Sept 25th – Sun - Mesa
We were watching a golf tournament on TV this morning when Terry noticed that it was pouring rain in the bright sunlight. We could only see a few fluffy clouds so it was a surprise. The rain was accompanied by gusty wind but didn’t last too long.
About 1:00, Julie stopped by to say that Billy & Laurie had just arrived and she invited us over to catch up with their news and have a drink. We had a sandwich and headed over there. About 4:30, we all decided to go to Fat Willy’s for happy hour appetizers & beer.
We took everyone in our truck, dropped them at their sites when we got back and took it easy the rest of the evening.
Sept 26th – Mon – Mesa
Terry rode his bike to Albertsons to get doughnuts for breakfast. I thought he was taking a long time and it turned out that he couldn’t get the bike lock open and walked back. We went back in the truck and cut the lock off with a hacksaw without anyone questioning us. I asked Terry later why he didn’t call me and he said that he was ticked off at the time and didn’t think of it.
We got more sun screen fabric and added a piece to the bottom so it goes to the ground. We had so much fun that we sewed one part twice! We got another long pole to put in a bottom pocket and weigh it down but the wind still blew it around so Terry fastened it to some stakes.
We make our first visit to the veggie market where we got raspberries for 99 cents a carton, a whole, beautiful cauliflower for 88 cents and 2 lbs of strawberries for $1. Maybe we will start eating more healthy food!
We went to the pool with everyone and talked with a younger couple (Bob & Marlene) who own a park model across from where we stayed last year. They are not retired yet so they use it for a week a couple of times a year and then rent it out for the 6 month winter season. Larry & Julie stopped by for a drink afterwards and we enjoyed sitting out on our newly shaded patio.
Sept 27th – Tues – Mesa
For breakfast, we really enjoyed 2 cartons of raspberries with toast made from cinnamon bread that Robin gave us. Terry got into a different pattern on the game he plays on the computer so he played a lot this morning while I read a book. It wasn’t too hot yet so we went for a long bike ride around the park. We chatted briefly with Julie & Larry and then stopped at Billy & Laurie’s and stayed for a while to visit.
At 3 we went to a free Happy Hour here in the ballroom. The park provided wine, beer, pop and snacks. Unfortunately, there were also tables set up so we sat with our friends rather than mingling and meeting new people or greeting acquaintances from last year. I did visit for a short while with Tom & Arlene and Tom & Callie who we met last year.
Julie had invited us all over for dinner so we came back for our “refreshment” bag and went to their place for burgers. She also invited Bob & Marlene and we all enjoyed getting to know them a bit better.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Sept 22nd to 24th - Mesa
Sept 22nd – Thurs –Mesa
We started the day with the coffee & doughnuts manager’s meeting in the ballroom. Then I finally figured out who to contact (Winegard, the dish manufacturer) to get Direct TV in our rig and talked to a very helpful lady. In a home setting, you just call one of the many DirecTV 800 numbers and they will set you up and send out an installer with the equipment. Obviously, this does not work with RVs. We went to Camping World after talking to Winegard and made an appointment to take our rig in next Thursday to have the dish installed. They also have the receivers and get a code from Winegard so Camping World is paid by Winegard for the receivers that we get for free for signing a 2 year contract. Now you see what we have been going through!
We didn’t have lunch and had a couple of coupons so we went to Fat Willy’s for wings & beer. We could only use one coupon at a time but we were there at happy hour so 2 orders of 10 wings, an order of nachos and two 25 oz beers only cost $14 – and we were both stuffed.
As soon as the sun went down, we went for a bike ride around the park. Near the end of the ride we stopped to chat a bit with Larry & Julie and ended up riding 4 miles.
Sept 23rd – Fri – Mesa
We lazed around this morning and then took our sewing machine and tool box to Larry & Julie’s. First I cut out and sewed a round tablecloth which Julie finished by running elastic through a casing to pull the tablecloth under the edge of the small dining table. Then we tried to figure out how to cut two round table cloths out of a king size sheet that Julie discovered was the right color for side tables in her outdoor seating area. Terry & I thought we had it figured out and ended up with one huge circle – don’t even ask how we did it! We cut two smaller circles out if it which was the best we could do even from the start. I zigzagged the edges and they are fine even thought they don’t go right to the floor. We sat down to admire our work and I noticed a runner on the table that was too long so had to shorten that as well. Actually, I shortened it twice as I didn’t check to make sure both sides were the same length to start with.
While Julie & I were sewing, Terry was helping Larry put a new seat on his bicycle. It is an old bicycle and the seat is too high for Larry but the seat post is rusted in place so even Terry’s best efforts could not move it. Terry also worked on some motion sensor lights that have minds of their own.
We were outside and were all very hot so Terry suggested going for banana splits and Wanda found us a Dairy Queen. Julie is not a big eater but she finished her banana split. We continued on to Total Wine to restock the liquor cabinet and stopped to introduce Julie to Hobby Lobby.
Back at the park, we dropped off Larry & Julie and then all met at the pool shortly after. When we were walking back about 4:30, Neil & Robin (met here last year, they stopped to see us in Spokane) were driving in to see us. They are looking for a 5th wheel to park here so they aren’t staying in the park yet. We were chatting & having drinks when Julie & Larry came by after having a couple of drinks at the pool. As it got later, I put out a few snacks to soak up some alcohol. When everyone left about 8, I made hamburgers that I had already thawed and then we crashed.
Sept 24th – Sat – Mesa
Knowing it would be hot again, we got up reasonably early and went to the Mesa Marketplace. About half the vendors were not there or not open so it only took us about 1 ½ hours to wander through and buy a decorative bowl for the dining table. One the way back, we stopped at Safeway for the baby back ribs that were on sale and bought a couple of whole chickens in the clearance bin. Pat, you would have loved the final price of 49 cents a pound!
Back at the rig, I stuffed the ribs into the freezer and put most of the 2 chickens in the crock pot. Then it was time for breakfast-for-lunch.
The late afternoon sun comes right under our north facing awning so Terry figured we needed an 8 foot curtain rod and some shade cloth. We went first to Big Lots and discovered that the longest curtain rods were 7 feet and too heavy anyhow. We carried on to Home Depot for shade cloth but they only had pre-packaged lengths so we went to Lowe’s where we found rolls of fabric and bought only as much as we needed. As we walked into Lowe’s, I saw a guy checking out with a tall, green “stick” so Terry asked him where he found it. It turned out to be a plastic stake for gardening which was 8 feet long, sturdy and lightweight – perfect for our needs. We made another stop at Fry’s for some groceries that I didn’t want to buy at Safeway.
I got out my sewing machine and we made the sun screen which was a bit of a challenge as it starts in the triangular space between the awning and the awning arm. I sewed a rod pocket along the top and then doubled the top portion by sewing on the triangle that we cut off. Now we want to add another removable section as the sun is still hot when it comes under the bottom.
We put on our suits and went to see if Julie & Larry were going to the pool. Julie was not feeling too well today (she blames us for how much she drank!!) so we went and cooled off by ourselves. I made good chimichangas with the tender chicken from the crock pot.
We started the day with the coffee & doughnuts manager’s meeting in the ballroom. Then I finally figured out who to contact (Winegard, the dish manufacturer) to get Direct TV in our rig and talked to a very helpful lady. In a home setting, you just call one of the many DirecTV 800 numbers and they will set you up and send out an installer with the equipment. Obviously, this does not work with RVs. We went to Camping World after talking to Winegard and made an appointment to take our rig in next Thursday to have the dish installed. They also have the receivers and get a code from Winegard so Camping World is paid by Winegard for the receivers that we get for free for signing a 2 year contract. Now you see what we have been going through!
We didn’t have lunch and had a couple of coupons so we went to Fat Willy’s for wings & beer. We could only use one coupon at a time but we were there at happy hour so 2 orders of 10 wings, an order of nachos and two 25 oz beers only cost $14 – and we were both stuffed.
As soon as the sun went down, we went for a bike ride around the park. Near the end of the ride we stopped to chat a bit with Larry & Julie and ended up riding 4 miles.
Sept 23rd – Fri – Mesa
We lazed around this morning and then took our sewing machine and tool box to Larry & Julie’s. First I cut out and sewed a round tablecloth which Julie finished by running elastic through a casing to pull the tablecloth under the edge of the small dining table. Then we tried to figure out how to cut two round table cloths out of a king size sheet that Julie discovered was the right color for side tables in her outdoor seating area. Terry & I thought we had it figured out and ended up with one huge circle – don’t even ask how we did it! We cut two smaller circles out if it which was the best we could do even from the start. I zigzagged the edges and they are fine even thought they don’t go right to the floor. We sat down to admire our work and I noticed a runner on the table that was too long so had to shorten that as well. Actually, I shortened it twice as I didn’t check to make sure both sides were the same length to start with.
While Julie & I were sewing, Terry was helping Larry put a new seat on his bicycle. It is an old bicycle and the seat is too high for Larry but the seat post is rusted in place so even Terry’s best efforts could not move it. Terry also worked on some motion sensor lights that have minds of their own.
We were outside and were all very hot so Terry suggested going for banana splits and Wanda found us a Dairy Queen. Julie is not a big eater but she finished her banana split. We continued on to Total Wine to restock the liquor cabinet and stopped to introduce Julie to Hobby Lobby.
Back at the park, we dropped off Larry & Julie and then all met at the pool shortly after. When we were walking back about 4:30, Neil & Robin (met here last year, they stopped to see us in Spokane) were driving in to see us. They are looking for a 5th wheel to park here so they aren’t staying in the park yet. We were chatting & having drinks when Julie & Larry came by after having a couple of drinks at the pool. As it got later, I put out a few snacks to soak up some alcohol. When everyone left about 8, I made hamburgers that I had already thawed and then we crashed.
Sept 24th – Sat – Mesa
Knowing it would be hot again, we got up reasonably early and went to the Mesa Marketplace. About half the vendors were not there or not open so it only took us about 1 ½ hours to wander through and buy a decorative bowl for the dining table. One the way back, we stopped at Safeway for the baby back ribs that were on sale and bought a couple of whole chickens in the clearance bin. Pat, you would have loved the final price of 49 cents a pound!
Back at the rig, I stuffed the ribs into the freezer and put most of the 2 chickens in the crock pot. Then it was time for breakfast-for-lunch.
The late afternoon sun comes right under our north facing awning so Terry figured we needed an 8 foot curtain rod and some shade cloth. We went first to Big Lots and discovered that the longest curtain rods were 7 feet and too heavy anyhow. We carried on to Home Depot for shade cloth but they only had pre-packaged lengths so we went to Lowe’s where we found rolls of fabric and bought only as much as we needed. As we walked into Lowe’s, I saw a guy checking out with a tall, green “stick” so Terry asked him where he found it. It turned out to be a plastic stake for gardening which was 8 feet long, sturdy and lightweight – perfect for our needs. We made another stop at Fry’s for some groceries that I didn’t want to buy at Safeway.
I got out my sewing machine and we made the sun screen which was a bit of a challenge as it starts in the triangular space between the awning and the awning arm. I sewed a rod pocket along the top and then doubled the top portion by sewing on the triangle that we cut off. Now we want to add another removable section as the sun is still hot when it comes under the bottom.
We put on our suits and went to see if Julie & Larry were going to the pool. Julie was not feeling too well today (she blames us for how much she drank!!) so we went and cooled off by ourselves. I made good chimichangas with the tender chicken from the crock pot.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Sept 19th to 21st - Mesa
Sept 19th – Mon – Mesa
Neither of us slept well and finally at 4 am I told Terry he might as well turn on the TV. Sure enough, about ½ later he was sleeping again while I finally got to sleep about 6 and felt OK at 7:45 when we both woke up. Larry stopped by for coffee and picked up some tickets for all of us for a steak fry and entertainment later in the week.
After breakfast we went to register and were pleased that they didn’t charge us for last night. I think they were expecting quite a few rigs in today and were happy to get one out of the way early. I don’t like drinking tap water here so one of Terry’s chores is to ride his bike a few blocks and refill plastic water gallons for 25 cents each which he did this morning. Then we reuse water bottles as I hate throwing away dozens of plastic water bottles – and just as much hate throwing away the money to buy so many!
We finished setting up mats, tables & chairs and then went to get a burger for lunch. The Wendy’s we went to was amazingly inefficient but we finally got our food. Then it was off to the laundry room where we had the entire large facility to ourselves. After putting everything away and making the bed, we cooled off in the pool where we met a couple (Dennis & Susan) who are from the Seattle area and have a manufactured home in the Ranchos area of this park. They live here permanently and just leave for the two hottest summer months.
I caught up & posted the blog before we went to Larry & Julie’s for dinner. They put a ceiling fan in their carport/patio so we sat outside for drinks (mostly ice water!) and dinner.
Sept 20th – Tues – Mesa
After breakfast, we were heading for Camping World but got sidetracked at Big Lots & K-Mart along the way. K-Mart had a huge clearance with items at $3.99 so it took us quite a while to look through everything. Terry got 4 pairs of shorts and I got a couple of items. We got an estimate at Camping World to get a satellite dish installed on the roof and came back to the park.
The weather is continuing hot so we joined Larry & Julie in the pool and then they came over for dinner. Julie smokes so after a while inside, we moved outside where it wasn’t too bad in the shade if you didn’t move around too much. I served dinner inside and then we went back out for a nightcap of Fireball which turned into two and too much to drink again. Guess we are all slow learners.
Sept 21st – Wed – Mesa
We went to IHOP for breakfast and then stopped at Kohls where I finally did something I hate & tried on bras. I know – TMI!! But I did buy a couple that were on sale and used $15 in coupons so they weren’t obscenely expensive. When we got back, we changed into our bathing suits and checked with Larry & Julie who were still recovering from over-imbibing yesterday and not interested in swimming. At the pool we chatted with Faye who has a home here in the park.
When we were at Larry & Julie’s, we saw an ad for baby back ribs so we went to Safeway only to find out that the sale starts on Friday. Oh well, we got some steaks at a great price in their “use-by date nearing” bin and had a good dinner.
Neither of us slept well and finally at 4 am I told Terry he might as well turn on the TV. Sure enough, about ½ later he was sleeping again while I finally got to sleep about 6 and felt OK at 7:45 when we both woke up. Larry stopped by for coffee and picked up some tickets for all of us for a steak fry and entertainment later in the week.
After breakfast we went to register and were pleased that they didn’t charge us for last night. I think they were expecting quite a few rigs in today and were happy to get one out of the way early. I don’t like drinking tap water here so one of Terry’s chores is to ride his bike a few blocks and refill plastic water gallons for 25 cents each which he did this morning. Then we reuse water bottles as I hate throwing away dozens of plastic water bottles – and just as much hate throwing away the money to buy so many!
