Saturday, November 24, 2012, Las Vegas, NV

Saturday, November 24, 2012, Las Vegas, NV
Friday was our last day on Maui. Check out time was 10 AM but we had that extended to 11am and had the bellman store our bags until our shuttle pickup time of 1:40.
We had lunch at the resort near the pool with a view of the ocean. The shuttle picked us up and made one more stop to pick up another family before delivering us to the airport for our 4:30 flight.
The flight was uneventful until we neared San Diego. We were told that the visibility was less than safety allows for landing and that we might divert to Los Angeles. As we approached San Diego the decision was finally made to divert to LA. We arrived at LAX a little before midnight. Alaska Airlines had arranged for busses to take us to San Diego but there was over an hour delay waiting for the them. Then of course it was a two hour drive to San Diego.
Gerri waited for the shuttle to the parking lot for about a half hour before someone told her that after midnight she had to call for the shuttle. We were finally on the road. Gerri drove to Norco, CA and I took over and drove the rest of the way to Las Vegas. We arrived home at 9:30 AM. It was along day and night at the end of a very enjoyable trip to Hawaii.

Thursday, November 22, 2012, Ka’anapali, Maui, HI

Thursday, November 22, 2012, Ka'anapali, Maui, HI
It rained lightly during the night and a little after we got up. The clouds were high and not too thick, making a bright grey day. Everyone lounged around the room all morning.

Ready for dinner

In the mid afternoon I took a walk around the pool area and past the property on the north side of our resort. The sun wasn't fully out but it was bright enough to make some shadows. Quite a few people were making use of the pool and beaches both at our resort and the one next door. Of course the ubiquitous surfers were out in force.

The beef station

Traditional Turkey

We were scheduled for seating at our Thanksgiving feast at 5:30 PM here at the resort. We got ready for that and arrived at the restaurant just a few minutes early. We were seated with a view of the ocean, but the overcast nearly concealed both Lanai and Molokai. Of course there wasn't a lot of daylight left to enjoy any view. The restaurant put out a sumptuous meal; a full salad bar, turkey with all the trimmings, prime rib and of course an assortment of deserts. As always with a buffet, I hurt myself by eating too much. My favorite of the deserts was pecan pie, which turned out to be macadamia nut pie fixed like pecan pie. I never heard any complaints from Gerri or Neva about the food. So I'm guessing they enjoyed it as much as I did, only not in as great a quantity.

Dessert , of course

Dinner lasted about three hours with coffee after. Back at our room we all did our thing reading, computer and Sudoku puzzles. I gave up and went to bed early. I have no idea how long the ladies were up.


Gerri thought she had read that there was Hawaiian entertainment during dinner, but there was only piped in music. On this trip we never saw traditional Hawaiian dancers, maybe next time.

No hula dancers

We are all so thankful on this special day for the health and means to travel and enjoy God's magnificent creations such as the Hawaiian Islands.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012, Ka’anapali, Maui, HI

Wednesday, November 21, 2012, Ka'anapali, Maui, HI

 
Today started over cast. We started our coffee watching the sun rise higher behind the clouds. The sky cleared up and Gerri and Neva went down to the pool area. I stayed in the room and finished Tuesday blog.

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Surfers and Molokai in the distance

I ate the left over pizza for lunch before joining the ladies by the pool. The day may have started cloudy but it had pretty well cleared up by the time we were at the pool. My lounge was mostly in the shade of a palm tree. After 1:00pm Gerri made arrangements to rent a cabana near the beach. The canopy was adjustable and I was able to stay out of the sun most of the time. From where we sat we could see a lot of water and the island of Molokai eight miles away and Lanai further to the south.. There were sailboats in the channel and surfers closer into us. The waves weren't high but some of the surfers were very good at getting longer rides from the waves than I would have thought possible. A couple of them were adept at standing up and paddling the boards around. All in all an interesting show with the steady rhythm of the waves making it very relaxing. Gerri and Neva split a hamburger and fries from the resort's grill.


