Kid's Day...

This comes up on Mother's Day and Father's Day when your kids are small: "When is Kid's Day?"

Of course, the right answer is: every day!  ;-)

Today, we got to spend most of the day with our kids.  Well, one is ours and she is married to the other, so he is ours, too.  They do a monthly get-together with friends and spouses and always include us with the group when we are here.  Today, it was a breakfast get-together.  We were up early and ready for them when they picked us up.  We know the folks in their group, so there was plenty of good conversation, before, during, and after the meal.

A swing by the SuperBowl festivities at the University of Phoenix Stadium, where the SuperBowl is being held...

Then, back to their house.  We set up a Select Comfort bed and messed with their internet signal (end result: the signal is now 60 times faster).  Then, out for a late lunch with just the 4 of them.  We enjoy their company.

Tomorrow, we move a bit further up the road, for a two-month stay at a park that is new for us.  New experiences ahead.  Then, back to Steph and Dan's for our own SuperBowl festivities.

Soggy celebrations...

The rain started in again last night.

Lots of activities going on with the SuperBowl happening here this weekend.  Events in downtown Phoenix as well as at the stadium in Glendale.  The Phoenix Open Golf Tournament is also underway - yes, Tiger Woods is playing in it.  This weather is probably not good for the promotion of things in "the Valley of the Sun."  A shame, because it is typically dry and sunny here this time of year.  The world is watching.

Seems like it has been weeks since we have had multi-days of sunshine, whether while traveling or at home in the Tropical Tip.  100% chance of precip today and tomorrow here.  But, starting Sunday, the next week looks great: 0% chance of rain, sunshine, and daytime temps in the 70s.

I'm ready for that.

School custodian type at the Genius Bar...

A trip to the Apple Store today.

No, we don't need anything (although Joan's iPhone is getting a bit long in the tooth) - Dan's computer was having a battery issue, so we offered to get a Genius appointment at the Apple Store and do the running for him.

Getting an appointment can be done online - the earliest they had available was 3:15 pm.  We had some other running to do, so planned our activities to work around that appointment time.  They are very efficient at the Apple Store: they greet you when you come in; the first person you talk to fixes you up with a guy who confirms your appointment (we were a bit early), then gets you a "Genius" who diagnoses the issue.  He quickly confirmed it was a dead battery and an "over-ride" that was protecting the circuit.  He gave us two options: replace the battery (for $129 + tax), or he could just reset the over-ride and run the computer only when plugged in (free, but he didn't recommend that).

It was Dan's money, so we went with the new battery.  He told us it would take about two hours, but they'd call when it was ready.  One hour later, I got the call.  Go into the store, get greeted, set up with the person who will deliver the computer, give them the bucks, and you are good to go.  Fast, efficient, easy.

While waiting for the computer to be brought out, we saw another "Genius" helping a customer.  The person was having an issue with their iPhone... the Genius had all the different connection cords for every iPhone clipped to his belt on a carabiner.  He reminded me of another guy who can handle any situation: the school custodian, with all the keys strapped to his belt-loop.

Coming back home, we drove by the stadium where the SuperBowl will be this Sunday - MAJOR stuff set up in front of the stadium, including covered stages for concerts.  Yes, this is a big deal.  That will be as close as I will get to the SuperBowl, other than parking myself in front of Steph and Dan's big screen TV with a bunch of different SuperBowl snacks (we did go to Trader Joe's while waiting for the computer).  I don't have a particular connection to either team, but I do like the food Joan makes and the commercials.

Traffic timing...

We departed Tucson around 9:30 today, with the plan of avoiding rush hour traffic in Tucson and Phoenix.

It worked.  Plenty of traffic as we rolled through Phoenix, but no slow-downs.  Timing is important, but you never know when an accident will snarl things.  Just a short stay in this RV park, 'till we can get into the one where we are booked for February and March.

