~Tuesday, February 1, 2022~
Day 597
An overcast, cooler day in Tucson. A rich mix of wispy clouds decorates the sky making the overcast pleasing. We talked to our daughter Hannah today where they are bracing for a 100-year record storm/blizzard that will supposedly travel over 2,000 miles of the Midwest. They’re in for about 14 inches of snow over the next 3 days; school closures, canceled flights and power outages are just some of the things they’ll have to contend with. Hopefully everyone will just hunker down and wait out the storm. I’m feeling a little guilt being in mild Arizona right now, when the Midwest is dealing with this craziness.
Boy, what a turnover campsite #20 is turning out to be. At least we’re getting to meet quite a few fellow RVer’s. Our new neighbors showed up mid-afternoon in their older 5th wheel along with their cute black lab mix. As soon as they let their dog out, he was met with those ferocious canines behind us. What a greeting! As a pleasant alternative, we introduced ourselves and explained that the barking is intermittent and not 24/7. Do you think that sets their mind at ease? We all know that there are few things in life as annoying as a barking dog. I’m honestly surprised that our RV park owners have not made a formal noise complaint. In any case, our neighbors promptly put their sweet pooch back in the truck while they set up their site so as not to antagonize the unfriendly dogs. Refreshingly, Doug and Jan have plans to stay here for a month. We shall see.
While Jeff was working on cleaning the slides (gaskets and top), we finally met our other neighbor Mike, originally from Las Vegas. He gave us the low-down of the property owner behind us. Evidently, he has plans to put in a kennel (away from the fence line) and currently takes care of several dogs he clearly has no control over. Mike and his wife have been coming here for years and originally stayed in site #20. They are now in site #18 (we’re in #19) and explained what a difference moving over just 2 sites makes in terms of the lessened noise level. The RV’s and landscape really help buffer the sound. Unfortunately site #20 has neither of those. Maybe the park owners should just fill the site with trees and shrubs and call it a day!
Anyway, we carried on with our conversation with Mike. They’ve been full-time RV’ing for 10 years and absolutely love it (obviously). Up until recently, they’d been traveling in a Winnebago motorhome (Class A) and recently switched to a luxurious Tiffin motorhome, complete with washer/dryer. I would likely require those handy appliances too if I was full-timing it for that long. We also got on the subject of cleaning/waxing RV’s. He recommended several products that we’d never heard of before, for preserving decals and siding. Evidently you’re never supposed to wax your decals. We have this stuff called 303 Aerospace Protectant which Mike uses as well. And those are good on decals. But he also had some other product recommendations, so will certainly pass on that information to all of you. It’s always so helpful sharing RV knowledge. Cleaning both the RV and truck is definitely on our to do list while we’re here. Next topic: travels. They’ve been to all 48 contiguous states (something we hope to accomplish) and had plans to tour Alaska; that is until COVID came along when the Canadian borders were shut down. They would still love to see it, but without the motorhome and the worries that come along with it. Everyone has a damage story such as cracked windshields, blown leaf springs, tow bars that break on frost heaves, etc., etc. A roadside assistance plan is a must which we’ve had in place ever since we purchased the trailer. No matter how we gather our information whether it’s online research or hearing people’s personal stories, this once in a lifetime experience will far outweigh the risks. We’re still hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. There will definitely be hi’s and low’s. Hmm……maybe we SHOULD get that third spare tire?!!