2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 74

Day 74, Wednesday, December 31, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 32 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

56°F overnight, and not any warmer for my morning walk. Heavy clouds but no rain. It never warmed up all that much - still only 59°F at 2:30. 

I sat in the trailer and played with planning next winter's trip. I'm almost set on trying the southeast again. I prefer the desert, but it adds almost 4000 miles round trip to the drive. With the lousy weather I had last time I probably should just make the long trip, but I'm willing to try again, this time with longer stays and less bouncing around the area. 

I didn't make any reservations yet although some of the campgrounds are taking reservations for my expected dates. The problem is some of the earlier campgrounds won't take reservations until as few as 9 months before your date. I may just do the later ones & hope I can get the dates I want when the reservations open up. If I can't get into a state park I can always go with a commercial one in the area. The ones I checked that were available were completely empty, so I may wait a week or so.

While it still isn't raining, it sure looks like it wants to. The park is filling up. Many of the sites that have been empty for all of December have folks moving in. I don't know how many are leaving on the first, but I doubt it is all that many. January & February are popular months to be here.

Around 4:00 a light rain started.

Dinner was a Tyson Foods Asparagus, Chicken & Cheese, mashed potatoes & creamed spinach.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 73

Day 73, Tuesday, December 30, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 31 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

54°F this morning & 55°F for my morning walk. After breakfast I did my usual on line reading. It hasn't warmed up all that much, it's cloudy and 58°F at 11:30.

I spent most of the day reading. Sometimes in the trailer & sometimes in the Clam. Talked with Kyle - the heating folks came out again today & changed the upstairs thermostat. I still think what ever transformer supplied the power for the upstairs thermostat (there are 3 transformers in the system) is intermittent, but I really can't do any testing from here.

Around 4:00 I headed to building 9 for a shower. 

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Sweet Sesame Chicken Steamer.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 72

Day 72, Monday, December 29, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 30 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

A bit warmer overnight at 51°F and 52°F for my morning walk. The high for the day was 70°F.

After breakfast and some reading I headed to the Kofa Laundromat with two washer loads of clothes. Busy, but no problems getting washers or dryers or a folding table. 

After putting the clothes away I sat outside and read. Most of the time I was in the Clam to get out of the wind. I finished Vice & Virtue by Libby Klein and started book one of the Flavia de Luce series The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. When I added it to my book database I discovered that I have already read some of the series in 2023.

Talked to Kyle & the heating folks stopped by and said they fixed the problem. We will see...

I tossed my turkey chili - it just didn't taste all that good. On the way back from doing the laundry I stopped at Safeway and picked up the stuff to make chicken chili. About the same recipe, but I added a sliced up jalapeno pepper and more chicken broth. This time it worked. Unfortunately, I discovered that I was out of storage containers. While I could store individual servings in quart freezer bags, they don't reheat all that well in the microwave. So, a quick trip to Walmart for some containers.

Dinner was Chili.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 71

Day 71, Sunday, December 28, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 29 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Back to cooler nights at a low of 46°F, and 51°F for my morning walk. First time in awhile I've worn my photo vest for a walk. 58°F at noon.

Still having problems with the boiler at home in Oswego. The pilot light went out again while Kyle was at work. He came home to 60°F in the downstairs & 53°F upstairs. He relighted the pilot & everything was back to the usual - upstairs thermostat on & off on its own. 

I FaceTimed the Guidos on their way from Michigan to South Carolina. Other than that I spent the afternoon reading. I finished Christopher Bollen's A Beautiful Crime last night and started Vice & Virtue by Libby Klein.

Dinner was a salad.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 70

Day 70, Saturday, December 27, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 28 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

54°F overnight with light rain starting around 4:00 and lasting until 5:00. I got a late start for my walk, still cloudy & 78°F. Since they reopened today I stopped in at the Black Pearl restaurant for breakfast. Had a 1/2 order of gravy & biscuits. Different than most, still way too much, and not my favorite.

Back at the trailer I sat outside (I put my outside chair in the Clam overnight) and read for a bit, then moved inside and checked my usual on line stuff. 

Around noon I started my next trailer project - adding a switch to the 12/24 converter used to power the Starlink Mini. Like all projects, not as simple as expected. The entire area I wanted to panel mount the switch was covered with 1" pine boards used to hold various components. Too thick for the switch. I had to mount it around the corner next to my Charge Wizard controller. Finished around 1:30. I don't know if I mentioned Starlink speed before - today it is 194Mbps down & 30Mbps up.

Back outside to do some reading in the setting sun. Glad the days have started getting longer.

Dinner was a Lean Cuisine Chicken Fettuccine Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 69

Day 69, Friday, December 26, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 27 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Back to cool nights at 51°F and 53°F for my morning walk. The humidity is high, at least compared to last week, 80% outside & 60% in the trailer. Lots of condensation on the windows, trailer & truck, and, unfortunately, on the seat of the camp chair I left outside overnight. I discovered it when I took my usual seat after my walk.

