THE GREAT WALL - DAY 2

Construction of this retaining wall began with a 1/2 pallet (45) of standard 8"x8"x16" concrete  block, which was almost enough for the first row.  By early afternoon, that first pallet was gone, and I came up short by about 10 blocks.  Another 5-6 feet on either end, and the first & hardest row will be done.   The wall will be a little over 60 feet long when finished.

In order to get the block perfectly level, and aligned with the row, lots of adjustments (digging) have to be made.  The eyeball gets me pretty close, but the level is what determines when the block is set.  I'll be glad when this first row is done.

 The short 90 degree interior walls will provide extra strength.

When the entire wall is filled with concrete, and strengthened by lots of rebar, it will be one solid structure, capable of holding back the dirt fill.  When I ran out of block, I decided to make another run to Lowes, where I bought a full pallet (90), or so I thought.  Not sure how much a pallet of these blocks weigh, but I'm pretty sure that the total weight is pushing the limits of my little trailer. 

When I got home, I noticed that a couple of blocks were removed from the center of the stack.  I'm sure Lowes will trust me on the shortage, and replace the missing ones.  I've said it before, but it's worth repeating that Lowes will give a 10% discount with proof of military service.  I've taken my DD214 (honorable discharge document), and had it miniaturized and laminated.  On a handful of occasions, I have been told that you must be retired military to get the discount, but even with that admonition, they've always given me the discount.  Usually, there's no question, and the 10% off more than pays for the gas to make the 40 mile round trip.

Today the wall, and my body gets a rest.  We're making a shopping trip to Costco, Wally World, and who knows where else.  Thankfully, there's no quilt shops on the itinerary, at least not that I know about.

START OF THE "GREAT WALL"

 The stake is where the left front corner of the RV shade structure will be located.

When we moved to this semi rural property last year, I didn't think that I wanted to tackle any really physically demanding projects.  I even made the comment to my son Marc, "I don't think I want to be building any retaining walls".  So, here I am, climbing up and down a bank, carrying heavy block, building a retaining wall.

 This approx. 45 degree embankment drops about 75 feet into the wash.

With the end goal of putting up a metal structure for the motor home, this project is almost a necessity.  Without additional space to the left of the new building, drivable access to the back of the property would be next to impossible.  I actually knew this when I first thought about this area as a permanent parking spot for the motor home, but until I actually layed out where the building is to be located, I kind of forgot about it.  Back when the garage was being built, I even got a couple of quotes from contractors, whose bids for the wall came in at $3,500 to $5,000.  Maybe that's why I put it out of my mind until now.

Faced with the substantial expense of hiring a contractor, I decided to do it myself.  Yesterday, I took the trailer to Lowes (42 mile round trip), loaded it up with about as much concrete block as I thought it could carry, and started construction of the "Great Wall".  By the end of the afternoon, I had layed about half of the first row of block, which is the most critical.  By laying the foundation perfectly level, the rest of the rows will line up properly.  With the structure anchored into the bank with 90 degree support walls, lots of rebar, and a final filing with concrete, this 3-5 foot high wall will be more than adequate for the fill material that's going behind it.

By late afternoon, the old body said "enough", and I called it a day, with some good progress made. On the way back from Lowes, I passed by a place that I had not patronized for over half a year!  Did I stop and have one of the best burgers in the known world?  Nope.  Shedding some pounds will be a priority for awhile, then I'll reconsider visiting my friends Ben & Jerry, and chowing down on a double, double.  Well, maybe it won't be that long, as Lowes is just down the street, and I'm not sure how many times I can pass by, before the irresistible urge overcomes the desire to lose a few extra pounds. 
 

FIXING THE GATE

Just before we left for the summer, I finished building my driveway entrance gate, complete with solar powered automatic opener.  A month or so before we returned home, Marc told me that the gate had stopped working, and that he disconnected the actuator, effectively making it a manual gate.  Fixing whatever went wrong was the priority yesterday.

Armed with some tools, a volt meter, and the cell phone, I  went out to the gate, and checked a few obvious things like battery voltage, loose connections, etc.  Finding nothing wrong, I called G.T.O. (gates that open), and spoke with their tech department.  They walked me through a bunch of tests, and the conclusion was that the circuit board had crashed.  Yep, even gate openers have circuit boards.  If the terrorists would ever come up with a way to disable all of these electronic gizmos, they would easily win the war on terror, without ever firing a shot.

