Oy Vey - What A Day!

After a nice night in Needles, CA at the Desert View RV Resort, we headed out about 9am, Bakersfield bound.  Before we left, I snapped these two shots - one of the pool and one of the outdoor visiting area, outside the clubhouse.

The pool was covered overnight - I took this shot about 8am.

At about 9:30, the CAC tube blew off again (it had happened on our way south 6 weeks ago).  Kim put it back on, tightened the clamp and off we went.  For about 30 minutes.  Boom!  Off it went again.   Pulling over once again for Kim to adjust it.  Back on the road, Boom!  When it happened the fourth time, and we hadn't even gone 100 yards, we knew it was time to call Coach Net.  Although it took some extra calls, we were finally able to talk to Carlos from Ken's Towing who had been dispatched from Baker, CA to our location about 30 miles outside of Barstow.  Kim told Carlos what he needed, and it sounded like he had the items in his truck.  As best I understand it, the hose had lost the adhesiveness that helps to hold the clamp on.  Kim had the brilliant idea to cut a small piece of emery cloth to put under the clamp and hopefully that would hold.  We gave it a try and were able to at least get up to the Rest Area just outside of Barstow so we were off the road.  Carlos showed up about 30 minutes later.  He didn't have the parts we needed, but he did double check the tightness of the clamp and it appeared to be holding.  He followed us almost all the way to the Ford dealer in Barstow (his turn off to go back to Baker was just before our exit).

We made it to the Ford dealer, and they had the parts we needed.  Kim initially was just going to take the parts along with us in case we needed them, but then decided he was going to fix it right then as we were on a side street without traffic.  Good thing he made that decision, because the parts guy had given him the CAC hose that went under the engine, and the one we needed went on top.  This time, Kim took the original hose, along with the wrong one, went back to the parts department, and this time came back with the right hose.  A few minutes later, fingers crossed, we were on our way.

I have to tell you, there was a whole lotta praying' going on during this drive.  I had to keep reminding myself that we knew what the problem was, and we fixed it.  End of story.  But I come from a family of worriers, so it wasn't so easy.  You hear all the time about the importance of positive thinking.....I had to focus my thoughts on being positive everything was going right, not positive that everything was going wrong.

We stopped to get fuel in Mojave, paying $3.99 a gallon, and then we started up Tehachapi Pass....praying all the way.  I can't tell you the relief I had when we crested the summit.  I relaxed considerably.  Unfortunately, that was the point where Kim informed me that going up a hill really made no difference.  If the hose was going to pop off, it was because there was nothing holding the clamp on, not because the engine was working harder.  I'm not sure I believe his story, but he was sticking to it.  I was sticking to my prayer treatments.

We finally pulled into the Bakersfield RV Resort about 7pm.  We had stayed here before, about 4 years ago, and things had not changed much at all.  Even the check in gal was the same person.  You can read my review of their park here:  Bakersfield RV Park Experiences

The only hiccup that happened at the park is that all of a sudden our 12 volt battery started acting up. All the lights went out, but the TV and the computers stayed on.  It only happened for a few seconds, and came back on.  It happened again about an hour later when we turned on the AC.  This may or may not have been a coincidence.  Again, the TV and the computers stayed on, but the lights went out.  And then came right back on.  We turned off the AC, and plugged in the fans, and no more problems.  I didn't sleep well, but that is typical for me after a stressful day.  I heard the trains about 2am, but I must have fallen back asleep because I woke up about 5:30am, in time to open the shades and watch the skies become light.

The morning went smoothly, and we were on the road by about 9:30am.  Things went so smoothly that we only stopped for fuel because we saw an easy on and off spot in Fresno, paying $3.83 a gallon.  We got back on the road, and remarked about how they must have done some highway improvements along Hwy 99 as the road wasn't nearly as rough as we remembered.  About 1:00pm, we stopped for a bite to eat at some big Travel Center of America around Merced.  We opted for the Popeye's Chicken.  I had a Shrimp Po'Boy with cole slaw, and Kim had chicken strips with fries.  I'd never eaten at a Popeye's before.  It was pretty good.

