2013-1 Wintering in Tucson Arizona

2013-1

A New Year for Travels.

Desert Trails Rv Park

Campground:  Desert Trails RV Park, Tucson AZ.  $485 monthly Elect included.

I thought I should start the new year with a basic rap up of the life of a full time Rv-er.  Of course like so many full timers, I spend the winter months, hopefully, in a warmer climate.  The settling in for a few months provides a number of benefits to the full-timer.  It’s time to get back together with friends and it’s time to get all those doctors appointments out of the way.  For me that’s dermatology, eye exams and a yearly check up to get my prescriptions renewed.  I had skin cancer again, this time on my forehead.  The Dr. removed a large circle of cancer leaving me with a rather gulf ball size hole on top. Over the following weeks it has healed up rather nicely (stitches were not used) and during that time I have been going through a regiment of face peals.  Where I have to put on a lotion that attacks any pre-cancer cells.  It’s done a great job and I’ve completed the two sets of treatments. Of course at a cost of $750 per small container of cream, it should work well. Oh and my face has all new skin where the treatments were accomplished.  I haven’t gotten all the Dr.s bill back regarding the surgery and follow-ups yet but my insurance will cover most of that as well.

 Of course my truck must have overheard part of this conversation because one day it’s engine light came on requiring my taking it in for maintenance.  The nice part is that when I’m settled in for a few months, there’s plenty of time to get all those appointments taken care of so that I’ll be ready to start the new year with everything in tip top shape.  EGR problems and finally a warped air filter caused all the problems.  That cost another $750.  After three trips to the dealers repair facility, it’s now working fine.

Photo Club, Martha giving instructions

The fun part is getting together with friends for happy hour, dinners and outings to the flea market, movies or maybe Rv window shopping.  I’ve once again joined a few clubs here at Desert trails and have started one myself.  It’s the RV Travel Club where we discuss two states each week.  Sharing places to visit, campgrounds to stay at and sometimes roads to avoid.  I’m also active in the photography club and writers club.

The Writers Club, so many interesting stories

I’m trying to work out my itinerary for the coming year as well and hoping the RV Travel Club will give me some clues.  I’ve traveled a good portion of the country in my 8 years on the road, and yes I’m starting my 9th year.  So this year I’ve got it in my mind to try and stay in an area for a month at a time before moving on down the road.  A few places I’m thinking about are, Cody WY, Santa Fe NM, Visits with my sisters in Lower and Upper Michigan, Ashville NC and Pigeon Forge TN.

Tucson is in a valley surrounded by bare mountains on most sides.  Desert Trails RV Park is on the west side of town about 12 miles out in the desert.  For the first timer there are lots of places to tour and visit.  Aviation Museums, Old Tucson Movie Studios, The Triton Missile site, Copper mines and lots of small towns with Mexican and wild west flavors.  Tucson itself is a large sprawled out city with a University right in the center of town.

Usually the winters are mild, but this winter, we’re experiencing a weeks worth of hard freezes down to the 28 degree level.  That’s when we Rv-ers disconnect our water hoses after filling our holding tanks with fresh water.  This helps avoid frozen water lines since our RV basements and holding tanks are heated.  Today, after a hard overnight freeze, the sun is out and feels pretty good, though still chilly.

And even though I had my flu shot, I still got it.  Maybe not as severe as if I didn’t have the flu shot, but still 10 days of aches and pains and congestion.

Now it’s back to work getting ready for another Travel Club meeting. That involves some of the following chores:

Reviewing my own Blog for each state to be discussed.  I put the name of the state in the upper left     hand corner search box in my Blog and it gives me all the Blogs I’ve written on that State.

Next, I list a couple of Web sites that I think the group will find helpful.

Then I set up a couple of routes using Microsoft Street and Trips.  This way the group can see
Where we are on the map when discussing each state.

If time permits, I have a few Picasa photo albums ready for display on the video projector and I’m                  ready for this weeks RV travel Club.

I’ve got a little over a month and a half to go (March 15) before I once again head on out for the summer.  With a little planning and dreaming, the next adventure will begin before you know it.

