Sunday ; Mostly sunny and mild.
"Return home" chores continue. I deodorized the black tank in the camper. I reinstalled the truck's driver's seat cover which Joanne had laundered. I conducted a 6000 km. inspection on the truck. I did a muffler repair on the truck. I went to see a neighbour to renew an "arrangement" we have regarding Wi-Fi service, and I ended up chatting with her for quite awhile about park politics, etc.
We took Bo for a long walk around the park, meeting Bob's and Chris's new Pomeranian puppy Shelby. While Joanne prepared supper I configured the computer, the TV, and my portable hard drive to enable us to watch a DVD movie while we ate supper. Because ... our satellite TV service does not resume until tomorrow. I had placed it on "vacation suspension" while we travelled, and our initial plans were to arrive home tomorrow.
Late in the evening I worked on prescription medication records keeping and accounting.
Monday ; Mostly sunny and mild. A few drops of rain around supper time.
Most of the day was taken up with routine return home chores. I chatted for awhile with a new park resident that I had not met before, discussing park politics. Joanne went into Keremeos to buy some groceries. I reviewed the large batch of mail that came in over the winter. I posted my weekly journal to my online blog. In the evening I worked on our income tax returns.
Tuesday ; Frequently changing between sunny and mild, and cloudy with light rain.
Spent the day on routine "return home" and household chores. Brought the clothing
I purchased this winter, from the camper into our park model, and put it all away. HMPH ! Wonder why I bought so much clothing this winter ? ! ?
Wednesday ; Sunny, cool in the morning, mild in the afternoon.
Today was a long, hard, expensive day of running errands in Penticton. We left home about 11 AM and were in Penticton before noon. I dropped Joanne off at Safeway then took the minivan to Great Canadian Oil Change for ... an oil change, of course ! After the oil change I picked Joanne up at Safeway, refilled the minivan with fuel at Wholesale Cub Fuel Bar, then went to my gastroenterologist's office for a 1 PM appointment. While I was seeing the doctor Joanne went shopping at Dollarama. After my doctor's appointment we went to Cherry Lane Mall and had lunch in the food court. After lunch we went to London Drugs to buy a new Canadian cell phone. Then
Wal-Mart for ... a lot ! Then PetsMart for dog and cat food, and Real Canadian Superstore for a lot of groceries. WHEW ! We finished in Penticton around 6 PM and were home about 7 PM.
We ate supper while watching Survivor.
Thursday ; Sunny and chilly.
Around noon we headed into Keremeos. First stop was the South Similkameen Health Center to pick up an appointment date and time for the lab to do a blood test. Then while I dropped off some prescription forms at the pharmacy Joanne went to the Post Office to buy a stamp. At 1 PM we arrived at Victory Hall for our afternoon of election training, which ended at 4:30 PM.
Back at home we took Bo to the dog park and he romped with his new friend, the Pomeranian puppy Shelby. I replaced a bicycle tire tube. I made fresh hamburger patties and barbecued Dan-O-Cheeseburgers for supper. Joanne made her wonderful potato salad. We watched Amazing Race. I finished and electronically filed our income tax returns. With three days to go until the income tax filing deadline ... this is the earliest I have filed our income taxes in thirty years. HA HA HA !
Friday ; Sunny, mild, windy.
We slept late, and had a slow start to the day. This morning our neighbour / friend Jeanine came over to offer us tickets to her choir's recital in Penticton this Sunday.
I submitted our ballots for our RV park's upcoming AGM's issues to be voted on.
This afternoon I installed a new battery in one of my three watches. I trimmed my beard. Now I look like a proper election official. HA HA HA ! Gord and Marcie came over to chat. And to have me examine Ozzie's ears. Despite my training and admonishment of Marcie last fall before we departed about cleaning and treating Ozzie's ears every few weeks to avoid a recurrence of last summer's extreme ear infections ... she did nothing all winter about Ozzie's ears. < sigh > I cleaned and treated Ozzie's ears. Dirty ... but no infection. I reviewed my inventory of clothing in the camper.
We took Bo for a walk to the dog park around 6 PM. It was windy and chilly !
BRRRRR ! I assisted with dinner preparation, doing all the cooking ; sautéed Cremini mushrooms, pan fried beef bacon, eggs partially fried, then poached in Crema Salvadoreña, all served on toast. Nicely done, Daniel.
Saturday ; Sunny, chilly, windy.
Started the day with some household maintenance chores. Trimmed Bo's dew claws. Joanne did laundry. When the clothes needed to be moved from the washers into the dryers we took Bo for a walk to the laundromat / swimming pool building and back, a long walk for Bo. And it seemed like a long walk for us also, considering the wind and chilly temperature.
Wrote a cheque to a Kofa Ko-op neighbour to settle accounts with her, after selling some stuff for her. Paid Joanne's income tax owing. Did some financial planning work. Then ... < sigh > ... while trying to access our Government of Canada online accounts ... I spilled a glass of root beer on my laptop. **** ! ! ! Every laptop I have owned met its demise because I spilled something on it !
I dried the laptop keyboard as best as I could. The computer's touch pad would not work properly. I dismantled the computer, dried things as best as I could with napkins and cotton swabs, then used a hair dryer to dry the insides. And ... fortunately ... with success ! I reassembled the laptop and continued working on accessing and updating our Government of Canada online accounts. What a lot of wasted time due to my carelessness ! And what a lot of aggravation due to my carelessness ! ! !
Late in the evening I continued and completed monthly computer scanning and backup procedures.
DSK
Sunday, April 30, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
April 16 to 22, 2017 ; Pendleton, Oregon, U.S.A. to Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada
Easter Sunday ; Pendleton, Oregon
Cloudy and mild. Happy Easter ? I don't think so ! It was a day of pretty difficult problem solving.
This morning I noticed ... HUH ? The water in the toilet bowl seemed ... discoloured. Oh, well ... must have been mineral laden water at the last place we refilled our freshwater tank, yesterday at the Flying J in la Grande, Oregon. As soon as I began to shower I realized ... UH-OH ... the problem is bigger than just minerals in the water. The water coming out of the shower head smells like ... diesel fuel ! ! ! The more
I showered, the more I realized that the water in the freshwater tank was contaminated with diesel fuel ! The Flying J in La Grande must be using a well for water, and there must be an underground fuel tank leaking diesel that is seeping down into the water table ! < sigh >
We used bottled water to brush our teeth. We moved out of the WildHorse Casino's RV parking lot and over to a gravel parking lot nearby. I opened the freshwater tank drain and allowed all the water in the tank to drain out. We drove over to the WildHorse Casino's Arrowhead Travel Plaza to refill with fresh water and dump our grey waste holding tank at the sani-dump station. I pulled over to the fuel islands and refilled Lanoire with diesel. I purchased a gallon of Lucas diesel additive, tax free ... AND ... using over five dollars of discounts accumulated on my "Rewards On The Rez" affinity card from buying diesel here about once per year. HA HA HA !
We returned to the RV parking lot to have lunch. As I washed my hands ...
< sniff sniff > ... I realized ... DARN ... the hot water tank was still filled with diesel contaminated water. As soon as we were finished having lunch we drove back to the gravel parking lot. I removed the sacrificial anode drain plug from the water heater and allowed all the contaminated water to drain out. < sigh > I reinstalled the sacrificial anode drain plug and ... hopefully that is the end of the problem. I hope ! Wish me
luck !
We parked in the RV parking lot ... yet again ... and spent the afternoon working on chores. Joanne did some cleaning. I downloaded and processed photos. The casino's Wi-Fi signal reached the RV parking lot so I was able to get online without having to go inside the casino. How nice ! I got a lot of online work done this afternoon.
Around 5 PM we went for a long walk, around the huge parking lot, then about a quarter mile down to the Arrowhead Travel Plaza. We checked out the Arrowhead Travel Plaza including the restaurant, laundromat, driver's lounge, and large convenience store, then walked back to our rig in the RV parking lot, checking out other truck campers along the way. At 6 PM we went into the casino to have Easter dinner at Traditions Buffet. Dinner was wonderful ! We chatted with the Canadian couple at the next table over who are on their way from their winter home in Palm Springs to their summer home on Vancouver Island. They are travelling in a very large Lance camper, very similar to ours.
How did I first know they were Canadian, you might wonder ? BECAUSE HE AND
I WERE THE ONLY MEN NOT WEARING BASEBALL CAPS DURING EASTER DINNER ! ! ! ! !
Monday ; Pendleton to Memaloose State Park & Rest Area near The Dalles, Oregon
Partially sunny and mild at Pendleton, becoming cloudy with light rain as we drove, cloudy and raining in the evening and overnight.
This morning we left the WildHorse Casino RV parking lot and drove the very short distance over to their Arrowhead Travel Plaza where we dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled with fresh water, and added air to one of the truck tires. We continued northwest on Interstate 84 ... all day. Shortly after leaving WildHorse Casino / Arrowhead Travel Plaza we stopped at Wal-Mart in Pendleton to refill our five gallon water jug ... and stock up on half price Easter chocolates. HA HA HA ! Not very far out of Pendleton Emma had a litter box "incident" requiring us to take the next available freeway exit, find a place to stop and park, and take care of the problem. Poor Emma ! Poor us ! ! ! < sigh >
When we stopped at a rest area to have a late lunch we received a telephone call from Elections BC. Joanne was "interviewed" and hired to work the upcoming provincial election in BC. I was "interviewed", but not ( yet ) hired. The interviewer left me with the expectation of being hired within the next couple of days. I remain hopeful. And now that we know when the election training dates are, we were able to finalize our return home schedule.
We drove to The Dalles, a small city along the Columbia River Gorge where our 95¾ year old friend Eilene lives. We are planning to have lunch with her tomorrow. We drove about ten miles or so beyond The Dalles to boondock overnight at Memaloose Rest Area adjacent to Memaloose State Park. GEEEEEZZZZZ ... what a busy, noisy rest area.
Tuesday ; The Dalles, Oregon to Indian John Rest Area / Interstate 90 Westbound Milepost 89, Washington
Mostly sunny and mild.
This morning we pulled out of the Memaloose Rest Area and into the adjacent Memaloose State Park to use their sani-dump station to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. We had to drive west on Interstate 84 for a few miles to reach an exit that allowed us to get turned around and heading back east towards The Dalles. We arrived at Eilene's seniors' residence precisely at noon, as planned. We walked a few blocks to Momma Jane's, a laid back, family style restaurant that we've been to with Eilene before. On a nice weather day it's a pleasant walk from Eilene's residence to the restaurant. She still is capable of walking quite a bit at the rather advanced age of 95¾ !
We chatted with Eilene while lingering over a pleasant lunch, then walked her back to her residence. We said our goodbyes with the hope that we will see her again in November when we're southbound. We drove to Safeway and while I refilled with diesel at the Safeway Fuel Bar Joanne went inside the store to buy some celery.
