NEW to us Motorhome

We spent two days looking at new to us RV's at Lazy Days in Tampa, and we found one that was close to what we wanted. It was close enough we put a deposit on it and all we needed to do was work out the $$. Well this AM we didn't get the $$ worked out and we had be out of the RV Park because of a Rally they are having so we left and drove to Wauchula.

There was a 2006 Newmar Kountry Star model 3509 that we had seen on CraigsList a couple weeks ago and it was close to Wauchula so we e-mailed the couple to see if we could come and look at it. We drove the 20 miles and pulled up in front of it and I knew I was sold on it. BUT the boss had not looked inside and she had not said yes.

She looked around inside and I just watched, looking for an expression of approval or denial. I could tell she liked it, but did she like it enough? The 130 watt solar panel, and the little 15 watt trickle charger solar panel, along with the shiny brown outside had me sold. And when Heinz started showing me the storage underneath I had to hold my tongue because the BOSS hadn't said yea or nay yet.

As the four of us sat under the automatic awning I couldn't wait any longer and had to ask Marcia if this was something she could live in. When she answered and I saw her face I turned to Heinz and said you have just sold an RV.

There are a couple problems, or catches, one is they need it until Feb 1 because that is when they move into their new park model, and the second is it has a Canadian title. I really think the title will cause a few extra papers to be filled out, but don't see it as a major obstacle.

Here is a picture of it, I will post other pictures later tonight, but BINGO starts in a few minuets so until after bingo..............



Bingo was good to us tonight, I won once, and Marcia the bingo queen won three times. And the total winnings after deducting the cost to play was $25, yea, now I can eat lunch tomorrow.
Here are some pictures of the rig we are buying.

DECISIONS........ DECISIONS

We left Sumter Oaks Monday morning and drove the 50-60 miles to Lazy Days near Tampa. We had to stop to get gas and a Flying J was on the way so we pulled in, and that was my first mistake. It was so crowded that when I pulled in all the pumps were in use, and people were waiting. Us being as long as we are with the tracker behind the rig I was keeping anyone else from coming in, and had some cars stuck in the oncoming lane of traffic.

While waiting to get to the pumps a lady from KY cut in front of us and a pickup pulling a trailer. Another lady walked from her car to the store several times with a cell phone stuck in her ear, while her car had two sets of pumps blocked. She finally got her gas and then left the car there while she went in to pay. I was really glad to get out of that place.

The first RVing couple we met, (Walt and Donna) after we moved the mattress from the house into the RV are at Lazy Days. They finally made the plunge and went FT back in November, but doctors have kept them from crossing the country like they had planned. It was really great to see them again, and we hope the doctors figure out Donna's problem so they can put some miles on that Allegro Bus.

When we parked the rig to go in and register at Lazy days RV Park, (used to be Rally Park) we got out and started in to the office. As we walked away from the rig someone yelled at me. My first thoughts were the Flying J, and wandered if someone had followed us. I was ready to relieve some tension, but it was a friend that we had spent part of last winter with.

After saying hi to Rich, (of Rich and Mary) we got signed in and parked the rig close to Walt and Donna. Walt and Donna called their salesman and ask him to come show us some rigs, and get us set up for someone to check out our roof. We spent the afternoon looking at some of the used motorhomes Lazy days has for sale. One had potential, but most of them was a no no for one reason or another.

We left the salesman with the intent on getting back together with him tomorrow to look at some more rigs. I found it interesting that a lot of the used MHs has sold signs in them, but the salesman would tell us that he knew that one wasn't really sold after looking at his list. Is that a way they try to get you to maybe buy quicker? to make you think you had better hurry and decide on one before it is sold while your trying to decide?

I know every dealer has their gimmicks, and with the economy the way it is I expect to get a really good deal or we will keep the Santara. I can do a lot of upgrades to it with the $$ we will be spending on a new to us rig. Besides the insurance company will be putting another brand new roof on it, and new ceilings in it, so it should be in pretty good shape that way.

Later Marcia and Donna decided we were going to Cracker Barrel to eat and we called Rich and Mary and ask them if they would join us. All 6 of us, Rich, Mary, Walt, Donna, Marcia, and myself met at Cracker Barrel and had a wonderful meal, and the company was just outstanding.

Later on Marcia and I took advantage of the hot tub here, and then started doing research on rigs and prices of rigs. This is where the headaches come in, which one will be the best deal, which one will we be satisfied with, should we wait until we get to Naples? Too many decisions to make. I will be glad when we are back to trying to decide which way to turn at the next stop light..............

Cold Fronts

Everyone knows that I am not a fan of cold fronts, and really try to escape them at almost any cost. Well the cold front that is dipping into FL now has caught me off guard. Although we will be headed deeper into the Sunshine state tomorrow, today and yesterday has been one of those days for me.

