Installment #4 - Retirement Trip

2-28-06
Thanks again for the emails we are receiving…always nice to get feedback from an email.
Drove to Oatman, AZ (a town on Route 66) – Burros just walked around the main (only) street of town, begging for carrots that all businesses had to sell tourists. Tony wanted no part of feeding the burros. This is the town where Lombard and Gable spent their wedding night back in 1939. Went in a bar where walls were covered with dollar bills from customers (names and dates written on the bills). Oatman provided (picture) entertainment (a gun fight in the middle of the street). Traffic was stopped while the gun fight took place.
Travelled on up Route 66 (picture) for about 30 miles over a mountain pass "Sitgreaves Pass, elevation 3700. Passed quite a few old mines. Stopped in what used to be an old gas station on Route 66 (antique pumps, and old wringer for washing windows).
Stopped again at Lake Havasu to go across London Bridge (picture), drove the circle around the island. Drove down to a 1/3 scale of lighthouse.
Walked around a bit at a Bluegrass festival held at Quartzsite. "Rocky Top was the only good song I heard – found it more interesting to watch the girl setting up the screen printing for the shirts she planned to sell at the three day event.
Q20 given to us by Bill & Janet has been the entertainment of many evenings. Butch and Mary bought one as soon as they saw the one we had.
Went to garage sales around town on Friday and Saturday. Tony now owns a new air staple gun and circular saw.
Have now seen how they play golf in Quartzsite (picture) – hope the pictures show it as it really is – absolutely no green grass….saw one guy riding out to golf course on a bike carrying one club!
We have slowed down a little now – plan to relax for awhile before we take off for New Mexico and Texas.

Installment #3 - Retirement Trip

2-21-06
Spent one day riding around Arizona – ended up turning on a road that mentioned a desert bar – 4 miles – Were able to travel the 4 miles in just under an hour. There were probably 60 cars coming out of the road on the way in and at least 25 cars going in to the bar as we were coming out. When we arrived the first thing we saw was a church with a high steeple – as we got closer we saw that the church was just a façade. The bar was filled with people, including a live band, outside and inside bar, bridge built to reach the bar and entertainment.
Went to a lot of garage sales and flea markets and craft shows during the day. Saw an interesting sign: "Our will, being of sound mind and body, We spent it all."
Saw deepest dam in the world – Parker Dam. Went to one of the Arizona Indian casinos, with motel at the back and quite an extensive water park inside the casino. Ended up at Lake Havasu to see the fireworks (after stopping by Walmart to buy another inverter for the car -–we seem to be relying a lot on the Streets & Trips computer program on the laptop). Fireworks were good, but we could never get close enough to see all of them. Cars lined up on the highway for probably 10 miles either side of the best vantage point.
Picture included here of a view of Quartzsite after we climbed up the "Q" mountain to take an aerial view.
On Sunday we took off in the car (left the motorhome at Quartzsite) to see my Aunt Bernadine and cousin Roy. Spent the day with Bernadine looking around Scottsdale. Saw the tallest fountain in the world in Fountain Hills, saw Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural creation built out in the desert and another spire he designed in town; went down to "Old Scottsdale" to walk around…saw a working artist (Neal Porter) who uses only ink pens of .25 mm or .165 mm size to draw pictures which take him around 140-300 hours to complete. Went to see Phoenix-Open Golf Course (FBR now)(seating still up from January tournament). What a classy place that was – not anything like the club houses I have been in. Hasn’t rained in over 130 days in Arizona, but the golf courses look as if they are surviving very well.
Monday we took Bernadine and headed to Sahuarita AZ, south of Tucson, to visit Roy in his home which is 10 miles off the interstate (3.5 miles on a dirt road). What an experience to hear the coyotes howling at night, to see the sunset in the desert, and spending the night so far away from anyone or anything. On the way down we tried to get a look at the Biosphere 2 in the desert north of Tucson, but it was situated so it was impossible to see much of it. Took a side road to look at an "active adult community" – off the road 5 miles. When we rounded a corner, there were hundreds of houses with wide roads, all having a lane on each side for golf carts – must have been a favorite "tee time", because golf carts were appearing from everywhere as we drive around the community.
Back to Scottsdale on Tuesday morning and then headed back to Quartzsite – will appreciate getting back to our "home on wheels".