Joanne wanted to try a slightly different route than we usually take. We crossed the Columbia River from Oregon into Washington right at The Dalles, then drove east along the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington side of the river along Hwy. 14. When we reached Hwy. 97 .... AHHHHH, the "home" highway ... we turned north once again. At Toppenish we turned northwest on Interstate 82. At Ellensburg we turned west on Interstate 90. About fifteen miles west of Ellensburg we stopped for the night at Indian John Rest Area. Yeah ... I have no idea where that name comes from.
We took Bo for a walk and a short obedience session in the grassy park like dog walk area, then Joanne and I went for an exercise walk around the perimeter of the rest area before going inside the camper to prepare supper.
Wednesday ; Indian John Rest Area to Omak, Washington
Mostly cloudy, mild.
This morning before we left the rest area I received a telephone call from Elections BC offering me a choice of two election day jobs. WOO-HOO ! Now Joanne and I both have election day jobs. And both of us have election day jobs that we've never had before, increasing our value for future election employment opportunities. I also received another request for a trailer towing quote. I have had five requests for trailer towing quotes since we left Yuma, Arizona ten days ago. None, however, has resulted in me being hired ! HMPH ... tire kickers !
Before leaving the rest area we dumped our grey waste tank and refilled our freshwater tank at the rest area's sani-dump station. We drove about five miles west on Interstate 90 to Cle Elum where we turned onto Hwy. 197 heading northeast. When Hwy. 197 merged onto Hwy. 97 we continued north. AHHHHH ... the "home stretch" on the "home highway" !
At the picturesque town of Cashmere we stopped at Liberty Orchards to stock up for the summer on Aplets and Cotlets fruit confectionary products, for ourselves and as gifts. We had a late lunch in their parking lot then continued north on Hwy. 97. At Wells Dam, a hydro-electric generating station on the Columbia River we stopped and parked in the Visitor Centre parking lot and I had a nap. We reached our destination for today, Omak, at 6 PM. We got parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot, our regular Omak "home", then while Joanne went shopping in Wal-Mart I walked across the street to use the free Wi-Fi at McDonald's. McDonald's ? HUH ? Didn't that used to be a Burger King ? I'm certain of that !
Thursday ; Omak, Washington, U.S.A. to Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada
Mix of sun and clouds, mild in the U.S., chilly in Canada.
AHHHHH ... home ! AND ... as an added bonus .... Emma is accepting her new home without much fuss and anxiety. We were expecting worse ... Emma hates change !
This morning we pulled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot in Omak and drove across the street to Omak Travel Plaza where we refilled Lanoire with diesel. Then across the street again to the big mall where Joanne went into Safeway to buy a loaf of bread and
I went into Burger King to use their free Wi-Fi to turn off our home phone number's call forwarding to our U.S. cell phone. Last stop before leaving Omak was North 40 Outfitters to refill a propane tank.
We drove north on Hwy. 97 for about an hour to Oroville. We stopped in the parking lot of the Prince's Center shopping mall to have lunch, then Joanne went inside Akins Harvest Foods to buy a jug of milk. We crossed the border from Oroville, Washington to Osoyoos, British Columbia about 2 PM.
Quickest border crossing ever. Four questions ;
In Osoyoos we stopped at Buy Low Foods ( WHAT ? We need to stop at every grocery store in every town ? ? ? ) to buy some fresh produce. We drove west on Hwy. 3 to Keremeos with Bo getting more and more excited. He recognizes the smell of Lake Osoyoos and the Similkameen River. We stopped in Keremeos at the local insurance agency to register and insure the minivan. Bo became frantic during the fifteen minutes or so it took to drive from Keremeos to Riverside RV Park Resort. We arrived home about 4 PM.
It took me a couple of hours to "summerize" our park model manufactured home and get it ready for habitation again. Joanne moved food and other stuff from the camper to our park model before preparing a late supper. I got online and did some essential work, including retrieving and completing the online portion of election employees' training.
Our next door neighbours came by briefly to welcome us home. Quite frankly, when we left last fall we did not expect to see Gord alive again. When we returned home a year ago, a few days before he received his diagnosis of mesothelioma, he looked worse and was sicker than he was today ! When we left last fall he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. The treatments seemed to have worked at slowing down his demise ! Good to see you again, Gord. You too, Marcie.
Friday ; Sunny and mild, a fairly pleasant spring day in the B.C. Interior.
As expected, today was a pretty busy day of "return home" chores. Just before lunch
I drove into town to pick up some prescription refills, renew our newspaper subscription, and buy a quart of oil for the minivan. Joanne continued working on moving stuff from the camper to the park model. I worked on outdoor / yard chores. We took Bo to the dog park. I went bicycling. Joanne did laundry.
In the evening Joanne did her online elections training course. I processed photos from the last few days of travel.
Saturday ; Frequently changing weather all day, from sunny and mild to cloudy, windy, and chilly.
Joanne spent the day in town, attending two election training courses. She will be functioning as a "spare" election official on election day, so must be trained for four different election official jobs. KA-CHING !
I worked alone all day. Well ... not all day. There was some nap time involved. HA HA HA ! I removed Elsie the camper off Lanoire the truck. A tough job when Joanne is helping, even more tough when doing it alone. I continued work on "return home" chores. After Joanne returned home we went to visit our neighbour / friend Jeanine who collected our mail for us all winter. We came home and had a very late supper. OH, BOY ... perogies with Crema Salvadoreña ! Joanne went to bed right after supper because she got up early this morning to attend training.
This past winter season we travelled about 10,000 km. ( 6250 miles ), not including the 3000 miles ( 4800 km. ) or so of driving Obie the SUV around Yuma and area. The lowest price we paid for diesel fuel was $2.359 in Yuma, Arizona on November 26. The highest price we paid for diesel fuel was $2.999 in Oakhurst, California on November 11.
DSK
Cloudy and mild. Happy Easter ? I don't think so ! It was a day of pretty difficult problem solving.
This morning I noticed ... HUH ? The water in the toilet bowl seemed ... discoloured. Oh, well ... must have been mineral laden water at the last place we refilled our freshwater tank, yesterday at the Flying J in la Grande, Oregon. As soon as I began to shower I realized ... UH-OH ... the problem is bigger than just minerals in the water. The water coming out of the shower head smells like ... diesel fuel ! ! ! The more
I showered, the more I realized that the water in the freshwater tank was contaminated with diesel fuel ! The Flying J in La Grande must be using a well for water, and there must be an underground fuel tank leaking diesel that is seeping down into the water table ! < sigh >
We used bottled water to brush our teeth. We moved out of the WildHorse Casino's RV parking lot and over to a gravel parking lot nearby. I opened the freshwater tank drain and allowed all the water in the tank to drain out. We drove over to the WildHorse Casino's Arrowhead Travel Plaza to refill with fresh water and dump our grey waste holding tank at the sani-dump station. I pulled over to the fuel islands and refilled Lanoire with diesel. I purchased a gallon of Lucas diesel additive, tax free ... AND ... using over five dollars of discounts accumulated on my "Rewards On The Rez" affinity card from buying diesel here about once per year. HA HA HA !
We returned to the RV parking lot to have lunch. As I washed my hands ...
< sniff sniff > ... I realized ... DARN ... the hot water tank was still filled with diesel contaminated water. As soon as we were finished having lunch we drove back to the gravel parking lot. I removed the sacrificial anode drain plug from the water heater and allowed all the contaminated water to drain out. < sigh > I reinstalled the sacrificial anode drain plug and ... hopefully that is the end of the problem. I hope ! Wish me
luck !
We parked in the RV parking lot ... yet again ... and spent the afternoon working on chores. Joanne did some cleaning. I downloaded and processed photos. The casino's Wi-Fi signal reached the RV parking lot so I was able to get online without having to go inside the casino. How nice ! I got a lot of online work done this afternoon.
Around 5 PM we went for a long walk, around the huge parking lot, then about a quarter mile down to the Arrowhead Travel Plaza. We checked out the Arrowhead Travel Plaza including the restaurant, laundromat, driver's lounge, and large convenience store, then walked back to our rig in the RV parking lot, checking out other truck campers along the way. At 6 PM we went into the casino to have Easter dinner at Traditions Buffet. Dinner was wonderful ! We chatted with the Canadian couple at the next table over who are on their way from their winter home in Palm Springs to their summer home on Vancouver Island. They are travelling in a very large Lance camper, very similar to ours.
How did I first know they were Canadian, you might wonder ? BECAUSE HE AND
I WERE THE ONLY MEN NOT WEARING BASEBALL CAPS DURING EASTER DINNER ! ! ! ! !
Monday ; Pendleton to Memaloose State Park & Rest Area near The Dalles, Oregon
Partially sunny and mild at Pendleton, becoming cloudy with light rain as we drove, cloudy and raining in the evening and overnight.
This morning we left the WildHorse Casino RV parking lot and drove the very short distance over to their Arrowhead Travel Plaza where we dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled with fresh water, and added air to one of the truck tires. We continued northwest on Interstate 84 ... all day. Shortly after leaving WildHorse Casino / Arrowhead Travel Plaza we stopped at Wal-Mart in Pendleton to refill our five gallon water jug ... and stock up on half price Easter chocolates. HA HA HA ! Not very far out of Pendleton Emma had a litter box "incident" requiring us to take the next available freeway exit, find a place to stop and park, and take care of the problem. Poor Emma ! Poor us ! ! ! < sigh >
When we stopped at a rest area to have a late lunch we received a telephone call from Elections BC. Joanne was "interviewed" and hired to work the upcoming provincial election in BC. I was "interviewed", but not ( yet ) hired. The interviewer left me with the expectation of being hired within the next couple of days. I remain hopeful. And now that we know when the election training dates are, we were able to finalize our return home schedule.
We drove to The Dalles, a small city along the Columbia River Gorge where our 95¾ year old friend Eilene lives. We are planning to have lunch with her tomorrow. We drove about ten miles or so beyond The Dalles to boondock overnight at Memaloose Rest Area adjacent to Memaloose State Park. GEEEEEZZZZZ ... what a busy, noisy rest area.
Tuesday ; The Dalles, Oregon to Indian John Rest Area / Interstate 90 Westbound Milepost 89, Washington
Mostly sunny and mild.
This morning we pulled out of the Memaloose Rest Area and into the adjacent Memaloose State Park to use their sani-dump station to dump our waste holding tanks and refill our freshwater tank. We had to drive west on Interstate 84 for a few miles to reach an exit that allowed us to get turned around and heading back east towards The Dalles. We arrived at Eilene's seniors' residence precisely at noon, as planned. We walked a few blocks to Momma Jane's, a laid back, family style restaurant that we've been to with Eilene before. On a nice weather day it's a pleasant walk from Eilene's residence to the restaurant. She still is capable of walking quite a bit at the rather advanced age of 95¾ !
