Green Is The Color!!!

I decided to change the template on my blog in honor of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. We will be cheering them on when they meet the Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup next Sunday. GO RIDERS!!!!

Frost Delay in Mesa????

Yesterday the Jacobs' and Baileys' had a 8:37 AM tee time at Superstition Springs Golf Course. When we arrived they told us our tee time was delayed due to frost....now, I admit it was a bit chilly the night before, but these people do not know the meaning of November frost!!! Needless to say, we hit a bucket of balls at the driving range, enjoyed the view and relaxed until we teed off.
We had seen the golf course from the freeway as we had driven by, but this was our first time golfing at this course. The landscape was spectacular. It was full of undulating greens, rolling fairways, water hazards, sand traps, birds of all kinds (we saw herons and egrets just to name a few) waterfalls and challenging holes.



This hole is known as the volcano. A long par 3 surrounded by sand bunkers. I have to admit I was at the beach on the way to the top!!



There was water everywhere. Quite a change from our regular course where the only water is in your glass. Senor Ping had a tough out on this hole.

Golfing at Kokopelli

We made a return trip to Kokopelli golf course last week with friends Loreen and Gavin. It was a beautiful day for golf, slightly overcast (meaning not as hot as it has been) but no wind or bugs!! The course is lush with rolling fairways, lots of water and sand (my favorite things ....just not on a golf course) and no obstacles like houses for Senor Ping to worry about. What a great way to spend the day!!!

Guess What I Found!!

Last week we went golfing and I took my little camera along and took a few shots of Senor Ping and the golf course. When I went to upload the pictures to the computer t I was quite surprised to find golf photos from Desert Blume in Medicine Hat. In August Doug and Debbie K. and I enjoyed a round of golf in Medicine Hat. Although we drove through rain most of the way to Medicine Hat, the rain clouds lifted and we were able to enjoy our round of golf at one of the more challenging courses we have played.

Up To Speed

One of our biggest beef's about the RV park we are staying in is the high speed internet. At times it works just fine, but on occasion (and those occasions have been getting more frequent as more people arrive), it slows to a crawl, times out and generally annoys us to no end. It is very difficult to harvest and plant crops on Farmville when it is so slow and last night we skyped Megan and had to reconnect 4 times to finish our conversation. Last year I had to sit outside to use skype or walk to the laundry room to improve the strength of the signal.

This morning we had an internet provider come and hook up a modem and now things are zooming along. I can farm all I want, Senor Ping can check out how the Roughriders are preparing for their next football game and we can skype (and hopefully not lose our connection). I will also be able to post more photos on my blog without waiting and waiting and waiting.....

Exploring the Cliff Dwellings

The drive from Moab Utah to Cortez Colorado is very scenic. We left the red rock cliffs behind and drove through flat prairie. The trees were golden in the sunshine and it was a beautiful fall day. After getting set up in the campground we drove to Mesa Verde National Park. The road to the top is full of switchbacks and deep ravines. We watched a short video about the Puebloans and then toured the museum. The viewpoint from the museum overlooks Spruce Tree House, the park's best-preserved cliff dwelling. We chose to tour the Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in the park. Our tour took us down uneven stone steps, paths around rocks and into the Cliff Palace. (Should I mention at this time that I am not fond of heights or edges???) It was amazing to see what these ancient peoples had designed and built with none of the modern technology available to us today. The climb back up involved more uneven stone steps and climbing ladders for a 100 ft vertical climb. It was not a climb I would care to repeat anytime too soon, but very much worth it!!!

A Hike to Landscape Arch

This morning Senor Ping and I drove up to the Devil's Garden in the the Arches National Park. The hike was marked as an easy trail so we were confident that "flatlanders" would be able to successfully make the hike without needing CPR.
The trail led us through red rocks and sand, up, down and between crevices formed by nature. At the end of the trail we were amazed by the huge arch before us. What a spectacular sight!!!

We Saw Utah!!

Senor Ping and I headed south earlier this week, leaving behind a skiff of snow and below average temperatures. Our first night was spent in Butte and we were very pleased with the furnace in our new rig. It kept us nice and toasty warm! Our second night was south of Salt Lake City and then we had a short drive to Moab on our third day. We settled in at an RV park on the edge of town, did some grocery shopping and then spent the day relaxing in the sun.
The next morning we drove to Arches National Park. We decided to follow the auto tour, stopping at various roadside turnouts to take pictures and marvel at the beauty of the landscape. Some of our favorite stops included the Three Gossips, Balanced Rock, Delicate Arch and the Double Arch. We did a short hike up to the North and south Arches and then had lunch at the base of the trail. There were bikers and hikers of all ages enjoying the trails.
Here are a few of our favorite stops on the trip.

Mesa North

Last week Senor Ping and I joined 3 other couples for "Mesa North". Our hosts, Gavin and Loreen, welcomed us into their home on the lake for 4 days of fun, food and music. We arrived from California, Saskatchewan and B.C. with guitars, amplifiers, microphones, song lists and tons of food. We took turns cooking dinner each night and enjoyed lingering over a glass of wine as the sun set over the mountains. We had many laughs, numerous discussions, played board games, swapped recipes and shared book lists. Gavin also took us for a cruise on the lake. It was a wonderful week that ended with a concert in the garage. We each went our own ways on Friday morning with a promise of more good times to be had when we meet up again in Arizona.