January 2017 Bend and Bullhead

January has been a good month for exploring the area around Bullhead City, AZ.  Plus we took a ten day trip to Bend, Oregon to see Mike.  Of course we were traveling during all the recent bad weather in California and snow in Oregon!!  Timing is everything!  We drove from here to Bakersfield, CA then up CA route 5.  What we didn't know was we would go through the Central Valley which is this 60 mile wide and 450 mile long area of agricultural land that apparently grows fruits to nuts with cattle on the side.  Amazing!!

We stayed overnight in Sacramento, CA and then continued the next day up into northern CA and into Oregon.

Sierra Nevada Mountains,

Mt Shasta

Everyone takes a picture in Weed, CA!

BEND!  We actually had to buy chains to get through the passes and while in Bend, we needed them as the roads were so incredibly bad.  They only plow main roads.  

Alan with grand animals!!

Leaving the snow and rain behind and headed for the AZ sunshine!

After we rested up from our adventurous ten day trip, we started again exploring the AZ desert.  

These are the ancient petroglyphs Just about five miles or so out of town.

They are said to be sacred to the people who created them.  

Katherine's Landing, Lake Mohave, part of the Colorado River, was created when Davis Dam was built in the 1950's.

Telephone Cove

 Davis Dam

Laughlin/ Bullhead City

While this is not the prettiest area we have been in, we certainly enjoyed the rugged desert and being near my sweet sister and her great husband.  We thank them for putting up with us for three months.  Their hospitality has been wonderful.  After seeing her several times every week, it will be hard to leave and say good bye.

Here are several other activities we have been doing. 

We've been attending a nice small local church with a lovely group of folks who have been warm and welcoming to us.  Our thanks to Valley Christian Church.

Golfing with new friends once a week has been a lot of fun!

We visited Hoover Dam and saw the "new" bridge so that most traffic doesn't cross over the dam anymore after 9/11.  This is still a most amazing sight.  What a feat of engineering!

 Other things we like to do!

Baskin Robbins!!

Hanging around the RV park and watching the beautiful AZ sunsets.

Thanks for reading along with us.  We will be in Southern California from the 18th of February until

March 20th.  I'll write again during that time with the next chapter.