Where we’ve been…All 48 lower…Where we are…Extensively traveling…Working and having a blast!
LIFE IS GRAND!
Monday, July 29, 2019
Paso Robles, California Mid State Fair Experience
The area is “Wine Country”, the Fair is quaint and seemed busy and they had some great entertainment. We worked long hours, but it’s really easy work and the weather for the most part was wonderful. A few days it hit over 100 during the day but cooled off quickly when the sun went down.
We tasted a few Fair delights, but our all time favorite was the Lobster Mac n Cheese…noodles cooked to perfection…spicy sriracha sauce was a nice touch to finish it off.
Monday, July 01, 2019
35250 Outer Highway 15 North
Yermo, CA 92398
800-KOA-0059 / 760-904-3069
12/08, 2/10, 5/23/12, 12/24/13, 3/24/16, 5/19/16, 7/16/16, 3/20/2017, 3/28/2018
7/2019
7/2019
2019 UPDATE - We have stayed a few times a year at this location and each time it has progressively gotten worse and we always say we will not return, but unfortunate circumstances made us have to stay here again. Customer service is nonexistent from the phone calls to checkin desk, the only nice folks are the grounds people. We have put up with a lot of nonsense here at this location only, but today’s incident was by far the worst.
We came in to add another night but we wanted to move to another site, one that was shady due to the extreme temperatures. She reluctantly and not so friendly looked to see what was available, she gave me the new site number and upon moving to the new site we noticed no shade and the location of the sewer was not usable (all the way in the front), so we went back in and still not greeted with smiles. We explained the situation and she immediately became grumpier, refused to move us because she claimed the other sites still had people in them and we assured her they did not. She then told us that she couldn’t move us because the site we mentioned was not a shade site and we assured her it was by seeing it with our own eyes the day before. She said her system would not allow her to move us and I informed her that I had worked at several KOA’s and it could be done. She then began to raise her voice at me and told me not to tell her what to do and then the F bomb came out several times. I immediately took out my video phone and she walked away and would not come back out from the office area she yelled at us to just take number 37, so we did.
The unprofessionalism is appalling, especially since we work in the customer service industry and know that is not acceptable behavior and should never be tolerated. When we asked Amanda to speak to the manager, she said she was the manager.
Now after that encounter, we had to stay several more days due to our motorhome having issues and we got lucky and Lacy was at the desk all other times and she had excellent customer service.
2018 UPDATE - We paid $44 for a back-in water and electric, no sewer site but was upgraded to a FHU pull through by the supervisor when we checked in. The prices are still high but it is the best park in the area which is our halfway point of driving from different areas so now that they have much better customer service we will be continuing our stops here as we travel.
2016 UPDATE - We paid $48.50 for a full hookup in an entirely different area we had never been in and we enjoyed ourselves. It was during our trek across the desert so we wanted to be by the pool and our site was level, our electricity was perfect and the gal that checked us in was wonderful. Now the price is still on the high side but we are okay with that when we checked out the other options in the area and found this one to be the better of them all.
2016 UPDATE - NEVER AGAIN...We paid $48.89 for a water and electric only and our electric was questionable...it was dark by the time we realized just how questionable it was. The person in the office would not allow us to just move into the space in front of us since it was a full hookup. We explained we would just be plugging in the electric, then she claimed it was taken but nobody used it all night. Rates are rising and even though they are adding tent sites and updating the grounds this place will not be on our agenda in our upcoming travels. We have been stopping here since 2008 but we will no longer use this as an overnight stop and we will be attempting to contact someone who is in charge to place a formal complaint. On the website it does not have a manager/owner contact person so we are not sure how to start but we will find a way to get our complaint in the right hands so that this sort of treatment does not continue to happen. Until then we will avoid this place!
