Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Tiffany RV Resort, Mesa, AZ: Apr 6-12
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Our sole purpose for staying in the Phoenix area was to play in the 2008 Mesa Roadrunner Senior Regional Bridge Tournament, held in nearby Chandler (go figure). The tournament ran the entire week, and we played every day except Sunday, the day we left, one or two rounds a day. Each round consists of 24 "boards" (hands) and by Wednesday our brains were pretty much fried. We did manage to win a gold point (our first!) and beat a number of players with 10 or 20 times our number of points. The RV park was quite small, run by a couple who had moved here from Alaska & bought the park. They were having a hard time making it financially, but were reluctant to raise their rates (again go figure). Anyway, we did have a chance to break away from the tournament and walk around Historic Downtown Chandler, which has been delightfully restored with quite a few "trendy" (expensive) restaurants & art galleries. And on display were "Ostriches on Parade", a dozen artistically decorated 72-inch-tall fiberglass ostriches, as a fundraiser for the Chandler Arts Commission. They were all, of course, delightful. We also watched the Women's Basketball semi- and finals (at a nearby sports bar), visited friends Stan & Bety for dinner & bridge (egad -- more bridge) and enjoyed lunch at an exquisite Thai buffet with friends Donna & Al as well as Lloyd, who was staying at nearby McDowell Mountain Regional Park.
Holt's Shell RV Park, Gila Bend, AZ: Apr 5
The "Shell" referred to here is a Shell gas station, of which this park is a part of and behind. Not too much to say here -- a decent place to spend one night (and only one night) should your travels take you past here. They put us right by a family reunion who apologized the next morning for the noise, but we didn't hear any of it -- our a/c was running all night. At $9.50 per night (PA rate) it's a good value.Suni Sands RV Resort, Yuma, AZ: Apr 2-4
This is a Passport America (half price) park with absolutely nothing going for it. We chose it over other Passport parks in Yuma since it was a little cheaper and a lot closer to the Bridge Club. Gas prices rising so quickly have caused us to factor in distances as part of the cost of camping. Suni Sands is directly across the street from the Yuma airport and the Marine Naval Air Station, and the engine noise is VERY LOUD ALL THE TIME. And we thought the spaces at El Centro were tight! Our rig is 104" wide with two 40" slide-outs, so we're over 15' wide when we're set up. This was obviously an old park and the spaces were only 18' wide. Fortunately they were long enough that we could hang back a little; otherwise, there would not have been room for us between our utility box and our neighbor. Electricity was also an issue, since the utility box looked original and was literally held together with duct tape. There was a new box two spaces down that the manager allowed us to run an extension cord to. But in the meantime, the combination of low electric & all the plugging & unplugging caused our DVD/VCR player to fry out. All this to save a few bucks. The cost of the new DVD/VCR player was more than the "savings" we'll see all year!!Vacation Inn, El Centro, CA: Mar 28-Apr 1
This "RV park" looks like an old parking lot converted into about two dozen very tightly-situated spaces set in a horseshoe shape next to a motel. Our "pull-through" actually had a curb at one end that we had to bounce our way up and over.Temperatures in the 90s the day we arrived prompted Doug to dub this town "Hell Centro". El Centro is the largest city in the Imperial Valley, a 5000-sq-mile expanse of some of the flattest terrain you'll ever see, punctuated at random intervals with very shallow gulleys that carry the infrequent thunderstorm runoff (less than 3 inches of rainfall per year) towards the below-sea-level depression that holds the Salton Sea. The soil is actually some of the richest in the world, formed by repeated floods of the Colorado River over thousands of years. Irrigation has transformed this area into an indispensable source of fruits & vegetables.
We took a day-trip up the east side of the Salton Sea, turning around at North Shore, an all-but-defunct community of failed businesses & abandoned houses, and ate a picnic lunch at Salton Sea State Park. We also did some bird-watching and picked up a brochure that addresses many of the myths surrounding the Salton Sea.
