For the past 12 days we have been in the Midwest so I could attend dirt track races. We first stopped in Jackson, Minnesota for 3 nights of the World of Outlaws racing tour. During the day we were able to get out and look for Josie's china in a few antique shops. She was fortunate to find the mother lode in Spirit Lake, Iowa. We also found a Spudnutz bakery and enjoyed a few potato flour donuts. We had been introduced to them by our friends BJ and Karin in Idaho Falls a few years ago. 

From Jackson we drove to Knoxville, Iowa for a week. We visited the nearby town of Pella, Iowa where the headquarters of Pella Windows is located. Pella has a rich Dutch history, and the largest working windmill in the US is located there. We saw signs for Dutch Letters in the local bakery so we had to try one. It consists of a flakey dough with almond paste filling made into the shape of an S. It was very good. We also bought some local made bologna that had blue and gouda cheese in it. 

A few days later we drove over to Oskaloosa, Iowa, with its beautiful county courthouse, for a Loose-meat sandwich at Maid-Rite. Our friends Gerry and Bridget told us about them and we had to try one. It was very tasty, like a hamburger but not in a patty. 

My brother, Tom drove up from Kansas, and we attended 2 night of racing at the famous Knoxville Raceway. It was great visiting with my brother.

We had to stop in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to renew our drivers' licenses and check in with our mail service Dakota Post. After we accomplished this we toured " our home town." The falls that give the city its name are impressive and the park around it is very nice. The heavy rains here in the Midwest did some damage to the park but since it is a major tourist attraction they are working hard to repair the damage.  

We spent a week in Pequot Lake, Minnesota visiting with our Arizona and Full-Time RV friends, Gerry and Bridget. Gerry is working as a starter at Grandview Lodge Golf Course so we got in a few rounds there. While we played golf, the ladies hit the road and must have hit every antique and collectible shop within a fifty-mile radius. Josie was able to find 2 more pieces of the Hall Pottery she collects. We had many nice dinners out and one evening at the Breezy Point Resort, the King himself, Elvis made an appearance. There was a large boisterous crowd and the Mudslides were delicious. It was a fun time. We really enjoyed eating the fresh walleye, that is on almost every restaurants menu. 

The water tower in Pequot Lake is painted like a fishing bobber. and just up the road is the town of Jenkins, population 376.
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​We had a great visit with our Arizona winter friends, Gerry and Bridget. 

We left Las Vegas and took 2 days to drive to Vernal, Utah. Vernal is located near Dinosaur and Flaming Gorge National Monuments. We visited Dinosaur National Monument on our first full day in town. We took a tram up to the Bone Quarry site and viewed many of the over one thousand fossilized bones still in the mountain they were found. We then visited a cabin that was the homestead of Josie Bassett, who lived there alone for over 50 years. She was an alleged associate of the outlaw Butch Cassidy. From there we drove a 30 mile Jeep trail to a scenic overlook of the Green River in the northern part of the park. Along the way we saw many petroglyphs and wild flowers.

The next day Josie drove with me as I played a round of golf at Dinaland Golf Course.  Every morning in the RV Park, we were greeted by a small flock of Wild Turkeys.  

On our last day in Vernal we drove the Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway. At our first stop we toured the Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River.  It is considered a small dam and its main purpose is for flood control and not hydro-electric power.  We were surprised to learn that it is controlled by the Glen Canyon Dam which is further down the Colorado River. From the dam, we drove to many of the scenic overlooks along the rim of the gorge. 

We then took the Sheep Creek Geological Loop Road and were treated to more of the stunning scenery. Along the way we saw many mule deer, a couple of elk and even a coyote. 

From Vernal we drove to Cheyenne, Wyoming and spent the night before driving on to North Platte, Nebraska. We hit a few of the local Antique and Collectible shops in the area, the most unique one being the Grain Bin Town. A local lady has bought and preserved 15 old wooden grain bins and rents them out to local collectors. 
We spent one afternoon at Buffalo Bill Ranch.  The guides were dressed in period clothing and they were very informative. Buffalo Bill put on a show with trick riding and shooting one fourth of July and it was so popular other towns ask him to do it for them. Thus, the Buffalo Bill Wild West Shows were born. During the show he would release live pigeons and shoot them out of the air. But sometimes the birds would fall into the crowd and bloody the dresses of the ladies. So, his manager developed a clay disc that he put feathers in and when shot out of the sky would look somewhat like a real bird. They became known as clay pigeons. 

I played a round of golf at the Wild Horse Golf Club in Gothenburg, Nebraska. It is rated as the Best Course You Can Play in Nebraska by Golf Digest. The course was built into the existing sand hills and required very little earth moving and they only had to dig a hole in the existing sand hills to create a trap. There is not one tree on this links type course. The tee markers were horse shoes and cow skulls, different to say the least. 

