Just an old softie...

We enjoy traveling... it's fun to visit new places and re-visit our favorite places.  The Phoenix area is one of those places we re-visit a lot.  Not because of our love of the desert, but because it is home to our darling daughter and son-in-law.  The Blonde and I are water people: if we aren't out on the water, we like to be where we can see water.

I started this blog back in 2008 so Steph could see what we are doing when we'e out and about.  We are OK with heading to the water, but it means having to say good-bye to our little girl... and the good-byes are the hard part.

Yep, I'm just an old softie when it comes to our kid. 

Getting Short...

No, I'm average height.  Well, unless you go with the height/weight charts, then I'm "under-tall".

We will be spending the afternoon with Steph and Dan, after working all morning getting things ready for the road...

That 5th wheel swallows up all that stuff.  The scooters are in the rental trailer...

Tomorrow, we'll unhook utilities, hitch up the 5th wheel to the truck, and roll.

Gettin' thin...

No, not me... I've been eating good.  As we get to the end of March, the RV park we are in is emptying out.  The dozen sites closest to us (all around) are empty.  The sites in this park are big, compared to most RV parks; we have room for the 5th wheel, the truck, the car, the bicycles, the scooters, grill, chairs, etc...

Like most Arizona RV resorts, this one has mostly gravel sites; but, they are well marked and spacious.  While it was never full, this is as sparce as I've ever seen it...

Little Izzy likes it, though -  when we go for a walk, she can go any direction she wants, since we have no concern with walking through an occupied site.  All season, she has wanted to go through the site diagonal behind us that has been occupied.  Since those folks left, Iz has no desire to walk that way.

A couple days for us, and we'll be heading down the road.  Joan has her head in it... I'm not ready.  Good-byes with our little girl are always hard, and there is that long drive across west Texas.  Lots to do to get ready to roll.

Really, it's the desert...

After 3 days of mostly sitting inactive, the scooters got to play again today.  We decided to continue our "Live to ride, ride to eat" ways, and went out for breakfast.  Not just any ol' breakfast place, mind you, I took my Honey to...

They were packed - there was a young lady at the door taking names.  It wasn't a long wait, and sometimes you just feel the need... the need for grease.  In that photo above, the bike on the left isn't one of ours... but we still wave at the Harley riders.  ;-)

Bellies full, it was off for some necessities.  Joan's favorite place to shop these days...

We picked up another set of rachet straps for the bikes for the ride back to Texas.  Joan always has a coupon - we don't buy anything at HF without a coupon.

Off to the desert.  OK, you really don't have to go far for that, 'cause this whole place is a desert.  Or sure, they water and irrigate, but without that, it's the desert.  We rode through an area southeast of us, in our quest to see places we haven't seen before.  We've driven through a part of Estrella Mountain Ranch in the past; this time we rode all through, 'till we ran out of road.  It wouldn't be the desert without Saguaro cactus...

And "cacti" - it was one of the vocabulary words in Steph's class this week...

Nice riding, hardly any other traffic out on that far.

The housing industry seems to be turning around in the Phoenix area.  We saw on the local news that home sales are up 11%, and there are new homes being built again...

This is a very nice housing area.  And something you don't expect to see in the desert...

Not exactly "open water," but there is a small lake (pond?) that does allow non-motorized water craft...

Only for "Resident Members", though.  Ah, I am drawn to the water.

Joan likes the road that runs past PIR (Phoenix International Raceway), so we covered some familiar territory, too.  It runs past a park and golf course, so we get to see some greenery there, too.  And here and there, there are some cactus flowers in bloom...

We ran north, then west, to stay off the heaviest traveled roads, making our way back home again.  Supper with the kids tonight.

We have discussed how having the scooters has made a real difference in our enjoyment of the desert.  We like staying off the freeways; sometimes we actually go less than the speed limit (when the traffic is light).  At one point, I said to Joan, "I can smell cookies baking!"  Some of the neighborhoods we drive through have flowers blooming, and you smell those as well.  The sight, sensations, and smells are different when you're on two wheels.

