Winter Wonderland

May 13, 2008 in Williams, AZ

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

Rockin' and Rollin'

Just a quick update....I'm staying here in Huachuca City area until Friday morning due to the high winds. The wind today was supposed to be in the 30-35 mph sustained with gusts higher than that. More of the same tomorrow... It's also so dry...my wood flooring (installed in FL) is separating. I guess that's better than if it were installed out here and in the east it started buckling. LOL!

I spent the day working on a newsletter for the Escapees SOLOS BOF. The due date always sneaks up on me....LOL! But now it's done for another two months. I also spent time organizing the stack of RV related paperwork/manuals I have. I still have a bunch more to go through and then I have to get Quicken up to date. That has to be done before my tax appointment in Denver in June.

Because of the delay here, I am taking the eastern route to Williams since it saves me close to 200 miles. That route is a little over 500 miles so I have plenty of time to make it before my event starts.

Speaking of that, I heard today that the fires in the Grand Canyon area are 60% contained. Not so in NM where as a friend reported in her blog today. Scary....I don't think we've seen a fraction of what is to come this summer.

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

It was just a drop....

I woke to cool temps and an overcast morning. I figured it was a good time to test out my new California Duster, gotta love a black car in Arizona...especially with a construction site just behind my site. As I was starting out the mobile RV tech arrived and proceeded to get out his gear. Suddenly I noticed a couple of raindrops on the hood of my car. Hmmmm, I didn't think rain was in the forecast. Then it stopped...

He went to work on the first task, adding an Extend-a-Stay valve to my propane connections. This will allow me to use an external tank for emergencies and will also let me run an external propane device directly from the main tank. It was pretty brisk, so after moving my chairs & side table out of his way, I went back inside.

Hmmm, is that raindrops? I go out and sure enough...it's raining enough to see the spots. Lasted a couple of minutes and then, of course, the sun broke through.

Next he tackled my rear brakes...yup, going to need them done. I had heard squealing from the rear right and figured that was coming. But as soon as he had it off and we discussed his coming back the next day...due to iffy weather and needing to get parts, the sky decided to let loose. The wind picked up and it started to rain hard enough that I had to close the door and put up the small window awning.



So, it may never "...rain in southern California" but it sure can here in southern Arizona!

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

Just a little ramblin'.....

While I took it a little easy today, I did accomplish some stuff but nothing major like yesterday. I plowed through paperwork looking for something specific....I found it but also found some things that need to get taken care of.

One was changing my emergency road service coverage. I have had RV Roadhelp since 2000 and have nothing but good to say about it. Over the years I've had a motorhome towed over 300 miles, a tire changed on my car and two tows for my motorcycle. Great service all times. So why change? Well, the industry has changed and there is now a service Coach Net that offers much more for the same money. Many times when you are broken down it's something minor that a mechanic can quickly fix. Getting back on the road without having to be towed someplace is good. There is a lot more but I don't want to sound like an infomercial. Anyway, the change is made with perfect timing since the old service was due to renew on April 11th.

I canceled several credit cards today or at least started the process to do so. Over the years it's always been easy to apply for a store credit card to get a discount on the first purchase. Figured it was time to cull those out. Since I was doing that, I took a look at what's out there for cash back reward credit cards and decided to move to one of those and cancel my other MC & Visa cards. With gas prices climbing higher and higher it makes sense to get something back for the money I spend. ;-)

I also continued my calls to motorcycle and trailer dealers. Nothing really popped up except a really nice gentleman from Big Tex Trailers here in Tucson offered to stop out to take a look at it from a personal basis. We talked price and he is going to get back to me tomorrow. Not holding out a lot of hope though...wish it were up north. Northern riders are much more apt to use & buy a trailer for their motorcycle. Sigh....

The weather was really nice today, cooler than the last two weeks and little wind. Well, until about 2-3:00 that is....the clouds rolled in and the wind REALLY blew for a bit. It cooled down enough that I started closing windows....of course not before a fine layer of grit was deposited on everything. Of course once the weather tantrum was over it got hot again...LOL!

