Sunday ; Sunny and warm. Cooked a wonderful marinated roast in the Sun Oven today.
Had a bit of a lazy day. Made pancakes for brunch. Took care of some annual home maintenance chores. Joanne did gardening. Took Bo to the dog park. Napped ! Reconciled month end bank statements. Updated and analyzed investment files.
Monday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked a wonderful apple cake in the Sun Oven and partially cooked a spaghetti sauce in the Sun Oven. She mismanaged her cooking time a bit and ran out of sunlight before the spaghetti sauce was finished.
This morning we drove into town ( Keremeos ) to renew the registration and insurance on our minivan. Then we drove to Cawston to buy some bedding plants at Little Bushy's Greenhouse. On the way back through Keremeos we stopped at Sanderson's Farms to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables.
After lunch and a nap for me we took Bo to the dog park. Our next door neighbours and their remaining dog Ozzie joined us in the dog park. We spent the rest of the afternoon working on gardening. I planted my tomato plants and cucumber plants. Joanne planted herbs and flowers. We'll finish planting our vegetable garden on Wednesday perhaps.
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.
This morning we got our "wires crossed". While I was in the bathroom, showering, preparing for a day in Penticton, Joanne ... "disappeared". She went to water aerobics, having forgotten that I had a medical appointment in Penticton, and we were going to spend the rest of the day running errands in Penticton. Suffice to say that we had a long, angry evening !
I spent the day in Penticton by myself. First stop was OKAPED, a foot care medical facility. I had a gait assessment, to ascertain if how I walk contributes to my knee pain, and why I wear down the outsides of my shoe heels so severely. From there I refilled the minivan with fuel then took it to Great Canadian Oil Change for annual fluids and filters service. SO ... now ALL fluids and filters have been changed since we bought the minivan a year and a half ago. I strongly believe that preventive maintenance like that is a good investment. I had a late lunch in the food court at Cherry Lane Mall. I went to Staples to purchase an item and have a page laminated. I went to Lordco and bought a fog light bulb for the truck.
As I said ... it was an angry evening !
Wednesday ; Cool, intermittent cloudiness, light rain in the evening.
We gave Bo a bath. We planted our vegetable garden. I replaced a fog light bulb on the truck. We mounted solar operated dragonfly shaped lights on our deck off the living room. AND ... we bickered !
Thursday ; Happy 15th Birthday to Joanne's niece Amelia
Cloudy and raining. Joanne spent the day in Penticton running errands and grocery shopping. I did some truck maintenance work, some yard work, and some desk work, including doing our 2016 census online. I visited with our next door neighbours who only come out from the Lower Mainland / Vancouver area a few weekends a year. GEEEEEZ ... since I last saw Joe, he has had a heart attack, triple bypass surgery, and a pacemaker installed. He's two years younger than me, and today I unsuccessfully tried to convince him that his health issues this last winter should convince him to retire soon !
Friday ; Sunny and very warm. Joanne cooked a chicken dish in the Sun Oven today.
I love chicken dishes cooked in the Sun Oven. Chicken is so “fall off the bone” moist and tender when cooked in the Sun Oven.
This morning I chatted with one of the next door neighbours again, talking about retirement dreams in the context of his recent heart attack and bypass surgery and pacemaker installation. This afternoon Joanne chatted with the other next door neighbour, discussing his recent diagnosis of mesothelioma / lung cancer.
Joanne and I have much to be thankful for ! Especially good health ! ! ! Tomorrow ... well ... see the first paragraph !
Today I continued to have troubles with the South Similkameen Health Centre / Keremeos Clinic and their ongoing refusal to assign me to a new family physician because they refuse to acknowledge that I was a patient of the recently retired Dr. Biggs. I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. And the problem seems to be centred on a low level administrative clerk who has taken a strong dislike to me ... and my communication style, I presume. Too ****ing bad, sweetheart, you’re not being paid to like me, you’re being paid ... by my taxes, I might point out ... to provide service to the public. That includes me and everyone else that you don’t like. < taking deep breath > Calm down, Daniel !
We finished planting our vegetable gardens and herb gardens today. I did some minor maintenance on the truck today. And made quite a mess. I spilled some fluids.
I dropped the cap from a jug into the engine compartment ... twice ... and was unable to retrieve it the second time. It’s lost in there forever. Or until it finally vibrates out while driving, I suppose. I was really off my game today. I overfilled the power steering pump reservoir and had to siphon some excess fluid out. And I really made a mess of that !
< sigh >
I disinfected our five gallon water jug and pump. I sharpened kitchen knives. I sorted / purged / relined all my business cards, from one business card holder into two ; one for summer / BC, one for winter / Arizona and Mexico. And I finished installing solar operated rope lights that I had purchased last winter at Harbor Freight in Yuma.
We had supper while watching Amazing Race, then I finally began to work on preparing our income tax returns. The filing deadline was four days ago, so ... it’s about time that
I begin to work on our income tax returns. I think I’ve only filed on time once since 1988. HA HA HA !
Saturday ; Sunny and hot. Joanne cooked a sausage dish in the Sun Oven today. It wasn't as good as yesterday's chicken dish.
If it was Amelia’s birthday two days ago, then today ... Joanne is a fifteen year cancer survivor !
SHIT ! I have just finished ( at 9:40 PM ) my 2015 income tax return and for the first time in twelve years, I owe money / have income tax payable !
This morning Joanne went into town by herself to refill our five gallon water jug, buy some groceries and ... go "yard sale" shopping. I refused to go !
As always, I had a daily plan of things to do, but ... today it got abandoned. I spent much of the day working on an unplanned project. I installed a MaxxAir cover on the camper roof over the bathroom fan vent. That was, until recently, not possible. But ... shortly before leaving Yuma at the end of March I had installed two Extreme Vents on the waste tank vent pipes on the camper roof. That necessitated cutting out a section of the roof top "luggage rack". That created the "maybe" possibility of what I accomplished today. Today I was inspired to give it a try. I had to "borrow" the MaxxAir cover from the kitchen's Fantastic Fan. And I had to do quite a bit of ... "modifying" ... to make it fit. BUT ... I did it ! AND ... the lack of a MaxxAir cover over the bathroom fan's roof vent has always seemed to be a "deficiency" of the camper, from my perspective. Well ... after two and a half years of owning this camper ... I resolved that deficiency today. Well done, Daniel !
Today was Riverside RV Park Resort's Annual General Meeting. As always, we did not attend. So our next door neighbours asked us to take their dog out in mid-afternoon while they were at the meeting. In the middle of the afternoon, needing a rest from working on the camper roof, we took Bo and the next door neighbours’ dog to the dog park. Ozzie was compliant, but confused. "HEY ... why are the neighbours taking me somewhere ?" His companion ... and father ... Dudley died recently. Ozzie is still a bit confused by Dudley's "disappearance".
DSK
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Sunday, May 1, 2016
April 24 to 30, 2016
Sunday ; Mostly cloudy, chilly, a few drops of rain.
This morning the lady from Prince George whose beach bag we found in Osoyoos yesterday arrived to reclaim her beach bag. She was grateful. It contained an expensive cell phone and expensive sunglasses.
I did some minor truck maintenance today. And I continued sorting / reviewing / storing our winter's purchases. I set up our Canadian cell phone online account and purchased some air time. I reviewed the package of information for the upcoming annual general meeting of Riverside RV Park Resort, and made my decisions on how to vote on each of the issues to be voted on at the meeting. We will not attend the meeting, but we can vote by ballot in advance, a welcome change from the past. Joanne did laundry. Yes, yes ... again. There was a lot of clothing and linens in Elsie the truck camper that required laundering.
In the evening I posted my weekly journal entry to my blog. I did some online travel planning and research on our planned summer trip to Haida Gwaii. We watched MasterChef Canada and I Am Cait on TV.
Monday ; Partially sunny, chilly, windy.
This morning we headed into town. We both had appointments at the South Similkameen Health Centre / Keremeos Clinic. Joanne went to the lab and had blood drawn. I went to the Public Health Nurse and had the first part of a TB skin test. From there we went to PharmaSave and I picked up some prescription refills, then over to a new pharmacy in town to ask some questions and get some information. While still in town ( where there is cell phone service ) I completed the reactivation of our Canadian cell phone. On the way out of town heading home we stopped at FasGas and I had our home propane tank refilled.
After lunch and a nap I did some maintenance work on our home composter. We took Bo to the dog park. I replenished toiletries and supplies in the truck camper. I went to see our friend / neighbour Jeanine to explain something about the pet medications we bought for her in Mexico.
After supper I worked on medication records keeping and accounting. More complicated than it sounds ... for us OCD types. HA HA HA !
Tuesday ; Partially sunny and mild.
Last August I submitted a renewal application for my aviation document booklet ( pilot's license ) which was due to expire on September 1, 2015. I was annoyed when it had not yet arrived in the mail by the time we departed on September 18. I was infuriated when we arrived back home on April 16 and it was not in the batch of mail that our neighbour had collected over the winter. I phoned Transport Canada and was told by recorded message that someone would return my call within two business days. Two business days later some low level bureaucrat left a message on my voicemail. I tried repeatedly for the next three days to contact him. He never answered his phone, and he never returned my calls. I left increasingly angrier messages frequently over the three days.
Finally, on the fourth day, I received an e-mail from some other low level bureaucrat advising me that the renewal application mailed last August had been processed ... wait for it ... yesterday ! ! ! The day before the e-mail was sent ! I was still livid, but at least my renewed pilot's license was on its way to me.
Today it arrived in the mail. AND ... < sputter > ... my IFR ( instrument flight rules ) rating, licensing me to fly in bad weather with no visual reference outside the aircraft, using only the dashboard instruments / avionics within the airplane ... "flying blind" ... which had expired on December 1, 1995, was now ... renewed and valid ! ! ! HA HA HA HA HA !
SO ... a "life or death" rating that requires an annual examination ... which I haven't had for 21 years ... is now back on my pilot's license !
Yes, yes ... our tax dollars at work. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
Joanne did some yard work today. I helped with taking yard waste to the park's burn pile area, and bringing back some leaves and grass cuttings for our composters and some wood chips for landscaping. I reviewed the park's annual general meeting documents, filled out the ballots to vote on all the issues to be voted on at the AGM, and submitted the voting package to the office. As always, we won't be attending the AGM. I did some accounting work, including reconciling this month's MasterCard statements. And I finished the planning and scheduling of this summer's trip to Haida Gwaii a.k.a. Queen Charlotte Islands off the northwest coast of British Columbia, in the "Inside Passage", south of the Alaskan islands.
I barbecued chicken thighs and "smashed potatoes" for supper. We ate supper watching an episode of Trailer Park Boys where Bubbles "rescues" a drug addicted mountain lion. HA HA HA HA HA !
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, mild.
This morning I headed into Keremeos to have the Public Health Nurse at the South Similkameen Health Centre check the "TB skin test" on my forearm. WOO-HOO ...
I don't have tuberculosis ... < rolling my eyes >. HA HA HA ! Then she administered a series of vaccinations that are on the list of vaccinations required prior to commencing the use of the drug Humira. BUT ... not all the vaccinations. There is a question about the remaining two vaccinations. It's not clear whether my gastroenterologist wants me to have both ... or just one or the other. We are awaiting a return phone call from my gastroenterologist. While at the Keremeos Clinic I dropped off a ... < snicker > ... "sample" of Joanne's at the lab. And I made an appointment for a required chest x-ray.
After finishing at the clinic I went to the new pharmacy in town to drop off some new prescriptions to be filled, and to get some information. On the way home I refilled with diesel in town. I don't like buying diesel in Keremeos because it is so much more expensive than in Penticton. But I needed to refill before tomorrow's big trailer towing job. AND ... while I went inside to pay the $50 worth of diesel I requested, the pump attendant wandered away and began chatting with another customer. SO ... < fume > ... when I returned to my truck after paying the $50, the pump attendant was not there, and the pump was rolling through $58 ! ! ! I didn't mind the error / inattention of the young pump attendant so much as I disliked the smug smirk I got from the cash register attendant inside ( the elderly owners' a*****e of a son ) when I went back in to pay the additional $8 and change. "Smug Smirk" seems to be his permanent persona !
Back at home I had a late lunch and a brief nap. Then I phoned BC PharmaCare to find out why I had to pay the full amount of my prescription refills on Monday. The full amount exceeded my annual deductible by almost $200. I sat on hold for twenty-three ****ing minutes before I got an agent who took all of about thirty seconds to find the problem. PharmaSave in Keremeos had made a coding error. That pissed me off ! Because when I paid the bill at PharmaSave on Monday I asked the ( new ) owner why PharmaCare had not kicked in at what I believed was my deductible level. His answer was that I must be mistaken about what my deductible level is.
SO ... I was doubly pissed off when I phoned him today ... after having twenty-three minutes of my life wasted ... and pointed out his error that cost me close to $200, and his response was ... < sputter > ... no sort of apology at all, but a passing of the blame down to one of his pharmacy technicians. Well ... good thing I had already decided to give the new pharmacy in town a try, because ... goodbye, PharmaSave. I will have to return there to have them completely retract the previous prescription records with the coding errors, and have them create new prescription records to enter into the PharmaCare database, and then get a refund for the almost $200 overpayment.
As I was taking Bo to the dog park, my next door neighbour stopped me to give me his very bad news. He has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. < sigh > That's not good ! After I finished with Bo at the dog park he and his wife came over and sat with Joanne and me at our picnic table. He and I each had a strong glass of whiskey, and the four of us discussed his dilemma. Joanne and I tried to mostly listen. Joanne has good people skills and is very supportive of friends in their time of need. We will both try to be supportive friends during his ordeal.
Joanne cleaned inside the truck camper and I prepared for tomorrow's big trailer towing job. I polished shoes. We had supper and watched Survivor.
Thursday ; home to Osoyoos to Juniper Beach Provincial Park to home
Partially cloudy, mostly chilly, although fairly warm at Juniper Beach, intermittent light rain.
WHEW ! Now that was a long, tough day ! ! ! We left home at 8:30 AM. We arrived back home at 11 PM. We drove 778 km. / 486 miles. AND ... did a lot of very hard work in addition to driving !
We left home at 8:30 AM and headed east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos. At 9:30 AM we were picking up the 6' X 10' utility trailer I had rented. We arrived at the client's house at 10 AM. The client was a man about our age in fairly poor health. He has had a stroke and has physical disabilities. He lives with his adult son who has intellectual challenges, but is very high functioning, optimistic, and eager. Our job was to move them, their large travel trailer, and way too much other stuff from Osoyoos to Juniper Beach Provincial Park. The son will be working as a maintenance assistant for five months in a provincial park campground, And then ... < sigh > ... they need to be brought back to Osoyoos.
We unhitched the rental utility trailer from our truck and began to load it with the client's stuff, including a deck and step assembly that weighed about four hundred pounds ! After loading the deck and step assembly there wasn't much room in the utility trailer for much else. We loaded as much as we could into the utility trailer then began loading the rest into the back of our truck. We filled up our truck with a couple of propane tanks, a bicycle, a small chest freezer, and a large generator. I strapped down everything in our truck then strapped down everything in the utility trailer. I hitched the utility trailer to the client's small pickup truck, then hitched up our truck to the client's large travel trailer. We pulled out of their RV park in Osoyoos about 11 AM, with me already feeling dehydrated and tired, drenched in sweat.
I led, the client followed. We headed north on Hwy. 97 through Oliver, Okanagan Falls, Penticton, Summerland, and Peachland. Between Peachland and West Kelowna / Westbank we turned west on Hwy 97C a.k.a. The Collector. We stopped to rest for a few minutes every hour. The client was anxious and frazzled. His old, small pickup truck struggled mightily to get up all the hills towing that utility trailer loaded with about five hundred pounds or so of stuff. The transmission was actually smoking ! When we reached Hwy. 5 a.k.a The Coquihalla a.k.a "The Highway Through Hell" ( on a TV reality show, I can't remember the network, maybe TLC ) we turned north towards Kamloops and then stopped in Merritt at 2 PM to refill with fuel and have a very late lunch.
The client was suffering physical discomfort from driving, and a lot of anxiety over his truck's struggles and ... everything else ! While Joanne and I ate our picnic lunch in our truck they had lunch inside their trailer. We refilled the trucks with fuel and ... back onto Hwy. 5 heading north at about 2:30 PM. About an hour later we reached Kamloops then turned west on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. About an hour after that we arrived at Juniper Beach Provincial Park. The first words out of the client's mouth as he stepped out of his truck at Juniper Beach was ... "that was the worst day of my life !" HA HA HA !
Sorry ! I shouldn't laugh. He was really unhappy and in a lot of physical discomfort. While his son went looking his "bosses", the client wanted to talk about the return trip in October. He had already decided that this adventure was going to be a mistake. We tried to encourage him. It was obvious that his son did not share his pessimism.
We got their travel trailer situated and set up in their assigned campsite. It was gorgeous ! A waterfront site right on the lovely Thompson River with a million dollar view ! We unhitched our truck from the travel trailer, then unloaded the back of our truck, then unloaded the utility trailer. I removed the utility trailer from his truck and hitched it to my truck. WHEW ! We left Juniper Beach Provincial Park about 5:30 PM to begin the long drive home.
