Saturday 10-10-26 Flagstaff to Tucson & Visiting Family

 

Sunrise at Twin Arrows Navajo Casino & Resort

We had a great day.

We woke up to the morning temperature of 47 degrees at Twin Arrows Navajo Casino & Resort. In Tucson the high temperature was 91 degrees. We had clouds and wind. The rain came in about 7:00 pm.

I woke up about 6:00 am and got dressed. I made maple brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast. We shared a shake. Then we put things away and secured. We were on the road by 6:45 am. We had a gorgeous sunrise in the parking lot. Larry wanted an early start but wanted the sun to be up and it was.

Today Larry drove 275 miles. He drove 22 miles from Twin Arrows Casino & Resort on highway 89 through the Navajo Reservation to Flagstaff. Where we picked up I17 South and drove it to Phoenix. In Phoenix we picked up I10 East to Tucson . As we drove through Flagstaff we saw a lot of pine trees and juniper trees. We drove the interstate through mountain ranges for 18 miles. The interstate was curvy and at times it very steep going up and down the hill. We were on the lookout for elk and deer. We did see a couple of mule deer. The scenery was very pretty. We drove by a beautiful trail called Mogollon Rim Trail. It is a  200-mile-long escarpment that cleaves the state in two: one side sun-hammered Sonoran Desert and the other ponderosa pines, cold springs, elk and altitude. We stopped a couple of rest areas for bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs. Larry drove through Phoenix at 9:30 am so it wasn't too bad. He had to maneuver across a couple of lanes to get in the right lane for Tucson. We drove by Picacho Peak. Larry saw a sign about Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch, where guests can hand-feed ostriches, visit a petting zoo with stingrays, donkeys and goats and take "monster truck" tours through the desert enclosures. We arrived in Marana, where Larry's mom (Shirley) lives about 12:30.

Juniper trees in Flagstaff 

 

Part of the Mogollon Rim Trail

Picacho Peak 

Rooster Cogburn Ostrich Ranch from the web

Before going to see Shirley we stopped at Safeway to buy a few items for our meals while there. After shopping we went to Shirley's house. We hadn't told her we were coming so it was a surprise. We spent the afternoon visiting with Shirley and her two dogs (Windy and Dolly). Ray (Larry's brother) came by and visited with us after he got off work. We had a very nice visit.

Dolly (five years old)

Windy (fourteen years old)

It was too hot to stay in the Minnie tonight. So Larry booked us a room at Super 8 for the night. We left the Minnie at Shirley's house and drove the motorcycle to the Super 8. After checking in we went to the room and relaxed. Larry had a wall charger for the phones and it wouldn't charge our phones all the way. We walked to Walmart, which was right across the street for the Super 8. We found the charger and cable we needed. While we were inside the front came in. There was thunder and lightening, wind and rain. So we ended up walking back to our room in the rain.

When we got back Larry plugged in our phones and they charged up. I played the Daily Event in Solitaire, which was Event: Klondike Adventure of 20 games. It took me 1 hour, 4 minutes and 44 seconds to complete, which put me in 8th place in my group.

By the end of the day I had done 4,000 steps.

We had a super day.      

Friday 10-9-26 New State, Lake Powell, Twin Arrows Casino & Having Fun

 

Mountain Range in Utah

We had a super day. 

The morning temperature in Panguitch Utah was a brisk 38 degrees. The high temperature in Flagstaff Arizona was 74 degrees.

I woke up at 6:00 am in Utah and got dressed. I made maple brown sugar oatmeal for breakfast. After breakfast we put things down and secured. Larry wanted to wait for the sunrise because he didn't want to drive in the dark. He was worried about the wildlife. We were on the road by 7:30 am. 

The drive was for 287 miles. We started on highway 89 south, which was a two lane highway. We drove this highway for 267 miles. Then we drove Routine 66 for 10 miles and took I40 to Flagstaff for 10 miles. 

We drove highway 89 for 66 miles to Kanab Utah, where we filled the Minnie up with gas. There were a lot of ATV 's because of all the beautiful trails on the red rock hills in Kanab. The scenery was beautiful. We saw ranches with horses and cattle. After getting gas we continued on highway 89 to Page Arizona. Below are pictures of the scenery by Kanab. 

Kanab Utah is a key base camp to explore Zion National Park (30 miles northwest), Bryce Canyon National Park (75 miles north), the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (80 miles southeast) and Lake Powell (70 miles east). 

