First week back in Yuma. 2017-2018

It wouldn’t be us if we didn’t hit our favorite eating places upon returning to Yuma. Which means I’ve had to do little cooking the first week back. Nothing had changed except the  frozen yogurt place had very few choices. We were informed that things are just now opening up for all of us snowbirds and those that leave the area in the summer.

Saturday we went back to the Market Place to pick up our wooden plaque. Mark hung it on the inbox on the front of the Montana. It sure turned out nice. We didn’t add Lola’s name to the main plaque incase something would happen to her. It would be too hard to see her name each time. So we are having smaller plaque made which will connect to the bottom of the main plaque.

Yesterday we took a trip to Algodones Mexico. We went with our friend Norm who we met last year in Yuma and fast became a dear friend. After just walking around we did find an optical place that was open so I got a much needed new pair of glasses at a price that was affordable. We also stopped at one of the many liquor stores and we got two bottles of Kahlua for the third of the price of   one in the US. I love a Smith and Kearns after supper, which fast became my favorite dessert.  :)

The trip to Mexico was short so when we got home Mark took me to the laundry room to tackle three loads of laundry. I was not too happy to find that the wash is only 20 minutes and that includes the fill time, and there are no laundry carts to move the wet clothes to the dryer or dry clothes to the folding table. Needless to say I will not use the laundry room in the park again unless I have to. They have a ludicrous rule that you can not hang anything out to dry. That also angered me, to say the least. But I still hung my few items on the awning braces, since they won’t allow a drying rack. They only take about 20 minutes to dry in the Yuma sun.  I take them down as soon as they are dry. They can kiss my butt if they think I’m hanging wet clothes inside to dry. Nope not staying in this park next year. Too many negatives. 

While I was doing the laundry Mark hung the sun shade from the awning. It will save us from the heat of the west sun. Even in the sun, with sun isn’t hot through the sun shade. Very nice investment that will be used time and time again in other parks.

Today I am heading to Primary Care to see if they can give me information on how to and where to set up for a primary care, cardiologist, and orthopedic doctors. Since we are here more than anywhere else we need a main doctor, and not solely rely on Dr Smith in Hutch, has been a great doctor for us in MN and on the road. God Bless Dr Jalayna Smith.

Well tata for now.

As always, it’s an adventure.

Full Circle back in Yuma

Monday we left Nevada Treasure after neighbors and friends stopped by with their good byes. It’s always sad leaving after you have formed a friendship with some of the other residents. Plans are to come back but you never know what is really in the cards.

Monday night we drove by a BLM area in Earp, AZ, with some boondockers scattered around. So we turned around and set up a temporary camp for the night.  It was very quiet and a pretty place to spend the night. The sunset was breathtaking.

The next morning, Tuesday, after a couple cups of coffee and a nice hearty breakfast, we broke camp and continued our way to Yuma. We had forgotten what a long boring road it was to get there. Lots of dips in the road and it went on and on  for what seemed like forever. Once we turned onto 95 Mark and I perked up.

We found our new winter home, Adobe RV park, easily and were greeted very warmly by the office staff and a few of the residents. We were not greeted like that at the place we stayed last year. Mark was sad to see that the pool was not finished yet, but he will get some swim time in before we leave here in March.

The guide escorted us to our site and we saw that our friend Norm was already here. After a few greetings we started our set up. The 87º heat really took it’s toll on us. Some things just had to wait to get done until the next day. We weren’t used to that heat anymore. hehe But we are thankful that it’s not humid too. 

After setting up we collapsed on a lawn chair and everyone that walked by stopped to chat and welcome us. There is always something to share with new people.  We are finding this park to be very very friendly. The dog walk is just across the street and over from our site, which makes it nice to let Lola have some run time. The dumpster is just half a block from us so we don't have to go all the way across the park for that either. We are on a corner lot towards  one end of the park so there isn't much traffic going by. The street outside the wall is busy so we do still hear traffic driving by most all the time. But we will get used to that quickly enough.

 There was a potluck Tuesday night but we decided to go to one of our favorite places in Yuma for supper. The Eatery was busy but always room for more. hehe We enjoyed a steak and shrimp dinner that was only $10. It included the two  meats, potato, salad,  veggie, soup, buns and dessert. You always get more than enough to eat there at a great price. We opted for an ice cream cone for dessert, which is what they offered that night. Our tummies were full and we called it an early night.