You know I love blogs....otherwise I wouldn't be following over 170 of them. All kinds - computer, photography, crafts, motorcycles, RVing, living green and more. As I've said before, this wouldn't be possible without Google reader to track & show me only the ones with new updates. I'm always adding new ones that I find by reading my current list....and yes, sometimes one will be removed.

Recently I found a couple of great new blogs, Colored outside the lines and Fulltiming Roadrunners. Both these ladies do some unbelievable beading... Sandy, Colored outside the lines, loves hummingbirds and does some beautiful native-looking necklaces. Judy, Fulltiming Roadrunners, makes beaded Bonzai type trees as well as jewelry. I saw this gorgeous bracelet in her blog and had to email her about it. Long story short, she's made one for me in the colors I asked for...it's perfect.

Well, it would have been perfect if I had asked for a magnet style clasp BEFORE she started. But nice lady that she is, she said she'd put that one into her stock and build one with the clasp I needed (arthritis). She also tossed together a little frog pendant that I plan to use on my key chain. He's so cute....she can make earrings for me, too, if I want them. Since I have NO talent when it comes to crafty stuff, I really appreciate it when I find someone that does. My friends Ellie & Karon do, just to name a couple, even if they don't advertise it much.



Anyway, if anyone is interested in the daisy bracelet, 7" for smaller wrists, drop me a not and I'll put you in touch with Judy. (And remind me that I don't need one of those gorgeous trees...I really don't, I'm getting rid of stuff....LOL!)

Lastly, I made a couple of minor changes to my blog....most to do with the comment section. Previously a pop-up window was opened for the comments but I found that was awkward if you wanted to read the posted comments so I changed it to open a new tab/window. I also added a little note above the comment form and I changed the description for the comment link.

I also expanded the Google ads at the bottom of each post. Like many folks, I try to supplement my income in any way I can...stretching that dollar. Hard in a fifty dollar world....LOL! So if you see something of interest in one of the Google boxes, check it out. If you don't, then don't...it's as easy as that!

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

Tough life....

I just took a peek at my home portal page where I track the current weather where family & friends live. Granted, it's two to three hours later in all cases except Denver but take a peek...

With highs in the mid to upper 80's, I am running the A/C in the afternoon but by 6:00 I can shut it off and open up the windows. Right now I will be in the campground until April 5th and then either move to local BLM land, if the highs don't stay in the upper 80's, or move northerly. I just hope I can get everything done that needs to be done so I can move north...

Right now I have appointments for the car to get the oil changed, get two new tires and get detailed. I have been thinking about what to get for a vanity tag....maybe POLIWOG? LOL! I still have to make appointments for the RV at three different places - Ford dealer for oil change and recall, Quality Bumper to get the tow setup done (will require the RV and the car) and either a mobile mechanic or LaMesa to get a short laundry list of things fixed. Why is it that just when you think you are simplifying things your to do list triples?

On a side note, last night shortly after the sun was down the coyotes started running the wash down behind the RV park. It may not be to everyone but it was like music to me....hated it when a train had to pick that time to come through and drown them out.

Hoping spring is truly just around the corner for those not enjoying the southern climes....

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

Hopped to a new location...

Forgive the lack of posting, some of it due to being busy but some of it due to not being busy! LOL!! Back to the end of last week....

As you read in my last post, I survived my first trip into Mexico. But due to visiting the eye doctor so late in the day, I needed to return to pick up my glasses (often you can get same day service if you visit early). The plan was to go in to get my glasses, do a little more window shopping, meet some of the other Boondockers for dinner & drinks before coming home.

So Friday arrived, the plans were set and we headed into Algodones to get my glasses. Not a bit of trouble other than the over-the-nose & ear fittings that are always a pain. Got two nice cases and we headed to do a little window shopping. I wanted to find the leather guy that I had seen before and Doug wanted to look at throws & rugs. Well, the leather guy had his sign up but the sunglass guy in his spot said he wasn't there but would be on Saturday...oh well. After wandering to more unseen areas and looking at various items, we headed to the restaurant as planned.

