Tecopa, CA.
44 deg. partly cloudy, SE wind @ 10 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 64F. Winds less than 5 mph.
Whew!!!! What a windy day yesterday!!! Dust everywhere, things being blown around in the park and at the same time, people trying to do things, like get ready to leave the park for the season or just get over to the clubhouse for the hot dog roast the CG owners had yesterday.
It wasn't too bad in the morning and Jim was out and about talking to the neighbors. He's become pretty good friends with Andy and Mary who have the old Midas Motor Home parked on my right side.
They leave the MH here and come back every year for 6 months. Mary does things with stones and rocks and Andy helps her scour the desert to find the stones and gems she wants. When they're not here, they have a house up in the mountains, someplace near Sacramento, CA.
Many, many years ago, Andy used to do a lot of motocross racing and now he's paying for it with bad hips and knees.
In fact, Jim and Andy spent some of the day over at the clubhouse watching the NASCAR race on TV. I never did find out how the race turned out after it was stopped for rain.
I guess I'll have to check on the Internet after I get done writing this.
Anyway, it was about noon when the wind started picking up and it just kept getting stronger and stronger as the day went on. (I'm sure we had gusts in the 50 mph range). It was still blowing at 10:00 pm but died down sometime during the night.
Oh, and I mentioned the hot dog roast over at the clubhouse. Well, Mike and Marie, (the park owners), decided that they were going to roast hot dogs on the grill and invited everyone in the park to come over and have some. Some people brought relish, mustard and catchup, and someone even brought some beans.
Luckily the wind hadn't picked up too much by noon and it sounds like a good time was had by all. : )
While Jim and Andy were over at the clubhouse watching the race, Linda was doing laundry and reading. By mid-afternoon, no one was outside except a few RVers who had to walk their dogs.
Today, I don't think Jim and Linda have much planned. I'm pretty sure that tomorrow they're going back to Death Valley again to see more of the sights, and then on Wednesday or Thursday, they're planning on going to get groceries.
A Point to Ponder : Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
First Trip Into Death Valley
Tecopa, CA.
46 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 66F. Winds from the East at 5 to 15 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
After starting the day with a sunrise like this, Jim just knew it had to be a good day for exploring parts of Death Valley. : )
So, after packing some things to take along, (a water jug filled with ice water, some snacks and a lunch for Linda), they headed towards the valley.
The road getting to Death Valley is in very good condition and there's lots of pull-off places where you can stop to take photos or have a drink of that nice cool water that you brought along.
This is one of the first markers they came to. If you click on this photo, or any of the others, they will enlarge.
The above marker was just a little ways before they came to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center where they went inside and looked at some of the exhibits and got maps and brochures about Death Valley from the park rangers.
After having some lunch and studying the maps and brochures, it was decided that they would check out something that Jim had read and heard about.
They had decided to go to the area known as Dantes View!!!
From the Visitors Center, they came back the way they had come until they came to the sign pointing to Dantes View. As soon as they turned off of the main road, there was a sign saying that the last 1/4 mile of this 13 mile road had a 17% grade!!!!!!
Yep, you read that right. 17%!!!!!!!
CLT said that the road was in good condition, but there were lots of twists and curves and he was gaining altitude all the way. About 2/3 of the way there, there was a sign saying that no trailers were allowed further down the road and that there was a parking place for them if you wanted to continue.
Past that point, CLT says the road became more twisty with some hair-pin turns and the grade got steeper. And, true to that first sign, the last 1/4 mile was at a 17% grade!!!!
CLT said that at times he felt like he was going straight up!!! He said that Jim had to put his transmission way down into 1st gear to get up to the top!!!
But, he made it, and Oh Boy!!!! What a view he had when he got there!!!!
Dantes View is at 5475' above sea level and the bottom of the valley that you see in the photos is 282' below sea level.
CLT says that the above photos don't really show the depth of the valley or the beautiful shades of color, but I'm hoping you can get an idea of what it was like. It's like many places, you can't really see or know what it's like unless you go there and experience it for yourself.
Then, after taking in the view, it was time to start heading back down. The photo below shows only a small portion of the road, but maybe you can get an idea of what it was like. CLT said that the speed limit going down on the first steep section of road was 10 MPH and he said the definitely wouldn't have wanted to go any faster than that. : O
It was about 3:00 by the time Jim, Linda and CLT returned here to the park. Jim and Linda were both talking about how great the day was and how much they enjoyed it.
After relaxing a bit, they both took naps. ; )
As for CLT, I think he was just plain tired from doing all that climbing. I didn't hear a thing from him until later in the evening. ; )
Did you know that Mt. Whitney at 14,491 feet above sea level, (the highest point in the lower 48 states), and Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level, (the lowest point in the lower 48 states), are only about 100 miles apart?
