GOLD!

Today we went back to Goldfield, since we had promised the kids they could pan for gold. The other day when we were there, we totally forgot to do it... so today was the day!

Alex and Sierra each patiently sifted through sand and rocks. I think Alex was more excited to look for the bits of gems and fools gold/iron pyrite. After Sierra gave up, I removed a bunch of her sand and did the same to Alex's gold pan. Then I suddenly began to find tiny flakes of gold. It was really fun... and now I have crossed that off my bucket list. 

After lunch in the rig, we hit the road to wash her. Now, we need a bath from washing Gumby. We found a great RV wash down in Chandler. Everyone pitched in to spray, scrub, and rinse... and we didn't realize until the end of our fun that we were all covered in grease from a hose at the wash place. Bummer. We had gross and greasy black arms and legs. Yuck! Always an adventure!

 Then we ran a couple errands and Sierra found some dresses she just "had to have". She also called her buddy Sonja to say "hi".

 Our next stop was Safeway (gotta love their rotisserie chickens for a quick meal). I would say the food that we go through the most is fruit. We have two fruit monsters who gobble it up!

A late meal on the road tonight... we were all hot and tired!

And tonight, we are back at Alison and her family's house ♡

P.S. One thing I learned today... when the grey water tank's sensor says it's full, it is full. When I went back to wash my hands this afternoon I noticed that the shower floor had an inch of so of water in it! Luckily, we caught it before it went all over the floor inside.

MATH LEARNING PALETTES!

Math practice is fun with Learning Palettes. After getting a few correct, Alex went outside to do a happy dance!

#31 A HAPPY MAMA

 

A clean RV, on the inside, makes Mama mighty happy.

And, having 2 clean dogs = Mama is really happy!

We secretly washed the pups, using environmentally friendly doggie shampoo. And we washed T-man's dog bed in a new way. Instead of spending six plus bucks at the laundromat, we filled a 5 gallon bucket with water, added some soap, and used a new toilet plunger to agitate the fabric. Rinse, pour out water, fill bucket with new water, repeat. Worked awesome! 

Little Miss 'I don't like water' is now all clean! 

Steve took her for a little run to dry her off. 

Look at the clean little lady!

Titus is clean as well. He has the old-man shakes 

Mama is happy ♡

Ate another great meal outside this evening. Followed by a sunset stroll..

Steve did a little work tonight while I continued reading Ollie's Odyssey to the kids. They fell asleep really quickly tonight. Now, I am going to catch up on the last two episodes of Scandal ♡

Here are some pictures from Steve and Sierra's morning hike today... Alex started to hike with them, but came back a few minutes later to be with his Mama ♡

#30 BACK AGAIN... LOST DUTCHMAN

What a great spot! We are here at Lost Dutchman again... this will be night number four. I never would have thought we'd be here this long, but it really is a neat place.

Titus is happy to have his dog bed outside. 

His old bones welcome the soft spot to lay down.

Last night, we stayed at a site that was near many larger RVs. Not the ideal spot, but it was available last minute so we took it! Steve loved being close to other folks to swap stories and chat. I, on the otherhand, outgoing extrovert that I am, love the site we are in tonight. 

Steve is so excited I am taking his picture. HA!

You can see how large and open this spot is. Behind Steve, we have a sweet view of the sunset and space, space, space. It is a large pull though site (#50) and feels private. There is room for the dogs to be on leads without having to worry if they are wandering into someone else's campsite. Plus, we have a huge Saguaro right outside the kitchen window!

Before dinner, Sierra and I showered in the showerhouse to the west. Note, if you come here, shower in the east bathhouse if it's a hot day, because the west side of the west bathhouse soaks up the heat from the sun and gets HOT like a sauna. When we went to put our clothes on, they had warmed up so much they felt as if they had just come out of a hot dryer. So crazy! Tomorrow we will shower at the east location.

After a tasty dinner... hamburgers on the grill, salad, chips and salsa, and fruit. We all took a sunset walk together ♡

#29 CANYON LAKE, AZ & TORTILLA FLAT

After-school field trip!

