November 17 to 23, 2013 ; Laughlin, Nevada to Yuma, Arizona

Sunday ; Laughlin, Nevada to Golden Valley, Arizona to Fort Mohave, Arizona ( across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada ! )

Sunny and warm. < sigh > But not a great day !

This morning we departed the RV parking lot of the Avi Casino and crossed over the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada to Bullhead City, Arizona. We did a bit of Wal-Martin' then headed through Bullhead City and out to the northeast on Hwy. 68. We stopped at a Chevron station on the edge of town and spent half an hour refilling our freshwater tank ... to the halfway point ! Low water pressure !

Twelve miles of uphill on Hwy. 68 out of Bullhead City ! Tough climb ! Four miles of downhill and we were at the town of Golden Valley where we were headed to see truck camper for sale number nine of twelve.

We viewed it, then asked the owner if we may top up our freshwater tank using his garden hose. He allowed us to, but seemed a tad miffed. Hey, pal ... I just drove about 5000 km. / 3000 miles to see your camper, the least you could do is provide twenty gallons of fresh water, don't ya think ?

On the way back down into Bullhead City I noticed in the rear view mirror that the trailer seemed to be leaning towards the passenger side. As soon as we were at the bottom of the twelve mile hill I pulled over and took a look underneath the trailer. DAMN ! A broken leaf spring shackle ! I drove slowly to the nearby Home Depot, hoping to be able to buy the sockets I would need to replace the broken shackle. I have the spare parts, but ... I left all my tools back home in Keremeos, B.C. in anticipation of not having room for them when we have a truck camper. Catch 22 !

I bought the sockets I needed, and even was able to borrow a bottle jack from the tool rental department, anticipating needing a extra jack in addition to the one in the truck in order to change the broken shackle. I worked on it in the Home Depot parking lot for awhile, but was not able to loosen the large nuts and bolts on the broken shackle. < sigh > I gave up and returned the unused, borrowed bottle jack to Home Depot's tool rental department.

We drove slowly through Bullhead City looking for an auto repair shop, or tire repair shop, or RV repair shop that might be open. I had the necessary spare parts, just needed somebody with big enough tools to loosen the broken shackle's nuts and bolts. We made it all the way through Bullhead City and into adjoining Fort Mohave before settling on Mohave RV & Marine Parts & Service, which appeared open. Their front door was open, but they weren't open for business. Two women were inside doing some administrative work. The women directed me to a nearby empty lot where we could boondock overnight. I will return to their service department first thing in the morning !

In early 2008, just before our first RV trip into Mexico, I bought a "spare" of every component of the trailer's suspension, knowing that Mexico's roads could easily destroy trailer suspension components, and while Mexican labour was easy to find, RV parts were simply not available. So ... after three winters in Mexico without ever breaking a suspension component on the trailer,
I break a shackle on a smooth Arizona road ... about four days before Harvey the trailer's "retirement". < sigh >

Monday ; Fort Mohave, Arizona to San Diego, California

Sunny and very warm. A very long, very tiring, upsetting day !

We were up at 6 AM so that I could be at the service desk of Mohave RV & Marine Parts & Service at 7 AM. They were working on the trailer by 7:30 AM and were finished by 8:30 AM. Well done ! Not cheap ... but quick and efficient and competent.

We drove to Wal-Mart so that I could buy a tool that I needed. Wal-Mart didn't have it. Drove to Auto Zone and found it. Pulled into Maverik to buy the cheapest diesel of this trip so far. Refilled with diesel, then got permission to refill our freshwater tank at a difficult to access water spigot on the side of their building. While backing the trailer away from the fuel island and towards the water spigot, I crunched the front bumper of the truck against a concrete barrier, gouging a big tear in the truck's plastic front bumper. !+@_#)$(%*^& ! ! ! ! !

That fouled me for the rest of the day. I have extreme difficulty forgiving myself for such transgressions. And what the hell ... might as well take it out on the little wifey, n’est-ce pas !

We drove south out of Fort Mohave, Arizona on Hwy. 95 to Needles, California, onto I-10, crossed the Colorado River back into Arizona again, refilled with diesel at Flying J, then back over the river into California ... again. From there we drove south on a variety of "country back roads" all the way to Holtville, between Yuma, Arizona and San Diego, California. It was Joanne's idea to head to Holtville to buy burritos "to go" for supper, at Holtville Taco Shop. GAWD, their burritos are good !

We got onto I-8 heading west to San Diego. We stopped at Golden Acorn Casino to refill with diesel for the third time today. We continued west on I-8 ... in the dark, and fog, to Viejas Casino just east of San Diego. We are going to boondock here tonight and tomorrow night, while we spend tomorrow viewing our final three truck campers for sale.

