Fools Hollow Lake Recreation Area, Show Low, AZ

When we packed up this morning to leave Cattail Cove State Park, I was pleased to notice the leveler jacks are retracting silently and completely since I greased them a couple days ago. So it seems that little issue is resolved!

We made our way to Fools Hollow Recreation Area in Show Low, AZ which is in the White Mountains of Arizona. This is a beautiful area that ranges from around 5000 ft to more than 7000 ft above sea level. This region is typically 15-25°F cooler than the rest of Arizona and is a popular year-round recreational area. Although the drive was easy and the scenery was lovely, the 360 mile distance is longer than I normally care to make. We got a very early start leaving Cattail Cove so we could arrive in the Show Low area around 4PM.

So here we are now, settled in to a very nice "side by side" campsite - that is, two sites sharing the same pad. I guess these "side by side" sites are intended for a couple of families who are camping together. These were the only type of sites available so we decided to go for it. If we get a neighbor the space will be very crowded, but if we don't get a neighbor we'll have plenty of room. We'll see if someone shows up over the next couple days.

The campground at Fools Hollow Lake Recreation Area is clean and well-laid out, and the camp hosts and rangers are very pleasant and helpful. I think we'll like it here.

Oh yeah, we had to put the front tires up on wood again. What is up with the unlevel campsites we keep getting?

London Bridge, Etc., Lake Havasu City, AZ

Believe it or not, London Bridge is right here in Lake Havasu City, Arizona!

It is an interesting story of how this came to be: In 1962, the bridge built in 1831 over the River Thames in London was determined not to be sufficiently strong to support the growing load of modern traffic. And so the City of London put the bridge up for sale and it was bought by Robert P. McCulloch, the man who founded Lake Havasu City in 1964. To transport the bridge to Arizona, it had to be dismantled block by block, each one meticulously numbered. McCulloch had the exterior granite blocks transported to America and reassembled around a reinforced concrete structure to rebuild the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City.

We drove into town from the campground, and spent some time in the Lake Havasu Visitors Center and browsing around the London Bridge. It's a neat area, with some shops and a couple casual restaurants - including Bridge Burger, where we had lunch.

Our next stop was Home Depot for some wood; we had an associate cut down a 16-ft piece of 12x2 into several 30" and 12" pieces. We should now have enough wood to tackle just about any unlevel campsite!  I also bought a hand-type grease gun and grease to service the leveler system.

After Home Depot, we made a stop at the local Walmart for some supplies and then headed back to the campground, where I greased the leveler jacks. I won't know until we retract the jacks whether this will resolve the issues - will have to wait until we pack up to leave.

Settling in at Cattail Cove State Park, Lake Havasu City, AZ

After a very fun time in the Las Vegas area, we left today and made our way to Lake Havasu, AZ. The drive was pleasant and easy and we got to the Cattail Cove State Park campground around 3PM this afternoon. We had reservations for site #53, which is very large and set off from the others so it is also quite private.

The only downside to this campsite is that it is extremely unlevel. So there we were again, putting the front wheels up on wood so they would not be off the ground when we raised the front end with the leveler jacks.

After much huffing and puffing, and more than a little cursing, we got the motor home situated. The camp host lent us some additional wood because we did not have enough. We will make a trip to the local Home Depot tomorrow to get more wood.

Anyway, this is a really nice campground and I would be happy to stay here again. Despite having to put the Dolphin up on blocks, site #53 is still the best. The campground is immaculate, nicely laid out, and sits on Lake Havasu.

Regarding the issue with the noisy and reluctant Power Gear leveler jacks: I did a little research on the manufacturer's website and discovered the jacks should be greased every 20-30 uses. Interesting... the printed Power Gear documentation that came with the motor home makes no mention of this!? Sure enough, when I scraped off the road grime around the leveler jack cylinders, I found a grease fitting on the bottom of each one. Guess I'll buy a grease gun tomorrow.

Getting to Calico, CA

We departed Travis AFB on Saturday, April 18th and made our way to Edwards AFB, CA.

