May 24th - June 2nd

Well this is the last tally book entry for this trip.  In the future I will probably use Facebook but who knows... stay tuned.

We had a great time at Cowboy Tom's.  On the Monday and Tuesday we roped with Bob King as he and Betty were still there for a few more days getting a little R&R.

While the "boys" were out working hard at being better cowboys, the girls were having all the fun cutting Tom's 4 acres... Arda has the fast mower!

Tom also bought himself a new hauler for his horse trailer.  It is a beauty!  Arda even got to  sit in the driver's seat but didn't want to drive it on the road... I wonder why?

On Wednesday I went to school so I could get a CCW for Utah & Minnesota then  I found out that Michigan's CCW provides the same or better coverage so I will take that course again... live and learn.

After puttering around for several more days, it was time to leave.  The night before we left, Cowboy served shrimp, synthetic lobster, and steak!  I think he was trying to poison me again as it didn't work last time I was there.  Actually, Arda sacrificed herself by eating most of the shrimp.  In spite of all Tom's efforts, we took off on Tuesday AM for Happy Rock (Gladstone MI).  We spent the night with John  and Jeanne Lindberg (had a great meal at the Stonehouse).  The next morning we headed to GR... Arda couldn't wait to see Sydney.

We arrived in GR about 3:00 PM, set up the trailer, and headed to see Jenny and Steve... oh ya, almost forget, Sydney too!  I think Oma wore Sydney out!

So that brings us to the end of this travel segment in our lives.  We head for the west coast in August for several  months after which we will go to the Netherlands for Yvonne's birthday.

Until the next time, keep your loops open and Vaya con Dios. 

May 9th - May 23rd

It has been a long time since I did this.  Part of the reason is that my computer crashed and I had to rebuild it from the start.  That took about 4 solid days and it still isn't 100%.  I also have been avoiding updating this as it is getting harder and harder to write this... oh well.

After Reno, we traveled to Vegas but it took us 4 days as we only drove a few hours each day... it was exhausting!  Once we were in Vegas, Arda spent a week with her sister (Yvonne) and 2 friends (Dorri and Nel) while I stayed in Boulder City at a the Canyon Ridge RV Park.  It was a good thing I didn't have plans as it allowed me a chance to get my computer fixed.  I also took the time to clean-up my tack and one saddle... still one to go!  This took almost all day.

On the Monday (the 17th) I picked up the "Golden Girls" and took them to Lake Mead for lunch and a cruise.  It was a good break for them from the dark gambling halls.  After our cruise, we went back to the trailer where I fixed hamburgers, salad, and other stuff for dinner... actually I can't take all the credit as Arda did a lot of the work.  Here are a few pictures of Lake Mead.

We left Boulder City early (at least for us) on Thursday the 20th and headed to Cowboy Tom's in Chaska MN.  We drove about 500 miles each day.  The first night we stopped at Wally Mart in Rocking Springs, WY.  The 2nd night was spent in Merdo, SD at the Triple H Truck Stop.  We arrived at Cowboy's about 4:00 PM on the 22nd.

We are here for a week with Bob & Betty King so will update this in a week or so...

Take care and keep your loops open.

April 31st – May 8th

Well as far as the Californios and Reno are concerned, they are both winners.  Reno has done an excellent job of making the downtown a pleasant place to be… aside from the casinos that is.  They have a well maintained bike/walking path that follows the Truckee River through the center of town.  There are many places (benches and parks) to sit and/or picnic along the 20-mile path.  There are a number of rapids where kayakers spend their lunchtime doing tricks and there is even a race course.  The weather was a little cool and we had a severe windstorm one night where the winds were over 100 mph.  Fortunately, the RV Park is in a valley so we were not impacted too bad.  In fact we had worse wind storms when we were in Arizona.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the Californios.  Most of the cowboys who competed could throw some large loops… 14' – 20' and still catch 200 lb calves.  It was fun to watch the youth competition.  There were 2 young boys (brothers) from Alanson MI who competed.  They were good and in fact Nathan one the over-all youth competition.  As for the rest of the Californios, it was a good opportunity to talk to a lot of people who have excellent knowledge and are willing to share it.  Of course there was lots of tack to purchase too - J.

Tuesday we moved on as we are now headed to Las Vegas (of course it will take us a week & and half to get 400 miles) where Arda will meet up with her sister (Yvonne) and a couple of friends (Dorri & Nel) where they will have a girls week… Vegas will never be the same!  We stayed the night at the Desert Rose RV Park in Fernley, which was only a couple of hours from Reno.

Wednesday we got up late and Arda had her coffee in bed because we were only travelling a short distance to Sun Valley RV in Mina, NV.  Nevada's geography is unusual in that one can drive for hours on very straight roads, lots of rocks, small and large, plus very little vegetation and then all of a sudden Walker Lake appears.  This was a huge lake with a lot of nice picnic areas so we stopped and had lunch.  We drove a few more miles down the road, where at the end of the lake was a Naval Undersea Warfare Center… in the middle of a desert?  I guess our "enemies" wouldn't think to look there – HA!  

