Spring Trip to Arizona  starting March 2022

 

Day 1 23rd

We finished packing after breakfast. The last minute stuff like milk and cereal and toiletries. We drove to the head of the driveway and hooked up Goldie to the motorhome and off we went at about 10:15 am or so. Got over to I-5 South and went South to I-84. It was a beautiful drive along the Columbia river. Not too much traffic either. Between Hood River and The Dalles there were some wind gusts that pushed us around a little. Once we got to the East of the Cascades it was sunny and nice. Spent the night in Boardman, OR for the night at pull through site 34. Eggs, little smokies and toast for dinner. Thia is one of our favorite places to say, thanks to Karen Sandberg’s helpful travel suggistons from years ago.

 

 

Day 2 24th

We had a nice stay in Boardman and headed out East again on I-84 at about 9:30. Pleasant drive, no wind or rain. Got to 70 today very pleasant. Spent the night at Ambassador RV Resort space 108 in Caldwell.ID.

 

Day 3 25th

Nice RV park, very upscale looking. Heated East on I-84, Traffic through Boise was good, nottoo crowded at 10 am. Just outside of Boise we saw our first amtlope, a herd of about 10. We stopped for lunch near Jerome. Spent the night in Snowville, just over the border into Utah. Some snow still along the road but not very much. Got up to 75 today.Stayed at the Earp and James RV park which we formally have known as Loddie Da RV park. We have stayed here before. Had ham and potato casserole for dinner. Tillamuck Mudslide icecream for snack.

 

Day 4 26^th

Good drive from Snowville to Ogden and the it was a difficult drive the rest of the day. The freeway was in terrible condition with lots of chuck holes and very bouncy transitions on and off most of the freeway bridges. Traffic not bad but it was windy which did not help driving on the narrow lanes. In some areas there were seven lanes and the speed limit is 80 mph. And me going 60. Saw more antelope. Stopped in Fillmore, UT for the night at Wagons West RV park. Still a day and a half to get to St. Johns. Spagetti for dinner with salad. Yummmmm.

 

Day 5 27^th

Continued south on I-15 to Beaver where I filled up with diesel at $5.22. We turned off the freewayat a rest stop for lunch, Took exit 27 to Hurrican where we conneced to 378. We drove through Colorado City but did not see any “sister wives”. Got to Kanab and stopped for a rest. Just as we stopped my sister Joan called and we talked for a while. Huge snow storms in Vermont. We continued on US 89 to Page AZ where we spent the night in the Walmart parking lot. Had half a Subway each for dinner. Lake Powel is a thing of the past. 

 

    These pictures were taken by Judy from the motorhome as we were driving a gap just before the Paria River between Kanab and Page.

 

Day 6 28^th

Left Page and headed south on US 89. The road was very rough and bumpy and then the wind started blowing and gusting. Whew! Very tiring. Stopped for a late lunch at a rest stop about 20 miles from Winslow AZ. Very gusty still. So we spent the night there at an expanded parking lot at the rest area. Had some homemade soup we brought from home.

 

Day 7 29^th

The weather forcast called for snow above 6000 feet and we were at about 5000 ft. Overnight it rained hard a times. When we woke up no snow, but the huge parking lot were in was mostly filled with semi-trucks and trailers also spending the night. We left the area at 6:30 am hoping to get to St. Johns about 90 miles away before the wind started blowing again. Stopped in Winslow to fill up the motorhome and then to Holbrook where we took 180 south past the Petrified Forest to hwy 61 and the 6 miles furthereast to the RV park, St. Johns RV Resort. We got all set up, vaccumed washed mirrors, cleaned the entry steps, had lunch and rested and took showers before dinner of beef stew. Ahhh! Feels good to be in one spot for a while.

 

Day 8 30^th

We slept for 12 hours last night. Felt good. After breakfast we headed out to the property. The roads were good condition and not muddy. The property was in fine, the leanto was still upright but some of the water drainages were a little deeper and some plant growth was in the path we normally take to the leanto. Walked around as we usually do, picked up some rocks. Found out that someone had cut the fence again so their cows can roam freely. Stopped by the local grocery for some items and found about half of what we wanted to buy. With no TV here Richard has been trying his hand at playing solitare backwards. It does take tons of concentration.

