3 State Day

January 31st - We decided to stay an extra night at the Avi Resort Hotel. The stay-over rate was $18.00, $2 less than the first night. Hard to pass up this low rate. This was a sunny warm day in the desert. After a hearty 99 cent breakfast of ham and eggs, yes that is 99 cent breakfast, we hit the Fire House Coffee shop then the road for a day of exploring the area around Laughlin, Nevada; Needles, California and Lake Havasu, Arizona.

First stop was Laughlin, Nevada. Ok, next stop please...... (editorial comment: Give this town a pass. Worse than Niagara Falls)

Second stop: Lake Havasu, Arizona. Our first visit to Arizona on this trip. Some interesting sights to see. First of all, the Lake. It is a man made lake. The lake was created when the Parker Damn was built in 1938. This day the wind was blowing very hard. The Lake had whitecaps. We did see some interesting wildlife including a couple of fishermen standing in their bass boat as the boat was drifting and pitching in the wind and waves. Lake Havasu is home to the London Bridge, reconstructed there in 1968. There was a sign posted on the bridge warning people not to dive off the bridge as the water is shallow. Shallow water might not be the real issue. We found the sign to be akin to posting a sign on the road warning people not to run out in front of speeding traffic. Duh......

On the return trip to our hotel we traveled for a few miles on historic Route 66. Many of you will recall the TV show of that same name. "Get my kicks, on Route 66" Before my time but maybe Pat and Mike will remember it. This section of Route 66 took us through fertile farmland and wildlife sanctuaries that straddle the Colorado River.

On our return to the hotel we walked, jogged (Dana called it a "forced march") for 4 miles on a dike that runs along the Colorado River. We saw our first Road Runner for this trip.

It was a full day but in some ways also relaxing after 3 days of 500 miles per. Will sleep good tonight and rise early for our last day on the road. Mesa, here we come......



Welcome to Arizona!


Lake Havasu, Arizona created when the Parker Damn was constructed on the Colorado River in 1938.


London Bridge - No jumping off bridge. It might hurt.....


Getting our kicks on Route 66......



Barry without his bike. This boy is in need of some sun!

In the Desert

We are in the desert tonight. Nevada to be exact. Before I begin, let me tell you that the when the Mama's and the Papa's sang "It never rains in California, but man let me warn ya, it pours". They weren't whistlin' Dixie. I've been in, or through California 4 times in 6 years. It has poured rain or snowed every time. No more ranting from me....

We started out in the rain and fog this morning but by mid afternoon we were in the bright sun in the Mojave Desert. And what a desert it is. I have included a couple pictures that do no justice in showing either the starkness nor the beauty of the Mojave. If you click on the pictures they should enlarge and that might help show some perspective.

The trip today was uneventful. We went down the I-5 to Lost Hills and then east through Almond groves to highway 99. We went south to Bakersfield then east on highway 53 to Barstow ( for some reason I like the sound of that town - Barstow ), then east on Interstate 40 to Needles. Big wind all day, mostly pushing us towards Nevada and Arizona. We left California and entered Nevada beside the Colorado River to a small "resort" where we are staying for $20.00 per night. It is called the Avi Resort. Google it if you want more information.

We will probably stay here Monday and Monday night then drive into Mesa on Tuesday morning. Tomorrow I may re-assemble a couple of bikes so we can go for a short spin. I may leave them assembled and put them on the bike rack for the run into Mesa. We'll see what the weather is doing. I don't want to spend a lot of time cleaning them when we first get there.

We are staying healthy. Another visit to the gym after we checked in today. Interesting story here. We met a senior gentleman in the gym. He asked where we were from. When he learned we were from Canada, he is from Idaho, he wanted to ask us some "questions". I guess we are a bit of a novelty. The questions were predictable. What is our health care plan like and "what is going on with our gun controls"? We were frank on the health care and polite on the gun issue. I have a hunch these questions will come up again and again over the next 2 months.


Dana making lunch outside of Barstow, California


Mojave desert scene


Mojave desert scene

California here we are!

January 29th - We crossed from Oregon into California under scattered clouds, some fog and very cool temperatures. Here is a nice picture of Mt Shasta (elevation 14,162 feet). The mountain dominates your first 50 miles as you enter California on Interstate 5.

Not much to say about the scenery in North Central California. Flat Sacramento River Valley. Lots of Agri-Food production (rice, olives, almonds, etc.). The day was mostly gray and cool. We stopped for coffee north of Sacramento where we asked about the weather conditions. The young fellow we were speaking to told us that it had been foggy for 3 days and that it had not rained since January 1st.

One definite highlight of the day was that it was great bird watching day. We saw many, many hawks mostly Red-Tail and Harrier. We also saw Snow Geese and many Great Egret.

South of Sacramento is the city of Stockton. Stockton is in the top 3 in the U.S.A. for housing foreclosures. We passed a huge mall on I-5 that was completely shut. The mall included all the big names including Target. It will likely be years before their economy returns to pre-meltdown.

Tonight we are relaxing in a Holiday Inn in Santa Nella. It could be a fun place to stay if the weather was decent. Non the less, it is comfortable and has a small gym which gave us a chance to get in 45 minutes of vigorous exercise after being in the 4Runner all day.

Here are a few pictures from today.


Mt. Shasta


Stockton on the map


Closed business in Stockton - one of hundreds....


Santa Nella Holiday Inn - view from the deck outside our room.

January 28 - Making progress....

Finally we are pointed south and making good progress towards our ultimate destination - Arizona. We spent the last 2 days with our beloved Aunt and Uncle on Whidbey Island. Apart from the wonderful visit, we had the opportunity to recharge our batteries and prepare ourselves for the long road trip to Mesa, Az.

Today we left Whidbey Island on the 8:00 a.m. ferry. The short ride, 30 minutes, put us back on the mainland just west of Everett, Washington. Although we had to battle rush hour traffic through Seattle, we did manage to make excellent time. Soon we passed through Tacoma, Olympia, Vancouver, Wash., Portland, Oregon , Albany, Salem and Eugene before stopping at our destination for the night in Canyonville, Oregon.

As soon as we checked into the hotel we hit the gym for a brisk 40 minutes of cycling, weights and running. Then it was dinner, showers and a good book. We are trying to make sure we exercise each day which is tough to do on the road.

Tomorrow we head into California to our destination of Santa Nella. Palm trees tomorrow night.....

We're off .........slowly....

January 25th - We are off the Island. We caught the 3:00 ferry from Swartz Bay to Tsawwassen. On the way to the ferry terminal I mentioned to Dana that while we were definitely on our way I just could not help but feel that it was all a bit surreal. It seems we have been planning the trip for so long and to finally be on our way, well, it's a bit overwhelming. I'm sure we will get over this feeling, and soon.

Tonight we will relax at the farm in Point Roberts. Tomorrow we head south to visit Aunt Lynda and Uncle Bob on Whidbey Island. We begin the long trip south on Friday. Once we hit the road on Friday we plan to stay on Interstate 5 to central California and then head east through Bakersfield, Barstow and then to Laughlin, Nevada. From Laughlin it is a short hop to Phoenix then Mesa, our destination.

On this day last year we rolled into Tucson, Arizona where we stayed until the end of February. Our trip south last year was "eventful" as we dodged weather systems all through Washington, Oregon and California. I checked the weather and highway reports this morning and it looks like this year we will travel in sunshine and warm temperatures as soon as we get to California. The weather in Mesa has been warm to hot. Something to look forward to after a wet, cold (cool) winter in Victoria.

I will try and be faithful to the blog and write as much as I can. Last year I wrote most days and managed to include many pictures of interesting things that we saw along the way. I'll do the same this year.

In case anyone was wondering, yes, all 3 bikes are making the trip this year. All 3 are nicely tucked in behind the front seat of the 4Runner. 2 sets of wheels in the Thule and one in the back seat with the frames. I just know that I'm taking way to much stuff again this year. Maybe if I practice this for several more years I'll get really good at it...... yeah!

Sunday, January 23rd

Two sleeps and we are off......

Dreaming of Arizona.......

Mesa Regal RV Resort is on my mind..... We leave for Arizona in 10 days.


January 15th. Victoria. It's pouring rain!