GAWD, those burritos were good !

Tuesday ; San Diego, California

Today was cloudy and mild.

WHEW ! I'm all truck camper shopped out ! And freeway driving burnt out !

This morning we unhitched the truck from the trailer then headed out to view truck campers for sale numbers ten, eleven, and twelve. Of a total of twelve ! Here's the summary ; one excellent, one good, two fair, six poor, one rotten piece of junk, and one that can't even be considered because the seller is such a certifiable nut job ! Joanne thinks he's mentally ill. I think he's just a drunk. He's likely both !

And before today we thought it would likely come to a decision between two ; the excellent one and the good one. But now ... it comes down to a decision of ... none of the twelve ! Joanne has decided that there is a particular model / layout she wants, and the ones that we saw of that model were not acceptable to us for one reason or another. So ... < sigh > ... the truck camper shopping will continue !

After seeing the last three truck campers we had a late lunch at El Pollo Loco, then crossed the street to shop at Petco ... they didn't have what we were looking for ... and buy a few groceries at Albertsons. We drove back to Viejas Casino and hitched the truck to the trailer.

The last time we were here at Viejas Casino, a few years ago, I spent three days in bed, sicker than a dog, with food poisoning from tainted peanut butter that was subsequently recalled. Joanne spent those three days wandering around the casino and the adjacent "outlet stores" shopping mall. So tonight she was my tour guide. We caught the casino shuttle bus and rode from the RV parking lot to the shopping mall. It's too far to walk. We wandered around, admiring the dancing water fountain display choreographed with lights and music. Pretty nice ! Not the Bellagio ! We shopped for Birkenstock sandals in a shoe store. HMPH ... not much selection of Birkenstocks at this time of the year. We wandered over to the outdoor skating rink.

HA HA HA HA HA ! Southern Californians, of all ages, mostly Hispanics, trying to ice skate.
HA HA HA HA HA ! Not easy, if you didn't learn how at about five years of age, like most of us Canadians did. But they certainly were enjoying themselves. An elderly Hispanic woman slowly passed by us, mostly holding herself up and pulling herself along the boards with her hands, and exclaimed "Es no easy". HA HA HA HA HA ... no, ma'am, it certainly isn't. But ... I’ll bet that she can probably ride a surf board a hell of a lot better than I can. HA HA HA HA HA !

We wandered around inside the casino for awhile. Nice casino, more spacious and a bit quieter than most. We caught the shuttle bus back to the RV parking lot, had dinner and a quiet evening.

We're eager to arrive "home" in Yuma tomorrow.

Wednesday ; San Diego, California to Yuma, Arizona

Harvey's final journey

At 6 AM Joanne abruptly woke me up. She had come to a sudden realization. The truck camper model that she wants ... has no logical place to locate a cat litter box. My response to that was ... ZZZZZZZZ ! We had a brief discussion. We made a decision. We went back to sleep. Looks like we'll be buying my first choice.

Today was cloudy and mild in San Diego, sunny and very warm in Yuma. We're very glad to be "home".

This morning we prepared for departure and left the RV parking lot of Viejas Casino, heading east on Interstate 8. Harvey the fifth wheel trailer's final journal. Upon arrival at our lot 52 in Kofa Ko-op SKP RV Park this afternoon, Harvey is retired. His travelling days are over. He served us very well over ten years and about 280,000 km. / 175,000 miles. Enjoy your retirement in the desert sun, Harvey !

Shortly after leaving San Diego the coastal gloomy sky cleared, and we were back underneath clear skies with brilliant desert sunshine. We had lunch at a rest area. We arrived "home" about 4 PM. We spent the rest of the daylight ( about two hours ) getting set up in our site and getting the Arizona room opened up, aired out, furniture uncovered, etc.

Thursday ; Cloudy and warm all day, thunderstorm in the evening, with thunder, lightning, and heavy rain, very unusual here in the desert.

Bought a truck camper today ! The eighth one we saw, a 1997 Lance Legend 990, near San Jose, California. I think I paid too much. The seller thinks he sold for too little. < shrug > Probably means it was the right price !

We spent most of the day on "arrival" chores, mostly cleaning ... and visiting. We went to the Salvation Army Thrift Store to buy some clothes. Today was "all clothing items for $1", a good time to buy "work" clothes, especially t-shirts for me. Did I mention ... I got droplets of battery acid on yet another shirt the other day when checking the truck battery fluid levels. We took Bo for a walk around the perimeter of the dog park. Must have been a moist summer, the desert / dog park is filled with ... "grass". I'm not sure if grass is the right word to describe what's growing out there, but ... ? ? ?