 

 

Day 9 Thurs 31st

After our usual breakfast, first we went to the post office to mail a package, then to the library to use the internet to check email, Facebook, and send the blog. That done, we headed off to Springerville 30 miles away. We noticed on the way out of town the guy who did all the wonderstone work had shut down part of his operation. Will have to check that out. We went to the Springerville ACE hardware to get some things to fix the cut fence and to go to Safeway to get groceries not found in St. Johns. Hit up a couple of “Antique/thrift” shops just to check them out. Got home. Had another dinner Judy had make before we left, plum sauce with pork, fresh asperagas. I read and did Sudoku and Judy knitted and read too while listening to XM radio symphony station. It got up to 62 degrees today with a light breeze.

 

Day 10 Fri April 1

After our normal cereal breakfast we headed off to the property. The sun was shining and it was 57 degrees. Light wind. I spent most of the morning fixing the fence that had been cut. Legal here if a rancher thinks the fence is hindering his dumb cows from going from one place to another. “ Open range” they call it. Or,this is ‘Cattle Country. Lunch time with sandwiches, chips and apple. Judy read while I walked around picking up rocks to send home. Also we just sat and enjoyed the view. At 5 pm we built a fire in our fire pit at the shelter and cooked potatoes and onions on the fire and some marinated steak slices. Yummy. One of our favorite things to do. Got home as the sun was setting.

 

Day 11 Sat April 2

We did our laundry this morning, one of the requirements of travel. After lunch we put together the ingredients to have soft tacos for dinner. Fried the meat here at the trailer. Then off to the property we went. I gathered up rocks to send home and walked around the property looking at things. Judy read a book. Had the tacos for dinner, heating the tortillas on the fire. We waited until dark and I looked around using my UV flashlight. WOW! The gpound was littered with red-orange color of pieces of petrified wood infused calcium carbonate. I did not see any other fluorescent rocks although some seemed to fluoresce blue. The stars in the sky here are spectacular as there is very little light pollution.

Here are more views of the property.

 

Day 11 Sun Apr 3

After our usual morning exercise routine and breakfast, we sat around reading until time to head to Show Low 39 miles away to the White Mountain Gem and Mineral Society which meets on the first Sunday of the month at the local VFW hall. The meeting started with a half hour social hour with food and the meeting lasted from 1:30 to about 3:30. We had a fun time as the people were very friendly and the meeting was well run. After the meeting we went to Walmart and Safeway to buy a few things. Got a precooked chicken for dinner to which we added toast and a salad.

 

Day 12 Mon April 4

Spent a leisurely morning reading and resting. After lunch we went to the property and I dug up some more petrified wood with crystals. After about 2 hours we headed home. Stopped at the drug store on the way. We called a lady at the White Mountain Rock Club to make arrangements to go fossil hunting at their special place at the regional dump. We had fish for diner.

 

Day 13 Tues April 5

Judy was a little down in the weather so I went collecting with two ladies from the White Mountain rock club, Judy and Donna. Just outside of town is the Apache Co. regional landfill. It is in an area what most people would call the bad lands. After getting our permits to enter, we drove about a mile on the dump road and stopped. As it turned out, the collecting area was a “dinosaur” pooping area. So there was lots of fossilized dino poop and lots of small pieces of fossilized bone, presumably from the dino’s eating things. For those who did not know, dino’s used to poop in certain areas just like lots of other animals. So we collected even though the wind was howling which made it difficult even to talk. After about two hours and several bags full we quit. Judy however, had been having her picture taken in various rockhound areas with her inflatable dino costume. We take her picture most appropriately in the dino poop patch. Got back home, had lunch and rested.

 

Day 14 Wed April 6

We decided to go for a drive into the White mountains to Big Lake. Well as we drove toward the lake, the road was still closed because of the snow. Stopped at the overlook on the way down to view the town of Springerville/Eager and the volcanic peaks of the lava flow.

So we said lets try to go to Mt Escadilla to find some chalcedony. Since it was lunch time, we stopped at the Sipe Wildlife area for lunch. Nothing was open yet except the road but we got out our lunch and sat at a table until we got too cold in the wind. We had taken grand kids Jasper and Emerson here several years ago.

So off again to find some rocks but I could not remember exactly the right forest service road to take. We had come in before from the Luna, NM end of the road. We gave up and stopped at Safeway in Springerville to get some groceries on the way home. Chicken on salad for dinner.