We ended up with eleven Boondockers...nice group. The vendors love big tables of people, especially ones with drinks on the table (Marguerita's were the order of the day for most folks). As I said, I like hats and was interested in getting one more good straw hat so when the hat vendor came around I asked if he had anything in a small, fully expecting he wouldn't. Well, he did...and everyone liked it on me. So next came the price negotiation...I turned that over to the crowd. Turns out one of the other ladies wanted one and we ended up with two for $28 as compared to the intially quoted price of one for $25. It's very tightly woven with a small plaid hatband and I really like it. The closest I could find online was this Gambler Hat (not exact - the crown on mine isn't as high).

So fast forward and the group decides to visit the infamous Green Door, known by the locals as Bar Olimpico. It has a reputation for some seedier goings on upstairs but for the most part, it was tame by U.S. adult entertainment standards. Everyone had a good time (some "gooder" than others.....hee-hee!) and we were back home by 10 pm.

Saturday Doug and I took a trip into Yuma so he could get propane, diesel for his truck and we ended up getting groceries and having a light dinner. We found his bank, Wells Fargo, inside a Fry's Grocery store so we opted to go ahead and pick up what we each needed since we planned to hit the road on Sunday. As I wandered the store I kept seeing "Kroger" mentioned.

For those who don't know, that is a chain in the east that is operates under the name of Fry's in the west as well as several other names (more details here). Since I didn't have a Fry's discount card, I decided to ask if my Kroger discount card would work. The cashier assured me that it did and I replied that was a shame since I didn't have my card with me, it was on my other keychain. After ensuring that my keychain was in my RV in the area and NOT back at home in another state, he swpied my order with their courtesy card so I could get the discounts (saved $6 off an $85 total). Once I explained that my keys had better be with me since I was a full-timer, we chatted about his parents who are full-timers. Not sure how well the folks behind me took his chatter but I thought it was interesting.

We stopped at a little spot that looked like a diner out of the past, Brownie's Cafe. Super staff, great food...would definitely visit again. By the way, the older gentleman that welcomed up was Brownie's brother....and a wonderful host!

We missed the 4:00 social hour but made the 7:00 campfire. We left early to get our rigs set for a 7 am departure on Sunday. Why so early? Well, the wind was already picking up on Saturday night and much of southern CA and southwest AZ were under an all day high wind warning with gust up to 40-50 mph. We had about 100 miles to travel and wanted to get a little ahead of the worst of it.

Not many photos but here are the final sunrise and sunset shots I took in Winterhaven, CA. YOU decide which is which....if it matters. LOL!




The drive over was amazing...both in the scenery in some spots and in the wind. Phew! Didn't dare take either hand off the steering wheel so no photos of the drive. We stopped in Ehrenberg to dump & take on fresh water and I got propane in Quartzsite at the RV Pit Stop. I can easily manage two weeks on a dump/water stop, and probably could make three if careful. Propane seems to be about a month unless it's really cold.

Anyway, we are now parked between Bouse & Quartzsite, parking on BLM land.I have to take my rig back into Q for a tweak to my inverter but other than that we plan to get the bikes out and hopefully get in some good riding. Here are a few shots of the area.




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

I'm cold, I'm wet.....

...but at least I'm not hungry! LOL! The weather turned last night...no snow here but it started raining lightly after 10 pm and pretty steadily after 1 am. I woke several times during the night hoping it wouldn't flood too badly....at times it was raining really hard.

Glad I have the flexibility of staying an extra day...walking in this mud is like walking in fresh snot (sorry for the graphic images that might bring to mind). And we have to push my motorcycle around and into my trailer AND I have to pull everything (4 rolling duffles/suitcases & assorted other storage items) outside and set them in the mud. Hoping it will dry out a little today but not sure that's going to happen. It was 48 at 8 am when I got up, now at almost 2 pm it's all the way up to 52...wow, a heat wave. I did see the sun...once...for about 6 seconds.

