Thursday, February 02, 2012

The Rovers Roost RV park is only 1.6 miles off I-8 making it a very convenient stopping place. The first night of dry camping is free. Dump and water is $5.

We were on our way to Tucson by about 9am. First stop was Whole Foods for some of their great fresh salads. After that it was Trader Joe’s. Carol had wanted some peanut oriental salad dressing that Annie used when making her broccoli and cranberry salad at Q. Unfortunately they were out of stock but we managed to find some unusual dinner ideas; things we don’t normally buy. Then for the Wal-Mart run to replenish the basics.

We arrived at the Catalina State Park about noon time figuring it would be a cinch getting a campsite on a Thursday. The place was full. Fortunately they have an overflow area for $15/night so that’s where we are now, along with 19 other campers. We have reservations in the campground for Friday and Saturday; also dry camping. The main campground has large and widely spaced sites, but by the nature of the desert environment, there is basically no visual privacy between sites.

Gopher and I took a nice walk on one of the many trails that run through the park. There was some rain a week, or so, ago and everything is nice and green. Gopher enjoyed seeing some nice, green grass after having been in the desert since December 29. Some of the cactus were flowering.

Friday

This morning we awoke to 26* and frost. Gophers outside water bowl was frozen solid. Reminded me of Woodstock ice skating on Snoopy’s water bowl. Enough of this. We’re changing our plans and heading south on Sunday or Monday. The new plan is to go to the Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) then follow the Gulf Coast to Florida. We’ve taken that route a number of times and have some favorite beach boondocking spots plus a couple of new ones I’ve heard about.

John and Marge met us at the trailhead parking area about 11:00. We all enjoyed a nice walk around the riparian area where the main trails begin. The park has several miles of hiking trails. Not so many years ago, we were up to long hikes. The saguaro cactus continue to amaze us although we’ve seen them time and again. From a very informative brochure about the Saguaro: The seedling will grow only one or two inches during its first 10 to 15 years. At age of 40 to 75, it will reach a height of eight feet and begin to produce blossoms. At about age 75, branches will begin to develop. If it does not fall victim to lightning, frost, or severe drought, the saguaro may live to be 200 years old, reach a height of 50 feet, weigh as much as 6 tons, and support as many as 50 arms. The biggest one I saw had perhaps 35 arms. I suspect it had to be well over 100 years old.

John and Marge treated us to a wonderful dinner at the El Charro Café which has been in business since 1922. It’s the Nations oldest Mexican restaurant in continuous operation by the same family.

It was a very enjoyable day catching up on family news and events. This summers Wagner family reunion is now a certainty. July 6-8 in New London/Mystic,CT.

The biggest Saguaro I came across

Our "official" campsite

The overflow area

A cactus in bloom

Saturday

34* this morning. The Wave 3 propane heater keeps the interior temperature about 20* above the outside temperature. Still chilly, but tolerable. While Carol was still sleeping, I drove down the trailhead parking area then took a nice walk with Gopher. On Saturday, weather permitting, there is a very nice nature presentation put on by park volunteers. Everything in the exhibit came from the park or surrounding mountains. After breakfast we walked down. There were lots of different types of rattlesnakes, a Gila Monster, Pack Rats, etc. We’re always learning something new. This morning, a very knowledgeable women gave us a personal presentation about the skull collection. We learned that if the eye sockets are facing forward, the skull is from a carnivore predator because they need to be looking ahead for potential prey. For example, humans, cats(mountain lions) and dogs(coyotes) of different types. If the eye sockets are positioned to look to the sides, the animal is not a predator. They are potential prey and have side looking eyes to expand their field of vision so as to be able to spot predators. Animals like deer, mice, rabbits, and such. During our morning hike we photographed a plaque about bobcats, saw a bobcat skull and a bobcat skin, but not a live bobcat. Our friends Jim and Gayle have a great picture of a live bobcat on their blog. Much better then seeing just pieces and parts of a dead bobcat.

Johnny came down for a visit while Marge went to the big Tucson gem show with some of her friends who are also vacationing here.

Rattlesnakes. Forgot just what kind.

Bobcat sign

Carol and John



Sunday

We stopped by Trader Joe’s. They had the salad dressing Carol wanted, plus a few other items, then to Whole Foods for some more of their super salads. Then we went to the Mission San Xavier del Bac which is located on the Tohono O’odham reservation south of Tucson, for Sunday Mass. We’ve been here before and return whenever we’re in town.
From the brochure:

A National Historic Landmark, San Xavier Mission was founded as a Catholic mission by Father Eusebio Kino in 1692. Construction of the current church began in 1783 and was completed in 1797.

The oldest intact European structure in Arizona, the church's interior is filled with marvelous original statuary and mural paintings. It is a place where visitors can truly step back in time and enter an authentic 18th Century space.

The local Indians set up food booths around the plaza in front of the church. Everything is made at the stand as you watch. Very authentic. We shared an Indian Taco and a chunk of very crispy cinnamon sugar fry bread for lunch.

