Our Adventures Continue...

Tom & Diane Howlett are our very good friends. They were just visiting Nacogdoches, TX, Rusk and Tyler to show us some fun and beauty. Catch a glimpse of what Texas has to offer this time of year. The helicopter is a model although it almost looks real. Note: If you click twice on the arrow and turn your speakers up a little you will get the full effect of the video.

Note: If you click twice on the arrow and turn your speakers up a little you will get the full effect of the video. Imagine: this desert is your home. You know when the seasons change, how the plants grow, where the animals hide. You know the gentle rains of the cool months, and you know the hot months, too, when temperatures soar and dust storms obscure the horizon. Weeks pass wthout any rain, and when at last it comes, it is with violent thunderstorms. The summer months are not easy, but this is your home. The Sonoran Desert is a harsh land. Annual rainfall averages only 8 inches and temperatures can reach 120 degrees. This was the Stone Age. These are the Hohokam People. Take a look across the compound. Imagine how the Hohokam used ingenuity and hard work to adapt successfully to the desert. Using stone-age technology, they built a civilization that lasted over a thousand years. Their archetectural tradition culminated in the construction of the Casa Grande. The ruins of the Casa Gr

On the day that he bought his new Specialized Road Bicycle for his cross country foray from San Diego to Savannah, he was so excited, he even changed his first flat tire before we even got our Sonic burgers.

This is a beautiful spot. Right off I-60 just a few miles from Mesa and Landis Bike Shop. Not too far from Apache Junction and beautiful Superstition Mountain. Great Hiking. We are signed up for another week till the end of the month. Then we head to Las Vegas and the Utah National Parks.

Tony, Al and I did a 4 mile hike in this beautiful country. We have lots of pictures and it was a great hike. The wild flowers are spectacular.

I know, we told you all that we were going to do Alaska this year. We were, but then Mike's house has not sold and diesel gas prices are skyrocketing to $4 a gallon. This all makes for a very expensive trip. I don't think gas will get cheaper any time soon but maybe. Anyway Tony found a great ride. He has always wanted to bike across the US and this planned fund raiser just fell in his lap. Fuller Center for Housing is having their first annual bike across the US fund raiser and they are biking from San Diego to Savannah. What an adventure for Tony. Finally he has a dream come true. So needless to say he is out shopping for a road bike and well he should. He never spends money on himself so I am happy for him. Me, what am I going to do while Tony is biking across America, well I haven't decided yet. I might volunteer at the Care-A-Vanner desk in Americus for a month, or I might just go back to Michigan with side trips to Chicago and maybe Cleveland and just kick back and

Our very special friends Peter and Patty from Quartzsite. They are the greatest hosts anyone could ever have. We are sorry we won't be joining them on the trip to Alaska, we wish them safe journey and hope to meet them down the road someday soon. Bon Voyage Peter & Patty, safe journey.

Our friends are the most generous hosts anyone could every have. We are sorry we won't be going to Alaska with them and we wish them safe journey. We also hope to see them again down the road.

The sun is shining, the weather is warm and the desert is blooming around our favoite place, Quartzsite Arizona.

This is a most beautiful Park with spectacular views. The desert is beginning to bloom, I'm so glad we are here at this time.

We went to the Mall in Irvine from Aliso Veijo and had a Mexican meal that was fit for a king and queen. Course we had to wait 30 minutes for our table so Tony, Amy and Andrea decided to take a ride on the Merry-go-round. What fun. Of course I had to take pictures.

Let me tell you about our adventure of going over the mountains. We should have known when we saw the sign that said construction ahead prepare for delays that there would be fun in the making. We should have known when we went by the flagman at dusk that he might possibly not be there ALL NIGHT. We never saw the big, digital, flashing road signs either way that said This road (the only road to our campsite) would be closed from 8:30pm to 4:30am. Bummer! But, not to leave you in suspense we drove 35 miles to get to see Amy and 75 miles to get back to our campsite. I will post a map. So laugh if you dare, it could happen to you sometime. Just check out the route. First X on the right is our campsite at Lake Elsinore, second x is Amy's place in Aliso Veijo, that winding road you see was our quickest way back but noooooooooo, it was closed, so we had to go all the way around. And the adventure continues...

Tom Cavanagh a classmate of Tony's is doing fabulous in California's Pacific Palisades. We hope to come and visit again sometime and have a great time. What a guy.