Harbour Freight is a small version of our Princess Auto and some of their items are of a lessor quality, however, there are many great bargains every day. You would think that after spending a day in Quartzsite , that I would not need anything else for the MH but you would be wrong. Owning a MH or any RV is a never ending expense.
So what did I need at Harbour Freight? My neighbor who is a retired Sask farmer and a Electrician is really into anything about maintaining a MH. He is well read and knowledgeable and while talking to him he ask me how often I greased the "U' joint. My answer was that I relied on the garage when doing an oil change but he advised me that it should be done every 5000 KM . Well, that got me to thinking that I better heed his advise and get a grease gun and grease the "U " joint. So off to Harbor Freight to purchase a grease gun and the grease cartage with set me back about 20 bucks. Then I returned to the camp and "crawled" under the MH to grease the joints. Luckily that I'm around 170 LBs and not 270 because there is very little room under the rear axle of the MH and it is a dirty but necessary job which takes about 1/2 an hour. Job finally done.
Then we went to see the movie " The Danish Girl" which I would give a 5/6 out of 10 which means that it is not my kind of movie. Since it was an early movie ( a 5 PM start ) we went for supper at a Germany restaurant which has authentic German food. The food was great. cheers
Sunday, 31 January 2016
Quartzsite, AZ
We have been to Quartzsite many times as we have to travel thru the town on our way south. We stay for free , otherwise called " Boondocking " but we never stay any longer that 3 days. Today we convinced our friends , Vince and Lynda to accompany us to Quartzsite as they have not been here for many years. As you drive into town the place looks like a large Circus ,without the animals, unless you call Seniors animals.
For those who have never been to Quartzsite it is an amazing town. The population in July would be about 3 to 4 thousand but from Dec to mid March it goes to approximately 750,000, spread over 1000's of acres. There are two main reasons for this growth. First , the area surrounding the town is all Federal Land (BLM ) and for a annual fee you can park your RV basic anywhere you want. This land grows nothing but "scrub" trees so you can't do much damage to the land however there are some rule such as no dumping of any kind, and no Generators between 10 PM and 6 AM. which is monitored by the Park Rangers. Also if you are staying longer than 2 weeks you will have to pay an annual Fee and this allows you to " Squat " on BLM areas in AZ, CA and NV.
This is very profitable for the town as you can imagine as someone has to supply the necessities such as RV Services, Bars, Restaurant, Bakery, fuel and you can guess the rest of the need for 750,000 people. Those staying in the BLM area get Propane , Water and Septic truck service , who come right to your Rigs for a price. They also have two large areas in the town that provide a one stop service for Water, Sewer dump and Propane and you do not even have to get out of your RV as they have people who do it all at once... for a price.
However there are several attraction starting with a Huge Tent about the size of a Football field that has everything you need for RVers, several States and Cities advertising to visit their area, and includes all the cooking items you can't live without that come with a Life Time warranty that probably runs out by the time to get to the parking lot. It cost me about 100.00 before we got out of the Tent. The Big Tent is only here for 10 days.
They have enough Food vendors that you seldom have to line up longer than 10 minutes. I had Ribs and Carroll had 1/2 a chicken with a side order of fries for 25.00 so the price was not gouging us.
Then there 1000's of RV's/ Motor Homes for sale. These MH will be here for at least a month, some small companies will be here for a few months. . It is such a important place for MH sales that the CEO for Tiffin MH is on site in the yard for anyone to speak with, just like any sales staff.
There is also enough tools for sale that it boggles the mind and they would give the largest CDN Tire store in Toronto a run for it's money.
After the Big Tent shuts down the "Gem " sales are the big draw. There are actually Truck Loads of "Rocks" for sale covering acres of the grounds. I can't imagine making a living selling Rocks. However, several years ago while travelling in New Zealand we met an American who called his business " DR. Fossil" and he says he makes a good living selling "Gems " in Quartzsite and other place in the US.
