Author: Contessa Jewall

Carlie was so tired Wednesday that she was having a nap on the bath mat while her dinner was being prepared. I startled her taking the photo.

Yesterday, Thursday, was their first beach day. I purchased wider 20′ leashes that they have to drag around and it keeps them from going too far too fast.

They loved it of course.

They are a year older and much calmer now. Back and forth a few times seems to be enough. No more barking at the top of their lungs.

Of course I kept giving them a treat ( a piece of their kibble ) to give them the incentive to turn around and come back on their own.

Carlie still loves the small waves.

Not too many paws on the sand.

We think they are ready for the long end of the beach. Still on leash for now. Then they will be free to run and run.

Colin dropped me at El Valeros’s for the Thursday night live rock and roll music by Cannon.  I have a sore right leg and said I was not going to dance at all. However there are certain songs that like magic make you get up and suddenly you are on the the dance floor. In this case, barefoot in the sand. Colin joined me after returing the girls home from the beach.

My two new besties, Kelly and Michelle. Sadly Michelle and Ray left for Rincon today but they will be back.

Obviously a great time was had by all.

We all got home and then there was a knock on the RV, Michelle was about to start a cooking demonstration on how the make the best guacamole ever. It was fabulous 😛

Taking notes.

Yummy!

A fun end to the evening.

Another sunrise yesterday.

Lucky snap shot.

Yesterday our first glimpse of the ocean just past Celestino at the look out.

Coming down the road before we turn left and to the RV park. Two cruise ships in yesterday.

The girls seem to be smelling the salt air and are beginning to wonder where they are.

“Hey this is the horse road, the park is just ahead”

We were supposed to take the girls to the beach today but life got in the way of that. Without planning it we got our stuff out of the bodaga and got the dust screen up as well as the dog fence.

Yesterday we caught Ciela jumping on top of a stool sitting on top of another stool. That should have given me a clue that she was going to jump the wall today.

A dog pen fence had been set up earlier, however we had no idea that the girls were able to jump the wall and walk along it and then take off. They have grown are now much longer/taller and hence can jump up.They got us into trouble today. So Colin had to restructure the fence where we normally don’t have one. A bit of this and a bit of that. RV 2 held a welcome happy hour today at 4:30PM ( really nice of them ). We were both just too tired to go. My energy level is almost zip and I am still in pain. Fortunately our wooden steps that came out of storage today are very helpful to me getting into out of the RV.

Today they enjoyed running back and forth along the length of our site, multiple times and lots of wrestling. They were free to move out of the RV. Hah, wait till they get to the beach,

Three RV’s came into RV1 yesterday and another three today. David the manager has more RV’s wanting to be here than there are available sites. What is happening is that those who are passing through and staying only a week or so now want to spend the winter here. I was surprised to discover the David has over 100 reservations for April 😯  The solar eclipse is happening and this is the place to be.

Yesterday I napped thru the sunset but Colin recorded this for all of us.

I really hate to write this but the truth must be told. We are bad parents 😳 I told Colin that it was time to give the girls their lunch. That is when he realized he had never given them breakfast. We feel so very badly. Neither of them indicated to us that we had messed up. But we were distracted by what was happening around us and likely missed their signals.

I took this one tonight.

A beach visit has not yet happened. I wanted to take them the first day but Colin thought it best to wait until today for a variety of reasons. Because of the kind of day we had, when in Mexico you have to go with the flow, the beach never happened. Tomorrow will revolve around the chocolates.

We are happy with where we are at in our set up. No reason to rush and get it all done as we have in the past. Time to stop and watch the waves. Plus my body is old and sore. However I am positive that that is going to change.

Love of all your comments and emails. Wish that you could all be here with me.

No problems whatsoever. All is well and paradise is still here. However I am exhausted ( as are the girls). Can you believe I napped through sunset? The girls are happy and barely barking due to a device I am using. We parked and set up for four hours than we relaxed with wine and lunch outside.

