Highways and Fairways

Happy Halloween from Prescott, AZ!

 

Let's catch up.  As mentioned in the last post, we left Peanut on Thursday in the trusty hands of our RV Repair Service Tech, Paul, and played golf at the toughest course Prescott has to offer, Stone Ridge.

 

Challenging in every way imaginable--long, tight, elevated, undulating lies from tee to green, we were up to the test.  Mike was joined at the tips by a couple of singles, 3rd year med student, Anthony, and David, who drove an hour to play what he considers to be the best course in the area.

 

For an intimidating course, it still didn't take long before Mike was hopping on Wilbur for a ride...

 

David also birdied that hole but was the SECOND player to snub the steed in this now 13 month journey.  Consequences?

 

That would be David taking a drop after putting THREE balls into the brush at the tee box.  We weren't kidding about the curse of the birdie horsie!  Anthony, on the other hand, was all too happy to saddle up after his proud birdie putt!

 

Birdies were indeed something to honor on this desert course that didn't offer the most inviting of fairways.

 

 

 

 

 

Between the elevations and the wind we either saw monstrous or baby drives.

 

 

 

 

With that Gumby swing it was usually a monster drive for Anthony.

The par threes were usually long and a bit tricky from the tips.  This particular one was 230 wicked yards!

 

Long or short, the par threes were quite a sight.

 

 

 

The greens were in good shape and usually capable of holding an approach shot, especially if you hit into the bowl.

 

 

If you're passing through this part of Arizona and are well stocked in cheap golf balls, we would highly recommend you get a tee time at Stone Ridge.

After a fun night on Whiskey Row, once the stomping grounds for the likes of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday, on Friday night with Dave and Carolyn (next blog) we moved our house 30 miles to the VERY small town of Paulden where we were kindly invited to hook up to their home!

 

We are being treated to warm hospitality, fun and games, great food, and the added pleasure of sharing Halloween with high spirited kids!

 

 

More to come on this fantastic pit stop in my next blog including a course review of Antelope Hills that Dave and his 40 year old clubs shared with us.  Until then, have a spooky and safe Halloween!

Time for the Highway part of Highways and Fairways

After getting our fill of amazing golf in Mesquite and St. George we took a break from the links and spent some time seeing some of the most beautiful land this country has to offer--Lake Powell and the Grand Canyon.  Unfortunately the weather was not terribly cooperative but we still managed to pick up a few good photos and I managed to pick up a nasty cold.  I guess going from 90 degrees to 25 in less than a week's time can mess up your system a bit.  All of this to say we didn't do the hiking and exploring I'd hoped but if you have never been to this part of the country, hopefully we can at least inspire you to come with the pictures we did take. I will try not to make this like the vacation slide show your Aunt Mavis made you sit through (it may still be).

There is much you can see from your windshield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We found a terrific campground inside the Lake Powell park with wonderful views.

 

 

 

 

Wahweap Campground was so peaceful and quiet.  Could be due to the time of year we're here.  I suspect it's another story in the summer.

When we woke up for our only day here we had a fifty fifty chance of perfect weather or an awful storm, depending on the temperament of the wind.

 

The odds favored us so we got a chance to see a little bit of this magnificent lake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is so much more to Lake Powell if you can get out on the lake.  Next time...

Then it was on to the Grand Canyon where we watched our thermastat go all the way down to 25 at night.  By this time I was already fighting fever and chills so we didn't get out of the car much, but here's what we did get for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty beautiful, eh?  I guess this can happen to you if you leave your water running for about a billion years or so.  Amazing, but something you must see in person to grasp fully the experience.

We again found a quiet campground inside the park, Trailer Village.  About the only sound we heard was this buck ambling noisily down our road.

 

 

 

Incredible what you see when you get off your sofa!

We are now in Prescott, you guessed it, more RV repairs.   After five long days sans golf we did get out to play at Stone Ridge Golf Course here in Prescott yesterday.  For the first time on this trip, our service guy Paul, offered to babysit Peanut while we golfed!  Thanks Paul!  That's customer service with a capital C.

