Santa Fe NM

We finally made it to Santa Fe on Sunday evening.  We had to leave the Grand Canyon a day early to go down to Flagstaff and get some work done on the coach.  We discovered that our rear air conditioner had stopped working  when we were in Phoenix so we ordered a new one at Camping World in Flagstaff and planned to stop and pick it up.  Due to our time constraints I just decided to let them install it as well.  We also had to get two new front tires (arghhh, it never ends!). 

On  the second day at the Grand Canyon we decided to move to a better camping spot.  When I was putting the tire covers on, I noticed on the drivers side front tire that there was steel belt coming through the rubber!  So, we arranged for two front tires to be installed the same day.  We were able to drive slowly down to Flagstaff and got everything done and stayed at a KOA there Friday night.  Then we were back on track.   Drove to Gallup Saturday and then on to Santa Fe Sunday.

We are staying at Trailer Ranch RV Resort which was recommended by our friends John and Lee Millsap from the Hangtown Kennel Club. It is really nice and has a 1/2 acre dog park for Pablo and Amelia to play in.  Check out the video I posted in Facebook of them chasing each other. 


We plan to see as much of the area as we can in one week.  We originally planned to stay here for two weeks but we need to go down to Albuquerque next week so I can get 4 more tires for the rear of the coach and a front end alignment.  These were not available in Flagstaff.  It's OK though because there is a lot of stuff we want to see down there as well.  We plan to take the tram up to Sandia Peak, see old town and try out some New Mexican restaurants that friends have recommended. 

Site is a little tight but level and neighbors are nice.

Pablo is looking for more toys in the box!

Amelia and Pablo really liked running free in the 1/2 acre park.  Hopefully not too many rattlesnakes out this time of year, but they have been through avoidance training so they should be safe!

Grand Canyon AZ - more pictures

We are really enjoying our time here at the Grand Canyon!  Here are some pictures which really do not even start to show how grand this canyon is!

Watchtower at Desert View

Inside the watchtower

Top level of the tower

 

The Hopi House

Navajo dancers

Grand Canyon AZ

The good news is that we are safely camped at the Grand Canyon and we are all fine!  Getting here didn't seem too bad at the time, but Linda and I kept noticing a strange noise from the top driver's side of the coach.  We checked the cupboards in that area and nothing was rattling around.  We thought it might be that the window shade was coming loose on the outside but when we stopped at a rest stop for lunch we both looked around out there and it all looked fine.  Well the mystery was finally solved when we arrived at the campground and I went in the office to register.  When I came out, I looked at the coach across the street and saw the satellite dish fully extended on the roof!  

I CANNOT BELIEVE WE DIDN'T NOTICE THAT!  We drove 250 miles with a giant satellite dish on our roof!  Holy toads from outer space, Batman!  And it gets worse - when we were leaving the park in Phoenix, a guy was honking at us and waving - we thought he was just a friendly guy, probably from South Dakota and saw our plates.  Then when we stopped for lunch at a rest area I walked up on a ridge with Pablo and I STILL did not notice the giant dish on the roof!  And, there's even more.  When we arrived here at the Grand Canyon we drove under a very low wire hanging over the street.  Linda said "are you sure we can get under that?".  My response was "of course,  We're only twelve and a half feet tall".  I am sure that we only cleared that wire by inches!  The RV gods must have been with us because everything still seems to work OK and there is no damage done except for a few bugs on the back of the dish.  Thank goodness it was positioned pointing more backwards so the wind didn't hit it straight on.  Needless to say, we are going to be double checking the dish before we leave from now on!

Our site at Trailer Village

We are staying at Trailer Village RV park which is inside Grand Canyon National Park.  It's only about a 10 minute walk to the south rim of the canyon and we walked over there with the doggies this morning. I have never been here before and I must say I was impressed!  This has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth.  We will be doing more exploring over the next two weeks and I will post some more pictures.

Take care and remember - Home is where you Park it!

Phoenix AZ (SF Giants Spring Training)

We drove to Phoenix from Rancho California on Sunday and it was raining cats and dogs.  We had to go the long way around on the interstate because there was snow over the pass going to Palm Springs and that added more than an hour to our trip.  We finally broke out of the rain as we came into Arizona but it caught up to us and it rained here in Phoenix all day Monday. 

The sun is out today and just in time!  We are going to the Giants first game in the Cactus League this year.  It is against the Oakland A's over in Mesa which is about a 30 minute drive from where we are.  MadBum is the starting pitcher even though he will probably only pitch one or two innings.  We are really looking forward to seeing all the players up close and enjoying this beautiful  weather!

We will be here for two weeks.  Going to another Giants game Saturday against the Padres at Scottsdale Stadium so it will be a home game for us.  Other than baseball, we don't really have any plans so if any of you have been here and have suggestions  on things to do, let us know!

We are camped at Desert Shadows RV Resort and it is pretty nice.  They have a nice big indoor pool and a good library.  There is no grass which seems to be the norm in Phoenix, but there are 4 dog runs that Amelia has decided are acceptable.  Generally these dirt areas are for peasants not not up to par for her highness!  Pablo and I are having good bike rides around the park for about 2 miles each morning.  Hope it stays cool so we can continue that!