We stayed in Gilbert Ray CG outside Tucson for four days touring and relaxing with our friends Pat and Bob Hogg They are fulltimers from Alberta who, as I am sure I have mentioned, we met in an RV Park in El Paso two years ago. We hiked Sabino Canyon in the northeast part of town and we drove to Kitt Peak Observatory to tour several of the huge telescopes located there. We engaged in that all time favorite pastime of shopping in the RVer’s candy store, Camping World (magazine racks this time). We dined out a couple of times and a couple of times we had extended “happy hour” followed by light suppers on our own. One dinner was at the Bamboo Club, its location in a large mall adjacent to several other large new restaurants gave away its character as part of a chain. It is a new chain and it seems to be a copy of PF Chang. It is very good for what it is and I would go to another one if there was no local alternative.

The Hoggs travel is generally north to south and return while our route is generally east to west and return. They are members of an RV Park system and have to reserve well ahead to be able to take advantage of the investment, thus their itinerary is far more fixed than ours. We have found that we can more easily adjust our peregrinations to intersect theirs and for two years now it has worked out that we have met at this campground. They are thinking of coming east this fall and maybe we will get to entertain them at our “fixed base” in Rochester.

After four pleasant days in Gilbert Ray CG it was time to continue west. For anyone interested in the campground the images in the last post provide an idea of the nature of the sites. There is 30 amp electric only. Water and sanitary connections are centrally located (dry camping). The sunsets can be spectacular . Somehow it seemed that we just wanted to take the most direct route this time so we retraced a few miles to get on I 10 west bound to I 8 just south of Phoenix. We paused at Gila Bend for driver change and lunch. I note this for future reference as this is a reasonable stopping place and the rest area that is supposed to be at 223 does not seem to exist. We finished the day at Senators Wash LTVA. Actually we are in no mans land in a short term area that is adjacent to the LTVA (Long Term Visitors Area – BLM terminology for open land that is available for extended camping for a fee of $120/year). We have stayed on Mountain Time although we are a mile or two into California and are formally in the Pacific Time Zone. Most people here seem to do the same and call it Yuma Time.

We are dry camping on a beach next to a reservoir that seems to pulse with the rhythm of life as it fills and empties. It is a pumped storage facility. During the night when there is little electrical demand and irrigation requirements are minimal water is pumped into the reservoir. By day as demand for electricity and irrigation water rises the water flows out into the irrigation ditches through the same turbines that pumped it in during the night restoring most of the electricity that was used to pump it in to begin with. We awake each morning not knowing quite where the waterline will be relative to our location. We are camped above what is the long term high water mark, although it is clear that at certain times the water has gone higher. Also, the warning sign that says “Evacuate Immediately When Siren is Sounded” does give one pause. We are above the Imperial Dam and so not likely to be flooded rapidly.

The biggest disadvantage of this location is the lack of reliable phone service. For the 7 days we will have been here we have had to drive around looking for a phone signal. Connecting the computer is a joke. We will have to invest in satellite service for internet if we plan to do a lot of this. The hardware is $5,000 and the connection charge is $50/month or more depending on the service desired. I am not sure I can justify this for the week or two we are without service. Thus this posting will be put up when we get out on the road on Tuesday the 28th.

We have had the boat out on the Colorado River, I have ridden some bicycle in the sand here and we have done a fair amount of walking and hiking. Most of all we have sat and read and I have continued to do minor jobs and updates on Gee 2. The cabinet over the entry door which houses the slide switches, the battery cutoff switches and last minute items to grab as we go out the door such as flashlights, now has a gas strut to keep it open, why it wasn’t factory installed I have yet to figure out unless they just forgot it. I have hung the two magazine racks we picked up it Tucson. I have also made some other minor changes to improve comfort and usability. The next serious addition will be solar power and a couple of more batteries along with a more powerful central inverter/charger. Once these are in place I can begin to think about adding satellite internet. Who said a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money? They never owned an RV with dreams of extended desert stays 