Thursday April 4th – Saturday April 6th, 2019
We were glad to be back in Desert Hot Springs at the Joshua Tree KOA, especially since there’s all the good stuff like mineral hot tubs, a pool and laundry room. I was missing good cell service and WiFi! We used our 2 days here to get caught up, stocked up and cleaned up, before our friends come in on Sunday.

Friday, March 22nd – April 3rd, 2019

Blog Post from JP:

This was our second year at Alamo lake. The fishing was difficult as the water temps were about 3 weeks behind last year’s. Fish were scattered throughout the lake and remained elusive the whole time we were there. Being able to get across the lake or all the way to the East end, where rumor had it, the fishing was better, required a bass boat, or at least a motor boat. The people I spoke with weren’t really catching any more fish than us, they just didn’t have to row their asses off to get ’em.
Being on the lake before sun up is amazing. Sitting at water level, rowing quietly toward the target fishing area. The burros were all at the shore watering up for the day. Eagles and vultures were circling above the lake looking for breakfast. The sky was shades of pink and blue. This year there was a fire across the lake that was started by a careless camper and it burned for days. Watching it devour the desert from my pontoon boat was fascinating. I fished 4-6 hours each day, sometimes I got out early and in the late evening. I caught Bass each day (almost) it took me two days to really find where they were and what they wanted to eat. Then coaxing them to take the bait is always the tricky part. I fooled several smallish fish and was quite pleased until I hooked a really large bass. This fish exploded from the bush and made me suck air really loud. Then, without any concern for my feelings or pride the fish spit the hook. I would no longer be happy with the smallish fish and was more determined than ever to catch large bass. Several days went by with fish not photo worthy. Two days before we had to leave, I hit the water a bit earlier and went straight to the lair of the big boy. The first two casts were short and the third landed in the brush just above where I was wanting to fish. I gently jiggled my bait loose from the bush and it dropped gently into the water. I reeled up the slack and suddenly felt a shocking strike. I set the hook and new immediately this was a big bass. He jumped several times close to the pontoon boat and splashed water in my face, I was in awe of his girth and large head. After a few minutes he came to hand and was photo’d and released. That moment he hit my bait and the moment I had a grip on him is the reason I will return to Lake Alamo Arizona next year.     JP
And  . . . Our trip to Lake Alamo got extended by 5 days because  2 stops at other lakes had to be cancelled due to foul weather. So we’re here for 12 nights. There’s no Wi-Fi and cell coverage only if JP drives me out a ways and up a hill. So it’s peace and quiet and hopefully bass and crappie. We won’t be doing much exploring or side trips while we’re here but hopefully I’ll have a daily fish count!

Friday March 22nd, 2019
Travel Day

Saturday March 23rd, 2019
JP fished AM and PM but no catch.
He used his downtime to meet other fishers and collect info on the lake. The consensus is – “It’s gonna pick up next week.”

Sunday March 24th, 2019
There was a tournament at the lake so there were lots of boats. JP had some hits and caught a 2 pound bass.

Monday March 25th, 2019
3 Bass on – none landed

Tuesday March 26th, 2019
No fish caught but there have been some beautiful skies in the evening. JP is loving being here and I’ve been keeping busy reading and writing. It’s a little tough being without Wi-Fi and little cell but we’ve been able to work around it with evening drives to where we can be connected and see a sunset!

Wednesday March 27th, 2019
4 pound Bass and 5 lesser Bass

Thursday March 28th, 2019
We took a day away from Alamo and drove into Wickenburg. We’ve visited here before so the day was centered around getting supplies and having a good meal. We had lunch at the Ranchero Restaurant and it was perfect. I’d read about their Legendary (won 18 awards) Margarita and I knew I made the right choice when the waitress said “That a girl”! It’s so much more fun grocery shopping after a bird bath sized margarita! It was a bit of a day trip but a nice change of pace.

Friday March 29th, 2019
JP pulled a muscle so we kicked it at camp so he could recoup. We took a drive to look for the crazy wild burros we hear making strange noises in the camp at night. They certainly look more docile than they sound after dark!

Saturday March 30th, 2019
JP went AM fishing and then we both went out for the late afternoon fish. He caught one and I had a hit but no catch. We pulled the pontoons out on a bank and hiked up a hill to see what all the burro screaming was about. There were a dozen Burris divided into 3 groups. Evidently it’s getting to be mating season so there was some snortin’ and kickin’ and hustlin’ going on. It sounded awful! I screamed my best imitation of their braying/screaming back at them but the only response was their stares. I guess I don’t speak burro.

