Yuma And Friends

Well we are still here at Pilot Knob RV Resort in Yuma. After much thinking and looking around, we decided to join the Western Horizons Resorts program and hence have been able to stayat Pilot Knob for at least two weeks if we want to.

We are planning to move on to St Davids, Arizona (near Tombstone) on Tuesday and then after 6 days there we will head to Casa Grande ( between Tuscon & Phoenix).

We saw Judy's Cousin Dee on Saturday. On Sunday we celebrated Judy's 60th with a relaxing day around the RV Site having MargaritaS while BBQ'ing steaks. We had a good visit with Stan's cousin Sandi and her Husband Bob when they came by on Monday.

After picking up a rental car on Wednesday, we went to the flea market on Thursday- lots of stuff, people, dust and smoke.

Today we went to Mexico for the afternoon and while wandering the streets we ran into Dan & Claire Kelly- friends from Victoria. Small world isn't it.

With Dan & Claire in Mexico

Enjoying a Mandatory Margarita in Mexico with Moe & Lori

After taking an hour to get back into the States, we headed over to Gerry & Dee's RV Resort to watch Gerry in a Jam session. Good music and Good company.

Heard from Bob about the S*** ( white stuff) in the Vancouver area. I think I like the weather here over S***.

Well that's it for now

Yuma

Well we made it to Yuma. We are checked into the Pilot Knob RV Resort until Tuesday morning and then will be looking for another place here in the Yuma vicinity. We plan to rent a car on Monday or Tuesday for a week so that we can see the area.

It seems almost like old home week here as Moe and Lori's friends Gene and Carol Spraglen came to see us today and will be checking into Pilot Knob tomorrow. We also called Stan's Cousins Bob & Sandi and will be seeing them tomorrow or Monday. We will be contacting Judy's Cousin Dee and her husband Gerry - They are staying just down the road at the Caravan Oasis RV Resort.

Judy and I are getting ready to celebrate our birthdays tomorrow(Judy) and Monday (Gary).

Plan to update Blog next on Monday or Tuesday.

Quartzsite - Finally

Well as they say, if something can go wrong, it will and thats what happened with the repair of our RV. After having the part delivery delayed, it finally arived and was installed - BUT THEN - the Ford dealer couldn't get our unit to start. There was no power at all to the engine or chassis and they couldn't figure out why. They called Gary to come out and see if it was the security system - But it wasn't. So at 6 pm it was check back into the Hotel for yet another night. The next morning the dealer found that a connection on one of the solenoids had not been tightened and once that was done our unit started with no problem.

Fianlly at about 2 Pm we got on our way and after an interesting roller coaster ride on US 95 through eastern California we again got to Quartzsite at about 6 pm Arizona time.

We are now dry camping in town and spent the day exploring the various flea markets. - The town is actually one BIG flea market.

Judy and Lori have had a great time looking at the Gems and jewelry and of course spening money on same while Moe and Gary have shown great restraint in this Giant RV/Tool store.

We will be heading to Yuma tomorrow and have reservations at the Pilot Mound RV Site there.

Next up date will be Sunday or Monday.

Still In Laughlin

Well another day here in Mini Las Vegas. The part needed for our RV was supposed to be delivered yesterday by UPS (you no - Unreliable Parcel Services) but didn't get here until this morning so we got to spend another night in the Hotel.

Judy has been trying to win our costs back but at $10.00 to $15.00 per day its going to take a long time.

Plan is to pick up RV this afternoon, stay one more night and then head to Quartzsite tomorrow and Yuma on Saturday Morning.

Next Blog updat should be Sunday.

Plans Change

Well things have certainly changed since we left Indio last Thursday. Our original destination was Quartzsite but we were not impressed when we arrived there and so headed up AZ 95 to the casino at Parker.

While in Quartzsite our Air Conditioner stopped working so the unit was a little warm during the transit.

In Parker we met some really nice people, Lloyd and Donna Redmond from Montana. They suggested that we call the Lake Havasu RV Resort and register as their guests for three nights and four days. We decided that was a good idea and called and made confirmed reservations.

The next day, Friday, we headed to Lake Havasu where I stopped at the Ford dealer and made an appointment to have the A/C fixed. We then continued on to the Lake Havasu RV Resort where we were informed that since we were CANADIANS they would NOT put us up for the three nights and that we would have to find accommodation elsewhere. Finding a spot in Lake Havasu in the late afternoon Friday turned out to be impossible so we left the UNFriendly atmosphere of Lake Havasu and headed north to Laughlin, NV and the Dry Camping area of the Ramada Express Hotel and Casino. This turned out to be one of the best decisions we could have made as we each have a large camping area in a secure and quiet lot behind the hotel. We have been able to use the pool etc and have enjoyed ourselves experiencing the night life of this mini Las Vegas.

Of course all things can't be perfect and Yesterday ( Monday) we were brought back to reality when the local Ford dealer determined that our A/C problem was caused by a coolant leak through faulty Radiator hoses. Since the first parts sent were the wrong ones, the $1100.00 repair has stretched into two days and we have spent the last night in a hotel room at the Ramada. Our Warranty coverage apparently doesn't cover this repair either since it was the rubber hoses that went ( even though we had everything checked on January 24 by the Ford dealer in Victoria). Of course we will be following this up.

