2019 Snowbird Winter Trip around the US
Friday night, Jan. 11th, 2019.
It is about -7 C outside at 10 pm as we are all hunkered down in the motor home at Brian & Missy’s place out be the local airport in Edmonton. My UI (employment insurance) ran out today so we are heading south tomorrow morning. We have a window of warmer weather so it will hopefully be not too cold as we make our way over the mountain passes
Sat.Jan 12th
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| Our Starting Point. Edmonton old private airport |
We had hoped to leave at 0600, but Nikko had a restless night and Darlene had the runs from the Wendy burger for supper, soooooo, it was 8:30 before we headed out. Beautiful sunrise along with -13 C temperature. As we headed south it started to get warmer.
We stopped in Red Deer and put 250.00 of diesel (1.29/litre) which brought us up to 3/4 full.
Got brunch at Tim Horton’s and on the road about 45 min. later. It was warm there (6 C above) and was 15 above by the time we hit Clareshome.
The border at Coutts was not busy and we had a pleasant fellow to deal with. We pulled into Great Falls Walmart around 6:40 pm. There were 4 other RVs there. It was 40 F when we pulled into the parking lot. This is a good spot to crash, as it is easy to get to. It is a Supercenter Walmart on 701 Smelter Ave.
We drove a total of 523 miles today. It is now 2100 and everyone is in bed.
Sun. Jan.13th
Up at 5:30, took the dogs out for their pee in the Walmart parking lot.
Drove the car around the lot for a good 7 min notes to ensure fluid was warm and flowing through transmission, rear-end and gears for our drive ahead. Not too cold today and clear skies overhead as the sun starts to rise.
It is 7:00 am as we pull out of the parking lot heading south. It is a couple of degrees below freezing and calm at present but will get colder as we go through the numerous mountain passes ahead of us today on I-15.
As we go climb the passes the passing lane gets used less and less, with some ice and packed snow on it in places but there is always a good lane to drive on today.
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| View of car as we motor down the road |
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| One of mountain passes en our trip |
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| Scipio - Eagles Landing Truck Stop |
We drove a total of 698 miles today
Mon. Jan 14th
On the road by 0630, after the usual routine of warming the car and taking the dogs for a walk. Darlene was not happy with leaving that early, but I wanted to give us some extra time in case anything went wrong on the road. Immediately after leaving Scipio we began to climb and soon we had hoar frost on both sides of the road along with a couple of inches of snow from a previous snow storm as we went higher in elevation. By 1000 the landscape became noticeably different and the desert began to surface as we continued our journey south. The last mountain pass (where we go down) had no construction this year which was nice, as it was quite narrow in years past. We stopped in Kingman for diesel as we were getting low and then we stopped to get the coach and car washed at the Truck Tub Mexican car wash for 60 USD,
which was a good deal, EXCEPT I noticed a big scrape on the back right of the motorhome that I am pretty sure was from their ladder.
As we neared Vegas, Darlene phoned Havasu Falls RV and we managed to get a spot for a couple of nights as rain was forecast and we also needed water and sewage to de-winterize the motorhome before we could really live in it, as the drive down had us using bottled water for everything. (I put the pink anti-freeze thru everything in the coach before we left Kelowna in October to head for Alberta).
Tue. Jan 15th
Today is my birthday, (67) but we had a lot of cleaning to do on the motorhome. I made a trip up to see Dennis and he is doing well. He has let his hair go white and it looks much better on him. We drove around looking a possible places to stay at but everyone is pretty well booked up in Lake Havasu City at the present time. We went to In and Out Burger for supper, which was a nice treat. I had to book us another night, and luckily they could accommodate us at Havasu Falls. It is supposed to start getting nicer on Thur. as it rained most of the day.
Wed. Jan 16th.
We headed out to look at boon-docking spots south of Lake Havasu and then along the Colorado River at RV spots. We went as far a Parker and then drove back along the other side (California side) on the way back as there are lots of RV sites on both sides. All were booked for long term, and short term is expensive…..
Finally we went to Havasu Springs Resort which is the closest one to Lake Havasu but we did not look at it first as we had looked at it before when we were down and were not sure about it. Anyway, they had a couple of spots open so we booked a spot for the next day, to run until the 28 Feb. It is 500 USD plus electricity over a certain amount at 18 cents/kilowatt. They are right on the lake, have a pool and hot tub. The showers are pretty rough, but they do have pickle ball and some other games and the people are quite friendly. There is a golf course here and it is a member of the Colorado River Adventures, which is a camping time share.
Finally we went to Havasu Springs Resort which is the closest one to Lake Havasu but we did not look at it first as we had looked at it before when we were down and were not sure about it. Anyway, they had a couple of spots open so we booked a spot for the next day, to run until the 28 Feb. It is 500 USD plus electricity over a certain amount at 18 cents/kilowatt. They are right on the lake, have a pool and hot tub. The showers are pretty rough, but they do have pickle ball and some other games and the people are quite friendly. There is a golf course here and it is a member of the Colorado River Adventures, which is a camping time share.
Thur. Jan. 17th.
It was 1100 when we left Havasu Falls with sunny skies and headed South for Havasu Springs Resort. We got in and were set up fairly quickly, although the site is on a bit of an angle and it took
awhile for us to get level. The people behind us (Andy and Connie) have a fire almost every afternoon and we go there frequently to have a drink and socialize with them and others from the resort.
There is lots of room to walk the dogs and there is easy access to the lake for our kayaks.
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| Havasu Springs RV Resort |
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| TJ looking for golf balls |
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| Havasu Springs RV Resort |
There is lots of room to walk the dogs and there is easy access to the lake for our kayaks.
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| Nikko and Teddy on their morning walk @ Havasu Springs |
Sun Jan 20th - Full Lunar Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse
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| Getting ready for Lunar Eclipse |
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| Full Lunar Blood Wolf Moon Eclipse |
Sat. Jan 26th.
Today we headed south to take in the Quartzsite RV show, where the small town of Quartzsite quadruples in size with thousands of RV’s out in the desert boon docking and filling the RV sites in town to the brim. We did not bring the dogs as the “Big Tent” is usually packed and it can get pretty warm. It was fun and we looked at a lot of rigs also. We ended up getting a watering system for the batteries (130 USD) and also a new mat (45 USD) for the outside of the motorhome. (I ran the lawn mower over a bit of the old one last year in Kelowna and it is starting to shred more and more lol). Supper was McDonalds as we did not fare well with food at the fair last year.Sat. Feb 3rd
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| Desert Race is 200 ft. from where we were sitting. |
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| 2019 Off Road Desert Races |
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| 2019 Off Road Desert Races |
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| 2019 Off Road Desert Races |
Thur, Fri, Sat. - Feb. 7, 8, 9th
Thursday was setting up Dennis’s Garage sale. We moved a lot more stuff out and priced it on Thursday. Friday was the day of the sale and I could not believe the number of people who showed up at 0900, an hour ahead of schedule! There was young Chris (14) and Christie (lady helper Dennis hired), Darlene, TJ and myself to manage everything. We had Chris stop people coming in at one time as there were too many to keep track of. Darlene handled the cash and I tried to keep everything in order. Dennis took off as he did not want to be involved. We sold just our 800 USD of stuff the first day. The second day it was very quiet and we shut it down about 1:30 PM. Dennis got us a pizza which was nice. We only sold about 200 USD on this day as there was the Winter Festival drawing people today (Sat.)
