Relaxing in Mazatlan

Monday, Nov. 29, 2010

We are feeling almost normal now except for Eric’s little issue with La Tourista.  Not horrible, but annoying and the only thing that really calms it is “Mucho Pacifico” and of course some Treda. 

I caught up on news with our friends here and everyone is doing fine.  Sam & Rita have a new dog “Chico” a little Jack Russell crossed with ?  He’s about 11 months old and got neutered after they got here.  Much cheaper so a good idea.  Chico is keeping Sam busy marching around the park and he is always looking for something to chase or dig up!  Chico, not Sam!  There is a resident iguana living under the pad behind us so that is of great interest to him.   We’re looking forward to some Harley riding with them but I guess Chico will have to stay home. 

Pat is always busy doing something and is quite crafty to boot!  Here she is busy doing her mosaic stone,  she has quite a few other ones at her rig that she’s done.  Very nice.   What a great smile Pat!

I must get busy and do something too.  Maybe I’ll go back to painting although it has been 30 years, so we’ll see.  I always find it interesting to see what hobbies and interests people have.  Pat is all ready for Wii bowling this year so don’t forget your bowling shirts!  Oh wait a minute, it was me who had the bowling shirt.  Well, not really, just a dopey Canadian tee-shirt.     

A couple of rigs from Vancouver Island pulled in yesterday and will stay 1 week, 1 month ?  Very nice people and I was surprised that one of the ladies (Linda)  knew who I was from my blog.  She said it was good to read about what was happening in Las Jaibas and our trip to Mazatlan so that was nice to hear.  You just never know who is going to read your blog. 

Hal & Helene are a delight as usual, really good to have as neighbors.  Helene was finishing up some sewing projects yesterday and is always busy with something. 

Dick and Val are  getting an addition put on their  patio so the gravel truck was here to make a drop. 

Tomorrow we are going to have pizza night on Sam & Rita’s and Hal & Helene’s suggestion so that should be fun.  It’s always nice to get a night off from cooking! 

Oh,  I forgot to mention that Arnoldo doesn’t have his little restaurant here any more.  Apparently he couldn’t afford Felipe’s monthly rent  so he had to move somewhere cheaper since there isn’t that much business here anymore.  Too bad, we’ll all miss him.

We have a new park manager, Pepe, a youngish Mexican who is fluent in English and a very personable guy.  He has made a point of introducing himself to everyone and says that he’d be happy to help with anything we need.  A very nice guy. 

We had some late arrivals when it was almost dark 6:45 p.m. , a truck and camper pulling a boat,  small trailer, big 5th wheel and two motorhomes.  They all quickly rolled in and parked so I guess they knew what they were doing.  Not our choice as that drive would be too long for us.   It turns out they came from Guaymas and are on their way to La Penita. 

We made it to Mazatlan!

Nov. 28, 2010

We arrived at Las Jaibas yesterday at 2pm.  We left Los Mochis around 8:30 a.m. so that was pretty good time.  We had left San Carlos around 9am on Friday morning and had expected to stay in the Los Mochis RV park.  I had talked to some people who pulled into Totonaka  for the night on their way to La Penita and they were going to stay there so they gave us updated directions on how to find it.   Our trip to Los Mochis was okay although the road seems worse than last year.  Maybe it’s just us but we do know that the Mexican paving leaves something to be desired.  We travelled on the periferico around Navojoa and it was fine for us.  I know that the motor homes really rock and roll on it (right Frank!) but it is good for us with only a short gravel stretch through the creek bottom.    We’d also heard that the alternate route through Navojoa was dug up and had taken Pat and Jack an hour to get through.  We got into Los Mochis around 3pm and tried to locate the RV park but got lost.  As I thought we had good directions I hadn’t started the GPS.  Mistake! Started the GPS, saw where the park was, and couldn’t get back to it so headed out onto the freeway.  There was a retourneau just south of town but the freeway was busy and in the end we decided to just stay in the Pemex just south of town where we stayed on the way south last year.  It is big, open 24 hours and is surrounded by agriculture and as well the freeway is divided out front.  We lined up with the trucks where we could be seen from both pumps and parked for the night on the pavement not the gravel.  All the streetlights were working and we felt safe, but each to their own.  As we passed by Pemex #5516 north of Guasave where the Canadian from Nanaimo was robbed we noted it was not one we would have picked.  It is in a very residential area and is located on a very small lot.  I don’t know if it is open all night but there would not have been any trucks parked in it.  Again, each to their own!  The drive to Mazatlan was uneventful and the road got better on the maxipista but it should for the cost of the tolls.  The parking of the rig was easy, hooray and we are in spot 18 for the winter.  Pat&Jack, Hal&Helene, Dick& Val and Sam & Rita were here to great us when we arrived.  They were happy to see us and we are happy to be here.  The park is basically empty with only 7 or 8 rigs parked and a few stored, however I know that some of you blog readers are on your way!   Travelers are nervous and we saw mostly Canadians on our stopovers along the way.  We Canadians are a brave, or is it stupid people!    Eric thinks it is cooler here than last year but it is 30C in the rig although the breeze is cool.  Today we unloaded Blue, cleaned up the rig and garage and completed most of our set up for our 4 month stay.   We are exhausted!  Tomorrow I will blog some of the things that are going on here but for now I must rest and maybe go for a walk on the beach.  Talk to you tomorrow.  Oh, by the way I must remind you that although I try not to offend anyone with my comments it could happen.  Leave me a comment if you have a gripe!   

