First week back

As I write this we are just 24 hours away from hitting the road, so stay tuned for more posts as we wander. Not many pictures this time time but we should have some in the next one.

We left with the intent of getting thru Phoenix traffic at around 10 am and taking rt 87 to Payson. When we got a little north of Phoenix we started seeing signs that 87 was closed due to wildfires. We weren’t in a rush so we diverted to the West side of town and onto I 17.

We have made reservations for the first 3 weeks and so found ourselves at the Meteor Crater RV park which is West of Winslow. Quite a nice CG with full hookups and far enough off I40 that there was no traffic noise.

The clear plastic to the right blocked the faucet.

After we’d set up we discovered that the cold water faucet in the bathroom wasn’t working. The hot was OK, and all the cold water in the rest of the rig, but not in the bathroom!

After multiple attempts to fix it we finally just bought a new one, then I decided to delve deep into the guts of the old one and found a piece of plastic in one of the passages of the thing. Best guess is that a piece of the wrapper for the last new filter we put in was inside the new filter and was drawn thru all the piping into that one faucet!

The rim of Meteor Crater

An idea of how big the crater is.

We moved on with our lives and went to visit the Meteor Crater. This is really impressive, over a mile in diameter and 500 feet deep. It was created when a large meteor crashed into the earth at 26,000 miles and hour.

Standing on the corner. A MAJOR tourist attraction.

We naturally explored Winslow, visiting the “Standing on the Corner” statues and the La Posada Railway Hotel built in the 1920’s for the passenger trade. The place had been left derelict then restored and it is really worth a visit. Later in the day I was chatting with my Cousin Liz in England and found she had been right here experiencing the same things 16 years ago.

La Posada

Wonderful interiors of the hotel.

Lots of places are still closed but we found a brewery that was open and had lunch there. Later on we talked it over and decided that it maybe wasn’t the smartest thing we might have done because it was very crowded and there was no social distancing going on. The staff weren’t wearing masks or gloves (Except the chefs) and I personally didn’t see anyone cleaning tables. If we go somewhere similar in future we will probably turn around and leave.

The beer was excellent but later on we reconsidered how comfortable we felt there.

The Elks Lodge was open and doing good things, plus keeping to the guidelines. After a tour of the Lodge and the exchange of Lodge pins we had a nice dinner and a few drinks before returning to the rig.

Of course this is all on the old Route 66

We explored some of the abandoned roadside attractions

We took a picnic lunch with us when we went to Flagstaff and Walnut Canyon, where there are cliff dwellings in the canyon walls. We got out of the car and actually hiked a while there.

Walnut Canyon is very deep

Cliff dwellings in the canyon

Barbara said it was like a cliff dwelling high rise

There is a drive from there through Sunset Crater Volcano Park up to the Wupatki Pueblo Park. The crater was a little bland, although the lava field is dramatic. The Pueblos though were really worth visiting, they were built 1500 years ago, with views across the plateau and the red rocks stood out in the bright sun. A raven watched us from a pinion tree making me think about the native spirits here.

One of the pueblos

I felt like his spirit was watching us

This huge pueblo had 100 rooms and 2 ball courts

So what have we learned in this first week back on the road?

First the national parks are open, at least in this area. The visitor centers are closed and as a result they are not charging for admission.

Some places are open as usual but some are not. They don’t seem to have updated their websites so it’s better to call ahead and ask if they are open. We went to the Flagstaff Elks only to find it had reopened then closed down again.

We also learned to look at places before we go in to find out if we feel comfortable with the Covid prevention steps inside.

So that’s it for now.

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Moving on

This has been a difficult couple of months, as everyone on this little planet of ours knows. We have been pretty sheltered here due to the RV Park we stay at being gated, and the positive steps taken by the management, staff and residents. The friends we have made here have stayed strong and we have had carefully controlled gatherings which have provided some variety and companionship for us all.

Typical weather in Arizona in June

We have never intended spending summers here in Casa Grande where the temperatures regularly exceed 100 degrees after May. Quite when we would leave is controlled by the spread and retreat of the virus.

Something to keep me busy.

Our major problem has been that our South Dakota Drivers Licenses were due to be renewed this year. Barbara's in April and mine in June. We contacted the SD Public Safety Office (who issue drivers licenses in SD) in March before Barbara's was due to renew simply because the weather would not be suitable for a trip up there. We intended to get there before mine was due. She was granted a 90 day extension which would avoid her having to resit the driving test.