The SuperBowl is this Sunday - LOTS of people in town.  No, at about $3,000 to $4,000 a ticket, we'll be sitting at Steph and Dan's house, watching on their big screen TV.

I get to see my little girl tonight!

RV park...

We are staying in the LazyDays KOA while in Tucson.

Generally, I am not a big fan of KOA - they seem to be the higher price option in most places, because they offer plenty of "family amenities."  This park wasn't a KOA until last year; it has been affiliated with the large RV dealer that is on the same premises.

What I DO like about this park: it is designed for big rigs...

Nice wide streets, giving you room to maneuver into a site.  Their sites can accommodate any size rig (we don't have to unhook the cargo trailer), and all have cement patios, patio furniture, and most have a citrus-fruit tree (ours has grapefruit).  Yes, you can pick the fruit (within reason).  50 and 30 amp power, cable TV, laundry, two pools, etc.

This is the difference between "camping" and an RV resort: notice it is not heavily wooded - no issue with scratching up your rig on low-hanging branches, and plenty of sky, to get satellite TV.  No big smoky campfires.

There is an Airstream Rally going on here right now: the gleaming aluminum travel trailers are all over the park...

Well, they aren't all travel trailers...

That one is a well-preserved Airstream motorhome.  I don't think they make the aluminum motorhomes any longer, but they do make fiberglass motorhomes along with the more typical trailers.

This oldie caught my eye...

Someone had put a lot of work into it: shiny!

Of course, there are other types of RVs in the park...

RVers remind me somewhat of boat cruisers... and, they like their dogs.  Lots of people walking dogs all day long (especially first thing in the morning); yes there is a "clean up after your pet" rule.  Some of us prefer the company of the feline furry kids...

That sign was on the front of a 5th wheel.  Little Isabella likes it here...

She likes that bush... pretty sure every dog in the park has "marked it" at one time.  Yes, she gets cleaned up before she can go back inside.

Not everyone likes pets...

This site had a couple of those signs, letting people know to NOT let their dogs poop in the yard.  I have to find some of these - we have some bushes at home that are occasionally "gifted".

Every RV park we've been in has a low speed limit...

They are letting you know to keep it UNDER 10 mph... safer for everyone that way.

Nice day to be out and about.  We are sitting out on our patio while I write this.  Sure beats the heck out of slogging through the snow.  ;-)

The cargo trailer...

A new plug and pigtail on the cargo trailer and we are good to go.

It is mid-70s, sunny, and just down-right gorgeous in Tucson.  A few raindrops on the roof last night and this morning, but they were gone by the time we got up.

Back home in the Tropical Tip, it will be 72º today; sunny, light breeze.  In the Black Hills (western South Dakota), it will be about the same - now that is unusual!  Nice to be anywhere except the northeast today, I guess.

Just enjoying being RVers and the lovely weather... head to Phoenix tomorrow to see our little girl... and Dan and grandcat Torrie.  Can't wait.

Sunny. I like sunny...

We relaxed in most of the morning.

We spent the afternoon getting more RV ideas.  Not an easy decision process, since we are looking for smaller... without feeling like we are living small.  I keep going back to the Sprinter-chassis motorhomes, but they are snug.  Too snug?  Maybe.

I also like some of the shorter Class A motorhomes, but the industry seems to be more concerned about making "entry level" models in the shorter sizes.

Same with most Class Cs.  Another interesting option is what some manufacturers call a B+ and others label them "aerodynamic Class Cs"... they don't have the big cab-over sleeper and feature rounded corners in most of their exterior styling, instead of right angles.  Nicer interior appointments and full body paint add to the appeal.

Tucson has a bunch of RV dealers, and this is their season - the snowbirds are here.  There were plenty of people checking things out.

Making our shopping around more pleasant: beautiful sunshine.

:-)

Tucson...

Much better today, compared to yesterday.  Here's a shot from yesterday afternoon, after the snow stopped and some of it melted...

