Friday, October 9, 2015

On The Road Again! -- Oct 9. 2015

Hello from the desert!  Nikko and I wrapped up our "friend-help" visit in Scottsdale, AZ yesterday morning.  My friend's parents are adjusting to their new environment and it seems they are settling in well.  That was the objective!  There is still some organizing left to do outside the main living areas, but I feel I left them content in their new home.  

One errand trip around Scottsdale included stopping at a shop that restores the mechanics of vintage vehicles.  We saw some very cool old cars, including a couple Rolls Royces...




This is a Golden Hawk Studebaker - 1957-1958.  The one at the shop was under a car cover, but we could see one side of it.  In its entirety, it looks just like this one.  The owner put $100,000 into this car!


One last photo from Scottsdale....it's the end of the the monsoon season, so there was a little rain here and there.  One rain/sun combo resulted in a beautiful rainbow...



Now to the current events.  Yesterday morning we left Scottsdale and headed to the Box Wash BLM land a few miles south of Wickenburg, AZ. You may recall we drove through Wickenburg this past spring when we were headed north from Yuma.  It was only about 70 miles (NW) from Scottsdale, but took awhile because I had to drive straight across Phoenix on normal streets... stop/start... stop/start...

We found the boondocking area with no problem....headed down the dirt/sand road....saw a couple of campers and thought, "let's just drive a little further and see if there are other sites..."  BIG MISTAKE!!!!  The RV's passenger side rear tire got caught up in deep sand.  UGH.  There was no going forward or backward.  We were STUCK!  Not good!  


I walked over to the other campers and they didn't have a tow chain....but that probably wouldn't have worked anyway.  So, I called my RV roadside assistance company - Coach-Net - and after assessing the situation from my description of the dilemma, they sent a BIG tow truck up from Phoenix.  Nikko and I visited with the other campers for the 1.5 hours it took for the tow truck to arrive.  


The tow truck arrived within the ETA and Cliff, the driver, looked over the situation.  He was quite concerned as it was a precarious situation.  But, after an intense analyzation, he decided it was a "go" with his truck vs. a 4WD off-road type tow truck.  With hesitation I signed the waiver that said they would not be responsible for any damage done to the RV.  Didn't have much choice in the matter.  We took the totes off the back cargo rack and he started working under the RV with the chains and large pieces of wood.




After very slowly inching the winch, we got back up to level land with less sand and the ability to drive normally,  YAY!  SAVED! NO DAMAGE!  Cliff was an expert tow-guy!  He worked with precision every moment of the ordeal.  After a little chit-chat, with Cliff and the other campers, Glenn (aka "Buck") and Mark helped me strap the totes back on the cargo rack and showed me some parking spots in their area, but distant enough from them that I have a lot of privacy.  And off we went to our current boondocking site!  By this time, it was about 5:30pm and Nikko and I were exhausted.  We hardly took note of our spot....we just ate something and konked out early.  It cooled off nicely with a soothing breeze after a day in the 90's. Great for sleeping out in the "wild"!

Up this morning at sunrise to check out our surroundings....there's a very pleasant breeze today!




There's not a lot of "scenery" here, but it is quiet and I do have low-height trees on the other side (door/awning side) of the RV, which is nice.  A lot of this area has no trees at all, so this is a  nice spot!  In the distance, there is an interesting rock formation that I can see when sitting under the awning.




In the opposite direction there are some distant mountains....


Perhaps the best "view" is the brand new Verizon cell tower that was just recently installed!  This couples very well with the new, unadvertised UNLIMITED, limited-time-only, data plan I scooped up!


Someone left a little "housewarming" angel for future campers at our site....apparently she was looking the other way when I got stuck in the sand!  LOL!


We will stay here until I can see that the temps are lowering a bit towards the Yuma winter area.  It's low 90's here, but still high 90's-100* down there.  Should start leveling off soon, tho'.  I'm expecting a couple of online RV friends to come by here over the weekend on their way to Tucson.  That will be fun!

As always, I so much appreciate the Amazon orders you all have placed via my link.  It really helps me keep the blog going!  (I just noticed I still had the "Father's Day" link at the top!  ACK!  It's gone now!)    

