Jerry’s Birthday Celebration & Christmas

This is the first time in over 8 years that we were not on a Christmas tree lot on his birthday so we were able to celebrate.  He feels bad since I had the worst birthday ever being on the pumpkin lot this past October 29^th but he deserves to have a grand birthday anyway.

He worked some long hours his first weekend cooking in the Café and I hardly put in any hours, but I am diligently creating my personal works online and eventually they will pay off.  Since next week is the busiest time of all and we will both be working 10 days straight, we had thought we would just hang out here on our 4 days off, it being the Christmas holidays and all.  But when we discussed it further we decided to take a short trip for a few days to celebrate his birthday properly.

We took a very scenic drive over the mountains and through the woods…no just kidding just over the mountains and through the canyons but not to grandmother’s house instead to Barona Resort & Casino where the “Orb” luck continued.

Our entire stay was paid for with a jackpot we hit…

We enjoyed crab, prime rib, lobster and so many other scrumptious goodies eating their very expensive buffet, but for us…free!

We stayed in a very comfortable King-size room on the 8^th floor with a wonderful view, again…free.

We played for a few hours in the casino…once again…yes you got it…free!

Now that was the way to celebrate a fantastic birthday!

The drive was spectacular, the scenery was exquisite, the roads a bit gnarly at times and we will not be heading back in this direction any time soon.  The warning signs were posted but since we are only 28’ we felt it would be alright and it was but once was enough.  When it takes 2 hours to drive a little over 60 miles you know the roads are a bit overwhelming, especially when they allow semis carrying full loads of hay.  If we would have met them on one of those curves the outcome would have been…well let’s just say we do not want to go there.

Funny how during the most treacherous parts of the drive, we have no photos…must be that we are both too busy driving and praying to take any photos.  For more photos, please do visit our Web Albums.

We returned on Christmas Eve just in time before the wicked wind came across the desert and of course it had to hit in the wee hours of the morning.  At midnight it began rocking us around but I was able to fall back asleep with the gentle rocking and thought this may not be too bad, but at 2:30am all hell broke loose.  I got in my “safe place” the driver’s seat and watched as the wind picked up the sand and one after another became sand storms whirling by, there were times visibility was nonexistent and it lasted for hours.  The wind whipped so hard at times we thought for sure something on Maggie was going to fly off but again she proved to us just how tough she is.  Finally around daybreak I was able to get back into bed to sleep a few hours.  Not a night I want to repeat any time soon.

The dust inside the house was an inch thick everywhere, so that is how we spent our Christmas day, vacuuming and dusting the entire rig.  We did take some time to reflect on the true spirit of Christmas and how happy we are to be out of that rat race of buying gifts and all the hoopla of it all.  We would much rather just be with one another and share our thoughts, hopes and dreams and are always happy when it is all over and the new year brings new exciting adventures.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Do You Know How Many Miles?

We have been full time traveling about ten years and the other day a thought came to me, I wondered how many miles had we driven in all those years.  For us it was an easy answer.  We keep a diary book for every transaction that was done on our RV from the day we bought it including mileage.  So all I had to do was a little bit of calculating. 

First get the mileage on our RV subtract it from the beginning mileage when we bought her and then a little rough estimating for the first 18 months we were full timing prior to getting Maggie.  The answer surprised us but didn’t all at the same time.  In total we have traveled around 80,000 miles which is about 8,000 per year…wow!

Even though we crossed country more times than not, on those times we did not, we put on many miles up and down the west coast and all sorts of side trips in between.  We truly do love to travel and not stay in one place for too long and the miles prove to us that is how we love our lifestyle to stay.

Do you have any idea how many miles you have traveled in your full timing lifestyle?  

Are you able to calculate exactly as we were able to or do you have to guesstimate?  

Do you even care?  

We found it exciting to see all the miles we have put on Maggie and see how well she has held up for us, especially when we see she is approaching 200,000 miles and is still running strong.  Well at least we think it is 200,000 and not 300,000 miles.  The odometer does not have a hundred thousand digit and we watched it go over the 99,999 once so we know she is at least reaching the 200,000 miles but it could have been another 100,000 by the previous owners since she is a 1992 and we did not get her until 2006.  Either way she is and has been a really tough gal and we appreciate her every mile she has given to us, especially when we read about others who purchased much newer ones and have been in and out of the repair shops more times than we could even imagine or even consider.

We hope you all have a safe and happy upcoming holiday, life is too short to dwell on what could have or should have been.  Live each and every moment with as much joy as you can muster up especially during those troubling times and you will come out of it eventually a lot wiser.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Some Really Great Travel Days!

