Sept 24th to 28th - Mesa

Sept 24^th – Mon – Mesa

We went to the laundry room and put 4 loads in the washers.  Then we went to the office to put more money on our laundry card and to get tickets for breakfast tomorrow.  We got the laundry done, put away and the bed made.  After watching TV and playing computer games, I made lunch.  I left Terry playing games on the computer and took some books to the library to exchange them.  On the way I went into the fitness room and ran into Tom who we knew from last year.  His wife Callie was in the pool with a group of ladies so he was passing the time by reading.  We chatted for quite a while and then I continued on.  I looked into the sports lounge where I was going to watch a movie at 2:00 and there were already people in the best seats – recliners with cup holders.  I still was going to check out the library but I passed several more people heading to the movie so I decided to join them.   There was time to chat with Del who was sitting next to me in front row recliners.

The park provided popcorn & bottled water along with the movie which was “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”.  I saved a seat for Terry for a while but I figured correctly that he would not join me.  He went to the tire shop to check on shipping dates and then returned to his games.  I really enjoyed the movie and never did make it to the library.

We skipped the pool today and relaxed with a drink & appetizer and then dinner before watching Dancing with the Stars.  I forgot about this area receiving TV programs an hour early and we missed the first half hour of the show.

Sept 25^th – Tues

We got up early enough to go for a walk this morning before it got too hot.  We checked out work being done on the Fiesta pool, looked at the tennis & pickle ball courts under construction and went past Neal & Judi’s park model to see what they did in the spring.  Later we walked over to the library to exchange the books that I carried around yesterday.  A new elevator is being installed and there were no lights in the library but I had enough light from windows to select my books.  Don’t know what the heck we did for the rest of the day except for going for a swim.

After dinner we watched the results show of DWTS.

Sept 26^th – Wed

I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast today then we went shopping for a tablecloth or material to make one.  We ended up with material so I can try out my new sewing machine.

Late in the afternoon, Terry went to get water and saw Larry & Julie at the pool.  He invited them over for a drink but he wasn’t specific enough about when.  We called them and invited them for dinner as I could easily expand what I had planned.  We all watched Survivor after dinner.

Sept 27^th – Thurs

We went to coffee & doughnuts this morning which ran quite long.  The activity director, Camille, is leaving so we met the new AD, Jennifer.  Terry was playing games on the computer so I went to see Robin who wasn’t home but Neil was there.  We chatted until Robin showed up and I helped them put together a topsy-turvy tomato stand.  By the time I got back, it was time to make lunch.

At 2 we went to a Whine & Cheez/meet & greet party put on by the park.  At least that is what it started out to be.  It ended up as a farewell party for Camille and was very well attended.  There was music and we ended up dancing in the aisles.  When it ended just after 4, we came back to have a “real” drink as there was only wine & beer at the party.  We had barely got settled when Julie called to say “bring drinks and an appy and meet at the pool”.

Of course we were the first ones there and had a cooling swim before the others arrived.  We ended up with quite a group – Larry & Julie, Neil & Robin, Bob & Liz, Camille and Kevin & Nancy (park managers).  We got home about 8:30, ate a couple of cookies for dinner and crashed.

Sept 28^th – Fri

We had the rig packed up and at Discount Tire at 7:50 to get the new wheels & tires installed.  When the shop opened at 8:00, they put 2 guys on it with another one helping with the mounting & balancing and we were out of there at 8:35.  We went to the alignment place and dropped off the 5^th wheel.  They were working on another vehicle and said they would call us by 4 at the latest.  Now we had to figure out what to do for the rest of the day.

We started with breakfast at IHOP and then went to the Marketplace to check out any new places in the last 2 rows.  We had to walk past the Dawgs shoe store first and I ended up with a new pair of slip ons that I wear all the time.  The soles on my old ones were worn smooth which makes them very slippery if there is any water on a smooth surface – like the pool deck.  They had a style with a different sole that lasts longer (I have a pair already in another color) so I was happy to find them.  That was all we ended up buying there.

Terry was determined to find me a bathing suit so we went to another Bealls store that is in Apache Junction and I did find one – yeah!!  Unfortunately for the Visa card, I also found a blouse!  We went to a couple more stores on an unsuccessful search for some stiff material to modify our sun screen.  We still hadn’t received our phone call so we stopped for ice cream at a DQ and went to the Fiesta Mall for a short while.  Terry decided we would go to the alignment place a bit early (3:30) and they had just finished  Another hit to the Visa card and we were on our way.

We set up, took time to put out the mat, chairs, tables & BBQ and then headed to the pool to cool off.  Julie had invited us to dinner so I didn’t have to worry about that.  We met Larry & Julie at the pool and also 4 new neighbors.  Brian & Bev are right across the street from us and Jamie & Lorraine are behind them on 3^rd Street.  They are friends of Ron & Terri so we knew they were coming but didn’t know the exact date.  We had a great time chatting at the pool and look forward to having them around for “the season” – 5 or 6 months.

