Like Old Times
~Sunday, November 22, 2020~
Day 161
We definitely were expecting colder temperatures being in Flagstaff this time of year and last night did not disappoint. With the outside temps in the upper 20’s, the trailer got down to 41. We think that other than the snowstorm temperatures we were in, in Colorado Springs, this is the coldest it’s ever been inside our rig. The difference with Colorado Springs was that we had electric hookups. Here in Flagstaff...no hookups.
And the next 2 nights are supposed to get down to the ‘teens. But we’re dealing with it. In the evenings, we run the generator to operate the fireplace for ambiance and heat, then shut it down around 10:00 where we then run the propane furnace until we go to bed. We’ve been doing o.k. not operating any heat source while sleeping, but we think that’s about to change. 😟 Every time we have a new experience boondocking somewhere, we learn something different. For example, tonight we noticed the 3,000 watt generator cannot handle its “eco” setting when we have the fireplace set to #2 (hottest setting). Fireplace setting #1 does fine. What we need to do is take the time to figure out how many nights we can run the generator (non-eco vs. eco) off of 1-½ gallons that the generator holds. So stay tuned. In the winter….it’s all about the power.
We’ve been really looking forward to seeing our good friend Brennan while in Flagstaff. Brennan is like family to us and couldn’t wait to catch up over a nice lunch. We were trying to coordinate a nice hike together as well, which didn’t work out due to Brennan’s work schedule. So lunch only it is. On the way to pick up Brennan, we saw a middle-aged man on the side of the road, carrying a gas can, who obviously needed a hand. Typically, we’re very cautious about picking anyone up, but it seemed safe and the original thought was we would just give him gas from our gas can right where we stopped. But after Jeff had already pulled over, he remembered he’d taken the gas cans out of the truck and locked them up at the campsite. The only reason we took them out of the truck was to make room for our dirty laundry bags (a task we planned on doing after today’s lunch). Because we’d already pulled over and gotten this man’s hopes up, we offered him a ride to the gas station less than 2 minutes away. I asked him when he ran out of gas. His reply, “2 days ago. I just got enough money today to buy gas. Times have been really rough”. He seemed very sincere, so we were happy to help. I’m sure he would have liked us to bring him back to his car, but we had to be on our way to pick up Brennan. It really is sad with so many people struggling right now, especially compounded with COVID.
When we arrived at El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant in Flagstaff, the outside was a bit unassuming. But I always say, don’t judge a book by its cover. Plus the reviews were 4-½ out of 5 stars. Sometimes, the best food comes from modest places. As soon as we walked in the door, we felt invited with the staff, and the festive decor. And this fulfills Jeff’s wish of wanting some really good, authentic Mexican food while traveling through this neck of the woods. The place was hoppin’ while still adhering to COVID rules. Nearly every table is booth style with high back seating. So you really are separated. It seemed a number of locals were dining there as well, which is always a good sign. We had a great time rehashing old times, talking about the future, and catching up on recent stuff. And the three of us had an amazing, delicious lunch!
It was great to see Brennan again. We’ll catch ‘ya for a hike next time.
Since we had quite the selection of laundromats in Flagstaff, we decided this was as good a time as any to get her done today. Laundry’s been piling up for 2 weeks now. And not cheap! 3 machines cost us $4.50/load and 2 smaller machines $2.75/load. The 2 dryers were not bad at $1.00 each. Since our budget for laundry is around $30/month, the $20 we spent today was a bit steep. While I tended to clothes, Jeff took Sadie along to fill up 2 of our propane tanks. Then the joys of folding laundry together. In all of our 29 years of marriage, I can honestly say we had never done laundry together before this trip.
When we arrived back “at the ranch”, as I was putting things away, I noticed I was missing my black yoga pants and my favorite turtleneck. I was a bit too hasty in blaming Jeff that due to his inexperience of doing laundry, he must have forgotten to check the top of the washer drum on the front loading machines when he transferred everything to the dryer. Wait for tomorrow’s post to find out what actually happened………