November 18 to 24, 2012

Sunday ; As expected, another beautiful, sunny, very warm day here in the "Desert Southwest" as this part of Arizona is called. But ... < moaning > ... a day of colitis flare up.

Today was a day of "arrival" chores around lot 52. But first, we did a great Bo-gility session, utilizing our back yard and side yard brick fencing, concrete "toadstools", and yard furniture to do dog agility. HA HA HA ... extremely well done, Bo ! This morning we did some minor maintenance and cleaning chores. I set up the Sun Oven and Joanne baked a cake.

This afternoon I set up our satellite dish. It took way too long, and was way more difficult than I thought it was going to be. Maybe there's something about setting up satellite dishes that I don't know ? When I set up the satellite dish this summer when we moved, it was easy. But not today ! This was the first time I've set up our Canadian satellite dish here in Yuma. And I set up our "travel" dish, the "portable" one on a tripod. I'm going to have to do it again when I mount a "permanent" one on the roof of the Arizona room.

After finally getting the satellite dish set up we began to work on removing, cleaning, and storing the Arizona room's thick vinyl, snap-on walls. We did not finish by the time we had to leave for the weekly ice cream social. After the ice cream social we returned to the trailer to watch Doc Martin, cook supper, and watch Amazing Race. I worked on downloading and processing the photos I've taken over the last week or so.

Monday ; Very sunny, very warm !

This morning we headed to the Salvation Army for some "thrifting". On the way we stopped at Yuma Nursery. Joanne bought some ice plants. We stopped at Sears so that I could make a truck service appointment for next week. Today's Salvation Army special was all clothing articles were one dollar. Hard to resist that ! We bought nine articles of clothing. Nine bucks ! Joanne wanted to thrift shop longer than I did, so while she continued thrifting I went to a local vacuum store looking for a hard to find vacuum filter, then went to the Yuma Sun office to subscribe to the newspaper. I returned to Salvation Army, met Joanne and we shopped at Dollar Tree. I stopped at Barney's to find out what I was supposed to do with the "Free 'til 2013" sticker I received at the Desert Balloon Glow on Saturday night. OH ! ! ! Stick it on any mug and get free soft drinks or coffee at all Barney's locations until the end of December. Okay ! Good deal !

In the afternoon we finished removing the vinyl wall panels from the Arizona room. We assembled the park model steps we bought at Camping World in Spokane, Washington two weeks ago. They're very nice. While attempting to repair a loose piece of screen spline on the Arizona room ... !)@(#*$&%^ ... I tore the screen ! ! ! I guess that's why duct tape comes in a clear version ! I installed the two "NO HERBICIDE SPRAYING" signs I had made in Quartzsite.

Tuesday ; Still very sunny, very warm. Long, tough day !

I started my morning by doing pet dental care. Then I put a salmon fillet that I had marinated overnight into the Sun Oven to become sun dried "smoked" candied salmon. While Joanne did a lot of laundry I worked on reinstalling the section of Arizona room roof moulding that had been damaged and torn off during a recent wind storm.

After lunch we went to do a bit of specialty shopping. On the way we stopped at Barney's to try out their "Free 'til 2013" deal. We walked in, each with a large mug with the Barney's "Free 'til 2013" sticker on, filled them with Diet Coke for me and iced tea for Joanne, flashed the mugs with stickers at the counter staff, and walked out. Cool promotion ! I bought a large, heavy duty tarp for the truck at Yuma's Bargain Warehouse, then shopped for a kitchen faucet at the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store next door. HFH Re-Store didn't have any kitchen faucets that I liked. But I did buy a TV coaxial cable that
I needed. Twenty-five cents !

Back at home we went for our daily dog party / walk around the dog park. Bo made a new friend ; Wally from Texas. Wally is a terrier cross and has a personality similar to Bo's. They're destined to be great buddies ... until Wally leaves here on Saturday ! After the dog walk I washed the truck. YUCK ... lots of road grime !

After supper we went shopping again ! WOO-HOO ... PetsMart ! ! ! Bo loves shopping ! HA HA HA ! I refilled Lanoire with diesel, beating the traditional Thanksgiving fuel price increase. Then to Albertson's for some groceries. When Joanne was putting the groceries away at home, she discovered ... mouse damage in a kitchen cupboard. There were holes chewed into a new, large bag of cat food, and a large bag of Cheezies ... only available in Canada. Irreplaceable until next spring ! Oh ... you're dead meat, Mr. Mouse !

Wednesday ; 11:20 PM. DAMN DAMN DAMN ! ! !

Sunny and very warm again. I'm going to stop commenting on the weather until it's something other than ... sunny and very warm !

This morning my priority was to check the mouse trap I set last night. DARN ! Mr. Mouse managed to eat the peanut butter off the trap trigger without tripping it. OOOOO ... now it's personal ! I loaded it with cheese, reset it, and placed it in the cupboard again.

I did an obedience session with Bo. Well done, Bo, good dog. I did some minor maintenance work including changing a bicycle tire tube. Yesterday my bicycle's rear tire valve spontaneously blew out ! Guess I'll have to find a parking spot for the bicycle that isn't in direct sunlight all day ! Joanne went Wal-Martin' by herself. Thank you !

