Thursday, January 19th - Pima County Air & Space Museum

Temp was down in the low 30's last night. High today was in mid 50's. There is a hard freeze warning for tonight, but both of my weather apps show overnight lows only down in the mid 30's.

We are parked "out back", in a row of RV's. The vehicles you see on the other side of the parking lot are also RV's. This is the RV overflow area. The main RV area is not full but they are getting ready for several upcoming events so they are trying to get non event campers out of the main lot. There is certainly nothing wrong with being back here. In fact, it is a joy to not have to listen to the screaming rice burners racing up and down the street a block away, the regular sound of sirens from fire trucks and ambulances, and the regular sound of yapping dogs. The quiet and nighttime dark is great.

Sunrise was pretty this morning. 

We can see the snow capped mountains from many locations.

After lunch I went to the Air & Space Museum. It has grown since I was there 11 years ago, and it was great then. I spent over 4 hours walking around looking at all types of flying machines. To give you an idea of scale, one of the aircraft on the right side of the photo below is a 747, I think the other is a 777. The buildings are full of aircraft on the floor and suspended from the ceiling.

   One of the reasons I went back was to see their SR-71 Blackbird again. It is an amazing airplane. Below is an engine cart, two are required, to start the huge Pratt & Whitney J-58 turbojets, one for each engine. Each cart contains two 465hp, 454 cu in Chevy V8's (originally 401 cu in Buick engines were used). The V8's are mechanically linked to the turbojets and have to spin them up to 3,200 rpm for ignition. They have a audio tape of the V8's roaring as they spin up the jets. The starting procedure is detailed at the following site, but its to deep for me.

https://www.thesr71blackbird.com/Aircraft/Engines/starting-the-sr-71-blackbirds-j58-engines-ag330-start-cart

The Super Guppy was quite a site. It was developed to haul large, relatively light freight for NASA. The "bumps" on the side, near the front, are hinges.

I found a photo of them loading a command module into the Super Guppy.

The Convair B-36 Peacemaker, with its 230' wingspan and 6 - 28 cylinder radial engines, was another interesting site. Hung under the end of the wings were 2 General Electric jet engines, for a total of 10 engines. The jets were used to improve take off performance and then shut down to conserve fuel. It was in service as a Strategic Bomber form 1947-59.

The Convair was replaced by the B52. Note the wheel at the ends of the wings.

The bottom of this wheel was at the level of my waist. I wonder if the wing, under a full load, flexed enough so that this wheel was actually on the ground. Maybe a full load compressed the main landing gear enough to put these wheels on the ground.

And perhaps the most interesting unit there was the Refueling Station.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Wednesday, January 18th - Cathedral City to Tucson

 We almost hated to leave Cathedral City this morning. Even though the overnight low was only 42 degrees we could see that it was going to be a marvelous day. We pulled out of the campground at 9:05 and headed toward Tucson. 

The elevation of I10 rose and fell constantly. Cathedral City is around elevation 300'. About 30 miles from Chiriaco Summit we were down around sea level. Then it was up to elevation 1,700, down to 1,400 and back up  to 1,700 at Chiriaco Summit. When we crossed the Colorado River at the state line we were down to around elevation 270'. In 30 miles we were back up to elevation 1,700. I quit keeping track but here at the Pima county fairgrounds we are the highest we have been today, slightly above elevation 3,000'. Its going to be cool while we are here; 35 for an overnight low, 54 for tomorrows high and then 36 for tomorrow nights low.

Several things along the 400 mile trip are worth mentioning. The Julian Hinds pumping station is visible from I10. It is the last lift station for a pipeline/s carrying water from the Colorado River to Los Angeles. I read that it lifts water 411'. I didn't find a lot of information on it online. We had noticed in on the trip west but didn't try to find out what it was.

Next was the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm. A 550 MW solar farm that has been operational since 2015. The site covers 3,900 acres. On the east side of the facility we noticed mile after mile of ongoing construction for additional solar panels. According to some information I found online the new work is for the 2,600 acre Oberon Solar Project. The Oberon facility is supposed to be operational by the end of 2023. I couldn't find anything that linked the two projects, even though they are physically side by side. 

