Cal-Nev-Ari

Cal-Nev-Ari, AZ

54 deg. clear, S. wind @ 4 mph

Forecast = Clear. High of 82F. Winds from the South at 10 to 20 mph. Breezy.

We left the short term Boon-docking area just North of Quartzsite about 10:05 and headed North on AZ 85. When we got up to Parker, we crossed the Colorado River and entered California. The route # changed to CA62 and we followed to to US 95 at Vidal Jct. Turning North on US. 95 brought us up to Needles where 95 joined with I-40 for about 11 miles before heading North once again.

Staying with 95 brought us up to Nevada and about 7 miles farther brought us to Cal-Nev-Air.

We arrived at 12:40, so it took us 2 hours and 35 minutes to travel the 135 miles up here.

Cal-Nev-Air, NV is nothing more than an wide spot in the road. There’s an RV park here and they only charge $18 per night, (plus tax). It’s a pretty nice Park that seems to be well maintained, but unless you want to go to the small Casino across the road, there’s really nothing to keep you here longer than one night. ; )

As you can see by the photo below, the area between rows of sites is huge, so you have no problems getting into or out of your site. The row I’m in has very long sites, so that you don’t have to un-hook the toad or truck if you don’t want to.

Like I said, the Casino is across the road and there is a Restaurant inside. What Jim and Linda didn't know when they went over there for dinner at about 5:30, was the restaurant is now closing right after lunch because of slow business.  : ( 

So, , , , , ,  back here they came and popped a couple of TV Dinners into my microwave. It was a meal, but not what they were wanting. : (

Jim called the RV Park outside of Death Valley where I will be staying while they go into the valley to explore, and asked if it would be alright if we would come tomorrow instead of Sunday as planned. The lady that he talked to said that it would be fine if we came early as their park is not busy at all. 

Hmmmm….I wonder of the high price of gas and diesel has anything to do with it?

Did you know that Cal-Nev-Ari was created in the mid 1960s by Nancy and Slim Kidwell, who acquired a 640-acre section of land from the U. S. government and commenced development of an airport-based community? In addition to the FAA-designated Kidwell Airport, the community has grown over the years to include a casino, motel, RV and mobile home parks, convenience market, and over 100 residential lots.

Maricopa To Quartzsite and Boon-docking

Quartzsite, AZ

41 deg. clear, no wind

Forecast = Clear. High of 79F. Winds less than 5 mph.

Well, they must have installed a new tower or something since Jim and Linda were here the last time because I'm able to get on the Internet. I only have a weak signal. and it's very slow, but at leas I can do a little posting.


We left the John Wayne RV Ranch near Maricopa at 9:55 and took Rt. 84 west for a few miles until it connected with I-8. Once on 8, we continued West until we came to Gila Bend where we turned North on Rt. 85. After about 35 miles, we came to I-10 where we tuned West again and followed it to Quartzsite, AZ.

Once in town on Business I-10, Jim ;pulled me into a Pilot station and bought me a drink of #2 diesel fuel. I wasn't real thirsty, but at $4.38 a gallon, it cost quite a bit to fill me up. : (

After stopping for my drink, we went back to the center of town and turned North on AZ Rt. 95. We followed it for about 5 1/2 miles and then turned off on Plomosa Rd and the Plomosa short term boon-docking area.

It was 1:30 when we got here, so it took us 3 hours and 35 minutes to travel 172 miles and stop for my drink.

After registering and getting a paper to put on my windshield, (no charge), we went about a mile farther East where Jim pulled me off of the road and out into the desert!!!

After pulling out into the desert for aways, Jim got out and checked out the area and decided on a spot to park me. Then he unhooked CLT from the back of me, and turned me around and backed me onto the spot he had chosen.

The main concern was to get me positioned so that the sun wasn't shining into my windshield during the hottest part of the day.

I still don't know about this Boon-docking thing. I made it through the night OK without draining my batteries too much, but soon Jim will have to start my generator again to get them charged up for the day.

So far, he has run my generator for about an hour at dinner time, so that Linda could use the stove, and another hour just before they went to bed.

Oh, we were treated to a pretty nice view of the sunset last night. There weren't many clouds, but I like the silhouette effect. ; )

Did you know that the saguaro cactus blossom is the official state flower of Arizona?. The white flower blooms on the tips of the saguaro cactus during May and June. The saguaro is the largest American cactus.

Cleaning and A Comment On A Comment

Callahan, FL.

54 deg. clear, no wind.

