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....

Hot Springs

We had a nice couple days at Ft Huachuca, I got to reminisce about when I was stationed there back in the 70's, (not degrees), and we saw some amazing sunsets. Our first day there we saw two javelinas near the Apache Flats RV Park.

The park is a first rate park, the sites have concrete pads plenty wide enough for any rig, and a smaller concrete pad where the picnic table sits, and it is large enough to set out a few chairs with the picnic table. There is an office that shares the laundry room, and game room, with restrooms and showers on the other end. They also have an open air type building with a pool table and plenty tables and chairs for pot lucks or parties. The staff and really friendly, and they keep the park very well maintained.

Jon's company is going through a change of command so he was kept pretty busy while we were there, but we did get to spend some time with him during the evenings. We enjoyed the hospitality of the mess hall one evening, and for $4.25 each we saw it as a real bargain. although most G I's think the mess hall food isn't as good as it should be, we thought diner that night was very good. (the $4.25 each made it that much better) We had Italian sausage, potato wedges, broccoli casserole, YELLOW cake with CHOCOLATE icing, pudding and pie, while Jon had a dried out hamburger.

Here is a picture of our G I Jon.




Here is a picture of our G I Jon and me an ex-G I Joe.



We left Ft Huachuca heading to Tucson, but when we came to I-10 we decided to turn south so we could spend a night at Saguaro Co-Op. It is an Escapee Co-op park. It is nice, but I have never been too impressed with it. Once we got set up we took off in search of a hot spring.

the lady that checked us in didn't know where there were and had never visited one around Benson, so I did a little checking on the net and found three close to Stafford AZ, about 75 miles away. We jumped into the tracker and took off searching for Roper Lake State Park, which has a hot spring in the park.

We got side tracked before we arrived at the state park by a sign pointing the way across the desert to Hot Springs Dunes. HSD is on BLM land and allows camping near the hot springs. We drove about 15 miles across the desert on a dirt road, and then another 5-10 miles on a semi blacktop road before we arrived at Hot Spring Dunes.

HSD is a popular place for off road riding in sand buggies, quads, and what ever else you want to ride on/in out in the desert. We were lucky to only see one tag a long trailer camped near the hot spring. We took full advantage of to hot spring and soaked for about half an hour. The water we PERFECT !!!!! really warm.

Here is Marcia standing in the "natural hot spring".



Thursday AM we left Benson and drove up to the Desert Diamond Casino near Tucson where Marcia will be getting another BINGO fix.....

PS:

About the picture on the blog home front, It is of the night sky while we were visiting Ft Huachuca. The sunset was so beautiful that night, and it had us in awe. Then we looked the other way and saw the amazing sight, Marcia took several pictures of the sunset, and one of the moon with the light reflecting off the clouds. The sunsets didn't turn out but this one did.....

The slow down

Yes it is a slow down, not of our traveling, or our activities, it is me writing my blog. I will not be doing a daily blog where I just tell everyone what we did that day however exciting or boring it was. I will try to do the blog at least once a week, I'm sure everyone isn't bored to the point that they want to know every detail of our full timing adventure, so I am going to write "my journal" but not post it in the blog.
I will attempt to give a weekly synopsis of our travels, and I will try to add enough pictures of whatever to the blog.

Tuesday we left Ray and Elen and drove to Tucson where we visited with Pam, Jon, Bill Andrew, Brian, and a couple class mates David and Kathy. We stayed a few nights at Tra-Tel RV Park just off of I-10. It was a decent P A Park, and the were plenty empty sites so we had plenty room around us. The new managers were terrific, although they didn't know Nick and Terry Russell.

Friday we took the rig down on the south side of town to get estimates on getting the roof FIXED. One place wanted to keep the rig a few days to give us an estimate, (we settled on an appointment 2 weeks away). The second place said the roof was so screwed up they wouldn't touch it, and the third place would only give an estimate on replacing the rubber, and the roof rack, and repairing the cut satellite cable. They said they couldn't give an estimate on repairing the roof until they had the rubber off.

After the discouraging news all day we just stayed on the south side and parked the rig at Agave Gulch FamCamp on Davis Monthan Air Force Base. Shortly after we got set up our friends and class mates David and Kathy rolled in. We spent several hours catching up and exchanging horror stories.

Saturday we pulled out early and drove the rig to Arleen's house where we borrowed her driveway. She is visiting back east so I'm sure she didn't mind too much. Later that evening we had a cookout at Jon and Pam's. The "Margarator" was in action and some were doing shots. The steaks were good, and the rest of the food was great. The company was great, and we got to meet Andrew's soon to be new bride. (CRS has set in and I can't remember her name).

Sunday morning we drove the rig down to Ft Huachuca where we parked it at Apache Flats. (The campground on Ft Huachuca.) Our son Jon came to visit us soon after we arrived. It was really good to see him again, he looks like the Army is taking really good care of him. Now we are waiting on Jon to finish some chores before we all head out to find a nice place to eat tonight.

More to come in the following days...