Friday, November 02, 2012

GALLUP NEW MEXICO TO OUR HOME IN CONGRESS ARIZONA… GRRRRRREAT:))

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FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA IS JUST AHEAD SOUTH OF THOSE MOUNTAINS
I could easily write an entire post on just how grrrrrrreat it feels to finally be at our house…..but, first things first.
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THE SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS NORTH OF FLAGSTAFF ARIZONA
We dropped another time zone today so I think it was about 4:30 this morning Arizona time we were up getting ready to hit the road. Really cold out as I did a walk around checking lights, etc. The Walmart parking lot was quiet with maybe half a dozen RV’s scattered about. Despite the heavy I-40 traffic not far from our door, we did have a decent night’s sleep.
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Plodded steadily westward in the dark for a couple hours before catching the first glimmer of dawn. Light traffic & no wind, so we just kept the hammer down with only one fuel stop somewhere east of Winslow. What a great feeling it was knowing it was our last day on the road for awhile & we would soon be at our house in Congress.
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PHEEBE LOVES HOWLING ALONG WITH THE ‘SONS OF THE PIONEERS’
We had driven I-40 eastbound in that area a couple times before, but never westbound so the scenery was new to us. Caught sight of our first large mountain as we approached Flagstaff. Have seen the San Francisco Peaks several times before but never from the east side. Our altitude increased as we approached Flagstaff & how great it was coming up from the lower flatter plains & mesas of eastern Arizona onto the higher Colorado Plateau. Pine forests stretch for as far as the sky can see, growing up & over hillsides, climbing to mountain tops, & filling canyons & valleys. It is truly beautiful country stretching southward to meet up with the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert. And, it is that very northern edge of the Sonoran desert where our house is. Only 12 miles separate us from the higher Pine tree Colorado Plateau.
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BIT OF FOREST FIRE SMOKE IN THE MOUNTAINS AHEAD AROUND WILLIAMS ARIZONA
There are 3 ways to reach Congress from the Flagstaff area. Two of those ways go south from Flagstaff & the third one runs south from Ash Fork. We went home last March via the Ash Fork route & that is the way we took back to Congress today. Can’t tell you how great it felt to finally turn off I-40. We had been on that Interstate since Oklahoma City & on Interstates all the way from near Rochester, New York. How nice to be on a quiet two lane highway again & the drive down through the Chimo Valley to Prescott was soooo relaxing.
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SOOOOO HAPPY TO SEE THESE SIGNS
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OOPS, A LITTLE CONSTRUCTION BETWEEN PRESCOTT & SCULL VALLEY
Garmin Gertie weaved us through the north end of Prescott & put us on track for Skull Valley. There are two ways to travel between Prescott & Congress. Both are mountainous, one is very scary & the other one is kinda scary. I strongly suggest RV’ers take the kinda scary route. We did the very scary route in the Jeep last March & you really do not want to do that one in a big RV. However, the scariest part of our whole trip took place in the last 10 minutes of our drive.
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THE COTTONWOODS ARE JUST BEGINNING TO CHANGE COLOR
Coming down the steep twisting grades of the Weaver Mountains between Yarnell & Congress will test anyone’s driving skills. Brakes, gear down, brake again, try an even lower gear. Brakes & gears & preferably more gears than brakes. Great feeling of relief to reach the bottom & glide right on into Congress.
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Unhooked the Jeep in a large dirt parking lot across from the fire hall. It hadn’t been off since we left Spencerport New York last Saturday morning. Kelly went on ahead in the Jeep & I followed the short distance down Ghost Town Road to our house.
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UNHOOKING THE JEEP IN CONGRESS
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JUST STARTING DOWN GHOST TOWN ROAD & OUR HOUSE IS ABOUT A MILE DOWN THERE ON THE LEFT
What a totally super great feeling it was to turn in our driveway &……shut er down.
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We found everything inside the house exactly as we left it. The outside was a bit of a different story. With all the rain this summer, things had really grown & our yard was in quite a mess. We were surprised at how green everything was. But, I will get to all that Friday, including….the Yellowjackets. Tonight we are both so tired we can hardly move, & that includes the Pheebs. But, it’s a great kind of tired & we are all soooooo happy to be at our south-west home:))
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GROANER’S CORNER:(( I’m even too tired tonight to go find me a joke.
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- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
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- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.
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24 comments:

  1. Nice to see you in Congress! I wouldn't keep those yellow jackets around, if I were you. Have fun cleaning up the yard, I know you will! Gonna be a great winter, eh?

