Arizona

Duration : 0:1:1

Read the rest of this entry »

We will actually be in Phoenix, AZ in June first for a 4 day convention and then we’d like to take another 3-5 days for fun R & R and exploration of Arizona. We definitely want to see the Grand Canyon. Any other suggestion? If possible we’d like to rent an RV at least for 2 days or so during this time. Could see Sedona in addition to Grand Canyon and maybe somewhere else? What about:Trail Rides? Cowboy Cookout? Float Tours? Williams to GC Train Ride? Williams Campground or hotel? Most campsites within the GC park are booked but the Maswich Lodge still has vacancy. Just in case, we tentatively booked a room at the Holiday Inn Express in GC near the entrance gates. Feel free to play "Travel Agent here! Would like to hear any helpful advice or itineraries you can think of.

Thanks for your help!!!

I actually just did almost the exact same trip last year, so let me run down how I laid out the itinerary for myself.

We were based out of Phoenix/Scottsdale for our hotel and drove everywhere from there, so it will be a little different for you.

Day 1: From Phoenix we drove south to Tombstone and checked it out. It is amazing, once you get out of your car and into the preserved area, it is a total change. The wooden walkways that run along the outside of the shops are still there, and they have stagecoach tours to take which are great. They also have reenactments of the battle at the O.K. Corral, which we missed but I plan on going back.

From Tombstone, we drove back to Phoenix(3 hours each way approx.) and caught a Diamondbacks game(that’s baseball in case you are unaware), which was awesome as well.

Day 2: We traveled North of Phoenix(be careful, there are a lot of mountain passes that are steep and if you’re not used to them, you want to be careful driving them) up to Flagstaff, and then went east. To the east of Flagstaff you have Meteor Crater, which is an amazing place. To see the result of such a colossal explosion, incredible. It’s as deep as the Washington Monument is high, and the Apollo Astronauts trained there. They still have the area in the bottom of the crater, as well as some of the mining stuff from when it was an iron mine.

After that we went and drove thru the Painted Desert. If you are from the northeast, any major city, or just love nature, then this is a must see, especially at sunset!

Day 3: We went back up north(yes this was redundant and I should have gotten a hotel there for the night, but I don’t mind driving) but this time we traveled west to the Grand Canyon. It’s about a 4 hour drive from Phoenix, so if you stay in Flagstaff, it’s about 2 hours.

Words can not do it justice the first time you walk up to the canyon. If you have never been there, be prepared to be in awe for the entire time. They have a bus that takes you to different spots along the South Rim of the canyon, and in one of those spots you can actually hear the Colorado River from where you are. You can also rent donkeys/mules and go down the trails to the bottom, or if you’re a hiking fan, you can walk down it.

On our way back from the Canyon, there is an exit off Route 10 that will take you to Sedona, but it takes a little while, and there are more mountain passes to navigate, porbably not too easy in an RV, but I don’t know that for sure. We only drove thru Sedona, but it was as the sun was just beginning to set, and what we saw was gorgeous!

If you keep going south thru Sedona you’ll eventually see this mountain with a huge "J" on it, that is the town of Jerome. This place has the best hamburger joint I have ever been to! The place is called The Haunted Hamburger. It’s awesome, and I recommend getting a seat on the porch area outside, or at one of the windows!

I hope this helps. If you have any other questions and have Yahoo Messenger, please feel free to contact me.

Some friends and I are planning a road trip to Santa Cruz CA. We looked at a map and looked at I think it was 40 and rt. 70 and one is a way going through Texas and Tennessee and all that and then the other was a way going up towards Colorado and Utah and going down towards Nevada and Arizona in which those are two places we would like to visit. Maybe we could go one way and come back another. Does anyone know of a good route or a quick route? Thanks!

Would be coming from va/md/dc area. And we’re planning for next month, probably a week or more. What to see well, maybe some friends along the way if we go the utah colorado way. New mexico, vegas(we don’t plan on staying long just a few hours because we are staying 1 night in AZ with friends) Then to Ca hollywood, la, the whiskey a gogo, santa cruz, we don’t really plan on staying in motels just driving and sleeping in the vehicle. And when necessary maybe a motel or campground.