After supper we watched Survivor. I worked on reconciling our two MasterCard statements for November ; one Canadian dollar, one U.S. dollar. Lots of work. Lots of spending ! ! ! Joanne helped me prepare two batches of bread dough. I'm cooking two loaves of bread in the Sun Oven tomorrow for our table at the communal Thanksgiving dinner.

11:10 PM ! < SNAP > AH-HA ... GOTCHA ! I heard the mouse trap snap in the kitchen cupboard. I opened the cupboard door and there was ... Mr. Mouse ... in the trap ... alive ! DAMN ! That's not supposed to happen ! I took the trap and mouse outside and opened the trap over the back fence, dropping Mr. Mouse into the dog park. DAMN ! It started to crawl away in the sand, dragging its hind legs. Its back must have been broken. I put on a pair of work gloves, climbed over the back fence, picked up the mouse, took it into the shed and ... < ahem > ... euthanized it. DAMN DAMN DAMN ! Well ... I couldn't very well just leave it there suffering, now could I ? ! ?

Thursday ; American Thanksgiving

Well ! ! ! It's almost midnight ... and we have just returned home from our first ... and my last ... "Black Friday" shopping experience !

This morning I baked two loaves of bread ( from scratch ! ) in the Sun Oven. They were our contribution to our communal Thanksgiving dinner table. And they were excellent ! Well done, Daniel !

This afternoon Joanne cooked a large batch of dressing for the communal Thanksgiving dinner. That was the job she volunteered for. My volunteer job was to mash potatoes.
A lot of potatoes ! Using a "custom made" potato masher that looked like some kind of road making tool. HA HA HA ... kind of like an asphalt tamper ! With a handle that's about three feet long ! HA HA HA ! And I served the potatoes.

Thanksgiving dinner was good. Good food, good company, at our table of eleven people.

In the United States the day after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday" the largest retail sales day of the year. And over the years, Black Friday's store opening times have become earlier and earlier. 8 AM ... 6 AM ... 3 AM ... midnight ! ! ! And this year ... as was inevitable ... the store opening times became Thanksgiving evening. We perused the Black Friday flyers and decided to give it a try.

I wanted a TV for our new park model home in BC. And a new laptop computer. Joanne wanted a new printer. Sears had what we wanted, and was opening at 8 PM. Target had what we wanted, and was opening at 9 PM. And Wal-Mart had what we wanted, was opening at 8 PM, and the items we wanted were available at 10 PM.

After Thanksgiving dinner we headed to Sears, arriving just before 8 PM. The line up seemed a bit long, but we got in line. The doors opened at 8 PM, and the line moved into the store very quickly. I was at the TV department at 8:03 PM. The advertised special
I wanted was sold out. WHAT ? ! ? Three minutes after opening ? ? ? Yup ! They had an inventory of ... wait for it ... nine units !

We headed for Target, arriving there about 8:30 PM for their 9 PM opening. Oh, no ...
I am NOT waiting in a line up that long ! We headed to Wal-Mart, arriving at 9 PM. We received a voucher for the TV we wanted and got into line. A long line that snaked up and down three aisles of the grocery section of the store. Hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people in line for the 10 PM advertised TV. Joanne stayed in line while I went looking for the laptop computer I wanted. I found the line up. And there were a lot more people in line, than the inventory of 60 computers that they were going to be making available at 10 PM. I returned to Joanne in the TV line, and suggested that we leave. She suggested that I get in line for the printer. < sigh > The printers were piled in ... a stack that looked like a mountain. And staff prevented anybody from taking any until 10 PM.
< sigh > I waited an hour for my printer.

As soon as I got my printer I returned to the TV line which was moving very quickly. About half a dozen staff were passing out these televisions off of huge stacks on pallets. WOW ... what a lot of televisions ! We got a TV and headed for one of the incredibly long check out lines.

And then the fun really began ! ! ! ****ing morons with insufficient credit remaining on their credit cards, insufficient cash, indecisive about whether or not to buy the damn "upsell" warranties ... and so on. And on and on and on ! ! ! We were in the check out line for an hour and a quarter. Longer than we waited for the damn TV in the first place ! And then ... another incredibly long line up to get out of the store, while security people checked everybody's receipts to ensure that shoplifters weren't just wheeling out unpaid cart loads of electronics.

First time ... and last time for me ! BUT ... we did get a big screen TV for $148 and a printer for $19 ! Too bad I couldn't get a new laptop. Maybe online on Cyber Monday !

Friday ; WHEW ... another day dedicated to spending money !

This morning we headed to The Foothills to pick up a Star Choice satellite dish from our friends Dave and Joy, neighbours back home at Riverside RV Park Resort. It was surplus to their requirements. I'm going to mount it on the roof of our shed. Thank you, Dave and Joy.

We visited with Dave and Joy briefly, then went to RV Pedlar to see an old, cheap, Class C motorhome advertised for sale. Joanne wanted to see how much Class C can be bought for $5000, compared to how much truck camper we've seen can be bought for that price range. We viewed the old Class C, and a few other used rigs. Five thousand dollars can buy "more" Class C than it can truck camper. Maybe we'll give more consideration to buying a Class C.

