Wandering in Arizona - Rallies, Friends and Family

Hello again. Our last chapter concluded on Friday, March 15^th, when we arrived back at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson, Arizona. We left here two weeks ago after a great rally with one of our FMCA Chapter rallies. Now we are back for the big Escapee's Escapade rally. The Escapee's RV Club is one of the largest RV owner's organizations in the country. Since they have always allowed trailers, fifth wheels and other non-motorized RVs, they are a much more eclectic crowd than the members of FMCA which until recently was only open to motor homes. We have been to three other Escapades, which is the club's big annual rally, including one in 2017 which was here in the same place.

Saturday, March 16^th, was a free day. We arrived a couple days early and since the rally doesn't start until tomorrow we could do some running around. We went out after lunch and Jackie got a haircut. We then did a little geocaching, getting three new finds and one DNF. After caching we went back to the fairgrounds and relaxed until 5:00 happy hour with the Bullock's, who are parked right next to us. After cocktails we did some burgers on the BBQ, along with some coleslaw. After the Bullock's left we watched some TV and went to bed. I finally seem to be on the mend, getting a good night's sleep last night for the first time in a week. I hope the trend continues.  The photo is one of the stranger RVs on the fairgrounds for the Escapade.  A real "do it yourself" project.

Sunday, March 17^th, Happy St. Patrick's Day. It finally warmed up a bit and the wind quit, yea! Today was the official start of the Escapade. About 10:00 or so we went down to the events area to check out the various activities and the vendors. Peggy and Jackie also wanted to see what craft sessions were being offered. After about 90 minutes we had pretty much gone through everything, so the four of us

left the fairgrounds and went out for a quick lunch. After lunch we did a Walmart run and then came
back to the fairgrounds. At 3:30 we went down to the entertainment hall for the opening ceremonies. All of the executives of Escapees talked and they recognized the various individuals responsible for this year's Escapade, as well as the volunteers that were present. Surprisingly, a very large majority of those in attendance were first timers, that is, coming to their first Escapade, and most of those were also fairly new members of the club. After the opening ceremonies we went back to the coach. We had cocktails with the Bullock's at 5:00 and then at 6:30 we had a great Irish meal of corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. I had been cooking the corned beef all day in the crock pot. We had a wonderful meal and then after the Bullock's left we watched TV and went to bed.

Monday, March 18^th, I went to an 11:30 seminar put on by Winnebago Corp. They are one of the sponsors of the Escapade and the presentation they did was an interactive session where they were looking for ideas in terms of design and construction of RVs in the future. They had a number of executives from manufacturing and design departments and it was a very interesting seminar. After I got back to the coach Jackie and Peggy went to a craft session where they made some greeting cards and got some other design ideas. I had lunch and then did some office work while they were gone. We had cocktails with the group at 5:00, then did some pork chops on the BBQ for dinner for the four of us. After the Bullock's went home we watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, March 19^th, there were no seminars today that I had any interest in attending, so about 10:30 Vernon and I left to go to lunch and then visit the Pima Air and Space Museum. We had a nice breakfast/lunch at the nearby JerryBobs restaurant, then drove to the museum. This museum, founded in 1976, is one of the largest non-governmental, privately funded air museums in the world. There are over 300 aircraft on display in the 80 acre facility. While most are military, there are a large number of civilian aircraft on display as well. Two thirds of the aircraft are outdoors, mostly in non-restored condition, with the rest on display in four different hangers. Most of the indoor planes are at least partially restored. The museum has a close relationship with the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and it's “boneyard” of out of service military aircraft, so many of the aircraft at the museum were obtained through “loan” from the base. It has been at least 25 years since I visited this place and it was great to see all the planes.

While Vernon and I were at the museum, Jackie and Peggy also went out to lunch, going to a place near downtown to have lunch with an old friend of Peggy's. We were all back at the campground by about 2:30. At 4:30 Jackie and I went down to the events area for a meeting and social put on by the Escapee Elks BOF. BOF stands for “birds of a feather” and is one of the types of groups in Escapees, based around common interests. Since we are Elks, we joined the BOF quite some time ago. After the business meeting they had a social, but we didn't stay for that as we had not brought anything to eat or drink. We went back to the campground and had cocktails with the Bullock's. After cocktails we went back and relaxed in the coach for the rest of the evening.