                                             Shop Amazon for Deals of the Day!


From Nikko and I, enjoy a great autumn weekend, wherever you are!









12 comments:

  1. Glad the RV was pulled out without damage! Great assessment by driver!
    Looks like a good place to rest up after your helping weeks. Nikko will like new surroundings, I'm sure.
    Will be fun getting together with friends this weekend. Maybe you can demonstrate the GoSun for them, if they haven't seen one.
    Stay out of sand, and enjoy the area and data plan!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Added a couple more things to checklist - roadside assistance and stay away from sandy roads! :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Definitely, Sharon! Go with Coach-Net! I have used them several times and they are great!

      Delete
  3. Oh, Tiff, I can sympathize with your situation! Back in the early 90's we buried both rear axles of our 40-foot Bounder in a grassy area that the park manager said was OK to drive on. The parking spot sat parallel to the road, and we had to make a 90-degree turn to get into it. But it was raining that day, and the ground was soft. The park manager tried to get us out with his backhoe and only dented the rear bumper, so we had to call one of those trucks about the size of the one that rescued you. He stayed in the road, and tied himself off to a tree on the other side, and then ran his winch out to pull us. $240 dollars and an hour later, we were again on the road...and then we parked in front of the clubhouse for the night!

    As far as services, we have never used coachnet, but we had AAA at one time. We found that they were totally useless when it came to anything larger than a normal passenger vehicle. The person who comes online is halfway across the country and has no idea where you are, what type of vehicle you have, and is totally clueless about RVs or heavy trucks. We had far faster service by calling the information operator and seeking out the services we needed at the local towns, or in one case, calling 911 when our fuel pump went totally out on the Interstate. We told them our situation and in 30 minutes they had a tow truck picking us up from the next exit. With internet access, all you have to do is a YP search of the the city closest to you, and you can usually find whatever you need (in your case, a wrecker/towing service), or at least be able to talk to someone who understands and can direct you to whomever can can help you. It's a lot faster than waiting for the bureaucratic red tape of these road service companies, and usually cheaper in the long run. Besides being faster, there's no premiums to pay, and you only pay for services when you need them, so it's cheaper in the long run.

    Anyway, as always, we love your photography, and hope to meet you sometime this winter. We've been delayed a little bit and may not get out of here until November, but we aren't setting deadlines anymore. When it happens it happens. Stay safe out there!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's why I love Coach-Net roadside service group, John. They ONLY service RVs. I've used them more than once. They are great! For $100/year, I've saved close to $1500 on towing alone. They know RVs and I have always had the fastest service available. And they followup constantly until the problem is resolved. I would never have AAA or Good Sam's....nightmare stories about those companies. Anyway, I highly recommend Coach-Net! Keep in touch....maybe our paths will cross! Glad you are continuing to enjoy the blog!

      Delete
  4. Glad to see you back boondocking again. I finally left Alabama and I am back in Az. myself.I will be doing the LTVA thing this year,so we may see each other sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Glad to see you back boondocking again. I finally left Alabama and I am back in Az. myself.I will be doing the LTVA thing this year,so we may see each other sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Glad to see you back boondocking again. I finally left Alabama and I am back in Az. myself.I will be doing the LTVA thing this year,so we may see each other sometime.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Enjoy your stop over and stay outta that deep sand! We finally had all out rain in Portland on Saturday, Al and our dog Sammy got caught in a downpour and came home looking like drowned rats! It was 70 ans sunny Sunday. We walked the Eastbank Esplanade and across our new beautiful pedestrian/bike/Max train and Streetcar bridge, named Tilikum Crossing (Bridge of the People) to the South Waterfront and the tram on a perfect fall day. Today,it's cloud cover with that moist Oregon Autumn smell in the air! Our yard is beginning to be covered in leaves, dressed up for the season. Desert, mountains, ocean - what's not to love about autumn?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ellyn! You and Al live in a wonderful area! I really hope to get up there at some point! So much going on -- I love your local expeditions! I agree...autumn is a great time of year --- everywhere! Still warm here, but that should start to taper off soon to very comfortable temps. He's a trouper, but Nikko is really looking forward to that!

      Delete
  8. Glad you are back out in nature...(-:

    ReplyDelete