2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 129

Day 129, Tuesday, February 24, 2026 - Gilbert Ray Campground, Tucson, AZ - 130 Miles, 4,306.4 Miles for the Trip.

53°F overnight, 65°F for my morning walk, 75°F at noon while on the road, and the high for the day was 85°F.

Lots of 2 lane roads as well as 30 miles on I 10. I arrived at Gilbert Ray around 2:00 after making a stop at a Walmart in Coolidge for gas ($2.99) and a few supplies. I better eat a lot out of the freezer; it is full. 

No one at the entrance station, so I drove to the water & dump area to take on water (the sites are all electric only) then headed to my site. I've stayed in this site before as well as a couple of others. I should have taken one of the ones below the first cross road of the "H" shaped A section of the campground since it saves driving the entire loop, but I grabbed the wrong one. 

I'm in site 56, an Electric only site on desert sand not too far from the bathrooms. No showers & $35.12 per night for 4 nights. It needed 1 1/2" side to side & 1/2" rise on the tongue to level. As soon as I finished leveling the trailer I fired up the AC for the first time in a long while. 85°F outside & 80°F in the trailer. I put out the hummingbird feeder on a branch that someone left wedged in some rocks. After leveling I put down one of my plastic mats to try to keep the sand out of the trailer.

Site 56

After setting up I sat outside in the shade. It took about 15 minutes for a Verdin to find the hummingbird feeder, and another 30 for the first hummingbird. I'm reading Dana Stabenow's A Taint In The Blood. A bit of a pain because it isn't available as a Kindle book so I have to read it on my phone or the iPad, one too small and the other too big. 

AT&T is showing 71.56Mbps down & 36.65Mbps up so I didn't bother to check either Verizon or Starlink.

Dinner was a chicken burger & a salad.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 128

Day 127, Monday, February 23, 2026 - Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 4,176.4 Miles for the Trip.

57°F overnight, 62°F for my morning walk, 76°F at noon, and the high for the day was °F.

Another warm night with the furnace only firing up twice during the early morning. After my walk & breakfast I sat outside reading. I went for a walk to the dumpsters a little after noon and a roadrunner ran by carrying lunch. All I had was the iPhone so not the sharpest images, but you use what you have.

The batteries were at 90% before breakfast, 95% at noon, and 100% by 3:00. 

I headed to the showers around 4:15. One of the 4 individual showers open. A small drying area with 4 hooks & a bench. A wall between the shower & the drying area whose floor stayed mostly dry. The wall was low enough that you could put your shampoo & soap dish on it. A 4" low volume shower head. All would have been great except no hot water. Not even lukewarm - ice cold no matter where you adjusted the handle. I'd give it an A if there was hot water, but without it a D+.

Dinner was a Saffron Road Korean Inspired BBQ Chicken Meatball bowl.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 127

Day 127, Sunday, February 22, 2026 -Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 4,176.4 Miles for the Trip.

56°F overnight, 65°F for my morning walk, 72°F at noon, and the high for the day was 77°F.

A warm night. The furnace with the thermostat set at 62°F only came on twice during the early morning. The batteries were down to 92% before breakfast. With making a pot of coffee & toasting a bagel, they were at 90%, and by noon at 97%. While my weather app called for cloudy skies, nothing but blue skies so far.

I finished listening to James Lee Burke's The Hadacol Boogie audio book during my morning walk and went back to listening to James Patterson & Bill Clinton's The President is Missing. As to the Kindle, I'm reading What She Saw by Mary Burton. Libby just informed me that Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak book #11, The Singing of the Dead library loan is available, so that will be next.

After lunch I took the trash to the dumpster, then sat outside reading. Annoying flies, but so far they don't bite.

I dug out the Z8 & set up the hummingbird feeder. It took about 3 minutes for a Verdin to find it, and another 20 minutes for a Anna's Hummingbird to find it. Another kind of "bird" flew over while I was sitting outside, which, according to Google AI is a Bell AH-1Z Viper,. I also took a photo of the Superstitions.

Dinner was left over chicken & potato salad.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 126

Day 126, Saturday, February 21, 2026 -Lost Dutchman State Park, Apache Junction, AZ - 170 Miles, 4,176.4 Miles for the Trip.

36°F overnight, 62°F by noon while on the road, and the high for the day was 72°F.

A cool night. Rolling up the water hose was not as easy as when it is a bit warmer. I was packed up & hooked up by 10:30 and headed out to the Lost Dutchman State Park. Almost all of the drive was on I 10. Traffic was terrible around Phoenix, as usual. Not a place I'd enjoy living. I listen to KJZZ, the Phoenix NPR news station, and they always announce multiple traffic accidents blocking various lanes during the morning & evening rush hours. I went through a little before 1:00 and it was still a zoo with slowdowns to 20MPH (but no stops) and no accidents.

I'm in site 2, a dry site on asphalt with a picnic table & fire ring with the Superstition Mountains out my back window. I'm here for 3 nights at $25.00 per night plus a $3.20 reservation fee.

After setting up I headed to Fry's grocery store for some supplies, including Grape Zero Gatorade in the large bottles. An interesting store. Almost as big as a Texas HEB, and similar but still missing some stuff. For example, the last HEB I was in had all 6 varieties of Bubba Burgers (no, they are not from Texas - Made in Georgia for a company based in Florida). There was 1 box of standard Bubba Burgers at Fry's. Lots of frozen meals, but missing some of the ones I like. A very long wait at the Deli, most of the time only one person working the counter.

Dinner was a couple of Fry's chicken legs & thighs and a bowl of Egg Potato Salad. Edible, but nothing to write home about.

Until Next Time -

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 125

Day 125, Friday , February 20, 2026 - Quail Run RV Park, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 4,006.4 Miles for the Trip.

46°F overnight, 61°F for my morning walk, 66°F by noon, and the high for the day was 66°F.

A little windy this morning but nothing like Borrego Springs. I am doing a few repairs. My outside thermometer decided to stop working overnight. I cleaned up the battery contacts and is seems to be back to life. I have a cell phone hanger attached to the window frame next to my bed. I don't use the phone for much besides as a source for my radio when listening to internet radio stations. The plastic mount broke around the screws holding it in place. I predrilled a couple of new mounting holes that will do until I get home and put in a replacement. Yes, it is a bit boring here so this is as exciting as it gets!

The Repair

I spent the rest of the day reading. I finished Dana Stabenow's Killing Grounds and started #9 in the Kate Shugak series, Hunter's Moon. 

Dinner was a Farewell for the Season gathering at the clubhouse. Pulled chicken (or pork) sandwich, excellent potato salad, and, for the first time for me, apple baked beans which I loved. Apple pie for dessert. One of the better dinners of the trip.

After dinner I headed for the showers, 3 stalls plus a disabled one. The unusual thing - they were pay showers, $.25 per 2 minutes. At $62.20 per night I expected free showers, That said, they were large, had adjustable temperature (although it needed to be all the way on hot) a shower head that had 4 different types of spray and a mostly dry drying area separated by a 1/2" lip and a shower curtain, with a chair for a bench & 4 hooks. I would have made it with three quarters, but it took an extra quarter to rinse because the water is soft. All in all $1.00 for the shower. Overall, I'd have to say a B- that would have been a B+ if they were free. 

Until Next Time -