Big Bend: Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive

 

   We arrived at Big Bend RV Resort & Adventures in Terlingua, Texas last Friday after a one night stay at Desert Willow RV Park in the sleepy little town of Van Horn, Texas. Van Horn is one of those places that time forgets when the interstate (I-10) gets completed... and passes you by.

   What Wikipedia has to say about the place...

"Anglo-Texan^[7] settlement began in the late 1850s and early 1860s supportive of the San Antonio-El Paso Overland Mailroute.^[8] Although U.S. Army Major Jefferson Van Horne is believed to have passed near the area in 1849 on his way to take command of what would later become Fort Bliss, the town is instead named for Lt. James Judson Van Horn who commanded an army garrison at the Van Horn Wells beginning in 1859. Lt. Van Horn's command was relatively short-lived, as the post was seized by Confederate forces in 1861 and Lt. Van Horn taken prisoner.^[9] Settlement was further stimulated by the construction of the Texas and Pacific Railway in 1881.^[10][11][12] The town has several buildings on the National Register of Historic Placesincluding the First Presbyterian Church (now Primera Iglesia Bautista), built in 1901."

We walked around town Thursday afternoon, taking the free guided tour of The Clark Hotel Museum...

And a quick peek inside the El Capitan Hotel...

   We've traveled through and visited so many of these little towns - but each has it's individual story and unique charm. It's always fun exploring these places. There's often so much to see and experience just off the interstate.

   So... back to Big Bend...

   As I said, we arrived Friday afternoon. I had concerns about Verizon coverage in the greater Big Bend area after doing some online research a few days before our arrival.

   Here's why...

The Red areas represent Verizon coverage

   I called the RV park and asked about cell signals and was told it was spotty and that the only way to know for sure was to come on down and give it a try. There are red spots in the area of the RV park so I was hopeful that we would receive a good signal. As I've mentioned in previous blogs, Suzanne works part time, Monday - Friday, and we need to have a good Verizon signal in order for her to participate in conference calls and connect to the internet via our Verizon hot spot(s). Both our phones have hot spot capability and we have a dedicated Ellipsis Jet Pack. In addition to our hot spots we have a Weboost Drive 4G-X system installed in the coach which will significantly boost a weak signal.

   As it turned out, even with the aid of our Weboost, we had a very poor signal - strong enough to make phone calls, but not strong enough to get online. The RV park had a room in their main building, available for guest use, where there was wifi, a wireless router and a desk at which one could sit with his/her laptop. Suzanne gave it a test run Saturday afternoon but with the noise from the adjoining rec room, deemed it unacceptable. I walked to the office and arranged a Sunday departure (we were booked through Thursday), returning Thursday (4/25) through Saturday (4/27). Sunday morning we packed up and drove the 83 miles back up to Alpine - a town we had passed through two days earlier and that I knew had a very strong Verizon signal. We have been at The Lost Alaskan RV Park in Alpine since Sunday afternoon and will be leaving tomorrow (Thursday) and returning to Terlingua. We were able to do some exploration of Big Bend National Park on Saturday. It's a beautiful park - the size of the State of Rhode Island and requires more than a day to experience. We drove the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive  which terminates at the bank of the Rio Grande after winding through some of the most spectacular landscape this side of the... um... Rio Grande.

    After our drive and upon our return to Terlingua, we visited the Terlingua "Ghost Town". There were a couple of cool looking restaurants/watering holes that we'll probably investigate further when we return. 

   Here are a few shots from a quieter side of town...

   Thanks for checking out the blog!

   

Why?!

     From the "dog park" at Coyote Howls RV Park looking west into the desert...

 If I told you we are staying in a very remote area in Southwestern Arizona and you replied,               "Why?" 
  I'd say, "You're absolutely right!"
  To which you might respond, "What?"
  "No! Why!", I'd quip.

   And round and round we'd go.
   Oh, the fun we'd have!

 
 
    And that is because...

   We're in Why, Az. (pop.116) where we will spend the next three or four nights.

    "Why Why?", you might ask.

    "Why not?", would be my response.

    Actually, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is on our To-Do list and Why is just a few miles from the park entrance. 

    That's why Why.

    Why spend so much time in Why?