We changed out of our suits and went to Larry & Julie’s for a nice dinner.  We were pretty tired so we didn’t stay late.

Sept 21st to 23rd - Mesa

Sept 21^st – Fri – Mesa

Terry bought mud flaps for the truck when he was at Camping World yesterday because they were on clearance for $10 and they were much heavier than the old mud flaps that advertised the company where we bought the truck.  He got out early – cooler? – to put them on but the bolts were too long so we had to make a trip to Home Depot.  77 cents later and it was done.

We had a bowl of cantaloupe and went looking for wheels & prices.  The local Montana RV dealer identified the wheels that we needed and sent us to Discount Tire to buy them as we wouldn’t have to pay shipping at Discount Tire.  It took a while for DT to find the right wheels and distributor but they finally got them ordered.  From there we went to a place that does alignments on MORryde suspension systems and found that they would indeed prefer to do the alignment after we have the new wheels installed.  We continued on to Costco for lunch and a couple of items then stopped at a vacuum/sewing machine store as I need a new sewing machine.  A saleslady did a fine job and we walked out with a Janome machine and a carrying case.  I was not familiar with the brand but did some checking later on the internet and it has a great reputation and longevity.  I set it up, wound a bobbin, read through the manual and didn’t have anything to sew!

By now it was time to head to the pool where Larry & Julie were already cooling off.  Mary joined us a short time later and we had a great time again chatting & “bobbing”.  Julie invited us over for hamburgers for dinner so we changed out of our suits and went to their place.  With a couple of fans we were able to sit outside for drinks & dinner.

Sept 22^nd – Sat

After coffee and fruit we went to the Mesa Marketplace.  Before we got there we stopped at Hobby Lobby where I bought some plain T-shirts.  At the flea market, there are 2 rows with mostly permanent vendors and the other 2 rows have a few stalls open.  The misters were in full force as it was hot but not as bad as I thought it would be.  We didn’t buy anything this time.  We used a coupon at Burger King for lunch and then went to Bealls to look for a swimsuit for me.  If we go to the pool twice in a day, I have to put on a wet/damp suit!  By the time I went through the clearance rack which had the only women’s suits, Terry had 4 nice polos in his hand which were 70% off.  Then we went to Big Lots & KMart which are right beside each other.  I had to get goodies for Larry’s dog Bandit as he was really looking for something last night.  I tried on some things and got one blouse and swim suit bottom only which can be harder to find than the top.  Of course Terry picked up a couple of pairs of shorts for $3.99 each! 

I did some dinner prep when we got back and had to send Terry to the store when I found mold on the jar of salsa.  We went for our now usual cooling off dip in the pool with Larry & Julie.  We had invited Larry & Julie over for dinner and had to stay inside with the AC running.  Terry spotted fudge bars when he was shopping so we had them for a nice cool dessert.

Sept 23^rd – Sun

Already our days here are taking on a certain repetition but hopefully not monotony.  I sorted out the laundry when I finally quit reading in bed and had my coffee.  I went to the laundry room to see how much money was on the card used in the machines and found I had enough for 3 loads.  Terry made a quick trip to Albertsons for a newspaper which we both enjoyed reading for a change. 

I made French toast and fruit for a late breakfast and we couldn’t seem to get going to do the laundry, we just lazed around playing games on the computer and watching TV.  At 1:15 Julie called to invite us for drinks at Robin’s place at 2.  When we drove over, we saw Robin’s car leaving the park so figured she just had to pick something up.  Bob & Liz had just finished backing their 5^th wheel in a couple of sites from Robin.  Robin returned with ice and we joined her and Larry & Julie in Robin’s 5^th wheel.  After a while, Terry went to get Bob & Liz who had to have quick showers before joining us.  We had a great time catching up, snacking and drinking.   We finally left just after 6 to have dinner and then join everyone in the pool in an hour.  We were there but Larry & Julie didn’t show up until 8 and I had left before the rest finally made their appearance.  I had a nice long chat with Marg, we moved the laundry off the bed and hit the sack.

Sept 18th to 20th - Pahrump to Mesa

Sept 18^th – Tues – Pahrump

I made “refrigerator” cinnamon rolls this morning which were not nearly as good as the ones I make using refrigerator flaky biscuits.  We watched TV and worked on the computer a bit before deciding to head back to the casino.  As we were leaving, I noticed that the one leftover roll and plate were covered with little ants.  The vacuum & bug spray got rid of them again and I hope we don’t take too many with us tomorrow.

I continued my losing ways at the casino – you would think I would get tired of it! – but Terry won small amounts again.  We ordered off the menu for lunch and got quite cranky when it took 25 minutes to get our food.  I won a bottle of wine so I picked it up, went back to the rig and left Terry to gamble.  I had a great time watching HGTV and taking my time cleaning the cupboard under the sink.  I just turned off the TV to go see how Terry was doing when he walked in the door.

