the part number on a sticky note so I could go check other places.

Next up was Sandy’s RV, about 10 miles away. As we sailed west on I-10 Diane saw an advertisement for La Mesa RV at exit 263, the next exit. So, we went there. It was handy and we were running out of time.

We exited and headed towards La Mesa but there was an RV dealer just before La Mesa, and it was on the proper side of the road (the right side) so we stopped. It was a fancy place and didn’t have a parts department. All they sold was RVs in the $500K range. They fixed them when they broke, but they don’t sell parts to folks like me. La Mesa RV was about 1/4 mile further.

Diane found a shady spot to park, and I was directed to Robert Creech in the parts department. I gave him my sticky note explaining what was going on and he found the part. It was a miracle. He instantly became my best friend. I asked if he knew there was an air force base in Nevada named for him and he said, yes. It’s where drone pilots are trained.

Back home in the Bone Yard, I took the newly acquired part and spent about an hour trying to make it work with our toilet. Sadly, I discovered, the part Camping World suggested was for a toilet that uses a lever on the side to flush. Ours has a pedal on the front. It was 1545 when I decided I was trying to fit a round hole in a square peg, and we went back to see Robert.

After explaining my predicament, he searched but didn’t find the part, but he could have one by Monday. Figuring that was the best choice I had, I walked back to the car with my head hanging a little low so Diane would know I failed.

On the way back to the Bone Yard we discussed the logistics of not having a working toilet for the next few days and settled on an agreement that provided us relief of bodily liquids at night using the hastily reinstalled toilet and using the shower/toilet facilities 100 yards or so from us to dispose of solid waste as needed. That took planning.

Now, all we have to do is make it to Monday when the correct part is delivered to Robert. Until then, I can practice dismantling and remantling the offending toilet until I can put it back together blindfolded. We all know that won’t happen but tearing it apart and putting it back together solidifies the steps necessary to ensure it works when the final bolt is tightened.

The biggest benefit of having to dismantle the toilet was that it gave me an opportunity to clean all the toilet surfaces, inside and out. The RV is 17 years old, and that toilet has been used a lot, so most of the interior working surfaces were coated with crispy black residue. I made it all go away while Diane was out shopping for stuff. It was better that she wasn’t here because I’m sure she would have been a bit upset had she seen that I didn’t use the rubber gloves she found for me. I didn’t use them because they were heavy duty and what I needed were the skinny kind that worked like an extra layer of skin. I washed myself thoroughly every so often to ward off the possibility of some deadly disease. I figured that if I could get it cleaned up and put back together without throwing up, I was OK.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Day 76 – Friday – Laundry Day (again)

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It’s 1000. Max and I have been up for 3 hours, and Diane is busy in the bedroom sorting the laundry that needs to be washed. There’s a whole wagon load of it. I’ve been told to vacate the area around her where she can hear me speak, or to just not speak. My choice. She’s like that in the morning most of the time and I understand. So, I do my best to not talk to her or ask questions until she’s fully awake. But she’s already had breakfast and 2 cups of coffee that normally puts her in a more receptive disposition, so I thought I had permission to speak, but I was wrong. The last question I asked her was “how can I help.” Her answer was to look me in the eye and giving me the universal sign to go way – that’s when you hold your hand out, palm down, then activate your fingers by making them point down, then wave them at the offending person until they get the message. Considering the chore ahead of her, I can understand her desire to not be disturbed while dealing with my underwear and socks. So, I left, and here I am, doing this until I’m allowed to communicate again. That won’t be until she’s ready for me to load the wagon and drag it to the laundromat. The wagon is stored in its original box under the RV. I keep it there, in the box, so if someone thinks they should steal it, it won’t be difficult to do. So far no one has lifted it, even though we were gone for 3 days.

The temp outside was 52 degrees this morning. Inside is was 58. I thought it was pretty comfortable, but I turned the heater on anyway.

There’s a table outside the laundry on which people put things they no longer need or want, free for the taking. Yesterday I got a very nice folding knife with shiny blades in a nice leather case. There were other knives, but I only took one. Every once in a while, a painted rock will show up, too. We have one of them. There was another one on the bench this morning, but I left it. If it’s still there when we take the laundry, I will add it to our collection.