Hopefully everything will be fixed today and we can start heading for Yuma tomorrow. We are planning an overnight in Quartzsite and then a couple of days dry camping in Yuma before checking into a resort for the weekend to celebrate our birthdays. Hopefully we will have better luck at this resort.

Weather is sunny and warm.

Next Blog update should be next Sunday.

Heading East

Tonight is our last night here at the Shadow Hills RV Resort in Indio. Tomorrow we continue our journey with Moe and Lori and head to Quartzsite Arizona for 2 or 3 days of boon docking it ( thats RV talk for dry camping - ie no water, electrical, sewer, cable or internet hook ups).

We turned in our rental car this morning and spent most of the day cleaning up and packing up.
The rental was pretty reasonable- $129.25 US for 5 days rental - and a total of $45.00 for gas.

Tonight we went to a P3 party at the resort rec centre (opps should be "center" - we are in USA). P3 is Pizza, Pop & pie. It was good- three good size slices of Pizza, salad , Pop and a vast & varied selection of pies. Of course we aldo sampled some local California wine.

Yesterday was a pretty quiet - we took it easy in the morning and then toured the local area in the afternoon. Judy and Lori perfected their Lemon & Greatfruit picking skills. ( They have been making fresh lemon-aide every day. ) We also went for Date shakes and pigged out on fresh dates and other local fare. After we got back we enjoyed a couple of Margarettas and a good $1.97/bottle Merlot.

I have been biking about 12 km and swimming 10 to 20 lengths each day so hopefully I won't see a weight gain. Judy is hoping that moderation will help her.

Thats all for now. Since I don't expect to have Internet for the next 3 or four days, my next update will probably be next Monday or Tuesday.

Still In The Palm Springs Area

We have been enjoying ourselves here in the Palm Springs Area since we arrived last Thursday.

Our trip here was a little windy and as the following picture shows, we encountered some graphic evidence of why we must drive with care in windy conditions.

This picture is of a trailer that was blown completely over by a bad gust of wind.

As we don't have a car with us, we rented one for our stay and have been touring the area. On Friday we went shopping and replenished the larders.

Saturday, after going for a run and bike ride, we headed out and toured the Salton Sea area south of Palm Springs. This is definitely and interesting site. The Sea was created in 1905 during some flooding in this are and since it has no outlet is getting saltier each year. There is a campaign on to try to save the sea from drying up and disappearing. As can be seen in this picture, it is still wet and sea like.

Sunday was supposed to be a layed back day and started well as Judy and I went for a long bike ride. Unfortunately, Judy hadn't drunk enough water and became dehaydrated. This caused her to loss her concentration, hit the curb and and take a hard fall. After spending about 3 hours in emergency we found out that she had a bad jam of her clavical and shoulder bone causing severe swelling and pain.. She will be all right but uncomfortable for the next few days.

Judy, the trooper that she is, decided that she would soldier on, so today we headed out to Joshua Tree National Park. This park is where the Mojave and Colorado Deserts meet and has some exceptional landscape. It also contains large expanses of the Joshua Tree.

A happy but sore Judy

Exotic Rock Formations

A Cacus Garden

Joshua Tree

Palm Springs Finally

Well we finally made it. We are in Southern California, Indio ( near Palm Springs) to be exact.

It looked at first that we might not get away as Lori, our friend and fellow traveller, broke her tooth late Friday nite and had trouble finding a dentist to do an emergency repair. After many frantic phone calls she found one and our trip departure was only delayed by two hours.

So Saturday January 27, we caught the 11 am ferry and spent the first night at the Tulalip Casino in Everett Washington. Overnighting was free but Casino is pricey.

The next day we journeyed as far as Canyonville Oregon where we spent the night at the Seven Feathers Casino. Again overnighting was free and we enjoyed a great rib eye steak dinner for only $6.95 each. Nice Casino also.

Day three destination was the Rolling Hills Casino in Corning California. Again, overnighting was free although they do have a RV Park attached which is $25.00/nite. Internet was $4.95/hr and showers would have cost $7.00. Free is definitly better deal. We enjoyed their Buffet for $14.95 minus a $2.00 discount for seniors. Casino has a Large non smoking area.

The fourth night we spent at in the parking lot of the Harris Ranch Inn at I-10 exit 334. Again no charge. There are two options here for parking. One is with the trucks - secure, dark but not quiet. The other option is in the paved parking lot between the two sections of Harris Ranch. Quieter but also much brighter due to the security lites. We stayed with the truckers and enjoyed a good nights sleep.

Last night we stayed at the Calico Ghost Town just off I-15 east of Barstow California. Cost was $20.00 for a drive through full service site just a short walk away from the restored Ghost Town of Calico. The cost included entry to the town. This was a very interesting site and well worth the trip. Thanks for the suggestion Stan.

Tonite we are at the Shadow Hills RV resort in Indio CA. We will be staying her for the nest 5 days and renting a car to tour the area. Site cost with the Happy Camper Discount is $25.00 per night.