   

Review of Stone Ridge to come shortly.  Suffice to say my health wasn't ready for me to do that and we visited our first Doc in a Box this morning.  Ahh, antibiotics are a marvelous thing, at least I'm counting on that.

We're pulling out of the repair shop shortly and heading to see one of Mike's fellow football stars from high school.  Dave and his wife, Carolyn, have invited us to park our house in their yard for the weekend!

From our happy trails to yours, take care!

 

 

 

Final days in St. George: The Ledges and Entrada

We are truly becoming ruined for standard golf courses.  This became evident when we slowly yawned out our opinion of The Ledges of St. George.

 

Our least favorite of the four courses we played here, it offers charm, beauty, and a few challenging holes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The locals are truly spoiled when this course is considered easy and boring by comparison to the many incredible golf experiences in the area.  To be fair, the back nine was gorgeous and a lot of fun to play. 

 

 

For desert courses, Mike and I continue to be amazed (and grateful) by the amount of grass.  Unlike most of the desert courses we've played in Arizona and California with postage stamp grass landing areas, the green fairways have been mostly wide and open.  Which brings me to the front nine of The Ledges...there didn't seem to be much difference between this course and a muni in Kansas.

 

 

I suppose in Kansas you'd have trees lining the fairway in lieu of desert and there'd be no mountains blocking your open view of the flat land.

Some of the fairways had some patchy spots, and although the front nine was without challenge, I'd still recommend you play here if you are in town on a golf trip.  However I'd be putting Sand Hollow and Coral Canyon ahead if you are strapped for time.

If you are fortunate enough to be a member of a Troon course, have the ability to do a reciprocal with your home course, or are staying at the quaint neighborhood Inn, then make sure you put the private course, Entrada, at the top of your list (http://www.golfentrada.com/).  Upon realizing that this area meets our climate needs we investigated the one private course in the area.  Entrada meets our criteria for a reasonable trail fee, acceptable dues, a challenging course, and warm friendly members.  We were paired with Joel and Anne, a fun couple originally hailing from Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

 

Ann spent years researching the perfect community and Entrada met all of her stringent requirements.  After a day on the golf course with them and an evening with several of their friends at the club's restaurant, it's easy to see why they settled here.  Let's talk about the challenging and beautiful course.  I have always loved the desert but never realized how many colors are represented between the desert, foliage, multi hued mountains, and lava rocks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along the way we made a quick detour to see Joel and Ann's incredible home with magnificent views of the mountains in every direction with enormous windows to take advantage of the panoramic splendor.

 

 

 

 

Yet another reason I can see why they love it here!

Back to the course we soon entered the area that truly sets this course above all others in Utah or perhaps anywhere in the continental US.

 

Southern Utah was host to volcanic activity for the last couple million years, the most recent eruption about 600 years ago.  That sure makes for some wild golf!  Unless you can hit a straight ball you're in for golf that looks and sounds like pinball!  Your eyes are also in for a treat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The greens were on the quick side.  Joel told us they are slower this week after having hosted their Member Guest last week.  Their Greens Superintendant will put them at any number on the stimp meter you ask.

 

 

 

We tried to induct Joel into the Birdie Horsie stable but we suspect he may suffer from Equinophobia.

 

Check out these lag putts he refused to let drop so he wouldn't have to saddle up...

 

 
Come on!  It's really not so scary to ride ol' Wilbur.  He's only bucked one rider and that was back in Michigan and the guy was taunting him!

We met a rabbit the size of Peanut...

 

A great day of golf on a beautiful course that challenged in every way plus some ways we didn't know about 
(lava).  The 90 degree dog legs, the OB, the water, lava rocks, and quick greens all made this a course that played longer than its slope and tougher than its rating.  The condition was what one would expect from a private club--pristine.

After golf, we were invited to join Joel, Ann, and several of their close friends and members for dinner at the club where they keep the home fires burning.

 

Joel, Ann, and their friends couldn't have been more gracious.  Yet another reason to entertain this club, this city, as a potential new home.

 

Earlier in the week, we'd met Matt, the Chef there, and couldn't wait to taste his form of art.  We weren't disappointed in either my pork tenderloins or in Mike's lamb chops.

