First Post of 2011

No resolutions. Don't need them.

Christmas is over. The tree is lying unceremoniously in the front yard waiting for the Boy Scouts to pick it up. The decorations are back in their numerous boxes in the cabinets in the garage. The pine needles have been vacuumed up. By looking at the number of needles on the floor after taking the tree out, you would think that the tree would have been bald by the time you got it out of the house, but it doesn't. In fact, it looks pretty good. It feels dry, but the color is still nice and green. It seems kind of wasteful to grow something for 8-10 years and then just throw it away after 1-2 months of use. At least it will be ground up for mulch.
Now that the clean up is done, it is time to get ready for our trip south. This year we are headed for Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in southern Arizona. I mean southern. The park is situated on the US/Mexican border about half-way between Yuma and Tucson and then south on Hwy 85. If you love the flora and fuana of the desert, you will love the park. The campground is one of the most beautiful I have ever been in. There are no hook-ups so generator use is permitted two times a day 8-10am and 4-6 to allow the charging of batteries and microwave cooking, etc. There is a dump station also.
R and I will be volunteering there for the months of February, March, and April. I am not sure what our duties will be but we are looking forward to the time spent in this goreous area. Watch for further blogs to let you know what we are doing.
With the trip in mind, this short time period will be used to get the truck and trailer ready. The trailer has been checked over; brakes, connections, etc. The water tank has been filled to the half-full level. The water heater has been drained and flushed. The only thing left on the trailer is packing it and most of that won't be done until the last couple of days, especially the food.
The truck is in the dealer right now to have the drive shaft lubed. I read about it in the Trailer Life magazine and it is something that I had noticed and wondered about. Next I will have the transmission serviced and it should be ready to go.

Vroom, Vroom.