46 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Partly cloudy in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a chance of rain. High of 66F. Winds from the East at 5 to 15 mph with gusts to 30 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
After starting the day with a sunrise like this, Jim just knew it had to be a good day for exploring parts of Death Valley. : )
The road getting to Death Valley is in very good condition and there's lots of pull-off places where you can stop to take photos or have a drink of that nice cool water that you brought along.
They had decided to go to the area known as Dantes View!!!
From the Visitors Center, they came back the way they had come until they came to the sign pointing to Dantes View. As soon as they turned off of the main road, there was a sign saying that the last 1/4 mile of this 13 mile road had a 17% grade!!!!!!
Yep, you read that right. 17%!!!!!!!
CLT said that the road was in good condition, but there were lots of twists and curves and he was gaining altitude all the way. About 2/3 of the way there, there was a sign saying that no trailers were allowed further down the road and that there was a parking place for them if you wanted to continue.
Past that point, CLT says the road became more twisty with some hair-pin turns and the grade got steeper. And, true to that first sign, the last 1/4 mile was at a 17% grade!!!!
CLT said that at times he felt like he was going straight up!!! He said that Jim had to put his transmission way down into 1st gear to get up to the top!!!
Dantes View is at 5475' above sea level and the bottom of the valley that you see in the photos is 282' below sea level.
Then, after taking in the view, it was time to start heading back down. The photo below shows only a small portion of the road, but maybe you can get an idea of what it was like. CLT said that the speed limit going down on the first steep section of road was 10 MPH and he said the definitely wouldn't have wanted to go any faster than that. : O
After relaxing a bit, they both took naps. ; )
As for CLT, I think he was just plain tired from doing all that climbing. I didn't hear a thing from him until later in the evening. ; )
Did you know that Mt. Whitney at 14,491 feet above sea level, (the highest point in the lower 48 states), and Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level, (the lowest point in the lower 48 states), are only about 100 miles apart?
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Out Of Nevada And Back Into California
54 Deg. clear, NE wind @ 5 mph.
Forecast = Partly cloudy. High of 75F. Winds from the ESE at 5 to 15 mph with gusts to 30 mph
Because they were forecasting some possible windy conditions later on in the day, we left the Cal-Nev-Ari RV Park earlier than usual, (about ), and continued North on US95.
When we came to the town of Searchlight
It’s kind of like riding a roller-coaster and it’s necessary to give full attention to the driving. Once we crossed into California Nipton
Yes, up into those mountains in the photo above. ; )
Yes, up into those mountains in the photo above. ; )
Turning West on 15, it was still more climbing for another 15 miles or so, before we started going down again, all the way to Baker.
Once to Baker, we turned North on CA127,
and brought it up to the Old Spanish Trail Road, which took us into Tecopa and the Petersen’s Tecopa Palms RV Park, where Jim had made reservations for me.
CA127 is a very good road with very smooth pavement, but again it had lots of humps and dips and was very curvy and hilly in places.
It was 1 when we pulled into the park, so it took us about 2 hours and 50 minutes to travel 133 miles. Not too bad considering we slowed down for the dips and humps on the roads.
Petersen’s Tecopa Palms RV Park is a very well maintained park, and the owners are supper friendly and willing to help in any way they can. I’ve got one of the longer sites in the park and in fact, there’s a whole vacant area behind me.
I’ve got full hook-ups with 50 amp electric and a great view of the mountains off to my right, left, front and rear. ; )
I’ve got full hook-ups with 50 amp electric and a great view of the mountains off to my right, left, front and rear. ; )
I think I’m going to like it here for the next week. : )
A Point to Ponder : Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Cal-Nev-Ari
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 and headed North on AZ 85. When we got up to Parker, we crossed the
Staying with 95 brought us up to
We arrived at , so it took us 2 hours and 35 minutes to travel the 135 miles up here.
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.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Movin' On
Quartzsite, AZ.
46 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Clear. High of 88F. Winds from the SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Just a quick note to let you know that we're movin' on. We've enjoyed our stay here out in the desert, but the forecast for today is in the mid to upper 80's and Jim and Linda think it's time to get going.
I'll have to admit, if we stayed here, Jim would have to run my generator a lot to keep it anywhere near cool inside of me. With outside temperatures in the mid- 80's, no shade, and sitting out in the desert, I'm sure it would get into the 90's or more inside of me real quick, if there was no AC.
So, where do we go from here? Well, there's a couple of possibilities. There's a RV Park up near Needles, and there's another up into Nevada, so it'll probably be one of those. Both are between 100 and 150 miles from here.
Yesterday Jim and Linda took CLT and headed into town. They got CLT a drink of 87 octane, bought some goodies at a bakery, and bought a few more items at a grocery store.