    Because we prefer to remain stationary Monday - Wednesday when Suzanne is working. We need a good Verizon signal and the internet connectivity it provides in order for her to transact business.

****

    Yesterday we traveled 65 miles from El Centro, CA. to Yuma, AZ.. Our first stop was the Yuma Territorial Prison State Park where we parked the coach in the RV parking lot, ate a small lunch and walked the dogs before paying our combined $12 senior admission (age has it's perks) and taking the self guided tour. 

    It was very interesting.

     One thing I found interesting is that John Behan, of Tombstone fame, was superintendent for a few years.

     Both women and men were incarcerated here. One woman I read about spent a year or so at YTP for committing the crime of infidelity. Not sure if men were held to the same standard.
     Prisoners who misbehaved (and misbehaving could be something as minor as "insulting a guard") could be made to spend time in the "Dark Cell".

   ... not a good place to be.

****

  Our travel route since leaving Indio, CA.

   Thanks for checking out the blog!

   

     

It Begins! The Long Journey Home...

   This past Tuesday we bid a fond farewell to site 51 at Indian Wells RV Resort.
   Our daughter, Allie and her husband Andy live in Frederick, Maryland. Andy was going out be out of town for a few days so Allie decided to fly out and hang with mom & dad 3/28 - 4/2.
   So....
   Instead of leaving the Coachella Valley and beginning our two month meander homeward, we spent Thursday & Friday with Allie at IWRVR (we were paid up through 3/30) and on Saturday made the 1/2 mile jaunt around the corner to Motorcoach Country Club where we rented a Gold Premium site and enjoyed three days of luxury at the "Crown Jewel of Motorcoach Resorts". If you've been following our travels you know we spent a week at MCC before moving to IWRVR on January 5.

    We slid nicely into site #12 - a beautiful site with all the amenities - pool, casita, outdoor kitchen and living area - fenced backyard allowing the dogs to run free. Everything seemed wonderful until we decided to take a dip in the pool and couldn't get the heater to work. Allie has had experience dealing with this sort of thing and it became her mission to find a solution to our dilemma - a task made more difficult by the fact that it was Saturday ... and management takes weekends off. 

   After several relayed messages to the manager via the front gate, Dawn, the manager, finally contacted Allie directly and we were offered a change of venue. It was a hassle, but within an hour we were moved and set up in our new site. Our first night was deducted from the bill and the remaining two nights were discounted. 

   Allie persevered, Dawn stepped up to the plate and everybody was happy. 

   We had a great time at MCC. Suzanne's family joined us for a Sunday afternoon barbecue and our friend, Tim came over Monday evening (bearing gifts) for dinner and cocktails. We had some good times with Tim this winter and will be genuinely looking forward to seeing him again when we return next winter.

****

   Stop...
   Back up...

   Before Allie's arrival and our departure from IWRVR I was able to check a few items off my to-do list. You may remember that I had ordered and received a mounting plate for the satellite dish I installed on the roof of the coach. I'm sure the dish was adequately secured, but I generally prefer to over-build things and, after seeing how relatively thin the roof was the addition of the mounting plate seemed like a good idea. The job didn't take as long as I thought it would. The most time consuming part was removing the Dicor sealant from around the perimeter of the base. I had applied it sparingly in anticipation of removal. There are now several more screws (16?) anchoring the dish to the roof. It ain't goin' nowhere.

   I ordered an 8 pack of Dicor online and over the duration of our trip home I plan to replace the sealant on all the roof fixtures and seams.  I started with the shower skylight.

Old Dicor removed and surfaces cleaned with mineral spirits

Done

   The "flame" went out in our "fireplace". The "flame" is actually light reflected off a rotating cylinder with a spiral of tinsel-like fingers and a very cleverly designed combination of amber colored shiny stuff & mirrors. It's really quite magical and mysterious. The end result is a fairly convincing faux flame - made even more convincing by glowing logs and heat. There are three bulbs inside and in order to access and change them the entire assembly must be removed from the wall and disassembled. Somewhat of a pain in the ass. I'm guessing the bulbs didn't blow out simultaneously and that we've been unknowingly content with a ~33% level of make-believe fire for several months. 

