Friday, March 18, 2016

THIS POST IS COMING TO YOU FROM GALLUP NEW MEXICO

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ROLLING EAST JUST WEST OF GALLUP NEW MEXICO

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Although we hadn’t intended on leaving for home until next week we made a last minute decision late Thursday night to leave early Friday morning.  Kelly did not sleep well again the past couple nights & I could tell her energy was draining.  We had the Motorhome 90% loaded anyway so we made the joint decision to ‘pull the pin’ early & just go.  Sincere apologies to our Congress area friends that we did not get around to see & say good-bye.  I know I told several folks we’d be over to see them but we left it too long.  Our fault. 

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KELLY LEAVES BEHIND SOME ART DECO

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Figured the sooner we got on the road heading back home to Bayfield Ontario the better we & especially Kelly was going to feel.  I won’t go into the emotional drain this has been on us leaving this year but know that we both reached a point where we just needed to turn a page & turn that page quickly…………….IMG_2221

PHOTOS TAKEN FROM OUR HOUSE ROOF THIS MORNING WHILE TAKING DOWN OUR ‘VERIZON INTERNET BOOSTER’

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Kelly was awake at 3 & got up at 4 so our day started early as we finished packing the Motorhome & closing up the house.  In a later post I will tell you how I felt about leaving for possibly the last time but I knew the sooner we hit the road the better we would feel.  And that is exactly what happened.

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A FEW LAST MINUTE PICS BEFORE LEAVING THIS MORNING…..BEAVERTAIL CACTUS BUDS ABOUT TO BLOOM

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THIS WAS THE ONLY EARLY BLOOM THIS MORNING OUT OF ABOUT A 60 BUDS ON ONE OVER OUR BEAVERTAILS

Rolled out our south gate at 8:10 a.m. with Pheebs & I leading the way in our Motorhome & Kelly following in the Jeep.  We had the rig loaded down pretty good & knew towing the Jeep up the Yarnell Hill & through a few climbs west of Prescott would not be a wise move.   The Big EEE seemed to sense my concern & stepped up to the challenge taking us up the Yarnell Hill with no problem.  A stop at the Cornerstone Bakery netted us some road donuts.

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THIS WAS MY LAST HOUSE PHOTO THIS MORNING AS KELLY CLOSES THE GATE BEHIND US

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HEADING UP THE YARNELL HILL & A DONUT STOP AT THE CORNERSTONE BAKERY

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PHEEBS & SPENCER SHARING THE COUCH ON OUR WAY HOME

We scooted along Iron Springs Road up & over some short steep grades then tumbled down into Prescott with no problem then set course through the Chino Valley heading for I-40 & one of Arizona’s toughest & most infamous Interstate stretches west of Williams.  These long east bound grades are where we ran into trouble exactly one year ago about now.  With no Jeep to tow I kept my speed up & rolled right through those grades with not a snicker of trouble.  No red engine light & no loss of power.  In fact we were blowing the doors of some of the 18 wheelers struggling on the grades.  The Big EEE was back in race horse mode & ran fine for the rest of the day.  (hope I haven’t jinxed myself now)  Too soon to tell Chris but I’m thinking maybe your cleaning of our Mass Air Flow Filter a few weeks ago may have had something to do with our Motorhome running so well today:))

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IRON SPRINGS ROAD HEADING FOR PRESCOTT

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LOOKING OUT OVER THE CHINO VALLEY WHERE WE WOULD BE TRAVELING VERY SHORTLY

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NOT AS MUCH SNOW ON THE SAN FRANCISO PEAKS NORTH OF FLAGSTAFF AS LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME

I figured if I left Congress with half a tank of fuel to cut down on weight I should be able to make it to Bellemont just west of Flagstaff & I did.  Kelly also left Congress in the Jeep with half a tank as well hoping it would be near empty when we hooked it up to the Motorhome.  She just made it cruising into the Bellemont Shell station behind me with a red ‘low fuel’ light on.  Filled up the rig, threw a few dollars in the Jeep, grabbed a burg at McDonalds, hitched up the Jeep & we were off & running.

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I HOOKED UP THE JEEP WHILE KELLY SLIPPED INTO McD’S FOR SOME BREKKY & BY GOLLY HERE SHE COMES NOW

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Had us a nice tail wind all the way from Ash Fork Arizona to Gallup New Mexico.  Clear sunny day with cooling warm temps.  Glad to be out of that 80F+ stuff.  Having overnighted at Walmart before in Gallup we knew exactly where we were going & rolled into the parking lot shortly after 3 p.m. Arizona time or 4 p.m. New Mexico time.  Seeings how it was Friday afternoon Walmart was busy with it’s full share of Walmartians as we jostled our way up & down the aisles. IMG_2222

HEY THAT WALMARTIAN OVER THERE IN THE YOGURT SECTION LOOKS FAMILIAR

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BETWEEN WILLIAMS & GALLUP I-40 RUNS THROUGH AN ALMOST PLAINS LIKE LANDSCAPE OF GENTLY ROLLING HILLS WITH VIEWS FOR MILES & MILES

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No idea where we’ll end up tomorrow but if we have another great tail wind we may just take advantage of that.  A few more mountains to climb east of Albuquerque & we’ll be home free.  May take I-40 around Oklahoma City or head north before that & cut up through Kansas.  We sometimes never really know where we’re going until after we have been there.