 

 
 

Entrada, a great experience in so many ways! And, unlike South Carolina private clubs, they welcome Harley Riders!  When (if) the house sells, we may well be back.

Taking advantage of a late check out at the RV park, we watched the Steelers eek out a victory over Miami (sorry Bill Parcells and Dan Henning, earlier blog celebs).  Perhaps Bill and Dan are one game closer to their retirement dream golf trip?

Now on our way to Page, Arizona where I'm looking forward to a glimpse of Lake Powell.  Thanks to Joel and Ann's gang we have some terrific restaurant recommendations there, though tonight is meatloaf night at home.  Not sure when we'll have another course review for you.  How can anything top the last two weeks?

 

 

 

Sand Hollow, Oh My!

Our time in St. George, Utah is being well spent.  This area is likely our final golf mecca venue we will play as we "work" our way home to Myrtle Beach.  I must believe that this area has inspired many an artist, song writer, and poet.  Thankfully it also inspired John Vought, Sand Hollow's architect.  One of the most spectacular treats for the eyes, Sand Hollow exemplifies why I so love this game.  Set in the red hill bluffs about 20 miles from St George with sweeping views toward Zion...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trust me, I'm not smart enough to doctor these photos.  It truly is this beautiful.

We began our round facing menacing skies.  The pro was kind enough to provide us with a covered cart.

 

 

Thankfully we needed it but only a moment or two.

 

I love how they used the natural red sand for the bunkers.  Mike said it was of fine consistency, much like baby powder.  From inside the bunker it appeared nuclear.

 

As always he had no issues from the traps or other local hazards.

 

The red earth also made for more cart path photos for my threatened coffee table book.

 

 

The signature hole earned the reputation.

 

 

 

Why am I smiling?  My faded drive was kindly kicked directly into the middle of the fairway.  I want to play more holes like this one!

 

There were a couple of "cliff dwelling" par three's that were as fun as they were gorgeous.

 

 

 

 
 

Talk about tee "shoots":

 

This guy chased down one of our balls and there IS only one ball in this picture.

 

The greens were expansive, rippley, and quicker than most of late.  Aesthetically pleasing as well...

 

 

 

 

 

 

The camera adored the back nine with the elevation changes and although the front nine was relatively flat, it was not without its challenges for Mike.

 

 

Beyond the beauty, this is a must play.  We hear the wind normally gusts in this area but we were fortunate to find an uncharacteristic calm afternoon.  The condition was pristine though with the recent rain the greens were soft with too many unrepaired ball marks.  We did our best to leave them in better shape than we found them, but we hear this is a constant challenge for the course.  If that's the worst of it, it's still a homerun--especially with our internet rate of $47!  If you love golf as I do, St. George, and specifically Sand Hollow, is a must stop for you!

We have also had time to take a leisurely drive through Zion, thankfully in the car as opposed to our house.

 

 

So gorgeous!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately we couldn't be on the East Coast for the fall colors, but New England doesn't have a complete lock on nature's autumn beauty.

 

 

 

That's it for the moment.  Peanut is at the groomers and we are attending to much needed chores, errands, and of course, blogging.

We still have two more courses to tell you about from St. George, The Ledges and Entrada.  And I thought we were spoiled BEFORE we arrived here!  As I said before, oh my!

 

Stay well!

 

 

Coral Canyon, St. George Utah

Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled.  Even our windshield is thanking us for taking this route toward home.

 

 

We have set down roots for a WHOLE WEEK in St. George, Utah to do more than golf and sight see.  Once we learned the weather pattern, mild winters, year round golf, we decided to consider this area for our next home.  We spent some time yesterday at a private club, Entrada, where we got a tour of both the club house and homes for sale in the area.  Sheila was kind enough to invite us to play their course on Saturday and I can't wait to show you the pictures from the Sedona/Hawaii combined views.   Imagine red rocks and black lava rocks against embracing gigantic blue mountains.

We share our current campground with Ford enthusiasts who are here for a rally.

 

Not sure if this Escort is part of the group as it may be too young...hee hee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favorite was this 1937 vintage Ford that Joe has owned since he was 15 years old.

 

Joe and Ida dated in this car and it has been a part of their lives for 60 plus years now!  They have babied this beaut from the inside out.

