January 8th to March 19th , 2026
It’s been quite a while since our last update, and we have plenty to share! January started with a bit of a “cold bite” here in Vegas—nighttime temps were hovering near freezing—but as soon as the sun hit, we were back into the double digits Celsius. We did have a brief setback when Doug caught Fran’s cold right after our return from Reno, but we’re both through the worst of it now (though we went through a record amount of facial tissue!).
We have been enjoying having a home and getting back into hobbies like learning piano again (on our own for now) and Fran is scrapping photo books once again. We put up a hummingbird feeder stand as we found out the one we had “attached” to the building was not allowed. It’s a small joy every time we see one of them come to feed!
We’ve officially fully transitioned into the “Medicare Years” now that we’re both covered. We’re taking full advantage of the free services. We also participated in a clinical test at a research clinic test Fran found for the “Ptau” gene (what is believed to be an Alzheimer’s marker). The good news: our results came back within a week and everything looks great! After several rescheduled appointments through no fault of Fran’s, she got her cortisone shots a month late and was so happy as the pain had really ramped up in the two weeks before.
Doug’s also been a regular at the ortho for a sore shoulder and a recurring hip issue. While at the doctor, Doug “spotted” a couple in the waiting room who were clearly fellow Canadians—they were wearing shorts and sandals on a 50-degree morning! Chris and Kathy are from Victoria and they’ve lived in Vegas since ’99 and are huge Golden Knights fans. We’ve already had a lunch with them and plan to do a movie night soon. We’ve also bought tickets to see the Knights play Edmonton in early March.
Huge thanks to Serena and Kurt for the pickleball set for Christmas. We started by playing on our complex’s tennis court (which is covered in plastic tiles) and the ball tends to bounce funny so we’ve switched to the real courts about a mile from us and that helped our game but we still suck! Singles is much harder than doubles, but we’re trying to commit to practicing three times a week for an hour until we’re ready to play in public.
Fran has started twice-weekly adult swimming lessons at the local rec center. After swallowing a bit too much pool water on day one, she’s figured out the breathing better but she’s now fully “pro” with goggles, a swim cap, and earplugs. She’s mastered the front crawl (for short distances!) and the backstroke but is still working on the breathing on the former as well as the sequence of movements for the breast stroke.
We joined a “social” at the Henderson library hoping to mingle and meet people. It turned out to be a vision-board crafting event for which you remain seated. Since we aren’t really “crafty” people, we just sat with our table-mates, Wendy and Joy, and told them we didn’t need a board because we’re already living our vision!
By the end of January, “Spring had sprung” here in Henderson with some trees already in bloom:
Doug’s youngest brother, D’Arcy, arrived on February 2nd. The “boys” set out for a massive road trip through Death Valley NP, Valley of Fire State Park, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Gooseneck State Park, Lake Powell and they also hiked part the Buckskin Gulch, which was freezing, wet, and icy. D’Arcy had a blast, and it was great “brother time” for them.
Here are some shots and videos from their bro time:
Death Valley NP
Valley of Fire State Park:
Zion National Park
Bryce Canyon NP
Buckskin Gulch
Around the Page, AZ area:
Toadstools:
Gooseneck State Park:
Lake Powell:
We also had one morning at Top Golf with D’Arcy showing off his skills as he golfs a couple of times a week followed by a visit to Fremont Street.
While they were away, Fran stayed home to catch the Olympics (thanks to a VPN and the CBC Gem app!). She enjoyed her alone time and got some things done that needed “an empty house”.
Once the guys returned, we hit the Pinball Hall of Fame—a non-profit run by volunteers where some machines are nearly 100 years old—and the Arte Museum at the Aria, which features incredible immersive art rooms with themes like “Starry Beach” and “Jungle” followed by some walking on the Strip, Fat Tuesdays and some slot time where between the three of us we came out ahead.
Here’s a few stills of the Arte Museum:
Here are several videos from the museum:
There was a room where you could draw your own animal and it would appear on the walls:
There was a room where for 30 minutes the scene changes around you starting with:
Included in your ticket to the museum you get a cold drink in the cafe which is also immersive:
Here’s the the art in Fran’s chai latte as we sat at a table:
We passed by the Sphere where The Wizard of Oz is playing – see the shoes?