We hit the road again, and encountered a little bit of traffic coming over to I-5 from Hwy 99 as we entered Stockton.  We had reservations at the Riverpoint Landing Marina and RV Resort.  We are backed onto the delta with a terrific view and a very nice breeze.  It is a small park with water, electric and wifi - no sewer and no cable TV.  They assigned us space 3, but we were unable to get out slides out because of the trees.  This place had good reviews on rvparkreviews.com and it seems very nice.  I haven't checked out the restrooms or the laundry so I can't comment on them.  We were unable to get our DirecTV dish to pick up a signal, possibly due to the high tension wires across the channel.  We'd get a signal and lose it without even touching the dish.  I told Kim to just give up.  I had plenty of things recorded we hadn't yet watched, plus we are still working through the DVDs we brought along.

The view out our back window.

The empty spot between our neighbor's rig and ours.

Our site #11.

A few empty sites with the trees that made opening our slides impossible....or at least difficult.

The small park area that separates the two sides of the park from each other.

A perfect place to watch the sun set.

The sun setting on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Next stop:  Redding, CA

I Can't Believe We Are Headed Home - First Stop: Needles, CA

It rarely happens, but I was actually up and ready to go before Kim.  Of course, he has a lot more on his list of things to get packed and put away than I do.  I asked him the night before what time he wanted to leave in the morning, and he said 10am.  Well, much to his surprise, I was ready at 10am.   He was not.  Therefore, I got to spend a few more minutes visiting with his aunt and uncle before we headed out.  We started our drive up the road to the Thousand Trails Verde Valley gatehouse.  We checked out, and drove about ¼ mile more before Kim realized he had not had anything to eat yet.  We pulled over before we even got out on to the highway so he could grab an energy bar from the pantry.  We had a good laugh, turned left onto Highway 260, and headed east toward I-17.

The previous evening there had been quite the discussion between Kim and Uncle Bill and their GPSs about which route to take.  With the Rand McNally GPS, you can plug in whether you are driving a car, a motor home, or a trailer/fifth wheel.  If you select car or motor home, the route took you south on 17, picking up AZ Highway 89 through Prescott, and then joining I-40 at Ash Fork.  If you put in fifth wheel, it took you north up I-17, picking up I-40 in Flagstaff.  We still don't know why one route was selected for a motor home, and another for the fiver.  We took the route through Flagstaff.  Next week, Kim's aunt and uncle will take the other route and let us know how it goes.  The GPS said that the route through Prescott was quicker by about 20 minutes.  It took us 2 hours from the Verde Valley TT Preserve to Ash Fork.  I know because that was just where we decided to stop for a potty break.  There are a few sections of I-17 and I-40 that are quite bumpy, and after 2 cups of coffee, my bladder had had all it could take.

Back on the road, we motored along until just before Kingman, where we stopped at a Love's to fill up, paying $3.86 per gallon for diesel.

We were headed for the Walmart in Kingman to pick up some groceries, but found a Safeway with a big parking lot and a traffic light (making it easier to turn left to get back on I-40).  We picked up some veggies, a bag of meatballs, some pretzel M & Ms, 5 gallons of water, and a roll of paper towels.  With what I already had in the refer and freezer, that should at least get us through California and possibly into Washington before having to stop for groceries again.

It had been windy the last two days in Cottonwood, and I guess the wind was following us as we were fighting the wind most of the way on today's trip.  Eventually, we crossed over the California/Arizona border, had a laugh with the agent at the Agriculture Check Point when I tried to claim Kim as live-stock....and the agent offered to quarantine me if Kim was offended.  We decided that calling Kim a "live one" was a compliment, and off we went.

