Here we go -- some travel adventures from Oregon, California, Utah, and Idaho.
As lifelong residents of the state of Washington the southwest cactus and red rock mountains were beautiful and fascinating to us. We are used to the mold and moss and while we love the green trees and our snow covered mountains the deserts of Arizona and Utah certainly have their own special beauty.


The magnificent Saguaro Cactus, the state flower of Arizona, is composed of a tall, thick, fluted, columnar stem, 18 to 24 inches in diameter, often with several large branches (arms) curving upward in the most distinctive conformation of all Southwestern cacti.
The Saguaro grows very slowly -- perhaps an inch a year -- but to a great height, 15 to 50 feet. The largest plants, with more than 5 arms, are estimated to be 200 years old.







Prickly pear cactus represent about a dozen species of the Opuntia genus (Family Cactaceae) in the North American deserts. All have flat, fleshy pads that look like large leaves.
The fruits of most prickly pears are edible and sold in stores under the name "tuna." Prickly pear branches (the pads) are also cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They, too, are sold in stores under the name "Nopalito."





The Ocotillo is a bajada resident that can be relied on to bloom annually, even without leafing in particularly dry springs. It is an inverted, funnel-shaped desert plant with several woody, spiny, whip-like, straight branches angling outward from the base and rising as high as 20 feet.
Red flowers are 1/2 to 1 inch in length, with five short lobes curled back into 10-inch clusters. They appear at the ends of branches March through June or later, depending on rainfall.




More cactus beauty:





And mountain beauty......










StoneRidge Golf Club, Prescott AZ <---------------------------------------> The Red Rocks of Sedona AZ











Kolob Zion National Park - Utah <----------------------------------------> Snow Covered Mountain in Provo UT

Wildlife
One of the great things about golf along with the beauty of the courses is the wildlife you encounter. This road runner at The San Iganois Golf Course in the Tucson Arizona area actually posed for us. Most of the time our pictures of wildlife tend to be of their behinds -- as they run away. Not this little fellow. He posed for us for more than five minutes prancing and turning so we could take his picture. Apparently, Wiley Coyote was at some other golf course!!!

4/2/06 - We are off...our first stop is Grants Pass Oregon. On the way we had breakfast at Whispering Firs - Lance's home course. Habanero Mexican Grill has great food. We had one of Lance's retirement parties there and people raved about how good the food was.
Then we had lunch at Emeral Valley Golf Course in Creswell, Oregon. Excellent food here too. It must be a sign of things to come. It gives new meaning to eating and sleeping golf!
Note -- The Carpet has golf balls in it!






4/3/06 - Yes, that is snow just outside of Phoenix -- Phoenix, Oregon that is...Heading for Modesto, California. Seem to be taking the rain with us. The pass over the Las Padres Mountains was a downpour. Then we got initiated in Highway 10 rush hour. Ouch!!!




4/4/06 - On our way to Riverside, California, we stopped in Redding. They have a famous landmark -- the Sundail Bridge. It is the largest working sundial in the world. Attracts people from all over the globe.



4/5/06 - After a visit with Coralee's brother and sister-in-law, Jeff & Elaine, we started eastward toward Phoenix. Jeff suggested we had a sky hook on the back of the car bringing all the rain. We actually had the lights go out in the restaurant we had met them at because of lighting and a major downpour. It even hailed just before we got into Palm Springs.
We took Highway 99 from Modesto hitting I-5 south of Bakersfield. It was a beautiful drive and traffic was great. We stopped in Delano, CA north of Bakersfield for lunch. We stopped at a restaurant called Perko's Cafe. Their speciality is Char-Fired Tri-Tip. It was heavenly food. Highly recommend it if you are in the area.


As we got closer to Phoenix the weather had some hope of clearing up -- then we saw a dust storm 20 to 30 miles long -- thank goodness it was off toward the mountains. Made it to Sun City Grand and guess what -- yes, it was raining -- and Phoenix has been in a long dought!!!




4/7/06 - Settled in to Sun City Grand in Surprise, AZ. Lovely area. The speed limit is 35 mph in all of the development and golf carts are licensed to travel on the roads. There are four golf courses here and two large spa/sport centers. The pools are outstanding. We are getting a tan - beautiful weather - FINALLY.






4/9/06 - Headed for Tucson today. Have several courses in this area to do. Staying at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. A real cool base. It is where they train the F-16 fighter pilots. Nice room. This is a picture of a barrel cactus in bloom that is just outside our room door.




4/10/06 - Went on a tram ride in Sagino Canyon -- more cactus and even some rocky mountains.









4/29/06 - Was having a little trouble with our travel blog page -- some of it was the writer and some of it was the internet connections we were using while on the road. Learned a lot about connecting to the internet. We have been talking about using in-motion satelitte for the internet and television when we buy the RV. We now REALLY understand why. It is a big hassle to find hot spots and then they are not always good connections.
So, in the next few days we will be updating the travel blog with our adventures in Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott Valley, Sedona, Jerome Arizona and Hurricane, Provo and Salt Lake City Utah -- that is if we have a good connection. Take care out there.




On to Idaho and the winds and dust....











You see signs everywhere. "Please close the door." The winds in southern Idaho are relentless. Even have road signs tell you that you are in a high wind area.