Final Days at Cave Creek and moving on North

Saturday April 27
I SEE WHY...
Why RVer's come to Arizona in the WINTER!
Why Arizonians with RV's leave for the Northwest in Spring/Summer!

101 degrees today.  We took the Harley to Costco in early afternoon, since this was our last chance for Costco for... ? awhile.
It was too much for me.  It used to be that I loved the heat... no matter how hot.  But I guess our bodies change, and I cant seem to handle this heat the past week.  I wonder how I will handle the Summer in Moab Utah.

Our friends, Harry & Drina, leave in 2 weeks for camp host assignments on the Oregon Coast and on the Columbia Gorge in Northern Oregon.  NOW I understand their love for Oregon in Summer.

But regardless of the heat, we have very much enjoyed our 2 weeks here.  Good times with good friends... crackling fires under a starry sky... warm rides... but not a lot of hiking on the trails.  The heat is one reason, the other reason is this...


Blends in with its surroundings quite well... don't you think?

 

 

Turtle burgers??

I had never had turtle before... but I was willing to give it a try.

Harry and Emma were quite proud of their turtle burgers.

Cute little boy...
One morning last week, Drina came by with Levi, a just turned One year old.  Drina babysits a few mornings a week.  He was a delight!  A much more enjoyable way to enjoy our morning coffee.
 

WATER!!
There isn't a lot of water in the desert, and it was calling our name.  Even though we didn't get in the water or go out on the water... it was still nice being by the water.  (They charge crazy prices to rent a boat!)

 
 
 Jeff and I rode out to Lake Pleasant last week and enjoyed lunch at Dillons at  Scorpion Bay Marina.  We (not just us... but everyone around us) tossed pieces of bread and fries into the lake where the ducks darted for it, but if we tossed in enough it floated down and got the attention of the fish... there were ALOT of fish... BIG fish... if only we could toss a string in!

BUT we forgot our camera that day.  SO we invited Harry and Drina to go for lunch with us on Friday.  We got a few pictures (those above) but SOMEONE dropped yet another camera.


Campfires with friends...

Desert Sunsets...

Monday April 29
Dead Horse Ranch State Park...
Yesterday was travel day.  After our 2 weeks at Cave Creek we traveled 90 miles North to Dead Horse Ranch SP, in Cottonwood.  The drive was nice, and 90 miles... now that's my kind of travel day.

 Even with only 90 miles to go, we made a stop to check the swivel wheel and let the tire cool.

We weren't sure we would like this park as much, especially since we got a pull-thru site... but we immediately knew we would like it here.

There are so many surrounding places we plan to go and things to see... and a train to ride!
Tomorrow is Jeff's birthday so maybe we will do the Verde Canyon Railway ride tomorrow.  WHATEVER my man wants!

Beautiful Day... Incredible Ride!

Yesterday we took the Harley out on a back road tour to visit three other parks/campgrounds in the area.  Since we've started camp hosting and workamping, we try to visit park and campgrounds in the areas we visit so we know if we might be interested in hosting there in the future.
Temps were in the mid to high 80s yesterday, with just a mild breeze.  I planned out the route so as to avoid traffic as much as possible, and it turned out to be an incredible ride.

The ride was 140 miles roundtrip.  We took McDowell Mountain Rd, and stopped at McDowell Mountain Regional Park (Maricopa County Park).  It was secluded and quiet with nice host sites, so it is a possibility for future hosting. 

 

Then we rode through the town of Fountain Hills, which gave us the impression of being the more upscale part of the Phoenix area, with beautiful golf courses on both sides of the road, and golf cart crossings.

 

From there we hopped the 87 Beeline Hwy headed toward Payson, but we went only a few miles and turned onto Bush Hwy which would take us through the Tonto National Forest, past Saguaro Lake, then bring us to Usery Mountain Pass Rd.

 

It was a little freaky at times because the road often did this... 

