We've moved, possible solution but maybe not....

Our Location:  American Girl Mine Road, California

(2nd post today)

 

Decent overnight temperatures but still over cast skies didn't bode well for a nice day. A chat with Jason yesterday at CJ’s RV repair in Yuma had us packing up and heading into Yuma to arrive  after lunch THEIR time.

In case any one wants this information.

 

We stopped on our way to empty our tanks at the Chevron Station located at the Pilot Knob BLM land. The dump fee is based on length of rig. We paid $15 for our 35 foot unit. It wasn’t necessary to dump at this time but when we move on in a week or so we want to be able to just continue on down the road. They also have an easily accessible air pump as well.

 

Apparently leaving the hood up stops Kangaroo Rats from gnawing on wires, or so some think. He also had flashing rope lights under the hood.

 

We pulled into CJ’s Rv repair on Tiffany Lane about 12:30 pm Arizona Time. Jason was at his desk doing what ever it was he does there. Introducing myself and reminding of him our conversation yesterday he smiled and came with us to the Igloo. We discussed numerous things and he checked the batteries saying they read fair to good and no need to replace them. We couldn’t really find any issues but we discussed our usage differences in the past little while. Riley and I don’t usually watch TV although we have of late but only during the day time when the batteries are charging. Jason pointed out that perhaps the batteries aren’t being fully charged in that time with the draw of the tv at the same time. I’m not convinced that’s the issue but we’ll give it a try and see how it works. He did change a few settings for the charge controller as well. It should be a sunny weekend so hopefully everything gets charged fully and things get back to normal. If not I’ll be heading back to try something else. Jason spent about 30 minutes or so with us but in the end there was no charge. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. Thanks Jason and CJ’s RV of Yuma.

 

 

Our old spot yesterday, you can see the fella with the hood up off on the left.

 

We tried on the way home to find a place to park at the Walmart to pick up some produce after yesterday’s discussion with the Agriculture check point fella but we were just too big to fit comfortably in the busy lot and so we just headed home and will go back in at a later time with just the Dogsled.

 

A dark overcast sky yesterday.

 

A stop at the Agriculture Inspection station had us being checked by a younger woman who asked if we had any fruit of any kind. Yes we have two red apples. She closed down the lane, took our two apples and didn’t care where we bought them. Hmmmm….glad it was just a couple and not a bag. So there you have it. Most every one says you can bring groceries with you but not all of the inspectors agree. Kind of an iffy call if you buy lots of fruit. I suppose I could have lied but I don't like doing that. Honesty is the best policy. 

The view of the mountains from our current spot.

 

We arrived back at Ogilby Road and moved to one of the other spots I found on a walk in the area. We are currently sitting pretty much on our own although we can see others around us. Temperatures reached about 72F/ 22C but a chilly wind blew all day from the north east. Our overcast skies became sunny and hopefully they remain that way for a number of days.

With no zooming in, the same picture as above.

 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.
 

Our side yard.

Some nice barrel cactus.

 

Until next time…. take care, be safe,

Deb

Visited Yuma, went out for lunch.....

Our Location:  American Girl Mine Road, California

(Yesterday's post, Thursday, Dec 6, 2018)

A post this morning for yesterday as I just didn’t seem able to put anything together last night. We were up and had our hot drinks before climbing into the Dogsled for a day in Yuma. We had a number of places we wanted to hit but as you all know, some times things conspire to stop that from happening. 

On one our walks here in the area.

 

Before we headed into Yuma we took a ride a bit further up Ogilby Road to a spot I found the other day, we figured out how to get the Igloo there if ever we decide to move or when we come back another year. From there we headed down to the rest stop on I-8 West to get some water for our small jugs and leave some garbage.  Thanks George (Our Awesome Travels) for the information, it’s very much appreciated.

Such beauty here.

 We also stopped at the Chevron Station at the Pilot Knob BLM. Diesel was very expensive and we were just looking anyway. It came in at $4.59 per gallon. Not a typo folks, $4.59 per gallon. The water dispensing station we did make use of though. It was a reasonable price at $0.25 per gallon and we only need to fill up one of our drinking water jugs. We didn’t check the dump station price though.

They do all kinds of repairs, lots of bays and all full. They also do solar.

 Our first stop was CJ’S Repair on Tiffany Lane as they also do solar and it ’s the only place I could find in the area. The reviews look good and so I thought I’d check them out. Jason their solar expert wasn’t in but they took my name and number and true to the lady’s word, Jason called me back later in the day.  

