Why are we going to the Maritimes since it was not in our plans for this year: as if we ever had a Plan.
Well, our son Todd and wife Yvonne decided last year that they would take there 4 Kids Emily 13, Rhett 9 and the twins Megan and Quinn 7, on a cross Canada trip this year from Okotoks , AB to Nfld using our 40 ft diesel pusher MH which we had sanctioned and supported.
They had a great trip but realized that 7 weeks would not allow they to reach NFLD so they abandoned that idea. After reaching NB with a little over 2 weeks left, before school would start and still with PEI and NS left to visit, they sent a msg to Carroll and I, asking if we would like to fly down to the Maritimes, tour the Maritimes and bring the MH home.
We immediately jumped at the idea so it was just a matter of where to leaving the MH. As it turned out the MH decided for them. As they crossed into NS from PEI and with 1 week left of there vacation, the alternator , to coin a phase ( shit itself ). As it turns out the only supplier for a new alternator was in the US and it would take a week to have it shipped to New Glasgow , NS where it broke down.
So Todd and family took off in their tow vehicle ( a KIA SUV ) and toured NS until they flew home on Friday.
We will fly to Moncton and drive the tow vehicle pick up the MH on 30 August
27 th August
Carroll and I left home and went to Todd's house to greet the Family but mainly the G/Kids to ask them about their trip and to see how excited it was for them. They all seemed to like something different which was great. They should have a wealth of knowledge when their teacher ask they to write an essay about their summer vacation.
Todd and Yvonne gave us the highlights of the trip and gave us a list of "must see " while we travel throughout the Maritimes.
28 th August Sunday
It is important to note that Carroll and I are flying out of Calgary to Moncton at 6 AM Monday.
Todd and Yvonne took their KIA, SUV as a tow vehicle as it would be useless to travel without a Tow Car. Of course, since they flew home the car was in left Moncton for us. However, sometime during breakfast ( Todd or Yvonne ) I'm not sure who , just remembered that their registration expired on 30 August. You don't need to be reminded that the License Plate store doesn't open until 9 AM on Monday and by that time we will be half way to Toronto .
Yes, a minor crisis has arisen but it can not be solved until Monday so we did some "Brain Storming" on the solution but nothing was solved on Sunday.
One would think that this Crisis was enough of a problem for one day. Not so!!
Around 3 PM Carroll was preparing carrots for supper when she felt dizzy and would have fallen if Yvonne had not caught her. After about 20 minutes she was not getting any better so I rush her to the Emergency Care Clinic in Okotoks.
All the way to Okotoks we were thinking; " There goes our trip to the Maritimes" . We were second in line at the Emergency Care, and they determined that Carroll needed treatment ASP so she got a bed right away; which mean she jumped the cue as there was 4 people in the waiting room. She was first interviewed/ checked out by a nurse.
Then she was interviewed by the doctor and mentioned that she could not hear out her left ear and she thought it was Plugged. The doctor checked the ear and seen that it was plugged and agreed that this could be reason for the dizziness. But she wanted an ECG also because of the dizziness could indicate a Stroke. The ECG was normal and after cleaning out the ear, Carroll felt good with no feeling of dizziness so she was released by 6 PM. Thankfully, there is no lingering problems. another Crisis averted.
Tomorrow is a new day and we will try to solve the vehicle registration issue. cheers
Monday, 29 August 2016
Sunday, 21 August 2016
Trip to the Maritimes
We are flying to the Maritimes ( Moncton ) to pickup our Motor Home and to tour the Maritimes and NFLD. We will fly out of Calgary on the 29 th August. so our Blog will hopefully start on or about the 29 th.
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Home tonight
1 April
Great Falls is a casual 5 hour drive from Med Hat so by leaving the WalMart parking lot by 8:30 we should be home by early afternoon. Before leaving WalMart I checked my I "new found" muffler hangar and decided that I could secure it tighter and so I wound the coat hangar more securely just to ensure it would stay put until I got home.
Rather than go thru the Coutts/ Sweet Grass border we headed for Havre, MT where we would fuel up with the last "Cheap" fuel and then cross into Alberta at the Wild Horse crossing. I swore that I would never cross at Coutts again because the last time I had to wait in line for 3 hours. The longest I have ever waited at Wild Horse was for a 5 car line up which was maybe 15 minutes. If 30 years in the Air Force taught anything it was to chose the shortest line.
