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2023

December 2022 - April 2024
An open-ended adventure by Debra Read more
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  • Traveler2023
    Day 33

    Jan 1-Jan 29, 2023

    January 29, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 43 °F

    Following Christmas we surfed the atmospheric river back to the desert southwest without any mishaps.
    Despite some unseasonably cold temperatures here in Arizona, we've been enjoying the sunshine.
    This past month we adopted and planted a car load of cactus, agave and aloe from a generous neigbor; purchased a golf cart; attended the Casa Grande Street Fair, Car and Bike Show; watched softball here at RR (Robson Ranch) ; were entertained at the RR talent Show; and of course played a lot of pickleball.
    Tuesday, we welcomed our first house guests. Our friends, Gary and Carrie, joined us for five days of fun and sun.
    We took them on a tour of RR; hiked at Picacho State Park; watched the skydivers at Sky Dive Arizona; visited Suguaro National Park; took in the South 12th Ave food scene in Tucson; played pickleball; watched movies; talked, laughed and reminisced. We had a great time and hated to see them depart.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 76

    January 30-March 13

    March 13, 2023 in the United States

    We've had a relaxing month and a half. Last month I took a gourd art class at the Creative Arts Center here at Robson Ranch (RR). I've also been baking a lot of bread, in fact we haven't purchased a loaf in months. https://www.sodiumoptional.com/easy-crusty-brea…
    We watched our next door neighbor, Wes, along with 5 other contestants vie for the coveted Mirror Ball Trophy at Dancing with the Robson Ranch Stars. It was a great evening of entertainment.
    My cousin, Sally, and her husband Dave spent an afternoon with us. We served them lunch and took them on a tour of our community.
    Randy and I volunteered and spectacted at two pickleball tournaments held here at RR. It was great cheering on our friends competing in the tournaments.
    As with a good part of the country it's been colder and wetter than normal here in Arizona... not that we're complaining. This past week it's been warmer. We've enjoyed the desert starting to bloom and spending the afternoons and evenings hanging out on our patio.
    Today we took the motorhome to the local truck wash before heading north to Cottonwood, AZ for four nights. This is the longest time we've not resided in our home on wheels and it feels good to be on the road again.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 80

    March 13-17

    March 17, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 61 °F

    After a 90 minute delay, due to multiple accidents and road construction through the Phoenix metroplex, we finally made it to Verde Valley RV Resort in Cottonwood, AZ.
    This was absolutely one of the nicest Thousand Trail parks that we've stayed at. It had well maintained facilities and roads with spacious sites and nice views.
    After setting up "camp" we headed into Cottonwood for a delicious Mexican dinner and a stroll of Old Town.
    Tuesday we drove an hour west to Prescott where we toured the Sharlot Hall Museum https://www.sharlothallmuseum.org/ followed by lunch at Bill's Pizza. Bill's is our favorite pizza restaurant in Palm Springs and we were delighted to find that it originated in Prescott. We explored the many shops and galleries in Old Town/Whiskey Row and stopped at Superstion Meadery for a flight of their fine mead. https://superstitionmeadery.com/company-info/
    Wednesday we hunkered down in the motorhome for most of the day due to rain and flood advisories. We did get out for a hike around the park during a break in the weather.
    Yesterday we had an outstanding breakfast at Crema Craft Kitchen in Cottonwood before spending the day in the former copper mining town of Jerome.
    We stopped at the Audrey Shaft Headfram of the Little Daisy Mine
    then toured the Douglas Mansion. https://azstateparks.com/jerome/ We had a great time walking the hilly, historic ghost town that is Jerome, AZ.
    Today we return to our home at Robson Ranch. It was wonderful resuming our nomadic lifestyle for a few days to explore new sights.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 94

    March 18-31

    March 31, 2023 in the United States

    Spring continues to slowly make her way to the Sonoran Desert, though it is still unseasonably cooler and rainier than normal.
    Randy and I hoped to see the super bloom at Picacho Peak but so did hundreds of other people so we did a short hike adjacent to the park instead.
    We continue to spend lots of time on the pickleball courts. Usually at 6:00am and/or 6:00pm so we see some beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
    Last Saturday we snatched up some bargains at the Robson Ranch Yard Sale where over 90 of our neighbors had tables set up. We also visited Wuertz Gourd Farm where I purchased some gourds to decorate. https://www.wuertzfarm.com/
    Last week we had our patio extended and a dry stream bed added to our backyard landscape.
    Tuesday we joined Gary and Carrie in La Jolla, California for three days of fun. We had lunch on the waterfront before visiting Cabrillo National Monument, including the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. https://www.nps.gov/cabr/index.htm
    That evening we watched the sun set at Windandsea Beach.
    Wednesday we had a nice walking tour of the neighborhood while on our way to Harry's Coffee Shop for a tasty breakfast. Later we met Gary's brother, Gordon and his wife Patty at Cesarina's for a delicious dinner of italian cuisine. https://cesarinarestaurant.com/welcome-to-cesar…
    Thursday Carrie led Randy and I on a long walk up to Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial. We were rewarded with beautiful views at the top. Later that day we got in over an hour of pickleball at the Barnes Tennis Center before getting rained out.
    Thank you so much G & C for including us on your vacation. We had a wonderful time!    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    2
    Day 140