Left behind at one of the campsites.

We stopped at Fry’s Grocery and Walmart but didn’t buy any produce or fruit. We noted diesel prices ranging from $2.99 to $3.35 on our little jaunt in Yuma. We also stopped at Lin’s Chinese Buffet for lunch. The selection was fantastic but we both found the food wasn’t as hot as it should have been. We weren’t there when they first opened and there were a lot of cars in the parking lot so I’m not sure what the explanation could be. We would however go back another time as perhaps this was a fluke. 

We can see the dunes from our location.

From there we headed back home. We were of course stopped at the check point for Agriculture at the California state line. I asked the fella where a person grocery shops in this area if fruits and veggies can’t be transported. I was truly impressed with his answer. He kind of did a ‘awe shucks’ drop of his head and said,’If you buy things in the grocery store MOST everyone will let you through as long as your citrus purchase is grown in California. NO MANGO’s can cross the line. You can’t pick from the trees or buy from a vendor but a grocery store purchase is usually allowed. However we have a couple of  new hires and they have been taking some things.” He shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t mention any kind of produce at all. All dairy is allowed he said.

Found this in the middle of no where. Interesting. No information anywhere that I could see.

We came on home and putzed around for the rest of the day. We had splashes of rain all day, off and on, overcast skies with the odd sunny break now and then. Climbing into bed with a book around 8 PM I head the rain start and it continued pretty much most of the night. Not a hard rain but enough to make the ground soft in places.  

So there you have it, our day yesterday. Not exciting but we enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb

Fantastic weather, visitor, and bbq lunch......

Our Location:  American Girl Mine Road, California

A nice night again but an early morning for me. A number of train whistles woke me shortly after 3 AM and then some big dump trucks and a water truck used the road in the early morning hours, and on through into the afternoon a bit as well. Not too loud but noticeable. I rolled out of bed and grabbed the camera to take some sunrise pictures around the 6 AM time period. Nothing spectacular but still nice.

The sun starting to colour the sky this morning.

Riley and I headed out for a walk before 8:30 AM and walked to the north of our spot. A bit rough in places but it smoothed out further along. We found some wonderful places we’ll keep in mind for next time. Riley headed home before I did and since we could see the flag on our neighbor’s rig I felt confident she would be fine getting back home. She texted me when she arrived. I continued to look around and walk, some very interesting sites a bit further on and we’ll be sure to make use of them at a later date. 

There you have it, the sun peaked over those low clouds the very next minute.

 

On my way back home I stopped to chat with a fellow camper here that had crossed my path and we stood for some time chatting. I finally invited him over to sit and chat for a bit and he accepted. Scott is from the Detroit area but lived in Texas for a few years. He is a solo RV’er just fresh out of the stix ‘  brix house by only 9 months or so.  He camps in a 21 foot Winnebago van and seems to be enjoying his adventure although I think he finds it quite cool here by the way he was talking. Scott and Annie (his little dog) stayed for quite a long visit and we discussed many things. We both enjoyed the visit.

Interesting inside to this tree, don't you think?

 

Scott and Annie headed home around 3 PM and I headed inside to start lunch preparations. Today we BBQ’d for the first time in a long time. Very little wind, sunny weather and warm conditions. Yeah. We’ve missed it.  Riley being the sweet young lady she is had set up the BBQ and brought out the chairs after she arrived home. She had a mishap with the Weber and some how managed to break the ignitor button off. It still works but you must push the little inside piece instead of the whole button. Not a big deal.

Sunset was a fiery yellow ball.

 

Our lunch today was BBQ chicken, grilled potatoes, and a mixed veggie packet of mushrooms, green beans and asparagus, topped off with a small garden salad and completed with a small bowl of peaches. Good stuff.

Yellow was the colour until the sun slipped down and then the slight tinge of pink was there.

 

Shortly after 4 pm I headed outside with the camera to get a few sunset pictures. Not a spectacular one but still a nice one. While doing that I chatted with middle daughter Bradey and my best friend Linda, both back home in Ontario.

That was our day, nothing too exciting but a nice visit with Scott and a nice BBQ’d lunch. Tomorrow we have plans to go into Yuma for a while. We shall see what happens tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Until next time…. take care, be safe,

Deb

Cool day but amazing sunrise.....