When we got home yesterday, I waited for Patricia and Laurie’s door to open before announcing our return. We didn’t want to bother them because Laurie had a surgical procedure yesterday. Even so, once Patricia saw me and Max near their door, she called to Laurie to come visit. She did, but it was obvious she was in pain. Still, she brought Max a treat, as she always does, and let him lick her all over. He’s helping her heal, I’m sure.

My Fitbit bit the dust on our trip. It want’s its software to be updated but my efforts to do so have not been successful. Diane thinks it’s broken and that I need a new one, but I haven’t given up, yet.

Diane forgot to bring her iPad on our little jaunt, so we took a trip to Best Buy in Sierra Vista so I could get her a replacement. I owed her one because I kinda bent the old iPad and I’m amazed it still works. It was laying on the car seat one day and I needed to get something from the car that required me to kneel on the seat and I bent it. Nothing broke, it just made a nice curve. So, I got her a new one and a cover that has a keyboard attached. I think she’ll learn to like it a lot.

This afternoon we took a short trip to get fuel for the car and some vegetables. I was good to get out and stretch our legs a little. Oh, I do that multiple times a day walking Max, but this was walking without Max. We left him home. As soon as we got home, I walked Max. See what I mean. When we got back to the bus, Max jumped in the driver’s seat and set his focus on the neighbors. Almost right away I hear voices coming in the driver’s (Max’s) window and checked it out. It was Patricia and Laurie talking to Max. When they saw me, they asked if Max could come out and play. They really love him.

So, of course, I took Max out for them. I let him run free from our bus and told him to “get Laurie” and that’s what he did. It’s not far around the front of the bus to their rig, but he ran flat out to get there. The reason was Laurie had treats. She always has treats for him. He’s a little mooch but he’s such a friendly little guy and, as I mentioned earlier, I really think he’s helping Laurie heal. She’s been going through a lot of turmoil with medical issues, so Max is like a breath of fresh air for her. I wouldn’t be surprised if he can sense her need for comfort from him.

I need to add a photo of Max and his new friend. I can’t remember her name and Max isn’t talking about her. I do know that she’s a Shitsu so, technically, they are related because he has a little Shitsu in his DNA.

That’s it.

Day 75 – Thursday – Patagonia

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Today was another travel day as we wound our way back to the Bone Yard. We enjoyed our visit to Sierra Vista but it’s always good to get home, right?

Diane plotted the longest return route, one that took us to Patagonia State Park. We stopped briefly at the village of Patagonia, read Heritage signs, then drove to the lake. It was a very nice drive through the surrounding residential. The weather was awesome. There were trees all around us, most of the time, but the trees dwindled when we got closer to the lake and geology was more interesting.

In the park, we drove to the marina because the first public area wasn’t dog friendly. The marina was wide open, and they had picnic tables for us to eat our lunch.

Max had a good time scaring the ducks that dared venture anywhere near us. I think he was surprised to see them fly away.

We had lunch at that table -really yummy peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, green grapes and cinnamon cake. We enjoyed the peaceful solitude of the lake.

The trip to the Bone Yard was surprisingly quick and we were happy to have made it before the sun went down. I took Max for his normal walk around the park while Diane started emptying the car. It’s amazing how much “stuff” one can accumulate in a few short days.

Once the car was empty we spent some time on our little patio. There was a nice breeze and it was great just sitting there doing nothing.

Too soon it was necessary for us to contemplate supper. I ate the other 2/3’s of Diane’s chicken burrito and she ate what remained of her catfish and rice meal at Thuy’s. We both had great meals.

Now the day is done.

Day 74 – Wednesday – Bisbee, Arizona

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I ate oatmeal again this morning and it was good. This may become a habit. One of my good ones.

Our first stop of the day was a visit to Fort Huachuca, or Kombucha for Diane, to see what it was about. It’s an enormous Army base in Sierra Vista and it’s one of the nicest bases we’ve been on in a long time. I took a lot of photos as we drove around the base because there were trees. The base housing units look pretty nice. Many of the ones we saw appeared to be empty.

One thing stood out for us was that none landscaping for any of the buildings involved tons of rocks. Davis-Monthan AFB is nothing but rocks for yards, but Fort Huachuca has actual grass yards. They were brown, but they were grass. There are also tall trees on the base.

One of the reasons for the different kind of landscaping is probably the altitude difference. It’s about 2,000 higher than the Bone Yard. Yeah. That’s it. The elevation.

