A DETOUR TO QUARTZSITE

Instead of driving home to Lake Havasu, we decided to take a slight detour, and stop in Quartzsite for the night. Partly because our friends Jim & Megan Stebbins were still there, and there were a couple of things that we both wanted to purchase before the flea markets started shutting down. I hadn't driven through Phoenix in awhile, so decided to do so for a change of scenery, rather than taking the I8/Hwy 85 loop around the metro area. Big mistake! On the west side, construction (yes, on a Sunday), had the 5 westbound lanes down to one lane. We poked along, wasting about a half hour before getting through the construction area.

Sami enjoys her usual spot on the motor home dash, so as not to miss any of the action. Whenever we are in stop & go mode, the dash is her preferred choice. When we got back up to freeway speeds, she returned to her normal traveling place on the sofa. When we're traveling, Gracie stays either in her bed under the table, or in the recliner. Both critters are great travelers, sleeping most of the time.

We arrived where Jim and Megan were parked, and had a short visit before piling into the truck, and heading into town. We got what we needed, and spent the rest of the evening catching up with the latest happenings. After a dinner of Patty's chili, and Megan's salad, we said good night, and watched a little TV before going to bed.

This morning, we'll head north on Hwy 95, for the short drive home. We'll be home for about 2 weeks, then drive back to Tucson for our annual 10 day stint of work at the Tucson Rodeo.

LEAVING TUCSON

Chandra returned to Tucson yesterday, after spending a couple of weeks in CA with her mom, who is still hospitalized. Her flight got her home around noon, and she and Marc then drove over to the fairgrounds. Laila had spent the night with us, so everyone was happy to be reunited. After visiting for awhile, Marc, Chandra, & Laila went home for a couple of hours, before we met them at the house, and then drove out to the Vail Steakhouse for dinner. We had a nice dinner, saying our goodbyes, until we return to Tucson in a couple of weeks to work the Tucson Rodeo.

This morning, we'll point the motor home west, and drive back to Lake Havasu. It's a little over 300 miles from Tucson to Lake Havasu, so if we get a mid morning start, we'll get home in the mid to late afternoon. Patty has an appointment on Feb 1, to have her eyes evaluated for possible cataract surgery, so she needs to start that process with this first visit.

We're glad we were able to help Marc while Chandra was in CA, assisting with her mom, and sincerely hope that Eloise is able to return to her home in the near future. Thank goodness one of the benefits of Marc's employment with Sky West, is the benefit of air travel for the family. With Chandra's Dad's recent passing, and her mom's illness, she, Marc & Laila have been burning up the air miles between Tucson and Monterey.

A DAY AT THE ZOO

The Reid Park Zoo in Tucson is one of the nicer ones that Patty and I have visited over the years, and it was the place that Laila wanted to visit yesterday. It was another beautiful day in the southwest, with quite a few people having the same idea that we did about a visit to the zoo. The parking lot was almost full, when we arrived at about 10am.

We spent the next 4 hours or so walking around, and watching the different animals in their habitats. Notice that I didn't say cages. Even though this zoo is relatively small, the city has done a nice job creating animal enclosures that are big enough, providing for a more natural environment.




As you might expect, it doesn't take long for a 5 year old to tire of watching one animal, and want to move on to the next exhibit. She did have her favorites however, one being the anteater. When I thought we had seen everything, I was quickly informed that we somehow missed the Zebra's. Laila was right, we had indeed passed by the Zebra enclosure, so back we went for a few minutes of seeing what the Zebra's were up to.











We left the zoo, and drove over to the adjacent playground for a an hour of climbing, sliding, and playing on the 3 large playground structures. As we arrived, Laila informed us that she wasn't going to slide down the tall tube slide, but by the end of the hour, she was all over the tall slides.


When Marc got off work, he and Laila went home for an hour or so, then returned for dinner.
Laila spent the night with us, and the plan is for Chandra to be on a plane this morning at 6am, and back home in Tucson by noon. If everything goes according to the plan, we'll be on the road back to Lake Havasu tomorrow morning.

LAILA, & A PAIR OF GYPSIES

Marc and Laila in the motor home before dinner.