Different Strokes for Different Folks. Cheers
For those who have never been to Quartzsite it is an amazing town. The population in July would be about 3 to 4 thousand but from Dec to mid March it goes to approximately 750,000, spread over 1000's of acres. There are two main reasons for this growth. First , the area surrounding the town is all Federal Land (BLM ) and for a annual fee you can park your RV basic anywhere you want. This land grows nothing but "scrub" trees so you can't do much damage to the land however there are some rule such as no dumping of any kind, and no Generators between 10 PM and 6 AM. which is monitored by the Park Rangers. Also if you are staying longer than 2 weeks you will have to pay an annual Fee and this allows you to " Squat " on BLM areas in AZ, CA and NV.
This is very profitable for the town as you can imagine as someone has to supply the necessities such as RV Services, Bars, Restaurant, Bakery, fuel and you can guess the rest of the need for 750,000 people. Those staying in the BLM area get Propane , Water and Septic truck service , who come right to your Rigs for a price. They also have two large areas in the town that provide a one stop service for Water, Sewer dump and Propane and you do not even have to get out of your RV as they have people who do it all at once... for a price.
However there are several attraction starting with a Huge Tent about the size of a Football field that has everything you need for RVers, several States and Cities advertising to visit their area, and includes all the cooking items you can't live without that come with a Life Time warranty that probably runs out by the time to get to the parking lot. It cost me about 100.00 before we got out of the Tent. The Big Tent is only here for 10 days.
They have enough Food vendors that you seldom have to line up longer than 10 minutes. I had Ribs and Carroll had 1/2 a chicken with a side order of fries for 25.00 so the price was not gouging us.
Then there 1000's of RV's/ Motor Homes for sale. These MH will be here for at least a month, some small companies will be here for a few months. . It is such a important place for MH sales that the CEO for Tiffin MH is on site in the yard for anyone to speak with, just like any sales staff.
There is also enough tools for sale that it boggles the mind and they would give the largest CDN Tire store in Toronto a run for it's money.
After the Big Tent shuts down the "Gem " sales are the big draw. There are actually Truck Loads of "Rocks" for sale covering acres of the grounds. I can't imagine making a living selling Rocks. However, several years ago while travelling in New Zealand we met an American who called his business " DR. Fossil" and he says he makes a good living selling "Gems " in Quartzsite and other place in the US.
Different Strokes for Different Folks. Cheers
Monday, 25 January 2016
19 and 20 Jan 2015
When you don't have much to do , you go for a haircut. Yep! that's what you do. So I went to the barber shop across from the Marine Base and they had 7 barbers, no waiting. That's my kind of barber shop, because they cut it quickly and quietly all for 8.00.
Now I got the rest of the day to do nothing except Carroll thought of a reason to go shopping even if we didn't really need anything. So we went shopping. cheers
20 Jan Running a few Errands
First I had to get a Power Ball ticket just in case it was my turn to win the big one. Then I went to fuel up the car as the gas is down to 1.79 a gal. Since we shop at Fry's they give 10 cents of per gallon for every 100.00 you spent so we got the gas at 169.00. What a bonus!!
Then I dug up the " nerve " to visit the bank as I was running low on cash. Our dollar was around a 1.69 and I withdrew 500.. USD and it cost me 747.00 CAN. Oh boy does that hurt.
Then we went grocery shopping again as Carroll had a list with 6 items. I can't figure out how we only needed 6 items but the bill come to 95.00. I guess the list was just a starter list. cheers
Now I got the rest of the day to do nothing except Carroll thought of a reason to go shopping even if we didn't really need anything. So we went shopping. cheers
20 Jan Running a few Errands
First I had to get a Power Ball ticket just in case it was my turn to win the big one. Then I went to fuel up the car as the gas is down to 1.79 a gal. Since we shop at Fry's they give 10 cents of per gallon for every 100.00 you spent so we got the gas at 169.00. What a bonus!!
Then I dug up the " nerve " to visit the bank as I was running low on cash. Our dollar was around a 1.69 and I withdrew 500.. USD and it cost me 747.00 CAN. Oh boy does that hurt.
