Another genius experience...

The past few days, my MacBook Pro has been acting up - it won't connect to the internet.  I know how to set it up, know how to connect... this is how we get to the internet and have been doing so for years.  I looked it up on the Mac user forums, but didn't see anything that was a solution to my situation.  So, now that we are in Phoenix, we are only about 20 minutes away from an Apple Store... and the geniuses.

Getting an appointment for a genius is slick: set it up on the internet, usually the same day.  Of course, that isn't a good solution if the computer you use to get on the internet is acting up.  Joan made me an appointment via her iPad; which also connects to the internet via my phone (as a hotspot).

I showed up a few minutes before my scheduled time ('cause I'm always early).  I was seated at a table and told "my genius" would be with me soon.  Right around that appointment time, he showed up.  While I was waiting, I turned on the phone hotspot, woke up the computer, and it hooked up just like it is supposed to.  Of course.  "My genius" looked at me like "suuuuuure."  I explained the situation and he said, "I can fix this right away - it's your phone."

"Ummm, not it isn't.  The phone is fine."

"Well, I've seen this before, and it's always the phone."

"Not trying to tell you your job, but I can connect just fine with two different iPads at the same time the MacBook won't connect.  Pretty sure the phone is doing what it's supposed to."

"Ohhhhh.  Are you sure you connected with your iPads?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think I would know if I was connected or not."  The old fart in me busted out: "I've been using Macs since 1984 - before you were born (easy guess).  Let's just humor me and say it isn't the phone.  Any idea why the same method I use to connect won't work 12 times in a row, and on the 13th time it will work?"

He clicked on my laptop and eliminated all the wifi chains I use (like when we're at our daughters, or getting wifi from a park or marina we frequent.  "Why did you eliminate those?" I asked.

"If you're connecting with your phone, you don't need those."

"But, I DO use those.  And now I will have to enter the passwords again.  Assuming I can get on."

"Yeah, see?  It's working fine now," he said.

"It was working fine before you eliminated those.  And when I get home, it won't be working fine again.  Any ideas?" I asked.

"Sometimes you just have to turn 'em on and off."

"Last night, I turned the computer off and on 4 times.  Twice with the phone.  When I put in my password, it says it's the wrong password.  Pretty sure I know my password for the wifi, too."

"Well, it looks like we took care of that."

Nope.  As soon as we were back at the 5th wheel, it wouldn't hook up.  Well, the first 14 times.  On the 15th time, it hooked up.  The iPads hooked up no problem.

Frustrating.  I'm no genius, but I know when it isn't working right.  And, this ain't right.  ;-)

Not a long trip...

We moved from Tucson to Phoenix.  As I was getting the 5th wheel ready to roll, some new folks pulled in across the street... and he has a scooter.  A nice looking 250 Vespa.  I did take a few minutes to visit.  Nice guy - his name is Jim.  Timing.

An uneventful drive north.  Our timing was intentional to avoid the rush hour traffic in Phoenix.  We are in a nice resort about a half hour north of our daughter's place.  The other place we stay is much closer... this place is nicer.  We'll head to the other place next month.

We got to see our little girl and Dan this evening - and made some plans for watching the Superbowl at their place; their TV is MUCH bigger than ours.  Dan is a big football fan... well, for his Packers.

When we left the 5th wheel to head to their place, it was after dark.  Some folks in this park have lights on their palm trees... or lights around their patio.  One block looked like they were decorated for Christmas.  I like that.  :-)

Three to get ready...

From the old rhyme: One for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, and four to go.  The three of us are ready to roll out of Tucson, heading for the Phoenix area.

When you are on vacation, every day counts.  When your schedule is only something you determine, you can take your time.  We are heading out tomorrow, today was more about getting ready.  Joan did laundry; I flushed holding tanks and put on some fresh water.  It isn't a long trip tomorrow, but we like to have some fresh water onboard... just in case.

