A Beautiful Sunrise Belies the Day to Come

The day began with a beautiful sunrise, viewed at 6:30 a.m.  as I readied the rig for an early getaway. We were eager to beat the folks leaving Las Vegas for LA on I-15, and we also heard that winds would pick up later in the day along the route to Bakersfield. 

Having said our goodbyes to Julie, who spent a couple nights camping with us, we reflected on the nice hikes we had in the red sandstone of Valley of Fire, and  remembered a couple of cozy campfires. Julie and I even attempted to enter the Atlatl World Championships, but our aim was errant.

Julie left ahead of us, as we had to hit the dump station and fill up with gas (bet that’ll be the last gas under $2.00 we see).  Coursing through Las Vegas’ construction scarred main highway, Julie called on the phone.  The water heater had leaked at Casita Julie, flooding the living room.  We made a mid-course correction and took the 215 to Julie's.

A soggy carpet, likely sheetrock damage and a kaput water heater. Just great!  We called the insurance company and they promised help ASAP. We were 5 years into a 6 year guarantee on the water heater, but at best there may be just a bit of pro-rata contribution towards the next water heater. The joys of long-distance property ownership.  There wasn’t a whole lot we could do, so we left things in Julie’s capable hands and headed back onto the highway.

 

As we climbed the grade west of Las Vegas it got breezy.  The further west, the windier it got, blowing a steady 40 mph head-on and gusting to 60 or so. I am expecting that this leg will turn out to be the worst gas mileage in our RVing travels, likely about 5 mpg. Most of the time it was tough to stay above 50 mph. The LA-bound traffic clogged the lanes, making our journey even more exciting. It was a white-knuckle ride. 

How windy was it?  At one rest stop I viewed a crow trying to fly into the wind.  He was making no headway despite frantic wing-flapping, so he landed and tried to hop. Each time he hopped, the wind blew him backwards. He finally gave up, crouched down, his beak low and parallel to the ground and started walking to his destination. Now that’s windy.  Annika even refused to take a whiz, balking as stinging sand hit her face.  She would travel cross-legged instead for several hours.

 Clouds of dust rose into the sky, obscuring the view of nearby mountains. It was an ugly day, the toughest day of driving the rig I had ever experienced. 200+ miles of hell. Finally at 3 pm we called it a day and pulled into the Orange Grove RV Park, east of Bakersfield. It’s an ‘old reliable’ for us, and scores of fellow RVers blew in.

 

No pictures of today’s excitement, except the ones Julie sent of the water damage, which don’t compare to the vistas of Valley of Fire. Our spring trip nears its finish with Annika having proved her worth as a camper and traveller. We’ll make sure the satellite dish is tuned up before our next major trip in June-August to Idaho, Washington and Oregon. 

As ever, I am grateful for Janice, my co-pilot, campmate and Scrabble partner.  

Blowin' in the Wind

Our stay in Cottonwood ended with winds blowing up to 60 mph. 

We hunkered down and departed early in the a.m., hoping to get some miles under our belt before the wind came up. It didn’t. We arrived in Kingman, AZ after a brief lunch stop in Seligman, AZ where Route 66 supposedly began (such is their claim to fame). This one-street town is saturated with Route 66 souvenir shops. Keeping with the spirit of the occasion, we detoured onto old 66 for the remaining 60 miles into Kingman. 

Arriving in Kingman, we gassed up before pulling into the Ft. Beale RV Park, conveniently located near the intersection of !-95 and I-40. This park was spotless. A very convenient stopping place. We had a pull-through and didn’t even bother to unhook the Honda, as we wanted to get an early start to snag a nice site at Valley of Fire SP, NE of Las Vegas.

Proceeding up 95, we crossed the Hoover Dam and marvelled at the progress of the new bridge construction (this will be a tourist attraction itself) and also gawked at the ever-depleting Lake Mead, Las Vegas’ source of water.  Took the 60 mile road along Lake Mead to avoid the LV traffic, and we followed another MH who absolutely would not allow us to pass, despite numerous turnouts. He, too was headed for Valley of Fire and apparently wanted to beat us there in hopes of getting a spot.  As it turned out, we passed him going though the pay station.  There were several spots available, and after a lengthy attempt to level our rig on a sloped site, we moved to another as it became available.