Ordered lunch

After lunch we began the long trek south to Padre Island. Tonight we’re at the SKP Dream Catcher park in Deming, NM. Very basic, but less then a mile off I-10

RV mystery solved

Last week while in Q, I photographed this most unusual looking RV.
Lydia Drake, another Lazy Daze owner, recognized it as the Flash Gordon Motorhome.

Here are two links Lydia provided.

http://www.altadenablog.com/2012/02/flash-gordons-motorhome.html

http://www.blastolene.com/Work_in_Progress/deco.htm






Thank you, Lydia.

Ed & Carol

Casa Grande- Rover’s Roost Escapee RV Park

Tuesday:
In the morning we drove to Casa Grande stopping at Fry’s grocery store and Wal-Mart for some very overdue shopping. Casa Grande has all the big box stores, malls, etc. Lots of traffic. The Rover’s Roost SKP Co-Op RV Retreat is very basic; mostly a parking lot with hookups. It only costs $15/night for a site, the laundry facility is very nice, and, as is always the case with SKP parks, the people are very welcoming and friendly. The Welcome Wagon lady stopped by with a gift and a schedule of activities. On one day there is a biscuits and gravy breakfast from 8-9 followed by “chair exercise”. I suppose you stuff yourself with grease then sit in a chair and move your arms a bit. There are other activities like bean bag baseball, pizza night, ladies billiards, omelets in a bag breakfast, nickel bingo, hot dog lunch, pegs and jokers, hamburger combo meal, on and on. A very active and well fed community. Twice a month you can have your blood pressure checked for free. After a diet of sausage gravy and hot dogs, that’s probably a good idea.

The gift we received was a small cloth bag containing (1) An eraser so you can make all your mistakes disappear (it should be so easy!) (2) A penny so you will never be broke (3) A rubber band so you can stretch yourself beyond your self-imposed limits (4) A piece of string to tie things together when everything seems to be falling apart, and (5) a hug to remind you that someone, somewhere cares about you. What a wonderful gift.

We’ve been to other SKP parks during our travels. We would rate Rovers Roost as a small notch above Dream Catcher in Deming,NM which is likewise, a parking lot with hookups, but at least Rovers Roost is paved. Dream Catcher is a dust bowl. On the other hand, it only costs $250/month plus electricity to stay here. Pretty cheap living. Of the SKP parks we’ve visited, the one in Benson, AZ, Saguaro, is our favorite. Those that have stayed in the Jojoba Hills in CA say that it is, by far, the best of all the SKP parks. The buy-in fee at Jojoba Hills is just over $30,000. For that kind of money, I should hope it's nice.

RV parks like this are clearly very popular with either the old of body, or mind, or those that have grown tired of traveling and are ready to settle down someplace for the winter months and establish friendships with like minded folks or those that simply must have an electrical cord plugged in, 50 cable TV channels,unlimited water and a convenient place to dump tanks. A number of our SKP friends in Florida have a summer place and a winter place and simply travel from one to another. Casa Grande, as well as Yuma and countless other AZ and FL cities, is packed with RV communities and they seem to be well occupied. I can understand the appeal of a commercial campground, but they are just not for us at this point in our lives. There is way too much of America that still needs exploring. Two or three days “camping” on concrete is about our limit. B-9, N-31, O-65. Not yet, thank you.

We’re expecting company, Carol’s brother John and his wife Marge, this weekend so we’ve been cleaning things up. John just retired from Hallmark Cards after some 40 years!!
We both have health and longevity goals which require, among other things, maintaining a healthy weight. Not bone skinny, but not fat either. This morning we both got weighed, even though our tight pants telegraphed the results a few weeks ago. No more bakery stops and more walking. The month at Q did us in. Everyday there was a social hour+ with chips, dips, salted nuts, sliced cheese, summer sausage, etc. Jim made snacks by wrapping a Vienna sausage in bacon then broiling them. I ate way too many of those. Ann baked amazing deserts and Roger always seemed to come up with something tasty. Ann’s husband Jerry has diabetes. Ann’s an RN and in charge of monitoring Jerry’s food intake. She would read the label on a snack food bag and say “The label says ‘this is not for Jerry’ ”. Jerry would just smile. Someone brought a bag of fried pig fat one night. Jerry read the label and the pork rinds had no carbohydrates or sugar meaning, for him, they were OK. He only ate one.

I did some more laundry today including the sheets and blankets in an attempt to get the red desert dust under control.


Wednesday

Today’s clubhouse schedule: 10am bowling, 1pm crafts and blood pressure 5:00 pizza followed by bingo. Tomorrow it’s chair exercise at 9, quilting at 1, ladies billiards at 1:30 and games at 6:30. Looks like if you quilt, you can’t play billiards or else you need to be a fast quilter.

No plans for today. Just hanging out and talking about where to go this summer. The current plan is an in-depth exploration of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont with a possible trip to Montreal. However, a few weeks ago we were talking about the Canadian Maritime Provinces. We’ll see.

Tomorrow we head to Tucson with Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods as our first stops, then to the Catalina State Park where we will meet up with John and Marge.

I used the California Duster on the camper today and brushed Gopher once again. In spite of three brushings, she’s still shedding hair and desert dust.

