Peregrinating
2010

May

1 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

Today is a significant one in my continued progress of living as a fulltimer. I put down a deposit on the Class C at the OR dealer.

Here are some of the details. It is a Harney Desperado 24' Ford E450 chassis with a V10 engine. The home portion is called a rear bath model with the kitchen in the middle and the bed room/living room in the front.

After making the deposit I walked to Private Party Cars again to make price changes. The Scion is now at $9,950 OBO before 5/12/10 and the Trailer at $2,950 OBO before 5/12/10.

If the Scion does not sell by 5/12/10 I will drive it to OR and trade it for the Harney, plus cash from my IRA account. I'll trade the trailer also if it does not sell.

If the Scion does sell I'll go to the dealer by bus, train or plane on May 13th. If the scion sells and the trailer does not I'll continue to try and sell it off the Private Party Cars lot until it does.

I devoted much of the remainder of the day to web searching for information on a solar system for the Harney. I'm going to try and get a system that will use the two existing batteries in the coach and then increase the numbers later.

When I add to the battery bank I will also have to add more solar collector(s). The additions will not be for at least a year IF the existing batteries will last.

It is a relief to reach this point and I'm now looking forward to the 13th. The sale of my Scion and trailer continues to be important but is no longer a worry or concern – that is liberating!

2 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

Well, after an exciting day yesterday, although lacking in physical activity, I did nothing today.

Maybe not nothing but more of the same that I have been doing for the last couple of months. More reading, blog reading and web surfing for information about RV solar systems.

3 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

This morning I did my usual walk to breakfast and then back home to await a call from RV Corral, the OR dealer.

I received the call around 10:00 and immediately started the walk, bus and walk trip to my UPS Store. When I arrived the Fax, a Purchase Agreement for my new home, that RV Corral had sent was waiting for me.

I signed the Agreement and returned it by Fax, it is now in writing – I have bought a 2000 Harney 24' Desperado.

The remainder of the day after my return walk, bus and walk was my normal day. Probably heavier on web searching for RV Solar information, but generally normal.

I was also following the Time Square failed bomb attack reporting on TV. The only thing that saved the USA from another tragedy was the inability of the terrorist to denote the bomb.

This same failure saved the USA in the case of the Christmas Bomber. In neither case has all the millions/billions of dollars spent on airport security done any good. Neither has Homeland Security, CIA, FBI or any other 'intelligence' group detected the plan, and stopped it, BEFORE it could be carried out.

The government has fallen into a trap with their efforts to provide security from terrorist. First, there is a too-strong faith in technology and secondly trying to break the problem into small pieces and solve each small piece rather than focus on the problem as a whole.

The Obama Apology Tour and his insulting Israel's prime Minister has not reduced radical Islamic hate one bit – they continue to try and kill us!

4 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

The only thing that disrupted my normal activities today was doing laundry again. The next time that I'll do that will probably be after I am on the road.

I think I now understand RV Solar well enough to go shopping. I may not know enough to do a system myself but think I understand enough to know if I'm being 'oversold' by a salesman.

I will probably go to Sun and Wind in Flagstaff, AZ to buy and have a starter system installed. I'll do this after I stop in Pahrump, NV to register and get license plates for the Desperado.

After the installation I'll return to Reno and get rid of more/most/all of the 'stuff' in my storage unit. Then the only firm commitment that I have is to attend my 50th High School Reunion in Douglas, AZ in October.

5 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

I have nothing to report today. It was a normal one of reading, blog reading and TV.

I did pay for another week rent at my motel home – this will take me through May 11th. I was looking forward to selling my Scion and Trailer before then but have now become less optimistic.

I may have been just as well off to have pulled the rig off the market today. However, I did need some time to arrange insurance coverage; I now have a quote that is just a little over ½ what my current coverage costs.

I still need to contact my current insurer and arrange for a termination of coverage and get some credit – maybe get that done tomorrow.

6 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

I went out for a couple of walks today. The first was to breakfast and then a stop at my bank to deposit a check drawn on my IRA account

This withdrawal and my Scion plus Trailer will pay for the Desperado. It is good that I did this today; the bank put a 3 day hold on the funds deposited.