Before pulling out this morning, we had to get this shot of the pink flamingos... in the snow... in the site across the road from us...

As I mentioned in the previous post, it was a cold start to the day.  But, no falling snow.  Out of the RV park and onto the road...

The roads were mostly dry, snow on the ground.  50 miles down the road...

No snow... and look at the beautiful blue sky.  And desert.

Settling in for a few days...

We are safely into a site at the LazyDays KOA in Tucson.  The snitty lady that called this morning was "in the back office", but they had all the paperwork just fine when we pulled in.  I did mention to the nice lady that checked me in about the unpleasant one this morning... I got an understanding smile and she mouthed the words, "I know"... guessing Miss Snit is the office boss.   

The Love Shack is grubby after the last couple days of rain and snow.  (It was sunny, but chilly today!)  There is a rig washing service that advertises on the KOA vehicle tag - Joan said, "You've worked hard enough the past week; call them and get on their schedule.  Thanks for getting us here safely."

What a woman!      

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

17º this morning.  The RV park in Tucson called this morning and chewed me out for not showing up yesterday... even though we called them at 10:39 am yesterday to let them know we wouldn't be in.  Apparently they don't talk to each other in that office.  Apparently, they could use a friendlier person to make their outgoing calls.   

The sun is out, so we intend to let that thaw out the ice on the roads before we get rolling.  Yes, we were comfortable in the HitchHiker last night.  Little Izzy is confused with the slides in... it hampers her "race track" mode, going from the bedroom up front to the couch in back. 

We ain't movin'...

Update from this morning's post.

We stayed put.  The Interstate westbound was closed until this afternoon.  A pretty lazy day around the Love Shack.  There was some guitar playing, internet surfing, chili for lunch, and everyone got in a nap...

That is an electric throw (smaller than a full size blanket) that we bought for the boat, but only used a time or two.  Izzy likes our electric blanket on the bed, and went right to this one.  The cat knows comfort.

I remember years ago an RV salesman saying, "There is nothing hotter or colder than an RV."  The implication was: they are hot when it is hot outside and cold when it is cold outside.  HitchHikers are considered "4 season RVs"... I didn't consider it much until today.  We could hear the next door neighbor's furnace running - it is pretty close to the large window by our dinette.  Our HitchHiker has a 2-stage furnace; it warms up the coach, then has a smaller fan/heat source that keeps it to temp.  Most RVs run at one pace until it gets to the set temperature, then turns off until it gets cold, then turns back on again.  The 2-stage is quieter, uses less propane, and keeps the temp more consistent.  We could hear the neighbor's furnace running about 3 times more often and longer than ours.  May be the difference in insulation... or maybe they are growing hot-house tomatoes?

You have time to think about things like this when you are sitting in a place you didn't intend to be, and you really can't move.  Well, I suppose we could unhook the truck and go exploring, but we didn't even put down the front landing gear on the coach when we pulled in.  Less to deal with when we are ready to roll... hopefully in the morning.

It did make it all the way up to 36º this afternoon - enough to melt some of the snow.  The wind is down from the ugly gusts earlier.  At 4:30, the sun is trying to come out.  It is going to be cold tonight - the weasels are calling it 22º for a low.  Sunny and cold tomorrow.

The new plan is to let the sun warm things up a bit before we hit the road.  We have more elevation to climb before we get to the warmth.

What the hell???

In the words of the furry philosopher, Isabella.

We were up at 6:30... well, we were awake much of the night - the wind howled like a banshee and we could hear something pelting the side of the coach.  "Probably isn't snow," I thought, "Snow doesn't usually make noise when it hits.  I looked outside: sleeting rain, driven by that nasty northwest wind.  In protected areas, like the side of our slide-out, it was accumulating as snow.

"Yeah, we need to get out of here."

We stopped at the nearby Flying J and topped off the truck; Carl's Jr. to top off my belly.  It was 33º, windy, lightly sleeting.  Not pretty, but not bad...

