Denning to Casa Grande, Arizona

Today's crack of dawn occurred at a much more civilized 9am.  Mind you, travelling westward makes you lose an hour every day or so, so actual crack of dawn and our body equivalent seem to be going in opposite directions.

It was raining pretty hard when we left Denning, and continued to rain for a hundred miles or so.  One of the side benefits was that we had this fantastic rainbow keep pace with us.  Joan managed to make this photo out of the car window. Pretty awesome.

Keep in mind that we were driving through a desert, complete with road signs warning about reduced visibility due to dust storms, sand storms, and other desert nasties. It was unexpected to be able to make this next picture of the rainbow reflected in a rain-made lake that will likely be gone tomorrow. Pretty flat land isn't it.

This next shot is aimed just to the left of the previous one. Note the large mountains in the background.

This is a view from the other side of the highway: lots of water here too.

Further along during the day, we made a little side trip south of Wilmot Texas and a further side trip to the Pikachu National Monument. Serendipity always bring surprises, this one being a very pleasant one. All the pictures that follow were made on this unexpected jewel.

The boulders are huge, and are the result of land upheaval eons ago.  The rocks have broken into large boulders that are precariously balanced atop one another, making pretty shaky looking pillars. Our car adds some scale to measure the size of these boulders.

The canyon drive climbed up to 6800' where the view was even more spectacular. As we gained altitude, the temperature went from 12ºF to 5ºF and the wind increased quite a bit.

Here's another view at the 6800" lookout.  There were skiffs of snow left from previous snow removal, and the clouds were starting to look threatening.

We had to double back through the National Monument and the risk of a wet road possibly freezing over encouraged a fast return [25mph max].

Some areas had no guard rails and drops of a thousand feet or more. No time to stay to gawk at the scenery.

After we left the Park, a neighbouring farm had this playful sculpture of three snowmen, decked out in Christmas garb.  Considering the very high winds, this may be the only option the farmer had to decorate for the festive season.

Speaking of festive, our holiday Inn has a very pleasant restaurant, and roast beef was on the New Year's Eve menu. Not only were the servings large, they were delicious!  ... and we each had a desert!

It's only 9:45pm and Joan's already sawing logs.  When this is finished, I think I'll join her. Here's wishing you all a very happy, prosperous and healthy New Year. May 2017 be your best year so far.

Wichita Falls, Texas to Denning, New Mexico

The crack of dawn occurred at 8:00am this morning, that's quite a record for us since it's been near that almost every day...

Our usual routine is to have the free breakfast at the motel, gas up the car, and hit the road. Normally, we only stop for gas or 'comfort' breaks. Today, the camera was found and used a bit.

At breakfast, the lady keeping the breakfast area clean and re-filled answered each query about 'How are you' with "Too blessed to be stressed".  I think she really meant it and possibly it's something we should all consider...

We passed by miles of cotton fields. Joan picked one and we both marvelled at how it already feels like cotton, even before being processed.

Here's a close-up of a single plant, ready for picking.

This might give you an idea of just how big a single field is, and we drove by miles and miles of these farms.

The particular farm photographed above had this sign at the entrance.  Must have been Texas...

At a rest stop, we saw a car towing an ATV with a rifle case just strapped on, not exactly a soothing sight.

Many of the Texas rest areas have small picnic areas, and often have reasonable vistas. 

Here's another rest stop. Sometimes the views don't change much for hundreds of miles. One of the good things about Texas is the 80 mph speed limit, and you quickly realize just how fast that is when you're stopped at a rest stop.  Cars just whizz by!

We drove through Odessa Texas shortly after 1pm.  They had miles of all types of oil business equipment: some big and freshly made or painted, other pieces rusty and possibly just left to rot further. We saw well over a hundred different businesses selling all manner of equipment, most of it stored outside.

Later, we drove past Sweetwater, Texas, the self proclaimed Wind & Energy Capital of North America. They seemed to build windmills and had literally thousands of windmills spread over a dozen miles or so, pretty well as far as the eye could see.  Quite spectacular.

We're staying at a La Quinta Inn and Suites in Denning New Mexico. We've  noticed that rooms are getting bigger as are the prices.

This is a normal room with a king bed: humongous, quiet and very comfortable.

The high temperature for the day was 12ºF after a -1ºF start. When is it going to get hot?

To be continued...

Defiance Missouri to Wichita Falls, Texas

Another basically uneventful day: sunshine, large rolling hills, beautiful farm properties [many with horses], the usual relatively heavy traffic with appropriate high flyers to follow and gain time for a while.

We drove to Wichita Falls and beyond, only to find that accommodations and restaurants were about to be non-existent, so we turned back and stopped in at a Baymont Inn around 5:30, then proceeded to a Johnny Carino's Italian restaurant nearby.

The food was good, the wine choices pretty good, the prices affordable, and we are now well stuffed,  and pretty well ready to hit the many pillows that have now become the fashion...