We followed the same route in reverse. When The Connector reached Hwy 97 between Westbank and Peachland we turned north / the wrong way to go into Westbank / West Kelowna to have a late supper and refill with diesel again. We arrived in Westbank at 8 PM and had supper at Swiss Chalet, then refilled with diesel at Superstore Fuel Bar. Joanne wanted to take advantage of being at Superstore, and go in to buy some groceries. We did that, but it just added to my already considerable fatigue.
We finished grocery shopping and left Westbank at 9:30 PM. heading south on Hwy. 97. I drove hard and fast ... in the dark ... in the rain ... towing the small utility trailer that I couldn't even see behind me ... to get home as soon as possible. Through Peachland, Summerland, Penticton. At Kaleden we turned southwest on Hwy. 3A towards Keremeos. Onto Hwy. 3 westbound at Keremeos, and we were back home at Riverside RV Park Resort a few minutes after 11 PM.
Friday ; home to Osoyoos and return
Mostly cloudy, chilly, light rain in the early evening.
We were up early again this morning and on the road at 8:30 AM again. We drove back to Osoyoos and dropped off the rental trailer at 9:30 AM. We stopped at the Bank of Montreal in Osoyoos and I used the ATM, then we headed back to Keremeos, arriving in town about 10 AM. I went to PharmaSave and rectified their screw up of a few days ago. Their attitude was ... lacking in accountability ... from my perspective, and I let them know it. Next stop was the new pharmacy in town, to pick up some new prescriptions there.
That's when I discovered my credit card was missing from my wallet. The last time I had seen it was when I was giving it to PharmaSave so that they could process a refund of almost $200 to correct their error. AND ... < sputter > ... I had to coach them through how to do a refund on their credit card terminal ! Similkameen Pharmacy ( the new pharmacy ) phoned PharmaSave to ask if they had my credit card. "No" they said ... they were certain they had seen me put it in my "purse" ( fanny pack ). I stomped out of Similkameen Pharmacy, drove over to PharmaSave and ... miracle of miracles ... as
I stomped into PharmaSave, they "found" my credit card. How ****ing convenient ! Goodbye ... for the last time ! ! !
I returned to Similkameen Pharmacy, picked up my new prescriptions, then went to South Similkameen Health Centre / Keremeos Clinic to have a chest x-ray. We refilled our five gallon water jug in town, and bought produce at Sanderson Farms before returning home. At home we had lunch, then I went to read and nap briefly. Joanne lay down on the bed to do some crosswords while I read, then while I napped ... she fell asleep ! She does not do "afternoon nap" very well at all. I nap most days, and wake up in thirty to sixty minutes, refreshed and ready to go. Not Joanne ! She "napped" from about 1:30 PM until after 7 PM, then woke up very groggy and very crabby. < rolling eyes >
In the evening I worked on accounting ; trailer delivery job accounting, credit card accounting, medication expense accounting, etc. We watched Amazing Race. My enthusiasm for Amazing Race is dwindling as this series progresses. I can't really get interested in these Internet / YouTube "star" contestants. They're too much "on", always "mugging" for the cameras.
It's now 12:20 AM ... and I'm falling asleep. Joanne and Bo have already gone to bed. Time to take Bo for a walk ... and go to sleep !
Saturday ; Sunny and warm. Used the ( northern ) Sun Oven for the first time this summer season. Joanne cooked rice pudding in the Sun Oven.
I slept late this morning. The last few early mornings tired me out. I phoned my ( new ) pharmacist this morning and we had another discussion about Humira, the immunosuppressant medication that my gastroenterologist suggests I try. The more
I research it, the more I lean towards ... “no”.
This afternoon I did some minor truck maintenance. I took some books back to the library in the clubhouse. I mowed the lawn inside the fenced dog park ... < fume > ... because apparently our paid maintenance people don’t feel it is necessary to do so !
I replenished medications inside the truck camper. I reviewed and replenished clothing inside the truck camper. Joanne did laundry.
I retrieved month end bank statements and investment updates. I did some online gift shopping. Got caught ! Joanne came back from doing laundry and walked in as I was on the phone. Hope she didn’t hear too much ! Had to interrupt my phone conversation and ask Joanne to go into the bedroom and close the door. < raising eyes to ceiling > It’s SOOOOO hard to buy “surprises”, n’est-ce pas ?
DSK
This morning the lady from Prince George whose beach bag we found in Osoyoos yesterday arrived to reclaim her beach bag. She was grateful. It contained an expensive cell phone and expensive sunglasses.
I did some minor truck maintenance today. And I continued sorting / reviewing / storing our winter's purchases. I set up our Canadian cell phone online account and purchased some air time. I reviewed the package of information for the upcoming annual general meeting of Riverside RV Park Resort, and made my decisions on how to vote on each of the issues to be voted on at the meeting. We will not attend the meeting, but we can vote by ballot in advance, a welcome change from the past. Joanne did laundry. Yes, yes ... again. There was a lot of clothing and linens in Elsie the truck camper that required laundering.
In the evening I posted my weekly journal entry to my blog. I did some online travel planning and research on our planned summer trip to Haida Gwaii. We watched MasterChef Canada and I Am Cait on TV.
Monday ; Partially sunny, chilly, windy.
This morning we headed into town. We both had appointments at the South Similkameen Health Centre / Keremeos Clinic. Joanne went to the lab and had blood drawn. I went to the Public Health Nurse and had the first part of a TB skin test. From there we went to PharmaSave and I picked up some prescription refills, then over to a new pharmacy in town to ask some questions and get some information. While still in town ( where there is cell phone service ) I completed the reactivation of our Canadian cell phone. On the way out of town heading home we stopped at FasGas and I had our home propane tank refilled.
After lunch and a nap I did some maintenance work on our home composter. We took Bo to the dog park. I replenished toiletries and supplies in the truck camper. I went to see our friend / neighbour Jeanine to explain something about the pet medications we bought for her in Mexico.
After supper I worked on medication records keeping and accounting. More complicated than it sounds ... for us OCD types. HA HA HA !
Tuesday ; Partially sunny and mild.
Last August I submitted a renewal application for my aviation document booklet ( pilot's license ) which was due to expire on September 1, 2015. I was annoyed when it had not yet arrived in the mail by the time we departed on September 18. I was infuriated when we arrived back home on April 16 and it was not in the batch of mail that our neighbour had collected over the winter. I phoned Transport Canada and was told by recorded message that someone would return my call within two business days. Two business days later some low level bureaucrat left a message on my voicemail. I tried repeatedly for the next three days to contact him. He never answered his phone, and he never returned my calls. I left increasingly angrier messages frequently over the three days.
Finally, on the fourth day, I received an e-mail from some other low level bureaucrat advising me that the renewal application mailed last August had been processed ... wait for it ... yesterday ! ! ! The day before the e-mail was sent ! I was still livid, but at least my renewed pilot's license was on its way to me.
Today it arrived in the mail. AND ... < sputter > ... my IFR ( instrument flight rules ) rating, licensing me to fly in bad weather with no visual reference outside the aircraft, using only the dashboard instruments / avionics within the airplane ... "flying blind" ... which had expired on December 1, 1995, was now ... renewed and valid ! ! ! HA HA HA HA HA !
SO ... a "life or death" rating that requires an annual examination ... which I haven't had for 21 years ... is now back on my pilot's license !
Yes, yes ... our tax dollars at work. HA HA HA < SNORT > HA HA !
Joanne did some yard work today. I helped with taking yard waste to the park's burn pile area, and bringing back some leaves and grass cuttings for our composters and some wood chips for landscaping. I reviewed the park's annual general meeting documents, filled out the ballots to vote on all the issues to be voted on at the AGM, and submitted the voting package to the office. As always, we won't be attending the AGM. I did some accounting work, including reconciling this month's MasterCard statements. And I finished the planning and scheduling of this summer's trip to Haida Gwaii a.k.a. Queen Charlotte Islands off the northwest coast of British Columbia, in the "Inside Passage", south of the Alaskan islands.
I barbecued chicken thighs and "smashed potatoes" for supper. We ate supper watching an episode of Trailer Park Boys where Bubbles "rescues" a drug addicted mountain lion. HA HA HA HA HA !
Wednesday ; Mostly sunny, mild.
This morning I headed into Keremeos to have the Public Health Nurse at the South Similkameen Health Centre check the "TB skin test" on my forearm. WOO-HOO ...
I don't have tuberculosis ... < rolling my eyes >. HA HA HA ! Then she administered a series of vaccinations that are on the list of vaccinations required prior to commencing the use of the drug Humira. BUT ... not all the vaccinations. There is a question about the remaining two vaccinations. It's not clear whether my gastroenterologist wants me to have both ... or just one or the other. We are awaiting a return phone call from my gastroenterologist. While at the Keremeos Clinic I dropped off a ... < snicker > ... "sample" of Joanne's at the lab. And I made an appointment for a required chest x-ray.
After finishing at the clinic I went to the new pharmacy in town to drop off some new prescriptions to be filled, and to get some information. On the way home I refilled with diesel in town. I don't like buying diesel in Keremeos because it is so much more expensive than in Penticton. But I needed to refill before tomorrow's big trailer towing job. AND ... while I went inside to pay the $50 worth of diesel I requested, the pump attendant wandered away and began chatting with another customer. SO ... < fume > ... when I returned to my truck after paying the $50, the pump attendant was not there, and the pump was rolling through $58 ! ! ! I didn't mind the error / inattention of the young pump attendant so much as I disliked the smug smirk I got from the cash register attendant inside ( the elderly owners' a*****e of a son ) when I went back in to pay the additional $8 and change. "Smug Smirk" seems to be his permanent persona !
Back at home I had a late lunch and a brief nap. Then I phoned BC PharmaCare to find out why I had to pay the full amount of my prescription refills on Monday. The full amount exceeded my annual deductible by almost $200. I sat on hold for twenty-three ****ing minutes before I got an agent who took all of about thirty seconds to find the problem. PharmaSave in Keremeos had made a coding error. That pissed me off ! Because when I paid the bill at PharmaSave on Monday I asked the ( new ) owner why PharmaCare had not kicked in at what I believed was my deductible level. His answer was that I must be mistaken about what my deductible level is.
SO ... I was doubly pissed off when I phoned him today ... after having twenty-three minutes of my life wasted ... and pointed out his error that cost me close to $200, and his response was ... < sputter > ... no sort of apology at all, but a passing of the blame down to one of his pharmacy technicians. Well ... good thing I had already decided to give the new pharmacy in town a try, because ... goodbye, PharmaSave. I will have to return there to have them completely retract the previous prescription records with the coding errors, and have them create new prescription records to enter into the PharmaCare database, and then get a refund for the almost $200 overpayment.
As I was taking Bo to the dog park, my next door neighbour stopped me to give me his very bad news. He has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. < sigh > That's not good ! After I finished with Bo at the dog park he and his wife came over and sat with Joanne and me at our picnic table. He and I each had a strong glass of whiskey, and the four of us discussed his dilemma. Joanne and I tried to mostly listen. Joanne has good people skills and is very supportive of friends in their time of need. We will both try to be supportive friends during his ordeal.
Joanne cleaned inside the truck camper and I prepared for tomorrow's big trailer towing job. I polished shoes. We had supper and watched Survivor.
Thursday ; home to Osoyoos to Juniper Beach Provincial Park to home
Partially cloudy, mostly chilly, although fairly warm at Juniper Beach, intermittent light rain.
WHEW ! Now that was a long, tough day ! ! ! We left home at 8:30 AM. We arrived back home at 11 PM. We drove 778 km. / 486 miles. AND ... did a lot of very hard work in addition to driving !
We left home at 8:30 AM and headed east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos. At 9:30 AM we were picking up the 6' X 10' utility trailer I had rented. We arrived at the client's house at 10 AM. The client was a man about our age in fairly poor health. He has had a stroke and has physical disabilities. He lives with his adult son who has intellectual challenges, but is very high functioning, optimistic, and eager. Our job was to move them, their large travel trailer, and way too much other stuff from Osoyoos to Juniper Beach Provincial Park. The son will be working as a maintenance assistant for five months in a provincial park campground, And then ... < sigh > ... they need to be brought back to Osoyoos.
We unhitched the rental utility trailer from our truck and began to load it with the client's stuff, including a deck and step assembly that weighed about four hundred pounds ! After loading the deck and step assembly there wasn't much room in the utility trailer for much else. We loaded as much as we could into the utility trailer then began loading the rest into the back of our truck. We filled up our truck with a couple of propane tanks, a bicycle, a small chest freezer, and a large generator. I strapped down everything in our truck then strapped down everything in the utility trailer. I hitched the utility trailer to the client's small pickup truck, then hitched up our truck to the client's large travel trailer. We pulled out of their RV park in Osoyoos about 11 AM, with me already feeling dehydrated and tired, drenched in sweat.
I led, the client followed. We headed north on Hwy. 97 through Oliver, Okanagan Falls, Penticton, Summerland, and Peachland. Between Peachland and West Kelowna / Westbank we turned west on Hwy 97C a.k.a. The Collector. We stopped to rest for a few minutes every hour. The client was anxious and frazzled. His old, small pickup truck struggled mightily to get up all the hills towing that utility trailer loaded with about five hundred pounds or so of stuff. The transmission was actually smoking ! When we reached Hwy. 5 a.k.a The Coquihalla a.k.a "The Highway Through Hell" ( on a TV reality show, I can't remember the network, maybe TLC ) we turned north towards Kamloops and then stopped in Merritt at 2 PM to refill with fuel and have a very late lunch.
The client was suffering physical discomfort from driving, and a lot of anxiety over his truck's struggles and ... everything else ! While Joanne and I ate our picnic lunch in our truck they had lunch inside their trailer. We refilled the trucks with fuel and ... back onto Hwy. 5 heading north at about 2:30 PM. About an hour later we reached Kamloops then turned west on Trans-Canada Hwy. 1. About an hour after that we arrived at Juniper Beach Provincial Park. The first words out of the client's mouth as he stepped out of his truck at Juniper Beach was ... "that was the worst day of my life !" HA HA HA !
Sorry ! I shouldn't laugh. He was really unhappy and in a lot of physical discomfort. While his son went looking his "bosses", the client wanted to talk about the return trip in October. He had already decided that this adventure was going to be a mistake. We tried to encourage him. It was obvious that his son did not share his pessimism.
We got their travel trailer situated and set up in their assigned campsite. It was gorgeous ! A waterfront site right on the lovely Thompson River with a million dollar view ! We unhitched our truck from the travel trailer, then unloaded the back of our truck, then unloaded the utility trailer. I removed the utility trailer from his truck and hitched it to my truck. WHEW ! We left Juniper Beach Provincial Park about 5:30 PM to begin the long drive home.
We followed the same route in reverse. When The Connector reached Hwy 97 between Westbank and Peachland we turned north / the wrong way to go into Westbank / West Kelowna to have a late supper and refill with diesel again. We arrived in Westbank at 8 PM and had supper at Swiss Chalet, then refilled with diesel at Superstore Fuel Bar. Joanne wanted to take advantage of being at Superstore, and go in to buy some groceries. We did that, but it just added to my already considerable fatigue.
We finished grocery shopping and left Westbank at 9:30 PM. heading south on Hwy. 97. I drove hard and fast ... in the dark ... in the rain ... towing the small utility trailer that I couldn't even see behind me ... to get home as soon as possible. Through Peachland, Summerland, Penticton. At Kaleden we turned southwest on Hwy. 3A towards Keremeos. Onto Hwy. 3 westbound at Keremeos, and we were back home at Riverside RV Park Resort a few minutes after 11 PM.
Friday ; home to Osoyoos and return
Mostly cloudy, chilly, light rain in the early evening.
We were up early again this morning and on the road at 8:30 AM again. We drove back to Osoyoos and dropped off the rental trailer at 9:30 AM. We stopped at the Bank of Montreal in Osoyoos and I used the ATM, then we headed back to Keremeos, arriving in town about 10 AM. I went to PharmaSave and rectified their screw up of a few days ago. Their attitude was ... lacking in accountability ... from my perspective, and I let them know it. Next stop was the new pharmacy in town, to pick up some new prescriptions there.
That's when I discovered my credit card was missing from my wallet. The last time I had seen it was when I was giving it to PharmaSave so that they could process a refund of almost $200 to correct their error. AND ... < sputter > ... I had to coach them through how to do a refund on their credit card terminal ! Similkameen Pharmacy ( the new pharmacy ) phoned PharmaSave to ask if they had my credit card. "No" they said ... they were certain they had seen me put it in my "purse" ( fanny pack ). I stomped out of Similkameen Pharmacy, drove over to PharmaSave and ... miracle of miracles ... as
I stomped into PharmaSave, they "found" my credit card. How ****ing convenient ! Goodbye ... for the last time ! ! !
