WORKAMPING

What's a workamper? That's what Patty and I have been for parts of the last 7 years. Workampers are described as persons that combine part time, or full time work with RV camping. Often these jobs around the country are seasonal, and when we traveled to Skagway, Alaska for 4 years, we definitely were seasonal workers in an environment that catered to the cruise ships that stopped there. I took this picture of our friends Bob & Jeanette yesterday, and they are leaving Lake Havasu today, for a camp hosting job in the Tahoe National Forest north of Lake Tahoe. We first met Bob & Jeanette our first year in Skagway (2004), kind of surprised that they were also from Lake Havasu. As previously mentioned, they just moved to a house a mile or so from our place, and I put the finishing touches on their irrigation system yesterday. Last summer, Bob & Jeanette took a break from workamping, which is what Patty and I will be doing this summer, as we prepare to leave for our trip around the U.S.

WHY LAKE HAVASU?

Over the years, one of the most frequently asked questions we get, is why did you move to Lake Havasu City, AZ? In fact yesterday, while helping our friends Bob & Jeanette install an irrigation system at their new house, Jeanette again posed the question. The quirky answer is that it's a warm place in the winter, and there is an IN & OUT located here. IN & OUT is a fast food franchise that started in the L.A. area, coincidentally, the same place I started my CHP career. In the late 60's, they liked having black & white cars around, so they offered food to us at half price. I've been hooked ever since, despite losing that incentive long ago. The serious answer is that when we left our CA business in 2001, we decided that we wanted to be reverse snowbirds. A reverse snowbird is self described as a person who domiciles in the warmer winter climates, & travels during the summer months. We narrowed the search to one of the communities along the southern Colorado River, and after looking more closely at Lake Havasu, it was a rather easy decision. This town is relatively new, incorporating in 1964 and not really growing much until the London Bridge was transplanted here from England, in the early 1970's. That was the catalyst for growth, and now the town has a population of approx. 50,000, that varies considerably, depending on the season. This is definitely a boating town, with multiple boat manufacturers and boat related businesses. We did the obligatory boat ownership thing for awhile, but sold the boat a couple of years ago. As they say, the 2 best days of boat ownership, are the day you buy and the day you sell! Our son Marc, keeps his boat here, but a recent phone call suggests that he may be taking it back to Tucson for awhile. Living part of the year here in Lake Havasu City has worked well for us, and other than being a greater distance from some friends and family, we haven't looked back.

THE HOME BASE

The temperatures recently crept up over 100, for about 3 days, which means it's about time to get the heck out of here for the summer. Bob & Diana left yesterday for their home in Enterprise, OR, and we plan on stopping by their place, about the end of June. For those who have not visited us here in Lake Havasu, I took some photos this morning , primarily to show the space in the backyard for RV parking. After the 2nd Vegas race last year, Len & Ellie visited us, parking next to the garage, which is 50 amp, full hookup. In about 2 weeks when we leave Havasu for the summer, we'll be headed for our old stomping grounds in Jamestown, CA. We have some routine medical stuff scheduled and it gives us a chance to visit with friends. Speaking of friends, I hear that Everett & Lori have created a super luxurious RV space for us at the East RV Resort. Looking forward to seeing them and the new accommodations. I added a link today that is entitled big brother vs. private property rights. I won't get into details, but if you're interested, check out Railroad Ray's website. We have visited his property in Oregon twice, and what he has created, should supercede all land use regulations. It's a classic case of government intrusion into our private lives, which it seems is increasing more & more.

HOME SWEET HOME

Even though we live more days in our motor home, than we do in the Lake Havasu house, it's always nice to be home. Patty and I have talked about being fulltimers, but it's never gotten to the serious stage. We both need a home base, and besides, it's just a fact that we could never part with all of the stuff that we have accumulated over the years. I know that there's the storage option, but, it just wouldn't work for us. People have often asked why we keep a house we don't use very much. It comes back to our need for a place to return to in the winter. I finally finished the landscapping this year, and it's all set up with automatic irrigation, so we don't have to be here to maintain the yard. Our expenses on the house are minimal, in that utilities while we're gone are very low. The house is paid for, so our fixed costs are property taxes and insurance. It's well worth those costs in order to meet our need for a home base. At the end of summer, we always look forward to returning to Lake Havasu. Our friends who have RV's are always welcome to park here when we're home. We have room for 2 large motor homes, one spot with 30 amp & water under the shade cover, the other is 50 amp & full hook up next to the garage.