We had a drink and went back to the casino for dinner.  This time we had the steak specials for $9.99 – T-bone for Terry and New York for me.  I made the better choice!  We couldn’t leave until we took Terry’s winnings down a bit but didn’t stay for long.

Sept 19^th – Wed - to Mesa

We had a longer drive than usual today – 367 miles.  We got an early start after a restless night and left at 7:15.  We stopped for fuel for us and the truck in Kingman and then made another stop for DQ Blizzards in Wickenburg.

About 2:00 we pulled into Val Vista Villages RV Park which will be home until the end of March.  This will be the longest that we have stayed in one spot since we started our full-timing adventure nearly 6 years ago.  We registered and waited for a ranger to escort us to our site – park policy.  Terry was tired from the drive and the heat and didn’t do his usual efficient job of parking.  Also, the ranger gave him “advice” rather than letting me direct him in as we usually do.  As we were parking, I noticed that a tire on the 5^th wheel was low so we had to pump it up before setting up.

After we set up, we called Julie & Larry and asked them to join us at the pool which they did.  The water was pretty warm but it was still refreshing.  A lady named Mary joined us and said she recognized us from bocce ball last year.  We gave Larry & Julie ½ hour to change & walk the dog and picked them up for a trip to Fat Willy’s for dinner – cold beer and happy hour pricing on appetizers.  We were back just after 7:30 and crashed.

Sept 20^th – Thurs

Terry got up early and played games on the computer so I could sleep longer.  It didn’t work – I was up shortly after him.  It was cool enough to turn off the AC and open the door.   I walked around the rig to check the tire that was low and discovered it was now flat so Terry figured he better change it before it got too hot.  We figured out the switches so we could pull in just the kitchen slide for access to the tire.  We knew that the flood lights were labeled backwards – DS should be “driver’s side” and ODS should be “off driver’s side” and we found out that the slide switches are also backwards so we got out the trusty Sharpie to make our own labels.

After looking up tire shops on the computer, I showered and went for coffee & doughnuts while Terry went to get the tire fixed.  I chatted with Mary after the meeting and then met her friend Patti and admired the job that she did fixing up a park model that she bought in the spring.  I still had time to work on the blog & emails before Terry got back.

The problem with the tire was another cracked wheel/rim so we have to get new wheels.  These are the replacements that we got a year ago in Colorado when we had repairs after a blowout so obviously they are not heavy enough for our rig.  Terry ran all over looking for wheels and getting quotes – yuk!  We spent time looking up info on the internet before I made “breakfast for lunch”.

We went shopping for a few groceries and an ice maker – ours quit working about a month ago.  Terry figures they have a life of a year and I would buy bags of ice instead if we always had enough room in the freezer for a full bag.  This park now sells 8 lb bags of ice for $1 so it is convenient and inexpensive but when we are somewhere else we would have to remember to get ice all the time.  We found an ice maker at the nearby Fry’s store, came back and set it up.  Terry went to get filtered water that we buy all the time here and it was not warm, it was hot.  He also got a bag of ice so we could put ice & water in the ice maker as it won’t work well with hot water.  Phew!!

We went shopping for a few miscellaneous items and then joined Larry & Julie, Mary & a friend of Julie’s in the pool until all us were wrinkled from the water.  It was 6:45 by the time we returned and changed out of our bathing suits so I got dinner going and relaxed.

Sept 14th to 17th - Pahrump

Sept 14^th – Fri – Pahrump

Terry had an RV wash company come to clean up the 5^th wheel this morning.  They were supposed to start at 9 but didn’t back in their truck & equipment trailer until 9:30.  Then they talked to some other people to arrange wash dates for them.  No problem – we weren’t going anywhere.

Before they got here, Terry removed the bikes from the rack and discovered a flat tire on his.  He moved the truck & bikes into the shade in the site beside us and fixed his flat.  I figured if the outside of the rig was going to be clean, I better clean the inside – starting with windows & screens.  We left for a while to have breakfast at the casino - $2.99 for pancakes, eggs & bacon is hard to beat – and then I continued cleaning.  The wash company was a husband & wife team and they did an excellent job from top (roof) to bottom (wheels).  They charge $2.50 per foot and we were super happy to pay $100.

When Terry was putting the bikes back on the rack, he got a phone call saying our jack motor had arrived so we went to pick it up and to get some wire nuts.  I suggested that Terry wait until the morning when it would be cooler to install it but after a drink he couldn’t wait any longer.  It was indeed easy to install – 2 wires & 2 screws!! – and it works great!

While I was cleaning, I noticed a few tiny “sugar” ants on the counter.  Then the lady who was cleaning the rig said there were loads of ants where she was spraying water.  I searched the internet for ways to get rid of them and got some ammonia to spray on hoses, etc outside.  After we picked up the motor, I vacuumed the floors and noticed lots of ants. 

