November 17 to 23, 2019

Sunday ; Sunny and hot. Well … it’s good to be “home” !

Today was a long, busy day of “arrival” chores. Some successful, some not ! My first task of the day was to reset all clocks and watches to Arizona time / MST. Then I went to the office to pick up our waiting mail, including … WOO-HOO … our new TracFone cell phone. I got it plugged in and charging to prepare it for activation, then … < sigh > … we went to the storage yard to try … and fail … to get OB, our Oldsmobile Bravada SUV functional. The battery was dead. Very dead ! And there may be other problems, as well. I was unable to get the car started with a boost from the truck. I borrowed a battery charger, hooked it up to charge the car battery, and will leave it on until tomorrow. Wish me luck !

I took my laptop, went to the clubhouse, got onto Wi-Fi, activated the phone, and made arrangements for the re-installation of Wi-Fi Internet service at our trailer. 

I posted my weekly journal to my blog. I updated some financial records. Back at our home I connected and set up our Canadian satellite dish service. Well … at least that went well ! I assisted Joanne giving Ozzie a bath. How can such an old, little dog get that dirty and that stinky in such a short period of time ?

After supper I returned to the clubhouse with my laptop and our new cell phone. 

I phoned from my laptop ( using VoIP ) to the cell phone. Success !  I phoned from the cell phone to my laptop VoIP service. Success ! Well ! At last ! A functional US cell phone ! Hopefully the annual cell phone drama is over for another year !

Monday ; Sunny and hot.

Today’s drama was … the car ! After having a battery charger on it overnight it still wouldn’t start. I drove in the truck to a nearby auto repair shop and made arrangements to have the car serviced after having it towed there. I returned home and used my new cell phone to phone our emergency roadside assistance service provider and requested a tow truck. When the tow truck arrived, the driver was able to get the car started using his powerful battery charger pack. The battery was still dead and … he discovered a loose connection.

I drove the car to our lot and did some work on it, including cleaning and tightening the loose connection. I checked and topped up the fluid levels. I took the car to our community’s air compressor station and adjusted the tires’ air pressures. Joanne cleaned the windows. I wanted to rinse off the car to remove all the desert dust and grime, but Joanne didn’t want to just rinse it off with our garden hose. That would leave mineral deposit spots. She wants it washed at a car wash.

Around suppertime I went to the clubhouse to use Wi-Fi. I purchased automobile insurance. HMPH ! That was a bit more complicated than it has been in the past. But … it got done ! The car is now ready to use.

I put the borrowed battery charger back onto the battery for a few more hours tonight. I’m hopeful that the battery will be okay, but … the tow truck driver was doubtful.

Tuesday ; Cloudy, warm, intermittent light rain.

More car drama ! Late this morning we drove … in OB … to pick up an Internet modem / router at Beamspeed Internet. This is the second year we deal with Beamspeed Internet. They’re efficient ! We also refilled OB with fuel.

After lunch at home Joanne took OB to go grocery shopping. She wasn’t gone very long when she phoned me … using the cell phone that has been functional for only a day and a half … on our VoIP phone service on my laptop … which had been functional for only an hour or so, since I installed the Beamspeed modem / router in our trailer. < sigh > Good timing ! She was calling to tell me … that a tire on the car had blown ! < heavy sigh >

I drove in the truck ( with camper on it ) to where she was parked in a church parking lot. She had started preparations for changing the flat tire. Well done, dear ! A salesman from a nearby used car dealership had come over to help her as well. Upon my arrival we thanked him and he returned to work. While I was jacking up the car and changing the tire, two more “Good Samaritans” stopped to offer help. We appreciated that, but … do we / I look that old that people think 

I can’t change a tire ?

I got the tire changed, Joanne went off to shop for groceries, and I returned home. To our dead neighbour’s sick little dog ! Poor Ozzie. Today was the second day he has been ill with severe diarrhea. We’re doing what we can to solve the problem, whatever it may be. Hope we succeed soon !

Wednesday ; Cloudy, cool, intermittent light rain.

For the third day in a row, Ozzie is sick, although a bit less so. We did not allow him to eat today, to give his intestines a rest. And we have prepared a home made “anti-diarrhea meal” to feed him tomorrow. But … he doesn’t understand why we won’t feed him. And is trying every trick in his book to communicate to us that he’s hungry and it is time to feed him. Poor Ozzie !

While Joanne continued to unpack and clean the camper today, I went shopping for used tires. I wanted either one, or four. I settled for one, a size and brand match for the other tire on the front, and will continue to shop for two or three more matches, for the rear and spare. On the way back from the used tire shops 

I stopped at about half a dozen used car lots looking for a Dodge minivan. 

< sigh > There were none, at least none in the age and price range I am looking for.

I also did some routine maintenance on the car. And some work around the yard. In the evening we watched Survivor. And I located in my archived computer files a photo I took more than five years ago in Bella Coola.  Tonight I sent it to a professor emeritus in Sweden who asked to use it in a book he is authoring. Yeah … unusual story !

Thursday ; Mix of sun and clouds, warm.

Remounted the spare tire underneath the car. Disinfected and refilled the camper’s freshwater tank. Disinfected our five gallon water jug. Did some cleanup in our cactus gardens. Watered our cactus gardens. < sigh > Spent way too much time shopping at Wal-Mart.

