Herd of Ponies...

 

Heard of ponies?  Of course, I've heard of ponies - they're like small horses.

No, that's "herd," as in a big bunch of 'em.

Our RoadTrek is compact - that's the whole idea behind a Class B campervan: you pay extra for the amenities built into the body of a more typical work, delivery, or passenger van.  You don't often find someone carrying livestock in a Class B campervan.  We certainly don't.

Until last night.  Murphy and Stella combined Friday Night Smackdown, equine steeplechase, and a demolition derby into one overnight event.  I had to sit up around 2:30 am to see what all the commotion was about... I was concerned that one of the kitties was being hurt.

It sounded like a herd of ponies stampeding across a wooden bridge. 

No one was being hurt; Murphy was at the foot of Joan's bed and Stella was running from the back of the van to the dash, performing parkour moves.  Each time Stella would bounce by Murphy, he would swat at her.  Occasionally she would jump onto the bed beside him and they rise up on their back legs in a "Clash of the Titans."  If it weren't for the fact that Joan and I were trying to sleep, it would have been entertaining to watch.  Maybe even sell to Pay-Per-View... people like to look at cats on the internet; I may on to something here.

If I can stay awake long enough to write up a proposal for the bigwigs in the entertainment industry.

This morning, all is quiet.  The kitties have had breakfast.  Joan has had her coffee and I have had my hot chocolate.  Little Stella is looking out the driver's window at the birds...

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This outing was only planned for two nights out; so, ready to head for home this morning.  We put away our patio chairs, patio mat, table, and the catio.  I dumped holding tanks...

 Some people cringe when a discussion of dumping holding tanks comes up - one of my favorite things about the RoadTrek is the macerator pump.  The hose is built-in; pull it out and put it in the campsite sewer connection.  Pull the valve (first the black tank, then the gray), press the button and it empties the tank in seconds.  Literally.  Put the cap back on the sewer connection, put away the hose - done.  Easy.

Leaving the park, which is called Point of Rocks, you see even more of the big boulders along the road...

 A few minutes later, we were behind a big motorcoach.  Joan and I were talking about how easy things are with the RoadTrek.  The discussion moved to the bigger coaches we had in the past - two of which were from the same manufacturer: American Coach.  I told Joan, "If I win the lottery, I will get another big coach like that one..."

 She said, "We'd have to get another house so you'd have someplace to park it."

I said, "If I win the lottery, I will buy you a second house."

She said, "I am not moving back to humidity."

I said, "We could buy a house in Prescott.  Keep what we have in Phoenix.  You could go back and forth as you'd like.  And, the cats and I will have lots of room to run around in a bigger coach."

She said, "You are going to have to buy a lottery ticket."

There's always a catch.  ;-)

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We are home.  Kitties moved back in.  Stella is not sure if she can trust us to not whisk her away again.  Murph knows the procedure.  We unloaded the van, Joan cleaned inside, put stuff away in the house, fed the cats, put the RoadTrek back into storage, went out for lunch... and we were still back home before 2:45.

I think I may be able to talk Joan into more of these 2 to 3 day get-aways.  It is 100º here in Phoenix.  Going to Prescott and then up even higher in elevation for the drive to Jerome, and time on the "patio" outside the coach was a refreshing break.  Two hours away and delightfully cool.

 

Jerome...

 

An old mining town north of Prescott.  I was less interested in the town, but wanted to drive Hwy 89A between Prescott and Jerome... I've seen things written about it, calling it "twisty and dangerous."

Leaving Prescott behind, you can see the mountains ahead...

 It doesn't take long before you are in it, steep and twisty...

 It's only 30 miles or so, but the speed limit drops to 15 mph in some of the hairpin curves.  No vehicles with a combined length of more than 50' are allowed.  Easy to see why.

It's a steady climb up, and then you come to Jerome...

 The narrow roads and buildings hanging off the side of the steep terrain remind me of Lead, SD, in the Black Hills.  It looks like there is plenty to occupy your time here, but we missed a turn to get to "RV Parking" and just kept going...

 If the road up to Jerome didn't get to you, the steep down grades on the other side were harrowing...

 I had down-shifted to 2nd, then 1st gear, and still had to use my brakes to keep from over-speeding.  No more photos, because I needed both hands to steer and manually downshift.

When we got to I-17, we swung through another RV park - this one is definitely more of a resort.  It is down at 3,000' elevation, so not as cool as at the 5,300' elevation where we are staying.  But, when it cools off some, this one will be a nice, easy getaway from Phoenix, and put us closer to some interesting places to explore (like going back to Jerome).

Back to our RV site near Prescott, and settling in for the rest of the afternoon, after lunch out.  Including some Black Tie Mousse Cake for Joan's upcoming birthday.  Not much left of it at this point...

 Back to our campsite, and just enjoying some chill time, out on the patio mat and inside.  Murphy came out for a while, in the catio.  Stella spent time in there yesterday, but she was content to nap inside... she needed the rest after prowling in the van all night.  ;-)  When Murphy was ready to go inside, he sat by the big screen on our side slider door...

 

Hiking...

 

You hike?

Not very often.  But, last night just before dusk, I started out on the "1/2 mile trail" to the lake.  They lied.  After walking 14 miles, fighting off wolves and bears, I turned around - wanted to get back to the van before dark.