The satellite dish bug bit again and our controller froze up, forcing me to drive 8 miles to get a phone signal in order to call the techies in Salt Lake City.  Final verdict: download some instructions and perform a tune up. The ‘download’ occurred the next day when we went to Mesquite, NV. (Bottom line: all is well now, but it ultimately required us to move again, as a nearby rock formation was partially blocking our signal.)

The visit to Mesquite was a recon trip to check out their Del Webb community. We took the complete tour and were very impressed. Liked a particular lot on the golf course (which will open this fall), and also picked out our favorite model. Still a lot of decisions left, though, and we will continue our Del Webb explorations, perhaps closer to Sacto. Hey, it’s time to move as we’ve been in our current house 12 years, our longest stay anywhere. .  

With the winds once again shrieking (stinging sand pelting us on a walk), we left camp and headed to Las Vegas to meet with Julie and see a show (Jersey Boys at the Palazzo). Dinner was great—portions very large at the Palazzo Café. Highly recommend the seafood salad –best I’ve ever had.  The Jersey Boys show was fabulous—great vocals tracing the history of the Four Seasons and Frankie Valli. (e.g. Big Girls Don’t Cry, Walk Like a Man, Cherie and dozens of others).  We returned to Julie’s where Annika met us with wagging tail. After spending the night there, we are now back at camp.  The wind is still blowing strong, but expected to abate later, when Julie will join us this afternoon for the weekend. 

Valley of Fire is one of our favorite parks.  The views are like having a ‘private Sedona’ with red rock vistas around. Since our last stay, they have added about a dozen new water/electric hookup sites for $24 a night. Very nice place, although some of the dry camping sites are really postcard spectacular. 

Scenic Sedona

What visit to the Sedona area would be complete without a hike? 

So, with Copper Canyon friends Pam and Ralph Williams. We trudged to the top of Doe Mountain, a plateau SW of Sedona. From the top there are vistas of the whole area. Until we got to the trailhead, we didn’t realize that we had done this same hike 9 years ago, in our pre-RV days. This hike was recommended to us by a lady at the restaurant the other night as the best hike in the area.  It’s a shorty, only .7 miles each way, but one can wander around the top all day (we didn’t).

The next big adventure of the day was a haircut at Walmart, since the local shops inexplicably closed at noon on Saturday.  Betcha didn’t know you could get shorn at the Big “W”, but this was one of the exceptions to their usual low prices. My scalping cost $14.95, hardly a bargain compared to the $12.00 senior rate from Ray back home, and the $10.00 prices advertised at some of the local closed shops here.

Great BBQ’d tri-tip dinner with a bottle of fine Shiraz given to Janice by her friend Jan on our last stop in Oregon.  We cut the tri-tips in half when we buy them, then freeze’em. When cooked, we usually get 2 meals out of them. 

Expecting a breezy day today with predicted winds up to 50-60 mph, Staying here at Dead Horse Ranch State Park another day, so we don't get blown over on the road.  Unlikely that we will venture into 'metropolitan'  Sedona, thereby avoiding the 10% sales tax.  Fool me once....

Weather update: The predicted winds arrived after we squeezed in a bike ride exploring this nice park.  How windy was it? One tumbleweed the size of a VW rolled doen the road, stopping traffic. Another time, a herd of cow-sized tumbleweeds leapt out of the prairie and crossed the road in front of us. Annika had to eat her dinner inside, lest her bowl blow away.

Another Day in the Wild West

Tonight, daughter Julie said in phone call: "Aren't you going to add to the blog?" Okay! Okay!

Having lost the battle to secure a lakeview site at Lake Pleasant, we hit the road, heading north to Cottonwood, AZ. First stop was a Starbucks for hazelnut lattes. Getting back on the road, I noticed a lack of acceleration on the I-17 on ramp. I puzzled over it, but the answer was apparent when we arrived at Deadhorse Ranch State Park.

After passing through the gate and being told “good luck”, and then being told by the camp host, “All full”, we snagged a spot and I left Janice and Annika standing guard as I left the campground to disconnect the Honda. I pulled to the side outside the campground and, voila!, the Honda battery was dead. The surge brake was frozen in full extension rigor. Fortunately, only about 50% of its power pressed against the brake pedal.