Sun. 10th Feb.
Took a drive down to Pirates Den to take in some country band who go there every year according to our group of friends here in Havasu Springs. Nola and Royce go down about 1100 and secure 2 tables. We left about 12 behind Andy and Connie. We arrived to find Ken and Sandy were already there as well, so we sat with them. It was windy and cool so I got the blanket from the car as a poncho which helped a little bit. As we arrived we also spotted Linda and George from Kelowna
so we chatted with them for awhile. They know the band quite well and introduced me to one of them and I mentioned how I liked Marty Robbins’ El Paso tune, which they played for me early in their first set. When we left (early, as it was cool with the wind), we stopped in at office to see if they had any openings and they had just had a cancellation so we booked site 62 for a month starting 1 / March.
so we chatted with them for awhile. They know the band quite well and introduced me to one of them and I mentioned how I liked Marty Robbins’ El Paso tune, which they played for me early in their first set. When we left (early, as it was cool with the wind), we stopped in at office to see if they had any openings and they had just had a cancellation so we booked site 62 for a month starting 1 / March.
Mon. 11th Feb.
Went in to check out Pirate’s Den as we wanted to make sure about the site and also how the wifi was. Ran in to Linda while there, stopped in and arranged to come out tomorrow and get a lesson from George on guitar and go with Linda to Poker at Branson’s Resort down the road from them. Afterwards went in to Parker and visited Spanky’s RV Store and got a water sediment filter (35 USD), and some step covers and also some sewage treatment stuff. Good store with lots of stuff reasonably priced.
Tue. 12th Feb.
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| Pirate's Den on Colorado River |
Wed. 13th Feb.
Repaired shower in motorhome. Had to take it apart and screw in the valve on the hot water side as I think there was some calcium buildup from not using it. Afterwards went in to Lake Havasu to see Dennis. Had to move furniture for Dennis as he does not like new arrangement. While there I also cut some wood to make more pads for motorhome jacks. Back to Havasu Springs at 4:00 pm. Darlene and I went to fire pit for a drink with neighbours and Ken brought out map to show me their route to Alaska this coming June. I made wraps for supper but TJ passed as he does not like chicken we got from Walmart in a bag. Put chairs under motorhome as it is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow.
Thur. 14th Feb. (Valentine’s Day)
Woke up at 6:00 am to the sound of rain on the roof. It spat a little last night, but it is raining heavy this morning. Got up and put the awnings out a bit and then made some coffee while getting the blog up to date.
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| Darlene at pond by Pirate's Den |
We spent a couple of hours trying to find/stop the leaks with moderate success. I put a tarp up around the back A/C unit, but that did not stop the leak. We put the back slide in as water started to pool on top of that slide and seep in. Putting a towel in the A/C vent where it was leaking helped a lot, and putting a towel by the window also helped.
Around 12 pm Darlene and I went in to see Dennis and pick up his jeep for me to use tomorrow. Afterwards we went to Blue Water Casino in Parker. We each got 40 USD to gamble with…. This time I won 60 while Darlene lost 60 (She had 20 left from her winnings last time), so we basically played for free.
The rain finally stopped around 8 pm and we had some patches of clear sky around 9:30 as I could see stars when I took dogs out for their final pee.
Fri. 15 Feb.
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| RV spot upriver from Pirate's Den on Colorado River |
Garage Sale Day, and I am once again up at 6:20. It is starting to dry up outside and clouds are still there, but also some sunshine. Darlene and TJ will not go to Garage Sale today so I leave as Trump starts to make speech about declaring a national emergency for his border wall. Get to Dennis place about 9:05 and the garage sale is pretty good, selling his welder, couch and a bedroom suite, with no dickering on price on these big ticket items. After getting home and a quick shower we go to Elks Lodge in Parker with friends from RV site to see an Elvis impersonator. He was quite good, place was packed. Had a burger and chips for 6 bucks and drinks were reasonable as well. Got home about 9:30 pm. TJ had just gone to bed but left the lights on for us.
Sat. 16 Feb.
Up at 6:20,, Last day of Garage Sale - After coffee I head out to ensure I am early for the sale today. Dennis has put out some more stuff and he wants “everything gone” today… Says his new bottom line for ladder is 300 - I end up getting 350 for it and also sell the welder for 300, which is 120 more than he wanted… Sold quite a bit of stuff, Darlene and TJ go to Rockabilly and after sale I meet them and the dogs at the entrance that Dennis lets me off at. Total proceeds of sale after paying Christine 350 was 2800 and change. After Rockabilly we stop in and see Dennis for a while to visit and pick up my iPad and some water.
Sun. 17 Feb.
Pickleball at 10 while Darlene and TJ go to church. After pickle ball I do dishes, make bed, and take cover off air conditioner. Then I check jacks but decide to wait until Darlene is back as it is a 2 man job to do it manually. We do the jacks manually after Darlene gets back around 4 pm. Have to call George and Linda Gray to cancel guitar lesson and poker as Darlene will be using car tomorrow for nails.
Tue. 19 Feb.
Pickleball at 9, but quite windy and Darlene leaves early as wind is getting in her ear and she is cold (it is about 14 outside, so not really warm). Darlene goes to get nails and a pedicure done at 2. TJ and I play on Xbox and afterwards play with his guns.
Wed. 20 Feb.
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| Sunset just South of Yuma |
Thur. 21 Feb.
Rough night, with Nikko getting up to go outside at 0130, 0330, 0430 and finally at 0530, where Teddy came also. Nikko had runs and also threw up at 0330, but is ok by daylight. It was raining, sometimes hard, during the night, but has stopped at daylight. Still quite windy and cool outside, so will pass on pickle ball this morning. Nice thing was no leaks last night!
Took a drive to Branson’s, thinking there was poker, but it is on Friday, not Thursday. Quiet day in motorhome due to cold outside and windy.
Fri. 22 Feb.
Cold (12 C) and windy today. Took Teddy in to get a haircut and also visited Dennis while he was getting trimmed. Stopped afterwards and had Subway for supper / lunch before going home. Fire at neighbours before turning in for night.
