Walkabout...

 

I had no idea.  Apparently, this term (see the title) is offensive when used by non-Aboriginal people.  A "walkabout" (as I've always used it, and according to the Urban Dictionary) is: a spontaneous journey through the wilderness of one's choosing, to satisfy one's 'itchy feet,' a need to be elsewhere."

These days, my walkabouts are short in duration and distance.  Today, Joan walked with me - down to see the Pacific Ocean, and to a small market a few blocks away.

She did not accompany me yesterday when I went to the beach.  Well, sort of a beach - there is some sand, but a lot of rocks.  So, I guess it depends on your perspective.  South Beach on San Juan Island is a rocky shoreline, where you need a jacket, even in the summer;  South Beach in Miami is sandy, warm, and lots of bikinis.  A bit nippy this morning here in Oceanside, so I wore a jacket instead of my bikini.  But, Joan got to see what I saw late yesterday afternoon...

 The water looks a bit rough.  No problem, 'cause I wasn't going in, anyway.  But, it is pretty to see the ocean and to hear the surf.

To get to the beach from our van is a short walk - out of the RV park, through a small city park, and there you are.  On the way back, Joan stopped to enjoy a park bench...

 Well, except for some creepy old guy getting her photo.

From there, we walked to the main road, then a couple blocks further to a nearby grocery market that was described to me by the person who checked us in yesterday as: "Small, but mighty."  A good description; it was smaller than the neighborhood grocery store where I grew up, but it had the essentials.  We picked up a few things, and on the walk back, we stopped at a coffee shop for a couple pastries to take back to the van.

I took off my jacket when we got back to the van, and enjoyed a chocolate croissant outside... to keep the crumbs out of the van.  I was glad to get back inside and out of that cool breeze.  But, before coming in, I did get a photo of one of the trains that passes just feet outside the RV park...

 You walk under the train track to get to the beach.  And, I kinda enjoy the sound of the train as it goes by; rather quietly (for a train) with a ringing bell.

We debated whether to unhook the van and drive around today.  Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy, so a better day for a drive than a walk.  We'll see.  There are no planned activities.

It is pretty quiet today in the RV park: quite a few departures, leaving plenty of empty sites.  We heard some doors slamming last night after dark - another Class B pulled into the site next to us.  And then this morning, they unplugged and took off.  Our speed is a bit slower than that these days.  ;-)  After our walkabout, we may take an afternoon nap... something we can't seem to find time for at home.

 

 

VanLife...

 

For those who don't follow this stuff: it's a thing.  There are thousands (not exaggerating) of people "livng the van life"... they post on YouTube, Instagram, and Tictok; tell all who will listen to how great the van life is... "Kiss your boring life good-bye, get a van, and travel the highways and by-ways, where everyday is the next vacation."  There are always photos in unique places, glorious sunsets, lounging in the van with the rear doors open, catching a fresh breeze.  Never in an RV park, but always in a "free" scenic wonderland.  Maybe for click-bait, it will be a pretty young thing telling how she is about to shower outside.  No, YouTube will never show that, nor will they, but it does get "clicks."  ;-)

Fear not - I am not about to shower outside - you don't have to get the Brain Bleach ready.  We left Coachella, CA, this morning, after messing with our fancy water-heater.  Pilot error: I forgot to turn on the propane before we left home.  And then got an error message on our even more fancy touch screen, telling me that there was an error with the water-heater.  No shit, Shakespeare.  The error wouldn't clear until we shut down the electrical system, then fired it back up.  After turning on the propane.  All good.  And, yes, we are very experienced RVers.

We stopped for gas at a Costco along the way, getting the California bargain price of only $4.09 for regular unleaded.  I-10 continuing west.  Joan disagreed with Apple Maps for the routing... I am no dummy: I took Joan's routing.  It was interesting driving down cow paths and back alleys.  Of course, I am kidding... it wasn't that interesting.  Going from the Palm Springs valley to the coast, you drive through the hills...

