Where we’ve been…All 48 lower…Where we are…Extensively traveling…Working and having a blast!

Where we’ve been…All 48 lower…Where we are…Extensively traveling…Working and having a blast!
LIFE IS GRAND!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Campbell Cove RV Resort

1523 Industrial Blvd.
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
928-854-7200
1/30/2012


We paid $23.49 using our 50% off Passport America Club card for a water, 30amp electric, sewer, cable & WiFi back-in site. Our Verizon phone and MiFi worked great. The sites are fairly flat but exceptionally close together and have a strange setup for the utilities. We had to move from our first given site since our cords would not all fit because the neighbor actually used some of ours since his would not fit if he used the correct utilities.


The restrooms and showers were closed for remodeling so we do not know whether they were clean or not. All the other areas were well manicured and maintained and the scenery was spectacular but the park was very cramped and we would not return.


Pet Policy – Limit of two pets. Pets are to be kept on a leash at all times. Pets are not allowed in the horseshoe pits or game areas. NO DOGS ALLOWED ON OTHER GUESTS SITES WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THAT GUEST. You must clean up after your pets in the Resort and surrounding areas. Pet charges are $1 per day or $6 per week for more than two. Aggressive breeds not allowed; Pit Bulls, Doberman Pinschers and Rottweilers.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Working at the Big Tent in Quartzsite

Well that didn’t take long at all…

Several calls began to come in from vendors looking for help and not only did we find work but so did another couple in the group that was also looking. We chose to take the one that was offered to us at K Bar D BBQ (located right inside the West Entrance) because we were told it would be very fast paced which we love, plus the conversation with the owner went very well. We had many other choices, so it always amazes us when folks say they can’t find work, when we always can and usually do, even like times like these when we really do not need it, but like to keep our gas fund full.

We left the gang at the BLM land this morning, but we came into the group just a few days ago and met people and when we left, we left friends. They are a fantastic group of great people that know how to live and they do it in such a vibrant way. We know there are several couples that we will keep in contact with throughout our travels and look forward to spending more time with them. This photo was taken by Carol, who is a fabulous photographer and it shows, we all look fantastic.


For the rest of today we plan to relax, we have the next 9 days of work ahead of us, so we will relax until that all gets started. We will try to keep you all updated on how our work is going and how the Big Tent RV Show is going as well, but no guarantees…

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Arriving in Quartzsite

We didn’t make it to Quartzsite on Monday, after leaving Bullhead City with 150 miles to go, we just didn’t think we could make that many miles all in one day…

We actually had several stops to make so by the time we got to Blue Water Casino in Parker, Arizona it was almost 3pm, we hadn’t eaten any lunch or dinner and we were famished…then we had to play a little and we got on a roll and we do not drive in the dark, so we boondocked in their parking lot that they absolutely encourage.

On Tuesday we made it to Quartzsite, but before we could go the BLM land and meet the gang, we had to stop and put our names in at the Big Tent for possible work while we are here. Then, of course we had to do a bit of shopping. Even though the tent is not open until Saturday, many of the outside vendors were open. We found a few needed items and some surprise items we didn’t even know we needed or even knew that existed. There are still a few items on our list that we did not find, or find at the right price, so we will be returning either to work or to do more shopping.


We arrived at La Posa South LTVA where Jeri aka Chief from Just Wanderin met us at the station and led us into the ring. What a great group of folks, many full timers, many stories told around the campfire last night. Trying to get all their names straight and which are couples has been challenging but we have most of them down and the few we missed on, we will get them today.


We will be updating our photos at Picasa Web Albums as the days go on while we are in Quartzsite so be sure to check them out.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Wine Tasting for December 2011 - January 2012

Tasted a Willamette Valley Vineyards 2010 Riesling and gave it a rating of 7.3 out of 10. Crisp, light, fresh and will be on our future purchase list even though this is not one of the sweeter wines.



Tasted a Tedeschi Vineyards Maui Splash Moscato and gave it a rating of 3.6 out of 10. Very strong pineapple at first & then a strong after taste of passion fruit. Definitely an after dinner wine. Would taste good in a punch drink, but too sweet on it's own.



Tasted a Sweet Wines Limited 2010 Sweet Moscato and gave it a rating of 7.1 out of 10. Sweet, crisp and one of our favorites since we tend to lean towards the Moscato wines.



