The jaunt to Show Low (with two teenage boys)

Day 0...(Pack the car day)

After a short trip to the store for non-perishable food, Alisa showed up to get a haircut and color.  She brought our car back to us after swapping our car for her mini-van that had been acting up.  We had swapped cars out on Saturday and Claudia and I brought her van to our house to take it to the car doctor.  Perhaps I should rephrase that to say we started to bring her van to our house.  We got to Carmel Valley Road, about 15 miles from home, when it crapped out and died.  We called a tow truck and had it towed to the repair shop in Leucadia.  They diagnosed the problem as a bad ignition module and $380 or so later, it was running perfectly.

Anyway, Alisa headed home with two extra passengers, Gizmo and Choka.  We started to pack clothes and load the car.  Ring, ring!  Telephone!  It was Alisa, broken down about 2/3 of the way home.  Same problem!  Corey came out and picked up the animals and Alisa waited for a tow truck to get the van towed to her house.  Noithing we can do now so back to packing.  We'll deal with her P.O.S. car when we get back.

Day 1...The saga begins!

We were up before 6:00 to get ready and arrived at Alisa's a little after 7:15 to pick up the boys.  Erron and his friend, Tanner, were still half-asleep but managed to get a quick breakfast down and their gear together.  They were specifically told to pack light.  They did, as far as their clothes were concerned.  It was the "extra" stuff, like pillows, a sleeping bag, Oakland Raider (YUCK!) pillow and the like that filled up the car.  After a quick packing job, we said "Goodbye" to our animals, Alisa, Corey and Brooke and headed for the Interstate.

We had some anxieties, as the temperatures in the Yuma to Phoenix area were in triple-digits.  The car performed flawlessly in the heat and we arrived at the Holiday Inn Express in Glendale, AZ about 1:30.  Claudia went to check in so we could get into the pool.  Oops, check-in is at 4:00.  What to do now?  Well...there just happened to be a Cabela's right across the street and I needed to buy some hunting supplies.  Funny how things work out!  

We went across the street and went upstairs to the restaurant.  I had an elk burger and the kids had regular cow meat.  Claudia had a salad.  After woofing down our lunch, it was off to shop.  The kids took off by themselves with firm instructions to stay out of mischief.  Claudia headed for the shoe department and I headed for the hunting gear.  They didn't have the gun powder I wanted and were out of the bullets I shoot as well.  Things were not looking good!  I did find a short-sleeve camo tee shirt though so the shopping trip was not a total loss.  We left the store at 4:00 to go back across the street to check into the motel.  This time we did it.

After checking in and going up to the room, the boys took off for the pool.  They returned shortly saying it was too hot and they would go in the water later.  We hung around for a bit and then headed out to a nearby Cracker Barrell restaurant.  We stuffed ourselves (you can't help but stuff yourself at a Cracker Barrell) with a great dinner and returned to the hotel for a swim.  The water was WONDERFULL!  I could have stayed in for hours.  I was soon waterlogged and retuned to the room for a shower.  Claudia and the kids soon arrived and that was pretty much the end of Day 1.

Day 2...Our destination is in sight!

We went down for a free (yeah, right!) breakfast.  It was interesting!  They had omlets, bacon, sausage, cereal and pancakes.  Now, I have to tell you about the pancakes.  You see, there was this little machine about the size of a microwave oven.  It had four pictures on it.  The left one showed a pitcher pouring out some batter.  The second one showed a light brown pancake.  The third one showed a dark brown pancake and the last showed a pancake going off a conveyor belt to the right.  OK, I looked at the right side of the device.  I actually saw a conveyor belt and a roller.  Cool!  I put my plate under the conveyor belt and pushed the "START" button.  Lights started flashing and I waited.  I soon saw a pancake coming out on the conveyor belt.  It went over the roller and plopped onto my plate.  It was soon followed by a second.  I grabbed some butter and syrup, an omelet, bacon and sausage and headed for a table.  I am now officially off my diet...at least for this week.  After breakfast, we packed up and again headed for the Interstate.

This time we headed for Mesa, about 30 minutes to the west.  What was there you ask?  A Bass Pro Shops mega-store!  Yup!  We went in for a quick shopping spree of needed but not yet found "stuff".  I found the powder I needed and bought two cannisters.  They were also out of my bullets but I did find a camo mask and "windicator powder" for a hunting buddy and a lightweight camo hunting shirt for me.  It was starting out to be a good day!

