JANUARY VISITS FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY

January has flown by with visits from our friends and family.  We've had so much fun sharing our favorite Arizona experiences with them.

On Jan 10, Bill and Marcia Novak, friends and neighbors from Sun Valley arrived for a week in "sunny warm" Arizona.  What they got was the the longest "cold snap" in twenty years...but it was sunny!   We recommended the Westward Motel which is only about a mile and a half from our RV park, and basically the only motel within miles.  The Westward is a quaint motel, having it's origins back in the 1960's.  I believe it sat vacant for years till Rande the current owner began restoring and renovating it.  There are four bright spacious rooms with Tempur-Pedic mattresses, and a well-equipped kitchen. 

















Behind the motel is a courtyard with a fire pit and gas grill for guests to use.













After checking out the huge flea market in Quartsite, we drove north along the California side of the Colorado River to Lake Havasu City to show them the London Bridge.  This was the first time we drove the CA side and were pleasantly surprised to see several wild burros along the way.  We also enjoyed a day in Wickenburg and a drive through the Sonoran Desert to Alamo Lake stopping for lunch at the Wayside Inn.

Friday, we went to Dos Amigos for the "all you can eat fish fry," and Saturday we celebrated Ellen's 71st birthday at Buckeroos listening to the Highway 96 Band. 

On Sunday, Keith's cousin Dale (Rod's brother) from Fort Lauderdale arrived for a week-long visit with them, and on Tuesday, the four men headed to Scottsdale for the Barrett-Jackson car auction.  Marcia and I relaxed, vegging out for a few hours while the men were gone.   

On Wednesday, we drove into the Superstition Mountain east of Phoenix stopping at the Goldfield Ghost Town and then Tortilla Flat for lunch.  Since their flight home was at 7 a.m. the next morning, we had decided to have them stay at the Best Western Airport Inn overnight.  So, after a wonderful dinner in Phoenix, we said goodbye to our friends, looking forward to seeing them again in April.

Ironically, the week after Bill and Marcia left, our temperatures hit all time highs in the 80's.  I started getting a cold and hoped that it wasn't the flu which has been going around. 

Sunday, we took the other 'Bears' out to The Desert Bar.  There were hundreds of people there enjoying the the warm weather.  The food was great but the lines were long.

The Desert Bar

The Three Bear Boys

As the end of the month and my visit from Gwen and Mary Ellen approached, my cold worsened.  So, the day before their arrival, and after suffering for about 10 days, I went in to the clinic in Wickenberg.  They gave me a breathing treatment, a shot and antibiotic prescription...and asked why I waited so long???  And within two days I had no symthoms; amazing.

We picked up Gwen and Mare from the airport on Tuesday afternoon and headed for the Westward again.  I picked the girls up in the morning and after a leisurely brunch, we headed to Wickenburg to check out the shops and a Mexican dinner at Anita's Cocina.

Thursday, Mare's friends, Bob and Margo from Colorado, checked in to the motel.  (I'm thinking Rande needs to be giving me a commission on all the business I'm bringing to him :)  While they visited, Gwen and I shopped at Westergreen's Pottery before heading to Quartsite to check out the flea market.  Gwen bought a gorgeous silver and coral bracelet.  Later, Rande built a fire for us in the courtyard.  Rod and Ellen joined us there for happy hour and then we grilled burgers for supper.  Nice.

After Bob and Margo left Friday morning, the 'three amigos' headed to Los Algodones, Mexico.  We had lunch and margaritas at the open-air El Paraiso Cafe'.  It was fun watching Mare 'haggling' with the vendors; not sure who won but she got some nice things.  I found it interesting how differently the vendors treated us compared to how they treated me last year when I was with Keith.  (They don't wanna mess with these women!) 

We took it easy on Saturday, driving just a few miles into the desert to the old Harquahala Mine.  Ask Mare why you shouldn't wear canvas sneakers while walking near the "Jumping Cholla" cactus.  I did warn her!

After a week of beautiful sunny days, it was overcast as we drove to Sedona on Sunday.  But, it was a nice drive, and even having been there last year, it's still awesome to see the red rocks as you enter the area.  We took the Old Bear Wallow jeep tour climbing the early stagecoach route along Schnebly Hill Rd through Bear Wallow Canyon onto the Mogollon rim with stunning views of Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon 2,000 feet below.  We had the best jeep driver, Rocky, who was funny but had a wealth of information on the area.  Later, we had a good dinner at The Barking Frog, and spent the night at Kokopelli Suites.  In the morning, we stopped at Sedona's Tlaquepaque (pronounced Tla-keh-pah-keh) Arts & Crafts Village before heading to Scottsdale to meet with my friend Carol for lunch.  It was a nice relaxing time before dropping the girls off at the airport hotel and driving back to Salome.

We did a lot this month but we had the best time sharing our Arizona experience with our friends and family.