#68 – Coveys Great Adventure – May 2020 – AZ-UT via NM, TX, AR, MS, IA, NB and WY

May 2020 – AZ to UT via NM, TX, AR, MO, IA, NE and WY

Yes, really. 3,100 miles in just over 2 weeks. “Why?” requires a little explanation.

Part of our plans for Spring travel (that got made and blown up several times as Covid started to take off) was to stop in Arkansas and Iowa to get two persistent coach problems fixed. A small family business based near Little Rock is the go-to AquaHot repair shop according to many of the folks on the Monaco forums that I follow. HWH Corp. located in Moscow, Iowa manufactures the air leveling systems used in the majority of large coaches, including ours. As faithful readers will recall, we have been nursing problems with both systems for quite awhile. The plan was to combine touring the South with Charlie and Mollie Kendrick with visits to the experts to get both problems behind us once and for all.

As Covid unfolded through March and April, we realized that there were fewer places as safe as where we were, the SKP Saguaro Co-op in Benson, AZ. We have friends (Hi Leslie, Ray, Ellen, Cosmo, Jackie and Kaz!) that we felt safe getting together with. The town has most of what we need; even TP was back in stock just as we were leaving. Mi Casa was also open for takeout, so life was…ok.

But, the coach problems wouldn’t fix themselves. We could live with the leveling issues, but the AquaHot is key to our cold weather comfort. In early May, Oregon State Parks announced that some parks would begin opening on a limited basis beginning in June. We reached out to the ranger at Thompson's Mills where we had plans to host beginning in August, and Tom said he expected us to arrive on schedule. About that same time, the Covid numbers looked like they were flattening, especially where we were going to stay more than one night, Arkansas and Utah. We felt we had a window that would allow us to get to Arkansas, then to Iowa and finally to Utah with minimal risk of exposure to the virus.

So we said our goodbyes and hit the road on May 16. I am no fan of our interstate highway system. Deferred maintenance and decades of gross neglect has turned a world wonder into a nightmare of broken pavement and potholes that just pound our coach to death. Wherever possible, we found an alternate US highway. It may take a little longer but the trip is so much better. I10 across Texas is just plain awful, and most of the other interstates in TX are close seconds. 

We picked up US 62 in El Paso and followed a series of US highways for two days for almost 700 miles across most of the state. It might have taken a couple of hours longer, but the reduced noise, pounding and overall wear and tear was certainly worth it. Besides, you get to see small towns and scenery that you never see on an interstate.

May 19 marked our 35th wedding anniversary. We celebrated with takeout subs at Subway in the Love's truck stop somewhere in Texas. I've always been a romantic devil, but I think I topped myself this time. 

Not DIY

We pulled into Lloyd de Gerald’s yard in Paron, Arkansas five days after we left Benson. Lloyd and his wife, Verda, immediately made us feel right at home. Lloyd and Brian got right to work, and by that evening the AquaHot was out of the coach. The next day saw a rebuilt unit shoehorned into place and the long process of hooking up all the wires and tubes began. The exhaust system was completely shot and a replacement was locally fabricated. By morning the final connections were made and testing began. We could have pulled out that afternoon, but decided to spend a third night in their big shed and get a fresh start in the morning.

I didn't see any way....

Paron is northwest of Little Rock in a beautiful area of rolling hills, vivid greenery of many hues and small towns, many quietly dying.  The whole area is slowly being gentrified, though. Gaudy gatehouses, and new walls and perfect fences mark where old farms have been converted to elaborate country estates for the new gentry of Little Rock. It is certainly welcome work for the local trades and craftsmen, but the inexorable sprawl of the big-box stores and their remoras are moving in, too.

HWH is in Moscow, Iowa, roughly 500 miles due north of Peron. Another triumph of good planning put us on the road on Friday of Memorial Day weekend. Finding an RV site on a holiday weekend without several months leadtime is… difficult. We grabbed an opening at a park called Spencer’s Landing in London, Arkansas. The park had nothing to recommend it, but we were happy to have full hook ups and be off the road for the holiday weekend.

