Dome Rock

Location: West Dome Rock Road near Quartzsite, Arizona

Been waking up around 4:30 lately.  After yesterday's hard on the hands work, I took a couple of Tylenol and was able to sleep till 7 o'clock.  Terrible having arthritis in my hands, but it is what it is.

I have been communicating with Diana at State Farm back home to get an insurance application signed and back to her, but I wasn't getting the email with the attachment on my cellphone email app.  Finally, I checked my email using my laptop and there it was.  Not sure what's going on, but my email app has stopped working for some reason.

After breakfast, I drove down to RV LifeStyles

West Dome Rock Road to Quartzsite ahead.

and Kenny printed the document for me and I signed it and he scanned it back into the computer and I sent it back to Diana.  Now the White Lion is insured.

Before leaving I received a text from Deb saying they were coming into town and asked if they could stop by for a visit around 1 o'clock.  

When I got back from town, I only wanted to clean the one step that is carpeted.  I did that and it came out beautifully.  I had kept a piece of carpet over it since owning the MH and that kept the original carpet in good shape.

Sure enough Deb and Riley stopped by for visit.

Deb, Riley and Yuma

Main topic of course was the White Lion.  I'm starting to get excited with anticipation.  When I was with Kenny, he told me that it looked like the motorhome would be ready for my inspection tomorrow unless something major came up.  Said he would call later to let me know.  I've heard that line before.

They didn't stay long but it was very nice of them to stop by.  I'm pretty keyed up right now and their visit gave me a chance to relax and enjoy their company.  Yuma was happy Riley came to visit him.

Soon they were on there way back to the Palm Canyon area south of Quartzsite on highway 95.

Soon after Deb and Riley left, I couldn't believe it.  The phone rang and it was Kenny calling.  He said the motorhome was ready for my post purchase inspection and Suzie would be there at 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon.  This will be interesting.  There is a lot to go over and may run into Sunday.  I'm not going to let them rush me.

Yuma and I rested for awhile and late in the afternoon, he started whining to let me know he wanted to go somewhere.  I decided to take a drive up toward Dome Rock just across the road.  

Stopped at a camping site at the base.

 

Drove as far as I felt comfortable.  Stopped to see if there is a place to turn around above.  Otherwise I will have to back out.  Walked up to the first white mine tailings above.

Looking down at the Jeep.  

Yuma looking across the valley to the northeast.

There is a mine down there, but we are not going into it.

 

Looking east across the valley towards Quartzsite in the distance.  I see Miss Adventure down there.

Won't make it to the top today.  More tailings above.

Looking southeast towards the Kofa Mountains.  Palm Canyon is in the large mountain in the left center.  Sun is setting. We better get moving.

I can definitely see Miss Adventure now.  And look at all the little fiberglass trailers down there.  Part of their convention this weekend.

There is Miss Adventure at top right.

  

One of the Dome Rock Mountains north of us across I-10.  See how small that semi looks on the interstate below.

Looking to the west through some foothills of the Dome Rock Mountains.

 The sun is getting low in the horizon and I need to find a place to turn the Jeep around.  I don't want to back down that road with the steep side there.  About 50 yards further up, I found a place big enough to turn around.  I put it into four wheel drive just in case things didn't go as planned, but we made it and headed down and out.

 That was a fun diversion to keep my mind off tomorrow.  I am really looking forward to the inspection and hope I drive it out of there tomorrow afternoon.  Stay tuned.

Time for dinner and Gold Rush then hopefully a good night's sleep.  See you later.

Cleaning and more cleaning

Location:  Dome Rock Road outside Quartzsite, Arizona

Woke up around 6:30 this morning and not able to sleep. 

Looking to the Southwest this morning.

However, I did manage to read and make comments until about 8 o'clock and then Yuma and I took a walk while the coffee brewed.  Here's the MH with the Dome Rock Mountains to the North.

This is going to be a short post.  All I did was clean the MH today.  I did the shower, the hall floor, cleaned the two window frames in the bedroom and finally the entry door.  It was filthy.  Didn't do the steps because they will just get dirty again.

Around 4 o'clock, Yuma and I ran into Quartzsite to hunt for latches to replace the ones in four cabinet doors that had broken over the years.  I had just been using rubber bands, but don't think that will fly with the new owners.  Found them and until dinner time I worked at getting those in place.  Success!  I now have every cabinet door latching properly. :)) 

I drove by RV LifeStyles on my way into town and the White Lion was not in its parking spot.  Yeah!  That means it is in the shop going through its post delivery inspection.  Soon Kenny will be giving me a call.  I hope anyway.

Already had stew and a salad for dinner, so soon I'll be going to bed.  I've done a lot today and feel I'm close to the finish line.  

