Arriving back in AZ felt like a homecoming as we were looking forward to seeing all our family and friends but we were not excited about being back in the valley of the sun. We have discovered through our travels that we don’t enjoy the hustle and bustle of the large city any longer. Too many people, too many cars and too hot. We have really started to acclimate to our town living in Grants Pass, Oregon. As we rolled into the RV park we were met by our friends who had arrived prior to us. Craig and Sherie, Randy and Sue, Eric and Rikki. We missed Monique and Brett and Callie as they would not be joining the group this year.

We jumped right in where we left off playing pickleball every morning and the game nights started up as well. Bingo, Bunko, Left-Right-Center and Nickels were just some of the games. We had received multiple requests to see photos of our property so Teri set up an impromptu photo night and asked everyone to bring photos of whatever they wanted to share. There were 4 couples who provided interesting stories of their travels. We agreed that we would host this again in a couple of weeks with a longer lead time to get more people involved. The 2nd night was just as interesting as the first.

Our first couple of days we were having electrical problems with the motorhome. The temps were still hot so we had the need to use the AC to keep the motorhome comfortable. We kept losing power in the motorhome and then it would turn back on. We tried plugging the power cord into a different pedestal with similar results. After a couple of days and working with the park managers we decided the problem was with the power pedestal. We were able to move to a different space and all was well. The park ultimately had to rewire the pedestal to repair a broken supply electrical line. We did find that the power problems had damaged the electrical transfer switch on the motorhome. Aaron and Josh from ProTech RV did their magic and were able to repair the problem. The park managers stepped up and provided some compensation for our repair bill.

We also reunited with our long time friend, Joe Caldwell for breakfast once a week. It was also a time to celebrate his 84th year around the sun. We always have a great time visiting with him. His stories of his time in the 1964 Olympics, his time with the ASU Sun Devils and in the NBA and ABA in the 60’s and 70’s are always riveting.

Having lived in AZ my entire adult life, I never had to deal with the issue of Daylight Savings Time. Well, this time it bit us. The Google Calendar where we keep all of our appointments was set to Pacific Daylight Time. In the summer, it is the same time as AZ. Well, the clocks switch to winter time the first week of November so now Pacific Time is an hour behind AZ. Yep, we missed a couple of appointments by an hour due to this. We quickly got the calendar back onto AZ time and confirmed all of our upcoming appointments knowing we would have to switch again at the end of the month when we returned home to Oregon.

The 2nd weekend we were in Arizona was race weekend. The C4, Cave Creek Cactus Classic, has been a favorite race of mine. A 25 mile ride through the mountains north of Cave Creek. The weather was beautiful if not a bit hot as 21 of us old guys (and everyone else) headed out. I had 1 minor mishap in the first hour. My front tire bounced off a rock pushing me toward the mountain where there just happened to be a cholla cactus (also known as jumping cactus because if you get too close, it will jump onto you). I collected 3 balls of cactus on my right hand while I continued to ride not willing to let the riders behind me catch up. I shook my hand and 2 of the balls fell off. I took me 5 minutes to shake the 3rd one off but they left needles in my hand. The paramedics spent about 20 minutes pulling needles out of my hand after I crossed the finish line. I finished 8th and set a personal record on the course beating last years time. This was doubly satisfying as the leaders of the race had times that were 4 minutes slower than last year. This race is also an opportunity to brush elbows with friends we hadn’t seen in a year.

One Sunday morning, we attended church service with Craig, Sherie, Sue and Randy at their invitation. Afterward we headed to South Mountain Park and hiked Fat Man Pass. Whoever named this hike has a sick sense of humor. The highlight of the hike is the squeeze between 2 huge rock formations. If you’re too big, you won’t fit. I have always fit through the crack but not this time. Something had shifted in the past year because I could not squeeze through even though I am 10 pounds lighter and trimmer than last year. The hike has several interesting features that make it a fun adventure.

November is also a month of several birthdays and the time we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with family and friends. The first birthday was Eric’s. We were able to surprise him with a group of us showing up at his favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, for dinner.

Another night a group of us headed over to Organ Stop Pizza. Teri and I had never been there. It is was quite a delight. Not only did we enjoy the pizza but we were able to enjoy the music played by the organist who was accompanied by horns, drums, bells, and cymbals that were all electronically controlled by him while he played on his black and white keys. It was an electronic marvel!

As I mentioned we enjoy reconnecting with friends when we are visiting. This year we had breakfast with Kim and on another day breakfast with Andy Lenartz and his family. If you are at all interested in reading about the history and development of South Mountain along with stories of the trails, check out the book written by Andrew Lenartz,

South Mountain Park and Preserve: A Guide to the Trails, Plants, and Animals in Phoenix’s Most Popular City Park (Southwest Adventure Series). It’s available on Amazon.

Each year the Chandler Fraternal Order of Police has a dinner hosted by the American Legion in Chandler. It is routinely attended by retired officers and staff from my era and is always a great reunion. Chief Bobby Joe Harris, retired, has always covered the bar tab while everyone brings a dish to share. It is a great time to reconnect with friends from our prior lives.

The weekend before Thanksgiving was family time. We met with my daughters and their kids for birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. My granddaughter Kennedy has her birthday in September, my other granddaughter Brooke’s is in November, my grandson Cooper’s is in November along with mine. Teri and Monica have December birthdays while my other grandson Landon is in January along with my daughters Nichole and Melanie. We all had a great time visiting at Melanie’s house and enjoyed the company.

November 24, Teri was getting ready to head back to Oregon a week ahead of me. We got up early so she could skip the freeway traffic. There was a knock on the door and Craig and Sherie came in for a quick visit and to give her a nice sendoff. It was such a lovely gesture. Teri returned home to Oregon and was able to visit with our neighbors Roberta and Dick for Thanksgiving while I remained in AZ for another week. I was feasted to a wonderful afternoon with Kevin and his family for Thanksgiving. I spent another afternoon visiting with Charlie and Dana in Arizona City and had the exciting opportunity to visit with my brother Mark who had flown in to visit with his son and family. On one of my daily rides I ran into a friend. As we passed each other on our bicycles, I heard him call out “John”? When I stopped and looked back it was easy to recognize Jason. We had a great visit on the side of the trail before rolling on. Before leaving town, I made sure to get the most of my training and torture time with Kevin doing a VO2 test and riding through the desert (no cactus this time).

Meanwhile Teri was at home working on her raised garden beds prepping them for spring planting as well as raking leaves, digging weeds and generally cleaning up the exterior from the fall leaf drop. We weren’t prepared for the amount of leaves that would drop and cover the property. She spent her Sundays going to church with Dick and Roberta and making new friends at the church. She was anxious for me to get home so I could help with the heavy lifting.

The day arrived for me to leave. Our friends showed up at my door again at 6 am to wish me well and I rolled out. My first night on the road I spent in Flagstaff where I was able to have dinner with my sister Mary. The next day I was Oregon bound and then some challenges after arriving home. I’ll save that story for next time.

As always, Stay Safe