I've been wrapped up in Alaska planning and taking extra time to get entries posted on that subject, but we've stayed pretty busy with other things as well.
RV Park Activities
I'm still playing pickleball three or four times a week here at Butterfield RV Resort. It's officially scheduled for Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. but a few of us have decided to play every day at 10:00 assuming the weather is decent, and I've been teaching a little strategy for those that are interested. In addition, I still play golf a couple times a week.
Linda has been teaching Mah Jongg here at the RV resort, and they now have four to eight people that play a few nights a week. While the stereotype is that only American Jewish mothers or women in retirement communities play Mah Jongg, younger generations are playing. And men are starting to find that it's not just a women's game, and it's becoming a social game for couples to play.
Though there is luck involved, there is more strategy than many other games, and I enjoy it. And, there are standards for playing for money, which adds to the strategy. We don't play for money here, but I'm looking forward to adding that aspect down the road. Anyway, we now have three guys playing, and Linda has got a nice little group going. One thing about Mah Jongg is you have to concentrate and think through your strategy while watching closely what the others are doing. If nothing else, it keeps your mind sharp.
My father-in-law, Adam, says he likes it when Linda's Mom plays Mah Jongg with her friends at their house because they are quieter than usual due to the need to focus. :)
Mah Jongg was created in China, but it has been modified to an American version. Linda and the others are playing American Mah Jongg according to National Mah Jongg League rules.
Other than that, I've been streaming college basketball and we've attended a few RV park events. Well, I attend the ones that involve food like the Super Bowl party, and Linda attends several others like bingo, wine & painting, etc.
Forever Home Donkey Rescue
Now Linda hasn't been playing pickleball with us recently because she and her friend, Suzanne, have gotten involved with the Forever Home Donkey Rescue a few mile outside of Benson. "Forever Home" provides a "home for life to donkeys" that have mental and/or physical problems or are just too old or otherwise not "adoptable". They also take in healthy donkeys and work to get them adopted.
Many of you know that Linda loves donkeys. In fact, we now have donkey art on the wall in our rig.
Linda found a donkey painting she liked, and her Mom used it as inspiration to do this colored pencil drawing. While in Florida over the holidays they both worked on it, completed it, framed it, and now "Darby" the donkey is part of our decor, .... and Linda smiles every time she looks at him.
So, Linda and Suzanne have been going out to "Forever Home" several days a week to brush the donkeys and interact with them. There are currently 23 donkeys out there ranging from miniature donkeys to mammoth donkeys, and the ladies know all their names and personalities.
Here's Suzanne brushing a mini named Pepsi.
And here is Linda walking one of the new donkeys - Trudee.
Linda and Suzanne are going to be walking Trudee and her son, Chancer, in two upcoming parades - the Tucson Rodeo Parade on February 21 and the Tombstone Wild West Days Parade (Salute to the Men & Women of the Armed Forces) on March 16. The Tuscon Rodeo Parade is billed as the longest non-motorized parade in the U.S. There are no cars, trucks, motorcycles, or motorized floats in this two and a half mile parade.
The donkeys and the donkey walkers will be in costume. But until then, the donkeys just get a good brushing, some affection, and lots of animal cracker treats.
Linda with Quilla.
Big Gus looking for more animal crackers.
Gigi with her ability to make her tongue go 90 degrees.
Rosie smiling.
"Forever Home" is a private sanctuary run by John & Tish Hiestand. They are not a registered non-profit, and though they accept donations, they don't solicit them. It's truly a labor of love.
In Tish's own words:
My husband John, and I have a small private sanctuary for donkeys that needed a better home & for one reason or another would not be adoptable under normal circumstances. Some of our donkeys have physical or emotional problems. Some are old, many have ongoing medical problems that need daily attention. Every day with the donkeys is a learning process for me, & I would like to share these wonderful creatures with anyone that is interested.
We occasionally get in donkeys that are young, healthy, adoptable and work to find homes for them. But our primary objective is to provide a sanctuary for those that have run out of options. As a private sanctuary, we are limited on how many animals we can take in. But I hope we never have to say no, to a donkey that REALLY needs a home.
And though the situations are often sad, they have fun with it.
And here is a sign from their blog taken at one of their outings.
And though some of you may have answered "yes" to that question, if you are in the Benson area, maybe you could kiss another one. :)
Oh, by the way, they have workampers that help care for the donkeys. I believe they have three full hook-up sites, and Suzanne is going to move from the RV park out there the first of March for her first volunteer workamping gig.
Linda and Suzanne also went to The Oasis Sanctuary for parrots one day and did some volunteer work. Though Linda loves birds as well, they both preferred working with the donkeys.
RV Bathroom Faucet Replacement
Oh, we did replace our bathroom faucet. The faucet that came with the rig barely allowed enough room to wash your hands in the sink.
So, we bought a new faucet at Home Depot, and Linda installed it with a little assistance from me. It wasn't easy, but we got it done and the difference is wonderful.
Hiking At Chiricahua
One day, we decided to take Suzanne to Chiricahua (cheer-a-cow-a) National Monument. She invited a few others along - Sue and John & Evelyn. John & Evelyn have been full-timing a little under a year and have the website LandYachtCruisers.com.
