No longer selling, 2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ / RV Toad

Currently in Aguanga, California (1 hour West of Palm Springs)

So it turns out, though we didn't know it at the time, that our Jeep has been lifted. By lifted I mean raised, not stolen. The Canadian Border Security Agency (CBSA) will not accept ANY vehicle which has had ANY modification. We were in the process of sorting out the paperwork for Customs and after finding out we did not need a 'Compliance Letter' except to bring a Canadian Vehicle to the USA, getting our 'Recall Letter' from Jeep, digging out our 'Certificate of Title' and the 'Bill of Sale'.... We then moved on to Modifications...

We didn't think our Jeep had had any modifications but when I was looking at 'Stock' photos of the Jeep online, I noticed they seemed to sit lower than ours. So today we drove over to a Jeep dealership and had them take a look. YUP, Lifted.

He suggested a place where we could have it lowered but also mentioned that if we had it lowered the tires would likely rub.... so we'd be looking at a $ couple grand $. Given the price of Jeep's back 'home', we have decided to try and sell her - before we leave. Not a lot of time.... So if you or someone you know is looking for a reliable Jeep by all means, Please, let us know.

All fluids changed Oct/17.

A day out Jeeping in the Arizona Desert

This Jeep is in great shape, we had all the fluids changed out the day we bought her in October and we put Brand new tires on her a week later, she also got a brand new (soft top) lid at Xmas and she has side rails.. Her power comes from a 4 cylinder, 6 speed, 2.4L engine. Sale includes tow bar for towing her behind an RV (about $3000 value). She has 72,131 miles. Jeeps were designed for towing I'm told, making this the perfect Toad.

Asking price: $12,500 obo (ono)

She is a fantastic Jeep and we had every intention of importing her to Canada but this ridiculous CBSA rule is making that too complicated.

We will be actively trying to sell her over the next few weeks, baring that - we will likely just leave her here at our site and either use it stateside only or sell it next season when we come down.

As any Jeeper will know, this has been very disappointing and upsetting to us but hopefully we can find a buyer who will keep her at her best. We will just have to buy one back 'home' when we return.

Pictures of her taken today:

March 6, 2018

Joker lives, Cribbage and Prime Rib

I had to run to the office yesterday and jumped into Joker (Golf Cart) to get there. Nothing. Totally dead, damn. The 'fuel gage' said it was full... damn thing must not work. Plugged her in. Nothing. Charger doesn't work. WTH?! The previous owner had left both Joker and her charger outside to be sun beaten and sprinkled on and the poor thing just gave up the ghost.

Waited for Brad to wake up enough to let him know our brand new batteries were dead and there was nothing we could do about it. He went and had a look, nothing.

Karen drove me over to 'the Golf Cart' guys here in the resort but he didn't have one to spare. After much research we ordered one from Amazon Prime which will arrive on Monday $270US. No Joker until it arrives...

After a while Brad says," I think I left it on 'maintenance'".... whaaa? Sure enough there is a maintenance switch and it was flipped when he was cleaning the battery compartment. Once we put it back on 'run' Joker was working. Good news is the charger was still hooped so at least we have that coming but the batteries are still charged until it arrives.

Vicky and Bruce stopped by to show off her daughter (her name escapes me, I'm terrible with names) who just arrived for a holiday with the old folks- lovely girl, very pretty and sharp. At the same time Karen came over because she and I had a date to play Crib. I'm not very good at Crib... she beat me both games.

After the Cribbage match Brad and I went to the new restaurant in the resort, The 15th Hole, now open to the public. Prime Rib night and it was really fantastic. The restaurant has only been open since Monday and they are still working out some glitches which is to be expected but that Prime Rib (actually more of a steak) tasted soooo good. (There is no link to the restaurant as yet) but the address can be found here.

We went to Vicky and Bruce's after supper and had a short visit, they were quite tired but were still waiting on the Crock Pot to finish the Chicken.... Vic, get a damn Instant Pot! While there Brad broke one of their chairs... not saying a word about that! Apparently it was a problematic chair already they assured us. Brad offered to replace it but I guess they are getting new ones anyway.

