January 1 – February 29, 2024

Ho-hum, another two months spent relaxing at home, doing nothin’ and constantly repeating the same ol’ conversation… “whatya want to do now?” “I dunno, whatya wanna do” “I dunno” “I’m bored” “Me too” NOT. It was a busy time for us.

We finished 2023 with a geo-event in Apache Junction and that’s the way we kicked off 2024, with a geo-event early on the 1st next door in Gold Canyon. From then on it was a blur of doctor and dentist appointments, roadtrips, mom in AJ visits and projects, mom in Globe projects, geocaching (a buggy ride in the desert south of Florence with Kevin & Jennifer and Randy), birthdays, and other stuff. Occasionally we managed to spend time doing nothing, or at least our version of doing nothing, like golf, yoga classes, or puzzling. 

The first roadtrip was down to Bisbee to check out a restored vintage travel trailer. We’ve been looking for a small pre-1970 canned-ham style trailer to use on shorter RV trips and camping getaways. We looked at three in January; so far we haven’t found the right one, sellers want too much for restored trailers or the old leaky torn-up trailer that’s been serving as a storage shed for 50 years needs a lot of work. The next roadtrip could be considered “dental tourism.” We spent two nights in Yuma so I could enjoy many hours of torture in the dentist chair getting five crowns — for just a little more than one crown would cost in the States! — across the border in Los Algodones, Mexico, otherwise known as Molar City. While I was in the chair, Sherry wandered the streets looking for bargains and good food, probably a geocache too. We also had dinner and time to reminisce with long-time RVing friends John & Bonnie, occasional winter residents of Yuma. On the 27th Sherry and my mom went down to the annual Superior Home Tour while I spent the day getting “oriented” for my job at the Arizona Renaissance Festival (RenFest).

Our February calendar made January seem dull and uneventful. While on my way to the VA vampire (blood draw for an upcoming doctor visit) in town on the 1st, I noticed the check-engine light in the truck dash was on. Dang-it…I was leaving on a nine day roadtrip in two days, I didn’t need truck trouble. So among other errands that day I had to figure out the truck issue. After diagnosing the problem, a mechanic told me it was a known issue and dealers would fix it for free, but there’s no chevy dealer in Globe. I was able to contact one in the Valley and get an appointment early the next morning. My nine day trip suddenly became a ten day trip and I left early on the 2nd. 

But first, Sherry’s trip…she left on the 2nd too. She met Curt & Coleen in Gold Canyon and together they drove to Yuma for a weekend of geocaching and to attend the 20th Annual Yuma Mega (geocaching) Event. They rented an Airbnb house for 3 nights, put many miles on Curt & Coleen’s vehicle in search of MANY new geocaches, ate at some great restaurants, and socialized with other geocachers. Back in the Valley on Monday, she spent the night at her mom’s so she could be with her on her 85th birthday on the 6th. My mom joined them that evening for a musical show in Gilbert and birthday dinner afterwards; my Mom’s 83rd birthday was just a few days later.

My trip to get the truck fixed on the 2nd was a bust. The truck fixed itself and the check engine light disappeared on the way down to the Valley, and the dealer told me it would be a waste of money to try to diagnose the problem without the light on and the “free” fix expired in 2021. Great, thanks. So I spent all day shopping in outdoors stores and Ikea for Sherry then spent the night truck camping at the RenFest on the extreme east side of the Valley, an hour from Globe. 

The first of nine RenFest weekends started on the 3rd. I’m doing my usual thing, a Pubbie serving beer, wine, and mead in Tudor Rose Pub along with my third-year-partner, Shelly.

Spent two nights sleeping and two days working the RenFest; a night at brother Tod’s place in Phoenix followed by breakfast with Tod, sister Sara on her birthday and nephew Nick; a drive to California to check out the General Patton Museum at Chiriaco Summit on I-10, and a short hike and a night camping in Joshua Tree National Park; the next day met up with Alaskan friends Dave & Diane by the museum and drove several miles off the interstate on a gravel road into the Chuckwalla Mountains for a two-night campout at Corn Springs; on the drive back to the west side of the Phoenix area on the 8th, I crossed paths with nephew Justin on his birthday and his daughter Tayla, who turned 18 the next day, at a Burger King in Blythe, CA while they were on their way to Disneyland then spent the night at White Tank Mountain Regional Park; played golf at the Luke AFB course the next day, then drove in rush-hour traffic back to the east side and spent two more nights and cold days at the RenFest. Whew…fun trip! Oh, the truck check engine light lit up again on my way to California, thankfully it wasn’t a trip-stopper. Great, thanks. (If you need closure on this one…the NOX sensors were replaced on the 15th in Globe, at my expense$$$, no more problem.)

To celebrate the 112th anniversary of Arizona’s statehood on February 14th we joined Curt & Coleen again for another of our regular desert geo-hikes in Apache Junction (seems there’s a never-ending supply of geocaches to find in and around AJ) and lunch at Cane’s Chicken. Some traditionalists prefer to call it Valentine’s Day and mushy it all up with chocolate and flowers, we kept it simple by wearing red shirts to avoid ridicule.

And of course we had to end the month and this blog with another geo-event, an event hosted by Coleen in AJ that only happens every fourth year on February 29th.

Hope you like new blog format…a new year, a new chapter in life, a new look. Life is Good.