Just so you know, gas prices have been coming down as we go South, with 2.09/gal becoming the norm around here.  I've spent as little as $1.999/gal so far: quite a saving from Cdn prices, even with our punishing gas prices and exchange rates. I could almost drive forever down here...

On the 'upside', the snow is long gone, the temperature is 12ºC, and it's been sunny all day.  Could you suggest any improvements?

Tomorrow is promising many opposites: wind farms, cattle feed lots, high speed roads, and flat lands. It gets more interesting, and smells much better when you get past Texas and the early parts of New Mexico...

Hopefully, I'll be making pictures to share soon...

Defiance Ohio to Sullivan, Missouri

The crack of dawn happened at 8:30 this morning and we were greeted by sunshine, the first sighting in a few days.

We drove from really flat farming country to gentle rolling hills until we reached Effingham in Illinois.  We arrived at 12:30 local time [Central Time] and met Jan in the Flying J parking lot.  Small screams of joy ensued, hugs were enjoyed, and we walked over to Denny's for lunch.

We had a table somewhat by ourselves, laughed a lot, and had a very good visit. As often is the case, we each ordered the same meal with each of our custom requirements:, no tomato, no peppers, fries well done, etc...  You get the picture.

 Joan mentioned one of the only memorable things seen on our morning drive: a small well built trailer with a painting decorated with the following text: Show Pigs.  The laughter became somewhat uncontrollable.

Since there was still good driving time available, we each went our own way at about 3:10 or so, and we drove until about 6pm, to stop in Sullivan Missouri.

So far we're ahead of schedule by a few hundred miles and seem to be avoiding the many storms left behind us. Looking good!

Stittsville to Defiance, Ohio

It was a fairly long, somewhat boring day where the weather was grey, just above freezing,  small amount of snow [inconsequential], and some mist here and there.  The traffic behaved itself and we managed to trim a whole hour off our estimated time of arrival for Windsor, Ontario.  Since it was only four thirty, Joan suggested we cross the border and we ended up Defiance, Ohio at 6:30  or so. No speeding anymore...

Defiance has very little snow, and it's been very windy since we arrived.  Now for a good sleep and another reasonably early start for an easy drive to Effingham Illinois to meet our friend Jan.

The town has a small Park by the waterside that had very interesting Christmas decorations.  Unfortunately, it was too windy and cold to venture out of the car, so no pixels were reordered so you could see for yourself...  pity.

So no pictures today, but last night was a different story.  We had freezing rain in Stittsville and I went out with camera in hand just before midnight.  This is why we're headed South West...

That's #8 in the middle, and as you can see, the road and snow banks have a nice covering of ice. By morning it was 3ºC and all the ice was essentially gone.

Stittsville

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm safely back at home.  There will be laundry...

North Bay, Ontario

I arrived in North Bay just in time for an excellent BBQ last night. Well worth the 10 hour drive!

I did notice that the police were hiding out at the official passing lanes which I thought was kind of unfair: after all, you're expected to pass safely, which often means you're going faster, or in some cases: much faster, than the speed limit; it seems somewhat unethical to set up speed traps there.  Somewhat like shooting fish in a barrel?

There's a big family reunion here for Kaomi's birthday, so there's lots to do and talk about, even if it's raining right now... Joan and I should be heading back home tomorrow, on Sunday.

Portage la Prairie to Nipigon ON

After a fairly slow 9am departure, I ended up in Nipigon Ontario, trying out the motels that still had vacancies...  How quickly I forgot that all the construction workers had basically taken all the available rooms.

It turns out I had stayed at this particular motel in the past and while it's OK, it unfortunately has smoking rooms... [I think they're all smoking rooms...].

The motel is right behind a drive through place and an Esso keycard station for trucks.  It may not be a quiet night, but that usually hasn't stopped me before.

I should make North Bay tomorrow.

Heather & Michel's garden, Museum of Human Rights

Heather and her husband Michel [my nephew] have always been gardeners, and it shows. Here's a small selection of gardens that they made on their two acres of land.

Below is just one of three patio decks wonderfully decorated with plants.

They also have large areas devoted to Hostas, definitely one of my favourite plant groups.

And here's the interesting Zoey: one of those affectionate loving pets with a very short fuse. You really have to know when to stop petting before Zoey hisses at you...

Heather and I went into Winnipeg for a visit of the Museum of Human Rights.  It's a wonderful museum with enough reading to keep you busy for a day or three. The exhibits were very factual, and they made you aware of mankind' inhumanity over the centuries, as well as the huge progress that has  already been made, and what remains to be addressed.  

This next picture is a very small part of a wall displaying progress during recent centuries.  The wall is likely more than 30 metres long!

There were many displays, and this one was representing an artist whose name escapes me: the artist hung red dresses in the forest which must have been a sight to see.  Here's a shot of one of the dresses, followed by the whole display with a picture of the installation in the forest as a background.

The architecture of the museum was stunning.  This next shot is of the white translucent stones that bordered the ramps from one floor to the next. These translucent blocks of stone held me in awe as we walked from floor to floor.

