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I drove over to Blythe this morning and got my head resized to fit in my hat again. I wonder where all that grey hair on their floor came from. Surely not from me. I had breakfast at the coffee shop then toured both Albertson's and Smart and Final. Neither place had a very good selection of frozen veggies in large packages. I guess they make more money when they sale it 2 servings at a time. I ended up buying about 10 small packages. It did make it easier to stuff them all in the freezer but coast about twice what it would have in bulk packages. On the way back I stopped at the service station at exit 5. I got Deisel for $1.94 a gallon. I felt like draining some out of my tank to make room to buy more at that price. After I got back to Q I called the Quartzsite RV Wash. They wash your rig right where you are camped. I had to leave a voice mail expecting them to call me back. So far no response. If they call in the morning before I get this buggy ready to roll I'll make an appointment to get this rig all pretty again. If they don't call, Organ Pipe here I come.

My first night with the LOWs produced a lot of talking with friends I haven't seen in a couple of years. After Happy Hour we had a Spaghetti dinner. It was very good but not near as good as Steve and Carrol's. I should have my Spaghetti fix taken care of for a while now. Today I think I'll drive over to Blythe and see if I can find a Barber Shop. I'm beginning to look like I belong here. I'll stock up on veggies and fuel the Navion while I'm at it and be ready to head South the next day. The LOWs are having Roast Pork for dinner tonight but I think I'll beg off on that. I'm beginning to see a rise in my blood pressure from the salt in all the side dishes that go with all these main dishes I love. I'll just coast a few days and let things settle down. There were about 50 people at dinner last night. That's a lot of Spaghetti.

Last night I was not feeling very well so I went to bed early. This morning I was still not up to par but I had run out of LP and the water tank was showing empty. While getting things put away I saw the group standing around over near Mike and Julie's rig. When I finally got ready to roll everyone was gone so I went on to the pit stop for LP and Water. When I got back the place was deserted with about half the cars and trucks gone. I had planned on moving over to the LOWs later today so I just turned around and went back over there. I'll only stay here a couple of days then go on down to Organ Pipe. The Classless group probably went to breakfast while I was at the Pit Stop. Anyway for those I couldn't say good bye to this morning,,,,, I'll see you down the road.

I'm getting very low on fresh water. I may move over to the LOWs tomorrow and stay with them till the tank goes dry then head south and get some full hook-ups to restock for a night or two. I have credit for 20 days in Ajo but I sure don't want to fill the fresh tank there. Maybe I'll stop in Gila Bend one night and get water there. I'll eventually end up down in Oragan Pipe. I don't want to return to Deming until mid February.

Now you have me making plans for the year but the only thing I can come up with is to change my plans.

Well here I am in Quartzsite. I tried to use the coordinates and the farther I went the farther the coordinate were behind me. So I went back to the LOW encampment and called Diane. She talked me in on the phone. Right back to where I turned around then back to the left which turned me around gradually until I was heading toward the camp. It ends up the coordinates were spot on, just a roundabout way to get to them. Oh well, I enjoyed the talking with Diane on the way in. I pretty much dodged the welcoming committee because I was feeling pretty bad. I took a short nap and got some warm fluids into me, cleaned up a little then went over to say high to Steve who came in shortly after I did. Then I came back to the rig and rested some more. When I awoke the second time I was actually HUNGRY. I haven't been able to eat more then a couple spoons full at a setting since New Years Day when this started. I cleaned up all the stuff in the frig that I had prepared then wasn't able to eat. It sure felt good to be able to eat again. I did the warm liquids again and cleaned out my bronchial tubes, put on my warmest jacket and joined the group at the fire. It sure was nice being part of the group again. I think I'm definately on the mend

I'm still in Deming. I got here the Fifth stopped at the place I normally get oil changes and set up an appointment for the next day. The next morning I got the 1040ES in the mail but when I went to have the oil changed they descovered that they couldn't get the oil filter off without a special wrench and couldn't find the correct filter. So, I went to E&M Auto Repair which works on imports. They had all the right stuff but can't get me in until Monday the 11th. So I might be a day late getting to Quartzsite. I still have the creeping crud but this morning it's acting like it might be breaking. Still no apitite and hacking up yellow mucus and my nose is running wild but not as bad as I was yesterday.

