Short Sleeves and Sandals. I'm loving it!!!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

We spent the night behind a Lube Shop last night. Right under the big lights of the parking lot. There’s a truck stop across the street, but we thought this place may be a lot more quiet. We were in bed by 9 pm and I slept like a log.

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We take our time getting ready to leave, organizing a few more things. Almost everything now has its own place. We have a basket for this and a cupboard for that. Its much easier to find everything. I feel a lot more at ease when everything is organized and tidy. That’s the way my Mom raised us. It also seems to make our place bigger.
Even Ramiro is getting pretty good at keeping things in its place.

The next order of the day is to feed the gas tank so it can take us to the next destination which is the border town of Nogales.
We pull in the truck stop, right beside all the big trucks and load some more charges on our credit card.

I don’t know how people used to do this when there was no internet. But it’s pretty convenient being able to go on line and pay bills and check your bank account. You can even make RV park reservations on line. No of course it does help if WiFi is available and that’s not always the case._Especially once we’re in Mexico.

At 10 am we’re back on the road. The next big city is Tucson, but this being mid morning we truck through it pretty quickly. We miss the first turn off just when I’m not looking, but the GPS brings us back on track in no time.
We don’t want to make this trip a race, but we are scheduled to be in Colima by the sixth.

It’s too bad we are not able to stop at many places and experience the cultural attractions and take pictures. As convenient it is, having all luxuries in your own vehicle, it restricts us from turning into small roads or parking lots.
If there is a way in, there also needs to be a way out, and not always the same way and without having to back up. Because we are not able to do that with the car in tow.
If worse comes to worse, we would have to undo the car, unhook the dolly, turn around or back up and hook everything back up again. Now, that would be a real pain, so we are cautious. Sometimes I have to walk ahead to see if there is a way out, before we get in.

The drive today is pretty well the same throughout all of Arizona, desert like.
We drive by a giant open pit mine, 15 miles south of Tucson. It seems to go on for miles and miles and runs through the San Xavier Indian Reservation. After some further research, I learn that

The Asarco Mission Mine is 2 miles long, 1.75 miles wide and a quarter mile deep. The copper ore "contains" chalcopyrite (and not that much of it) is 0.67% copper, which means that 13 pounds of copper are produced from every ton of ore. In addition, about 3 tons of waste rock need to be removed to recover one ton of copper ore. Each year this mine produces 475,000 tons of concentrated copper ore (28% Cu), which eventually comes to 130,000 tons of pure copper metal, and 2 million ounces of silver. If this interests you, you can read more about this mine at
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/330copper.html

And then we see the sign: Nogales: 3 miles. Wow, that was quick. We have an address for an RV park and drive straight to it. RV park, did you say? Shanty town, trailer park you mean.
We find an empty spot in between some other RVs of which some are just spending the night to leave early in the morning to cross the border.

We pull out our chairs for the first time, change into summer clothes. (Yes, you read that right; short sleeves and sandals) and enjoy lunch outside. Wow, what a treat.
I finally pack away our winter clothes, including boots, ear warmers and scarfs and we plan the rest of the afternoon.

It happens to be that the insurance office is right next to the park. We walk over and get our vehicle insurance. Our Canadian insurance is not valid in Mexico. We take a six month package. One for the RV and one for the car. This should cover us for everything. It’s not cheap though at $ 2,000 Canadian.
We inquire about other formalities and learn that the stores and banks are 4 stop lights south.

We dig up our backpack, fill it with drinks and snacks and start walking.
After 45 minutes we see MacDonalds.
Now let’s see: 45 minutes brisk walk, 200 calories burned. Ice cream 200 calories? Walk back, another 200 calories will be burned. Let’s enjoy this one. We deserve it.

No matter what store you enter, everyone here speaks Spanish. I better get used to it.
The difference her however is that they also speak English. This will not be the case once we cross the border.

We start the little BBQ my friends Anita and Guus gave me for my birthday and put on some chicken breasts. Ramiro cleans up after dinner and we plan the remainder of our route. We pray that the wheels are still on the car when we wake up tomorrow.
On second thought I'm sure we will be safe, after all our neighbors are praying for us.

