Las Vegas (partial) Jan. 10 - 14

As we descended from the mountains on Monday. the temperature rose and we saw less and less snow. Thank goodness! The drive was spectacular once again. Coming through the top northwest corner of Arizona we saw huge red cliffs - what I would have envisioned as the badlands. Obviously very dry, but breathtaking. I will post some pics. on Facebook since I have not yet figured out how to do it here.

The registration into our RV park - The Hitchin' Post RV Park - went "without a hitch". The park is different from what I had expected. It is not out in the country, so only a small tree beside each campsite. All the rest is gravel. But it is clean and secure. The only people who can come in are those with a key. There are about 150 sites and the majority are long-term. The bathrooms and laundry area are newly renovated and wonderful. Thank goodness, because our hot water heater had not been drained when the trailer was serviced, so it froze and broke. We have ordered another tank and it should be here next week. Just need to heat water for dishes - not too hard.

We ventured out the first night for a few groceries and supper. We didn't know if we would be able to stay in the trailer - if it would be warm enough. But we had had enough of motels and did stay - it was fine.

So we have been very lazy - venturing out for what we need, but sleeping late and enjoying the heat (though we need the furnace at night).

We are very close to Nellis Air Force Base and have had a lot of fighter planes taking off and landing. It is pretty noisy, but only during the day. Apparently there is an inspection there soon, so the activity level is a little higher than usual.

I took the truck out by myself today to get it cleaned inside and out - really needed it after our long trek. A 2 1/2 hour procedure - looks like it did when we brought it home!

We hope to head down into the city itself tomorrow (a 15 min. drive). We'll park the truck, check out a few shows and play some slot machines.

Next week we'll head out for some sightseeing - Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam etc.

January 9,2011

Dillon, Montana to Nephi, Utah

I DON'T BELIEVE THIS !!! We travelled 437 miles directly south today and there is still snow and it is -8 degrees! Tomorrow had better be better!!!!!

Once again, a beautiful drive, however. It was -7 when we left the motel, but by the time we arrived at the Idaho border, we were at an altitude of 6400 feet and the temp. had dropped to -18. Within 70 miles we had descended to 4000 feet and were at -8. Needless to say, there was always snow.

We saw very large herds of cattle - black - so possibly black angus or hereford. Hundreds - In one spot, one of the cows had "escaped", the rest of the herd was not far behind, and the round-up crew was on horseback. Interesting -

Also a lot of horse farms and a US sheep inspection station.

Salt Lake City is HUGE !!! Gary was driving (thank goodness!). We paid up for not having any traffic the last couple of days. But we had decided to travel further than that point and kept going in spite of being tired. So we continued another hour and - here we are.

So tomorrow is Vegas. I have checked the weather and the forecast for the next week is sun and 50 - 60 degrees (between 10 and 15 approx., I believe). We have another 330 miles to go, so will likely just unhook the trailer on our site, put the slides out, set up the heater, and stay one more night in a motel. That will give us a fresh start on Tuesday to get settled.

Saturday, January 8

Shelby,Montana to Dillon, Montana.

It was not a long day, but what a beautiful drive!

The morning (up to Great Falls) saw us in more flat territory as we had seen in the prairies. Miles of flat fields, long straight stretches of road and very little snow.

We had brunch in Great Falls and the scenery changed when we left there. Travelling through the Big Belt Mountains was amazing! Not huge like the Rockies, but big (as the name implies) with snow cover. The sun was shining and we passed over the Missouri River several times. This river seems to meander through an extensive valley. There were several beautiful homes situated on the side of the river with mountains, the highway, and a railway track all around. Looked like a very peaceful place to live. The drive was a bit strenuous, though. Wind!!! Gary was saying that the stretch of highway would be a trucker's nightmare - so many long, steep climbs. We had a very brief snow squall at 5700 feet altitude, but other than that the weather was great. Not warm yet, however.

Best Western Paradise Inn tonight. Darn - the hot tub broke this morning!

Friday, January 7, 2011

We left Calgary at 10:30 this morning, after hooking up the trailer and (YES, Calgary friends!!!) getting both truck and trailer washed. We hardly recognized them.

It was so interesting for me to travel through new territory, but even more fun to hear from Gary how much everything has changed. He trucked that route years ago, but so much development has happened since then.

I took pictures of the old-type grain elevator and what is used now, but have not quite figured out how to post them. Patience!

The border crossing went smoothly. Guess we looked innocent - a camper in front of us and one behind were both pulled over!

We had intended to travel as far as Great Falls, Montana, but we reached Shelby after 4PM. and didn't feel like driving another hour and a half. So we very happily pulled into the parking lot at the Comfort Inn (which has a casino on site!), there were basically no cars in the parking lot, and I commented to Gary that the motel was obviously almost empty and we should have no trouble getting a rom. Imagine my surprise when the girl at the desk said they were full! Some sort of sports tournament. So we drove down the street to this Crossroads Inn. Clean, not fancy, free internet, continental breakfast - $54.00! And with the dollar at parity, it is a great deal! Even though I had to forego the slot machines!

Christmas and New Year's update

We arrived in Calgary Dec. 23rd and, after depositing the trailer in Airdrie, settled in at Deb and Terry's for a few days. We spent Christmas Day morning and early afternoon opening presents and chatting with family. Then over to Tamra and Karl's for a lovely turkey dinner. On Boxing Day we visited with Ann and Brian and had another lovely meal.

Dec. 27th was a special day - my 60th birthday. It was a pleasant surprise to have a lot of birthday cards at Deb's - Anne had arranged for people to send them there. Ann Turner arrived late afternoon with homemade red velvet cupcakes - delicious! Gary bought me a beautiful card which really made my day!

On the 30th we moved over to Ann and Brian's - actually just a couple of blocks away. We spent a quiet New Year's Eve with them - then finished the champagne with some orange juice at breakfast! On Sunday the 2nd we went to Heritage Park for brunch - what a beautiful place!

January 4 (yesterday) we picked up the trailer, deposited it closer to Tamra's, and moved our things to her place. So here we are - will get everything organized to leave on Friday.

December 22

This day saw more travelling through flat prairies - very little snow, but colder. We covered the rest of Manitoba and most of Saskatchewan - we are actually in Swift Current.
Looking forward to arriving in Calgary tomorrow so we can actually spend more than one night in the same place!

December 21 ( partial 19 and 20 as well)

I don't know where my post for Dec. 19 and 20 went! Did I save them?
We spent Dec. 19 (night) in Cochrane and Dec. 20 in Nipigon.

We are in Winnipeg tonight - and it is typically (I guess) cold.
Our day seemed long - mostly due to the one hour time change at the border.
We saw somw wildlife today - 2 deer and one lynx. Funny not to have seen more after travelling through such wild country the last 3 days.
We saw some sun at the end of the afternoon - nice!