We chatted with Eilene while lingering over a pleasant lunch, then walked her back to her residence. We said our goodbyes with the hope that we will see her again in November when we're southbound. We drove to Safeway and while I refilled with diesel at the Safeway Fuel Bar Joanne went inside the store to buy some celery.
Joanne wanted to try a slightly different route than we usually take. We crossed the Columbia River from Oregon into Washington right at The Dalles, then drove east along the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington side of the river along Hwy. 14. When we reached Hwy. 97 .... AHHHHH, the "home" highway ... we turned north once again. At Toppenish we turned northwest on Interstate 82. At Ellensburg we turned west on Interstate 90. About fifteen miles west of Ellensburg we stopped for the night at Indian John Rest Area. Yeah ... I have no idea where that name comes from.
We took Bo for a walk and a short obedience session in the grassy park like dog walk area, then Joanne and I went for an exercise walk around the perimeter of the rest area before going inside the camper to prepare supper.
Wednesday ; Indian John Rest Area to Omak, Washington
Mostly cloudy, mild.
This morning before we left the rest area I received a telephone call from Elections BC offering me a choice of two election day jobs. WOO-HOO ! Now Joanne and I both have election day jobs. And both of us have election day jobs that we've never had before, increasing our value for future election employment opportunities. I also received another request for a trailer towing quote. I have had five requests for trailer towing quotes since we left Yuma, Arizona ten days ago. None, however, has resulted in me being hired ! HMPH ... tire kickers !
Before leaving the rest area we dumped our grey waste tank and refilled our freshwater tank at the rest area's sani-dump station. We drove about five miles west on Interstate 90 to Cle Elum where we turned onto Hwy. 197 heading northeast. When Hwy. 197 merged onto Hwy. 97 we continued north. AHHHHH ... the "home stretch" on the "home highway" !
At the picturesque town of Cashmere we stopped at Liberty Orchards to stock up for the summer on Aplets and Cotlets fruit confectionary products, for ourselves and as gifts. We had a late lunch in their parking lot then continued north on Hwy. 97. At Wells Dam, a hydro-electric generating station on the Columbia River we stopped and parked in the Visitor Centre parking lot and I had a nap. We reached our destination for today, Omak, at 6 PM. We got parked in the Wal-Mart parking lot, our regular Omak "home", then while Joanne went shopping in Wal-Mart I walked across the street to use the free Wi-Fi at McDonald's. McDonald's ? HUH ? Didn't that used to be a Burger King ? I'm certain of that !
Thursday ; Omak, Washington, U.S.A. to Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada
Mix of sun and clouds, mild in the U.S., chilly in Canada.
AHHHHH ... home ! AND ... as an added bonus .... Emma is accepting her new home without much fuss and anxiety. We were expecting worse ... Emma hates change !
This morning we pulled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot in Omak and drove across the street to Omak Travel Plaza where we refilled Lanoire with diesel. Then across the street again to the big mall where Joanne went into Safeway to buy a loaf of bread and
I went into Burger King to use their free Wi-Fi to turn off our home phone number's call forwarding to our U.S. cell phone. Last stop before leaving Omak was North 40 Outfitters to refill a propane tank.
We drove north on Hwy. 97 for about an hour to Oroville. We stopped in the parking lot of the Prince's Center shopping mall to have lunch, then Joanne went inside Akins Harvest Foods to buy a jug of milk. We crossed the border from Oroville, Washington to Osoyoos, British Columbia about 2 PM.
Quickest border crossing ever. Four questions ;
- Where do you live ? ( Keremeos )
- How long were you away ? ( 171 days )
- What is the total value of all your purchases ? ( $664 )
- Do you have any alcohol, tobacco products, or guns ? ( No )
In Osoyoos we stopped at Buy Low Foods ( WHAT ? We need to stop at every grocery store in every town ? ? ? ) to buy some fresh produce. We drove west on Hwy. 3 to Keremeos with Bo getting more and more excited. He recognizes the smell of Lake Osoyoos and the Similkameen River. We stopped in Keremeos at the local insurance agency to register and insure the minivan. Bo became frantic during the fifteen minutes or so it took to drive from Keremeos to Riverside RV Park Resort. We arrived home about 4 PM.
It took me a couple of hours to "summerize" our park model manufactured home and get it ready for habitation again. Joanne moved food and other stuff from the camper to our park model before preparing a late supper. I got online and did some essential work, including retrieving and completing the online portion of election employees' training.
Our next door neighbours came by briefly to welcome us home. Quite frankly, when we left last fall we did not expect to see Gord alive again. When we returned home a year ago, a few days before he received his diagnosis of mesothelioma, he looked worse and was sicker than he was today ! When we left last fall he was undergoing chemotherapy treatments. The treatments seemed to have worked at slowing down his demise ! Good to see you again, Gord. You too, Marcie.
Friday ; Sunny and mild, a fairly pleasant spring day in the B.C. Interior.
As expected, today was a pretty busy day of "return home" chores. Just before lunch
I drove into town to pick up some prescription refills, renew our newspaper subscription, and buy a quart of oil for the minivan. Joanne continued working on moving stuff from the camper to the park model. I worked on outdoor / yard chores. We took Bo to the dog park. I went bicycling. Joanne did laundry.
In the evening Joanne did her online elections training course. I processed photos from the last few days of travel.
Saturday ; Frequently changing weather all day, from sunny and mild to cloudy, windy, and chilly.
Joanne spent the day in town, attending two election training courses. She will be functioning as a "spare" election official on election day, so must be trained for four different election official jobs. KA-CHING !
I worked alone all day. Well ... not all day. There was some nap time involved. HA HA HA ! I removed Elsie the camper off Lanoire the truck. A tough job when Joanne is helping, even more tough when doing it alone. I continued work on "return home" chores. After Joanne returned home we went to visit our neighbour / friend Jeanine who collected our mail for us all winter. We came home and had a very late supper. OH, BOY ... perogies with Crema Salvadoreña ! Joanne went to bed right after supper because she got up early this morning to attend training.
This past winter season we travelled about 10,000 km. ( 6250 miles ), not including the 3000 miles ( 4800 km. ) or so of driving Obie the SUV around Yuma and area. The lowest price we paid for diesel fuel was $2.359 in Yuma, Arizona on November 26. The highest price we paid for diesel fuel was $2.999 in Oakhurst, California on November 11.
DSK
Sunday, April 16, 2017
April 9 to 15, 2017 ; Yuma, Arizona to Pendleton, Oregon
Palm Sunday ; Sunny and very warm.
Today was our final full day of end of season / pre-departure preparations. All went smoothly. We stored Obie the car in the storage yard for the first time, covering it with a car cover we bought to protect it from the brutal summer sun and heat.
We floated around the swimming pool for awhile. We walked around the dog park with Carol Mae and Kaydee. I went bicycling then prepared my bicycle for storage and put it away in the Arizona room. Joanne did laundry so we're leaving here with all clothing clean. I wonder if we can make it all the way to our summer home without having to do laundry ? Probably not !
Monday ; Yuma to Quartzsite, Arizona
Sunny and very warm. Very bright, full moon tonight out in the desert near Quartzsite. No flashlight required outdoors.
This morning we completed our last minute departure preparations before having lunch. I was waiting for, and received, an e-mail from Elections BC about the upcoming provincial election's temporary job opportunities. I received the e-mail, downloaded the employment application form, we each filled out an application form, I scanned them through the printer into the laptop, and sent them as e-mail attachments to our electoral district's office. By the time I had finished doing all of that, and we were ready to leave, it was 2 PM.
On the way out of Yuma we stooped at Wal-Mart to buy a jug of milk. We headed out of Yuma on Hwy. 95 headed north. Not too far out of town we stopped at From The Farm & Afar, a "farm gate" produce stand, to buy a couple of date shakes. Because Bo has developed a bit of a sensitive stomach over the last year or so, this was his first ... and last ... date shake of this winter season.
Emma expressed her immense dissatisfaction with "drivey" in a very loud voice for about two hours, then settled down. Same as her first road trip a couple of months ago to Palm Springs and Las Vegas. As soon as we arrived at our destination ... Hi Jolly BLM Campground a few miles north of Quartzsite ... she was very pleased to be out of the cab of the truck and back into the camper. At least she has become more attuned to the camper being "home" since we just spent five days in the camper in our driveway without going "drivey". She was upset for the first day about the "loss" of her home when we moved from the trailer into the camper, but the last few days in the camper have reassured her that the camper is also a safe and comfortable home.
However ... when we arrived at Hi Jolly, and selected a spot to boondock overnight, Joanne got out of the truck, holding Emma somewhat awkwardly in her arms, and stepped behind the truck to guide me into position. As I drove away to drive the truck around in a circle to get better positioned, I saw in my mirror Emma, in Joanne arms, legs furiously "swimming" in panic as she believed I was going to drive away and leave her and Joanne abandoned in the desert. Poor Emma ! She has understandable abandonment anxiety issues.
We took Bo for a long, leisurely walk in the desert. The Hi Jolly BLM Campground is almost deserted at this time of the year. We walked for about a mile across the desert, and saw only four other rigs. In January, this area is filled with thousands of rigs, parked perhaps a hundred feet from one another.
I lit a campfire, using aged Mesquite wood I had collected from a pile in the Kofa Ko-op storage yard. Joanne prepared and I cooked foil packets of jerk seasoned chicken, carrots, onions, and potatoes. And ... as a bit of an experiment, I "baked" cookies in a foil pan over the fire. < shrug > Didn't work out as well as I had hoped, the bottoms were burned.
We're glad to be back on the road !
Tuesday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada
Sunny and hot, temperature in the low 90's F.
We left Hi Jolly BLM Campground this morning and continued north on Hwy. 95. At Parker we refilled our freshwater tank at Running Man Fuels. We stopped for a late lunch in the parking lot of Basha's, a supermarket in Lake Havasu City. After lunch Joanne went into Basha's to buy a loaf of bread before we continued north on Hwy.95. At Interstate 40 we turned west for ten miles or so to Historic Route 66, then north again on Historic Route 66 until it reached Hwy. 95 again a bit south of Bullhead City. We refilled with diesel at Smith's Fuel Bar in Bullhead City, then crossed the bridge over the Colorado River to the Avi Casino on the Nevada side of the river. We continued north on Needles Highway a few miles into Laughlin, Nevada. We parked at the Tropicana Casino Hotel intending to use their free Wi-Fi before going in to have the "Bottomless Pasta Bowl" dinner special at their Italian restaurant Passaggio. BUT ... the Tropicana no longer offers free Wi-Fi ! So we drove a very short distance to Laughlin Outlets Mall where I used the food court's free Wi-Fi to retrieve e-mail. I'm eager to receive a reply to our Elections BC job applications.
