Happy New Year!

Unlike many other blogs, I’m not going to do a year of pictures or a year in review. I looked through my photos and really couldn't think of anything that really stood out. Kinda sad, eh? Lots of pictures of the Ural in front of snow-covered trees or things that I thought were scenic at the time but now, not so scenic. When I took this picture, I kind of knew what I was looking for but wasn't quite able to get it. There was a minivan behind me so I couldn't get quite far enough back. The sun was shining under the clouds when I stepped outside but after getting the engine started and my phone dug out of my pocket, it was much less picturesque. Oh well...

We do have some rather loose plans for the coming year. In a week or so we will be heading back to AZ to pick up where we left off. Hopefully, there is no issue with either the truck or the trailer. I must admit that I have been more than a little worried about leaving the truck and trailer for an extended period in Arizona. Dom had driven by and checked it out in December and all was fine but I tend to worry about such things.

We have a reservation at the same RV park in Benson, AZ, then we plan to head to Quartzite, AZ, for a ham radio specialty convention known as Quartzfest. It is meeting on BLM land south of Quartzite and they schedule it to coincide with the huge RV show and the gem show. After Quartzfest, we have a week or so before our reserved campsite in Needles, CA. This is at the same RV park that we stayed at back in October. We are planning to stay there for the month of February.

After that, things are kind of open except for a mini-reunion in Murietta, CA, a small town southeast of Los Angeles. There is a Thousand Trails park near there that I was going to try and reserve for a week or so straddling the reunion date. We have no plans after that though I'm thinking of attending D2D in Dawson City, YT, in June and the Sidecar rally in Couer d'Alene, ID, in July. This would be a Ural trip complete with tent camping...

This morning brought dangerously warm temperatures. Dangerous due to the very slippery roads that usually accompanies warm temperatures. I’m sick today and waiting for a call from a plumber. I think that this cold has run through everyone else in the house and I’m the last victim. What a way to end the year. I’m looking forward to whatever 2019 brings!

BTW, the plumber came around 3:30 and cleared the clog which was about 35’ from the kitchen. And, my last batch of kimchi is almost spicy enough to melt the glass jars. Maybe I should’ve used the chili on the drain. The person at the Asian food store was right. Don't use as much of this chili powder.