In the late afternoon we went back to the room and got ready for our dinner reservation. Kirstan, our timeshare sales person, had recommended the Sea House Restaurant at the Napili Kia Hotel north of us. 

Peter and his assistant Peter is the tall one

 We made 7:30 reservation so we called our taxi driver, Ann, to pick us up at seven. She was busy and sent another driver, Paul. The restaurant was further than we thought. We went through residential areas before getting there. The Napili Kai is an older hotel. It spreads out with two story buildings along the bay, instead of having a tower. It seemed to be a pretty area with a small protected bay.. We need to see it in the daylight.

Neva, Gerri and Frank ready to eat

Neva and her meal

Birthday desert

Our dinner was pleasant and leisurely. Our waiter, Peter, was a graduate of UNLV and had worked in Las Vegas before moving to Hawaii. He took very good care of us. We started with Coconut Crusted Shrimp as an appetizer, Gerri and I had Four Onion Soup before our entrée. Neva and Gerri had grilled Mahi-mahi and I had a mixed grill of Top Sirloin, Mahi-mahi and Shrimp. It was all very good. During conversation we had told Peter we were all celebrating recent birthdays. During our coffee he brought us desert of Angel Food Cake with Whipped Cream and fancy cut Strawberries along with a Toasted Coconut topped Crème Brule. It was an excellent meal with plenty of food to satisfy our appetites and palates.

We made the phone call for the Taxi and Paul was there in short order for the return to the Ka'anapali Beach Club.


I was tired and was in bed by 10:30. Gerri stayed up later on her computer and Neva read. I went to sleep and don't know what time they retired.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012, Ka’anapali, Maui, HI

Tuesday, November 20, 2012, Ka'anapali, Maui, HI

Our first stop

We were up at 0 Dark thirty. 5:30 AM? What's with that? We were in front of the resort and caught the tour bus at 6:35. We had a continental breakfast at the Kahului Country Club before getting on the road to Hana.

One of many waterfalls and pools

One of first stops was a stand that sold banana bread and other snacks. We bought fresh coconut. At another stop we bought Macadamia Nut Brittle. When we stopped at the Lanakila Church in Keanae, I turned on my GPS and there was a cache about 400' away. The cache was in the roots of a tree near two places where the waves crashed against the lava, sending water high into the air. The cache was named "As The Waves Pound The Lava Rocks." Very appropriate.

Near the cache

Bird of Paradise 

Even with the clouds the scenery was fantastic. We made several stops for points of interest. Our driver/guide lives in Hana and supplied a constant stream of information on the areas we passed through. One of our stops was in front of her aunt's house to take pictures of a Poinsettia Tree. Debra told us her aunt's favorite colors were gold and green, while pointing out the Green Bay Packers sign in front.

Frank and Gerri at the black sand beach

Pink Ginger

A black sand beach

The highway to Hana is mostly two lanes. The thing that makes the drive arduous is the hairpin turns and the one lane bridges. Over 617 hairpin turns and 56 one lane bridges.

After the town of Hana the road becomes narrower and in some paces is still dirt, but it's mostly rough pavement. No matter how narrow the road it is still two way traffic.

Gerri and Neva at the National Park

Lunch was at a flower farm. The arraignments that can be shipped anywhere in the world, the owner said it takes longer to get the shipments to the airport than it takes for the rest of the trip to the recipient. The also sold cuttings for different plants, explaining that as long as there are no leaves or roots the agriculture department allows carrying them home. Lunch it's self was Marinated chicken breast, macaroni salad and a green salad. Desert was a chocolate macadamia candy. It was really welcome after a long morning of bouncing over the rough, curvy road. After lunch we had time to wonder the grounds and take pictures of the tropical flowers.

Charles Lindbergh is buried here

It would be hard to remember all the stops and information about the area. One stop was at a church yard where Charles Lindbergh is buried. Besides the gravesite and church there was a remarkable, huge old Fichus tree. We went through several state parks with one stop at a National Park where we saw the famous black sand beaches.