We were going to put the firepit on but it was a fairly warm night anyway so we just sat inside and I read while Brad watched TV. Too bone-idle to spark a flame.

I have added the Bloggerfest advert I stole from Our Awesome Travels to the sidebar, I'm sure George won't mind. I figured with at least one comment from a fellow Blogger who had not heard of it, it would be worthwhile to have it there. Jan 27th, Quartzsite LTVA South Pavilion.

Full Hook-ups in Pahrump, NV

Leaving this morning around 9am gave us a short window to chat with Debbie and B-Ken. In last nights post I couldn't remember his name but thought it started with B... and I was right, it's B-Ken (just kidding, its just Ken). Sorry buddy.

3 states in 3 hours... We had to do the usual Security Check Stop going in to California on our way from Arizona to Nevada, Brad is wearing one of his Disabled Veteran T-shirts since it's Remembrance Day (Veteran's Day in the U.S) and the guys talked more about that than anything else and we were clear to go through.

Searchlight, NV

Also likely NV.  Christmas Pass possibly.

Call Guiness! Easily 5 feet tall and probably 2 1/2 feet round. Enormous!

We arrived in Pahrump to our RV Park about 3pm and got the rig set up. We are here now until next Saturday (18th) and we plan to get as much in as possible in that time. There seems to be a lot to do in this area (awesome) and that's just the stuff we know about already, can't wait to find out about everything else there is to do.

We weren't in our spot half an hour and we got a knock on the door that someone complained that our sewer hose was on the ground. Apparently it's a county ordinance or something something. Fine, we don't care. We'll go tomorrow and get one of them sloping sewer hose whatsits, I wanted one anyway... just never actually 'needed' it until now. Tired of fighting to get that damn hose to lay properly anyway.

We also don't have a surge protector yet, it's on the list. I asked the guy if we should have one here and he said only a few use them so I guess it'll be alright for now without one.

We went driving around Pahrump but when we realized that we just fell back an hour we decided to grab something to eat as it was already getting to dusk. Where do you find something to eat in Nevada? The Casino of course. Went to The Nugget Casino spent a tiny bit of cash on the slots and then down the road to The China Wok.

It was good, certainly a better selection than we've ever seen in Canada. Some stuff looked like something but turned out to be something altogether different, but tasty nonetheless. Home now for the night and we'll figure out what we're going to do tomorrow - tomorrow.

Thanks for coming along with us today.

Clay, Our Hero of the Day

It's moving day.... Yay!

This morning we readied ourselves to leave Quartzsite, Brad was doing the outside stuff and I had most of the inside stuff already done so I drove in to Quartzsite to see about getting our package from the USPS before we left. No such luck.. but I did run into the guy who organizes our mail. He was there picking up a parcel from 2 days ago he tells me... just as I suspected.

Well fine, I guess it will just have to be forwarded and back to the rig I go. The rig is gone.. where - Oh, he must have gone to dump the tanks I thought and sure enough, I found Brad at the water refill station. Having already dumped the tanks.

He connected Deuce (the new Jeep) to the RV for the 1st time and that went very well, but...
We had no lights on the Jeep. WTH! So we tow it over to RV Lifestyles but they were almost too busy to even talk and couldn't get us in until Tuesday. Brad says,"Let's go talk to the guys at Discount Solar, they know their stuff." That is what we did.

All tied together as one married couple...

I went in and talked to Mike who advised that Clay (the electric specialist) was tied up with a job but when he cleared up he would take a look at our toad lights. Great! Now please take note that this is not what their business is about, they are Solar guy but they really helped us out today. Great Customer Service! Thank you so much guys.

Within I'd say, 45 min Clay was there fiddling and checking and doing whatever it is Clay does and within half an hour we had lights. In the end it was a loose connection. Whew! I asked to take a picture of him for the blog.

Hero of the Day - Clay

(1:30pm) Finally able to leave Quartzsite we hit the highway (95N), we weren't even out of the town limits when an email came in advising that we had mail! So we turned around and went and picked it up. What a morning.

