Tucson and a return to Borrego Springs

We were in Tucson for 2 weeks and for the life of me, I don't know what all we did.  We did get the carpet, tile, and ceiling cleaned by Kyle of Complete Carpet Cleaning in Benson.  Luckily he comes to Tucson.  I would highly recommend him.  We did do the mandatory trip to Costco.

We got together a couple of times with good friends Rodger and Sharon.  Rodger does wood-carving and his pieces are beautiful.  He gifted me a Kokopelli carving I had been drooling over.

We met Al for dinner one night at the casino for prime rib.  He has been traveling with a SOLOs group.  They provide lots of activities for their members.  He is always doing something.

There were a few short walks at Tucson Mt. park.  With my sciatica I can't walk very far or stand for any length of time which is seriously a pain in the ass for me. Walking has always been my thing!

We decided we wanted to go back to Anza Borrego to see the wildflower superbloom.  We were not disappointed.  Since the temps were high we stayed at an RV park in town as we didn't want to be couped up inside running the generator in order to boondock out in the desert which would have been our first choice.

We took off early on a Monday morning hoping to beat the crowds.  The weekend was gridlock with traffic at all the popular locations.  The flowers were at their peak.  We even found some cacti blooming up in Glorieta Canyon.

Yuma to Ajo

We got our couch back from Ricardo, the upholsterer, and it is absolutely beautiful.  I am so pleased with his and Arlene's work.  They gave us a time frame that fit in with our month-long stay and delivered right on time.  I would highly recommend them if you happen to be in Yuma; 928.919.3950.

After a month in Yuma in an RV park, we anxiously headed to Ajo, and Darby Well Rd. for some boondocking time in this beautiful location.  We seem to be repeating years past as we return to our favorite places.  The sunsets, the mountain views, the funny gesturing saguaros, the quaint artsy town
all at our fingertips.

Anza Borrego to Yuma by way of Quartzsite

Our final days in Anza Borrego were highlighted by the arrival of Canadian friends, Dan and Heather.  Not only did they come for a visit, but brought dinner with them.  Now that's some super-special friends.

In Quartzsite we spent a few days boondocking at Hi Jolly BLM just north of town.  The big tent RV show opened on January 21 and Howard went down the next day to look for a few products we use on a regular basis.  The only vendor he could find was the Orange Oil wood products. He was hoping to find the Dri Wash'N Guard cleaner we use on the motorhome's exterior, plus a water filter, and a few tools.  These we can find in Yuma.

We spent a great afternoon visiting with Nan and John Talley who are parked at La Posa South.  Like many of our friends, we first met the Talleys in Anza Borrego two years ago.  The following day we all met for pizza at Silly Al's; the Tallys brought Sandie and Jim Dixon, and we invited friend Al, who was parked with the Escapees SOLO group. It was great to meet Sandie and Jim and see Nan and John again.

On to Yuma!  We have a list of projects and repairs needing to be done and Yuma is the perfect locale
with access to all or most of our needs.  We decided to stay at an RV park with full hookups for a change and decided on Caravan Oasis in the Foothills area east of town.  It is an old park but we thought the monthly price of $535 was reasonable.

First was to find someone to reupholster our living room couch.  Our friend Beth, who lives in Yuma, provided a great rcomendation.  Ricardo and Arlene came over with samples and prices.  We picked a vinyl beige (Sand) color.  Ricardo measured and Arlene soon provided us with a price which we thought was very reasonable.  Our 16 year old couch was soon dismantled and hauled away.  If we are satisfied with their work we will have our remaining 3 chairs done next year.

I also found Ron's Mobile Screen Door repair and he came out right away and replaced the old screen that had been damaged by one of the granddogs running through it.  We have an appointment with a mobile RV service and repair place.  We are hoping they can fix a water leak we have around our slide by replacing the rubber seal.  We also need to get our Hurricane heater functioning which has been the source of some not so nice language over the years after dealing with one problem after another.