Back where we are from, many people claim to have “a place in Arizona”. We always picture this as some beautiful Adobe style home. (search on web)
But next time someone claims they have “a place in Arizona” I will ask to see pictures, because it could be a place like the ones we see where we are parked, or it could be a nice Adobe style home in the mountains.

Arizona is not California

Monday, December 29, 2008

We are now 2700 miles (4331 Km) from home and about three quarter of the way to our final destination. You’ve got a lot of driving to do yet, Ramiro. I have not tried driving this rig yet. It’s been too busy everywhere. I had no problem driving the old RV but am not sure if I can handle this one with its air breaks.
The RV has a Cummins engine with a Freightliner Chassis and is built for long distance trips, just like a bus or 5 wheeler truck. But we don’t want to take any chances and need to stock up on extra parts such as belts, hoses, switches etc. The RV also needs to be checked for other mechanical issues, such as water leakages from city water hook up, which turned out to be as a result of the freeze up back home.
We drop off the RV early at the dealer next to the RV park, hopefully we’ll have it back before they close today.
It’s a good thing we are in Preoria and not in Phoenix. Everything is close by and we are starting to get to know our way around here. Of course the GPS is a great help to find the places we need to be at. One of those places is a UPS store, where we ship a suitcase that was left behind by the Roberts.

We notice, that every single store here in Arizona is modern and everything is a franchise or chain store. No private little corner stores or nice cozy restaurant with outdoor patios like you will find all over California. Arizona has definitely a style of its own. I can't say it is pretty. I prefer California. The people are super friendly however and the service is excellent in most cases.

Since we are not able to have lunch in the RV we treat ourself to a Mexican lunch at “On the Border Mexican Grill”. We may have been better of eating a North American lunch, because we’ll be eating Mexican food for the next two months.
Mind you, I don’t think we’ll be eating out all that much, we’re on a tight budget. The fuel tank is eating up our cash pretty quickly at $ 300.00 a tank of Diesel.

We spend several hours at Walmart. I never thought I would be spending this much time in this store, but they seem to have everything we need to furnish the rest of the RV and other parts Ramiro needs.

We return to the RV park, and leave our car at the lot, while Ramiro walks to the Goodwill store to browse for bargains, I find a chair in a sunny spot and read up on my camera instructions but I keep falling asleep. I am awaken by a charming prince who kisses me on the lips........ Oh, it’s Ramiro.

We get a call from the RV dealer that the rig is ready for pick up. Perfect, just before closing time.
We pack all our purchases away and decide to get back on the highway for another two hours to bring us closer to the Mexican border.
I find that my eyes are burning and my throat is sore. I hope I’m not coming down with something. Then I see the sign on the highway, encouraging people to car pool or take the bus. Pollution level is high. Now I get it, that’s what the problem is. This will go away as soon as we leave Phoenix.

Of course we forget that it is rush hour and we have to drive right through the city, whether we like it or not. The bonus is the beautiful sunset we have seen here ever single night. It’s difficult to take pictures out of a driving vehicle, but trust me, it’s a beautiful sight, that red sun reflecting on the sky scrapers downtown.
Sorry there are no more pictures for today. I’m sure you’re not interested in seeing us shopping at Walmart. Oh, yes, I did take a picture of Ramiro eating his Burito at the restaurant, but the picture did not turn out. Need to practice with that camera a bit more.

Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day.

Sunday, December 28,2008

We stayed up pretty late last night and enjoy the opportunity to sleep in this morning. Our body clock tells us it is 8 am while the Arizona clock indicates 9 am. Which one should we follow? We decide to go by the body clock and snuggle up a bit longer.
I enjoy my daily grapefruit half and a cup of Rooibos tea before I walk over to the laundry room to throw in a load of towels and some bedding.

Last night I discovered that the gym at the hotel does not require a key and I decide to go on the treadmill. Wow that feels good.

