Category Archives: Organizing

Waiting for the rig

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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.

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Chica even enjoyed playing in the swings and slides area.

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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.

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Things I have done in the past several days.

Hiked with Bev at a nearby park.

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

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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.

 

Getting my campsite all set up

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Getting my supplies

After my first day there, Red came over and picked me up and also brought a lot of the necessary items to perform my hosting job.  To begin, he brought over a small shed, which we assembled.  This was for the two leaf blowers, gas cans and various other items like shovels, rakes, brooms, etc.  They also supplied me with a Honda 2000 generator which is locked on the back of my rig.  Don’t forget the golf cart to ride around in.  Then we took the trailer back to his site where we picked up a 325 gallon water tank.  We had to fill it at his campground since there is no water at mine.  That took quite a while to fill.  Sherry also supplied me with all the different forms I will need to complete record payments, supplies, etc.  This is my well stocked campsite.

Cleaning the rest stop

On the way back to my site we stopped and cleaned the two pit toilets at the rest stop.  That is the only real bummer about this job as I have to clean them every Tuesday and Thursday.  Since I don’t have a toad that means driving my rig down there with the equipment needed to clean them.  It is only a mile down the road, but the shoulder of the road is too narrow to drive the golf cart on.  There is also no supplies stored at the rest stop so I have to load everything up to haul down there.  It is a bummer but it is part of the job I signed up for.

Ochoco Divide open for business

The following day I had all the pine needles cleaned up from the road and was working on getting each campsite cleaned up as well.  Red and Sherrie came by and Red took over cleaning up the campsites while Sherrie and I put up all the signage in the park and cleaning the fire pits.

Ochoco Divide was not supposed to open until Friday but have had people there starting on Wednesday.    I explained to them that we would be cleaning and making noise throughout the park but that was OK with them.  By Friday everything was ready to go.  Finally!

Ochoco Divide is at the summit of Highway 26.  I can hear the trucks going by and many of the big rigs stop at the summit going either way to check there brakes for the long haul down the mountain.

I guess it is now official that I am the camp host.  HA!!  And don’t forget to buy your firewood from me!

Here is a pic of the entrance to the campground.  Notice how clean the road is now!

Finally another pic of the nice clean roadway that runs throughout the park.

I Love Anza Borrego !!

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One of my favorite places…

Anza Borrego State Park has to be one of my most favorite places.  It is located in the desert east of Oceanside.  I guess the main reason I like it is the peace and calm of the desert.  This is my 2nd year here and it gives me time to sort out my rig and my thoughts to prepare for the year.  You can park just about anywhere you like, but I found out yesterday that it pays to park on some higher ground.  I found a nice spot, but had no Internet or cell phone connections.  So I moved to a little higher ground and the connections are much better.  It isn’t the fastest Internet where I am now but who is in a big hurry anyway.  However my closest neighbor is at least a half mile away.

This is my campsite now.  Doesn’t it look familiar?  I am not sure how close I was to the spot where I took my header photo above, but it is very close to it.  The only thing that is missing is the rainbow and that might just come a bit later.  Stay tuned.

Love the mountains

Here are a few pics I got while enjoying my adult beverage.  I even got this pic of myself!

I am located near Clark Dry Lake just about 7 miles from Borrego Springs.

This is the Santa Rosa mountain range.

The end of the day.

Millions of stars in the sky

I awoke at 3:30am and went outside to see the night sky.  The stars were just fantastic.  I tried to get a good picture of the moon but didn’t come out too good.  The wind was blowing very hard and it was hard to keep my camera steady.

Batten down the hatches….

The weather prediction for the weekend is not good.  It is supposed to rain Saturday thru Monday.  I won’t be going anywhere until at least Tuesday.  I am well stocked up with everything and tanks are empty.  I don’t want to be driving around the desert while it is raining.

Lets Hope It’s The Right Pump

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I am still w…a…i…t…i…n…g…

I spent the Labor Day Weekend in my room at InTown Suites online catching up on blogs and also watching TV.  Fun eh! – NO!  I would much rather be on the road making new adventures.  Besides TV dinners are not the greatest either.  YUK!!!

Part should be here today – HOORAY!!

According to the FedEx tracking system my fuel pump should arrive at the dealer sometime today.  I called Daniel at the dealer to let him know the pump will be coming in today and to let me know when it arrives.  With any luck it is the correct pump and I should be out of here in a few days.

