The Journey
It’s not the destination, but the journey.

Sitting here with my GROOM, Tommy.  We are on our computers.  We just finished sanding a door for the upstairs.  We are helping John and Amanda redo the back bedroom and bathroom before we leave next month.  The baby is due exactly 7 months form today.  Enjoying our family is the highlite of our  visit here.  Saw Joey Friday night and slept at Julies, the Sat. we had dinner with Mariann and Joann and Mom Bennis.  Jackie and Michael were there with their girls.  Joey and Jeff were there as well.  Had a nice time then came home to Amanda’s.  We watched the two games,Jets lost to the Colts and NEW ORLEANS WON… against the Vikings… Made Ria very happy.  She called each time that the Saints messed up and had a bag over her head which we saw cause she has a web-cam… WE had fun with her.. Jenny was doing work and then up to take a shower so we only saw Arite and Ria…. We have to get one… Hope James gets one too…. and AManda so we can see the kiddies when we call on skype….

I am looking forward to the weekend, am going to Donna Jeans Friday night .  Carol should be there too.  We may have our yearly sleep over.. fun.

Well, more later…

We left the DeMotte campground on Sunday the first of November to take the RV to Hurricane to store until we return in March… then back to the Kaibab Lodge and the campground to hitch up the small trailer we borrowed from the Winchesters and to put the HD in the back of the pick up…. and we were on our way around 2pm. on Monday the second……Tears and goodbye until next years season… We love the Winchesters and will miss them and Roxi a lot, Roxi is the second hand of Chris with his paperwork….

On our way now to Evanston, Wyoming to the Super 6 Motel for the night…. Then, on the third we went to Rapid City, South Dakota to register my VW and onto Wisconsin…….. In Luverne, Minnesota we slept in a motel 8 and left the 4th to go to ASHLAND to Ria’s and Jenny’s…..   Uneventful trip, wonderful weather and the scenery was spectacular…

We arrived in Ashland around 6:30 pm and were greeted with sweet hello’s…AND a wonderful dinner and  conversation and good beer.  OH yes, and two lovely grand dogs Kaylee and Artemis….

We retired early and sleep was great in a new queen sized bed and warm flannel sheets…..Morning breakfast was eggs with cauliflower sauce, never had it before and it was wonderful… good coffee and kisses for Jenny when she left for work…..OH and Great bread, the best…..

Now our day begins with working on computers and laughing at pictures from Halloween at the Kaibab Lodge….. NOW our day is full……

We will be leaving tomorrow to go to Jerry and Shannon in Sheffield Lake, Ohio, then onto Pa. to visit our beloved family and Friends….. So I will not be able to write for some time… Enjoy your winter….

We are still here with the girls.  Having a great time.  Today we will go out for breakfast and do some second hand shopping to find some HOME stuff.  Tonight chilli and great bread.  Tomorrow Melanie and Russ are coming for the afternoon.  Monday morning we will leave for Ohio and then onto Pennsylvania… we will visit friends, family and the Doctors.  Then onto Arizona again.. In May we will start another adventure at the Kaibab Lodge ending in November.  Another Toroweap may be in order.

Prior to leaving McCarran International Airport I had to rearrange some things on the truck. First, I had to bring Emiziah’s car seat to the front and buckle it in. Then I had to make sure that the load in pick-up bed was secure. After attending to these things, Emiziah, sitting high and mighty, and I were on the road to Ashland. My first stop would be in Kanab, Utah. It was slightly out of the way, but I had to make arrangements to get some work done on my trailer prior to going back to the Kaibab. I was on my way out of Kanab by 11 a.m., driving at a steady 55 mph north on U.S. 89, one of the most beautiful roads in the country. Since I was in no particular hurry, I contemplated taking UT 12, past the entrance to Bryce Canyon National Park, to UT 24, which would take me to I-70 at Green River, UT. I’ve driven UT 12 before, and it is as beautiful as it is treacherous. It is a road that you don’t want to take if you don’t know the weather and road conditions. Since I knew neither, I stayed on 89. The mountain scenery is beautiful and there was snow at the higher elevations; the roadways, however, were clear, and the sun was shining for most of the day. I felt like I owned the roads. Most of the time there was not another vehicle in sight. I had an uneventful, though scenic, trip to Grand Junction, CO, where I spent the night at Motel 6.

I arrived at the motel at about 6:30 p.m., and, having been up since the wee hours, was ready for bed by 8 p.m. I was in a first floor room and the people above me had a couple of kids who decided they wanted to jog at 9 p.m. That didn’t last very long, but it woke me up. It also started Emmy barking. They apparently went out for a few hours–I heard them go and come back–but it was quiet for the rest of the night. I got up early and was on the road at 6 a.m. Again, it was a beautiful day. I stopped in Vail, CO, at McDonald’s for breakfast. Up ’til now traffic was very light, but from this point on it became fairly heavy, especially around Denver. I drove to Lincoln, NE, and spent the night at another Motel 6–they kept the light for me. I lost an hour in western Nebraska when the time zone changed from Mountain Time to Central Time.