The second walk was to my current car insurance carrier. There I gave them a change of address to mail any credit and picked up a card with their telephone numbers. I'll call and terminate coverage when I complete the trade at RV Corral.

I am now convinced that I will not sell and will be trading!

7 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

I did two more walks today. The first was my normal breakfast excursion

The second was later in the day when my storage unit office had opened. There I paid for an additional 3 months rent that takes me to the end of August.

I plan on being back in Reno during August for a dental appointment. I hope I can also clear out everything that is in storage and give up the unit.

I picked up a To Go dinner on the way back home which concluded my active day – doing the same non-active stuff while at home.

I did get an email inquiry about my trailer but it was from a guy in TN. It is doubtful that he is going to buy it before 5/12/10 – that is the time limit that I has placed on the ad at Private Party Cars and the two Forums.

8 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

I was back to my normal day once again. Nothing but reading, reading blogs and some TV.

The three web blogs that I'm trying to catch up on are all Solo RVers. I have read part of others that are posted by couples, and follow one that I am now current with, but I don't relate to their life as I do to Solos.

I now have only 3 more days to go, I will then be heading for RV Corral!

9 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

This was another quiet day. I did nothing to disrupt my normal routine. The goal now is to kill time until I leave Reno on Wednesday

I did check the weather forecast and found that the Sierra may get more snow on Monday/Tuesday. This should not cause me any problem but it is something to watch and be aware of.

10 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

We got rain here in Reno in the late afternoon so there was probably snow in the Sierra although I can not see it. It was nice and clear this morning so the storm is moving fast, I hope it continues to move through.

The only other thing of note was a call from RV Corral. They were just checking on my attempt to sell the Scion and Trailer. I told them that there was very little chance of it happening now and I would see them on the 13th.

11 May
Desert Rose Inn
Reno, NV

It was still cloudy this morning but I could see that all the foothills around Reno were snow covered once again. Peavine Mountain was also cloaked by snow; if the local lore is true then we probably have another 7-10 days until summer vegetables can be planted.

I got a call from the same guy I had talked to in early April. At that time he wanted to do a test drive and I told him he could do so by getting the key from the lot.

Today he said that he had tried to start the Scion a couple of weeks ago and it would not start but that did not bother him. He wanted me to meet him and after he did a test drive he had a $5,000 'down payment' and we could talk.

I told him there was nothing to talk about; I needed $9,950 or his best offer today no down payments considered – end of our talk.

I called Private Party Cars and verified that the Scion would start and told them I was coming to take the car and trailer off the lot. I walked to the lot for the last time, paid for the additional days that I was on the lot (days over the 45 days in the original agreement) and left with my rig.

I went from there to Mr Hubcap to pick up the rims and tires that I had left with them on consignment. When I got there I was told that a guy had an interest in the rims; I said “call him, they are either sold or I'm taking them today”. The call was made and I got my consignment money – Yah, I finally sold something!

I then drove back home and unhitched, went to my storage unit to pick up some things to take with me and then back home and partial loading of the car and trailer.

I then posted my final message to the two Forums where I had listed my Scion and Teardrop for sale. The message was very simple – NOT For Sale!

I'm off to Eugene, OR and RV Corral is the morning to pick up Desperado. Yah, Yah!

12 May
Kla-Mo-Ya Casino
Chiloquin, OR

I was up early (normal for me on a travel day) and did a final check of the weather forecast, email and Forum posts. I then loaded the car and trailer, hitched up and drove to my storage unit (forgot 1 item yesterday).

I had originally planned on stopping at the Wal*Mart in Klamath Falls, OR where I had overnighted in 2007. Yesterday I thought to check CasinoCamping.com and found Kla-Mo-Ya about 26 miles north of K.F. On US97.

I'll stay overnight here where they have a buffet, restrooms and a very nice camping lot under some pine trees.

I stopped in Border Town (north of Reno) for breakfast and once again in Susanville, CA for gas. As I was writing up this posting a guy and his wife came up to the car and said that they had been following me from Border Town.