I returned to Similkameen Pharmacy, picked up my new prescriptions, then went to South Similkameen Health Centre / Keremeos Clinic to have a chest x-ray. We refilled our five gallon water jug in town, and bought produce at Sanderson Farms before returning home. At home we had lunch, then I went to read and nap briefly. Joanne lay down on the bed to do some crosswords while I read, then while I napped ... she fell asleep ! She does not do "afternoon nap" very well at all. I nap most days, and wake up in thirty to sixty minutes, refreshed and ready to go. Not Joanne ! She "napped" from about 1:30 PM until after 7 PM, then woke up very groggy and very crabby. < rolling eyes >
In the evening I worked on accounting ; trailer delivery job accounting, credit card accounting, medication expense accounting, etc. We watched Amazing Race. My enthusiasm for Amazing Race is dwindling as this series progresses. I can't really get interested in these Internet / YouTube "star" contestants. They're too much "on", always "mugging" for the cameras.
It's now 12:20 AM ... and I'm falling asleep. Joanne and Bo have already gone to bed. Time to take Bo for a walk ... and go to sleep !
Saturday ; Sunny and warm. Used the ( northern ) Sun Oven for the first time this summer season. Joanne cooked rice pudding in the Sun Oven.
I slept late this morning. The last few early mornings tired me out. I phoned my ( new ) pharmacist this morning and we had another discussion about Humira, the immunosuppressant medication that my gastroenterologist suggests I try. The more
I research it, the more I lean towards ... “no”.
This afternoon I did some minor truck maintenance. I took some books back to the library in the clubhouse. I mowed the lawn inside the fenced dog park ... < fume > ... because apparently our paid maintenance people don’t feel it is necessary to do so !
I replenished medications inside the truck camper. I reviewed and replenished clothing inside the truck camper. Joanne did laundry.
I retrieved month end bank statements and investment updates. I did some online gift shopping. Got caught ! Joanne came back from doing laundry and walked in as I was on the phone. Hope she didn’t hear too much ! Had to interrupt my phone conversation and ask Joanne to go into the bedroom and close the door. < raising eyes to ceiling > It’s SOOOOO hard to buy “surprises”, n’est-ce pas ?
DSK
Sunday, April 24, 2016
April 17 to 23, 2016
Sunday ; Sunny and warm.
Spent much of today "moving" from truck camper to house and other "return home" chores. Visited with friends and neighbours. Found out many of Bo's friends have died. Rest in peace ; Dudley, Spencer, Jimmy, and Meggy.
Riverside RV Park Resort is still as lovely as it always has been. Park's internal politics and in-fighting still as prevalent and poisonous as it always has been. < sigh > Too bad. Will continue to ignore it as much as possible, as we have done for quite a few years already.
Monday ; Sunny and warm.
This past winter season we travelled 20,093 km. / 12,558 miles. The lowest diesel price we encountered was $1.659 per gallon in Yuma, Arizona in February. The highest diesel price we encountered ( in the United States ) was $2.479 per gallon in Tonopah, Nevada a week ago.
Today was another day of "return home" chores, including removing Elsie the truck camper off Lanoire the truck.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning we headed into town ( Keremeos ). We both had doctor's appointments. Our previous doctor has retired, so we had appointments with a temporary / locum doctor. After we both saw the doctor we went shopping for produce at Sandersons and groceries at Valu-Plus. We are suffering from "sticker shock" ! The price of groceries is much higher here than in Yuma, Arizona.
After a late lunch at home and a brief nap for me we continued working on "return home" chores. Tuesday evenings are our regular Canadian comedy nights on TV. During and after supper we watched Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and ... HA HA HA HA HA ... my favourite, Trailer Park Boys.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot, 30º C / 88º F, rather unusually hot for April. It won't last long, it will be getting much colder in the next few days.
Today was a long, tiring day of running errands in Penticton. First stop was my cardiologist's office. While I saw the cardiologist, Joanne went to withdraw some money from an ATM, and do some Dollar Store shopping. After she picked me up at the doctor's office, next stop was to refill the truck with diesel, then I dropped her off at
Wal-Mart and took the truck for its annual fluids change service. When that was done ... ( KA-CHING ... five hundred bucks ! ) ... I joined Joanne at Wal-Mart. Next we went to Cherry Lane Mall and had lunch in the food court, then I spent too much time and got too much aggravation at the Telus and Virgin Mobile cell phone stores. Both were useless, but Virgin Mobile slightly outdid Telus in the uselessness contest. We did more grocery shopping at Superstore, then headed back to Keremeos late in the afternoon.
WOO-HOO ... perogies for supper. Welcome home to Western Canada ! We watched Survivor for the first time in about a month.
Thursday ; Mostly sunny, a bit of clouds, warm.
This morning I headed into Keremeos by myself. I had an appointment at the South Similkameen Health Centre lab to have blood drawn for tests. While in town I also filled our five gallon water jug, renewed our newspaper subscription, ordered prescription refills at the pharmacy, and went to the local insurance agency to get some information on the minivan license and insurance renewal.
This afternoon I continued work at home on "return home" chores. I took to our neighbour / friend Jeanine all the pet medications I had bought in Los Algodones, Mexico for her little dog Charlie. I worked on renting a flat bed utility trailer for a trailer tow job we will be doing next week. I had previously arranged for the rental of a neighbour's trailer for this upcoming job, but today the ... < ahem > ... neighbour ... reneged on the deal. I'm never very impressed with people whose word / agreements / commitments can't be relied upon.
Twice this afternoon we took Bo to the dog park for a play session. I did some minor maintenance on both the truck and the minivan. Trimmed my beard. OOOOOPS ... WAAAAAY too short ! DARN ! New clippers ! Learning curve ! Look like a stubbly old man who's forgotten to shave for a week ! HA HA HA !
Friday ; Mostly sunny, warm, a bit windy.
As I type this at 9:30 PM, I'm beginning to feel poorly. For the last few hours I have felt a cold coming on. Which is discouraging, as we have an extremely early morning coming up tomorrow due to a trailer towing job.
This morning we loaded the fifth wheel hitch into the truck in preparation for tomorrow's trailer towing job. I loaded our generator, air compressor, and other necessary equipment and tools into the truck. Ready to go !
Just before lunch we took Bo to the dog park. After lunch and while I napped briefly Joanne did some laundry. I prepared my bicycle for summer use. I made a medical appointment in Penticton. I prepared an invoice / receipt for tomorrow's client.
I activated two new credit cards. I reactivated our Canadian cell phone. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on putting away purchases made over the winter, including quite a bit of clothing.
I cooked pan fried sole for supper. Over supper we watched Time Travelling Bong.
HA HA HA ... great new show ! After supper we watched Amazing Race, then Hell's Kitchen.
Saturday ; home to Penticton to Kelowna to Beaverdell to Rock Creek to Osoyoos to home
Partially sunny, warm.
This morning we were up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 AM in order to be ready to leave home at 7 AM. The trailer towing client wanted us to pick up his trailer in Penticton at 8 AM ! AND ... as I pretty much knew yesterday already ... I have a cold !
We arrived at the client's home at 8 AM. We were hitched up and leaving his driveway before 8:30. Through Penticton, north on Hwy. 97 through Summerland, Peachland, West Kelowna / Westbank, and Kelowna, then southeast on Hwy. 33 past Big White and almost to Beaverdell. The trailer needed to be positioned in a wooded area, on a rough patch of land that had just been cleared this morning by a bulldozer. Thanks to the strength and toughness of Lanoire the truck, and the considerable trailer positioning capabilities of both me and Joanne ... we made the difficult positioning job look easy. The client was very impressed. And that's always a good thing. He paid my fee with a big smile on his face. Well done, Daniel. And Joanne. And Lanoire. We were pulling away from the completed job at 11:30 AM. Job went well, fairly easy money, all things considered.
We continued south on Hwy. 33, to avoid returning through Kelowna, even though the return route we chose was a bit more mileage. We drove south on Hwy. 33 through Beaverdell all the way to Rock Creek, then turned west on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos. We stopped at Bo's favourite waterfront park in Osoyoos to have a late lunch. We found a beach bag with two women's bathing suits, towels, toiletries, and a cell phone. We took it home with us, planning to use the phone to trace the owner. We arrived home about 2:30 PM.
We removed the fifth wheel hitch from the truck, and put away all the trailer towing equipment and supplies. The found cell phone rang. Joanne answered it. It was the phone's owner. She lives in Prince George, BC, and is currently visiting family in Osoyoos. We made arrangements for her to pick up her beach bag and cell phone tomorrow as she and her husband are driving from Osoyoos back to Prince George.
DSK
Spent much of today "moving" from truck camper to house and other "return home" chores. Visited with friends and neighbours. Found out many of Bo's friends have died. Rest in peace ; Dudley, Spencer, Jimmy, and Meggy.
Riverside RV Park Resort is still as lovely as it always has been. Park's internal politics and in-fighting still as prevalent and poisonous as it always has been. < sigh > Too bad. Will continue to ignore it as much as possible, as we have done for quite a few years already.
Monday ; Sunny and warm.
This past winter season we travelled 20,093 km. / 12,558 miles. The lowest diesel price we encountered was $1.659 per gallon in Yuma, Arizona in February. The highest diesel price we encountered ( in the United States ) was $2.479 per gallon in Tonopah, Nevada a week ago.
Today was another day of "return home" chores, including removing Elsie the truck camper off Lanoire the truck.
Tuesday ; Sunny and very warm.
This morning we headed into town ( Keremeos ). We both had doctor's appointments. Our previous doctor has retired, so we had appointments with a temporary / locum doctor. After we both saw the doctor we went shopping for produce at Sandersons and groceries at Valu-Plus. We are suffering from "sticker shock" ! The price of groceries is much higher here than in Yuma, Arizona.
After a late lunch at home and a brief nap for me we continued working on "return home" chores. Tuesday evenings are our regular Canadian comedy nights on TV. During and after supper we watched Rick Mercer Report, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and ... HA HA HA HA HA ... my favourite, Trailer Park Boys.
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot, 30º C / 88º F, rather unusually hot for April. It won't last long, it will be getting much colder in the next few days.
Today was a long, tiring day of running errands in Penticton. First stop was my cardiologist's office. While I saw the cardiologist, Joanne went to withdraw some money from an ATM, and do some Dollar Store shopping. After she picked me up at the doctor's office, next stop was to refill the truck with diesel, then I dropped her off at
Wal-Mart and took the truck for its annual fluids change service. When that was done ... ( KA-CHING ... five hundred bucks ! ) ... I joined Joanne at Wal-Mart. Next we went to Cherry Lane Mall and had lunch in the food court, then I spent too much time and got too much aggravation at the Telus and Virgin Mobile cell phone stores. Both were useless, but Virgin Mobile slightly outdid Telus in the uselessness contest. We did more grocery shopping at Superstore, then headed back to Keremeos late in the afternoon.
WOO-HOO ... perogies for supper. Welcome home to Western Canada ! We watched Survivor for the first time in about a month.
Thursday ; Mostly sunny, a bit of clouds, warm.
This morning I headed into Keremeos by myself. I had an appointment at the South Similkameen Health Centre lab to have blood drawn for tests. While in town I also filled our five gallon water jug, renewed our newspaper subscription, ordered prescription refills at the pharmacy, and went to the local insurance agency to get some information on the minivan license and insurance renewal.
This afternoon I continued work at home on "return home" chores. I took to our neighbour / friend Jeanine all the pet medications I had bought in Los Algodones, Mexico for her little dog Charlie. I worked on renting a flat bed utility trailer for a trailer tow job we will be doing next week. I had previously arranged for the rental of a neighbour's trailer for this upcoming job, but today the ... < ahem > ... neighbour ... reneged on the deal. I'm never very impressed with people whose word / agreements / commitments can't be relied upon.
Twice this afternoon we took Bo to the dog park for a play session. I did some minor maintenance on both the truck and the minivan. Trimmed my beard. OOOOOPS ... WAAAAAY too short ! DARN ! New clippers ! Learning curve ! Look like a stubbly old man who's forgotten to shave for a week ! HA HA HA !
Friday ; Mostly sunny, warm, a bit windy.
As I type this at 9:30 PM, I'm beginning to feel poorly. For the last few hours I have felt a cold coming on. Which is discouraging, as we have an extremely early morning coming up tomorrow due to a trailer towing job.
This morning we loaded the fifth wheel hitch into the truck in preparation for tomorrow's trailer towing job. I loaded our generator, air compressor, and other necessary equipment and tools into the truck. Ready to go !
Just before lunch we took Bo to the dog park. After lunch and while I napped briefly Joanne did some laundry. I prepared my bicycle for summer use. I made a medical appointment in Penticton. I prepared an invoice / receipt for tomorrow's client.
I activated two new credit cards. I reactivated our Canadian cell phone. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on putting away purchases made over the winter, including quite a bit of clothing.
I cooked pan fried sole for supper. Over supper we watched Time Travelling Bong.
HA HA HA ... great new show ! After supper we watched Amazing Race, then Hell's Kitchen.
Saturday ; home to Penticton to Kelowna to Beaverdell to Rock Creek to Osoyoos to home
Partially sunny, warm.
This morning we were up at the ungodly hour of 5:30 AM in order to be ready to leave home at 7 AM. The trailer towing client wanted us to pick up his trailer in Penticton at 8 AM ! AND ... as I pretty much knew yesterday already ... I have a cold !
We arrived at the client's home at 8 AM. We were hitched up and leaving his driveway before 8:30. Through Penticton, north on Hwy. 97 through Summerland, Peachland, West Kelowna / Westbank, and Kelowna, then southeast on Hwy. 33 past Big White and almost to Beaverdell. The trailer needed to be positioned in a wooded area, on a rough patch of land that had just been cleared this morning by a bulldozer. Thanks to the strength and toughness of Lanoire the truck, and the considerable trailer positioning capabilities of both me and Joanne ... we made the difficult positioning job look easy. The client was very impressed. And that's always a good thing. He paid my fee with a big smile on his face. Well done, Daniel. And Joanne. And Lanoire. We were pulling away from the completed job at 11:30 AM. Job went well, fairly easy money, all things considered.
We continued south on Hwy. 33, to avoid returning through Kelowna, even though the return route we chose was a bit more mileage. We drove south on Hwy. 33 through Beaverdell all the way to Rock Creek, then turned west on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos. We stopped at Bo's favourite waterfront park in Osoyoos to have a late lunch. We found a beach bag with two women's bathing suits, towels, toiletries, and a cell phone. We took it home with us, planning to use the phone to trace the owner. We arrived home about 2:30 PM.
We removed the fifth wheel hitch from the truck, and put away all the trailer towing equipment and supplies. The found cell phone rang. Joanne answered it. It was the phone's owner. She lives in Prince George, BC, and is currently visiting family in Osoyoos. We made arrangements for her to pick up her beach bag and cell phone tomorrow as she and her husband are driving from Osoyoos back to Prince George.
DSK
Sunday, April 17, 2016
April 10 to 16, 2016 ; Death Valley, California, U.S.A. to Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada
Sunday ; Death Valley National Park, California to Fernley, Nevada
Mostly sunny, mild.
This morning we said farewell to Laszlo and Gail ( and DeeOJee the Pit Bull ), leaving them in Death Valley National Park. Two weeks ago we were eager to leave Yuma, Arizona and resume travelling. Today we were eager to resume travelling by ourselves. Playing tour guide / RV caravan leader for the last two weeks has worn me out.
We dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled our freshwater tank, and departed Sunset Campground in Death Valley National Park about 10:30 AM. We drove north on Hwy. 190, then northeast on Hwy. 374, leaving Death Valley National Park, and California. Just a few miles later, at Beatty, Nevada, we turned north on Hwy. 95 ... yet again !
We stopped to refill with diesel at Tonopah. We had lunch there in the camper while parked in a municipal parking lot. I napped very briefly. We continued north on Hwy. 95. We stopped to buy some groceries at Safeway in Hawthorne.
Beatty ... Tonopah ... Hawthorne ... and all the rest of the little towns throughout Nevada are ... < sigh > ... what can I say ? They're ... scruffy, little, desert "loser" towns. What do people do to earn livings in those kinds of towns ? Where do they get medical care ? Nevada has Las Vegas in the south, and Reno / Sparks in the northwest, just a few miles down the road from where we are tonight, but ... nothing much else in between. We drove most of Nevada today, south to north, and ... it's no wonder why the U.S. government chose Nevada as the place to test atomic bombs sixty or seventy years ago.
At Schurz we turned west on Hwy., ALT. 95 to Yerington, then north on Hwy. ALT. 95 to Fernley, and Interstate 80. Whew ! We drove more today than other day this winter season ... starting last September 18. We were trying ... and succeeded ... to reach this rest area tonight because it had Wi-Fi the last time we were here, and I desperately want to get some online work done. My blog posting is a week overdue. I now have two weeks worth of daily journal to post to my blog. Well ! < sigh > This rest area had Wi-Fi. It doesn't any more !
We are boondocking tonight at a rest area on Interstate 80, just a few miles west of where Hwy. ALT. 95 reached Fernley and Interstate 80, just a few miles east of
Reno / Sparks.
Monday ; Fernley to Winnemucca, Nevada
Mostly sunny, mild. Too far north for any more hot weather.