After our short shopping spree, we headed out and up the hill toward Payson and Show Low.  The car made the haul up the hill without a glitch, even though the temperature started out at 113.  We skillfully passed a van on fire about half way up the hill and arrived at Show Low around 3:00.  The first stop was at Jim Swartzwelder's new house.  He is now living in Show Low and has a beautiful secluded house at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac with a view of nothing but trees and mountains.  Elk, deer and turkey are regular visitors in his back yard.  I could live here!

After a short visit, we headed out to find our resort.  The resort was "interesting", VERY interesting!  There were actually two resorts side-by-side.  The first one was a Diamond International resort, our timeshare group, and had all two bedroom separate log cabins and looked really cute.  We weren't staying there.  We went to the second one, The Roundhouse Resort.  It seems that Diamond International bought about 100 weeks to cover the overflow.  We were in overflow!  Our reservation was for a one-bedroom "cabin".  Remember way back in yesteryear when the motels way out in the boonies were a long string of connected very small rooms?  That described our "cabin", the end unit of a string of eight.  We went inside.  It was NOT pretty!

Comparing our accommodations to a Motel 6, I would say we had gotten a Motel 3, maybe even a 2!  The kitchen countertop was a light tan formica, tactfully decorated with chips and burn marks.  The vanity area was a single sink set in a 4-foot wide formica countertop, a la the 50's and 60's.  The bathroom, beset with a heavily-scratched and chipped toilet seat, was very spacious...NOT!  You had to walk into the bathroom and stand between the toilet and the tub in order to close the door.  With no other options, we dragged our stuff inside, vowing to make the best out of a bad hand.  (We are in Show Low...remember? Everything here is related to poker)  

After getting settled, we headed out to the local Wal*Mart for supplies.  As we pulled into the parking lot, I stopped.  The only time on the trip, I did not have my camera.  There at the entrance to the parking lot was a motorhome...an old  motorhome...an old beat-up motorhome in a double-huge state of disrepair.  In front of it, obviously together, was a van camper...an old van...an old beat-up van.  The left side of the van was wiped out from hitting something and the windows were all covered by cardboard, plastic and duct tape.  Outside, all set up for a free Wal*Mart camping adventure were a couple of adults and several kids, one of which was herding a small flock of white ducks around.  Several dogs were chained-up to nearby trees and were  watching the goings-on.  I thought I was in Apalachia...WAY, WAY deep in Apalachia!  This was way better than the "People of Wal*Mart" pictures that travel the Internet. We shook our heads and moved on.  Shopping completed, we returned home for a night of TV and sleep.

Day 3...Our first full day.  What to do.

We went to an orientation at the resort meeting room.  After a very un-Atkins diet approved continental breakfast of Vitamin O's (donuts), creme-filled maple bars, raisin bread, English muffins, juice and coffee, we learned about the Show Low/Pinetop/Lakeside area and made plans for the day. Our first destination was the Sunrise Ski Resort.  It so happened that the Sunrise 3-D Shoot-out was in full swing.  This is a major archery event where archers roam trails all over the mountain and shoot at life-size animal targets in natural wild settings.  Several of the major archery manufacturers had stands set up to tune bows, promote their products and hawk their wares. 

I was in heaven!  Even the boys were having fun.  We bought tickets for the chair lift and headed to the top of the mountain.

It was a great ride up to the top where I was a little slow getting off the chair and received a slight "nudge" from the chair as it made the turn around the end wheel.  Claudia didn't snicker...much!  We walked to the restaurant observation deck and grabbed a table for lunch.  Luckily, we had packed a lunch, as hamburgers started at about $7.00.  We would have needed a bank loan to eat there.  After lunch and the obligatory scenery shots,

we returned to the bottom and more looking, dreaming and drooling.  I managed to pick up a few gifts for the prize drawings at my varmint hunting club monthly meetings.  Oh, did I forget to mention that I was nominated, volunteered and/or designated as the club's "prize drawing scrounger".  What an honor!  I have to come up with the second and third prizes for each month's 50-50 cash drawing.  So far, I have a license plate frame with the name of the club duly inscribed on it (San Diego County Varmint Callers), a knit hunting cap with "Horn Porn" inscribed over an elk rack and a camo blow-up ground seat to keep one's butt dry and padded while waiting for the wiley coyote, or other such varmint, to show himself.  Now, be honest, wouldn't any of those great prizes be an outstanding addition to your hunting treasures?  I thought so.  

