The desert crossing
Little Vineyard
The days destination of Little Vineyard RV Resort in Deming, NM was plugged into the GPS at 8:30 AM for an earlier than normal start. The route for the day not only entailed exiting Texas but also entering into mountain time which made arrival 1 hour earlier at the destination.
Only 4 days of driving remained for the Smitanic’s westward journey. So during the day’s drive Theresa not only called the Deming park but also confirmed with the final Hemet, CA park, Golden Village Palms, to let them know the estimated arrival for Dec 2.
The 344 miles seemed to float by with endless stretches of cacti and tumbleweeds lining the I10 corridor. El Paso, TX was the largest city to navigate thru traffic as the highway paralleled the US Mexican border. Yes, the Huge Border Wall was a clear visible divider of the two countries. But mountains as well as the Rio Grande river were much more natural obstacles delineating the boundaries.
The Little Vineyard RV park was little but disappointingly had no vineyard. The Smitanic was assigned a pull thru site at the far side of the sparsely populated park. Only electric and water systems were attached for the overnight stay. The night’s forecast was chilly temps so Kevin wanted to try the AquaHot gas option that uses diesel fuel for heat for the furnace. He pressed designated panel button and could hear the AquaHot firing, but within 1 min the panel light started flashing.
A call to Tiffin was made and surprisingly Kevin was transferred to a technician to help him. Mark was on the phone with Kevin for 1hr walking thru problem determination only to conclude a possible bad switch. This item will need to be serviced in Hemet or a nearby dealer so that diesel rather than very expensive electric can be used to heat the coach on the sometimes cool winter nights. But for now electric heat would be the only option.
It had been 2 years since the last stay at this park, a new section to the park was added that included Pickleball courts! Too bad the one night stay would not allow time for pickle… sad.
The penultimate day of driving was 202 miles thru the Arizona desert to the well known RV mecca of Quartzite, AZ. Swap meet tents and signs for $15 full hookup lured passing travelers in to the 2 mile strip of the ‘town’. The town was more of a RV woodstock or burning man environment, very casual with a earthy artistic flair. The Holiday Palms RV park was selected from the list of Good Sams recommended RV parks for the Smitanic’s last nights stay on this westward journey.
Theresa proudly dawned her Quartzsite Yacht Club t-shirt for the evening's meal at the renowned local bar & grill. On a past trip she and Kevin became members understanding that this club is 1. Nowhere near any water and 2. Had nothing to do with any floating vessel. It was part of the local humor. The evening was spent digesting the fried bar food and preparing for the final destination.
The short 180 mile drive into Hemet left plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast at a local dinner before departure. The quirky Quartzite sense of humor was present even in the entry of the dinner for b-fast that advertised the daily soup special … Whiskey!
Upon the return to the RV park the final disconnect and toad hook up were performed by rote. The 12 wheels were back on I10 for the final miles thru the windmills of Palm Springs and the final descent into the Hemet Valley.
Golden Village Palms was well known to the past Smitanic, but with and extra 5 feet the new Smitanic would not nessecerally fit into many of the available sites. A map of the possible open sites was obtained from the registration desk and the Toad was used to tour the available prospects. A suitable site was selected as home for the next 3 months stay.
The roads in the park were very narrow, so that restricted turning capabilities as well as obstacles that surround the site like light poles, trees and hedges. After several attempts and expert assistance from the new neighbor, the Smitanic II finally came to rest. All utilities were connected as well as needed outdoor supplies removed from the storage bays. Camp was quickly set up!
Kevin and Theresa were looking forward to seeing Theresa’s mom & sisters and family as well as the many friends in the San Diego area. The Park also had a wonderful Pickleball club and gym as well as other activities that would be leveraged during the stay..
The return plans would be for a mid-February departure to Red Bay, AL for warranty repairs, then back to Florida to see Kevin’s mom and sister in March. Then home in mid to late March in anticipation of the arrival of a new Granddaughter!
The days destination of Little Vineyard RV Resort in Deming, NM was plugged into the GPS at 8:30 AM for an earlier than normal start. The route for the day not only entailed exiting Texas but also entering into mountain time which made arrival 1 hour earlier at the destination.
Only 4 days of driving remained for the Smitanic’s westward journey. So during the day’s drive Theresa not only called the Deming park but also confirmed with the final Hemet, CA park, Golden Village Palms, to let them know the estimated arrival for Dec 2.