Ozzie seems to be improving. Fed him four small meals today of boiled ground beef with boiled white rice reinforced with Ciprofloxacin. He hasn’t had a bowel movement yet today ( 9:45 PM ) so … at least no diarrhea in last twenty-four hours.

Friday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked my favourite Mexican chicken and rice dish in the Sun Oven today, our first Sun Oven meal of this winter season.

Well … Ozzie seems healthy today except … still no bowel movement ! So … after three days of endless diarrhea, now he’s … constipated for two days ? ! ? Stay tuned !

This afternoon I went shopping for the correct size of used car tires. And a used Dodge minivan. Didn’t find the right size of used tires ! Didn’t find a minivan. Well … didn’t find a minivan worth buying ! Found a few Dodge minivans but … pieces of junk !

At 5 PM we resumed our swimming pool cardiac exercise sessions. It was quite different from doing our exercises in the indoor swimming pool back home in Canada. The outdoor pool here was fine until the sun set. Then the air cooled rapidly, and it seemed pretty chilly, especially when leaving the heated pool.

Chatted with an American in the hot tub. Listened to him bitch and moan about his tax dollars being used to provide social services to the … < ahem > … less fortunate members of society. Pointed out to him that we were Canadian, and paying taxes to provide social services is a way of life for us. Hope he understood I was telling him that Canadian values and American values don’t align ! NAHHH … that would be too much to expect !

Saturday ; Sunny and warm.

Ozzie is …NOT okay !  He finally had a bowel movement around 8 PM tonight. Three days of diarrhea, three days of nothing, then … diarrhea again ! Sure hope this isn’t the end for him ! Although … that day can’t be far off !

More car drama again today ! AGAIN the car wouldn’t start. Took the truck ( with camper on ) to Wal-Mart and bought a new battery for the car. Brought it home, installed it, problem solved ! I hope ! ! !

Mounted a new smoke alarm in the camper. Mounted a new carbon monoxide detector in the trailer. Removed some of the Arizona room’s vinyl wall panels. Prepared my bicycle for use. Trimmed my beard. Paid bills online. Sent a cheque to pay our monthly maintenance fees at Riverside RV Park Resort. Refuse to leave them post dated cheques. Refuse to grant them pre-authorized debit arrangements. So there !

DSK

November 10 to 16,2019 ; Las Vegas, Nevada to Yuma, Arizona

Sunday ; Las Vegas, Nevada

Sunny and warm, a lovely day for long walks.

After an early lunch we set out on foot to walk to the Smith Center For Performing Arts about a mile from Main Street Station Casino RV Park. WHEW … pretty hot walking in the desert sun at 1 PM. Our entire reason for being in Las Vegas was to attend this afternoon’s matinee performance of the 50^th anniversary “revival” of the musical / rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar. The vinyl album of the soundtrack was one of Joanne’s prized possessions back in high school fifty years ago.

Well ! Joanne enjoyed today’s performance immensely. I thought … if ever 

I needed a reinforcement of my atheism … this was it ! HA HA HA ! A hundred minutes of incomprehensible musical theater to showcase three or four brilliant pieces of music. With a story line that makes about as much sense as the story of Trump’s recent assassination of Al-Baghdadi.

The walk back home was a little easier than the walk to the theater. We took a different route home from the theater, and were shaded by tall downtown buildings. Once back home Joanne did laundry in the RV park’s laundromat and 

I went to the casino to use Wi-Fi.

HMPH ! When I went to post last week’s journal entry to my blog I discovered that … I apparently forgot to post my journal from the week before ! So … I had not posted anything to my blog since before we left home on November 1. HMPH ! Sorry !

Monday ; Las Vegas to Laughlin, Nevada

REMEMBRANCE DAY ; LEST WE FORGET !

Sunny and very warm, temperatures up into the 80’s F.

This morning at 11 AM we observed Remembrance Day with a minute of silence “to remember” and a recitation of the poem “In Flanders Fields”.

Joanne walked over to the casino to pay our RV park bill at the hotel registration desk while I took care of departure preparations. I refilled the camper’s freshwater tank and emptied the grey and black waste holding tanks. 

I disconnected the electricity and checked the air pressure in the truck’s tires. And we were ready to go around 11:30 AM.

As were driving the short distance from the RV park back to the Interstate we were blocked by roads closed due to a marathon being run in downtown Las Vegas. Our GPS helped us find an alternate route back to the Interstate. We headed south through the city on Interstate 15 and then south on Hwy. 95. After turning east on Hwy. 162 we stopped in the desert to have lunch and a nap for me.

When we arrived in Laughlin around 4 PM we stopped at Laughlin Outlets Mall and I shopped for shoes at SAS Shoes Outlet. I decided to order shoes in a couple of weeks on Black Friday and have them shipped to Yuma. We drove to the Colorado Belle Casino Hotel and parked in their RV parking lot.