A quiet day. I finished Richard Osman's The Impossible Fortune and went back to Christopher Bollen's A Beautiful Crime last night. 

I sat outside reading & with the Nikon Z8 taking hummingbird photos. I forgot that I had taken a photo of the Santa Quad a couple of days ago:

The Santa Quad

I played around with shutter speeds - slow at 1/320 of a second, and the second at 1/16000. The slow speeds dissolves the wings, the faster freezes them. Both an Anna's Hummingbird.

Slow Shutter Speed

Fast Shutter Speed

A little later a Costa's Hummingbird stopped by:

Drove into town and AutoZone for a switch to let me shut off the power to the Starlink Mini when it is plugged into the 24V outlet on the back of the trailer. While not necessary when I have hookups, it will save going outside & unplugging it when I'm not using it in order to save the 2 amps it draws when running on batteries. I have a bunch of micro toggle switches, but they are only rated at 3 amps, and if the snow melt is on, the Mini can draw as much as 5 amps.

On the way back I picked up a couple of deli chicken thighs for dinner.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 68

Day 68, Thursday, December 25, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 26 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Merry Christmas!

Another warm night - only down to 70°F throughout most of the night, then cooling to 55°F during the early morning. 58°F for my morning walk. Lots of puddles left over from yesterday & last night's rain. Bright sun but partially cloudy most of the day. It hit 76°F by 3:00. You have to be careful where you walk.  What was solid gravel yesterday before the rain now is a thin layer of gravel over 3" of soft mud.  

I Facetimed with Karin & family and opened presents together. I also Facetimed with the Guido during their visit to family in Michigan. My brother David is in Connecticut visiting with friends. The saga of the upstairs thermostat continues at home. The repair folks installed a mechanical thermostat that didn't require the "C" wire but we still have an intermittent problem with it shutting off. I suspect one of the multiple transformers is bad, or the replscement zone valve, but who knows. Kyle will talk to them tomorrow.

The Room

The Food

The Desserts

Around 3:30 I headed to the pavilion with my pies, plate & utensils for the pot luck. Lots of people and lots of food. While it looks a little empty in the photos, there was a full house by the time they started to serve.

The pot luck was dinner.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 67

Day 67, Wednesday, December 24, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 25 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

A warm night, only going down to 61°F and 65°F for my morning walk. While it wasn't raining when I started, when I was half way (as far from the trailer as I go in that direction) it started to rain. Big drops, but not all that many. I was a little wet by the time I got back. 

After breakfast I did a little reading with my coffee, then started two blueberry pies. I discovered I didn't have enough sugar for two pies, so I had to make a quick run to Safeway. 

Now at 2:30 the second pie is out of the oven. There were quite a few bad blueberries in the 18 oz packages. They came all the way from Peru, so I guess that is to be expected. Lots of sorting, but there were still enough between 4 18 oz packages to make both pies, so the "emergency" 6 oz container will work for nibbling or on breakfast cereal.

Blueberry Pies

Since I haven't posted a photo recently, here is one of the pies:

I fired up the water heater and did quite a bit of clean up. Making blueberry pies requires some extra time washing dishes. I also use many paper towels to pre wipe before washing. Many pies ago I didn't and just washed everything. The result was the worst gray tank smell ever; worse than the black tank. It took 3 fillings & emptying of the gray tank before I wasn't stinking up everyone around me. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent sitting in the trailer reading. Rain has been off & on all day although never very heavy. 67°F at 3:15. 

Since I was in the "pie mode" dinner was a Boston Market Chicken Pot Pie.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 66

Day 66, Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 24 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Another warm night only going down to 51°F, and 58°F for my morning walk. Heavy clouds with the prediction of rain. No rain so far (at 4:00) but it only warmed up to 66°F. That still sounds nice to my eastern US friends, but cooler than the last two weeks.

I finished Havoc by Christopher Bollen last night and I liked it. First time for this author so I purchased another of his earlier books, A Beautiful Crime. I only read 8% and put it on hold because a long awaited reserve came in at the New York Public Library - Richard Osman's latest in the Thursday Murder Club series The Impossible Fortune. I'll go back to A Beautiful Crime after I finish The Impossible Fortune.

Around 2:00 I made a run to Safeway for fresh blueberries. They are on sale for $3.99 for a 18 ounce tray, which ends up less expensive than frozen.  The problem with fresh is you often get bad berries in the middle of the tray. Four of them will usually make 2 pies, but I bought a 6 ounce package is case there are bad berries in the large containers.

Back at the trailer I decided to head for a shower. Went to building 9, and discovered how to turn down the pressure in shower #1 by pushing in the shower handle. Much nicer at a gentler spray.

I should not have mentioned the rain held off - a very light rain started around 4:30.

Dinner was a Scott & Jon's Shrimp Alfredo bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 65

Day 65, Monday, December 22, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 23 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

A warmer night, going down to 52°F. I put off my morning walk while waiting for the pump out truck since they start at the low number end of the park. They arrived a little after 9:00 and only took a couple of minutes to empty the tanks.

