Monday, March 18, 2024

Weirdness.......

 7:21 am - Monday - March 18th - GNHS - 53° F, humidity 69%, wind 2 mph out of the north.....clear today with a forecast high of 74° F.  On this date in 2017 TLE and I were at Badwater Basin in Death Valley.....282 feet BELOW sea level......lowest point in the western hemisphere......


We've worked so little the past few weeks, that when we do it feels weird, just like Saturday and Sunday felt this weekend.....WEIRD.  And we did not just work a few hours, we worked pretty much all day each day.  On Sunday we had 1 all day RZR rental, and two 4 hour rentals.  By 9:30 am everyone had left on their adventures.  

TLE and I have begun to dismantle our site.  We had lowered everything when we had the bad winds a few days ago, so when they winds abated we decided to just take down the sail shades permanently, as well as the ropes, and hardware we had used to afix them to the Newell, trailer, and surrounding buildings.  Beginning Monday we will begin to take down the yard lights, and the solar lights, and by the 29th we should be ready to depart on the 6th.

Sunday was also the final round of the TPC (Tournament Players Championship) held at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.  This is the 50th year of that tournament, and for the first time ever, the defending champion won, and that would be Scottie Scheffler, who also won last weekend at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.  He started the day 5 strokes back, but shot an 8 under par 64 on Sunday to win by one stroke over a field stocked with talent.  Anyone of 6, or 7 players could have won.  Anyway, we had the tournament playing in the background (Newell, trailer and COA office) throughout the day.

Our 4 hour rentals returned just before 2 pm without incident.  They were a family from Missouri on vacation, and had a great time.  Our all day rental returned around 4:30 pm, again, without incident, so we were done for another weekend.

After taking a long, hot shower I lit the Sea-B-Que in preparation for a nice New York cut steak, and by 5:30 pm we were sitting at the table in the 'dining/gaming deck'.....

"Where's that New York steak I just grilled?"

"Ahhh.....there it is!"

....TLE added a side salad, and roasted potatoes, and a glass of Pino Noir....that is a lot about which to smile....lol!

I took a brief break during dinner to do something I have rarely done the past few weeks.....take pictures of the Chocolates to the east, and the sunset to the west.....




....we sat and talked until almost 7 pm before heading inside for the evening.  Our lives are full, we get to spend most of every day with each other, and we are in good health....as far as we know.  Life is very good, and soon we will be back in Northern California working, spending time with friends, and playing golf....far, far away from the social upheaval, and chaos playing out in our country.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Back to work again.....

 6:42 am - Sunday - March 17th - GNHS - 51° F, humidity 99%, wind 2 mph out of the north by northeast....mostly sunny today with a forecast high of 72° F.  On this date in 2012 TLE and I were in Thibodeaux, LA attending a Zydeco Music Festival at Nicholls State University.....



Before I get into what happened Saturday I have a confession to make.  I neglected to recognize the birthday of our 1982 Newell Classic.  She was delivered to her original owner, Leonard Law, on March 1, 1982.  On March 1, 2024 she celebrated her 42nd birthday....


....we, ironically, took possession of her on March 1, 2008.  After taking delivery we drove to a local RV park near Desert Hot Springs where we spent our first night living in her.  We drove her back to our home in Ontario, CA the next morning, and this is how she looked parked in front of our home on March 2, 2008. We have now been her custodians for 16 years.  She has been our home on wheels for 13 years now.

Now, back to regularly scheduled programming.  We had 4 RZR rentals Saturday....one 2 day rental, two 4 hour rentals, and one 2 hour rental. Currently we only have 5 RZRs of the original 12 which we can rent now.  Two of the original twelve are on the 'disabled list', one was recently declared a total loss, and five are being 'prepped' for return.  We are definitely at the end of the winter rental season here at GNHS!