The goal for the day: make it past Lordsburg, NM, and we will be out of this weather system; about 140 miles.  We started seeing cars in the opposing lanes with snow accumulations.  Not good.  Half way to Las Cruces, it started to snow...

Really snowing...

Turns out that Las Cruces is getting the worst of this system.  The lighted sign on the Interstate said "Road Closed to All Traffic at Exit 132."  We were at mile marker 136.  People were driving crazy, switching lanes and over-driving the conditions.  The snow was coming down so fast that the heat on the roads from the traffic wasn't melting it - ice was accumulating.

I told Joan, "There is a Loves Truck Center at Exit 132 - we'll pull in there and wait this out."

That plan didn't last long: a half mile further, traffic was stopped on the road.  Two Highway Patrol Cars had the road blocked and were diverting traffic off the Interstate at Exit 135.  I saw a sign for a KOA at this exit and asked Jill (the GPS) to navigate us to it.  In the meantime, Joan got on the phone to see if they had a site long enough to accommodate us.

The good news: they have one site left that will handle our length.

The bad news: as we pulled up to the campground, I could see the road into it was uphill and about 4" deep in snow.  I switched Big Red into four-wheel-drive and slowly made our way up the hill... with the occasional slip and slide.  I had to go by the office to get to a level spot, hoping we'd be able to get moving again.

The lady in the office had no idea the roads were closed.  She said, "It is fortunate we have a site left - no one is moving today."

No kidding.  Not the exact words that were in my mind.

I paid, and we pulled into the site.  It is narrow, and deep enough in snow that you can't see where the concrete is to park on.  This is nasty...

We are here until the road opens.

Joan put Izzy's sweater on before taking her out to the truck first thing this morning...

We only have one of our three slides open.  I had repositioned us on the site to be able to get all the slides out, but we are living with just one for right now, hoping that there won't be much more snow accumulation.  The low tonight is supposed to be in the mid-20s.  We have heated tanks, so that shouldn't be an issue, but... everyone say it with me: Cold and Snow SUX!

Little Izzy is looking out the window at the falling snow...

"What the hell??"  Poor little girl is confused.  We drove a grand total of 27 miles.  We put her in a sweater.  Cold and snow.  And now the moving house is only half as wide as it normally is, and it isn't level... "What the hell??"

I'm right there with you, Iz.

On the really bright side: I am guessing the Interstate was closed due to accidents - we weren't involved in that.  We are safely off the road (around 8:30 am).  We have 50 amp power, cable TV, and plenty of food.  Little Izzy is under a blanket on her Momma's lap.  We are watching the Today Show - they are talking about schools closed on the local breaks.  This is only an inconvenience for us; it coulda been way worse.

Really? Winter Storm Warnings?? Seriously???

We planned our departure time for a good weather window along our route.  I really do not like the weather weasels.

It was a pretty start to our day...

It was chilly (48º), but no wind.  We were rolling as the sun came up.  It is generally a two-day trip across west Texas for us.  The weather forecast changed in the last 24 hours: they are now calling for Winter Storm Warnings in the Fort Stockton area tonight and tomorrow.  Unbelievable.  Instead of doing 250 to 300 miles today, we are now going to go for 550.

I have joked about west Texas.  Really, there isn't much to see...

We got about 2 hours down the road before we ran into the first rain...

The temperature dropped into the upper 30s.  The Winter Storm Warning has now been extended west, to include Van Horn.  Still tonight and tomorrow, but the rain was getting heavier.  By the time we got to Fort Stockton, the rain stopped... it was chilly when I had to get out to fuel up, but at least I wasn't getting wet.

Between Fort Stockton and Van Horn, I got my hopes up: there was blue sky ahead...

Lots of nuthin' out here...

I began to think we would make it into El Paso without getting rained on again... I was wrong.  The sky looked ominous as we approached the mountains in west Texas...

