Sidewinder

(Chuck)   We have moved to Sidewinder, a little spot of Heaven in the desert west of Yuma just before you get to the Imperial Sand Dunes. Some Boomers feel it is too windy (it can be), but to us it seems like home. We have enjoyed hiking in the nearby desert mountains over the years and when we arrived we made a plan to hike with our new best

friends Ron and Bernita.  They are here with us for several days and we have enjoyed their company. Today we went through the mountain and around the North side for the return trip. On the way we visited a Geocache on the top called Black Rock Overlook. We first visited this cache two years ago with Monroes and Kingsburys. Geocaching is a sport that will always take you to a spot that you might not otherwise visit. We enjoy it.

(Jan)   Yesterday Chuck and I traveled to Algodones, MX to get new glasses as it has been several years since either of us had our eyes checked. We were delighted with the service we received at Algodones Optical from Dr. Luis Gonzalez.  He was very knowledgeable and professional and we both felt that it was a better experience than many eye exams we've had in the past. Only two hours after our exam our glasses were ready and we're both very happy with them.  During our wait we wandered the streetside shops and stores and then stopped for our favorite lunch, Shrimp Tacos.   

(Chuck) We will be here with Ron and Bernita for several more days. We're having a good time hiking, planning winter activities and eating great meals. We are preparing for a trip to Pasadina, CA for the Rose Bowl Parade on New Years Day. If all goes well , we will park our rigs on a side street off Colorado Boulevard and be in great position to watch the parade. It promises to be a great experience.

Thanksgiving at Mittry

 

(Jan)Take one part sunshine, 20 good friends, 72 degree weather and add lots of good food and you have the 2009 Boomer Turkeyrang at Lake Mittry. Here is the photo of us taken by Jenny Sheppard after our huge, delicious turkey dinner while we were still able to move! From the front: Jenny, Sue and Ken Pace, Bruce Richmond, Steve Richey, Ron and Bernita Poutney; second row:Kathy Webster, Patsy Cook, Pam Richey, me, Joy Melton; third row: Loren Webster, Art and Connie Carno-Sauerstrom, Dee Richmond, Chuck, Dan Sheppard, Bea and Ken Marler. We had Mugs and Hugs at 8:00 followed by a day of good fellowship and awesome food ending with a fire in the evening. As the sky darkened we had several minutes to view the Space Shuttle and International Space Station as it moved through the sky on a northwest trajectory. An awesome ending to a fun day was enjoyed by all.

We moved here, Lake Mittry, on Tuesday from the Foothills where we enjoyed having Art and Connie on the lot with us for a week or so.  Several evenings we grilled our evening meals together and got to enjoy eating outside under the stars. Good friends; great times. We also invited several Boomers to come and join us for Happy Hour on the 18th. We had heard that the Fisher-Bakers and Meads were in town and wanted to have them over and then decided to invite a few more friends. The great thing about having a Boomer gathering is that you call, they bring chairs, drinks and food to share.  Instant party! Here is the group; Dan, Nancy & Gary, Jim, Connie & Art, Ron & Sharon, Diane, me & Chuck, Bea and Jenny. Thanks to Ken Marler for taking the photo. We also got our new Dish DVR set up while we were ‘townies’ and have enjoyed watching a little television again. Other activities were visiting with Joanne, going to Algodones, Mexico, walking around the neighborhood mornings and evenings and a trip to the Arizona Marketplace for me.

53rd Street in the Foothills

(Jan) Chuck and I have moved back down to The Foothills just east of Yuma.  For the last several winters we have rented a lot occasionally on 53rd Street so when we drove in this year, it seemed a like coming home.  We’re just a mile or two from Joanne’s, Chuck’s mom, and close to a whole lot of Boomers who call Yuma their home in the winter.  We spent the morning looking for a new Dish/DVR receiver and package as our receiver died.  Also, stopped by to visit with Gary and Nancy when we were in their neighborhood. There’s a Colorado River Hot Air Balloon event this week-end and then next week it’s on to Mittry Lake, north of Yuma, for the Boomer TurkeyRang on Thanksgiving Day. 