We had reservations at the Desert View RV Resort in Needles.  Once we turned left from the end of the off-ramp, the road (part of Historic Route 66) was definitely in need of resurfacing.  Luckily, the resort was just one mile down the road.  As we were driving up, I was a little skeptical.  The surrounding  area was not something I would have picked, but as we approached the resort, I had a change of heart.  What a delightful place!  The spots were level.  It was very quiet.  The staff was very friendly and helpful.  The gentleman who escorted us to our spot even asked Kim if he wanted help or if he'd rather just do it himself.  To me, that's good insight into how your customers think.

I didn't get a chance to check out the pool, the laundry or the bathroom/shower facilities, but everything looks well tended to.  Here's a few quick shots of an empty site.

This was just an overnight stop, but I would definitely come back and do a little exploring.  Laughlin is just 20 miles away to the north, and Oatman is 25 miles to the northeast.  Lake Havasu and The London Bridge are just 40 miles south.  And there is a wildlife refuge I'd love to visit as well.  We will probably return in the next year or so, and spend more than just one night.

Next stop:  Bakersfield, CA.

A Day Trip To Payson, AZ

The title may be a bit deceiving.  As I read it, it implies that we really explored the area.  That's not exactly so.  The point in going was to visit with a high-school classmate of mine.  That, we did.  She also drove us around to see her favorite points in the area, but we were so busy talking, I didn't take any pictures.  The following are pictures of our drive up from Cottonwood to Payson.  They are mostly shots of trees.  After a few weeks in the desert area, I miss the green of the Pacific Northwest. I got a little carried away.

Going up to 6000 feet, we watched the landscape change.

We drove through two small towns.  If I had to guess, the industry in this area would be logging and tourism.  I'm pretty sure lots of people come up from the Phoenix area to camp in the summer to escape the heat.

And speaking of coming from the Phoenix area, I would do that next time I visit Payson.  I'm told that Highway 87 is a much easier drive than the way we came.  I have a tendency to get carsick on winding roads, so this is good for me to know.  The drive from Cottonwood on AZ Highway 260 (which incidentally our GPS calls aah-zee 260 - took us a while to figure that one out), which eventually hooks up with Highway 87, is a bit too much for me.  It was easier going back down that coming up, perhaps because I wasn't looking over the embankments.

Anyway, we went through the town of Strawberry - not much there, a few shops and probably a restaurant.  The photo of the street did not turn out, unfortunately.

And then through Pine, which is a bit larger.  If you are familiar with the Washington Coast, think Grayland.

We drove into Payson, and I was surprised at how big it was.  I'm not sure why, but I was.  There was a Super Walmart, a Big Lots, a Home Depot, Walgreens, lots of restaurants and shops, a Bashas (my favorite Arizona grocery store chain), a hospital.  It was fairly good sized - a large town/small city.

We caught up with my friend Debbie at her rig at the Ox Bow Estates RV Park.  This is a smaller park with some long term residents, but it appeared clean and well cared for.  There were restrooms and showers and a community center, but no pool or other "resort amenities".  I'm not sure big rigs would fit, but it was a nice little place out of town.

Debbie drove us around to see her favorite parts of the area, including a drive through the Houston Mesa Campground in the Tonto National Forrest.  They looked like very nice campsites.  I think they were all dry camping, and looked a little small for our rig, but it was lovely.

We opted to have lunch at Mazatzal Hotel and Casino  We decided on Friday's Fish Fry at the Cedar Ridge Buffet.  And as a bonus - we all qualified for the senior discount!  Kim and I had dinner plans with his aunt and uncle so we did not have time to play at the casino.  However, I did a walkabout and found many of the older reel to reel machines as well as newer video ones, and my favorite nickel and quarter keno/poker machines.  I will definitely make time to try my luck next time we are in Payson!

Soon it was time to head out.  I understand the cost of living is reduced in Payson as there are many retirees in the area.  We decided to fill up the truck as we found diesel at $3.81 per gallon at the local Circle K/Shell station.

