We've traveled to our winter grounds, which for the next three months will be the Apache Flats RV Resort, located on Fort Huachuca (Wah-choo-ka) in Sierra Vista, Arizona. It's one of the best military RV facilities we've seen, with concrete pads and patios, picnic tables, excellent exercise and recreation facilities, and a super host. We even have shade trees! The only problem for us is that there is a maximum 3-month stay, so we'll have to look for another warm spot in late January. But in the meantime, we'll enjoy this park and the nearby commissary, great security, and nice views of the valley. Now if they'd just stop playing that damn bugle at 7:00 AM.....On our way here we spent time in Las Vegas where our daughter Kim and her new husband Bill met us after driving up from Orange County. I didn't take many pictures and don't have much to say - Las Vegas has never been one of our favorite places since we lived there in the late 70s, and has only become more expensive and crowded over the years. Driving down from Reno we could see the city in the distance and what we thought was a cloud of pollution hanging over it; as we found out later it was cigarette smoke - everywhere we went the clouds of smoke made our
eyes sting and clothes smell. On a positive note, we had a great time visiting with Kim & Bill, and our RV site on Nellis AFB was right underneath the approach path for the Thunderbird's return home. Kim, Bill, & I climbed up on the roof and had a front row view as they performed their arrival show.We've had some inquiries on the new mini-blinds since we mentioned them and since we're aware that there are fellow Allegro Bay owners out there, I thought I'd post a few pictures of how they look. We're so pleased with the blinds - wish we would have installed them earlier and don't understand why almost every motorhome manufacturer installs the miserable to maintain & fix day/night shades. The mini-blinds are 1" wood, match the coach woodwork perfectly, and allow air to circulate through the open windows
while still having a degree of privacy. I installed them with velcro on the bottom rail and inside the valance, so they don't move or rattle as we drive down the road. They were a bit of a challenge to install, but once I learned to remove the valance frame, install the blinds, and reattach the frame from the outside it went fairly rapidly. We ordered ours from JustBlinds.com and were pleased with the price and quality.
Brenda is back east making her annual visit to see her mother but will return soon. As usual after a visit with mom, it will take a few weeks of therapeutic neck rubs, hours of Johnny Mathis music, and a few bottles of white zin to get her back to normal. While she's been gone I've done some hiking; one memorable hike was in the Huachuca mountains, a three-mile trek that started at an elevation of 5230' and topped out at 6575'. It was a beautiful day and the trail passed through beautiful canyon country. I'm hoping to be able to walk upright again in a few days - right now I'm on the "Aleve" diet. Once Brenda is back we'll be out exploring - check back with us to see where we've been!