Back Home after a trip to Iowa

(Jan) On October 29 Chuck took me to the airport in Las Vegas so I could catch a flight to Kansas City with a 50 minutes stop to change planes in Houston. The fun began when we ran into thunderstorms west of Houston and it took us a half hour longer to land. With just 20 minutes to get from one terminal to the another, I hurried and ran, successfully made the tram and arrived just as they closed the door to the jetway. A clerk ran down to see if they would let me on the plane but the pilot said that no, the door was closed. Darn! So, after 11 hours and 3 flight changes later because of bad weather all across the middle of the U.S., I finally caught a flight to KC that landed at 2 A.M.! Luckily, I have a very understanding sister & brother-in-law who were willing to come and pick me up.  Thanks Linda and Richard, for the late night ride and your wonderful accommodations! Co-incidentally they were up waiting for the birth of granddaughter, Jenna, who arrived at 6 A.M.

Linda and I drove up to Iowa the following day after she got to see her new little miss. The purpose of my trip was to spend some time with my mom and dad who have recently moved from their home of 59 years to a near-by assisted living place. They have a very nice apartment in a beautiful facility.  Dad recently got his new Hoveround, a motorized chair, so now he is able to get out and around the building. They are both adjusting to their new place, new people and many changes to their daily routines. We made it to 4 doctor’s appointments, 2 birthday parties, a hometown morning coffee stop and a couple of shopping excursions along with a good time visiting. 

My bother Glen and sister-in-law Mary Ann very graciously let me stay with them, fed and pampered me. Thanks guys, I really enjoyed getting to be with you!  We went to Bloomer’s Bar and Grill several times as well as enjoying pizza and beer at Godfathers and a wonderful breakfast at the local cafe. While in Iowa, I used my parent’s car so I made a couple of trips out to our farm as well as going to lunch and dinner with girlfriends and a Sunday trip to see Brent and Donna & kids in Ames. Brent’s birthday was on the 29th so I got to join the family for his birthday dinner at Hickory Farms Restaurant. Yummy and very fun!  Here’s Brent with daughter Libby.

Linda, her daughter Tracey and grandson Nick drove back up to Iowa the following week-end for mom’s birthday party and to take me back home with them so I could catch my flight out of KC back to Las Vegas. This time my flight went like clock work and I arrived back in Las Vegas at 7 p.m. MT where Chuck was waiting for me. It’s very good to be home!

‘The Steps’, south of Lake Havasu City, AZ, is the location of my home.  It’s a beautiful place right along side the Colorado River above the Parker Dam.  The weather has been in the 70’s and 80’s with a mild breeze. Chuck and I have been out hiking as well as meeting our new neighbors Bob and Nancy. We’ve been into town on a grocery run and also, to investigate a new Dish DVR system as our Dish control box has died. The sunsets have been glorious here and it sure is nice to be back together again!  Life is good. 

The Steps

(Chuck)  When Jan went to Iowa to visit her parents, I had planned to settle at Craggy Wash and do some genealogy which I have neglected for quite a while. I moved to the Wash and pulled out old pages of notes and photocopies we had made at libraries and proceeded to work on the database. Soon I was looking over a few internet sites and I found the access was very sloooooooow. After two days I needed better access and I moved about fifteen miles South to an area Boomers call The Steps. Verizon access is booming here and it is very quiet. I am on the first terrace on the right which is up the road a bit from where we have been before. If you use Google Earth, put the coordinates N 34.33651 W114.13657 in the window and you will look at the rock which is beside our rig. I think I am the only person in the whole area at this time. There are many acres of available places to boondock, the scenery is not as good as Craggy Wash, but I think I like it here better.

Genealogy is something that gets into your blood and it may become a lifelong passion. You may find that your ancestors were farmers, explorers, politicians, statesmen, ministers, and soldiers. And you may find a few problems along the way too! I think the thing that I like the most is the hunt. Libraries, books, microfilm, fiche, newspapers, court house records, cemeteries,  and the internet will guide you on this never ending quest. The internet has been a boom to genealogy. It has given many people easier access to the “genealogy bug” and that is a good thing. It has also provided some of is with the opportunity to share flawed data, false assumptions, and corrupted databases. This is usually the result of someone trying to “do it all” too fast. Use other peoples work as a guideline, but strive for primary sources and always document what you have.