With serious trepidation about Covid running rampant in the meat packing plants of Iowa, we headed north on May 26. We stayed at Camp WallyWorld one night in Bowling Green, Missouri. I think Lucy and Schroeder will remember the ducks and geese in the park pond across the street for quite awhile.

We arrived at HWH about noon, and they pulled us right into the shop. We were finished and ready to leave by 4:00. We declined their offer of an overnight spot in favor of the Walmart parking lot in Coralville, about 30 miles west. That turned out to be a good call, because it poured all night. The HWH dirt lot would have turned into an ankle-deep quagmire. In contrast, the Walmart lot was paved, flat, well drained and had plenty of grass for the dogs to stretch their legs in the morning after the skies cleared.

Four days later we arrived in Heber City, Utah. We spent one night at Deer Creek State Park, and on June 1 moved a few miles away to Jordanelle State Park near Park City for two weeks. All of us were pretty tired of moving every day and were ready to unwind, drink some wine and visit with Liesa, who we hadn't seen since last November.

More soon,

Bob

#67 – Coveys Great Adventure – April 2020 – Benson AZ

April 2020 – Benson AZ

Words fail. Many of the sunsets here are just jaw-dropping

I don't really have much to report this month. The good news is that everyone we know is safe, so far. The bad news is that life with Covid in rural AZ is very … quiet. All we’ve done this month is walk the dogs in the desert and drive the three miles into town to shop. Tucson is off limits, especially after there was a near-riot at Costco over toilet paper.

As I said last month, the Co-op closed down all indoor social activities. The state of AZ has discouraged gatherings of more than 10 people indoors or out. With one nervous exception we have abided by that guideline and so have most of our fellow residents. We did cheat and snuck up to Trader Joe’s, but just once. We had a long list and badly needed a road trip.

Ack! Run away!

 Kayeanne set up a mask making workshop in the casita. She has gotten darn good at turning them out. I’ve made several trips to the post office to send them out.

One project that I put off too long was to build a ramp to help Lucy get up and down the stairs. She is really showing her age. She is now almost totally deaf, and her hips are growing steadily weaker. Her spirits are good and she doesn’t seem to be in any pain, yet, but her mobility is going downhill pretty fast. She uses the ramp without complaint and it seems to really help her.

Winter

Spring

Schroeder finally got his Spring do. He is always a little self-conscious until enough people tell him how great he looks, then he forgets about it and goes back to hunting bugs, birds, lizards and anything else that moves.

We have never stayed here beyond the end of March, so we are seeing flora,

fauna and weather that we have never seen before. Who knew that cactuses made flowers? I have dug up or trimmed hundreds of them as a landscaping volunteer, and have the scars to prove it. I am finally getting to see why people actually plant the @$%& things.

Speaking of growing things, Kayeanne has spent hours rejuvenating the plantings that we inherited with the lot and it is really beginning to look great. She has cleaned up the beds, trimmed everything, moved plants, and rearranged and added rocks. It is a pleasure to sit on the patio in the evening with a glass of wine and enjoy her work. All I had to do was dig out a few cactuses and several clumps of an invasive weed called broom that is the bane of desert gardens. I’ve had lots of practice with both.

Old living room

New living room

Kayeanne finally had it with postponing badly needed updates to Ripley's interior. We have been talking about changing the decor for years, and now we had the time, and the money since the paint job got deferred. Just before the virus shutdown, we found an upholstery shop in Sierra Vista that wanted the work and we started picking fabric, a process fraught with potential pitfalls. We must be getting used to each other, because it really wasn't too hard. Despite the ensuing Covid delays, the new valences were finally installed on all the windows. We are really pleased with the transformation! Ripley has shed a few years, at least on the inside.

Old bedroom

New bedroom

The moon at sunset from the patio

We still have tentative plans to pull out the middle of May to go to Arkansas to get the Aqua Hot system replaced, and then stop in Iowa to have the air suspension worked over on the way to Salt Lake City to see Liesa. Covid and closures will govern what we finally decide to do. Unfortunately, neither system will fix itself. We watch the virus reports every day and fret about how risky it is to leave the relative safety of the Co-op.

