Swapping Our Rides...@ Dogpound South!

You read right! And there was more...so much more!

Heading south on I-10 from Phoenix/Mesa - Monday morning!

We rode west from Gold Canyon, Az., south through the town of Maricopa, then west again to foothills ranch country, for a bit of ride swapping,  horsin' around, lunch and enjoying the company of a really fun and interesting couple and also meeting a couple of really nice horses with good sense.....at least for their calmness in letting us mount their saddles.

Rolling in to Dogpound South - winter home of JB and Brenda

John & Brenda's Incredible Journey is a blog we have been following for better than two years now and we've always enjoyed this couple's journey in life.  They do it well.

One hour after leaving our RV park, we rolled into their lovely spot in the Maricopa County desert. Having read and shared many email and blog comments,these past few years, meeting them was like meeting old friends.  It felt that way instantly....and remained so throughout a most pleasing afternoon.

L-R    Brenda, JB and Jeanette  -  Two roses between a really nice fella!

We exchanged hugs then sat down to chew the fat, share some laughs, learn more about us and them and, the 'piece the resistance'  was an amazing lunch that Brenda threw together. 

We were invited for lunch and ended up dining, 1st class.

So good.......

Yes, blogland readers, Brenda did prepare - and we got to taste - her famous cheesie potatoes, garlic bread, along with a scrumptious spinach salad and topped off with thick and juicy, barbecued, big country, steaks. 

There were four identical plates like this, in the photo above!  That was one 'big country' lunch, let me tell you!

Yummy!  We were stuffed...when Brenda offered up a home made baked apple pie.  We had to work off some of that lunch first so they suggested we get to horsin' around.  That we did.

Out from the pens came two of their horses.

Brenda had the idea of swapping rides.  We were in for that!  So, JB saddled up his horse, 'Blue', that I sat on, while Jeanette sat on Brenda's recently acquired horse.

When I mentioned horse sense (in an earlier blog), 'Blue' had the good sense to not buck me off.  He was calm and happy.  I think that was because his handler was nearby. Jeanette fared well too.

I wonder if JB was whispering to 'Blue' to be good to me?

When all saddle up, Jeanette and I mounted up.

The helmets will protect our noggin should we fall off.......and the saddles sure felt different than our customary ride.

Seriously though, this was not our first time on horses.  We've ridden before...but it has been many years since, and that was while visiting my sister in Grande Cache, Alberta. We rode as a group through some most beautiful Rocky Mountain country while there.

Giddy up....cowgirl!

It felt good to try out a different saddle.

The horses were as calm as their handler.  JB and Brenda enjoy their weekend trail rides on the numerous mountain trails this countryside offers.  Their blog  John & Brenda's Incredible Journey is a colorful photo essay of their adventures.  Sure seems like great fun. What they see on their mounts has no comparisons, that's for sure.

 

Alright.....enough of this horsin' around!

Getting to sit on their saddles was fun but so was seeing them mount an iron horse, for a change. Brenda donned her western hat as she and JB headed for our ride.

Hey you two....we think this ride suits you well......even with them western hats on!

Our four + hour visit was quickly coming to an end.  With a view to riding back before nightfall, we took a few more photos before we suited up for the one hour ride back to Canyon Vista RV Resort.

A fitting day.....

With hugs and handshakes exchanged - with the promise to meet up again (here and/or in Canada) - we rode off into the sunset.

Visiting with JB and Brenda was memorable.  We talked about so many interesting subjects and just enjoyed the sharing of information.  And, we learned a thing or two!  

These folks know how to put out the welcome mat and they  make folks feel right at home.  It was fun.  For that we thank you!  Lunch?.....well, it was first class.  We look forward to our next visit.

Jeanette and I remarked on some of the similarities in personality  between JB and my brother in law, Rick, married to my sister, Paulette.  They own a cow/calf operation, two hours east from the city of Edmonton, Alberta.

Rolling into this Phoenix country has opened a diary full of fun meetings with fellow travelers. What a treat!

Easton at Christmas..

So....that was how our day was colored.  Tomorrow is another one to look forward to. Our 10 month old grandson, Easton, is flying in with his mom and dad in tow, for a seven day visit with us.  We are thrilled to bits!  Not only that, two of my friends - fellow golfers too - are flying in so that we can churn up the turf while trying to shoot some low golf scores.  More on that in the days ahead.

Thanks for dropping by.

WOW! Talk About Meeting Blogger Friends....

Having only been in Canyon Vista RV Resort, these past 30 hours or so,  has uncovered long time blogger friends/followers and new ones too.  What a great time we are having here!