 As we got close to Oceanside, Joan and Apple Maps disagreed again.  Following Joan's directions, we drove the last couple miles along the main drag of Oceanside.  We haven't been in this area in years - Oceanside is an older beach town.  Lots of traffic and shops on either side to separate visitors from their money...

 An interesting beach town vibe.  We pulled into the RV park that calls itself Paradise By The Sea.  Before I could get out of the van to go in the office, our new friend Timmi brought out a park map and checked us in.  This is definitely an older park, but... location, location, location.

I will get some photos of the beach and the proximity tomorrow, but for today: we pulled in, hooked up, and... we are living the "VanLife."  A nice ocean breeze - Joan put out the awning, and we rolled down the screens on our large slider door and the back doors.  This beats the heck out of last night, where we had to run the air conditioner all night (it was hot)... and, in spite of it being advertised as "quiet," it only is compared to the previous model (that was even louder).  RV air conditioners are loud, especially if they are right over your head, which they all are in a Class B campervan.

But, I digress.  We got to put out our patio mat and chairs...

 And, you can tell we're "living the van life," because we have our big doors open.  Still not showering outside, though.  This site is small (nothing much bigger than our size will fit on this site), but it makes up for it by being close to the sites on either side.  ;-)

 And one other fun feature: there is a passenger train track (runs between San Diego and LA) about 200 yards from the van.  Joan loves train noise.  Yes, really.  This one isn't too noisy - generally about 5 passenger cars, and it goes by maybe once an hour or so.  At this point, it is more of a novelty than an annoyance.

This is the first that Murphy has been out of the van since we left home...

 He is happier to be inside, looking out.  I am sure it will be quieter this evening, but on this Sunday afternoon (on a holiday weekend), there is a lot of coming and going.  There is a fence around this property, so people can't just wander in from the beach.  I think that means we can't just wander to the beach - I'm guessing we'll have to go out and around to get to the beach - that's why I said I'd get some photos of that tomorrow.  Today, we are just chilling around the RoadTrek, enjoying "VanLife."

Along with a lot of other RVers who are walking dogs (one woman had 5 wiener dogs on leashes) and riding bikes.  There is music in the air, with people enjoying time on their RV patios.  Quiet time is 10:00 am to 7:00 pm.  We'll see how that plays out.  On the bright side, the small RV sites on either side of us are not occupied, so it is relatively quiet.  So far.

In the meantime, I am working up this post, Joan and Murphy are taking a nap.  The temperatures for the rest of the week are supposed to be cool (upper 60s mostly) and some chance of rain; but it was a lovely 73º when we rolled in around 2:30.  We brought appropriate clothes.

Speaking of rain, we saw Steph and Dan on the security cameras at home - lots of rain: Some streets are flooding in our community, but not getting to the homes.  The "dry wash" just over the wall from our house has some water in it.  In the two years we've been there, we haven't see that.  We knew big rains were coming, so we put away outdoor stuff that we didn't want to get soaked.  Good to have Steph and Dan there, though, to give us the play-by-play.  For the record, we picked our lot with intention: that dry wash protects us from water coming down off the mountain (the street south of our community had 6" of water flowing over it); the street in front of our house slopes down to the north; the street heading west of us slopes down to the west.  All this means we are on a high point, with decent slopes to let water run away.  There are some areas in our yard that allow water to pool, but not deep.  These rains that Arizona is currently getting are rare, but when the rain pounds in the desert, the ground is hard and can't absorb it... so it has to run somewhere.

I also heard from one of the HOA board members, concerned that the "park and streets" are flooding.  "Flooding" might be a misnomer - there is water running into the park and down the streets.  The park is designed to be where that water is supposed to go.  Via the streets.  She asked, "What should we do about stuff floating in the street - there's a pallet out there?"

"Tell people to police the area around and in front of their homes, so the water can flow as it was designed to do.  If stuff clogs up the gutters and storm drains, then water IS going to back up.  This is the time to be good neighbors and pick up any debris, for the good of the community."