We finished setting up mats, tables & chairs and then went to get a burger for lunch. The Wendy’s we went to was amazingly inefficient but we finally got our food. Then it was off to the laundry room where we had the entire large facility to ourselves. After putting everything away and making the bed, we cooled off in the pool where we met a couple (Dennis & Susan) who are from the Seattle area and have a manufactured home in the Ranchos area of this park. They live here permanently and just leave for the two hottest summer months.
I caught up & posted the blog before we went to Larry & Julie’s for dinner. They put a ceiling fan in their carport/patio so we sat outside for drinks (mostly ice water!) and dinner.
Sept 20th – Tues – Mesa
After breakfast, we were heading for Camping World but got sidetracked at Big Lots & K-Mart along the way. K-Mart had a huge clearance with items at $3.99 so it took us quite a while to look through everything. Terry got 4 pairs of shorts and I got a couple of items. We got an estimate at Camping World to get a satellite dish installed on the roof and came back to the park.
The weather is continuing hot so we joined Larry & Julie in the pool and then they came over for dinner. Julie smokes so after a while inside, we moved outside where it wasn’t too bad in the shade if you didn’t move around too much. I served dinner inside and then we went back out for a nightcap of Fireball which turned into two and too much to drink again. Guess we are all slow learners.
Sept 21st – Wed – Mesa
We went to IHOP for breakfast and then stopped at Kohls where I finally did something I hate & tried on bras. I know – TMI!! But I did buy a couple that were on sale and used $15 in coupons so they weren’t obscenely expensive. When we got back, we changed into our bathing suits and checked with Larry & Julie who were still recovering from over-imbibing yesterday and not interested in swimming. At the pool we chatted with Faye who has a home here in the park.
When we were at Larry & Julie’s, we saw an ad for baby back ribs so we went to Safeway only to find out that the sale starts on Friday. Oh well, we got some steaks at a great price in their “use-by date nearing” bin and had a good dinner.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Sept 16th to 18th - San Diego to Mesa AZ
Sept 16th – Fri – San Diego
We decided to stay here a couple more days so we walked over and paid before we went to Balboa Park which is a very large “park” near downtown SD. It has 14 museums, 8 gardens, 6 performing arts centers, 8 cultural centers, restaurants and a visitor’s center. The San Diego Zoo is also a part of Balboa Park but we didn’t go there. We are not museum people but we went through one that was free – not our thing at all! The huge wood lath botanical building was lovely and we enjoyed the desert garden. Just wandering around in the perfect temperature and taking pictures was very enjoyable – more for me than Terry!
We went to Costco and had a late lunch there. Then we went to a couple of WalMarts looking for shorts for Terry. We bought him a pair in Yuma and he decided he really likes them but we didn’t find any here. Then it was back to the rig to watch TV, work on the computer and relax.
Sept 17th – Sat – San Diego
We used the computer to find the nearest Chev dealer, let Wanda direct us there and got DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) as a message told us we were low a few days ago. We looked for another casino but it turned out to be a card room so we returned to the Sycuan casino where I was so lucky. Neither of us was lucky this time but it took us several hours to lose our allowance.
We filled up with diesel and ran the truck through a wash on the way home. We didn’t have lunch so I made an early dinner when we got back and then we did some chores so we can leave early tomorrow.
Sept 18th – Sun – to Mesa AZ
We are really loving Wanda after spending 5 days on the San Diego freeways and the trip out of the city was easy. It helped that it was Sunday and there was no rush hour traffic when we left just before 8.
We stopped at the Quechan Casino in Yuma for breakfast (easy access, halfway through the trip, large parking lot) and spent a few dollars on the slots. We arrived at Val Vista Village at 3:30 and set up in site 115 where we will stay until Jan 2nd. We are actually a day early for the fall special but the park takes Passport America so we will pay ½ price for one night.
At 4:30 we packed up our “refreshment” cooler and rode our bikes to Larry & Julie’s park model. We helped put the deal together last year for them to buy it. They have been here for 2 weeks cleaning and moving in a truck load of stuff they brought from Spokane. We checked everything out, had a few drinks and went to Fat Willy’s for dinner about 7. There we each had a large beer with the food. We headed home when we got back from dinner (Terry only crashed once on his bike!) and hit the sack. We’d had way too much fun!!
We decided to stay here a couple more days so we walked over and paid before we went to Balboa Park which is a very large “park” near downtown SD. It has 14 museums, 8 gardens, 6 performing arts centers, 8 cultural centers, restaurants and a visitor’s center. The San Diego Zoo is also a part of Balboa Park but we didn’t go there. We are not museum people but we went through one that was free – not our thing at all! The huge wood lath botanical building was lovely and we enjoyed the desert garden. Just wandering around in the perfect temperature and taking pictures was very enjoyable – more for me than Terry!
We went to Costco and had a late lunch there. Then we went to a couple of WalMarts looking for shorts for Terry. We bought him a pair in Yuma and he decided he really likes them but we didn’t find any here. Then it was back to the rig to watch TV, work on the computer and relax.
Sept 17th – Sat – San Diego
We used the computer to find the nearest Chev dealer, let Wanda direct us there and got DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) as a message told us we were low a few days ago. We looked for another casino but it turned out to be a card room so we returned to the Sycuan casino where I was so lucky. Neither of us was lucky this time but it took us several hours to lose our allowance.
We filled up with diesel and ran the truck through a wash on the way home. We didn’t have lunch so I made an early dinner when we got back and then we did some chores so we can leave early tomorrow.
Sept 18th – Sun – to Mesa AZ
We are really loving Wanda after spending 5 days on the San Diego freeways and the trip out of the city was easy. It helped that it was Sunday and there was no rush hour traffic when we left just before 8.
We stopped at the Quechan Casino in Yuma for breakfast (easy access, halfway through the trip, large parking lot) and spent a few dollars on the slots. We arrived at Val Vista Village at 3:30 and set up in site 115 where we will stay until Jan 2nd. We are actually a day early for the fall special but the park takes Passport America so we will pay ½ price for one night.
At 4:30 we packed up our “refreshment” cooler and rode our bikes to Larry & Julie’s park model. We helped put the deal together last year for them to buy it. They have been here for 2 weeks cleaning and moving in a truck load of stuff they brought from Spokane. We checked everything out, had a few drinks and went to Fat Willy’s for dinner about 7. There we each had a large beer with the food. We headed home when we got back from dinner (Terry only crashed once on his bike!) and hit the sack. We’d had way too much fun!!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Sept 13th to 15th - San Diego
Sept 13th – Tues – to San Diego/Chula Vista CA
We researched RV parks in the San Diego area and decided that we didn’t want to spend a minimum of $44 per night for a site. Then I thought to look for Elks Lodges and found one in Chula Vista (just south of San Diego) for $23 a night.
We were waylaid by a casino about 60 miles from San Diego – can’t resist $10 free play – and arrived here about 1:00. We set up, had lunch and enjoyed the cooler weather while we deleted undesired channels from over 100 channels on cable TV. I washed the outside of all the windows that I can reach from the step stool which prompted Terry to clean the lower part of the 5th wheel. Then I spent time on the computer finding out what we might want to do here – and how much it is going to cost starting with $69.99 for SeaWorld.
Sept 14th – Wed – San Diego
We started with a visit to Costco to see if they had a discount card for San Diego attractions but they don’t have it right now. Then we stopped at a tourist center and got a lot of information. We drove a bit south and then up the Silver Strand Blvd to Coronado where we walked around the town for a while.
We were going to grab some lunch until we saw the line and kept on going to another casino. At the first machine that I chose, Terry asked me why I was playing it as it was not a usual choice. We were really happy with the result in a short time as I won a bonus of $1,050.00!! It was so exciting! Our luck did not continue so we had lunch and then went to another casino and didn’t do well there. By now it was time to head home and relax.
The weather is very nice here. We are so delighted to not have the AC running day & night.
Sept 15th – Thurs – San Diego
After breakfast, we went to SeaWorld which is one of the most talked about San Diego attractions. We got a coupon for $20 off each entry so it “only” cost $99.98 for both of us after we paid $14 for parking. We watched a really fun sea lion show and then went immediately to get a good seat for the killer whale show which again was very good. The first 16 rows are in the “soak zone” and people really did get soaked. I would like to think that the whales get a kick out of splashing people as they did a good job.
Next we got a mediocre hamburger & sandwich and shared a bottle of water for lunch which only cost $25.50! How do families afford outings like this? Then we spent more hours wandering around, took a little “gondola” ride and a ride up a huge tower in a revolving, closed platform. When we got out after sitting in the truck on the way back, we certainly knew we had stood and walked a lot today.
We researched RV parks in the San Diego area and decided that we didn’t want to spend a minimum of $44 per night for a site. Then I thought to look for Elks Lodges and found one in Chula Vista (just south of San Diego) for $23 a night.
We were waylaid by a casino about 60 miles from San Diego – can’t resist $10 free play – and arrived here about 1:00. We set up, had lunch and enjoyed the cooler weather while we deleted undesired channels from over 100 channels on cable TV. I washed the outside of all the windows that I can reach from the step stool which prompted Terry to clean the lower part of the 5th wheel. Then I spent time on the computer finding out what we might want to do here – and how much it is going to cost starting with $69.99 for SeaWorld.
Sept 14th – Wed – San Diego
We started with a visit to Costco to see if they had a discount card for San Diego attractions but they don’t have it right now. Then we stopped at a tourist center and got a lot of information. We drove a bit south and then up the Silver Strand Blvd to Coronado where we walked around the town for a while.
We were going to grab some lunch until we saw the line and kept on going to another casino. At the first machine that I chose, Terry asked me why I was playing it as it was not a usual choice. We were really happy with the result in a short time as I won a bonus of $1,050.00!! It was so exciting! Our luck did not continue so we had lunch and then went to another casino and didn’t do well there. By now it was time to head home and relax.
The weather is very nice here. We are so delighted to not have the AC running day & night.
Sept 15th – Thurs – San Diego
After breakfast, we went to SeaWorld which is one of the most talked about San Diego attractions. We got a coupon for $20 off each entry so it “only” cost $99.98 for both of us after we paid $14 for parking. We watched a really fun sea lion show and then went immediately to get a good seat for the killer whale show which again was very good. The first 16 rows are in the “soak zone” and people really did get soaked. I would like to think that the whales get a kick out of splashing people as they did a good job.
Next we got a mediocre hamburger & sandwich and shared a bottle of water for lunch which only cost $25.50! How do families afford outings like this? Then we spent more hours wandering around, took a little “gondola” ride and a ride up a huge tower in a revolving, closed platform. When we got out after sitting in the truck on the way back, we certainly knew we had stood and walked a lot today.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Sept 10th to 12th - Yuma
Sept 10th – Sat – Yuma
After we got going this morning we did laundry here in the park. The laundry room is not air conditioned so we went to the library and finished a jigsaw puzzle while the clothes were washing. Then we went shopping and I found a bathing suit and a pair of shorts for Terry. Not much to show for all the time we spent.
We went to Lutes Casino (which is not a casino) for a late lunch. Next was a stop at WalMart for a few groceries and then home.
By now it was time to cool off with a frozen margarita. Since lunch was so late, we had chocolate & watermelon for dinner.
It was quite breezy all day which blew a lot of dust everywhere. We considered washing the truck but figured it wouldn’t stay clean long enough to make it worth the effort.
Sept 11th – Sun – Yuma
After coffee and a late breakfast, I put a roast in the crock pot and we went shopping. I have been wanting to make a runner for the dining table so we headed for Joann Fabrics. Before we got there, I decided to stop at Bed Bath & Beyond for ideas. We ended up buying a runner and a placemat so I could make some modifications to the runner. When we got back, we decided that it wasn’t going to work so we went back to BB&B to exchange the runner for a shorter one and get more placemats.
The rest of the afternoon was lazy. We had an early dinner and went to the pool about 7:30. The maintenance people had done their magic with the cold water exchange and the pool was quite a bit cooler than it has been. Terry only waded in to his waist and then went in the hot tub while I enjoyed the insulating effect of my fat reserves and floated around the pool.
Sept 12th – Mon – Yuma
Another “coffee & later breakfast” morning. I altered the runner for the table and then vacuumed while Terry moved the furniture for me. I did other miscellaneous cleaning while Terry emptied tanks and flushed the black tank. Lovely, domestic chores!
We went to WalMart for groceries and checked out Smart & Final for baby backs but they didn’t have a good price on them today. They did have boneless, skinless chicken breasts at 50% off which I took advantage of. The sell-by date is today but I will freeze them anyhow.
After I put away groceries and packaged the chicken for the freezer, I made an early dinner since we skipped lunch again.
Terry had to move the truck for a motor home to back in next door but it was too big for the site just like we were so he moved across the street. Then about ½ hour later he pulled out and headed towards the office – not sure what happened with the other site. At the same time that he pulled in, a wind & thunder storm came up and dust & leaves were blowing everywhere. We took out the garbage and saw drifts of dirt in the corners of the pool.
I spent time this morning unsuccessfully trying to identify the large trees in the RV park by searching the internet. We stopped at the office to ask and they said they were Fica trees. Not ficus as he spelled it for me. Will have to look it up.
After we got going this morning we did laundry here in the park. The laundry room is not air conditioned so we went to the library and finished a jigsaw puzzle while the clothes were washing. Then we went shopping and I found a bathing suit and a pair of shorts for Terry. Not much to show for all the time we spent.
We went to Lutes Casino (which is not a casino) for a late lunch. Next was a stop at WalMart for a few groceries and then home.
By now it was time to cool off with a frozen margarita. Since lunch was so late, we had chocolate & watermelon for dinner.
It was quite breezy all day which blew a lot of dust everywhere. We considered washing the truck but figured it wouldn’t stay clean long enough to make it worth the effort.
Sept 11th – Sun – Yuma
After coffee and a late breakfast, I put a roast in the crock pot and we went shopping. I have been wanting to make a runner for the dining table so we headed for Joann Fabrics. Before we got there, I decided to stop at Bed Bath & Beyond for ideas. We ended up buying a runner and a placemat so I could make some modifications to the runner. When we got back, we decided that it wasn’t going to work so we went back to BB&B to exchange the runner for a shorter one and get more placemats.
The rest of the afternoon was lazy. We had an early dinner and went to the pool about 7:30. The maintenance people had done their magic with the cold water exchange and the pool was quite a bit cooler than it has been. Terry only waded in to his waist and then went in the hot tub while I enjoyed the insulating effect of my fat reserves and floated around the pool.
Sept 12th – Mon – Yuma
Another “coffee & later breakfast” morning. I altered the runner for the table and then vacuumed while Terry moved the furniture for me. I did other miscellaneous cleaning while Terry emptied tanks and flushed the black tank. Lovely, domestic chores!