 

 

What a dynamite couple.  So glad I stopped by to meet them!  Happy trails Joe and Ida!

We played Monday at Coral Canyon, a highly sought after course in the area. 

 

 

 

 

 

Beyond breath taking high desert and mountain scenery, the course offered wide inviting fairways...at least for me.

 

At 5100 yards from the Ladies tees, it was a welcome short course with nearly no trouble off the tee.  There was plenty of room for a slice/fade and if I did land in the rough it was easy to plow my way out.  Unlike the Mesquite courses, we enjoyed flat lies most of the time.  They must want the ladies to return to this course.  All of this added up to 14 greens in regulation.  As for the score?  FOURTEEN GREENS in regulation!  That's all I have to say about that...(damn putting).

It was another story from the tips.  As open as my tees were, Mike's were closed tight.  The placard at this tee box pointed out that it was 202 yards to the fairway.

 

So many looked like this...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He often had a hike to his tees.

 

More gender inequality on the par three's:

 

 

 

That's ok, trouble man can still par a hole from the red desert.

 
 

The sky reneged on its promise to rain making for a beautiful day for golf and a perfect 75 degrees.

 

 

 

 

 

If these pictures stir you AND you have always wanted a hog, come visit Coral Canyon!

 

Truthfully, if your soul is drawn to this kind of desert scenery, you ain't seen nothin yet, so to speak.  The next review of Sand Hollow will amaze!

We recommend Coral Canyon but suggest that if you happen here during their high season as we are, surf the net for good deals.  The going rate is $95 and our campground offered a discount at $89.  I was lucky to find a same day noon rate of $34 (through Golfnow.com), making this one of our best deals on great golf thus far. 

I beg you to stay tuned for my next review of another OMG course here in the St. George area.

 

Groundhog Day, Oasis Palmer

Three straight days of high desert golf in Mesquite--just doesn't get much better!  It may appear from the photos that we're just replaying the same golf experience but if you are observant you'll see that we are wearing different clothing.  We just can't get enough of the elevations, beautiful red rock, and the purple mountains in each backdrop.  Palmer Oasis, another Andrew suggestion, was home to The Big Break Mesquite for other Golf Channel Junkies like me who may remember that season. 

 

A relatively short par 71 course, Mike hung on to his hot streak of straight 300+ yard drives, posting a solid round in the mid 70's.

 

 

Although the course is quite hilly as you'll see, we did have the fun of playing more flat lies than in the past few days.  The course architect made good use of the natural canyons, putting some holes on the canyon floors surrounded by water carved rock formations.

 

 

 

 

For me, with a squirly drive, the challenge was digging out of the high rough.  Not a problem for Mike though.

 

Let's talk about the elevations, which are beginning to spoil us...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

We often had gorgeous views from the greens, and that's the nicest thing I can say about them.  Apparently the skunks did a number on the greens digging for worms and they are still trying to recover. Once we figured out that all we had to do was clobber our putts to get them to the hole, our scores improved.

 

 

 

 

One of the drawbacks to the course were all of the homes and condos surrounding many holes.  But I understand the economics with a golf course and this is a necessity to keep some courses alive. There were some pretty spectacular homes with incredible views.

 

 

We witnessed a strong membership likely made up of most of those homeowners.  We loved the "Members Only" golf parking lot.  I especially liked this member's cart.

 

We were happy with all three of our Mesquite rounds.  If forced to rank them, we'd go with Wolf Creek, Falcon Ridge, Oasis Palmer, which coincidentally is the same order for the green fees.

We are now about 40 miles up the road in St. George, Utah, where the temperature is 15 degrees cooler and
the time zone one hour later.  I am in the process of deciding which courses out of a dozen or so to play.  We have a lot of referrals and now must make the call based on price and proximity to our campground.  Our stretch of perfect weather seems to have come to an abrupt end.  Rain is called for all week.  That's OK, we have gloves for that!

Congrats to Henry and Kathy who won their flight at this year's couples tournament in Bluffton, SC!  Back to back winners!  Hope we make it back to join all of our friends for this fun event next year!  We sure as hell better!