The rain still hasn't completely stopped but at least it's just spitting now. I'm hoping that the dry spot left where the motorhome next door pulled out will stay dry enough for me to use as a staging area for the bags. Of course as I type this, it's started to rain harder. Sigh...

Here are some before & after shots to give you a flavor of what I woke up to....the muddy ones were taken out my living room window and from my front door. I didn't want to venture out any further than necessary....LOL!

And here is a shot of my neighbor Mike and his first-class rain boots, errrr, bags... I saw several folks wearing the fashion statements....what the heck, it works! I just wore my oldest pair of nasty slip-on sneakers and tried to leave the mud on the bottom incoming step.



Now take a peek at the final shot I took earlier....isn't that a perfect backdrop for day dreaming on a cloudy day...



And another with Nick, the rally founder and editor of the Gypsy Journal along with his wonderful wife Terry, enjoying a few minutes on his motorcycle while chatting with Carey (Escapees Class of 2007 & fellow Boondocker & SOLO).



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

It's over?

I can't believe how quickly the last five days have passed. I arrived here in Casa Grande on Sunday and I'm scheduled to leave tomorrow (although the weather may delay me one day, time will tell).

These have been five awesome days full of education, information, socialization, smiles, hugs, all liberally mixed with lots of laughter. It will be very hard to leave but I know I will see many of these folks on the road as I travel.

I can't begin to remember everyone I met...I'm terrible with names...but here are a few (thank goodness we exchanged cards!)...please, no one feel left out if you're not mentioned...just too many good folks!

I mentioned the couple that stopped me the other day to re-introduce themselves. We had met at a 2006 RV Life on Wheels conference in Bowling Green - Doug & JoAnn (and their standard poodle, Fillmore). We both planned on full-timing as soon as possible. Well, we both ended up delaying a year - me due to the house not selling and them due to health issues. They asked about joining the Class of 2007 so now they're "classmates".

Another couple I enjoyed meeting was John & Judy. They stopped by to admire my BMW with John taking photos of the pinstriping. We chatted several times about riding. John was interested in getting a BMW similar to mine and possibly one for his wife as well. Wonderful folks and I look forward to hearing from them in the future and getting updates on what they decide.

Mike, who is parked across from me, has been a wonderful neighbor. He helped me get the bike unloaded on Sunday. His wife is active duty (thank you Cindy!) and he is retired, traveling part-time. I've invited him to join in a Boondocker Rendezvous so I hope to see him down the road.

Yesterday I finally met Lynne who has a neat blog. She's an extremely talented and interesting lady, a free spirit in the best tradition. I'd love to be more like her when I grow up but admit I know my limitations - creativity is NOT my forte. LOL!

Today I met Jim & Betty who were here as vendors. Jim stopped by to talk to Ron, who I was sitting with as I got coffee. He mentioned that his wife wanted to meet me and I told him I would stop by later. I passed by several times but they were out, probably enjoying the wonderful seminars. I managed to catch up with them by late afternoon. We discovered several folks that we both knew. They are charter members of the Boomers, there from the beginning. (Note, the Boomers & the Boondockers as well as the Class of 2007 and SOLOs are are sub-groups of the Escapees - if anyone is NOT an Escapee and is thinking about joining, drop me a note.) Just goes to prove what a small world it is...

There were so many more....and more instances of small world coincidences. Turns out my friends Brenda & Roger, who arrived late but in time to enjoy most things, have camped with several of the Boondockers I have recently met. I've met folks from a small town in NH, just around the corner from where I lived during high school. I've read blogs while here only to discover that the bloggers were here as vendors. Connections....6 degrees of association at its best. I plan to make this rally an annual event...and I highly recommend it to everyone. Nick & Terry are VERY special folks and I'm proud to be able to call them friends!

No photos today....rain, sleet, snow in the forecast....in fact it's raining as I write this. I hope the fairground doesn't become too much of a muddy mess but I suspect that may happen...may hang around until Saturday...gee, it's almost as hard to close this blog (and thus my notes on the rally) as it is to leave!

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

She tiptoes into the room....