Yesterday we went to look at a new to us rig, other wise I would have stayed in bed. After we saw the MH, a 2003 Allegro Bus, I was wishing that I had stayed home in bed. We drove to Clermont and found the place the bus was being stored, it was an RV sales/service shop where they store peoples motorhomes so it looks like they have a large inventory.

The couple that had it was very nice, but I really don't think they want to sell the bus. They had not cleaned it up any, in fact I think they parked it there when they arrived in FL for the winter and had done nothing to it since. The 3-M protective mask on the front of the bus had started pealing and turning black, they had things scattered all around the MH, and they told us about all the bad things that has happened to it since they bought it a few years ago. So needless to say we elected to pass on this one.

We are still looking, and tomorrow we are going to one of the largest RV dealers in FL to see what they have to offer. We will be staying in their campground so it will be convenient plus we have some friends there that we want to see, and I'm pretty sure some other friends will be coming there this week too. Hopefully we will get to visit with all our friends and be ready to dive deeper into the Sunshine state before the New Year comes in.

Right now our plans are to spend some time near Naples FL. Looking at the weather today Naples will be 20+ degrees warmer than Bushnell is or is going to be. I really like the sound of 20 degrees warmer! We will pay for one month there but I really doubt that we will be there that long before heading down into the Keys, but it will be cheaper to pay by the month and leave early than it would be to just pay weekly, or daily.

Today Paul and Connie came down to visit, and the girls put a wooping on us guys in hoof and mouth, (but then we just let them to make them feel good) LOL. we then went to check out a new Mexican Restaurant in Bushnell. (it was pretty good, and not too costly). It has been good to see our friends here at the park along with others we have seen the past few days.

When you travel around the country in an RV meeting people along the way, it is always good when you meet up with them again and again. We always have interesting stories to tell, some we wouldn't want to tell just anybody, but other RV'ers have deeper respect for the good and the bad of each story.

We are so looking forward to maybe finding out something about our roof, and seeing other RV friends this week, and most importantly we will be headed to WARMER weather..............

Back in the SUNSHINE STATE

We left the RGV last week because the weather really stunk the 3+ weeks we were there. I knew I wanted and needed warmer weather with less rain, and thought that if the bad weather down there was because we were there we would leave so our friends down there could enjoy better weather.

We waited until we saw a break in the weather to where we thought we could make it to FL without getting caught in any sn**, (I just hate even typing that word). And it worked out really well for us. We had pretty good weather all the way, and wit rain forecast for today in AL, we left yesterday.

We are now sitting in the SKP Park near Bushnell FL where we spent much of last winter. The good part about being here is that Marcia doesn't have to work, and we can move the rig further south when those nasty cold fronts drop down this low.

We will spend tomorrow with friends in Ocalla, and Saturday we go look at a "new to us" motorcoach. It is a 40 footer with three slides. If we like it and can negotiate the right deal we will buy it and switch everything from this one to that one while we are here.

If we don't work out a deal we may still fly to Nashville to look at one up there. Although the one here is made by a company in AL that stayed in business throughout the hardest times in the RV industry, so I really like that, and the costumer service with this manufacturer is outstanding.

I will have to start dealing with our insurance company again about the roof on the Santara, and I'm really not looking forward to that. We really hope the insurance company decides the cost to repair this one is too much, and they will buy it from us.

We are hoping we can get everything lined out and we can spend some time in Key West FL. I really want to be down there when the next cold front rolls through, or at least by my birthday. I will keep you posted as to what happens with the insurance company, and to where we are. Until the next time, be safe and ENJOY......

Winter has set in all over the USA

We left the RGV looking for those allusive seventies, and we haven't found them. We wanted to stop off in Houston TX to visit Susan, (Marcia's high school classmate) but couldn't get in touch with her so we pushed on. I was so happy to get out of TEXAS, I scared Leo when we crossed into LA when I screamed "get the hell out of Texas".

We were going to stop at the LA welcome center on I-10 and spend the night, but it was closed for construction, so we wound up at exit 4 where we found several casinos. Yesterday morning when we crawled out of bed I realized we were just a few miles from Nibblets Bluff Park. We had stayed there back in March when we were headed to the class of 07 reunion.

We elected to just drive the few miles north of I-10 (off of exit 4) to the caution light where we would turn west and drive the couple miles to Nibblets Bluff Park and spend the day. For $13 we get water and electric and a beautiful park right on the river. We enjoyed the park with one other camper, (but they were gone), so it was pretty much ours alone.

Today we will continue east, looking at the weather map it is pretty depressing. COLD has set in all over the USA and as our luck would have it Brownsville TX (where we just left) has the warmest temperature in the USA.



But then I knew it would be that way before we left.

We will be stopping at the MS Sandhill crane wildlife refuge to visit Ron and Linda and then Summerdale AL for a day or two, and then into FL where we hope to find those allusive SEVENTIES................