We did take the scoots for a lunch run before strapping them down in the trailer.  The weather here has been lovely - hoping for more of the same a little bit to the north.

Cruising through the cacti...

Another scooter day.  Joan mapped out a route for us before we left...

We've discovered that some of the roads in the Tucson area were last maintained during the Nixon administration.  They don't have frost heaves like up north, but the sun and heat do a number on the asphalt... and, as near as I can tell, they repair the cracks and potholes with something resembling black paint.  It doesn't fill the cracks... or, maybe the just crack again in the same place.  These scooters are peppy and sporty, but they don't have the compliant suspension of a touring motorcycle.  I'm sure front end alignment places do well around here... and dentists: some of these roads will knock the fillings out of your teeth!

It was a bumpy ride to the west to get to some open roads.  Here's a photo essay of that time...

 

The obligatory "you shoot one of me, I'll shoot one of you" images...

And, back on the road...

In keeping with my personal policy of: "Ride to Eat, Eat to Ride," we stopped at Texas Roadhouse for supper...

If that parking lot looks a bit empty to you, we got there just before they opened - we seasoned citizens know where to go for the early-bird specials. ;-)

Where old instruments go to die...

Still looking for a decent gigbag, I came up with Chicago Music Store in downtown Tucson.  Joan checked it out on her iPad, and we headed off.  We drove through some interesting neighborhoods along the way.  Getting close to downtown, we could see this store was going to be in the older part of town.

Here it is...

We went inside, and started looking around; met my new friend, James.  When I described what I was looking for, he said, "No, we won't have anything like that, more just cloth and vinyl unconstructed bags.  He knew what I was looking for.  The store had a "vintage" feel to it; I asked if it was OK to look around... "Sure!  We have 3 levels here; look around - you might find something interesting."

The first level had mostly current instruments - everything from acoustic guitars to PAs to stage lighting...

We found some gigbags, but they were just what James had said.  We went up some stairs - it fell of kinda fast...

Coming up on the 3rd level, there was some gorgeous light coming through these windows...

Guitars in various states of delapidation...

Stacks of drums...

Horns; some decent, some probably best used for parts...

A pile of violins...

A sign tell you to "Proceed at your own risk!" (Arrrrrrrgggh - thar be dragons there!)

A Standel amp...

I had a bigger version of this about 40 or so years ago.  Memories.

As my Honey walked by the windows, I had to take another shot...

Yeah, it's been almost 8 years since we retired.  My first thought when I saw those windows: oh, I could do some nice images here!  Well, it might take some picking up.  ;-)

We walked around the downtown area a bit, then back on wheels for some more looking around.  They have a light rail system that looks like it's almost ready to go - we saw it go by with bags of sand in the seats (that's how they do stability testing on boats).

Another lovely day in the desert.

Good morning...

Little Izzy wrapped in a blanket after sitting on Joan's lap for a while...

I keep saying: "Just the sweetest little kitty ever..."

Her take is a bit different: "I'm not sweet - I'm a TIGER!"

It's the desert...

Bopping around on the scoots again today.  Even though Tucson is way smaller than Phoenix, the traffic here seems to be more intense.  Maybe it's the roads we're on?  Joan made an observation that the drivers are a bit more irratic, too.  One old lady was determined to not let me into the lane in front of her... Joan made the switch into that lane... I put my blinker on to switch lanes, and the woman actually sped up to try to keep me from making the switch... then shook her fist at me when I made the move.  Not sure why - it isn't like we were moving slower than the flow of traffic.

On the east side of town (yeah, still in front of the crabby ol' woman), we were surrounded by saguaro cacti...

That may be old hat to you desert-dwellers, but I still think those saguaros are pretty cool.

Back home, we sat out on the patio for a while, enjoying the beautiful weather.  Little Izzy did her supermodel impression once again, this time with the setting sun backlighting her hair...

