Day 65 Friday April 21 THE LAST DAY

We got up early and pulled out of the Tulalip lot at 8:20 to go up to the rest area that has a dump site for breakfast & tank dumping.  Arrived at 8:30 and missed the entrance to the dump station and instead went to the truck parking area that was separate from the dump site. The two were not connected. Had breakfast & then went to the one on the southbound side of the hwy, (we went north on the freeway less than ½ a mile, got southbound, went in & dumped and then about ½ a mile south to get back on the northbound I-5. So we are finally northbound by 10:20 @ 47239 miles.  We stopped to fill up our gas tank at a Pilot stn,  in at 11:20 @ 47294 miles & out at 11:40. Arrived Duty Free store at the border at 11:55 @ 47308 miles and cleared border at 12:06.  We arrived at storage @ 12:50 @ 47331 miles.  Mileage on the towed car was 10,511 km, originally was 9,468 km when we first got it.

Recap

Total mileage from home & back - - 3374 miles, (5430 km)

Approx mileage put on towed car - - 1,000 km – (621 miles)

Days away - - 65

Gas used in RV - - 491.5 USG

Gas mileage in RV - - 7 mpg US Gallons 

Ave daily cost of everything* - - $77.50 USD

* Not added was Sheila’s dental work in Mexico and our car repair as they weren’t really a part of the trip daily living costs.

Tulalip WiFi

I was surprised that we picked up a weak "guest" WiFi signal in the RV coming from the hotel, so I could post our almost last day same day.

Day 64 Thursday April 20

Up early, (for us), and out 7 Feathers Casino at 9:00 AM @ 46816 miles.  It is slightly overcast but no rain - - yet.  Rest stop @ 46957 miles, 11:20 to 11:30 to change drivers, (Sheila driving).  Rest stop for lunch and change drivers before driving in & through Portland 12:10 – 12:45 @ 46998 miles. Into WA 1:20 & @ 1:35 the rain started.  It varied from downpour to sprinkles and kept changing most of the afternoon. Into Pilot gas @ 3:05 @ 47123, (219 to MT), filled tank & out 3:15 Sheila driving. I went to lie down in the back & after a while there were a cpl of bumps and then the engine turned off at about 4:25.  Sheila had gotten confused in the thick traffic and was unsure where the 405 Seattle bypass was so when she saw a sign saying tourist information she turned off the 5 freeway.  Fortunately she stopped within a cpl blocks.  I took over and she had stopped where I could easily make a left & get back to the freeway, (the GPS was still showing where to go, though Sheila hadn’t realized it was on.)  So we are again off and away north on the I–5. I came to the 405 Seattle bypass & decided to try it as it was by now well into rush hour. It was slow going until I decided that we qualified for the HOV lane and then made great time for several miles until the HOV lane became a toll express way. The regular lanes still moved reasonably well, (slow but always moving), with occasional stops.  We rejoined I-5 and it moved at speed all the way to Tulalip Casino. We pulled into the RV parking area at 6:20 PM @ 47228. We went into the casino but no cheap food options or 5 cent video poker machines, so back to the RV to cook ourselves a nice dinner. 

Distance covered 412 miles - - 8 hrs 10 min on the road – the whole trip from leaving 7 Feathers to arriving Tulalip was 9 hrs 20 min

Day 63 Wednesday April 19

We got up to nice sun – still, after all, we’re in California.  All packed up & ready to roll & left Williams @ 9:45, 46525 miles.  We took a rest stop break, 12:15 – 12:25, to put on long pants & long sleeve shirts. We are approaching the Siskiyou mountain pass & it is getting higher, (summit is 4310 feet), & colder. Into Oregon at 1:20 PM, then down the mountain and to our gas stop at a Pilot Station at Center Point 33 miles from the OR/CA border. Going up & over the Siskiyou pass is easier going south to north than going north to south because from the south you are already up at around 3 thousand feet and only have to go up a thousand or so whereas from the north you have a lot of slow climbing to do. Into the gas station at 2:00 @ 46750 miles & out @ 2:10.  Off up the hwy to Seven Feathers Casino, arriving at 3:25 @ 46816 miles.  We are here for the night as there is no other suitable, i.e. cheap or free, place within 2 to 3 hours drive.  One good thing is that they have a Mon, Tues, Wed buffet special from 4 PM to 10 PM for $5.00 off with a Players card so it is only $7.99 and tonight is Cowboy BBQ. The ribs were not as good as expected but rest of food was good—esp. the bread pudding and their Huckleberry ice cream.  I returned to the RV while Sheila stayed to gamble.  Today is Ladies Night. She got $10.00 in free play & took out $30.00! She returned just after 7 to tell me about it.  We went back to the casino about 9, to hear the live band in the lounge beside the buffet that was playing from 7- 11 tonight.  It was much too loud for Sheila so she went off to video poker while I settled in their nice soft plush arm chair to listen.  She returned about 10:15 having ‘returned’ some of the money she’d won to the casino so we came back to the RV for an early night and hopefully an early start tomorrow. I want to make Tulalip Casino so it is a short hop home on Friday, we shall see what happens. By the way you’ll all be happy to know that we’re having sprinkles of rain at the Casino here in Oregon.

