Florence Oregon RV Rally

We spent 7 days in Florence, Oregon. The first 4 days were spent relaxing and preparing for the Rim Rock Roamers FMCA rally. Of course it rained. It was the Oregon coast afterall. We had 21 coaches attending and only 19 reserved spaces, so our first challenge was parking. We wound up doubling several of the smaller coaches on one spot and it all worked out well. We were co-hosts on this rally along with Pete and Debbie Ribble. Our job was to prepare meals for the attendees. No stove, oven, refrigerator or water was available to us in our meeting building, so we improvised with propane grills, turkey cookers, griddles and extension cords running to every available outlet. We set up 2 dining canopies to cook under and pulled it off. The activites we planned for everyone went out the window due to the rain, but everyone seemed to find ways to occupy their time. It was great to see many of our RV friends again and looking forward to the next rally we will attend.

Done Wandering (For Awhile Anyway)

We arrived back in Redmond late Thursday after spending the past 5 months in the warmer climates of Arizona. We did take a little detour on the way home to Pahrump, Nevada. We had heard from several of our "motorhome buddies" about this park called Terribles Lakeside RV Resort and wanted to take a looksee. What a great surprise that turned out to be. A nice, lush 35 acre resort with a 7 acre lake stocked with fish. Fishing is free, but it's all catch and release. We spent a day listening to the ducks and geese and generally relaxing before the long journey north. The next day, we drove to Reno and spent the night and then drove back to Redmond the following day. The coach is pretty much unloaded now, but the inside is not cleaned out. Several pictures of the resort will be posted later, after I find the camera.

We will be home for the next several weeks before the coach starts wandering around again. Our first rally with the FMCA Rim Rock Roamers will be on the 21st of May, but we will head out early and spend 4 or 5 days at the beach before the rest of the group shows up.

Easter Pageant

The LDS church in Mesa puts on a non-denominational Easter Pageant every year. They set up 10,000 folding chairs on the Temple grounds. The stage takes 1 month to erect and is 4 stories tall. There are over 450 cast members that start rehearsing 4 nights per week a month before Easter The program itself was absolutely AWESOME.

A Single Bypass

No, not what you think. Last night a group of us went to the Heart Attack Grill for dinner. Upon arrival, you are put into a hospital gown, fitted with a wristband and the attending nurse fills in your chart. I had "flatliner fries" (cooked in pure lard) and a single bypass (a burger with 1/2 lb of meat and 3 types of cheese) and to drink, a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. Nothing healthy about this place, but the food and atmosphere was "to die for". If, and I say if, you can eat the quadruple bypass, you are wheeled out of diner in a wheelchair. Healty - no / fun - yes.

Just A Catchup

The coach still hasn't moved, but we did take the car and go to Jerome, Az last week. What a fun little town. Now, it's just a tourist attraction with cute little shops and eateries. Once is was a thriving mining town, then it was abandoned, next it was home to the hippies and artists (still quite a few living in the 60s and 70s) and now it's just a fun place to visit.

Survived Another Year

Eight of us went to the Arizona Opry (http://www.azopry.com/) last night for my Birthday dinner. This is the second time this year that we have gone and ejnoyed this performance as much as the first. It's a family operated BRANSON like dinner show. The lead performer and music director (George Staerkel) married into the family and is terribly talented. In his earlier life, he was the lead singer for a group called The Tokens. He was best know for his lead vocals in the song The Lion Sleeps Tonight. He's not lost any range of vocals over the years. He also plays over 55 musical instruments. I'll have to give this show a thumbs up.

The Winnebago Hasn't Wandered

The coach stayed in Mesa but we took the PT and went to Las Vegas for a 4 day NASCAR weekend. Friday's practice and qualifying was cold and windy and Saturday's Nationwide race was not only cold and windy, but we had rain and the race was delayed a couple of hours. But then on Sunday, the weather was perfect for short sleeves. Cheryl went to her first race on Saturday and wasn't that thrilled. She said it was OK, but doesn't care to go again.
Now, the gambling part of the trip wasn't profitable at all, but had a good time non the less.
Now, we're back in Mesa for the duration of the winter, except for a few side trips with the PT. The weather has finally started to warm up so it will be "pool" time in the afternoons.