Wednesday, March 20^th, the Vernal Equinox and First Day of Spring! Winter is over! I got up and out early so I could attend an 8:30 seminar on Full Timing in your RV. I wanted to listen to how the Escapee's presented the topic since this is one that I am involved with in the FMCA organization. There presentation was similar, although put on by a single presenter rather than a panel. They also put much greater emphasis on cost of living comparisons. After the seminar I went back to the coach, and then about 11:30 Jackie and I went back to the events area for another seminar, this one on geocaching. Some caching friends of ours were putting it on, and there were a number of other cachers we know in attendance. After the seminar we went out for lunch at the nice Italian place down the road that we had gone to two weeks ago when we were here. Again the food was great and we ate way too much. We did find it odd that a guy we presume to the owner of the place was seated behind the bar in the same place he was two weeks ago. Not only that, at the height of the lunch rush he lays his head down on a pillow on the bar and takes a nap, right out in front of all the customers. He reminded me of some of the owners highlighted on Gordon Ramsey's TV show where he confronts owners who have lost interest in their business.

After lunch we went back to the fairgrounds and at 3:00 I went to a seminar on Veteran's benefits. After that seminar I went back to the coach and Jackie I went back to the events building for a social with the Geocaching BOF, which is the other BOF we belong to. A lot of our caching friends were there and we had a good time and some light snacks. After the social we went back to the coach and relaxed for a while, having cocktails with the Bullock's outside. Then about 7:00 we went to the main meeting hall for the evening entertainment. The first half hour was giving away door prizes and announcements. At 7:30 they started the entertainment, which tonight was “Escapees Got Talent” a talent show put on by attendees to the rally. There were a dozen or so acts, mostly singing and playing guitar, but there were a couple of dancers and one really funny skit created around an old joke. Three guys, including one friend of ours, acted out the joke. The joke is about a Scottish guy in a kilt who gets drunk and passes out on a park bench. Two young ladies walk by, notice him asleep and wonder if it is true that Scots don't wear anything under their kilt. They lift it up and find it is true, to their shock. They decide to tie a blue ribbon around the Scots private part and leave. When he wakes up he looks down and says, “I don't know where you've been but you won first prize.” It was a very clever skit and well done, probably the best act of the night. After the entertainment we went back to the coach and watched TV, then went to bed.

Thursday, March 21^st, the last day of the Escapade. We had a relaxing morning and a little before 11:00 we went down to the events area to watch the pet parade. As you might expect, it was all dogs, but some were in really cute costumes. One of the cutest used a prop we got in the goody bags upon arrival at the rally. There was a small, red thermal lunch bag size cooler bag with “Winnebago” on the side, provided, of course, by Winnebago. They had cut the bottom out and put it over their Chihuahua and were calling it a “Minnie Winnie” which is one of Winnebago's model names. Very cute. After the pet parade we went out to a local Thai restaurant for lunch, then did a few geocaches, getting four new finds and one DNF. We then went back to the coach and relaxed for an hour before going down to the main hall at 3:00 for the final door prize drawings and the closing ceremony for the rally. We didn't win anything, again. At 5:00 we had cocktails with the Bullock's, but because of the big, late lunch, we didn't do any dinner. After the Bullock's left we watched some TV and went to bed.

Friday, March 22^nd, when we signed up for this rally we elected to stay one day after the close of the rally, mostly because we could and we were in a full hookup site. We had thought that the Bullock's had done the same, but they didn't sign up for the extra day, so they left this morning, along with about two thirds of the people who were at the rally. They went to the same RV park in Arizona City that we will be in for the next week, they are just going a day early. After lunch we went out and had Thai food again, then did some geocaching. We were able to get five new finds in an hour or so. After that we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the day. I did a few minor chores getting ready for our departure tomorrow.

Saturday, March 23^rd, another travel day. We are only going 76 miles northwest to Arizona City, a small town just outside of Casa Grande. Since we didn't have far to go we didn't leave until 10:30. We also filled up the propane tank at the fairgrounds since their propane station was right across the street from where we were parked and was easily accessible. We had an easy trip and arrived at the High Chaparral RV park right at noon. We got parked in our spot, right next door to the Bullock's, and did our set up. About 5:30 we had cocktails with the Bullock's and were able to have them outside because the weather has finally turned nice. I was even able to put on shorts! After cocktails Jackie served dinner, a nice chili relleno casserole. We had a nice dinner and afterwards the girls played cards for an hour or so. When the Bullock's left we watched some TV and went to bed.

