New Mexico - Casino Boondocking. Fire Rock Casino and Dancing Eagle Casino in NM (I-40)

 On our drive up north towards Colorado from Arizona I planned two stops at Casinos that were right off I-40. I really wanted to see how it would compare to Truck stops or Reststops and I think it is a really great option!

Our first night we spend at the Fire Rock Casino in Church Rock, NM. Here you get to park for free in the SW Parking lot by the blue building (containers). Ron positioned us along light poles. The whole parking area is well lit and video monitored so we felt safe, plus by parking along the poles we could let the bedroom and kitchen slide out without worry of getting hit. It is a big gravel lot right next to train tracks however, so if one is sensitive to train noises that might be a consideration. For us however it was a non issue. We parked, walked the pups and then walked to the casino and had a very yummy dinner (fry bread ♥️ is all I will sayin that).

The next afternoon we drove about 86 miles East on I-40 and ended up at the Dancing Eagle Casino. Here you have the option to park for free across the street in a big parking lot with semi trucks, or you can see if there is room in the FCFS Casino RV Park. It is $20 a Night, offers full hookup and is a self check-in paid via cash or Credit Card. We chose to take the one pull thru left that fit our size of 65 feet and we payed for 2 nights. It was perfect as I took full advantage of the full hookup and I did 4 loads of laundry plus a long, long hot shower. This casino also has restaurants (which we did not try out), but also has a nice sized grocery store, a gas station plus a Dairy Queen and grill right in walking distance.

New Mexico - Oliver

 Yesterday, and actually starting the night prior, was quiet a worry for us about our sweet Oliver. 

Those who know our little baby boy know how he had issues with his behind, butt, since birth. He has been treated for this now for all of his 6 years alive, which even included surgeries.

Well, two nights ago he started to bleed and Ron went online trying to locate a veterinarian that could see Oliver in the am. Lucky us Ron found the Cedar Animal Clinic in Gallup NM, only a 10 min drive from where we spend the night at the Fire Rock Casino Parking Lot. Now that meant we took off in our complete setup, Lucy, Lou and us Gypsies…. All 65 feet of us. We were so lucky that upon arriving they had a big enough parking area for Ron to park and turn us around again.

I had to wait for about 1 hour before they took Oliver in the back. Since all the doctors were in surgery by then I was told they would keep Oliver and give me a call around 2pm to 3pm. Since we seem to like seeing how well Lucy Lou fit in places we decided to take her to a Walmart not to far away to buy some diapers for Oliver. That followed by us having lunch and a nap. We returned to the Clinic and had just started our coffee and cake time when we got a call from the Doctor. She was very detailed in her response and attentive when we told her of Oliver’s history. When she heard we were headed to Colorado and that Oliver had an appointment already at the University of Colorado internal Medicine Vetenary Clinic on April 5th she was relieved. She said that in her opinion that was the best bet we had in getting answers and that most Doctors at that clinic were educated at the University of Colorado and that a teaching hospital was definitely the way to go.

So still no answers to Oliver’s pain, but she guessed it might be a nerve issue and she did send us on our way with some topical cream and pain medication. I admit I can’t wait for April 5th to come and hopefully for Oliver to finally catch a break.

We left Gallup around 3 pm and made it to Casa Blanca, NM for the night. 

Arizona - Dead Horse Ranch State Park AZ And A Nice Surprise

 We made it to the beautiful Dead Horse Ranch State Park yesterday. We had such a beautiful surprise when we pulled in and saw the friends we made in Quartzsite, Elaine and Robin, parked right across from us in their pretty Airstream.

We knew they were staying at this State Park ahead of us but they were suppose to leave the day we arrived. Turns out they added one more day and were able to trade in their Camp-spot to snag one across from us. So a fun night was had with wine, cheese and chocolates before we had to see them head out this morning.

It rained most of yesterday during our drive (more horrid roads with potholes), and during our set up. Never less the area looked beautiful and I took the pups out for a muddy hike. Thank goodness for rubber boots and raincoats.

The history in this area is fascinating and the impact of the Ireys Family left its mark in the name of the State Park.

The Ranch got its name when the Ireys Family came to Arizona from Minnesota in the late 1940s looking to buy a Ranch. At one property they discovered a dead horse lying by the road. When Mr. Ireys asked the kids which ranch they liked best, they said “the one with the dead horse.” The family named it “Dead Horse Ranch,” and when Arizona State Parks acquired the park in 1973, the Ireys made retaining the name a condition of the sale.

Today we mostly unpacked and cleaned up but I am so excited to explore this area.

Arizona - Interstate From Hell…. Yes we are talking I-40!

 I do not actually enjoy complaining as I think it really doesn’t help but darn todays drive from Lake Havasu City, AZ  towards Williams AZ on I-40 was painful! How many potholes can an interstate have? Not just on the right side either but both lanes!

 And they still post a speed limit of 75 mph? I literally wanted to crawl most of the way as every bump hurt my heart. How the heck do people that live there accept this is beyond me. I would not want to sacrifice any vehicles to this more than once. Our poor Lucy struggled through my swerving all over the place. Had I been pulled over I would have told the officer that no drunk driver could drive more crazy. 

Well if you get the drift you realize I am not a fan of that stretch of I-40 and the rumor is that it’s even worse out East past Texas on I-10. I also admit if the left lane had been better then the right lane would have seen me camp out there but nope it was almost equally bad. I think Arizona gets away with it because it has a great counter currency and that is something like the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Lake Havasu etc etc…. 