Last weekend, Alison told us about a very curvy road that leads from our camping area (we are still at Lost Dutchman State Park). The road goes up to Canyon Lake... and leads to Tortilla Flat. The lake was formed when the Salt River was dammed in 1925. I have rafted and inner tubed the Salt, but have never been up to Canyon lake. And, seeing as how we like adventure, we decided to take the twisty tour up and around the rocky roads to check it out.

It was a bumpy ride for sure, but so worth it. We pulled into a large picnic area after we crossed a narrow bridge and found a huge empty parking lot at Acacia Picnic Area. Score! We grabbed the kids' swim suits, dogs' leads, lathered on sunscreen, and Steve carried our camp chairs down to the water's edge. 

Alex immediately got to work digging and creating a mini hot tub for the ducks. Sierra played a bit and ended up sitting in the shade with me, while the dogs searched for leftover chicken bones in the grass. They both ate some (someone's garbage from a picnic. Hopefully T-man won't have a flare up.) Again, Titus was super happy to chase sticks in the water, while Willow stayed high and dry. Steve carried her out into the water... what a sad face she had. She is definitely not a fan of the water.

After beach time, we drove up a few more miles to Tortilla Flat. There was not much parking so I stayed in the rig while Steve and the kids went to buy ice cream. Now that I've found a little more info on the area, I wish I had gone with them to the Mercantile. Oh well, next time. 

It was for sure a nice relaxing day!

#28 EVENING WALK WITH MY GIRL

 Our afternoon morphed into evening and a random late dinner. Then, as the sun began to set, Sierra and I took a ten minute walk to the shower house at Lost Dutchman. 

 We walked, hand in hand... watching the sun set and marveling at the size of the Saguaro near our site. HUGE!!! She spotted a little bunny and we saw gorgeous Ocotillo, Mesquite, Manzanita, and numerous other plants.

We talked about what she'd enjoyed on her trip. Her favorite thing, so far, is our visit to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. She is so excited to return and to volunteer in one of the cat houses. A few weeks back she even picked out a t-shirt at the gift shop that says 'volunteer' on it, because she is going to volunteer ♡ As we followed the rocky trail through the campground, I held her little hand in mine... wondering how she suddenly became five and half years old.

These little moments together are the big moments. Enjoying nature, just being with each other, and sharing time ♡ So sweet.

#27 A LITTLE TOUR OF GUMBY

I've been meaning to post some pictures and do a little 'tour' of Gumby...

The space above the driver/passenger seats is probably the most used space for the kids. Up there, they play Legos, watch movies, sleep, read, etc.

Our bedroom is in the rear. We keep extra blankets and bedding in the cupboards above, and across from the foot of the bed is a wardrobe wall. There, we keep clothes, games, laptops, and extra school supplies.

 When Willow sees herself in the mirror she barks!

 I love how we can lay in bed and open the windows on the sides and above our heads.

And this is the view from the hall by our bedroom, bathroom, and the bunk area. We added a poster with number facts.

 

The bunkbed/2nd table area is being used to store gear and is a doggie cave area. Titus loves to sleep under the bunks. He can feel the heat or air there and is cozy!

His Costco dog bed fits perfectly...

And, next to the bathroom/across from the bunk area, there are two large cabinets with built in shelving for storage. Here, we are collecting souvenirs and keeping our atlases.

Above the dinette are the school supplies

And, in the kitchen, we have lots of counter space and cupboard storage.

 I can't remember if I've already shared... the best idea I found on the web. Using file hangers for storing shoes! The dirt falls to the floor, which we can easily sweep out the door. And, if shoes are wet, they dry super quick! We also use it for storing dog leashes and runaway socks.

 And we added another hanging storage area to catch all our crap. Keys, sunglasses, stickers, lip balm, post its, pens, etc.

Love having a stove too. We've never used the oven, but have it if we want one. The hot water is so hot that Steve and I can make a cup of coffee straight from the tap! That also means that no one better run any water when we are showering or we could get burned.

 The refrigerator/freezer...

 I swear this has more space than our old one...

We keep thermometers in both the fridge and freezer to make sure everything is cold enough. And, we've discovered that if we buy salads with kale, cabbage, and other hearty greens, our salads live forever.

That's it for now... the showers and sunset are calling our names!