On our last day in town we visited Pals Brewery, the only one in North Platte. It was also rated the best restaurant in North Platte by Travel Advisor. We ordered a very good pizza and the beer was outstanding. Later that evening a severe thunderstorm came through and we took cover in the laundry room. Some of the hail was as big as a quarter, but it did no damage and did not last very long. The locals took it all in stride, I don't think they get excited till the sirens go off for a tornado. 
  

The day after the storm we drove north on Nebraska Highway 83 to Valentine, Nebraska. Along the way we came to an area where the overnight rains had flooded the road way. We followed a few other cars down the middle of the road and had no problems. 
The first full day in Valentine I played the Dunes Course at The Prairie Club. It is rated the 76th best public golf course in the USA by Golf Magazine. It was a challenging round with lots of sand traps and elevation change. Once the wind came up it was even harder. I did not hit one trap from the tee but found 4 bunkers with second shots and on the 18th hole I wound up in bunker on my second and third shots. The pictures below do not do justice to the wide-open spaces and beautiful sand hill vistas.   

One morning we drove through the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge. We saw a few Bison and a nice sample of grassland birds.  Another highlight of the drive was Ford Falls. 

On our final day in town we walked to the trestle that goes over the Niobrara River on the Cowboy Trail, an old Burlington Northern Rail Line. We then had a Runza Sandwich while we sampled the beer at Bolo Brewery.  A Runza is a local sandwich made up of hamburger mixed with onion and cabbage. It originated in Lincoln, Nebraska over 65 years ago. 

We left Zion National Park and made the short drive over to Cedar City, Utah. We were going to spend a week there and explore two National Parks we had never been to, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Great Basin National Park. The weather however changed our plans. Cedar City is located at over a mile high in altitude and the Cedar Breaks National Monument is over ten thousand feet. The roads into the park were closed due to snow, so we were only able to drive around the park. We took Utah, Scenic Highway 14, and it gave us a great view down into Zion National Park. We saw miles of snow cover and on the way back down we came upon a huge lava field from some extinct volcano. The next day I was able to get in a round of golf at Cedar Ridge Golf Course, one of the best courses I have ever played for under forty dollars. It provided a challenging round with spectacular views. That evening the temperatures dropped, the wind picked up and it started to rain. We did nothing for two days but watch TV and get out once for groceries and a nice pizza dinner. On Monday morning we woke up to snow.  We had planned to head North in a few days but with the weather twenty degrees below normal west of the Rockies and more snow in the forecast, we decided to retreat back to Las Vegas, which is at a much lower altitude, with warmer and drier weather. 

Once back in Las Vegas we decided to see the show Le Reve at the Wynn casino. Our friends Lee and Carol recommended it and we are glad they did. It is one of, if not the best show in Vegas. We had a nice dinner and glass of wine before the show.

It just so happened that Lee and Carol were still in Vegas and two other couples we know from Phoenix were also in town. Brad and his wife Stella were staying at the RV park we were in and Roger and Karen were staying at the Silverton Casino just across the street. Lee, Brad, Roger and I played golf at the Royal Links golf course and struggled with the 110 sand traps.

Lee and Carol were staying at the Las Vegas Motor Coach Resort and had a fantastic site with two palapas, which had a fully equipped outdoor kitchen. We had two fantastic dinners at their site. On Memorial Day we celebrated by playing a game new to us called "Left Center Right".  it was so much fun we will have to teach others to play it. Carol and Roger had a rib cook-off, but both were so tasty that we just called it a draw. We finished off the meal with a Blackberry Pie that Josie made. The fact that we could all get together like this, is just one of the best reasons for living on the road. 

Lee and Carol wanted to spend a night down on the strip at one of the casinos so we watched their dog Gracie for them.  She was very easy to watch and we enjoyed her company. 

We will be leaving Las Vegas later today and finally heading north. 

We started off the month of May by spending three days at the Palm Creek Ranch, a true oasis in the desert. It is located 8 miles off Interstate 15 about half way between Las Vegas and Mesquite, Nevada. The spring water in the creek is always around 80 degrees and it not only is great for swimming but the ranch also uses it to irrigate a few acres of pistachio trees. This was the first time we had ever seen a pistachio tree.

Our next stop was Mesquite, Nevada. We have stayed here many times in our travels, both going north and south. There is not much to do in Mesquite but gamble and play golf. This trip I played The Palmer Course at the Oasis Golf Resort. It was a great test of my game with a lot of elevation gain and loss. On our last day we drove out to the Lytle Ranch Preserve to do a little birding. The cacti and the desert sage were in full bloom and the Joshua trees were just about to bloom also. I managed to get a few good bird pictures, the best being of a Western Tanager and a pair of Ladder-backed Woodpeckers at their nest. I also found a Gopher snake, who looked like he just may have had a meal recently. 