We crossed Arizona state line a few miles before Page. When we got to Page we stopped at Glen Canyon Dam, which is the dam for Lake Powell. The dam was dedicated by First Lady Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson (Ladybird) September 22, 1966. Major John Wesley Powell led a scientific exploration parties down the Green and Colorado Rivers in 1869. In 1871-1872 Powell became a leader in government science programs. In commemoration of his courage, his wisdom and his years of public service the reservoir behind the Glen Canyon Dam was named Lake Powell. We walked around the dam and through the visitor center. Lake Powell is very low and the dam is huge. We saw a few boats on Lake Powell. After walking around we went back to the Minnie. We drove over the big bridge to get to Page Arizona.

Welcome to Arizona sign

The bridge over Glen Canyon Dam

Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam

 

We stopped in Page at the Walmart to pick up a few items we were getting low on. When we got into Arizona we lost an hour because of the time zone. We were hungry so we had lunch even though it was about 10:00 Arizona time. 

After lunch we continued on our adventure to Flagstaff. It was 150 miles from Page. When we left Page we drove by a gorgeous canyon called Waterhole Canyon. The highway went through a mountain pass, that had the red rock mountain on both sides of the highway. It was amazing. We drove through a reservation. We didn't go to Flagstaff because Larry wanted to take me to Twin Arrows Casino. When we were 20 miles from the casino we turned off of highway 89 south unto Routine 66 towards Twin Arrows. We drove Routine 66 for 10 miles to I40 towards Albuquerque. We drove the interstate for 10 miles to Two Arrows Casino. 

Driving through a mountain pass

Waterhole Canyon

The highway in Arizona at places were very rough. It had dips in it so Larry had to drive very slow. We were glad they had passing lanes because there was a lot of traffic. We were very surprised.

Twin Arrows Casino has an RV parking lot separate from the 18-Wheelers. The area is very nice with a lot of RV parking. You can stay in the parking lot for 72 hours. If you need to stay longer you have to check-in at the casino. Once again Twin Arrows Casino is a non-smoking casino. This is great, that way you don't smell of smoke and the casino doesn't smell of smoke.

Two Arrows Navajo Casino Resort

The Minnie setup for the night

Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort during the day

 

Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort at night time

After setting up for the night we relaxed a bit. At 4:00 we walked over to the casino. Larry went back to the Minnie and left me to gamble. I gambled for about an hour and lost $20.00. Then I went back to Larry. 

I played my games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I also did the challenges from a couple of days ago. I played the Daily Event, which was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 6 games (3 Spider and 3 Free Cell). It took me 22 minutes and 17 seconds to complete, which put me in 23rd place in my group. 

After playing my games about 7:00 I went back to the casino and played for another hour and a half. I came back with the $20.00 I started with the second time. By the end of the night I had lost $20.00 for the day. But a couple of days ago I was ahead by $15.00 so really I'm only $5.00 behind.   

Larry got caught up with groups he follow while I gambled.

I had a great time gambling at Two Arrows Navajo Casino Resort. By the end of the night I had done 5,000 steps.   

Thursday 10-8-26 New State, Weather & Having Fun

 

Welcome to Utah sign

I didn't say why we left Montana a couple of days ago. We were going to spend another week or so visiting Montana's National Forests and State Parks but the weather was going to deteriorate. They were predicting temperature in the morning in the lower 20s to teens and it wasn't going to get out of the 30s. They also said they were going to have snow, sleet and rain Saturday thru Monday. So we decided we would head south to warmer temperatures.

Rain

Snow

This morning the temperature was 39 degrees at Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel in Fort Hall Idaho. The high in Panguitch Utah was 76 degrees.