I found a nice red this month, and Kayeanne enjoyed a new Pinot Gris:

Grifone “1967” Toscana 2017, an Italian red from Trader Joe’s, and 

Chateau St. Michelle Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2017

Reading has again been hard work; Meacham may wear me down, yet. George H W Bush is turning out to be just as dull as he seemed when he was president.

More soon. Keep safe,

Bob

#66 Coveys Great Adventure – March 2020 – Benson AZ

March 2020 – Benson AZ

Spring in the desert

Wow, things change in a hurry, don’t they? At the end of February we were completing plans to head to the East coast in mid-April to tour Kentucky and Tennessee with Charlie and Mollie Kendrick. Our biggest concern was whether I’d be healed enough to drive. By the time I could drive, there was no place to drive to, everything was locked down and all of our reservations were cancelled. We went from making arrangements to tour the Toyota factory in Bowling Green to hunting down the elusive toilet paper fairy in about 2 weeks. Worrying about coach repairs dropped off our radar as we started to understand what was taking place in our country.

I can’t imagine a better place to ride this out than where we are.  When Arizona announced it’s first Covid protection steps in early March, our Co-op cancelled all indoor social activities for the rest of the season and closed the park to visitors. Given the average age here, those were clearly the right steps to take. Co-op members (like us) who would ordinarily start to hit the road this month are hunkered down, waiting to see how bad it is going to get.

As I’ve written before, Benson is kind of a quirky town. It serves a dispersed population that is large enough to support both Walmart and Safeway stores, helping us access food and sundries that are so problematic in many areas. The usual issues with paper products, hand sanitizer and certain food items have plagued us, too, but patience and persistence and sharing are working out for us. The local Tractor Supply and Ace Hardware stores have been selling TP, not the first places you’d think of when in need.

Like in most places, one of the biggest impacts has been to the local restaurants. We are getting take-out once a week to help support Mi Casa, a small Mexican restaurant that is a particular favorite. About half the places have closed completely, the others are trying to hang on with take-out orders. It looks iffy, at best for many of them.

It’s funny what is considered an essential business in Arizona. Restaurants that feed people aren’t, but gun stores are. There is something profoundly disturbing there, but it just makes me nuts to think about it.

Rehab is going well. I’ve been uncharacteristically diligent about following doctor’s orders and the rehab lady’s instructions this time, and it’s paying off. I guess it's never to late to learn. Kayeanne is ever-watchful and quick to remind me to stick to the plan. I must be getting old.

What with the Covid restrictions and my physical limitations, it sure is quiet around here. It occasionally verges on boring. We’ve become avid Covid news junkies because we are worried about family and friends, and because we aren’t used to sitting still for very long. “Hitch itch” is a well known malady among fulltime RV’ers and we’ve certainly got it. Coach issues be damned, we can’t wait for the country to open up so we can hit the road again. Candidly, though, I think we’ll be here through May, at least.

Wine pickings are pretty slim this month, with an unusually high number of “blech” varietals. A couple of good ones include Trader Joe’s VINTJS Sauvignon Blanc Napa 2017, and Martin’s Pickup Shiraz, an inexpensive Australian find, also from TJ’s.

I’m plowing my way through John Meacham’s biography of George H.W. Bush, Destiny and Power, for no reason that I can think of, but I am enjoying it.

More soon,

Bob

#65 Coveys Great Adventure – Feb 2020 – Benson AZ

February 2020 – Benson AZ

Evening on the patio

We were planning to jump right into upgrade projects like (finally) wallpapering the casita, but the Co-op Architectural Committee noted a couple of “issues” with the siding during their annual inspection that they felt needed prompt “attention”.

