After the kids participated in the Christmas play in our old stompin' grounds in Corpus Christi, we drove back to Abilene to have the 5th wheel repaired. The passenger side tire had shown some odd wear. After much deliberation and crawling around at the RV repair place, the conclusion was that the spring suspension had sprung. After several days of conversations between the repair facility, the RV manufacturer, the component manufacturers and us, the end result was a replaced set of springs paid for by the component manufacturer and a new tire paid for by us. We will monitor the new springs more closely as we proceed on our journey. We took the trailer and weighed the total trailer and also just the rear tandem axles. The total weight was below, but barely below, the limit posted for the rig. The weight on the axles, however, was well within range thus the component manufacturer responsibility. We probably could have fought more diligently for the tire replacement to be paid by someone else, but were weary of the discussions and wanted to move on.
Then, both kids caught a nasty stomach bug. Poor guys...it took a couple of days for the older one to feel well enough for travelling. Finally, we hit the road and landed for overnight stays in Van Horn, TX and Benson, AZ. Unfortunately, we also heard that Linda's family caught the same stomach bug after our departure - so sorry guys! Somehow, Linda and Craig were spared the ick and were good to go! The weather was great and we finally arrived northwest of Phoenix at McDowell Regional Park for our holiday time. We stayed most of the time with Linda's sister in Phoenix as the park was at least 45 minutes of drive time one way.
The park was, however, one of our favorite places to stay due to the wonderful views and spaciousness for each site. The park provides electric and water, so using the dump station was necessary on our way out - but no problem. The staff and volunteers demonstrated great holiday spirit by decorating the entry as a gingerbread house.
We'll include a few photos of our site and surroundings - the vastness of the desert views is impossible for us to capture. The drive through Fountain Hills was terrific each evening with the Christmas lights accenting the beautiful suburb and landscapes.
While in Phoenix, we were able to watch Linda's nephew play in two tournaments. His team won both tournaments and he played so well that he was named MVP both rounds as well. We were so pleased to be able to participate as this is his senior year of high school. The second tournament added another bonus - another nephew was the announcer, being available while on his college break!
Our guys enjoyed the time with cousins and we enjoyed the benefits of big city life with terrific restaurants and shopping just in time for Christmas. 
We hiked a few times on the trails within the city, catching beautiful views at dusk a few times and trying to work off as many calories as we were taking in with the Christmas treats! We enjoyed worship services at Scottsdale Christian Church on the Sundays before and after Christmas. Here's a view of our boys' favorite activity after opening gifts on Christmas day - play DSi, listen to Ipod and lounge in new pj's in front of a real fire in the fireplace!
We stayed on at McDowell, leaving on New Year's Day to travel on toward southern California. Here's a few of our attempts to show you the glorious sunsets in the park:
We appreciate so much the hospitality of family that provides food, fellowship and rest in real beds in real houses from time to time as we are on this adventure. We are happy to continue our travels, but the visits provide a much needed respite from time to time!
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