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 -