Friday ; Well ... how unusual ! Cloudy with intermittent rain all day long.

And I was feeling ill, so did very little today. Joanne did a lot of laundry, and went grocery shopping to Fry's. WOO-HOO ... Donald Duck orange juice, my favourite ! HA HA HA !

Saturday ; Today was cloudy, windy, and cold. Really ? ! ?

This morning we headed out to run some errands. I dropped Joanne off at Albertsons to buy some advertised specials, then I drove to Wells Fargo Bank to deposit a cheque to the account of our truck camper seller.

This afternoon we had the truck and trailer washed by a mobile washing service that many people in our RV park use on a regular basis. We've seen the crew in the RV park many times, and decided to give them a try. WOW ! Now we know why they're so popular. Wash the fifth wheel trailer, top to bottom, including the roof, wash the truck ... six Mexican guys, fifty minutes, forty bucks ! Six guys, fifty minutes, that's five man hours of labour. For forty bucks. Plus they supply the vehicle wash detergent, and tire conditioner, and even use non-spotting "soft" water from a large tank on the back of their truck. And high pressure spray hoses. GEEEEEZZZZZ ... washing the roof of the trailer that well, alone is worth the forty bucks ! The work that they did in less than an hour would have taken Joanne and I a couple of days of hard work. Both the truck and the trailer were very grimy from 6000 km. of travel, some of it in terrible weather.

This evening we went to Desert Sun Stadium to see the annual Balloon Glow, an event of the annual Yuma Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival. Tethered balloons, simultaneously lighting their burners, to "glow" in the dark. As we arrived, cars were streaming out of the parking lots. HUH ? OH ... cancelled due to too much wind. HMPH !

DSK

November 10 to 16, 2013 ; Antioch, California to Laughlin, Nevada

Sunday ; Oakland and San Jose, California

Sunny and warm today, except for the smog around Oakland. We drove over 330 km. / 200 miles today to view two truck campers for sale, almost all of it on congested freeways. On our way home we were passed by a red Ferrari convertible, with a woman in the driver's seat, long blonde hair blowing out behind her. How California !

We left our RV park this morning and headed west then south beside San Francisco Bay, through Berkeley to Oakland. We viewed the first of the two campers we were here to see, then headed south to San Jose < humming "Do You Know The Way To San Jose ?" >. We met the second truck camper's owner / seller in Morgan Hill, just south of San Jose. We viewed the second truck camper for sale, spending much more time at the second than the first.

Back in the bedroom community / suburb of Morgan Hill we had a very late lunch at Burger King, refilled our five gallon water jug at Safeway, then drove across the street to ... WOO-HOO ... Trader Joe's where we spent almost a hundred dollars on impulse purchases of gourmet / exotic / specialty food items. We drove the hundred or so miles back to our RV park in rush hour traffic, although, quite frankly, it always seems to be rush hour traffic on the California freeways. I'm very grateful we've never had to live in this kind of high population area. What a crappy way to live !

We connected to the RV park's cable TV system and watched Amazing Race in the evening ... as we ate Trader Joe's products for supper.

Monday ; Remembrance Day in Canada, Veterans Day in U.S.

LEST WE FORGET !

Antioch to SKP Park of the Sierras near Coarsegold, California

This morning we prepared for departure, hitched up, and left the Contra Costa Fairgrounds RV Park in Antioch, once again heading west then south along San Francisco Bay, then east, all on a succession of congested Interstate freeways. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month ... we observed Remembrance Day with a minute of silence as we drove, followed by Joanne reciting the poem In Flanders Fields, learned by all Canadian school children at a young age.

For me, Remembrance Day is mostly an opportunity to remember and honour my father, a veteran of World War II. And ... somewhat in his honour, we stopped to browse at a Bass Pro Shops, an incredibly huge outdoors store, similar to Cabela's. My father used to love spending cold winter evenings browsing for fishing tackle in his Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops mail order catalogues. I bought myself a very small Christmas gift ( to me from Joanne ... HA HA HA ) at Bass Pro Shops.

When we reached Hwy. 99 we turned south, shortly thereafter refilling with diesel at Flying J in Ripon. We stopped to have lunch and buy a few items at a Wal-Mart in Turlock. Never again in Turlock ! We weren't even out of the truck when a security guard showed up and began to hassle us about how long did we intend to park our big rig in their parking lot. About an hour or so, as long as it takes to spend some of our money which will pay your salary, a*****e ! The store itself was the dirtiest and most disorganized Wal-Mart we've been to. And we've been to a LOT of 
Wal-Marts ... in three countries ! I picked up a package of Q-Tips ... and found that there was ... puke ... or something ... all over it. And now it was on my hand ! The last straw for me was being asked at the checkout for photo ID before my credit card was acceptable. **** you ! ! ! Must be a tough neighbourhood !

