Well the RV washers were suppose to be here between 7-8 AM. NO SHOW NO CALL – the hell with them! At 8:30 we were on the road to do our 200 miles to Congress.
Things along the way…
Denny’s birthday party that evening…..
And Sandy & Ed’s wedding anniversary…
We had a nice pot luck diner…….
Wow…what a day….
I got a second response from Newmar first thing this morning. They are due to replace our Luan roof under warranty in May. Newmar speaks very high of it but I don’t like it one bit. I call it a piece of thin wood with a rubber coat over it. I asked what the cost difference would be if they installed fiberglass vice Luan. Last year they just said NO, they wouldn’t do it. That was the shop manager. Now they have responded back with $9,000. I sent them an email back and reminded them that they already agreed to replace the Luan roof under warranty and I thought it was very high for the upgrade. They kicked up my request to management and came back with $4,500 for all parts/labor for the fiberglass upgrade. Done deal…….
We went into Algodones for our dental appointment with Dr. Connie (first name). Upon arrival we started asking questions. They wanted $50 for my teeth cleaning. They wanted $150 to repair a tooth (one) for Carol. You know we just said no thanks and went down the street to American Dental. We went there because we have heard about it for years and years but just never took the effort to check it out. We now were on a mission. It was just about 50 feet away and we had walked by it several times earlier. We get there and talk to Dr Aaron (first name). He cleaned my teeth for $20. Carol got three fillings and repaired another broken tooth for $140. So this is our “go to” dental office in the future.
We waited in line for the border crossing about 45 minutes. Not real bad considering it was 4 PM.
This is a pretty routine for a full timer for cheap dental costs, cheap glasses or cheap drugs in Mexico.
We returned to the Beast and got ready for our RV wash and deportation in the morning.
Yep, it was windy.
I cooked breakfast, omelets, for the girls. Susie felt good about her dental work and decided to leave. She had a 200 mile trip back to Congress so she wanted to get an early start.
The RV wash guys couldn’t wash the rig because of the winds. We agreed they would come back between 7 & 8 AM on Tuesday. We figure they will wash it and then we will air dry it on the way back to Congress.
I watched NASCAR and Carol went into town to do her girl shopping.
The wind kicked up even more and we had to put in the sides on one side. The slide out covers were ballooning when the slides were out.
We hunkered down and called it an evening.
Susie called yesterday from Phoenix and asked if she could spend the night with us. She wanted to go to Algodones to get some dental work done also. She came down yesterday and went into Algodones. She spent last night with us and will go again to Algodones.
Saturday we all went to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. Carol & I headed for the big Flea Market and Susie headed for Algodones again. The flea market now charges a $1 to get in and it has only about 50% of its vendors. It shuts down here in a couple of weeks.
We all met back at the rig and Susie needed to spend another night to make sure her dental work is OK. Otherwise she would return to them Monday.
The winds kicked up and the temps dropped.
See ya……………
Why somebody would set their sat dish in another site?
Looks like diner
I don’t want to be near this guy going down the road.
Secure?
He turned on the water so his dogs could drink out of the spigot and not on the ground! This could be your next site.
Play time for the sand ATV/rails.
Full hook up 50 AMP $11 using AOR membership.
We went down to Algodones and got our dental checked out. Now we have to go back Monday afternoon to get it done.
See ya…….
I just couldn’t get around to washing the RV. I called Pilot Knob RV Park which is where we area headed Friday. I have gotten previous RVs washed there and never had a problem. I even got a wash and hand wax for $100 the year before last. I lost the outfits number that I usually use once or twice a year. I went with the people who the park recommended. This outfit will charge $1 a foot to wash and come with the park’s saying they have had not one complaint about this new outfit’s work. They will come out Sunday at 9AM. Done deal. Of course it hasn’t rained there in awhile and now they are calling for rain there. We are not sure how long we will be at Pilot Knob. We have to be back in Congress for settlement Wednesday next week.
I have a tooth that needs pulling probably and Carol needs a filling. When we get there to the park on Friday we will immediately head for Algodones, Mexico about 10 minutes away. We have a dentist in mind. Hopefully we can get ur done Friday and or Saturday and leave Sunday after the RV wash. Of course that’s in a perfect situation which we all know the odds of that happening are slim but it’s a goal. We have a real plan B & C which would just bore most people.
Carol continues to line dance morning, afternoon and tonight.
See ya……………
Our jello plans are adding on places. A month in Livingston (April) for medical remains the same. Then to Newmar (May) to replace the roof – same jello. Then to Md to visit relatives for a couple of weeks – not new but the time frame is. Then we will head west with stops in Wi Dells, Badlands, Black Hills, Devils Tower, Gillette, Boulder, Moab, North Rim Grand Canyon, Zion Nat Park, Vegas (line dancing), Palmdale, Fresno area, Yosemite, & Marysville (line dancing) AND places in between! Of course this will change but it gives us a rough idea until we want/desire/need to change it. The only places that are set in concrete (at this time) are Livingston (April), Newmar (May), Md & then the Fresno area (Sep).
