Northwest Lazy Daze GTG

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Baker City, OR

We made it to the small town of Baker City, OR for the Northwest Lazy Daze GTG. It was great fun and I met a lot of new friends there as well as seeing some old friends as well. The weather when we arrived was windy but the second day day was great.

Here is a pic of an entire row of LD’s that were parked at the Mt. View RV Park. It was really cool seeing so many LD’s all lined up.

Meetings and potlucks

We had our meetings and potlucks here. The group also supplied breakfast. What a deal!

Here is their General Store/Office.

Some of us were working

John received a new turret for his satellite TV. I helped him replace it as he has done so many things for me over the years. We got it all hooked up and he fired it up and it still would not work correctly. What a bummer!!! They are going to send him a new unit once he gets home to Colorado.

Learning Genealogy

Donna was teaching the fine points of genealogy. I have done some work on archives.com but was not very good at it. She gave all her students a packet with lots of great ideas on how to create your family tree.

There was also a GTG with Pete Reed for all those that were going on the Canada trip. We all went through our Itinerary together and everyone had a lot of questions. We are all very excited for the trip to begin.

Oregon Trail Interpretive Center

A few of us went up to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center outside of Baker City. It was a very fascinating place and very informative. Here are a couple of pics from the center.

Thank you Northwest Lazy Daze

I want to thank everyone in the Northwest Lazy Daze group. I had a wonderful time and met many new faces as well as some I had met previously. It was a great time. I apologize for posting this so late, but the Internet service since then has been really lousy.

2nd Year on the Road

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Jim Melvin

On July 12, 2012 I just completed my second year of fulltime RVing. I can’t believe I have been on the road so long. So once again, as I did last year, I will summarized this fantastic year with some of the highlights.

Remember you can click on any pic then click again to enlarge.

Working in Texas

To start I was in Texas and decided to work for a month to help defray costs of traveling to Texas to see my family. What a mistake that was. It was 106 degrees and higher the entire month I worked. Oh well I will definitely know better next time to stay away from there during the summer.

Grand Canyon of Texas

After my work duties were over I headed to Palo Dura State Park in northwestern Texas. It is know as the Grand Canyon of Texas and a very beautiful place. While there I hiked the Lighthouse Trail and took this pic of myself standing on the plateau in front of the lighthouse.

Taking advantage of my NM state pass

Then it was off to New Mexico where I wanted to take advantage of the last few months of my New Mexico State Pass. My first stop was Clayton SP.

Then on to Sugarite SP, just south of the NM/CO border. This next pic shows Lake Dorothy just north of Sugarite SP.

My next stop was Cimmaron SP and the town of Cimmaron.

Fulfilling a boy scout dream

I also visited Philmont Scout Ranch, which had always been a dream of mine ever since I was a Boy Scout.

More of beautiful new mexico

After that it was Eagle Nest SP, Coyote Creek SP (where I saw a bear), Storie Lake SP and then on to Villanueva SP where I got my semi-annual haircut. Finally it was off to Hyde Memorial SP.

Then in October I met up with all my good friends at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta where I stayed and partied for 10 days. Even had a balloon land on top of my rig. HA!

After the Balloon Fiesta I drove south to Poncho Villa SP to enjoy a Escapees Chapter 21 Rally. Of course that also included a trip to Palomas, Mexico where I had to have some dental work done and make sure the margaritas still tasted as good as always.

A visit to the Whitehouse

Next stop on my route was Canyon de Chelly (pronunced d’Shay). Located on an Indian Reservation it is a beautiful place and a must see for anyone in that area of Arizona. Of course I had to hike the Whitehouse Trail, which is so beautiful.

Monument Valley

From there it was to Monument Valley, UT. Talk about a fabulous area, don’t miss out on seeing this.

On my way to Amazon

Then I drove north to Interstate 50. It is known as the loneliest highway in America. And believe me it really is. You could drive for miles and miles and never see a car or truck in either direction. You would not want to break down on this road.

My destination was Fernley, NV, where I worked for Amazon for 8 weeks. By the way it was probably the hardest job I have ever had. Thankfully the 8 weeks went by fairly fast, although it took a couple of months to get healed from the aches and pains I suffered at that job. OUCH!!! On top of that it was very cold as well. Four degrees when I left there.

I then drove to Reno, NV and parked my rig and flew to SO CA to spend a week with my family over the holidays. It was really great seeing everyone and getting caught up. I even played some golf. Actually I tried to play some golf. HA! What a joke!