With that we were off, heading to places unknown and adventures beyond our wildest dreams... Otherwise known as we got out of Dodge. Unfortunately, due to the late hour of our departure from Quartzsite we knew we would not make it to our anticipated destination during daylight hours. So I went online to find out what our other options were...

Just north of Quartzsite on Hwy 95

But by 4pm we were both tired and decided to stop at the BLM land just north of Lake Havasu. Already we have spoken to 3 different RVers (one was a couple so a total of 4 people) and we weren't here 30 min. Unlike our experience further south where we spent 3 weeks without speaking to a soul. We are closer than appropriate to a neighbouring RV but I talked to her about it prior to settling in.

The Infamous Hand (left)

Sunset view out our front door, Beautiful pink sky reflecting off the other RV's.

There are not a lot of flat spots here and we're only here for the one night so she said it would be fine. Debbie her name is and their cute puppy with white eyes is Toby, but I don't remember her husband's name but I think it started with a B (I know, I'm terrible). Very nice American couple that Brad would have loved visiting with since they are both of Military backgrounds and History buffs to boot. Unfortunately, Brad wasn't feeling very well so he stayed in the RV. Hopefully in the morning he will feel better and we can all have a chin wag before we pull out.

Just a woman?

Today was spent preparing for tomorrow. We waited until noon to head in to Quartzsite to do laundry so that if the mail arrived we wouldn't have to go in twice. We did what little laundry we had simply because we may have to boondock for a couple days before we are able to get into the campground which is our next destination.

With the laundry done we sauntered around Quartzsite for awhile but no mail alerts arrived so we headed back to the RV. Guess we'll just have to have it forwarded.

New house in a new area of Quartzsite, there is a door but you almost can't see it from the road.

We did manage to find an outdoor rug, roughly 10 x 12 for $35 Brad insisted on blue and although I wanted tan to match the rig at the end of the day who the hell cares, it doesn't have to be all matchy matchy... so blue it is. At least we'll be able to see where it ends.

Once back at the RV, we sat outside for awhile and then I noticed Brad's Mum who we've been playing Skype tag with had tried to call. I returned her call. Now the Canada Post website tracker loses all info about an item once it crosses the border, so I have had no idea where the package was or when it would arrive. While his Mum and I talked about the mail package she sent and it occurred to me to check the USPS website and see if the same tracking number worked on that as it did on the Canada Post website. To my utter surprise, it did.

It was delivered at 9:38 this morning. WTF?! Now I've been sketchy on this mail service we have chosen and my biggest concern was reliability. Now at 4:30pm (half an hour after the USPS closed) I find out that the package we are waiting for has been sitting there all day! I can not tell you how angry this made me. Does it change anything? No. We are still leaving in the morning. Right after we go to the USPS and pick up our mail! Now I could do that without paying a third party.... And I will be in future.

Any suggestions for a reliable mailing service which offers an AZ address? I'm all ears.

We decided since this is our last night here for awhile, we'd go out to dinner. Brad suggested Silly Al's and while I like it there and the food is good, we've been there 3 times in 3 weeks. I suggested The Stagecoach. That is where we went.

Nice atmosphere, friendly staff and the food was really good. Only complaint is that there wasn't enough of the shrimp on the plate...

Chicken Noodle Soup, Homemade. Delicious.

Chef's salad for Brad

Shrimp for me.

Clean and comfortable environment at The Stagecoach.

This is the owner of The Stagecoach, Carol Callison. Apparently she's wonderful just like me!

Quite liked it here at The Stagecoach and we will definitely go again the next time we're in town. I want to try the breakfast next time.

Early to bed and early to rise as they say... long day tomorrow and a lot to do before it even starts.

Improvements

So this morning when we woke up we had nothing pressing other than dumping the tanks. Before we could get to that the phone rang...

Our new Jeep tires were in could we be there for 2pm? Yuppers. So we took the rig to the dump and refreshed her for whatever days we have left here. Then got her re-positioned to maximize the sun's exposure on the panels and Brad went up and tilted them for the first time.