Distance Covered 291 miles - - 5 hrs 20 min on the road – same time as yesterday but 14 less miles. 

It is early Thursday and we are going to try to make Tulalip casino from 7 Feathers. I know there is no WiFi at Tulalip. See you soon

Day 62 Tuesday April 18

It's Wednesday and we are in the 7 Feathers free parking lot down at the casino and are picking up the campground WiFi so I can post yesterdays blog.

We awoke to this strange noise on the roof, and then realized it was rain. This is the first time we’ve seen rain since on the trip south in Feb.  So it was a slow start.  I waited for the rain to stop before going out to unhook, (it looked like it was slowing up so I just went slow with all the other stuff and I had a breakfast).  Anyway out Fun & Sun @ 46220 miles @ 10:50 AM and off up Hwy 99.  Had a crash delay from 12:40 to 12:55 where we just crawled at 2 or 3 mph. What had happened was a truck had hit the guard rail on the right side of the hwy & tore up a long section, probably over 50 feet and the truck ended up on its side in the ditch. We arrived at our gas stop at the Flying J near Lodi on hwy 5 at hwy 12 at 2:10 @ 46407 miles; I got the propane tank filled and I filled the gas tank.  Their propane tank was right beside the RV gas pump so it was really easy, only had to move the RV forward about 8 feet to the gas pump. Finished propane and gas fill, (took 52 USG @ $2.609), at 2:40 then had lunch, split a foot long sub and out back on I – 5 at 3.00 PM.  Next accident delay was not too long & we moved at 15 or 20 MPH.  We eventually saw signs saying right lane closed so a lot of the delay was from merging 3 lanes into 2.  For this one as I approached the event there was rubber & bits of tire all over the right lane & shoulder.  Turns out a big heavy double bulk load trailer had literally shredded a middle tire and rolled on its side.  The tire rim was still on with little shards of rubber around it.  Both accidents appeared to have been injury free as the cabs of both trucks were intact & undamaged.  We carried on & got into Wal-Mart in Willows at 5:05 @ 46525 miles.  Both Wal-Mart & Nancy’s Café were open & fully recovered from the flooding in February. Wal-Mart has WiFi but it appears that it would only work for Phones as there are no tables etc to set up a lap top.  We bought some stuff at Wal-Mart and then we went over to Nancy’s Café for supper. For $1.00 they will split a dinner.  So we split the 10 oz New York steak. The meal comes with choices & we chose mashed potatoes with a thick brown gravy, salad bar, and corn bread. We each got to go to the salad bar for a full plate of salad, the mashed potatoes & gravy was a full scoop on both plates and the corn bread was 2 corn breads, then add in that they never charged the $1.00 for splitting the dinner onto 2 plates. The steak was cooked perfectly and was delicious. All that for $22.50 which included my root beer. Nancy’s is always a great deal. Back to the RV and hopefully get an earlier start tomorrow.

Distance covered - 305 miles - - 5 hrs 20 min driving time

  

Day 61 Easter Monday April 17

We are finally pointing our nose north. We got up, I had my coffee, and Sheila had her tea & breakfast.  We got everything unhooked, stored & put away.  Judy & Larry came by to say goodbye and thank us for the 2 carpet mats we gave them.  Sheila drove the car to the GVP office to put in our survey form on the park.  I took the RV out of our spot at 9:55 drove around and parked it ready to hook up the car.  We had the car hooked up & rolled out of GVP at 10:15 at 45958 miles, not exactly a crack of dawn departure but we are off.  We arrived at our planned gas stop at a Pilot station at 11:45 at 46024 miles. Filled up, 69.115 USG at $2.749 per gallon, $190.00 on the Pilot Charge card. The speedometer said 512 miles to MT. As it was now 12:10 we made it a lunch stop with pizza from the Pilot station. Finally out at 12:35 & onto Hwy 395, north to the junction with Hwy 58 & then west to Bakersfield & Hwy 99 north. Up Hwy 99 to the Sun & Fun RV Park in Tulare, CA. We arrived at 46220 miles at 4:20. Out temp read-out in the car was reading 30C, (86F) when we got here. The speedometer now says 345 miles to MT.  We drove 196 miles from the gas stop, the speedometer says we used only 167 miles worth of gas; I have no idea what that means, good gas mileage or inaccurate gauges or ??? We hit slow traffic getting through & out of Bakersfield, it just crept along.  Up the highway we found one lane out of 3 closed and probably the whole highway had been closed for a while due to a truck that had been on fire.  It was at the side of the road and the whole front end & cab were completely burnt out, no tires, paint or anything left.  It looked like it had ignited some of the dry grass beside the road. So that added to our, on the road time, a lot.  They don’t have an open pool at the campground, it’s closed for repairs, but they do have cable so Sheila can watch Dancing with the Stars.  We had a supper of leftover ham from yesterday with some mashed potatoes & gravy that Sheila bought at the Pilot station. Tomorrow’s destination is a Wal-Mart in Willows Calif. across the road from that great restaurant – Nancy’s Café.  That’s the one that was closed due to flooding on the route down; we hope it is open again.