    I replaced the bulbs and cleaned everything cleanable. We're pretty much staying as far south as possible for the return trip home and temps here in the desert southwest will soon be into the mid 90s. It may be a while before we're once again able to enjoy our faux-yer place.

    I've changed oil and oil filters on both the Tour's 450 Cummins engine and its 10k watt Onan generator. I have three fuel filters that I am waiting to change in a more appropriate setting. It's a potentially messy job. The one filter that I absolutely wanted to replace before heading east was the engine air filter. It's a big 11.5" x 23" canister and the existing one looked well past its prime. I had ordered one online back on March 5 and was guaranteed delivery before March 30. On March 29 I received an email stating the order had been cancelled. Major disappointment. The filter typically sells for somewhere in the $150 range. The one I had found online was $118 with free shipping. I found a truck supply store a few miles from our location and forked over $163 for a new filter. More than I wanted to spend, but knowing the big Cummins is breathing a little easier is worth it. 

    When we bought the coach I asked that all filters and fluids be changed. I'm pretty sure they overlooked the air filter. Pretty nasty looking - inside & out.

Old filter - rusty & very dirty inside

Like a breath of fresh air

    So here we are at Rio Bend RV Resort in El Centro, California. Why RBRVR? It's on the way and came highly recommended by a fellow we met at IWRVR. It really is a nice place and with our Passport America membership is setting us back only $76 for a four night stay. Suzanne had rearranged her schedule to accommodate Allison's visit, working Wednesday thru Friday instead of her usual Monday thru Wednesday. We needed a place to drop anchor for a few days and RBRVR fit the bill. The huge dog park, resort quality pool area, very well equipped fitness center and outdoor bar/restaurant (we enjoyed taco Tuesday) make it all the more appealing. 

    Oh, upon arrival I had to jockey around to get the coach in just the right position so that I was able to set the outside chairs on the concrete patio and in front of the TV. That meant getting as close as possible to the water hook-up on the driver's side. There is also a short fan palm just outside the door which, no matter how I positioned the coach, always seemed to be in the way - interfering with the door opening & closing. So I decided to bungee the offending branch up and out of the way. In the process I drove a thorn deep into my finger where it broke off. I was able to pull it out - and it bled like a bugger and kinda smarted for a couple of days. I guess I never realized the branches of the fan palm have thorns on them. 

    I do now.

 Ouch!

   

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!



 

Borrego Springs

   It's 9:15 am, Thursday, February 21 and we are in site #318 at The Springs at Borrego RV Resort & Golf Course where we have been since Monday afternoon, Feb 18. It's a very nice park and a nice change of scenery from Indian Wells RV Resort, our home for the past month and a half. It's been overcast and chilly for the most part since our arrival, and rained overnight last night with the forecast calling for more intermittent periods of rain throughout today and tomorrow. Saturday and Sunday, however, are supposed to be sunny.

   The drive out Monday afternoon was pleasant and uneventful. However, once you turn off Rt.86 in Salton City, the remaining 30 mile drive west to Borrego Springs along S22 is a little rough. My new Garmin Trucker GPS had advised me to continue further down Rt.86 to Rt.78 west, but having taken S22 on our recon mission a couple weeks ago, and it being such a picturesque stretch of road, I opted to retrace our previously traveled route. There was a pretty stiff headwind heading west on S22 and the sky ahead looked threatening. However, we were lucky. The weather held out and we didn't have to set  up in the rain.
    We arrived around 4:30 pm. Site 318 is a back-in site so I exited the coach to unhook from the car while Suzanne headed for the office to see to the paperwork. I quickly realized that it was considerably colder here in Borrego Springs than it had been in Indian Wells a couple hours ago.With Suzanne following me in the car, we were escorted to our site by a very nice gentleman in a golf cart - wearing a winter coat over his hoodie. After parking and setting the air brakes on the coach we chatted for a few minutes. He jokingly apologized for the bad weather and told me that in the 8 years he has been work camping here this is the only time he has seen snow in the foothills northwest of town.
    I was planning to grill a couple filets but we were both a little tired from the day's activities and instead decided to break out our emergency-ration Marie Callender's frozen turkey pot pies. Perfect fare for a cold desert night.