If you are ever in Winnipeg, I heartily recommend at least a full day at this exceptional museum.  The building itself deserves a few dedicated hours...

High Bluff Manitoba

I've arrived safely at Michel and Heather's home in High Bluff, Manitoba.

I've made many pictures of their mind blowing gardens which I hope to have ready to show tomorrow.

The weather here is comfortable, and I'm building up my immunity to mosquitos...

More to follow.

Okotoks to Grenfell SK

After a great week with family, followed by many sad hugs, it was time to head east. My initial target was Regina Saskatchewan, but as I got nearer, there was a tornado, hail, and heavy weather warning so I moved on to Grenfell SK.

I shot these pictures just before supper. The first is the lawn in front of my motel: the Grenfell  Homesteader Motel.  I'm pretty sure it's the only show in town.

Next is a view eastward along the TransCanada: more weather eastward.

And now, the view to the West, with the Esso sign promising a restaurant.

And lastly, the ever present welcome sign to town.  Note the towns'  distinctive awards. [you can click on any picture to see them all larger]

After those pixels were safely tucked away, I braved the stiff wind from the west, and tested what is likely the only restaurant in town: the Esso restaurant.

The place was surprisingly busy: a large table down the middle with at least 12 adults and kids just finishing their deserts. While I waited for my hamburger steak & onions to be delivered, two or three more couples walked in.  As I ate, the large table emptied and more people started coming in. I seemed to be one of the very few that wasn't a local...  All in all, a good home cooked and tasty meal.

Of course, it poured outside and the stiff wind made sure the later arrivals at the restaurant were completely soaked, a fate I expected would be mine on the walk back to the motel.

On chap arrived in soaked motorcycle leathers and I overheard him saying he just wanted a coffee since he was waiting for the storm to pass over, after all, there was a ridge of brightness under the clouds to the west.

He was right!  The wind was still howling when I walked back, but I was dry. After dealing with the pictures for this entry, and as I write this, the sky turned blue in all directions until sunset. Now it's almost completely clouded over again with menacing dark clouds. I hope the motor cyclist reached that small area of brightness that I can just see under the western clouds...

As they said in Calgary, if you don't like the weather, just wait a bit and it will change.

Heritage Day

Heritage Day has been a fun day. Jacob found a good deal for a scooter on Kijiji to replace his missing one, so today was a great day to try it out at the scooter park.

Eric was trying out his camera on a small tripod to make scooter movies, and here he is being filmed by his camera and mine...

Jacob's scooter may not be very visible in this shot, but it does seem to jump tall trees...

Scooters apparently require a lot of energy: here are the guys recharging...

Levitation seems to be a prerequisite for using a scooter...

After lunch we all headed off to the dog park in Black Diamond. Here's a picture of our chauffeur du jour!

The dog park runs along a small stream with swimming holes here and there.  This is Dexter jumping in the water from the short cliff that separates the path from the water.

As others chose to get wet, I found a few flowers to shoot; I hope you enjoy them.

Olympic Park Sports Museum

Sunday we had some fun at the Olympic Park Sports Museum.  Here's a family 'portrait' in the Jamaican ice sled. 

One of the major sights on Sunday was an infectious laugh that was present all day...

The Olympic site has a podium and our stalwart sports group took centre stage.  

It looks like Jacob is going to be a terrific actor or a legend in his own mind.  Either way, he's very amusing and much fun to be with.

Here's Jacob rounding out for a KO punch.  

Shadow boxing is such a hoot...

Eric delivers a crushing blow in the next shadow boxing round...

Here's Eric the announcer  commenting on the state of affairs in sports...

On Friday night, we had a major storm warning, claiming high winds, hail, and other nasties...

Saturday news were much the same: hail warnings, etc.

Sunday, not so much: sunny with possibility of rain.

Just a little background info: in the last month, Okotoks had a major hailstorm that damaged Nick and Colleen's house as well as many other houses in the immediate vicinity. Hail damage in not fun: insurance deductibles are high, and repair estimates are higher! Repairs from the last hailstorm are still ongoing.

Our possible Sunday rain had turned into a hailstorm!

Nick offered to drive my car from the road, where it was parked, to the front of the garage, where the wind was less powerful, and the area protected somewhat. 

He ran for my car, I ran for my camera.

Nick definitely drew the short straw: I was safe and dry in the garage, he was in an unfamiliar car, with a frosted windshield, and zero visibility. 

As you can see in the picture below, nothing is visible through the windshield, yet Nick drove my car into the driveway and out of the serious winds. My Son is my hero, ... again.

You can see the hail bouncing off the roof, and the accumulation on the driveway.

The storm didn't last long, but a fair bit of hail accumulated everywhere.  We've saved some in the freezer for eventual cocktails...  

I'm sure the car survived nicely, to be confirmed by an early morning inspection.

Tomorrow looks like an usual sunny day in Okotoks, so outdoor activities will be in order.