Time for me to go - I need to wake up Murphy so he can have his supper.  ;-)

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Getting close to sunset, I took a walk to the beach.  Looking back, you can see what I mean about the sites being close together...

This RV park is almost on the beach.  There is a gate you go out (with a gate code to get back in), you walk under the train bridge, through a small park, and there you are...

 

 

Getting close to sunset...

 

 Back at the van, Joan took this photo of "her guys"...

 

 

Working on these last few photos... I don't know why it took me this long to discover that the rotating Lagun table works even better from the driver's seat.  The passenger seat rotates fully to face the back; this is as far as the driver's seat rotates, but is a good "work station."  Old dog, new tricks, young spry cat.

 

 

Angst...

 

"Worried about getting away, Jim?" 

No, I am looking forward to it.  Joan picked this destination, southern California, on the coast.  We're looking forward to the change of scenery, and just being out in the van.  The angst comes from my inner photographer.  I have a lot of small photography gear; action cameras, mostly.  Wireless microphones.  360 cameras.  Etc.  A lot of etc.  Decisions on what gear to bring along.

I have gone back and forth over the last couple days, thinking about what I might want to shoot.  Stills?  Video?  There is a lot of editing time involved with any video I shoot... but, I enjoy looking back at the video.  Of course, even these small video cameras can shoot stills.  And how much video do I want to "look back on"?

In the end, for this trip, I am leaning towards shooting stills.  So much of my video gear is based around getting video from a moving conveyance: motorcycle, scooters, bicycles, van.  Yes, we will be covering some miles with the van, but I'm not feeling the need to have a running video of that.

As Joan has already said: "Whatever gear you take, you'll be thinking about what you missed by leaving other gear behind."  ;-)  Yeah, probably.  But, as I have mentioned before, the RoadTrek has finite storage capacity.  And we need to make room for the important stuff... like shoes and cat stuff.

:-)

We be loading.

Looking at the Estrella Mountains from our house...

 

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Rolling...

We did the last bit of loading with a light sprinkle.  Put Murphy in his carrier, and carried the carrier (and the cat) to the van.  One of us did a few minutes of low pitch howling... it was not Joan, nor me.  As soon as we let him out of his carrier, Murph burrowed under a blanket and settled in.

Joan and I settled in, too...

 The roads were wet as we headed north on the 202, then west on I-10...

 We stopped at Tonopah, AZ, to top off our gas tank.  The price was less expensive than in Phoenix... we should have waited another 40 miles: gas was $2.75 at several stations in that area; about a dollar per gallon less than the going rate in Phoenix.  (Grumble)

There are mountains in western AZ...

And, as we got closer to California, blue sky...

We stopped for the night at a nice RV resort in Coachella, CA - it looks new; nice sites and amenities...

 Great pool area and hot tubs...

 We checked out the showers...

 Insert your own smart ass comment here - I have nothing to add; that's as neutral as I can be.

Our site is close to the pool and hot tubs - I plan to head there later.  After it cools down a bit.

We'll be moving on tomorrow, for some time on the coast.  I have the feeling that this next RV park isn't as new or upscale.  Well, except in price... location, location, location (supposedly, just steps from the beach).   And, cooler weather at the coast with... yep, a chance of rain during our stay there.

 

Getting Loaded...

 

What?  No, not that.  I mentioned earlier that we are getting away for Joan's birthday next week.  Time to load up the RoadTrek...

 This is not like the good ol' days of going out for several months at a time in a bigger conveyance... when the loading and prep would take a couple days.  The van has a finite amount of storage, so we try to under-do with the loading.  It doesn't always work out that way.

With a lull in the predicted rainy weather, Mother Nature has cut us some slack.  The weather weasels are calling it "waves of precipitation," rather than 4 days of pounding rain.

No, Murphy has no idea.

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Getting Loud...

