For a change, this past week was much busier than usual. We are also heading into a stretch of much warmer weather with Monday's (Feb. 17) high 26C/79F...and even warmer temps next week. We went to the bank ATM for some cash...ugh! Not so happy with the currency exchange this year...it's costing us big time! Oh well, it is what it is...and why we are staying planted here in Q at $40 every 2 weeks until it's time to start home.
Tuesday (Feb. 18) morning just after 8:30 we headed back down to Los Algodones, MX for another dental appointment for Steve. He has another tooth that is bothering him.
Rather than taking the turnoff to Fortuna, then to I-8, we continued on highway 95 until we hit I-8. I took pictures of all the fields with Mexican workers picking the crops...
It was about 10:30 by the time we parked the truck and walked across the border...yes, that's the border wall on the right...
Steve's appointment was at 11:00...he was finally taken in as 12:10! I think that is the first time we've had to wait so long.
After x-rays were taken, it was found that an implant he had done 2 years ago was infected, so it had to be taken out. We have been coming down to Dr. Bernal for a number of years and both of us have had a lot of dental work done...this is the first time that there has ever been a problem with the work he did. He tried to tell Steve that it was due to the lack of dental hygiene but Steve doesn't buy it. It's a tooth that has always felt pressure sensitive and traps food when eating. He faithfully uses dental pics to keep it clean, along with flossing and/or using our Water Pik. Well, the good news was that there was no charge for today's extraction. When Steve asked if he'd have to pay for another implant, the dentist said they'd "give him a deal". That's now two implants required in the future, so we'll have to consider if it's worth returning here with the exchange rate and travel expenses. It's 4-6 months before an implant can be done then another 4-6months for the crown.
Post Operative Instructions: No alcohol, avoid greasy foods, dairy, hot and carbonated drinks and spicy foods. NO FUN!
After a stop at the pharmacy to have the prescriptions for antibiotics and pain killers filled, we headed back to the border. Steve took a couple of pictures along the way...
Armed guards...
We had planned on stopping in Yuma on our way home to pick up a few groceries but after the long wait to get across the border, we decided to just head straight home.
Unfortunately, once the freezing came out, poor Steve was in pain...he had a rough evening as the pain killers took their sweet time kicking in. Once they did, though, he managed to sleep the night.
Wednesday (Feb. 19) morning, Steve was feeling much better, thank goodness. We had some chores to take care of...starting with laundry, followed by fuelling up the truck and picking up a few groceries at Roadrunner Market. By the time we got home, it was noon.
After lunch, I was inside doing some banking when I heard the drill...Steve had decided to take care of another chore that was on his "to-do" list. Once we converted to lithium batteries they were mounted in the storage bay, leaving the rusty battery tray exposed. Time for some Rust-Oleum paint! This might be a good spot to store our sewer hoses...
Buffing off the rust...
After that, he decided to take up his drone to show how empty it is now that the Show is over.
Towards the end of the Show...
After the Show...
1:57 Video of La Posa West and surrounding area with the Show over...
After the Show...1:57 Video of La Posa West and surrounding area with the Show over...Thursday (Feb. 20) morning Fred and Terry picked us up just after 9:00 a.m...we're going on a day trip to Joshua Tree National Park!
Cool cloud formation...
Before reaching Joshua Tree, we had another stop to make. We have passed the General Patton's Memorial Museum located at Chiriaco Summit numerous times but had never stopped, so we were looking forward to checking it out.
General Patton had many training camps throughout the deserts of Californian and Arizona. In fact on some of our previous ATV rides near Quartzsite we have come across some of the training camps as well as tank tracks that are still visible!
Inside the tank...
Tank engines...
Time to check the outdoor display...
1:51 Outdoor display video...
The museum was huge and very well done...we spent an hour and a half there but could have easily spent many more hours if you wanted to read absolutely everything!
Onto Joshua Tree National Park now...the turnoff is about 7 miles further along I-8. There is a boon-docking area on the way in before you enter the south side of the park...
Once we got up top it flattened out...
After a stop at Cottonwood Visitor Center for a park pass and to check out the exhibits, we continued further into the park. Our first stop was at Turkey Flats
It was so cold, 13C/56F and very windy! Steve and I walked up to the viewpoint for the above pictures and a video.
0:16 Video of hazy views of the Salton Sea, Coachella Valley, Indio, and Palm Springs area...
We stopped again just a little further back down the road at another small lookout. We managed to get a selfie picture of all of us...
It was about 5:30 when Fred and Terry dropped us off. We went from 13C/56F at the Keys viewpoint to 27C/81F on our return to Quartzsite. What a fabulous day...thank you so much, Fred and Terry for inviting us to tag along with you!
Friday (Feb. 21) morning, it was time to dump the trailer tanks and fill up with water. We pretty well have our process down pat...it takes about two hours by the time Steve takes care of getting the outside ready, while I do the inside. Steve is gone for about 50 minutes (from the time he leaves here and pulls back in); and we get all set up again. I also pull all the carpets out and give them a good sweeping, as well as the inside.
Although a warm, sunny day...it was windy, as usual. So after lunch we sat inside while Steve edited pictures and I read. At about 2:30 we walked to Beer Belly's Adult Day Care for a brew, music and people watching. It was a busy Friday afternoon...
Saturday (Feb. 22) we had another outing with Fred and Terry. They were going to Blythe CA to the Car Show and Open House at the Museum and invited us to tag along. It has been really nice tagging along with them on these outings...making our time here so much nicer!
They picked us up at 11:00 and we were off to Blythe and the Museum, where the cars were parked out front. It was a small car show with only 6 cars. Nice rides!
We went to Garcia's for lunch...an excellent Mexican restaurant! Mexican is not usually one of our choices for a meal (because we don't know what to order) but we had read about it in a local magazine and the menu looked interesting and varied. We really enjoyed it!
With our bellies full, we did a little grocery shopping and then headed home. Thanks again, Fred and Terry for another fabulous day!
We had a very lazy start to the day Sunday (Feb. 23). Once we got moving, we went for a long walk in the desert and then headed out to fill our containers with drinking water, get gas for the generator and pick up a couple of things at the dollar store.
The rest of the day was spent picture editing and then working on this blog update. It was another warm day...26C/79F.
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