Then the Black Friday shopping began ... again. We were interested in a few advertised specials at a few different stores. But none of what we wanted to see today was in the same league as the electronics and other "door opening specials" of last night. We bought a couple of items at Home Depot, and quite a few items at Harbor Freight, including the solar panel kit I've been intending to buy. Joanne hates shopping at Harbor Freight. HEY ... every time I got dragged into Value Village in Penticton should be worth one trip to Harbor Freight in Yuma. HA HA HA ! One of the items I wanted at Home Depot was sold out, so when we got home I ordered it online. It was such a good price that it was worth paying shipping costs.

Saturday ; And yet another day of shopping ! We're spending money like ... to paraphrase my father ... inebriated First Nations people. HA HA HA !

This morning was Kofa Ko-op's "yard sale". Early this morning Joanne set up a table outside with our unwanted items. We sold two items and after the yard sale put the rest of the items on the bargain table. I cooked eggs and potatoes in the Sun Oven to make potato salad for supper.

This afternoon we went shopping to Arizona Market Place, the nearby huge flea market. And we bought a lot of stuff ! Home improvement project items, hardware, tools, kitchen gadgets ... ! From Arizona Market Place we drove to Albertson's for some advertised grocery specials. On the way home we stopped at an RV dealer and looked at another small, old, Class C motorhome.

DSK

November 11 to 17, 2012 ; Laughlin, Nevada to Yuma, Arizona

Sunday ; Remembrance Day ( Canada ) / Veteran's Day ( U.S.A. )

Lest We Forget !

Today was sunny but cold.

This morning we prepared for departure from the Avi Casino RV parking lot, then walked out into the desert just before 11 AM. We both pinned our poppies to a desert bush then at precisely 11 AM observed a minute of silence ... to remember. For me, Remembrance Day is mostly an opportunity to remember and honour my father, a veteran of World
War II.

We drove from the Avi Casino south of Laughlin to the Riverside Casino on the north side of Laughlin. We had a coupon for a special rate for a three day stay at the Riverside Casino RV Park. We checked in then spent the afternoon getting caught up on chores. We trimmed Bo's dew claws. We gave Bo a bath. I downloaded and processed the photos I've taken since we left home eleven days ago. Joanne did a lot of laundry. We went out and refilled our remaining five gallon water jug. I instantly got addicted to the TLC reality television show "Breaking Amish".

In the evening we watched Amazing Race. And episode after episode after episode of Breaking Amish.

Monday ; Another sunny but cool day.

This morning we went across the street to the Riverside Casino to have our free buffet breakfast. It was okay. We're not huge fans of the Riverside Casino's buffet restaurant. But ... each time we stay in the Riverside Casino's RV Park we get a free buffet breakfast for two. This time, we got a free buffet breakfast for two and free buffet dinner for two. Guess we'll go for dinner tomorrow evening.

After breakfast / brunch we drove across the Colorado River to the Arizona side, then on the Bullhead Parkway around Bullhead City to Fort Mohave where I got the truck's oil and filter changed at Bullhead Super Lube. Grungy little Mom & Pop shop, with a sweet, badly behaved, little terrier cross named BoBo. Just like being at home ! HA HA HA ! After the oil change I refilled with diesel at Maverik, then we crossed the Colorado River back into Nevada at the Avi Casino, and drove north back "home" to the Riverside Casino RV Park.

We went to the Laughlin Outlet Center shopping mall next door. I bought a pair of shoes at the SAS Factory Shoe Store. Joanne browsed while I worked online for two hours using the free Wi-Fi in the food court. My Home Depot shed refund drama continues
< gritting teeth > ! When we got back "home" Joanne finished removing the Similkameen Day Tours lettering off the truck. Thank you, my dear.

We treated the new dinette chairs and sofa bed with ScotchGuard. We watched a bit of TV. Fairly late in the evening we went to the Tropicana Casino & Hotel to have the Bottomless Pasta Bowl special at Passagio Italian Gardens Restaurant. MMMMM ! ! !

Tuesday ; Today was sunny, cool, very windy. We spent the day relaxing, reading the Sunday newspaper, and working on minor maintenance and home improvement projects. We installed glider feet on the new dinette chairs. We installed small plastic bumpers on the sides of the chairs to prevent them from scratching each other as they move around a bit during travel.

In the evening we went to the Riverside Casino buffet restaurant. Tonight was barbecue night. MMMMM ! We stayed at the Riverside Casino RV Park for three nights for a total of $69, and got $45 worth of buffet meals included. Pretty good coupon deal !

Wednesday ; Laughlin, Nevada via California to Quartzsite, Arizona

Today was sunny and warm, temperatures reaching up into the mid-70's as we drove across the Mojave Desert seeing Ocotillos and Saguaros for the first time this year.

