A great trip, but glad to be home!

 We got home Saturday afternoon. Last blog we were at Imperial Dam LTVA. If I'm remembering correctly we only stayed one night and then decided to move on. We headed for Quartzsite for a couple of days. I know during the two days we were were there we visited Silly Al's twice since we have no idea when we'll be back that way again. 1st day the pizza was really awesome! 2nd day it was good but not as good. Oh well, still tasty. 

Silly Al's I think Ken had meat lovers and mine was double pepperoni! YUM!

It was an IPA for him and chardonnay for me!

Gotta love this place!

Dusty and his son, Owen! 💕 Owen reminds me alot of our grandson Aaron
with his energy on the floor!! 

Took a drive from our campsite at Imperial Dam...

Lots of campers down by the lake which was gorgeous!

Parker, AZ

Wind was a blowing! But it was warm!

Finally got Mason's card mailed here!

Our campsite at Q, La Posa South

The night's were cold and the batteries didn't hold a charge so we woke up chilly. He hooked up Mr. Heater only to find it would only stay lit on pilot, well darn that's not helping much. We could run the generator during generator hours then we could run the heater. Days were awesome, temps nearing 80. 

We took a drive to find the Quartzsite Arrow..rocks that lead pilots to Q during the 2nd world war.  The rocks were painted white to send pilots to Q and their airport. Also a rocks that showed them where North was! Easy to find once you know where it is!

Plomasa North Road after mile marker 6 you find a fence..turn there and follow the fence..You'll see rocks

The arrow points North 

Then it was on to Parker, AZ where we stayed two nights (Wednesday and Thursday). We had a beautiful sight in the 2nd row so we had a lovely view of the Colorado River.  Guess we were early this year as Pirates Den didn't have their outside bar open yet. :( We enjoyed the sunshine both days and enjoyed some great barbecued dinners. 

We took a trip into Parker for a few groceries at Food City. What a great place! We actually bought a couple Porterhouse steaks, which we NEVER do. Our red meat is usually hamburger but thought "what the heck".  Oh YUMMY! Their meat counter is very impressive and prices not bad either! Check them out instead of Walmart next time you're there! 

Lake Mead, Boulder Beach Campground

Porter House Steak..oh so yummy!

We caught Karen on the tractor and John loading rocks 😀

We left Parker Friday morning originally thinking we'd go through Vegas then Ken thought about it and didn't want to venture through that town on Friday afternoon so we decided to spend the night at Boulder Beach Campground at Lake Mead.  Yea,h probably good thinking. I think we got the last camp there! Never seen it so crowded there ever! 

We sat the alarm for 0500 on Saturday morning, bloggs and showers and then we hit the road. No problem going through Vegas so then we stopped at the exit to Mt. Charleston and I made some breakfast. Then we headed home :) 

Between gas, lunch and potty stops we pulled into the driveway around 1500 or so. Not a bad drive at all.  Sorry we didn't get to catch up with more friends but...

We unloaded some things and then got a picture of a fire so we headed next door for a bit 🔥🍺🍷 Nice to catch up with Karen and John 💕

So, Ken has graced me with his cough..yeah..guess that's what living in a little over 200 square feet for 3 weeks will do for you! 💖 Nothing else but an annoying cough. So we're good. He's better so it will just take a few days! 

Today we awoke to a dusting of snow. Barely can call it a dusting. Cold temps. Put a pork stew in the crockpot this morning! Ken worked outside until lunch and we've been watching movies since. Lazy day! 

Russell asked me a few days ago if I was available near the end of May to head over as they are headed to Florida for their 25th Wedding Anniversary. Of course I am! Not to baby sit as grandson will be 17, but he needs a chef!! LOL. Can't wait! Aaron plays football and needs a lot of calories! This grandma can make that happen! 💖💖

Adam called this evening so had a nice conversation with him :) 

It was a great trip, if not expensive! I told Ken I need a different view next year whether it be southern New Mexico State Parks or Texas COE parks. I love southern AZ but it' time for a change. 

A great visit with friends! Imperial Dam.. warm temps..

Friday morning we took our time, but we needed to run into Yuma to pick up some things to get us through for a while.  Walmart was the place to go. 

Back to camp and the I texted Deb that we were on our way.  Our GPS showed us it was 16 miles..not... it was like 6 miles. I texted them and Tom met us and guided us in.  We had probably 3 hours visiting with them which was awesome! They offered us dinner but because it was close to dark we declined. Neither one of us like driving after dark anymore if we don't have to. Another couple we love spending time with 💖

We decided Saturday morning that we were ready to leave and head for the Yuma Proving Grounds area for a few days. Can't believe how crowded it is here! More than we've ever seen!  Still plenty of  room for people though! 