The Pump Out Truck

I went for my walk around 10:00 at 57°F.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent reading. I finished Winter's Child by Margaret Maron, and started Havoc by Christopher Bollen.

I made a run to Safeway for the supplies to make white chili which was dinner (and will be for 2 more meals).

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 64

Day 64, Sunday, December 21, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 22 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Welcome to the shortest day of the year! 51°F last night, about the same for my morning walk & 77°F at 1:30. I picked up a Christmas present package at the office this morning; thanks Karin & family!

While the boiler seems to be running OK, I still see the Sensi thermostat going off line then going back on line multiple times throughout the day. The temperature seems to be OK, but it makes me nervous not to be able to see it. I'm going to have Kyle reboot the house router to see if that makes a difference. 

I made a face time call to the Guidos in Binghamton. It is in the 20's there. 

Dinner was a Saffron Road Chicken Biryani bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 63

Day 63, Saturday, December 20, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 21 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

51°F at 6:00AM and still 51°F at 9:00 when I went for my walk. It only made it up to 75°F today. 

I checked out the Swap Meet and there were a few more booths, but not anything like 2 years ago. I planned to go to the Black Pearl Restaurant for breakfast after the Swap Meet, but they are closed until December 27th. Back at the trailer I settled for a bagel.

I got a call from my son that the boiler was off. We talked through relighting it and thought the high wind yesterday blew out the pilot, and it seemed to be OK after he relighted the pilot, however later this afternoon it appears to be off again. I can see the upstairs thermostat on my phone, and it is calling for heat, is set at 60°F, but the room temperature is only 58°F. It usually stays within 1°F of the set temperature. 

Kyle is at work on the busiest day of the year (of course) for him but he may be able to get home on a break. I suspect he will need to change the thermocouple. A neighbor will be able to help. If that doesn't fix it he will need to contact the heating & AC company that has been doing our service, but we have not been impressed with their work. There are not a lot of choices in Oswego.

I finished The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz; not a bad version of a writer stealing another's work, and started Winter's Child by Margaret Maron.

Kyle got the thermocouple changed and the boiler relighted. We will have to wait to see if it is fixed or something else is the problem. I hate trying to fix things remotely.

Dinner was a Chicken Bubba Burger & the last of the salad.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 62

Day 62, Friday, December 19, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 20 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

49°F at 6:00AM, 50°F for my morning walk. 

Another do little day. I read most of the day, finishing Ohio by Stephen Markley, and starting The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz.

Around 3:30 I headed down to the river to take some boating photos. I was hoping the seaplane would show up, but no such luck.

More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

The high for the day was 79°F, with a fair amount of cloud cover. 

Dinner was a salad.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 61

Day 61, Thursday, December 18, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 19 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

52°F overnight & 54°F for my morning walk. It hit 80°F outside by my under the trailer temperature sensor, and 85°F in the inside rear of the trailer. That is the warmest part of the trailer with the passenger side of the trailer facing south. At the head of the bed it hit 77°F, the same for the area I store my meds that are not suppose to exceed 80°F.

I read during the morning, then decided to tackle one of my trailer projects. The receptacle that I usually plug my toaster into is directly wired to the converter & not the sub panel that runs the rest of the receptacles (with the exception of the one I added for my electric heater). I did ask Escape to install the receptacle directly to the converter since I planned to use it for the electric heater and wanted to save the wear & tear on the transfer switch of a high current load, and would never run the electric heater on the inverter. After using the trailer for a year of so I determined that the direct wired receptacle put in be Escape was on the wrong side of the trailer. Not their fault - they put it where I asked; I just changed where I usually sit.

So, today's project was to rewire the receptacle to the sub panel so that it is on when the inverter is running. Like all renovation projects, it was both easier & more difficult than expected. The easy - I could power the receptacle from another receptacle on the same side of the bench so I didn't have to tear into the sub panel wiring. The difficult part - both receptacles are the RV type that are crimped to the wires & do not have an electrical box. I went to Ace Hardware in Parker and picked up an old work box, back wired receptacle (I won't use the stab type) and a cover. While the RV type receptacle is also a stab type, at least it has multiple pins if you put only one receptacle on a wire or do a continuous feed through when wiring multiple receptacles. Here is what they look like. It takes a special tool to clamp them although I have done a couple without the tool using a couple of boards & a "C" clamp.

A RV Receptacle

I enlarged the hole so the old work box fit and discovered that the 1/8" panel was too thin for the box clamps. I had to add 1/2" spacers to clamp the box. Other than that it was just the hassle of spending a couple of hours on my 81 year old knees. It is in & working.

By then it was 3:00 & I sat outside in the shade reading until dinner.

Dinner was an Amy's Enchilada Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 60

Day 60, Wednesday, December 17, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 18 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

49°F for the low & 50°F for my morning walk. It warmed up to 80°F by late afternoon.

