Saturday, September 29, 2012

Saturday 29th September 2012…. I have Internet!!

I think I got ahead of myself yesterday wishing all my Canadian friends a Happy Thanksgiving weekend when it is actually next weekend!!

Linda and I went for breakfast again at the hotel and then we went on a mission…………to buy myself a reclining chair!!!  My old one I left in Nanaimo after many hours of use it was starting to rip and not function properly..so I managed to buy a new one for 65 dollars this morning and I just know it will fit on top of all my stuff in Yaretzi and I will get my share of great hours with it.

Then it was off to a bakery…..it has been a tradition for years when I come down and see Linda and Guy I always bring her a batch of the world wide famous Nanaimo bars..but of course I always put them in the freezer in Ramona…so what to do this year??????   Got on the Internet found a bakery close to the hotel and they agreed to make a batch up for me they got the recipe off the Internet and this morning I took Linda into the bakery and to say she was shocked was putting it mildly!!!    I was so happy for her, she just loves them.

We then went to see Guy and it was wonderful to see him in his shorts and T shirt and not in his hospital gown I was getting tired of seeing his bum!!!!!!!

They were some medications issues and he was a bit dis oriented but came around the longer we stayed and he will now have some therapy for the next week and hope he gets stronger..I said goodbye to Guy and promised to take care of their lovely casa in SMA.

Back at the hotel I got everything packed, lots of drinks and food for the road….said good bye to Linda.  It  was really nice to visit with them, see their family and spend some time with Linda keeping her mind off the hospital for a while and I look forward to the day when they arrive in SMA and hope it is within the next couple of months.

I was on the road by noon and my first stop was the famous town of Tombstone!!

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Lots of history here and they still do re enactments of the gunfight at the OK corral!!

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I decided that rather than drive to Douglas and spend the night there I would stop in Bisbee for the night and then leave early in the morning.

This tunnel leads into Bisbee which is a charming old mining town!!

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One of the pubs had a local band playing October fest songs and I could not resist this photo!!

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I found a really nice Motel on the outside of town the room is very nice…

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I managed to relax for a while in the sun reading my book and yes I made have shut my eyes for a short time.

This is an interesting plant don’t know what it is but pretty!!

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Sunset and almost full moon!!!

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So the plan is to get up by 6am and drive to the border at Douglas get my paperwork done on be on the road….I think this time I shall be out of touch for a couple of days unless I have Internet wherever I am going to stay…..should be in SMA either late Tuesday of by Wednesday.this is a new route for me so I look forward to seeing part of the country I have not seen before..

Yashi Koshi!!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday 28th September 2012….a day of visitation!!!

The hotel provides a free breakfast so Linda and I went and availed ourselves at 9.30am and it was really good.

We then drove the 25 minutes to the Veteran’s Hospital where Guy is staying!!!

It was good to see him again and to say he had major surgery a week ago I thought he looked quite good.  He is obviously tired and a bit frail but after all he has been through………we had a nice chat and then his social worker came so I left them alone and walked around this incredible facility that is only open to veterans!!!!

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The good news is that the surgeon thought that Guy is well enough to be discharged into a rehabilitation center for at least a week…so they will transfer him later in the afternoon.

Linda and I then went and did some errands and then met their daughter Teri for a few minutes…..it was nice to see Teri again even if only for a few minutes and thanks Teri for the children’s artist supplies the girls will love them.

After doing a last minute Wal-Mart shop we got back to the hotel at 4.30pm just enough time for a cup of tea and a shower then off to a local restaurant to meet Linda’s son who I had heard so much about but never met.

The restaurant was a ribs place and the food was wonderful and I so enjoyed meeting the family the kids were adorable and so well behaved….

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and I did not know they made little people so small…..Taylor is barely three weeks old never seen a baby so young I was fascinated by his tiny fingers and toes and he is a cutie!!!

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After supper Linda and I went to see Guy in his new care center which lucky for Linda is only a 5 minute drive from the hotel so none of those long trips every day!!!

The facility is small and seems really nice!!!

So it was a long day but glad to be a small support for Linda and it was nice to see their family…….

10 pm so it just has to be tea time!!!!

The plan for tomorrow is for me to leave here in the afternoon and drive to Bisbee which is close to the border where I shall stay over night and then cross into Mexico early Sunday morning.

I know I shall not have Internet till I get to SMA so perhaps my next post will not be till Wednesday.

Have a great safe and happy weekend and to my Canadian Family and fiends I wish a really special and happy Thanksgiving weekend!!!!

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Thursday, September 27, 2012

Friday 27th September 2012…part one complete!!!!

I was wide awake and refreshed at 5.45am so decided to get an early start…this was the sun rise on the mighty Colorado!!!

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The drive today was mainly on Interstate and then back to my favorite Highway 93….I made lots of stops to get last minute things and for a stretch and arrive in Tucson at 3pm and 560 km later….Linda has booked me into the same hotel she is staying and the room is grand!!!

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It was only a matter of minutes before I had my first cuppa in 4 days…withdrawals!!!!

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Linda came home from the hospital about 4pm and we chatted and I found out all about Guy…he has had such a hard time since July 2nd but his latest operation went well and he may be back out of the hospital this weekend but still has a few weeks of recovery in front of him.

Linda and I went around the corner to a nice restaurant and just talked away the early evening….she is really tired so I hope for two days I can help and make her smile a little!!!

The room is great and it is tea, some TV, some sorting and then an early night.

Yaretzi was brilliant some of my friends have suggested that I got here too fast but the drive was much easier than with Ramona, a real breeze, and I spent the same amount of gas money getting here as what I would on almost one fill of the tank for Ramona so the gas savings alone will be huge.

So I get to stay put for two days, the days are hot and sunny.

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Yashi Koshi!!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Wednesday 26th September 2012…a long but good day!!!!

I was on the road by 7am and the first hour was on the Interstate as soon as I entered

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I just love driving Yaretzi she is zippy, great to handle and I even get to pass my old mode of transportation!!!

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I stopped at this scenic overview in Twin Falls, very beautiful….

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I forget to mention yesterday that even after the fuse the GPS would still not work in the plug in so I saw a VW dealership in Twin Falls and I stopped.

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I explained what had happened and the service manager was very helpful and he took the GPS and confirmed that it was OK then he sent one of his mechanics out to look at the fuses and it took him 1 minute to realize that the chart numbering the fuses and the slots they were in did not match…he did find one fuse that was not working so he put a new fuse in the slot and BINGO….it worked.

I thanked him so much went inside to pay and asked the service manager how much and he smiled put his hand out to shake and told me to have a wonderful trip!!!!!  What service!!!!  I gave the mechanic 10 dollars and went away a happy man….now I shall not get lost with GPS!!!

I was soon on Highway 93 which is sometimes described as the loneliest road in America!!!

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Soon I was in ..

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and time for lunch!!!

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The road is so quiet there is time to get out and take this

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Very scenic…

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It is a real pleasure to drive Yaretzi and I shall get to Tucson paying the cost of gas that it would have cost me for one fill up in Ramona, so real happy about that.

I entered the county of Las Vegas at 7pm and it was time to call it a day…I drove 1065km but it was easy driving with lots of stops, drinks and of course my Mexican cruise control…..I am in Denny’s having dinner and writing this then I will go across the street to MacDonald’s and post it and there is a small motel down the street so I shall head there for the night!!!

Should easily be in Tucson late tomorrow afternoon!!!!

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Thursday 5 th January 2023…it was a great run!!!

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