Visitors from Iowa

This last Monday we had friends from Iowa come for a visit. My friend Darrell and his wife Sue told us when we started full timing and came to AZ for the winter that they would like to come for a visit. So we put a plan into action. Originally they were going to fly down and rent a car to drive around but airline prices took them in another direction. They bought a newer used car(which they needed) and drove to AZ. Darrell also has a friend that spends a couple of months each winter in Apache Junction. He has a mobile home in an RV park near where we are. We told Darrell and Sue that they could spend the nights in our RV and we would go to our son's home in Mesa and drive back in the mornings. They also brought Max their little Maltese/poodle mix with them. That way they would be able take Max out in the evening and first thing in the morning. It actually worked out great...we got to spend some time with our son and they could see what living in an RV is like and make it easier to take care of their dog. They arrived Monday afternoon so we just hung out at the rig and got Max used to the surroundings. On Tuesday Darrell and I went over to the Pickleball courts and played.

Darrell has played on indoor courts at his YMCA so playing outside was a real treat. Unfortunately about 11 am it started to lightly rain and this continued the rest of the afternoon into the early evening. They contacted their fiend Mark and we decided to get together at a local Mexican restaurant in Apache Junction. The food was typical Mexican fare but good. We again hung out at the rig for a while and then we headed off to our son's. On Wednesday, we made plans to meet Mark at the trailhead for the Hieroglyphics Trail near the RV park. It was a nice sunny but cool morning. The trail was busy but we had a great time and some good exercise.

Glenda, Sue, Darrell and Mark

 

 

We rested up some after the hike and got our showers in preparation for meeting Mark again and going to a local Bar and Grill in Apache Junction called Dirtwater Springs. The restaurant is supposed to be haunted ad you can read how that came to be HERE. One of their specials is Alaskan Fried Cod. That's what Darrell and I had and we had the ALL YOU CAN EAT version. We ended up having just two extra helping but got our monies worth. The service was somewhat slow but that gave us plenty of time to talk, get caught up and get to know Mark better.

 

Darrell and I decided to play Pickleball again Thursday morning and Glenda and Sue wanted to go horseback riding. So Wednesday afternoon we called Donnelly's D Spur Riding Stables just about 5 miles from our park on Peralta Rd and they reserved a time. Glenda and Sue did a one hour ride and even saw some longhorn steers. They had a great time and we did too. After we all got showers and a change of clothes we hung out at the rig until about 4:30 pm. We had made plans to meet Mark at Organ Stop Pizza. Glenda and I had gone there before with a group form the RV park. We thought this would be a good way to end the visit since Darrell and Sue would be leaving Friday morning. It was very busy but the pizza was delicious and the music and sight of the organ playing really made our evening.

 

We headed to our son's house and they headed back to the rig. It was a great visit but certainly not long enough. Darrell had worked in AZ years ago when he was a lineman for the telephone company in Iowa and loved the area an the weather. He would like to spend some time in AZ in the winters but his wife is a little reluctant to do that due to grandkids and she actually likes cold weather. Go figure. So they are talking abut it at this point. Quick story....Darrell and I have been friends since we were 4 years old. I actually ran away to his house which was across the street from my house. We were not supposed to cross the street but I did. When we went into his house his mom asked my name, since she had never seen me before, so I told her my name was Mike. However shortly after my mom came looking for me and found me and I don't remember but I'm sure I got a good spanking. Anyway our families grew vey close and we even ended up sharing a cabin with them on an island north of Burlington, IA on the Mississippi River. Darrell and I went to school together and even worked together in a restaurant as busboys and pizza cooks. After I went to college and moved to IL we lost contact for many years. But from time to time we would get together and never lost that friendship.

So there you have it. Great fun with Iowa friends. Time sure flies when you're having fun. Looking forward to seeing them again this spring when we are back north. Hoping they can come to an agreement on spending some time next winter here in AZ. Which means that we have reserved our site here in Canyon Vistas RV Resort from November to March next winter. If you are looking for a great RV park to spend some time at next winter let me know. We love it here.