Distance covered – 262 miles – 5 hrs 15 min driving time

Day 60 Sunday April 16

Happy Easter Sunday

Our last day and the sun is out, it’s warm & wonderful!  Up to the pool for WVB but only 6 people so we played anyway. After a bit, 2 more showed up & joined in. We had lots of fun as usual.  After hot tub time its back to the RV to do some prep for leaving and to get ready for the Easter Dinner tonight--we are taking fruit salad. Social hour is at 4, dinner at 5.  At our table we had us, Neva, Eric, Richard & Diane, Judy & Larry. There were only 3 tables, so we “pooled” our food and everyone put what they brought on a central table rather than just sharing it with their own table.  It means even more variety.  Lots of good food, we even managed to bring home a bit of the leftover ham which GVP buys & donates to the dinner. Tonight it is more putting stuff away for tomorrow’s departure.

Day 59 Saturday April 15

Up & off to WVB but we were really short today as several players are away at Easter functions this morning.  We only had 4 a side but we still played & had lots of fun.  They have music & food at the pool side cabana on Sat. so after VB I went over to listen.  They had the same fellow that played for the Mocktails last night.  Sheila had a fish taco but it was the last of them so I think it might have been a bit short on the fish.  It didn’t seem like much for $3.00. The music went till 2 PM & then we came back to the RV.  Judy Shaffer dropped by and we had a nice chat for a while.  Then Sheila went out shopping for a new pedometer, (she forgot & wore the old one into the pool), sandals, a new swimsuit, a pretty turquoise one and a few groceries etc.   We had supper in the RV. We are back to hot weather again; it was hovering just under 90 in the RV in the afternoon.  It’s now 7 PM and it’s nice for sitting outside, no wind, still daylight, the temp on our outside thermometer is at 68 F, (20C), so even when we have 80 to 90 degree days, the evenings cool down to be quite comfortable and even cool in the late evening and just nice for sleeping.  

Day 58 Good Friday April 14 - Start of Easter Weekend

We did our usual, up & off to WVB.  Slight cloud but mostly sun with no wind, around 70 F by noon.  As people leave we get less & less out for WVB.  This morning we were playing 4 & 5 a side for quite a while before we got to 6.   After the game, back to the RV for lunch. In the afternoon I did some route planning for the trip home & Sheila went out for the pedicure she didn’t get yesterday. Tonight is the last Mocktails party so we will go, (it runs from 6 to 8). They had a guitar & harmonica player who was really good.  Beside the free drinks, they have nacho chips plus 2 hot cheese sauces, (one spicy), plus beans, sliced olives, jalapenos, salsa and a chopped veg mix.  I had several servings. After wards we plan to go over to the Elks to see the performer that Sheila wants to see--Jerome Richardson of the Second Generation Platters.  There is no admission charge to the dinner dances but if you aren’t coming for the dinner you have to wait till after 7 to come in to sit in the main hall, otherwise you have to sit in the bar area. We got there after 8 and there were tables with empty seats.  We sat & listened, he did a great Chuck Berry number we jived to & several Platters songs. The music acts finish at 9:30.  We stopped at a grocery store on route back home to get some more instant oatmeal breakfasts. As I found out a couple years ago I can’t play in the pool for 2 hours with only a cup of coffee in the morning, so I now make a hot instant breakfast & add craisins & raisins on WVB days.  So ends another busy day    

