Today didn’t really start off well.  We woke up late, but still had enough time to get to Casa Grande before dark.  We got all packed up, the trailer closed up and Bryan jumped into the truck to hook up, that was when he remembered we were out of fuel, and we had to find a place that sold diesel and fuel up.  Then back to the RV resort to hook up and leave.  We had found out that we could drive across the Hoover Dam, but even though we would be stopped by dam security before we could proceed, the wait time there would be small.  Because we had not gone this way before, it was our route of choice.  We arrived at the dam site, went through dam security, crossed the Hoover Dam and found out that there was dam construction for the next 14 miles (a new road is being built over the Hoover Dam to eliminate the dam security).  We had to stop 3 dam times and it took us about a dam hour to get through the construction.  Of course this delay caused us to get to Phoenix during dam rush hour traffic, and we arrived at our rv site around 7:00 pm in the dam dark.  Fortunately for us, Keith and Barb and Lionel and Ruth were there to help us with the set up and all went smoothly without any dam arguments.  (Setting up in the dark has never been our strong suit, and we get along way better when we set up during the day).

We are still in Vegas for one more night.  The days here have been warm and sunny, and we are enjoying the warm weather, especially Cody who now can go on long walks again.   We changed our plans slightly and are now heading towards Casa Grande area tomorrow for a few nights to visit with friends, then we will head to Scottsdale on Friday to set up for a month.  Today we decided to do some housecleaning and de-cluttering.  We ended up with a large bag of clothes for Goodwill (only to find out that there are not too many drop off places in Vegas and will have to drag them with us until we can find a place that will take them), a bin of warm clothes to store and a large bag of garbage.  We are tired but feel a sense of accomplishment.  We are amazed at how much stuff this 5th wheel can hold without the sides bulging out.  There is still more to do, but the lion’s share has been done and we will work at it in the next  few days.

We made it to Vegas today.  Carol got a call from Blue cross about 9:30 Wed. morning to hear she was eligible for travel insurance.  Once all the paperwork was completed and the payment processed she was cleared to cross the border.  We crossed the border about an hour later, and hoped for good weather on our journey.  The first night we made it as far as Idaho Falls, Idaho, and even though the day was drab and dreary, and the temperature was cold,  the roads were dry and bare.  We really are not early risers and didn’t hit the road the next day until about 9:30 and travelled around 650 km ending up in Beaver, Utah.  Again the day was drab with  the horizon blending in with the sky, the mountains barely visible through the mist.  It was cold and we heard that there could be snow by the morning but decided to stay the night anyway.  Today we woke up to another drab, cool day, but no new snow on the ground.  We had a great breakfast and hoped for better weather, or at least warmer weather ahead.  The drabness stayed with us until just before St. George, Utah (about 80 miles south of where we stopped for the night) and it was like someone had drawn a line on the ground, one side with snow, the other side of the line bare and dry with blue skies ahead.  We made it to Vegas around 2:00 in the afternoon, and it took us a while to get the trailer livable again.  Then it was off to do some grocery shopping so we can start making our meals again  We weren’t able to enjoy the warm sunny day today but hopefully, the weather will continue to be warm and we can soak up some sun tomorrow.

We are on our way.  We got up to a foggy cold morning, but decided no matter what, we will head south.  It took us a while to load up both vehicles (truck and car) and we left Edmonton around 9:00 am and arrived at our trailer just after noon.  We really didn’t realize how much stuff we had removed from the trailer until we started packing it in.  Yikes, I think there will be some clutter clearing once we arrive in Phoenix.  We started the drive south around 2:30 and made it as far as Coutts, Alberta, about 1 km from the border.  We found a nice little motel for our overnight stay.  We have to stay on the Alberta side until Carol gets confirmation from Blue Cross that she has travel medical insurance.  We have had to jump through hoops to get this far, and we hope to hear by tomorrow morning.  If we cross the border before we hear she become ineligible for coverage.   Hopefully this won’t cost us an arm and a leg.  We are hoping to get to Vegas by Friday, and if you don’t hear from us before then, you will once we are settled in and have the trailer livable again.

Today we were planning on heading south to warmer weather, however, we awoke to snow on the ground and the road reports did not sound  too positive so we will try again tomorrow morning.  If we don`t update this in the next couple of days, it means we are on our way.

We just got back from seeing the Oncologist today and the news is awesome.  It looks like all the tissue surrounding the cancer is clear by large margins, the lymph nodes they removed were clear of any abnormality and I won’t require any further treatment.  The chance of it reoccurring is very slim, I was told that life should go on as usual and I shouldn’t have to enter another cancer hospital for a very long time if every again.  PHEW!!!  These last few weeks have been long, and the waiting tough, but the results are worth it.  Thank you to everyone for their prayers, concern and support, it has meant the world to me.
 
Thanks again,
 
Carol

Today we went to the Cross Cancer Institute for a new patient orientation, and came away impressed with the positive attitude of the staff and volunteers.  This visit is to give us an idea of where all the departments are and what resources are available to us.  Now all we have to do is wait to find out Carol`s results on the 20th.

Today is the last day of our holiday.  We got up early in the morning, and even though we missed our original turnoff, made it to the airport in time for our 2:30 pm flight.  Along the way we finally found a fruit stand which had orange samples of 10 different kind of oranges, yum.  Unfortunately, we were not able to take any with us, but they were sure good and sweet, way different tasting than  the ones we get in Edmonton. The holiday was awesome and we really enjoyed the boys company and we are all sad that it has ended. 

We decided to spend one more night here, and we all wanted to visit the Kennedy Space Centre.  We watched the news before leaving and are amazed at how fragile Florida’s ecology is.  There are animals dying in the cold weather, and many are being rescued to be released when it warms up, and the orange groves are being hit hard.  The farmers are concerned that they may lose trees, the oranges, which are close to ripening,  hopefully can be salvaged for juice.  After a hardy breakfast, we headed east towards Cape Canaveral and the Space Centre.   We were fortunate enough to take a tour , which took us to within 3000 feet to the Endeavor (being launched in early February).  The whole tour was interesting, and we also saw some wildlife, alligators, armadillos and a bald eagle along the way.  After the tour we went on the space flight simulator, and again it was awesome and wandered through the museum.

We woke up this morning, looked out the window and saw frost covering the ground.  Being hardy Albertans, we decided on Universal Studios to be our first attraction.  Being hardy Albertans is one thing, being hardy Albertans in a colder than usual Florida is another.  Bryan and Carol finally gave in a both bought a sweatshirt (the explanation is that they are souvenirs of Universal Studios, but the reality is we were really cold and not dressed for the weather).  Universal Studios was a blast and not too busy.  We went on a lot of rides, and at the end of the day, stayed and had supper at Bubba Gumps, then walked over to the movie theatre on the lot and watched Avitar on the Imax screen, 3D.  What a good movie, and the special effects were wonderful.