Rebuild time

Well since I upgraded my hard drive partition from FAT32 to NTFS, things slowed down significantly. To remedy this I had to backup everything on the computer, format the hard drive back to FAT32, and reload EVERYTHING back into the computer. This might not sound too difficult, however the tough part is getting all the programs configured back the way I like them. Also I had to remember a few passwords for some online programs. Well it looks like I am up and running again and everything is FAST. Actually this was a good time to do it since it rained one day and was cool and very windy today. But it’s done and working well.

We have been invited to a family reunion in Florida the first of June. This works out well because we were intending to head for the east coast this year anyway. The big problem is TORNADOS! I have been looking at the weather reports and yesterday there were 66 tornados across the USA. This is not good. We do have the option to fly but we would sure like to bring our home. Once we get there we can hangout until the weather gets better before we come back. I will have to see if we can time it right and make a run for it.

They have begun construction on the third phase of the resort and are pushing around a lot of dirt. With the winds, it’s impossible to keep anything clean around here. I gave the motorhome a sponge bath the other day and the next day it was dusted out again. We are constantly wiping down the tables and counters inside as well. Not only that but they are already working on their summer schedule. This means they have been starting at 5:00 am with dump trucks, tractors, and backup alarms. The plus side is, since they start early, they quit early and the rest of the day is quiet and peaceful.

It’s starting to thin out around here. When we arrived in January and again in February almost every site was filled, mostly with “Snowbirds”. Well it’s getting time for those “birds” to fly home and it is starting to empty out. It won’t be long before the temperatures start pushing into the 100s.

Problem found in poll code

OK I found a problem with the latest poll code. I had to re-do the poll. Also I added Mid engine diesel to the poll. What this means is, this is a new poll and all that voted in the last poll titled “What fuel type is your RV?” will have to re-vote. Thanks.

Poll results

Here are the results of the poll, How long do you spend in your RV per year. Looks like we have a lot of Fulltimers out there.

I have also started a new poll so check it out.

Back in Arizona

After a 1 night stop over in Indio, we are now in Lake Havasu City Arizona. I knew the gas prices would be better in Arizona so I let the tank get a little lower than usual to make it to Arizona and fill up. It is about $0.40 cheaper per gallon here in AZ. I will be spending some time here cleaning and catching up on more maintenance on the motorhome. There is a lot I have wanted to get to, but just keep putting it off. I really should do it now. All our friends here at the resort were glad to see us back. All my plants have survived the 100 degree temps here. Looks like the irrigation system is working well. My neighbors tell me that my lot was rented the whole time we were gone. I thought this was a good thing until I saw the oil stains on my slab. I was told a brand new Newell did it. You would thing that a Million Dollar + coach wouldn’t leak oil. Also by the tire marks on the slab, it looks like Jimmie Johnson has been doing burnouts. The new owners of this Newell had a bit of a hard time parking it on our lot and left tire marks all over it. I bet it was an all-electric coach and they had all their air conditioners running full blast too. I am starting to think renting our lot isn’t a good thing. If I can get the oil cleaned up, I will feel better about it though.

What a Fantastic weekend

We, as usual, had a fantastic weekend. We spent the weekend at our friend’s house with the motorhome setup right next to their pool. We were invited to stay at their house to attend a birthday party.

Everyday we sat by the pool, drank champagne, and ate good food. Every evening we gathered around the fire pit and enjoyed the warmth of the fire and swap some great stories. Saturday night we headed for the country club for the birthday party. What a fun evening. The theme was a Murder Mystery. I think our table should have won a prize for the least amount of right answers. Oh well, the food, friends and band were really great. Today we sat around the outdoor kitchen and watched NASCAR. Susan’s driver, Jimmie Johnson won again this weekend after a close battle with Tony Stewart in the final laps.

After the race we gathered around the fire pit for more drinks and conversation



while Susan stayed at the TV for the after race commentaries. We are so fortunate to have such good friends and enjoy the opportunity to meet more good friends.

Tomorrow we are back on the road. We will be heading back to Havasu for a few weeks before our trek east.

Riverside Resort

We are now in Riverside California at a friend’s house. As you can see in the photo we have a choice spot right by their pool. It is like resort living. Last night we had burgers by the pool and sat out by the fire pit for a couple of hours enjoying good conversation. We are here for a Birthday party this weekend. This was a surprise to Terri because she didn’t know we were going to be here. It was hard for Susan to bite her lip and not say anything since we were just with them last weekend in Las Vegas for the NASCAR race. This should be a real fun weekend.

