HAPPY HALLOWEEN

TAILGATING

“ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?”

WE MAY SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN NEVADA, BUT WE REMEMBER HOW TO TAILGATE!

HERE WE ARE FOR THE GREEN BAY MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME. OF COURSE WE HAD THE GRILL FIRED UP FOR SOME FANCY, “CALIFORNIA TYPE CHICKEN LETTUCE ROLL UP DISH, AND BLACK BEAN SALAD”, BUT WHAT THE HELL THE PACKERS WON THE GAME.

IN CASE YOU CAN’T TELL WE’RE ALL IN SHORTS AND T-SHIRTS OUTSIDE ENJOYING THE GAME.

THE WEATHER? YUP, YOU GUESSED IT, “SUNNY & 80”

Halloween

The Halloween bug bit pretty hard here this year, and everyone got into the swing. We went as Morgan LeFaye and Merlin, two wizards from the days of King Aurthur. The festivities started on Friday night when Uncle Mike organized a horse drawn hay ride that went from tavern to tavern.

I did not take the camera on Friday night, but it was quite an event. Even the horses were drinking!!..........

................left to right: Jason, Hannah's friend Danielle as a pregnant hillbilly, Hannah as a she-devil (self-portrait?), Wendy as Morgan LeFaye, and Danielle's beau, Wyatt playing himself...............

..............This hillbilly needs better dental hygiene..............

...............Jake was the bartender at the Tamarack on Friday night. Hannah wanted this picture to show how tall she is in her red high heels and horns........

............If you hadn't figured it out, Jason is Trapper John from early Mash episodes. He he has caught a pretty young nurse who suddenly turned into a she-devil on his lap..........

............Korean War Surgeon and Devil with the Red Dress On..........

...............Hannah explaining what her toes feel like after a few hours in those shoes..........

................Merlin used his magic on someone with red lipstick!!...........

......we closed down another bar because Trapper needed pizza. A good time was had by all and we are all started on next year's costumes........

Uncle Hans

Home Again!!

We are now back at Blackstone RV Park in Mohave Valley. We pulled into Blackstone about 7 PM Friday night. It is good to be back in the warm desert sun! Although the sky is kind of hazy due to the severe and devastating California wild fires. What a horrible tragedy those fires are. I am wondering if they will affect the gaming industry in Laughlin this winter as we get a lot of our players from Southern California.

I want to add a note about our hike in the Grand Canyon on Friday. The hike we took is called Bright Angel Trail and actually goes over 9 miles all the way to the canyon floor and if you are doing the mule ride, it is the trail they take as one could tell from the mule shit in the pictures on Saturday's blog. At any rate we only went 1.5 miles on the trail to the first rest area. The signs say to allow 1.5 to 2 hours to go that far on the trail and about twice that long to return to the top. We took 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to the rest area and 1 hour and 40 minutes to get back to the top for a total of three hours round trip.

We were really proud of ourselves and have decided that we were able to do the return trip so quickly because we did a lot of hiking this summer in the mountain elevations at Lake Tahoe and losing 20 plus pounds didn’t hurt either!!

Saturday was spent mostly unpacking and putting things where they belong. We did manage a run to Wal-Mart and to the Avi to get our schedule. Back to work we go at 6PM Tuesday. We also spent a lot of time catching up with our neighbors, Steve and Meryl. We also got caught up with some of the other people here. Fun to hear what everyone did during the summer. One couple spent the summer in Alaska working at a fishing camp. They won’t be doing that again next summer, it was a LOT of work and lots of seven day weeks. Who wants to retire and work that hard?? But they did enjoy Alaska and the experience.

We got to cook again!! Pork roast for supper and it was great…

THE GRAND CANYON

THIS WAS OUR THIRD TRIP TO THE GRAND CANYON. OUR MISSION WAS TO HIKE DOWN OVER THE RIM TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON. THE TRAIL WE SELECTED WAS THE BRIGHT ANGEL TRAIL, WHICH IS THE SAME TRAIL THE MULES USE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CANYON. THE HIKE TO THE BOTTOM IS 9.2 MILES. OUR GOAL WAS THE FIRST REST HOUSE 1.5 MILES, 1,131 FEET DOWN INTO THE CANYON.

THIS IS A BAD PICTURE, BUT THE RED ARROW SHOWS OUR OBJECTIVE, THE FIRST REST HOUSE 1,131 FEET DOWN.

SO OFF WE GO !!! THE FIRST TUNNEL !!! OH YAH, TIPTOE AROUND THE MULE SHIT !!!

THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS WERE TAKEN ON THE HIKE FROM BELOW THE TOP RIM OF THE CANYON.