The Black domestic bunny and the brown wild GVP bunny

The black bunny and friend at rear of RV

The black domestic bunny

One of GVP's wild bunnies, they are all small brown bunnies

Day 57 Thursday April 13

Well, we decided we would like to stay for the Easter dinner on Sunday, (the park provides the ham). Plus, I don’t like the idea of driving on the holiday weekend so I checked and we can get 2 days under our Passport America card at ½ price so it costs us $27.25 each night for the two nights, (Saturday & Sunday). So here we are, we will leave for sure Monday morning and be home Thursday or Friday.  After booking in for the extra 2 days, we went up for WVB and started with 5 to a side & ended up with 7 a side. It was a bit overcast & cooler today, it just got to 70 for the high but with no wind and the sun periodically coming out it was pleasant.   After a light lunch Sheila went out to the Happy Hour group at Emilio’s and I went to play bridge with Larry, Mel, & Barry.  When Mel had to go late afternoon Judy sat in & we played on till after 6PM. We finished our bridge game & I came back to the RV to wait for Sheila. Sheila was going to try to find a pedicure place after Emilio’s. Turns out she went shopping for a bathing suit instead, couldn’t find a one piece so she got half of a 2 piece at a local thrift store for one dollar and it was brand new! It was a top but she has a bottom here to make it a complete suit.  She got home around 6:30 or so.  We had a light supper & watched TV, one station runs repeats of Big Bang Theory, about 5 or 6 in a row.  

Day 56 Wednesday April12

Another nice sunny day.  No breezes, so perfect for WVB.  We had a good VB game although numbers are down.  We started with 4 to a side and as more arrived got up to 9 a side.  Back for lunch then I went on the computer to my Streets & Trips program to plan our return trip.  One thing that slipped my mind was that this weekend is Easter which shouldn’t mean too much difference on the hwy but does mean that a lot of the Passport America half price campgrounds are not available on holiday weekends, which includes Sunday.  I had thought of going up the California & Oregon coasts but with more people traveling for Easter that could get busy on the 2 lane hwy 101.  So I will stick to Hwy I-5 and may be home a day or two earlier. We went out to Winco for some travelling supplies and had one of their $2.00 pizza slices for dinner. Mine had Jalapeño’s on it & was good.  Sheila liked hers also.  They are a good size too, about 6 to 8 inches across at the back end. We returned to the RV for the evening.  Our time down here is coming to an end and it seems like we just got here, with our extra week, we will have been here at GVP for 37 days as of Friday and it just seems so short.  The whole trip will have been barely 2 months

Day 55 Tuesday April 11

Up early (7:30 am) for the Tuesday breakfast at “Little Pantry”.  I had their Tuesday 3 egg ham & cheese omelette special, with hash browns & toast for $6.99.  Sheila tried one of their specials—a Chili Renello Omelette with hashbrowns, refried beans, bacon & toast for $7.99.  Then, back to GVP for WVB. After the game when I went round the back of the RV to put my bathing suit out to dry the Black & the Brown bunnies were there again. I’ll have to try to get a picture of them one day. No lunch as we are still full from breakfast.  We had a lazy afternoon and then out to the Elks Lodge for Taco Tuesday & Karaoke.  A lot of the regulars that were there on previous Tuesdays weren’t there and the quality of singers was definitely down. Sheila talked to one of the “regulars” & found out that the Afro-American male she liked so much the other two times we’ve gone is ‘Jerome’ the guy who used to sing with “The Platters 2^nd Generation” and who will be doing the Elks dinner dance on Friday. We left earlier than usual and returned to the RV for an evening of TV.  

Day 54 Monday April 10

We slept in today and then got up for breakfast & were off to WVB.  We had a great game with 8 to a side.  Back at the RV we made lunch.  After lunch Sheila went out to check pedometer prices, look for a new swimsuit & maybe get some take-out for supper. Larry & Judy asked if I could join them & their grandsons Ethan (14), & Dillon (12), to play shuffleboard.  Larry & I played the 3 of them.  Back at the RV I washed the front windshield & fired up both A/C units for Sheila’s return, I’m sure she will be hot & tired. She returned about supper time but with no supper so we were “forced” to go out.  I wanted to try El Pollo Loco as they had advertised on TV their Tostada’s which look identical to a Taco Salad back home. So we went there and yes, a Tostada is a Taco Salad.  It was good too. There was even a choice of “filings”, you could have chicken, double chicken, chicken fajita, & shrimp. They were either $6.99 or $7.99 and all had all the rest of the usual fillings.  Back at the RV, Sheila will shortly be watching Dancing with the Stars and I will see what I can find on the rear TV. I found a movie called “World War Z”.  Never heard of it so I watched it. Turns out Z is for Zombies. It was OK for killing time but not a great movie.  Watched CBS news afterwards. Interestingly, one story they featured was from Alberta about a dog that had ventured out on to an ice covered body of water and had fallen in. The owner leaped in to rescue it.  A TV news crew happened to be in the area doing a story about the danger of going out on ice and filmed it all!  

