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Meandering Down The Highway

With our Arizona Gypsy Gathering rally over, and Life on Wheels now gone, for the first time in a very long time, Terry and I have no place we have to be and nothing we have to do for the next seven months. I have to tell you, that is a nice feeling! It brings to mind the early days in our fulltime RV lifestyle, when we literally pulled up to an intersection and did a mental flip of the coin to decide right or left, north or south.

As I have written before, if I had to define the fulltime RV lifestyle in just one word, that word would be freedom. The freedom to go where we want, when we want, unhampered by schedules and timelines. We’re looking forward to enjoying some of that freedom in the coming months.

We are going to work a few rallies this summer, but we don’t have to be anyplace until our Eastern Gypsy Gathering rally in Celina, Ohio, September 28 - October 3. Between now and then, our plans are written in Jello.

Bad Nick Gets A Gift

I think most of you know about Bad Nick, that troublesome little imp who inhabits the deep recesses of my subconscious and sometimes writes checks with his mouth that my butt can’t cash. At our Arizona rally, Bad Nick got a gift! Sue Didelot made a custom hat for my alter ego, and she  even included a beard on the little devil she drew on the hat! Like I told a friend of mine so long ago, I don’t make a lot of money, but then again, with friends like Sue, I don’t need a lot of money.

I think too many people forget how to keep things in perspective. Life isn’t about who has the newest and the biggest toys. It’s not about money. It’s about enjoying every day to the fullest. About sharing laughs with friends. About being with the people you love. About making deposits to your bank of memories.

I’ve told people many times that being in the Army as a kid was one of the best things that ever happened to me, because I learned at an early age what really matters. If I didn’t sleep in the mud last night, and I woke up this morning and nobody shot at me, it’s a pretty good day.

Miss Terry didn’t really understand that until her terrible battle with cancer eight years ago. Now when we have some annoying little problem that she begins to fret over, I remind her that she doesn’t have to go in for radiation or chemo today, and that makes whatever challenges we face seem pretty darned trivial.

Putting Casa Grande Behind Us

After a month at the Pinal County Fairgrounds in Casa Grande, we drove an hour south to Tra-Tel RV Park in Tucson, our home for the next month. Tra-Tel is a small, comfortable park which has been a regular stop for us ever since we hit the road.

We were more than ready to put the fairgrounds behind us. I wrote earlier about how filthy the restrooms were at the fairgrounds. If you would have been there with us, you would know why. There was a kids’ rabbit and livestock show at the fairgrounds our last weekend there, and the participants were washing their sheep and pigs in the restroom showers! Doesn’t that just make you want to strip off and soap up?

I asked one mother why she was allowing her kids to do this when there were plenty of water outlets all over the fairgrounds, and she responded by saying that it was the only place that wasn’t muddy. It sure was by the time those morons were finished!

When we arrived in Tucson, it was a gray and gloomy day in the desert. Heavy clouds and a chilly wind reminded us that while we may be in Arizona, it was still February.

California Road Trip

A few days after we arrived at Tra-Tel, we left the bus in Tucson and drove the van to Gila Bend, where we stopped to visit with Ron Brundage at RV Sat-Link. I have grown tired of fooling around with our tripod TV dish and wanted to see one of the new VuQube portable satellite TV dishes in operation. I’ve been debating the advantages of one of these over a rooftop mounted dome.

As it turns out, Ron did not have a working model in stock, only a dummy display unit. But from what I saw, I’m impressed. The base model VuQube is not automatic, but you aim it from inside your RV with a remote control. From everything I have read, acquiring the satellite is fast and easy.

After leaving Ron’s place, we grabbed a quick lunch, then continued on to Yuma and visited with Kelly Watkins, manager of the Yuma fairgrounds. As most of you know, we are looking for a new location for our Western Gypsy Gathering rally.

