Happy Birthday, America...

 

249 years old.  No doubt, others before me have said, "I don't if this country can take much more of this crap."  But, this blog has never been about the politics.  Heck, it seems to me that humanity may be trying to make itself extinct.  I digress.

I feel like I should eat a hotdog, maybe some apple pie; go to a drive-in theater and watch some fireworks.  You know, like the good old days.  'Cause that's what you used to do on the 4th of July.

These days, I'm good to not be around crowds.  Too many stupid people.  Stupid people, alcohol, and fireworks... what could go wrong?

I digress again.

I got out on the CTX this morning.  A couple degrees warmer and about 20% more humidity than yesterday at the same time.  The CTX is a different kinda bike from Burgman.  Today was a different kinda ride.  Being the 4th of July, I was expecting more traffic up on the mountain.  Before I left, Joan said, "Ride safe - there's likely going to be a lot of people out there."  Yep.

Riding into the Park & Preserve, this sign is a sign of that...

 A view of the city would be spectacular from Dobbins Lookout at the top - you would be able to see fireworks all over the Valley.  But, they have to completely close the park because of stupid people (and fireworks and alcohol).

I didn't bring a camera with my today, but I did shoot a few things with my phone...

 The park was a lot busier today (as expected); yesterday, I saw one other motorcycle - today, there was at least 30.  Plenty of people on bicycles, too.  I rode different today - yesterday, I had the road pretty much to myself, and I may have bumped my adrenaline level a bit.  I was more deliberate today, expecting the unexpected.  I waved a couple Harley riders around me on my way up the mountain... I was enjoying the scenery, the feel of the bike, listening to some tunes in my helmet, and not "pushing it."  On the way down the mountain, I waved a kid on a Honda Monkey (a little 125cc bike) around.  I made it easy for each of them to pass.  Unlike a couple guys on bicycles who rode side-by-side, filling the whole lane.  It was easy enough to get around them, when I had enough forward visibility after a curve; but, they were slow and not about to make it easy for anyone to get around them.  Their problem - I was just enjoying being out.

I stopped at the top of the mountain to re-hydrate.  Stopped once more on the way down to take that photo of the bike (above) and a couple scenery shots...

 Just a nice holiday day to be out, enjoying the ride and the scenery.  And, feeling like a grown-up motorcycle rider.  :-)

 

It's about time...

 

"You got a different watch, Jim?"  No, but thanks for asking.

It has been hot since we got back from our outing in the RoadTrek.  Yes, it's the desert, we expect it to be hot.  The temperatures have been running 8 to 10º hotter than normal (I have no idea what the weasels mean by "normal," when they should be saying "average.")... more than that, it has been hotter earlier in the day.  Too much so to want to get out on any of the bikes.

Last night, we had monsoon rains.  Some places in the Valley got over an inch; I think we were around .15" here in our part of the Valley.  Big winds and blowing dirt ahead of the rain.  So, yeah, it grubs things up.

When I went out this morning, it was a near lovely 80º (at 6:30), with higher than normal humidity.  That goes with monsoon season.  I took Murphy out, and he could lay on any surface he wanted without worry about getting his paw pads burned.  The wind knocked over a couple of Joan's plants in pots, including one nicely growing cactus.  I let her know about the cactus, so she could do whatever necessary to keep it healthy (over my pay grade, but I did help her get the plant stand upright).

There is apparently more rain predicted around noon, but the sky was mostly blue with some friendly looking puffy white clouds.  I decided to get in a ride on the Burgman before it gets any hotter.  I geared up, grabbed a camera, fired up the bike, and headed out.

The riding was good.  Traffic was unusually light (people got out early for the holiday weekend?).  Other than a few people on bicycles, I had the fun twisty roads mostly to myself.  I was home around 9:00, and the temp was up to 88º (104º predicted for a high today - yes, that is cooler than it has been).

I shot plenty of video on the ride - when I feel ambitious, I'll work it up.  But, in the meantime, it was a treat to get out!

Here are some screen grabs of this morning's ride...

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Joan sent me this photo she took this evening...

 A rainbow over South Mountain.  Taken from our patio with Joan's iPhone.  The weather has been a bit unusual today.  Rain to the east of us (around the far east side of South Mountain)... thus, the rainbow.

 

 

Wide Load...

 

"Did you eat too much while you were in the Tetons, Jim?"

No, but thanks for asking.  One thing I was missing while we were on this last trip: a pair of hiking boots.  I don't need serious hiking boots, but occasionally, I want something with a stiffer sole than my "trail ready" hiking sneakers (my name for them).

