"California here we come . . ."

Our next trip is planned for California and the Central Coast.  I really like going to California, the North Bay to be exact.  I like the weather, the landscape, visiting friends and family, it never gets old.

To prepare for this trip we had to get some minor repairs done to the RV that we discovered from our Shake Down trip last month.  Being that it's a 2003 there's going to be some things the 'ol girl needs.  Things like; the handle for the TV antenna.  The screw that secures it was striped and it just fell off.  The handle to the vent in the bathroom keeps falling off and the fan blades drop after it runs for awhile and hit the frame (not a good sound. It will surely wake you up).  We had to have a new wall mount stereo installed.  We knew we weren't receiving radio stations but we thought either we were out of an reception area or that the antenna was never hooked up. We found out the old one doesn't work at all, hahaha, what do we know.  Last on the list was the refrigerator.  It's not getting any colder than 48 - 54 degrees. The place where we took the RV for the repairs was our second choice, a good choice too.  We first took our RV to Camping World in Mesa, AZ.  I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about this experience I just want to say that after a week of it being parked in the back dirt lot and being told it was in the shop being worked on we asked for the keys back and drove off.  The Yelp reviews were right, we should have stayed away.  

The new RV repair shop is great. They had everything repaired in 3 days, well not everything, the refrigerator is still an issue.  I guess that's to be expected from a 13 year old appliance.  To repair the frige we could either replace the cooling element or buy a new frige.  Either way it would cost $1500 - $2000.  So we decided to convert it into an icebox!  What a great idea (really?).  Not really.  We thought we would see how the refrigerator would do on this trip being that it won't be as warm as it was the last trip.  But just in case we bought 4 - 4x7 icepaks to help it out.  I know what you're thinking because we thought it too but we are hoping that by some miracle it will revive the refrigerator and save us $2000. More on this experiment after the trip.

We just got a new puppy.  She is a teacup chihuahua, 10 weeks old and we named her Chloe. She is so small that I had to make a harness for her so we could take her outside for potty training.   We are taking her with us on our California trip of course.  It will be interesting to see how this goes.

Until then . . .

"Adventure is out there"

Shake Down Trip, Part Three

Our last day at Trailer Village.  We packed up and headed to Grand Canyon Caverns; our next RV park destination located in Peach Springs.  It's along Route 66 which we were excited for because we were stopping to be tourists and take pictures at the various classic stores.  This is where Pixar/Disney got their ideas for the movie Cars. It was neat to see the "real live" places that are featured in animation in the movie.  We took pictures with our 'selfie stick', hahaha.  I laugh because if you could see my husband & I trying to figure out how to use it and when the picture actually clicked you would be laughing too. My husband decided that for every place we visit we should collect patches for the RV instead of stickers and he would collect hats.  So we bought a patch and a hat at the Market Plaza store at the Grand Canyon & the store at our Route 66 stop.

We headed off again to our final destination at the Grand Canyon Caverns.  It's fun to look at the terrain as we drive, I really enjoy it.

 
 My husband & I were looking along the road when we saw a big sign advertising "Grand Canyon Caverns" "Cavern Inn".  There was also a big green dinosaur placed  just before the sign.  It was unusual.  A bit odd to us to see this but we laughed about it and kept driving.

We reached the town of Peach Springs where I finally had WiFi so I could look up the directions to the RV park.  Seems like we drove right by the turn off so we had to turn around.  The RV park is located at mile marker 115 and we were at 102!  As we drove we couldn't see anything that resembles an RV park and we were getting a little concerned but as we got closer to mile marker 115 we quickly realized that the RV park was the Green Dinosaur' Grand Canyon Cavern sign and run down building.  Now, I like to remain optimistic with new experiences but even I had doubts about this place.  We saw the sign that pointed RV's to the park and we headed down a dusty bumpy road.  At the end was a building where I guess you check in and where you would book tours to see the caverns but we decided to take a ride around the campsites.  The campsites are just dirt with electrical units that some looked like they had been backed into, My pictures make it look pretty nice but the place is eerie.  Maybe if there were other RV's there?  I don't know it just made us feel uneasy.  There was NOBODY camping there except for a creepy little trailer not in any campsite in back of what looked like a wooden stage (why is there a stage there and what is it for???) There was a clothesline outside the trailer with clothes on it and some other things outside the trailer so we thought maybe that was where the groundskeeper lived???  My husband "said no way are we staying here.  It reminds me of a scene from the movie "The Hills Have Eyes".  The whole area reminded me of a scene from a horror movie where you come upon a rundown amusement park which you know you shouldn't enter but you do anyway and soon realize that you may never leave.  We got the heck out of there, forfeited our site fee and started looking for another RV park.

