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!