We went to the casino again for dinner, played the slots a bit while we waited for some drawings (didn’t win of course!) and came back to vacuum up more ants.  We walked back for the last drawings at 9 and then called it a very productive day.

Sept 15^th – Sat

For anyone who doesn’t know or who has forgotten, the RV park here is an oasis on a lovely man-made lake surrounded by trees, bulrushes and pampas grass.  It is so nice to sit with a cup of coffee in the morning and watch ducks paddle across the reflections of trees in the still water.

We had to take advantage of the inexpensive breakfast at the casino again which of course is followed by some gambling.  At least the food is paid for by points on the cards so the gambling is slightly offset!

I still had more cleaning and required Terry to open some stubborn windows to get the screens off.  Next we did laundry.  There are a couple of small laundry rooms here in the park and one was empty so we had enough machines to get it all done.

Terry talked me into trying the baby back ribs at the casino for dinner.  They are very good but I still like ours better.  Terry won another bottle of wine so I took it and my leftover ribs back to the rig before joining Terry at the slots.  He does fairly well here and I don’t!! 

Sept 16^th – Sun

We started with our usual coffee and then wandered to the casino for the brunch buffet.  We had to wait to be seated so of course had to play some slots.  After eating too much at the buffet, I finished losing my allowance and watched Terry win enough to cover us both. 

We went to WalMart for a few groceries, some bug spray – still have ants – and a bin for Terry to use in the storage compartments.  We are really into cleaning and organizing!  We were part way back when Terry mentioned that he wanted ice cream so we had to return to Dairy Queen which I remembered from a previous visit.  The weather continues to be clear & hot so Blizzards are wonderful.

Since we had ice cream in the middle of the afternoon, I wasn’t super hungry for dinner.  I made a salad and used leftover pork roast for an easy dinner.  Then we had to try our luck at the casino again.  Back at the rig, I made a valiant effort to put captions on our Alaska pictures so I can throw away the Milepost book.  I have to use the Milepost and the blog to identify where some pictures were taken!  I called Marg and had a nice long chat with her. 

Sept 17^th – Mon

After a cup of coffee and a check of emails, we went to the casino for breakfast.  Of course we had to try the slots afterwards but just for $10 each.  My money disappeared as usual lately but Terry was playing on a bank of machines that has a random bonus “train” and 4 levels of payout.  He won a couple of the smaller amounts which kept him going.  Then he switched to a different machine in the same group, got a bonus on a 25 cent bet and won $667!!  The machine has a multiplier on a bonus and paid $640 on just one spin.  It was quite exciting!

We discovered that we had $40 & $30 free play on our cards so we puttered around there long enough for me to turn my $30 into $0 and then decided to go into town to a different casino.

We spent some of Terry’s winning at 2 casinos and then went to a couple of stores.  We returned to the Nugget for the buffet at 4:00 ($11.77 for both) which was just OK.  When we got back, we put a couple of chairs in the shade and enjoyed sitting outside.  We were overfull from dinner so we went for a walk around the park and I took some pictures.  We don’t have neighbors right beside us and we only wave to the guy a couple of sites over.  This park will be full in a month but it is a little early for snow birds to be heading south.  I finished putting captions on our Alaska pictures and Terry watched TV for the rest of the evening.  At one point I looked out and saw a beautiful sunset reflected in the lake so I went out and took more pictures.

Sept 10th to 13th - Pine Grove to Pahrump NV

Sept 10^th – Mon – Pine Grove

I caught up the blog & email and put a pork roast in the crock pot before we left for the casino.  We gambled (Terry bailed us out with a well timed bonus on an “Alice” machine), had lunch and then started looking for Larry, Julie & Neal.  Judi had to leave early to go to a funeral and wouldn’t be back until dinner time.  Finding the others was more difficult as our phones had no signal in the casino.  We finally found Larry & Julie and then Neal showed up.  We all gambled a bit more and then headed back to the RV park.

We set up chairs in the shade and had a drink.  I packed up the roast and a few other items and we went to Neal & Judi’s for dinner.  Judi mentioned a couple of times that she wanted to use up leftovers so we added her leftovers to my food and brought out paper plates & red Solo cups for  an easy dinner.  Judi arrived home just before dinner was ready and we managed to keep her out of the kitchen.

We didn’t stay too late as we didn’t sleep well last night and will be leaving tomorrow.

Sept 11^th – Tues – to Hawthorne NV

Terry used his new air compressor to top up the 5^th wheel tires before we left this morning – nice!  We went west & north for a bit to hit Hwy 50 and head east.  There are hills all over so roads are squiggly and don’t always go in the direction that you want to go.  We also went a few miles in the wrong direction to hit yet another casino – Red Hawk.  It is a huge hotel & casino in the middle of nowhere – actually 7 miles or so from Placerville so might as well be the middle of nowhere!  There was bus & oversize vehicle parking along one side of the building and when we parked there were only 2 buses & one truck parked with us.  When we left after having lunch, the entire side was filled with busses and there were more busses in a lot further away.  The casino was really busy.