We take our time having breakfast together and I take my first enjoyable shower in the RV.
I puts around, organizing a few more things and put away my winter boots and warm coat.
Ramiro checks a few things here and there. We’re finally starting to feel at home in our rig.

I look up some possible Geocache sites on the web and after lunch we pack some snacks and water and drive to the first cache location.
It’s gorgeous outside. We don’t need a jacket at all. This is the kind of weather we had hoped for all along.
The first cache is in a park with a very strange tree all made out of metal. It's called the reading tree. No matter how hard we search we are not able to find it.
The next caches are located along the river. We park the car and walk the long trail, picking up a few caches along the way. Going back is quite a challenge, the path is flooded en we have to cross the railroad track and a busy road to find our way back on the other side, but we manage and take a break at the midway point.

Once we return to the car, Ramiro wants to drive around a bit to discover new things, but all we see is stores. We stop at Fry’s Electronics and check out the digital cameras. Remember I mentioned that I dropped my camera the first day on the road? It was useable, but I could not use the LCD screen and was not able to change any of the settings. I got lucky. They had the perfect camera on sale. 10X zoom and all kinds of other features. It’s a Lumix by Panasonic. Nothing fancy but I still have my large Fuji at home. This is so much more practical to carry around. It's my belated birthday present. Thanks Ramiro, I like it a lot. I should now be able to make better pictures.
Once we get back tot he RV I get my first opportunity to practice on a beautiful sunset right from the RV. I just click and point. We’ll see how it turns out.

We enjoy a glass of wine together and check our e-mail, each on our own computer.
I spend the rest of the evening updating my blog and learning the features of my new camera while in the background some easy listening music is playing. We are really starting to feel relaxed. If this is retirement, I think I like it.

What about that cheesecake we still have in the fridge? We earned it, we burned so many calories today. Let's indulge. Tomorrow we can always walk some more.

The Roberts are going home.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

The bags are packed, the hoses of the RV disconnected, slide outs in again and at 8 am we are on our way to Phoenix airport.
The scenery is basically the same for the entire 400 k trip.
Rugged, bare; Mountains in the background on either side of the Interstate and at road level nothing but dry dirt, sage bushes and the odd cactus. Not much grows here.

We drive under a clear blue sky, but the temperature is rather cool. Much colder than usual in this part of the country.

I spend the entire trip reading up on the guidelines for Mexico; What documents are needed, what to bring, where to camp and what to expect at the border crossing.
Kai and Marcela take turns accompanying Ramiro in the front and Bella plays with her toys.
Every now and then one of us gets up to bring Ramiro a snack or drink. He enjoys driving and has no problem staying behind the wheel for long periods of time.

We enter Arizona. Wouldn’t it be something if we arrive at the airport, to discover that we did not think about setting the clock one hour ahead.
The Roberts would miss their flight and we'd have to camp together for a bit longer.
No, I did not forget to change the clock and we have plenty of time.

We stop for lunch at one of the many Rest Stops and decided to make some quick sandwiches and eat then outside. It’s much colder than we expected. Perhaps 10 degrees. But it’s nice to be able to stretch our legs and get some fresh air.
We can’t do the dishes because for some reason the water pump is not working. We’ll deal with that later.

We work our way through he maze of roads in Phoenix and arrive at the airport well in advance of departure time. We can’t park anywhere so won’t come in.

Now we must decide where we will go next.
We agree not to go into Mexico until we have an opportunity to check all mechanics and find some spare parts we won't be able to find in Mexico.
We locate a Coachmen dealer northwest of Phoenix, but they are closed until Monday morning.
Luckily there is an RV park next door, right behind the Ramada Inn.
It’s quiet, maybe 8 RVs at the most. Very peaceful, but not much to do unless you like the slot machines in the hotel.

We find a spot in the sun. I open the windows and sit down to write my journal. I enjoy the quietness and the sounds of the birds.
Ramiro removes the car from the RV and we plan some activities in the area for tomorrow. I’ll be fine staying here until Monday or Tuesday. We have good internet connection and maybe can find some Geocaches in the area. A day of R and R would be great. It would give Ramiro a break from driving.