The beautiful fountains of Bellagio:
We saw the progress on the Hard Rock’s guitar shaped hotel:
We watched lots of Olympics right up to the closing ceremonies:
On February11th, we took the trailer out for a week and headed toward Twenty-Nine Palms in Southern California passing through the Mojave Desert where we saw this sign:
It wasn’t exactly smooth sailing; we arrived at a casino parking lot (where we were going to spend the first night and leave the trailer as we spent the second night at a Marriott hotel) only to find our solar controller said the trailer batteries were completely discharged (10.7V instead of 13.7V!). We spent our first night eating dinner by flashlight. Luckily, we found a shop in Escondido which is on our route on Friday that replaced them for a much better price than the local shops.
We revisited Joshua Tree National park (first time in 25 years!). We’d forgotten how spectacular it was especially under a blue sky.
What is a Joshua tree you ask? Well……
Yucca brevifolia (also known as the Joshua tree, yucca palm, tree yucca, and palm tree yucca) is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca. It is tree-like in appearance, which is reflected in its common names.
It is native to the arid southwestern USA (CA, AZ, UT and NV) and northwest Mexico. It is confined mostly to between 400 and 1,800 m / 1,300 and 5,900 ft elevation. The common name, Joshua tree, is derived from Christian iconography.
The name “Joshua tree” is commonly said to have been given by a group of Mormon colonists crossing the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century. The tree’s role in guiding them through the desert combined with its unique shape reminded them of a biblical story in which Joshua keeps his hands reached out for an extended period of time to enable the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan. Further, the shaggy leaves may have provided the appearance of a beard. However, no direct or contemporary attestation of this origin exists, and the name Joshua tree is not recorded until after Mormon contact; moreover, the physical appearance of the Joshua tree more closely resembles a similar story told of Moses.
Joshua trees grow quickly for a desert species; the trunk consists of thousands of small fibers and lacks annual growth rings, making determining the tree’s age difficult. This tree has a top-heavy branch system, and a broad root system, with roots in one case found 11 m / 36 ft from the nearest Joshua tree. If it survives the rigors of the desert, it can live for several hundred years. The tallest trees reach about 15 m / 49 ft.
The flowers typically appear from February to late April and usually do not branch until after they bloom but they do not bloom every year. Like most desert plants, their blooming depends on rainfall at the proper time. They also need a winter freeze before they bloom.
Once they bloom, the flowers are pollinated by the yucca moth, which spreads pollen while laying eggs inside the flower. The larvae feed on the seeds, but enough seeds remain to reproduce.
Here’s what their flowers and fruit look like:
and the trees themselves:
We enter the park via the northwest entrance:
At Keys viewpoint:
we hiked the Discovery Trail;
Then did a hike out to an arch and Heart Rock:
Next was the stop for new batteries in Escondido. They took us right away, charged an extra $10 to install and we were on our way.
We were headed to hike Potato Chip Rock.
We tackled this famous hike between Poway and Ramona after camping at a different trailhead parking lot that night. We then had to drive 5 km / 3 mi to the to the shortest of three trails to the Chip. It was about 3 km / 2 mi pretty much uphill all the way there! Doug braved the jump onto the “chip” for the iconic photo, while Fran opted to stay on the main ledge (short legs and sloped rocks don’t mix!) and get a photo out front instead.
Upon completing the hike and returning to the lot to get the trailer, we had to wait a couple of hours to get out of this very full lot. We chilled, made lunch and didn’t stress about it as we knew it would eventually empty out enough and we didn’t have too far to go that day.
After getting out of the lot, we headed into Anza-Borrego State Park. We had hoped to check out the famous pie in Julian on our way through but it’s a holiday weekend and there are too many people around so there was no way we could find parking.
Our first attempt at wild camping was a bust; the road was so sandy (we walked it first) we didn’t want to risk getting the rig stuck, especially since there was nowhere to turn around! We played it safe and moved three miles north to a large, hard-pack primitive area where two others we parked fairly spread out. We snagged a spot with a fair cell signal,
We snagged a spot with a fair cell signal, unhooked the trailer and went to see the town. We visited a few sculpture parks and walked through town (very tiny).
There were many, many giant sculptures scattered in areas around the town too:
there are lots more in our galleries!
We tried to get a beer at a bar but after waiting 10 minutes to get served we gave up and went back to the trailer. We pulled out the chairs, cracked open a couple of beers, and enjoyed a beautiful 75°F afternoon. That evening the sky was full of stars.