We took Ozzie for a long walk around the Colorado Belle’s large parking lot, then across the street to see the Veteran’s Day event taking place on the Tropicana’s outdoor patio. There was a live band playing old time rock & roll, and a pig roast barbecue “pop-up” restaurant. Hard to tell who appreciated the smells of the pig roast barbecue more, me or Ozzie. HA HA HA ! We returned to our camper and enjoyed the live band’s music through our screen door. I worked on my laptop while Joanne went into the Colorado Belle looking for spumoni ice cream. 

< shrug > Yeah … I don’t know ! HA HA HA !

Our plan was to have supper at the Passagio Restaurant in the Tropicana. Monday evening is their bottomless pasta bowl special. MMMMM … my choice is always angel hair pasta with basil cream sauce. Soup and salad bar is included. BUT … at 6 PM as Joanne was reading the Laughlin Entertainment Guide she had picked up inside the Colorado Belle, she discovered that the Avi Casino on the other side of town had a 2-4-1 buffet special on Veteran’s Day ( today ). So … off to the Avi we went. It was about 15 miles from “downtown” Laughlin where the Colorado Belle and Tropicana are on the north end of town to the Avi Casino on the south side of town.

Usually the Avi Casino’s Native Harvest Buffet is crowded on the “2-4-1 special” nights. Not tonight though. As always, the food was spectacular. Oddly, the service was very poor. So … no tip for the very disinterested Native male server who ;

• served me a glass of sour milk. Maybe not his fault, but still … !
• was not able to figure out on his own that since I was eating very messy barbecued beef ribs I would need some extra napkins … and moist towelettes.
• tried hard to not notice when he was needed at either of the two tables he was serving. WOW … what an overwhelming work load ! < sarcasm >

After supper we returned to our camper in the RV boondocking lot, I took my laptop and headed back inside the casino to use their free Wi-Fi to check e-mail. Oh, goody … it looks as if the Dodge minivan that I want to buy in Palm Springs is still available.

Tuesday ; Laughlin, Nevada to Quartzsite, Arizona

Sunny and very warm, temperature in the mid-80’s as we drove through Lake Havasu City in mid-afternoon.

This morning before leaving the Avi Casino we refilled our freshwater tank at the Avi’s fuel bar. We drove east across the bridge over the Colorado River, crossing from Laughlin, Nevada into Bullhead City, Arizona. We stopped at Smiths, a supermarket with a fuel bar. I refilled the truck with diesel at probably the lowest diesel price we will encounter this entire winter season. While Joanne went into the supermarket to begin our grocery shopping I refilled our five gallon water jug at one of the reverse osmosis water refill machines outside the store, then joined her inside the store.

We headed south out of Bullhead City, then took a series of “country back roads” including Historic Route 66 east and south until reaching Interstate 40 at the Arizona / California border. We drove east on I-40 for ten miles, then turned south again on Arizona Hwy. 95. Not to be confused with the nearby California Hwy. 95.  At the I-40 / AZ 95 junction we stopped at Love’s ( a chain of truck stop fuel stations ) and had lunch in the parking lot.

We drove south, then east, then south again on AZ 95, through Lake Havasu City and Parker until ( almost ) reaching Quartzsite, Arizona. We stopped at Hi Jolly BLM boondocking campground a few miles before reaching the small town of Quartzsite, which turns into a city of tens of thousands of desert boondocking RV’s all winter.

We found a spot in the desert to park, beside a nicely constructed rock ring for campfires. It was 5 PM Arizona ( MST ) time, although we have kept our watches and clocks set to Nevada and California ( PST ) time, so … 4 PM on our watches. Enough time before dark to go for a long walk in the desert with Ozzie. We finished our walk as the sun set behind the mountains.

I prepared and lit a campfire at 5 PM just as it was becoming dark. We sat around the campfire and chatted for about an hour, then I cooked supper on the fire.

Wednesday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Palm Springs, California

Sunny and hot. How nice !

This morning we left the Hi Jolly BLM unserviced camping area and drove a few miles south on Hwy. 95 into the town of Quartzsite. We stopped at one of the flea market areas in town to shop at Grocery Liquidators, a “scratch & dent” grocer. We bought a lot of grocery stuff … for fifteen bucks ! I refilled the truck with diesel at Mobil … fuel is a lot cheaper in Arizona than in California … and we headed west on Interstate 10.

We crossed the bridge over the Colorado River from Arizona into California. We got off the Interstate at the bleak little town of Blythe, California ( called “Blight” by some RV’ers ) to refill our freshwater tank at a municipal park with a few potable water spigots for use by RV’ers. Well … in the past that was the case. Not any longer !

We continued west on I-10, stopping at a rest area to have a late lunch. We arrived in Palm Springs around 3:30 PM. I was excited and eager to head to the car dealership in Palm Desert to view and buy the Dodge minivan. We spent forty-five minutes examining the minivan and … without even taking it for a test drive, decided not to buy it. What a piece of junk ! I am so disappointed !

Leaving the Palm Springs “suburb” of Palm Desert we stopped at a Ralph’s supermarket to buy groceries. Their deli section was unsatisfactory. Their bakery section was unsatisfactory. HMPH ! I was already in a bad mood before I even stepped into the store. We left and used our GPS to find a Wal-Mart on the way back to Spotlight 29 Casino. We did our shopping at Wal-Mart then headed for Spotlight 29, our boondocking “home” in Palm Springs. Near Spotlight 29 we went to Love’s to refill our freshwater tank. WOW … Love’s at 7 PM is gridlocked with tractor trailers coming and going !