I know how some of you worry so this is to let you know that we are 100%.

Tomorrow there will photos and more details.

Looks like everyone here is in bed at 8:10PM. Next it is dinner for us and then an early bedtime.

Hasta mañana

Saw this interesting vehicle near Santa Ana yesterday.

Thank you for all of your comments and emails. Email replies will have to wait until I get to the Isla manana. Wow I have had three different RV’s today asking me about staying at Tres Amigos this winter.

Ciela slept this way yesterday with her head on one paw and the the other paw folding her ear over. She stayed in that position for over two hours and then I lost track of the time. It really was very cute.

Last night at the Fletcha. We had to wait an hour for a site to open for us to spend the night. Very shortly after we parked we had friends who are in Totonaka for a month show up for a quick visit. We had purchased a few grocery items for them while in Vegas.  It was not very hot and we did not need to use the portable generator ( nor did we tonight). We knew that Ferne was being us traveling with friends in their RV but thought she was going to Totonaka. Instead she came to where we were. Fortunately there was room to park her behind us and the other couple parked behind the light stand.

Our messy set up for a truck stop. I had no idea that we would have had five visitors in a truck stop sitting inside with us. That is why you had a mini post yesterday. Once they left we finally made dinner and I barely had enough energy to do that short post.

My second sunrise in as many days.

Today we drove 312 miles. Only 194 miles to go. We were so happy to discover that the roads are the best they have been in at least four years. However there is a small percentage that needs to be paid attention to re pot holes. I may or may not go into further detail but the best of all is that the border between Sonora and Sinaloa has been paved 😀 At least one side of the two lanes has been paved most of the way. Looking forward to checking out the Culiacan/Mazatlan maxipista tomorrow.

Our mini caravan, I did not include the other couple and their RV as I do not have their permission.

Fabulous sunset from our favourite Pemex at KM75.

Early to bed, early to rise and the sooner we will get to our winter home.

We all slept well last night. Because of the new microwave there is no room for the girl’s crate in the bedroom so for now they are sleeping with us. Once we get settled on the Isla they will be back to their crate at night. Hope the next few nights do not become a habit.

A truly wonderful morning.

The sun was on the dash so the girls both moved down to the bed between us.

The plan is for then to travel this way. They are both so very relaxed,

Great driving day today, only 78 miles.  We left Picacho at 12:20 noon and were totaly set up by 2:10PM. We are at DeAnza RV Resort in Amado and only 28 miles north of the Mexican border. Many stay for the winter but for us it is a place to dump our grey and black tanks and to fill the water tank. We have no idea what the road ahead holds for us so we are prepared. Colin did the outside things today while I set up the inside. Plus I switched out USD fo MXN as well as maps, etc. I even put money aside in an envelope for diesel fuel and another envelope for the tolls. I have all the paperwork ready for the Mexican authorities including pens and small change for the copy machine if needed. My clothes are all ready or the morning.

Today was the second day in a row that I found this maraca on the floor of the bedroom. It has been shaken out of its travel spot twice now. I think that there is message being sent to me or us. What do you think?

I only need to finish this post and then we can eat and get to bed early. There is a good chance that I will see a sunrise tomorrow.

The girls really enjoyed Picacho Peak and cried when we left. They seemed happy there and here as well.  The girls got two walks this morning and three here before their dinner. They were tired and bored in Las Vegas. So next year a maximum of two weeks in Vegas. We love the RV park and it is a great place to stock up ( wine included ) and get RV parts and twenty  😆  deliveries from Amazon.

Such a relaxing vista. However I know that the Isla is calling us.

Door to door was 9.5 hours of being in the RV over 436 miles. Definitely a big mistake in planning. Never ever again, we are too old for this. First thing Colin asked once we arrived here tonight is if we could stay for three nights next year. Absolutely. Site B18 is the place to be. Perfect to watch the sunset from and likely the sunrise but I won’t be up for that, Colin might.

