There Really Are Wild Burros !!

What lies before us and what lies behind us are tiny matters to what lies within us.

Up and down the highway outside the RV park signs are visible warning drivers to slow down due to the possibility of burrows being on the highway.  We had never seen the burros.  What we had seen were a few piles here and a few piles there.   

Well, we hadn’t seen them until Saturday on our trip back from Lake Havasu.  We took the short cut across the Parker Dam on our return trip.  Traveling across the dam saves quite a few miles and also keeps you off the main roads.  The road across the dam gives an amazing view of the water below. This dam is the deepest dam in the world as it is 320 feet high but  235 feet is below the riverbed.

Because we were traveling this route we did get to finally see the burros for the first time.  There were lots of them.  We saw them on the hills.  We saw them in groups in different places along the roadway.  Perhaps, they had been down to the river for water and our timing was just perfect.  The burros certainly weren’t afraid of the cars.  They watched us as much as we watched them.

 

You can sure tell that spring is just around the corner.  Springtime usually means lots of beautiful flowers.  Even the cactus start blooming.  The desert actually comes alive with a little bit of rain and lots of sunshine.  We noticed this when we were around Lake Havasu on Saturday.  There was color in many places.  The little wild flowers are starting to cover the ground.  We saw purple, yellow and orange flowers coloring the landscape  Spring is definitely starting to show it’s colors.

Saturday night was steak night at the park.  You really never know what to expect when you have steak cooked for a large group.  The clubhouse wasn’t totally full but it certainly had drawn quite a crowd.  We didn’t miss it and figured if we didn’t like the steak, Duchess certainly would.  Well, much to her dismay we loved the steaks.

They really do a good job with the food around here.  We still aren’t buying groceries.  No need to at the prices they charge.  Sunday morning is their champagne breakfast.  It’ll be interesting to check that out too.  Then, we’ll come full circle …. a whole week in the same park.  It’ll be interesting to see if the menu changes or if they repeat.  It’s not that we care.  We certainly have some favorites for sure.

We’ve complained when it’s been too cold this winter.  We’ve complained about the rain and we’ve complained about the wind.  Well, I just checked the weather out.  You know the weatherman never lies.  Temperatures are going to start hovering in the mid 90’s this week!  Are we going to be out enjoying it or start complaining?  Either way that air conditioning will probably get a good work out.

How do you think the owner of the UTV in the picture below gets the vehicle in that position --- nose down ??



Next on our activity list is Quartzsite.  We’re going to take a drive down there and check it out again.  It’ll be interesting to compare the activity in that little town to what it was a little over a month ago.

‘Tis life on the road.

We’ve Been Invaded !

If you don't like something change it; if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.

I’m not saying the Martians have arrived or the enemy has landed.  The weekend is upon us and a whole new group of folks have pulled into this park that was once a very active but yet a laid back park.  We will soon see if it’s just the weekend folks or if spring break is the reason for many of the sites filling up.

London Bridge at Lake Havasu

The first indicator of the activity was the noise level on the river.  To begin with it sounded like a swarm helicopters or maybe a stream of motorcycles.  Those noises we were familiar with.  However, it’s the speed boats that race up the river and then down the river and then up the river and then down the river.  They start at dawn and continue way past sunset ... even up to 11:00 PM.  You get the picture I’m sure.  The young weekend crowd is here.

We’re in a really nice site just one row back from the river.  It’s a pull-thru super site.    Many folks in the back rows cut through these sites to get to the river. Our vehicle is parked across the back to deter this but our neighbor’s vehicle is parked parallel to his Class C in front.  Thus, his site is probably one of the most active walkways in the park.  Now if he knew all those people that cut through that would be one thing but it’s used by individuals, couples, families and obviously people he doesn’t even know. 

 

Hanging around the park on Saturday wasn’t what we had in mind.  We were heading to Lake Havasu.  We really didn’t have much in mind to do there.  It was just someplace to go and something to do.  One place we stopped was at the CRA RV park in town.  Fellow bloggers, Jerry and Kimberly, were at the park.  They were pretty busy relaxing in their recliners when we arrived.    It was yard sale day.  They had emptied their rig of all the items they no longer wanted and never used. The items were set up on their picnic table as they hoped to lure all the folks going by.  They caught Terry for sure.  He even made a purchase.

Needless to say, the weatherman was wrong again.  It was supposed to be a nice sunny day.  The clouds started rolling in and the winds started picking up.  It wasn’t a bad day.  It just wasn’t what the weatherman had said it would be.   I suppose I should say we weren’t surprised.  That happens often.

Daylight savings time starts on Sunday.  Residents of Arizona don't have to worry about moving their clocks forward each spring.  It's one of the few states where the time doesn't change.  With the time change though we won't have to change our clocks as we move across California.  We'll also be on the same time now as the rest of our family. 