Marc dropped Laila off at her pre-school yesterday morning on his way to work, and we picked her up at 2pm. It was about the same time that Patty was on the phone with a prospective employer, interviewing for a job at the Grand Canyon this summer. It looks like she'll be formally offered a job in the gift shop/grocery store, at the south rim village. The written offer is on it's way, and now, we have to wait for my bus driving application to work it's way through the channels. If I'm offered the driving job, it comes with a subsidized RV parking space in the village, and that's one of the puzzle pieces that has to fit, in order for us to spend this summer at the Canyon. I was told that it might be as late as April before I have an answer, so now we play the waiting game.

After we picked up Laila, we stopped at the local park, where Laila played on the slides and swings, before we drove back to the Tucson Fairgrounds where the motor home is parked.

As the pictures show, it was another beautiful day, about 70 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky.

When Marc got off work, he came by the Fairgrounds, and we visited awhile before I BBQ'd a tri tip for dinner. After Laila ate ALL of her dinner, except a couple pieces of asparagus, she got a special treat that Grandpa had picked up at the grocery store. When that was gone, they went home, and will be back this morning. We have Laila all day today, until Marc gets off work.

Around 1pm yesterday, as we returned from the grocery store, we noticed Nick & Terry Russell's motor home parked in front of the RV office. They are the publishers of the RV travel newspaper The Gypsy Journal www.gypsyjournal.net, that we have been subscribers for many years. I follow Nick's daily blog, and knew they would be arriving in Tucson yesterday, but didn't know they would be stopping here at the fairgrounds. This is just an overnight stop for them, and they didn't have much time, so after a short visit, we said we would see them at their Gypsy Rally in Yuma, starting on March 7th. The picture below, is their motor home, as Nick passed by on the way to their RV space.

CAT & MOUSE

On his way to work, Marc stopped by the fairgrounds, leaving Laila with Grandma & Grandpa for the day. The first order of business for Miss Laila was a request for the "cat toy", and then the games began. Gracie is still a young cat, and tireless when someone will drag around a toy for her to chase. So it went, until the pancakes were on the table. Then after breakfast, we loaded up in the truck for the drive over to the house.

While we were leaving Quartzsite, I went over a bump a little too fast, and both of the pocket doors in the motor home came off the overhead track, or so I thought. The plan was to have Grandma stay with Laila, while I returned to the fairgrounds to fix the doors. When I removed the doors, I discovered that several of the screws holding the horizontal tracks had come out, allowing the track to drop, along with the doors. Normally, this would have been an easy fix. Replace the screws with a larger size, and re-secure the track. Well, that worked until I tried to reach inside the pocket where the open door is hidden. The pocket is so narrow, that my arm wouldn't fit very far inside, so I wasn't able to secure the track that is farthest inside. Even though I have a good assortment of tools in the motor home, nothing I have would do the trick. The end result was both doors are back up, and more secure than before, but not as secure as I would like. Anybody out there with real long, strong, skinny arms?

When Marc got off work, we had dinner at the house, and made arrangements to pick up Laila from pre-school today. She's in school Tues and Thurs, from 9-2, and will start Kindergarten this summer. Seems like only yesterday when she was born, and I held her in my forearm and one hand. We are so thankful to have a happy, healthy grandchild, who has great parents, and lives in a loving home.

DRIVING TO TUCSON

The drive from Quartzsite to Tucson is about 4 hours on Interstate 10 and Interstate 8. From our desert campsite, we drove the 5 miles into Quartzsite, dumping the holding tanks before heading east on I10 at about noon. The above picture was taken near Picacho Peak, about a half hour from Tucson.

To avoid the Phoenix metro area, we normally leave I10 near Buckeye, and travel south on Hwy 85 to Gila Bend, where we pick up I8. The traffic on I8 is almost non-existent compared to I10. We pick up I10 again near Casa Grande, and from there it's about an hour into Tucson. The Pima County Fairgrounds is about 15 miles east of downtown Tucson, and that has become our choice for parking whenever we take the motor home. We pulled into the fairgrounds at a little after 4pm, and got parked in a full hookup spot, before driving over to Marc, Chandra and Laila's house. After dinner at Buddy's Grill, we said good night, and agreed for Marc to drop Laila here at the motor home on his way to work.

For the next few days, we'll be either watching Laila, or picking her up from pre-school. There was a discussion last night about Chandra possibly flying home this weekend, so we're not sure how long we'll be here. Certainly at least until Chandra gets back. Her mom's illness, and subsequent hospitalization, has been difficult, where she has had to make numerous trips back to CA. We're happy to be here, and in a position to help Marc with Laila. Besides, we don't need much of an excuse to spend time with our Grand Daughter.