By now we are needing some fun.  Friends Beth and Chris invited us over for dinner at their new home in the Foothills.  We had a wonderful time catching up and enjoyed a great dinner.

Once we have most of the repair work done, we can concentrate on getting to Algodones for a check-up with our dentist, Dr. Jorge Cortez.  We both have issues we need to attend to.

So no beautiful pictures to share. And not very exciting commentary.  We all have these times when things need to be done and not much time for sightseeing.  We did drive over to Ogilby Road to check out the boondocking sites.  We will definitely go there on our next boondocking outing.  Also keeping an eye on Anza Borrego as the wildflowers will soon be blooming.  Hoping for a good season after all the rain we have had.  And speaking of weather, the winds have died down and we  have been enjoying sunny days with highs in the mid 70s here in Yuma.

Until next time~~~

Our final week in Tucson then on the road again~~~

Our month at Bar J RV park passed quickly.  All of our "fix its" got fixed. Many fine happy hours and dinners were enjoyed with Rodger and Sharon.  We even did a little sightseeing along the way.

Just south of Tucson and near the I-19 freeway to Nogales is the beautiful San Xavier Mission.  We haven't visited in years and a lot of renovation has taken place.

We did more laundry.  The washing machines are free and drying in the warm, dry (very dry) breeze makes for great smelling sheets.

We got in a couple of hikes at Tucson Mountain Park.  The views are spectacular and the cacti are pre-bloom but buds are popping out on the cholla and prickly pear.

We enjoyed many spectacular sunsets....

Today, Monday leap day, we packed up and moved on.  We are in such a quandary over an itinerary and how far east we want to go.  The whole idea is that with fuel prices so low we should plan a year of driving across country to Florida.  However the weather gets iffy the further east we go and the desert dryness is begging for a little humidity.  We've just decided to take one day at a time, reserving the right to make a U-turn whenever things aren't going our way.

A good day's drive took us from Tucson to Deming, and the Escapees Dream Catcher RV park, but just for one night. Tomorrow we hope to make it to Alpine, TX for a few days.  Need to get both vehicles inspected once we get to Texas, I need a haircut in the worse way, and there's a super restaurant we want to revisit and report on.

Current location, Alpine, TX; waiting for mail to catch up with us.  Then on to Big Bend NP!

On to Tucson for a month of "fixings"....

We have committed to staying a month here at the Bar J RV Park, one of our favorite "proper" MH parks at a monthly rate of $425. We have full hookups, a patio with a builtin BBQ stand, and our own Saguaro.  Directly behind our site is one of the several washing machine rooms that provide free washes with lots of clotheslines with which to dry.  With a steady, warm breeze blowing you can't beat it.

Our motorhome is entering its 16th year so we expect systems to fail, need repair, or replacement. Such was the case with our old Sharp Micro/convection combo. We were lucky to find one in the catalog at Home Depot, a Sharp Carousel, with the exact same dimensions as the old one.  Our friends provided the name of a very reliable handyman.  Keith showed up right on time, dismantled the old one, and quickly had the new one installed.  Price for labor - $50, which we thought was very reasonable.

The new Sharp Carousel Convection/Microwave oven.

Lucky for us our interior cleaning service, Kyle of Benson Carpet Cleaners comes to Tucson. He shampooed and Scotch Guarded carpet, upholstery, and ceiling plus a couple of area rugs. I'm sure we off-loaded gallons of Borrego dust and sand.  Our little home is now back to her beautiful old self.

Next on our fix-it agenda was the mechanic from RV MD who came by to install a new heat sensor for our Magnum Inverter.  The inverter tech not only installed the heat sensor but also replaced all the battery cable connections for our 6 battery house bank which were so corroded, even though Howard periodically cleans them. Now we should be in good shape power-wise, unless of course, the batteries have lived their life!