Well ! We had a very productive half day in Fernley, Nevada. This morning before leaving the Interstate 80 Mile Marker 42 rest area we dumped our waste holding tanks, but were unable to refill our freshwater tank at the rest area. We drove a few miles east on the Interstate to the Fernley exit where we refilled with freshwater at a Love's Travel Center. We drove into Fernley and refilled both our propane tanks at Big R Ranch, Home, & Farm Supply. Next we refilled with diesel at Chevron. We found a laundromat ... with free Wi-Fi. WOO-HOO. While Joanne took a couple of hours to do laundry, I worked online. I retrieved almost a hundred e-mails. You could count on the fingers of one hand the number of e-mails that actually mattered to me ! I finally uploaded my weekly journal from two weeks ago to my blog, over a week overdue. Last week's journal still needs to be uploaded to my blog, but I still have a lot of photo processing to be done before I'm ready to post to my blog again. And ... BONUS ...
I returned an unexpected phone call from my gastroenterologist's office, and made an appointment to see her sooner than I had expected.
We had a late lunch in the camper in the parking lot of the laundromat, then departed Fernley just before 3 PM. We drove east on Interstate 80, stopping about halfway to Winnemucca so that I could nap briefly. We arrived in Winnemucca shortly after 6 PM and again were productive. We checked out the Flying J and determined where to refill with freshwater there tomorrow morning. We drove all the way through town and found the cheapest diesel. We refilled with diesel at Chevron then returned to the Flying J to boondock overnight in their parking lot.
I spent the evening working on Las Vegas and Death Valley photos.
Tuesday ; Winnemucca to Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
The day started out sunny and mild in Winnemucca, but as the day wore on it became cloudy and colder. For the last half hour or so that we drove we encountered intermittent heavy rain. It was cold and rained intermittently for the rest of the afternoon and rained steadily during the evening.
We left the Flying J this morning about 10:30 AM and before leaving Winnemucca we stopped at the grocery store to buy a few items. We headed out of Winnemucca north on Hwy. 95 for an hour or so, then northwest on Hwy. 140 for another hour or so. We stopped for lunch at Denio Junction. Shortly after Denio Junction we entered Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge.
Our destination for today was Virgin Valley Camp, an unserviced campground with a warm mineral springs pool, and a shower house with warm mineral spring water. We were planning / hoping for some time in the warm mineral springs pool, and supper cooked over an open campfire, but the cold and rain prevented both of those. We did have a shower in the warm mineral spring water shower house, but even that felt chilly.
BRRRRR ... had to light the heater tonight !
Wednesday ; Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada to Bend, Oregon
Mostly cloudy, chilly, a few drops of rain during the day as we drove. Late in the evening it was windy and raining in Bend.
This morning we refilled our freshwater tank ... with warm mineral spring water ... and departed Virgin Valley Campground about 10:30 AM, continuing to head northwest on Hwy. 140 through the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge ... which houses wild horses, wild burros, Bighorn Sheep and Pronghorn Antelope ... until the refuge ended at the Nevada / Oregon border. The road descended from the 6500 ft. ASL elevation scruffy high desert of Nevada down to the forested mountains and river valleys of Oregon. It looked a lot like home around Keremeos, BC.
When we got to Hwy. 395 we turned south for five miles to the town of Lakeview to refill with diesel and have lunch parked in the Safeway parking lot, then headed north on Hwy. 395 and Hwy. 31 ... we stopped in Paisley for me to nap briefly ... and Hwy. 97 ... AHHHHH, our "home road" ... all the way to Bend. Long day of driving on winding, climbing, descending, curving mountain roads. A lot more work then just cruising on the Interstates.
We arrived in Bend about 7 PM. We got parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot, along with all the other RV's, despite the "no overnight parking" signage. Go figure ! I rested in the camper with Bo while Joanne went into the Wal-Mart to do most of our tax free Oregon shopping. When she returned we had a late supper.
Thursday ; Bend to The Dalles, Oregon
Well ! Shit ! ! ! We woke up this morning to heavy snowfall ! ! ! Did somebody forget to tell Oregon that it is spring ? ? ? ! ! ! By the time we were leaving Bend a few hours later the snow was melting, BUT ... we travelled all day in cold temperatures, intermittent heavy rain, and occasional sleet !
We drove north from Bend on Hwy. 97. We stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of Safeway in Madras. We stopped for me to have a brief nap at a rest area near the junction of Hwy. 97 and Hwy. 197. We continued north on Hwy. 197, a much more difficult road to drive than Hwy. 97, but it led directly to the city of The Dalles, our destination. We stopped at the village of Maupin to dump our waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank at the municipal campground.
We arrived in the city of The Dalles about 5:30 PM, a half hour later than planned. We found our way to the seniors' residence where our almost 95 year old friend Eilene now lives in a comfortable apartment. She gave us a brief tour of her new apartment, and the residence's dining room and communal areas, then we took her out for dinner. We had a mediocre dinner at Cousin's Restaurant, but enjoyed the time chatting with Eilene.
After dinner we took her back to her residence, then refilled with diesel again at another Fred Meyers Fuel Stop before leaving The Dalles. We drove west about eleven miles on Interstate 84 to Melamoose State Park, and boondocked overnight in the rest area that is part of the state park. It was still daylight when we arrived at the state park at
8 PM !
HMPH ! Very noisy rest area with a lot of truck traffic coming and going !
Friday ; The Dalles, Oregon to Omak, Washington
Sunny and mild.
This morning as we left the Memaloose State Park Rest Area we drove over to the adjacent state park campground where we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station. We drove east through the lovely Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84 until we reached Hwy. 97, then turned north on Hwy. 97 and crossed the Columbia River from Oregon into Washington.
We stopped to have lunch at Selah Rest Area. While Joanne prepared lunch I took the dog for a walk, then picked a bouquet of wildflowers for Joanne. The wildflowers have been gorgeous ever since Death Valley. Joanne put the wildflowers into a plastic cup of water and placed it on the dinette table. We sat down to eat lunch and ... HEY ! Why are there little bugs all over the dinette table ? HEY ! ! ! WHY ARE THERE LITTLE BUGS CRAWLING INTO OUR EGG SALAD SANDWICHES ? ? ? ! ! !
OOOPS ! I guess wildflowers are best left admired outside where they grow ! < shrug >
We continued north on Hwy. 97. We stopped in Cashmere to buy some Aplets & Cotlets products from Liberty Orchards. Having made it to Liberty Orchards before closing time I could now indulge myself in a nap. We stopped a few miles down the road from Cashmere in Wenatchee and I had a brief nap while parked in a municipal park.
We continued north on Hwy. 97 all the way to our planned destination, the Okanogan Bingo Casino in Okanogan, Washington. When we arrived there ... the place was abandoned. We continued northbound on Hwy. 97 for about five more miles to its replacement, the new 12 Tribes Casino at Omak. After getting parked in their RV parking lot, and taking Bo for a walk, we went inside the ugly new casino to look around. HMPH ... it ain't Vegas ! It ain't even Laughlin ! HA HA HA ! Oh, well ... as long as they permit free overnight parking of RV's, we're satisfied. HA HA HA !
We had a late supper in the camper, using up the last of our food that is not permitted across the border. After supper I updated my "purchases to declare" list in preparation for crossing the border back into Canada tomorrow.
Saturday ; Omak, Washington to Keremeos, British Columbia
Sunny and warm. How nice !
This morning we left the 12 Tribes Casino and headed into the town of Omak to run some errands. First stop was Texaco to refill with diesel, then Dollar Tree for some last minute U.S. shopping. While Joanne shopped at Dollar Tree I phoned a Similkameen Trailer Towing client in Osoyoos and arranged a meeting.
We left Omak continuing north on Hwy. 97. At Oroville we stopped at Akins Harvest Foods ( used to be Prince's Foods ) to buy some milk and have lunch in the camper before crossing the border back into Canada. Crossing the border was uneventful, although the Canada Customs agent did trip me up with an unexpected, odd question. Well done, amigo !
Once we crossed the border into Osoyoos, Bo began to sniff the air vents and act frantic. HA HA HA ... he can recognize Lake Osoyoos by smell, and recognized we were close to his favourite "pee pee park" on the lakefront in downtown Osoyoos. HA HA HA ... okay, Bo ... we'll stop for just a few minutes at "your" park. Joanne walked Bo for a few minutes in the park then we continued on to our meeting with the trailer towing client. The job will be more complicated than I initially thought ... < sigh >. After the meeting we returned to Bo's park for another visit, this one a bit longer.
We drove west on Hwy. 3 out of Osoyoos, heading into the Similkameen Valley ... and home ! Every spring when we return the beauty of this stretch of road from Osoyoos to Keremeos following the Similkameen River always reminds us of why we chose to live here. We stopped in Keremeos and while I dumped the camper's waste holding tanks at the municipal sani-dump station Joanne took Bo across the street for a few minutes in the municipal dog park. I drove to the South Similkameen Health Centre a.k.a. Keremeos Clinic and selected an appointment time at the lab to have blood drawn next Thursday. Our local health lab works by self-selected appointment times.
We arrived home at Riverside RV Park RV Resort about 4 PM. Whew ! Good to be home ! Lots of "return home" chores though, starting with "summerization" of our park model manufactured home, which took a couple of hours before it was liveable again.
DSK
Mostly sunny, mild.
This morning we said farewell to Laszlo and Gail ( and DeeOJee the Pit Bull ), leaving them in Death Valley National Park. Two weeks ago we were eager to leave Yuma, Arizona and resume travelling. Today we were eager to resume travelling by ourselves. Playing tour guide / RV caravan leader for the last two weeks has worn me out.
We dumped our waste holding tanks, refilled our freshwater tank, and departed Sunset Campground in Death Valley National Park about 10:30 AM. We drove north on Hwy. 190, then northeast on Hwy. 374, leaving Death Valley National Park, and California. Just a few miles later, at Beatty, Nevada, we turned north on Hwy. 95 ... yet again !
We stopped to refill with diesel at Tonopah. We had lunch there in the camper while parked in a municipal parking lot. I napped very briefly. We continued north on Hwy. 95. We stopped to buy some groceries at Safeway in Hawthorne.
Beatty ... Tonopah ... Hawthorne ... and all the rest of the little towns throughout Nevada are ... < sigh > ... what can I say ? They're ... scruffy, little, desert "loser" towns. What do people do to earn livings in those kinds of towns ? Where do they get medical care ? Nevada has Las Vegas in the south, and Reno / Sparks in the northwest, just a few miles down the road from where we are tonight, but ... nothing much else in between. We drove most of Nevada today, south to north, and ... it's no wonder why the U.S. government chose Nevada as the place to test atomic bombs sixty or seventy years ago.
At Schurz we turned west on Hwy., ALT. 95 to Yerington, then north on Hwy. ALT. 95 to Fernley, and Interstate 80. Whew ! We drove more today than other day this winter season ... starting last September 18. We were trying ... and succeeded ... to reach this rest area tonight because it had Wi-Fi the last time we were here, and I desperately want to get some online work done. My blog posting is a week overdue. I now have two weeks worth of daily journal to post to my blog. Well ! < sigh > This rest area had Wi-Fi. It doesn't any more !
We are boondocking tonight at a rest area on Interstate 80, just a few miles west of where Hwy. ALT. 95 reached Fernley and Interstate 80, just a few miles east of
Reno / Sparks.
Monday ; Fernley to Winnemucca, Nevada
Mostly sunny, mild. Too far north for any more hot weather.
Well ! We had a very productive half day in Fernley, Nevada. This morning before leaving the Interstate 80 Mile Marker 42 rest area we dumped our waste holding tanks, but were unable to refill our freshwater tank at the rest area. We drove a few miles east on the Interstate to the Fernley exit where we refilled with freshwater at a Love's Travel Center. We drove into Fernley and refilled both our propane tanks at Big R Ranch, Home, & Farm Supply. Next we refilled with diesel at Chevron. We found a laundromat ... with free Wi-Fi. WOO-HOO. While Joanne took a couple of hours to do laundry, I worked online. I retrieved almost a hundred e-mails. You could count on the fingers of one hand the number of e-mails that actually mattered to me ! I finally uploaded my weekly journal from two weeks ago to my blog, over a week overdue. Last week's journal still needs to be uploaded to my blog, but I still have a lot of photo processing to be done before I'm ready to post to my blog again. And ... BONUS ...
I returned an unexpected phone call from my gastroenterologist's office, and made an appointment to see her sooner than I had expected.
We had a late lunch in the camper in the parking lot of the laundromat, then departed Fernley just before 3 PM. We drove east on Interstate 80, stopping about halfway to Winnemucca so that I could nap briefly. We arrived in Winnemucca shortly after 6 PM and again were productive. We checked out the Flying J and determined where to refill with freshwater there tomorrow morning. We drove all the way through town and found the cheapest diesel. We refilled with diesel at Chevron then returned to the Flying J to boondock overnight in their parking lot.
I spent the evening working on Las Vegas and Death Valley photos.
Tuesday ; Winnemucca to Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada
The day started out sunny and mild in Winnemucca, but as the day wore on it became cloudy and colder. For the last half hour or so that we drove we encountered intermittent heavy rain. It was cold and rained intermittently for the rest of the afternoon and rained steadily during the evening.
We left the Flying J this morning about 10:30 AM and before leaving Winnemucca we stopped at the grocery store to buy a few items. We headed out of Winnemucca north on Hwy. 95 for an hour or so, then northwest on Hwy. 140 for another hour or so. We stopped for lunch at Denio Junction. Shortly after Denio Junction we entered Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge.
Our destination for today was Virgin Valley Camp, an unserviced campground with a warm mineral springs pool, and a shower house with warm mineral spring water. We were planning / hoping for some time in the warm mineral springs pool, and supper cooked over an open campfire, but the cold and rain prevented both of those. We did have a shower in the warm mineral spring water shower house, but even that felt chilly.
BRRRRR ... had to light the heater tonight !
Wednesday ; Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge, Nevada to Bend, Oregon
Mostly cloudy, chilly, a few drops of rain during the day as we drove. Late in the evening it was windy and raining in Bend.
This morning we refilled our freshwater tank ... with warm mineral spring water ... and departed Virgin Valley Campground about 10:30 AM, continuing to head northwest on Hwy. 140 through the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge ... which houses wild horses, wild burros, Bighorn Sheep and Pronghorn Antelope ... until the refuge ended at the Nevada / Oregon border. The road descended from the 6500 ft. ASL elevation scruffy high desert of Nevada down to the forested mountains and river valleys of Oregon. It looked a lot like home around Keremeos, BC.
When we got to Hwy. 395 we turned south for five miles to the town of Lakeview to refill with diesel and have lunch parked in the Safeway parking lot, then headed north on Hwy. 395 and Hwy. 31 ... we stopped in Paisley for me to nap briefly ... and Hwy. 97 ... AHHHHH, our "home road" ... all the way to Bend. Long day of driving on winding, climbing, descending, curving mountain roads. A lot more work then just cruising on the Interstates.
We arrived in Bend about 7 PM. We got parked in a Wal-Mart parking lot, along with all the other RV's, despite the "no overnight parking" signage. Go figure ! I rested in the camper with Bo while Joanne went into the Wal-Mart to do most of our tax free Oregon shopping. When she returned we had a late supper.
Thursday ; Bend to The Dalles, Oregon
Well ! Shit ! ! ! We woke up this morning to heavy snowfall ! ! ! Did somebody forget to tell Oregon that it is spring ? ? ? ! ! ! By the time we were leaving Bend a few hours later the snow was melting, BUT ... we travelled all day in cold temperatures, intermittent heavy rain, and occasional sleet !
We started the day with another trip into the Wal-Mart store to continue our spring time tax free shopping in Oregon. After shopping we left the Wal-Mart parking lot and began driving through Bend, continuing our Oregon shopping. We refilled with diesel at Fred Meyer Fuel Stop. We bought toiletries at Walgreens. On impulse we stopped at Trader Joe's and bought another sixty bucks worth of unneeded but highly desirable food stuff. HA HA HA ! Our last Trader Joe's opportunity. And it wasn't squandered. HA HA HA !
We drove north from Bend on Hwy. 97. We stopped to have lunch in the parking lot of Safeway in Madras. We stopped for me to have a brief nap at a rest area near the junction of Hwy. 97 and Hwy. 197. We continued north on Hwy. 197, a much more difficult road to drive than Hwy. 97, but it led directly to the city of The Dalles, our destination. We stopped at the village of Maupin to dump our waste tanks and refill our freshwater tank at the municipal campground.
We arrived in the city of The Dalles about 5:30 PM, a half hour later than planned. We found our way to the seniors' residence where our almost 95 year old friend Eilene now lives in a comfortable apartment. She gave us a brief tour of her new apartment, and the residence's dining room and communal areas, then we took her out for dinner. We had a mediocre dinner at Cousin's Restaurant, but enjoyed the time chatting with Eilene.
After dinner we took her back to her residence, then refilled with diesel again at another Fred Meyers Fuel Stop before leaving The Dalles. We drove west about eleven miles on Interstate 84 to Melamoose State Park, and boondocked overnight in the rest area that is part of the state park. It was still daylight when we arrived at the state park at
8 PM !
HMPH ! Very noisy rest area with a lot of truck traffic coming and going !
Friday ; The Dalles, Oregon to Omak, Washington
Sunny and mild.
This morning as we left the Memaloose State Park Rest Area we drove over to the adjacent state park campground where we dumped our waste holding tanks and refilled our freshwater tank at the sani-dump station. We drove east through the lovely Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84 until we reached Hwy. 97, then turned north on Hwy. 97 and crossed the Columbia River from Oregon into Washington.