Ajo, Santa Ana, and now San Carlos, Mexico

Nov. 25, 2010
Another family birthday, this day in 1997 our oldest grandchild Holly Lynn Watson was born.  She is “13” and now officially a teenager!  A sweet, funny, theatrical, smart, pretty (need I say more) girl.  Happy birthday Holly!  Hugs and kisses from Gramma and Poppa. 

That’s Holly on the right at the Smither’s fall fair in August.  Her sister Abby is on the left and friend Jill is in the middle.  They are showing you their suction cap tongue piercings!
On to the trip.
We left Ajo on Tuesday morning after waiting out the wind.  We arrived at the check point (17 miles south of the border) where you get your tourist visa and vehicle import papers at about 9:30 as we only had to go 200 miles that day.  The highway to that point is new except for about 5 miles still under construction.    New, but still no shoulder!  Imagine our surprise when there was about 6 couples ahead of us in line.  Usually quiet.  There were four Canadian rigs and a couple of Mexican families heading south.  One really nice Mexican who lives in Seattle (too cold in the winter!)  We waited until almost 11 when it was almost our turn and guess what……they ran out of tourist visa forms!  It is now even slower as they have new tourist visa forms and they fill them out, so it takes twice as long.  Not an improvement .  Unbelievable, even the Mexican from Seattle who was ahead of us was shocked.  So…..they had to drive to the border for more forms.  In the end we didn’t get out of there until 1pm.  After us three more couples showed up to get paperwork done, a busy day.  So off we went.    The highway to Caborca is new but the pavement is like a roller coaster and the bridges are hell!  We fueled up at Caborca, had a quick snack and hit the road.  The semi-new pavement from Caborca to Santa Ana is now beat and on top of that they charge you a toll to drive on it. 
We arrived in Santa Ana at Edgar & Ana’s Punta Vista Park at about 4pm and he had the four Canadian rigs and two others parked.  We got the pull through as they had told him we were a motor home and we were still coming.  We had our usual nice visit with Edgar and Anna and were sorry to hear that group was the first large bunch that had come this season.  They are down 80 rigs or so to this point.  Too sad.
We left Santa Ana about 9:30 and headed to San Carlos.  We had no trouble through Hermisillo which is a bit confusing at a couple of points and the traffic was light.  We stopped for lunch at the Pemex where the road heads to Bahia Kino and there was the usual half starved dogs begging.  It makes me nauseous just looking at them.   The only solution for that is spay and neuter but that will never happen.  The Mexican men would never neuter a male and the female cost too much to spay, so there it is. 
We arrived at the Totonaka park around 2pm and parked at the back.  It took a few tries as the set up here is wonky.  You have to get the rig between the sewer (in the middle of the site) and the two foot high pad.  Most rigs couldn’t get their stairs down as they would be too low.  The power at this site is only 15 amps and the water was leaking at the tap.  Joe is a really nice park owner but he should have his crew clipping a little less grass and doing more repairs!   After setting up Eric had to change our water hose to a yellow rubber one that we carry as the RV water hoses are crap.  Always leaking no matter how many washers you use.  Drives Eric nuts!  After that we couldn’t get any water out of the cold water tap at the sink.  Now what!  Eric was ready for beer, not repairs!  He pulled it apart and we had a geyser even with the outside water turned off.  The tap sprung apart and we then saw the white had sediment stuck in it.  Looks like flakes of tooth enamel.  This in spite of the fact we have screens and a water filter.  After we located all the parts and Eric put it back together we were back in business.  Hopefully that doesn’t happen in the bathroom as Eric has been unable to get the handles off those taps. 
Eric had a nice chat with the guy next door who lives in Midway, B.C. (close to Osoyoos) and they discussed all the crappy construction of RV’s in general, no matter what you pay.  He and his wife are here for a month but usually head farther south.  They had transmission problems with the rig, vehicle problems and also a couple of injuries during last winter and had decided to stay home.  And yet, here they are.  We told them they should come to Las Jaibas where he can swim with his dog.  Maybe they will. 
The bridge coming into San Carlos  is repaired and the stairs to the beach have been completed so that is a good thing.  Eric headed out to the Marina on his bicycle and when he returned said things are being built and painted here so the tourists must still be coming here. 
Eric spoke to the Canadians who were going to leave tomorrow and they have changed their minds so we will head out on our own.  We will stay at the Copper Canyon RV park if we can find it.  We have looked it up on Google Earth and also Streets & Trips so we will give it a try.  We’d rather stay at the Pemex south of Los Mochis but, not by ourselves. 
We are ready to get to Mazatlan and settle down into some kind of routine.  We are also happy to be back in Mexico and it looks just as we left it warm, friendly and without any issues ....so far!  We left home at the end of October and really don’t enjoy the travelling as much as the stopping!  Onward!
P.S.
Happy Gobble, Gobble day to all our American friends and our daughter Krista and husband Jeff and family who live in Pittsburgh, P.A.

