Sunday Sights and Friends

Perfect Sunday.....slept in till 8:30, not sure why since I was wide awake at 6:30. Closed my eyes and next thing I know, it's 8:30. Decided to splurge with a Big Breakfast at McD's since I've been good about NOT going there the last couple of days. Read for a bit while enjoying my coffee, did some people watching (one of my favorite pastimes), then headed off to check out the two spots on my boondocking list.

One, actually two, things I've discovered about boondocking - 1) most hard core boondockers don't want to share their best spots and 2) places listed as good boondocking spots may actually not be. Oh and 3) what is perfect for one boondocker may be the pits for another. LOL!

The first spot I wanted to check out was the closest in, less then 2 miles from McD's. I headed out and soon found my turn off. Drove to the end...other than a NFS campground (for pay), the rest was all private property. But the scenery sure was nice...



Okay, nice drive...turned around and headed back through town and south to Dogtown Reservoir. Some other Escapees Full-timing Class of 2007, Tony & Pamela, had sent me info on this area, supposedly several good boondocking spots. It was about 4 miles out of town and then a mile or two into the National Forest Service. I knew it was going to be good when I saw my favorite sign...14 day limit (camping).

I drove in around, up, down....had a blast and found a bunch of good spots. All had at least 2 bars EVDO cell phone reception so my AirCard should work just fine. I stopped and walked around several spots, enjoying the area and wishing I were parked there now. But I still have to get my mail so will move on Thursday.

A little before 2 pm I had plans to meet Tony & Pamela at the Pine Country Restaurant for some pie. We hadn't officially met even though we had been at a couple of the same events this year. GREAT folks...had a blast talking with them, we have so much in common. Doncha just love these smiling faces!?!



After I left the restaurant, I headed to Safeway to stock up on a few things. On the way there I saw a Can-Am Spyder sitting outside a restaurant. As I got closer, a lady rider walked out and got ready to leave. I put down the window and asked her if I could take a photo. She said, "Sure!", so here it is. I love these things...so different for a three wheel motorcycle.



Oh, funny thing happened at Safeway....Tony & Pamela were there, too. Got to meet their adorable pup, Jones. I got done before them and headed home. Saved almost $14 with my Safeway card...plus if I ever run into a Safeway with a gas station, I will get 10 cents off each gallon.

Another beautiful evening...snapped a couple of sunset photos to share. Great day!



Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Where did she go?

Sorry for being so MIA....life goes on. I've forgotten most of what happened since I last posted other than Memorial Day weekend. What beautiful weather we had in Camp Verde. I did get a new neighbor, a young family in a large pop-up with 3 or 4 kids (Think they arrived with 3 but left with 4?)

The wife came over then next morning as I was taking out my chairs & tables and apologized for the kids. She said they didn't realize what a quiet park it was....that they had the only kids. I told her it was fine, the kids were really well behaved...and they were. They played Frisbee, they rode their bikes, the whole family went riding, then they loaded up the two cars with all the bikes and fishing gear for a day trip. (I think that is when the extra child arrived...probably a friend for the son to keep him company.) It was really nice to see the parents out their playing with the kids, enjoying their time with them.

The day they were gone, I had a surprise visitor. I was sitting in the sun enjoying it and a book when something caught the corner of my eye. As I turned, I heard a buzzing sound...it was a scooter! It was my friend Ron, who was bus camping in a friend's yard in the Camp Verde area. I hadn't seen him since the Gypsy Journal Rally in Casa Grande last February. We sat and talked for several hours before he headed out to check on a boondocking spot on the way to Cottonwood.

Anyway, the weekend was beautiful and I enjoyed doing a little sightseeing and a lot of relaxing & reading. Come Tuesday I leave Rancho Verde RV Park (would definitely visit again - WONDERFUL park, the hosts are magnificent) and head up the road the couple of miles to HEFR (Hansen Enterprises Fleet Repair) where I will leave the motorhome for hopefully 2 days (one overnight).