We left Earp, California on Monday and had a great travel day to Quartzsite.  We had hoped to do SOME shopping but we had never been to the area in December so we did not know what to expect, but we did think there would be a bit more activity then what we seen.  A few of the stores we needed to pick up items were open but a lot more were not even set up yet.  We did get our vitamins at the Pink Store and while we were there we rubbed the Giant Orb and lo and behold the good luck is coming on strong.

Another perfect drive through Yuma into Winterhaven, California to overnight in the parking lot at Quechan Casino but instead we hit a few big jackpots and ended up getting a room for the night.  We took long, hot showers and just hung out enjoying ourselves.  It was perfect to leave with a lot more money than we came with and that is including a wee bit of gambling, a few meals, and the cost of the room…love that orb!

We Arrived in Ocotillo Wells or Borrego Springs, California whichever city you choose to say, with yet another great travel day even though we did drive into a few areas of very thick fog.  

We are now in the middle of nowhere, open scenery that goes forever with perfect views of the mountains, not cold, just cool winter temperatures.  It will be nice for a few months, but we will be long gone before the heat hits this area for sure.  Highs close to 120 degrees do not appeal to neither of us, we live a life that guarantees we will not make it to hell when we die, so we agree not to be there in our lives on earth.

We have met the owners and some of our co-workers and feel it will be a nice fit for a short time.  And, we really look forward to be able to check out the area on our time off and some other places within a few hours drive that we have been wanting to visit.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Pilot Knob RV Resort

3707 W Highway 80

Winterhaven, CA  92283

760-572-0875

12/17/2014

We stayed here several years ago at this Sunbelt Resort but never reviewed it.

We paid $10 using our Coast to Coast membership for a water, electric, sewer, semi level gravel, pull through site.  There were no additional charges but since we did not make a reservation through Coast to Coast they had us pay the $10 in cash instead of points.

They have some planned activities since it seems to be a place where snowbirds come and stay for longer terms.  The common areas are well maintained and kept clean.

Being on the frontage road to Interstate 8 there was traffic noise and with the train tracks located just on the other side of the highway it too made for a noisy night but we slept right through it all.

The restrooms, showers and laundry area are outdated and pretty worn out but since we never use their facilities this is not an issue for us.

There is not much around the surrounding area so for us it would not be an ideal place to hang out for more than one night passing through.  So we would stay again if we are ever in the area again and would recommend it for an overnight stay.

 For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Tyson Wells RV Park

121 W Kuehen

Quartzsite, AZ  85346

928-927-6364

12/15/2014

We had stayed here previously but never did a review or took photos, so this time we did.  Even though there isn’t much to take photos of since they do not have restrooms, showers, laundry room or a pool…just sites to park your rig.

The sites like many of the RV parks in Quartzsite is just a site on gravel, but the big difference here is this entire area turns into vendor tents beginning in just a few short weeks and there will be no overnight stays allowed. 

We paid $25 for a water, electric, sewer on flat gravel site.  There are no facilities, no pools, no clubhouses but they do have an office and some pretty good vendor tents beginning now through the Big RV Show and a few weeks afterwards. 

They have no pet policy and was apparent when we noticed our site was loaded with doggy doo and several dogs in the area just running free.

This area will look entirely different in a short time now and we have been here often, both during and before or after the big show but it never ceases to amaze us how different this entire town looks with the show and then without it.

There are hardly any RV’s and/or vendors at this time but come and check it out in a few weeks and there will not be a spot available for you to do it.  If you are planning to visit the area, make sure to get your reservations, some parks are already full.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Times 3 Family Restaurant

1265 West Main Street

Quartzsite, AZ  85346

928-927-6014

Now whenever we visit Quartzsite, even though we have a few favorite restaurants we always try a new one.  This visit we noticed a family style restaurant and decided to check it out.

Service was excellent, very friendly and quick.  They had some funny books on each table by Ben Goode, we had some good laughs waiting for our food.

It was lunch time so Jerry had the special which was a Grilled Turkey & Cheese on Sourdough bread and it was delicious.  The turkey was thinly sliced, the bread was soft but crunchy and the cheese was melted to perfection.

I had the Grilled Corned Beef on Rye, the kraut had just a slight tang to it and the corned beef was tender and juicy just the way I like it.

The only bad thing we could say about this place is that the sandwiches are the smallest we had ever seen.  Even though the meat was plentiful on the sandwiches it really did not have much to fill up since the bread was tiny.

We would recommend it and we would return but it did not come close to being on one of our favorites in Quartzsite list.For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Writing for Examiner...Again!

We are once again writing and making some extra money from it and since we had already established ourselves with Examiner we chose to once again write for them.  We hope we can get more visitors this time around and maybe get some bigger royalty checks.  One can only hope!