Music today with my local guys (Allan, Tony, Roland, Bob, and Joe).  As I've said before, this is very different from the music we play with Mark and Ron and the guys, which is more vocal focused.  With the local guys, it is very much guitar focused.  And, loud.  And fun, because it is different from what I've been playing for a lot of years.  And, loud.  I generally leave there after 2 1/2 to 3 hours with my ears ringing... I need to figure out how to connect my in-ears monitor to Allan's mixing board, so I can knock down the over-all volume and be able to better hear the vocals. 

 

Before Sunrise...

 

Murphy and I were up before the sun this morning.  Quiet out there...

The sky with the sun still below the east horizon...

 The weather weasels are calling for overcast and a 30% chance of rain; the percentages go up as we roll into the weekend.

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Nekkid...

The difference between "naked" and "nekkid": naked means you are unclothed; nekkid means you are unclothed and up to something.  I am talking now about our yard, or as I often refer to it: the courtyard, because the property is surrounded by a 6' block wall...

 I enjoy that area.  Under the gray covers is a patio couch, two chairs, a coffee table, and an end-table.  It is a very comfortable place to sit in the morning.  Towards the center rear is the tall table and chairs - a good place to sit to keep an eye on Murphy as he wanders around the yard.  Just left of center is the Eco-Spa hot tub, my favorite place to be in the evening to look at stars and planes heading in and out of Sky Harbor Airport.  To the far left is the "stuff garden"... Joan has plants, lights, and yard decor there; it is colorful during the day and a variety of solar lights at night.

"What about the nekkid?" you ask.  Thanks for asking.  There are generally 3 patio umbrellas set up strategically to give shade to the seating areas and just generally keep the area cooler.  During this hot summer, we have had a pop-up kiosk over the hot tub to keep it shaded.  Even though it is well insulated, the summer sun in the desert is brutal.  All that shade stuff has been put away.  The courtyard looks nekkid - and something is up.

Two of the three umbrellas (10' diameter) are on weighted bases that have wheels.  The other one is slightly larger and a base that doesn't move (easily).  No mention of this upcoming weather being a wind event, but after the haboob this summer that ripped our first kiosk over the hot tub to shreds, we aren't taking any chances.  All that stuff has been moved into the Tuff Shed.

While the calendar says we have moved from summer to fall, we would still be using those shade makers.  Except for the fact that Arizona is going to see some tropic-influenced rain over the next 5 or 6 days.  And we will be getting away for a week or so over Joan's birthday next week.  We are technically past monsoon season.  The rain we received two weeks ago was more in a day than is usual for the entire 6 to 8 weeks of monsoon season.  That same kind of precipitation is what the weather weasels are calling for, with the heaviest predicted to be happening on Saturday (our planned departure day). 

 

Rehearsal...

 

Mark has been out of town for a couple weeks.  Until last week, Podge and Ron hadn't played together (Ron was gone all summer).  A rehearsal last week with the 3 of us went well.  Another rehearsal today with the 3 of us, running through a set list for the gig we have coming up later this month.  I'm looking forward to getting Mark back in there with us - I miss his lead guitar licks and the harmonies he and I have been doing for a lot of years.

I am still experimenting with gear: I really like the multi-effects pedal I got a couple weeks ago (Mooer GE150 Max).  I can set my Bose S1 Pro (small PA/amp) as a FRFR speaker (Full Range, Flat Response); that allows the effects from the 150 Max to be repeatable.  It sounds different when used in conjunction with my different amps and guitars.  The multi-effects pedal is very different from the pedalboard I have set up for playing acoustic guitars (and a vocal harmonizer).

Two different systems; two completely different sounds.  And they each sound different when used with a different amp or PA.  I have no shortage of gear... just trying out all the options.

As far as rehearsal is concerned, Ron, Podge, and I have 3 hours of music down tight.  The timing is such that we'll only have one more rehearsal with the 4 of us when Mark gets back - we'll have the chance to pick and choose the songs we want to do on this next gig, which will only be an hour and a half.

When Covid hit, the opportunities to play out in front of people dried up.  I really thought I was done with that, and instead, making an occasional music video.  I have enjoyed playing out with Mark and the guys... once a month or so is enough to keep my hand in it.