Time to move on

Saturday and Sunday

On Saturday we had another pot luck supper and campfire. A few people went into town for one last run at the stuff. Jim walked to the Big Tent with some of the guys but, per his blog, left his wallet in the camper. A good, money saving idea. Sunday was our last day in Q. Didn’t do anything real special, mostly sit around talking with our friends. Some people pulled out today, more heading out in the morning with three rigs staying around for a few more days.
I called Mom's ACLF on Sunday and talked to her aide. She's doing a little better but still has the cold and is feeling very weak. Elizabeth paid Mom a visit then called us. Mom has what's referred to as Sundowners Syndrome; a common condition associated with dementia. Our future travel plans are getting more complicated.
Carol and I think this was the best camping experience in years. The people were just marvelous. John and Roger were the fix-it guys. Between them it seemed there was nothing they couldn’t fix or install. Roger is also a great chef. Ann wins the prize for the most amazing baked goods. The lemon cake and cranberry/pumpkin muffins were unbeatable. In an earlier post I said we would likely not be back to Q again. We’re rethinking that statement.
We began our current desert boondocking stint on December 29th with the Escapees at Mittry Lake. Thirty three days later we’re heading to “civilization” in the form of the Escapee RV park at Casa Grande then Tucson to meet up with John and Marge.

One last campfire.

Monday

We headed to Discount Solar to inquire about adding another solar panel. They were jammed packed, couldn't pull someone off the line to take a real close look at our current system and couldn’t get to us until perhaps tomorrow. We’ve camped successfully with our current configuration for almost fours years having just completed 33 consecutive boondocking days. No need spending an estimated $500 to fix something that’s not broken. The new batteries seem to be performing very well and we've completed the switch to LED lighting. John and I took the voltage reading direct from the batteries in the morning before the solar power kicked in. The voltage, after a nights use, was always in the acceptable range. We'll stick with what we have and supplement charging with the generator on the odd occasion.

Today we’re camped at Holt’s Shell in Gila Bend. We stayed here a night before heading to Yuma in December. Full hookups for $21/night. Got caught up on laundry, took long showers, flushed the holding tanks and shared an ice cream sandwich. Ahh, those little luxuries.
Gopher is a powder puff of red desert dust. She reminds us of the Pig Pen character in the Charlie Brown comics. I gave here a good brushing but what she really needs is a swim. We'll be looking for a lake during our travels. It's not just Gopher that's covered with desert dust, it's EVERYTHING. The next few days we plan on giving the camper a good bath; inside and out.
Tomorrow we head to Casa Grande. Grocery shopping then the Escapee park.
I heard about an app. for smart phones called Google Latitude. When installed on the phone, it will allow someone you designate as a "friend" to track your location by the GPS capabilities of the phone. We designated Jennifer as our "friend". Now, should we drop off the edge of the Earth someday, Jennifer will be able to know the location of our cell phone. Hopefully, we won't be far away.

"Q" Monday through Friday the 27th

Monday:

Roger and Gopher and I walked to the Big Tent this morning expecting to find it not very crowded. Was I wrong. Apparently, people figured that the weekend would be a madhouse so they would just wait until Monday. Not that it mattered because I didn’t need anything anyway; just taking a nice morning walk.
A most unusual event today; it rained. This is the first time Carol and I have seen it rain in a desert. Throughout the night we could hear the rain on the roof.
Two more rigs pulled in today. Foy and Helen from Texas and Bob and Linda from AZ.

Tuesday

A bright and sunny day. The “girls’ piled in two cars and went into town today. It’s times like that when I feel bad for Carol. Because of her special needs, she doesn’t get invited on such outings. On Thursday, we’re going into town together to run errands, share an apple fritter, have lunch and such.
A friend of Jack and Jeanette joined the group today.

Wednesday

Frank, John and I went to town this morning to do run some errands. When I left Carol was inside the camper but when I got back, she was sitting outside with her friends. This evening was the big covered dish dinner followed by the campfire.

Thursday

In the morning we drove to La Posa South for the dump/water fill. The line was longer then we have ever seen so we turned around and went in town to the Pit Stop. For $12 you can dump your tanks and fill with “filtered” well water. The filter was the typical cartridge type sediment filter. We toped off the propane tank at $2.75/gallon. Then we went to another vendor area off Main Street across from the Pilot station. We poked around for perhaps an hour then headed back to our campsite. We’re “stuffed” out.
After having been to Q for two years, I’ve found an alternative to the $40/two week fee at the LTVA’s if someone was so inclined. There are several free, 14 day BLM areas not very far away. If a person came to town with empty tanks and topped off with water, they could stay for two weeks by paying the Pit Stop $24 for using their facility twice vs the $40 BLM fee. If you’re in town for just a few days, this is clearly the most economical way. The advantage of the LTVA’s is that two of them are within an easy walk of the Big Tent area; not so with free 14 day areas. Of course, there are a number of $5/day dry camping areas that are also within walking distance of town.