Sat. 23 Feb.
No clouds, and the wind died right down around noon. (20 C) Started washing/waxing motorhome, and showed TJ how to do it. Took TJ up to try pickle ball - he did quite well at it. Took kayak out and Darlene and TJ went to pool where TJ met some kids. Fire at neighbours afterwards and then bbq hot dogs afterwards. Watched Alien on TV - Signourey Weaver was pretty young in the first one!
Sun. 24 Feb. - Oscars
Went for pickle ball - TJ came up to watch and ended up playing with the adults. Both dogs not feeling well, Nikko had some blood in his poop, so we decided not to go to Pirate’s Den to watch the western band. TJ did not want to do anything outside, so Darlene and I took dogs down to Bill Williams Spit for a walk. Both dogs perked up and that seemed to be the torch to get them feeling less lethargic. Afterwards BBQ’s some ribs with baked potatoes and a nice salad. Watched the Oscar’s afterwards.
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| Between Bill Williams Spit and Havasu Springs Resort |
Mon. 25 Feb.
Another beautiful day with sun and little to no wind. TJ did not want to do his schoolwork by himself, Darlene went to Parker to get groceries rather than deal with TJ. I washed/waxed part of motorhome until Darlene got home. Had Devilled Egg sandwiches for lunch and then TJ had to almost be forced to go with me to practice pickle ball. Darlene came up after to let Nikko play as well. Nice afternoon afterwards lazing around in the sun.
Tue. 26 Feb. - Pulled Right Calf Muscle !
Bit of wind, but no clouds this morning as I went to play Pickle Ball. - Scrambling for a “dink ball”, I pulled or strained my right calf quite badly. Limped home and then went to poker by Pirate’s Den while Darlene went to Pokeno being played at 1:00 PM. We both lost, lol. Went to the fire gathering behind our place afterwards.
Wed. 27 Feb.
Calf is still sore, and after taking dogs for a walk, I went in to Lake Havasu (Walmart) for groceries and to visit Dennis for a bit. Darlene made meatballs for the Pot Luck that is being held behind our unit tonight.
3 Fires are set up along with tables and lots of food for the pot luck tonight, which started about 3:30 pm. A couple of guitarists showed up along with about 30 people. It was dead calm, hot and a magical evening as we listened to old western songs over the fires, while a million stars sparkled overhead on a moonless, cloudless night. Food was awesome, with lots of Margaritas and homemade ice cream with Tequila over it for desert. Finally shut it down about 9:30 after a lot of laughs and good times. (Darlene go a Happy Birthday song from everyone also).
Thur. 28 Feb. Darlene’s Birthday
Calf is still sore this morning, so Darlene cancelled our trip to Mexico for dentist visit. Went up to pool in the afternoon (first time, but we leave tomorrow, lol), and gave Darlene our “moon” birthday card. Invited Dennis to super but he passed. Did some packing as we leave tomorrow. Neighbours beside us left early this morning.
Fri. 01 Mar. Move Havasu Springs -> Pirate’s Den Resort
Up and started packing early. There was a late night visitor to site next to us at 0130 which woke us up. He just came in because he wanted power, which is pretty inconsiderate. Anyway, we got packed up and left at 1100 on the nose. Kind of sad to say good-bye to new friends in the site. (Andy / Connie, Nola / Royce, Ken / Sandy, Ron /wife). Got set up in Pirate’s Den quickly and was able to go to Texas Holdem at Brandson’s down the road at 1 pm. (lost again, lol) Ran into Linda from Kelowna who told us about stuff going on here.
Sat. 02 Mar.
First full day at resort was spent getting oriented. Went to Swap Meet outside of resort which was handy as it is same as one in Lake Havasu. Darlene and I went to Blue River Casino after supper….. She won 40 while I lost 40, so we were even at the end of the night.
Sun. 03 Mar. - Breakfast Pot Luck
Linda and George stopped for us en route to breakfast pot luck which was awesome. They also hold a Yahtzee game (1.00 entry) and you can win the pot. No one won. lol. Afterwards Marlene held a poker game which I attended. Texas Holdem with the twist that the last card is dealt face down to everyone, so the hands are quite a bit bigger. Cost was 2.00 and there were 10 people at table. Linda was doing very well early in the game but ended up losing at the end.
Lots and lots of old cars in parking lot and the Cowboy Trio was also playing, which was quite nice. Went for nice walk by beach to listen after cards.
Mon 04 Mar.
TJ is back to school after a week off. Hot and sunny, finally stopped limping on right leg because of calf injury last Tue., but is still tender (soft tissue damage?). Dennis texted and offered his jeep while Darlene is away in Vegas. Made a trip to Havasu to pick up mattress for TJ and some Gin and Tonic for me. Stopped at DQ for Darlene on way back. 26 C in the afternoon…. getting nice !
Tue. 05 Mar. Sue arrives in Vegas
Sue’s plane had mechanical issues and flight was delayed a couple of hours while they found a replacement. Darlene dropped me off at Dennis en route to Las Vegas while I visited Dennis and then brought jeep back to Pirate’s Den. Took kayak out for a long paddle up the river and then back. Did chicken on BBQ, played guitar and Call of Duty in the evening. Got up to 27 C today.
Wed. 06 Mar.
Nice day today, but calf is still sore from a week ago. TJ works on school for quite a while today. In the afternoon we go by Salt Cedar trees to try some portraiture shots with umbrella which turn out
ok.
We do hot dogs (spicy) for supper. Nikko has runs and also threw up, probably from chicken I gave him. He is just lying around today so didn’t go to far from home to keep eye on him.
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| Older cars are regular at Pirate's Den |
ok.  |
| TJ and Teddy |
We do hot dogs (spicy) for supper. Nikko has runs and also threw up, probably from chicken I gave him. He is just lying around today so didn’t go to far from home to keep eye on him.
Thur. 07 Mar.
Another nice day, temperature in the mid twenties. Darlene and Sue get back around 4:30 pm. They had stopped to pick up some groceries., Texted Dennis to let him know I would bring his jeep back tomorrow.
Fri. 08 Mar.
Took jeep back and spent a number of hours with Dennis while Darlene and Sue went to Walmart for groceries. They stopped and picked me up on way home and spent a bit of time with Dennis. There was frozen stuff in car so the visit was short.
Sat. 09 Mar.
A bit of wind, so I took kayak out for a trip downriver with the wind in my face. Down by Parker are a bunch of canals with houses on either side. Very cool. Got tired on the way back as the wind had died down (was hoping it would be on my back), and the current had picked up (was now running against me). Got back in as Darlene, Sue and TJ were going to church. They went to In and Out for supper afterwards and I had stew leftovers.
Sun. 10 Mar.
