From the Lily Pad

Where the heck was I when the USPS announced a postage increase? Obviously my head has been in the sand here in the deserts of AZ. I had NO idea! If it weren’t for someone mentioning it at breakfast, I would never have known. Wow!! Guess I need to visit the local Post Office and pick up some “filler” stamps.

The rally is over and what a wonderful time I’ve had. Too much food, too much laughter, too much fun……NAH! Never too much fun……

We had an interesting start to our train ride to the Grand Canyon. We were supposed to be picked up in shuttle buses for the short ride from the park to the train depot. First announcement was that we were delayed by 30 minutes. The 30 minutes came and went and we noticed lots of cell phone work on the part of the campground owners and our rally hosts. Next thing we hear the train whistle and said folks shouting, “Stop the train! We’ve got to stop the train…..”and with phones at full alert….they somehow did exactly that.

Long story short…the owner and driver of the shuttle bus company had emergency quintuple by-pass surgery and with the short staff, they just couldn’t make it. The campground owners managed to make history….getting the Grand Canyon Railway train to STOP at the road crossing beside the campground. First time EVER….. They hurried us aboard and got us settled as quickly as possible so they could get moving.

Photos and the rest of the story tomorrow….

Till next time - keep on rollin’,
Froggi/Donna

Busy, busy, busy…..but that’s a good thing. Going to post a quick update, photos to come later. I should have a little spare time next week before my lady motorcycle friends arrive here in Williams, AZ.

Let’s see….last time I posted I was in Congress at North Ranch and dealing with another stomach bug (food issue possibly). Since then….

• Met several folks as they came through North Ranch, some new, some I had met before (and some I didn’t remember that I had met before…LOL).
• Caravaned with Steve & Sandy (SKPs and fellow Class of 2007 members) to the RV park in Williams, AZ
• Beautiful ride up to Prescott….RV ran well, I babied it as much as possible, utilizing all the tips everyone has passed along to me.
• Almost got on 89A north…NOT a route for an RV. The city of Jerome is an old mining town built into the side of Mingus Mountain.
  From AZCentral.com: “A 15-mile stretch of road snakes up the southwestern flank of Mingus Mountain over a 7,000-foot pass and down 2,000 feet to Jerome. Like a roller-coaster track, the highway plunges, bends and dips in twisting switchbacks that challenge your car’s suspension and brakes - and your nerve.”
• After the short detour, we continued north and soon found ourselves at the park. Great folks and nice park.
• Discovered the transmission was still leaking BUT it appears to only leak when I slow to a stop. Will be getting it serviced before leaving the area.
• Met up with several old friends at the rally and started meeting a lot of new ones.
• Spent Thursday sightseeing with the group….Sedona and Montezuma’s Castle. Photos later…what a blast! Got a great, for me, shirt that says DESERT DIVA. LOL!
• Many hours spent talking with other RVers….amazing people….wonderful diversity.
• Tonight I skipped the Pot Luck dinner and went visiting at the KOA - what an evening. My friend Mike (aka Melvis) & I managed to find the wrong KOA, get semi-lost inside the right KOA but eventually found our friends. Spent an hour around the campfire, headed back to pick up our train tickets for tomorrow and found out that I won a door prize tonight! Guess I need to skip things more often. NICE jacket with the Escapees HOP logo on it…perfect for a cool day at the Canyon tomorrow.
• What a time of great catered meals, super hosts, terrific door prizes, making new friends & lots of laughs with more to come!

A huge thank you to everyone for all your support this past week…I couldn’t have done it without you. Mike & Pat McFall for the help with getting my RV to North Ranch and putting on my new Pressure Pro sensors when they knew I felt really lousy. Ray for all the email troubleshooting on my transmission. Steve & Sandy for the advise and caravan company. Everyone that emailed, posted and wrote a shout-out either about the transmission or my getting sick. THANK YOU!!

Till next time - keep on rollin’,
Froggi/Donna

Had barely gotten to sleep last night when I woke with a HORRIBLE case of heartburn…got up, took a pill and went back to bed. Couldn’t sleep on either side, had to put my head up, felt terrible. Finally fell asleep around 4am, back awake at 6, back to sleep till a little after 8. Not near enough sleep… Got up, hit the bathroom….okay, so now things appeared to have gone south.

Spent the day feeling lousy, ate some plain yogurt, 1/2 bagel and a little soup. Visited with several folks who stopped by. Took a 2 hour nap. Got the last two Pressure-Pro sensors put on the car. Read some emails & forums….replied to a few. Got a ton more advise about the transmission. Ran a low grade fever. Rested some more.

What a day….apologies to those waiting for email replies…it may be a few more days. In the morning I head to Williams, AZ for the Escapees Grand Canyon HOP. I am caravaning with another couple so if I have mechanical problems, I won’t be alone. Oh, and as soon as I’m settled I’ll be doing the drawing for the contest winner. Thanks to all who entered!

Till next time - keep on rollin’,
Froggi/Donna