Thinking back to the poor acceleration, I realized that we had driven about 78 miles with the Honda brakes partially engaged. The rims were covered with the tell-tale powder of the brake pads. The smell of hot brakes was obvious.

After disengaging the Honda, I turned around the motorhome and jumped the battery, returning briefly to the campsite on a bicycle to reassure Janice that I had not driven over a cliff. Finally, Honda and motorhome were safely in place in the campsite and we began setting up housekeeping.

Despite this tightrope with disaster, we felt fortunate to have secured a campsite from among the hordes of Arizona spring-breakers. The evening found us celebrating Janice’s birthday at Nick’s restaurant in beautiful downtown Cottonwood. Janice’s Orange Roughy and my Seafood Special Pasta were enhanced by a bottle of Pinot Grigio. We started things off with a lobster-crab bruchette, all of which spun the dial on the scale this morning.

We headed for Jerome for some sightseeing and exploration, emboldened by an article in the local Chamber of Commerce publication that touted a road trip on an old narrow gauge road-bed. We found the road, but all present in Jerome denied knowledge of the “helpful historic guidebook available in Jerome to make this journey an adventure.” We took to the road anyway, going about 6 miles on a washboard, mountainside dirt road. There were occasional scenic glimpses, but all in all, it was just another dirt road in the mountains. Jerome is simply one of the most interesting places we have ever visited. That was our impression last year---and again this year, even though the state had closed down the Jerome State Park, a fascinating place.

Returning to Cottonwood, we visited Pam and Ralph Williams, former tailgunners on our Copper Canyon adventure, hatching plans for a caravan reunion next spring, likely here in the Cottonwood area. We'll hike with them tomorrow near Sedona. Our evening ended with a visit to the park campfire program. We listened to an Arizona cowboy and cowgirl sing songs and tell tales about the old west, finishing with the Dale Evans’ special, “Happy Trails to You.”

The evening ended with a photo received of grandson Jonas reading a post card we sent him. Bright kid!

Greetings on this first day of spring..

Very Pleasant

“Spring break” is the ominous word that has brought hordes of campers to Arizona’s campgrounds. The kiddies and their teachers have swelled the numbers of outdoor-loving, fresh-air seeking Arizonan metropoles.  Lake Pleasant, our most recent landing spot, seems to be especially targeted. 

We arrived shortly before noon and managed to get the last campsite, just as its prior user pulled out.  The dust hadn’t even settled. While we had hoped for a lake-side site like last year, our current view of the lake is partially blocked by other rigs. One camper is scheduled to leave today, and potential “movees” (us included) are circling the campground on foot (walking dogs!), bikes  and in cars, looking for the first movement. There could be a donnybrook here today. (Flash Update: Janice just returned from recon mission and advised that a 40 ft motorhome 'snuck' into the spot.  All this occurring in the hour since our last check. Darn! Must have been tipped off!)

Weather conditions are idyllic, with daytime highs of 75 degrees and a light breeze off the lake. If we can get a lakeside site, we could be in for a long stay. 

These Maricopa County regional parks are becoming very popular, thanks to an article in an RV magazine last year.  The three we have visited, McConnell, Lake Pleasant and Cave Creek, offer a great desert camping experience with campsites affording plenty of space and privacy. McConnell rates the highest for me, mainly because the interesting town of Fountain Hills is nearby. Lake Pleasant is my number two, but could be number one if at a lakeside site. Cave Creek ranks third, even though a robust shopping center is but 5 miles distant. All are winners for $20 a night.

Scrabble score for the year: 75-18, with Janice losing two close ones yesterday.

Signs of the Times, v.2

Why buy the T-shirt if you can snap a picture??

Wrapping It Up at Cave Creek

Our stay at Cave Creek ends tomorrow morning, then it’s time to move to Lake Pleasant, hoping that we’ll get a ‘view space.’

A big event was an early breakfast at the Denny's at the Hwy 17 junction where we met Copper Canyon pals Jerry and Nancy Gayvert, who were 5th-wheeling towards Tucson.  Can't remember the last meal at Denny's, but this was good stuff. Of course we avoided the 'mystery sausage'. 