This morning we prepared for departure and left Riverside Casino RV Park, and Laughlin, Nevada, heading south on Needles Highway to ... Needles, California. Geeeeez, what an armpit. < singing > "Well I headed for Las Vegas ... only made it out to Needles" ( with apologies to Three Dog Night ). Diesel was over five bucks a gallon in Needles ! ! ! We drove through Needles on Historic Route 66, stopping at a Bank of America to withdraw some cash from an ATM.

We drove south on California Hwy. 95, stopping on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in the Mojave Desert to have lunch. When we reached Interstate 10 we turned east towards Arizona. We stopped to refill with diesel at Flying J in Ehrenberg. Lowest diesel price so far ! At Quartzsite we saw a sign maker, so stopped to inquire about having a couple of small signs made up for our lot in Yuma.  Ü NO HERBICIDE SPRAYING Þ  The price was reasonable and it would only take a few minutes, so ... I had them made !

We drove south out of Quartzsite on Arizona Hwy. 95, just a few miles to the location of the Escapees Roadrunner Chapter 7 Fall Rally in the desert at mile marker 99. The three day rally started yesterday, so we missed half the rally. Shortly after we arrived there was a communal dinner, then we spent the evening socializing around a large campfire.

Thursday ; Escapees Roadrunners Chapter 7 Fall Rally

Today was cloudy and mild. AND ... actually ... a few drops of rain fell in the evening. And I do mean "a few" ! If you weren't standing in the right place at the right time ... no rain drops hit you.

Today at the rally was ... well ... more of the "same old same old". Escapee rallies have ... in my opinion ... become very "formulaic" ... and somewhat boring. We're committed to attending the spring rally, but I think that may very well be our last.

Late in the evening I brought Sully to sit around the campfire with us. I tucked him inside my zippered sweater with just his head sticking out. He sat dozing in front of the campfire for quite awhile.

Friday ; Quartzsite to Yuma, Arizona

Today was gorgeous, sunny and warm, temperature way up in the high 70's. When we arrived in Yuma, I had to change into shorts and sandals, no shirt.

I had to arise very early this morning to fulfill my manly obligation to participate in the tear down of the "rally tent". After that I ate doughnuts, drank coffee, took Bo ( and Carol Mae and her dog Dulce ) for a long walk in the desert, and then sat around the campfire socializing for a couple of hours.

Late in the morning we left the rally site and drove to Yuma, a distance of about 100 miles or so. We arrived at Kofa Ko-op and got set up in our lot 52. < sigh > There is some damage to the Arizona room's roof fascia moulding from a recent violent storm. After a late lunch and a brief nap I removed the damaged fascia. Joanne worked on cleaning the yard and Arizona room.

Last winter I planted many cacti in our yard and in the dog park behind our rear yard fence. Some survived. Some didn't. My prized Ocotillo seems to have survived, although it doesn't seem to be doing great. I know that Ocotillo suffer greatly from "transplant shock". I am hoping that weekly watering will improve it

Summer home to winter home was about 3000 kilometers / 1900 miles.

Saturday ; Sunny and very warm, temperature in the 80's. YEAH ... that's why we're here !

Late this morning we headed for Historic Downtown Yuma, to the first annual Medjool Date Festival. A month or so ago when I received e-mail notification of this event
I registered for the noon tour of a date packing plant. We arrived at the festival just in time to find the tour gathering point. < sigh > I guess I forgot to mention to Joanne that the date packing plant tour required closed toe shoes. < sigh > She wore sandals. We weren't allowed to go on the tour. < sigh > Maybe next year !

We went shopping. Walgreens and 99 Cent Only store before lunch. Lunch at Rally's. Fry's after lunch. Lots of grocery "stocking up" now that we're here in Yuma and have an extra fridge. By the time all our provisions were put away at home it was time to leave for the "balloon glow". This weekend was the annual Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival. On the Saturday night of the festival is Barney's Desert Glow. Barney's is a chain of local fuel stations, and the sponsor of the "balloon glow". Many hot air balloons inflate in a local baseball field at dusk, but remain tethered to the ground, usually tied to a pickup truck. Every few minutes, they all simultaneously light their burners, causing the balloons to glow eerily in the dark. It's really cool, especially for youngsters. This is the second time we've attended this event. After the balloon glow there was a fireworks display.

Interesting entertainment on a warm evening !

HA HA HA HA HA ! ! ! A Canadian neighbour here at Kofa Ko-op is wearing a new cap. On the front it says "War Of 1812". On the back it says ... wait for it ... HA HA HA HA HA ... "Kicking American ass for 200 years". HA HA HA < ROFLMAO > HA HA !

DSK

November 4 to 10, 2012 ; Pendleton, Oregon to Laughlin, Nevada

Sunday ; Pendleton, Oregon to Nampa / Boise, Idaho

Today was partially sunny and mild. Pretty decent weather !

This morning after boondocking overnight in the Wildhorse Casino RV parking lot we went over to their Arrowhead Travel Plaza and refilled with diesel. Then bought a gallon of Lucas diesel additive. While paying for the Lucas we joined their "loyalty program" to get discounts on future fuel purchases. HA HA HA ... it's called "Rewards On The Rez". We used their dump station to dump the waste holding tanks and refill the freshwater tank. We adjusted the air in the truck's rear tires. What a great place to boondock overnight.