We stopped to have lunch at Selah Rest Area. While Joanne prepared lunch I took the dog for a walk, then picked a bouquet of wildflowers for Joanne. The wildflowers have been gorgeous ever since Death Valley. Joanne put the wildflowers into a plastic cup of water and placed it on the dinette table. We sat down to eat lunch and ... HEY ! Why are there little bugs all over the dinette table ? HEY ! ! ! WHY ARE THERE LITTLE BUGS CRAWLING INTO OUR EGG SALAD SANDWICHES ? ? ? ! ! !
OOOPS ! I guess wildflowers are best left admired outside where they grow ! < shrug >
We continued north on Hwy. 97. We stopped in Cashmere to buy some Aplets & Cotlets products from Liberty Orchards. Having made it to Liberty Orchards before closing time I could now indulge myself in a nap. We stopped a few miles down the road from Cashmere in Wenatchee and I had a brief nap while parked in a municipal park.
We continued north on Hwy. 97 all the way to our planned destination, the Okanogan Bingo Casino in Okanogan, Washington. When we arrived there ... the place was abandoned. We continued northbound on Hwy. 97 for about five more miles to its replacement, the new 12 Tribes Casino at Omak. After getting parked in their RV parking lot, and taking Bo for a walk, we went inside the ugly new casino to look around. HMPH ... it ain't Vegas ! It ain't even Laughlin ! HA HA HA ! Oh, well ... as long as they permit free overnight parking of RV's, we're satisfied. HA HA HA !
We had a late supper in the camper, using up the last of our food that is not permitted across the border. After supper I updated my "purchases to declare" list in preparation for crossing the border back into Canada tomorrow.
Saturday ; Omak, Washington to Keremeos, British Columbia
Sunny and warm. How nice !
This morning we left the 12 Tribes Casino and headed into the town of Omak to run some errands. First stop was Texaco to refill with diesel, then Dollar Tree for some last minute U.S. shopping. While Joanne shopped at Dollar Tree I phoned a Similkameen Trailer Towing client in Osoyoos and arranged a meeting.
We left Omak continuing north on Hwy. 97. At Oroville we stopped at Akins Harvest Foods ( used to be Prince's Foods ) to buy some milk and have lunch in the camper before crossing the border back into Canada. Crossing the border was uneventful, although the Canada Customs agent did trip me up with an unexpected, odd question. Well done, amigo !
Once we crossed the border into Osoyoos, Bo began to sniff the air vents and act frantic. HA HA HA ... he can recognize Lake Osoyoos by smell, and recognized we were close to his favourite "pee pee park" on the lakefront in downtown Osoyoos. HA HA HA ... okay, Bo ... we'll stop for just a few minutes at "your" park. Joanne walked Bo for a few minutes in the park then we continued on to our meeting with the trailer towing client. The job will be more complicated than I initially thought ... < sigh >. After the meeting we returned to Bo's park for another visit, this one a bit longer.
We drove west on Hwy. 3 out of Osoyoos, heading into the Similkameen Valley ... and home ! Every spring when we return the beauty of this stretch of road from Osoyoos to Keremeos following the Similkameen River always reminds us of why we chose to live here. We stopped in Keremeos and while I dumped the camper's waste holding tanks at the municipal sani-dump station Joanne took Bo across the street for a few minutes in the municipal dog park. I drove to the South Similkameen Health Centre a.k.a. Keremeos Clinic and selected an appointment time at the lab to have blood drawn next Thursday. Our local health lab works by self-selected appointment times.
We arrived home at Riverside RV Park RV Resort about 4 PM. Whew ! Good to be home ! Lots of "return home" chores though, starting with "summerization" of our park model manufactured home, which took a couple of hours before it was liveable again.
DSK
Saturday, April 16, 2016
April 3 to 9, 2016 ; Laughlin, Nevada to Death Valley National Park, California
Sunday ; Laughlin to Las Vegas, Nevada
Well ! HELLOOOOOOOOOO LAS VEGAS ! ! ! ! !
Sunny and hot.
This morning we prepared for departure from Riverside Casino RV Park and about 10:15 AM left the RV park and drove across the street and parked in the casino parking lot. We went inside the casino to have Sunday Champagne Brunch in the Riverside Buffet Restaurant. After a leisurely brunch ... we ate and ate and ate ... HA HA HA ... and a champagne toast to friendship, we hit the road shortly after noon.
We left Laughlin and drove west on Hwy. 163 then north on Hwy. 95, reaching Las Vegas in just a couple of hours. We stopped and shopped at Camping World, then headed to Main Street Station Casino, checking into the casino's RV park around 4 PM. We got settled into our two assigned sites, a long "pull through" site for Laszlo's and Gail's truck and trailer, and a smaller "back-in" site for our truck and camper. While Joanne and Gail went to do laundry, I took a nap, as did Laszlo.
At 7 PM we left the RV park and explored the inside of the lovely Main Street Station Casino and the California Casino across the street, then walked two blocks over to Freemont Street. We spent about three hours wandering up and down Freemont Street, the old / original Las Vegas "strip". It's quite an experience, especially for "Las Vegas virgins" like Laszlo and Gail.
We had an early lunch and left the Main Street Station Casino RV Park about noon. We walked a couple of blocks over to Freemont Street where we caught an SDX ( Strip to Downtown Express ) Bus. We rode the bus all the way to the MGM Grand. Our priority for today ... and certainly one of the two highlights of today ... was for Laszlo and Gail to buy four tickets to see Andrea Bocelli perform at the MGM Grand in December. Tickets went on sale this morning at 10 AM. We were at the MGM Grand box office about 1:30 PM and they were lucky to get four seats together. The concert tickets were probably going to be sold out before the end of today !
The MGM Grand ... the District shopping mall ... the Coca-Cola Store ... Hawaiian Marketplace ... Planet Hollywood ... Miracle Mile Shops ...Cosmopolitan ... and finally ... the true highlight of the day ... the Bellagio ! For us, the Bellagio has always been a highlight of Las Vegas. We spent quite awhile in the floral conservatory. And we viewed the Bellagio's "Dancing Waters" fountain show three different times ; once as we arrived and twice as we departed. WHEW ! WOW !
We caught the SDX Bus across the street from the Bellagio, in front of Paris Las Vegas, and rode it back to Freemont Street. We walked the short distance home from there and arrived home about 8:15 PM. While Joanne prepared a quick, simple, late supper
I downloaded photos from my camera. They are shared photos, a few are mine, but mostly Laszlo's. His camera broke, and so he has borrowed my camera for the duration of our Las Vegas visit.
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.
We spent the morning at home taking care of chores. We went with Laszlo and Gail for a late lunch at the Main Street Station Casino's buffet restaurant. At 3 PM we left to catch the SDX Bus to "The Strip".
Great concert ! ! ! Merry Christmas, Joanne. I'm still ( at 1 AM ) humming "Forever Young". HA HA HA !
After the concert we found our way back outdoors ... not as easy as it sounds, in Caesar's Palace ... HA HA HA ... and on impulse, got onto a Deuce, the double decker bus that runs from one end of The Strip to the other, and then "downtown" to Freemont Street area, stopping every block or so, so taking much longer than the SDX Bus. We got onto a Deuce heading in the "wrong" direction, so we rode all the way to Mandalay Bay, where the bus emptied out. Then we moved to the front seats on the upper level of the empty bus, for a "bird's eye view" of "The Strip" at night. We rode from Mandalay Bay all the way to the opposite end of The Strip, and then "downtown" to Freemont Street. It was a great way to get an inexpensive night time tour of Las Vegas ! And what a lot of "entertainment" on a Las Vegas bus from 10 PM to 11:30 PM !
We got off the Deuce bus at the "far" end of Freemont Street, slowly walked the length of Freemont Street, then home to Main Street Station Casino RV Park.
Quite a day ! ! ! ! !
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot, a really beautiful day. The weather while we've been here in Las Vegas has been great ! When we got home at 10:30 PM tonight the outside temperature was still 82 degrees.
Laszlo and Gail did their own thing today. We seemed to have "burned them out" a bit over the last few days. HA HA HA ! At noon Joanne and I caught an SDX Bus and headed to The Strip. First we explored The Venetian, then caught a Deuce bus over to Circus Circus. We had a late lunch at Subway, then explored Circus Circus. Every half hour Circus Circus presents a free ten minute circus act. We watched two of them, a female solo trapeze artist, and a male hand balance duo. WOW ... those guys were good ! Circus Circus is very child friendly, and is obviously the best place for families to stay on the Las Vegas Strip. Around 4 PM we got tired and decided to return home by SDX Bus and take a rest.
We've had a wonderful four days in Las Vegas !
Thursday ; Las Vegas to Valley Of Fire State Park, Nevada
Sunny and hot in Las Vegas, very hot at Valley Of Fire State Park.
This morning we prepared for departure and left the Main Street Station Casino RV Park about 11 AM. We were ready to depart a few minutes before Laszlo and Gail were ready, and as we waited for them I received another request by phone for a quote for a trailer towing job back home in BC.
We departed Las Vegas heading northwest on Interstate 15, stopping for Laszlo to refill with diesel at a large truck stop travel center right beside Las Vegas Speedway. We continued northwest on I-15 for an hour or so, then turned east on the Valley Of Fire State Park Road for another half hour or so. When we arrived at the state park, there were only two campsites unoccupied and available. One large campsite and one small campsite. Perfect !
Around 6:30 PM I lit a campfire. Just before it got dark I performed a magic trick for Laszlo and Gail. Joanne had prepared foil wrapped packets of vegetables and a foil wrapped meatloaf for me to cook on the campfire. Gail had prepared foil wrapped potatoes to be baked and hamburger patties to be grilled on the campfire. I cooked everything and we were all pleased with the results. We spent the evening chatting around the campfire.
All of us were tired from four days of Las Vegas and glad to be here today enjoying the tranquility of an evening campfire.
Friday ; Valley Of Fire State Park to Amargosa Junction, Nevada
Cloudy, cold, windy, intermittent light rain. We travelled separately from Laszlo and Gail today, meeting them again late in the afternoon at the rest area where we boondocked overnight.
This morning we departed Valley Of Fire State Park's Arch Rock Campground about
11 AM, dumping our waste tanks and refilling our freshwater tank at the park's
sani-dump station as we left. We headed east on the Valley Of Fire State Park Road to Hwy. 169, then north to the town of Overton. While Joanne went into the town's grocery store to buy a few grocery items I went into the McDonald's and used their ( extremely poor ) free Wi-Fi to get online briefly and obtain the mileage data I needed to prepare a Similkameen Trailer Towing quote.
We continued north on Hwy. 169 until it reached Interstate 15, then west on I-15 back to the Valley Of Fire State Road junction where we stopped at the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza, a no tax "rez" fuel bar where we refilled with cheap diesel. We had lunch in a gravel parking lot adjacent to the travel plaza.
After lunch we continued southwest on I-15 almost back to Las Vegas, then turned west on Hwy. 215, sort of a bypass road around the north side of Las Vegas. When Hwy. 215 ended we got onto Hwy. 95 heading west. At Amargosa Junction, the junction of Hwy. 95 and Hwy. 373 which heads south towards Death Valley, we met up again with Laszlo and Gail at a very scruffy rest area where we boondocked overnight.
Saturday ; Amargosa Junction, Nevada to Death Valley, California
The day started out cloudy and chilly, but was sunny and hot in Death Valley. We travelled with Laszlo and Gail again today, our final day together.
This morning we refilled with fresh water and dumped our grey waste tank before leaving the scruffy rest area this morning. We headed south on Hwy. 373 and Hwy. 127 then west on Hwy. 190 into Death Valley National Park. When we arrived in the National Park village of Furnace Creek we went to the full service / full hookups Furnace Creek Campground, but it was full, so ... we went to Sunset Campground and got ourselves parked in a couple of adjacent unserviced campsites. We had lunch and then set off in Laszlo's and Gail's truck for an afternoon of exploring Death Valley.
We explored ...
Whew ! Great afternoon ! We returned "home" to Sunset Campground about 6:30 PM.
I planned and prepared a special surprise farewell dinner which we ate in Laszlo's and Gail's fifth wheel trailer. Gail prepared sweet potato fries and mashed sweet potatoes. Joanne prepared coleslaw. And I surprised Laszlo with a favourite dish of his that he has not had in many years. I cooked our last four Lake Winnipeg Pickerel fillets. Despite having been in the freezer for six months, they were still very good ! We spent the rest of the evening chatting with Laszlo and Gail in their trailer.
And ... as we were all ( except Laszlo ) busy preparing supper, I was hired to do another trailer towing job soon after our arrival home. WOO-HOO !
Tomorrow we leave Laszlo and Gail here in Death Valley National Park and we begin some serious driving northward !
DSK
Well ! HELLOOOOOOOOOO LAS VEGAS ! ! ! ! !
Sunny and hot.
This morning we prepared for departure from Riverside Casino RV Park and about 10:15 AM left the RV park and drove across the street and parked in the casino parking lot. We went inside the casino to have Sunday Champagne Brunch in the Riverside Buffet Restaurant. After a leisurely brunch ... we ate and ate and ate ... HA HA HA ... and a champagne toast to friendship, we hit the road shortly after noon.
We left Laughlin and drove west on Hwy. 163 then north on Hwy. 95, reaching Las Vegas in just a couple of hours. We stopped and shopped at Camping World, then headed to Main Street Station Casino, checking into the casino's RV park around 4 PM. We got settled into our two assigned sites, a long "pull through" site for Laszlo's and Gail's truck and trailer, and a smaller "back-in" site for our truck and camper. While Joanne and Gail went to do laundry, I took a nap, as did Laszlo.
At 7 PM we left the RV park and explored the inside of the lovely Main Street Station Casino and the California Casino across the street, then walked two blocks over to Freemont Street. We spent about three hours wandering up and down Freemont Street, the old / original Las Vegas "strip". It's quite an experience, especially for "Las Vegas virgins" like Laszlo and Gail.
Monday ; Sunny and hot. WHEW ! Tiring but wonderful day ! About eight hours of doing "The Strip" !
We had an early lunch and left the Main Street Station Casino RV Park about noon. We walked a couple of blocks over to Freemont Street where we caught an SDX ( Strip to Downtown Express ) Bus. We rode the bus all the way to the MGM Grand. Our priority for today ... and certainly one of the two highlights of today ... was for Laszlo and Gail to buy four tickets to see Andrea Bocelli perform at the MGM Grand in December. Tickets went on sale this morning at 10 AM. We were at the MGM Grand box office about 1:30 PM and they were lucky to get four seats together. The concert tickets were probably going to be sold out before the end of today !
As we wandered through the MGM Grand we were handed four tickets to view and review a television show at the CBS Center in The District shopping mall area of the MGM Grand. We viewed and reviewed an episode of Life In Pieces. Interesting, but ... the experience gobbled up almost an hour of our time, and the "compensation" of some fast food coupons wasn't worth our time. Oh, well !
The MGM Grand ... the District shopping mall ... the Coca-Cola Store ... Hawaiian Marketplace ... Planet Hollywood ... Miracle Mile Shops ...Cosmopolitan ... and finally ... the true highlight of the day ... the Bellagio ! For us, the Bellagio has always been a highlight of Las Vegas. We spent quite awhile in the floral conservatory. And we viewed the Bellagio's "Dancing Waters" fountain show three different times ; once as we arrived and twice as we departed. WHEW ! WOW !
We caught the SDX Bus across the street from the Bellagio, in front of Paris Las Vegas, and rode it back to Freemont Street. We walked the short distance home from there and arrived home about 8:15 PM. While Joanne prepared a quick, simple, late supper
I downloaded photos from my camera. They are shared photos, a few are mine, but mostly Laszlo's. His camera broke, and so he has borrowed my camera for the duration of our Las Vegas visit.
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.
We spent the morning at home taking care of chores. We went with Laszlo and Gail for a late lunch at the Main Street Station Casino's buffet restaurant. At 3 PM we left to catch the SDX Bus to "The Strip".
We got off the bus at the Bellagio, crossed the street, and walked to the Flamingo. We walked through the Flamingo to view the "wildlife" display area, a man made tropical rainforest area filled with pink flamingos and turtles and ducks and swans and pelicans and macaws and large koi and ... lots and lots of Japanese tourists. HA HA HA ! We wandered around the Flamingo until about 5:30 and then headed for Caesar's Palace.
From 5:30 until 7:15 we wandered around The Shops At The Forum in Caesar's Palace, browsing the very expensive clothing and jewellery stores. At 7:15 we headed to The Colosseum entertainment theater for ... wait for it ... < insert drum roll here > ... Rod Stewart ... The Hits !
Great concert ! ! ! Merry Christmas, Joanne. I'm still ( at 1 AM ) humming "Forever Young". HA HA HA !