We had a brief conversation before they left for the Casino and I continued my writing. They are from Springfield, OR (next to Eugene) and are on their way home after wintering in the Yuma, AZ area.

My route today was Reno City Streets, US395, CA36, CA139/OR39, OR140 & US97.

The portion pf CA139 from Susanville to the Junction with the road to Lookout, CA was new to me and is more scenic than the northern part that I saw in 2007. Eagle Lake was a very beautiful emerald with a vivid blue skirt around the edges.

It felt so good to be back on the road again! The depressing experience of selling my Scion and Teardrop was getting to me and was aggravated by extreme 'hitch itch'. LOL

13 May
The RV Corral
Eugene, OR

I was awake at sunup, about 5 am, but rolled around until 5:30 before getting out of bed. This was my last night to sleep in a Teardrop, sad in a way after so much travel and so many nights.

I had breakfast at the deli/snack bar in the Casino and it was nothing special but great for the price. If I were to do it over I would have had dinner there also rather than the buffet. The buffet was OK, the soft ice cream great, but not worth the price.

My route today was US97, OR58, OR99/I-5, OR126 & OR99.

This was my first time on OR58 and I found it to be like all the OR forest highways – lots and lots of trees.

There were a few glimpses of a lake or river from time to time and occasionally a snow covered mountain peak. However, most of the time I could only see a tunnel of trees that I was driving through.

I stopped in Eureka to get $20 worth of gas and directions to RV Corral. I thought I was close but was not sure; I found that it was only about a mile further north from where I stopped and I was in their lot around 10:00.

I got everything unloaded from the car and trailer and inside my new home. The trade-in, writing a check for the balance and contacting my old and new insurance companies was all finished by noon.

In the afternoon a 'tech' came to fix a leak in the toilet and shower plus give my a tour of how all the appliances operate. I was VERY happy to see that it has new Group 24 batteries and a battery box that will easily hold (4) 6v Deep Cycle ones.

I also found that there was a hitch that I could not see from the pictures – one more expense that I will not have to incur. I don't plan on towing anything but I may carry a scooter in a hitch rack so I am pleased that it is there.

I am plugged into shore power so I have been able to get yesterdays posting done and have web surfed some to answer a few question that have come up about the RV.

I went to lunch/dinner while the 'tech' finished fixing the shower and removing license plates. Then when I got back I put away everything that was in my two bags. This will not be where things stay I'm sure but they are put away for now.

It was also during this endeavor that I found another problem; the pantry door panel came out of the board that had the hinges (or you might say that the door fell off because I was left holding most of it by the door handle). This is being re-glued tonight and will be replaced tomorrow.

So, I am now the owner of a 24' Harney Desperado, with 18, 672 miles on the odometer, that will be my home for some unknown period of time – another new chapter in my life! YAH, YAH, YAH

14 May
The RV Corral
Eugene, OR

Everything is a new adventure, just sleeping in my new home! I slept on the fold-out couch which was OK but is slightly short. The over cab bed is longer and wider but has the disadvantage of requiring a climb to get in and out.

I will give the over cab a try tonight. The dinette converts to a bed also but it is even shorter than the couch so I have no intent to ever use it as a bed.

The restaurant where I had lunch/dinner is almost across the street and it opened at 7:00 am a perfect time for my breakfast. Soon after I got back the 'tech' re-hung my door, put on a battery strap hold-down, took off the front license plate that he had forgotten and cleaned a decal off the windows.

I was the good to go for my first drive which was about 7 miles north to Camping World at Junction City, OR. It was recommended that I go there for a macerator (an electric waste pump disposal system) because RV Corral did not have any service time available.

When I got there and went to show the Assistant manager what I had we saw water leaking from the compartment above the waste drain. I bought the macerator, hoses and dump fittings and their service guy taped into a 12v line to power the unit. There was no place to fit a permanent install so the unit is portable which is better in some ways.

I had called RV Corral about the leak and told them I was coming back to have it checked. When I arrived there was no additional leaking. It seems that the water had probably come from the toilet leak of the day before which spilled out when I moved the coach.

