Wednesday - The Return Trip

We started early as planned after topping off the RV diesel tank ($125.38 - thank you) and heading East. The Garmin evidently didn't know we could bypass Phoenix via AZ 85 and IH-8 but we drove that way anyway. It was a good decision and part way down the road, the Garmin caught on and led us the rest of the way into Benson.

We stopped at the Pardner RV Park which turned out to be pretty small and nearly full of slightly decrepit trailers (the monthly rate was $195 - go figure). The Manager was helpful and the daily rate was $20 instead of the $24 listed on the web site. The Manager didn't seem to know what a web site (or the Internet for that matter) was so we didn't press the point.

We decided to try some caches in the roughly 90 minutes of daylight left and found TWELVE ! Benson is a hot and cache friendly place.

We ate at Reb's Cafe (where the food was edible but nothing to write about). Dexter got his obligatory evening walk and we're posting caches and writing this Blog before bedtime. It will be an easy drive from Benson to Las Cruces tomorrow. I think I have Steve & Raymond's number and their directions to the RV Park. We'll send an email and/or call when we hit town. We hope Las Cruces is as cache rich as Benson.

Our only photo is of the Benson,AZ, Welcome sign and a couple semi-decent cache picture.

Day 12 - Our last full day in Quartzsite, AZ

As is typical of our vacation time, the weather was near perfect on this last day and the forecast for the next few days is even better. It was near 70 today with no wind and bright sun. The next few days (through the weekend) promises mid 70's and similarly sunny days.

We spent the afternoon combing the Flea Market tents and seeing what was set up. The Main Event is not due for another couple weeks and it was clear that more & more vendors and visits are hitting the town. Attached are a few pictures of the various sights in a couple flea market spots.

For lunch, we can recommend the Best Mexican Food (yes, that's the name) as true to the Tex-Mex we are used to in Texas. Complimentary chips & salsa and a friendly wait staff with attentive service. They even had a special which Tommy ordered. Our total was only $19 and we were stuffed. The Ice Tea was clear and fresh. The food was hot on hot plates and the refills were also complimentary.

We have washed clothes and ourselves. The tanks are empty and full as required and tire pressures are good. We hit the road after topping with #2 diesel at the Shell truck stop around daybreak.

Raymond advised that trying to make it to Las Cruces in one day will be an effort. Dexter likes the breaks and we were going to stop in Tucson, AZ, then go on to Las Cruces the next day. In researching the places to stay, we saw that Tucson is very Anti-RV and has ordinances prohibiting them anywhere except at the Beaudry RV Park. We even read one report there a guy was hassled by the police in the middle of the day while stopped in a shopping mall to buy supplies and lunch. We decided not to patronize any town that dislikes us and our money so we're moving on to the the next town along I-10 at Benson, AZ. Arizona, in general, does not seem very RV friendly having closed almost half their rest areas and prohibiting RV's in almost every town unless you stay at one of the grossly overpriced RV Parks (I say grossly over-priced when they charge $38.95 to $49.90 for an overnight rest and parking spot). We figure $15 to $17 is fair for an overnight stop and $20 to $26 for a daily rate with 50 amp service and free Wi-Fi.

Anyway, it was fun in Quartzsite and we're marginally depressed to be heading home but happy that we had a good time and we'll see Steve & Raymond on Friday.

Happy New Year (a day early)

Day 11 - Monday Morning (Last Week)

The weather service was correct. Considerable cloudiness covered Quartzsite this Monday morning. It was overcast and cool when Dexter & I went for his walk. He wasted no time leaving a desert deposit and we went back to fix a Skillet Breakfast of eggs, bacon, peppers, onions, and potatoes. We decided today would be our travel day back into town and are picking up the campsite right now. I'll post some pictures later after we settle in at 88 Shades RV Park again.

The plan is still to depart Wednesday morning for points east and Las Cruces in one day.

Late Day Update -
We went to Parker, AZ, to grab some caches and see the new Wal*Mart. One of the caches was actually in Wyatt, CA, where Wyatt Earp spent some of his final days. Parker was okay but nothing worth the hour drive to get there and back. I think the generally overcast and gloomy day spooled our sunny outlook. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and warmer. It will be our last day here in Quartzsite. The drive to Las Cruces is almost 8 hours and I am not sure if we can make it in one day or not. Dexter likes to stop along the way and it would be a solid 8 hours of driving to get there.

More Tomorrow

Day 8 - Christmas Day 2009 (Friday)

Today was a beautiful day. We had ham & cheese omelets for breakfast and then headed out for some caches. Dexter went with us and the experience reminded us of why we don't take the dog. Tomorrow, he stays home and sleeps.

Tommy got to do some serious 4-wheeling with the Explorer on the back trails near our campsite and Old Yuma Road. We only grabbed 3 caches but that puts us at a new milestone of 2700. Attached is the 2700th cache photo - Dexter is looking away from the the camera.