Within a minute we went from this:

Our solar intake on a really clear sunny day before now.

 To this:

It actually hit 38.3 but I didn't catch that with the camera

Brenda and Len (Solar Guru's we met in Vernon) would be so proud! LOL

With that finished, it was time to go for the tire install at American Custom Tire & Wheel. Our pretty little yellow Jeep went from this:

With the old tires on

To this:

Yes Ladies, it does look the same. Just don't tell the Men!

We returned to the rig and Brad dropped me off to check on Robbie who we left behind today, and went off on his manly expedition to what a difference round tires made compared to round tires... I must admit though the Jeep did feel a lot smoother on the ride home. 

For dinner I made an Instant Pot recipe I found online at The Spicy Apron. This website has lots of different Instant Pot recipes. Tonight it was Mongolian Beef for us. Really good although for me it had too much Ginger so I have altered the recipe for next time. Otherwise, it was easy, quick and delicious. Tomorrow night - Asian Sesame Chicken. 

Tonight's Mongolian Beef

As I was sitting writing this blog the sunset was incredible. I ran outside and took a picture but it just does not do it justice in the way pictures always do. It was such a deep red, I don't think I've seen the sky that red before. Wow!

The Red in this sunset was so deep, like I've never seen before.

So now we have tires, you know what that means? Yup, We're going on a Jeep ride tomorrow that will make Jeepers proud :)

Sure hope I don't forget the camera......

So I'm a little CooCoo

Went on a laundry run again today, bedding and a few clothes. Then spent the better part of today looking around eastern AZ and western NM for somewhere to move on to. Weeks ago Brad was looking at a map and saw a place called Truth or Consequences, well I got to looking a couple of days ago and there is availability close by. It means paying for a site and we all know how he feels about that with all his money invested in solar, but...

We need a change of pace. People to talk to. I get that this nomadic thing is a lonely game and that's fine -we're both loners, but every now and again its nice to have people around. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of people in Quartzsite but they are all clearly loners too.

Our original intent was to boondock for a couple/three weeks and spend a week at a campground. Well it's that time. We're both feeling it. We haven't been around anyone since Osoyoos and that was almost 3 weeks ago. Before that other than Brad's brother... Saskatchewan. So it's been a looong time.

I've been looking at Elephant Butte but as always I'm having trouble committing to it. This is a problem I've noticed. At first, we said we wanted to feel this place out longer. We've done that, it's time to move on.

Sure we could get a site at a local RV Park but what would be the adventure in that? I looked at The Grand Canyon and there is plenty of boondocking there but with the altitude I understand it will be a bit chilly.

I like the idea of New Mexico... Roswell is right up my alley and I'd love to see it. Yes, I know I've been told it's not all that but I don't care. Just to say I was there would be cool -and my brother would be sooooo jealous! LOL. Some of my online 'friends' are down around Austin right now and I remember seeing lots of cool stuff around there back in the spring when everyone was separating from Quartzsite, but I have a terrible memory and those amazing sights have abandoned my personal gray matter.

I remember something about an Island which I think was hit by a hurricane or something later in the year. I remember the (I think San Antonio) Walk... it's all just a blur, there is so much to this vast country and it is utilized and has been for decades. Canada is just vast and empty by comparison. We're here and I want to make the best of it.

For several years I'VE noticed some kind of anxiety issue. I blame my mother but that's another story. I worry too much basically. Will there be a bridge we can't get under? What if we can't turn around? Stupid things really... like we couldn't stop before a bridge, and our rig is a whopper at 28 feet so turning is never an issue. My father side of me (logical) know all of this but there's that nagging in the background that would drive a lesser woman to drink.

Instead it's driving Brad to drink (not literally). It's very annoying actually - not just to him, to me also. What if we pull into some boondocking spot and the ground is too soft to carry the weight? See what I mean? Stupid. Relatively. 1st World problems - like seriously Kate get a grip! My poor children... what it must have been like... (no comments from the peanut gallery, Travis!)

