Heading Home March 2015

28 March;  We are leaving Yuma tomorrow with a few stops on the way but is amazing at how long it takes to pack the MH. I always try to pack the nonessential items but you still need to leave the chairs, satellite dish, outdoor carpet and the sun screen on the windshield etc. Therefore most of it gets left until the launch day.
Again the pool is our "pacifier " as the temperature is in the mid 90's again. There simply is no satisfying a Snowbird.   Also the World Curling in Halifax has started so we are watching that ,hoping that Canada can win it all. cheers

29 March: Today we leave for Quartzsite, about 85 miles north to visit friends we met in MX. And , as usual, the day  we are leaving I'm up early to pack because it always takes longer then you think. Besides, whenever the neighbors see you packing they come by to say goodbye which slows down the packing process.
After leaving the park we had to fuel up at Fry's which is a grocery chain and like Wal-Mart and Costco they have Fuel. For ever 100.00 you spend at Fry's you get 10 cent off a gallon and we had spent the 100.00 so we are taking advantage since we need about 50 gallons of fuel. Diesel is 2.49 per gallon and gasoline is 2.25.  Getting in and out of the busy pumps is always a challenge but it is doable. Most car owners will make room for you. When I pulled in another guy pulled into my pump as I needed diesel . As soon as he noticed that I needed his pump he moved to another pump which was nice of him.  Of course the fuelling tender just happen to be dumping fuel at this time, which added to the confusion and was blocking our path to exit the pumps so Carroll became the traffic director and held up the cars so I could squeeze between to two pumps. Most folks can see the conundrum that I was in so they usually move out of the way.
 After hooking up the tow car we headed for Quartzsite some 85 miles north. This is a quiet little town of about 3000 population but becomes a town of 500,000 during the winter as people Boondock ( Dry Camping ) in  the surrounding area and believe me it is a Boom Town from mid Dec until Feb. These folks in town are real businessmen or at least provide the services that we Snowbirds need and I might add will gladly pay for. There are several stations where they will  fill your RV with water, propane and dump your sewer all at the same time and you never have to leave your MH. In fact  they tell you not to get out of your MH as they will do everything.

 We got to our friends place in Quartzsite ( Fred and Sheri ). They have the same MH as us so he was very helpful for me while in MX.  They have  been  full timers for 11 years so they wander around visiting relatives and staying at different places. They lived and worked in LA until retirement and then went full timers. They spend  4 1/2 months in MX, then move to Quartzsite until 1 May or until it gets too hot. In Quartzsite they have a nicely graveled lot 100 ft X 100 ft with all the services for two RVs hence there was room for us to park overnight. They also have a very nice Casita, which is an outdoor kitchen/dinning area/TV room. Just remember it is summer all year round in Quartzsite.   From there they move to Temecula California where the temperature is not as hot. Also, this location is great for them to make the annual  visit to aging parents and G/Kids. From here they move to the mid west and finally back to MX and complete the circuit.
As mentioned we stay overnight ,had a nice supper and chat and will certainly keep in touch as we "May " meet them again in MX next year. Cheers

30 March;  Today we moved to Bullhead City, AZ ( about 3 hours north of Quartzsite ) as we have an 8 AM appointment to have the MH serviced on Tuesday morning. We have a Hydro Hot system which can only we serviced by a certified  Tech and the RV dealer in Bullhead city has that Tech. We actually stayed at the AVI casino, which is in Nevada, about 5 miles from the RV dealer in Bullhead City. Carroll usually drops 20 bucks at each Casino that we stop at but this time she won 30.00.  I set up the satellite so we could watch curling and a couple of hockey games. There was about 20 other RVers camped at AVI as this is a "free" stopping off point on the way north for most snowbirds . Cheers

31 March;  We got up at 7 AM and dropped our MH off at the RV dealer before 8 AM. The servicing takes 3 hours or I should say they charge us for 3 hours so we took off to Laughlin, NV about 10 miles away to while away 3 hours and for Carroll to frequent the outlet mall while I bore myself sitting on a bench , talking to other husband waiting on there wife.  
For those would don't know the area, Bullhead City, AZ is across the Colorado River from Laughlin, NV, which is where there are about 10 or more Casinos.
We pick up our MH around noon and headed for Mesquite, NV to another Casino with "free" overnight parking. We arrived around 6 PM so most of the "good spots" where taken but we found one on the pavement and we squeezed in. It is kind of a sport to watch as RVers move in and drive around trying to find that perfect spot. One guy from Alberta moved 4 times and finally one RVer moved his tow car to make room for this guy. Most of the RVers where Canadians. We are only staying overnight before heading to Idaho City in the morning. Cheers