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UNDER THE AGE OF 40??  WHAT!!

Typing this tonight in Gallup NM I can’t even begin to tell you how relieved & how much better we both are feeling now that we are on the road heading home.  The hardest part was leaving this morning but as soon as I pulled out onto Ghost Town Road & made my way out of Congress my sadness lifted & my mind focused on the journey ahead, mainly getting up the steep mountain grades trouble free.  After gassing up later in Bellemont & having breakfast in our rig Kelly asked me if was still thinking about the house.  My answer was, ‘what house’????  She felt exactly the same way……………………….:))     

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GROANER’S CORNER:((  A red head was recently hired at an office. Her first task was to go out for coffee. Eager to do well her first day on the job, she grabbed a large thermos and hurried to a nearby coffee shop.  She held up the thermos and the coffee shop worker quickly came over to take her order. She asked, "Is this big enough to hold six cups of coffee?"  The coffee shop worker looked at the thermos, hesitated a few seconds, then finally replied, "Yeah. It looks like about six cups to me."  "Oh good!" the red head sighed in relief. "Then give me two regular, two black, and two decaf."

29 comments:

  1. Have a safe trip home. I know how you feel as I have left for a long road trip "abruptly" a few times over the years ... Good for both of you. Feeling good is the key.

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  2. Exactly why I like reading your blog. Always a surprise. Safe travels!

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  3. So, so sorry we didn't get to see you guys but we will somewhere down the road. Safe travels friends and hope Kelly is feeling better soon.

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  4. Have a safe trip .. Can't believe the winter snowbird season is coming to an end already ..the ever changing views out the windshield should do wonders for the two of you !!

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  5. You need to do what feels right for you and this would be it Travell safe and hope Kelly is feeling better soon.

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  6. Safe travels. Some times we even surpirse outselves.

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  7. Another chapter closed for now. Enjoy the drive back to Bayfield, and I wish you good weather. Next year will take care of itself - either your Congress house will be sold in the meantime or it won't, and you will roll with the punches, as always.

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  8. We are a bit ahead of you in Amarillo and freezing our buns off! I cannot believe how cold it is! Tomorrow is supposed to be cold all the way to Oklahoma City. We will spend a couple of days there in OK City before we move on. We want to end up in southern Indiana April 2 for granddaughter's state gymnastics tournament. (we are surprising her) Get our long johns out!

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  9. Safe travels...snow in Kansas as Missouri.

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  10. Sometimes it just helps to move. Very happy to hear you're both feeling better. Good travels to you!
    Nina

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  11. Looking at your pics with all that gorgeous green in it I don't know whether I would be able to leave that behind for a rather bleak still wintry looking Ontario home. Have a safe trip home and hopefully you will be greeted by the first crocus upon your return.

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  12. Have a safe trip, glad to hear you are both feeling better.

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  13. Have a safe trip. Al, I was carded once when I was 44! Must be my Scandanavian genes!
    Cheryl Ann

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    1. carded at 63 each, my husband and I in Indiana... what a compliment!!!

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  14. Always say there is no point in looking backwrd; you have to look forward. Have a safe trip.

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  15. Glad to see you're on your way home. The weather is cold but clear.

    We are just ahead of you. Hwy 54 was a nice road and no traffic to slow us down. We are just one day ahead of you. As early as you three start, you may pass us by before we reach Kansas City. We are in Imperial, Kansas this morning at the Walmart.

    Have a nice and safe journey.

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  16. Anything that makes you both feel better is the right decision. Safe and happy travels to you!

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  17. Safe travels! We had to leave AZ early to bring our new RV back to dealer for repairs. Though really cold now in OKC, I love the springtime greening and the flowers.

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  18. Safe travels! :-)

    I hope the house thing works out the way you'd like it to.

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  19. Safe travels and we hope Kelly will be feeling better. When we quit traveling, I just couldn't face another day in the motorhome and another trip to AZ. My energy was no longer there. All good will come for you as it did for us--it just takes time. Hugs

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  20. I just want Kelly to feel better. Everything else will happen regardless. Life doesn't always go the way we thought it would. Believe me - I never thought we'd be sitting still for six months here in AJ every winter but with Jim's health issues - that is what we do. I'm just grateful we can still travel part of the year. And that too will end some day. Travel safe and enjoy the journey.

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  21. Enjoy the ride back home and safe travels.

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  22. Belated wave as you passed by us in Holbrook, AZ. Such a pretty drive for you today from Gallup to Albuqueque - love all those red canyons! So nice to be able to get up and go early when that's what feels right. Lovely photos from the little adobe.

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  23. Have a safe trip home. Keep the rubber side down.

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  24. I will heading up to the West, possibly Vancouver and Victoria as soon as we get our passports.
    My sweetie used to rock climb and backpack hundreds of miles. Now he prefers hotels, he no longer wants to sleep in a tent! You two enjoy the trip, I know you cannot get there soon enough.

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  25. Sometimes the hitchitch is too strong to ignore. Happy trails.

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  26. Your quick decision to leave probably helped make the break easier. Saying good bye and dragging out things makes it so much harder. Glad the beginning of your trip was a success:) Safe travels!

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