The Canadian Customs at Wild Horse is open for 10 hours during winter hours but the US Customs is open for 12 or 14 hours. If the Canadian gate is closed you can not enter or leave the USA so why the different hours. Oh well ; it must be a Government thing... who the hell knows.
When we arrived at Wild Horse we were first in line " No Waiting". The Custom's officer ask the preverbal questions and only wanted to see our eggs, mainly to see if they were in the original carton and to see were we purchased them. He was satisfied and the fact that I had about 5 litres of booze and 3 beer did not seem to be a issue. This Custom stop took about 5 minutes and then we were on our way. It sure beats going thru Coutts.
We arrived home about 1:30 PM and since we told our House Sitters they could stay until the 5 th April we intended to drop the MH at home and they go to Todd's place in Okotoks for a G/Kid fix. However, the house sitter had already move out so we stay home and unpacked the MH which suited us just find since we have been on the road since the 28 of Nov.
We enjoyed our winter, but Home is Home. This is my last blog until our next trip which will not likely be until next Fall. We do not have any plans for next winter..... Yet. Comments are welcome. Cheers
Great Falls is a casual 5 hour drive from Med Hat so by leaving the WalMart parking lot by 8:30 we should be home by early afternoon. Before leaving WalMart I checked my I "new found" muffler hangar and decided that I could secure it tighter and so I wound the coat hangar more securely just to ensure it would stay put until I got home.
Rather than go thru the Coutts/ Sweet Grass border we headed for Havre, MT where we would fuel up with the last "Cheap" fuel and then cross into Alberta at the Wild Horse crossing. I swore that I would never cross at Coutts again because the last time I had to wait in line for 3 hours. The longest I have ever waited at Wild Horse was for a 5 car line up which was maybe 15 minutes. If 30 years in the Air Force taught anything it was to chose the shortest line.
The Canadian Customs at Wild Horse is open for 10 hours during winter hours but the US Customs is open for 12 or 14 hours. If the Canadian gate is closed you can not enter or leave the USA so why the different hours. Oh well ; it must be a Government thing... who the hell knows.
When we arrived at Wild Horse we were first in line " No Waiting". The Custom's officer ask the preverbal questions and only wanted to see our eggs, mainly to see if they were in the original carton and to see were we purchased them. He was satisfied and the fact that I had about 5 litres of booze and 3 beer did not seem to be a issue. This Custom stop took about 5 minutes and then we were on our way. It sure beats going thru Coutts.
We arrived home about 1:30 PM and since we told our House Sitters they could stay until the 5 th April we intended to drop the MH at home and they go to Todd's place in Okotoks for a G/Kid fix. However, the house sitter had already move out so we stay home and unpacked the MH which suited us just find since we have been on the road since the 28 of Nov.
We enjoyed our winter, but Home is Home. This is my last blog until our next trip which will not likely be until next Fall. We do not have any plans for next winter..... Yet. Comments are welcome. Cheers
Monday, 4 April 2016
Great Falls Tonight
31 March
We left our truck stop in Ogden, UT fairly early around 8:30 AM without breakfast because we knew there was a nice restaurant about an hour down the road in a small town in Idaho, called Malad, where we could have breakfast. We have stopped here several times for lunch and it also has reasonable priced fuel at their small truck stop. A few years ago a trucker told me that this truck stop usually had the best price in Idaho so if I need fuel I do stop here. This is small town of about 5000 and it appears to have all the necessary services for the area since the closes larger area would be SLC which is about 2 hours away. I should add that this is definitely Cattle Country.
After breakfast we headed for Great Falls, MT where we would spend the night at the WalMart "RV Park ". We knew we would have to stop in Boulder , MT for fuel as it too is our regular fuel stop. However, just before Dillon, MT is a very small town called Dell where they make excellent Cinnamon Buns and if you do need to eat , the meals are huge. We have never been able to finish a meal. The population is 35; yes 35 but the truckers stop for a hardy meal and the town has several cabins for hunters.
We order two Cinnamon buns and Holy Moly they where the size of a small cake. We managed to eat one bun but had to bring the other one home.
In Dillon, MT we leave I-15 and take another road around the Leeward side of the Butte mountains as I never care to climb anymore mountains that I have too and the ride down the other side is fraught with too many turns.
