New Year Greetings & our Christmas Getaway

Happy 2013 everyone!!!  Okay, so I know that I said that my New Year's resolution was to blog more regularly and to post pictures of our trips more timely and you're thinking I've already failed.  Well, actually, it's just the first weekend of the year so I'm doing okay.  For now.  Just keep me in check.

Alan and I had a wonderful Christmas.  Santa brought him the Samsung Chromebook and I got the the Kindle Fire HD.  I am totally in love with this thing.  I've already read 2 fulls books since Christmas and I'm nearly done with my third.  Right now, I'm reading a thriller called 72 Hours (A Thriller) by William Casey Moreton.  I've never ready anything by this author but I'm already hooked.  I really like his style.  It's like a movie in your head, jumping from scene to scene, yet totally knowing what's going on.  I can barely put it down long enough to go to bed.  Is that a sign of obsession!?!

Santa also treated us with filled stockings and a delightful taste of home.  He brought us the Merry Michigan "Mitten" Gift Box from Kathleens Cookies in Brighton, MI.  Santa reports that "it was a tough job getting those cookies here but the staff at Kathleens Cookies was fabulous to work with.  I wouldn't mind a cookie or two of theirs left out for me next year!"  We were tickled to see a bit of Michigan sitting under a tree on Christmas morning.  I wonder what tricks Santa has up his sleeves for next year?  Maybe some fudge from Mackinac Island!?!?

Since Alan had the entire week off between Christmas and New Year, we decided to take a little getaway and head up to Laughlin, NV.  We fell in love with this area in September on our way to Long Beach for our cruise (okay, I didn't post about that but may I will later) and were excited to get back there again.  We stayed at the Aquarius Casino Resort for an average of $45/night.  It was an awesome deal that we just couldn't pass up.  The views from the hotel are amazing - the Colorado River dividing Arizona and Nevada and mountains surrounding us.  We're not gamblers by any sense of the word but Alan managed to spend $2.00 on slots.  Hmmm, can we count that as a loss on our taxes!?!?  Something to think about.

Before our arrival to Laughlin, however, we had about a 4-hour drive ahead of us.  We knew what to expect as we'd done the same drive in September but, we've also learned, that no road trip is ever the same way twice.  This time, we made a stop to the small town of Wickenburg, AZ, to check out the downtown area and their depot.  Alan and I are huge railroad fans and usually try to fit something railroad-related into our trips.  From what we could tell, the depot had been turned into the Chamber of Commerce and had been beautifully restored.  On static display were A.T. & S.F. engine #761 and a former Pere Marquette caboose.  They offer tours of the caboose on Fridays and Saturdays.  We'll definitely have to head back up there to check it out.

From there, we headed north on US-93 toward Kingman, AZ, but ran into a surprise along the way.  A snowstorm.  Yes, SNOW!!!  Arizona can definitely get snow and lots of it in the higher elevations, like Flagstaff whose elevation is 6,900 ft., but Kingman's elevation is only 3,333 ft.  It was cold and windy, with temperatures in the mid 30s.  It was definitely cold by our standards.  But at the same time, it was so exciting!!!  The mountains had snow on them by time the mini blizzard went through.  Nothing on the roads or ground but the mountains were pretty.  Enjoy these great pictures from our road trip snowstorm.

We sat at the station in Kingman for about an hour, catching several BNSF trains, and then we decided to head west to Needles, CA to check out the BNSF / Amtrak station there before heading up to Laughlin, NV.  The station in Needles was old and in need of extra parking space but it served its purpose.  There was a large yard with about 8-10 tracks but not much action as it was getting later in the day.  Alan played the role of shutter-bug for awhile and I read my Kindle from the warmth of the car.  Next stop was the Aquarius and we were ready for some dinner and a rest outside of the car.  It took a lot longer than 4 hours to get up to Laughlin with all the added stops but it was so worth it.  We had a great first day out and were looking forward to day 2 - Mojave Desert National Preserve.  See you in the morning; night-night!

On a side note, I'd like to wish my wonderful husband, Alan, a very HAPPY 37th BIRTHDAY!!!

"I'm 37, I'm not old!" - Monty Python