The good news is that there's a 1 year warranty on parts & labor.  I packaged up the defective circuit board, and mailed it off to Florida, where it will either get fixed, or replaced.  In the meantime, half of the gate will stay open.  OK, moving on to the next project........

I moved the truck, the two trailers, the tractor, and Marc & Chandra's boat out of the garage.  Cleaning the floor of dead bugs, and other debris was the next task.  Thank goodness for shop vacs, and their ability to suck up just about everything.  When I was finished with that I moved the tractor back inside, and did some routine maintenance.  This might sound a bit weird to some folks, but putting a coat of wax on some of that bright orange paint made perfectly good sense to me.  Since it sits outside for about half of the year, protecting the paint is kind of a no brainer.  Hey, I can't help it, I like shiny things!

A MOUSE IN THE HOUSE

Leaving a home empty for multiple months is bound to create a need for lots of cleaning, some repairing, the replacement of things like batteries, and so on.  After two days of washing windows, dusting most all surfaces, and a good scrubbing of the tile floors, our house is back to where it was when we left 5 months ago. 

Living in a rural desert environment has a few additional critter challenges that aren't present in an urban setting.  Even though we haven't seen any snakes yet, they are here, along with scorpions (which we have seen) , and other obnoxious insects & creatures.  With monthly visits from the local pest control company, and an aggressive plan of my own, we have kept the critters away from the house, or so I thought.

While we were gone, Marc called and said that he saw some evidence of rodent activity in the house, and promptly set some traps.  Well, the mere presence of the traps, plus some additional outside bait in the traps by the pest control company must have scared Mickey & his friends away, or so I thought.

Shortly after returning home, when I fired up the desktop computer, I couldn't get the curser on the screen to move when I used the computer mouse.  It didn't take long to discover what the problem was.  The connecting cord between the mouse and computer had been severed in 5 different places.  Amazingly, all of the other cords and cables appeared to be intact.  The one critter with a distinct reputation for this type of behavior is the desert pack rat.  A quick trip to the hardware store, and I was armed with more traps, poison, and even some sort of anti rodent pulse signal device that plugs into a house electrical outlet.  With one battle victory on the mouse scorecard, the rest of the war is going to be extremely lopsided!  Bring it on Mickey, you're going down!

FIRST BIG PROJECT

When we moved to the outskirts of Tucson just about a year ago, we bought a 4 acre parcel with a  manufactured home on the property.  The first major project was to build a large garage/shop, that would be big enough to hold all of our stuff, and give me some room to do what DIY guys do.  My first plan was to build it big enough for the motor home, but that quickly got shot down by the county, who had a height, and square footage restriction.  When the shell was finished, I insulated, and sheet rocked all 160 feet of the 11' interior walls, & built a 10'x12' storage room in one of the corners.  By the time this was all done, the summer was upon us, and we left for our trip to Alaska.

These pictures show where we parked the motor home last winter, adjacent to the north end of the house, where there is a 50amp electrical connection, and water.  This is where I've decided to build an RV shade cover that will protect the little house from the unforgiving Arizona sun.  As of right now, it will be 18' wide, 46' long, and a little over 15 feet tall at the peak.  I'm in the process of getting quotes, and will make a decision in the next few days.

The latest prognosis for our little kitty is not good, and it's a day to day thing.  We're both trying to prepare for the inevitable, a time that comes for all pet owners, sooner or later.  Unfortunately, for Gracie, at just a little over 5 years old, it appears that her time will come sooner, rather than later.

BACK TO WORK

Leaving a house empty for 5 months, creates a bit of work when it's reoccupied.  Starting yesterday, we both went into a "clean the domicile" mode.  While Patty worked on the inside, I started on the outside, pressure washing away lots of dust, dirt, and cobwebs.  With the window screens removed, I washed & towel dryed all the glass.  Yes, I do windows!  Today, the inside of the glass will get a thorough cleaning, then I'll move onto something else.   

 I think it's safe to say that my diet is about to change.

Late in the afternoon, we drove over to Marc, Chandra, and Laila's house for a visit.  It's amazing how fast our little 7 year old (soon to be 8) changes in a mere matter of months.  It was good to reconnect with our family, and catch up on all of the news.  They are in the final planning stages of an upcoming  two week trip to Hawaii.  They, along with our son Mike, and his wife Amy, will be staying at Nancy's condo on the island of Maui. beginning on Oct 7th. 
   