I changed our intended route several times before deciding we had to go to Minden or Gardnerville for diesel.  When we fueled up near Pine Grove, the pump shut off at $100 and Terry left it there.  We had traveled over a lot of hills and expected quite a few more so didn’t want to run on the bottom of the tank.  In Gardnerville we ended up through town without being able to get into a station with diesel and had to turn around to get into a station on the other side of the road.  We finally got headed out and passed a large, accessible station about a mile past where we turned around!  We took 395 south back into California and then 167 east to avoid curvy roads.  It added about 16 miles to the trip but the roads were great and traffic was light for an easy drive.  It was a long day though and Terry was happy to be pulling into the casino in Hawthorne about 7 to dry camp for the night.  I made dinner and then read while Terry went for a walk and visited the casino for a bit. 

Sept 12^th – Wed – to Pahrump NV

We started out with a flat tire this morning.  When I stepped out of the 5^th wheel, the bottom step seemed low to the ground so I turned around and saw the flat tire that Terry had just noticed on a tour around the rig in preparation for leaving.  Terry emptied his pressure tank (no electricity to fill it again) into the tire so the axle was higher and easier to get a jack under.  We had it changed is a short time and headed south.  Terry had seen rain reported in this area yesterday but it was clear & warm when we arrived and when we left.

We got diesel in Tonopah and breakfast there at McDonalds.  From a previous trip we remembered that a big new service station at the north end of town had the highest prices.  Sure enough, today diesel was $4.89 and we got it a few blocks away at a small station for $4.35.  At the other end of town it was $4.79.

We are staying at the same park here that we have used before only now it is named Lakeside Casino & RV park instead of Terrible’s Lakeside.  The Nugget bought this property and one in town (now Gold Town) last spring.  For a while we thought a tree was going to block our TV dish but it kept searching and managed to lock onto the satellites. 
There is no cable here so we might have been moving to a different site!  We are not used to setting up the dish and forget to ask for a site that is not obstructed by trees or signs.

I made a late lunch and we went looking for an RV supply store to find out about a motor for our front jacks.  We also got a tester to make sure the motor was getting electricity before replacing it.  The wires tested out OK so Terry went back to the RV store and ordered the motor as it is accessible and looks fairly easy to replace (!!!).  While we were out we also got our tire fixed.  There is a small crack in the rim so Big O Tire put in a tube and gave Terry the phone number of a place in Las Vegas that welds rims. 

After the running around we went to the casino which is just across a road and a small parking lot.  We played for a long time before calling it quits.  In fact we missed dinner and it was too late to worry about it when we got back. 

Sept 13^th – Thurs – Pahrump

It was hot here yesterday but the night cooled down enough that we turned off the AC and opened windows to sleep.  After breakfast, we took the truck to a car wash where we were going to use the wands to wash it.  We saw a car going through a “touchless” machine and did that instead.  We still had to wipe it all down afterwards and scrub bugs off the front but I think it was less work than the first option.

Then it was time for visits to a couple more casinos.  At the first one, I couldn’t do anything wrong.  I didn’t win too much but gave money to Terry and still came out ahead.  We stopped for some groceries at WalMart and came back.  We relaxed with a drink and then went for an early dinner at the casino right here.  Terry had a dinner with a full slab of baby back ribs for $9.99 so he was in pig heaven.  I had the buffet which was a Mexican theme and ate quite enough too.  We still hadn’t had enough gambling so played for a while after dinner and then came back for TV & blogging.  Our gambling here hasn’t cost much as yesterday I got $30 free play and Terry got $40.  Today Terry got another $25 and also a bottle of wine.  We used points on our cards to totally pay for dinner.

Sept 7th to 9th - Redding CA, Pine Grove

Sept 7^th – Fri – to Redding CA

We still had offshore fog as we continued down the coast this morning.  Just north of Eureka we turned east on Hwy 299 and stopped shortly after at a casino at Blue Lake.  We had a marginal lunch at a snack bar and hit the slots.  I was doing OK but Terry slowly went through his allowance and was reduced to watching me for a while.  We decided to go and I cashed in a ticket for $55.  I needed to use the restroom so I gave the $5 to Terry and had him gamble until I was done.  When I came out of the restroom, I saw a machine that I wanted to play and put in my $10 bill.  Quite a while later, I had given Terry another $20 to lose and I cashed in a $400 ticket!

We travelled Hwy 299 previously and neither of us remembered how crooked and up-and-down it is!  It was after 6 by the time we hit the outskirts of Redding.  We had stupidly forgotten to look up the address for the Elks lodge.  I tried calling Barb and got no answer, then found a phone number for the Mt Shasta Elks.  The bartender who answered the phone was not interested in doing anything to find a phone number for the Redding lodge.  We drove around town looking for a service station and finally found a Safeway with diesel that we could get into.  They had a phone book so I got the address and put it in the GPS. 