After stripping off and replacing all the dry rotted siding on the north wall and some of the west wall siding, the problem has been fixed. I am underwhelmed with the supposed professional inspection that was done before we took possession. There is no way that much dry rot took place in the 15 months or so that we have owned it. I feel strongly that it should have been flagged by the inspector and fixed by the former leaseholders before they were allowed to relinquish the lease. Unfortunately, there is no recourse after we signed the lease, so I decided to just get it done.  

I couldn’t have done that work without Ray’s help. In fact, I was actually assisting him because the injury I mentioned last month reduced my left arm strength by at least 75%. Ray is an experienced carpenter who frowns on shortcuts, which kept me in line. I tend to be “good enough” on jobs like this, especially when I feel pressured into doing it (grumble). I am really grateful for his cheerful and capable help.

Becky and moi commiserating

What finally sent me to the orthopedic surgeon was trying to load the siding debris into a trailer to take to the dump. I moved wrong and the pain (third time, I’m a slow learner) finally convinced me that there was more to it than a sprain. Two minutes after Dr. Butler started poking around, he scheduled surgery. Kayeanne and I knew on the spot that our plans for the spring just went out the window. As I said last month, we immediately cancelled plans to paint the coach and rent the beach house in Rocky Point. That was especially disappointing to Kayeanne.

On February 27th the surgical team riveted (literally) the tendon back onto the bone. Once the nerve block wore off it was …. uncomfortable for several days. My goal was to get healthy enough to hit the road about the first of April to keep our date in Chattanooga with Charlie and Mollie.

Being injured really put a crimp in my usual Co-op activities. For five years I have volunteered on the Landscaping and Facilities committees. That keeps me physically active and socially engaged three days a week. I also looked forward to finally get qualified to drive the tractors. Maybe next year.

On the coach maintenance front, I have been trying to figure out a water leak that began around Christmas. I was beginning to suspect the worst case scenario, that the AquaHot system had developed internal issues. The AH supplies heat and hot water for the coach, and it also preheats the main engine to ease starting on cold mornings. It uses a diesel fired burner like a home heating furnace and/or electricity to heat a large tank of boiler fluid that circulates to registers in the coach for heat. The boiler fluid reservoir also surrounds two separate coils of copper tubing to heat water and engine coolant. It appears to have developed simultaneous leaks in both the hot water and the engine preheat circuits. The consensus of two service guys and the internet Monaco owners group is that the AH needs to be replaced. More about that next time.

Queen of lasagna

Between dealing with doctors, the AquaHot issues and casita dry rot we managed to squeeze in a little fun. Every year the Co-op has a food auction to raise money for all the clubhouse activities and weekly entertainment that we all enjoy. For about five months we have dance bands, musicians, folk and bluegrass groups every week, often twice a week. The money to pay for that comes from fund raisers, the biggest of which is the annual food auction, where the amount bid usually has no relationship to the actual value of the item. Many of the Co-op’s best cooks and bakers brought over 200 items to be sold to the highest bidders.

This year Kayeanne and I decided to contribute. She baked two large spinach lasagnas, and I made three batches of lemon blueberry sugar cookies. One of Kayeanne’s lasagnas sold for $100, tying for highest bid of the day! A batch of my cookies went for $40! Her lasagna is really delicious and the cookies are pretty good, but as I said, there is a large charity factor in the bidding. All told, the auction raised over $7,000.

Like many other unlikely places, Arizona is developing a wine industry. One of the growing regions is located in Elgin and Sonoita along highway 82, about 40 miles west of Benson. On the way back from the crafts festival in Tubac we stopped at the Gathering Grounds (outstanding) for lunch in a small town called Patagonia. As we ate I noticed an article in the local paper about a winery that had recently won a number of awards in well-regarded California wine competitions. Callaghan Vineyards was a short detour off our route so we decide to taste some AZ wine on the way home.

The countryside along 82 is some of the prettiest we have seen in AZ. Much of it is still range land, but the Callaghan’s were among the first of several winemakers to discover the area’s wine growing potential beginning in the '90's. It turns out that the terroir is very similar to the foothills of the Alps and Andes mountains, making it suitable for several varietals that aren’t popularly grown in other US regions. We came away with a respect for local wine, especially a big, dry-ish red called Tennant that we had never heard of. I think we’ll check out a couple of other vineyards before we leave for the season.