By 11 am all the rental customers had departed for their adventures, and we settled into 'busy' work.  I remember Hunter commenting that the guys (four elderly gentlemen) who had the two 4 hour rentals might be an issue.  Sometimes you have to trust your gut, right?  Around 1:15 pm we got the call....one of the 4 hour RZR rentals had a broken steering arm (controls the steering).  We checked their location which was very near Syphon 22 (about 2.5 miles out).  With a broken steering arm we would need to trailer it to bring it back so Hunter and I retrieved the company van, and trailer and began the drive out to Syphon 22.  In a RZR you can cover that distance in 10 minutes, but in a 15 passenger van pulling a flat bed trailer it is a 30 minute 'E' ticket ride.

We arrived at Syphon 22 around 2:15 pm and parked the van.  It is too sandy to drive the van to where the broken RZR was, so we called the customer and asked them to come pick us up in the still running 2nd RZR.  They were less than 1/8th mile down the sandy wash, so they were there in 1 minute, or 2.  Once we had a handle on how we were going to get the RZR back to the trailer we let the 4 guys leave in the other RZR to continue their adventure.  Essentially, I walked along side the broken RZR keeping the right front tire rolling in a straight line, which is a little difficult considering how uneven the terrain is, while Hunter drove.  It took us about 15 minutes to get her back to the trailer, and we were on our way back to the COA office arriving there right at 3 pm.  So, beginning to end, it took us less than 2 hours to retrieve the broken RZR......

Syphon 22

The broken RZR is on the trailer, and we are on our way back to the COA office

.....it appears the driver hit something in the road, at a high rate of speed, causing the right front shock to completely compress, with the tire hitting high up on the wheel well.....

Broken steering arm

Where the tire hit the wheel well


....this happened to another of our RZRs about 2.5 months ago, and the cause was the same.  That driver also hit something at a high rate of speed causing the right front shock to bottom out, thus shearing the steering arm where it connects to the right front wheel assembly.  Fortunately, this is not an expensive fix...about $650, plus labor, and one lost rental day, so around $1300.

On our drive back to the COA office it began to rain (didn't see that coming), and continued for almost 3 hours.  By 3:30 pm our all day rental had returned, so we were done for the day by 4 pm, and thankfully so, as it began raining even harder after 4 pm.

Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday, March 16, 2024

Adjust and adapt.....

 6:01 am - Saturday - March 16th - GNHS - 50° F, humidity 96%, wind 4 mph out of the northeast......partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 64° F.  On this date in 2017 TLE and I were attending a college reunion in Las Vegas, NV.....spent time with my long, long time best friend Tom Carrozzo.....

Parked, and stayed in the parking lot of the The Orleans Hotel and Casino

Friday was another of those getting up way too early days for us.  As you will recall, TLE had one of two root canals performed on Wednesday with a return engagement scheduled for 10 am Friday in Los Algodones, Baja California, Mexico.  We were up around 5:30 am, and on our way south and east to Los Algodones by 7:30 am.  Did I mention it began raining around 4 am, and by the time we left it was raining steadily.  When we went to bed Thursday night there was no mention of any rain in the forecast, let along any of the torrential variety.  As we drove south on US-111 it let up, but you could see it in the distance.....



.....soon it began to rain again.....



.....for awhile it was difficult to see more than 50 feet......


......then it began to clear as we merged onto I-8 eastbound.....



.....other than the, at times, torrential rain, the drive to Los Algodones was uneventful with us arriving at the border parking lot around 9:10 am.  As we exited the VW to begin the 4 block walk to Dr. Hernandez' office it began to sprinkle, so we were happy we each brought a rain jacket.  We arrived at his office just before 9:25  am, and by 9:30 am TLE's name was called....great.....starting 30 minutes early!

