Home Is Where It’s Parked

Home for us this Christmas was at Lake Pleasant Regional Park outside of Phoenix.  Jeff brought out our seasonal bin from the basement for Kay to take out the small decorated Christmas tree, Nativity set and some other holiday items.   

The red bows seems pretty small on our new home!

Staying at the North entrance to Lake Pleasant is where the dry camping takes place so with solar panels in position and in working order we are ready to boondock in the desert.  We definitely wished for warmer weather but we managed just fine and since we travel with a couple of sleeping bags, just in case, it was now time to open one up and use that on our bed to give us that added comfort of warmth we needed.  When you live this lifestyle you have to be flexible and use what you can to make it work.



We're told that the water levels at  Lake Pleasant are typically low at this time of year

Our water source was located at a spigot at the South/Main entrance to the Park about 7 miles (round trip) for paying guests at the Lake.  Jeff has this part down to a science and can transport 22+ gallons of water via the Jeep whenever we need it with all of four of our containers in it's own spot.  The miles traveled to and from the water spigot at the South entrance seem pretty insignificant as we’re able to collect potable water to wash dishes and take showers with Jeff always staying on top of where our fresh water level is.

With some time on our hands while we wait for our appointment in Phoenix, it was good to get in some hiking but we definitely had to make sure that we were bundled up appropriately.   And with getting any type of Internet signal, well that wasn't going to happen.  We had phone coverage somewhat but with no strong 4G to Skype with family or friends that was just going to have to wait for another time.  Any On-line banking needs were attended to in the parking lot of the Marina at the main entrance which worked just fine.

We never tire of our Jeep trips.  On this particular sunny day Jeff suggested that we go out in search of Castle Hot Springs.  We did attempt to look for it a couple of years ago when we were in this area, but weren't successful.   So we packed a lunch and a couple of brewskies and enjoyed a fun afternoon driving through the mountains, and yes, we did find it this time.

Castle Hot Springs was popular back in the 40’s being used by the US military as a rehab center to treat injured vets of WWII with its therapeutic hot springs. 

Our little burro friends

Click on the link below if you’re interested in reading more about the hot springs. 

Castle Hot Springs Link

Did someone say we needed some good soul food about now?  Cooler weather does signal the brain for some comfort food that's for sure, and Kay had a new recipe for a soup called Ribolita.  The smells in the RV were delicious as she cooked up a batch which included celery, red & Yukon potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, barley, and Cannelli beans seasoned in chicken broth.   Its unique way to serve up a bowl of this soup is with a slice of an English Muffin (toasted with butter) added to the soup and then to ladle some of the broth right over the muffin – soaking up the bread real good.  Next you place a cooked poached egg into the soup and that has been sprinkled with basil.  Kay remembers eating her Mom’s homemade soups with breads with her Dad when she was a kid back in Nordeast Minneapolis, using fresh Polish rye bread from Blackey’s Bakery.  So, is this new recipe a keeper?  Jeff says “delicious” and throws a kiss to the cook so that must mean a yes!

Phoenix has way too many people for us, but it was necessary to be back in the area for our last appointment on the motor home.  Massey’s Diesel Repair in Glendale took excellent care of us that day replacing our air governor and air/dryer filter as the culprit of our "no air" episode in Texas.   It was really interesting to watch the mechanic take the air filter off – not your usual car-type of air filter by any means.  And to see the amount of dirt that he shook from it - along with a dead mouse to boot.  YIKES!  The existing air filter was dated 09.13.13 so we are glad to have it replaced along with the sensor, and with no additional repairs needed we were out of there and back on the road 5.5 hours later.  We had decided that we wouldn’t put too many miles on as it was getting late and we were tired – waiting does that to you. 



What a monster filter at 1ft dia x 2 ft long

It was December 28^th and we both agreed that we would spend one more night on the road before starting the last leg of our journey.  A rest area in Sentinel, Arizona was pretty comfortable before we finished up the last 195 miles.

Starting off that next day we pulled into a Flying J Travel Center to top off our diesel and propane in the Foothills outside of Yuma before continuing on I8 into SE California.  Next stop - the Ogilby Road exit (S34).   After traveling 1,745 miles from Los Fresnos, Texas we have finally arrived and our home is where it's parked . . . a home without an address!

Our new adventures begin!



¡Dale Gas!