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT

Today is my baby brothers 44th birthday, so I want to make sure I wish him a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Scott has had a rough go of things this past year, his third motorcycle crash messed up his leg again, and a few other things, but he is strong, and my brother so I know he will pull through A O K.

Back in Texas we were delayed from leaving Donna this morning because of nasty weather. Yahoo said it was raining this morning, (even though it wasn't raining where we were) so we chose to stick around another day. Living full time in a motorhome gives us that flexibility.

We went to have pizza with the Carters, and they showed us the place they bought in Southern Comfort RV Park. It is near here in the larger town of Weslaco. Jay really needs a place to recover from any surgeries he might have to have. The agent orange is really eating at his joints so his thoughts are "better safe than sorry".

Marcia and Fay took our cars to have them detailed, $12 for a wash inside and out was a pretty good deal I thought. That gave me time to dry some things out since the sun did come out after 2 PM. It really turned out to be a decent day after the fog and clouds lifted, I was even walking around in a tee shirt.

If the weather forecast is right we will pull out tomorrow as soon as the fog lifts. We are both getting excited about another MH we have been looking at on-line. It is in Nashville TN, and we have already decided to switch our domicile to TN since I now get the disabled veterans benefits. Our daughter will be our mail forwarding service, she can open and sort all our mail for us so we won't miss some of the important stuff.

Once we get to Summerdale AL we will leave the Santara at the SKP Park and drive the tracker to TN to get things switched over. That is if we do decide to buy the MH in Nashville.............

Time to move on

Tomorrow we will be leaving our friends here in the RGV (south Texas) looking for warmer temperatures. I really don't expect it to be any warmer until we drop back down into FL in a few weeks.

We have enjoyed the company of our friends here in the RGV despite the crappy weather we have had since we arrived here several weeks ago. It seams like everywhere we go they are setting records in the weather. One small town near here gets an average of .23 inches of rain in the month of Dec, (that is POINT 23 inches) and yesterday they got 2.(point)23 inches of rain, and it has rained almost everyday since we have been here.

It was kind of sad seeing some of our full timing friends buy permanent homes here, but I know we all must do what we must do. I know they won't quit traveling, and now they will have a place to call home. I guess the saddest part about it is knowing that the day will come when we decide to "grow roots" again and will buy something to call home.

Today we made our last trip into Mexico for awhile, we bought a few little items to give our daughters, (all three of them), (daughter, daughter-in-law, and grand) and we stocked up on triple sec for the MARGARATOR. Progresso Mexico isn't as fun as Algadones, and Texas ruins the cheap cigarettes with their $15 per carton tax, but it is still an awesome experience.

I will miss walking down the streets having everyone ask if we are looking for optical, dental, or a pharmacy. I will miss the cheap liquor prices, and the cheap food, but we will return one day. It was neat seeing the Mexican Army posted at the gate watching over things. And their all terrain vehicle was really cool, especially the little propeller on the rear bottom.

Jay and Fay will remain here until spring time, and they will be moving into their new to them park home. Andy and Brenda will be moving into their new park model soon, and they will be here until spring also. Greg and Jean just got down here in their new rig, and will spend the winter in their new to them park model in Mission TX, and John and Lora will be here working until sometime in the spring. Leland and Cathy have already moved their rig north to San Antonio where they parked it while they take the car back to MT for the holidays. (I hope they don't freeze)

Joe and Marcia will move on down, (up) the road looking for more sights to see before winding up in the southern most point in the continental United States, KEY WEST FL sometime this winter.................

Progresso Mexico

Yesterday was a dreary day here in the RGV, it was raining and cold, but we didn't allow that to stop us from taking a trip to Mexico with our friends Leland and Cathy. We saw a guy on the street painting spoons, he takes a table spoon and bends it so it will stand on its own and paints scenes on it. No biggie until I tell you he does these paintings using his finger.
Here is a picture of him and some of the regular "finger" paintings he has done.

Here he is with a sortment of spoons he has painted.


We walked through many of the shops looking around, and then we ate lunch above the Canada Store. After eating Marcia had her eyes brows waxed, or something, and then we walked back across the bridge to the USA.

Friday night we met 6 other couples (5 from the class of 07) at Monte Carlo Cafe for a class of 07 dinner. It was a great meal and a good time with friends from all over the USA.

Now we are waiting for the weather to warm up, it should be back in the 70's and even in the 80's this week. We will be watching the weather to see when we want to start our trip around the gulf coast...........

Friends in the Valley

We are still in Donna Texas, which is in the middle of the Rio Grand Valley. We have been here almost three weeks and the weather has not been near as nice as it is most years. I guess it might just be us, because it seems like we have record set where ever we are.

We have been enjoying the company of Jay, Fay, Andy, Brenda, John, Lora Leland and Cathy. I am pretty sure we all gave up the American Dream, (owning and living in a house) to live the life style of a full time RV'er in 2007. Today we got a call from Greg and Jean, (also class of 07 full timers)and they made it to Mission Texas a few miles west of us. Tomorrow night we will all gather at a small restaurant in Donna to catch up and swap stories about the summer.