We went to WalMart for groceries and checked out Smart & Final for baby backs but they didn’t have a good price on them today. They did have boneless, skinless chicken breasts at 50% off which I took advantage of. The sell-by date is today but I will freeze them anyhow.
After I put away groceries and packaged the chicken for the freezer, I made an early dinner since we skipped lunch again.
Terry had to move the truck for a motor home to back in next door but it was too big for the site just like we were so he moved across the street. Then about ½ hour later he pulled out and headed towards the office – not sure what happened with the other site. At the same time that he pulled in, a wind & thunder storm came up and dust & leaves were blowing everywhere. We took out the garbage and saw drifts of dirt in the corners of the pool.
I spent time this morning unsuccessfully trying to identify the large trees in the RV park by searching the internet. We stopped at the office to ask and they said they were Fica trees. Not ficus as he spelled it for me. Will have to look it up.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Sept 6th to 9th - Yuma
Sept 6th – Tues – Yuma AZ
Terry was wide awake about 3:30 and I finally told him to turn on the TV about 5. We were on the road just after 7 for a nearly 300 mile drive to Yuma. The last couple of times that we went through Tucson, there was a lot of construction on freeways. That is all done now and it was an easy trip past the city even though it was rush hour.
We are at the Rivers Edge RV resort in Winterhaven. As the name indicates, it is right on the Colorado River but the best thing is huge trees lining the rows of RV sites. There were actually too many low branches in the first site we were assigned so we checked with the office and moved to the neighboring site. After a late lunch, we went to WalMart for some groceries & inexpensive AZ liquor.
We put everything away and then went to a casino which is probably too close to the RV park. It is being remodeled so that will discourage us from visiting too often. The bad news is that the other casino is also close to this park!! I sent an email yesterday to the dentist in Algodones and have not received an answer yet so we might just have to make a trip there and find out what is going on.
Sept 7th – Wed – Yuma
Still no email answer from Algodones so after cinnamon rolls for breakfast, we drove to the border with the thought that we would go see if the dentist is even open at this time of year. There were so few cars in the parking lot that Terry decided he didn’t want us to be the only 2 tourists in town and turned around. Of course the 2nd casino is on the way back so we had to check it out. We stayed for several hours before finally giving up our allowances.
When we were driving here, I noticed in the mirror that the wheel well trim was vibrating too much. We checked and found a broken stabilizing strut so we went to Home Depot for some metal to replace it. Then a stop at Fry’s for margarita mix & tequila as we really enjoyed the drinks that Brenda brought over.
As we knew it would be, it is very hot here so we headed to the pool. The water is just cool enough to be refreshing. A guy came by and said every 3 days or so they drain the pool down a couple of feet and add the coldest water they can get – make that the coolest water.
Sept 8th – Thurs – Yuma
I talked Terry into getting up early and going for a walk around the campground. We weren’t quite early enough as the sun had just come up and it was warm already. There are a lot of areas along the river that campers have fixed up with pavers, fire pits & benches so it looks like a lot of the winter visitors gather there.
When we got back, Terry made & put on the new stabilizing struts. He replaced one that was not broken as the new ones he made are sturdier. I took the opportunity to clean the air conditioning filter and outlet. A couple of parts are removable but one grid had to be cleaned one little square at a time – no wonder I don’t do it more often.
After a late breakfast, we went to the third casino in Yuma. As often happens, I played a long time on the first half of my money and the second half disappeared in a hurry. Terry did a little better. At 4 we had an early dinner at the casino restaurant which was very reasonably priced thanks to a $3 off coupon for each of us.
We went to the pool again to cool off. It is a huge pool but only 5 feet at the deep end. I don’t know who would use the large expanse of 3 to 4 foot depths.
Sept 9th – Fri – Yuma
Terry is still waking up quite early so he gets up & plays computer games so I can sleep a little longer. I am quite liking it! Then I laze around in my PJs, have coffee & read for a while. (Sound familiar, Pat?) The walk yesterday was too hot to repeat it.
We had our mail forwarded so we walked to the office to pick it up and then went through it all. Next was a trip to get my hair cut. I decided WalMart was OK but I sure was wrong this time. I am pretty much scalped and am happy that we won’t be seeing anyone we know soon! We made a few stops looking for a bathing suit for me. Terry was actually willing to go to some more stores but I wasn’t in much of a mood to try on more suits so we came back and tested the frozen margaritas.
Later in the evening, there were flash flood warnings for La Paz & Yuma AZ counties. I did mention that we staying right on the Colorado River and La Paz county is upriver from us! The river would have to rise many feet to be a danger however.
Terry was wide awake about 3:30 and I finally told him to turn on the TV about 5. We were on the road just after 7 for a nearly 300 mile drive to Yuma. The last couple of times that we went through Tucson, there was a lot of construction on freeways. That is all done now and it was an easy trip past the city even though it was rush hour.
We are at the Rivers Edge RV resort in Winterhaven. As the name indicates, it is right on the Colorado River but the best thing is huge trees lining the rows of RV sites. There were actually too many low branches in the first site we were assigned so we checked with the office and moved to the neighboring site. After a late lunch, we went to WalMart for some groceries & inexpensive AZ liquor.
We put everything away and then went to a casino which is probably too close to the RV park. It is being remodeled so that will discourage us from visiting too often. The bad news is that the other casino is also close to this park!! I sent an email yesterday to the dentist in Algodones and have not received an answer yet so we might just have to make a trip there and find out what is going on.
Sept 7th – Wed – Yuma
Still no email answer from Algodones so after cinnamon rolls for breakfast, we drove to the border with the thought that we would go see if the dentist is even open at this time of year. There were so few cars in the parking lot that Terry decided he didn’t want us to be the only 2 tourists in town and turned around. Of course the 2nd casino is on the way back so we had to check it out. We stayed for several hours before finally giving up our allowances.
When we were driving here, I noticed in the mirror that the wheel well trim was vibrating too much. We checked and found a broken stabilizing strut so we went to Home Depot for some metal to replace it. Then a stop at Fry’s for margarita mix & tequila as we really enjoyed the drinks that Brenda brought over.
As we knew it would be, it is very hot here so we headed to the pool. The water is just cool enough to be refreshing. A guy came by and said every 3 days or so they drain the pool down a couple of feet and add the coldest water they can get – make that the coolest water.
Sept 8th – Thurs – Yuma
I talked Terry into getting up early and going for a walk around the campground. We weren’t quite early enough as the sun had just come up and it was warm already. There are a lot of areas along the river that campers have fixed up with pavers, fire pits & benches so it looks like a lot of the winter visitors gather there.
When we got back, Terry made & put on the new stabilizing struts. He replaced one that was not broken as the new ones he made are sturdier. I took the opportunity to clean the air conditioning filter and outlet. A couple of parts are removable but one grid had to be cleaned one little square at a time – no wonder I don’t do it more often.
After a late breakfast, we went to the third casino in Yuma. As often happens, I played a long time on the first half of my money and the second half disappeared in a hurry. Terry did a little better. At 4 we had an early dinner at the casino restaurant which was very reasonably priced thanks to a $3 off coupon for each of us.
We went to the pool again to cool off. It is a huge pool but only 5 feet at the deep end. I don’t know who would use the large expanse of 3 to 4 foot depths.
Sept 9th – Fri – Yuma
Terry is still waking up quite early so he gets up & plays computer games so I can sleep a little longer. I am quite liking it! Then I laze around in my PJs, have coffee & read for a while. (Sound familiar, Pat?) The walk yesterday was too hot to repeat it.
We had our mail forwarded so we walked to the office to pick it up and then went through it all. Next was a trip to get my hair cut. I decided WalMart was OK but I sure was wrong this time. I am pretty much scalped and am happy that we won’t be seeing anyone we know soon! We made a few stops looking for a bathing suit for me. Terry was actually willing to go to some more stores but I wasn’t in much of a mood to try on more suits so we came back and tested the frozen margaritas.
Later in the evening, there were flash flood warnings for La Paz & Yuma AZ counties. I did mention that we staying right on the Colorado River and La Paz county is upriver from us! The river would have to rise many feet to be a danger however.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Sept 3rd to 5th - San Antonio to Benson AZ
Sept 3rd – Sat – San Antonio
We got up reasonably early and headed to a large flea market – Trader’s Village. The idea was to get there before it got too hot but that didn’t work as it was sweltering by 9. We have been to a Trader’s Village in Ft. Worth but this one is brand new and quite a bit nicer. We spent some time chatting with a couple who make & sell craft items, mainly wood. They rent their space which has pull down doors so they don’t have to set up & break down every weekend. We bought a few items but didn’t stay for salsa dance lessons.
On the way back, we stopped at another open air market but it didn’t take us long to realize there was nothing there that we were remotely interested in looking at let alone buying. By now it was after 12 so we headed to IHOP for breakfast and then back to the park.
I posted my blog and we watched TV before deciding that the pool would feel really good. We ended up staying for about an hour and talking with a couple from Houston. Then the familiar drinks, dinner & TV.
Sept 4th – Sun – to Balmorhea TX
We left at 8 to start heading out of Texas. We decided to go to Yuma and visit the dentist and a dermatologist in Algodones – and once Terry has a destination he is on the way!
We are kind of in the middle of nowhere on I10. We stopped at a PA park for $10 a night. Another rig pulled in behind us and the lady said we had met on the highway – which was correct, we passed them twice as we stopped once for diesel. After we set up, Terry went over and asked them (Doug & Brenda) to come over for a drink. They hadn’t had any lunch so we chatted for a bit and Brenda said she would start dinner and make frozen margaritas for all of us. I had some Chinese pork sliced when they came over, then they went back for dinner and we had just finished some leftovers when Brenda came back with a notebook to write down some of the places we told them about. They are from the very southern part of Louisiana (Houma) and are just starting on a trip to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Utah. They are proud to be Cajuns and took my teasing about their accents with a laugh. We talked non-stop until nearly 10 and hugged good-bye with promises to try to get together sometime.
Sept 5th – Mon – to Benson AZ
It was pretty much a long boring drive today. We left at 8, stopped a couple of times for diesel and stopped for a late lunch. We wanted fuel where we stopped last night but it was $4.21 a gallon. 30 miles down the road it was $3.80.
We are at a PA park in Benson but it isn’t much to speak of. It is just far enough off the freeway so you don’t hear much traffic noise. The good thing is it has cable TV which suited us just fine as all we wanted to do was relax as we don’t usually drive so long in a day.
We came back into Mountain time zone and since Arizona doesn’t go on daylight savings time, we gained 2 hours and were going to bed just after 7 – by the clock, not by our bodies.
We got up reasonably early and headed to a large flea market – Trader’s Village. The idea was to get there before it got too hot but that didn’t work as it was sweltering by 9. We have been to a Trader’s Village in Ft. Worth but this one is brand new and quite a bit nicer. We spent some time chatting with a couple who make & sell craft items, mainly wood. They rent their space which has pull down doors so they don’t have to set up & break down every weekend. We bought a few items but didn’t stay for salsa dance lessons.
On the way back, we stopped at another open air market but it didn’t take us long to realize there was nothing there that we were remotely interested in looking at let alone buying. By now it was after 12 so we headed to IHOP for breakfast and then back to the park.
I posted my blog and we watched TV before deciding that the pool would feel really good. We ended up staying for about an hour and talking with a couple from Houston. Then the familiar drinks, dinner & TV.
Sept 4th – Sun – to Balmorhea TX
We left at 8 to start heading out of Texas. We decided to go to Yuma and visit the dentist and a dermatologist in Algodones – and once Terry has a destination he is on the way!
We are kind of in the middle of nowhere on I10. We stopped at a PA park for $10 a night. Another rig pulled in behind us and the lady said we had met on the highway – which was correct, we passed them twice as we stopped once for diesel. After we set up, Terry went over and asked them (Doug & Brenda) to come over for a drink. They hadn’t had any lunch so we chatted for a bit and Brenda said she would start dinner and make frozen margaritas for all of us. I had some Chinese pork sliced when they came over, then they went back for dinner and we had just finished some leftovers when Brenda came back with a notebook to write down some of the places we told them about. They are from the very southern part of Louisiana (Houma) and are just starting on a trip to Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon and Utah. They are proud to be Cajuns and took my teasing about their accents with a laugh. We talked non-stop until nearly 10 and hugged good-bye with promises to try to get together sometime.
Sept 5th – Mon – to Benson AZ
It was pretty much a long boring drive today. We left at 8, stopped a couple of times for diesel and stopped for a late lunch. We wanted fuel where we stopped last night but it was $4.21 a gallon. 30 miles down the road it was $3.80.
We are at a PA park in Benson but it isn’t much to speak of. It is just far enough off the freeway so you don’t hear much traffic noise. The good thing is it has cable TV which suited us just fine as all we wanted to do was relax as we don’t usually drive so long in a day.
We came back into Mountain time zone and since Arizona doesn’t go on daylight savings time, we gained 2 hours and were going to bed just after 7 – by the clock, not by our bodies.
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Aug 31st to Sept 2nd - San Antonio
Aug 31st – Wed – San Antonio
After a lazy morning with coffee and then breakfast, we went to find a Camping World which turned out to be 40 miles north in New Braunfels. The freeways the entire way are lined with businesses so it seems like San Antonio doesn’t quit even though there are smaller municipalities in between.
We got a quote for a satellite system in our 5th wheel, reeled with shock and said “no thanks, not right now”. Even though the rig is wired for satellite, they said they put in their own wiring as there are too many times when staples and screws are run through the wiring which causes lots of troubleshooting time. We stopped at WalMart for a few groceries on the way back.
There is a “book trading” library here so I browsed through it and exchanged half a dozen books. The rest of the afternoon & evening was spent trying to keep cool (the pool helps), having dinner and watching TV.
Sept 1st – Thurs – San Antonio
Lounging in my PJs in the morning is getting to be a habit! This morning I sorted through paperwork and dealt with most of it by tossing, filing or getting on the computer. After a late breakfast, I gathered up the laundry and we went to the laundry room here at the park. Of course we hit it with all the washers in use. I borrowed a magazine from the lounge and waited, so no one else would slip in before us, and got all the washing started. There were lots of dryers so no wait for them and then we put everything away and made the bed.
Terry had his mouth set on baby backs for dinner so we made a trip to an H.E.B. grocery store. The chain is all over in this area but we haven’t been to one and wanted to check it out. The one we went to is huge and includes all the non-grocery items common in big chain stores. It was very busy and had a most confusing check-out area but we got our ribs and a few other items.