A quiet day. I hung around the trailer and read all day. I checked my data usage and Verizon tells me I'm about half way through my 50GB limit of full speed data. Since I'm a little over 1/2 way through the billing period, I should be fine using Verizon. I can dig out the Starlink Mini if I need to, and will need to if I go over on Verizon because AT&T is pretty much useless here. About half the time I only have SOS available on my AT&T cell phone.

Dinner was a Lean Cuisine Chicken Fettuccine Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 59

Day 59, Tuesday, December 16, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 17 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Another cool night at 48°F & only 50°F for my morning walk, although the sun was out with clear skies so it didn't feel all that cool even in shorts (I did have on an opened lightweight long sleeved shirt). On the way back from my walk I signed up to have the trailer tanks pumped out on the next scheduled pump out day - Monday the 22nd. While the black tank is still showing 2/3 full, it is close enough that it will be time to dump, and it is worth $32.00 to save packing up & hooking up the trailer for a trip to the dump station.

After breakfast I continued some book keeping, then did some reading outdoors. I finished The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and his Mother) by Rabih Alameddine and can understand why it was the National Book Award winner for fiction this year. A very well written & enjoyable book. I'm back to reading Ohio by Stephen Markley, another well written book. My problem with well written books is I have to eventually go back to my usual level books. They may be good stories about interesting things, but it takes awhile to get used to more typical & mundane writing skills. I know I could stick to the masters of writing, but I read so many books (233 so far this year, although that does include 46 audio books) that reading only the experts would be tough.

I took a couple of sunset photos over the last two nights with the iPhone.

A little after 1:00 I headed to the Kofa Laundromat. Busier than the last time, but no problem finding a pair of washing machines or 2 dryers. I'm glad I arrived when I did - while my clothes were in the dryers a guy came in and loaded up 6 of the 10 washers. There was only one left on the left side of the laundromat. I didn't check the right side.

After I got back to the trailer & put the laundry away I headed for a shower at building 9. While the mildew smell is still somewhat under control, the farthest shower had 1 double hook & 1 broken one in the drying area. Lots of shelves in the shower, dry dock on the floor of both the shower & drying area. Necessary since there is 1/2" of water on the floor of the drying area & the shower drains slowly. Good thing since the amount of water coming out of the 2" shower head is minimal. They should find a way to split the pressure between the two showers. The far one is too weak & the near one too strong. Anyhow, a C.

Dinner was steak tacos from the Roadrunner. Not as good as either the fish or shrimp tacos.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 58

Day 58, Monday, December 15, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 16 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

A little cooler at 48°F overnight & only 50°F for my morning walk. 

After breakfast I started the updates on my various banking & retirement spreadsheets for 2026. After lunch I made a run to Safeway for some fresh fruit & vegetables, bread & other stuff. I decided to check out Food City. More expensive for most stuff, but they had Zero Grape Gatorade in the 1 liter bottles.

When I got back to the trailer I sat outside and read until dinner time. It made it up to 78°F during the afternoon.

Dinner was a Boston Market Chicken Parmesan meal.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 57

 Day 57, Sunday, December 14, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 15 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Only a little cooler at 54°F overnight & 59°F for my morning walk. The first day in what feels like weeks with heavy enough cloud cover that the sun barely makes a shadow.

I did go out last night from 9:30 - 11:00 taking many 20 second images pointing a 16mm lens at the Geminid and while I saw quite a few meteors, most were either out of the frame of the camera or too dim to register. I do have one that I caught. I also included one of an airplane, and one of Orion. While I could be wrong, in the first image (the one with the meteor) the bright "star" isn't one, it is Jupiter, and the red/orange star to the center of the image and to the right of the meteor is Betelgeuse, part of Orion. 

The Meteor

Orion

An Airplane

I split my morning walk with a stuffed waffle breakfast at the Black Pearl Restaurant. A little more crowded than last Saturday, but the same great service and excellent food. $17.00 with coffee. 

Back at the trailer I sat outside and read. I finished The Mirage by Michael C. Grumley (was not impressed) yesterday and started Ohio by Stephen Markley. While it is a bit different from my usual, it is excellent; hard to believe it is a debut novel. I had to put temporary hold on reading it because a long awaited hold came in for The True Story of Raja the Gullible (and his Mother) came in. Since it is from the North Country Public Library system, it is only a 14 day loan rather than the 21 day that the NYPL provides. The True Story of Raja the Gullible (and his Mother) is this year's National Book Award for fiction so I didn't want to miss it. I own Ohio so I can finish it anytime.

I moved into the Clam when the wind got strong enough to be annoying. Nothing more than a light breeze, but with no sun it was cooling.

I made my usual Sunday phone calls. Kyle does have hot water, and he has had multiple chances to use the snowblower. They got 4"-6" yesterday. 

Dinner was a salad.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 56

Day 56, Saturday, December 13, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 14 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

55°F overnight, 57°F for my morning walk and a high of 80°F outside. 