I think all is well and I'm back in the RV Corral lot for the rest of the day and tonight. I spent most of the afternoon and early evening reading blogs and planning for the next couple of days travel. Tomorrow I head back to Reno for a few days and then on to Pahrump where I will register and license Desperado.

15 May
Win-River Casino
Redding, CA

I slept VERY well in the over cab bed. The climbing in and out is a minor inconvenience which I will deal with.

I got up a little before 6:00 am and went across the street for breakfast at 7:00. This got me on the road south by about 8:00. I decided to drive I-5 today to give me a chance to learn how the coach behaves and how I should drive it. I'm not very familiar with an automatic transmission so it is a learning process. It normally runs in Overdrive which has 1 to 4 gears; when Overdrive is disengaged it has 1 to 3.

Today when it shifted down on the long grades I disengaged the Overdrive to prevent it from shifting up and down. This seemed to work well but I'll continue to learn.

I started with a little less than ½ tank of gas and after about 80 miles I was down to just less than ¼. I stopped for gas, in OR you can not pump your own, and as the tank was filling I looked under the coach and saw something leaking.

I crawled under and found that it was gas so we stopped pumping at about 23 gallons. Then the station attendant and I looked at the tank and saw that when we had stopped it quit leaking an therefore decided that it was the fill hose near the tank (the upper part of the hose does not look very good either).

I will have to fill it 1-2 more times to get to Reno and will watch for leaking again as I do it. I don't want to fill it very full and take the chance that it will slosh around and leak while driving.

My total today were 319 miles and I'm guessing that I got over 10 mpg, which is about the best that I can hope for, but at this time that is a wild guess. I'll get a better measure after I get the fill hose fixed. That will happen on Monday or Tuesday in Reno at a Ford dealer – I hope.

I'll be staying the afternoon and tonight in the Casino RV parking area. It is just a gravel lot but it does have some shade. This is home!

16 May
John & Janis
Placerville, CA

Today was one of mis-adventures. I have got them all over with at the beginning of my new life on the road. That is probably being overly optimistic but I can only hope!

I had the same gas filler hose leak but not as bad. To reduce the leakage I filled the tank VERY slowly and had some leakage but nothing like yesterday when the OR station attendant had the flow set at maximum.

The bigger mis-adventure came when I attempted to enter my Placerville, CA friend's gate to their property. I could see that the entrance was narrow and I swung wide on the narrow road to enter straight on but alas there was not enough room and I was not straight enough.

I became stuck against a gate post on the right side that left a small scrape on the coach door and then pressed against the side of the coach – forward or back was going to tear a big gash.

A Good Samaritan stopped and attempted to pull the post away from the coach with a strap hooked to his pick-up. The post was braced on the diagonal so this did not work and many thanks were offered.

I walked down the driveway and told my fried about my problem and asked for some tools to remove the brace. He offered a couple of crescent wrenches that I was doubtful would work – I thought a socket or open end wrench would be required. My thought proved correct and while he was going back for the proper wrenches another Good Samaritan stopped with proper tools.

The coach was extricated after the brace was removed and many thanks were offered all around.

I then made it down the driveway, turning in my mirrors to get through a second gate, but low hanging tree limbs took off a vent cap while trying to squeeze into a parking place near the house.

A ladder was obtained and the vent was replace with many thanks offered all around once more.

After this 1 ½ hour exercise to enter and park by my friend's house it was time to sit down and visit. I had not seen them for about 18 months and we had some catching up to do.

Lessons learned today.
There are still Good Samaritans – at least 3 of them.
The turning radius of Desperado is about what a Borax Wagon with team required.
Desperado is 11' tall and ALL trees have limbs that are less than that from the ground.

Fortunately, I received these lessons with only minor damage done.

17 May
Petro Center
Sparks, NV

I had MUCH better luck getting out of my friends yard this morning.