Unless you plan on pushing straight through and switching off the driving chores, it’ll take you a week each way. Out of Virginia, you’ll need to take I-81 south to Knoxville to meet I-40. This highway will take you all the way to Barstow, California. Along the way, I’d suggest a stop at the Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas. You just have to see it to believe it. Then, when you get to Flagstaff, Arizona, start looking for directions to the Grand Canyon. You owe it to yourselves to see that at least once in your life, if you haven’t already. After seeing that, get back to I-40 west until you meet US-93. Turn off here if you want to go to Las Vegas, and head north. From there, you’ll want I-15 south to the LA metro area. Do whatever you will there, then head north up US-101 to Salinas. Once in Salinas, find a way over to Highway 1, which will take you into Santa Cruz. Once in Santa Cruz, and you have all the fun you can stand at the boardwalk, you can head north to San Jose and San Francisco. From there, you may head east on I-80 to Salt Lake City, Utah. From Salt Lake City, you will need to head south on I-15 to US-6, and take 6 east until it meets I-70. Take 70 east to and through Denver, and you should be on your way. Like someone else said, make time when you go through St. Louis to see the Gateway Arch. Also, visit the American Kennel Club’s Museum of the Dog. It’s in one of the western suburbs, I forget which.
As I said, plan on at least a week each way. Good luck, and have a safe trip.

Duration : 0:1:3

Read the rest of this entry »

So I have been married for a little over a year. When we got married we moved down the street from my parent in laws and shortly after my sister in law moved in right next door to me. My husband also worked with his father and his father was in charge of the housing that we were renting from. We all went to church together and saw eachother daily!! things were fine for a bit but then my husband and I would have arguments and he would leave for the night and stay at his parents. My problem with them is that while he was there they would prepare his favorite dinner and buy him all his favorite snacks. I would expect that they would say well youve been here for a couple hours its time to go home and make things right..anyways. After this happening so many times I took our two kids ages 5 and 3 months and moved two hours away back to my moms house, he also moved back in with his parents.. We were talking about getting divorced and in the meantime he enrolled in a school in Arizona…we live in Utah. So things went on and one day we decided to work it out we had about a month before he moved to Arizona. I plan on moving down in the next month or so. But what bothers me is that when he moved he took his dads 5th wheel because we will be staying in a KOA and his dad insisted on driving down with him…when I asked I was told no that he didnt want to worry about me or the kids until he got settled in. So they got to the camp spot and got things all set up and his dad told him he did not feel safe with him staying at this camp because it was kinda scary. So him and his dad went out and found a nicer one and his dad said that he will pay the difference that it will cost(about $100) a month. So my huband has been down there for just a little over a week and this coming weekend his father is insisting on going down again to help fix the door on the trailer, which is stupid cause my husband fixes semis and tractors for a living, i think he can fix a door!! He is also going to make sure he gets into the new campground ok….which is only 5 miles away and to being my husband a TV cause his is broke. When he moved he said he thinks it will do our marriage some good because we can only rely on one another, but the way it seems to me is that his father is pushing himself on to my husband and it really annoys me. When I told my husband how I felt he said his dad just wants to be nice and that he dont want to hurt his feelings by telling him not to come, and that I need to not make a big deal out of it. Does anyone have any comments on how to deal or what I could say to my husband to make him see that this may hurt our marriage. Or what I could say to my father in law? I appreciate everything he has done but I need my husband to take care of me and my kids and how can he do that when his dad wont let him grow up.. He is 23 and I am 24 thank you!

Wait until the day before his dad is scheduled to drive home,
and then go down.

You would only have to see him for a day. He could see the
grand-kids. The door is fixed. Dad is on his way home.

Everyone is happy.

Best wishes

Duration : 0:0:53

Read the rest of this entry »

So I’m 23 years old and is renting my mom’s house here in edmonton. She does not live there. She spends winter in Arizona and summertime in Nova Scotia where she owns a campground. She only comes to Edmonton twice a year to do her running around and visiting. Her and I made a "business" arrangement that if I manage the house she would give me cheap rent on the house. She was very clear that it was a business transaction.