We came in to add another night but we wanted to move to another site, one that was shady due to the extreme temperatures. She reluctantly and not so friendly looked to see what was available, she gave me the new site number and upon moving to the new site we noticed no shade and the location of the sewer was not usable (all the way in the front), so we went back in and still not greeted with smiles. We explained the situation and she immediately became grumpier, refused to move us because she claimed the other sites still had people in them and we assured her they did not. She then told us that she couldn’t move us because the site we mentioned was not a shade site and we assured her it was by seeing it with our own eyes the day before. She said her system would not allow her to move us and I informed her that I had worked at several KOA’s and it could be done. She then began to raise her voice at me and told me not to tell her what to do and then the F bomb came out several times. I immediately took out my video phone and she walked away and would not come back out from the office area she yelled at us to just take number 37, so we did.
The unprofessionalism is appalling, especially since we work in the customer service industry and know that is not acceptable behavior and should never be tolerated. When we asked Amanda to speak to the manager, she said she was the manager.
Now after that encounter, we had to stay several more days due to our motorhome having issues and we got lucky and Lacy was at the desk all other times and she had excellent customer service.
2018 UPDATE - We paid $44 for a back-in water and electric, no sewer site but was upgraded to a FHU pull through by the supervisor when we checked in. The prices are still high but it is the best park in the area which is our halfway point of driving from different areas so now that they have much better customer service we will be continuing our stops here as we travel.
2016 UPDATE - We paid $48.50 for a full hookup in an entirely different area we had never been in and we enjoyed ourselves. It was during our trek across the desert so we wanted to be by the pool and our site was level, our electricity was perfect and the gal that checked us in was wonderful. Now the price is still on the high side but we are okay with that when we checked out the other options in the area and found this one to be the better of them all.
2016 UPDATE - NEVER AGAIN...We paid $48.89 for a water and electric only and our electric was questionable...it was dark by the time we realized just how questionable it was. The person in the office would not allow us to just move into the space in front of us since it was a full hookup. We explained we would just be plugging in the electric, then she claimed it was taken but nobody used it all night. Rates are rising and even though they are adding tent sites and updating the grounds this place will not be on our agenda in our upcoming travels. We have been stopping here since 2008 but we will no longer use this as an overnight stop and we will be attempting to contact someone who is in charge to place a formal complaint. On the website it does not have a manager/owner contact person so we are not sure how to start but we will find a way to get our complaint in the right hands so that this sort of treatment does not continue to happen. Until then we will avoid this place!
2016 Update - We paid $44 with our KOA discount for a site with only water and electric since the full hookups were even higher priced. When we were hooking up our water spigot it bursted and Jerry got soaked, so we moved sites and they fixed it immediately.
2013 UPDATE - We paid $36 with our KOA discount for the same site as before...price is rising and the place just remains the same, no better but no worse. We would still stay here again if we are ever in the area but may also look into some of the other parks in the area.
2013 UPDATE - We paid $36 with our KOA discount for the same site as before...price is rising and the place just remains the same, no better but no worse. We would still stay here again if we are ever in the area but may also look into some of the other parks in the area.
We paid $26.00 with our KOA discount and points for a water, electric, sewer, fairly level gravel site. It also included cable, WiFi and shuttle service to Calico Ghost Town which we took advantage of on our first visit. It is definitely overpriced, as most KOA’s are but we always come back. The sites were wide and were private with the way the landscaping was created around them.
We noticed a decline in the appearance of the park, especially in the laundry room. On our first visits the laundry facilities were one of the best we have seen on the road, there were many washer and dryers, even an extra big washer for rugs, which we needed to wash but this time we found there were more out of order than working machines. They had clean individual showers that were being remodeled on our first visit, but have been kept up in the years passing.
The staff has always been the friendliest and accommodating and the store carried many convenient supplies and souvenirs. In our future stays we may check out some of the other parks in the area since this one seems to be going downhill and the price has not.
Thursday, June 13, 2019
We Made It…
We left Gallup, New Mexico and drove under 200 miles per day and mixed up hotel and RV Resort stays, depending on weather and other reasons. We made it to our location in Cedar Hill, Texas and picked up our truck and stayed at an RV Resort for the first week while we worked at the shop. Weather here, well let’s just say muggy, hot, and stormy…welcome to Texas…air conditioning is working full time…ugh!