Kelly was very accommodating, and let us know that he wants our business, and will do anything within his power to get it. How refreshing after the clowns running the Pinal County Fairgrounds in Casa Grande! I really believe that the new fairgrounds manager in Casa Grande wants to make things work, but I think she’s in way over her head and the situation is too far gone for anybody to salvage.

Okay, the good news with Yuma is that the fairgrounds is much nicer, the buildings are in much better shape, the bathrooms are clean, It’s all grass so nobody would be parked in the mud if it rains, and they do not double book the fairgrounds.

The bad news is that it is in the flight path for the Marine Air Station, which is located right across the road, so we would be dealing with the noise of airplanes coming by overhead. But to me, that’s the sound of freedom. And what the heck, did you ever park in a campground that wasn’t next to a railroad tracks?

We have set the dates for next year’s Western Gypsy Gathering Rally for March 8 - 12 at the fairgrounds in Yuma, Arizona, with Early Bird arrivals coming in from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, the 7th.

We’re excited about this new venue. Unlike the Pinal County Fairgrounds, with its run down buildings, dirt (or mud) RV parking, and filthy restrooms, the Yuma facility is grass, the bathrooms are clean, and the buildings are in fine condition.

Fairgrounds manager Kelly Watkins has gone the extra mile to make us feel welcome and to let us know that not only the fairgrounds, but the city of Yuma, wants our business. We’re looking forward to it, and we hope you’ll be joining us.

From Yuma, we drove to Imperial, California to check out the fairgrounds there as a rally location. We were not impressed with the fairgrounds, the city of Imperial, or neighboring El Centro. I’m not saying that it’s a complete armpit, but instead of mowing grass, the public works department shaves the place twice a week.

It was starting to get dark by the time we were leaving Imperial, so Miss Terry took the wheel and drove the 120 miles to San Diego. My daughter Tiffany and her family were coming over from their home in Show Low, Arizona and we planned to spend the next couple of days going to the beach and taking our two granddaughters to Sea World. We needed to help those two little girls build some memories of time with their gypsy grandparents.

California Girls

The next morning we met them at La Jolla Cove, which has to be one of the prettiest pieces of coastline in the world. I wouldn’t give you a plugged nickel for most of southern California, but scenes like this almost make it worth dealing with all of the traffic, crowds, and big city hassles.

Our granddaughters, Hailey, age six, and Destiny, almost two, love the beach and the water. Hailey is a tomboy and is fascinated with any kind of wildlife, be it the ducks and geese in the park back home in Arizona (which she routinely stalks and catches, only to pat them gently and turn them loose), to the marine life that lives in the tide pools at surf’s edge.

Destiny is still too young to venture far from Mommy and Daddy’s reach, but give her some sand to roll around in, and she’s happy as can be. Oh, to be that young and carefree again!

La Jolla was crowded, even on a Friday morning in February, and I commented to Miss Terry that it must be a real circus on summer weekends. We had to park a mile or so away and walk down to where the kids were, but with the beautiful scenery, it was a pleasant stroll.

As soon as we arrived, Hailey was eager to show Grandma Terry some of the things she had discovered in the tide pools. Just a quarter mile or so up the cove, harbor seals were whelping their calves, and a crowd of people had gathered on the walkway overhead to see them.

We had no big plans for the day, so to fill up the time, Tiffany proved that she is her father’s daughter by locking her car keys in the trunk of their new Chrysler Sebring. While we waited almost two hours for road service to come and open the car, son-in-law Jim and I visited, while Miss Terry and the girls played in the park. I really admire my hard working son-in-law, and always enjoy spending time with him.

Sea World

We spent two days with my daughter and her family at Sea World in San Diego, and as expected, those two grandkids of ours ran all four of us adults ragged, and still had energy to spare! Don’t let those oil company clowns fool you, there is no energy crisis. All we need to do is harness up whatever it is that gives children under age 10 their pep and we’d have enough power to run the world!