QUARTZSITE - DAY 4

One last view of our desert parking spot, as we pack everything up, and pull out of Quartzsite this morning. These last 5 days have been both busy, and relaxing. We've managed to browse through most of the flea markets, the RV Show, and had a couple of slide awning toppers replaced. We made it back to the motor home every afternoon, and soaked up some of the desert sunshine, either reading or sitting around the campfire. We ran into two more friends yesterday in the big tent, Bill and Dee Hall from Fresno, who are part of our Golden Spike Chapter of FMCA, and who were at the rally with us in Indio. As they say, "it's a small world".

As I previously mentioned, we're heading for Tucson today, and will probably be there a week or so. Marc and Laila were flying back from Monterey, CA last night, and Chandra is staying while her mom is still in the hospital. We're keeping our fingers crossed that Eloise (Chandra's mom) gets better, and can return to some sort of normal life.

We took advantage of our last day in Quartzsite, and returned to the big tent one more time, just to make sure there wasn't something we missed. At mid day, the lines at the food vendors was lengthy, and I was glad I didn't have much of an appetite. However, the food odors, particularly the BBQ smell, was almost enough to make me hungry.

One vendor that never needs to worry about economic conditions is the ice cream booth. This year, there were 6 windows, each with a line of people waiting to get his or her favorite flavor.
The seating was limited, as everyone seemed to be focused on making what they were holding in their hands, disappear.

Generally, the RV crowd is older, mostly retired folks, who have the time to travel to places like Quartzsite. When we got our first motor home, we were in our 40's, and didn't really fit the demographic associated with RV'ers. I guess now that we're in our 60's, you might say that we fit that profile pretty well. Whatever the case, young or old, RV'ers tend to be some of the nicest folks you ever want to meet.

THE Q - DAY 3

Even though yesterday was Sunday, we had an appointment for Shade Pro to bring us two new slide out, awning covers for installation. During this later part of January, particularly during the RV Show, this company has 8-10 installers, and they work 7 days a week from sunup to sundown. This guy climbing down the ladder (Steve) was good, and had the new fabric installed in about an hour. He also tightened up the tension, so the awnings won't flap as much during windy conditions.

By the time the awning project was finished, it was early afternoon, but we still drove into town, and hit a couple of flea markets, one of which we had never frequented. It turned out to be almost exclusively rocks, gems, minerals, and related stuff, so we didn't linger very long. By the time we finished checking out the second one, it was late afternoon, and time to head back to the motor home. These bottom two pictures were taken two days ago when the RV show in the big tent opened. As you can see, it's wall to wall people.

Today is our last full day here, and we have several locations to check out before heading for Tucson tomorrow. Our best bargain so far, has been the small reading glasses that fit in a plastic case for $1.50 each. I usually carry a pair in my pocket, but have a tendency to lose them on a fairly regular basis. I also have them stashed all around the house, in the garage, in the motor home, I even have a pair in both toolboxes. So, for that price, I now have a stockpile that should last for awhile.

Some of our friends who we normally meet here, just finished working the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction in Scottsdale. Jim/Megan and Len/Ellie will be coming this way, but we'll either be in Tucson, or on our way there. We did run into some friends from Modesto, Randy & Emily, at one of the flea markets, and had a short visit. They, like us, become desert rats this time of year, and make the pilgrimage to Quartzsite on an annual basis. Except for a little wind yesterday, the weather has been ideal, with lots of sunshine.

THE Q - DAY 2

My plan was to load about 2-3 more pictures, but the Sprint connection here is soooooo slow,
it took almost forever, just to get these two pictures on the blog. When we get to Tucson, I'll backtrack, and add a few photos from our time here in Quartzsite.

The RV Show in the big tent started yesterday, and we waded through the huge crowd, all for the purpose of maybe finding something that had to go home with us. I'm proud to say, nothing had our name on it, at least not in the tent. When we walked across the street to the Tyson Wells Flea Market, there were a few things that did end up in our bag, but nothing much to write home about. We spent about 5 hours in town, then drove back out to the motor home, and settled on the desert patio for some quiet time, Patty with her book, and me with lots of literature collected at the RV Show. Later, I BBQ'd our dinner, then we sat around the campfire for an hour or two.

Just as it was getting dark, we watched this large tow truck bringing a motor home into the area right across from us. Whatever the problem is, I guess the folks figure they can fix it where it sits. If not, that's kind of an expensive way to get your RV to, and from your desert campsite.