I’ve been rereading old friends this month, so I have no new books to recommend.

I am not a fan of South African wines, but a guy at Trader Joe’s suggested Unsung Hero, an inexpensive Shiraz, and I enjoyed it.

More soon,

Bob

#64 Coveys Great Adventure – Jan 2020 – Rocky Point MX, Benson AZ

January 2020 – Rocky Point Mexico, Benson AZ

View through the windshield looking south at RP, aka doggie heaven

Yes, life is hard in RP

We looked forward to visiting Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco, aka RP) for two reasons. We wanted a change from our usual pattern of Hemet-Yuma-Benson that we have done for five years. We also wanted to check out getting the coach painted. Ripley is showing his age in many ways, but especially his appearance. The exterior clear coat finish is peeling off in large sections and will only get worse the longer we wait to get it fixed. Painting a 43’ coach in the US costs $25-35,000. The cost to paint it in Mexico ranges from $8-13,000. One of the painters that has built a reputation for decent work is in RP.  We wanted to meet him and see what was involved.

The short answer is that we rented a house in RP for the month of March while Ripley gets a complete makeover. Having to be out of the coach for a month was hard to get my head around, but we have decided to make it an adventure. Staying in RP rather than Tucson or Yuma is going to be “interesting”.

Decisions, decisions...

Given the drug related crime and violence that has plagued Mexico for several years, we were a little apprehensive, but everyone in the RV community that we talked to with recent experience encouraged us to go. We are glad we did. We thoroughly enjoyed RP. Yes, the town is a tourist trap. Yes, much of it looks a little scary, Yes, most of the population speaks limited, if any, English. Despite, or may because of those factors, we had a good time.

Playa Bonita RV Resort turned out to be an interesting mix of funky and functional. Vendors will bring excellent fresh seafood right to your door every morning. The whole park is unobtrusively patrolled around the clock. We didn’t hear any stories about petty crime, much less anything worse from the long term residents. You can get anything done to your rig from a wash and wax to full paint right at your site overlooking the Sea of Cortez at a fraction of US prices. All for about $35 a day!

Some tourist traps are ok

Everyone, staff and guests were friendly, laid back and ready to answer any questions. The food we ate was great, easy to find and reasonably priced. The people work very hard, often for little apparent return, but were always pleasant and cheerful. We are looking forward to going again next year. Anyone interested in joining us, drop me a note.

One word of advice: drive carefully. Many roads are in poor shape or not paved at all, street lighting is almost non-existent and speed bumps are poorly marked, at best. You DO NOT want to hit one of those at 30 mph! Remember that the residents know local rules, like that taxis always have the right of way at intersections and several other unwritten, but widely known customs. We don’t know that stuff, so be cautious at all times, especially at night.

Through the windshield looking north

Two weeks at Rocky Point passed very quickly. The weather was clear and not too warm. Morning walks on the beach required heavy jackets and warm hats, but it usually climbed into the low-70’s by late afternoon. Needless to say, the dogs loved the beach. Most of the time they were able to run around off leash. The beach patrol busted us a few times, but just yelled at us instead of writing a ticket.

The Mexican police have a well-earned reputation for soliciting bribes, and they got me for $40 on our return trip through Sonoyta.  Be sure that you actually stop at every stop sign, even bogus ones just welded to an old wheel so it can be rolled into the middle of the road where an unfortunate looking individual tries to shove a collection box through your window while looking as piteous as possible. Oh yes, and the speed limits are in kilometers per hour, a lot slower than miles per hour. It could have been worse, they wanted 2,000 pesos, roughly $120. Kayeanne saved the day by playing on their sympathies for the old folks who spent all their money in RP and were just trying to get home alive. “Fines” are paid to the cop, on the spot, in cash. Keep a small roll available to show them how broke you are. Call it a visitor’s tax, I guess.