Around 3 pm, after doing more sightseeing (left the camera in the RV, dang it!) and a little reading with a cup of coffee at McD's, I headed over to the Super8 where I had made a reservation. Got myself checked in and enjoyed a few movies on HBO, a change from reading. LOL! Around 4 pm I called to see if they thought they would be done sometime on Wednesday. It turned out that it was going to be iffy....there was a chance they might have it ready by 4:30 but couldn't guarantee it. Rather than pick it up late IF it was done, then find a place to park for the night since I wouldn't leave that late in the day, I opted to stay in the hotel a second night and pick it up this morning (Thursday).

So today I got up early, enjoyed a second LONG, HOT SHOWER, grabbed a quick McD breakfast and then headed over to pick up the Lily Pad. Got over my heart attack at the bill total, they did a lot and the quality of the work was obvious, and sat in the parking lot getting things squared away inside. Hooked up the car and hit the road about 11:30, headed back to Williams.

Ron had wanted me to come towards Cottonwood and try out the boondocking there but with the temps moving rapidly into the 90's again tomorrow, I opted to head to the mountains again. I'm back at the Canyon Motel & RV Park (where we had the motorcycle gathering) and have ordered my mail shipped here, a good reason to stay in one spot for a couple of days.

I will take the care and check out some of the boondocking spots I've seen mentioned and if I find one I like, I'll spend a second week here but boondocking.

Oh, remember my bicycle shopping ramblings? Well my friends Nick & Terry Russell have been doing the physical shopping and were having the same problems. In today's blog, Nick posted that they have found their bikes and ordered them. I know I'll keep looking out for one that will work for me as well.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Why does it happen on the weekend?

Things were going so well....I had vacillated between Payson, Campe Verde, Wickenburg and Congress - two campgrounds and two boondocking. Since the boondocking outside Wickenburg was at a higher altitude, that was where I finally decided to head.

I took US 60 - gorgeous route but glad my Brake Buddy was working. No photos...I was too busy driving. Around 1:30 about 20 miles north of Sun City, I pulled over for some lunch. Did a walk around, all looked good. Headed on to Wickenburg, about another 20 miles. I needed to get gas before heading to the boonies so I pulled into a Shell station on the south side of town.

As I walked to the back of the rig to be sure the hose would reach, I noticed a trail of reddish fluid under the RV. I followed it back to the front...first thought was transmission fluid because of the color, second thought was oil because I had an oil change done in Tucson and thought maybe the filter was loose (that's about as mechanical as I get). I checked the oil...the engine was warm enough I had to put on a glove. It was a quart low...I often have to add a quart now and then between oil changes.

As I finished pumping the gas and walked back to the front, the gentleman in the truck on the other side was peering underneath. There was now a large puddle under the engine and he thought it was transmission fluid. So I proceeded to check that...nothing showed. His son came out and he looked as well....said he thought it was probably either the front seal or the pump. Both would require the transmission to be pulled. Sigh....

I went in and told the manager that I needed to park on the side until the tow truck came. She said that was fine. Another gentleman came along and helped me put in two quarts of transmission fluid so I could pull it around the building and park it out of the way without seizing something.

I had called Coach-Net and after getting all the pertinent information she asked I wanted to hold for the technician or have them call back. Since my cell phone battery was getting low, I chose having them call back. Within 10 minutes he called and we went through all the particulars. Since it was Saturday afternoon he wasn't sure if he would be able to get someone to tow me to a place where I could stay in the RV. I told him I had no problem dry camping here until Monday morning.

He had to find the closest service spot and call me back. In less than 5 minutes he did just that...the closest service spot would be the Ford dealer in Glendale and they wouldn't allow me to stay in the motorhome over the weekend. So he will contact them Monday and call me to let me know who will come and when they will arrive.

In the meantime, I'm safe and comfortable...boy am I ever glad I have solar! My )2 Cool 12 volt fan is working wonderfully in combination with my fantastic fan, the car is unhooked and ready for any excursions, I have plenty of water, my tanks are all but empty, I have EVDO Internet & cell access...life is good.

Tomorrow is supposed to be over 90, that's the only downside (well, other than a BIG hit to my pocketbook). But I do have a full gas tank so I can run the generator for a couple of the worst hours. There is a nice park in town just behind the Bashas' Grocery store. I'll hit McDonald's for a breakfast splurge, take my coffee and a book and enjoy the park for a few hours. Other than that, I'll just try to not spend too much money...but I will see what Bashas' has to offer.

