Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Travel

Ominous Road Warning

Ominous Road Warning

Damsel and I made the trip from Arizona to the California Low Desert today. The weather was agreeable for most of the way with the exception of some crosswinds that affected our transition along some places as we drove along Interstate 10. The warnings were not without merit, although we have had worse conditions on previous trips.

Damsel took this photo as we approached Desert Center. The traffic was a bit heavier than the last few times we made this trip. We cannot connect the additional traffic with any specific event or holiday, so I presume the heavier traffic is a random event.

At any rate, we are comfortably camping in Palm Desert this evening and will be entertaining our kids and grandson over the weekend. They stopped by for a little visit before heading to the other grandparent’s place to bed down until tomorrow when they will return for another visit.

06 Jan 2017 by California Environment Travel

RV Shopping

RV Shopping

So how does this Thor Palazzo 33.2 look parked in front of or house? Just kidding – the image is a composite of our abode with a transparent .png of the coach lifted from the Thor Palazzo website.

We have been giving some serious thought to upgrading our motorhome even though we only acquired it last December. We have found that there are some shortcomings with our RV choice. The three major things we want to improve upon are: 1) engine cockpit noise, 2) rough riding suspension (like the truck it really is) and 3) the lack of air conditioning capacity.

The latter item is the big one on that short list since we visit deserts in the summer. Hell, we LIVE in a desert in the summer. The A/C is an 18,000 BTU unit but fails miserably when it’s 110 outside. We’re lucky if it gets the inside temperature down to 95° under those conditions.

There are a couple of RVs we’re looking at to resolve the problems above. Each of them under consideration likely solves the three problems described.

We also have a wishlist above and beyond the short list that I won’t elaborate on here, but Damsel would be pleased to have a washer/dryer stack on-board, and we both like the idea of extra living space when pop-outs are deployed. Further, we can’t afford to add more than a couple feet in length over the 32 footer we have if we’re going to be able to get it through our RV drive.

In my research, I have only found a couple of floorplans that meet the length limitations while having a few features that we like (and some that we don’t). I think that we might have to take some time in doing trade off evaluations to make a final decision.

09 Oct 2016 by Arizona Money and Business Travel Wanderlust

August Camping and Beyond

August Camping

We’re camped once again in the Sunny Southern California Desert to visit the yearling grandson. We have been doing these trips for a year now at about monthly intervals so the baby will know us from visit to visit. Of course, we also enjoy visiting with his parents and the other set of grandparents.

Next month, we are going to deviate from the usual back and forth across the two deserts to head out for a scenic road trip with the goals of:

  • getting away for scenic destinations
  • reunion with California family members
  • seeing our other little one, the two year old great grandson

We’re still trying to get the other family members to get on-board for the reunion and to get the granddaughter to bring her son to the reunion from the Bay Area to not-to-distant Stockton. This weekend we will get a go/nogo from the kids and grandson as to whether they can participate in the reunion.

Regardless of all the particular commitments, we will still be heading out for the scenic part of the road trip. We’re overdue for a trip like that, but when you live in a scenic and rustic town with lots of activities and attractions, you still feel like everyday is vacation. That last item may be why we haven’t felt the need to hit the road for a vacation from our permanent vacation.

06 Aug 2016 by Arizona California Travel Wanderlust

Throwback Wanderlust

Newspaper Rock, Canyonlands, UT

Damsel took this image of Newspaper Rock, an Anasazi petroglyph site in Canyonlands National Park exactly eight years ago today. We were on a summer vacation about a year before we retired. Newspaper Rock is just along the roadside on the drive through the North part of the park.

We have been planning another vacation trip for the fall that should find us in Utah again, but visiting places that we have not seen before. We will also be seeing a few of our family who will be meeting us along the route. All of that is in the planning phase now, but we need to solidify the plans before too long in order to coordinate lodging, family, meal planning and the whole nine.

We’re anxious to go, but old enough to know that we can’t just charge out there as we may have done in the past. Soon – very soon.