The cabinet work in this LD is substandard compared with my 2000. The struts that hold open the large overhead cabinets have failed. The finish is wearing off the wood doors in places and the finish on the cabinet hardware is likewise, wearing off after less then four years. Basically they are junk cabinets fitted with cheap hardware. I did find a way to fix the struts so they will hold the weight of the heavy doors but a sturdier strut should have been installed in the first place.

We saw the most unusual RV we’ve ever seen. It looks like an old diner in a lot of ways. There are stairs that lead to a second level steering station like you see on some fishing boats.

Steve went to the BLM dump/water station this afternoon. It took him an hour and a half!!. The $12 we paid was money well spent.
Two more rigs pulled in today. Les, a full-timer and Gil and Nancy with their highly trained, flawlessly groomed poodle, Elvis. (Actually, Elvis is not a dog anymore, he has attained child status. ;-) We had met all of them at previous SW Lazy Daze Group GTG’s.


Friday

Took one last walk to the Big Tent with the guys. Jim was so impressed with the LED replacement for the fluorescent fixture that he wanted one for over the stove. The Starlight brand bulbs seem to be the most popular items in the Big Tent. In the Lazy Daze group, the most popular purchases were LED lights and the LED motion detector.
Another Lazy Daze pulled in a few minutes ago. It’s a 2012 model. Didn't get the couples name. I lost count since some people have pulled out, but I suspect there were about twenty LD's in the group.

"Q" is an interesting experience, but I suspect this will be our last trip. Were it not for the great group of friends, two days, or so, would be enough time to see the exhibits.

We heard from John & Marge today. They will get into Tucson on February 2nd. When we leave here, we'll head that way.

"Q" Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Friday

Tonight was cook-out night. Hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, chili, salads, more amazing deserts by Ann, on and on.
Steve bought three huge chunks of obsidian he’s going to use to decorate a garden he’s building in his backyard. We chipped off a few pieces just to see how sharp the edge could be. Steve said that the most skilled arrowhead makers generally need about five pounds of obsidian to get one good arrowhead.
The other day, we were sitting outside and Gopher was inside with the screened door shut. Unnoticed, she walked over and joined Carol and me. I just figured I had failed to properly close the screen door. During the social hour today Gopher was again, inside looking out the screened door. I watched her slide the plastic door that covers the latch over using her snout. Then she pushed the screen door lever down with her snout, pushed the door open and wandered over to join us. I can only surmise, that by watching me open the door repeatedly, she’s learned just how its done. Smart dog. I’m going to use a small bungie cord to keep her from pressing down on the latch. That will work until she learns how to simply chew through the bungie.

Saturday

A very cloudy and windy day. Per the weather man, the winds are a steady 25 mph.
In the morning about 8am, there is a “dog park”. Mike has two Goldens, John has his Labradoodle, Cookie her poodle mix, there’s Gopher and a neighbors dog all racing around here and there. Gopher has been a good dog. Sometimes she has trouble getting along with the rest of the girls because she just has to be the Alpha Female and can get aggressive to assert her position. Around here she’s been doing just fine. While I was walking yesterday, with Gopher on her short leash, a large female dog came running out from behind an RV with her owner in hot pursuit. I took Gopher off her leash in case there was going to be a confrontation but the meeting came off OK. Raised fur, some growls an apologetic owner but nothing more.
About 9am Gopher and I walked down to the Big Tent. There are vendors set up all around the tent so we stayed outside away from the crowds. I’m looking for a brighter LED bulb to replace the basically useless incandescent bulb under the range fan hood. Carol and I are going to the Big Tent tomorrow. I’ll take the bulb with me and find a replacement.
Come social hour, the winds were gusting to 40mph and the blowing dust was terrible. Everyone adjourned until tomorrow.

Sunrise photo by Andrea. That's us on the bottom, left side. John and Linda are on the right.

Sunday

We were up by 7am. We drove into Kuehn Street which is the street on the south side of the I-10 next to the area where the Big Tent(RV show) is located. The unpaved right-of-way/shoulder on Kuehn is about 35’ wide. I found a great place to park that was right next to a fire lane so we couldn’t get sandwiched in. We were only about a block from the Big Tent. The only bad thing about our location was the wonderful aroma from the cinnamon bun vendor. Couldn’t resist. From where we were parked, Carol had easy access to everything in the area. A tow vehicle is convenient in Q, but certainly not necessary. When Lisa pulled in a few days ago, she came over and handed me a set of keys to her car and said to use it anytime I wanted. We thanked for her thoughtfulness but we just don’t like to impose on others like that. We’ve managed quite well over the last 5+ years.

We spent a few hours going through the Big Tent. My goal was the LED bulb. I found the perfect replacement for the fan hood light. It’s 125 lumens which is quite bright, and only uses 2.16 watts vs 10 watts for the 912 bulb it replaced and ,per the brochure, has a 60,000 hour life expectancy. Only cost $10.50. The camper is now equipped with LED lights in every fixture we use to any great extent. That was our only Big Tent purchase. Carol found three very nice T-shirts in the Tyson Wells area. We had fried veggies for lunch. Zucchini, artichokes, mushrooms and onion rings; very good.