Time to warm up

Then I hit the road to get out of that cold weather up north and drove down to Quartzsite, AZ. There I met up with a whole bunch of Lazy Dazers (about 20 rigs at different times) and relaxed in the wonderful Arizona sunshine. Of course I also saw the crazy RV show and even saw a concert by Paul Winer (the Naked Book Seller) although he was fully clothed. Great show by the way with SRO.

With the help of all my friends I was able to upgrade my rig with new LED lighting, another 12v receptacle and an outdoor motion sensor light.

Next stop – Imperial Dam

In February I left Quartzsite and headed to Imperial Dam just outside of Yuma, AZ I really enjoyed my stay there with more friends. Got to do a lot of hiking in the desert. Plus don’t forget the wild donkeys. HA!

Heading south of the border senor!

Then it was south of the border to Mexico with the Harvest Host Wine and Whale Watching Tour. What a fabulous trip that turned out to be. Visited 5 wineries, with great wine tasting at each. The wineries were located in the Valley of Gaudelope with very beautiful scenery around. Also stopped in Ensenada for a day, where we had a great lunch down at the fish market and an opportunity to stock up on lots of great seafood. Of course we also had to have some cervasa’s (brewskies) at Hussong’s Cantina.

Later visited La Bufadora (the blow hole). Another very scenic spot.

The wineries were great plus the wine was even greater! Even got to see a colt that was born that very day. How exciting!

I am NOT an illegal alien!

After crossing back into the US I drove to Tamarisk LTVA where I stayed for a week and met some really wonderful people. We hiked ever day in the desert and one day we were surrounded by Border Patrol cars who thought we were illegal aliens. No comprende Senor! What a trip that was!

One of my very favorite spots

After spending so much time with so many wonderful people, I needed a break and decided to head for one of my most favorite spots in the Clark Dry Lake bed of the Anza Borrego desert in southern California. It is 7 miles outside of Borrego Springs. This place is so peaceful and always gives me a chance to reflect on my future plans. It was here where I made my resume on workamper.com and emailed it to various people. Within 10 minutes I had a call for the job I would be working at this summer. More on that later.

Back to the coast

Then it was off to the west coast to Oceanside, where I parked my rig at the Elks Club and took the train up to Orange County to see family. It was back and forth visiting different members of my family and it was great seeing my Mom. Love you Mom!

Heading up north

Then it was time to hit the road and head up north. My first stop was the Trona Pinnacles outside of Ridgecrest, CA. It is like a trip to another planet.

From there it was off to the Alabama Hills just outside of Lone Pine, CA. This has been one place I always dreamed of venturing to even before I had an RV. An absolute MUST SEE.

From there it was off to Mona Lake, where I stayed for about 5 days and ventured around the area seeing the tufa’s at the edge of the lake and the weird cloud formations.

I also took a side trip to the old ghost town of Bodie, CA. Much of the town is still intact as it was a hundred years ago. Really neat and another MUST SEE.

Then I finally made it to Oregon where I stayed at Goose Lake SP, La Pine SP and finally Crooked River Ranch.

My workplace for the summer

I met up with my area managers who I would be working for the summer in Prineville, OR. I am the camp host at the Ochoco Divide, a NFS campground. It is on the summit (4,726′ elevation) of Hwy 26. This campground is nestled among giant (200′) Ponderosa Pines among other pine trees as well. I have now been here 2 months and love this job. I get to meet a lot of interesting people and have lots of areas to hike in.

Well that about wraps up another fabulous year of my fulltime RV lifestyle. There were some tough times (truck breaking down) and some great times (caravan trip to Mexico) as well as taking time out to see my family, which is very important to me. I had lots of times spent with great friends and even some time to myself to ponder how lucky I am.

I almost can’t believe it has been two years since I have set out on the road. I would also like to thank all my wonderful followers who have been with me as I experienced each and every day. Every day is a new adventure.

More Quartzsite Happenings

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Jim Melvin

WIN’s Ice Cream Social

Saturday Andrea and I drove over to the WIN’s (Wandering Individuals Network) Ice Cream Social off Palomas Rd north of Quartzsite. The WIN’s had invited all the LOW’s (Loners on Wheels), Escapee SOLO’s and the Escapees Boomers groups over as well. They had lots of ice cream and it was really a fun time. I did catch up with a few of my friends in the LOW’s group and it was fun chatting with them.