The Grand Canyon of Maui

There were some memorable moments at places with sheer drop offs and beautiful waterfalls, usually with pools at the bottom. Because of the recent rain the water was high and there was no swimming allowed in most of the pools.

Our last stop was at the Tedeshi Winery and general store in Ulupalakua.

Unique carvings at the winery

From there it was about two hours drive through city traffic to the resort. The tour took us through pineapple fields, bamboo jungles, rain forest, ranch land, near desert on the side of Haleakala that last erupted and back to the resort. It was a long but enjoyable day. As I said before we saw spectacular cliffs, waterfalls, tropical streams and pools along with a lot of fragrant flowers and trees.

For dinner we had a Kalua Pork Pizza.

Gerri was anxious to catch up on her computer time. We did watch Vegas before going to bed.

Monday, November 19, 2012, Ka’anapali, Maui, HI

Monday, November 19, 2012, Ka'anapali, Maui, HI

After lounging around the room, I went down to the pool area and staked out three lounges. After awhile Gerri and Neva joined me. Gerri and Neva ordered a pulled pork sandwich for lunch at pool side. I had already eaten the leftover pizza from a few nights ago.

I walked a quarter of a mile down the beach and found a cache. I exchanged travel bugs. I started to walk to another but decided that it was too hard a walk in the sand and too hot. I chose to walk back to the resort via the road. It turned out to be about twice as far because there was a fenced area I had to walk around.
Shortly after I got back, the ladies gave up the pool area and came to the room to cool off.

We lounged around the room and then ordered fish and chips from the resort's grill.
We retired early because tomorrow we have to get up at 5:30 AM. We are booked on a tour of the road to Hana.

Diamond Club Pool

 

Sunday, November 18, 2012, Ka’anapali, Maui, HI

Sunday, November 18, 2012, Ka'anapali, Maui, HI

This morning was still cloudy but the wind was down to a breeze. By late morning the sun was out with some clouds hanging around.

Cultural Performance

We decided to go into Lahaina for some shopping and a late lunch. We took a taxi from the resort into town. Our driver, Ann, was very nice and gave us information along the way. She has only been in Hawaii for a short time; she was raised in Vietnam and came to Hawaii from South Carolina. Our original plan was to eat at Cheeseburger In Paradise. Ann also recommended Cool Cat's. 

We walked around the waterfront for awhile and decided to try Cool Cat's.   The burgers and onion rings were good, but next time we will go to Cheeseburger in Paradise and compare.

Frank and Gerri

Neva

At Cool Cat's

Burgers and rings

Pearl diving

Neva in Lahaina

After eating Gerri and Neva went shopping and I walked to the nearest geocache. The ladies bought Maui sweatshirts for themselves and a couple of shirts for me. 
I found the cache which was in front of a Catholic Church built in 1846.  The cache was too small to leave a travel bug. This was my third cache found in Hawaii.

Neva by the sea

Gerri spotted me as I got back to the main street. She and her Mom were at a place that sold pearls. They both bought pearl earrings. We rested for awhile and talked to a local character. When we were ready to go we called the taxi driver, Ann. Ann picked us up and we returned to the resort at about 5 PM.


We relaxed with the TV on. I tried to do some Sudoku puzzles and Gerri and her Mom read. I for one was ready for bed by 6 PM, I guess I'm still on Texas time. I made it through a couple of Law and Order episodes and a couple of Sudoku puzzles before giving in and calling it a night.


It was a good day, with family in a beautiful place.

Saturday, November 17, 2012, Ka’anapali, Maui, HI

Saturday, November 17, 2012, Ka'anapali, Maui, HI

We slept in this morning. It was still cloudy and windy. We spent the morning in the room.
We did some planning for the rest of the week. In the afternoon we went to a sales presentation for The Diamond Club. We were committed to this for the big discount for the island tour we booked for Tuesday.

As usual we fell for the sales pitch. We now have a timeshare in Hawaii. Part of the deal was an easier way to use the two weeks in Las Vegas that we normally trade. We will see how it works out.

We went to the restaurant in the resort for dinner. It was too noisy and dark. We ordered food from a grill and took it to our room to eat.