We continued south on Hwy. 99, then east on Hwy. 145, then north on Hwy. 41 up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and ... SKP Park Sierra near Coarsegold. Bo recognized it as we arrived, and promptly went berserk in anticipation of the daily dog parties that take place in the dog park. We quickly registered and while I went to park the rig in our assigned site, Joanne took Bo to the daily dog party, already almost over for today.

I parked the rig and walked back to the dog park, meeting and chatting with old friends and new ... as did Bo !

Tuesday ; After eleven days of driving, I deserved to sleep in this morning.

After getting a late start to the day we went to the Chukchansi Casino buffet restaurant for lunch. WOO-HOO ! ! ! My favourite casino buffet restaurant. After stuffing our faces we drove north to the town of Oakhurst to do a bit of shopping. While Joanne went into Vons to buy some groceries I went to O'Reilly's Auto Parts to buy what I need to do an oil change tomorrow. We returned home and took Bo to the daily dog party at the dog park. He was SOOOOO pleased ! He LOOOOOVES the SKP Park Sierra daily dog parties.

In the evening I went to the clubhouse and got quite a bit of online work done.

Wednesday ; Sunny and mild, a nice day.

This morning Joanne did a lot of laundry. I worked in the clubhouse, on the computer and the phone, making arrangements to see four more truck campers over the next week. After lunch
I went to the Pole Barn, this RV park's maintenance garage, and did truck maintenance. 
I changed the oil and filter, changed the fuel filter, and lubricated the eight grease zerks in the front end steering and suspension. I cleaned the battery terminals, and did a thorough inspection, discovering a brake hose with a "blister". UH-OH ... better get that changed ! Nice catch, Daniel ! Might have saved our lives, finding that one !

MMMMM ... I made pickerel fillets for supper, one of my "specialties".

Thursday ; Another sunny, mild day.

This morning I headed out in search of a new brake hose. First stop was Napa in Coarsegold. They didn't have the brake hose I needed, could get it from Sacramento ... tomorrow. I headed to Oakhurst. O'Reilly's Auto Parts didn't have what I needed, could get it from Fresno ... by 3 PM this afternoon. OKAY ! I headed back to SKP Park Sierra. I was sorely tempted to install the brake hose myself in the Pole Barn, but decided to phone some auto repair shops and find out how much it would cost to get it done "professionally". I made arrangements to have it done at Coarsegold Car Care at 3 PM.

After lunch I headed back to Oakhurst, bought some buns and milk at Vons, and picked up the new brake hose at O-Reilly's Auto Parts. I drove back to Coarsegold Car Care. AND ... everything went sour !

It was perversely reassuring to see a simple job go completely sour ... for a "pro". Every time that happens to me, I blame my own ineptitude, thinking ... "it must just be me !" I watched the mechanic do the work, so that I could learn how to do it properly. First thing that happened ... the hold down clip bolt broke while he was trying to remove it. He removed the old brake hose and installed the new one. No problem. He "bled" the brake line to get trapped air out. Then he began to work on drilling the broken bolt shaft out of the bolt hole. He failed, couldn't get the drill bit to go in straight. He decided to drill a new hole, thread it, and install a new bolt. He drilled the new hole, inserted the thread tap, and ... it broke as he tightened it down to cut the threads. < sigh > He tried to remove the protruding shaft of the thread tap using vise grip pliers. He failed, couldn't get the broken shaft out ! He cut off the protruding shaft of the thread tap using a grinding wheel. We both decided "enough is enough". It was almost closing time.

The mechanic was frustrated. Hey ... better you than me, pal ! His boss seemed annoyed. I paid the bill and left. Before we leave tomorrow morning I will try to devise a substitute for the hold down clip, using a very large plastic cable tie. The hold down clip seems to be more "insurance" than "necessity".

At least I won't be hitting the road tomorrow with a brake hose "aneurysm".

Friday ; SKP Park of the Sierras to Tehachapi, California

Sunny and mild most of the day, cold and windy at Tehachapi Summit where we stopped for the night.

This morning while Joanne took care of departure preparations I completed the brake hose replacement job, securing the new brake hose to the rear axle using a very large plastic cable tie. When I saw those jumbo cable ties in a flea market a few years ago, I knew they would be useful some day, somewhere. We hitched up, paid our bill, and left SKP Park of the Sierras.