Breakfast potluck was a lot of fun again, but we got there at 1100, which was late as everyone had already eaten. At 1 pm we went and played washers. They were short a player so TJ got a chance to play as well. Afterwards Darlene and Sue went to see the Country Trio at the pub while i played the second round. After I lost I also joined them to see Nola, Royce, Connie and Andy there with good seats.
Mon. 11 Mar.
Went in to visit Dennis in the morning and also do some video taping of his life. 1 pm was poker at Marlene’s and I was in the final 3, but lost. It started raining and got windy in the evening. Spaghetti for supper.
Tue. 12 Mar. - Rain all day (17 C)
Woke up to heavy rain, and it continued for most of the day. Site 99, which we have booked for next year, had a lot of standing rain in it. When I went across the back to see George, I sunk into mud from the rain. Not a nice day, and some people had to get pumps as they had a good 4 inches of water in front of their doors. Rain finally stopped around 2 pm for the most part, but it still sprinkled on and off until 6 pm.
Wed. 13 Mar - Los Algodones, Mexico (21 C)
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| Selling to tourists in line |
Left at 8:45, got down to parking lot at 11:15, so it is 2.5 hour drive from here. Darlene decided not to visit dentist, so TJ and I went, waited 1.5 hours before I got in after I had made an appointment for 12:15, so we were not finished until 3:30 for cleaning and exams. Cost was 60 USD for both of us, which included x-rays. Darlene, Sue and dogs were in Puerto Plaza having margaritas and dancing up a storm. When we finally left, the line up was really bad for the border (walk across) so we went back and had supper, during which time Darlene made a long trip to bathroom, lol. It was 5:30 when we went back to line, and it had not changed. We did not get thru customs until 8:10, which meant we waited in line 2 hours and 40 minutes.
There were 3 agents when we got there, but I think they only had the usual 2 for most of the day. The border closes at 10 pm, and if your car is in parking lot, it gets towed to Yuma as you only pay for a day pass, not overnight. Brought back 3 bottles of booze and some creams and pills. Lots of razor wire along border now, and lots of us soldiers in tents by the border crossing. Not a pleasant sight for sure! Got home at 11:15, and it was only 9 C at that time.
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| Lineup for US at Los Algodonos, Mexico |
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| Selling hats.... cheap ! |
There were 3 agents when we got there, but I think they only had the usual 2 for most of the day. The border closes at 10 pm, and if your car is in parking lot, it gets towed to Yuma as you only pay for a day pass, not overnight. Brought back 3 bottles of booze and some creams and pills. Lots of razor wire along border now, and lots of us soldiers in tents by the border crossing. Not a pleasant sight for sure! Got home at 11:15, and it was only 9 C at that time.
Fri. 22 Mar.
Went out and helped Dennis with cleaning up lawn and some stuff in garage. Played poker on return and then Darlene and Sue went to church at 3:00 pm. Had fire ready for them on their return which was nice.
Sat. 23 Mar.
Repaired shelf in back closet while Darlene and Sue went to swap meet. There was a Blues Festival by swap meet in the afternoon that we went to and listened from the cheap seats. It was a group from LA and they were very good. Cost was 25 USD at door or 20 USD in advance. We didn’t pay, just stayed outside by river.
Sun. 24 Mar
Sunny, 31 C today. Had breakfast at Terry’s on the beach, then played Poker at Marlene and Dale’s at 1:00 pm. Joined the girls at the bar to listen to the end of the Country Trio and chatted with Nola and Royce while there. Took a drive out to Bill Williams at dusk but too late and the light was no good.
Tue. 26 Mar. Going Away Party
Going away party at the Bar (3 - 7 pm) included burger, meat balls and salad for free, along with music by Ed. We had a very nice time, knocking off 3 pitchers of beer between Sue and I.
Darlene had a couple of Margaritas and we left about 6:30
Wed. 27. Mar.
Left at 10 for Los Algodones as I had an appointment at 2 pm for 3 Crowns. Had to wait 1/2 hour before I got in there, but once in the work took about 1.5 hours to remove old fillings and one crown. This included the gold filling. A temporary filling was put on and I was at the border by 4 pm. Border only took 1 hour and 20 minutes to get thru, which allowed me some time to stop en route back to Pirate’s Den to take some photos of Sagura cactus and sunset.
Thur. 28 Mar.
Went to see Dennis first thing, and took back the infra-red cooker that we had no room for. Afterwards I spent most of the afternoon packing, but finally shut it down about 3 to go to bar for Karaoke. Sat with George and Linda, then took some photos of George at the end, before they went out to supper. Filled up our water tank with water that went thru neighbours water softener at night.
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| George Gray |
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| George Gray |
Fri. 29 Mar. Adios, Pirate’s Den
Up and started packing outside before 8 am. We left at 10 am, which was nice, as our destination was Yuma, where I had a dentist appointment for 2, to remove temp. crowns and have permanent ones. 3 Crowns for 540 USD !
We got down to the Casino at 1 PM, and I was at the dentist precisely at 2 pm. Went straight in as they were no longer busy. Had the woman dentist this time and she told me what she was doing and was also much more gentle that the male dentist. I was finished by 3:30, and so was Darlene and Sue so we headed to the border where the wait was like 30 minutes this time. We each got our bottle of alcohol also.. That night Darlene and Sue went to the Casino (which charged us 10 bucks to park) for the evening after supper (Chilli, really good).
Sat. 30 Mar. Yuma -> Las Cures, New Mexico
Left the parking lot at 8 am and arrived at this nice Rest Area at Las Cures at 5:00 PM. We covered 513 miles today over pretty boring territory. mostly flat and various types of desert. Lots of flowers blooming (purple, yellow, orange and blue) along with lots and lots of big Sagura Cactus along highway 8, before we hit highway 10.
The rest area has a beautiful view of Las Cures, but it is very windy and I got cold cleaning the windshield before supper.
Sun. 31 Mar. El Paso - Rosa’s Cantina
Not a great start to the day as the big slide awning would not wind up because the wind had really stretched it out overnight due to the wind. I had to get up on ladder and manually wind it a bit before it became tight again on closing. Then on the other side the weather stripping along the side had come loose so I had to go up and tear it off.
Next on the list, the back jacks would not go up all the way, even after 3 tries, until I pulled up on one of them while they were being retracted.
Despite all the above, we got away by 8 am again. The wind was still strong, but was starting to die down a slight amount. We only drove about 35 miles until we came a wonderful visitor centre that told us all about Rosa’s Cantina and how to get there.
We unloaded car into motorhome, loaded dogs and people and drove off to find the famous bar. - Rosa’s Cantina in El Paso - It was further than what we thought, but we finally found it, thanks to TJ and Sue finding the road and identifying what road we were on. At the bar, they were very friendly, and we had quesadilla for TJ and I while Darlene had some fries. We got some souvenirs, took some pics and headed back to coach.