We had a very long day of driving. We started from Buffalo Meadow RV Park at Shoshone-Bannock Casino Resort at 6:30 am and stopped at Panguitch Park at 3:00 pm, which was 430 miles. The drive was mainly I15 South until we got on Utah Highway 20 the last 32 miles. As we drove we snacked on Jack Links Beef Jerky and other snacks. Thank you Louise for the jerky. Salt Lake City was 175 miles from the casino. We drove in Idaho for 90 miles before crossing into Utah, which was 85 miles from Salt Lake City. Once the sun came up we saw a beautiful mountain range. We got to Salt Lake City and surrounding area at 9:00 am. It was very stressful for Larry driving through this area, there were seven lanes of heavy traffic. We're not use to all the traffic. Larry was glad to get through Salt Lake City but we had heavy traffic all the way to Provo Utah. The air quality in Salt Lake City was very bad you could barely see the mountains. But I was able to get a picture of the Capitol Building as we were driving. We saw a lot of rolling hills and ranches. When we got to Plymouth UT we saw five deer running through a field by the  Nucor Steel Plant. We stopped at Mona UT and filled the Minnie with gas at the Phillip 66. It was lunchtime so shared a Spicy Italian 6" sub at Subway in the parking lot. Then we were on the road once more. We had another 180 miles to go. We stopped a couple more times for bathroom breaks and to stretch our legs. We exited the interstate at the Panguitch Kanab exit and drove Highway 20 for 32 miles. This highway was up a curvy mountain road and down it. It had beautiful scenery. We got to Panguitch Park at 3:00 and parked the Minnie for the night.

The mountain range between Montana and Utah state line.

Jack Links Beef Jerky

Capitol Building in Salt Lake City

Mountain range outside of Salt Lake City

Panguitch City Park is a pretty park with a splash pad, three baseball fields, batting cages, practice pitcher mount, playground and they were building a big pavilion. We are dry camping in the parking lot. We do not need any power and we have our bathroom.

We relaxed for the rest of the day. Larry got caught up with the groups he follow on the internet. He decided where we're going tomorrow. I played games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: Easy Street of 30 games. It took me 1 hour, 8 minutes and 6 second to complete, which put me in 13th place in my group.

While we were relaxing the sky started to get black clouds. There was thunder and lightening. I went outside and took a few pictures. We got a little rain but the mountains got more. The park had a beautiful sunset. So today I saw the sunrise and the sunset.  

Playground

Baseball field

Batting Cage

Splash Pad

Pavilion five guys were working on

Sunset at Panguitch Park

By the end of the day I had done 3,000 steps. 

          

  

Wednesday 10-7-26 New State, Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel & Having Fun

 

Welcome to Idaho sign

The morning temperature at Three Frog Campground was 45 degrees and the high at Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel was 80 degrees.

We had a long day of driving. Larry drove from Three Frog Campground in Montana to Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel in Idaho, which was 301 miles. We stared at 7:00 am before the sun came up and stopped at 2:30 pm. He drove through a few mountain passes. We saw some Pronghorns, a lot of cattle and horses. The scenery was mainly rolling hills. We drove mainly I15 south. We saw a lot of Beaverslide Haystackers, big round bales and small square bales. They use the beaverslide haystackers because loose stack hay last significantly longer outdoors and the equipment is cheaper to build and repair. We stopped a few times to stretch our legs and bathroom breaks. We stopped twice for fuel and once at a rest area for lunch. It was very pretty drive. We stopped at a truck parking area in Montana by Grasshopper Creek, where the first Montana's gold rush began in 1862 by Prospectors John White and company camped along the insect infested banks as they looked for a shortcut to Deer Lodge valley. Below is more information.

Sign about Montana first gold rush.

The mountain by the sign

Fall colors in Montana

When we arrived at Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel Larry parked in the parking lot. Then he walked into the hotel to register for night at the Buffalo Meadows RV Park. He had no problems getting a spot. We were assigned B6. 

The RV park has three sections A has 18 sites, B has 12 sites & C has 7 sites. All the sites are full hook-ups. In the A-B sites the hook-ups are on the left. The C sites the hook-ups are on both sides. The sites are long and if you have a tow vehicle you will have to use a long hose to use the sewage. We were lucky with the Minnie being short. The park has a bathrooms with showers. The bathrooms are old but very nice and clean. We took showers. We also filled our water tank and dumped our tanks.     

The casino is a non-smoking casino and the only place you can smoke is in the lounge. The casino has over 700 slot machines, table games, a luxurious spa, dining and a hotel. The nice thing about this casino it's across the street from the Buffalo Meadow RV Park. 

Once we got the Minnie setup I went over to the casino and gambled for 1.5 hours. I started with $20.00 and came back with $46.00. I came back and we had a baked potato for dinner. After dinner I went back to the casino with my winnings of $26.00 and gambled another 1.5 hours and came back with $15.00. So by the end of the day I was still ahead by $15.00, which is really terrific for 3 hours of entertainment. I had a super time.

Shoshone-Bannock Bingo & Casino

While I gambled Larry did research on where we're going from here.

When I got back from gambling I played the Daily Event of Solitaire, which was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 50 minutes and 43 seconds to complete, which put me in 14th place in my group. 

