One door closes; another opens

To our dear followers;

The time has come to open a new chapter in my life and not to struggle so much on keeping our blog updated.  As you can tell there hasn't been a updated in awhile, partly because of internet restrictions and partly because I just haven't been enjoying it.  With this said; it is time to stop the struggle and enjoy our travels.  I will continue to post photos on Facebook, so if you are not already a friend with either Jerry or I then by all means feel free to send us a friend request.

If you need assistance to find us on Facebook, comment to this post or e-mail us at jdf.0708@gmail.com and we will be glad assist you.

However, if you happen to see this rig in your area, by all means stop by and say hello. 

Take care and please stay in touch.
Jerry & Deb

Petrified Forest Nat’l Park

What started out as a place to camp free for the night landed us at the entrance of Petrified Forest N.P. - a pleasant surprise.  There is a dry camp area that can house approximately twenty or so rigs by the gift shops.

One of the largest petrified wood deposits in the world; this piece of America’s heritage was set aside in 1906 to protect and make available for public enjoyment.   After a quick video about the park, it was time to walk the trails amidst ancient petrified logs, take in the wide vistas of the Painted Desert, discover voices of the past in the petroglyphs, and listen to the silence of the wilderness – all with our four-legged pal.  All trails are pet friendly, however they are not allowed in the visitor centers or Desert Inn. 

Agate House - built between A.D.1050 and 1300

 

As beautiful on the inside as the out

One large log w/ painted back drop

Sliced logs all cut by mother nature

Blue Mesa Vistas - our view for lunch

Just a few petroglyphs on the rocks

The Badlands

Just imagine 225 million years ago these grounds were steamy, swampy, equatorial climate with oversized Triassic trees and dinosaurs that inhabited this area. 

If you happen to be in the area (AZ East on I-40); it is well worth visiting the park if nothing more than just drive the 28 miles to see the views – well suited for large RVs.  The cactus had buds, but no blooms as of yet, however we did spot a few visitors on the trails - several small lizards and a small snake.  Luckily Max didn't step on or spot the snake.

Hope you get to visit the park soon.  Until next time....

Jerry, Deb & Max  

P.S.  We want to give a shout out to Jerry's brother Buck - Happy 80th Birthday!

Someone had a birthday...

This date happens to mark the day my mother gave birth to her baby girl, after having two sons already.  And that is basically how I view it, as I have never really been the type of person who makes a big deal about it.  In fact; I don't like attention drawn to me, so low key events work just fine for me -receiving phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages, cards, and dinner for the occasion.  Okay, okay...the hubby does get me a gift too.

Everyday is a celebration for not only me but for the hubby too, especially now that we travel full-time.

After getting up;  we decided neither of us really cared to get out and about, so we had a relaxing day hanging out in the rig.  I got to work on my new hobby - making ear rings, Jerry decided to work on us a new playlist for the iPod and Max decided it was a great day chasing lizards in the desert.  We even decided to postpone our dinner celebration until we get to our next city where there is a little better of a selection for restaurants.

Cherishing the small things, as there are more of them.....

Spring 2013; Desert Blooms & Explore Backcountry

Awe, Spring time is in the desert air. In my opinion the best time to be in the desert; warmer temps and the glow of the blooms shine above the desert floor.

The average temps are around high 40s to high 80s with a few blistering days around 97F. Oh my those 97 degrees days where a bit much; reminded us too much of being back in Texas - lol. Although we heard the Spring will be warmer than usual this year with no help for states in the drought climates. Beginning to think Texas will be the new desert if things don't change soon.

Here's just a few blooms and views we are getting to explore in SW Arizona.

Watch out Phoenix; Girls Day Out

It was time to shake off the dirt from desert living and hit the city for the day with our own tour guide. Christine had lived in the Phoenix area, so she was pleased to take Barb, Cathi, Gigi, and I on a personal tour while we worked our way to the Phoenix Zoo and possibly the Botanical Gardens. So we thought it ended up being a day of eating, site seeing, and a few animals.

After our few errands; Christine introduced us to Pita Jungle , which specializes in organic healthy eating.  They have 17 locations; 14 in Arizona and 3 in California, so if you happen to be in either of these two states; I would highly recommend checking them out.   I fully enjoyed my wood-fired chicken dinner (wood-fired marinated chicken breast on a bed of wilted spinach and garlic herb smashed potatoes with a light garlic tomato sauce)...excuse me as I wipe the drool – lol.  After such a wonderful meal; it was time for the zoo as I really needed a little exercise to help work-off our lunch feast! 

GiGi, Cathi, Christine, Me, & Barb

I personally like to see animals in a more natural sitting instead of cages; so wasn’t too sure what to expect visiting the Phoenix Zoo.  It was a quaint local zoo; not too many animals on site and small natural enclosures, and it appeared the landscape needed a little TLC.   Just was not what I had experienced in other zoo environments; plus we arrived early afternoon and most of the animals were napping, which was also a big disappointment. However I was with great company and enjoyed seeing the beautiful animals – after all it’s not every day you get to see wild animals.  All that walking did us some good; emptied our stomachs enough to try another favorite of Christine’s.

Barb & I enjoying a drink after all that walking

But before that; she took us to Scottsdale to show us the unique and quaint downtown area.  We didn’t really have the time to get out and scout around, however it did draw me in to say; “have to come back someday”.  All types of shopping, eateries, museums, and people watching.  Then we headed back to Chandler, AZ to have a little Mexican food at El Zocalo .  Again, another outstanding eatery and the services were excellent.  But it didn’t end there…

 

Road Runner

While having dinner, we started talking about ending the day with dessert.  Of course being at a Mexican eatery we saw sopapillas with fried ice cream on the menu.  However, one of the ladies never had it, so she was asked what was her favorite dessert?  Cheesecake quickly came out, so…. what better place to get cheesecake…The Cheesecake Factory .  Although we got them to go this time, as most were too full, getting late, and/or want to share with our hubby.  Not mine; he got his own… that’s just the way I roll…

Awesome outing gals; hopefully we can do it again someday!  Now it’s time to rest…

Rainbow; got his name due to rump was rainbow colors

Loin's napping together

Tiger, what a beauty

Big Horn Sheep