Miss Terry had never been to Sea World before, and I had only made one previous visit. We both came away with mixed impressions. The tricks they teach their orcas and dolphins to do are truly amazing.

Unless you have seen a four hundred pound dolphin leap high in the air to jump across a rope, or a massive killer whale launch itself out of the water and spin on its tail, you just can’t know how impressive it is.

The interaction between the animals and their handlers is really something to see. We watched a petite young woman perform a beautiful water ballet with an orca, and then ride on its nose around the pool. Later, several of the beautiful black and white creatures slid completely out of the water to pose for photographs.

Sea World is a great place for kids to learn about wildlife, from petting and feeding giant batwing rays, to handling starfish and hand feeding dolphins. Jim enjoyed introducing daughter Hailey to the starfish and sea urchins in the man made tide pool.

But there is a flip side to the Sea World experience that left a bad taste in our mouths. Everything is so darned expensive, and in some cases it’s a downright rip-off! Yes, I understand that it costs a lot of money to operate a place like this. But do they have to rob you at every turn?

A one day admission pass for anyone age 10 and above is $65, and kids ages 3 to 9 are $55. You can get some better deals online or at local hotels, but you can still expect to pay $50 or so for an adult ticket, and a child’s admission will set you back $40 with a discount. So for a family of four, it’s going to cost close to $200 with discounted tickets.

However, as they say in all of those late night television infomercials, “But wait, there’s more!” Parking is $12 a day for a passenger car, and $17 for an RV. And once you get inside the park, keep your wallet handy. Every time you turn around, someone has taken your picture, a copy of which you can get for only $10 to $15.

I expect to pay more for snacks and food at a theme park. After all, they have a captive audience. But for what a burger and fries set me back, I could have had a nice sit down dinner at a Chilies or Applebee’s kind of restaurant.

Tiffany was understandably upset when we went to the Dolphin Encounter, where for $6 you get three dead minnows to feed to the dolphins. As soon as they gulp down your three fish, you are quickly herded out unless you want to spend another $6 on three more minnows. Not because there is anyone else in line behind you waiting their turn (there wasn’t), but because if you’re not spending money, you’re history.

We hung around for the evening Shamu Rocks show, and by then it was dark and downright chilly. They had vendors working the crowd, selling cups of hot chocolate, and Jim was going to buy some for the kids until we learned they were $10 a cup! Hey, for that kind of money, I want Shamu himself out of the pool and carrying it up to me!

Don’t get me wrong, we had a wonderful time, and we went back the next morning, because Tiffany had Hailey signed up for an in the water dolphin encounter program. (I have no idea what that costs, and probably don’t want to know.) I just wonder how many hard working parents will never be able to bring their kids to Sea World because the high prices for everything are simply out of their reach.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more excited little girl than my six year old granddaughter Hailey the next day, when she had her Dolphin Interaction at Sea World. The program started with a short introduction to the world of dolphins by Sea World’s dolphin trainers, and then Hailey and her fellow adventurers donned wetsuits for their trip into the dolphin pool.

At first Hailey was a bit apprehensive when she met the large dolphin face to face, but that soon melted away and she and her new friend bonded well. Hailey was the youngest person in her group, and the trainer was very careful to make sure she was safe at all times.

Dolphins love to interact and play with human beings. Of course, when you play in their playground, you have to remember that the home team usually wins. Hailey had fun splashing the dolphin with water, but then she learned a little something about paybacks. A dolphin can put a lot of water into the air very quickly! But it’s all part of the fun.

Once Hailey was back on dry land, we wandered around the park for a while, and saw a flock of flamingos on parade. I asked one of their handlers what kind of special training it takes to become a flamingo wrangler, but as it turns out, my brand of humor doesn’t go over well with bird herders. She looked at me like I was a, well, a bird brain.

I’m usually behind the camera, but Tiffany got Miss Terry and me to pose for a picture. I think she was just checking out Dad’s camera, because when she handed my Canon Digital Rebel back to me, she gave hubby Jim one of those smiles all girls are born knowing how to use, and said “Honey, I really need a camera like that.”