We drove for another 2 hours and stopped for the "night" at the Space Station RV Park in Beatty NV.  Travelling this way is tough – I recommend it to anyone who enjoys travel.  Arda went to the casino (surprise) that was next door while I caught up on our bills because we had excellent internet service.
  
Friday we headed for Furnace Creek Oasis in Death Valley.  This was a beautiful drive.  At one point we had a 16 mile long descent at 8 degree.  The scenery was just beautiful.  At Furnace Creek Campground we unhooked the trailer and then went site seeing.  The landscape in Death Valley is a series of stark contrasts from flat land, to salt flats, to rocks, and to mountains in all colors.  A number of side trips off the main road are dirt roads but they are in reasonable condition so we drove several of them.  We drove out to the "Devils Golf Course" which was just amazing.  This was part of a dry lake bed.  In fact all of Death Valley was submerged by Lake Manley, which dried up over 10,000 years ago.  It was 90 miles long, 12 miles wide, and up to 600 feet deep.  The land leading up to this area was very flat that transitioned into an area that was all broken up and full of salt.  We also went on to Badwater where there is water all year round and a very large salt flat.  The dry lakebed is about 280 feet below sea level while on the west side Telescope Peek rises over 11,000 feet.  This is the lowest and highest point in North America.  We went back to our trailer where we enjoyed a nice hamburger on the grill even though the temps had ranged from 81 – 102.  Fortunately, it was not humid so we were able to enjoy ourselves.  The whole area is very quiet and everywhere we went, as our good friend Charley Hendren used to say, we could "listen to the quiet".  It was exhilarating.

Saturday morning we decided to do some more sightseeing as there was one side-trip where the road was under repair on Friday.  We got up before breakfast, ate our cereal, and hit the road with our coffees in hand.  The road, Artist's Palette was open.  What gorgeous scenery!  There are blues, greens, various shades of browns, reds, tan, etc.  It is truly breathtaking to see nature's beauty.  It was well worth the trip.

After our sightseeing, we packed up the trailer and headed to Pahrump NV.  The Paiute Indians first lived in this area over 100 years ago where they discovered an abundance of water.  They named the valley Pahrump because Pah = water and rump = rocks.  There is an abundance of both here in the valley.  We are going to stay in the town of Pahrump at the Preferred RV Park, which is within walking distance of 2 casinos. 

There are a lot of pictures located at the following links… Death Valley.  Sorry for the large number of pictures but I couldn't decided which ones to exclude.

Keep your loops open until next time.

April 25th - April 30th

Sunday afternoon we drove to South Lake Tahoe.  This is a real tourist/ski town.  It was strange to see people walking around in shorts and tee shirts carrying snow boards or skis.  We had some very good ice cream while sitting in the "town square" in the sun.

Monday we headed for Reno.  The drive over the mountains was beautiful.  It is really amazing how the landscape changes in a few miles.  We had a bright clear day with clear roads to the trip was very enjoyable.

We settled in Reno at the Chism RV Park.  This is a very clean park and is within 1 mile of downtown Reno which just happens to be full of casinos... guess who really likes this?  Arda and I went for a bike ride in the afternoon.  There is a bike path that starts near the campground and goes through downtown... it is really very well done.  (Reno)

The rest of the week we spent sight-seeing, getting the truck serviced (this took a day in itself) and generally just taking it easy.

Today (Friday) the Californios started... this is why we came to Reno.  I will be at the competition all day tomorrow and Arda will join me on Sunday.

Until next time, keep your loops open.

April 19th – April 24th

The last time I updated my Tally Book I told we were heading for Jackson CA for a couple of days… well we in fact did that.  We stayed at the Rancheria Casino RV Park.  Our intent was to stay for 1 night but as plans tend to do, things went awry.  We planned to stay one night but quickly decided to stay for 2 nights because we had done a lot of driving and we had a lot of internet stuff (like bills) to catch up on . 

Then we planned to leave on the Tuesday but they had received about 10" of snow in the Sierras and chains were required to go over the mountain, which of course that is where we wanted to go so we stayed another night.  What a night that was…

It was not a pretty sight with WD hugging the great white telephone ALL night… it felt like a repeat from last fall when I had the twisted intestine.  Fortunately, it wasn't a repeat.  Needless to say, we stayed put for another day as I was in no shape to drive.  We had to leave on Thursday because the park was full that night as a big group was coming in.  So we set out, still unable to cross the mountain due to more snow, for the foothills and one of the few places to stay that was open.

We drove to Cisco Grove where there was an open RV park that could accommodate us… they only had 3 sites available and only 1 would allow us to stay hooked up.  The park roads and campgrounds were covered in snow with 4' snow banks on both sides of the roads.  We survived and the next morning was beautiful.  We headed to the Silver City RV Park near Carson City.  We drove around the south end of Lake Tahoe, which was gorgeous!  (pictures at Lake Tahoe Plus) We arrived Friday PM.