Last night I tried to get some of the Geminids meteorites, but nothing visible in the rather over lit park. I'll try again tonight.

The Northeast Sky

After breakfast I sat outside in the Clam. Too much sun without it and too much wind to be comfortable in the shade. The Clam wasn't bad. I finished Middle of the Night by Riley Sager which was OK, & started The Mirage by Michael C. Grumley which is a bit pat. 

After lunch I did much the same as the morning. The wind died down enough that sitting in the shade was OK. There were two of the unusual high engine seaplanes that took off this afternoon, but since I had the camera set up for night photos & a wide angle lens, I didn't get a photo.

Dinner was a Cholula Salsa Verde Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 55

Day 55, Friday, December 12, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 13 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Another warm night at 54°F at 6:00AM & 56°F for my morning walk. 78°F at 2:00.

I did my usual morning web forums & journal reading, then moved outside to sit in the shade & read. I finished Robert Charles Wilson's Last Year, and recommend it. Current book is Middle of the Night by Riley Sager. I took a few photos of the bees, a brown headed cowbird & a hummingbird:

After lunch it was back outside for more reading in the summertime like weather. By the way, I do come to Arizona for the weather, but this week is exceptionally warm even for Arizona. Anywhere from 10°F to as much as 20°F above normal. 

Dinner was P. F. Chang's Chicken Fried Rice.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 54

Day 54, Thursday, December 11, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 12 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Warmer at 52°F overnight & 55°F for my morning walk. The high for the day was 81°F, again with a bit of sun on the place the outside sensor is stored. By 5:30 it was down to 73°F.

As expected, I got email from Amazon telling me my packages (due to arrive today) are delayed & should show up tomorrow.

More sitting around reading. The bees have found the hummingbird feeder, but that doesn't stop the hummingbirds. They just push the bees out of the way. They are still fighting over the feeder even though there is another one on a trailer 2 spaces away.

Around noon I headed to Walmart for some supplies. Not too crowded, which is unusual for the Parker Walmart. Still no Chicken Bubba Burgers or 1/2 liter grape Zero Gatorade.

I headed for the showers in building 9 around 4:30. 2 showers. The one I was in had a bench in the small drying area, 2 double hooks, dry deck of the floor of both the drying area & the shower. Very strong water flow. A 2" medium flow shower head that spit out water just below the "painful" pressure. Plenty of hot water, although there was someone in the other shower and adjusting either changed the other. Towards the end of my shower I had to increase the hot setting - I suspect the water heater was running low. Overall, a B.

Dinner was a Chef Ramsay Alfredo Lasagna with Chicken. First time I've see it in a store so I tried it. They had 7 varieties of Chef Ramsay bowls, but not my favorite - Chicken Marsala Pasta. Like all the Chef Ramsay bowls I've tried, the lasagna was pretty good.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 53

Day 53, Wednesday, December 10, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 11 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Another 48°F night, 54°F for my morning walk and a high for the day of 77°F.

After breakfast I sat outside & read which was pretty much all I did all day. I finished James D. Doss' Charlie Moon #15, A Dead Man's Tale. and started an unusual time travel novel since at least the start is written from the viewpoint of the past & the effect of the future setting up tourist centers. Robert Charles Wilson's Last Year.

The water was shut off in the campground to make a repair in a water line. It is back on, but it needs to run a bit before it looks clean.

There is one hummingbird that is king of the feeder. He chases away any other hummingbirds if he is at the feeder, and this afternoon he started sitting on the yoke of the support for the feeder. Ant other hummingbird comes near and he chases them away. There are many feeders set up around the park - I don't know why they don't share.

The King

Watching the hummingbirds chase each other around was the highlight for the day. 

Dinner was a Chicken Bubba Burger and Bush beans. I only have 4 chicken Bubba Burgers left and I don't expect to get more before well on the way home. None at Safeway or Walmart. I should check Food City before I give up on them, but the outlook isn't good.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 52

Day 52, Tuesday, December 9, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 10 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

A little cooler overnight, going down to 48°F & 53°F for my morning walk. 

Another day of doing nothing. Last night I finished The Widow's Revenge, #14 in the Charlie Moon series by James D. Doss, and started #15, A Dead Man's Tale. Yesterday my neighbor got a new awning via the awning truck that roams the park. I asked, but he didn't have an end cap for my awning in the truck. I'm still waiting to hear my end cap for the trailer awning from Panther RV has been shipped, let alone delivered. I guess complaining gets things done. About an hour after I typed the last sentence I got a notice from the office that I had a package - I now have my end cap. I need to find a better way to keep it on than the plastic "hooks" built into the cover. The last ones failed, leaving the cover somewhere along I 10. I used some 3M VHB tape to "glue" it in place. Hope it works!

There are a bunch of services that cruise the park - a "Free" windshield repair truck, general RV repairs, the awning guy, and, on Mondays if you signed up at the office, a pump out for your tanks. So far I'm just a little over two thirds full on the black tank, and since I use the park showers, still under 1/3 on the gray. 