Our hotel stays and eating out for about 6 months or longer has now begun. For a few days we stayed at LaQuinta in Mansfield, Texas while we finished loading our trailer before finally getting on the road. The hotel room was a suite with a superbly comfy bed and an outrageously fantastic shower head and it was a great deal.
One of our days we ate at Olive Garden. The Stuffed Chicken Marsala was so yummy…the garlic mashed potatoes were awesome. The other dish we tried was the Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara that was delicious…the sauce was creamy, the shrimp was plump and delightful and the chicken had a great tasting coating.
We ordered pizza and wings from Mama’s Pizza located right next door and we were not disappointed. The crust on the pizza had the perfect amount of butter and garlic and a crunch but soft at the same time that was scrumptious. The wings were good and they made them extra crispy as we requested.
Had a great Whiskey Bacon Burger and BBQ Brisket Tacos at Applebee’s, both were yummy, but the taco was a bit strange with barbecue sauce.
We are winding down in the shop preparing our stores and packing up our trailers and will begin our trek to California on Saturday. Not too sure how much time we will have to update our blog since this is new to us even though we have been with this company for five years now, but we will do our best to keep you all posted.
Life has totally made an abrupt face for us and we are now ready to relax and enjoy it. Our best is yet to come and we are doing something we truly love. Traveling…a lot…about 10,000 miles in a few months…setting up a store and selling some pretty great merchandise…to some pretty good customers. Marching bands are cool and now we are selling to Drum Corps…this is going to be fun!
Our hotel stays and eating out for about 6 months or longer has now begun. For a few days we stayed at LaQuinta in Mansfield, Texas while we finished loading our trailer before finally getting on the road. The hotel room was a suite with a superbly comfy bed and an outrageously fantastic shower head and it was a great deal.
One of our days we ate at Olive Garden. The Stuffed Chicken Marsala was so yummy…the garlic mashed potatoes were awesome. The other dish we tried was the Chicken & Shrimp Carbonara that was delicious…the sauce was creamy, the shrimp was plump and delightful and the chicken had a great tasting coating.
We ordered pizza and wings from Mama’s Pizza located right next door and we were not disappointed. The crust on the pizza had the perfect amount of butter and garlic and a crunch but soft at the same time that was scrumptious. The wings were good and they made them extra crispy as we requested.
Had a great Whiskey Bacon Burger and BBQ Brisket Tacos at Applebee’s, both were yummy, but the taco was a bit strange with barbecue sauce.
We are winding down in the shop preparing our stores and packing up our trailers and will begin our trek to California on Saturday. Not too sure how much time we will have to update our blog since this is new to us even though we have been with this company for five years now, but we will do our best to keep you all posted.
Life has totally made an abrupt face for us and we are now ready to relax and enjoy it. Our best is yet to come and we are doing something we truly love. Traveling…a lot…about 10,000 miles in a few months…setting up a store and selling some pretty great merchandise…to some pretty good customers. Marching bands are cool and now we are selling to Drum Corps…this is going to be fun!
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
30 Rainbow Road
Albuquerque, NM 87113
(505) 796-7500
5/2019
Got there really early due to avoiding weather, but they were able to accommodate us in around 1pm. Our reservation stated a smoking room and even though they were booked, they were able to get us a non smoking King room.
The view was spectacular…
We just hung out in the room and spread out and relaxed…this room was at least three times larger than Maggie, so we just enjoyed it!
We ordered in room service and had some tasty delights…
What a great hotel that we would highly recommend and the casino is large with all the latest slots that we only played a little since it was crowded and very smokey.
Monday, May 27, 2019
I-40 & Exit 102
Acoma Pueblo, NM 87034
505-552-6123
9/2008, 5/2019
We stopped years ago, but never reviewed it.
