Closing Out 2021

Celebrated Jerry’s birthday very quietly with just him and I hanging out, not traveling, just relaxing. 

 

Back to doing honey do’s again, for the past 4 months there was no cooking…no cleaning but now somebody’s got to do it and it looks like it’s us! Searching for our vehicles is challenging and exhausting but we will find them.

 

We found our tow vehicle, 2007 Dodge Grand Caravan with all the bells and whistles. The engine was clean but can’t say the same for the interior. They had dogs and it wreaked of them but some great cleaning supplies and elbow grease and it’s now looking and smelling great.

As for a newer motorhome, well that is a bit more difficult so we’re just going to enjoy Maggie until we find the right one.

 

We rang in 2022 on the East and Central time zones through our television channels, but as usual couldn’t make it to Arizona or Pacific time zones. We watched the Country Music from Nashville and we were so impressed. Dick Clark’s has gone so bad since he died that it’s just not good anymore and Miley Cyrus…no thanks. We just hope this one from Nashville continues next year since it was fantastic, lots of great music and no junk.

 

Even though 2021 was a great year for us, it’s time to start a new adventurous year with new places, new hopes, new dreams and lots of fun things to do!

Wine Tastings 2021

 During our travels, we pick up bottles of wine, not only in the grocery stores in different states, choosing the local brands that sound good, but also during our wine tasting excursions, as we taste them, we will share our findings. 

Raspberry Moscato 

Farm Fresh Wine Company 

Omens, MI

6.8% alcohol 

 

We really don’t care for wines made from fruit juices but we continue to try them, especially when we love raspberries and Moscato but this one was just like all the others, too fruity and sweet.

Crabapple

Prairie Berry

Hill City, SD

10% alcohol 

 

While we were working we bought a few bottles and this one did not disappoint. It has a refreshingly sweet first taste, but then the tartness takes over ever so slightly, leaving you with a brightness in your mouth. Would pair wonderfully with spicy foods.

Mythical Beast 

Firehouse Wine Cellars

Rapid City, SD

12% alcohol 

 

This one we picked up while in South Dakota and is a bit dry with black cherry, strawberry jam, brown sugar and honey flavors. 

Barefoot Riesling 

California 

8% alcohol 

 

We have tasted several Barefoot Wines but this was our first time finding the Riesling and we loved it. Not too sweet, but definitely not dry with a refreshing ending. We will be purchasing more of this when we find it.

Huckleberry Mountain 

Mission Mountain Winery

Dayton, MT

12% alcohol 

 

Not really local wine since this winery is almost 400 miles away but it’s in Montana so we gave it a taste. It’s not sweet, but it’s not dry either, nor is it tart. Almost a grape juiciness with a raspberry tang about it but not. Just not for us, we won’t be purchasing more.

Gold Digger 

Prairie Berry 

Hill City, SD

 

While we were working at Prairie Berry, another of our favorite wines was this one. A very gentle pear flavoring with a touch of sweetness, almost like a moscato that pairs nicely with all sorts of food. We had it with pizza and quepapas and it was magnificent.

Dakota Magic

Sweet White Buffalo

Dakota Sky Stone

Ghost Town Winery

Watertown, SD

8% alcohol 

 

We bought this one while in the Badlands. A sweet bursting grape flavor with almost a honey back taste with a floral scent. Light, refreshing flavor that would pair great with spicy food, Mexican, Asian or Buffalo Wings, even possibly with Seafood.

 

Sweet Riesling

Starling Castle

Germany

8.5% alcohol 

 

We bought this one for the label and we love Sweet Rieslings. Not overly sweet, but not really dry either with a bright citrus flavor. Crisp and refreshing and we paired it with Asian Cuisine that enhanced the flavor of both, it was fabulous.

 

 Black Raspberry Fusion 

Prairie Berry 

Hill City, SD

 

While we were working at Prairie Berry, we tasted and fell in love with this flavor. It is bold, rich, sweet but not too sweet and pairs well with all sorts of cuisines. It scared us at first because it’s part Merlot which is a very dry wine but the black raspberries sweetens it perfectly. We bought a few bottles but this was our last and they are not producing it at this time. We will have to take another trip to the winery or order it once they begin making it again.

 

 

Our Travels from Minneapolis to Casa Grande

We got the heck out of the frigid and snowy tundra of Minneapolis first thing Monday morning and headed south. Took us almost 3 hours before we seen no snow and the temperatures were above freezing but the sunshine was welcoming the entire drive.

Our first day got us to Altoona, Iowa where we stayed at Prairie Meadows Casino & Hotel. Had a few hours of playtime and broke even, boy did we have fun enjoying our Bloody Maria’s in our room, enjoying a fantastic walk-in shower, a comfortable bed, and all the needed amenities but nothing outstanding!