Some TV and computer time finished the evening and we were in bed about 11 PM.`

Friday, November 16, 2012, Ka’anapali, Maui, HI

Friday, November 16, 2012, Ka'anapali, Maui, HI
We started this trip at 10 PM Thursday evening. We drove to the airport in San Diego. Our original plans were to drive to San Diego and spend the night on John and Montyne's boat before flying to Maui early Friday morning. Those plans changed but the flight didn't. Our route was south on I-15. I slept part of the way. We stopped in Escondido hoping to buy gas and eat, but nothing was open. Gerri spotted a Denny's when we came into San Diego. We had a good meal punctuated by some kind of altercation between other patrons. After gassing up and eating we continued on to the airport, arriving about 5 AM.

The flight was pretty smooth and we all napped a little. Neva read her Kindle and Gerri and I worked Sudoku Puzzles. When we arrived in Maui the sky was overcast and it was windy. Since the resort was 30 miles from the airport Gerri had arranged a shuttle to take us there. When we arrived at the Ka'anapali Beach Club our room was ready so we met with concierge representative and we arranged a tour of the road to Hana. Of course we have to attend a 90 minute presentation to get the discount.

View from our room.

We waited for our room at the resort restaurant as it was too cool to go out and look at the ocean. The soup special of the day was Portuguese Sausage, so we all ordered a bowl which was very good and filling. Shortly after that our room was ready. We are on the second floor with a mountain view, needless to say, no ocean to view from our room. Gerri then made reservations for our Thanksgiving dinner Thursday which will include a Hawaiian show along with the buffet.

For dinner we weren't that hungry so Gerri called and ordered a pizza from the pizza kitchen. No delivery so I was elected to go get it. We were all very tired, no game playing tonight, maybe tomorrow. Mike Bunker, former co-worker, found out we were on Maui and called. We plan on getting together. He and his family have been here almost 2 weeks.
Very little sleep, everyone has headed to bed so I'm following.

 

Sunday, November 4, 2012, Las Vegas, NV

Looking east from our site

Sunday, November 4, 2012, Las Vegas, NV
We were confused on the time this morning. Nevada participates in day light savings, Arizona doesn't. After coffee and putting things away we left Eagle view at 7:45 AM, Nevada (PST) time. The route was south on US-89 to Shea, west to Loop 101 North, to I-17 North, to AZ-74 to US-60 to US 93, north to I 40, west to Kingman, west to US-95 and then north to I-515 then on to I-215 west to home. It was a total distance of 317 miles. We did stop at the Petro station east of Kingman for fuel. We also stopped at the Cracker Barrel in Kingman for a late lunch.
This trip started on the 20^th of August shortly after my mother died. I was able to take care of some of the details of her estate while traveling.
Our first stop was Tonopah, NV. We stayed there three nights. While in Tonopah I did the oldest active geocache in Nevada and some of the caches in the ET Highway series, plus some caches around Tonopah. Our next stop was Reno for a visit with our daughter Kathleen and the grandkids there. After Reno we headed west across Nevada and Utah on US-50, the loneliest highway in America. Along the way I found caches that completed my goal of doing a cache in each of the Nevada counties. We spent some time in South Fork, CO visiting our friend Alan Howleth and seeing some sights in the area. We spent a week in Southfork before heading out to visit Mike Ault in Nolan, TX. Our next stop was Roanoke, TX, where we had dinner with Gerri's cousin Ken Barnhart and family. Then on to McKinney, TX to have work done on some of our window shades. From McKinney we went about 8 miles to Melissa, TX and spent time at a park visiting friends from Havasu City, AZ, Alice and Keith. While in Melissa we also drove to Argyle, TX to visit and have dinner with Gerri's cousin David Perley and family. We will be visiting his parents in East Texas later in this trip. We then worked our way further east to Columbus, MS. In Columbus we visited with classmates of Gerri 's from High School. Her class was celebrating their 65^th birthdays. We then turned west heading for Texas. Our first stop in Texas was Garrison to visit with Gerri's cousin Jo Nell and her husband Herb. They are David's parents. We stayed longer than planned in Garrison because of an injury to my right leg that required a couple of doctor visits and the needed rest. We had to cancel visits with some of my Family in Spring, TX. After leaving Garrison we traveled to the Austin area and visited friends we met several years ago in Ohio. Carl and Joyce Wolf are camper workers at a park near Lake Travis. From Lake Travis we went south to Spring Branch. While there we visited friends Paul and Ann Conner. Paul retired from LVMPD. We visited two other couples while in Spring Branch; Ken and Sylvia Harwood, RVers who we met in 2008 in Indiana. We also visited Brad and Bernadette Dass in Bulverde. Bernie is one of Gerri's best friends who used to live in Las Vegas. While in Spring Branch we drove to Kyle to visit our son Curtis and his family. Later we moved to an RV park in San Marcos to be closer to them for more visiting. We also got to visit our oldest grandson, Sean, in south Austin. By the 29^th we had pretty much worn out our welcome in Texas and headed west. We did stop for three days at Fort McDowell, AZ, north of Phoenix to rest up and visit friends Beth and Tim Burton, who we met on a cruise last year.
It was a great trip and seemed to involve a lot of meals during visits with friends and relative. As with any trip there were some hiccups along our way, but we were blessed with safe travel.
Our next trip starts on November 15. We are going to Maui for a week with Gerri's mother. Until then it will be catching up on doctor visits, including one to evaluate treatment of my knees.

