November 26th: Bleu was feisty this morning; he needed to get out of the house (and away from the resort lot) to run wild.
I think he has caught my wanderlust bug ;-)
Holland really didn't want to come; but I wanted him to come - so, he came. I have periodic asthma attacks that can be severe at times, and Holland has COPD which can flare up pretty severe at times - he ignores it, but it makes me nervous to leave him alone while I'm galivanting all over the region, sight-seeing solo lobo: being together at all times is really necessary. Especially at our ages (Holland is 62 - I will be 67 the end of December).
Others think we're too co-dependent … and that's kinda true; but it's not a clingy kind of dependency, it's more of a life-saving dependency should one of us need the other's administrations (inhaler handling, drive to ER if necessary, taking care of the dog, ect.)
Holland mentioned Friday that he wanted to get some things at Wal*Mart; he didn't go because of the Black Friday madness, but I figured once we were out and about, and Bleu had satisfied his need to run free; we could stop at Wal*Mart and grab some mailing boxes and wrapping paper as well as the items Holland wanted to grab. I have some holiday things I want to mail off to my gal pals in WA State; I had planned on doing this before we left WA, so I've been saving $$$ to do this. Holland does not do the 'christmas thing', so we do not have a tiny christmas tree set up: but I do want to string lights, and mail off my packages.
I don't 'do christmas' either (on this, we both agree); but I do make some holiday concessions. December is my Birth Month, and I like to string lights, and reach out and touch Friends, who light up my life all year long :-)
There isn't any place local (that we know of) where we can take our energetic boy … so, I thought I'd revisit a place Bleu and I have been to before. Holland hasn't ever been there, and I wanted to show it to him.
And I wanted it to be a surprise, so I didn't tell Holland where we were going ;-)
All I said was that we'd be going off the highway, and into the desert. He asked, "We aren't going to Quartzsite, are we?" I laughed, and said, "No - we aren't going that far; but it will be at least a 40-minute drive. Bleu needs the run … and I want to show you something."
We caught sight of the stationary balloon in the sky, over Yuma. Holland thought it was the Goodyear Blimp, but I mentioned that it never moves: not even at the snail-pace-crawl blimps move through the sky. It's weird.
By the time we got to Fisher's Landing, he had settled into the drive and was liking being there, too.
The breeze whisking across the BLM landscape was stirring up a couple of little dust devils, so Holland stayed in the truck while Bleu and I frisked about in the desert sand for a while.
The cost for boondocking (dry docking: no water (haul your own in, and move RV every 2 weeks to dump black tanks/no electricity: solar energy or generator - which has to be off by 10 P.M.) is $10 per day = per person is ridiculous ($600 - $620 for a couple … and if they charge the dog too, $900 - $930); we can park at a mediocre RV Park with water and electricity, for less & don't mind spending a little more for Resort perks.
Boondocking is not "free camping"; boondocking is basically just giving the 1-finger salute to {the man}: you end up paying through the nose not to pay a Park fee, and the 'no rules' mindset kinds flies out the window when your neighbor is being an ass, and acting like a dog; at that point the rules everyone wants to avoid, come into play. There are some pretty sketchy people out there; and you don't want them for neighbors.
So, we have our generators, and we are fully contained … but our {wilderness experience} at Quartzsite (where we spent more than we hoped to save) is, I'm thinking, more than likely our last - unless we really have no other choice. The scenery was beautiful and freeing for Bleu - but like I said, there are some sketchy people out there. Plus, it was hard on Holland, as he was mainly doing all the heavy lifting (heavy, full water cans; heavy, full propane tanks; and hauling gas for-/oiling up the Beast generator). Holland is on disability for a work related back/neck injury, as well as COPD complications. And with my asthma and my life-long heart arrhythmia, there isn't a whole lot of lifting, and dust sucking I can do either, without draining my strength and energy.
Plus, this 44-ft. 5th Wheel RV is just about the size of a shotgun-galley kitchen studio apartment: hooking it up/disengaging, and hauling it can get intense at times - and Holland has been fielding all that: all I've been doing is tearing it down to move it from one place to another - setting the stabilizer jack legos, and tire chocks in place - and setting it up again, once we park: again, Holland has been doing all the heavy lifting stuff. So, we are staying in RV Parks & Resorts (that have room for our size RV) for the majority of our America Tour Journey ;-)
We want to enjoy our life while we still have a life to enjoy. If that means spending a little more parking $$$ … and making time for longer set-down times than anticipated, between touring moves; so be it. We have a comfortable combined income, which helps us enjoy a comfortable life on the road. We aren't living large ... but we are living a good life; and seeing places in America most people can only dream of :-)
Today we were enjoying ourselves, with Bleu, at Fisher's Landing.
While Bleu and I were playing 'Fetch!', and wrestling in the desert; Holland had been scanning the area with his eyes, and saw a balloon in the distance. So, curious as we were, we drove on down the highway to see what it was; and took a few pictures of it (and I researched at home, later).
Hovering, while tethered by a single cable15,000 feet in the sky northeast of Yuma Proving Ground's headquarters area, is the helium-filled fabric aerostat balloon. This amazing piece of technology keeps its state-of-the-art eye focused on one thing: low-flying airplanes. Each aerostat can lift 2,200 lbs. of sensors to a height of 12,000 feet, and can detect targets out to 230 miles; providing low-level, downward-looking radar coverage. The aerostat can stay aloft for months.
The Yuma blimp is one of eight or so Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) program sites, from Arizona to Florida, operated by the federal government to monitor the US border with Mexico. At each site an unmanned blimp is held aloft, two miles up, tethered by a nylon cord spooled in a winch.
Finished gawking at the desert balloon, we backtracked past the BLM site, and checked out downtown Fisher's Landing. There wasn't a lot to see, but the river area was a nice relaxing sit, before we turned the 4x towards Home ;-)
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We stopped at Wal*Mart on the way home, and picked up what we both had on the List … and Bleu enjoyed many "Oh! I love your dog!" between pettings. Bleu is gathering quite a fan club among the various Wal*Mart stores as we tour America ;-)
When we got home, Holland made a tasty steamed kielbasa-veggie meal with a side of toasted garlic bread; and I wrapped packages to be mailed off (nothing extravagant - each one under $10) & the Angel Blanket Box, included.
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