The drive back down the mountain to Thousand Trails Verde Valley took about 90 minutes.  I waved goodbye to the trees.

Tomorrow, we are off to Old Town Cottonwood, and Jerome.

A Monday Drive Up To Lake Havasu City And Back

We left our nice spot here at The River Breeze RV Resort with the intention of checking out all the RV Parks on both the Arizona and California sides of the Colorado River.

Here at River Breeze RV Park, the FHU sites are grass and very level.  It's been a bit windy here so we did not put out our awning.  We didn't even really set up anything but the barbecue and the satellite dish as we are only here for two nights.  I love this little park.  Lots of green around us.  Access to the river, not that we have any water craft with us, but still it is nice.  It is quiet.  I heard freeway noise from I-10 early this morning but otherwise not at all.  There are a fair number of park models and trailers that are for rent.  This time of year, they are empty.  I imagine in the summer it gets packed and I would probably not enjoy the peace and quiet so much.  Plus it would be way too hot for me, so I wouldn't be here anyway.

As I said, then intention was to check out all the RV Parks.  We took the Ehrenburg-Parker Highway to Parker.  Not much along this road.  Some agriculture and some desert/scrub land.  You don't get too close to the river once you leave Ehrenburg, until you get to Parker.  We drove through Parker thinking we'd check out the RV Parks there on our way back so we did not keep having to cross traffic.  Got all the way up to the Cattail Cove State Park, when we realized we had already driven through that park four years ago.  We headed back toward Parker and decided to drive over the Parker Dam.  Oh oh....so much for checking out those RV Parks in Parker.  Oops.  If you haven't been over the dam, be forewarned that you can not take big trucks, trailers, MH or anything like that on that road.  Even our Ford F250 Extended Cab truck was a tight fit.  Speed limit is 5 mph.

Once you cross the bridge, you will see a sign warning about free range burros crossing the road.  And they mean it.

The above pictures show the burros free roaming around the River Lodge Resort in Parker Dam, CA. We decided to drive through the resort to check out the spaces.  It is a big place, with many of the water front sites now taken up by park models.  There are still a few back in spots that look nice.

I stopped to talk with this gal who looked very comfortable, enjoying her stay here.  This particular section had a small patch of grass under the trees.  The rigs were parked across the drive

The only downfall is that where ever there is an open patch of grassy field, there is burro poop.  I guess you just have to be careful in picking your site.  Note the RV Parks across the river; someday we will go look at those ones too.

You can't really tell from the picture above, but you would be stepping around piles all over the place.    Those burros do wander where ever they want.

We continued down Hwy 62 to Earp.  We could drive over the bridge to Parker, AZ and come back via the Ehrenburg-Parker Hwy or AZ 95.  Or we could follow Hwy 62 to CA Hwy 95 and drive back through Blythe.  We opted for the latter.  I started kicking myself before we got to 95.  It was 18 miles from Earp to the junction with 95, then 48 miles to Blythe.  It was a very long, uninteresting, boring road with no services.  And wouldn't you know it, we got stopped at the railroad crossing in Vidal.  And all I could see in Vidal was the railroad crossing.  Unless you like driving a 2 lane highway with lots of dips, no services, and a boring view, I would advise crossing the bridge at Earp, going through Parker and down the Arizona 95.  The view is not much better, but the road is and you will make much better time.  I was so glad when we could finally see the semis cruising down I-10 in the distance.

As we head off to Phoenix tomorrow, we decided to get diesel at the Flying J which is the first exit off of I-10 as you enter Arizona.  The good new is that we only paid $3.77 a gallon for fuel.  That's the best price yet!  The bad new is that they are repaving, repairing or expanding the road to access the Flying J, Wendy's and the Best Western Hotel there.  The traffic back up is a nightmare, requiring a State Patrol car, and at least 3 flaggers directing traffic.  If you are pulling a rig or driving a MH, I would advise finding a different gas station up the road.