Gracie's ready to leave the little house for the big house.

It's good to be home, despite all of the chores that are on the horizon.  After 5 months of  not much physical activity, it's time to shed the extra pounds.  I haven't gotten on the scale yet, but I know me & my buddies Ben & Jerry, won't be seeing much of each other for quite awhile.  Yep, breakups are difficult, but  old B & J have lots of other friends to keep them company. 

Today, Miss Gracie has an appointment with the Vet, and after some blood work, we'll get a better picture of how she's doing, and what an updated prognosis looks like.  According to the Vet in Anchorage, we weren't sure she would make it home, so any extra time we have with her is a blessing.  Hopefully, there will be some better news later today.

WICKENBURG, AZ TO HOME

The last day of our total 150 days away from home, took us through Phoenix, & Tucson, to our humble abode, southeast of Tucson.  Looking back, it was a wonderful trip, exposing us to some new adventures, and taking us back to some familiar areas.  Except for the dental, kitty, and windshield issues, there were few other challenges, and thankfully, no mechanical breakdowns.  The motor home ran like a top, and the only thing that could have been better was the fuel mileage.

We pulled into the driveway a little after noon, only to discover that I hadn't taken the key to the gate with me.  Into the house for the spare key, and the motor home was soon parked in front, ready to unload.  Boy, did we accumulate some STUFF on this trip!  The fridge is always the first thing to empty, then everything else.  By 5 pm, the job was pretty much done, and we even took care of a few issues in the house.  Today is house cleaning day.

Naturally, Gracie was a little apprehensive about going from her small home of 5 months, to her much larger home.  She seems to be holding her own, except for the weight loss.  A Vet visit is on the agenda in the next few days.

Except for a lot of dust, some dead bugs, and a few other small issues, we were back in the big house routine by the end of the evening.  Yep, it's good to be home, and I'm looking forward to staying very busy with lots of projects in the coming months.   Here's a recap of the trip by way of some stats......

Departure date - April 26, 2013  Return date - September 23, 2013 
Total days gone - 150
States visited - Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho & Alaska.
Canadian Provinces & Territories - British Columbia, Alberta, and the Yukon Territory.

Miles traveled yesterday - 196
Total miles traveled - 10,463

Total expenditure for RV Parks - $1,914.55
Average cost per night - $12.76  (doesn't include annual T.T. dues)

Diesel Flying J Eloy 30.9 @ $3.67 = $113.32
MPG - 8.1
Total average MPG - 7.8
Total fuel expense - $5,775.44
Total gallons of diesel - 1,434.7
Average cost per gallon - $4.03

Number of Quilt Shops visited - Way to damn many!
Memories - priceless

BEATTY, NV TO WICKENBURG, AZ

Having made the decision to not drive the 500+ miles home yesterday, we took our time leaving the Beatty RV Park, hitting the road about mid morning.  I picked a place to stop in Wickenburg, a small town about 50 miles northwest of Phoenix.  I've found that one of the best resources for finding RV parks is RV Park Review.  Not only does it list most of the RV parks in a city, with map directions, but it also allows folks to make comments, and rate a park on a 1-10 scale.  You kind of have to take the comments with a grain of salt, but after reading 3 or 4 comments, you get a better picture than you would from the RV park books.

Driving through Las Vegas is always a lesson in patience, but since it was mid day on a Sunday, traffic wasn't too terribly bad.  When we pulled into the Flying J in Kingman, there was one RV fueling, and two waiting to get into the one RV pump.  OK, that didn't appear to be a good option, and I don't like to use the truck islands in AZ due to the higher diesel price that trucks pay.  Usually, the fuel desk will adjust the RV price down (it's about 8 cents a gallon cheaper for RV's), but on several occasions, that process has been nothing but a big hassle.  So, I waited for a couple of vehicles to move from the outside car island, where there was enough room to get fuel, and make the turn to get back out.

We pulled into the Hospitality RV Resort, just south of Wickenburg on Hwy 60, and got a pull through space for the night.  Today is our last day of travel, before settling back in at the homestead just outside of Tucson.  This trip was our 7th to Alaska, and I'll summarize some of the details in tomorrow's blog.

