I can’t believe how fast the last three weeks went. We arrived in Salem, Oregon on the evening of the 6th, and went out early on the 7th and cut down a fresh Christmas tree. Amazingly, we had it up and decorated by that night. From there on the rest of the time we were in Salem is just a blur. I did catch a bad head/chest cold, so for one week I really didn’t get much done. The rest of the time we shopped, visited with family, went out to dinner with friends a few times, and even managed to babysit our youngest great grand-daughter a couple times.
On Christmas Eve, we had two family gatherings and watched our three oldest great grandchildren go ape over all the presents Santa and family gave them. The two youngest (babies) let their parents open their gifts (much more civilized). Of course we managed to eat ourselves silly on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day where we gathered with our immediate family for a huge meal. Sadly our two sons live out of state, but we managed to spend some time with them on the phone.
Christmas Eve, Ken & I went to Midnight Mass to celebrate the true meaning of CHRISTmas. The congregation gathers one half hour before Mass to sing carols along with the choir. We were thrilled to hear our nephew, Brendan, playing his trumpet along with the choir. Our niece, Larysa, was also singing in the choir. It was a beautiful, meaningful Mass, and the choir were excellent!!
The day after Christmas, I had the tree down and all the decorations put away. We spent the rest of that day packing our Jeep for the trip back to Queen Valley, Arizona.
We left Salem at 6 am on December 27, and drove 743 miles to Tonapah, Nevada (one very long drive!) We hit snow on the road in Oakridge heading up over the Willamette Pass to highway 97.
Once we got on highway 97, the roads were in good shape. Yes, we did have a couple snow flurries along the way, but nothing to keep us from traveling the speed limit. We got to Tonapah at 6:30 (12 1/2 hours after leaving Salem) and it was 29 degrees. We didn’t even turn the TV on that night. Just grabbed a bite to eat and hit the sack in order to get up early the next morning.
The next morning, we ate a quick breakfast at the hotel and headed for Arizona. Even though there was a smattering of snow in the mountains, we didn’t have any on the roads. In fact, we had mostly sun until we got through Boulder City and across the Hoover Dam. Once we got into Arizona, the skies became cloudier the closer we got to Phoenix.
We had left Tonapah at 6:30 the morning of the 28th (18 degrees) and arrived in Queen Valley (550 miles later) at 5:45. Of course we had the hour time zone change, so we actually drove 9 plus hours. When we got out of the Jeep, neither of us was feeling very limber. We vowed never to do that trip that fast again. 1300 miles in two days is insane!! Yes, we did change drivers, but only stopped long enough to get fuel and hit the restrooms.
Anyhow, we are back to being settled in the coach, and unfortunately I am back down with a sore throat and a terrible cough. I hear there are several folks in the park that are also sick. Not a fun time, but I am on meds and hope to get over this crud soon. No, I am not going out this evening to bring in the New Year. Instead, I will be taking my meds and heading to bed very soon.
I hope you all have a healthy, prosperous new year!!
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