Much of our time was spent watching the NCAA Basketball Tourneys (Women's & Men's). We chose this place since it seemed to be the only RV park within a 100-mile radius with cable for both tournaments. Unfortunately, most of the regional games were pretty uninteresting on both sides.It was here that Willie took a great fall -- walking back from getting ice, she tripped over a speed bump and her momentum took her faster & faster as she tried to stay upright until she dove forward in a spectacular "chest slide" just like a basketball player, only they land on polished wood, not rough asphalt. She in all likelihood cracked a rib as well as bruising her entire right side from her hip to her chest. She is slowly recovering, but it still hurts when she coughs or laughs.
Jojoba Hills SKP Resort, Aguanga, CA: Mar 1-27
This was an especially fine time to visit Jojoba Hills, or anywhere in southern California, with the proliferation of wildflowers. We accompanied Pat & Dennis on a few sightseeing excursions, including two to the ocean, and never failed to be amazed at the richness & diversity of color exhibited by the various wildflowers species. One trip we stopped at Rancho Santa Fe to check directions. 
This small community is apparently quite wealthy (we saw 3 Ferraris) and much of their wealth is spent on landscaping -- all public areas were overflowing with gorgeous flowers. Another trip we went to The Flower Fields in Carlsbad CA -- 50 acres of coastal farmland transformed each spring into a solid expanse of some of the most vibrant & varied colors imaginable. The most prevalent flowers were rows of brightly colored ranunculus, which made striped beds as far as you could see. Happily, it was at its absolute peak in most areas.
We also visited an alpaca ranch near Aguanga. Before purchasing the ranch, Julie Roy, the owner, analyzed businesses to determine their viability as a living, and concluded that growing alpacas is as wise an investment as one can make. So certain was she, in fact, that she & her husband took her own advice and purchased this ranch (www.AlpacasAV.com). She certainly seems happy and continues to sing the praises of alpacas. She also has been trained and acts as the alpaca midwife for all the babies.
Doug drove to Tucson with daughter Erin for a long weekend to view Gayle's house one last time & see if there was anything that either of them could absolutely not live without. It was interesting to cover the 450-mile trip fairly non-stop in 7 hours, a trip that would take us 3 days pulling the trailer. They enjoyed hanging out with Gayle, and their stay overlapped brother Rodger's visit by one day. It was good seeing him again too. Much quality time was spent in the drive over and especially the drive back, where they blithered away for most of the trip. They enjoyed date shakes at Dateland both ways. Erin's Mini Cooper performed like a champ & Doug was never uncomfortable, cramped or nervous.
We also spent time with our usual pursuits of line-dancing, playing bridge, and games with Pat & Dennis. We also learned to play the American version of Mah Jongg and will enjoy playing that at the Benson co-op. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and our 27 days came to an end far too soon. We're not sure when we'll return to CA or Jojoba Hills, especially if gas prices continue their upward spiral.Saturday, March 8, 2008
Jojoba Hills SKP Co-Op, Aguanga, CA: Mar 1-27
We had such a good time visiting Pat & Dennis here last Feb that we decided that we should come back. That decision went on-again-off-again a few times, but we finally settled in on March 1. We arrived just in time for the local NPR station's spring pledge drive. Fortunately the park can get two NPRs, so we were able to tolerate the fuzzy one until the pledge drive was over. It is interesting to contrast the goals & styles of the membership drives between Yuma and LA -- Yuma's goal over 8 days was $20,000, far less than the one-day goal in LA.
While here we got a call from Doug's brother Bob saying that Gayle's move to Albuquerque was on and happening no later than March 23. So much for no earlier than mid-April. After much discussion with all parties involved, we decided that our best plan was to leave the move in Bob's capable hands & for the most part just stay the heck out of the way. Doug will probably drive back to Tucson with Erin next weekend to see the house one last time and verify that there is nothing there that one of us just can't live without. In the meantime, we'll continue to enjoy Jojoba Hills and Pat & Dennis's excellent company. We enjoy the line dancing class and have learned to play Mah Jongg (American), plus there are bridge games fairly close almost any day of the week.
As for our plans after March, we got confirmed to return to Chaco Culture NHP in June as campground hosts, and also at Lewis Lake CG in Yellowstone NP in Sept & Oct for a similar position. Anyone wanting to visit us in either location is more than welcome. There is a bridge tournament in the Phoenix area in early April that we plan to attend, and of course we plan to drop by the Denver/Boulder area between Chaco and Yellowstone.We are happy to report that all of the cats still seem to be doing well (knock wood). It is hard to imagine life without any one of them. We still miss Gracie -- every one of them carves out their own little niche in our hearts that can never be filled.