I visited Zion National Park in 1992 with my friend Hutch, then Josie and I spent one day there a few years ago. This year we decided to spend a week in the area and see more of the park. Unfortunately, the Narrows, one of the best hikes in the world, was closed due to high water. So, Josie and I hiked in as far as we could and followed the river back to the bus stop. The next day I took a short hike to the Canyon Overlook, which had a couple of bridges built out over the edge.

​A few days later I decided to try the trail up to Angels Landing. Hutch and I did this trail in 1992, so I knew it was tough. The trail is 2.7 miles one way and has an altitude gain of over 1700 feet. It is definitely not for someone who is afraid of heights as there is a lot of exposure. Nine people have died on this trail over the past 17 years, the last one just a month ago. That has not stopped people from attempting the climb and there were so many people on the trail it was like being in a line at Disney Land. On the bus trip into the trail head I met Brett, who had just graduated from college in Cleveland and was getting in a little adventure before starting a full-time job. He was gracious enough to stick with the old man on the whole trip. We also befriended a couple from New Jersey, and the 4 of us stayed together for most of the hike. After we descended, we stopped at the Zion Brewery and celebrated with a beer and lunch. My legs were pretty sore the next few days, but it was worth it.

Josie and I drove out into the desert and visited a spot where there were dinosaur tracks in the rocks. We found a couple of tracks and enjoyed the colorful scenery. The Jeep got pretty dirty on the back roads. 

 In our years of travel, this was the fourth time we have left Arizona and spent time in Las Vegas. This trip we decided to spend the whole month of April in Sin City. We saw 4 shows while we were here. The first show we saw was Ray Romono and David Spade. We were very disappointed because we saw Ray a few years ago and this show was just a repeat of that one. We really did enjoy the Donny and Marie show. They were both very entertaining and put a lot of energy into their performance.  After the show,we dined on Shrimp Tacos and Guacamole at Carlos and Charlies. The third show we attended was the Righteous Brothers.  At 78 years old Bill Medley still has a great voice and along with his new partner and daughter took us down a memory lane of great hits. Our last show was a tribute to old Las Vegas and the many headliners that have graced the stages over the years. An energetic cast of young singers and dancers did a fantastic job of reliving those days of Show Girls, Sinatra and Elvis. We did not spend any time walking the Strip as we have been here so many times. We did visit the Fashion Show Mall one afternoon and had lunch at the Capital Grill. On our last night in town, we had dinner with our full time RV friends, Lee and Carol, who we met in Arizona a few years ago. We have visited with them in Florida, and Michigan and now in Nevada. We plan to see them again in Florida next fall. 

On our first Sunday in town, we went to the NHRA Four Wide Drag Races. Josie had never been to a drag race before so I thought she might like to experience it at least once. Of course, it was loud so we wore ear protection. It was a long day but Josie was a trooper. We bought tickets that included breakfast, lunch and refreshments, so we had a tent we could go to get away from the noise for a while. 

I went to a game at the new Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, a suburb on the west side of Vegas. This will revitalize baseball in this area and that evening we were treated to a spectacular sunset. I also played a couple of rounds of golf, one at the Paiute, Snow Mountain Course and another at Bears Best, an 18-hole grouping of holes that were copied from various Jack Nicklaus courses around the world.  

Tomorrow we drive only 60 miles to Palm Creek  an oasis in the desert.

We left the Coach in Las Vegas and flew to Dunedin, Florida to celebrate the life of our dear friend  Bob Joseph. Josie and her children have know Bob and his wife Pat since they were neighbors in Virginia Beach in the early 1970's. I met Bob and Pat through their daughter Susie in the 1990's. They are important people in our live's in that they introduced us to each other.  
 
Susie and her husband Tom hosted the event and did an outstanding job. We all drank Bob's favorite beer, Old Milwaukee and ate his favorite foods' Chorizo Hot Dogs and Stuffed Quahog Clams. We told stories and watched a video that was produced by one of his grandsons. He will be missed by all of us. 

Josie's son' Michael, flew in from Michigan and her daughter, Cathy came in from Boca Raton for the weekend. It was nice touching base with them as we do not get to see them often enough.  

The New Year in Arizona started out cool and got cooler all through January and February. We had a lot of rain and saw snow on all the mountain tops that surround the Phoenix Valley. Because of all the rain, the desert this year is in full bloom.  The cooler weather however did not keep us from staying active and enjoying events with friends. Josie played Mah Jongg at least twice a week and worked out at Silver Sneakers three times each week. 

