On My Way - Page 4

chockwald · 04-27-2009, 06:43 PM

Just noticed your comment about Van Horn...we had heard it was a little bit of a "pit", which is why we stopped in Fort Stockton...LOL! There is a lot too see in the Tucson area.....call, or e-mail Tom and he will give you all the details...as we were passing through Tucson Tom spent around 10 minutes on the CB detailing all the sites to see when we visit Tucson next time. We would love to head back out on the road this evening, but the next few weeks will be very busy for me....this is the beginning of my "busy" season in my insurance brokerage....lot of customers to call on face to face. Won't be able to get away for a long trip again until after October. We'll look forward to following your adventures!

encantotom · 04-27-2009, 08:12 PM

hi david,

a few places that i think are cool in tucson. the first is the Titan Missile Site. it is the only missile underground command center you can go in. it is decommissioned,but is really cool. outside of tucson.

next is pima air and space museum. old planes up to SR71. old air force 1 etc. on the side of town away from phoenix.

next to it is the AMARC military place where all the old military planes go. the jet airplane boneyard. really cool. the F111's i worked on in the 70's are there. thousands of planes.

Biosphere. look it up on the internet. pretty interesting place.

later

tom

Wally Arntzen · 04-28-2009, 12:54 AM

Hi guys,

We got to Sioux Falls, SD yesterday and it was raining just like it did all the way from Austin.
Today is a better day but very cold. It is 44 right now at 7:45 PM and going down to 31 during the night. Sure do not like it at all. Have to turn on my engine heater tonight so we can get out in the morning to head to Minnesota until I get called out to work.

The 750 mile thing was really not a big deal when your running ahead of a bad storm and managed to beat it. Last year I drove 900 miles a day on the way down to Arizona from Minnesota and did the 1800 miles in 2 days. You gotta loosen up a little and take on the fear of getting there in a hurry. Phyllis does not like to run like that at all and I'm am starting to slow down and enjoy the trips a little, but staying out of the way of the storm was a different story.

Glad that most have made it home safe and the others still on their way are having good travels.

Wally and Phyllis

zcasa · 04-28-2009, 01:31 AM

Thanks Guys,

We finished 425 today and got to Tucson at 1:30 PM following a one hour stop in Wilcox for a conference call that Denise had. We set up and headed out to Saguaro National Park and enjoyed that. Tomorrow we will have a busy day doing some of the things Tom has recommended and some more like the Karchner Caverns and Coronado National Forest etc. Just so much to do. The RV Park is nice and on the south side which will make the Titan site, Air Park etc. very convenient. Hope we can get all of it in. The blooming Cacti in the Desert are awesome. Well, off for a bike ride. Lots warmer here than Wally and Phyllis are experiencing. Tomorrow 88 and then into the 90's and dry. Loving it. Didn't take camera today, sorry Clarke. We promise to do better.

David and Denise

chockwald · 04-30-2009, 02:07 PM

Well, sigh......I drove my "baby" back to the storage facility yesterday afternoon where she will await our call for our next adventure. I still have a few minor projects to finish, such as installing 2 electrical outlets nearer to the front of the coach....right now the kitchen area is where the easily accessible outlets end. We use our laptops near the front of the coach. There is one outlet up in the overhead cupboard on the right side of the TV, but it looks like a "Rube Goldberg" setup when we string the extention cord over to the dinning table. I'm going to install one outlet next to the light switch which is about 3 inches above the table top, and then one on the outside of the liquor cabinet just behind the drivers seat. The other minor redo is the XM antenna cable that I need to move a few inches so it doesn't interfer with the curtain track.

We have a short trip planned for Memorial Day up to Ventura where we will spend a few days on the beach with family and friends, and then an even shorter jaunt to Canyon RV Park located on the banks of the Santa Ana River in Yorba Linda, CA, which actually flows 12 months out of the year....that is about 15 miles from our home. We're trying to set up another trip with Steve and Tricia Ward in August, or September, but the details remain to be worked out on that one. Otherwise, the next long trip will start in mid November when we travel up to Spokane, WA for Thanksgiving, and then over to the Olympic Peninsula and down Highway 1.

Still looking for some photographic evidence of David and Denise's adventures...LOL!!

zcasa · 04-30-2009, 03:18 PM

Hey Clarke:

Yeah, we have an appointment with Olin Mills on Friday. We think we will invite Tom and Darlene to be in the photo. Tom says he needs to buy a tie. lol. We will probably choose the book shelf background. Very classic.

No worries, we will get the pics figured out and around Sedona and Grand Canyon we will post a few.

Have a good day. Your future adventures sound great.