Salton City Spa & RV Park, Salton City, CA: Feb 28-29
This park was recommended to us by a line-dancing couple, and since it was hardly out of our way, we decided to check it out. It is actually a mobile home park with RV parking, and it sits right on the Salton Sea. At $25/night it's not cheap, but the line-dancing class was quite fun & we learned a couple of new dances. We were also invited to a birthday party immediately following line-dancing in honor of about a dozen semi-permanents who turn 70 this year. The highlight was a hula dance by a group of women who obviously knew what they were doing.The last time we were in the area we noted that Salton City was trying to make it again, and wondered how they would fare. The prospect does not look good, as the housing crisis seems to have hit the area pretty hard. It looked like at least 1 in 4 houses were for sale.
Foothills Lot, Yuma, AZ: Feb 20-27
Our original plan was to again meet up with the Escapee Boondockers in the desert west of Yuma, but we got an offer from our friend Lloyd to park on a lot owned by a friend of his (Tom) in the eastern Foothills section of Yuma. We couldn't say no to $10/night for full hookups, especially when we would also get to see Lloyd. We arrived just in time for the local NPR station's spring pledge drive. We actually weakened and gave them some money!The Foothills area is divvied up into hundreds & hundreds of lots large enough to hold 2 RV pads or one house (or one house and one RV pad!). Tom's lot is set up with 2 RV pads, and Lloyd offered the second pad to Bill Garmire (recently from Ajo). He then arrived with his rig after we & Bill had set up, and since there was obviously room (& hookups, just no pad) for a 3rd RV, called Tom to see if three RVs were allowed to park on a single lot. It looked pretty unusual but was apparently legal (or at least not illegal) and also lots of fun to all be parked together. We enjoyed a few evenings of games & conversation before Bill had to head to Slab City to get his mail (and prescriptions). We all got to view the lunar eclipse, although it was cloudy and we didn't really get to see totality. We also got to play bridge, and did quite well 2 out of the 3 times. We still find Yuma to be ugly & unappealing, but could stand to park here for a month or so given a reasonably priced place to park. It's warmer than many other winter areas.
M&M RV Village, Wellton, AZ: Feb 18-19
We stayed here once before in Jan 2006 and at that time voted it onto our "ten worst" list. This visit didn't do much to change our opinion. The park is still Passport America, and therefore cheap ($10/night). It is conveniently located far enough away from I-8 that traffic noise is not a problem -- not that we'd notice it with all the train noise! It's right next to the railroad tracks. We experienced our first earthquake here, centered less than 100 miles away in Mexico -- one of a fairly regular (5 or 6/day) series of small quakes that had been happening southeast of Mexicali. More than anything it felt like someone walking around in the trailer without the stabilizer jacks down, only the jacks were down & no one was walking around! It was slight enough to be interesting but we don't long for a bigger one.Our friends Shirley & Henry were staying at a nearby park, and we went out to dinner, and then breakfast the next morning, and had a great visit with them.
Desert boondocking near Ajo, AZ: Feb 13-17
We planned our Benson departure to allow us to join up with an encampment of Escapee Boondockers in a beautiful locale near this southwest AZ town. This is the 2nd time we have enjoyed company with them here. We actually were here only for the 2nd week of a 2-week stay. Our friend Bill Garmire arrived shortly after we did -- it was good to see him again.
The evening that we arrived there was a program on Dine/Navajo Code Talkers at the local library, given by Dr Laura Tohe, a professor of English (her second language!) at ASU, whose father was a Code Talker. He did not tell his family until the late 60s, shortly before his death. The talk was fascinating, inspiring, and a little saddening.
Another outing was an afternoon excursion to the Cabeza Prieta NWR to watch the sun set. The 860,000-acre NWR (larger than Rhode Island) was set aside in 1939 to preserve desert bighorn sheep habitat. It shares 56 miles of its boundary with Mexico, which is the subject of quite a controversy between Homeland Security & environmentalists. We felt none of that as we watched the sun slowly sink below the horizon in almost total silence, broken only by the occasional chatter of birds. 