There was no way I was going to boil ribs inside and put all that humidity into the air so Terry set up the stove & BBQ on a picnic table. Then he figured he should keep an eye on the stove so he got out a chair and sat in the shade – which is still very hot – while the ribs boiled and then while they were on the BBQ. I enjoyed my book and made the rest of dinner inside.
About 8 we decided it would be nice to cool off in the pool. This time there were several others also enjoying a swim. We stayed just long enough to cool off.
Sept 2nd – Fri – San Antonio
This morning I took time to do some cleaning that rarely gets done and then made breakfast before we went for a drive. We stopped at a few stores in a futile search for a swim suit for me.
Back at the rig we decided to scan more photos into the computer. This hot weather gives “rainy day activity” a new meaning! We were so close to finishing the album that we worked until 6:30 to finish it and did 514 pictures. After dinner I turned all the pictures the right way up while Terry was taking a nap.
After a lazy morning with coffee and then breakfast, we went to find a Camping World which turned out to be 40 miles north in New Braunfels. The freeways the entire way are lined with businesses so it seems like San Antonio doesn’t quit even though there are smaller municipalities in between.
We got a quote for a satellite system in our 5th wheel, reeled with shock and said “no thanks, not right now”. Even though the rig is wired for satellite, they said they put in their own wiring as there are too many times when staples and screws are run through the wiring which causes lots of troubleshooting time. We stopped at WalMart for a few groceries on the way back.
There is a “book trading” library here so I browsed through it and exchanged half a dozen books. The rest of the afternoon & evening was spent trying to keep cool (the pool helps), having dinner and watching TV.
Sept 1st – Thurs – San Antonio
Lounging in my PJs in the morning is getting to be a habit! This morning I sorted through paperwork and dealt with most of it by tossing, filing or getting on the computer. After a late breakfast, I gathered up the laundry and we went to the laundry room here at the park. Of course we hit it with all the washers in use. I borrowed a magazine from the lounge and waited, so no one else would slip in before us, and got all the washing started. There were lots of dryers so no wait for them and then we put everything away and made the bed.
Terry had his mouth set on baby backs for dinner so we made a trip to an H.E.B. grocery store. The chain is all over in this area but we haven’t been to one and wanted to check it out. The one we went to is huge and includes all the non-grocery items common in big chain stores. It was very busy and had a most confusing check-out area but we got our ribs and a few other items.
There was no way I was going to boil ribs inside and put all that humidity into the air so Terry set up the stove & BBQ on a picnic table. Then he figured he should keep an eye on the stove so he got out a chair and sat in the shade – which is still very hot – while the ribs boiled and then while they were on the BBQ. I enjoyed my book and made the rest of dinner inside.
About 8 we decided it would be nice to cool off in the pool. This time there were several others also enjoying a swim. We stayed just long enough to cool off.
Sept 2nd – Fri – San Antonio
This morning I took time to do some cleaning that rarely gets done and then made breakfast before we went for a drive. We stopped at a few stores in a futile search for a swim suit for me.
Back at the rig we decided to scan more photos into the computer. This hot weather gives “rainy day activity” a new meaning! We were so close to finishing the album that we worked until 6:30 to finish it and did 514 pictures. After dinner I turned all the pictures the right way up while Terry was taking a nap.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Aug 29th to 30th - San Antonio TX
Aug 29th – Mon – to San Antonio TX
When we set up yesterday, we noticed a badly worn spot on a tire on the 5th wheel. When we had the work done on the rig and got 2 new tires, we knew one tire was wearing slightly on the inside so Terry has them turn it around and put it on a different axle. It might have been out of balance (trailer tires aren’t generally balanced) because now a strip on the side about a foot long had no tread left. So we started the day by changing the tire which certainly beats changing it on the side of the road after a flat. Then shortly after we got going, the “check engine” light came on. This happened a few months ago and a Chev dealer had to reset the computer so we figured that would be the case again as no other message showed up.
Our drive was only 90 miles and once again we thanked Wanda for getting us through the maze of highways to the southeast corner of San Antonio. Actually the address is Elmendorf but we are only 15 minutes from downtown SA in Braunig Lake RV Resort which does have its own little lake.
The first thing we did after lunch was find a tire shop. Amazingly enough, a Discount Tire that the park employees told us about had the tire we needed in stock. They were incredibly busy but we weren’t in a big hurry and Terry did have them balance the tire. There was no Chev dealer nearby so we returned to the park and relaxed for a while before deciding to check out the pool. It is a little ways from our site and the temperature was a toasty 109 so we drove rather than walked. Immediately, we got a message on the DIC saying “Cleaning DPF, keep driving until this message goes off” so we headed for the freeway while I dug out the manual. I found out that DPF is “diesel particulate filter” and cleaning happens often and unnoticeably. But sometimes it needs more cleaning which results in the message and can take up to 30 minutes of CONTINUOUS driving above 30 mph with no extended idling which meant we were in the perfect place on the freeway. After 15 minutes, we turned around and the message – and the check engine light - obediently went off less than 10 minutes later – YES, one more glitch handled!
Now it was time to head for the sparkly clean pool where the water temperature was perfect. I can’t figure out how they keep it cool enough in this heat. There are a lot of rigs in this park but only a young woman & her small son were in the pool with us. I think most of the tenants are living here full time.
After we were sufficiently wrinkled, we headed back to the rig for drinks, dinner & TV.
Aug 30th – Tues – San Antonio
After breakfast we went “downtown” where the Riverwalk and the Alamo commemoration site are located. The office here had told us about a place to park which at $10 for a day is the cheapest price. We wandered to the Riverwalk and took a boat tour. We did this the last time we were here but again it is amazing how much you forget especially when the guide is spouting facts for 35 minutes. A young family sitting next to us was from Spokane.
Even though the temperatures were climbing rapidly, we walked a lot along the river and then through a multi-story shopping complex. We sat at a table outside to have a beer and watch the ducks, pigeons & carp snap up any bits of food.
It was too hot to do much more so we tried to find a couple of places to check out FTA (free to air) but they were both not there any more. So we stopped at a Big Lots and came back to the park where we hit the pool again. This time there was one young lady sunbathing and 3 people came just as we were leaving. Then it was time for another quiet evening.
When we set up yesterday, we noticed a badly worn spot on a tire on the 5th wheel. When we had the work done on the rig and got 2 new tires, we knew one tire was wearing slightly on the inside so Terry has them turn it around and put it on a different axle. It might have been out of balance (trailer tires aren’t generally balanced) because now a strip on the side about a foot long had no tread left. So we started the day by changing the tire which certainly beats changing it on the side of the road after a flat. Then shortly after we got going, the “check engine” light came on. This happened a few months ago and a Chev dealer had to reset the computer so we figured that would be the case again as no other message showed up.
Our drive was only 90 miles and once again we thanked Wanda for getting us through the maze of highways to the southeast corner of San Antonio. Actually the address is Elmendorf but we are only 15 minutes from downtown SA in Braunig Lake RV Resort which does have its own little lake.
The first thing we did after lunch was find a tire shop. Amazingly enough, a Discount Tire that the park employees told us about had the tire we needed in stock. They were incredibly busy but we weren’t in a big hurry and Terry did have them balance the tire. There was no Chev dealer nearby so we returned to the park and relaxed for a while before deciding to check out the pool. It is a little ways from our site and the temperature was a toasty 109 so we drove rather than walked. Immediately, we got a message on the DIC saying “Cleaning DPF, keep driving until this message goes off” so we headed for the freeway while I dug out the manual. I found out that DPF is “diesel particulate filter” and cleaning happens often and unnoticeably. But sometimes it needs more cleaning which results in the message and can take up to 30 minutes of CONTINUOUS driving above 30 mph with no extended idling which meant we were in the perfect place on the freeway. After 15 minutes, we turned around and the message – and the check engine light - obediently went off less than 10 minutes later – YES, one more glitch handled!
Now it was time to head for the sparkly clean pool where the water temperature was perfect. I can’t figure out how they keep it cool enough in this heat. There are a lot of rigs in this park but only a young woman & her small son were in the pool with us. I think most of the tenants are living here full time.
After we were sufficiently wrinkled, we headed back to the rig for drinks, dinner & TV.
Aug 30th – Tues – San Antonio
After breakfast we went “downtown” where the Riverwalk and the Alamo commemoration site are located. The office here had told us about a place to park which at $10 for a day is the cheapest price. We wandered to the Riverwalk and took a boat tour. We did this the last time we were here but again it is amazing how much you forget especially when the guide is spouting facts for 35 minutes. A young family sitting next to us was from Spokane.
Even though the temperatures were climbing rapidly, we walked a lot along the river and then through a multi-story shopping complex. We sat at a table outside to have a beer and watch the ducks, pigeons & carp snap up any bits of food.
It was too hot to do much more so we tried to find a couple of places to check out FTA (free to air) but they were both not there any more. So we stopped at a Big Lots and came back to the park where we hit the pool again. This time there was one young lady sunbathing and 3 people came just as we were leaving. Then it was time for another quiet evening.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Aug 26th to 28th - Carlsbad NM to Kerrville TX
Aug 26th – Fri – to Carlsbad NM
After replacing the landing jack clips and moving to the dump to empty our waste tanks, we were on the road about 9. This meant we avoided rush hour traffic which can be pretty bad in Albuquerque. Terry thought we would take I25 south to I10 but when I checked on the GPS, it was almost 100 miles further than going about 40 miles east on I40 and then south on 285 – thank you Wanda!
We stopped for diesel in Vaughn, for a sandwich in a rest area somewhere south of that and pulled into Carlsbad RV & Campgrounds just after 2. The temperature was 103 so after setting up and drinking a glass of ice water, we checked out the indoor “heated” pool. I still can’t figure out where they got cold water for the pool as I could not run enough water to get cold water in our tap! It took Terry a while to ease into the pool but it was very refreshing.
On the way back to our rig, we paused to speak to a couple who had just checked in and who we had passed on the highway earlier today - we recognized their tow car. We told them that we were going to the bat flight this evening at Carlsbad Caverns and they decided to go as well. The bat flight program started at 7 and the bats started flying out of the cave about 7:40. It was very disappointing as there is a much smaller colony this year due to dry conditions and fewer mosquitoes for the bats to eat. Last year the bats looked like smoke coming out of the cave and formed visible “clouds” as they flew away.
It was still 91 degrees when we got back at 8:30 but the AC was doing a good job.
Aug 27th – Sat – Carlsbad
We lazed around a bit and had breakfast before we went back to Carlsbad Caverns. We walked down the Natural Entrance and then did the loop around the Big Room. We have done this before and it is amazing how much you don’t remember. It is so incredible that we have Senior Passes and get into national parks for free as it certainly encourages us to repeat these visits. The 2 larger elevators are being renovated but there weren’t a lot of people so we didn’t have to wait to take the elevator 750 feet back to the top. Even a wait would have been better than walking back out the Natural Entrance – 1 ¼ miles with an elevation gain of 800 feet.
Back in town, we filled up with diesel and stopped for a hamburger for lunch. We relaxed for a while and did some research & emails on the computer and then went to WalMart for some ingredients for dinner.
Aug 28th – Sun – to Kerrville TX
I personally think we are crazy – heading east & south in the summer when nearly everywhere in the country is having hotter than usual temperatures.
We left at 8 intending to stop at Sonora Caverns but decided we had enough caves for a while and carried on to By the River RV Park & Campground just outside of Kerrville and just off I10. We did stop for fuel & lunch in Ozona (!!) but otherwise just cruised along the freeway and kept the AC going. There is not much to see in the part of Texas that we drove through.
Apparently a lot of snow birds stay in the Kerrville/Fredericksburg area of Texas because of the low prices and moderate temperatures. The employee who checked us in was from Colorado and didn’t know the winter temps here however.
We are in a large, shady spot on a sluggish fork of the Guadalupe River. When we set up, it was 104 outside and 100 inside. We sat outside in the shade for a while to give the AC time to get the inside cooled off, took a walk to the river proper and then crashed inside. We got a bit of a thunder/rain storm which really turned up the humidity and definitely convinced us to watch TV inside for the rest of the evening.
After replacing the landing jack clips and moving to the dump to empty our waste tanks, we were on the road about 9. This meant we avoided rush hour traffic which can be pretty bad in Albuquerque. Terry thought we would take I25 south to I10 but when I checked on the GPS, it was almost 100 miles further than going about 40 miles east on I40 and then south on 285 – thank you Wanda!
We stopped for diesel in Vaughn, for a sandwich in a rest area somewhere south of that and pulled into Carlsbad RV & Campgrounds just after 2. The temperature was 103 so after setting up and drinking a glass of ice water, we checked out the indoor “heated” pool. I still can’t figure out where they got cold water for the pool as I could not run enough water to get cold water in our tap! It took Terry a while to ease into the pool but it was very refreshing.
On the way back to our rig, we paused to speak to a couple who had just checked in and who we had passed on the highway earlier today - we recognized their tow car. We told them that we were going to the bat flight this evening at Carlsbad Caverns and they decided to go as well. The bat flight program started at 7 and the bats started flying out of the cave about 7:40. It was very disappointing as there is a much smaller colony this year due to dry conditions and fewer mosquitoes for the bats to eat. Last year the bats looked like smoke coming out of the cave and formed visible “clouds” as they flew away.
It was still 91 degrees when we got back at 8:30 but the AC was doing a good job.
Aug 27th – Sat – Carlsbad
We lazed around a bit and had breakfast before we went back to Carlsbad Caverns. We walked down the Natural Entrance and then did the loop around the Big Room. We have done this before and it is amazing how much you don’t remember. It is so incredible that we have Senior Passes and get into national parks for free as it certainly encourages us to repeat these visits. The 2 larger elevators are being renovated but there weren’t a lot of people so we didn’t have to wait to take the elevator 750 feet back to the top. Even a wait would have been better than walking back out the Natural Entrance – 1 ¼ miles with an elevation gain of 800 feet.
Back in town, we filled up with diesel and stopped for a hamburger for lunch. We relaxed for a while and did some research & emails on the computer and then went to WalMart for some ingredients for dinner.
Aug 28th – Sun – to Kerrville TX
I personally think we are crazy – heading east & south in the summer when nearly everywhere in the country is having hotter than usual temperatures.
We left at 8 intending to stop at Sonora Caverns but decided we had enough caves for a while and carried on to By the River RV Park & Campground just outside of Kerrville and just off I10. We did stop for fuel & lunch in Ozona (!!) but otherwise just cruised along the freeway and kept the AC going. There is not much to see in the part of Texas that we drove through.
Apparently a lot of snow birds stay in the Kerrville/Fredericksburg area of Texas because of the low prices and moderate temperatures. The employee who checked us in was from Colorado and didn’t know the winter temps here however.
