Tuscon, AZ - Settling In

Our drive to Tuscon, AZ from El Paso was very uneventful. We passed through yet another Border Patrol check-point... these check-points are scattered starting mid-way from Del Rio to Big Bend and westward to El Paso and into Arizona. They are no big deal for us... we just show our Driver Licenses and sail on through. I think our Air Force base stickers on the Dolphin and Honda windshields are helpful.

FamCamp Office

We're going to really enjoy our time here in Tuscon, and staying at the Agave Gulch FamCamp on Davis-Monthan AFB will be a pleasure. The FamCamp people are very efficient and they have a fair campsite rotation policy: 21 days in a full hook-up site and then out to the Overflow area for a few days, if people are waiting to rotate in. "Overflow" describes a no hook-up area where you can wait for a site to open up. You also have the choice to remain in the Overflow area if you prefer, which some people take advantage of because the sites are very large.

The Dolphin with Covers On

A lot of retirees spend the winter here at Agave Gulch FamCamp: the campground is very nice and extremely affordable, the Tuscon area offers plenty to do and see, and the weather is fantastic.

We got here a couple days ago and spent only one night in Overflow before rotating into a full hook-up site yesterday morning. The rotation policy at this FamCamp provides that you can choose a site which is currently occupied when the occupant is at or past his 21st day, even if other sites are open. If you made this choice, the current occupant would have to pack up and move to Overflow or to another open site. The site we wanted (#208) was currently occupied and we thought it would be a crappy thing to do to make that person move, so we opted for another site instead. Anyway, the occupant is a guy named "Stu" and he came by later to offer us a case of beer as a Thank You. He did not have to do that, but I guess he really appreciated that we did not make him move.

After moving to our full hook-up site in the morning, we spent several hours getting settled in - including giving the motor home a good interior cleaning, putting on the exterior window screens, tire covers, etc. Although we'll only be here for 9 days, it's best to protect the Dolphin from the Arizona sun as much as possible.

Then we went to the VA Hospital Emergency room in the mid-afternoon to have my right arm and shoulder examined. I must have overworked the shoulder while cleaning the motor home exterior in Houston - and the pain was getting worse and worse instead of better. Anyway, it was President's Day and so Tuscon city roads had very little traffic and the only activity at the VA hospital was in the Emergency Room. We were there a total of 3.5 hours, during which I had a XRay and was examined by the ER Doc on duty. Turns out they where having technical issues and my XRay could not be uploaded to be read by the remote Radiologist. The ER Doc took a look at it and advised that he did not see any bone damage, although he stressed he is not a radiologist. He believes the culprit is soft tissue damage that is inflamed. He gave me a cortisone shot, a bottle of prescription-strength Ibuprophen, and a bottle of Hydrocodone. The Doc told me to take it easy and favor the arm, but NOT to put it in sling as this would most likely cause my shoulder and elbow to lock up. He also told me that if it did not significantly improve within 4 weeks, I should have an MRI. I slept like a log last night for the first time in a couple weeks, and the arm feels good today - I just need to be careful not to over-use my shoulder.

Today was very productive. I got some exterior work done on the motor home (applied 100% silicone around the rear window, put Eternabond on the last of the slide roof areas, cleaned-up and lubricated the bikes, mounted the water bay remote thermometer, etc.) and Lynda restocked the fridge and cupboard.

Tomorrow, we'll drop-off Celia off at the nearby Banfield Pet Hospital for her 6-month wellness check-up, and then do some sightseeing.