We refilled our freshwater tank, drove over to Spotlight 29 Casino’s almost empty RV parking lot … that’s unusual … got settled in and had a late supper.

Thursday ; Palm Springs, California

Sunny and hot.

We slept late, then got a slow start to our day. We drove a very short distance to the nearby T/A Travel Center ( truck stop ) and refilled our freshwater tank. Then we drove a few miles to a municipal sewage treatment plant where we dumped our waste holding tanks at their RV sani-dump. Then it was time to start our day of fun in Palm Springs.

First stop was Las Tres Conchitas, a favourite panaderia ( Mexican bakery ) of ours in the suburb of Indio. WOW … one surely can get an awful lot of pan dulce ( baking / pastries ) for ten bucks ! HA HA HA ! Joanne wanted to have lunch in a little “hole in the wall” Mexican diner across the street. Okay !  I had a tostado ceviche, sort of Mexican seafood salad made with whatever seafood happens to be available that day. My ceviche today was made with … little squid. HMMM … never had squid before. It was pretty good ceviche. Joanne had a tostado pierna ( pork ). Also pretty good ! After lunch we shopped for some household supplies at a Dollar Tree, then went looking for a Bank of America to withdraw some cash. After getting some cash we headed towards downtown, stopping on the way when we saw a Goodwill thrift store. Before joining Joanne in the Goodwill I went into McDonald’s and used their free Wi-Fi to check e-mail. Joanne bought a couple of clothing items at the Goodwill.

Once we were downtown we stopped to shop at our favourite thrift store ; Revivals. Joanne bought a dress, I bought a pair of pants and a shirt. By then it was 6 PM and time to head to nearby Village Fest, the weekly Thursday evening street fair in downtown Palm Springs. About a ten block strip of the main downtown street is closed to traffic and becomes a pedestrian shopping and dining street fair filled with vendors of every sort imaginable. With some difficulty we found a parking spot on the street large enough for our truck and camper. 

I needed a bit more than one full parking spot, with nobody able to park in front of me and block me from exiting.

It took us two hours to walk the ten block length of Village Fest, up one side of the street and back down the other side. We ate supper at an Ethiopian food stand. 

< blink blink > Well … that was interesting ! Joanne bought a tiny bottle of CBD oil to try on her sore shoulders. When we got back to where the truck and camper were parked we had some pan dulce for dessert.

From downtown we drove north back to Interstate 10, then about 25 miles east on I-10 back to Spotlight 29 Casino, our boondocking “home”, arriving about 9:30 PM.

WHEW … tired !

Friday ; Palm Springs to Salton City, California

Sunny and hot again.

This morning after routine chores I downloaded and processed photos from my camera before we left Spotlight 29 Casino. Around noon we drove to nearby T/A Travel Center and refilled our freshwater tank. Then we headed to Trader Joe’s in the Palm Springs suburb of La Quinta.

We found a good parking spot in the large shopping mall then went for a long walk around the perimeter of the large shopping mall. We saw an El Pollo Loco and I wanted to have lunch there. It’s been a long time since we’ve eaten at an El Pollo Loco ( The Crazy Chicken ). The Yuma outlet closed years ago. El Pollo Loco is somewhat like Canada’s Swiss Chalet. But better ! We bought lunch and took it back to our camper to eat.

After lunch I decided I deserved a nap. After napping we went shopping in Trader Joe’s. We restrained ourselves as we shopped because … we’ll be back in Palm Springs from mid-December until the end of January. Before leaving the shopping mall I started up my laptop computer to look for an unencrypted / free Wi-Fi signal. Found one ! From the nearby juice bar. Before leaving the mall I checked e-mail and got caught up on some online work.

We left the mall around 4:30 PM and arrived at the Indio Performing Arts Center, home of Desert Theatreworks, around 5 PM, just as it turned dark. We found a good parking spot in the theater’s empty parking lot, then went walking around the slightly downtrodden looking Mexican neighbourhood. We found an Angel View thrift store and went inside to browse … and kill time. Well ! Joanne found a new silk shirt in my size. For seven bucks ! With a pink price tag. Today’s half price tag colour was pink ! WOO-HOO ! Merry Christmas to me ! I will be getting a lovely silk shirt. That cost three fifty ! HA HA HA ! “Palm Springs thrift store” is sort of an oxymoron, n’est-ce pas ? HA HA HA !

We returned to the camper and puttered around … working on my laptop, walking the dog in the park … until it was time for the 7:30 PM performance of “Murder On The Orient Express”. The play was very good, we enjoyed it. It was a new adaptation by a California playwright of Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery. This was the first of four plays in our Desert Theatreworks mini-season ticket package

After the play ended around 9:30 PM we drove out of the Palm Springs area, heading south on Hwy. 86, about 50 km. / 31 miles to Red Earth Casino, near Salton City, where we boondocked overnight in their RV parking lot.

Saturday ; Salton City, California to Yuma, Arizona

Sunny and hot. WHEW … long, tough day !