Okay so I'm getting a little Dr. Phil on myself here, sorry...

I don't jump out of perfectly good airplanes, I don't trust a rope to hold my weight if I jump off a bridge or climb steep mountains in a Jeep, I just don't understand why anyone would. I know people do and I know they survive and all that. Sometimes I can do something not quite so bold, like perhaps the Jeep ride but it helps if I do things incrementally... like the old 'the cat's on the roof' thing... build up to it and I can do anything.

Back in our sticks and bricks we lived literally on the Atlantic Ocean and it was great. We got a small motor boat and life jackets and off we went to tour around. Brad was a little 'heavy' with the throttle and the steering wheel and it freaked me out. I might have gone out once or twice after that but it really ruined the whole idea for me. We lived there for 7 years! Maybe it's a control thing? Maybe I'm just a nutter? The reason behind it, to me at least, is mute.

The point is that making a move to something unknown is definitely unsettling to me. Yes, I know I live in an RV! So I must be a nutter, right?! Agreed. I'm a nutter, but I'm a cute nutter! It's a curse but no matter what I do, I'm always still cute LOL

Many years ago I had a boyfriend who drove semi. He was adamant that I couldn't because it was 'a man's job' (at that time there were very few women doing it in Canada). WELL, Kiss my a**!! I went and got my 1A license and I was the second woman in the west I was told at the time. I met the other woman once, that was nice but she was about 60 and I was around 25. I wore short dresses and heels, yes indeedie I did!! (Don't tell my Father!) I rarely had to crank the dolly legs myself in the cold Canadian Prairie weather. It was great, but I digress...

The point is I can do anything I put my mind to but freak me out and forget it. So I don't want to make a wrong move I guess is what I'm saying. I don't want to freak myself out.

Brad just found a place in New Mexico he wants to check out called Angel Fire State Park, I have no idea what that is or why he's so intrigued by it... Google here I come.

For the record, once I get familiar with how this lifestyle works there will be no stopping us. We'll be going 'stealth' in our 28' motorhome in downtown New York!!! LOL I'm a no holds barred kind of girl once I know what I'm talking about, I just have to know what I'm talking about and right now -- I don't. The best solution for that to a girl who likes to learn from other's mistakes..... spend time with others and learn their mistakes.

Lunch in Parker then off to The Bar

This morning 'Jeepers' commented about The Desert Bar, it was something I had seen and wanted to check out but I honestly didn't realize it was so close... Once we were sorted, off we went. I didn't tell Brad where we were going, only that 'It'll be great, you will see!!!"

And we made a video, mostly for his brother but also for you. It is uploading to YouTube as I type this and I will embed it below.

We stopped in Parker for what we hoped would be breakfast and I searched Yelp! as I said I would do more often... Bigfoot Bulldogs Diner... Sounds intriguing, let's go!

Well, let me tell you.... THIS place puts all others to shame. The service here was phenomenal, friendly and the atmosphere was like being at a friends for dinner. The breakfast as it turns out stops at 11am so we ordered burgers. Calling them burgers is like an insult to a cow. They were so juicy - not drip all over you juicy but just perfectly juicy, the fries are cut in-house and the ranch dressing is the best I think I've ever had. And that's saying something. Definitely the best meal we've had since.... we'll probably Nk'mip Resort in Osoyoos, BC. Other than my cooking, of course - right dear?!!

So impressed with this little diner which has only been open since June 1st in Parker. The guy is a former construction worker who obviously appreciates good food and good service because it was immaculate. Everything. We will be stopping there every time we are in Parker, I can guarantee that.

A simple burger? Really?!

Brad was hoping I wouldn't be able to finish mine, he wasn't so lucky!

Absolutely the best burger going!

The owner gave us a complimentary sample of their 'Chicken Fried Steak' 

Great place to eat, any time of the day/night.

5 Stars to Bigfoot Bulldogs Diner. Named after the owner's dog. I missed the details of the naming as he was telling Brad and I didn't catch the whole of it. Obviously they are still getting all the details worked out like menu's etc. but the ordering is done by computer at the table. Nice touch.