    April 1-May 16

    May 16, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 99 °F

    We've really enjoyed seeing the desert come to life during the past month.
    I haven't played pickleball for five weeks due to a bum shoulder 😔. It's improved but is easily irritated. I've kept active with 6-8 mile desert and neighborhood walks where I have spotted jack rabbits, coyote, road runners, many cottontails and colorful birds as well as beautiful sunrises and blooming vegetation.
    Learning to decorate gourds at the Creative Arts Center here at Robson Ranch has been fun and introduced me to a new group of very talented people. I've also been reading a lot with Lessons in Chemistry, Everything I Never Told You and Demon Copperhead being my favorites.
    Randy's been honing his skills on our Traeger, smoking tri tip, chicken, ribs and char siu pork.😋
    We've had fun playing shuffle board, pool and cards and sharing food and drink with friends.
    Yesterday we hit 100°F and the cold tap water is coming out warm, so time to head north.
    We'll take 10 days to make our way back to Boring, OR with stops in Cabazon, Paso Robles, Isleton and Lewiston California and Phoenix, Oregon.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    1
    Day 142

    May 16-18

    May 18, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 91 °F

    We spent the first night of our journey home boondocking at Morango Casino in their new RV parking lot. We slept well without the noise of semi trucks parked next to us.
    Yesterday we avoided the congestion on interstate 210 by taking 215 to 138, north of the San Gabriel mountains.
    Last night and tonight we're in Paso Robles where our rv site backs up to a vineyard with beautiful views.
    This morning we started our day with a delicious breakfast at Brother's Cafe before exploring downtown Paso Robles, including a visit to the History Museum. Next we continued west to San Luis Obispo where we revisited the Mission, did a lot of walking and had some yummy ice cream at McConnell's.
    Continuing west we had a cool respite from the inland heat upon our arrival at Pismo Beach. We strolled the main drag and the pier before traveling down the coast a bit before stopping at some farm stands on our way back to the RV park.
    It's good to be on the road again. 😊    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    1
    Day 145

    May 19-21

    May 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    Friday we traveled north through the San Joaquin Valley to the California Delta for a two night stay at Delta Shores Resort and Marina located on the Mokelumne River.
    Saturday we were up early to shop the Golden Villa Farmer's Market in Stockton. It's an asian market that features fish and produce. We purchased some beautiful veg and fruit. https://www.goldenvillafarmersmarket.com/
    Next we took a long walk along the waterfront before heading to Modesto's Farmer's Market where we bought some tasty bread.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 146

    May 21-23

    May 22, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Sunday we arrived at Trinity River RV Park in Lewiston, CA. It's a modest little park with beautiful water views.
    Monday we drove to Weaverville, a historic gold rush town with quaint shops, beautiful architecture and the best grilled cheese sandwich we've ever had! https://www.weavervilleca.org/
    We drove through the sleepy hamlet of Lewiston before our return to the moho.
    Today was busy and fun filled. We started off with a hike to Whiskeytown Falls where we got a good workout, saw wildflowers, beautiful scenery and many small lizards. Next we visited the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Visitor Center before doing a walking tour of Shasta State Historic Park on our way to Redding. Our first stop in town was a tour of the Behrens-Eaton House Museum. https://eatonhousemuseum.org/ The docent. Kathy, was knowledgeable and entertaining. Then one of the trustees gave us a private tour of an auxiliary building that is being set up with more exhibits. He also recommended that we see the Sundial Bridge, arboretum and bike the Sacramento River Trail... So we did! Thanks Mike for the excellent suggestion. https://www.turtlebay.org/sundial-bridge/
    We also managed to fit in a delicious lunch at Conelo's. https://www.canelosredding.com/
    Tomorrow we head to Phoenix, Oregon.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 149

    May 24-26

    May 25, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Our last two nights on the road were spent at Holiday RV Park in Phoenix, OR. Wednesday we enjoyed a spicy, hot meal at Charm Thai Kitchen before going to Central Point to purchase award winning cheese from Rogue Creamery https://roguecreamery.com/ and chocolate from Lillie Belle Farms https://www.lilliebellefarms.com/.
    Next we did a walking tour of historic Jacksonville.
    Yesterday Randy gave the moho a much needed wash then we headed to Ashland for lunch at Martolli's and dessert at Zoey's. BJ's ice cream seems to be the product of choice at the ice cream parlors in this area and it is delectable! Well fortified, we strolled downtown Ashland and Lithia Park. After taking a break back at the moho, we drove back to the Angus Bowmer Theater in Ashland to attend the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's production of Rent. It was fantastic! https://www.osfashland.org/ It was Randy's first time at OSF. I'd been to many productions with my mom, Auntie Aki and sister Marcia... Fond memories.❤️
    We had a lovely drive through the forest, into the Willamette Valley then on to our home base in Boring Oregon where we were welcomed with a delicious dinner prepared by my MIL, Sharon.    Read more

  • Traveler2023
    Day 176

    May 27-June 21

    June 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    As always the first month back at our home base in Oregon has been busy, catching up with family, doctors and dentist appointments. I started physical therapy for my shoulder and am slowly resuming pickleball.
    We had a wonderful visit with cousin Carrie and her family, who traveled from their home in South Dakota.
    Last week we visited my Auntie Mary. I hope I'm doing as well as her when/if I reach my 90's!
    Saturday we attended the Hillendale Pickleball Annual Potluck where we shared good food, good company and good play. It was great reuniting with our Oregon pickleball family.
    Friday Randy spent the entire day smoking two pork shoulders for our Father's Day meal. Sunday we had a delicious feast followed by a rousing game of pegs and jokers.
    Yesterday I shared a tasty meal at Tara Thai with "the girls".    Read more

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