A CASTLE IN THE SKY

This morning, we're packing up and getting ready to caravan back home to Lake Havasu. I'll be driving the motor home, pulling the trailer. Patty's driving the jeep and Bob & Diana are driving their pickup, pulling their motorcycle trailer. Yesterday, we played tourists without the Harley's, and visited two National Monuments in the Verde Valley. Montezuma's Castle & Montezuma's Well are both early native American sites that are protected by the National Park Service. When you look up at the castle, I'm sure the first question that most people must ask, is how in the world did they get up there? The answer is several ladders, which they simply pulled up at night, and then were completely isolated from any potential dangers. The well which Patty & I had not previously visited, was much larger than I anticipated. This sink hole is fed by a natural spring that pumps over a million gallons of water daily into the well. The water flows out through a cave, and feeds the creek that travels by the castle about 10 miles downstream. We finished the day at Johnny Rockets in Cliff Castle Casino, enjoying some of the best hamburgers known to man! Everybody knows that I could live on hamburgers, and on many solo trips to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, did just that. The hamburgers at Johnny Rockets are right up there with the best.

A CHANCE TO RIDE

The last 2 days have been devoted to getting in the wind on the Harley's. The weather has warmed, and even though we've mostly had our jackets on, the temperature and geography have been ideal. On Friday we rode a circle route over to Prescott via Hwy's 169/69, and had lunch at one of our favorites - Cracker Barrel. We took 89A back thru Jerome, and stopped there so the girls could check out all of the stores. To think a few years ago, I drove our 2000 Discovery motor home over that road, and never scrapped a guardrail or hit anything! Hwy 89A is an absolute gem of a road on a motorcycle, but definitely a white knuckle road in a big motor home. Yesterday, we rode up I17 to Flagstaff, and stopped at Grand Canyon Harley-Davidson for lunch. They have a separate building that includes a restaurant where you grill your own hamburger, hot dog, or even steak. It's also a full serve bar with pool tables. This is the kind of place that my built in radar used to lock on to like a heat seeking missile! In the old days, it wasn't a Harley ride, it was how many bars can we patronize before it's time to head for the barn. That's an entire different story, or perhaps a book. We had a good meal, Bob picked up a part that he needed, and we headed back to Verde Valley by way of Oak Creek Canyon. This is the scenic route to Sedona from Flagstaff, and it is one of the most beautiful rides you'll ever travel, on a bike or a car. The Sedona area is extremely beautiful, with all of the red rock formations, but the downtown area has become a tourist quagmire. The area was heavily congested with cars and people, so we crept through town and didn't even stop. Back at the ranch, we had a chance to BBQ some steaks and brought Diana up to speed on her new ipod, that she picked up a couple of days ago. Tomorrow we head for Lake Havasu where the temps are forecast to be near, or in the 100's!

THE OREGON CONNECTION

Our dear friends, Bob & Diana Rush arrived here in Cottonwood, AZ yesterday, having driven a little over 1,000 miles in mostly rain & snow. Like many Californians, they moved from the Modesto, CA area several years ago, to Enterprise, OR. Bob & Diana have both owned Harleys for many years, and when we had Jamestown Harley-Davidson, Diana was the first Secretary for our newly formed Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.). This is the 3rd year that they have trailered their bikes south in the spring, and we have enjoyed riding with them here in AZ., where it's a little warmer than it is right now in north east OR. Today it's supposed to be in the low 70's, so we'll be unloading the Harleys this morning for a ride somewhere in the area.

I have only contacted a few people with the address of my blog.....................

http://www.travelbychance.blogspot.com/ , and when they have clicked on the address, it has taken them right to BY CHANCE. So, I guess finding the blog by way of a google search is not that important. As I stated earlier, the main purpose for creating this online journal, is to let our family & friends keep up with our travels. In the next few days, I'll be emailing everyone with the address, and if interested, you all can quickly see where we are, and what we've been doing as we travel around this great country of ours.

