Life Since Mittry Lake

Posted on March 19, 2015 by Jim Melvin

Paradise Casino

After I left Mittry Lake I headed to the Paradise Casino. From there I drove into Los Algadones, MX to have my teeth cleaned by my dentist Dr Eva Urena. All went well and I didn’t have to have any other work done. I got out of there paying only $35. Not too shabby!

While I was over in MX I decided to have my hearing checked out. I found the place my friends from a couple of years ago got their hearing aids. They had lots of good things to say about them so went in without an appointment and they said to return for a hearing test in about an hour. I love the fact that you can go in any office without an appointment and they will get you in so fast.

My hearing test results were exactly what I have thought for some time. My hearing is going down the drain. She recommended several types of hearing aids including one that only costs $695. However she mentioned that I would probably be in there in a year or two upgrading to new hearing aids. I decided to go with the better hearing aids. I gave her half of the amount and told her I would be back in a week or two to pick them up and be fitted.

My teeth cheaper the Chica’s

The last thing I would have to do in Yuma was getting Chica’s teeth cleaned. A vet in CA told me that she had Periodontal disease and quoted me a price anywhere from $850 to $1100. YUK!!! I took the quote to the Animal Hospital of Yuma and they quoted my a price of $470 for the same procedure. However they wanted to see her first before going ahead with anything. I took her in and they said she had a mild case of Periodontal disease and needed a tooth extracted. But what she had could be cleared up with a deep cleaning which would only run about $185. What a difference.

Anyway I took her in and since I had her teeth cleaned there last year, they gave me a discount and only charged me $165. Now she is good to go for another year.

Let me see – My teeth – $35 Chica’s teeth – $165. DUH!!

Scattering of Ashes

I then returned to CA and stayed at O’Neill Park. My sister Bev had found online someone who would scatter my parents ashes in the Saddleback Mountains. How cool is that. We originally planned it for February 28, but it was raining and overcast and we had to postpone it until March 7. I got up early on the 7th and took a bunch of stuff over to a picnic site where we would be able to see the plane when it flew over scattering their ashes. Once the family showed up we were all ready to view it. She circled several times before scattering the ashes. It was really a beautiful site. I tried to get pics but they didn’t come out too good. We combined both my father’s and mother’s ashes together. It was their wishes to have their ashes scattered over Saddleback Mountain and we were so happy that we finally carried out their wishes. I will never see Saddleback Mountain again without remembering this day and the beauty of seeing their ashes float down to the trees.

We then spent the afternoon roasting hot dogs and eating a great picnic lunch. It was fun seeing everyone again.

Back in CA

I wanted to see if I could qualify for Lasic surgery on my eyes. I HATE wearing glasses and was hoping I could have the surgery so I would only need glasses for reading. I made an appointment and went in to see the eye doctor. I found out that I have cataracts and astigmatism in both eyes so the doctor suggested I have cataract surgery and he would also replace my lens to correct the astigmatism. He would do one eye at a time with a period of time between eyes. I was ready to go.

Then he stated that he would have to get an OK from my primary physician. My previous primary physician was with Kaiser Permanente who I have not see since I started full timing almost 5 years ago. I usually went to Renown Care in Reno each year and they would renew my prescriptions.

I checked on the Internet to find a Primary Care Physician in the area and I found a real gem. I was able to make an appointment on line and was notified by his office almost immediately. I went in and he checked me out but wanted to run a CT Scan of my heart and blood work as well. The CT Scan came back with a 324 result so he suggested I seen a Cardiologist as well as a Pulmonary doctor because he could hear some noise in my lungs. I went to the Cardiologist and after speaking some time with her she wanted me to take a treadmill test.

I finally got the OK from my new Primary Physician and made the appointments with the eye doctor. I had to go in and get further measurements of my eyes and scheduled the right eye to be done on the 2nd and the left eye on the 8th. There is usually a two week wait between eyes but he knew I would be headed up north for a summer job so he made an exception.

Back in Yuma

After much prodding and poking by doctors I returned to Yuma to pick up my hearing aids. That went very well but they didn’t order the charger for me as I requested so I will have to return later. I also stopped in to see Gayle and Jim at the space they are renting in Yuma while their get dental work completed. It was a really nice area and very scenic since they are so close to the mountains. Chica also enjoyed seeing Sophie and Elvis and had fun on a walk with them. I stupidly didn’t get any pics while I was there.

Heading to Phoenix

I was going to spend a few more days in Yuma, but when the temperature hit 94 and we have no hookups at the casino I decided to go where I have full hookups. More on that later.