Day 15 Thurs April 7

I went to the property to get a few more rocks to fill a box I was sending to the rock club. While looking for rocks I found some more petrified wood that have big crystals. I will get some tomorrow I think. Got back and finished packing the box for shipping. We went to the post office and sent two packages, one to the rock club and one to a friend. Then we headed to the local library to use the internet to check email and to send the blog. We just relaxed the rest of the day, reading mostly.

 

Day16 Fri April 8

Relaxed in the morning. Our friend Laverne arrived yesterday with her trailer so we went to see her this morning. She was so glad to see us as we were glad to see her again. After lunch we went to the property. I had found another log with beautiful crystals in it so I decided to get some more to bring home. We stayed for dinner. Built a fire and roasted hot dogs and had some great potato salad Judy is good at making. Came home at sun set.

 

Day 17 Sat April 9

Went to the property today to do some maintenance work on the roads and drainage. It was so windy Judy had to sit in the car while reading. Very windy most of the day. Got a lot done so rains will not be making big ruts in the road. Had a nice chicken dinner.

 

Day 18 Sun April 10

We went rockhounding today to get some “agate” on the east slope of Mt. Escadilla. It is the third highest peak in Arizona at a little over 10 thousand feet. There is a fire lookout on top which I hiked to some years ago.

The area we went to was the same area we went the last time we were here but this time we had a little trouble finding it. They are doing a lot of logging removing the dead trees which were killed in a big fire about 4-5 years ago. The place did not look the same. What appeared before as a drainage is now a road. See the picture of the Jeep in the road.

When we started looking in the woods we found a lot of stuff. The GPS coordinated of the spot is N 35 deg 56.12,3 W 109 deg 03.334 and it is at 8700 feet if you want to look it up on Google Maps. On the way in we saw a herd of 10 deer and on the way out a herd of 5 deer and one elk who ran across the road. Plus some mountain bluebirds. A little windy and not too warm. Stopped in Springerville at Safeway and got a few things. Had hamburgers and potato salad for dinner. Fun day.

 Pictures of the property

Day 19 Mon April 11

After our normal routine, I washed a bunch of the rocks we have gathered and boxed them up in two medium flat rate postal boxes. Heavy! These will be shipped home. Some really gusty winds this afternoon. Whew! really rocked the motor home. Went to the local thrift store to exchange some books but they were closed on Monday. We have heard two rumors about what is happening here. One is the two coal fired plants will be shut down in a few years and that a new solar panel system will be built. The second is that a wind turbine field will be put up. I guess time will tell. Suppose to have wind gusts of 60-70 mph tomorrow with overnight temperature to below 25 degrees. Omelet and ham and salad for dinner. Ice cream later.

 

Day 20 Tues April 12

Well as predicted it was very windy today with some gusts rocking the motorhome. No rain here. After lunch went to second hand store and got some more books to read, We went to the library to use the internet. Balanced my Visa bill and it balanced, yeah! We had barbecued pork sandwiches for dinner.

 

Day 21 Wed April 13

I went to the property today to try and get some petrified wood with large crystals like I got the other day. No luck in finding really big crystals but got some pretty ones. Walked around the property some with the metal detector and found a bunch of junk the previous owner has left-nails, wire, metal grommets, etc, but no money yet. I took a photo of a rock formation the guy who was renting part of the land before I bought which he said was a sacred rock to the Indians because it had a face on it. Who is to say it is real.

I also tried to make a panorama view of the property but the stitch program I have did not work. Judy went to the neighbors to help her unpack but apparently she was sleeping most of the afternoon. Had quesadilla for dinner.

 

Day 22 Thurs April 14

Quiet day. Took two medium flat rate boxes of rocks to the post office, one was 26 pounds and the other was 24. We then stopped by the drug store to get a few things. I washed some petrified wood that I picked up. We both were reading books a lot of the day. Made arrangements sort of to stay in Sun City area. The place we want to stay in wants pictures of our motorhome before we can register. I guess they are worried about the condition of our 1999 motorhome. I will send them in the morning. Talked to our friends in Tucson to make arrangements to visit them. So all is set for a while.