Final Upgrades to “The Breeze”

I finally purchased a couple more of the LED lights to go into my rig. That will be the last of my purchases for this winter. John installed my RV Motion Sensor light which replaced my existing porch light. Later he adjusted it so that it wasn’t too sensitive.

Roger installed the LED lights that replaced the fluorescent tubes. What a difference. One LED gives off more light than two fluorescents. Thanks go out to both Roger and John for all their help.

Sunset and last campfire

We had our last campfire and burned up the remainder of the wood that John supplied from his property in Colorado. We sure had a lot of campfires from all that wood. I also took a pic of the sunset.

Sunrise and farewell

I got up early to bid farewell to all the people who were leaving this morning. I even got to see this beautiful sunrise.

There were six people and three dogs who departed this morning. They were Ed and Carol (and gopher), John and Linda (and Sadie), Roger, and finally Steve (and Jiggs). We all had a wonderful time together and they will be missed. Annie and Rick (and Dweezle) were going to leave but Rick was feeling much better from whatever was ailing him and the day was so nice they decided to stay another day.

Tonight at our Happy Hour was Ann and Jerry, Chuck and Beverly, Annie and Rick, Andrea and I. We had a nice time but it was a bit quieter.

Taking Care of Business at Low-Hi RV Park

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Jim Melvin

Moving north to Deming, NM

I moved on to Low-Hi RV Park in Deming, NM in order to get a few things done. This is the LOW (Loners on Wheels) headquarters and I haved stayed here many times. Since I am a LOW member it only costs me $10 per night for electric/water. No too shabby !!!!!

Things to do but nothing got done…

I will be here for 5 nights. I got up Monday and headed to downtown Deming to get a haircut. I struck out there as it was closed on Monday. Then I was out of checks so went into Wells Fargo to get just a few until my check order catches up with me. The “Occupy” people were picketing the bank. I felt bad even going in there, but they have all my money for now. The lady who waited on me said they come 3 checks to a sheet and they cost $1 each. You have got to be kidding!!!! I turned around and walked out and decided I would use me debit card instead. These “Occupy” people have the right idea. The big banks are ripping off the little guy!

Nothing accomplished today but stopped at the grocery store for a few items including desert for the pot luck tonight. Monday is always pot luck night at the Low-Hi and you better bring an empty stomach. There is way too much food for any one person can eat. And so gooood too.

Tried to get into the 6:00pm card game but it was filled up so watched “Dancing with the Stars with Harry and Peter. I hadn’t seen it for some time so wasn’t familiar with any of the dancers.

Finally got a haircut

Tuesday I got up, made breakfast and headed down to the barber once again. Frank’s Barber Shop is a small shop that has been there long before the 70’s. Fernando took it over from his father Frank and told me how it was back in the hippy days of the 70’s when no one cut their hair. I usually go there everytime I am in Deming and need a hair cut. He really cut it short, but at least it will take a while to grown out again.

Finished up dental work

Drove down to Palomas, Mexico for my last visit with my dentist for a while. I got my permanent crown and then she cleaned my teeth. The total cost of the crown was $180 and another $30 for the cleaning. I go to the American Dental Care just in back of the Pink Store and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

North to Albuquerque

I really enjoyed spending a few days at the Low-Hi RV Park and caught up with many old friends and met a few new friends as well. It is a great central location for traveling in the Southwest. Tomorrow I head up to Albuquerque where I will have a valve put on my propane tank that will allow me to add an additional tank. Then I have a few days to get up to Fernley, NV where I will be workamping at Amazon’s warehouse.

Back On The Road Again

Posted on October 14, 2011 by Jim Melvin

Back in the saddle again..

I was parked at the Balloon Fiesta for 10 days. It was wonderful, but it is always good to be back on the road. I am headed south to meet up with the Escapees Chapter 21 Rally in Columbus, NM. I attended it for the first time last year and became a member of their Chapter. Since then I have also attended their winter rally in Parker, AZ. They are really a fun bunch of people.

Stopover at Elephant Butte

My first stop was going to be Elephant Butte State Park for one night. It is about half way between Albuquerque and Columbus. This is one of my favorite New Mexico state parks. I also met Annie and Rick down their who are headed to Deming. They had me over for a delicious dinner and we sat and talked at their campfire for many hours. It is always a great time when you can spend it with good friends. Thanks so much Annie and Rick for everything. In the morning we said our goodbyes. We will be getting back together in Quartzsite, AZ in January.