Tucson Botanical Gardens

2012-40 Tucson Arizona, ANNUAL TRAVEL EXPENSE REPORT

2012-40

Tucson Arizona

Desert Trails Rv Park  (Winter campsite)

view looking out front of my campsite

I’ve made it to my winter destination at Desert Trails Rv Park.  After settling in, I’m right next to the swimming pool which is a great spot, but I have had people occasionally walking through my campsite.  Kind of startling when I’m just relaxing reading a good book and suddenly someone walk right through my campsite.  I finally put up a sign letting folks know it’s not a pass-thru but a campsite.  Most folks understand that it’s rude to walk through someone’s campsite, but until they get used to where all the pass-through walkways are located in this quirky campground, they often end up taking the shortest route back to where ever they are going.

new patio area next to the swimming pool

All the clubs are starting up and I’ve committed to doing one called  the RV Travel Club.  We’ll be covering where to go, what to see, best campgrounds and best routes to take in each state.  Should be lots of fun.  I’m helping out the photo club get going as well, but don’t plan on being the lead throughout the winter as it would be just too much for me.  I’m enjoying the Writers Club and this wonderful group of writers and all their stories.

Since I’m settled in, it’s that time of year to review what the costs have been over the past summer.  The expenses cover my campsite, fuel (diesel) and misc. expenses which involve all those unexpected expenses like a new tire, insurance, health bills etc.  It does not cover my daily living expenses such as food and entertainment.  I hope the figures will help others who are thinking about traveling as a full-timer understand the costs of traveling as a full timer .  It should also be noted that I usually stayed at least a week If not longer in most locations and only traveled on average about 150 miles between campground/destinations.  That makes a huge difference on the daily/weekly and monthly expenses.

click on image to enlarge

If you are new to this Blog and have any questions regarding camping, please drop me a line.  My e-mail address is listed on the right hand sidebar.

2012-39 Lake Havasu Arizona

2012-39

Lake Havasu AZ

Campground:  Campbell Cove RV Resort, 1523 Industrial Blvd. Lake Havasu City AZ, 86403
Local: (928) 854-7200.  PA rate: $21.00, Normal Price: $42.00.  Nice park.  Back to back sites (site are close together), but you can pull thru if no one is in the other site.  Some pull thrus for very large rigs.  2 miles from center of town.  Spotty Verizon service as this is a roaming area for Verizon.

Campground:  Shady Lane Rv Park.  $17 full hookup.  Pull-thru sites.  gravel.  185 N hwy 95 Quartzsite AZ.  Last stop before reaching winter destination. Monthly rate:  $200 + electric.

Distance traveled:  55 miles

Somehow I thought the distance would be a bit further, so when I got to Lake Havasu after only about an hour I was really surprised.  The temperatures in the 90 degree range on this fall day and I’m having trouble relating to those up north who are already experiencing freezing weather.  The sun is so bright out here I’m having to wear sunglasses all the time.  My sister Dorothy sent me some wonderful pictures of all the fall color in her town of Whitehall Mich. and it got me in the mood to have some fall color in the camper.  So off to the Dollar store to buy some fall leaves (silk of course).  Made up a couple nice arrangements to remind me it really is fall.

London Bridge, the #2 attraction in Arizona

I was saved from having another time change as Arizonans don’t change their clock for the daylight saving change.

The local news has a big article about a flood control project our here.  The first phase has cost 4 million dollars to stop flooding along one of the many washes that run through this area.  Three big earthen reservoirs have been constructed.  The next phase will cost 6 million dollars to build concrete channels in the Horizon Six subdivision.  Imagine, they built a subdivision in a flood zone.  Then Dah, they realized that it would flood during any heavy rain.  Now did the subdivision or the developer have to pay for the ten million dollar diversion of water?  I think you know the answer.

numerous washes throughout the Lake Havasu City

It is a little hard to realize in this extremely dry desert area that one would have to worry about flooding.  But as I drive around the Lake Havasu area, I do notice very large and deep washes that indicate that when it does rain, the water runs right through this whole.  Those washes are like large dry river beds with deep gouges and walls of loose gravel and sand winding their way through this arid land.  The campground I’m in is actually a high peninsula with those washes defining each side, creating an island effect overlooking Lake Havasu.

I’m enjoying just living in this area for the week, without much touring.  The London Bridge and Lake Havasu being the major attractions in the area.  Doing my little chores like washing the truck, which was covered with bug doo doo splattered on the front grill, vacuuming and other household chores.  I’ve been working on a “water fountain” but so far I’ve come up with a couple snags.  The flower pot I planned to use leaks like a sieve and the pump doesn’t shoot up much water, so this is one project that needs a lot more work.

looking across Lake Havasu into California

It’s super windy out today and I’ll head out for my last leg of my journey south towards Tucson AZ, my winter destination.  This Blog will be fairly quiet for the next couple of months as I take the winter off and play in the desert.  It sure has been fun having everyone along on my journey for the past 8 months.  Wishing everyone a super great time as you explore your part of the world.