Monday morning I was on the road at 6 a.m. Again, the traffic was fairly heavy until I passed Des Moines, IA. The weather was lousy with rain and snow showers. Not much sticking on the road, but visibility was probably less than a half-mile. Traffic was light, even driving through the Twin Cities. The speed limit is 70, but I stayed at 65 or less for the entire trip. It was getting near dusk as I approached Duluth, MN, which is about 55 miles from my destination. I could see ice fishing huts out on Lake Superior and there were huge cargo ships frozen in place at the piers. As I headed east out of Duluth, the visibility worsened, as did the road conditions–this is God’s country–or maybe eskimos.  I limped into Ashland at about 35 mph at 6:30 p.m. It had been a long and tiring day. As I opened the door of my truck, I was shocked. It was, and still is, ccccooooollllldddd……I’ll never get used to this……..

Amanda and Julie came to Mohave Valley for vacation arriving on 31 January ‘09. I picked them up at McCarran Airport in Las Vegas at 10 a.m. We were spending the night at the Embassy Suites near the strip, but it was too early to check in. After lunch we took a ride to Hoover Dam and then to Lake Mead. At about 3 p.m. we headed back to Las Vegas and checked in at the hotel. We had a very nice two room suite. Included in our stay was a complimentary “Happy Hour” from 5:30 to 7:30. We partook of the happy hour and then went to the “Strip” and the casinos. Not being big gamblers, we only lost a total $39 over a three hour period. Pretty cheap entertainment. When we got back to the hotel Amanda went to bed, and Julie and I went to the bar. It was then that we discovered what a great deal “Happy Hour” was. The free beer that we were drinking earlier now cost $4.25 for a 12 ounce glass of Budweiser. One beer each and we were done.

On Sunday morning we had a great “complimentary” breakfast. After breakfast, we loaded the truck and were on our way to Mohave Valley. Our plan was to pick up Emiziah at the kennel on our way to the campground. As we drove through the desert, Amanda was telling us how many of the mountains she could climb, and how long it would take her to climb each. When we got to the kennel in Bullhead City it was 1 p.m., and they were closed until 3 p.m. We went to the campground, but returned to the kennel a few hours later to pick up the dog. Then we went home and watched the Super Bowl. For me, it was a bittersweet game. I wanted the Steelers to win their sixth championship, but I also wanted the Cardinals to win so that Curt Warner would have another championship and possibly be named MVP.

On Monday, we went to Kingman, AZ, to a western shop. Amanda wanted to get a pair of boots. After checking them out, she decided that they were too expensive and that she looked like a dork in them. We left Kingman heading for the Grand Canyon. This was my first trip to the South Rim. It was just as beautiful as the North Rim, but even at this time of year there were many more tourists there than you ever see at the North Rim. The ride back to Mohave Valley included a stop at Sitgreaves Pass on old route 66. At Sitgreaves Pass there is a makeshift cemetery. I believe that people come there, scatter their loved ones ashes and erect a cross or tombstone in their honor. I don’t think anyone is buried there.

Tuesday morning we went to Lake Havasu City and the London Bridge. We spent some time there wondering how you can dismantle something like that and re-assemble it thousands of miles away. It’s a beautiful area with a walking path, boat rentals from a kayak to a huge pontoon boat, shops, etc. We left Lake Havasu City and drove south to Parker Dam where we crossed into California. We stopped at some beautiful campgrounds on the California side of the Colorado River and then crossed back into Arizona at Parker. On our way home, we drove into Needles, CA, and I showed the girls around the town. Needles is only 12-15 miles from our campground.

On Wednesday we went to Oatman, AZ, which is only 10 miles east of our campground on old Rt 66. Oatman was a mining town, and then a ghost town. It is now a popular tourist attraction. Oatman has wooden sidewalks, a few restaurants, burros roaming the streets, and many shops. It also has a “gunfight” twice daily. We watched the gunfight, hit all the shops, bought some souvenirs, bought some carrots for the burros, and stopped at Judy’s Bar for a beer. We took Emiziah to Bullhead City and Amanda bathed him. We went back to the campground and the girls took Emiziah for a walk. After dinner Amanda groomed Emmy, and she did a really good job. He looked better than ever.

We were tired of touring and we had seen just about everything that I knew to show them, so we decided to go to a movie and lunch on Thursday. We went into Laughlin, NV, to see Sean Penn in “Milk”. After the movie we went to Harrah’s Casino for their buffet. As usual, the food was great. We got home before dark and the girls again took Emiziah for a walk.