I first met Annie and Rick at the Balloon Fiesta last year and we have seen each other several times since then. That is what I love most about the fulltime RV lifestyle. You meet really great people and then connect with them again and again at other places. This happens a lot of the time with many different friends. It is always so much fun comparing notes on where each other has been and what we have done between our meetings.

Elephant Butte is looking very different then when I was last there. Much of the water has gone away from the point at South Monticello campgrounds. You can really see the results of the terrible draught that has hit southern New Mexico. Here is a pic of our campsites right on a bluff overlooking the Rio Grande at sunrise. Annie and Rick’s rig is on the left with mine on the right.

Finally meeting RVSue and Crew

While there I had read RVSue and Crew’s blog and Sue had mentioned that she had been staying at Elephant Butte as well only in a different campground. I thought I would make an attempt at locating her and the crew on my way out of the area. I figured that I could easily spot her Casita and the PTV(Perfect Tow Vehicle). I managed to drive thru all the electric sites available near the marina. I was just about ready to give up, thinking she may have moved down the road, when I finally spotted them in the last electric site area.

If any of you have been following either her blog or mine you probably know that I am usually about 1-2 days behind her. She started out in the northern New Mexico state parks and made her way south, just as I did. In meeting her it was like we were old friends even though we had never met. Plus I got to meet Spike and Bridget her 2 rat terriers who were very friendly to me.

I did get a picture of her with her crew, but she asked that I not post it so I will abide by her wishes. Next time we meet Sue I want a picture!

I did take several pics of the marina area at Elephant Butte.

Tooth problems…

Then it was on to Columbus for the Chapter 21 Rally, where I stayed at Poncho Villa SP. I had already made an appointment with my dentist Dr. Karla. When visiting my family last August, I had chipped a back tooth and was afraid I would lose the entire tooth causing a lot of pain. I was very careful eating on one side. Dr Karla examined my tooth and came to the conclusion that the tooth was still entact, but I would need a crown. I walked across the border and she prepped my tooth for the crown and then gave me a temporary tooth. I am to return in a week for the permanent tooth and to also have my teeth cleaned.

Chapter 21 Breakfast and Meeting

Chapter 21 conducted their business meeting shortly after breakfast and then held a raffle. I won Microsoft Streets and Trips 2011 and a bottle of Chardonnay. Not too shabby!!!!

Crossing the border

Today a group of us walked across the border to go to the Pink Store for dinner and shopping. I have been there before and always enjoy the food and the great margaritas. Today when we got to the border the kids had just gotten off their school buses. They were really cute and all around us.

Meeting a new friend

Dan came to the rally to get ideas about what rig to buy and how people lived the fulltiming lifestyle. He didn’t own an RV yet but was planning to purchase in the next couple of months. I showed him my rv and several others showed them theirs so he had lots of ideas. He and I went on a walk from the Pink Store to the park in Palomas, Mexico.

Shopping and Dining at The Pink Store

Today was our day to meet at The Pink Store and get our fill of shopping and dining. The food was delicious and we all had a great time as you can tell from the following pics.

A mariachi band entertained us while we were dining. The food was great and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was the perfect ending to a great rally.

I will probably travel up to Deming, NM for a few days until I return to the dentist for my crown and cleaning next week. Maybe I can find some friends up at the Low-Hi RV park where all the singles meet.

One Year On The Road

Posted on July 11, 2011 by Jim Melvin

It has been one year on July 12 that I started my fulltime RV’ing lifestyle. I can’t believe it has been a whole year. I took the time to go back through this year and show you some of the highlights of my adventure.

Be sure to click and then click again to enlarge all photos.

July, 2010 – Inyokern, CA – My very first campsite at the beginning of my adventure. I was really a rookie back then.

July, 2010 – Sequoia National Park – Boondocking in Fish Creek Campsite in the Sequoias.

August, 2010 – Sisters, OR – Camping on the Metolius River outside of Sisters, OR. What a fantastic spot.

August, 2010 – Crater Lake National Park. Words cannot describe this beautiful place.

September, 2010 – Eugene, OR – Getting my solar panels installed. My boondocking will be much quieter and more efficient from now on.

October, 2010 – Albuquerque, NM – Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta – 10 fabulous days with other fun Lazy Daze owners.

October, 2010 – Palomas, Mexico – Central park. Visited there after attending Escapees Chapter 21 Rally.

October, 2010 – Deming, NM – Rockhound State Park – This a rock hounds dream park. Lots of different rocks.

