Author: sandcastle

Moving to Yuma

We spent all morning yesterday packing up and saying goodbye. About noon we pulled out of our campsite at La Posa LTVA near Quartzsite, Arizona, for the last time.  

Then we got in line there to dump our holding tanks. It was a long line. By the time we did that, filled our fresh water tank, and dumped our trash it was 1:30 p.m. So we decided to skip the book exchange and move on down the road.  

It’s a good thing we did. We pulled into the Escapee’s Kofa Ko-op park about 3:15 and their office closes at 3:30. They assigned us to their last available boondocking spot for the one night we planned to be there. We forgot we were supposed to register but not park so we could go buy groceries. By the time we remembered we decided to stay parked. Instead we did laundry and I hit their library for some new books. Everyone we saw while doing those tasks was friendly. Most said hello along with their smiles and we chatted some with other people doing laundry. I felt really welcome there.  It’s a very nice park; I could see coming back for a longer stay.

As the evening went on some people left the boondocking area to move into the full hookups area then more people came into the boondocking area. We could have been number four on the list for hookups but, since we only planned to stay one night, we decided not to bother.

This morning we left there about 10:30 a.m. to run the rest of our errands. WalMart, of course, and Love’s to buy diesel. The diesel was less than $2 a gallon. That’s the cheapest it’s been since we hit the road. Then we went over to In N Out for lunch.

Then we headed west on I-8 back into California to check out the BLM’s Pilot Knob LTVA. At the agricultural check station they asked where we were coming from and Dave said, “Yuma.” They sent us on our way. Apparently anything you buy in Yuma is acceptable; we could have bought more fruit than just bananas.

Then we turned south on Sidewinder Road. What is a sidewinder, anyway? Isn’t that some dirty, low-down something or other? If so, why you would name your road that?

That brought us into the Pilot Knob LTVA which is another permit area. Since our previous permit is good until the end of the month, the camp host here just waved us on in. Permits for the BLM’s Yuma District are good everywhere around here. We bought the first one in Imperial Dam and used it in La Posa. We bought this one in La Posa and are using it here. It’s nice to be able to check out the various areas without always having to buy a new permit. I don’t think we’d stay here otherwise since the only service you get here is a dumpster.  Lot’s of people stay in these LTVAs all winter. It’s only $180 for a permit good for seven months ending in April. Summer is free but I’m not sure anyone stays here then since it takes a LOT of solar panels to run an air-conditioner in these barely insulated rigs.

We moved to Pilot Knob primarily in hopes of getting a better Internet signal. My T-Mobile phone has five bars. Dave’s AT&T phone has five bars. Our Sprint aircard is just as slow here as it was in La Posa. Bummer. Maybe it’s time to break down and buy into the Verizon system.  That’s what we intended to get when we wound up with Sprint because a guy Dave trusts said Sprint was the best thing at that time because of their deal with All-Tel.  It’s not turning out to be such a good deal for us.  Of course, we don’t know whether Verizon would have been a good deal where we’ve been traveling so far, either.

Anyway, we here for however long we decide to stay. In case you want to come visit our GPS coordinates are N 32.74085, W 114.76034. You might want to check in first, though, to be sure we didn’t move on in search of a better Internet signal.

TTYL,

Linda

Treasure

It has been lightly raining off and on here at La Posa South today. Suddenly a rainbow appeared and Dave moved fast enough to get a picture of it.

The pot of gold at the end of this rainbow is Ed and Linda’s motorhome. Ed and Linda are treasures indeed. They have been the source of much good food, good stories, and good fun. I am grateful they have become our friends.  

I am grateful for all the new friends we’ve been making in our new lifestyle. They help us get through the times when we are missing all of you.

TTYL,

Linda

Graduation

The Escapees Class of 2008 held their graduation to full time RV living exercises and party on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 at Las Posa South LTVA near Quartzsite, Arizona. All members present who met the requirements received a diploma.

Those who had sold their houses, thereby ridding themselves of mortgages, received documentation of that; said documents then being consigned to the fire in representation of burning those mortgages.

Members of the classes of 2005 and 2007 attended the festivities making for lots of new stories to tell around the fire. Much food was eaten, much wine was consumed, and a good time was had by all.

TTYL,

Linda

Bug

For two days I’ve been suffering intestinal distress. Lying down made it worse. Can you imagine what it’s like to be sick but be unable to go to bed?

One advantage of living in such a small space is that everything is only a few steps away. One disadvantage is that so is your sleeping spouse. Dave says I didn’t wake him EVERY time I got up.

I actually saw the sunrise this morning. I’d spent the last hour or so reading in the bathroom because I didn’t want my light to bother Dave and our RV only has two rooms with the bathroom being one of them.

Today we needed to replenish our supplies. Since our car is also our house we set off to town with me still in my pajamas. I never went outside but it still felt weird to be in the grocery store parking lot in my pajamas.  So on one of our stops I got dressed.

 Steve and Carol have been in camp two days now and I’ve yet to say hello to them.  If we lived in a house no one would think a thing of that but with the campfire only a few feet from my window I sit in here and wave at people out there which is very awkward.

I’m feeling better now than I have since this thing struck.  Maybe it’s a 48 hour bug and my time is almost up.  Maybe I’ll be able to go to dinner with the group tonight.  If so, maybe we’ll take our house with us just in case.

TTYL,

Linda

Hijacked!

As you all know by now, we are camped near Quartzsite, Arizona, on Bureau of Land Management property with the Escapees Class of ’08. The area is huge! There are many hundreds of groups parked here using many different methods of finding one another. Our class chose four methods: 1. tie blue and brown ribbons on our RVs, 2. post pictures of the access roads on the class website, 3. put up signs showing the class logo at the turnoff from the main road and the one to our site, and 4. post the GPS coordinates of our campsite on our website. So it’s fairly easy to find us.

Yesterday Steve and Carol were scheduled to join us in their Allegro Bus about noon. They didn’t come and didn’t come. Now, we all write our plans in chalk but I knew if there was a major change, they would call. They have my cell phone number and, I think, the numbers of others in our group.

They finally pulled in about 3:30 and announced they had been hijacked! It seems they were stopped by the side of the road in Quartzsite with their blue and brown ribbons flying from their antenna when a guy in a pickup truck drove up, welcomed them, and suggested they follow him to where the group was camped. So they did. But, when the got out of Bessy Bus they didn’t recognize anyone from the class even though they had met several of us. Then they recognized the RVs parked nearby. It seems they guy who welcomed them was from a group of Allegro Bus owners who just assumed Steve and Carol were here to join their group.

So, they met some good folks, said their goodbyes to them, and came to find us. We are glad they are here.

TTYL,

Linda