DECEMBER 13, 2007

MADE IT TO QUARTZSITE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. MET UP WITH THE W.I.N.S
FINALLY. CAROLYN BAIRD AND HER DOG, SOPHIE, FROM TWIN FALLS WERE ALREADY THERE. EVERYONE WELCOMED ME WITH OPEN ARMS, LITERALLY. I GOT HUGS FROM EVERYONE. THERE ARE NOTHING BUT RV’S SCATTERED ALL OVER THE DESERT. NEVER SAW ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE.

DECEMBER 14, 2007

WENT WITH A BUNCH OF WINS TO THE “YACHT CLUB” AND DANCED THE NIGHT AWAY. DIDN’T DRINK AS I WAS THE DESIGNATED DRIVER FOR THE NIGHT, HAULING 3 GALS AND A FELLOW IN MY TRUCK. HAD A LOT OF FUN.

DECEMBER 15, 2007

WENT OUT DANCING AGAIN. NEVER SAT OUT A DANCE. THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE GUYS THAN GALS. A COUPLE OF THEM WERE REALLY GOOD DANCERS

November 19, 2007

Well today I had the fright of my life. I took Trucker down for his daily swim at the dog beach here at Cattail and he decided to take after some ducks. I called and called and he just kept swimming out towards the center of the lake. I hollered at a fellow in a passing boat and he shouted to his sister on the beach next door to call the dog. I ran like crazy in my thongs up two flights of stairs leading from the dog beach, across the boat ramps, past the docks, past the swimming beach to the beach next door where he was now swimming parallel about 100 yards out. When he heard me calling, along with everyone else on the beach, he turned and started paddling toward us. Meantime I was emptying my pockets of my cell phone and keys and was heading out to get him if he couldn’t make it. All I could see was this little black head bobbing along. He kept on coming, the little devil and I ran to grab him. I could have killed him, but all I could do was hug him. After everything else that has happened on this trip, if he hadn’t made it, I would have packed up and gone home. That is, of course, if I ever get my truck out of the shop. Arggggggggggggg!!!

November 20, 2007

Went bowling with Gordon again and checked on the truck. Still not fixed.

November 21, 2007

Wrenched my left leg today trying to vault over a 4-½’ fence to retrieve Trucker’s Frisbee. Hobbled back to the trailer and spent the rest of the day on my back with ice on my leg. This is all I need. When am I going to learn I’m not 20 again.

November 22, 2007

Gordon picked me up and we went to the Thanksgiving buffet at the Bluewater Casino in Parker. It was OK, but not really worth the $12.00. Then I lost $3 in the poker machine.

November 23, 2007

Went up to the Sandpiper resort next door and got my 4 month fishing license and some lures and wind was blowing like crazy. Maybe wait until a better day.

November 24, 2007

Gordon picked me up and we went to the flea market in Parker today. It’s sunny and warm, but the wind’s still blowing. Got some videos, drills and junk and came home.

November 25, 2007

Went fishing off the point and got skunked. That was ok, it was such a beautiful sunny day in the low 80’s that I didn’t mind. Later that night took Trucker for his evening walk, in the dark, and managed to trip over a speed bump on the road and skinned up my left knee, ripped my pants and bloodied my hand. What a klutz!

November 26, 2007

Another gorgeous, sunny day. Still no word on the truck.

November 27, 2007

Gordon picked me up and we went bowling again. Made our weekly stop at the transmission place and found that the truck hadn’t moved since we were there last week. Owner said he was short of help and hadn’t been able to touch it all week. I was LIVID!
Seems he had time to work on other trucks, but not mine. I walked away rather than say something unlady like and got into Gordon’s truck. Went over to Lakeside Tire and Auto who had contracted the transmission work and who I had paid my $3000 to and told the manager I was extremely unhappy with the service and had been without a vehicle now for 3 weeks. He called the transmission shop and got the same story. Apologized and stated they had always been reliable in the past. I am so frustrated, I could cry.
Then found out my mail for the month had been returned and wouldn’t be here for another 3 days. Can’t wait to see how many bills I’m late on. No Internet service here so I can’t pay them on line as usual. Oh brother.

November 28, 2007

Went into town with campsite neighbor, Pat. We went to Brewed Awakening, an Internet coffee shop and I caught up on my bill paying and emails. I called Ben Holland, my mechanic, back in Idaho and he said I should demand a new tranny from Chrysler with a warranty. After that we went over to see Chet at Lakeside Tire and Auto and I told him what my wishes were and that over 3 weeks was ridiculous to be without my truck. Bill said he was two thirds done with the tranny and they would give me a 3 yr. $50,000 warranty at no extra cost. (usually you pay $200 a yr. for that).I said ok.

