24 th Jan Heading South

We arrived home on the 17 th Jan but it had taken us the biggest part of a month to find the time to start the Blog again, so here goes.

We spent a week at Todd's place in Okotoks getting re-organized and re-aquainted with our family and a few friends. Clark's family was in Calgary on the weekend as Morgan and Paige had a Dancing Fesh, so we were able to watch the girls dance and have supper with the family. We also managed to get some time with Connor as he opted to go swimming, with his cousins rather than being bored watching his sister dance.
On the 24 th Jan we departed Todd's place around 6:30 AM with a target of reaching Idaho Falls by night fall. Since we left the trailer in Mesquite, NV in Oct when i was in St. Geo, UT playing ball, we made good time without the trailer and managed to get to Idaho Falls with mainly clear roads. We had about 30 KM of snow covered roads going thru the Manida Pass but other than that it was clear roads all the way.
I did make a pit stop at the Cdn Duty Free to pick up a couple of cheap ( less expensive ) bottles of RYE. So we stayed at the Comfort Inn , in Idaho Falls, since we had enough points for a free room. Of course it snowed during the night but only a light dusting.

25 th Jan..... We again departed Idaho Falls early so we could reach Mesquite , NV before dark were we thought we might pick up our trailer from the storage lot. However, when we reached Mequite we decide to check out the price of a room and it was 26.00. A camp site was $22.00 so it was a no Brainer. We immediately decided to take the room and get the trailer in the morning. After, checking in and having supper, Carroll decide to donate $20.00 to the casino so i went to a nearby Macdonld's to take advantage of their Free WiFi. While perusing my email I overheard a couple having trouble getting a connection so I ask if they needed assistance. I knew they were Cdns because the man was wearing a CANADA hockey sweater. ( Just to be clear.... Yes this couple are now our friends but the story gets better.) They accepted my charity and i show them how to access Macdonald's. They did not realize that they had to check " I agree ". Before I left Macdonald's they ask if i would meet them in the morning to help get on the web site again, so I agreed. Yes, Carroll donated the $20.00.

26 th Jan..... After breakfast, Carroll and I meet the couple ( now called Mary and Evan Roy , a nurse and a farmer from Ontario ).During our 1/2 to 3/4 hour chat we found out they sold their farm in Melborne and bought 600 arces in new Liskard, ON. However, they were in Calgary and the Peace River, visiting their two boys and decided ( as apposed to planning )to take a trip to southern USA for a couple of months. We thought we could give them some tips on where to go and were to camp since they had never been down this way before. We then agreed to meet for supper and we would enlighten them.
Carroll and I retrieved our trailer and moved it to a local camp site, where we had to do a bit of cleaning, and to unpack our bags with the clothes we had brought with us. Next we had to do a large grocery shopping but first I had to get the truck washed. It was still dirty and to be perfectly honest, it was a mess from the slushy streets in Calgary. There was a Wash Rack about 200 M from the grocery store and he offered to clean it, both inside and outside for $12.00 . I just said.. get at it.
After getting the trailer sorted out and swapping a few lies with our camping nieghbours in the camp ground, from AB, it was time for supper with our new found friends. During supper we offered and they acceted the offer, for us to lead them as far south as Quartzsite, AZ; a place they had heard about and were anxious to visit. We agreed to leave at 8:30 in the morning and bid them goodnight. Carroll donate another $20.00