Turns out there’s an RV park on the base which has reasonable rates and is very nice. We took a look see and really liked it. It’s well away from the main base in a very quiet corner. I took Max for a walk and encountered Paul, an Army guy. He said he’s been staying the winters in Fort Huachuca for the past 3 years. We got along nicely, and he let it be known that if we’re there in the next few weeks, for the Army vs. Navy game, he’s going to give me some s**t. He was an officer, too. What a guy. I really liked him.

From Fort Huachuca, we drove to Bisbee for the day. It’s only about 20 miles away and is a mile high city. Diane labeled this trip a “Foodie Day” on the calendar because Bisbee has a lot of places to eat. It’s a town built in Tombstone Canyon near the Copper Queen Mine which is the reason there’s a town.

Before lunch we stopped at the Visitor center for the Copper Queen Mine so this was really our first look at what the town might be like. The visitor center was also the place where excursions into the mine begin. I wandered around outside and saw the vehicle that takes people on the mine tour. It’s a very narrow-gauge rail track about 18″ wide. The vehicle people ride on are the same one’s used by the miners before it closed in 1975. We didn’t take the tour because we’re not fond of delving into large holes in the ground. We’d rather stay outside and just look around, which we did.

The visitor center was also a very large gift shop featuring mostly geological items. They also had a movie about how copper is mined and the entire process of making sheets of copper for making everything copper is used for. It was very interesting.

Getting to lunch required a drive almost all the way through town. It’s a curvy road through the canyon with buildings growing up the banks on both sides. It’s quite an amazing town. When we found Thuy’s Noodle Shop, there was parking right in front which was awesome because the town is narrow, and parking is sparse.

The restaurant is small, but they had outside tables which worked for us because we had Max along. Many places won’t let 4-legged animals inside, only the 2-legged animals are allowed. We didn’t see any of those today. Sitting on the patio was nice until the food showed up and the flies were waiting. They were a nuisance, but not terrible. The big thrill was when an enormous wasp landed on the table in front of Diane, and she darted away at least two feet, while I broke a chop stick killing it. All the other patrons were well entertained. I’m really glad Diane didn’t get stung.

The dish on the left is Beef PHO and the one on the right is a pork salad. These are actually two meal choices so you can probably say I over ordered a little. But I ate almost all of it. One thing for sure, to Diane’s delight, I got my share of protein today. Vegetables too. I’m sorry I don’t have a picture of Diane’s catfish. She said it had an orange flavor to it, and she liked it a lot.

After lunch we went down the hill to Patisserie Jacqui for a couple of their world class croissants, but it was closed. So, we won’t have world class croissants tomorrow. Dang.

Next, we tried to get dessert at Pussycat Gelato. It was closed, too. So, only 1 of 3 locations were available for our use. Thankfully, lunch was good.

After missing out on dessert, we headed back to Sierra Vista. As we made our final pass through the town, Max saw a cat run across the street. He was sitting in his throne on the console between our seats and launched his little self almost out the passenger window. He only made it halfway because Diane grabbed one hind leg, and I grabbed the rest of him. We managed to get him back inside, but I about broke Diane’s shoulder in the process. He was going to get that cat, by golly. It was pretty exciting. We can only assume that chasing cats was something to do with his past.

Once back in Sierra Vista we stopped at a DQ where I got Diane a Peanut Buster Parfait and myself a chocolate malt. Then we returned to the hotel for our last night.

Day 72 – Monday – Happy Veterans Day

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We closed up the RV for the next few days and took a trip to Sierra Vista. The ultimate goal is Tombstone, AZ but that’s going to wait until tomorrow. Today was just a travel day – get where we’re going and nothing else even though the trip only took a couple of hours. That’s a hard rule, set in stone. No sightseeing on a travel day.

Before we left, we talked with the neighbors and gave them our phone numbers, “just in case” something happened. That also gave Laurie time to talk with Max. With the two of them, it’s a mutual admiration society. Max is a healer which is good because Laurie has leukemia. Max is good for her. They are good for each other.

We’re in a Hampton Inn here in Sierra Vista. It has a real shower that we’re going to use every day. Maybe twice. Each. Might even wash Max. Once we got our “stuff” to our room, Diane went in search of a Goodwill to get a swimming suit. This place has a small pool and a hot tub which Diane thinks might unkink her left shoulder and neck muscles. Going to a Goodwill, or thrift store at a new destination does not violate the travel day rule, in case you were wondering.