I'm thinking we will start our trip up the Texas coast late next week, working our way around the coast until we make it to Key West FL. It will take us several weeks, maybe even more than a month to get to the Keys, but we will be having fun all the way.......

Cold in Texas

When we sold our house and moved into the RV we were expecting to "chase the 70's", but it is really hard to figure out where those illusive 70's are. Like today, the only place the temps are above 70 is way down in Miami.



But we do have heaters in the rig, so we will not freeze, although I feel like I'm already frozen. I really feel a lot better if the temperatures are between 70-90 degrees. The main reason we sold the house is so I wouldn't have to sit in the house when it got cold, and by having the "house on wheels" I don't have to near as much as I would if we still lived in KY, so please don't take it too hard when I complain about it being cold where we are.

A few days ago Marcia paid our "camping fees", (or the lot rent here) for three more weeks, which was good until we got a call from our son Corey telling us dad had had another heart attack and they were flying him to Knoxville. I started checking on flights to get us back to KY, and figuring how long it would take us to drive back.

The good news came a few hours later, they were able to put a stint in dad to open up the blockage that was causing the heart attack. God was looking after dad, because dad let Scott take him to the hospital in the first place, and the hospital in Middlesboro was quick enough to send him on to Knoxville, and the doctors in Knoxville was able to get the blockage opened up.

So all turned out OK, dad will be going home today and we will stick around the RGV for a few more weeks. However we will be heading on to FL and not spending as much time in the RGV as we had planned. I can get a flight out of FL a lot easier than TX, a lot cheaper too, and hopefully the weather we be warmer in FL.

So we will just suck it up and sit inside where it is nice and warm until it warms up here next week............

A week in Mission Texas

It is hard to believe it has already been a week since we arrived here in Mission Tx. We have enjoyed our time here with Jay and Fay, we met Andy and Brenda, a couple Jay and Fay volunteered with last year.

The Carters' have been showing us around the area, they feed us all the other night with a hamburger cookout. We were glad J&L (John and Lora) came to be with us all. It was a nice evening except I had to leave early to watch Kentucky play round ball.

Tomorrow is check out for us, but it is raining, and I'm not interested in driving in the rain so I'm thinking we might just stick around here at Bit-O-Heaven for another week, or month. We were thinking about hitting some other parks in the RGV but since this park is located close to anything we may just stick around.

Sunday we went to South Padre Island to look around, and we would drive the rig over and spend a few days, except something about the red tide has the beach full of dead fish. The smell when we hit the county park on South Padre Island was terrible. I was shocked to see adults playing on the beach and in the water with all the dead fish lying around. It was even worse to see they were allowing their kids to play there.




Bit-O-Heaven is a lot larger than I like a park, but it does have a lot to offer, and we take full advantage of the hot tub almost every night. Marcia has plenty of places to play bingo, (and I can stay home) so except for the rain and cold spell the RGV isn't a bad place to spend the winter. I really don't think it is better than FL, or cheaper than FL, but Mexico is only a few miles away.

I'll let everyone know what we decide on as for where we will be the next few weeks.....

THANKSGIVING

In just 60 minuets it will be Thanksgiving 2009. Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that we celebrate. After all there is no lies connected to it, it is just being THANKFUL for anything and everything.

Marcia and I have many things to be very thankful for, we have great family and friends. We are able to follow a dream by having a home on wheels, and we can celebrate anywhere we want to.

This Thanksgiving we have chosen to celebrate in Donna Texas with some special friends we had the privilege of meeting two years ago in the middle of the desert at a place called Laposa South, just south of Quartzsite AZ. We were part of the graduating class of 2007. Escapee RV Club members that gave up living in a traditional house and moved to a motorhome, or fifthwheel travel trailer. About 32 rigs gathered there and spent a couple weeks telling tells and getting to know each other, we all had a terrific time.

I don't care how down and out you might be, or how fortunate you may be, everyone has something to be thankful for, so take a few moments today to thank someone. You may thank your GOD, your neighbor, your spouse, your family, the soldiers, or even the stranger walking down the road, but thank someone for the blessing that you have. Who knows, by thanking someone you may be making their day and cheering them up which may cause them to thank someone. You get the point, the happiness may just spread like the wild fires in CA..............

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Texas is a BIG state

We stopped off in Deming NM to visit the SKP park, and to see our friends Jim and Kris Todd. We met them in Bushnell Fl last year when Marcia was working for the escapees as a camp host. They were the managers there at Sumter Oaks, and then we spent most of the summer with them at Raccoon Valley. It was really good to see them again, but they wanted Marcia to work for about 6 weeks there. I had to step in and decline the offer because it is just too dang cold there.