Old Dogs vs Young Pups...

Our son-in-law, Dan, had arranged a couple great events for the kids at their school.  We missed the first one: the 8th graders vs the staff basketball game, at the local high school.  It gave the kids the chance to play on "the big court" and was well supported by the school community.  Last night was "The REALLY Big Show": the kids got to play on The Phoenix Suns basketball court!

The evening started with the Suns vs the Sacramento Kings.  One of the advantages of being in a big city is the opportunity to see professional sports.  The Suns are not having a great season, but the stadium atmosphere is fun...

The ladies got their faces painted.  The package we bought included jerseys...

Into the stadium...

A kids choir sang the national anthem, then the game got underway...

Joan's first "self shot"...

It was professional sports, but the Suns didn't come out on top...

After the pro game, the reason we all came: the school staff vs the kids on the Suns court.  A shot of Steph discussing particulars with the Suns staff...

They arranged for the kids in the crowd to have some time on the court after the "Old Dogs vs Young Pups" game.  Our Dan in action...

The final score...

The Old Dogs were victorious.  Here's the team...

I didn't shoot a lot of the kids (privacy issues), but they were having a ball, too.  We gave our jerseys to some of Steph's kids...

The school band was represented... I think I recognized one or two of the songs.  ;-)  And after the game, the Suns staff gave some time for all the kids (and parents) from the school some time on the court - really great PR!  Here's a shot of Steph taking a shot...

It was a great time!

We'll be heading out in a couple days, this was a nice way to cap off our time here.

Even my hair hurts...

It had to be done.  We will be heading east in a few days.  The HitchHiker was in need a a wash and wax.  There were some guys in the park a few days ago washing and waxing a 5th wheel down from us.  I asked them how much... they asked me "How soon?"  When I told them we were leaving in a week, they said they were booked three weeks out.

Good for them, not so good for me.  So, today was the day.  Joan had a hair appointment, so I was going to have some free time.  Oh sure, it would be better spent playing guitar or riding a scooter... but, it had to be done.

I started out on top of the coach, scrubbing with the roof treatment.  Then, I removed a roof vent and cleaned the cover under that.  Down to the ground, and rinsed off the exterior; hit the grubbiest spots with "Black Streak Remover," then more rinsing.  Then, washing and waxing.

I went after it - no breaks.  I'm not used to this manual labor stuff.  Whew!

Required class...

A full moon last night...

And how it looked from the door of the 5th wheel...

People can get a bit... um... unusual during the full moon.  We knew we were going to be in Steph's class today.  Her class is a very caring bunch.  They were the top producers in the school for the food drive when we were here last fall.  This time, they brought in the most on a "Pennies for Patients" fund drive for cancer research.  And this from a class where the majority of kids are classified as below the poverty level.  There is a wonderful sense of caring and respect in this school.  Joan and I are very impressed every time we are there.

Today was their "reward" for their fund raising: a pizza party.  On the way to school, Joan and I picked up pizzas for the class.  We bought ice cream and root beer earlier for dessert.  One girl's Mother brought cupcakes and another boy brought cookies... there is going to a a sugar high happening this afternoon!

Joan and I served pizza (they got to eat in their room instead of the lunch room), then dined with the kids.  Afterwards, while they were out for a short recess, we started making root beer floats...

When the kids came in, they had floats at their desks.  Surprisingly, no sticky accidents!  Then, back to that learning stuff.  Joan and I observed.  It is such a treat to see your own kid doing what they do, making a difference.  The kids took a short test...

That is their "private offices" set up on their desks (made from manilla folders).  Then, discussion.  Steph engages the kids, and they want to participate.  She is encouraging and patient... she makes us very proud.

After school, we participated in bus line duty.  This has the precision of a military project: Dan is the "traffic director," letting teachers know who is next to go to their bus.  The kids stay in line, the teachers keep track, making sure the right kids are getting on the right buses.  No bus leaves until kids are accounted for.  Then, the teachers on bus duty stay and wave to each bus as it departs... yes, even if "their" bus was the first to roll.  The kids on the bus are waving back.  It may seem mundane, but it really is an impressive thing to behold... I love the sense of community that is very much a part of this school.  I've been to other schools over the years - this really is unique.

