We are in Gallup tonight where the weather is very windy and cool (WSW@20G35 61°F). We are here on old Route 66, but not planning to do any sightseeing while camping.
We have a much better internet connection today. Still, this will be a short blog. We’re here for one night and will be spending Easter in Albuquerque. After that, we continue wandering down to Waco, TX, where we hope to have clear skies for the eclipse.
We will likely post again tomorrow when in Albuquerque.
We have a crappy internet connection so this will be short.
We’re in Monument Valley for a couple of days. We had an uneventful drive from Flagstaff and got here in time to check into the RV campground and get all hooked up to the utilities.
Stay tuned for more in a couple of days.
Tonight, we’re in Flagstaff, AZ. Yes, there is light snow falling on our campsite. We got here this afternoon when it was still partly sunny, set up camp and ate lunch. When we went out to walk the dogs, it was snowing a little. That’s about when I took the (clickable) image above.
We had an uneventful trip, albeit there is still quite a bit of construction on AZ-74 and I-17. The traffic was generally light with the usual idiots mixed in with us sane folks.
We’re here in Flagstaff to relax a couple of days and will be departing Wednesday morning on our next leg of our vacation from retirement. The next stop is planned to be near Monument Valley. Stay tuned.
Update: 26 MAR 2024 — We had a little more snow overnight . . .
Damsel snapped this photo of an alto-cumulus cloud formation this evening. We were enjoying a bit of rest after a busy day (and busy week thus far) getting ready to roll in the motorhome for the Solar Eclipse in a couple of weeks.
We had to do quite a number of chores getting things organized and ready. The list includes shopping, preparing the RV holding tanks, stocking the fridge and pantry, washing the clothing, towels and sheets we keep in the RV and so forth.
I had one major item that needed attention; the latch on the door to the RV had been acting up and come to find out that it had a broken doodad inside of it which turned out to be a common failure for this type of RV door latch. I ordered a replacement latch which arrived today and installed it this afternoon. Suffice to say it was a little bit of a pain getting it done, but it is installed now and works fine.
We also did some food prep. We will be on the road on Easter Sunday and we pre-smoked our turkey breast dinner entrée today. It will be re-heated in the RV microwave on Easter.
We’re looking forward to the excursion and I’m sure all the preparation activities will have made the effort worth it in the end. We will report on our trip progress as we arrive at our various destinations.
Tuesdays, usually, are the days that I routinely run the RV Engine up and the first Tuesday of the Month, I run the 6 KVA generator for a couple of tenths of an hour; all the above for ensuring that things are performing properly. I also ran the AC inverter for a while to check it out in case we have to be boondocking somewhere (i.e. no shore power or sewer/city water hookups available). I’m happy to say that everything seemed to function correctly.
Our plans for the excursion to the eclipse are still coming together; the only iron-clad plan is for the day of the eclipse when we will be in our already reserved camping spot. Damsel is still researching places to see and things to do in the American Southwest in order to plan a route to the eclipse site and beyond.
The next stages of prep (beyond route planning) include purging and sanitizing the RV holding tanks, making sure that all fluids and pressures are within spec and giving the big RV the bath it really needs. We will be doing those things over the next couple of weeks before launch day (exact date still TBD).
Today marks the 292nd anniversary of the birth of the “Father of the Country,” George Washington. He was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Washington died in 1799 at Mount Vernon, VA, where he is laid to rest.
Like last year, our sentiment remains that “President’s Day” is a sham and a disservice to both President Washington and President Lincoln whose birthdays/holidays were dissipated into the current holiday. Both men remain, in our opinion, entitled to their own holiday. We continue to celebrate them both even though I missed Mr. Lincoln’s again this year. I made a reminder to post next year in my on-line calendar.
Since the last posting a couple weeks ago, we have been busy with several routine things (there are so many retirement chores) and have also begun detail planning for our upcoming excursion to Waco for the April 6th total eclipse. See the Eclipse Countdown page in the sidebar.
We hope everyone is doing OK out there. We’re doing well and we keep on keeping on.
We’re relaxing at home after the last leg of our vacation. Damsel and I saw a number of cool things on the return voyage. Here are some of the pix from the days collection of over 500 images in the Damsel Camera:
Mission San Xavier Del Bac, Tucson, AZ:
Picacho Peak near Eloy, AZ:
Casa Grande Native Ruins, Coolidge, AZ:
Now that we’re back, we have numerous things we need to attend to pertaining to our normal retirement routine, plus a couple of other business items that popped up. We’re prepared for all of that and we’re glad to be back home in our little desert paradise.