We are in a large, shady spot on a sluggish fork of the Guadalupe River. When we set up, it was 104 outside and 100 inside. We sat outside in the shade for a while to give the AC time to get the inside cooled off, took a walk to the river proper and then crashed inside. We got a bit of a thunder/rain storm which really turned up the humidity and definitely convinced us to watch TV inside for the rest of the evening.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Aug 22nd to 25th - Bernalillo
Aug 22nd – Mon – Bernalillo
I researched on the computer for oil change places and we went to find one. On the way we saw a WalMart and decided to try it again. This time the employee knew how to find the torque that he needed (a large chart that the other store should have had?) and there was no one in line. Getting an oil change at WalMart also gives you something to do while you are waiting!
As we were going to our next errand, we realized that we could get a $2.99 breakfast at the casino and since it was after 10 it was a good idea. Of course it cost us a bit more with some gambling but not much.
We went to a trailer supply place that a neighbor in the park told us about to get new spring-loaded clips for the landing jacks. One of them broke when we were in Canon City and the repair shop welded it but it didn’t slide well and Terry didn’t trust it. At the store we discovered that there are 2 sizes and we didn’t know our size so off we went to find an RV dealer with a Montana. We finally found one and decided not to buy their clips at $59.00 a pair but went back to the first place to buy them for $33.
On the way back we had to go right past another large casino. The weather was very hot and air conditioning sounded good so we stopped. I did OK and slowed the losses even if I didn’t cover Terry completely. Back at the rig we turned on the air & TV and enjoyed a drink before dinner. We stumbled onto a TV program called “American Ninja”. It was an entertaining 2 hours about 10 Americans trying to complete an obstacle course in Japan.
Aug 23rd – Tues – Bernalillo
After coffee & a bowl of fruit, we went to see the camp host and pay for our site. It costs $22 a night and includes 50 amp electric & water. There is no sewer but there is a dump in the park. We figure it is a good price and we can pay an extra $5 to wash the 5th wheel so we will stay a few more days. We ended up chatting with the host (Nancy) and a city employee – this is a city owned campground – for quite a while.
The water pressure disappeared late yesterday and was still bad this morning. Terry checked every connection as it seemed as if there was more water at the tap than in the rig. When we talked to Nancy we found out they had the same problem and then we saw a short item on TV that said Bernalillo lost a water pump so we knew it wasn’t just us. But that put a crimp in the plans to wash the rig.
I made breakfast about 11 and then we went to check out a golf course that we can see from the campground. We had to go past the casino to get there and decided on the way back that we could play golf tomorrow morning (when it is cooler) or we could spend the money in casinos. You can probably guess what we chose!! Yep, the casino again where we played a long time on half our normal allowance.
We had more water when we returned so Terry got everything out and washed the 5th wheel. I cleaned one recliner and washed the fan blades (embarrassing!) before helping Terry by using a long handled squeegee to wipe off the water.
We were just finishing when a neighbor moved in. We found out that they (Bob & Leah) lived in Pierre SD and lost their home in the recent floods. Of course in an area that rarely floods, they did not have flood insurance so they bought an older motor home & tow vehicle and are heading for San Diego for a new start. We invited them to join us for hamburgers for dinner which we were able to enjoy outside in our private casita which is another reason why we like this park.
Aug 24th – Wed – Bernalillo
Here is something you haven’t heard for a while – jelly biscuits for breakfast. Then we did more cleaning & organizing & visiting with neighbors before finding a laundromat. Yesterday laundromats and car washes were closed in Bernalillo due to the water pump problem.
Then we felt we deserved a break and headed once more to the nearby casino as they had specials today for 50 & “better” card holders. Terry once again won some money and kept us going for the rest of the afternoon.
About 4:30 we decided to take advantage of the half price, very good buffet for us older folks.
We came back to the rig expecting it to be cool from the air conditioning that we left running. Oops, Terry cannot read the thermostat and just turned on the fan so it was HOT.
There have been thunderstorms and flash flood warnings all over New Mexico since we have been here but we are not in an area affected by the floods. We had a bit of rain in the evening – naturally since we washed the rig!
Aug 25th – Thurs – Bernalillo
There was a lot of lightning, thunder and short rain storms last night. We didn’t sleep too well so were lazy and watched TV in bed before getting going. After breakfast, I backed up files on the computer and worked on expenses while Terry washed the outside of the windows on the 5th wheel. The weather is still very hot so this time we set the air conditioner correctly before going for a drive and then stopping for groceries & misc items at WalMart.
We have been looking at the Atlas and browsing the internet to decide where we are going from here and finally decided that we are going back to San Antonio TX. The weather was cool and rainy when we stopped there previously so we want to check it out again.
I researched on the computer for oil change places and we went to find one. On the way we saw a WalMart and decided to try it again. This time the employee knew how to find the torque that he needed (a large chart that the other store should have had?) and there was no one in line. Getting an oil change at WalMart also gives you something to do while you are waiting!
As we were going to our next errand, we realized that we could get a $2.99 breakfast at the casino and since it was after 10 it was a good idea. Of course it cost us a bit more with some gambling but not much.
We went to a trailer supply place that a neighbor in the park told us about to get new spring-loaded clips for the landing jacks. One of them broke when we were in Canon City and the repair shop welded it but it didn’t slide well and Terry didn’t trust it. At the store we discovered that there are 2 sizes and we didn’t know our size so off we went to find an RV dealer with a Montana. We finally found one and decided not to buy their clips at $59.00 a pair but went back to the first place to buy them for $33.
On the way back we had to go right past another large casino. The weather was very hot and air conditioning sounded good so we stopped. I did OK and slowed the losses even if I didn’t cover Terry completely. Back at the rig we turned on the air & TV and enjoyed a drink before dinner. We stumbled onto a TV program called “American Ninja”. It was an entertaining 2 hours about 10 Americans trying to complete an obstacle course in Japan.
Aug 23rd – Tues – Bernalillo
After coffee & a bowl of fruit, we went to see the camp host and pay for our site. It costs $22 a night and includes 50 amp electric & water. There is no sewer but there is a dump in the park. We figure it is a good price and we can pay an extra $5 to wash the 5th wheel so we will stay a few more days. We ended up chatting with the host (Nancy) and a city employee – this is a city owned campground – for quite a while.
The water pressure disappeared late yesterday and was still bad this morning. Terry checked every connection as it seemed as if there was more water at the tap than in the rig. When we talked to Nancy we found out they had the same problem and then we saw a short item on TV that said Bernalillo lost a water pump so we knew it wasn’t just us. But that put a crimp in the plans to wash the rig.
I made breakfast about 11 and then we went to check out a golf course that we can see from the campground. We had to go past the casino to get there and decided on the way back that we could play golf tomorrow morning (when it is cooler) or we could spend the money in casinos. You can probably guess what we chose!! Yep, the casino again where we played a long time on half our normal allowance.
We had more water when we returned so Terry got everything out and washed the 5th wheel. I cleaned one recliner and washed the fan blades (embarrassing!) before helping Terry by using a long handled squeegee to wipe off the water.
We were just finishing when a neighbor moved in. We found out that they (Bob & Leah) lived in Pierre SD and lost their home in the recent floods. Of course in an area that rarely floods, they did not have flood insurance so they bought an older motor home & tow vehicle and are heading for San Diego for a new start. We invited them to join us for hamburgers for dinner which we were able to enjoy outside in our private casita which is another reason why we like this park.
Aug 24th – Wed – Bernalillo
Here is something you haven’t heard for a while – jelly biscuits for breakfast. Then we did more cleaning & organizing & visiting with neighbors before finding a laundromat. Yesterday laundromats and car washes were closed in Bernalillo due to the water pump problem.
Then we felt we deserved a break and headed once more to the nearby casino as they had specials today for 50 & “better” card holders. Terry once again won some money and kept us going for the rest of the afternoon.
About 4:30 we decided to take advantage of the half price, very good buffet for us older folks.
We came back to the rig expecting it to be cool from the air conditioning that we left running. Oops, Terry cannot read the thermostat and just turned on the fan so it was HOT.
There have been thunderstorms and flash flood warnings all over New Mexico since we have been here but we are not in an area affected by the floods. We had a bit of rain in the evening – naturally since we washed the rig!
Aug 25th – Thurs – Bernalillo
There was a lot of lightning, thunder and short rain storms last night. We didn’t sleep too well so were lazy and watched TV in bed before getting going. After breakfast, I backed up files on the computer and worked on expenses while Terry washed the outside of the windows on the 5th wheel. The weather is still very hot so this time we set the air conditioner correctly before going for a drive and then stopping for groceries & misc items at WalMart.
We have been looking at the Atlas and browsing the internet to decide where we are going from here and finally decided that we are going back to San Antonio TX. The weather was cool and rainy when we stopped there previously so we want to check it out again.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Aug 19th to 21st - CO to NM
Aug 19th –Fri – to Salida
We continued with the waiting and trying to contact the insurance company. We did the coffee & doughnuts in the park again this morning and then back to the repair facility where Terry told me about a waiting room so I didn’t have to sit outside on a hard bench to read. The wheels finally got there about 3 but then we had to wait some more while someone went to get lug nuts and then made another trip to get the correct size of lug nuts!
Our rig was finally pulled out about 4:30 and we were on our way west. We were about 7 miles out of town and just about to lose cell coverage when the service manager called and said our microwave turntable was sitting in the office. I said we would be back, we found a place to turn around and headed back. Just as we were pulling off the highway, we saw the service manager turning around to go back to the shop as he saw us. We lost cell coverage as I was talking to him and he didn’t hear that we were coming back. So we got the turntable and headed out once again.
We ran out of water in the rig this morning and I asked Terry a couple of times to find a way to put some water in but in the relief of getting everything done he forgot. So we drove past a few dry camping areas to a campsite that we had seen on our previous trip to Salida. We pulled in only to find that they did not have any vacancies. We passed WalMart and finally decided that since it was close to 7 we better not drive further hoping to find a place to stay. We returned to WalMart, went in and bought 3 gallons of water and stayed there overnight.
Aug 20th – Sat – to Great Sand Dunes National Park
Terry returned a socket for the new lug nuts that he bought at WalMart (wrong drive size) and we were on our way fairly early. We went through Alamosa and then west & north to just before Sand Dunes Park to an RV park that we found in a brochure. We had no trouble getting a spot as all the UFO people (!?) are camping in the tenting area.
We set up, put some water in the fresh tank, did some cleaning and had a late breakfast. A young couple on a motorcycle who camped beside us was leaving. They had broken a latch on a storage box and lost their map so we gave them a map and a strap with Velcro to hold the box together. Then we went to Great Sand Dunes Ntl Park a few miles away. We watched a film, browsed through the visitor center and drove to a parking area where a lot of people head into the dunes. We had sandals on and they are not recommended as the sand gets very hot so we took pictures and came back.
Then it was back to Alamosa for diesel, a socket and an oil change. I guess 2 out of 3 is OK. We tried to get an oil change at WalMart (only place in town to get one on Sat afternoon) but they did not have the specs for the drain plug torque (rig is too new?!!) so they couldn’t do it. We got some steaks for dinner, hit a rain storm on the way back and relaxed. The rain was over by the time we got back to our site so Terry didn’t get wet when he BBQ’d the steaks and we were able to go for a nice walk after dinner.
Aug 21st – Sun – to Bernalillo NM
We woke up early as we went to bed early so we were on the road just after 8. We went back to Alamosa and then pretty much straight south. We drove through several rain showers on the way but most of the areas looked like they needed rain. It would have been a 4 hour drive but we stopped for lunch and a little gambling at a casino.
We got set up at the Coronado Campground where we have stayed before. Then we decided that we didn’t have quite enough gambling so we went to the Santa Ana Star Casino which is way too close to the campground.
It was time for happy hour when we got back and then dinner.
We continued with the waiting and trying to contact the insurance company. We did the coffee & doughnuts in the park again this morning and then back to the repair facility where Terry told me about a waiting room so I didn’t have to sit outside on a hard bench to read. The wheels finally got there about 3 but then we had to wait some more while someone went to get lug nuts and then made another trip to get the correct size of lug nuts!
Our rig was finally pulled out about 4:30 and we were on our way west. We were about 7 miles out of town and just about to lose cell coverage when the service manager called and said our microwave turntable was sitting in the office. I said we would be back, we found a place to turn around and headed back. Just as we were pulling off the highway, we saw the service manager turning around to go back to the shop as he saw us. We lost cell coverage as I was talking to him and he didn’t hear that we were coming back. So we got the turntable and headed out once again.
We ran out of water in the rig this morning and I asked Terry a couple of times to find a way to put some water in but in the relief of getting everything done he forgot. So we drove past a few dry camping areas to a campsite that we had seen on our previous trip to Salida. We pulled in only to find that they did not have any vacancies. We passed WalMart and finally decided that since it was close to 7 we better not drive further hoping to find a place to stay. We returned to WalMart, went in and bought 3 gallons of water and stayed there overnight.
Aug 20th – Sat – to Great Sand Dunes National Park
Terry returned a socket for the new lug nuts that he bought at WalMart (wrong drive size) and we were on our way fairly early. We went through Alamosa and then west & north to just before Sand Dunes Park to an RV park that we found in a brochure. We had no trouble getting a spot as all the UFO people (!?) are camping in the tenting area.
We set up, put some water in the fresh tank, did some cleaning and had a late breakfast. A young couple on a motorcycle who camped beside us was leaving. They had broken a latch on a storage box and lost their map so we gave them a map and a strap with Velcro to hold the box together. Then we went to Great Sand Dunes Ntl Park a few miles away. We watched a film, browsed through the visitor center and drove to a parking area where a lot of people head into the dunes. We had sandals on and they are not recommended as the sand gets very hot so we took pictures and came back.
Then it was back to Alamosa for diesel, a socket and an oil change. I guess 2 out of 3 is OK. We tried to get an oil change at WalMart (only place in town to get one on Sat afternoon) but they did not have the specs for the drain plug torque (rig is too new?!!) so they couldn’t do it. We got some steaks for dinner, hit a rain storm on the way back and relaxed. The rain was over by the time we got back to our site so Terry didn’t get wet when he BBQ’d the steaks and we were able to go for a nice walk after dinner.
Aug 21st – Sun – to Bernalillo NM
We woke up early as we went to bed early so we were on the road just after 8. We went back to Alamosa and then pretty much straight south. We drove through several rain showers on the way but most of the areas looked like they needed rain. It would have been a 4 hour drive but we stopped for lunch and a little gambling at a casino.
We got set up at the Coronado Campground where we have stayed before. Then we decided that we didn’t have quite enough gambling so we went to the Santa Ana Star Casino which is way too close to the campground.
