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 - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 40

Day 40, Thursday, November 27, 2025 - Whitewater Draw, McNeal, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 2,975.9 Miles for the Trip

Happy Thanksgiving!

A little after 5:00 yesterday evening an Escape 5.0TA pulled in and parked on my side of the loop. I introduced myself & then they headed off to see the cranes. He headed out around 10:30 AM this morning.

The cranes got quiet around 11:00, then got very loud around 4:00AM. Still dark so I don't know if any left. Quiet again until around 6:00 when they left to feed. You can hear one or two croaking now at 11:30 but the pond is mostly empty.

Down to 34°F overnight, 57°F by noon. Partly cloudy; the solar panels are struggling putting out 55 watts or so. After making my morning coffee the batteries are at 55%.

Whether you call them grass burrs, grass spurs, goat heads, sand burrs, etc they are a pain in the foot. I have heard that they are strong enough to puncture bicycle tires; I know they are strong enough to survive tracking in on my shoes then stabbing my bare feet. Along with the mosquitoes that thankfully only come around in the evening & morning, the flies are also numerous. It might be because the dumpster & vault toilet are near by. Even being careful when opening the door I have managed to swat 4 of them this morning.

Around 2:00 I went for my morning walk. Not as many cranes in as yesterday, but since I heard lots of them arrive around 5:00 yesterday, I'll make another round then.

I ate my turkey dinner around 3:00 since that is the traditional time when I was home in Oswego. I do miss a full bore turkey dinner built around a Plainville turkey, but on the road you do what you have to do. It is clouding over; the solar panels are down to 9 watts.

Dinner was snacking since my turkey was what I call linner.

Around 5:00 I headed to the pond to catch the evening rush. The mosquitoes chased me away before I managed to see very many flights, but I got a few. Nice light until the sun went down.

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

Back at the trailer I processed the photos. There are two vans here in the circle that look like they are planning to spend the night. 

As i mentioned, just a couple of snacks before bed. By the way, the Stouffer's Turkey dinner was pretty good, many steps above the typical TV dinner, but, of course, nothing like the real thing.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 39

Day 39, Wednesday, November 26, 2025 - Whitewater Draw. McNeal, AZ - 91.7 Miles, 2,975.9 Miles for the Trip

Another cool night, 34°F at 6:30AM. No morning walk since I hope to get to Whitewater Draw early enough to get a site on the circle. 

After breakfast I hooked up & headed out a little after 9:00. Rt 80 switches back & forth between NM & AZ, ending up in Douglas, AZ where I got gas at $3.17 per gallon. Headed north on US 191, and arrived at Whitewater Draw around 11:00. I shouldn't have worried about getting a "site" (sites are just park along the outside of a loop around the vault toilet). If you line up with an opening, you get a picnic table. No hookups. The site needed 1 1/2" lift side to side, but level with the trailer hooked up. Since there isn't anywhere to go, I left the trailer connected. There is one other RV in the loop, a Class B van. It warmed up along the drive, 66°F at 12:30.

My Site on the Loop

I was down to 51% or 148 amp hours at the time I left, the lowest the batteries have been since I installed them in 2019. The drive (9 amps from the truck) and the sun (11 amps from the solar panels) brought the batteries up to 66% by 12:30. With a light haze in the sky I doubt I'll get to 100% by the end of the day. I ran a speed test on AT&T - 142.61Mbps down & 12.40Mbps up. My Verizon phone shows a couple of bars, but I didn't do a speed test since AT&T looks good.

There are some cranes here; I can hear their distinctive cry, but at this time of day most of them are out in the fields eating. I took a walk anyway since I had skipped my morning walk and found quite a few cranes. I also found some bat houses, and some dried muddy footprints suggesting that a walk around the pond area when it is wet is not a great idea.

Many more photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

While I was on my walk around the pond it warmed up nicely. 72°F outside, and almost too warm at 80°F in the trailer. I have the MAXX fan running and windows open. Still 79°F outside at 4:30. The predicted overnight temperature is 37°F so I suspect it will cool down quickly. I sat outside in the shade of my hooded chair and read until the mosquitoes got so bad sitting wasn't fun. When I headed in I rediscovered another problem with the picnic table area - grass burrs. They limbed themselves in your shoes, then get loose inside, waiting until you are walking around barefoot or in your socks.