Still in Ajo

Monday,   Nov. 22, 2010

(Eric’s 64th birthday)  Shades of the Beatle’s song “ Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m 64!.  Sure I do and always will honey!! 

We had planned to leave and head into Mexico today but the wind was so intense that we decided to leave it another day.  As the Mexican highways are narrow it is not a good idea to travel when you can be blown sideways and get a wheel off the edge.  As we have no pressing agenda other than to get to Mazatlan around the end of the month it does not really matter very much.  It just howled all day yesterday and would not have been much fun to be packing  up anyway.  The wind died off overnight and is  fairly quiet at present.   Eric rode his bicycle and took a ride on Blue (in sweatpants under his jeans with his electric jacket on!) and was still cold in the wind.  I got the laundry done (a really nice clean facility) tidied up a bit and then walked into town to mail my Christmas cards.  A bit early, but they have to be sent before we head into Mexico.  The walk into town and back took a little over an hour on a really nice sidewalk.  For such a small town in obvious decline because the Copper Mine closed back in the mid eighties it has a really nice walkway.  If it wasn’t cold here in the winter it would be a decent place to stay although I don’t know what you would do here all winter.  I think there are quite a few Americans here with houses that they stay here  for the winter.  We heard some older Americans  talking about that when we went down to the Bamboo Kitchen for Chinese food last night (cheap decent food, but not as good as I remembered it to be.)    The houses  would likely be cheap judging by the local economy.  Larry, the park owner says that the jobs here are border patrol, police and welfare as well as a bit of tourism.  The highway south  is the direct route into Mexico and Rocky Point (Puerto Penasco) that all the Americans head to for a beach vacation.  In the Trailer Life RV book it looks like there are at least 1000  RV sites !  It would get really crazy at Spring Break and all major holidays which is not for us. 

So, today we pack up and get ready to journey south if the wind stays as quiet as it is right now. 

Sitting in Ajo, Arizona in a screaming “WIND”

