Monday, December 27, 2010

Detour to Quartzsite

When we were breaking camp at Bouse, the ‘previously reluctant’ slide refused to retract on it’s own.

Hailey likes the new chair – even if it is laying on the bed!

CIMG3083

Out came the manual crank – which worked with relative ease, notwithstanding the awkward position need to crank it.

So instead of heading for unknown territory, we headed back to Quartzsite and spent the night off Dome Rock road, conveniently near the RV Lifestyles repair place.  They were able to take a look at it right away in the morning, and confirmed that the drive actuator (motor) was u/s as I suspected, but did not have one in stock, and said it might take a week or more to arrive when ordered. Since the CIMG3082supplier was closed for the holidays, it might have taken even longer.  At least knowing what the problem was will be a help, and I can perhaps find one in stock elsewhere, or order it somewhere that I plan to stay for a while.  It isn’t really hard to crank manually, but not really worth it for an overnight stop.

After being tempted by a few of the ever-expanding selection of vendors setting out their goods in Quartzsite, and topping off the fuel, we headed east on the Interstate 10.

The co-pilot assumes the travel position.

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But not for long, as the road to Wickenburg was quieter and more appealing.  It would have been rush hour in Phoenix if we kept going, so after re-stocking the cupboards at Safeway we turned off on a quiet little road to Castle Hot Springs as an alternative.  I knew from last year that there were a few camp spots roadside, once past the end of the pavement and a few ranches and farms.

But she was up and keen to see what wildlife the new camp location had to offer.

CIMG3086CIMG3087CIMG3088CIMG3092CIMG3093This is a much greener area than where we were at Bouse and Quartzsite, with lots of saguaro cactus and palo verde trees.  And once the sun plunged behind the mountain range to the west, there has been no traffic at all on the little gravel road, a pleasant change from last night where we knowingly camped way to close to the interstate, which maintains a constant roar all night.  But it is close enough to Phoenix to pick up around 40 channels with the tv antenna, many of them in Spanish.CIMG3094CIMG3095With luck, and the Tom Tom navigator doing it’s best, we should be able to sneak through Phoenix around lunch time and miss the worst of the traffic.

6 comments:

  1. I am longing to get over into the Sonoran Desert region soon. I am needing a green fix for sure & need to brush up against & hug a big old Saguaro or two....Always like the Hailey pics:))

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  2. Hailey sure looks like a happy camper! The desert looks beautiful!

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  3. I love the photos of Hailey! Also, it is interesting to see different stories about malfunctioning slides. Hopefully if it ever happens to us, we will have a slight clue as to what might be the problem. Take care

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  4. Happy New Year Ivan
    Hope the slide works out . I do not remember you having any issue like this with the camper.
    Always enjoy seeing what you are up to . I can't wait till our trip . Take Care

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  5. Happy New Year Ivan
    Hope the slide works out . I do not remember you having any issue like this with the camper.
    Always enjoy seeing what you are up to . I can't wait till our trip . Take Care

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  6. Hey Ivan, happy new year. Hope, given the photos on the news last night that TomTom guided you a good long way past Phoenix!! Also no disprect intented in the "GMC" comments in response to your FORD comments!! Stay safe. Duane

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