We left Red Earth Casino this morning about 10:30 AM heading south on Hwy. 86. I was running low on diesel and did not want to buy diesel in California because it is so much cheaper in Arizona. But … I didn’t have quite enough to make it to Yuma, so … in Westmoreland I purchased twenty dollars worth of diesel at Love’s. HMPH … should have bought twenty-five dollars worth ! ! !

As we drove though the small town of Westmoreland we could see that there was some kind of a fair taking place. We found a place to park and walked over to where all the people and vendor tents were. It was Westmoreland’s annual Honey Festival. Westmoreland is a large honey producing area. Who knew ? We wandered through the fair area, Ozzie in tow, somewhat unwillingly because of the intense sun and heat, checking out the vendors and displays. I bought a jar of home made jam.

We continued south until reaching Interstate 8, then found our way to a rest area a few miles to the west … the “wrong” direction, as we were heading east to Yuma. But we wanted to dump our waste holding tanks at the rest area’s 

sani-dump station before we put the truck and camper into storage at Kofa Ko-op. We decided to have lunch before dumping the tanks.

Joanne went to the rest area bathrooms and I took Ozzie for a walk. As we approached the door at the rear of the camper … < sigh > … Ozzie and I both stepped in a puddle of molten tar. Then Ozzie jumped up into the camper and began to track little dog paw prints of tar across the camper floor as he headed for where he expected his food dish to be. To make a long story short … it took us a very long time … a couple of hours … to get Ozzie’s feet, my shoes, and the camper floor cleaned of tar ! ! !

Eventually we had lunch, dumped the waste holding tanks, and headed east on Interstate 8 towards Yuma. At Holtville we got off the Interstate, drove into town, and bought two huge carne asada burritos for supper at Holtville Taco Shop. This is a regular stop for us ! We returned to the Interstate, continued east a few miles to Holtville Hot Springs, and went looking for our Riverside RV Park Resort neighbours who are camped for the winter at the BLM long term camping area behind the hot springs.

We drove around in the desert camping area until we found Serge and Barb … and Loki their Border Collie. Loki was thrilled to receive visitors that he knew. HA HA HA … good dog, Loki ! We visited until almost 5 PM California time / 6 PM Arizona time. We left as it was becoming dark. We had another hour to go to reach Yuma.

It was obvious as we approached Yuma that our diesel “situation” was becoming desperate. As I pulled up to the diesel pump at the fuel station the truck computer’s “distance to empty” had been reading “2 miles” for about a half a mile already ! WHEW … very close call ! ! !

We arrived at our Kofa Ko-op winter home about 7 PM ( Arizona time ). 

I connected the fifth wheel trailer’s electricity, water and sewer, and reinstalled the water heater’s sacrificial anode drain plug while Joanne got the trailer open and the slides extended and cleaned up inside a bit. We were having our burritos for supper by 9 PM.

DSK

November 3 to 9, 2019 ; Toppenish, Washington to Las Vegas, Nevada

Sunday ; Toppenish, Washington to The Dalles, Washington

Sunny and cool.

It took us until 12:30 PM to get out of Toppenish, a rough and tough little town !

We were ready to depart from the parking lot of Legends Casino about 10:30 AM, but ... we stopped to offer assistance to another RV’er in the parking lot. But ... we were mistaken. She wasn’t really another RV’er. She was a semi-homeless, scruffy old “bag lady” living in a decrepit, old, non-functional motorhome. 

I stopped to offer assistance when I saw a young woman bent over the engine compartment of the motorhome trying to jump start the motorhome’s battery from her car battery. I knew the motorhome would not start with a boost from a small car, so I thought a large diesel engine truck with two batteries might do the trick. The young woman was a mechanic who had also stopped to offer the old bag lady assistance. And while I and the young female mechanic worked on the motorhome, the old bag lady had the audacity to stand around bitching at Joanne that the young woman and I did not know what we were doing !

**** you, you old ***** ! So ... when the mechanic and I concluded that the problem was the motorhome’s starter, the old ingrate bag lady asked me to tow her across the street to where her two friends and their motorhomes were parked in another parking lot. I declined ! I surmise that the casino’s security people “rousted” the three decrepit motorhomes from the casino’s parking lot, and ... one of them wouldn’t start.

We drove to the municipal sani-dump station, refilled our freshwater tank, and dumped our black and grey waste holding tanks. We drove to a nearby Native operated fuel bar and refilled with cheap diesel. After waiting for an inordinately long period of time in a very slow moving line-up for the diesel pump. Lots of Indigenous folks operating on ... < cough cough > ... Indigenous time ! Last stop in town was Safeway. While Joanne bought some buns I used Safeway’s free 

Wi-Fi to check e-mail. Still nothing from Roam Mobility ! Then we tried unsuccessfully to catch the scared stray dog with the length of chain hanging around its neck as it ran around the Safeway parking lot in a panic. We were unsuccessful.

Tough town ! Bag ladies in decrepit motorhomes ! Stray dogs with chunks of chains hanging around their necks ! SHEESH !

We departed Toppenish heading south again on Hwy. 97. We stopped for a late lunch and a brief nap for me at a truck weigh station that was closed. We crossed the Columbia River from Washington into Oregon and turned west on Interstate 84 heading towards The Dalles. Shortly before reaching The Dalles we stopped for the night at Celilo Park, a large day use area on the south shore of the Columbia River. Very pretty !