The section that was open for the sunset is only open to the public for 6-8 days a year, since it is located near strategic parts of the Barry Goldwater Air Force Range.Snyder Hill BLM, San Joachim Road, Tucson, AZ: Feb 10-12
We stayed at this small plot of BLM land in March of 2007, and it was crowded with RVs then, too, but we managed to find a nice spot & set up. One of the things we both really enjoy is waking up to NPR's Morning Edition (especially on weekends) but we can't receive NPR at the co-op in Benson -- one of things we dislike about Benson. So you can imagine our chagrin when we found we arrived just in time for the local NPR station's spring pledge drive. We spent both days visiting Gayle and played bridge on the way up one day. Our cats gave us unremitting grief for abandoning them for 2 days after moving the trailer when they had been so nicely settled in for so long.SKP Saguaro Co-Op, Benson, AZ: Nov 18, 2007-Feb 9, 2008
When we last wrote we were pretty sure we would not be visiting California. Our plans, however, are nothing if not fluid, and that turned out to be not the case (as you can tell by our subject line). We discussed with Gayle (Doug's dad) his plans to move to Albuquerque & he felt it would not be happening until at least early April. He agreed that it would be fine for us to wander around southern AZ & CA, keeping in touch in case there were any new developments (more on that later). We planned to return to Tucson in mid-April to help with the move at that time.
Our last few weeks at Benson were notable for a visit to Gayle's house by Doug's daughter Erin & her husband Bryan, followed the next weekend by a visit by Doug's brother Rodger. We drove up each weekend and had great visits with all of them. We also got up early (for us -- 6am!) 3 mornings in a row to view the conjunction of Mars & Jupiter. There was a quilt show in Benson that we went to & enjoyed, and Paul Martin, an Escapee Freethinker musician who was visiting the Co-Op for a month, gave an impromptu concert at our casita.Monday, January 7, 2008
SKP Saguaro Co-Op, Benson, AZ - Jan 1-???
At this point our plans aren't even up in the air, they're in outer space. We almost certainly won't be seeing Doug's daughter or friends Pat & Dennis in CA, which is very sad. We have an application in to camp-host at Yellowstone NP this summer, and of course much depends on whether we get a position there. If not, we may try for a volunteer position in the Black Hills or go back to Chaco. Or travel. We're both trying to shake an upper-respiratory crud that has been kicking around the park, which makes thinking difficult, let alone planning. We have a bit of "hitch itch" (longing to travel) -- but only to someplace warmer. We want to stay in the area in order to help Gayle with his move to Albuquerque once his plans are finalized, the house sold, and all the other logistics figured out.
The cats have settled in, except for the cold. Our northern readers will laugh when we say that our lows have dropped to the upper teens a couple of times, but that is darned cold for Arizona. Rainbow's weight seems to have stabilized at around 4 lbs 5 oz. She eats well and is still curious & playful. Christmas is her favorite time with all the boxes showing up for her to explore. Her blood calcium was too high, so we've started giving them distilled water, which actually helped bring it down. Amber at 16 is still a kitten. She wakes up crabby, "talks" constantly when she's not sleeping, and occasionally races around the trailer being pursued by a giant yellow monster (her tail) that she can't escape no matter often she attacks it. Trixie can still jump up on the couch or bed despite having only one hind leg. She is the only one of our cats whose weight we have to watch. She is most happy curled up in Doug's lap, which she usually is about 5 seconds after he sits on the couch.
The cats have settled in, except for the cold. Our northern readers will laugh when we say that our lows have dropped to the upper teens a couple of times, but that is darned cold for Arizona. Rainbow's weight seems to have stabilized at around 4 lbs 5 oz. She eats well and is still curious & playful. Christmas is her favorite time with all the boxes showing up for her to explore. Her blood calcium was too high, so we've started giving them distilled water, which actually helped bring it down. Amber at 16 is still a kitten. She wakes up crabby, "talks" constantly when she's not sleeping, and occasionally races around the trailer being pursued by a giant yellow monster (her tail) that she can't escape no matter often she attacks it. Trixie can still jump up on the couch or bed despite having only one hind leg. She is the only one of our cats whose weight we have to watch. She is most happy curled up in Doug's lap, which she usually is about 5 seconds after he sits on the couch.