We had a Reuben, Steak Sandwich and Fries from the Paddock Grill and it was exceptional. The meat was tender with a great saucy taste, the fries could have used more salt but otherwise they were hot and crunchy.

I dyed my hair that denim color that I bought awhile ago and all I got was black with very little blue highlights. My hair has never been good at taking in colors except for reds and burgundies, so I’ll just go back to my burgundy in a few weeks. Another issue is that it really didn’t cover the grays either.

We wanted to stop by Kansas Speedway so we stayed nearby but unfortunately the Speedway was closed today due to something going on. Stopped by the Hollywood Casino next to it hoping they had a gift shop or anything, but nothing, not any fun machines or memorabilia for the speedway. 

Best Western Premier is within feet of the Speedway entrance gate. Their elevator is still not working so we opted for the 1^st floor. It was a spacious room with a very comfortable bed, a nice chair, big television, but the walk-in shower was small and it all felt loose as if the faucet and door was about to fall off. We were so looking forward to this part of our travels but we were disappointed.

There was wind every mile we drove and we drove over 250 miles to get to River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We took the back roads to avoid the interstate where the semis still insist on driving 70+mph and it’s just crazy. 

Our room was nicely decorated and we wish we could have taken the bed and the perfect walk-in shower with us. The Casino is huge, we’re not even sure we made it all the around it. 

The next morning Jerry went with the luggage and I took a shuttle to the parking lot where the Ram had a flat tire, and I mean extremely flat. It looked as if somebody took the cap off and let all the air out but when the security guy arrived with an air tank we soon seen the slash in the sidewall. What possesses people to be so mean spirited? Anyway the spare was a real tire, so Jerry got to work and together we got it changed, mostly him but I helped and we were on the road with a little over an hour delay.

We again split this days drive to Shamrock, Texas in the middle of nowhere, we found a Best Western with a hot tub and yes we soaked for hours. The room was spacious with all the amenities. Even though the bed was a bit comfortable, it was  nothing like the one from the night before.

Our next days travels got us to Tucumcari, New Mexico at a Fairfield Inn. A bit pricey but we were upgraded to a King Suite and it had everything. Comfortable bed, a walk-in shower with a mediocre shower head, spacious room, 2 TVs with free movies, comfortable couch with ottomans and all the needed amenities.

When we arrived in Albuquerque to pick up Maggie and a trailer, we realized the temperatures were going to be in the teens at night and didn’t want to deal with it in Maggie so we hooked her up at American RV Resort where we had reservations and got another Hotel room for us to sleep warmer. During the days we unpacked the van and put stuff in the trailer and/or into Maggie and rearranged and cleaned things to get us ready to travel.

While in Albuquerque, we stayed at Comfort Suites Airport which is a newer hotel with all the amenities, comfortable bed, huge television, roomy couch, and a nice walk-in shower.

We put the Ram in storage and removed Maggie and she towed a small trailer for our work store and product until we get to Arizona where we will rent a van until we find our new truck.

Our first day of travel in the motorhome again took us a little over 200 miles straight down I-25 to Las Cruces, New Mexico where we stayed at Hacienda RV Resort. We have stayed here every year since 2015, usually in November but we are a month later this year. 

It is great getting back to our home, being away from our motorhome for a short time is nice but 4 months was too long. There are pros and cons to both and we enjoy both, and are grateful that we are able to do it all.

Drove just under 200 miles to the KOA in Willcox, Arizona where we stayed again as we had several other times. Still the same wonderful customer service and updates are looking good.

Our last day drive took us to Marana, Arizona to pick up the UHaul van for us to use while looking for our new vehicle. We emptied the trailer into the van and headed to Casa Grande, where we will be hanging out for a few weeks searching for our new vehicles.

Willcox/Cochise KOA

700 N Virginia Avenue

Willcox, AZ 85643

520-384-3212

11/17, 12/19, 12/21

2021 UPDATE - The place is complete and looks marvelous with great amenities! We paid $53.37 for a long pull through site, a bit pricey but it’s convenient for us.

An unexpected stop for us and we were grateful to find this great park. We had issues with Maggie and the new owners and the workers are exceptionally accommodating. Allowing us to check in early, giving us a ride to the local AutoZone and assisting us with the repairs by checking in with us throughout for additional tools needed.

We paid $34.49 using our KOA 10% discount for a water, electric, sewer on a level gravel site. Cable and WiFi was not available at this time but they are working on getting it very soon.

They are in the process of totally remodeling the park and some areas are under major construction but the areas where they are completed look wonderful.

Was hard for us to review the amenities such as the restrooms and showers since they are part of the major construction and were not available to check out. The store and registration areas were wonderful, quick check in and escort to our site and the store had loads of great goodies which we did find some great items we purchased.

We have always stayed clear of Willcox after a bad encounter when we first began our travels, but this place will allow us to put it back onto possible stop in the future and we would highly recommend this place to others.