Then we went grocery shopping again as Carroll had a list with 6 items. I can't figure out how we only needed 6 items but the bill come to 95.00. I guess the list was just a starter list. cheers
Sunday, 24 January 2016
Monday Lunch
Last week while checking the monthly schedule I notice a "Free lunch" on Monday and you had to get your tickets ASP as there would be limited seating. When I noticed the "Free " I quit reading and rushed to get the tickets before they would be all gone because as you know a Senior's life is ruled by the word Free or Discount. As it turns out , the Free lunch is on the 25 th.
On Monday we went to the community center for lunch but not the Free one but since we were there Since we were at the community center for the "assumed" free lunch we decided to stay for the Hamburger and soap . Nothing really lost, as we sat with people we did not know so now we have new friends and they were from Hudson Bay SK.
After lunch we had to go to the Westwin RV park to pick up tickets for a music show scheduled for next Saturday. This was a Rock-a-Billy type band which was well renowned.
After picking up the tickets at Westwin I recalled that a military friend use to spend his winter s in Westwin park so I thought I would drive around park ( there over 1000 sites ) and just maybe he would have his name on his RV, MH or park model. As I drove down one street I seen the name of my friend on a house and he was sitting on the deck. I stopped and said hello and ask if he remembered me and of course at 82 and since we hadn't seen each other since 1990 he said "not at all". Once I introduced myself, of course he remembered me. We had a beer and swapped stories for 1/2 an hour then bid farewell. Always nice to me an old military buddy. Cheers
On Monday we went to the community center for lunch but not the Free one but since we were there Since we were at the community center for the "assumed" free lunch we decided to stay for the Hamburger and soap . Nothing really lost, as we sat with people we did not know so now we have new friends and they were from Hudson Bay SK.
After lunch we had to go to the Westwin RV park to pick up tickets for a music show scheduled for next Saturday. This was a Rock-a-Billy type band which was well renowned.
After picking up the tickets at Westwin I recalled that a military friend use to spend his winter s in Westwin park so I thought I would drive around park ( there over 1000 sites ) and just maybe he would have his name on his RV, MH or park model. As I drove down one street I seen the name of my friend on a house and he was sitting on the deck. I stopped and said hello and ask if he remembered me and of course at 82 and since we hadn't seen each other since 1990 he said "not at all". Once I introduced myself, of course he remembered me. We had a beer and swapped stories for 1/2 an hour then bid farewell. Always nice to me an old military buddy. Cheers
Sunday Drive
Our friends ( Linda and Vince ) from Yorkton, SK ,who have a Park Model in this camp, dropped in around 10 AM and suggested we go for a drive around the area with no real destination. We spent the first 20 minutes discussing with each other where we might go, that we have not already seen. Finally we agreed to go to a specific date farm as Linda wanted a box ( 11 LBS ) of dates to take home. This Date company will keep the box of dates in their cooler until you are ready to leave for home.
We do not need any dates as we still have a "ton " of dates in the freezer which we purchased 2 years ago. Apparently, Carroll can't find a receipt for dates. I would have thought by now that the "Cooking Channel " would have had at least one receipt but I guess not!!!. Incidentally, did you know that dates are one of the few fruits that you can " thaw /freeze and thaw /freeze again without damaging them.
We then decided to take a drive out into the area to see how many people where Boondocking at the Bureau of Land Management ( BLM ) areas. There is many 1000's of acres of unusable Federal Land in AZ ( also NV and CA ) and for a small annual fee of 150.00 you camp dry camp on these lands. Some of these lands actuality provide a location to dump your sewage and have potable water. One area that we visited had showers however, this is not provided at most sites. These sites all have a name attached and most areas are named after a person or a landmark etc. We have visited sites like, High Joly, Dome Mountain, Hurricane Peak, Pilot Mound, Squaw Lake and Holtsville Hot springs.
