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.