‘Tis life on the road.

Won Another Jackpot !

 

The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.

 

I'd like to able to post that blog title every day but I'm a realist and know that's not going to happen.  However, for now we must be really hot.  Thursday night was bingo night again.  After my big win on Tuesday there was no way we were going to miss this.  The clubhouse was full but not quite as packed as the other night.   We bought our bingo sheets and settled in for another evening of  fast-paced bingo.  This was serious business.  

We were here to win the big bucks …. again.    We weren’t disappointed   either.  I believe in sharing the glory so I let Terry win this time.   It wasn’t long until Terry was up on the table and yelling, “Bingo”!  Dreams of fortune crossed my mind.  We had hit it big again.  The money lady slowly counted out the $57 winnings in five’s and one’s.   Yep …. we were loaded down with cash once again.  There were so many things we could do with this.  It meant more fuel, better food, a shopping spree ….. or maybe even a trip.  Who knows what we’ll do but for right now it’s stashed away.

With this kind of luck why haven’t we won the million dollar lotteries?  Maybe the reason is we buy bingo cards but are too cheap to buy lottery tickets.  Perhaps, we need to re-think that decision. 

We have discovered staying at this RV park there is no need to buy many groceries.  Everything is here.  Breakfast is served every day with the price varying from about $1 to $2.49 a piece.  Of course, that depends on what day and what is on the menu.  There’s always a lunch special for under $3.00 available until 2 PM and “happy hour” with more specials start at 3 PM until about 6 PM.  The specials change daily. It’s hard to buy groceries for the price we’re paying for our meals here.

 

Normal driving position of this Jeep

Just in case the Jeep turns over on the trail ... "Call 911" is easier to read.

The weather has been fantastic but it’s not going to last for long.  We have a storm heading this way.  With it we’ll get some rain and some wind but we’re not on the road right now so it’s not going to bother us much.  The storm may keep the weekenders away but doubt it’ll keep all the kids away since spring break starts in many places next week.

This is a mighty big park.  I’ve always said I didn’t like the big parks.  I eat my words more than I like. If the park isn’t big, you can’t have this many amenities.   However, this one is different than the big parks you find around Mesa where several pack in well over a thousand rigs and those same rigs stay all winter long.  Everyone is spread out here and most are coming and going every couple of weeks.  Some are here for the season but most aren’t.  In snowbird parks you tend to have more "clicks" but that's mainly because people return year after year and get to know each other. They tend to already have their own little groups.  There absolutely is nothing wrong with this but it does make it a little harder to break into these groups or meet people if you're a newcomer.  In the membership parks or "transient" parks you don't see this quite so much. 

Also, in the larger parks you seem to see more differences in the RV’ers or snowbirds … whatever you want to call them.  They come from all walks of life.   I think there’s a place here for just about everyone.  It's that birds of a feather thing  …. but more on that later.

‘Tis life on the road.

Won the Jackpot!

Electricity is really just organized lightning.

 

Electricity was supposed to be out at the park on Tuesday and also on the California side of the river.  We were planning on it.  With all that solar sitting on our roof we figured we probably wouldn’t notice it at all.  We were right.  We didn’t but maybe that was because our power didn’t go out at all.  We had already planned on taking a late afternoon ride for a late lunch with Linda. Originally the late ride was because with power out, we wouldn’t be able to run the air conditioner and it was supposed to be quite warm that afternoon.

 

We went for the ride anyway.  We ended up at the Pirate’s Den for an early dinner.  The Pirate's Den is on the Arizona side of the river.  It's a new RV park with a restaurant and bar area.  It had been built right next to the La Paz County Park.  We had visited the area in November and loved the setting.  This was our time to return and try out the menu.  It was a pretty great place to visit.  Evidently all three of us are fans of the Red Robin’s bonzai burgers and that’s what we ordered here. 

With the sand at our feet, palm trees flapping in the breeze and the boats whizzing by, we had a little bit of a feel like we were in the Caribbean. Linda treated ….. thank you, Linda.  We were also thankful the pirates weren’t busy that day.   This is another fun place and we’ll be back!!

We found a place for Sassy to park!

That’s right!  I won big the other night.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays quite a bingo crowd gathers in the club house.  I’ve never won a bingo game until now and I won big!  The cost to play was about $11 per person but I walked away with an extra $65 I hadn’t expected to have.  It’s also amazing how far this $65 can spread.  Whoopee!  We have gas money!

The following morning we headed into town.  We had money burning in our pockets from all that bingo cash.  Well, that wasn’t quite it.  The laundry needed to be done and we had no detergent.  Duchess needed food and she had none of that either.  My winnings took care of those expenses too.