I'm kidding.  Mostly.  No wolves or bears, but I did see a couple bunnies.  And one snake from a distance.  I turned back because of the gnats.  As far as the distance, I walked about a quarter of a mile within the campground to get to the trail.  And then a lot further than that on the trail.  It was an interesting walk through the massive rocks...

 We have a drive through some twisty roads planned for today.

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So, how did last night go in the van?  Thanks for asking.  The first night in a different bed is always restless.  And, I'm sorry to say, it has been 3 months since we've overnighted (or more) in the van.  The plan was to get away from the heat for a couple days, and that has played out so far.  It was comfortably cool sleeping, with no air conditioning.  We're each trying something different from the Beddy's zip-in sheets and comforter: Joan is using just the top part of the Beddy's, I am using a sleeping bag.  Both are faster to "make the bed" in the morning.

I think both of us did more tossing than usual, and the cats did more wandering.  Still, some sleep was had.  We both had a window open just a bit overnight.  It is 56º outside this morning; that is a refreshing change.  Murphy let me know he was ready to be up for the day: around 5:00, he was nudging my hand with his head.  That is rare behavior for him.  We left a cover over the passenger side front window, and the cats took turns keeping watch.  There is more than the usual curiosity this morning.

We're in no hurry to get out and about this morning. 

Prescott...

 

For those not familiar with this city in Arizona, it is pronounced PRESS-cut, not press-scott.  We are at an RV park just outside of town.  The kitties are settled in and taking in the great outdoors from the safety of the van...

 One of them cried a bit when we first rolled out of the driveway.  No, not little Stella, Murphy cried like a little girl.  But, he settled in soon enough.  Stella on the other hand was happy to be sitting on Joan's lap and taking in all the sights along the way...

 Murphy stayed mostly in the doorwell on my side.  I would think it would be more comfortable and quieter on a lap, but that is where the boy likes to ride.

It is I-17 most of the way to Prescott...

 Traffic on a Sunday was reasonably light going north; heavy with traffic going south, coming back into Phoenix.  There is a reason we left today.

We stopped for a bite to eat in Prescott Valley, gas at Costco, then on to the RV park.  It is another 22 miles off the interstate to get to Prescott, good highway all the way.

Our RV site...

 Nothing bigger than a Class B van is going to fit in this site.  Works for us, though.  We got the van leveled, hooked up to electric, then got the patio set up (above).  I got the kitties fed, then Joan went out to set up their portable (kinda) catio while I programmed the TV inside...

 Not sure if the cats are interested in going out to the catio, but it is there.

This RV park is a 10 minute walk from Watson Lake and the dells - we'll check that out tomorrow.

 

It Was There...

 

 

The van, that is.  Sitting in the driveway, all shined up; looking pretty.  "We should go smash some bugs and go for a day trip.  Maybe overnight?"

Her reply: "We'll if we're going out, might as well make it a couple nights." 

"I see no down side to that."

So, as the temp goes back up here in Phoenix, we're going to do a couple nights at a slightly higher elevation.

One thing nice about the RoadTrek (there are many, by the way): the app that connects to the FireFly, the electronic screen that controls the functions and gives the readouts in the van...

 Yeah, it was 99º outside.  I was working on getting the fresh water tank sanitized and filled; nice to see the levels while outside the van, so I don't have to go back and forth from the water spigot to the FireFly screen in the van.

Joan packed up some food.  We are good to go.

 

The Princess and the Pea...

 

OK, there is no pea.  But, there is a cute little princess...

 She is laying on top of two pillows in that photo above.  You would think that isn't the most comfortable position, but she likes laying on those couch pillows.  And little Stella gets to lay wherever she wants.

When we first rescued her off the street, she put on a fierce face and hissed at almost everything.  She is just pretty sweet these days.  She did, however, hiss at me yesterday.  I reached down to pick her up, and apparently the timing wasn't right for being picked up - yeah, she hissed at me.  That little seven pound cat (Joan thinks she is eight pounds) does not hold back.

You might notice a different harness on her; still a lot of pink in it, but it is patterned.  Her previous one was solid pink, but she outgrew it.

But, look at that sweet little face...

 

Clean Up...

 

Time for your autumn bath already, Jim?

No, that's not until a week or so before Thanksgiving, so I am fresh for the holiday season.

The Roadtrek was due for a bath.  We may day trip to do some leaf-peeping over the weekend.  We'll see.

While I worked on the exterior, Joan scrubbed the windshield cover (that white thing) and then cleaned the windows...

 A lot of the van is above the height you can reach from the ground, so the ladder or a long handle brush is necessary...

 The ladder is necessary to clean the solar panels on top of the van.  This process is a lot of work, but the van is looking good.

As long as we were grubbed up, the Equinox was in need of a bath, too.  That is easy to run through the car wash that is about 3 miles from our place... and that car wash provides damp towels and vacuum cleaners on a long hose to clean the interior, as well.  And while Joan did the interior, I wiped down the body and the glossy black wheels.  It, too, is looking good once again - it got grubbed up last week when I had to drive it in the rain. 

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Today is Dan's birthday - his sister and brother-in-law are visiting, and the six of us will be going out for supper this evening.  I won't mention how old he is, but it is more than half a century.