Day Nine

That week sure flew by!

Joshua Tree in Joshua Tree National Park

The van’s running great for the most part. The fridge always has been and still is irritating, being oh so temperamental and undependable. It is one of those things we’ve never dealt with, and I know most people with this same Norcold fridge have the same complaints. We will one day deal with it! For the time being we are happily eating simple foods, and using it again mostly for storage.

We are all adjusting, sleeping well, and traveling contently. We have boondocked a few nights, camped in a National Park a few nights, spent our first night of this trip in a Wallmart parking lot, and tonight are in a nice soft bed at my relatives house here in Yuma, Az.

Mohave Mound Cacti

The most drastic adjustment has been the weather. One week ago, we were bundled in down jackets, hats and gloves, and still cold and damp. Today it was 100 degrees in the shade.

Big Rocks at Joshua Tree Joshua Tree National Park was as always lovely. The temps there were warm, but not too hot, the wind kept things comfortable, and we had a wonderful campsite for $5.00 a night, and no fee to visit the park. (Thanks to Fred’s senior interagency pass)

There was enough flora still in bloom to keep us happily busy identifying what was what, and we took turns taking short nature hikes while the other one hung out with Pia. We played on the boulders, took some driving excursions and ate leisurely breakfasts with coffee and tea. We met some really nice folks driving and camping in a Volkswagon Rialta – a small RV, bigger than our Eurovan, yet smaller than most other RV’s. They are pretty cool abodes, very roomy, but still get great gas mileage. Maybe someday, but for now we like the versatility and ability to go where other RV’s can’t go with our LWV. Our van has been lifted up and has larger wheels and tires than most Eurovans do. It therefore handles quite nicely off road, as well as on highway.

Blooming Silver Chollo Cactus

"Cactus Garden" in Joshua Tree

 Peace   ❧

4 thoughts on “Day Nine”

  1. That scenery is amazing, you guys are so lucky. Glad your first few days went so well. It’s interesting to hear about your raised suspension. Here in the UK the trend is to lower our vans. But inspired by pictures on Samba.com I had Go west riser springs shipped over from the States. Expensive, but one of my better decisions 🙂

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    1. We’ve been really happy with the raised suspension. Here is the US we have a lot of bumpy dirt roads we like to get off and drive on. It really keeps the propane tank and undercarriage from hitting any low spots, and it feels much more rugged and secure. We got our larger size wheels from Gowesty too. Love them!!

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