There are actually 100's ( sometime 1000's ) of campers in these area in these area and if they were all to move into a camp ground in the Yuma area there would not be enough site for everyone.
By now we were feeling a little hunger and I might say "thirsty " so we knew, if we took the right trail we would find a bar at Martinana Lakes. This a Marina, camp grounds and boondocking area on the Colorado River and it never hurts to have a Bar located near a recreation area.
After munching down a large batch of Fries chased by a beer we headed home and called it a day. cheers
We do not need any dates as we still have a "ton " of dates in the freezer which we purchased 2 years ago. Apparently, Carroll can't find a receipt for dates. I would have thought by now that the "Cooking Channel " would have had at least one receipt but I guess not!!!. Incidentally, did you know that dates are one of the few fruits that you can " thaw /freeze and thaw /freeze again without damaging them.
We then decided to take a drive out into the area to see how many people where Boondocking at the Bureau of Land Management ( BLM ) areas. There is many 1000's of acres of unusable Federal Land in AZ ( also NV and CA ) and for a small annual fee of 150.00 you camp dry camp on these lands. Some of these lands actuality provide a location to dump your sewage and have potable water. One area that we visited had showers however, this is not provided at most sites. These sites all have a name attached and most areas are named after a person or a landmark etc. We have visited sites like, High Joly, Dome Mountain, Hurricane Peak, Pilot Mound, Squaw Lake and Holtsville Hot springs.
There are actually 100's ( sometime 1000's ) of campers in these area in these area and if they were all to move into a camp ground in the Yuma area there would not be enough site for everyone.
By now we were feeling a little hunger and I might say "thirsty " so we knew, if we took the right trail we would find a bar at Martinana Lakes. This a Marina, camp grounds and boondocking area on the Colorado River and it never hurts to have a Bar located near a recreation area.
After munching down a large batch of Fries chased by a beer we headed home and called it a day. cheers
Thursday, 21 January 2016
Shootout at the OK Corral
16 Jan
I don't have to tell anyone that the Americans are really into Guns but we were treated to something different. An American friend who is into the "old Muzzle Loaded" guns suggest that we might like to watch a target shooting competitions. At first I thought " not really" as it sounded as if watching the rinse cycle in the washing machine may have been more interesting. I original thought there would be a few Senior Men shooting at a target and that would be it. How wrong I was; it was very interesting especial for us Canadians who do not think or care much about guns.
I'll set the stage:
First we drove to the range area and were surprised to see that there were at least 200 vehicles, possible more, and many were RV's and Motor Homes that means they must be camping at the range area. There were venders all set up with food, guns and related equipt and " Annie Oakley" type cowgirl dress shops, etc.
Then were heard bullets bouncing off a metal target some we meandered over to one of the several ( about 5 ) shooting ranges.
The shooters form or belong to a "Posse" of about 25 shooters and it includes men and women ( mostly couples ). It is an individual sport but you are seeded to your ability. Each shooter has to shoot with 4 different weapons at four different targets. First they have to unholster a ( Wyatt Earp type ) pistol and fire 4 shots, then change to another pistol and shoot 1 shot at two different targets, then move to another "window " and fire 4 shots with a pump rifle, then move to another "window" and fire 4 more shots with a Pump shot gun. The winner did this "shoot" in 11.9 seconds which was amazing. Most shooter were between 18 and 30 seconds. The oldest lady shooting was 82 years old and she was good.
One couple realized we were Canadians so they came over to us and explain what was going to happen so we would have a better understanding. They explained that the weapons had to be of the 1879 era or replicas of those weapons. We ask the price of the 4 guns that each shooter was using and they said you don't want to know but it is in the thousands of dollars but it is their hobby and they love it. One shooter showed us his lever action rifle and he said it cost 400.00 to have it modified so he could fire it quicker that the original model.
I wish I had taken a camera because they treated their guns like a family heirloom. Every shooter has a cart to move the guns from point A to point B and they cover their guns with a protective sleeve once the shoot is over. I ask about the cost of bullets and they said if you did not reload your own shells you could not afford to be in this sport , which was a surprise to me. Incidentally, all shooters have a alias related to the era ie ( Jesse James ) .