I have a Good Sam app on my cell phone so I pulled it up and found a few places in Kingman.  The one that stood out was Blake's Ranch RV Park & Horse Motel.  I spoke with Kim who was very polite and made a reservation for us.  We arrived there a short time later, met Kim and she gave us a choice of 13 sites and told us to drive around and whatever one we decide on to just give her a call and let her know.  We chose #6 because it had the most shade.  We set up camp and then took the dogs out for a walk.  Blake's Ranch is a meticulously kept RV park.  Each site has pea-gravel, 30 & 50 amp, water, sewer & cable! We didn't even have to level the RV when we parked. The park has free WiFi, laundry, restrooms & showers, a small convenience store, Koi pond and a dog run/park.  We made dinner and called it a night.  Tomorrow we head home.  It was a good trip.  We had a great time, learned a few new things about the RV and are planning our next trip.

Until next time.

"Adventure is out there"

Shake Down Trip, Part Two

We woke up bright and early, 6am to be exact.  What am I doing waking up this early!?  Once we were ready we decided to take a walk around the South Rim first and then drive.  We hooked up the dogs and off we went.  As we were walking towards the Rim I noticed how quiet and peaceful it was.  We had to walk through the Market Plaza parking lot, cross the street and through a wooded area before coming out to the Rim.  Let me tell you, if you haven't been to the Grand Canyon you must go.  I used to be one of those people that thought I'd seen it by looking at photos or documentaries.  Those are nothing to actually experiencing it for yourself.  It's majestic, spiritual, peaceful and beautiful.

We walked for quite awhile until we came to the Amphitheater.  There is a documentary that is played several times a day however, it was too early when we arrived so nothing was playing.  I imagine it would get pretty hot sitting outside watching the movie during the summer but in the Spring or Fall it should be enjoyable. The trail we walked around is called the Trail of Time. At various points of the trail there are these brass emblems embedded into the path that state the periods of time you are walking; i.e. 980 million years, 880 million years and so on.  There are also blocks of the Grand Canyon from the different layers displayed as you walk.  Each one has a description of the type of rock and the age.

Ampitheater

Nankoweap Sandstone 900 million years old

We walked for a little more but decided not to go all the way to the Yavapai Point Geology Museum so we turned around and headed back to camp.  Once back at camp we unhooked the RV and my husband got into the drivers seat, started it up and called out to me "ready to go?"  I said "sure but don't you want to put the slide-out in first?".  So I pushed the button to retract the slide-out and nothing happened. Oh crap, what do we do now?!  My husband thought we may have blown a fuse, but that wasn't it.  Then he thought we needed the generator on but that wasn't it.  So he shut off the generator went back outside and hooked up the electric cord for shore power thinking that was the issue but it wasn't.  He came back in and as we just looked at each other thinking I said "maybe the engine needs to be turned off".  Sure enough, that was the problem.  You can't operate the slide-out function while the RV engine is running.  It's a safety feature.  Glad we figured that out. Like I said, we're RV newbies :-)

There are a number of pull-outs along the Rim.  We stopped at all but Navajo Point.  They all have spectacular views of the Grand Canyon but my favorite was Lipan Point.  It had the best panoramic view, in my opinion.  We stopped at Tusayan Museum & Ruins which was very interesting.

Living quarters

tree dating explanation

When we got back to camp we relaxed awhile and decided to make dinner.  While I was washing up the dishes I reached over to check the tank levels (something I do periodically) and one of the tanks was full!  How did that happen in such a short amount of time???  This morning is was zero.  My husband rushed outside and hooked up the sewer hose (remember he didn't want to hook it up).  We both thought it had to be the grey tank because I had washed dishes twice each day and we both took showers.  So he dumped the grey tank and voila! nothing happened, the tank still showed full.  Oh crap, that means it's the black tank that's full.  Sure enough when he pulled the other handle a whoosh of yucky water flushed out.  The question now is why is the black tank full.  We hardly used it and we were experts in RV black water tanks.  We watched all the YouTube videos and read lots of blogs on the subject.  How could this happen? (hahaha, yeah right, experts).  We spent the next 20 minutes running water in the shower, bathroom sink, kitchen sink and flushing the toilet to try to figure out the problem.  This is what we found out; the bathroom sink and the shower empty to the grey water tank.  The kitchen sink and toilet empty into the black water tank.  At first we thought we had a major plumbing issue but we Googled (thank goodness for Google!) and found out that this is common in a lot of RV's.  So no more problem with our tanks or plumbing.  I think this trip was a shake down for us as well as the RV :-)

We finish our trip in the next part.  Until then.


"Adventure is out there"

Shake Down Trip, Part One

June 2016

We decided to go to the Grand Canyon for our first trip since neither one of us has ever been there.  We like to research anything we 'think' we want to do first before actually trying it.  This can be good and bad.  Since we have no experience RVing and know nothing of RV campgrounds except for YouTube and Google we of course Googled campgrounds at the Grand Canyon.  We decided to stay two nights at Trailer Village at the South Rim.  We went shopping for all our grocery necessities, packed the RV and off we went.