Monday ; The Dalles to Pendleton, Oregon

Sunny and mild during the day, chilly in the evening.

This morning we left Celilo Park around 10:30 AM and drove west on Interstate 84 about 15 miles to the small city of The Dalles, where our 98 year old friend Eilene lives. Before heading to Eilene’s we went to Safeway where Joanne bought a few grocery items and I used Safeway’s free Wi-Fi to check e-mail. 

I finally received a response from Roam Mobility. It was completely unsatisfactory. It seems as if the agent handling my problem didn’t even understand the 

problem ! < sigh > I browsed the TracFone website and made a decision to order a phone and service plan from TracFone.

We arrived at Eilene’s seniors’ residence about fifteen minutes early so we went across the street to Goodwill Thrift Store for a few minutes before meeting Eilene at noon. OH MY GOODNESS ! ! ! Eilene fell three months ago ! Landed on her face. Broke her glasses. BROKE HER NOSE ! SHATTERED HER KNEECAP ! ! ! Was knocked unconscious ! Found by a passerby who called 911 for an ambulance. She is now moving pretty slowly, and must use a walker. Nevertheless ... she wanted to walk to a restaurant a few blocks away.

We had a wonderful visit with Eilene over a leisurely lunch. We walked with her back to her residence, arriving there around 2 PM. We said our goodbyes, then returned to Goodwill where I bought myself a pair of jeans.

We left The Dalles around 2:30 PM heading southeast on Interstate 84. We arrived at Wildhorse Casino at Pendleton around 5 PM just as it got dark. We stopped at their Arrowhead Travel Center to refill the camper’s freshwater tank and empty the waste holding tanks at the sani-dump station before finding an overnight parking spot in the large RV parking lot near the casino.

Tuesday ; Wildhorse Casino near Pendleton, Oregon

Sunny and mild during the day, chilly in the evening.

We had planned to spend a day here relaxing, seeing a movie, having dinner in a casino restaurant. Well ... none of the movies playing appealed to us, and neither did any of the restaurants. Except the buffet restaurant, which we have been to before and liked, but we did not want a casino buffet large meal today.

So ... we drove over to the Arrowhead Travel Plaza adjacent to the casino and ... dumped the camper’s grey and black waste tanks, refilled the freshwater tank, refilled both propane tanks, refilled the truck with diesel fuel, and went into the laundromat to work on the computer using their free Wi-Fi. How convenient is that ? ! All that plus a quiet, safe place to boondock overnight ! Thank you, Wildhorse Casino.

After a late lunch I napped, then did some maintenance work on the camper. There are a few new plumbing leaks, perhaps from incomplete winterization and below freezing temperatures recently, or probably from “a whole lotta shaking goin’ on” during last summer’s travels on rough roads up north. I identified the source of three or four plumbing leaks and resolved all except one which will have to wait until we are in Yuma.

I received another e-mail from Roam Mobility which suggested that they finally understood my problem. And they issued me a refund. Fair enough ! I purchased a phone and service plan from TracFone. It should be waiting for us upon our arrival in Yuma in eleven days. We’ll have to ( once again ! ) survive without phone service until we arrive at our winter home in Yuma. And ... AFTER purchasing a TracFone phone and service plan I figured out how to solve the Roam Mobility problem and activate Roam Mobility on our Canadian cell phone. < sigh > Too little, too late !

HMPH ! Seems to be a problem with one of my annuities which should have commenced paying benefits to me at the beginning of November ! Stay tuned !

The Palm Springs auto dealer selling the Dodge minivan I am interested in is NOW willing to accept a deposit to hold the car for me for a week. Stay tuned ! Joanne is opposed to placing a deposit on a car sight unseen.

Wednesday ; Pendleton, Oregon to Nampa ( Boise ), Idaho

Sunny and mild during the day, chilly in the evening.

This morning we drove from the Wildhorse Casino RV parking lot the very short distance to Arrowhead Travel Plaza where we again dumped the camper’s waste holding tanks and refilled the freshwater tank at the sani-dump station. We parked at the Travel Plaza and I went inside to again use the free Wi-Fi in the laundromat to check e-mail. At Joanne’s urging I decided not to make a deposit to the Palm Springs auto dealer for the Dodge minivan. I will be very disappointed if it is sold when we arrive there in a week.

Around 11:15 AM we left the Arrowhead Travel Plaza and continued south on Interstate 84 to La Grande where we stopped at Wal-Mart and did our 

semi-annual Oregon tax free shopping. Got everything on our list ; one stop tax free shopping ! After shopping we had a late lunch in the camper, then resumed southbound on I-84. Around 3:30 PM I became sleepy so we stopped at a rest area so that I could snooze for half an hour.

When we arrived at the Idaho border shortly after it turned dark ( at 5 PM ) our destination for tonight, the Idaho Welcome Center & Rest Area, was permanently closed and barricaded. HMPH ! Does Idaho learn its lessons from Alberta ? Or vice-versa ? We continued southeast on Interstate 84 ... speed limit of 80 MPH 

( 130 km. per hr. ) in Idaho ! ... until reaching the Boise suburb of Nampa where we stopped for the night shortly after 6 PM, boondocking in the parking lot of the Cracker Barrel Restaurant, a chain that allows overnight RV parking.