Wednesday morning the water had to be softened, so that was first on the list. I hate hard water and in AZ the water is hard enough to walk on. hehe Then it was a trip to town for a few things. The Fry’s grocery store is still a nightmare to shop in. It’s so huge and laid out so differently that it takes too long to shop for what you want. I was glad to get out of there. But they have almost anything you could want, you just have to find it. hehe  

Oh I almost forgot, before we went shopping we joined in on the grilled burgers offered here at the park. The cost was only $4 for a double cheeseburger, and the toppings were free. We bring our own plates. There was pop and chips at a cost but we brought our own, not knowing that there was drink and chips. We met and were greeted by others warmly again. The couple that we sat with were fun. He, Pat, was quite a character and Cathy and I share the same interest of card making. So we all had lots to talk about.

The heat wasn’t as bad on Wednesday so we didn’t need the a/c on. There were more than enough clouds to keep it comfortable. Most of the rest of the day we spent outside. A couple that we met last year found us at Adobe park and came to join us for a couple days. It’s amazing how fast friendships are formed when you are all in the same boat so to speak. It’s so nice that we haven’t lost touch with some of the dear friends from last year.

There is no internet here other than in the rec room so we have to limit our internet usage so we don’t run out of the wifi on our phones. If anyone wants to chat we much prefer text message because that doesn’t take away the wifi on our phones. We love hearing from all of you.

It's always an adventure.

Our new address is as follows:

Mark and Cindy Benton

Lot 87

Adobe Village RV Park

11350 S. Payson Drive

Yuma, AZ 85365

Time to leave Pahrump

Tomorrow a New Adventure Begins: As we turtle down to Yuma for our winter lodging. (that sounds pretty cool)

It has really been great staying at Nevada Treasures again. The Park is beautiful and the people here are absolutely amazing. You really do feel welcome. We got a chance to catch up with some of the friends we made on our last stay, and made some new friends as well.

Eddy came over yesterday and gave Cindy two sun catchers as a birthday present he is such a great guy. He is the Vet I have talked about, he and Julie. Ok so today I was outside working on the CB and Eddy comes over. He and I started talking about what one needs while camping on the road. He mentioned several and even brought a 30/50 power adaptor over.

Now I know were this is headed, he wants to give me a gift too. Well I tell him I have most every thing that we listed. So after Ed took the adaptor back to his 5er, he brought over the neatest closet light, runs on battery and has a swivel. I told him that was cool and how much did he want for it. His face lit up and he grinned saying “nothing, you can have it”. Like I said “Julie and Eddy” are supper people and friends of ours too.

So I spent almost of my afternoon in and out of the hot tub. And because it was only 70 deg outside the pool was mine again. I am still surprised at what constitutes cold weather here but then in the wind it was a little cool as it was overcast. It is starting to cool down here as winter approaches. It even freezes a few day a winter and you could get up to 2" of snow. Now that is winter…….

I got a chance to read most of the afternoon with my cell propped against the leg of a small wicker table next to the hot tube. I rested my chin on the deck of the tub and sank back into the soothingly warm water till it was up around my neck. And laid back read stories, one after the another while the water swirling around me. It felt so wonderful.

Now that is how you do reading right!

Surprise

The other day I was bored, which happens a lot, so I took off in the truck to one of the few stores that are in Pahrump, the Dollar General. I took my time and browsed around and of course found some goodies that we just had to have. hehe

When I returned to the park and saw our patio, I freaked. Our furniture was outside on the patio. Either we were being robbed or Mark was having a garage sale without a garage. I placed my bags full of goodies on the table outside and was met at our door by Mark with a carpet shampooer by his side. What in the world and where in the world?

It seems that a neighbor across the street had shampooed his carpet and Mark asked to borrow it from him. It was a professional shampooer and he even gave Mark the soap to use. Our carpets had been in dire need of cleaning but I am unable to pull those units to get the job done. I was going to hire someone. Mark bless his heart got all the carpet in the RV done.

What a nice difference the clean carpet has made in our home. Me being in bare feet often, noticed the feel of it right away. Our home smells and looks so much nicer because of the kindness of a neighbor and all Marks hard work. I am blessed.

The next day Mark finished the job by cleaning the edges while Lola and I supervised. :)

A job well done

Finished up my suspension project today with the help of a very good friend. He and I then went over to the resort bar and polished off a few beers to calibrate. He is leaving tomorrow to hook up with some more friends on his way to Yuma. I ran across this pic tonight and reminded me of the afternoon I just had.