Falcon Ridge, Mesquite

Though not as visually magnificent as Wolf Creek, Falcon Ridge does share the same architect and scenery without the same green fees, thankfully for our wallet.

 
 

We were again challenged by the elevations and lack of flat lies, all the while being awed by the vistas.

 

 

 

A shorter course than yesterday's it required course management, especially when navigating blindly around mountains.

 

On this hole Mike had to decide on using a driver to a very narrow landing strip or a lesser club to lay up in front of the water.  Considering his driver accuracy of late, what else?

 

Oh well...he doesn't dress up to lay up.  It was a fun and challenging par five all the way to the green.

 

The par threes offered elevations, water, or both.

 

 

 

Did I mention uneven lies?

 

 

 

 

 

Fairways didn't have a lock on "ridgy-ness".  The greens were a little on the slow side and didn't always break as big as they appeared they would.

 

 

 

A cool aspect of this course was the proximity to our accomodations.  We could actually see our rig from one of Mike's tees.

 

 

During our round, the clubhouse was hosting a fundraiser for one of the parties. Can you guess which?

 

 

One of us was happy to support the cause.  I'll just be happy when the nasty political ads end.

 
 

Politics aside, we enjoyed Falcon Ridge.  It was 93 and cart path only (for fairway maintenance) and don't believe what they say about dry heat.  We worked up a sweat as you can see in Mike's shirt.  The one downside was the lack of a driving range.  A few years ago the course went into bankruptcy and the driving range land was sold off separately.  The starter told us to feel free and hit into the office buildings that are there now.

As for restaurants in the area, you have your choice of casino buffets as well as a few good steak houses.  We found a wonderful Mexican place, Los Lupes, which offered my favorite chile relleno burritos!

 

As we work our way east, I have to get my fill of good Mexican food as this cuisine will end soon.  Perhaps I could live here?

One more round while in Mesquite, Oasis Palmer, then we're off to St George, Utah.  This high desert golf is well exceeding my expectations!

Leaving Las Vegas, Playing Wolf...Creek

We had a blast on our last night in Vegas with Connie, a dear friend for over 30 years.  First she treated us to sushi at her favorite spot in Henderson (aptly named I Love Sushi) where we were introduced to Monkey Rolls, yum!  Kind of like a dessert roll.

 

Then it was off to the strip where we had nose bleed seats to Jersey Boys at the Venetian.

 

I learned a little secret for these shows...Show up 5 minutes before show time and the usher, for a small tip, will put you in GREAT seats (that sell for 3 times the price of the nose bleed section) if the show hasn't sold out.  Loved the show!  The music was fantastic and I learned a lot about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons that I never knew.  Of course I didn't know a thing before that night.  Fun show and we highly recommend you see it if it hits your town.

The best part of our time in Las Vegas was catching up with Connie.  We slipped right back into our silly 20 year old selves of years past.

 

It was cool to see the strip but that's not what we're about...

 

 

We're about seeing old friends, making new ones, seeing family, eating, and of course...GOLF! So up the road we went to Mesquite about 90 miles north of Las Vegas.  Mesquite is another golf mecca, in fact they have a scaled down version of the World Am each year in May.  First we had to find an RV park and Mike hit the jack pot.  I wanted quiet after the fiasco of a place we stayed at in Las Vegas.  Sleep deprived doesn't begin to tell the story of that sad park. 

From the time we left I've begged Mike to head off into the desert where we could park under a million stars.  But apparently these 40 foot monsters aren't built for four wheeling.  Dang.  That said, Mike found a very new Motorcoach Resort in Mesquite that feels as close to off roading as we will ever feel.  My RV friends must spend time at Solstice if they crave still and quiet nights.

 

 

 

Cosmo Time is a little sweeter in this setting.

 
 

 

Quite well rested, we were off to play Wolf Creek, a course that will definitely land in our top three courses this year!  For those of you clamoring for more photos in this blog, this is your lucky day.

   

As usual, Mike played from the tips.  The highest slope rating in the country at 154, Mike had quite the hike back to his tees.  The first tee required he walk behind a condo to get to his tees.

 

 

The second tee featured a stairway to heaven...