Swype on my Droid is so fast…

I subscribe to a newsletter sent out by Geeks On Tour.  In it they describe how to type on your Android phone a whole word at a time without removing your finger from the keyboard.  WOW!!  I love new technology and just had to see how this works.  I read their article and within a half hour I was typing away on my phone’s keyboard with the greatest of ease.

I would highly recommend checking out the Geeks on Tour site.  They have a lot of FREE articles and videos that cover things like Picasa, computer tricks. organizing your computer, Google Earth, Microsoft Streets and Trips, etc.  Check them out.  Like I said many are FREE but you can also sign up for their paid membership for $39 per year and have access to all of their videos on how to do many interesting things using your computer.  I have a yearly membership and can’t begin to tell you how useful it has been.  I have really learned a great deal from them.  They also give seminars at many RV rallys throughout the country so look for them.

 

 

By the way, I am not affiliated with any of the above recommendations except to be a very satisfied user of all.

Ready To Hit The Road!

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I have been camp hosting here in Tyler, TX since 7/8/2011.  Since I got here it has been like camping in the Mohave Desert.  There has been only one day since I got here that the temperature has been below 100 degrees and that day it hit 98.  Another interesting fact was that for 22 days the temperature was over 105.  Seems like Arizona only with humidity which makes it even worse.

I am planning on heading Northwest where I will stay at Lake Arrowhead State Park for a few days and then on to Palo Dura State Park for another few days.  Both these destinations are in Texas and both are still predicted to be quite hot.  From there I am headed into the mountains of northern New Mexico where I am hoping temperatures will cool off.

There has not been too much to blog about during my time here.  I start my day by working for a couple of hours early in the morning before it gets too hot.  Then it is inside for the remainder of the day.  I have taken a lot of time re-organizing my rig.  I have gone through every cabinet including outside storage.  Anything I didn’t use for the last year is going to the Good Will.  I gave away some CD’s to some of the people in the park and am getting rid of many of the books I have read.  It is so nice to have a Kindle where all my books are stored.    Right now I am finishing up on my outside storage, which should be completed before I depart.

I am looking forward to getting back on the road.  I have HITCH ITCH something fierce and can’t wait.  Also looking forward to more frequent blogs showing pics of the beautiful places I visit.  Thanks everyone for being so patient during this time.

42 Days with no relief in site!

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I have been workamping in Tyler, TX for 30 days now and every day has been over 100 degrees.  They have forecast it to be HOT, HOTTER, and HOTTEST!!!  But aside from heat, life is good.  My day consists of getting up early and work for 1-2 hours starting at 7:30am.  My work day usually ends at 10:30am.  Then it is back to my rig for the remainder of the day. I am in charge of mowing all the lawn and it takes me about 5 days to complete it.  I do have a riding lawnmower so it isn’t too strenuous.

Fortunately if I keep the blinds in my rig closed all day it will help with the heat.  That and the fact my A/C is running 24/7 set at 74 degrees.  In fact it is quite comfortable inside.

You are probably wondering what I have been doing with all that excess time.  Well to begin with I am organizing the interior of my rig.  I am going through every cabinet and getting rid of those items I haven’t even looked at for the past year that I have been on the road.  If I haven’t used it by now chances are I won’t ever be using it and it either goes to the junk or the Goodwill or to others who might have a need for it.  I have also purchased a bunch of plastic shoe boxes from Walmart to keep my stuff organized.  My label maker has been working overtime.  Now if I need something I usually can find it without digging through a bunch of junk.  I am also surprised by the amount of extra room I have freed up in my cabinets.  I still have more to do but I should be finished with all the organizing by the time I leave here.  I also have cable TV and can watch some of my favorite shows as well.

By the way, I am leaving here on 8/24 and heading north east to Lake Arrowhead State Park for a few days and finally to Palo Dura State Park.  After that I will be in the mountains of New Mexico for a while.  It should be a lot cooler there.  Hooray!!!

I apologize for not writing anything in my blog for some time but there hasn’t really been too much to say.  I promise I will be posting on a more regular basis from now on.  I have gotten several emails from friends wondering whether I have shriveled up in this heat.  It is pretty unbearable but I just don’t go outside much and only when I have to.