Sites are all pull through and long, but not too wide. We paid $22.47 with the senior discount for a water, electric and sewer on a fairly level site.
Due to wind, we checked in at 9am and they were extremely accommodating. When you check in they give you a key that opens the locks on the water and electric at the site, apparently they had issues. There is a drop box for the key when you leave.
Casino is fairly small and smokey, but they did offer a non smoking section that had good slots…we were happy and came out way ahead.
We got to the Huwak’a Buffet in between lunch and dinner and the food was dry and not much of it left, but we didn’t want to wait an hour for dinner. We paid $10 each so it wasn’t too bad for the price.
Friday, May 24, 2019
Our SASR Experience
We worked back in February for SASR (Set and Service Resources), but the jobs were either cancelled at the last minute or when we showed up there was not a lead, so we didn’t work. We wanted to give it a fair chance, so we chose to give it another try…
This was a total remodel of a Family Dollar in Gallup, New Mexico and was told that in all likelihood it would not be canceled.
It was not canceled but there was constant strife between our team lead and the lead from Family Dollar after the second day…they spent most of their time pointing fingers at each other or complaining about the other that in turn made it such a terrible environment. Our team lead was gone most of the time, so it was hard to get confirmation for the correct project.
Most of our time was spent redoing things that were not done right the first time due to the disorganization of the leads. Nothing worse than spending an entire day remodeling to the blueprint that was given to us with our high standards and then to come in the next day to hear that the wrong information was given to us…ugh!
Without the appropriate guidance, we were all barely holding on, but we did the best we could do, and at the end of the day we are proud of our efforts with all the work we did.
The pay was excellent, since not only was the hourly pay at a nice rate, but they also paid us for our travel and our camping.
Once we are done in November with PepWear and if we don’t get the other opportunity that is on the table, we might reconsider giving them one more chance, but if the disorganization is always there, then it’s not for us. It makes for a long, grueling day listening to all the strife and having to redo all the hard work that went into it.
For now, we are on travel vacation, heading to Cedar Hill to start our new adventure. We are traveling much lighter having sold most of the items we needed to sell and we can take a little bit of time getting there, no need for more than 200 mile driving days. Life is Grand!
This was a total remodel of a Family Dollar in Gallup, New Mexico and was told that in all likelihood it would not be canceled.
It was not canceled but there was constant strife between our team lead and the lead from Family Dollar after the second day…they spent most of their time pointing fingers at each other or complaining about the other that in turn made it such a terrible environment. Our team lead was gone most of the time, so it was hard to get confirmation for the correct project.
Most of our time was spent redoing things that were not done right the first time due to the disorganization of the leads. Nothing worse than spending an entire day remodeling to the blueprint that was given to us with our high standards and then to come in the next day to hear that the wrong information was given to us…ugh!
Without the appropriate guidance, we were all barely holding on, but we did the best we could do, and at the end of the day we are proud of our efforts with all the work we did.
The pay was excellent, since not only was the hourly pay at a nice rate, but they also paid us for our travel and our camping.
Once we are done in November with PepWear and if we don’t get the other opportunity that is on the table, we might reconsider giving them one more chance, but if the disorganization is always there, then it’s not for us. It makes for a long, grueling day listening to all the strife and having to redo all the hard work that went into it.
For now, we are on travel vacation, heading to Cedar Hill to start our new adventure. We are traveling much lighter having sold most of the items we needed to sell and we can take a little bit of time getting there, no need for more than 200 mile driving days. Life is Grand!
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Gallup, New Mexico
They have about 90 locations in New Mexico and a few more in Arizona and Texas only.
They are not a fast food place, they cook each meal upon request so even though they have a drive through they ask that you pull around back and wait. It took about 15 minutes to finally get our burgers but they were worth the wait.
We had Lota Burgers with Green Chilies and cheese that were juicy and flavorful…
Hot and fresh Seasoned Fries…
And, the best tasting Onion Rings…
We would highly recommend this burger joint if you ever come across them out west.
