Return to the Evergreen State

Uneventful drive from Mountain Home, ID, to Prosser, WA. One stop at a rest area in Oregon for a sandwich. Saw the last of the snow alongside the road going over the Blue Mountains. One little sprinkle - just enough to make spots on the windshield.

Now sitting in the Wine Country RV Park in Prosser, WA, letting the television go through the auto tune and winding down.

Paige, Dave and I will go out for dinner tonight. It's nice to have a travelling companion along the road. Neither of us had any major problems on this trip (woo hoo), but there is a sense of security when you know you've got friends nearby.

On to Mountain Home, Idaho

A smooth 380 miles or so from Ely, NV, to Mountain Home, ID. Straight, flat, smooth roads. No big climbs or descents - just what a motorhome owner/driver wants. Not much of a road for a motorcycle rider, but perfect for me yesterday.

It is still chilly, but not as cold as Ely. The days are growing longer. It was light out until almost 10 last night. It's usually dark by 8 in Arizona - they don't participate in daylight savings. Maybe that's why I wake up so early every morning.

Climate change

The Channel 3 weather girl predicted 100 degrees in Phoenix Friday. I hear it topped out at 102. That was easy to believe since it was already 80 degrees at 8 o'clock in the morning. The temperature in Boulder City, NV, where I spent Friday night was in the 90s. I ran the air conditioning from the time I got the power hooked up until it was time for bed.

It was still pleasant this morning as I prepared to leave. I did put on short sleeve shirt instead of a tank top along with shoes and socks. As the elevation increased some 4,000 feet, the temperatures dropped. I turned on the heat as I drove.

Now, sitting my motorhome at the KOA in Ely, NV, I have added a sweatshirt to my ensemble and the heater is ready to run. There is snow in the hills surrounding me.

Baby got new shoes

In preparation for the upcoming trip to Washington, the motorhome went first to a local Ford dealer in response to a recall concerning the cruise control system (something about it could catch on fire) then visited a local tire dealer for six new Goodyears. I've been told that no matter how good the tires look or how few miles are on them, they should be replaced every 5 years or so. The tires that I had been driving on were the originals - from 1998.
So, while my wallet is a little lighter, my mind is at ease.
I plan to leave Apache Junction on the 21st and arrive in Thorp on the 25th. My route home will take me to Las Vegas, then turn north along the eastern border of Nevada to Twin Falls, Idaho, then angle northwest through Pendleton, OR, and on to Ross and Patti's homestead.

Blooming saguaro

or as Dixie says, "They got their bonnets on".

Update on Mom

My sister Mary sent these pictures taken April 23, along with a note stating that Mom was able to tie her shoes and sign her name - hooray!!

AND she's going home today! 4/30/10

Me and a few (thousand) of my friends

I wasn't going to do it. Was going to avoid the crowd of Arizona Bike Week and CycleFest. I woke up this morning, had my coffee and finished my puzzles. Looked at the clock and it was only 7:30. I knew that Chester's HD was having a breakfast and bike ride to support the Special Olympics. Breakfast sounded good - and a chance to look at a bunch of bikes. So I saddled up and rode to Mesa. To park in the lot, I had to join the crowd. Once I was ensconced in the crowd, it just made sense to go along for the ride. It was an escorted ride, so every intersection was held open for us. Bikes started rolling out at 10, I didn't leave the lot until after 11. Miles and miles of motorcycles. Dave rode in Rolling Thunder in D.C. with 400,000 bikes. I can't imagine that crowd - this one was too large for me.