Lazy Days on the Joe

Last weekend, we drove to one of our favorite campgrounds, Huckleberry. It sits on the bank of the St Joe River. We met up with Bill and Teri Burch.  Also joining us were our next-door neighbors, Jodi and Steve. We had a fun few days playing cards, tossing bean bags, and taking walks. We ate, drank (some of us), told stories, and laughed a lot. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed every moment of our stay.

Wild protesters gather around a fire pit.

On No Kings Day, we silently protested by making signs and taping them to our rigs.  Midway through the afternoon, a camp host came by and said, "Your signs make people uncomfortable,"  and that we should take them down.  We stated our right to free speech and said we would not remove the signs. The host drove away without further comment.  We were ready for more comments, but nothing came, so we quietly enjoyed our little political altercation.

No Kings!

Steve and his bike.

Explanation

While in Yuma, Linda and I joined Steve and Jodie in volunteering at the Yuma Food Bank on Fridays.  On one of our sessions, when I twisted and picked up a box, I felt a pain in the lower right side of my back. This was the start of thirteen weeks of pain and frustration.  

By morning of the day after the injury, I was so stoved up that I could not stand up straight and had to move in a bent over position. After having to wait 3 weeks to get in, I started PT, but it did not seem to help.

The only positive in this event was that I could sit with very little pain, and sleeping was something I could also do.

When it came time to leave Yuma, I could drive, but could not do much else. I posted the return trip adventures for all to read.

At home, I jumped into the health repair cycle and went to my primary doctor, who eventually set up an MRI and then referred me to a neurosurgeon. We met with the surgeon, and he immediately recommended surgery. This was a month and a half AFTER I returned home.

Surgery went well, and I am in full recovery mode.

That's the short story of what we've been doing or why we haven't been doing it.  Now, the adventures will continue, a bit at a time. We're leaving on our next trip today!

Windy Wanapum

Looking at the Columbia from our camp spot.

When we arrived home from our big Yuma adventure, we took the truck to our mechanics and had them take care of all the little repairs needed so we could feel good about traveling. After waiting for the repairs to be completed for almost two weeks, we were ready to take a short drive to Wanapum Recreation Area near Vantage on the Columbia River.  Our very good friends, Caroline and Don, from Westport, WA, were traveling our way to attend the graduation of their granddaughter from WSU.  We met them about halfway between their house and WSU at the Wanapum Campground, and enjoyed catching up on our lives.

Windy and a bit cool.

We spent three nights at the campground. The first two nights, the wind blew harder than I have ever felt in our camper. It shook everything and made it hard to sleep. During the day, the wind let up a bit. Caroline had parked their trailer in a position that blocked most of the wind. We were able to sit in the sun and chat. Visiting those two is always so nice; we love their company.

On Thursday, we had to get up early and head back to Post Falls. I had an appointment in the afternoon, so we hit the road at about 8 AM and were home by noon. We love spending time with Don and Caroline. We wish we could get together more often.

Back to Post Falls Life

As you may know, we got through Vegas and spent the night at a KOA in Ely, NV. Then we drove to Cactus Pete's and stayed in the casino RV Park. Once again, we didn't do any casino stuff; we just slept and had breakfast.

KOA in Ely, NV.

Our next leg took us through Twin Falls, where we merged onto I-84, heading northwest to Boise and our final destination for the night, Caldwell.

 We took wonderful hot showers, ate dinner, and watched a movie. We both slept well and got up early. We talked about our next leg, and because we were on the road by 7 AM, we decided to leave our next destination open based on how I felt and when we arrived at the next stop.

At the Wildhorse Casino, we filled up with fuel and decided to keep going. We could smell the barn and were headed home.

The rest of the trip was smooth and uneventful. We were super glad to be home and immediately started unpacking the camper.  It was a great adventure, and we were happy we had tried the snowbird life. We will discuss the future of long trips, those over two weeks, and will probably refrain from committing to those more extended events in the future. We will see. 

Somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Feels Good Heading North

I beleave Linda and I could not leave Las Vegas fast enough. After a relatively good nights sleep we packed our two carrying bags and quickly suffeled out to the camper and got things packed. I can not tell you how attached to this truck and camper we are. When we were seperated from the rig all I did was worry. When we got the thumbs up to continue our journy home it was like Christmas morning. 

Traffic out of Vegas was relatively lite and we crused on heading to Ely, NV. Our route on this leg of the journey took us up I-15 then on to Hwy 93 where we traveled on to Hwy 318 then back on to Hwy 93 in to Ely.  Crazy wouldn't you say.

The Grant Range. We viewed as
we drove north.

Our camp spot at the KOA in Ely.

Oh My

We left Hi Jolly at a respectable time and got into the rhythm of travel. After 188 miles, we were driving up to our next boondock spot, a casino in Henderson, NV. All went very smoothly (except, boy, was it windy) and we were approaching our next landmark when we started hearing some different sounds coming from the turbo. 

We filled up with fuel at the casino where we were going to boondock and talked about the sounds we were hearing. We agreed that we would feel better if we had it checked out

Linda began a search to find a place to diagnose possible problems. After making many calls, we found a dealership that could check it out early on the next day, but they would need to have the truck there overnight so they could get ti it as soon as possible the next morning. We headed to their service repair shop.

