Big Surprise Getting Turned Around.

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

As mentioned in last night’s blog post the wind was blowing hard enough outside last night that we sometimes had difficulty hearing one another talking inside. The fact that we’d left the Solar Panels in the raised position really had Kathy concerned even though I assured her that I had considered the wind in my design. What was really making so much noise was the wind rattling our Slide Toppers. The noise never bothered me when we went to bed but for Kathy it kept her awake for another hour. When that hour passed, the winds calmed a bit and a light rain started falling for a short while that just lulled her to sleep. 

When we went to bed last night the outside temperature was also 70 F (21 C) but when we got up at 8:00 MST this morning the inside temp was only 46 F (8 C) so Kathy definitely wanted the Electric Fireplace turned on to take the chill out of the air. Once breakfast and our morning chores were over Kathy suggested that we take a drive to Parker because they have a Walmart as well as a few other places that she wanted to check out and besides it was only thirty-five miles away on Highway 95. 

After quick trip to the Office and climbing on the roof to verify everything was still secured we hopped in the truck and started heading down Highway 95 without having looked at a map or bringing the GPS I didn’t even ask which way. After driving for over a half hour and seeing more beautiful mountain ranges both Kathy and I thought we should have arrived in Parker by that time. When we stopped at the Yuma Proving Grounds we knew we weren’t going to Parker but we’ve never seen Yuma either so we carried on. 

We went from Mountainous Desert Terrain to almost Flat Agriculturally Green Fertile Land. The only thing that started to bother Kathy was that it was after 1:00 MST and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet. That’s where we spotted a sign advertising our favourite restaurant when in the US, Cracker Barrel. Being that it was nearly 2:00 by the time we got our food we had to remind ourselves not to rush and that this would be our supper. Kathy enjoyed their Pot Roast meal while I enjoyed their Chicken Fried Chicken and they were both delicious. 

Kathy's Pot Roast

With Yuma being so large we figured they had to have a Walmart not too far away. Asking a woman, she directed us to a turn further up the road that should get us there. We made the appropriate turn and seemed to be nearly at our destination when we stopped for a traffic light. That’s when I spotted a Verizon outlet on the other side on the intersection. Not being satisfied with our Prepay MiFi that we just got, which seems to be eating data for breakfast, costing us more than it should and constantly dropping our connection we decided to check out what they might have. 

My Chicken Fried Chicken.

When we explained the problem we were having with our present MiFi to Manny and his Supervisor Jeff. They came up with a plan that gives us three times the data our Prepaid MiFi gave us for ten dollars more, any unused data for the month carries over to the next and we can use it in Canada, Mexico as well as the United States. George from Our Awesome Travels had mentioned this plan to us last week but wasn’t sure if it would work for us. If we can use it while traveling in Canada, it’s perfect for us. 

Now everything should be easy to set up at this point, Right? I have mentioned many times how we always have trouble with Verizon. This time was no exception. Manny bent over backwards trying to set up our account with Verizon but it seems that people at the Corporate Level don’t believe that Canadian Citizens that want to pay to use their services should have anything but a U.S. Address. Even Manny was getting upset with them but kept his Professional Composure with Verizon Head Office. We finally got them to accept Quail Run RV Park here in Quartzsite as our address. In other words, they would rather we and probably all other Canadian Customers lie about their proper mailing address. They have to start changing or they’ll lose customers. 

We finally made it to the Walmart where Kathy found everything that was on her shopping list. The only thing was when we came outside the sun had set and it was very dark out. The drive back Home didn’t have the Scenic Awe it had when we drove out around noon. As we arrived back in Quartzsite and the signs there indicated that Parker was only thirty-five miles further. I suggested to Kathy that we’d be there soon and she said “Not Tonight”. 

Not fun driving a hundred miles on unfamiliar roads in this darkness.

There is very little breeze outside tonight yet the temp could hit the freezing mark tonight and people we were planning on visiting tomorrow have left the area so we’ll have to see what we’ll be doing. Thanks for following along and feel free to leave a comment. Be Safe and Enjoy! 

It’s about time.

Picture by Kathy

Krackers 

Joke of the Day 

Ask a silly question: 

If nothing ever sticks to Teflon, 

how do they make Teflon stick to the pan?