Cold Night, Busy Relaxing, Getting To Parker and Straightening Verizon’s Mistakes Again.

Our Location today is Quartzsite, Arizona, U.S.A. 

Even though we had driven off in the wrong direction yesterday and ended up in Yuma it didn’t matter. If we had been on a tight schedule such as making a delivery it would have been different but since we had never been to Yuma before and are unfamiliar with the area it was a relaxing day even if we did get Home after dark. 

We ran the furnace for about ten minutes just to help get the dampness out of the trailer before we went to bed. It was turned off for the night along with the Fireplace and we still slept soundly. I was the first one up at 7:00 MST and when I emerged from under the covers the first thing I did was to run the Furnace as well as the Fireplace. Our inside temperature monitor was showing it to be 34 F (1 C). 

It was nearly 50 F (10 C) by 8:00 inside the trailer when Kathy joined me and was wondering if I’d turned the heat on yet. Needing to wait for the Safeties before installing the Charge Controller tomorrow we deemed this another day for relaxing. We made certain to complete our morning reading and chores before getting ready to leave again. First, I had to go to the office to Thank Them for E-mailing us proof of rent to the Verizon outlet in Yuma yesterday. Showing a little appreciation helps to soften the hearts of many hardened people and it has helped with the workers here at this park. 

It was close to 10:30 when we turned north on Highway 95 headed to Parker. Today we experienced a totally different type of terrain even though we were still traveling in a desert type environment. The first part of the Thirty-five Miles to Parker was almost in a straight line with only dips in the road that corresponded to the washes in the desert floor. As we got closer the ride was more winding but the distant views of Valleys made a difference in the views from what we’d seen yesterday. 

When Kathy had researched this Walmart, she hadn’t bothered to get any directions or address for its location so when we arrived in Parker itself we didn’t know where to go. Not seeing any signs to indicate the Business Section of town we ended up driving through a Residential Area before we found the Walmart.  

This Walmart was advertised to be a Super Walmart but it was less than half of the size of the Walmart in Yuma. Due to the cooler outside temperatures today it seemed that my Raynaud’s was really flaring up and even when the outside temperature hit 52 F (11 C) I still couldn’t get warm. We found the few things that we had been unable to get yesterday while in Yuma before leaving. 

It was nearly 12:00 when we were leaving Walmart and we were both feeling hungry for lunch. There used to be a number of small restaurants nearby but all that remained of them we their signs and an empty lot. We had to settle for eating at McDonalds. 

We made another quick stop at the Local Building Supply Store where I picked up a few more Electrical Box Cable Clamps. Some of the ones I had gotten the other day were too small for the Knock-out Holes in the Charge Controller and the Disconnect Box for the Inverter. 

Returning to Quartzsite down Highway 95 seemed like we were seeing this scenery for the first time. The sun was in a different position causing the shadows on the hills and mountains to give them a totally different look. 

Back Home as Kathy checked her E-mail a message from Verizon appeared about yesterday’s transaction but only half the information was correct. Try as much as she could, she just could not make any corrections. At that point I tried with the same results. I would spend the better part of the next hour before a Verizon Representative could get that all straightened around. 

We had Manwich Sandwiches for supper making it a light meal. The temperature is already in the low forties and we could hit the Freezing Mark again tonight. After a running quick errand tomorrow morning, I’m hoping to get quite a bit accomplished at getting us “Off the Grid”. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

 

Pictures Taken By Kathy

Krackers 

Office Jokes, Quotes, and Anecdotes 

Signs You Won't Be Receiving a Christmas Bonus This Year  

On your door, you find a lovely wreath of pink slips. 

You keep getting memos reminding you that employees are required to wear pants. 

Top Ten List, Late Show with David Letterman