LAST WEEK

As mentioned yesterday, we were parked almost a week in Jamestown without an Internet connection. I don't want these entries to be too long, so I'll catch up on a few of the other things we did while in CA. Last Thursday, the 14TH, Patty, Lori & I drove up to Yosemite, which is a little over an hour from Jamestown. This is the perfect time to visit Yosemite Valley because the snow is melting like crazy, and all of the many waterfalls are spectacular. Lori took the picture of Patty and I with Yosemite Falls in the background. The photo at the top shows our motor home parked at Everett & Lori's, and the other photo shows Patty & Lori in our motor home. When we visited my aunt Martha & cousin Diane in Stockton, I took this picture of them with Patty.

We were hoping that Everett & Lori were going to be able to travel to OR with us in their motor home, but it just wasn't meant to be. The old saying "too many irons in the fire" kind of fits with them. The emergency call to Everett last Saturday from the Sanitary District is just one example of why they can't just fire up the RV, and hit the road. Maybe next year.

Today, we will check out the animal park, where they have a 9 month old Siberian Lynx that we should be able to get our hands on. Patty can't wait! Then, it will be a short travel day, up to Coos Bay and the Mill Casino RV park. My cousin Karen and her husband Dan live in Coos Bay, and we look forward to seeing them this evening.

TAKE A CHANCE ON THE INTERNET

Yes, we're still here, and continuing our travels. We arrived at Everett & Lori's in Jamestown on Monday, the 11Th. That's when we began a week of no Internet access and almost no cell phone coverage. As well as Sprint has worked for us around the country, it just does not work in our old hometown in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. While in Jamestown we took care of routine medical stuff for us and the dog, and it looks like we're all good for at least another year or so. We were able to visit with, or say hi to many friends, including Karen & Allen, John, A.J., Jeff, Troy, Bruce, and had a nice dinner with Lori, Art & Linda. We missed Everett at dinner because he was called by the Sanitary District to help them repair a break in the main line with his back hoe. We have some wonderful friends in CA. and always look forward to seeing them. On Friday, we drove to Stockton and visited with my aunt Martha and cousin Diane. Martha recently lost her husband Harry, and was recovering from a bout with pneumonia. It was nice to visit with them and Martha gave me some old pictures of my mother that I had never seen.
Just before leaving Jamestown, Lori did some research of my family on the genealogy web sites, and found information about my ancestors that I did not know. Thanks Lori!

We said good bye yesterday morning, and drove north on I5 to Redding, where we took SR299 west toward the CA coast. This road follows a lot of the Trinity River, and is a beautiful drive. The temperatures in the Sacramento Valley had been around 100 all day, so when we had the cooler weather just in front of us, I kept driving until we got almost to Eureka. We stopped at an Indian Casino just west of Eureka on Hwy 299, and yea, even though it's very slow, we have Sprint coverage once again. Today we'll drive up the coast to Bandon, OR, and stop at the West Coast Animal Park. This is a place we have visited several times, and they almost always have baby cats such as Leopards, Lynx, Tigers, etc. I tried to download some pictures, but our connection is so slow here, it just didn't happen.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Yesterday, we left Lake Havasu on our journey around the country. The motor home and jeep are pictured at the high school where we usually hook up before leaving town. The picture to the left was taken at a local steakhouse with our next door neighbors, Tony & Michelle. They recently purchased a new Fleetwood Revolution,

and we're looking forward to doing a trip with them when we return in the fall. Since losing our 18 year old cat last year, Patty gets her "cat fix" on the other side of our neighbors fence. Michelle has rescued several cats from the humane society, and those cats have literally gone from the outhouse to the penthouse. We will miss our neighbors, but always look forward to seeing them when we return from our travels. Except for one dramatic incident yesterday, our trip ended in yep, you guessed it, a WalMart parking lot off Hwy 99 in Selma, CA. North of Bakersfield, I watched a helicopter pass us, then circle the freeway. As we approached, it came down and landed right in the middle of the totally blocked S/B lanes of Hwy 99. There was a major traffic collision, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for the victims, and also the folks stuck in traffic, waiting for the helicopter to load the injured and take off. Today, we'll be stopping in Merced to visit with Patty's son, David, then on to Jamestown, where we'll be spending a few days with our friends, Everett & Lori.