Our original plan was to go to Edwards a couple days sooner, to view the poppy bloom in Antelope Valley and check out the annual Poppy Festival in nearby Lancaster. We also had an appointment on Monday to get an oil change and lube on the motor home.

But the evening before we were to leave Travis AFB, we learned the poppies had bloomed almost a month early and there was nothing left to see. So we gave ourselves a couple "down days" at Travis, to recover from all the driving and sightseeing and catch up on laundry, bookkeeping, etc.

Edwards AFB is home to the Air Force Test Center, and is the Air Force Materiel Command center for conducting and supporting research and developmental flight test and evaluation of aerospace systems from concept to combat. It also operates the US Air Force Test Pilot School, is home to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center, and used to be an alternate landing site for Space Shuttle missions. While there is no doubt that Edwards is a very important and interesting base, it is also located in the Mojave desert, is very hot and dusty, and there doesn't seem to be much going on during the weekend.

We rolled into the FamCamp around 5PM to learn there were no campsites available, but we had expected this and so it was no big deal. We spent two nights in the overflow area, which is a big parking lot. We caught up on some online activities (the WiFi is fairly decent in the campground's community room), and watched a couple movies.

We left Edwards this morning, but first went over to the base Express gas station and had the on-board propane tank filled. I was glad to be able to do that on base as it was cheap and convenient. Then we drove to Javi's RV Service Center in Lancaster, arriving early for our 10AM service appointment. We put Celia in her carrier and left her in the motor home, and took the dogs to a nearby city park while the work was being done. Javi's did a good job and they were quick and inexpensive, charging only $89 (I provided the oil filter).

Back of KOA - Desert

We were on the road to the Calico area by 10:30AM and made our way to the KOA without incident... a relatively short drive of around 100 miles.

This KOA is nicely laid out with spacious sites, although some offer more shade than others. We were originally assigned a site with very little shade but were able to change to a more protected (cooler) site. The campground is not very busy - just as we like it! There's just a few other campers, including a group of German tourists in several rental Class C campers. They are a very happy group - lots of laughing and walking around. We are enjoying their excitement.

Other than going to the Calico Ghost Town tomorrow (or the next day), we don't plan on doing much else. Our next stop will be at Nellis AFB's Desert Eagle FamCamp, 30 minutes from Las Vegas - we are saving our energy for the Vegas strip!

Getting it Done - Exterior Work Finished!

I spent the first three days here at Camp San Luis Obispo cleaning the exterior of the motor home. It took that long because I had to strip off all the wax and use Barkeeper's Friend to fully clean the front and back ends (fiberglass caps) before applying 5 coats of a product called PolyGlow. It was a lot of work but the end result looks great! The previously oxidized and dull fiberglass shells are now shiny clean and sealed behind a hard shield of PolyGlow, which also provides UV protection.

During these three days, I also cleaned and resealed the lounge window awning, and cleaned and waxed the Driver side of the motor home using Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax - this stuff works great!

All the work I've been doing to clean up and reseal the exterior is finally done, and should last at least 2-3 years... maybe longer. According to the manufacturer, the PolyGlow on the end caps just needs to be washed with mild soapy water and 1-2 coats applied each year to maintain the shine and integrity. We'll see.

What now? Nothin' but hanging out and sightseeing!

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.

RV Improvements and Maintenance

Since being here in Houston, we found time to take care of some preventive maintenance on the motor home and make a couple minor modifications:

• Took the motor home to RV Masters for service: oil change and lube; replaced the fuel filter; topped off the differential fluid; and inspected the wheel bearings, emergency brake, and brake system
• Repaired one of the fog lights
• Replaced the water pump
• Replaced the faucet set for the outside shower
• Replaced the Dicor sealant around the TV antenna and refrigerator vent
• Applied Eternabond tape to the roof on each slide, to prevent water intrusion
• Washed and waxed the motor home
• Sealed all exterior windows with 100% Silicone
• Installed illuminated switches for the hot water heater: Blue for LP mode and Amber for Electric mode

And we've added a few gadgets to our collection:

• A Kobalt 120-PSI 120-Volt Horizontal Electric Air Compressor, capable of inflating everything we have, from the Dolphin's 22.5" RV tires to our bike tires. This is a light-weight, inexpensive ($50) piece of equipment that takes up very little space
• A wireless thermo-hygrometer with remote sensor, which we use to monitor the temperature in the water distribution compartment
• A Thermostatically Controlled Outlet, which turns on at 35°F and goes off at 45°F. We use this with the drop light in the water bay, so the light automatically comes on when the temperature gets close to freezing

Magnets and Norcold Refrigerators

While we were staying at Manatee Cove Campground (Patrick Air Force Base),  it started raining one afternoon. If you've ever spent time in Florida, you know the rain comes down with a vengeance! After a couple hours of this downpour, I noticed our Norcold refrigerator was no longer working. By this time, it was after 7PM.

I verified that power was running, etc., and then checked the outside compartment. This is when I noticed an LED was illuminated on the Norcold  high temperature sensor retrofit, which is intended to prevent fires (it does not).

LED on Retrofit box

After doing some research, I learned this is a common problem. That is, moisture can trigger an error state in the retrofit box, and shut down the 12VDC power to the refrigerator. Regardless of whether the refrigerator is running in the LP or the AC mode, 12VDC must be available for the system to work.

Fortunately, the error can usually be cleared by holding a strong magnet on the retrofit box, to the right of the LED. After 10-30 seconds, the magnet will cause the circuit board relay to reset and clear the error.

But I did not have a magnet and the one I borrowed from a neighbor was not strong enough. So I made a jumper to bypass the retrofit box and get us through the night. This was only a very short term fix, and I do NOT recommend this approach. If a fire does start, the insurance company would likely deny the claim because the Norcold retrofit was bypassed.

The following afternoon, after getting back from boating with our friends, I went to the nearest Ace Hardware and got a magnet. Worked like a charm!

There is Always Something That Needs Doin'

Anyone who has owned a boat or an RV knows that there is always something that needs doin'.  Even a well-maintained motor home has at least a short list of maintenance and repair items at any given time, and our Dolphin is no exception.

I do as much of the maintenance and repair work as I can... partly to save money, but mostly because if I do the work, then I know exactly what was done and how. Over the past several years, I've learned a lot about RV systems and have become pretty adept at taking care of most things myself. Online forums are a great resource for learning about troubleshooting and repairing RVs. In particular, I really like iRV2 which offers a collection of forums based on subject and RV type, and provides a wealth of information.

All that said, however, the first thing I did when we picked up the Dolphin was to arrange for a professional RV technician to inspect the liquid propane (LP) system. I wanted to be completely sure there were no leaks, and that the LP was going to the appliances at the correct pressure. In our Dolphin motor home, the 3-burner stove top, refrigerator, furnace, and hot water heater run off LP.

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Our refrigerator and hot water heater can also be operated using 110 VAC, and our Air Conditioning unit includes a heat pump we can use if the outside temperature is above 45F

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Anyway, Mike Richert from Onward RV Mobile Repair Service verified the LP system is in good shape and he also looked over the rest of the motor home... he was impressed by how nice it is and how well it has been maintained.

We've done some maintenance and repair work on the Dolphin since we've been here at Cove Lake, including:

• Added a Marshall Gas Controls MER472 Stay-Longer Propane Adapter Kit so we can use an external tank when parked for extended periods of time. This will save us from having to pack up to take the motor home to have the on-board propane tank re-filled
• Cleaned the roof and checked all the seals
• Lubricated the roof-mounted TV antenna
• Resealed the run-off gutters along the length of the coach
• Lubricated the steps, doors, locks, hinges
• Lubricated the awnings
• Tightened the screws and other fasteners inside the motor home 
• Sanitized the fresh water system
• Flushed the hot water heater and replaced the drain plug
• Lubricated the slides' rails and motors
• Put a brace under the bedroom slide to prevent the roller from wearing a groove in the fiberglass

There's more work to be done, but it can wait until we are settled in one place for a while over the winter.