I invite you to explore the Blog and re-visit some of the past destinations.  A search at the top left corner of the blog is a great way to explore.  Simply type in the State you're interested in and all the articles that originated from that state will show up.  Or, click on the table of contents on the right hand side by Month and Year and explore that way.  If you're interested in pictures, go to the PICASA website and explore all the pictures associated with this Blog.

2012-38 Bullhead City Arizona

2012-38

Bullhead City Arizona
Bullhead City Arizona
Oatman Arizona

Campground:  Silver View RV Resort, 1501 Goldrush Rd, Bullhead City AZ, 86442. Local: (928) 763-5500 PA rate: $14.95 - $17.45, Normal Price: $29.90 - $34.90  Spectacular views of Laughlin and Bullhead City. Nice large and wide sites and pull-thrus.  Back-ins overlooking the river, high on the bluff are also prone to heavy winds. Full hookups, 50amp, cable tv.

Campground:  Snowbird Rv Park.  1600 Joy Lane,  Bullhead City AZ, 86426, Local: (928) 768-7141 PA rate: $15.00 + $2 cable tv, Normal $30.00 Sites are close together.  Older park.  Concrete patio, full hookup w/cable tv.

Distance traveled:  153 miles

The Colorado River and Laughlin NV

Heading south from Las Vegas on  hwy 95, I’m impressed by the scrub covering the dry desert valley.  It has rained in this area recently and the valley looks quite green.  I’ve even seen water standing on the flat desert sand as underneath is a hard packed ground that does not absorb any water.

Then heading east along hwy 163 the sharp craggy mountains have a quality unlike any I’ve seen elsewhere.  I really don’t know what it is.  The casual observer would probably think they all look pretty much the same.  But to me, there is something that attracts me to them.  The sharp edged mountain ridges, the sandy earthen color of the sloping sides dotted with desert ironwood and a few yucca’s and Joshua trees.  Views of canyons as the hwy descends over 2,000 feet down to Laughlin and  Bullhead City.  The Colorado River sparkling blue against the desert scenery.

Opps.  I went to set up at the Silver View Rv park today and after disconnecting the truck and camper, I couldn’t get the tail gate to go down.  Locked in place.  No way to remove the campers hitch over the top of the tailgate, so I reconnected everything and drove it all into the Chevy dealer.  One of the tailgate latches broke loose.  The only thing connecting it is a tiny piece of plastic which broke apart.  Imagine, a plastic piece that probably cost two cents to manufacture.  The service guy came out to the truck, assessed the problem, brought me into the parts department where we purchased the $9 part.  He then showed me how to install it, saving me a $100+ repair bill.  Nice guys.  Thanks Findlay Auto Center.

Went out for breakfast today.  I’ve been going to Subway’s as they make a breakfast sandwich out of egg whites.  I have them add ham, green peppers and onion and cheese making it basically a Western sandwich.  Really good and their Seattle’s Best coffee is great.  I asked the guy making my breakfast what his favorite sandwich was.  He said he rarely eats there, as he’s been working for them for 6 years and after making all those subs, doesn’t have an appetite for any of them.  Did you know they have a veggie patty that’s supposed to be pretty good as well.  I do try to eat healthy when I can.

Haven’t gone into the casino’s on the other side of the river in Laughlin.  Guess I’m burned out on seeing them all over Nevada in the past month.  I’m sure I’ll make it into one of them in the next couple of days.

Distance Traveled:  10 miles

Well that was a short trip.  The previous Passport America site would only let me stay 3 days, even though they had lots of space available.  So I moved down the road to an older park I’ve stayed in before, the Snowbird Rv park.  After setting up I went back to K-mart and spent my $5 gift card for signing up for their rewards card.  Got a 75 oz bottle of Xtra laundry detergent for $1.99 and a bag of Halloween candy discounted the day after Halloween.   Both for under $5.00.   Two great bargains and both free.  You know that’s my favorite price.