Cave Creek activities have included a visit to the nearby burgs of Cave Creek and Carefree, the former being somewhat of a tourist stop, and the latter an upscale residential area with a smattering of nice shops and its trade mark Sundial Plaza.

We had lunch in Cave Creek at El Encanto, a very nice restaurant-cantina where the food was superb, notwithstanding bird feathers in the salsa. (But for the umbrella overhead, it is likely that the birds might have made other contributions.)

Annika enjoyed Sundial Square, especially the Gila Monster slide.

 

On our final hike, Janice bailed out after a mile or so due to back spasms, but Annika and I continued on, sneaking into the nearby state land trust, which was supposedly an enter-only-with-a-permit place. She was panting hard, so I didn’t want to do any more uphill. Finally as we neared the campground, we were forced to go under a barb-wire fence and traverse a gully. Hiding in the gully under a tree about 20 feet away was a snoozing javelina, which I surmise might have been the largest one in the state of Arizona. As it rumbled away from us, all I could view was a hairy back-side the size of a boulder.  I tossed a large rock in its direction to deter any second thoughts it might have about returning. After we scampered up a hillside, we regained the main trail and returned safely to camp.

Our stay here has tested the limits of our holding tanks. We are on day 6 without ‘dumping’ them, having perfected techniques to limit input, including moonlight ‘cactus watering’ as Annika and I survey the desert each night before its time to turn in.

Visited the local Carefree Church this a.m. where a very talented preacher spoke for about 40 minutes, deftly mixing his message with some of the best pulpit humor I’ve ever heard. A very quick mind, this gentleman.  

 

Greater Phoenix

Yesterday began with a day-long, 190 mile tour of metropolitan Phoenix, first visiting friends, Jim and Karen Werner in their new Del Webb Festival home. We didn’t get there until we got lost wandering around ‘west’ Phoenix, where streets in ghost subdivisions appear and then disappear as if written on a map with a failing ball-point pen. The sub-divisions have 4 lane roadways with curbs and flood-canals, but nary a house in sight. It will be a long time before they are built.

Del Webb has the answer for 60-something geezers who aren’t ready to spend the twi-light years in a rocker watching the tube. Nice houses with access to fabulous facilities and activities. We are seriously interested in this, though not necessarily on the western plains of Phoenix. Oh, did I mention the golf course?

Speaking of golf courses, I’ve got to give Arizona a failing grade. Reasonably priced muni-courses are few and far between, and offer rates for AZ residents that are a bargain as compared to out of staters. Other public access courses are similarly stacked against non-residents, unless you want to play in the middle of summer or want to squeeze 18 holes in after 4 pm.  Don’t know how I forgot this from the last time here. Note to Arizona: I don’t do $100 golf! Give me Oregon or California!

The visit to Cliff’s Welding produced a complete repair of our tow-bar at no cost in one day, thanks to the great folks at Blue Ox Mfg. I am a customer for life! 

Today produced a short bike ride in the a.m., washing clothes in nearby Cave Creek at noon, and then a 3-mile hike in late afternoon. Annika demonstrated her trail skills -- failing only when snagged by a cholla cactus bristle.

Tomorrow a.m. promises a breakfast meeting with another Copper Canyon couple, then a long-sought day of ‘doing nothing’.  We have decided to stay put here over the weekend, rather than gamble on finding a spot at Lake Pleasant on a Friday.     

The Sun Also Rises

The grey cloud passed as we arrived at Cave Springs Regional Park, just north of Scottsdale. After ‘holding’ for a half-hour in the overflow lot, a campsite opened up for us. Guided by Janice’s expert guidance, we maneuvered the rig into a space meant for much smaller units, but the desert vista was ours.

After setting up camp, we headed to Mesa, some 45 miles distant, for the purpose of getting the tow-bar fixed. I had called Blue Ox, the manufacturer, and they were extremely helpful (thanks “Linda”). Arriving at Cliff's Welding, “Jim” advised that he would cannibalize his display towbar, as otherwise it would take a week or so for parts.

The repaired towbar should be ready today, and it looks like Blue Ox will cover it under the ‘lifetime warranty’.

We’ll combine our trip back ‘to town’ with a visit to Jim and Karen Werner, former Copper Canyon pals who we visited last year in Yuma.    

A 'Do-Over' Day?