November 30, 2007

Just got up and was about to go outside and lo and behold up drives my truck. I thought I would never see it again. Hallelujah!!! Both Bill and Chet were there and apologized again and presented me with the Warranty. I said OK with reservations, but I would stick around for a few more days and be sure it was working. I had mentioned to Chet that I would like to purchase new tires for my son’s trailer and he offered to do that at his cost with free labor. Sounds reasonable.

December 1-3, 2007

Have been driving to town (15 miles each way) every day and taking Trucker to Doggy Park and testing out the truck. So far so good.

DECEMBER 4-12

GETTING LAZY ABOUT JOURNALING. TRUCK SEEMS TO BE RUNNING OK, BUT STILL NERVOUS ABOUT IT. JIM HAS BEEN TEACHING ME TO CATCH AND CLEAN STRIPERS AND THEY REALLY TASTE GOOD. JIM AND MARY HAVE BEEN VERY NICE AND HELPFUL TO ME.

Trucker and I took a hike on a steep trail along the cliffs overlooking the lake. It’s really beautiful from up there.


Later we found another trail on the other side of the campground that led to the neighboring private campground next door. Met some nice people camped on the lake that invited me to sit and visit with them. They had two border collie mixes also. All of a sudden my cell phone started beeping and I had voice mail. They said that happens occasionally, but that I wouldn’t be able to call out. Well, I did make a call to Idaho and it went through. Go figure. Must of got a signal bouncing off the Cingular tower. On the way back to our campsite, ran into a couple young fellows who had just caught a whopper stripedbass,14lbs.worth.

STRANDED IN THE DESERT AFTER TRUCK WAS TOWED AWAY
So, off I go, on my way south to Cattail State Park, 15 miles down the lake. Hopefully, they still have a site available. Well, everything seems to be shifting great, and it goes out of overdrive on the hills. Then at 65 mph.,approximately 10 miles down the highway, POOF…………back into neutral on this narrow highway. Put on my flashers and coasted to the very narrow side of the road. Waited a minute and then tried to start it and was able to get it up to 3 mph. and headed for a pullout about ¼ mile ahead. Phew……….barely made it, with engine racing dangerously close to the redline on the tach. Called Bill back again and think he was about to lose it. I told him I would call AAA to tow it back to his shop. AAA would not take the trailer, however. Meantime, Bill sends his poor wife and 2 yr. old down to take me to Cattail State Park to pay for a spot before they are all gone. There were only a few left. Then Chet from the other shop (that put the alternator in and contracted for the transmission work) came down in his truck and towed me to the campsite.Thank goodness I now have water and electricity, however, no TV or cell phone reception, let alone wi-fi. Oh well, just happy to be here.

As I am preparing dinner I notice the floor is getting wetter and wetter. Water is pouring out of the area below the tub and fridge. Now what???? After drenching all the rugs and soaking up the rest of the water with all the towels I had, I am now without water.

November 16, 2007

Called the only mobile RV repair place in the yellow pages (thank goodness they have a pay phone here) and he said just a service call alone would be $120, yikes, we’re not in Idaho any more. Anyway, I mentioned what a tough week I was having and added I couldn’t get in to pick up my medication at the Pharmacy in LHC. He came out a couple hours later, and also brought my prescription. What a guy! Then he said to get to the plumbing, he would have to remove the refrigerator and cut a hole in the wall to the tune of another $500. This can’t be happening. Anyway, after hooking up the water and letting it run for awhile, no leak appeared. Go figure. So, it looks like it only cost me $120 to get my prescription delivered. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the leak will not return. Please…………..
Am I having fun yet? ………………………..you betcha!

November 9,2007 O.J. _____________________________________

Checked on the truck and it won’t be ready until Monday, so I signed up for another 3 days at the State Park. That puts me 3 days over the 14 day maximum. They are so nice here to let me stay and help me out. Met up with Gordon and went bowling.
I asked O.J. to lock the trailer door, specifying the lower lock while I got ready to take Trucker swimming. Well, he didn’t hear me and locked the upper lock. Now we are locked out. I tried and tried and couldn’t get it open. By now I am just a little upset. It’s ten to five and I told O.J. he better go call a locksmith before they close. He was hesitant, but left. Meantime, Scott, my neighbor here at the park, and ex-camp host came over and solved the problem and got the door open just about the time O.J. came back after calling 4 locksmiths who declined to come out. Checked on the toilet and now it seems to be fine. Go figure??

November 10, 2007

Went to the dog park again and then watched the model seaplanes compete at the park. Had a nice lunch, dinner, at the Golden Corral and checked out trailers for sale.