Saturday we took it easy and did some sightseeing in Carson City.  There is an old part of town, which has been restored and is right across from the current Assembly Building.  The downtown is very pretty.  We went to church at a huge church, double the size of St Paul's where the priest was very young and had difficulty with English so the Deacon delivered the Homily… he did a good job.  It is interesting to attend different churches with different environments.  Well, tomorrow we are going to drive around the rest of Lake Tahoe…

Keep your loops open until next time.

April 13th – April 18th

Here is another update in the ongoing saga of the Toles and their travels.  We decided to stay in the High Sierra RV Campground in Oakhurst to do some little things around the trailer, as there is always something to do when your house is on wheels.

Wednesday we putzed around in the morning but in the afternoon, Arda had had it.  There was a casino within 10 miles of the campground so she just had to get her fix!  The good news is that she played for over an hour and only made a $5 donation…  :-)

Here is a quiz for you… Which way does a Sequoia Tree normally fall, up- or down-hill?  (Answer at the bottom of this update).

Thursday we headed for Yosemite Village in Yosemite NP where we had reservations for 1 night.  Even though it is early in the year with many of the trails still closed and snow covered, it was hard to get a spot.  We took one for 1 night (we wanted to stay 3) and looked around the best we could.  As you can see from the photos (Yosemite N.P.), there are a lot of beautiful places to see.  What was really strange was the fact that at 6:00 PM it was dark in the park due to the height and density of the trees even though the sun was still shining on the tops of the trees and mountains.  Yosemite Falls is the tallest water falls in the US and the 5^th highest in the world.  The bike paths were beautiful as the land in the valley is fairly level so Wrangler Dave rode his new bike for the first time and here is the picture to prove it! 

We were able to watch a coyote catch his mid-afternoon snack; actually, we were able to watch him/her catch 2 snacks.  Another sad fact about the park is that there are on average 16 suicides of young people each year.  Apparently, they come there because of the beauty…  We rounded out the day with a lovely dinner and campfire and then it was early to bed.

Friday morning we woke early but enjoyed our coffee in bed before setting out to our next destination, Hodgdon Meadow, another part of Yosemite N.P., where we will stay for 2 nights.  Reservations we also hard to come by here but we lucked out as someone had cancelled.  After setting up camp, Arda and I had a meeting to lay out our plans for the rest of the year… at least until the end of October.  We need to get Dad's Christmas plans before we finalize ours, which we will do in the next week or so.

Saturday we headed out to Hetch Hetchy, which is native Miwok for grasses.  On the way there, we were able to watch a very large Black Bear eat vegetation in a meadow.  We went as far as the road would go, which was to the O'Shaughnessy Dam.  The O'Shaughnessy Dam is near Yosemite's western boundary, but the long, narrow, finger-like reservoir stretches eastward for over 8 miles. Construction was completed in 1923. The dam then stood 227 feet high; its present height of 312 feet was achieved only later in 1938 when the hydroelectric plant was built. The water travels 167 miles to San Fransisco via gravity alone through pipe, aqueducts and rivers. It is so pure that SD only adds chlorine to the water, which is mandated by the Feds. There are a lot of foot-trails in the area with something for everyone. You can see the pictures at Yosemite NP.

Then it was back to camp for another campfire and wonderful dinner (hamburgers).  What a tough life!  God's beauty sure does abound!

Sunday morning dawned with another beautiful day but unfortunately, we had to move on.  We headed north towards Sonora not really knowing where we were going until Arda found yet another casino in Jackson CA.  It just happened to be on the way – HA!  So here we are.  We will stay here 2 nights as it is really a beautiful campground, has internet and a shuttle bus to the casino…  J

We still don't have data on our phones but at least we can receive/make calls and we do have internet for a couple more days at least.

Answer to Sequoia trivia:  Sequoias generally fall UP-HILL because they are typically toppled by a strong wind and the roots on the up-hill side are covered with dirt, tree branches, needles, etc. while those on the downside are bare due to erosion.

Keep your loops open until next time.

March 21st – April 12th

It has been a long time since I wrote my Tally and I really don't have any excuses except to say that I was lazy… yup, just plain lazy. A lot has happened since I last wrote…
First as many of you know, Arda and I drove to Chicago to see Steve graduate with a Masters in Finance from the University of Chicago. We are very proud of him as he persevered for 36 months driving to Chicago, and back to GR every weekend, while remaining on the Dean's list the entire time. Jenny deserves a lot of kudos for her support of Steve… thanks Jenny. 

While in Chicago, we also helped Petra celebrate her birthday. She too has undertaken a new endeavor. In January, she left her teaching job and went to work as a translator for a consulting company. Her first assignment was in Montreal where she found out that French and Quebequois are not quite the same. She is doing so well the company now wants to train her in Lean Techniques so she can be a full-fledged consultant. We are very proud and excited for her.

We left Chicago and went to GR where we "moved" into the house on Cascade Rd, picked up some papers so I could complete my taxes, and then headed back to AZ. It took us 28 hours to drive back to AZ… it was nice to get back in the warmer weather. While cheaper and more flexible to drive rather than fly, I wouldn't want to do this again anytime soon.

