Making the Christmas Desert Glow

There may not be snow in southern Arizona this time of year  but the Christmas spirit is still on display in the RV parks.

This homemade Christmas tree looks like something  Bill would make in his workshop at home.

This miniature village was on display in front of one of the park models.

 A night walk showed us some beautiful recreational vehicles all dressed up for this time of year.

Electric usage costs extra at the sites, but some people certainly did not seem to mind!

and...

this small cottage could almost be seen from space!

🎉

Happy New Year!

🎇

Another Bad Day for Michigan Football

We do not have access to TV cable at our site in the Fortuna De Oro RV park.  Therefore, we had to go up to one of the meeting rooms in the park to watch ESPN where the Peach Bowl was broadcast.

Unfortunately for us Michigan fans, Florida put a whipping on the Wolverines  41-15!

Ouch!

Notre Dame got walloped in the Cotton Bowl by Clemson 30-3. 

so....

On Sunday we will try to find a place to watch the Lions.

We would love to see a victory.

🏆

Football In The Desert

Here is a typical sunrise in Yuma.  We love the cloudless skies and sunshine even though the weather is cool.

Today at 10 AM (our new time) Michigan is playing Florida in the Peach Bowl.

GO BLUE!!!!!!

Now we have to find a TV with ESPN to watch it.

🏈

We Rescue Miss Kitty and Set Up Camp

On Thursday morning, December 27, we opened our storage unit in eastern Yuma to find our travel trailer in good shape and ready to see daylight again.  

Other than some dust and desert sand that had blown in, and some flat bicycle tires - everything seemed in good shape and enact.

Karen was happy to see that her traveling playhouse was safe and sound.

Our new truck hooked up nicely and pulled the trailer with little effort.   Above you see our site at Fortuna De Oro that we had reserved for the month of January.

The small house next to us is still for sale.  We have neighbors from Canada on only one side and a small canyon behind us.  Therefore, as RV parks go, we have quite a bit of privacy.

💫

We Make It To Yuma A Day After Christmas

There had been a light snow in Central Utah overnight, but we hit the road shortly after dawn on December 26.  Some of the hills were slippery but in general, the roads were not bad.  Driving south on Interstate 15 toward Las Vegas took us into a small piece of northwest Arizona, then into Nevada, then California and finally back into Arizona.  Therefore, we drove in four different states on Wednesday to reach our destination of Yuma, Arizona.

We stopped to get gas in Nevada and Karen disappeared.  Bill asked this fellow if he had seen her.  He said to see the fortune teller who knew everything.

So...

Bill found this old  guy who was happy to locate Karen for just a few dollars!

And.....

Sure enough, Bill found Karen inside a Nevada casino doing what she loves to do!  However, she did not leave Nevada any richer.

As the sun was setting, we arrived in Yuma after four days of driving, 2500 miles,  and some beautiful western sights.

🌄

A Rocky Mountain Christmas Ride

On Christmas morning we awoke in Golden, Colorado and started west into the Rocky Mountains.

Again, the weather was perfect, as we drove up Interstate 70 toward Utah.

However, we soon started seeing signs of the white stuff.

This mine shaft, above, showed us what was to come as we drove to the higher elevations.

These condos in the Vail area were beautiful to see tucked into the hillside.

We stopped to use a rest area above 10,000 ft.  That is Karen on the left walking up to the building,

Here is the sidewalk to the bathroom.  Now this felt like a true Christmas setting.

There was some snow on the roads but the skies were clear so travel was not difficult and the scenery was special.

As we drove down the western side of the mountains the snow was gone and the temperature again rose into the low 40's.  We hit great weather to cross the Great Divide this Holy Day.

Tuesday night we checked into a Comfort Inn in Richfield, Utah, after seeing, firsthand, what the late John Denver used to sing about.

⛄

Merry Christmas from Golden, Colorado

Christmas morning finds us in a motel in Golden, which is a suburb or Denver.   So far the weather has been excellent for travel into the West.  Yesterday we got off Interstate 80 for about sixty miles to travel Route 30 in Nebraska which closely follows the original Oregon Trail.

We were surprised to see this massive pile of shelled corn in Nebraska.  Perhaps it will be covered later to protect it from the weather?

We stopped along the Oregon Trail to see a small recreation of a pioneer settlement.

This log cabin once protected a proud family out here in the prairie.
Notice the Christmas Wreath.

This  schoolhouse and church were moved  together for visitors to explore,
We traveled the Oregon Trail from Kearney to North Platte and then jumped back on I-80 to make better time.

Merry Christmas from Bill and Karen!
🎄

A New Truck and A New Adventure to the Southwest US

On Friday December 21 Bill signed the papers to close the deal on his new GMC Truck in Grayling. The next day Karen and Bill packed up the same truck and headed for a Hollenbeck family Christmas party downstate in Vicksburg at sister, Kathy Hiemstra's house.  Because they had driven almost four hours in the right direction, after the party they continued on into Indiana to spend their first night at South Bend.

(Boo Irish  🏈 )

Here is Bill with his new baby.

⛟

On Sunday morning the weather ahead looked dry and sunny so they continued down the toll road past Chicago and on west instead of heading south toward St. Louis.  Sunday Evening found them in Lincoln, Nebraska stopping for the night.

⛯