After reviewing e-mail we drove another very short distance to the Colorado Belle across the street from the Tropicana. We had planned to spend the might boondocked at the Riverside Casino, but decided on impulse to give the Colorado Belle a try. Turned out to be a good decision ! Easier access and egress for RV's, more secure / less scruffy RV parking areas, and more dog "bathroom" areas. We parked, then crossed the street to the Tropicana where we had our annual Bottomless Pasta Bowl dinner at Passaggio. Very good, as always. As we walked through the casino we bumped into two couples from Kofa Ko-RV Park in Yuma, one Canadian couple and one American couple. Everybody's migrating north !
We did not have an exercise walk earlier in the day, so late in the evening we went for a walk. Across a large parking lot, into the Colorado Belle, through the Colorado Belle, out the back to the RiverWalk along the Colorado River, along the RiverWalk over to the Edgewater, through the Edgewater out to the front street, then back to the Colorado Belle. Note to self ; go for long walk BEFORE Bottomless Pasta Bowl dinner ( with soup, salad, and fresh, hot, garlic buttered breadsticks ), not AFTER !
< BURP >
Wednesday ; Laughlin to Las Vegas to Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada
Sunny and hot in Laughlin and Las Vegas, temperature in the low 90's F., becoming mild as we drove to higher elevations, 63º mid-afternoon at an elevation of 6300' ASL, downright chilly in the evening in the high desert of Cathedral Gorge State Park. Clothing changed from shorts, sandals, no shirt, to jeans, shoes, and heavy jacket.
This morning we left the ( free ) RV parking lot at the Colorado Belle and drove across the street to the Tropicana where we refilled our freshwater tank at a potable water spigot in the Tropicana's ( not free ) RV parking lot. While refilling with freshwater
I received a telephone call requesting a quote from Similkameen Trailer Towing.
We departed Laughlin and headed west on Hwy. 163, then north on Hwy. 95. I stopped at a McDonald's in the town of Searchlight to use their free Wi-Fi to check e-mail and to obtain mileage to prepare the trailer towing quote. We arrived in Las Vegas in time for a late lunch. We parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and while Joanne prepared lunch
I prepared the trailer towing quote and phoned the client to give him the quote.
After lunch we drove through Las Vegas on Interstate 215 and Interstate 15, then out of the city heading north on Hwy. 93. Endless miles of scruffy desert ! I became tired in mid-afternoon so Joanne drove for about an hour and a half. I was going to nap in the passenger seat, but ... I was too busy, having to use both hands to keep the sleeping cat from rolling off my lap < rolling eyes >. We stopped in the town of Caliente to refill with diesel. We reached our destination of Cathedral Gorge State Park around 6:30 PM.
I started a campfire. While Joanne prepared a salad I "pre-cooked" some wieners over the open fire. We forgot to buy hot dog buns so our "plan B" was to wrap the cooked wieners with biscuit dough and bake "wiener wraps" over the fire. Didn't work ! The weight of the raw dough made the dough stretch and sag until it was about to fall off the wieners and into the fire. So ... "plan C" ! I pulled the partially cooked biscuit dough off the wieners and tried to continue cooking it as "biscuits" in a pie plate over the fire. Well ... it sort of worked ... but not well. We ended up with a pie plate full of biscuit dough, some of it cooked okay, some of it burned, some of it raw, some of it with a bit of sand and gravel embedded in it from being dropped on the ground while still mostly raw. Note to self ; remember to buy the damn hot dog buns next time !
After eating supper outside at our picnic table we sat around the campfire until it burned down and we were getting cold. Around 9:30 PM we walked Bo around the campground ... BRRRRR ... then went inside and while Joanne washed dishes I worked on the computer.
Thursday ; Cathedral Gorge State Park to Wells, Nevada
The day started out sunny, mild, and windy. It ended with a snow blizzard, and temperature below freezing !
This morning as we left Cathedral Gorge State Park we refilled our freshwater tank and dumped our waste holding tanks. We continued northbound on Hwy. 93. More endless scruffy high desert ! Nothing but Pronghorn Antelopes and tumbleweeds blowing across the highway. I kept expecting to see Clint Eastwood, wearing a poncho, on a horse, chomping on a little cigar in the corner of his mouth, riding down out of the hills. HA HA HA!
We stopped for a late lunch and a brief nap for me at an Elk viewing / rest area. Afterwards we continued northbound on Hwy. 93. I stopped at a McDonald's in the town of Ely to use Wi-Fi to check e-mail. As we approached Currie the sky filled with dark and ugly clouds. Snow began to fall and soon we were driving through a blizzard with zero visibility. The snow ended shortly before we arrived at Wells around 7:15 PM, just before it became dark. We parked at Flying J to boondock overnight. As we carried Emma from the truck cab to the camper door I put her down on the snow covered grass behind the camper. HA HA HA ... Yuma born and bred cat experiences snow for the first time in her life, at thirteen years of age. She was puzzled by it ! HA HA HA HA HA !
After supper I went to light our ( aftermarket Wave 6 infrared catalytic ) heater. It would not work. Propane was not flowing to it. It was impossible for me to diagnose the problem, being unable to disconnect the propane line into the heater, and remove the heater from its mounting position. I lit the camper's factory installed furnace, which works just fine, but is a horrific consumer of 12V electricity. Most RV's "factory" furnaces will kill the RV's house battery overnight when boondocking in cold weather.
< sigh > Wish us luck !
Good Friday ; Wells, Nevada through Idaho to Oregon border
The day started out brutally cold, temperature at the freezing level of 32º F, with a strong wind. Refilling a propane tank, refilling our freshwater tank, and refilling with diesel at Flying J in Wells, Nevada was like ... waiting for a bus at Portage and Main in January ! ! ! If you've ever done that ... you know where ... and you know what it feels like ! ! !
Late last night, with a lot of persistent effort, I got the Wave 6 infrared catalytic heater in the camper functioning again. Well done, Daniel. Better to be lucky than good,
I guess !
We departed Wells, Nevada and continued northbound on Hwy. 93. More scruffy desert ! More Pronghorn Antelopes ! More tumbleweeds rolling across the highway ! More blowing snow ! ! ! Although not as bad as yesterday afternoon. We crossed the bridge over the Snake River Canyon into Idaho, and had a late lunch in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Twin Falls. After lunch we got onto Interstate 84 heading northwest, following the Snake River. Around 7 PM we reached Boise, Idaho. The bad weather was just ending, and the sky was clearing. We refilled with diesel again on the west side of Boise. We crossed the Snake River Canyon ( again ) into Oregon about 7:30 PM and stopped for the night at the Interstate 84 Oregon Welcome Center & Rest Area.
We went for an exercise walk, twice around the perimeter of the rest area. HEY !
Wi-Fi ! I retrieved e-mail while Joanne prepared a late supper. After supper
I responded to another trailer towing quote request. If this potential client hires me it would require us to return home sooner than planned, and quite a bit of "schedule juggling" immediately upon our return home. It's a fairly long distance job and would have to be "squeezed in".
Saturday ; Interstate 84 Oregon Welcome Center & Rest Area to Pendleton, Oregon
Sunny and cool.
This morning we left the rest area and drove into the nearby town of Ontario, Oregon where we began shopping for the items on our Oregon ( tax free ) shopping list. Harbor Freight for a pair of work gloves, PetSense for some dog toothpaste, and Wal-Mart for ... < sigh > ... everything, it seemed. Not only were we in violation of our "no
Wal-Martin' on weekends" rule, but we were shopping at Wal-Mart on the third ( okay ... maybe fourth, since the U.S. has Black Friday ) busiest shopping day of the year ! My frustration and intolerance levels peaked, and I abandoned Joanne and returned to the truck to wait with the animals.
GEEEEEZZZZZ ... does every white male in the United States really need to wear a dirty baseball cap ALL THE TIME ? ? ? ! ! ! ? ? ? Do they take it off to make love ? ! ? Do they take it off to take a shit ? ! ? Probably not ! 'Cause I know for sure that they don't remove it to dine ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
< taking a deep breath >
We continued northwest on Interstate 84. We had lunch in a rest area. Shortly before reaching La Grande we stopped in another rest area and used the sani-dump station to dump our waste holding tanks. BUT ... there was no freshwater. SO ... we refilled with freshwater at a Flying J on the southeast side of La Grande. THEN ... on the northwest side of La Grande, more Wal-Martin'. While Joanne shopped for the remaining items on our Oregon shopping list, I sat on a bench at the front of the store and used
Wal-Mart's free Wi-Fi to retrieve e-mail.
We reached our destination for today, the WildHorse Casino on the southeast side of Pendleton about 6 PM. We parked in their RV parking lot, walked and fed the animals
( yes, yes ... Emma also went out for a leash walk ), then went for an exercise walk and to explore inside the casino.
As we walked back to our camper we stopped to admire a commercial hauler's load of three small Airstream trailers. While we were admiring them the driver climbed out of his truck and offered to allow us to see inside one of the trailers. After viewing the new and innovative design of trailer we chatted with the driver for awhile. Thank you for the tour of the new Airstream Base Camp trailer, Javier.
DSK
Today was our final full day of end of season / pre-departure preparations. All went smoothly. We stored Obie the car in the storage yard for the first time, covering it with a car cover we bought to protect it from the brutal summer sun and heat.
We floated around the swimming pool for awhile. We walked around the dog park with Carol Mae and Kaydee. I went bicycling then prepared my bicycle for storage and put it away in the Arizona room. Joanne did laundry so we're leaving here with all clothing clean. I wonder if we can make it all the way to our summer home without having to do laundry ? Probably not !
Monday ; Yuma to Quartzsite, Arizona
Sunny and very warm. Very bright, full moon tonight out in the desert near Quartzsite. No flashlight required outdoors.
This morning we completed our last minute departure preparations before having lunch. I was waiting for, and received, an e-mail from Elections BC about the upcoming provincial election's temporary job opportunities. I received the e-mail, downloaded the employment application form, we each filled out an application form, I scanned them through the printer into the laptop, and sent them as e-mail attachments to our electoral district's office. By the time I had finished doing all of that, and we were ready to leave, it was 2 PM.
On the way out of Yuma we stooped at Wal-Mart to buy a jug of milk. We headed out of Yuma on Hwy. 95 headed north. Not too far out of town we stopped at From The Farm & Afar, a "farm gate" produce stand, to buy a couple of date shakes. Because Bo has developed a bit of a sensitive stomach over the last year or so, this was his first ... and last ... date shake of this winter season.
Emma expressed her immense dissatisfaction with "drivey" in a very loud voice for about two hours, then settled down. Same as her first road trip a couple of months ago to Palm Springs and Las Vegas. As soon as we arrived at our destination ... Hi Jolly BLM Campground a few miles north of Quartzsite ... she was very pleased to be out of the cab of the truck and back into the camper. At least she has become more attuned to the camper being "home" since we just spent five days in the camper in our driveway without going "drivey". She was upset for the first day about the "loss" of her home when we moved from the trailer into the camper, but the last few days in the camper have reassured her that the camper is also a safe and comfortable home.