Otherwise, life goes on as usual,  We visit local friends and go for short walks in Tucson Mountain Park.  I say short because, like the motorhome entering advanced age, my back is steadily getting worse and walking and standing are very painful.  But still we need to keep pushing.

That's all for now, folks!

Tucson Mountain Park....

We have so many favorite places, and this ranks in the top 10.  We found a cute, quirky little RV Park a couple of years ago, thanks to local friends who canvass for us, and this rates high on that scale as well.  OK, it's the Bar J, but don't tell anyone.  They don't advertise, take reservations or credit cards, and it's pretty much word of mouth through us big mouths!  The spaces are pristine and nicely landscaped with the local saguaro gracing most of them.  Full patios, barbecue tables, and located in a section of ranchitos with lots of animals announcing their presence, off and on during day and night.  There are laundry rooms behind most sites, the washers are free, and there are lots of clotheslines for airing your nice clean sheets.  The weekly rate is $125, with a great monthly rate, and we have frequently parked our rig here for a month or so when in Mexico, or wherever.  Paul just said, Oh, stay where you are and unplug everything...OK!

Nice view, eh!

We are a short distance for some great hiking at Tucson Mountain Park, and a great place to recover from that nasty bug that put me down.  We may have been a bit over-zealous doing one of the loop trails that involved a fair amount of rock-scrambling and mountain climbing, but I made it....barely!

Along the trail

We only stayed for 9 days and spent most of that time getting many RV and car issues resolved.  The motorhome and car went in to the very nice father and son team at Tucson Driveline, to have our Remco lube pump checked out and to replace a very old Blue Ox tow bar.  This lube pump allows us to easily tow our Toyota RAV 4, which is not rated for towing.  We highly recommend their work and prices.

The car went in to Precision Toyota to get some warranty work done, something involving the back suspension,  Poor Howard sat there for the 5 hours it took to complete.  Well, he did a lot of walking and chess playing until his battery ran out.

We had a great visit and dinner with our local friends, Rodger and Sharon, who have very pretty storage shed doors...

Very pretty!

Rodger's work shop for wood-carving

We got mostly caught up on laundry, had a nice prime rib dinner at the local casino, and enjoyed the cool-ish days.  But it was soon time to head to Scottsdale, and some SF spring training games, and meeting up with the Stilley family.  Fun times ahead.

The best way for clean-smelling sheets!

Nice parking at the Bar J

Along our loop

Misery loves virtual company...

I never get sick...famous last words!  Over a week ago I was broadsided by a nasty virus that has had me practically bedridden for over a week.  Low-grade fever, deep chest cough, unrelenting nausea. Not nearly as serious as some, no need to sit in an urgent care facility with dozens of others, no antibiotics (not bacterial), no appetite.  No gatherings with local friends, though Kathie and Bob did stop by and she brought me soup and crackers, bless her heart!  Not exactly the tri-tip dinner we had planned to grill on our new propane Weber, along with local fresh asparagus and strawberries from a nearby farm stand. Though the major symptoms have dissipated, the weakness and malaise persists.

So virtual company through blogs and Facebook has provided much mind-diverting entertainment and taken me to happy places. Seeing photos of sprouting desert flowers, more gorgeous sunsets, hikes, beaches, travels to places added to my ever-growing list, and knowing this too will pass, prompted me to dig back a few years and contribute a few of my own wonderful memories.  These were taken in 2010, before the drought hit Anza Borrego and recent rains had produced a bounty of beauty.

Henderson Canyon

A hike up Coyote Mountain

Aside the road

Palm Canyon

Glorietta Canyon

Off S-22

Desert lilies in our backyard

Glorietta Canyon

Glorietta Canyon

Glorietta Canyon

Glorietta Canyon

After extending our stay at Lake Cahuilla several days longer than planned, we've finally hit the road heading for the Tucson Mountain area, and looking forward to putting this whole episode behind and having some fun. Thank you again for the hours of pleasure and entertainment in an otherwise sickly week.  Lesson learned...Never say never!