The Rally, Saturday

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Last night the entertainment was Bill Cosby. Funny as ever.

Today was more seminars and some free stuff and deep discounts and then free hospitality with free food and pictures. Elvis was there!

Right now we’re seated, waiting for Martina McBride to start her show!

Bill Cosby Show
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The Rally, Friday

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
Bowzer’s Rock N’ Roll Party was the entertainment last night.  Good show.  This was not the real Bowzer from the oldies group Sha Na Na, but was Jon Bauman’s portrayal of Bowzer.  He did a great job and the show was quite entertaining.
Bowzer’s Rock N’ Roll Party
And at the morning coffee today was a Jam Session for any attendees who brought their own instruments and wanted to play.  We watched that for a while.
Morning Coffee Jam Session
Then on to the seminars.  Bernie and I went separate ways again.  I found one on Satellite TV for Your RV, on awesome seminar on RVing in Alaska, and one on Microwave/Convection Cooking.  Bernie found one about Understanding Battery Balance in the RV,  another on on the RV’s electrical System, Breaking Systems for your Towed Vehicle, and Roadside Assistance.
Tonight’s entertainment will be Bill Cosby.
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The Rally, Thursday

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
There was free coffee and entertainment first thing this morning.  Adam “Crack” Winrich (from Wisconsin) entertained us with harmonica playing, trick roping, and bullwhip cracking and some laughs.
Two flaming bullwhips
Gabby Hayes made an appearance
Then it was the usual events, a big tent filled with vendors, and lots of walking and viewing.  Bernie went his way and I went mine.  I attended seminars on “RVing 101” and one about improving cell phone and data card reception, while Bernie found seminars on how to get bugs off the front of your rig, and a seminar about RV tires and tire safety, and AC electrical system safety, and another seminar on RV exterior care.  Fun huh?
Vintage RV on Display
A slide-out within a slide-out.
This rig was “on sale” for about $249,000.
Lots more people arrived today.  I heard stories from some of them of how they had to wait in the staging area for three hours before they were escorted to their campsite.  I’m glad we opted for the early arrival.
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The Good Sam Rally

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
We left Mesa Regal this morning and went back to the west side of Phoenix to the Phoenix International Raceway where the big Good Sam RV Rally is.  It officially begins tomorrow, but we opted for a one day early arrival.  So did a lot of other people.  We waited in line to enter, waited in the “will call” line to pick up our registration packet, then waited in the staging area for a while until someone came to escort us to our spot where we will spend the next five nights.  It sounds awful, but they really were pretty organized and didn’t take much more than an hour to get final parked.  Still, we’re glad we came today instead of tomorrow, it’s gonna be crazy.
Waiting in line at the entrance
 And I thought there were a lot of rigs at Quartzite in January.  This is going to be bigger.
Just getting started at filling just one of the parking areas.
Our home for the next 5 nights.
Once we got settled we hopped on the tram and went in to the show grounds.  It’s all in the in-field of the Phoenix International Raceway.  All we could do there today was register at the registration tent and wait around until 3:00 when the RV sales area opened for viewing.  We walked around and looked inside several of the 2013 model RV’s.  There were some pretty awesome ones there, some that were over-the-top luxurious along with over-the-top prices.  We agreed that we are quite pleased with our current rig.

New rigs staged for viewing.

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Moving On

Posted on March 20, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
I haven’t had anything to blog about for the last several days.  We’ve just been hanging out here in Mesa Regal RV Resort as well as at Towerpoint RV Resort next door where Shirley lives.  It’s a nice walk between our places and it’s been sunny most of the time.  There’s also a very nice grocery store (Fry’s) on the other side of Mesa Regal that is within walking distance, so we haven’t been out much.
That will change, as tomorrow we are leaving Mesa Regal and going to the Good Sam Rally (the Nation’s Largest RV Rally) at the Phoenix International Raceway.  This goes through March 25 and includes many events and seminars as well as live entertainment.  This year it’s Bill Cosby, Martina McBride, Bowzer’s Rock n’ Roll Party and Ticket to Ride (a Live Beatles Tribute).
We may be too busy to get a blog done every day, so don’t fret if you don’t see one daily.
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:)

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Nothing to blog about today. Grocery shopping and watching TV.

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Rain

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

No blog, just waiting for the rain to end.

