After a 2500 mile journey from Arizona to southern Ontario, we arrived home on Sunday April 11. We had spent Saturday night in the driveway at Jack's brother Hank and his Mary's home in Petrolia. Crossing the border went easily with no questions but the ones to identify ourselves. When we stopped in London, Ontario at the Flying J to fuel up and use the dump station, who should we meet but Jack's brother John who was returning from 3 months in Florida - we knew they were on the way but they were several hours behind us. They had driven a long day on Saturday and it was a lovely surprise to see them there. We pulled over and had a coffee and a chat before we both got on the road again.
We arrived at our home and within 10 minutes Greg and Tara and Dylan arrived with supper for us all. What a joy it is to see that little baby! Dylan has grown and is quite the little social person. He coos and "talks" to you and is full of smiles. He is a beautiful reason to return home!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
Metropolis, Illinois - Home of Superman
Our son Derek has collected comic books for many years and in his research he found that the small town of Metropolis was the home of Superman and on our way home to Ontario. We had spent the night in Paducah, Kentucky just across the Ohio River. First thing on Friday morning, we headed to the Superman Museum and store. We found a huge 15' stature of The Man of Steel right in the town square and took several pictures of each of us in front of him. Derek spent the next 2 hours in the museum - they had EVERYTHING Superman! Derek even bought a piece of green glowing Kryptonite. Jack and I walked around town - population 6000 - looking at several murals painted on the sides of buildings depicting the history of the town. We got on the road late in the morning and drove across Illinois and into Indiana - spending the night at a Lowe's on the outskirts of Indianapolis.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Looong day!
Today, we drove 475 miles - a long day for us and especially so as Jack still had to battle 40 -50mph cross winds all day. We drove from Amarillo, Texas to Fort Smith, Arkansas - all the way across the state of Oklahoma. We are at another Walmart and we have a real bonus tonight - an open wifi connection to be able to update this blog.
Texas stopping place
Because of favourable tailwinds and a change in the time zone, we arrived in Amarillo, Texas earlier than we had thought we would. So we headed 30 miles south to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. It was a beautiful place, first approached from the top of the canyon which gave us a wonderful view into the canyon - said to be second largest to the Grand Canyon. Then, via a switchback road, we wound our way down to the campground and spend the early evening exploring the canyon. It is now on our list for a second visit when we have more time to explore all the many hiking trails.
On the Road toward Home
Bright and early Monday morning, April 5, we left Mesa Regal RV Park and began our journey home. We plan to take 6-7 days to make this trip. We headed east of Phoenix toward Globe on Highway #60, enjoying masses of wildflowers along the roadside for the last time. By mid-afternoon as we neared I-40, the winds began to pick up and we were either pushed nicely along or buffeted about with cross winds - quite a challenge for Jack.
Salt River Canyon - you can see the switchback road that we took down into the canyon and across the river and now we are at a viewpoint overlooking where we have been. The Salt River eventually flows right through downtown Phoenix and a series of dams along the river provides much of the water for the Valley of the Sun. 
Sunday, April 4, 2010
We are ready
The time has come to leave. We love Phoenix and the "Valley of the Sun". We love the temperatures, the hiking, the pools, the bike paths, the wonderful spring flowers in the desert and the dry sunny days with azure blue skies like no other place. But home is where we need to be - Derek has an appointment with the surgeon next week and we excited to see our new grandson again. We have seen Dylan on Skype on a weekly basis and even talked to him and gotten lovely smiles in return. But we want to hold and cuddle him again. This grandparenting thing is addictive, we have found.
So - we have planned a route and hope to be home, God willing, by next weekend. It has been fun to share our travels with those who read this. We hope you have enjoyed it, too.
So - we have planned a route and hope to be home, God willing, by next weekend. It has been fun to share our travels with those who read this. We hope you have enjoyed it, too.
Easter - "He is Risen Indeed!"
Easter Sunday at Phoenix Christian Reformed Church began early with home made cinnamon buns, fresh fruit and boiled coloured eggs. It was yummy! Then the wonderful service where the black cloths of Good Friday were replaced on the cross with purple cloths and it was covered in wire. We all filed forward to place fresh flowers on the cross to symbolize new life that we have through the risen Saviour. The children sang "Jesus Loves Me" with gusto and sign language. It was good to be with God's family here in Phoenix.
The LAST Hike
On Saturday, April 3, we went for our last hike of the season here in Phoenix. Since we had not yet been to South Mountain Park, we decided to hike the "Fat Man Pass" Trail. Gerry, Jack and Mary set out early so the temperatures would be more comfortable and began on the "Morman Trail". This starts as a fairly steep climb for the first mile with several switch backs and the trail was busy because it was a Saturday. But clear blue Arizona skies and lots of blooming flowers made it a strenuous but good beginning. When we reached the top of the ridge, we could see for a long way - downtown Phoenix and even the airport with planes landing below us.
We took the turn off for Fat Man Pass and had a lot of fun squeezing through a narrow 9 inch passage. The rock sides had become shiny and slippey with the passage of many bodies over the years. This led to Hidden Valley and another jumble of rocks to slide down on one's butt and duck down because the passage was only 3 feet high. Again the rock was slippery and you had to put out your feet to made a safe stop. After that was a naturel tunnel that one could walk upright through. The rocks in this area are quite different from other areas we have hiked because they are large boulders toppled at interesting angles and covered with a black "rock varnish'. When we left Hidden Valley, we turned the wrong way and only discovered we were on the wrong trail after a mile of unfamiliar territory (it was to be an in and out hike) We finally asked a local fellow on his mountain bike and he told us the best would be to turn around and return to the junction. This added 2 miles to the 4 mile hike and another hour of hiking. It was warm but we knew we would be going downhill at the end. When we returned to the RV, the pool never looked so good!
We took the turn off for Fat Man Pass and had a lot of fun squeezing through a narrow 9 inch passage. The rock sides had become shiny and slippey with the passage of many bodies over the years. This led to Hidden Valley and another jumble of rocks to slide down on one's butt and duck down because the passage was only 3 feet high. Again the rock was slippery and you had to put out your feet to made a safe stop. After that was a naturel tunnel that one could walk upright through. The rocks in this area are quite different from other areas we have hiked because they are large boulders toppled at interesting angles and covered with a black "rock varnish'. When we left Hidden Valley, we turned the wrong way and only discovered we were on the wrong trail after a mile of unfamiliar territory (it was to be an in and out hike) We finally asked a local fellow on his mountain bike and he told us the best would be to turn around and return to the junction. This added 2 miles to the 4 mile hike and another hour of hiking. It was warm but we knew we would be going downhill at the end. When we returned to the RV, the pool never looked so good!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
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