En route, we decided to check out the mountain drive, which was a mistake as it was very windy and not much to see, plus it was a long drive.
Anyway, once we got back, we headed east again on I-10.
We drove a bit to the other side of El Paso, which is really spread out, (saw the border wall on right hand side as we drove), stopped and fuelled up (240 USD, 84 gal. at 2.75/gal.) on the east side of El Paso. There was a lot of construction, but it being Sunday, there was no work ongoing.
Drove to Van Horne and then pulled over at a Rest Stop that was really just a pull out for the night. 176 miles for the day.
Mon. 01 Apr. TJ turns 14 ! - San Antonio
No problems when we left today, and it was 7:30 by my watch when we left, but 8:30 local time. We have a full tank from yesterday, so set the cruise control for 65 miles per hour and headed out onto I-10. Lots and lots of wide open spaces today with little to nothing to see. It was not until we got close to San Antonio that it became hilly with lots of trees, instead of just shrub and yucca plants everywhere. We stopped at an interesting Rest Area and they had a dump station…. Unfortunately it was full and I did not find out until I pulled the handle and it spilled out of the ground…. Yech ! - I was not in a good mood because of that.
As we got within an hour of San Antonio, the median and sides of the highway were covered in multi-coloured wild flowers that were magnificent to see!
Darlene got us a reservation at “Traveler’s World”, which is only 3 miles from “The Alamo”. The directions they sent her over email were excellent and it got us there with just a little stress, which was due to us arriving at rush hour (5:30 pm) and there being lots of construction on the highway. Very nice RV spot, with very clean facilities, pavement, grass and lots and lots of trees!
Today we did 435 miles over 7 hours of driving time.
Tue. 02 Apr.
Traveler’s World is a nice, clean, resort, but our first day was overcast and sprinkled a little bit, so it was a laundry day and clean windshield day for the most part. In the late afternoon I took car to Mission Concepcion
Wed. 03 Apr.
Darlene and Sue took bus downtown, while TJ finished work and then he and I drove downtown. We met up with them at the Alamo gift shop, but went our separate ways again. TJ and I did a bit of the River Walk after the Alamo and then went back to RV. We were lucky to find parking for 5.00 for 8 hours after running into one that was 20.00 minimum for 4 hours.
Thur. 04 Apr. - River Walk
TJ was up to usual antics with school this morning, and Sue did not feel well, so Darlene and I went downtown San Antonio and took the Go Rio boat cruise (20 USD total) which was quite nice. Afterwards we had lunch beside the river. It was starting to get warm as the early morning clouds had burned off so we went back to RV, picked up Sue and went back downtown to do a River Walk, which was also quite fun. It was warm and humid (30 C) so it was nice to get back to car and AC. We got back to RV about 6;30 and then I did pork chops on BBQ while Sue did up potatoes and salad.
Fri. 05 Apr.
Up at 8 am to a muggy morning….. after coffee outside it was time to pack up and head out, which we did at 11:30, heading for Houston, Texas.
As we approached Houston, it got hazy (foggy?) as a result of temperature and humidity. We saw some places on the side of the highway that were flooded (fields) and also lots of flowers in the meridians and alongside the roads.
We came across about 50 or 60 army semi trucks in a convoy pulling empty low-beds that were obviously meant to be carrying tanks. It was a lot of trucks and interesting to guess where they were going.
Stopped at a Riverside RV Resort but after seeing it (no view of water, pool closed and spotty wifi) decided it was not worth 49.00 USD, so we got back on I-10 and drove for another 30 minutes to get to a really nice Rest Area where we spent the night. This place was quite nice, Sue saw racoons at night and it had reasonable, free wifi to boot!
Sat. 06 Apr. Louisiana - New Orleans
On the drive along I-10 we dropped in elevation slowly until we were close to sea level as we got closer to New Orleans. The vegetation became more lush and there was a fog that the sun was trying to burn off. We drove on a long elevated road where both east and west bound on I-10 were raised about 30 ft. above swamp and waterways for many miles, making for an interesting drive.
We drove 302 miles to get us into New Orleans to “3 Oaks RV” which was quite reasonably priced (35 USD / night) This place was 5 minutes from the infamous ‘French Quarter”, so after quickly getting set up (next to washrooms, but we had to move tomorrow to a different site), we took the car and headed down to 501 Basil St. where there was cheap parking (10.00 for 12 hours, which was pretty good).
We wandered about the French quarter and finally managed to settle on a place to eat. It was on a balcony that we could look down on Bourbon St. where all the shenanigans were going on. It is basically a bar/party place with lots of bars, restaurants and live bands everywhere you go. People wander up and down streets and there is a lot of people watching going on by all. It was dark when we finally left, and we left with sensory overload lol.
Sun. 07. Apr. New Orleans - Graveyards, House of Rising Sun, Paddlewheeler
We were scheduled to move into site 16 whenever the people in it left, but by 10, there was no sign of any movement and the site looked small, a little wet and right next to the fence, with the railroad yards (busy ones) on the right side of the fence. I talked to manager, and he said he couldn’t do anything about a different site and it was not going to have our rig settle into the earth. I went back again, and this time he said site 23 was open and we could go in there after he checked with the owner. 20 minutes later (11 am) he said ok.
We quickly moved, and then headed downtown again, with a TJ that was acting up quite a bit, despite having a list of stuff to see for Heather. On his list was “The House of the Rising Sun”, Graveyard, paddleboat, alligators and a few other things.
We ended up parking in Basil St. parking again and walking downtown, searching in vain for the Rising Sun building. We saw a number of other interesting sights. We ended up in the French Quarter by the paddle boats and then went to the Market, and then to a Graveyard, which was interesting.
The House of the Rising Sun was a small building (duplex) at 2022 Josephine St. Run down section of the city, but with magnificent old trees with huge branches over the streets. A lot of the trees had beads growing on them, which explains where all the beads in New Orleans come from!
We searched for an alligator place but had no luck and Darlene did not want to go to a zoo, so we passed on that and were back in the RV around 5 pm. We were fortunate because the forecast called for rain most of the day yesterday and today, but we had no rain and it cleared up quite nicely in the afternoon.
Neighbour at the RV park said it was supposed to rain very hard later in the evening, so after supper I packed up everything outside and told the kayak off car and turned it upside down in case it rained.
It poured cats and dogs, with lightning as well as wind. Amazingly it would stop completely and then start again just as suddenly. There were lots of puddles in the yard, but they were all gone, with sunshine in the morning for our departure east.