A short drive later and we were setting up at the Elks.  Terry went to the bar to pay while I started dinner.  By the time Terry waited for the bartender to finish another task, dinner was almost done and the air conditioner had cooled down the rig a bit.  We enjoyed a well-deserved drink with dinner and went to bed early. 

Sept 8^th – Sat – Redding

We have cable TV here so didn’t get up real early.  After coffee & zucchini bread (!!), we went for a drive and ended up at the Win River Casino of course.  There was an entire strip of parking slots filled with motorcycles and every other person in the casino was wearing motorcycle gear of some sort or carrying a helmet.  The casino was not nice to us so we gave up some of my winnings.

We stopped at a Costco for a couple of items and lunch.  There were a lot of samples today so I was ready for an ice cream bar covered with chocolate & almonds – oink!!  The we walked around Big Lots (eat your heart out, Lauri) and found items that we didn’t even know we needed.

Back at the rig, we relaxed for a while and then went to the bar.  There were 2 empty stools but they weren’t together so we sat at a table.  In just a few minutes we said to heck with that, pulled over another stool and squeezed in between people at the bar.  We had a great time chatting with a couple – Dave & Tracy – who live in Redding.  There was a wedding going on outside and in the dining room – a perfect setting and weather for the event.

Then it was dinner, TV and computer stuff before hitting the sack. 

Sept 9^th – Sun – to Pine Grove CA

We are heading to Pine Grove to visit “Mesa” friends Neal & Judi.  Larry & Julie are already there and staying for a week.  Terry enjoyed the ease of driving on I5 even though it is hard to obey the 55 MPH limit for vehicles towing anything.  We quickly entered the Sacramento Valley which is so huge, flat and fertile.  There are miles & miles of olive orchards (groves?) and we saw many trucks going the opposite way with double bulk boxes of what we could only guess were tomatoes.  I can’t believe that tomatoes could be carried in bulk without getting squished.  I took advantage of the time to call Marg while we were driving.

We were sucked into another casino at Calusa which is a few miles off I5.  I turned out to be a good stop however as we both won money right away, gave some of it back, ate lunch and still came out $200 ahead.  We won the money on the same machines as the one I played at Blue Lake. 

I am so thankful for Wanda as it seemed like a convoluted way through Sacramento to end up going east on Hwy 16.  Unfortunately, we had selected the Jackson Rancheria Casino in the GPS instead of the RV park associated with the casino.  There was road construction where we turned off for the casino and in trying to avoid cones, we missed a sign (parallel to the road) for the RV park and headed up a hill to the casino.  There was a lot of construction there as well so we followed a sign for tour busses which went to the back side of the casino.  Terry stopped and I went up the road to see if we could turn around.  Some security personnel were having a break and said we could come up the road and circle around “the generators”.  Another security guy met us back at the truck and said he would go down to stop anyone from coming up until we got out.  As we were circling the generators, 3 employees very excitedly told us that a tour bus was coming up the road and we couldn’t go down.  We told them the plan, went down the hill, had to back up once to make a left turn and not hit a construction sign, guessed our way past a couple of possible turns and then arrived at the well marked entrance to the RV park about a mile from the casino.  Turns out we should have gone to the other end of the road first.

This nice, well tended park has you dump tanks before you park – with an employee to help you - and gives you special black tank solution to protect their septic system.  We were still quite frazzled when we parked so we set up, phoned Neal to say we needed to decompress and sat in the shade with a drink and our neighbors who are from Redding.

We only have about 6 miles to Neal & Judi’s place in a mobile home park.  They have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home that they have renovated & decorated beautifully.  The master bedroom can be called a master suite with a huge walk-in closet & attached bath.  Judy is a great cook and hostess.  We had a lovely evening and came home about 10:30.

Sept 4th to 6th - Lincoln City, Brookings

Sept 4^th – Tues – Lincoln City

I used today to do a lot of “deferred maintenance” which was much easier since Terry had many cable channels to keep him occupied!  My sewing machine worked well enough to mend a decorative bed pillow that was pulling apart at the seams.  This sounds easier than it was as I had to open it up and pull out all the stuffing so I could turn it inside out to sew.  While the machine was out I changed an old windbreaker into a light-blocking shade for the small window on my side of the bed.  I used the jacket as a temporary measure in Alaska and found it helps me sleep when light would normally come in the window.  I also did cleaning beyond quick dusting & vacuuming.

When Terry went to pay for our site, he picked up some brochures and we saw that we could get breakfast for $2 at the casino if we had “Boomer” players’ cards.  The cards we got yesterday weren’t the right ones and when we got to the casino (very close by) we discovered a long line at the players’ club so we gave up, came back and I cooked breakfast.

