Winter Vacation 2013-2014

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Frank.  They were both black from old age and being coated with undercoat, so of course I snipped the wrong one...fixed it, and tied the new wire into the other one.

Works like a champ!

All fixed!

Tomorrow I've gotta organize all my toolboxes again and stow everything neatly.  Big old mess!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So the plan today is to get all my tools organized and stowed away...at least a couple of hour job since they all have to wiped down and are a big jumbled mess right now.

And of course hot tubs and puppies!

Tomorrow our time at Hot Wells Dunes in done for the year, and we are sad to leave...it really is beautiful here.

After we leave here we'll be stopping in Safford for groceries and to do laundry...and then its about a 100 mile trip to Tonto National Forest and Lake Roosevelt for the last week of our vacation...then its back to work.

Wish we were independently wealthy and could just boondock all year long!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Took a dip in the hot tubs this morning, then went to town 30+ miles away to get doggy food and something for dinner tonight.  DANG our K5 Blazer is fun to drive! 

Got back, put the groceries away, then organized all my tools in the back of the K5.

Then back to the hot tubs with the pups!  Karli jumped right in, silly puppy!

Washed up in the bathing area, then we went back to camp with the pups.

Once I got back I decided to transfer the last 14 gallons we had in jugs into the main freshwater tank, then fire up the genny to fully top off the batteries with the Powermax Boondocker converter/charger.  Should be fully charged in an hour or two since we were only at 12.4 volts.  This thing charges quick!

Weird thing I noticed about the genny though...try to start it without the engine running, and it doesn't want to run!  The fuel delivery line tees into the return line.  Start the engine, start the genny, turn off the engine, and it will run all day and night.  Good to know and not a big deal now that I know the secret...lol!

Tomorrow its a quick packdown of the porch, then drive out to the road, hook up the Blazer to the RV, then hit the road.  We'll be stopping in Safford, then dump the greywater tank at a water reclaimation site...they charge 5 bucks to dump, and its free to fill your freshwater tanks there with clean potable water.

Then an annoying segway at the laundrymat...a quick stop at Basha's grocery store so Patti can do the main grocery shopping, probably gas up the RV, then on the road to Tonto National Forest!

We'll be there for a week, then its back to work.

Yuck!  I don't want vacation to end!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Oh yeah...and since I'm STILL not sure about towing the K5 4 wheels down with and NP208c transfer case, I'll disconnect the driveshaft again and hang it.  If I can't find a definitive answer sometime soon, I'll convert it over to a rebuilt circa 1989 NP241c transfer case...the only year they made that one with a mechanical speedo.  That one you can tow 4 wheels down for sure!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

And oh yeah again...Mor/Ryde STILL hasn't answered my emails or tried to call me.  I didn't have time to call them today, but I will tomorrow!  Not pleased with them evading me.  Even if they won't warranty it, at least let me know!  Seriously!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

About to get the RV ready to travel.  Gonna see if Patti is willing to follow me in the Blazer to the main road...this 25 mile backroad stretch here is pretty rough with lots of pot holes, washes, and cattle guards.  With the rear spring boxes broken I'd feel better about not towing the K5 on it...we'll see what Patti says...she hates following behind!

Should take a few hours in Safford to do the laundry and get the grocery shopping done, then its off to Tonto!

Kev

[Stripe]

So, I have a lot o reading to catch up on your trip, but did you swap the jeep for the k5??

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yep!  Sold the Jeep with the rusty crusty NY frame for 4 grand with full disclosure...and they still wanted it for 4 grand.  It was the same year and color this older gentleman used to have and he wanted another one.  Got the K5 for 2500.  Needs some work and cosmetics, but the frame is perfect, coated in POR15, and already has the supports welded in around the steering box.  No rust at all being an AZ vehicle its whole life.  New tires, although we'll need a spare.  Rebuilt engine and transmission with barely 1000 miles on them. 

DANG I love this beast!  Its fun to drive with its big tires and 6 inch lift.

Gonna be a great vehicle when I'm done with it, and its the same trim package as my old 85 Scotsdale, which was my favorite vehicle I ever owned.  I used to miss that truck every day until we bought this one...lol!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

So today didn't go quite as planned, but it all worked out for the best.

By the time we left Hot Wells Dunes it was past 11am.

Patti did indeed follow me in the Blazer all the way to Safford, AZ, about 35 miles.

Our first stop was the Basha's supermarket.  I gassed up while Patti went into the store, then met her in the parking lot.  While she did grocery shopping, I filled our five 7 gallon water jugs, then transfered 2 of them, 14 gallons, into our empty primary freshwater tank.  Then I refilled those 2 tanks.  15 cents a gallon...not bad for good reverse osmosis drinking water in these parts!

Then we went to the laundry mat, and it took FOREVER!  By the time the laundry was done and put away, it was almost 4:30pm!

Fortunately there is a vacant lot across from the laundry mat where semi trucks often pull in for the night, so we decided to just boondock here for the night.

I hooked the K5 up to the tow bar in the parking lot of the laundry mat, discoed the driveshaft and hanged it, and then we pulled into the lot.

Bought pizza for dinner at the place next to the laundrymat, and it wasn't bad! 

Also bought a bit of bourbon, so hopefully no officers will ask us to move along before morning...lmao!!!!!

So we are going to stay here the night, then move along to the Tonto National Forest tomorrow.

I love it when a plan comes together!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Okay...so a funny anecdote...lmao!

Any of you old enough to remember Laugh-In, and specifically Ernastine in that great big chair?