However ... when we arrived at Hi Jolly, and selected a spot to boondock overnight, Joanne got out of the truck, holding Emma somewhat awkwardly in her arms, and stepped behind the truck to guide me into position. As I drove away to drive the truck around in a circle to get better positioned, I saw in my mirror Emma, in Joanne arms, legs furiously "swimming" in panic as she believed I was going to drive away and leave her and Joanne abandoned in the desert. Poor Emma ! She has understandable abandonment anxiety issues.
We took Bo for a long, leisurely walk in the desert. The Hi Jolly BLM Campground is almost deserted at this time of the year. We walked for about a mile across the desert, and saw only four other rigs. In January, this area is filled with thousands of rigs, parked perhaps a hundred feet from one another.
I lit a campfire, using aged Mesquite wood I had collected from a pile in the Kofa Ko-op storage yard. Joanne prepared and I cooked foil packets of jerk seasoned chicken, carrots, onions, and potatoes. And ... as a bit of an experiment, I "baked" cookies in a foil pan over the fire. < shrug > Didn't work out as well as I had hoped, the bottoms were burned.
We're glad to be back on the road !
Tuesday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada
Sunny and hot, temperature in the low 90's F.
We left Hi Jolly BLM Campground this morning and continued north on Hwy. 95. At Parker we refilled our freshwater tank at Running Man Fuels. We stopped for a late lunch in the parking lot of Basha's, a supermarket in Lake Havasu City. After lunch Joanne went into Basha's to buy a loaf of bread before we continued north on Hwy.95. At Interstate 40 we turned west for ten miles or so to Historic Route 66, then north again on Historic Route 66 until it reached Hwy. 95 again a bit south of Bullhead City. We refilled with diesel at Smith's Fuel Bar in Bullhead City, then crossed the bridge over the Colorado River to the Avi Casino on the Nevada side of the river. We continued north on Needles Highway a few miles into Laughlin, Nevada. We parked at the Tropicana Casino Hotel intending to use their free Wi-Fi before going in to have the "Bottomless Pasta Bowl" dinner special at their Italian restaurant Passaggio. BUT ... the Tropicana no longer offers free Wi-Fi ! So we drove a very short distance to Laughlin Outlets Mall where I used the food court's free Wi-Fi to retrieve e-mail. I'm eager to receive a reply to our Elections BC job applications.
After reviewing e-mail we drove another very short distance to the Colorado Belle across the street from the Tropicana. We had planned to spend the might boondocked at the Riverside Casino, but decided on impulse to give the Colorado Belle a try. Turned out to be a good decision ! Easier access and egress for RV's, more secure / less scruffy RV parking areas, and more dog "bathroom" areas. We parked, then crossed the street to the Tropicana where we had our annual Bottomless Pasta Bowl dinner at Passaggio. Very good, as always. As we walked through the casino we bumped into two couples from Kofa Ko-RV Park in Yuma, one Canadian couple and one American couple. Everybody's migrating north !
We did not have an exercise walk earlier in the day, so late in the evening we went for a walk. Across a large parking lot, into the Colorado Belle, through the Colorado Belle, out the back to the RiverWalk along the Colorado River, along the RiverWalk over to the Edgewater, through the Edgewater out to the front street, then back to the Colorado Belle. Note to self ; go for long walk BEFORE Bottomless Pasta Bowl dinner ( with soup, salad, and fresh, hot, garlic buttered breadsticks ), not AFTER !
< BURP >
Wednesday ; Laughlin to Las Vegas to Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada
Sunny and hot in Laughlin and Las Vegas, temperature in the low 90's F., becoming mild as we drove to higher elevations, 63º mid-afternoon at an elevation of 6300' ASL, downright chilly in the evening in the high desert of Cathedral Gorge State Park. Clothing changed from shorts, sandals, no shirt, to jeans, shoes, and heavy jacket.
This morning we left the ( free ) RV parking lot at the Colorado Belle and drove across the street to the Tropicana where we refilled our freshwater tank at a potable water spigot in the Tropicana's ( not free ) RV parking lot. While refilling with freshwater
I received a telephone call requesting a quote from Similkameen Trailer Towing.
We departed Laughlin and headed west on Hwy. 163, then north on Hwy. 95. I stopped at a McDonald's in the town of Searchlight to use their free Wi-Fi to check e-mail and to obtain mileage to prepare the trailer towing quote. We arrived in Las Vegas in time for a late lunch. We parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and while Joanne prepared lunch
I prepared the trailer towing quote and phoned the client to give him the quote.
After lunch we drove through Las Vegas on Interstate 215 and Interstate 15, then out of the city heading north on Hwy. 93. Endless miles of scruffy desert ! I became tired in mid-afternoon so Joanne drove for about an hour and a half. I was going to nap in the passenger seat, but ... I was too busy, having to use both hands to keep the sleeping cat from rolling off my lap < rolling eyes >. We stopped in the town of Caliente to refill with diesel. We reached our destination of Cathedral Gorge State Park around 6:30 PM.
I started a campfire. While Joanne prepared a salad I "pre-cooked" some wieners over the open fire. We forgot to buy hot dog buns so our "plan B" was to wrap the cooked wieners with biscuit dough and bake "wiener wraps" over the fire. Didn't work ! The weight of the raw dough made the dough stretch and sag until it was about to fall off the wieners and into the fire. So ... "plan C" ! I pulled the partially cooked biscuit dough off the wieners and tried to continue cooking it as "biscuits" in a pie plate over the fire. Well ... it sort of worked ... but not well. We ended up with a pie plate full of biscuit dough, some of it cooked okay, some of it burned, some of it raw, some of it with a bit of sand and gravel embedded in it from being dropped on the ground while still mostly raw. Note to self ; remember to buy the damn hot dog buns next time !
After eating supper outside at our picnic table we sat around the campfire until it burned down and we were getting cold. Around 9:30 PM we walked Bo around the campground ... BRRRRR ... then went inside and while Joanne washed dishes I worked on the computer.
Thursday ; Cathedral Gorge State Park to Wells, Nevada
The day started out sunny, mild, and windy. It ended with a snow blizzard, and temperature below freezing !
This morning as we left Cathedral Gorge State Park we refilled our freshwater tank and dumped our waste holding tanks. We continued northbound on Hwy. 93. More endless scruffy high desert ! Nothing but Pronghorn Antelopes and tumbleweeds blowing across the highway. I kept expecting to see Clint Eastwood, wearing a poncho, on a horse, chomping on a little cigar in the corner of his mouth, riding down out of the hills. HA HA HA!
We stopped for a late lunch and a brief nap for me at an Elk viewing / rest area. Afterwards we continued northbound on Hwy. 93. I stopped at a McDonald's in the town of Ely to use Wi-Fi to check e-mail. As we approached Currie the sky filled with dark and ugly clouds. Snow began to fall and soon we were driving through a blizzard with zero visibility. The snow ended shortly before we arrived at Wells around 7:15 PM, just before it became dark. We parked at Flying J to boondock overnight. As we carried Emma from the truck cab to the camper door I put her down on the snow covered grass behind the camper. HA HA HA ... Yuma born and bred cat experiences snow for the first time in her life, at thirteen years of age. She was puzzled by it ! HA HA HA HA HA !
After supper I went to light our ( aftermarket Wave 6 infrared catalytic ) heater. It would not work. Propane was not flowing to it. It was impossible for me to diagnose the problem, being unable to disconnect the propane line into the heater, and remove the heater from its mounting position. I lit the camper's factory installed furnace, which works just fine, but is a horrific consumer of 12V electricity. Most RV's "factory" furnaces will kill the RV's house battery overnight when boondocking in cold weather.
< sigh > Wish us luck !
Good Friday ; Wells, Nevada through Idaho to Oregon border
The day started out brutally cold, temperature at the freezing level of 32º F, with a strong wind. Refilling a propane tank, refilling our freshwater tank, and refilling with diesel at Flying J in Wells, Nevada was like ... waiting for a bus at Portage and Main in January ! ! ! If you've ever done that ... you know where ... and you know what it feels like ! ! !
Late last night, with a lot of persistent effort, I got the Wave 6 infrared catalytic heater in the camper functioning again. Well done, Daniel. Better to be lucky than good,
I guess !
We departed Wells, Nevada and continued northbound on Hwy. 93. More scruffy desert ! More Pronghorn Antelopes ! More tumbleweeds rolling across the highway ! More blowing snow ! ! ! Although not as bad as yesterday afternoon. We crossed the bridge over the Snake River Canyon into Idaho, and had a late lunch in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Twin Falls. After lunch we got onto Interstate 84 heading northwest, following the Snake River. Around 7 PM we reached Boise, Idaho. The bad weather was just ending, and the sky was clearing. We refilled with diesel again on the west side of Boise. We crossed the Snake River Canyon ( again ) into Oregon about 7:30 PM and stopped for the night at the Interstate 84 Oregon Welcome Center & Rest Area.
We went for an exercise walk, twice around the perimeter of the rest area. HEY !
Wi-Fi ! I retrieved e-mail while Joanne prepared a late supper. After supper
I responded to another trailer towing quote request. If this potential client hires me it would require us to return home sooner than planned, and quite a bit of "schedule juggling" immediately upon our return home. It's a fairly long distance job and would have to be "squeezed in".
Saturday ; Interstate 84 Oregon Welcome Center & Rest Area to Pendleton, Oregon
Sunny and cool.
This morning we left the rest area and drove into the nearby town of Ontario, Oregon where we began shopping for the items on our Oregon ( tax free ) shopping list. Harbor Freight for a pair of work gloves, PetSense for some dog toothpaste, and Wal-Mart for ... < sigh > ... everything, it seemed. Not only were we in violation of our "no
Wal-Martin' on weekends" rule, but we were shopping at Wal-Mart on the third ( okay ... maybe fourth, since the U.S. has Black Friday ) busiest shopping day of the year ! My frustration and intolerance levels peaked, and I abandoned Joanne and returned to the truck to wait with the animals.
GEEEEEZZZZZ ... does every white male in the United States really need to wear a dirty baseball cap ALL THE TIME ? ? ? ! ! ! ? ? ? Do they take it off to make love ? ! ? Do they take it off to take a shit ? ! ? Probably not ! 'Cause I know for sure that they don't remove it to dine ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
< taking a deep breath >
We continued northwest on Interstate 84. We had lunch in a rest area. Shortly before reaching La Grande we stopped in another rest area and used the sani-dump station to dump our waste holding tanks. BUT ... there was no freshwater. SO ... we refilled with freshwater at a Flying J on the southeast side of La Grande. THEN ... on the northwest side of La Grande, more Wal-Martin'. While Joanne shopped for the remaining items on our Oregon shopping list, I sat on a bench at the front of the store and used
Wal-Mart's free Wi-Fi to retrieve e-mail.