Miles - 358  Cumulative - 10,227
Hospitality RV Park - $34.20  Cumulative -  $1,914.55
Diesel - Flying J Kingman - 65 Gals @ $3.85 = $250
Cumulative fuel cost - $5,662.12
MPG - 8.1  Average MPG - 7.8

COLUSA, CA TO BEATTY, NV

With an early Pacific Storm about to blow across Northern California, we were up early, with the intent of getting across the Sierras before it could do too much damage.  Saying goodbye to Nancy, after spending the last 5 months together, was not the easiest thing, and something that we weren't looking forward to.  Knowing that Patty will see her again, when they jet off to Costa Rica in about a month, and that I'll be seeing her again this winter, sort of made it a little easier to say adios.  After big hugs, she headed south, and we continued east on Hwy 20.

We had reservations at the Snowflower Thousand Trails near Truckee, but with this storm approaching, I canceled, and we decided to just put the hammer down, and head for home. It wasn't long before we were in the foothills, and somewhere around Grass Valley, the rain started.  It stayed with us all the way over the mountain, not stopping until just before we rolled through Reno.  At Fernley, east of Reno, we left I80 for the less heavily traveled two lanes of Hwy 50A.  At Fallon,  we picked up US95, a road through the outback of Nevada, that left no doubt that we were back in the desert once again.

 Leaving the golden state for the silver state.

 Passing through Reno, "The Biggest Little City".

I'm sure there's lots of folks who hate driving in the wide open space of the desert, but I'm not one of them.  Except for the pretty stiff crosswind that occasionally brought me back to reality, my thoughts were free to wander as far as the seemingly endless straight stretches of road.  With a few small towns like Hawthorne, Tonopah, & Goldfield to break up the unobstructed views, we pulled into the Beatty RV Park a little after 5pm, having covered a lot of ground.  Today, we'll either get all the way home, or, more probably stop somewhere so that we don't pull into the homestead during the hours of darkness

Miles traveled - 480  Cumulative miles - 9,909
Beatty RV Park - $25  Cumulative RV Parks - $1,880.35
Diesel Fernley Pilot - 37.9 @ $3.99 = $151.20
Cumulative fuel total - $5,412.12
MPG - 5.1  Cumulative average MPG - 7.8

EUREKA, CA TO COLUSA, CA

Driving on Hwy 101 in WA, OR, and much of Northern CA, is an experience that exposes you to everything from the Pacific Ocean, to tall Redwood trees.  Some stretches are narrow, curvy, two laned, with lots of ups and downs.  As time goes on, more and more of this scenic highway is upgraded to 4 lanes, but it has a long way to go before I would classify it as "RV friendly".   The less than "RV friendly" sections notwithstanding, Hwy 101 will always be one of my favorite drives, whether in an RV, or on a motorcycle.

We said adios to Hwy 101 north of Ukiah, heading east on Hwy 20 towards Clear Lake.  The drive around the north shore of this very large lake is slow going, as there are several small towns with speed limits of 35 & 45 mph.  This is where the scenery turns from lush green, with tall trees, to more of a tan tone, with a a scattering of oaks. 

We stopped in Williams at a Shell station on Hwy 20, where diesel was $4.40 a gallon.....ouch!  I knew there was more than one reason why we moved out of CA.  With full fuel tanks, and empty pockets, we drove east another few miles on Hwy 20, to the Colusa County Fairgrounds.  The fair office is closed on Fridays, but we found a maintenance guy who told us how to get into the always open 9th street gate.  Once inside the fairgrounds, we had the place to ourselves, with 50 amp electrical & water hookups for $20 a night.

This was the last full day of travel with our pal Nancy.  This morning, she will head south toward her home in Atwater, while we continue east toward Nevada.  We've spent the last 5 months traveling together on a journey that has taken us all the way to the tip of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska.  Except for a few days ago, where we split up while our second windshield of this trip was being installed, we've been together 24-7. 

When this trip first started, I remember telling Nancy that when it was all over, she would have the confidence of knowing that she had done an RV trip that many folks only dream about.  I have watched her take on every task associated with driving and maintaining a big motor home, without so much as a hint of any drama.  I've only had to be the big brother a few times, when experience, or muscle was necessary.  It's been a pleasure, and Patty and I wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again.

In a few weeks, Patty & Nancy will be flying to Costa Rica for a different kind of adventure, and I'll be left home alone.  Gee, I wonder what I'll do without the constant threat of being dragged kicking and screaming into what seemed like a never ending number of quilt shops! 