Homeward Bound

By early afternoon we were all tired and ready to begin the long drive home. We hit the road and began the long climb up the mountains on Interstate 8, then began the descent on the other side, which is several miles of 6% grade. Once we were back on flat land it was a quick run to Yuma.

Along the way, we passed through the Imperial Dunes, a 40 mile long stretch of sand dunes that rise as high as 300 feet above the desert floor. This is a popular area for off road vehicle owners, and on almost any weekend you’ll see literally hundreds of RVs parked throughout the area, with ATVs, 4×4s, and dirt bikes churning up the sand.

We stopped at the Golden Corral in Yuma for dinner, and then gave the grandkids a last hug and kiss, said our goodbyes to Jim and Tiffany, and they resumed their long trip home to Show Low. We stopped to fill up the van’s gas tank, and were soon on the road again, arriving back at Tra-Tel about 10:30 p.m. It sure was good to be back home again!

Apache Junction

We wanted to spend some time with Terry’s parents in Apache Junction, so on a day trip to their home, we checked out some nearby RV parks, and made reservations at a park just a couple of blocks away. We had one of those small world syndrome events, because I discovered that the park managers are Kay and Leo Kopas, former vendors from the RV rally circuit that we have crossed paths with several times over the years.

When we left Tucson, we had a quick and easy 90 mile run on Interstate 10, got onto the 202 Loop just outside of the Phoenix metropolitan area, and scooted around the south side of town, arriving at Pacific Manor on Apache Trail just over two hours after we hit the road. Traffic was light, the bus ran fine, and it was a good day for traveling, even if it was a relatively short distance.

We had one little mishap just after we got on the surface streets, when I turned a corner and one of our cabinet doors sprang open and dumped a pile of canned goods and other food items onto the floor. Fortunately nothing broke open or spilled, so clean up wasn’t much of a problem. It’s just one of those irritating little things that happen sometimes when you live and travel in an RV.

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A Kingman Visit

After two weeks in Apache Junction, we pulled out of Pacific Manor just before 10 a.m., got on the 202 Loop and followed it west to Interstate 10. Even though it was a Sunday morning, traffic was fairly heavy.

From Apache Junction to Kingman is about 225 miles, which makes for a good driving day, and about half of it two lane roads, which are our favorite routes. We left the interstate at the 303 Loop, a nice two lane road with light traffic, and followed it north a few miles to U.S. Highway 60, which took us into Wickenburg.

Whenever we set out on a trip, even a relatively short journey like this, I always try to have two or three alternative stopping points in case we need them. You never know when weather or mechanical problems can put you off your intended schedule.

The weather forecast had predicted strong winds later in the day, and we figured if the wind became a problem we’d stop at the Escapees North Ranch RV Park, a few miles from Wickenburg, for the night. But there was just a slight breeze, and it was coming from behind us, so we hooked up with U.S. Highway 93 in Wickenburg and kept on rolling. It’s not often we get a tailwind, even a slight one, and I didn’t want to waste it.       

We were a little concerned about how our bus would perform on the trip, because we’d be doing some climbing, and the temperature was in the mid-80s. On a couple of hills we slowed down quite a bit, and I had to downshift into second gear and run the radiator misters, but we managed okay.

About 110 miles north of Wickenburg, we hooked up with Interstate 40, and just as we got onto the highway and turned west, the wind really started blowing hard, slamming us broadside. It was another 18 miles into Kingman, and I fought the wind every inch of the way. If we would have been much further from our destination, I’d have found a place to pull over and wait until the wind died down.

But we made it fine, and arrived at our friend Mike Howard’s house just after 2 p.m. We got parked and hooked up in his driveway, and about the time I completed those chores the wind really got serious. All afternoon and evening it rocked the bus viciously, and we said a silent thank you prayer that it held off until we were safely off the road.