Sunday, March 24^th, we left the RV park with the Bullock's about 11:00 and drove to the Pinal County Fairgrounds for the county fair. Today was the last day of the fair and, although the exhibits, vendors and carnival were still in place, by the time we got into the fair, close to noon, most of the animals and the 4H kids that were showing them, were moving out. We got to see a few pigs and goats, but almost all the rabbits, chickens and other small animals were gone. That was a bit disappointing as that is our favorite part of the small fairs. After an hour or so we left the fair and drove into Casa Grande to have some lunch. We ended up at Big Wa, one of our favorite Chinese places and the four of us had a great lunch. We then went to Walmart for a few things and then back to the RV park. We had cocktails with the Bullock's at 5:30, but no dinner as we all were full from lunch, plus most had leftovers. After cocktails we went into the coach and watched TV until bedtime.

Monday, March 25^th, we had a stay at home day. About 2:00 my brother Ken and his wife Susan came over for a visit. They live in Goodyear, Arizona, a suburb on the west side of Phoenix, but this weekend they were camping at the KOA campground near Picacho Peak, only about 5 miles from our RV park. We, and the Bullock's, sat outside and talked and visited for several hours. The weather was nice in the shade and we had a great visit. About 6:00 we did some burgers on the BBQ and all ate outside. Ken and Susan left around 7:30 and went back to their trailer at the KOA. We will be in Goodyear in less than a week, so we will be spending more time with them next week. After they left we watched some TV and went to bed. Tuesday we went to brunch with the Bullock's about 11:00 to a place just down the road from the park called the Cotton House. We learned that the place just changed hands this year and is now owned by the same person that owns the RV park we are in. We tried it and found it to be a five star lunch and breakfast place. Great menu, great food and great service. After lunch Jackie and I went out and did some geocaching, getting eight new finds and one DNF in a couple of hours. After we got back to the RV park we had cocktails with the Bullock's and then Peggy served dinner, a nice penne pasta dish that is one of my favorites. We ate and then visited until about 8:30 when we went back to our coach, watched a little TV and went to bed.

Wednesday, March 27^th, was a stay at home day for the most part. We did some chores and did some relaxing. We did make one quick trip to a nearby market. We had cocktails with the Bullock's at 5:30 and then we did a rack and a half of baby back ribs on the BBQ. Vernon cooked because he has a technique that works. I manage to screw up ribs whenever I try. The ribs were great and we had them with beans from Peggy and coleslaw from Jackie. We visited until about 8:00, then went home and watched some TV before bed. Thursday morning I helped Vernon put up some outside colored lights over his patio, similar to we have. Unfortunately, the adhesive wasn't working, so we will have to come up with a better plan on a later date. We left the coach with the Bullock's about 11:00 and drove into town to have lunch at the Big Wa Chinese restaurant again. Tomorrow is our last day here and I really like their food. After lunch we stopped at the mall and went to Petsmart and Kohl's for a few things. After shopping we went back to the RV park and stayed in for the rest of the day. We had cocktails with the Bullock's at 5:30, but no formal dinner as we all had leftovers from lunch today. After happy hour we spent the rest of the night with the TV.

Friday, March 29^th, we went out after lunch to do some geocaching. We were able to get six new finds, and one DNF, in a couple of hours. We also stopped at a couple of stores looking for some solar flamingos to add to our collection of birds. We finally found them at the Dollar Tree at the mall. After our fun afternoon we went back to the coach. We had cocktails with the Bullock's, then did dinner on our own. We watched TV and then went to bed. Saturday was another travel day. The Bullock's left early as they are going nearly 200 miles to Quartzsite today. We are only going 112 miles to Goodyear, outside of Phoenix. We will meet the Bullock's again in a week in Las Vegas, but for the next week we will be on our own in the Phoenix area. My brother, as well as my kids and most of the grand kids, live in the Phoenix area. We arrived at the Cotton Lane RV Resort around noon, got parked and set up then spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Sunday, March 31^st, we left the coach after lunch and went out to do a little geocaching. We were only out for less than an hour and got two new finds. We then drove over to my brother Ken's house in Goodyear to visit with them. We spent a couple of hours sitting in the kitchen chatting with Ken and Susan, and Susan's mother Helena, who lives with them in a “mother in law” apartment. They have a very neat, multi-generational house with a three bedroom suite upstairs, a one bedroom apartment downstairs on the other side of the garage, and then a great room in the middle with a shared kitchen, dining and living room.