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  2. Welcome Home! That construction bit coming around Iron Springs Rd was a pain. And will continue to be for a year or more. But it so needed it with all the big rig traffic not allowed on the worse Spar route. But going down the Yarnell Hill has to be the scariest I've ever towed, or more like was pushed with an older truck and old heavy 5er. Bet it feels good to stop. Will stop by one of these days. Or come on up.

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  3. Glad you made it home, probably too tired for a Happy Dance. enjoy your yard work.

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  4. Hope you wit until the sun is up to get out working on the yard!

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  5. welcome home Bayfield Bunch, welcome home!!

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  6. So glad to hear your at your winter home, those yellow jackets should have you hopping, I ran over a nest of them with the tractor one time, boy were they mad. must have had a dozen bites as I abandoned ship and ran.They held John Deere hostage for about an hour before i could go back and get him.Have a great day and get some rest. Sam & Donna...

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  7. The excitement has peaked and now you are finally there.Glad you made it safely, enjoy you winter home and keeping yourself busy as always.

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  8. Nice to hear you made it to your Casa. It is a great feeling to see everything still where you left it. I missed the Groaner, but understand what a lot of miles feels like.
    I have a overactive fear of wasps of all types. After I deactivated the alarm and checked for people in my Cabana, I looked for the wasp nest that has dealt me fits for 3 years now, it is gone. Good luck with your guys, they do eat insects and some people like them.

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  9. Glad you made ie home OK. I'm right behind you...They didn't get our shade fixed here at MCD in Dallas until 3pm yesterday,,,so we elected to spend another night in their lot,,,it a great place to park with 50amps and quiet. Its 4 am here and I will be headed out at the first sign of daybrake...We will see how far we get...Headed for either Amorillo or tucumcari,,,,,,I envoy you being home....Do I need to worry about that construction,,,how long a section is it? See ya soon!!

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  10. yeahhhh your there..resting in your own bed in your new home...nothing like running down the home stretch to your destination..sadly we are still quite a ways from ours..we hope to get from NY to VA to get the oil changed at speedco and motor on dependent on how long it takes to get the work done....enjoy your winter..we'll be checking on you...yellow jackets are such a pain..we've had them in the house...'bug b gone' is the best stuff we ever used for that...take care..

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  11. How wonderful to be in your Winter home....I am soooo jealous...enjoy!

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  12. Glad you guys made it to your Arizona home safely--don't work too hard getting that yard cleaned!

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  13. Glad to see you made it safely, looking forward to your winter!

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  14. Glad to see you made it safely. Enjoy the winter in AZ. We know the area - a beautiful spot.

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  15. I'm happy to know I'm not the only one who howls while listening to the Sons of the Pioneers. Great photo, and welcome back to the beautiful Southwest!

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  16. So glad to hear you made it safe to your home in Congress! Welcome back!

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  17. Ecks those bees can be scary...read and retweeted this today! Hope they didn't "GET" you!

    Hiker Stung by Killer Bees and Falls to His Death http://tinyurl.com/baef2j6

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  18. Happy to hear you made it safely! Welcome to your AZ home!

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  19. And all of a sudden, there you be!!! Have a super good winter!!!

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  20. Hurray! As much as I love life on the road, I do get a hankering now and then for a little ole' place to call home.

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  21. Dont try to do all your yardwork in one dayYou have ALL winter to work on it Such fun Glad u made it unscathed All is well in Bayfield except this crPpy weather Hugs to All

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  22. Ok I'm jealous, you are already there and we are poking around up here in Kansas waiting for more doctors appointments........

    Throw some gas on those yellow jackets and run like he!! LOL

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  23. Congrats on being home....again! Can't wait to see some desert sunset shots. I'm sure you'll get some good ones out there.
    Nina

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