By the end of the day I had done 3,000 steps. I had a fun day, thank you Larry. 

     

 

Tuesday 10-6-26 Hiking Lake Como Trail, Walking to Dam & Having Fun

 

Lake Como Trail

We woke up to a beautiful morning of 50 degrees and the high temperature of  78 degrees.

I crawled out of bed at 7:15 and got dressed. Then I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast. After breakfast we got ready for a hike.

We started our hike at 8:30 and were back by 10:30. We hiked Lake Como Trail. Our hike was 4 miles. We started from the campground and walked to the trailhead, about .25 mile away. The trail started out being paved and then turned to dirt. The trail was challenging in a few places because there were a lot of rocks from rock slides. Lake Como was very flat and we saw a big flock of ducks swimming together. There was a gorgeous mountain range in the background and along the side of the lake. We saw a waterfall about halfway through the hike. While we were hiking our neighbor's dog came up to us to say hi. Her master was right there. We all said our hellos. When we got to 2 miles we turned around and started back to the Minnie. If we had done the whole trail it would have been 8 miles. There were a few benches along the trail to rest on if you needed. We took advantage of one on the way back. We also saw three kayakers on the lake. We had a super hike.

Kayakers on Lake Como

Mountain range surrounding Lake Como

Waterfall on the other side of Lake Como

One of the rocky area

When we got home we setup the solar panels. We had a lot of sun so we got a lot of solar. I could play my games. Larry could do some research on where to go from here.

For lunch we had sandwiches and chips. After lunch Larry did research and I played games.

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: Free Cell Adventure of 20 games. I only did 19 of the games. I ended in 14th place in my group.

After playing games I joined Larry outside, where he was reading. We went in when it was time to have dinner.

For dinner I barbecued more seasoned pork. After dinner we went for an hour walk for 2.3 miles, we walked to the dam, beach and day area. It was a nice walk.

Overflow area at the dam

When we got back we decided we would move on tomorrow. Then we folded up the chairs and put them away. We put the solar panels and equipment away. I ended up doing 17,000 steps.

Yesterday I finished reading The Unseen World by Liz Moore. I really enjoyed reading it, Liz Moore is an excellent writer. She keeps you thinking throughout the book. The ending was a great. It wasn't what you expected it to be. The book Larry choose for me to read next is The Man With No Borders: A Novel by Richard C. Morais. So far it's a good book about a rich father dying of cancer and how he's dealing with it.

Reading is relaxing

   

  

 

Monday 10-5-26 Three Frog Campground, Motorcycle Ride, Walking Around & More

 

Camping at Three Frog Campground

We spent three super nights at Charles Waters  Campground in Bitterroot National Forest. Today we moved onto another campground in Bitterroot National Forest called Three Frog Campground. 

The morning temperature was a cool 38 degrees in Florence Montana close to Charles Waters Campground. The high temperature was 80 in Darby close to Three Frog Campground.

I woke up at 7:30 and got dressed. We weren't in any hurry because our next destination was only 40 miles away. I made apple cinnamon pancakes and shared a shake for breakfast. Then we put things away and secured. We were on the road by 9:00. 

The drive was very nice. It was a four lane highway through, Stevensville, Hamilton and Darby. While driving we saw a flock of wild turkeys on the side of the highway. It was a peaceful drive. As we were driving the mountains were a little hazy because there's a forest fire nearby. We have been lucky because it hasn't effected our hiking.

Our destination was Lake Como Campground but the gate was closed. We drove by the day area and Lake Como. It was very low and they're waiting for the winter snow melt. Montana hasn't gotten any rain for awhile. They had a sign for another campground called Three Frog so we went there. It's a beautiful campground with 21 sites (8 of them are tent sites). We found a site, which was #15 and backed in. It is super, it had a lot of sun and we can get solar. There was no internet so Larry had to setup Starlink. It lined up perfect. Now we have solar power and internet. I still have to conserve power. 

After setting up the Minnie we went to the bathroom, they are vault toilets. The water was shut off but there is garbage service. Then we went back to the Minnie and had lunch.

After lunch we started walking toward the host site to ask about the campground. A lady was getting ready to leave and we stopped to talk. She said she lived about 25 miles from here and loved it. But she had to leave because she still works part-time. She told us about the hiking here, the hosts are still there but they're off duty and the day area has a dumpster open for garbage. She also said that the camping was free. We thanked her for the information. We didn't have to see the host after all. We went back to the Minnie.