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Mother Nature has some rainy weather in store for us over the next 5 or 6 days.  The rainfall predictions are concerning.  It isn't supposed to come all at once, but predictions around the state are running from 2 inches to over 8 inches, location dependent.  The Phoenix area predictions are for 2 to 5 inches.  The weather is being influenced by 3 tropical disturbances along the west coast of Mexico - and like a river of air flow, that weather is heading for Arizona.  Locally...

 It looks like the southeast portion of the state has the biggest risk, followed by the northwest part of Arizona - that's the areas where they're calling for 8 or more inches of rain.  Yes, flash flood watches are being advised, with flash flood warnings likely.  Currently, all of Phoenix will be under a watch.

Joan's birthday is next week, and we have travel plans with the RoadTrek.  We'll see how this all plays out.

 

 

Look! Up in the sky!

 

If you said: "It's a bird!  It's a plane!  It's SuperMoon!", you get 50 bonus points for getting into the spirit of this month's full moon.

Yes, this one is the first of 3 SuperMoons in a row.  That means the moon is in a closer orbit to the Earth, so it appears larger and brighter than a typical full moon.

The actual time of the full moon here in Phoenix is Monday, October 6th, at 8:47pm Mountain Standard Time.

Here's how it looks...

 This is the Full Harvest Moon, depending on which part of the country, happening at peak harvest time.

The full Moon that appears closest to the first day of fall is referred to as the “Harvest Moon.”  In 2025, October’s full Moon takes place approximately one day closer to the fall equinox (September 22) than September’s full Moon did.  This is why October’s full Moon will be called the Full Harvest Moon and September’s was referred to as the “Full Corn Moon.” 

The Apache of the southern plains call October’s full Moon the “Moon When Corn Is Taken In.”  While the Creek tribe of the Southeast, especially in Alabama and Georgia, use the name “Big Chestnut Moon” to indicate the harvest season for these tasty nuts.  The Celts have the broader name of “Seed Moon” to show that different plants have gone to seed during October. 

All harvested food needs to be properly stored before winter, and October is an ideal time to preserve and protect the ample harvests.  For the Oneida tribe of Wisconsin, this makes October’s full Moon the “Someone Stores Food Moon.” 

A SuperMoon occurs when the Moon is at least 90% of the way to its perigee position at the same time it is in its “full” or “new” phase.  An extreme perigean SuperMoon is when a new or full Moon happens at the same time as perigee. 

Get out there and howl at it! 

That's cool...

 

Not to be confused with the Paris Hilton expression: "That's hot."  This is Arizona - seems like it is always hot.  But, not this morning: at 6:30 this morning, the thermometer in our courtyard read... 58º.  Joan and I both put on a light jacket when we took Murphy outside.  He didn't immediately go for a shady spot.

The local weather weasels are calling for "one or two days of triple digit temps later this week, and then we should be beyond that."  I don't trust them.

I was planning to get the Burgman scoot out this morning, and got to wait until after 8:00, to let the traffic clear on the surface streets.  Plus (and this is a big deal), I could comfortably wear an armored mesh riding jacket today!

Traffic was very light on the twisty roads on the mountain, but more people that I could see on the hiking trails.  I didn't bring along a camera or a drone, but did get a couple shots with my phone...

 I didn't get a photo of it, but saw something unusual during my ride: an ocotillo with orange blooms.  I think I mentioned how green the ocotillo were after that last 2"+ rain - this is the first I've seen one bloom other than during the spring (they typically bloom March through June).  While I didn't capture that with my phone, you can see how green everything is looking in the photos above.

The riding was good.  The B200 is a fun scoot.  It doesn't have that "rip your arms out of your shoulder sockets" torque that some bikes have.  It just goes about its business, doing most anything you ask of it, with no drama.  It's fun without being fussy.