We headed for the car and back down the road, making a few digressions as we returned to the room.  Erron and Tanner went off to play miniature golf.  Claudia and I stayed behind, Claudia to prepare a gourmet feast of spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and garlic toast and I to slave over this blog so y'all can come along vicariously on this luxurious vacation.

After a short while, the boys returned and threw down a challenge.  They loudly proclaimed that they, two young and healthy young teenagers would have no problem beating two over-the-hill geriatric individuals beset with arthritis, poor circulation, bad eyesight and mental problems.  Claudia and I immediately got up, picked up our canes and hobbled towards the rec room.  I wished I had brought my wheelchair.  The first game was the teens against the old farts.  It was a short game...7 - 0.  We won!  Skunk!  The second game was Claudia and Erron against Tanner and me.  We won again!  (Even though we were split up, we were still playing as a team).  Game three was Claudia and Tanner against Erron and me.  Guess what?  We won again!  The fourth game was the boys together again and Claudia and me together again.  Take a guess!  Four - zip baby!  We kicked their butts!  To say the boys were humbled is like saying that birds like worms!  We didn't rub it in too much.  We just told everyone we saw on the way back to the room...probably 20 or so people.  Old age and treachery beats youth and skill anytime.  

Day 4...Fort Apache

It was 9:00 am or so.  Claudia and I were up and dressed.  Tanner and Erron were still asleep.  It was well past time for coffee so I just went into the room and quietly fixed our morning wake-up.  The boys slowly woke up to face the world.  Chef Claudia inquired about breakfast.  That was OK with the boys.  They ordered scrambled eggs, bacon and fried Spam (Tanner's request)...in bed, of course.  What to you think this is?  Burger King?  Claudia relented and the boys were duly served breakfast in bed.

Today, we are headed for Fort Apache, a historic Army fort built in 1870.  We got a late start, about 11:00 or so and drove the 25 miles to the fort.  We checked into the native Apache museum, paid our $12 fee and did a tour of the museum.  After that, we drove around the fort, checking out the buildings.  Next came the drive to the Kinishba ruins. 

We had to traverse a 1.7-mile rough gravel road to get to the ruins.  We wandered around for a while and wound up near a dry creek bed.  I looked in the bed and saw a button buck drinking at a seep. 

We walked on, snapping a few pictures.  He wasn't the least bit alarmed by our presence.  

We then left the ruins and headed back to town to visit an arts & crafts fair.  The boys were not thrilled.  We were about 3 miles from town when I saw a white pickup driving slowly on the shoulder.  It looked like they were looking at something.  I slowed down and Tanner saw the "something", a very large cinnamon color-phased black bear.  

I jockeyed the car back and forth as the bear sauntered through the pines about 100 yards from us.  After about 10 minutes, he turned into the trees and was gone.  We felt we had hit the lottery.  We continued on into town.

Claudia did some shopping at the fair and got some girly things...something like an exfolient (?).  Anyway, she was happy.  When she's happy, I'm happy.  We met up with Jim and Diane and went across the street for pizza.  We ordered a delicious thin-crust combo with pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, onions and anchovies on the side.  After a delicious lunch, we all came back to our extremely humble abode for a good laugh.

Day 5...What, oh what to do?

After a breakfast of oatmeal, etc., we headed out to find Rainbow Lake where the man at the front desk of the "resort" assured us we could find fishing tackle and bait.  We left the "resort" and headed down the road, turning right on Highway 260.  We went through town and turned left on Rainbow Lake Drive.  So far, so good.  We got to the end of the road and turned into the parking lot.  The only thing there was a small dock and a launch ramp.  Nothing else.  Nada, nicht, nein, zippo.  OK, regroup.  Back to the "resort".  

On the way back, Tanner spotted a gun store.  U-turn.  Check it out.  The boys and I went inside and talked to the owner.  He told us of a  cinder pit around the corner from our "resort" where we could shoot.  I bought two boxes of ammo, some ear plugs and a couple of targets and we returned home to drop off Grandma.  The boys and I headed out to find the pit.

The directions were perfect and we soon arrived at a large scooped-out area with lots of target and shooting debris all over the place.  I set up the target. We went through some saftey instructions and got ready to pollute the atmosphere and contribute to global warming.  We went through 100 rounds of 40 caliber ammo in short order, blowing up a paper target and a gallon milk jug half filled with water.  