Monday will bring a new adventure...getting the Lily Pad towed. I have posted in the Escapee forum for anything I need to be aware of....any tips or gotchas to watch out for. At least it didn't happen while I was boondocking in the middle of no where with no cell phone access! LOL!!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

On the move....already adapting....

The day started off perfectly...cool & sunny. I took my time getting things packed up, nice to have a park with a noon checkout time for us folks that like to sleep in a bit. LOL! I stopped at the office to get propane and pay my electric ($9.10 for a week, not bad since I ran the A/C quite a bit). Told them I'd be posting a positive review in RV Park Reviews....I check that site any time I'm looking at campgrounds.

Hit the road around 10:30, stopped in Willcox and got gas ($3.43/gal unleaded) - $90 worth. UGH! Headed north with the intention of trying to find a boondocking spot just south of Safford in the Coronado National Forest. I had used Google Earth to look at the area and THOUGHT it might work out. Well, it looked good on paper....my first warning was a sign that said no vehicles over 40'. The second said the same but pointed out a turn around area just ahead. I decided to pull off to the side and recheck my maps & Google Earth. I also posted a quick notice in the Escapees Forum to see if anyone had any input that might help.

After watching several vehicles head on, I thought I'd give it a try. Yes, I could have unhooked the car and gone up there but was worried about leaving the motorhome parked in the turn around area...hate to come back and find it towed away. I made it up to the entrance where there was a wide pull-off. The bicyclist I had seen riding was paused there and I got out and asked if he was familiar with the local area. He was and we chatted. He strongly advised against going in much further...there was a campground by the next ridge, definitely no further than that. I didn't want to pay a campground for the night and that combined with the tight, twisting road with multiple 10-15 mph hairpins, I opted to head back down.



I knew I had several options...there was a Wal-Mart in Safford that was supposed to allow overnight parking and worst case, it was only about 80 miles to the Apache Gold Casino just outside Globe, AZ. Soooo...I headed to the Wal-Mart in Safford where there was supposed to be overnight parking. Being Friday it was busy-busy-buys. I tried two spots..that was when I noticed the No Overnight Parking signs. Since it was only 3pm rather than try to find out if that was true, I opted to head to Globe where I am now dry camping at the Apache Gold Casino (free - the RV Park dry camp, $5 night, was full).

There was only a travel trailer at one and and a truck camper at the other end of the free (dirt) area. I parked about 20-25 feet from the travel trailer, pulling forward enough that the car was also in the dirt. About an hour later a 30-32' Class A pulls in on the other side of me...opposite direction, not straight, angled in towards me, the front end less then 10' from my rig...and his door exactly opposite my door. Jeesh....if he had just pulled up completely the other way, his door would have been opposite my car and we BOTH would have more privacy. Plus, now that they have headed into the Casino, their dog is unhappy. Hope that stops soon....even worse, when they come back I expect the generator to be fired off. Oh well, it's only one night...

The trip from Safford north to Globe was a pretty one but the winds seemed to pick up a bit. There were a lot of pullover spots, some even with trash cans and some with semi-trucks parking in them. I pulled into one when I felt drowsy...and it also gave the folks behind me time to pass. Definite difference between pulling the trailer/motorcycle and the car. Glad I have the Brake Buddy for the downhill grades.

Still working on where I will head from here...trying to get more information on boondocking in Payson, otherwise I may opt to go through Show Low instead.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Move 'em on, head 'em out Rawhide!

Quick update....been delayed once more the last two days. I ended up with a propane leak that had to be fixed. The Extend-a-Stay valve vibrated too much and loosened up - leak detector kicked in and turned off all my appliances but until I turned off the main valve, it continued to leak propane. Now that is an exciting moment when you open your door to the very STRONG smell of propane...NOT!

The other delay was getting up the next morning and discovering that less than 2 hours of sun have heated up the door lock enough that it once again is jammed. Several more trips from the mobile mechanic....he created the perfect support for the Extend-a-Stay valve so no more leaks (one can only hope) and he ended up completely replacing the door lock.

Since the weather forecast to the south appears to be for warmer temps than I like, I'm going to bypass the 2-3 days of boondocking and am heading to a Passport America park, Tombstone Territories RV Park. I plan to stay three nights, meet up with some friends, see Tombstone & Bisbee, then head northeast where I plan to boondock several nights in the Coronado National Forest. I should be blogging before heading that way...no telling if I will have Internet access then or not.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

PS. Thank you to Rawhide - the song and the series!