The 344 miles seemed to float by with endless stretches of cacti and tumbleweeds lining the I10 corridor. El Paso, TX was the largest city to navigate thru traffic as the highway paralleled the US Mexican border. Yes, the Huge Border Wall was a clear visible divider of the two countries. But mountains as well as the Rio Grande river were much more natural obstacles delineating the boundaries.
The Little Vineyard RV park was little but disappointingly had no vineyard. The Smitanic was assigned a pull thru site at the far side of the sparsely populated park. Only electric and water systems were attached for the overnight stay. The night’s forecast was chilly temps so Kevin wanted to try the AquaHot gas option that uses diesel fuel for heat for the furnace. He pressed designated panel button and could hear the AquaHot firing, but within 1 min the panel light started flashing.
A call to Tiffin was made and surprisingly Kevin was transferred to a technician to help him. Mark was on the phone with Kevin for 1hr walking thru problem determination only to conclude a possible bad switch. This item will need to be serviced in Hemet or a nearby dealer so that diesel rather than very expensive electric can be used to heat the coach on the sometimes cool winter nights. But for now electric heat would be the only option.
.
The next mornings departure was before 10 AM for 256 miles of thru the high desert of AZ. On way to Picacho Peak RV resort the Smitanic crossed continental divide and gas mileage increased to 15-20 mpg! Whoothoo!
Theresa called the park for reservation 4 times left message and never got an real person. But upon the arrival a nice pull thru site was assigned.
While Kevin deployed the jacks, Theresa hooked up the power only to discover the breaker switch would not stay on. Also the water faucet leaked from the handle drip drip drip….
Returning to the office Theresa was told just to move to the adjacent site! The jacks were brought back up and all the plumbing and electric were reattached without any issues.
The next mornings departure was before 10 AM for 256 miles of thru the high desert of AZ. On way to Picacho Peak RV resort the Smitanic crossed continental divide and gas mileage increased to 15-20 mpg! Whoothoo!
Theresa called the park for reservation 4 times left message and never got an real person. But upon the arrival a nice pull thru site was assigned.
While Kevin deployed the jacks, Theresa hooked up the power only to discover the breaker switch would not stay on. Also the water faucet leaked from the handle drip drip drip….
Returning to the office Theresa was told just to move to the adjacent site! The jacks were brought back up and all the plumbing and electric were reattached without any issues.
It had been 2 years since the last stay at this park, a new section to the park was added that included Pickleball courts! Too bad the one night stay would not allow time for pickle… sad.
The penultimate day of driving was 202 miles thru the Arizona desert to the well known RV mecca of Quartzite, AZ. Swap meet tents and signs for $15 full hookup lured passing travelers in to the 2 mile strip of the ‘town’. The town was more of a RV woodstock or burning man environment, very casual with a earthy artistic flair. The Holiday Palms RV park was selected from the list of Good Sams recommended RV parks for the Smitanic’s last nights stay on this westward journey.
Theresa proudly dawned her Quartzsite Yacht Club t-shirt for the evening's meal at the renowned local bar & grill. On a past trip she and Kevin became members understanding that this club is 1. Nowhere near any water and 2. Had nothing to do with any floating vessel. It was part of the local humor. The evening was spent digesting the fried bar food and preparing for the final destination.
The short 180 mile drive into Hemet left plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast at a local dinner before departure. The quirky Quartzite sense of humor was present even in the entry of the dinner for b-fast that advertised the daily soup special … Whiskey!
Upon the return to the RV park the final disconnect and toad hook up were performed by rote. The 12 wheels were back on I10 for the final miles thru the windmills of Palm Springs and the final descent into the Hemet Valley.
Golden Village Palms was well known to the past Smitanic, but with and extra 5 feet the new Smitanic would not nessecerally fit into many of the available sites. A map of the possible open sites was obtained from the registration desk and the Toad was used to tour the available prospects. A suitable site was selected as home for the next 3 months stay.
The roads in the park were very narrow, so that restricted turning capabilities as well as obstacles that surround the site like light poles, trees and hedges. After several attempts and expert assistance from the new neighbor, the Smitanic II finally came to rest. All utilities were connected as well as needed outdoor supplies removed from the storage bays. Camp was quickly set up!
Kevin and Theresa were looking forward to seeing Theresa’s mom & sisters and family as well as the many friends in the San Diego area. The Park also had a wonderful Pickleball club and gym as well as other activities that would be leveraged during the stay..
The return plans would be for a mid-February departure to Red Bay, AL for warranty repairs, then back to Florida to see Kevin’s mom and sister in March. Then home in mid to late March in anticipation of the arrival of a new Granddaughter!
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