HEY ! ! ! We’re in the middle of a city ! At 8 PM ! Why is there the sound of a gunshot nearby ? ! ? ! ? Was somebody dissatisfied with their country fried steak and gravy ? ? ?

Thursday ; Nampa / Boise, Idaho to Jackpot, Nevada

Sunny and cool during the day, cold in the evening. Jackpot is at a mile high elevation.

Before leaving the Cracker Barrel parking lot this morning I walked next door to Panera Bread, had a wonderful cup of strong, dark roast coffee, and used their free Wi-Fi to check e-mail. You can count the number of cups of coffee that I have on an annual basis on the fingers of one hand. The smell of baking inside Panera Bread is ... < inhaling deeply > ... heavenly !

We left the Cracker Barrel parking lot shortly before 11 AM. Before leaving the Boise area we stopped at a Maverik fuel station to refill with diesel and dump our waste holding tanks at their sani-dump station. The water spigots at Maverik were not working so we drove across the street to a Shell fuel station and refilled our freshwater tank.

We continued southeast on Interstate 84. We stopped at a rest area to have lunch, a brief nap for me, and an exercise walk. As we approached Twin Falls from the west our GPS guided us off I-84 and onto a succession of scenic “country roads” heading south and east to bypass the city of Twin Falls and leading us to Hwy. 93 on the south side of Twin Falls. We followed Hwy. 93 south all the way to Jackpot, Nevada, arriving there at 5:30 PM. It had already turned dark by 4:45 PM ! We boondocked overnight in the parking lot of Cactus Pete’s Casino.

Friday ; Jackpot to Ely, Nevada

Sunny and mild during the day, chilly in the evening.

Before leaving Jackpot this morning around 11 AM we refilled our freshwater tank at the Chevron station. We continued southbound on Hwy. 93.

And so began the two day ordeal of driving through seemingly endless high plains desert of Nevada. What a wasteland ! The only thing that keeps me from falling asleep at the wheel is scanning the horizon for antelope. And watching for Clint Eastwood to come riding over the top of a mesa, wearing a grubby leather trench coat and with a chewed up little cigar stub sticking out of the corner of his mouth. HA HA HA !

We stopped in Wells to refill with diesel. We pulled off the side of the road and into the desert to have lunch and a nap for me. We reached our destination for tonight, the “old west” small city of Ely, about 5:15 PM, half an hour after darkness set in. We parked to boondock overnight behind the Hotel Nevada Casino, a lovely old downtown building. After feeding Ozzie and Emma we went for a walk to explore the downtown area. It was like stepping back in time fifty or maybe even a hundred years.

Saturday ; Ely to Las Vegas, Nevada

Sunny and warm. Finally ! As we entered the Mojave Desert north of Las Vegas this afternoon the temperature reached 79º F.

We pulled out of downtown Ely this morning around 10:15 AM and on our way out of town we refilled with diesel at Shell, bought a few items at Family Dollar, and some grocery items at Ridley’s. In the front entrance area of Ridley’s there were some cute little girls and their mothers conducting a bake sale to raise funds for some school project. Nice home baking ... bought twenty bucks worth. HEY ... the little girls were cute ! HA HA 

HA !

We headed out of Ely on Hwy. 6, a route we have never taken before. It’s a bit of a “shortcut” to Las Vegas, heading straight south from Ely and meeting up again with Hwy. 93 about halfway to Las Vegas. Hwy. 93 heads southeast from Ely, then southwest, adding about forty-four additional miles to the route.

About 1 PM we pulled off the road and into the desert to have lunch. About 3 PM 

I became tired and sleepy so we pulled off the road and into the desert again so that 

I could nap for half an hour. We arrived at Main Street Station Casino in Las Vegas at 

5 PM. It was daylight when we went into the casino to register for their RV park, and it was dark by the time we came out just a few minutes later. We got settled into our assigned site and I refilled our freshwater tank. At 7 PM we walked across the street to the Main Street Station Casino, through the casino, and through their glass walkway above Main Street over to their sister casino, the California Hotel & Casino. We had supper at the California Noodle House, a restaurant in the California that we have eaten at before. It’s very good ! With a very eclectic Asian menu.

We returned to our camper in the RV park and had cheesecake ( purchased at the bake sale in Ridley’s in Ely this morning ) for dessert. Afterwards I walked back to Main Street Station Casino again, to use their free Wi-Fi for an hour and a half to get caught up on quite a bit of online work I needed to do.

DSK

October 27 to November 2, 2019 ; home / Keremeos, BC, Canada to Toppenish, Washington

Sunday ; Sunny and chilly.

Departure preparations slowly continue. I posted my weekly journal to my blog. We went to the swimming pool and did an exercise session. In the evening after supper we watched the movie “The Life Of Pi”. Odd but interesting.

Monday ; Sunny and cold.

Bit of a lazy day. Breakfast … sex … walk dog … lunch … nap … walk dog … ! Nice work if you can get it ! HA HA HA !

Tuesday ; Sunny and cold !