Everyone else went to the Big Tent as well with LED lights being the major purchase. There were perhaps a dozen places selling lights so the selection was quite good and the competition kept prices in line.

Jack and Jeanette Walker, friends from the Southeast Lazy Daze Group, pulled in today. They had been to a Bluegrass festival in Blyth, CA. The group is up to 16 rigs at this point with a few more expected.

A neighbor

A few days ago, this lot was vacant. They charge $7/day for dry camping here.

Q. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday

Tuesday:
A beautiful, sunny, non-windy day. Finally no wind.
Frank gave me a ride to the downtown grocery stores this morning. The town and desert is really starting to fill up. Everywhere you look, there are RV’s pulling into town.
Steve, aka Lazy Bones, and his Boston Terrier Jiggs pulled in today. Apparently Steve and Jiggs were at this years Balloon Fest. Steve doesn’t control Jiggs very much and Jiggs went around lifting his leg on all sorts of stuff like coolers, lawn chairs, Linda's statue, etc. Some people got annoyed at Steve and Jiggs. Years ago we were in a dog park and a dog came up to Carols scooter and peed on one of the wheels. The owner was really embarrassed but, hey, if you’re in a dog park you just have to expect such things. The wheel dried off just fine. Jiggs is a nice dog.

Roger’s guess is that by Saturday, we’ll have about 18+ rigs in our little patch of desert.

By the time we’re ready to head east towards Tucson, we’ll have dry camped for about six straight weeks; a personal record. In this desert environment, the two hundred watts of solar power and two batteries has proven adequate for our needs. A third panel would be better, but two work. Last night Carol watched TV for two hours and by morning, the batteries were at 60% charge.

Wednesday:
Took a walk into town this morning with the guys. Someone always seems to need something.
Rick, Annie and their dog Dweezil Zappa , pulled in about 1pm. We first met them at the Balloon Fest in 2008 then again, here at Q last year. Two really nice people. Annie is an RN as is Ann. We now have two nurses on call.
Jerry, aka Budster, arrived about 4pm.
Tonight was campfire night. Roger enforced the only campground rule; there will be no campfire or social hour discussions that involve politics. If you want to talk politics, wander off someplace in the desert.
There was a discussion on The Escapee board concerning internet service in Q during late January. Those who understand such things, said that in the evening when people were “home” and using the internet, service would slow to a crawl because so many people would be using the same tower. That’s exactly what’s happening. I use Speedtest.net to check internet speed. Download speed right now, 7:21pm, is 0.03 Mbps. I just shut the computer down for the night. I’ll use it in the morning.

Thursday:
Today was run errands day for most everyone. We did a load of laundry, went grocery shopping, got a longer hose for the Wave 3 heater then met up at the Grubstake Restaurant for lunch with some of our friends. The Grubstake is a Q tradition. For lunch they have a $5 fish and chips special. One large piece of very good fried fish, some excellent coleslaw and a pile of not very greasy fries. They also have “challenge” meals. Like eat a two pound hamburger in 30 minutes, or a jumbo order of super hot wings, that sort of thing. No one ordered a challenge meal.

After running errands we took long, hot showers then went to the dump station/water fill. We were number 14 in line. It took 45 minutes to finish that chore. The crowds are really building. Everywhere you look, RV’s are pulling into town. Most of the commercial RV parks have their “full” signs posted.
Three more Lazy Daze pulled in today. Lisa and her Mom, Mike and Gracey, Kevin and Malia.

We are thoroughly enjoying ourselves. After Q, some of the group is heading down to the Imperial Dam/Senator Wash area. We'll meet up with them there.

"Q" Friday-Monday

Friday & Saturday:

Saturday morning we all took a walk into town. Even those that didn’t need anything came back with something. I’ve been having problems with my house batteries recently. They don’t seem to be able to hold a charge very well or something was causing a drain on them. Interstate Battery makes a 6v deep cycle battery (GC-2-XHD-S) with a 232 amp hour rating. A place in town had them for $105/each. The same store wanted $148 for a Trojan T-105 at 225 amp hours. Roger and John are very knowledgeable about such things and thought the Interstate battery would be a good choice. Roger drove me to the store to get the batteries and, in about 30 minutes, John installed them. According to the date code on the Trojans, Roger said they were five years old.
Tonight was Mexican dinner night. We made a pot of beans. Others bought tamales, rice, salad, etc. After dinner was the piñata assault.

Frank and Cookie, and Buddy the dog, pulled in today.

Sunday & Monday:

On Sunday we awoke to a grey, cold and windy day. Never got much better as the day went on. I walked into town this morning with some of the other guys. I have everything I can think of but Jerry and Jim came back with a few more things.