I think tomorrow I will call the local La Mesa RV sales place here in town and make an appointment for them to take a look at it and give me an estimate for a cash sale to them.  I can always turn it down if it is too low.  But it would be nice to be done with everything and on my way with owning only one MH.

Stay tuned.  See you later.

Cleaning and moving - moving and cleaning

Location:  Dome Rock Road near Quartzsite, Arizona

I woke at 7 o'clock and read blogs and made comments until around 8 o'clock and the started my day with a walk around the area with Yuma while the coffee was heating up.

Is that a cowboy on a horse behind that bush?

Nope.  He must be standing in there.

Going to be a little cooler today with a high of only 69 and they are calling for some wind.  We got both in the afternoon.  Don't need hairspray.  The dust does a great job.

After breakfast I started with the bedroom.  Pledged all the wood cabinets.  Boy, do they look nice with a lot of Pledge on them.  Look brand new.  This MH is going to fetch a fortune.  Probably a very small fortune.  As I was resting, I decided that now the huge Big Tent and RV show crowds have dwindled, I would find us a better place to live.

Got packed and moved further east towards Quartzsite on West Dome Rock Road.  A couple miles in I saw a nice place close to the road but further from the interstate and pulled in.  

Cleaned the floor in the bedroom on my hands and knees and got it looking spiffy, then turned my attention to the bathroom.  Ugh!  You would think only a man lived in this place. :))  When I was done everything looked great and ready for a lady to use.  Even sprayed a little air freshener in there.

As I was working, the area I'm in was filling up with Casita trailers.  This weekend is there big meet-up out here near Dome Rock.  Evidently, they do this every year at this time.  I saw a lady wandering around the MH and Yuma started to bark.  Went out and talked with her.

Here's the first place I moved to.  Very crowded.

I guess I'm parked right where each year a group likes to park.  I know it is BLM land and I'm free to stay, but I didn't want to ruin some old ladies weekend by being in her spot.  I told her I would be leaving in the morning.

Towards sundown, Yuma and I were walking on the other side of the road going east when I spotted a nice little place down near a wash.  We took a walk down there and I figured I could get the MH down there and have a nice private place with no Casitas in sight.  

As I was returning, ran into a nice couple walking their dog.  When they saw Yuma, she scooped him up.  After talking a few minutes, she put the little 9 month old named Major on the ground so Yuma could meet him.  Poor Major was quite intimidated by the big Yuma.  I couldn't get him to pose.

Yuma and Major.

Yuma and Major.

By the time I got back to the MH, the sun was setting behind Dome Rock Mountains.

I'll have to get a picture of our new home in the morning.  Time to eat dinner, rest and then hit the hay.  Been a nice day of moving and cleaning.  Great combo.

See you later.

Fixing and cleaning

Location:  Dome Rock road on the west side of Quartzsite, Arizona

Keith flying his electric motored plane.

For some reason I couldn't sleep at all last night.  So many things running through my head and when I got up, nothing got done thinking about it.

Going to be a beautiful day.  I had heard it was going to become windy later in the morning, but never did.  No wind to speak of all day.  I tried to ignore fixing the water leak by eating my ten Ritz crackers very slowly, but it didn't help.  Just got warmer outside while I dawdled.

Finally, at 11 o'clock  decided to go out and see what the problem was and if I could fix it with my limited abilities.  Yesterday, I had gone into town and bought tape and some kind of plumbers dough.  

What had happened was on my last move I put a water jug in the bathroom sink and I guess as I was bouncing along, the jug hit the faucet knob and turned on the water.  

Learned something too.  Don't leave your water pump on when traveling!  Anyways, luckily I did not have the sink plugged or it would have been a catastrophe.  All my wood floors would now be warped.   

I had a full tank of fresh water and that pumped into the grey tank till the pressure loosened up the tape from my last attempt at fixing the leak.   The water then went into the bay and onto the pavement.  Fortunately, the grey tank was practically empty before this.

I tore off the old tape, put gobs of the plumber's dough around the leaking area and kneaded it in real good.  Then I took that waterproof tape they advertise on TV that will hold two pieces of a boat together as it speeds across the water.

Then Yuma and I took it to the Pit Stop and for $4 we filled it up and to my surprise and happiness, no more leak.  Hopefully it holds up for the new owners.  Probably be asked to have the pipe replaced during inspection.  Oh well!  I need water now!

After returning, I started cleaning.  I can't pay someone to clean it with it looking so dusty and dirty can I?  If anyone knows a good consignment company here or in Phoenix or Yuma, let me know.

I've got about a week to get this thing ready to my satisfaction and then my attention will turn to my next love, the White Lion.