Nov.20, 2010

We left Buckskin State Park on Wednesday morning and had a warm easy trip to Ajo.  We took the I10 East towards Phoenix and then south on 85 at Buckeye to Gila Bend and then on to Ajo.  The freeway was quiet, weather hot and all was well.  The highway has been redone from Buckeye to Gila Bend and it is really nice.  We arrived at the Ajo Heights RV Park where we have stayed a couple of times before.  Although it is a little noisier here (as opposed to Shadow Ridge) as it is close to the highway it has great Wifi and is across the street from the grocery store.  The park is very tastefully done with lots of gravel, rock and cactus so the dust isn’t too bad.  It was developed by a Canadian who runs it from October to May and then he shuts down and travels for the summer.  Thursday evening was lovely and then the “wind” piped up yesterday afternoon.  It didn’t matter too much to me as I was stuck in the rig figuring out the Mexican Vehicle Insurance.  We did get if from an agency one time but I am always concerned that they may get a number wrong and this way I can check it.  Also, I like to get fixed deductibles and I don’t go cheap on the coverage as we do get a percentage back from ICBC when we get home.  After a morning of checking rates I decided to stay with the Mexican Insurance Store and the Ace Seguros Platinum package that we bought last year.  I did have some concern as to whether the the Harley should be listed as a towed vehicle as the pop-up stated that this was the case.  I did not do it that way last year as that pop-up did not occur and it would seem that I was wrong.  I called the 1-800 number and spoke to Lindell Gray who runs the agency and he was very helpful.  He said I needed to list the motorcycle on the tow vehicle policy for minimum value so that in the case of an accident and it flew out of the back of the trailer it would be covered for liability.  I then bought it’s own policy for when it is not in the trailer and being ridden.  Double indemnity but I have it right now.  Last year when we got a quote from an agency in Yuma the woman who helped us told us that the Harley only had to be listed on the tow vehicle policy.  Totally wrong! We would have been in big trouble if we had an accident while riding so it is a good thing I have done this myself.  If you don’t follow the rules they can void your insurance.  Not nice, especially considering the motorcycle accident that Jean from Edmonton had last year.  No one needs any surprises.  Every year I learn a little more and I guess by the time I get it all right I’ll be too old to travel!

On top of the policy issues I had a few technical issues as well.  We apparently had not brought the cord that connects the printer to the laptop as we were using the one from the printer at home.  Whoops!  Eric had to buy one from Radio Shack here and it cost $27!  Oh well, at least we have one.  Then the printer wouldn’t print the black part of the documents.  I haven’t used it since last year and the black ink had dried up!  Great.  I asked it to clean the print heads four times with no luck so I had to put in a new ink tank.  This is now getting expensive!  These kinds of glitches drive Eric nuts so he had to go sit outside while I soldiered on.  Finally success and I got it done.  Meanwhile I had to close the door because we have a loud obnoxious American (sorry American friends!) across the way that never shuts up, especially at happy hour.  He obviously thinks the whole world is interested in what he has to say.  Not true!  No one else even gets a word in edgewise.

Well this draft is a bit long winded (hence the Chatty Kathy nickname!) but all these issues are important. 

We got a tip from Croft – http://croftsmexico.blogspot.com regarding the need for a zip code when using a credit card at some US gas stations.  His credit card company told him to use the numbers in his postal code and then add two zeros and he says it works.  We will try it. 

I have received an email from home telling me that one of my garden buddies Hannah has been diagnosed with ALS which is really bad news.  She has been unwell for some time but has only now found out what is wrong.  I am so sorry.  Her husband David, has health issues as well and they will have a hard road ahead.  The garden club will provide as much support as they are able and that is the good thing about our small close knit group.  Hannah is the founding member (I think) of the club with a wealth of plant knowledge.  She was the one who invited me to join the club and I am forever great full Hannah you are in my thoughts. 

So here we sit until Monday morning when we will make our way into Mexico.  First night Edgar & Anna’s in Santa Ana. 

Eric did unload Blue yesterday and got a ride in while I was working on paperwork but the wind is screaming so hard right now she will have to stay parked.  Eric talked to a guy across the way who has a Honda Gold Wing and he told him that they had tried a Harley but couldn’t give up the comfort and quiet of the Honda.  I suggested to Eric that we might want to try one but I’m pretty sure that will never happen.  Once a Harley guy always a Harley guy even if you have to suffer! It’s not about comfort, it’s about the way you look!

On to Quartzite

Nov. 16, 2010

Yesterday was another day to relax and catch up with the blog and emails.  We were told we might be able to pick  up a wireless signal at the Parker Library and we did!  We had lunch at the Crossroads cafe on  Monday and it was good but not as great as last time and the waitress told us where to find the library.  We have no cell service at Buckskin park as AT&T must not have a tower close by.  Eric rode his bicycle around Parker while I caught the blog up.  We got an email from Marilyn in Alberta and were sorry to here that she and Dennis probably can’t come to Mazatlan this winter as Dennis has some health problems to deal with.  Too bad as they were really good company last winter.  As we age our health and the health of our parents is always an issue.    I promise to wait for Marilyn to come back to Mazatlan and go parasailing with me.  We didn’t get to do it last winter as she and Dennis had  to leave for home  early due to parents health issues.  Best wishes to Dennis.

We had a woman in a small motorhome pull into the spot beside us last night.  She lives in Calgary and will leave the rig in Las Vegas to fly home and then return later in the winter to do more travelling. She has been travelling for a month and brought it down through Salt Lake City.  I haven’t talked to anyone who likes to travel through there.   Gutsy to do that by herself.   Lots of interesting people on the road. 

