InvictaMoto's Family Travels

Woken up at 0730 by a very loud radio alarm coming from the Bose  radio in the living room!  That got Paul up and my breakfast of bagels and coffee was prepared for me. We decided to visit old Scottsdale today.  It was full of shops selling Indian and cowboy  memorabilia. I particularly liked the turquoise stone jewellery. I tried some bracelets on and almost succombed as the sales assistant reduced the price by half each time I hesitated and said I would think about it!  There was also a farmers market taking place but there was little of interest to me apart from the stalls of honey which had I been at home I might have purchased! After a visit to Pauls favourite supermarket  (Walmart) we went in search of lunch which turned out to be Mexican.  Not really understanding much of the menu we picked wisely and enjoyed our tacos and wraps. Back to the apartment for some relaxation, Paul fell asleep for 4 hours.  I think the heat affected his cond...

After a little lay-in we checked out of our hotel and went in search of breakfast which turned out to be brunch at the Desert Botanical Garden.  After eating we did the tour of the different gardens. Some particularly attracted bees and butterflies. We saw some beautifully coloured butterflies and even a humming bird.  The flowers on the cacti were amazing  and amongst these cacti we spotted ground squirrels, strange 'ground' birds with their young ones and of course lizards.  After a couple of hours we decided to move on as the temperature was in the late 90's.  We started to head towards the apartment, home for the week,  stopping off en route at a Walmart to buy some provisions.  The apartment was just ready when we arrived and after the checking in procedures we went and found our apartment.   We were really pleased...We could park the car outside and had a lovely patio/balcony looking over a quiet garden. We are not overlooked so it's ...

Is it that late already!! The fifth day just dawned? We had our first swim in the "quiet pool" last evening and I expect that will be on the cards tonight too. Firstly we have  another place to visit; the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior and out to the east on SR60. It's owned by the state and is $10 a head entry with no allowance for being over 60! It was hot. In fact very hot. There were quite a few thrill seekers there who rather walk around a few miles of dusty desert looking at the garden a mining millionaire started in the the 1920's, that go to the lakes and pose or pig out. The latter is a guess, just  from seeing the massive coolers strapped to the back of trucks and filling cars. Once again we saw hummingbirds. Too small and too quick for me and my camera. The cardinal wasn't quick enough to fly off. Cardinal hiding in a tree Although it did its level best to hide. Boyce Thompson was a local mine owner and magnate and...

As yesterday, today was introduced to us at 0730. This time by a woman bellowing from the Bose system about her faith. Not in God as you might expect on a sunny Sunday, but in her incontinence pants. Only in America? Today, our destination will be Goldfield Ghost Town. However I don't expect on a holiday weekend that it will be that much of a ghost town... It wasn't. The drive wasn't too bad along the inevitable 101 and the the 60 and at Apache Junction swerve left. Once away from the built up area the freeway dropped from five lanes to two. The ghost town comes into view. Decrepit old buildings and mine equipment. Parking and entry is free and if you want the train ride or the visit down the mine,  then you pay. At High Noon, three Cowboys stepped out of the saloon, a little drunk and they challenged the Sheriff, who shot them down... A little extra hokum but still fun all the same. I did try to video it but it's no...

The day started off at a respectful 0730 as the Bose hi-fi system burst into life as a previous inhabitant had set the alarm function. Being roused from slumberbia by someone shouting about golf had to be one of the worst experiences in life. We set about breakfast. Bagels and Skippy "fuel the fun" peanut butter with a couple of cups of coffee seems about right.  The wall of peanut butter in Walmart needed to be seen. In the end I went for the one I know. Once ready to go out, we decided on Scottsdale Old Town. Not difficult really but TomTom seems to think all journeys need to take in at least 8 miles of the 101 freeway. Given that last year someone was taking potshots at cars on the 101 you have to wonder who wrote the TomTom application!! Old Scottsdale is mostly single storey buildings given over to jewellery and other trinket stores, as well as fuel for the stomach places covering all wallets. We had a mooch in some and also around the farmer'...

Got to the airport earlier than planned as the hotel was much closer than we thought, still, we had time to get some breakfast and relax. As the time to depart drew closer, 14.40 hrs we kept an eye out for the gate number to be announced.  Should have been 13.30hrs, nothing. ...then it was 1530, then on it went until 1930hrs.  By this time we had met up with some fellow passengers who all has different versions of why the flight had been delayed.  Apparently the plane  (BA289) had been here since lunchtime but there was a problem with the fuel lines and air conditioning. ... After we visited the help desk we were fobbed off with some £20 worth of  food and drink vouchers and told to keep an eye out for news on the information board.   Gradually the departure lounge was becoming less crowded as the other flights departed. Finally the gate was announced and we took off just after 8pm, some 9 hours after we arrived at the airport!  Feeli...

Day 2 started off in the wee small hours when we finally arrived at the Papago Inn. For that reason we both had our eight hours and were up without the larks at 9am. The room was pretty good and there were people around the pool. From the outside it was very unspecial. But inside it was four sides of the square around the pool. Claire took a photo. It looked good. The room also featured a fridge and coffee maker. We made use of the latter and the coffee bags before leaving. With six hours before we could check-in at the Timeshare, we needed something to do. By 11am we were checking into the Desert Botanical Garden. And what a find. A reduced entry fee as we are old and we were in. With no breakfast we went into Gertrude's and ended up with brunch. Then it was a walk around the large and varied gardens. If you like the desert and don't want to travel, this is perfect. We were lucky as some of the cactii were flowering and many are only in flower one o...