Shall we head that way again I hope I can find country roads we can drive on as I can only hope they would be better.

Now we made it to Williams and we get to spend the night in the company of Truckers who of course all face that battle frequently. 

I will sit back and relax now and should probably fix me a drink 🥃. Anything to relax my muscles after that rodeo today. 

Cheers and good night 🌙 

Arizona - Snakes, Scorpions and Spiders

 They are waking up and are on the move and this city girl transplant is no fan of any of them. Well with the exemptions of Tarantulas as I do like them quite a bit. Living in Colorado we did have snakes even thought I never seen one on our mountain. 

Life in the desert is such a great experience, during the winter it is very quiet except some Grasshoppers, stick bugs and the occasional howl from coyotes. We watched a woodpecker family raise their little birds in a nest made in a cactus. But now that it is warming up, the snakes and scorpions are however popping up and they do keep me on my toes. So wearing solid shoes matters!!!

We found a Scorpion in our fireplace, we seen snakes, real and fake ones, and we turned it into a game as in us hiding them with each other.

Today when we left Quartzsite I let my guard down only to be shocked to find a snake at our new campground for the night, hidden in my camping chair. Thanks Sue and Jeff 😂😂😂

Arizona - Lithium Batteries and Solar from Solar Bill, Quartzsite

 At just a tad past our one year anniversary date we took in Lucy to get the Batteries replaced as they were not functioning anymore. Now the hint we had about this one was that the two batteries were not holding a charge and we were forced to run the generator much more then we wanted. Add to this why we could not figure out the solar panels on our roof we guessed it was time to bring her in. 

Solar Bill, in Quartzsite AZ, was recommended to us and after them spending two days of working on her and us now having seen the results we are pretty happy. We got three Lithium Batteries, had our solar connected and had readers installed so the VictronConnect App has been wonderful to monitor our battery as well as solar charging. 

Let’s just say the generator only comes on now for a few minutes here and there when I have to use the induction stove top. Sadly, I have been using it a bit more since our microwave/oven combo died on us last week. 

I feel Lucy is getting a full overhaul but still we are way ahead in our life choice! Compare it to all the issues, repairs, insurance, taxes, mortgages, upkeep, upgrades we always faced in our house we are doing really well.

I love the freedom we are experiencing, a freedom that does not exist for many who are held by ‘normal standards’.

We are now, after a 6 week crash course in Boondocking so much more confident and excited about our future options. We are very grateful to our new friends Susan and Jeff, Sherry and Shelly as well as Elaine and Robin. We learned how to be self contained (for us that is about 1 week). How to be off grid and have an exciting, fun social life. We had bbq’s, ice cream socials, fireplace shenanigans, group therapy, some partying … you name it.

Now we are ready to move on to the next adventure and it is bittersweet as we leave our winter home behind. But the road is calling and Lucy is so happy to stretch her legs again. We are boondocking on BLM land tonight by Lake Havasu City. It is quiet and a good one night stop.

1 Year Look Of Our Travels March 2022 to March 2023

 https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1zdW0K_FMG8uyvX-FBoFG69L0vutAWeo&usp=sharing

On this Map is every stop we made from March 3, 2022 to March 3, 2023.

The Orange Pins are Campgrounds and Resorts.

The Green Pins are State or COE Parks.

The Blue Pins are Boondocking or Overnight Rest Stops.

If I counted it right it is 52 pins in all.

One Year In The Review

 https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1zdW0K_FMG8uyvX-FBoFG69L0vutAWeo&usp=sharing

We are looking at our one year anniversary right now. One year of living full time in Lucy, which in retrospect did not go the way we had envisioned originally but still was quiet amazing in its own way.

Granted we really had no clear view of what to expect other than our dream, reading lots of books and watching YouTube videos that other full time RVers posted. But we knew for certain we wanted to change our lifestyle dramatically. 

Jumping into it they way we did, one has to be adventures plus be ready to go with the punches. For one we didn’t expect to be faced with having an accident shortly after starting out. We also didn’t expect to be faced with two funerals back to back. All this changed how we pictured our travels to take us. So when I put the map together to follow our travels we literally were locked into exploring a lot of Texas and Colorado. I can say we seen just about every angle and corner of each state! We also had to deal with extreme heat in Texas as well as freezing snow and ice in Colorado and Idaho.

So as of now our true travels didn’t start out until Christmas on 2022, 10 months after we started out. Kind of insane but life never ever goes the way one wants to plan. We embraced ‘Amor Fati’ a Love for one’s fate. Which meant making the best of what we faced and through it all we saw incredible nature, sceneries and we met amazing humans. Several friendships were made this year and some of those are cemented in.

We have already a tentative plan for this next year which will start out here in Arizona, on to Colorado to see the boys and get our medical checkups done. From there the plan is to head to South Dakota and East. In Indiana we will be getting a little remodel done inside Lucy, more on that later. Then the Midwest and East Coast will be calling us. We hope to end up in Georgia and Florida for the end of the year.

But if I learned anything this past year then we are living by each moment and each day. Who knows what tomorrow brings or what happens. 

Signing off from Quartzsite, AZ which has been wonderful to us. We are with wonderful friends that we made last year and this year and are enjoying it for now until the push north calls.