McGaffs On The Fly

With no more than a plan of leaving by 8:30 to take a big chunk out of our 17+ drive north we left Newland around 9:30 with no other plan then to get to Acadia and figure it out from there. Oh well…0 for 1 on planning.

We drove for almost 10 hours and landed in Allentown, PA at around 8pm…6 states covered, not bad. Since it was so late we decided a hotel would be great for one night before we started our real camping adventures. It was a pretty nice drive with beautiful scenery along the way. Joanie even stayed awake to keep me company…I love that girl.

Plan 2…find a spot north of Boston along the coast to stay before checking in to Acadia National Park on Friday…I love plans.

Well, we’re still here. We moved Little Al to NC to be closer to us and although he no longer has a roof over his head he does seem pretty happy with the nice temperatures. He also seems pretty happy to hear that after all of our great travels west that we are going to finally take him east…far northeast.

In preparation for that trip we took our granddaughter’s on a quick 2 night camping trip about 10 miles away from our home to Roan Mountain State Park. We had a great time in the family oriented park and enjoyed the yelling of kids, non stop bike riding by our space, and perfect weather to enjoy playing in streams. Side note, I slept like a baby in my single bed cocoon…Joanie slept like a mamma ape with 2 spider monkeys rolling all around and over her.

After our trip I took Little Al an hour away to get the water heater fixed, seems that continuous pushing of the on/off switch is not good for the circuit board. On the way home I heard a loud pop from behind me that turned out to be a blown sidewall. Since I had zero cell phone connection I asked the kid playing the banjo the best route to find a tire shop then limped about 10 miles, stopping every 3 to fill up tire. NOW we are ready to go.

Leaving Tuesday for Acadia Nation Park, a short 17 hours away…more to come.

Well, we haven’t made the full circle because we made a pit stop in Dallas to see our two favorite granddaughters but we will complete the circle tomorrow.

We left Phoenix on Sunday and drove to Edgewood, NM for a quick overnight stay before heading to Wichita Falls for a luxurious stay at The Baymont Hotel. Who thought you could actually sleep inside with an indoor bathroom for less than $85, we paid that in Phoenix and had to walk across the street to take a shower…we have come a long way.

It was a great trip with more memories…out for now, but more to come for our next adventure.

The last two days we did a little hiking on flat surfaces to give my tortured foot a break then looked for places to waste money on. Luckily there was a swap meet with plenty of c r a p to view, fortunately it was c r a p priced where we didn’t have to think about buying it.

We then attend two different wine festivals where we were able to enjoy wine tastings as well as some beautiful art. The last few days have been great for spending time outside and we have taken advantage of it. Our time at this campground has ended, time to head back east to…guess we’ll see when we get there.

We found a new trail yesterday by simply going a direction we’ve never been, into the Tonto National Forest very close to where we are staying. Most of the trails we have taken are close to the city but yesterday we stayed away from the city and surprisingly found a great area…with a lake. We’ll definitely be going back, so many directions to go.

More great news, turns out that there are more than one My Sisters Closet in Phoenix…can you imagine, how lucky are we?! Hiking and shopping, that is what I call a fun day…

Seriously though, Dry January did end yesterday so we were able to end our night at Frank & Lupe’s to get their famous margaritas…well, maybe not famous but still made our day.

Rain on Friday, day of rest…

We had a great Wednesday where we were able to do at least one of Joanie’s hobbies where we didn’t spend money…hiking.

The day started off at The Lost Dog Wash Trailhead, we hiked a moderate hike to the Taliesin Overlook where we were able to see most of the city and Frank Lloyd Wright’s compound. It was a perfect day for a hike with the morning weather around 60…I do love putting on sunblock in January.

Then…the shopping started. Ladies, if you have never been to My Sisters Closet and experienced the ultimate shopping experience that…just kidding, I have no idea. All I know is that I leave Joanie and come back in a minimum of an hour and can only hope she has moved from the rack I left her at. I have a dream.