Friday, we commiserated the week going so quickly. We washed the truck and loaded it. The girls packed their things, and I got the trailer ready for my prolonged absence.

Saturday morning I arose at 3:45, and I woke the girls at 4:00. We were on the road to Las Vegas and the airport at 4:30. I dropped the girls off at the airport where we said our sad good-byes, and I left for Ashland, WI, but that’s a story for another time.

Hello Everyone who ever reads this… HI especially to TB.

I got dressed around 10 am after reading for about 2 hours.  I am reading a great book about May Dodd from Chicago.  She was from a very wealthy family and a snob of sorts, fell in love with a man not of her station in life, had two children without the benefit of marriage, her parents took the children and had her committed to an insane asylum.  While she was in the asylum, President Grant made a treaty with the Cheyenne Indians to give them 1,000 women in exchange for 1,000 horses, the plan being that they would marry the braves, have children and then would be a part of the USA.  This is a shortened explanation.  They (The Government) asked for volunteers to hardly anyone replying, at which time, it was decided that they would go to jails, “insane asylems” and streets to encourage women by offering them their freedom if they would do a two year plan with the Indians… Thus May became a bride to an Indian Chief of sorts… Very Interesting… I love this book.

Anyway, I got myself dressed, and went down town here in Ashland, Wisconsin.  It is beautiful… cold but beautiful being on Lake Superior.   The snow was coming down very slowly and the sunshine made the snow appear as if it had crystals, falling upon my eyelashes and face, I felt like singing.  It was twinkly.  Anyway, I walked and went into about 16 stores.  Sweet little shops of all kind, even a bicycle shop that had these tires that had studd just like cars have, only they looked like one of those dog collars that have studs in them… I went into dress shops, army and navy shops and hallmark shops, lots of shops.  I also went into second hand shops looking for beds, but decided they were awful.  Tomorrow we are adventuring into the Good Will Shops, I am excited to go there.  Anyway:  I purchased a new address book, a cookie cutter and tags so we can put out more trash so we can get rid of all the boxes from moving here.

My adventure continues :::: I went to the Co-op to buy some earth friendly detergent to do wash, then onto the BLACK CAT COFFEE HOUSE for some chi-tea, and nice people to talk to.  Also read some things about gardening for Jenny and Ria.  Then walked home… all in all I walked over 4 miles… in the snow… and had a grand time enjoying the weather and just walking…

Now I am about to enjoy some salmon, brussel sprouts, and cauliflower, and all natural Brownies… Ria is a good cook.  I know where she gets it and it is not from her dad.

I will write again another time…… I will let everyone know how Ria is doing after Monday… Please pray for her quick recomvery….       Gwendoly Oteka

Here we are in Ashland, Wisconsin.  We left Sheffield, Ohio, the 27th of December, first stopping at CostCo’s for a CAR LOAD of necessities.  I sat in the back seat with only a little room to breathe.  We, Jenny and Ria, and I had a ball.  I forgot what it was like to drive in snow, but it was easy with new snow tires on their car.  We stayed over night in St. Ingnes, Michigan.  Had a nice continental breakfast and were on our way.  Felt like we were in the movie “The Chronicles of Nardina”.  Beautiful.

Their house is HUGE.  BEAUTIFUL.  All hard wood floors, orginal.  The wood work is all original and in excellent shape.  It reminds me of the house in the Movei “Meet Me In St. Louis”  They are so thrilled to be here and so am I.  I have my own bedroom with a balcony.  The windows in the home are 8 feet tall and exceptional, some having lead glass.

The coffee shop here is like the ones in New York or Washington.  The co-op has everything, like Queens in Allentown, only more rustic.  The town is beautiful and people are walking down main street reminiscent of days gone by.  Their home is 4 blocks off main street and a nice walk to EVERYTHING.  Later we will explore a little.

Ria has made me eggs, so I will write more when things happen and excitement is high for what we are doing    Gwen        Hello to all    Especiall my dear husband..Tommy.  Dog Emiziah.

Well, here I am in Ohio for the Holidays. My children got me a round trip airline ticket so I could be with them. It seems that I would have MISSed them too much not to be here. I am having a wonderful time although I do so miss my husband and best friend, Thomas. He knew that this is where I wanted and needed to be at this time. Next year we are all talking about going to Ria and Jenny’s for the winter Holiday. Their house will accomodiate us all. And it is beautiful up there… Like a Cottage but BIGGER.
I will be going home with Ria and Jenny until February sometime. I cannot wait to see their new Home….
Tommy is having Christmas with 18 friends there in Mohave Vally, Arizona. He is enjoying his time with Emmy and his new friends. He misses me as I miss him…
We will be working at the Kaibab Lodge again this year. From May till November you can find us at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. FROM there, who knows….
Again. Happy Holidays to all and to all a good night…. Gwen