Ancestral Surprise!

In order to make room for everything, the unconsumed beer in the spare cooler was donated to our new Canadian friends Jude & Tim. Additionally, garden pots that were Theresa's failed attempt at a spice and tomato crop were delivered to Bob & Carol. All the fragile glassware was stowed in a now empty cooler, Kevin's planes (minus batteries) were placed carefully in the CRV(toad) and the bikes were loaded and locked on rack behind the toad. Kevin repacked the RV 'basement' and was surprised that all items found a home. After 4 months stationary the two voyagers were a bit rusty and took their time to bring in the slides, retract the jacks and do a final inspection before exiting the CA address. The CRV was hooked up with ease thanks to the new towing system purchased back in August when they started the journey.

Based on an outstanding recommendation from fellow Pickleball players, Brian and Judy, the destination of Fortuna De Oro RV Resort was selected in the GPS. Theresa used the Good Sams trip planner to select possible stops on the route back that were between 150-250 miles apart making the day's drive about 4-6 hours.

With a slight late start (after 10am) and a time zone change the RV made it to the Casa Grande, NM destination about 5pm, just missing happy hour :( The facilities were amazing! The park was easily twice as big as Hemet and had a golf course as well as a recreation complex that included the 8 pickle ball courts! (GVP only had 4 and anxious seniors would wait impatiently for their name to be next on the list to play) The park also had a restaurant which sadly was closed on the day of the teams arrival (Mondays). 

Theresa did a Yelp search for an eating place near by, and with in the top 5, was the Blaisdell Steakhouse! (yes this was a must do since that is Theresa's maiden name). What are the odds? It was a short mile drive down a frontage road to get to the 'closed on Monday' steakhouse, Mondays must be the day off for Restaurants. Theresa was disappointed but it placed on the next day's agenda.

There was another diner that was spotted on the way back to the RV park called “Foothills Eatery and Spirits”. There were lots of cars parked outside which is always a good indication. Kevin hit it off with the young waitress, as well as a frequent patron who knew the menu by heart. Weary from the long day the waitress sat down to take the order. Got to love local color!

Even with bellies full, the urge to play pickleball took over. Kevin and Theresa quickly dawned their gear and headed to lit courts where several players were awaiting a team to play! Kevin and Theresa jumped right in and got several games in before the courts closed at 10PM.

Everyone the two interacted with was very friendly and willing to offer intel on, when the challenge time was for the pickleball courts, as well as Happy hour, and excellent reviews of the park restaurant. 

The next morning was consumed by pickleball ,and Theresa walking jogging around the park with Zin while Kevin continued to play. Lunch was a perfect opportunity to visit the Blaisdell Steakhouse! 

The now open restaurant had a great lunch menu that was a mix of burgers, sandwiches, Mexican plates and other house specials. The owners were in the house and Theresa quickly introduced herself as a member of the Blaisdell blood line and inquired as to the source for the establishment's name, hoping to meet a distant relative. Turns out the owners lived in an area known as Blaisdell Crossing and that inspired the name for the restaurant. The owner was somewhat of a history buff and had done some research on the name. The Blaisdell crossing namesake, Hiram W. Blaisdell, was famed for building a Slow Sand Filter Washing Machine https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaisdell_Slow_Sand_Filter_Washing_Machine which filtered the Colorado river water into drinking water. This same guy also built a historic bridge in Newton, MA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Needham_Street_Bridge . Theresa called her brother Tom (Charlie) to see if this famous Blaisdell was in the same linage? The quick reply was “All Blaisdell's are related!”. Upon further investigation Tom did see a Hiram Grove Blaisdell (b 1822 d 1909) which may be a close relative so the jury is still out on the direct connection!

The owners were so gracious, and when Theresa wanted to buy a commemorative hat and t-shirt they would not accept a cash payment. Theresa and Kevin promised to proudly parade these items around the RV park and sing the praises of the food and hospitality! 

Back at the RV Park, Happy Hour was at one of the pools and featured a duo alternating songs from the 1950-60.  Residents conversed in the pool while hovering above the waterline with the aid of a Styrofoam noodles. The genre of music and the taste of the $2 drinks lead to a quick exit after a just 20 min. Apparently Kevin and Theresa are Happy Hour Snobs.

Back in the RV Theresa continued to tweak the Route stops and find an appropriate location with in 1 week to have the accumulated mail from NC sent. Terry, a Tasman neighbor, has been kind enough to collect the Smit's mail and stuff the important looking stuff into a prepaid mailer, then address and send it. Deming, NM was the selection. Theresa called the TV park to make reservations and validate that they would receive and hold the mail. 

The next stop, also a Hemet recommendation, was Palm Creek in Casa Grande, AZ. A short drive, only 170 miles, east the park was one of the largest in the West and was a pickleball mecca with 32 courts!