Being on the south end of Bullhead City, I’m very close to Oatman.  An old mining town that is on the original path of the famous Route 66.  Oatman is a great place for all you budding photographers and folks who enjoy seeing wild burros and a bit of the old west.  The tourist shops cater to the biker clubs and t-shirt lovers.  Later, after taking a bunch of photos and talking to the locals, none over enthusiastic by the way, I headed back into town and across the Colorado River to the Avi Casino for lunch.  The Restaurante Aviano
Is right next to the buffet which is not open for lunch.  Which worked to my advantage, as I probably wouldn’t have tried the Aviano as it looks and feels very upscale.  What I found is a great place for lunch with prices in the $6.95 range.  Wonderful breadsticks, pizza made to order, make your own sandwiches with very fresh ingredients and good service and salad bar.  So good I’m going back and trying one of their pasta dishes.  I don’t usually talk about restaurants all that much since I often eat at the most average of places.  This one was top notch and if you're in the Laughlin area, go a little further and eat at the Avi Casino.

Oatman AZ

I’ll head to Lake Havasu next then on into Tucson.  My final winter destination.

A final shout out to my sister Ann, wishing her many happy years in her new senior apartment.  Knowing she’s in a safe comfortable place at senior prices and surrounded by friends, starting a new chapter in her life brings a big smile to my face.  Nice to know we can all continue to change and enjoy life no matter what age.  PS, I’m two years younger than she is.

Moro photos on PICASA

2012-37 Pahrump Nevada

2012-37

Pahrump Nevada
Las Vegas day trip

Campground:  Preferred RV Resort, 1801 E. Crawford Way, Pahrump NV, 89048 (800) 445-7840
Local: (775) 727-4414 PA rate: $16.50, Normal Price: $33.00 for the PA rate one gets a gravel site with a concrete pad and picnic table.  Full hookups w/wifi and over air tv stations available.  Good cell phone service.  Swimming pool, club house, work out room, and workshops.

I’m here for 10 days on my way south for the winter.  I discovered the other day when I went to check up on my mail that had not gotten delivered to the previous campground, that the folks at Silver City Rv rejected my mail and had it sent back. While I was staying at the campground.  Of course they never told me that, as I continued to extend my stay there, waiting for my mail to arrive.

Lesson learned for full-timers.  Always have your mail sent General Delivery to the Post Office at your next destination and for an added 75 cents the USPS will provide a tracking number for your pkg.

I filled up with diesel today at only $3.999 a gallon.  Seems like ages since in was in the $3 range… I think I remember when $2.50 was high.

Luxor Hotel/Casino

Here at the Preferred RV Resort, which is member owned, I’ve been talking to some of those members.  Now each owner can buy a share and stay in the park for 30 days each year.  Initially it sounds pretty good even though a member has to pay yearly dues of $300, so that works out to $10 a day for your 30 day stay.  But they have added a few extra dollars per day to cover electric costs etc. so it’s closer to maybe $13.50 a day.  My next door neighbor bought out someone else who was leaving the area for good and got his membership/owership for about $200.  Initial owners/members paid $5,000 to join.  At dinner this evening, they have lots of food events here, one couple has purchased a home in the area and sold their RV.  But they are still owners in the park.  So for the $300 yearly fee they basically have a club membership and join in all the activities that go on in a park like this.  It also sounds like there’s a lot of turnover of owners/members.

mock up of the tunnel digger for Yucca Mt

Between Beatty and Pahrump is the Nevada Test site, part of the Nellis Airforce Range complex.  It is also the site of the Yucca Mountain Project where they were building all those tunnels into the mountain to store nuclear waste in the future.  The program was cancelled in 2009 by President Obama with the belief that it was better to spend the money repurposing the nuclear waster for use in the newer nuclear reactor plants.  You see the nuclear waste from our old nuclear plants in the U.S. which are first generation plants can be configured and used in the second generation nuclear plants that our scientists developed.  Of course we haven’t built any of those second generation plants in the U.S. but we apparently have shared those designs with other countries like Japan and European countries who did.  So rather than store nuclear waste it could be used, even if we don’t have the nuclear power plants to take advantage of that repurposed nuclear waste, other countries do.  I know, it’s crazy isn't it.

map showing earthquake activity in the past

yucca Mt project was being built on an active military test site

This all leads up to the extensive display that the Pahrump Museum has put together to explain this whole project, but mostly ignoring the info presented in the previous paragraph.  You see the site was contested by a whole bunch of folks from environmentalists right down to the State of Nevada itself.  But the county of Nye, which Pahrump is in, seems to be pretty much in favor of the original plan.  After all, it would create and has created a ton of high paying jobs in the local area, that is until it was all canceled two years before the final studies on it’s feasibility would have been completed.