D and D

encantotom · 04-30-2009, 03:23 PM

you said the "tie" word. you will see what i mean tonite by that.....

tom

chockwald · 04-30-2009, 05:29 PM

Well, Tom, we'll look forward to seeing the picture of you with a tie and cargo shorts....LOL!!! Finally getting back into the "work mode" after 4 days back in the office.

prarieschooner · 04-30-2009, 06:46 PM

Clarke,
what happened to 70 degrees? Spokane, Wa in November? sounds too cold for us but I will be looking forward to the videos!
we on the other hand are thinking about being at the Sea of Cortez for Thanksgiving, out of the snow and in shorts.

chockwald · 04-30-2009, 06:54 PM

Hey Steve....well, the 70 degree thing kind of goes out the window when it's Thanksgiving....LOL....last year we spent Thanksgiving down in Octotillo Wells....very, very nice temps. The Sea of Cortez sounds great....how many miles south of the border is it? No doubt it will be the right temperature!

When you get back from the "river" let's talk about a road trip.....where should we go??? We could head up to the Eastern Sierras somewhere for a few days....what do you think?

Wally Arntzen · 04-30-2009, 06:58 PM

I seen Tom in a tie going to church last sunday in Austin. He looked like a preacher going to do his job of servin the Lord. Have him suit up for the photo's.
I'm sure you guys will have a ball when Dave and Denise get to Tom and Darlene's today.

Have fun and give us a report.

Wally and Phyllis

chockwald · 04-30-2009, 07:04 PM

I guess I arrived at La Hacienda too late to see Tom in his " Sunday Go To Meetin' " clothes.

encantotom · 05-01-2009, 05:43 AM

David and Denise came this afternoon. we had a ball tonite. Darlene made home made pizza with fresh made crust. deep dish and thin crust. david and denise are delightful wonderful people and we have enjoyed having them in our home. the neighbors keep asking me how many coaches i am going to buy as there has been a constant stream of them parking in front of the house over the past 3 weeks.

with them and all the other newell friends we have made the past 18 months we feel like we have known them for many years. the newell brought us together and being great people has made us friends.

and yes, i do wear a white shirt and tie a couple of times a week......and give the sermon at church fairly often.

later

tom

chockwald · 05-01-2009, 05:57 AM

Tom, when I think of how close you came to being a Blue Bird owner.....had any of those deals worked out everything would have been different.....you would have a whole different set of Blue Bird friends. We're glad you bought a Newell, because our paths would probably never have crossed, and our lives would have been the less for it. It's obvious to me you were supposed to be a Newell owner.

David and Denise....isn't Darlene's pizza terrific?!

zcasa · 05-01-2009, 02:03 PM

Very kind words from a most gracious and generous host. We pulled into Tom's neighborhood around 4 yesterday afternoon and as we came around the corner, there is Tom standing holding an electricity cord. Loved it. Talk about a warm welcome. The tour of the magnificent home is so much fun. We could never find all of the rooms again. We met Tom and Darlene's girls and both are very successful and full of energy. The last one remaining home, is off to college this summer and is a most talented future Broadway actress and singer. The other, is a very loving mother of two and we had tons of fun with the little ones. It did look like Grampa was getting a little tired as the evening wore on. LOL. The Pizza was amazing. We had our choices of any combination desirable. Really, a one day stopover is not enough with these folks. Michael and Georgia do it right by staying longer and enjoying the company. I could go on and on but the best way to experience this is to get to know Tom and Darlene.

More later, 15 amp is no problem, we have found out. Opens up a whole lot more options for us. Clarke is right on, this Newell experience with fellow owners will end up being one of our life's pleasures. While not inexpensive to do, if we can stop in and get some deep dish pizza occasionally, it really helps. lol.

Have a good day everyone.

David

chockwald · 05-01-2009, 02:26 PM

You're right David....I wish we would have had more than one night to spend, too. Did you need to run your A/C on the 15amp, or is the weather still mild there? It was in the 70's the day and a half we were there. I've run my rear A/C unit while plugged in at home on a 15amp outlet. Tom was saying some coaches that plug in the front GFI plug trip the breaker before anything is even turned on. Mine didn't, but of course I don't have much to run...LOL!

encantotom · 05-01-2009, 02:37 PM

i told david that i am pretty sure his coach is not going to start so they can leave today. and that i am pretty sure he will not be able to find out what i did to make it that way....and that it will mysteriously start up in a few days....

here are a couple of pic's of them in front of the house.

they went to bed at 9:30....light weights.....but were up at 5:30. i went to bed at 12:30 and was up at 7. we operate on different ends of the clock.

any of you are welcome here when you travel though arizona.

tom and darlene

chockwald · 05-01-2009, 03:26 PM

Ahhhh....I see the "Newell gremlin" has been at work....I'm somewhere in between you two.....ususally in bed by 11pm at the latest, but still wide awake at 5:30am...ugh!

encantotom · 05-01-2009, 06:33 PM

David and Denise left for Sedona a little while ago. The weather was very nice here for them. Thanks again for stopping by guys!

tom

chockwald · 05-01-2009, 08:03 PM

"We'll be back..."....you can count on it.