 

 



 The road would climb to a high point, then suddenly drop back down... so you couldn't see what was coming until you were at the very top.  On a motorcycle, that bothers me a lot more than in a car.

Off of Usery Mountain Pass Rd is Usery Mountain Regional Park.  THIS park may be the most beautiful desert park we have ever been to.  The sites are surrounded by every kind of cactus and desert plant.  The park just felt inviting.

... and all the host sites had a tall shelter for the RV

 

 

After letting the bike cool down a bit, we set out for the third park on our list... Lost Dutchmen State Park, which is out past Apache Junction.  This town gave us an opposite impression of that of Fountain Hills.

Our impression of this park wasn't good.  For whatever reason, we both described it as almost depressing.

This helicopter had been out searching for a man who went missing on a hike in the Superstition mountains a few days ago.  Unfortunately, they found his body this morning.  The man had gone hiking by himself, without knowing the area and without enough water.

From Lost Dutchmen SP, I routed us the quickest way home, since we had plans to meet up with Harry & Drina at the Road Runner.  But this was Friday in Phoenix rush hour... NOT FUN!  I was so tense.  People drive crazy at 75-85 mph weaving in and out searching for the fastest lane, and we are so vulnerable out there in the open on a motorcycle.  I had Jeff get off the freeway as soon as we could... I'd had enough.  The bike was running hot so we stopped to let it cool down and calm our (my) nerves with a cold beer.  I was so sun burned that I wanted to get back to get Aloe Vera put on it, so we went back home instead of meeting up with our friends.  Up until that last hour, the day had been enjoyable but by then I was just so glad to be off the bike and feet on the ground safely at home. 

We are meeting up with our friends as well as their grandkids in a few minutes, so better get going.
 

Back in Cave Creek, AZ

Monday, 4/15

Its time to work on those suntans... and we started on that this afternoon.  A Sunny 90 degrees... we're liking it!

We arrived after sunset last night, and getting into our site was a bit challenging.  This site is angled so that the driver has to back up on his blind side... so this along with being tired, it being dark, and the swivelwheel trailer with the Harley... it got tense.
We finally stopped with the truck still in the road, offloaded the Harley, removed the swivelwheel trailer, THEN tried it again.  We got it... and we were comfortable but we waited until this morning unhook the truck.

All was well this morning... I opened the bedroom blind to see the best view we have seen from bed in a very long time.  No people, no buildings, nothing artificial... just mountains and ground covered with a variety of desert plants and cacti... Saguaro, Ocotillo, Prickly Pear, Barrel.  It was a beautiful start to the day.

 

 

We're in the same site we were in when we were here last April.  What I hadn't remembered was that we can get television.  We are able to get over 40 digital channels just with the antenna.  This is good and bad.  We like having television... but we tend to go to bed earlier if we don't have it.  We seem to like to sleep... so the later we stay up, the later we sleep in the morning, so warm sunshine is wasting away.

 

We enjoyed our trip here... I would like to have had more days to get here... but we did it and still enjoyed it in the 4 days we allowed ourselves.  We stayed the first night at Sparks Marina RV park... a good park for a good price.  The second night we stayed in the RV Truck parking lot beside Banc Club in Tonopah, NV.  We stayed there before, and although it was busier this time, there was space for us, it was quiet and enjoyable.  By the time we got up... there was only one other rig in the lot.

 

 

Jeff checked on the Harley and Swivelwheel, and found that we had a broken strap!

 

 



So on the list to buy is heavy-heavy-heavier ratchet straps.  Especially after the next day, when  ANOTHER strap broke!

The third night we were hoping to make it to Boulder City... and we could have, but it was getting dark and we were approaching the center of Vegas where we would merge onto the 215, then exit onto the 515... and all that seemed too stressful to do in the dark.  On my map and the internet I found Oasis Las Vegas Resort which we would be going right by before we got much further into Vegas.