Tasted a Sonoma Landing Vineyards 2008 Sonoma County Pinot Noir and gave it a rating of 2.6 out of 10. Very dry and a rich full flavor, we prefer much sweeter wines and not so stout.



Tasted a Schmitt Sohne 2010 Riesling and gave it a rating of 6.0 out of 10. Very crisp, clean, fresh taste & only a bit on the dry side, we would definitely purchase this one again.

A Little Bit of This & A Little Bit of That!

The wind never seems to totally stop in this area, but we were able to secure our awning and figure out our spring had sprung and needed to be replaced. We called a local on-site mobile repair shop and he confirmed that is what was wrong and would order the part and return in a few days to complete the repair. The wind has been wicked but on Saturday it was not as strong so the repair guy came by and completed the repair…a few hundred dollars later we are good to go.

We finished our shopping and found all the things we needed to complete our remodeling projects. We had our play day, which wasn’t all that much fun since we only made a donation. Laughlin seems to do that to us, but we always seem to have to stop in whenever we are in the area. We will be heading for Quartzsite in the morning to meet up with some Blog friends and possibly find some work at the big tent for a few weeks, and some shopping too!


We have had a few offers for work for the summer, but we are concentrating on the ones that are out west. We are really not ready to head east any time soon, even though one of those offers was really enticing, we are still weighing them all out and plan to make a decision when the time feels right.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Sunday, January 08, 2012

WINDY…WINDY…Did I Mention the Wind?

WINDY throughout the night and if we were anywhere but here in Bullhead City, Arizona it might have really bothered me, but here not so much. We are not under a tree, or anywhere near any trees, we do not have to travel, and we know it is only wind, no storm attached to it.

It wasn’t the best night for sleep. Each time we thought the wind was done, we would fall back asleep, it would pick up again and the rig would continue to thrash so hard we had to hang on so not to get bounced out of bed.

Our morning plan was to take a little drive to Wal-Mart and Home Depot for some needed supplies, but as life goes the plan changed quickly and drastically. The wind continued, but since we were just going into town we felt it would not be so bad…

Famous last words!

We had just turned out of the resort and onto the highway and whack! The wind hit the side of the rig and sent the awning almost over the top of it. Thank goodness we ALWAYS bungee cord it for extra protection. If not, this incident would not have turned out as well as it did. We pulled over immediately and tried to get the awning secured back into place. Not happening since the wind was into the side of the awning.

Next idea…

Turn the rig around so that the gusting, solid wind hitting us would be on the opposite side, we got back in and made a U-turn to an open lot area. This helped a little, but we were still in some big trouble.

The wind was strong and whipping around the dirt and all I could think about is why on earth I shaved my legs the day before, the dirt pounding around my legs was doing a fine job of tearing anything including any hair right off and a little bit of skin as well.

Now the idea was to get the awning out just enough so it would tighten back up and we would lock it back into place. We have learned well that the best laid plans at times just do not go accordingly and this time was no different. What happened next was frightening.

The entire awning rolled down as the wind continued whipping so hard. All I could think was it was going to take sail and take the rig with it. My first thought was to slice the awning away from the rig before it took the entire rig away and if I would have had a knife that is exactly what would have happened.

While the wind was continuously flapping the awning up and down with a vengeance, we were holding on for dear life and trying to unlock the locking mechanism. It was stuck and the awning would not roll back up…OMG!

Just as we were about to lose it all, a good Samaritan stopped to give us an extra hand. While he and I held on to the awning, Jerry rustled with the stuck locking mechanism. Finally, it loosened and we rolled it up and even though it was cock-eyed, it was up and no longer flailing in the wind. We put on extra bungee cords so we could get it back to our site and then figure out what to do next.

Once this wind stops we will work on securing the awning and then venture out tomorrow to do some shopping and then play day the next. No harm, no foul. It sure could have been so much worse, but what an adventure.

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Some of Our RV Remodeling Projects

When we first got Maggie, she had shades on her windows and we immediately took them down and replaced with blinds and curtains. The curtains were actually NASCAR towels that were the perfect size and they really wore well.


But, as life goes, we have wanted a change for some time…plus, we really let things get out of hand as far as dust, dirt and especially mold buildup from the moist air we have been in for a long time. So besides a remodel, she needed some desperate spring cleaning.


A few months ago we talked about which direction to take the window coverings and after some research we decided on day/night shades. We found a company that made them and then measured our openings. It was a no brainer on the color, they were going to be white/black. The cost was a little over $600 including all six windows with delivery. But, then that is when it became difficult. It would take them a few weeks to make them and then delivery would be a week or so after that. We needed to know where we would be so that we could have them delivered. We knew we would be at the Pumpkin lot for 30+ days so that was the choice.