I spent the next couple of days riding and roping with Bob and Mark and Cheryl Lieurance who are from Iowa. They had come down to work with Bob and attend the Buck Brannaman Clinic… nice people. Arda spent her days playing tour guide for Kallie (Cowboy Tom's daughter) who was in AZ for her spring break… they had a blast! Kallie is a beautiful girl and I know that Cowboy is extremely proud of her… you should see all the videos he took! Well on second thought, maybe you don't want to.

In addition to all the other things Arda does, she finished a second cowhide vest for Bob King. Bob will use the brown vest for everyday use, as it will keep him plenty warm while he is in the saddle. The second vest, a little fancier will be used for dress-up occasions. Both turned out extremely well but then one wouldn't expect anything less from the Velcro Queen!

Our next activity was in Willcox, AZ at the Buck Brannaman Clinic. I watched all 4 days and learned so much I can't wait to try some of the things. Buck is really a master at horsemanship and works very hard at being the best he can be. He also has a knack of being able to break things down to a point where one can understand precisely what needs to change. Pictures are at this link… Willcox Clinic

After the Brannaman clinic, it was time to hit the road again. We left Goldminers' on April 6th and decided we would take 3 weeks to get to Reno where the Californios is held this year. We headed west and got as far as Wickenburg, AZ. It is a neat town with lots of history so we spent the day doing the tourist thing.

  
The next day we headed westward once again and drove to Ludlow, CA where we stayed at a 76 Truck Stop. We were able to park off in one corner and where not bothered by the trucks, which meant we had a good night's rest plus there was DQ across the road which helped soothe the body, if not the mind.

 
We went from Ludlow to Bakersfield where Buck Owens decided make his career and start the Chrystal Palace. We really did the tourist "thing" by walking around the complex, looking at part of the museum, and taking some pictures. At least we can say we were there.

 
From Bakersfield, we headed to Three Rivers, CA, which is just outside the Sequoia NP in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We stayed the night at a beautiful RV park called the Sequoia RV Ranch. The campsites are generous with lots of big old oak trees. We will stay here again the next time we are in the area.

  
Friday morning we headed into the Sequoia NP. We are staying at a campground called Potwisha. Vehicles longer than 22 feet are not allowed beyond this location as the roads are too narrow and winding… lots of switchbacks. We will stay here for the next 4 nights and just drive around to see the sights. After setting up camp, we headed out for our first "tour". We drove to the "Giant Forest" where we able to see huge Sequoias, including the largest in the world - General Sherman. It is estimated to be around 2200 years old. It will grow enough in a year to make a 60-foot tree of normal proportions. Some other tidbits about Sequoias - they can grow to about 311 feet; age to 3200 years as they don't die from disease or fire as most die from toppling due to their shallow root system; they can weigh up to 2.7 million pounds; their bark can be up to 31 inches thick; branches grow to 8 feet in diameter; and their bases grow to 40 feet in diameter. They are one impressive tree!

Saturday we headed up the mountain again, only this time we packed a picnic lunch. This time we went to Kings Canyon N.P. where we saw more Sequoias. While we were only 14 miles from our campsite, we had to drive 43 miles one-way because of all the switchbacks. There is still a lot of snow on the mountains with many of the roads and facilities remain closed for the winter. We saw the General Grant Sequoia, which has the largest base diameter of 40.3 feet of any tree. It is also 27 stories tall, is as wide as a three-lane highway and weighs more than 700 large cars. Between the Sequoias and the Ponderosa Pines, it is an extremely impressive area!

Another lazy day. We got up late (9:00 AM) after coffee in bed and then took our time eating breakfast. We had decided to go to Three Rivers to pick up a few things at the grocery store and get fuel for the truck. We also treated ourselves to lunch at a local restaurant… the food was excellent! Today the weatherman was forecasting storms (rain and snow) in the mountains so the road over the top was closed at 4:00 PM. It is a good thing that we went up the mountain Friday and Saturday, as it was bright and sunny both days. We got back to the trailer a little after 3:00 PM and started our evening fire. Just as we were about to cook, it started to rain but since I am not made of sugar and wouldn't melt, we finished cooking anyway. The hamburgers were delicious!

Tomorrow we are back on the road headed for Yosemite NP but we may not get there as we have some shopping, banking, etc. to do so we may hole up in Visalia or Fresno for a day or so. I will up this whenever possible.

Monday we woke to snow on the mountains and rain in the valleys. We packed up and headed to Fresno to do some shopping at Wally-Mart… it has been a couple weeks since we hit the grocery store so it was time. We drove on to Oakhurst CA where we stayed at an RV park just outside the park. On Wednesday we will head into the park for several days where we don't expect to have phone or internet service.

That's all for now folks. You will find some photos from the past few weeks by clicking on this link… Sequoia National Park

Keep your loops open until next time.

March 14th - March 20th

Another week gone by... where does the time go?  Well Al & Vicki were here for the weekend so we toured around some.  Saturday we spent the day lazing around the trailer as everyone was tired from our "tourist" days.  Saturday night, Tom took us all to dinner at Apache Lair where we enjoyed a good steak dinner and even better company.  Katheryn Rose who was at Bob's Cowboy School for the week joined us too as Tom took her to Tucson after dinner to get her truck which had broken down.