I have wide feet.  Double E.  Wider on some shoe/boot styles.  Until I discovered Skechers, shoe shopping was mostly an exercise in frustration.  Skechers are not high quality shoes, like SAS... but, they do have styles in wide (and extra wide) widths.  Not a lot, but enough.  Their shoes are mostly light weight (due to the materials they use), and that is a plus, too.  And, that "Slip-In" feature.

 

Joan suggested that "today would be a good day" for getting out for some shoe shopping.  It's hot again (94º when I got up at 6:30 this morning), so an air conditioned ride to the Skechers Store, then out for lunch.  I'm in. 

We left the house around 11:30.  Once at the Skechers Store, Joan helped me pick out some styles to try, then went off to find herself a pair of sneakers.  I was delighted to have various styles to pick from.  I actually quite enjoyed this experience, after decades of having shoe salespeople shake their heads and look down at my fat feet.

 These (above) are casual shoes that aren't sneakers.  And, they fit!  A pair of hiking(ish) boots.  They had some actual hiking boots in my size, but they would have rubbed my ankles raw.  The pair I got are a bit shorter, but have soft padding around the ankle area.  A pair of sneaker(ish) shoes, and another pair like what I have with the stiffer sole, but in a different color.

I am good on shoes now for a long while.  Joan got a pair of sneakers.  She is fortunate to have a size and width foot that allows her to shop in any shoe store.

Lunch afterwards at BJ's.  Insert your favorite BJ's joke here.  The food was good and their lunch specials include a mini Pazookie.  Who doesn't like that?

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It's official.  We are now in "Monsoon Season."

"What is Monsoon Season - is it like Hurricane Season?"  From the NWS:

Arizona's monsoon season is a distinct period in the summer months characterized by increased humidity and the potential for thunderstorms, heavy rain, dust storms, and flash flooding

. It is officially defined as running from June 15th through September 30th by the National Weather Service, a practice established in 2008. Before this, the start was marked by a prolonged period of dew point temperatures averaging 55 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. 

The key take-away for that paragraph above is "increased humidity."  So, all that crap you hear about "It's a dry heat," is out the door.  It's now a humid heat.  Fun.  Or, as I like to refer to it: Swamp-Ass Season.  I assume no further explanation is necessary.

In a surprising bit of weather, it was 97º at 6:00pm (12º cooler than yesterday at this time).  Cool enough to take Murphy out in the courtyard.  He and I saw these things...

 

For those not into this desert weather phenomenon, those are called... clouds.  Not the usual cloudless blue sky that comes with "dry heat."  These would indicate higher humidity.  And, the earlier mentioned: swamp ass.

Joan and I were talking today: I was lamenting about not liking the the heat here.  She feels it is better than the heat and humidity in the Tropical Tip.  I don't agree.  On the Texas coast, I could still get in a bicycle ride, then get out on a motorcycle or scooter before retreating to the air conditioning.  Here in Arizona, I feel it is too hot this time of year.  In Texas, we didn't have daily news reports about people out hiking needing to be rescued due to heat exhaustion.  To be fair, that may be because people in the Tropical Tip go to the beach instead of hiking in the mountains.  Probably because there are no mountains in the Tropical Tip.  And people don't "hike."  I think it might be because it rarely gets above 92 or 93º in south coastal Texas, even though the humidity is higher (OK, much higher) than in Arizona.

Or, it may be that we always got out of south Texas in the hottest months.  Getting out of Arizona on this last trip was a refreshing change.  But... we're back.  😣  And now, at 6:45pm, there is rain just east of us, and blowing dust where we are.  A 60% chance of rain now in the next few hours and gusty winds.  Some parts of the Valley are getting significant rain.  I went out and put away chair cushions that aren't under covers.  It's coming.

 

 

 

Didn't need a thing...

 

When the discussion of where to have lunch came up, Joan said, "Should we try Hot Dave's Chicken?"

"Um... I think Dave's chicken can be hot (and spicy) - no idea how hot Dave is."

"Yeah, Dave's Hot Chicken."

We have never been there, but they seem to be doing a good business whenever we go by.  It's only a couple miles from our home.  So, Dave's Hot Chicken, it is."

The menu is pretty much chicken and fries.  You can swap out the fries for mac & cheese or kale slaw (yeah, I spelled that right.)  The chicken can be plain, or lite mild to "reaper."  We both went for lite mild.  It was good.  Joan said she likes it better than Cane's.  The guy who helped us at the counter took the time to explain the menu.  As a guy, I can't judge whether he was hot (or not); I don't think his name was Dave.  I'm also not sure if Joan thought the chicken was going to be served by some Chippendale's looking kinda guy.  The guy who waited on us looked more like Chris Kattan. 

