Christmas is a good time to catch up! We've been out of touch for awhile, so here's a review of our last year. About a year ago, Sam sold the Gold Wing. We haven't had time to ride, and it's not good for a motorcycle to sit idle. With some of the proceeds, we bought a new camera and a new laptop computer – fun!
I've enjoyed several photo excursions this year, and wish I could get out more.
In January we spent a weekend in Phoenix for Sam's birthday. The weekend getaway has become a tradition, but this year we took our bicycles and rode 30+ miles on bike paths along the canals. Sam loves his new recumbent bike and has ridden it many miles around Tucson, too.
Last spring, and also this fall, we enjoyed many spontaneous gatherings with friends here at FHTV (Far Horizons Tucson Village). We also saw long-time good friends, Jon & Jan Payne, as they visited several times last spring, then moved to Gilbert, Arizona last summer!
We took them to the Pumpkin Patch Ranch, of course! That's Sam wearing his sunblock hat.
Jan and Jan looking at the view.
We go down to see my parents in Benson as much as we can, and loved seeing my brother, Tim, and his sons, J.C. and Kevin when they golfed in Tucson in October.
In June, good friends loaned us their timeshare and we spent a week in the Utah mountains.
The 2-day drive seemed to tax Sam's navigational skills.
Our “short cut” over the mountains became a detour when the highway closed, and the alternate road went over passes almost 11,000 feet high!
Park City, Utah was our destination; a fun little town and worth the drive.
The Sundance Film Festival has been held in Park City for years, but unfortunately I didn't spot Robert Redford anywhere! One of the other quirky residents welcomed us the first night.
We visited Olympic Park, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics, which were officially in Salt Lake City, 30 miles west.
Rode the ski lift to the top of the mountain.
Where we went on a hike and explored old mine buildings.
We also drove down to Salt Lake City and visited the Mormon Temple.
It's always more fun exploring with friends! Bob & Shelly, our neighbors the last few winters at FHTV, were spending the summer working in Salt Lake and showed us around.
We visited a brewery, where Sam helped out by running the bottle labeling machine. Yes, many people do drink beer in Utah, but it's more regulated than anyplace else we've seen.
Bob and Sam rode 55 miles one day, and we ended up on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake.
It's connected to the mainland by a causeway and is prettier than you would imagine.
On our way home to Tucson, we stopped at two of the most beautiful places on earth.
The first was Bryce Canyon.
We hiked a 4-mile trail down through the spires.
It seemed much longer on the way out!
The next day, we drove into Zion National Park from the east.
Temperatures were in the high 90's, so we followed the advice of a bicycle shop owner and waited until it cooled off a bit to explore.
As evening approached, we rode our bikes from Springdale, Utah, 9 miles up to the end of the canyon.
We saw over 15 deer, wild turkey, a fox, and not a single other biker. The road was closed to all but shuttle buses and a couple of cars going to the lodge.
It was an incredible experience! Even the ride back down, which was mostly in the dark!
Last May, our good friend Don drove to North Dakota, and soon had a job in the oil fields. Sam started thinking of making a change, and after weeks of planning, left his job with Far Horizons and landed in Williston, ND in mid-August. In true Sam-style, he made many new friends and was offered several jobs driving semi-trucks. He worked a week or two, but his lack of recent experience (he owned his own truck in 1999) hindered a job with the better employers, so after 5 weeks in the north and many new adventures, he returned to Tucson.
Within a couple of weeks, he had a job with Swift Transportation in Phoenix. He spent several weeks acquiring a TWIC card from the Transportation Safety Administration, allowing him to haul containers into U.S. ports around the country.
In mid-November, after a week of
orientation, he began driving with a great mentor, Fernando, and has
already driven over 6,000 miles from the west to the east coasts, and
loves it. He spends a weekend at home every week or two, and will be
getting his own truck in January.
While Sam was home last month, he got our 1996 Yamaha Riva 125 scooter into shape, with new tires, drive belt and LED lights. I found a “ladybug” helmet at the scooter store, borrowed Sam's new motorcycle jacket, dusted off my leather fringed chaps, and started riding the scooter to work! It gets 85 miles per gallon! I took a motorcycle safety class 7 or 8 years ago, and definitely practice safe driving, but it's great fun!
The highlights of our year wouldn't be complete without our two loyal homebodies, Pumpkin and Dingus. They love their people and are great companions (as long as we feed them)!
So Merry Christmas from all of us, and have a great New Year!