South on Hwy. 41 to Fresno, then south on Hwy. 99. We stopped at the city of Tulare, to have lunch and buy groceries at Vallarta, our favourite Mexican grocery store ( in America ). At their in store taqueria ( fast food restaurant ) we shared a huge bowl of Caldo de Res ( Beef Soup / Stew ) and a Platillo de Carne Asada con Arroz y Frijoles ( Seasoned Grilled Beef Platter with Rice & Beans ). MMMMM ! And we bought quite a bit of Mexican specialty grocery items. 
WOO-HOO ... pan dulce for breakfast. And bedtime snack. HA HA HA ! By the time we left Tulare it was already 2:30 PM.

More south on Hwy. 99 to Bakersfield. YUCK ... smog ! From both Bakersfield and Los Angeles which is a bit further south. We refilled with diesel at Flying J then headed east on Hwy. 58, up the seemingly endless hill into the Tehachapi Mountains, which act as a barrier to all the smog. The higher up the Tehachapi Pass, the worse the smog. We stopped for the night at Love's, a fuel station similar to Flying J, right at the summit of the Tehachapi Pass. Very cold, very windy. And we know from previous experience that the pollution dissipates immediately after the summit, descending down into the Mojave Desert. The sky becomes clear, the air is desert clean. Tomorrow morning !

Saturday ; Tehachapi, California via Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada

Sunny and warm in the Mojave Desert today.

This morning we departed the Love's and continued heading east on Hwy. 58. Immediately we began the long descent from the Tehachapi Summit down to the Mojave Desert ... and its brilliant sunshine. And temperature in the mid-70's. AHHHHH ! And this season's first glimpses of Joshua Trees and Teddy Bear Cholla Cacti.

At Barstow we got onto Interstate 15 for just a few miles, then onto Interstate 40 heading east. It was a long day of driving across the Mojave ! At Needles, California we crossed the Colorado River into Arizona. We refilled with diesel at Pilot then headed north on Arizona Hwy. 95 to Bullhead City. In Bullhead City we crossed the Colorado River again, this time into Laughlin, Nevada, to the RV parking lot of the Avi Casino.

DSK

November 3 to 9, 2013 ; Carnation, Washington to Antioch, California

Sunday ; Carnation, Washington to Portland, Oregon

After a bit more sniping and bickering this morning we were finally able to get ourselves back on track and function co-operatively and supportively again. Why does it seem so hard to do sometimes ? ! ?

We left the parking lot of the municipal park in Carnation, Washington this morning and sort of stumbled and fumbled around country back roads until reaching Interstate 90, then drove west on I-90 until reaching I-5 at Seattle. We refilled with diesel in Seattle. Diesel price too high ! We headed south on I-5 stopping at a rest area between Seattle and Tacoma to dump the grey waste holding tanks and refill the freshwater tank. We continued south to Tacoma then northwest up into Key Peninsula to see a truck camper for sale.

And a very nice truck camper it was ! A Lance Legend 990. On the way off Key Peninsula we stopped at a beach alongside Tacoma Narrows to take Bo for a walk along the beach.

We found our way back to I-5, and stopped in Tacoma to buy some groceries at Safeway. 
I refilled with diesel again ( much more reasonable diesel price at Safeway in Tacoma than earlier in the day at a 76 in Seattle ) then worked online at the Starbucks in Safeway while Joanne shopped for groceries.

We continued southbound on I-5 until crossing the Columbia River into Portland, Oregon, then turned east on I-84. At the eastern edge of Portland we stopped for the night in the parking lot of Camping World. While Joanne prepared supper I walked about a block or so over to Burger King and did more online work.

Monday ; Portland, Oregon to Richland, Washington

Yes, yes, I know ... Oregon to Washington is the wrong direction !

Last night while online at Burger King in Portland I discovered a newly listed truck camper that was of some interest to me. After sleeping on it overnight, I decided I wanted to see it, despite it being about a hundred miles or so north of our planned route for today. What the hell ... let's go for it !

While Joanne shopped at Camping World for an item she needed, I used their free Wi-Fi to get online and quickly get a bit of work done. We headed east on Interstate 84 following the Columbia River Gorge. Very scenic, although the weather was gloomy and raining lightly. We drove and drove and drove and drove ! Slowly the weather improved. We refilled with diesel.