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Scottsdale

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
What to do today?  After reading the 2012 Official Visitors Guide we decided on Mesa Grande Ruins Cultural Park, where you can see 700 year old pueblo ruins.  These ruins have been under preservation and development for the last several years and the guide said visitors should be able to walk the interpretive trail on Fridays and Saturdays Feb 11 – May 15 from 10am to 3pm.
Mesa Grande Pueblo Ruins
 When we arrived there we found the gates locked, nobody around, and no signs identifying the place (other than a plaque saying that it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places).   So we walked around the outside and took a few pictures through the fence.
Gates Closed
Well, where to next?  Hole-in-the-Rock at Papago Park.  People like to climb up and stand in the hole.  There are hiking trails taking you up the back side and into the little hole.  We hiked up to the hole but after that we decided it was too hot to continue hiking so we left.
Hole-in-the Rock
View Through the Hole
People Hanging Out Inside the Hole
Old Town Scottsdale was just a few miles away, so we went there.  It’s a very clean, well-kept-up old town.    We were impressed with the amount of FREE parking, not something we are used to finding in these places.  We walked about and enjoyed the souvenir and some rather upscale gift shops.
Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona
We stopped for a $5 scoop of spumoni Gelato.  It was good, a mixture of vanilla, almonds, cherries, berries, pistachio nuts, and chocolate…yum. 

Spumoni Gelato
Street performer, posing as a cowboy statue.
Scottsdale also has a courtesy trolley, free to riders, that takes you around Old Town as well as around the rest of the Scottsdale downtown area.  It’s not the usual “tour trolley”, so there is no narration.  We hopped on for a free ride around the entire route and back to Old Town.
Courtesy Trolley at Scottsdale
It was getting pretty hot, so we thought we should head back to make sure Marble was ok. She was fine, but we did run the air conditioner for a while when we got there.
 We have moved to Mesa Regal RV Resort in Mesa.  It’s right next door to the Towerpoint Resort where Shirley lives.  Mesa Regal offered a discount, while Towerpoint did not offer it for January, February, or March or we would have gone there.
Mesa Regal
Our RV is on the left side,
you can see some of it under the first orange tree.
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No Blog Today

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
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No Blog Today

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Just visiting with Shirley again. More relatives came to visit (Lyndsay and her boyfriend). We all went to lunch at Wildberries Restaurant in Mesa and then they left to head towards the Grand Canyon.

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Boyce Thompson Arboretum

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
Boyce Thompson Arboretum is Arizona’s oldest and largest arboretum.  We were looking for a nice hiking trail and this sounded like a good place for one.  It’s supposed to be a hot one today so we left early to get a cooler start.  Here are some pictures from the day:
Rattlesnakes Only Beyond This Point
Nice Views
Daffodils Blooming
Dodge Power Wagon

Guided Tour Group
Big plant sale in the parking lot.  Mostly cacti.
After the walk we drove three miles down the road to the small mining town of Superior, Arizona.  We found the local visitor center in an old red caboose with an outside display of old mining equipment.  There is  an historic old town area, but I think it needs some work.  There were very few people around, lots of empty storefronts, many run down.   We stopped for a light lunch at the only place that had any cars parked in front of it.  The food was very good, but the service could have been a lot better.

Superior Visitor Center
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Quiet Day

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Marsha Brecht

Just hanging out with Shirley.

No pictures as I have exceeded my photo storage quota. I need to figure something out.

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Superstition Mountain Museum

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
The forecast was for 80 degrees today, so we did our sight seeing early.  The Superstition Mountain Museum on the Apache Trail just below the Superstition Mountain was our destination.  It’s a nice little museum with info about the Lost Dutchman, Roosevelt Damn, and the Apache trail. 
Horse Parking
 We did not have a horse, so we just parked the car in the lot before we went in.
Yikes!
 No snakes were seen today.  There was a brief hiking trail / botanical garden behind the museum that takes you by some old gold mining equipment.  We walked that, but that only took about 15 minutes.  The museum was sponsoring an art sale today.  Lots of vendors selling their arts… way more special than the usual craft shows we have seen.
Art Show
There was also a brief gunfight.
Gunfight
AND THEN….There is the Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel at the Superstition Mountain Museum.  This was moved here from Apacheland Movie Ranch Studio.  Available for weddings.  Also on display is a vial of the sand into which Elvis fell when shot in the movie Charro.  Thought you’d like to know that.
Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel
(available for weddings)
Inside the Elvis Presley Memorial Chapel
The Lost Dutchman Labyrinth is in the center of the Museum grounds. A labyrinth is not a maze, but a walking meditation device with a single winding path from the edge to the center. The same path is used to return to the outside.  The labyrinth represents the journey inward to our true selves and back out into the everyday world.  It is a tool which can clear the mind and calm our anxieties. You’re supposed to walk the path and then ring the bell that is in the center, and then walk back out. 