We’ve been on the road now for 15 days without any house cleaning and it shows.
I do a thorough clean up, which does not take long in this small space. Meanwhile Ramiro makes some repairs and hangs a few things.

After dinner we check out the washrooms and laundry room and go for a brisk walk. It’s a nice night; The sky is full with stars.
I talk with my friend Anita on Skype. Nice to hear how many of our friends and family are following our adventures. We haven’t even started yet. Stay tuned their is more to come.

Geocaching anyone??

Friday, December 26, 2008

Ramiro starts the day by making pancakes and while the clothes that have been taken out of the washing machine are tumbling around in the dryer, we all go for a long walk to find our first Geocache. It turns out to be quite a long walk, but I certainly enjoy it.
After lunch, back the RV park, Kai and Bella decide to go in the pool while the rest of us go for a drive to Salton Sea.
It’s a beautiful sunny day, a bit breezy, but 18 degrees. Don’t you envy us?

There is lots of traffic on the road as we drive through citrus country. Lemons, oranges and grapefruit orchards everywhere.

After 20 minutes we see the Salton Sea. Once there was the dream to make this California’s Riviera. RV parks and roads were built, even street signs placed. Several motels and restaurants now sit there boarded up. What happened?
It turned out, that the water was very selenic and bad for anyone’s health and the people stayed away. The beaches were deserted. There are lots for sale but no buyers.
The minerals in the water are so strong, it kills the fish and builds up on anything. Instead of sand, the beach is covered with barnacle. The smell is somethting else altogether. The pelicans seem to be happy here and there are millions of birds to the delight of many photographers.
You can learn more about the Salton Sea at www.saltonsea.ca.gov/histchron.htm

Further down the road is another cache waiting for us, right at the border of the state park. It’s a quick find. We would have done more caches, but the connection at the RV park is so slow that it takes us for ever to get from one website to the other.

We want to be home before dark and turn around. On the way back we stop at Oasis Date Farm and sample the dates at 70 calories each. We even purchase some.
I never knew that dates grew on palm trees. See, you learn something new every day.

Before we return to the RV park we stop for groceries. By the time we return it is happy hour. After dinner we prepare for our departure. Tomorrow we take the kids to Phoenix where they will board a plane back to Portland and we continue our journey to Mexico.

A visit to Indian Canyons and Palm Springs

Thursday, December 25, 2008


The sun shines into our bedroom on this Christmas morning.
I am actually able to open the window. What a treat.
Bella opens the rest of her presents and Santa did not forget the adults. I make Mexican omelettes for breakfast and meanwhile Ramiro sets up the new BBQ with Bella.
We take our time getting ready to explore the area and drive to Indian Canyons about 25 kilometers from the RV park. We pass along many gated communities, mostly retirement resorts. Amazing how in a desert area the grass can look so green. The lawns are well manicured and rocks have been put to good use.

We pay $ 10.00 for the car load to enter the park and drive into the Canyon area where we park the car and go for a hike. As we walk the trails we inhale the aroma of the various herbs while admiring the rocks, the trees and the surrounding area.
We decided to take the Andreas Canyon trail. The contrasting greens of the magnificent fan palms and more than 150 species of plants are within a half mile radius in this lush oasis. The scenic foot trail leads us through the canyon passing palms, unusual rock formations and the perennial Andreas Creek.
Centuries ago, ancestors of the Agua Caliente Cahuilla Indians settled here in the Palm Springs area. They developed complex communities and with the abundant water supply, plants and corn the Indians thrived. Today, the remains of the Cahuilla Indians still exist in the canyon in the form of rock art, housepits, foundations, trails and irrigation ditches.