Tucson HS steel drum band playing to a packed house:
outstanding kids, music and show

We backtracked to Yuma for a few days to visit our dentists in Los Algodones, and then headed to our lot at the SKP Saguaro Co-op in Benson. The Co-op is about as close to a home base as we have, and we always look forward to renewing the friendships that we have developed over the years. It is also the most hectic time of the season, with something, often more than one,  going on every day. Kayeanne signed on to the Clubhouse and Bingo committees, and the bead and polymer clay groups. I pulled a muscle in my arm in Mexico that has limited what I can do, so I am not actively volunteering this month, hopefully I’ll be back up to speed soon.

Just after we arrived, friends we made hosting at Cape Blanco Lighthouse last year pulled in. Ray and Leslie are going to stay at the Co-op for two or three months, and we are looking forward to spending lots of time together while showing them around and exploring new places, too.

Notable wines this month include Trader Joe’s Petite Syrah - Russian River Valley Reserve 2018 (!), Penamonte Toro - 5 Meses en Barrica 2016, and Deville Cellars Chaleur Blanc 2015.

Books I enjoyed included John Sanford's latest Lucas Davenport novel, Neon Prey.

As we go to press, last Thursday our plan was to go to RP next week to get the coach painted. I discovered that my "pulled muscle" is actually a torn tendon that needs to be re-attached next week. We now plan to stay here until early April. New paint has been postponed until next year, because we have plans for people to see and places to go for the rest of this year. Plans are certainly fungible.

More soon,

Bob

PS: From Liesa: "The only thing Flat-Earthers fear is sphere itself"

#63 – Coveys Great Adventure – Dec 2019 – Simi, Perris and Hemet CA; AZ and Mexico

December 2019 – Simi, Perris and Hemet CA; AZ and Mexico

Visiting California is such a mixed experience for us. For months we look forward to seeing the people that we miss all year, but, oh ….dear, it’s Southern California! The route down the I15 / I215 from Vegas to Aguanga in November wasn’t a lot of fun but it skirts the real cauldron of the SoCal freeway system. What I used to relish as a challenge is now just a royal PITA.

Balloons at dawn over Meadowbrook

It’s worth it, though to see everyone. Pulling into Tapo Canyon Park in Simi for the seventh time is now like pulling into our driveway. We’ve reserve the same space for the fifth time, so I swear I can see our old tire tracks. We even had to trim the same tree limbs. New camp hosts are a decided improvement over last year’s somewhat over-bearing couple, but aside from that everything was unchanged. I think we put over 1,000 miles on the car in a week visiting everyone. It seemed like we were out every day and every night. It was great to see everyone.

From Simi’s whirlwind we headed back south to Meadowbrook RV Park in Perris for our annual holiday visit with Christine and Ed Woznicki. Meadowbrook also looked very familiar on our fourth visit. It’s really a 55+ retirement community that has a few transient spaces to help balance the budget. Dogs are welcome, and there are a couple of areas where they can be off-leash, too.

Ripley's Christmas finery

Last year we caught a really good deal for Xmas week at Golden Village RV Resort in Hemet, where we spend the holiday with the west coast branch of the Wiklund clan, Kayeanne's family. When we checked out we were offered the same deal for this year if we made the reservation that day, which we did. Golden Village is the fanciest place we stay each year, sporting three pools, a dozen pickleball courts and over 1,000 RV sites right in downtown Hemet. Our good luck may have run out; they wouldn’t make the same deal for next year, so we have to watch for their special offers.

Paul, Katie and Brenda Wiklund

Christmas in Hemet is a dining extravaganza. Paul and Brenda outdid themselves as usual, and dinner at Chris’s is always over-the-top. Katy has certainly grown up since last year, and Ed finally found a job he likes and that pays well. Liesa decided that she would spend the holiday with Cory’s family near Salt Lake. We support her decision, but still missed her, lots. She must be grown up now, that’s her first Xmas away from “home”.