I was able to pull out from where I was parked without hearing and limbs dragging on the roof ( my friend did a little pruning). Then I went through the second gate without turning my mirrors in (I was rather 'shook' yesterday, everything seemed to be closing in on me). LOL

I then turned off the driveway, went through the neighbors field and out his gate which is a wide single or double if needed (this is the same way my friend exited two days ago with a pick-up and trailer).

I did all of this plus stopped for gas in Diamond Spring, CA before 6:00 am. The gas fill continued to be a very slow process which limited the amount of leakage but I still had some from the tank hose near the top and close to the tank.

Desperado did the climb up into the Sierra without any great strain from the best that I could tell. My last two cars both had tachometers and I drove by the sound of the engine and watched the tach; I miss having one. I do have real gages rather than 'idiot lights' which is a first since my Jeep way back in 1980 something.

My route today was Placerville Roads, US50, Pioneer Trail (in S. Lake Tahoe), CA28, CA267, I-80 and Reno/Sparks Streets.

I stopped at the Biltimore Casino on Lake Tahoe for breakfast and to visit with a friend that did work there – he left about a year ago. My next stop was in Reno at my storage unit where I removed about 1/3 of the 'stuff' and loaded it into my new home. I do not have it all put away but I think I have plenty of room – time will tell.

I then went to the Reno Ford dealership and after being directed to 4 people found out that they do not work on RV motor homes. I was referred to a RV Service shop which had me back on the road within two hours (lighter in the wallet but I paid with the 'found' money that I got from the sale of my Scion rims and tires).

While the gas filler hose was being replaced I walked to my UPS Store (which just happened to be close by) and took care of my mail business.

Last but not least for the day was to now quickly and completely fill the gas tank at the Petro Center in Sparks, NV (a truck stop that is also called The Alamo.) I will park here for the night and then proceed toward Pahrump, NV tomorrow.

The weather forecast was for some rain and snow in the Sierra with light rain in the Reno area. The forecast came to pass but I'm nice and snug in my home here in the car parking lot; I don't even have to listen to the diesels idle all night.

18 May
El Capitan Casino
Hawthorne, NV

I was up very early once again this morning and had breakfast at the Alamo Truck Stop. I then left Sparks around 7:00 am and arrived in Dayton, NV right at 8:00.

I had planned to arrive at the beginning of the work day to see my friend that had previously worked at the Biltmore. He had also been my boss when I worked at Baldinni's in Sparks, the last few years that I worked before retiring on Social Security.

The hotel clerk at the Biltmore had told me that he was now in Dayton and I was hoping to see him again after about three years.

I lucked out and he was at work and available. He is once again CFO of the company that owns the Dayton Casino, where he is also the Manager, and another one in Fallon, NV. I think his title was Controller at the Biltmore but the move was more about the continuing viability of the Casino there rather than titles or money.

We had a very good visit for about an hour before he had to get to work and I had to continue on south.

I didn't press on after reaching Hawthorne, NV; there is a good Casino lot to camp in and a good restaurant. The afternoon winds that blow in this part of NV were starting and I didn't want to fight with them either.

I devoted an hour to putting things away in my new home with some re-shuffling of stuff that I had previously put away. I think I left one box of stuff in my storage unit that I had intended to load up but it will keep until I return in August. I'm now sure that I'll have plenty of room for it!

I did notice the same water leak this morning that I thought was simply drainage from the previous work that the 'teck' had done in Eugene – I have a problem but don't yet know exactly what it is.

19 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

I have nothing much to write about today (many will say that is nothing new). I was up and at the El Capitan restaurant when they opened at 6:00 am.

I then continued the drive south a few minutes before 7:00. There was no events of note during the drive except the appearance of wild flowers. They started to show up just south of Beatty, NV or at least that is when I first noticed them.

I stopped once en-route for a potty break; it is much easier to do that now that I'm driving with a potty built in. The second stop was at the UPS Store here in Pahrump which is now my 'permanent' address.

Almost no one has that address so I was not surprised by the amount of mail that was waiting for me. What was not there was the title to Desperado that is coming from OR which I need to register in NV.

The final stop of the day was at the Saddle West RV Park, part of a Casino, Hotel and RV Complex. There are a few RV Parks here but this one is somewhat centrally located. I can walk to Smith's Market, the VA Clinic and to a few restaurants.

