Tuesday, February 28, 2017, Move to Quartzsite, AZ

Finally, it was time to say goodbye to Adobe Sunset RV Park and head north to Quartzsite, AZ. An easy drive of 75 miles (81,557.6 miles total) that we already practiced, so there were no surprises. We were joining the American Coach Chapter of the FMCA for a "pre-Rally" at the Holiday Palms RV park. The big winter rush was over so we will see Quartzsite as the sleepy little desert town it is 10 months out of the year.

I think Sam is digging his new bed.

Wednesday, February 15, 2017, Yuma Hamfest and Foothills

Adobe Sunset RV Park in Yuma, AZ (formerly Adobe Village) was not loaded with amenities, but it had a vacancy and that was what mattered most. Unfortunately, the park was not really "pet-friendly". They expected I would take Sam directly to the gate and walk him outside of the park. Usually, I get to meet the other campers on our jaunts around the park. There was also no pool or spa, but we were close to the clubhouse, so I just had to find other ways to meet people.

I checked in at RVillage (sometimes referred to as "Facebook" for RV'ers) and found our neighbors, Joe and Nancy, were also members. That prompted a conversation where I learned they were avid Geocachers and Ham radio enthusiasts. They both held General class licenses and told me with a little study I could get my license.

Since high school, I always had an interest in radio, but never scratched that itch. I decided, why not?  I looked over the Technician class exam questions and hoped I was ready. I passed my test at the Yuma Hamfest a few weeks later. I have to say I was pretty much overwhelmed by all of the stuff, new and used, that was available at the fest. I may have an operating license, but I have a lot to learn.

I bought a small handheld 2 band (2 meter and 70 centimeter) radio on Amazon as soon as I had my license in hand. Joe helped me program it and what do you know - I have a new hobby. Maybe I should have learned more about geocaching and I might have picked up one more. There certainly are a lot of ways to spend your time when life no longer revolves around a job.

Yuma has quite a large number of RV parks and we were surrounded on three sides by campers. To the east was a neighborhood with actual grass and trees. It made a good destination for Sam's walks. Eventually, I ventured out further and in different directions until we were taking a 2-mile walk a couple of times a day. I had on new shoes, so I kept Sam moving. He never wants me in the lead so he will run if I get ahead of him while he sniffs something "interesting". Our morning walks often started out a little cool, but usually warmed up before we got home.

We explored the foothills area to the east of Yuma. It was ideal for people with RVs. Most lots were just under a quarter acre (maybe 7000-8000 sqft) and surrounded by a short brick wall. People had built everything from a bare-bones RV pad to extravagant RV port homes. The Zillow map showed properties ranging from $40k to $400k+. When we decide to establish another home base this might be an option.

See the stairs leading up to a rooftop deck?  We hope to have that someday, but it requires a view of something interesting to make it worth it.

On many lots, you would find a small casita and one or two hook-ups for RVs (some had as many as 4 RV setups.)

Stucco artists have made a splash in Yuma.  So many interesting, one-of-a-kind creations.

Thursday, February 9, 2017, Back to the Dentist

Today I returned to Los Algodones, Mexico and I actually had my first experience in the chair. The dentist, Yuriria Tellez Barrera, DDS, who went by Yuri (which sounded more like Judy) spoke a little English. After evaluating my situation, however, she needed help translating to let me know how bad things were. Instead of simply installing two crowns I was going to need some extra work.

Both problem teeth were back molars and both had broken away enough that root canals were necessary (I suspected that would be the case) as well as gum surgery to expose enough of the teeth to mount the crowns a post and core build-up (didn't expect those). I was pleased to find out, even with the extra work needed it was still just a fraction ($1,340 total) of what it would have cost in the US ($8,300+). I gave them the OK and work commenced.

I grabbed this photo from Alamo's website.  I think that is Yuri working on an unknown patient.

Yuri carved the posts and sent me to the next room for the root canals. Surprisingly, I never experienced the least bit of pain or discomfort during the entire process. Later, when the feeling returned, I expected to need something for pain (a prescription was offered), but I never needed it. The next day another doctor cut away some of the gumline in an operation they called "crown lengthening."  After stitching everything up, temporary crowns were installed and they were ready to send me home. They told me I needed to let the surgery heal for three weeks before continuing.

We already had rally plans and reservations down the road, so we would no longer be so close. In 5 weeks we would be in Casa Grande, AZ (a 187 mile one-way trip instead of the 22 miles from our site in Yuma). All I could do was to hope the temporaries held up for the next month until I could get back to finish up.

Bottom line, if you decide to make the trip to Los Algodones for dental, allow plenty of time just in case. So far it has been a great experience, we will see how it goes in 5 weeks.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017, FIrst time in Mexico

I put off needed dental work for more than 6 months until we could get to Mexico. A lot of people told us they had a positive experience south of the border and with no insurance, it seemed like it was worth a try. We parked on the US side and walked across just to get a feel for Los Algodones, Mexico and the process of re-entering the States.

We were told Los Algodones was a very safe city, this is one reason why.

Los Algodones, Mexico has a population of under 6,000. 

Joani's research led us to Alamo Dental. It was down a crowded alleyway, but it looked good and we made an appointment for later in the week.

Fellow RVers recommended Alamo Dental Group to us and the online review cemented that decision.

It was almost comical how many dentists (close to 300), opticians (over 11), and pharmacies (15 or so) were packed into a dozen square blocks. Obviously, there are enough people passing through to keep them in business. We headed back around 11:30 and cleared the border control checkpoint in less than 10 minutes (subsequent visits showed us that was quite an anomaly - the typical wait in the afternoon was more than an hour).