Lost Dutchman Labyrinth Path
No visit to a western museum is complete without a visit to Boot Hill.
Boot Hill
 On the way back to town we stopped at a yard sale we happened to drive by.
Random Yard Sale
After that we did some shopping at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market before going home to hang out for the rest of the day.

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Saturday

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
Saturday we went to spend the day with Shirley.  Her brother, Butch and Eileen, came to visit too, and we went out for lunch.  After that we did laundry at the Towerpoint Resort.
That’s it, nothing else to blog about, and no picture.  Maybe Sunday.
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Mesa

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
This morning we met up with my step-mother, Shirley, and went to the big Mesa Market Place Swap Meet.  We’ve been here before, but I think it’s a fun place.  We made a few purchases, went out for lunch, and back to Shirley’s house to hang out and visit for a while.

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Full Moon Outing

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
Our neighbors from Minnesota have bought a home in Mesa and they have very kindly allowed us to park in their back yard for a few days.  Thank you Mike and Bobbie!

Our Rig in the Back Yard
First thing this morning was to attend the monthly Hutchinson Snowbirds breakfast at the Old Country Buffet.  This time there were about 40 people there.  This was the last breakfast for this year, the next will be in January 2013. 
 This neighborhood where Mike and Bobbie live has several other people from Hutchinson, Minnesota, and they and some others have become a close knit group.  They had planned an outing in the desert by Superstition Mountain to watch the sun set in the west and the full moon rise in the east, along with a bonfire, food, and fellowship.  We joined the group and had a great time.  What a beautiful night it was.
A Night Out by Superstition Mountain
Bonfire
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Mesa

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
There was a brush wildfire Tuesday afternoon not far from where we are staying.  It was the big news of the day on the local media.  The winds were so high they had such trouble putting it out.  It burned about 200 acres, but I don’t think anyone was hurt or any homes lost.
Brush Fire near Buckeye, Arizona
This morning we drove up to Sun City to visit relatives before heading towards Mesa.  After a nice visit with them (hello John and Joan if you are reading this) we drove to Mesa to find our friends from Minnesota.  Mike and Bobbie are gracious enough to allow us to park our motorhome on their property for a few days.  We had a great visit after we got settled in and enjoyed seeing their new house here in Mesa.  
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Tonopah, AZ

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
Our plan was to go to Quartzsite again, but when we got there we changed our mind and decided to head for Phoenix.  We got as far as Tonopah when we thought it was too windy and we did not want to drive this “high profile vehicle” in the wind.  We found Saddle Mountain RV Park and checked in here for the night.
Saddle Mountain RV Park
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Parker, AZ

Posted on March 5, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
Finished with the Lake Havasu area for this year we left Craggy Wash today and went about an hour’s drive south to Parker, Arizona.  We decided on this Walmart to shop and probably stay overnight.  I believe this is the very first Walmart I have seen that actually has its parking lot striped for RV parking.  There must have been 25 RV’s in the lot when we arrived, giving it the look of an RV park.  Most have left, I guess they were only getting supplies.  But more are arriving as I type this.
We drove out to the local casino to see what the parking there was like, and it must have had 40 RV’s in its parking lot and more arriving every minute.  This is not a big town, but it is on the Colorado River and there are RV resorts, RV dealers, one casino, and an RV show in town, so RV’s are everywhere.
Walmart in Parker, AZ
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London Bridge

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Marsha Brecht
In 1967 Robert P. McCulloch bought a bridge in London, had it dismantled and shipped here to be reassembled on land near Lake Havasu to create a tourist attraction for the city being developed here.  Then completed a canal under the bridge to create an island in the lake.  Each block of the bridge was numbered so it could be reassembled accurately.  You can still see some of the number markings.  The bridge was completed in 1971.
London Bridge
Around the newly created island and along the shoreline of the lake the city needed navigation lights to enhance safety for boaters.  They got the idea to place these lights inside miniature lighthouses.  They are all replicas of well known lighthouses in the United States.  Most are approximately 1/3 the size of the originals.  We found this one that is the replica of Split Rock Lighthouse that is on Lake Superior in Minnesota.  Cool!
1/3 Replica of Split Rock Lighthouse in Minnesota
We were lucky enough to be at the bridge when they were attempting to create a new record for the Guiness Book of World Records for the largest number of people to line dance on the London Bridge.  I have not heard any actual statistics yet, but I’m sure they were successful.  They did the Electric Slide twice. A bonus was when four military helicopters did a fly-over and everyone cheered.
3,000 line dancers on the bridge

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