Yep, we had them delivered way back in October…knowing we would not be able to begin this project until January. This has been the hardest part of doing things, the timing of getting things done that are out of our control. We need some repair work done to the outside of the rig, major work on the cap and painting it’s body and the biggest problem is finding a place where they do not insist on having our home for 4 weeks or longer and us not able to live in it. We are still researching getting Maggie repaired and repainted, we hope we get some sort of solution before we begin traveling again.

This part of the remodel has been interesting. The more we do the more I want to do and Jerry is just about done with me.


We removed all the window treatments and replaced them with our day/night shades...




We removed the carpet squares and replaced with indoor/outdoor carpeting...




We washed all the walls and ceiling, we painted the walls, every object we touched needed to be cleaned or tossed away, the latter happened more than we expected. It seems life has taught us that we are getting better at letting go of things.

Working as if I were possessed, it seemed all that exorcism stirred up some feelings that if that bug even thought about coming back it would have to live through all the bleach and cleaners we were using.

Our rig has been in shambles for days but we are almost there. We decided we are at a place where we can take a break. We need a few items from Wal-Mart and Home Depot tomorrow to continue with the new remodel projects I found, so we will take a day off and shop, then on Monday we will take a play day. We are both feeling better and Jerry has been so great through all of this that we deserve to take some time and just let loose and have some fun.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.

Friday, January 06, 2012

Well It Happened…

Jerry was feeling better and we moved to our next destination at Don Laughlin’s Riverside RV Park for one night. Amazingly, if we stayed the night before, we would have paid almost $70, but now that the holidays are officially over, we only paid $27 for the same site. We have stayed there several times and the place stays about the same, the difference this time was the customer service was exceptional. The strangest thing is that we have never reviewed this place, no photos, only our personal notes. There will be a separate entry on our blog for our notes but as for photos, it will have to wait until our next visit.

Our plan was to check out the casinos on the river front but that plan changed quite drastically while we were enjoying our time at the casinos, all of the sudden that bug that Jerry had been dealing with had found its way into my system…and let me just say IT WAS NOT PRETTY!

We hailed a cab to get us back to our rig and I spent the rest of the night sicker than I had ever been before in my life…it was pure exorcism. It was a full 24 hours and then days of both of us just weak and not really willing to do much of anything.
We did move over to our next location in Bullhead City, Arizona where we plan to stay a few weeks. It is right across the street from Laughlin, Nevada so we plan to take a taxi over next week once we are back to normal. As for now, we will just be taking it easy and begin our remodeling projects on the rig.

We hope this bug does not find its way to any of you, we would not wish this upon our worst enemy. It is nasty and took so much out of us that it feels as if we will never be the same again. We are just grateful that it did not happen while we were working and that it has finally lessened its grip on us.

Sunday, January 01, 2012

Happy New Year

Looking back onto 2011, we are extremely grateful for all the wonderful things that were a part of our lives. Yes, there were some trying times, but we choose to focus on the good ones and move forward learning the lessons we are supposed to be learning.

To take each moment and live it as if it were our last.

Always being careful of the things we say…there are times where we will not be totally forgiven and years will pass without contact with people that are dear to us. And, we will NEVER get that time back…it is gone forever and starting over is just not what life has in store for the situation.

To be so grateful for all the things we do have and choose not to be ungrateful for the things that we do not have. What we have so outweighs the things we do not have and we are reminded of that every day.

Life does not always go as planned, but living through those non-planned times with enthusiasm and gratefulness will allow them to be some pretty great times.

People are not always the way we want them to be, but for sure they are exactly who they need to be for their own journey through life.

We need to pick our fights in life, allowing the little things to slide through so not to get bogged down by the drama that many folks choose to live with daily.

Pretending to be anything but ourselves is an injustice to our true selves and we are now living our lives to the best of our authentic selves each and every moment of our days.

Dance…love…laugh…live life to the fullest!


We do not know what 2012 holds for us, but we do know that whatever it is, we will persevere through it all and come out the other side better and wiser, just as long as we continue to follow our hearts and do what is best for us, not what others want for us or from us.

Happy New Year! We hope that this year will be the year that your dreams become your reality and that you get all that you deserve in your lives.

For more photos, check out our Picasa Web Albums.