Eventually we turned north onto Interstate 82, crossed the Columbia River from Oregon back into Washington, onto I-182, then Hwy. 240, Hwy. 24, and Hwy. 243 to the town of Desert Aire. There we viewed an AlpenLite truck camper. As we began to "backtrack" from there we stopped at a rest area at dusk to dump the grey waste tanks and refill the freshwater. We do that daily, if possible. The OCD side of me wants the freshwater tank to be nearly full each morning for showers. By the time we left the rest area it was dark.

We drove for about an hour in the dark, back to the city of Richland where we stopped to boondock overnight in a Wal-Mart parking lot. While Joanne prepared supper I went to Taco Bell and used their free Wi-Fi to get online again. Oh, boy ... every day I find more truck campers to see !

Tuesday ; Richland, Washington to Baker City, Oregon

BRRRRR ! ! ! Snow and below freezing temperature in Baker City tonight. Snow and below freezing temperature all the way from Pendleton to Baker City this afternoon.

We left the Wal-Mart in Richland, Washington this morning and "backtracked" on Interstate 182 and Interstate 82 to the bridge over the Columbia River and into Oregon and onto Interstate 84. 
I needed to pull over to the side of the road and pour my emergency two gallons of diesel fuel into the truck three miles before reaching the Arrowhead Travel Plaza at the Wild Horse Casino.

What a great place for RV'ers. We've boondocked there a few times. Today we refilled with diesel and refilled with propane, using our "Rewards On The Rez" card to get discounts. HA HA HA ! We dumped and flushed the waste holding tanks and refilled with fresh water.

The snow began as we headed east from Pendleton. Light snow and heavy winds all the way to Baker City. We drove through Baker City and about nine miles towards Sumpter to view a Bigfoot truck camper. After viewing the Bigfoot camper we returned to Baker City and parked in a truck parking lot behind a Shell service station / truck stop. After supper I walked over to a nearby McDonald's to use their Wi-Fi. It was out of service but I did have an interesting bilingual conversation with a Quebecois fellow. Our conversation flipped back and forth between English and French, much to the puzzlement of others nearby. I walked over to a nearby hotel and used Wi-Fi in their restaurant / bar.

Wednesday ; Baker City, Oregon to Boise, Idaho and back to Ontario, Oregon

It was cloudy and cold for most of the day, with light rain in the evening.

We left Baker City, Oregon this morning and headed east on Interstate 84, eventually crossing into Idaho. About fifty miles into Idaho we arrived at Boise, to view a 1997 Lance Legend 980 truck camper for sale. What a rotten piece of junk ! I'm hopeful the seller doesn't read this, but if he does ... < shrug >.

We refilled with diesel before leaving Boise, and headed back the same way we came, until reaching the Idaho / Oregon border where we stopped at a rest area for a late lunch. After lunch and a brief nap we went into the city of Orange and did our semi-annual tax free shopping in Oregon. By the time we finished our Wal-Martin' it was already dark, so we stayed in the Wal-Mart parking lot overnight.

Thursday ; Ontario, Oregon to Winnemucca, Nevada

Well ... we're finally travelling south, instead of mostly east or west. And it paid off. It was cold and raining this morning when we left Orange, Oregon, and by the time we arrived in Winnemucca, Nevada, it was dry and 20 degrees warmer !

Before leaving the Wal-Mart shopping mall area we refilled our fresh water tank and bought fuel for the generator at the Chevron station, then while I went into Home Depot to buy a tool I needed to remove the truck's taillight Joanne went into Sally Beauty and bought some hair care products.

We drove east just a few miles on Interstate 84, crossing from Oregon into Idaho, then turned south on Hwy. 95. We drove south on Hwy. 95 for the entire day, first in Idaho, then it crossed back into Oregon, and then Nevada. Endless scruffy high desert ! Fairly early in the day, at the village of Parma, Idaho, we stopped to buy a stamp and mail an envelope at the Post Office,
I bought a taillight bulb at Napa, and changed a burnt out taillight on the truck.

Due to extremely heavy winds most of the day, I barely made it across the 100 mile stretch where no fuel was available. And, of course, at the first fuel station after the 100 mile stretch, the fuel prices were 10% higher than elsewhere. HMPH !

We passed a billboard advertising the smoked meatloaf special at Winners Casino in Winnemucca. That seemed appealing, so when we arrived in Winnemucca and saw that Winners Casino had free overnight parking for RV's that was where we went. And ... their free Wi-Fi reached our trailer in the parking lot. WOO-HOO ! We went into the casino's restaurant and found that the smoked meatloaf special was no longer available. HMPH ! BUT ... now they had an "all you can eat spaghetti with meat sauce" special for $4.95 ! Garlic toast included. Okay ! Joanne ate two bowls of spaghetti. I ate three ! We finished supper just in time for the free comedy show in the cabaret. The comic was so bad ... how bad was he ? He was so bad ... we walked out after about five minutes.