Sad News

Posted on February 4, 2015 by Jim Melvin

I Lost My Mother

Two days after my last blog post my Mother passed away. Since then I haven’t quite felt like blogging and I apologize for not keeping you up to date. I just haven’t felt like it. She was 91 at the time and we were very lucky to have her so long. It was very fortunate I was in Southern California visiting relatives when she passed away. You will really be missed Mom.

She used to always tell us to stop and smell the roses. Her she is doing what she always loved.

A pic of her and my sister Bev at the San Juan Capistrano Mission.

We had a Memorial Service for her overlooking Dana Point Harbor. It was a really nice service.

She will be greatly missed by us all.

Quartzsite

With everything going on with my family I was not able to attend Quartzsite this year. I really missed seeing everyone and will just have to catch up next year.

Back to the Mothership

I called Vince at Lazy Daze and he was able to fit me into their busy schedule to get some much need items repaired/replaced. Vince was really great and did everything I needed done including replace the refrigerator, oven, toilet, kitchen faucet, and two new AGM house batteries, and ladder plus numerous small items that needed attention. It sure was nice to get everything taken care of.

Still in SO CA

I am not sure when I will be leaving SO CA as there are some other things that I have to attend to, but once I do I will probably head to Yuma to get my rig washed and waxed plus see my Mexican dentist to have my teeth cleaned.

Southern California for the Holidays Brrrrrrrrrr!!

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Jim Melvin

Off to sunny SO CA to warm up – HA!

I couldn’t wait to get out of Fernley and down to SO CA for the holidays. I will warm up for sure down there and enjoy all the nice sunshine. I stopped in Beatty, NV again where it was a bit warmer then Fernley but not much. Then headed straight to Orange County to visit family and friends.

I stayed a few days in a pull through site at O’Neill Park. But then realized it was not a good site for either solar or WiFi so moved to a back-in site where everything is good. Great solar and 4G Internet. How could it get much better? Well as it turns out it could be much better. The weather was freezing. It seemed like I was back in Fernley. One night it rained on the valley floor but snowed in the Saddleback Mountains just a short distance away.

Chica and I went over to my sister Bev’s home and spent the holidays with she and my brother-in-law Bob. We had a great time and Chica was glad to see their dog Lando. They get along great and loved to run in the park.

Visited my Mom

Bev and I took Chica over to see my Mom one afternoon. Unfortunately I didn’t get any pics. We did go back another day to visit her without Chica and I got this clip of her. She put on Bev’s glasses and was interested in going through her purse. HA! She is doing well but is very frail and doesn’t talk too much. It sure was good to see her though.

Chica visits Santa

Bev and Bob have a cute Santa in his sleigh. Chica fit in there perfectly and she was very content sitting on Santa’s lap.

I’m sure she was wishing for lots of cookies and fun toys to play with.

Here Chica is with Lando.

Plus a pic of Chica, Lando and my sister Bev.

Heading to the beach

In a couple of days I will be heading to the beach. I will spend a week at Doheny State Beach right on the ocean in Dana Point, CA. I have always wanted to stay there but it was always crowded and hard to get a reservation. It is supposed to warm up this week so looking forward to it. More pics to come.

Soon on to Quartzsite

I usually get to Quartzsite, AZ around the 4th of Jan. This year I will be a bit late. I intend to arrive in Q on the 14th just in time for the show. I will be camping at Rogers 1/2 acre as I have done in the past. I hope to catch up with a lot of my friends when there. If you are heading there be sure to stop in and see us. It is a blast.

Mono Lake

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Windy morning

I got up this morning to a lot of wind. I checked the weather and it was blowing 10-15 mph. I was debating whether to stay or head out into the wind.I checked the Weather Channel and it said windy today and windier tomorrow (15-25mph). If I stayed here I would need to stay two more days. I needed to get a few items at Walmart so packed up and headed to the Walmart in Ridgecrest, CA. The wind wasn’t too bad so decided to head out. My destination was Mono Lake where I know a great boondocking spot.

There were a few times when the wind got very gusty, but overall it was OK.

Stopped in Bishop

I had to stop at the Schat’s Bakery to pick up their famous Sheepherder’s bread. However they were completely sold out. BUMMER!!! Instead I got a loaf of Sourdough Rosemary bread which I am sure will also be very delicious. I couldn’t wait so just buttered a slice and it was really yummy.

Mono Lake

I am boondocking in the same spot I had when I came up here in 2012. It is a great spot overlooking the lake.

This is a pic of some of the beautiful wild flowers growing right outside our door.