Day 53 Sunday April 9

A lot cooler at night than the Yuma area and a slight overcast this morning but still in the mid 60’s at 10 AM. The forecast for the rest of the week is for warmer & clearer.  We went up to the pool to play WVB we only had 11people, (there always are less on Sundays anyway), but we had a fun game. On route up to the pool there were only 4 people playing Pickle Ball. Don joined in the pool and said they ran out of people for Pickle Ball, (you need 4 for a game).  Sheila says she likes it when there are less people in the pool as she gets more chances at the ball. After the game, it was Hot tub & home for lunch.  When I went to the back of the RV to hang up my bathing suit I saw the big black rabbit and a smaller brown bunny sitting side by side. The black rabbit moved towards me and stopped & wiggled his nose by my foot then went back to his spot by the bushes. So the black rabbit is definitely a domestic rabbit that got loose or was let loose and has taken up residence in the RV Park. This afternoon it is shopping day. This afternoon we got assorted groceries, presents, etc at Wal-mart & 99 cent store, checked Angel View goodwill store but no suitable slacks for me. Home in late PM to make supper.  We were just finished making supper when we got a call from Judy Shaffer that they were one short for one table at Sunday evening Bridge so I drove up to play. Sheila went to Larry & Judy’s park model and played Pegs & Jokers with Judy and their grandsons Dillon (12) & Ethan (14). Sheila partnered with Ethan & they won both the games they played. After the Bridge game, which Larry & I lost, I came back to the RV, had my supper late and we watched a bit of TV before turning in.  

Day 52 Saturday April 8

More roosters than yesterday, they seem to all go for a short while & then quit. Today it was 7-7:30 am.  However, since today is a busy travelling day, no problem really.  All unhooked, stowed & battened down & away by 9:20 @ 45749 miles, - a crack of dawn start for us!  Onto Hwy 8 and at Quechan Casino by 9:40.  We drove with the car unhooked because of the short distance.  We then drove down to the border, arriving at 9:45 where I dropped Sheila & parked to wait for her.  Here now starts the “Saga of Sheila” from last Thursday.  I had to wait for a successful conclusion before reporting it.  OK, after the Dentist she wanted to find some nice presents for the grandchildren, something Mexican.  Well, she found some really nice dresses for Mikaela & Erica as well as a vest for William.  Of course she bought a dress for herself as well.  Then enroute back to the border she passes a restaurant that is putting on a Fiesta as a thank you to all the Snowbirds and offering free food & drink. This was now afternoon and all the food was now gone, BUT, they still had free Margarita’s, good strong ones too according to Sheila.  She put her bags down and had one.  As she had to drive back she didn’t have more.  She arrives at the RV in the RV Park & then discovers that the bag with the dresses isn’t there!  Left at the restaurant!! She phones the restaurant but can’t get anyone who speaks English. She phoned again several times on Friday but couldn’t get our US phone to connect to Mexican exchange—something about “no server”.  So, since it’s on our way to Hemet, we decide to take a slight (2 mi. detour) to the Mexican border and she will go back to find them, (it is all of a 5 to 10 min. walk from the border).  After a half hour she returns bag in hand. The restaurant had found it under the table she was at & put it aside.  Sheila believes in the good in people & that it would be turned in and not taken. She was rewarded! We now drove back to the RV by 10:20, hooked up and headed out to Golden Village Palms departing at 10:35 @ 45759 miles.  Our next stop was Spotlight 29 Casino for lunch at 1:05 @ 45892 miles.  After a nice lunch we left at 2:25 and headed up the hwy past Palm Springs.  There is a reason for all the windmills there, we hit strong gusty head & side winds--they even had a lighted warning sign over the hwy about the winds.  It was not a fun drive!  After over an hour we were out of it and arrived at GVP RV Park by 3:50 @ 45957 miles.  Just over 200 miles but the last part made it a tiring day, I was really tired.  After we got in & set up, (by about 5:00), I just wanted to lie down and I did, getting up around 9:30 or so.  Just a quiet evening in the RV tonight, it’s Water Volley Ball tomorrow morning!

Day 51 Friday April 7

We slept in or as much as we could with local roosters around crowing.  We had a relaxed slow morning.  Then in the afternoon we went out to the local Wal-Mart store.  We got some groceries & Sheila wanted to go to Del Taco for one of their fish tacos.  I tried a bite, nothing special, just messy to eat and quite small.  I filled up the tow car as it was Arizona gas prices, 50 cents or more a gallon cheaper than Calif. Back at the RV I went to the pool while Sheila lay down for a nap in the cool air-conditioned RV.  The pool is solar heated and though temps in the daytime are well over 90 F, the pool water was still too cold for me.  It was about the temp of Sasamat Lake at home before it warms a bit in the summer.  I could get in if I wanted too--I didn’t want to, I will wait for GVP and their 84 F degree pools.  Another disadvantage of the pool here is there are no showers anywhere near the pool.  You either shower in your rig or walk/drive to the far end of the park!  Sheila did go in later, but was getting cold after 15 minutes. She was taking a break from laundry duties and had a swim while the machine washed. We had a nice but late supper of salads in the RV & then Sheila went out to pick up clothing from the dryer. Doing laundry here is much cheaper than at GVP--$1.25 vs $4.25. She’s back and it is dark now, we started the A/C in the bedroom to cool it from around 80 F although it doesn’t feel hot to me it just feels nice, Sheila will disagree.