Tomorrow I will go to the VA Clinic and see if I can get my designated VA location transferred. I'll also go to a RV Service shop to see about the water leak, an electrical surge protector and a 3 stage battery charger to replace the coach's converter.

This will be home for a month. That will give me time to get the coach squared away and give my bank account some time to re- adjust. Total miles from Eugene, OR to here were 1,096 at MAYBE 9 mpg plus all restaurant meals!

20 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

Today was one for driving around the town of Pahrump.

I first went to the Saddle West restaurant for breakfast. Then it was to the VA Clinic to transfer my records and make the Pahrump Clinic my primary care provider location.

When I arrived at the Clinic there was a closed sign on the door but a security guard drove up and told me that it was only temporary. She directed me to the local hospital were the VA has a trailer set up while the Clinic is undergoing re-modeling.

The same clerk that I dealt with back in March (I thought she was rather curt at that time) helped me today and she was much more pleasant. She told me to come back and see her next Thursday after they had processed the transfer and she would then set an appointment for me in September – she understood my living on the road and was very excited about my doing so.

From there I went to Tropical RV to inquire about installing a fixed Surge Protector in my coach. I have read some on-line reviews about Tropical and none of them were very good. The 'tech' that I talked to said that it would probably cost $240 in labor to install a fixed unit.

My next stop was at Super RV where I bought some leveling blocks. The space that I have at Saddle West (known locally as the most unleveled RV Park in the Valley) requires over 2” of rise on the front wheels to make the refrigerator happy.

While I was there I asked another 'tech' about installing the fixed Surge protector and he thought it could be done for $120. After I got home I went on the web a bought a portable Surge Protector with a locking device that cost $50 rather than the labor cost.

However, there was one more stop before going home and that was at Wal*Mart for groceries. I looked back in my blog and check register to see when was the last time I bought groceries and cooked – it has been about 6 months! Tonight I am having a home cooked meal! YAH & YAH

I put my groceries away and started dinner! ALL RIGHT – just like bing in a 'sticks and bricks'.

21 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

I have settled in to my new home here in Pahrump. This second full day was much like my days when I was in a 'sticks n bricks' in a fixed location.

There was one major difference however, I cooked breakfast. I can not remember the last time I cooked breakfast, it had to have been almost 20 years ago. I have been going out for breakfast since I have been in Reno plus I went out while in Bulgaria and Japan.

This will be my normal routine from now forward even if I'm near a restaurant so that I develop the habit. I can then camp in more isolated locations and not be dependent on restaurant availability – that is why I bought the RV with cooking capability.

The morning was spent reading blogs. Then around noon I walked to Smith's market to get a gallon of drinking water and some potatoes that I forgot yesterday. Cooked up 'linner' (that will be my description of my normal meal between lunch and dinner) around 3:00 and then went back to the blogs.

I shouldn't pick blogs that started so many years ago. LOL I can not imagine anyone reading my web site from its start in 1996 with Journals from the 1970s and 1980s.

There has been a wind blowing most of the day with it gaining strength toward sun down. Desperado has been rockin-n-rolling with the gusts. I'm thinking I'll have to replace the shocks within the next 6 months and have started a reserve fund for that and insurance.

22 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

In March when I passed through Pahrump one of the things that I did after I got my UPS Store box and address and drivers license with local address was go to my local back and change addresses.

On the way south with Desperado I had trouble using my Credit Card at the gas pumps (never used it before at the pumps and thought I was screwing up). Then a couple of days ago I ordered a Surge Protector on-line and got an email that my Billing Address provided did not match what the bank had.

I went on-line and looked at my last statement address (did not look at it before) and sure enough the bank still had my Reno address. This morning I walked up to said bank and changed my address once more; this time I received an email telling me that it had happened (I don't remember that happening before).

While I was near by I stopped at the local library and got registered (I can still use my Washoe County library card) plus picked up two books. One of them is The Creators by Daniel J Boorstein; I read his The Discoverers while on my Road Trip around the US called My 2008 Quest.