MAINE BANS RV PARKING

This one slipped in under the radar, and it looks like the last place to stop it, is at the governors office. This was tried in two other states, Montana and Nevada. The negative public outcry caused those two states to back off, and the bills were defeated. I called the Maine State Tourism Office this morning, and the gal I spoke with said she came in this morning, and there were 120 emails protesting this legislation. The legislator who sponsored this bill is attempting to protect RV Park owners by prohibiting parking in any public parking lot to include Wal-Mart, Truck Stops, even private businesses with parking lots open to the public. The unintended consequences are that thousands of RVers, Patty & I included, will not do any business in a state that has discriminatory laws like this on their books. If this becomes law, it unfortunately will set a precedent that may be duplicated in other states. If you are interested in more info on this, the Escapees website is the place to go, www.escapees.com/hot.asp.

TROUBLE IN 3's

We all know the saying, trouble usually comes in 3's. Well, I just exceeded that number with a 4th! The first of 3 on the motor home was the hose reel began leaking when we were at the thousand trails in Verde Valley. When I called the manufacturer, shoreline reel, they said if it's leaking where you say (inside the reel) & it's not a connection, the fix is a new reel. OK, so a new reel was ordered last week. I previously mentioned the awning problem, and the new parts should arrive today. Yesterday, after installing the new hose reel, (4 hr job), I could hear water running while the motor home was hooked up to city water. After checking all of the inside faucets, and that nothing was leaking on the ground, I finally determined that water was leaking past the water pump, and going into the fresh water tank. Diagnosis - faulty water pump that was ordered for over night delivery. That's 3 on the motor home, and with a little luck, should all be fixed before we leave this Sunday. The 4th thing that went south was the house air conditioner. Fortunately, this malfunction occurred while we were here, and I was able to get a repairman out to fix it before we leave. When we go for the summer, we set the A/C at 90, and at that temperature, everything in the house seems to do OK. With no A/C all summer, I hate to think how hot it would get inside this house. If there is such a thing, the silver lining with the motor home issues, is that they are all covered by the Monaco extended care warranty that we purchased with the new coach. Even though Monaco is in Chapter 11, the extended warranty is administered by a 3rd party, and Monaco's bankruptcy doesn't affect the coverage. I'm not normally a big fan of extended warranty's, but in this case, I have a feeling that we will get our moneys worth, during the next 4+ years that the warranty is valid. These 3 repairs alone are almost $1,500! For those friends that have RV's, if you're in the Lake Havasu area, I have found a mobile RV tech. who is as good as they come. Steve Jones (928) 680-1415 made me a believer when previously, Monaco could not fix a problem with my refrigerator at their service center in OR, that Steve was able to correctly diagnose and repair. So, now that I've exceeded the normal trouble that comes in 3's, I think it's time to hit the road.

A 2nd AND 3rd CHANCE

Over the past few days, we have had visitors from Tucson. My youngest son, Marc and our granddaughter, Laila drove up to pick up their boat. So, for a short time, there were 3 generations of the Chance Clan in Lake Havasu. Our daughter-in-law, Chandra decided to stay home and take advantage of the peace and quiet. Laila is 3 1/2 and at a wonderful age, mostly beyond diapers, and full of curiosity. When a child is learning the very complex English language, you just never know what the next question might be. Art Linkletter wrote that "kids say the darnedest things", and he was right. At the breakfast table this morning, and totally out of the blue, Laila said to me "you know Grandpa, Uncle Marty is losing his hair". I couldn't help but chuckle, when I told her that Grandpa had probably lost a little more hair than Uncle Marty. You just never know what's coming next. This visit was a pleasant surprise, because we hadn't planned on seeing Laila until the fall, when we will be on the last leg of our trip around the U.S.

On Sunday, we put the boat into Lake Havasu, and headed up the river, where we found a nice sandy beach and had a picnic. The water temperature was a bit chilly, but the air temperature was in the mid 90's. Except for Laila, who got a good coat of sun block, the rest of us were a little sun burned by the end of the day. It was a fun time, and reminded me of the many boating days back in the 70's, when Marc first learned to water ski. We had a Hondo Jet boat with a big block Ford that was perfect for the kids when they started to ski. On Monday, I helped Marc do some maintenance on the boat, and he helped me with an awning problem on the motor home. It's not good when your electric awning is out, the wind comes up, and when you push the button to bring the awning in, nothing happens! It was definitely a 2 man operation to manually roll the awning up, and secure it with tie downs. I was grateful that Marc was here when it decided to break. New parts are on the way, and the awning should be fixed before we leave this Sunday.

The temperature today is supposed to hit 104. I think it's time to hit the road!

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.