March 13, 2005

March 13, 2005

Mesa / Phoenix to Congress, Arizona

DAY 268

 

Today was sunny and hot again.

Teddy and Bo woke me at 6:15 this morning, asking for breakfast and to be walked. Usually I would feed them and walk Bo, and go back to sleep when they wake me that early, but this morning I stayed up and went for a shower. I didn't want to risk going back to sleep, and being late to meet with the men at the group area by 8:00 A.M.. This morning was the last morning of the rally, and traditionally there is a "hitch up breakfast" on the last morning of an Escapees rally. The Alberta Roamers Chapter 44 has a tradition of the hitch up breakfast being prepared by and served by the men, for the women. The men all met at 8:00 A.M. and began working on breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes. If I would have known how horribly most old men cook pancakes, I would have volunteered as one of the cooks. Instead I was a server. And a charming one at that ! Tea served correctly. Coffee cups never empty. Serve from the right. Take away from the left. Too bad the pancakes were all burnt, and the eggs were all cold.

Breakfast was over by 9:30, then it was time for closing ceremonies and farewells to new friends. We returned to the trailer and prepared to leave. We were on the road about 10:30. Out of Usery Mountain Park, then onto McKellips Road in Mesa, travelling west across Mesa and into Tempe where we got onto Hwy. 202. McKellips Road had mature orange trees growing along the side of the road, so I stopped and picked some for myself. How convenient. Through Tempe on Hwy. 202 and onto Interstate 10 in Phoenix, heading west, and partway across Phoenix, onto Hwy. 17 heading north. Phoenix and its surrounding suburbs are quite a large city. North on Hwy. 17 to Hwy. 74, west on Hwy. 74 to Hwy. 60, northwest on Hwy. 60 to Hwy. 93 at Wickenburg, a short distance northwest on Hwy. 93 to Hwy. 89, then a short distance north on Hwy. 89 to North Ranch SKP Park.

The desert is in full bloom, and it's astounding ! We arrived here at North Ranch about 2:30 P.M.. We set up in our site, had lunch, then I napped with Bo while Joanne got caught up on laundry. At 6:30 we went to the park's Sunday evening Ice Cream Social. We met and chatted with a couple from Washington state, north of Seattle. After eating ice cream, we weren't really hungry for supper yet, so I took the laptop down to the club house, to get online to retrieve e-mail and update my blog. I haven't been able to get online in about 12 days. I was third in line for the modem connection, and by the time I got online, retrieved e-mail, and updated 3 days worth of blog, somebody else was waiting for the phone line, and it was the time Joanne told me to be back at the trailer for supper. I signed off and went back to the trailer, planning to get back online late at night. Hopefully there won't be anyone else wanting the phone line late at night.

It's now about 10:00 P.M., and I'm sitting in a little outdoor phone booth / computer room beside the club house, updating my blog, and listening to coyotes howling nearby !

DSK