After the concert we found our way back outdoors ... not as easy as it sounds, in Caesar's Palace ... HA HA HA ... and on impulse, got onto a Deuce, the double decker bus that runs from one end of The Strip to the other, and then "downtown" to Freemont Street area, stopping every block or so, so taking much longer than the SDX Bus. We got onto a Deuce heading in the "wrong" direction, so we rode all the way to Mandalay Bay, where the bus emptied out. Then we moved to the front seats on the upper level of the empty bus, for a "bird's eye view" of "The Strip" at night. We rode from Mandalay Bay all the way to the opposite end of The Strip, and then "downtown" to Freemont Street. It was a great way to get an inexpensive night time tour of Las Vegas ! And what a lot of "entertainment" on a Las Vegas bus from 10 PM to 11:30 PM !
We got off the Deuce bus at the "far" end of Freemont Street, slowly walked the length of Freemont Street, then home to Main Street Station Casino RV Park.
Quite a day ! ! ! ! !
Wednesday ; Sunny and hot, a really beautiful day. The weather while we've been here in Las Vegas has been great ! When we got home at 10:30 PM tonight the outside temperature was still 82 degrees.
Laszlo and Gail did their own thing today. We seemed to have "burned them out" a bit over the last few days. HA HA HA ! At noon Joanne and I caught an SDX Bus and headed to The Strip. First we explored The Venetian, then caught a Deuce bus over to Circus Circus. We had a late lunch at Subway, then explored Circus Circus. Every half hour Circus Circus presents a free ten minute circus act. We watched two of them, a female solo trapeze artist, and a male hand balance duo. WOW ... those guys were good ! Circus Circus is very child friendly, and is obviously the best place for families to stay on the Las Vegas Strip. Around 4 PM we got tired and decided to return home by SDX Bus and take a rest.
We caught an SDX Bus again about 6:45 PM and returned to The Strip yet again. We went to The Mirage to see the free, outdoor "erupting volcano" show at 8 PM and then headed over by Deuce bus to The Bellagio to watch a night time performance of the "Dancing Fountains". It was so captivating ... we stayed for a second performance fifteen minutes later. We did not know until tonight that in the evenings the Bellagio's Dancing Fountains perform every fifteen minutes. We wandered around just a bit more then caught an SDX Bus and returned home to Main Street Station Casino RV Park about 10:30 PM. Whew ! Tired ! Soup and a sandwich as a late, light supper, and we called it a day !
We've had a wonderful four days in Las Vegas !
Thursday ; Las Vegas to Valley Of Fire State Park, Nevada
Sunny and hot in Las Vegas, very hot at Valley Of Fire State Park.
This morning we prepared for departure and left the Main Street Station Casino RV Park about 11 AM. We were ready to depart a few minutes before Laszlo and Gail were ready, and as we waited for them I received another request by phone for a quote for a trailer towing job back home in BC.
We departed Las Vegas heading northwest on Interstate 15, stopping for Laszlo to refill with diesel at a large truck stop travel center right beside Las Vegas Speedway. We continued northwest on I-15 for an hour or so, then turned east on the Valley Of Fire State Park Road for another half hour or so. When we arrived at the state park, there were only two campsites unoccupied and available. One large campsite and one small campsite. Perfect !
We had a late lunch, then everybody napped. Mid-afternoon Laszlo went off with DeeOJee to explore by truck while Joanne and I, and Gail, and Bo went for a long, leisurely hike around the large campground and then out into the desert to see wildflowers and cacti blooming. The scenery in Valley Of Fire State Park is astounding !
Around 6:30 PM I lit a campfire. Just before it got dark I performed a magic trick for Laszlo and Gail. Joanne had prepared foil wrapped packets of vegetables and a foil wrapped meatloaf for me to cook on the campfire. Gail had prepared foil wrapped potatoes to be baked and hamburger patties to be grilled on the campfire. I cooked everything and we were all pleased with the results. We spent the evening chatting around the campfire.
All of us were tired from four days of Las Vegas and glad to be here today enjoying the tranquility of an evening campfire.
Friday ; Valley Of Fire State Park to Amargosa Junction, Nevada
Cloudy, cold, windy, intermittent light rain. We travelled separately from Laszlo and Gail today, meeting them again late in the afternoon at the rest area where we boondocked overnight.
This morning we departed Valley Of Fire State Park's Arch Rock Campground about
11 AM, dumping our waste tanks and refilling our freshwater tank at the park's
sani-dump station as we left. We headed east on the Valley Of Fire State Park Road to Hwy. 169, then north to the town of Overton. While Joanne went into the town's grocery store to buy a few grocery items I went into the McDonald's and used their ( extremely poor ) free Wi-Fi to get online briefly and obtain the mileage data I needed to prepare a Similkameen Trailer Towing quote.
We continued north on Hwy. 169 until it reached Interstate 15, then west on I-15 back to the Valley Of Fire State Road junction where we stopped at the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza, a no tax "rez" fuel bar where we refilled with cheap diesel. We had lunch in a gravel parking lot adjacent to the travel plaza.
After lunch we continued southwest on I-15 almost back to Las Vegas, then turned west on Hwy. 215, sort of a bypass road around the north side of Las Vegas. When Hwy. 215 ended we got onto Hwy. 95 heading west. At Amargosa Junction, the junction of Hwy. 95 and Hwy. 373 which heads south towards Death Valley, we met up again with Laszlo and Gail at a very scruffy rest area where we boondocked overnight.
Saturday ; Amargosa Junction, Nevada to Death Valley, California
The day started out cloudy and chilly, but was sunny and hot in Death Valley. We travelled with Laszlo and Gail again today, our final day together.
This morning we refilled with fresh water and dumped our grey waste tank before leaving the scruffy rest area this morning. We headed south on Hwy. 373 and Hwy. 127 then west on Hwy. 190 into Death Valley National Park. When we arrived in the National Park village of Furnace Creek we went to the full service / full hookups Furnace Creek Campground, but it was full, so ... we went to Sunset Campground and got ourselves parked in a couple of adjacent unserviced campsites. We had lunch and then set off in Laszlo's and Gail's truck for an afternoon of exploring Death Valley.
We explored ...
- Devil's Golf Course
- Badwater Basin
- Artist's Drive and Artist's Palette
- Dante's View
- Twenty Mule Team Canyon
- Zabriskie Point
Whew ! Great afternoon ! We returned "home" to Sunset Campground about 6:30 PM.
I planned and prepared a special surprise farewell dinner which we ate in Laszlo's and Gail's fifth wheel trailer. Gail prepared sweet potato fries and mashed sweet potatoes. Joanne prepared coleslaw. And I surprised Laszlo with a favourite dish of his that he has not had in many years. I cooked our last four Lake Winnipeg Pickerel fillets. Despite having been in the freezer for six months, they were still very good ! We spent the rest of the evening chatting with Laszlo and Gail in their trailer.
And ... as we were all ( except Laszlo ) busy preparing supper, I was hired to do another trailer towing job soon after our arrival home. WOO-HOO !
Tomorrow we leave Laszlo and Gail here in Death Valley National Park and we begin some serious driving northward !
DSK
Monday, April 11, 2016
March 27 to April 2, 2016 ; Yuma, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada
Easter ; Sunny and hot. I didn't even realize it was Easter today until a grocery store clerk wished me "Happy Easter" at 5:30 PM.
This morning we returned to the storage yard to complete some last minute / forgotten summerization tasks on the fifth wheel trailer. And we trimmed Bo's claws.
We spent the afternoon putting away all our outdoor patio furniture into the Arizona room, and closing up the Arizona room. We covered everything in the Arizona room with old sheets to keep it all sand / dust free. And the final job, the one I really dislike, installing all the vinyl panel snap on walls on the exterior of the Arizona room.
I back flushed the truck camper's waste holding tanks. Late in the afternoon we went to Albertsons for some last minute grocery shopping. Not too much groceries, we need to leave fridge and freezer room for Trader Joe's stuff. WOO-HOO ... Trader Joe's shopping in Palm Springs in a couple of days. HA HA HA !
For the last few days Bo has been anticipating our departure, based on seeing our preparations. This afternoon when we left to go to Albertsons, he was convinced that we were "on the road again". He was SOOOOO excited ! When we returned to Kofa Ko-op after grocery shopping he was like ... "HEY ! ! ! What a rip off !" HA HA HA ! Tomorrow, Bo !
At 6 PM we went to the clubhouse for the final ice cream social of the season. At 7 PM we walked Bo around the dog park for the last time this season. WOW ... still daylight at 7 PM ! After supper I worked online, finishing up some financial matters before we travel and posting my weekly journal to my blog.
Monday ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California
Sunny and very warm in the morning in Yuma. Extremely windy while driving in the afternoon. Warm and windy in Palm Springs in the evening.
Just before we left Kofa Ko-op I received a telephone call from a man in Osoyoos who wants a trailer moved in a month. WOO-HOO ! My first trailer towing job of the summer.
We spent the morning doing our final departure preparations and left Kofa Ko-op about 11:30 AM as planned. For the next ten days or so we will be travelling with our friends from Kamloops, BC, Laszlo and Gail and their dog DeeOJee the Pit Bull. For most of that time we will be introducing Laszlo and Gail to new experiences for them, favourite old experiences of ours.
We headed west out of Yuma on Interstate 8 crossing over the Colorado River into California. About an hour into California we stopped for lunch in Holtville. AHHHHHH ... Holtville Taco Shop’s huge, wonderful burritos. Best burritos we’ve ever had, better even than any we’ve had in Mexico. Carne Asada for me, “Californian” ( with fries inside the burrito ... HA HA HA ) for Joanne, Machaca ( con arroz y frijoles ) for Laszlo, and El Pastor for Gail. Piña to drink for Joanne, Horchatta to drink for me. By the time we finished lunch and were walking back to our rigs in the parking lot across the street, three out of four of us were ready for a siesta. HA HA HA !
No time to nap just yet ! We drove on country back roads mostly north, a bit west, through horrific winds and sand storms to the southeast tip of the Salton Sea and the scruffy little village of Niland. In Niland we turned east for a few miles to the very odd community known as Slab City. All full time RV’ers want to visit Slab City. It’s one of the “must visit” Mecca type places for full time RV’ers. During the Second World War there was a military base there. All that remains are the concrete slabs of the many buildings that were there. Hence “Slab City”. It is now a community of RV’ers, some year round, some winter only, billed as “the last place to live free in America”.
Yeah ... right ! If you’re into that anarchy sort of thing. It is a community of hippies and homeless and religious fanatics and survivalists and every sort of nut job and weirdo you could possibly imagine. It’s filthy ! Garbage and broken glass everywhere. I don’t even feel it’s safe to walk the dog anywhere around there for all the broken glass on the ground. BUT ... yes, yes, they all live there without any “government interference” ...
< rolling my eyes >.
We stopped at “Salvation Mountain” ( go ahead ... Google it ! ) which marks the entrance to Slab City. We sent Laszlo and Gail on to explore the area and I went to take a nap in our camper. They were back within a half hour. They had seen enough. Time for them to nap as well ! HA HA HA !
We left Slab City and drove northward along the eastern shore of the Salton Sea and then west over the northern shore until reaching Hwy. 86 south of Palm Springs. North on Hwy. 86 until we arrived at Spotlight 29 Casino at the intersection of Hwy. 86 and Interstate 10 marking the eastern edge of the Palm Springs urban area ... technically in Indio ... about 6:30 PM. We parked in Spotlight 29’s RV parking area, walked Bo and DeeOJee, then went inside the casino to explore a bit. After a bit of wandering around we left Laszlo and Gail inside the casino playing slot machines and we returned to our camper for a late, very light supper.
Tuesday ; What a great day in Palm Springs. Strange weather though ; sunny, cloudy, warm, chilly, windy.
This morning we left Spotlight 29 Casino, Laszlo, Gail, and DeeOJee with us in our truck. Before getting onto the freeway I dumped our grey waste tank in the desert and refilled with freshwater at the TA Travel Center. We headed west on Interstate 10, then north on Palm Drive into Desert Hot Springs. We stopped at Auto Zone and Laszlo bought two air filters for his truck. Next stop was Glossy, the women's bathing suit store that is the only place where Joanne buys bathing suits. Today she bought three. While Joanne and Gail shopped for bathing suits Laszlo and I walked the dogs. After Glossy we walked down the street to shop at Angel View, a thrift store. Gail bought three tops / blouses / sweaters. I fell in love with a roll top desk that cost only sixty dollars.
< whispering > I really would like to have it ! < sniffle >
We had lunch at Del Taco before leaving Desert Hot Springs. We took Laszlo and Gail on a brief tour of the two RV parks in Desert Hot Springs that we recommend, should they ever return to the Palm Springs area, which seems likely after the great day we all had today. We drove across Interstate 10, from Desert Hot Springs on the north side of the freeway, to Palm Springs on the south side.
We drove through downtown Palm Springs and went to Revivals, our favourite thrift store. Run by a gay men's organization, it is oxymoronic to call this a thrift store. Today we saw a Baby Grand Piano on sale there ... the third time we have seen a Baby Grand Piano for sale there ! And today there also was ... wait for it ... a dental chair for sale. HA HA HA ! I bought a lovely, soft, cardigan sweater. Laszlo bought a very nice windbreaker jacket. And Gail really scored, buying two brand new dresses that still bore the retail price stickers of $70 each, paying $8.75 for each of them.
Next stop was the Palm Springs dog park. We spent quite awhile there, Bo and DeeOJee romping and visiting happily with all the other dogs. Around 5 PM it suddenly became quite chilly, so we left. It seemed a bit too early to go for supper so we went looking for a grocery store, finding a Stater Bros where we bought a few items. On the way from the grocery store to the restaurant we stopped at a panaderia ...
WOO-HOO ... and bought some pan dulce / Mexican pastries for breakfasts.
Finally ... AHHHHH ... we arrived at Sherman's Deli, the highlight for me of each Palm Springs visit. Our waitress was a complete ****wit, screwing up our orders and our bills afterwards. The food at Sherman's Deli is SOOOOO good ... how good is it, you might ask ... that her screw ups didn't matter. HA HA HA ! How's that for mellow on my part ? ! ? HA HA HA ! As we drove back through downtown Palm Springs we stopped for a few minutes at a classic car dealership so that Laszlo and I could salivate over the cars displayed in their showroom window. I wanted the Aston Martin ( like James Bond's ). Laszlo wanted the Triumph TR7.
We arrived back "home" at Spotlight 29 Casino about 9 PM.
Wednesday ; Palm Springs, California to Quartzsite, Arizona
Sunny and warm.
This morning we all went in our truck to Trader Joe's in La Quinta, an eastern "suburb" of Palm Springs. As usual at Trader Joe's, we spent almost a hundred dollars on impulse purchases of gourmet / exotic food stuff. Laszlo and Gail spent quite a bit less than us. I guess spending money foolishly at Trader Joe's is an acquired skill. HA HA HA ! We returned to Spotlight 29 Casino, had lunch and prepared for departure.
We bought diesel, dumped our grey waste tank and refilled our freshwater tank before leaving Palm Springs. Laszlo refilled his truck with diesel and his generator with fuel. Around 2 PM we were headed east out of Palm Springs on Interstate 10. The desert is in bloom. The Ocotillo are all filled with bright green little leaves and brilliant red flowers on top. The Barrel Cacti have a bright red hue to them. After crossing back into Arizona we stopped at a rest area for ... a brief rest, of course. When we arrived in Quartzsite we turned north on Hwy. 95 and drove a few miles to the High Jolly Camping Area on BLM land.
The BLM camping areas in the desert all around Quartzsite are almost deserted this late in the season. We found our way to a pleasant area to boondock overnight, with a good rock fire pit, and no other campers nearby. We got set up, rested, wandered around exploring the desert and arroyo behind us. I flew my Canadian flag kite for awhile. As my kite rose, Gail started and I joined her in a loud rendition of "Oh Canada", our national anthem. Around 6:30 PM I built a campfire. Around 8 PM Gail made a grilled / warm salad and we all roasted wieners for supper. We had a very pleasant warm evening sitting around the campfire chatting and stargazing until 10 PM.
Thursday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada
Sunny and warm, a lovely day.
We had a slow start to the day, leaving our Quartzsite boondocking spot at 11 AM, heading north on Hwy. 95. We arrived in Lake Havasu City around 1 PM, parked in a waterfront park parking lot, walked the dogs and had lunch. Laszlo and Gail climbed into our truck and I drove us over to London Bridge. Yes, yes ... that London Bridge. And no, no ... it's not falling down. It was dismantled, shipped brick by brick, and rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. HA HA HA ... I kid you not ! And viewing it and walking across it was on Laszlo's "bucket list". So ... cross that one off, pal ! HA HA HA !
We left Lake Havasu City around 2:30 PM, continuing north on Hwy. 95 to Interstate 40, then west on I-40 to the Arizona / California border. We followed Historic Route 66 on the Arizona side of the Colorado River to Hwy. 95 ( again ) leading north ( again ) to Bullhead City. We refilled with diesel ( both trucks ) and crossed the Colorado River into Nevada at the Avi Casino a bit south of Laughlin. We drove to the north side of Laughlin and checked into the Riverside Casino RV Park, arriving around 5 PM.
At 7 PM we drove back to the Avi Casino for buffet dinner. WOO-HOO ! Two For One Thursdays ! We listened to a blues band in the bar for a few minutes then went to the Native Harvest Buffet and ... ate and ate and ate ! Laszlo and Gail joined the Avi Casino's Player's Club, and used their new member's "free play" to win enough to pay for their buffet dinner ... with about four bucks left over. WOO-HOO ! What a successful day ! HA HA HA !