It’s good to be here with Mike, we always enjoy our time together. He and I go back more years than the two of us have fingers and toes to count, and there have been some adventures neither of us is willing to admit to, back when we were young and foolish. Now that we’re old and foolish, we’ve toned it down quite a bit, though. We’ve not gotten any wiser with age; we just don’t have the energy any more to pull some of the stunts we used to.

Mike is a confirmed bachelor, and we try to stop in every year so Miss Terry can spoil him with home cooking and bake him a couple of batches of her delicious chocolate chip/pecan cookies. Of course, I’d hate to see Mike overindulge in sweets, so I’ll be sure to help him work his way through all of those cookies! What are friends for?

300 Miles, Mostly Uphill

Our friend Mike is a confirmed bachelor, so Miss Terry had fun making him a home cooked meal and a big batch of chocolate chip cookies while we were in town. I keep telling Mike that if he’d find a nice girl and settle down, he could have home cooking and cookies all of the time. But he’s pretty picky when it comes to women; he insists that the number of teeth they have exceed the number of tattoos. In Kingman, finding a woman who meets that strict criteria is quite a challenge.

We had a good time visiting Mike, but we really wanted to get over to Show Low and see those grandkids of ours. So after a few days, it was time to move one.

We stopped at the Flying J for fuel, and got onto Interstate 40 just before 11 a.m. and began the long, slow crawl uphill all the way to Flagstaff, 150 miles to the east. Even with all of the work we’ve had down to our bus, it just is not suited to RVing in the West. At one point, between Seligman and Williams, our speed was down to 10 miles per hour, I was driving on the shoulder with my emergency flashers on, and even with the misters pumping water onto the radiators, our temperature gauge was flirting with trouble. The bus does okay back East and in the Midwest, it is just not suited for traveling out here in the West, where the mountains are high and the air is thin.

From Flagstaff to Holbrook is mostly downhill, and we rolled right along, even passing a slow moving eighteen wheeler now and then. When we left the interstate in Holbrook and got onto State Route 77 for the 46 mile run to Show Low, we began a series of long, shallow upgrades that again had us slowing down some, and the headwind didn’t help much. But within an hour or so we reached Show Low Lake Campground, a nice little city-owned campground where we usually stay when we’re in our old hometown. We had covered almost 300 miles since we left Kingman, most of it uphill.

We got the bus backed into our site, hooked up the 30 amp electric, (no water or sewer hookups here, just a dump station and several hose bibs scattered around), and then met my daughter Tiffany, her hubby Jim, and our granddaughters, Hailey and Destiny, for dinner at Pizza Hut. I swear those girls had grown a couple of inches since we saw them a few weeks ago at Sea World!

We always enjoy visiting our old hometown, and I think some of our friends really envy our lifestyle. More than one of them has said that we really have it made, being able to earn our living as we travel this great land of ours. We are indeed, very blessed. Terry and I love what we are doing and we would not trade it for the world.

We’re going to be here a while enjoying family time, visiting with some old friends, and just relaxing in Arizona’s beautiful high country. Then we’ll be off in search of new adventures.

Free Camping For Veterans! If you are a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) you have many free and low cost overnight parking opportunities awaiting you all across the United States. Many VFW Posts welcome traveling veterans who belong to other Posts to pull off the road and spend the night in their parking lots. Some even offer RV hookups! Most Posts do not charge their fellow veterans for this courtesy, and those who do ask only a token fee. We have compiled a list of VFW Posts around the nation that welcome you for a visit. Order your copy today for just $5.50 and reap one of the benefits of your service to your country and your VFW membership. To order your copy of our guide Overnight Parking With The VFW, send a check or money order to Gypsy Journal, 1400 Colorado #C-16, Boulder City, Nevada 89005, or click on the shopping cart icon and order online with your credit card. *Due to shipping costs, this book is not available for Canadian addresses.  

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