We continued southeast on Interstate 84. We stopped at La Grande to do more tax free Wal-Martin' and have lunch. More southeast on I-84 until we crossed from the Pacific Time Zone to the Mountain Time Zone, then more southeast on I-84 until we crossed from Oregon into Idaho.

At Nampa, just before Boise, we found our way to Garrity RV Park, a reasonably priced Passport America park with Wi-Fi and cable TV. Joanne wanted to watch Amazing Race tonight. We checked in, set up in our site, took Bo to the dog run, then walked around briefly enjoying the nice weather and getting the kinks out of our bodies after four days of driving.

We had supper, watched TV, and I worked online.

Monday ; Nampa / Boise, Idaho to Jackpot, Nevada

Today was sunny and warm. Finally ! ! !

The long awaited and much anticipated furniture buying day had finally arrived. We checked out of Garrity RV Park and drove a short distance to RV Furniture Center. After seeing their products last spring, this summer we ordered a custom upholstered dinette suite, and were fairly confident that today we would also buy a Flexsteel sofa bed there. RV Furniture Center manufactures wood and upholstered furniture for RV's, and is also a retail dealer for the Flexsteel line of RV furniture. As soon as we walked in the door we saw the dinette table and chairs with the upholstery we had chosen. Beautiful ! And great workmanship. AND ... two sofa throw cushions in the same material as the dinette chair upholstery ! And sitting beside the dinette suite were the two Flexsteel sofa beds that we were interested in. In just a few minutes we selected the sofa bed we wanted.

The owner of RV Furniture Center and his two sons came out to our trailer in their parking lot to help remove our old dinette table and chairs, and love seat. The love seat had to be disassembled / demolished to be removed through the door of the trailer. Six years ago I had to remove the trailer's largest window to get the love seat in. I did not want to have to remove and reinstall the window again today ! One of the sons took our old dinette table and chairs in his pickup truck to donate to a local charity. The demolished love seat went to the garbage. They brought the new dinette suite in, and then the sofa bed. They bolted the sofa bed to the floor, saving me the trouble.

The new furniture is great ! It makes the entire living area of the trailer seem brand new ! The workmanship is excellent. The service was excellent ! The prices were excellent ! T'was a very pleasant buying experience. And I'm very difficult to please ! Thank you, Ray and RV Furniture Center.

We were out of there much quicker than I had anticipated. We stopped at Camping World for me to cancel a special order I had placed, and to explain and apologize in person ( I bought it a few days ago at the Spokane store with a coupon ). We stopped at Lowe's to buy a couple of items.

We were southeast bound out of Boise on Interstate 84 before noon. We stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area. We stopped in Mountain Home to refill with diesel at Pilot. Just before reaching Twin Falls we turned south on Hwy. 30 to avoid having to drive through Twin Falls. After driving south and east around Twin Falls we turned south on Hwy. 93. We stopped in Buhl to buy some groceries. We crossed from Idaho into Nevada and stopped for the night at Cactus Pete's Casino in Jackpot, Nevada.

While Joanne prepared supper ( MMMMM ... chicken and shrimp étoufée ) I went into the casino lobby to work on my computer.

Tuesday ; Jackpot to BLM Elk Viewing Area south of Ely, Nevada

AHHHHH ... a beautiful, sunny, warm day, temperature reaching 70 degrees ! A pleasant but long, slightly boring day of driving south across endless, scruffy, high desert. At any moment I expected to see John Wayne ... or Clint Eastwood ... loping across the highway on his horse.

We pulled out of Cactus Pete's Casino's parking lot this morning and before leaving town we went to an old, abandoned campground that we know of, and dumped our grey waste tanks in the old abandoned trailer dump station. We drove over to the Chevron station and refilled our freshwater tank, then continued south on Hwy. 93.

We refilled with diesel at Flying J in Wells. We stopped for lunch on the shoulder of the road in the middle of nowhere. Most of today was "the middle of nowhere" ! As I was leaving the trailer after lunch, Sully wanted to follow me out the trailer door. Okay ... I let him walk out the door and down the steps. He took about three steps in the warm, soft desert sand and ... flopped over and took a dust bath. HA HA HA ! When we resumed driving a few minutes later, Joanne wanted to know why Sully was so dusty. Gee, dear,
I don't know ! HA HA HA !

Shortly after lunch I felt so sleepy I decided to stop for a nap. It was a lovely sunny day. Sully enjoys afternoon naps with me on sunny days. We were in no hurry to get anywhere today. While I napped Joanne worked on a sewing repair.

After a brief nap and more hours of driving across scruffy desert we stopped for groceries in Ely. By the time we finished our grocery shopping it was dusk and we were ready to stop for the night. We didn't find any good boondocking spot in the town of Ely, so we continued south on Hwy. 93 until we reached a roadside rest area / BLM Elk Viewing Area where we boondocked for the night. Had the place all to ourselves !