Monday, May 06, 2019
It’s Time To Get Real
Our lives have never been easy…we struggle financially almost daily which in turn makes other things in our life a big struggle. We live with the “if only” all the time…IF ONLY we had enough money, we could…but we don’t…then we find ourselves spiraling in our vortex of despair.
We persevere and find ways to make it through one day at a time…one moment at a time. We pray…we stay positive…we do everything we can to keep our heads up so we don’t stay stuck in that black hole of despair. There are times we just want to give it up and relinquish the fact that our life sucks, but then what?
What is giving up? What does it mean to be done?
If we give up or are just done with it all, then we might as well just be dead. Death will come soon enough for us since age is no longer on our side, so wanting it sooner is not how we choose to play this game called Life.
We now realize we have to live our truth…we may not like it…we may see it at times as a bad hand that we were dealt, but it’s our truth. The more we look and want what others have, the more we get sadder, angrier and more envious.
So far 2019 has been tough but we do have a silver lining...we just have to be patient and be able to get there mid June. We will be picking up our truck and trailer and going on the road doing Band Events throughout the United States. This will be in addition to what we do in September with a week off in between. So as of June through November, we will be gainfully employed and making some great money and loving what we do.
Then our plan will be to downsize, looking for a Class B with great gas mileage so we can continue with this work and others that will allow us to continue traveling and make good money doing what we love. This is what keeps us sane…knowing that at any moment our lives can take that turn and have things go the way we plan…that is what we hold onto…otherwise…well, we don’t want to even go there.
We know that the only way to get what we truly want, we have to let go of the things that are not working for us right now.
We have decided to completely give up on Lt Blender work now and all future work. We have worked the winter months for the past few years and they have gone in an entirely different direction then we had hoped. When we first started with them we negotiated a decent deal, but since changing of management, things have gone from just okay to extremely bad. So it’s time to let go and move forward onto bigger and better choices.
We are also selling items we no longer need, letting it go is the easy part, selling it and making any money seems to be the hard part. We are getting hits, but as we learned from our estate sale, nobody is willing to pay what it’s worth. The good news is we sold enough to give us a little cushion to get to our next location where we have a 10 day job waiting for us next week that pays extremely well.
We feel the shift in our lives...Life is grand once again...We can breathe and enjoy the ride.
We persevere and find ways to make it through one day at a time…one moment at a time. We pray…we stay positive…we do everything we can to keep our heads up so we don’t stay stuck in that black hole of despair. There are times we just want to give it up and relinquish the fact that our life sucks, but then what?
What is giving up? What does it mean to be done?
If we give up or are just done with it all, then we might as well just be dead. Death will come soon enough for us since age is no longer on our side, so wanting it sooner is not how we choose to play this game called Life.
We now realize we have to live our truth…we may not like it…we may see it at times as a bad hand that we were dealt, but it’s our truth. The more we look and want what others have, the more we get sadder, angrier and more envious.
So far 2019 has been tough but we do have a silver lining...we just have to be patient and be able to get there mid June. We will be picking up our truck and trailer and going on the road doing Band Events throughout the United States. This will be in addition to what we do in September with a week off in between. So as of June through November, we will be gainfully employed and making some great money and loving what we do.
Then our plan will be to downsize, looking for a Class B with great gas mileage so we can continue with this work and others that will allow us to continue traveling and make good money doing what we love. This is what keeps us sane…knowing that at any moment our lives can take that turn and have things go the way we plan…that is what we hold onto…otherwise…well, we don’t want to even go there.
We know that the only way to get what we truly want, we have to let go of the things that are not working for us right now.
We have decided to completely give up on Lt Blender work now and all future work. We have worked the winter months for the past few years and they have gone in an entirely different direction then we had hoped. When we first started with them we negotiated a decent deal, but since changing of management, things have gone from just okay to extremely bad. So it’s time to let go and move forward onto bigger and better choices.