The next day, we left the trailer behind and took the truck deep into the park. First was the Calcite Mine Slot Canyon: We managed to navigate the 4×4 road all the way to the canyon. It was a spectacular hike with some tight scrambles. Fran hit her limit at a particularly steep rock face, but we’d already seen the best of the narrow sections anyway!
An exciting moment was spotting a bighorn sheep! It was lording over its domain from a high plateau. We didn’t have the Nikon handy, but even through a phone lens, it was a thrill to see.
We then checked out Fonts Point for amazing views of the Borrego Badlands.
It was a roundabout longish drive to Fish Creek Wash that led us to the Wind Caves, which involved a steep, loose-rock hike that was well worth the effort for the photos.
Further down t the wash we reached Sandstone Canyon. We found a shady spot for lunch in the narrowest part of Sandstone Canyon. Just as we got the tailgate spread ready, a crow flew over and dropped a pebble right on the truck! It hit the bed cover and rolled right onto the tailgate—we’re pretty sure he was telling us we were in his parking spot!
We reached the end of the canyon and turned around to head back. We made one stop on the way back to the trailer at Elephant Tree Trail but when we saw it was 6 km /4 mi round trip we opted to just walk in a little ways to see if we could find a one of the trees but had no luck.
That night we moved closer to Borrego Springs to camp in order to get a better cell signal and enjoyed a much-needed hot shower in the trailer after all that dust and hiking. It was the perfect way to wrap up our time in the California desert.
We had a whirlwind end to on this great little escape over the next two days. Starting with yummy date shakes in Indio
to a rainy night at the Railroad Pass Casino near Vegas, we made it home a day early to dodge the storms. Doug got the wheel bearings on the trailer serviced as well as two new tires. Upon returning home we got it tucked back into its spot (with no one parked in the spot over thankfully!). So glad we had our ‘home on wheels’—it made exploring these spots so much easier (and cheaper)!”
After a few quiet days at home, Josh arrived late Monday night for a solo three-day visit. Since he traveled without the kids this time, we were able to focus on a more “adult-paced” itinerary. We kicked off Tuesday morning with a few hours at Top Golf, followed by a delicious breakfast at a local favorite, Peg’s Glorified Ham and Eggs.
While Doug attended a routine cardiology check-up, Fran and Josh enjoyed a walk nearby. We then reconvened for a nostalgic hour at the Pinball Hall of Fame before heading home for a relaxing soak in the hot tub.
Early Wednesday morning, we set off for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Though Josh had seen the West End years ago, we knew the South Rim’s scale would blow him away. We enjoyed a picnic lunch on the tailgate at a lookout before exploring the park road all the way to Desert View and Mather Point. After checking into our hotel in Williams around 4:00 PM, we spent a low-key evening exploring the town for dinner.
Thursday was another whirlwind. We returned home in time for Doug’s ENT appointment, then immediately headed to the Las Vegas Strip. We grabbed our 3 Fat Tuesday cups to fill at the Venetian and spent the afternoon wandering south through the casinos. Luck was on Fran and Josh’s side at the slots!
To end the night, we caught a ride in a ZOOX—the free self-driving car. It was a fun, futuristic experience that dropped us back at our car by 7:00 PM but there was a nearly hour long wait (which we of course, spent at the slots!).
After a shower at our place, we quick dinner near our apartment before dropping Josh at the airport for his red-eye home. It was a short visit, but we certainly made every second count.
By the time Josh, left the weather was heating up into the high 20’sC / mid 80’s F. By the end of February we’d both reach this milestone in DuoLingo:
Friday and Saturday we chilled until Serena and Kurt arrive late Saturday night. They are in town for Kurt’s family reunion week but they are only stayed two days. They decided to arrive the night before and spend a night with us into the Sunday before we drove them to the resort where the reunion was being held.
Sunday morning we were all up by 8ish and after coffee/tea/exercise, we headed to the pickleball courts for a few doubles switching teams as we went. Anyone on Serena’s side always won!
After returning to the apartment for a quick change we took the “kids” for brunch at Peg’s Glorified Ham and Eggs before spending the afternoon playing board games. Around 3 Kurt heard from his parents that they could check in and we drove them over to the Grandview. A short but nice visit. We were so “in the moment” we all forgot to take photos!
