Well I have fought it for the last six months, but I have finally succumbed to the crud that many of you have posted about for many months. I had meetings yesterday that I couldn't miss, so I survived on DayQuil and cough drops, but after coughing all night and waking up with a fever, I decided today was the day to stay home and knock this thing out, once and for all, I hope!
Tracy and I had a wonderful Saturday at Cave Creek Regional Park, taking hikes and enjoying the sunshine. But that all changed Sunday morning about 1:30am when the wind kicked in with a vengeance and started blowing Iris and everything in our camp around.
Just about the time we would fall back to sleep, the wind would blow moving Iris side to side, waking us back up. Finally around 6:00am, we decided enough was enough and we showered and packed up to head home. I bundled up as I took up the stabilizer jacks and hooked up the tin can for the ride home. By the time I was done, my hands were red and frozen and we were looking forward to getting back to our sticks and bricks for the afternoon to warm up.
Mike, from Mello Mike's Truck Camper Adventures outlined a fan installation that solved his refrigerator cooling challenge during the summer. Looks like a simple solution that I am going to give a try, because our refrigerator always struggles during the hotter months, so it is worth a shot.
I want to welcome New Age Nomad as our 75th follower...welcome aboard and thanks for joining us.
I hope that your week is going well and that you are not caught up in any of those wild storms that are out there. Enjoy your week and be safe out there!
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Enjoying Cave Creek!
What a difference from our last outing at McDowell Mountain Park two weeks ago. We had rain and snow in Arizona on Wednesday of this week, so we weren't sure what we would face this weekend. I am happy to report that although it was a little chilly last night, we awoke to sunshine and birds singing this morning, which was great.
After a nice big breakfast, we headed out on a four mile hike on the Overton Trail to the visitor's center. Great temperature, sunshine and views, just beautiful. Came across a Brownie group riding horses, looked like they were having great fun.
Back to Iris for lunch and a few hours of the Accenture Match Play tournament down in Tucson. Always nice to get the local TV channels, our King Antenna is doing a great job.
Managed to figure out a way to transport our new portable water tank. Because you can't get all of the water out completely when dumping, I didn't want to take a chance of it leaking in our rig, so I had to figure out how to transport it. I have seen pictures of these tanks mounted to ladders on the backs of motor homes, so I had to figure a way to secure it to the ladder so that it would not come off during transport.
I fashioned a metal bracket to attach to the ladder rung and purchased a couple of straps to secure it. We made our first trip with it secured to the ladder, so far, so good. Always nice when something works out well.
Well it's time for another hike and a couple of bacon wrapped filets for dinner. We want to welcome Julie and Tom of RV and Outdoor Adventures of Julie and Tom as our most recent followers, thanks for joining us and welcome aboard!
I hope your weekend is going great and thanks for the visit, be safe out there.
After a nice big breakfast, we headed out on a four mile hike on the Overton Trail to the visitor's center. Great temperature, sunshine and views, just beautiful. Came across a Brownie group riding horses, looked like they were having great fun.
Back to Iris for lunch and a few hours of the Accenture Match Play tournament down in Tucson. Always nice to get the local TV channels, our King Antenna is doing a great job.
Managed to figure out a way to transport our new portable water tank. Because you can't get all of the water out completely when dumping, I didn't want to take a chance of it leaking in our rig, so I had to figure out how to transport it. I have seen pictures of these tanks mounted to ladders on the backs of motor homes, so I had to figure a way to secure it to the ladder so that it would not come off during transport.
I fashioned a metal bracket to attach to the ladder rung and purchased a couple of straps to secure it. We made our first trip with it secured to the ladder, so far, so good. Always nice when something works out well.
Well it's time for another hike and a couple of bacon wrapped filets for dinner. We want to welcome Julie and Tom of RV and Outdoor Adventures of Julie and Tom as our most recent followers, thanks for joining us and welcome aboard!
I hope your weekend is going great and thanks for the visit, be safe out there.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Wax On, No Wax Off!
Sunday was a great day, got out for a six mile walk near our home, wasn't planning to go that far, but it just felt so good with the sunshine and cool breeze that I didn't want to stop. I track my walks with an application on my iPhone and it provides a nice map of the area that was covered. Kind of fun to track and provides some additional motivation.
