Did you get some wonderful rain? We sure did, and the temperatures finally feel like November. I’m grateful! I can’t believe this is Thanksgiving week. What are your plans? We’ll go on some family walks and enjoy some turkey. Of course, Mom will transform the house into a Christmas wonderland. I supervise, and Mowgli helps by inspecting every single thing, especially boxes and bags, his specialty.
I believe I mentioned last week that we discovered a new park called Rezzonico Park, located in Verde Valley. Have you ever been? This was our first time. We were heading south on I-17 coming from Schnebly Hill Road and took exit #289 for Middle Verde Road. Go East past the Casino and the road turns into N Montezuma Castle Highway. Take a left on Moser Lane and a left onto Pecan Lane into the park, which is next to the city library. Parking is free, and they have human restrooms.
The park is relatively small, but it sure has a great location. The park sits on the Verde River and has trails along it. We already had our picnic, but the park has picnic tables. We weren’t expecting it, but all the trees were a gorgeous fall color. Mom was happy since our foliage outing was mostly a bust up in Flagstaff.
I suspect Verde Valley is still full of orange, so you could make a trip up with family and either pre-burn or post burn that Thanksgiving dinner! 
It’s about 50 minutes north of us, and it was halfway from our Schnebly Hill Road excursion.
We went walking along the river listening to the sounds of its power. We were surprised with the volume of water flowing. We didn’t see anyone fishing, but we gathered it would be a great fishing spot.
I had to take a dip and enjoyed the cool water on my ankle. Very therapeutic! We took pictures as we stretched our legs. We spent about 30 minutes at the park before deciding we should make the rest of our journey home. Mom had homemade soup waiting for us.
Back on I-17 south we went, and shortly after getting on the freeway, we saw nothing but red break lights. Uh oh. If you recall, we used up all our water to put a campfire out off Schnebly Hill. Not good.
The good news is we crawled along and got through just before the state patrol closed the road completely. The bad news is a motorcyclist died that day in an awful accident. We know because we saw it. The site was disturbing. All that was left of a hefty, big machine was metal bars. The saddle was tossed across the road, and the tires were nowhere. Another vehicle was involved, and it wasn’t in great condition, either.
As we drove past, we said prayers for all the families involved. Such a tragedy and a reminder to please be careful on the roads. Texting has no place while driving, and it only takes a second to have an accident that could hurt you and others.
The holidays mean a lot of people will be on the roads. Stay alert, pay attention to what you are doing, and look for motorcycles. They are 
difficult to see. Be careful so you can spend the holiday with your loved ones.
With all the road trips, travels, and adventures we have been on, we are extremely grateful we haven’t been in an accident. If we had not gone to the park, we may have been included in that wreck. One more thing to be thankful for!
I count myself blessed to have a wonderful family and awesome followers and readers of my blogs. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
My mom, Lorraine Bossé-Smith, is kind enough to help me share my Great Adventures, big and small. My mom is a motivational speaker, corporate trainer, executive recruiter, business consultant, coach, fitness expert, and author of nine published books. More importantly, she’s the best doggy mom ever!
Enjoy my blog at https://www.lorrainebosse-smith.com/category/kuma/kumas-great-adventures/
and be sure to follow me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kumathedog/ and Instagram: kumaitothedog
Get outside! You never know what you’ll discover, and our paths just might cross. Happy tails!
Leave a Reply