Into the Desert - March '08

This isn't the best shot of the Hoover Dam - it's from the backside. I'll be going over again when I head back to Vegas and plan on parking to take the tour and get some better pictures. It's an amazing thing to see and having the advantage of being up so high in the RV, the sights were awesome. I saw a program on TV about it the other day and thought "yeah, okay. It's something special." But when you actually see it...it's nothing short of amazing!!! Am looking forward to the tour.


This is the front of the RV Park in Kingman, Arizona where I've spent the last three days. It's about 12 miles out of town so no city traffic and lots of room.

I was in the restaurant at the truck stop down the hill for dinner last night when a group of folks at a nearby table called me over. It was some nice people I'd met back in Calico Ghost Town, just out of Barstow. Small world!! I joined them and then we drove out to their property where they set up their RVs. They invited me to use the property any time I came thru.

Seems the RV lifestyle is full of nice folks, all out enjoying themselves.



I do love the beauty of the desert. The sunset last night, up on the hill in my new friends' RV, was stunning.

An Important Beginning - April '07 - Part 3

The Grand Canyon, 40 mile an hour gusts of wind, and cold. At Williams, AZ, right below the canyon where we spent the night, my water hose froze. That's too cold for this girl!!!!














Finally, some cowboys.

An Important Beginning - April '07 - Part 2

I forgot the Blog won't let me put these in order, so here's our continuing story.

Hard to see him in this photo, but this RV Park in Quartzsite, AZ was full of little jackrabbits.




Sedona was probably my favorite place. The colors are amazing and reminiscent of Petra in Jordan. The reds and pinks blend into different shades. And the clouds, time of day, shade the mountains and bring an unending change of color. I'll definitely be returning here.

An Important Beginning - April '07 - Part 1

This was such an important beginning last year that I wanted to add some photos and memories. (Since this only takes so many pictures at once, I'll do it in a couple of sections.)

Sister Cathy and I took off from Redding, CA with, as I look back on it, more guts than brains!!! LOL We'd had a brief run-thru from Uncle Jack on the runnings of this sweet little Dolphin (21 ft Toyota) but it shortly became "what was it he said?"


We found it absolutely hillarious when it came to all the basics we didn't quite understand..."you want me to put the hose where??" "Which side is the gas tank on?" "I think the frig makes a great storage area...since I can't get it to work anyway!!" And one of the biggest laughs of all ... trying to crawl over Cathy, asleep on the lower bed, as I make it from the top bunk to the bathroom, trying not to wake her up. In fact, I think we laughed about everything - and nothing - all thru this fantastic trip.


April was the perfect time to visit the desert.






The scenery everywhere was awesome. We started in Redding then drove California visiting family along the way. (Driving an RV around Long Beach, CA isn't something I plan on doing again. I finally decided, okay, I'm bigger than you guys and I'm changing lanes...deal with it!!!) We made our escape from CA on Highway 10, towards Blythe and the famous RV spot, Quartzsite, Arizona. (cont on Part 2)

The RV Beginning - April 2007

Wherever my RV travels take me, this first trip - the maiden voyage of the Dolphin - will always be number one in my heart.

We had SO much fun. We had no idea what the heck we were doing but we forged ahead, laughing all the way.

Thanksgiving in Ajijic (November '07)

A dinner cruise on the River Nile (Feb '08)

Well, it wasn't exactly Cleopatra on the Nile but we did have a delicious meal, good company and I enjoyed the music.

Then, enter - with much fanfare - the star of the evening. The costumes were beautiful and the dancer was indeed impressive. At least all the men were transfixed.
















This darling gentleman on our tour was celebrating his 92nd birthday the day of our cruise. We, of course, told the waiters, and the dancer joined him to helped celebrate. I was hoping, from his reaction, it wouldn't lay him up for the rest of the tour!!!



Oh yes!!! Another one of the dancers. Ah, Egyptian men. haha

Cairo - the Pyramids, of course (Feb '08)

I think of all the places I've seen, this trip to Cairo and the Pyramids was the most amazing to me. Yes, Petra was incredible, the Sistine Chapel beautiful but the Pyramids!!! Even in the wilds of Dunsmuir, I knew of the Pyramids. Did I ever imagine I'd be standing there gazing upon them? Never in a million years.





What an exotic place to be. But climb ... no thanks.






Ooops...here we go.






Queen of the Desert!!!!

February 2008 - still in the Sinai Desert

My first view of the Red Sea. We stopped at a beach hotel to have lunch and I walked to the water's edge. Can't be at the Red Sea without taking a dip...right? Well, actually, I just put my hand in.




This is the place where "Moses fought the Malachites - Exodus Chapter 3, 8 to 13." A beautiful desert area.






Here, and the picture below, we have Elim - thought to be the present El-tur, with its 70 date palm trees and 12 springs, one for each tribe. (Exodus 15:27)













I find myself in constantly changing climates and scenery but I do indeed love the desert.