Mon. 08 Apr. Infinity Space Center, Alligator Farm - Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama
We had most stuff already packed so we were ready by 9 to head out. We were delayed as we had a check engine light come up on the engine so I called in to Freightliner and they said it was a communication issue and would provably go away, if not, to get it reset at a Freightliner or Cummins dealer. It was saying the engine was not getting the right amount of fuel, but the engine was running just fine. Anyway, I shut off the engine while we decided on where we were going and what route to take. When I started up the engine, the check engine light was no longer there!
Anyway, we headed out on I-10 east, towards Mobile, Alabama. We crossed in Mississippi before we got to Biloxi, and came across a NASA rocket booster
next to a rest area just as soon as we crossed into Mississippi. We went in there and TJ and I went in to the Science centre while Darlene and Sue stayed with dogs. It was really cool to see the booster and other stuff. There was a rock from the moon, Armstrong’s space suit, and one of the lunar modules. We had the option of going to the NASA STENNIS SPACE CENTER BUS TOUR, which were all US space engines are tested since the space program started, but we passed on that due to time constraints.
After we got back on the road, Darlene found an Alligator farm a little off our route, so we headed down I-90 and stopped there where Darlene, Sue and TJ went in while I stayed in the RV with the dogs at the side of the highway. They said it was really cool.
Once on the road, as soon as we passed into Alabama (about 2;30), there was a visitor centre and rest area, so we pulled off into there to give dogs a walk and Sue and Darlene went in to check on maps and information. Turns out we can sleep at the Rest Areas, despite the signs saying you can’t.
We got on the road again, headed for Montgomery, Alabama, on I-65. We got to this rest area just a bit before Montgomery about 5:30. Had supper and shut it down for the night.
Tue. 9 Apr. - Gatlinburg, Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
We got up to stormy looking weather and after packing up we headed out for Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains!
We stopped and fuelled up just a little out, which took a little time. Next, it was a stop at a Walmart to pick up a “few groceries”….. 2 hours later we are on the road, having also had lunch from the Walmart Deli. While Darlene and Sue were in the store it rained really really heavy.
When we got to the I-40, there was a long delay due to construction, which slowed us up even more (already behind time due to Walmart and the stormy weather which really slowed traffic on the freeway for quite some time.
Then, when we got to Knoxville, (just after 7 pm) there was another construction delay which really slowed us up! It was dark and late when we finally found the Smoky Bear RV Resort that Darlene had found for us. We were supposed to meet Scott and Jen around 3:30, but the delays plus a time zone change made it 10 PM by the time we checked in. The last 17 miles on I-321 were slow as the road was very twisty. Luckily we had a pull thru site and it was easy to get set up.
This was our longest day to date…. 561 Miles, 10;25 hours Moving time, 3:15 hours stopped time…. Yup, it was a 13 hour day.
Wed. 10 Apr.
I was up early and anxious to meet Scott and Jen as they were going out to Cades Cove Loop in the morning. Darlene and Sue wanted to go into town in the afternoon so I took off to meet Scott and Jen around 10 am. I had planned to get back around 2:30 but was delayed until 3:00 pm. The delay was due to me taking the wrong way to Gatlinburg and having to turn around twice before leaving as I forgot my wallet and then had to get water before I left. I finally met up with Scott and Jen and after following them around Cades Loop I went back to get Darlene and Sue. We left again at 3:30 for the park where we met Scott and Jen and drove around Cades Cove a couple of times hoping to see some bears. Afterwards we went out to their place and had supper and a dip in their hot tub. We got lost leaving their place and finally got back to RV around 1:30 am.
I cancelled on my plan to meet them in the morning as I was very tired that night.
Thur. 11 Apr.
TJ was left to do school work in the RV while the rest of us went into town. Darlene and Sue wanted to look around so after dropping them and the dogs off I went to Laurel Falls for a hike and to see the Falls (reportedly 80 ft., after a 2 mile “moderate” hike).
Well, the hike was a bit more strenuous than I had anticipated as it was mostly up hill. The water fall was not 80 ft. in one stage, but comprised of 2 falls, separated by the walkway. Not that spectacular, but a nice hike that I quite enjoyed.
Got back in to town and met up with Darlene and Sue. Left them and toured the town, getting up to the swinging bridge and where the fire was. Lots of burnt trees still up there and the view is pretty good. The bridge is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019.
Darlene and Sue had met up with Scott and Jen so we went out to Pigeon Forge in the afternoon to check the place out before they had to go for the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s dinner theatre. Pigeon Forge is basically a tourist trap, but a pretty cool one with hundreds of old cars lining both sides of the main drag thru town. The old mill with a water wheel was pretty cool also.
We got back to the RV around 7:30 pm and had a quiet remainder of the evening.
Fri. 12 Apr.
Woke to a high wind advisory….. Cancelled the tentative breakfast with Scott and Jen and instead focused on packing, cleaning the windshield and getting out of the rv site before 11.
There were high winds, but they were gusty and only bothered us a couple of times. We stopped at a couple of rest areas and finally chose one at Georgetown, just north of Lexington, Home of “Man o’War”, and the horse capital of the world. Scott and Jen had stayed later than planned as they made a last loop of Cades Cove to photograph a baby bear and a coyote. They met up with us at the Rest Area and after their supper returned with some fried chicken from The Cracker Barrel restaurant for us.
Today we only drove 244 miles, and fuelled up early in the morning.
Sat. Apr. 13 - The ARK, Toledo, Ohio
We got a slow start today as Scott and Jen had visited last night after their supper to bring us some chicken from Cracker Barrel.
It was around 10:30 when we were finally on the road. It wasn’t too far down the road when we came to the “Ark Experience”, which was expensive (10.00 for parking, 48.00 / person and 25.00 for youths) so we said no, but when I went to get a ticket for parking, found out we could get a black wrist band for free which would allow one to board bus to see the outside of the ark, but not the inside….
TJ and I went to see it while Darlene and Sue elected to stay in the motorhome with the dogs. It was really big and you had to be close to it to really get a feel for how big it is/was.
We continued on our drive without incidence, noting how there were less and less trees with leaves and also how the grass was all brown as we proceeded northward.
Stopped at a Flying J about 30 miles south of Toledo to top up with fuel. Also dumped our Septic (10.00 cost, but I had points) and also to top up our domestic water, which was down to 1/3 left. We were going to have supper at the Denny’s, but Darlene changed her mind, so we continued on. Scott and Jennifer had almost caught up to us and had decided to hunt for a “Bob’s Hamburger” joint for supper, lol.
I-75 was pretty flat and boring, but the road was in great shape for the most part. We stopped at a Walmart on the north side of Toledo for the night and a couple of Sue’s friends came to visit Sue. The had played World of Warcraft on the computers for years and had become friends…. first time they met. Sue had some presents for them which made their day I think.
Sun. Apr. 14 - Detroit Border, CANADA
We were up fairly early and on the road by 0800, heading north to Canada.
