No matter what they say we done...We ain't never had too much fun!

What a fun day we had yesterday!!! At 9:30 am we all assembled at the train depot and after a short comical "cowboy" skit we boarded the Grand Canyon Railway thetrain.com Since we were a little late in signing up Salt and I had to go "luxury car". We practically had the whole car to ourselves with a wonderful hostess named Theresa. Theresa filled us in on how to make the best of our time at the canyon.


This is Jesse Anderson...he was our entertainer on the train going to the canyon. Boy, could he make that banjo sing. Being in the car we were in we had the opportunity to really get to know the entertainers.


Salt relaxing on the train. Salt particularly enjoyed the train ride....it was his first. After doing over 6,000 miles of driving he was ready to sit back and let someone else be the chauffeur.




Our first stop at the Canyon was the Hopi house the oldest building in that particular area of the canyon. It has been turned to an exquisite gift shop. Very high end Indian made items.


What can I say about the Grand Canyon that hasn't been said a million times....even pictures can't capture the splendor.

Salt was a little more brave than I was when it came to posing at the edge. Everyone was still in a very dismal mood over the tragic loss of the 4 year old that went over the south rim (where we were) just 2 days before. I couldn't believe parents that were putting their small children right out on the edge to get a snapshot.... I guess it's one of those "it won't happen to me" mentalities.

We had lunch at the Arizona Room located in the Angel Lodge. We were able to overlook the canyon as we ate. The food was wonderful...the Cesar salad had a real south western flare, they made it with black beans, corn and strips of taco chips. Sounds weird but was SO good. We also had a beef brisket that was ALMOST as good as Ellen Adamson's.

And here is my favorite entertainer. Craig Sommer......he was as good a comedian as singer. When he asked for requests, I said "you probably don't do Toby Kieth"....he said "..."how about this one"....and did a fantastic job on I should have been a cowboy! We tried to call Betty on the phone so he could sing to her. Unfortunately, we couldn't get service in the canyon we were in. When we finally did get to her he was just finishing up but the whole train did wish her well and got to talk to Emma. Emma thought it was pretty cool that a real cowboy was singing to Grandma!!

And what would a train ride be without a hold- up by these scary train robbers. Craig says the reason they stop the train is because they had a hard time trying to find bandits who were willing to jump off a moving horse onto a moving train for minimum wage.

For the next couple of days we will be doing a lot of driving. We will head to Laramie, Wyoming to see Janna. Since it is over 700 miles and will take us 2-3 days (or more depending on what we see along the way) we will probably miss Jerry since he is headed on his annual elk hunting trip.

Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys....

They may just end up in Quartzsite, Arizona having way too much fun!

OK....so Bill Taylor keeps asking us why we go back to Quartzsite, AZ ....he says it is the armpit of the universe (that may not have been the exact anatomy term he used to describe it). SO, I put together the "top 10" reasons we go there.

10) There are a lot of cowboys

9) We can get good pinto beans and homemade cornbread at the LaCasa....

8) There are a lot of cowboys.....

7) There are a lot of cowboys that play good music....

6) There are all kinds of people who dare to be different like "two shoes" the Indian woman

who never wears the same two shoes......

5) There are a lot of cowboys

4) It is VERY cheap to live there...a million people staying on BLM lands during the winter

can't be all wrong!

3) There are a lot of cowboys......

2) We were adopted by Gracie and Virgil McNab....and we LOVE them. I just hope when I

am 80 I am as full of piss and vinegar as these two!!! (Virgil is a cowboy who plays the

guitar and sings)....

and the #1 reason we love Quartzsite.......drum roll please............

NO LAWYERS!

Just kidding Bill......I couldn't resist!!!

We did stay 2 nights in Quartzsite and spent most of our time with Grace and Virgil. They of course, took us to a "jam"; we loved it! They are very disappointed that we aren't spending more time there this winter. We find we need more "green" and "water" than the desert has to offer.

We are off to Williams, AZ, where we will board the train that runs into the Grand Canyon. It is a 2 hour trip to Grand Canyon Village and then we are at the canyon for 4 hours before making the return trip.

Viva, Viva Las Vegas...............

Get a load of the snow on the jeep. This is what we woke up to Saturday morning in Ely, Nevada, which is only about 4 hours from Las Vegas. We were a little more encouraged when we called Las Vegas to make hotel reservations for the kids. The forecast there was mid 70s....yippeeee!

Salt and I arrived in Sin City about three hours before Mike and Robin. We scoped out a couple of casinos and decided on dinner at the MGM Grand Buffet and picked up our tickets for David Copperfield's 10:00 show.

When we got back to the motor home, Mike and Robin were just checking in. It was so good to see them. Since they were only going to be there Saturday night and Sunday, we decided to make the best of the short time.

Dinner was great and as we headed for the show I dropped $9.00 in a machine right outside the theatre and hit the $500 jackpot. Was a great way to start the evening.

Copperfield was FANTASTIC...we all loved the show, and of course continue to wonder how he does it????????