The second root canal only took 90 minutes this time, and by 11 am we had transitioned from Dr. Hernandez' office to Dr. Urena's office so she could take a look at what Dr. Hernandez had done.  She determined that there was too much swelling in TLE's gums around the two side by side root canals, so she could not do the fitting the two new crowns.  We have have appointments for the 4th and 5th of April to get the molds for the new crowns (4th), and then install them (5th), so our plans to leave GNHS by March 27th have been dashed.  We will now be departing on April 6th, and heading, most likely directly to LPG&RVR as opening day is April 13th.

By the time we walked the 4 blocks back to the border crossing the line was only a couple hundred feet long, and we were back in the border parking lot within 30 minutes (12 pm).  We made a quick stop at the Quechan Casino for from Frappuccinos, then began the 1 hour 45 minute drive back to GNHS arriving there around 2:20 pm.  When we return to Los Algodones on April 4th we will spend the night in Yuma, then return the afternoon of the 5th, and depart depart GNHS on the morning of the 6th.

While we are slightly disappointed we will not be leaving GNHS on March 27th, we are so grateful that the issue with TLE's crown happened now, when we still have time to get it taken care of, rather than in Northern California where dental is much more expensive than Mexico.  TLE's two root canals cost us a total of $1,040, whereas in California they would have cost over $3,000, plus the crown work.  We'll probably spend another $6-800 combined for the two crowns, but it will still be extremely inexpensive compared to California, plus we would not have to find a new dentist.

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, March 15, 2024

Peace of mind....

5:53 am - Friday - March 15th - GNHS - 54° F, humidity 72%, wind 11 mph out of the northwest.....raining today with a forecast high of 63° F.  80 degree temps have now been pushed off until next Wednesday....12 days until liftoff!  On this date in 2015 TLE and I were hiking the Airport Loop at Sedona, AZ.....




I was out of bed around 4:30 am....way, way too early for a retired guy, but sometimes you have to suck it up and get 'er done!  The long awaited day had finally arrived when the VW and American Trailer would get new shoes.  We wanted to get to Parkhouse Tire in Thousand Palms by 7 am, their opening time, so we could be first, or second in line to get our tires, and be out of there by 9 am so I could get my long overdue haircut at 10 am, when Supercuts opens.

We awoke to high winds Thursday in the 25-30 mph range, and by the time we were in the VW they were over 30 mph, and the air was filled with dust.  The drive north on 111 was not pleasant as we were being continually buffeted by the wind out of the northwest, however, as we neared Indio the winds began to lessen, and by the time we arrived at Parkhouse Tire just before 7 am they were not bad at all.  After dropping off the car TLE and I walked over to the local Starbucks for coffee, and an everything bagel for moi....



A stormy looking day

.....we were back at Parkhouse just before 8 am, and by 8:45 am all the tires had been installed.  Next up was a stop at the local COSTCO to top off our fuel tank for the trip to Los Algodones on Friday, then over to Supercuts where we arrived around 9:40 am.  By 10:15 am my ears had been lowered, and all that remained was to head to Ralph's to do a small shopping...we didn't have much room in the VW as the 4 trailer tires were taking up most of the hatch space.

We were actually back home just before 12 pm, where the northwest winds were still howling, and continued to howl into the evening.  Nevertheless, I needed to get those trailer tires installed, so around 3 pm I headed outside and did just that....TLE took a bunch of pictures.....












.....after tightening all 24 lug nuts with the impact driver I retrieved my torque wrench and applied 90 foot pounds of torque to each nut.  When we leave on the 27th we'll stop periodically over the next few days to recheck the torque on all 24 nuts to be sure everything stays tight.  Now we're set for 8-9 years on tires for everything.  In the last 12 months we've installed 12 Michelin tires.....4 drive tires on the Newell, 4 on the VW, and 4 on the trailer.  That's a lot of Michelins, and that is really a lot of money, but it is also a lot of peace of mind.

As we went to bed Thursday night the wind was still blowing, and still rocking the Newell, but around 4 am the winds abated, and it began to rain, unexpectedly, and will continue rain until around 12 pm today.  This was not in the forecast yesterday.  We'll be departing for Los Algodones around 7:30 am, and won't be back until late today (Friday).