Tuesday was the kind of day that you’d like to be able to request a ‘do-over.’ 

The morning began nice enough with Janice whispering, “Happy Anniversary,” as I slumbered. If it was March 9, why did my $14.95 Timex say March 6? Busted! Walking into the kitchen, the ever thoughtful Janice had a sweet card for me. I really think this is the first one I've missed--in 36 years, even though we spoke about it last week. Is that ‘short term’, ‘mid- term’ or what?

With a grey cloud lurking over my head, I began to prepare for the road, noticing oil/grease stains on one of the RV wheel rims—possible evidence of a leaking seal. By the time we got to Quartzite shortly after noon, I was still thinking about it. After gassing up (for $1.89), we had a quick lunch in the same parking lot as last year, then headed out of town.  Just as we approached the on-ramp to I-10, I advised Janice we were returning to Quartzite to see a mechanic. Two and a half hours later, we left town with a new rear wheel seal, installed meticulously by David the mechanic. In actual work time, it took him less than an hour, but his attention was easily diverted by the need to take personal phone calls and shoot the breeze with garage-monkeys. Fortunately, we were only charged for the hour, but our schedule was shot. 

We headed towards Wickenburg, arriving there after 4:30. While traversing from one parking lot to another in search of taco shells and tomatoes, the rig bottomed out snapping one of the legs on the tow bar. As I looked in the rear view TV, I viewed the Honda swinging out to the side instead of dutifully following directly behind.  We pulled in the Safeway parking lot and managed to avoid sideswiping a row of parked cars. Closer inspection of the pavement at the location revealed dozens of gouges in the pavement where past unlucky folks bottomed out. So many, that it was also evident that this pavement had been entirely replaced on another occasion. The mayor of Wickenburg will be receiving a letter from me in the future!

We would go no further for the night, and managed to grab the last space at the Horspitality RV Park, so named for the aroma of horse manure that wafts from nearby corrals and stalls. I backed the rig into a narrow space, guided by Janice in the rear, and a neighbor-geezer in the front, who waved directions to me like he used to work on an aircraft carrier. The only problem: A large palm tree directly in line with our internet satellite. There was no room to maneuver. We would miss “24” again. This park was one of the few in North America without cable TV! 

So, tomorrow will begin with Janice driving the Honda apart from me as we head for Cave Creek Regional Park north of Phoenix where, hopefully there will be a nice campsite awaiting us and a few days of R&R. This missive will be launched into the Ethernet if technology allows. Annika remains ever cheerful despite our troubles.   

(Yesterday we enjoyed a 10-mile bike ride to and around the Borrego Springs village, after which I visited the Borrego Resort, squeezing in 17 holes of golf in 3 hours. How does this place pay the bills? Only saw one other three-some, whom I leap-frogged, thereby missing a hole.)

 

Signs of the Times, v.1

On the road, there are glimpses of humor to be found on bumper stickers, signs and yes, even church marquees sometimes. Here's the first one, found in Morro Bay, Ca.  This is dedicated to Tim, who slathers mayonnaise on everything! He's a condiment user, for sure. 

Desert-ed

After a long drive through SoCal traffic and a winding road into, over and down mountains, we arrived at Borrego Springs State Park. The mountain road was reminiscent of the Baja “Road to Hell” (Cuesta del Inferno) in terms of steepness and curves. We did have guardrails this time and the roads were probably 10 feet wider. Nevertheless, there were a few flashback moments as we crawled downhill, often in first gear. An old auto carcass lay down one steep slope. This is not a road to take with an RV on the way out of Borrego Springs, but it’s OK on the way in.

Our first space was sloped, so we canted the rig a bit into the adjacent desert flora campsite, being careful not to disturb any growing flora or fauna. Nevertheless, Ranger ‘Ruth’ rapped on the door the next morning and lectured me about the “rule” (written no-where) that requires at least two wheels on the pavement. Since we were scheduled to move to another site, she only gave me a “warning.” 

Subsequently, as we waited for the new campsite to open, we were again “warned” by Ranger Ruth for enjoying a picnic lunch in a vacant campsite with our friends, Greg and Jennifer Thompson. 

One more warning and I think I would have been hauled off to the desert slammer, or wherever they lock-up campground ne’er-do-wells. 