We are told that you couldn’t get a spot in Buckskin park over Thanksgiving so that is something we will remember as it would be way too busy for us anyway.   

Today we will go into Quartzite and see if we need anything for the rig before we head down to Ajo and Why before we travel into Mexico.  We need to get our Mexico vehicle insurance and may do that at an agency or just do it on line as we did last year.  It has been very warm 28c so Eric may unload Blue and take her for a ride.  We are parked over night on BLM land just north of Quartzite beside the road that heads east to Bouse.  No charge for this and we will stay one night.  We have lost our interest in boondocking and now prefer to be plugged in.  Woosies! 

It looks like we will head into Mexico on Monday, Nov.22nd (Eric’s 64th birthday!)  We will likely be by ourselves as the rest of the group is not heading into Mexico until the beginning of December and we don’t want to wait that long.

Back in Buckskin Park, AZ.

Nov. 15, 2010

We left Laughlin yesterday morning for Buckskin Park, Parker, Arizona.  We took the parkway bypass through Bullhead City heading south and it was a quicker with no traffic lights.  We had a huge tailwind so Eric was using the brakes going up hill!  On through Needles, California to get to the I40 and since it was a last minute change of route we just followed the signs through Needles.  Always a treat as the US signage never gives you I40 East or I40 West they just give you the next town you will hit.  So, we thought we had gone the wrong way as Kingman was the town shown at the freeway entrance and it is back up north by Bullhead City but it is also the next major town on the I40 going east.  Confusing, you bet!  The MapPoint GPS showed a different entrance but we followed the signs and managed anyway.  On down to Lake Havasu and then Parker and Buckskin Park.  Lake Havasu is a long drawn out affair with a billion traffic lights that have no warnings for red so at 55mph it is always a screech to a halt.  Much swearing!  Next time we may head straight south from Needles to Blythe and see if that is better.  It is lovely here at Buckskin with good hiking, bicycle riding and it is at the edge of the river so also very picturesque.  If it was this warm all winter we would could stay here but it is not and cools down with frost at night over the winter .  Next stop will be Ajo in preparation for crossing the border.  We don’t think we want to wait for the group heading back to Las Jaibas who will head into Mexico at the beginning of December so we will probably just go by ourselves, at least to San Carlos where lots of people will be heading south and we may find someone to hook up with.  If not, we’ll just go on our own.  Eric does not like the thought of a big convoy, one or two more okay but too cumbersome over that.  So we are starting to settle into our winter lifestyle but as usual find we never have enough to do.  Mazatlan is better for us with swimming, bicycles, walking, motorcycling and fishing to keep up occupied.  Plus, there are the 80F temps that are very appealing.  So, that is our loose plan at present and we’ll see what happens.  Today we’ll go to Parker for groceries, have lunch at the Crossroads Cafe (a favorite) and then just relax.  Sounds good.     As we were just here back in April there are lots of pictures of this area on that post.               