SUCCESS !!! WE REACHED OUR GOAL!!!

ON THE WAY BACK UP WE EVEN ENCOUNTERED SOME WILDLIFE ALONG THE TRAIL.

HERE WE ARE BACK ON TOP. THE SMOKE YOU SEE IN THE BACK GROUND IS A PRESCRIBED BURN AT THE NORTH RIM, WHICH IS ABOUT 13 MILES ACROSS THE CANYON.

ON THIS TRIP TO THE GRAND CANYON WE ENTERED THE NATIONAL PARK FROM THE EAST ENTRANCE, WHICH WE'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE. PICTURED BELOW IS THE DESERT VIEW TOWER, AN OLD ORIGINAL STRUCTURE, AND A COUPLE OF VIEWS OF THE GRAND CANYON FROM THIS POINT. THE PICTURE OF MARY WAS TAKEN INSIDE THE TOWER.

THE NAVAJO NATION

THE FIRST STOP OF THE MORNING WAS THE HUBBLE TRADING POST, THE OLDEST CONTINUOUS OPERATING TRADING POST IN NORTH AMERICA.

THE NEXT STOP WAS CANYON DE CHELLY, A BEAUTIFUL RED ROCK CANYON WITH SHEAR CLIFFS REACHING 1000 FEET DOWN TO THE CANYON FLOOR. HERE WE ENJOYED A MORNING HIKE ABOUT HALF WAY DOWN TO THE CANYON FLOOR.

THE LAST STOP OF THE DAY WAS MONUMENT VALLEY. IF YOU THINK YOU’VE SEEN THIS PLACE BEFORE, YOU’RE RIGHT, IT’S BEEN USED IN MANY MOVIES INCLUDING STAGECOACH, HOW THE WEST WAS WON, BACK TO THE FUTURE III, AND SOME REALLY OLD CHEVY TV COMMERCIALS. DO YOU REMEMBER, “SEE THE USA, IN A CHEVROLET!”

YOU KNOW AFTER 8 YEARS IT’S ABOUT TIME WE GOT OFF OF INTERSTATE 40 AND EXPLORED ARIZONA.

“SUNNY & 80”

WAIT, WAIT, GOT TIME FOR A RANT? YOU KNOW HOW I LIKE TO RANT ON THE SMOKING LAWS? WELL HERE IS A NEW ONE. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE PROHIBITED IN THE NAVAJO NATION. THIS A GEOGRAPHICAL AREA AS BIG AS ONE OF THOSE STATES OUT EAST AND EXTENDS INTO FOUR STATES HERE IN THE WEST, NEW MEXICO, ARIZONA, COLORADO, AND UTAH. AH…… GUESS THERE WON’T BE A COCKTAIL HOUR TODAY……..

NEW MEXICO

HEY WE’RE FINALLY OUT OF KANSAS!!! ACTUALLY GOT OUT OF THAT LONG STATE JUST AS THE SUN CAME UP. A HOP, SKIP, AND JUMP ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE, CUT THE DIAGONAL OF THE PANHANDLE OF TEXAS AND WE’RE FINALLY IN THE SOUTHWEST, IN NEW MEXICO.

WE GOT TO TALKING AND WE REALLY DON’T NEED TO BE BACK IN THE MOHAVE VALLEY UNTIL SUNDAY TO GO BACK TO WORK ON MONDAY, SO WE DROVE ACROSS THE ENCHANTED LANDS OF NEW MEXICO, USA, AND STOPPED IN GALLUP ON THE WESTERN BORDER.

THE WEATHER HAS RETURNED TO “SUNNY & 80” AND SO TOMORROW WE’RE HEADED UP INTO THE NAVAJO NATION IN NORTH EASTERN ARIZONA FOR A ROAD TRIP, EVENTUALLY ENDING UP AT THE SOUTH RIM OF THE GRAND CANYON.

WE’RE NOT REALLY SURE ABOUT INTERNET SERVICE IN THE NAVAJO NATION, SO IF WE’RE OFF FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS DON’T WORRY ABOUT US. WE WILL GET YOU BACK UP TO SPEED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

OK HERE ARE THE PICTURES FROM NEW MEXICO THAT I PROMISED YOU FROM YESTERDAY.

K-A-N-S-A-S

DAM, WE’RE SADDLE SORE!! WILL KANSAS EVER END? IT DIDN’T HELP THERE WAS A TRUCK WRECK THAT TOOK US 40 MILES OUT OF OUR WAY AND COST US AN EXTRA HOUR. SO WE’RE STILL IN KANSAS.

OF COURSE IT DIDN’T HELP THAT WE ONLY GOT 40 MILES FROM FRANKVILLE AND DECIDED DRUNK DRIVING MIGHT NOT BE SUCH A GOOD START ON 1750 MILE ROADTRIP?

