I flew to North Carolina to spend Christmas with Kelley and Casey and his family, returning to Lopez on Dec. 30th. That gave me limited time to get everything in order to head to AZ for 3 months. I left Lopez on the 1:30p ferry and stayed at the Swinomish Casino in Anacortes. My goal was to get to Quartzsite for our Escapees Solos Rally by Jan 15th, it officially started on the 17th.

#1 – Travel from Lopez to Quartzsite AZ

I left Lopez Island on Jan. 6th with a target to get to Quartzsite on the 15th. It was a lot of driving, over 1500 miles with occasional weather that I had to avoid. The key event on the way south was to stop at Long Beach in WA. I had the last of Sunna’s ashes with me and scattered them in the ocean. She loved running, and running, chasing her ball, and running.

#2 – Escapees Solos Rally in Quartzsite

Escapees is a national club and Solos is a sub-group for people who travel solo. This is our most official annual rally, so on Tuesday the 21st we had our annual meeting and election of officers. Since members of this groups come from all over the country and Canada, this is a special event to keep connected.

#3 – Casa Grande – down time

This was a difficult period: nerve damage, allergic reaction to medication, slow recovery. I was lucky to have a place where I had helpers.

#4 – Lake Havasu Winter Blast

This is one of the top professional fireworks shows in the country. The manufacturers put on this show for their customers so they can see what they can get. Top Notch!