Monday: A bright, sunny, windy day. 54* when we got up. About 9am we drove into town for propane and water and to dump the tanks, pick up some grocery items and, of course, stop by the really good bakery in town. Every night there is a social hour, or so, starting about 4. I needed some snack type things for that.
Kuehn Street, where the vendors are, has lots of parking suitable for an RV up to about 30’ as long as you get there early. We found a really good spot and spend the rest of the day there. Carol was able to get around very well on her scooter. She found some nice, warm, fuzzy socks and I came across a replacement handle for the bathroom door that is much easier for Carol to operate. Pushing the button on the original latch was always troublesome for her.
For lunch, we split an Indian Taco and a strawberry fry-bread desert. Excellent!!
Next week, during the RV show, the plan is to get up about 7am, drive here, park, have breakfast then walk to the Big Tent which is only a few blocks away.

Roger bar-b-qued a tri-tip roast today. Everyone else brought a side dish. I made brownies. Ann made the most wonderful clam chowder; one of my personal favorites.

The new batteries are working very well so the electrical problem I was wondering about wasn’t something more serious.

Another rig pulled in today. Andrea, who is a full timer.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

This morning we drove into town for the day to take one last look at the junk stores. Carol bought a new hat and I found a decent belt for $17. After that we went grocery shopping and did a load of laundry. While the laundry was being done, we got take-out from a nearby restaurant. We both had a very good taco salad. Then we dumped the tanks and filled up with water.
Judy, the lady with the five dogs, joined us for the 4 o’clock social hour. She told us about the difficulties she has with some RV parks not wanting five dogs. We’re dog lovers, and at one time, traveled with three of them, but can certainly see the point of view of the RV parks. The record number of dogs per site we can recall was nine. It was at a TX state park a few years ago. The people showed dogs professionally and traveled in a large travel trailer.

Wednesday

Didn’t do much today. Everyone else went into town to take care of chores like we did yesterday. Our job was to hold down the fort. Chuck and Beverley drove to Mexico today to pick up some meds. They brought back a very colorful piñata which will be the centerpiece of an upcoming piñata party.

We got an e-mail from Carols sister Mary, confirming the Wagner family reunion in July so that fixes our general summer travel plans. The reunion is being held in the Mystic, CT area where the majority of Carol’s eight siblings, and their families, live.
Now we’re talking about where to spend May through September. Neither of us like the summer crowds typical of the New England coast, we’ve been through VT, MA, NH, NY, PA, etc., a number of times and have no big interest in exploring those areas again, so we’ll see. Maybe Maine and the Maritime Provinces of Canada again? If so, this time we’re going to add Newfoundland and Labrador to the agenda. We were in the Maritimes in 2007 and very much enjoyed the trip.


Thursday

A grey, chilly and overcast day. Most nights it’s been getting into the low 40’s but warming up nicely by noon. Not today. I don't think it hit 60*
We’ve been running the Wave 3 heater all night. It tends to keep the interior temperature about 20* above the outside temperature if run on the high setting. In the morning we’ve been waking up to a temp. of about 62*; not bad as long as you’re bundled up.
Roger and John made a Wal-Mart run into Parker today. There are lots of common food items that just are not available in Q. Linda and I took the dogs for a walk to the nice fresh fruit & veggie stand in town just across from the post office. 4.5 miles roundtrip per the GPS. Picked up some more summer squash, broccoli, pears and peanuts.
Nancy from SoCal pulled in today. Several more rigs are expected this weekend.

An overview of the area.

Wandering around here & there

The last few days Carol & I spent time just wandering around here & there. Through the mile after mile of assorted stuff, dozens of food stands, on & on. From everything-for-a-dollar joints to vendors selling quality jewelery.
Carol found a beautiful pair of gold earrings that are a perfect match for the ring she bought at the art show in Tubec,AZ last year. I got a brand new plastic "T" handle that replaces the broken one on the black tank dump valve pull and a flashlight. Mind you, this is not an officially sanctioned by Andy Lazy Daze flashlight. Then again, it only cost $3. Batteries included. We both went home happy with our purchases,

an endless supply of stuff.

A rather unique RV. From British Columbia.

Getting ready to raise the Big Tent.


Roger heard from a number of others who are headed this way. By Saturday, there should be six to eight more rigs. Last night we had a cookout. Everyone grilled their own entree. Linda made potato salad, we supplied a pot of chili and Ann made an amazing, from-scratch lemon cake. A pot luck supper is scheduled for Thursday.

Our RV friend Jim is here. We met Jim at Crater Lake in 2008. Jim's not an early riser. Yesterday, about noon time, we were going to send Ann, who is an RN, into Jim's rig to check his vital signs to make sure he was still with us. :-)
Shortly after that, Jim came wandering out. He said he was awake but working on a project. No one believed that.

We did a little grocery shopping on Sunday. A 1/2 gallon of milk was $4.38. $3.50 for a loaf of multi-grain bread. $7.50 for a 12 pack of TP. The merchants have a short season around here. I suspect they make half, or more, of their annual income in January and February. When we were in Maine a few years back, one of the locals we met was upset with the town grocery store because they really jacked up their prices in the summer. Soak the tourists.

Linda showed Carol a new game for Smart Phones/iPads, etc. It's called Words-With-Friends. Essentially, it's an on-line scrabble game.

Today Gopher and I walked into town together just to poke around. When the RV show starts, we're going to move to the Rice Ranch for a night. Rice Ranch is located just across the street from the Big Tent. They have a large open lot, where for $7 you can stay overnight. That way, Carol will have easy access to the sidewalks so she can go anywhere she wants. We discovered that last year.