Thanks for stopping by

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The root of the problem.....

 4:55 am - Thursday - March 14th - GNHS - 64° F, humidity 28%, wind 24 mph......it is dark o'thirty as I write, and the wind is blowing out of the north at 24 mph with gusts over 30 mph.  The forecast high for today is 67° F.  Within an hour we will be heading northwest to Parkhouse Tire in Thousand Palms to get our new VW shoes, and trailer shoes installed.  On this date in 2012 TLE and I took a ride on the Galveston Free Ferry to the Bolivar Peninsula on our way to Louisiana......

Galveston Free Ferry

Bolivar Peninsula

TLE and I were up around 5:45 am, and on our way to Los Algodones by 7:15 am arriving there at precisely 9 am, without incident.  It is tough, however, driving east on I-8 into the rising sun.

After parking in the border parking lot we walked to the Purple Pharmacy where we bought a new supply of anti-biotics, Ivermectin, and Hydroxychloroquine (emergency medicine we should all keep on hand), all of which cost under $50.  Our existing supplies were two years old, and almost out of code.  Then it was 4 block walk to Dr. Eva Urena's dental office to see about fixing TLE's dislodged crown.  This is one of those rare times in the last 20 years when it has been me sitting in the waiting room.

As it turns out the tooth off which the crown fell had some decay under the crown, and would need a root canal.  The tooth next to that had a crack in it, so it will need a root canal, and crown also....doh!  Fortunately the root canal guy, Dr. Armando Hernandez, is right next store to Dr. Urena in the same courtyard, so we just walked over there, and awaited TLE's 11 am appointment there.

The dislodged crown was covering a molar, and had four roots, so it took a good two hours to do the root canal, but TLE emerged around 1 pm, looking none the worse for wear.  We have an appointment on Friday (this Friday) to return for the second root canal.  By the time TLE finished talking with Dr. Urena, and we began our walk back to the border it was 1:45 pm.  When we arrived at the border 10 minutes later the line was as long as we have ever seen it....about 1/8th of a mile.  

After moving just a couple hundred feet in 45 minutes, it appeared we would not get back to US soil until sometime after 5 pm....doh!  Fortunately, we were able to purchase a ride in a car ($20 each) to the border check area for cars, and arrived there less than 15 minutes later, and were back to our car in the border parking lot by 3 pm!  After a quick stop at the Quechan Casino (next to I-8) to use their bathroom and get a couple of Frappuccinos, we were on our way home by 3:20 pm, arriving back at GNHS at 5 pm.  That was the best $40 I've spent in a long, long time.  If we hadn't spent the $40 we would not have been back to the border parking lot until after 5 pm, and would not have been home until 7 pm, or later.

In about 30 minutes from now (Thursday morning) TLE and I will be driving into Thousand Palms to Parkhouse Tire to get the aforementioned tires installed, so it is time to get dressed.

Thanks for stopping by!

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Emergency!

 5:54 am - Wednesday - March 13th - GNHS - 62° F, humidity 66%, wind 5 mph out of the northwest.....mostly sunny today with a forecast high of 77° F. On this date in 2015 TLE and I were hiking the Adobe Jack trail in Sedona, AZ.....



We were hoping to hear early enough Tuesday that our Michelin tires had arrived at Parkhouse Tire in Thousand Palms that we could drive in and get them mounted, but the call did not come until 2 pm, so we made an appointment for Thursday.  Why Thursday, and not Wednesday?  Well, one of TLE's very old crowns (pre Dr. Urena) came loose a few days ago, so she made an emergency appointment for this Wednesday at 10 am Arizona time, which due to DST now also happens to be California time.  At any rate that is why I am up at 5:54 am typing my blog as we will be leaving to make the drive to Los Algodones at 7:15 am this morning (Wednesday).