We reached our destination for today, the WildHorse Casino on the southeast side of Pendleton about 6 PM. We parked in their RV parking lot, walked and fed the animals
( yes, yes ... Emma also went out for a leash walk ), then went for an exercise walk and to explore inside the casino.
As we walked back to our camper we stopped to admire a commercial hauler's load of three small Airstream trailers. While we were admiring them the driver climbed out of his truck and offered to allow us to see inside one of the trailers. After viewing the new and innovative design of trailer we chatted with the driver for awhile. Thank you for the tour of the new Airstream Base Camp trailer, Javier.
DSK
Sunday, April 9, 2017
April 2 to 8, 2017
Sunday ; Sunny and hot, a bit windy.
This morning I walked to the storage yard to check on the truck tires' air pressures. The former spare, now on the truck, is no longer leaking. Solved that problem ! It was the 90º elbow valve. The flat tire that I removed a few days ago, and that is about to become the spare ... requires repair. I'll probably have that done tomorrow. I went to the office and paid our monthly electricity and propane billings. HMPH ! It costs us more to run air conditioning than heating.
After lunch we gave Bo a bath. He's much easier to bathe when his hair is as short as it is right now. I worked on monthly budget allocations, and bank statement reconciliations, and investment file updating. I read and napped. Best part of my day ! HA HA HA !
I uploaded my weekly journal to my blog. We walked Bo around the dog park, meeting Linda and her dog Saxon, visitors that we first met last winter season, shortly before Christmas 2015. I went bicycling at sunset. I barbecued supper, then after supper worked on our income tax returns. I have them well underway, but can't do any more until we return home and I get the income tax information slips that will be waiting in our mail.
Monday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning we took the truck's flat tire to Yuma Tire for repair. We dropped off the tire then went to Wal-Mart to do some shopping. From Wal-Mart we headed to O'Reilly's Auto Parts where I bought a few needed automotive items. While I refilled Lanoire with diesel at Fry's Fuel Bar Joanne walked next door to Rally's and ordered lunch for us. MMMMM ... Big Buford Burgers ! After lunch we drove to Auto Zone, Napa Auto Parts, Pep Boys, C.A.L. Ranch, and Tractor Supply looking for a tire valve 90º elbow extension. HMPH ! Nobody had them !
Back at home, after a brief nap, I watered our plants and gardens, then installed a new CB radio antenna and cable in the truck. Once again Carol Mae and Kaydee invited Bo and us to join them walking around the dog park at 6 PM. I went bicycling at sunset. As I began to barbecue jerk chicken for supper the barbecue's propane tank ran out of propane. HMPH ! Our jerk chicken had to be pan fried.
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning when I went to remount the repaired tire as the spare underneath the truck I discovered ... AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ... the tire was flat ! ! ! I returned the tire to Yuma Tire to have it repaired AGAIN / PROPERLY ... and ... encountered "resistance" / lack of accountability. I wasn't in much of a mood for bullshit, so ... that problem got resolved pretty damn quickly ! ! ! I left the tire there while I went to the shoe repair place to pick up my sandals ... AGAIN ! Another instance of lack of accountability ! I returned to Yuma Tire, picked up the "fixed again" tire and rushed home for lunch ! Now I was behind schedule for the rest of the day !
I ate lunch quickly and we headed to the Humane Society for our final shift of the winter season. We arrived about half an hour later than we usually do. As well as dog walking and cat cuddling we said our goodbyes to some of the staff and other volunteers. As soon as we were back home, about 5:30 PM, I installed the fifth wheel hitch into the truck, prepared the trailer for travel tomorrow ( all the way to the storage yard ), and hitched up the truck to the trailer. We were ready to take Bo for a walk in the dog park with about fifteen minutes of daylight left.
All day Joanne was moving stuff from the trailer into the Arizona room, Tomorrow all that stuff will get moved from the Arizona room into the truck camper once it's on our lot.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked my favourite Sun Oven dish today, a Mexican chicken and rice recipe.
WHEW ... tough day ! This morning we worked on preparing Harvey the fifth wheel trailer for departure ... all the way across the RV park to the storage yard. Whether the trailer is to be moved thousands of miles, or a few hundred feet, the preparations are essentially the same. Once the trailer was parked in the storage yard, and the truck was unhitched, we returned to our lot to have lunch in our Arizona room. Bo and Emma were waiting for us in the Arizona room and ... Emma was having an anxiety attack. Her home was gone, her people were gone, she was trapped in the Arizona room with the dog ! Our return calmed her a bit, but she was still very anxious for a few more hours over the "loss" of her home / the trailer.
After lunch we remounted the repaired tire ... now the spare ... underneath the truck. Then we removed the fifth wheel hitch and prepared Lanoire the truck for the reinstallation of Elsie the truck camper. We drove again to the storage yard and put the camper back onto the truck. We returned to our lot, I got the utilities hooked up, and turned on the camper's air conditioner. Once the camper was cool we put Emma inside. She still was concerned about the "loss" of the trailer, but by evening had calmed and settled comfortably in the camper. Bo, on the other hand, was excited all day because he recognized that our activities heralded an upcoming "big drivey". HA HA HA !
It took me a long time and I got frustrated with hooking up the satellite dish to the camper's TV. One of the things I dislike about our lifestyle is repeated satellite dish and cell phone dramas ! At 6:30 PM we went for a walk around the dog park with Carol Mae and Kaydee, and a visitor that we don't know and his old dog Angel, who snarled and snapped at Bo. He just walked away ! WOW ! First time in the 12¼ years that we've had him that he's turned away from an invitation to have a fight. I wonder if it's because of his advanced age, or Angel's advanced age ( of 14 years ) or gender
( female ) ? After the two lap pack walk I went bicycling.
We had supper while watching Survivor.
Thursday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature in the mid-90's F.
WHEW ... another busy day of hard work preparing for departure on Monday. Joanne moved everything from the shed and Arizona room, and loaded it all into the camper.
I have a bad habit of acquiring stuff in either our summer or winter home location that is for the other location. < sigh > And this winter season I acquired quite a bit of stuff to be moved back to our summer home. Making Joanne's packing and loading chores more difficult. Sorry !
I assisted Joanne with loading and packing chores. I assisted her with laundry chores. She assisted me with back flushing both of the camper's waste tanks. I finished sorting medications ; stay in trailer, go in camper. I did some "summerization" work on the trailer. More tomorrow. I took our recycling to a local recycling depot, then refilled Obie with fuel before returning home.
We floated around in the swimming pool for an hour or so to cool down during the hottest part of the afternoon. We walked Bo around the dog park. I went bicycling. Joanne made my all time favourite meal for supper, and we watched Amazing Race in the evening.
Friday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning I phoned Progressive Insurance ... "Flo" ... and cancelled the insurance on Obie. We went to the storage yard and finished preparing the trailer for the long, extremely hot summer. After lunch we moved all of our yard furniture into the Arizona room for summer storage. Mid-afternoon we went to float around in the swimming pool for an hour or so. We walked Bo around the dog park, then Joanne sprayed herbicide all over our back yard.
This afternoon we ran into an "internet connectivity" problem. A few days ago some "technical changes" were made to our park's Wi-Fi system. For a few days we had no problems, but today ... we did. I visited our park's "technical committee" fellow who made the recent changes, and spent about an hour with him "diagnosing" the problem. His "conclusion" was that my computer must be the problem. I disagreed ! And
I believe that the "diagnosis" that he did over that teeth gnashing ( for both of us ) hour proved that the problem was NOT my computer. He threw a hissy fit and kicked me out of his house. Yeah ... **** you, too, ******** ! ! !
Tonight I am feeling exasperated and desperate for an internet connection ! Guess I'll be going to Burger King tomorrow to work online. Time I can ill afford right now ! ! !
Saturday ; Sunny and hot during the day, windy and chilly in the evening.
Late last night, after much trial and error, I identified and resolved the cause of my internet connectivity problem. No thanks to Larry !
Today Joanne went grocery shopping, using the car for the last time this winter season. Yesterday I cancelled the car's insurance effective at midnight tonight. This afternoon we put the vinyl snap-on walls onto the Arizona room, a difficult job that I hate doing. Joanne emptied, defrosted and cleaned the fridge in the shed. I did preventive maintenance on the truck, preparing it for travel. I prepared the evaporative ( swamp ) cooler for the long, hot summer, and installed its storage cover.
Around 5 PM we went to float around in the swimming pool for about an hour before taking Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. I went bicycling at sunset. Joanne was quite ill after supper. Seemed like "food poisoning". Perhaps from her lunch at Rally's ?
And late in the evening ... LIVE ! FROM NEW YORK ! IT'S ... SATURDAY NIGHT ! ! !
DSK
This morning I walked to the storage yard to check on the truck tires' air pressures. The former spare, now on the truck, is no longer leaking. Solved that problem ! It was the 90º elbow valve. The flat tire that I removed a few days ago, and that is about to become the spare ... requires repair. I'll probably have that done tomorrow. I went to the office and paid our monthly electricity and propane billings. HMPH ! It costs us more to run air conditioning than heating.
After lunch we gave Bo a bath. He's much easier to bathe when his hair is as short as it is right now. I worked on monthly budget allocations, and bank statement reconciliations, and investment file updating. I read and napped. Best part of my day ! HA HA HA !
I uploaded my weekly journal to my blog. We walked Bo around the dog park, meeting Linda and her dog Saxon, visitors that we first met last winter season, shortly before Christmas 2015. I went bicycling at sunset. I barbecued supper, then after supper worked on our income tax returns. I have them well underway, but can't do any more until we return home and I get the income tax information slips that will be waiting in our mail.
Monday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning we took the truck's flat tire to Yuma Tire for repair. We dropped off the tire then went to Wal-Mart to do some shopping. From Wal-Mart we headed to O'Reilly's Auto Parts where I bought a few needed automotive items. While I refilled Lanoire with diesel at Fry's Fuel Bar Joanne walked next door to Rally's and ordered lunch for us. MMMMM ... Big Buford Burgers ! After lunch we drove to Auto Zone, Napa Auto Parts, Pep Boys, C.A.L. Ranch, and Tractor Supply looking for a tire valve 90º elbow extension. HMPH ! Nobody had them !
Back at home, after a brief nap, I watered our plants and gardens, then installed a new CB radio antenna and cable in the truck. Once again Carol Mae and Kaydee invited Bo and us to join them walking around the dog park at 6 PM. I went bicycling at sunset. As I began to barbecue jerk chicken for supper the barbecue's propane tank ran out of propane. HMPH ! Our jerk chicken had to be pan fried.