Max thinks the room is great because the bed is low enough that he can jump on the bed. In the RV he needs help. I’ll bet he could make it if he gave it a valid try, but he seems to be just fine letting one of us pick him up.

Our next-door neighbors at the Bone Yard live in Sierra Vista and let us know that the temps here run about 10 degrees cooler than Tucson. That would be because of the higher altitude, I suspect. Tucson runs around 2,700 feet above sea level, and Sierra Vista is right around 4,600 feet.

Diane returned around 1630 with 2 swimming suits and 2 dog toys. Max loves his toys.

Diane said there’s a Papa John’s Pizza joint just across from the hotel. She checked her Google Maps and discovered it’s only 600 feet away, on the other side of a very busy 4-lane highway. There are no crosswalks within a mile either direction so the only way to safely get there was to drive Diane’s car.

Yes, it’s Diane’s, not mine, so I don’t get to drive it very much. When I do it’s always a scary feeling because I’m afraid I’ll do something wrong. Heaven knows I have plenty of other opportunities to screw stuff up.

When I went to get the pizza, Diane made it clear that I needed to get a salad, too. Unfortunately, Papa John’s doesn’t have side salads. Diane told me that Dominos did. So, after ordering the pizza I did a search for the nearest Dominos. It was a couple of miles away. Since I had to wait 15-20 minutes for the pizza, I had plenty of time to make that quick trip to the other pizza joint.

When I got there, I was told that it would take 15-20 minutes for the salad. That confused me a little bit, but I stepped back and waited. There was a display in the waiting area listing orders by name and mine was at the top. I figured someone would call me, but they didn’t. So, I went back to the order counter and asked if my name was on the list or was it a mistake that my name was in first place. The girl did a frantic search of the pizzas waiting for delivery and didn’t see my name, so I told her, again, that I was only getting a salad, no pizza. I truly believe that I was the first person to enter that pizza joint who ordered just a salad. She was on automatic with the “15-20 minutes” wait. When she realized that I was an exception to the norm, she ran to the back and got my pre-packaged salad. That’s kinda what I expected right after I paid for it.

With my salad in hand, I returned to Papa John’s for the pizza. It was done so I didn’t have to wait. Back at the hotel I stopped to get more napkins in the breakfast area and discovered a table full of baby cans of soda that would go well with the pizza. Pretty cool.

I had to do a balancing act with the salad, pizza, plates, forks and sodas all the way to the room on the 3rd floor. Then that long walk down the hall to a room far from the elevator. Everything went well all that way then I had to get my wallet out for the door key and lost everything on the floor. Nifty.

Diane opened the door to let me in just as I was gathering everything up.

It was the first time either of us had eaten a Papa John’s pizza and it was really good. The sodas I dropped exploded a little when we opened them so that was exciting. A good way to end the day.

Day 70 – Saturday – Sun City Arts & Crafts Festival

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This was Diane’s selection for us to visit today. The GPS predicted it would take us about 45 minutes to make the 20+ mile trip, but it seemed longer. It wasn’t unpleasant, just long. Max said so.

The facility at the end of our ride was the Sun City Community Center which lives on a golf course. Without being able to see any of the fairways, I knew this was true because the building was surrounded by golf carts. Not all of them had golf clubs attached, but enough of them did to validate my suspicions …

One of the fairways was just over the trees in front of the carts. I know this is true because I walked over there and looked.

Just behind me from where I took this picture, was some sort of game field but I have no idea what kind of game it might be.

Instead of a game thing, it might have just been a design element for the grounds. The area is surrounded with BBQ pits, benches, and small parking spots for the golf carts. Perhaps one of you can provide info on what this is for. My first thought was some form of bocce ball. If I’m right, I’ll be surprised.

The inside of the community center was jammed with tables surrounded by people. All the crafts were made by the people selling the products and there was some really beautiful stuff. There was also some skeptical stuff just to keep things even, I guess.

My favorite was a display of cards and framed watercolor paintings by Lori Nalewicki. On the end of her table was one of a javelina that I recognized. I’d seen the same one at the Saguaro National Park West gift shop. She confirmed that her stuff shows up in a lot of places. Her art is whimsical and just the way I like it.

Diane loves birds and couldn’t leave without getting the one to the right of the donkey.

On the back Lori wrote the name: “Birds, a Bee, and a Melody”. It’s very simple and meaningful. At this time, she has no idea where it’s going to hang. I say that, but I didn’t ask. I’m just guessing.