That's not the place where we didn't need a thing.  Joan also saw something about a surplus liquidation warehouse kinda place called SaleSumo.  She wanted to check it out.  It was a few miles from Hot Dave's.  They had a variety of things there, mostly home building/home improvement kinda stuff.  Our home is built and improved, so we didn't need anything.  They don't waste any money on decor ;-) ...

 To be fair, most of it wasn't piles of boxes.  Some of it was obviously "scratch & dent" and returned, some of it looked like overstock.  Nothing fancy about the presentation, but they had stuff that was showing a price of "30% less than at Home Depot" (including some things that were in Home Depot boxes).

That was our outing for the day.  It is hot and windy outside, making for very crappy air quality.  The hot: 112º for a high; the crappy: you can barely seen South Mountain or the Estrella Mountains through the brown haze (which may be blowing dirt).  Yes, we had "recirculate" on in the car.  Both an "Extreme Heat Warning" and an "Air Quality Alert" for today. 

 

You're probably wondering why I called this meeting...

 

 Apparently it was time for our performance review.  Nah, just kidding.  The boy does look like he has some concerns, though.  It's a cat ruse: our performance in caring for the furry boy has been exemplary... he has it made.

I took him outside at 6:30 this morning; it was already 88º.  This early morning is the only outdoor time he'll get today - the weather weasels are predicting a high of 117º today.  Extreme Heat Warning for today.  No shit, Shakespeare.  They are suggesting: "Stay hydrated and stay indoors in air conditioning."

I put these up as soon as we go outside:

 The umbrellas help keep the patio and pavers in the shade.  It helps.

On another topic, I added another bit of photo gear.  Well, to be fair, Joan added another bit of photo gear for me.  It's a small tripod/remote for my Sony a6700 camera...

This was recommended for Joan on Vine.  The Vine "activity" has been way down since the whole tariff situation.  There were about 120,000 items on Vine prior to the tariffs; around 40,000 now.  Joan asked if this was something I could use... "Absolutely - I had looked at the Sony version a while back."  We are more selective these days about getting things on Vine, since there is a tax consequence.  This tripod/remote has a value of about half the Sony version... and it works great.  The remote that is in the handle pops out, so you can use it to take photos or video without being right on the camera.  As in: put the camera on the little tripod just outside the patio door, and you can take the photo from inside while in air conditioned comfort... because it is hotter than the Gates of Hell out there.  (96º now at 7:30am)

 

An early start to the day...

 

Breakfast out with Steph and Dan - departure time: 6:45.  The plan (mine) is to beat the Sunday morning rush at Black Bear Diner.

Joan and I were up an hour early.  She took Murphy outside while I got his food ready.  She took photos of the furry boy (with her iPad) in the early morning light...

 Breakfast was good and the plan played out: we were there before the place got busy.

Back home afterwards, it was already 93º before 8:00.  I brought a guitar out to the courtyard, with Joan and Murphy as the audience.  That lasted a few songs, then Murphy went OTW... that's a bit like AWOL, in that they both are "without leave," but OTW is "Over The Wall"... without leave.  Maybe that should be OTWWOL?

He is not a flight risk.  He doesn't always think things through... over the wall, then he sat right there on the other side.  It's a big strange world on the other side of that wall.  Joan escorted him to the front door, and he's now inside for the rest of the day.  Not really "grounded"... it's going to be 110º for a high today; too hot for a furry boy to be outside.  And this not so furry boy, too.  ;-)

 

The tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth...

 

In the words of the philosopher, Jack Nicholson: "You can't handle the tooth!"  Or, something like that.

The dentist visit was anticlimactic.  One of his assistants took X-rays with a little hand-held gun; the X-ray pops up immediately on the big screen next to the dental chair.  Seriously, the "gun" looks like some kind of StarTrek toy.

The dentist came in, looked at the X-rays, looked at my tooth (and the crown).  We discussed how and when the tooth ache occurred.  He said, "Your tooth and everything around it looks good.  See this little tract on the X-Ray?  That is a sinus tract that runs right between the roots of that tooth.  Since the pain got better after you got to a lower elevation, I suspect the elevation messed with your sinuses.  Pain in that area can stimulate the nerves and hurt like the dickens."

He was right - it did.  The pain was almost completely gone by the time we got home, but I had the appointment and thought I should follow up.  At the worst, cold hurt it, heat hurt it, and any pressure on that tooth hurt.