We did decide to stay an extra day because our friends Howie and Norah Glover were going to be there the next day. I made the sacrifice and suffered through the cold nights just so we could see them in person and not just pass them on I-10 somewhere in TX. We spent the evening playing with their new toy, a wii. Howie schooled us all in bowling.

The next morning we all left, (except Jim and Kris, they will be at the Dream Catcher RV Park until the middle of January) headed in opposite directions. Howie and Norah were headed to AZ and we were headed east, and then south to Southern Texas where we will be spending a month or two or three. Driving across Texas we saw a whole lot of nothing, and then we saw a whole lot more of nothing. I think we put on about 1200 miles since we entered Texas and we are almost to the very bottom now. It will be a long time before we get out of Texas.

I want to spend a few weeks down here in the bottom of TX, and then spend several weeks driving up the eastern side along the Gulf of Mexico. There is South Padre Island, North Padre Island, Rockport, Corpus Cristi, and a few other towns and places we want to visit while we are in this area.

Everyone that really knows me knows that a few COLD days can change my mind really quick, and if we don't like the weather here in Southern TX, or the weather along the coast, we could very easily skip a lot of places and head for the SOUTHERN MOST POINT IN THE US. KEY WEST FL. Remember all our plans and written on an Etch-a-Sketch.............

Fort Huachuca

We have been here almost a week and I'm getting hitch itch, so tomorrow we will pull out and head to the SKP Park in Deming NM. It will be COLD there so we will just stay long enough to say hi to some friends.

We did manage to take a ride to Tombstone AZ, one of the most famous towns of the wild wild west. Now it is a big tourist trap, but when I was stationed here at Ft Huachuca AZ it was a lot different. It wasn't as commercialized as it is now, you could walk the streets and see a lot of the history without having to pay at each stop.

We did sit down at the bar in the Crystal Palace, a saloon that hosted many of the card games and gun fights that made Tombstone so famous. I even sat at the bar and drank a beer just as many did before the town became so famous. Although mine was in a bottle and theirs probably came from the tap.


Here is one of the many signs you will see in Tombstone.


As I said before Sierra Vista had it's balloon festival and Marcia got to hitch a ride in a hot air balloon, and we went to see the "glow" Saturday night. The glow is where they blow up the balloons and turn on the flames after dark making them glow. Although there was only four balloons there it was an amazing sight to watch them putting the air and fire to the balloons. I guess it gave me just enough of a taste for balloons to want to go see the big balloon fest in Albuquerque NM.
Here are a few pictures I took.




Sunday was an interesting day, there was a planned protest against torture, and the war. The Fort was put on alert with added security, the main gate was closed and barricades were placed across the road to prevent unauthorized access to the Fort. The state police had several extra patrolmen standing around ensuring everything went peaceful. The Sierra Vista police, and the shrrifs department also had their swat teams in place along with many extra police to again keep things peaceful.

Many supporters of the troops gathered on a corner of Fry BLV to show support for the troops. I don't think anyone really wants war, but sometimes you have to do what is best for the nation, and I really believe that us fighting the war on terror OVER THERE prevents us fighting it as much OVER HERE.

The protesters were bussed in from Tucson and other cities around AZ. They do it a couple times a year, and one priest, (at least that is what he profess to be) always has to cross the street against the orders of all the law enforcement present to kneel and pray on Ft Huachuca Property. He always is handcuffed and led away. I heard he was handcuffed and led to a van that took him directly to the east gate of Ft Huachuca where he had some of his supporters pick him up.
It really makes me sick knowing U S citizens will stand up and protest against our service men and women. It really is demoralizing to our soldiers to see and hear about people protesting against what they are putting their lives on the line for. I really think there are too many goody too shoes in the USA today.
Can you imagine where the USA would be today if all these politically correct people would have been around before the atomic bomb was dropped in Japan? Yes it did cause a lot of destruction, and cost many their lives, but imagine how many AMERICAN LIVES it saved. I'm a firm believer in protecting Americans at ALL COSTS. Just read the book of Joshua and what God instructed his army to do.








Back to a more pleasant ending for my blog today, Apache Flats is the R V Park here on Ft Huachuca, where we are staying. You have to be active duty, retired military, a civil servant working or retired, for DOD, or 100% disabled veteran to be able to stay here. Which I recently was awarded the 100% status due to me being unemployable and the V A recognizing that fact after me telling them that for seven years.
Ft Huachuca is located at the foot of the Huachuca mountains, and there is a lot of wildlife around. Almost every time we drive into the CG, or out of the CG we see deer. Sometimes we see wild turkeys, maybe a coyote, or possibly even javalina.


That is one of the reasons we enjoy Ft Huachuca, besides it being my first permanent party duty station 30+ years ago, and having a son stationed here now. And the weather is pretty nice most of the time.

While we were in Tucson we visited my cousin Bill and his dog Ginger. I had taken this picture and neglected to post it, but when I saw it today I wanted to post it so our friends and family could see.