A THOUSAND TRAILS

The picture shows our motor home, trailer, part of the Jeep, the KLR 650, and yours truly, parked at the thousand trails preserve in Verde Valley, AZ. It was taken yesterday, and I had just returned from my second ride into the surrounding mountains. This entire valley is surrounded by national forest, and there are countless dirt roads and trails that make for some great off road, dirt bike rides. While I was gone, Patty did some shopping, and checked out most of the stores in old town Cottonwood. Today we're exploring the idea of driving up to Flagstaff, which is about 50 miles away. The winds have been blowing pretty hard since yesterday afternoon, and are predicted to die down this afternoon. Our friends, Bob & Diana are leaving Enterprise, OR today, and will arrive here tomorrow with their Harleys. We plan on doing some riding in the area, and then we'll all be heading back home to Lake Havasu on Monday the 20th. I just looked at the weather forecast for next week, and looks like temps in the 90's when we get back home.

THE WHISTLE BLOWS NO MORE

Yesterday, I rode the Kawasaki KLR 650 on an old, abandoned, narrow gauge railroad grade, out of Jerome, AZ. For those that don't know what type of motorcycle a KLR 650 is, let me explain... Just about every motorcycle manufacturer makes what is called a dual sport bike. Dual sport means that the bike is licensed for the highway, but is also suited for off highway riding. I've owned several dual sport bikes, and this latest is a little more oriented for the street than the dirt. I rode on the highway from the thousand trails to Jerome, then hit the dirt road which around 1900 was a narrow gauge railroad. This railroad of the past was like hundreds of other short line railroads, built to serve mining communities when there was no other practical way to transport the minerals. Over the years, one of my passions has been to explore old railroad right of ways and yesterday I added another one to the list. This ride turned into a bit of an adventure, in that it rained in this area the night before my ride. Well, this is almost a perfect scenario for a dirt ride. Notice, I said almost! With a recent rain, practically no dust however, it can mean lots of mud, which can be a bit of a problem. The ride on this old railroad grade started out with little evidence of the rain causing much mud but that changed after I had gone several miles. A little mud is usually no problem but this area is red rock country, and red rocks equal red clay, which equals red, slippery mud! I managed to traverse the bad, slippery areas without dumping the bike, but it certainly challenged my riding skills. As I get older, I'm less inclined to want to put myself in these tougher riding conditions, but I still enjoy getting off the highway and exploring some of the back country roads. As I rode on the old railroad grade, I often imagined a train off in the distance, but unfortunately, the sound of the steam engine and it's whistle, have long been silent.

THE VERDE VALLEY

We arrived at the Verde Valley Thousand Trails a couple of days ago. This is a nice preserve that sits next to the Verde River, with an elevation of about 3500 feet. Bob & Diana Rush will be here on the 16th, and we'll do a little exploring on the Harleys. This is our second stay here since joining Thousand Trails last year. This is a typical high desert valley, but the red rocks and landscape around Sedona, (about 20 miles away) are truly spectacular! Yesterday, we drove over to Prescott and back through Jerome. Jerome is unique,in that it sits on the side of a mountain, and was founded in the late 19th century as a mining town. It turned into a ghost town, then recently has been revitalized as a tourist destination, with lots of arts & craft stores. There once was a narrow gauge railroad that served the town, and in the next few days, I plan on taking the dual sport bike on the old railroad right of way from Jerome to north of Prescott where it intersected with the main line railroad. Today, I think we'll head over to Sedona and have a look at the wonderful scenery.

MEETING FRIENDS

Even though a Google search won't find my blog, I haven't given up, and will continue to post. Tomorrow, Patty and I head for the Sedona area which, is about a 4 hr. drive. We have a membership in Thousand Trails, a private campground group with one of their preserves in the Verde Valley near Sedona. Our friends, Bob & Diana from Enterprise, OR will be trailering their Harleys down for some riding in that area. I'm loading our Harley and the KLR650 in the trailer today, and we'll be pulling out in the morning. Yesterday, I finished washing and waxing the motor home and trailer. Now, that's a project! The old arms and shoulders are feeling it a little bit today. Except for some wind, the weather has been fantastic here in Lake Havasu. Mid 70's to mid 80's with hardly a cloud in sight. After buying this house new in 2002, I finally finished most of the backyard landscaping, including a new shed. Looks pretty good, with still lots of room to park motor homes, trailers and boats. We'll be leaving for the summer in about a month, and it will be interesting to see if all of the new plants, shrubs & trees survive the summer. Marc, Chandra and our grand daughter Laila will be using the house while we're gone for a short vacation. They keep their boat here and the lake and weather are almost perfect for boating right now.