The dentist did give me one bit of advice to tell if it is sinus or something happening with the tooth: "If you sit down, bend over and put your head lower than your knees and the pain gets worse, it is a sinus issue.  Try some sinus meds for relief."

So, I guess you could say it was all in my head.  Well, jaw.  Glad to be beyond that.

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Be it ever so humble...

Murphy likes his house.  His yard.  His routine.  He has slept soundly through the night since we got home.  This morning, on the couch, sitting by Joan...

 That is one very content kitty.

 

Been a while since we've done that...

 

What?  Seriously?  Is that all you people think about?

We had a plan: be home by Friday.  With the 4th falling next Friday, there will be a lot of people on the road, starting their (Griswald) family vacation on Saturday, the 28th.  This figured into our planning from the start of this trip.

With no reservations, we originally figured we'd take a few days getting back home from our stay at Mountain Valley Resort.  Mother Nature laughed at our plans (even though they were loose).

When we first got to the Tetons, I developed a toothache that continued to worsen.  Doing a bit of research on it, I found that elevation can cause a toothache: if there is any air under a crown or filling, it can expand at elevation, causing... pain.

Heber City is around 5,600', down from our time in northwestern Wyoming.  The toothache pain was less.  I made an appointment with my dentist for Friday, we planned to be home on Thursday.

On Wednesday morning, while getting ready to leave Mountain Valley Resort, Joan said, "How would you feel about driving straight through to home today?"

"That's over 650 miles.  It's been years since we've driven that far in one day."  I referred back to our 2/2/2 Rule (really, more of a suggestion, since we generally do 300 to 350 miles a day when RVing - if we're trying to make miles to or from a destination).

There were a lot of factors she presented, that made sense (a well thought-out plan): there are fires near either route heading south in Utah (really, only two routes: east {by Lake Powell} or west {through Las Vegas} of the Grand Canyon.  We looked at the fires and the weather - with the generally west wind, the routing would be best to to by Lake Powell.  If we stop part way, we could be around Flagstaff again... and at the 7,000 elevation (toothache potential); then the next day we'd be coming into Phoenix at the hot part of the day  If we drive on, we can be home around 7:00 pm, past the hot part.  She obviously thought this out.

The van it comfortable; it drives easy.  We could swap off driving.  OK, we have a new plan.

The drive is pretty through all of Utah.  Interesting around the Lake Powell area.  Bleak from Page, AZ, until you get close to Flagstaff.  Then, Interstate 17 all the way back into Phoenix.

It played out according to her plan: we rolled into our driveway at 6:57pm.  Took a half hour to get the food, electronics, and personal items out of the van, the rest could wait until Thursday.

The photo essay:

Balloons taking off as we left Heber City...

 It is a beautiful drive between Heber City and Provo; then out onto I-15, heading south...

 The van can handle whatever the legal speed limit is.  The ride is comfortable, and you have all your amenities right there.  It is different from a bigger RV, but it is a nice way to travel.

 That said, off the Interstate is still my favorite driving; the hills in southern Utah...

 Getting close to the fires that are west of Bryce Canyon National Park...

 Hard to tell from the photos, but you can see large areas of the hills that have burned.  When we checked before leaving in the morning, these fires were 0% contained.  Having checked wind and weather, we rightfully figured the smoke would be blowing away from our direction of travel.

The area around Kanab is pretty, and from there to the Lake Powell area...

 Murphy spent time on the bed, on Joan's lap, but seemed most content in the door-well once again...

 We planned for a gas stop in Cordes Junction, between Flagstaff and Phoenix; the gas prices are good (about 50¢ per gallon less than in Phoenix) and there is an RV waste tank dump at Love's, so we can head for home with empty tanks.  That didn't work out for us - as we pulled into the Love's, there was yellow caution tape around all the pumps.  A woman was at the door waving people away from coming in.  We moved on to the Pilot station: same thing - all the pumps were taped off.  We went to an independent gas station, where we saw vehicles at the pumps... nope, their pumps weren't working, either.

This is a concern: the range on our fuel was saying we'd be close to empty by the time we got to Phoenix.  We drove on, stopping at a station north of Phoenix -we'll deal with emptying holding tanks tomorrow.  And then, rolling home just before 7:00.

Plenty to do today to get unpacked and the van put away.  A dentist appointment for me on Friday (it is better now at lower elevation, but I still want to make sure there isn't an issue - I never get toothaches).