Some pics taken in different directions surrounding our campsite.

There is still snow on the surrounding mountains as we are up 8,000 feet. The temp is supposed to get down to 35 tonight so Chica is already warming up on my jacket. Looks like we will run the heat tonight.

New Curtains and back on the road again!!!

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Finally got rig back

It was 2 weeks since I dropped off my rig at the Ford Dealer but finally got it back on Friday. I had booked one night at O’Neill Park. I was also able to reserve 2 nights at the Elks. It took the dealer a good bit of time to complete the necessary repairs. The dealer that repaired my rig only works on heavy stuff like RV’s ambulances and big trucks.

The whole time my rig was at the dealer I spent over at my sister Bev’s and her husband Bob. Chica also really enjoyed Lando as shown from my previous post.

It sure was nice getting back to sleeping in my home once again.

New custom made drapes

Bev and I measured all the windows and she offered to make me new curtains. We must have made a dozen trips to Hobby Lobby for all the material needed as well as a few other neat items.

Bev was very busy cutting fabric and sewing it to the specs of the windows. We went to the rig several times while it was parked in the dealer’s lot, but waited until last Sunday to install them. What a fabulous job she did. I can’t begin to thank her enough.

This is the rear drape. Mind you I was able to remove that horrible pull down blind that was in the rig since it was made by Lazy Daze.

The door window. The old LD blind broke earlier in the year. Bob just happened to be walking outside of the door as this pic was taken.

She also made curtains for the kitchen windows but the pic did not turn out well.

Celebrated at the Elks

Since I was parked at the Elks when everything was done and installed we all went in to celebrate with a drink at the bar. It was a wonderful ending for a great day and my last down in So CA. It is always fun seeing Bob and Bev. Thank you so much for everything you both have done for me!!!

Early call Monday morning

At 7:45am Bev called. She had gotten up early and wanted to finish off a valance for the drapes. I hadn’t planned on leaving until 10:00 so she came over and installed the new valances. What a big difference. That was the finishing touch she really wanted. It looks FANTASTIC!!!!!

This is the back window.

The door.

The Kitchen.

I am so excited over the new look.

Stopped at Inyokern, CA

I got on 395 and made my first stop at a small RV park in Inyokern, CA. I have stayed at this same park 3 out of the 4 years I have been on the road. Just like going back to your old neighbor. It has hookups so I get get water and dump tanks on my way up to Mono Lake where I will boondock for a night.

I have not driven any distance since I came over to SO CA from Yuma. That is not much driving at all. It is so great getting back on the road again. Chica is very happy too as you can see from this photo.

I am slowly making my way up north to the Cascades in WA where I will be a camphost all summer. I should be up there by May 10th.

Waiting for the rig

Posted on April 22, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Been a while since I last posted

Sorry it has been so long but have been busy getting ready to head up to Washington for my new camp host job. I traveled to Southern California where I have been spending time with my sister Bev and brother-in-law Bob. I spent 2 nights at O’Neill Park in Orange County and then took my rig into the Ford dealer near by to have a few things checked out. They are very busy this time of the year so I have left it there while they ordered parts. My front end needs work and it also needs service as well.

Chica and Lando

Lando is Bev and Bob’s dog and Chica got to know him last Christmas while we were there. So they are now getting more and more familiar with each other and sharing each other’s toys at times.

We took them to the nearby park to run in the grass. They had a great time together.

Chica even enjoyed playing in the swings and slides area.

Birthday party at the beach

One day we were invited to a friend’s grandson’s birthday party at the beach. The weather was great and the party was fun.

Things I have done in the past several days.

Hiked with Bev at a nearby park.

Visited my Mom at their annual Easter Egg Hunt for the little kids.

My Mom is doing well and was really glad to see us. I will take Chica over to see her tomorrow.

Getting rig ready

Bev has been very helpful in getting my rig organized. I definitely needed a woman’s touch in there and she definitely supplied it. I had already installed shades in three of the windows, but needed curtains on both the door and in the kitchen window. We bought the material and she sewed some drapes for me.

While the rig is parked in the dealers lot ready to be repaired, we have gone over there several times and they let us do things inside the rig. First of all I got rid of a lot of unneeded junk.. I finally removed the back valance and tossed it. Bev is also going to make some curtains to replace the old curtains Lazy Daze they had installed in the rear.

Today we went and installed some of the curtains. I forgot to take any pics so will have to show you in a later post. They really turned out nice and I am very pleased with them. I can’t begin to thank Bev enough for all the work she has done.