One picture today and tomorrow will be another day similar to today.  Not going to think on my dilemma until the White Lion is in my possession sitting next to Miss Adventure.

Time for a little dinner and bed.  Not used to this fixing and cleaning thing.  See you later.  

Done Deal!

Location:  Dome Rock Road West side of Quartzsite, Arizona

Slept fairly well last night.  Woke up at 4:30 but fell back to sleep and didn't wake fully till the sun came up around 7 o'clock.  It is going to be another beautiful day just like yesterday.  I'm hoping for a phone call today, but not expecting one.  

Yuma and I had our breakfast and walked around the area a little bit.  I have two projects to do.  One: hook two 100 watt solar panels together and get them going and two: fix a water leak in one of the outside bays.  You know which one I picked.

I hate dealing with water leaks.  I can never seem to get them really fixed.  Maybe slow the leak a little but never fixed.  I'm just not a plumber and never want to be.  I'll do this one tomorrow. :)) So, to keep busy I worked on the two solar panels and managed to get that done.  I'm happy with it.  

Then I decided to run over to Blythe, California to the Albertson grocery store.  Only about 20 miles away, so didn't take long to get there.  Poor Yuma was down to his last can of dog food, so it was a must.

On the return trip I took a few pictures of I-10 going through the Dome Rock Mountains.

When I got home around 2 o'clock and making plans to go to another Happy Hour with my friends, my phone rang.  I'll be darn if it wasn't Kenny!  He said that the owner had accepted my offer and to come down to his office at my earliest convenience to get this deal done.

Poor Yuma is stuck in the MH again as I head out the door.  I think we both Kenny and I felt a sense of relief.  We sat there for a good half hour talking about our pasts and how we got to this place in our lives and laughed about the events of this last week and how it turned out fine in the end.  I took my camera but forgot my memory card, so no pictures of this momentous event.  Darn!

He's happy, I'm happy and hopefully the previous owner is happy.  I didn't try to low ball, I just bid based on Nada book value with what I thought was a fair bid.

Only took about two hours to wrap it up with most of it just us getting to know each other better.  Kenny is a great guy once you get to know him with an interesting history.

Once I got home to the MH and relaxed, I think the adrenaline finally wore off and I started feeling down and somewhat depressed.  I guess that is normal when you have been keyed up for a number of days.

There was one issue with the White Lion that I learned and don't like but it isn't a show stopper.  However, it will lead to several thoughts and discussions on how to remedy in the next coming weeks, so it isn't all over yet.  I do now own the beast, so don't fret over that.

Anyway, with that teaser out of the way, let's cover what happens next hopefully.  RV LifeStyles is now going to take the White Lion back to their shop and go over it with a fine toothed comb and fix everything they find wrong, down to replacing the old wiper blades.  At the previous owner's expense thank goodness.

This should take about a week.  Once that is done, they will call me in and their expert coach inspector, Susie will go through every aspect of what they did and have me give the coach a final inspection of everything and sign-off.   She will also go through all the bells and whistles, buttons and switches to make sure I know how everything works.  Think I'll bring some dirty clothes to wash when we review the washer/dryer combo.  There is also a 90 day guarantee on everything so if I have a problem on the road, I can bring it back to have it fixed.

That was the happenings for today.  I want to thank the commenters that gave me their thought and ideas.  I appreciate that immensely.  I answer every comment, so be sure to go back and read my response if you like.  If you ask a question I will answer.  

I also know there are many of you that read my blog but do not comment.  I am glad you take the time to read and hopefully enjoy the Great Southwest through my eyes.  You also get a tiny look at my personal life too.

The adventure continues.  See you later.

Got the call!

Location:  Dome Rock Road near Quartzsite, Arizona

For some reason, I slept soundly last night.  The road noise was not a bother.  Woke up after 8 o'clock and just took it easy eating breakfast and having my coffee.  It is going to be another gorgeous day.  Don't you just hate these broken weather records.  Same every day.

Around 11 o'clock while I was on my last cup of coffee I heard a strange noise.  It was my phone.  It was ringing.  Picked it up and Kenny was on the other end saying "Good morning, Doug".  Said they got the two new batteries in and it was running like a champ and ready for a test drive.

Didn't want to act too excited, I told him I would be there in about an hour.  It was noon when I drove into the RV Lifestyles parking lot.

 Only in the office a few minutes before Stewart, one of the salesman was ready to take me on my first drive.  Evidently, Kenny can't drive the big rigs for some reason.  I didn't ask why.