After Bulldogs we went further north to The Desert Bar. What a place that was! Really fantastic the way he (Ken I believe the owner's name is) has set it up. All built apparently from what I read from donated stuff. Amazing. Completely runs on Solar as you'd expect in the middle of nowhere Arizona and they have running water too.

Great little bar in the middle of nowhere Arizona

Yes, they serve food as well.

Still got it, don't know what it is... but I still got it ;)

The Desert Bar is only open Saturday and Sunday October to April from Noon to 6pm. Quite the wild ride getting there but well worth it, especially for a group. They have special holiday hours also so check the link above for those details.

Brad was pleasantly surprised by this outing, he thought I was taking him into the boonies to go Geocaching or something. The added bonus was he got to go Jeeping to get there, and I went too.

We had an absolutely phenomenal day today! Really feeling exhausted but rejuvenated at the same time. Shall sleep like babes in arms tonight!

Below is the video we made of our day:

Relaxed and Rambling

Well today was actually a relaxing day. Brad took the Jeep to some trails and I cleaned house while he was gone. He took some pictures of his little jaunt for me to use in tonight's blog. Wasn't that nice of him?

I got a notification that we had our first mail delivery waiting. So while Brad worked on the roof again I drove into Quartzsite and picked up the mail. The Presto MyJo arrived along with our vehicle insurance paperwork.

We've been using it all day today, you can see the old Keurig behind... on its way out the door :) This Presto MyJo works great, such a simple concept and uses zero percent of our batteries. As opposed to the Keurig which used 3% every time we used it... 3% x 8/day = anybody?.... see where our problem was?! I think this gizmo will be our saving grace. I have no affiliation with this product or company but for $14 on Amazon it sure is better than more panels and an upgraded controller!

After having a shower to remove all evidence (there was a lot of it) of his roof duties, Brad made supper. Yup, he's a keeper. Don't tell him I said that, I like to keep him on his toes ;)

We've been looking today at places to visit, The Biodome 2 is high on my list and just the other side of Phoenix, also read a review by Wheelin' it and while I really like the look of Elephant Butte Lake State Park, I haven't had a chance to show it to Brad yet. We are in no rush to find somewhere to go since we are here until Thursday at least.

The Slide Topper guy is coming Wednesday, we are expecting our mail from home to arrive Wednesday and the tires for the Jeep are due in Wednesday... so we're here until Thursday for sure. 

The weather has been cooler (25C, 77F) making it much more bearable for us, actually with the wind today I found it a bit cool outside so I spent most of the day inside. Much to the disappointment of my readers I'm sure but the house needed cleaning and I actually reorganized a bunch of stuff and created some storage space in the kitchen/dining area and have a bag of stuff for goodwill which I will be adding to before I take another lot over to them.

Our friends tell us its snowing in Oregon... teehee. Guess that's what happens when you wait until November to cross guys. Should have come down with us.

Also, when posting yesterdays blog about the roof patches I @'d woodysrvworld to the twitter post it sends out in case they might have something to say about it and for the 1st time, they didn't 'like' my post. Figures.

Thoughts about this blog:

Sometimes this blog feels more like a diary, I feel like I should be writing about great adventures or doing major product reviews but honestly that just isn't my thing. What I write about is the day to day RV Life for a newbie... well, until we're not so newbie that's what it'll be... We're trying to figure out the RV systems, how to adjust our lifestyle to accommodate said systems both original and added (like the solar). If (when) we have a black tank incident I'll write about how that should or shouldn't be done but in the meantime we're just trying to figure out the regular daily stuff.

Cooking without heating the RV on a 41C/105F day is quite a trick. I have an Instant Pot but I find it uses A LOT of power (80+Amps) which to me is a lot but everyone said what little power it uses which is why I bought it... perhaps it was because of what I was doing with it that day, I don't know. I have it and rest assured I'll use it so I will let you know how the power consumption goes with that. 

Most of the people I follow on YouTube are young with/without families they are still supporting, we are in the fortunate position of not having to 'make money on the road' which is kind of a 'go to' topic these days it seems. 