We took an out and back 2 mile walk around 10 am, which now brings our total mileage to 99 for the season.  We'll hit the triple digit mark in the next few days.....


....I just checked the 15 day forecast and we will still have temps in the 70's through next Tuesday, with a 68 thrown in for good measure on Friday!

Since we are going to Los Algodones Wednesday morning we took down the sail shades, the canopy, the red wall, and the flag just in case we get any winds while we are gone......


....and since we are not getting the new tires until Thursday we removed the 4 trailer tires from the VW....no point in hauling them an extra 200 miles, right?

I had no projects going on Tuesday so spent the better part of the day reading, and enjoying the cool temps.  For the first time in a week we decided to have a sunset fire.  The sun is setting closer to 7 pm now, so we had dinner first, then headed out to the 'firepit deck' around 6pm to watch the Chocolates light up, and the sun set.....


...we need to have a few more fires in the next two weeks so all the firewood we bought over the course of the winter has been used, as we cannot haul it with us....




.....I managed to finish another post apocalyptic series (6 books, 1300 pages) Tuesday, before heading off to slumberland.  Time to get dressed, and ready to drive to Los Algodones.  I'll write about Wednesday sometime late Thursday as TLE and I will be up before the crack of dawn in order to arrive at Parkhouse Tires by opening time at 7 am Thursday.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Finished....at last!

7:15 am - Tuesday - March 12th - GNHS - 54° F, humidity 72%, wind 5 mph out of the west by southwest.....partially cloudy skies today with a forecast high of 75° F.  On this date in 2015 TLE and I were having lunch, and some brews at Prescott Brewing Company.....

Apocalypse Chocolate Porter

You can feel the warmth each morning remaining in the air from the day before.  Sure, it's not hot right now, only 74° F, but it's not cooling off as much overnight as it was a few weeks ago  when there was a 30° F differential from day to night.  Now it is about a 15° F overnight differential.  It appears our first of many 80° F days will occur this Sunday, and the 70's are gone until move to Fontana in a couple of weeks.  Here at 200' below sea level summer is never far away.

Mid morning Monday I got busy connecting the wiring for the new fog lamps to the existing 12 volt supply line.  I made sure to utilize shrink tubing (3:1) to protect all the connections from moisture....


....then, once I was sure everything was properly connected had TLE turn on the new fog lamps for the first time....

Passenger

Driver

....nice!  I love it when a plan comes together!  I've been meaning to replace those fog lamps for a few years now.  It's not that we often drive in the fog, or after dark, but if and when we need to it is nice to know we now have enough of the proper illumination.

TLE and I took a single 1 mile out and back walk Monday around 2 pm....it has been a while since we walked with all the traveling, and socializing we've been doing the past 2 weeks.  We kind of poked along ag 3.1 mph....


....around 3 pm I backed the VW out of its parking spot to give her another spa treatment.  It hasn't been that long since her last spa treatment, but it has rained a few times since then, leaving water spots.  We, hopefully, will be heading into Thousand Palms Tuesday to have new 'shoes' put on her, plus get the new trailer tires mounted.  I'm still awaiting the call saying the tires have arrived.

Other than that we spent a good portion of the day reading, and napping, and talking about our departure, and setting up a schedule to begin taking down our site.  It never takes as long as I think it will, but it is always just as tiring as I imagine it will be.  

I applied the last layer of chemical cream to my lower lip Monday evening....yup, it has already been 21 days since I began the twice daily application of the cream, and my lip has been protesting vociferously for the past two weeks.  Time to begin the healing process prior to my March 25th appointment with my dermatologist to see if the chemical peel was successful.  I sure hope so, because I don't want to go through that again any time soon.  My lip looks, and feels like I've been lying in the sun for too many hours and got a good sunburn on it, that will soon blister, and be very uncomfortable, and that is how it has been for most of the 21 days.  Dealing with the effects of too much sun over a lifetime is not for the faint of heart....lol!

Thanks for stopping by!