Miles traveled - 242  Cumulative - 9,429
Colusa Co. Fairgrounds - $20  Cumulative RV Parks $1,855.35
Diesel - Circle K Eureka - 23.8 Gals @ $4.20 = $100
Diesel - Shell Williams - 69.3 Gals @ $4.40 = $305
Fuel $405  Cumulative fuel total - $5,260.92
MPG 7.9  Cumulative average MPG - 7.9

NORTH BEND, OR TO EUREKA, CA

This was our last day of travel on the Oregon Coast, a place that we never seem to get tired of.  We left the Mill Casino under a bright, sunshiny sky, with mixed emotions.  Our desire to return home after almost 5 months on the road, outweighed our inclination to spend more time exploring the Coos Bay area. 

The drive south was a mixture of ocean vistas, tall Redwood trees, lush green valleys, all mixed with a  combination of sunshine and rolling ocean fog.  This is a drive that provides something new and different around every corner.  We passed on the tourist traps such as prehistoric gardens, and trees of mystery, choosing rather to enjoy the scenic beauty of a simple drive down Hwy 101. 

South of Brookings, we returned to the Golden State for the first time since early May, when we left for the long drive to Alaska.  Our destination for the day was Eureka, where I had picked an RV park that was convenient to the downtown area, and right off Hwy 101, behind the Eureka Harley-Davidson Dealership.

With not much to eat all day, I was a Starven Marven, so I unhooked our Jeep, and we set out to find a Chinese restaurant that the RV park host said was pretty good.  As we drove into the area where the place was supposed to be........wouldn't you know it, I drove right by another one of those woman stores, and all I could say was "damn"!  I need to find a pair of instant blinders, whereby I can push a button, and the girls will be unable to see anything for about 5-10 seconds.

For some reason, these two women can spot a quilt store from even more than a mile away, it's almost like they have built in, quilt radar.  OK, maybe this store has a husband waiting area like the last one did, complete with guy magazines.  Upon finding no such thing in this latest addition to the quilt sisters world record, I approached the lady behind the counter.  I explained to her that there was a universal code that required all quilt/fabric/yarn stores to provide a testosterone themed waiting area, and that without one, her store was destined to failure.  At first, I think she took me seriously, as she scrambled to another room, bringing out a folding chair, and apologizing for not having any Playboy magazines.  I told her thanks anyway, returning to my Jeep sanctuary, where at least I could turn up the radio, and dream of a man's utopian world, completely devoid of quilt stores!  
   

, 

Miles - 221  Cumulative - 9,187
Shoreline RV Park - $35.28  Cumulative - $1,800.28

A WILD ENCOUNTER

 

 Nancy moving her rig yesterday morning.

The morning started with a visit to the Mill RV Park office.  When we checked into the park day before yesterday, we were told that we could only stay one night, that the park was completely full beyond the one night.  When Nancy later got online reservations for the 2nd night that wasn't supposed to be available according to the check in folks, we were prepared to do battle.  When the gal fired up the computer, she found the 2 online reservations, and the worst of the whole deal was that we both had to move into new spaces.  OK, we could live with that, and after getting moved, we headed south toward Bandon.

The West Coast Game Park is located on Hwy 101, about 5 miles south of Bandon.  It's a place that we've visited many times, and is somewhat unique, because there is almost always at least one baby critter, that you can actually touch, and interact with.  We hit the jackpot yesterday, getting up close and personal with 5 juvenile animals.  First up was a young black bear, then in order - a Caracal, a Bobcat, a Tiger, and last, a Red Fox.  Anyone who knows Patty, will understand that she was in high heaven, particularly when she was able to be around and touch the 3 baby cats.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...............

Before we knew it, several hours had passed, and we had to say goodbye to our new furry friends.  As we passed through Bandon, I tried to divert the girl's attention, but the eagle eyed fabric ladies spotted another quilt shop, and my goose was cooked!  At least this store had a "husband waiting area" with popular mechanics magazines to pass the time. 

 

By the time we got back to Coos Bay, it was dinner time, and I bet most folks didn't know that yesterday was National Cheeseburger Day.  Who was I to dishonor a national observance of this most American sandwich.  Besides, having just been dragged while kicking and screaming into the bazillionth quilt shop, I had the upper hand on where we were going for dinner.  My girlfriend Wendy was the choice, and even though the girls didn't order a cheeseburger, I most certainly did!
Today, we're putting on some miles, as we continue southbound along the coast, probably ending up somewhere in California at the end of the day.