Check out our recent article about our visit to the Cabot's Pueblo Museum while we were in Desert Hot Springs,  titled "The Father of Desert Hot Springs Built the Only Museum in the Area"and check out all the other older entries too while you are there!

As usual for more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Still Wandering…

With no particular place to go! 

This is why we began living this lifestyle, no set plans and just sort of winging it.  It has always worked for us but the main ingredient is faith, something we lack at times but for now we are hanging on and just enjoying the moment.

We left Vegas and made a short drive to Bullhead City, Arizona just across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada where we stayed for a week.  The weather there is fantastic, highs in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s, clear skies with wind periodically breezing through.  Not the forceful winds we dealt with in Desert Hot Springs but the kind that blows through and makes a quiet statement to let us know it is there.  It catches our attention, especially in the middle of the night but we are still able to sleep with our window open.  How nice is that?

We took a bike ride over the river to Laughlin so Jerry could purchase me my diamond ring.  We usually replace it every year but it has been a lot longer this time and the other one tarnished and I threw it away a few months back so it really needed to be replaced.  You see when we were in the stationary lifestyle we agreed for our 10^th wedding anniversary we would get me a diamond ring to go with my wedding band but living this lifestyle changed all of those high finance options.  We are both good with that but instead we found this little shop in Don Laughlin’s Riverside Casino that sells them for $10 and we have been doing it since our 10th anniversary.  The nice thing about it is that they look real, I get hundreds of compliments and I am able to change the style all the time.  Now how many other woman can make that same claim?  A new diamond almost every year, I am a lucky woman!

We left that area and headed to our next destination in Earp, California at the Emerald Cove RV Resort where the plan was for us to stay for 2 weeks but our “no particular place to go” changed.  We had been actively looking for work, not just the online work but other types of work and lo and behold we found what we feel will be a fun couple of months beginning next week. 

Working in Borrego Springs, California at a Café with a RVResort next to it for a few months.  Jerry will be the cook and I will be filling in whenever needed but we will only be working weekends, we will have Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off for the most part.  There will be a few holiday weeks we will both be working 10 days straight with 12 hour days but all hours over 8 are overtime.

Having those 3 days off we will still be able to visit the area where we wanted to check out for some time now.  The Salton Sea, the Fountain of Youth RVResort and we will even be able to visit the Quartzsite RV Show in January for a few days to shop and visit, how perfect is this?  A really good find especially when we really were not looking.  Best times in life are when we just go with what feels right and not because we have to do it.  Life is pretty damn good!

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.

Las Vegas NASCAR Adventures

Even though Vegas was not on our original plan we added it once we realized we could.  We wanted to attend the NASCAR Champions Events for years now but were always working at the tree lots so we never even considered it before but were thrilled that we could check it out this year.

It was a perfect travel day, cool day with nice smooth roads.  Apparently they have done some great paving of many of the roads especially I-40.  The road was so smooth it felt as if we were gliding instead of the treacherous bumps and holes there had been there for years, wow what a fabulous difference.

We stayed at Sam’s Town RV Park, (now managed by KOA – check out our separate review) and took a shuttle to Fremont Street and to the Strip for the events.

The Red Carpet event was on Wednesday and we got to Fremont Street very early and checked out the Red Carpet where the event was going to take place, even got a photo of Jerry on it.  We were so early we could have been in the front row but we did not want to sit around for hours and crowds are not our favorite thing so instead we checked out a few of the casinos and had some lunch.  After lunch, we found an area at the beginning where the drivers get out of the Limo Bus to walk down the Red Carpet.  It was pretty cool and I got a few good photos from the many I took, check them all out at our photo gallery.  They look so different in their street clothes since we are so used to seeing them in their race gear.

On Thursday we took the shuttle to the Strip where we met a couple, Tom & Cindy from Canada.  They were on the bus the day before with us and we decided to hang out with them on the Strip to show them some of the transportation options since it had been over 20 years since their last visit.  They are a fun couple that we teased that they were our stalkers since on the first day we ran into them several times on Fremont Street and now they were going to follow us around.  There were several times we took separate avenues but always seemed to meet up again with them and even caught the same bus back to the resort…stalkers indeed!

We checked out many of the casinos on the Strip and utilized many of the modes of transportation, both free and the one that still charges $5 per ride or $12 for an all-day ride.  With all the free trams becoming more and more available, they are going to have to rethink charging so much per ride on the Las Vegas Monorail. 

We found a great spot without too much of a crowd on one of the overpasses to watch the Victory Lap.  The area was great to take photos and some of the guys even did some burnouts right in front of us.  It was really cool to see them driving down Las Vegas Boulevard in their race cars.

We are not sure if we would attend again, Race Weeks are much more exciting but we do recommend it for NASCAR fans to experience at least once.

For more photos, check out our Google + Web Albums.