Wednesday ; BLM Elk Viewing Area south of Ely to Cathedral Gorge State Park

In the middle of the night I woke up ... cold ! DARN ! The bedroom heater was not working. Out of propane. DARN ! I got up, put on shoes, and stepped outside to change propane tanks. As I was switching from the empty tank to the full one, I heard a noise off to the side of the trailer. I shone my flashlight over there and saw nothing but then heard the start of ... HUH ? ... a stampede ? A herd of elk ? ! ? Scared the dickens out of me !

Today was another sunny, warm day. We prepared for departure then did an obedience session with Bo, since we had the large parking and picnic area of the BLM Elk Viewing Area all to ourselves. We had a great obedience session which included some "search" since there were places for us to hide then call him, and ... HA HA HA ... Joanne went over a cattle ( or elk ) grate in the road and called him to come. With great reluctance, he gingerly crossed the cattle grate. Good dog, Bo, well done ! Bo has been afraid of cattle grates and has refused to cross them ever since he fell and got stuck crossing a cattle grate at an Escapee park in New Mexico a few months after we got him almost eight years ago.

We continued the boring southbound drive on Hwy. 93 across the endless scruffy desert of Nevada. No wonder this is where they chose to blow up atomic bombs ! We got off the highway at the town of Pioche to find and view the free municipal campground we had heard about. Shortly after that we reached Cathedral Gorge State Park, our destination for today. We had been here twice before, and quite like the place.

While I napped with Sully, Joanne began removing the Similkameen Day Tours lettering off the sides of the truck. Today she completed one side, the side facing the sun, which made the plastic decal lettering easier to remove. We walked around the campground and surrounding area, getting the kinks out after spending the last seven days sitting in the truck a lot. As planned, I started a campfire and cooked supper over the open fire, a treat that we both enjoy.

Thursday ; What an unusual weather day ! It started out sunny and mild, became cloudy and cold, then cleared and warmed late in the afternoon.

Today we rested after seven days of driving, worked on some "home improvement" and maintenance projects, and went hiking and exploring in slot canyons. Bo loooooves exploring in slot canyons. HA HA HA ... what a funny little dog.

Joanne continued removing Similkameen Day Tours lettering off the truck. She didn't get much done today, because the plastic decal lettering doesn't come off easily on cloudy, cold days. I did some "Velcro work" on recent purchases. HA HA HA ... good RV living with Velcro ! We removed the Velcro on the floor underneath the dinette table that held down the old dinette table. Then Joanne spent a very long time removing the adhesive residue left behind by the old Velcro.

Received a phone call from a fellow in Penticton, asking questions about our lot 89 for sale at Riverside RV Park Resort. Hope we hear from him again !

< huge sigh > While doing some maintenance work on the truck's batteries, I got battery acid on my zippered, hooded sweater. DARN ! Ruined another one ! I ruin about two a year ! Good thing I buy them for five bucks or less at thrift shops !

We went for a short hike over to the nearby slot canyons, then explored in some of them. Bo fearlessly rushes into slot canyons and goes in way faster and further than we can, coming back with a look of disgust because we're too slow or simply too large to follow him in that far. HA HA HA ... good dog, Bo, well done < rolling eyes >.

After our hike our last project of the afternoon was to bolt the new dinette table down to the floor. It's a temporary job. I didn't have the right hardware to do the job as "elegantly" as I would like. I'll redo the job in a couple of weeks in Yuma. In the meantime, now the table can't move around as we travel.

Once again I cooked supper over a campfire. And this time, I stretched my campfire cooking horizons a bit. I cooked salmon fillets, rice pilaf, zucchini, and brussel sprouts, each item wrapped in foil. Everything turned out perfectly. First time I cooked brussel sprouts over an open fire.

Friday ; Cathedral Gorge State Park to Valley Of Fire State Park, Nevada

Another unpredictable weather day !

This morning at Cathedral Gorge State Park it was cold and cloudy. We prepared for departure and drove over to the trailer dump station to dump the waste holding tanks and refill the freshwater tank. As we finished it began to rain. BRRRRR ! We drove south on Hwy. 93 through rain that was at times heavy. The sky cleared and the temperature rose significantly when we entered the Mojave Desert. We stopped for lunch and a nap at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.

South on Hwy. 93, east on Hwy. 168, one mile on Interstate 15, south on Hwy. 169. We stopped to buy some groceries at Overton. Then ... WOW ... Valley Of Fire State Park. What an astounding area of red rock formations ! We got set up in a campsite, and were planning to light a campfire and cook supper over it when ... BRRRRR ... again ... it suddenly became very cold and windy as the sun set ! Forget the campfire ! DARN !

Saturday ; Valley Of Fire State Park to Laughlin, Nevada

This morning we prepared for departure, then went for a leisurely walk around the campground. I took many "CoolPix" with my new Nikon CoolPix camera. We departed the Valley Of Fire State Park campground and drove west on the state park road back to Interstate 15. As we were driving, there was a long line of ... 1, 2, 3 ... 22, 23, 24 ... WOW ... 24 brand new Camaros heading into Valley Of Fire State Park. HA HA HA ... must be a Chevrolet marketing photography session.

 We refilled with diesel and propane on the Moapa Paiute Reservation. First time on this trip diesel was under $4 a gallon !

