It's That Time of Year (03/28/22)

 

What time of year is it, you ask?   It’s that time when Paul and I start to do some summer planning, and I realize I have blog posts that need to be written. 

So, here we are. I was actually pleasantly surprised when I opened the program that I had actually already written most of a post about the holidays. And here it is:

The Holidays

It wouldn’t be Christmas in Havasu without the annual boat parade- it has now become a tradition for us to head down to the water, armed with hotdogs and potato salad, to await the boats.  

This year the parade is almost twice the size it usually is, and it seemed EVERYONE was talking about being there, so we got there early and played cards while we waited for dark.

The London Bridge is sporting new lights this year- and is absolutely gorgeous with its ever changing display.

We kept ourselves busy as we waited for Christmas. We had a designated date night, with all 4 of us heading out to dinner, dressed up just a little bit more than usual. 

 

We had happy hour at sunset...

...and watched the hummingbirds on the feeders, just inches from us. I will say though that this picture was made possible by the fact that I found out I can use my Apple watch as a remote for the camera on my Iphone.

We even learned how to make the official "Olive Garden Salad"!

We also did things like drain the pool, clean it, and fill it back up again.  That’s not the fun stuff though.

Paul and I hiked to Pilot Rock, a trail that leads to the lake, and found a great spot for boat camping.

Soon enough our holiday guests arrived. We haven’t seen our friends Brad and Marilyn in two years, because they are Canadian.  As a bonus, they brought a friend with them this year-always a great time!

It was still a little quieter for Christmas than it usually is, even though our daughter Jess made an appearance.  We changed it up a bit this year and made tamales on Christmas Eve. Jess was happy to help.

New Years was a bit livelier, with Paul’s fraternity brothers and their wives arriving from California.

 With Omicron alive and well, we had unusual party favors, but were definitely more relaxed with all negative results.

And then, it was 2022. 

What’s that joke?

“That moment when you realize that 2022 is pronounced 2020 too.”

Let’s hope not.

Our Camping Trip (12-15-21)

 I know most people equate RVing with camping, but when you live in an RV, its not really camping per se, more like having a house on wheels.  The camping trip we took was a tent camping trip.  We have two tent camping expeditions planned for 2022 and we wanted to do a test run to make sure we have everything we need.  One of those trips is a two day trip with our Jeep (in Moab) and the other is to Havasupai Falls (if it opens back up). The Havasupai Falls trip is different because we can’t bring the Jeep. We will send our tent etc down into a canyon on a mule.  Then we will hike the 12 miles down, and camp in the tent for 3 nights.  Why would we want to do that?  To see this:

and this:

and this:

Of course, those photos have been enhanced, but the color of the water is apparently that beautiful. In order to see these waterfalls you have to have reservations (they are on an Indian reservation). To get the reservation, you need to be up at the crack of dawn on February 1, and be one of the lucky ones that manages to secure a reservation before the entire year is sold out…in 10 minutes.  

We were lucky enough to win, way back in February of 2020.  We all know what happened next. Covid. The Supai tribe closed the area completely and rescheduled anyone who had tickets.  We have been rescheduled 3 times, and its still not looking good. We now have reservations for October of 2022. I doubt it will happen but we will see. For me to hike that far, at this point, I would really have to train for it- its 2400 feet of gain/loss and 12 miles each way.

Anyway, back to reality. We are also interested in taking the boat to one of the many “boat in” campsites on the lake and spending a night or two. 

There is a hike about 45 minutes from our house that we have wanted to hike for years, but we have never gotten around to it.  We are reminded every time we drive by the area, because the trail includes  a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the highway.

Buckskin Mountain Trail, as its called, starts in the nearby state park, so we booked a tent site there for two nights.

After packing the Jeep , we took the short trip down the highway, and started unpacking again. The weather forecast wasn’t great- it wasn’t going to be warm, and there was actually an 80% chance of rain. Usually that just means it will be cloudy, but naturally, this time it actually did mean rain. It never did downpour but it spit out rain several times.