 

Day 23 Fri April 15

We talked to the forest service and they said the road to Big Lake would be opened today. So off we went this morning. First stopped at the library to email pictures of our motorhome to the place we want to stay in SunCity. A beautiful drive in the White Mountains. What is amazing to me are the large grassy areas so high in the mountains. Kept looking for elk and other criters but all we saw were lots of blue birds. We ate lunch at Big Lake watching the eight fishermen. Saw three fish, trout, caught and they looked like 10-12 inches. We drove 249 a paved road to highway 191. It was so sad to see so much fire damage. Otherwise the drive is very pretty. Once on 191 we drove the short distance to the village of Alpine. A definite tourist stop. Then headed back to Springerville. We made a short side trip through another village Nutrisoso. There in the middle of town were five elk grazing in the meadow.

Stopped by Safeway in Springerville for a few groceries. Back home we signed up for our stay in Sun City, actually the city of Surprise. Had salmon for dinner.

 

Day 24 Sat April 16

Quiet day of reading and relaxing and helping our friend LaVerne unpack some things and helped her get situated as she will be here for six months. I cleaned out and reorganized the big storage area in anticipation of leaving on Tuesday. Judy made goulash and we had salad for dinner. We kept some out for our friend who was to stop by after going to church. Well about 8:30 she shows up her face all bloody. She had fallen on her way over. Ended up calling the aid car for her. They checked her over. They did not think she needed to go to the hospital. Judy spent the night with her for support.

 

Day 25 Sun April 17 Happy Easter

Judy came home about 7:30 and slept till noon. I started getting the motorhome ready for leaving Tuesday.. Checked the oil, looked at the battery's (had to fix the door handle), dumped the sewers and wiped down the outside of the motorhome to get rid of the dust. After lunch went to the property and got a big piece of petrified wood for our friends in Sun City. Put the tools away under the boards again and put away our table. On the way out I locked the gate tight so it can not swing much in the wind. Our friend is doing better today but still bruised of course and had body aches. We had pork chops, salad and potatoes with onions for dinner.

 

Day 26 Mon April 18

Today was the day to get ready to leave for Sun City. Got up to 86 degrees today. Whew. We did laundry this morning. I went to the place where they make lots of sandstone and petrified wood products for sale at national parks and other tourist outlets. Their store had burned down a year or so ago which housed some of their tumblers and huge orbiter polishers. Those were saved and set up in a new faclity across the street. They let me go through their reject pile to get some slabs to use a bases for my rock lights. Hooked up the car, drained the sewer tanks, put stuff away and we will be all set to leave here after breakfast.

 

Day 27 Tues April 19

Left St. Johns at around 7 am and headed to Holbrook and I-40. In Flagstaff took I-17 south to loop 303 and west to El Mirage where the Sunflower
RV park is located. The freeways were in terrible shape and there was a lot of gusty winds at time. Whew. Long and tiring drive. Went to our friends house for dinner and cards. I brought them a big piece of petrified wood with some nice crystals down one side. Laurie surprised me with a belated birthday. The guys won at hand and foot. Hot in Sun City at 100 degrees today. 

Day 28 Wed April 20

After a quiet morning, we went to McDonalds to use their computer internet. The WiFi here at the RV park is worthless. Takes forever to load even email. The McDonalds was in Walmart so we looked for an new Us At;as. No luck. Went to a different Walmart, no luck. We went to Andy and Lauries for dinner and cards.

 

Day 29 Thurs April 21

Windy, really windy today. Stayed at home in the morning. After lunch we drove to Wickenburg and checked out a few antique stores. Hot. We had T-bone steak baked potatoes and salad for dinner.

 

Day 30 Fri April 22

Checked out the Sunflower Resort facilities. Many things were shut down. We stopped by the sewing , lapidary and stained glass club building. The people were very nice. Checked out pool etc. The resort has a special rate from Sept 1 to Jan1 for $1500 for the 4 months. Not bad, we think they are trying to entice use to stay longer and more often. Went to the grocery store to get some things.

 

Day 31 Sat April 23

We went rockhounding today about 15 miles north of Wickenburg to a site seven miles off US 93. The last 6 miles were on a rough didrt road that had suffered from last year’s monsoons. There were deep holes and steep drops into small and many washes . At the site it seemed to have been picked over and over for many years. We were supposed to find desert roses but found none. Skunked. Lots of joshua trees in the area. On the way home we went to an old mining town of Standon. When we got there it was a zoo. The Lost Dutchman mining club had a huge rv park for members. There were over 100 site and many were still occupied. We talked to couple and they said the club and its members pretty much have the area tied up in mining claims. So much for rockhounding there in the old tailings. Got back home, took showers and went to Andy and Laurie’s for dinner.