We knew we could make reservations at this park for two weeks but we only made it for one. After all we had other places we wanted to visit.  We were starting our northward journey and this was just a stopping off place.  However, after spending a few days here we liked it so much we decided to extend for another week.  Only time will tell if we really spend another full week but at least we have that option now.  Besides I won that extra money at bingo and that just about covers the cost of the whole week!

This was the morning exercise group.  Don’t look for me in that lineup.  I was busy watching and eating breakfast.  That was my morning exercise.

The Tiki Bar is a hopping place here during happy hour.  People seem to flood in for the specials.  We were no exception on Wednesday.  We met Linda there and again used some of that bingo money for dinner.  Again, it’s amazing how far that jackpot can go.  We’ll take the rest of it with us to Lake Havasu in a few days.  I think we have some left.  Maybe we’ll even win more tonight.

 Linda and Terry having dinner at the Tiki Bar

‘Tis life on the road.

California Here We Come

Time is a dressmaker specializing in alterations.

 

Leaving the Avondale Wal-mart on Sunday morning meant that travel would be light and we’d finally be putting more miles between us and the Phoenix area.  We were happy to go.  California here we come!

We hadn’t really decided exactly where we were going until that morning.  It was either to a membership park on the California side of the Colorado River or to one close to Palm Springs.  I had made reservations (which I rarely do) at both of them but wasn’t quite sure on the date of either one.  Once I discovered that one reservation was actually for that same day, our decision was made easier.  We knew where we were heading and it wasn’t towards Palm Springs.

Parker Dam

Lots of water activity too

We had never stayed at this park before but have friends who had stayed several times and another one who was currently at the park.  We’ve stayed at a lot of membership parks.  Some are really great with lots of amenities and others are pretty much bare bones. Our membership is  in the Thousand Trails system and we definitely have some favorites there.  However, as much as I hate to admit it ……. this one comes close to one of the best membership park we have been to.  It has just about everything.

Duchess likes it.  There’s even a “doggie beach” here.

To begin with we have full hookups.  The best part of that right now isn’t the electricity and isn’t even the water.  It’s being able to hook right up to a sewer and let the water run.  Whee!!   The location is great.  It’s not in a big city but close enough to a couple towns for shopping.  

The park has a restaurant,  a bar, pool tables, tons of activities, mini-golf and even beyond all of those amenities …..  it’s right on the beautiful Colorado River.  We think we made a good decision because we like where we ended up.

We didn’t miss the ice cream social.

Monday we spent cleaning out the cupboards, under the bed, closets and getting rid of things we didn’t want to pack along. We've also been taking some might long hot showers.

However, Monday was more important than just a cleaning day.  It was also our grandson’s, Justin’s, birthday.  We couldn’t call him or text him because he’s on a ship someplace heading somewhere.  We have no idea where in the world the Navy is taking him.  Oh, we have an idea but it’s just a guess.

That’s my update.  We’re here for a while and then we’re heading towards Barstow and Calico Ghost Town (we think).  Ever been there?  We haven’t but when my cousin was a trainer for Disney, he stayed there for a couple weeks while they were making a movie but more on that later.  That’s the plan and you know how well we stick to our plans!!

‘Tis life on the road.

We Made It West of Phoenix – Finally

Sometimes I get in trouble when the thoughts in my head get bored and take a walk out of my mouth.

Saturday morning started like many other mornings … slow.  Then, we had a brainstorm. Sometimes we have really great ideas.  This time we had a thought of someone who just might just be able to trouble shoot our problem with the signal lights on the motorhome.  Was it a long shot?  Maybe. 

We still had the appointment on Monday but trying to get it fixed before then was certainly appealing especially since we knew the folks we were taking the motorhome to on Monday would be really expensive.  Our little money tree had certainly had enough fruit picked off of it recently.

Remember where we went to get all our work down on the Jeep …. wiring .. brake set-up .. hitch .. dents .. pin striping ..lights  …. ?  R.G. and Sons is in Apache Junction.  They put in so many extra hours on our rigs in the past and always did a great job.  We thought they just might be able to work us in and even fix the problem over the weekend. 

After getting the OK from John, we were there along with the motorhome and the Jeep.  Most of his crew only worked until noon that day but John stuck with it all day.  By 5:00 we were all put back together.  He fixed the lights and even wanted to tweak all the wiring underneath with a new harness and even stabilize our bike rack.  It’s very rare you find someone who will do this much work for you.  He’s fantastic!  His fee?  Well, he wanted $50.  Needless to say, we gave a pretty big tip!

Pulling down the street we now had another dilemma.  We had already paid for Saturday night at the American Legion.  Should we go back there or start our trek north?  We decided it was time to “get out of Dodge” and  headed west through Phoenix.  The freeways were packed but we made it to the other side of town and the local Wal-Mart in Avondale.  At least we were on the other side of town. 

It sure feels good to be on the road again.  Next stop ….. California.