Saturday, November 3, 2012, Fort McDowell, AZ

Saturday, November 3, 2012, Fort McDowell, AZ

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We decided to stay at Fort McDowell another day and drive all the way to Las Vegas on Sunday.
I got out of the park to try to get pictures of the surrounding mountains. Most of the roads off US-87 are posted no trespassing, entry only to members of the Yavapai Tribe. Also most places had power lines in the way of a good view.

I drove into Fountain Hills and did a cache. On the way back to the park I took a dirt road for a short distance and saw what appeared to be a sculpture. I stopped thinking it might be some type of cultural display. Turns out it was a display advertising the different types of landscaping materials available from a nearby quarry.

There are a lot of Saguaros in the area

I did manage to get some pictures of the mountains relative free of power lines.

I talked to several neighbors during the afternoon. One thing about RVing is that you meet such interesting people along the way. I often write about the distances we travel on given days, usually not more than 300 miles. The people I have talked to here tend to travel even shorter distances, more like 200-250 miles.

This old Saguaro has taken a beating but still survives

I unhooked everything except the power. I also rolled up all the awnings, all we have to do in the morning is get the inside ready and hook up the Jeep. We may have to stop for fuel, but otherwise we will drive straight home. It's about 320 miles.

At the Eagle View RV Resort

The nearby Verde River

East of the parl

Leftovers were for dinner. Some computer and TV and it was bed time.

Friday, November 2, 2012, Fort McDowell, AZ

Friday, November 2, 2012, Fort McDowell, AZ
We tried to sleep in, but we are still on Central Day Light Time. It was a beautiful morning after a cool night. There were a lot of high clouds that cleared away by mid-afternoon.

This being our day of rest before driving home, we didn't do much.

I did go out about 3 PM and did 4 of the nearby caches.

We considered going to the casino for dinner for all you can eat crab legs, but opted for dinner at home. Gerri made a chicken casserole with macaroni and cheese.

The Verde River near the Eagle View RV Resort

Just before sunset we walked along the fence on the north east side of the park. We hoped to get a glimpse of the river, no luck. On the way back we chatted with a couple from Colorado. Gerri went back to the coach before I did to finish supper. I stayed and talked longer. We spoke of Kings and Cabbages and solved most of the country's problem.
Although we were never able to see the river from the RV Park, I did stop on a bridge and get a picture looking downstream earlier in the day when I went caching.

We may make it all the way to Las Vegas tomorrow, or we may stop before or near Kingman.