Just 10 minutes away, I called to see if they had a site that would accommodate our 62 feet... and they did, but it would require their "big rig" site.  Next question, "how much?" She told me how much... "WHAT? HOW MUCH??" then we lost signal.  So I called back.  Yep... I heard right.  $70.56 Wow... sure glad I have that AAA discount.  I told her I would tell my husband and let him freak out too then we would either be there or we wouldn't.  At first Jeff said NO WAY! but we decided we could find some way to justify it... we needed to stop for the day.



Until this night, the highest crazy amount we have paid was $65!  That was our very first night out in our new fifth wheel.  We took it from Elkhart, Indiana to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where we wanted to visit the Harley factory and museum.  The only place we could find was the fairgrounds... AND the fair was going on!  So we paid $65 to park on pavement in a lot backed up to the roller coaster!

So I have to admit... this resort was a lot nicer than the last ridiculously expensive stay, but give me a break!  I am parking my own home!  they don't have to make my bed or vacuum the floor or clean my shower.  And get this!  When I checked in, she asked if I wanted Wifi... it was EXTRA!!
So Did That... Wont Do it Again.

Sunday morning we pulled out of this fine resort and made our way through Vegas, around Hoover Dam, and into Arizona.  We stopped to relax and enjoy ourselves a few times, so we didn't arrive at our destination until dark... but I guess that's where I started this post.  Here we are... set up at Cave Creek Regional Park.

Now its Tuesday evening, and we have very much enjoyed our first 2 days here. 
Yesterday evening we went to our friends house.  We met Harry & Drina while hosting together at Carl Washburne SP in Oregon.  They are RVers but only part-time.  They have a beautiful home here in New River, Arizona.

We plan to see a lot of each other while we're here.



 Today we just enjoyed our site and the park, and rode the Harley to Wal-Mart to get a few things (like those heavy heavy duty tie down straps). It was a bit windy today and forecast is wind tomorrow, but hopefully that's it for wind.  I don't like wind.  We have lots of local Harley trips planned, sites to see, hikes to do.

Thanks for checking on us... and if you have time, will you leave us a note?



Moving South and East

We moved out of Redding RV Park as planned on March 29th.  Headed for Valley of the Rogue State Park, out of Rogue River, Oregon.

We settled into our reserved space for 8 nights… which turned into 13 nights.

The weather didn’t cooperate too well for working outside at our house or playing outside, but we did get some things done, and enjoyed our time back in Southern Oregon.

We had the chance to spend some time with family. 

My parents live just a few miles from the park, and my sister, Carol, came down from Portland.

Our hope was to have both of Jeff’s sons together for a few days, but we are happy for what we did get.  Jacob and his girlfriend Kody drove down from Madras and spent 2 nights.

Sadly, Jonathan did not join us, but we did get a chance to see him briefly a few nights later.  We spent a few hours together around a roaring campfire… but failed to get any pictures!

Now we are driving the familiar route from Oregon to Reno.  We take I-5 to Mt.Shasta then turn off on Hwy 89 that cuts us over to Susanville then we take the 395 into Reno.  It’s a beautiful drive, but a lot of climbing and descending, and a little winding.

We passed one of our favorite pull-over boondocking spots, where we would have stayed last night if we had gotten away as originally planned.  But since we didn’t leave until this morning, we will drive through to the Reno area 328 miles, where we hope to stay Sparks Marina RV Park.  I better give them a call.

Its good to be on the road again.  Although the same excitement isn’t there this time.  Maybe because we have plans and set destinations.  It isn’t like we are just free floating gypsy’s… that’s exciting… and we  could be doing that now… but when you are 62 feet long, you cant always just expect there will be a place to stay.  We have 2 two week reservations at parks in Arizona, then its off to Moab, Utah for our Summer assignment. 

Happy Travels all of you fellow RVers!

It’s All Good…

New workamper park managers came in, and its good!  They are fun, friendly, and competent.  We’re all Smiling!  Norma is delightful!



We get our days off again… and the weather continues to be incredible!