For some reason she had me take a picture of this. I don’t know what it is, but she liked it. But not for $400.00.

On the way back to town we encountered an opportunity to visit another craft sale. We were in Oro Valley, and this isn’t far from that. When we got to the venues, they were all just packing up to go home but one lady helped Diane get a few Christmas decorations. On the way back to the main road we got a great view of the western edge of the Catalina Mountains. Pretty dramatic.

This is the left edge of the mountains we can see from the RV park. Even though this is called the “foothills”, the elevation is about the same as the Air Force Base we’re living on.

That’s it for today. Now all I have to do is figure out what to eat for dinner. I’m thinking I’ll have another salad because there’s one avocado I need to eat before it turns black.

Day 69 – Friday – Massive Flea Market

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This day took us to the Desert Skies United Methodist Church, which is far, far away from the location of our currently chosen domicile. Actually, it’s only 12 miles and 23 minutes away. The GPS took us through uncharted territory on the way so that was nice. We’ve been traveling around the area almost daily, so the roads are becoming familiar, so it was nice to go to a place where the roads were not familiar. We’re almost to the point where we could be dropped pretty much anywhere in the town by helicopter, and we could find our way home. That’s just a working theory at this point. We’ll probably never know if it’s really true.

We found the church easily, and we quickly discovered that it’s a large, well-attended church. The first clue was that we parked in one of the first spots we saw when we drove into the parking lot, then had to walk 1/4 mile to the church and the area where the flea market was being held. I didn’t measure it, but we could have parked much nearer to the action if we’d known how to get around in the large parking lot. It’s not one large area, but small pockets of parking spots linked to the main building by a winding lane and paths through a forest of native trees, plants and cacti.

Once we navigated the correct route, we were in the midst of the largest private flea market we’ve ever seen. All of the parking lot near the church proper was covered with very organized tables covered with small items, and segregated areas of appliances, furniture, and anything else too large for a table. It was amazing.

Diane found all kinds of stuff that she wished she could have snapped up for gifts, but our current living conditions aren’t conducive to hoarding so she withheld her desires and kept her wallet in her purse. Most of the time.

The prices were very reasonable, so it was a challenge.

Need cookbooks? They had a bunch of them.

It only took us a couple of hours to look at most of the things on display. Diane found 3 small items that she couldn’t live without, so we paid for them ($7 total) and went looking for the car. That’s not true. We sat Diane down on a handy bench near the front access to the church, then Max and I went looking for the car. I drove it back to pick her up. Then we went looking for lunch.

I found a place named Ziggy’s on Google and the name appealed to me because we once had a little poodle named Ziggy. We had him for 18 years. They had a few tables outside so we could take Max with us. Diane had a patty melt and I had a Ziggy burger. Both came with two 1/4-pound beef patties which is a lot more than we normally eat. Well, more than Diane eats, anyway. She asked for one patty on the side so she could give it to Max for his lunch. I ate both of mine which I’m sure doesn’t surprise many of you who know me. For some odd reason I’m blessed with the ability to eat an enormous amount of food. I may have mentioned this previously. If so, please forgive me for repeating myself.

After lunch we drove randomly for a while just looking at the area and found our way home like magic. It was a good trip and a good day.

Once home I took Max for his normal after lunch walk and he wore himself out, so he took a nap with his lamb.

Then he took a nap on my lap.

Then it was time for bed.

Day 67 – Wednesday – Jerrie’s Echo Cardiogram

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1015 – My appointment was scheduled for 1100 and I was asked to be there by 1030. That meant we’d have to leave home no later than 1015 to make it on time. We knew that was true because we did a test run yesterday to make sure. As it turned out, timing on Tucson streets in the afternoon are not at all like the reality of Tucson streets in the morning. So, we were between 1-2 minutes late.

The early check in process involved registration into the Houghton Hospital system. My test was ordered by the VA Hospital, but they couldn’t get to it in a reasonable amount of time, so they sent me to a private hospital off the reservation. It was a good decision because Houghton got me an appointment within 3 days.

After checking in with the receptionist, I waited until 1111 before they finally called me into reservation room #2. The registration person told me her name, but I don’t remember it. I do remember that the tech assigned to do the testing was Vanessa. I didn’t get to see her until about 30 minutes after the registration was complete. The delay, I was told, was related some difficulty with surgery. That’s all I know.