2 pics of our 2 day/night residence in YUMA

our spot Rolle's Lynda Vista

our spot Rolle's Lynda Vista

Pictures of the"camping" spot at Quechan casino just off hwy 8 west of Yuma & a mile from Mexican Border

 camped at Quechan Casino

 From the car parking lot, QuechanCasino

Closer view of our spot

Day 50 Thursday April 6

Sheila set alarm but woke before it.  She went over to the Casino to pick up a cheap take-out breakfast and then headed out for her 10:30 appointment.  I got the RV ready to roll and headed out at 10:40 @ 45740 miles.  I arrived at the RV Park about 10:55 at 45749 miles.  Checked in for 2 nights and got set up with A/C running for Sheila’s return – eventually.  I phoned GVP & got their one week special for $179.00.  Due to a large Good Sam tour group and the Antique/Classic RV show later in the month the special ends on April 15 so at the moment it looks like that will be our return home start date. Sheila got back OK all dental went as planned and she even got some deals at the village merchants including a free Margarita at La Restaurante Paraiso. They were having a Fiesta to show their appreciation for Snowbird’s patronage. Sheila showed up around mid afternoon. All went well and she is happy with the result.  We relaxed in the afternoon heat as much as possible.  We wanted to try the pool but the gate was locked & the key we got didn’t open it, so we’ll have to check that out tomorrow.  We made supper and relaxed outside the RV in the warm evening. They don’t get the breezes here that we did at the casino so the RV heats up a bit more, making it very pleasant to sit outside.

Day 49 Wednesday April 5

Today is our off day so we slept in and had a lazy morning.  We looked up where one of the Passport America RV parks was and drove over to check it out, (it’s just 8.7 miles from the casino).  And then we stayed in Yuma to go to the Golden Corral for lunch.  We got the Early Bird special for $7.99 each including refillable drinks.   Enroute there we had checked out a movie complex to see what was on and after lunch we went to one called “The Zookeepers Wife”.  It’s a true store about the Warsaw Zoo during WW2 and the Warsaw ghetto. The zookeeper and his wife saved 300 Jews from the Nazi’s death camps by sneaking them in & hiding them at the zoo.  By the way popcorn is just as expensive in US theatres as at home, small is $5.75 & it went up to $8.75 for large.  Home to the Casino and Sheila went in to gamble.  I used their change machine to break a $100 bill. Just put it in a slot & the machine reads the bill & spits out five 20’s.  That’s today.  Tomorrow Sheila goes down to the dentist for the completion of the work and while she is there I will drive the RV to Rollie’s Lynda Vista RV Park we visited today and get set up there for a day or two. Sheila has the GPS and as we went there today she should find the campground OK when she’s finished in Algodones.

Day 48 Tuesday March 4

Another sunny hot day, although with the wind they have in the Yuma area it helps to make 80+ degrees F feel nice.  Sheila phoned her dentist to confirm 11:30 appointment still OK and she headed out.  I went over to casino to check out buffet times & check out the bar poker machines, (& complimentary drinks too), didn’t do well, I couldn’t get more than 1 or, once, 2 pair so I slowly went down & quit after $10.00 loss. Back at the RV I cleaned front windshield and then I just vegged out.  About 2:15 and no Sheila I started the gen for the A/C unit in the bedroom figuring she would be hot & tired and would appreciate a cool room to lie down in. The RV isn’t heating up that much due to the breeze blowing in the open windows up front. It still gets up to and over 80 F but with the breeze it is comfortable.  Sheila got home about 2:30 and has one more appointment to complete her dental work either Thursday or Friday, and then she is done.  After running the gen an hour the speedometer showed one less mile to empty so looks like the gen burns 1 mile’s worth of gas an hour, (the RV gets about 6 or 7 mpg to US gallons), which is around 50 cents.  Depending on gas prices, that’s not too bad.  Sheila wanted to try one of the PPA, (Passport America), ½ price RV parks so she made the dental appointment for Thursday and we will get a spot for Thurs. and Fri nights and head back to Hemet & GVP on Saturday morning. We went to the Quechan casino supper buffet which was $13.95, a little high, but we can celebrate that her dental work is going well. And it was a great buffet, nice lean prime rib sliced to order.  I came back to the RV after supper & Sheila stayed to gamble.  The video poker machines have been much kinder to her than me.  She’s not winning big, ie. Jackpots, but she is winning.