"Dale gas" (prounced like dolly gas with a long a sound) is a slang Spanish expression meaning “get goin” which we learned of while watching a local car commercial on TV in Los Fresnos.  So before we start out on the road - and get goin - let's party with the good friends in Los Fresnos.    A bounty of delicious appetizers were prepared with the loving hands of Karen as she and her husband, Terry (who are originally from Northern Minnesota) hosted this fun party.  Once again, thank you!

Terry & Karen

Everything was absolutely delicious!

Jan & Terry

December 2 was our first travel day for leaving Texas.

It started out with a stop for breakfast at the Flying J with our friend Richard.  This visit was two-fold as we wanted to take the motor home onto the truck scales to get it weighed so that we knew just exactly what kind of weight we were carrying.   We’re happy at a total weight of 37,720 pounds.   As we were walking outside to the parking lot, low and behold our good friends, Chip and Daisy, pulled up in their car after noticing the coach as they were driving by.  What an awesome surprise – more hugs around for everyone!

The road heading north took us into the Hill Country of Texas for at least a half day of driving before it got dark.  Interstate 10 in Texas is the major east-west interstate highway in the south US.  At just 880 miles it is the longest continuous untolled freeway in Texas.  Also said to be the longest stretch of highway a single destination within a single state.  Pretty amazing, isn’t it.  Our first overnight was at the Cypress Creek Rest Area, east of Kerrville and right in the heart of the Hill Country.  It was good to stop for the night with Jeff sleeping on the couch up front just to make sure that we were safe for the night.
 

 

The next morning we had already decided to put on a few more miles since starting fairly early in the morning after the sun came up.  It did prove to be quite the day as we were tooling down the interstate.  Kay drove a little over 140 miles to give Jeff a little bit of a break before turning the wheel over to him.  She is sure glad that Jeff was driving when the alarm sounded within the motor home telling us that we had no air for our brakes.  OMG!!!!  Jeff was able to immediately get off the interstate by taking the next available exit that was right in front of us (Exit 206 at Balmorhea), using the brake pedal to come to a smooth stop.  The time was 2:30p.m.  From what we know about air brakes, when you loose air your tires should lock up and you stop pretty suddenly.  This was not the case for us as we came to a pretty smooth stop with brakes still operating.   What a nightmare trying to find someone who could help, let alone get a tow truck to come  the distance and get us!  Either we were too far away as in the case of El Paso and they didn’t want to drive the miles – and to get towed there would have definitely broke the bank – to finally finding someone back at Fort Stockton (about 53 miles  who located a tow truck to come and get us.

Kay did a lot of praying to St Joseph that night.

To make a long story short . . . diagnostics were run that next day and nothing came up pointing to an air leak of any kind.  And the odd thing about it all is that in the morning Jeff started the motor home and our air pressure was back to normal.  Go figure!   Jeff assisted one of the mechanics with re-installing the drive shaft that morning, as four hands are better than two at lifting up an awkward 80# of weight lying on your backs underneath the motor home.

The women always love a man in uniform!

After having quite a few phone conversations with a good many people, they believe it could be the air governor for our brakes that needs to be replaced.  Jeff contacted a Certified Spartan truck dealer in Phoenix (Massey Diesel Repair) and will see them the week after Christmas to get this taken care.  We are anxious to get it resolved so that we don’t have to worry about going through another “towing” episode again if we can help it.

 

Next stop, New Mexico and a new RV park that we read about in our Escapee’s magazine.  We usually stay in Deming at the Escapee's Dream Catcher RV Park when we’re passing through but thought we’d check out Rusty’s RV Ranch in Rodeo NM.

This park is pretty much right on the border of Arizona (directly on the other side of the Chiricahua National Monument that we had visited earlier this year.  This park is VERY big rig friendly with pull-thrus approximately 200 feet long.    The 360 degree mountain views make this a little hidden gem from most RV parks - to the West the Arizona Chiricahua Mountains and to the East in New Mexico, the Peloncillo Mountains. 

The park sits on 40 acres with full hook-ups and has a clubhouse, swim spa, outdoor Gazebo and a lovely water garden.

 

 

And when the weather is warmer the birding is supposed to be spectacular as well as the heavenly stargazing that graces the skies in this area.  We're told that it is quite an astronomer’s paradise.  What is so amazing about this park is that all of the sites were converted to solar power made possible with the 204 solar panels that provide almost 100% of their electricity.