So if I recommend a place/product it will be solely because I have been there and/or used it and found it to be something that others may also find helpful/useful.

Alternately.......

If we come across crap I will let you know that too so you don't have to waste your hard earned 'on the road' money and can buy the kids new shoes instead -or an iPad, as you see fit LOL

The other thing that's been on my mind is videos. Now I'm a person who's brain tells me that 'vanity is a sin', not that our family were strong church types but I have great difficulty taking 'selfies'... videos?! Whaaaa?! As much as I will be trying, because Brad's oldest brother born and raised in England can't really wrap his mind around where we are and what its like when we try to explain it to him.

England is about 2/3 the size of Saskatchewan (1 million people), so the size of Canada is simply something that I've found the English can't relate to as they have no frame of reference for such a vast space. With only 30 million people in it? Whaaaa? Imagine Saskatchewan with 54 million people which is the 2017 estimated population of England... So I'd like to do some videos for him, on the other hand he doesn't regularly read the blog, would videos make it easier for him to follow or would he not watch those either?  In fact, the only family member who does read the blog is Brad's Mum (Thank you for that).

Because the original point to the blog was so that family/friends could follow along on our journey, I often thought why the hell am I doing it if no one even reads it but by that time we actually had some followers, regular commenters, etc. and we appreciate all of you. It somehow gives us the gumption to go out and do stuff most days (Thank you for that).

Al/Kelly at The Bayfield Bunch have written about us a couple of times and we have had quite a boost in readership the last few weeks which has been great and I'm really enjoying getting comments from many more people. Longtimers like Flowergirl and George (who also both came from Kelly/Al I believe) will always have a special place in my heart - never forget your roots! They have really helped us get through some questionable times on this journey of ours. (THANK YOU FOR THAT).

I'm really enjoying this blog writing business and look forward to enlightening you more on our ignorance and complete and utter goof ups. It will be fun, you will see!!!

Just Desert Rats

We had a quiet day around the RV today.

Brad drove up to Quartzsite to pick up a few things, including a black light (as suggested by a new reader in a private email), I sat out in the shade with Robbie (dog) and read.

I have attached the blacklight flashlight to our regular flashlight

Brad returned with 3 bandanas for me, which I've never worn but with the Jeep... and was telling me that he was talking to a guy about the 'snake holes' and how I wanted the black light (Scorpions and Snakes glow in the dark) to make me feel warm and fuzzy. The guy says, no problem its not snakes that make those holes, its just Desert Rats! 

Well, I can assure you that that made me feel sooooo much better LOL The Rats eat the Scorpions, The Snakes eat the Rats, The RoadRunners eat the Scorpions, Rats and Snakes and the Coyotes eat the RoadRunners (although we all know how that works out). Poor Wiley.

I cleaned the Jeep

Didn't know Brad took this until it was too late

Made supper

Boring but filling

If we remember -- big IF -- we'll have a drink or two tonight and relax.

I should just grab one now before I forget again...

Many of the people we follow are enroute to our area, some are arriving in a short time and others not until January. Doug left a comment on yesterday's blog about Escapees and their 'Boondocker' BOF group. I didn't know (or forgot) they had such a group and he sent me the newest newsletter with the dates and locations of their upcoming gatherings. 

They are in Death Valley (charming, I'm sure) this weekend and Borrego Springs in a couple of weeks. We are seriously considering joining up with them, perhaps even in Death Valley but likely in Borrego Springs for Turkey Day.

I think it will do us good to be with a social group as we haven't found any real sociability here in Quartzsite so far. While most everyone waves, I get the impression that most who are here (at least this time of year) do not want to be disturbed. Subtle social cues: the way they angle their rigs away from the road, have sunscreens hanging from their awnings, etc. While I understand there are real reasons to do these things- its just a vibe thing I guess. Call it women's intuition or just blonde, whatever works for you.