I SKIPPED PICTURES FOR TODAY. I’LL MAKE UP FOR THAT AS WE CROSS NEW MEXICO.

THE WEATHER ON THURSDAY LOOKS GOOD FOR THE GRAND CANYON SO MAYBE WE’LL TAKE THAT HIKE WE PUT OFF LAST YEAR CROSSING ARIZONA. EVERYBODY STOPS AND LOOKS OVER THE EDGE OF THE AMAZING CANYON, BUT I’VE ALWAYS WANTED TO TAKE THE TIME TO HIKE DOWN, NOT TO THE BOTTOM, BUT A WAYS DOWN JUST TO GET FEEL FOR THE CANYON AND HIKING IN IT.

“HEAD ‘EM UP, MOVE ‘EM OUT”, WE’RE BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN!!

MT HOPE & FRANKVILLE

MARY DID A GREAT JOB ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN LA CROSSE FINDING ALL THREE OF HER CHILDREN AND ALL SEVEN GRANDCHILDREN FOR "GOOD-BYE" HUGS AFTER HER MONTH AT HOME.

MONDAY MORNING IN MT HOPE WE REPACKED THE CAR AND HAD LUNCH WITH MARY'S MOM. A TUFF "GOOD-BYE" FOR MARY I'M SURE!!

OF COURSE IT WOULDN'T REALLY BE A TRIP HOME WITHOUT A SWING THROUGH YELLOW RIVER STATE FOREST, AND FALL IS THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR FOR THAT.

NEXT STOP WAS DANNY'S CABIN AND CHECK OUT THE SIZE OF THAT DOG.

FRANKVILLE WAS LAST, AND IT WAS REX'S TURN TO DO THE "GOOD-BYES" TO AMY AND THOSE TWO LITTLE GRANDSONS, EDDIE AND JOEY. LIKE LAST YEAR, IT'S GOING TO BE NEXT OCTOBER BEFORE I SEE THEM AGAIN.

THIS IS HOW WE STARTED THE MORNING........

TIME TO HEAD SOUTH AND FAST.........

WITH PICTURES FROM THE WINDSHEILD, TUNE INTO TOMORROW, WHEN WE HOPE IT WILL BE "SUNNY & 80"

GREEN BAY WRAP-UP

THE GREEN BAY TRIP WAS NON-STOP PARTY TIME. I DO HAVE A NICE COLLECTION OF PHOTOS COMPLIMENTS OF AMY.

FOR YOU NON-FAMILY READERS THE BRIDE IS THE DAUGHTER OF UNCLE NEIL AND AUNT KATHY, GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN. ONE OTHER NOTE, THE 1991 BLACK CADILLAC WITH THE “ENDLICH” LICENSE PLATE BELONGED TO MY DECEASED FATHER AND IS SHINED UP AND BROUGHT OUT OF STORAGE FOR SUCH FAMILY OCCASIONS AS A MEMORIAL TO HANS P. RECHSTEINER (1926 - 1996).

PAULIE AND I FLEW INTO GREEN BAY FROM LAS VEGAS ON THURSDAY, AND MARY PICKED US UP AT THE AIRPORT. WE HAD AN EXCELLENT HOTEL WITH MANY FINE AMENITIES INCLUDING SWIMMING POOLS AND A COCKTAIL LOUNGE.

FRIDAY SEEMED TO BE A DAY OF ENDLESS LUNCHING AND COCKTAILS, A WISCONSIN TRADITION WE ALL SEEM TO ENJOY.

SATURDAY WAS THE WEDDING, COMPLETE WITH DINNER AND DANCING. UNLIKE NEVADA, WISCONSIN STILL HAS BAR TIME, AND REGRETFULLY THE CELEBRATING CAME TO END.

SUNDAY HAD US SLOWLY PACKING AND A DROP OFF AT THE AIRPORT FOR PAULIE TO RETURN TO VEGAS. MARY AND I ARE HEADED SOUTH AND WEST, FIRST STOP LA CROSSE…….

OUR “THANKS” TO UNCLE NEIL AND AUNT KATHY FOR HOSTING SUCH A BEAUTIFUL AND VERY FUN WEDDING. KUDOS AS WELL TO UNCLE HANS, AND WENDY FOR THEIR UNSCHEDULED RESCUE OF MY DAUGHTER AMY AND YOUNG GRANDBABIES FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS AIRPORT.

(AS USUAL THE BEST WAY TO VIEW THE WEB ALBUM OF PHOTOS IS CLICK ON THE SLIDE SHOW BUTTON.)

HIGHLITES FROM GREEN BAY