Well, it was her belly fur, but she stretched out that long, lean feline figure for the camera.

Scoot Over...

Nothing to do with spooning.

A beautiful day in Tucson: sunshine, very little breeze, temps in the 70s... perfect scooter weather.  We took secondary roads to the north side of town, for some Italian dining for lunch.  Might have been our choice of roads, but on the way north, it was some rough riding.  Oh, the traffic was no issue, but the road surfaces were in rough shape.

We had a nice lunch, and decided to take a different route on our way back.  When we stopped at Guitar Center yesterday, we drove by a scooter shop with a great name: Scoot Over!  I told Joan I wanted to stop by there on our way back (a bit out of the way).  Better selection on the roads made for a more pleasant ride.  We pulled up in front of Scoot Over and went in to look around.

Great shop - friendly people, a good selection of scooters (they are a dealer for Genuine, Kymco, and Royal Enfield.  Some used scoots.  And a nice variety of accessories.  Joan found something she wanted... when I went to pay, we visited with the nice lady at the register; found out she was Shelby, the owner.  I complimented her on the nice shop, she asked where we were from... a pleasant conversation.  She said, "Just a minute before you go," and stepped in back.  She brought out a t-shirt with their logo, handed it to me,  and said, "Keep spreading the good word about how much fun the scooter lifestyle is."

"Wow!  Thank you, that is very gracious!"

I will wear it with pride!

Some fun urban adventure riding in Tucson today.

Looking for Mr. Gigbag and Three Buck Chuck...

It's a cool, windy day in Tucson.  The scooters stayed in the cargo trailer.  After breakfast at the restaurant in the RV park, we went out in the truck.

Joan had looked up some places for us to shop: she was looking for a Trader Joe's, among other places, and I am still looking for a gigbag for my RainSong.  It didn't take me long to find Rainbow Guitars, the place in Tucson for guitars.

Armed with the Garmin GPS and Joan's iPad, we set out.  Tucson is spread out, with a population over half a million.  First stop: Rainbow Guitars.  It didn't look like much on the outside, but it was pretty impressive inside...

Into the acoustic room - they had the best stock of Taylors of any store I've been in...

... including some very high-end models.  I went there looking for a gigbag, but just had to try out some of these beauties.  Very nice! With some playing done, we went back out in the main part of the store to see what they had for gigbags.  A few, it turns out.  Nothing perfect, but one that might work.  I may stop back with my guitar to try it out.

Joan had Total Wine on her list, and the iPad took us right to it.  And right next to it: 5 Guys.  For my buddy, Pat: this is the opposite of sprouty, yuppie sandwiches - gimme a bacon cheeseburger!  I can't speak for the Blonde, but my dining experience today was much better than yesterday... even without the cookie.

We drove around, found the crowded Trader Joe's, and picked up some cheese, chips, and 3 Buck Chuck (that will take care of this evening's dining experience).  Yes, that used to be Two Buck Chuck; inflation.  Hit up another music store - very small compared to Rainbow Guitars, but the young lady there could not have been nicer.  No gigbags that will work for my RainSong, though.  On to a Guitar Center (some call them the Wal-Mart of guitar shops)... what a different experience: someone banging on drums, several people pounding out power chords on electric guitars... and hardly any gigbags.  I poked my head in the acoustic room there... busy.  Sensory overload.

Back to the RV park for some cat walking and settling in for the evening.

Bopping around...

We had a leisurely morning - nowhere to be, no schedule.  Joan looked around on her Maps app to see what is nearby around us; she wanted to try Panera Bread for lunch.  Not exactly close by, but she knew right where to find it.

While we were getting ready this morning, the next door neighbor (with the BIG rig) got ready to pull out.  Here's a look at that set up...

And I thought we had issues finding enough length in RV parks.  He and the cat drove in the truck; the wife and two little girls followed in a car.