Waiting out the COLD front

We are sitting at Ft Huachuca in AZ waiting on the current cold front to pass through. We arrived here Tuesday planning on spending a day or two, but things changed really quickly. Jon was going to be in the field for several days and Tuesday was going to be the time we could see him, and there was a cold front moving in.

The cold front was going to be a lot worse in Deming NM where we plan on going once we leave here, temperatures in the 30's isn't for me, and I will avoid being in temps that low if at all possible, so we decided to hang out here until next week.

Marcia will be able to see all the balloons at the Sierra Vista Annual Balloon Festival this weekend, and we will be able to see Jon some next week too, so it was a no brainer to stick around and let the cold front pass right on through. Besides we have full hookups for $14 a night and we are NOT on a metered electric so I can keep the rig real toasty using the new heat pump we installed back in the summer.

Yesterday we did manage to take a trip to Tombstone, the town too tough to die. We walked the streets, and declined to watch the comedy shoot out that they charge to watch. We did sit down at the bar in the Crystal Palace and have a beer where the legendary out laws and law men sat years ago drinking.

Tomorrow Marcia will go into Sierra Vista to watch the balloons and I will watch the ball game on TV. Tomorrow night we will both go to see the "lighting of the balloons".......

FT HUACHUCA AZ

It is a great time to be visiting Ft Huachuca, with today being veterans day I'll have many vets to say thank you to. THANK YOU to all the veterans that read this, and thank you to all the family of veterans for supporting them while they served this great country.

We will spend a week or so here waiting on Deming to warm back up. We came at a good time and there will be plenty to see and do in this area for the next week. The veterans day parade later today, a few special musicians playing through out the week and then the balloon fest this weekend.

On the down side we won't get to spend much time with our son that is stationed here because he and his unit will be "in the field" training for deployment to Iraq. The unit spent about 15 months there in 2008-2009, and will be headed back sometime in December. Jon won't be going with them to Iraq this time because he will be going to Korea for 18 months.

We did get to have dinner with him last night, and I am sure we will get to see him before we leave even if we have to hang around here for a few extra days. If you know a veteran tell them thank you, if you don't know a vet find one today to thank.....

Leaving the desert

Today we packed things up and took off, we left the quiet seclusion of Ogilby Road. We spent seven days parked right out in the middle of the desert, no hookups, and very few neighbors. I really didn't want to leave, but it was time to start meandering towards the RGV where we will be spending much of this winter.

We are currently at the Aux Air Field near Gila Bend AZ at the Fam Camp. It is $7 a night for full hookups so we will hang here for a day or two while Marcia catches up on the laundry, and I rest up some more.

When we leave here we will stop off for a day or so in Tucson, and then a day or so at Ft Huachuca, and then a week or so at Deming NM. I'll even try to charge the batteries for my camera so I can post up a picture or two.....

Ogilby road

Since the casino wouldn't take my donation we left and drove about 11 miles to our favorite boondocking area.


I counted five RV's that I could see from ours. It is a lot different come the end of December.


Since we have the place almost to ourselves we will hang here for a few days.

Tomorrow we will chase down a lead on an 07 Simba, we will take in the Arizona Market, and hopefully catch up with Smokey and Pam since we missed them on our last visit to Yuma. If anyone is in the area there is plenty room for a few more rigs....

Back to YUMA

We had a great time with the kids in Vegas, and the grand baby was a real treat to be with. I am pretty sure the kids and G B had a good time while they were in Vegas. Their return flight was not as fun, the plane leaving Vegas was delayed, but their connecting flight in St Louis was right on time. It left before they got there, so the kids had to spend the night in St Louis. They had a flight to Nashville early the next morning, but it was canned due to mechanical problems. They finally got out of St Louis around noon, and back home Friday evening.

We decided to leave Vegas Friday AM and head back to Yuma. The dentist didn't do as good of a job as I had hoped he would so I'll be going back Saturday AM. We will be hanging around Yuma until I get all this dentist stuff FINISHED.

I did find a few RV's on Craigs List that we are going to look at. Maybe we will find one that suits our needs, wants and pocket book. The first two are pretty easy to meet, but finding an RV that meets the third one is the problem. They told me I couldn't use my Monopoly Money at the last place we looked.

Tonight we are parked in a casino parking lot, really close to Mexico. We went in to eat, Marcia had a full rack of ribs, (she brought half back to the rig) and I had a bowl of soup. Yea soup, I really should have listened to my mom more. After we ate Marcia made her donation, and I tried to, but the machines kept giving me more back than I put in, so after the third machine I decided to just take their money back to the rig along with Marcia's half rack of ribs.

Tomorrow I get to visit the dentist a g a i n............

Las Vegas and the Grand Baby FIX

We arrived at Nellis Air Force Base Friday, we signed in for the weekend, not wanting to be here when the kids come to Vegas. It would be such a hassle for them getting on the base to get to see us, and I'm really glad we did only sign up for the weekend because we aren't too happy with this place. They do a lot of reservations, and I think there are a lot of "campers" that stay here too regularly.

