Saddle Mountain, Arizona

     After our few days at Havasu City, Eldon had only 3 more shifts to work in Page, AZ. We were 5 hours south on the route we were planning to go when he was done anyhow so he opted to drive back with just the truck and stay in a motel. Friends of ours have a contract in Phoenix (he's an airplane mechanic) and acted happy to have the us hang out with them during that time. They chose a lovely boondocking spot west of Phoenix about an hour. As it turned out, 9 different families ended up there over the course of a couple weeks!

Saddle Mountain

This is the first time we've been far enough south to see sagara cacti!

Most nights we had a campfire. I loved wrapping potatoes and meatballs in foil and sticking it in the hot ashes in the morning. It made a delicious, easy lunch!

Michael and Makayla have a mission to create a fort at every place we go :).

Evening light!

Some nights the sunset was more spectacular then others.

So much gorgeousness!

Forts were frequently transformed to stores, libraries, hospitals, and more.

Makayla is well loved by the younger children.

This picture simply does not capture the length of this huge "hill" behind our campsite. It had the most elusive peak ever, but after an hour, we made it to the top!

Baby cacti. Most likely, this 10 incher is at least 50 years old.

Pretty red flowers on a tree.

Looking down

Any Sagara with 5 arms is at least 150 years old!

One day some of us took a hike to find petroglyphs.

But, we ended up hiking up the wrong draw and found ourselves in a pretty creekbed with tons of vegetation!

A little fairy house!

At long last we found the correct spot. I was disappointed but the hike was still worth it!

     Staying in the desert with friends has been such a great experience for us! There is a small group of us that is particularly close and we have so enjoyed being with them. Letting the kids roam the desert until they crash from exhaustion is so fun for us all. We tend to work together when it comes to getting fresh water as well as disposing of black water and trash. Anytime someone goes to town, you have the opportunity to add a few items to their grocery list (or Amazon pick-up). I love seeing young teenagers playing tag and ring-a-round-the-rosie with 3 year olds. Frequently there is a craft of some sort happening (aka, painting rocks, building a rock tumbler, beads, hot glue......) and eventually clean-up happens. Our potlucks are unplanned but somehow our food always goes together perfectly. And then some nights the adults wander out to the fire where we talk and laugh late into the night. 

     We've spent over 30 days (broken up) in the last 4 months with these families so leaving the southwest was hard! But we have  memories, new adventures, and next time to look forward to! I'm sharing a picture and a very fitting Facebook post a friend wrote about us.

Friends ❤❤❤

     "In the middle of some Arizona desert, under a full moon, in the embrace of some craggy mountains, a dying fire, and the glare of some truck headlights, I’m surrounded by some women who have become very special to me. We’ve traded jokes, food, medicine, childcare. We’ve hiked through slot canyons and pools of standing water. We’ve been too hot and too cold. We’ve nursed sick children, celebrated birthdays, and wild crafted herbs. We’ve seen each other work in partnership with a spouse and step up to do all the things in their absences while finding the comfort to lean into community when things get overwhelming. On and off we’ve shared the same shifting back yard, watching children claim their space for freedom in the landscape, under the shrubby tree by the empty wash or the abandoned tires claimed by wind blown sand. We might have little or much in common depending on the day or the need. I’ve found a village and lucky for me it has wheels. " - Becky Long  - 

Lake Havasu City, AZ

     Page, Arizona had a cold snap right after Christmas - most nights were below or right at freezing. Thankfully it warmed up every day so we never had to deal with pipes that were frozen solid but it was a minor annoyance to unhook the water hose every night. 

     We were thrilled to have plans to attend a full-time family hang-out in Lake Havasu City the middle of January and the warmer weather in that area made it even more appealing! After doing a little googling, I was pleasantly surprised to find an awesome, free attraction in the area: the London Bridge!

     The London Bridge was originally built in 1831 over the River Thames in London, England.The bridge was not built with a strong enough foundation to withstand the weight of automobiles and needed to be replaced. Robert Mculloch saw this as an opportunity to grow the dry and arid town he founded on the Arizona/California border and purchased the bridge for nearly $2.5 million. In 1967 it was dismantled and relocated to Arizona where it connects an island to the mainland.

     It was a smart business decision, as the town is now close to 55,000 in population! We loved walking over the bridge and imagining all the people who had done the same before.

     Each block was carefully numbered before it was brought to America by ship. Some of the numbers were still visible!

Looking over the Colorado River.

     The vintage lamps on the bridge are made from the melted down cannons of Napoleon Bonaparte’s army.

     Below the bridge is intended to resemble an English village. I was slightly disappointed but overall it was cool experience. 

The Union Jack!

     After walking nearly 2 miles around and under London Bridge, we headed to a nearby park. In addition to an amazing playground, the beach area was gorgeous! 

The combination of palm trees, water, and mountains is stunning.