After lunch/dinner around 3:30pm, I walked halfway up to the nearest hilltop peak. The 2nd photo is the summit I did not reach. The sun had moved past the peak and the shadows were too dark. We agreed that we'd all walk up there Sunday morning and get some decent photos.

The last photo is of our campsite after I walked back down to find Tommy and Dexter under a blanket as the sun was setting. It was a great day for us and we didn't spend any money on anything!

Tomorrow we head to Blythe, CA, to get some California caches and see what is in Quartzsite on a Saturday afternoon. We plan to hit the road Wednesday early and drive to Las Cruces to meet Steve & Raymond at their new mountain home.

Day 7 - Thursday

Just before Noon Thursday - We will have great pictures once the tow truck pulls the RV out of the spot where I buried it!

Two & a half hours later - It took just 30 minutes (or less) to extract the RV from the hole I dug in the very soft sandy dirt. The 4 pictures show how it was stuck, what the front holes looked like where it sunk and the dual steel cables used to pull it out.

The place we called "Toe Truck" had an office in Quartzsite but they sent the driver from Parker, AZ, which was 30 miles away. The good news - they were very professional and got us going in short order. The bad news - they are very, very, very expensive. It was $150 an hour plus their travel time so the bill (once he got there) was $450 to pull us back about 12 feet. Our 1 week in the desert cost $490 ($40 for the space plus $450 to get out). If you ever get stuck and want a good but expensive wrecker, call them.

The final picture is the flat, level, and hard space we finally parked in. The view is great.

We walked Dexter, found a cache in the nearby foothills (we walked to it) and fixed dinner outside. It is dark now and I have a decent Internet connection via Sprint PCS and my Blackberry so I am posting my folly of the day.

We hope tomorrow is a better and less costly day.

Merry Christmas to each of you! A Happy New Year is what we're hoping for!

Comment Responses (we tried posting a comment ourselves but it would not work so I am adding this to the Blog text):

Yes, the rain from the day before caused some soft spots. I caused the problem by stopping and turning the front wheels without moving. That action caused the resistance that made the rear drive wheel dig a hole.

It was a beautiful spot to camp. Check out some of the photos we posted on Christmas Day. We have not seen any snakes. It is warm in the sun but the ground is very cool. It goes down to freezing overnight and warms to 65 or so by late day. Unless you are in the direct sun, it is cool without a jacket. The upside is that the coach stays cool and we don't need any A/C. Just having the windows open cools it enough.

Day 4 - Quite an Adventure

There are several interesting issues to discuss in this posting.

As we were preparing to pull out of the AZ Rest Area, the sun was coming up and we stopped to take a photo. Far from being the ugly rest stop we first thought, we were near some beautiful rocks and a small hill. See the 1st photo.

Aside from the dead battery, the trip went well and we decided to visit a Flying J for fuel at exit 208 near Eloy, AZ. The price was good (2.53/gal) and they gave us an RV discount of .01 off each gallon. $252 later and we were preparing to leave.

However, I decided to check the Ford to see if it would start. Alas, it was dead again. A quick jump and the engine was back to life. I noticed the Neutral Tow placard said to never tow with a dead battery so I tried to put it gear. Whoops, it said we were going 25mph while sitting still. Long story short - the neutral tow module was stuck in tow mode. Called Ford, found dealer 15 miles away in Casa Grande, we're having lunch in their parking lot while they fix the Ford and install a new battery (and check the charging system).

Lunch was turkey/ham sandwiches in the back lot of Glen Jones Ford. We saw the Ford drive off to a service bay so they must have fixed something. The good news is that they got it back in gear so we can drive it normally. The bad news is that the module won't go back into Neutral so we can't tow it right now. The technician went for lunch so we'll check back after 1pm MT to see if we're going on or spending the night in their back lot.

1st Day (evening actually)

We set out on our journey from the Dallas area to the desert near Quartzsite, AZ, on Friday evening after traffic thinned out. It was 7:45pm when the bus hit the freeway heading west.

Only one heavy traffic area was encountered on IH-820 where Haltom City and Ft Worth come together. We moved through the area in about 10 minutes and were soon on our way west. Just around 10pm, we pulled into an IH-20 rest area (mm 390) and stopped for the night.

Everything worked on the RV except for one pesky alarm on the Inverter that sounded when we were in a place where stopping was impossible. Once we got into the rest area, a quick check showed it had shut down but without any alarms. I turned it back on and it ran flawlessly through the night. 110VAC is important to us as the coach is all-electric and our Amana refrigerator is happier when the power in on.

Breakfast was a set of Owens breakfast Tacos and we started out again around 10am Saturday morning.

The cache in the rest area had been claimed earlier so we decided not to seek any caches until we were in a new area for us. That will be around Pecos, TX, or another 8 hours of driving.