Sunday, March 12, 2017, Move to Gold Canyon, AZ

We were both looking forward to our next stop for some time now. Joani had a coupon from Superstition Views at Canyon Vista RV Resort in Gold Canyon, AZ, (east of Phoenix).  It gave us a free week with full hookups (she saved the coupon from the Tampa Supershow more than a year ago).  The day's drive was 37.8 miles (81,745 total) - barely enough to get the engine warmed up.

This is the unit that I fell in love with.  Park your motorhome next to the house with the door opening to the back patio (Concrete pad, electric, water and sewer already there).  It faced a beautiful green space and the rooftop deck had a view of the Superstition Mountains.

We expected a high-pressure sales pitch, but it never happened. Instead, they said "spend as much time as you like in the models and enjoy the rooftop decks any time.  Oh, and free drinks in the refrigerators in every model (including beer and wine)."  What a brilliant sales model.  We didn't buy, but we have never been more tempted.

We took advantage of the rooftop decks, but early morning or evening would have been the perfect time to chill and take in the views.

 This is what they look like going in.  This crawl space remains under the home.


When they are done, they no longer look like a mobile home.

 The price was right, $99,000.00 if it ended there.  But no, that gets you the house - you don't own the land.  That is another $6,500+ a year plus taxes and utilities.  I think not owning the land is a deal breaker.  Darn! (Plus, I'm not ready to slow down yet.)

There was a small airfield close by, so I saw quite a few of these guys flying over us.  I keep thinking I should look into one of these powered parachutes and then I think it would probably be terrifying. Maybe I could just go for a short test flight that never climbs more than say, 20 feet and stays over the landing strip. That would probably be enough to break me from thinking about flying anymore.  It would also keep me from spending around $10,000 on another hobby.

One day we drove towards the Superstition Mountains and enjoyed a little closer inspection of the same rugged skyline we could see from the park. If I haven't said so before I have really grown to appreciate the beauty of the desert landscape.

Saturday, March 11, 2017, Wild Horse Pass Casino

Our next reservation did not start for another day, so we stopped at a casino across the street from the rally - a 1.0-mile move (81,707.2 total). It was a hot one, so we spent some time in the coach with the generator running just to have air conditioning.

This was one of the most impressive casinos that we have been in outside of Vegas. We always sign up for the player card when we are at a casino for the first time. The only time we really enjoy the slots is when we're playing with the house's money. They loaded $10 on each of our cards. Joani pocketed $4.10 from her free $10. For the first time, I had pretty good luck. I managed to parlay my free $10 into a whopping $23.00. We usually end up giving it right back to them at the restaurant the next morning for breakfast.

Wild Horse Pass Casino had a nice section on the west side of the casino/hotel just for RVs that looked much like a Rest Stop RV parking area and felt very safe.  No need to check in and overnight stays were welcome.  Don't forget to apply for a free "players card" and get your $10 of free play.

Sunday, March 5, 2017, FMCA Rally in Chandler, AZ

Our morning "moving day" routine was threatened by a tire that reported low. I figured it was the valve extension, so after a little tightening I aired it up. A few minutes later the tire monitor system said it was low again. This time it was operator error in not properly seating the sensor. We got squared away (tires were all good) and joined a three coach convoy with Loren/Sharon and Jim/Carmen on our way to the FMCA Rally at the Rawhide Western Town and Event Center in Chandler, AZ. Our drive was a modest 148.6 miles (81,706.2 total) and went without incident. We all stayed together despite pretty heavy traffic around Phoenix.  

I think of Kate and Mike anytime I see a Safari Trek with a feline mural.

When we arrived at the rally, things did not go quite so smoothly. It was the first-day parking rush and the crew had to deal with more than 600 coaches. Our trip from Quartzsite took less time than our wait to be parked. In the end, the confusion lead to our 25 coaches being parked in several places, but we were with the main group of about a dozen American Coaches. I am not complaining - those guys were all volunteers and I would not want that job!

A parking goof resulted in a large gap next to our coach that worked well for "Happy Hour" get-togethers each afternoon.

Everybody's parked!  Must be time for happy hour!!  This is why we love rallies - good times with good friends.

Coffee and donuts are a must in the mornings while we enjoy the "Frustrated Maestros" (a staple at FMCA rallies).

Myself, Loren, Virginia, Tony, Sharon, Carmen and Jim are relaxing next to Jim and Carmen's beautiful new American Dream.  American Coach decided to reintroduce the Dream in 2016.  It's gorgeous!

Thursday, March 2, 2017, ACC Pre-Rally in Quartzsite, AZ

Sam was spoiled with long walks at our last location, so he demanded ever further sojourns along Main Street in Quartzsite. After a couple of early morning walks, I finally remembered to take a camera to capture a little of the town's history. I think the adobe house below was falling apart faster than the preservation society could prop it up. 

The Camel Stop Service Station, next to the original Post Office, gave a little hint at the town's past.

Joani researched the town history and adds: Hi Jolly was born Philip Tedro in 1828 in Smyrna, Greece (which is Izmir, Turkey today) to a Greek mother and a Syrian father. He was an Ottoman Turkish citizen of Greater Syria (a bit confusing). As an adult, he converted to Islam and called himself Hadji Ali which sounded like Hi Jolly to the American ear. He was hired by the US Army to bring camels across the American desert to be used as beasts of burden. The army acquired 33 camels (and later 41 - 44 more) and Hi Jolly was the lead camel driver (after all, the camels didn't speak English) hired to help conduct an experiment in using camels for military use

The experiment failed due to politics and the inability of the horses and mules to forgive their intrusion (camels freaked them out). The camels were auctioned off and/or set free and Hi Jolly bought a few. Hi Jolly lived a long and colorful life, but died in 1902 and was buried in Quartzsite. A few old-timers believe camels still roam the Arizona desert. Two movies, Southwest Passage in 1954 and Hawmps! in 1976 were loosely based on the army's camel experiment.

His remains were interred in the camel topped pyramid in the Quartzite cemetery, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.

The ACC pre-rally was very nice, but it does seem like we did a lot of eating. The caterer cooked at an outdoor kitchen and worked magic with our meals. There was always too much and I managed to take home leftovers that we warmed up for days (Sam got to sample a little of the breakfast bacon).

The dining hall served as the ACC meeting room, usually right after breakfast before everyone disappeared for a nap.

It was so nice to see Loren and Sharon, Jim and Carmen and Terry and hear their RVing tales.

Before dinner one evening, the "Naked Bookseller" (the evening's entertainment) spent a few minutes checking out the piano that was just carried into the hall. We had that to think about all through our meal - what were we going to see on full stomachs?

As it turned out, Paul Winer's act (aka/Sweet Pie) was very entertaining. He has had more than twenty years to tailor his show to RV audiences and he was never naked (as we have heard he is in his bookstore).

What a hoot!!  Much of his routine revolved around the clothes he was wearing and the interesting life he has led.  His music was boogie-woogie at its best with hilarious lyrics.

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.