Sunday March 31st, 2019
Woah! The weekend has been jam packed! JP didn’t even want to give it a go. We counted over 60 trucks with boat trailers in one parking lot. A good day to take care of camp chores but not for pontooning.

Monday April 1st, 2019
The AM after a busy weekend leaves lots of wood left behind in the campgrounds so JP gathered enough for campfires until we pull out.

It was a good fish day. JP caught a nice one! A 4 pound bass and an even bigger one that got away.

Tuesday April 2nd, 2019
Last day to fish and a forecast of wind so JP was on the water by 6:00. The water was dirty and no fish to be found so we got ready to roll in the AM.

Thursday March 21st, 2019
We met Dawn and Ron at Bobo’s Restaurant for breakfast. TripAdvisor sure got this place right! The place wasn’t fancy, the tables were full and packed a little too close together but the fried potatoes were just as good as my Grandma’s used to be. Ron’s pancake was the full size of a dinner plate topped with an apple combo that made it look more like giant dessert (and that was the Senior size)! It was great the cousins got to get together while we were in Tucson.

We drove up to and through the Mt Lemon Scenic Byway. It was like the City of Rocks in New Mexico combined with the Saguaro State Park in Tucson on steroids! We could have had a clearer day but it was still beautiful. The haze made it hard to get great photos but we gave it our best shot.

Wednesday March 20th, 2019

I’d been looking forward to a return trip to Casino Del Sol! Yes, it’s a casino but it’s like a smaller version of a Vegas casino with cool lighting and awesome ceilings. We had some fun happy hour drinks (Pineapple Paradise was yummy) and spent the afternoon chasing a big win. Alas no, but it was fun!

We met Dawn and Ron at Tiny’s Saloon and Steakhouse for supper. It’s a local fav and sort of a biker bar, burger joint, warehouse grill kinda place. It was hoppin’ that’s for sure!

Tuesday March 19th, 2019

We picked a perfect day to visit Saguaro National Park. We drove the loop, saw tons of Saguaro Cactus and desert views. We stopped at the Visitor Center (along with a whole bunch of other visitors) and learned more about the Saguaro. So here’s just a couple tidbits: the Saguaro Cactus can have an average life span of 150 – 175 years and can weigh up 6 tons and grow to be 50 feet tall.
They don’t produce flowers until they’re 35 years old and don’t grow their “arms” until they’re 50-75 years old. They are like the sages of the desert.

Monday March 18th, 2019

This is the go to place around Tucson for a little bit of everything in nature here. The park is huge and covers an amazing amount of information in great natural surroundings. There is something for everyone! There were reptiles, an aviary, a hummingbird compound, rock and mineral displays, fish and other wildlife all in one park. If was a full day experience that’s for sure and we didn’t hike any of the trails. It was an nice touch that they had sunblock dispensers in the restrooms. That was a first!

Sunday March 17th, 2019 – St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Tucson

We spent the day with JP’s cousin Dawn and her husband Ron. They’re vacationing in Tuscon in a Park Model not far from our RV Park.

It’s been ages since the cousins have seen each other so there was lots of catching up to do.

We went to downtown Tucson for the St Patrick’s Day Parade. Tucson has about 400 Irish born members but for the St. Patrick’s Day event just about everyone was in green. There were tartans, kilts and bagpipes, Irish Dancers and a float representing the Society of Perpetual Indulgence, sounded like a fun bunch (though doubtful I could keep up)!

Saturday March 16th, 2019
Finally we made it to good weather! The Desert Trails RV Park just outside of Tucson wasn’t fancy but had everything we needed, plus music in the evenings, a library with DVD’s, pool, food trucks that come in and LOTS of RV campers. We settled in and planned our stay, excited to see sunny skies!
And then . . .
While we were in Las Cruces there was a Springdale really similar to Lucky parked next to us. We met the gals who were traveling in what looked like Lucky’s brother. When we pulled into Desert Trails RV in Tucson (9 days later) there they were! This time we got to share some travel talk.  We’re now Facebook friends, and its been cool because they are living the gypsy life right not too. It was a fun bonus to our Tucson stay and I’m hoping we’ll stay in touch! Our new pals Jamie and Jodi from Michigan.

Friday March 15th, 2019
Today was a travel day and we were excited to be headed into better weather. We try to make our travel days short enough to be at our next stop before dinner time. That way the days aren’t too long and we can be settled in before dark. We got lucky in Deming and following the sage advice of the many TripAdvisor comments, ate at the China Restaurant. It was awesome! I’m not the biggest Chinese Food fan but the food was great, the portions HUGE and the service spot on! That wasn’t the only surprise in Deming. We woke up the next morning to snowfall!