So, the morning was spent reading some on line stuff and making an Amazon order to be delivered here. When I changed the address from Oswego to here it still says it is a 2 day delivery - most deliveries to Parker take longer.

After lunch I headed outside to hop between the sun & shade. Still only 69°F outside, but no clouds & a strong sun. By 2:00 it is up to 75°F.

I thought about the other half of the Quattro Formaggi pizza, but I really didn't like the first half so around 4:00 I headed to the Roadrunner Bar & Grill for fish tacos. They were OK, but I think I prefer the shrimp tacos.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 51

Day 51, Monday, December 8, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 9 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Another 51°F night and 60°F for my morning walk. 

If you haven't realized it by now, this journal gets a bit boring since I'm in the same place for two months. I will haul out the camera and take a few photos. 

While I read all morning, I did make a run to the post office to mail my granddaughter's birthday card & a couple of Christmas cards. Stopped at the bank for some cash and Safeway for a frozen pizza.

Back at the trailer I grabbed the camera and took a couple more hummingbird photos, and one of what my iBirds tells me is a Brewer's Blackbird, then a couple of photos of some of the boats traveling on the Colorado River. There is a seaplane that has landed (and taken off) twice since I've been here, but I haven't had the camera handy to get a photo. I also included a photo of the California side of the river.

It keeps getting warmer day by day. It his 80°F on my outdoor thermometer. Since it is in the ladder storage fence post on the sunny side of the trailer it may be boosted a couple of degrees, but it is a nice day. The seaplane took off again but I didn't get a good view of it because it was still too low and behind a bunch of RVs. One photo as it went by.  As usual, a couple more photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Dinner was half a Newman's Quattro Formaggi pizza.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 50

Day 50, Sunday, December 7, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 8 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

51°F for the overnight low and 73°F for today's high.

I didn't do much today other than sitting around reading, and making my usual Sunday phone calls. 10" of snow at my brother's house in the Catskills, just a couple of inches at home in Oswego. The hot water is off again - Kyle will call the boiler folks tomorrow.

I finished Snake Dreams by James D. Doss, and started #14 in the Charlie Moon series, The Widow's Revenge.

Dinner was a Benihana Hibachi Chicken Rice Bowl.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 49

Day 49, Saturday, December 6, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 7 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Just a bit cooler ar 44°F overnight. 

I headed to the swap meet on the other side of the park. No where near as filled with merchants as it was the last time I was here (during the 2023-24 winter). After a short walk around I headed to the near by Black Pearl Restaurant for breakfast. It is only open for breakfast on weekends. Bacon, eggs, toast & hash browns and coffee for $14.51. Fast service and continuous coffee refills.

Back at the trailer I sat outside reading. I dragged out the Z8 with the 28-400mm zoom lens and did some hummingbird photos. All the same bird. As I mentioned yesterday, there are at least two of them, but only one hanging around this morning. According to my iBird Photo Sleuth it is 89% sure it is an Anna's Hummingbird. Just as well there is only one since when they are fighting over the feeder it is almost impossible to photograph them. They sure move fast! A couple more images at today's LakeshoreImages page.

After that, more sitting outside reading. 67°F with a very light wind. I finished The Night Visitor by James D. Doss, and discovered a few more of his books that I haven't read that are available on the Kindle. So, now I'm on a 3 James D. Doss book binge, starting with Charlie Moon #13, Snake Dreams.

Dinner was the last chicken thigh grilled and creamed spinach.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 48

Day 48, Friday, December 5, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 6 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

48°F this morning, 51°F for my walk. 

After breakfast I called Hueco Tanks to make my reservations for a couple of days on my trip back to NY in March. It will be a new campground for me and the information looks interesting. 

After that I did some reading. Current book on the Kindle is The Night Visitor by James D. Doss, the 5th book in the Charlie Moon series. Somehow I missed this one; I've read all the others in the series, and enjoyed them all. 

Around 3:30 I headed for a shower. Buildings 6 & 9 have showers, and the last time I was here 9 was the closest. From site 10 it is a little longer to Building 9, plus it has a bad case of mold. I headed for Building 6. Two showers, both with wand type shower heads. No shelves in the showers or drying area, 4 hooks plus a couple of broken ones in the far shower drying area. The entire drying area floor is wet, even though there is a shower curtain between the shower & drying area. Plenty of adjustable hot water with the mount for the shower wand high overhead. No heat in the building, but not needed today - it was close to 70°F when I headed to the showers. I give it a C.

After my shower I sat outside & read until it was time to cook dinner.

I set up the hummingbird feeder and it took less than a half hour before the first hummer arrived. There are at least 2, so they chased each other away.

Dinner was a grilled chicken thigh (one left), a salad, and microwaved Kraft Mac & Cheese. Not as good as the normal mac & cheese, but a lot easier in the trailer.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 45

Day 45, Tuesday, December 2, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

A cool morning, 40°F at 6:00AM. I put on long pants & long sleeved shirt as well as my vest for my morning walk. After breakfast I read for a bit, then nailed down my outdoor mat. After lunch I set up the Clam. Since 31MPH gusts are predicted for tomorrow I staked the pop out handles as well as the bottom corners. Even with all that I've had it fold up a couple years ago at Quartzsite.

