|
Stories From The Current Issue Geocaching, The Perfect RV Hobby Some Of Our Favorite RV Web Sites Read What Others Have To Say About The Gypsy Journal From Our Archives - Stories From Past Issues You Can Bring Nick Russell To Your Campground, Dealership Or RV Event! Yes, You Can Make Money Writing Visit Our Motorcycle Travel Website |
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 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
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.
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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Click
Here To Subscribe To The Gypsy Journal! 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. |
Free Camping! Save Big $$$ With Our Special 7 in 1 RVers' e-book! Includes our bestselling guides to Free Campgrounds & Overnight Parking Places, Guide to Fairgrounds Camping, Casino Camping Guide, Guide To Public RV Dump Stations, RV Parks With WiFi, RV Good Guys and more! Click here for details Don't Miss An Issue. Subscribe To The Gypsy Journal Today!
|
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 
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
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.