Shhh, quiet....maybe no one will hear me sneak in and I can get a couple of blogs posted before they notice! Yes, I'm way behind and that means some neat things have already escaped from my swiss cheese brain. Sorry....that's what happens when two forces collide - no Verizon aircard reception and having a good time!

The trip from Quartzsite to Ajo was uneventful. A stop at the Super Wal-Mart in Buckeye where we stocked up on food & other stuff and a stop at Holt's Shell in Gila Bend where got gas, fresh water and dumped our tanks. We pulled into the boondocking area outside Ajo about 3:30 pm. Once we figured where I should park for the best sun, I did a few little things to fix what had bounced once too many times coming in on the washboard roads and headed over to the 4:00 pm social hour. Poor Doug paid the penance of living in a trailer...much more set up work (did I mention how happy I am with my motorhome?).

The next couple of days followed a nice routine...running around town seeing the sites (and predictably forgetting my camera which I really missed when we saw a beautiful rainbow). A nice walk in the desert terrain produced the first non-sunrise/sunset photos. I even took one of the first wildlife I encountered in the desert here...you'll have to look close. We walked up a wide wash, easily envisioning it filled with rushing water in flash flood.

We got back in time for me to nab some good sunset shots showing the sun's red-gold reflection on everything around us. To the south it looked like it was raining and that made the golden glow even more precious.



It's been really cold at night, as low as 30-31 several nights. My heater has gotten a work out and it's working well. The days are sunny and sometimes brisk, especially after 4:00 when the sun starts down.

I heard from a friend who lives in Quartzsite that the winds there took down part of the big tent on top of the classic car show....she wrote me this on the 3rd:

"Both of the ends went down but the main section is still standing, and being yanked out of the ground. Everybody was evacuated before the ends went. All of the little tents on the north side are down though. The tent company that erected it are on their way to help get it tied down again so the cars from the Cruise In can be taken out. Hopefully none of the vehicles were damaged bad."



"The other that went... we were making the loop thru town, and right in front of us a vendor tent just picked up, went upside down and landed on top of a "really nice" pickup truck. Abut 50 people just came out of the woodwork to help those folks. IT was really great to see. I'm pretty sure that every vendor in a tent now has been shut down. The wind is outta the south, and it's just not pretty."

EEEEK! Sure am glad I moved a little further south.

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

Quick note from Ajo, AZ

Just a quick note...my Internet access is limited to "borrowed" satellite access but wanted to let everyone know I have left Quartzsite (on Friday) and am now boondocking outside Ajo, AZ. My phone seems to work most of the time (sometimes it goes to voicemail and I never hear it ring but I eventually get the message). Here are a few shots from the drive out of Q to Ajo.

The area has its own beauty, I hope it warms up a bit so I can do a little riding around the area. Right now it doesn't look real promising...yesterday would have been very nice but Doug is fighting a cold and really feeling under the weather. He got his bike unloaded but needs a new spark plug for it to run right.

Here are some shots out my front door - in one you can see the town of Ajo in the distance.



These were taken about 5pm as the weather to the north got dark and the wind started up.



And here are some of the spectacular sunset last night!



I move to the Ajo Heights RV Park on Wednesday and should have Wi-Fi and will do a more thorough update then. I have gotten a lot of blog comments about my solar setup and will do a blog with replies later. Right now the solar is doing wonderful, I'm enjoying the company and the area and just generally having too much fun!

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

Who said it doesn't rain in the desert....

It started raining during the night and continued for most of the day. There were a few glimpses of the sun but not many. Yesterday was nice so I used the good weather to re-sort some of the stuff in my storage bins. I cleaned out a shopping bag full of stuff and took it to the Boondockers Social Hour and got rid of all but one thing. WHOO-HOO! Oh, and I have two bags over-full with books & magazines to take to Paul at the Reader's Oasis. Still need to get Doug inside the store so he can get a better flavor of it.

Today was paperwork day...I've been putting off sorting through three large stacks of paperwork, receipts, etc so today I tackled that. Made some great headway, shredded a bunch of things and tossed out a bunch more unneeded paperwork. Next still will be to get my finances updated in Quicken...that will be an entire day all by itself. Ugh....but must be done.