We took in a movie with Chris & Cathy (the Canadians we’d met back in January) on cheap Tuesday night and they gave us a spare parking pass for the MGM parking lots near the T Mobile Arena – they go to many games themselves. We have tickets for Sunday’s hockey game when the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Edmonton Oilers.
The weather has cooled off a bit, back to a little bit normal temps but not dropping to nearly freezing at night.
We live near a recreation area called Whitney Mesa and take many walks up and around it:
pics
The hockey game was fun on Sunday; we used the parking pass we were given and were able to park at the Excalibur in the Arena lot; walk over took less than 10 minutes as we decided to hit the loo and a couple of slots before making our way to the Toshiba Plaza outside the arena. We saw the “parade” came through the NYNY casino and saw this outside in the plaza:
pics
The Vegas Golden Knights’ official mascot is “Chance,” a friendly Gila monster introduced in 2017 to represent the team’s tenacity and connection to the Nevada desert.
The game warm up started around 6:15 then a pregame show at 6:30 before the puck drop about ten minutes later.
We paid $55 each for our seats by buying them back in January. We are in the last row of section 211 in the corner but we can see the entire sheet of ice.
pic
We can exit easily and bathrooms are pretty close as are food/beverages. We looked at prices the day before the game and the same row was minimum $120 a seat!
The Knights got the first goal but Edmonton won 4-2 in the end. It was quite surprising how many Oilers jerseys were in the stands and that made it quite fun.
Pics /videos
Doug has been navigating a series of persistent physical challenges lately, and we are finally working through the diagnostic process for several of them. His chronic hip pain has been a recurring issue for 15 years and has recently intensified. While originally diagnosed as arthritis, Doug suspects there is more to the story. He is now seeing a sports medicine specialist who favors non-surgical recovery. Following a recent X-ray, he is currently awaiting an MRI to get a definitive diagnosis.
A shoulder injury from a fall he took back in August in North Vancouver has resurfaced as a significant issue. This is on his right side. He consulted a specialist who has unfortunately recommended surgery as the primary solution. He plans to see someone else.
His left elbow seems to be “Golfer’s elbow,” though there is a bit of good news here—he is using a brace that is already providing some relief. He will make an appointment to have this looked at as well. Due to Medicare regulations, he is required to schedule and attend separate appointments for each of these ailments, which makes the road to recovery a bit of a drawn out scheduling marathon.
Finally his left knee gives him pain on and off; we think from a pickleball tweak back in January. He tried using a strap on it which only made it worse.
We learned the same day of the game, that a “super bloom” has occurred in Death Valley NP this year (last one was in 2016) and we decided to do a day trip to check it out. While it didn’t compare to Namaqualand in South Africa it was worth the drive. The weather was perfect and it wasn’t that busy. We started with a drive through 20 Mule Canyon enroute to the Visitor’s Centre to get the scoop on the best area to drive through and made our way down Bad Water Road stopping at times to get some close ups and check out Lake Manly / Bad Water Basin.
We finished off with a stop at Ashford Mill Ruins.
We had left home around 8am and were home by 3:30.
The City of Henderson held a weekend of festivities for St. Patrick’s Day. Friday night we went over to the Water Street Plaza and checked out the booths, listened to some music, danced a bit and saw a short comedic show done by Vicki Barbolak – a contest on America’s Got Talent a couple of years ago.
Saturday Doug went for a long run and tweaked his left knee again, this time, quite badly so he spent the day icing and resting it. Sunday he was feeling better so we went back to the Water Street Plaza to check out the car show. There were way more than we expected and the carnival rides were still running strong.
After that we got some lunch and went over to the Palace Station Casino to check out an RV show which turned out to be quite lame and we went home after playing some slots for a bit – came out even today. Doug’s knee was a bit sore again so we returned home to give it rest. Some icing and a hot tub helped a great deal.
We spent our last week before our trip doing our usual routine, minus the pickleball as we wanted to give Doug’s body a break although he continued to run and did a long walk on Tuesday. Fran got a haircut and a pedi and Thursday we did laundry and packed up for our departure on Friday morning, the 20th to Taiwan and the Philippines. We hope to catch up with some friends we met on a Vietnam cruise in Manila, and Doug is looking into getting a new prosthetic eye while we’re there since the quality and price are so good. We will probably do some dental and other medical things as well.
AS ALWAYS, THERE ARE WAY MORE PHOTOS IN THE GALLERIES!