NASCAR photos

I just uploaded some photos of last weekend’s NASCAR race in Las Vegas. See the thumbnail in the column at the left titled “Las Vegas NASCAR”.

What a great NASCAR weekend

We have wrapped up another NASCAR weekend. What a great time. The weather was perfect. Susan had more fun this weekend than in the past. The main reason is because I bought her a “Neon Garage Pass” which gets you into the garages as much as you want to go. We also had front row seats in the stands for the Bush race, thanks to our friends. We were so close you could feel the wind in your hair when the cars went by.

The Blue Man Group even came by one afternoon to tape off our campfire with Caution tape. On Sunday we viewed the race from the rooftop of our friends trailer in the infield. We had a great view of turns 1, 2 and the backstretch.

Susan was excited to see that her favorite driver Jimmie Johnson in the #48 car win at Las Vegas for the 3rd time in a row. After the race she headed back into the Neon Garage where the Winners Circle was to view the post race ceremonies.

Today we headed out of town. We are now in Pahrump Nevada. We wanted to stay here for a couple of nights but they only have 1 night available. I will go back up tomorrow morning to see if we can get another night. I forgot the southern deserts are filled up with “Snowbirds” this time of year. I didn’t realize we were in for a pretty good 15 to 20 mile climb to 5000 feet before dropping into Pahrump. The ol’ Workhorse did well though. I think we are looking at another climb when we head out of here also.

Another great day

It was another great day at the track. Today was practice and qualifying. The new track is so slick that there were a BUNCH of crashes in just the practice and qualifying. The races should be real exciting. Today Susan spent some time in the new “Neon Garage” here at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is where you can get up and close with the happenings in the garages. They don’t actually let you in the garage but you are only separated from the garage by a window. You get to see the whole process from car prep, through inspection, to the pits.

This is a good shot that Susan got of her favorite drivers garage, Jimmie Johnson. That's Jimmie standing in the middle.

Here is another, as Jimmie is getting ready to head out for practice.

And here is another of his hauler in line with the rest.

Race Prep

Today we went into the infield to meet up with some friends.

Above is a photo of the Bush cars lined up to go through inspection.

Here is all the NASCAR haulers coming through the tunnel into the infield.

It was amazing to watch as over 50 haulers came in and lined up side by side.

Tomorrow the activities on the track begin. There will be practicing and qualifying going on. There are no races until Saturday. The weather has been just great. Sunny skies with temps in the high 70s. Perfect!

We are here in Las Vegas

It was an easy drive today, except for the 5th wheel in front of me on a 2 lane 65 mph road that would only go about 50 mph. I finally got around him and all was well. We arrived shortly before 12:00p and there was already a line of RV a mile long waiting to get in. It all went fairly well and fast though.

We got a good spot on the end of a row so there is no one on one side of us.

I sat today and watched as the jets circled and approached their landing at Nellis Air force Base. They come so close, you can almost wave at the pilot. There is nothing going on at the track today so we will just sit and relax until tomorrow. The weather was a mix of sun, rain, cool and warm today.

The sunset was killer. Tomorrow it is supposed to be clear and sunny.

Packed and ready to go

Our stuff is all packed up and we are ready to hit the road again. Tomorrow we are heading out again. We have been here in Lake Havasu for 1 week and already we are back on the road. We are heading on over the Lass Vegas for the NASCAR race this weekend. It should be an easy 3 hour drive over to Vegas. Susan can’t wait because she has a Neon Pass, which gets her in to the garages and pits. She will get a chance to get up close to all the action. Since I am not as big as a NASCAR fan as she, I decided to save my money for something I will enjoy just as much. I just haven’t figured out what that is yet. I am sure we will have Internet access but we will most likely be so busy that you might not hear from us for a while.

Check out our new addition to our faux lawn. Yes it’s a faux dog. We though the lawn needed a little something so we found this guy at the local Swap Meet. I still walk by and do a double take thinking someone’s dog got loose and is enjoying the shade on our lawn.

Weather

Having wheels under our home gives us the opportunity to go where the weather is nice and stay away from the areas where the weather is bad. The problem is, when the weather is bad where we want to go. I am getting anxious to head east. We want to go to Branson, Nashville, The Natchez Trace Parkway, Daytona, The race shops in North Carolina, Massachusetts, and who knows what else. The weather is looking pretty bad right now with the tornados and blizzards. We will have to see what it looks like in a few weeks or so.