Sunday, after church, Al, Vicki, Tom, Arda, and myself packed a picnic lunch and  headed to the Chiricahua Mountains.  It was a beautiful day but very windy.  There was also still a fair amount of snow on the mountains which is good for the water table.  We had a  great time.  A few pictures... Chiricahua Mountains

Monday we took Al & Vicki to the airport as their vacation was over.  We stopped by to see Arda, Gerry, Vicki, and  Willie and had a great lunch... as usual.

Tuesday I rode while Arda had fun doing all those fun things like laundry, cleaning, the trailer, etc. in preparation for us heading north for a week.

Wednesday & Thursday were spent driving to Chicago... 15 and 12 hours respectively.  The weather was good and we enjoyed seeing the country.  There was snow on the ground in the higher elevations but we didn't  have any storms on the way.

Friday was Steve's Graduation (Graduation Pictures) so that filled up most of the day... after a lazy morning that is.  That evening we had a family dinner to celebrate Steve's Graduation AND Petra's birthday which is next week.  Everyone had a great time (could it be because Dad picked up the check?)!

Saturday we lazed around, well some of us.  Petra and  Jenny went to the gym to work out and Steve finished up his last paper... yup, he still graduated.  Tonight we are going to dinner with some of Steve's classmates and their families.

I've decided that after this adventure ends, I will post updates and pictures on Facebook and stop with this blog.  I will let you know when I post the last article so in the meantime, keep your loops open.

March 7th - 13th

Another week gone by... it has been fun having Al & Vicki here this week.  We've gotten to play tourist all-over again but it is neat taking people to the sites around here as they really are unique.  It is fun to see the expressions on people's faces as they see new things that one normally doesn't see at home or anywhere else for that matter.

The first part of the week (Sunday through Wed) was about 10 degrees cooler than normal but that didn't stop us.  The end of the week has been beautiful with temps in the mid- to high- 70's.

Al & Vicki arrived on Monday so we picked them up at the airport (nice of us eh?) and then visited Arda, Gerry, Vicki & Willie who were kind enough to provide libations and snacks.

Tuesday & Wednesday were slow days as Al, Vicki, Arda and myself kicked around the trailer and then one day we went to Bob's for a while as they wanted to see me ride... can you imagine?

Thursday we went to, you guessed it, Tombstone.  We took the direct route over the mountain which only take 2 hours plus to cover 25 miles.  The long way takes about 1.5 hours over 50 miles.  The mountain way is really a beautiful drive so I don't mind it at all.  We wandered around Tombstone and Al & Vicki helped keep our economy alive as they bought lots of stuff... they even bought themselves cowboy hats!  Of course a trip to Tombstone wouldn't be successful without a trip to Boothill... it really is an interesting place with many people shot or killed over what appears to be silly arguments.  Some of it sounds like the stuff we read about in the papers today.  Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure...  Tombstone 2010-03-11

Friday we went to Tuscon Studios.  Another beautiful day where we watched several street plays, visited a "mine", road the train around the park, and yes, watched the Can-Can Girls.  After Tuscon studios we went to Green Valley to visit our good friends from Canada (they stay here most of the winter) and on to Arda's, Gerry's, Vicki's and Willie's for more libations.  Gerry was kind enough to line-up a salesman for Al so he could look at some motor-homes...  I think he might have the bug(?).  We all went to dinner at a local restaurant where they had all you could eat fish.  The fish was Cod and was really good.  We got back to the trailer at Goldminer's just after 10 PM... a long day but a fun one.  More pictures... Tucson Studios 2010-03-12

Today we are just kicking around the trailer with Al having gone to Wilcox to do some shopping and Vicki and Arda are out biking.  WD is working on the computer today getting caught up.

So that is it for this week, keep you loops open until next time.

February 28th - March 6th

Another busy week gone by.  We don't know where the time goes as we've been here 7 weeks already. 

Last Sunday we visited about 12 campgrounds as it appears we will not  be back at Goldminers next year.  It is a long story but the bottom  line is the person who owns Goldminers now is, how shall I say it, "different".  He won't take reservations next year and is raising the price.  Of the 12 we looked we all agreed that the Benson KOA appears to our best bet but we will see.

On Monday, Steve and Penny headed home.  They were going to leave on Sunday but there was a lot of snow in Colorado so they decided to stay over an extra day... they made it home safely.  Tom & I went to Bob's while Arda hung around  the trailer getting lots of things done.  She also took on another "little" job... she is making 2 vests out of cowhide for Bob.  They are really going to look sharp!

Tuesday through Thursday was much the same... ridin' & ropin' for the Wrangler while Arda started working on the vests (she even found time to ride one day).  She is actually making great progress using her new sewing machine plus her Bernina.  Photos taken at Bob's place... Ridin' & Ropin'


Friday Arda needed a different hide for the vests (for the trim and zippers) so we drove to Tucson where she bought some material.  On the way to Costco, we spotted a small leather shop so we stopped and wound up buying part of another hide... this was tanned, all brown, and thin so it is becoming the trim.