She and a large group of the ladies went to the movies every Wednesday after the Oscar nominations were announced and saw all of the nominated films and many of the ones that had best actor or actress nominees in them. Then they had a "Jeans and Bling " party as they watched Oscars and made their own guesses as who would win. 

Josie and her friend Gloria keep alive their yearly tradition of having tea at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale. One afternoon they had lunch in Glendale and then visited the Cerreta Candy Company and sampled their delicious chocolate. One evening, Josie and friend Diane had dinner in downtown Phoenix and then attend a presentation of  "Shen Yun" classical Chinese dance,.  

We had many of our weekly dinners with both the group from El Mirage and our friends from out side the park. We also had a few gatherings in the park at the park models our friends Larry and Debbie, BJ and Karen, and Tom and Diane. The Bybee's had a clean out your freezer party at their place, right before we all left for the season. 

I played a lot of golf this year. Every Wednesday I played with the Pueblo El Mirage Men's Group and did very well, even winning my flight in the Club Championship. I also played all over the valley with Gerry, Tom and BJ and Karen. We also went to the Thursday round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Again this winter Tom and I along with BJ and Gerry went to 5 Arizona Coyote's hockey games. The Yotes are playing well this year and it was fun to see them win a few games.
I also went to the races again this year with my race buddy, Gene and two new comers to the park, Bob and Wayne. Gene and I also went to the NHRA Drag Races, something I had not done in over 50 years. 

Despite the cold start we did attend 10 Spring Training Games this season. One afternoon Josie and I, along with our friend Gloria drove over to Mesa for an Oakland game and then made our annual visit to Organ Stop Pizza. We attended games with Gene and Ruby, and we were invited to a game at Camelback Stadium, where we celebrated our friend Donny's birthday. 
 
Josie's friend Gwen, invited us to join a group from here in the park at the horse races as guest's of  Pink Cloud Stables, which are owned by her brother. He had one of his many horses running that day and we had a lot of fun making group wagers on the races. We also went to the track with Gene and Ruby. After the races Ruby made a desert salsa that she served over ice cream, that was absolutely delicious. 

Tomorrow we leave for a month in Las Vegas. From there we will head north and east eventually ending up in Virginia Beach in September.  

Josie and I just returned from an eleven day trip to Hawaii. We have now been to all of the 50 states together. We sailed aboard the Norwegian Cruise Liner, The Pride of America. But before we boarded the ship, we stayed  three nights at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel right on Waikiki Beach. We toured Pearl Harbor, which included the Arizona Monument, the Battleship Missouri, submarine Bowfin, and the Aviation Museum of the Pacific which is housed in a hanger that dates back to December 7th, 1941. It still has bullet holes in the windows from that day.  

 In the City of Honolulu we visited the State Capital, the Royal Palace, The National Cemetery of the Pacific and a Buddhist Temple, where we fed the Zebra Doves by hand. 

On the third day we boarded the ship and our first port of call was the Island of Maui. We took the road to Hana which is considered one of the top five most scenic drives in the USA, but also one of the most dangerous. It has over 600 turns and 50 one lane bridges. Our driver Keith had driven this road over 300 times so we sat back and enjoyed the scenery. At every stop we were greeted by feral chickens. They are all over the islands but more so in Kauai where there are no Mongoose to keep them in check. At the Black Sand Beach the local teenagers entertained us by diving off the 60 foot cliffs. The flowers and waterfalls in the rain forest were everywhere. We also tasted local coconut, red bananas and poi which tastes like paste or maybe worse. 
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Our next stop was in Hilo on the Big Island Of Hawaii. We took a helicopter tour of the lava fields but we were about two months to late to see any flowing lava. We did see a few craters and lots of steam vents. The next day we anchored out in Kona, and we took a submarine ride down to 10 feet. My camera was just not good enough to get good pictures of the colorful fish on the coral reefs. It was however quite a unique experience. 

Our final port before returning to Honolulu was the Island of Kauai. It is the oldest of the islands and we believe the most scenic. We again took a helicopter tour of the island. The Na Pali Coast and the Grand Canyon of the Pacific were beautiful and our pilot, Beth, took us right up to many waterfalls and even into an extinct volcano. This was the highlight of our trip. Back in town we got in a little beach time and shared an Hawaiian shaved ice over ice cream. There were chickens everywhere even on the beach. 

We also had a great time on the ship. We had great views and sunsets from our aft facing cabin balcony. The food was excellent and we had scenic places to eat it. Our room steward made towel animals to decorate our bed almost every day. There was a wide variety of entertainment every night, from local dancers, comics, variety shows, lounge singers and even bingo. As we were heading to the airport a rainbow over or ship was a great way to our trip.