Panera Bread was close to Outback Steakhouse... I like steak.  But, we're here to try Panera Bread.  I was hopeful as we walked up to the door: two very large people were walking out; maybe it isn't all sprouty-yuppie food.  Oh, they had some interesting sandwiches.  Joan opted for a turkey and cranberry sandwich with broccoli soup, I went for the "little kid" fare: tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.  When they delivered our food, there was a bonus: a chocolate chip cookie for each of us... yeah, that kinda enhanced the experience.

A grocery stop, then back to the Love Shack.  We lost the lens to the exterior light near the landing gear on our 5th wheel, so we took the scooters to Camping World to see if they had one.  Nope.  Back to LazyDays - their parts department fixed us up... a whole $1.21, and the light is good as new.  Since we were there, we stopped to check out some Born Free motorhomes...

Never really looked at these before - nicely made.  Small, but functional.  Kinda like the C-Dory equivalent of an RV.

This RV park (which is very nice) is located on the same property as LazyDays, so it was an easy excursion.

Back to our RV site for some game-time on the patio...

Little Izzy got to take a couple walks and met some of the neighbors... who fawned over "the pretty cat being walked on a leash."

A beautiful day. 

Little Izzy settling in...

I mentioned in the previous post that Izzy settled in quickly.  She loves to sit by the door of the Love Shack when it's open, or on the back of the couch, looking out the rear picture window...

No, that isn't Photoshop... that is Izzy's reflection in the window; the dark square is the window in the huge trailer next door to us.  Sometimes, it's timing, sometimes position.

Here's that sweet little face looking at me...

Yep, she's our little supermodel.

Skipped a day...

Not a time warp.

We had a leisurely morning.  Didn't get the coach ready to roll in the dark, just the cold.  The only plan I had for departure: get gas at the nearby Flying J and a yummy Loaded Omelet Biscuit at Carl's Jr.  If you haven't had one, I give it two thumbs up.  For those who live in a part of the country where Hardee's abound, they offer the same breakfast sandwich.  Fresh made biscuit, an omelet with bacon, sausage, and ham, and cheese.  How many calories, you ask?  It tastes like a bite of heaven in your mouth - who gives a rat's rear how many calories??  Seriously, don't eat one every morning, but enjoy it when you can.  Umm... that wasn't a rant, was it?

With that buttery biscuit on my lips, we pointed the rig west.  Our tentative stop for the night was Benson, Arizona.  We were running ahead of schedule (truth be told, I blew away the 2/2/2 Rule not to get across west Texas, but so I could have that Loaded Omelet Biscuit this morning... but, I digress); Joan said, "Do you want to roll into Tucson a day ahead of schedule?"

"Sure."

We made reservations for this week in Tucson last October (Joan plans ahead).  The campground was part of LazyDays RV (dealership) at that time.  Since then, they became a KOA.  I am not a big fan of KOA due to their "add-on pricing" tactics.  When Joan called, they didn't have our reservation - that's when she discovered it had changed ownership.  We wanted to add an 8th day on to our stay.  They got it all straightened out, and we were good to roll on in.

It has been a long time since we've been to this campground.  I remembered it being wide open and spacious.  And when we got here... yep, it is wide open and spacious.  The site can easily accommodate our length, and there is a blacktop pad to park the truck.  A cement patio with a table and chairs.  And, a shade tree that doesn't interfere with our slide outs or scrapes our roof.

You might notice that big blue semi truck in the site next to us in the top photo.  When getting hooked up, I met Craig, the owner.  He and his wife and two kids (3 & 7) are touring around the US (he is from Australia) with that truck and what looks to be a custom built 53' trailer.  His previous stop was in the Phoenix area, and he got turned away... from a couple 55+ parks.  He had no idea.  Same place we were several decades ago... well, without the semi and the custom trailer.  ;-)

I saw a Harley-Davidson V-Rod with straight pipes parked outside the trailer... yeah, I just know that is gonna be LOUD.  He asked, "How long are you here?"

