Update to March 2, 2012

Feb. 12, 2012 Sunday Update

Well I haven’t done an update for sometime so I'll try to keep this brief. In fact I haven’t done an update since we went home for Christmas!

We came back south on January 15^th after having a great holiday and Christmas with our family in Calgary. The Calgary weather was great until the last two days when a “Deep Freeze” arrived brining us back to the reality of those Alberta winters!
The roads were passable and we took 3 days to get back to Apache Junction AZ where our Motorhome was left in storage. We were so glad to get back to warm weather!!

We stayed at a resort called Golden Sun in Apache Junction and we noticed it was getting a lot harder to find a place. We also noted that prices on a few things around Phoenix had gone up for the Snow Birding crowd who all seemed to be here now!

Our new friends Ruth, Don & Bev were booked in there for the winter so it was a good choice to stay at Golden Sun.

A couple of days after getting back our good friends; Wendy & Tim Woods (ex Cochranites) from Chilliwack BC came down to stay with us for about 3 weeks. This was good for Romeo too as he now had his girlfriend (Sassy) to play with! Someone recently said if I come back I want to be an “RV dog” and no kidding they do have the life! 

Those 3 weeks seem to have flown by way too fast.

We did lots of visiting with new friends including Sherry and Rick who like Ruth, Don & Bev were from Whitehorse Yukon.

Three of us guys had the same interest in Drag Racing and Rick had recently bought a second drag race car when we went to Barrett Jackson’s famous car auction in Scottsdale (a 55 Chevrolet dressed up as an Arizona Highway Patrol Car).

Now that auction is something to see in real life! There were thousands and thousands of people there and millions of dollars trading hands on exotic, race and custom cars.

When Rick was bidding the auction for the 55 Chevy he invited me to come on to the stage with him. Then after a few tense minutes and just as planned we won the auction! Lots of people clapping and handshaking going on after that! In fact the funny thing was I got two emails from back home from friends wondering what I was going to do with that car I just bought!

Well it wasn’t me buying the car but I could understand why they thought that. This auction is shown live on TV for 3 days straight across North America and I guess we were shown on the TV winning the bid and shaking everyone’s hand.

One weekend we the boys all went over to Surprise AZ to the Drag Strip taking Ricks 67 Dodge Coronet 440 race car. This was a purpose built race car that runs the low 11 seconds in a ¼ mile. We had a blast! The Racers were really friendly too.

A couple of other times we took the 55 Chevy out over to Firebird Raceway in Chandler. Wow two race tracks in town (Phoenix area)!

I was in my happy place! The Chevy was capable of running in the high 9 second range but with a new car we needed to slowly shake it down and get used to it making sure everything was working right and safe. To make a long story shorter for the Ladies reading this we had a ball with this car too. It’s a very serious race car and certainly grabs a lot of attention with its Highway Patrol paint job, Police lights and horsepower!

So there was a lot to do for me (Jim) during this stay and I loved it! It made me want to go back racing and the technology has improved so much that it was a very attractive idea!

Apache Junction (our current home at this time) is a great place to visit. It’s outside the big city (just barely - east of Mesa & Phoenix) and has that small town feeling to it. Add to that it sits right at the foot of the Superstition Mountains. With this location there’s a lot to see and do. Everything from shopping in Scottsdale, Pro Baseball Training Camps (we will go next year) in Phoenix and seeing all sorts of things in the valley.

From L to R - Debbie & Mike, Tim, Barb & Wendy

We got a great visit in with friends who used to live in Cochrane!
Debbie & Mike now live down in the Phoenix area and Wendy & Tim came down from their new place in Chilliwack BC.

But like all things it too must pass and we were packing up to head out on our next leg of our winter trip.

Now as you may know; we bought this motorhome in a hurry (October 2011) as fall was quickly coming and going so we didn’t have time to rig up a “Toad” (a vehicle towed behind a motorhome). So rather than wait out another cold winter in Alberta we decided to drive both the car and the motorhome down south. Actually this didn’t cost us very much extra in fuel but it makes for lonely trips when you’re all alone in each vehicle.