We are also selling items we no longer need, letting it go is the easy part, selling it and making any money seems to be the hard part. We are getting hits, but as we learned from our estate sale, nobody is willing to pay what it’s worth. The good news is we sold enough to give us a little cushion to get to our next location where we have a 10 day job waiting for us next week that pays extremely well.
We feel the shift in our lives...Life is grand once again...We can breathe and enjoy the ride.
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Monday, April 15, 2019
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Friday, April 12, 2019
Thursday, April 11, 2019
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Tuesday, April 09, 2019
Monday, April 08, 2019
Sunday, April 07, 2019
Change in Attitude
It has been a challenging year so far and things have not been going too well and again as hard as we tried not to, we dove deep into that black hole of despair. It’s always a frigging struggle, but as usual we are not giving up, we continue to test new things and we will persevere and find that right fit for us. This crap is getting old, as we aren’t getting any younger either, but again the alternative of staying grounded somewhere is just not an option for us. We will survive this and we will find the right path once again and start enjoying the ride again.
We have a new refreshing attitude that is showing us the right steps forward, we just have to stop holding on and just let go. A very hard thing for us to do because we need to control it all, but nevertheless we are feeling the slight shift in our lives currently. We have stopped whining about all we don’t have and once again begun being grateful for all the wonderful things we do have.
We are still out west working Lt Blender events, we have worked the Sam’s in Bullhead City, Palm Desert, Yuma, and now are returning to work another event at these locations. At this time we are in Earp having some R&R at our favorite resort on the Colorado River, Emerald Cove before heading to Palm Desert.
We have other work that we LOVE lined up in June that will get us through until we start our Fall work, and if this all works the way it’s supposed to, we will be having some major changes in our lives. But, none of this happened until we changed our attitudes, and now great things are happening around every corner.
It’s so easy to see it when it begins to shift, but so hard to just let go of what we feel should happen and allow life to show us. Looking back, the good stuff happens exactly when we are living in the moment and not controlling it all. Just allowing life to flow as it should is the only way we should ever live because that is when all the greatness happens.
So why must we fight it every step of the way?
Our goal is to live our lives in the moment, enjoy every second and be grateful for all the great things that are in our lives already. To STOP whining about the things we don’t have, instead allow life to show us things we couldn’t even imagine that are ours to embrace.
Life is grand…take a moment to breathe in the goodness life has planned for you today.
We have a new refreshing attitude that is showing us the right steps forward, we just have to stop holding on and just let go. A very hard thing for us to do because we need to control it all, but nevertheless we are feeling the slight shift in our lives currently. We have stopped whining about all we don’t have and once again begun being grateful for all the wonderful things we do have.
We are still out west working Lt Blender events, we have worked the Sam’s in Bullhead City, Palm Desert, Yuma, and now are returning to work another event at these locations. At this time we are in Earp having some R&R at our favorite resort on the Colorado River, Emerald Cove before heading to Palm Desert.
We have other work that we LOVE lined up in June that will get us through until we start our Fall work, and if this all works the way it’s supposed to, we will be having some major changes in our lives. But, none of this happened until we changed our attitudes, and now great things are happening around every corner.
It’s so easy to see it when it begins to shift, but so hard to just let go of what we feel should happen and allow life to show us. Looking back, the good stuff happens exactly when we are living in the moment and not controlling it all. Just allowing life to flow as it should is the only way we should ever live because that is when all the greatness happens.
So why must we fight it every step of the way?
Our goal is to live our lives in the moment, enjoy every second and be grateful for all the great things that are in our lives already. To STOP whining about the things we don’t have, instead allow life to show us things we couldn’t even imagine that are ours to embrace.
Life is grand…take a moment to breathe in the goodness life has planned for you today.
Saturday, April 06, 2019
Friday, April 05, 2019
Thursday, April 04, 2019
Wednesday, April 03, 2019
Tuesday, April 02, 2019
Monday, April 01, 2019
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)