Wednesday, November 26, 2008

It Really Does Rain In Arizona

Senor Ping and I awoke this morning to the pitter patter of raindrops on the roof of the 5th wheel and for a minute I thought I was camping back home. Many moons ago when our family spent the summer traveling across Alberta and Saskatchewan with trailer in tow we could always be guaranteed at least a thunder shower every day or at least every couple days. We learned to entertain the kids with rowdy games of Yatzee or Talk About and never left home without a couple umbrellas, rubber boots, tarps, rain gear and credit cards (for those camping trips when it rained every day we would eventually trek to the nearest mall and spend the afternoon drying out). The farmers even considered paying us to camp at home during the dry years, as it seemed everywhere we went it rained.

However, we are in the desert and rain is not a common occurrence. As a matter of fact this is the first rain we have encountered in our three trips south. The rain has been in the weather forecast since last week but the people we have discussed the weather with assured us that it wouldn't amount to much. Along with the rain came strong winds and everyone was outside at 6:00 AM rolling up their awnings and anchoring things that might start blowing around. Then it quit and I decided to carry on with my plans for our last day in Yuma. I had laundry going, got the outdoor carpets rolled up and the lawn chairs put away, enjoyed a visit with Susan from back home and then the rain started again. It continued to rain for a couple hours. There are puddles everywhere, water running through the "wash" and the golf carts have come to a halt. We found the rain quite refreshing and another "first " to record on our blog!!

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Links At Coyote Wash


This morning our friend Bob, Senor Ping and I went golfing at the Links At Coyote Wash. The course is at Wellton, approximately 15 miles east of our park. We left before sunrise and were quite surprised at how much cooler the temperature was on the other side of the mountain. We had to wait for the daylight before we could tee off on the first hole.




The 18 hole course is in excellent shape with beautiful landscaping and new homes sprouting up all around. The course had many challenges including water on many holes, cavernous sand traps (of which Bob and I had plenty of opportunity to experience) and a lengthy drive between some of the holes. I wonder how many golfers get lost each day?? The three of us enjoyed good scores and look forward to playing a couple more rounds before we head north.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Golfing in the Desert



A rare sight in the desert is a patch of deep grass. Lenore's shot found some of this at the Las Barrancas Golf Course.
Weather here is fabulous. Mid 80's (28C) and light breezes. We have been feasting on Mexican food. Last night's meal at Mi Rancho featured Al Pastor (pork) and carne somethng which is steak. Very nice! We have now been here for 3 weeks and have only 10 days left until we begin the great trek north.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Gaslamp Quarter and Old Town


After lunch Senor Ping and I went for a walk in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego. There are many turn of the century buildings which have been turned into sidewalk cafes, galleries, boutiques and restaurants. We took a break and stopped for a beer at one of the many bars and did some people watching.


Our final stop of the day was Old Town. This has become a favorite stop for us and we always find a place for mexican food. This trip we stopped at a place Megan recommended after her Old Town Culinary Tour while she was in San Diego in September. The food was great and the margaritas were a perfect end to a great day.

Cruising the San Diego Harbor

On Monday Senor Ping and I dropped Abbey off at the kennel and drove to San Diego for a bit of site-seeing and shopping. Our first stop was the harbor and a 1 hour cruise aboard the Lord Hornblower. We had a narrated tour of the south harbor.





After the cruise we strolled along the waterfront to Seaport Village for lunch, fish and chips seemed to be the appropriate choice. We were entertained by a guitar player as we ate.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

This Week in Yuma




A little bit of golf, a little bit of guitar and a lot of desert marks our week in Yuma. Temperatures here have moderated, 75-80 degrees during the day and cool enough at night to get a good sleep. Also, a spending spree for me on eBay has yielded a new Ping Lob Wedge (now I gotta learn to hit it), and at the Arizona Marketplace has produced a new set of Nike Slingshot Irons for Lenore (She is hitting them like a pro)!

Today I'm looking forward to watching the Eastern and Western Semi-Finals on TSN. Until last night I couldn't receive any of the TSN signals from any of the Even Transponders (technical stuff, don't worry), but magically, perhaps an omen, TSN showed up on my screen last night! I will be able to watch the games live! Go Riders!

Lenore is off doing laundry this morning. Abbey and I washed the truck. (Drive thru's are so great). Anybody got any ideas how to get rid of the bugs from the front bumper and grill? I bought some magical cleaner at the Marketplace BUT IT DIDN'T WORK. It was called snake-oil or something like that. Beware of these gimmicks....

Hello to all that read our blog. We are fine and doing well in the desert.

db

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Last week at Parker Arizona





Here are a couple of pictures of our campground at Parker Arizona that we stayed at. The Colorado River is spectacular! Lots of fishing, boats, and opportunities to throw your dog in the water. Also the fabulous Emerald Canyon Golf Course is a treat.