The crowning shot was when Erron hit it just right and blew the jug about 12 to 18-inches into the air.  It was magnificent!  We then returned to the "resort".

The boys wanted to watch a movie..."Rambo".  It was rated "R" so I had to watch it with them.  I don't know how they did it, but I've never seen so many people blown up, dismembered, cut open with various sharp instruments and devices.  It was blood and guts to the max!  After the movie, the boys played pool and I took a shower.  Dinner was spaghetti, Rice a Roni, green beans and chicken tenders.  We are now waiting for Jim and Diane to arrive so we can all go out on an evening elk safari.

Jim and Diane showed up and we headed up the road about five minutes to Joe's.  After a short introduction and get together, the boys and I climbed into Joe's truck and Claudia got in with Jim and Diane.  We soon were slowly driving down the forest service roads with all eyeballs on high alert.  Joe spotted a herd of elk moving to cross the road right in front of us.  We stopped and let them cross.  All of a sudden, we looked to the right where the elk had come from and there stood two antelope.  I tried to get a picture but had the camera set for flash photography and almost missed the shot.  (Look at the left side of the picture)

They didn't stick around for a second try.  We continued on and saw several more elk, from bulls to cows, a few yearlings and one calf...oh yeah, and one rabbit.  It was a great adventure.  We went back to Joe's and met his wife, Connie.  Joe offered us the use of some fishing tackle for tomorrow.  We walked around to the side of the house where his boat was.  As Joe neared the boat, he gave the trash cans a couple of loud smacks.  Hmmm...bears?  You think?  Our plans for tomorrow are set.  Back to the "resort" and to bed.

Day 6...A fishin' we shall go!

After pondering over maps and various documents pertaining to lakes in the area, we received a phone call telling us that Joe's fishing buddies reported that Hawley Lake was "hot" yesterday.  The decision was made.  We are heading for "The Res"  (the Apache reservation), that is, of course, after the boys wake up, get dressed and have breakfast.

After the aforementioned activities were completed, we packed up the charriot and headed down the yellow brick road.  We headed up into the hills to a little over the 8K mark on the Height-O-Meter.  Since we were on "The Rez", we had to pick up Apache fishing permits, $9 for me and $3 each for the kids, which I thought was damn reasonable.  We drove to a good-looking spot near the boat rental docks and parked the car next to some rocks.  

The boys and I got out and I got the rods all set up.  I heard a noise.  I baited the hooks with Power Bait, a green substance akin to an ice cream come...that is, if you are a fish.  I heard another noise.  We then walked down to the water's edge and cast the lines into the lake.  

I heard another loud noise and saw a bright light.  The monsoonal rains arrived in force.  We reeled in the lines and retreated to the car.  There was a short respit from the rain so I ran out quickly, cast out all three rods, propped them up against some rocks and retreated to a dry car.  The rain continued, so, after a little more than an hour, we decided to call it a day and headed home.

The boys decided to watch a movie and, with nothing better to do, Claudia and I joined them.  The movie was "Benchwarmers".  It was a gross, funny and dumb movie, but it did kill two hours.  The boys are now playing pool.  We are kicking it while they are gone.

Day 7...The Fourth of July

The plan of the day is VERY tentative due to the high probability of monsoonal rain and thundershowers today,  With that in mind, we headed out to see what trouble we could get into.  We first stopped at Woodland Lake, a small recreational area in the center of town.  Driving past the picnic and kids play areas, we came to the fishing pier.  Since I had fishing gear with me (still), we checked it out.  The sign read that kids under the age of 14 didn't need a fishing license.  Since the boys were for the most part acting like 12-year olds, we broke out the gear and headed for the dock.  There were two men fishing there as we approached.  The operative word was "fishing", not "catching" according to the men.  What the hell, beats working!  I baited up the rods for the boys and chucked them into the water.  We waited and waited but nothing happened.  Even though it was a holiday, the fish must have been in school.  They sure weren't where we were fishing.  At least the hungry fish weren't.  

After 45 minutes or so, the very dark clouds we had been watching were now overhead.  A light rain started and I told the kids to reel in.  By the time they got the lines in and the gear picked up, it was pouring BIG rain drops.  The monsoon had arrived!  We ran for the car and headed for a bank carport so I could get out of the car to finish putting away the gear.  Loose hooks floating around inside a car are not a good idea.