Again, I don't know if I'm going to have any Internet signal, so hang in there, I'll post when I can. ; )
Did you know that the original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, AZ?
46 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Clear. High of 88F. Winds from the SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Just a quick note to let you know that we're movin' on. We've enjoyed our stay here out in the desert, but the forecast for today is in the mid to upper 80's and Jim and Linda think it's time to get going.
I'll have to admit, if we stayed here, Jim would have to run my generator a lot to keep it anywhere near cool inside of me. With outside temperatures in the mid- 80's, no shade, and sitting out in the desert, I'm sure it would get into the 90's or more inside of me real quick, if there was no AC.
So, where do we go from here? Well, there's a couple of possibilities. There's a RV Park up near Needles, and there's another up into Nevada, so it'll probably be one of those. Both are between 100 and 150 miles from here.
Yesterday Jim and Linda took CLT and headed into town. They got CLT a drink of 87 octane, bought some goodies at a bakery, and bought a few more items at a grocery store.
Again, I don't know if I'm going to have any Internet signal, so hang in there, I'll post when I can. ; )
Did you know that the original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, AZ?
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
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.
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
New Electric Heater Dies and Plans
Maricopa, AZ
38 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Clear. High of 61F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph shifting to the NNE in the afternoon.
I don't know if you remember or not, but back on the 2nd of March, Jim went to Home Depot and bought an electric space heater to replace the old one that had died. Well, now the new one died!!! : ( Sunday evening, we had a power outage here at the park. It didn't last long, but when the power came back on, the little red light on the heater didn't come back on, and in fact, nothing on the heater would work at all.
Jim called the customer service number and talked to a nice lady who asked him some questions. One of the questions was, "Do you know if you had a power outage or a surge"? Jim told her we had the power outage and she told him that that is more than likely what messed up the heater. She asked where Jim had bought it, and told him to just take it back to Home Depot and they would refund his money.
Now, all of you RVers out there know that the power in many RV parks is not real reliable and there are power outages at times. So, , , , if you're looking for an electric space heater, I don't recommend that you buy a Lasko heater with digital readout, as it seems like the electronics can't tolerate interruptions in service.
Jim and Linda really liked the heater and it did a fine job of heating the inside of me, but if it's that sensitive, it's probably not well suited for RV use.
So, yesterday morning, Jim and Linda took the heater back to a Home Depot in Casa Grande, and they refunded the money without hesitation. Jim then asked the lady at customer service if they had any other heaters in stock? She told him that they hadn't had any left for about 3 weeks!! : (
Jim really wanted to get another heater, so on the way back here, they stopped by an ACE Hardware Store and Jim went in to check. Well, they had some left, but not any tower heaters like he had. But, they did have some "Pelonis Safe-T-Furnace Ceramic Heaters", so Jim bought one.
This is a much smaller heater, but it sure puts out the heat!! : ) It's been running all night, the temperature outside is down in the 30's but it's 72 degrees inside of me!!!
I think it's going to be just fine!!! : ) And, it doesn't have all the electronic readouts and controls, so a power outage shouldn't bother it. ; )
We're leaving here this morning and because of where we'll be going, I doubt if I'm going to be able to post every day for awhile. In fact, I doubt if I'll be posting much at all in the near future.
Here are the plans for the next couple weeks.
From here in Maricopa, we'll be heading to Quartzsite for a few days to do a little book-docking. Like I said yesterday, that will be a new experience for me, but I have confidence that I can handle it, for a few days at least.
From "Q", (as it's known in the RVing community), the plan is to head up to the Needles, CA area. There's an RV park up there that Jim and Linda have been to before, and if things go according to plan, we'll stay there for a day or two.
From there, we'll be heading to Tecopa, CA which is just outside of the Death Valley NP. Jim has found a park there that can accommodate me and has made a reservation for 1 week, starting on Sunday, the 25th of this month, (which is less than a week from now). The name of the park is Peterson's Tecopa Palms RV Park and has very good Reviews on RV Park Reviews. It is however, far away from any large towns or cities, so cell / Internet service may not be available.
From this park the plan is for Jim and Linda to take CLT and explore Death Valley on day trips.
Jim had originally planned on taking me into Death Valley and to one of the NP Campgrounds inside of the park, but one of the Campgrounds is closed for maintenance, and there are length or generator restrictions in some of the others. Also, it seems like this is one of the busiest times of the year for visitors to Death Valley, (because of the weather and "spring break"), so many of the campgrounds inside of the park will more than likely be full.
Now, I know some of you are wondering why on earth Jim and Linda would want to go to a place like Death Valley. There's nothing to see there, it's hot, it's dry, it barren, there's nothing growing there, no wildlife, and did I mention, it's Hot and Dry????