We're enjoying ourselves. It's nice to not have to drive so often and to have the company of so many nice people. Everyone that's here, we've met somewhere in our travels.
We'll be here until we head to Tucson in February to meet up with John & Marge.

The party begins!

We left the Senator Wash area about 10am after dumping tanks and filling up with water.
Judy Williams,her five dogs and her husband, Stew are camped in the LaPosa North area. Carol & I stopped by for a visit. We filled up with gas at Pilot, $3.33/gal., and bought some fresh veggies at a farmers market sort of place then headed over to the main Lazy Daze camping area at LaPosa West. 33.64322 -114.22328. There were already five rigs there. We had met everyone someplace during our travels. Jerry, the guy who is organizing the GTG, is guessing there will be from 20 to 25 rigs within the next two weeks. Last year there were perhaps six or eight.
Compared to the two weeks during the big RV show, the place is a ghost town which really works to our advantage since we don't have a tow car and Carol's scooter doesn't work well in sand so desert walks are out. Right now there are lots of places we can park the camper in town. We're going to do our exploring this coming week then bum rides when the madhouse sets in by about the middle of the month. The gem & mineral show starts tomorrow. Carol is in the market for some earrings.

This is going to be a great month.

Our last day at the Imperial Dam LTVA

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

This evening, our neighbors walked over to introduce themselves. They are a retired couple from Iowa who have been spending the winters here for several years. I would guess farmers from their dress and demeanor. For only $180 per year, they have unlimited access to water, a dump station, trash collection and a shower. They travel in a Class A motorhome in the 36’ range. About every two weeks, they dump their tanks and fill up with water. They have their own special spot to which they return year after year. The “residents” tend to “customize” their areas with rocks, of which there is an endless supply. Big rocks, medium sized ones and pebbles. These rocks make it very difficult for Carol to either walk with her cane or drive the scooter. The rocks cover up the fine red dust, about the consistency of talcum powder, that blows around and coats everything.

The residents build one rock high borders to define “their” area, elaborate fire pits, patios, walkways and such things. The spot we’re in tonight has been customized. The defined area is large enough for two RV’s plus there is a well built fire ring. Last nights campsite had a good sized area that appeared top have been raked of even the smaller rocks. Perhaps to prepare a tent site.

The wind never stops blowing around here. It’s strong enough to make the flags stand out straight. As I rub my hands across the dinette table, I can feel the grit of the sand. There are a few camping areas that are in “bowls” or depressions. They are quite popular because they afford some protection from the wind. A few of the regulars have set up screens around their site to block the wind. Some have wind generators erected to provide electrical power. When we got home from last years trip out this way, I must have vacuumed up a pound of red dust. It coated just everything; the engine compartment, refrigerator, the interior, the roof, on and on. If you camp in the desert, that’s just the way it is.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

This morning on the way to our day camp spot on the reservoir, we drove around here and here. The long term residents are easy to spot. Flag poles, clothes drying trees, wind screens, elaborate solar power systems, potted plants, and such things. You see everything from tents to very expensive RV’s. A very interesting lifestyle.

Camping on the Senator Wash Reservoir.

Imperial Dam LTVA

January 2, 2012

Today we did some exploring. I have never seen a city with so many RV parks as Yuma. I don’t know if they hold the world’s record for such things, but they just might. One of the Escapees we’ve been camping with has been coming to this area for 16 years. He was just chock full of tips on free camping. Seems the true boondockers don’t even want to spend the money to camp at the LTVA’s.

Then we did our last minute shopping at WalMart, topped off the propane tank and set out for the Imperial Dam Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA).
In order to get to the Imperial Dam area from the AZ side, you drive through the Army Yuma Proving Grounds. Per the signs, every tracked vehicle and cannon developed for, and since, WW-II has been tested here. There is an interesting exhibit of some of the machines and guns tested.

Parts of the Imperial Dam LTVA are in Arizona but the majority is in California. CA is in a different time zone but, by convention, AZ time is used in this area. There are a number of camping areas like Cozy Cove, Kripple Creek, Hurricane Ridge, and another half dozen or so. The administrative area with the dump station, water fill, dumpsters and permit office is located in the South Mesa camping area. GPS 32.90139 -114.49599. We bought a 30 day camping permit for $80. This permit is good for all the different LTVA’s, including, of course, those around “Q”.

We spend the day camped on the shore of the Senator Wash Reservoir. If you want to stay overnight there, you need to pay an additional fee of $15/night. The folks in the office told us to just spend the day there and then move to one of the other camping areas before sunset. That’s just what we did. Gopher had a fun time playing stick in the reservoir, plus it washed some of the desert off her.

About 5:00 Gopher and I were sitting outside and two “wild” burros came wandering up. They didn’t much like barking dogs, so I put Gopher inside. They walked right up to me and just stood there. I got an apple and cut it in two and gave each half; that’s exactly what these two mooches had in mind. I didn’t want to give away any more apples so I took a zucchini and cut off two pieces. Burros don’t like zucchini.