 

 

Explains why John Daly named this course after his mom...at least the starter told us that he has nicknamed the course something with "mother" in the title.  In fact the starter had me scared from the start promising thick rough, no flat lies, and tight fairways.  You're not allowed to enter the desert to pick up your balls, so penalty drops can be the norm.  But not this day, not for Mike.  He was on fire with his driver, knocking two drives over 360 yards (straight too).

 

 

The above photo was noisily clicked (my fault) at a moment that caused Mike to pull his drive...leaving him an 80 yard shot to the green and a birdie ride on the #1 handicapped hole. 

 

Perhaps I should "Click" before every shot?  Actually, I think I do that already.

 

 

 

 

 

So many of his tee shots were intimidating...but not to him.

 

He said that he gets up there and trusts that the architects wouldn't design it such that you can't clear the trouble out front. Time after time he was proved right.

 

If it wasn't severe trouble for miles in front of the tee, then it was tight landing areas challenging him.

 

 
 


Perfect weather aided in providing us one of the best rounds of golf we've enjoyed in over a year at this adventure.  The breath-taking beauty of the desert, mountains, and canyons converging combined with an artistic course design make Wolf Creek a must play.  The toughest part was deciding on which photos to leave out of this blog...so sit back and enjoy the picture show because I just couldn't delete any!

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huge endorsement for Wolf Creek.  Andrew, it was everything you said it would be!  Only two downsides, it is expensive, but worth it.  Secondly, the fastest you can play a round here is five hours, so give yourself the time to enjoy seeing it all.

We love this area and have decided to hang around long enough to play a couple more courses before moving on to St. George, Utah.  This morning we played Falcon Ridge and tomorrow is Oasis Palmer.  Stay tuned for those reviews, but far fewer pictures.

The evenings here have been lovely.  We sit outside until the temperature drops below 78, about 9 pm.  This...is what I signed up for when we left town last year.  Finally!

Thank you again to Connie for your wonderful hospitality!  Can't wait to see you again, sooner than the 5 years we've let lapse!

 

 

The Badlands of Las Vegas

Ahh, more new countryside to see...this time drier than others, but oh the mountains!

 

It's easy to see when you've crossed into Nevada and the vast openness is suddenly interrupted by roller coasters and casinos.

 

We tried to save money on an RV park-- mistake!  We're planted at Desert Sands RV Park for three long nights among other RV's with wheels that haven't turned in years.  Avoid this place!  We went from one of the quietest places we've stayed in Yucaipa to sleeping (or trying) beneath the north/south flight plan for the international airport.  As well there is a constant loud Beep Boop sound through the night.  Imagine a backing up truck with amplifiers that never shifts into forward.  Add that to being parked next to a well traveled highway and styrofoam for insulations and it sums up to baggy eyes.

Yesterday we experienced our first desert course in nearly a year.  Loved it!  We hardly noticed the dry 90 degrees in our afternoon round at Badlands.

 

With three nines from which to choose we went with Desperado and Diablo, two aptly named and stunningly beautiful courses.

 

 

 

 

We were warned this course was a tough one but we opted to play it anyhow.  For me, it was decidedly shorter than recent play days, a welcomed change.  Having control of my driver, I was able to get within 50 yards of the green on several par fours.  But for the guys playing from the tips it was quite another story.  When you grip and rip, all kinds of things can happen to your drive with postage stamp landing areas.

 

 

 

 

That's Curt who hails from Virgina where he plays on the same tour as one of our Grand Strand buddies, Tony Parrish.  Naturally he trotted into the birdie horsie stable.  Also an accomplished equestrian, he was a master behind the reins.  Check out his feet--both airborn!

 

Mike was also joined at the championship tee by another single, Vince from Toronto, who is lucky to get to play golf while his wife works hard at a baby show at the convention center.

 

 

With the limited amount of grass out there, this was a common pasttime...

 

 

This hole was fittingly named, but several holes matched the outcome.

 

 

 

 

It was my lucky day.  Although a short course, I usually had a tight landing area as well.  But I was getting good bounces off of rocks and thick rough that stopped my ball from landing in the desert.