Finally here. Landed about 2229 MST and after a walk around the shopping centre that seems to form most of the airport we found a security guard who told us where the shuttle bus to car rentals was... Four floors below us and another long walk. The National office was easy to find and we were there only customers. I prefer National as all taxes and insurances are included in the quote. The guy pointed to a row of cars. "Take any one of those". My eyes flicked to the three Challengers... In the end we put our cases in an Impala then Claire saw the Charger SXT. We changed. The Papago Inn was easy to find (crossed fingers TomTom worked) and we checked in about 1230... Day 2 started with us going to bed shattered after 24 hours awake. 

We have finally got a gate to run to... 34. The plane will apparently depart at 1930. Given that's less than 20 minutes away and boarding hasn't started, and that the gate is jam packed... That won't happen. Dial in the 10h 20m flight from 1940... Less 7 hours time difference and we have to hope that the car rental is still open or we are f*cked. Customer Service has been terrible. Both Finnair and BA haven't even emailed to say there is a delay. They have all our details, as they have sent before. The service desk at Terminal 3 gave out random details depending on when you went to ask. At least they gave us £20 of vouchers to spend in Nero!!  The worry is that we'll arrive after midnight and National will have buggered off and we don't get a car tonight.

Here we are. According to the departure boards the flight is delayed at least an hour. The BA/Finnair website shows the flight leaving at 1450 instead of 1440, but actual time looks like at least 1540 on the boards.  Had a short chat with a lady on the same flight who has been here since 0600 on a connecting flight from Dubai. Not much we can do about it other than to buy more coffee from the many coffee bars. 😡 After reading a few travel writers "how to" blogs I fully expect to arrive at National and find only some skanky Fusion waiting for us! Apparently, there is more choice of car the earlier you arrive! Doh! Why didn't I think of that!  An hour later means a landing time of 1830 now, followed by the third degree at Homeland or whatever the new name is, before luggage on then the bus to the car rental office.....  Let's keep calm.... 🆒

Flight day. Had a lie in as the hotel is only 1.7 miles from the parking. Didn't have their breakfast as £13.95 each seemed steep. So we were on the road before 10am and after checking the car in and a long seeming bus trip to the airport we checked the bags in. I had done it online yesterday but as I have a visa and not an ESTA we couldn't print our own boarding cards. Well, Claire could have. Checking bags in revealed despite "travelling light" we still topped 30kg between us, of the 44kg allowance. Security was next after a coffee and sandwich for brunch. This proved no small problem. Claire set off the alarm and had to go through the scanner. I went through okay, only to see my hand luggage rerouted for inspection. They waved the wand over everything and even tested my GTN Spray in a machine. I've never had to use it but the  cardiac specialist said to carry it "as you never know"! Then we stepped into perfume buyers heaven. Not for me!...

I had the day off and had a few jobs to do. The worst, or so I expected, was taking Reggie to the kennels for his holiday. In the end once we arrived and checked him in, the lady came round and he treated her like a long lost friend. He disappeared through the "staff only" door without a look back to see where "daddy" was!  From there it was downhill. Paint spiller in the garage that needed cleaning up and final packing. By 8pm we were on the road for the 95 mile drive to the hotel near the airport. Luckily we gauged it right and the M25 wasn't too bad. The hotel is okay. Pretty good value for £65. I'd recommend it to anyone flying out of Heathrow, remember to ask for a kettle though!! We had plenty of coffee etc but no kettle and couldn't get one. Until T-Day

The three days to departure and although we have everything in hand and I have pulled the cases and the computer bag from the loft, not much packing or sorting too place yesterday.   After the experience of having a bag go missing two years ago, last year I wrote our surname on the bottom of the cases in indelible pen, and this year we are going to half and half pack them.   After years of taking stuff for a 10000 mile round trip and never using it, this year I plan to be minimalist.  It's not as though there won't be a Walmart about for those Fruit of the Loom underpants we can't get in UK that fit my physique really well......  Plus I need space in one bag should I invest in a sissy-bar bag for the bike.  In the US the one I have been looking at is the same in dollars as it is in pounds in the UK.   Those suppliers that do have them on eBay want almost as much again to post to the UK. I actually have a bag but it is very cheap and I got i...

Despite having it all on my phone I like to have a printed copy, so it was onto Yahoo and print in reverse order. It's probably unnecessary but I emailed the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook again to confirm my Brother made reservation was not forgotten. Three days and not heard back. There's not much more to do other than get the cases out of the loft, sort out the computer case I use as hand luggage and sort out some cash.  Need a few $$'s to hand on arrival.

A slight update in "The Loop" to include the trips to the Petrified Forest and Monument Valley.

Over the years on trips we have had a session where we "bag" places. Usually countries but in the US it wiull have to be states. It's using a hunting phrase where they would "bag a tiger".... It means also slightly making a detour to include somewhere otherwise missed. In that case only one of the "bags" will be genuine as the other actually requires crossing the state border to access where we are going. In the past Steve Hazlehurst and I bagged Slovenia on the way from Venice to Salzburg.  A short dogleg across the border satisfied the "bagging" criteria. The first will be to "bag" Utah.  To get into Monument Valley will mean a trip across the border then a quick right turn onto the Navajo lands.   Bagging Utah The next will be across the other side of the state when we come down along the Colorado River, a quick detour into California and back to Arizona. Bagging California See what happens!! ...