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning when I went to remount the repaired tire as the spare underneath the truck I discovered ... AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH ... the tire was flat ! ! ! I returned the tire to Yuma Tire to have it repaired AGAIN / PROPERLY ... and ... encountered "resistance" / lack of accountability. I wasn't in much of a mood for bullshit, so ... that problem got resolved pretty damn quickly ! ! ! I left the tire there while I went to the shoe repair place to pick up my sandals ... AGAIN ! Another instance of lack of accountability ! I returned to Yuma Tire, picked up the "fixed again" tire and rushed home for lunch ! Now I was behind schedule for the rest of the day !
I ate lunch quickly and we headed to the Humane Society for our final shift of the winter season. We arrived about half an hour later than we usually do. As well as dog walking and cat cuddling we said our goodbyes to some of the staff and other volunteers. As soon as we were back home, about 5:30 PM, I installed the fifth wheel hitch into the truck, prepared the trailer for travel tomorrow ( all the way to the storage yard ), and hitched up the truck to the trailer. We were ready to take Bo for a walk in the dog park with about fifteen minutes of daylight left.
All day Joanne was moving stuff from the trailer into the Arizona room, Tomorrow all that stuff will get moved from the Arizona room into the truck camper once it's on our lot.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked my favourite Sun Oven dish today, a Mexican chicken and rice recipe.
WHEW ... tough day ! This morning we worked on preparing Harvey the fifth wheel trailer for departure ... all the way across the RV park to the storage yard. Whether the trailer is to be moved thousands of miles, or a few hundred feet, the preparations are essentially the same. Once the trailer was parked in the storage yard, and the truck was unhitched, we returned to our lot to have lunch in our Arizona room. Bo and Emma were waiting for us in the Arizona room and ... Emma was having an anxiety attack. Her home was gone, her people were gone, she was trapped in the Arizona room with the dog ! Our return calmed her a bit, but she was still very anxious for a few more hours over the "loss" of her home / the trailer.
After lunch we remounted the repaired tire ... now the spare ... underneath the truck. Then we removed the fifth wheel hitch and prepared Lanoire the truck for the reinstallation of Elsie the truck camper. We drove again to the storage yard and put the camper back onto the truck. We returned to our lot, I got the utilities hooked up, and turned on the camper's air conditioner. Once the camper was cool we put Emma inside. She still was concerned about the "loss" of the trailer, but by evening had calmed and settled comfortably in the camper. Bo, on the other hand, was excited all day because he recognized that our activities heralded an upcoming "big drivey". HA HA HA !
It took me a long time and I got frustrated with hooking up the satellite dish to the camper's TV. One of the things I dislike about our lifestyle is repeated satellite dish and cell phone dramas ! At 6:30 PM we went for a walk around the dog park with Carol Mae and Kaydee, and a visitor that we don't know and his old dog Angel, who snarled and snapped at Bo. He just walked away ! WOW ! First time in the 12¼ years that we've had him that he's turned away from an invitation to have a fight. I wonder if it's because of his advanced age, or Angel's advanced age ( of 14 years ) or gender
( female ) ? After the two lap pack walk I went bicycling.
We had supper while watching Survivor.
Thursday ; Sunny and very hot, temperature in the mid-90's F.
WHEW ... another busy day of hard work preparing for departure on Monday. Joanne moved everything from the shed and Arizona room, and loaded it all into the camper.
I have a bad habit of acquiring stuff in either our summer or winter home location that is for the other location. < sigh > And this winter season I acquired quite a bit of stuff to be moved back to our summer home. Making Joanne's packing and loading chores more difficult. Sorry !
I assisted Joanne with loading and packing chores. I assisted her with laundry chores. She assisted me with back flushing both of the camper's waste tanks. I finished sorting medications ; stay in trailer, go in camper. I did some "summerization" work on the trailer. More tomorrow. I took our recycling to a local recycling depot, then refilled Obie with fuel before returning home.
We floated around in the swimming pool for an hour or so to cool down during the hottest part of the afternoon. We walked Bo around the dog park. I went bicycling. Joanne made my all time favourite meal for supper, and we watched Amazing Race in the evening.
Friday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning I phoned Progressive Insurance ... "Flo" ... and cancelled the insurance on Obie. We went to the storage yard and finished preparing the trailer for the long, extremely hot summer. After lunch we moved all of our yard furniture into the Arizona room for summer storage. Mid-afternoon we went to float around in the swimming pool for an hour or so. We walked Bo around the dog park, then Joanne sprayed herbicide all over our back yard.
This afternoon we ran into an "internet connectivity" problem. A few days ago some "technical changes" were made to our park's Wi-Fi system. For a few days we had no problems, but today ... we did. I visited our park's "technical committee" fellow who made the recent changes, and spent about an hour with him "diagnosing" the problem. His "conclusion" was that my computer must be the problem. I disagreed ! And
I believe that the "diagnosis" that he did over that teeth gnashing ( for both of us ) hour proved that the problem was NOT my computer. He threw a hissy fit and kicked me out of his house. Yeah ... **** you, too, ******** ! ! !
Tonight I am feeling exasperated and desperate for an internet connection ! Guess I'll be going to Burger King tomorrow to work online. Time I can ill afford right now ! ! !
Saturday ; Sunny and hot during the day, windy and chilly in the evening.
Late last night, after much trial and error, I identified and resolved the cause of my internet connectivity problem. No thanks to Larry !
Today Joanne went grocery shopping, using the car for the last time this winter season. Yesterday I cancelled the car's insurance effective at midnight tonight. This afternoon we put the vinyl snap-on walls onto the Arizona room, a difficult job that I hate doing. Joanne emptied, defrosted and cleaned the fridge in the shed. I did preventive maintenance on the truck, preparing it for travel. I prepared the evaporative ( swamp ) cooler for the long, hot summer, and installed its storage cover.
Around 5 PM we went to float around in the swimming pool for about an hour before taking Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park. I went bicycling at sunset. Joanne was quite ill after supper. Seemed like "food poisoning". Perhaps from her lunch at Rally's ?
And late in the evening ... LIVE ! FROM NEW YORK ! IT'S ... SATURDAY NIGHT ! ! !
DSK
Sunday, April 2, 2017
March 26 to April 1, 2017
Sunday ; Sunny and very warm. Quite nice ! Joanne cooked a marinated beef roast in the Sun Oven today, producing shredded beef for supper tonight, and freezer portions for when we're travelling.
I reinforced the last of our four dinette chairs today. However, I will have to go back to the first and second chairs that I did, and do some additional work on them. After lunch Joanne went grocery shopping by herself to Food City. I read and napped with the animals.
Around 6 PM Carol Mae and Kaydee invited us and Bo to walk a couple of laps around the dog park with them. Afterwards I went bicycling at sunset. I did some financial work on the computer, and posted my weekly journal entry to my blog. We watched a couple of episodes of First Dates. It's filmed in Vancouver, BC. I'm embarrassed to see that Canadians can be so obnoxious !
Monday ; Sunny, warm, windy.
OH, BO ! I'M SO SORRY ! ! ! < sigh > Late this afternoon Joanne found a tooth in the Arizona room. HUH ? It was right about where we were wrestling his mouth open to yank out cactus quills a few days ago. I checked his mouth and ... yes, yes ... somehow I had knocked out one of his teeth ! ! ! I feel terrible !
This morning we went shopping at Wal-Mart and Southwest Lumber. After a late lunch at home I watered our plants and gardens, then discovered ... a flat tire on the truck.
< sigh >... I'll deal with that in a few days. I finished reinforcing the dinette chairs.
I ordered a new SIM card ( for next winter season ) from TracFone. We walked a couple of laps around the dog park with Bo. It was too windy for me to want to go bicycling at sunset. I polished shoes. I took an empty propane tank to the propane refill station. I paid some bills online and did some "purchases to declare" accounting.
After having pizza for supper we had a movie date, watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, a 1987 movie starring Steve Martin and John Candy.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm, windy.
This morning I took care of routine household chores. This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. On the way there I took my sandals to a shoe repair shop to have some deteriorating elastic straps replaced with leather. At the Humane Society I took a large dog ... Labrador Retriever mixed with Mastiff ... for a walk. She was a very nice dog, well behaved and easily managed, and I was really pissed off to discover she was an "owner give up" ... from Kamloops, British Columbia. Who the hell drives twenty-five hundred miles with their dog, and then dumps it on the Humane Society ? ! ? Nice to know that Canada has their fair share of assholes ! ! !
After we returned home we went for a walk around the dog park with Carol Mae and Kaydee. We loaded some stuff into the camper. I sprayed silicone lubricant on the rubber gaskets that surround the trailer's slides, an annual chore that's more difficult than it sounds. I went bicycling at sunset. Joanne did laundry. We watched Canadian comedy shows on TV all evening.
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Sunny, hot, windy.
This morning we left home about 10 AM and headed for Mexico. Though Yuma to Interstate 8, west on I-8 over the Colorado River into California, then a short distance south on Hwy. 186 to the border crossing. I arrived at my dentist's office about fifteen minutes early for my 11 AM appointment. While I had a dental cleaning ( $45 ) and a periodontal examination ( $40 ) Joanne went for a haircut ( $5 ) and pedicure ( $10 ). She was back before I was finished with my periodontist. Then I went for a haircut
( $3 ) and beard trim ( $2 ). Joanne waited outside, enjoying the sunshine and warmth.
We went to a mercado ( grocery store ) and bought some Zuko drink mixes, then a dulceria ( candy store ) to buy some of our favourite Mexican chocolate bars to take back to Canada. I bought some medications at a farmacia, then we went to Tacos Molcas, our favourite little restaurant for lunch. MMMMM ... I had a plata pollo asado con arroz y frijoles, and Joanne tried something new, a birria burrito. We are never disappointed with lunch at Tacos Molcas.
After lunch we wandered slowly back through town and headed for the border crossing back into the United States. There was a longer line up than we expected for this time of year. We waited in line for half an hour. We were back home about 3:30 PM.
We trimmed Bo's nails. I worked on taking an inventory of medications, calculating what needs to be taken home with us, and what can be left here for next winter season. We walked a couple of laps around the dog park, joined by Ransom and his dog Simona. I went bicycling at sunset. What pleasant weather, and what a lovely sunset. We had our final perogy meal of the winter season. No more perogies until we're back in Canada. Gee ... I hope I don't suffer withdrawals. HA HA HA ! Maybe next year we should bring more !
Thursday ; Sunny, hot, windy. Joanne sun dried Roma tomatoes in the Sun Oven today.
As usual, I spent much of the day on minor "end of season" maintenance chores.
I repaired Obie's driver's door pocket. I repaired our garden hose, replacing the connection end. I used expanding foam insulation to seal some gaps in the shed trim underneath the fascia. I back flushed the bathroom grey waste holding tank, an annual chore.