The Redding area has a lot of good roads for a relaxing motorcycle ride… and we’ve enjoyed a few.



Like I said…. It’s All Good.

“NEXT...”

We have been here just 4 1/2 months… and here we go again!  We are soon to be onto the fourth round of park “managers”.  Couple #3 is out of here today.  The time they last seems to be getting even shorter!  The first couple lasted 2 months.  Second couple 6 weeks.  Third couple 5 1/2 weeks.  Shall we place bets on how long couple #4 lasts??

They have all left, whether voluntary or involuntary or mutual, for different reasons.  But one thing is for sure… they all came here with an unclear picture of the job.  After they got here, it wasn’t what they “expected”… whatever those expectations were. 

When we inquire about a workamping or camp hosting job, we ask a lot of questions, and we make sure we get clear answers… preferably in writing.  I like to summarize my understanding, with specifics about the issues that are important to us, and put it into an email… then I make sure I get an email response.  This way if it doesn’t turn out to be what we agreed to, I have my “letter of understanding” to back us up.  It may not change things, but if we decided to leave early because it wasn’t what we agreed to, we wouldn’t be in the wrong.  I also like to get a picture of our site… this will be our home for a few months, so we want to be comfortable.  We like to keep to our commitments… and park owners, business owners, host coordinators all like to find people that will keep to their commitments. 


So if we were ALL (Owners/Employers AND Workampers) honest and clear about the details and expectations… this hiring, quitting, firing, rehiring wouldn’t keep repeating itself!

So what does this latest change mean for us?  We’re sticking it out. 

The owners have hired another couple who will be coming here from Washington in a week or two.  They have experience, and hopefully they have clear expectations.  Either that or they have a “go with the flow” attitude… an attitude far from the personalities of the last 3 couples who have come and go.

Workamping is not for people out to make lots of money.  nor is it for people on a power trip.  Workamping is not for people with something to prove.  Workampers are usually full-time RVers.  If you’re old enough to be a full-time RVer you should have proven yourself by now.  If you haven’t by now… you may need to give up on that.

Full-time RV life is suppose to be fun!  But it doesn’t have to be playtime everyday.  Some FT RVers are workampers or park hosts because they just like to have something to do, a little responsibility a few days a week.   Some are workampers because they need a few extra dollars to live this dream life!  It IS a dream life… and we should be thankful we are able to do it, however we are able to do it.  If we want it to work for us we need to make it work for us.  If we need to prove ourselves or make lots of money… maybe we should just go back to sticks & bricks, rush hour traffic, and the 9 to 5 rat race.  But NOT US… We choose to make the best of every day we have this life!  and we will do what we need to do to keep this life!

Ok… I’m stepping off my soapbox, now.

3 Years ago today...

3 years ago... we woke up the morning of February 5th, with a new excitement for our life.  We didnt have to go to work!  It wasn't the weekend, it wasn't our vacation... we didn't have jobs anymore!  We had said all our good-byes to co-workers the day before and went home to start a new life.

This is what I thought of first thing when I awoke this morning.

How exciting that morning was.  There was a lot to do... but how fun!  Without a work schedule to keep, we could now move in to our travel trailer, that was parked beside our house.  Then we could really kick it into gear with getting rid of all our stuff.  And that we did.  We freed ourselves of STUFF!  Who needs 2000 sf of house with rooms and rooms of stuff... and cupboards and closets all full of stuff!  We didnt and we still don't.  We are very content with our new roaming life and our small house on wheels with just the stuff we need.  and we dont miss the rat race!

One of these days I am going to do a recap of our full-time RVing adventure.  I said that at the one year mark, and again at the end of two years.  Here we are at three years... maybe now!  never know.

GO NINERS!!!

The 49ers havent been in a Super Bowl since 1995.  They were in 5 Super Bowls up to 1995, and they won every Super Bowl they played.

We also like the Ravens because of player Michael Oher.  Did you see the movie "Blind Side"?

