We Visit Bob Larson

Friday March 1st

Back is better today, but I should be able to turn that around if I try hard enough…..   Installed the electrical hatch cover and the old one came off cleanly enough so that I didn't have to put a new batch of sealant around it, so it didn't take very long.  Made a quick run to Harbor Freight for a socket adapter; returned to tighten the Ubolt clamp that is supposed to eliminate play in the hitch receiver.  So once I got my ratchet on the u-bolt and gave it some Polish torque, I pulled the u-bolt in two.  Now I don't have to worry about the damn thing falling off…….

In the afternoon we drove up to the N side of Phoenix (about 40 miles) to visit with Bob Larson.  We met him at a Culver's near his home and had a good old fashioned Friday Fish Fry for supper.  We visited for sometime and by the time we left it was dark already.    No problem getting around Phoenix, they have a lot of freeways going in all directions and as long as traffic isn't backed up, it's easy to get around.

Quiet Day

Thursday February 28th

Went over to the office and paid up through Monday.  My back is not too good today; I don't know what brought that on, there was no low pressure system.  I drove W on Apache Trail to an RV Parts Place and bought the electrical hatch cover that I had failed to replace in Loomis.  Then made a stop at Harbor Freight for a set of deep well sockets.  

Spent an hour or so reading the WSJ at Starbuck's.  

The weather people keep saying the temp will get to 80 but they keep pushing it off day by day.  I think it got just over 70 today - warm enough to have the air on for awhile in the sun heated truck.

The Trip is Over?

Wednesday February 27th

I went exploring RV Parks about noon; Cathey didn't want to go.  I looked at a small place in Mesa that had a nice rate but it was so small that I would not want to maneuver my trailer into their sites.  Glad I looked at that one before renting.  The other one I looked at was supposed to be near stores and restaurants but it didn't look like walking distance to me, so I came back to the computer to do more research.  About 4 I went and looked at two likely candidates, both very large parks with 600 -800 sites.  The offices at both were already closed so I will call them in the morning.  We went to Pizza Hut for supper and decided the trip is over.  We will stay here until Monday but all of our other stops will be incidental to visiting friends or sites to see.  Too bad ti took so long to get somewhere warm……

Blythe, CA to Apache Junction, AZ

Tuesday February 26th

We got going by 11, but as soon as we crossed the river it was 12 because we entered Mountain Time Zone.  I had hoped to get to Phoenix early enough to avoid any traffic tie-ups but we still had several slow downs.  Arrived at the Apache Junction KOA about 4:20 and got setup quickly.  Then went out for Mexican at a place called Tres Banderas about a mile away.  I ordered a burrito that turned out to be a whopper; I ate all I could and still have enough for lunch tomorrow.  After supper we hit the Fry's grocery store and bought some groceries.

I only paid for two days here so we can look around and find a better place with a better weekly rate.  

Banning, CA to Blythe, CA

Monday February 25th

Checked the weather forecast for today to see if the winds would allow us to move on towards AZ.  Yesterday the winds here in Banning were pretty active with gusts to 40mph.  I guess that's why there are hundreds of wind turbines between Banning and Palm Springs.  The forecast for today was much better so we left as planned.  Got rolling about noon and only intended to go as far as Blythe, CA which has a nice KOA that we stayed at last spring.  There is a large new powerline being built along I-10; it passed very near the RV Park in Banning but we could see it all the way to Blythe as well as two major switchyards.  When we got to Blythe, I talked to an electrician that was working at the largest solar electricity plant in the US, just a few miles out of Blythe.  He said Par Electric was building the line and the switchyards and Neutron Electric is building the solar facility.  

The trailer park in Blythe is no longer a KOA but still in business; it's right on the bank of the Colorado River and the river seems pretty swift here but not very big.  I guess after southern CA and AZ have taken their shares, the Mexicans don't get much……

Oscar Party

Sunday February 24th

We got a call from Thompson's after they got back from Church to see if we were up for doing anything.  They had mentioned the art museum in Palm Springs, so we opted for that.  We met them at their condo and visited for a while and then went to the art museum.  There was an exhibit by two brothers from Brazil that will be closing in the near future.  A lot of their work was examples of stuff that they had seen in the poorer districts of Sao Paulo.  Items made of cardboard, chairs made from packing materials, etc.  They also had a lot of western art, including bronze works by Remington.  Another section was Indian pottery (many from New Mexico) and Indian baskets made by the local Palm Springs Indians and by the tribe that lives near Lake Havasu City.  We spent several hours there and then adjourned to Jack in the Box for a quick supper. 

When we got back to their condo the Oscar Party commenced.  Cathey missed the red carpet viewing but we saw most of the awards.  Gary supplied the popcorn and kept it coming all evening; a great time was had by all!

Visit to Snow Country, Again

Saturday February 23rd

The plan today was to go to the Joshua Tree National Park with Thompson's, but Cathey was not feeling good today so we called and cancelled out.  I got the empty LP tank filled - it is getting pretty chilly at night (30s).  Banning is about 2000 feet higher than Palm Springs so it is considerably cooler here.  

Also went to a Auto Parts store to pick up a 5/8 deep well socket; the fitting that is supposed to keep the hitch receptacle from rattling when the trailer is attached, keeps getting loose and all I have to tighten it is an open end wrench without much leverage.

While Cathey was napping, I decided to go for a drive up the mountain to Idylwild, which is a town on the back side of Mt. Jacinto at about 6000 feet.  It was a nice drive since there was very little traffic and I could travel at a very leisurely pace.  In Idylwild there was about 8 inches of snow on the ground and the town park was full of people playing in the snow.  I suspect most were from down the hill (greater Los Angeles).  The area from San Bernardino west, is all metro Los Angeles, about 90 miles worth!  

Cathey was feeling better by evening, but we spent a quiet night watching TV and catching up on my blog.