We have lots of new equipment we are trying out, including our kickass cooler, tent, jet boil, coffee pot etc.  After the main tent was up, we set up the tent for the porta-potty.  Yep, we are that spoiled.

 

Once we were all set up, we got to enjoy the view from our site.

Dinner our first night was a fancy affair of ham and stir-fry veggies.

For breakfasts we used our new coffee pot to make the coffee, and on one morning we cooked one of the dehydrated breakfasts on the Jet Boil, to try them out.  It was ok, but we were happy to have real bacon and eggs the second morning.

Our one full day there turned out great for hiking and we enjoyed walking about 2 miles into the desert hills before turning around.

There are some old mining ruins around, which always makes Paul happy, and the views of the river on the way back were pretty nice too.

Back at camp we used our new solar light to play Rummikub. There isn’t much room in the tent, so we lit the propane firepit and played outside until it got so cold we had to go in.  Our biggest take away from the trip is that if we want to tent camp more often, we’ll need a bigger tent.  One that you can stand up in.

The day we headed home we decided to take the long way around the lake.  We have heard its possible to do but we have never attempted it, so off we went.

This side of the lake has very little in terms of population and amenities.  Not even much wildlife.  We saw one lonely burro. 

 

The scenery was pretty great, and at times, the view of Lake Havasu and the city were pretty cool.

We knew the road would be unpaved, and it turned out to be a great road for the Jeep- narrow for a dually.

A couple of hours later we were home, after a very fun two days.  I actually really enjoyed the tent “glamping" and would do it again.

Autumn In Havasu (12-19-21)

 I think, actually, that when using the word autumn in relation to Havasu, it really needs quotes-“Autumn” in Havasu is more like summer in the rest of the country.

Once we were settled in to the house, we spent our time in our usual manner- partying, and projects.

Soon after we arrived home we were joined by our friends Liz and Randy. Every warm and calm day we had was spent on the boat.  Although the water was starting to cool off, it was still warm enough to laze around in the lake.

Other warm days were spent in the pool.

One of the things we like about Havasu is that there is always something going on- our outings included:

Live music at the local bars---(our favorite bar is too crowded, so we avoid that one)

… car races at the local track…

And, of course, no autumn would be complete ( for me) without football.

My cousin Linda decided that since she is working remotely, it was worth the trip from Phoenix to Havasu to spend a week enjoying the weather and company.

At the end of October, Paul and I made the trek to Fresno for the wedding reception for the son of one of his fraternity brothers.  In typical Covid fashion, the actual wedding took place the year before. It was a great weekend with our California friends.

Thanksgiving this year was quieter than usual, but Jess came, and its never totally quiet when she is here!

She expressed interest in shooting when an outing was suggested, so we all went to the outdoor shooting range, where she first got a gun safety lesson before being handed the first gun.

She did pretty darn good for a novice…

By the end, she had shot 6 different guns.

On the project side of things, there wasn’t anything major being done- except Randy re-caulking his rig. Luckily the weather was warm enough that he could use the “dunk in the pool/work, dunk in the pool/work” method.

Paul and I have been working on going through all of our old family papers and photos.  A major chore, and it is one of those things that won’t get done in one sitting.  I found a picture of my grandfather that I had never seen before. He died long before I was born.

We have been in buying mode lately and one of our purchases classified as a project as well.

We drove to Fresno to pick up a new saw Paul bought.  He has many many tools and saws already, but this one is particularly nice and as a perk, he got to sell some of his other tools.  The project part was getting it off the trailer and into the garage. It weighs well over 500 lbs.  He used the winch on the Teryx to coax it off the trailer.

Our two other major purchases were “mine”.  I finally decided what I want for  new furniture for the back patio, and bought it.  I love my new space, and weather permitting, that’s where you will find me. It makes a very comfortable space for coffee or happy hour.

With Covid going nowhere anytime soon, I decided that I am not going back to a gym anytime soon. I already bought an elliptical, but I wanted something for upper body. After a ton of research, we drove up to Vegas to pick up a used functional gym.