Tilley - 6 month clothing update

It was about six months ago that we received our order of Tilley clothing in the mail. We were about to embark on a one month trip to South Korea, and we like to travel light. We only take a wheeled carry on bag, and just about everything that was in our bag came from Tilley.

Hats, socks, underwear, shirts, jackets, and pants!

Family and friends

Two weeks seems to go by pretty quickly, so we're trying to make the most of it by spending as much time as possible with family and friends. After all, we didn't come here to enjoy the cold and snow, although I have to say that it's not bothering me as much as I thought it would.

It's almost a refreshing change, especially knowing that we don't have to put up with six months of it!

The Great White North

Welcome to Canada, the great white north! That title is sure living up to it's name for our visit. Snowing this morning, on the first full day of spring! Daytime temperature not bad, hovering around the freezing mark. But, still unseasonably cold at night. Supposed to go down to -17C (2F) tonight. Brrr!

Took a blog break yesterday, so here's what we've been up to...

Surprise!

We said that we were in Las Vegas for one reason, and one reason only. What was that reason?

To use the Las Vegas airport!

Ruth's great quiche recipe!

The other day when we went for a hike in Sedona, Ruth had made a quiche the the night before. And she used corn tortillas instead of a pastry pie crust...and it was delicious! Many of you were asking about the recipe she uses.

So here it is...!

A look back at Arizona

We made it to Las Vegas. And so of course now we are in the state of Nevada.

We spent almost two months touring Arizona. I think that's the longest amount of time that we've ever been in one state...and we still haven't seen it all! Our original plan was to take in parts of Southern California too, but there was too much to see in Arizona.

Oh, of course we did spend some time at Imperial Dam and Pilot Knob which are both technically in California, but right on the border.

Our new RV washing machine!

Just puttered around most of the day yesterday.

I had bought a gallon of distilled water at Walmart the other day and topped up the batteries. I check them once a month, and they were due for some water and a clean up.

Almost felt like Christmas!

Yesterday, we drove about 129 miles (206 kms) to just north of Kingman, Arizona. We've dropped back down into the desert now, and temps are warmer. It's just me, but I really do like the forest and the trees better than the desert. Even if it comes with slightly cooler temperatures.

Before we left, I had taken apart that switch that was affecting our transmission torque converter. I cleaned the contacts, and that seems to have done the trick. So our gas mileage is back to where it should be and Sherman's transmission is acting the way it was designed.

Arizona is full of fantastic boondocking spots

We left Flagstaff yesterday morning around 10:00am. Stopped to get some gas, but only a little because it's cheaper in Kingman and we're headed there today.

Can't believe the wide variance in gas prices in Flagstaff. From $2.30 to $2.70! I don't understand why anybody would pay $2.70, when it's $2.30 across the street.

It wasn't meant to be...

We tried to go for a hike yesterday, but it just didn't happen. The weather wasn't great. Overcast, and a high of about 55C, which was fine, but then it started spitting rain. Still, we drove about 8 miles (13 kms) from our great boondocking spot to the forest road that leads to the Lava Tube Cave.

But the forest road entrance is at 8,000 ft altitude, and it's closed during winter.

Heading north - Sedona to Flagstaff

Yesterday morning, we had Joe over to the motorhome for breakfast. Some of Ruth's delicious pancakes! And then it was time to say goodbye, as we were heading north on highway 89A towards Flagstaff.

Our original plan was to head up to the Grand Canyon for a few days, but when we detoured down to Mesa to avoid that storm last week, we essentially lost three days.

Hiking on the edge!

We left our boondocking spot 8 miles west of Sedona, and drove directly to the trailhead at Mund's Wagon Trail. I had seen the parking lot from Google maps satellite view, and it looked big enough to park Sherman for a few hours while we went on a hike.

We got there just after 10:00am, and had we been 10 minutes later, we wouldn't have got a spot. You'll find out further on in the story that our entire day would have turned out totally different had we not been able to park there.

So, we were very lucky!

The only problem with Sedona...

is...well...Sedona itself.

The area surrounding Sedona, Arizona is simply spectacular. I don't know the history, but you'd have to think somebody back in the 1920's or 1930's dropped the ball when this area wasn't made into a National Park.

Because it should have been!

It's not the Destination - It's the Journey!

It was only a couple of months ago that we experienced Mexico's fantastic Copper Canyon by train. And we loved it! Riding the rails while looking at gorgeous scenery under clear blue skies just can't be beat. So when we were invited to see the Verde Canyon (often called Arizona's other Grand Canyon!) the same way, we jumped at the opportunity.

Verde Canyon Railroad has been operating scenic tours of the canyon since 1990. An average of 90,000 people per year take this relaxing 4 hour trip. They can add two more this year!

The most interesting thing you'll see that day.

If you visit the Gold King Mine and Ghost Town, located only a mile up the road from Jerome, Arizona, it will be without a doubt the most interesting thing you'll see that day.

We had asked the owner, Don Robertson, if we could park overnight in their big level lot and he said that was no problem. When we woke up the next morning, we waited until the 10:00am opening dynamite blast (at least that's what it sounded like!) and then we wandered over to explore.