The cloud and rains produced a spectacular sunset vista....and as a reader posted on a previous blog, I never get tired of them! Hope you enjoy them as much as I do...

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

Addicted to Dust

Yes, I made it to Quartzsite and I have been having a ball, thus the lack of a blog for several days (well, that and boondocking with limited generator time).

Harvey and I took a slight detour on our way to Q and hit a Super Wal-Mart. It had been a while since I had stocked up and my list had been growing. We got on I-10 East for 4 miles and got off in Buckeye, AZ. This had to have been the largest Wal-Mart I have been in to date. It had everything I needed and more....LOL!

We hit the road and found our Escapees SOLO folks around 3 pm. Everyone had a good laugh at my looking for "pull-through" parking. Needless to say, we could pretty well pick our spot. Nicely level, far enough from other rigs so my generator wouldn't bother them and was good to go. Well, except it was COLD...much colder than I expected thanks to the wind (we had been fighting it for about the last 50 miles of driving).

There is no way to remember all that has gone on so I will hit the highlights, thus far, in list form:

1. Had Hobo Stew* with the other members of the Full-Time Graduating Class of 2007. What a wild, wonderful, wacky group of folks. The stew was DELICIOUS! Wish I could have spent more time with them but they are 12-15 miles away on the other side of Quartzsite. I know I will see many of them on the road over the next year or two.
   *Take whatever meet, canned goods, etc that you can find, mix it all together and simmer for as long as it takes. Then you've got Hobo Stew. Some of the best ingredients are beef, sausage, chicken, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, carrots...you get the idea.
   
2. I've eaten in a couple of local restaurants, courtesy of several friends.
   
3. I've seen every variety of camper - I won't even attempt to name them all but wow, what a variety - types, styles, brands, sizes, classics, homemade and more.
   
4. I've had my first (and definitely not my last) meal cooked in a solar oven. What a wonderful way to cook. I see one of these in my future....much easier and cheaper than using a conventional oven. YUM! With the prices in propane rising and the cost of using my generator to run the microwave, this would actually be a cost effective item (and would would involve healthier eating).
   
5. I got out to meet some of the local folks - dinner time at The Yacht Club. Great people, love the quirky flavor here (yup, I'm definitely a fan of quirky). Convinced me that I need to exercise more to get my back, hips & knees back into the groove of dancing. Good band, too!
6. I've seen beautiful sunrises and sunsets...photos to follow...almost every day.
7. I've met other RVers who also travel with a motorcycle as their "toad".
8. I sat in front of, behind, beside, all around multiple campfires - moving as needed to lose the smoke and keep my voice! (Someone asked if that was why my nickname was Froggi...)
9. I've learned that I have to remember to turn off my propane heater for the day or in 4 hours my generator won't charge the batteries enough to keep the heater firing all night long....even when set at 60 degrees.
10. Solar is definitely in my future....but I am much more comfortable boondocking than I expected and that is a good thing!
    

Here are some random photos taken so far....



As a friend posts in his blog....I am having TOO MUCH FUN!

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

Deming, NM to Gila Bend, AZ

It figures, Sat & Sun nights the forecast in Deming was for lows in the 20's. Both nights I unhooked my water and carried my water filter inside for the night. Both mornings it was well above freezing. So of course I didn't believe the forecast for last night...and left the water hooked up. Mistake! Frozen solid....LOL! Fortunately a couple of daylight hours and judicious use of a hair dryer let me turn the water off so I could unhook (thank you to Jeff for that reminder). Since I didn't want the storage bay full of water, I stuck the hoses and water filter in the kitchen sink.

I did get to meet Jeff & Suzanne, Two Hams in a Can, this morning. What wonderful folks!! I could have chatted with them forever but unfortunately I had to continue getting ready to hit the road. I look forward to seeing them again and finishing our conversation.



Since I was already a day late in heading to Quartzsite, I decided to brave Tuscon and take the direct I-10 route. I hoped to make Gila Bend for the night but if traffic slowed me down too much, then I would stop just north of Tuscon.