We got to the border at Detroit around 1000 and it was not busy at all. It had rained a little bit but we were ok so far. The border was quick, and once again we were heading north.
It started to rain quite heavy once we got north of Toronto, but it had stopped by the time we made it to Tim and Heather’s in Washago. It was around 4 pm and there was quite a bit of flooding in progress, but the driveway was high and dry and Tim directed me back in first time with no difficulty. We were soon plugged in to 15 amp service and had 2 of the slides out before it started to rain again quite heavily.
Don Locke had driven down to pick up Sue and they left soon after we had arrived.
Mon. Apr. 15 - SNOW
Yes, we woke up to a dusting of snow on our first morning back in Canada.
We went inside for coffee and it started to warm up soon after. Heather had taken the day off, as Hwy 11 was a mess with accidents from the snow, so we decided to go for a drive around to see some of the flooding on the waterfalls. We ended up going to Bracebridge and then Muskoka Lakes where we showed TJ some of the blasting his great grandfather had done on the roads. We also stopped in at a craft shot that used to be a boat maker place which was pretty cool. Heather ordered in supper for everyone which was pretty nice.
Tue., Wed. Thur, - Rain, flooding continues.
Fri. 19 Apr. - Novar, Ontario
Heather was working today, and to give Tim a break from TJ and us, we drove up to see Sue and Don for the day. Don had the day off due to his cataract surgery on his second eye. Had a nice visit. Teddy was apprehensive around Finnegan and they never did play the way they did a couple of years ago. I played a little bit on guitar with Don and Julie and Mikey came over later in the day with some soap for Darlene and her Mom. Speaking of her Mom, it sounds like she is moving again, as soon as a place opens up. (She has been at this new place before, but she is still determined to move again, lol)
It continued to rain heavily pretty well the whole day.
Sat. 20 Apr.
Took a drive out during a respite in the rain to see Hammock Harbour, which Darlene and Sue had checked out and Darlene had booked us a site for a week, starting Monday.
While they were out, I went for a drive with the camera to take some shots.
Sun. 21 Apr. - Move Tim’s stuff from Storage unit to house for protection from flooding
TJ and I were downstairs when Heather and Darlene came down and started to move some stuff. Seems Tim wanted to move stuff inside from their storage unit outside as the water was getting close to it. We all went to help and moved a bunch of stuff into the house as the water continued to rise. It was sunny outside, so it was nice not to have to do that in the rain.
Mon. 22 Apr. - Move to Hammock Harbour, Orillia, Ont.
Luckily, the rain stopped while we packed up and moved the 10 or 15 miles to Hammock Harbour RV site. We got there at 11:45 to find someone in our site (209), Darlene went to check out what was going on (no one in office) while I dumped our sewer and grey water. Turns out they had until 12 to move, but did not get out of site until 12:30. It was a beautiful day and after we were all set up Darlene went to visit Tim and Heather while I went for a Kayak ride, which was awesome!.
I was about 1.5 hours on the lake and after I fed the dogs when I got back, I started to play on the guitar when the phone rang from Darlene. They needed some help with moving as the water was getting higher and higher. Darlene came back and we rushed back so I could help. There was not a lot left but once all that was in Darlene joined Tim and Heather in the hot tub while I played some Call of Duty with TJ on the Xbox downstairs at Tim’s. (he has a 65 in. 4K TV, which is pretty nice)
Tue. 23 Apr.
Woke up to an overcast day with some evidence of rain overnight. We went out to Tim’s to see how TJ was getting along (School break for him) and also so Darlene could do a load of laundry. The water is continuing to rise, although the driveway is still not covered with water, almost everything else is. It continues to rain again today, quite heavily at times. Darlene and I go for a drive to Bracebridge to see some places she used to live in with her parents. Tim is fretting quite a bit (with good reason) about the water. It is almost up to the road when we left late in the afternoon. Hammock Harbour is quite wet from the rain.
Thur. 25 Apr.
Nice day today, so after a visit to Tim and Heather, we are back late afternoon at the RV, so I take the drone out after we walk the dogs. Got some nice video and overhead shots. Ice had moved in yesterday from out on the lake due to the wind pushing it in. Quite interesting the way the weather changes things around here.
Fri. 26 Apr.
Headed for Novar about 10 am, with dogs, as it rained heavily outside. It had been raining that way all night and there was flooding in Huntsville and Gravenhurst. We stopped to pick up some apple fritters (3.25 each) for Heather, Tim and TJ) en route to Sue’s. We got up there and I met Larry Palangio downstairs in the parking lot. We went for brunch in Huntsville (Larry bought) while Darlene visited Sue. I came back around 4:30 after a great visit with Larry. His wife Sue had gone to Ottawa to visit their kids. They have bought a place in Cochrane (300 miles due north) where they are both from and will be moving there in Sept. They have yet to put their place on the market but will do so about July. Larry had many stories to tell about their trip to Portugal in Feb. of this year as it was their first trip abroad. They will be going again next Feb. only this time their kids will join them.
Don brought pizza when he got off work, Teddy and Finnegan started to play finally, but not to the same degree as 2 years ago. We did not get back to RV until 8:30 pm.
Sat. 27. Apr. - SNOW
Woke up to a skiff of snow on the ground, and strong winds all night long! Darlene went to visit Tim and Heather while I stayed home to catch up on blog, photos, guitar and time with dogs as they have been left alone quite a bit the last couple of days, although they were with us yesterday. I had hoped to stop in and visit with Scott and Jen on our way home, but apparently they are working and their driveway is quite soft.
Sun. 28 Apr.
Last day at Hammock Harbour…. Cold and sunny but windy.. We go to Orillia to pick up some meat and an apple pie as the Canoe store in Washago was too expensive for my taste (17.00 for a pie ?)
After we dropped it off at Tim and Heather’s, Darlene took me back to RV to get stuff ready for tomorrow as well as I had packed up tj’s bike and a bunch of his toys so the car was mostly loaded. and she went back to Tim and Heather’s.
Around 3 she came back to get me for supper. At Tim’s, we had a nice stew and pie afterwards. We left while it was still light as there was still some stuff to do for our departure tomorrow. TJ helped me load the kayak, chairs and mat.
Mon. 29 Apr. - Entered US on way home
Left at 9:15 am, after dumping the septic and loading up domestic water. Noticed we had lost the left rear hubcap on the motorhome, which is probably going to be pretty expensive to replace. It was cold (3 C) this morning when we left.
We crossed the border at the Ambassador bridge at Detroit with no wait whatsoever. Had to stop for gas prior as we were down and I didn’t want to worry about making it to the states on an empty tank. Once across we fuelled up at the first Flying J we found (325 US).
Stopped at Walmart in Jackson for the night around 5:30 pm. It had rained quite heavy since 1:30 so we were ready to pull over for the night. Had subway subs for supper.