About 10 miles out of Boulder, MT there was a few miles of road construct and just as I came to I stop I hit a small bump and I noticed a noise that sounded much like an exhaust leak. As I pulled into the Truck stop at Boulder I was sure there was a problem. As I was filling with fuel I crawled under the engine compartment and confirmed that the front muffler hanger had broke off . There wasn't much I could do so I headed down the road to Helena thinking of a way to secure the muffler. I was thinking ( out loud ) that I might have some wire in my tool box and that would hold the muffler in place, when Carroll suggested that a wire coat hangar might hold the muffler in place. What a good idea; So she is not just a pretty face after all.
Since we were in the mountains again there was a "Chain up " parking area so I pulled over and crawled under the MH again and wired up the muffler so it now had a replacement hanger that would suffice until we get home.
We pulled into the Wal-Mart in Great Falls about 5 PM and as we expected there where lots of Snowbirds ( mostly Albertans ) parked there for the night. Luckily they left a nice spot for us so I just pulled and parked. After a day like this it was "Miller Time" . cheers
We left our truck stop in Ogden, UT fairly early around 8:30 AM without breakfast because we knew there was a nice restaurant about an hour down the road in a small town in Idaho, called Malad, where we could have breakfast. We have stopped here several times for lunch and it also has reasonable priced fuel at their small truck stop. A few years ago a trucker told me that this truck stop usually had the best price in Idaho so if I need fuel I do stop here. This is small town of about 5000 and it appears to have all the necessary services for the area since the closes larger area would be SLC which is about 2 hours away. I should add that this is definitely Cattle Country.
After breakfast we headed for Great Falls, MT where we would spend the night at the WalMart "RV Park ". We knew we would have to stop in Boulder , MT for fuel as it too is our regular fuel stop. However, just before Dillon, MT is a very small town called Dell where they make excellent Cinnamon Buns and if you do need to eat , the meals are huge. We have never been able to finish a meal. The population is 35; yes 35 but the truckers stop for a hardy meal and the town has several cabins for hunters.
We order two Cinnamon buns and Holy Moly they where the size of a small cake. We managed to eat one bun but had to bring the other one home.
In Dillon, MT we leave I-15 and take another road around the Leeward side of the Butte mountains as I never care to climb anymore mountains that I have too and the ride down the other side is fraught with too many turns.
About 10 miles out of Boulder, MT there was a few miles of road construct and just as I came to I stop I hit a small bump and I noticed a noise that sounded much like an exhaust leak. As I pulled into the Truck stop at Boulder I was sure there was a problem. As I was filling with fuel I crawled under the engine compartment and confirmed that the front muffler hanger had broke off . There wasn't much I could do so I headed down the road to Helena thinking of a way to secure the muffler. I was thinking ( out loud ) that I might have some wire in my tool box and that would hold the muffler in place, when Carroll suggested that a wire coat hangar might hold the muffler in place. What a good idea; So she is not just a pretty face after all.
Since we were in the mountains again there was a "Chain up " parking area so I pulled over and crawled under the MH again and wired up the muffler so it now had a replacement hanger that would suffice until we get home.
We pulled into the Wal-Mart in Great Falls about 5 PM and as we expected there where lots of Snowbirds ( mostly Albertans ) parked there for the night. Luckily they left a nice spot for us so I just pulled and parked. After a day like this it was "Miller Time" . cheers
Sunday, 3 April 2016
Traveling home
30 March
We left Kanab around 9 AM heading for Ogden , UT about 8 hours away plus any stops along the way. We usually stop for fuel any time we see cheaper fuel or when we get down to 1/2 a tank. When you leave Kanab you can traveling on the scenic route for quite some time or you can cut straight I-15. We chose the scenic route as I-15 has become very boring to us since we have travelled it far too many times, hence we stay on the scenic roads until Nephi. Since we are now on I-15 we stopped at Santa Quin ( south of Salt Lake City ( SLC) ) to pick up a bag of apples plus an Ice Cream cone for Carroll. This is orchard territory so we usually stop any time we pass the " Red Barn " as it is called, to get a bag of Apples and Pears.
Now we are heading for Ogden , UT about an hour north of SLC but I've seen enough of SLC at rush hour so we decided to take another scenic route around SLC even thought it is a little longer drive. And a scenic route it was, along with mountains, that reach 8 or 9000 ft and a litany of hair pin turns and slow moving trucks. However, it was a very busy road so assume some of the folks must work in SLC and use this route to commute daily.