Ken and I took a little field trip while the women visited and drove to the Goodyear airport to see where Ken is working now. Until recently he worked for the City of Avondale, right next door to Goodyear, as a Code Enforcement Officer. He worked for them for about 15 years and decided that since he was now vested in the Arizona State Retirement System, that he would leave Avondale and go back to being a flight instructor. He had done that a few years ago as a part time pursuit and he loves to fly, so he wanted to do something that made him happier than being a pseudo law enforcement person. He is still only working part time, but seems happy and making decent money. He showed me around the flight school and we looked at some of their planes on the ramp. Being Sunday it was pretty quiet. After Ken and I got back to the house the four of us went out to Red Robin for dinner. Helena didn't want to go out. We had a very nice dinner and talked for another hour and a half. After dinner we went back to the coach and relaxed for the rest of the night.

Monday, April 1^st, April Fool's Day. I have always hated April Fool jokes. Today was a chores day for us. We left the coach about 10:30 and stopped first at a local jewelry store. Jackie's wedding ring has a loose prong she wanted fixed, but they wanted too much money and too much time, so we didn't leave it. We have a good jeweler in Pahrump and will be there in less than two weeks. We then went to In N Out for lunch. Yum! After lunch we went to a laundromat in Avondale and did our laundry. By 1:40 we were done with laundry and went to the Avondale Costco to pick up a few things, then headed back to the coach. After we got everything put away we relaxed, had dinner, and then watched TV until bedtime.

Tuesday, April 2^nd, we left the coach after lunch and went out to do some geocaching, getting three new finds in about an hour. Caching is taking more time here because we have already gotten most of the caches near the RV park, so we have to drive long distances to find new caches to get. After caching we stopped at a couple of Ross stores looking for a new comforter for our bed. We accidentally left the old one at the laundry and it was gone the next day when we went back for it. It was a couple years old and getting spotted, so no big deal, just annoying. After shopping we stopped and both got haircuts. We then stopped at Walmart for some supplies and then headed home. We had dinner and then watched TV until it was time for bed.

Wednesday, April 3^rd, we left the coach after lunch and went out to do some caching. We found an area in Buckeye, a few miles west, where we hadn't cached before, with a number of caches hidden in a very nice residential area. All of the caches were in parks, but we had a hard time with some of them, ending up with four new finds as well as four DNFs. Sometimes we just get humbled. After caching we made a quick stop at Walmart for a couple of things and then went back to the RV park. We had dinner and watched TV for the rest of the night. Thursday we went out after lunch and both got pedicures, then we went to Sam's Club for a couple of things. After our errands we went back to the coach and stayed in the rest of the day.

Friday, April 5^th, our last full day in Goodyear. We left the coach around noon and drove to north-central Phoenix, a shopping area known as Metro Center, to have lunch with my son Roy Jr. Roy lives not too far from Metro Center. We had lunch at a nice Taquaria called El Pueblo. We sat and ate and talked for about an hour. We dropped Roy off at his condo, then went out to run some errands. We stopped at a couple of stores, including another Sam's Club because Jackie was looking for some specific brand of pants. After our errands we went back to the coach and relaxed for a little while, then went out again and met Ken and Susan for dinner at a local brew pub, Saddle Mountain Brewing. We had a nice dinner, then the four of us went back to the coach and sat and talked for a couple hours. They left around 7:30 and we watched some TV and went to bed.

Saturday, April 6^th was a travel day. We were packed up and on the road by 10:00, heading 180 miles northwest to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. We stopped at the Lake Havasu RV Resort, one of our RPI membership parks, got checked in and set up for a one night stay. After we got set up we just stayed in and relaxed for the rest of the day. Sunday we were up and on the road by 9:00, continuing north 150 miles to Las Vegas, Nevada. We arrived at the Oasis RV Resort, located at the far south end of the Las Vegas strip, about noon and quickly got set up. We are here for a week long rally with Monaco International, one of our FMCA Chapters. The rally doesn't start until Wednesday, but we wanted a couple of days in Las Vegas on our own, so we came early. After we got set up we relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Peggy and Vernon Bullock also came in today from Bullhead City, where they had been staying with some other friends of ours, Ray and Suzi Babcock. The Babcock's were originally going to come to this rally also, but they canceled a couple of weeks ago. About 5:00 we had happy hour with the Bullock's and several other couples who are here for the rally also. We sat and talked for a couple hours, then we went back to our coach and watched TV until it was time for bed.

It has now been almost three weeks since we published, so our arrival in Las Vegas for a rally marks a good spot to close this chapter and get it published. Until next time remember, if what you do is stupid, but it works, then it really isn't stupid after all. Mission accomplished! See ya soon.