Joanne spent the day in Penticton running errands. I had a lazy day at home with the animals.

Wednesday ; Sunny and cold … again !

Thank to a series of bad judgment decisions over the last month or so … I spent much of today dealing with frozen plumbing lines in the camper, and a resultant plumbing leak behind the toilet. < sigh > By late afternoon I had the problem mostly resolved … maybe ! Time will tell.

Joanne spent the day moving stuff from our home into the camper. And helping me as necessary with the plumbing repairs. Just before dark ( at 6 PM ) we went to the swimming pool and did an exercise session, our last one before departure on Friday.

Joanne made my favourite recipe of spaghetti with meat sauce … using the last of our meat that cannot cross the border … which we ate while watching Survivor.

I received an interesting e-mail this morning from a retired university professor / museum director in Sweden who wants to “buy” the right to use a photo posted to my blog more than five years ago in a book that he has written about the repatriation of a Canadian totem pole from Sweden back to Canada. 

< blink blink > HUH ?

Thursday ; Hallowe’en

Sunny and cold.

Today was a busy, final day of preparation for departure tomorrow. I visited Jeanne, our neighbour who will manage the collection of our winter mail, with

instructions, mailbox key, bag for collected mail, etc. I chatted with Jeanne and Sherry, another neighbour. We visited our neighbour / friend Jeanine, and said goodbye for the winter.

Friday ; home / Keremeos, BC, Canada to Omak, Washington, USA

Happy ( number censored ) birthday to our neighbour / friend Jeanine.

Sunny and cold. This morning Joanne finished loading the camper while 

I winterized our home. With interruptions by our neighbour, we took longer than usual to prepare for departure. We finally pulled out of our driveway about 1:30 PM.

We drove all the way to Keremeos … about 13 km. / 8 miles … before stopping for lunch. HA HA HA ! After lunch we continued east on Crowsnest Hwy. 3 through Keremeos and Cawston to Osoyoos. We stopped in Osoyoos to buy a couple of grocery items at Buy-Low Foods before arriving at the border crossing about 3:45 PM.

Our border crossing today was uneventful, but still irritating to me. The Customs and Border Patrol agent asked a few simple and relevant questions before granting us entry to the United States for our requested 175 days ( the limit for Canadians is 182 days ), then instructed us to pull over to the Dept. of Agriculture area for an inspection, standard procedure for RV’s crossing the border. The female Dept. of Agriculture inspector took her sweet time sauntering over to our truck and camper, then completed her inspection relatively quickly, but … asked questions that were absolutely none of her business. “How long will you be in the United States ?” is a valid question to be asked by the CBP agent, but is NOT a relevant question to be asked by a Dept. of Agriculture inspector. Especially after CBP has already cleared us into the country !

Check the dog food for country of origin, look in the fridge for fruits and vegetables, and otherwise … MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS ! ! !

In the last three years … ( you do the math ! ) … the arrogance and abuse of power by U.S. border crossing officials has gotten quite out of hand !

After crossing the border ( about 4 PM ) we headed south on Hwy. 97 through Oroville and a series of other small towns until reaching Omak about an hour later. We got settled into Wal-Mart’s parking lot and I walked across the street to use Wi-Fi at McDonald’s to activate our new U.S. cell phone service. < sigh > As is usually the case when crossing into the U.S. … < deep sigh > … the cell phone activation failed, for reasons unknown. And our new cell phone service provider does not have “live” agents for troubleshooting. Send them an e-mail … and they will TRY to get to your problem within three days ! < sigh > Yes, yes … my annual U.S. cell phone drama. What would life be if not for November 1 annual cell phone drama !

We went shopping in Wal-Mart for … HA HA HA … half price Hallowe’en candies and cookies, and some groceries. We had supper in the camper, then I returned to McDonald’s to see if I had received e-mail from the cell phone service provider. Yeah … I did ! Telling me that they would get back to me within three days … hopefully !

Saturday ; Omak to Toppenish, Washington

Sunny and cold.

This morning before leaving the Omak Wal-Mart parking lot I walked across the street to McDonald’s to use their Wi-Fi ( again ) to check if I had received any messages from our new US cell phone provider. I hadn’t ! Bonsoir la visite, Roam Mobility !

We pulled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot at 11 AM and drove across the street to Omak Travel Plaza where we refilled with ( cheap ) diesel, refilled the camper’s freshwater tank and dumped the black and grey waste holding tanks at their 

sani-dump station. We headed south out of Omak at 11:45 AM, continuing on Hwy. 97.

We stopped for lunch around 1:30 PM at Lincoln Rock State Park. After lunch we went for a long, leisurely walk around the large grassed picnic area of the park, alongside the Columbia River. We left the park, continuing south on Hwy. 97, around 2:30 PM.

By 3 PM we were in the cute little village of Cashmere, buying Aplets and Cotlets fruit candy products at Liberty Orchards.

When we reached Ellensburg around 4:30 PM, our planned destination for tonight, we decided it was too early to stop for the night. We continued south on Interstate 82 to Yakima and beyond to Toppenish, arriving around 6 PM just as it was turning dark, and I was getting tired of driving. We boondocked for the night at Legends Casino.

DSK