Tests were done on water seepage into the newly constructed tunnels.  Water being a bad thing when storing nuclear waste.  Heat tests were done on the tunnels to see how they would react to 400 degree temperatures which is what the nuclear waste would produce.  Charts showed where past earthquakes appeared in the area.  What caught my eye on the displays is that the Test range is still being used today.  Meaning they still drop “munitions” for testing etc.  Which  to my mind doesn’t seem like a smart thing to do if one is going to be storing nuclear waste underground in the area, but what do I know.

The Yucca Mountain project is dead in the water as the saying goes and has been locked up real tight.  I was kind of hoping I could get a tour of it.  But it was not to be.

Another spooky aspect is that the Nellis Airforce range, some 3 million acres in all is also home to area 51.  No wonder one of the campgrounds in Beatty NV is called “Space Station Rv park”.   So I learned about yet another piece of the puzzle that makes up our country and some of the odd decisions we make along the way.

Luxor

Las Vegas, day trip

A few days later in the area and I decided to drive into Las Vegas.  About an hours drive from Pahrump.  I had also wanted to drive hwy 160 into Vegas as it will be my route heading towards the Bullhead City area at the end of the week.  For much of the way it becomes a 4 lane divided highway through the desert, then it narrows to a two lane road over the Red Rock Canyon range.  There is a 7% grade descending into Vegas for 3 miles, though it didn’t seem bad considering there were wide gentle curves as it went through the mountainous area.  None of those tight sharp curves I’ve encountered going over some mountain passes.

My goal this time was to head to the Luxor Casino and hotel.  I love the fantasy architecture of the Vegas strip.  It’s been on my personal bucket list of places to visit for quite some time and I made it on today’s day trip.  Heading north along Las Vegas Blvd. I pass the famous Las Vegas sign and just as the congestion of Vegas begins to overwhelm, I arrived at the Luxor.  Parking was easy in their free parking garage.  Heading across one of the many skyway bridges, I entered the Luxor for the first time.  The black pyramids exterior looks a bit dirty from the desert dust and the black glass appears to be sagging just a bit.  Overall it’s still a most spectacular sight.  The interior is as to be expected, a series of ascending floors forming the interior of the pyramid, showing the walk ways and doors to each hotel room.  No windows face inward from those hotel rooms only the doors and walkways on each floor look out over the expansive interior.  And the interior is filled with a mash of fake tall buildings, shops, entrances to the Titanic exhibit and the Human Body Exhibit, both costing about $32 to enter.  A nice food court sits in the back with everything from a Mc Donald’s to Nathan’s Hotdogs.  Making for an inexpensive place to get a quick bite to eat.  Starbucks is there as well with their $4.50 cups of coffee, but I opted for the Mc Donald’s coffee which is pretty darn good as well and only 63 cents at the senior rate.

After my tour of the Luxor I hopped onto the three stop free monorail out front.  Ok, it doesn’t go all that far but it’s free.  At the Excalibur stop, I got off, walked across another sky bridge to the MGM Grand which is an entire block in size.  I know because I walked through the whole darn thing to get to the other end that has a link to the Vegas Monorail which costs $12 for an all day pass.  Figured it was better than hoofing it up and down the main street where on street level it’s very congested on the road and sidewalks.  Ok it wasn’t as great as Disney Worlds monorail being a bit more bumpy and also the views were often obscured by construction and parking garages.  But otherwise a fun little journey through the heart of Las Vegas.  I hate to say it but a number of us monorail riders had a good chuckle as a guy pushed his wife onto the car in a wheel chair and as the train took off the wheel chair started to roll down the isle.  She locked herself in place and then upon exiting, he bumped just about every chair and post like it was a pinball machine with the wheelchair.  I know, I know, we shouldn’t have been chuckling, but we couldn’t help it.

Circus Circus

New York New York

view of new condo's from monorail

inside the MGM

Vega monorail.  $12 full day pass

So there you are, another week on the road.  After having settled in for a week and exploring a bit of southern Nevada, I’ll be heading to Bullhead City and Lake Havasu next before reaching Desert Trails around the middle of the month.  So just a few more stories before landing at my winter destination.

do you think too much sun?

a few more pictures on PICASA