But the 49ers have to be the team we are rooting for this year.  We have named this Super Bowl, the "Kenny Bowl".  My late husband, Ken Feriante, was a serious 49er fan.  Unfortunately, the last 11 years of his life, the team no longer did well.  But they have finally made it to the Super Bowl again, and we know he would be freaking thrilled!  So this Super Bowl is for you, Ken.

Are you watching the game today??  Who is your team?

8 Sleeps until Superbowl!

Yep that's right... only 8 more sleeps until them 49ers go to the Superbowl!  Last week I was rooting for the 49ers and the Ravens... and it worked!  Next Sunday I will scream for those 49ers until they WIN!

We have planned a Superbowl Party here at the park, down in the clubhouse.  We went to Costco last night and bought munchies for the Superbowl.  I saw a commercial tonight for the Puppy Bowl which is on before the Superbowl.  I will be sure to watch that as well!

So what does this cactus have to do with the Superbowl... or anything else??
Nothing really.  I just dont have any related pictures to post,  This is Cactus Harry... named this because our friend Harry gave it to us off his property when we visited him last year near Phoenix.
Harry is having a timeout in the corner because he stuck me twice in one day with its clusters of barbed spine!  These prickly pear cactus are not something you want to mess with!

We got a text from RV friends, Steve & Roberta, today... saying they were at a bar in Galveston, and they wished we were there.  Ya... we do too!  This is a photo taken from one of our favorite Happy Hour places when we were in Galveston last February or March.
Steve & Roberta are headed to New Orleans, just as we were when we were there.  But we were a little later in the year and the storms had started so we chickened out and turned around.  We sure hope to make it to Louisiana and Florida... maybe late in 2013.

Well I've worked my 2 days for the week, and I dont have to work for 5 days!  whoo-hoo!
Jeff on the other hand only has one day off, then works one day, then has another day off, then another work day, then another day off!  We will keep with this schedule another 6 weeks... then we are on the road again!

Hope to see some of you down the road!

Aaahh... WARM SUNSHINE!!

At last... some REALLY Warm days!  The weather the past several days has been amazing!

Soaking in the Sun... Motorcycle Rides without bundling, Warm Walks in shorts & tank tops, its all good if its in the Sun!

I recline in the Sun and watch my man work!

This past week the schedule was changed yet again!  Now Jeff will work 4 days each week.  We will both work our 2 days, then Jeff will work 2 extra days, every other day, to assure that the park is well maintained.  It means a few more dollars to apply to future travels, so its all good with us.

We plan to give it until mid-March here, then go to Southern Oregon for a week, before traveling further South and East.  We have several friends to meet up with in Arizona before settling in Utah for the Summer.

We have friends to meet up with in Iowa after we leave Utah... then we may travel together to the New England States in the Fall.  We've talked about the possibility of Wintering out in Florida... perhaps getting a workamping job for the Winter.  Never know what the next year will hold!

We had a dinner get-together at the park Friday night.  Deven, one of the monthly tenants, agreed to make clam chowder for "us" at the request and expense of another monthly tenant, Jim.  But somehow, Jim forgot!  Deven had the meal ready, guests had arrived, but Jim was not here!  So I called Jim and found him to have gone for a drive... he was up in the snow and said he would be back in a couple days.  Hmmm... Okay... well Thank you Deven for all your hours of hard work on a very good home cooked clam chowder, delicious garlic bread and a beautiful salad!  This guy should have been a Chef!  The other guy... well, thank you for your generosity... but maybe we should get you a day planner.
It was an awesome meal and we all had a fun time.

Today we worked, but also made sure to watch the football game.  My throat hurt by afternoon, but way to go Niners!  what a game!!

Winter Travel and Oh No's!

 

Over the mountains and through the Snow...

 to Mom and Dads house we go...