On the 27^th we pulled up the anchor and got underway to Puerto Peñasco, aka Rocky Point (RP), Mexico, on the shores of the Sea of Cortez. We stopped for a night in Yuma and again at Organ Pipe National Monument before crossing into Mexico at Lukeville, Arizona on the 29^th.

Lukeville border point

Despite reassurances from everyone we talked to and most websites we researched, we were still apprehensive because of recent violence in other regions of the country. The actual crossing was a nonevent. A Mexican border patrol agent came into the coach, opened a couple of drawers and generally looked around before waving us through.

Miles of beach

Frankly, the first few miles through downtown Sonoyta were the most stressful part of the trip. At every stop light or stop sign several “entrepreneurs” swarmed the coach pushing unwanted services or tourist junk. Some even erected their own stop signs. I was glad to get the windshield washed, once, but the repeated washing attempts became irritating. The remaining 60 miles down Highway 8 into Rocky Point were uneventful, even boring.

Luckily our cell plan includes coverage in Mexico and Canada, so Google Maps brought us right to Playa Bonita RV Resort. A few minutes later we pulled into space 51 with a panoramic view of the beach and the  Sea of Cortez through the windshield. As you would expect, the dogs knew there was a beach before we parked and could hardly wait for us to get set up.

Seats out to be reupholstered
makes living room seem huge

Aside from the exotic locale, we are here to get some work done on the coach and the car, and to check out a coach painting company to give Ripley a complete makeover. More on all of that and on RP next time.

We’ll be here for two weeks, then on to Benson after a short detour back to Yuma to complete some dental work that I started last year.

Books I enjoyed this month include: Braided Creek, A Conversation in Poetry, by Jim Harrison and Ted Kooser, and The Fourth Morningside Papers by Peter Gzowski

Wines that stood out included: El Castillo Syrah (Spain) 2017, and Adixion Petite Syrah Paso Robles 2017

More soon,

Bob

#62 – Coveys Great Adventure – Nov 2019 – Salt Lake City, Aguanga CA

Nov 2019 – Salt Lake City and Aguanga CA              

Last month ended in Bend, Oregon, where we had the main engine starter replaced. From Bend we made our way across Oregon to Salt Lake City to spend a week with Liesa. There are two routes across the state that don’t involve interstate highways. We picked US 20 and stopped for the first night in Burns at the Burns RV Park, a place we have stayed before and like. We just made it, though. We arrived Friday afternoon and they were closing for the season on Sunday. The friendly, hands-on owners said that they have been sold out since they opened in April.

The next morning we began to smell a strong ammonia-like odor when we hit the road,. Strangely, when underway we could only smell it up front, and when not moving we couldn’t smell it at all. That was a real puzzle and led me to think that mice had built a nest in the dash air box during one of our long stationary periods. We stopped for the second night at Walmart in Mountain Home, Idaho. As soon as we parked the smell stopped, reinforcing my mouse-nest-in-air-box theory. The next day the smell returned and lasted all the way to Salt Lake City.

We set up camp and opened the fridge to discover that it wasn’t working. A quick check of the possible systems issues didn’t help, it was dead. The smell was the refrigerant slowly leaking away through a corroded cooling tube. I still can’t explain why we could smell it so strongly in the front of the coach while underway but not next to the refrigerator when we were parked.

Most RV’s use absorption-based refrigerators that use either AC power or propane to generate the heat that turns the refrigerant from liquid to gas. These fridges do not use compressors like residential units because of the power drain. When working properly, ours switches automatically from electricity to propane as needed. Until it died it worked great.

Not a DIY project!

Many people don’t replace failed absorption units because they have a nasty habit of burning up the coach and killing the occupants. Instead, they get scrapped and replaced with residential fridges. That is a popular “repair” when folks don’t do much dry camping and are hooked up to power every night.

There was a mandatory federal recall to install over-temp safety shutoff devices on these fridges about the time our coach was built. I made sure that ours did have the factory safety device before we bought the coach, and I had an additional one installed four years ago. Both of them worked.