We then treated ourselves to the buffet at Pizza Hut for lunch. 

      We had a great piece of BLM land to boondock on about 20 minutes out of town. Around 20 other full-time families were also parked there, many to participate in the Havasu Balloon Festival. We came to see friends and had a great time even though we came nearly a week after most others.

Little girls in my house make my happy! 

Adie and Ethan were so happy to see one another again! They are both 3, the youngest in their families and strong personalities. Fun times!

Fort Lambik. They wrote on a rock with a charred stick.

     Michael and his friends made an impressive fort out in a wash, using whatever sticks and rocks they could find. I'm not lying when I say that he was gone for 12 hours at least one day with only a few runs back for food and water. They came up with the name "Lambik" by using the first letter of all their names.

The occupants of the fort included a king, guards, doctor, and servants.

Little girls and fingernail polish! The cheap stuff peels off in about 10 minutes and they can start all over. Excellent way to keep them busy!

A drone picture of our area after most of the rigs had pulled out. 

     We had a fantastic time and Lake Havasu City is certainly on our radar of towns to possibly work in. Our next week will be spent with a few families just west of Phoenix. Eldon will drive back to Page and stay in a motel while he works his last 3 nights. After that it's Texas bound!

Bakery Bungle by Makayla

Bakery Bungle

By Makayla King

     Hi. My name is Makayla and I work at Makayla's Cakes. Today I made a chocolate cake with strawberry icing for Emily. I made a mistake when I was mixing up the icing. 

     Just as I completed the finishing touches, Emily walked in. I handed her the cake. She was so excited that she insisted on trying a piece before she went home. I cut it open and she took a bite. "What did you put in the icing?" she asked. 

     I listed the ingredients, "Powdered sugar, milk, and strawberry flavoring."

     "How much strawberry flavoring did you use?" she asked. "It tastes rather bland."

     "One teaspoon," I replied. I checked the recipe book and realized I was supposed to use 10 teaspoons instead of one. Seeing my mistake, I offered to make her a new one at no cost.

My Pastor by Michael King

At the end of every Language Arts lightunit, Michael and Makayla are given a topic to write about. In the past I've skipped over it or let them choose a topic but I'm having a lot of fun making them write about the assigned subject!

My Pastor

By Michael King

His name is Pastor Levi Durfey. I see him in Baker, Montana at church. Or sometimes I see him at the grocery store buying ice cream. He is a normal sized man with glasses. He has a little gray hair. He helps me by teaching me about God. I like when he tells stories. I can help him by listening quietly and passing out papers at Bible Study.

A look at our 2018

     Last year I was so inspired by several of our friends who had kept track of their travels in great detail that we started a spreadsheet for ourselves. It's been harder to keep up with then I realized but it's been so fun to look back at. Now I'm looking forward to having several years worth of data to compare! I did my best to keep accurate records but there may be a few mistakes 😁.

Miles traveled: 10,145 (This only includes towing miles from one destination to another)

National Parks and Monuments visited: 12 

State Parks visited: 7

Miles hiked: 110

Nights with family or friends: 147

Nights at an RV park: 145

Nights boondocking (NO hook-ups): 60

Average cost per night: $11.26

Nursing contracts: 3 (Page, AZ, Baker, MT, Page, AZ)

     Sadly, I didn't keep track of how many states we spent the night in and I'm to lazy to go figure it out. This year it's going on the spreadsheet! Also, our nights don't add up to 365 and it's because we spent a few nights at state parks but I also used that row to mark if we simply visited it. Oops.

     While it's nearly impossible to pick a favorite place, here's what each member of our family named as a highlight for this year.

Eldon: Yellowstone National Park

Monica: Walnut Canyon National Monument

Makayla : Black Hills Bible Baptist Camp

Michael: Yellowstone National Park

Emily:Albuquerque Zoo

Ethan: Montana, with my best friend Jason

     We are grateful to God for giving us a wonderful year and for granting us safety in the many miles we travel. Many days were spent with family and friends and that was certainly a highlight for all of us. Of course, exploring our amazing world and learning about it is high on the list too!

     Now, a picture from each month of the year. No significance, I just grabbed one that is a special memory (there is hundreds, lol).

January. Target practice in Pennsylvania with my uncle's.

February. The Pacific Ocean!

March. Grand Canyon with Aunt Judith.

April. The hard-to-get-to Rainbow Arch National Monument.

May. Boondocking at Richland Dam in South Dakota.

June. Mount Rushmore National Monument.

July. Lots of horses and friends in Montana!

August. The carnival at the fair was a favorite for all the children!

September. Old Faithful at Yellowstone National Park.

October. Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

November. Joining the wagon circle for 10 days at Lone Rock Beach was so relaxing!

December. A slot canyon at Valley of Fire State Park.

     And that's it for now folks! Happy New Year!