Quartzite AZ. Feb. 4^th, 2012

Wendy & Tim decided they would drive their car and ours as we moved over (west) to Quartzite which was our next stop. This way Barb and I could be together driving the Motorhome. No Barb hasn’t driven the Motorhome yet I do all of that… but one day she will; I'm sure.

We had a great trip over to Quartzite which is just a couple of hours west of Phoenix on the California Border. Normally it would be a small town (in the middle of the desert) but at this time of year there are literally thousands and thousands of RV’s who come here.

This is their high season and its well known for Flea Markets and Off-Road exploring with ATV’s and Jeeps etc. We stayed out in the desert “Boon Docking” with no hookups just living off the land.

Living off the land & "Boondocking" in the desert outside of Quartzite Az.

Now if you are like us the first few times I came down this way I found the desert to be somewhat ugly & boring after about 10 minutes of driving down the freeway. But after you’ve been down here awhile it becomes much more interesting and somewhat beautiful.

The Mountain vistas in the background, the Saguaro Cactus (and others) and the fauna all start coming to life! Especially this time of year there are even places with green ground cover and flowers starting to bloom. So the desert isn’t as dead as it looks.

Desert Views from our Patio.

Arizona averages about 8000 Scorpion bites per year and I don’t know how many snake bites but that’s another thing to watch for. Although not so beautiful!
I saw my

first Road

Runner the other day (Remember that TV show). We also heard the Coyotes howling the night away right out behind where we were camped.

It’s so relaxing and peaceful. We set our Patio Mat, chairs and tables out and it’s awesome!
It can get a little hot and one has to watch the sun exposure (Jim!).

For miles and miles you can see RVs camped out here in the wilderness and many of them have trailers full of toys such as Dune Buggies, Jeeps and ATV’s. They have a blast out here as there are literally thousands of miles of trails to explore.

Oh and by the way its all free, even the camping so it’s good for the budget too!

These areas are called “BLM Land” (Federal Bureau of Land Management) and they have them in Arizona and California. They likely have this in other states too but you will have to research it. First; you need to register with the Camp Host and then you just find a nice level spot that makes your heart feel good. If you can’t find the Camp Host you just do your best.

You are limited to 2 weeks and then you either have to move to another BLM at lease 25 miles away or move over to “Long Term” BLM and that’s a maximum of $180.00 for 6 months of camping. Pretty hard to beat from a budget perspective but I'm not sure that its something we like to do all winter because it can get lonely and a little primitive after a while. If you have an RV down here you have to see this and try it out!

In Quartzite itself there are a bunch of RV Dealers all flying Canadian flags, they want our business. If one looks around there’s the odd private deal too for RV’s and that’s where I would shop, especially if it’s registered in Canada already. Although if the deal is right I would by an American one just confirm that it’s importable to Canada before buying you will likely save money.

Everything is for sale in town. Flea Markets go for blocks and blocks with everything from Antiques, used Junk to brand new Zebra’s (just joking on the Zebras!). But if you like this sort of thing like I do watch and know your prices, there are some deals to be found. Tip: Don’t buy the first item that you see and are looking for as there’s likely a cheaper one down the way. There are lots of Sellers with duplicates and the prices vary.

 After a couple of nights here in Quartzite and 3 fun filled weeks Wendy, Tim & Sassy had to head back to Canada so we stayed in the desert another couple of days. The final straw was when I was sitting out on my patio one morning enjoying the hot sun and views and the army showed up.

No not the US Army it was the Army of Ants! They were marching east from west and right across my “desert” patio! I don’t know where they came from but when I could see that I wasn’t going to win the war I decided that a motorhome full of these guys wasn’t my cup of tea. We could have simply moved the rig but we decided it was time to head south to Yuma anyhow. You see that’s part of our problem; we have the “travel bug!”