Monday AM we moved the rig to Sam's Town, Sam's Town has two rv parks, a large casino, an 18 screen movie theater, 5 restaurants, and the RV Park has a heated pool an a hot tub. It is a very busy place with rigs coming and going all the time. We will be here until Friday, and that will give us a day to rest after the kids leave Vegas Thursday.

Monday afternoon Marcia went to the airport to pick up Corey, Jennifer, and Miss Jaelynn. It was a real treat to see them when she got them back to the rig. After all the hugs and kisses we took them to Fremont Street. Fremont Street has the largest big screen on the planet, if you can call it a big screen. It arches from one side of the street to the other, and is two blocks long. They have something showing on it every hour, it may be a video t a song they are playing, it may be an attack on space aliens, or something theme based according to the season.







Also on fremont Street you will find FREE shows, there may be singers, mimes, illusionists, acrobatics, or whatever. We saw this guy from Germany doing death defying stunts,with his assistant climbing on ribions hanging from the ceiling.




After we walked Fremont Street checking out the souvenir shops, and trying the deep fried twinkies we dove back to the "STRIP" so they could see all the lights. We had to stop and turn around so we could get a picture of the kids at the historic "Welcome to Vegas" sign.



Later we took Miss Jaelynn back to the rig and let the young-ens enjoy the night life that Las Vegas has to offer.....

Leaving KOFA CO-OP

Our time at KOFA CO-OP was up so it was time to head for Vegas, but before we left we had a couple guys come out and WASH and WAX the rig. $100 for a wash and WAX job was money well spent for me.






They did a pretty good job, and of course they got to do the guy's rig parked next to us after he saw the job they were doing on ours.

We pulled out Thursday AM and drove the 81 miles to Quartzsite. Because it was so hot we elected to stay in one of the parks in Q rather than roasting in the desert. We did drive the tracker out to where we had our graduation back in Jan of 2008.

We also had to go by and see the Naked Book Seller.


I had to take A-Nother picture of Marcia standing next to the Naked Book Seller. He really is a knowledgeable person, and he spent 25 years on the road as an entertainer before growing roots in Q.

Today we drove to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas. We will be here until Monday when Corey Jennifer, and Miss Jaelynn arrive in Vegas. we will find a commercial park in Vegas over the weekend.

Done with the dentist (I HOPE)

Today we made the trip back to Algodones to see my dentist. It turned out to be a very PAINFUL trip, but I think it will also be my last trip. Unless something goes wrong I think He finished up today.

After the dentist we walked around Los Algodones looking at all the things they were trying to sell. I figured out that if I said I was looking for a million bucks they weren't as eager to keep on asking what we wanted, or what we were looking for.

We did wind up buying a satellite dish painted with a desert scene. Why I need another satellite dish is beyond me, but now I have one painted up really nice. It really amazes me how they can take a few cans of spray paint and a few pieces of paper and make a beautiful picture on almost anything.

After we left Mexico, (with another bottle of tequila for the MARGARATOR) we drove over to the foothills to look at a motorcoach. It was a 2003 Holiday Rambler Endeavor with the diesel motor. Marcia fell in love with the insides, but the coach has sit for 2 years. The lady selling it was very vocal about it having "new" tires, and they were new almost three years ago when they bought it. She was also very proud of having it washed and waxed twice a year, ( I think she deserves a refund myself ). Several things I saw and the fact that it has sit for two years told me we need to keep looking.

Marcia has gone to play bingo at the casino tonight so I will enjoy the hot tub solo tonight. Tomorrow will be a "relaxing" day, and we will get things ready for the long trip to Vegas later this week. ( it will take us a few days to get there ).....

Mexico

We really enjoy spending time in Mexico, even though it is a small Mexican Town we always find neat stuff there. Once you leave AZ on I-8 it isn't far to the exit leading to Los Algodones, and you will see the new casino when you get off I-8. About a mile down the road you come to the border crossing leading into Mexico. We don't drive into Mexico, we park in the $5 parking lot if there isn't an empty spot on the side of the road.
Here I a picture looking into Mexico from the parking lot.



Once you walk into Mexico be prepared to have Mexicans asking if you need dentist, eye glasses, or whatever. They will tell you they can get you the best deal. Some have even ask us to step into the store so they can rip us off. (by selling us some cheap novelty item). They will tell you it is almost free, and if you see something you like they will offer it to you at a special price. They will always take less than their starting price. They like Americans that don't talk them down because the make a lot more $$.
In this picture Marcia is looking at the stained glass products. They ask us $200 for a stained glass piece for the RV door. By the time we had left they was down to $35, but my top dollar was $30 and they wouldn't come down to that.


Here is a picture of one of the streets in Algodones.


Here is one of out favorite eating places in Algodones. Jose owns it and he does up some really good food, and it is really a good deal, but ask for the prices before you order.

