Marilyn and I found the new year (2012) in Albuquerque, NM on our way to Scottsdale, AZ for the winter. We left Iowa in the midst of rain/snow (it yucked up the clean vehicle) early on December 30 and drove to Wichita, KS where we had a great Latin/American dinner in Old Town. Got out early the next day and took US 54 all the way to Tucumcari, NM where we jumped on I-40 and coasted our way into Albuquerque. Before we got to I-40 we made a quick stop at Ute lake near Logan, NM and took a stretch break and a couple of snapshots. Son-in-law Brad says the lake looks like a big mud-puddle with houses around it. The good folks of NM say it is an 8200 acre lake full of fish and can be fished every day of the year!!!
We left early on New Year's Day in time to spend a couple of hours in the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest of NE Arizona before heading cross country through the mountains and Payson, AZ before arriving in Scottsdale around 3:30 PM on the 1st. We are on Mountain Time so only an hour behind Iowa. We have been here a week now and have checked out three main grocery chains, three restaurants, washed the car, found the post office, had dinner with old friend Duane Schamerloh, went to a Lutheran Church that has a minister from Iowa, took a long hike in the desert and locked our garage door keys in the garage!
Our place is a nice 2 bedroom condo in Grayhawk which is in north Scottsdale. We are very close to everything we need and look forward to our time here. Please come and visit if you can.