21 Jul 2016 by Culture Photography Travel Wanderlust

A New GPS for the RV

New Garmin GPS

I have had the little Garmin Nüvi 205W GPS since July of 2009. Once understanding its limitations, it turned out to be a reliable gadget in our old Denali SUV.

We bought our Ford F-150, which had a built-in navigation system so we retired the 205 to the office shelf. When we bought the Roadrunner, our Georgetown 30X3 32 foot motorhome, I resurrected the 205W and have been using it in the RV when we travel.

The old GPS has only a four inch display which, in the larger dimensions of the RV, could be hard to read from the captain’s chair. I decided that if Garmin were to have a larger format GPS, then we would need to get it to overcome the display size issue. An Amazon query turned up this nice Garmin Nüvi 2797 with lifetime map updates and a traffic report receiver. The price was within budget, so I ordered it.

The GPS showed up yesterday and I have been getting acquainted with the unit which, fortunately, is similar enough to the old unit that familiarization has gone quite fast. The new features (traffic, bluetooth, etc.) will eventually come into focus as well.

The best thing is that the larger display will be MUCH easier to read while seated in the captain’s chair and underway in the Roadrunner. We will not have the opportunity to use it until toward Memorial Day or after since our May is sort of booked up with caduceus-oriented appointments.

30 Apr 2016 by Technobabble Travel

Camping in Palm Desert (Again)

Camping Setup

We left our Arizona home this morning at about eleven AM and arrived to check-in at the RV park at about two PM. That sounds like good travel time, but we gained an hour coming to the PST time zone, so the time was nominal as compared to our previous experience coming here. We had a good trip with one little slowdown where an eighteen wheeler rolled over in the median along I-10.

We got here and set up camp for our weekend visits with the kids and the grandson. We had been invited to the in-laws for dinner on previous trips here, but this time we’re inviting the kids and the other set of grandparents to the campground for a steak cookout on Saturday. With the big RV, we can prepare the sides and grill the steaks right here.

The RV Resort is packed today; we took a walk around and saw vehicle license plates from all over the US and Canada. There is an “Oh Canada” dinner and show here tonight (we will not be attending, eh? $40 USD per plate, hosers). Besides, we brought the food and beverages we need and are now settled in and quite comfortable.

We are using the Verizon Jetpack® MiFi wireless internet hot spot we recently obtained and thus far, it seems to work much better (and is more secure) than the often spotty performance of the unsecured WiFi offered by the RV park. We will probably report on our performance assessment of the new gadget after using it for a while.

12 Feb 2016 by Arizona Photography Technobabble Travel Wanderlust

Back to the Saguaros

First SaguarosAnyone who has crossed the Colorado River on Interstate 10 eastbound from Blythe, CA to Ehrenberg, AZ, will almost immediately start seeing the ubiquitous (to Sonoran Arizona) Saguaro Cactus along the route. I took this photo of some of the first-encountered Saguaros on a rocky hillside shortly after entering our home state after the last visit to Palm Desert.

Image of some of the first Saguaro Cacti encountered after entering Arizona on I-10. Click on the image to enlarge.

After entering Arizona, our route takes us 29 more miles on I-10 to Exit 31, US Hwy 60. We follow 60 all the way to Wickenburg, going through the Arizona Outback and the towns of Brenda, Hope, Harcuvar, Salome, Wenden, Gladden, Aguila and finally Wickenburg. It is a colorful and interesting drive through the small towns, farms, ranches and a lot of RV parks with Saguaro Cactus to be seen most of the way.

When we bought our desert property in 2010, there were no Saguaros on the lot. After building the house, we included three transplanted Saguaros as a part of our desert landscaping. When arriving home after one of our trips, it is always nice to see the big Saguaro at the top of the driveway in front of the house. Other than the Palo Verde at the bottom of the driveway, the big cactus is the first thing you notice when coming up the road.

We love the state, our home and all of the Saguaros.

Saguaro, Saguaro,
I Love you Saguaro,
You’re only a State Away!

Apologies to Strouse and Charnin, composer and lyricist for Annie the Musical.

12 Jan 2016 by Arizona Photography Travel Wanderlust

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