It was time for happy hour when we got back and then dinner.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Aug 16th to 18th - Canon City
Aug 16th – Tues – Canon City
We got going early this morning to get the 5th wheel into the repair shop at 8. Then we stopped at WalMart to get coffee & doughnuts and went to a nice city park to enjoy them. We walked up & down the old historic downtown area of Canon City but some stores didn’t open until 10 so it didn’t take us too long.
Next we went to Colorado Springs to pick up replacement tires. We were waiting for insurance approval to get wheels in Denver but didn’t hear anything so stopped at Costco for lunch & shopping and came on back. The problem with the mag wheels is that our design is no longer made. The repair shop found one in Elkhart, Indiana but the cost of the wheel and the air freight to get it here in less than 3 weeks was prohibitive so the service manager asked the insurance company to buy 5 new wheels for less money.
We hung around the repair shop when we got back – I sat in the shade and read a book and Terry put pressure on the employees by hanging around & pacing. They pulled our 5th wheel out beside the shop so we could stay in it overnight. The gate is locked at 5:30 so we walked to the nearby WalMart and got chicken for dinner. We do get some TV reception here but not very good and few channels. But our cell phones and wifi access work!!
Aug 17th – Wed – Canon City
Again we were up early as the repair guy said he would arrive at 7:30 and he did. The manager’s daughter was going to pick up the wheels in Denver so we went for a drive west to Salida. Just past the RV park where we were staying, the road drops quickly to the level of the Arkansas River which runs through the Royal Gorge. It was a lovely drive to Salida where we stopped at a tourist information place and then went for breakfast. They also had a “historic” downtown area so we parked to see what was there. The first thing we saw was the Arkansas River running right along the edge of town with a little bridge with a cement rail perfect for leaning on and watching kayakers practice rolls in rapids. We continued on up & down the street, wandering through several fun stores and buying nothing.
We still had lots of time to kill so we made a loop south then east to Westcliffe, Wetmore & Pueblo. We had just filled up with diesel in Pueblo when the service manager called and said the insurance company would not approve the new wheels and told him to “buy one that matches the best”! One we got headed back, I called the insurance rep only to be told that she works 7:30 to 4 EST and it was now 2:01 so I got her voice mail.
Back in Canon City, we found out that the wheel fender & decal had not arrived today so they pulled the body guy off our rig since it couldn’t be finished until tomorrow anyhow. So more reading & more pacing and we are back in our rig in the repair facility lot. Terry is outside right now probably rehearsing what he will say to the insurance rep tomorrow.
I don’t think I mentioned that the “n” in Canon has an accent ‘ ᷃ ‘ (which I can’t get inserted in the blog) which makes the name pronounced “Canyon” – like the ‘pina’ in front of ‘colada’.
Aug 18th – Thurs – Canon City
This entry will sound much like yesterday’s. Up early to be ready to pull in the slides when the mechanic showed up at 7:30, then try to call the insurance rep and then try to figure out what to do all day. We had received an email from the insurance rep which didn’t help much so we left to go to Cripple Creek to the casinos. About 5 miles down the road I suggested that maybe an email would get through so we turned around, got our computer, sent a response and continued on to Cripple Creek. When we got there and had cell coverage again, we had a voice mail from the insurance rep but of course got her voice mail again.
Thursday is Senior’s day at one casino so we took advantage of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast & coffee for breakfast for $2.22 each before we proceeded to lose our allowances. We headed back to Canon City and the repair shop for reading & pacing. Do you see a pattern here?
About 2:30 we decided to go to Dairy Queen for ice cream and of course go the phone call we were waiting for as we were driving. Terry stated our case to the insurance rep and she agreed that they would pay for tires and she would look into the wheel situation. We went back and told the service manager about this development and then went for ice cream.
The wheel fender & decal arrived but the molding around the hot water tank arrived with bends in it so another one should be here tomorrow. The side metal is installed & painted, the wheel fender is installed and we are back in the parking lot for the night. We are on the opposite side of the repair facility and we get 6 clear TV channels and are plugged into 30 Amp so can run the air conditioner. Considering that it is still in the high 80’s at 8 o’clock, that is a good thing.
We have high hopes that we will be out of here late tomorrow afternoon.
We got going early this morning to get the 5th wheel into the repair shop at 8. Then we stopped at WalMart to get coffee & doughnuts and went to a nice city park to enjoy them. We walked up & down the old historic downtown area of Canon City but some stores didn’t open until 10 so it didn’t take us too long.
Next we went to Colorado Springs to pick up replacement tires. We were waiting for insurance approval to get wheels in Denver but didn’t hear anything so stopped at Costco for lunch & shopping and came on back. The problem with the mag wheels is that our design is no longer made. The repair shop found one in Elkhart, Indiana but the cost of the wheel and the air freight to get it here in less than 3 weeks was prohibitive so the service manager asked the insurance company to buy 5 new wheels for less money.
We hung around the repair shop when we got back – I sat in the shade and read a book and Terry put pressure on the employees by hanging around & pacing. They pulled our 5th wheel out beside the shop so we could stay in it overnight. The gate is locked at 5:30 so we walked to the nearby WalMart and got chicken for dinner. We do get some TV reception here but not very good and few channels. But our cell phones and wifi access work!!
Aug 17th – Wed – Canon City
Again we were up early as the repair guy said he would arrive at 7:30 and he did. The manager’s daughter was going to pick up the wheels in Denver so we went for a drive west to Salida. Just past the RV park where we were staying, the road drops quickly to the level of the Arkansas River which runs through the Royal Gorge. It was a lovely drive to Salida where we stopped at a tourist information place and then went for breakfast. They also had a “historic” downtown area so we parked to see what was there. The first thing we saw was the Arkansas River running right along the edge of town with a little bridge with a cement rail perfect for leaning on and watching kayakers practice rolls in rapids. We continued on up & down the street, wandering through several fun stores and buying nothing.
We still had lots of time to kill so we made a loop south then east to Westcliffe, Wetmore & Pueblo. We had just filled up with diesel in Pueblo when the service manager called and said the insurance company would not approve the new wheels and told him to “buy one that matches the best”! One we got headed back, I called the insurance rep only to be told that she works 7:30 to 4 EST and it was now 2:01 so I got her voice mail.
Back in Canon City, we found out that the wheel fender & decal had not arrived today so they pulled the body guy off our rig since it couldn’t be finished until tomorrow anyhow. So more reading & more pacing and we are back in our rig in the repair facility lot. Terry is outside right now probably rehearsing what he will say to the insurance rep tomorrow.
I don’t think I mentioned that the “n” in Canon has an accent ‘ ᷃ ‘ (which I can’t get inserted in the blog) which makes the name pronounced “Canyon” – like the ‘pina’ in front of ‘colada’.
Aug 18th – Thurs – Canon City
This entry will sound much like yesterday’s. Up early to be ready to pull in the slides when the mechanic showed up at 7:30, then try to call the insurance rep and then try to figure out what to do all day. We had received an email from the insurance rep which didn’t help much so we left to go to Cripple Creek to the casinos. About 5 miles down the road I suggested that maybe an email would get through so we turned around, got our computer, sent a response and continued on to Cripple Creek. When we got there and had cell coverage again, we had a voice mail from the insurance rep but of course got her voice mail again.
Thursday is Senior’s day at one casino so we took advantage of bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast & coffee for breakfast for $2.22 each before we proceeded to lose our allowances. We headed back to Canon City and the repair shop for reading & pacing. Do you see a pattern here?
About 2:30 we decided to go to Dairy Queen for ice cream and of course go the phone call we were waiting for as we were driving. Terry stated our case to the insurance rep and she agreed that they would pay for tires and she would look into the wheel situation. We went back and told the service manager about this development and then went for ice cream.
The wheel fender & decal arrived but the molding around the hot water tank arrived with bends in it so another one should be here tomorrow. The side metal is installed & painted, the wheel fender is installed and we are back in the parking lot for the night. We are on the opposite side of the repair facility and we get 6 clear TV channels and are plugged into 30 Amp so can run the air conditioner. Considering that it is still in the high 80’s at 8 o’clock, that is a good thing.
We have high hopes that we will be out of here late tomorrow afternoon.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Aug 13th ot 15th - Canon City
Aug 13th – Sat – Canon City
I stayed in bed and read while Terry drank coffee and started watching another movie. Then I decided that it was time to figure out how to secure our recliners so they don’t turn and rock when we travel. We have tried several variations of crossing the existing straps but nothing works really well and a blanket between the backs of the chairs will not stay in place. We bought some fleece fabric so I added elastic to secure it over one chair. Terry got out a box with various straps, moved some D-rings and figured out that we needed a couple more rings.
We headed into town to get them and to visit the repair place to see what is happening with our parts. The main service guy was not in but another guy said the wheel well skirt will not be a problem to get but the mag wheels are not easy to find. We went to a couple of places looking for the D-rings – and found them - stopped at Verizon for some information and came back to the park where I made a late, light lunch.
Terry wanted to talk to the service guy who was due back about 3 so he went back to town while I caught up on expenses. The service guy ended up not getting back to the shop so we don’t know any more.
We were going to have all-you-can-eat ribs at a nearby restaurant and were told that they sold out last week so we should get there about 4. There were few cars there at 4 so we came back and had a drink. We drove by again at 5:30 and there were still not many customers so we decided to go to the Fireman’s Ball instead which the owner of the park told us about. It was held at a bar & restaurant just down the street and had a buffet dinner and a dance later. After we ate, we found out that the band didn’t start until 9. We didn’t want to sit & drink until then so we came back to the rig for a while and then went back for the dance. We had a beer while we waited for them to set up, listened to 2 songs and decided that we were definitely too old even though the music was supposed to be from the 60’s & 70’s.
Aug 14th – Sun – Canon City
We left early to drive to Manitou Springs just west of Colorado Springs to take the cog railway up Pike’s Peak. We had lots of time to stop for breakfast at a pancake house. We saw cars parked all along the narrow, hilly road up to the railway station so when we saw a parking lot advertising $5 parking near the station, we pulled in. After we picked up our tickets, we discovered a free lot for train customers a little further up the road!
Our train left a few minutes late at 10:45 for the nearly 9 mile, 1 hour & 20 minute steep ride to the top. There was a very personable “conductor” on our car who pointed out things to see, provided little history lessons and included a few jokes. We sat across from a young couple who live in Denver and enjoyed talking with them.
We had about 35 minutes at the top to walk around, take pictures and visit the gift shop and snack bar. I had read on the website that it would be cool at the 14,100 foot elevation so we wore long pants and took light jackets which we were glad to have. You can drive up the mountain on a toll road and a lot of vehicles were parked at the top. A 13 mile hiking path also goes up the mountain and a lot of in-shape, ambitious people walk up or hike at least part of the way.
It started to rain when we were going down. We went to The Garden of the Gods but just drove through and took pictures rather than get out in the rain for closer shots. We stopped for a hamburger and then came back via Cripple Creek and visited a casino that we missed last time! Terry started out winning money while I slowly lost. Then we turned around with Terry giving back the money he won and me winning a bit but not keeping it. When we were walking out, I had $10 left so we each took $5. I lost mine and Terry turned his into $20 so we cashed out and drove home. We got home about 8:30 and had ice cream for dinner.
Aug 15th – Mon – Canon City
Terry got up fairly early and played games on the computer. I read for a while in bed and finally got up and got going. After breakfast, we made yet another trip into town to the repair shop. I sat on a bench and had a lovely long chat with cousin Pat while Terry waited to talk to the service manager and then paced around waiting for me to get off the phone to tell me that we had to come in later in the afternoon. We stopped at Radio Shack to get some information about Dish Network which was a waste of time. Back at the rig Terry did some research on the computer while I did some cleaning and then made lunch.
I got the use of the clubhouse to do a couple more loads of laundry. Terry carried it over and then left to go to the repair shop again. I had just finished when Terry came back and said we would take the 5th wheel in tomorrow morning for the sheet metal work, stay in it in the yard of the RV/repair place tomorrow night and then they would paint on Wednesday. We will also probably have to drive to Colorado Springs and maybe Denver to pick up tires and wheels so we can get on the road again soon.
I think blown tires are part of our life right now. We were coming back from town today and a truck going the other way blew a tire just as we passed it. Terry jumped and swerved and I wasn’t sure if the tire was ours or his for a moment.
I stayed in bed and read while Terry drank coffee and started watching another movie. Then I decided that it was time to figure out how to secure our recliners so they don’t turn and rock when we travel. We have tried several variations of crossing the existing straps but nothing works really well and a blanket between the backs of the chairs will not stay in place. We bought some fleece fabric so I added elastic to secure it over one chair. Terry got out a box with various straps, moved some D-rings and figured out that we needed a couple more rings.
We headed into town to get them and to visit the repair place to see what is happening with our parts. The main service guy was not in but another guy said the wheel well skirt will not be a problem to get but the mag wheels are not easy to find. We went to a couple of places looking for the D-rings – and found them - stopped at Verizon for some information and came back to the park where I made a late, light lunch.
Terry wanted to talk to the service guy who was due back about 3 so he went back to town while I caught up on expenses. The service guy ended up not getting back to the shop so we don’t know any more.
We were going to have all-you-can-eat ribs at a nearby restaurant and were told that they sold out last week so we should get there about 4. There were few cars there at 4 so we came back and had a drink. We drove by again at 5:30 and there were still not many customers so we decided to go to the Fireman’s Ball instead which the owner of the park told us about. It was held at a bar & restaurant just down the street and had a buffet dinner and a dance later. After we ate, we found out that the band didn’t start until 9. We didn’t want to sit & drink until then so we came back to the rig for a while and then went back for the dance. We had a beer while we waited for them to set up, listened to 2 songs and decided that we were definitely too old even though the music was supposed to be from the 60’s & 70’s.
Aug 14th – Sun – Canon City
We left early to drive to Manitou Springs just west of Colorado Springs to take the cog railway up Pike’s Peak. We had lots of time to stop for breakfast at a pancake house. We saw cars parked all along the narrow, hilly road up to the railway station so when we saw a parking lot advertising $5 parking near the station, we pulled in. After we picked up our tickets, we discovered a free lot for train customers a little further up the road!
Our train left a few minutes late at 10:45 for the nearly 9 mile, 1 hour & 20 minute steep ride to the top. There was a very personable “conductor” on our car who pointed out things to see, provided little history lessons and included a few jokes. We sat across from a young couple who live in Denver and enjoyed talking with them.
We had about 35 minutes at the top to walk around, take pictures and visit the gift shop and snack bar. I had read on the website that it would be cool at the 14,100 foot elevation so we wore long pants and took light jackets which we were glad to have. You can drive up the mountain on a toll road and a lot of vehicles were parked at the top. A 13 mile hiking path also goes up the mountain and a lot of in-shape, ambitious people walk up or hike at least part of the way.