The remainder of the day, once I got home, was reading said book and catching up on blogs.

I also read that Reno received more snow, it did not stick but it did snow in the Truckee Meadows last night. I missed this one and can not remember it snowing this late in the 'season' – it must be a result of that Global Warming I keep hearing about.

Of course we are being promised that will be fixed by the passage of the Cap and Trade Bill now being crammed down our throat (I'm sorry, I mis-spoke, being debated in the Halls of Congress).

The wind is still with us here but not as strong. The VERY nice thing is the temperatures are extremely mild and pleasant – I can not expect that to last but I'm enjoying it while I can.

23 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

Today was rather quiet and somewhat weather driven.

I did walk up to a near by Mexican restaurant to have breakfast on my way to Smith's market. I was craving a Mexican breakfast but did not find this mornings all that satisfying.

Therefore, while I was in Smith's when I saw some 'nopal' I picked them up for my breakfast tomorrow. I'll let you know if I like my home cooked 'huevos con nopal'.

The rest of the day was spent inside out of the unseasonably cold/cool weather plus rain. It was a lay about and read kind of a day.

24 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

This was another lay about day. The only thing that I did that might come close to being described as active was, I did my laundry.

The tale of the Surge Protector continued. I had sent an email to the on-line provider saying that I had gone to the bank and changed the Billing Address to the same as the Shipping Address and I had verified on-line that they had made the change.

They responded to that by saying that they still could not verify the Billing Address with the bank. I then sent them another email that said it was probably best that I cancel the order – they confirmed that it has been canceled.

I then ordered the same thing from another web seller and provided the same Credit Card information i.e. Shipping Address and Billing Address – I'll now wait and see what happens.

It continued to be cool this morning but we had clear sky once again. The afternoon warmed up and I'm expecting it to get much warmer before I leave; the past couple of days were atypical.

25 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

Today was a little bit more active than the last couple of days but not by much. After I cooked and ate breakfast, my huevos con nopal are good, I walked to the UPS Store hoping that the title for Desperado had been received from The RV Corral.

YAH, it had been sent certified mail as they had said it would be and my UPS Store signed for it as they said they would. YAH, I love it when people do what they say they are going to do!

I then stopped at Smith's again to pick up a few things. If I'm going to walk to get my groceries it will be every 2-3 days. If I drive it will be every 1-2 weeks. LOL

I also went to La Piedad, a Mexican butcher shop that I saw that also sells tamales. Today, they have no tamales. However, I ordered one dozen to be picked up tomorrow.

That was the excitement for the day. Tomorrow I'll go to the DMV to register Desperado and get some personalized license plates. Hopefully, they will arrive before I leave Pahrump on 6/18.

26 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

Some good and some bad today.

It was good that I was able to get in and out of the DMV in less than two hours. It was bad, although not unknown, how much it cost me to register and license Desperado.

It was bad that the Mexican restaurant where I wanted to eat breakfast was closed. They have a sign that says they open at 7:00 am but were still closed at 7:05 (this was true back in March also). The good thing is there are a lot of other places to eat breakfast that are open at 7:00.

I had good luck picking up some more groceries at Smith's. The bad luck was at La Piedad where they still did not have any tamales.

It was all generally good with my un-hooking Desperado and then re-hooking when I got back. The bad – I do have a water leak someplace; I'm guessing it is the bathroom sink.

27 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

I did a moderate active day compared to the sedentary lifestyle that I've adopted. My first stop, after a home cooked breakfast, was at the VA Clinic which is about one mile from my campsite.

There I was able to get an appointment for Sept 7th. It is VERY good that I could do this; I could not make an appointment more than 30 days ahead in Reno (at one time I could but they changed their police, every location is different).

After the VA I stopped at Big O Tires and got a quote for installation of shocks for Desperado. Their quote was about $250 less that what the RV Service place in Reno had given me. I'll probably have them replaced here in Sept when I come back for my VA appointment.

I then went to La Piedad again and received the same answer as before – no tamales! From there I went to Smith's and then back home for a total walk of 4.53 miles.