I hope nobody puts a cork in my snorkel cause I'm going to be needing it. It rained most of the day and is forecasted to rain the rest of the week. Because Thursday is supposed to be the worst day I may just leave tomorrow which is supposed to be the weakest storm day. The Navion already is in bad need of a bath so it can't get much dirtier. I still have the sore throat and feel like I went through the Big Bang so it won't make much difference where I am. If It don't clear up by next Monday I'll go to the Doctor. I don't do anything except sleep which is OK because I don't want to spread this to others. So if I feel good enough to get this thing ready to roll in the morning, my next post will probably be from Deming. If it gets too uncomfortable driving I'll stop in Benson.

I keep looking over my shoulder for those guys with the white jackets that have so many straps on them. I think they are following me. Yesterday I looked for my estimated tax forms and yes I left them in Deming again. Seem like last quarter I had to make a mad dash back to Deming to get them also. So Thursday Morning I'll be heading East again and it's cold back there. I went into town to get some groceries and while buzzing around in WalMart I started feeling bad and developed a sore throat. As the day wore on I kept going down hill so I went to bed about 7PM. I got up several time durning the night but went back to bed. At 10AM I finally got up and ate a bowl of Cheereos. I still feel weak and have the sore throat. The only place I've been out in the public is that bad Space Restaurant in Gila Bend for breakfast. That must be where I got bit by the bug. I sure hope it isn't the flu. I should be over what ever it is by thursday so my plan is to make a fast trip back to Deming, get my taxes in then start back toward Quartzsite. Deming is having nights in the 20s and teens. I hope I remember to keep the flap on my BVDs buttoned.

I spent the day cleaning up some of the messes I had yesterday then cleaning up the mess I made of myself. Boy do I have a bunch of towels to wash now. Toni dropped in this morning an invited me to Dinner on Sunday. I had to beg off because I have too many things on my to do list already. I was supposed to go to the supermarket this afternoon but found the football game on ABC. That moved that till tomorrow. Which is OK because I have to make a trip to the Post Office to get my Estimated Tax in for January anyway. I scanned the TV and got 70 Phoenix area station. I was surprised that with all those stations there is no ESPN or Fox Sports. With all the Bowl Games I was only able to get one. I got my walk in this afternoon. Boy are these blocks long. I was huffing and Puffing when I got around the block to get back home. You guys have made a football phanatic out of me with all your post after each game.

You never know were I'll show up because I don't know either. I'm at Rovers roost SKP Park in Casa Grande, AZ. Last night I made a cup of Tea and darn near chocked on the first sip. I had filled the fresh water tank the day before. Now I remember that Ajo has the worst drinking water in the world. I think they get it from the slooce ponds at the copper mine there. So this morning I pulled stakes and headed for Casa Grande to flush my Fresh water tank. I stopped in Gila Bend for breakfast and that was a disaster too. I ordered an denver omelet but told them to hold the Ham. They told me I'd have to get the build your own omelet which cost a dollar more. I did. When it came it was about 3 inches square and a half inch thick. They must have used hummingbird eggs. There was about two table spoons of hash browns that were drenched in grease and soggy and two slices of toast that were whiter than my back side. And a cup of coffee. The bill came to $12.50. When the guy at the cash register ash how the meal was I said don't ask. Now this saga gets worse. I went on to the SKP park and had to wait in my rig about 45 minutes for the office to open at 1PM. They led me to my site and the guy that guided me in had me at an angle so the front of the rig was 2 feet farther from the patio than the back. When he left I pulled out again and reparked straight. I drained the fresh tank and water heater then hooked up the hose and turned the water on. About that time the welcome lady came up and started talking. All of at once I heard water running and water was running out the coach door. I hadn't closed the bathroon sink valve that I had opened as a vent while draining. The strainer had fallen into the sink drain and it was running over on the floor across the kitchen and out the door. Grrrrrrrr. I just about had that cleaned up when the Lairds spotted me and came over to say hi. When I went back in the rig the water had run duwn into the carpet in the cab. It was not my best performance today. I'm sure glad it's New Years Eve so I can start with a clean slate tomorrow in 2016. HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I should have filled the fresh water tank yesterday. It went empty this morning so I had to freeze my tush again this morning filling it. Old dogs just don't learn new tricks. There was a bunch of Javelina (peccary) runing around in the park today. Every once in a while I heard something bump the outside of the rig. When I opened the door to look there was about 25 pigs running around in my site. When Margie took her walk this morning there were pigs laying on her patio when she returned. She was afraid to try to get into her rig. I met the young lady that owns the park this morning. She was very nice and a pleasure to talk with. This morning was cloudy and stayed in the 30s until about noon. The sun came out about noon but it only warmed to the mid 50s. It's been a weird year.