From there we rested in Little Al while we awaited our turn at all the fun, excitement, and jackpots coming our way at WeKoPa casino. I tried to complain after an hour to management about the false adverting but apparently 2 out of 3 is par for the course, yes we did have fun and excitement. Oh well, maybe next time.

Off to find more hikes today…my little footsie is holding up so far.

Before we head back into the mountains to put more stress on my poor little foot we decided to take it easy for a day. We started off with a little golf at Top Golf, checked out the Talking Stick Casino, then finally walked around Old Town Scottsdale. As it turns out, we do need more practice before our golf expedition, silver jewelry will not adorn Joanie or I, and this casino didn’t get the memo about sending their guests home with riches…surely a tie is not what they wanted us to experience!

The day was capped off with our favorite lunch trip to Adreoli Italian Grocery where we partook in the Italian sausage sandwich. As usual, the sandwich was wonderful…I just wish I could eat a whole one like Joanie. I often ponder…why can she eat twice as much as me and never gain weight yet I seem to. It’s a phenomenon I tell you.

Today…off to the mountains…wash some clothes…get Little Al a bath…fill up our propane…see if WeKoPa Casino understands how to make customers happy. It’s a full day of fun…but…most importantly…it’s the last day of Dry January. Thank you sweet baby Jesus!

We arrived in Phoenix on Sunday and were able to secure a spot at the same location we stayed last time, The Eagle View RV Resort (WE-KO-PA) in The McDowell Mountains. We are right outside the Yavapai Nation Reservation and we all know what that means…that’s right, a casino just waiting to hand us over all of the money. Just wait, we plan to clean you out before we leave Mr. WeKoPa Casino!

Yesterday, however, we decided to find out if 3 weeks rest and 2 steroid shots in my foot would keep the plantar fasciitis at bay so we could hike. Turns out it might have because we were able to take a couple short hikes in the area without many tears from yours truly. We’re heading to Top Golf this morning to try to remember our golf swings for our next adventure.

Deals of the week…found a brand new pair of Hokas for half price at REI in the restock area, half price golf at Top Golf this morning, after pulling an Academy Award performance at the RV Park office I was able to get 10% off our stay. By the way, I’m Catholic…not sure why people keep asking.

More…to…come…

The worst part about most of the RV Parks we stay at is that the WiFi is usually pretty weak and we are unable to stream our favorite shows. The best part is that we catch up on all our reading and occasionally actually converse. Turns out Joanie has a pretty good personality, I may keep her.

Today we checked off one of Joanie’s items on her “to-do” list and we went on a sunset horseback ride. I’m proud to say that my record of falling off every horse, and motorcycle, that I’ve ever been on ended tonight. I was saddled with Waco and he was the best and easiest horse to ride, not sure but it may of been because he slept part of the trip.

It’s been a great few days in Benson, heading to Phoenix for a week…more to come.

After a short 7+ hour drive west we arrived at our next destination of Benson, AZ. We were able to find a beautiful RV Park (as far as RV Parks go) and bathed in our youth because although billed as “55 and over” it turns out there is no one here anywhere close to 55 but us. While setting up I was instructed on the finer art of using a drill to let down the stabilizer jacks so you don’t have to do it manually. Gee…never heard that one before…”thank you for the advice sir, I plan to run to Sears Roebuck and buy me one as soon as I lose the use of both arms.” Very nice people here, but, they can talk.

Today we took a short hike around the campground then drove to Tombstone to check out what it was all about. As you can imagine it was all about the “shootout” with heavy emphasis from the movie. It was a pretty cool town and everyone in the town was very welcoming. We chose not to, but if you wanted to see a reenactment of the shootout you had about 10 opportunities…just choose your actors.

The sweet lady at the front desk of the RV Park gave me free tickets (that’s a $20 saving Maynard) to the hamburger cook off and dance…I may just send Joan, she’s my secret weapon with old dudes who like to talk.