It started to rain when we were going down. We went to The Garden of the Gods but just drove through and took pictures rather than get out in the rain for closer shots. We stopped for a hamburger and then came back via Cripple Creek and visited a casino that we missed last time! Terry started out winning money while I slowly lost. Then we turned around with Terry giving back the money he won and me winning a bit but not keeping it. When we were walking out, I had $10 left so we each took $5. I lost mine and Terry turned his into $20 so we cashed out and drove home. We got home about 8:30 and had ice cream for dinner.
Aug 15th – Mon – Canon City
Terry got up fairly early and played games on the computer. I read for a while in bed and finally got up and got going. After breakfast, we made yet another trip into town to the repair shop. I sat on a bench and had a lovely long chat with cousin Pat while Terry waited to talk to the service manager and then paced around waiting for me to get off the phone to tell me that we had to come in later in the afternoon. We stopped at Radio Shack to get some information about Dish Network which was a waste of time. Back at the rig Terry did some research on the computer while I did some cleaning and then made lunch.
I got the use of the clubhouse to do a couple more loads of laundry. Terry carried it over and then left to go to the repair shop again. I had just finished when Terry came back and said we would take the 5th wheel in tomorrow morning for the sheet metal work, stay in it in the yard of the RV/repair place tomorrow night and then they would paint on Wednesday. We will also probably have to drive to Colorado Springs and maybe Denver to pick up tires and wheels so we can get on the road again soon.
I think blown tires are part of our life right now. We were coming back from town today and a truck going the other way blew a tire just as we passed it. Terry jumped and swerved and I wasn’t sure if the tire was ours or his for a moment.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Aug 10th to 12th - Canon City
Aug 10th – Wed - Canon City
When we set up yesterday we discovered another casualty of the tire blowout – our microwave turntable fell on the floor and broke. Since we don’t have phone service, we took the MW model number and insurance contact information to the service guy at Royal Gorge Truck & RV and then went to WalMart where luckily the insurance rep called while we were in cell phone range.
It took a while to wander through WalMart as they had some clearance sales and then we got some groceries.
I made lunch after putting everything away and then we were back out again to check out things to do in the area. We are staying about 1 mile from Royal Gorge which has rafting, zip lines, train rides and museums. Pike’s Peak is also not too far away. We can’t really make any reservations until we have more definite dates on our repairs but we got lots of information.
Back at the park, we went to check out the laundry room and get some quarters. The lady working at the desk asked how long we were staying and when we said a week she told us that she would give us a key so we could use laundry facilities at the clubhouse instead. It was a nice building with TV so we could relax on comfy couches while waiting for the laundry instead of running back & forth to check on it. There was only 2 washers & dryers so by the time we finished it was time for happy hour & dinner.
We get no TV in our rig so we bought a couple of inexpensive DVD’s with multiple movies and watched 3 of them.
Aug 11th – Thurs – Canon City
An employee at the Royal Gorge visitor center told us yesterday about an early, discounted ticket for the Royal Gorge bridge that could be purchased between 7 & 8:30 but could be used all day for the rest of the facilities that opened at 10 or 10:30. Since it is nearby, we went about 8 and bought tickets and then came back to the rig and had breakfast before going back to spend a few hours in Royal Gorge park.
We watched some rafters go down the Arkansas River and saw a tourist train in the bottom of the gorge before we rode the incline railway to the bottom of the gorge. There are 2 “trains” on tracks that go down the side of the gorge. Actually, one goes down while the other comes up. There are viewing platforms at the bottom and you can take as long as you want before catching a train back up. Then we walked across the suspension bridge over the gorge and took pictures. Vehicles can also cross the bridge but it is mainly pedestrians and “golf” carts.
We found some shade to watch a short, comic performance by a young lady and then found the building for a ½ hour magic show. By now we were ready for lunch so we got a BBQ pork sandwich which left a lot to be desired.
The employee at the tourist center had suggested that we ride the tram over and take the bridge back but the tram wasn’t running yet when we walked over the bridge so we found you why she made that suggestion. The walk to the tram (past a “zoo” with buffalo & elk and a petting zoo) was very uphill and it had gotten hot. If you forget that you are hanging 1000 feet over a canyon by a cable with 15 other people in the car, the tram ride is a fun 4 minutes.
We went back to town to check for messages on the phone and to make a quick stop at WalMart. Then it was time for a visit to Dairy Queen for some cooling ice cream on the way back to the RV park.
We were watching more movies with windows open and fans on when it started to rain. We closed all the windows except 2 that slant open rather than slide but they got closed shortly when it started to pour rain and the wind pushed the rain in those windows as well. We lost power for a short time and there were streams of water running down all the hills in the park. We certainly made a good decision to view Royal Gorge in the morning.
Aug 12th – Fri – Canon City
We took advantage of slack time this morning to clean & organize the large cupboard above the TV. It is amazing how long you can search for things before you decide to do something about it!
Then we went to Cripple Creek via Guffey. Guffey is a small, old, western town where everything is an antique store or looks like one. Cripple Creek is an old mining town which has been restored with small casinos. The entire main street is lined with casinos, hotels & restaurants. Buses bring people from Colorado Springs as you can get to the town from the east (Colorado Springs) or the southwest the way we came. We made a circle so the return trip was not as long. The road climbs to over 9000 feet which makes you think you would be in the mountains but there is a lot of level ground and ranches with small hills around them.
We left at 10 and got back at 7:30 so it was a full day. We had lunch there and Terry won enough money to keep himself in the black but not me. I had put meat & gravy in the crock pot so was able to get dinner on the table pretty quickly. Terry went to the office and rented movies to fill the evening.
When we set up yesterday we discovered another casualty of the tire blowout – our microwave turntable fell on the floor and broke. Since we don’t have phone service, we took the MW model number and insurance contact information to the service guy at Royal Gorge Truck & RV and then went to WalMart where luckily the insurance rep called while we were in cell phone range.
It took a while to wander through WalMart as they had some clearance sales and then we got some groceries.
I made lunch after putting everything away and then we were back out again to check out things to do in the area. We are staying about 1 mile from Royal Gorge which has rafting, zip lines, train rides and museums. Pike’s Peak is also not too far away. We can’t really make any reservations until we have more definite dates on our repairs but we got lots of information.
Back at the park, we went to check out the laundry room and get some quarters. The lady working at the desk asked how long we were staying and when we said a week she told us that she would give us a key so we could use laundry facilities at the clubhouse instead. It was a nice building with TV so we could relax on comfy couches while waiting for the laundry instead of running back & forth to check on it. There was only 2 washers & dryers so by the time we finished it was time for happy hour & dinner.
We get no TV in our rig so we bought a couple of inexpensive DVD’s with multiple movies and watched 3 of them.
Aug 11th – Thurs – Canon City
An employee at the Royal Gorge visitor center told us yesterday about an early, discounted ticket for the Royal Gorge bridge that could be purchased between 7 & 8:30 but could be used all day for the rest of the facilities that opened at 10 or 10:30. Since it is nearby, we went about 8 and bought tickets and then came back to the rig and had breakfast before going back to spend a few hours in Royal Gorge park.
We watched some rafters go down the Arkansas River and saw a tourist train in the bottom of the gorge before we rode the incline railway to the bottom of the gorge. There are 2 “trains” on tracks that go down the side of the gorge. Actually, one goes down while the other comes up. There are viewing platforms at the bottom and you can take as long as you want before catching a train back up. Then we walked across the suspension bridge over the gorge and took pictures. Vehicles can also cross the bridge but it is mainly pedestrians and “golf” carts.
We found some shade to watch a short, comic performance by a young lady and then found the building for a ½ hour magic show. By now we were ready for lunch so we got a BBQ pork sandwich which left a lot to be desired.
The employee at the tourist center had suggested that we ride the tram over and take the bridge back but the tram wasn’t running yet when we walked over the bridge so we found you why she made that suggestion. The walk to the tram (past a “zoo” with buffalo & elk and a petting zoo) was very uphill and it had gotten hot. If you forget that you are hanging 1000 feet over a canyon by a cable with 15 other people in the car, the tram ride is a fun 4 minutes.
We went back to town to check for messages on the phone and to make a quick stop at WalMart. Then it was time for a visit to Dairy Queen for some cooling ice cream on the way back to the RV park.
We were watching more movies with windows open and fans on when it started to rain. We closed all the windows except 2 that slant open rather than slide but they got closed shortly when it started to pour rain and the wind pushed the rain in those windows as well. We lost power for a short time and there were streams of water running down all the hills in the park. We certainly made a good decision to view Royal Gorge in the morning.
Aug 12th – Fri – Canon City
We took advantage of slack time this morning to clean & organize the large cupboard above the TV. It is amazing how long you can search for things before you decide to do something about it!
Then we went to Cripple Creek via Guffey. Guffey is a small, old, western town where everything is an antique store or looks like one. Cripple Creek is an old mining town which has been restored with small casinos. The entire main street is lined with casinos, hotels & restaurants. Buses bring people from Colorado Springs as you can get to the town from the east (Colorado Springs) or the southwest the way we came. We made a circle so the return trip was not as long. The road climbs to over 9000 feet which makes you think you would be in the mountains but there is a lot of level ground and ranches with small hills around them.
We left at 10 and got back at 7:30 so it was a full day. We had lunch there and Terry won enough money to keep himself in the black but not me. I had put meat & gravy in the crock pot so was able to get dinner on the table pretty quickly. Terry went to the office and rented movies to fill the evening.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Aug 9th - Canon City CO
Aug 9th – Tues – to Canon City CO
We had a little mishap today. About 25 miles north of Colorado Springs on I25, we blew a tire on the 5th wheel. I was on the phone at the time and heard & felt the “explosion”. The bad news is that it took out or damaged quite a bit of the skirting around the tires.
The highway has a shoulder wide enough to drive on and we were able to pull up a bit to a gravel area and get off a little further. Terry started to walk back to get a large piece of tire off the left freeway lane when a police car pulled up behind us so we set to changing the tire. At this point, the first police car moved into the right freeway lane to force all the traffic to the left lane so we didn’t have to worry about getting hit. A second police car picked up more debris and then parked in the median with his lights on to warn traffic. It was the back, left tire that blew so we pulled the front tire up on a ramp and then jacked the back axle up a bit. We had traffic backed up for a long ways so Terry was really sweating trying to get it done quickly – and was helped by the 80+ temperature.
I got on the GPS & phone looking for RV repair places in Colorado Springs and we found one that wasn’t backed up 2 or 3 weeks. We were there for 1 ½ hours and the guy was still trying to finish the estimate so Terry got mad and we left. We were heading for Canon City anyhow so we carried on – with no spare as the Goodyear dealer in Colorado Springs would have had to order a tire. In Canon City, we drove past the RV park where we thought we were going to stay and said “no way”. This put us right in front of an RV dealer &service place so we pulled in. A very nice, knowledgeable service guy looked at the damage and said he could fix most of it right away by fabricating & painting but would have to order the fender skirt & decals.
We drove about 10 miles further to an area with many RV parks, picked Prospector’s RV and registered for a week. After we set up, we discovered that there is no Verizon access here! We headed back to town to file an insurance claim and get something to eat as we had eaten nothing all day and by now it was 4:30. While I waited on hold with the insurance company, Terry went into WalMart and got dinner.
Back at the RV park, we set out chairs and a table in the shade of a lovely tree right beside our site and had a much deserved drink with dinner.
I normally don’t post just one day on the blog but since we have no phone access, I thought it would be nice for people to know where we will be for a week. We are using the park wifi so at least we are not totally cut off from technology.
We had a little mishap today. About 25 miles north of Colorado Springs on I25, we blew a tire on the 5th wheel. I was on the phone at the time and heard & felt the “explosion”. The bad news is that it took out or damaged quite a bit of the skirting around the tires.
The highway has a shoulder wide enough to drive on and we were able to pull up a bit to a gravel area and get off a little further. Terry started to walk back to get a large piece of tire off the left freeway lane when a police car pulled up behind us so we set to changing the tire. At this point, the first police car moved into the right freeway lane to force all the traffic to the left lane so we didn’t have to worry about getting hit. A second police car picked up more debris and then parked in the median with his lights on to warn traffic. It was the back, left tire that blew so we pulled the front tire up on a ramp and then jacked the back axle up a bit. We had traffic backed up for a long ways so Terry was really sweating trying to get it done quickly – and was helped by the 80+ temperature.
I got on the GPS & phone looking for RV repair places in Colorado Springs and we found one that wasn’t backed up 2 or 3 weeks. We were there for 1 ½ hours and the guy was still trying to finish the estimate so Terry got mad and we left. We were heading for Canon City anyhow so we carried on – with no spare as the Goodyear dealer in Colorado Springs would have had to order a tire. In Canon City, we drove past the RV park where we thought we were going to stay and said “no way”. This put us right in front of an RV dealer &service place so we pulled in. A very nice, knowledgeable service guy looked at the damage and said he could fix most of it right away by fabricating & painting but would have to order the fender skirt & decals.
We drove about 10 miles further to an area with many RV parks, picked Prospector’s RV and registered for a week. After we set up, we discovered that there is no Verizon access here! We headed back to town to file an insurance claim and get something to eat as we had eaten nothing all day and by now it was 4:30. While I waited on hold with the insurance company, Terry went into WalMart and got dinner.
Back at the RV park, we set out chairs and a table in the shade of a lovely tree right beside our site and had a much deserved drink with dinner.
I normally don’t post just one day on the blog but since we have no phone access, I thought it would be nice for people to know where we will be for a week. We are using the park wifi so at least we are not totally cut off from technology.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Aug 7th & 8th - Idaho Springs CO
Aug 7th – Sun – to Idaho Springs CO
We left about 8:30 for our long 53 mile drive to Westminster CO where we were going to stay at an Elk’s Lodge. When we arrived and looked around, the only sites available were very narrow or in the overflow parking lot with electric only so we decided to continue on to Idaho Springs which is west of Denver. We are staying at Cottonwood RV situated on a little creek about a mile off I70 – very peaceful.
We had trouble getting cable TV so the owner came over and put a new end on our cable which solved the problem. After a late breakfast sandwich, we headed to Black Hawk which is 14 miles away and consists of casinos. Like a lot of Colorado that we have seen so far, you drive through narrow, winding canyons with a stream to get there. It doesn’t open up too much so the casinos are all multi-storied and backed into excavated holes in the mountains. We parked in a parking garage which always makes Terry nervous with our big truck but it was high enough and the slots were just wide enough to wiggle into.
We spent the rest of the day and into the evening going from one casino to another. We earned points at one casino to get 4 free buffets (with all-you-can-eat king crab) which we took advantage of for dinner. We weren’t doing too well on the slots but I won a bit of money right before dinner which lasted us until we left about 8.