Although this is not a spectator sport we really enjoyed watching this demonstrations as I never considered there was any such Hobby. It was well worth the time spent at the range.
In the afternoon we visited friends from Ontario that I grew with. It's always nice to catch up news from home and about the people I grew up with , even thought I left in 1962. Cheers
I don't have to tell anyone that the Americans are really into Guns but we were treated to something different. An American friend who is into the "old Muzzle Loaded" guns suggest that we might like to watch a target shooting competitions. At first I thought " not really" as it sounded as if watching the rinse cycle in the washing machine may have been more interesting. I original thought there would be a few Senior Men shooting at a target and that would be it. How wrong I was; it was very interesting especial for us Canadians who do not think or care much about guns.
I'll set the stage:
First we drove to the range area and were surprised to see that there were at least 200 vehicles, possible more, and many were RV's and Motor Homes that means they must be camping at the range area. There were venders all set up with food, guns and related equipt and " Annie Oakley" type cowgirl dress shops, etc.
Then were heard bullets bouncing off a metal target some we meandered over to one of the several ( about 5 ) shooting ranges.
The shooters form or belong to a "Posse" of about 25 shooters and it includes men and women ( mostly couples ). It is an individual sport but you are seeded to your ability. Each shooter has to shoot with 4 different weapons at four different targets. First they have to unholster a ( Wyatt Earp type ) pistol and fire 4 shots, then change to another pistol and shoot 1 shot at two different targets, then move to another "window " and fire 4 shots with a pump rifle, then move to another "window" and fire 4 more shots with a Pump shot gun. The winner did this "shoot" in 11.9 seconds which was amazing. Most shooter were between 18 and 30 seconds. The oldest lady shooting was 82 years old and she was good.
One couple realized we were Canadians so they came over to us and explain what was going to happen so we would have a better understanding. They explained that the weapons had to be of the 1879 era or replicas of those weapons. We ask the price of the 4 guns that each shooter was using and they said you don't want to know but it is in the thousands of dollars but it is their hobby and they love it. One shooter showed us his lever action rifle and he said it cost 400.00 to have it modified so he could fire it quicker that the original model.
I wish I had taken a camera because they treated their guns like a family heirloom. Every shooter has a cart to move the guns from point A to point B and they cover their guns with a protective sleeve once the shoot is over. I ask about the cost of bullets and they said if you did not reload your own shells you could not afford to be in this sport , which was a surprise to me. Incidentally, all shooters have a alias related to the era ie ( Jesse James ) .
Although this is not a spectator sport we really enjoyed watching this demonstrations as I never considered there was any such Hobby. It was well worth the time spent at the range.
In the afternoon we visited friends from Ontario that I grew with. It's always nice to catch up news from home and about the people I grew up with , even thought I left in 1962. Cheers
Tuesday, 19 January 2016
Doctor's Call
Carroll's had to visit a Doctor because of a blister on her toe.
This seems ridiculous but it all started on our way home from Puerto Plata when Carroll put on her running shoe which she hadn't worn while we were in P.P. When we arrived in Toronto Carroll noticed that her toe was hurting albeit slightly . However, we first had to clear customs and then hurray to our departure gate to catch our "already delayed " flight to Calgary. The hustle and bustle to get thru customs, then dropping off our luggage for the flight to Calgary followed by long lineup to clear security, and as a result, the pain in Carroll's toe seemed to subside. After we cleared customs we had to walk to the "last" gate in Terminal 3. It was so far I thought we were doing a "Walk for Cancer " .