An interesting side note. When we spent a month in Summerdale, AL last January we paid 11 cents/kwh for electricity the campground resold to us. With all the windmills and solar in California, providing energy with no fuel cost, it was interesting to note that we were charged 35.5 cents/kwh at the campground in Cathedral City. Perhaps the campground just gouges people who stay there, or perhaps green energy is costly.

The big RV shindig at Quartzsite, AZ begins next week. Driving through the area reveals hundreds (thousands?) of RV's already parked all over the place. Much of the land around Quartzsite is controlled by the federal Bureau of Land Management. You are allowed to drive out into the desert and boondock anywhere. I do think you have to get some type of permit so they know roughly where you are. A 14 day permit used to cost $40. The permit provides you access to a dump station, a potable water supply and a dumpster. 

Once again I apologize for my poor photography skills. Hopefully the photos below will at least give you a concept. Most of the RV's you see in these photos have only the electricity they can generate (solar or generator). They have only the water they haul in with them. They can't dump even gray water on the ground. Years ago we talked to a couple who had boondocked for an extended period at Quartzsite. I asked about showers. The lady said that they used a LOT of baby wipes while they were there.

Parked at the Pima County Fairgrounds. We arrived a few minutes after sunset and was able to get checked in and set up before it got to dark.

Traffic wasn't to bad eastbound. We only had one significant slowdown that cost us 10-15 minutes. We noticed several lengthy backups on westbound lanes.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Tuesday, January 17th - Day 47 - Last Full Day in Cathedral City

 It was a beautiful day here. Temperatures were a little on the low side but the sun was so brilliant that it felt warm. I took the selfie below mid morning. We were sitting with the sun on our backs. The temperature was in the high 50's. I was contemplating whether or not to take off my flannel shirt.

We did go out for lunch, to a Mexican restaurant that we had not tried. Kathy said her food was great. My Chimi was huge, but bland.

The high for the day was 61 degrees. In the afternoon we were outside again. It was warm enough that I was wearing shorts and took off my tee shirt for 20 minutes to get some sun. I got hot! I took a nap and Kathy went to the pool.

The plan for tomorrow is to drive 400 miles to Tucson. We plan on staying in Tucson 2 nights before heading to Anthony, NM (basically El Paso, TX), another 300 miles. We aren't sure if we will spend 1 or 2 nights in Anthony. Anthony is almost half way to Donna, TX, where we have reservations for a month. It is difficult for me to grasp that it is 1,500 miles from where we are to Donna, TX.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Monday, January 16th - More rain in the desert

 Officially we received 0.37" of rain overnight. The total for January is 0.79" so far. That's not a lot, and I guess it is about average, but it seems like a lot for the "desert". It sprinkled on and off during the morning. This afternoon we had some sun for awhile, then we had some fairly strong winds. The weather was still nice enough that there were a lot of people, including us, spending time sitting outside.

This morning I tracked down some distilled water. I had to go to a Target about a 25 minute drive from us. (The Target 10 minutes from us didn't have any.) I picked up 3 gallons. I didn't want to be a hoarder but I knew it was past time to add water to the coach house batteries. We had new ones installed in July so it had been 6 months. The plates were still covered in all 4 batteries but it took about 3 quarts of distilled water to get the water levels back up. I put a reminder in my  calendar to check them 4 months from now.

That was pretty much our day. I did stop at a Del Taco, on my way back from Target, to pick up 2 chicken tacos for Kathy and a fish taco for me. (I had eaten oatmeal and half a grapefruit for breakfast, Kathy doesn't eat breakfast so she is hungry by mid-morning.)

Tomorrow we pack up and get ready to head east, and then south, on Wednesday morning.

Yesterday I mentioned the Pastor's sermon was based on I John. One thing he pulled out of the first chapter and a few other scriptures, was that we have the light and we are to be light for those who don't. The point that stuck with me was that the important thing that others should see revealed by my "light" is that I care about them. I can do that because I've seen how Christ cares for me. My "light" might also reveal that I don't do some of the things I used to do, but that is less important. 

Hey Lydia, I miss you to!

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Sunday, January 15th - Church & the Fair

 We went to the 9:00 service at NorthGate this morning. The Pastor started a series on I John. The church reminds me of Cumberland Fellowship in Crossville, a place Kathy and I love to attend when in Crossville.