Our Location:  American Girl Mine Road, California

A very quiet night, slept well until around 3:30 AM PST, after that just kind of dozed off and on. You know what I’m talking about right? A little sleep, wake up, drop off for a few, wake up again. I finally just rolled out and grabbed the camera around 6 AM or so. Slipped out the door and started taking pictures. The sky was brilliant in its display. 

The beginning of sunrise...

I discovered what appears to be a mine shaft so I’m pretty certain we’re on American Girl Mine Road but of course I could be mistaken. However we know where we are and that is all that truly matters. A bit crisper this morning with a chilling wind from the north. It stayed a steady breeze pretty much all day long.

The colours were brilliant.

Riley and I headed out for a walk before 9 AM heading back toward the whitish hills in the back ground. Probably much bigger than hills when you get close to them but they don’t look too daunting from down here. We didn’t make it all the way but turned off before getting there. We were going cross country and so when we found a road we stayed with it and checked out some more fantastic spots as we went along. 

What appears to be a mine shaft, and of course home off in the distance.

About an hour we were out there walking around and at one point Riley decided she’d head back home but I came with her to ensure she made it. I don’t think she has good directional sense and I could see her getting turned around easily. Better that I just came home with her to ensure she arrived safe and sound.

It just continued to dazzle me.

Chatted with my sister as we approached the Igloo. We chatted about 20 minutes or so, catching up on the local news and such. She just finished putting up her Christmas tree and a few decorations around the place. Little to no snow around she said. Last night I talked with Dad and my oldest daughter Courtney. They both stated that there is no snow to speak of but that the day was a relatively nice one with a few more nice ones in the forecast.

And dazzled some more before it slipped behind the day's cloud cover.

Our daytime high reached 67F/ 19C but like I said with a chilly north wind so it didn’t feel like that even in the sun. A couple of neighbours moved out today, a few moved in and a few just moved spots. I noticed one that moved spots left and came back, I assume he went to dump and fill up with water. I may amble over there in the next day or two to find out where he went to do such things. It would be nice to know before we move on in the near future. 

The sun has risen but slipped behind the clouds. A stiff wind shows on the neighbours flag.

So there you have it, not much exciting but we enjoyed it. We sat inside and looked out for a while today as it was too nippy to sit outside but the views are amazing. Today’s pictures were all taken during sunrise this morning. You may be tired of them but I enjoy them!

Thanks for stopping by.

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb

We moved today.....

Our Location: Off Ogilby Road, Yuma

 The night was quiet and we slept well. We left our spot at the Sonoran Desert National Monument around 8:30 AM. We left due to my discomfort at having no cell service. There is a small stretch of I-8 West in which we have no cell service. It’s about 20 miles in length in the basin between the high points. 

Sunrise this morning at Sonoran Desert National Monument.

The sky turns quickly.

 

Further west along I-8 we stopped at a couple of rest areas on our journey. At one of them I called my dad just tell him that we were back in cell service range. We took our time and enjoyed the views as we travelled.

 

More sunrise this morning.

We crossed into Pacific Time just around 11 AM Mountain Standard Time, which made the time 10 AM PST.  So we are now three hours behind Ontario time. The skies were sunny and the temperatures warming as we drove.   

Our climb up the mountain.

While we’ve been to Yuma before we haven’t been in this particular area before. We took California Exit 159 to Ogilby Road. A right at the end of the ramp took us north along Ogilby. According to Google Sidewinder Road is on the left, with American Girl Mine Road on the right. However in reality the sign for Sidewinder Road is on the right side and we didn’t see a sign for American Girl Mine Road. 

Signs along the way.

So in truth, I’m not really sure just where we are other than off of Ogilby Road. So I’ll just leave it at that for now. We are about a mile off of the road on the right. A very big spot with a couple of fire pits. We’ve chosen the second pit. We have views of the mountains and the sand dunes out the door. Not too shabby!!

Along our journey.

So there you have it, we’ve moved and are back in cell service. Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

 

The view out of our front door.

Until next time…. take care, be safe,

 

Home sweet home.

Deb

A wonderful Arizona sunrise.....

Our Location: Sonoran Desert National Monument, Maricopa, Arizona

A very quiet night and we both slept well. A warmish night with the temps hovering right around 49F/ 9.4C this morning. I was awake early before 5 AM and waited until the sky lightened before getting up. The sun rise was amazing. I enjoyed it very much. 

Early morning as the sky was starting to colour. 

 Riley and I headed out for a walk after a hot drink. We headed off cross country and walked back toward the mountain that we see out the back window. We managed to find the road and followed it for a half mile or so back into the flat land. 