Friday ; Winnemucca, Nevada to Sacramento, California

This morning we pulled out of the RV parking lot of Winners Casino and drove down the street to Flying J where we refilled with diesel, refilled a propane tank, and refilled our freshwater tank before heading southwest on Interstate 80.

We drove all day southwest on I-80. It was sunny, and as we slowly descended from Nevada high desert into California forest it became warmer and warmer. By the time we reached Sacramento, it was 70 degrees. WOO-HOO ! Just before we crossed from Nevada into California we stopped to refill with diesel again at Reno, surmising that fuel prices would increase once we entered California. Shortly after crossing into California we had to stop at the California Agriculture Inspection Station. Usually they are concerned about what fruits and vegetables are being brought into California. Today the female inspector's question was "do you have any firewood or game ?" HUH ? ! ? Firewood or game ? ? ? UHHHHH ... nooooo ! ! ! And she waved us through !

We intended to boondock overnight at Camping World on the east side of Sacramento, but when we pulled in there the parking lot was pretty crowded so we decided to head to a Wal-Mart we had passed a mile before. When we arrived at the Wal-Mart, we realized ... OH ! It's a Wal-Mart under construction, looked completed, but not yet open. No matter ... the parking lot was finished. We spent the night there.

Saturday ; Sacramento to Antioch, California

Sunny and warm, temperature reaching mid-70's. All of today's driving was on congested California freeways. It was stressful < taking deep breath and exhaling slowly > !

This morning we left the parking lot of the soon to be open new Wal-Mart and drove to a nearby Safeway to buy some groceries, then headed west on Interstate 80 into Sacramento. Through Sacramento and out heading south on Hwy. 99 to Galt, one town north of Lodi, to see truck camper no. six, another AlpenLite.

After viewing the camper we continued south on Hwy. 99, stopping at Love's in Ripon to refill with diesel, then heading west across to Interstate 5, and I-205, and I-580 towards San Francisco Bay. We took an exit off the freeway into the city of Livermore and stopped in the parking lot of the Elks Lodge to eat lunch. SHEESH ... no rest areas along these California freeways ! Interstate 680, Hwy. 242, and Hwy. 4 to Antioch where we found our way to the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds ... and their small, minimalist RV park. Oh, well ... the price was right !

We parked, set up, unhitched, then I got busy phoning about the two truck campers we are here to see tomorrow, one in Oakland, one in San Jose. To my very great chagrin, the Oakland camper owner is currently up in the Sierra Nevadas, mountain climbing. This after he confirmed by e-mail just a few days ago that this weekend would be a good time for me to view his truck camper for sale ! I'm not pleased ! ! !

DSK

October 27 to November 2, 2013 ; Keremeos, B.C. to Carnation, Washington

Sunday ; BRRRRR ! ! ! Cold and raining all day !

Spent the day indoors. Shopped online for a truck camper. Have about a half dozen to see on our way south.

Monday ; Sunny but cold. Did a bit more fall pre-departure work today.

Tried to reactivate our U.S. cell phone service online tonight. Couldn't ! Phoned for assistance. U.S. cell phone "sim card" expired. I didn't even know what that meant ! They could send new one. Three to five business days to deliver. Can be shipped only to U.S. address. HMPH ! Guess that means we're buying yet another new cell phone as soon as we reach the first Wal-Mart in the U.S., at Omak, Washington. Third U.S. cell phone in three years !

Tuesday ; Sunny but cold. Spent much of the day in Penticton running errands. Final trip to Penticton this year.

In the evening I researched the Canada Pension Plan. WOO-HOO ! Joanne is eligible for early pension in three months. I'd better get her ducks in a row soon !

Wednesday ; Sunny ... cold !

Made many phone calls today to sellers of truck campers. Planned travel route to see truck campers for sale. Went to Keremeos for haircut. OOOOO ... a bit too short ! Oh, well ... hair grows quickly ! Had to do simple repair on trailer fridge drain hose. Cold weather, brittle hose ... broke it ! Simple repair now becomes difficult repair < fume > !   Did "shoemaker" repair for now, will fix more elegantly once in Yuma.

Joanne spent most of day on pre-departure preparations, mostly "moving" from house to trailer.
I prefer the "old days" when all we had to do was hitch and go !