Sunset

    When Travis and I arrived at one of the two dog parks here at TSABRVR&GC (that's funny right?) there was woman chasing away a coyote with a golf club (the woman had the golf club - not the coyote). I had seen a coyote the previous evening during a walk with Travis. Later in the day, I was doing a few chores outside the coach and heard what sounded like a dog fight out in a yet-to-be-developed section of the park. As I walked to the front of our site I saw a park employee on a John Deere ATV speeding in the direction of the ruckus, where he dispersed a group of 3 coyotes who were obviously having a serious disagreement. That night, at about 1:00am, I was reading in bed and heard what sounded like a dozen coyotes out in that same area howling and carrying on like a bunch of... well... like a bunch of wild coyotes. I woke Suzanne up so she could hear it.
    We've decided that it's probably best not to leave Winnie (or Travis for that matter) chained outside unattended.

   TSABRVR&GC is a very nice resort. I've opined in previous blogs about the liberal use of the word 'resort' by many RV parks. TSABRVR&GC is a resort in the true sense of the word. Neither Suzanne nor I play golf but they have a very nice 18 hole golf course here and we're thinking about taking a lesson this weekend before our departure Monday morning. There is a large heated salt water swimming pool with 4 surrounding salt water hot tubs (mineral baths) - one of which is large and able to accommodate 8 or 10 people. The others are smaller, two person tubs. Yesterday, after an afternoon workout at the park fitness center, Suzanne and I took a half hour soak in one of the small mineral baths. I thought to bring along my phone and Bluetooth speaker - but forgot the margaritas! Maybe this afternoon.

   Last night we dined at Carmelita's Mexican Grill & Cantina. The food was outstanding and Suzanne said her margarita was as well. I opted for a Corona.
   Suzanne's three-day work week ended yesterday so today we are going to drive into town and do some exploring. We've been told there are a few cool/funky shops worth checking out. We also want to take a drive to see the Galleta Meadows Metal Sculptures.

Thanks for checking out the blog!

  

Waddup?

   It's been quite a while since my last post so I have quite a bit to write about.
   We've been here at Indian Wells RV Resort since the 5th of January. The weather has been a bit cooler than is normal for this time of year, but very pleasant nonetheless. There have also been some very windy days and nights that have kept the park maintenance staff busy cleaning up date palm tree debris - and me re-positioning awning mats and furniture that keep getting blown around. Having said that, as we get further into the new year, the daily highs continue to creep up into the mid 60s and low 70s - much more pleasant temps than we would be experiencing back home in Northern Virginia.
   So, what have we been up to for the past several weeks...

   The cable reception here at IWRVR is a little sketchy. It's kind of weird in that channels at the upper end of the dial are relatively clear but channels between, say, 2 & 20 are so grainy as to be unviewable. We have an OTA (over the air) antenna on the coach that we deploy pretty much every time we set up at a new location. It's a powered antenna with motorized rotation and does a great job of pulling in local OTA channels. Depending on our location, we are sometimes able to receive a few dozen channels. At other times, in more remote areas, we might only find 3 or 4. Sometimes none. The Coachella Valley is a fairly bustling area with powerful, not-too-distant transmitting antennas - and so, currently, we are locked onto over 51 channels and usually able to find something descent to watch at the end of the day.
   The coach is also equipped with a King Dome satellite dish - which I've never been able to figure out. I bought a DISH receiver a year or so ago and have spent several hours since then attempting to get a signal... any sort of signal through it, to no avail. In my research I have found that it's not a problem peculiar to my motorcoach. These things just don't seem to work very well. Even when they do work, it apparently takes forever to get them to locate and lock onto a satellite.
   So...
   I decided to pull the trigger and ordered a Winegard Trav'ler satellite dish. There are professionals who will install these things for you, but after watching several YouTube videos and reading the instructions through a couple times, I decided the procedure seemed fairly straight ahead and opted to do the installation myself. I took my time removing the old King Dome unit, scraping off the old sealant and using mineral spirits to clean up the residual. There is a chase through which the power cable and two coax cables snaked their way from the electronics cabinet inside the coach, through the ceiling and out the roof next to the old King Dome. The power cord was incompatible with the new dish - and I wanted to run new coax - so I cut the end off the old power cord, taped the new wires to it and fed them through as Suzanne pulled from down below as we communicated via our walkie-talkies. It was a tight fit and pretty slow-going, but we managed to successfully fish the wire bundle to the desired location.
   I attached the Trav'ler dish to the roof, sealing everything that needed sealing with Dicor RV Roof Sealant. It seemed to me that the material in that section of the roof was a bit thin and was concerned that the dish might not be anchored properly so I called both Winegard and Winnebago, speaking to tech reps from both companies and coming away with the feeling that neither really knew any more about it than I did. The Winegard guy did, however suggest that if I wanted, I could order a special mounting plate for thin roofs - which I did. Now, the task remains to strip off all the new Dicor, remove the nine screws holding down the dish, clean everything up with mineral spirits, attach the new mounting plate to the roof and the satellite unit to the mounting plate. It's on the to-do list.