This morning, Shade Pro is bringing out our two drivers side, replacement slide out cover awnings. After they're installed, we'll venture into town for a few more hours of flea marketing.

DOIN THE "Q" - DAY 1

Before we leave Quartzsite, and travel to Tucson, we have 4 days to check out all of the different flea markets, and the RV Show which starts today. Yesterday, we had a leisure morning of reading, blogging, and a late breakfast before we headed into town. Beer Belly's is new this year, and as far as we can remember, it's the first beer garden with entertainment. Judging by the crowd, it looks like it's going to do real well. I almost wished that I still drank beer.

We're parked about 5 miles south of Quartzsite, on BLM land, near mile marker 99. The BLM rules for this particular section of the desert, allow up to 14 days of parking, with a no fee permit. There are other BLM areas closer to town that require a $40 fee for 14 days. The advantage to parking in the fee area is that you're closer to town, and you have access to water, a dump station, and dumpsters. We prefer being a little farther out, not so much to avoid the $40, but it's less crowded, and being self contained for up to a couple of weeks, we don't need the other stuff until we leave. Before we drove into town, I angled my 3 solar panels on the roof toward the southern sky, and at noon, they were pumping 20 amps into the battery bank. The advantage of solar panels is they keep the batteries charged, without running the generator all of the time.

The scene above is looking east, where you get a glimpse of one of the flea markets called Rice Ranch. We spent about 3 hours walking through this area, and made some small purchases, like socks, and a few things for the motor home. Today, the 10 day RV show begins in the big tent, and we'll fight the crowds to see what's the latest and greatest for this year. I stopped at one of the vendors (Pro Shade) who is here every year, and ordered the fabric to replace two of the slideout awning toppers. Our 07 Camelot is just under 4 years old since we had it built to our specifications, and some of the awning material is coming apart. The replacement material, or at least the stitching, is guaranteed to last 10 years, so I guess time will tell.

We ran across these signs at one of the vendors, and at first glance, it appears that they were willing to pay you 10%, just to take an item off the shelf! Reading the fine print, the 90% off was only if you paid with silver coins. There's lots of stuff like this, which if nothing else, provides a certain amount of entertainment, as you see what's around the next corner.

It looks like another gorgeous day, so I think we'll have an earlier breakfast, and head into town. As is the case every year, I/we always find stuff that we absolutely cannot live without. I'm sure there's a bargain sitting somewhere with our name on it!

QUARTZSITE 2011

We pulled out of the driveway yesterday, and after stopping for fuel, we headed south toward Quartzsite, AZ. From Lake Havasu City, it's only about 70 miles, so we pulled off the highway near mile marker 99, and selected our parking spot in the desert, early in the afternoon. Unlike past years, we are by ourselves at our camp spot, but the desert is full of RV's as far as you can see. The number of RV'ers that come here every winter, varies according to which rag you're reading, or who you're talking to. The general consensus is that over about an 8 week period (Jan-Feb), several hundred thousand folks temporarily inhabit this small town in Western Arizona, and the estimates range as high as a million.

The original attraction was and still is the warm weather. A small gem & mineral show started things off many years ago, and that has evolved into a huge RV show, attracting hundreds of RV related vendors, and RV Dealers. The Flea Markets have expanded to the point that they are all over town, some small, and some with hundreds of vendors selling just about everything. Part of the attraction for me, is the ability to find a parking spot in the desert, and live off the grid for usually about a week. However, this year, we'll only be here for about 4 days, and will be heading for Tucson on Tuesday. Marc is juggling several balls while Chandra is in CA with her mom, who is still very ill. They both have a lot on their plates, and we'll be able to help with things at the Tucson end. Marc's Aunt Claudia and her husband Marty have been helping with Laila, while Marc works, and Chandra has been traveling back and forth to help with her mom. After talking to Marc, we are all thankful that Claudia and Marty, who live in the Phoenix area, have been able to help out.

In the next 4 days, starting today, we'll get our annual dose of mega RV/ flea markets, and then drive to Tucson. Not sure how long we'll be in Tucson, but that's the good thing about taking our traveling house with us, we've got just about everything we need on board, including our four legged children.

Here's Patty yesterday, chillin on the desert patio, soaking up the sunshine. The forecast for today is 70 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky. Life is good!

