Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It – Fort Beale RV Park, Kingman, Arizona

May 18, 2020

Temperature 89 Degrees

Red Flag Warning

Projects – Fixing A Water Leak

My Turn to Clean The Loo

Scan Gauge 

RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR STRONG WINDS AND LOW RH… SOUTHWEST WINDS 25 TO 30 MPH GUSTING 35 TO 40 MPH. * HUMIDITY…FALLING TO 10 TO 15 PERCENT IN THE AFTERNOON. . A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW….OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS…LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY…AND WARM TEMPERATURES CAN CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR.

I would be having a ball now if I still had my sailboat.  Winds like that mentioned above would have the sails reefed down, rail in the water, and we would be flying along.  It’s a different story, though, in an RV.  I’m just glad we are parked and not on the road.  I’ve driven only once in winds like this and it was no picnic.

This was my morning project.  I’ve had a persistent drip behind the valve body for the outside shower.  Hey, it’s a wet locker so I didn’t see any need to rush into finding out what was wrong and fixing it.  But, the time had come and today was the day.  I found one fitting that was loose and was able to tighten it so hopefully the drip is resolved.  I’ll keep an eye on it over the next couple of days.

Next project was the day shade in our living room on the passenger side.  All of a sudden it doesn’t want to stay down.  I found a few possible fixes on the internet so today I removed the valance and the shade, and attempted to resolve the issue.  No luck.  I’ve fired off an email to MCD for some advice.  Hopefully, they will have a solution that doesn’t involve replacing the whole shade.

My turn to clean the loo or as we so fondly refer to it as the bathroom.  Here’s some trivia for you:  Toilet rooms often include a sink (basin) with soap for handwashing, as this is important for personal hygiene. This room is commonly known as a “bathroom” in American English, a “loo” in British English, a “washroom” in Canadian English, and by many other names across the English-speaking world.  Now we know.

Time again to fire up the grill.  Today I made a couple of steaks that we bought just before we left Congress.  They were delicious and along with them Barbara made a special concoction of cabbage, onions, spinach, and . . .well I can’t quite remember.  But I do know it was tasty and I finished my portion without a problem.

Look what I discovered.  It’s called Scan Gauge.  It plugs in the diagnostic port under the dash and allows one to track, among many things, such vital statistics as:

• engine water temperature
• transmission temperature
• engine oil pressure
• turbo boost
• miles per gallon
• average fuel economy
• air intake temperature
• horsepower

I’ve been looking for something like this ever since we purchased Elvira.  To say that the stock gauge package with this rig is a bit lacking is putting it a bit mildly.  I’m going to purchase this gauge before we leave here so I can accurately monitor what’s going on with the engine going forward.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  It was just the kind of day we like.  I resolved some issues.  Barbara made a fantastic supper.  In addition she was able to get a couple loads of laundry done.  Not a bad day at all.

A parting thought.

Thanks for your company today.  We trust that you had as great a day as we did.  Always appreciate your comments.  Keep safe.  Wear your mask – if not for yourself then for someone else.  Remember, six feet apart or you could end up six feet under. Wash your hands often.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It – Fort Beale RV Park, Kingman, Arizona

May 17, 2020

Temperature 89 Degrees

Worship – Colts Neck Reformed Church, Youth Sunday

Jazz Through the Ages

Sunday and time for worship.  Only problem, we couldn’t find the worship service at first.  Seems there was a minor issue that prevented the worship service from being posted immediately.  A bit of patience, a quick email and we had our worship service.

Today was Youth Sunday.  It so many words the youth of the church give Pastor Scott the boot and took over the service.  It was a great worship experience from start to finish.  Take a look.

The service began with The Celebration Ringers from 2019 performing This is Amazing Grace.  I’ll tell you I never thought I would really enjoy a bell choir.  However, when I first heard one of the bell choirs (yes, there are several) perform my mind was changed instantly.  The Celebration Ringers are no exception.  Their performance was flawless and absolutely moving.  It’s a shame I can’t include video on this blog.  You would be thrilled to hear them.

The first song which is one that both Barbara and I know well and love to sing.  As I said once before it is in one sense kind of nice to worship online since I can sing as loud as I want and not scare anyone away!

The message for children.  A reminder that God will surely help us to grow in our faith if we are faithful.

Throughout the service several members of the youth group gave their own personal stories of faith.  It was so refreshing to witness young adults sharing their faith and God’s place in their lives.  It’s young adults like this that give me hope for a brighter future for our country despite the mess things are in today.

Yes, indeed, it is young adults such as those in the pictures above that tell me that it is going to be OK.  They are alive to life, full of faith, and willing to put their faith in action.  My thanks to each and everyone who participated in today’s service and gave expression to their faith.  It was just what we needed to start our week with heart’s full of hope.

Later that afternoon, at least for us, the church replayed a concert from last year that was performed by Alleluia Jazz.  No way were we going to miss this one.  Jazz, by the way, is my favorite music.  I can sit and listen to it for hours.

The full group.  Again, it is a shame that I can’t include video because you would be absolutely thrilled with this performance.

It was truly Jazz Through the Ages.  Check out some of the songs performed.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow.  What a fantastic vocal performance. It was so beautiful and powerful.

Guess what?  Dial 212-736-5000 and guess what you are connected to?  Try it.

I’m sure we all know who sang this song.