Another SOLO had contacted me about heading to Q and we planned to meet up somewhere along the way (if possible). He had been staying in Benson so once he passed through Tuscon he called and gave me tips on getting through there quickly. I stayed close to the speed limit, closer to 70 than my normal 60ish, figured one gas tank with poorer than usual mileage wouldn't kill me. LOL! The trip was pleasant, the scenery just outside Benson was wonderful (so I love rocks, can you tell?). I also fell in the love with the saguaro forests....I look forward to seeing them close up!

Again, most shots were taken through the windshield while driving but a few were taken in a rest area before I got to Tuscon. I also passed a couple of interesting vehicles on the way, the motorhome ended up in the same park and I took a clearer shot.





I caught up with Harvey in Gila Bend where we both checked in to Augie's Quail Trail RV Park. This is the spot where I have a reservation for month later on. (I think I'm going to like it....quiet, convenient, super staff and nice views.) Harvey got here a bit before me and forewarned the folks that "Froggi Donna" would be arriving shortly and asked them to save a spot close to his. I got registered and was setting up when Harvey popped on over. After spending time chatting with Harvey, I managed to dash out and snatch one sunset shot. Phew!



Tomorrow is an easy 140 or so mile drive to Quartzsite...all we have to do it FIND the other SOLOs....LOL! For the next week I will be pretty busy with both the SOLOs and the Full-time Class of 2007 so probably won't get to blog every day. Just know I'm having FUN!

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

What a difference a day makes....

Yesterday started out warmer than expected (was in the mid-30's at 7 am) and warmed very quickly to the mid 60's, perfect for sitting outside reading, talking a walk, doing pretty much nothing but enjoying every minute. I took a couple of sunrise photos but this is my favorite...sunrise over the Lily Pad. Followed by a quickly snapped sunset photo, almost missed it.

Last night was forecast for mid 20's but at 7 am it was 40. Overnight clouds had moved in, keeping it warmer but at almost 11 am it's still in the mid 40's with much more breeze. Last night the sneezing started and it's continued into today with a stuffy nose for an added side effect. I suspect it's allergies since I feel fine. I thought the clouds would add to the sunrise colors, not so.



Back to yesterday - started on a nice note - a hot breakfast! (It was $2.50, not $2 as I had reported yesterday.) Hot scrambled eggs and homemade biscuits...since I skipped the sausage gravy, I opted for two biscuits. YUM! I sat across from two very nice gentlemen (appeared to be brothers) and we chatted about RVing and motorcycles. The older of the two talked about riding a motorcycle in Tunisia many years ago (I think that was the country he mentioned). He got a flat tire and ended up getting the owner of a bicycle shop to jury-rig a solution. Nice folks...

Later in the afternoon I had some surprise visitors, Russ & Glynna. We visit some of the same forums and they follow my blog. Russ got to break in the door chime...worked great! We chatted for at least an hour, covering a lot of different topics. I tried to convince them to attend the upcoming Gypsy Journal Rally in Casa Grande. I know I'll see them on the road again someday, great folks!

While talking to them I remembered that I saw my FIRST LIVE Road Runner when I was traveling from Marathon to here in Deming. I was so excited....it brought back memories of the first wild coyote I saw. (Remember, I was raised on Wile E. Coyote & Road Runner cartoons ).



My coyote sighting was in 1989 or 90, I think. I was working for Unisys out of NYC (but we lived in Rochester, NY). I was up for a promotion to a wholly owned subsidiary based in Thousand Oaks, CA. If I got the promotion I would work from home and travel to consulting engagements, it was a new division within the company and they had three openings. They flew me out to Los Angeles and my husband used frequent flyer points to accompany me. We planned to do some sightseeing while there.

It was a day filled with interviews....the head of HR, the person who I would report to, another division head, the vice-president and finally the president of the company. Things were going well, it was now late afternoon and we were sitting in his office overlooking the hills behind the building. Suddenly I saw what I took for a small dog....then I realized it was a coyote! I gave the president a laugh as I excitedly asked him if that was really a live coyote!