Day 47 Monday April 3

Up & at ‘em. Did all the final things to go, Sheila went out for last minute stuff & I stowed the last of things in the RV.  One thing that made it a bit more of a nuisance was that we had the rental car still and couldn’t put anything in the trunk for fear of forgetting about it and leaving it behind. Anyway, I was ready to roll by 11:40 so I drove over to the central area & parked, Sheila returned from shopping at 12:10 and we were away by 12:20 @ 45537 miles.  Stopped for gas at 45577 at the Palm Springs Pilot stn, in @ 1:20, out @ 1:35 we put 43.108 USG in, we also had to fill the rental car, and it took $10.39 worth.  Then off to the Ford dealer to get our Focus back and to return the rental car to Enterprise down the road. At the Ford Dealers Customer lounge we bought & shared a plate of delicious sushi.  Paper work done, hooked up and were away @ 3:20.  Next stop, Quechan Casino for the night. We arrived at 6:20 @ 45740 miles, speedometer says 405 miles to MT.  We’re parked in their dirt parking lot next to a very nice Canadian couple, Richard & Lina who are also getting dental work done in Algodones.  We went in to check out the casino and while there bought a large Asian salad to share for supper in the RV, $6.50 and it was more than enough for 2.  They advertise breakfast buffet for $7.95 and a lunch one for $9.95, good 7 days a week.  This evening it is journal writing time by the light of our 2 LED light fixtures. 

Last 2 days before moving out

Day 46 Sunday April 2

Last full day.  Up & off to W VB were we got 6 on one side but only 5 on the other so we had to play a narrower court until one more showed up, eventually we had 8 to a side and had a fun game, lots of laughter.  Then, back to the RV for a light lunch and starting to put stuff away in prep for leaving here. Sheila went out to do laundry & shopping, I started to stow some things.  We had supper and then went out for our possibly last Bridge game.  We have only had 2 tables for the last 2 Sundays as people leave to head back home. Sheila & I came in 3^rd so we got a dollar back.  Sheila had been doing laundry before Bridge & had to go back after to run another load because all but one of the coin machines were out of order so she had to do 2 loads in one machine, very time consuming. Back at the RV I went out to Dollar store across road for some last minute things then home for a bit of TV then bed

Day 45 Saturday April 1

Sheila is off to WVB while I do some chores like dumping tanks, filling water tanks etc so we don’t have too much to do Monday AM. This afternoon, we are going to a festival in town center on Harvard St. in the area of the play we attended last night.  It is all part of the Ramona Spring Festival--the opening day for the actual Ramona Pageant is in late April, always after we have left the area. We had a pleasant afternoon watching lots of Indian dancing including an amazing performance by World Champion Hoop Dancer, Terry Goedel;  looking at beautiful 1930’s antique cars;  checking out various booths & exhibits; listening to music by a very good rock band called One Too Many, and, of course, eating, (at Downtown Deli).  We got back to the RV by late afternoon; Sheila is now napping with A/C on in the bedroom. When she woke up about 6:30, we cleaned the toaster oven we’d borrowed from Larry & Judy, had a light supper of soup, cheese & crackers and watched TV & worked on our journal until bedtime

Note I have posted 3 days at once to catch up - Wed Thurs & Fri, scroll down to Wed for the start of the sequence