 

Day 32 Sun April 24

Spent the day relaxing. Went to the pharmacy for Judy to get some prescriptions filled.

 

Day 33 Monday April 25

We took Laurie and Andy rockhounding. We went out US 60 through Wickenburg to a small spot in the road Aguila. The place we were planning to go was about ten miles north. There were some copper mines to check out. After about 4 miles the road was terrible with very very deep dips and ruts. We quit and turned around. We went south of Aguila and took the Aquila Road to a place we were before. Stopped several places before we found a good supply of apache tears and a few chalcedony roses.

We were all having fun collecting. Ate lunch out in the desert. On the way home we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at the Texas Roadhouse on US 60 near Surprise, AZ. Fun day.

 

Day 34 Tues April 26

Took it easy this morning. After lunch we went to hit a few of the many thrift shops in Sun City. Judy bought a couple of shirts. On the way home, stopped at Safeway to pick up a few things. We made hamburgers for dinner. I washed the rocks we collected yesterday.

 

Day 35 Wed April 27

We went to Andy and Laurie’s who took us to Carefree and then to Cave Creek. In Carefree there was a very nice “cactus” park with fountains and pools.

In Cave Creek we found the ultimate rock shop. There were huge geodes some worth up to $50,000. And large rock carvings in the tens of thousands of dollars range. Huge onyx bathtubs. Whew, I think it was more impressive than the Tucson show.

We went to the Horny Toad, a local favorate for lunch and had the Philly prime rib dip special for lunch. Later in the day Andy and Laurie came over for dinner and cards. Shrimp on skewers, with rice containing peas and mushrooms, and fresh asparagus.

 

Dayn36 Thurs April 28

After a busy day yesterday we stayed home. Went swimming in the resort pool and lounged around in the shade by the pool reading. We watched the NFL draft on TV.

Day 37 Fri April 29

Another relaxing day. It has been hot for us Washingtonians. Mid to upper 90’s the last few days. Whew. Made reservations for Tucson. The place we normally go to did not have any spaces for our sized motorhome. We had to settle for a place a few miles further out of town but still a short drive to our friends. The new RV park asked us to send pictures of our “old” RV thiat is pre-2006 RV so we make a trip to McDonalds to use their WiFi.

 

Day 38 Sat April 30

Quiet day again. Too hot for us. Went to Safeway to get medicine and pick up a few things.

 

Day 39 Sun May 1

We took Andy and Laurie rockhounding about 74 miles from Sun City. The place was north on hwy93 to the Baghdad copper mine area.

On place had agate, generally whitish or grays and browns. We picked up enough. We drove a little further and found a place with lots and lots of brownish/yellowish jasper with some reds and blacks. The jasper was all over the place. We got our share. Fun time. The place was far enough from Quartzite,AZ that the area was not stripped clean. We stopped by Panera Bread on the way home using the gift card we received for Christmas from my son’s family. Hot today but a nice breeze while we were rockhounding.

 

Day 40 Mon May 2

Got the motorhome ready to leave Tuesday Morning. Went for a swim in the afternoon and sat by the pool and read for a while, then another dip before going back to the motorhome.

 

Day 41 Tues May 3

Left Sunflower resort and headed south on loop101 onto I-10 east. The neighbor said to take the newly finished loop 202 which bypassed most of the main Phoenix area. The wind was’ blowing sideways to us making the drive not as pleasant as it could have been. Got off I-10 at exit 250 and went about 0.2 miles to South Forty RV Ranch and got escorted to space 23. Called Craig and Wanda and they invited us over and included dinner. We were so happy to see them again. On the way home stopped by Safeway for a few items.

 

Day 42 Wed May 4

We went to Craig and Wanda’s at 10 am and headed to the old city courthouse which had been renovated to hold the gem and mineral collection which used to be housed at the University.

We ate lunch firsrt at the art museum at the cafe called Cafe of D’Cart. Very good lunch.

At the old courthouse the displays of rock and minerals were exceptional. It showed rocks from the beginning of the earth existence to the present.