I bought a tv cable today and watched the Broncos/Bingles game. Good game. After not watching TV at all for about 8 years I've become a one night addict. As soon as it got light this morning I had to go out in the cold to dump the black tank. It filled last night just as it was getting dark. I was hoping that last night's use didn't over fill it. Close call. I decided that as long as I was already frozen I might as well go out for breakfast. As I was getting the leveling blocks out of the way Cowgirl Margie came walking past so she climed into the shootgun seat and went with me. We sat in the restaurant till I was afraid they would throw us out. Then we stopped at Radio Shack for that TV cable then drove down to the plaza to check it out. I was hoping it would warm up with all the time we were wasting but no chance. So home we went to sit on the cold ground and attach that cable. Oh well all is well that ends well even if it did make my nose run and teeth chatter.

Roger, I just looked in that compartment again. The plug is in there at the very back of the electric cable storage area. By sitting on the ground. with my arm fully extended I can just verily reach it. I think it will not be used by me. I had a heck of a time getting my feet back under me to get up again. If I do use it, I'll leave the cable on the connector and just roll it up and lay it where the shower head goes which I will not be using also. The outside shower is no where near the dump valve and sewer hose and I don't have a dog to wash.

Roger, the compartment that stores the electric cord has the water control panel in it with all the drain valves and tank fill valves, shower, pump switch, macerator switch plus the generator output plug but I didn't see any cable conector in there. That cupboard above the TV also has the cable connectors for a satellite receiver in it. Weird, there is no window anywhere near that cupboard to get the cables outside.

I am not sure. The TV is mounted on the wall right under that cupboard and all the vidio connections are in the back of that cupboard on the wall. The face plate that has the RG 59 cable connector on it also has the push button switch for the signal amplifier on it. There is no cable connector on the outside of the rig or in any of the outside compartments. I havent watched TV in the past 8 years. I just thought I might get interested in football again and assumed there would be an outside connector for cable. My other trailer does have one on the drivers side of the rig. You can't get any stations at all on the antenna down here in Ajo.

When I registered at the CG office this morning I saw some tv cables for sale. When I took a close look they were only about 4 to 5 feet long. I asked if they had longer ones. She said no but we'll loan you one. I told her no I need one for the rig anyway. She pointed down the street and said Radio Shack has them. I walked down there (about 2 blocks) they were closed. I read the signs in the window. One said open 9 to 5 except saturday 10 to 2. The other said closed Christmas day so I stopped reading. It was only 9:30 so I decided to wait till 10. I strolled around for about 20 minutes and happened to walk by the sign in the window again and stopped to read it again. Right under the Closed Christmas day it said in small print "and Saturday 12/26/15". I'm beginning to wonder if its safe for me to roam the streets. And the worse thing is all that waiting without a place to sit got my knees so sore I can hardly stand now. When I got back to my rig I found that the rig don 't even have an outside TV hookup. It's in a cupboard above the TV and sink and useless. Gurrrrrrrrr.