I did not realize that we would exit the scenic bypass north of Ogden so now we are back on I-15 and we are looking for a place to camp or park for the evening. We have now been traveling for about 10 hours so we said that the next Truck will be our home for tonight. As I pulled into the truck stop I seen another RVer park in the furthest corner so we pull in beside them for the evening. cheers
We left Kanab around 9 AM heading for Ogden , UT about 8 hours away plus any stops along the way. We usually stop for fuel any time we see cheaper fuel or when we get down to 1/2 a tank. When you leave Kanab you can traveling on the scenic route for quite some time or you can cut straight I-15. We chose the scenic route as I-15 has become very boring to us since we have travelled it far too many times, hence we stay on the scenic roads until Nephi. Since we are now on I-15 we stopped at Santa Quin ( south of Salt Lake City ( SLC) ) to pick up a bag of apples plus an Ice Cream cone for Carroll. This is orchard territory so we usually stop any time we pass the " Red Barn " as it is called, to get a bag of Apples and Pears.
Now we are heading for Ogden , UT about an hour north of SLC but I've seen enough of SLC at rush hour so we decided to take another scenic route around SLC even thought it is a little longer drive. And a scenic route it was, along with mountains, that reach 8 or 9000 ft and a litany of hair pin turns and slow moving trucks. However, it was a very busy road so assume some of the folks must work in SLC and use this route to commute daily.
I did not realize that we would exit the scenic bypass north of Ogden so now we are back on I-15 and we are looking for a place to camp or park for the evening. We have now been traveling for about 10 hours so we said that the next Truck will be our home for tonight. As I pulled into the truck stop I seen another RVer park in the furthest corner so we pull in beside them for the evening. cheers
Saturday, 2 April 2016
Ready to head North
Sunday
We are going to head north tomorrow so today we will start packing so we can leave early. Whenever you start packing people walking by always ask if you are leaving. I sometimes feel like saying ; No I'm just practicing packing, however they mean well and if nothing else we usually stand around and swap stories.
Monday
Our target for today is to reach Kanab, Ut which is about 450 KM so we should be there by mid afternoon. Our camp site at Camp Verde is close to Sea Level and we are heading to Flagstaff which is about 8000 ft so the first 18 miles is all uphill. Most trucks can barely climb the hill faster than 35 MPH and I can barely climb it at 45 MPH in 4 th gear. Luckily there is 3 lanes so us slow pokes do not hinder the other traffic.
After we reached Flagstaff we had to find the highway that would take us north to Page, Ut where we would turn west to Kanab. We went thru several small towns but it boggles my mind why these towns exist as there doesn't seem to be any reason for there existence or for any employment opportunities.
We stopped in page for lunch and then carried on to Kanab, UT arriving about 3 PM. Unfortunately we did not scrutinizes the map closely enough as we did not see the road that would have taken us thru the scenic route. Some folks we met in Kanab told us it was well worth the trip along the Scenic route.
We decided to stay in Kanab for two days just to look around the area. We had supper at one of the " Cowboy" restaurant and I ask the waitress about the existence of Kanab and apparently the was a Native settlement here in the 1800's and then later this town was settled by the Mormons. I did not ask but I'm sure this is still mainly Mormon town. Tourism is the main function of Kanab.
Carroll went to the office to get some information on the area and the camp owner said that it was going to snow during the night. I did not think it was cool enough to snow but the next morning there was about an 1 1/2 of snow . The snow was very wet , so much so that it covered our satellite dish and blocked the signal. cheers
We are going to head north tomorrow so today we will start packing so we can leave early. Whenever you start packing people walking by always ask if you are leaving. I sometimes feel like saying ; No I'm just practicing packing, however they mean well and if nothing else we usually stand around and swap stories.
Monday
Our target for today is to reach Kanab, Ut which is about 450 KM so we should be there by mid afternoon. Our camp site at Camp Verde is close to Sea Level and we are heading to Flagstaff which is about 8000 ft so the first 18 miles is all uphill. Most trucks can barely climb the hill faster than 35 MPH and I can barely climb it at 45 MPH in 4 th gear. Luckily there is 3 lanes so us slow pokes do not hinder the other traffic.
After we reached Flagstaff we had to find the highway that would take us north to Page, Ut where we would turn west to Kanab. We went thru several small towns but it boggles my mind why these towns exist as there doesn't seem to be any reason for there existence or for any employment opportunities.
