This is the last part of the hike where you zig zag up.

We have now been in Bryce Canyon at over 8000 feet for a couple of days and seen some amazing scenery as the pictures will show. These pictures were taken when we went on a 2.5 mile hike going down into the canyon 400 feet.

We were just about exhausted after the climb up but we did it. This morning we had hail stones which left a nice white covering on the ground.

Tomorrow (Wed) we are heading to Zion where we hope to take more pictures and post them.

So here we are again at last to continue. After a month on Tan we returned to the mainland as we had a very busy summer ahead of us. Dave and Les went fishing for 3 weeks and returned with our bounty.

Then we left for Calgary on our way to Regina Saskatchewan as my son Jason was graduating from the RCMP Boot Camp on the 24th August.

We spent a week in Calgary with Gaia & Rob and did lots of visiting and eating. Then we drove to Regina where we stayed for 5 days to witness the graduation ceremony. Wow what a moving experience that was. The troop that Jason graduated with gave us a fantastic display of marching, just like the RCMP Musical ride only with out the horses. The Badge presentation and the signing of the agreement I found the most moving of all. We were very proud of him, and he looked just great in his Red Serge uniform. He has now returned to BC and is stationed in Langley, so if you are driving through Langley watch out for him.

After we left Regina we took a long drive around Saskatchewan stopping in Swift Current to visit with our good friend Frank. Then we stopped over in Calgary again for a couple of nights before returning to Chilliwack where Susan's son John was getting married on the 19th September.

The wedding went off without a hitch and we must say the bride was stunning. This was the first time we can remember where all of Susan's family was together since we got married in 2000.

It was good to see them all as well as the grandmas, and a good time was had by all.V>

Top Picture is the Grandma's. Middle picture is the family. Bottom picture of course John and Ursula aka Mr & Mrs John Marsden

R>

On the September 22nd we crossed the border to start our winter travels. The first night we stopped at a Forest service campgroung in Tumwater Wa. The next day we travelled on and stayed in the Walmart in Pendelton Oregon where we shopped and turned it into the most expensive campsite of all. Next morning we started out for La Grande Oregon where our friends Ken & Joanne Parsons have a farm. They were great hosts and our thanks go out to them for their generosity.

September 26th we started on our way again saying goodbye to Ken & Joanne. Not sure where we were headed for the night but we did know we were heading to Thayne Wyoming where Tim & Jan were. We stayed overnight in a tiny camping spot just east of Givens Hotsprings. Great little parking spot overlooking the Snake River. Next morning we headed for Pocatello where we stopped at Walmart again, then it was on to Thayne.

We arrived at the park in Thayne on the 28th and the weather was great. Tim & Jan were happy to see us. After 2 nights we woke up to about an inch of snow on the ground and cold. This did not deter us as we knew it would not last long.

Tim & Jan took us on some wonderful drives through the Teton's. The fall colours were wonderful, just like Vermont when we were there.

We left the park with Tim & Jan on October 3rd as they were expecting some really bad weather, so we headed south. We stayed overnight at Cabellas in Salt Lake City for a couple of nights and then headed for Diamond Canyon over the mountains. The campground was empty so we had the pick of sites. Boy did we get good views from our sites. One morning there were 6 cowboys rounding up the cattle. We had never seen that before.

On the Saturday October 10th we drove on to San Rafeal Swell for a few days. Boy what agreat camping spot we have. Tim & Jan have taken us on a couple of wonderful 4 wheel drive where the views and the mountains have been spectacular. Thanks Tim & Jan.

Tomorrow October 14th we are heading for Goblin Valley and then onto Capitol Reef State Park. So we are still in Utah but having a great time.

Untill next time, take care and stay safe. We love you all.

Hi Once again. A lot has happened in our lives since the last blog. Susan had to return to Canada for a family emergency and then I flew to England to attend my moms funeral. However all is well now.

After I returned to Phoenix from England my buddy Dave flew down from BC and we drove the MH back. Had a couple of problems but nothing major.

We spent the next 3 months helping with the new born and family. Lovely to have a grandaughter we can spoil as well as the grandsons.

We are back on Tan Island for a month and returning to the mainland early July to see a specialist about my knee problem.

These pictures are from Tan Island. #1 Susan helping to build the greenhouse. #2 Les doing the same. #3 Les is cooking oysters.

Will update in a couple of months as I am going fishing in July.

Well here we are back on the Blog. Susan has been on at me enough.

We are at Roosevelt Lake which is north east of Phoenix and enjoying the sunshine. Today Wednesday Susan has been wearing shorts and Tim & Jan have been paddeling on the lake.

We have had problems with the computer ie. IT CRASHED BIG TIME so now we have a nice new one. Wow what a difference. Congratulations to us as we now have a new GRANDAUGHTER, well done Patrick & Becky. A nice addition to Sean the big brother. She was born January 25th weighing in at 5lbs 12oz and 5 weeks early. All is well and picture above.

The pictures here are of our front and back yard at Roosevelt lake. We will be staying here until the end of February

OK so I know I have been remise, but Susan has nagged me enough.

We left Benson on the 14th January and headed for Roosevelt Lake. We arrived at the lake after a rather nice relaxing drive around 3.30pm. We set up and had " happy hour ".