 

 

 

 
 

A working driver and that kind of luck helped me to break 80 for the first time in weeks.  It should have been at least 3 strokes lower, but that putting thing again.  The greens were fairly easy to read and slower than what we've been accustomed to of late.  They were well maintained though being a resort course we had to repair a lot of other golfers marks.

 

 

 

 

The guys thought that the bunkers needed more sand.  Seems there should be abundant resources for that kind of improvement?

In addition to the beautiful mountains majesty and imposing casinos, the homes dotting the course were quite impressive.

 

 

 

 
 
My preference is to play courses without homes, but these weren't so bad! 

The only wildlife we saw were these cottoned tailed rodents.  If this guy could read, he wouldn't be anywhere near this hole.

 

We were warned in a polite way of other wildlife...

 

With days getting shorter, sigh, a 1:40 tee time was still suspect for finishing before dark. 

 

 

For the difference in price ($120 vs $65), it's worth racing the sunset to the 19th hole.

Two thumbs up for this difficult desert course for it's lay out, condition, and handy work of mother nature.

Tonight we are hooking up with my dear friend Connie and are off to see the show Jersey Boys at the Venetian!  Can't wait!  Tomorrow we are off to Mesquite for a ton of great golf!

 

So long west coast!

I didn't want to say good bye to the Pacific Ocean before I got one last salmon-blue sunset from our campsite in Malibu.

 

On our departure morning, rain made it a little easier to bid adieu.

 

We have spent the last few days with mom in Redlands, officially beginning our eastward trek.  We had every intention of assisting mom with her honey do list since she, at the young age of 75.5, has decided to remodel her home.  However between my brother and her own "Eldon" she had taken care of just about all of the shopping, moving, packing that needed to be done.  From the bottom up, a makeover is in progress.  With new ceilings, floors, and bathrooms being installed over the next few weeks, it's going to be wonderful.  I admire her spirit to undertake this at a time when most of her peers are moving into one bedroom apartments!

As is always the case my brother and nephew and his family make time for us when we come through.  Derek and Brandy brought the family by the coach for a fun evening after our usual stop at Casa Trejo (the best Mexican food I know).  My great nephews and niece (great in both senses of the word) made themselves right at home and wanted to join Peanut for a slumber party.

 

 

 

While the kids were having fun creating general havoc and playing Wii with Mike inside, we were enjoying our cosmos outside.  I created a monster with Mom in Idaho with the pink drink!

 

The weather really turned around quickly for us.  By our final day it was back up to 90 degrees from the 50 it had been when we arrived.  Our campground at the Yucaipa Regional park was a great place for the canyon and mountain views I so miss.  With huge campsites, this was one of the more open feels and starry starry nights we've experienced.

 

 

 


There are water slides, fishing, hiking, biking all within the park.  Peanut and I happened upon a group teeing off at disc golf.

 

These guys take this sport seriously.  I had to get a closer look at one of the "golf" bags:

 

I made the mistake of telling them that we're on a cross country "real" golf trip.  Oops. I moved along at their request. 

 
 

I still laugh at myself when I think about the campground I booked early in our trip because the guide said they had disc golf.  I really thought that we were going to receive discount coupons for (real) golf!  Live and learn!

My best friend from high school days made a trip out to see us and catch up on too much time passed. Sandy is doing great and shared pictures from her daughter's recent wedding.

 

Aren't they gorgeous!  There's nothing like friends who knew you when...and still like you!  I just wanted more time with her.  She promises a trip to see us back in South Carolina and I will hold her to it!

 

Even with her home torn up Mom took good care of us, as is always the case.  Loved the chile and enchilada casserole!  Thanks Mom!!!

We are now on the road to Las Vegas, a mere four hour drive from my home town.  I am looking forward to more tripping down memory lane when I get a chance to catch up with another of my dear friends, Connie.  And because I am drooling and twitching (five days sans golf), we have a tee time booked at Badlands Golf Club tomorrow.  It was a referral from one of our world am pals, along with a few others.  When Connie warned that we should choose one of the others because Badlands has a reputation for being pretty hard, we knew we'd found our course!

Review and pictures to come from Badlands!  Thanks for hanging in there with us!