Well, Jim and Linda have wanted to see DV for quite some time now, (especially Jim), since it's one of the National Parks that they've not been to, and Jim seems to think that there are quite a few things to see. He's done quite a bit of research on the park and has come to the conclusion that it's worth spending some time exploring.
So, until April 1st, at least, I have no idea if I'll have any kind of Internet connection. In fact Jim and Linda are not sure if they'll even have cell phone service. So, you may not hear from me or them for awhile.
Have no fear though, I'll keep track of my wanderings and what's going on and will up-date you as soon as possible. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to post as usual! : )
Did you know that at one time camels were used to transport goods across Arizona?
38 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast = Clear. High of 61F. Winds from the West at 5 to 10 mph shifting to the NNE in the afternoon.
I don't know if you remember or not, but back on the 2nd of March, Jim went to Home Depot and bought an electric space heater to replace the old one that had died. Well, now the new one died!!! : ( Sunday evening, we had a power outage here at the park. It didn't last long, but when the power came back on, the little red light on the heater didn't come back on, and in fact, nothing on the heater would work at all.
Jim called the customer service number and talked to a nice lady who asked him some questions. One of the questions was, "Do you know if you had a power outage or a surge"? Jim told her we had the power outage and she told him that that is more than likely what messed up the heater. She asked where Jim had bought it, and told him to just take it back to Home Depot and they would refund his money.
Now, all of you RVers out there know that the power in many RV parks is not real reliable and there are power outages at times. So, , , , if you're looking for an electric space heater, I don't recommend that you buy a Lasko heater with digital readout, as it seems like the electronics can't tolerate interruptions in service.
Jim and Linda really liked the heater and it did a fine job of heating the inside of me, but if it's that sensitive, it's probably not well suited for RV use.
So, yesterday morning, Jim and Linda took the heater back to a Home Depot in Casa Grande, and they refunded the money without hesitation. Jim then asked the lady at customer service if they had any other heaters in stock? She told him that they hadn't had any left for about 3 weeks!! : (
Jim really wanted to get another heater, so on the way back here, they stopped by an ACE Hardware Store and Jim went in to check. Well, they had some left, but not any tower heaters like he had. But, they did have some "Pelonis Safe-T-Furnace Ceramic Heaters", so Jim bought one.
This is a much smaller heater, but it sure puts out the heat!! : ) It's been running all night, the temperature outside is down in the 30's but it's 72 degrees inside of me!!!
I think it's going to be just fine!!! : ) And, it doesn't have all the electronic readouts and controls, so a power outage shouldn't bother it. ; )
We're leaving here this morning and because of where we'll be going, I doubt if I'm going to be able to post every day for awhile. In fact, I doubt if I'll be posting much at all in the near future.
Here are the plans for the next couple weeks.
From here in Maricopa, we'll be heading to Quartzsite for a few days to do a little book-docking. Like I said yesterday, that will be a new experience for me, but I have confidence that I can handle it, for a few days at least.
From "Q", (as it's known in the RVing community), the plan is to head up to the Needles, CA area. There's an RV park up there that Jim and Linda have been to before, and if things go according to plan, we'll stay there for a day or two.
From there, we'll be heading to Tecopa, CA which is just outside of the Death Valley NP. Jim has found a park there that can accommodate me and has made a reservation for 1 week, starting on Sunday, the 25th of this month, (which is less than a week from now). The name of the park is Peterson's Tecopa Palms RV Park and has very good Reviews on RV Park Reviews. It is however, far away from any large towns or cities, so cell / Internet service may not be available.
From this park the plan is for Jim and Linda to take CLT and explore Death Valley on day trips.
Jim had originally planned on taking me into Death Valley and to one of the NP Campgrounds inside of the park, but one of the Campgrounds is closed for maintenance, and there are length or generator restrictions in some of the others. Also, it seems like this is one of the busiest times of the year for visitors to Death Valley, (because of the weather and "spring break"), so many of the campgrounds inside of the park will more than likely be full.
Now, I know some of you are wondering why on earth Jim and Linda would want to go to a place like Death Valley. There's nothing to see there, it's hot, it's dry, it barren, there's nothing growing there, no wildlife, and did I mention, it's Hot and Dry????
Well, Jim and Linda have wanted to see DV for quite some time now, (especially Jim), since it's one of the National Parks that they've not been to, and Jim seems to think that there are quite a few things to see. He's done quite a bit of research on the park and has come to the conclusion that it's worth spending some time exploring.
So, until April 1st, at least, I have no idea if I'll have any kind of Internet connection. In fact Jim and Linda are not sure if they'll even have cell phone service. So, you may not hear from me or them for awhile.
Have no fear though, I'll keep track of my wanderings and what's going on and will up-date you as soon as possible. And who knows, maybe I'll be able to post as usual! : )
Did you know that at one time camels were used to transport goods across Arizona?
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