February 2008 trip to Mt. Sinai area

I loved the desert area going thru the Sinai. This is a shot of the area around the hotel where we stayed at the base of Mt. Sinai. Most of us found our rooms, arriving at 3:00 a.m., but some brave souls walked the 3 miles up the mountain.






I managed to open my eyes in time for breakfast and then we were on our way to St. Catherine's Monastery.








Still no shot of Mt. Sinai itself. It was off behind the Monastery. This is a Greek Orthodox Monastery that has stood for 1400 years in the heart of the Sinai Desert. "It has never in its long history been conquered, damaged or destroyed and has thru the ages kept its image as a sacred biblical site where the symbolic meaning of the events of the Old Testament is illuminated and interpreted in the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary."

"The Monatery's spiritual heart is the Chapel of the Burning Bush. According to the oldest monastic tradition, this chapel sits atop the roots of the same Biblical bush "that burned with fire and was not consumed" (Exodus 3:2) when God spoke to Moses for the first time."




This was a wonderful part of my Sinai/Egypt trip.
I'm hoping to put all the pictures of this trip online soon. I'll let everyone know when they're available.

MT. SINAI AREA

Definitely prepared for an over-night at WalMart

I don't like to think of myself as a "WalMart kind of girl" but my first night on the road even I was thinking it was my kind of place!!!

My first day started out pretty early with a trip back to the dealers for a tire change. (Tires are only about 9 months old but one came up with a "bubble" so the tire company replaced it with no problems.)

Then Zan, my pretty little bird, found me as I waited outside the dealers. I admit to being pretty shaky about then having all that time waiting to think about driving the damn thing!!! But Zan perked me up and off we went ... unfortunately about 1:00 p.m.

Along the way I'd come to terms with driving -- hugging the left -- and even managed a small bit of backing up. But those "wide" turns are a killer. So as I entered the third service station of the day (let's not talk gas prices) I didn't turn quiet wide enough. aghhh

I felt a slight bump in the back and exiting the RV I realized I'd made a clean nudge against the small plastic knob used to empty your water tank before storage. The little plastic knob was knocked off but not another thing was touched!!!! I had visions of what could have happened...like the entire side of the RV being ripped away. But there I stood, next to the Chevron gas pump, watching all the water from the huge tank I have drain away. Adding even more time to my late start, it's now 5:00 p.m., I pulled to the side of the station and waited ... and waited for the water to drain.

By 8:00 p.m. it's dark as it can be and I'm on Highway 58, a two-lane road leading into Bakersfield. Talking quite often to Zan, my co-pilot, about now we decide to stop finally at yet another Chevron station and ask directions. "Hey, guys. Do you know where Orange Grove RV Park is?" "Sure," they say. "Way on the other side of town." No way am I going to make it, I think. One of the guys said "there's a WalMart about a mile down the road." I head back to the RV with the guys wishing me well.

Sure enough, about a mile down the road is the most beautiful, comforting, safe looking WalMart I've ever seen. Hey, I'm thinking. I have a big bed of my own if I just get this sucker in the parking lot over where all the other "big boys" are parked for the night. I managed that, remarkably in my semi-conscious state, parked, locked everything up and went to bed and pulled the covers over my head.

The next morning I made my way to the RV Park and although I wanted more than anything to plant myself there for a week (I did reserve a week), I made my way, via back roads, to a huge Camper World store they recommended where I talked myself into the front of the line to be worked on. The part, and labor, cost me $26. As a nice couple waiting in the office said to me "that's a very inexpensive cost for a very important lesson." No shit, Sherlock!!!!

the BIG beginning

Talk about an "upgrade!!" I told Mara, "why don't we check out the Class A's?" There's so much more actual living space and I just fell in love with them. I stepped inside this one and thought "oh yeah."

Not thinking, of course, about what it takes to actually drive the thing. LOL I drove my sweet "little" Toyota Dolphin to the dealer with Dawn...thinking she could navigate for me on the way back with the big one...Ford SeaBreeze, 29 foot, full of "bells and whistles." All I heard out of Dawn was "more to the left, more to the left." We were laughing so hard it's a wonder that didn't cause me to clip a pedestrian.

It's in perfect condition and has only 36,000 miles on it. Plus he's added some wonderful treasures. He spent thousands on the speaker system, and an awesome combination system with DVD/CD/MP3 player/AM, FM radio and navigational system. And a TV in the bedroom and the "front room."

Oh yeah, it has tires and a motor as well. hahaha


Waiting outside the RV dealer, sitting in the sun relaxing, there suddenly appeared, from over a long row of huge RVs, a beautiful little parakeet. He flew right to me, landing at my feet, and I swear said "take me with you, please." With the help of RV customers and the dealer himself, we managed to capture him and brought him inside. The dealer found a box to keep him in while we drove off to WalMart to buy a cage, food and treats.

He's blue and white...like my SeaBreeze RV...and I'm sure he was meant to make this adventure with me. So sister Cathy can still be my navigator when she's with me, but in the meantime, Zan has this job.