November 11, 2007

O.J. left this morning and I started packing up to get ready to depart camp tomorrow. Woke up in middle of the night and it was raining cats and dogs. Definitely cooling down finally. In the high 70’s today instead of 90’s. Felt good.

November 12, 2007

Called the transmission place and they were waiting for the torque converter for my truck. Since today is a holiday, it might not come in until tomorrow. I walked Trucker to the dog park and then on the way back signed up for two more days at the State Park.
Gordon called and invited me to go bowling tomorrow and will pick me up.



November 13, 2007

Had fun bowling colored pins with Gordon and his friends. On the way back we stopped at Get It In Gear and they were still working on my truck and said I would have it Wednesday. Went back to the campsite and had a couple beers with Gordon.

November 14, 2007

Chet from Lakeside Tire and Auto came and got me in my truck. It was so good to have it back. There goes my Visa bill, a whopping $3036.32 with tax. I ran some errands and then went back to the transmission shop to inquire about a written warranty. Jason, the son of the owner said his father would write one up for me. I left their shop and 2 blocks later the truck went into neutral and wouldn’t budge another inch. After other drivers honked and cussed me out, I managed to coast into the right lane and into a parking lot.
I called the shop and the owner himself came out to drive it back to the shop. With help of some passersby started to push it the final block. Yikes, it kicked into gear and he had to chase it, jump in and zoom back into the shop. This is not good. He let me use his truck to go back to my campsite and I paid for another night. He made some adjustments and I took the truck back to the campground.

November 15, 2007

I got up bright and early and loaded up the truck and hooked up the trailer. Can’t wait to get on the road again. I drove it just a few feet and felt a sort of “shuddering” at low speeds. I had a feeling this was not right, so took it back to the transmission shop again and had the owner, Bill, drive it. He agreed that something was not right. Said it was because he didn’t know there was a chip installed. Duh, that’s the first thing I mentioned when I took it in. Seems like the governor, or something has to be adjusted if there is a chip installed. Said it would only take “minutes” to fix and I went for a 45 minute walk. Well…………3 hours later, we hooked the trailer back up, quite hastily, I might add, as Bill was getting a little “testy” and stressed out at this point. Hello…………what about me? He said it was perfect but drove around like a maniac, zooming up to stop signs and braking hard, barreling around corners. Oh the poor trailer.
I had checked all the cupboards, but the fridge still managed to come open and food was strewn everywhere.

November 5, 2007

It’s Monday and John is checking out as his two weeks are up. You can only stay in a State Park for a maximum of two weeks here. It’s kind of peaceful now here, I think I'll stay a little longer.

Talked to camp host who lives here full time to get his recommendations for an honest auto repair shop to check my transmission tomorrow. He thinks it might be my chip, but I’m inclined to think it’s the tranny. We’ll see………..

November 6, 2007

Took Trucker to the doggy park early so I could get my truck in to the shop and check it out. Oh, oh, now the dash light came on. Truck was so dirty from going out to the Desert Bar Sunday that I decided to get it washed first. When I went to start it, NOTHING! Sucker was dead as a doornail (whatever that is). Don’t Panic…..Don’t Panic. Got my trusty AAA card out and called the 800 number. Tow truck was there in 10 minutes. Nice guy. He jump started it, but said batteries were dead. Just got them 3 weeks ago. Probably the alternator like the guy at Sears warned me about. AAA driver followed me to the auto repair shop, where the truck died before I could drive it into one of their bays. Yep, it was the alternator…..$350 worth. Had him check out the tranny, too and it was toast. There goes another $2800. I’ll be without my truck for a few days. Talked to the camp host and they were very understanding and said I could stay over my two week limit if necessary. My holding tanks are almost full and they said they could help me out with that, too if necessary. Everyone is so nice here. The mechanic at Lakeside Auto repair reminded me so much of my oldest son, Stan.

November 7, 2007

Well just going to kick back today and wait on my truck. O. J. was supposed to be in Vegas last night with some friends from his church and then he was going to come down here and visit me today. I hope he does, so I don’t feel so stranded here without wheels. I can’t call him because he doesn’t believe in cell phones (basically he’s very conservative,but O.J. calls it “cheap”).

November 8, 2007

O. J. arrived late yesterday to the rescue. It was good to see a familiar face again. He drove me a round to do errands and take Trucker to the dog park. We decided to take a drive and look up Gordon Vert at Havasu Springs Resort where he spends the winter in his 5th wheel. We found him and shared a couple of beers and set up a date to go bowling the next day. When we got back to the trailer we found that the toilet had overflowed and flooded the bathroom. What a mess. Mopped it up and emptied the storage compartment that was also flooded. Seems that every time the water pump is turned on, the toilet runs??

