Category Archives: Retirement

A month in the desert

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Before I start this blog post, a reader (Mike), asked me if I was going to elaborate on our border crossings into Canada during our Alaska trip. Since I forgot to previously, I will do so now.

In 2018, we traveled around Canada with friends. I took a shotgun along with us for protection from animals, of all kinds. I researched the subject and knew that there was a form to fill out to allow this inside Canada. Last year, I had no issues with any of our crossings.

In 2019 I got the same form, used the same shotgun, but a different border crossing. I did the same things as before which required me to go inside their office. Once inside I encountered an agent that really had a chip on his shoulder about all of this. He asked me how long I was going to be in Canada with the weapon. We had no idea or set plans and I told him that. He stated that we should be able to make it through to Alaska in 3 days. That is almost 2000 miles! We went back and forth about what route we were taking, how long we were going to take, etc. We didn’t know!

On the form, I chose “Protection against wildlife” as the reason to bring in the gun. He decided to change it to “In transit” and give us 90 days on the permit even though we are supposed to take the most direct route through Canada. It was best not to push things and just take what he decided to give us. He stated that Canadian citizens are not allowed to take shotguns anywhere in the country and he didn’t want to give ME more rights than they have. I took the lumps and got out of there.

Later I asked a worker at the gun counter in a Canadian Tire if they are allowed to take a shotgun anywhere in their own country. He said he could and didn’t know what the border guy’s problem was.

On our return trip, the form was still active and the passage in was uneventful. However, we never got a real “Welcome to Canada” feeling from the border crossings!

Back to our regularly scheduled program: A week or two in the desert turned into over a month. The situation we had in Sacramento kept getting pushed back to the point where we were unsure if it would happen.

Luckily the RV Park (Catalina Spa and RV) was flexible enough to work with us over the 3 times we extended our stay. Even though we didn’t know it was going to be a month initially, we ended up getting the monthly rate.

While we were there, it was a good time to work on a few projects on the trailer. During our Alaska trip, we hit some pretty rough roads. We have an accordian type privacy door that lost its’ top tang that held it in the track:

Another repair was to our Air Conditioner cover in the rear as it developed a hole. FlexSeal tape:

The next change was an upgrade. Shortly after we purchased our trailer (7 years ago) I upgraded the bathroom exhaust fan to a Fantastic Fan. I had some problems a year or two with the other Fantastic Fan, I contacted Fantastic Fan and they sent me a new blade assembly, free of charge! I was having problems with this fan and it would not start. I contacted Dometic and they told me to BUY a new fan blade assembly. It did not help and I returned it. I decided to replace the entire fan with a new MaxxAir setup.

Initially:

Removed the cover to unveil the old beauty:

A little more cleaning needed:

Test fit:

Screwed down and gooped up:

All done:

Inside:

It even has a remote control!:

We also took a day trip through Joshua Tree NP:

After our month was up we headed to Bonelli Bluffs RV Park in San Dimas:

We visited our friends, the Chens, while there. We also got tickets to see Jeopardy!:

It was more fun that Wheel of Fortune as you don’t have to clap as much! We also had tickets to go to The Price is Right but that was right when Drew Carey’s ex-fiance was killed and they shut down production. Our Jeopardy episodes should air on April 20, 21 and 22.

We will be messing around in California a bit more until we can head to Nevada for research!

2020 – Back on the road, with a small addition.

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After the holidays, it became apparent that we needed to get back on the road. This year should be a bit different than our normal ramblings. In the last 3 years, we have had a goal each year and our path was molded to achieve that goal. We have a project, this year, that will be done is multiple pieces but no one goal.

We are planning on using our spring to look around at properties in other locales than California. We are looking at 3-4 places to potentially find somewhere to have a base for our continuing travels. We want to be close to family in California so Nevada and Washington are potentials.

However, before that, we are heading south to get in some warmer weather. We went to Bakersfield for the first week. Yes, the glamor of Bako. It was quite a bit warmer there also. The Bakersfield stop was strategic but we were able to at least wash the trailer:

When our daughter was 12 years old we got her a kitten as a pet. It was a small Siamese kitten, our daughter named her Jewels. Our daughter is now 30 and Jewels still survives. She has known Visalia as her ONLY home for her 18 years. She always loved our trailer and would roam around it when we were preparing for the next trip. She would hop in the truck and act like she wanted to go but we knew from short trips in town she did not like the truck when it was moving. As we pulled away, she would watch us drive away.

Hence the strategic Bakersfield trip. Roxie convinced me to take Jewels along with us. A week nearby would allow us to return her back to Visalia if needed. We got a good litter box for her and keep it in the shower. She did pretty well on the trip down, she crapped in her cat carrier but that can be attributed to nerves.

Where she really does good is inside the trailer. She is either on one of our laps or some other cubby or bed:

We even let her outside on her harness and leash. She doesn’t really walk the ways we want but her way.

With the trial in Bakersfield complete, we head down to Desert Hot Springs for even warmer weather. Jewels again had an issue in the truck, so we have to address that somehow. We got to our normal spot, Catalina Spa and RV park, but it was dark at the time. The spot we got had a depression running through it where some rains had runoff. We had to put quite a few blocks on the streetside and disconnected from the truck.

As soon as the trailer came off the ball it started to move! I was on the streetside and the tongue started moving toward me. I put my body against it to try to stop it, remember this trailer is about 9000 lb! The trailer tongue jack buried itself in the sand and stopped moving.

The dark sand area is where the jack stand was.

Swallowing my ego, we contacted the park management and they brought a floor jack. We got it back on the ball and looked at the issue. The trailer pivoted on the curbside wheels since they had wheel chocks between them. It actually rolled backward on the streetside about 3 feet where we had the blocks built up but I chocked the front as it looked like that was the low side. It wasn’t. Point learned. This time, and any future times, I will be chocking all sides of the wheels.

There was another interesting trailer issue that needed addressing in Desert Hot Springs. When we got to Bakersfield the trailer thermostat started reading 32° for the inside temperature. I was unsure if the sensor that was misbehaving was inside the thermostat or in the front Air Conditioning unit. Amazon to the rescue. I got a new thermostat but it turned out not helping. When we got to DHS, I got out the ladder and checked out the AC unit on the roof. A bit of cable jiggling and it started reading the correct temp. Yea!

We still have about a week here then we have to get back to the Sacramento area for the first part of February, but then who knows?