November, 2010 – Socorro, NM – Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge – Visited there during the Festival of the Cranes event.

December, 2010 – January, 2011 – Death Valley, CA – A beautiful view of Death Valley during an annual Lazy Daze Rally.

January, 2011 – Quartzsite, AZ – Got together with a bunch of Lazy Daze owners during the Quartzsite RV Show. It was a blast boondocking in the desert. Lots of food, a campfire every night and the BIG TENT RV Show.

February, 2011 – Anza-Borrego, CA – Boondocking in the Anza-Borrego Desert.

February, 2011 – Niland, CA – Boondocking with the LOW’s (Loners On Wheels) at Slab City. Everyone should go there at least once.

February/March, 2011 – Benson, AZ – The winter SW Lazy Daze Rally at Pato Blanco RV Resort. Lots of great food and people.

March, 2011 – Picacho Peak, AZ – A civil war re-enactment at Picacho Peak State Park. Event lasted all week-end with gun battles and actual tents and other equipment during that era..

March, 2011 – Douglas, AZ – Visiting with friends at Bell Starr’s Silverado Ranch. Belle is wearing the pink hat. We all helped Belle work on her ranch projects. A MUST see. She is quite a lady.

April, 2011 – Alamogordo, NM – White Sands National Monument. Very surreal.

May, 2011 – Carlsbad, NM – Carlsbad Caverns. A MUST see.

May, 2011 – Melvin, TX – I just had to visit there.

May, 2011 – San Antonio, TX – The Alamo in downtown San Antonio, TX. Another MUST see.

May, 2010 – San Antonio, TX – The San Antonio River-walk. A really neat and fun place.

May, 2011 – San Antonio, TX – The Tower of Americas. The view from the top is spectacular.

May, 2011 – Luckenbach, TX. I just had to visit here because of the song made famous by Willie Nelson and Waylan Jennings.

May, 2011 – Blanco, TX – My campsite in Blanco State Park. How about that for a back yard?

June, 2011 – Fort Worth, TX. The highlight of my year. Being able to visit my family. It was sooooo much fun.

July, 2011 – Karnack, TX – Caddo Lake State Park. I spent a week here and loved every minute.

It has been a wonderful year. I have traveled 12,702 miles in 6 different states and 2 different countries. I have attended 8 RV Rallies where I have met a lot of people, learned a lot about things I never knew anything about, and spent money upgrading my rig.

This year has been much better then I even anticipated. I met a lot of great people who I continue to keep in touch with. I am looking forward this next year to travel to places I have never seen before and meet more wonderful people.

Petroglyphs and talent show

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Jim Melvin

A group of us traveled north of Deming, NM to visit a petroglyph site. We had to travel 11 miles down a wash-board gravel road to get to them. They are located above a spot where the Butterfield Stage Coach used to travel. It was a very interesting site with many petroglyphs. I created a short movie of our adventures to the site.

In the afternoon we all got together in the “chuck house” and were entertained my many of our LOW’s actors and actresses. It was very funny and everyone really enjoyed it.

Our first group sang the song “Make an Ugly Woman Your Wife”. It was hilarious!!

This is the wife. She was UGLY !!!!!!!

The the Blues Brothers made an appearance. They brought the house down.

I was also able to make a short video of their act.

Then Olga went into detail about her many problems to Carol.

They even had a demonstration of Will getting a mammogram from John. Very serious stuff.

It was a great day and a great rally. I really enjoyed myself. I got to catch up with some old friends I had met here last year and also got to meet some new friends as well. I hope I will run into some of them down the road in my travels. If not, I am sure I will catch up with them at next years rally. Meeting friends on the road is one of the most satisfying parts of being a fulltime RV’er.

Winery Tour

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Jim Melvin

I have been very busy with the Rally so I must apologize for not blogging. The rally is now over so I have no excuses.

A large group in our rally went on a tour of a local winery in Deming known as the St. Clair Winery. It was very interesting and I got to see all the different processes that go into making that wonderful bottle of wine that I so enjoy.

Be sure to click and then click again to enlarge all photos.

This man is pouring fermented wine into the kegs to be labeled and set aside for aging.

These are the containers used to ferment the wine.

The bottling line. The orange labels are for the mimosa, which is a combination of fresh orange juice and wine. I forgot to sample it but was told by others that it was very good. Great for brunches.

These are the kegs that contain wine for aging. They are usually left in these kegs for about 1-2 years before being bottled.