Thursday ; Hallowe'en 

Sunny ... mild. A great day to be working outdoors "winterizing" the park model. We moved into the trailer by lunch time and I spent the afternoon disconnecting and draining all the water lines, draining the water heater, draining the sink traps, pouring anti-freeze into all the drains, the toilet tank and bowl, etc. in the park model. Joanne did a lot of laundry and finished moving everything that had to be moved from the park model to the trailer. We hitched the truck to the trailer.

Ready to go in the morning !

Friday ; Keremeos, B.C. to Okanogan, Washington 

Today was gloomy, but mild and dry, a good day for departure and travel.

This morning we finished our departure preparations, weeded our lot underneath the trailer after
I pulled the trailer out, chatted with neighbours, and finally left Riverside RV Park Resort about 11:30 AM. We stopped in Keremeos to adjust the air in the trailer tires and to refill the trailer's freshwater tank, then headed east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos. Our border crossing was uneventful, typical for crossing at Osoyoos, B.C. to Oroville, Washington. No line-up, a few minutes answering reasonable and pertinent questions for a Customs & Border Patrol agent, then a few more minutes being inspected by an Agriculture inspector checking fridge contents and pet foods.

We stopped on the south side of Oroville to have lunch, then continued south on Hwy. 97 to Omak. We went "downtown" to the Bank of America where I took a large cash advance on our BMO U.S.$ MasterCard and deposited it to our Bank of America account. A few days ago I had "overpaid" our BMO U.S.$ MasterCard account to "cover" the cash advance, and avoid paying interest on the cash advance. It's how I get money from our Canadian bank account to our U.S. bank account without incurring fees. HA !

After the banking I refilled with diesel then we went to Wal-Mart to buy some groceries and ...
< sigh > ... a new cell phone. When I tried to reactivate our U.S. cell phone a few days ago I was unable because the "sim card" had expired, so I needed to buy a new phone. Cell phone bull**** is one of the things I hate about November 1 each year !

While Joanne put away groceries I walked across the highway to McDonald's and used their free Wi-Fi to activate the new cell phone. Because the new phone was plugged into the truck, charging, I had to cross the highway to return to the truck from McDonald's a couple of times to get necessary information for the activation process. Did I mention ... cell phone bull**** is one of the things I hate about November 1 each year ! I was able to activate the phone but was unable to buy airtime. I needed to have the phone with me in order to buy time online, and of course, the phone was charging in the truck, and the Wi-Fi signal wouldn't reach from McDonald's across the highway to the truck. Did I mention ... ! ! !

By that time ... it was dark. Joanne and the animals were sitting in the trailer in the Wal-Mart parking lot, getting very cold. We usually spend our first night in the Omak Wal-Mart parking lot, but ... we drove in the dark, south on Hwy. 97 to the next town, Okanogan ( different spelling than in Canada ) to boondock overnight in the RV parking lot of the Okanogan Bingo Casino. Free pull through RV sites with electrical service. Thank you !

Saturday ; Okanogan to Carnation, Washington 

No, no ... not a good day at all !

We awoke this morning to the sound of heavy rain, and we went to sleep tonight to the sound of heavy rain. In between, there were heavy winds, lots more rain, and a snow blizzard !

It was raining when we left the Okanogan Bingo Casino RV parking lot this morning. We drove south on Hwy. 97 to Wenatchee, then turned west on Hwy. 20 ... up and over the Cascades. At an elevation of about 2800 feet the rain turned to snow. By the time we reached the summit of Stevens Pass above 4000 feet, it was a blizzard, with heavy blowing snow, and freezing slush on the highway. Very treacherous seven miles of 6% grade downhill, until the snow turned to rain again.

At the tiny village of Index the traffic abruptly came to a halt. We were stuck there for about an hour until we found out that the heavy winds had broken a tree, and the falling tree had brought down a power line down across the highway. There was no estimate of when a crew would be there to rectify the problem and get the traffic moving again, so ... I manoeuvered a near impossible u-turn on the two lane highway and followed other traffic on a 20 mile detour down a very, very narrow and winding mountain road to the next village < sigh >.

We were now about an hour and a half later than planned for our first viewing of a truck camper for sale. We met the seller in the parking lot of the Safeway in the town of Duvall, and he led us on a lengthy journey “off the beaten path” to his rural property. We parked our truck and trailer a mile or so from his remote property and rode in his truck the rest of the way in. We had little time to view his camper before darkness set in.

He drove us back to our truck and trailer. We became lost in the dark trying to get back to Monroe. We eventually ended up in the town of Carnation where we parked in a municipal park parking lot to boondock overnight. We were lost, we were hungry, we were tired, we were stressed ... so we blew off the rest of the evening bickering and sniping fiercely < sigh >.

And ... Joanne didn’t like the camper !

DSK