Stewart drove the White Lion out of the parking lot and down the road a piece to where there was a large lot and pulled over.  I think they didn't want to take a chance that I may have a big wipe out in their parking lot and take out some of the really expensive motorhomes. :))

Now don't I look like I belong there?  We only drove maybe five miles, but I have to say it handled beautifully.  I didn't feel a bit of intimidation or hesitation.  It actually has a better turning radius than my MH.  In the picture above, I think I gave away how much I enjoyed driving this big rig.

I loved the big air swoosh sound it gave when I put the air brake on and shut her down.  Darn, I forgot to blow the air horn, but will if there is a next time.

Kenny was waiting when we got back to see what I thought.  Told him, lets go inside to his office and do some wheeling and dealing.

We had an enjoyable chat to loosen up.  They were serving free hotdogs in the lobby, so I went out and got me two and then I was ready to make a bid.  This motorhome is on consignment so Kenny is really only the middleman.  

I made an offer and he said he would call when he got an acceptance or counter offer.  Or, if he just tells me where I can stick my offer.  This all took a little over an hour and I was on my way.

Yuma had stayed home and as usual he was ecstatic when I opened the MH door.  Texted Dolly to let her know where we stood and then did a little house cleaning.  

Around 2:30 I headed over to the social society for Happy Hour.  I'm getting more comfortable doing this thing and starting to relax and let my hair down.  And I'm getting a lot of hair to let down.  They are such a nice group of RV people.

Great group and fantastic scenery.

Craig, a member of the HH group brought out his battery powered plane and gave us a grand air show.  He is an excellent pilot with 16 years of experience.  It was beautiful to watch.  Lots of pictures but I cut it down to a few.

Keith and his beautiful red plane.

It was very quiet and just beautiful to watch it go through its paces.  Keith really know his stuff.

Ready for takeoff.

Takeoff!

Flying overhead.

We were having such an enjoyable time, it was nearly six o'clock before we parted for the evening.  Did I ever mention it was a gorgeous day.  Even as the sun was setting, it was still comfortable.

Kept my phone nearby the whole afternoon and guess what?  No phone call from Kenny.  Still giving me that great service!  Maybe tomorrow and maybe not.  With Kenny you just have to go with the flow.

Whatever way this goes, I am enjoying the experience and learning too.  We'll see what tomorrow brings.  See you later.

Fire in the mountains!  What a beautiful ending to the day.

Bloggerfest 2020

Location:  Dome Rock Road near Quartzsite, Arizona

This morning I woke up at 6 o'clock and couldn't go back to sleep so time for breakfast. 

Sun rising over the Plomosa Mountains East of Quartzsite, Arizona

Looks to be another gorgeous day in Big Q valley.  Yuma and I puttered around the area.  There are lots of very small mining digs everywhere.  I guess they can't read the sign saying this land is owned by the Government

I had been thinking of buying a second 100 watt solar panel and parallel it in with my other 100 watt panel and double the size of my battery charging capacity.  Googled for a place in town and found one named Solar Bill's.

Yuma and I drove into town and after a quick discussion about what I wanted to do, they set me up, took my money and we were out of there heading back home.  They gave me instructions on how to connect the two, but of course they were hazy by the time I got home.

It was soon time to head for the Bloggerfest, Yuma and I hopped in the Jeep again and headed across town to the location.  When I arrived, Paula, who graciously reserved the cover area for us and her neighbor and friend Sandie were there.  Sandie was the originator of Bloggerfest seven years ago I think.

Very soon after eight more bloggers arrived making us a party of twelve counting Yuma , of course.  We all started out in a somber mood remembering George and his wife Suzie.  George was a big part of the Bloggerfest and a friend to everyone here and his recent death put a damper on discussions at first.  We soon realized George would not want us to be sad, but to enjoy each other's company.

It wasn't long before we had introductions out of the way and we all started talking about almost every subject full-time and part-time RVers talk about.

Patsy, Kim, Tom, Deb, Bill and Ken

Sandie, Paula, John and Brenda

Yuma asking Brenda for permission to play.

 After the Bloggerfest ended, Deb asked if I would stop by for Happy Hour.  I had to go into town and clarify how to set-up the two solar panels and I was soon out with the social society.

It was a very pleasant day for enjoying friends and the beautiful outdoors, but soon the sun was telling us it was time to head home.  I had a great time today and look forward to next year.  Thank you Paula for reserving the cover area for us.

Never heard anything from Kenny about the motorhome.  Still want to test drive it though, just to see how it feels compared to my Ford class C motorhome.  So, I'm hoping to get a call on Monday.  Someone mentioned the new batteries may have been made in China and they are on a slow boat :))

Forgot to take any meat out of the freezer, so I guess it's Stew for tonight and a big salad.

See you later.