Saturday is a day of chores around the trailer for the Wrangler.  Arda is sewing and will soon have the first vest completed.  I'm impressed!

 

Monday my brother Al and Vicki arrive from Calgary so next week we get to play tourist... it will be good to see them both again.  We visited them in Calgary last fall but there is always too much time in between...

Well until next time, keep your loops open.

February 21st - 27th

Well buckaroos, here is the Wrangler again.  For some reason this year it is getting more and more difficult to write in my Tally Book... must be all the good times we are having with Cowboy Tom and Steve & Penny Dail.  Of course the Olympics being on TV every night hasn't helped either.

Let's start with last Saturday... the day Arda started to celebrate her birthday and yes it lasted until last night, one week later.  Saturday we all went to Sierra Vista so Arda could pick out her birthday gift from Tom.  He bought her a Wii game called sport resort and guess what?  Vicki, Penny & Arda spent all Sunday afternoon playing the different games... was our trailer ever rocking!

Sunday night we went to dinner at the local Mexican Restaurant (L' Esperanza) where 11 of us helped her celebrate.  We ate an excellent dinner and then went back to our trailer where Penny had a cake for Arda.  Of course Penny wanted to celebrate all week.

Here are some birthday pictures... Arda's & Arda's Parties

Monday dawned at last with Arda and Penny in trepidation as they were starting a week of Cowboy School with Bob King.  I don't think either of them  were all that thrilled but once they started, they has a blast... even with their sore tail bones!  Bob is a great teacher and very, very patience but of course he had to be with these two!  By the end of the week Arda was looking very relaxed in the saddle (now if we could only put it on a horse! Just kidding) so that she was trotting and loping around the arena.

Thursday the ladies were so committed to riding (or was it because Bob told them they had too) that they rode for a couple of hours in the morning before we headed to the Tucson Rodeo which is in its 85th year.  We met Arda and Gerry any Willie and Vicki at the rodeo grounds and enjoyed a very good afternoon with the temps in the low 70's with a slight breeze.  The rodeo was also good.  After the rodeo, we went back to look at Arda and Gerry's new motor home (very nice!) and then we went to dinner where yes, once again it was a celebration only this time there were two Arda's celebrating - double trouble.  They both enjoyed the strawberry shortcake and the restaurant crew sang happy birthday to them.  It was a fun time.

Here are some photos from the Tucson Rodeo... Tucson Rodeo

The Wrangler didn't ride until Friday as it was girls' week, besides I had to wrangle my taxes which took a couple of long days.  I did go one day and watch... it was amazing to see the progress both ladies made.

Every night we got together to eat/share dinner and watch part of the Olympics.  Penny also provided dinner for all on 2 different nights... she can cook for me anytime.

Saturday we went to the Tucson Studios where many of the western movies were made.  There are over 300 movies that were made on this site.  We wandered from one set to another which was very entertaining.  Of course it wouldn't do to walk past the ice-cream store without stopping in... ice-cream is a magnet to Arda and Steve!

More pictures from the Tucson Studios where over 300 movies were made... Tucson Studios

On the way home we stopped at the local Mexican Restaurant again... they really do have good food.

Well that is it for this week.  I hate to do this to you but I will be adding more pictures later as I have over 600 pictures to sort through so I can put the best out here so check back later in the week.

Until next time, keep your loops open.

February 13th - 20th

We had a busy week with Wrangler Dave attending Cowboy School along with Cowboy Tom and Steve Dail (Tom's friend from Colorado).  We worked a lot on getting our balance while riding which in several instances turned out to be a good thing.  One thing Bob did was change how I sit in a saddle so I am so  much more relaxed & comfortable.

Arda, Vicki, and Penny had a chauffer by the name of Willie who drove them to Bisbee where they met up with Arda (1) and Gerry.  They spent the day wandering the streets, drinking coffee and eating.  Fortunately they didn't find a lot to buy as it is a very artsy town so we saved a lot of money  :-).

The weather has been great so every evening we had cocktails outside the trailer.  Once the sun went down, we headed inside as the desert cools off very quickly.

Steve and Penny have not had TV since they were here so they have brought their dinner over so they could see the Olympics.

Last Sunday we played tourist and went to Bisbee (saw the big hole in the ground) and then to Tombstone where Cowboy Tom treated us to a stage coach ride around town.

Yesterday (Saturday 20th) Arda started to celebrate her birthday with dinner in Sierra Vista at the Texas Longhorn.  The video shows her sitting on a saddle while the restaurant yelled "yipee".  Be sure to have the sound turned up when you watch this.

Arda has at least 2 more birthday dinners... tonight at a Mexican Restaurant and  Thursday when we go to the rodeo.

Well that's it for this week.  Keep your loops open until next time.

February 8th - 12th

Sorry for not getting this done sooner but there wasn't much happening last week.  The Wrangler wound up in bed for 3 days with a cold and then just lazed around trying to recover for this week at Cowboy School.

In the meantime Arda visited with Vickie and Willie van Hoof, Penny and Steve Dail (friends of Cowboy Tom) and of course, Cowboy Tom.  She did a lot of walking and a little bit of bike riding but she is having a good time.

That is all for now... more next week with pictures and until then, keep your loops open.

January 31st - February 7

Another week gone by and the weather is improving each day… as in getting warmer and dryer.  Arda’s cousin Arda 1 and her other cousin Willie along with his wife Vickie were here all week to there was lots of things to do, besides visiting and talking that is!

Gerry, Arda 1’s better half was in Phoenix and Las Vegas at an equipment show as he owns a gravel, and road construction company in Petawawa.  He is not sure if he bought anything or not but Arda and he did buy a new motor home while they were in Phoenix… it is huge and beautiful!

In the meantime, Wrangler Dave has been learning how little he really knew about horsemanship.  Bob has focused on this for the past 2 weeks and I have stiffness where I didn’t think there were muscles… do you think that is the problem?  On Friday started practicing our roping on Bob’s calves as preparation for Saturday we branded them.  It was a gorgeous day, blue sky, light wind, and about 72 degrees so what more could one ask for. 

Today is “Super Bowl Sunday” and we are having about 12 people coming over to the trailer to watch the game.  It should be fun as everyone is contributing something to the food.  Even if the game is a bust, the food will be great!

If you are interested, there are some pictures to see if you want to follow this link…  Family + Branding

That’s all for now.  Keep your loops open until next time. 

January 24th - 30th

Another week gone by with lots happening and nothing happening.  I had a couple of days where I could ride and rope a little.  The ol’ bod sure needs some flexing exercises.  I have some muscles that I didn’t even know existed.

Bob’s focus is on horsemanship so I am learning a lot about how to balance on a horse and know where each foot of the horse is at all times.  If I live to be a hundred, I may get it or not!  There is so much happening at one time it is hard to concentrate on any one of them.

On Monday, Arda’s cousins, Willie & Vickie and Gerry & Arda from Petawawa arrived at Goldminers… what a fiasco that was as there was no “room at the inn” or so we were told.  After lots of haranguing, etc. there were 2 spots available – one with no sewer but with electricity & water and one with sewer and water but no electricity.  We ran an electrical cord from Willie’s rig to our so at least he has electricity.  Unfortunately this may be our last year here as the owner is not putting any money into the park and it is going downhill fast.

Arda has also been biking on my new bike as hers has a flat and she played a little on the leather sewing machine… there is hope for the Armitas yet!  Arda also went with Bob’s wife and a couple of other ladies to sew quilts for Haiti.

Today it is beautiful with lots of sunshine and clear skies so we will kick around the trailer and do some of the small chores that come up.

I hope to have pictures nest time but take care and keep your loops open until next time.   

January 19th - 23nd

Finally got to Bob and Betty’s yesterday and they are doing well.  I also was back in the saddle again yesterday and it felt great but I know I will pay for it tomorrow.  This year the focus is on horsemanship.  Getting the feel of the horse so you know where his feet are and what they are doing.  By placing their feet in the correct position and asking the horse to do something at the right time is the objective as this helps the horse perform.  Bob is not only a tremendous student of horsemanship, he is also an extremely patient and good teacher.

The weather was a little strange last night… for here anyway.  We had winds of 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph along with about 1” of rain.  They are forecasting higher winds and a lot more rain over the next 3 days so we will see.  The old trailer was a rockin’ and a rollin’ last night but I can’t say it was a motion that puts one to sleep.

Wednesday was another beautiful day… mid-fifties with a light wind, just perfect for riding.  It never ceases to amaze me how much I don’t know.  Working on horsemanship really does bring a whole new dimension into “cowboying” for me.  Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance, Buck Brannaman, and others have talked about getting a “feel for the horse” for years but Bob King is bringing a whole new meaning of this to me.  Being able to sense/feel what the horse is doing and where my energies are going (right or wrong for the horse) really is helping me focus.  What is amazing is that also carries over to everyday life.  Being aware and sensitive to others and what they are doing, what message through your energies you are transmitting, and how your respond to the actions of others.  COOL!  Weather forecast includes 60 mph winds so we will see… might have to batten down the hatches.

Thursday dawned cloudy and windy (60 mph gusts).  Fortunately the area we are in did not receive the drowning rains (up to 8.5” in some place) or the snow (Flagstaff has receive 68”, yes you read that right, 68” of snow in the past 5 days and 41” inches predicted over the weekend).  We did have the winds though which were not fun.  I did manage to rope for a couple of hours in the AM and do a little, and I mean very little, ground work in the PM and then I called it a day.  That evening the winds picked up even more and the trailer was rockin’ so much that along with the news casts about potential tornados (west of Tuscan), Arda slept in her evacuation clothes.  What a sight but I am not going to divulge what they are so you will have to ask her.  J

Friday morning found us with the wind gone but we had rain, which is a welcome site for this area at this time of the year.  We are under a “winter blizzard warning” as they are forecasting 1 – 3” of snow tonight.  I must have made a wrong turn somewhere on the interstate and would up back in Michigan with all this kind of weather.  Due to the lousy weather, we went to Benson to do some shopping.  I guess that is better than having to do it on a sunny day when I could be horsing around.  We had a busy afternoon… Arda exercised on the Wii (shook the trailer almost as bad as the wind) and I took a nap to conserve energy for Arda J

Saturday morning and the sun is shining although it is a little cool.  We are not going to do much but we will set up Arda’s sewing machine in the back of Cowboy Tom’s trailer… no more excuses for the Armitas – at least I hope not.

Well that is it for this week… keep your loops open until next time.

January 5th - 18th

It has been a long time since I wrote anything in my Tally Book so it has been really hard to get started but finally here I am. This adventure must start out with Sydney… as a new granddaughter, I just can’t resist. Ain't she cute!  Here are a couple of pictures of Sydney's Baptism...

On to our travels, the first 2 days/nights were spent travelling south trying to get out of the cold weather. We ran into snow and freezing rain going around the south end of Lake Michigan. We ran out of it just south of Chicago but it was still cold – around 9 o which was not good. Stayed 2 nights at our favorite campground – Wally Mart in Benton Il and New Boston TX respectively.

We arrived in Texas at our good friends the Hunters (1/7/2010) and it was still only around 9 o but we were toasty warm in our home on wheels. After spending a night and part of the next day with the Hunters (we had a great time and really enjoyed meeting Kathleen and Leslie) it was time to head to Arlington (still cold).

Arlington (1-8 – 1/14/2010) wasn’t much warmer, at least for several days when it did start to get up above freezing and into the 50’s during the day. We arrived on Friday and on Saturday Linda & Dale Niedbalski (they used to be neighbors of ours with Linda hanging over the fence watching Arda and I in the pool… she said she just wanted to make sure we were safe but…) picked us up at the campground. We went to Pat and Buck’s place for a reunion of sorts with a number of friends whom we hadn’t seen in over 22 years. The McCormicks, Bachs, Weeklys, and Reeds were all there. What a neat time we had reminiscing and re-living the “good ole days”. Of course, the food was also great! We (Arda and I) are extremely grateful to Pat and Buck for hosting this.

On Sunday, Marguerite came over from Mesquite to have dinner with us. She is such a neat person! We had a lot of laughs especially when Arda and Marguerite were playing on the Wii game… it would have made a good movie for America’s Funniest Home Movies.

On Monday, I took my truck into a GM Dealer to have an oil change and have them look at why the “low coolant light” was coming on. Well 4 hours later I had the oil changed and they found that the transmission coolant hoses were leaking. They didn’t have these in stock so they ordered them and when they came in, it took another day and half to install them. Guess which dealer I won’t go back to! In the meantime, Arda went biking (yes the weather had started to warm up by then) and that evening we took Lynda and Fred Weekly out to dinner that night for Chicken Fried Steak… we owed Fred a dinner for his birthday. It was the best CFS I have ever had!

Tuesday we had a wonderful dinner with Jeanice and Don King. Jeanice lived with us for a while when we were in Arlington so it was great to see her again and catch up. In addition to being a beautiful young woman, she is also a great cook! Arda and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  Un fortunately we (Arda that is) didn't take any pictures...

Wednesday Bachs came to dinner. We had purchased their home on Wembley Rd where spent 4 years of our lives. I didn’t realize there was so much to catch up on even after we had just seen them the previous Saturday but there was. We enjoyed a great meal that Arda put together… she is really adapting to our mobile lifestyle by cooking up a storm.

Thursday was a double whammy day - as in good. The Astons came for lunch and Mary brought fresh baked oatmeal cookies for us… needless to say they didn’t last long. Al and I both worked at S/C and came down to Vecta in TX at the same time. He left Vecta and went on his own for a number of years so it was good to catch up. Mary recently retired from UTA (college) and they stay in TX part of the year and in Canada the rest of the year.  The second whammy came when we went to dinner for BBQ with the Niedbalskis and Weekly.  Below are the Niedbalskis...

Friday was moving day. We headed south to Crockett TX. Yes, it got its name from Davey Crockett who travelled through that area on the way to the Alamo in San Antonio. We visited with Chuck and Genie Lindberg. Arda and Genie rode across the US together when Arda did her Bike for Cancer trip. They are an extremely nice couple who live on a lake in a very beautiful home… a slice of paradise. They are also great hosts so we will have to plan to spend more time with them the next time we travel their way.

Saturday we headed to Sun Sites AZ. We had originally planned to take 2 days but we decided we didn’t want to push it so we took 3 days in total to reach Sun Sites. In addition, Arda wanted to backtrack on the bike route she took so it took a little longer. We stayed in Kerrville at Wally-Mart, TX and then at a truck stop (another first for Arda) in Van Horn TX. Monday we arrived in Sun Sites where we will be for a couple of months.

That is all for now. The next update will be in a week or so but right now I am heading off to Bob King’s to do some riding.

Keep your loops open.