Then, things really went into the crapper...

Lots of movement in those clouds... and the ugly yellow/green color that I remember from the tornado warnings when I was a kid in Iowa.

Yep - here comes the lightning.  Lots of indication of shear in those clouds...

Joan pulled up a weather radar app - yep, downright fugly.  Lots of yellow and red on the radar, and we are in the middle of it.  I looked around to see if there were any witchy-looking old women flying by on bicycles.  (Wizard of Oz reference)

The good news: the rain let up as we reached the eastern outskirts of El Paso.

The bad news: you can't see the white lines on the road, due to the wet.  They have been doing road construction on I-10 in El Paso for years - there are white lines that have been painted over with black, but they all look the same when wet.  Not that it makes much difference... the drivers in El Paso don't concern themselves with silly things like staying in a lane.

The roads were lousy with crazy-ass drivers...

They also don't concern themselves with slowing down for bumper-to-bumper traffic... if I leave some stopping space in front of me, it is quickly filled by assholes coming from any old lane... yes even if that lane is a couple over from me.

The really bad news: the Winter Storm Warning has now been extended west through most of New Mexico.  Doesn't matter - I am wiped.  We are stopping at the RV park on the far west end of El Paso.

The shitty news: when I came back out to the truck after paying for an RV site for the night, Joan said, "A little bad news - while you were inside, a guy came up to the truck and said we don't have any lights on the cargo trailer.  The plug came out somewhere today, and the connector is ruined and the cable is a mess."

Fun.  I will pick up a pig-tail somewhere along the way and get it wired.  For now, I just want to put this circus train down for the night.  2/2/2 Rule, my ass.  After the rain, the temp in El Paso was around 60º as we rolled through town.  Here comes the front: the temp dropped 20º and the wind is out of the north at are-you-shitting-me??? miles per hour.

We put some water onboard and put away everything except the 50 amp power cable.  It is supposed to be 34º and sleeting rain first thing in the morning.  If we get out of here, we may be able to get far enough west to get out of this crap.  They are calling for sn... sn... sn... I can't bring myself to say it... by noon.  Temperatures dropping all day.

So much for planning ahead for a weather window.  We called the RV park where we will be staying in Tucson and moved our reservation up a couple days.  Last I checked, they should be west of the Winter Storm Warning.

Sheesh!

Rolling...

It feels good to be an RVer again.

As planned, we rolled out at first light.  In the fog...

Looking down the ICW as we crossed the bridge heading off the island...

It is almost 40 miles on back roads to where we store the HitchHiker; it was foggy most of the way.  First that I've seen something like this...

Kinda looks like a gray rainbow - it is a shaft of fog that is thicker than the rest.

We rolled up to the storage unit with the truck and cargo trailer...

More stuff to load into the 5th wheel, time to hook up, pull out the HitchHiker, then back it up to the cargo trailer.  Our "train" is ready to roll.

We really aren't on a schedule, other than hoping to miss some rainy windy weather as we drive across west Texas.  The goal for this first day out: get past the San Antonio area, get down for the night, sanitize our water system, then chill out.  It all played out.  Little Izzy traveled fine; she spent most of the day sleeping in her carrier; occasionally coming out to eat and look around.  We managed to roll through San Antonio (the 8th largest city in the country) at the early part of afternoon rush hour and missed any slow-downs.

We called ahead to an RV park west of San Antonio, asking if they had a long pull-through for us.  "We have one that is about 120 feet long... it does cost a little more, though."

"We'll take it."  I wanted something easy, where we didn't have to unhook.  I knew it was going to take a while to get our water system sanitized and flushed, and I wanted to get that done in the daylight.

Down for the evening...

It was a lovely day - very little wind, plenty of sunshine, and we saw a high of 80º along the way.  That will change tomorrow: west Texas is supposed to be gray, occasional rain, high in the 50s, lows in the 30s.

Happy to be RVing.  :-)