For now, I'm off to open a Coronita (7 oz Corona bottles we found in Menifee) and sit outside to enjoy the breeze.  It's 82 degrees out which is just this side of warm for us.

Last Days At Wilderness Lakes TT Park; On To River Breeze In Ehrenburg, AZ

Our last days at Thousand Trails Wilderness Lakes in Menifee, California were quiet.  Our major outing was into Temecula to have lunch with some dear friends.  We arrived at 11:30am at Mimi's Cafe and we didn't leave until 3:30pm!  I think we stayed through a shift change, and we are pretty lucky they did not ask us to leave.  We hadn't seen these friends in about 5 years and it was hard to say goodbye.  It was only as we were leaving that I remembered to get Kim to take a picture of me with my good friends Evie and Karen.

The food was excellent, by the way.  I had the Corned Beef Hash Eggs Benedict.  I was so focused on my food that I didn't pay attention to what everyone else ordered.  Just before we left, we decided a share a dessert sampler - brownies a la mode, bread pudding, and apple crisp.  I think I had larger shares that everyone else, and you will not hear an apology from me for being a pig.  A burp, perhaps, but no apology!

The other highlight of the day was finding diesel fuel at the Circle K in Menifee for $3.89 a gallon!

After last night's unimpressive viewing of The Wolf Of Wall Street, we decided to watch American Hustle. I gotta say, I was not very impressive.  I think for Sunday night we will stick with The Amazing Race and The Mentalist.

We were up this morning and on the road at 9:45am - Kim is still puzzled how I managed to be 15 minutes ahead of schedule.  This rarely happens.  Perhaps it was magic!

Our drive to the River Breeze RV Park in Ehrenburg, AZ was an easy 176 miles.  The only "excitement" was a crazy dust/sand storm as we drove through the Palm Springs area.

It went from this:

to this is quite a hurry.

Once we started climbing up to the Chiriaco Summit, the wind let up.  The ride down into Arizona was easy, if not boring from a visual standpoint.

We pulled in to the River Breeze RV Park.  The office was closed by our site information was written on the white board outside the office.  I had reserved a specific spot down by the river and that's what we got.

With the weather in the high 70s/low 80s, we strolled down to the river for a few pictures.

Tomorrow we plan to drive up the Arizona side to Lake Havasu City, and then back down the California side, to check out the various campgrounds.  Kim's aunt and uncle had camped at the Lake Havasu State Park and it looked fabulous.

Laughlin to Ehrenberg, Arizona

We let Roundabout Rhonda (GPS) have a day off.  We knew the route she wanted to take, and it wasn't the one we wanted to do, so we reverted to (if you can believe it) a regular map!  We liked taking Arizona Hwy 95 to Needles, and then hopping on I-10 for a few miles.  Note that when you first get on I-10 going eastbound from Needles, the highway is very much in need of resurfacing.  However, it was only a few miles, and the pavement improved. 

Our drive today took us through Lake Havasu City, which prompted the discussion of is it Hava-Sue or Hava-Saw?  The city is much bigger than I had realized.  Population over 41,000.  The shopping centers, including a Super Wal-Mart, Staples, Home Depot, Lowes, Safeway, and all the requisite fast food places one could imagine, were fairly new...and if not new, well maintained.  I was surprised that at the number of homes we could see from the highway that were without grass.  With all the water from the 45 mile long Lake, I would have expected to see more green.  Pulling out the AAA travel guide, I did some 'research'.

Lake Havasu City was originally an Army Air Corps landing strip, presumably for bringing in supplies while they were building the Parker Dam, the land was purchased in 1963 by Robert P McCulloch Sr, and developed as a planned retirement and recreational community.  The city's claim to fame came when Mr McCulloch bought The London Bridge.  (Side commentary - either he was a genius or a kook - who buys a broken down bridge and transports it from London to Arizona?).