   What else...

   It had been a year and several thousand miles since I last changed the oil in the coach. I like doing this job myself (I like doing most minor (and some not-so-minor) mechanical jobs on the coach and car myself) so a couple weeks ago I ordered the filter online. When it arrived a few days later, I went to Walmart and bought six gallons of Rotella 15W-40 diesel engine oil and a couple of shallow 24 qt. Rubbermaid-type plastic storage bins into which I could drain the old oil. I put a large garbage/leaf bag over each of the bins to make clean up a little easier and went to work. It's a bit of a time consuming job but a few hours later the 450 Cummins had a belly-full of fresh, clean lubricant. The leveling system on the coach makes it much easier getting underneath the back end of this beast. I merely fired up the engine and lowered the rear landing gear until there was plenty of room for me to work.

   Attempting to return the used motor oil to Walmart proved problematic. If you're interested, you can read my Yelp review HERE.  I ultimately was able to recycle it at AutoZone.

   Let's see...
   I replaced the coach's old and shabby looking tire covers (it's important, especially in this climate, to keep RV tires covered and protected from the suns UV rays) with new and very cool looking Magne Shade Tire Shades. I like them because they cover the sidewalls but still allow you to see the aluminum wheels that I work so hard to keep looking like chrome. 😁

   I've gone on a couple of great mountain day hikes with our friend, Tim. We first met Tim last year here at IWRVR when he was our next door neighbor. He now resides on the 'other' side of the park - but we remain friends, regardless.

   Suzanne, Travis and I went on a very cool hike yesterday on the East Indio Hills Badlands Trail. Here's AllTrails description of the trail...

"This trail enters the Indio Hills badlands and traverses the San Andreas Fault exposing twisted and tortured rocks that have been uplifted and moved over millions of years. The trail enters several narrow slot canyons and twists and turns in the sandy washes before climbing up to the ridge with panoramic views of the entire Coachella Valley."

  It's a fascinating landscape and a fun hike!

  A couple days ago Suzanne, Travis, Winnie and I made a reconnaissance run out to Borrego Springs where we've been thinking we'd (or more accurately, I've been thinking that I'd) like to spend a few days dry camping on BLM land. A lot of people traveling in RVs do this sort of camping from time to time. It's kind of a thing.  We've yet to do it. We've dry camped in the occasional Walmart or Cracker Barrel parking lot and once at a Harvest Host - but never on BLM land. I find the idea intriguing, Suzanne's not completely sold yet. She'll come around. After all, it's not like we'll be totally roughing it. We have a 90 gal. fresh water holding tank, 105 gal. gray water, 53 gal. black water, six big AGM batteries that are capable of powering, via the inverter, everything in the coach except the A/C (which we won't be using anyway), a 10,000 watt Onan diesel generator capable of powering up a large house...and of course, our brand new satellite dish!
   After checking out the BLM area we headed into town to see if we could get a better cell signal as Suzanne had to be on a conference call in half an hour. On the way we came across an RV resort. 😎

   Suzanne likes her resorts.

   It's a very nice place and their weekly rate isn't too bad.
   Anyway, we made a reservation and will be spending a week there beginning Monday 2/18. I'm lobbying for a couple of days spent dry camping on BLM land at the end of our resort stay before returning to IWRVR. I have this mental picture of myself sitting out under the stars by a slow burning fire, smoking a cigar, nursing a glass of Macallan 12 and listening to The Sons of the Pioneers singing songs about tumbleweeds and such.