Vanessa took me back to her testing room somewhere deep into the innards of the main floor. Once in the room she told me to strip, which I did. All the way down to my belt, as directed. All she needed access to was my chest, where my heart lives. Then I laid down on the table, on my left side with my left arm under the pillow supporting my head. That was comfortable for about 20 seconds before my left arm started making noise in my head about the pain. My left arm and shoulder aren’t my favorite body parts for that reason.

We talked throughout the test that took about 30 minutes. I was surprised I was allowed to speak but she said it was OK. So, I learned that she was an Air Force Brat who grew up in Ohio after her dad left the Air Force. She graduated from Ohio State which was evident because of the red and gray stocking hat she was wearing. Kind of odd for Tucson, I thought, but she looked good in it. She said her boyfriend also graduated from Ohio and said they went to Pittsburgh to see the Ohio vs. Pitt football game recently. It was a “hectic 3 days”, in her words. She’s not a football fan. Being from Oregon, I had to point out that I’m a fan of the Ducks who knocked Ohio out of the #1 spot on the NCAA ratings list. She was OK with that.

Diane, by the way, dropped me at the front door of the hospital then parked in a spot nearby. I knew that because she texted me. She could have come inside but was OK sitting in the car, waiting for me.

When I was done with the test, I was released into the wild without having to gather any papers regarding the service provided. So, I walked out and reconnected with Diane. She was glad to see me even though I had been gone long enough that she didn’t recognize me right away.

She gave me a choice. Home, or Lunch. I voted for lunch. She picked two places near each other about 30 minutes away. Oddly enough, they were close to the VA Hospital. We drove to the first one, parked, and entered expecting a good lunch. But we were totally ignored at the order window, so we left and found #2 about 3 blocks up the street. It was Rollie’s Mexican Food.

At Rollie’s were greeted with open arms and it smelled great. Diane had an order of rolled tacos and I had my routine burrito. Diane loved hers and mine was OK, and it was really big.

We ate it all, then went back to free Max from his jail. He needed a walk.

When we got home, Max was actually up, walking around. That’s rare. He’s usually laying in the driver’s seat so he can look us in the eye without raising his head letting us know he wasn’t happy about being left alone. This time he was showing his happiness about our return. He came all the way down the stairs but didn’t leave the bus. He came back up the stairs with me and stayed really close until I adorned him with his harness and attached the leash. Then he was happy.

We took the promised long walk then returned home so I could rest. It’s been a busy day.

Day 66 – Tuesday – Mt. Lemmon

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Yes, that’s a real mountain. I looked it up and know it’s true. To prove it, we packed a couple of sandwiches and took a drive in that direction. It’s only about 20 miles away and we can see it from our home in space 261.

That’s it. the one with the snow on it. The news told us that during the rainstorm we had a couple days ago the mountain got 5-8″ of snow. Yup. Right here in Tucson. Well, not in, but nearby.

Diane had the mountain on our list of places to go and today seemed like the one, so we went. On our way out of the back gate, we saw a meeting of the minds warming their tiny little feet on the powerlines.

Since today is Get Out and Vote Day, we thought perhaps they were discussing what life might be like with a new president. Then I saw the lone bird below the others and thought maybe this was choir practice and the loner was the leader. Perhaps he was tutoring the alto/tenor section when we drove by. We didn’t have time to stop and listen because we had a destination.

On the way up the very curvy road, we were fascinated by the rock formations.

As we neared the top, around the 8,000′ level, we encountered snow. We got out to investigate and to see what Max thought about it.

He wasn’t sure about it at first, then he did some zoomies as far as his leash would allow. He had fun and seemed to be fascinated with the white stuff but got over it quickly.

Diane was attempting to get Max still for his photo op.

Just below this area is a village of many cabins and a cabin hotel. The cabins were quite impressive as was the hotel that lined the street.

This next photo is looking out into the valley to where all the Tucsonians live.

Here’s a snap of the information provided for one of the stops. It came out pretty good, showing the very crooked road we took today.

On the way down we ran into a little bit of snow, and I asked Max if he’d like to stop and take a walk. This is what he gave us …

I took that as a “nope”.

When we got back to the saguaro cactus fields, we were amazed at how these guys can grow in such desolate conditions. Pretty amazing.

As soon as we got back to the RV, I took Max for his walk, because he was such a good little guy, and took another photo of the airplanes that live on the other side of the fence from the RV park.

Now it’s time for Max’s evening walk. I’ll see you tomorrow.