We like dry camping and didn’t want to replace the current fridge with a residential model. Doing so requires bigger batteries ($$!) and changing the interior woodwork ($$$!).

This fridge was clearly installed before the roof was put on, because it won’t fit through the door. Many coaches (ours included) have to hire a fork lift and remove a window or the windshield to get the current one out, or to install a new one. You can see where this is going: $,$$$. A replacement fridge like ours costs over $3,500, plus freight from Texas.

About 6 inches of clearance!

Cooling unit failures are common enough that a couple of suppliers offer replacements. These arrive fully charged and ready to install onto the current fridge box. For $1500. Via truck freight. Plus installation. Careful measuring showed that it could be done (just barely) on the living room floor without having to remove the whole unit from the coach.

So that’s what we did. Given our schedule we couldn’t get the new cooling unit shipped to Salt Lake City before we had to leave, so we arranged to get it done when we arrived at Jojoba Hills SKP Park in Aguanga, California. That meant a couple of weeks without refrigeration, but we bought a few coolers, lots of ice and dry ice and managed to get by. Despite the breezy YouTube videos showing "easy user installation" I was smart enough to hire the pros this time. 

Sand Hollow State Park

We pulled out of Salt Lake on November 13^th bound for Aguanga, about 750 miles away. A few years ago I might have driven that in two days, but not now. We made it to Sand Hollow State Park the first day, a place we have always said we wanted to try as we drove by on our way to Willow Wind RV Park, also in Hurricane, Utah. I wouldn’t want to stay at Sand Hollow in warmer weather because there is no shade whatsoever, but in November it was terrific. The site was huge, the roads were easy to navigate and the facilities were very clean. It’s a little pricey for an overnight stop, but we’ll certainly return.

Our second stop at Desert Springs RV “Resort” in Daggett California had nothing to recommend it except electricity and water hookups. Next time we need a place to stay near Barstow we’ll dry camp in the parking lot at Peggy Sue’s Diner, an institution on I15 just a few miles away.

We were on a fairly tight schedule to get to Aguanga because Ted and Judy Anderson’s daughter, Amanda, was getting married and we really wanted to be there. We’ve known Amanda since she was born, so we made sure that our plans and reservations were in place months ago. A small problem like a broken fridge wasn’t going to delay us. It was a beautiful wedding, Amanda truly was the belle of the ball, and Ted gave a terrific speech. We even liked the groom, too.

Attending the wedding meant we couldn’t be with Liesa on Thanksgiving. That’s the first big holiday that we haven’t been together, ever. I think it was difficult for all of us, but Liesa and Cory had dinner with his mother and we spent the day with Paul, Brenda, Katie and Chris in Hemet. As usual, Paul and Brenda outdid themselves and dinner was delicious. While we certainly missed Liesa, it all seemed to work out.

We really like Jojoba Hills

Jojoba Hills is one of our all-time favorite places to stay, and we had been looking forward all year to our third visit. The park has about 300 sites that sprawl across several hundred acres of semi-desert terrain. Individual sites are quite spacious and there is lots of open space to walk the dogs. No weekly or monthly discounts, though, so it isn’t cheap, but it is good value for money, especially if you use the pool, spas, library, pickle ball courts, etc. Like our SKP Saguaro Co-op in Benson, Arizona, the members here are exuberantly friendly. On December 3 we headed north to Simi Valley to catch up with friends in Thousand Oaks and Pasadena.

The dogs love Jojoba!

We’ll be splitting our time in December between Simi Valley, Perris and Hemet, 
California. Right after Xmas we head east to spend a couple of weeks in Puerto Peñasco,
Mexico, then on to our lot at the SKP Saguaro Co-op for several weeks.  

Books I enjoyed this month featured The Whole Town’s Talking by Fanny Flagg, and Dog Songs by Mary Oliver

Noteworthy wines included: Columbia Crest H3 Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, and J. Lohr Paso Robles Syrah 2017

More soon,

Bob