CHILLIN IN THE BACKYARD

Most of yesterday was spent getting everything loaded into the motor home, for our annual trek to Quartzsite, AZ. We're leaving this morning for about a week, where we'll be parked in the desert near all of the flea markets, and RV show in town. We've been going to Quartzsite for about 15 years, but since moving to AZ, our drive is now only a little over an hour.

After most of the work was done, I threw some chicken on the BBQ, with Sami supervising every move I made. It was an almost perfect winter day here in Lake Havasu, and as I tended to the BBQ, I couldn't help but be glad we decided to move here almost 9 years ago. This is the time of year when thousands of snowbirds from colder climates make their way to the desert, primarily for the warm weather. Except for a few days in Tucson during the holidays where it was chilly enough for long pants, my winter attire has been a t-shirt and shorts.
During the winters we have spent here in Lake Havasu, I have slowly landscaped the back yard, with some sort of project just about every year. With all of the concrete, the RV shade cover, the addition of the shed 2 years ago, it's been easy to stay busy. This winter has been more about trying to get a little healthier, with daily walks and some running. Our island walking path is a circle of 3.6 miles, and I'm up to running, well, more like jogging 2 of those miles. I've never been much of a runner, but as my endurance is slowly building, I'm actually starting to enjoy it just a little.

During one of my trips into the motor home, I glanced at the thermometer, and decided I had to take another picture, especially for our friends Bob & Diana, who live in Enterprise, OR. Their home in north east Oregon is located in a beautiful area, but it does get cold in the winter. Actually, the outdoor temperature shown above is not accurate. The remote sensor is located in front of the motor home, and the afternoon sun was shining directly on the sensor. The real temperature Bob, was a chilly 72 degrees.

When I'm doing anything around the BBQ, I usually have Sami's undivided attention, as shown above. At 13, her hearing has deteriorated a little, but her nose works as good as ever..

CHP MEMORIES

My first assignment out of the CHP Academy was the Baldwin Park Office, in the Los Angeles area. The San Gabriel Valley incorporates the cities of Alhambra, Rosemead, Temple City, Arcadia, El Monte, Baldwin Park, La Puente, Covina, West Covina, Azusa, Glendora, and several others that I can't think of at the moment. During the first few days of work, I learned that we had the responsibility for all of the un-incorporated areas, plus the 4 freeways that crisscrossed the valley.

When we were deciding where to live, we knew a friend who lived in Anaheim, who volunteered to rent us a place to live. Looking on the map, Anaheim didn't look too far from Baldwin Park, so I said sure, and thanks. When we moved, Mike was 2, and Pam was pregnant with Marc. We settled into a 4 plex, that was about a 20 mile drive to work. Fortunately, my work hours didn't conflict a lot with the 8-5 crowd, so I didn't get stuck in heavy freeway traffic very often. Near the end of my first year on the job, we moved into a rented house in El Monte, that was only a short drive to work.

A new CHP Officer is assigned an experienced Training Officer for the first 30 days, and is on probation for the 1st year. After a short orientation, my first partner was a fellow named Chuck Kidder. One of the first things I remember him telling me, is "you need to know where you are at all times". The obvious reason was that if there was trouble, you could direct help to your location. He would frequently ask me what street we were on, and what was the nearest cross street. There were a few times that I wasn't paying attention, and didn't have a clue where we were, but most of the time I did. Not only did I have to quickly learn the geography, but where the cities ended, and where the un-incorporated areas began. On top of that, I had to always know which court jurisdiction I was in. There was a lot to learn, and in the beginning, it was almost overwhelming.

Then, there were the infamous L.A. Freeways. Our office had responsibility for portions of the San Bernardino (I10), Pomona (SR60), Foothill (I210), and the San Gabriel (I605) Freeways. During that summer of 1969, the smog was often so bad, your eyes would burn anytime you stood outside. The San Gabriel Mountains were only a few miles away, but there were times that the smog was so bad, you could not see them. Those mountains represented the north, and in the beginning, were the most important frame of geographical reference. When they couldn't be seen, there were a few times it became problematic.