   After installing the new satellite dish I was considering ordering two more DISH receivers; one for the bedroom TV and another for the outside TV. While contemplating the coax situation and the additional monthly expense of having two more receivers, I remembered reading something about wireless HDMI transmitters and receivers. I visited the local Best Buy store and ended up purchasing an ActionTec wireless HDMI system. It seems to work great! I connected it to the bedroom TV. I may get another one for the outside TV at some point in the future but I'm in no big hurry to do that.

   The under-mount galley sink had separated from the countertop and needed to be repaired. So I did that and a few other small jobs that needed doing.
   Today I intended to replace the coach's diesel fuel filter and water separator.  A while back I bought 2 or 3 of each online, so I have them on-hand. However, Suzanne has been on the phone nonstop and I need to start the coach up to raise the back end in order to gain access to the engine compartment. I haven't completely given up hope for getting that job done today, but it's beginning to look like (she's on the phone even still) it may have to be put off until tomorrow. We'll see. It's a beautiful day - I might just go sit in the sun and read for an hour then head for the RV park fitness center.
   That reminds  me, a brand new Planet Fitness just opened about a mile from our location. I'm a PF Black Card member (meaning I can work out at any PF) and Suzanne and I have had to travel six miles in order to work out at the Coachella PF. Now we have just a five minute drive. Sweet!


Thanks for checking out the blog! I'm gonna try to post more often.

 

 


 
 
 

No Snow Here!

Well...

  I wrote a really long blog (maybe the longest I've ever written) a couple weeks ago and, assuming it was saved (as I had been saving my work every couple minutes) and frustrated that pictures I was trying to insert weren't loading, I refreshed the page.
   Poof!
   It all went away.
   Two hours worth of work... up in cyber-smoke.
   I had neither the mental energy nor the desire to attempt to recreate everything I had written... and I won't attempt to do it now.
   In a nutshell...
   We arrived at Motorcoach Country Club in Indio, Ca. on December 29th and spent a week. Allie and Andy spent a couple days of their multi-destination honeymoon about 30 minutes away in Rancho Mirage and we were able to get together with them for dinner and for a few cocktails & cigars back at the coach one evening. They had a great time on their honeymoon - which began in Anguilla and ended in San Diego by way of Napa and Rancho Mirage.

   A few pictures of our time at MCC...

Our Back Yard

2.5 Miles of Man-Made Navigable Waterways

   It's a pretty nice place. 

   We hauled anchor and drove less than a mile to Indian Wells RV Resort last Saturday 1/5. The term "Resort" is often used to describe RV parks. Motorcoach Country Club is truly a resort - Indian Wells... not so much. It's not exactly a Hee-Haw-Hell. But a resort?? 

Umm, no.

   At any rate, we're here until March 31. Staying that length of time at MCC would have been outrageously expensive. IWRVR is undergoing a much needed face-lift and is noticeably improved since we were here last winter. I tried to reserve a spot at a nicer RV "Resort" a few miles away but apparently one needs to book one's stay at Indian Waters RV Resort more than 6 months in advance.

   Suzanne is working part-time (3 days a week) for the firm she's worked for for the past couple of years. She's up at 5:30 on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in order to be in sync with her colleagues in NYC and done at 2:00pm. A pretty good schedule.

   I've been keeping busy doing odd jobs around the coach - making minor repairs, cleaning rims, cargo bays etc. We had our friend, Tim over for dinner one night last week and had a great time visiting and watching the Clemson/Alabama game. We met Tim when he was parked next to us in site #50 last year (we're in site #51). He now resides on the 'other' side of the park - a much tonier, more upscale neighborhood (not really). 

   It's nice being back in the desert. Although temperatures have been about 10 degrees cooler than average, it's still much more temperate than Northern Virginia at this time of year ...

... and the forecasters are predicting a return to mid to upper 70s by Saturday.

   A couple other highlights since our arrival...

Cadillac Margaritas at Mariachi's

A Trip to Salton Sea (If you're thinking of making the pilgrimage, don't bother)

Thanks for checking out the blog!