We have two little dogs, a chihuahua and a chihuahua/terrier mix.  We were a little apprehensive on how well they would do in the RV with all it's squeaks & rattles but they did fine.  The older one, Bailey who is the chihuahua, slept on the couch, her bed on the floor and my lap.  She really felt at home.  Ellie, the chihuahua/terrier mix, didn't like the RV as much as Bailey.  She spent the whole trip riding on my husbands lap or mine.  We're hoping she settles in the more we travel.

The ride to the Grand Canyon was exciting for us newbies.  One thing I want to mention is the park pass we purchased; America the Beautiful; Senior Pass.  Now, you can ask any of my friends or family members about me and Senior Discounts. I always said the day I'm eligible for senior discounts you bet I'm taking advantage.  No way am I hiding that I'm now 55 and eligible for all those discount goodies!  This is one of those times, not for me though as I don't yet qualify but my husband does :-)  This pass is a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over. The pass provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity. All for the one time price of $10!  It came in handy at the Grand Canyon as the entrance fee is $30 per vehicle.  You can check out more about the various park passes here: https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/fees.htm.  I highly recommend buying a pass if you qualify.

My husband is super with navigation which came in handy when we were driving around trying to find Trailer Village.  If it were left to me we would still be driving around lost.  We arrived at Trailer Village where we checked in and received our site number.  The site was very nice as is the rest of Trailer Village although not a lot of shade.  They are the only RV park located inside the Grand Canyon with full RV hook-ups. The first thing to do was hook up all the necessities; electricity, sewer and water.  However, my husband thought that since we had a big enough black water tank he wouldn't hook up the sewer hose until the last day.  While we were setting up we had a surprise visitor, an Elk!  She just strolled into camp taking a look at us while munching on the grass as she nonchalantly walked by.  The dogs really didn't take notice, which I was thankful for because I didn't want them to start barking and disrupt our neighbors.

Once settled we decided to to take the shuttle to the Market Plaza where the Yavapai Lodge, general store, gift shop, Chase bank and connections to other shuttle buses will take you around the Grand Canyon.  We looked around and headed back to camp where we made dinner and sat outside for awhile.  It's nice to sit outside in the peaceful surroundings of nature and not be inundated with technology. We didn't have WiFi or cell phone reception and we didn't miss it!


More to follow.  Until next time.


"Adventure is out there"

We bought an RV, now what?

June 2016


Since buying our RV we quickly realized that we don't have any idea what it takes to make an RV function, that is, how to manage the black water & grey water issue, electrical, equipment, what to bring and what to leave behind.  So we did what every other RV newbie does, we Google searched!  The most important thing for us to become experts in was the black water tank.  We never thought we would say that before but this is one area you don't want to have an issue with.  We watched numerous YouTube videos and read a lot of RV blogs. 


First things first; we upgraded the sewer hose that originally came with the RV to a Camco RhinoFLEX 15' Sewer Hose Kit which comes with all the fittings. We bought the right type of gloves (you don't want to handle sewer hoses with your bare hands), the chemicals for the tank, a hose to clean the black tank just in case and last but not least a Camco universal wrench which allows you to loosen and remove any cleanout plug.  I wouldn't want to be faced with a full black water tank and no way to loosen the cleanout plug.


The next thing to buy was the fresh water hose, a water pressure regulator, water filter and a 'Water Thief'; this little device comes in handy if you arrive at your site and the water faucet is stripped so you can't hook up your fresh water hose.  All you do is break out the Water Thief slip it on the faucet and voila' you can now attach your fresh water hose!  We haven't needed it yet but when we do we will be prepared.


The RV also came with a 30amp electrical cord.  After researching everything we could on the old interweb we knew we needed a surge protector.  These things are expensive!  You can easily spend $200+ for them but we opted for one on Amazon for $79.  It serves it purpose just fine.


Well, those are the important must haves.  The next thing to do was stock the RV with "comforts of home".  You know things like: plastic dishes and paper plates, a pot and a 8" & 10" fry pan, collapsible bowls, a dish drain, silverware, knives, cooking utensils, plastic cups, water pitcher, a hair dryer, iron, folding chairs, folding table, patio mat, first aid kit, essential survival items, a level (this is an absolute must have tool), tool kit.  Camping World & Amazon are our go-to places for the RV. We don't know what we would do without them.  Our RV is a 24' with limited storage so buying small is essential.  We now know what it means to have a Tiny House. 


Looks like we have what we need.  Time to plan the Shake Down trip!






Just a small sample of things we needed for the RV.

 Until next time.

"Adventure is out there"