Time in the hot tub last night before going to bed - we were tired.  650 miles in 12 hours.  Nice to know that the van can handle it... and so can we.  We all slept well last night, including Murphy who didn't move from his pad at the foot of our bed.  And he was happy to have outdoor time in his own yard this morning.  We're glad to be home, too.

I still have a sense of wonder about the beauty of the Tetons and all we saw this trip.  Joan agrees.  Murph is happy to be in a house that isn't moving.  It was a good test of the RoadTrek, handling all kinds of driving and keeping us comfortable in temps that ranged from 110º to an overnight low of 28º.  Day-tripping or traveling, we feel the RoadTrek was a good choice.

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Joan sent me these photos from her phone: playing the Traveler Guitars Speedster Deluxe...

 If I leave the arm-rest off, it is easy to hold on my lap while riding as a passenger.  The guitar is plugged into the compact Spark Mini amp.  While I was driving yesterday, Joan said, "I didn't get much guitar playing this trip."

"Let's swap: you drive and I'll provide the entertainment."

 

Mountain Valley RV Resort...

 

This is a true RV resort.  Many RV parks use that descriptor, but few really qualify.  The sites are large (up to 80' long, 24' wide pads), paved, with patios and grassy areas between.  You aren't right on top of your neighbor.  Some back in sites, many long pul-throughs.  There are multiple pools and hot tub throughout the resort.  Pickleball courts.  Two off-leash dog parks (the nice lady that checked us in said, "Sorry, we don't have a cat park."

I can't speak for other cats, but Murphy doesn't really want to play with other cats, except his cousin Tango.  But, I digress.

Very nice restroom and showers (private).  An over 21 section that has its own pool and hot tub.  A putting green.  Playground equipment and basketball courts on the family side.  No fires allowed (Yay!).  Cable TV at some sites, but good over the air TV on antenna.  Wifi.

It reminds me a bit of Hart Ranch, except it isn't a membership park.  Similar amenities and large sites, though.

Some photos...

They did ask what year our RV is when I called to reserve a site (2024).  Many RV parks have a "no RVs more than 10 years old" rule.  Most will make exceptions if you submit a current photo - there are many motorcoaches older than 10 years that look nicer than a lot of brand new RVs.

While walking around, we saw one other Class B here.  A few B+ (or very small Class C), but mostly larger 5th wheels and Class A motorhomes.  No minimum size here (some "resorts" have a minimum length of 25 or even 30').  We have plenty of room on the site we're on.  ;-)

 

 

After being in "rustic sites" in the National Park, we really appreciate no dirt, no pine needles, level sites, and no bears.  Not being snooty - many people like the "great outdoors" feel of State and National Parks - we're not particularly into "camping."  Our RoadTrek can handle rustic or fancy - good to have options.

"This comes at a price, right?"  Sure - nicer grounds, bigger sites, paved pads, more amenities, and privately owned vs government.  You would expect to pay more for all that.  Here's some perspective though: a site in this upscale RV resort is less expensive than a night in Colter Bay RV Park (that we just left).  Options... would you rather stay in a 5 star hotel or a rustic cabin?  Fortunately, with an RV, you bring some of the amenities with you.  :-)

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"How's Murphy doing?" Thanks for asking.  Murphy is not the traveler that Rufus, Izzy, and Molly were.  Yet.  With each day this trip, he has settled into the routine of no routine.  Last night was his best night since we left home: he slept through the night with no middle of the night gymnastics or vocalizations (the boy can be very "talky."

Today, we unhooked electric and water and drove a short distance to Chick's Cafe for a late lunch.  With the roof a/c going, Murph stayed in the van.  The RoadTrek being nimble, we parked at the curb in front of the restaurant on a very busy main road.  Chick's is an old school cafe: we both had chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, greenbeans, soup, and a scone (more like a giant roll)... it was a lot of food.  What I would call "grandma food."  Tasty.

From there, to Wally World to pick up a few things, including some Command items for hanging things in the bathroom.  To make that compact space even more handy.  Topped off fuel, and we'll be ready to roll in the morning.  Holding tanks are dumped, fresh water is at 2/3; all we have to do is unhook, and we're off.

Murphy did get some outdoor time this afternoon, but didn't go far.  I'll hit the hot tub again this evening - that has been nice.  Last night, I visited with some folks who were on their way to the Tetons and Yellowstone - they had questions, I had answers.

I do like this RV resort - nice to treat ourselves to something like this once in a while.  And to have another "chill day."

There are forest fires along the way on either of the two options for heading back to Phoenix.  We'll keep an eye on that and make decisions on the fly for best routing and timing.