Dinner was a Bubba Chicken Burger & salad.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 38

Day 38, Tuesday, November 25, 2025 - Sunny Flats, Portal, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 2,884.2 Miles for the Trip

A cool night, going down to 35°F by 6:00AM, and 36°F for my morning walk. 

Two of the campers on the sunny side are leaving today. One is too short for my trailer, but I'd fit in the other. Still, I'll probably stay here since I'm only down 20% on the batteries. While the outside set up is minimal because there are no hookups, putting away everything to be move proof inside takes a bit of doing. 

After my walk I made breakfast, then fired up the Starlink Mini (I shut it off last night since I wasn't using it and it draws around 19 watts all the time it is on). I did shut down the snow melt feature, otherwise it would be drawing twice that. Still too bad a connection through the trees & surrounding mountains to work well with internet radio. I used the WiFi calling option on my iPhone 17 for a call this morning and it worked until it didn't. I guess the fact that I could make any connection without the usual 10 mile drive is a plus.

Around noon I walked around the campground. Both of the sites that opened this morning are filled so even if I wanted to move, I can't. I took a few photos during the walk. A camera does not do justice to the views from this campground. The mountains surrounding it are beautiful & majestic. There is even a bit of snow on one of the Chiricahua mountains. The road into the campground continues paved for a mile or so, then becomes a dirt road that eventually ends up in the Chiricahua National Monument. I've taken it a couple times on past visits to Sunny Flats & each time it became a snow covered muddy road. I never made it completely over the pass into the monument. It would be a beautiful drive (not towing the trailer) during a dry summer day.

On another walk around the campground loop I met a fellow photographer from California. He has a larger connection of Nikons & lenses than I do and is doing some nighttime photography. Another cool day only reaching 53°F. The altitude is probably a factor since we are over 5,000'. Rodeo, a small town less than 30 miles from here had a high of 65°F today. 

Dinner was a Tyson Foods Chicken Asparagus & Cheese and a baked potato.

Until Next Time - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 37

Day 37, Monday, November 24, 2025 - Sunny Flats, Portal, AZ - 120 Miles, 2,884.2 Miles for the Trip

A cool morning at 37°F. After breakfast I finished hooking up the trailer and was out of Sunrise RV Park by a little after 9:00. The drive was on I 10 & NM/AZ 80, with the last 12 miles on Portal road and Cave Creek road. Sunny Flats only has 15 or so campsites and at least 3/4 won't fit the 21. The good news is there was one site left that fits the 21. The bad news is it is on the shady side of the camping loop. Sun is important this time of year because it both warms the trailer & feeds the solar panels. The site needed 2 1/2" correction side to side & a 6" drop on the tongue. There is a picnic table, lantern pole, bear box & fire pit behind the site as well as a tent pad. While shady with too many trees for a view, great views from the road at the entrance to the site:

Looking Left

Site 9

Looking Right

No hookups, $10.00 per night with the Senior Park pass. Very shady - we have as much full sun as can get through the trees & the solar panels are cranking out 3 watts. The only sites left are very short & shady sites before the loop. There is a men's & woman's pit toilet & fresh water station at the pay post. There is also a host site that has an electric hookup.

I did manage to get a Starlink connection by placing the antenna at the entrance to my site; 26.86Mbps down & 17.73Mbps up. Without a Starlink connection I would need to drive 10 miles out of the campground to pick up a cell signal. A number of the campers in the campground have Starlink.

I need to get into the habit of camping without an electrical hookup. While I have 300 amp hours of battery, I also use more than most, and parked in the shade doesn't help. I set the furnace at 66°F, and probably will set down to 63°F when I hit the bed tonight.

At 12:30 the current temperature is 53°F. I'd be comfortable sitting outside in the sun, but I don't have any so it is inside reading for me. It is going to be a quiet night. I usually listen to some background music, but the Starlink is too broken up for internet radio, there are no FM stations to be had, and too much tree cover for my XM Radio. 

Dinner was a DiGiorno Personal Hand Tossed Pepperoni Pizza.

Until Next Time -