Aug 8th – Mon – Idaho Springs CO
Yep, we headed back to Black Hawk this morning. We were going to have a breakfast buffet but we were about 10 minutes too late. We checked and found out that the buffets earned yesterday had to be used yesterday so we gambled to get enough points for lunch today. We thought we had enough but found out it was “double points” day so we went back to the slots. On the third spin on a machine, Terry hit a bonus and got $446.90 with his 40 cent bet!
After lunch we continued our casino hopping and gathered cards for our collection. I was not doing well but Terry was pretty lucky. At a machine that we had not played before, he got one symbol across the whole screen and won $100.00!
After dinner that was paid for by coupons from yesterday, we drove to Central City which is just a mile or so away and is more casinos. They are older, smaller casinos and we were pretty much gambled out so we drove through the town – very “restored” and picturesque – and came back a different way on the “Central City Parkway”. This road does not follow a canyon but ends up on the side of a mountain with lovely views and 8 percent grades down to I70.
We left about 8:30 for our long 53 mile drive to Westminster CO where we were going to stay at an Elk’s Lodge. When we arrived and looked around, the only sites available were very narrow or in the overflow parking lot with electric only so we decided to continue on to Idaho Springs which is west of Denver. We are staying at Cottonwood RV situated on a little creek about a mile off I70 – very peaceful.
We had trouble getting cable TV so the owner came over and put a new end on our cable which solved the problem. After a late breakfast sandwich, we headed to Black Hawk which is 14 miles away and consists of casinos. Like a lot of Colorado that we have seen so far, you drive through narrow, winding canyons with a stream to get there. It doesn’t open up too much so the casinos are all multi-storied and backed into excavated holes in the mountains. We parked in a parking garage which always makes Terry nervous with our big truck but it was high enough and the slots were just wide enough to wiggle into.
We spent the rest of the day and into the evening going from one casino to another. We earned points at one casino to get 4 free buffets (with all-you-can-eat king crab) which we took advantage of for dinner. We weren’t doing too well on the slots but I won a bit of money right before dinner which lasted us until we left about 8.
Aug 8th – Mon – Idaho Springs CO
Yep, we headed back to Black Hawk this morning. We were going to have a breakfast buffet but we were about 10 minutes too late. We checked and found out that the buffets earned yesterday had to be used yesterday so we gambled to get enough points for lunch today. We thought we had enough but found out it was “double points” day so we went back to the slots. On the third spin on a machine, Terry hit a bonus and got $446.90 with his 40 cent bet!
After lunch we continued our casino hopping and gathered cards for our collection. I was not doing well but Terry was pretty lucky. At a machine that we had not played before, he got one symbol across the whole screen and won $100.00!
After dinner that was paid for by coupons from yesterday, we drove to Central City which is just a mile or so away and is more casinos. They are older, smaller casinos and we were pretty much gambled out so we drove through the town – very “restored” and picturesque – and came back a different way on the “Central City Parkway”. This road does not follow a canyon but ends up on the side of a mountain with lovely views and 8 percent grades down to I70.
Saturday, August 06, 2011
Aug 4th to 6th - Loveland CO
Aug 4th – Thurs – to Loveland, CO
I kind of misjudged reporting the altitude yesterday – Rawlins is at 6800 feet. We headed to Colorado today. The snow fences we saw yesterday were half of what we saw today. A lot of them are a newer design with posts in the ground and a vertical fence rather than slanted sections with braces on the lee side. As we approached the south side of Wyoming, there was more grass and huge herds of cattle.
We found a PA park in our book but they did not have a space for us for 3 days. They called a park just down the road so we are at the Canyon Valley Campground just west of Loveland. It is a small park off the main road so I expect it to be quiet tonight.
After we set up and had a late lunch, we went back to Loveland so I could get a much overdue haircut. As we walked into WalMart, it started to rain but stopped by the time we were done. We made one more stop at a hardware store before heading back to the campground to relax and have a good dinner.
Aug 5th – Fri – Loveland
I packed a lunch and we went to Rocky Mountain National Park. A couple of miles down the road we entered a narrow, steep-walled, scenic canyon containing the Big Thompson River. We went through Estes Park (a town) and entered the park. I took this opportunity to get my Golden Age Pass as I am officially an “old fart” according to the federal government.
We drove along the Trail Ridge Road which is the only road through the park. We only went part way through – to the highest point on the road which is 12,183 feet. We saw a herd of elk beside the road and had to brake suddenly to avoid running over a coyote who knew he had the right of way crossing the road. The scenery is stunning and the Trail Ridge Road would cause some of our friends to look the other way when the edge of the road is looking over a canyon. Terry suggested that we come through Steamboat Springs and pull the 5th wheel through the park – what a mistake that would have been!
We found a picnic table to have our lunch and as we were eating the wind came up and dark clouds moved in. We continued to where we were going to go for a walk but when we saw a sign saying the parking lot was full and we would have to take a shuttle, we turned around and went back to Estes Park where it was much warmer than the 55 degrees on top of mountain.
We wandered up & down the main touristy street of Estes Park and bought a decorative item for the empty wall beside the steps up to our bedroom.
We had a new neighbor at the RV park and we enjoyed talking to them (Charlie & Deloris) before and after dinner.
Aug 6th – Sat - Loveland
We had a piece of molding and a panel partially pop off in the kitchen so Terry got working on that first thing this morning. It had only been stapled and the wood behind did not even go the entire length of the panel so Terry put in some screws and glued the molding on to cover the screws. Of course he was working in the small area behind the counter so it wasn’t easy.
Then we went to hang our new wall hangings and 2 of the 3 had keyhole cutouts for screws upside down. So we had to make a trip back to Estes Park (22 miles) and exchange them for correct ones.
We explored more of Loveland and found it is quite a large city. We had a couple of small items to pick up at different stores, got diesel ($3.75) and had lunch. We drove past our RV park to see what was up the road and found very nice, large houses and lots of horses & boarding farms.
Back at the rig, we hung our wall art which took a while as the 3 pieces had to be level & equidistant apart and secure. We were both kind of cranky which got interesting sometimes!
We thought we were going to get a rain shower to cool things down but it only amounted to a few drops so it remains hot tonight. Our neighbors toured the park today and we talked to Charlie for a bit this evening.
I kind of misjudged reporting the altitude yesterday – Rawlins is at 6800 feet. We headed to Colorado today. The snow fences we saw yesterday were half of what we saw today. A lot of them are a newer design with posts in the ground and a vertical fence rather than slanted sections with braces on the lee side. As we approached the south side of Wyoming, there was more grass and huge herds of cattle.
We found a PA park in our book but they did not have a space for us for 3 days. They called a park just down the road so we are at the Canyon Valley Campground just west of Loveland. It is a small park off the main road so I expect it to be quiet tonight.
After we set up and had a late lunch, we went back to Loveland so I could get a much overdue haircut. As we walked into WalMart, it started to rain but stopped by the time we were done. We made one more stop at a hardware store before heading back to the campground to relax and have a good dinner.
Aug 5th – Fri – Loveland
I packed a lunch and we went to Rocky Mountain National Park. A couple of miles down the road we entered a narrow, steep-walled, scenic canyon containing the Big Thompson River. We went through Estes Park (a town) and entered the park. I took this opportunity to get my Golden Age Pass as I am officially an “old fart” according to the federal government.
We drove along the Trail Ridge Road which is the only road through the park. We only went part way through – to the highest point on the road which is 12,183 feet. We saw a herd of elk beside the road and had to brake suddenly to avoid running over a coyote who knew he had the right of way crossing the road. The scenery is stunning and the Trail Ridge Road would cause some of our friends to look the other way when the edge of the road is looking over a canyon. Terry suggested that we come through Steamboat Springs and pull the 5th wheel through the park – what a mistake that would have been!
We found a picnic table to have our lunch and as we were eating the wind came up and dark clouds moved in. We continued to where we were going to go for a walk but when we saw a sign saying the parking lot was full and we would have to take a shuttle, we turned around and went back to Estes Park where it was much warmer than the 55 degrees on top of mountain.
We wandered up & down the main touristy street of Estes Park and bought a decorative item for the empty wall beside the steps up to our bedroom.
We had a new neighbor at the RV park and we enjoyed talking to them (Charlie & Deloris) before and after dinner.
Aug 6th – Sat - Loveland
We had a piece of molding and a panel partially pop off in the kitchen so Terry got working on that first thing this morning. It had only been stapled and the wood behind did not even go the entire length of the panel so Terry put in some screws and glued the molding on to cover the screws. Of course he was working in the small area behind the counter so it wasn’t easy.
Then we went to hang our new wall hangings and 2 of the 3 had keyhole cutouts for screws upside down. So we had to make a trip back to Estes Park (22 miles) and exchange them for correct ones.
We explored more of Loveland and found it is quite a large city. We had a couple of small items to pick up at different stores, got diesel ($3.75) and had lunch. We drove past our RV park to see what was up the road and found very nice, large houses and lots of horses & boarding farms.
Back at the rig, we hung our wall art which took a while as the 3 pieces had to be level & equidistant apart and secure. We were both kind of cranky which got interesting sometimes!
We thought we were going to get a rain shower to cool things down but it only amounted to a few drops so it remains hot tonight. Our neighbors toured the park today and we talked to Charlie for a bit this evening.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Aug 1st to 3rd - Thermopolis & Rawlins WY
Aug 1st – Mon – Thermopolis
We went golfing with Dennis this morning. It was a 9 hole course and Dennis rented a cart but we decided to walk. Unfortunately, we started too late so it got really hot and the course was hillier than we thought so we got a workout – and it didn’t do much for our games.
In the afternoon we went for a drive. We drove through the bison grazing area in Hot Springs State Park and saw the small buffalo herd from a distance. We walked through a park to swinging bridge but just as we were starting across, the wind came up and we decided to go back. Dennis wanted to make a buddy burner so we stopped at a few stores looking for cans & candles without any success. We also made the mandatory stop at a grocery/liquor store.
Thermopolis is a small town which has the world’s largest hot spring. There are 2 water parks with slides, pools and hot tubs which are all supplied by the hot springs. There is also a small facility with an indoor and outdoor pool that you can use for free for a 20 minute soak each day. Excess water from the hot springs runs through the park and creates mineral terraces before running into the river.
After dinner, Dennis & Susie came over again to visit and enjoy the buddy burner. Actually, Dennis found a small tin and enough candles to almost fill his own buddy burner.
Aug 2nd – Tues – Thermopolis
We slept in a bit this morning and then did laundry before going out to do some more exploring. We stopped at a visitor center and picked up some information. We walked up & down the main shopping block in town, browsed through some stores and found a tin & some candles for another buddy burner for Dennis. Terry discovered some energy and cleaned up the outside of the 5th wheel when we got back.
We figured we better at least try the mineral water while we are here so we put on our bathing suits and went to the small hot pool facility. You have to sign in, separate to go to the men’s & women’s sides for a shower and meet in the pool. Luckily part of the outdoor pool was in shade as it was very hot today. The water in the pool was 102 degrees so the attendant opened a valve to heat it up a bit. “Pool” may be misleading as it is 3 ½ feet deep all over and has concrete benches built into the bottom. Seemed just like another hot tub to me except some of the 27 minerals stink.
We were sitting out before dinner when Dennis & Susie were doing laundry so they joined us for a bit when it was done. We had a late dinner and called it a night.
Aug 3rd – Wed – to Rawlins WY
We enjoyed the picturesque Wind River Canyon on the way to Riverton and a casino this morning. I continued my losing ways while Terry hung onto his money until we had lunch. Then it all disappeared and we continued down the road to Lander and towards Laramie.
Obviously there is snow & wind in this part of the country because there are miles & miles of snow fences along the roads. There are also several places with barriers that close off the highway when it’s impassable. We crossed the Continental Divide a couple of times and were at 6600 feet for a while. But that didn’t keep it from being hot.
We are in the RV World Campground in Rawlins. We had a brief rain shower which cooled things down a bit so we are comfortable with windows and door open.
We went golfing with Dennis this morning. It was a 9 hole course and Dennis rented a cart but we decided to walk. Unfortunately, we started too late so it got really hot and the course was hillier than we thought so we got a workout – and it didn’t do much for our games.
In the afternoon we went for a drive. We drove through the bison grazing area in Hot Springs State Park and saw the small buffalo herd from a distance. We walked through a park to swinging bridge but just as we were starting across, the wind came up and we decided to go back. Dennis wanted to make a buddy burner so we stopped at a few stores looking for cans & candles without any success. We also made the mandatory stop at a grocery/liquor store.
Thermopolis is a small town which has the world’s largest hot spring. There are 2 water parks with slides, pools and hot tubs which are all supplied by the hot springs. There is also a small facility with an indoor and outdoor pool that you can use for free for a 20 minute soak each day. Excess water from the hot springs runs through the park and creates mineral terraces before running into the river.
After dinner, Dennis & Susie came over again to visit and enjoy the buddy burner. Actually, Dennis found a small tin and enough candles to almost fill his own buddy burner.
Aug 2nd – Tues – Thermopolis
We slept in a bit this morning and then did laundry before going out to do some more exploring. We stopped at a visitor center and picked up some information. We walked up & down the main shopping block in town, browsed through some stores and found a tin & some candles for another buddy burner for Dennis. Terry discovered some energy and cleaned up the outside of the 5th wheel when we got back.
We figured we better at least try the mineral water while we are here so we put on our bathing suits and went to the small hot pool facility. You have to sign in, separate to go to the men’s & women’s sides for a shower and meet in the pool. Luckily part of the outdoor pool was in shade as it was very hot today. The water in the pool was 102 degrees so the attendant opened a valve to heat it up a bit. “Pool” may be misleading as it is 3 ½ feet deep all over and has concrete benches built into the bottom. Seemed just like another hot tub to me except some of the 27 minerals stink.
We were sitting out before dinner when Dennis & Susie were doing laundry so they joined us for a bit when it was done. We had a late dinner and called it a night.
Aug 3rd – Wed – to Rawlins WY
We enjoyed the picturesque Wind River Canyon on the way to Riverton and a casino this morning. I continued my losing ways while Terry hung onto his money until we had lunch. Then it all disappeared and we continued down the road to Lander and towards Laramie.
Obviously there is snow & wind in this part of the country because there are miles & miles of snow fences along the roads. There are also several places with barriers that close off the highway when it’s impassable. We crossed the Continental Divide a couple of times and were at 6600 feet for a while. But that didn’t keep it from being hot.
We are in the RV World Campground in Rawlins. We had a brief rain shower which cooled things down a bit so we are comfortable with windows and door open.
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