Tue. 30 Apr. - Car broken into at Walmart !
Got up, went out and started car after coffee was made and RV heat / generator was on. Noticed a motorhome had parked not too far from us. As I was getting out of the car, a black woman came out of car calling to me. She had been in process of writing us a letter as some people had broken into our car and gone thru some of the RV compartments in the early morning. They had also spit on the car handles ? . There was a small carnival set up in the parking lot next to Walmart… Anyway, they had called police but no one showed up. Her husband had gotten up and scared them away. She pointed out the car where the one man had come from. I checked out the car and could not find anything stolen. He had only got into the driver side after using a slimjim to gain entry. Everything looked normal in the RV compartments. Also, the woman said she delivered RV’s for 3.00 / mile which I thought was a good deal. She gave me a contact and we were off by 7:00 am.
It started raining about an hour after we were on the road, and raining heavy throughout the day. We made a number of stops for the dogs and also for brunch and supper. They have signs about no overnight parking in rest stops in Iowa, but we finally found a good one and said to hell with it! lol On a positive note, they do provide free wifi in their rest stops!
Today we left Indiana, drove thru Illinois, and ended up in Iowa!
We left at 7 am and stopped at 6 pm, for a total of 651 miles, or just over 1000 km.
Wed. 1 May - Snow at Sturgis, South Dakota
Up early and on the road by 8:30. We had pouring rain for almost the whole day. The last 2 hours the rain stopped, we ran into snow on the ground (roads were dry and good) and then some sunshine at last. Topped up with fuel and DEF (151 + 14 ) at a Flying J.
Passed by a Rest Stop 20 miles out of Gillette so ended up going into Walmart at Gillette, but there was an empty building next to it that had a couple of trucks parked there, so we went there instead. There was some sort of rally going on as a lot of cars were driving thru the empty lot in a hurry for hours it seemed.
Of interest, on I-29 heading north, about 100 miles South of Sioux City, we drove by a place that fans of “Black Panther” would know….. Watanga !
Drove 649 miles today.
Thur. 2 May - Eye problem - Darlene drives !
Hardly slept at all as my right eye was bothering me big time… Had something that was causing me to rub it a lot during the night - Very swollen and red in morning, and after driving for an hour, had to pull over and Darlene drove for a couple of hours. We had an eye wash which I used during the day which helped a lot She drove for about 120 miles with a pretty good wind blowing the RV around. The rest helped me a lot and enabled me to pick up the driving afterwards.
We found a Camping World at Sturgis (which had snow all around) and picked up a couple of gallons of Boiler Antifreeze for 11.00 each, which was a good deal! We had to turn around as we saw it as we drove by. This was actually a day of turning around, as we were heading for Great Falls Montana and the GPS kept wanting us to go another route. Finally Darlene is checking the map and figures we would save an easy hour by taking this shortcut,…… Unfortunately this was 5 miles past where we were. We turned around, it was a smaller road, and rough in spots, but it did save us time and gas in the long run.
When we got to Great Falls Walmart, we got our usual spot. A couple in an Alpha from Wetaskiwin came over and introduced themselves. They teach people how to fly ultralights, which is kinda cool. Darlene got TJ a pair of jeans and me some jalapeño M & Ms, lol.
She also got me some stuff to put in my sore eye, and gave me a melatonin and off to bed at 9:30.
We drove 504 miles today.
Fri. 3 May - Canada again
Got up around 6:30, as the generator had started automatically at 5:30 and I couldn’t sleep anymore. On checking the motorhome, I discovered the kitchen slide awning was crooked and I had to get up on the ladder and have Darlene put it out so I could straighten it as it went back in. The Big Slide rubber molding at the front has come out, so I had to hold that in as the slide went in. The front windshield had to be cleaned of bugs from yesterday. There was a leak on the AquaHot system that I used Rescue Tape to fix last night, and it held great overnight as i checked in the morning. The last thing was the lights were hard to get to work on the Car connections….. and also, one side of the blue ox would not move so I had to use the car to loosen it.
….. Anyway, on the plus side, my eye was much better, although still red and a bit inflamed, but not giving me pain as it was yesterday. I slept funny as i have a kink in my neck that gave me pain all day long.
We were running quite low on fuel - the “Low Fuel” came on and we were into the red for the gauge by the time we got to Shelby, which is 1/2 way between Great Falls and Sweet Water, the border town. It said we had used 92 gallons when the low fuel came on, and to fill it only took 102 gallons, which is pretty interesting. Topped up the DEF at the same time. It was a long fuel stop as the DEF wouldn’t work and Darlene went in to get cigars for Missy and then I picked up a 6 pack of beer for 7.00.
Coutts border crossing was busy, and the wind was pretty strong on the drive up there. We had to wait about 40 minutes in line. The border guy didn’t care about how much booze we were bringing in, more interested in where the RV was made…. Had to explain about being in Ontario after our trip down south.
Stopped at Ft. McLeod to stock up on groceries. It was nice, sunny and 15 C outside. Got some lunch at Tim Horton’s and carried on to Nakota Casino, which is between Camrose and Calgary. Darlene dropped 60 bucks on the slots and I sat next to a fellow name Don who showed me the ropes of playing Texas Holdem at the table….. I won 20 bucks, so overall, we only lost 40 for a couple of hours of fun.
Felt like snow as we walked back to the motorhome after the casino…. hope it doesn’t snow tonight.
Sat. 4 May - Holiday Park, Kelowna
Up early to a cool, overcast and foggy morning, but no snow, which was a relief. We got away by 7:05, which was great, as we wanted to get in early today. The drive was nice as we went thru the mountains as it got steadily warmer and it was like spring was happening from the git go as Banff had no leaves or green grass….. By the time we got to Vernon, most trees had leaves and there was green grass everywhere. Only 514 km today.
Temp. got up to 19 C and it was sunny when we got to Holiday Park around 2:30. Darlene decided not to help with backing up the motorhome, so I did myself, but it took a bit longer as I had to keep getting out to ensure I did not back into anything.
Supper was at A&W, teen burgers for all lol.
Sun. 5 May.
Beautiful day dawned sunny and a bit cool (6 C), but it warmed up quickly. Jamie, David and the 3 kids came over around 9, just as Darlene started to put 3 loads of laundry in. We had a nice visit, but poor Jamie is in pain still from the car accident last year. David is now working for a good place installing docks on the lake.
They left around 11 and after doing some more unpacking, we went over to visit Linda and George Gray for a couple of hours. Afterwards we continued getting set up. Darlene fixed sliding door inside and did a lo of organizing and cleaning while I cut grass, got stuff out of storage units, put owl on roof of RV and put the windshield cover up.
Hooked up Alexa (Google) and had some fun with her before supper.