I had only been on the job for a few days, when my training officer said "we're driving into L.A. to the hospital burn center, to visit Officer Blomo". Bob Blomo was a Motor Officer who had crashed while on the job, just a few days before I arrived, and was in critical condition. Chuck was a good friend of Bob's and at the hospital, I learned that the prognosis was not good. Before we entered Bob's room, the nurse asked for our sunglasses, and any thing else that was reflective. As we walked in, I quickly understood why the staff didn't want Bob to have any possible way to get a glimpse of how he looked. He had 3rd degree burns over his entire body, except where his motorcycle boots protected his legs and feet. Without going into a lot of detail, this fellow CHP Officer looked horrible, and my emotions were all over the place. After a couple of minutes, I excused myself, and walked out of the room, so sick to my stomach that I almost threw up. During my 20 years off seeing death and injury, this was the only time that I was physically affected by an on the job experience. Bob Blomo died 13 days after his accident, and after only being on the job for a couple of weeks, I went to my first CHP Funeral.

IT'S A HEAT WAVE

The weather here in the Palm Springs area, has been about as good as it gets for being in the dead of winter. Our thermometer rose to a little above 80 degrees yesterday, and by the time I took this picture at 4:51 in the afternoon, it was still 79. During the middle of the day, as we walked amongst the motor homes, you could hear a few of the rooftop air conditioners running.
I guess if someone has to enjoy the warm sunshine, it might as well be us.

Later this morning, we'll be pulling out of the Riverside County Fairgrounds here in Indio, and driving the 175 miles back to Lake Havasu. The weather is predicted to be in the mid 70's for the few days that we will be home, so there just might be a day for the boat to get it's bottom wet.

We've enjoyed the past 5 days at the FMCA Western Rally, particularly the time with our Golden Spike Chapter. We have met some new friends, and reacquainted ourselves with some of the folks we first met at the Mount Hood Railroad Rally last August. That's one of the benefits of belonging to the Family Motor Coach Association. There are about 450 chapters across the country, with enough different focuses (ours being railroads), to fit with most every one's interests.

FMCA INDIO RALLY - DAY 3

One of the more popular events at this, and other RV Rally's that we have attended, is the ice cream social. For several years, the Golden Spike Chapter www.fmcagoldenspike.com has volunteered to staff this event, and yesterday we did just that. Here's a few pictures of Patty handing out free ice cream bars. Yes, the temptation was simply more than I could resist, and with my hands on hundreds of ice cream bars for almost a solid hour, two of them found their way into my mouth before it was all over. We had fun, and that's what this whole thing is all about.

As usual, we brought more than enough food with us, but, with the Chapter doing BBQ's, and pizza parties, we haven't hardly touched anything in our refrigerator. Today is the last full day of the rally, and there are plans to go to a local restaurant this evening. Tomorrow, we'll take our time, and drive back to Lake Havasu for a few days, then, we're off to Quartzsite for our annual pilgrimage to the world's largest gathering of RV's.

This is part of our Golden Spike Chapter, right after we took a group picture in front of the ice cream truck.

THE WILD WEST

The theme for this years Family Motor Coach Association Western Rally in Indio is "Return to the Old West". Not exactly the wild west, but yesterday afternoon's parade had a few wild looking entries, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.

If this lady's gun was real, I don't think I would want to be on the receiving end. As the saying goes, "everybody loves a parade". It appeared that the participants were enjoying the activity as much, if not more than the spectators. Hey, everyone likes to show off once in awhile.

As we walked through the vendors, I was starting to pat myself on the back for not spending a bunch of money, particularly on stuff we really didn't need. That was until I came to Pete's Tire Booth, and plunked down the debit card for 2 new front tires. I really only needed one, but it's my job to drive Patty crazy, so I just had to buy two. Actually, I've just about had it with the Goodyear Tires that came with the motor home, and have replaced several times. So, the transition to Michelin will start this morning with the 2 front tires. Each tire is in the $600 range, and by the time you add taxes and mounting and balancing, the out the door number was a little above $1,500.

Our Golden Spike Chapter is in charge of the ice cream social, so Patty and I will be part of the group that passes out ice cream today at noon. I think I'll have to fall off the wagon today, but it's been several months since I kicked my buddies - Ben & Jerry out of the house. I sure do miss them, especially in the evening while watching TV. I can relate to the Paul Anka tune - Breaking up is hard to do!

FMCA RALLY - DAY 1

This is a 5 day rally, but during day 1 and day 5, not much is going on. All of the entertainment, vendors, seminars, and other activities start today, and run through the next 3 days. I'm almost afraid to check out the vendors, because I have a pretty good idea that there's probably going to be something that I simply can't live without. When we had our Harley Dealership, we used to tell prospective buyers, "the bike is the least expensive part, it's all of the other stuff like leather and chrome, that eventually puts a big dent in the bank account". It's much the same with the RV lifestyle. There are so many latest and greatest doo dads, available for RV's, that you have to be careful when walking through the vendor area at a rally like this. The test will come later this morning when we see exactly what is the latest and greatest.