Tonight finds me at the Shadow Ridge RV Park in Ajo AZ. It was a very nice day. I was invited to have Xmas Dinner with the folks two rows behind me. The neighbors to my left and Cowgirl Margie, catty cornered behind me, were also at that party. When I arrived this morning the office manager saw me park by the closed office and came from here rig and told me to find a spot and come in tomorrow to register. She told me the password for wifi and the combination for the showers and said I'll see you tomorrow Merry Christmas. Very trusting. I like that. I offered to pay in advanced and she said no tomorrow will do. This was a much better Christmas than it would have been at the slabs.

And a very merry tomorrow from Dateland AZ. Christmas too. Solar Mike called this morning and said he had not gotten any word on my controller as yet but he just got in a couple he had ordered for stock a few days ago. He said to come on over and he'd install it then put mine in stock when it got there. I was setting in his drive within 10 minutes. When he got finished I went to Niland for some breakfast and while eating I decided to head for Ajo AZ instead of Borrego Springs CA. So here I am in Dateland AZ for the night. When I was approaching Dateland I saw a railroad on the north side of I-8. The RV park is on the Southside well off the Interstate so I figured it would be a quiet place. When I got set up and made a cup of tea a freight train came in my driver's door and went out the coach door. There was another rail road track behind the court less than a 100 yards away. I hope I don't hit the ceiling to many times tonight. And there is another highway, old US 80 but I think it is unused. Tune in tomorrow the saga continues.

Beautiful weather today. Highs in the 70s lows in the 50s. I took a nice long walk but about all it did was make my hips and feet sore. It clouded up tonight so no star gazing. The moon is nearly full so I couldn't have seen the stars anyway. No word on the new solar controller as yet so it probably won't make it till Monday and Mike isn't open on Monday so it looks like Wednesday before I'll be able to leave at the earliest. That's almost next year.

I drove into Brawley today to stock up on frozen veggies. I also picked up the stuff for my Xmas dinner. They are having dinner here at the SLAB LOWs but I can't eat Ham and don't like Turkey so I'll fix my own. Solar Mike didn't call tonight so I guess the new Controller didn't come. That means I won't be able to get out of here before Christmas. Oh well I 'll survive. I also lessens my being able to spend some time in Borrego Springs or Yuma. Maybe a few days in Cottonwood CG in Joshua Tree Nat'l Park then a couple days in an RV park in Q to dump tanks and take on water before going to Plamosa Road. Today was cloudy so the new solar system didn't hit full charge even with help from the altinator while going to Brawley. Oh well days just started getting longer again after the solstice.

This place is dead now. They sat around at happy hour for a full hour talking about who would bring what for Christmas dinner. That wouldn't be too bad but that is also what they did Saturday and Sunday. When I stayed here before every winter we used to have over 100 eating Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Now they are talking about 10 to 15 people. I got real daring today and drove to Calipatria for a hamburger for lunch. To think I'll have to stay here at least 3 more days. Makes me wonder if I'll survive. I get 27 TV stations and all but one is either Spanish or Chinese. The one English speaking stations is so week it fades in and out about every 3 to 5 seconds. I sure am getting enough Steves in.

Jeff, they didn't go enough. That quit playing 2 minutes too early.

A lazy day today. I drove into town to fill the fresh water tank and LP tank and have breakfast and that was it for the day. The solar system brought the batteries back to full charge with no trouble using the old controller Mike loaned me until my new one gets here. I've sent an email to Deka reguesting their recommended voltages for Bulk, Acceptance and Float charging so I should have them on hand when the new controller gets here. Then caught up on my afternoon Steves.

Strange, I can't get online with my smart phone but I get a good connection with my Jetpack. I don't have to worry about where to go now. Solar mile finished the solar install today and it DID NOT work. A little troubleshooting found the new Controller didn't work. So, he took an old one like it off one of his Motorhomes and installed it. It worked. So now he has to wait till Monday to contact Blue Sky and have another shipped over night. That puts me here most of next week. At least that will give me a chance to charge my batteries and see if I have enough panels to recharge all the current running the furnace over night uses. With a full charge at night the furnace takes it down to about 65% remaining charge by morning. That translates to about 70 Amp Hours it will need to produce. With 300 watts of panels that will be close. And I don't have much more room on the roof.