He does most of the meats on the sidewalk, and his helpers work the grill inside the shop.

We eat there quite offten when we are in the Yuma area.

Jose is always on the move, and treats his customers really well, he also speaks English.

Here is the shop that we bought my glasses and Marcia got her contacts. Wal-Mart can't even compete with their prices.


OK Now to the dentist. This is the one I decided on. Partly because of the SKP sticker in the window, and partly because I liked the way he did the exam. He wasn't the cheapest one we found but I felt comfortable in his chair.


Most of the dentists I saw over the past few days didn't speak English, so their assistant was the interpreter and the assistant.


I wanted a picture of me with the dentist so I would know exactly what he looked like in case he screwed something up, I would have his picture to put on the wanted posters.


All in all he didn't do too bad, he fixed the front teeth and I will have to go back tomorrow, at least one more trip!


For us a trip to Mexico is a fun adventure, and we save $$ by buying things over there. Like the $1.60 bottle of tequila for the MARGARATOR. and the $15 carton of smokes. Like is good..........

Algodones MEXICO

We are parked at KOFA Co-OP in Yuma AZ. This is one of Marcia's favorite parks, and I really enjoy the weather and the HOT TUB. I wish all SKP Parks had hot tubs, it sure does feel good on my aching bones.

Yesterday we spent the day in Algodones Mexico searching out a dentist. With over 130 dentists in the small town it was easy to find one, but finding the one I felt most comfortable with was another story. I saw 4-5 dentists and had exams by them all, and they all offered their "special price". The one I really wanted and liked was way too cheap to consider having the work done there, so we decided that I should sleep on it.

We had the rig parked at the casino near I-8 where we had spent Wednesday night, so once we left Mexico we drove the rig to a Pass Port America park that is just south of Kofa, but we didn't have any cell service there so we came back to Kofa. The cell service here isn't very good, but we can receive a call. (sometimes)

At the SKP Park we met Johnny, an elderly lady that travels around. She is very active, she swims, plays pool, kayaks, and even volunteers at habitat for humanity builds. While in FL last year she got really upset because they wouldn't let her do anything at one of the builds. After playing pegs and jokers with Johnny and another lady we took advantage of the hot tub. It was NICE!!!!

Today we went back to Mexico and I tried one more dentist, one that was had stopped at 2 years ago when we were here because they had a SKP sticker in their window. The dentist examined me and I liked the way he did it so he will be doing the work on me tomorrow. After tomorrow I should have a smile almost as pretty as Marcia's.

We had to stop at the purple store on the way out of Mexico today. We bought some CHEAP tequila ($1.60 a liter) for margaritas, and Marcia bought some Kahlua, and we got out limit of 1 carton each of smokes. We bought Pall-Malls for $16 a carton which is cheaper than we can find ANY brand here in the states, and they are made in the states. Something is wrong when you can buy something made here cheaper in Mexico than here.

Tonight we sat in the hot tub for about 30 minuets after we got back from supper, and Wal-Mart. Later I will have a post on Mexico and the food we have enjoyed while we were there. Tomorrow we will return to Mexico and I will come back with a new smile.......(and empty wallet).......

Go West Young Man

I've heard that saying all my life, so today we did just that. We left Arleen and Loretta to fend for themselves and made our way to CA. Our stay in Tucson was filled with good food, great company, and plenty of good memories to look back on.

We passed right through Yuma and parked the rig at the Indian Casino on the exit to Algadones. They had a terrific "all you can eat" buffet and it was buy one get one free, so our all you can eat buffets cost less than $12 for both of us. Now I can afford that every now and then.

I will be seeking out a dentist in Mexico tomorrow, and I will also get my eyes checked while we are here. I think Marcia will be getting her eyes checked too....

Return to Davis Monthan Air Force Bace Famcamp

Today we made the long drive from the Desert Diamond Casino to the FamCamp on Davis Monthan Air Force Base, a total of about 8 miles. David and Kathy are still here, and they invited us to a cookout tonight. Several of their friends that are here were also there.

We spent some time throwing bean bags, trying to hit a board with a hole in it. You really got points if the bag landed on the board, and more points if the bag went into the hole. It was a lot like pitching horse shoes, except you didn't have to worry about the horse shoes hitting one of the rigs, or making a ringer on someones leg.

Once everyone arrived David started grilling some dogs and burgers. Kathy had already spent a lot of time preparing other dishes. I fired up the Margarator, and others brought other things, like chocolate cake. We all ate all we wanted and then it was time for stories.

I told about our experience at Slab City, and I told on the Carters, (they have a lot of stories)I told the one About Fay pulling the horse trailer , Jay pulling the car with the MH, and Fay turning down the dead end road. We told the stories about Leo's 4 lives. Others told stories too, and we all had a great time.

It is fun sharing some of the happy times we have as full time RV'ers....