Were drove past California 95S enroute to Lake Havasu, Arizona 95S when a light went on in our minds, yes at the same time. 95 via California is likely to be much quicker than the stop and go of all the traffic lights in Lake Havasu. So we turned around ( that is why we have the extra miles actually traveled vs what is on this map ). Thank you smbank1 for your comment, I must have been sensing your thoughts today.

Of course we had a wee glitch to start the day. The tow brake that Colin had repaired would not work 😡 We had to press on with our day but he will look at it tomorrow, He suspects that one of the five inside wires may have a loose connection. Always something but we are travelling along on the flat and safely can stop the Jeep. But we must get this problem resolved.

The first part of the HWY between Las Vegas and Searchlight had sections dedicated to those that have served in the military. Being as today was November 11th, Remembrance Day, it was the perfect time to reflect on all of the following dedicated sections of the highway. First was to remember those who served in WW1, the next section dedicated to WW2. I was surprised to see the third section dedicated to the Cold War. Next came the Vietnam War followed by those who fought in the Persian Gulf situation. We actually flew through that active area on a flight to India. The aircraft was slightly diverted but still 😯  The final dedicated section of highway was to those fighting the Global War on Terrorism. That gave me pause for thought.

A ribbon of candy. Remember those? This was on 95S in California.

Not as scenic as 95S Arizona but still pretty.

After the fuel stop in Parker ( thought of you today Cindy ) we stopped at the RV Pit Stop in Quartzite to fill the propane tank.Then a quick detour to Loves to pick up some fuel injector cleaner. We have been using this for 15 years as told to us by a mechanic who said that we would never have problems if we used this product. Click here for information on the product Colin is using.

The new as seen in Parker.

…and the old.

We stopped about 3PM at a rest area to feed all four of us. The girls have only done their business once at 6:30AM and then not until we arrived here at 6PM. We are in a state park with no lights at all and it was pitch dark. Colin walked the girls while I dumped the air, put down the jacks and deployed the slides. My next task is to always dust everything with a damp cloth. Makes everything feel fresher. The girls seem happy here and did their business right away. Lots of campfires and the odour of smoke 😉

That mountain to the right of the highway is Picacho Peak.

Almost there. Those last 15 miles seem to take forever.

A glimpse of the sunset we were missing.

Taken with the iPhone. This just makes me want to get to the Isla as soon as we can.

I had a lovely dinner planned but we simply settled for a grilled cheese sandwich. We were both unhappy at missing the fabulous sunset, part of the reason we came here but also very tired.

An orange fell out of the fridge and Ciela went after it like it was a ball. She nudged it along with her nose. We took it away before she bit into it.

We caught the final rays of the sun as we parked at our site. Can you imagine seeing that glorious sunset while sitting outside with a glass of wine? As Colin says, next year.

Be sure to check in tomorrow for what comes next.

Thank you Colleen for a fun end to the day.

I really do appreciate your comments. special thanks to those that make them. Not easy to do a post like this after such a looong day 😎

Normally I would say that I screwed up, however it was a decision we both made. But I did not do the research ahead of time. Obviously my older mind is not recalling certain events. I can’t expect Colin to do travel planning, that is my job.

While I was out yesterday doing the final final grocery shop before we cross into Mexico, Colin had a fellow RVer help move the huge and heavy microwave box into the RV. And he decided to move the dog crate to where his dinner table chair used to be as it fit the space.

The one thing that I have accomplished in the past months has been to smile and say okay. I can even let it the situation go and not stress about it ( most of the time) 😯

We are losing space quickly.