With the kids off, we went back to Steph's room to gather up our stuff and head out.  Steph, Dan, and the other teachers have meetings.  The school day is over, but the work goes on.  We will get together with the kids and some of their education friends this evening for a meal out.  They have been doing this once a month get-together for years.  Most sense of community.

We are happy for Steph and Dan that they love what they do; that they make a difference in kids' lives; and besides teaching them the required educational stuff, they help make these kids better people.

Truly, many schools could learn from this.

Break-in service...

Western Honda in Scottsdale, Arizona.  We bought the scooters from them.  They did exactly what they said they'd do during that process, and it was easy.  Today, we had them do the break-in service on the scooters.  We loaded up the bikes and hauled them across town... it was a light-traffic, 30 minute drive.

We unloaded the bikes and turned them over to Jason, the service manager, and Stephan, one of the mechanics.  We were told it would take about an hour and a half per bike for the service... change the oil, check the valves and adjust as necessary, and look everything over on each bike.  Jason had told me the cost would be about $150 per bike (there is a lot of body work that has to come off for the valve adjustment.

We went off for some shopping and lunch.  Exactly 3 hours after we left the bikes off, we got the call that they were ready.  The cost was what I had been quoted, plus tax.  Easy.  As promised.  I would call this a very successful and pleasant service experience.

Traffic coming back was heavier.  What took 30 minutes on the way over, took an hour and 10 minutes on the way back.  I don't know why they call it "rush hour," 'cause no one is rushing.  And, it lasts more than an hour.  On the bright side, it was a warm day and the air conditioning in the truck is nice.  ;-)

Practice loading...

Our son-in-law, Dan, came by today to give us a hand loading the scooters into the truck.  Well, Joan and I wanted to do all the work, we wanted Dan's brawn as a just-in-case.  As it turned out, getting the bikes into the truck was the (relatively) easy part...

To explain the photos, we went in forward with the red bike, then moved the ramp to the other side of the tailgate to load the other bike.  The ramp is plenty solid for my weight and the bike.  We motored the red one into the truck bed.  Since we determined we needed to back the black bike in (to allow clearance for the handlebars), we push/pulled that bike backwards up the ramp.  More effort, but it worked.

Running the straps was the tough part... the second bike strap on each had to work around the other bike.  We may have to put some more thought in this.  I am considering something in the stake pockets to give us a little more height on the second strap.

Proof of concept - we can make this work.

Photos by our darling daughter, Stephanie.

Rode the scooters all the way to Key West!

That wasn't the plan.  Really, we were just out for a little pleasure ride.  Going east on Indian School Road, I was looking for Avondale Blvd.  It must not go through, so we made a turn on what appeared to be a major north/south road.

We wound up in the housing development we drove through last week - the one with some of the homes on small lakes.  Next thing I know: Key West!

I must have been distracted, 'cause I didn't recall driving A1A or crossing the 7 Mile Bridge.  I like developers with a sense of humor.  Here's what counts as "waterfront" homes...

You can see a very small skiff in the foreground and a pontoon boat at the dock on the right.  Beats the heck out of looking at sand and gravel (IMHO).

Another fuel up, another Joan over 100 mpg, me just under.  And that was with our "high speed" runs from the other day.

We had similar takes on the new windshields: they definitely make a difference in wind on your torso.  Since it changes the windflow, there is more wind noise in my helmet above 35 mph.  Overall, I'd say it is an improvement.  It will probably make a difference with our other helmets.

I put the V-Strom up for sale on an adventure riding forum.  They are a popular bike there.  After a couple hours, I have already had some serious inquiries.  The bike is in Texas, though, so it will be a couple weeks before we are able to do anything with it.  More on that as it plays out.

Next project coming up: loading the bikes in the back of the truck to get them across town for their break-in service.