The final number preformed.  What an absolutely thrilling performance.  Both of us enjoyed every minute and every song.  Thank you to everyone in this group who made our afternoon a fantastic time of music.  Looking forward to the next time.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  What a fantastic day for both of us.  We may not be able to physically travel to museums and such, but how thrilling to be able to travel hundreds of miles online to participate in such wonderful experiences as we enjoyed today.  Our thanks to everyone who made this possible for us today.  We’re looking forward to next Sunday.

Let’s end with this.

Thanks for your company today.  We trust that you had as great a Sunday as we did.  Keep those comments and suggestions coming.  Keep safe.  Wear your mask – if not for yourself then for someone else.  Remember, six feet apart or you could end up six feet under. Wash your hands often.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It – Fort Beale RV Park, Kingman, Arizona

May 16, 2020

Temperature 86 Degrees

Settling In and Enjoying Life

What to do with myself today.  That was the question.  There are a few projects that I should address but not today.  Alright then, time to just settle back and enjoy life.

This arrived just before we left North Ranch.  I threw it in the front locker and made myself a promise that as soon as we were at Fort Beale I would put it together.

What is the old saying?  Some assembly required!  This was as easy as falling off a log.

Together and ready to use.

Our first burgers prepared on our new grille.

I also set up our patio area.  We can only really sit here in the late afternoon after the sun moves to the other side of the rig.  OK, I could put the patio awning out but it tends to get a bit windy in these parts.

Now knowing where the sun sets in the afternoon, on the drivers side, I put up Reflectex in the driver’s side window and the left side of the windshield.  Every little bit helps when it comes to keeping Elvira cool on the inside.

That was the sum total of our day on The Road of Retirement.  Like I said it was a day to just settle in and enjoy life.  Oh, I did some research and did discover that the temperature swing I noticed on the dash temperature gauge was perfectly normal.  That second little line up on the temperature gauge is as I figure it 205 degrees.  Given that the thermostat only opens at 195 degrees it is perfectly normal for the needle on the gauge to go to or just before that line.  I’m learning with each trip.  Like I said all I need is some seat time to feel really comfortable driving Elvira.  I’ll have that in spades by the time we get back to Florida.

Something to think about.

Thanks for your company today.  We trust that you had as great a day as we did.  Keep those comments and suggestions coming.  Keep safe.  Wear your mask – if not for yourself then for someone else.  Remember, six feet apart or you could end up six feet under. Wash your hands often.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

Home Is Where We Park It – Fort Beale RV Park, Kingman, Arizona

May 15, 2020

Temperature 85 Degrees

Travel Day – Congress, AZ to Kingman, AZ

OK, call me silly but after I saw our good luck bunny yesterday afternoon I slept like a log last night.  Normally, I toss and turn and keep going over all the what if’s that could happen on a travel day.  Not last night, my head hit the pillow and I was out for the count.  Um, maybe we need to get a pet bunny?  Not!

Today was our first travel day in what seems an eternity.  We had a quick breakfast and then I got busy putting the rest of our gear away outside while Barbara did the same inside.  I disconnected the water and the last thing I did was turn the inverter on and disconnect the electric.  The refrigerator was good to go.  I checked the internal temperatures of the refrigerator and freezer and all was well.  I checked again when we arrived and they were still right on the mark.  Didn’t really expect anything other.  The only casualty was the cups of ice tea we bought yesterday.  Can you say a river ran out the door when we opened it!

We were going north on Route 93 to Kingman.  The big unknown of course was how would Elvira handle the hills along this route?  I was more than confident that she had the power to pull the long steep hills.  The question, though, was would she overheat?

I haven’t until today driven Elvira on long, long uphill grades of six and seven percent in 80 degree heat.  Well, we made it.  We didn’t overheat.  But she did get warm.  However, I still don’t know if the temperature I saw today was normal or not.  I checked with my friend in Canada who has an identical rig and he has never had an issue.  Some investigation is definitely in order, though, before we get back on the road again.  Especially since we have another really long, steep uphill grade on our way to Williams, AZ

It took us just a little over two and a half hours to arrive at our new home.  This is one of only one or two parks in the area that has a decent rating.

This is the main office and where you register.  It is immediately to the right when you turn into the park.  Barbara gave customer service an OK.

This is the road down into the park.  The park is not very big, just forty two sites and a good deal appear to be occupied by permanent residents.  It is clean, well taken care of and the road around is paved and in excellent shape.  Each site is well groomed with no junk or trash lying around.  Just the way we like it.  Bonus, the price is just a few dollars more than the Escapees Park we came from.

Here we are at our new home.  It’s a back in, wide and spacious with a hard packed gravel surface.  It is definitely not level side to side but the jacks quickly corrected that.  The utilities are right where they need to be and we now have 50 amp just in case we need to run both AC units.  At this point in time we don’t need either one as we are quite comfortable with the slight breeze blowing through Elvira.  The only negative, we’ve lost our shade tree that we had at North Ranch.  Ah well, it’s all a game of give and take.

That was our travel day on The Road of Retirement.  I definitely enjoyed the ride.  As I said I really need to get some more seat time with Elvira in order to learn what is and is not normal for her.  I’m learning.  Give me a year and I’ll be completely comfortable driving her anywhere.

On the lighter side.

Hope you enjoyed the ride today.  We trust that you had as great a day as we did.  Keep those comments and suggestions coming.  Keep safe.  Wear your mask – if not for yourself then for someone else.  Remember, six feet apart or you could end up six feet under. Wash your hands often.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!