Late in the afternoon, we returned to the casino, played the slots a bit and then went to a restaurant at the adjoining hotel for a dinner special.  For $29.95 we got 2 great lobster dinners and watched the waves slamming into the beach while we dined.  We also got $5 slot play on each of our players’ cards so had to return to give that back! 

Sept 5^th – Wed – to Brookings OR

The fog bank that hung around offshore all day yesterday was still there when we left about 9:30 this morning.  We pulled into Mill Bay Casino about 12:30 with the intention of staying overnight in their free parking area.  We “donated” for a while, had lunch, played a bit more and decided to move on!

We were stopped a couple of times for road construction and had a brief delay while many police officers studied a rear-ender car accident that was blocking one lane of traffic.  The fog continued offshore and a few times moved in to the shore but it was just wispy and didn’t impair our vision. 

We picked a site at the Elks club RV parking and went in to register.  Bingo was about to start at 7 but it didn’t look too interesting!  Terry was putting out the front jacks when they suddenly stopped.  We checked the remote on the awning & rear stabilizers and it worked fine.  Terry tried the hard-wired switch for the jacks and it wouldn’t do anything either.  We used the manual crank for the remaining small amount needed to disconnect the truck, set up and poured a drink.

After a bite to eat, I got on the internet and searched for a possible reason for the problem.  Most things I found pointed to an inline fuse so Terry will check it tomorrow when he has some daylight.

Sept 6^th – Thurs – Brookings

A cloudy, damp morning made it easy to stay in bed and watch TV while the fireplace warmed up the rig.  Terry pulled the fuse for the front jacks and it was OK.  He did try a new fuse just in case but it didn’t make any difference so we are thinking that it might be the motor.

We went to Fred Meyer for a few groceries and diesel at $4.39.  Then we went looking for RV repair places that I found on the internet.  One wasn’t at the address listed, one was super busy, one didn’t work on jacks and the final one said if the motor needed replacing that it would take at least 2 days to get the motor and even longer with the weekend coming up.  So it looks like our arm muscles will get a workout cranking the rig up & down.

There is a little laundry room here at the Elks with 2 washers & 2 dryers so I did 3 loads of laundry this afternoon.  I also had to another zucchini that Barb gave me so of course I used it in bread.  Luckily I have some room in the freezer so I don’t have to eat it all before it molds.  I looked on the internet, sent Terry on a wild goose chase for a liquor store and it turned out there was one about 2 blocks away at the bottom of the hill where we are parked.

Dinner & TV filled the rest of the evening.  A few RVs came in this afternoon but it is too cool to sit outside so we didn’t meet anyone.

 

Sept 1st to 3rd - Monroe to Lincoln City

Sept 1^st – Sat – Monroe

We had another breakfast made by Barb even though she said it was only going to be cantaloupe and zucchini bread.  Barb had an appointment to give blood so the guys watched golf on TV and I read until she got back.

Then we were off on a road trip.  We drove north and went to La Connor which is a fun little touristy town on the water.  We walked up & down a stretch of town and checked out many stores with great merchandise that we admired but did not need to buy.  Actually, Barb did support the local economy a bit.

We were all hungry but were heading to the Angel of the Wind Casino in Arlington and decided to eat there.  We all got our casino cards and checked out the buffet.  It was between lunch & dinner and was not opening for an hour (at 4:00) so we went to the restaurant where we had great sandwiches.

We all wandered around and gambled.  Larry & Barb decided that since they were money ahead and the smoke was starting to bother Barb that they would wait for us in the car.  We joined them before long and headed home.  We enjoyed a nightcap and hit the hay. 

Sept 2^nd – Sun – to Spirit Mountain Casino

Larry & Barb were trying to talk us into staying another day but we figured we would be better off driving today than tomorrow which is Labor Day and will have lots of people returning from the long weekend.  Barb ran a few ideas past us for breakfast and ended up making an egg/sausage/potato casserole and French toast.  I am going to miss this diner!!

We left about 9:30 and had an uneventful drive down I5 until just before Portland.  There was a sign warning about traffic congestion and we crawled up to and over the bridge across the Columbia River.  When we were part way across we saw that the reason for the slowdown was a huge building that had burned and was still having water poured on it by firemen on huge “cranes” and by a fireboat.  Larry called later and said it was a Red Lion Hotel that was shut down and for sale.  The traffic towards McMinville was stop & go through traffic lights but finally thinned out and sped up.

We were originally headed to Portland to see Terry’s sister Cindy and his stepdad Don.  I called Don to make sure they would be home and he said they were all going to Spirit Mountain Casino at 5 so we decided to join them there.  We got a spot in the RV overnight parking at the casino, had a sandwich and went to the casino to register to park.  After we lost at the slots, we went back to the rig to hang the parking pass in the truck and have a drink.  Back at the casino we looked unsuccessfully for Don and group and then called Cindy.  They had all just been seated at the restaurant (there was a HUGE line for the buffet) and another table was added for us.  There was Don, Cindy, her husband Tim, their daughter Amy, Tim’s mom Delores and a friend of Cindy’s and her daughter.