Several people inquired about my using floor wax on Iris and how it actually worked. I will tell you that there is much controversy regarding this process and I would never recommend it on a nice rig that still has a shine, but for our 20 year old rig that was badly oxidized with terribly faded graphics, I can't tell you what a difference it made for us.
I follow RV.net and it has been a great source of information over the years. I found the Red Max Pro Process and followed it. It took me almost two days, but it was well worth the time and effort. I have noticed that the side facing the sun does not do as well as the shaded side and has to be reapplied from time to time, but overall, we are very happy with the results.
Red Max Pro is no longer available, it has been replaced by Zep Wet Look, which costs almost double. I bought the last gallon of Red Max Pro at Lowe's last summer and have not seen it since.
Again, I am not recommending this process on new rigs, but it has been great for our very senior Iris, which had sat out in the hot desert sun in Casa Grand, Arizona for years.
Thanks for the visit, I hope your week is off to a great start and we are looking forward to some rest and relaxation this weekend at Cave Creek Campground.
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| My Sunday Route |
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| What A Beautiful Day! |
Several people inquired about my using floor wax on Iris and how it actually worked. I will tell you that there is much controversy regarding this process and I would never recommend it on a nice rig that still has a shine, but for our 20 year old rig that was badly oxidized with terribly faded graphics, I can't tell you what a difference it made for us.
I follow RV.net and it has been a great source of information over the years. I found the Red Max Pro Process and followed it. It took me almost two days, but it was well worth the time and effort. I have noticed that the side facing the sun does not do as well as the shaded side and has to be reapplied from time to time, but overall, we are very happy with the results.
Red Max Pro is no longer available, it has been replaced by Zep Wet Look, which costs almost double. I bought the last gallon of Red Max Pro at Lowe's last summer and have not seen it since.
Again, I am not recommending this process on new rigs, but it has been great for our very senior Iris, which had sat out in the hot desert sun in Casa Grand, Arizona for years.
Thanks for the visit, I hope your week is off to a great start and we are looking forward to some rest and relaxation this weekend at Cave Creek Campground.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
This 'n That!
Wow what a beautiful day here in Arizona, mid 70's and sunshine, doesn't get much better than that!
Tracy and her parents headed to San Diego yesterday for a wedding and the cats and I are on our own. So I decided to work on a few things that have been on my "To-Do" list for awhile.
I headed into work for a few hours this morning and then came home and did some laundry. After lunch, I decided to wax a section of our motor home that wasn't looking so good, in preparation for our outing to Cave Creek Campground next weekend.
Iris is 20 years old this year and is faded from the Arizona sun and her age. After reading many articles on RV.net, I used Red Max floor wax to bring back her shine. It was amazing the difference using this wax, but it has to be maintained from time to time. So that was my chore today and it looks great again. If Iris was 20 years younger, I wouldn't use this approach, but under the circumstances, she looks real good.
I purchased a CB antenna at a Love's Truck Stop a few months ago, but never installed it, so today was the day. I had a CB sitting in the garage, so I decided to install the new antenna and CB this afternoon. Wow, this brought back a lot of memories. Thirty five years ago or so, I used to spend a lot of time on the CB, listening and talking with people locally and throughout the world. It was sure a lot of fun, but it kind of lost its luster when I met Tracy and we started dating. So, I kind of went back to my childhood today when I installed that CB. I'm not sure if there is still anyone out there to talk with on the CB, but I am looking forward to having it on board.
So that was it for today, kind of fun to work on projects and really looking forward to having Tracy home on Monday and getting out camping again next weekend. Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks for the visit!
Tracy and her parents headed to San Diego yesterday for a wedding and the cats and I are on our own. So I decided to work on a few things that have been on my "To-Do" list for awhile.
I headed into work for a few hours this morning and then came home and did some laundry. After lunch, I decided to wax a section of our motor home that wasn't looking so good, in preparation for our outing to Cave Creek Campground next weekend.
Iris is 20 years old this year and is faded from the Arizona sun and her age. After reading many articles on RV.net, I used Red Max floor wax to bring back her shine. It was amazing the difference using this wax, but it has to be maintained from time to time. So that was my chore today and it looks great again. If Iris was 20 years younger, I wouldn't use this approach, but under the circumstances, she looks real good.