The only "near drama" this morning was while I was following a tree-trimming service truck pulling a sizeable trailer: it slowed down in the middle of stretch without a 4-way intersection, pulled into the right turn lane leading to a housing development (no turn signal)... then slowed to a stop, and without looking, turned left right in front of me to do a U-turn.  Also without a turn signal.  And, pulling into the lot in front of a firehouse on the other side of the street.  Yes, I hollered at the guy, while utilizing the ABS brakes on the bike.  And at the same time, someone came out of the firehouse waving the guy off.  There was a firetruck with lights on as the tall garage door opened... and the idiot in the tree truck was blocking their exit.  That was not cool. 

 

Two days...

 

 

Desert West Fall Market...

 

I took Murphy outside around 6:00 this morning...

 At 70º and a light north breeze, it felt downright cool.  The furry boy was enjoying it!

Later, Joan and I headed north and west for a Saturday Desert West Fall Market on the campus of Estrella Mountain Community College, in Goodyear.  Nothing we particularly needed, beyond an outing.  A lot of booths and people...

 

"I'm ticked!"

 

No, not me.  A new participant on the RoadTrek group.  He bought a 2017 RoadTrek, and he felt he was "cheated" because it is on a 2016 Ram Promaster chassis.  For those who have never bought a motorized RV, it is very typical that the chassis and RV build are not the same.  RV manufacturers typically buy chassis in "bulk"... that is: they will have chassis waiting to have the RV built on top of them... or in the case of RoadTrek: "empty" RAM Promaster vans; they build these within the body of the van.

About 30 people replied to this guy to let him know that nothing nefarious was happening - this is the way all RV manufacturers of motorized vehicles do it.  Apparently, this guy is going to petition to his state DMV to change his title and registration.

For those of us who understand how it works, there is no issue.  If you are buying or selling the rig, it is the model year of the RV build.  If you are taking it to a RAM dealer to get service work done on the engine or chassis, it is the model year of the chassis.  Easy.

Even easier: I took our RoadTrek to the Valvoline Oil Change place near us - they scanned the VIN and knew the year, the type of oil, the correct filter, the correct tire pressure, etc, etc.

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 Gas Buddy...

It's an app that we have been using for years; especially when filling the gas tank on larger vehicles.  For those not familiar, it is a crowd-source app, where people report what gas is selling for at any particular gas station.  Joan uses it almost every time we fill up, even here at home.

Generally, Sam's Club or Costco has the best price on gas (somewhat) locally.  You have to decide if it is worth it to go a little out of your way to save on the gas price.  And for the record, gas prices can change with no warning, and not get updated on the app.

Here in the Phoenix area, unleaded gas is going for an average price of $3.79.  Our Equinox uses premium fuel (due to the turbo), which is usually around 60¢ per gallon higher.  We needed to fill the tank on that vehicle today, and Joan found a Chevron gas station that was less for premium gas than what most of the stations along the way were charging for regular unleaded.

I thought that might be an old price listing on the app, but it was right on the money (literally) when we got there.  I like it when it works out that way.

Oh, and lunch out at Famous Dave's was quite tasty.

 

Half a Century...

 

Is that how long since you updated your jokes, Jim?

Funny... not.

Today is son-in-law Dan's birthday.  His 50th birthday to be more specific.  Yes, there was a party at work, with people all wearing black.  Then, this evening, Steph made supper for us, and we celebrated with the 4 of us.

Lots of presents and cards...

 Perhaps a few reminders of the rather harsh card Dan gave Joan years ago.  Nobody remembers what it said, just that it was one of those "you're so old..." kinda things.  So, yeah, a faint memory that gets brought up at every birthday celebration.  ;-)

Dan is a good guy.  I have probably (?) made jokes about him being like "the son I never wanted," but he is very much a cherished part of our family.  And not just because he keeps Stephanie from being "a crazy cat lady."  Yeah, more jokes.  'Cause that's also a part of the family.

Joan put up a bunch of "50" related signs around their house, including one on the front door so they'd see it when they got home from work.  There was a placard of things that happened or were popular "50 years ago"... Stephanie and I may have broken out in song with each of the "most popular songs" mentioned.

It was a nice evening.