The full timers we know do their travels about the same way we do. That is they have places they need to be and other places they will probably be. It’s that simple. We know of no one that full times and everyday determines were they are going the next day. Oh it might be ever so often for a short period of time but they have places to be for what ever the reasons. That’s what’s great about this life style. We decide when and where for many various reasons.
We will have two RV lots to go to. One in Livingston, TX and one in Congress, AZ. If we do so much traveling why have a lot much less two. One reason is because we can. It’s that simple. We like both places and have good friends at each. Livingston has become our place for our “stuff” to rest. Full time RVers usually give their stuff to other full timers. Why? They know it will be used and appreciated. I gave stuff away while in Congress recently. Really didn't need the items and someone else could. It’s that simple. We will stay in Congress about two months of the year. We live in our RV at each place. We have a lot of storage in Livingston and we keep a lot of “stuff” that we have accumulated over the years. We are pack rats. For some reason a lot of full time RVers are pack rats. You wouldn’t think so since we usually only have so much space. I guess it’s the key word pack. We do know how to pack. Just don’t ask us to get anything out because we would have to first remember where the thing is then unpack it.
Yes, Carol is line dancing and I’m rambling on in the blog.
See ya………….
The last time we were here for this rally Carol asked me to get some group pictures. They have a special time when they would get all dressed up and they had a designated photographer take pictures. Well, I took pictures last time but stayed out of the way of the their photographer. When they saw my pictures they used my photos to make copies and give out. This year they asked Carol if I would be their official photographer. Of course I will for Carol. Taking a group picture is pretty easy because their not moving. Animals and birds are the difficult ones to take.
This full timer likes to keep the exterior of the Beast clean and shiny. I’ve neglected that over the past couple of months. I have now completed the front end to include a coat of Aerospace 909. I use that stuff to help clean the bugs off easier later down the road. I then wiped down top to bottom the left & right side front. Those are the areas around the door and then the driver window area. I also sprayed the tires with a cleaner. I still have about 2/3 of the coach to wipe down in 3 days. I might get it done.
Just another quiet boring day….
See ya.
The Beast’s Ghost is back. He’s been gone for about a month or so. I was on the internet and about 5:10 AM the ghost returned. The Beast’s dash lights came on. The horn tooted twice. We don’t have keyless entry or any alarm system. All the outside running lights came on. First I looked for the cat. She was asleep nearby. I turned on the dash lights on then off and they remained on. I pushed several buttons with no luck. The lights remained on. I turned on the ignition on then off. Everything returned to normal.
Last night we had no heat on. When I got up this morning I turned on the front heat pump and turned off the electric hydro hot heater. We run about 17/18 AMPS doing this. Being that it’s only 50 degree’s out this works fine.
Carol left about 9 AM for her line dancing. We’ve be coming to this area for about 10 years or so. We’ve seen major changes in the local area around the campground. During our travels and returning to our favorite spots we have seen changes but not in all areas. We still like the quiet out of the way places. This area is just the opposite. It’s buzzing with all sorts of movement by a lot of people and a lot of stores. then
I shaved and got a short haircut. That’s not a biggee but I got it done.
Carol did come back for a couple of hours then went back to her line dancing in the evening. She returned home before her carriage turned back into a pumpkin.
See ya……
January 2011 to January 2012 we traveled 19K miles. Projected mileage for 2012 is under 12K and not due to fuel prices. We paid as high as $5.19 ($ converted) for fuel in Whitehorse, Yukon. The least was $3.19 in Yuma, AZ. We used 52 gals of LP. Remember, we only use LP to cook and the frig uses it when we aren’t hooked up to electric. We have a Hydro Hot heating system/hot water which uses diesel thus fuel mileage is affected.
We went thru 21 states, 3 of Canada provinces and several short walking trips to Mexico.
The three high points of 2011 was our trip to Alaska, bought the Beast and sold the RV Driving School. Yes there were many highlights but these came to mind real quick.
Three low points were Carol’s Mom diagnosed with cancer (doing fine now). Bought the Beast (yes). And when we left Alaska. And yes there were others.
Lessons learned. Make sure the wife really loves the next RV. Stay away from RV Renovators (Phoenix) for floor cabinets. Not to spend $450 for a Magna Shade windshield cover. We learned loosey goosey traveling with others was great fun. We learned to enjoy staying a little longer in one stop. Hell of a lot was learned just about everyday.
Expectations/Goals for 2012. Carols desires more line dancing. I desire some Razor rallies/adventures. We want to stay a little longer at places – more often. Of course seeing new places via different routes continues. We (I) have already purchased a truck and a Razor. We are in the middle of purchasing a lot at North Ranch, Congress, AZ.
We (Carol) are at a line dance rally right now.
NASCAR racing is on…….
see ya……………..