Yep, that's Patti in the fullsize K5 Blazer!  In order for her to follow me, we had to tilt the steering wheel almost all the way down, and put a pillow on the seat so she could see over the dash!

Patti needs a booster seat!

Patti's a slim lady, but she's not dimunitive.  She's 5'5" and 120 lbs.  Even I would have trouble with the stock seats if I didn't have such long arms and legs.  They sit at an extreme backward angle, aren't adjustable at all except for forward and backward (and that's just the driver's seat), and I guess if you were 400lbs with a massive beer gut, these seats would be perfect...lol!

Definitely gotta replace these seats, and maybe the rails, since they cant backwards so extremely instead of being level.

Kev

[M & J]

Pictutes. Where is the picture?

[HandyDan]

Wow! I should fit in those seats just perfect.  I have owned 5 Suburbans starting in 1985.  I have never driven a Blazer but it is basically a short Burb, however all mine had 6 way power seats.
Dan

[ClydesdaleKevin]

That might be just the ticket, Dan!  Find a donor Burban with power bucket seats...seems to be a common upgrade on the Chevy K5 Blazer forum.

The rig is running AWESOME now, and has no problem towing the K5 behind it.  The Blazer weighs 4800 lbs, but she tows it just fine.  I took Route 70 to Route 60, from Safford to Globe, before picking up 188N to Tonto National Forest, another 27 miles.

No problem with any hills, although on a couple of the really long steep grades I had to open up the secondaries to keep the rig going 40-45 mph.

Once on 188 things got dicey, but mostly the last long downhill...8 miles at an 8% grade!  Kept it in 2nd gear the whole way down into the Lake Roosevelt valley, slowing it down with the brakes, then letting them cool, and repeating until we made it to the bottom.

Already talked it over with Patti, and she's going to follow me in the Blazer on the way out of here up that hill.  Then past Globe and Surprise, until we at least hit the top of the hill at the town they so aptly call Top O' The World...lmao!  That's another crazy steep grade!

Would the RV pull the Blazer up those hills?  Yep!  But just because we can doesn't mean we should!  That's a lot of wear and tear and strain on the drivetrain that isn't necessary.

So we got into the Tonto National Forest, and camped at the same campground we stayed at 2 years ago, across from the Tonto National Monument and cliff dwellings.  Pulled in so the passenger side faced south for maximum solar potential, then I set up camp and Patti's satellite antenna.

Then we took the pups on a nice long walk, and that was it.

It sure is beautiful here!

Tomorrow we'll be taking the trail hike with the dogs down to Lake Roosevelt.  It will be the first time the puppies ever saw a large body of water!  I wonder if they'll be water dogs like Sheba?

I miss my girl Sheba.  She sure loved it here!

Kev

[joanfenn]

She is still with you in spirit.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Thanks Joan!  Every time we see a butterfly we think of her.  Although I'm really starting to believe that she somehow found her way back to us in the little body of Paladin!  He has SO many of her traits, and she was quite the unique GSD to say the least...lol!

If you ever get a chance to read the book A Dog's Purpose, you should do so.  If you love dogs, you'll love that book!  We laughed and we cried and laughed again...its so well written!  Its from a dog's point of view, and the pup is reborn a bunch of times retaining his past memories.  Its an awesome read!  The second book in the series was also good, A Dog's Journey.

Kev

[joanfenn]

Thanks Kevin,  I will look for a copy of it.  Give the kids a kiss and good scratch for me.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

COLD and windy yesterday!  Brrrrr!!!  Stayed inside with the pups watching the telly most of the day.  Today is already warmer with no wind, so today we'll take them to the lake.

Kev

[jkilbert]

I'll take your your cold and windy and kick it up a bit...we're at winterfest for our Order of the Arrow lodge. It's 10deg with winds gusting to 30mph and a lot of blowing snow. 5 inches of fresh powder on the ground. Our lake is frozen over....How cold are you again...lol.

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL!  It got up to about 60 degrees on the "cold" day, with 15mph winds.  Yesterday was 68 with no wind, and supposed to be even nicer today!

Last official day of vacation, as we drive to the faire tomorrow.  Gonna take the pups to the lake today.  Yesterday we just took them on a trail hike.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

They are definitely water dogs!  They both jumped in, swam around, and realized the water was COLD!  So they played at the lakeside splashing in the water...lol!

It was a fun vacation this winter, and now its sadly over.  In about an hour we'll be breaking camp and driving the last 75 miles to the Arizona Renaissance Festival.

I'll be having Patti follow me to at least Superior, AZ, so we won't be towing the K5 Blazer up the 8% grade leaving Roosevelt Lake for 8 miles, and we won't be towing it up the killer hill coming out of Globe that goes up to Top-Of-The-World.  There is a Walmart in Superior we can hook up the Blazer at if Patti decides she doesn't want to drive the last 30 miles...I'm hoping she'll drive it.  Seems kind of silly to hook up the Blazer and disco the driveshaft for just 30 miles of driving, but we'll see.

Gonna finish our coffee and start getting ready to travel!

Kev

[chicknnhead]

if you let her drive it to much, she may not let you drive it anymore......

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL Chickenhead!  She loves driving it, as long as she has a booster seat.

Uneventful trip today.  BIG long climbs and downhills...6-8% grades for miles, thus the reason I had her follow me.

By the time we got to the flatlands, it was only 20 miles to go, so she followed the whole way.

Plenty of power in the RV not towing, but 60 can be scary!

Got to the AZ Renfaire early afternoon, checked in, and set up camp.

And thus endeth this chapter!

Next chapter, Arizona 2014!

Kev