Sadly he broke an important guitar nail in the process.  However we had heard about a new repair treatment using fibreglass which I had ordered on Amazon. So he repaired the nail and is happy as it is very strong and the string sounded great using that nail. Guitarists should not be RVers. Meanwhile I was shopping at Walmart and also at Smiths down/up (??) the road on Flamingo. For the very first time in my life I lost the Jeep at both locations. I seriously thought that it had been stolen as I remembered exactly where I had left it. About 15 minutes later just as I was beginning to panic, I decided to walk even further away from Walmart and that is where I found our vehicle. Phew!! I didn’t realize how far away from the building that I had parked. I also momentarily lost the Jeep at Smiths but found it quickly. Looks like my mind isn’t doing what it should be.

With no reason the girls decided to have a thing where they thought that they saw a critter within the RV.

It took about 10 minutes for them to calm down.

Their favorite place, sitting in the sun on the dash.

Today was a very buy day. I did a full set of exercises ( not doing two sessions yet ), washed my hair ( so that Colin could dump and put the hoses away ). Oh and then I did two very full loads of laundry including sheets and towels.

So at this point the microwave ended up in the bedroom where the dog crate used to be. I used my shoe to show how large the box is. We plan to cover the box up with dog blankets and hope that it goes unnoticed. If discovered we will have to pay import duty!

We are often asked to bring a few things down for friends who forget something or who had flown in and would like an extra something that they can’t get in  Mexico. I also like to surprise a few people with things that I know they would like. So I was already bringing in things for six different families. A friend who is in Mexico already ( her very first trip driving in with RV ) asked for a few things which was totally fine. I had warned her to bring all that she needed with her but she under estimated. One thing that surprised me was the size of this box. We are still looking for a place to stash it.

Hard to see but the outside stair ramp for the girls is in that back area on the right as well as two huge bags of soil for my hibiscus. The yellow box holds I have no idea, plus, plus, plus.

Here Colin is trying to put in a large outdoor fan into the Jeep so that we have more space inside the RV. Many RVers name their RV’s. We have not, but If had to name it, I would call it ” Cram – A – Lot”!

Colin spent most of the day packing things up, he cleaned the inside of the RV, walked the girls and started loading anything he could into the RV basement or the Jeep. Washed the windshield again once he took down the sun screen. As you likely know we are not minimalists. Even the girls have their special carpet to lay on outside as well as two dogs beds. I did as much as I could with my sore back.

So what did we screw up? Distance and time 😳 Normally from here we stop in Lake Havasu ( to see my very dear friend Libby who is no longer with us ) or in Gila Bend.  Why oh why did Colin ( it was his idea ) want to drive to Pichacho Peak state park for our next stop. I really should have checked the mileage. Dang 😥

410 miles! We can only drive at 60-65 mph as we are towing a fully loaded Jeep. The RV is also fully loaded up.

The alternate route is the same mileage.

Definitely a huge screw up. The other issue is that 8AM Arizona time is 7AM Las Vegas time. Quiet time here in the RV park is from 10PM to 8AM. We have decided to get up at 6AM Nevada time and leave at 7AM Nevada time which happens to be 8AM Arizona time. We had hoped to have a few hours before sunset to enjoy Picacho Peak but with a fuel stop and a propane fill stop it might not happen.  At least we don’t have to check out Saturday until noon.

So if the drive is too much for us we will simply stop when we are tired and forfeit our reservation. Poco a poco. The scoop on Picacho is….

We had hoped to go to a casino for a few hours this afternoon. Instead our convention microwave which is 21 years old has began to give us a few signals that it might be on its last legs. A very loud and strange noise, perhaps grinding bearings. So we began a search online to find a replacement.

Why do stores no longer keep product in stock? It appears that everything now has to brought in. Hours later I started a search for “in stock over the range convention microwaves to pick up today”. Finally I found a few. Honestly we have both spent hours on the computer and phone yesterday and again a few hours this morning researching this.  Certainly not how I planned to spend my last relaxing day here in Las Vegas.