Installment #2 - Retirement Trip

2-17-06

Went to see copper mines (no longer in operation) on Wednesday far off the main road in the desert. Butch and I went deep inside the mine (Tony went a short distance, and Mary didn’t even step foot into the mine) and finally found an outlet with a metal ladder (picture attached). It would not stand my weight, so we decided not to try climbing out and went back the same way we had come in. When we got outside, we wandered around until Butch found the opening that we would have liked to climb out of. Saw a cabin way back there in the desert that someone had had a lot of fun decorating with things such as a noose, woman sleeping in a bed, one guy buried outside with boots sticking up (picture attached)….think you had to be there to appreciate all that was there.
Went to Yuma on Thursday – huge flea markets that are open beginning Thursdays and through the week-end. Major walking back and forth, up and down to see everything….so many things we saw that we have never seen for sale anywhere else. One picture attached is where they were selling sunglasses etc. for animals. Could be that we don’t get out enough, but would like to think that this market in Arizona is just different. Bought another rolling backpack which will hold more – we call it K-9 because Tony says I am pulling a "dog".
Saw wild horses on the way back from Yuma.
Cut my hair today in the small motorhome bathroom – that was an interesting experience…now know I need a hand mirror to see the back…one more thing to add to the list for next time.
Also took Tony along to the laundromat – he has never been in a laundromat. While I was talking on the phone, he decided that the dryer softener sheets should go in the washer during the rinse cycle!! Guess he never heard of dryer softener sheets either.
Today went on a trip towards Bouse – to see petroglyphics made by Indians years ago – seemed to be a waste of time. Got a little exercise walking back into the desert, got ice cream in Bouse to counteract the exercise.
Plan to go to Oatman tomorrow (an old Western town with gunfights in the street), then on to drive on the old Route 66 and then end up back in Lake Havasu for the pyrotechnic display.

Installment #1 - Retirement Trip

2-15-06
Three pictures attached – outside Venice casino in Los Vegas, cactus garden in Henderson NV close to Ethyl M’s chocolates, and country and western band at RV sales lot in Quartzsite, AZ.
We are thoroughly enjoying the 80 degree heat, sun and blue sky. We hear it is close to 10 degrees in Moscow, Idaho.
Some of the highlights we have seen:
McCall ID ice sculptures
Huge Winchester rifle hanging over town street in Winchester ID
Huge Mammoth in Grangeville ID
Railroad Depot Museum in Ely NV
Jackpot casinos in Jackpot ID
Time share tour in Vegas
Las Vegas – Venice, Paris, New York, water show at Bellagio, thunderstorm inside, to top of Stratosphere (112 floors up, 909 feet), $100 free slot money at Casino Royale, American superstars show at Stratosphere (imitators – Michael Jackson, Elvis, Christine Aguilar, Britney Spears), Fremont street experience (downtown LV) (saw spray paint artist), M&M shop, rainstorm inside Aladdin, Wildlife habitat in Flamingo, largest gift shop in world in Vegas.
Chocolate Factory and cactus garden tour in Henderson NV
Hoover Dam
Route 66 in Kingman NV
London Bridge in Lake Havasu AZ (saw radio control boat races) (saw largest candle shop in word there)
Found Butch & Mary’s campsite without any problems in Quartzsite.
Quartzsite – millions of motorhomes, campers, RVs, ATVs, etc. etc.
Country and Western free entertainment
Square and round dance entertainment
Proving Ground, Yuma, huge anti-aircraft guns, army personnel jumping out of planes
Small church built in memory of some guy’s wife, patterned after small church in Washington
Mexico – bought a few trinkets (Tony bought a shot glass for $4.25 that sold in store for $1.92) (Sharon bought a bracelet for $5.00 and next girl would have sold it for $3.00). Tony DID NOT like Mexico tourist trap.

Plan to go see mines today, then back to Yuma tomorrow, to Lake Havasu for pyrotechnic display (bigger than we’ve ever seen) on Saturday. Will drive to Phoenix to see my aunt Bernadine on Sunday (probably stay a couple of days there and then back to Quartzsite).

Retirement parties

The picture is of my retirement cake from the Student Advising Center.

Had a great three days full of retirement parties - one official one on Thursday, February 2, an unofficial office party on Friday, February 3rd, and then one for friends and relatives at our home on Saturday, February 4th, before we left on our three month motorhome trip.

Cake shows my recent 30 years of work - the Daylight Donut Shop, the Pizza Perfection store, and last my work at Washington State University. Thanks to everyone for the great parties.