If we were to come south for the winter and stay in one place it would be a lot cheaper for rent and fuel but we are youngsters and travel is still in our blood. One day that will change and we will park for the whole trip but not until after next year for sure.

So after the army of ants marched in we happily and quickly packed up inside of about 10 minutes - Away we went down the dusty trail again!

Yuma AZ.  Feb 9, 2012.



Now if you have ever seen the movie “3:10 to Yuma” its nothing like that!

But there are remnants of the old west and places to see all from the famous Wild West. We decided not to do the sight seeing thing in Yuma this time around.

We are actually staying in “Winterhaven, California” which is just across the Colorado River from Yuma AZ. The resort is called “River’s Edge.”

One of the things about Resort/Park Camping that we really like is the people one meets.

For example; The couple behind us are from Lethbridge. This isn’t that uncommon. Down here in Yuma there seems to be more Canadians per Capita than anywhere else we have been. Likely because Yuma is only about 85,000 people. The population triples in the winter and likely a good 30% of them are Canadian. Every time we stop at a red light it seems at least half the cars there with us have Alberta or BC plates.

The fella behind us and I have some mutual friends from our old Careers. He was a Justice of the Peace down in southern Alberta. Another couple are from the RCAF (retired) and served at the same base for a while as Barb’s Dad (Comox). Another fella I met is an ex RCMP member from Sask. That’s just a few of them. Each day and at every place we have stayed there are groups that meet all over the place for the pre-dinner "Happy Hour" which is a good way to meet people too.

It’s interesting to meet so many people and some I'm sure will remain friends and we will even see again on these travels over the years.

Since being in Yuma we have kept a pretty low profile. Groceries and car races are about all we have done. Last weekend (10^th & 11^th) was the IMCA Winter Nationals at the Dirt Raceway here; so we went both nights. Talk about a small world there was a guy racing all the way from High River, Alberta (Dan Lee). I know the name but couldn’t put a face to him. He didn’t do so well but it was good to see a Canadian out there! There were quite a few Canadians in the stands and they all stood and cheered when he was mentioned or introduced. Barb even had a good time!

It finally happened! We needed repairs in Yuma, ones that I couldn’t fix so we called in the mobile RV repair man. After all was said and done the rig (water heater) was fixed quickly and a lot cheaper than I thought. In fact it seems a lot of things are cheaper down here in Yuma, certainly cheaper than Phoenix.

The other night I was awoken in my sleep. The Motorhome was rocking back and forth. I just assumed it was Barb moving around. Later the next night we were watching the news and learned that it was an Earthquake not far away. I finally got this one off my “Bucket List.” I wanted to feel an Earth Quake (with no one getting hurt). Now I want to be totally awake for the next one and experience it in mid day! It was a very cool feeling (gentle rocking) but when I was awoken like that I didn’t realize what it was until later.

 



Coming up; we will leave here next Sunday for Santee Lakes California on the way to San Diego. We will stay there a week and eventually up the west coast.

Eventually we will head even farther up the coast over the next month in hopes of warm weather as we will be spending the month of April in Victoria just up from the Empress Hotel on Inner Harbor (ocean front).

But before we do that we will do a quick blast to Calgary (by plane or in the car in early March) for our Grandson’s (Asher) first Birthday! We don’t want to miss that!!!  We will only be in Calgary a couple of days then back to the Motorhome.

Feel free to Email us with your news or any questions as we check our email every couple of days. Hoping all is well with you all! Jim & Barb…

Romeo & his girlfriend (Sassy) who came for a visit from Chilliwack BC - Just Hanging Out!



California Update



We’ve been pretty busy to get around to updating this.

The last update was when we arrived in Santee Lakes which is just on the edge of San Diego.

Beautiful Santee Lakes near San Diego

It’s only about 20 mins to downtown San Diego and out to the beaches. We had a great time there and would recommend this campground. It feels like you’re a million miles from the big city in this County owned resort. It has several lakes and I presume they were man made from a dam. The resort was well kept and has fishing and cabins for rent, 3 of which were floating on the water!