My bad influence! Champagne..can't complain though!💕

We took a nice drive today..

One proud mom, dad, grandma and grandpa !! Love that she's flying high and proud!!💖💖

Ken's got a  pretty good cough going though..so we'll have to see about visiting people as we get closer to Quartzite. 

Happy Hour time! 💖

Got the Mansion back $$ Pilot Knob RV Resort..Happy Late Birthday Mason! Seth looking awesome in uniform!

Nothing better than a man in uniform💖
Especially my favorite Marine, grandson Seth💙
Russell, you're still in there too along with Jacob! 💙

                                    

                                     Happy 17th Birthday Mason! 💙

Still my favorite picture of Mason when he was young💙 

Tuesday afternoon we headed into Downtown Yuma for a bit to play tourist 😄 It's a cute little downtown area, but there was certainly alot of empty store fronts. 😒 

We did find a nice antique store and enjoyed looking around that.  We did find a kerosene lantern that we bought, I'm sure we had one just like it when we lived in Colfax. It'll look cute in the bunkhouse. 

Eventually we headed for Prison Hill Brewery right in the heart of downtown. We had been there once not too long after they opened. Ken enjoyed a beer and I had a glass of wine. Then across the street to Pint House. After that it was time to head back to the motel and get an early dinner at Daybreakers. It's convenient as it's pretty much across the street from the motel. 

Prison Hill Brewing Yuma, AZ

Elva, is this where you first met Jerry?💖

Different than Prison Hill and a little more $$. 

Wednesday morning after breakfast Ken headed over to check on the Mansion. The mechanic said "It's almost done".  He came back to the motel and picked me up. 

The winds and dust were whipping!!

By the time we got there it had been moved to the back area so yes it was done. Took a little while to get the bill as they are so busy but we got it, and paid the $1900.00.  Hopefully we can get it reimbursed! The propane line was still broken so I called Pilot Knob to see if we could reserve a spot for a few days. Mike was very nice and helpful so we headed for Pilot Knob RV Resort just over the California border. 

We got checked in and Ken got a referral for a mobile rv business. He made a call to Tenway RV Service and spoke with Keith who said he'd be out on Thursday around 1200 to 1230. 

It was so cold and windy here we just stayed inside once we got settled. Enjoyed our evening watching tv and having our little happy hour. 

Thursday morning we set the alarm for 0500 so we could go into Yuma for breakfast and a few groceries to replace what we lost since going without propane. Luckily most of the food survived the ice chest. 

WE also needed a new electric heater. We have one at home, but...LOL. These nights are cold here in this area this year. 

           Cute, with the ambience of a fireplace and puts out good heat!

Keith and Fritz showed at 1200 hours and spent a good hour working on replacing the propane hose! Total bill $215.00 for parts and labor. They worked hard and did an awesome job! WE definitely would recommend Tenway RV Service 928 955 9976 if your are in this area. They told Ken they worked on RVs in Indiana. Over 55 years experience between the two of them! Came here to work on "The Wall" until Biden shut it down. Figured they needed to do something so started this business about a year ago. Great guys and highly recommend them! 

After they left we took a little drive by the BLM behind us..people but not as much as in prior years! 

Fixer Upper for sale! There were a couple in the same area...

We came back to camp and since there was sunshine in between the sites we were able to sit in the sun for an hour and a half or so. As the sun dipped behind the trees we came inside. 

Tomorrow we will move to the BLM behind the campground and hopefully go visit our friends Tom and Deb for the afternoon. We'll have 1 or 2 days here and then move on as we've been in this area for a week. 

Turkey burgers and oven baked french fries are what's on the menu for dinner. Have a great one, time for  Happy Hour! 💕🍷🍺

An unexpected turn of events! We're still in Yuma :)

 Friday afternoon we got some ice at the Chervron at exit 12 just into Yuma.  Ken made a right turn to get onto the on ramp, accelerated and noticed smoke coming from the trailer tires. Pulled over thinking we had a flat, nope the frame broke on both sides of the rear axle of the trailer. The weld held, but the shackle tore from the frame. The propane line broke  so we lost most of our propane. 😔

We called Triple AAA and about 4 hours later they called back to cancel the call! We don't service southern California. We aren't in southern CA! Well, you're close enough and we can't help you! They only had one tow company in Yuma that would flat bed tow us and after talking with the guy he didn't feel comfortable doing it and neither did we.  