After we got on the plane, Carroll removed her shoe so the toe felt OK and it is not easy to check your toe when you are on a plane. When we arrive in Calgary it was another rush to get the luggage and "try " to get a cab because it is now around 1 PM on 1 Jan and Cabs where at a premium. To get a cab at the Calgary airport was a 25 minute wait outside in the -13C temperature so Carroll's toe was not foremost on her mind. When we arrive at Todd's house at 3 PM on 1 Jan, Carroll finally removed her shoe and sox and it was then that she seen that the blister was long gone and she had a open sore slightly larger than a quarter and it did not look good. We treated it with Polysporin , hoping that it would heal quickly. The Polysporin seem to be doing the trick.
Needless to say , Carroll threw out those shoes and we bought a new pair ( 2 Jan ) the next day as we were leaving for Yuma on the 4 Jan. We continued to treat the sore with Polysporin and or Triple Antibiotic and since we were travelling she was not doing much walking. The sore was healing slowly, in fact too slow for me so on the 15 Jan we went to the local "Walk in Clinic ". Actually we tried to find a Podiatrist but there was a two week wait, hence the reason we went to the clinic. The clinic doctor gave Carroll a prescription for Antibiotic pill and said to continue with using the Triple antibiotic . Here is the Kicker: When we went to the clinic the clerk ask if we had insurance. We said no, we are paying for it so the charge was 100.00. She said if we had insurance it would cost 250.00. They even wrote on the invoice 250.00, less the doctors discount 150.00, total cost 100.00. What a scam???
All that to say Carroll's toe is healing albeit too slow for my liking. She doesn't want to go in the pool until it heals over. However, our weather is not pool weather as we have a morning temp of 52 F and a daily high of 73 F.
We had a visit in the afternoon, from friends ( Otto and Edna ) that we travelled to MX several years ago. cheers
This seems ridiculous but it all started on our way home from Puerto Plata when Carroll put on her running shoe which she hadn't worn while we were in P.P. When we arrived in Toronto Carroll noticed that her toe was hurting albeit slightly . However, we first had to clear customs and then hurray to our departure gate to catch our "already delayed " flight to Calgary. The hustle and bustle to get thru customs, then dropping off our luggage for the flight to Calgary followed by long lineup to clear security, and as a result, the pain in Carroll's toe seemed to subside. After we cleared customs we had to walk to the "last" gate in Terminal 3. It was so far I thought we were doing a "Walk for Cancer " .
After we got on the plane, Carroll removed her shoe so the toe felt OK and it is not easy to check your toe when you are on a plane. When we arrive in Calgary it was another rush to get the luggage and "try " to get a cab because it is now around 1 PM on 1 Jan and Cabs where at a premium. To get a cab at the Calgary airport was a 25 minute wait outside in the -13C temperature so Carroll's toe was not foremost on her mind. When we arrive at Todd's house at 3 PM on 1 Jan, Carroll finally removed her shoe and sox and it was then that she seen that the blister was long gone and she had a open sore slightly larger than a quarter and it did not look good. We treated it with Polysporin , hoping that it would heal quickly. The Polysporin seem to be doing the trick.
Needless to say , Carroll threw out those shoes and we bought a new pair ( 2 Jan ) the next day as we were leaving for Yuma on the 4 Jan. We continued to treat the sore with Polysporin and or Triple Antibiotic and since we were travelling she was not doing much walking. The sore was healing slowly, in fact too slow for me so on the 15 Jan we went to the local "Walk in Clinic ". Actually we tried to find a Podiatrist but there was a two week wait, hence the reason we went to the clinic. The clinic doctor gave Carroll a prescription for Antibiotic pill and said to continue with using the Triple antibiotic . Here is the Kicker: When we went to the clinic the clerk ask if we had insurance. We said no, we are paying for it so the charge was 100.00. She said if we had insurance it would cost 250.00. They even wrote on the invoice 250.00, less the doctors discount 150.00, total cost 100.00. What a scam???
All that to say Carroll's toe is healing albeit too slow for my liking. She doesn't want to go in the pool until it heals over. However, our weather is not pool weather as we have a morning temp of 52 F and a daily high of 73 F.
We had a visit in the afternoon, from friends ( Otto and Edna ) that we travelled to MX several years ago. cheers
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