Carol
writes: As the new year rolled in, we
knew it was time to get serious about RV modifications which would make life
simpler in the European campground scene.
In early January, with temps at home in the single digits, we headed to
Phoenix, Arizona. We had arranged for
our RV modifications to be done at D & R Family RV, owned by Ron Wicklund. The plan was that we would spend the night in
Ron’s fenced business area in an industrial part of Glendale, and the work to
install a solar panel and a hookup for our new Wave 3 catalytic heater would begin early the next morning. Along with 3 other couples awaiting work by
Ron, we spent the night. Then, as
promised, the work was completed by noon the next day! Ron is definitely a pro and has created his
business to fulfill a niche in the RV world for RV modifications, with a
specialty in solar panel installations. Knowing the electrical supply in
European campgrounds will fall short of the amperage we are accustomed to in
the U.S., a solar panel will be a perfect solution for keeping our coach/house
battery charged. As for the Wave 3 catalytic heater, it runs off of
propane, but far less propane than our built-in RV furnace, thus conserving
propane. Another plus is that it makes
no noise, unlike the noisy fan that runs with the RV furnace.
It was nice
to experience the warm, sunny days we had hoped would greet us in Phoenix. It was also time to try out our new clothes
washing machine. Spare time in the
industrial lot, 5 days of dirty clothes, and a sunny afternoon definitely added
up to laundry time.
Getting in a
little reading time as our clothes dry.
Our silver 'Class B' rig is in the background.
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Our portable clothes washing machine is called the Wonder Wash. It can wash up to 5 lbs of clothing by slowly
rotating the washing tank with a hand crank. Good old-fashioned hand wringing and drying
on a collapsible/portable clothes line completes the job. We have read that laundromats in Europe are
pricey, have small tubs and are very slow; dryers are scarce. So…we will try our new method, and I am sure we
will probably generate lots of conversations in campgrounds…or we will end up
leaving the Wonder Wash on the side of the road like another couple that we read
about.
Campsite
outside of Phoenix near the Superstition Mountains
When we left
Phoenix, we headed to a remote section of Arizona along the Mexican border and
camped in lovely, peaceful Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The awesome organ pipe cactus, along with the
stately saguaro cactus and the graceful ocotillo, created a very lovely desert setting.
Ocotillo and
a small saguaro cactus at our campsite at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Organ pipe
cactus
Hiking in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
Large cholla
cactus along the trail
Our next
destination was lovely San Diego, California, where Al and I met and married 35
years ago this month. I was hopeful I
could get together for a visit with a dear friend of mine from my single days
when I worked as a medical technologist at Sharp Hospital. Luck was with us! We were fortunate to be able to spend a long
afternoon with Norma Reyes at her lovely home overlooking a canyon in San
Diego. Even though we hadn’t seen Norma
since our family trip in 1989, it was like old times laughing and remembering
fond times together.
We couldn’t
leave San Diego without a visit to the hallowed USS Midway, which is
permanently docked along the waterfront and is open to tours. Four hours was barely enough time to reacquaint ourselves
with the Midway’s amazing service to our country.
Aboard the
Midway—flagship of the first Gulf War
Upon leaving
San Diego, we headed up the coast through many small towns that had been such a
big part of our lives in our single days.
Beach hike
from San Onofre to San Clemente
Lunch in San
Clemente, the second of many future pictures with a beer in Al’s hand
Campsite on
San Onofre beach. We could see all the
way to Santa Catalina Island.
Time to
swing back east and head for home, but we wanted to make one more visit to
Joshua Tree National Park to camp among the jumbo rocks we remembered so well
from our stop here on the family trip in 1989.
Yep, the park still draws rock climbers from all over the world who want
to climb those magnificent granite faces.
Two old-timers
checking out the Joshua trees
We had two
very interesting stops on the way home. We
spent a great afternoon at a gigantic outdoor gem and mineral show in
Quartzite, Arizona, then boondocked for the night in the desert along with
thousands of RVers who come to Quartzite every winter to camp free of charge on
local BLM lands. We felt right at home in a little gathering of about a dozen
other Class B RVers.
Our final
stop was at Buckskin Mountain State Park along the Colorado River. As soon as we pulled into the campground we
knew we had been here before—35 years ago as newlyweds. We both remembered camping here in a tent our
first night out as we left San Diego in 1978 and headed to Al’s first shore
duty assignment with the Navy in Mississippi. The grassy tent sites along the
river were just as lovely as we remembered.
However, spending the night this time in a comfy RV suited both of us a
little more.
Our cabana
site along the Colorado River
Here’s the
guy who shared my tent last time we were here
Back home
now…We felt the solar panel and new Wave 3 catalytic heater were worthwhile modifications. We had lots of chilly nights, so the heater was much appreciated. We spent a few lazy days with our daughter before she set off on a big
adventure of her own. Time to watch a
little Super Bowl. Preparations will
accelerate in February with a tentative mid-March departure for the east
coast, from where we will ship the RV.
For now, I
will let the words of Susan Sontag sum things up:
“I
haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”