We would definitely recommend this park and hope to be back when the weather is just a wee bit warmer.  The staff at Rusty's was very friendly and we met some new friends from Deming who love the outdoors just as much as we do.  A good visit all around.  At an elevation of approx. 4400 feet it did prove to be 2-blanket sleeping at night but we managed the 5 days that we stayed and had a very good rest.  Sunrises and sunsets are absolutely beautiful here.

Lee & Sharon from Deming

Staying grounded for these days gave us a chance to unwind even more by taking a Jeep trip to Douglas and Bisbee, Arizona.  We have always had a good experience in Bisbee and this time was no different.  Taking in a visit to a new eating establishment for us this time around to taste their beef brisket sandwich with a beer chaser at the Stock Exchange Saloon was definitely on the menu.

And with our growler in hand (from our last visit to Bisbee Brewery) we made sure to get it filled up before we headed back to the RV Park some 65 miles to the north.  A very fun day and the weather was sunny!
 

It is once again time to bring in the slides and position all things securely in the coach as we drive around Tucson's maze of highways on our way to Apache Junction, Arizona.  We stopped for an overnight at the Tom Mix Monument outside of Florence on Hwy 79 before heading further north to the Superstition Mountains.

Jeff knew who Tom Mix was so it was good to read up on his days as a legendary cowboy film actor between 1909 and 1935.  The grounds at this site were very clean and large enough for us to find a corner near a mesquite tree to spend the night.

 History of Tom  Mix https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Mix

It’s funny when you’ve been to an area more than once that you pretty much feel at home knowing which roads to take.  This is how we feel when we are driving into Apache Junction on our way to the Lost Dutchman State Park.  It is here that we plan to catch up on some special "cooking" and to make a stop to visit Jeff’s first cousin, Carol and her husband Dale for an evening of delicious home cooked food, lively conversation and much laughter reminiscing.  Carol is making us dinner on our last night here before we drive into Phoenix for appointments on the motor home.

Chef Jeff getting his Italian Sausage Lasagna ready

Now, that's Italian!!

Beef Stew with Rosemary & Mushrooms

Cous' Carol & hubby Dale

 

Nestled in amongst the Saguaro & Ocotillo

 

The Superstition Mountains

 

The date is now December 15 and we are on our way into Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, for an appointment at D & R's Family RV for a few changes and additions to the coach that we wanted to make.  Ron and his wife are the owners and their staff are Stuart and Shane.  The four days that we stayed in their fenced in work area to observe all that was being done on the coach was truly amazing as everyone was a very dedicated, hard working individual with a lot of RV tech smarts.  We definitely couldn't have done any of this by any means with the tools that we carry.

This is what our wish list included:

1) one new solar panel to be added to the roof and then to have all three wired into a new controller box for us.  This will give us 20 amps/hour of electricity for when we should need or want it when we are dry camping

2) purchase and install a Winegard Trav'ler DirecTV satellite dish that would make our lives easier with a touch of a button - to raise and lower the dish as it finds all satellites quickly and efficiently.  NO MORE DISH NETWORK.  HURRAY!!!!! 

3) an inside connection for our catalytic heater that will run off propane so that we don’t need to run the furnace in cooler weather.  With the connection at this location near the refrigerator we can use it in the living area or bring it around so that we can have heat in the bathroom and bedroom areas.

 
4) out with the old (non-HD TV) and in with a new unit that will have the capability of picking up the HD programs that will tie into our roof top satellite.  Getting the surround sound working too will really help as most of the new LED TV's have the speakers behind the front of the TV.  Not too good for RV's, so this will really help us with the sound for us "ole folks".

5) the ability to use an Extend-A-Stay that connects to a 30# propane cylinder that we would use first before having to use the propane from the underbelly tank of the coach. 
 

6) installation of an automatic generator start detects that there has been a loss of power and should fire up the generator automatically.  This will definitely aid us if the battery levels go low as we don't want to be stranded out in the desert looking for AAA to come and jump-start us .  Our Guardian Angel, Helen is watching over us as we travel.

Once we have everything completed we will be heading northwest of Phoenix to Lake Pleasant Regional Park.  We will stay at the Lake and then come in for a Christmas Eve service in Cave Creek at the Light of the Desert Lutheran Church.  Our scheduled appointment at the Spartan dealer is on Monday, 12/28 so we will leave Lake Pleasant on the 27th and stay at a Flying J close to the dealer for the Monday appointment.  After that, we continue on the road toward Yuma and BLM land at Ogilby Road in SE California.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.  We'll be sharing new adventures with you in 2016.

Hugs ~