I purchased a CB antenna at a Love's Truck Stop a few months ago, but never installed it, so today was the day. I had a CB sitting in the garage, so I decided to install the new antenna and CB this afternoon. Wow, this brought back a lot of memories. Thirty five years ago or so, I used to spend a lot of time on the CB, listening and talking with people locally and throughout the world. It was sure a lot of fun, but it kind of lost its luster when I met Tracy and we started dating. So, I kind of went back to my childhood today when I installed that CB. I'm not sure if there is still anyone out there to talk with on the CB, but I am looking forward to having it on board.
So that was it for today, kind of fun to work on projects and really looking forward to having Tracy home on Monday and getting out camping again next weekend. Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks for the visit!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
All Tanked Up!
When we camp for more than a few days, our gray water tanks are full and it is time to dump. Breaking camp to dump our tanks is a big hassle and something I don't look forward to. When we used to tent camp, we always dumped our waste water in the desert, but that is a big no-no in most campgrounds.
I have been keeping an eye on the price of the Thetford SmartTote Portable Waste Tanks at Camping World and the price went up $20.00 since last year, so I have been checking Craigslist for deals on used tanks, unfortunately, as soon as I found one and called, it was gone.
So this weekend, Camping World had a Mardi Gras Sale and featured the Thetford SmartTote 27 Gallon Portable Tank, which normally sells for $255.00 for $178.00 with free shipping. I couldn't pass up this offer, so I placed the order and it is set to arrive on Thursday.
So it will be nice to be able to dump as needed and never have to worry about having to break camp again. This unit can be pulled behind the Tin Can, when the dump station is more than a reasonable walk away.
So that's all of the excitement from here so far this week, hope your week is going well and thanks for the visit!
I have been keeping an eye on the price of the Thetford SmartTote Portable Waste Tanks at Camping World and the price went up $20.00 since last year, so I have been checking Craigslist for deals on used tanks, unfortunately, as soon as I found one and called, it was gone.
So this weekend, Camping World had a Mardi Gras Sale and featured the Thetford SmartTote 27 Gallon Portable Tank, which normally sells for $255.00 for $178.00 with free shipping. I couldn't pass up this offer, so I placed the order and it is set to arrive on Thursday.
So that's all of the excitement from here so far this week, hope your week is going well and thanks for the visit!
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Our Apologies!
Tracy and I get out camping 6 to 8 times each year and I am always amazed at the weather that follows us. When we arrived at McDowell Mountain Park on Friday, I saw our neighbor who was camping in what appeared to be a modified horse trailer. It looked pretty spiffy, but I never did see a horse in there, just the women and her dog.
We spoke with our neighbor and she said the weather had been great all week and she was really enjoying it. I told her things were going to be changing now that we arrived and I offered her our apologies. I told her that the good news was that we would be leaving Sunday and it was sure to be a beautiful day.
You see just about every time we get away for a camping weekend, the weather turns south. There was the trip to Show Low in October when it was 95 degrees in the Valley and snowing when we got on the other side of Payson. That trip I didn't even pack long pants, so we had to make a trip to Walmart.
Then there was the New Years trip to Cave Creek when the weather turned to freezing and the sun decided to avoid us for three days. And of course our latest trip of cold, rain and wind for two days and as predicted, we awoke to sunshine and birds singing this morning as we packed to head home.
Please don't misunderstand, I am not complaining, I am just happy to have the opportunity to get away, no matter the weather. I have come to the conclusion that this is God's way of keeping us focused on working for the next fifteen or so years, knowing that if we had too much fun, it would be harder to return to reality.
So we will take what we can get, make sure to pack long pants always, no matter what the temperature is when leaving home, and get the most out of whatever weather we face. In the meantime, I am going to have to research some microwave recipes for s'mores, just in case.:)
I hope that your weekend was great, thanks for the visit and be careful out there!
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| Where's The Horse? |
We spoke with our neighbor and she said the weather had been great all week and she was really enjoying it. I told her things were going to be changing now that we arrived and I offered her our apologies. I told her that the good news was that we would be leaving Sunday and it was sure to be a beautiful day.