Superstition Mountain....in all its glory

This is the 'zoomed in' view from our site in Gold Canyon.  So many bloggers and thousand of RVers hike the numerous trails this grand mountain offers. We have a very busy schedule, while here, but if time permits, we'll try for at least one hike.  If not, well, there's always next year....or the year after....of the year after that.

Our site in Canyon Vista is on the corner with our door side facing west.  We see the Arizona sunset every evening it is not cloudy.  We are batting 100%  so far.

Sylvia and Rod    Six Saturdays and a Sunday | Work's over, now it's time to play!

Last early evening, shortly after our dinner, we received a telephone call from bloggers that we follow.  They knew we were in their winter park.  We had corresponded several times with a view to meet once we were settled in here.  We invited them over for an evening gab session.
 
We truly enjoyed meeting these fine folks, who share our collective delights in RVing.  They enjoy similar activities; motorcycling, hiking and just generally having fun in life.  Having followed their blog, these past few years, it was a pleasure to meet in person.  Sylvia and Rod spend their non-RV lives in beautiful West Kelowna, BC, following a most recent move from Campbell River, BC, on Vancouver Island.

Another beautiful day called for a motorcycle ride.  Down from the swivelwheel came the bike.

I tootled around the RV park on the motorcycle (no helmet required in Arizona) and met a fine Iowa couple who enjoy motorcycling too.  After a 30-40 minutes chin wag - with an invite to drop by our site - I was back at our RV spot to collect Jeanette for a motorcycle ride.  Well.....ride we did....but not before we found these lovely RVers in the photo below.

Teresa in the middle, flanked by husband Trent on the right......and we're not sure about the guy on the left.

We have been following the Trent and Teresa blog for well over one year now. These fine folks call Regina, Saskatchewan, home when they aren't traipsing around the desert resorts in Arizona and California.  We did ride up - unannounced - but these gracious folks were kind to welcome us with open arms and then began a planned short conversation that lasted about two hours or more.  Oh, so much in common we have!  Having learned of our 10 month old grandson's arrival, early next week, Teresa made a personal request to share some hugs with Easton.  You see, Trent and Teresa are seriously missing their two grandchildren.  We offered Easton up instantly.  He likes hugs....and Ginette and Trevor won't mind one bit....nor do we, for that matter.  Hugs are good.....and we finally left their site after sharing some too. Fun couple, these two are!

We look forward to meeting up with Trent and Teresa again, while here in Canyon Vista RV Resort, and later when we are in Yuma and in Palm Springs. 

Touring around Gold Canyon....and working our way into the Golf Resort area.  Stunning!

Gold Canyon is modern and organized.  It has a small town feel with an urban beauty one rarely finds.  It is quaint and relaxed.  This type of area suits us perfectly.  Although only one half hour, or so, from downtown Phoenix - and 10 minutes from Mesa - it feels open and unobstructed while graced by the beauty of Superstition Mountain. We are delighted to be here again.

Horsing around is important to trail riders and this topography offers endless trails.  

Just follow John & Brenda's Incredible Journey to learn about their awesome trail rides with like minded horsemen and horsewomen.  Speaking of John and Brenda, they too knew of our arrival here and were quick to put out the ole' welcome mat and invite us to a Monday lunch at their 'Dogpound South' ranch....not too far south from Gold Canyon.  For non blog followers, JB and Brenda hale from their ranch, aptly named, 'Dogpound North', just north and west of Calgary, Alberta.

We have not met them before but we seem to know them well. As long time blog followers we have exchanged emails and blog comments for a few years.  Blog followers will know of Brenda's culinary talents and we look forward to a wee taste.

JB and Brenda will quite likely share some horse sense with us too.  Because we like horsin' around, we're up for that.  LOL

One of the two pools / hot tubs / lounging spots in the resort.

Back from our motorcycle ride, we changed back into walking shorts and headed for the pool area, closest to our RV spot.  What a delight!

Clearly, Ginette, Trevor and Easton will be spending some quality time here,,,,and us too!

Nice outdoor sofas that surround the pool and hot tub area.

Jeanette and I sat around on these lovely outdoor sofas for a half hour or so before heading back to our place to prepare some dinner.  While reading blogs, following our dinner, fellow RVers and avid motorcyclists from Iowa, Bonnie and Fritz,  dropped by to check out our swivelwheel.  They motorcycle!  Their ride is a stunning Harley Davidson, Screaming Eagle, Road King.  Fritz and I had chatted at length this morning about our motorcycle carrier and I invited them to take a close look when it suited them.  They examined the swivelwheel in detail before we sat down for an hour of general chat.