Can you find me now?

If you have been following my blog, you remember my post about passing out and hitting my head one night while sick. Several folks made comments about setting up a way to have others local to you check in on you, nightly/daily check-in phone calls, etc.

None of these are perfect...if you like to boondock in the middle of nowhere, there isn't someone you can ask to check on you. And if you're a solo lady, that in of itself is a bit scary (asking someone you don't know....). A daily check-in by phone can be difficult as well...you might be out of cell phone range is the first problem. The second is inconveniencing someone on a daily basis.

In one of my favorite motorcycle forums they have been discussing Personal Locator Beacon solutions.

"The PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) is a pocket-sized emergency 406MHz beacon, a scaled down version of the EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) and ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) that boaters and pilots, respectively, have had available to them for years."
~ Landfall Navigation

These items were brought up in a boondocking session I attended at RV Life on Wheels recently. While a nice option, they are pricey...VERY pricey at $500-700 although there are no annual fees.

Recently some new products have come into the marketplace. One is the TracMe Beacon, only $99 and again, no annual fees. Note that this is not satellite communication and it does not automatically start a search & rescue operation. Not does it allow you to notify someone that you are okay. But it is one newer solution to be considered.

The new product now being discussed in The Motorcycle Tourer's Forum is the SPOT Satellite Messenger. Priced at $170 by the manufacturer, it is in the affordable range. (The cheapest price I found was at Amazon.com, at under $135.) There is an annual fee of $99 for the basic services with a couple of upgrade options. But for the $99 you get a lot...

• ALERT 9-1-1:
  Dispatch emergency responders to your exact location. Unlimited usage included.
• CHECK IN:
  Let contacts know where you are and that you’re okay. Unlimited usage included.
• ASK FOR HELP:
  Request help from friends and family at your exact location. Unlimited usage included.
  

This means you can easily use it to notify family/friends that you are okay. Run into a problem, then you can ask for help via the SPOT Messenger. And in an emergency you can send a message to the control center who can notify your emergency contacts for you.

It's not perfect...like any satellite solution it needs a clear line of sight for the best signal. It can take up to 20 minutes to lock onto the signal. Too many trees or other obstructions and the signal may not go out. But if you have been using the CHECK IN feature, then your last location sent is available as a starting point.

Here are some reviews I found, Lets Go Mobile and Wild Snow, as well as a good FAQ page on the emergency service. One of the motorcyclists has sent check in updates to his blog! I really like this product and think it will only get better. I think I see one in my near future....

UPDATE 5/12/08: I have purchased a SPOT Messenger - see the link in the sidebar or click HERE for the best price including Priority Mail shipping.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Too Much.... Too Many.... Too Little....

Too much going on every day, too many photos taken, too little time to post it all! LOL! Yes, this is what retired life should be....living life! So I will try to create a short synopsis of the last several days.

1. Beautiful morning sunrises
2. Gorgeous evening sunsets
3. Hours spent meeting friends, old & new, around the communal campfire
4. Some great campfire meals
   ~ Eggs in a Bag breakfast
   ~ S'mores
   ~ Potato Bake & Pot Luck dinner
   
5. More great meals
   ~ Grilled steak shared with friends
   ~ Community center breakfasts with the group
   ~ In town breakfast (delicious omelette)
   ~ In town lasagna (still have the leftover to enjoy)
   ~ Upcoming pizza (same place as the lasagna)
6. Perfect weather
7. HOT weather
8. Six hour motorcycle trip to see Parker Dam & the London Bridge
   
9. Several nice walks around the BLM are where I'm parked
   ~ Desert flowers blooming
   ~ Interesting deadwood
10. Views that I will never forget
    

I'm sure there is more but those are the highlights. Here are some of the photos!

SUNRISE



SUNSET




DESERT WILDFLOWERS





LOCAL VIEWS





PARKER DAM



LONDON BRIDGE



On Friday morning I head out of here and wend my way to Tucson and the RV Life on Wheels conference. So I suspect blogs will be infrequent for the next week as well. I will try to check in from time to time though.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna