Day 6, 7, 8 and 9 - Goodyear, AZ to Redmond, OR

Day 6 was spent with friends Earl and Nelsine visiting and looking at homes in Sun City Grand. It's a nice area with a lot of activities, but like Goodyear we have pretty much decided to stay in Oregon. Maybe someday, just not now. As in past visits, Earl once again cooked up a great dinner. Although the steak was excellent, I much prefer the clam linguine when his Italian side comes out.

Day 7 was another travel day, this time headed for an overnight in Tehachapi, California. The best I can say for our stay there is we again had dinner at Pacino's Spaghetti Factory, which if you must stay in in Tehachapi is a darn good place to eat. Make not that the Starbucks in right next door for the next morning.

Day 8 started at Starbucks and then Highway 58 took us to Bakersfield. A few back road later we found Interstate 5 and were headed through Sacramento to an overnight in Redding. It's not a long drive, but eight hours of no scenery is in fact eight hours of no scenery. We did stop in Corning at the Olive Pit only to find that they no longer have the Greek style pitted black olives. Arizona Earl turned me on to them years ago and we've always managed to get them in the past.

Day 9 started with a decision on where to have breakfast. After a brief discussion we opted for a Starbucks in Redding and then an hour drive to the original black Bear Diner in Mount Shasta. Good decision. As usual the breakfast was great and soon we were back on the road headed home.

Posted from my iPad 2

Day 4 & 5 - Goodyear, AZ

Day 4 started with bagels, cream cheese, coffee and orange juice. No Starbucks today. Bummer.

Met with a rep from Pebble Creek at 9:00 and got a short update before going on our own for a tour of the model homes. Really nice. Of course building in every option available does make them look really great. We also looked at the Villas, but ruled them out based on lot size.

Spend most of the afternoon just looking around Goodyear and checking out the facilities at Pebble Creek. The facilities are fantastic. The list of activities and groups goes on and on and on. The only limit on outdoor activities would be temperature in summer, which can clear 100 degrees by noon and max out around 4.

Dinner was at Toscana Restaurant, which is in Pebble Creek. Part of our stay included dinner with a Pebble Creek couple and they were very helpful in answering questions about the facility and town.

Day 5 being Mother's Day I got Barb up at 6:00 and took her to breakfast at Mimi's. After a few housekeeping chores we took a drive up to Carefree, Arizona. We were hoping to have a beer at a little place we have frequented in years past, but it was closed. Bummer. Settled for a Starbucks and driving around checking out multi-million dollar homes.

More housekeeping in the late afternoon and packing the car. Three days goes really fast and we are out of here tomorrow morning. We will be heading about 20 miles away for an overnight with friends in Surprise, Arizona.

Posted from my iPad2

Days 1, 2 and 3 - Redmond, OR to Goodyear, AZ

Ok Mike, you caught me trying to sneak out on a little trip without posting, so now I have to play catch up. So be it.

Up at 3:45, quick breakfast, throw a few remaining odds and ends in the car and on the road by 5:05. Made it to Bend for a Starbucks stop and then south on highway 97 headed for an overnight in Carson City, Nevada.

The first thing that was obvious was that I was no longer driving a 2005 Honda Accord with over 182,000 miles. Instead I was sitting comfortably behind the wheel of a new 2014 Ford Fusion Titanium. After spending three months trying to learn all the ins and outs of modern technology I was finally getting a chance to put my learning to use. 154 miles later I stopped at the Ford dealer in Klamath Falls, Oregon to find out how to turn the voice on in the navigation system. A 20 or something year old kid fixed the problem in 5 minutes.

Little towns came quickly, some no bigger that a postage stamp. One such town (about a 25 cent airmail from years gone by) was Adin, California. And Adin was rumored to have the best hamburgers and milkshakes for miles around. As it was only 10:00 the burger was out, but as we all know 10:00 is just about right for a strawberry milkshake. Before leaving we packed a few lunch items and these were consumed at a very nice rest area just south of Susanville, California.

Not much to the rest of the drive. By filling up in Klamath Falls we avoided the $4 plus regular in California. Nevada is a little more reasonable at around $3.80. Our motel for the night was a Hampton Inn, which appeared new and was free. Barb has a way of getting our overnights on points. In fact, all four on the way to Goodyear, Arizona and back home are free. Dinner was at Red's. Recommended by a friend, the pulled pork sandwiches were great and the beer wasn't bad either. So much for day 1.

Day 2 stated with a continental breakfast at the motel and a half mile drive to Starbucks. Today's destination was Las Vegas and if you have ever traveled US 95 in Nevada you know there's just not much to see. Shades of tan mostly. The highway through Hawthorn gives you an excellent view of hundreds of building where the Army stores who knows what. Every 20 miles there was a sign warning of horses for the next 20 miles. Once in awhile there were signs for cows and big horn sheep. Never saw a one.

Las Vegas was traffic as expected. Fortunately we were away from the strip at a somewhat dated but nice Marriott Courtyard. Dinner was at the Cheesecake Factory on a gift card. Free motel and free dinner. Not bad. Back to the motel after dinner and day 2 ended.

Day 3 was an early start. I wanted to get through Las Vegas before the morning rush. I guess it starts earlier than I thought. Eventually we made it to Boulder City for breakfast and Starbucks.

Before going on with day 3, I want to say a few words about the new car. I love it. Thanks Mike! Two visits with you and your Fusion sold me. I have new owned 2 Fords in my 72 years. A 1949 and a 2014. And I can tell you 65 years does make a difference. Besides all the technology, I can't understand how they get 240 horsepower out of a 122 cubic inch engine. But I know they do, because this car moves. Passing is not a problem.

At only about 280 miles, today's drive would be an easy one. Except, of course, for the lack of rest stops. We like getting off the interstates and onto the less traveled roads, but there are some drawbacks.

Our stay in Goodyear, Arizona will be for three nights, all of which will be at Pebble Creek. Pebble Creek is an upscale retirement community that has just about everything one could ever want. Barb, being Barb, got a deal of $149 for all three nights in a two bedroom, two bath home right on a golf course. Even has a golf cart, which we used in the afternoon to check out some model homes. Later in the afternoon it was gin and tonics and vodka and tonics on the patio watching the golfers. This seems to be something I could used to.

Dinner was at Chili's on a gift card. A couple of basketball games later and the day was over.

Posted from my iPad2