Repairs tomorrow

The dealer said they will be working on my rig tomorrow and finish it up by Wednesday. I may move it back to O’Neill Park for a couple of days and finish it up and then begin my journey up to Washington. I am supposed to be up their by May 14, but am planning on getting there on the 10th to get organized in my new campsite.

Last day in Yuma!!!

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Last day in Yuma

Hooray!! This is my last day in the Yuma area. I am still at the Paradise Casino where I am parked with very few other rigs.

I have been here 2 1/2 weeks and no one has hassled me at all. I am getting to know Yuma pretty good now. The weather this last week has really warmed up. It is supposed to be 101 degrees tomorrow. That is way too hot for my blood. Chica’s too! This is a pic of her in the morning when she enjoys the warmth of the morning sun. In the afternoon it is quite different as she finds a cool spot out of the heat.

Last Dental Appointment

I go in to Algadones, MX for my last dental appointment tomorrow at 9:30am. I need to go for a permanent crown and then I am off to the races. I am hoping I can get out of there early and through customs without waiting in a long line. Two weeks ago I had an early appointment and breezed through customs without any line at all. Last week because I didn’t get done with the dentist until 2:00pm I had to wait an hour in line. I think a lot of people go across the border for lunch and when lunch ends they high tale it back across the border, hence the long lines.

Off to CA

Once I get back to my rig I will hook up and be off on my 4+ hour journey to O’Neill Park in Orange County CA. I have stayed at this park many times as it is convenient to my family. It does not have hookups, but that is OK as I have my solar panels and that gives me plenty of solar with the nice blue CA skies. I am also looking forward to getting into cooler temps in CA. Chica is too!!

Heading to I-10

I have decided to take catch the I-10 around Indio and then head into Orange County. It will be later in the day I will be hitting all the traffic, but I will be going against traffic pretty much. Anyway I am not in a big hurray as I have already made reservations.

Vet visit, Lettuce Days and Installing New Flooring

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Please don’t take me there!

Well Friday was Chica’s annual vet visit. I had called the day before and got a 2:15 appointment. How lucky I thought. Until I opened their door. There must have been 25 people in the waiting room with their pets. There were dogs of all sizes and shapes. Unfortunately there was no place to sit down as all the seating had already been taken. One idiot thought it would be really neat to show off to everyone how his dog could bark on command. DUH!!!

I had to stand up the entire time before getting in to see the vet. Fortunately they called our name early and Chica seemed all happy to see all the people who worked at the animal hospital.

I took her to the Foothills Animal Hospital on the advise of Debbie and Gayle. They had been there previously in the week and really liked them. I would highly recommend them as well. They are very professional and don’t even charge for an office visit, unlike the other vet I took her to last year.

The nurse came in and took her to get a pedicure and were back after a few minutes. Then she returned to have the Doctor look at her.

I thinks she spotted those needles and decided this was not a good thing.

The vet said she is in good health although starting to get a bit pudgy, so he had me cut back on the wet food I mix in with the dry food. He also said that she needs to come back for a teeth cleaning.

Lettuce Days

Sunday Chris and I went to the Lettuce Days in Yuma. It was a very neat event and lots of informative information about farming in the Yuma area. They had everything from Giant tractors to lots of wonderful produce.

Her is a great pic of Chris and the Dole Pineapple.

Then we met this poor sap who played music for donations to help fix his car.

It was a great day.

Back to the dentist

Monday I returned to the dentist where she removed two crowns and took impressions for my new bridge. YUK! I hate that stuff they use for making impressions. I now only have one more appointment to install the bridge and pull a wisdom tooth. That should really be a blast from the past!!!

Off to Hot Springs LTVA

Tuesday i left Mittry Lake to head on over to the Hot Springs LTVA just outside of Holtville, CA. After I posted that I had got an estimate for removing the carpeting and replacing it with a nice flooring material I received an email from Peter of American Traveler fame. He offered to remove the carpeting and replace it with a vinyl flooring product. WOW!! What great friends I have!

Peter and Bea live on Campobella Island in New Brunswick, Canada. They travel in the winter to the southwest were they spend approximately 6 months. I have known them since Mar, 2011 and without making any plans have run into them every year since. This was the first time we planned to meet each other.

I couldn’t believe the offer from Peter. So now I am parked at the Hot Springs right near Peter and Bea while we work on my flooring. Peter drove me into the Home Depot in El Centro and I selected a vinyl flooring. Then it was back to my rig to remove the carpeting. It came out fairly easy, but then we had the job of removing all the tacks that Lazy Daze uses. Lots and lots of tacks.