Thursday, November 1, 2012, Fort McDowell, AZ

Thursday, November 1, 2012, Fort McDowell, AZ
We are now back on Las Vegas time, Arizona doesn't do day light saving time so part of the year we are the same. I fixed coffee and called the parts department here at Lazydays to ask about replacing the hinge on the door under the sink. They said they had them. I started walking to the parts department. A kind employee with a golf cart gave me a ride and waited until I was through and carried me back to the coach. The hinge they had didn't match our broken one. The gentleman there told me he would find the right one and give me a call. It turns out the hinge has to be ordered from Fleetwood, I'll do it when we get home.

Our progress home from Texas

We left Lazydays at 11:15 en-route to Fort McDowell, AZ. The RV Park in Scottsdale didn't have a spot for a 42' motorhome. The route took us to the east of Phoenix and then east on a loop road to AZ-87 to Fort McDowell Road and on to the RV Park. The park seems like it is way out in the country but they have quite a lot of amenities, including a shuttle to the casino on the other side of the highway.

Tim and Beth Burton

The Verde River is on the east side of the park. I walked along the rail fence but could only see the trees and brush growing in the river bed. I didn't walk down the slope beyond the fence. The setting sun was golden but the sky was clear. It was pretty but not spectacular.
Tim and Beth came over at 5:30 and after visiting we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. It was an excellent meal and we lingered over it visiting and talking about future plans.
We got back to the coach after 10. We said our goodbyes until we see them again in Carlsbad next July.

At dinner with the Burtons

I got ready for bed while Gerri caught up on her computer. She was asleep on the couch ten minutes later. I had to wake her up to get in bed. Tomorrow will be a day of rest before we head home on Saturday.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012, Tucson, AZ

Wednesday, October 31, 2012, Tucson, AZ
I got up at eight and fixed the coffee. Yesterday afternoon when we arrived at the RV Park we needed the air conditioner running, this morning we could have used a heater. I soon realized that I hadn't set the bedroom clock since the time zone change. So I had really gotten up at 7 AM. By the real 8 o'clock the sun was peeking over the mountains to the east. Did I say peek? It burst over the mountains, a ball of fire in the clear sky.
Last evening we spoke with our friends, Tim and Beth Burton, in Scottsdale. We plan to visit with them on Thursday and make the last leg of our trip home on Friday.
Before getting to far we stopped at a Camping World store near the park. We had hoped to find a hinge to replace the broken one on a kitchen cabinet, no luck there, will probably have to order it from American Coach. Before getting fully under way we stopped at a Flying J for fuel. This is the last gas station in Texas. When you leave their lot and enter the freeway you are in New Mexico. Before leaving Anthony, I did one cache. I picked up a travel bug and dropped two off.
On the Interstate by 10 AM we traveled non-stop across New Mexico. I remembered the line from an old western song, "Mothers don't let your children go to that God forsaken place called New Mexico." Of course we drove through the southern part of New Mexico, all desert. You all should know how much I love the desert.
We did stop at the first rest stop in Arizona. I did one cache at the rest stop, I hope this is one of the five counties I need to complete Arizona.

Lazy Dys, Tcson, AZ

Our original plan was to go to an RV park in Benson. We stopped in Wilcox at a truck wash. There were three trucks ahead of us so we were there nearly 2 ½ hours. There was an RV park next door, but all the streets and sites were gravel. I didn't want to go in there with a wet coach and Jeep. We headed on toward Benson. Along the way we decided to go on to Tucson and stay at Lazydays. We know this park has all paved streets with gravel sites. Gerri thought she saw a price of $20.00. Wrong! It was $40.00 after the Good Sam discount.

Sunset over Tucson

We traveled a total of 320 miles today, about 40 miles further than we planned. We will have a shorter drive to Scottsdale tomorrow. We plan to visit Tim and Beth Burton there before driving on to Las Vegas on Friday or Saturday.
Gerri made breakfast for dinner. We had some eggs and other things that needed to be used.
On a side note Gerri was born here in Tucson, 65 years ago next week.   That was 23739 days ago.

Our osition in Tucson.