The weather is rather nice and we have a great view of the lake. The campground is a Forest Service Campground and has only toilets and water which is fine by us. However the site's are great. The cost is only $6 a night so we are staying at least 14 nights.

We have taken a drive to a town called Young which was rather interesting and only accesible by a road that is sometimes gravel. The scenery was "fantastic" to say the least, with snow on the side of the road at times.

We have been on several 4x4 drives with our friends Tim & Jan and had just a great time.

The weather did change for the worse and we have now had a lot of rain and the lake has risen from 60% full to 87% full which is rather a lot. The off roads have become rather muddy so we are now staying on pavement.

We have driven the " Apache Trail " which is a gravel road over the mountains to Phoenix. We did this with Tim & Jan and spent a good time at the Woodcarvers Show there.

On the 30th January we left with Tim & Jan to go to the Gourd Festival in Casa Grande. We left Roosevelt Lake and spent the night at Apache Gold Casino which is about 2 hours from the lake. We were hoping to do laundry there but er no I dont think so.

Next morning we left for Casa Grande and the fairgrounds. On arrival we checked in and set up. Weather was ok and we parked away from everyone else as we usually do. Well during the weekend of the festival it rained on the Sunday and boy did it rain. We went shopping on the Monday and on the return decided to move to the front on the blacktop. On the Tuesday Tim & Jan left to return to Roosevelt Lake and we decided to stay for another couple of days so we could visit with our good friends Rose & Ken.

On Wednesday the February the 6th we left Casa Grande and headed back to Roosevelt Lake where we would meet up with Tim & Jan again.

We are still at the lake but Tim & Jan have left to go skiing in New Mexico. The weather here now has improved and the sun has been shining thank god. We are going to stay here for a few more days before heading out to our home park for a couple of weeks near Sierra Vista. From there we may go down to Nogales Mexico for the day, or just 'veg out'.

Hi to you all. We are still in Benson Arizona, where the weather for the last few days has been REALLY cold. The other night we Froze all our water lines but did not burst any thank goodness.

So now what have we been doing since the last update. Well we have been remodelling our motorhome inside. We have put in a new floor and removed the dining booth. As you will see by the pictures it looks much better giving us more room. We really enjoyed doing this project and of course appreciated the help from our good friend Tim. He actually designed the layout. For Thanksgiving we joined others in the clubhouse and just stuffed our faces with turkey and all the trimmings. What a great meal that was. The ladies from each table supplied the food.

Our Christmas was good also. We joined about 250 other people from the park in the clubhouse. We had 22 people at our table and the food that was supplied by the ladies of each table was fantastic. We all went home to our rigs ready for a nap. On Christmas morning we called all of our kids and grandkids and had enjoyable conversations with them all.

For New Years we are going back up to the clubhouse where we will enjoy fun and games no doubt. Plus we get snacks as part of the event. Looking forward to that tomorrow night. Other than the remods we have not been doing too much. Oh forgot to mention that Susan had to go to the dentist in Tucson. She had an appsiss (not sure if the spelling is correct) and had 2 teeth removed. She is ok now and has decided to use the dentist down here instead of the one at home as she like him. So more work to do next year. I was hoping to get a flat screen TV but now Susan say's that we are walking on it and she eat's with it.

Well thats what we have been up to. We would like to Wish you ALL a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR. May all your wishes and dreams come true and may 2008 be a HEALTHY one for ALL.

Take care all and stay safe and warm. We love you all.

So here we are in sunny Benson Arizona after a great summer. After leaving Calgary and the snow we crossed the border at Sweetgrass Montana and headed south. The driving through Montana and Wyoming is just beautiful. The roads are great and there is not really that much traffic. As we crossed the state line into Colorado we could see smoke in the distance. Then we realised it must be coming from California. That night when we stopped in Moab Utah we tuned the radio and sure enough that was where it was coming from. We were planning on stopping in Moab for a couple of days, but you could really not see much with the smoke.

Next morning we got up had breakfast and continued on south. We finished up in Flagstaff Arizona, staying at the Walmart even though there were signs saying 'No overnight camping". Susan did go in and check with Walmart and they said it was ok. That night was really cold. The past 3 nights we had had frost but this night was the coldest. We left Flagstaff and headed towards Phoenix. The road was quite busy but we just continued our drive around 60mph, with everyone zooming past us. As we approached Phoenix the traffic really built up and became rather busy. After managing the traffic through Phoenix we got onto I10 and headed East towards Tucson. As you approach Tucson about 10 miles west the road work begins. They are in the process of widening the highway to 4 lanes. This road work goes on for about 15 miles. Pain in the you know what, but will be great when its finished.

We arrived at the SKP park around 4pm and were escorted to our lot. We did not manage to get one of our usual lots, but we are moving on Wednesday to a lot on the front row which is where we like to be. The weather has been just fabulous. The sun shines and we have been up in the 80's just about every day. Of course Tim & Jan are here and Mike & Betty are arriving next week. The only couple we are waiting for are Jacques & Louise who are in Texas right now visiting some friends. We hope they will be here for thanksgiving later this month.

The pictures above consist of Susan with her latest grandson Sean who lives in Canmore Alberta with his mom & dad Becky & Patrick, and 2 pictures of the sunset tonight Saturday November 10th.

Thats about it for now, so take care everyone until next time.