Doing 75 in a 65 is OK, right!

First of  all I apologize for the formatting of my last post.  I don't know what happened but I think I have it fixed.

This was a 5 state day and the second 13 hour day in a row.  I am pretty much bagged.  I'm good for about 8 hours but then muscles start tightening up and basically the ol' body just starts to fall apart.  

First day was all interstate but today I decided to avoid the Toll highway which left us on mostly local highways and almost all 2 lane roads.  Its actually a much better way to see America as the Interstates avoid all towns and there is no scenery to speak of up close to the road.  

We even met a very nice young man just outside Greensburg, Kansas.  He was sporting a very dashing Movember stach and looked very dapper in his all blue uniform.  He kindly informed me that he was representing the Highway Patrol and that I was going just a tad fast.  75 in a 65.  I gave him my best "Who Me" look and handed over my drivers license.  He went back to his cruiser and got busy looking me up on his computer.  He was taking a rather long time so I suspected a ticket was coming.   He finally finished checking me out and came back to inform me that no court date or ticket was in my future but counselled me to slow down as Arizona wasn't going anywhere.  What a relief.

The rest of the day I stayed much closer to the speed limit as the highway patrol cars were everywhere and I didn't know how many warnings I was allowed in one state.  

Something that we really noticed is all the large trucks on the roads.  It seems like well over 50% of the vehicles are semi's hauling much needed goods to feed the pent-up demand of people like you and me.  

Well that's it for tonight.  Having a tough time trying to focus my eyes and the last 2 days are all a bit of a blur right now.  We hope to get into GC about 2:00 tomorrow and then it will be cleaning, laundry and grocery shopping for a few days until we can settle into a relaxing routine.  

More to come.    

Snowbird 6. Day 1

Just a quick recap of the 1st day of our first trip south without a 14,000lb 5th wheel in tow. Packing, driving, filling up with gas and the amount of fuel consumed all so much better than before. The downside is checking into the Travellodge in Platte City, Mo. It looked so much better in the pictures. The bed will be nowhere near as comfortable as the memory foam mattress in the 5er. Guess I have some learning to do on picking out hotel rooms. 

Given that the border only opened the day before we thought an early start would be crucial to beating the lineups. Up at 3:00 after 4 hours of not so restful sleep. Packed the car the day before so after a quick breakfast, completed the rest of the items on our departure check list and we drove out of the garage at 4:02. After a quiet drive to the border we were the only ones in line. Provided the passports, verbally attested to being vaccinated and confirmed we had no meat, dairy or citrus fruits. None of the usual questions about fire arms, tobacco and my favourite, cannabis products. 3 minutes tops. 

The rest of the 13 hour trip was pretty uneventful. A few fuel stops, lunch on the road and we arrived at Platte City, Mo (just north of Kansas City) at 5:00. One of the things we noticed was the lack of masks. Most employees wear them although many are neatly tucked under their chin. Very few customers are wearing masks. Must be similar to shopping in Winkler. Another early start tomorrow for a 12 hour drive to Albuquerque, NM. Hope my hotel choice will be better there. A relatively short 6 hour drive on Thursday and we hope to check into Gold Canyon around 2:00. 

Weather forecast is calling for 2 days of heavy snow in Winnipeg starting tomorrow so i think we got out just in time. This ones for you Brad. More to come I promise. 

More later

A Dogs Life

 It has been a long time since I have even contemplated updating my blog.  The intent of the blog was to chronicle our snowbird travels.  For the past 18 months most of our travels have consisted of trips from the livingroom to the kitchen to the den and back to the kitchen.  As you may have guessed the kitchen was a popular destination.  We have made a few local day trips plus a one week retreat to our favourite Manitoba destination, Clear Lake.  While I have a ton of pictures to edit the never ending rendition of Groundhog Day did a number on my motivation.

The recent announcement of the opening of the US border has us preparing for departure on November 9 and excitement reigns supreme.  Our last Snowbird trip saw us leave in late October with our 5th wheel in tow and heading for what has become our winter home in Gold Canyon, Az.  While not part of the plan we ended up buying a Park Model unit in the Gold Canyon RV and Golf resort and we thoroughly enjoyed our first winter in our little home.  We completed a few updates to the unit and made plans for more extensive renovations the following year.  

Well, we all know what happened next.  The year's hiatus provided us with the opportunity to refresh our memories of what a Manitoba winter is all about.  As Manitoba winters go it was one of the milder ones on record but we reaffirmed our commitment to spend as many winters as possible in Arizona.  We are looking forward to renewing old friendships and making a few new ones.   

The desert awaits.  

This post unfortunately has a sad theme as for the first time in almost 15 years Lori and I will not have our shadow with us.  Charli had been our constant companion.  Often underfoot, always enthusiastic about the next walk or ready to snuggle with us on the couch.  The past 2 years have been an increasing struggle as her back legs started to fail with her discomfort becoming ever more apparent.  

We made the difficult decision a few weeks back and life has had a void in it since.  We are slowly adjusting to the quiet in the house although at times I find myself looking for her.  When I set my plate down on the end table I no longer have to worry about having the food vacuumed up by the hoover that was Charli's never ending search for snacks.  We are adjusting as we did 16 years ago when we had to put our little Sheltie, Niki, down.  Just like then we have promised ourselves that this will be our last 4 legged companion.  We will see.  

I have gone through the many thousands of pictures I have taken in the past few years trying to find a few that would reflect her part in our lives.  Of the hundreds that she was in I have cobbled together a few.

When Charli came to us she was a handful.  Literally

Come on dad.  Time for a walk
Too bad I missed focus but does give her a dreamy look.  

Willing the food to jump from Lori's fingers to her mouth

Always a great companion when out snowshoeing. 
One time she dug through the snow and came trotting back with a mouse gently held in her mouth.  
She was so proud of herself.  
Lori was of another mind. 

A couch potato one minute but in an instant she was ready
 for a 5 mile hike. 

No lap or chair too small.
We were definitely testing the chairs weight capacity.

Perhaps my favourite.  
Her intensity was at its peak when a stick was ready to be tossed.
She would circle forever till she found the stick.  

One time we stopped at a park by the Colorado river.  
A duck landed in the river and she was off to retrieve it.  
It was spring, the river was high and flowing fast.  
We called and called to get her to come back but
she kept swimming to get that duck.  
She eventually came back but we feared she would
be swept downriver.  
While not a pure bred lab the instinct was still there. 

A well travelled dog.  Here at the Grand Canyon.

Always ready for a hike in the desert.
Or anywhere else for that matter. 

Our first little girl.  
Not usually a lap dog but a very sweet disposition
and loved to herd everything.  

Well that's it.  Our home is now a little quieter, fewer slobber marks on the floor and travel plans will be a little easier.   Every time we see someone else with a dog in tow we will feel a few pulls at our heartstrings but we will carry our many fond memories with us where ever we travel.