This official intermeddling didn’t spoil a perfect day of wildflower viewing and a hike up to Palm Canyon. Hordes of hikers were on this trail, many of them (apparently) enjoying their first exercise in years. Three packs of Cub Scouts meandered up the trail, proudly carrying handmade troop flags which they were likely going to plant, Iwo Jima-style, for a photo op. Digital cameras were everywhere. Some of the kids were outfitted to the max for this 2-mile hike. When I was kid, it was well worn out Keds, jeans with patches, a ratty T-shirt and last season’s little league BB cap, duly festooned with sweat-stains. The day marked the annual first unveiling of my ivory legs, which hadn't seen the sun since last October. 

Also part of the day's touring was a viewing of several metal sculptures scattered over 1000 acres of desert property. The creator thereof had a lot of time on his hands.  

 

We finished off our time with the Thompsons, giving them an afternoon Scrabble seminar and then hustling over to the Red Ocotillo restaurant for dinner (thanks again, Greg). This place was a ‘sleeper’. I’ll go for the spaghetti and meatballs any day.

Back on the Road in 2009

Day number 4 on the road finds us in Prado Regional Park in Chino Hills.  This place is a gem, although we had some difficulties with the internet satellite dish. (Original location had us aiming into a tree. Had to spin the rig around.)

But then, the theme of this trip so far has been: "That friggin "satellite dish." 

When we first arrived at Avila Beach on Monday (landing in our favorite spot!), attempts were made to get online, but the dish just kept spinning on the roof, looking, looking, looking.  I was convinced that our sought after satellite was the one that collided with the Russian satellite a couple weeks ago.  After futzing for a couple hours, I called technical assistance at Motosat, only to be told they were closed.

This also meant no TV reception, which meant we missed “24”—a 2-hour episode.

Tuesday a.m. I connected with Motosat in Salt Lake City.  I was advised that new software (actually firmware for the dish controller) had been released. Because I had no internet connection, we had to schlep to the local library and download the file plus the 3 pages of installation instructions.

After a wonderful lunch at the Bayside Café in Morro Bay with Michael and Imkelina (pals from Casey’s in Oregon last summer), I returned and began the installation, spending 2-3 more hours until I hit a wall. Getting as far as I did was a feat of sheer technical wizardry, probably qualifying me to work at Mission Control on the space shuttle.

Following a good night’s sleep with waves crashing nearby and rain pounding on the roof, the next day began with my new techno-buddies in Salt Lake City.  Another hour or so later, we resolved the remaining glitches and we were ‘good to go.’ Because we were dry camping (batteries only), electricity was at a premium, so we left the TV off (but recorded a favorite or two for later viewing when we have ‘shore power.’ (electricity)

Other than this nightmare of technology, it has been a good trip.  Janice is decompressing from seemingly non-ending book duties.  Our new travel-pal, Annika, has proven to be roadworthy and fun. A later edition will chronicle the discovery of this wunderhund and the futile attempt to get a badly needed tummy tuck for her.

Travels around Avila Beach found spring-green hills so ‘alive’ you could almost hear the Trapp Family singing!  Morro Bay State Park was added to our ‘must stay there’ list, due to its proximity to the Bayside Café and the adjacent Morro Bay golf course. Another golf course in the area worth checking out would be Dairy Creek on Hwy 1. Alas, I did not golf due to weather and the aforementioned demands of technology.

Every trip requires something that has been forgotten. We brought the bikes, but left the helmets at home (Walmart supplied new ones for about $18 apiece. At that price, I think they are designed for very slow crashes.  An older gent at Walmart railed, “When I was a kid, we rode bikes all day and never thought of a helmet, and I banged my head plenty.”  Well, me too….on both counts, but now we live in the great Nanny State of California so put on the helmets!)

Also forgotten—my calendar /address book that contains all of my internet passwords (in secret code, of course), and Annika’s shot record (no biting and no trips to Mexico!)

Today’s intended destination was Point Mugu State Park, but we detoured inland on Hwy 126 after a lunch stop at Faria Beach County Park north of Ventura. This is also a good place for a dry-camping overnight stop.  The ocean on one side and the Amtrak tracks on the other.  As Janice pointed out—just the same set-up as the nearby pricey beachside bungalows along the ocean shore.