So back to the lawn question - the water from the lake supplies water to Arizona, Los Angeles and other cities in between.  If I had to guess, I'd say that the water is more valuable to sell, and therefore the cost to maintain a green lawn is probably higher than someone on a fixed income (ie a retiree) would want to pay.

Coming from the north, the London Bridge is on the far side of town.  You can see part of it from the highway (still Arizona Hwy 95), but we might have missed it had I not been looking right at the London Bridge Parking sign (which is definitely in need of updating).

(photo credit http://www.desertusa.com/)

Anyway, it looked like a nice pleasant and clean community, and we will come back here to camp at some point.  There are plenty of camp sites along the river between Lake Havasu and Parker.   It's a pretty drive along the river here.  We stopped in Parker at the Blue Water Resort and Casino.  It's a nice little casino.  I only saw 2 table games open, and the rest was slot machines.  We played a 25¢ Wheel of Fortune Machine.  I should have stopped after my first 'spin' of 100 coins and walked away, but alas, I didn't, and we once again contributed to the economy, this time of the Colorado River Indian Tribe.

We had lunch at the buffet, opting for the salad bar which included tossed salad and all the standard extras, coleslaw which was wonderful, cucumber salad, potato salad and macaroni salad, plus fruit and cottage cheese, bread/crackers, soup (a very delicious beef vegetable), dessert bar and drink, for $5.95.  The casino is small, but quite clean, with friendly employees.  There is also a movie theatre in the complex, and although I can't be certain, it looked like there were 4-6 screens.  They do have an ampitheater as well.  Three Dog Night is scheduled to be there on November 21st.  http://www.bluewaterfun.com/


Next stop, Quartsite for fuel.  Finally, we paid less than $3 a gallon for diesel.  The sign said $2.83 on the Shell reader board, but it was actually down to $2.75.  We drove through town just to get a feel for it.  We will be returning in January or February for the big rock and mineral show.  There's not much there.  Population is around 3,400, but swells into the hundreds of thousands during January and February.

                                     (Photo credit http://www.desertusa.com/)


An interesting little note, there is a Memorial to a man named Hadji Ali (from the Middle East - the AAA Guide refers to him as an Arab man) who came to Arizona in 1856 with a herd of camels at the Army's request.  The camels were never used successfully in the area because they caused the horses, mules and cattle to stampede. 

Quartzsite to Ehrenberg is a short drive, about 20 miles.  We are staying at the Colorado River Oasis, in spot #20, a pull through.  The sites are all gravel, but there are cement patio pads with full hook ups.  Because we were just staying the night, we didn't want to unhook.  The electric and water hook ups are at the front of the pad, and we did not have enough extra electrical cord to plug in without unhooking.  So instead, we pulled in backwards, and ran the water hose and the electric cord under the trailer.  We did not hook up to the sewer.  (A side note, the sewer hook up did not have a solid cap, and it was a little smelly.  There was a slotted cap, like a drain filter, and we put a plastic bag on top of slotted cap and covered it with some rocks to deal with the stench).

Again, it's a clean park with nice swimming pool, hot tub, laundry and rec center.  I'd rate it 3 out of 5 stars.  Nothing special, but quiet and clean with friendly hosts.

Most of the sites are pull throughs on the gravel, but there were about 20 back in spaces right on the river, with a grass lawn between river/beach and camp site.  We stayed here on our Resorts of Distinction membership, so it was free for the night.  If we could reserve one of the waterfront sites, we'd come back again for sure!

Picnic tables by the Colorado River

The grassy area in front of the primo sites (picnic table shot above is to the right of this shot)

Today, we are off to Laveen.  No camping tonight.  We are spending the night at Kim's brother Tom's house, and visiting with their folks, sister Cathy, and brother David.  And I have a scheduled date for a luxurious sea salt bath in Tom's garden tub!  Tuesday, we are off to Buckeye, AZ for a week stay to see if we like the area.  Rumor has it that Buckeye is a bit like West Seattle, only warmer LOL.