finally sat down to update my blog. We left Mesa on April 5 and headed straight home heading West on I-10 then North to Needles. The weather was great and we always enjoy the trip across Hwy 40 and the Mojave Desert. It was early morning and the sun was rising in the East as we headed West to Fresno which provided a spectacular view of the desert and surrounding mountains. From Fresno we crossed over to I-5 and made our way to the JGW RV park in Redding. We always stay here along the river and that evening it was about 80 degrees F so we had happy hour looking over the river and watched the sun go down. The Truck and RV were spotless when we left Redding in the morning and Gail has some grea
t shots of Mount Shasta as we start up the Pass and over the Siskiyou’s. Amazing the traffic was light with our early departure but by the time we reached Weed it had rained with a dusting of snow. RATS !!! My clean RV was now dirty- we almost made it home without rain. It rained through Grant’s Pass but we made it to the Phoenix RV Park in Salem in time for Happy Hour. It is always a big relief when you make it over the passes with good road conditions. The next day was sunny and hot so we went up 101 on the west side of the Hood Canal to Port Angeles. As usual we got lost in PA and had to get some help finding the KOA. After traveling all over the USA in Big cities with my GPS I don’t know why PA is always so difficult!!!! Anyway we got settled
at the Sequim KOA and were off to see our longtime friends Dave and Susan Hildebrand. We always make this the first and last point of entry into the US and they have a great meal for us in their spectacular home overlooking the Straight of Juan de Fuca. In the morning we got up and were on the ferry by 830 to Victoria. The customs officer in Victoria wasn't very friendly but let us through without any hassles and we were back in Comox by early afternoon.I turned on the water and everything worked perfectly. The house and yard weathered the winter well and we set about making the move from our RV to the house. It was interesting to go through six months of mail. Lesley Anne and Brendon had left all their furniture from their apartment in Vancouver in our house. We now found ourselves owners of yet another 50 inch plasma TV. After some shuffling around we accommodated our new furniture and now and have a sofa in our sunroom. I started working hard on the yard and gardening. It really was pretty easy since I had left it in good shape last fall. Gail made a short trip to Edmonton to visit her mother and family. We are both very excited about our upcoming trip to Australia and New Zealand. I have been golfing twice a week and spending lots of time at the driving range and doing some video analysis of my swing. I'm really hitting the ball well and anxious to start playing in the 80s. Gail is taking golf lessons but spends lots of time sewing and sending clothes down to Samuel Thomas.
A longtime friend of mine, Brent Mitchell, phoned me form Calgary in early May and asked if I would like to be part of a golfing holiday in Bellingham. They meet once a year with a group of guys and play golf for three days at different courses. I j
umped at the chance and spent four days with a great group of guys playing some interesting courses. Unfortunately the weather wasn't great but I did buy some wet weather gear. I returned home on May 20 and heard some very bad news on my return. Brent was returning to Calgary and spent the night in Kamloops with his mother where he suffered a massive stroke and was taken to the hospital. Brent is now at the foothills Hospital in Calgary and in good care at a rehabilitation unit.
Alan and family came over for the long weekend on May 21. We had a great time and played two games of golf. May 21 always will be a special memory as that is the day that mom died one year ago. It seems like such a long time ago as so much has happened in the past year.
On June 2, n
ext Wednesday we will be getting on the plane in Vancouver to fly to Australia and see our grandson - Samuel Thomas Reed. We will spend four weeks in Adelaide and then fly over to New Zealand to visit Jennifer in Christchurch. We hope to be home on July 15 and spend the rest of the summer here in Comox. Time will pass quickly and we will be on the road heading back to Mesa around mid-October. We have reserved the same site at Silveridge RV Park for five months starting November 1 of this year. We look forward to our return and feel it is really our home away from home. More pictures and Blog updates coming from Australia and New Zealand.
Pictures from Top to Bottom: Just click on the picture to enlarge
1. Our spot at the Needles KOA
2. The green Mojave Desert
3. Morning View of Mount Shasta as we left.
4. Brent Mitchell and Ron
5. Brendon and LA last summer
6. Samuel Thomas Reed in his Canucks outfit
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Just Click on the Below link for the collection of our Mesa Pictures.
There are lots of pictures but I recently uploaded some really good shots in the " Mesa March- Album". So Byron, Paul, and all our Mesa friends be sure and check them out.