Now last night, she calls me up at 9 at night and starts a conversation asking whats new and blab blab… 5 mins into the conversation she tells me "Oh by the way we will be there in 2 hours!" –(We meaning as in her and her boyfriend and her 2 dogs!)

When she normally comes to Edmonton she usually stays in her 5th wheel that she parks in the drive way so she doesn’t stay in the house but they do take over the tv and leaves the house messy!… THIS TIME… they left their fifth wheel in Arizona so now they just expect to stay in the house and take over the house.

When they are here, it’s not as if they are invisible. They make a HUGE mess and all my bills like water and electricity go way up when they come because it’s no longer just me it’s 2 other ppl. I don’t make a lot of money! They take over my tv! They take over the kitchen! I have no privacy for my boyfriend and I! I have no alone time! They are always around!

To me, if it was anyone else and not her daughter who was renting the house she would have no right to barage and intrude in and reclaim the house as hers. We made a business deal. Meaning exchange for my rent money and managing the house… it is my space! Shouldn’t I invite her to stay with me rather than her expecting to stay there even though it’s her house??Do I have any right to be angry that she still feels entitled that the house is still hers to come and do whatever and whenever she wants even though I am renting it from her?

You have a right to feel any way you want about anything. Feelings are never wrong. That said, let’s look at the specific situation. Rental agreements are usually in black and white, but you are renting from your mom, and she feels it’s her house. Maybe she believes she is doing you a favor by allowing you to "manage the house" in her absence for a minimal rent. If so she probably thinks you understand that and don’t mind her dropping in. What you and your mother need to do is go out of the house together (the house will be a bad place for this discussion!) and talk about this rationally. I understand that you are angry, and why. She may interpret your anger as ungratefulness and be angry right back! To prevent this you may want to start like this, "You know I really appreciate the deal you gave me in renting your house". Let her respond. Stay calm and try not to let emotion govern the communication, but use reason. "Mom, I don’t have a lot of money and I really have a hard time with the utility bills when there are three people here; can we work together on this?" If all proves to be nonnegotiable you may want to consider finding a place you can afford. It may be a smaller apartment, but you will have your privacy and space. That peace of mind will be worth it. But however you handle this, remember words DO cause pain. Remember this in ALL your communications – especially when you are angry, hurt, or stressed in any way. The world is a harsh place; try to make it better!

Our class wants to organize a camping trip, whats a good campground that has group campsites and that is fairly close to Cave Creek, Arizona?

Cave Creek doesn’t have any campgrounds really.

Try Bartlett Lake or Roosevelt Lake. They are a longer drive but have great campgrounds and great activities to do around the lake.

Solar set up for my Casita

Duration : 0:1:55

Read the rest of this entry »

Apr. 12, 2008 08:19 PM
The Arizona Republic
Members of a Valley church, including the pastor, were detained at a Prescott campground Saturday morning after they were determined to be undocumented by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

Campers at the White Spar Campground called the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office complaining that the group was singing and had music on around 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. said Dwight Develyn, spokesman for the sheriff’s office. Officers arrived at the campgrounds around 7 a.m.

Develyn said he believes the nine people detained were part of a church group, and noise complaints are fairly common at the campground.

ICE spokesman Vincent Picard said he didn’t know about this particular incident, but once someone is deemed undocumented, ICE’s next step is to seek to remove them from the country.

Law enforcement and immigration officials couldn’t confirm on Saturday the identities of those taken into custody. But Alfredo Aragon, a Christian missionary out of California working in Phoenix, said the people detained are leaders of the Phoenix church Christiana Agape.

Aragon said the group of about 13 people left for Prescott early Saturday morning for a retreat. He said sheriff’s deputies initially asked about the noise and eventually determined that nine in the group were in the country illegally.

He said church Pastor Manuel Maldonado is among the detained. Aragon said the church leaders should be given special treatment because they weren’t breaking any laws.

Aragon said the group was transported to Phoenix Saturday night and said leaders from area churches are gathering to find out how to get the church members legal help.
and what the heck were they doing "singing" at 3 or 4 a.m.??

This pastor should be arrested and thrown in jail, along with all the other members of his "church". Not only for disturbing the peace, but also for immigration violations.