We stopped in page for lunch and then carried on to Kanab, UT arriving about 3 PM. Unfortunately we did not scrutinizes the map closely enough as we did not see the road that would have taken us thru the scenic route. Some folks we met in Kanab told us it was well worth the trip along the Scenic route.
We decided to stay in Kanab for two days just to look around the area. We had supper at one of the " Cowboy" restaurant and I ask the waitress about the existence of Kanab and apparently the was a Native settlement here in the 1800's and then later this town was settled by the Mormons. I did not ask but I'm sure this is still mainly Mormon town. Tourism is the main function of Kanab.
Carroll went to the office to get some information on the area and the camp owner said that it was going to snow during the night. I did not think it was cool enough to snow but the next morning there was about an 1 1/2 of snow . The snow was very wet , so much so that it covered our satellite dish and blocked the signal. cheers
Visit to Cave Creek,AZ
26 March
We have pretty much seen everything it the Sedona / Cottonwood area so we decide to revisit Cave Creek, an hour and a half north of us near Phoenix. We did a tour of Cave Creek with our friends Harold and Cherie, when we visited them in Surprise, AZ a month or so ago. Cave Creek would be considered a "Bedroom " community of the Phoenix area but was originally a Frontier town that has expanded to this large suburban area with many high end houses, some mansions built on a mountain side , literary built on top of huge rocks. I wish I could do pictures because the location of these homes are breath taking. I am amazed at how they would get the material into these area and the cost must be astronomical.
Anyhow, we call Harold and Cherie to see if they care to join us in Cave Creek for lunch since Surprise is only 1/2 an hour away and they gladly joined us. Of course we went to the old Frontier part of the Town as all the buildings and the façade is as was in the early 1900's. Additional, there are many venders setup in the old buildings and or in canopy stalls to sell you everything from Petrified wood to expensive Jewelry and Art. Of course Carroll bought another pair of ear rings and I keep reminding her that she only has 2 ears, so what's the need for all these ear rings.
We chose a saloon type restaurant for our lunch meal and we spent and hour or so swapping stories etc including when we were leaving for home and which "trail " we would take. After lunch , Cherie had some shopping to do as she apparent missed something on her other 3 trips to Cave Creek so we said farewell and Carroll and I walked around all of the venders in the old town . On our way out of town we drove around the Old Town and snap a few pics. Two of the bars are a haven for the "Bikers " so we just had to snap a pic of all the bikes in the parking lot. We also did a drive thru the upscale subdivisions once more but most of them are Gated so we took some pic of those high in the rock pile on the mountain side.
We then took the 1 1/4 hour drive back to our camp site and called it a day. cheers
We have pretty much seen everything it the Sedona / Cottonwood area so we decide to revisit Cave Creek, an hour and a half north of us near Phoenix. We did a tour of Cave Creek with our friends Harold and Cherie, when we visited them in Surprise, AZ a month or so ago. Cave Creek would be considered a "Bedroom " community of the Phoenix area but was originally a Frontier town that has expanded to this large suburban area with many high end houses, some mansions built on a mountain side , literary built on top of huge rocks. I wish I could do pictures because the location of these homes are breath taking. I am amazed at how they would get the material into these area and the cost must be astronomical.
Anyhow, we call Harold and Cherie to see if they care to join us in Cave Creek for lunch since Surprise is only 1/2 an hour away and they gladly joined us. Of course we went to the old Frontier part of the Town as all the buildings and the façade is as was in the early 1900's. Additional, there are many venders setup in the old buildings and or in canopy stalls to sell you everything from Petrified wood to expensive Jewelry and Art. Of course Carroll bought another pair of ear rings and I keep reminding her that she only has 2 ears, so what's the need for all these ear rings.
We chose a saloon type restaurant for our lunch meal and we spent and hour or so swapping stories etc including when we were leaving for home and which "trail " we would take. After lunch , Cherie had some shopping to do as she apparent missed something on her other 3 trips to Cave Creek so we said farewell and Carroll and I walked around all of the venders in the old town . On our way out of town we drove around the Old Town and snap a few pics. Two of the bars are a haven for the "Bikers " so we just had to snap a pic of all the bikes in the parking lot. We also did a drive thru the upscale subdivisions once more but most of them are Gated so we took some pic of those high in the rock pile on the mountain side.
We then took the 1 1/4 hour drive back to our camp site and called it a day. cheers
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