This morning we dropped off our houseguest, Christine, at a friend’s to go horse riding. All around Tucson there are pockets of “horse country,” where you can show up with your horse trailer and RV, park for a few months, and ride all winter long.

These places are basically spacious campgrounds in the country with horse boarding.   The place we visited this morning is called Spirit Dog Ranch.     It sits in a shallow valley near the base of the Santa Catalinas in Oro Valley, bordering Catalina State Park.   We watched the horses playing for a few minutes, then headed out to do a little shopping.

Based on suggestions from blog readers, I bought a sacrificial anode rod   for the water heater.   As full-timers, it probably would have been a good idea to get one two years ago, but better late than never.   The version I bought incorporates a quick-drain, useful for easy winterizing.

Our travels will resume tomorrow, at least for a short time.   We are heading to Sierra Vista for a few days, just to blow the cobwebs off the trailer.   Officially, our purpose is to do some birdwatching and hiking, but in reality we’re just getting out of town to avoid sitting around another week waiting for the countertops to show up.

Having been stopped since January, when I got back from Quartzsite, it’s interesting to experience the pre-trip excitement.   I’ve been talking to Brent, who we are joining in Sierra Vista, every few days to “prepare” for the trip.   There really isn’t that much preparation needed, but when you are looking forward to a trip, the preparation can be half the fun.

We have always anticipated each new phase of our trip, and every major stop, but of course there’s more contrast when you are parked and waiting to go. This trip is a mere 60 miles, less than we drove today to go shopping, but it has become a major event in our otherwise-sedentary lives.   It’s not the distance that matters, it’s the change of scene.

Our other anticipated travel to Sonora, MX has attracted even more attention.   Our friends the Neels have been emailed every few days with reports of their preparations.   They are coming from California to meet us here, and then head across the border with us, around the 29th.   Today’s email from David reported the status of his tires, wheel bearings, propane, insurance, family health, and iPod.

I also heard from Adam today.   He and Susan are up in Maine, feverishly working to escape the damp, snowy, northeast and join us here for the Mexico trip as well.   His reports are like David’s, and every few days I get an update on the progress.

I like getting the progress reports from my friends.   It shows that they, too, are excited to travel.   People who get excited about travel are the sort of people we like to travel with.   There is no doubt we will have a superb time because of our friends, and that’s the best type of trip to be anticipating.