After dinner we all hit the slots.  I lost again so I spent quite a bit of time with Don.  Terry’s nephew Trevor was at the casino with a friend, found us and chatted for a bit.  When we finally said goodbye to everyone and left, the only winner in the group was Delores. 

Sept 3^rd – Mon – to Lincoln City

Terry thought we should go to the casino for breakfast but I said that I could make something to eat and we could use the money to gamble instead!  Oh oh, sounds like I have a problem!

So we returned to the casino after breakfast and getting everything ready to go.  It turned out to be a good thing as Terry won more than enough to cover our losses yesterday and mine today.

We hit the buffet and found that it was really good with a huge variety of food – explains the long lines.  We finally left about 2, took the wrong exit out of the casino and could only turn right which put us back the way we came yesterday.  The traffic was solid in our direction and heavy against us.  Terry pulled into a closed business where he could turn around and then we had to cross the traffic to turn left.  A nice guy pulling a 5^th wheel stopped for us just when there was a break in the traffic the other way.

I called the casino in Lincoln City to see if we could stay overnight in their parking lot.  The person I spoke with said we could park while we were in the casino and directed us to an RV park nearby (Logan Road RV Park) which I had seen in the Trailer Life directory.  When we got here, the office was closed so I called the posted number and we pulled into a site.  It was too slanted for us to get level so I called the number again and got another site which worked. 

We set up, tuned in the cable TV and relaxed for a while.  Then it was off to the casino which didn’t turn out so well!  And we discovered that we could have parked overnight – for free – in the casino parking lot.

Barb gave me some zucchini so I had to make bread tonight.  We are watching ventriloquist Jeff Dunham on TV and really enjoying him.

Aug 29th to 31st - Monroe WA

Aug 29^th – Wed – to Monroe WA

Clear skies and shorts to start the 200 or so mile trip to Monroe to see Larry & Barb who we met 5 years ago in Alaska.  I didn’t check the GPS and Wanda sent us right through downtown Wenatchee rather than staying on the highways.  We stopped at a café in Peshastin at noon for breakfast.  Some highway signs for restaurants have a circle with ”RV” in the corner of the sign which means there is sufficient space for RV parking.  It is very nice to be able to exit for the restaurant without worrying about having to back out of a tight spot.

We stopped for fuel just out of Monroe and backed into Larry & Barb’s driveway around 2:30.  We always have a good time catching up with Larry & Barb and today was no different.  Barb had baby backs for dinner and we gave them a lesson on how we make them.  The weather got cloudy when we crossed the mountains but it was still warm enough to eat outside once we put on long pants and a light jacket. 

Aug 30th – Thurs

Barb made a great breakfast for us this morning so we would have energy for our 9 holes of golf a bit later.  I started out great but with no way to go but down, Terry & Larry struggled and Barb mixed good shots & bad.  Terry & Barb wore long pants and were wishing they had changed to shorts a couple of holes into the game as it was very warm.

We had BBQ hamburgers for a late lunch which set the scene for afternoon naps & reading.  We did eat a light dinner of halibut & salad which could have been later but we were expecting company for dessert.  Barb invited Bill & Nadine and Jim & Penny who we met in Desert Hot Springs.  It was great to see them again and we enjoyed Blackberry Dumplings made with blackberries that Terry & Larry picked in the backyard and along the street. 

Aug 31^st – Fri

We were lazy this morning and were surprised when Larry came out and told us at 9 that Barb had made us a $40 (joke based on an experience in Alaska) breakfast.  The guys had to eat fast and go to Larry & Barb’s daughter’s house not too far away to wait for a dryer delivery since Becky’s dryer had suddenly quit.  They were given the usual time range – in this case 9:30 to 11 – and the delivery truck showed up at 11:10.  Barb & I had a leisurely breakfast and gabfest.

Larry went for a walk with Jim, Barb puttered around and we went to get a few items at Fred Meyers.  At 2:30 we went to the Western Washington State Fair which is here in Monroe.  We did the usual wandering, eating & looking for each other.  Barb & I took a long time in the quilt/photo/etc building and couldn’t find the guys when we finished.  Neither of us took our cell phone so I finally asked a guy at the first aid tent if he would call Terry.  He got the biggest kick out of doing so but Terry didn’t hear his phone.  Just as Barb was having him call Larry, we spotted Terry.  We thanked the first aid guy and he said we made his day as he never had to find missing husbands before!

We went to the rodeo which was quite small.  More time was taken up with horse drill teams & vaulters than with rodeo events.  However, the drill team of 11 riders and the vaulting group of 4 large horses & at least 15 riders & handlers were very nice to watch.  The rodeo was over about 9 and we headed home.

We were slightly hungry and determined not to miss happy hour for the second night (!!) so we fixed our drinks and heated up leftover ribs for a perfect snack.