Loafing in Laughlin

Nov. 11, 2010

My last post was in Meridian, Idaho just before we left last Saturday.  We had hoped to stay one more day in Meridian and then spend an extra day in Ely, Nevada but once again “weather dictates when an RV will travel!”  Wind, below freezing temperatures and snow were predicted over night Sunday and into Monday for Ely (at 7000 feet) so away we went.  A quiet journey from Meridian to Twin Falls although wind could be a problem judging by all the wind generators on top of all the hills.   Again, not too much wind (although the headwind was enough to trash our mileage) as we travelled from Twin Falls over the Great Basin to Ely.  You might think I overuse the word  “wind” but it is our biggest concern next to snow and icy roads.  The weather was warm as we travelled and we arrived around 3:30pm in Ely so we had a relaxing evening before we started off at 7:30am Sunday morning.  I had really wanted to get back to the railroad museum in Ely and get a t-shirt for grandson Shane in Pittsburgh who, at almost six, is a train nut!  Oh well, maybe in the spring on the way back.  The trip through Las Vegas was uneventful although the concrete freeway is rough as hell, very bouncy!  From Vegas to Searchlight there was once again, another headwind to ruin our mileage.  Into Laughlin around 3:30pm and booked our cheap week ($89.00 plus tax) for full hook-up at the Riverside Casino Park.   They, of course, won’t give you a good spot for that rate but even though we are out in the gravel lot it is okay since it is relatively empty and we actually have a nice view.  The old guy Neil next to us (retired Navy from Washington)  is loosing enough money at the casino for both of us!  Seems to be fewer cats around and they say they did reduce the population a little this summer so that is a good thing (Eric still thinks there are lots!)   A good place to take a breather before we hop further south on Sunday.  It is sunny even though it is windy and the daylight is from about 7am to 6:30 pm so it is also bright.  Unfortunately there is no free Wi-Fi in the park and although I tried to hook-up and pay for a week it was so complicated I finally gave up so it’s off to the mall to post this.   We can pick up our Yahoo Mail with the AT&T phone that daughter Krista and her husband Jeff have so kindly given us to use free of charge.  We have washed the RV and truck, I’ve started my Christmas cards and we are once again enjoying cheap American beer so things aren’t too shabby at the moment.   We also got a free buffet breakfast with our cheap RV week so we did that yesterday before we headed off to shop.  Eric as usual was horrified by the people, noise and smoke as we walked through the casino.  We decided that the buffet was okay as a freebie but we certainly wouldn’t pay for it.  Easy to see why the population here is so overweight and as well can’t walk.  Sad!  So, nothing too exciting just some shopping and trying to get used to the hunt for things to do with all this spare time.  At home we are flat out for six months and now we hit a dead stop so it is a big adjustment.  Blue is still nice and shiny and safely tucked into her garage as it is no fun riding in the wind.  Eric is busy riding his bicycle (screaming wind today) and I am walking again so maybe that will help with my caboose!  Hope so.  So take care all, we miss you and I’ll catch up again in a few days.

On The Road Again (Boise, Idaho)

Hello all:
We left Kelowna on Wednesday morning under cool but sunny skies.  Had a short but good visit with some of the family.  I'll catch up with the missed ones in the spring on our way home.  Our trip through Washington was nice and relaxing as the weather was good and the roads were quiet.  We stopped at Dry Falls for lunch and it is quite a sight. .  If you Google it you will get all the history of the area.  Very impressive.  I took a few pictures but haven't had time to load them to the laptop yet.  I have a new camera this year Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS7 which has huge zoom, pixels, HD, GPS etc. etc.  It will probably take me all winter to learn how to use it!  My only gripe is that there is no viewfinder which I find annoying.  This seems to be the way all the small cameras have gone and I don't find it as easy as using a viewfinder.  Oh well!  I also have a new Toshiba laptop that I bought with my retirement gift.  Yes, I have finally pulled the pin!  No more work for me, well, at least not at the office.  I bought a 15inch Toshiba that is much lighter than the old one and it will work well for navigation.  It has an I3 Intel processor and I would rather have had and I5 but the reason that didn't happen is a long boring story so I won't share it.  It will be fine I'm sure.

So, we overnighted in the Walmart parking lot in Othello, Washington per usual and got in around 3:30pm.  It was a warm day 18C so we only had to use the propane heater when it got dark.  This is the first trip south with the GloWarm heater and it makes all the difference.  It is not nice to be cold!

Left Othello at around 8am and hit the road with sun in our eyes and patchy  fog in the air.  Hard to see.  When we went through Mesa, Washington we missed the turn onto the freeway as it is poorly marked and we couldn't see for the sun.  Turned around down the road with minor yelling from Eric and continued on.  No problems with the Tri Cities this time and also no problems getting fuel along the way.  Last year I made notes of all the good fuel stops as we travelled south and it has really helped.  We got into the Boise/Meridian RV park around 4:30 our time and had no trouble getting to it this time.  Last year they had turned the road in front of it into a one way and we ended up down a dead end road.  Much screaming and yelling from Eric.  This has been two  long days of travel for us (8 hours) and we are both bagged.  This time I was forceful at the desk checking in and told them I didn't want to be by the garbage can and didn't want any extra parked vehicles in front of us so we wouldn't be able to get out.  The old woman on the desk scowled at me but the guy helping me gave us a nice spot.  No more Mrs. Niceguy!  We will leave tomorrow morning (Saturday) and head for Ely, Nevada as it looks like it will get rain/snow by Monday morning and we don't want to get caught in that.  It seems it has been unseasonably warm but looks like the temperatures are going to normal.  It is usually below freezing at night in Ely at this time of year.  Ely is at 7000 feet.  Well no news is good news I guess so onward we go.  We'll head for Laughlin after Ely as we have a coupon that gives us a week for $89 with full hook-up so we'll rest there before we decide where to head next.