The camera does not do justice to the sky but it sure is nice anyway. 

While walking the road I decide to keep a record for our future use. We took Exit 140, turned left on Freeman Road, went under the 14' bridge and went across the cattle guard. We followed the road passed the buildings to the T.  We turned right and continued up almost to the top of the hill but parked on the left just before the crest. 

The sunrise is closer now, and we are not quite at the top of the hill.

At the top of the hill there is a road off on the left, it was that road we connected with on our walk. The road splits at the top of the hill. It is there at the BLM road 09B and 8009 split. The road down that veers off is 09B and it goes down to the flat area of the desert.  The road that continues along  the south side of I-8 is 8009. At the beginning the road that goes to the left is a bit rough but as you go further down the hill it continues to get rougher and has ruts that are the results of water washing it out and/or wheel ruts. The area is passable but one must be careful and go slowly. At the low spot where the good road begins it is a bit of a risk as well if there were rain in the area. You can see that it would be very soft mud and could cause issues getting back to high ground. It is at this low spot the road narrows quite a bit and desert pin striping will be a given as the growth is very close to the road. After that the road is good as far as we went. Sorry, didn't take any pictures.

The sun is painting the clouds in various shades of pinks and yellows. 

Further down the road there is another division. A road going off to the right this time. It goes over a berm and down into a deep wash and then continues along. We didn't follow that road but it isn't one I would suggest that anyone follow to park unless you have a high clearance vehicle. A rain would make that road very dangerous to use for any vehicle. 

Just as the sun is about to pop, and the sun on the mountain out our back window.

As far as we walked the main road was good with a number of places to park available.  The road  noise from I-8 is very acceptable. The views are wonderful and I think it's pretty safe here as well.  The signs at the T in the road say there is illegal immigrants in the area at time and the usual blurb that goes along with that sign. While there is evidence of past use I didn't see any new evidence. The only draw back is we have no AT&T cell service here. We did a few miles back on I-8 West but  not here.

 

Our nearest neighbour, the mountain out our back window and home. 

We enjoyed the day but didn't do much today. A cool wind picked up as we were walking and chilled the air down considerably. The windows were closed all day due to the wind but we didn't need the heater.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Some cacti around the place.

 Until next time.... take care, be safe, 

Deb

Change of plans, Sonoran Desert National Monument.........

Our Location: Sonoran Desert National Monument

We left Quail Ridge this morning shortly after 8 AM but not before we offered some assistance to 3 gentlemen that were trying to cut a limb from a tree on a spot not far from our spot. They were using an axe that was not making the job easy. I offered them my sawsall to use. They were like three little boys in a candy store, happy as all get out. By the time we’d finished packing up they had finished with the limb and returned my saw. 

 

The mountain views before we left Quail Ridge RV Resort, Huachuca City.

We changed our minds about our destination this morning and so instead of heading for Why, Arizona we came to the Sonoran Desert National Monument. We still have no cell service but I think we will enjoy this spot better or so we think so far. 

 

Views on our drive today.

 

We turned left on AZ 90 toward Benson, climbed onto I-10 West and travelled to Exit 199 which lead us to I-8 West. From there it was a straight shot to Exit 140, a left turn on to Freeman Road and then straight across the roadway, over the cattle guard and onto BLM 8009. We followed this until the T in the road, turned right and parked on the left just before the brow of the hill. A nice spot for sure. 

 

Tucson City Limits.

 The drive was uneventful, the kind we like. We had no issues getting into our spot and have a very wonderful view. We think we’ll be here for about a week but that is subject to change at any time for any reason. There are a few places I think we can walk while we are here and I think we will take advantage of it while we can.
 

A rest area on I-8.

 

We set up everything, and had to put the awning out to keep some of the sun off the fridge side of the Igloo. The sun was warm and we opened the windows, the big door and a vent or two. However before long we were closing them up again as the sky clouded over and things cooled off. 

 

Mileage signs along the way.

 

We started the generator tonight as the batteries do not seem to be holding a full charge. After all the checking I’ve been doing I think the MPPT control charger is faulty and will be having it tested when we reach Quartzite at some point, or maybe we’ll head to see Slab City to Solar Mike. We’ll see how it goes.
 

Sights along the way.

 

So again, no cell service but we do have internet and we’ll be keeping in touch that way. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.

Until next time… take care, be safe,

Deb