We drove down to Show Low to see what the festivities looked like,  We had already missed the parade but there was supposed to be a hugely popular arm wrestling contest going on.  The local favorite was an individuar known as "Apache Spirit".  We drove through the parking lot of Show Low High School but it was almost empty.  Aparently the rain had put a damper on the festivities.  We continued on in dispair.  An arm wrestling contest rated high on my Whoopi-O-Meter.

The rain was an off and on affair.  During an "off" period, we pulled into the parking lot of the local go cart facility.  They were offering FREE hamburgers and hot dogs!  We jumped right in.  Three hamburgers and a hot dog later, we ran to the ticket booth to purchase rides for the boys.  They ran for the line and were waiting for the "GO" signal when the rain decided to go to the "ON" cycle and the facility was shut down for the day.  Nuts!  I called Jim for some local knowlege.  The best guesstimate was that the evening Fourth of July concert at the local golf course was a no-go.

"Plan B" consisted of us going to WalMart to pick up some steaks, mushrooms and a dessert and head for Jim's for a barbecue.  The boys watched cartoons while Jim, Diane, Claudia and I talked.  I walked out on the rear deck several times to look for deer, turkey or elk.  The critters must have been union members because they had the day off due to the holiday.  I was assigned the extremely stressfull  job of barbecuing the steaks to perfection.  I soon found out that things cook much more slowly in high altitudes.  The steaks came out fine and soon joined potato salad and green salad on our plates.  A topping of sauteed mushrooms completed the feast.  After stuffing our faces, we headed back to our very humble abode for some sleep.

Day 8...the FINAL DAY!

After a substantial breakfast of cereal and pancakes, we headed off for the go cart track before any more rain shows up.  The line for tickets was long but, since we had unused tickets from yetserday, the boys blew right past everyone and went to the head of the line for the next race.

They took off in a cloud of blue smoke...exhaust, not peeling tires!

Erron sustained several spin-outs on turn three due to the congestion and bumping.  They had fun and decided to go for a second run.

We then packed up and headed for the lake to try our luck at fishing again.  This time, the boys wanted to fish from shore, a good thing since the pier was full. 

 We baited up and I chucked the lines out.  Nothing.  They reeled in.  I  baited up and I chucked the lines out.  Nothing.  They reeled in.  We did see one fish caught...from the pier.  We packed it up and headed for the "rez".  I filled the car (at $3.399) in preparation for tomorrow's jaunt to Yuma.  So far, our little red steed is getting 20.4 miles to the gallon.  Claudia went inside the casino for a half-hour to give her usual $20 donation to the local tribe.  We returned to the "resort" for lunch.
Next was a trip to the "real" resort office to find out why we had gotten screwed into being put into Motel 3.  While we were (sort of) getting answers, the boys played minature golf.  After the meeting at the office, Claudia joined the boys and I headed for the room for a shower.  At least the towels were clean.
Claudia and the boys returned.  Tanner proudly proclaimed that he had beaten both Erron and Claudia even though Erron got a hole-in-one.  Tanner shot a 64 and Claudia and Erron both shot 67's.  We all got ready to head over to Jim's for a final get together barbecue of ribs and  tequilla chicken.
The dinner was delicious and we all had mucho funo.  There were others friends of Jim and Diane's there.  It was a good group.  We pulled the micro-chip from a trail camera that Jim and Joe had set up on a water hole in Jim's yard.  The pictures showed several deer, a bird and several javalinas.  For some reason, no turkeys showed up.  I think the camera was just aimed too high.  Erron challenged Claudia to a game of washers.  As usual, he got his little butt kicked.  The boys are slow learners.  After the party was over and we were about to leave, the boys spent a few minutes running back and forth in front of the camera getting their pictures taken.
When we got home, we all spent a few minutes pre-packing for the early departure tomorrow morning.  Goodbye Show Low and Pinetop.  It's been a fun and very interesting trip.


Day 9...Up, up and away!
In a nutshell, we got up, had breakfast and took off.  We drove through Salt Creek Canyon, a miniature Grand Canyon, on the way down the hill to Yuma.  We stopped in Gila  Bend at an In 'n' Out for lunch.  Single cheeseburger (animal style) and a chocolate shake...man food!  When we got to Yuma, the boys and I jumped into the pool and Claudia jumped into the shower.  We are now all squeaky clean and ready to walk across the motel parking lot to the Cracker Barrel for dinner.  Tomorrow, home!