Well, tonight is the ice cream social...plus I plan to do laundry and just generally get ready to head out in the morning. I will dump my tanks and refill my water this afternoon, no telling how cold it will be in the morning.

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

What's that white stuff?

Woke up around 7:30 this morning and took a peek out the window. YIKES! It was snowing and blowing....winds of 20+mph with a temperature of 29. I not only had to carry out my suitcase and my laptop, but three boxes of "stuff" that I had picked up at my mail forwarding company yesterday (did combine the nine boxes into those three though....that's why I carried them inside). Oh, and I had to get gas.....EEEK!

Some of you wonder about my having a South Dakota address. As a full-time RVer, I don't have a home base...since I don't own a home. That means I need to establish one so that I can register and insure my vehicles, get a drivers license and register to vote. That is where mail forwarding companies come into play. While not all cater to full-timers due to their specialized needs, there are quite a few that do.


The company I use is My Dakota Address, run by Terri Lund. It's located in the SE corner of SD in the town of Madison. Terri has taken care of registering all my vehicles, getting the tags & titles to me as well as answering all my questions.

I arrived around 11 am on Tuesday. Terri was on the phone but as soon as they put her on hold she bustled around getting my mail and all my packages. By the time I had returned from the car, she was off her call and able to chat a bit. When I asked where I got my drivers license, she reached around and handed me the application that I needed to fill out (yes, I could have done it there but this way she could answer any questions for me). Then she gave me directions...in nice weather it would have been walking distance.

I headed there next....in less than 15 minutes I was walking back out the door with my South Dakota license in hand. Now THAT is service!

I got back on the road and headed south, still a decent day for driving. I ended up stopping somewhere around Percival, IA, completely exhausted from the emotional turmoil of losing BoBo, the extremely long driving day yesterday and then another day of full driving. I had hoped to make it further south but opted to stop.

Then I woke up to the snowing & blowing.....I thought it would stop as I proceeded southerly. NOT! It got worse....sometimes a wintry mix, sometimes heavy snow. I stopped in St. Joseph, MO and picked up a few things at Home Depot (still working on using up those gift cards), Target and two pies at Wal-Mart for Thanksgiving tomorrow at the park with the other Escapees.

I stopped just short of Springfield, MO, in Bolivar. It was almost 5pm, getting dark and once again I was beat. All day I kept thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't driving the Lily Pad through that weather. The temperature stayed between 29-31 until after 3pm when it finally hit 33. I worried about ice on the roads and rarely did the speed limit (most other drivers were also cautious). I decided I didn't want to push the last 70 miles, arriving into Hollister in the dark when I'm still unsure of my directions to the park. At least I can see where I am in the morning.

Lastly, I cannot thank you all enough for all your thoughts, wishes, support, hugs, emails and posts. It HAS helped... I think it was the suddenness that really hit me, so unexpected. One of my blog readers posted something that made it a bit easier:

"As it was, Bobo surely couldn't have known what was about to happen, since dogs can't really think into the future, or know that something's about to happen because they've heard about it happening to somebody else.

All he could have known was that he was having one of the peak experiences of a dog's life - getting loose and running as fast as he could wherever he wanted to go! And the next moment he was in heaven, just as though he had run straight there."

That is exactly how I will picture that moment from now on...

Once again.....from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU ALL!!!

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

Weather....not Whether

In the last week I have read blogs and forum posts from RVers dealing with tornadoes, extremely dangerous high winds, flooding rainstorms and now the fires in California. While many think to themselves that RVers have it made, they can just pick up and move when the weather gets bad, sometimes the weather is TO BAD to move. I am glad I have my weather radio with battery backup, it will be very useful on the road.

Courtesy of NASA - fires as of 10/21/07

For those interested, please follow along with these camp hosts in the area of the San Diego fires. My heart is breaking for everyone out there....the destruction and devastation is heartrending.

EDIT: Just had some RVing riding friends post in the Escapee forum...they made it out just barely.

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