After the show we decided to do some serious gambling (yeah right).

We walked up and down the strip trying our luck at various casinos. I was on a roll Saturday night after hitting the $500 machine I managed $400 at the blackjack tables. Not to worry my luck changed on Sunday. I left with money but gave back much more than I should have!!! Probably because we didn't get back to the motor home until 5:20 am and were back on the strip by 9:00 am.

Sunday after breakfast we finished our casino tour. We loved the Venetian with the gondolas....

live statues.....

and ceilings that appear as if you are outdoors looking up at the sky!

Mike, Robin and Salt in front of the volcanic waterfalls at the Mirage.

And of course the tiger in the Mirage who it seems poses for the tourists!

Love this big roller coaster that runs above the NY casino. Robin and Salt wanted nothing to do with it. Mike and myself, however, planned to go on it Sunday. Unfortunately we never did get to it. There just wasn't enough time to do all we wanted!

We ended the evening with a feast at the award winning Steakhouse located in the Circus Circus hotel. Robin and I ended taking most of our steak/prime rib out in "dogie bags". The food was SO good and plentiful there was no way we could finish it. Unfortunately, after dinner we had to say goodbye to the kids and send them on their way back to California. The weekend was so much fun and parting was made a little easier knowing we will all be together in Florida for Christmas.

Salt and I are headed to Quartzsite, Arizona tomorrow morning to visit with our good friends Virgil and Gracie McNab. From there it's off to the Grand Canyon.

Happy Birthday Steve (my youngest brother).

Let's get on down to the main attraction.....

Jason popped in for coffee yesterday morning and told us that the pass we went over the day before had 6 inches of snow. We decided it was time to get serious about getting on with our trip and getting to our planned attractions before we got snowed in!

When we left Redmond we went through a very long stretch of high desert....and then to our surprise ended up in this magnificent 26 mile gorge. Another face of Oregon...amazing state.

We did quite a bit of driving yesterday and as soon as we crossed into Idaho we pulled over in the Ambassador RV resort www.grapevine7.com . We did our usual weekly chores and pulled out early this morning. This shot was taken in Idaho shortly before we crossed into Nevada. I took it from the RV so couldn't get rid of the darn railing.

Once we got on the road and I looked at the map I realized just how close Las Vegas is to Mike and Robin. I sent Mike a text message at work and asked him if they could meet us in Vegas for the weekend. As it turns out, both of them have been putting in a lot of overtime so they are both able to take off early tomorrow afternoon . We are SO excited to see them. We have not been able to spend any time with them since last Christmas!

We have stopped for the night in Ely, Nevada. Plan to get a good night's sleep and leave here early tomorrow. We are about 5 hours from Vegas. We have not decided which shows we will see yet. I will make all the reservations tomorrow.

This was the view coming into Nevada....lots of snow (there is about 3 inches here in Ely). We are hoping there is not ANY in Vegas! Betty and Ellen both let us know it was 80 at home!


Here is a picture of Emma with the wreath she made in Brownies. She was so proud of it she wanted me to be sure and put it in the blog. Isn't she just the cutest!!! How can anyone that cute spend so much time in the Principal's office and have a reserved seat right behind the bus driver????? Hmmmm, maybe she is more like her grandmother than we thought!!

Things move at a smaller pace; nobody's in the big rat race ........

Once again I have learned to "never say never"! Salt and I are actually entertaining the idea of becoming full time RVers for a couple of years. We want to go to Alaska and that definitely has to be done in the summer and we have just found so many areas that we want to come back to and do some more "exploring". We won't do it until we completely finish the house so that we can rent it out during the summer but it is very much on our minds.

Yesterday we headed for Redmond to visit the Renzi family. Jason and our son Michael have been good friends since junior high school; Jason has always been one of our "favorites"!!

We were kind of sad to leave the coast but once we started up McKenzie Pass we felt as though we were driving through God's Coloring book! I lived in two of the New England states and upstate NY and thought I had seen the most beautiful foliage. I don't think I have ever seen any colors as vibrant as the ones we saw yesterday. So it was from the beautiful coast to the colorful mountains and into the high desert in Redmond. Great state!!

We arrived at Jason's new business (he is the sole owner) and after visiting for an hour or so and getting the grand tour, we left to do some exploring on our own before meeting the family for dinner.

Jason's shop and new BMW...

And here is...the man of the hour!



We drove about 18 miles from Redmond to the small town of Sisters, OR. It is a true western town that has been preserved and remodeled while keeping the same ambiance of the old west.

We also stopped at this little ranch named Operation Santa Claus . It is a ranch that raises Reindeer used by many communities during the Christmas season. We thought we would include these pictures so that Emma would know Santa is getting ready....including making his list of "good/bad" little girls!!

And of course we had to make a stop at the LARGEST Wal Mart in the nation. It was the Grand Opening and was overwhelming....there was no way I could back up enough to get the entire building in the picture....it was like a mall.

We met Jason's parents at a neat little steak house and after a lot of "catching up" brought them back for a tour of the RV. We then spent the night right in Jason's parking lot.

Free and easy down the road I go....

Agitated waters crashing against the craggy coastline.....

(from the AAA guidebook)

We considered chartering a boat and going out for some Chinook Salmon. The ocean was raging today so that option has been tabled until either Myrtle Beach of Florida (of course then it will have to be something else besides salmon). We aren't that particular; just more anxious to get out and do some deep sea fishing.

We found a great 60's station and are just cruising the coast line....LOVE it, LOVE it, LOVE it!!

Stopped at Heceta Head Lighthouse. We walked up to the lighthouse; (1 mile uphill both ways...it seemed) what a view of the ocean! I think this is my favorite lighthouse so far. This beacon (automated) still operates and can be seen 21 miles from land. It is rated as strongest light on the Oregon coast.

Historic light keeper's house (built in 1893) offers bed and breakfast rentals.

Salt taking a break on the way to the light house. The trees are very unique along this path.

A few miles down the road we stopped at the sea lion caves http://www.sealioncaves.com/ . It was kind of a bust this time of year since the animals are out to sea. We did get a tour of the caves and a history of the sea lion. We also saw a couple of lions swimming and playing outside the caves.

As much as I hate missing a lot of the stops along this marvellous coast, we decided we really need to keep moving or we are not going to get to all the places we want to see before the snow starts making the passes unavailable for travel.

The picture of this accident is blurry, as I had to take it as we flew by. It happened just a couple of minutes before we passed here. There were not even any medical personnel on site yet. Salt thought I was terrible for taking a picture. I however, think it is a part of the trip and so document it. Besides, what would one expect from someone who has read every Ann Rule book (True Crime), and CSI is my favorite TV show! I am going to get a local paper this morning and see exactly what happened. IF passengers escaped this mess with their lives it truly was a miracle!

Stopped over in a "new" Wal Mart in Eugene. Will be in Redmond by tomorrow.

Jesus take the wheel.....

Yeah....I put Salt and the rig through their paces yesterday. I really wanted to do all the lighthouses and state parks and the roads were very narrow and very full of major curves, twists and turns. Salt was a bit apprehensive at first but when he saw the sights unfolding he had to admit it was all worth it!

Our first stop and hike was to the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. This particular lighthouse is not accessible by land so it was not as much fun as the ones we could actually tour. It does however, have a very interesting history. It stands 133' above sea level with 62-foot high tower on basalt rock islet. It is the only privately owned Oregon coast lighthouse on National Register of Historic Places; it is now used as a columbarium, a storage place for ashes of the deceased. Exposure to storm waves earned it the nickname Terrible Tilly

The shoreline views from this lookout were phenomenal. I took this picture of the ocean with the mist and then turned to the east and took another picture in the sunlight. We did a lot of hiking in this park. We are SO in love with the Oregon coast and the state parks.

!Our next stop was Cape Meares Lighthouse. This particular lighthouse is the shortest on the Oregon Coast, standing 217 feet above sea level with a 38 foot tower. They had personnel on site that took us to the top of the tower (spectacular views) and gave a short history of the lighthouse.

After touring Cape Meares we drove down the coast through all these really quaint fishing villages. We stopped for lunch at Port Garabaldi. We walked down to the docks where fishing is a major industry. We happened into a great little restaurant and had a great FRESH fish lunch. After lunch we headed down to the basin to check out some of the commercial and Private charter boats. Salt and thought we had found the remains of Forest Gump's boat when we walked past this one! It had everything but the kitchen sink hanging off it...

We had planned on heading to another lighthouse when Salt spotted a sign for the Tillamook Air Museum. http://www.tillamookair.com/ . We pulled off and did the tour. It wasn't as large as some of the air museums I have seen but was still very interesting. Besides military aircraft they also had some unique home built planes and even this neat blimp.

As the sun started to go down we looked for another state park and landed here at.....Devil's Lake State Recreation Area. They were closed when we arrived so we simply found a spot we liked and put $18.00 in an envelope. Salt grilled Rib Eye steaks and Oregon sweet corn for dinner....it is really fun traveling with my own personal chef!

That old sun is going to shine tomorrow...hard rain don't last....

The drive down the Coast was postponed another day because of driving rain. It actually worked out well....we ended up using the pool and hot tub here at the KOA and did some exploring, which led to finding some really neat places we will visit within the next couple of days.

We checked out Fort Stevens State Park www.oregonstateparks.org . Fort Stevens is the third largest State Park in the United States. What a mecca for Civil War history! The Oregon State Parks are the finest we have seen. We will be stopping at several as we travel along the coast. They are situated all along the ocean. There are many parts of the beaches that you can drive your vehicle along. Something we will definitely do with the jeep. The RV camping is outstanding. They have full hookups as well as blacktop patios. $22 a night during peak season and starting today $18 a night. Can't beat that for staying on the beach!

There is so much to see in this area. We have definitely put Oregon on our list of places to return to. I plan to feed one of my fetishes today. The Oregon coast is noted for it's many and beautiful light houses!!