It emphasized the mineral wealth of Arizona. We went back to their house and had some ice cream Tillamuck Mudslide. Back at home we later had burritos for dinner with salad.

 

Day 43 Thurs May 5

We did laundry this morning. Also, the TV antenna would not crank up so I went on the roof and found the antenna was not in its stored position but was laying in front of the air-conditioner tucked under the lip. I managed to twist it back over the air-conditdioner. It now cranks up and down. The Jeep had a small leak in the right front tire. If I pumped it up is slowly lost pressure. So today I took it to Big-O tire close by and got it fixed. No Les Schwab here who gives free tire repair. We made fish roll-ups for dinner.

 

Day 44 Fri May 6

Craig and Wanda took us bird watching today. We went to Patagonia, AZ to a place to watch hummingbirds mainly and other birds as well. It was great to see so many different ones. We ate our lunch at a Nature Conservancy site next door.

We then headed off to the Box Canyon road where Craig wanted to show me a rock formation. It appeared to be a granite dike in the volcanic rock. There was a small area with quartz with small drusy pyrite areas. I managed to chop out a small piece with a new hammer Craig had given me that he and Wanda had found in the desert. After that we drove to Madera Canyon for some more bird watching. At this place there were wild turkeys, hummingbirds, and lots of Mexican jays.

Went back to Craig and Wanda’s, picked up our car and went home. Made hamburgers for dinner. I think it got to 100 degrees today.

 

Day 45 Sat May 7

We went to Craig and Wanda’s to wait for Dan and Laurie to come from Green Valley. We had lunch at Marisco’s, a sea food Mexican place. I had not seen Dan and Laurie for quite a while and we enjoyed getting together again.

Craig and Wanda live in Tucson all year long while Dan and Laurie head north for three months. After we got home we got some things ready for leaving in the morning. We had such a fun time in Tucson and Craig and Wanda are great hosts.

                                                  

Day 46 Sun May 8 Happy Mothers Day

We left the RV park at about 9 am and headed west on I-10. We took the Phoenix bypass by taking I-8 to Gila Bend then north on 85 tp I-10. Very windy but mostly headwinds. We were going to Parker north of Quartzite but stayed in Quartzite instead. Drove about 250 miles today.

 

Day 47 Mon May 9

Left Quartzite and headed north on AZ 95 to Parker where we stopped at Walmart to get some groceries. Crossed into California driving on 62 to US 95 north. 62 was like riding up and down in a roller coaster but the highway was smooth. Windy but not too bad, at least it did not seem as bad as yesterday. Spent the night at Desert Sands RV in Henderson NV space 113. The temp here at 5 pm was 85 deg. Yeah no more 95 + degrees, we hope.

 

Day 48 Tues May 10

Debated on weather to stay in Henderson due to high wind warning with gusts to 45 mph. We decided to leave anyway because to high winds were not supposed to start until after lunch. Spent the night in Caliente, NV

 

Day 49 Wed May 11

Left Caliente and stayed on US 93 and drove to Ely NV where we ate Lunch. Heading north from Ely there were a lot more cars and semi’s. About an hour from Wells the wind picked up and was very gusty. Whew. At I-80 filled the motorhome with diesel then headed into Wells to Mountain Shadow RV park space 1. At about 4 it started to rain and then mixed with snow. Fun and exciting. Got down to 36 over night. Weather forecast said there could be up to a half an inch overnight. There was a fresh dusting of snow on the local hills in the morning. At least it is not 101 degrees any more.

 

Day 50 Thurs May 12

 

Left Wells and continued north on US 93 to Twin Falls then West on I 84. Twin Falls was the place several years ago where the motor fan lost lubrication and destroyed the fan shroud too. Took many days waiting for parts to get it fixed. We spent the night near Caldwell, ID at Country Corner RV space 11. Judy made goulash for dinner.

 

Day 51 Fri May13

Left Caldwell and continued west on I-84. Pleasant day driving with good road and very little wind but it was mostly a head wind. Low 60’s today. We spent the night at Rufus RV Park a exit 109 off I-84. Nice little park but it was not in our RV campground book. We could see the Columbia river out one window and hear the trains rumble by.

Cube steak and baked potato with salad and beans and corn veggies.

 

Day 52 Sat May 14

Left Rufus and headed home. A little rain in the gorge which was pretty as usual and so green. Got home around 2 pm.