We made it over the Siskiyou pass without incident, but not everyone was so lucky.  As we descended the Summit, there was a truck pulling a Couger fifth wheel that didnt make it.  The truck had gone off the road onto the bank and the trailer was partially tipped over.  I didnt get a picture of it because we were too busy going "Aaahh.... Oohh... Aaahh.."  I was sure the wife was saying "I told you we shouldn't try it today!"  or maybe not... but I think I may have been saying that.  But then, we probably wouldn't have tried it.

We nearly always play games when visiting my parents... and it is usually Skip-bo.  But Skip-bo was nowhere to be found... so we settled for Uno.  To play Uno, you match the number or color of the previous card.  Have you tried playing Uno with someone in their 80's?  ok... maybe thats not fair... it could be anyone with poor eyesight.  Matching the number is no problem... but matching the color is a different story.  Green or Blue??  "does this match?" "does this match?" It made for more laughter... and isnt that what games are for?  to laugh and have fun together... and that we did.

The new header photo is Mt. Shasta... near our current home of Redding, CA.
I took it this afternoon on our way back from our little get-away.  I took it with our NEW Camera.  That's where the first "Oh No" comes in.  We had to buy a new "lesser" camera today, because we broke our "better" camera yesterday. 
We've tried to be so careful with our new camera (bought just 6 months ago).  We carefully passed it from Jeff's hands to mine, but the strap caught his finger, so as he pulled his hand away, the camera was pulled out of my hands and on to the pavement.  It broke!!  "OH NO!!"  How can an RVer do without a camera??                                                    

Not an award winning photo...                              but the last photo taken with our fine camera.

We were visiting the beach, in Brookings, Oregon... an unexpected get-away from our planned get-away.  We had gone to Medford, Oregon to stay a couple days with my parents.  But they had just come back from Brookings, and had left an important bag. (the bag with Skip-bo in it!)  So we offered to drive over and get it. 

 I needed an ocean fix, anyway.  I think they must have had a storm... look at all the driftwood covering the beach.  and the waves were huge for the Oregon coast.

 The drive from Southern Oregon to the Oregon Coast, via California, takes you along the Smith River on a very narrow road.                                                 Its a beautiful drive... but can you imagine pulling a 39 ft fifth wheel trailer through here?  People do it.  We do it!  The condition of the guard rail clearly shows that not everyone makes it without incident.

I would have taken pictures of the Smith River Canyon on the way back, but did I mention...

I didn't have a camera!!!

 

It didnt take long for me to decide I really had to get another camera.  I couldnt justify spending more than $100 though, since we had so quickly destroyed a more expensive camera.  We were in Oregon, one of only 4 States with no sales tax, so now was the time to get it. 

  We went to Costco, and I bought a Canon for $89 that was normally $149... so it seemed like a good deal.  I charged the battery and tried it out.  It was awful!!  It was slower than slow and the photos were grainy.

  We packaged it up and took it back.  Thankfully they let me return it.  This time I bought another Panasonic, for just $10 more.  I had a Panasonic before, but a more expensive model.  Now we are very happy with our new "lesser" Panasonic.

 

We came back home today... after a little shopping.  We stopped at Fred Meyer in Medford on our way out, and Jeff tried on some Levis.  We chose to leave the Levi's behind... but we also left something else behind.  It wasnt until we stopped in Yreka, California that we realized Jeff left his wallet in the fitting room!  This is the second "OH NO!"  I located the phone # for the store and called.  Thankfully... they had the wallet safely stored in their safe!  PTL!

Also Thankfully... my mom is there, so she is picking up the wallet and mailing it to us!! 

Thank you MOM!

 

 

Winter travel can be very beautiful.  This is the drive home...

 

I love the Snow!  If it has to be cold... I want Snow!

Now we are back home in Redding.  No snow here.  Infact, it is suppose to be nearing 70 degrees this week!  Riding weather.  We work Tuesday and Wednesday... then its play time in the Sunshine!

Hope our blogger friends are all well, and you are enjoying your Winter wherever it may be.