The weather has been unseasonable once again for the last couple of days. The wind, perhaps not that unseasonable, but the temperatures have bee quite mild. It was cool enough this morning that I was glad to have my wind breaker on all the time that I was out walking.

28 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

There was a lot of excitement today. Maybe that is an exaggeration, but I thought there was a lot of excitement at the time.

It all began soon after breakfast when it was still rather cool and windy (it had been gusting hard though the night).

My gray tank was just beginning to show full and the black tank was showing about ¾ full. I thought it time to dump with my recently purchased macerator!

I hooked everything up and was ready to attach the macerator to Desperado's sewage system. I opened the cap on the coach drain pipe and got a lap full of gray/black water.

It was not a full lap full – my reflexes are still pretty agile for an old man. But after getting the macerator in place I opened the black tank and began to dump. That went well for a minute or so and the the macerator quit.

I puttz with it for a while and then packed everything up and drove to Super Service – where there was none available. I then went to Tropical RV which was willing to loan me a hose to dump with and test my macerator.

The 'tech' there thought my problem (which I had also decided) was that my dump valve(s) needed replacing. He also found that Camping World had wired my macerator to a 15 amp circuit (it needs 20 amps) – DUH I blew a fuse.

I'll go back tomorrow for a fix. New valves on the dump system and new wiring for the macerator.

I had thought about a solar system for Desperado but with these maintenance items (plus shocks and at least 2 tires) I'm saying NO at this time. I may not even go solar!

I need to learn to work with what I have and then move on to the next level of making changes. This is a new way of living to me, I've read a lot, but it is best to ease into it!

29 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

The more that I thought about yesterday's dumping trauma the more I am convinced that the dump valves are NOT leaking.

Today I dumped again after raising the rear of the coach opposite the drain. I wanted to get the tanks as empty as I possibly could.

I took the drain cap off the drain to hook-up the hose and had almost nothing come out; if the valves were leaking I was expecting more than the few drops that did trickle out.

What I am now almost certain happened was my own doing in Eugene, OR when I was being shown how things worked. I am almost certain that I opened the black valve (nothing would have happened IF it were empty) and filled the drain pipe to the cap. Then yesterday I discovered the error of my ways!

Therefore, I only had the electric line to power the macerator put in (I also made a note to self, do not have service done my Camping World). I will continue to watch for leaks in the sewer system and the bathroom sink but will fix nothing – yet.

While I was talking to the 'tech' yesterday I told him that I was probably going to take the forced air heater out. He said that he wanted one and would remove it if I would give it to him. That is going to happen a week from now.

If he works on it like he did today it will be an all day project. He was to start at 1:00 today and finally did so at 3:00.

This is something I'm going to have to get mentally prepared for or learn to do all repairs myself. ALL the blogs that I am reading talk about the many things that can/will go wrong (plus the regular maintenance stuff) that will need to be fixed.

It is a part of the price that you must pay to live the fulltimer lifestyle.

30 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

The first thing on the agenda today is weather. What is normal for Pahrump this time of the year has returned with a vengeance.

It was 86 F at 2:00 this afternoon and will probably move up some more later this afternoon. The extended forecast is for the 90s during the next 10 days with 100 possible. This is normal and what we had during the past week was abnormal – pleasant but abnormal!

It is now time to hunker down and try to stay cool until I leave Pahrump on 6/18. I have picked a tentative cooler next stop but it is not yet firm in my mind.

The only exertion that I made today was an early morning trip to Smith's. There is a convenience store along the way where I have been picking up a very black coffee. Today they had none – only regular and decaf.

I did go out one more time but it is a very short walk. I treated myself to a Mexican 'linner' as a break from my own cooking!

31 May
Saddle West RV Park
Pahrump, NV

This was another day to do almost nothing. I did get out on a walk to the convenience store for a very black coffee but that is less than a mile.

The morning was very cool and it stayed nice until around 3:00 in the afternoon because of a breeze. It then started heating up in Desperado as the day grew hotter and the breeze died.

It is a Memorial Holiday for those that are working for a living but just another day for me.