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| Snow In The Mountains...Burr! |
You see just about every time we get away for a camping weekend, the weather turns south. There was the trip to Show Low in October when it was 95 degrees in the Valley and snowing when we got on the other side of Payson. That trip I didn't even pack long pants, so we had to make a trip to Walmart.
Then there was the New Years trip to Cave Creek when the weather turned to freezing and the sun decided to avoid us for three days. And of course our latest trip of cold, rain and wind for two days and as predicted, we awoke to sunshine and birds singing this morning as we packed to head home.
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| Beautiful Sunday As Predicted! |
Please don't misunderstand, I am not complaining, I am just happy to have the opportunity to get away, no matter the weather. I have come to the conclusion that this is God's way of keeping us focused on working for the next fifteen or so years, knowing that if we had too much fun, it would be harder to return to reality.
So we will take what we can get, make sure to pack long pants always, no matter what the temperature is when leaving home, and get the most out of whatever weather we face. In the meantime, I am going to have to research some microwave recipes for s'mores, just in case.:)
I hope that your weekend was great, thanks for the visit and be careful out there!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Cold, Windy And Rainy = No Fun!
After a long work week, I was really looking forward to a great weekend of rest and relaxation at McDowell Mountain Park. When we arrived last night, we knew that there was a chance for some rain, but we had no idea of the stormy evening that laid ahead!
Tracy and I were looking forward to our evening fire and S'mores, but the wind kicked up and the temperature felt like it dropped 10-15 degrees quickly. So to ensure that we didn't miss out, we decided to have our fire and S'mores for our snack before dinner.
We decided to call it an early evening in anticipation of the wind, and it sure didn't let us down.
It started with light rain followed by heavy rain throughout the night, and then about 2:30am, the wind kicked up to the point that I thought the roof on Iris was going to be torn off and end up in the fountain at Fountain Hills.
All in all, Tracy and I got about four hours of sleep as the rig shook side to side all night. So this afternoon will be reading and naps by the fireplace, with the hope that tonight will be a little less raucous!
Hope your weekend is going great and thanks for the visit!
Tracy and I were looking forward to our evening fire and S'mores, but the wind kicked up and the temperature felt like it dropped 10-15 degrees quickly. So to ensure that we didn't miss out, we decided to have our fire and S'mores for our snack before dinner.
We decided to call it an early evening in anticipation of the wind, and it sure didn't let us down.
It started with light rain followed by heavy rain throughout the night, and then about 2:30am, the wind kicked up to the point that I thought the roof on Iris was going to be torn off and end up in the fountain at Fountain Hills.
All in all, Tracy and I got about four hours of sleep as the rig shook side to side all night. So this afternoon will be reading and naps by the fireplace, with the hope that tonight will be a little less raucous!
Hope your weekend is going great and thanks for the visit!
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| Clouds Started Rolling In! |
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| Wind and Rain! |
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| New Fireplace To Keep Us Warm! |
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Work, Work And More Work!
Well as the title indicates, last week was busy and next week will be even busier. We have a new client engagement with some very tight due dates, so not much time to enjoy things like keeping up with my blog.
We were able to get out to our favorite Chinese food restaurant with our neighbors last night, which was great and our house has become the Super Bowl party spot for family today, so that will be fun too!
I want to welcome Robert as our latest follower. It doesn't appear that Robert has a blog that I can direct you too, so we will just say welcome aboard.
The good news is that Tracy and I are scheduled to be camping at McDowell Mountain Park next weekend and I am especially looking forward to the break.
So with that I will wish you all a great Sunday, I've been enjoying watch Phil Mickelson lead the Phoenix Open and I am hoping he goes all the way. Thanks for stopping by and be safe and happy out there!
We were able to get out to our favorite Chinese food restaurant with our neighbors last night, which was great and our house has become the Super Bowl party spot for family today, so that will be fun too!
I want to welcome Robert as our latest follower. It doesn't appear that Robert has a blog that I can direct you too, so we will just say welcome aboard.
The good news is that Tracy and I are scheduled to be camping at McDowell Mountain Park next weekend and I am especially looking forward to the break.
So with that I will wish you all a great Sunday, I've been enjoying watch Phil Mickelson lead the Phoenix Open and I am hoping he goes all the way. Thanks for stopping by and be safe and happy out there!
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