Friday ; Laughlin, Nevada, Bullhead City, Oatman, and Kingman, Arizona
We got a leisurely start to the day, leaving the Riverside Casino RV Park at 11 AM in Laszlo's and Gail's truck heading to Oatman, Arizona. Oatman is an "Old West" mining "ghost" town, restored for tourism, noted for the wild burros that freely roam its streets. We crossed the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada back into Bullhead City, Arizona, then drove south all the way through Bullhead City and beyond, then east to Oatman. We wandered around for an hour or two, taking photographs, meeting burros, browsing and shopping for souvenirs. Before leaving Oatman we ate the picnic lunches we had brought.
Laszlo wanted to drive the very winding "back road" route from Oatman to Kingman, so ... off we went ! The desert vistas were spectacular, with lots of brilliant coloured blooms in the Mojave Deesert. We stopped frequently to wander around and take photos ... of blooming Barrel Cacti and Prickly Pear Cacti and Yuccas and Cholla Cacti and ... ! We reached Kingman, drove around the little city, then drove back to Bullhead City, Arizona and across the Colorado River again to Laughlin, Nevada.
We walked the dogs, then went to explore the Riverside Casino, whose RV park we are staying in. Our RV park stay includes some meal vouchers for the Riverside Casino Buffet Restaurant. We wandered around the casino for an hour or so, Laszlo and Gail joined the Player's Club, then we went to the restaurant for dinner. While lined up to enter the restaurant we saw a woman Joanne and I know in the line a few people behind us. Karla was a recent visitor to Kofa Ko-op. We were the Welcome Committee when she arrived, so that's how we met her. For quite a few days of her stay at Kofa Ko-op she and her dog Mia joined us on our daily pack walks. She is a single woman and was planning to dine alone in the restaurant. We invited her to join us and she accepted.
Dinner was excellent. Friday night in the Riverside Casino Buffet Restaurant is Seafood Feast Night ! MMMMM ! ! ! We ate and talked and ate and talked and ate and talked and ... ! HA HA HA ! After dinner Karla left to return "home" to the RV park. Laszlo and Gail played slot machines with the "free play" money received when they joined the Player's Club, and once again won just enough money to pay for supper and have a few bucks left over. HA HA HA ... two nights in a row ! The four of us wandered around exploring the casino for awhile longer before catching the shuttle bus back to the RV park across the street, arriving back at our rigs about 10 PM.
Saturday ; Sunny and hot.
We had a slow morning. Today was a bit of a "rest and chores" day. After an early lunch we all got into Laszlo's and Gail's truck and headed out. They dropped me off down the street at the Tropicana, and they ( including Joanne ) continued on to do some shopping for groceries at Safeway in Bullhead City. I found a quiet corner table in a small fast food restaurant inside the Tropicana, connected to the casino's free Wi-Fi, and spent two and a half hours trying to get some online work done. In that time,
I accomplished perhaps fifteen minutes of productive work ! The Wi-Fi was terrible !
< sigh > Story of my travelling life ! ! !
I met Joanne, Laszlo and Gail in the Tropicana's parking lot and we spent an hour or so in the hot sunlight viewing the 1955 / 56 / 57 Chevrolets car show displayed in an adjacent parking lot. We returned to the Riverside Casino RV Park about 4:30 PM. Joanne and I gave Bo a bath. My goodness, what a dirty little dog. I phoned a Similkameen Trailer Towing client with a quote and secured a trailer towing job in a few weeks. At 6:15 PM the four of us walked slowly downhill through the RV park to the Riverside Casino and their buffet restaurant ... again ! HA HA HA ! We ate and ate and ate ... of course ... and chatted until after 8 PM. We waddled across the casino and upstairs to the car museum where we wandered around looking at antique and classic cars ... yes, yes, again. We waddled and farted our way across the casino, past the open doors of the concert venue where Sheena Easton was performing, over to the RV park shuttle bus stop, caught the little shuttle bus, and were "home" at our rigs by 9:30 PM.
Oh, boy ... only thirteen and a half hours until our next buffet meal. HA HA HA
< SNORT > HA HA !
DSK
This morning we returned to the storage yard to complete some last minute / forgotten summerization tasks on the fifth wheel trailer. And we trimmed Bo's claws.
We spent the afternoon putting away all our outdoor patio furniture into the Arizona room, and closing up the Arizona room. We covered everything in the Arizona room with old sheets to keep it all sand / dust free. And the final job, the one I really dislike, installing all the vinyl panel snap on walls on the exterior of the Arizona room.
I back flushed the truck camper's waste holding tanks. Late in the afternoon we went to Albertsons for some last minute grocery shopping. Not too much groceries, we need to leave fridge and freezer room for Trader Joe's stuff. WOO-HOO ... Trader Joe's shopping in Palm Springs in a couple of days. HA HA HA !
For the last few days Bo has been anticipating our departure, based on seeing our preparations. This afternoon when we left to go to Albertsons, he was convinced that we were "on the road again". He was SOOOOO excited ! When we returned to Kofa Ko-op after grocery shopping he was like ... "HEY ! ! ! What a rip off !" HA HA HA ! Tomorrow, Bo !
At 6 PM we went to the clubhouse for the final ice cream social of the season. At 7 PM we walked Bo around the dog park for the last time this season. WOW ... still daylight at 7 PM ! After supper I worked online, finishing up some financial matters before we travel and posting my weekly journal to my blog.
Monday ; Yuma, Arizona to Palm Springs, California
Sunny and very warm in the morning in Yuma. Extremely windy while driving in the afternoon. Warm and windy in Palm Springs in the evening.
Just before we left Kofa Ko-op I received a telephone call from a man in Osoyoos who wants a trailer moved in a month. WOO-HOO ! My first trailer towing job of the summer.
We spent the morning doing our final departure preparations and left Kofa Ko-op about 11:30 AM as planned. For the next ten days or so we will be travelling with our friends from Kamloops, BC, Laszlo and Gail and their dog DeeOJee the Pit Bull. For most of that time we will be introducing Laszlo and Gail to new experiences for them, favourite old experiences of ours.
We headed west out of Yuma on Interstate 8 crossing over the Colorado River into California. About an hour into California we stopped for lunch in Holtville. AHHHHHH ... Holtville Taco Shop’s huge, wonderful burritos. Best burritos we’ve ever had, better even than any we’ve had in Mexico. Carne Asada for me, “Californian” ( with fries inside the burrito ... HA HA HA ) for Joanne, Machaca ( con arroz y frijoles ) for Laszlo, and El Pastor for Gail. Piña to drink for Joanne, Horchatta to drink for me. By the time we finished lunch and were walking back to our rigs in the parking lot across the street, three out of four of us were ready for a siesta. HA HA HA !
No time to nap just yet ! We drove on country back roads mostly north, a bit west, through horrific winds and sand storms to the southeast tip of the Salton Sea and the scruffy little village of Niland. In Niland we turned east for a few miles to the very odd community known as Slab City. All full time RV’ers want to visit Slab City. It’s one of the “must visit” Mecca type places for full time RV’ers. During the Second World War there was a military base there. All that remains are the concrete slabs of the many buildings that were there. Hence “Slab City”. It is now a community of RV’ers, some year round, some winter only, billed as “the last place to live free in America”.
Yeah ... right ! If you’re into that anarchy sort of thing. It is a community of hippies and homeless and religious fanatics and survivalists and every sort of nut job and weirdo you could possibly imagine. It’s filthy ! Garbage and broken glass everywhere. I don’t even feel it’s safe to walk the dog anywhere around there for all the broken glass on the ground. BUT ... yes, yes, they all live there without any “government interference” ...
< rolling my eyes >.
We stopped at “Salvation Mountain” ( go ahead ... Google it ! ) which marks the entrance to Slab City. We sent Laszlo and Gail on to explore the area and I went to take a nap in our camper. They were back within a half hour. They had seen enough. Time for them to nap as well ! HA HA HA !
We left Slab City and drove northward along the eastern shore of the Salton Sea and then west over the northern shore until reaching Hwy. 86 south of Palm Springs. North on Hwy. 86 until we arrived at Spotlight 29 Casino at the intersection of Hwy. 86 and Interstate 10 marking the eastern edge of the Palm Springs urban area ... technically in Indio ... about 6:30 PM. We parked in Spotlight 29’s RV parking area, walked Bo and DeeOJee, then went inside the casino to explore a bit. After a bit of wandering around we left Laszlo and Gail inside the casino playing slot machines and we returned to our camper for a late, very light supper.
Tuesday ; What a great day in Palm Springs. Strange weather though ; sunny, cloudy, warm, chilly, windy.
This morning we left Spotlight 29 Casino, Laszlo, Gail, and DeeOJee with us in our truck. Before getting onto the freeway I dumped our grey waste tank in the desert and refilled with freshwater at the TA Travel Center. We headed west on Interstate 10, then north on Palm Drive into Desert Hot Springs. We stopped at Auto Zone and Laszlo bought two air filters for his truck. Next stop was Glossy, the women's bathing suit store that is the only place where Joanne buys bathing suits. Today she bought three. While Joanne and Gail shopped for bathing suits Laszlo and I walked the dogs. After Glossy we walked down the street to shop at Angel View, a thrift store. Gail bought three tops / blouses / sweaters. I fell in love with a roll top desk that cost only sixty dollars.
< whispering > I really would like to have it ! < sniffle >
We had lunch at Del Taco before leaving Desert Hot Springs. We took Laszlo and Gail on a brief tour of the two RV parks in Desert Hot Springs that we recommend, should they ever return to the Palm Springs area, which seems likely after the great day we all had today. We drove across Interstate 10, from Desert Hot Springs on the north side of the freeway, to Palm Springs on the south side.
We drove through downtown Palm Springs and went to Revivals, our favourite thrift store. Run by a gay men's organization, it is oxymoronic to call this a thrift store. Today we saw a Baby Grand Piano on sale there ... the third time we have seen a Baby Grand Piano for sale there ! And today there also was ... wait for it ... a dental chair for sale. HA HA HA ! I bought a lovely, soft, cardigan sweater. Laszlo bought a very nice windbreaker jacket. And Gail really scored, buying two brand new dresses that still bore the retail price stickers of $70 each, paying $8.75 for each of them.
Next stop was the Palm Springs dog park. We spent quite awhile there, Bo and DeeOJee romping and visiting happily with all the other dogs. Around 5 PM it suddenly became quite chilly, so we left. It seemed a bit too early to go for supper so we went looking for a grocery store, finding a Stater Bros where we bought a few items. On the way from the grocery store to the restaurant we stopped at a panaderia ...
WOO-HOO ... and bought some pan dulce / Mexican pastries for breakfasts.
Finally ... AHHHHH ... we arrived at Sherman's Deli, the highlight for me of each Palm Springs visit. Our waitress was a complete ****wit, screwing up our orders and our bills afterwards. The food at Sherman's Deli is SOOOOO good ... how good is it, you might ask ... that her screw ups didn't matter. HA HA HA ! How's that for mellow on my part ? ! ? HA HA HA ! As we drove back through downtown Palm Springs we stopped for a few minutes at a classic car dealership so that Laszlo and I could salivate over the cars displayed in their showroom window. I wanted the Aston Martin ( like James Bond's ). Laszlo wanted the Triumph TR7.
We arrived back "home" at Spotlight 29 Casino about 9 PM.
Wednesday ; Palm Springs, California to Quartzsite, Arizona
Sunny and warm.
This morning we all went in our truck to Trader Joe's in La Quinta, an eastern "suburb" of Palm Springs. As usual at Trader Joe's, we spent almost a hundred dollars on impulse purchases of gourmet / exotic food stuff. Laszlo and Gail spent quite a bit less than us. I guess spending money foolishly at Trader Joe's is an acquired skill. HA HA HA ! We returned to Spotlight 29 Casino, had lunch and prepared for departure.
We bought diesel, dumped our grey waste tank and refilled our freshwater tank before leaving Palm Springs. Laszlo refilled his truck with diesel and his generator with fuel. Around 2 PM we were headed east out of Palm Springs on Interstate 10. The desert is in bloom. The Ocotillo are all filled with bright green little leaves and brilliant red flowers on top. The Barrel Cacti have a bright red hue to them. After crossing back into Arizona we stopped at a rest area for ... a brief rest, of course. When we arrived in Quartzsite we turned north on Hwy. 95 and drove a few miles to the High Jolly Camping Area on BLM land.
The BLM camping areas in the desert all around Quartzsite are almost deserted this late in the season. We found our way to a pleasant area to boondock overnight, with a good rock fire pit, and no other campers nearby. We got set up, rested, wandered around exploring the desert and arroyo behind us. I flew my Canadian flag kite for awhile. As my kite rose, Gail started and I joined her in a loud rendition of "Oh Canada", our national anthem. Around 6:30 PM I built a campfire. Around 8 PM Gail made a grilled / warm salad and we all roasted wieners for supper. We had a very pleasant warm evening sitting around the campfire chatting and stargazing until 10 PM.
Thursday ; Quartzsite, Arizona to Laughlin, Nevada
Sunny and warm, a lovely day.
We had a slow start to the day, leaving our Quartzsite boondocking spot at 11 AM, heading north on Hwy. 95. We arrived in Lake Havasu City around 1 PM, parked in a waterfront park parking lot, walked the dogs and had lunch. Laszlo and Gail climbed into our truck and I drove us over to London Bridge. Yes, yes ... that London Bridge. And no, no ... it's not falling down. It was dismantled, shipped brick by brick, and rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. HA HA HA ... I kid you not ! And viewing it and walking across it was on Laszlo's "bucket list". So ... cross that one off, pal ! HA HA HA !
We left Lake Havasu City around 2:30 PM, continuing north on Hwy. 95 to Interstate 40, then west on I-40 to the Arizona / California border. We followed Historic Route 66 on the Arizona side of the Colorado River to Hwy. 95 ( again ) leading north ( again ) to Bullhead City. We refilled with diesel ( both trucks ) and crossed the Colorado River into Nevada at the Avi Casino a bit south of Laughlin. We drove to the north side of Laughlin and checked into the Riverside Casino RV Park, arriving around 5 PM.
At 7 PM we drove back to the Avi Casino for buffet dinner. WOO-HOO ! Two For One Thursdays ! We listened to a blues band in the bar for a few minutes then went to the Native Harvest Buffet and ... ate and ate and ate ! Laszlo and Gail joined the Avi Casino's Player's Club, and used their new member's "free play" to win enough to pay for their buffet dinner ... with about four bucks left over. WOO-HOO ! What a successful day ! HA HA HA !
Friday ; Laughlin, Nevada, Bullhead City, Oatman, and Kingman, Arizona
We got a leisurely start to the day, leaving the Riverside Casino RV Park at 11 AM in Laszlo's and Gail's truck heading to Oatman, Arizona. Oatman is an "Old West" mining "ghost" town, restored for tourism, noted for the wild burros that freely roam its streets. We crossed the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada back into Bullhead City, Arizona, then drove south all the way through Bullhead City and beyond, then east to Oatman. We wandered around for an hour or two, taking photographs, meeting burros, browsing and shopping for souvenirs. Before leaving Oatman we ate the picnic lunches we had brought.
Laszlo wanted to drive the very winding "back road" route from Oatman to Kingman, so ... off we went ! The desert vistas were spectacular, with lots of brilliant coloured blooms in the Mojave Deesert. We stopped frequently to wander around and take photos ... of blooming Barrel Cacti and Prickly Pear Cacti and Yuccas and Cholla Cacti and ... ! We reached Kingman, drove around the little city, then drove back to Bullhead City, Arizona and across the Colorado River again to Laughlin, Nevada.
We walked the dogs, then went to explore the Riverside Casino, whose RV park we are staying in. Our RV park stay includes some meal vouchers for the Riverside Casino Buffet Restaurant. We wandered around the casino for an hour or so, Laszlo and Gail joined the Player's Club, then we went to the restaurant for dinner. While lined up to enter the restaurant we saw a woman Joanne and I know in the line a few people behind us. Karla was a recent visitor to Kofa Ko-op. We were the Welcome Committee when she arrived, so that's how we met her. For quite a few days of her stay at Kofa Ko-op she and her dog Mia joined us on our daily pack walks. She is a single woman and was planning to dine alone in the restaurant. We invited her to join us and she accepted.
Dinner was excellent. Friday night in the Riverside Casino Buffet Restaurant is Seafood Feast Night ! MMMMM ! ! ! We ate and talked and ate and talked and ate and talked and ... ! HA HA HA ! After dinner Karla left to return "home" to the RV park. Laszlo and Gail played slot machines with the "free play" money received when they joined the Player's Club, and once again won just enough money to pay for supper and have a few bucks left over. HA HA HA ... two nights in a row ! The four of us wandered around exploring the casino for awhile longer before catching the shuttle bus back to the RV park across the street, arriving back at our rigs about 10 PM.
Saturday ; Sunny and hot.