Colin checked with our RV Tech in Mazatlan and Erik gave us two options, bring a new one for him to install or he can take ours out and try and get it repaired.  Colin did look at a $200.00 counter top model unit but it was big, bulky and heavy. The thought was to use that one outside and get the original one repaired. However once he thought about it, what if if the original one could not be repaired and after all it was already over 20 years old. So he made an executive decision and purchased a new ( expensive ) unit. You have to be aware that we have a built in hole to fit the new one into and this one was the closet fit. So instead of a fun few hours at the casino we now have a new over the range convection microwave. However it is also an air fryer which I know nothing about but apparently that is a good thing. Except for the final price converted to Canadian dollars, just under $1,000.00 CAD 😯 Click here for the link to what we purchased. Better to have something new that will work as long as we keep RVing. Fortunately Erik will install it for us.

As I type this we are heating the convention oven for our dinner, yup defiantly strange noises 🙄 So far so good. 22 minutes to go. Update, all functioned as it should have.

Colin has two back up hard drives. One stopped working two days ago. So yet another expense for an 8TB hard drive. At least that is a company write off.

So all the signs are pointing to no time in a casino ❗

Personally I had a video kinesiology video session yesterday. We can’t figure out why I have so much pain. The only way I can get out of the RV is by backing down the steps. Also being able to dry myself which involves bending after a shower really hurts. So Lise decreased my exercise level 12 back to a level 5 exercise level. Today I found that my pain was still severe but in a different area which was not quite as debilitating. So it looks like I will be living on Ibuprofen for the next week. Hoping that the new/old excises will help with my problem.

Today was so crazy that I had no time to do even one exercise session today. I was out for 3.5 hours doing our final grocery shop for Mexico. You have to remember that our generator no longer works so we have to plan meals without electricity and I needed fresh ingredients. Plus I am purchasing items for six people already in Mexico.

Weather wise it was cool today with wind and rain showers, with a high of  59F, going to be cold tonight @ 40F.

Overall we are doing well. But really looking forward to leaving here Friday. The Isla is paradise and we are only a few days away 😎

I was finally feeling a tad better yesterday, so we went out for dinner last night – actually an early dinner.

We left just before sunset. We didn’t want to leave in the dark. This was the first time that the girls have been on their own in the dark. Of course we left some soft lights on and music playing.

We were going to a favourite restaurant that is next to the Linq attraction. That is the Venetian behind the wheel.

Our destination, Battista’s Italian Restaurant aka The Hole in the Wall. A very famous place in Vegas. When we arrived just before our 5PM reservation there were about 100 people milling about to get inside. Not everyone had reservations.

A set menu that includes all the wine ( red or wine ) that you can drink, soup or salad, your main and a delicious cappuccino later.

Colin had the fettuccini Alfredo.

I had the cheese manicotti. Everything was delicious. Especially the garlic bread.

We had set up the nanny cam so we could keep an eye on the girls.

Battista’s has been around since 1970. Click here to see more about it. It has a great atmosphere, lots of Tiffany lights and thousands and thousands of signed photos from actors, singers and the rich and the famous. The restaurant it set up in small intimate rooms, not too many tables in each section. Very relaxing and the food is always delicious.

James Cagney top left.

You all know who this is.

We could have stayed later but about the two hour mark the girls started to cry off and on. So we went home. They had been on their own for 2 hours and 50 minutes.

I laid down for just a ten minute nap when Carlie jumped up on me. They really had missed us and she did not want me to go anywhere.

Then Ciela sat on my shoulder and put her face directly over mine. They did not want me to even move. So with two chocolates sitting on me I was trapped. We eventually all went to bed, of course together. But that is not a habit.

We have not been to Battista’s since early November 2019, just before the pandemic hit. Actually this is only the fourth time that we have been to a restaurant since Covid. The first time was last March when friends puppy sat while we went to a late lunch on the Isla. Then twice this summer when friends visited and now yesterday. We sure don’t get out much but that has been by choice.