Apache Junction, AZ – Starting 2011

 

We have been enjoying life in the slow lane since arriving here in Apache Junction in early December.  The weather has been a bit on the cool side so some outdoor activities have been curtailed to some extent.  But at least we haven’t had to shovel any of the weather in order to get out of the driveway.  However, there was one day when a few snowflakes managed to fall out of a cloudless blue sky and the mountains just north of here had mantles of white on their shoulders.

Dental appointments are over and done with and we are on the books for wellness exams at the end of this month.  That should leave plenty of time for any necessary medical tests before we hit the road again in March.  Most snowbirds use the winter months as “vacations” but we come here to get chores done.

The highlight of the past few weeks was a visit on Wednesday from our old friends, Joe and Bernie (aka Dina), from Upstate New York.  In Phoenix to visit two of their children, we were so happy they could spend a day with us.  There was a lot of catching up to do so we just sat around and yakked.  They’ve visited this area before and have probably seen most of the sights so we just took them to our favorite Beall’s Outlet, then drove past our favorite saguaro cactus.   Who wouldn’t love this guy?  After a late lunch (or early dinner, depending on your perspective), we drove them to their youngest son’s home where they will spend the remainder of their Arizona vacation. 

Nearly every day, regardless of the temperature, Russ and Howie have gone off on their bicycles to explore the area and get some exercise.  Most days they are logging close to ten miles, often made more difficult by flat tires.  Howie’s new bike turned out not to be much of a bargain because he had to almost completely reassemble it and the tires keep going flat, slime or no slime. 

I gave up trying to do two water aerobics classes back to back.  It was costing a fortune in body lotion and I didn’t much care for wasting most of the morning flailing around in the water.  I’d rather spend the time working on my beading projects and have completed several pieces since we’ve been here.

Of course one of the chores of sitting in one place for an extended period is to map out a route for the next few months.  The task this time was to get us into position by Memorial Day to make the leap across the border into Canada to begin the push northward to Alaska.  Of course we’ll be trying to utilize as many of our membership parks as possible in order to save money before venturing into the unknown.  With oil reaching $100 a barrel, it doesn’t seem like the most appropriate time to be planning a really long trip.  But we aren’t getting any younger and neither is the rig so if we’re going to do it, we might as well do it now.