We drove southwest on I-15 to Las Vegas, our planned destination for today. We found our way to Sam's Town RV Park, and after checking it out decided to just keep driving.
It was only about noon, and there was nothing interesting or attractive enough about the RV park or nearby to entice us to stay. We headed southeast on Boulder Highway to the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson where we stopped at a 99 Cents Only store to do some shopping. When we stepped out of the truck in the shopping mall parking lot ... UH-OH ... there was water coming out of the trailer underneath the door ! ! ! Not a good sign ! We opened the trailer door to discover that our full five gallon water jug had just tipped over and shattered. Five gallons of water spilled on the trailer floor and was finding every opening it could to leak out !

We cleaned it up as best as we could, then went shopping. After shopping we walked over to the next mall to have a late lunch at Burger King. We're usually quite impressed with Burger King. Not this one ! REALLY terrible service ! Interminably long wait for our food. Food was burned ! Somebody from Burger King needs to pay a visit to this franchise and straighten them out !

We headed out of Las Vegas / Henderson on Boulder Highway and Interstate 515, then turned southbound on Nevada Hwy. 95. Joanne told me to "drive like stink" to outrun an ugly little storm cloud that was approaching from the west. I successfully outran it, but not before stopping to take a picture of the heavy rain coming out of it, falling on the Mojave Desert, just before it reached us. The rain, not the desert !

We contemplated stopping to boondock overnight in a casino parking lot in Searchlight. NAHHH ... too early ! We contemplated stopping to boondock overnight in a casino parking lot in Cal Nev Ari ( near the borders of California and Nevada and Arizona ). NAHHH ... too early. We drove all the way to Laughlin, Nevada, where we have a reservation for three nights at the Riverside Casino RV Park ... starting tomorrow !

It was still daylight so Joanne suggested we cross the Colorado River into Bullhead City, Arizona, and go do some Wal-Martin'. Yes, dear ! Whatever you say, dear ! There's nothing I'd rather do than go Wal-Martin' on a Saturday afternoon, dear !

After Wal-Martin' < sigh > we drove through Bullhead City and Fort Mohave to cross back over the Colorado River into Nevada again, at the Avi Casino south of Laughlin. We decided to boondock overnight at the Avi Casino's RV parking lot. We went into the casino to pick up a Laughlin "Entertainer" magazine, and check out the Avi's Native Harvest Buffet Restaurant. Well ... how fortuitous ! Prime Rib 2-4-1 night. ETYS prime rib and everything else ... $11.49 per couple ! We ate and ate and ate until Joanne had to ... ! ! ! HA HA HA ! She said it was perfect. "Nature" called when she had 3 spoonfuls left of her Cherries Jubilee dessert. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !

DSK

October 28 to November 3, 2012 ; Keremeos, British Columbia to Pendleton, Oregon

Sunday ; Still gloomy, but a bit warmer ... and no rain.

The ad for the truck camper that we went to see yesterday was gone today, within 24 hours of it being posted on Kijiji, implying the truck camper has sold already. WOW ... that was fast ! Proving my point ... pricing is everything ! While our lot 89 has not yet sold despite being for sale for the last three months, nothing else was sold in this park during that time either. I am determined that our lot be the next lot to sell !

Fall pre-departure preparations continued today. And I installed two new carbon monoxide detectors today. We bought them yesterday. One installed in the house. One installed in the trailer. We had a carbon monoxide detector in the trailer, but it was
120V AC. Our biggest risk from carbon monoxide is when we are boondocking, so ... the new ones are 9V battery operated.

Monday ; Gloomy but warmer. Rain in the morning.

Another long, hard day of running errands in Penticton, the last of this season. First was a review meeting with our investment broker. WOW ... she had a heart attack very recently. Same age as us ! Sobering !

Tuesday ; Cold ! Very wet ! Clouds so low that southbound geese can be heard but not seen. HA HA HA ... geese flying IFR !

"Fall pre-departure" checklist items completed today. Tomorrow dedicated to "park model winterization" checklist. HEY ... I'm a pilot. And more than a little bit
obsessive - compulsive. I have checklists for everything !

Wednesday ; Hallowe'en

Gloomy ... but mild and dry. A pretty decent day to be working outdoors doing park model winterization. That's what I spent most of the day doing. Lots of "learning curve" ! Joanne spent most of the day moving stuff from the house to the trailer. Bo realized that we're preparing for departure and he's got serious hitch itch. HA HA HA !

By late afternoon we had moved from the house into the trailer, returning to the house in the evening just to watch Survivor on TV.

Thursday ; Keremeos, B.C. to Omak, Washington

Today was gloomy but mild and dry. Not a bad day for departure and travel.

This morning we slowly completed our last minute departure preparations, chatted with neighbours, and finally left Riverside RV Park Resort not much before noon. We stopped in Keremeos to adjust the tires' air pressures and make a grocery purchase, mostly to have a purchase receipt to prove we were still in Canada on November 1, for travel medical insurance purposes.