Whole blogs are dedicated to genealogy and I will not bore you with too much of the topic here, but I will invite any discussion when we meet up in person. The RV lifestyle has allowed us to visit cemeteries and courthouses in all parts of the country. We recently spent a week in Amador County, California. One of my ancestors brothers was a very successful participant in the gold rush of 1849. It has provided us with a unique look into the history of the gold rush.

Here are a few internet sites you may find useful. There are many others.

http://www.usgenweb.org Dedicated to free genealogy.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com  Still a good site despite Ancestry.

http://www.bkwin.org  A great event driven program.

http://www.cyndislist.com People may not see you for weeks if you go here.

I just counted about fifty bookmark links under our genealogy folder. All the usual rules apply to the internet. Just because somebody sent you something or you found it on the net, doesn’t make it true.  Mr. Rogers Was a Marine Sniper / Navy Seal may seem real to some, but there is a line on our social card that says “Don’t believe everything you think.”

Happy Trails

On To Craggy Wash

Chuck  We spent 12 days at Park Sierra SKP Park by Coarsegold CA. and is near Yosemite National Park. The last weekend we were blessed to have Jan’s brother Ron and his friend Scarlet join us. It was a planned biking trip for them. They are accomplished mountain bikers and we were happy to share a part of their outing. We walked in the valley and they biked in the area. It was good to spend time with them.

Ron’s bike garage.	Ron and his son John.
Hydraulic disc brakes on a bicycle.	Ron and Scarlet

My friend Art reminds me that Yosemite is “an urban park”. Even in the fall it is a playground for the metro areas. Lots of people who drive fast and need pass you only to put on the brakes for the next corner.

The fall colors were just magnificent, and a good time was had by all.

 

This is of course Half Dome. The next day we left the area and journeyed on to Pahrump, NV. Once again we bumped into fellow Boomers Art and Connie. At this time they have traveled on to the Encampment at Death Valley. We considered going there and will someday, however there is no cell or data service and our air card and phones will not work.

I took Jan to the airport in Las Vegas Thursday. She made a scheduled visit to her parents. She will be there for about ten days. I am in one of my favorite boondock  spots…. Lake Havasu City, AZ, Craggy Wash, FB (N 34.59450 W114.35905) 895’. It offers great scenery and lots of hiking. It has been very quiet and I have no neighbors nearby.

Happy Trails

Coarsegold CA

(Jan)The SKP RV Resort near Coarsegold has been our home this week. It’s a beautiful park-like feel with an enormous hall for gatherings. We arrived here on Wednesday after a winding mountain drive on Hwy 49 just in time for the Park’s Annual Fall festival. We met our ‘new best friends’ Boomers Art and Connie when we arrived and were delighted to join the friendly park residents and Boomer friends Sam and Caroline and Don and Sharon for Thursday afternoon Happy Hour on the terrace and dinner and entertainment Friday night.

Park Sierra is about 40 miles south of Yosemite National Park Valley. On Saturday we drove up to visit this amazing NP with Don and Sharon. It is truly awe inspiring and we are so fortunate that this land was gifted to California in 1864 under President Lincoln and was set aside as a National Park in 1890. We visited Yosemite Valley home of El Capitan. Bridal Veil Falls, Half Dome and Yosemite Falls.

 

 

Chuck & I-Yosemite Falls in the distance	The Ahwahnee Hotel Dining Room where we had lunch
Granite Cliffs towering over the Ahwahnee Hotel which was built in 1926	Sharon and I with the 3000+ feet granite face of El Capitan in the background

The best thing about being a Boomer is the people we have met along the way! We met Sam and Caroline at Mittry Lake last year at Thanksgiving and on Sunday they hosted a Mini-Rang Potluck. What a great time: fun friends, good conversation and delicious food! Here we are on their deck; Chuck, Jan, Sam, Caroline, Art, Connie, Don and Sharon.