A good day for a swim

Tonight's campsite

Wednesday, January 3, 2012

We like it here so decided to hang around until it’s time to move to “Q”. I got up just before sunrise, took a few pictures then drove down to the shore of the reservoir with Carol still tucked warmly in bed. We went exploring some of the other areas, like Squaw Lake, but liked the Senator Wash Reservoir the best. Here we’ll stay.

We had a visitor today

Gopher & the burro.

He stopped by to say hello and mooch an apple.

A few favorites from 2011; a truly great year.

Cedar Island, NC on our way to the OBX

Lake Superior, Michigan.

The family reunion in Pennsylvania.

A few favorite pictures from past travels

The Slabs

Our campsite

The grandchildren. Christmas, 2010.

Our all time favorite campsite. It's just us. Lake Superior, Summer 2011.

Death Valley, 2010. A most beautiful animal. Looks like he just stepped out of the groomers.

Yuma, AZ and the Escapees

December 30, 2011

We made the final drive to Yuma this morning with stops at Fry’s and WalMart for supplies. Yuma is a madhouse this time of year. The full time population of Yuma is about 75,000 but another estimated 70,000 call it home in the winter.

Yuma. The lettuce capital of America

Yuma is Arizona’s warmest winter city and the sunniest year round place in the US, with an annual average of 4,133 hours of sunshine. This week’s weather is forecast to be in the mid 70’s during the day and the mid-40’s at night. This time last week a daytime high of freezing was about typical. It’s nice being warm once again. Last year in Yuma, Carol had heat stroke and we spent the day in the ER. This time, she’s drinking more water, dressing more appropriately for the weather, wearing a hat and keeping out of the sun during the hottest hours of the day. One ambulance ride to the ER is enough!!
We drove out to the Escapees New Years gathering on Mittry Lake. This is one of the “ten day” BLM areas. No charge, no facilities, but you’re supposed to move on after ten days. Right now there are about a dozen rigs here with more expected tomorrow; the official start of the rally. It’s hard to find a more welcoming group of people. As soon as we parked and got settled down, people came over and introduced themselves. Carol hopped on her scooter and joined some ladies who were sewing, making ear rings, knitting, etc. It’s just so nice for her to have company other then me, and for me to be able to talk to the guys as well. There was a couple here that we had met at an Escapee rally in Michigan a few years ago. About 4:00 there was the customary social hour. By sundown it starts to cool off and everyone heads “home” for supper. Everyone here, except for us, are “full timers”. One couple, Ron and Sharon, had been on the road for the 19 years since he retired from the Navy. They have a 1959 Continental Trailways bus they bought and converted into a motorhome. There are eight 125 watt solar panels and a battery bank with a 1,150 ampere hour capacity. Ron said they have a household size refrigerator, microwave, etc. that all run from the battery bank. Other RV’s here tend to have from four to six solar panels. Of course they are large fifth wheels or motorhomes with room for such things.

December 31, 2011
New Years Eve.
A beautiful day. Woke up to 44* this morning but by 10am it was over 60* and by noon time 74*. We spent the day enjoying the company of all the very nice people. The more time we spend with other Escapees, the more intriguing the life style becomes. Under the right circumstances, we could see traveling almost all the time with the occasional trip to Fort Pierce just to be sure the house was still standing. Some day perhaps. Summers in Colorado , Wyoming and Montana, winters in Arizona. ??
Tonight we discovered something new to us; a revolving party called a “Z Circle”. There are four host stations. Everyone is assigned to one station and brings either an appetizer or dessert to that station and leaves it there. We made brownies. Every hour you then move to the next station and sample whatever is there and socialize with a new group of people. Around and around you go until you have visited all four stations. It’s a great way to get to know everyone on a more personal basis.
Around 11pm the community fire was started. Carol had already called it a night. I managed to stay awake until a little after midnight.


January 1, 2012
New Years Day, 2012.
What a weather perfect day. Low last night in the mid-50’s, by late afternoon it was 80*. At 2pm there was a New Years Day pot luck supper and endless socializing. It was the most unusual, and enjoyable, New Years weekend we can recall. In the morning most folks are setting out for here and there until the big event at Q at which time, we’ll all meet up once again. We’re staying around until Tuesday then going into Yuma for propane and shopping, then to the Imperial Dam/Senator Wash areas before moving onto Q later in the week.

Carol and her friends

Our campsite overlooking Mittry Lake

Getting ready for the pot luck supper.

Talking to these full timers is really interesting. Some, judging from their RV's, are quite well off financially. Some need to work while they are traveling. One couple is heading to Texas from here. They have a three month job lined up at one of the oil exploration sites. They park by the entry gate and check everyone in and out. The job is 24/7 so someone in the RV must be available around the clock. The job pays $150/day. They are provided with a large generator, a supply of drinking water and a tank pumping service. The three months work will bring in about $13,500 less the very occasional, day off. Some have worked at Amazon, some at Wal Mart, some doing odd jobs here and there. Doing what they need to do in order to continue their chosen lifestyle.