Trip to Tucson

We leave Friday, September 28, 2007 after Greg got home from work and we had packed. So it was a late start. We arrive in Missoula, Montana at about 1:00am, tired & cranky. A room was rented at $110 which was a big rip-off. We share the only bed in the room with the dog. Thank goodness - as it is cold & snowy outside. What a great start to our vacation-NOT. In the morning, we partake of coffee (me), waffles & orange juice (Greg). An elderly man makes conversation with us and indicates that at 6AM he has whiskey in his truck if we want to join him. Ugh.

Saturday - Driving through snow, rain, and hail...we trek through Salt Lake - which has got to be the most gosh awful place to live or drive. It takes us 3 hours to crawl through this town and experience the worst traffic jam just because of accident gawkers! However, we arrive in Mesquite, Nevada to rest in the best room of the whole trip. A gambling resort area that has sprung up just outside of Las Vegas. Wonderful warm temperatures. We walk the dog around the area which is just across from a spectacular golf course.

Sunday morning dawns bright & early. We talk to a delightful couple at the biggest continental breakfast/brunch that I have ever seen. All included in the price of the hotel room. The elderly couple explain that they are looking to purchase property in this wonderful little town. After bidding them goodbye, we pack up and head out on the interstate. Passing Las Vegas & Hoover Dam..we are detained briefly at the dam for a spot-check on vehicles. We make good time to Phoenix & bypass the traffic to arrive in Tucson at night. We miss our exit to Green Valley and almost end up in New Mexico before we discover our error. Turning around in the middle of the interstate (whoops-a big No.No.) we make our way on the backroads to GV. While stopping to fill at the local fuel station, I asked for directions from a very nice young man who also gets his map out to show me the way. An elderly gentleman that resides in GV also explains directions. However, when we get to Marv's subdivision, we discover that it is darker than Hades. While Greg was whining about how much useless stuff I pack, I popped in the super intense spot light. And it definitely comes in handy. We use the spot light to view the roadsigns & house numbers. We are forced to call Marv on the cell to find out where he exactly lives. We make a few wrong turns before we pull into his driveway. He is totally surprised.

We unpacked and sleep in Marv's master bedroom as he has taken to sleeping in the guest room.

Monday morning dawns early and Marv wakes us with quiet beautiful music on the stereo. However the sun is missing from the sky and dark clouds threaten overhead. The first of the deluge begins as we drive to the Cowboy Palace for the weekly CarNuts breakfast meeting that Marv & Bert (Marv's girlfriend) attend. We are introduced briefly to the gathering and I graciously allow Greg to sit by his dad, with Bert on the side of him. I am relegated to the other side of Bert who cannot hear me out of her left ear. I have nobody sitting on the other side of me, so spend a very quiet breakfast with about 50 people in the room talking to each other. How a restaurant that has been in business for so many years can still BURN a pancake stays open still amazes me. On our last visit to GV 23 years ago, Greg's parents took us to the same restaurant. The food was bad then, too.

We returned to Marv's home and it continued to rain, was humid and horrible. Greg & his dad talked most of the day. I was in vast amounts of pain as my back & ribs decided to start hurting. It might have been the 3 day car ride with little stops; or the rock hard bed that I had to endure at night. So I dosed myself with loads of painkillers. In addition to this, my menstrual cycle decides to begin! Whoopie. Lucky me.

Tuesday, Marv declines to go with us to visit the Desert Museum & Mervyn's store in Tucson with Bert as he has gangrene in his foot from his diabetic problems. The toe is black, but he refuses to go to the doctor - he has an appointment on Friday and will wait til then!

Lots of fun & interesting things at the Museum. Bert is a delightful joy to be around. That night we dine on Sloppy Joe's (yummy) at Bert's home which is well lived in unlike Marv's home which looks like it belongs in one of the upscale Home Magazines. I am afraid to breathe in Marv's place because I might dirty his white carpet. Which might be another cause of my back hurting as I am so stressed out. Greg & I are both shocked that he allows Isabelle to be inside the house. We had warned her on the way down that she might have to sleep outside or in the truck. Isabelle potties very nicely in the landscaped back yard where there is an absence of cactus.

Wednesday, Marv stays home again as Bert takes us to Kohl's & has us eat at a favorite dive of hers - The Hungry Fox. Isabelle dances away from Greg as he takes her out to the truck parked in the "visitor parking" area. She accidentally steps on a snowball cactus with her right paw. Without yelping or crying, but giving an odd look to Greg, they make their way inside the house where we have to use a pliers to pull out the spines. Poor baby. She spends the day ensconced on Grandpa's bed. We dine at a Tubac Restaurant that night on Ribs & Coconut Shrimp. Greg & I are not used to the rich food, eating out all the time, or drinking as much as we have done thus far. So when we return to Marv's home that night, I have a bad case of diarhhea while Greg is sick. I fall asleep on the hard as rock nails bed while Greg again talks to his father.

Thursday, we go to one of the little fuel stations to obtain coffee as there are no coffee stands around town. I need something better than instant coffee to wake up to, but it offends Marv that we won't drink what he has in his cupboards. Greg tells me it is time to leave as we have to avoid hitting an elderly driver who thinks they have the right of way on the wrong side of the road! We leave at noon after getting flowers for Bert & a cute little pumpkin for Marv. (he hates decorations of any kind - so this will be ironically delightful for us to think about him having to have this in his home!) We are so evil.

Staying at Needles in a Motel 6 that was quiet & wonderful, Isabelle curls up on the bed. We take a brief night time walk around town. Then Greg wants to eat Italian for dinner. We find a nice low-key restaurant and he gets his pasta for the night.

TO BE CONTINUED