"8 days, and then north to the Phoenix area for a couple months," I told him.

"We are just here tonight, then off again in the morning."  Whew!  He told me they are heading for South Padre Island.  Yes, we visited a bit about that.  Mostly, he wanted to know why we would leave that to come to the desert... "Our daughter and son-in-law are in Phoenix, so that's where we are headed."

I was wearing a BMW Motorcycles t-shirt (two bikes ago, but I still have the shirt).  He asked, "I see your shirt - do you have bikes in the trailer?"

I laughed when I saw the grimace on his face when I told him we had a couple scooters in there.  Let him get another 20 years on him, and he might understand.  LOL

For now, we are happy to be down for a while.  Little Izzy is happy to be in the HitchHiker.  We're looking forward to exploring around Tucson - it's been 3 or 4 years since we spent any time here.

Thought we missed the cold...

... that the rest of the country is experiencing, this time around.  Our "weather window" looked good before we left.  Yesterday, Mother Nature tossed some "forward creeping" crosswinds at us.  And this morning: 38º in El Paso.  The HitchHiker is well insulated (for an RV), so the fireplace or room heater keeps the propane furnace from running.

As we head west, we should run out of this dip in the jet stream.  Go west, young man, go west... OK, that works for us old guys, too. ;-)

Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

Though my ass is swollen.  Keep this "train" a rollin'.  Rawhide.

Or, something like that.

We were up early, with a specific goal in mind: hell with the 2/2/2 Rule, we want to make it across west Texas.  When double towing, we generally keep the speed to 60 to 62 mph.  543 miles.  Figure in some gas stops, potty stops, and chow... we figured at least 10 hours.  There is about 10 hours of daylight in this part of the country right now.  I would rather start out in the dark than arrive in the dark.  There is an RV park (using the term "park" loosely) at Exit 2 that has long RV sites - we know we will fit in there, and they always have room.

The bad news: the tailwind from yesterday went away, replaced by a quartering headwind from the north northwest.  Cooler temps, too.  It was 42º when we got up this morning.  We unhooked and left in the dark.  As quiet as we could... diesel trucks are particularly quiet.  Down the road a ways, Joan got this shot of the sunrise in the side mirror...

Shortly after that, we stopped for the first of 3 fuel stops today.  My buddy, Carl, says, "You measure distance in Texas by 'tanks'... as in: it was two tanks of fuel across central Texas."  Today was a 3 1/2 tank day.  Big Red can pull like a champ, but she has a relatively small fuel tank.  That's OK, I need the potty breaks.

It was chilly to go along with the wind.  Big Red has a good heater, but I needed the coat at each fuel stop.  Some know I am not enamored with west Texas.  And, going 60 mph or so across the 550 miles of west Texas seems to take forever.  Usually, the timing means we have to stop at either Ft. Stockton or Van Horn for the night.  Sometimes, Balmorhea, Texas.  I was determined to make it past El Paso.

Some people don't believe there are mountains in Texas.  Oh, they may not be as high as the northern Rockies, but they exist...

There is a lot of non-civilization in west Texas.  We saw a few dust devils, and LOTS of 18-wheelers and other RVs.  And, occasionally, not much other traffic...

Empty road as far as you can see.  The traffic picked up as we neared El Paso.  Population of metro El Paso is around 800,000.  Add in Juarez (Mexico) and Las Cruces (New Mexico), and you have 2.7 million people.  Sometimes it feels like all of them are in the stretch of I-10 from Exit 37 to Exit 2.  Throw in the constant road construction, and you have some fun driving with Big Red, the Love Shack, and the scooter hauler all hooked up.  The timing was such that we had to go through there during afternoon rush hour.  Not relaxing, by any means, but we've seen it worse here (like the time we drove through here in a snow storm).

2/3 of the way to our destination, and we are still in Texas.  Did I mention it is a long ways across west Texas??  ;-)