Last night, I helped BBQ a bunch of Tri Tips for the Chapter Dinner, and annual meeting. It was a pot luck for all of the other food, and as always, there was plenty for everyone. After dinner, we elected new officers for the next 2 years, and set the agenda for upcoming rallies. At the Mount Hood Railroad Rally this past August, Patty and I had volunteered to do a rally in Carson City, NV, where the new Virginia & Truckee Railroad operates a tourist R.R. between Virginia City & Carson City. It looks like that's still a go for late September of this year. If our application for summer jobs at the Grand Canyon come through, it might be a little tight between the time we stop working, and the start of the activities that we'll need to coordinate. Things like this have a way or working out, so I'm sure we'll be able to do both. We have to be offered jobs first, and the competition is a little tougher than it used to be.

The weather is almost perfect since we arrived in the Palm Springs/Indio area, with 70+ degree, full sunshine days. It's definitely a shorts and t-shirt climate. So far, the only time I've reverted to long pants, was when we spent a few days in Tucson over the holidays. The forecast is for more of the same, so, I guess we'll just have to put up with it!

A WALMART RENDEVOUS

This picture shows a few of our fellow Golden Spike Chapter members & Patty, just prior to our departure from the La Quinta Wal Mart yesterday morning. Actually, about 15 rigs, including ourselves, parked in the adjacent, recently closed Sam's Club parking lot. This is where we agreed to meet, and spend the night, prior to driving the 4 miles or so, into the Riverside County Fairgrounds. The town of La Quinta is one of several towns that make up the greater Palm Springs area. La Quinta has an ordnance on the books that does not allow overnight camping in private parking lots, and signage at the entrance to Wal Mart states "No overnight camping". During our years of travel around the country, we have found several cities that have enacted local laws prohibiting overnight parking. Wal Mart has an almost universal policy that allows RV's to use their parking lots, and I suspect that from a business perspective, it's a good policy. Despite the signage, we all decided to risk being kicked out, and as we suspected, no local authorities bothered us.

A little after 10am, we left as a group, and drove about 4 miles to the Fair Grounds. After getting parked, we picked up our welcome bag of goodies, and sort of relaxed for the afternoon. I say sort of, because about mid afternoon, I lost all 12 volt power inside the motor home. No lights, no water pump, no water heater, just 110 power from our electrical connection. I traced the problem to a solenoid downstream from the battery cut off switch, and after tightening a connection, got everything working again. I suspect that this solenoid will act up again, and will eventually need to be replaced. If it fails again, I'll probably just bypass it until I get another one.

Our chapter is in charge of a few of the activities at this rally, so our group was part of the several hundred that were treated to a free volunteer dinner last night. That pretty much capped off the day, and the rally officially starts this morning.

FMCA WESTERN REGIONAL RALLY

No matter where we are traveling in the motor home, just prior to pulling out of Lake Havasu, the hook-up of the jeep is done about a half mile from the house, at the High School parking lot. With lots of room in a large, flat area, it's much easier to connect either the jeep or the pickup to the motor home, rather than at the house..

This was the scene yesterday, as we took off for the Family Motor Coach Association (FMCA) www.fmca.com Western Regional Rally in Indio, CA. We detoured slightly, for a quick stop in Quartzsite, AZ, before heading west on I10. Except for some areas of above average wind, the drive was uneventful, and we arrived at the pre-designated meeting place at about 2pm. For this rally, we are attending with our newly joined Golden Spike Chapter, and there are 16 rigs who met here yesterday, in the La Quinta Wal-Mart Parking lot. Our first rally with this group was last August at the Mount Hood Scenic Railroad near Portland, OR., and we enjoyed the time with our new set of friends.

The annual FMCA Rally here at the Date Festival Grounds, is one that we have put on the calendar for the last several years, but for some reason or another, haven't attended. We'll be doing the usual rally activities like attending a few seminars, checking out all of the RV product vendors, looking at the new motor homes on display, and engaging in other activities with our Golden Spike Chapter. When this group normally gets together, there's usually a train to ride. The chapter has been attending this rally for a number of years, and even though it's not railroad related, the rally is an opportunity (or excuse) to get together during the winter months.