Ever have work down on your vehicle before where they wanted your credit card before they gave you the final bill ?  Aamco couldn’t print the bill because their printer was out of ink.  Obviously, I wanted to see the bill before I’d pay it.  Nothing else had been as I had been told so I wasn’t afraid the bill would be the same. Tony played with the figures a bit on his computer then invited me to take a look.  He had a credit adjustment on the bottom of the bill which brought it down close to what was expected.  Wonder if that’s what he played with before I could look at it?  Hmm.  

The bill was to be emailed later in the day.  I haven’t seen it yet. They did a good job but definitely wasn’t happy with the office staff.  There were just too many different stories.  It’s one of those places we wouldn’t return to.  The good thing is that it’s an Aamco and if I don’t get the email, I can probably visit another Aamco for satisfaction.  That’s how it works at these national companies.  Right?

Duchess had no problem waiting for repairs to be done.

One thing I can tell you is that Avondale Wal-mart sure is busy all the time!  It was busy when we arrived.  It was busy during the night and this morning the parking lot is full.  They can’t have that many employees.  Can they?

We’re out of here soon and looking forward to finding a place with full hookups.  We have almost forgot what full hookups are.  It’s been two months since we’ve had them. 

Today’s the day.  It’s my brother’s birthday and our 44th anniversary.  Happy Birthday to him and Happy Anniversary to us.

‘Tis life on the road.

Another Hiccup in our Plans

A TV can insult your intelligence but nothing rubs it in like a computer.

                                                                                                      

After being at the RV park behind the Scottsdale Elks for almost a full month, we finally moved out.  It’s easy to move when you just keep moving after a day or two.  When you’ve been someplace for a while, it’s a little more difficult to get all those cobwebs out.  We got out later than planned but that was mainly because we didn’t want to arrive at our new destination too early. 

We didn’t move far and we ended up moving east a bit instead of heading due west.  Our destination was the RV park at Camping World in Mesa.  Now most of you know there really is no RV park there.  It’s just their parking lot and their lot is always full with other RVs this time of year.  Since our appointment was scheduled for 8:30 AM the next morning, we figured it was easier to move in the afternoon than be on the highway early when all the work traffic is out there.

We’re actually looking forward to moving into an RV park with FULL hookups.  We’ve almost forgot what that was.  The Scottsdale Elks has water and electricity at each site but no dump. The dump is on the property but we still watched our usage.  After all the less water that went in our tanks, the less often we’d need to move it to dump.

We had two appointments Friday morning.  One was at Camping World to get the motorhome serviced.  The other was at Aamco to get an alignment on the Jeep Wrangler  We just wanted to be sure everything was as it should be.

(Shoeless Joe:  You asked why we don’t just take the Jeep with us on our trip north.  We are taking one Jeep with us and the other we are leaving in Phoenix.  We don't want to drive one and tow the other.  Besides, this gives us an excuse for a mini vacation later.)

I can say we’ll be really tickled to leave the Phoenix area behind this year.  Way too much has been going here.  We’re looking forward to heading west or is it northwest? This winter season has been so different than previous ones.  I thought about summing  it up but not so sure I want to.  We’ve learned a lot, done a lot and spent a lot.  What more can I say?  There’s been some good and some not so good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now most of what was written above is pretty much what I wrote yesterday morning (with a few changes)  figuring I would update and post in the afternoon.  We all know that things don’t work out as planned.  We discovered on the way to the Camping World Thursday that our signal lights weren’t working in the motor home.  When we arrived we had that added to our work order.  However, in the time allotted they couldn’t find the problem and couldn’t fix it.  Aargh!  We were referred to several other places.  However, it was a Friday and no one works on Saturday around here .. no one.  So, we now have an appointment on Monday and certainly hope it can be taken care of then.

  

Duchess was comfortable waiting.

We would have been out of Camping World early on Friday and looking for a repair place except we had one other little hiccup …… our two hour alignment job on the Jeep ran into six hours.  Thus, we were stuck waiting for our vehicle.  Obviously, we weren’t happy campers with that either.  We had already moved out of our little spot at the Scottsdale Elks so weren’t too interested in driving back across town again.  Where did we end up?  We ended up exactly where we had left our Jeep Wrangler ….. at the American Legion. 

So, tomorrow is our 44th anniversary and now we know where we will spend it ….. in the Phoenix area.  That wasn’t planned either. I’m just glad our plans are rarely written in ink.  It seems we’ve had to change them often and most of the time it hasn’t been our choice.  Now you know why we rarely make reservations.  However, sometimes we do and we had this time.  We actually had two but no deposit required so easy to cancel.  We had one reservation in Parker … in case we went that way and another in the Palm Springs area … in case we went that way.  Obviously, we’re going to have to figure that out today.

‘Tis life on the road.