We often see the windmills shown in the photo below. They are near the church. We have never seen any of them turning. I can't imagine how costly the electricity they produce must be, assuming they ever produce any.

We went to the early service so that we could check out the Street Fair at the College of the Desert. It was disappointing. It was big enough but I've never seen so many clothing booths, hat booths, multiple booths for watches and sunglasses, etc. We went because we heard they had some fresh fruit. There was one stand. It had a fair amount of items, but no citrus.

On our way home we stopped for an In N Out burger and began our quest for distilled water. I use it in my CPAP machine. Also, its past time to check to see if I need to add distilled water to the coach batteries. Kathy had looked at a grocery last week but it had none. I went to a CVS, we went to a Food 4 Less (Kroger) and I went to a Walgreens. None of them had distilled water. I checked online and found that Walmart did not have any. Is this the latest of the "new normal" shortages? Will we ever recover from the damage done by the government when it shut down all the businesses? How many future generations will have to pay for the shutdowns, and the massive debt incurred by all the free money that was printed and given away?

I think Jefferson nailed it when he said, "The government you elect is the government you deserve." What is sad it that future generations will have to pay the price for the damage caused by the government we put in office.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.

Friday & Saturday, January 13th & 14th -

 Friday - We didn't do much. Just enjoyed being where it is relatively warm. Kathy spent a LONG time enjoying one of the heated pools.

Saturday - Kathy had seen an ad for a Farmer's Market that was about a 15 minute drive from us. We left with  intentions of checking out the Farmer's Market and then heading back out to Sam Cobb's Date Farm to buy some more dates, and enjoy the scenery during the drive. 

For some reason there was no Farmer's Market today. No signs, just an empty parking lot, so it was on to Sam Cobb's. It was cloudy but the scenery was still very enjoyable.

The Mc Callum Trailhead into the Coachella Valley Preserve is an area similar to the photo below. Hiking only, no motorized vehicles are allowed. When we drove by the trailhead at 10AM there were 39 cars parked along the sides of the road, apparently all people who had headed off into the desert. 

This is kind of a high point, elevation, for the area. The area is called Sky Valley. There is a small subdivision and an RV resort that you don't even notice driving by. 

There are also some low income properties in the area, but they do have some high dollar views.

Below is a blow up  of the above photo. Notice the clouds that are trying get to this side of the mountain.

Enlarged more. It almost looked like someone had put down a mat of cotton on tope of the mountain.

We were back home by noon. Mike and Tillie, the  neighbors who are parked in the site next to us, and who are from Branson, MO, bought us lunch at the clubhouse. Bill, the guy who loaned me the handsaw when we first arrived, cooks hamburgers and hot dogs for lunch on Saturdays. I think the cost for for a big hot dog is $2 and a nice size hamburger is $3. They had macaroni salad for a side and lots of fixins to put on your hot dog or hamburger. Both the hot dogs and the hamburgers were good. It started sprinkling just as we walked over to the clubhouse, it hasn't stopped. My Weatherbug app says that after 11 hours we have received 0.33" of rain. If anything I'd guess that was high.

We set outside, under our awning, for awhile during the afternoon but with the rain/damp it was a little cool. We both ended up coming in and taking naps.

God is good. I  pray that He blesses you and yours.

Thursday, January 12th - Coach washing

 The couple next door had someone come and wash and wax their RV this morning. Ours needed washed but I've been putting off doing it. It is dumb to put it off because this campground lets you use their water to wash vehicles and the water is relatively soft. Many campground don't allow it.

The guys who are working on our steps came around noon. They had installed the motor and controller yesterday while we were gone. They  knew we wouldn't be here but wanted to get it done. They came back today while we were here and they could open and close doors to check out the step operation. All seems to be in order.

In the afternoon I washed the coach. I still have to do the wheels and will probably have to wash the windows again, but the coach is clean.

It was cool today, last night it got down to 44 and todays high was a partly cloudy 72. It didn't seem that warm but that might have been because I got quite wet while washing the coach. Even though it felt cool we sat outside a fair amount.

God is good. I pray that He blesses you and yours.