Just before 5 PM we headed out, first to pick up my sandals at a shoe repair shop, then to Yuma Palms Regional Shopping Center to attend Village Jazz. I picked up my sandals, walked back to the car in the parking lot, and noticed that the repair / modification was not done as I had requested. I returned into the shop and left my sandals to be redone the way I had requested them to be done. And no, no ... I don't care that the problem arose because of miscommunication between the order taker / wife and the shoe repairman / husband. Not my problem ! Fix my sandals !
Tonight's jazz performance ... the last we will attend this winter season ... was Yuma Big Band. We've seen them before, and like them. The weather was pleasant, the music was good. The only sour note was the exchange of words between me and some old lady from Alberta ( Canada ) who felt she was entitled to "save" a whole lot of space for the folding chairs of her friends who had not yet arrived. Yeah ... what part of "first come, first served" did you not understand, you old battle axe ? I advised her that since her friends were not yet there ... and I was ... this was where I would be setting up my folding chairs ! She wasn't pleased ! Too ****ing bad ! Joanne pointed out to me that I was in a really bad mood because of the screw up with my sandals. Really ? I hadn’t noticed !
On the way home we stopped at Sonic to order a couple of milkshakes for dessert after supper. We returned home and cooked a late supper, then had our milk shakes while watching the season premiere of Amazing Race.
Friday ; Sunny, hot, windy. Joanne continued making sun dried Roma tomatoes in the Sun Oven today.
Today was a hard working day. First job, right after lunch, was to remove the camper off the truck. Next, we brought the truck to our lot and changed a dually rear tire in our driveway, a very difficult job, and one that I really hate doing. We removed the flat tire and replaced it with the spare. I reinflated the flat tire, and will check if it loses any air overnight. The air loss possibilities are numerous ; damage to the tire, a leaking
screw-in metal valve, a leaking 90º elbow valve attached to the screw-in metal valve, or a leaking metal braided mesh valve extender. < sigh >
I downloaded monthly bank statements and investment file updates. We took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park with Carol Mae and Kaydee. I went bicycling at sunset, then we went out for dinner. We drove to Somerton where we were expecting the Friday evening street food fair that we had seen advertised earlier in the season, advertised as "every Friday evening". Well ... not this Friday evening ! HMPH ! We drove back into Yuma and had dinner at Omega. My catfish dinner was pretty good. Joanne's veal cutlet dinner wasn't !
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked Teriyaki Chicken in the Sun Oven today.
This morning I found that the tire that I removed from the truck yesterday did not hold its air pressure. It will need to be repaired before it becomes the truck's spare tire. AND ... the formerly spare tire that was now on the truck ... had also lost air overnight. < sigh > I fiddled and fussed, changing the valve extender and the valve elbow before refilling the tire with air again. Wish me luck !
Joanne went grocery shopping after lunch. I back flushed the trailer's black waste holding tank. I replaced a burned out bulb in one of the truck cab's roof top clearance lights. I did some exterior cleaning on the trailer. I did quite a bit of monthly accounting and reconciled some monthly billings.
In the evening we watched Saturday Night Live ... HA HA HA ... I'm becoming addicted to seeing Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump ... and I started work on our income tax returns.
DSK
I reinforced the last of our four dinette chairs today. However, I will have to go back to the first and second chairs that I did, and do some additional work on them. After lunch Joanne went grocery shopping by herself to Food City. I read and napped with the animals.
Around 6 PM Carol Mae and Kaydee invited us and Bo to walk a couple of laps around the dog park with them. Afterwards I went bicycling at sunset. I did some financial work on the computer, and posted my weekly journal entry to my blog. We watched a couple of episodes of First Dates. It's filmed in Vancouver, BC. I'm embarrassed to see that Canadians can be so obnoxious !
Monday ; Sunny, warm, windy.
OH, BO ! I'M SO SORRY ! ! ! < sigh > Late this afternoon Joanne found a tooth in the Arizona room. HUH ? It was right about where we were wrestling his mouth open to yank out cactus quills a few days ago. I checked his mouth and ... yes, yes ... somehow I had knocked out one of his teeth ! ! ! I feel terrible !
This morning we went shopping at Wal-Mart and Southwest Lumber. After a late lunch at home I watered our plants and gardens, then discovered ... a flat tire on the truck.
< sigh >... I'll deal with that in a few days. I finished reinforcing the dinette chairs.
I ordered a new SIM card ( for next winter season ) from TracFone. We walked a couple of laps around the dog park with Bo. It was too windy for me to want to go bicycling at sunset. I polished shoes. I took an empty propane tank to the propane refill station. I paid some bills online and did some "purchases to declare" accounting.
After having pizza for supper we had a movie date, watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, a 1987 movie starring Steve Martin and John Candy.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm, windy.
This morning I took care of routine household chores. This afternoon we went to the Humane Society for our regular Tuesday afternoon shift of dog walking and cat cuddling. On the way there I took my sandals to a shoe repair shop to have some deteriorating elastic straps replaced with leather. At the Humane Society I took a large dog ... Labrador Retriever mixed with Mastiff ... for a walk. She was a very nice dog, well behaved and easily managed, and I was really pissed off to discover she was an "owner give up" ... from Kamloops, British Columbia. Who the hell drives twenty-five hundred miles with their dog, and then dumps it on the Humane Society ? ! ? Nice to know that Canada has their fair share of assholes ! ! !
After we returned home we went for a walk around the dog park with Carol Mae and Kaydee. We loaded some stuff into the camper. I sprayed silicone lubricant on the rubber gaskets that surround the trailer's slides, an annual chore that's more difficult than it sounds. I went bicycling at sunset. Joanne did laundry. We watched Canadian comedy shows on TV all evening.
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Sunny, hot, windy.
This morning we left home about 10 AM and headed for Mexico. Though Yuma to Interstate 8, west on I-8 over the Colorado River into California, then a short distance south on Hwy. 186 to the border crossing. I arrived at my dentist's office about fifteen minutes early for my 11 AM appointment. While I had a dental cleaning ( $45 ) and a periodontal examination ( $40 ) Joanne went for a haircut ( $5 ) and pedicure ( $10 ). She was back before I was finished with my periodontist. Then I went for a haircut
( $3 ) and beard trim ( $2 ). Joanne waited outside, enjoying the sunshine and warmth.
We went to a mercado ( grocery store ) and bought some Zuko drink mixes, then a dulceria ( candy store ) to buy some of our favourite Mexican chocolate bars to take back to Canada. I bought some medications at a farmacia, then we went to Tacos Molcas, our favourite little restaurant for lunch. MMMMM ... I had a plata pollo asado con arroz y frijoles, and Joanne tried something new, a birria burrito. We are never disappointed with lunch at Tacos Molcas.
After lunch we wandered slowly back through town and headed for the border crossing back into the United States. There was a longer line up than we expected for this time of year. We waited in line for half an hour. We were back home about 3:30 PM.
We trimmed Bo's nails. I worked on taking an inventory of medications, calculating what needs to be taken home with us, and what can be left here for next winter season. We walked a couple of laps around the dog park, joined by Ransom and his dog Simona. I went bicycling at sunset. What pleasant weather, and what a lovely sunset. We had our final perogy meal of the winter season. No more perogies until we're back in Canada. Gee ... I hope I don't suffer withdrawals. HA HA HA ! Maybe next year we should bring more !
Thursday ; Sunny, hot, windy. Joanne sun dried Roma tomatoes in the Sun Oven today.
As usual, I spent much of the day on minor "end of season" maintenance chores.
I repaired Obie's driver's door pocket. I repaired our garden hose, replacing the connection end. I used expanding foam insulation to seal some gaps in the shed trim underneath the fascia. I back flushed the bathroom grey waste holding tank, an annual chore.
Just before 5 PM we headed out, first to pick up my sandals at a shoe repair shop, then to Yuma Palms Regional Shopping Center to attend Village Jazz. I picked up my sandals, walked back to the car in the parking lot, and noticed that the repair / modification was not done as I had requested. I returned into the shop and left my sandals to be redone the way I had requested them to be done. And no, no ... I don't care that the problem arose because of miscommunication between the order taker / wife and the shoe repairman / husband. Not my problem ! Fix my sandals !
Tonight's jazz performance ... the last we will attend this winter season ... was Yuma Big Band. We've seen them before, and like them. The weather was pleasant, the music was good. The only sour note was the exchange of words between me and some old lady from Alberta ( Canada ) who felt she was entitled to "save" a whole lot of space for the folding chairs of her friends who had not yet arrived. Yeah ... what part of "first come, first served" did you not understand, you old battle axe ? I advised her that since her friends were not yet there ... and I was ... this was where I would be setting up my folding chairs ! She wasn't pleased ! Too ****ing bad ! Joanne pointed out to me that I was in a really bad mood because of the screw up with my sandals. Really ? I hadn’t noticed !
On the way home we stopped at Sonic to order a couple of milkshakes for dessert after supper. We returned home and cooked a late supper, then had our milk shakes while watching the season premiere of Amazing Race.
Friday ; Sunny, hot, windy. Joanne continued making sun dried Roma tomatoes in the Sun Oven today.
Today was a hard working day. First job, right after lunch, was to remove the camper off the truck. Next, we brought the truck to our lot and changed a dually rear tire in our driveway, a very difficult job, and one that I really hate doing. We removed the flat tire and replaced it with the spare. I reinflated the flat tire, and will check if it loses any air overnight. The air loss possibilities are numerous ; damage to the tire, a leaking
screw-in metal valve, a leaking 90º elbow valve attached to the screw-in metal valve, or a leaking metal braided mesh valve extender. < sigh >
I downloaded monthly bank statements and investment file updates. We took Bo for a two lap walk around the dog park with Carol Mae and Kaydee. I went bicycling at sunset, then we went out for dinner. We drove to Somerton where we were expecting the Friday evening street food fair that we had seen advertised earlier in the season, advertised as "every Friday evening". Well ... not this Friday evening ! HMPH ! We drove back into Yuma and had dinner at Omega. My catfish dinner was pretty good. Joanne's veal cutlet dinner wasn't !
Saturday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked Teriyaki Chicken in the Sun Oven today.
This morning I found that the tire that I removed from the truck yesterday did not hold its air pressure. It will need to be repaired before it becomes the truck's spare tire. AND ... the formerly spare tire that was now on the truck ... had also lost air overnight. < sigh > I fiddled and fussed, changing the valve extender and the valve elbow before refilling the tire with air again. Wish me luck !
Joanne went grocery shopping after lunch. I back flushed the trailer's black waste holding tank. I replaced a burned out bulb in one of the truck cab's roof top clearance lights. I did some exterior cleaning on the trailer. I did quite a bit of monthly accounting and reconciled some monthly billings.
In the evening we watched Saturday Night Live ... HA HA HA ... I'm becoming addicted to seeing Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump ... and I started work on our income tax returns.
DSK
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