What to do now?! It's dark and we're on an on ramp. Don't want to spend the night there.  Ken got out, took the rear tires off and had to tie up the axles. 

Off we went very gently, flashers going to the next off ramp so we could go back to the truck stop at exit 12 and spend the night. We made it and celebrated LOL. 

Our spot for the night at the truck stop

Saturday morning at 0500 we got up and flashers going drove the 9 miles to Chassis Dynamics.  We parked outside the gate and waited for James to open the gate around 0800 or so. He came and talked to us, saying he'd let us in around 1100 or so, as they are normally closed on Saturday. He had some guys working, moving things around so we waited in the trailer until he was ready for us. James caught Ken outside and gave him two of the hugest breakfast burritos for us! They were yummy! 

Huge burritos..half was left for Ken's breakfast Sunday :)

We pulled into the back area and set up camp. James had mentioned electrical but he was in a hurry to get out so we didn't ask.  We have the generator so no biggie. 

We enjoyed sitting in the sun for a couple of hours outside, adult beverages and once it cooled off we went inside for the evening.  

There was another couple there whose motorhome airbags broke down in Q.  They had a 2600 dollar tow bill. Patty said tow company was out of Blythe and $300.00 an hour and they charged from Blythe to Q to Yuma and back to Blythe. OUCH! Glad Ken was able to get us there!!

Sunday morning some of the guys were in and out and one who heard the generator running said we didn't need to use that and could plug into a cord that was running out of the building we were on the back side of, so we did! Water was also available but we didn't need any. 

We were able to go in and out of the yard when we wanted so that was nice. Sunday we stopped at Walmart for just a few things, since we don't have a refrigerator unless it's running on electricity. Then we stopped at the Arizona Marketplace to see if something jumped out at us! Got a new hat and a couple of other things to the tune of $14.00..big spenders LOL. 

Very nice memorial 

They've got alot of stuff going on here!

Some pictures of the damage for the claim..

Back to camp, sunshine and later on delicious barbecued burgers! 

Ken working hard on the barbecue

YUMMY!!

Monday morning we were up early in case they wanted the trailer first thing. Unhooked from electricity and everything shut down. It was a cold morning so we sat in the truck with the heater running until it warmed up again. We actually spent most of the day in the truck with windows down. Ken watched movies and I read on my kindle which I haven't done for quite awhile. 

Our camping spot 💜

                        The gentleman who will be doing the work 

This place is busy!! We knew they'd be taking appointments before us and that was understandable, we were comfy! 

About 1600 we walked up to the office and saw James. He asked if Ken would mind moving the trailer and showed him where. No problem. Now it's ready to be worked on. 

We made reservations at the Howard Johnson Motel for 2 nights. We could have stayed in the trailer but our waste tanks are nearing full so it was time to move on. Very nice motel and reasonable. 

We went out looking for a restaurant and found Daybreakers #2. WE love Daybreakers #1 so we enjoyed a delicious dinner there without the drive to exit 12,  then back to the motel. 

A well deserved beer for Ken and wine for me just because! 😃

It was an early night for the both of us. 

This morning (Tuesday) we didn't get up until 0700, not that we had anything pressing LOL.  Eventually we headed over to Daybreak #2 and had a good breakfast. We each brought 1/2  home so we have breakfast for tomorrow am. The only bad thing about not having our home on wheels is having to eat meals out. Not that we mind, but our meals at home are much healthier LOL. 

Howard Johnson used to do a really good, full breakfast. Now it's 2 small blueberry muffins and a granola bar in a lunch bag. No thanks we'll pass. 

Came back to the motel and doing our laundry now. Nice they have 2 washers and two dryers. Perfect time as most people have moved on. 

Well, this is definitely not what we expected when we left Fred's place but it could have been much worse in the scheme of things. Angels were with us when it waited until we were in the city rather than out in the middle of nowhere to happen. We found a great place to work on the Mansion and we had a nice place to stay for the weekend. This afternoon we're going to do a little sightseeing in Yuma, just because we can! 

 There is  a "limited" 3 year warranty on the frame so we'll put in a claim and hope to be reimbursed for our $$. We've only had her for 2 years this month! Talk about a shoddy Lippert frame! That was one thing we questioned when we bought this unit and of course the salesman told us how much better they are now! I call LIAR!! hahaha. 

Hoping the Mansion is done this afternoon and we can get on with this road trip 😀

Have a great one!!😀