After the wine tour we all enjoyed the wine tasting as well. There was no charge and they also had really great salsa. After tasting many different wines I purchased a bottle of Cabernet and some salsa as well. Delicious!!

low’s (loners on wheels) rally – deming, nm

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Jim Melvin

From Rodeo, NM I drove Hwy 9 to Columbus, NM. This is a fairly lonely stretch of highway. Only one car passed me the entire 74 miles and most of the vehicles coming in the opposite direction were Border Patrol. I also saw Border Patrol stationed at my spots down the highway.

I stopped in Columbus, NM at the Columbus Historical Museum to visit with my old friend Jack who I had met last October. He was busy showing some people around the museum, but was able to talk for a while. The people he was showing around the museum were also going to be attending the same LOW’s (Loners On Wheels) Rally as myself so I chatted a bit with them as well. Jack will be busy working at the museum so will not be able to attend the rally. However, I do have plans to swing back to Columbus after the rally to catch up with Jack and chat about our adventures since we last saw each other.

After my short visit in Columbus I headed up Hwy 11 to Deming, NM to the Lo-High RV Ranch where the rally was being held. I decided to get here a day before the rally started in order to get set up in the boondocking area for only $3 per night. I will be here a week in order to attend the rally and also get my RV serviced.

The next day I signed up for the rally and attended the opening ceremonies. After that it was “Happy Hour” where we all introduced ourselves and told the group how long we had been in the LOW’s organization (I became a member in 2010). Some of the group had been members for 20 years.

Here is a pic of the “Happy Hour” and a raffle. The prizes were donated by area merchants and some of the were very nice. I won a free large pizza at Domingo’s Pizza. I will take advantage of that after the rally is over. The rally also furnishes breakfast and dinner every night. Not too shabby.

After the rally there was a workshop put on by Steer Safe who are located in Deming. The build a steering stabilizer for your rig to help keep it going down straight when driving in winds or when 18 wheelers pass you or when you have a blowout. It is definitely on my Wish List.

Later we all had dinner. I am in the group that handles tonight’s dinner and Sunday’s breakfast. We cooked bratwurst and chili and then had ice cream and toppings for dessert. Our club president brought out a bottle of Sander’s fudge topping for the ice cream. I introduced myself and she and I had a long conversation all about Detroit, MI where Sander’s was originally located. It brought back a lot of old memories. My sister Bev always orders a large bottle of Sander’s fudge topping for all of our family members at Xmas. I still have some in my rig. It is soooo gooood!!!

Next was our “mystery entertainment”, which was a local mariachi band from the Deming area. They played and sang a lot of music and it was great fun.

I also got a short video of the band.

Tomorrow is more rally activities including a tour of the St. Clair Winery which is local to Deming. It should be fun.

sw lazy daze rally – benson, az

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Jim Melvin

The SW Lazy Daze group held their rally in Benson, AZ from 2/28 – 3/4. It was really fun getting together with all my Lazy Daze friends. I knew many of them but some were folks I met for the first time. We stayed at the Pato Blanco Lakes RV Park where we had full hook-ups and lots of cable TV channels.

Be sure to click and then click again to enlarge all photos.

This is a great pic of the entire group taken by Gil.

This is where we met for “Happy Hour” and all our meals.

On Wed about 20 of us went to explore the Kartchner Caverns. We took the tour of the Rotunda Room. This is a living cave where the stalactites and the stalagmites are still forming. It is owned and operated by the State of Arizona. You can read more about the Kartchner Caverns here. We were not allowed to take any pictures but pictures are available elsewhere.

After touring Kartchner Caverns I rode with Steve and Lisa and we toured parts of Benson. This is a pic of an historical house.

The following day Steve, Lisa and I drove down to Bisbee, AZ which is an old mining town. It was founded in the 1880’s when it used to be known as “Queen of the Copper Mines”. This is a pic of the downtown area with all it’s old shops.

This next pic is of the historical museum of Bisbee. I toured it and it was very informative of the area and especially the mining.

The next few pics are of the Bisbee downtown section. It was a very quaint town with lots of interesting antique shops.

Back to the rally and people chatting around the food tables.

I enjoyed being with my many Lazy Daze friends. Some I met at the Balloon Fiesta last Oct. and others at the Death Valley GTG. It was sure fun meeting up with everyone again and finding out all the neat places they had been and where they were going. It gives me a long list of places to see and things to do.