It was slow going in Vegas traffic, we were tired and emotionally on edge. This would mean a hotel room and a possible day or two delay. But we can't breakdown on the next travel stretch, there is nothing out there.

The dealership rep, Chris, met us and found a place to park the truck overnight. We plugged the camper in and gathered some overnight needs. Linda got online and found a hotel that had rooms for a very reasonable rate not far from the shop. Chris provided us with a ride to the hotel.

Chris had a tech scheduled to check the sounds out first thing in AM.

First night's view from the Station.

We spent a long sleepless night at a resort casino called Palace Station. Our nerves were shot and the future of the trip was still a huge question mark.

The next morning we called the dealership and Chris had a Uber pick us up. After an hour or so, Chris called us in and told us what his diesel tech had found.

First they checked out the turbo and found that there was some play in the spindle. They called the manufacturer and found that it was normal. In the process the tech found that a gasket on the exhaust side of the turbo had a leak. That was the noise we had heard. That was ok news because it did not affect the turbo but it would make more noise. We could deal with that. Chris assured us it would be safe to travel.We were very happy that we could get back on the road.

Stretching after all the stress.

Time passed and with all the waiting, wondering, and checking by the tech, we missed our window to leave Vegas and make it to Ely by nightfall. Linda reserved a second night's stay at the Station and we drove our camper down to the lot and locked it up. We really had no desire to do any casino activities so we stayed in the room and unwound.

We Move On

All the gear has found a spot in the truck or camper and we are ready to hit the road. 

We said our good byes to Jodi and Steve, gave Winnie a scratch behind the ears and we were off. 

We followed Hwy 95 north and drove 75 miles to a flat dirt spot just outside of Quartzsite. It was a short day. We wanted to make sure all was travel worthy and packed tight. 

The dirt spot is a BLM camp area called Hi Jolly. It has no amenities, just a place to stop and watch the dust blow. You can't argue with free, though. We start the longer days tomorrow.

Leaving Yuma

Over the past few weeks, Linda and I have made travel lists and focused on our travels north to Post Falls.  Linda has mapped out our route home and reserved campsites for our overnight stays. She has made reservations where needed and contacted parking lot security at the casinos where we will be boondocking. 

All the camper projects are complete, and it is in the best shape it's been in a long time. I have my schedule for loading up on our calendar, and there is not much left to do to get on the road. The countdown starts, and we are ready to launch.

The last couple of days the temperature has been in the high 90's. It is a good thing  we have air conditioning in the casita. 

I will post when I can, and hope we can have a smooth trip home.

Things We Have Been Doing

We drove out to Martinez Lake and hiked a short trail. This trail was part of the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge. The day was beautiful! We were able to do the hike, only meeting two other hikers.

Tortoise living at the park headquarters.

Linda had a welder artist create a roadrunner for our backyard. It was fascinating to watch as he cut it out, then polished and finished it. Linda helped in the process by operating the water hose. As he sprayed the metal with something that caused a reaction and changed the color, Linda would spray it with water when she liked the color. That would stop the reaction. 

Here are some photos we gathered as we went on hikes and such.

The bridge to nowhere.

The cacti in our yard are flowering.

Loud Fun!

We got a great opportunity to try something different this weekend. We grabbed some food and our chairs and met up with Jim and Wanda, two very nice people we met through Steve and Jodi. They led us to a spot west of the Yuma Fairgrounds and directly across from Yuma International Airport, where we set up to watch the Yuma Air Show. We've been to an airshow with my sister and her family near Portland. We were excited to see what this one would bring us.

The location was great! We didn't have to pay and we saw all the action that took place above us and on the runways. We couldn't hear the announcers from the air show, but that was not needed. We could see every flyover and demonstration provided. We used our phones to look at the events schedule to pinpoint what type of plane or jet was above us.

The big takeaway from this was that jet aircraft are loud beyond belief. When they push the engines to climb, the sound is unbelievably loud. So loud that you can only hear the jet engine and feel the sound throughout your body. It was amazing. Something hard to explain. We watched in awe as they flew right over us.

We watched the sky and found that when a jet plane is flying, you do not hear them approach until about 1.5 seconds after they are past.  Totally amazing. Then when they open the jets up, they are gone!  The sound of the engines is deafening.

It was a difficult location for photos. The speed made it nearly impossible to capture good photos. The lens I had also made distance shots challenging. 

Here are a few shots that showed some of the fun.

Military Free Fall School demo.

USMC MV-22B Osprey

USAF F-16C Viper

This Viper was so loud and fast!

Patriots Jet Team

USMC F-35B

USMC F-35B

Shopping and Lunch

 If you drive west on Hwy 8 for 21 miles and turn left, you will reach the Mexican border at Los Algodones in five miles. That's where we went yesterday with Steve, Jodi, Wanda and ### before crossing in the truck we paid $10 to park in the Quechan Tribe Border Parking Lot.  The rest of our journey was on foot.