 Now, not to scare anyone but we came to the realization, other than the fact that he is an Alien, we are a lot alike. hehehe

Things are back to normal now, suspension is done. Tools all cleaned and put away, shackles greased and  roller jack returned to neighbors. What a project!

Replacing worn out shackles.

So here is the disclaimer for what I am typing. One must keep in mind that not all traveled roads are made equal. In fact pulling a 5er or any other type trailer down the road is like taking it through a class 4 or 5 (depending on road surface condition) earthquake. So some parts take quite a beating and must be replaced as a regular item of repair.

The Story

After spending five gruelling hours yesterday working at replacing the suspension on the curb side of the 5er.. Today I am taking a much needed break.

The Process:

Keep in mind most of this is done while on my back crawling under the 5er:

First removed the slide out stabilizers and raise the rear stabilizers. Then raise the 5er using the front landing legs, set a 7 ton jack stand under the frame on the front road side and lowered the 5er on to the jack stand to take the load  both vertically  and horizontally off the landing leg.

Then raise the entire curb side of the 5er. using a 20 ton bottle jack, block it into position using the other 7 ton jack stand and some massive blocks of wood.Then remove the tires and block both axles using a 2 ton roller jack the neighbor browned us and we are finally ready to start removing the bolts, shackles, spring  bushings and trunnion assembly.

Now to say this was quite a task would be an understatement. Keeping in mind that they are original equipment and the 5er is an 02. So to say they took even a lot of persuasion would be an almost extreme understatement.

To give some idea of what it took. I tried a 1/2" electric impact wrench and it wouldn't even nudge the nuts loose on the shouldered bolts. So with liquid wrench in hand and a 3/8 drive 17mm deep socket and breaker bar it was manual labor on each bolt to somehow loosen and turn all 5 nuts off a 1/6 of a turn at a time. Then drive each bolt out of its location. Lastly remove the mounting bolt and drive the old trunnion out of it's mounting bracket. 

Next, after removing the old worn out plastic bushing  clean each spring bore and spring mounts using a rag, more liquid wrench and a wire brush. Then install the new bass bushings with a driver that was crafted out of some of the old parts that had been removed earlier.

After lubing each bore the bushings were installed and deburred checking all with one of the new greaseable bolts that would be used during reassembly. 

After lubing each bushing it was time to install the new trunnion using a upgraded MOYride rubber cushioned assembly. This unit will transfer more evenly the spring action while also dampening the bounce the 5er recieves going down the road. (so it says in the add).

Now it is time to install the new shackles which are now greaseable as well, not to mention twice as thick. Replacing the ones that were the reason for this task to start with.

So finally we are at the point of lining up and attaching the springs assemblies to the 5er's frame. Not a large task as it now has almost all new parts. But as it had been quite a while since I had done this type of work I of course installed the flexible (easy peasy lemon squeezy) end first making it impossible to line up the stationary connections at the frame with the tools I had.

No problem just take it "all apart again" to do it right. Did I mention I have been laying on my back on a concrete pad by now for almost 4 hours!!!!!

Ok less I regress, reassembled and lined up, axles jacked into position, bolts secured and torqued, wheels reinstalled and torqued it was time to lower the 5er back to the ground reversing the raising procedure explained earlier.

Tada! One side done one More to go!!!!!

But then it is Always an Adventure!

Just another day

New Lately:

Had a real surprise yesterday morning. Cindy was getting ready to take Lola for her morning run and when she goes to the door she starts hopping round as she come back saying Norm is outside!

I got up and sure enough Norm our British Columbia (BC) buddy from last winter was at our door. We had no idea he was coming this way. It is sure great to see him.

Now Norm is this great guy from BC that just had a birthday, and his two daughters flew in to help him celebrate. It was great to see the spark in him as he spoke of it.

Unfortunately Norm’s Lady Donna slipped and fell this summer braking her ankle and so is still in rehab and will be joining us 30 to 60 days.

We all have reservations at the same site as well this year. In fact Norm and Donna, Batman and Betty and I and Cindy have sites next to each other so it going to be Another Adventure!

Today the main road into Pahrump Hwy 160 was down to one lane while they re-top it. So not wanting to wait the 30 plus minutes for the pilot truck to lead us thru the road work I decided to head out cross the desert back roads into town. Not a big surprise but you can see a lot of places while driving in the desert you just can’t get there. Ok so I got lost while seeing where I had to go. Now I know another Keurig moment for Mark.

It is always and Adventure

P/S today I am planning on lifting my 5er and start on replacing the shackles and center trunnion “On my Day Off” hehehehe.