We drive back through Palm Springs were many Canadians spent the winter months.
After stopping for lunch we return to the RV park. It shows that Bella has not been to bed on her regular time. She is trying to catch up on lost sleep in the car. As soon as we are home she is wide awake again and want to play a game with Oma.
and start preparations for the Christmas dinner which consists of mashed potatoes, turkey breast and roasted peppers from the BBQ, and cheese cake for dessert. The Mojitos and wine also tasted pretty good.
I was reminded by my brother Fred and his wife Annemieke, that last yer this same time we celebrated Christmas in Cuba. A totally different experience. We're thinking of you too guys and miss you.

It’s nice being settled in one place for a few days. We don't have to constant move tings around and can keep the pull out extended. We can also be more liberal with the water use as we are no hooked up to city water and sewer. We’re very comfortable and have one more full day here before we have to move on.

As the evening progresses, the wind picks up and deliver some very strong wind gusts. At least it's dry. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

We will never forget Tehachapi and they will never forget us

Wednesday, December 24


Everyone is up so early this morning. That works out fine actually. We can leave early and arrive in Indio at the RV resort at lunch time and settle down for a few days before Marcela, Kai and Belle have to leave again.
The dishes are done, Ramiro has completed his preflight check. It's 9 am and off we go.

As we pull off the parking lot onto the road we hear “ggrrrrckgrchkgrckgggrcrg”. The slope is too steep for our large rig. The hitch digs itself into the pavement and we come to a complete standstill, blocking the entire road. Oh, sh....... now what?

We try lifting the rig by putting the stabilizing jacks down, lifting up the wheels and try putting some wood under them. That doesn’t work.
Ramiro starts the car, preparing to take it off the dolly, hoping to lessen the weight on the back of the rig.
Marcela stands on the road exposed to the freezing wind. We recall being at an elevation of over 4,000 feet. What else can we expect?
Kai helps Ramiro and I search for gloves and something warm to give to everyone and I take pictures, lots of pictures. This is exciting stuff guys, this is going on the blog.

By now several vehicles have stopped, observing our catastrophe. There comes the police. Aha, now we will find a solution.
A friendly Californian with a truck and chains offers to pull us out.
The wheels of the rig are smoking as he tries to pull us out. We all hold out breath.
One more try, more wood under the wheels, another pull. We hear the sounds of cracking wood, under the pressure of the wheels; A loud cheer; We’re moving!!
We thank the Californian and the police and we're on our way east bound again.

Five minutes later. I ask: “who has the keys to the car”? Not me. Not me either.
“I think they’re in the car” Ramiro says. Oh, but the car is locked. What the heck, let’s keep on going, We’ll save that excitement for later.

We drive through the Mojave desert. It’s flat and brown. Large fields of low bushes, with the weird looking cactus like, Joshua Palm trees scattered around.

We make our descent and see another summit in the distance and more snow.
This will be over soon, will it?

We see the signs of Indio and are all excited. Do we stop for lunch or do we keep going? We all agree to keep going, but prepare a snack because it’ll be another hour before we get to our destination.
We arrive at Indian Wells RV resort and find a nice spot in between the rest of the RVs and winter retreats. Half of the license plates here are from Alberta.
We call Good Sam to break into the car and get the keys out. We pop some dough into the oven to make Christmas Squares, and we greet our first curious visitor from Calgary.

Ramiro hooks up the power and water and the kids dive into the warm pool.
The temperature is nice here. There are Humming birds everywhere.
I convince Ramiro to come with me to the grocery store in the car, because we’re out of wine and have nothing for our Christmas dinner.

When we return I prepare my Mom’s famous recipe of Macaroni and cheese, with ham and curry. Everyone loves it Mom. Especially the stringy melted cheese!!

Then we need to find a way to get Bella out of the RV for half an hour so we can decorate and have Ramiro play Santa. When she returns with Marcella she gets to open a few of her presents.

There is a party going on in the Club house and Ramiro and I walk over. We enjoy the hot rum and meet some people who come here every year to stay for four to six months. The kids are in bed and Bella has left cookies and milk for Santa, and a note asking Santa to answer yes or no to her question. If he has her Dad's phone number.
When we make our way to our bedroom we find our room decorated with Christmas lights. Merry Christmas everyone!