Forecast = Partly cloudy. Areas of dense fog in the morning. Visibility one quarter mile or less at times in the morning. Highs in the upper 70s. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Jim and Linda spent a good part of yesterday giving the inside of me a good cleaning. It hadn't been done for awhile and it showed. ; O 

Jim also dumped my tanks and filed up fresh water tank in preparation for going to see my mechanic in Lakeland, (Only electric hook-up there), talked to the neighbors for awhile, took a walk around the park, and cooked a couple burgers on the grill for dinner.

Meanwhile, Linda was doing laundry and working on her latest embroidery project.

Today we'll head to Lakeland. It's about 200 miles down there so it'll take awhile, but there's really no hurry as once we get there, I'll just have to wait until tomorrow morning before anyone will be around to work on me anyway. I don't even know if there will be an electric hook-up available for me, so I may have to boon-dock for the night.

I usually don't make comments on the comments that I receive, but yesterday, I received a very nice comment from Rod and Loyce Ivers, (some very loyal readers of this blog), that made me feel a whole lot better about my needed repairs.

Here's the comment that I received.

"I'm not too sure that embarrassed would be the correct way to describe that further repairs are needed. It seems like every time you move a motorhome, you need to take stock of what was broken in the process. Fixing these things up are kind of like that big drink of #2 diesel. Its just the cost of moving from point A to Point B. Its the cost of the activity in which we choose to partake... Your lucky that you have Lester and his crew to take care of all of this in minimal time, and probably minimal expense too as compared to folks that don't get the job done right the first time.... JMHO."

After reading that, I have to admit that embarrassed my not be the best way to describe my feelings. It's just that I know that I've already cost Jim and Linda a bunch of money, (especially with the tires that needed to be replaced), and I was hoping that I could go for awhile without having anything else go wrong.  But, Rod and Loyce are right. We RVs do take a beating, traveling down these roads and we do need a lot of up-keep and repairs to keep us road ready. And, I am very lucky that Jim and Linda know Lester and his crew, who know how to get me back in tip top shape again. ; )

Full-timing is a great way to live and it's really great to be able to travel all across this country to see the sights and visit family, but contrary to popular belief, it's not a real cheap way to live. Maintenance and repairs are needed just like they would be in a stix and brix home. And, in fact, sometimes more.

A Point to Ponder : If you decide that you're indecisive, which one are you?

Nothing To Write About and The Farm Show

Rantoul, IL.

65 deg. overcast, no wind.

Forecast = Partly sunny. Scattered showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.


Everyone who writes a blog knows that some days there just doesn't seem to be anything to write about. Today is one of those days for me.

Very few RVs came into the park for this weekend. The only reason I can think of is that everyone will be coming for the Half Century of Progress Farm Show that starts this next week. It's over at the airport, (which is adjacent to the CG).

From what I can tell from listening to people talk, this is really a big deal in this part of the country and almost every farmer from the area and many others from across the country come to see the vintage farm equipment and  field demonstrations.  They're even having a "Tractor Ride" where many, many tractors drive through the countryside for about 50 miles before coming back to the show. Jim says it's kind of like a parade where everyone comes out of their homes and watches the old tractors go by.

Hmmm!! I wonder if they'll be going past here so I can see them?

Well anyway, (and I think I've mentioned this before), this CG will be completely filled, (actually overbooked) with 2 RVs sharing many of the sites.

Now, you're probably wondering how they can put 2 RVs on a site. Well, from what I'm told, the RVs will be backed up to one another, (or in some cases kind of along side one another facing opposite directions), One will be hooked up to the 50amp outlet and the other will be hooked up to the 30 amp outlet. "Y" connectors will be used for the water connections, and the 2 RVs will have to take turns dumping their tanks.

Along with all the RVs there will be many golf carts and ATVs in the park and many of the folks will have trailers (that they brought their golf carts and ATVs on), that will be parked someplace in the CG too. And Jim says that there will probably even be some tractors here in the park from time to time!!

Now, beside all the RVs in the CG sites, there will be many RVs that will be boon-docking along the side streets, both in and near the park. (Louise is estimating that there may be as many as 50 to 75 RV boon-docking, and possibly even more if the weather is good).

So . . . . this next week should be very exciting and probably pretty hectic at times. It'll be a completely new experience for me and should be very educational! ; )

Hmmm!! I guess I did find something to write about!! ; )

Did you know that in the 1930’s, 25% of the U.S.population lived on a farm, now it is less than 2% ?