Apr 11, 2015
I am cracking up ~ literally !!
Yesterday
This is day 10 of the super dry conditions and my body is rebelling. How does one live with 1% to 12 % humidity? Really, I do want to know. Every year we have a reaction as we leave the humidity of the Isla and head into Arizona and southern California. We both have the nose issues of dryness and bleeding. We both have have finger nails cracking and breaking. My heels are flaking when less than 2 weeks ago they were smooth as silk and dare I mention my new lizard dry skin, major yuck! Even my vitamin gel tabs have been affected. On the Isla they are extremely soft and squishy. Here they are rock hard.
I love my hair on the beach on the Isla. The humidity and salt in the air makes my very fine hair seem so full and lush. I can try different hair styles and it is so fun. Suddenly I am back to limp fine hair and pony tails 🙁 It is what it is but it just doesn’t seem fair to have to suffer this transition. Not sure if you recall last spring when I got back to Kelowna and started to have eye issues. Dryness and burning and not being able to use the computer or even read a book. Those same symptoms have already started and it is not fun at all. I can’t see anything unless I use sunglasses and if I use the computer I need a dark screen in behind and lots of eye drops to lubricate my eyes. At least I now know the cause of this eye problem. Last year I thought I was going blind, now I know it is a very serious humidity issue that I need to deal with using eye drops and eye gels. Getting old is not fun 🙁
It was a dull day heading West from Needles.
Some excitement seeing these three Military V 22 Osprey Tiltrotor Aircraft.
This is how they function, most interesting.
Next stop, Kramer Junction and some serious polishing.
The before photo.
The process.
One wheel completed. A fabulous RV wheel polishing for only $10.00 per wheel. Colin is happy.
Our Friday night stop at the Boron rest area. We quite like it here.
So does Carmeh. Caeli prefers to say inside.
Many other vehicles coming and going. The van in the foreground is from Quebec and they have added an awning to it as well as curtains to the windows. Their home on wheels.
Now that is a license plate you don’t see too often.
This is area is full of Joshua trees and this one is an oldie.
Carmeh snuggling as close as she can to Colin.
An unexpected spectacular sunset.
We drove 190 miles Friday.
Today
We drove from Boron to Stockton, California, a very long ( to us ) 326 miles after taking it easy this past week. This was our first long driving day since we left San Carlos for the BLM area in Why where we drove 378 miles that day not to mention 501 miles the day prior when we left the Isla, 😯 Poor Carmeh, today the dryness affected her. She sneezed repeatedly for over 15 minutes this morning, then for the next 4 hours sneezed off and on. She kept looking at me as if to say, please fix this Mom! I wish I could have.
Year after year the first glimpse of these wind turbines is always amazing.
The Mojave airport is known as a storage location for commercial airlines because of the vast area and dry desert conditions.
We have been doing really well in finding low fuel prices. The best so far was in Gila Bend, AZ where we got diesel for 2.489/gal and in Lake Havasu, AZ @ the Love’s on I40 for 2.649/gal. Today we found a great deal on CA99 at exit 167, a Valero station for $2.679/gal. Last year we paid 3.839/gal at this same location. The next lowest price we saw all day today was $2.779/gal. I had made a note of this station last year and had hoped it would keep the lowest rate and it did, a keeper in my book.
Highway 99 has improved vastly over the past few years and with the changes in progress I expect that next year it will be an almost perfect road North.
Not sure what can be done about blowing dirt from the fields. Fortunately it was only along a very small section.
So here we are after what seemed like a long 326 miles stopping at a Walmart for the night. Lots of green grass for the girls and a nice assortment of fresh fruit in the store for us for our morning drive. We like to munch as we drive. I am also happy to report that we have an increase of humidity to 28%, major progress.
As stealth as we can be in a Walmart.
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Your motorhome is beautiful. Love the full colour paint.
We love our old RV and likely will keep it for as long as we RV.
The dry desert does not seem to bother either one of us.
We seem to have more issues, with humidity causing arthritis pain and breathing issues.
Guess every body is different.
The wheels are looking good.
Colin is very happy with the wheels and for $40.00 a great deal. The problem with the dryness was due to the fact that we spent most of the winter in extreme humidity and then with a sudden change to the dryness our bodies reacted. Other RVers coming North from Mazatlan have experienced similar symptoms though not as extreme as us.
Since we live in Arizona most of the summer, I will share our thoughts on low humidity. In general we love it. We do make some lifestyle changes. Better 3/4s loves the straight hair as in high humidity she has curly hair (I like the curly also). When the humidity gets really low we normally have warmer temp so we cool with evaporative cooling. This is very comfortable with low humidity and helps skin & other too dry issues in the house. When monsoons begin we switch over to AC as the low humidity only last a few months. We also use skin lotion for the balance of dry skin issues. Saline solution for the nose. No eye issues. Dips in the pool are great getting out to the dry air. It does take time to acclimate to the different weather but once you do, Paradise. Just a lifestye choice, IMHO!
Travel safe,
rocmoc n AZ/Mexico
Good to know Rocmoc. Nice to have that evaporative cooking system. I think that if I spent all winter in Arizona I would easily adapt. Good to know about the saline solution. Will get that for next winter. Off to put on more body lotion.
The lower fuel prices are great….now if only our dollar wasn’t so bad! Still having the same issues with bleeding noses, allergies and alligator skin but the joints are happy here in Laughlin. I guess you can’t have it all!
I hate to tell you but as you head north all the problems will be gone except the joints are going to ache. I really want to head south 🙂
You take good care of your motorhome. As for stealth camping, I couldn’t see anything in the picture. Pretty good!
We do our best.
As soon as I get off the plane in Denver everything dries and cracks. If we go home by way of Billings it’s worse, but it’s bad enough when we land in Bozeman. Takes me the whole rest of the winter to get used to it again.
Good to know it’s not just me. I imagine that flying makes it even worse. But honestly being in Mazatlan makes it all worthwhile.
I have used Coconut oil mixed with a little hand cream on my arms and legs – even while in Mazatlan and it seems to make my skin feel better. Here is a recipe for home made foot cream that is the best mixture I have ever found to keep your heels/feet nice and soft. 7 oz Vaseline, 4 oz vitamin E Cream, 15 oz
Johnson’s Baby Lotion. Whip together with a hand mixer. Use at night and wear socks to bed if you wish or just let it absorb before putting on shoes as your feet will be slick! So worth the effort to make and what a big batch – over a quart. Try it you will like it as the saying goes.
Thanks for the foot creme recipe. I never even thought of coconut oil and I have some with us. Perfect! Are you guys home yet?