26.7 miles from our lot we crossed into our neighboring country to the south and were immediately asked if we needed, dental work, glasses, or shrimp. This area has now moved to the top as the location with the most peddlers asking if we needed those types of services. We have traveled quite a bit in Mexico, and we are familiar with the salespeople in many of the towns visited. In Pourta Villarta they can be aggressive. In other areas, they can be persistent. Here in Algodones, they were polite about interactions, but there were many more than in other areas. We just got used to saying "no gracias" and kept moving on.

We did a bit of shopping, there were many metal, glass, and trinket shops like in all tourist areas in Mexico. Linda and I didn't buy anything, but Steve and Jodi acquired a metal Roadrunner figure. 

Our group took a break and ate lunch at a restaurant. The food was very good and everyone enjoyed the meal.

After lunch, we headed back to the border crossing. The line was medium sized and it took us about an hour to get back into the US with no problems. 

Linda in front of "The Wall."

Filling our Time

Linda led the way on our first trail hike.

It has been interesting settling into our spot, exploring Yuma, and establishing a rhythm to our snowbirding. The weather has been nice; it is cooler than expected but very sunny. The wind blows quite a bit more than at home in Post Falls, which we deal with. Linda has taken on the challenge of dusting the camper, which is a big job for such a little space. 

As a contribution to the home maintenance area, I have started waxing and doing some needed touch-ups to keep the exterior of our camper nice. The little home is about 16 years old, and many little projects are on my to-do list. Each day, I wax a section of the exterior. When I see a crack in the caulk that needs repair, I clean and replace it. This list will keep me busy for most of our stay, and our little home will appreciate the attention.

Dome Valley.

Steve put together our first group hike. We were joined by nine of the Nelson's friends and we hiked up Telegraph Pass to a vista overlooking Yuma to the west and Dome Valley to the east.  I have to admit that I failed to make it to the top with the rest of the pack. The trail was a cement road that went straight up and my poor knees suffered both ways. Linda made the top and took photos for me. I took my time hiking back to the truck after I turned around. It was a nice hike and I really enjoyed the solo descent.

Looking to the southeast from the hilltop.

We have some friends, Rick and Teri Wright, who moved from Idaho to Tucson about three years ago. Linda has kept in touch and they invited us to visit and explore Tucson and see their new home.  We packed our bags and drove the 226 miles to the big city. 

As we drove, a short diversion off Highway 8 took us to the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site. We exited the highway and drove about 10 miles to the site where we parked in a dusty lot and walked to the fenced-in area containing the glyphs. There are over 800 petroglyphs viewable in this rocky area. They are very concentrated in these rocks and it's considered one of the largest grouping of glyphs in America.

The Wrights own a very nice house in a neighborhood of Tucson called the Oro Valley. Their home is on a golf course and they have a beautiful chunk of property with a nice one-level house and a large pool. We spent our first evening there sitting around a huge fire, eating, drinking, laughing, and catching up. It was a great way to start our visit.

On our second day visiting, Linda and I drove south through Tucson to Saguaro National Park. This is a very large park that is divided into two separate park units. Our excursion took us to the Tucson Mountain Unit about 10 miles outside of Tucson. The park is famous for the giant Saguaro cactus which spread out like a massive carpet over the landscape.

We viewed the area, visited the park gift shop, and then drove to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. There, we spent about three hours reading about the desert and viewing the numerous desert animals, plants, and crawly critters they care for at this site.

The other days in Tucson were spent eating amazing food, continuing our conversations about what we'd been doing the last three years, and enjoying exploring the city a bit. We had such a great time with the Wrights. Thanks to them for their wonderful hospitality. The best part was that there were things they still wanted us to see and more things we wanted to do. We all decided that was perfect because it meant we'd have to get together again very soon.

Mountain Sheep feeding in the shade.

A bobcat

Javalina resting in a cool spot.

Mexican gray wolf (Canis lupus spp. baileyi).

Mountain Lion, the park's mascot.

Our stay with the Wrights was delightful.

Practicing my swiveling. Some call it sleeping.

Rick in his pro-swiveling mode.

After a great visit, we returned home to our normal life. The next morning, a group of new friends met at a trailhead a quick couple of miles from our place. The trail led us across the scabland to a small canyon where there were a few petroglyphs hidden along the trail. It was a nice hike, and you could clearly see the three glyphs. The entire hike into the petroglyphs and back was about three miles which made for an easy morning of talking and walking.

A final note, yesterday I experienced my first brush with a cactus. It was a real eye-opener and I still really don't know how I got into the bugger. My theory is that as I was working on some camper projects, the wind blew one of the rags onto the ground, where I first picked up the microspines. I noticed them on my left sock as I was finishing up my projects but by then it was too late. I had very fine prickers in my ankle, then my hand.  Once I noticed them, I removed the socks and tossed them in the trash. Linda worked me over with a pair of tweezers and then she took duck tape and covered all areas affected. She pulled the tape and got most of the spines out. Boy, do those things spread fast! After about an hour we figured most of the spines had been removed and I took a long shower. The final result of the debacle was that I lost two socks, and my old Crocs (the left one was covered in spines). I learned to stay alert while working in Cactus Country.