Togas, Tamales & Tennis

 

Winnie got groomed!

 Suzanne and I had a great time during our week long stay in Borrego Springs. After a couple of months in Indio, it was a nice change of scenery. We struck out on a hike a couple days before our return to Indian Wells. Our original plan was to hike the 3 mile Borrego Palm Canyon Trail but when we were advised by the park ranger that portions of the trail had washed out due to heavy rain over the past couple days and that the trail had been closed, we opted to hike the 5.5 mile Hellhole Canyon Trail instead.
   All was fine until, about 2.5 miles in, Suzanne tripped on a rock and fell - twisting her ankle pretty badly. We promptly did an about-face and headed back down the canyon for the parking lot. Suzanne was pretty uncomfortable during the return hike but powered through with nary a whimper. Her ankle became very swollen and discolored over the next few days but I'm happy to report there were no broken bones and she's feeling tip top now. She did a couple of 45 minute treadmill workouts at the gym this week to test it out and said she's feeling fine.

   I had hoped to do some hiking with Travis during our stay in Borrego Springs but was unable, after a lengthy AllTrails search, to find a single trail in the State Park that allowed dogs.

Brother & Sister

   Our return trip to Indian Wells RV Resort was uneventful save for the "Buses and Motorhomes in Excess of 40' Prohibited on Rt.78" sign at the junction of S3 and Rt.78. We had traveled approximately 15 miles on S3 and saw no signage indicating that buses over 40' were not allowed on Rt.78.  I mean, S3 terminates at Rt.78. You'd think they might give you a heads-up a few miles back on S3 - rather than a single sign at the interchange! Throwing caution to the wind, I made the turn onto 78 east and hoped for the best. While I did meet up with other coaches along the 15 mile stretch  to Kane Spring, where we turned left onto north-bound  Rt.86, I didn't see any (like ours) that I thought exceeded the 40' limit. Does everyone know about this restriction except for me? Incidentally, it was a straight, flat section of highway with no weird intersections, overpasses or the like - nothing that would preclude a 40+' vehicle, or for that matter a 50 or 60+' vehicle from traveling it's length. Maybe it's a weight thing. Anyway, I didn't encounter any law enforcement and made it to the 78/86 interchange without incident - entering Rt.86 just north of the exit-side of a border security checkpoint.

****

   Upon our return to Indian Wells RVR we discovered things pretty much as we had left them a week earlier.  After successfully backing into #51 my neighbor, Craig greeted me with a cold Bud Light as I exited the coach to do my usual walk-around before hitting 'Auto Level'.  Craig & Sharron were in site #50 when we arrived on January 5 and will be leaving to return home to British Columbia on April 1, the same day we're pulling out.

   I've been on a few hikes with my friend, Tim over the past couple of months and we did our most challenging a few days after Suzanne and I returned from Borrego Springs. I had a little tendinitis in my left knee by the end of the day. However, after giving it a few days of rest followed by several successful stair machine workouts, I now feel fully recovered and ready to hit the trail once again.

****

   I've checked a few items off my 'to do' list over the past couple of weeks. Located just beneath the entry stairs in the coach is a 2.5 gallon reservoir that holds the hydraulic fluid for the leveling system. I removed and repaired the tank a little over a year ago when it developed cracks and began leaking fluid. I used a two part epoxy which, as it turns out, didn't hold up so well. I had also added some strapping underneath the tank for added support. Before leaving for Borrego Springs I changed the oil, oil filter & air filter on the generator and while lying underneath the coach, noticed hydraulic fluid on the bottom of the leveling system tank. So a few days after returning to IWRVR I bought a plastic tank repair kit at O'Reilly Auto Parts and took another whack at repairing the tank. The kit included a small sheet of fiberglass and a two part epoxy that is mixed/activated by breaking the separation seal in a clear pouch containing the two liquids and then kneading the mixture for 30 seconds. The instructions stated that the combining of the two chemicals would create heat. By the time I was done applying the epoxy, the bag was so hot I couldn't hold onto it. It seemed to do a good job and only time will tell if the repair holds. I would buy a new tank but the manufacturer doesn't sell the tank separately. You have to buy the entire tank/pump assembly at a cost of about $800! Other hydraulic system manufacturers sell tanks - and I've been doing some research, trying to find one with the correct flange diameter to fit onto my pump. I haven't had any luck yet.

   The coach's 10,000 watt Onan diesel generator sits in a steel framed 'drawer' and slides out of the front end. The steel members that make up the bottom section of the frame are pretty seriously rusted and for a while I've wanted to do something about it. I've performed 'rust abatement' on other sections of the coach's undercarriage in the past. There are similar steel rails supporting the cargo bays that were rusting badly and, a year or so ago, I cleaned them up with a wire brush in my grinder and spray painted it all with rust reformer.  The work I did seems to be holding up well and so I resolved to do the same with the genset drawer frame. I spent a couple of afternoons last week completing the job and now have a rust-free genset drawer frame.

****

   Early in the evening on Friday, March 1st one of the streets here at IWRVR was closed off to traffic and a Greek party was held. The party was hosted by a couple who not only own a place here but also a house in Greece. I guess that's why they wanted to have a Greek party? There were over 150 people in attendance - some dressed in Greek attire. Others, including Suzanne and myself - not. It was a BYOB affair with a buffet of delicious Greek food and entertainment provided by a bazooki player! Our friend Tim loaned Suzanne and me a big ol' growler which I filled with margaritas. I know, there's nothing Greek about margaritas. There was dancing and singing and general celebration - a good time was had by all. After the festivities Tim joined Suzanne and me back at the coach for some single malt and cigars outside under the stars.

    Suzanne had to fly back home on business yesterday morning. She'll spend a couple days in DC then take the train to NYC where she will conduct a few days of business before flying back here next Friday.

"Where's mom?"

    It's too bad she couldn't have spent the weekend here because there was a 'Farewell Hoedown' last night at the clubhouse. I'm guessing this is something they do every year to bid a fond farewell to people (many of whom are Canadian) who are heading back home after wintering in the desert. The festivities began at 2:00pm with a parade that wound its way up and down the rows of RVs. Good times... and a few interesting characters...

   The hoedown was a good time - with plenty of FREE beer & food and a live country band.

   What else....
   Oh, there's a diminutive septuagenarian Hispanic fellow who, on Fridays at 10:45am, arrives at the parking lot here at IWRVR and sells tamales out of the trunk of his little white sedan. Tim turned me on to the Tamale Guy a few weeks ago when, during one of our hikes, I was telling him about the tamales Suzanne and I had last year while spending a few days in Vicksburg, Mississippi. If you're interested, you can read about our visit to Vicksburg HERE. On each of the past two Fridays I've bought a dozen tamales from the IWRVR parking lot Tamale Guy. They're delicious! I've got a bunch of them stored in the freezer. There may not be many left by the time Suzanne returns on Friday. But then again, the Tamale Guy comes on Friday.
   I need to learn his name so I don't have to keep calling him the Tamale Guy.

  Tim was given tickets to tonight's matches at the BNP Paribus Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden and I've been invited to tag along. Good times!



   I guess that's about it.

Thanks for checking out the blog!