In the afternoon we went for a short motorcycle ride. Larry thought we could go all the way around Lake Como. We had gone about three miles when the road turned to gravel. He turned around because it was really dusty and it is difficult controlling the motorcycle with two people on it on gravel. When we got back we had gone six miles.

We setup our chairs outside so we could relax with a book. While Larry read I did a little housework and got the garbage ready to go to the dumpster this evening.

After doing the housework I played games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 6 games (3 Klondike and 3 Spider). It took me 17 minutes and 7 seconds to complete, which put me in 19th place in my group.

Then I went outside and read with Larry.

For dinner we barbecued seasoned pork. After dinner we did our evening walk, we went to the beach area to get rid of our garbage. As we were walking a camp host came by and told us the dumpsters in the campground were open. He said all of them are open. He offered to take our trash, we thanked him and said we needed the walk. He was very nice. He was correct, there was one dumpster that didn't have a lock on it to keep the bar from moving. But you could open the dumpster part to get rid of your trash. Lake Como was very low but I guess they're use to it being low because they use the lake for their ranches and farms. By the time we got back to the Minnie we had walked 1.25 miles. It was a very pleasant walk.

Lake Como

Lake Como was named by Father Anthony Ravalli, a beloved Jesuit priest who walked the scenic quiet Bitterroot trails from 1845 to 1884. It is believed to be named after a remembrance of Lake Como in his native Italy. 

Here a sign more about Lake Como

 

When we got back we sat on our chairs and enjoyed the campground. It was starting to cool off. About 7:00 we went back into the Minnie and relaxed with a book. Larry finished the book he started yesterday and started another one. I finished reading The Unseen World by Liz Moore. Then I asked Larry to choose me another book.

Reading is fun

By the end of the day I had done 7,000 steps, which is 2.85 miles.

  

Sunday 10-4-26 Camping, Hiking & More

 

View from the Fire Ecology Trail

Another beautiful day at Bitterroot National Forest.

The morning temperature was a chilly 33 degrees and the high was 79 degrees. We had a lot of sun.

I woke up at 7:15 and got dressed. Then I made strawberry cheese cake muffins for breakfast. When we finished breakfast we got ready to go on a hike.

Today we hiked for 4.25 miles for 2.5 hours. We hiked on two different trails, which were Larry Creek Ecology (blue) and Fire Ecology (red). We started the hike at 8:00 from the Minnie. We walked a dirt road for 1.5 miles. It took us through a green gate. We continued walking the road until we picked up the blue trail. We had hiked this blue trail the other day going the other way to this same road. Today when we got to the blue trail we went left on the trail. The trail took us through the forest of Ponderosa pines and Douglas firs. The trail easy to moderate. We had to be careful because we have to share the trail with horses. We hiked the blue trail until it Yd off to the red trail (Fire Ecology). It's suppose to be foot traffic only but it wasn't. This trail took us through the forest, where they had a fire at one time. It was mainly in the open. As we hiked this section of the hike we saw two guys hiking the opposite way. The red trail took us up 356' feet. When you got to the top you got beautiful views of the valley and mountains. There was a bench at the top so we decided to sat and rest. After our rest we continued our hike. We picked the blue trail back up. The blue trail took us back to the campground. We had a super hike.

   

View of the valley from the hiking trail

The hiking trails

When we got back to the Minnie we put out the solar panels. Then we relaxed until lunch. We shared a salad. 

After lunch Larry went outside and read. He finished the book he started yesterday and started another one. He also chased the sun to get solar.

While Larry read I played games. I played the Daily Challenges of  Solitaire and Mahjong. I also played the Mahjong challenge from yesterday. I did the Daily Event, which was Event: The Hard Road of 16 games. It took me 1 hour, 57 minutes and 27 seconds to complete, which put me in 12th place in my group.

After playing games I continued reading The Unseen World by Liz Moore. It is very good book. It's about a young girl, Ada, who was raised by her father David a brilliant, eccentric, socially inept single parent. When David's mind starts to falter Ada goes on a journey to discover David's mysterious history. 

Reading is fun

In the evening we walked around the campground for a mile. Then we put the solar panels away, bagged the chairs and put the grill away. Then I continued my walk for 1.6 miles, which was two laps around the campground. 

For the rest of the evening we read. For dessert we finished the carrot cake we got from Walmart. By the end of the day I had done 17,000 steps, which is 7.58 miles.