Site 10 With Clam & Mat

I sat out and recovered from all that hard work, reading on the Kindle. I finished Robert Galbraith's The Hallmarked Man, and started Terra Incognita by Connie Willis.

I would have done laundry & filled the empty propane tank, but the Oswego Health Physician's Care billing department was going to call back to let me pay at least one of their doctor's bills. Unfortunately, while I waited all afternoon, by 5:00 EST she never called.

Dinner was Shrimp Tacos from the Roadrunner Bar & Grill. Three excellent tacos with a choice of corn or flour tortillas, and two large bowls of beans & rice. $21.00. The place certainly classied up from what it was before they shut down for a year to remodel. The barge portion is actually level! A large bar & a separate area serving food which was closed when I got there around 4:00. They still took orders at the bar from their menu, both for the tables & to go.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 47

Day 47, Thursday, December 4, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

A warm night, only going down to the high 50's, and 60°F for my morning walk. Still a bit of wind, but less than yesterday.

I filled up the truck at Running Man 2 for $3.04 a gallon, then took my empty propane tank to Marathon & filled it at $3.39 a gallon. Stopped at Walmart on the way home & picked up a couple of things. They only had the small bottles of Grape Zero Gatorade, but I bought some anyway. 

Back at the trailer I read for awhile. I finished listening to Joyce Carol Oates Evil Eye, and downloaded Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.

Dinner was a couple of grilled chicken thighs along with left over rice and beans from Tuesday's Shrimp Tacos.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 46

Day 46, Wednesday, December 3, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 4 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Another cool morning at 48°F. Still, few clouds so it warmed up quickly. 50°F for my morning walk & 61°F by 11:00. 

I read moat of the morning after breakfast, then gathered my clothes for a trip to the laundry. I went to the Kofa Laundromat which I prefer to the 16th St laundromat. $2.00 to wash in a standard top loading machine (they do have a few large load front loaders) and 8 minutes per $.25 to dry. For my three washer loads in 2 large dryers it took 40 minutes to dry on high. 

I finished Terra Incognita by Connie Willis, and started Adulthood Rites by Octavia E. Butler while waiting for my clothes to dry.

The plan was to grill a chicken thigh, but by the time I got home from doing laundry the predicted 30MPH wind gusts were happening. It is suppose to be less windy tomorrow so I'll wait on the chicken until then.

Dinner was a Lean Cuisne Sesame Chicken Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 44

Day 44, Monday, December 1, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

A warm night, only going down to 61°F. It was 63°F and windy when I went for my walk. I wore shorts & a "T" shirt - should have stayed with the long pants and a long sleeved shirt. 

Around 10:30 the big Class A pulled out of site 10 & I moved in, my shortest move of the trip. I have a much better view out the back window - while there are a few RVs between me & the Colorado River, I can see quite a bit of it. 

While I usually do photos of other things, I did take a selfie of me with & mostly without beard:

Before

After

After lunch I headed to Walmart. Busy, as usual with a 10 minute wait at the check out. Still can't find grape Gatorade Zero in the half liter bottles, but the rest of my list went well.

Back at the trailer I read for a bit. Can't seem to get into Robert Galbraith's (J. K. Rowling) The Hallmarked Man, but I waited so long that I feel like I should finish it. I enjoyed most of the other Cormoran Strike novels, so I'm not sure why this one isn't working. I finished listening to First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston and started listening to Evil Eye by Joyce Carol Oates.

Starting today and for the next two months, the daily price for my site works out to $14.00. Lots of lawn since it is a corner site, but unfortunately, it is on the wrong side of the trailer. Still, it is a nice large site with a picnic table that already has a cover. I checked the propane tanks and my project for tomorrow it to get the empty one filled.

Site 10

Dinner was an Amy's Enchilada Bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 43

Day 43, Sunday, November 30, 2025 - La Paz County Park, Parker, AZ - 204.7 Miles, 3,449.7 Miles for the Trip

Not as cold in Apache Junction at 40°F this morning, but the furnace ran enough to pull the batteries down to 32% or -222 amp hours according to the Victron battery monitor, the lowest they have been since they were installed. By the time I reached Parker they were back to 52%, and with the converter connected to a pedestal, up to 62% by dinner.

I packed up the trailer and headed out to Parker, AZ. One of the reasons I made a 2 day reservation (well, I thought I made a 2 day reservation) was to avoid driving on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Actually, the traffic wasn't too bad. Of course I 10 through Phoenix was busy, but no stop & go and it settled to comfortable driving after the I 10 got down from 7 lanes to 2. I got a call from my son - the hot water is back on. 