Oh, I also FINALLY got around to dealing with that drip in the bathroom. We've been looking (obviously not hard) for clear caulking for it and finally got some yesterday at RV Lifestyles here in Quartzsite. So today I undid the screws one at a time, filled said holes, re-screwed and re-caulked over the top. It was only a drip so we haven't been too uptight about it but it did need to be done. Now it is.

Our Besties (Vickie & Bruce) we met in Osoyoos just crossed the border today and are stopping in Oregon for awhile before they can head further south. Even then they don't Boondock... prissy, me thinks ;) But we're excited to see them again. Have been texting back and forth every few days just to keep in touch which has been great. We sure did enjoy our short time with them in Osoyoos and look forward to seeing them again. Whenever they can fit us in ;) No pressure guys! LOL

Brad just handed me a drink, because oh yeah, I forgot to grab one... time to relax.

The Proverbial Wall and a visit to California

When I was researching this new lifestyle, I heard it said many times... 'this lifestyle will make or break your relationship'. Well, we hit that wall yesterday. In all fairness to both of us, this heat has been terribly difficult on us both. We now know why people don't get this far south until November. Today we finally broke the 30's(Celsius) and had a freezing temp of 27C (80F), it is said by those in the know that we will be maintaining this temperature for the next couple of weeks - likely story, but we'll see.

In any event, yesterday we woke up and all was fine. Then Brad made himself a Keurig coffee and the machine turned off during heating. We then realized that we had no power. None, zero, zilch. After checking all the stuff we know to check, I called the boys at Discount Solar. Could they have a guy look at it if we brought it in. Yes, Larry says. So we packed her up and off we went, Brad following in the Jeep.

When I arrived Larry came out and checked this and that, I've no idea. To cut a really long story short (and lose a great punch line), it turned out that the Solenoid in the engine compartment has a breaker on it and that had flipped. (your welcome ;) ) Craig (owner) was the genius that figured that out, went right to it once the guys told him what was happening.

We are so appreciative of the great service and friendly staff we have received at Discount Solar here in Quartzsite. These guys know their stuff!!

Anyway with that stress AND the heat, when we returned to our campsite we had a rather large argument. A make or break argument. Can't imagine what the neighbours think of us! In the end, we have chosen to make it work. We have been through much worse in our 12 years together, I have the best husband ever.

I can only speak for us - but it seems that this lifestyle changes the way you do things. You know how you break things down at home? He does the garbage, She does the dishes... whatever it is. It changes when your living this lifestyle, at least it has for us. The Ying/Yang that makes us work has been fluctuating the last couple of weeks and yesterday it exploded.

Everything is fine now and we have agreed to change things up a little to accommodate the new lifestyle but anyone considering doing this with a spouse should be aware that the way things have worked in sticks and bricks may not work so well on wheels. When your camping there are no obvious his/hers breakdowns.

Today we went for a drive to the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge, its just a portion of the valley set aside really but the landscape has more and different vegetation than the part of the valley we are staying in which was interesting since its only a couple of miles down the road. I can only assume it is a lower altitude thereby gaining much more of the water run off from the hills.

Entrance marker to the Kofa Wildlife Refuge

Kofa Wildlife Refuge Information

Notice of former mining and munitions

We got pretty close to the hills we have been looking at for the past week or so

View of the Refuge

Pretty Cacti

It was still early so we decided to go and check out Blythe. Of course this means crossing into California! Yay! Well, turned out not to be so Yay! Blythe is done, like dinner. We drove all over the place and I even went in to a couple of shops to see about getting something small for lunch but only found rotting vegetables and dried up bakery goods in the two places we stopped. Perhaps it was a bad day, but we were sorely unimpressed with both Blythe and by extension California today.

About to cross into California

Entering California you have to go through this check for produce and stuff

A Canal in Blythe, prettiest part of the trip

Appeared to be a cotton field or something white and puffy anyway

All in all we had a great day out getting familiar with our surroundings. I'd like to find out what there is to do around here, I've checked a couple of apps and other than GeoCaching with snakes I can't find anything. I'll be doing a more indepth review of the AllTrails app because I think there may be more there than I found the first look I had.