We had a slow morning. Today was a bit of a "rest and chores" day. After an early lunch we all got into Laszlo's and Gail's truck and headed out. They dropped me off down the street at the Tropicana, and they ( including Joanne ) continued on to do some shopping for groceries at Safeway in Bullhead City. I found a quiet corner table in a small fast food restaurant inside the Tropicana, connected to the casino's free Wi-Fi, and spent two and a half hours trying to get some online work done. In that time,
I accomplished perhaps fifteen minutes of productive work ! The Wi-Fi was terrible !
< sigh > Story of my travelling life ! ! !
I met Joanne, Laszlo and Gail in the Tropicana's parking lot and we spent an hour or so in the hot sunlight viewing the 1955 / 56 / 57 Chevrolets car show displayed in an adjacent parking lot. We returned to the Riverside Casino RV Park about 4:30 PM. Joanne and I gave Bo a bath. My goodness, what a dirty little dog. I phoned a Similkameen Trailer Towing client with a quote and secured a trailer towing job in a few weeks. At 6:15 PM the four of us walked slowly downhill through the RV park to the Riverside Casino and their buffet restaurant ... again ! HA HA HA ! We ate and ate and ate ... of course ... and chatted until after 8 PM. We waddled across the casino and upstairs to the car museum where we wandered around looking at antique and classic cars ... yes, yes, again. We waddled and farted our way across the casino, past the open doors of the concert venue where Sheena Easton was performing, over to the RV park shuttle bus stop, caught the little shuttle bus, and were "home" at our rigs by 9:30 PM.
Oh, boy ... only thirteen and a half hours until our next buffet meal. HA HA HA
< SNORT > HA HA !
DSK
Sunday, March 27, 2016
March 20 to 26, 2016
Sunday ; Sunny and hot. As it should be here at this time of the year. Joanne cooked chili in the Sun Oven today.
We had a slow start to the day. We did Bo-gility. Well done, Bo, good dog. Joanne thinks that I am "pushing" Bo too hard in doing agility. He's an old dog. Maybe what I'm "pushing" him to do is becoming too hard for his creaky old joints. Certainly my knees are not capable of doing what they could when I was younger. She thinks it's probably the same for him. Okay ... I'll lighten up on my Bo-gility expectations.
After an early lunch we headed to Swap Meet Los Perros a.k.a. the dog track flea market for our final visit of this winter season. I could not get some of the hardware items I was looking for, to replenish hardware that I used this past season. And ...
< sniffle > ... there were no artichokes at the produce vendors' stands yet. I bought a couple of "hecho en Mexico" leather belts cheaper than I could buy them in Mexico. HEY ... it's the end of the season. If vendors don't move their merchandise now, it's going to sit around and collect dust for the next seven months.
It was so hot today ... how hot was it, you might ask ... that when we returned home Joanne took a nap, a rare occurrence for her. Bo and I decided we might as well join her. HA HA HA ! After napping briefly ... I was the first one up ... I puttered around with some "preparation for departure" spring chores. I took Bo for a walk around the dog park at 5:30, and when we were done it was time for Joanne and I to head to the 6 PM Sunday ice cream social. We chatted with friends in the clubhouse until 8 PM then returned to our trailer to have our Sun Oven cooked chili for supper. AND ... to watch
"I Am Cait" on TV.
Monday ; Sunny and hot.
We had a bit of a slow, lazy day, partially due to the heat. Joanne did some laundry.
I did some spring cleaning.
At 6 PM we were picked up by our Texas retired lawyer friends Bill and Candace in their truck, and we headed out for a dinner of "street food". First stop was an El Salvadoran food truck to have papusas and tamal Salvadoreña, washed down with aqua frescas Jamaica ( pronounced "ham eye eeka" ). Next stop was a Mexican "food stand" where we had some tostadas and tacos ... and papas con queso ( fries smothered in nacho cheese ).
On the way home we dropped Joanne off at Wal-Mart to do some shopping. When Bill and Candace dropped me off at home I got in our truck and went back to pick Joanne up at Wal-Mart.
Tuesday ; Very warm and windy, sky obscured by blowing sand ... a desert storm.
I spent the morning doing routine chores, including "money shuffling" and bill paying.
After lunch we left earlier than usual for our Tuesday shift at the Humane Society. We were responding to an e-mail plea for help with grooming some dogs that had been transferred in from the Humane Society of Imperial County in El Centro, a Mexican American small city west of here in California, about halfway to San Diego. We gave haircuts to Samuel, a Miniature Poodle, and Bear, a medium sized mutt. Both had extremely long, matted, filthy hair. Samuel had many scabs, and dried out eye gunk so thick that one eye was barely open. Poor fellow. Both of them could not be bathed because they had both been neutered today, but haircuts relived both of them of a lot of misery, especially Samuel. In addition to a haircut, we washed Samuel's face and eyes, and plucked and cleaned inside his filthy ears. When we started he was a suffering, miserable little cur. When we were done, he was an energetic, happy, tail wagging little dog.
It was satisfying to make a difference in their lives.
We spent more time at the Humane Society than we usually do. When we returned home we walked Bo around the dog park before leaving again to run some shopping errands. One of our shopping stops was to buy dog food at PetsMart so ...
WOO-HOO ... Bo got to go "drivey". We bought some soft drinks at Walgreens and some groceries at Albertsons before buying some take home fast food at Sonic for supper.
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Sunny, warm, a bit windy. We spent a long, tiring day in Mexico.
This morning we loaded up our recycling and headed out. We dropped off the recycling and headed for a medical supply company to pick up Joanne's special order. Finally we headed west on Interstate 8 across the Colorado River into California, then to the border crossing into Mexico.
First stop was Tere's Beauty & Barber Shop for haircuts for both of us. And a beard trim for me, obviously. Well ! Best haircut and beard trim I've ever had, I think. Next stop was Terrazo, a nice restaurant that we have been to before, for lunch. Joanne had chicken chimichangas. I had beef enchiladas. And a margarita ! After lunch Joanne returned to Tere's Beauty & Barber Shop for a pedicure and I ran other errands. I went to seven different pharmacies shopping for a medication for a friend / neighbour. I went to four different dulcerias ( candy stores ) shopping for our favourite Mexican chocolate bars ; Nugs and CocoNugs. I returned to Tere's, waited for Joanne's pedicure to be finished, then we continued shopping. More Mexican chocolates ... Creminos ... and many packages / flavours of Zuko drink powder mixes. Somewhat like Mexican
Kool-Aid.
By then we were tired. Time to return home. The line up to cross the border today was long, but took only half an hour. After crossing back into the United States we drove to the "secret" pet cemetery where Sully is buried. The "entrance" to the pet cemetery is adorned with both an American and a Canadian flag. We noticed on our last visit that both flags were extremely worn. We recently bought a new Canadian flag and replaced the old flag at the cemetery entrance today. Hopefully that will inspire an American to replace the tattered and torn American flag as well.
As we entered Yuma we stopped at McDonald's to buy a soft drink, then drove home to Kofa Ko-op. I took Bo for a walk around the dog park. I delivered the medications to our friend / neighbour. I watered our plants and gardens. At sunset I went bicycling. Tonight while having dinner we watched Survivor, then Hell's Kitchen and Catfish on TV.
Thursday ; Sunny and very warm.
Late this morning we put Elsie the camper back onto Lanoire the truck. WOO-HOO ! Almost time to go ! Despite the lovely weather some of us are getting "hitch itch". HA HA HA ! I am eager for the adventures of travel !
This afternoon Joanne worked on moving stuff from the trailer to the camper in preparation for departure on Monday. I did some minor maintenance on the camper and some gardening.
This evening we went to Yuma Palms, the local large shopping mall, to attend the weekly free outdoor jazz concert. Tonight's entertainers were The High Society Jazz Band, a Dixieland jazz band from San Diego. After the concert we went to Golden Corral for buffet dinner. On the way home we refilled with diesel at Fry's Fuel Bar.
Good Friday ; Sunny and very warm.
We spent the day preparing to move the fifth wheel trailer into storage tomorrow. Joanne moved all the fridge and kitchen cupboard contents from the trailer to the truck camper. I worked on exterior preparations. I removed and stored the solar panels.
I removed and stored the bipod front stabilizer. I raised the rear stabilizers and stored all the jack pads. I removed and stored the clothesline rack attached to the roof access ladder.
I did some caulking / resealing work on the truck camper roof. I did some truck maintenance work to prepare for the long trip north. I stored some back yard patio furniture into the Arizona room. I "refurbished' Bo's truck console bed using some carpet underlay I got from a neighbour and a surplus pillow.
We walked Bo around the dog park. I went bicycling at sunset. In the evening we worked on some "inside" preparations for putting the trailer into storage.
Saturday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning we worked on the final preparations of the fifth wheel trailer for summer storage. At noon Laszlo came over with his truck, we hooked up our trailer to his truck, and he towed it to the storage area. We got it positioned and unhitched. I discovered a large crack underneath the bedroom area / front overhang of the trailer that I will have to repair next winter. < sigh >
Joanne did a lot of laundry today, all afternoon and into the evening. This afternoon we finished loading and preparing the truck camper for the return trip north. Joanne phoned her sister. I visited with Laszlo and Gail. Late in the afternoon we returned to the storage yard and finished "summerizing" the trailer. Joanne stored all the laundered clothing and linens in the trailer. We walked around the dog park with Bo. I went bicycling at sunset, my last sunset bicycle ride here this season.
I received another phone call from someone in BC who wants a trailer towed before we return home, my third "lost opportunity" in recent weeks. Why does everyone want their trailers moved so early ? Isn't it still winter in BC ?
DSK
We had a slow start to the day. We did Bo-gility. Well done, Bo, good dog. Joanne thinks that I am "pushing" Bo too hard in doing agility. He's an old dog. Maybe what I'm "pushing" him to do is becoming too hard for his creaky old joints. Certainly my knees are not capable of doing what they could when I was younger. She thinks it's probably the same for him. Okay ... I'll lighten up on my Bo-gility expectations.
After an early lunch we headed to Swap Meet Los Perros a.k.a. the dog track flea market for our final visit of this winter season. I could not get some of the hardware items I was looking for, to replenish hardware that I used this past season. And ...
< sniffle > ... there were no artichokes at the produce vendors' stands yet. I bought a couple of "hecho en Mexico" leather belts cheaper than I could buy them in Mexico. HEY ... it's the end of the season. If vendors don't move their merchandise now, it's going to sit around and collect dust for the next seven months.
It was so hot today ... how hot was it, you might ask ... that when we returned home Joanne took a nap, a rare occurrence for her. Bo and I decided we might as well join her. HA HA HA ! After napping briefly ... I was the first one up ... I puttered around with some "preparation for departure" spring chores. I took Bo for a walk around the dog park at 5:30, and when we were done it was time for Joanne and I to head to the 6 PM Sunday ice cream social. We chatted with friends in the clubhouse until 8 PM then returned to our trailer to have our Sun Oven cooked chili for supper. AND ... to watch
"I Am Cait" on TV.
Monday ; Sunny and hot.
We had a bit of a slow, lazy day, partially due to the heat. Joanne did some laundry.
I did some spring cleaning.
At 6 PM we were picked up by our Texas retired lawyer friends Bill and Candace in their truck, and we headed out for a dinner of "street food". First stop was an El Salvadoran food truck to have papusas and tamal Salvadoreña, washed down with aqua frescas Jamaica ( pronounced "ham eye eeka" ). Next stop was a Mexican "food stand" where we had some tostadas and tacos ... and papas con queso ( fries smothered in nacho cheese ).
On the way home we dropped Joanne off at Wal-Mart to do some shopping. When Bill and Candace dropped me off at home I got in our truck and went back to pick Joanne up at Wal-Mart.
Tuesday ; Very warm and windy, sky obscured by blowing sand ... a desert storm.
I spent the morning doing routine chores, including "money shuffling" and bill paying.
After lunch we left earlier than usual for our Tuesday shift at the Humane Society. We were responding to an e-mail plea for help with grooming some dogs that had been transferred in from the Humane Society of Imperial County in El Centro, a Mexican American small city west of here in California, about halfway to San Diego. We gave haircuts to Samuel, a Miniature Poodle, and Bear, a medium sized mutt. Both had extremely long, matted, filthy hair. Samuel had many scabs, and dried out eye gunk so thick that one eye was barely open. Poor fellow. Both of them could not be bathed because they had both been neutered today, but haircuts relived both of them of a lot of misery, especially Samuel. In addition to a haircut, we washed Samuel's face and eyes, and plucked and cleaned inside his filthy ears. When we started he was a suffering, miserable little cur. When we were done, he was an energetic, happy, tail wagging little dog.
It was satisfying to make a difference in their lives.
We spent more time at the Humane Society than we usually do. When we returned home we walked Bo around the dog park before leaving again to run some shopping errands. One of our shopping stops was to buy dog food at PetsMart so ...
WOO-HOO ... Bo got to go "drivey". We bought some soft drinks at Walgreens and some groceries at Albertsons before buying some take home fast food at Sonic for supper.
Wednesday ; Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico
Sunny, warm, a bit windy. We spent a long, tiring day in Mexico.
This morning we loaded up our recycling and headed out. We dropped off the recycling and headed for a medical supply company to pick up Joanne's special order. Finally we headed west on Interstate 8 across the Colorado River into California, then to the border crossing into Mexico.
First stop was Tere's Beauty & Barber Shop for haircuts for both of us. And a beard trim for me, obviously. Well ! Best haircut and beard trim I've ever had, I think. Next stop was Terrazo, a nice restaurant that we have been to before, for lunch. Joanne had chicken chimichangas. I had beef enchiladas. And a margarita ! After lunch Joanne returned to Tere's Beauty & Barber Shop for a pedicure and I ran other errands. I went to seven different pharmacies shopping for a medication for a friend / neighbour. I went to four different dulcerias ( candy stores ) shopping for our favourite Mexican chocolate bars ; Nugs and CocoNugs. I returned to Tere's, waited for Joanne's pedicure to be finished, then we continued shopping. More Mexican chocolates ... Creminos ... and many packages / flavours of Zuko drink powder mixes. Somewhat like Mexican
Kool-Aid.
By then we were tired. Time to return home. The line up to cross the border today was long, but took only half an hour. After crossing back into the United States we drove to the "secret" pet cemetery where Sully is buried. The "entrance" to the pet cemetery is adorned with both an American and a Canadian flag. We noticed on our last visit that both flags were extremely worn. We recently bought a new Canadian flag and replaced the old flag at the cemetery entrance today. Hopefully that will inspire an American to replace the tattered and torn American flag as well.
As we entered Yuma we stopped at McDonald's to buy a soft drink, then drove home to Kofa Ko-op. I took Bo for a walk around the dog park. I delivered the medications to our friend / neighbour. I watered our plants and gardens. At sunset I went bicycling. Tonight while having dinner we watched Survivor, then Hell's Kitchen and Catfish on TV.
Thursday ; Sunny and very warm.
Late this morning we put Elsie the camper back onto Lanoire the truck. WOO-HOO ! Almost time to go ! Despite the lovely weather some of us are getting "hitch itch". HA HA HA ! I am eager for the adventures of travel !
This afternoon Joanne worked on moving stuff from the trailer to the camper in preparation for departure on Monday. I did some minor maintenance on the camper and some gardening.
This evening we went to Yuma Palms, the local large shopping mall, to attend the weekly free outdoor jazz concert. Tonight's entertainers were The High Society Jazz Band, a Dixieland jazz band from San Diego. After the concert we went to Golden Corral for buffet dinner. On the way home we refilled with diesel at Fry's Fuel Bar.
Good Friday ; Sunny and very warm.
We spent the day preparing to move the fifth wheel trailer into storage tomorrow. Joanne moved all the fridge and kitchen cupboard contents from the trailer to the truck camper. I worked on exterior preparations. I removed and stored the solar panels.
I removed and stored the bipod front stabilizer. I raised the rear stabilizers and stored all the jack pads. I removed and stored the clothesline rack attached to the roof access ladder.
I did some caulking / resealing work on the truck camper roof. I did some truck maintenance work to prepare for the long trip north. I stored some back yard patio furniture into the Arizona room. I "refurbished' Bo's truck console bed using some carpet underlay I got from a neighbour and a surplus pillow.
We walked Bo around the dog park. I went bicycling at sunset. In the evening we worked on some "inside" preparations for putting the trailer into storage.
Saturday ; Sunny and hot.
This morning we worked on the final preparations of the fifth wheel trailer for summer storage. At noon Laszlo came over with his truck, we hooked up our trailer to his truck, and he towed it to the storage area. We got it positioned and unhitched. I discovered a large crack underneath the bedroom area / front overhang of the trailer that I will have to repair next winter. < sigh >
Joanne did a lot of laundry today, all afternoon and into the evening. This afternoon we finished loading and preparing the truck camper for the return trip north. Joanne phoned her sister. I visited with Laszlo and Gail. Late in the afternoon we returned to the storage yard and finished "summerizing" the trailer. Joanne stored all the laundered clothing and linens in the trailer. We walked around the dog park with Bo. I went bicycling at sunset, my last sunset bicycle ride here this season.
I received another phone call from someone in BC who wants a trailer towed before we return home, my third "lost opportunity" in recent weeks. Why does everyone want their trailers moved so early ? Isn't it still winter in BC ?
DSK
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