Day 44 Friday March 31

Judy was up early, she was totally packed and went out to have one or two last Pickle Ball games.  She got back to the RV about 9:05 and we left for the airport at 9:15.  We were doing fine until traffic ground to a slow crawl on Hwy 10 just before Banning.  Hwy 10 is 4 lanes wide and I can usually cruise along at 70++ mph.  We kept mostly moving but at a crawl.  Finally, close to the beginning of exits to Palm Springs we passed a bunch of police & emergency vehicles off to the side and what looked like the remains of one side of some kind of RV.  Traffic now sped up and we got to the airport by 10:35, only 5 minutes after our deadline time--so no problems.  We dropped Judy off at Allegiant’s baggage check-in & left.  Sheila wanted to find a particular store in Palm Springs that reputedly has a great selection of swimsuits which they sell for one price—only $30, so we drove in towards town, stopping to get some directions at Del Taco.  When I pulled out, after a 10 minute stop, all of a sudden there was a message on the dashboard display panel saying, “Engine overheating, stop driving.”  I finally found a place to pull over, (a Bus Stop on the main street in downtown Palm Springs & popped the hood.  A cpl of guys from a city road crew came over to see if they could help.  Together we discovered the radiator reservoir was empty.  We added a btl of water we had and the road crew offered a second bottle.  They directed me to the nearest gas station about 2 blocks away so there we went.  The mechanic there said--from the wetness on the engine it looked like a hose somewhere had blown & he said he could smell antifreeze.  He said we shouldn’t drive it and as it was still under warranty we should go to a Ford dealer.  I called Ford Road Service to see about that & they dispatched a tow truck that arrived in about a ½ hour and took us & the car to Palm Springs Ford, about 10 miles away.  It is now early afternoon on a Friday.  They got the car in quickly so we would know if it was something minor or not and checked it out.  They discovered that a rock or something had somehow flipped up and punctured the radiator. It then overheated & blew the A/C hose out which emptied the rest of the water.  Now, of course, because it was an impact with something and not a part failure, it is not a warranty repair. Also, because the rad has to come out and be replaced, they couldn’t do it in the couple of hours before they close for the weekend but will have it fixed & ready by Monday, as they have all the parts needed in stock. The Ford service person, Alex, phoned Enterprise & said to give us the Ford Co. rate as our car was in for repairs.  So, we got a shuttle down to Enterprise, just a few minutes away and picked up a white Chevy about the same size as the Ford.  We then drove back to Hemet where the RV is.  Enroute we passed J & M family Restaurant at State & Stetson so stopped for one of their meals from their list of daily specials for $8.97 each.  I had the ‘All-you-can-eat Fish & Chips’ & Sheila had Filet Mignon. The meals included soup or salad, and dessert.  However, add in our drinks, (tea & Rasp. Iced tea) tax, & a tip and we spent $26.95, still, not bad for a nice supper.  Then home to the RV to change and out again to the Diamond Valley Arts Centre for a play, “Helen Hunt Jackson and The Trial of Sam Temple” connected to the Ramona story that occurred right here in San Jacinto in 1883. (San Jacinto is a community just east of Hemet with State Street the dividing line, similar to Port Moody & Coquitlam but smaller in area). Finally, at 9 pm, we arrived home for the night!  The car saga will continue on Monday when the plan is to check out of GVP in Hemet, drive the RV and the rental car to Palm Springs, drop off the rental car, pick up our car and drive to the casino near Algodones, (2 miles to the border), Monday afternoon, evening or night for Sheila’s dentist appointment on Tuesday.  

Day 43 Thursday March 30

Another sunny, hot day!  Judy got up early, made the coffee and was working away on her I-Pad when I got up--didn’t even know she was up! She went off to Pickle Ball and Sheila & I went up for WVB just after 10 am. Judy arrived after Pickle Ball.  We actually had enough for 2 pools today.  After lunch in the RV, Sheila went out to get her hair cut & styled. When she returned, we all had a bite to eat and headed to Emilios to be there for Happy Hour at 3 PM.  Instead of her usual nacho plate for her tapas, Sheila tried their shredded chicken quesadilla and said it was the tastiest chicken she’s ever had in a Mexican restaurant.  She really liked her Mango margarita too, extra cost though, - $3.75 instead of $3.00. Returned home and had a late light supper in the RV. Judy is busy packing up for tomorrow’s trip to Palm Springs Airport.  Judy Shaffer dropped by to say goodbye to our Judy.  We moved into our bedroom and watched TV for a while so Judy K could turn in. One station runs a lot of Big Bang Theory reruns in the evening which we find just as funny a second time so that works well.

Day 42 Wednesday March 29

Cool to cold at night, but clear sky & sun and temps getting into the 80’s by noon.  I drove over to the Motel & picked up Judy and her things and returned to the RV. Judy went to play Pickleball then joined us to play

WVB.  I think I am improving a bit at WVB.  Sheila seems to be improving health wise, she played well, but was exhausted after only an hour.  Then, back to the RV for lunch--leftover chicken & salads from last night.  Then, while Sheila napped, Judy & I sat outside playing crib for the afternoon & just relaxing in the sun. We met Larry & Judy at the Steer & Stein for supper. (They have a 16 ounce steak that I have once a year down here).  It was delicious as usual & comes with salad & baked potato.  But the price has gone up it is now $18.49 for the steak, (two yrs. ago if was $16.00, which even if you convert to CDN $ is still a great deal. And for dessert, I had Blackberry Cobbler which came in a tall ice cream sundae glass with lots of ice cream & whipped cream on top.  It was such a large meal that Sheila managed with just a bit of my steak and an appetizer of fried zucchini as her meal.  After supper we all came back to Larry & Judy’s park model and played Pegs & Jokers.  Then home for the night at 8:45 pm.  Judy was tired & wanted to turn in, so we went to our bedroom at the rear and watched some TV on the small set there.  It worked well, Judy couldn’t hear any noise from the TV & we could enjoy our program sitting on the bed leaning against the head board which is the wall with the window, it was fairly comfortable for a short time.