We drove east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos where we turned south onto Hwy. 97 to cross the border to Oroville, Washington. Well ! ! ! Hallelujah ! ! ! After that border crossing fiasco a year ago at Sumas it was a pleasure to once again cross the border at Osoyoos. Now that's what a border crossing is supposed to be like ! ! ! The polite and professional Customs & Border Patrol agent asked a few pertinent questions then spent a minute or two inspecting inside the trailer. Thanks ... bye !

After crossing the border we continued south on Hwy. 97, stopping for an extremely late lunch at Tonasket, Washington. After lunch we continued on to Omak. We found the Bank of America branch, where I took a Bank of Montreal U.S.$ MasterCard large cash advance and deposited it to our Bank of America account. A few days ago I had transferred that same amount to my BMO U.S.$ MasterCard account as an
 "overpayment", so there will be no interest charged on the cash advance. More than one way to skin a cat, eh ?

We refilled with diesel then went to Safeway to replenish groceries before heading to Wal-Mart to boondock overnight in their parking lot. WOW ... what a lot of southbound BC RV's in the Wal-Mart parking lot !

Friday ; Omak to Spokane, Washington

Today was cloudy and mild. We didn't leave Omak until 1:30 PM ! < sigh >

Last night while washing dishes Joanne discovered a small plumbing leak underneath the kitchen sink taps, leaking onto the dishes in the cupboard below. Since we were parked overnight in the Wal-Mart parking lot, and there was a Home Depot in the mall next door, I thought it would be a good opportunity to repair the leak immediately.
I determined that the taps / faucet assembly needed to be replaced. I bought the faucet assembly 7½ years ago for forty bucks, so ... < shrug > ... I guess I got my money's worth.

< sigh > I couldn't remove the faucet assembly from underneath, inside the cupboard, so ... < bigger sigh > ... I had to remove the entire sink ! The faucet retaining nut on one side was corroded. I had to break it off with a chisel ! We went to Home Depot and bought a new faucet assembly. Seventeen bucks ! Real cheap piece of junk ! BUT ... it works fine ! And I only need it to work fine for a month or so. I'll buy a much better faucet at the Habitat For Humanity Re-Store in Yuma.

We installed the new faucet assembly into the sink, then reinstalled the sink into the kitchen cupboard. And ... hit the road at 1:30 PM !

We drove east and south on Hwy. 155 to the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River, southeast on Hwy. 174, and east on Hwy. 2 to Interstate 90 just before Spokane. We drove through Spokane ... during rush hour ... on I-90, arriving at Camping World on the east side of Spokane just before dark. The store was just closing, so ... as planned ... we boondocked overnight in their parking lot so we can shop there in the morning.

Saturday ; Spokane, Washington to Pendleton, Oregon

Today started out cold and wet in Spokane, but ended up dry and mild in Pendleton. Lots of miles today. And lots of spending today !

We started the day by spending almost $550 at Camping World in Spokane. And that was for about $750 worth of merchandise ! I had a few very good coupons, including a recent coupon for 10% off everything at "northern" location Camping World stores for Canadians heading south for the winter. Plus 20% off and 25% off coupons for the two most expensive items we purchased.

As we were dumping our grey waste holding tanks and refilling our freshwater tank at the Camping World customer courtesy sani-dump station it began to rain heavily. We got pretty wet ! We headed southwest on Interstate 90 in heavy traffic and heavy rain. Oh, joy ! We turned south on Hwy. 395 to Pasco. I was almost out of fuel by the time we got to Pasco, and we missed the exit to the Flying J. DAMN ! By the time we got to the next exit and got turned around, I had to put our emergency two gallons of diesel into the truck !

While we are big fans of the Flying J chain of service stations, the one at Pasco ranks right up there with the Flying J at Ellensberg, Washington as the worst Flying J's in the chain. Small, filthy, overpriced ! What is it with Flying J's in Washington state ? ! ? Just a few miles down the road the price of diesel was thirty cents a gallon less ! ! ! And I had just bought over 34 gallons ! Close call ! The truck's tank is 35 gallons !

We crossed the Columbia River into Oregon and headed south on Interstate 82, then east on Interstate 84 to Pendleton, arriving at dusk. At the exit where we knew there was a Wal-Mart we also found a Dollar Tree. We had a lengthy shopping list of items to buy in Oregon ... sales tax free. When I entered the trailer before going into the Dollar Tree
I discovered ... < sigh > ... somebody ... < nudge, nudge, wink, wink, point, point > .. had not closed the fridge door properly after lunch. It popped open during travel, and items fell out. Including a tub of yoghurt ! All over the floor ! And under the edge of the slide !
< sigh >

After shopping at Dollar Tree ... and cleaning up the yoghurt ... we drove across the street for lots of shopping at Wal-Mart. By the time we were finished Wal-Martin' we were both tired and hungry. We bought a "meal to go" chicken dinner at Safeway and drove a few more miles to Wildhorse Casino where we ate our greasy chicken dinner ( YUCK !
I expect better of Safeway ! ) and boondocked for the night.

Daylight Savings Time ends tonight. I should reset all our clocks one hour back tonight. BUT ... we're crossing a time zone tomorrow afternoon, so ... if I set them back tonight
I will have to set them forward tomorrow afternoon. We'll live with the wrong time for half a day.

DSK