When the virus came along we wouldn't be able to get there in time for either license, but when we called again they extended them for another year. This excellent service from such agencies is why we base ourselves in South Dakota!

With that problem resolved we could look at our summer plans for 2020.

Our intent had been to leave here April 1st attend the Escapade Rally in Wyoming and make a slow trip up to Rapid City for the drivers licenses. Next to head East to Upstate New York to explore the Finger Lakes area, finishing the summer in Maine for the Lobster Festival in Rockport MN.

All of that now needed to be reviewed and a projected date for departure fixed.

Off to Blue Beacon to get the rig washed.

We have the RV in storage at the park and the monthly rental for that runs from the 12th. We want to get the rig set up on a campsite with power and water for a couple of days before we leave to charge the batteries fully, get the fridge running and to flush and fill the water tank.

The State of Arizona was opening campgrounds and restaurants, June 12th looks promising for a move. If we set the rig up for 2 days on a camp site that would give us June 15th as the day we drove away.

We have (Of Course!) some maintenance items on the rig. The dash AC wasn't cooling properly, the engine is due for an oil change, the top slide seals need replacing, there has been a water leak thru the rear AC in heavy rain, the awning over the entry door has a strap for pulling it out that had broken and finally the TV antenna hasn't worked since the local cable company messed up all the coax cables last winter.

Matt and Carol had some work done at a place in Phoenix D&R Family RV and were happy with what was done. In the RV world a good company can be hard to find and word of mouth is especially valuable. We called them and they told us that they could do all the internal work but not the AC and oil change, They did however recommend the place across the street from them, Fair Auto, who they used themselves.

Over the next 2 weeks we had all the items resolved. It turned out that the AC mounting bolts were loose so D&R checked BOTH AC's and tightened them up. They also tried the TV antenna and surprisingly it worked fine! We must have tried it in an area with no signal (Duhh!). So not only was everything done but at a much lower cost than we had feared.

We set a date of June 15th to leave and plotted a rough route to South Dakota thru Utah and Wyoming. After SD we have an itch to go back to see our friends Sheri and David in Beloit Wisconsin and there are some friends along the way who have invited us to stop by.

Normally we don't make reservations but with the pandemic we decided we would. We decided Show Low Arizona would be nice for a first stop (20 degrees cooler up there) and looked at Thousand Trails who have an affiliated resort there. 

HA! Good luck there! The website said call the customer service number which we did. After 30 minutes on hold we gave up. I called the park direct and they had 2 vacancies but if I booked by phone I'd have to pay. If I did it thru the TT site or customer service it would be free. No luck with either of them so I went to the Good Sam website and found a vacancy in Winslow  Arizona. We made that reservation and we can go see the Meteor Crater there too. Next we decided that we'd like to see more of Monument Valley Utah and made a reservation in Blanding.

Barbara realized the following week was July 4th and reservations can be tough to get that week so another reservation in Vernal Utah was made. Wow look at us planning things! Seems very weird.

So we have to start moving stuff back into the rig and prep the house for being empty until November. Being in the house has seemed completely natural, from the second we moved in it has been as if we have lived here all our lives. But when we got the rig set up on a vacant spot and got the AC and fridge running, slides opened it felt just like home too! That seems like the best of both worlds!

Naturally there are things that need to be done, a minor water leak, tightening up the tow bar on the back of the rig, draining and flushing the water tank etc. Plus restocking the kitchen, moving clothes, tools and all the stuff we took out in March. So much to do!

Oh yes! Getting to eat at a restaurant at last!

We sneaked in a dinner out at our favorite restaurant in Casa Grande: Bedillons. We both chose Prime Rib medium rare and crab soup to start. It's funny how we both look at the menu separately yet end up ordering the same thing!

I nearly forgot to take a picture of the food it has been so long!

It was wonderful and the steak was one of the best we've ever had. We only ate half of the portion but were completely stuffed afterwards! Neither of us slept well, I suppose we're not used to the rich food but it was worth it! And we got to enjoy the other half a couple of days later.

More of our friends have left for the summer so we were down to 7 at the Elks just before we left. The lodge was quiet but friendly as ever and it was nice to see everyone before we leave.

As I write this we are just 24 hours away from hitting the road, so stay tuned for more posts as we wander. Not many pictures this time time but we should have some in the next one.

See YA!
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