October 31,2007

John Boggs and I and Trucker took a ride down to Parker to connect with the W.I.N. people. They are really an outgoing bunch and invited us to stay for the Halloween party, but John begged out. Seems he’s not the sociable type, too bad for him.
My truck transmission still seems sluggish to me and I still feel some vibration and the high end even though I didn’t have the trailer behind me today. Checked out Parker Dam and some other State Parks I might decide to move to later this week.

November 1-2, 2007

Did errands and picked up mail at the post office. Signed up for another week at the State Park here in Havasu. It’s a bargain at $10 a night. No hookups but nice camp spots on the beach and great showers. Lots of beaches and trails and everyone is friendly and helpful.

November 3, 2007

There was a Chillin n’ Swillin Beerfest here at the park today. All the beer you could drink for $15. They had all kinds of brews from all over. I didn’t care for the Raspberry or
Pumpkin beer, but loved the Fat Tire beer. They had a good band that played oldies from the 60’s and 70’s. Here is sunset view from my campsite

November 4, 2007

Met up with the W.I.N. people again down in Parker at the County Park. This time went alone! They invited me to go with them to the famous “Desert Bar”. Couldn’t believe after driving on an old, steep, windy, rough gravel road for 4 miles that here was this oasis in the desert.
It was really cool. They operated strictly on solar power. Hamburgers sucked, but the beer was ice cold. They had a stone dance floor and a great band and the place was packed by noon. They only operate during daylight hours because of the lack of power. I danced so much, I couldn’t walk the next day. Had to ice my knee. This time it was the left knee

October 27-30,2007

Days are still hot and setting record temperatures. Taking Trucker to the Doggy Park here every day and he loves it. Then he goes swimming in the lake in the afternoon. I am indulging in far too many goodies and drinking way too much beer (because of the heat.)
Have developed a persistent cough that keeps me awake at night but my blood pressure is way down and I finally feel what it’s like to be relaxed

October 26, 2007

John found me a pull in spot with a view of the lake and next to the bathrooms. I have some nice trees for privacy and the only draw back is I hear the septic tank recycle every time someone uses the bathroom. Guess I’ll get used to it. Trucker really loves it here. It is still hot, in 90’s, but he gets to swim every day in the lake. He has become a very good camping buddy. I paid for a week because it is only $10 a day if you stay a whole week or $14 per day if you don’t. I may sign up for another week as I really like it here. I do have to conserve on my power and water as there are no hookups. I am parked near a water spigot so I can fill up if necessary. The showers are ok, so I save my holding tanks there. I really like the Lake Havasu area. It is pretty busy here and a haven for fast boaters and young people. The city has really grown. There is a Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes and all the major banks and fast food places. London Bridge and the village is cute. There is also a water park nearby.

October 23, 2007
Arrived at Nancy and Clark Monk’s place in Pahrump. Quite a climb out of Vegas. Discovered I had to take truck out of overdrive and the vibration quit. They have quite a cute place on about an acre. Had pizza and beer and reminisced about the old days. They are great people. Turned out my water heater was working all along. Duh……Spent the night and then called Billy Santoro and met him at the local Burger King for coffee and to hear of his new venture in the storage business. .

October 24, 2007
Got to Lake Havasu with no problems. Yikes it is 100 degrees. Stayed at the Prospector RV camp on north side of town so I could enjoy air conditioning for a couple of days. Called John Boggs who was staying at the local State Park and decided to check it out.

On the Road 2007

October 22, 2007

Left Gooding around 9:15 am and arrived in Ely, NV approx. 1:30 pm their time. Day was nice in 60’s, sunny and no wind. When I left home I was a little apprehensive and felt a little sick to my stomach. By the time I got to Jackpot I forgot the trailer was even behind me. It pulled straight as an arrow. I did experience quite a bit of vibration when accelerating between JP and Ely. At first I thought it was just the road, but didn’t seem to change when road smoothed out. Maybe tires are unbalanced, not sure. Will have to check it out if it keeps up on my way to Pahrump, via Vegas today.
Well, I guess you learn from your mistakes. I didn’t detach the water hose at the Ely campground last night and it froze. Somehow I thought they were heated or something as everyone else in their huge motor homes parked next to me, left their hoses attached. Then, next dumb thing I did was try and unscrew it from the trailer. Of course, the L-shaped hose adapter that John gave me, snapped right off. I also forgot to plug in my truck, so I did that at 7:30 am, 28F degrees. Guess I’ll have to delay my departure until it thaws. Don’t want to break the campground’s faucet, too. Oh my, live and learn. Oh yes, did I mention the water heater won’t light?
Trucker has been a very good traveling companion. Doesn’t bark and hasn’t chewed up anything…….yet.