I stopped at the Safeway in Parker for a couple of things, then headed to the park. I checked in and am in site 74 for the night which is a pull through across from site 10 where I'll move to tomorrow. Water & electric on gravel with 2 picnic tables, both on the wrong side of the trailer. Level enough to work without lifts or unhooking. $38.50 for the night. The average cost will be far less per night when I move to site 10.

Site 74

I went for a walk since I had skipped my usual morning one. The Roadrunner bar & cafe is open and much improved over what it was the last time I saw it open (it was closed the last time I was here). 

Back at the trailer I made my usual Sunday phone calls, and shaved off my beard.  Well, not completely off, but buzzed to a #3 with my trimmer.  It had reached a length that, rather than getting longer, just curled more & more and felt like a Brillo pad on my chin.  

Dinner was a P. F. Chang's Chicken Lo Mein bowl.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 42

Day 42, Saturday, November 29, 2025 - Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ - 269.1 Miles, 3,245 Miles for the Trip

36°F at 6:00AM. After breakfast I packed up the trailer and headed out. For some reason my GPS wanted me on I 10 through Tucson, all the way to the edge of Phoenix, then back 20 miles to Apache Junction. In the past I switched to AZ 79 at Tucson & I should have this time. An extra 50 miles or so, and lots of stop & go on I 10 between Tucson & Phoenix. 

A big surprise when I got here. I somehow reserved December 29 & 30 rather than November 29 & 30. So, no reservation. Lucky, they had one open site that I'd fit in. I'm in site 112 for one night. A dry site on asphalt with a picnic table & fire ring/grill. $35.00 for one night. A 1 1/2" lift to the passenger side & 1" lift to the tongue to level the trailer. The site is labled as 43' deep; my combined length is 43' but I still have 4' behind the trailer so they seem to be conservative on their site lengths.

Site 112

I called La Paz County Park (where I'm staying December 1 - February 28) and asked if I could get into my site one day early or if they had an empty site for a night. Unfortunately, someone is in site 10 until the 1st, but they found another site so at least I'll have a place to stay.

My site here is in a pretty location - the Superstition mountains behind the trailer and the moon rising above them.

After setting up I headed for the showers. The nearest building is quite a walk, but at least the showers are inside. One of the other buildings has showers on the back side of the bathrooms and the doors on most of them are broken from being blown by the wind. 2 showers, 1 disabled. I used the regular shower. A 2" medium pressure shower head with plenty of adjustable hot water. Large shower stall with a small soap dish. The drying area is smaller than the shower, but has a bench & 2 hooks. There is a shower curtain between the two areas, but the entire drying area floor still gets wet. Very dark, and while I didn't need it today with the 70°F outside temperature, it looks like it would be cold later in the winter. Overall, a B-.

I checked the speed of AT&T - 65.46Mbps down & 11.50Mbps up. 

By the time I got back to the trailer & finished setting up it was time for dinner which was Tabatchnick Vegetarian Chili.

While there was a nice sunset, it is in the wrong direction, since the Superstitions are to the East of the park. I did get a nice warm photo of the mountain:

I'll try for some star photos. If I get anything worthwhile, I'll post them with tomorrow's journal.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 41

Day 41, Friday, November 28, 2025 - Whitewater Draw, McNeal, AZ, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 2,975.9 Miles for the Trip

I got a call at 7:30AM from my son - the hot water at the house is out AGAIN. I really need to find a better solution for making hot water than the Amtrol BoilerMate. While it does provide plentiful even temperature hot water, I've had to replace the zone valve that feeds it 3 times in the last 6 years. Maybe I should find something other than the Taco Heat Motor zone valve, although the same ones that control the two heating zones in the house have worked for over 30 years.

A little warmer last night at 40°F. After breakfast I did my part for Black Friday & ordered my granddaughter's birthday (Asher) and Christmas presents for both. 

Very busy lower parking lot including a large class A RV. I'm the only one overnighting in the RV overnight loop, but since the lower lot looks filled, day trippers have started parking here. 

Light clouds are letting enough sun on the solar panels to bring up the batteries from 39% this morning to 45% by 11:00AM. It sure would be nice to tilt the panels to increase the output, but I can only tilt them to the rear of the trailer & I'm not parked with the back of the trailer to the south. Because of the low path of the sun, this time of the year flat panels are at their least output. I'm only getting 150 watts out of 320 watts worth of panels. 

For those that have not seen Goat heads, here is an example:

Around 1:00 I went for my morning walk, taking the Z8 with my old 80-400 Nikkor zoom. While much heavier than the 28-400, I feel it is a bit sharper. In any case, here are 4 more Sandhill Crane images. I also found part of the pond that has some white geese that I'm guessing are Snow Geese.

Up to 79°F in the trailer with the MAXX fan running, and 74°F outside. The batteries are up to 52%. The camping loop got crowded. There are now 5 of us in the circle. I'm not even the smallest!

I decided to try for the incoming mass of birds. While not as massive as the first night, there were quite a few.

As usual, many more images at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Chicken Alfredo.

Until Next Time -