             Fritz and Bonnie tow a trailer that carries their 4 wheel off road toy and their HD Road or Street Glide, on a ball hitch behind their 5th wheel It's legal in their State of Iowa.....and several others. (That would be illegal in BC, Washington State, Oregon and other States and Provinces.  We do know that it is legal to tow a 5th wheel and a ball hitched trailer behind it in the Province of Alberta, but the load can't be longer than 65 feet.)

So, this past day..and a bit....has been a great one - as far a meeting blogging colleagues and meeting new like minded folks.  What's not to like about that.

More to come in the days ahead.

Thanks for dropping in.

Now in Gold Canyon, AZ....

We arrived in Gold Canyon, AZ., this early afternoon.  For the uninitiated, this area - at the foot of Superstition Mountain - is about 15 minutes east from Mesa and 30 minutes east from Phoenix.

Just off the 101 loop overpass heading onto I-60 east towards Gold Canyon - in Mesa, AZ

With our overnight only 90 minutes from here - at Lake Pleasant Regional Park - it was a quick drive to get to Canyon Vista - our home for the next 14 days.

Driving in to Canyon Vista.

Having arrived at 1:30 pm, we beat the afternoon rush and had the ability to park and set ourselves up within 70 minutes.  We then walked to the central office to officially register and pay our fees.  Jeanette and I also took the time to walk the entire perimeter of this park and acquaint ourselves with the great facilities here.  Canyon Vista is a very modern RV facility.  It's quite large too!  That is not our usual preference but, with golfing friends flying in next week, our daughter, son in law and grandson too, it was a good place to be for the next while.

Lake Pleasant Regional Park, AZ.

Yesterday was a completely different experience.  On the advice of new RV friends, we headed for the Regional Park at Lake Pleasant - north and west from Phoenix.  What a treat that was.  The photos tell the story well.

Jeanette examines this saguaro cactus - only a few steps from our front door.

We had an unobstructed view of the entire south desert valley.  What a sight.

Noise in the air saw several of the motorized gliders fly by in the late afternoon.  They were taking advantage of good currents....and awesome +70 degree heat.

 It was not long before the sun settled over the mountains to the southwest.  It was picture postcard views for us....seated just outside our 5th wheel.

When the sun did hide on the other side of the mountains, the skies were painted the colour above.  Stunning!

Lake Pleasant Regional Park is a gem of an RV park.  The sights are spectacular - either backing on to the huge lake or facing the desert.  Our pull through site faced the desert and we felt blessed to have the afternoon heat and stunning nightfall in view.  The lake sites are stunning too.  We will be back here - guaranteed!

Early morning photo of our site.  The park was 50% occupied.  Level, paved and well serviced sites.  No sewer service though,  other than at the dump sites near the exit.

A barrel cactus - one of the several species found on the hiking trail

Early this morning - knowing full well that our drive only required 90 minutes or so to arrive at Gold Canyon - Jeanette and I opted to hike the Roadrunner trail.  One way is .8 of a mile.  Meandering below near the water, we likely hiked a total of 3 miles before dropping into the visitor centre to learn a thing or two about this area.

Hard at work....well, not too hard!

Before leaving Moabi Regional Park (San Bernardino County, CA) for Lake Pleasant, Jeanette and I busied ourselves with packing up, washing the truck and doing several loads of laundry.

David in the yellow kayak and me in our Sea Eagle kayak.

I did find the time to kayak the river, one last time, with fellow RVer David. It was stunning at best to be on the river for all of that time.

We met up with another kayaker, en route.  He was headed upstream and David and I were going downstream.

Awesome time on the Colorado River. 

One last evening look at our RV spot before heading to points further east.

There was plenty of activity on the river, our last day, other than kayaking.  The locally based Pirate Cove Beachcraft float plane was busy with 'take off and landing' drills....and, I got the feeling the pilot was being checked out to retain his flying license.  It was fun to see.

Taxiing along the Colorado River.

On step and about to take off.

Some back and forth - take offs and landings......

This old plane is loud on take off......!

That distracted us a wee bit from the clean up and packing work but who would fire us for being lazy?  We completed our tasks and by morning, yesterday, we were hitched, had attached the swivel wheel and the motorcycle was loaded and strapped down.

With very weak....or non existent WiFi... and our Virgin Mobile Internet card not able to access the internet, we've been without the world wide web for an entire 48 hours.  We have a fair bit of blog reading to catch up too.....and maybe that will happen later this evening or even tomorrow.

Thanks for dropping in.