The plan was to do the Big Loop Trail which Linda & I hiked back in November of 2008 - See Big Loop Hike on NatureTravelers.com for details and lots of photos. It is, to this day, one of our favorite hikes.
We started at the Echo Canyon Loop Trail parking lot.
Though we've done this hike before, it's an 8.5-mile trip with quite a bit of elevation change in the ups and downs, and Linda hasn't done anything that long since we hiked out of the Grand Canyon back in April of 2013. I was a little concerned as to whether our group would be up for it. But it was a beautiful day, we went slow, and took plenty of breaks.
They were all troopers, even when I told them I mis-calculated the distance at 7.5 miles when it was actually 8.5.
Below is a map of The Big Loop Trail minus the Inspiration Point side trail which would have added another mile. Click on the image below for a larger version.
The Heart of Rocks loop in the middle of the hike is one of the highlights in the park, but to include it requires at least a seven-mile round-trip hike no matter where you start on the trail system. It also requires a little bit of fairly easy rock scrambling.
The night before, snow dusted the distant mountains providing us with an even better view out beyond the rock pinnacles.
Having visited Pinnacles National Park in California last summer, I have to say that this park is far more deserving of that name.
We were all tired by the time we got back to our cars, but it was a fantastic day, and everyone was quite happy with the hike and their accomplishment.
Havasupai & Havasu Falls
Many years ago, I saw a photo of the blue water Havasu Falls just outside the southwest corner of Grand Canyon National Park.
Since then, it's been one of those spots that I have to visit. This waterfall and a few others are located in Havasu Canyon on the Havasupai Indian Reservation, and it requires a ten-mile one-way hike to get there.
It has also become very popular, and the tribe has, over the years, become more and more protective and selective in who can visit. They have a lodge and a campground, but you used to be able to do a day-hike if you were up for the 20-mile round-trip including the 3,400-foot climb back out of the canyon.
Now, you can only camp at the campground, but they limit the number of people, and you have to stay (or at least pay for) a minimum of three nights. And reservations are required through their website. Oh, and the camping fee for this primitive campground without designated sites is $100 per person per night ($125 on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday).
Also, though tour companies used to be able to lead guided tours (at exorbitant rates), for 2019, the tribe has put a one-year moratorium on commercial guide services.
So, when 2019 reservations opened on February 1, I spent a couple of hours trying to get a reservation in April before we head to Alaska. I followed all the instructions, got an account ahead of time, put in my payment information ahead of time, and logged in well before the 8:00 a.m. opening of the reservations.
But several thousand people did the same, and the system couldn't handle the volume. I had the dates I wanted but the system kicked me out before I could get them confirmed. By the time I got back to the calendar to select dates, the system was so bogged down many people were getting kicked out or sat in a loop they couldn't get out of. Those who didn't log in before 8:00 a.m. had no chance - they couldn't even log in.
It was one big mess, but the lucky ones were able to complete their transactions and, within an hour, all the prime dates in the Spring, Summer, and Fall were gone. Eventually, after about an hour and a half, I could have gotten dates in February, but decided to pass.
By the way, if this is something you might like to do in the future, there is a helpful public group on Facebook - Havasupai & Havasu Falls. Of course, I think all 59,000 of them were logged in and trying to get campground reservations on Feb. 1. :)
You see, they now have a transfer system. Lots of people booked whatever dates they could get, but as they find they can't go on those dates, they can re-list them on the reservation site transfer page (you have to have an account to access it). The dates for later in the year get snatched up, but for those dates that give little notice, the folks that bought them may not be able to re-sell them and there are no refunds. No one is allowed to re-sell their spots outside the tribe's reservation system - if you try, your reservations will be canceled without refund.
I was trying to get two spots, but Linda doesn't really care if she goes, so I can pretty easily pick up a single spot. I may go by myself in March, or I might wait until April and snag a last-minute transfer. I'm not giving up just yet, as I'd like to do it this Spring before we head back east this Fall after we return from Alaska.
Valentine's Day
Linda and Suzanne headed out to "Forever Home" in the morning and found some of the donkeys had been decorated.
Later that night, we joined about 50 others here in the RV park for the Valentine's Day dinner at the banquet hall.
This year, Linda decided to give herself a Valentine's Day present. A few days prior, she and Suzanne visited the Amerind Museum (Research Center, Library, & Art Gallery) in nearby Dragoon where she met Pueblo artist Duane Maktima. After a couple of emails and a return visit, Linda commissioned Mr. Maktima to create a ring for her using one of the stones Linda picked up on a Washington beach last summer. She's been wanting to do that, so she is very excited, and we're both looking forward to seeing the finished product. It will be a special piece.
Well, that pretty much gets us caught up. Now, I'll get back to Alaska planning and posting more Iceland entries. Until next time.
Volunteering at a Donkey rescue...what a wonderful thing to do and so fun. Good for Linda !! She always finds great ways to stay busy I really admire that. I love waterfalls but have to say between the cost and the hike ...seems like too much. Good luck to you though I hope you get to check it off your list.
Posted by: Tracy Perkins | Monday, February 18, 2019 at 08:36 PM
Oh those donkeys are adorable!! Sounds like you two are keeping very busy - glad the smaller rig is working out for the longer stays too.
Posted by: Jodee Gravel | Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 10:45 PM