We were camped beside a nice little creek with full hookups but no Wi-Fi again. We’ve found a solution for Wi-Fi for next year in hopes it will give us mobile Wi-Fi service most anywhere we go via Verizon.

We spent a few days out looking at the beach, downtown and such. San Diego is a beautiful city and we highly recommend it to go on your Bucket List if looking for a southern California getaway.

We were happy that we got to go spend an evening with our friends in Corona (Kathy & Steve) who invited us up for a BBQ one evening. We had a great time and enjoyed their company so much.

One thing we have noticed in California is that there is hardly anyone here from Canada? This is really different because everywhere we looked in Arizona there was at least one Alberta plate.

Huntington Beach

Fred (life time friends) & Jim at our Camground on Huntington Beach where Fred now lives.

After a week down in Santee we headed up and over to the coast at Huntington Beach. We’ve been here a few times before but never in an RV. We stopped here to see our friends Janet & Fred and had a great time with a couple of BBQs and nights out. We even got to watch the Daytona 500 race on TV. Again we had a blast and enjoyed the area too including a trip down to Newport Beach which is another great place to visit while down here.

Barb & Romeo checking out the Beach & Boardwalk at NewPort Beach Ca.

The Pier at Newport Beach

Beach Camping at Huntington

Everything from Surf Shops to Eateries all along the beach in Newport

PISMO BEACH

We left Huntington last Weds morning (Feb 29) and headed up through Los Angeles to Pismo Beach.

Pismo Beach at Sunset - This is Camping!



Now if you haven’t ever driven through LA you are in for a treat! Its just one big freeway (actually several) with millions of people on the roads day or night. Its one thing to drive it in a car but doing it in a big Class A Motorhome is quite another. We have done this before by car and I often wondered what it would be like in a RV? No I know, Now I'm seasoned!

I won’t bore you with all the details and near incidents with the crazies but suffice it to say it was interesting.

Once we got a ways north we headed back over towards the coast going through places like Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. A beautiful drive through the green countryside and back to the beach towns and cities.

Time for a nap outside of beautiful Santa Barbara heading to Pismo Beach.

We love this area and it is much quieter! Once you arrive into Pismo (which we had seen before also) you realize it was well worth the 6 hour drive!

We found a campground without reservations ahead of time. Barb is an expert at seeking out great locations and places to stay. I'm sure some days that she will wear out that I-Pad she got for Christmas! Man does it ever pay off!

The resort here is called “Pismo Coast Village.”



Another place I would highly recommend. It’s likely (Jim’s opinion) the nicest place we have found yet. Its right on the ocean and talk about a well kept resort. It’s open to people of all ages and on the weekend we can see that it’s a very popular place and the RVs are non-stop coming in (likely the local people).

PCV has everything we would want from views, to clean nice heavy sea air, a pool, store and much more for the family. We will spend five nights here leaving again on Monday morning and heading north up the I-5 Freeway again.

We will have some fairly heavy travelling in front of us on our next few days as we need to be in Chilliwack BC on Thursday March 8^th for a quick trip & flight into Calgary (from Abbotsford) on Friday, March 9^th.

No we aren’t coming home; we are leaving the car and Motorhome in Chilliwack and doing a quick trip (4 days) into Calgary for our Grandson’s First Birthday Party!

We couldn’t miss that!

Like I mentioned before we then fly back to BC and will head over to Victoria for the month of April staying on the ocean at Inner Harbor.

That’s all for now. I'll be adding some more pictures as I get time. 

I hope I haven’t bored you...

Don’t forget we love emails from friends and family so feel free to drop us a line just understand it may take a day or two for a reply. We also have Skype at Jim.Messner - Stay warm and stay safe!

Chilling on the Patio at Pismo Beach (PCV Campground) Ca.

The Pismo scenery is non stop in every direction!