Her is a pic of Peter ready to attack the removal of the carpeting.

Of course Chicka had to help too.

Chicka has a new place for her bowl.

More pics of the flooring after the carpet was removed. Now it is nothing but pulling out tacks.

Now Peter is laying the vinyl tiles, with Chicka’s assistance of course.

Peter was able to lay four rows of tiles before we called it quits about 3:00pm. We then relaxed a bit and then headed down to the hot springs were we took a refreshing dip in the hot water. It was a busy day and I cannot thank Peter enough for tackling this project.

It’s all over but the warming!

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Released from Amazon

My release date from Amazon was Wed 12/18. I was going to slack off my last day but I wound up having a great day. I had a better percentage of items stowed then normal. I also talked to a lot of the campers who were leaving on the same day and some that were scheduled to leave later. Many of us are going to Quartzsite in January and we are making plans to meet up there. I can’t wait. I probably met more fun people this year then any of the last two years. Aside from the hard work and the COOOOOLD weather I really enjoyed this year more then any other.

Change in weather

I figured that I would take Thursday to get organized and ready to hit the road on Friday. However this is what I awoke to on Thursday morning.

There wasn’t a lot of snow but just enough to make you slip and slide if you weren’t careful. I spent the day getting stuff organized inside my rig. Even though it snowed the temps were much warmer and by the end of the day a lot of the snow had melted.

I also had running water. HURRAY! Last night while watching TV I could hear the bathroom sink gurgling. Chica was going crazy barking at the gurgling noise. She didn’t know what it was. The sink trap had busted loose and I was finally getting drainage. HURRAY #2!

Great driving weather

I packed everything up, payed my final electric bill at Desert Rose RV park, hooked up the Sami and I was off into the wilderness. It was such a GREAT FEELING to get back on the road. I love the feeling when I am back behind the wheel! Chica curled up in my lap as she always does when we are on the road.

I stopped in Hawthorne at the McDonald’s to give Chica a break but never stopped again except for gas. I finally pulled into one of my favorite RV parks at Beatty RV Park. I don’t know what it is about this park but I usually stop here at least twice a year. The folks here are very friendly and remembered me for the last time I was here ion October just before heading to Fernly.

California Gold (or should I say heat)

Tomorrow I will get up early and head into California where I know the temps are about 70. (Eat your heart out Fernley!) I will be seing my sister and a lot of good friends on Sunday. Chica will also be happy that she can get out and run in the grass.

Glad it is OVER!

It was great having an opportunity to earn a lot of extra money to keep myself on the road. But it sure is great that the time at Amazon finally came to an end. The job is not exactly easy and the weather SUCKS but the money is good. I am glad it has finally come to an end and now I am BACK ON THE ROAD!

I HOPE TO SEE MANY OF YOU IN Q!

Still alive and Kickin’

Posted on December 4, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Lack of posts

I must apologize for my poor lack of posting. It seems like all I do is eat and sleep and I haven’t really had much to say But I am sorry as several of you have wondered if anything has happened. As a matter of fact something has happened. It is called the Amazon work camp.

I got my release date of Dec 18 which is the soonest they have ever cut us loose. YEA! I will probably leave her on the 20th and head for sunny SO CAL to be with my family at Christmas.

Getting really cold!!!

Yesterday we were hit with a cold front directly from the north. It brought a couple of inches of snow and bitter cold weather. The temps are forecasted to be single digits and Saturday it is supposed to be -3. That is way too cold for me. I have both my electric heater and my furnace running 24/7. Chica is very comfortable aside from the bitter cold outdoors.

Here she is laying on her heated bed. I purchased a pet bed warmer from Amazon (naturally) and she loves it. Her she is relaxing in her nice warm bed.

We didn’t get a lot of snow but enough to cover the ground for a while.

Dead Battery

I had a hunch that my battery was on it’s last legs but thought it would be OK. I should have listened to my intuition and gone ahead and bought one a week or so ago. Oh no. Not me. Well anyway I got up this morning and it was DEAD! It was my neighbor Shannon’s day off and she offered to drive me down to get a new one. I got it installed and everything is back to normal. However I missed a day and my mandatory overtime day is tomorrow and I will be working for straight time only. YUK!

Snow all over the mountains

I got this picture facing Amazon and the mountains in the back with all the snow. It sure is beautiful, but I will take the desert anytime.

Looking forward to SO CAL and Q

I am really looking forward to seeing my family over the holidays and then on to Q at the beginning of January. I should be getting there about the 4th.

Stay tuned and I promise not to be so long between posts.